Wikivoyage enwikivoyage https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page MediaWiki 1.39.0-wmf.23 first-letter Media Special Talk User User talk Wikivoyage Wikivoyage talk File File talk MediaWiki MediaWiki talk Template Template talk Help Help talk Category Category talk TimedText TimedText talk Module Module talk Gadget Gadget talk Gadget definition Gadget definition talk 0 520 4501726 4469273 2022-08-15T20:20:01Z 204.129.232.195 /* Talk */ Fixing some of these sentences, added extras. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801-1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' - more than twice the size of [[Texas]] - and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the South and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who - along with state and federal government entities - still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but there are many other languages that are spoken there in this state, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian, all of them are Alaska Native languages. There are some Russian languages spoken. In Nikolaevsk, the Russian is more spoken than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also| air travel in the USA}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} nmfkaog4afk476ht0fqzz1miwcq018r 4501727 4501726 2022-08-15T20:20:29Z 204.129.232.195 /* Talk */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801-1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' - more than twice the size of [[Texas]] - and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the South and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who - along with state and federal government entities - still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but there are many other languages that are spoken there in this state, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian, all of them are Alaska Native languages. There are some Russian languages spoken. In Nikolaevsk, the Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also| air travel in the USA}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} h2s54o2l7gdn86zdydszsqis493asq1 4501732 4501727 2022-08-15T20:37:24Z Ibaman 195012 [[obvious]]: of course we're talking about Alaska and nowhere else wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801-1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' - more than twice the size of [[Texas]] - and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the South and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who - along with state and federal government entities - still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but there are many other languages that are spoken there, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian. Some Russian language is spoken. In Nikolaevsk, Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also| air travel in the USA}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} d94jfk7o6klls7aqc4hf92kjpooyc80 4501920 4501732 2022-08-16T06:43:22Z LPfi 79572 /* Talk */ simpler and clearer, I think wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801-1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' - more than twice the size of [[Texas]] - and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the South and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who - along with state and federal government entities - still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but also many native languages are spoken, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian. Some Russian is spoken. In Nikolaevsk, Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also| air travel in the USA}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} 4ielttbhufstfae26madxeyxywcr9wr 4501922 4501920 2022-08-16T06:44:31Z SHB2000 2248002 /* By plane */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801-1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' - more than twice the size of [[Texas]] - and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the South and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who - along with state and federal government entities - still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but also many native languages are spoken, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian. Some Russian is spoken. In Nikolaevsk, Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also|Flying in the United States}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} qo97taj8nufw3ivsau46iyscci91iwv 4501923 4501922 2022-08-16T06:44:37Z LPfi 79572 /* Understand */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801–1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' - more than twice the size of [[Texas]] - and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the South and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who - along with state and federal government entities - still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but also many native languages are spoken, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian. Some Russian is spoken. In Nikolaevsk, Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also|Flying in the United States}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} mk1yxdyxx6vz6xh270ndtdjk5nnaelo 4501926 4501923 2022-08-16T06:49:54Z LPfi 79572 /* Understand */ I assume there is no region here called "South", if there is, we should tell about it before using its name wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801–1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps of the US represent the size of Alaska inaccurately. Despite what you might think, the state is positively ''huge'' – more than twice the size of [[Texas]] – and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the south and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[Winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who – along with state and federal government entities – still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but also many native languages are spoken, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian. Some Russian is spoken. In Nikolaevsk, Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also|Flying in the United States}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} 7o3hbakfwcu7c0r1vr3d6l2kfz4nmzk 4501930 4501926 2022-08-16T06:58:20Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Understand */ ce. it's not just US maps that overrepresent the size of Alaska wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Alaska new banner 2.jpg}} '''[http://www.travelalaska.com/ Alaska]''' is by far the largest state of the [[United States of America]] by land area. Nicknamed "the last frontier", Alaska is sparsely populated with a harsh climate but incredible scenery. Separated from the "lower 48" by [[Canada]], Alaska can be a challenging destination; most of the state is in the [[Arctic]]. Besides vast forests and frozen tundra, Alaska contains the ten highest mountain peaks in the United States, including Denali, the highest in all of North America. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Alaska regions map.png | regionmapsize=600px | region1name=[[Southeastern Alaska]] | region1color=#a1d092 | region1description=The Panhandle and the Inland Passage | region2name=[[Southcentral Alaska]] | region2color=#d092cc | region2description=Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula | region3name=[[Southwestern Alaska]] | region3color=#d0b292 | region3description=Alaskan Peninsula and various islands, including the Aleutian Islands | region4name=[[Interior Alaska]] | region4color=#d09299 | region4description=Fairbanks, Yukon River | region5name=[[Arctic Alaska]] | region5color=#92aed0 | region5description=[[Utqiaġvik]], [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], and Kotzebue }} ==Cities== <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes.--> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Juneau]]|url=|lat=58.301449|long=-134.421613|wikidata=Q29445}} – State capital and third largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Anchorage]]|url=|lat=61.216667|long=-149.9|wikidata=Q39450}} – Alaska's largest city. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Utqiaġvik|Utqiaġvik (Barrow)]]|url=|lat=71.290556|long=-156.788611|wikidata=Q79809}} – northernmost city in the United States and mainland North America *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deadhorse]]|url=|lat=70.205556|long=-148.511667|wikidata=Q605671}} – Alaska's oil center, the production facilities can only be accessed by tours *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Unalaska|Dutch Harbor (Unalaska)]]|url=|lat=53.888984|long=-166.527239|wikidata=Q79982}} – Largest community in the Aleutian Islands; internationally famous as the home port for the reality TV series ''Deadliest Catch'' *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fairbanks]]|url=|lat=64.843611|long=-147.723056|wikidata=Q79638}} – Alaska's second largest city *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homer]]|url=|lat=59.643056|long=-151.525833|wikidata=Q79441}} – Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Kachemak Bay State Park, Katmai National Park *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ketchikan]]|url=|lat=55.35|long=-131.673333|wikidata=Q43981}} – Alaska's southernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kodiak]]|url=|lat=57.793056|long=-152.394167|wikidata=Q79985}} – The Island Town ==Other destinations== [[File:Byron Glacier AK.jpg|thumb|Byron Glacier, near Portage Lake]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Denali National Park]]|url=|lat=63.0695|long=-151.0074|wikidata=Q217136}} – whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America's highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320-foot Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Gates of the Arctic National Park]]|url=|lat=67.783333|long=-153.3|wikidata=Q605657}} – traveling through this vast wilderness you will discover craggy ridges, glacier carved valleys and fragile flowers *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Glacier Bay National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-137|wikidata=Q261577}} – marine wilderness of '''Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve''' includes tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, deep fjords, and freshwater rivers and lakes. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Katmai National Park]]|url=|lat=58.5|long=-155|wikidata=Q609902}} – famous for volcanoes, brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]]|wikidata=Q829102}} a massive wilderness of mountains and lakes, swarming with wildlife *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kenai Fjords National Park]]|wikidata=Q841503}} – a land where the ice age still lingers where glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=60.966667|long=-153.416667|wikidata=Q712296}} – The Park was created to protect scenic beauty (volcanoes, glaciers, wild rivers and waterfalls), populations of fish and wildlife, watersheds essential for red salmon, and the traditional lifestyle of local residents. Lake Clark's spectacular scenery provides a true wilderness experience for those who visit. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]|url=|lat=61|long=-142|wikidata=Q748597}} – Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." It has the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks above {{ft|16,000}}. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve]]|url=|lat=65|long=-143.5|wikidata=Q388928}} – along the Canadian border in central Alaska ==Understand== [[Image:Alaska Federal & National Lands.PNG|thumb|450px|Federal and Native lands in Alaska]] In 1867 (two years after the end of the [[Civil War]]), the territory of Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] for $7.2 million (or about 2 cents an acre). For many years people referred to the acquisition as "Seward's Folly", named for Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801–1872) who made the deal. They viewed Alaska as a frozen wasteland, not realizing it would turn out to be one of the United States' richest resources for gold and oil. It took until 1959 for the territory to become a state of the Union. Most of the land is still wilderness; nicknamed ''The Last Frontier'', Alaska keeps the spirit of the [[Old West|Wild West]] alive. Most maps using the Mercator projection represent the size of Alaska a lot larger than it actually; still, the state is positively ''huge'' – more than twice the size of [[Texas]] – and most of its northern parts are incredibly sparsely populated. Many places are only reachable by air or water and roads take a toll from the harsh climate, so carefully plan your itinerary before heading out. That being said, a truly breathtaking environment will more than make up for the hardships of getting there and around. With the size, climate also varies with moderate rainy climates in the south and ice desert in places like [[Utqiaġvik]] (Barrow); see also [[Winter in North America]]. The fact that it was only colonized relatively lately (Russian presence never amounted to more than a few thousand fur trappers along the coast), makes for a relatively strong presence of native populations who – along with state and federal government entities – still own large parts of the land (see the map above). Alaska observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Seward’s Day (last Monday in March) and Alaska Day (October 18th). However, some cities and towns that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel may observe Columbus Day anyway. ==Talk== Alaska, of course, speaks English, but also many native languages are spoken, including Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian. Some Russian is spoken. In Nikolaevsk, Russian is spoken more than English. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also|Flying in the United States}} [[File:Approach to Anchorage, Alaska (3333913037) (cropped).jpg|thumb]] [[Anchorage#By plane|Anchorage]], and to a lesser extent [[Fairbanks#By plane|Fairbanks]], are served by [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] and [http://www.delta.com Delta Air Lines] year round from the lower 48, particularly from [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]] but also from other cities in the lower 48 (such as from Denver on [http://www.united.com United]). [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg (Alaska)|Petersburg]], [[Sitka]], [[Wrangell]] and are also served by daily jet service through Alaska Airlines flights originating in Seattle and terminating in Anchorage, on a point to point routing system. Other airlines such as Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Sun Country and other international carriers offer service to Anchorage on a seasonal basis rather than all-year round. Other communities within the state are served by an extensive system of regional and local air services from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the state's four largest urban areas (See "By Air" under "Getting Around" in below). Because of vast distances and the limited number of roads, air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport accommodates the upsurge in tourism and serves over 5 million passengers annually (2018). Anchorage International is a very big and clean airport that isn't very crowded. It has many different amenities for awaiting passengers to enjoy. They have everything from shops, restaurants, duty-free shops, and bars by where you board your plane. Be sure to check out the various animal displays for an early look at some of the state's more difficult to find inhabitants. A record-size halibut can be found on display just below the stairs that lead from the main concourses to baggage claim. Below that, you'll find several other animal specimens worth a glance on your way to your rental car or other transportation. The biggest problem with flying into Anchorage is that if you're not staying in Anchorage, you are going to need to take a long drive to wherever your destination is; most people just rent a car, which can be costly. If you are visiting family, you are better off just having them come and pick you up by the Security Screening area or meet you at the Baggage Claim area. No one likes to embark on a long drive after a long flight, but the scenery you will see will make you forget all about the long-distance journey. Fairbanks International Airport offers basic services for travelers. ===By car=== {{see also|Alaska Highway|Driving between the contiguous United States and the Alaska Highway}} Alaska is connected to the contiguous U.S. (known in Alaska as the "Lower 48" or "outside") through [[Canada]] via the [[Alaska Highway]]. The highway is paved and maintained year-round. Sometimes it can seem a little over-maintained, creating a uniquely Alaskan and Canadian situation: at any given time in the summer, you're bound to hit at least several dozen (and sometimes hundreds of!) miles of road construction. Since the roads in construction zones usually have only one working lane and, due to the scarcity of roads in the rural areas, there are not always alternate routes available, the construction companies operate "pilot cars" (usually pick-up trucks with yellow rotating beacons and large signs that say "Follow me"). They drive back and forth between the two ends of the construction zone and lead the vehicles safely to the other end. Depending on the length of the construction zone, the wait can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. Since there's only one main road, you can't really drive around the construction. The roads that aren't being worked on are usually in great condition. Considering the Winter conditions, the roads are in great condition. Every year Alaska gets hit with tons of snow, and the roads take a pounding because of all the weight and plowing that must occur. It is easy to complain about all the construction, but without it people would complain more about the road conditions. Most of Alaska's highways are smooth and freshly paved. All Terrain Vehicles are very common for natives to use when traveling short distances. Be careful of them while you're driving because they come out from all areas: both on-road and off-road. If you're planning to drive to or around Alaska, make sure to pick up a copy of [http://www.themilepost.com ''The Milepost''], which is widely regarded as the premier road guide for western Canada and Alaska. Most roads in these regions have small white posts every mile or so indicating the number of miles from the start of the road. The Milepost has extremely detailed route descriptions of all of the roads, pointing out everything from scenic viewpoints and campgrounds down to the names of small creeks the roads pass over. If you're flying in to Anchorage and then driving around the state, pick up a copy of ''The Milepost'' at one of the local Costcos or Walmarts - the price there is around half of list price. Driving distances in Alaska may be far greater than you are used to. Although the speed limit on most of the paved highways in state is set at {{mph|65}} (there are lower limits near towns and in highway safety corridors, most notably on the Parks and Seward Highways), these are not freeways, and safe passing zones are limited on many stretches of road. You are likely to encounter large numbers of semi trucks, particularly on the Parks, Elliott, and Dalton Highways, as well as private vehicles hauling large tow-behind trailers. Take extra care when attempting to pass these vehicles, as they may be longer than they appear to be from behind. There may be restrictions on which highways rental vehicles may be taken on. The Dalton, Denali, Steese and Cassiar Highways, and the Nabesna and McCarthy Roads, in particular are considered no-gos by many vehicle rental companies; if your rental vehicle is damaged on one of these routes, insurance purchased through the rental company may not cover repair or retrieval expenses. Always check for restrictions before making plans to travel any of the state's unpaved highways. If you will be traveling on one of the state's unpaved roads, go prepared. Distances between services are frequently large, weather can change rapidly and without warning, and many reaches of the state outside of the population centers lack cell service. Travelers on the Dalton, upper reaches of the Elliott, Steese, and Denali Highways are especially well advised to carry extra fuel, at least one spare tire, and basic survival gear. Some rental car companies may offer one-way rentals in and out of the state in the shoulders of the tourist season (one-way into the state before summer and one-way out of the state after summer). Check with each agency for details. If an immigration issue prevents you from entering Canada, you may not enter Alaska by car from the contiguous U.S. Canadian customs regulations state that Canadian residents may not rent a vehicle in the United States (including Alaska) and drive it into Canada. ===By boat=== [[File:MV Columbia Left Side Evening 2048px.jpg|thumb|The M/V Columbia ferry boat plying the Alaska Marine Highway at sunset, 13 August 2005]] The [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham (Washington)|Bellingham]], Washington up the beautiful Inside Passage to Haines. Plan your travel early as this service tends to fill up fast. A connecting ferry can take you to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]] (although this service is much less frequent—suggest you call for details) from which the [http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html Alaska Railroad] connects to Anchorage. The Marine Highway also operates along the coast of South central Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and Prince William Sound. Some private companies operate shuttle vans between Whittier and Anchorage as well, and the combination rail/highway tunnel allows road traffic in alternating directions every half hour. There is only one rental company in Whittier, [http://www.avis.com Avis], which operates seasonally and with a limited number of cars. If you're arriving by ship without a car and want to drive to Anchorage, make reservations well in advance for one-way rentals and be prepared to pay an extremely high rate and a substantial one-way drop fee. Unless you've got five people and tons of luggage, it's usually better to make alternate arrangements (train or bus) to Anchorage and rent a vehicle there. As mentioned above, Avis also offers one-way rentals from Skagway to the rest of Alaska. The only road from Skagway to the rest of Alaska travels through Canada. Various cruise lines sail up the Inside Passage as well, typically ending in [[Seward]] or Whittier (these cruise lines usually—but not always, so check—provide transportation to Anchorage and may even include package tours or your return air travel out of the state). Cruises depart from cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, and even San Francisco. Boats are a necessity in a lot of areas of Alaska. There are still many natives who rely on the use of their boats to get them into town for things such as shopping. If you are going on a fishing or hunting trip, chances are you are going to have to take a boat to get to your destination. You can drive into town from the airport and park your car at a loading dock for either short-term or long-term parking. From there, you can either board your own private boat or take a commercial boat to where you need to go. Many of the hunting and fishing expeditions will have a boat ready for you at a certain time to get you where you need to be for your adventure. Alaskan natives will bring their boats to these docks and park them there while they do their shopping. When they're done, they will load up and take the trip back to their respective house or cabin. This process can sometimes be very difficult and strenuous, especially for older adults and younger children. The Yukon River once played a huge role in accessing the interior of Alaska. Commercial steamboats once operated in the region, and goods are still transported by ship into remote interior areas. Some other rivers are also navigable. Though there is nothing that smacks of passenger service, it is theoretically possible though difficult to arrange a ride on a cargo ship, but you will have to do your own research. ===By bus=== Given the distances involved and the fare required to travel those distances, the cost of taking a bus from Canada and the lower 48 to Alaska vs. flying is about the same. See "By bus" under "Getting around" for a list of bus companies offering intrastate services within Alaska. From Whitehorse, [http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ Alaska Yukon Trails] provide service to [[Fairbanks]] via [[Dawson City]]. From Prince Rupert you can continue north to the southeastern panhandle of Alaska via [[Ketchikan]] by [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/prince_rupert.shtml ferry] or you can also begin the ferry journey from [http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/bellingham.shtml Bellingham, Washington,] to the southeastern panhandle as well (see "By boat" in the above for more details). The only option for travel to Alaska without a car from the lower 48 is by ferry (from Bellingham to the SE panhandle via Prince Rupert) or by plane. ==Get around== [[File:Alaska area compared to conterminous US.svg|thumb|Alaska's size as compared to the lower 48 states]] Most cities and villages in the state outside of the south-central region or southern interior are accessible only by sea or air. The [http://www.akferry.org/ Alaska Marine Highway System] also serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. ===By plane=== Although Anchorage is accessible via most major domestic carriers and some international carriers, '''[http://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Airlines]''' has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state, meaning prices are extremely high in comparison to comparable distances in the lower 48. The airline offers frequent jet service from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Smaller communities are served by the main regional jet and turboprop commuter airlines: '''[http://www.flygrant.com Grant Aviation]''' and '''[http://www.flyravn.com/ Ravn Alaska]'''. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using [[general aviation]] aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the Piper Navajo, or the smaller Cessna 207, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, next to Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage, where flights bound for remote areas carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco and Sam's Club. Small planes are a great way to get around Alaska if you are able to afford it. After you have touched down from your main flight to Alaska, you can board small planes that can transport you fast and efficiently. Many places aren't accessible by car or truck; so small planes are commonly used to get to the destinations quickly. If you are going on a hunting trip, chances are that you will need to board one of these planes to get there. Hunting areas in Alaska are sometimes commercialized for tourists. The areas that they bring you to are commonly hunted by other tourists. This continued use has made it a lot easier for pilots to land. A pilot can land on flat ground that is continuously used for landing small planes onto. ConocoPhillips and BP also have their own airline as '''[http://www.northslopetravel.com/ ConocoPhillips/BP Joint Joint Service Aviation]''' which operates shuttle flights (on leased Boeing 737 planes) to the [[North_Slope_Borough|North Slope]] from Anchorage and Fairbanks for employees and contractors of BP, ConocoPhillips and other contracting companies established in the North Slope. ===By train=== The '''[http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ Alaska Railroad]''' runs from [[Seward]] through [[Anchorage]], [[Denali]], and [[Fairbanks]] to [[North Pole (Alaska)|North Pole]], with a spur to [[Whittier (Alaska)|Whittier]]. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources—primarily coal—to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward as well as fuel and gravel for use in Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains. The route between [[Talkeetna]] and Hurricane (between Talkeetna and Denali) features one of the last remaining flag stop train services in North America. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. When they want to come to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving it its name. ===By car=== {{see also|Winter driving}} Alaska is the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, [[Juneau]], is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits up to 45 minutes (or more) to enter; for specific times, see the [http://tunnel.alaska.gov schedule]. In their daily discourse Alaskans never refer to roads or highways by numerical designations, instead preferring named designations such as “Seward Highway” or "Glenn Highway”. If you use the route numbers, Alaskans will probably not know what you are referring to. Anchorage and Fairbanks are served by all of the major national rental car chains as well as a number of independents. Some smaller towns around the state may also have a national chain company presence. Renting a car in Alaska can be more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the United States, ranging up to (and occasionally even over) $200 per day for a large vehicle sufficient to carry multiple passengers and outdoor gear during the peak season. In the dead of winter, however, you can sometimes grab a vehicle for under $10 per day. Renting at the Anchorage or Fairbanks airport incurs a 10-12% additional airport surcharge (plus an additional $4.81 per day in Anchorage). If you're renting for more than a few days, it might be worth the hassle to rent your vehicle at an off-airport location, which usually involves taxi rides or shuffling between hotel and rental car courtesy shuttles. Check with each agency or search off-airport rental cars using an online travel agency to see what cost savings may be available. Be aware that in winter, roads are maintained for ''winter'' drive-ability. Outside or urban centers, they are generally not cleared "down to the pavement" and salt application is unheard of in much of the state, with sand being used instead to add traction. There is therefore still a layer of snow or ice on top of the road surface, which is actually optimal for a properly outfitted vehicle with appropriate tires, which your rental car probably is not. ===By bus=== For those traveling independently without a car there are several companies that connect [[Anchorage]] to [[Kenai Peninsula]] to the south and to [[Denali National Park]] and/or [[Fairbanks]] to the north in the Interior and South Central parts of the state on a regularly scheduled basis, where it's most accessible by road. There are also limited service up to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast from Fairbanks by the Dalton Highway Express and over to Whitehorse YT by Alaska Yukon Trails. Bus services outside of the Interior and South Central regions are limited due to a limited availability of roads. See the respective article for a particular locale as to what may be available there. Bus companies in Alaska come and go frequently with one going out of business and another taking its place while some merged into one company. The following have been consistent and stable over the last few years: * {{listing | name=Airlinks Alaska Yukon Trails | alt= | url=http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ | email= | address=(office) 1213 Dolpin Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 452-3337 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes between Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage on one route and between Fairbanks, Dawson City, & Whitehorse on another route. }} * {{go | name=Alaska Bus Co | alt= | url=https://www.alaskabuscompany.com/ | email= | address=(mailing) PO Box 2270, Homer AK 99603 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 299-6806 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-12-18 | content=Bus between Anchorage, Girdwood, Cooper Landing, Soldonta and Homer. }} * {{listing | name=Dalton Highway Express | alt= | url=http://www.daltonhighwayexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 474-3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Goes up from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay through the Brooks Range along the Dalton Hwy (SR-11) }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Interior Alaska Bus Lines | alt=Alaska Direct | url=http://www.interioralaskabusline.com/ | email=alaskabus@aptalaska.net | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 883-0207 | tollfree=+1-800-770-6652 | fax=+1-866-244-5691 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Provides inexpensive transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks through Tok and from Anchorage to Glennallen on two separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Park Connection Motorcoach | alt= | url=http://www.alaskacoach.com | email= | address=(office) 9170 Jewel Lake Road, Suite 202, Anchorage AK 99502 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 245-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 907 245-0400 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=The Park Connection bus line offers service in Alaska from Seward and Whittier in south, all the way north through Anchorage and Talkeetna to Denali National Park. They have multiple trips per day to most destinations, including the Park to Park, Denali Express, Seward Express, Whittier Cruise Shuttles and Seward Cruise Shuttles. }} * {{listing | name=Seward Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.sewardbuslines.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 563-0800 (Anchorage), +1 907 244-3608 (Seward) | tollfree=+1-888-420-7788 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=Operates buses between Anchorage (incl. the airport), Seward and Whittier. }} * {{listing | name=Stage Lines | alt= | url=| email= | address=(office) PO Box 353, Anchor Point AK 99556 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 907 868-3914 (Anchorage), +1 907 235-2252 (Homer) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=They offer passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Anchorage and several places in the Kenai Peninsula to the south. }} Some of the above companies also offer chartered and sightseeing services in addition to their regularly scheduled services. Some may operate seasonally in the summer while others operate year round with different schedules for winter and summer. Check their website or call them. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/alaska/ here]. ===By bike=== While sidewalks and bike paths are present in the main cities, bicycling along the major highways is a dangerous proposition. Areas near the main cities occasionally offer bike paths and wide shoulders, but many areas of Alaska's main highways are not advisable for bicycling. The Seward and portions of the Glenn Highways, in particular, have very narrow shoulders and are flanked by cliffs on one or both sides, leaving very little or no room for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. ===By boat=== {{see also|Alaska Marine Highway}} One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise ship. [[Cruise ships]] bring you wonderfully close to glaciers, whales and rocky coasts. Larger boats offering more amenities, while small ships and yachts carrying 12-100 passengers go where the big ships can't, getting you up close to Alaska's nature and wildlife. Many vessels include naturalist guided hikes and sea kayaking right from the ship, perfect for active, casual travelers. Cruise ships have 2 main itineraries: the Inside Passage Route going roundtrip from either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, Canada and the Gulf Route running Northbound and Southbound cruises between Vancouver and Seward/Whittier. Companies offering cruises in Alaska include: *'''[http://www.hollandamerica.com Holland America]'''. The Glacier Discovery Cruise offered by Holland America Line, runs between Seward and Vancouver, BC. *'''[http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises]''', offers both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay routes as well as roundtrips from San Francisco. *'''[http://www.adventure-life.com Adventure Life]''', offers small-ship cruising exclusively, working with vessels in Alaska ranging from 32 to 138 passengers. *'''[http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line]''', offers only roundtrips in Seattle and Vancouver. *'''[http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruises]''', has only one ship deployed in Alaska annually doing mainly Northbound and Southbound cruises. *'''[http://www.rssc.com/voyage/search.do?region=ALASKA Regent Seven Seas Cruises]''', luxury cruise line with all inclusive cruises to Alaska. *'''[http://www.cruise118.com Cruise 118]''', Cruise 118 Holiday Cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean. *'''[https://disneycruise.disney.go.com Disney Cruise Lines]''' Inside passage trip to Tracy Arm, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau leaving from Vancouver~This is a great way to see the glaciers in Tracy Arm, as it is smaller than Princess or Carnival, so it can get closer, farther, and do a 360° turn '''Ferry''' {{COVID-19 box|In some cases travel to and from a community off the road or marine system within Alaska is limited to essential travel only. More information can be found concerning the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]. | lastedit=2021-11-26}} *'''[http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Alaska Marine Highway System]''', {{phone|+1-800-526-6731}}. Alaska's Marine Highway consists of over 8000 miles of coastal ocean routes connecting 31 port communities throughout Southeast, Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Two additional ports are located outside of Alaska - one in British Columbia and the other in the state of Washington. It forms an essential method of transportation for many local residents in towns to which there is no road access. The Marine Highway system also allows walk-on travelers, bicycles and commercial vehicles. You can arrange your own cabin on the ferry, pitch a tent, or roll out a sleeping bag on the upper decks. Naturalists sometimes on board to give commentary on sights and wildlife. Of course, after you get off the boat, you'll want to stay and explore Alaska's inland destinations. Don't get straight on an airplane and head home—you'll miss out on some of the best Alaska has to offer! Also try a fishing charter at any of alaskas fine coastal communities and send your catch home to your family or friends. ==See== [[File:Polarlicht 2.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Northern lights]] over Bear Lake, Alaska]] [[Image:Denali-from-reflection-pond.jpg|thumb|300px|Denali (Mt. McKinley) in [[Denali National Park]]]] Alaska is huge. It spans what once were five time zones! It's so big in fact you probably won't scratch the surface of what it has to offer in terms of geography, wildlife, local flavor, or Alaska native culture. You might visit a couple of the regions of the state during your visit. It is quite possible to experience the ancient rainforest of Southeast Alaska, camp in Denali National Park, and kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound on the same trip. Another option is to focus on a smaller (still huge) region of the state and spend enough time for a better look and then plan a return trip to explore a different region. Alaska does not have to be a once in a lifetime destination. Three weeks in the Inside Passage, traveling from town to town by ferry, is likely to leave you wanting more time if you enjoy hiking, sea kayaking, fishing, wildlife watching, scenery, Native culture, and biking. The [[Kenai Peninsula]], south of Anchorage, is another region worthy of an extended stay and is easily accessed from Anchorage. Plenty of public campgrounds make this an extremely affordable do-it-yourself destination if you have a few folks to share the cost of a rental car. An Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez driving loop also offers plenty to see and do for two weeks or more and can be quite affordable with camping and a shared rental car. ==Do== There are many things to do when traveling to Alaska. If you are the adventurous type then Alaska will be a great place to go. You can go [[hiking]], [[biking]], [[Sea kayaking|kayaking]], [[fishing]], and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales, moose, and bears. There are also month-long expeditions to the top of Denali. * A journey on the [[Dalton Highway]] provides a unique experience. The highway crosses mountains and tundra, the Arctic Circle, and 414 miles of pristine wilderness. *Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer when daytime seems endless. Anyone traveling to Alaska should definitely make a trip to Denali; it is absolutely beautiful and the highest point in North America. You can see it from hundreds of miles away when there are clear skies. However, if you get the opportunity to take a trip to see it up close, do it. An ATV ride up the side of a mountain can be one of the most eventful experiences of your trip. On the way up the path, you will see vegetation and wildlife that you can't see anywhere else. Once you finally get to the top of the mountain, you will see one of the most beautiful sites in all of the United States. Digital cameras and photos don't do the mountain's beauty enough justice. The mosaic of blues, whites, grays, and greens will leave you absolutely astonished. Not everyone is a fisherman; many people enjoy catching fish but hate waiting around to try and catch one. Well if you are one of those people, try fishing in Alaska. You will be amazed at how quickly you can catch fish there if you are in the right spot. You can definitely leave the river every day with your daily limit of fresh Alaskan salmon. There are plenty of charter fishing operators that will take you out to fish in some of the best areas. ==Buy== In Alaska cruise ports (especially Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) the tourist shopping experience is dominated by jewelry, tee shirts, and trinkets that could be purchased at any major cruise port in the world (perhaps from the same chain shop). Yes, there are good buys occasionally (especially at the end of the season), but local products can be difficult to find. If you are on a cruiseship, don't be afraid to visit stores not listed on the "preferred business'" list provided by the cruiseline. Those businesses paid a premium to be listed and don't necessarily represent higher quality or better selection. Local Alaskan artists are found in co-op and locally owned galleries. There are many books, from fiction to photos to nonfiction to children's, by Alaska writers, photographers and illustrators. Be sure to look for the distinctive 'Made in Alaska' sticker on products in gift shops and stores. When purchasing Native-made handicrafts, keep the laws of your home country in mind; foreign travelers may find that they cannot bring their purchase home due to regulations regarding one or more of the materials used, which frequently range from whale baleen and bone to various furs, skins, teeth and other wild animal products, and may in some cases include artifact materials such as fossilized bone or tusk. ==Eat== Alaskans love their food, fresh or otherwise you need good feed to keep up with daily life here. The portions in this state are huge. Almost every little town will have a local diner where one can get a filling breakfast and lots of hot coffee. Try the reindeer sausage with your eggs and hash in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan. Some foods indigenous to this area are fireweed honey (distinctive and quite uniquely delicious), and spruce tip syrup made from the Sitka spruce which grows very commonly throughout Alaska; and of course there is perhaps the most well known of all Alaskan produce: seafood. Alaska's fishing grounds are among some of the richest in the world and feature among other delicacies King and Snow crab which are exported the world over. Many local restaurants close to the shore serve fresh halibut and salmon daily, right off the boats. Fried halibut less than 24 hours out of the water is an experience like no other. The fish doesn't even need to be chewed it is so tender. Fresh salmon is usually best grilled or roasted . Crab is almost always pre-boiled at sea to preserve its freshness. Most coastal towns also have at least one place serving sushi made with local fish. Restaurant prices, like most other things in Alaska do tend to be rather high but the experience of eating truly fresh seafood is worth it. [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|Pricey but totally worth it]] Most things in Alaska are going to feel like they are overpriced, but they are expensive because it is so expensive to transport goods and food to Alaska. If you are out to eat, don't rob yourself by ordering pasta or spaghetti, get some type of seafood or meat. Do not expect to find moose, bear, or other truly wild game on the menu at restaurants, as it is illegal to sell game meat. Reindeer can commonly be found, and elk or yak will show up on occasion; in these cases, the animals have been raised domestically. A lot of restaurants in Alaska serve "catch of the day" and other seafoods, especially along the coast. Chefs will almost always have a new spin on your favorite seafood that you'll never have the opportunity of trying again. Alaska is famous for their Alaskan King Crab legs. Many people think that they've had them before, but oftentimes they are sold as Alaskan king crab legs in the lower 48 states and they aren't actually Alaskan king crabs, and if they are, they aren't even close to as fresh as they are in Alaska. Many restaurants will cook them in lemon juice, butter, and Old Bay seasoning. You will know when you've had an Alaskan king crab leg because the legs are about the same thickness as a woman's wrist. ==Drink== Beer is a big deal in Alaska with seven breweries in Anchorage alone. [http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ Alaskan Brewing Company] in [[Juneau]] is the best known brewery in the state and its Alaskan Amber leads beer sales. Other towns with local breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox (near Fairbanks), and Wasilla. In January there is the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine event. It is the third largest in the United States and may be the largest event highlighting barleywine in the US. Homer, in addition to its brewery, contains a winery and products from both are available at local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Homer Brewery is fiercely (some might say stubbornly) local and their fresh ales are only available in the Homer area. The Bear Creek Winery creates wonderful vintages using imported grapes (as they cannot be grown easily in Alaska) and a variety of Alaskan berries. Varietals range from Chardonnay to Port, and flavors abound. The Winery offers free tastings daily, and also has a very small number of luxury rooms to rent for those who really want to soak in the experience. Homer has a thriving night life, especially in the summer, so if you want to mix and mingle with "real" Alaskans this is a good place to do it. Alaska's liquor laws are in general no more or less restrictive than other states. However, two things may surprise you when you go looking for a drink. Firstly, alcohol may not be sold in the same store as groceries or general merchandise, but many large groceries get around this by having a liquor store attached to the main store. Second, and unique to Alaska, an intoxicated person may not remain on the premises of an establishment with a liquor license, regardless of where they got drunk—so as a practical matter you must leave a bar once you have had enough to drink. It is a practical matter because it ''is'' enforced, especially when patrons get too rowdy. ==Respect== When you are hiking or visiting a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, particularly in a national park or forest. These are protected areas, and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else. Picking flowers takes away nectar that is vital for insects. '''Don't litter''': Alaska is a beautiful state, and the best way of keeping it that way is just by respect to the land. It is easy to throw your trash and cigarette butts away properly, and by doing so, you are saving countless plants and animals. Please don't be lazy, and throw your stuff in the garbage! Some folks think it is appropriate when camping to use the fire ring as a sort of waste incinerator, and just throw cigarette butts, garbage, and even cans and bottles into it. This is not proper waste disposal and is extremely discourteous, not to mention the toxic fumes from burning such things. If you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly. This may seem a bit odd, but it is also courteous to clean your shoes ''before'' hiking in Alaska. Alaska has been plagued by numerous invasive plant species and you may have seeds on the soles of your shoes. Even within the state there are so many different environments that this is a real concern, and many trail heads have a shoe-brushing station for this reason. The same applies to boats, it's best to thoroughly clean the hull before putting it in Alaska's waters. Car washes are most effective for this. ===Natives=== Alaska Natives ''do not'' like being referred to as "Indians", "Eskimos", or "Inuit" (even the one Native group that is actually Inuit, the Iñupiat, rejects the term "Inuit"). They are not a monolithic culture, there are numerous tribes, now organized into "Native corporations". Like most indigenous people in the Americas, they were cruelly victimized and wantonly killed by outsiders in the past, and were subject to coordinated attempts to destroy their unique cultures such as forced family separations and punishing children for speaking their own language in school. You may find yourself staying in ''their'' hotels and lodges and riding on ''their'' tour boats, and wherever you go used to be their land at some point, so it's not a great idea to stereotype or mock them. ==Stay safe== [[File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg|thumb|Kodiak Bear in [[Kodiak]] National Wildlife Refuge; a Kodiak bear injures a person on average once every two years]] {{seealso|Cold weather|Winter in North America}} Alaska enjoys a comparatively low [[crime]] rate and is generally a safe place to travel. Anchorage is a real "big city" and street crime is not uncommon. Some areas of Fairbanks have disturbingly high rates of drug and alcohol-related violence, prostitution, assaults and murders, and Fairbanks as a whole has a serious issue of property crime. Despite this, crime in Fairbanks and Alaska in general is almost always done by people who know each other and very rarely, if ever, targeted towards tourists. If you use common sense, chances are you won't run into any trouble. While Alaska is wild and beautiful, it does not tolerate fools easily. It is quite possible to get lost, cold, wet, and even die, all within sight of downtown Anchorage. The state's populace varies between extremely friendly to tourists and openly hostile. A common bumper sticker says: "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?" Many Alaskans are understandably tired of those people from the "lower 48" who head North to live out ill-conceived &mdash; and sometimes fatal &mdash; fantasies of living off the land. The remote parts of the state are its jewels, but be prepared for the trip you plan. Do your homework, and plan on being self-sufficient. Consider using a guide, or checking out local conditions with locals before jumping in the kayak, and heading for yonder point that looked so nice on the map. The water in Alaska is so cold, falling overboard can be fatal within minutes. More importantly, self-rescue becomes impossible ''often within seconds'', especially around glacier-fed rivers. Treatment for hypothermia is required reading before doing any water sports, even during warm weather. Southern Alaska is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the world's most seismically active region, so there's a risk for [[earthquakes]]. A word about [[Dangerous animals#Bears|bears]]: There's an old joke about how to determine if you are in bear country in Alaska. Take out a map of the state and make a circle around the downtown area of Anchorage. If you are outside the circle, you are in bear country. Although a humorous way of phrasing it, this is absolutely true. Assume bears are present in any area of Alaska, even if you do not see them. Both black and brown bears are present in Alaska. Polar bears are also present in the far north but you probably won't be going all the way into their territory. If you do, it would be wise to make peace with whatever higher power you may believe in before walking around anywhere without a very large gun. If you see large claw scratches on a tree you are in a bear's territory. Be especially cautious just after sunset and just before dawn. Never leave food, water, or garbage unattended outdoors or it may attract a bear. Bears are wild animals and their behavior can be capricious. Never approach a bear. Never run from a bear as it will see you as food and it can run faster than you. If you encounter a bear you should stand your ground. Make lots of noise and wave your arms. If you have any metallic objects bang them against one another. In most cases, even when bears charge humans, they do not attack. But if you run towards one, surprise it while it is eating, run from it, or get anywhere near a cub, the chances of an attack are greatly increased. While it is amazing to see bears, the safest thing for you and for them is to observe them quietly from a distance and never approach them closely. If you leave food or garbage out and a bear eats it, even if you don't see it happen you have endangered the bear's life. Studies have shown that the previously employed tactic of trapping and relocating bears that have become habituated was not effective: the bears either returned to the same areas eventually or sought other sources of human foods. So now "trouble bears" are killed by park rangers or law enforcement agencies instead. Moose are even more common in most areas of the state, and are just as dangerous, and attack humans more frequently than bears. Moose may be herbivores and seem like slow-moving, lumbering animals, but they have sharp hooves and can strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Moose are not territorial, but they do have a strong desire to defend their "personal space" especially mothers with calves. Signs that indicate a moose is agitated include the laying back of their large ears, lowering the head, snorting and stomping their hooves. Unlike with bears, it is wisest to simply run if a moose acts aggressively towards you or charges. They just want you to leave them alone, so keep your distance. Be aware of moose as well when driving. Every year dozens of moose are killed and many humans injured or killed by collisions between vehicles and moose. The long legs make it dangerous as often the bumper of the car will strike the moose only in the legs and its enormous body will impact the windshield, so slow down if moose are present: they sometimes get "spooked" by cars and will suddenly sprint in unpredictable directions. If you are traveling with a dog, keep it restrained at all times. Dogs have been known to antagonize moose, wolves, and even bears and are often injured by the quills of porcupines. It is no fun to pull little spikes out of a dog's face with a pair of pliers, so for the sake of both the wildlife and your dog, keep it under your control and don't let it run free. See [[Wilderness backpacking#Stay safe|wilderness backpacking]] for more information about staying safe in areas of known bear activity. ==Go next== * '''[[Yukon]]''' - Canada's Yukon shares most of Alaska's eastern border. * '''[[British Columbia]]''' - Portions of British Columbia share a border with the Alaska Panhandle. * '''[[Washington (state)|Washington]]''' - While not connected to Alaska, Washington is the departure point for many visitors to the state. * '''[[Russian Far East]]''' - Located just 53 miles (85&nbsp;km) across the Bering Strait, Alaska's neighbor to the west has greatly influenced the state's history and culture, despite being, in fact, just out of viewing distance. Connections to Far Eastern Russia are rather scarce; aside from some flights in the summer, you will probably need to travel via [[East Asia]]. {{geo|64.0|-152.0|zoom=5}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{usableregion}} gpwl8scnfdrzbsf2y8fbhs0o4jvx34w 0 711 4501750 4500834 2022-08-15T21:20:15Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By cab */ + wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.cooper-limo.com Cooper Limo Service]''', {{phone|+1-866 433 1738}} or {{phone|+1 856 449 4279}} * '''[http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limo of Allentown]''', {{phone|+1 610-266-9770}} or {{phone|+1-888-550-CAR1}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}}, {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[http://www.royalstretch.com/ Royal Limousine]''', {{phone|+1 610-439-4800}}, {{phone|+1-800-671-8511}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} kxgk4gciijegd3hvb1k54rywayp9ef1 4501752 4501750 2022-08-15T21:20:48Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.cooper-limo.com Cooper Limo]''', {{phone|+1-866 433 1738}} or {{phone|+1 856 449 4279}} * '''[http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limo of Allentown]''', {{phone|+1 610-266-9770}} or {{phone|+1-888-550-CAR1}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}}, {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[http://www.royalstretch.com/ Royal Limousine]''', {{phone|+1 610-439-4800}}, {{phone|+1-800-671-8511}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} tpht9wnhqidbil85jcmgn2k37cnb70i 4501753 4501752 2022-08-15T21:21:13Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ not allentown-based or close wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limo of Allentown]''', {{phone|+1 610-266-9770}} or {{phone|+1-888-550-CAR1}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}}, {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[http://www.royalstretch.com/ Royal Limousine]''', {{phone|+1 610-439-4800}}, {{phone|+1-800-671-8511}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} 2jwk6q150u2r3pj5td7e323plbvmkmp 4501754 4501753 2022-08-15T21:21:28Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ dead link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}}, {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[http://www.royalstretch.com/ Royal Limousine]''', {{phone|+1 610-439-4800}}, {{phone|+1-800-671-8511}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} ab3v23ijb9aualxr9c2voi8f835d9ex 4501755 4501754 2022-08-15T21:22:14Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}}, {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} n6myl35js6nj4s61sptu2jgvkdejz54 4502051 4501755 2022-08-16T09:20:42Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ + wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484=249-2902}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} 463ahfwrel2teatq3t8cu0c411go0mx 4502055 4502051 2022-08-16T09:21:55Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} *'''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} jgjy494gbtpgy65e2knq6s2x9h4lb32 4502058 4502055 2022-08-16T09:22:16Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By cab */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} b7fa5di5wdun0a65ypawbd9rp9jvnt5 4502059 4502058 2022-08-16T09:22:34Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} p8ykk7aiu8thgcvnzabpn48xj5d2sui 4502060 4502059 2022-08-16T09:22:47Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By cab */ + wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} 1333uo2kaixttsaid9ummx2bp0jawn8 4502062 4502060 2022-08-16T09:24:17Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ + wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[https://www.quicktaxilehighvalley.com/ Your Way Taxi & Limo], {{phone|+1 610-435-8294}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} 4ofdjog7aps0llnadag1e7ub0qakl8v 4502063 4502062 2022-08-16T09:24:34Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority]''' (LANTA). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[https://www.quicktaxilehighvalley.com/ Your Way Taxi & Limo]''', {{phone|+1 610-435-8294}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} du8qgzw7u21pxvz12usxart1lysfq3l 4502064 4502063 2022-08-16T09:25:03Z Keystone18 2203296 /* Get around */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Allentown WV Banner.jpg|caption=Allentown from Keck Park|disambig=yes}} [[File:Allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Allentown skyline, May 2010]] [https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play '''Allentown'''] is the largest city in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]], the county seat and largest city in [[Lehigh County]], and the third largest city in Pennsylvania (after [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]) with a population of 125,845 as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown has deep roots in American history. The city was among the first to support American independence, establishing a Committee of Observation as early as 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor boards of an Allentown church for nine months from September 1777 to June 1778 to avoid its capture by British troops. Later, after the Confederate victory at Fort Sumter in April 1861, Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry to aid the Union Army and protect the nation's capital from Confederate attack. Allen Infantry and its associated regiment proved among the Union Army's most effective and bold fighting forces, leading attacks on Confederate bases in the deep southern states of [[Florida]], [[Louisiana]], and [[South Carolina]]. In the early part of the 19th century, Allentown was among the first U.S. cities to emerge as a hub for industrialization with significant mining and heavy manufacturing industries that helped spark America's Industrial Revolution. The late 20th century erosion of these industries in the area was captured in the 1982 Billy Joel single "Allentown," which elevated the city globally as a symbol of [[Industrial tourism|industrial]] decay and the devastating social effects of the [[Rust Belt]]'s spread across the northeastern United States. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown borders [[South Whitehall Township]] to its northwest, [[Emmaus]] to its southeast, [[Whitehall Township]] to its north, and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its east. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|19|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|63|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|93|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Understand== Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen and was initially known as "Northampton Town." It was renamed Allentown in 1838 and was incorporated as a city on March 12, 1867. ===Geography=== [[File:Allentown viewed from Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Allentown (in the foreground) is situated in the [[Lehigh Valley]], an actual valley located between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]] Allentown lies on the Lehigh River, and the river has historically been a centerpiece of the city's economy, serving as a means of transport for the region's mining and manufacturing products. The city is {{ft|338}} above sea level. The city lies along the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley (an actual geographic valley between two [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] mountain tips, South Mountain and Blue Mountain]]). ===Climate=== [[File:2016 - Blizzard - North Seventh Street Arts Walk - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A winter snow storm in Center City Allentown, 2016]] Allentown's climate is highly seasonal. July is the warmest month with an average high-temperature of 83.8°F (28.8°C). January is the coldest month with an average low-temperature of 21.6°F (-5.8°C). The city experiences an annual average of 145.1 days of rain with 27.24 inches (692mm) of average annual rain precipitation and 20.4 days of snowfall with an average of 13.82 inches (351mm) of annual snow accumulation. July is the month with the most rain with a monthly average of 15.7 days of rain and monthly rain precipitation of 3.03 inches (77mm). March has the most snow with a monthly average of 5.3 days of snowfall and 4.37 inches (111mm) of snow precipitation. September is the driest month in Allentown with 11.5 days of rain and a monthly average of 1.61 inches (41mm) of precipitation. ===Tourist information=== * {{listing | name=Allentown at AllentownPA.gov | alt=Allentown city government website | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Play | email= | address=435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions=between 4th Street and 5th Street | phone=+1-610-439-5999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown city government website.}} ===Talk=== English is the dominant language and is sometime rough-edged and blunt as you might find in [[New York City]] or [[Philadelphia]]. Spanish is also very widely used. On outskirts, you may find people speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, that was the initial language at the time of the city and region's settlement. Other languages found here include Arabic, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. *"Down the shore" is a common local reference to the [[New Jersey]] beaches, approximately 75 miles southeast. *"Hoagie" refers to a submarine or sub sandwich. *"Soda" is used to refer to cola, pop, or any soft drink. *"Youse" is used to say "you all", similar to "y'all" in the south. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown]] The primary and most convenient point of airline entry to Allentown and other Lehigh Valley locations is '''Lehigh Valley International Airport'''. * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Road | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-610-266-6000 | tollfree=+1-800 FLY LVIA | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley International Airport | wikidata=Q2875759 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is {{convert|6|mi|km}} northeast of Allentown, is the closest airport. This airport has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport.}} *{{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-PHL-GATE | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Philadelphia International Airport | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A major international airport, the busiest in [[Pennsylvania]], slightly over an hour's drive from Allentown, which is {{convert|71|mi|km}} north by car. Roughly a dozen buses a day depart for Allentown from the airport or Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (1001 Filbert St.).}} However, for international travelers, New Jersey's '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}), roughly 80 miles (129 km) east, is sometimes the best option. Both PHL and EWR offer bus service to Allentown. ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., [[Philadelphia]] | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|61|mi|km}} south of Allentown. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== The '''[https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 Allentown bus terminal]''' is at 325 Hamilton Street in center city Allentown, and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville. ===By car=== [[File:I-78 East Sign - Near PA33 (29882418558).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I-78 approaching Allentown. This major east-west highway runs from the Holland Tunnel and [[New York City]] in the east through Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] to its western terminus in central Pennsylvania near [[Harrisburg]]]] Allentown is easily accessible by several major highways. The two interstates most commonly used are: *Interstate 78, which is a major east-west highway that runs from central Pennsylvania in the west to the Holland Tunnel and [[Manhattan]] in the east. Allentown-area exits are 57, 58, and 59. *U.S. Route 22, which is a major freeway that runs from [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]] in the west through [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark, New Jersey]] in the east. Exits 45, 49A, and 49B ([[Fogelsville]]) are all Allentown or Allentown-area exits. *If you are driving to Allentown from [[New Jersey]], note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River are free eastbound, but some require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible, but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street and adds only about half a mile to the trip. *From points southeast and northwest of Allentown, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. *PA Route 33 from I-80 is the best approach for travelers coming to Allentown the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} Allentown is relatively easy to navigate. Most of the city is easily walkable or bikeable. The main east-west streets are listed from north to south: Sumner, Whitehall, Greenleaf, Cedar, Washington, Green, Tilghman, Allen, Liberty, Gordon, Chew, Turner, Linden, Hamilton, Walnut, and Union. Numbered streets run from north to south. They begin towards the west at 1 and continue to 42. ===By bus=== Extensive public bus service provided by ''' [http://lantabus.com Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority] (LANTA)'''. ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Allentown and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *'''[https://www.allentowntaxi.com/ Allentown Taxi]''' {{phone|+1 484-310-6944} * '''[https://skyyline-taxi-llc.business.site/ Skyline Taxi]''', {{phone|+1 484-249-2902}} ===By limo=== * '''[http://www.aalimousine.com/ A&A Limousine Service]''', {{phone|+1 610-261-3838}} or {{phone|+1-800-281-5911}} * '''[http://www.jjtransportation.com/ J&J Transportation]''', {{phone|+1 610-776-1516}} or {{phone|+1-800-726-5466}} * '''[https://www.quicktaxilehighvalley.com/ Your Way Taxi & Limo]''', {{phone|+1 610-435-8294}} ===By car=== Most visitors to [[Lehigh Valley]] will want to either rent a car or drive their own. * Because 7th street in Allentown is one-way, if you aim to go north to Whitehall, you will want to be on 6th street. Route 145 turns off 6th Street at Greenleaf Street for one block, and then joins 7th Street (begins as two ways). Continuing on 6th will bring you to the same place, but will not carry the PA-145 designation. * Hamilton Street is a continuation of US 222/ Hamilton Boulevard and provides easy access for travelers from [[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] and [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]]. Hamilton Street continues into nearby [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] as Hanover Avenue, providing direct access to its downtown as well. * Tilghman Street is also a useful east-west urban thoroughfare that also provides access to [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], as Union Boulevard, and [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]] as well. * US Route 22 is a four-lane limited-access freeway across the north side of the city, and is often the best route of approach. However, this road is prone to minor traffic jams and accidents, especially during rush hour. Don't panic, though; most traffic jams are only a mile or so long, and usually take less than half an hour before opening up into freer travel. * Interstate 78 is a better bet during rush hours as it is as wide as eight lanes in some areas. ===By bike=== Riding a bike can also get you around in Allentown and its fabulous park system. Allentown is known for its extensive trail and park systems. Of special interest to visitors will be the Bridle Path in Lehigh Parkway (stop to feed the fish in the Fish Hatchery, go to the Museum of Indian Culture or pedal along a trail that takes you to a covered bridge). ===On foot=== The main Allentown downtown area is small and easy to walk. You may want to park your car in one of the many garages and walk downtown. ==See== [[File:1962 - Liberty Bell Shrine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Liberty Bell Museum at 622 W. Hamilton St. The museum is based inside the same Allentown church where the Liberty Bell was hidden beneath floor boards for nine months in 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War to avoid its capture by the British Army.]] * {{see | name=Allentown Art Museum | alt= | url=http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/ | email= | address=31 N 5th St | lat=40.6043 | long=-75.468 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4333 | tollfree= | hours=Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm, Sunday: Noon-4pm, third Thursday each month: Open until 8PM | price=Adult $12; senior (60+), student $10 or child 6 and older $10, child 5 and under free; free admission Su noon–4PM and 3rd Th 4PM–8PM | wikipedia=Allentown Art Museum | wikidata=Q3612510 | lastedit=2018-12-29 | content=World-class permanent art collection with changing exhibits. }} * {{see | name=America On Wheels Museum | alt= | url=http://www.americaonwheels.org | email= | address=5 N Front Street | lat=40.6156 | long=-75.4528 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-4200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=America on Wheels | wikidata=Q4742783 | content=Museum showing the history of wheeled transportation. }} * {{see | name=Cedar Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.allentownpa.gov/Department-of-Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Bureau/Park-Inventory/Cedar-Creek-Parkway | email= | address=2600 Parkway Blvd | lat=40.594975 | long=-75.510414 | directions= | phone=+1-610-437-7757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Swimming pool, two beach and two hard volleyball courts, four lighted basketball courts, 2.3 miles of multi-use trails, playground. }} * {{see | name=Da Vinci Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.davincisciencecenter.org | email= | address=3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass | lat=40.5839 | long=-75.5221 | directions= | phone=+1 484 664-1002 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 10am-5pm, Sunday: Noon-5pm | price=Ages 3+ $12.95, Toddlers free | wikipedia=Da Vinci Science Center | wikidata=Q5207326 | lastedit=2021-05-29 | content=Da Vinci is a hands-on children's science center featuring two stories of interactive activities to teach visitors about the world we live in. Highlights include a dark tunnel, shadow-room, seawater touch tank, and Keva building blocks. }} * {{see | name=Lehigh County Historical Society | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org | email= | address=432 W Walnut St | lat=40.60219 | long=-75.46592 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1074 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sa.: 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh County Historical Society | wikidata=Q15242209 | content=Exhibit galleries, library and area archives. }} * {{see | name=Liberty Bell Museum | alt=Liberty Bell Shrine Museum | url=http://www.libertybellmuseum.org | email= | address=622 W Hamilton St | lat=40.6023 | long=-75.4704 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Liberty Bell Museum | wikidata=Q6541604 | content=See special exhibits and ring a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, which was hidden from the British in this historic church for nine months during the Revolutionary War. }} * {{see | name=Mack Experience Center | alt= | url=https://www.macktrucks.com/about-mack/customer-center/ | email= | address=2402 Lehigh Pkwy. S | lat=40.572149 | long=-75.49454 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-8800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Mack Trucks Historical Museum, in Lehigh Valley, PA, is the repository of historical documents and artifacts from Mack’s long and storied history as the leading American truck manufacturer and world-renowned brand name. There are more than 80,000 photos in the collection, many dating back to 1905. Mack has records for nearly every chassis it manufactured since 1905, all of which are filed here. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Indian Culture | alt= | url=http://www.museumofindianculture.org/ | email= | address=2825 Fish Hatchery Rd | lat=40.5728 | long=-75.5043 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2121 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Indian Culture | wikidata=Q6940884 | content=Museum that preserves the history of the Lenape tribe and other regional Native Americans. }} ==Do== [[File:2015 - Miller Symphony Hall - Front View.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The 1,200-seat Miller Symphony Hall at 23 N. 6th St. is the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra]] [[File:Dorney Park Steel Force Thunderhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth tallest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of {{convert|205|ft|m}} and a top speed of {{convert|75|mph|km/h}}. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is located at 4000 Dorney Park Rd. in Allentown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/id276.htm |title=Rollercoaster Database: Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) |access-date=July 10, 2008}}</ref>]] [[File:Cokepark allentown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Coca-Cola Park at 1050 Ironpigs Way in East Allentown is the home field for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at the stadium from early April through early September]] [[File:2019 - Fairgrounds Gate - 01 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Entrance to the Allentown Fairgrounds at 302 N. 17th St. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually the end of August and beginning of September, is one of the nation's longest running annual fairs, dating back to 1889.]] * {{do | name=Allentown Municipal Golf Course | alt= | url=http://www.allentowngolf.org/ | email= | address=3400 Tilghman St | lat=40.595242 | long=-75.536469 | directions= West End | phone=+1 610-395-5108 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A public golf course. Great course at great value. }} * {{do | name=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | alt= | url=http://www.allentownsymphony.org | email= | address=23 N. Sixth St | lat=40.603771 | long=-75.469688 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-6715 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Allentown Symphony Orchestra | wikidata=Q4732079 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Major regional symphony orchestra. }} * {{do | name=Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom | alt= | url=http://www.dorneypark.com | email= | address=3830 Dorney Park Rd | lat=40.5799 | long=-75.5336 | directions=on the west end of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 78 | phone=+1 610-395-3724 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | wikidata=Q3037111 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=This popular amusement park and water park is home to at least six world-class roller coasters, including the 200-foot-tall Steel Force (the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world), multi-looping coasters Talon and Hydra: The Revenge, and antique wooden roller coaster Thunderhawk. The park is open from early May to the end of October, and the waterpark is open from late May to early September. During the times that the waterpark is open, waterpark admission is included in the price of admission to the regular park, and guests can move freely back and forth between the two interconnected parks. }} *{{do | name=Haja Rose Bowl | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/ | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.609061 | long=-75.493499 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4606 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=36 bowling lanes. Also hosts bowling leaks. Attached to the Mixx Nightclub & Lounge, a self-described "high-energy haunt," with live music, karaoke, and high resolution televisions for sporting events. }} * {{do | name=High school athletics | alt= | url=https://epc18.org/ | email= | address= | lat=40.601203 | long=-75.481273 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (PIAA) | wikidata=Q17155916 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Allentown's three high schools compete athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 18 largest high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and is widely recognized as one of the highest quality high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic athletes and is especially known for its quality football and wrestling programs. All three of Allentown's large high schools play their home football games at J. Birney Stadium, the second largest high school football stadium in Pennsylvania, located at 2027 Linden Street in Allentown. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Grand Prix | alt= | url=http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com | email=sales@lehighvalleygrandprix.com | address=649 S. 10th St | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-RACE | tollfree=+1 866 577-5278 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Indoor karting with vehicles that reach speeds nearing 45 mph on an indoor 1/4 mile road course style track. }} * {{do | name=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | alt=Triple A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies | url=https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley | email=Info@IronPigsBaseball.com | address=1050 Ironpigs Way | lat=40.59426 | long=-75.47494 | directions= | phone=+1 610 841-7447 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley IronPigs | wikidata=Q2789379 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The AAA-level minor league baseball team of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies play their home games from early April through early September at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park. }} *{{do | name=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | alt=American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers | url=http://lehighvalleyphantoms.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.602771 | long=-75.472672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Phantoms | wikidata=Q16500107 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=The primary development team of the Philadelphia Flyers, competing in the American Hockey League, and playing at the PPL Center in center city Allentown from September through May. }} *{{do | name=MunOpCo Music Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.munopco.org | email= | address=1533 Hamilton St | lat=40.597454 | long=-75.489316 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-2441 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Allentown's Municipal Opera and community theatre. }} * {{do | name=Nineteenth Street Theatre | alt=Civic Theatre of Allentown | url=http://www.civictheatre.com | email= | address=527 N. 19th St | lat=40.6032 | long=-75.5 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-8943 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nineteenth Street Theater | wikidata=Q5124339 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Oldest cinema theatre with art movies and foreign films in between productions. }} ===Events=== [[File:2018 - Center Square - Looking Northeast - 12 Oct - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|PPL Center, a 10,000-seat indoor arena at 701 Hamilton St. in Center City Allentown, hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League in addition to major concert and entertainment events.]] * {{do | name=Great Allentown Fair | alt= | url=http://www.allentownfairpa.org/ | email=fair@allentownfair.com | address=302 N 17th St | lat=40.600895 | long=-75.494395 | directions=at Chew St | phone=+1 610-433-7541 | tollfree= | hours=Annually late August/early September - just before Labor Day | price= | wikipedia=Great Allentown Fair | wikidata=Q5598616 | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Annual event for over 150 years. It includes everything from family-owned food stands to a bill of national musical acts. The fair brings the world of the county fair and the street carnival together. At other times of the year, various events are held at the fairgrounds, including concerts, gigantic flea markets, antique sales, computer shows, and an assortment of many other shows and expos. }} * {{do | name=Mayfair | alt= | url=http://mayfairfestival.org/ | email= | address=100 College Dr | lat=40.6001 | long=-75.5003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-360-1222 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mayfair | wikidata=Q6797116 | content=Mayfair Festival of the Arts takes place over Memorial Day weekend. It brings performers and artisans to Cedar Beach Park to put their talents on display with six performance stages, over 100 artists and craftspeople, roving entertainers, and more than two dozen vendors offering authentic regional foods. }} * {{do | name=PPL Center | alt= | url=https://www.pplcenter.com/ | email= | address=701 Hamilton St | lat=40.6025 | long=-75.4728 | directions=Center city Allentown on Hamilton St. between 7th and 8th Sts. | phone=+ 1 610-224-4625 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=PPL Center | wikidata=Q7120126 | content=Known more for being the home arena of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey team, this 10,000-seat arena hosts regular major concerts and other entertainment events. Also has various indoor stadium food locations. }} ==Learn== Allentown is home to two four-year colleges, '''[http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' and '''[http://www.cedarcrest.edu Cedar Crest College]''', and '''[https://www.lccc.edu/ Lehigh Carbon Community College-Allentown campus]''', a two-year satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College. ==Work== The largest employer in Allentown is '''[https://www.lvhn.org/locations/lehigh-valley-hospital-cedar-crest Lehigh Valley Hospital]''', Pennsylvania's third largest hospital, with over 7,800 workers. Other companies headquartered here are '''[https://www.airproducts.com/ Air Products & Chemicals]''', '''[https://www.slhn.org/allentown-campus St. Lukes Hospital]''', '''[https://www.capbluecross.com/ Capital Blue Cross]''', and '''[https://www.pplelectric.com/ PPL]'''. Throughout most of the 20th century until the 1980s, Allentown and the [[Lehigh Valley]] were gobally-recognized leaders in heavy manufacturing, especially steel, coal, and iron. But those industries faced multiple challenges and diminished or dissolved completely beginning in the late 1970s,. Today, small scale manufacturing is still an important part of the local economy. Allentown is the county seat for Lehigh County. '''[https://www.citycenterallentown.com/ Center City Allentown]''' is an important employment center with approximately 15,000 people working there. ==Buy== [[File:2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall -15 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Mall at 250 Lehigh Valley Mall, [[Whitehall Township]], the Allentown area's largest shopping mall with 146 stores.]] [[File:South Mall, Allentown PA 06.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Main entrance to South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St.]] *Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Shopping malls in and around Allentown include: * {{buy | name=Lehigh Valley Mall | alt= | url=http://www.simon.com/mall/lehigh-valley-mall | email= | address=250 Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.631 | long=-75.48 | directions= | phone=+1-610-264-5511 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 10:00am-8:00pm, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm, Sunday: Noon-6:00pm | price= | wikipedia=Lehigh Valley Mall | wikidata=Q6518848 | content=Largest shopping mall in the [[Lehigh Valley]] anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Boscov's, and Barnes & Noble. }} * {{buy | name=South Mall | alt= | url=http://www.shopsouthmall.com/ | email= | address=3300 Lehigh St | lat=40.556 | long=-75.4917 | directions= | phone=+ 1-610-791-0606 | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: Noon-5pm | price= | wikipedia=South Mall | wikidata=Q7567903 | content=Shopping mall located south of Allentown on the border with [[Emmaus]]. }} * {{buy | name=The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley | alt= | url=http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ | email= | address=2845 Center Valley Pkwy., Center Valley | lat=40.5597 | long=-75.4114 | directions=outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township | phone=+1-610-791-9707 | tollfree= | hours=Sunday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday: 11am-6pm | price= | wikipedia=The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley | wikidata=Q7758520 | content=A newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and [[Lehigh Valley]]'s largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers. }} * {{buy | name=Whitehall Mall | alt= | url=https://washingtonprime.com/properties/portfolio/whitehall-mall/default.aspx | email= | address=1259 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall | lat=40.6353 | long=-75.4833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+ 1-800-837-6255 | hours=Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: Noon-6pm | price= | wikipedia=Whitehall Mall | wikidata=Q7995993 | content=Shopping mall in [[Whitehall Township]], next to Lehigh Valley Mall. }} Other shopping locations include: *The 19th Street area near '''[https://www.muhlenberg.edu/ Muhlenberg College]''' is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre. *A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Blvd., near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, '''[http://www.danschantzgreenhouse.com Dan Schantz Greenhouse]''', Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores. *For an original shopping experience, try the '''[http://www.fairgroundfarmersmkt.com Allentown Farmers Market]''' at 17th and Chew Streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts. * For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th. *More shopping is available at '''Crest Plaza''' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland. *{{buy | name=Weil Antique Center | url=http://www.weilantiquecenter.com | email= | address=2200 31st St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-791-7910 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=Josh Early Candies | url=http://www.joshearlycandies.com | email= | address=4640 W. Tilghman St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-4321 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Family owned and operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. }} *{{buy | name=Dan's Camera City | url=http://www.danscamera.com | email= | address=1439 W. Fairmont St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-434-2313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. }} *From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's '''[http://www.phoebefloral.com Phoebe Floral & Home Decor]''', PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 [http://www.3900hamilton.com Hamilton Center], like a Robbin's Jewelers. *{{buy | name=Warner Art Glass | alt= | url=http://www.warnerstainedglass.com | email= | address=795 Roble Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-1100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Trexlertown, PA (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Yocco's, a regionally famous hot dog and cheesesteak restaurant chain founded in 1922, has four [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, including two in Allentown (Yocco's West at 2128 Hamilton St. and Yocco's Valley Plaza at 1930 Catasauqua Rd.]] [[File:2018 - Zandys Steak Shop - 1 Sep - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Founded in 1940, Zandy's at 813 Saint John St. is an Allentown institution known for its cheesesteaks, and its long-standing flatiron building shape whose interior features salmon-colored walls and giraffe sculptures.]] [[File:2022 - Wert's Cafe - 5 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Wert's Cafe at 515 N. 18th St.]] [[File:2021 - Dime Restaurant and Bar - 05 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Dime at 12 N. 7th St.]] Allentown offers numerous family-run eateries featuring authentic ethnic cuisine. These include Japanese, Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Jamaican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants. A variety of casual dining and fast food restaurants are available around the Whitehall and Cedar Crest Boulevard business districts, as well as in Center City. You can even catch a hot dog on the street from a vendor on Hamilton Street or 7th Street. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Cali Burrito | alt= | url=http://www.caliburrito.com/ | email= | address=3104 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.582082 | long=-75.519048 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-1791 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=California-style Mexican cuisine. Organic, vegetarian, vegan. Laid-back vibe. }} *{{eat | name=Charles Pizza | alt= | url=https://www.charlespizzapa.com/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd. # 5 | lat=40.626055 | long=-75.42453 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-9990 | tollfree= | hours=10am-9:15pm daily | price= | content=Pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Cheesesteak Louie's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1207 W. Chew St | lat=40.603735 | long=-75.484081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Monday-Thursday: 11am-8pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm, Closed Sundays | price= | content=Cheesesteaks, owned by proprietor of the successful Louie's restaurant on 31st Street. }} *{{eat | name=China Moon | alt= | url=https://www.restaurantji.com/pa/allentown/china-moon-restaurant-/ | email= | address=2102 Union Blvd | lat=40.604081 | long=-75.423921 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-8883 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Kids Castle | alt= | url=http://www.kidscastlelv.com | email= | address=1193 Airport Rd | lat=40.628491 | long=-75.442036 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-1432 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Kid-friendly fast food. }} *{{eat | name=La Dolce Vita Italian Bakery | alt= | url=http://www.ladolcevitapa.com | email= | address=5531 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-8875 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Reasonably priced Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Wally's Deli | alt= | url=http://www.wallysdeli.com | email= | address=711 N. 17th St | lat=40.60703 | long=-75.497075 | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7177 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 7AM-6PM, Th F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM | price= | content=A popular, locally owned place with several [[Lehigh Valley]] locations. In Allentown, it is on 17th street. }} *{{eat | name=Willy Joe's | alt= | url=http://www.willyjoes.com/ | email= | address=2407 Lehigh St | lat=40.568902 | long=-75.48238 | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-7009 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A local favorite for hot dogs, steak sandwiches, fries. Family dining. }} * {{eat | name=Yocco's West | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=2128 Hamilton St | lat=40.593709 | long=-75.50173 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=This small hot dog chain is considered to be a local favorite, and is a must-try for first time visitors to Allentown. There are four Yocco's locations in Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. }} * {{eat | name=Zandy's Steak Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/zandysteaks/ | email= | address=813 St. John St | lat=40.591189 | long=-75.470512 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-7874 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Another must try for anyone coming to [[Lehigh Valley]]. A local version of the Philly steak sandwich from a restaurant that has been an Allentown institution since 1940. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Asia | alt= | url=http://www.asiaorientalcuisine.com/ | email= | address=1102 E. Susquehanna St | lat=40.592519 | long=-75.430359 | directions= | phone=+1 610-798-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Bellissimo Restaurante | alt= | url= | email= | address=1243 Tilghman St | lat=40.608717 | long=-75.488285 | directions= | phone=+1 610-770-7717 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Traditional Italian cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Bull & Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.62021 | long=-75.452532 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=American style food. }} *{{eat | name=Damascus | alt= | url=http://www.damascusrestaurantpa.com/ | email= | address=449 N. 2nd St | lat=40.612468 | long=-75.462766 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-2036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Foo Joy Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.foojoyallentown.com/ | email= | address=3229 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A family-owned Chinese food restaurant near Dorney Park with free delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse | alt= | url=https://grumpysbbq.net/ | email= | address=3000 Mauch Chunk Rd | lat=40.617517 | long=-75.498442 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Wood-pit bar-b-que. Southern cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Henry's Salt of the Sea | alt= | url=https://henryssaltofthesea.com/ | email= | address=1926 W. Allen St | lat=40.603211 | long=-75.501171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-2628 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Seafood. }} *{{eat | name=Ichiban Japanese Steak House | alt= | url=https://ichibanpa.net/ | email= | address=1914 Catasauqua Rd | lat=40.640931 | long=-75.42879 | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-7781 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hibachi-style Japanese steak house. }} *{{eat | name=On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBorderAllentownAirportRd/ | email= | address=909 Airport Center Dr | lat=40.625845 | long=-75.442754 | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5972 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Casual, Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Pines Dinner Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com | email= | address=448 N 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://www.pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Allentown | email= | address=4595 Broadway | lat=40.589307 | long=-75.525171 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-2532 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Famous for wings and pub fare. }} :* {{eat | name=PJ Whelihan's | alt= | url=http://pjspub.com/about.php?loc=Walbert | email= | address=1658 Hausman Rd | lat=40.609948 | long=-75.568588 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-4077 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Slice of Italy Delivery | alt= | url=https://www.sliceofitalydelivery.com/ | email= | address=5924 Tilghman St | lat=40.63974 | long=-75.42976 | directions= | phone=+1-610-530-7070 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Pizza and Italian food delivery. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Grille | alt= | url=http://www.sunset-grille.com/ | email= | address=6751 Ruppsville Rd | lat=40.5803 | long=-75.601125 | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-9622 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Mexican cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Wert's Cafe | alt= | url=http://wertscafe.com/ | email=info@wertscafe.com | address=515 N. 18th St. | lat=40.603610 | long=-75.497880 | directions= | phone=+1-610-439-0951| tollfree= | hours=M-F: 11AM-8PM, Sa.: 2PM-8pm, Su: Closed | price= | content=Diverse American menu and reasonably priced }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Grille 3501 | alt= | url=http://www.grille3501.com | email= | address=3501 Broadway | lat=40.586937 | long=-75.529842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-706-0100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Fine fusion cuisine with an eclectic martini bar. }} *{{eat | name=Morgan's | alt= | url=http://www.morgansrest.net | email= | address=3079 Willow St, Coplay | lat=40.589861 | long=-75.504483 | directions= | phone=+1 610-769-4100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Penn Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://pennpizzarestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd | lat=40.586407 | long=-75.523613 | directions=Across from Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest | phone=+1 610 434 7366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Simple pizzeria offering a variety of pies, pastas and salads for delivery or dining in with BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Youell's Oyster House | alt= | url=http://www.youellsoysterhouse.com | email= | address=2249 W. Walnut St | lat=40.591888 | long=-75.504037 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1203 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent seafood. Reservations a must.}} ==Drink== [[File:2020 - Allentown CBD at Night - 11 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Center City Allentown at night]] [[File:2022 - Tavern On Liberty Street - 1 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tavern on Liberty at 2246 Liberty St.]] Allentown is well known for its nightlife, and many Allentown clubs feature major [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], and Allentown DJs and live bands. They include: *{{drink | name=Allentown Brew Works | alt= | url=http://www.thebrewworks.com | email= | address=812-816 Hamilton St | lat=40.604653 | long=-75.462978 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-7777 | tollfree= | hours=Sun.-Th.: 11AM-10PM, Fri-Sat.: 11AM-2AM | price= | content=This restaurant is a second location modeled after the Bethlehem Brew Works also owned by the Fegley Family. A micro brewery, the four-level restaurant serves upscale bar fare, with bars on three levels, including the Silk Lounge on the lower level. Live comedy. }} * {{drink | name=Bull and Bear Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bullnbearrestaurant.com/order | email= | address=462 Union Blvd | lat=40.620228 | long=-75.452591 | directions= | phone=+1 610-432-5230 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sat.: 8AM-8PM, Su.: 8AM-3PM, Closed Mondays | price= | content=Restaurant and bar. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Chicken Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.thechickenlounge.com/ | email= | address=3245 Hamilton Blvd | lat=40.591002 | long=-75.51156 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=In existence for 40 years, a reliable lounge and bar open until 2AM daily. Grill open until 1:30AM. }} * {{drink | name=Club Gravity | alt= | url=https://chicagorestaurantlv.com/events | email= | address=1179 Airport Rd | lat=40.628359 | long=-75.439663 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-2090 | tollfree= | hours=Tu., Th., Fri., Sat.: 9PM-2AM, Closed: Sun., Mon., Wed. | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Deja Vu | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/Deja-Vu-Sport-Bar/1534748616796699 | email= | address=343 West Hamilton St | lat=40.604685 | long=-75.463112 | directions= | phone=+1 610-439-1707 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | name=Greg's West End Saloon | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gregswestendsaloon101/ | email= | address=1839 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.605356 | long=-75.500083 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-7127 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar and Mexican bar food. }} * {{drink | name=Maingate Nightclub | alt= | url=http://maingateclub.com/ | email= | address=448 N. 17th St | lat=40.602823 | long=-75.495308 | directions= | phone=+1 610-776-7711 | tollfree= | hours=Fri.: 5PM-10PM, Sat.: 9PM-midnight, Su.: 5PM-11PM, Closed: Mon-Thurs. | price= | content=Large and festive nightclub with modern dance and hip hop music, large dance floor, outside bars open in summer. Dance and hip hop music spun by top [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and Allentown DJs. Also has periodic under 21 nights. }} * {{drink | name=MIXX Nightclub and Sports | alt= | url=https://www.hajarosebowl.com/Mixx-Night-Club | email= | address=801 N. 15th St | lat=40.607769 | long=-75.49279 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-3970 | tollfree= | hours=6PM-Midnight daily | price= | content=High energy sports bar with multiple televisions attached to a bowling alley. Jam-packed for most [[Philadelphia]] Eagles games. DJs, periodic live bands. }} * {{drink | name=Platinum Plus | alt= | url=https://platinumplusallentown.com/ | email= | address=1251 Airport Rd | lat=40.629238 | long=-75.44179 | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-3311 | tollfree= | hours=Mondays through Saturdays: 11AM to 2AM, Sundays: 4PM to 2AM | price= | content=A gentleman's club. }} * {{drink | name=Ringers Roost | alt= | url=https://ringersroostpa.com/ | email=ringersroost1801@gmail.com | address=1801 W. Liberty St. | lat=40.603140 | long=-75.497900 | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-4941| tollfree= | hours=M-Sa: 11AM-2AM, Su: 11AM-midnight | price= | content=Tavern and tap room, built in 1920. }} *{{drink | name=Sam Adams Brew Brewhouse | alt= | url=https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/sam-adams-brewhouse | email= | address=7880 Penn Dr., Breinigsville | lat=40.574781 | long=-75.621878 | directions=off Rt. 100 S in Fogelsville | phone=+1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours daily | price= | content=Sam Adams and microbeers. Daily specials. DJ every Saturday Night. Pub menu available. }} *{{drink | name=Stooges | alt= | url=http://strangebrewtavern.co/ | email=info@allentownstooges.com | address=2101 Liberty St | lat=40.601294 | long=-75.50411 | directions= | phone=+1 610-351-9210 | tollfree= | hours=M: 4PM-11PM, Tu. and Wed.: Closed. Thur-Sa.: 11AM-midnight. Sun.: Noon-11PM | price= | content=Bar with bar menu. }} *{{drink | name=Strange Brew Tavern | alt= | url=https://www.allentownstooges.com/ | email= | address=1996 S 5th St | lat=40.577252 | long=-75.455842 | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-3610 | tollfree= | hours=Tu.-Sun.: 3:30PM-2AM, Mon: 5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar food and entrees. 24 craft and macro taps, and extensive selection of bottled beer. Live music 3-4 nights per week. }} *{{drink | name=Tavern on Liberty | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheTavernOnLiberty | email=tavernbeerlists@gmail.com | address=2246 W. Liberty St | lat=40.60843 | long=-75.49018 | directions= | phone=+1 484-221-8765 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Bar food and Italian cuisine, Taco Tuesdays, Wide selection of bottled microbrews and imported beers. }} * {{drink | name=Volpe's Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://volpessportsbar.com/ | email=info@volpessportsbar.com | address=1926 W. Tilghman St | lat=40.53256 | long=-75.49224 | directions= | phone=+1 610-965-0311 | tollfree= | hours=Su.-Th.: Noon-1AM, Fri. and Sat.: Noon-2AM | price= | content=Like its [[Emmaus]] counterpart, a go to location for affordable drinks, cold beer, and televised sports (including out of town games). Over 10 large screen plasma televisions. Broad food and beer selections. Several large rooms, including the bar area. }} ==Sleep== [[File:2021 - Center Square from Renaissance Allentown Hotel - 02 - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Renaissance Allentown Hotel at 12 N. 7th St.]] [[File:2022 - Americus Hotel - 6th Street SE - Allentown PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Americus Hotel at 555 Hamilton St.]] ===Budget === * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | url=http://www.econolodge.com | email= | address=2115 Downyflake Ln. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Knights Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.redlion.com/knights-inn/pa/allentown/knights-inn-allentown | email= | address=1880 Steelstone Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-266-9070 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Near Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown. Pet-friendly. }} *{{sleep | name=Red Carpet Inn | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/red-carpet-inn-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=731 Hausman Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3377 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Royal Motel | url= | email= | address=1117 N. Irving St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-6423 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Red Roof Inn | url=http://redroof.com | email= | address=1846 Catasaqua Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Scottish Inns & Suites Airport | alt= | url=https://www.stayhihotels.com/property/scottish-inns-suites-allentown-pa/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=MyBusiness | email= | address=1701 Catasaqua Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-264-7531 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $95 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | alt= | url=http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $125 a night | content= }} ===Mid-range === *{{sleep | name=Allentown Park Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/allentown/ascend-hotels/pa817?mc=llgoxxpx | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $129 a night | content=Part of the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn - Lehigh Valley West | alt= | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel/pa140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=Noon | price= | content=Has lounge/bar and 24/7 fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites | url=http://www.comfortsuites.com/hotel/pa117 | email= | address=3712 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn | url=http://www.daysinn.com/ | email= | address=2622 Lehigh St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-797-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.allentownairport.stayhgi.com/ | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-1400 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | alt= | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/hilton-garden-inn-allentown-west-ABEAWGI/index.html | email= | address=230 Sycamore Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Allentown Center City | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/abehs | email= | address=904 W Hamilton St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-433-2221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=It hosts Made in Brazil, a Brazilian steakhouse. Plentiful parking. }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/abedp?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults | email= | address=3620 Hamilton Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-437-9255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA629 | email= | address=1151 Bulldog Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motel | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/allentown-pennsylvania/super-8-allentown/overview | email= | address=1033 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-9550 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Allentown West/Kutztown | alt= | url=http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=03735&cid=carat_search-Super_8 | email= | address=2160 Golden Key Rd, Kutztown | lat= | long= | directions=on I-78 exit 45 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Amenities include an in-room micro-fridge, hi-speed internet, hair dryer, free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Wingate Inn | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/allentown-pennsylvania/wingate-by-wyndham-allentown/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:12912&iata=00065402 | email= | address=4325 Hamilton Blvd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd., [[Fogelsville]] | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St, Fogelsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-366-9422 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $139 a night | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/allentown/abepz/hoteldetail | email= | address=1715 Plaza Ln. (15th St Exit Off Rt 22) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-435-7880 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $129 a night | content=Indoor swimming pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites by Hilton | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/homewood-suites-by-hilton-allentown-west-fogelsville-pa-ABEHWHW/index.html | email= | address=7686 Industrial Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-336-4860 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= 3PM | checkout= 11AM| price=$109–179 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Howard Johnson Inn & Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/allentown-pennsylvania/howard-johnson-inn-and-suites-allentown-dorney-park/rooms-rates | email= | address=3220 Hamilton Blvd. | lat=40.578970 | long=-75.522560| directions= | phone=+1 484-268-2124 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $110 a night | content=Close proximity to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom }} *{{sleep | name=Renaissance Allentown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/abebr-renaissance-allentown-hotel/overview/ | email= | address=12 N. 7th St. | lat=40.602580 | long=-75.472140 | directions=N. | phone=+1 484-273-4001| tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $215 a night | content=Luxurious suites, on-site restaurant (The Dime), fitness center, meeting space, center city location }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown Airport | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownpa | email= | address=1787 Airport Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-443-5000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $132 a night | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites Allentown West | alt= | url=http://www.staybridge.com/allentownwest | email= | address=327 Star Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $208 a night | content= }} ==Stay safe== Allentown has a crime rate almost twice the national average in every category, including rape, robbery, theft, auto theft, murder, assault, and burglary. Rougher areas include parts of East Allentown and some neighborhoods of Center City north of Linden St. and south of Tilghman St. as well as the area between the American Parkway and Lehigh River, just east of Center City. Random acts of violence and crime against visitors is rare - much of the crime in the area involves people involved in drugs, gangs, or other illicit activities. It would be unwise to try to buy drugs or other contraband in the city. It is fairly easy to stay safe by following common sense. Theft is an issue, so be sure to lock cars and stay out of poorer areas at night. Prostitution and street racing are also issues in Allentown. Don't walk alone late at night or on dimly lit streets. The most likely victim of a mugging on an Allentown street is someone who is alone and intoxicated, so keep your wits about you. If homeless approach you for change, just keep walking if you don't want to give anything. Pickpocketing is not a large problem, but don't flash around your money. There is a large police presence in the neighborhoods most frequented by visitors, especially Hamilton Street. Many officers in Center City use bicycles. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Lehigh-Valley-Hospital.x.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest at 1200 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., the third largest hospital in [[Pennsylvania]] with 877 beds and 46 operating rooms.]] ===Hospitals=== If you are in need of medical attention, here are the primary hospitals in the area: * '''[http://www.lvh.org/17thandchew Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street]''', 1627 W Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.lvh.org/lvh/Locations/Cedar_Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest]''', 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd. {{phone|+1 610-402-CARE}} * '''[http://www.shh.org/ Sacred Heart Hospital]''', 421 Chew St. {{phone|+1 610-776-4500}} * '''[http://www.mystlukesonline.org/locations/stl-allentown-campus/index.aspx St. Luke's Hospital]''', 1736 Hamilton St. {{phone|+1 610-628-8300}} ==Respect== As in many parts of the country, residents may not want to share religious or political views. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.visitpa.com/region/lehigh-valley/allentown Allentown at Visit PA]''' ===Phones=== In Allentown, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the [[Lehigh Valley]] are 610 and 484. ==Cope== ===Religious services=== Catholic churches: * '''[http://www.allentowndiocese.org/ Diocese of Allentown]''' * '''[http://www.cathedral-church.org/ Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena]''' is the home of the bishop of the Allentown diocese. {{phone|+1 610-433-6461}}. * '''[http://immaculateconceptionallentown.org/ Immaculate Conception]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4404}}. * '''[https://www.olhcparish.net/ Our Lady Help of Christians]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-9384}}. * '''[https://www.stfrancisallentown.org/ St. Francis of Assisi]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6102}}. * '''[https://www.facebook.com/stJohnBaptistAllentown/ St. John the Baptist Slovak Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-0034}}. * '''[http://www.lehighvalleylatinmass.org/ St. Stephen of Hungary]'''. {{phone|+1 610-439-0111}}. * '''[http://www.stmchurchallentown.org/ St. Thomas More]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-7413}}. * '''[http://www.sspeterpaul.com/ SS. Peter and Paul]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-2252}}. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: * '''Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-3523}}. Episcopal churches: * '''[http://www.episcopalmediator.org/ The Episcopal Church of the Mediator]'''. {{phone|+1 610-434-0155}}. * '''[http://graceallentown.org/ Grace Episcopal Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-0782}}. Hindu: * '''[https://www.hindutemple-lehighvalley.org/ Hindu Temple Society]'''. {{phone|+1 484-616-9001}}. Jewish: * '''[http://www.sonsofisrael.net Congregation Sons of Israel]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-6089}}. Lutheran: * '''[http://www.christ-atown.org/ Christ Lutheran Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-433-4271}}. * '''[http://www.stjohnsallentown.org/ St. John's Evangelical Church]'''. {{phone|+1 610-435-1587}}. * '''[http://www.stpetersallentown.com St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America]'''. {{phone|+1 610-432-8762}}. Muslim: * '''[https://malv.org/ Lehigh Valley Islamic Center]'''. {{phone|+1 610-799-6224}}. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|28.3|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|17.2|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|6.2|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|11.4|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|15.2|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|19.3|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|15.7|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.8|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|125.8|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|84|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|93|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|63.8|mi|km}} *[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|54.7|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=[[Fogelsville]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Hellertown]] | image2=I-476.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Scranton]] | minorl2=[[Lehighton]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2=[[Kulpsville]] | image3=US 222.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=S | majorl3=[[Reading (Pennsylvania)|Reading]] | minorl3=[[Kutztown]] | directionr3=N | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{geo|40.601667|-75.477222}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{usablecity}} idfub7nxlm8p48m9vwotvz3fyw36rcv 0 956 4501842 4498823 2022-08-16T03:05:53Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Stay safe */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Ambon banner.jpg|caption=}} '''Ambon''' is an island in the [[Maluku]] region of [[Indonesia]] and also the name of its largest city: Ambon City. The island consists of two regions: Ambon City and Central Maluku Regency. [[File:Ambon Stad2.jpg|thumb|Provincial government office of Maluku in the city of Ambon.]] ==Understand== Ambon, the provincial capital of Maluku, is built on a hillside overlooking the bay. It has a number of interesting historical and cultural sites, among them the remnants of forts built by the Dutch East Indies Company during the heyday of the spice trade. The ruins of the Portuguese fort at Hila are almost entirely hidden beneath the contorted roots of a giant banyan tree. The ANZAC War Cemetery near Ambon town is the site of services held every year on April 25, to commemorate the Allied soldiers who died in the region during World War II. ===History=== The origin of the name Ambon is also very difficult to trace. According to local residents, the name Ambon comes from the word ''ombong'' in Ambonese language which means dew because the mountains on the island of Ambon are always dewy or foggy in the morning. The history of Ambon began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1512. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Ambon, and it became the new centre for Portuguese activities in Maluku following their expulsion from Ternate. The Portuguese, however, were regularly attacked by native Muslims on the island's northern coast, in particular, Hitu, which had trading and religious links with major port cities on Java's north coast. Then, the Portuguese built a fort in the Ambon area as a place of activity in trade and the spread of religion. As the first Europeans to arrive, the Portuguese mobilized their inhabitants to build a fort called ''Benteng Kota Laha'' (Fort Laha). The birthday or anniversary of the city of Ambon has been decided to fall on September 7, 1575, in a seminar in Ambon City. Ambon was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from 1610 to 1619 until the founding of Batavia (now [[Jakarta]]) by the Dutch. Ambon city was the site of a major Dutch military base that Imperial Japanese forces captured from Allied forces in the World War II Battle of Ambon in 1942. The battle was followed by the summary execution of more than 300 Allied prisoners of war in the Laha massacre. Sectarian tensions between the Muslims and Christians erupted in the wake of the fall of Suharto in 1998, resulting in numerous violent clashes between the two groups, and the deaths of thousands of people. An agreement mediated by the Indonesian government was signed between the Christians and Muslims in 2002 to end the violence, and while sporadic clashes have occurred since then, the area has settled into an uneasy peace as of the 2020s. The Indonesian government and numerous NGOs have been trying to promote dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities in an effort to make the peace a lasting one. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful and Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. Ambon became the first city in Southeast Asia to be recognized as the [[UNESCO Creative Cities]] for music category in 2019 and has been called '''Ambon the City of Music''' and is known as Indonesia's music city. ===People=== Ambon prides itself on being a multi-racial island. Ambon's population consists of, the majority of the native Moluccas including Ambonese, Alfur, Kei, Tanimbarese, and mixed of Arab-Ambonese, Dutch-Ambonese, Portuguese-Ambonese, Spanish-Ambonese, also other Indonesian such as Chinese-Indonesian, Buginese, Butonese, Flores, Javanese, Makassarese, Minang, Papuan, and Sundanese. [[Christianity]] is the majority religion in Ambon at about 60% of the population, with [[Islam]] in second place at about 39%, and the rest being a smattering of other religions. ===Climate=== {{Climate| |janhigh = 31.3 |janlow = 24.1 |janprecip = 127 |febhigh = 31.4 |feblow = 24.1 |febprecip = 119 |marhigh = 31.1 |marlow = 23.8 |marprecip = 135 |aprhigh = 30.7 |aprlow = 23.9 |aprprecip = 279 |mayhigh = 29.8 |maylow = 24.0 |mayprecip = 516 |junhigh = 28.5 |junlow = 23.6 |junprecip = 638 |julhigh = 27.5 |jullow = 23.2 |julprecip = 602 |aughigh = 27.8 |auglow = 23.1 |augprecip = 401 |sephigh = 29.1 |seplow = 23.3 |sepprecip = 241 |octhigh = 30.3 |octlow = 23.8 |octprecip = 155 |novhigh = 32.7 |novlow = 24.1 |novprecip = 114 |dechigh = 33 |declow = 24.2 |decprecip = 132 |description=Source: [[w:Ambon, Maluku#Climate|Wikipedia]] }} Ambon experiences a tropical rainforest climate and there is no real dry season. The driest month is November with total precipitation of 114 millimetres (4.5 in), while the wettest month is June with total precipitation of 638 millimetres (25.1 in). As it is located near the equator, the temperature throughout the year is constant. The hottest month is December, with an average temperature of 27.2 °C (81.0 °F), while the coolest month is July, with an average temperature of 25.0 °C (77.0 °F). ===Events=== Ambon conducts the annual yacht race between [[Darwin]] and Ambon called '''[https://www.dbcya.com.au/darwin-to-ambon/ Spice Islands Darwin Ambon Yacht Race]'''. The race usually takes place in August. Every year, on Eid al-Adha day, '''Karnaval Hadrat''' (Hadrat Carnival) is conducted in several subdistricts or locally called ''Negeri'', those are Hila and Batu Merah. ==Talk== While everyone is able to speak [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]], Ambon also has its own local language called '''Ambonese Malay''', a creole language based on [[Malay phrasebook|Malay]], but with strong influences from [[Dutch phrasebook|Dutch]], [[Portuguese phrasebook|Portuguese]] and Indonesia's other local languages. ==Get in== === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pattimura Airport | alt={{IATA|AMQ}} | url=http://www.pattimura-airport.co.id | email= | address= | lat=-3.7075 | long=128.0899 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pattimura Airport | image=Pattimuraairportlogo.png | wikidata=Q2232506 | content=There are multiple daily flights from Jakarta's [[Soekarno-Hatta International Airport]] on Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, and Batik Air. Some flights make a stopover in [[Surabaya]] or Makassar. Other destinations with direct flights to and from Ambon include [[Manado]], [[Ternate]], and [[Sorong]]. }} === By ship === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pelabuhan Yos Soedarso | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.694687 | long=128.175313 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | content=Alternatively, there are ships from various parts of Indonesia only serviced by [https://www.pelni.co.id PELNI] such as ''KM. Tidar'' sail from [[Makassar]]. Schedules and reservation can be checked at PELNI office or by PELNI app. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-3.638|128.117|zoom=10}} If you want to go to the city from the airport you can use the bus operated by [https://damri.co.id DAMRI], it's located on the right side of the arrival hall and will only cost you Rp50,000 - cheaper than taking a taxi which can cost you approximately Rp150,000/trip. The DAMRI bus stops on {{marker|type=go|name=''Lapangan Merdeka''|url=|lat=-3.693188|long=128.181938|image=}} in the heart of the city. The taxi is like a private car, with no taxi sign above the car. It can be found mostly outside the airport. ''Angkot'' (public transport minivans, locally called ''Oto'') with fixed routes take people around the island. There are no fixed stops, just wave your hand on the side of the road to stop the vans and get into it. Look at the sign on top of the vans and ask the driver to make sure it's the route you want. Each cost Rp3,000 for a short trip - pay when you get out. Sitting up front is fine if it's empty and you'd rather not squish into the back. To stop where you want to get out, say ''minggir''. ''Becak'' (bicycle rickshaws) are good for shorter distances downtown. There are many ''ojek'' (passenger motorcycles) around the island. Also, an online ''ojek'' called [https://www.gojek.com Gojek] is available there. Getting around Ambon is easier by renting a bike or a car. Google Maps are all capable of figuring out the tourist or public destination. A map of the city is available on the second floor of the bookstore {{marker|type=go|name=''Toko Buku Dian Pertiwi''|url=|lat=-3.698937|long=128.180437|image=}}, near '''Trikora Monument'''. The downtown of Ambon City is very pedestrian-friendly. Strolling around {{marker|type=go|name=Pattimura Park|url=|lat=-3.693062|long=128.183187|image=}} is one of the best way to chill the afternoon. In the evening, a dancing water fountain showed up there. ==See== [[File:Pantai Liang, Maluku.jpg|thumb|Liang Beach]] * ''History and museums'': ** {{see | name=Ambon War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2015000/ambon-war-cemetery/ | email= | address=Pandan Kasturi, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.674812 | long=128.191813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | image=Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content= The cemetery contains Australian soldiers who died during the Japanese invasion of Ambon and Timor in World War II }} ** {{see | name=Fort Amsterdam | alt=Benteng Amsterdam | url=https://ambon.go.id/benteng-amsterdam/ | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.582813 | long=128.083188 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-18.00 | price= | wikipedia=Fort Amsterdam, Ambon | image=Benteng Amsterdam.jpg | wikidata=Q2651405 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A fort and a blockhouse in Hila town, Leihitu. Before the fort was built, a trade lodge was established here by Francisco Serrão in 1512, a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Ferdinand Magellan. }} ** {{see | name=Siwalima Museum | alt= | url=https://ambon.go.id/museum-siwalima/ | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Malaiholo, Taman Makmur, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.713437 | long=128.152938 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341652 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-16.00 | price= | image=Museum Siwalima.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Maritime and traditional object of Ambonese and Moluccas. }} ** {{see | name=Wapauwe Old Mosque | alt=Masjid Tua Wapauwe | url= | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency| lat=-3.585187 | long=128.084187 | directions=1 km south of Fort Amsterdam | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Wapauwe Old Mosque | image=Masjid Tua Wapauwe.jpg | wikidata=Q12497346 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Established in 1414, it is the oldest mosque in the Moluccas. }} * ''Landmarks'': ** {{see | name=Christina Martha Tiahahu Monument| alt=Patung Christina Martha Tiahahu| url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/portfolio/monumen-christina-martha-tiahahu/ | email= | address=Karang Panjang, Ambon City | lat=-3.687563 | long=128.192313 | directions= | phone=+62 822 481 00799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Standbeeld van vrijheidsstrijdster Martha Christina Tiahahu (1800-1818) TMnr 20017956.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a hilly area. The best visiting time is in the afternoon because the statue or monument faces sunset and ambon bay. That is an amazing view to take some pictures of. }} ** {{see | name=Merah Putih Bridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.6629 | long=128.1979 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Merah Putih Bridge | image=Merah Putih Bridge.jpg| wikidata=Q20427160| lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=The bridge spans over Ambon Bay, connecting Rumah Tiga (Poka) on the north side, with Hative Kecil/Galala on the south side. This bridge is the longest bridge in the eastern region of Indonesia. }} * ''Beaches'': ** {{see | name=Liang Beach | alt=Pantai Liang | url= | email= | address=Liang, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.504938 | long=128.342812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Liang.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A white sand beach with trees. Very suitable for family picnics by laying out mats because of the shady atmosphere. There are food stalls sell fresh coconut drink and local instant noodles dish called ''Sarmento''. }} ** {{see | name=Pintu Kota Beach | alt=Pantai Pintu Kota | url= | email= | address=Nusaniwe, Ambon City | lat=-3.770563 | long=128.152438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Pintu Kota.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Beach with rocky cave. One of the Icon of Ambon City. }} * ''Nature and wildlife'': ** {{see | name=Wisata Kolam Morea Larike | alt=Belut Morea Larike | url= | email= | address=Larike, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.748812 | long=127.935438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=06:00-18:00 | price= | image=Giant Eel named Morea.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Watching giant freshwater eels named ''Morea'' in a clear and clean river. You can feed them with small fish which can be bought from local people for Rp20,000. }} ==Do== Snorkeling and diving on various beautiful beaches. * {{do | name=Lubang Buaya Morela Beach | alt=Pantai Lubang Buaya Morela | url= | email= | address=Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.518312 | long=128.223687 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Lubang Buaya Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A diving and snorkeling spot with many fish dan enormous coral reefs. Sometimes you can see the wild dolphins from the beach. }} * {{do | name=Hukurila Beach | alt=Pantai Hukurila | url= | email= | address=Hukurila, Ambon City | lat=-3.738187 | long=128.240813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=One of the best dive spot in Ambon. }} Bathing in a natural hot spring. * {{do | name=Hatuasa Hot Spring | alt=Air Panas Hatuasa Tulehu | url= | email= | address=Salahutu, Tulehu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.593063 | long=128.308688 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp10,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A natural hot spring. There are various pools based on the level of heat of the water. }} Showering under waterfalls. * {{do | name=Taeno Waterfall| alt=Air Terjun Taeno / Maspait | url= | email= | address=Rumah Tiga, Ambon Bay district, Ambon City | lat=-3.637563 | long=128.168437 | directions= 5 km northwest of Merah Putih Bridge. Just 20-minute ride by motorcycle. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp5,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a district with a forestry area in Ambon City. There is a natural pool below the waterfall. The water is really refreshing. }} Also, you can buy ''oleh-oleh'', souvenirs, and merchandise from Ambon. *{{do | name=Kios Nelly | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sam Ratulangi | lat=-3.695062 | long=128.178812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An antique souvenir shop. Mr. Marwizar speaks fluent English, and will help you in anyway he can. }} * {{do | name=Petak 10 | alt=Pusat Ole-Ole Ambon Petak 10 | url= | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Siwabessy, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.703062 | long=128.176938 | directions= | phone=+62 852 829 53006 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Sell various Ambonese snack like ''Bagea'' and ''Halua Kenari'' also merchandise including Ambon T-shirt and ''Ikat'' woven fabric. }} * {{do | name=Toko Oleh-oleh Hidayah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Honipopu, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.696813 | long=128.178437 | directions=Walking across a street in front of Al Fatah Grand Mosque | phone=+62 813 431 34473 | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Buy ''Minyak Kayu Putih'' (Cajeput oil) and ''Minyak Cengkeh'' (Clove oil) to warm your body in a winter. }} ==Eat== Ambon is a city that has a variety of foods including local Ambonese cuisine, Javanese cuisine like ''Ayam Penyet'' or locals called ''Ayam Lalapan'', Buginese-Makassarese cuisine like ''Coto Makassar'', and Chinese-Indonesian cuisine like ''Mie Ayam''. Also, there are some western fast-food chains, like KFC, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut. As a port city, Ambon provides a variety of dishes from seafood, both soupy and grilled. ===Ambonese food=== Actual Ambonese food is common on the island. Notable dishes include: [[File:Maluku dishes.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Ikan kuah kuning, papeda, sambal colo-colo, and ikan bakar]] * '''Ikan kuah kuning''' &mdash; a saltwater fish in a yellow soup. * '''Papeda''' &mdash; a congee made from sago starch, eaten with ''Ikan kuah kuning''. * '''Kohu-kohu''' &mdash; green salad with tuna, shredded coconut, and lime. * '''Nasi kelapa''' &mdash; a rice dish with grated coconut mixed with chillies, shallots, and orange juice. * '''Sambal colo-colo''' &mdash; a type of sour and spicy condiment of tomatoes, lime, lime basil, chillies, and shallot. * '''Tumis bia''' &mdash; a spicy stir-fried sea snail. And, there are also some snacks, cakes, and desserts originally from Ambonese cuisine, those are: * '''Ampas terigu''' &mdash; bread made from flour, palm sugar, and grated coconut. * '''Kue asida''' &mdash; a traditional dessert in Ramadan, created by Arab-Ambonese. * '''Kue cara''' &mdash; savory deep-fried dough with toppings of seasoned shredded tuna, a slice of chili, scallion, and celery. * '''Pisang asar''' &mdash; a fried banana with peanut and sugar on top. Some drinks has became special beverage of Ambon, such as: * '''Jus gandaria''' &mdash; a juice made from plum-mango. * '''Kopi rarobang''' &mdash; a coffee drink with spices, walnut, and condensed milk. There are many food stalls and restaurants for the budget to mid-range, both inner and outer downtown. ''Nasi kuning ambon'' means Ambonese yellow rice is a cheap food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner which has been sold in almost all corners of the city. Many seafood hawkers also provided along Jl. Sam Ratulangi (Sam Ratulangi street) in the evening with mid-range prices. {{eatpricerange|under Rp50,000|Rp50,000-150,000|over Rp150,000}} ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Natsepa Beach | alt=Pantai Natsepa | url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/project/rujak-natsepa | email= | address=Suli, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.621563 | long=128.292062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daylight | price= under Rp30,000 | image=Lokasi Wisata Pantai Natsepa Ambon.jpg | content=Try ''Rujak Natsepa'', slices of fruits in sticky sweet spicy peanut sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Akbar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Waihaong | lat=-3.699288 | long=128.175984 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Rp10,000-30,000 | content=Try ''tumis bia''. The restaurant is ''prasmanan'' (Indonesian buffet) so you can take your own rice and side dishes by yourself. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Arika | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kapitan Yongker, Soa Bali | lat=-3.699537 | long=128.177172 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price=Rp20,000-50,000 | content=Offering some traditional Ambonese food like grilled fish, sauteed papaya leaf, boiled sweet potato, ''sambal colo-colo'', etc. }} * {{eat | name=Sibu-Sibu Cafe | alt=Rumah Kopi Sibu-Sibu | url=https://www.facebook.com/sibusibucafe/ | email=malukusibusibu@yahoo.com | address=Jl. Said Perintah No. 47A | lat=-3.697812 | long=128.180937 | directions= | phone=+62 911 312525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=Serves traditional Ambonese food and drink, and is a great spot to chill with a big open front and a wall decoration with pictures of Ambonese singers who perform on the national and international scene. Very popular with locals. Cafe has WiFi, albeit slow. The owner, June, speaks English. Cafe also provides beer, coffee, cakes, and light meals. It is double the size of what it used to be. Try coffee ''Kopi rarobang'' and Ambonese cakes like ''kasbi tone'' and ''koyabu singkong''. }} * {{eat | name=Swalayan Citra | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tulukabessy | lat=-3.690437 | long=128.185187 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353345 | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:30 | price=Rp10,000-40,000 | content=Affordable and delicious Indonesian and Chinese food. Also serves non-halal food. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Imperial Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro no. 53 | lat=-3.700563 | long=128.182687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 315333 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Clean and comfortable environment to have lunch or dinner, offering the best fresh seafood in town, with some specialty menu: Ambon traditional food (''papeda'', fish yellow soup with walnut), Hong Kong-style steamed fish, sweet and sour fish, black pepper beef, fresh crab in ''Sze Chuan'' style. All food is halal. }} * {{eat | name=Red Brick Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pitu Ina, Karang Panjang | lat=-3.689938 | long=128.191562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=In a hilly area, so you can enjoy the view of Ambon City. It serves Indonesian cuisine and Western food like steak and burger. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Dedes | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Silale | lat=-3.699113| long=128.176391 | directions= | phone=+62 911 356188 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | content=Try ''papeda'' and ''ikan kuah kuning''. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Ratu Gurih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro No. 26, Ahusen, Sirimau| lat=-3.699562| long=128.181062| directions= | phone=+62 911 341202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | content=Serves seafood dishes. Try ''ikan bakar kenari'' (Grilled fish in walnut sauce) and ''jus gandaria'' drink. }} * {{eat | name=Wailela Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ir. M. Putuhena, Rumah Tiga | lat=-3.661062 | long=128.180563 | directions= beside Ambon Bay | phone=+62 823 995 22113 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-21:30 | price= | content=Serves many Indonesian dishes. The outdoor faces the view of Ambon City. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Less than Rp500,000|Rp500,000-1,000,000|More than Rp1,000,000}} There are many resorts and hotels in Ambon including: ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Mutiara | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pattimura No.12 | lat=-3.694687| long=128.183562 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353873 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Start from Rp331,300 | content=Near the Pattimura Park. }} *{{sleep | name=Imperial Inn | url= | email= | address=Jl. W.R. Soepratman Gang Kedondong | lat=-3.692563 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 355047 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= start from Rp274,000 | content=Decent inn with various types of room and the price is also affordable. Has free internet access in every room. }} * {{sleep | name=LeGreen Suite Waihaong | alt= | url=https://le-green.com/ | email=waihaong@le-green.com | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah No.48 | lat=-3.699562 | long=128.175687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 350068 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp208,415 | content=A budget hotel near Ambon Islamic Center and Al Fatah Grand Mosque. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Maluku Resort and Spa | alt=Baguala Bay | url=https://malukuresort.com | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Jl. Raya Waitatiri | lat=-3.616812 | long=128.277688 | directions=20 minutes from Ambon City & Airport - on the way to Tulehu Ferry port to Seram & Saparua island | phone=+62 911 362717 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp860,000 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content=Friendly atmosphere, spa, large garden with pool, scenic sunset view overlooking the Bay, great for families with children. Also has a world-class diving center, diving Ambon Bay and the coral sites in the southeast of Ambon. }} * {{sleep | name=Manise Hotel | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/themanisehotel/ | email=sales@manisehotel.com | address=Jl. W.R Supratman No.1 | lat=-3.693937 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341445 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 354145 | checkin=10:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp500,000 | content=A family-owned hotel. There is a McDonald's across the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Nusa Ela Resort | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/nusaelaresort/ | email= | address=Ela island, Ureng, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.650812 | long=127.910313 | directions= | phone=+62 813 320 66794 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00 | checkout= | price=Start from Rp600,000 | content=A private resort located on the northwest of Ambon island, precisely on a group of ''pulau tiga'' islands, the best spot for relaxing, snorkeling, fun diving, fishing, and spearfishing, with a stretch of white sand beach, and very clear seawater. }} *{{sleep | name=Santika Premiere Ambon Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.mysantika.com/indonesia/ambon/hotel-santika-premiere-ambon/ | email=ambonpremiere@reservation.santika.com | address=Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.88, Batu Merah | lat=-3.678813 | long=128.194187 | directions= | phone=+62911 3833888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp689,310 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content= A 4-star hotel with a supermarket on first floor. }} * {{sleep | name=The Natsepa | alt= | url=https://thenatsepa.com/ | email=booking@thenatsepa.com | address=Jl. Natsepa No 36, Suli, Salahutu | lat=-3.622438 | long=128.285687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 362555 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 362111 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp764,846 | content=Has a swimming pool with a seacoast view. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Ume Ata Beach Villa | alt= | url=https://www.instagram.com/umeataresort/?hl=en | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Tial, Salahutu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.633063 | long=128.328188| directions= | phone=+62 811 471 815 (WhatsApp) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp1,500,000 | content=There are four villas with a private pool and a white sand beach. }} ==Stay safe== [[File:Gong Perdamaian Dunia Ambon.jpg|thumb|World Peace Gong monument]] Ambon was wracked by ethnic and religious violence between Muslim and Christian factions during the turn of the 21st century and much of its first decade. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful. There is a ''Gong Perdamaian Dunia'' ('''World Peace Gong''') monument that was built on 25 November 2009 as a symbol of world peace. Also, in 2022, Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. ==Go next== Ambon has become a hub city. There are some direct flights and sails to various destinations in [[Maluku]] and [[Papua]]. The flight uses a small-capacity propeller airplane served by some local Indonesian airlines, such as [https://www.instagram.com/samair.indonesia/?hl=en SAM Air], [http://www.trigana-air.com/ Trigana Air], and [https://www.lionair.co.id/tentang-kami/jaringan-kami Wings Air]. For the sails, PELNI provides some ships like ''KM. Pangrango'' and ''KM. Nggapulu'' to [[Banda Islands]], ''KM. Dobonsolo'' to [[Sorong]] and so on. The ticket can be bought at {{marker|type=go|name=PELNI office Ambon Branch|lat=-3.692841|long=128.184123}} or ticket agent alongside Jl. A.M. Sangaji (A.M. Sangaji street) near port of Yos Soedarso. Another port is also operated, including {{marker|type=go|name=Port of Tulehu|lat=-3.585471|long=128.32859}} to [[Saparua]] and [[Masohi]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Galala Ferry Port|lat=-3.661938|long=128.205062}} to [[Buru]]. * [[Banda Islands]] &mdash; The Spice Islands are known for the Spice Wars. 1&nbsp;hr by plane, 8&ndash;16 hr by ship. Innumerable historical sites, spice plantations, and dive spots. * [[Buru]] &mdash; A historic island with cajeput oil plantations. 45&nbsp;min by plane, 8&ndash;10 hr by ship. * [[Kei Islands]] &mdash; An archipelago with numerous white-sand beaches. 1.5&nbsp;hr away by plane. * [[Masohi]] &mdash; The capital of Central Maluku Regency is the nearest city to '''Manusela National Park''' and the most popular sights in Seram Island, '''Ora beach''' also the highest mountain in the Moluccas, '''Mt. Binaiya'''. 2&ndash;3&nbsp;hr by ship. * [[Saparua]] &mdash; An island with Dutch colonial era historical sites and beaches. 2&nbsp;hr away by ship. * [[Sorong]] &mdash; The nearest city to go to [[Raja Ampat]]. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. A day by ship. * [[Ternate]] &mdash; A volcanic island with a vibrant city, beautiful lakes, several snorkeling spots, fortress, and sultanate sites. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. {{geo|-3.638056|128.11722|zoom=12}} {{isPartOf|Maluku}} {{guidecity}} pywatucewsqyqfplamxlh9fht44egmi 4501843 4501842 2022-08-16T03:06:49Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Stay safe */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Ambon banner.jpg|caption=}} '''Ambon''' is an island in the [[Maluku]] region of [[Indonesia]] and also the name of its largest city: Ambon City. The island consists of two regions: Ambon City and Central Maluku Regency. [[File:Ambon Stad2.jpg|thumb|Provincial government office of Maluku in the city of Ambon.]] ==Understand== Ambon, the provincial capital of Maluku, is built on a hillside overlooking the bay. It has a number of interesting historical and cultural sites, among them the remnants of forts built by the Dutch East Indies Company during the heyday of the spice trade. The ruins of the Portuguese fort at Hila are almost entirely hidden beneath the contorted roots of a giant banyan tree. The ANZAC War Cemetery near Ambon town is the site of services held every year on April 25, to commemorate the Allied soldiers who died in the region during World War II. ===History=== The origin of the name Ambon is also very difficult to trace. According to local residents, the name Ambon comes from the word ''ombong'' in Ambonese language which means dew because the mountains on the island of Ambon are always dewy or foggy in the morning. The history of Ambon began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1512. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Ambon, and it became the new centre for Portuguese activities in Maluku following their expulsion from Ternate. The Portuguese, however, were regularly attacked by native Muslims on the island's northern coast, in particular, Hitu, which had trading and religious links with major port cities on Java's north coast. Then, the Portuguese built a fort in the Ambon area as a place of activity in trade and the spread of religion. As the first Europeans to arrive, the Portuguese mobilized their inhabitants to build a fort called ''Benteng Kota Laha'' (Fort Laha). The birthday or anniversary of the city of Ambon has been decided to fall on September 7, 1575, in a seminar in Ambon City. Ambon was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from 1610 to 1619 until the founding of Batavia (now [[Jakarta]]) by the Dutch. Ambon city was the site of a major Dutch military base that Imperial Japanese forces captured from Allied forces in the World War II Battle of Ambon in 1942. The battle was followed by the summary execution of more than 300 Allied prisoners of war in the Laha massacre. Sectarian tensions between the Muslims and Christians erupted in the wake of the fall of Suharto in 1998, resulting in numerous violent clashes between the two groups, and the deaths of thousands of people. An agreement mediated by the Indonesian government was signed between the Christians and Muslims in 2002 to end the violence, and while sporadic clashes have occurred since then, the area has settled into an uneasy peace as of the 2020s. The Indonesian government and numerous NGOs have been trying to promote dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities in an effort to make the peace a lasting one. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful and Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. Ambon became the first city in Southeast Asia to be recognized as the [[UNESCO Creative Cities]] for music category in 2019 and has been called '''Ambon the City of Music''' and is known as Indonesia's music city. ===People=== Ambon prides itself on being a multi-racial island. Ambon's population consists of, the majority of the native Moluccas including Ambonese, Alfur, Kei, Tanimbarese, and mixed of Arab-Ambonese, Dutch-Ambonese, Portuguese-Ambonese, Spanish-Ambonese, also other Indonesian such as Chinese-Indonesian, Buginese, Butonese, Flores, Javanese, Makassarese, Minang, Papuan, and Sundanese. [[Christianity]] is the majority religion in Ambon at about 60% of the population, with [[Islam]] in second place at about 39%, and the rest being a smattering of other religions. ===Climate=== {{Climate| |janhigh = 31.3 |janlow = 24.1 |janprecip = 127 |febhigh = 31.4 |feblow = 24.1 |febprecip = 119 |marhigh = 31.1 |marlow = 23.8 |marprecip = 135 |aprhigh = 30.7 |aprlow = 23.9 |aprprecip = 279 |mayhigh = 29.8 |maylow = 24.0 |mayprecip = 516 |junhigh = 28.5 |junlow = 23.6 |junprecip = 638 |julhigh = 27.5 |jullow = 23.2 |julprecip = 602 |aughigh = 27.8 |auglow = 23.1 |augprecip = 401 |sephigh = 29.1 |seplow = 23.3 |sepprecip = 241 |octhigh = 30.3 |octlow = 23.8 |octprecip = 155 |novhigh = 32.7 |novlow = 24.1 |novprecip = 114 |dechigh = 33 |declow = 24.2 |decprecip = 132 |description=Source: [[w:Ambon, Maluku#Climate|Wikipedia]] }} Ambon experiences a tropical rainforest climate and there is no real dry season. The driest month is November with total precipitation of 114 millimetres (4.5 in), while the wettest month is June with total precipitation of 638 millimetres (25.1 in). As it is located near the equator, the temperature throughout the year is constant. The hottest month is December, with an average temperature of 27.2 °C (81.0 °F), while the coolest month is July, with an average temperature of 25.0 °C (77.0 °F). ===Events=== Ambon conducts the annual yacht race between [[Darwin]] and Ambon called '''[https://www.dbcya.com.au/darwin-to-ambon/ Spice Islands Darwin Ambon Yacht Race]'''. The race usually takes place in August. Every year, on Eid al-Adha day, '''Karnaval Hadrat''' (Hadrat Carnival) is conducted in several subdistricts or locally called ''Negeri'', those are Hila and Batu Merah. ==Talk== While everyone is able to speak [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]], Ambon also has its own local language called '''Ambonese Malay''', a creole language based on [[Malay phrasebook|Malay]], but with strong influences from [[Dutch phrasebook|Dutch]], [[Portuguese phrasebook|Portuguese]] and Indonesia's other local languages. ==Get in== === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pattimura Airport | alt={{IATA|AMQ}} | url=http://www.pattimura-airport.co.id | email= | address= | lat=-3.7075 | long=128.0899 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pattimura Airport | image=Pattimuraairportlogo.png | wikidata=Q2232506 | content=There are multiple daily flights from Jakarta's [[Soekarno-Hatta International Airport]] on Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, and Batik Air. Some flights make a stopover in [[Surabaya]] or Makassar. Other destinations with direct flights to and from Ambon include [[Manado]], [[Ternate]], and [[Sorong]]. }} === By ship === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pelabuhan Yos Soedarso | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.694687 | long=128.175313 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | content=Alternatively, there are ships from various parts of Indonesia only serviced by [https://www.pelni.co.id PELNI] such as ''KM. Tidar'' sail from [[Makassar]]. Schedules and reservation can be checked at PELNI office or by PELNI app. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-3.638|128.117|zoom=10}} If you want to go to the city from the airport you can use the bus operated by [https://damri.co.id DAMRI], it's located on the right side of the arrival hall and will only cost you Rp50,000 - cheaper than taking a taxi which can cost you approximately Rp150,000/trip. The DAMRI bus stops on {{marker|type=go|name=''Lapangan Merdeka''|url=|lat=-3.693188|long=128.181938|image=}} in the heart of the city. The taxi is like a private car, with no taxi sign above the car. It can be found mostly outside the airport. ''Angkot'' (public transport minivans, locally called ''Oto'') with fixed routes take people around the island. There are no fixed stops, just wave your hand on the side of the road to stop the vans and get into it. Look at the sign on top of the vans and ask the driver to make sure it's the route you want. Each cost Rp3,000 for a short trip - pay when you get out. Sitting up front is fine if it's empty and you'd rather not squish into the back. To stop where you want to get out, say ''minggir''. ''Becak'' (bicycle rickshaws) are good for shorter distances downtown. There are many ''ojek'' (passenger motorcycles) around the island. Also, an online ''ojek'' called [https://www.gojek.com Gojek] is available there. Getting around Ambon is easier by renting a bike or a car. Google Maps are all capable of figuring out the tourist or public destination. A map of the city is available on the second floor of the bookstore {{marker|type=go|name=''Toko Buku Dian Pertiwi''|url=|lat=-3.698937|long=128.180437|image=}}, near '''Trikora Monument'''. The downtown of Ambon City is very pedestrian-friendly. Strolling around {{marker|type=go|name=Pattimura Park|url=|lat=-3.693062|long=128.183187|image=}} is one of the best way to chill the afternoon. In the evening, a dancing water fountain showed up there. ==See== [[File:Pantai Liang, Maluku.jpg|thumb|Liang Beach]] * ''History and museums'': ** {{see | name=Ambon War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2015000/ambon-war-cemetery/ | email= | address=Pandan Kasturi, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.674812 | long=128.191813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | image=Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content= The cemetery contains Australian soldiers who died during the Japanese invasion of Ambon and Timor in World War II }} ** {{see | name=Fort Amsterdam | alt=Benteng Amsterdam | url=https://ambon.go.id/benteng-amsterdam/ | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.582813 | long=128.083188 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-18.00 | price= | wikipedia=Fort Amsterdam, Ambon | image=Benteng Amsterdam.jpg | wikidata=Q2651405 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A fort and a blockhouse in Hila town, Leihitu. Before the fort was built, a trade lodge was established here by Francisco Serrão in 1512, a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Ferdinand Magellan. }} ** {{see | name=Siwalima Museum | alt= | url=https://ambon.go.id/museum-siwalima/ | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Malaiholo, Taman Makmur, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.713437 | long=128.152938 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341652 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-16.00 | price= | image=Museum Siwalima.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Maritime and traditional object of Ambonese and Moluccas. }} ** {{see | name=Wapauwe Old Mosque | alt=Masjid Tua Wapauwe | url= | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency| lat=-3.585187 | long=128.084187 | directions=1 km south of Fort Amsterdam | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Wapauwe Old Mosque | image=Masjid Tua Wapauwe.jpg | wikidata=Q12497346 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Established in 1414, it is the oldest mosque in the Moluccas. }} * ''Landmarks'': ** {{see | name=Christina Martha Tiahahu Monument| alt=Patung Christina Martha Tiahahu| url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/portfolio/monumen-christina-martha-tiahahu/ | email= | address=Karang Panjang, Ambon City | lat=-3.687563 | long=128.192313 | directions= | phone=+62 822 481 00799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Standbeeld van vrijheidsstrijdster Martha Christina Tiahahu (1800-1818) TMnr 20017956.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a hilly area. The best visiting time is in the afternoon because the statue or monument faces sunset and ambon bay. That is an amazing view to take some pictures of. }} ** {{see | name=Merah Putih Bridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.6629 | long=128.1979 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Merah Putih Bridge | image=Merah Putih Bridge.jpg| wikidata=Q20427160| lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=The bridge spans over Ambon Bay, connecting Rumah Tiga (Poka) on the north side, with Hative Kecil/Galala on the south side. This bridge is the longest bridge in the eastern region of Indonesia. }} * ''Beaches'': ** {{see | name=Liang Beach | alt=Pantai Liang | url= | email= | address=Liang, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.504938 | long=128.342812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Liang.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A white sand beach with trees. Very suitable for family picnics by laying out mats because of the shady atmosphere. There are food stalls sell fresh coconut drink and local instant noodles dish called ''Sarmento''. }} ** {{see | name=Pintu Kota Beach | alt=Pantai Pintu Kota | url= | email= | address=Nusaniwe, Ambon City | lat=-3.770563 | long=128.152438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Pintu Kota.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Beach with rocky cave. One of the Icon of Ambon City. }} * ''Nature and wildlife'': ** {{see | name=Wisata Kolam Morea Larike | alt=Belut Morea Larike | url= | email= | address=Larike, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.748812 | long=127.935438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=06:00-18:00 | price= | image=Giant Eel named Morea.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Watching giant freshwater eels named ''Morea'' in a clear and clean river. You can feed them with small fish which can be bought from local people for Rp20,000. }} ==Do== Snorkeling and diving on various beautiful beaches. * {{do | name=Lubang Buaya Morela Beach | alt=Pantai Lubang Buaya Morela | url= | email= | address=Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.518312 | long=128.223687 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Lubang Buaya Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A diving and snorkeling spot with many fish dan enormous coral reefs. Sometimes you can see the wild dolphins from the beach. }} * {{do | name=Hukurila Beach | alt=Pantai Hukurila | url= | email= | address=Hukurila, Ambon City | lat=-3.738187 | long=128.240813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=One of the best dive spot in Ambon. }} Bathing in a natural hot spring. * {{do | name=Hatuasa Hot Spring | alt=Air Panas Hatuasa Tulehu | url= | email= | address=Salahutu, Tulehu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.593063 | long=128.308688 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp10,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A natural hot spring. There are various pools based on the level of heat of the water. }} Showering under waterfalls. * {{do | name=Taeno Waterfall| alt=Air Terjun Taeno / Maspait | url= | email= | address=Rumah Tiga, Ambon Bay district, Ambon City | lat=-3.637563 | long=128.168437 | directions= 5 km northwest of Merah Putih Bridge. Just 20-minute ride by motorcycle. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp5,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a district with a forestry area in Ambon City. There is a natural pool below the waterfall. The water is really refreshing. }} Also, you can buy ''oleh-oleh'', souvenirs, and merchandise from Ambon. *{{do | name=Kios Nelly | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sam Ratulangi | lat=-3.695062 | long=128.178812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An antique souvenir shop. Mr. Marwizar speaks fluent English, and will help you in anyway he can. }} * {{do | name=Petak 10 | alt=Pusat Ole-Ole Ambon Petak 10 | url= | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Siwabessy, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.703062 | long=128.176938 | directions= | phone=+62 852 829 53006 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Sell various Ambonese snack like ''Bagea'' and ''Halua Kenari'' also merchandise including Ambon T-shirt and ''Ikat'' woven fabric. }} * {{do | name=Toko Oleh-oleh Hidayah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Honipopu, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.696813 | long=128.178437 | directions=Walking across a street in front of Al Fatah Grand Mosque | phone=+62 813 431 34473 | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Buy ''Minyak Kayu Putih'' (Cajeput oil) and ''Minyak Cengkeh'' (Clove oil) to warm your body in a winter. }} ==Eat== Ambon is a city that has a variety of foods including local Ambonese cuisine, Javanese cuisine like ''Ayam Penyet'' or locals called ''Ayam Lalapan'', Buginese-Makassarese cuisine like ''Coto Makassar'', and Chinese-Indonesian cuisine like ''Mie Ayam''. Also, there are some western fast-food chains, like KFC, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut. As a port city, Ambon provides a variety of dishes from seafood, both soupy and grilled. ===Ambonese food=== Actual Ambonese food is common on the island. Notable dishes include: [[File:Maluku dishes.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Ikan kuah kuning, papeda, sambal colo-colo, and ikan bakar]] * '''Ikan kuah kuning''' &mdash; a saltwater fish in a yellow soup. * '''Papeda''' &mdash; a congee made from sago starch, eaten with ''Ikan kuah kuning''. * '''Kohu-kohu''' &mdash; green salad with tuna, shredded coconut, and lime. * '''Nasi kelapa''' &mdash; a rice dish with grated coconut mixed with chillies, shallots, and orange juice. * '''Sambal colo-colo''' &mdash; a type of sour and spicy condiment of tomatoes, lime, lime basil, chillies, and shallot. * '''Tumis bia''' &mdash; a spicy stir-fried sea snail. And, there are also some snacks, cakes, and desserts originally from Ambonese cuisine, those are: * '''Ampas terigu''' &mdash; bread made from flour, palm sugar, and grated coconut. * '''Kue asida''' &mdash; a traditional dessert in Ramadan, created by Arab-Ambonese. * '''Kue cara''' &mdash; savory deep-fried dough with toppings of seasoned shredded tuna, a slice of chili, scallion, and celery. * '''Pisang asar''' &mdash; a fried banana with peanut and sugar on top. Some drinks has became special beverage of Ambon, such as: * '''Jus gandaria''' &mdash; a juice made from plum-mango. * '''Kopi rarobang''' &mdash; a coffee drink with spices, walnut, and condensed milk. There are many food stalls and restaurants for the budget to mid-range, both inner and outer downtown. ''Nasi kuning ambon'' means Ambonese yellow rice is a cheap food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner which has been sold in almost all corners of the city. Many seafood hawkers also provided along Jl. Sam Ratulangi (Sam Ratulangi street) in the evening with mid-range prices. {{eatpricerange|under Rp50,000|Rp50,000-150,000|over Rp150,000}} ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Natsepa Beach | alt=Pantai Natsepa | url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/project/rujak-natsepa | email= | address=Suli, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.621563 | long=128.292062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daylight | price= under Rp30,000 | image=Lokasi Wisata Pantai Natsepa Ambon.jpg | content=Try ''Rujak Natsepa'', slices of fruits in sticky sweet spicy peanut sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Akbar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Waihaong | lat=-3.699288 | long=128.175984 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Rp10,000-30,000 | content=Try ''tumis bia''. The restaurant is ''prasmanan'' (Indonesian buffet) so you can take your own rice and side dishes by yourself. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Arika | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kapitan Yongker, Soa Bali | lat=-3.699537 | long=128.177172 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price=Rp20,000-50,000 | content=Offering some traditional Ambonese food like grilled fish, sauteed papaya leaf, boiled sweet potato, ''sambal colo-colo'', etc. }} * {{eat | name=Sibu-Sibu Cafe | alt=Rumah Kopi Sibu-Sibu | url=https://www.facebook.com/sibusibucafe/ | email=malukusibusibu@yahoo.com | address=Jl. Said Perintah No. 47A | lat=-3.697812 | long=128.180937 | directions= | phone=+62 911 312525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=Serves traditional Ambonese food and drink, and is a great spot to chill with a big open front and a wall decoration with pictures of Ambonese singers who perform on the national and international scene. Very popular with locals. Cafe has WiFi, albeit slow. The owner, June, speaks English. Cafe also provides beer, coffee, cakes, and light meals. It is double the size of what it used to be. Try coffee ''Kopi rarobang'' and Ambonese cakes like ''kasbi tone'' and ''koyabu singkong''. }} * {{eat | name=Swalayan Citra | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tulukabessy | lat=-3.690437 | long=128.185187 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353345 | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:30 | price=Rp10,000-40,000 | content=Affordable and delicious Indonesian and Chinese food. Also serves non-halal food. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Imperial Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro no. 53 | lat=-3.700563 | long=128.182687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 315333 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Clean and comfortable environment to have lunch or dinner, offering the best fresh seafood in town, with some specialty menu: Ambon traditional food (''papeda'', fish yellow soup with walnut), Hong Kong-style steamed fish, sweet and sour fish, black pepper beef, fresh crab in ''Sze Chuan'' style. All food is halal. }} * {{eat | name=Red Brick Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pitu Ina, Karang Panjang | lat=-3.689938 | long=128.191562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=In a hilly area, so you can enjoy the view of Ambon City. It serves Indonesian cuisine and Western food like steak and burger. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Dedes | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Silale | lat=-3.699113| long=128.176391 | directions= | phone=+62 911 356188 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | content=Try ''papeda'' and ''ikan kuah kuning''. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Ratu Gurih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro No. 26, Ahusen, Sirimau| lat=-3.699562| long=128.181062| directions= | phone=+62 911 341202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | content=Serves seafood dishes. Try ''ikan bakar kenari'' (Grilled fish in walnut sauce) and ''jus gandaria'' drink. }} * {{eat | name=Wailela Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ir. M. Putuhena, Rumah Tiga | lat=-3.661062 | long=128.180563 | directions= beside Ambon Bay | phone=+62 823 995 22113 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-21:30 | price= | content=Serves many Indonesian dishes. The outdoor faces the view of Ambon City. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Less than Rp500,000|Rp500,000-1,000,000|More than Rp1,000,000}} There are many resorts and hotels in Ambon including: ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Mutiara | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pattimura No.12 | lat=-3.694687| long=128.183562 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353873 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Start from Rp331,300 | content=Near the Pattimura Park. }} *{{sleep | name=Imperial Inn | url= | email= | address=Jl. W.R. Soepratman Gang Kedondong | lat=-3.692563 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 355047 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= start from Rp274,000 | content=Decent inn with various types of room and the price is also affordable. Has free internet access in every room. }} * {{sleep | name=LeGreen Suite Waihaong | alt= | url=https://le-green.com/ | email=waihaong@le-green.com | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah No.48 | lat=-3.699562 | long=128.175687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 350068 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp208,415 | content=A budget hotel near Ambon Islamic Center and Al Fatah Grand Mosque. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Maluku Resort and Spa | alt=Baguala Bay | url=https://malukuresort.com | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Jl. Raya Waitatiri | lat=-3.616812 | long=128.277688 | directions=20 minutes from Ambon City & Airport - on the way to Tulehu Ferry port to Seram & Saparua island | phone=+62 911 362717 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp860,000 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content=Friendly atmosphere, spa, large garden with pool, scenic sunset view overlooking the Bay, great for families with children. Also has a world-class diving center, diving Ambon Bay and the coral sites in the southeast of Ambon. }} * {{sleep | name=Manise Hotel | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/themanisehotel/ | email=sales@manisehotel.com | address=Jl. W.R Supratman No.1 | lat=-3.693937 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341445 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 354145 | checkin=10:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp500,000 | content=A family-owned hotel. There is a McDonald's across the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Nusa Ela Resort | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/nusaelaresort/ | email= | address=Ela island, Ureng, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.650812 | long=127.910313 | directions= | phone=+62 813 320 66794 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00 | checkout= | price=Start from Rp600,000 | content=A private resort located on the northwest of Ambon island, precisely on a group of ''pulau tiga'' islands, the best spot for relaxing, snorkeling, fun diving, fishing, and spearfishing, with a stretch of white sand beach, and very clear seawater. }} *{{sleep | name=Santika Premiere Ambon Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.mysantika.com/indonesia/ambon/hotel-santika-premiere-ambon/ | email=ambonpremiere@reservation.santika.com | address=Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.88, Batu Merah | lat=-3.678813 | long=128.194187 | directions= | phone=+62911 3833888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp689,310 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content= A 4-star hotel with a supermarket on first floor. }} * {{sleep | name=The Natsepa | alt= | url=https://thenatsepa.com/ | email=booking@thenatsepa.com | address=Jl. Natsepa No 36, Suli, Salahutu | lat=-3.622438 | long=128.285687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 362555 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 362111 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp764,846 | content=Has a swimming pool with a seacoast view. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Ume Ata Beach Villa | alt= | url=https://www.instagram.com/umeataresort/?hl=en | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Tial, Salahutu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.633063 | long=128.328188| directions= | phone=+62 811 471 815 (WhatsApp) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp1,500,000 | content=There are four villas with a private pool and a white sand beach. }} ==Stay safe== [[File:Gong Perdamaian Dunia Ambon.jpg|thumb|World Peace Gong monument in Ambon]] Ambon was wracked by ethnic and religious violence between Muslim and Christian factions during the turn of the 21st century and much of its first decade. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful. There is a ''Gong Perdamaian Dunia'' ('''World Peace Gong''') monument that was built on 25 November 2009 as a symbol of world peace. Also, in 2022, Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. ==Go next== Ambon has become a hub city. There are some direct flights and sails to various destinations in [[Maluku]] and [[Papua]]. The flight uses a small-capacity propeller airplane served by some local Indonesian airlines, such as [https://www.instagram.com/samair.indonesia/?hl=en SAM Air], [http://www.trigana-air.com/ Trigana Air], and [https://www.lionair.co.id/tentang-kami/jaringan-kami Wings Air]. For the sails, PELNI provides some ships like ''KM. Pangrango'' and ''KM. Nggapulu'' to [[Banda Islands]], ''KM. Dobonsolo'' to [[Sorong]] and so on. The ticket can be bought at {{marker|type=go|name=PELNI office Ambon Branch|lat=-3.692841|long=128.184123}} or ticket agent alongside Jl. A.M. Sangaji (A.M. Sangaji street) near port of Yos Soedarso. Another port is also operated, including {{marker|type=go|name=Port of Tulehu|lat=-3.585471|long=128.32859}} to [[Saparua]] and [[Masohi]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Galala Ferry Port|lat=-3.661938|long=128.205062}} to [[Buru]]. * [[Banda Islands]] &mdash; The Spice Islands are known for the Spice Wars. 1&nbsp;hr by plane, 8&ndash;16 hr by ship. Innumerable historical sites, spice plantations, and dive spots. * [[Buru]] &mdash; A historic island with cajeput oil plantations. 45&nbsp;min by plane, 8&ndash;10 hr by ship. * [[Kei Islands]] &mdash; An archipelago with numerous white-sand beaches. 1.5&nbsp;hr away by plane. * [[Masohi]] &mdash; The capital of Central Maluku Regency is the nearest city to '''Manusela National Park''' and the most popular sights in Seram Island, '''Ora beach''' also the highest mountain in the Moluccas, '''Mt. Binaiya'''. 2&ndash;3&nbsp;hr by ship. * [[Saparua]] &mdash; An island with Dutch colonial era historical sites and beaches. 2&nbsp;hr away by ship. * [[Sorong]] &mdash; The nearest city to go to [[Raja Ampat]]. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. A day by ship. * [[Ternate]] &mdash; A volcanic island with a vibrant city, beautiful lakes, several snorkeling spots, fortress, and sultanate sites. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. {{geo|-3.638056|128.11722|zoom=12}} {{isPartOf|Maluku}} {{guidecity}} msejsdoyy6mdg8t3p1x20qvtbltifw2 4501872 4501843 2022-08-16T04:59:35Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* See */ add a picture wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Ambon banner.jpg|caption=}} '''Ambon''' is an island in the [[Maluku]] region of [[Indonesia]] and also the name of its largest city: Ambon City. The island consists of two regions: Ambon City and Central Maluku Regency. [[File:Ambon Stad2.jpg|thumb|Provincial government office of Maluku in the city of Ambon.]] ==Understand== Ambon, the provincial capital of Maluku, is built on a hillside overlooking the bay. It has a number of interesting historical and cultural sites, among them the remnants of forts built by the Dutch East Indies Company during the heyday of the spice trade. The ruins of the Portuguese fort at Hila are almost entirely hidden beneath the contorted roots of a giant banyan tree. The ANZAC War Cemetery near Ambon town is the site of services held every year on April 25, to commemorate the Allied soldiers who died in the region during World War II. ===History=== The origin of the name Ambon is also very difficult to trace. According to local residents, the name Ambon comes from the word ''ombong'' in Ambonese language which means dew because the mountains on the island of Ambon are always dewy or foggy in the morning. The history of Ambon began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1512. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Ambon, and it became the new centre for Portuguese activities in Maluku following their expulsion from Ternate. The Portuguese, however, were regularly attacked by native Muslims on the island's northern coast, in particular, Hitu, which had trading and religious links with major port cities on Java's north coast. Then, the Portuguese built a fort in the Ambon area as a place of activity in trade and the spread of religion. As the first Europeans to arrive, the Portuguese mobilized their inhabitants to build a fort called ''Benteng Kota Laha'' (Fort Laha). The birthday or anniversary of the city of Ambon has been decided to fall on September 7, 1575, in a seminar in Ambon City. Ambon was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from 1610 to 1619 until the founding of Batavia (now [[Jakarta]]) by the Dutch. Ambon city was the site of a major Dutch military base that Imperial Japanese forces captured from Allied forces in the World War II Battle of Ambon in 1942. The battle was followed by the summary execution of more than 300 Allied prisoners of war in the Laha massacre. Sectarian tensions between the Muslims and Christians erupted in the wake of the fall of Suharto in 1998, resulting in numerous violent clashes between the two groups, and the deaths of thousands of people. An agreement mediated by the Indonesian government was signed between the Christians and Muslims in 2002 to end the violence, and while sporadic clashes have occurred since then, the area has settled into an uneasy peace as of the 2020s. The Indonesian government and numerous NGOs have been trying to promote dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities in an effort to make the peace a lasting one. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful and Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. Ambon became the first city in Southeast Asia to be recognized as the [[UNESCO Creative Cities]] for music category in 2019 and has been called '''Ambon the City of Music''' and is known as Indonesia's music city. ===People=== Ambon prides itself on being a multi-racial island. Ambon's population consists of, the majority of the native Moluccas including Ambonese, Alfur, Kei, Tanimbarese, and mixed of Arab-Ambonese, Dutch-Ambonese, Portuguese-Ambonese, Spanish-Ambonese, also other Indonesian such as Chinese-Indonesian, Buginese, Butonese, Flores, Javanese, Makassarese, Minang, Papuan, and Sundanese. [[Christianity]] is the majority religion in Ambon at about 60% of the population, with [[Islam]] in second place at about 39%, and the rest being a smattering of other religions. ===Climate=== {{Climate| |janhigh = 31.3 |janlow = 24.1 |janprecip = 127 |febhigh = 31.4 |feblow = 24.1 |febprecip = 119 |marhigh = 31.1 |marlow = 23.8 |marprecip = 135 |aprhigh = 30.7 |aprlow = 23.9 |aprprecip = 279 |mayhigh = 29.8 |maylow = 24.0 |mayprecip = 516 |junhigh = 28.5 |junlow = 23.6 |junprecip = 638 |julhigh = 27.5 |jullow = 23.2 |julprecip = 602 |aughigh = 27.8 |auglow = 23.1 |augprecip = 401 |sephigh = 29.1 |seplow = 23.3 |sepprecip = 241 |octhigh = 30.3 |octlow = 23.8 |octprecip = 155 |novhigh = 32.7 |novlow = 24.1 |novprecip = 114 |dechigh = 33 |declow = 24.2 |decprecip = 132 |description=Source: [[w:Ambon, Maluku#Climate|Wikipedia]] }} Ambon experiences a tropical rainforest climate and there is no real dry season. The driest month is November with total precipitation of 114 millimetres (4.5 in), while the wettest month is June with total precipitation of 638 millimetres (25.1 in). As it is located near the equator, the temperature throughout the year is constant. The hottest month is December, with an average temperature of 27.2 °C (81.0 °F), while the coolest month is July, with an average temperature of 25.0 °C (77.0 °F). ===Events=== Ambon conducts the annual yacht race between [[Darwin]] and Ambon called '''[https://www.dbcya.com.au/darwin-to-ambon/ Spice Islands Darwin Ambon Yacht Race]'''. The race usually takes place in August. Every year, on Eid al-Adha day, '''Karnaval Hadrat''' (Hadrat Carnival) is conducted in several subdistricts or locally called ''Negeri'', those are Hila and Batu Merah. ==Talk== While everyone is able to speak [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]], Ambon also has its own local language called '''Ambonese Malay''', a creole language based on [[Malay phrasebook|Malay]], but with strong influences from [[Dutch phrasebook|Dutch]], [[Portuguese phrasebook|Portuguese]] and Indonesia's other local languages. ==Get in== === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pattimura Airport | alt={{IATA|AMQ}} | url=http://www.pattimura-airport.co.id | email= | address= | lat=-3.7075 | long=128.0899 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pattimura Airport | image=Pattimuraairportlogo.png | wikidata=Q2232506 | content=There are multiple daily flights from Jakarta's [[Soekarno-Hatta International Airport]] on Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, and Batik Air. Some flights make a stopover in [[Surabaya]] or Makassar. Other destinations with direct flights to and from Ambon include [[Manado]], [[Ternate]], and [[Sorong]]. }} === By ship === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pelabuhan Yos Soedarso | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.694687 | long=128.175313 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | content=Alternatively, there are ships from various parts of Indonesia only serviced by [https://www.pelni.co.id PELNI] such as ''KM. Tidar'' sail from [[Makassar]]. Schedules and reservation can be checked at PELNI office or by PELNI app. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-3.638|128.117|zoom=10}} If you want to go to the city from the airport you can use the bus operated by [https://damri.co.id DAMRI], it's located on the right side of the arrival hall and will only cost you Rp50,000 - cheaper than taking a taxi which can cost you approximately Rp150,000/trip. The DAMRI bus stops on {{marker|type=go|name=''Lapangan Merdeka''|url=|lat=-3.693188|long=128.181938|image=}} in the heart of the city. The taxi is like a private car, with no taxi sign above the car. It can be found mostly outside the airport. ''Angkot'' (public transport minivans, locally called ''Oto'') with fixed routes take people around the island. There are no fixed stops, just wave your hand on the side of the road to stop the vans and get into it. Look at the sign on top of the vans and ask the driver to make sure it's the route you want. Each cost Rp3,000 for a short trip - pay when you get out. Sitting up front is fine if it's empty and you'd rather not squish into the back. To stop where you want to get out, say ''minggir''. ''Becak'' (bicycle rickshaws) are good for shorter distances downtown. There are many ''ojek'' (passenger motorcycles) around the island. Also, an online ''ojek'' called [https://www.gojek.com Gojek] is available there. Getting around Ambon is easier by renting a bike or a car. Google Maps are all capable of figuring out the tourist or public destination. A map of the city is available on the second floor of the bookstore {{marker|type=go|name=''Toko Buku Dian Pertiwi''|url=|lat=-3.698937|long=128.180437|image=}}, near '''Trikora Monument'''. The downtown of Ambon City is very pedestrian-friendly. Strolling around {{marker|type=go|name=Pattimura Park|url=|lat=-3.693062|long=128.183187|image=}} is one of the best way to chill the afternoon. In the evening, a dancing water fountain showed up there. ==See== [[File:Fort Amsterdam auf Ambon.jpg|thumb| The gate of Fort Amsterdam]] [[File:Pantai Liang, Maluku.jpg|thumb|Liang Beach]] * ''History and museums'': ** {{see | name=Ambon War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2015000/ambon-war-cemetery/ | email= | address=Pandan Kasturi, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.674812 | long=128.191813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | image=Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content= The cemetery contains Australian soldiers who died during the Japanese invasion of Ambon and Timor in World War II }} ** {{see | name=Fort Amsterdam | alt=Benteng Amsterdam | url=https://ambon.go.id/benteng-amsterdam/ | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.582813 | long=128.083188 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-18.00 | price= | wikipedia=Fort Amsterdam, Ambon | image=Benteng Amsterdam.jpg | wikidata=Q2651405 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A fort and a blockhouse in Hila town, Leihitu. Before the fort was built, a trade lodge was established here by Francisco Serrão in 1512, a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Ferdinand Magellan. }} ** {{see | name=Siwalima Museum | alt= | url=https://ambon.go.id/museum-siwalima/ | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Malaiholo, Taman Makmur, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.713437 | long=128.152938 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341652 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-16.00 | price= | image=Museum Siwalima.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Maritime and traditional object of Ambonese and Moluccas. }} ** {{see | name=Wapauwe Old Mosque | alt=Masjid Tua Wapauwe | url= | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency| lat=-3.585187 | long=128.084187 | directions=1 km south of Fort Amsterdam | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Wapauwe Old Mosque | image=Masjid Tua Wapauwe.jpg | wikidata=Q12497346 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Established in 1414, it is the oldest mosque in the Moluccas. }} * ''Landmarks'': ** {{see | name=Christina Martha Tiahahu Monument| alt=Patung Christina Martha Tiahahu| url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/portfolio/monumen-christina-martha-tiahahu/ | email= | address=Karang Panjang, Ambon City | lat=-3.687563 | long=128.192313 | directions= | phone=+62 822 481 00799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Standbeeld van vrijheidsstrijdster Martha Christina Tiahahu (1800-1818) TMnr 20017956.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a hilly area. The best visiting time is in the afternoon because the statue or monument faces sunset and ambon bay. That is an amazing view to take some pictures of. }} ** {{see | name=Merah Putih Bridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.6629 | long=128.1979 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Merah Putih Bridge | image=Merah Putih Bridge.jpg| wikidata=Q20427160| lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=The bridge spans over Ambon Bay, connecting Rumah Tiga (Poka) on the north side, with Hative Kecil/Galala on the south side. This bridge is the longest bridge in the eastern region of Indonesia. }} * ''Beaches'': ** {{see | name=Liang Beach | alt=Pantai Liang | url= | email= | address=Liang, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.504938 | long=128.342812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Liang.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A white sand beach with trees. Very suitable for family picnics by laying out mats because of the shady atmosphere. There are food stalls sell fresh coconut drink and local instant noodles dish called ''Sarmento''. }} ** {{see | name=Pintu Kota Beach | alt=Pantai Pintu Kota | url= | email= | address=Nusaniwe, Ambon City | lat=-3.770563 | long=128.152438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Pintu Kota.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Beach with rocky cave. One of the Icon of Ambon City. }} * ''Nature and wildlife'': ** {{see | name=Wisata Kolam Morea Larike | alt=Belut Morea Larike | url= | email= | address=Larike, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.748812 | long=127.935438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=06:00-18:00 | price= | image=Giant Eel named Morea.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Watching giant freshwater eels named ''Morea'' in a clear and clean river. You can feed them with small fish which can be bought from local people for Rp20,000. }} ==Do== Snorkeling and diving on various beautiful beaches. * {{do | name=Lubang Buaya Morela Beach | alt=Pantai Lubang Buaya Morela | url= | email= | address=Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.518312 | long=128.223687 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Lubang Buaya Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A diving and snorkeling spot with many fish dan enormous coral reefs. Sometimes you can see the wild dolphins from the beach. }} * {{do | name=Hukurila Beach | alt=Pantai Hukurila | url= | email= | address=Hukurila, Ambon City | lat=-3.738187 | long=128.240813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=One of the best dive spot in Ambon. }} Bathing in a natural hot spring. * {{do | name=Hatuasa Hot Spring | alt=Air Panas Hatuasa Tulehu | url= | email= | address=Salahutu, Tulehu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.593063 | long=128.308688 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp10,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A natural hot spring. There are various pools based on the level of heat of the water. }} Showering under waterfalls. * {{do | name=Taeno Waterfall| alt=Air Terjun Taeno / Maspait | url= | email= | address=Rumah Tiga, Ambon Bay district, Ambon City | lat=-3.637563 | long=128.168437 | directions= 5 km northwest of Merah Putih Bridge. Just 20-minute ride by motorcycle. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp5,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a district with a forestry area in Ambon City. There is a natural pool below the waterfall. The water is really refreshing. }} Also, you can buy ''oleh-oleh'', souvenirs, and merchandise from Ambon. *{{do | name=Kios Nelly | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sam Ratulangi | lat=-3.695062 | long=128.178812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An antique souvenir shop. Mr. Marwizar speaks fluent English, and will help you in anyway he can. }} * {{do | name=Petak 10 | alt=Pusat Ole-Ole Ambon Petak 10 | url= | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Siwabessy, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.703062 | long=128.176938 | directions= | phone=+62 852 829 53006 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Sell various Ambonese snack like ''Bagea'' and ''Halua Kenari'' also merchandise including Ambon T-shirt and ''Ikat'' woven fabric. }} * {{do | name=Toko Oleh-oleh Hidayah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Honipopu, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.696813 | long=128.178437 | directions=Walking across a street in front of Al Fatah Grand Mosque | phone=+62 813 431 34473 | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Buy ''Minyak Kayu Putih'' (Cajeput oil) and ''Minyak Cengkeh'' (Clove oil) to warm your body in a winter. }} ==Eat== Ambon is a city that has a variety of foods including local Ambonese cuisine, Javanese cuisine like ''Ayam Penyet'' or locals called ''Ayam Lalapan'', Buginese-Makassarese cuisine like ''Coto Makassar'', and Chinese-Indonesian cuisine like ''Mie Ayam''. Also, there are some western fast-food chains, like KFC, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut. As a port city, Ambon provides a variety of dishes from seafood, both soupy and grilled. ===Ambonese food=== Actual Ambonese food is common on the island. Notable dishes include: [[File:Maluku dishes.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Ikan kuah kuning, papeda, sambal colo-colo, and ikan bakar]] * '''Ikan kuah kuning''' &mdash; a saltwater fish in a yellow soup. * '''Papeda''' &mdash; a congee made from sago starch, eaten with ''Ikan kuah kuning''. * '''Kohu-kohu''' &mdash; green salad with tuna, shredded coconut, and lime. * '''Nasi kelapa''' &mdash; a rice dish with grated coconut mixed with chillies, shallots, and orange juice. * '''Sambal colo-colo''' &mdash; a type of sour and spicy condiment of tomatoes, lime, lime basil, chillies, and shallot. * '''Tumis bia''' &mdash; a spicy stir-fried sea snail. And, there are also some snacks, cakes, and desserts originally from Ambonese cuisine, those are: * '''Ampas terigu''' &mdash; bread made from flour, palm sugar, and grated coconut. * '''Kue asida''' &mdash; a traditional dessert in Ramadan, created by Arab-Ambonese. * '''Kue cara''' &mdash; savory deep-fried dough with toppings of seasoned shredded tuna, a slice of chili, scallion, and celery. * '''Pisang asar''' &mdash; a fried banana with peanut and sugar on top. Some drinks has became special beverage of Ambon, such as: * '''Jus gandaria''' &mdash; a juice made from plum-mango. * '''Kopi rarobang''' &mdash; a coffee drink with spices, walnut, and condensed milk. There are many food stalls and restaurants for the budget to mid-range, both inner and outer downtown. ''Nasi kuning ambon'' means Ambonese yellow rice is a cheap food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner which has been sold in almost all corners of the city. Many seafood hawkers also provided along Jl. Sam Ratulangi (Sam Ratulangi street) in the evening with mid-range prices. {{eatpricerange|under Rp50,000|Rp50,000-150,000|over Rp150,000}} ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Natsepa Beach | alt=Pantai Natsepa | url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/project/rujak-natsepa | email= | address=Suli, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.621563 | long=128.292062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daylight | price= under Rp30,000 | image=Lokasi Wisata Pantai Natsepa Ambon.jpg | content=Try ''Rujak Natsepa'', slices of fruits in sticky sweet spicy peanut sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Akbar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Waihaong | lat=-3.699288 | long=128.175984 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Rp10,000-30,000 | content=Try ''tumis bia''. The restaurant is ''prasmanan'' (Indonesian buffet) so you can take your own rice and side dishes by yourself. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Arika | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kapitan Yongker, Soa Bali | lat=-3.699537 | long=128.177172 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price=Rp20,000-50,000 | content=Offering some traditional Ambonese food like grilled fish, sauteed papaya leaf, boiled sweet potato, ''sambal colo-colo'', etc. }} * {{eat | name=Sibu-Sibu Cafe | alt=Rumah Kopi Sibu-Sibu | url=https://www.facebook.com/sibusibucafe/ | email=malukusibusibu@yahoo.com | address=Jl. Said Perintah No. 47A | lat=-3.697812 | long=128.180937 | directions= | phone=+62 911 312525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=Serves traditional Ambonese food and drink, and is a great spot to chill with a big open front and a wall decoration with pictures of Ambonese singers who perform on the national and international scene. Very popular with locals. Cafe has WiFi, albeit slow. The owner, June, speaks English. Cafe also provides beer, coffee, cakes, and light meals. It is double the size of what it used to be. Try coffee ''Kopi rarobang'' and Ambonese cakes like ''kasbi tone'' and ''koyabu singkong''. }} * {{eat | name=Swalayan Citra | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tulukabessy | lat=-3.690437 | long=128.185187 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353345 | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:30 | price=Rp10,000-40,000 | content=Affordable and delicious Indonesian and Chinese food. Also serves non-halal food. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Imperial Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro no. 53 | lat=-3.700563 | long=128.182687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 315333 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Clean and comfortable environment to have lunch or dinner, offering the best fresh seafood in town, with some specialty menu: Ambon traditional food (''papeda'', fish yellow soup with walnut), Hong Kong-style steamed fish, sweet and sour fish, black pepper beef, fresh crab in ''Sze Chuan'' style. All food is halal. }} * {{eat | name=Red Brick Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pitu Ina, Karang Panjang | lat=-3.689938 | long=128.191562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=In a hilly area, so you can enjoy the view of Ambon City. It serves Indonesian cuisine and Western food like steak and burger. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Dedes | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Silale | lat=-3.699113| long=128.176391 | directions= | phone=+62 911 356188 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | content=Try ''papeda'' and ''ikan kuah kuning''. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Ratu Gurih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro No. 26, Ahusen, Sirimau| lat=-3.699562| long=128.181062| directions= | phone=+62 911 341202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | content=Serves seafood dishes. Try ''ikan bakar kenari'' (Grilled fish in walnut sauce) and ''jus gandaria'' drink. }} * {{eat | name=Wailela Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ir. M. Putuhena, Rumah Tiga | lat=-3.661062 | long=128.180563 | directions= beside Ambon Bay | phone=+62 823 995 22113 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-21:30 | price= | content=Serves many Indonesian dishes. The outdoor faces the view of Ambon City. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Less than Rp500,000|Rp500,000-1,000,000|More than Rp1,000,000}} There are many resorts and hotels in Ambon including: ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Mutiara | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pattimura No.12 | lat=-3.694687| long=128.183562 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353873 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Start from Rp331,300 | content=Near the Pattimura Park. }} *{{sleep | name=Imperial Inn | url= | email= | address=Jl. W.R. Soepratman Gang Kedondong | lat=-3.692563 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 355047 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= start from Rp274,000 | content=Decent inn with various types of room and the price is also affordable. Has free internet access in every room. }} * {{sleep | name=LeGreen Suite Waihaong | alt= | url=https://le-green.com/ | email=waihaong@le-green.com | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah No.48 | lat=-3.699562 | long=128.175687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 350068 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp208,415 | content=A budget hotel near Ambon Islamic Center and Al Fatah Grand Mosque. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Maluku Resort and Spa | alt=Baguala Bay | url=https://malukuresort.com | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Jl. Raya Waitatiri | lat=-3.616812 | long=128.277688 | directions=20 minutes from Ambon City & Airport - on the way to Tulehu Ferry port to Seram & Saparua island | phone=+62 911 362717 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp860,000 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content=Friendly atmosphere, spa, large garden with pool, scenic sunset view overlooking the Bay, great for families with children. Also has a world-class diving center, diving Ambon Bay and the coral sites in the southeast of Ambon. }} * {{sleep | name=Manise Hotel | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/themanisehotel/ | email=sales@manisehotel.com | address=Jl. W.R Supratman No.1 | lat=-3.693937 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341445 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 354145 | checkin=10:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp500,000 | content=A family-owned hotel. There is a McDonald's across the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Nusa Ela Resort | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/nusaelaresort/ | email= | address=Ela island, Ureng, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.650812 | long=127.910313 | directions= | phone=+62 813 320 66794 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00 | checkout= | price=Start from Rp600,000 | content=A private resort located on the northwest of Ambon island, precisely on a group of ''pulau tiga'' islands, the best spot for relaxing, snorkeling, fun diving, fishing, and spearfishing, with a stretch of white sand beach, and very clear seawater. }} *{{sleep | name=Santika Premiere Ambon Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.mysantika.com/indonesia/ambon/hotel-santika-premiere-ambon/ | email=ambonpremiere@reservation.santika.com | address=Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.88, Batu Merah | lat=-3.678813 | long=128.194187 | directions= | phone=+62911 3833888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp689,310 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content= A 4-star hotel with a supermarket on first floor. }} * {{sleep | name=The Natsepa | alt= | url=https://thenatsepa.com/ | email=booking@thenatsepa.com | address=Jl. Natsepa No 36, Suli, Salahutu | lat=-3.622438 | long=128.285687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 362555 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 362111 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp764,846 | content=Has a swimming pool with a seacoast view. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Ume Ata Beach Villa | alt= | url=https://www.instagram.com/umeataresort/?hl=en | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Tial, Salahutu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.633063 | long=128.328188| directions= | phone=+62 811 471 815 (WhatsApp) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp1,500,000 | content=There are four villas with a private pool and a white sand beach. }} ==Stay safe== [[File:Gong Perdamaian Dunia Ambon.jpg|thumb|World Peace Gong monument in Ambon]] Ambon was wracked by ethnic and religious violence between Muslim and Christian factions during the turn of the 21st century and much of its first decade. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful. There is a ''Gong Perdamaian Dunia'' ('''World Peace Gong''') monument that was built on 25 November 2009 as a symbol of world peace. Also, in 2022, Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. ==Go next== Ambon has become a hub city. There are some direct flights and sails to various destinations in [[Maluku]] and [[Papua]]. The flight uses a small-capacity propeller airplane served by some local Indonesian airlines, such as [https://www.instagram.com/samair.indonesia/?hl=en SAM Air], [http://www.trigana-air.com/ Trigana Air], and [https://www.lionair.co.id/tentang-kami/jaringan-kami Wings Air]. For the sails, PELNI provides some ships like ''KM. Pangrango'' and ''KM. Nggapulu'' to [[Banda Islands]], ''KM. Dobonsolo'' to [[Sorong]] and so on. The ticket can be bought at {{marker|type=go|name=PELNI office Ambon Branch|lat=-3.692841|long=128.184123}} or ticket agent alongside Jl. A.M. Sangaji (A.M. Sangaji street) near port of Yos Soedarso. Another port is also operated, including {{marker|type=go|name=Port of Tulehu|lat=-3.585471|long=128.32859}} to [[Saparua]] and [[Masohi]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Galala Ferry Port|lat=-3.661938|long=128.205062}} to [[Buru]]. * [[Banda Islands]] &mdash; The Spice Islands are known for the Spice Wars. 1&nbsp;hr by plane, 8&ndash;16 hr by ship. Innumerable historical sites, spice plantations, and dive spots. * [[Buru]] &mdash; A historic island with cajeput oil plantations. 45&nbsp;min by plane, 8&ndash;10 hr by ship. * [[Kei Islands]] &mdash; An archipelago with numerous white-sand beaches. 1.5&nbsp;hr away by plane. * [[Masohi]] &mdash; The capital of Central Maluku Regency is the nearest city to '''Manusela National Park''' and the most popular sights in Seram Island, '''Ora beach''' also the highest mountain in the Moluccas, '''Mt. Binaiya'''. 2&ndash;3&nbsp;hr by ship. * [[Saparua]] &mdash; An island with Dutch colonial era historical sites and beaches. 2&nbsp;hr away by ship. * [[Sorong]] &mdash; The nearest city to go to [[Raja Ampat]]. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. A day by ship. * [[Ternate]] &mdash; A volcanic island with a vibrant city, beautiful lakes, several snorkeling spots, fortress, and sultanate sites. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. {{geo|-3.638056|128.11722|zoom=12}} {{isPartOf|Maluku}} {{guidecity}} ofsvxtic9owyansgasln4ahaf6ngacs 4501878 4501872 2022-08-16T05:03:50Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Get in */ add a picture wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Ambon banner.jpg|caption=}} '''Ambon''' is an island in the [[Maluku]] region of [[Indonesia]] and also the name of its largest city: Ambon City. The island consists of two regions: Ambon City and Central Maluku Regency. [[File:Ambon Stad2.jpg|thumb|Provincial government office of Maluku in the city of Ambon.]] ==Understand== Ambon, the provincial capital of Maluku, is built on a hillside overlooking the bay. It has a number of interesting historical and cultural sites, among them the remnants of forts built by the Dutch East Indies Company during the heyday of the spice trade. The ruins of the Portuguese fort at Hila are almost entirely hidden beneath the contorted roots of a giant banyan tree. The ANZAC War Cemetery near Ambon town is the site of services held every year on April 25, to commemorate the Allied soldiers who died in the region during World War II. ===History=== The origin of the name Ambon is also very difficult to trace. According to local residents, the name Ambon comes from the word ''ombong'' in Ambonese language which means dew because the mountains on the island of Ambon are always dewy or foggy in the morning. The history of Ambon began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1512. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Ambon, and it became the new centre for Portuguese activities in Maluku following their expulsion from Ternate. The Portuguese, however, were regularly attacked by native Muslims on the island's northern coast, in particular, Hitu, which had trading and religious links with major port cities on Java's north coast. Then, the Portuguese built a fort in the Ambon area as a place of activity in trade and the spread of religion. As the first Europeans to arrive, the Portuguese mobilized their inhabitants to build a fort called ''Benteng Kota Laha'' (Fort Laha). The birthday or anniversary of the city of Ambon has been decided to fall on September 7, 1575, in a seminar in Ambon City. Ambon was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from 1610 to 1619 until the founding of Batavia (now [[Jakarta]]) by the Dutch. Ambon city was the site of a major Dutch military base that Imperial Japanese forces captured from Allied forces in the World War II Battle of Ambon in 1942. The battle was followed by the summary execution of more than 300 Allied prisoners of war in the Laha massacre. Sectarian tensions between the Muslims and Christians erupted in the wake of the fall of Suharto in 1998, resulting in numerous violent clashes between the two groups, and the deaths of thousands of people. An agreement mediated by the Indonesian government was signed between the Christians and Muslims in 2002 to end the violence, and while sporadic clashes have occurred since then, the area has settled into an uneasy peace as of the 2020s. The Indonesian government and numerous NGOs have been trying to promote dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities in an effort to make the peace a lasting one. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful and Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. Ambon became the first city in Southeast Asia to be recognized as the [[UNESCO Creative Cities]] for music category in 2019 and has been called '''Ambon the City of Music''' and is known as Indonesia's music city. ===People=== Ambon prides itself on being a multi-racial island. Ambon's population consists of, the majority of the native Moluccas including Ambonese, Alfur, Kei, Tanimbarese, and mixed of Arab-Ambonese, Dutch-Ambonese, Portuguese-Ambonese, Spanish-Ambonese, also other Indonesian such as Chinese-Indonesian, Buginese, Butonese, Flores, Javanese, Makassarese, Minang, Papuan, and Sundanese. [[Christianity]] is the majority religion in Ambon at about 60% of the population, with [[Islam]] in second place at about 39%, and the rest being a smattering of other religions. ===Climate=== {{Climate| |janhigh = 31.3 |janlow = 24.1 |janprecip = 127 |febhigh = 31.4 |feblow = 24.1 |febprecip = 119 |marhigh = 31.1 |marlow = 23.8 |marprecip = 135 |aprhigh = 30.7 |aprlow = 23.9 |aprprecip = 279 |mayhigh = 29.8 |maylow = 24.0 |mayprecip = 516 |junhigh = 28.5 |junlow = 23.6 |junprecip = 638 |julhigh = 27.5 |jullow = 23.2 |julprecip = 602 |aughigh = 27.8 |auglow = 23.1 |augprecip = 401 |sephigh = 29.1 |seplow = 23.3 |sepprecip = 241 |octhigh = 30.3 |octlow = 23.8 |octprecip = 155 |novhigh = 32.7 |novlow = 24.1 |novprecip = 114 |dechigh = 33 |declow = 24.2 |decprecip = 132 |description=Source: [[w:Ambon, Maluku#Climate|Wikipedia]] }} Ambon experiences a tropical rainforest climate and there is no real dry season. The driest month is November with total precipitation of 114 millimetres (4.5 in), while the wettest month is June with total precipitation of 638 millimetres (25.1 in). As it is located near the equator, the temperature throughout the year is constant. The hottest month is December, with an average temperature of 27.2 °C (81.0 °F), while the coolest month is July, with an average temperature of 25.0 °C (77.0 °F). ===Events=== Ambon conducts the annual yacht race between [[Darwin]] and Ambon called '''[https://www.dbcya.com.au/darwin-to-ambon/ Spice Islands Darwin Ambon Yacht Race]'''. The race usually takes place in August. Every year, on Eid al-Adha day, '''Karnaval Hadrat''' (Hadrat Carnival) is conducted in several subdistricts or locally called ''Negeri'', those are Hila and Batu Merah. ==Talk== While everyone is able to speak [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]], Ambon also has its own local language called '''Ambonese Malay''', a creole language based on [[Malay phrasebook|Malay]], but with strong influences from [[Dutch phrasebook|Dutch]], [[Portuguese phrasebook|Portuguese]] and Indonesia's other local languages. ==Get in== [[File:Pattimura airport.jpg|thumb|Pattimura Airport]] === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pattimura Airport | alt={{IATA|AMQ}} | url=http://www.pattimura-airport.co.id | email= | address= | lat=-3.7075 | long=128.0899 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pattimura Airport | image=Pattimuraairportlogo.png | wikidata=Q2232506 | content=There are multiple daily flights from Jakarta's [[Soekarno-Hatta International Airport]] on Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, and Batik Air. Some flights make a stopover in [[Surabaya]] or Makassar. Other destinations with direct flights to and from Ambon include [[Manado]], [[Ternate]], and [[Sorong]]. }} === By ship === * {{listing | type=go | name=Pelabuhan Yos Soedarso | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.694687 | long=128.175313 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | content=Alternatively, there are ships from various parts of Indonesia only serviced by [https://www.pelni.co.id PELNI] such as ''KM. Tidar'' sail from [[Makassar]]. Schedules and reservation can be checked at PELNI office or by PELNI app. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-3.638|128.117|zoom=10}} If you want to go to the city from the airport you can use the bus operated by [https://damri.co.id DAMRI], it's located on the right side of the arrival hall and will only cost you Rp50,000 - cheaper than taking a taxi which can cost you approximately Rp150,000/trip. The DAMRI bus stops on {{marker|type=go|name=''Lapangan Merdeka''|url=|lat=-3.693188|long=128.181938|image=}} in the heart of the city. The taxi is like a private car, with no taxi sign above the car. It can be found mostly outside the airport. ''Angkot'' (public transport minivans, locally called ''Oto'') with fixed routes take people around the island. There are no fixed stops, just wave your hand on the side of the road to stop the vans and get into it. Look at the sign on top of the vans and ask the driver to make sure it's the route you want. Each cost Rp3,000 for a short trip - pay when you get out. Sitting up front is fine if it's empty and you'd rather not squish into the back. To stop where you want to get out, say ''minggir''. ''Becak'' (bicycle rickshaws) are good for shorter distances downtown. There are many ''ojek'' (passenger motorcycles) around the island. Also, an online ''ojek'' called [https://www.gojek.com Gojek] is available there. Getting around Ambon is easier by renting a bike or a car. Google Maps are all capable of figuring out the tourist or public destination. A map of the city is available on the second floor of the bookstore {{marker|type=go|name=''Toko Buku Dian Pertiwi''|url=|lat=-3.698937|long=128.180437|image=}}, near '''Trikora Monument'''. The downtown of Ambon City is very pedestrian-friendly. Strolling around {{marker|type=go|name=Pattimura Park|url=|lat=-3.693062|long=128.183187|image=}} is one of the best way to chill the afternoon. In the evening, a dancing water fountain showed up there. ==See== [[File:Fort Amsterdam auf Ambon.jpg|thumb| The gate of Fort Amsterdam]] [[File:Pantai Liang, Maluku.jpg|thumb|Liang Beach]] * ''History and museums'': ** {{see | name=Ambon War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2015000/ambon-war-cemetery/ | email= | address=Pandan Kasturi, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.674812 | long=128.191813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | image=Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content= The cemetery contains Australian soldiers who died during the Japanese invasion of Ambon and Timor in World War II }} ** {{see | name=Fort Amsterdam | alt=Benteng Amsterdam | url=https://ambon.go.id/benteng-amsterdam/ | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.582813 | long=128.083188 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-18.00 | price= | wikipedia=Fort Amsterdam, Ambon | image=Benteng Amsterdam.jpg | wikidata=Q2651405 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A fort and a blockhouse in Hila town, Leihitu. Before the fort was built, a trade lodge was established here by Francisco Serrão in 1512, a Portuguese explorer and a cousin of Ferdinand Magellan. }} ** {{see | name=Siwalima Museum | alt= | url=https://ambon.go.id/museum-siwalima/ | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Malaiholo, Taman Makmur, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.713437 | long=128.152938 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341652 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-16.00 | price= | image=Museum Siwalima.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Maritime and traditional object of Ambonese and Moluccas. }} ** {{see | name=Wapauwe Old Mosque | alt=Masjid Tua Wapauwe | url= | email= | address=Kaitetu, Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency| lat=-3.585187 | long=128.084187 | directions=1 km south of Fort Amsterdam | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Wapauwe Old Mosque | image=Masjid Tua Wapauwe.jpg | wikidata=Q12497346 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Established in 1414, it is the oldest mosque in the Moluccas. }} * ''Landmarks'': ** {{see | name=Christina Martha Tiahahu Monument| alt=Patung Christina Martha Tiahahu| url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/portfolio/monumen-christina-martha-tiahahu/ | email= | address=Karang Panjang, Ambon City | lat=-3.687563 | long=128.192313 | directions= | phone=+62 822 481 00799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Standbeeld van vrijheidsstrijdster Martha Christina Tiahahu (1800-1818) TMnr 20017956.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a hilly area. The best visiting time is in the afternoon because the statue or monument faces sunset and ambon bay. That is an amazing view to take some pictures of. }} ** {{see | name=Merah Putih Bridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-3.6629 | long=128.1979 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Merah Putih Bridge | image=Merah Putih Bridge.jpg| wikidata=Q20427160| lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=The bridge spans over Ambon Bay, connecting Rumah Tiga (Poka) on the north side, with Hative Kecil/Galala on the south side. This bridge is the longest bridge in the eastern region of Indonesia. }} * ''Beaches'': ** {{see | name=Liang Beach | alt=Pantai Liang | url= | email= | address=Liang, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.504938 | long=128.342812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Liang.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A white sand beach with trees. Very suitable for family picnics by laying out mats because of the shady atmosphere. There are food stalls sell fresh coconut drink and local instant noodles dish called ''Sarmento''. }} ** {{see | name=Pintu Kota Beach | alt=Pantai Pintu Kota | url= | email= | address=Nusaniwe, Ambon City | lat=-3.770563 | long=128.152438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Pantai Pintu Kota.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Beach with rocky cave. One of the Icon of Ambon City. }} * ''Nature and wildlife'': ** {{see | name=Wisata Kolam Morea Larike | alt=Belut Morea Larike | url= | email= | address=Larike, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.748812 | long=127.935438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=06:00-18:00 | price= | image=Giant Eel named Morea.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-21 | content=Watching giant freshwater eels named ''Morea'' in a clear and clean river. You can feed them with small fish which can be bought from local people for Rp20,000. }} ==Do== Snorkeling and diving on various beautiful beaches. * {{do | name=Lubang Buaya Morela Beach | alt=Pantai Lubang Buaya Morela | url= | email= | address=Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.518312 | long=128.223687 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Lubang Buaya Ambon.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A diving and snorkeling spot with many fish dan enormous coral reefs. Sometimes you can see the wild dolphins from the beach. }} * {{do | name=Hukurila Beach | alt=Pantai Hukurila | url= | email= | address=Hukurila, Ambon City | lat=-3.738187 | long=128.240813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=One of the best dive spot in Ambon. }} Bathing in a natural hot spring. * {{do | name=Hatuasa Hot Spring | alt=Air Panas Hatuasa Tulehu | url= | email= | address=Salahutu, Tulehu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.593063 | long=128.308688 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp10,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=A natural hot spring. There are various pools based on the level of heat of the water. }} Showering under waterfalls. * {{do | name=Taeno Waterfall| alt=Air Terjun Taeno / Maspait | url= | email= | address=Rumah Tiga, Ambon Bay district, Ambon City | lat=-3.637563 | long=128.168437 | directions= 5 km northwest of Merah Putih Bridge. Just 20-minute ride by motorcycle. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= Rp5,000 | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Located in a district with a forestry area in Ambon City. There is a natural pool below the waterfall. The water is really refreshing. }} Also, you can buy ''oleh-oleh'', souvenirs, and merchandise from Ambon. *{{do | name=Kios Nelly | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sam Ratulangi | lat=-3.695062 | long=128.178812 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An antique souvenir shop. Mr. Marwizar speaks fluent English, and will help you in anyway he can. }} * {{do | name=Petak 10 | alt=Pusat Ole-Ole Ambon Petak 10 | url= | email= | address=Jl. Dr. Siwabessy, Nusaniwe | lat=-3.703062 | long=128.176938 | directions= | phone=+62 852 829 53006 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Sell various Ambonese snack like ''Bagea'' and ''Halua Kenari'' also merchandise including Ambon T-shirt and ''Ikat'' woven fabric. }} * {{do | name=Toko Oleh-oleh Hidayah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Honipopu, Sirimau, Ambon City | lat=-3.696813 | long=128.178437 | directions=Walking across a street in front of Al Fatah Grand Mosque | phone=+62 813 431 34473 | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-04 | content=Buy ''Minyak Kayu Putih'' (Cajeput oil) and ''Minyak Cengkeh'' (Clove oil) to warm your body in a winter. }} ==Eat== Ambon is a city that has a variety of foods including local Ambonese cuisine, Javanese cuisine like ''Ayam Penyet'' or locals called ''Ayam Lalapan'', Buginese-Makassarese cuisine like ''Coto Makassar'', and Chinese-Indonesian cuisine like ''Mie Ayam''. Also, there are some western fast-food chains, like KFC, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut. As a port city, Ambon provides a variety of dishes from seafood, both soupy and grilled. ===Ambonese food=== Actual Ambonese food is common on the island. Notable dishes include: [[File:Maluku dishes.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Ikan kuah kuning, papeda, sambal colo-colo, and ikan bakar]] * '''Ikan kuah kuning''' &mdash; a saltwater fish in a yellow soup. * '''Papeda''' &mdash; a congee made from sago starch, eaten with ''Ikan kuah kuning''. * '''Kohu-kohu''' &mdash; green salad with tuna, shredded coconut, and lime. * '''Nasi kelapa''' &mdash; a rice dish with grated coconut mixed with chillies, shallots, and orange juice. * '''Sambal colo-colo''' &mdash; a type of sour and spicy condiment of tomatoes, lime, lime basil, chillies, and shallot. * '''Tumis bia''' &mdash; a spicy stir-fried sea snail. And, there are also some snacks, cakes, and desserts originally from Ambonese cuisine, those are: * '''Ampas terigu''' &mdash; bread made from flour, palm sugar, and grated coconut. * '''Kue asida''' &mdash; a traditional dessert in Ramadan, created by Arab-Ambonese. * '''Kue cara''' &mdash; savory deep-fried dough with toppings of seasoned shredded tuna, a slice of chili, scallion, and celery. * '''Pisang asar''' &mdash; a fried banana with peanut and sugar on top. Some drinks has became special beverage of Ambon, such as: * '''Jus gandaria''' &mdash; a juice made from plum-mango. * '''Kopi rarobang''' &mdash; a coffee drink with spices, walnut, and condensed milk. There are many food stalls and restaurants for the budget to mid-range, both inner and outer downtown. ''Nasi kuning ambon'' means Ambonese yellow rice is a cheap food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner which has been sold in almost all corners of the city. Many seafood hawkers also provided along Jl. Sam Ratulangi (Sam Ratulangi street) in the evening with mid-range prices. {{eatpricerange|under Rp50,000|Rp50,000-150,000|over Rp150,000}} ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Natsepa Beach | alt=Pantai Natsepa | url=https://dispar.malukuprov.go.id/project/rujak-natsepa | email= | address=Suli, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.621563 | long=128.292062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daylight | price= under Rp30,000 | image=Lokasi Wisata Pantai Natsepa Ambon.jpg | content=Try ''Rujak Natsepa'', slices of fruits in sticky sweet spicy peanut sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Akbar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Waihaong | lat=-3.699288 | long=128.175984 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Rp10,000-30,000 | content=Try ''tumis bia''. The restaurant is ''prasmanan'' (Indonesian buffet) so you can take your own rice and side dishes by yourself. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Arika | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kapitan Yongker, Soa Bali | lat=-3.699537 | long=128.177172 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price=Rp20,000-50,000 | content=Offering some traditional Ambonese food like grilled fish, sauteed papaya leaf, boiled sweet potato, ''sambal colo-colo'', etc. }} * {{eat | name=Sibu-Sibu Cafe | alt=Rumah Kopi Sibu-Sibu | url=https://www.facebook.com/sibusibucafe/ | email=malukusibusibu@yahoo.com | address=Jl. Said Perintah No. 47A | lat=-3.697812 | long=128.180937 | directions= | phone=+62 911 312525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=Serves traditional Ambonese food and drink, and is a great spot to chill with a big open front and a wall decoration with pictures of Ambonese singers who perform on the national and international scene. Very popular with locals. Cafe has WiFi, albeit slow. The owner, June, speaks English. Cafe also provides beer, coffee, cakes, and light meals. It is double the size of what it used to be. Try coffee ''Kopi rarobang'' and Ambonese cakes like ''kasbi tone'' and ''koyabu singkong''. }} * {{eat | name=Swalayan Citra | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tulukabessy | lat=-3.690437 | long=128.185187 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353345 | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:30 | price=Rp10,000-40,000 | content=Affordable and delicious Indonesian and Chinese food. Also serves non-halal food. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=Imperial Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro no. 53 | lat=-3.700563 | long=128.182687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 315333 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Clean and comfortable environment to have lunch or dinner, offering the best fresh seafood in town, with some specialty menu: Ambon traditional food (''papeda'', fish yellow soup with walnut), Hong Kong-style steamed fish, sweet and sour fish, black pepper beef, fresh crab in ''Sze Chuan'' style. All food is halal. }} * {{eat | name=Red Brick Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pitu Ina, Karang Panjang | lat=-3.689938 | long=128.191562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-23:00 | price= | content=In a hilly area, so you can enjoy the view of Ambon City. It serves Indonesian cuisine and Western food like steak and burger. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Dedes | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah, Silale | lat=-3.699113| long=128.176391 | directions= | phone=+62 911 356188 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-21:30 | price= | content=Try ''papeda'' and ''ikan kuah kuning''. }} * {{eat | name=Rumah Makan Ratu Gurih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro No. 26, Ahusen, Sirimau| lat=-3.699562| long=128.181062| directions= | phone=+62 911 341202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | content=Serves seafood dishes. Try ''ikan bakar kenari'' (Grilled fish in walnut sauce) and ''jus gandaria'' drink. }} * {{eat | name=Wailela Cafe & Resto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ir. M. Putuhena, Rumah Tiga | lat=-3.661062 | long=128.180563 | directions= beside Ambon Bay | phone=+62 823 995 22113 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-21:30 | price= | content=Serves many Indonesian dishes. The outdoor faces the view of Ambon City. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Less than Rp500,000|Rp500,000-1,000,000|More than Rp1,000,000}} There are many resorts and hotels in Ambon including: ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Mutiara | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pattimura No.12 | lat=-3.694687| long=128.183562 | directions= | phone=+62 911 353873 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Start from Rp331,300 | content=Near the Pattimura Park. }} *{{sleep | name=Imperial Inn | url= | email= | address=Jl. W.R. Soepratman Gang Kedondong | lat=-3.692563 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 355047 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= start from Rp274,000 | content=Decent inn with various types of room and the price is also affordable. Has free internet access in every room. }} * {{sleep | name=LeGreen Suite Waihaong | alt= | url=https://le-green.com/ | email=waihaong@le-green.com | address=Jl. Sultan Babullah No.48 | lat=-3.699562 | long=128.175687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 350068 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp208,415 | content=A budget hotel near Ambon Islamic Center and Al Fatah Grand Mosque. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Maluku Resort and Spa | alt=Baguala Bay | url=https://malukuresort.com | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Jl. Raya Waitatiri | lat=-3.616812 | long=128.277688 | directions=20 minutes from Ambon City & Airport - on the way to Tulehu Ferry port to Seram & Saparua island | phone=+62 911 362717 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp860,000 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content=Friendly atmosphere, spa, large garden with pool, scenic sunset view overlooking the Bay, great for families with children. Also has a world-class diving center, diving Ambon Bay and the coral sites in the southeast of Ambon. }} * {{sleep | name=Manise Hotel | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/themanisehotel/ | email=sales@manisehotel.com | address=Jl. W.R Supratman No.1 | lat=-3.693937 | long=128.185313 | directions= | phone=+62 911 341445 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 354145 | checkin=10:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp500,000 | content=A family-owned hotel. There is a McDonald's across the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Nusa Ela Resort | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/nusaelaresort/ | email= | address=Ela island, Ureng, West Leihitu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.650812 | long=127.910313 | directions= | phone=+62 813 320 66794 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00 | checkout= | price=Start from Rp600,000 | content=A private resort located on the northwest of Ambon island, precisely on a group of ''pulau tiga'' islands, the best spot for relaxing, snorkeling, fun diving, fishing, and spearfishing, with a stretch of white sand beach, and very clear seawater. }} *{{sleep | name=Santika Premiere Ambon Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.mysantika.com/indonesia/ambon/hotel-santika-premiere-ambon/ | email=ambonpremiere@reservation.santika.com | address=Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.88, Batu Merah | lat=-3.678813 | long=128.194187 | directions= | phone=+62911 3833888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Start from Rp689,310 |lastedit=2022-07-05| content= A 4-star hotel with a supermarket on first floor. }} * {{sleep | name=The Natsepa | alt= | url=https://thenatsepa.com/ | email=booking@thenatsepa.com | address=Jl. Natsepa No 36, Suli, Salahutu | lat=-3.622438 | long=128.285687 | directions= | phone=+62 911 362555 | tollfree= | fax=+62 911 362111 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp764,846 | content=Has a swimming pool with a seacoast view. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Ume Ata Beach Villa | alt= | url=https://www.instagram.com/umeataresort/?hl=en | email=info@malukuresort.com | address=Tial, Salahutu, Central Maluku Regency | lat=-3.633063 | long=128.328188| directions= | phone=+62 811 471 815 (WhatsApp) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Start from Rp1,500,000 | content=There are four villas with a private pool and a white sand beach. }} ==Stay safe== [[File:Gong Perdamaian Dunia Ambon.jpg|thumb|World Peace Gong monument in Ambon]] Ambon was wracked by ethnic and religious violence between Muslim and Christian factions during the turn of the 21st century and much of its first decade. As of 2022, things are much more peaceful. There is a ''Gong Perdamaian Dunia'' ('''World Peace Gong''') monument that was built on 25 November 2009 as a symbol of world peace. Also, in 2022, Ambon received an award as among the '''Top 10 most tolerant cities in Indonesia''' by the Setara Institute. ==Go next== Ambon has become a hub city. There are some direct flights and sails to various destinations in [[Maluku]] and [[Papua]]. The flight uses a small-capacity propeller airplane served by some local Indonesian airlines, such as [https://www.instagram.com/samair.indonesia/?hl=en SAM Air], [http://www.trigana-air.com/ Trigana Air], and [https://www.lionair.co.id/tentang-kami/jaringan-kami Wings Air]. For the sails, PELNI provides some ships like ''KM. Pangrango'' and ''KM. Nggapulu'' to [[Banda Islands]], ''KM. Dobonsolo'' to [[Sorong]] and so on. The ticket can be bought at {{marker|type=go|name=PELNI office Ambon Branch|lat=-3.692841|long=128.184123}} or ticket agent alongside Jl. A.M. Sangaji (A.M. Sangaji street) near port of Yos Soedarso. Another port is also operated, including {{marker|type=go|name=Port of Tulehu|lat=-3.585471|long=128.32859}} to [[Saparua]] and [[Masohi]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Galala Ferry Port|lat=-3.661938|long=128.205062}} to [[Buru]]. * [[Banda Islands]] &mdash; The Spice Islands are known for the Spice Wars. 1&nbsp;hr by plane, 8&ndash;16 hr by ship. Innumerable historical sites, spice plantations, and dive spots. * [[Buru]] &mdash; A historic island with cajeput oil plantations. 45&nbsp;min by plane, 8&ndash;10 hr by ship. * [[Kei Islands]] &mdash; An archipelago with numerous white-sand beaches. 1.5&nbsp;hr away by plane. * [[Masohi]] &mdash; The capital of Central Maluku Regency is the nearest city to '''Manusela National Park''' and the most popular sights in Seram Island, '''Ora beach''' also the highest mountain in the Moluccas, '''Mt. Binaiya'''. 2&ndash;3&nbsp;hr by ship. * [[Saparua]] &mdash; An island with Dutch colonial era historical sites and beaches. 2&nbsp;hr away by ship. * [[Sorong]] &mdash; The nearest city to go to [[Raja Ampat]]. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. A day by ship. * [[Ternate]] &mdash; A volcanic island with a vibrant city, beautiful lakes, several snorkeling spots, fortress, and sultanate sites. 1.5&nbsp;hr by plane. {{geo|-3.638056|128.11722|zoom=12}} {{isPartOf|Maluku}} {{guidecity}} komdojszqm1d18802saoquq3ewq5ysm 0 979 4502039 4479788 2022-08-16T08:59:22Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* By car */ line break wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|ftt=yes}} {{quote|The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.|author=attributed to George Bernard Shaw}} English is the main language in many places, an important language in others, and spoken as a second language in most of the rest of the world. However, there are some significant differences in pronunciation, spelling and word usage around the world. This article aims to provide a list of some of these differences that may be useful to travellers. [[File:Anglospeak.svg|300px|thumb|Countries in the world where English is the majority native language (blue) or an official minority language (turquoise)]] [[Image:William Shakespeare Statue, Central Park, NYC.JPG|thumb|Statue of English national bard William Shakespeare in New York City's Central Park]] The clearest distinction is between what can be loosely called the '''British''' (or "Commonwealth", abbreviated "UK" in this guide) and '''American''' (abbreviated "U.S." in this guide) varieties of English. * Many former British colonies (not all of them Commonwealth members) generally follow British rather than American usage: Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and other former British possessions in Africa, Hong Kong, all of South Asia, Malaysia, and current and former British possessions in the Caribbean and Oceania. * A few areas are heavily influenced by the U.S. and generally follow American usage, including the Philippines, Liberia, Israel, the Arab states of the Gulf, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, parts of Latin America and current and former American possessions in the Caribbean and Oceania. * The European Union has mandated British English as an official language of the EU, and it is generally standard British English that is taught as a foreign language in European schools, though American cultural influence is strong in Europe as well. Some American terms may be better known than their British counterparts (e.g., "truck" vs. "lorry", or "toll-free" vs. "freephone"), and some language schools in Europe recruit American and Canadian [[Teaching English|English teachers]]. In general there is a trend to move from British spelling and pronunciation towards American pronunciation, especially among young people, which is fueled in no small part by the increasing availability of American media in the original version. * The African Union, just like the EU, follows UK English * English speakers without a British background and people in areas without a history of direct colonial or military influence by English-speaking nations are often more familiar with American usage because of the popularity of U.S. films, TV series, music, and spell-checkers. In particular, due to the global economic and military dominance of the U.S., outside the Commonwealth and the European Union, it is usually American English that is taught as a foreign language in schools. * Canada mostly follows British spelling conventions ("labour", not "labor") but American vocabulary choices ("elevator", not "lift"). Canadian English is also pronounced similarly to American English; the most common Canadian accent is very close to a Midwestern U.S. accent. * Australia mostly follows British spelling; some words are spelled the American way (such as "program", not "programme"), though fewer than in Canada. However, most of the country with the exception of South Australia has a preference for U.S. terminology due to its heavy American influence since the 1970s, and a lot of British terms may not be understood outside South Australia. However, as a traveller, using only US terminology will get you nearly everywhere. * Papua New Guinea, being a former Australian territory up until 1975, mostly uses Australian English in an ordinary English context * Singapore mostly uses British English, and uses fully British spelling, but uses much more American terminology than other Commonwealth countries (excluding Canada and Australia) and a large number of words are pronounced the American way. Singlish is also used, which is an English-based creole with influences from various Chinese dialects, Malay and Tamil. * Due to the worldwide popularity of Hollywood films and American pop culture, speakers of British English are more likely to understand American English terms than vice versa. * International organisations that both the U.S. and UK are members of (such as the United Nations) typically follow British Oxford usage as homage to the "senior" variety of English. Regardless of which variety is more popular locally, a good course in English as a foreign language will at some point teach the key differences between British and American English. Most reasonably fluent second-language speakers should at least be aware of the most well-known vocabulary differences. Some exceptions to the purely dichotomous treatment of English are noted in comments in the tables below, but this guide is meant to be a practical aid for travellers, not an exhaustive compendium of English usages. ==Spelling== Noah Webster, compiler of the first major dictionary of American English in the early 19th century, made a number of simplifications in the spelling. These are now standard in American English, but generally not used in other varieties. [[File:Fercam DAF105 m Planensattel.jpg|thumb|Depending on the variety of English used, this is either a truck or a lorry, and its color or colour is spelled or spelt gray or grey.]] British English doubles the final consonant in some words when adding an ending, for example in "traveller". American English usually spells it "traveler". American English drops the "U" in "''-our''" endings: {| class="wikitable" |+ !American !British !Comment |- |color |colour | |- |humor |humour |but humorous in all varieties |- |harbor |harbour | |- |labor |labour |In Australia, "labour" is used in most contexts, but one of the country's political parties is the Australian Labor Party. |} However, the word "glamour" is always spelled with the "U". Words borrowed from French keep the French "''-re''" ending in British English, but get changed to the more phonetic "''-er''" in American English: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | center || centre || |- | liter || litre || |- | (kilo)meter || (kilo)metre || As a unit of length<br/>All dialects use "meter" for a measuring instrument. |} British English changes a "C" to an "S" to distinguish a noun from a verb. James Bond has a "licen<span style="text-decoration:underline;">c</span>e" to kill, and was "licen<span style="text-decoration:underline;">s</span>ed" after qualifying as a spy. The American form always uses the "S" in most such pairs, but always has a "C" in "practice". In a few cases, such as "advice"/"advise", the distinction is retained in all varieties of English. American English uses an "S" in some words, while British English uses a "C". {| class="wikitable" !width="50%" | American !!width="50%" | British |- | defense || defence |- | offense || offence |} The adjective forms, "defensive" and "offensive", are always spelled with an "S". Some varieties of English change the "S" to a "Z" in some "''-ise''" and "''-yse''" endings. American English does this universally, while British spelling choice varies by dictionary; the Oxford English Dictionary recommends using the Z, while most other dictionaries opt for the S: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | analyze || analyse || |- | organize || organise || |- | realize || realise || |} Canadian spelling as well as the British Oxford Dictionary generally uses the American -ize endings, although the UK Oxford Dictionary uses -yse endings. In some words, British English retains the ''-ae'' or ''-oe'' spellings while American English simplifies it to an ''-e''. {| class="wikitable" |+ !American !British !Comment |- |[[paleontology]] |palaeontology |In Australia and Canada, both spellings are found |- |eon |aeon |Canada and Australia<!--https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/features/word/search/aeon/--> generally follow U.S. usage |- |maneuver |manoeuvre |Australia and Canada follow UK usage |- |[[Travellers' diarrhea|diarrhea]] |diarrhoea |Both spellings are found in Canada and Australia |} When adding a suffix for some words ending with a silent "E", American English sometimes drops the "E" while British English retains the "E": {| class="wikitable" !width="50%" | American !!width="50%" | British |- | aging || ageing |- | livable || liveable |- | sizable || sizeable |} Some words, such as "bathing" and "usable" drop the "E" everywhere, while some others, such as "dyeing" and "changeable" retain the "E" everywhere. Canada and Australia generally follow U.S. usage here. Some words have silent letters dropped in American English or are just spelled differently: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | check || cheque || As a form of payment<br/>The verb "to check" and its related noun are always spelled "check". |- | curb || kerb || As the raised edge of a street<br/>The verb "to curb" (as in "to restrain") and its related noun are always spelled "curb". |- | draft || draught / draft || UK retains separate words (with multiple meanings for each); U.S. simplifies both to "draft". |- | licorice || liquorice |- | program || programme || UK uses "program" only in the context of a "computer program". Canada generally uses "program", while Australia uses "program" in all contexts. |- | story || storey || As a floor or level of a building<br/>"Story" as in "tale" or "sequence of events" always lacks an "E". |- | tire || tyre || As a ring of rubber around a wheel<br/>The verb "to tire" is always spelled with an "I". |- | ton || tonne || As the metric unit of weight, equivalent to 1,000 kg.<br/>The imperial ton and U.S. ton (see [[English language varieties#Weights and measures|Weights and measures]] below) are always spelled "ton". |- | yogurt || yoghurt / yogurt / yoghourt || Canada: "yogourt, yogurt, yoghurt, yoghourt", In Australia, NZ and South Africa, both are found. |} And a few words are both pronounced and spelled differently: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | aluminum (''ah-LOO-mi-num'')|| aluminium (''al-lyoo-MIN-ee-um'')|| The British "aluminium" spelling is the international scientific preference, to match other ''-ium'' elements. |- | filet (''fih-LEY'') || fillet (''FILL-it'') || Meat or fish; in engineering it's always "fillet". |- | inquiry, to inquire || enquiry, to enquire || To ask for information<br/>An official investigation is always called an "inquiry". |- | mom || mum || |- | specialty || speciality || |} Canadian usage tends to be mixed in the last two categories, with British spelling being followed for words such as "cheque", "storey", "enquiry" and sometimes "programme", but American spelling being followed for words such as "aluminum", "mom", and "tire". Similarly, Australian usage tends to be mixed as the same categories as Canada, with British spelling being used for such words like "mum", "cheque", and "aluminium", but American spelling being followed for words such as "specialty", "program" (in all contexts), "licorice" and sometimes "inquire". Other Commonwealth English-speaking countries, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Singapore or India, tend to fully use British spelling. Incidentally, punctuation usage differs slightly as well, but doesn't follow the same division between British and American English. Quotations are marked by double quotation marks {{nowrap|('''&ldquo;'''&hellip;'''&rdquo;''')}} in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, while single quotation marks {{nowrap|('''&lsquo;'''&hellip;'''&rsquo;''')}} are used in all other varieties. ==Grammar== There are some minor differences in grammar and usage, which may be interesting if you are studying or [[teaching English]]; however, they are almost never a cause for confusion. ===Verb forms=== Some verbs take different forms in different varieties of English. For past forms of some verbs, the older irregular spellings are more common in British English but the regular "''-ed''" forms predominate in American English. The verbs "dive" and "sneak", however, have the opposite pattern. {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | dreamed || dreamt || |- | learned || learnt || The adjective in "a learned man", pronounced with two syllables, is spelled the same in all dialects. |- | spelled || spelt || |- | dove || dived || |- | snuck || sneaked || |} Some verbs retain the older form in all dialects, for example "slept", "built" and "wept". *Australia uses both spellings, although words like "leant" (instead of leaned), "sneaked" (instead of snuck), and "dreamt" (instead of dreamed) are no longer used and others such as "learnt" (instead of learned) are rare, and in general, there's a move towards the US spelling. * Similarly Canada also uses a mix of the two spellings, and similar to Australian usage, it depends on word. * New Zealand follows UK usage except for "snuck" in which the US form is used. The past participle form "gotten" is still common in American English but in British English it has almost entirely vanished; the participle is just "got". ==Pronunciation== {{quote|''You like po-tay-to and I like po-tah-to<br/>You like to-may-to and I like to-mah-to'' | author=lyrics from the song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"}} [[File:Amboy (California, USA), Hist. Route 66 -- 2012 -- 1.jpg|thumb|The historical U.S. [[Route 66]]. "Route" usually rhymes with "shoot", but in North America it may alternatively rhyme with "shout".]] Educated people from almost anywhere in the English-speaking world can talk to each other without difficulty. Consider an international crew on an oil rig somewhere. The engineers and managers would almost certainly be able to talk to each other without any real problems, whether they studied in Edinburgh or Edmonton. However, two working guys from the same two countries &mdash; say working class Glasgow and a Newfoundland fishing village &mdash; would be quite likely to find communication a bit difficult due to stronger regional accents and use of dialectical words. An important difference in English dialects is whether "R" is pronounced after a vowel. Words such as "fo<span style="text-decoration:underline;">r</span>k", "wo<span style="text-decoration:underline;">r</span>d" or "mothe<span style="text-decoration:underline;">r</span>" are quite different in the two types, though everyone pronounces the "R" in other contexts, for example in "rabbit" or "area". Linguists call dialects with the "R" ''rhotic'' and those without ''non-rhotic''. * Dialects with the "R": Some parts of western and northern England, Scotland, Ireland, the [[Otago]] and [[Southland]] regions New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada, most of the U.S., Aboriginal Australian English and parts of South Australia. * Dialects without "R": Most of England, Wales, most of Australia, most of New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, parts of New England, parts of the Southern U.S., some New York City-area accents, and African American Vernacular English (used by many African Americans interchangeably with the standard dialect of their region). People not familiar with dialects other than their own sometimes lump all "R"-less dialects together, as when an American takes a New Zealand accent for British, and others make the opposite error, like an Englishwoman taking a Canadian accent for Irish. The pronunciation of the R can also vary between speakers; in Scotland, India and among black people in South Africa, the R is often trilled like in Spanish and Italian. Another noticeable difference is the "A" sound in words such as "bath", "laugh", "grass" and "chance"; many dialects pronounce them with the "short A" as in "trap", but southern England, South Africa, New Zealand, some parts of Boston and some parts of Australia pronounce them with the "broad A" as in "palm". In this list below, assume that Australia and Canada follow U.S. pronunciation and Singapore and other Commonwealth countries follow UK pronunciation unless indicated otherwise. Certain words are pronounced very differently: {| class="wikitable" |- ! width=15%| Word !! width=15%| American !! width=15%| British !! Comment |- | advertisement || ''AD-ver-tighz-muhnt'' || ''uhd-VER-tihs-muhnt'' || The shortened forms also differ: U.S. "ad" vs. UK "advert". |- | basil || ''BAY-zuhl'' || ''BA-zuhl'' || Australia and Canada follow British pronunciation. |- | data || ''DAY-tuh'' / ''DAT-uh'' || ''DAY-tuh'' || Australia: ''DAH-tuh'' |- | garage || ''guh-RAHZH'' || ''GA-rahj'' or ''GA-rihj'' || sometimes in Canada and Australia as: "graj" (one syllable) |- | herb || ''urrb'' || ''hurb'' (non-rhotic) || Australia follows British pronunciation |- | leisure || ''LEE-zhuhr'' || ''LEH-zhuhr'' || Australia and Canada follow British pronunciation. |- | oregano || ''uh-REH-guh-noh'' || ''o-rih-GAH-noh'' || |- | privacy || ''PRY-vuh-see'' || ''PRIH-vuh-see'' || Singapore follows American pronunciation. |- | route || rhymes with "shout" or "shoot" || rhymes with "shoot" || Many places pronounce the networking device called a "router" to rhyme with "shouter", even if they may otherwise follow the British pronunciation of "route". |- | schedule || ''SKE-jool'' || ''SHED-yool'' || Singapore follows American pronunciation. |- | valet || ''val-AY'' || ''VAL-ay'' or ''VAL-it'' || Singapore follows American pronunciation. |- | Z (letter) || ''zee'' || ''zed'' || In some parts of [[Scotland]], you'll occasionally hear it called "izzard". <br> All dialects apart from American English and English in some former U.S. colonies follow British pronunciation. |} Also, the sweet '''nougat''' is pronounced ''NO-guht'' in the United States and Singapore, but follows the original French ''NOO-gah'' in Australia and New Zealand while in the UK, it's pronounced as ''nʌɡɪt''. Sometimes two places whose names share the same spelling can be pronounced rather differently. For instance, the village of [[Berkeley (England)|Berkeley]] in [[England]] is pronounced ''BARK-lee'' but the city of [[Berkeley]] in [[California]] is pronounced ''BURK-lee''. [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] in England is pronounced with a silent H and unstressed ending (''BUR-ming-um''), while [[Birmingham, Alabama]] has a pronounced H and stressed ending (''BUR-ming-HAM''). "Houston" is pronounced ''HOO-stun'' if it's the village outside [[Glasgow]], ''HOW-stun'' if it's the street in [[New York City]], and ''HYOO-stun'' if it's the city in [[Texas]]. Conversely, two places with rather different spellings can sometimes share the same pronunciation. For instance, an American's pronunciation of [[Oakland]] and a New Zealander's pronunciation of [[Auckland]] are so similar that there was an incident where an airline passenger ended up on the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean. ==Vocabulary== {{quote|The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.| author=James Nicoll}} All dialects of English include words borrowed from other languages, and many of those such as "bungalow" (Hindi), "canoe" (Carib), or "typhoon" (Chinese) are now standard in all dialects. However, many dialects also include loanwords that are non-standard. Canadians use more terms of French origin than other dialects and are more likely to pronounce them as French speakers do, New Zealanders occasionally mix Māori terms into their English, Indian English has Hindi or Urdu words, and so on. Non-native English speakers may on occasion use '''false friends''', words that make sense in their other language but have a different meaning in English; one example is that French ''librairie'' means "bookstore", not "library". The reverse case of loanwords being used in a meaning closer to the language of origin is also common. In some cases, particularly when pseudo-English words like ''Handy'' (German for "mobile phone") are used, confusion may arise. ===Get in/around=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |bus||bus / coach||UK distinguishes between local "buses" (such as city buses or school buses) and long-distance "coaches" (such as National Express or Greyhound).<br/>In the U.S. "bus" is generally used for all of these. |- |car (rail travel) |carriage / coach |Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |carry-on bag||hand luggage|| |- valign="top" |coach [class] / economy class||standard class / economy class||The lowest class of seating on a plane or train. Also called "cattle class". |- valign="top" |crosswalk||pedestrian crossing / zebra crossing || A zebra crossing has striped road markings, as seen on The Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' album cover. All three are used in Australia. |- valign="top" |downtown||city centre||CBD (Central Business District) is standard in Singapore, Australia and sometimes used elsewhere. City centre in Australia does not mean downtown, but rather the centre of the CBD. In some places referred to as just the "City". |- valign="top" |elevator||lift||Australia uses both terms. |- valign="top" |first class||business class|| When referring to seating on short-haul or domestic flights. U.S. "business class" refers primarily to international long-haul business class with lie-flat seats; UK "first class" refers to a class more expensive and luxurious than business class. <br> All other countries follow British usage. |- valign="top" |first floor||ground floor||UK "first floor" means "first above the ground floor", which is called the "second floor" in the U.S. Hotels tend to label floors like "lobby", "mezzanine", "pool", etc., which may or may not be counted in place of numbered floors. Australia uses both interchangeably. |- |flight attendant||air host[ess]||Singapore/Malaysia: "air steward[ess]"<br/>"Stewardess" was used in the U.S. up to the 1980s, but today is considered outdated and arguably sexist. Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. |- |main street||high street||A primary road lined with shops in the central commercial district. Some older towns in Australia use "high street" while "main street" is used elsewhere. |- |overhead compartment / overhead bin||overhead locker|| Australia only uses "overhead compartment". |- valign="top" |[pedestrian] underpass||subway||As a pedestrian tunnel under a busy road or railroad. Australia and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |round-trip (ticket)||return||U.S. "return" refers to just the return leg itself. |- valign="top" |sidewalk||pavement||Australia: "footpath". In North America "pavement" is a mass noun referring to the ''substance'' (usually asphalt) used to cover a surface (usually a road, but also parking lots, etc.). |- valign="top" |streetcar / trolley||tram||U.S. "streetcar" is always in mixed traffic (and often a rather short line) whereas many trams have dedicated rights of way and would likely be labeled "light rail" in the U.S. Australia follows UK usage, except in New South Wales and Queensland where "light rail" is used. In Singapore, "trolley" is a synonym of "trolleybus". |- valign="top" |subway / metro / ''local acronyms''||underground / metro||"Metro" is the most commonly used term for similar systems internationally, and is used in places like [[Montreal]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[Newcastle upon Tyne]].<br/>The London Underground is colloquially known as "the Tube", while [[Glasgow]]'s is called a "subway".<br/>In many cities, the local public transit system has its own acronym. |} ====By car==== For historical reasons, cars and roads have developed a lot of differing terminology between American and British English. For terms related to motor vehicles, Canadian and Australian English use American terminology and spelling extensively. An exception is the Australian state of [[South Australia]], which tends to be more conservative and mostly use British terminology. Additionally, the British spellings of "tyre" and "plough" are exclusively used in Australia. <!--the exceptions are units of measure (litres, kilometres) and some motorway terminology like Québec's "autoroute"--> {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |blinker / turn signal||indicator / signal||Australia uses both interchangeably. |- valign="top" |boot||wheel clamp||Also the related verb "to boot" (U.S.) vs "to clamp" (UK). Australia uses both terms, depending on region; New Zealand follows UK usage. |- valign="top" |carpool||car sharing||South Africa: "lift scheme". Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |carsharing||car club||As in self-service short-term (often hourly) car rentals. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |coupe (pronounced ''KOOP'') / 2-door||coupé (pronounced ''koo-PAY'' or ''KOO-pay'') / 2-door||Australia follows the American spelling but both pronunciations are heard. |- valign="top" |divided highway||dual carriageway||In Oceania, a divided highway has an island in the middle, regardless of how many lanes there are. Dual carriageway means two lanes each way, but there does not need to be an island in the middle. |- valign="top" |drunk driving / DUI / DWI||drink-driving||U.S. "DUI" and "DWI" are acronyms for "driving under the influence" and "driving while intoxicated", respectively. In colloquial speech all three of the listed terms are synonymous, but in legal uses the specific terminology and definition of "DUI" and/or "DWI" vary from state to state. |- valign="top" |gas / gasoline||petrol|| UK "gas" refers to liquified petroleum gas (LPG). Australia (except South Australia) uses "fuel" in even though it can mean both petrol and diesel. |- valign="top" |gas [pedal]||accelerator||Australia uses both terms interchangeably, except South Australia which exclusively uses "accelerator". |- valign="top" |gas station||filling station / petrol station||Australia: "service station" or "fuel station". Canada: also "gas bar". Singapore: "petrol kiosk". South Asia: "petrol shed" <br/>U.S.: the gas station's pumps are on concrete pads known as "islands"; UK: the filling station's petrol pumps are in the "forecourt".<br />New Zealand has a brand of petrol station called "GAS", hence "gas station" may be ambiguous. |- valign="top" |hood (of a car)||bonnet||Australia follows UK usage |- valign="top" |median||central reservation||Australia follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |minivan||people carrier|| Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage with "minibus" also used. Singapore: "minibus / minivan" |- valign="top" |overpass||flyover|| U.S. "flyover" generally refers to not just an overpass but a complex interchange with ramps. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |parking brake||handbrake||Australia (except South Australia) follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |parking lot ||[open-air] car park|| Singapore "parking lot" refers to a parking space. Australia follows UK usage |- valign="top" |parking garage / parking deck / parking ramp ||[multi-storey] car park|| South Africa and Canada: "parkade". New Zealand: "parking building". Australia follows UK usage |- valign="top" |to pass||to overtake||In Australia, you overtake cars and pass cyclists. New Zealand distinguishes between "passing" in traffic lanes on your side of the road, and "overtaking" by moving into the lane for oncoming traffic. |- valign="top" |pavement||road surface / tarmac||Australia: "bitumen". U.S. "tarmac" refers to airport surfaces where airplanes move. |- valign="top" |pickup [truck]||''no particular usage; see notes''||South Africa: "bakkie". Australia and New Zealand: "ute" (pronounced ''yoot'') is either a pickup truck, or a coupé pickup (similar to the Chevrolet El Camino). Pickup trucks are extremely uncommon in the UK, and don't have a specific name. Singapore follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |to rent||to hire||Australia and New Zealand use both terms. Singapore follows U.S. usage. Also U.S. "rental car" vs UK "hire car".<br/>U.S. "to hire (a vehicle)" is used only in the sense of vehicles that come with a driver, such as taxis, limousines, etc. |- valign="top" |sedan / 4-door||saloon / 4-door|| Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |[service] shop / repair shop / mechanic||garage||New Zealand and Singapore follow U.S. usage. In Australia, a "service station" or "servo" is a petrol/gas station that may or may not also include repair facilities. |- valign="top" |side view mirror||wing mirror||Australia (except South Australia) follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |speed bump||speed bump / hump / sleeping policeman|| New Zealand: "speed bump" (long) or "judder bar" (short). Australia follows U.S. usage. Singapore only uses "hump". |- valign="top" |[station] wagon||estate car|| Australia, New Zealand and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |stick / stick&nbsp;shift / manual (transmission)||manual|| Also sometimes called "standard", even in the U.S. and other countries where the vast majority of cars have automatic transmissions. |- valign="top" |truck||lorry||''U.S. term has multiple meanings; see notes below.'' UK road signs refer to "HGVs" (which stands for "Heavy Goods Vehicles"). Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage, though really long trucks in Australia are also known as "road trains". Singapore distinguishes between smaller "lorries" and larger "trucks". |- valign="top" |trunk (of a car)||boot||Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |undivided highway||single carriageway||In Oceania, an undivided highway has no traffic island, regardless of the number of lanes, and a single carriageway has two lanes, whether divided or not. |- valign="top" |windshield||windscreen|| |- valign="top" |yield||give way||Australia follows British usage, but finding the term "yield" isn't uncommon |} [[File:Toyota Hilux Double Cab 3.0 D-4D front.jpg|thumb|This Toyota Hilux pickup / bakkie / ute / truck has a 3.0L turbo-diesel engine / motor under the hood / bonnet.]] * '''roundabout''': The term "roundabout" is standard everywhere, but Massachusetts uses "rotary". New York State distinguishes roundabouts from "traffic circles", which are usually larger in size and where traffic rules regarding right-of-way, etc., are somewhat different. *'''service station''': ** U.S. — a filling station attached to a repair garage ** UK — motorway service area, a service centre or rest area ** Australia — a service station or a "servo" is any fuel station. * '''truck''': U.S. "truck" can refer to several different vehicles: ** A pickup truck ** An SUV (sport utility vehicle), known elsewhere as an "off-road vehicle", "4x4" / "four-by-four", or by brand names like "Jeep" or "Land Rover"; sometimes marketed as a "crossover" for light-duty vehicles with no off-road capability ** A heavy-duty vehicle for moving cargo (includes articulated semi-trailers [UK: "lorry"] and box/straight trucks) or specialized jobs (fire trucks, tow trucks, garbage trucks, etc.) :In casual conversation, "truck" is more likely to refer to a pickup, but could also refer to an SUV. *'''freeway, motorway, expressway, etc.''': ** The technical term for this type of road is a '''controlled-access highway''', though this is rarely if ever used in everyday speech. ** U.S. — Can be called a "highway", "freeway" or "expressway". While there may be technical legal distinctions between the terms depending on state, they are largely synonymous in everyday speech. "Interstate" is the name of a specific U.S. highway system, not a general term for any freeway or numbered road. "Turnpike" is a somewhat old-fashioned term still used in some states to refer specifically to expressways where tolls are charged, though you'll also occasionally see the word (and its shortened form "pike") fossilized in the proper names of ordinary roads that once levied tolls on travellers. ** UK — Known as a "motorway". Some specific motorways use the term "expressway" in their name, e.g. M6 Toll is known as the Midland Expressway. "Highway" refers to all publicly-owned roads of any size. **Australia: ***Australian Capital Territory – no specific usage. The only freeways in the ACT are either called parkway or avenue, but they can refer to any road ***New South Wales – motorway, freeway, expressway and highway (even if it's a freeway grade road) are all used. ***Queensland – Mostly uses motorway, with the exception of Western Fwy, and highway even if it's a freeway grade road ***South Australia – uses freeway and expressway interchangeably, with freeway being more common. The term "motorway" is only used in proper names and only on the North-South Motorway which is classified as an expressway. ***Victoria/Western Australia and a general Australian context – exclusively uses "freeway" ***Tasmania – just called a highway ** Papua New Guinea – the term "freeway" is only used when referring to the Poreporena Freeway in [[Port Moresby]], but it is hardly a freeway ** Canada — Commonly known as a "highway" or "expressway". "Autoroute" is used in Quebec (in English and in French). ** New Zealand — Both "expressway" and "motorway" are used. ** Singapore, Hong Kong — Known as an "expressway". In Singapore, the term "parkway" is only used in the proper name "East Coast Parkway", the main expressway from the city to Changi Airport. ** Malaysia — May be called a "highway" or "expressway" in English. On road signs, the Malay term "lebuhraya" is used. ** Outside North America, the term "highway" is often used to refer to any major sealed public road. ===See and do=== For sports, the International Olympic Committee and most international sports federations follow British usage. {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |bumper cars||dodgems||Singapore and India follow U.S. usage. Both terms are used in Australia and New Zealand. |- |checkers||draughts||The strategy board game played on a checkered (UK: "chequered") board. Australia follows U.S. usage. Singapore uses both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" |football||[[American football]]||''Multiple meanings; see notes below.'' |- valign="top" |[[soccer]]||football||''Multiple meanings; see notes below.'' |- valign="top" |hockey||ice hockey||The game played on ice, the national sport of Canada. All countries outside North America follow British usage. |- valign="top" |field hockey||hockey||The game played on grass or artificial turf, popular in India and Pakistan. All countries outside North America follow British usage. |- valign="top" |intermission||interval|| |- valign="top" |tie||draw|| When referring to matches where a winner cannot be determined. Several sports may have their own special words for different game results without a winner. [[Cricket]] uses both "tie" and "draw" with mutually exclusive meanings. Australia and NZ follow U.S. usage, although "draw" is not unheard of in soccer |- valign="top" |track and field||athletics|| U.S. "athletics" more often refers to sports in general.<br />UK "track and field" refers only to events that take place at the stadium (i.e. excluding road-based and cross-country events); U.S. "track and field" may also exclude cross-country depending on the area you are in. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |movie theater / cinema ||cinema|| In the UK, "going to the pictures" can also mean a trip to the movies. |} [[File:Lat Soc 21 (3807523890).jpg|thumb|The most popular sport in the world: "association football", "football", or "soccer".]] *'''football''' refers to the most common game in the respective country. ** In the UK, that would be [[association football]]. Although "soccer" was originally an Oxfordian word formed from ''association'' football, much like "rugger" was formed from ''rugby'' football, most Brits today insist that "football" is the one true name for this sport. ** In Australia, the usage varies by region; "football" or the slang term "footy" refers to [[Rugby football#Rugby league|rugby league]] in [[Queensland]] and most of [[New South Wales]], but refers to [[Australian rules football]] (AFL) everywhere else. However, "football" never refers to soccer. ** In the U.S., [[American football]] is meant when referring to "football" unqualified. Other countries may know it better as "gridiron football", of which American football is one variety; in North America, "gridiron" refers to the field itself. ** In Canada "football" refers to either the Canadian or the American variety of gridiron football (very similar to each other). ** In Ireland, "football" may refer to association football, Gaelic football, or sometimes rugby union. National media typically avoid confusion by not using "football" by itself to refer to any sport, respectively using "soccer", "Gaelic football", and "rugby" to refer to the three aforementioned sports. ** In New Zealand, "football" historically referred to [[Rugby football#Rugby union|rugby union]], but since 2005 this has dramatically changed, with "football" now referring almost exclusively to association football (soccer). ** In South Africa, "football" would most often refer to association football. However, the word is rarely used outside of official contexts (such as the name of the national governing body for the sport, the South African Football Association). All cultural groups in the country, when speaking English, refer to the sport as "soccer"; this is reflected in national media usage. ** In Singapore and Malaysia, "football" refers to soccer, though the term "soccer" is also widely used and understood. *The unqualified word '''rugby''' usually refers to rugby union, but refers to rugby league in the north of [[England]]. **Although "football" refers to rugby league in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales, the word "rugby" always refers to the rugby union throughout the whole of Australia. * When describing matches between two teams, the home team is typically stated first in the UK (e.g. "Manchester United vs Liverpool" means Manchester United hosting Liverpool), while it is typically stated second in the U.S. (e.g. "L.A. Lakers vs (or "@") Chicago Bulls" means L.A. Lakers visiting the Chicago Bulls). Australia mostly follows British convention. * '''Billiards''' is sometimes a generic term for all sports played with billiard balls and cue sticks, but more often refers to specific games or groups of games. ** In the UK, "billiards" usually refers to English billiards. ** In North America and Oceania, "billiards" usually refers to pool. ** '''Billiard balls''' are divided into "spots and stripes" in the UK, "solids and stripes" in the U.S., and "smalls and bigs" in Australia. * '''Bowling''', without further qualification, usually refers to indoor ten-pin bowling worldwide, but in the UK and some Commonwealth countries it can also refer to lawn bowls. * The strategy board game called '''[[Go]]''' in Japanese is known as such by most English speakers worldwide, but is known by its Chinese name "weiqi" in Singapore and Malaysia. ===Buy=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |swimsuit / bathing suit||swimming costume (female) / swimming trunks (male)|| Australian usage differs by region (eg. "cozzie" in Sydney, "tog" in Melbourne, elsewhere you might hear "swimmers" or "bathers"). |- valign="top" |bill (money)||note|| "Note" is short for "banknote", which is the official term used in all English-speaking countries. |- valign="top" |cash register||till|| U.S. "till" refers specifically to a money drawer, such as that of a cash register or a bank teller's station. Australia and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |checking account||current account|| Depending on location, may also be spelled "chequing account" or called a "cheque account". Canadian banks offer "chequing accounts" to individuals but "current accounts" to businesses. Australia follows U.S. usage, but also uses "transaction account" or "everyday banking account". |- valign="top" |fanny pack||bum bag|| UK "fanny" is obscene slang for female genitalia, whereas U.S. "bum" is a rude word for a homeless person.<br/>Singapore: "waist pouch" or just "pouch" |- valign="top" |jumper || pinafore [dress] || |- valign="top" |line (of people waiting)||queue||People in the New York City area stand "on line"; elsewhere in the U.S. they stand "in line". U.S. uses "queue" only as an abstract concept (e.g. "job queue" for a printer). |- valign="top" |mall||shopping centre|| U.S. "shopping center" usually refers to a complex of retail stores ''without'' interior corridors, though this can vary regionally and can also be called a "strip mall", "mini-mall", or "plaza". Australia mostly uses mall, however for smaller roadside malls, it's called "shopping plaza", although that is starting to fade out |- valign="top" |pants||trousers||UK "pants" refers to underwear. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore use both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" |panties||knickers|| New Zealand uses both terms interchangeably. Australia and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |pump (women's shoe)||court shoe|| |- valign="top" |shopping cart||[shopping] trolley||In New Zealand you'll also hear "trundler". In the U.S. "shopping cart" is widespread, but you may also hear "buggy" in the South and in the older generations of the Midwest and "shopping carriage" in southern New England. U.S. "trolley" may refer to a streetcar or a bus built to outwardly resemble an old style streetcar. |- valign="top" |sneakers / athletic shoes / tennis shoes ||trainers|| Singapore: "track shoes"; Philippines: "rubber shoes" |- valign="top" | sweater || jumper || UK may also use "tank top" to refer to a sleeveless jumper (U.S. "sweater vest") |- valign="top" | tank top || vest / singlet || Singapore only uses "singlet". |- valign="top" | tuxedo || dinner jacket / dinner suit|| "Dinner jacket" can be abbreviated to "DJ", and "tuxedo" can be shortened to just "tux". Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. Singapore uses all these terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" | vest || waistcoat || Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. Singapore uses both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" | rubber boots / galoshes / mud boots / rain boots || Wellington boots / wellies || Australia: "gumboots" or "rubber boots" but Wellington boots is unheard of. Canada: "gumboots", "wellies", "wellingtons", or "rainboots". New Zealand: "gumboots", "wellies", or "Redbands". |} *'''ATM''', which stands for "automated teller machine", is the standard word in all English-speaking countries except the UK. ** UK — "cash point / cash machine / hole-in-the-wall". Unrelatedly, U.S. "hole-in-the-wall" means a place lacking ambience that sells cheap (but not necessarily bad) food. ** U.S. [[Midwest]] — Some areas also use "TYME machine" (an acronym for "Take Your Money Everywhere", the brand name of a former regional interbank network). *'''Flip-flops''' go by various local names: Australia: "thongs"; New Zealand: "jandals" (short for "Japanese sandals"); South Africa: "slops"; Hawaii: "slippa" (the local pronunciation of "slippers"); Philippines/Singapore: "slippers". They're also just called "sandals", but this term can cause confusion since there are various other types of sandals. *'''Senior [citizen]''' is a fairly universal term for elderly people, who are typically retired and on a fixed income, and consequently extended discounts at many restaurants and attractions. ** UK, Ireland — "OAP" (which stands for "old age pensioner") is also used ===Eat=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |appetizer / starter||starter|| Australia: "entrée". In Commonwealth countries except Canada and Australia, an "appetiser" refers to an even smaller dish consumed before the starter, which may also be called one of three French-derived terms: ''amuse-bouche'', ''hors d'œuvre'' or ''canapé''. |- valign="top" |arugula||rocket / roquette|| |- valign="top" | to broil / to grill || to grill || ''Broiling'' means the heat source is above the food; ''grilling'' means the heat source is below the food. The UK does not make the distinction between the two. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |candy||sweets|| Australia/New Zealand: "lollies". U.S. "sweets" refers to desserts in general. |- valign="top" |check (restaurant)||bill||Canada and Australia follow British usage. |- valign="top" |chips||crisps||''See notes below.'' |- valign="top" |cookies||biscuits||Britain distinguishes hard "biscuits" from soft "cookies". U.S. "biscuit" is similar to a savory scone. Australia and NZ follow British usage. |- valign="top" | corn || maize || ''See notes below.'' Southern Africa: "mealie" |- valign="top" |corned beef||salt beef|| UK "corned beef" refers to "bully beef". Australia/New Zealand: "corned beef" or "silverside" (after the beef cut commonly used). |- valign="top" |cotton candy||candy floss||Australia: "fairy floss" |- valign="top" |dessert||dessert / pudding / sweet||U.S. "pudding" without qualification usually means the same as UK "custard" or "blancmange". Australia follows American usage. |- valign="top" |eggplant||aubergine||South Asia/Singapore/Malaysia: "brinjal". Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |entrée / main course||main course|| In English-speaking areas outside the U.S, "entrée" would generally be understood to be a synonym of "starter". Australia uses both "main dish" and "main course". |- valign="top" |food truck||mobile canteen|| All Commonwealth countries that use the term "[[#Get in/around|truck]]" follow U.S. usage while other Commonwealth countries follow UK usage. |- valign="top" |[French] fries||chips||''See notes below.'' |- valign="top" | grocery store / supermarket || supermarket || Australia follows U.S. usage, and often just called "the groceries". |- valign="top" | ground beef / hamburger [meat] || minced beef / beef mince || |- valign="top" | Jell-O || jelly|| "Jell-O" is a trademarked brand of gelatin desserts, although the term is widely used generically in the U.S. and Canada. |- valign="top" |jelly||jam||U.S. "jam" contains fruit flesh and "jelly" is filtered to just the thickened juice, with pectin (and often sugar, etc.) added. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |ketchup / catsup || tomato sauce / ketchup || Usage may vary. "Tomato sauce" is more common in New Zealand, India, and South Africa. Wales, Scotland, and parts of England may use "red sauce". Depending on context, "tomato sauce" can also mean Italian sauces (e.g. Neapolitan, marinara). Australia uses both terms interchangeably, depending on restaurant. The spelling "catsup", while still occasionally seen in the U.S., is becoming increasingly uncommon. |- valign="top" |napkin||serviette / napkin||UK distinguishes paper "serviettes" from cloth "napkins". Canada uses both terms interchangeably. Australia and Singapore use both terms interchangeability for paper serviettes, but uses "napkin" exclusively for cloth napkins. |- valign="top" |pickle||gherkin|| U.S. "pickle" refers to a pickled cucumber, unless otherwise specified (e.g., pickled tomatoes, pickled peppers).<br/>UK "pickle" is a broad term that refers to any pickled vegetable, plus several kinds of preserve. |- valign="top" |rutabaga||swede|| Scotland: "neep" |- valign="top" |scallion / green onion||spring onion||Ireland: "scallion". Wales also uses "gibbon". Australia and the New Orleans area: "shallot", and a true shallot is called "French shallot". |-valign="top" |shrimp||prawn|| In British, Canadian, New Zealand and Singaporean usage, a "shrimp" is typically much smaller than a "prawn", while Australian English does not use the term "shrimp" at all. |- valign="top" |takeout / carryout / to go||takeaway|| |- valign="top" |zucchini||courgette||Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. New Zealand uses both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" |} * While '''breakfast''', '''lunch''' and '''dinner''' refer to the morning, midday and evening meals respectively in most countries, parts of the UK refer to the midday meal as "dinner", and to the evening meal as "supper" or "high tea". Outside the UK, "supper" may be another name for the evening meal, or may be a small late-night meal after dinner. * '''bacon''' — In English-speaking countries, the term refers to a type of cured pork product usually served in slices. However, countries differ on the meaning of the unqualified word: ** U.S., Canada — "Bacon" by itself refers to a product prepared from the pork belly. In the UK and Ireland, this product is called "side bacon" or "streaky bacon", with the latter term coming from the streaks of fat across the strips of meat. ** UK, Ireland — The unqualified term "bacon" refers to a different and much leaner product taken mainly from the loin, cut into "rashers" which include part of the belly or "medallions" which are just the trimmed eye of loin meat. North America calls this product "back bacon". In the U.S. only, "Canadian bacon" refers to a form of back bacon that is cut from the lean eye of the loin and sold ready to eat. In parts of Canada (mainly southern Ontario), a form of back bacon rolled in cornmeal known as "peameal bacon" (from the former use of dried peas as a coating) is popular. ** Australia — Standard "bacon" is something of a cross between the above types, being prepared mainly from the belly, with a piece of loin attached. * '''chips''' / '''crisps''' / '''fries''': ** UK — "chips" refers almost exclusively to deep fried, elongated strips of potatoes; crispy, thin slices of potatoes are referred to as "crisps". ** U.S., Canada — "chips" refers almost exclusively to crispy, thin slices of potatoes, while deep fried elongated strips of potatoes are referred to as "fries" or "French fries". However, the British dish "fish and chips" is still referred to as such, and in Canada, "chip trucks" sell French fries. ** Australia, New Zealand — Both the aforementioned fried-potato dishes are referred to as "chips"; the meaning is generally inferred from context. However, the term "fries" is used in American fast food chains such as McDonald's, and is also beginning to see some use outside of that in Australia. ** Singapore — Mostly follows U.S./Canadian usage, but the British sense of "chips" is also common in certain contexts. ** Some Commonwealth nations use "fries" for the thinner style as typically found at McDonald's and "chips" for the thicker style as typically found in fish and chips. * '''coriander''': In the UK, refers to both the seeds and leaves of ''Coriandrum sativum''. In North America, "coriander" refers only to the seeds; the leaves are called "cilantro". * '''corn''': ** North America, Oceania, Singapore — A cereal that grows on tall stalks, with the edible grains (most often yellow or white, though other colors exist) forming "ears" growing from the stalk. This plant and its grain are called "maize" in the UK and Ireland, and by botanists worldwide (at least within a scientific context). ** England and Wales — "Corn" can refer to any cereal, but most often to wheat. ** Scotland and Ireland — Similar to England and Wales, except that the most common reference is to oats. ** However, in culinary contexts, "corn" with an additional word (e.g. "popcorn", "sweet corn", or "corn flakes") always refers to maize, even in the UK and Ireland. * '''crayfish''': ** U.S. (except Louisiana), Canada: refers to small freshwater crustaceans resembling lobsters, known as a '''crawfish''' in Louisiana, and a '''yabby''' in Australia ** Australia, New Zealand: refers to rock lobsters (i.e. lobsters without pincers) ** Singapore: usually refers to a type of slipper lobster, known as a '''Moreton Bay bug''' in Australia. Can also be used in the North American sense, though these are rarely eaten in Singapore. * '''mutton''': ** In most of the English-speaking world, refers to the meat of adult sheep. ** India, Malaysia, Singapore — can also refer to goat meat. * '''flapjack''': In the U.S., this is an informal word for a pancake. In the UK, it's a simple pastry made from oats. * '''porridge''': Across the English-speaking world, this is a soft dish made of heated grain or legumes that can be eaten with a spoon. Different countries have local variations, like oatmeal in the UK or congee in Singapore. * '''yam''': ** UK, Ireland — refers exclusively to true yams, a usually white-fleshed root vegetable. ** North America — may also be used to refer to the orange-fleshed sweet potato. ** New Zealand — refers to oca, a small, usually red-skinned root vegetable. Sweet potatoes are sold under their Māori name, ''kūmara''. ** Malaysia, Singapore — refers to taro, a small white- or slightly purple-fleshed root vegetable. *The Greek dish consisting of meat roasted on a vertical rotisserie is called a '''gyro''' (often pronounced "YEE-roh") in the United States, but '''yiros''' (pronounced the way it is spelt) in Australia. *The Chinese dish known as '''hot pot''' in most of the English-speaking world is known as '''steamboat''' in Singapore and Malaysia. ===Drink=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |apple juice / [apple] cider||apple juice|| U.S. "apple juice" is filtered and "cider" is unfiltered (and both are non-alcoholic). Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |hard cider||cider|| In a U.S. bar, "cider" by itself would be assumed to mean hard cider, but elsewhere would usually be taken to mean unfiltered apple juice. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |liquor store / package store||off licence|| Australia/New Zealand: "bottle shop" or sometimes "Bottle-O".<br/>In places with a government-owned alcohol monopoly, often known by the name of that agency ("ABC store" or just "state store" in some U.S. states, "LCBO" in Ontario, "SAQ" in Quebec, etc.).<br/>In Canada, "off licence" means selling unopened bottles over the counter at a hotel, bar, or restaurant and is legal in only a few provinces. |- valign="top" |lemon-lime soda (e.g. Sprite, 7-UP) || lemonade || |- valign="top" |lemonade (squeezed lemons and sugar) || traditional lemonade / still lemonade || |- valign="top" |pop / soda / coke || fizzy drink / soft drink || ''See notes below.'' |} *'''pop''', etc. **U.S., Canada: ***In the U.S., "pop" is used in Western New York, western Pennsylvania, most of the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, and most of Alaska. It is also the preferred term throughout most of English-speaking Canada. ***"Soda" is used in New England, the coastal Mid-Atlantic, California, most of the Southwest, eastern Wisconsin, South Florida, Hawaii, and anywhere within a roughly 150-mile (240 km) radius of St. Louis. ***"Coke" predominates in the southern tier of the U.S. between New Mexico and Florida. The word is used generically, not just in reference to Coca-Cola: the answer to the question "what kind of coke would you like?" could very well be Pepsi. **Australia, New Zealand – generally synonymous with "soft drink", which is the common term and the equivalent of the UK/Ireland "fizzy drink". **UK, Ireland — "Fizzy drink" is the most common term throughout all of these countries, though you might also hear "mineral" in Ireland. In the UK, "soft drink" more commonly refers to ''any'' non-alcoholic beverage. **South Africa — "Cooldrink" is the most commonly used term. **Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines — "Soft drink" is the most commonly used term. **Nigeria — "Mineral" is the most commonly used term. ===Sleep=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |apartment||flat|| In the UK, "flat" is the generic term; "apartment" is used for similar dwellings in expensive residential areas. Australia mostly uses U.S. usage along with "unit". In Singapore, "flat" refers only to public housing units, while "apartment" is officially a generic term, but is more commonly used to refer to units in private condominiums. |- valign="top" |to rent ||to let || Australia, New Zealand and Singapore follow U.S. usage. In any dialect, "to lease" can be use for longer rentals that involve a lease. |- valign="top" |campground||camp site|| A group of spots for multiple tents, caravan trailers, or RVs. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |campsite||camping pitch || An individual spot for one tent, caravan trailer, or RV. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |comforter||duvet||Australia: "doona" |- valign="top" |faucet / spigot / tap||tap||Australia and Canada follow British usage. |} ===Learn=== {{seealso|Studying abroad}} Education is among the areas where differences between UK and U.S. English are most profound. {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |class / course||module / unit|| |- valign="top" |college||university / uni||''Usage varies by country; see notes below''. As a generic term for post-secondary undergraduate education, "university" is also understood in the U.S., though the contracted form "uni" generally is not. |- valign="top" |degree program||course [of study] / degree programme|| |- valign="top" |faculty||academics||As in educators (professors, teachers, lecturers/lectors, etc.) and researchers. In education contexts, U.S. usually distinguishes "faculty" from "staff": employees who have neither teaching, research, nor managerial responsibilities. UK "faculty" refers to a collection of related academic departments (sometimes referred to as a "school" in the context of UK higher education). Australia follows British usage |- valign="top" |grades / points||marks / grades||Also U.S. "to grade" or "to check" versus UK "to mark". Singapore and Australia distinguish quantitative "marks" from qualitative "grades". |- valign="top" |graduate / grad (stage of education)||postgraduate / postgrad||As in education above the level of a bachelor's degree. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |to major in (a subject)||to read / to study (a subject)||U.S. "to study (a subject)" can mean majoring, or simply to take any class, or reviewing (UK: "revising") before an exam |- valign="top" |private school||public school / independent school / private school||''See notes below.'' |- valign="top" |proctor / [exam] supervisor||invigilator|| |- valign="top" |professor||lecturer||In the UK, "professor" is a highly prestigious title and a department rarely has more than one; senior academics may be titled "readers", and the rest are "lecturers" of varying levels. In the U.S. and Canada, "lecturer" is sometimes the formal title for a junior or part-time faculty member, whereas the word "professor" can be used loosely for any professional college instructor or reserved for full-time faculty members. Other Commonwealth countries mainly follow the British system, but may use "associate professor" instead of the British "reader". |- valign="top" |public school||state school||''See notes below.'' As in a government-owned, publicly-funded school open to all students. May be known as a "government school" in some places. |- valign="top" |to review||to revise||U.S. "to revise" means to make edits to improve written or printed material |- valign="top" | to take (an exam) || to sit (an exam) || Canada: "to write (an exam)". India: "to write/give (an exam)".<br/>In the U.S., professional degree students (law, medicine, etc.) will "take" their school exams, but "sit [for]" their professional exams (bar, medical boards, etc.). |- valign="top" |tuition||tuition fees||UK "tuition" refers to the educational content transferred to students |} [[File:Oxford - Balliol College - geograph.org.uk - 1329613.jpg|thumb|Balliol College, part of [[Oxford]] University]] *'''college''': ** U.S. — Generic term for post-secondary undergraduate education. An American student will "go to college" regardless of whether his or her particular institution is formally called a "college", "university", or some other term, and whether or not the school awards bachelor's degrees. This usage of "college" does not extend to graduate education, which is usually called "grad school" (or for professional degrees, "law school", "med (medical) school", etc.). ** Canada — Mainly refers to a technical, career, or community college (U.S.: "community college" or "junior college"). Canadians draw a sharp distinction between "going to college" (implying a community, technical or career college diploma) and "going to university" (studying for a bachelor's or postgrad degree). College mostly offers two or three-year programs which prepare students for practical employment. A few exceptions: *** Quebec inserts two years of community college, locally known as CÉGEP, between its secondary education and university. Quebec students graduate from high school after grade 11, as opposed to grade 12 in Anglophone North America. Undergraduate degrees from Quebec universities are completed in one less year than in Anglophone North America, as the first year will have been completed at a CÉGEP. *** In Ontario, a "CVI" (Collegiate and Vocational Institute) is a secondary/high school facility (not a college) which offers technical or machine shops ** UK — Can refer to any post-secondary institution that is not a university, or sometimes to a secondary school. Students studying for their bachelor's or postgraduate degree will say that they are "going to university" (or "uni") instead of U.S. "college", regardless of the formal title of their school. ** Ireland — Similar to U.S. usage but slightly broader (i.e. includes postgraduate education) for historical reasons unique to that country. Before 1989, no Irish university provided teaching or research directly; they were instead offered by a constituent college of a university. ** Australia — Usually refers to a private (i.e., non-government) primary, or especially secondary, school. ** New Zealand — Normally refers to secondary schools; used interchangeably with "high school". ** Singapore — Generally refers to government high schools. Short for "junior college". ** In all countries, can also refer to a constituent college of a university. *'''graduation''' / '''to graduate''': ** U.S., Australia — Most commonly refers to having earned a high school diploma or an undergraduate (bachelor's or associate) degree. ** UK — Only refers to the completion of a university degree programme (i.e. bachelor's, master's or doctorate). *'''prep school''': ** U.S. — a secondary/high school that prepares students for college. ** UK — a primary school that prepares pupils for fee-paying public (private) secondary schools {{anchor|public school}}<!--DO NOT REMOVE THIS ANCHOR, it points to a link in another article--> *'''public school''': ** U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand — A government-owned, publicly-funded school; most often used to refer to an elementary or secondary school open to all students within the geographic boundaries designated for that school. ** UK — Can have several meanings: *** "Public" education as opposed to "private" education by a tutor *** Exclusive fee-paying secondary schools, typically boarding schools (which are "public" because they aren't restricted based on home location, religion, etc.) *** Any independent school (also called "private schools" following U.S. usage); this usage of "public school" is rare in Scotland and Northern Ireland [[File:Ucberkeley tower.jpg|thumb|The University of California in [[Berkeley]], regarded as one of the top public universities in the world]] *'''state school''': **U.S. — Used exclusively to refer to publicly-funded universities operated by state governments. **UK — A publicly-funded school for students aged between 5 and 18. Universities are not called schools in the UK, although the term may be used for departments within a university ("School of Chemistry"). **New Zealand – refers to publicly-funded primary and secondary schools, often to the exclusion of ''state integrated schools'', i.e. former private schools that have become state schools while retaining their private school character. *'''student''': ** UK, Ireland — Traditionally refers exclusively to those attending university-level institutions. Attendees of primary and secondary institutions are generally called "pupils". However, the North American sense of the term (see below) is beginning to see some use. ** New Zealand — Broader than in the UK and Ireland; "pupils" refers only to children in primary school (years 1–6). "Student" is used for all higher levels, from intermediate to postgraduate. ** Philippines — Likewise, formally "students" refer to learners in the secondary level (starting at grade 7) or higher, whereas "pupils" refer to learners in the elementary level. For most schools, "student" is more widespread although the word "pupil" is sometimes used. ** U.S., Canada, Australia — Refers to all people attending educational institutions at any level, from primary to postgraduate. "Pupils" is generally understood in North America but considered something of an archaic term. ** Singapore — Follows U.S. usage, but also used interchangeably with "pupils" up to the secondary school level. *'''student union''' or '''students' union''': ** U.S. ("student union" only) — One of several terms used to describe a college/university building intended for student recreation and socializing. Synonyms include "student center" and "student activity center". ** Other English-speaking countries — A college/university student organization devoted to representing the interests of the students before the administration. The recreational aspect is also looked after by the unions as in the U.S., but their political role is often emphasized. The most common U.S. equivalent is "student government", with "student senate" also seeing some use. ===Stay safe and stay healthy=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" | acetaminophen || paracetamol || A common over-the-counter pain remedy. Brand names include "Tylenol" and "Panadol". |- valign="top" | attorney / lawyer || solicitor / barrister / advocate / lawyer|| UK terms are not interchangeable; typically clients hire a "solicitor" to provide legal advice, who may in turn hire a "barrister" (Scotland, South Africa: "advocate") to represent the client in court. "Lawyer" is the generic term covering all these sub-professions in the UK. |- valign="top" | Band-Aid / bandage || [sticking] plaster || A small adhesive used to dress minor wounds. "Band-Aid" is a trademarked brand name of such items that is widely used generically. In the UK and parts of the U.S., "bandage" is understood to mean gauze or elastic bandages intended for more serious wounds. Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage |- valign="top" |drug store / pharmacy||chemist / pharmacy|| The "Green Cross" symbol in the UK and Europe indicates that store is a chemist or pharmacy. In the U.S. the same "Green Cross" symbol has been used by [[cannabis|marijuana dispensaries]], gardening suppliers and environmentalists. Australia and Singapore exclusively use "pharmacy". |- valign="top" | ER (emergency room) || A&E (accident & emergency) || Australia/New Zealand: "ED (emergency department)" |- valign="top" | family doctor / primary care physician || GP (General Practitioner) || "GP" is also used in the U.S., but it's possible not everyone will understand the term. GP is used in all Commonwealth countries though. |- valign="top" | fire department || fire brigade || Australia uses "fire brigade" in the state of [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], but uses "fire service" everywhere else. New Zealand primarily uses "fire service", but "fire brigade" is also used. |- valign="top" | physician (generic) / [medical] doctor || medical doctor || |- valign="top" | Q-tip || cotton bud || "Q-tip" is a trademarked brand name of such items that is widely used generically. Australia follows British usage. |} ===Insurance=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! Australia !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" | co-pay || gap || Singapore: co-insurance |- valign="top" | deductible || excess || Singapore follows U.S. usage. |} ===Cope=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |crib (infant bed)||cot|| U.S. "cot" refers to a small, portable, usually foldable bed used at campsites, military barracks, etc. |- valign="top" |day care||nursery / playgroup / child care|| Ireland and New Zealand: "crèche" Australia follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |diaper||nappy|| Singapore distinguishes a disposable "diaper" from a cloth "nappy". Disposable diapers are also knowns as "Pampers" in Singapore after a popular brand. |- valign="top" |laundromat||laundrette|| "Coin laundry" is the preferred term in Australia and Singapore as well as being used extensively as a secondary synonym pretty much everywhere else in the Anglosphere. |- valign="top" |[laundry] detergent || washing powder || Liquids used for this purpose are "liquid detergent" in the U.S. and "washing liquid" in the UK. Singapore: soap powder |- valign="top" |luggage storage || left luggage || U.S. and Australia: "left luggage" is a synonym for "lost luggage" (which was "left" behind) |- valign="top" |pacifier||dummy|| Singapore follows U.S. usage, but also uses "soother" |- valign="top" |power cord||mains lead (rhymes with "reed")|| Australia follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |stroller / baby carriage||pushchair / pram||"[Baby] buggy" is common in both U.S. and UK. Canada, Australia and Singapore use both "pram" and "stroller" |- valign="top" |restroom / bathroom / lavatory || toilet(s) / lavatory / loo / bog / water closet / WC || ''See [[Toilets#Talk|Toilets &sect; Talk]], as this is a very nuanced topic.'' "Loo" and "bog" are both slang usages. Canada: "washroom" is the preferred (though not universal) term for public toilets. Philippines: "comfort room" or "CR" are used colloquially.<br/>"Toilet paper" is universally understood, but Brits may refer to "loo roll" or "bog roll". |} ===Connect=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |to call (to use a telephone)||to ring / to call|| |- valign="top" |cell [phone]||mobile [phone]||Britons understand "cell phone", and Americans understand "mobile phone" (unqualified "mobile" is generally understood in Canada but less so in the U.S, especially when pronounced to rhyme with "smile"). Singapore/Malaysia: "handphone". Some European second-language English speakers use "handy", from a German misconception of English slang. Australia follows UK usage although the U.S. "cell" is widely understood, while NZ follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |collect call||reverse charge call|| |- valign="top" |long-distance call ||trunk call|| |- valign="top" |mail||post||As the saying goes: "In the UK, the Royal Mail delivers the post; in the U.S., the Postal Service delivers the mail." Most Commonwealth countries follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |pound [sign/key]||hash [sign/symbol]||Referring to the # button on a telephone. When denoting the same symbol's usage on Twitter and other social media, the term "hashtag" is used throughout the Anglosphere, including the U.S.<br/>British usage avoids confusion with "£" as the "pound sign" as in the unit of currency. In North America, "#" is sometimes used ''after'' a number to indicate weight in pounds. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |prepaid||pay as you go (PAYG)||Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage. In Canada, both terms are used interchangeably.<br/>U.S. "pay as you go" may refer to the more expensive per-unit rate after you use up the cheaper prepaid units. |- valign="top" |refill||top-up|| Australia/Hong Kong: "recharge". Philippines: "reload". Canada follows British usage. |- valign="top" |toll-free [call]||freephone||Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage while NZ follows UK usage |} * '''postal code''': ** Canada, Pakistan, Singapore — "postal code" ** UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia — "postcode" ** In many countries around the world they're known by the name of the local system: *** U.S. and its former colonies — "ZIP code" *** Ireland — "Eircode" *** India — "PIN" (Postal Index Number), sometimes redundantly called a "PIN code" ===Numbers=== You might expect that numbers would be simple, since they always mean the same thing. Alas, differences in how they're spoken (or even written) can sometimes lead to confusion when you're not expecting it. * The number 0 is spoken as "zero" or "oh" in all varieties of English, but Britons are also likely to use "nought" or "nil". ** When used in the score of a sporting event, British uses "nil" and American may use "nothing" or informally "zip". Hardcore soccer fans and journalists in North America often use "nil" following British usage when discussing soccer (or rather, "football"). Tennis and cricket have unique readings ("love" and "duck", respectively). ** For decimal numbers like 0.8 and 0.05, Britons would usually say "nought" as in "nought point eight" and "nought point nought five". Americans often omit the leading 0, saying "point eight" and "point oh five". * Most varieties of English informally count in hundreds up to 1,900, which is "nineteen hundred" rather than "one thousand nine hundred"; this is common for money or counting things, or when the number is understood to be rounded to the next hundred. (Philippine English is an exception; they prefer the more formal "one thousand nine hundred"; "nineteen hundred" is only spoken in military contexts, e.g. 1900 hours.) But Americans and Australians often continue this trend for even large four-digit numbers above 2,000, so they're likely to read 9,500 as "ninety-five hundred" rather than "nine thousand five hundred". * Similarly, all varieties of English group years into two-digit groups. But Americans also apply this to street addresses and sometimes phone numbers or other sequences of digits, as well as some three-digit sequences like road numbers (e.g. I-285 is "eye two eighty-five") and bus routes. The same applies in Australia, but not commonly for road numbers. * Meanwhile, Britons tend to use "double" when reading sequences of digits such as phone numbers (which is why James Bond's 007 moniker is "double-oh seven" rather than "zero zero seven"). * Monetary amounts in the range of one or two major currency units may be spoken differently in the two main forms of English. An American would say that an item costing $1.50 costs "one-fifty", "a dollar fifty", or (slangily) "a buck fifty". In British English, £1.50 would most often be said "one pound fifty". For amounts over one major unit, Americans typically drop the currency unit; $2.40 would most often be said "two-forty". In British, "two-forty" and "two pounds forty" are both commonly used. Australia and New Zealand follow US usage. [[File:Xbox 360 FF XIII Special Ed. bundle price tag at Target, Tanforan.JPG|thumb|Price tag for an item costing $399.99 (not including sales tax, as the photo was taken in the U.S.). In smaller print, the sale dates are given as "3/9 – 3/13", which uses the U.S. month-first order, implying March 9–13.]] * In British English, whole numbers of pounds (or other currency units) are spoken by their individual digits, especially in radio and TV advertising. "Three nine nine" implies a price of £399; "three ninety-nine" implies £3.99. American English never does this—"three ninety-nine" can mean either $399 or $3.99, with the context determining the meaning. * The U.S. has always used the ''short scale'', where a "billion" is 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million). But most other English-speaking countries formerly used the ''long scale'', where a "billion" is 1,000,000,000,000 (a million million). (In that scale, 1,000,000,000 is either "a thousand million" or sometimes a "milliard".) In 1974 the UK formally adopted the short scale, and other countries followed suit, although some use of the long scale persists. Most other European languages continue to use the long scale (including in bilingual countries, e.g. among French speakers in Canada) so you may want to clarify the exact quantity when talking to a non-native English speaker. ** Indian English follows the Indian numbering system; numbers are grouped completely differently, and spoken using words derived from Indian languages: *** 100,000 is written "1,00,000" and read "one lakh"; it's sometimes abbreviated "L", as in "₹‍5L" for "rupees five lakh" *** 1,000,000 is written "10,00,000" and read "ten lakh" *** 10,000,000 is written "1,00,00,000" and read "one crore"; it may be written out, as in "₹6 crore" for "rupees six crore" [[File:Handwriting variations, numeral 1.svg|right]] * In handwriting, numerals are written the plain way in North America and Oceania: "1" is a vertical line, and "7" is two lines. European handwriting puts the introductory swash on the top of the "1", making it look more like a typeset "1" and avoiding confusion with the capital letter I and with the lower-case letter L. Since the "1" with a swash could be confused with a "7", the "7" often gets a horizontal slash through it, a form that's also common in Australia and Singapore. ===Date and time=== Most countries use DD/MM/YYYY or something similar as their short date format. The biggest exception is the United States, which almost exclusively uses the MM/DD/YYYY format. The Philippines, which is a former American colony and still heavily influenced by American norms, uses MM/DD/YYYY in English-language publications, but usually DD/MM/YYYY in publications in Filipino languages. In Canada, usage is mixed: English speakers use both formats interchangeably, with newspapers invariably choosing MM/DD, but French speakers exclusively use DD/MM. Therefore, a date written as "01/02/2000" stands for "January 2, 2000" in the United States, but would stand for "1 February 2000" in almost any other country, and could conceivably mean either in Canada and the Philippines. (Note that the long dates are also formatted differently, although with hardly any potential for confusion.) Due to their significance and American media influence, the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are known internationally as "September 11" and "9/11" regardless of the actual date format in use. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommends the unambiguous and well-defined method of YYYY-MM-DD, primarily because that is the only format that a computer can sort with a straight text-based sort (not a special date-sorting routine) and get the right result. That format is widely used in Sweden, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, but not in English-speaking countries. Britons in particular often use compact expressions for dates (e.g. "tomorrow week" or "a week [on] Tuesday") and times (e.g. "half eight") that aren't used elsewhere. Their meaning is a cultural convention that's not universal in English, let alone in other languages: for example, "half eight" means 8:30 in English but the equivalent in Dutch means 7:30, and could be taken as either in South Africa. Some of these can be made less ambiguous (for example, Americans usually say "quarter past eight" or "quarter till eight") but others will always have the potential for confusion. Be prepared to clarify, or simply use explicit dates and times. ===Weights and measures=== {{See also|Metric and Imperial equivalents}} [[File:Sunoco, US 19, Jefferson County.JPG|thumb|Gas station in [[Florida]], with prices given per U.S. gallon of fuel. (1 U.S. gal = 0.84 imperial gallons.) In the UK, this would be a filling station and the price would be given in pence per litre]] The U.S., [[Liberia]] and [[Myanmar]], are the few countries that still use non-metric weights and measures (with a few exceptions including medicines, scientific work, and bottled wine, spirits, and soft drinks). The UK is partially metricated, using the metric system for some measures (such as temperature and fuel volume) but not for others (such as road distances and beer volume). The rest of the world switched to metric beginning in the 1970s, though the imperial system still survives to varying extents in colloquial usage. A "pint" of beer in many places is now 500&nbsp;mL. The traditional British pint, which is still legally mandated in the UK, Ireland and Canada, is 568&nbsp;mL (20 imperial fluid ounces). A U.S. pint is just shy at 473&nbsp;mL (16 U.S. fluid ounces), although it's almost always sold in a conical glass that must be filled to the brim to contain 16 ounces. [[Australia#Beer|Beer in Australia]] comes in varying sizes with unique names. A "pint" of beer in Australia is 570&nbsp;mL except in [[South Australia]], where it is 425&nbsp;mL, and 570&nbsp;mL is somewhat erroneously called an "imperial pint". A "pint" of beer is not standardised in New Zealand, but most commonly follows the South Australian pint at 425&nbsp;mL. UK and Ireland measure body weight in "stone" (always singular after a number) and pounds; 1 stone is 14 pounds (6.35&nbsp;kg). Someone who weighs "11 stone 6 pounds" weighs 160 pounds (72.6 kg), and rough body weight is often given in stones only. The imperial ton, or "long ton", is defined to be 160 stone (2,240 pounds; 1016 kg), which is somewhat larger than the U.S. ton, or "short ton", at 2,000 pounds (907.2 kg). Both tons are distinct from the tonne, or "metric ton", which is defined as 1,000 kg (approximately 2,200 pounds). ===Other=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |biweekly||fortnightly||The noun form "fortnight" is also used. UK "biweekly" refers to events that occur twice a week. Using the term "fortnight" in America may draw confusion among those who are familiar with Fortnite, the video game, but not fortnight, the period of time. |- valign="top" |butt / ass / buttocks / fanny||bum / bottom / arse||U.S. "bum" is a derogatory term for a homeless person; UK "fanny" is obscene slang for female genitalia. The words "ass" and "arse" in this sense are also profanities, albeit milder ones. Though Canada generally follows U.S. convention, "bum" is also widely used there. A "fanny pack" (U.S.) is a "bum bag" (UK). All seven of them are used in Australia. |- valign="top" |check||tick || Also the verb form "to check" vs "to tick". |- valign="top" |closet||cupboard / small room / wardrobe || U.S. "cupboard" specifically refers to kitchen cabinets; "wardrobe" is a collection of clothing. Australia uses "wardrobe". |- valign="top" |county seat || county town || Alaska: "borough seat"; Louisiana: "parish seat"; Vermont, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island: "shire town"; Liberia: "county capital". |- valign="top" |fall (season) / autumn||autumn|| |- valign="top" |to fire||to sack||To terminate from employment (often for cause, such as misconduct or poor performance). Australia follows U.S. usage, and Singapore uses both terms |- valign="top" |first name||first name / given name||Australia follows U.S. usage. Singapore only uses "given name". Ethnic Chinese in Singapore are often given an English name in addition to their Chinese name, the former of which is often referred to as their "Christian name" which is sometimes heard in Australia as well. |- valign="top" |flashlight||torch|| As a portable hand-held battery-operated light. <br> Singapore: torchlight <br> All dialects use "torch" to refer to a stick with an open flame at one end. |- valign="top" |garbage truck||dustcart / bin lorry|| New Zealand/Singapore: "rubbish truck" |- valign="top" |last name / family name||surname|| "Surname" is understood and used to a certain extent in the U.S., though less commonly than the alternatives given here. All versions are equally used in Australia. |- valign="top" |period||full stop|| The punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. |- valign="top" |résumé||CV (curriculum vitae)|| In the U.S., academia and medicine use a long "CV", which is a comprehensive detailing of your entire history of publications, positions, awards, etc. Australia and South Africa use both interchangeably (without the accents). |- valign="top" |sister city||twin town||Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage |- valign="top" |trash / garbage||rubbish / litter|| U.S. "litter" specifically refers to small pieces of garbage discarded in plain view — i.e., not in a trash can. The verb "to litter" or "littering" is even more common. Australia: garbage / rubbish |- valign="top" |trash can / garbage can||rubbish bin / dustbin|| All versions are common in Australia except "dustbin". |- valign="top" |vacation||holiday|| U.S. "holiday" is roughly equivalent to UK "bank holiday". UK "vacations" are long periods off from work/school (at least a week) |} ===Same words, different meaning=== *'''Asian''', when used by itself to describe people, has different meanings across the English-speaking world. ** UK — Typically refers to people from the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. People from [[East Asia|East]] and [[Southeast Asia]] are often referred to as "East Asians". ** U.S. and Australia — Typically refers to people from East Asia or Southeast Asia. U.S. usage often excludes South Asians. ** Canada and New Zealand — Generally follow US usage, but can include the Indian subcontinent and sometimes even the Middle East. *'''brew''': As a noun, usually refers to a cup of tea in the UK, but to a glass of beer in the U.S. and Australia. [[File:Bigbullmoose.jpg|thumb|North American moose]] *'''elk''': In the U.S. and Canada, refers to a very large deer similar to the red deer of Eurasia; this animal is also known by the Native American name "wapiti". There is also a smaller species found in India and known as either "Indian elk" or "Sambar deer". : In the UK and Ireland (and also second-language speakers in Europe), "elk" refers to an even larger deer whose males have flattened antlers; this animal is known as the "moose" in North America. *'''fag''': A slang term for a cigarette in the UK; a derogatory term for a homosexual man in the U.S. *'''faggots''': A traditional dish of pork offal/bacon, herb and gravy meatballs in the UK; same offensive connotation as "fag" in the U.S. *'''Indian''': ** [[South Asia]] and [[Oceania]] — Refers ''only'' to people from the country of [[India]]. (The common North American usage of the word to refer to all South Asians, irrespective of nationality, is often considered offensive here.) ** U.S. and Canada — Can have several meanings: *** People from South Asia, not always from the nation of India in particular. *** "East Indian", "American Indian" or "Canadian Indian" are used to avoid the ambiguity. *** Traditionally referred to indigenous people of the American continent, though this usage is rapidly disappearing in favor of "Native Americans" in the U.S. In Canada, it is offensive to many indigenous people; use "First Nations person" or "Indigenous person" instead. ** Caribbean — usually refers to the indigenous people. People of South Asian origin are usually referred to as "East Indians". *'''gentlemen's club''': Refers to a posh, exclusive private club in the UK; a euphemism for a strip club in the U.S. *'''mad''': UK "mad" usually means insane or crazy (as in "barking mad"), while in the U.S. "mad" (at someone) is often used to mean angry (with someone). *'''pissed''': UK "pissed" means drunk. U.S. "pissed" is short for "pissed off", which means annoyed or angry in all varieties of English. *'''rubber''': Refers to an eraser in the UK; a slang word for condom in the U.S. *'''to table''': Has the opposite meaning in the U.S. and the UK **U.S. — To postpone or remove something from consideration **UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand — To put something up for consideration. *'''thongs''' everywhere (including New Zealand) would mean a type of underwear, but in Australia, it means flip-flops. What would be called "thongs" everywhere else would be called a G-string. *'''hotel''' ** In all dialects, can refer to a place where you can pay for short-term lodging, but may take on additional meanings in some countries. ** In Australia, the word is also used to refer to pubs, which may or may not have accommodation on site but often do, especially in rural areas. ** In India and Pakistan, the world is also used to refer any dining establishment, regardless of whether they are part of an establishment that provides accommodation. *'''interstate''' in the U.S., it would refer to a highway system, while in Australia, ''interstate'' is the equivalent of the U.S. ''out-of-state'' *'''Eskimos''' has the same meaning in the U.S., Canada and Greenland, but is considered very offensive in Canada and Greenland. In the U.S., it is somewhat acceptable except in [[Alaska]], where it is becoming increasingly offensive. ==See also== * [[Australian slang]] * [[Talk#Using English]] * [[Phrasebooks]] {{PartOfTopic|Talk}} {{guidetopic}} 9v9qm881say85547kpwznq97qh11uek 4502044 4502039 2022-08-16T09:08:51Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* Weights and measures */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|ftt=yes}} {{quote|The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.|author=attributed to George Bernard Shaw}} English is the main language in many places, an important language in others, and spoken as a second language in most of the rest of the world. However, there are some significant differences in pronunciation, spelling and word usage around the world. This article aims to provide a list of some of these differences that may be useful to travellers. [[File:Anglospeak.svg|300px|thumb|Countries in the world where English is the majority native language (blue) or an official minority language (turquoise)]] [[Image:William Shakespeare Statue, Central Park, NYC.JPG|thumb|Statue of English national bard William Shakespeare in New York City's Central Park]] The clearest distinction is between what can be loosely called the '''British''' (or "Commonwealth", abbreviated "UK" in this guide) and '''American''' (abbreviated "U.S." in this guide) varieties of English. * Many former British colonies (not all of them Commonwealth members) generally follow British rather than American usage: Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and other former British possessions in Africa, Hong Kong, all of South Asia, Malaysia, and current and former British possessions in the Caribbean and Oceania. * A few areas are heavily influenced by the U.S. and generally follow American usage, including the Philippines, Liberia, Israel, the Arab states of the Gulf, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, parts of Latin America and current and former American possessions in the Caribbean and Oceania. * The European Union has mandated British English as an official language of the EU, and it is generally standard British English that is taught as a foreign language in European schools, though American cultural influence is strong in Europe as well. Some American terms may be better known than their British counterparts (e.g., "truck" vs. "lorry", or "toll-free" vs. "freephone"), and some language schools in Europe recruit American and Canadian [[Teaching English|English teachers]]. In general there is a trend to move from British spelling and pronunciation towards American pronunciation, especially among young people, which is fueled in no small part by the increasing availability of American media in the original version. * The African Union, just like the EU, follows UK English * English speakers without a British background and people in areas without a history of direct colonial or military influence by English-speaking nations are often more familiar with American usage because of the popularity of U.S. films, TV series, music, and spell-checkers. In particular, due to the global economic and military dominance of the U.S., outside the Commonwealth and the European Union, it is usually American English that is taught as a foreign language in schools. * Canada mostly follows British spelling conventions ("labour", not "labor") but American vocabulary choices ("elevator", not "lift"). Canadian English is also pronounced similarly to American English; the most common Canadian accent is very close to a Midwestern U.S. accent. * Australia mostly follows British spelling; some words are spelled the American way (such as "program", not "programme"), though fewer than in Canada. However, most of the country with the exception of South Australia has a preference for U.S. terminology due to its heavy American influence since the 1970s, and a lot of British terms may not be understood outside South Australia. However, as a traveller, using only US terminology will get you nearly everywhere. * Papua New Guinea, being a former Australian territory up until 1975, mostly uses Australian English in an ordinary English context * Singapore mostly uses British English, and uses fully British spelling, but uses much more American terminology than other Commonwealth countries (excluding Canada and Australia) and a large number of words are pronounced the American way. Singlish is also used, which is an English-based creole with influences from various Chinese dialects, Malay and Tamil. * Due to the worldwide popularity of Hollywood films and American pop culture, speakers of British English are more likely to understand American English terms than vice versa. * International organisations that both the U.S. and UK are members of (such as the United Nations) typically follow British Oxford usage as homage to the "senior" variety of English. Regardless of which variety is more popular locally, a good course in English as a foreign language will at some point teach the key differences between British and American English. Most reasonably fluent second-language speakers should at least be aware of the most well-known vocabulary differences. Some exceptions to the purely dichotomous treatment of English are noted in comments in the tables below, but this guide is meant to be a practical aid for travellers, not an exhaustive compendium of English usages. ==Spelling== Noah Webster, compiler of the first major dictionary of American English in the early 19th century, made a number of simplifications in the spelling. These are now standard in American English, but generally not used in other varieties. [[File:Fercam DAF105 m Planensattel.jpg|thumb|Depending on the variety of English used, this is either a truck or a lorry, and its color or colour is spelled or spelt gray or grey.]] British English doubles the final consonant in some words when adding an ending, for example in "traveller". American English usually spells it "traveler". American English drops the "U" in "''-our''" endings: {| class="wikitable" |+ !American !British !Comment |- |color |colour | |- |humor |humour |but humorous in all varieties |- |harbor |harbour | |- |labor |labour |In Australia, "labour" is used in most contexts, but one of the country's political parties is the Australian Labor Party. |} However, the word "glamour" is always spelled with the "U". Words borrowed from French keep the French "''-re''" ending in British English, but get changed to the more phonetic "''-er''" in American English: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | center || centre || |- | liter || litre || |- | (kilo)meter || (kilo)metre || As a unit of length<br/>All dialects use "meter" for a measuring instrument. |} British English changes a "C" to an "S" to distinguish a noun from a verb. James Bond has a "licen<span style="text-decoration:underline;">c</span>e" to kill, and was "licen<span style="text-decoration:underline;">s</span>ed" after qualifying as a spy. The American form always uses the "S" in most such pairs, but always has a "C" in "practice". In a few cases, such as "advice"/"advise", the distinction is retained in all varieties of English. American English uses an "S" in some words, while British English uses a "C". {| class="wikitable" !width="50%" | American !!width="50%" | British |- | defense || defence |- | offense || offence |} The adjective forms, "defensive" and "offensive", are always spelled with an "S". Some varieties of English change the "S" to a "Z" in some "''-ise''" and "''-yse''" endings. American English does this universally, while British spelling choice varies by dictionary; the Oxford English Dictionary recommends using the Z, while most other dictionaries opt for the S: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | analyze || analyse || |- | organize || organise || |- | realize || realise || |} Canadian spelling as well as the British Oxford Dictionary generally uses the American -ize endings, although the UK Oxford Dictionary uses -yse endings. In some words, British English retains the ''-ae'' or ''-oe'' spellings while American English simplifies it to an ''-e''. {| class="wikitable" |+ !American !British !Comment |- |[[paleontology]] |palaeontology |In Australia and Canada, both spellings are found |- |eon |aeon |Canada and Australia<!--https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/features/word/search/aeon/--> generally follow U.S. usage |- |maneuver |manoeuvre |Australia and Canada follow UK usage |- |[[Travellers' diarrhea|diarrhea]] |diarrhoea |Both spellings are found in Canada and Australia |} When adding a suffix for some words ending with a silent "E", American English sometimes drops the "E" while British English retains the "E": {| class="wikitable" !width="50%" | American !!width="50%" | British |- | aging || ageing |- | livable || liveable |- | sizable || sizeable |} Some words, such as "bathing" and "usable" drop the "E" everywhere, while some others, such as "dyeing" and "changeable" retain the "E" everywhere. Canada and Australia generally follow U.S. usage here. Some words have silent letters dropped in American English or are just spelled differently: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | check || cheque || As a form of payment<br/>The verb "to check" and its related noun are always spelled "check". |- | curb || kerb || As the raised edge of a street<br/>The verb "to curb" (as in "to restrain") and its related noun are always spelled "curb". |- | draft || draught / draft || UK retains separate words (with multiple meanings for each); U.S. simplifies both to "draft". |- | licorice || liquorice |- | program || programme || UK uses "program" only in the context of a "computer program". Canada generally uses "program", while Australia uses "program" in all contexts. |- | story || storey || As a floor or level of a building<br/>"Story" as in "tale" or "sequence of events" always lacks an "E". |- | tire || tyre || As a ring of rubber around a wheel<br/>The verb "to tire" is always spelled with an "I". |- | ton || tonne || As the metric unit of weight, equivalent to 1,000 kg.<br/>The imperial ton and U.S. ton (see [[English language varieties#Weights and measures|Weights and measures]] below) are always spelled "ton". |- | yogurt || yoghurt / yogurt / yoghourt || Canada: "yogourt, yogurt, yoghurt, yoghourt", In Australia, NZ and South Africa, both are found. |} And a few words are both pronounced and spelled differently: {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | aluminum (''ah-LOO-mi-num'')|| aluminium (''al-lyoo-MIN-ee-um'')|| The British "aluminium" spelling is the international scientific preference, to match other ''-ium'' elements. |- | filet (''fih-LEY'') || fillet (''FILL-it'') || Meat or fish; in engineering it's always "fillet". |- | inquiry, to inquire || enquiry, to enquire || To ask for information<br/>An official investigation is always called an "inquiry". |- | mom || mum || |- | specialty || speciality || |} Canadian usage tends to be mixed in the last two categories, with British spelling being followed for words such as "cheque", "storey", "enquiry" and sometimes "programme", but American spelling being followed for words such as "aluminum", "mom", and "tire". Similarly, Australian usage tends to be mixed as the same categories as Canada, with British spelling being used for such words like "mum", "cheque", and "aluminium", but American spelling being followed for words such as "specialty", "program" (in all contexts), "licorice" and sometimes "inquire". Other Commonwealth English-speaking countries, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Singapore or India, tend to fully use British spelling. Incidentally, punctuation usage differs slightly as well, but doesn't follow the same division between British and American English. Quotations are marked by double quotation marks {{nowrap|('''&ldquo;'''&hellip;'''&rdquo;''')}} in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, while single quotation marks {{nowrap|('''&lsquo;'''&hellip;'''&rsquo;''')}} are used in all other varieties. ==Grammar== There are some minor differences in grammar and usage, which may be interesting if you are studying or [[teaching English]]; however, they are almost never a cause for confusion. ===Verb forms=== Some verbs take different forms in different varieties of English. For past forms of some verbs, the older irregular spellings are more common in British English but the regular "''-ed''" forms predominate in American English. The verbs "dive" and "sneak", however, have the opposite pattern. {| class="wikitable" ! American !! British !! Comment |- | dreamed || dreamt || |- | learned || learnt || The adjective in "a learned man", pronounced with two syllables, is spelled the same in all dialects. |- | spelled || spelt || |- | dove || dived || |- | snuck || sneaked || |} Some verbs retain the older form in all dialects, for example "slept", "built" and "wept". *Australia uses both spellings, although words like "leant" (instead of leaned), "sneaked" (instead of snuck), and "dreamt" (instead of dreamed) are no longer used and others such as "learnt" (instead of learned) are rare, and in general, there's a move towards the US spelling. * Similarly Canada also uses a mix of the two spellings, and similar to Australian usage, it depends on word. * New Zealand follows UK usage except for "snuck" in which the US form is used. The past participle form "gotten" is still common in American English but in British English it has almost entirely vanished; the participle is just "got". ==Pronunciation== {{quote|''You like po-tay-to and I like po-tah-to<br/>You like to-may-to and I like to-mah-to'' | author=lyrics from the song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"}} [[File:Amboy (California, USA), Hist. Route 66 -- 2012 -- 1.jpg|thumb|The historical U.S. [[Route 66]]. "Route" usually rhymes with "shoot", but in North America it may alternatively rhyme with "shout".]] Educated people from almost anywhere in the English-speaking world can talk to each other without difficulty. Consider an international crew on an oil rig somewhere. The engineers and managers would almost certainly be able to talk to each other without any real problems, whether they studied in Edinburgh or Edmonton. However, two working guys from the same two countries &mdash; say working class Glasgow and a Newfoundland fishing village &mdash; would be quite likely to find communication a bit difficult due to stronger regional accents and use of dialectical words. An important difference in English dialects is whether "R" is pronounced after a vowel. Words such as "fo<span style="text-decoration:underline;">r</span>k", "wo<span style="text-decoration:underline;">r</span>d" or "mothe<span style="text-decoration:underline;">r</span>" are quite different in the two types, though everyone pronounces the "R" in other contexts, for example in "rabbit" or "area". Linguists call dialects with the "R" ''rhotic'' and those without ''non-rhotic''. * Dialects with the "R": Some parts of western and northern England, Scotland, Ireland, the [[Otago]] and [[Southland]] regions New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada, most of the U.S., Aboriginal Australian English and parts of South Australia. * Dialects without "R": Most of England, Wales, most of Australia, most of New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, parts of New England, parts of the Southern U.S., some New York City-area accents, and African American Vernacular English (used by many African Americans interchangeably with the standard dialect of their region). People not familiar with dialects other than their own sometimes lump all "R"-less dialects together, as when an American takes a New Zealand accent for British, and others make the opposite error, like an Englishwoman taking a Canadian accent for Irish. The pronunciation of the R can also vary between speakers; in Scotland, India and among black people in South Africa, the R is often trilled like in Spanish and Italian. Another noticeable difference is the "A" sound in words such as "bath", "laugh", "grass" and "chance"; many dialects pronounce them with the "short A" as in "trap", but southern England, South Africa, New Zealand, some parts of Boston and some parts of Australia pronounce them with the "broad A" as in "palm". In this list below, assume that Australia and Canada follow U.S. pronunciation and Singapore and other Commonwealth countries follow UK pronunciation unless indicated otherwise. Certain words are pronounced very differently: {| class="wikitable" |- ! width=15%| Word !! width=15%| American !! width=15%| British !! Comment |- | advertisement || ''AD-ver-tighz-muhnt'' || ''uhd-VER-tihs-muhnt'' || The shortened forms also differ: U.S. "ad" vs. UK "advert". |- | basil || ''BAY-zuhl'' || ''BA-zuhl'' || Australia and Canada follow British pronunciation. |- | data || ''DAY-tuh'' / ''DAT-uh'' || ''DAY-tuh'' || Australia: ''DAH-tuh'' |- | garage || ''guh-RAHZH'' || ''GA-rahj'' or ''GA-rihj'' || sometimes in Canada and Australia as: "graj" (one syllable) |- | herb || ''urrb'' || ''hurb'' (non-rhotic) || Australia follows British pronunciation |- | leisure || ''LEE-zhuhr'' || ''LEH-zhuhr'' || Australia and Canada follow British pronunciation. |- | oregano || ''uh-REH-guh-noh'' || ''o-rih-GAH-noh'' || |- | privacy || ''PRY-vuh-see'' || ''PRIH-vuh-see'' || Singapore follows American pronunciation. |- | route || rhymes with "shout" or "shoot" || rhymes with "shoot" || Many places pronounce the networking device called a "router" to rhyme with "shouter", even if they may otherwise follow the British pronunciation of "route". |- | schedule || ''SKE-jool'' || ''SHED-yool'' || Singapore follows American pronunciation. |- | valet || ''val-AY'' || ''VAL-ay'' or ''VAL-it'' || Singapore follows American pronunciation. |- | Z (letter) || ''zee'' || ''zed'' || In some parts of [[Scotland]], you'll occasionally hear it called "izzard". <br> All dialects apart from American English and English in some former U.S. colonies follow British pronunciation. |} Also, the sweet '''nougat''' is pronounced ''NO-guht'' in the United States and Singapore, but follows the original French ''NOO-gah'' in Australia and New Zealand while in the UK, it's pronounced as ''nʌɡɪt''. Sometimes two places whose names share the same spelling can be pronounced rather differently. For instance, the village of [[Berkeley (England)|Berkeley]] in [[England]] is pronounced ''BARK-lee'' but the city of [[Berkeley]] in [[California]] is pronounced ''BURK-lee''. [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] in England is pronounced with a silent H and unstressed ending (''BUR-ming-um''), while [[Birmingham, Alabama]] has a pronounced H and stressed ending (''BUR-ming-HAM''). "Houston" is pronounced ''HOO-stun'' if it's the village outside [[Glasgow]], ''HOW-stun'' if it's the street in [[New York City]], and ''HYOO-stun'' if it's the city in [[Texas]]. Conversely, two places with rather different spellings can sometimes share the same pronunciation. For instance, an American's pronunciation of [[Oakland]] and a New Zealander's pronunciation of [[Auckland]] are so similar that there was an incident where an airline passenger ended up on the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean. ==Vocabulary== {{quote|The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.| author=James Nicoll}} All dialects of English include words borrowed from other languages, and many of those such as "bungalow" (Hindi), "canoe" (Carib), or "typhoon" (Chinese) are now standard in all dialects. However, many dialects also include loanwords that are non-standard. Canadians use more terms of French origin than other dialects and are more likely to pronounce them as French speakers do, New Zealanders occasionally mix Māori terms into their English, Indian English has Hindi or Urdu words, and so on. Non-native English speakers may on occasion use '''false friends''', words that make sense in their other language but have a different meaning in English; one example is that French ''librairie'' means "bookstore", not "library". The reverse case of loanwords being used in a meaning closer to the language of origin is also common. In some cases, particularly when pseudo-English words like ''Handy'' (German for "mobile phone") are used, confusion may arise. ===Get in/around=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |bus||bus / coach||UK distinguishes between local "buses" (such as city buses or school buses) and long-distance "coaches" (such as National Express or Greyhound).<br/>In the U.S. "bus" is generally used for all of these. |- |car (rail travel) |carriage / coach |Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |carry-on bag||hand luggage|| |- valign="top" |coach [class] / economy class||standard class / economy class||The lowest class of seating on a plane or train. Also called "cattle class". |- valign="top" |crosswalk||pedestrian crossing / zebra crossing || A zebra crossing has striped road markings, as seen on The Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' album cover. All three are used in Australia. |- valign="top" |downtown||city centre||CBD (Central Business District) is standard in Singapore, Australia and sometimes used elsewhere. City centre in Australia does not mean downtown, but rather the centre of the CBD. In some places referred to as just the "City". |- valign="top" |elevator||lift||Australia uses both terms. |- valign="top" |first class||business class|| When referring to seating on short-haul or domestic flights. U.S. "business class" refers primarily to international long-haul business class with lie-flat seats; UK "first class" refers to a class more expensive and luxurious than business class. <br> All other countries follow British usage. |- valign="top" |first floor||ground floor||UK "first floor" means "first above the ground floor", which is called the "second floor" in the U.S. Hotels tend to label floors like "lobby", "mezzanine", "pool", etc., which may or may not be counted in place of numbered floors. Australia uses both interchangeably. |- |flight attendant||air host[ess]||Singapore/Malaysia: "air steward[ess]"<br/>"Stewardess" was used in the U.S. up to the 1980s, but today is considered outdated and arguably sexist. Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. |- |main street||high street||A primary road lined with shops in the central commercial district. Some older towns in Australia use "high street" while "main street" is used elsewhere. |- |overhead compartment / overhead bin||overhead locker|| Australia only uses "overhead compartment". |- valign="top" |[pedestrian] underpass||subway||As a pedestrian tunnel under a busy road or railroad. Australia and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |round-trip (ticket)||return||U.S. "return" refers to just the return leg itself. |- valign="top" |sidewalk||pavement||Australia: "footpath". In North America "pavement" is a mass noun referring to the ''substance'' (usually asphalt) used to cover a surface (usually a road, but also parking lots, etc.). |- valign="top" |streetcar / trolley||tram||U.S. "streetcar" is always in mixed traffic (and often a rather short line) whereas many trams have dedicated rights of way and would likely be labeled "light rail" in the U.S. Australia follows UK usage, except in New South Wales and Queensland where "light rail" is used. In Singapore, "trolley" is a synonym of "trolleybus". |- valign="top" |subway / metro / ''local acronyms''||underground / metro||"Metro" is the most commonly used term for similar systems internationally, and is used in places like [[Montreal]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[Newcastle upon Tyne]].<br/>The London Underground is colloquially known as "the Tube", while [[Glasgow]]'s is called a "subway".<br/>In many cities, the local public transit system has its own acronym. |} ====By car==== For historical reasons, cars and roads have developed a lot of differing terminology between American and British English. For terms related to motor vehicles, Canadian and Australian English use American terminology and spelling extensively. An exception is the Australian state of [[South Australia]], which tends to be more conservative and mostly use British terminology. Additionally, the British spellings of "tyre" and "plough" are exclusively used in Australia. <!--the exceptions are units of measure (litres, kilometres) and some motorway terminology like Québec's "autoroute"--> {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |blinker / turn signal||indicator / signal||Australia uses both interchangeably. |- valign="top" |boot||wheel clamp||Also the related verb "to boot" (U.S.) vs "to clamp" (UK). Australia uses both terms, depending on region; New Zealand follows UK usage. |- valign="top" |carpool||car sharing||South Africa: "lift scheme". Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |carsharing||car club||As in self-service short-term (often hourly) car rentals. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |coupe (pronounced ''KOOP'') / 2-door||coupé (pronounced ''koo-PAY'' or ''KOO-pay'') / 2-door||Australia follows the American spelling but both pronunciations are heard. |- valign="top" |divided highway||dual carriageway||In Oceania, a divided highway has an island in the middle, regardless of how many lanes there are. Dual carriageway means two lanes each way, but there does not need to be an island in the middle. |- valign="top" |drunk driving / DUI / DWI||drink-driving||U.S. "DUI" and "DWI" are acronyms for "driving under the influence" and "driving while intoxicated", respectively. In colloquial speech all three of the listed terms are synonymous, but in legal uses the specific terminology and definition of "DUI" and/or "DWI" vary from state to state. |- valign="top" |gas / gasoline||petrol|| UK "gas" refers to liquified petroleum gas (LPG). Australia (except South Australia) uses "fuel" in even though it can mean both petrol and diesel. |- valign="top" |gas [pedal]||accelerator||Australia uses both terms interchangeably, except South Australia which exclusively uses "accelerator". |- valign="top" |gas station||filling station / petrol station||Australia: "service station" or "fuel station". Canada: also "gas bar". Singapore: "petrol kiosk". South Asia: "petrol shed" <br/>U.S.: the gas station's pumps are on concrete pads known as "islands"; UK: the filling station's petrol pumps are in the "forecourt".<br />New Zealand has a brand of petrol station called "GAS", hence "gas station" may be ambiguous. |- valign="top" |hood (of a car)||bonnet||Australia follows UK usage |- valign="top" |median||central reservation||Australia follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |minivan||people carrier|| Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage with "minibus" also used. Singapore: "minibus / minivan" |- valign="top" |overpass||flyover|| U.S. "flyover" generally refers to not just an overpass but a complex interchange with ramps. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |parking brake||handbrake||Australia (except South Australia) follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |parking lot ||[open-air] car park|| Singapore "parking lot" refers to a parking space. Australia follows UK usage |- valign="top" |parking garage / parking deck / parking ramp ||[multi-storey] car park|| South Africa and Canada: "parkade". New Zealand: "parking building". Australia follows UK usage |- valign="top" |to pass||to overtake||In Australia, you overtake cars and pass cyclists. New Zealand distinguishes between "passing" in traffic lanes on your side of the road, and "overtaking" by moving into the lane for oncoming traffic. |- valign="top" |pavement||road surface / tarmac||Australia: "bitumen". U.S. "tarmac" refers to airport surfaces where airplanes move. |- valign="top" |pickup [truck]||''no particular usage; see notes''||South Africa: "bakkie". Australia and New Zealand: "ute" (pronounced ''yoot'') is either a pickup truck, or a coupé pickup (similar to the Chevrolet El Camino). Pickup trucks are extremely uncommon in the UK, and don't have a specific name. Singapore follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |to rent||to hire||Australia and New Zealand use both terms. Singapore follows U.S. usage. Also U.S. "rental car" vs UK "hire car".<br/>U.S. "to hire (a vehicle)" is used only in the sense of vehicles that come with a driver, such as taxis, limousines, etc. |- valign="top" |sedan / 4-door||saloon / 4-door|| Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |[service] shop / repair shop / mechanic||garage||New Zealand and Singapore follow U.S. usage. In Australia, a "service station" or "servo" is a petrol/gas station that may or may not also include repair facilities. |- valign="top" |side view mirror||wing mirror||Australia (except South Australia) follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |speed bump||speed bump / hump / sleeping policeman|| New Zealand: "speed bump" (long) or "judder bar" (short). Australia follows U.S. usage. Singapore only uses "hump". |- valign="top" |[station] wagon||estate car|| Australia, New Zealand and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |stick / stick&nbsp;shift / manual (transmission)||manual|| Also sometimes called "standard", even in the U.S. and other countries where the vast majority of cars have automatic transmissions. |- valign="top" |truck||lorry||''U.S. term has multiple meanings; see notes below.'' UK road signs refer to "HGVs" (which stands for "Heavy Goods Vehicles"). Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage, though really long trucks in Australia are also known as "road trains". Singapore distinguishes between smaller "lorries" and larger "trucks". |- valign="top" |trunk (of a car)||boot||Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |undivided highway||single carriageway||In Oceania, an undivided highway has no traffic island, regardless of the number of lanes, and a single carriageway has two lanes, whether divided or not. |- valign="top" |windshield||windscreen|| |- valign="top" |yield||give way||Australia follows British usage, but finding the term "yield" isn't uncommon |} [[File:Toyota Hilux Double Cab 3.0 D-4D front.jpg|thumb|This Toyota Hilux pickup / bakkie / ute / truck has a 3.0L turbo-diesel engine / motor under the hood / bonnet.]] * '''roundabout''': The term "roundabout" is standard everywhere, but Massachusetts uses "rotary". New York State distinguishes roundabouts from "traffic circles", which are usually larger in size and where traffic rules regarding right-of-way, etc., are somewhat different. *'''service station''': ** U.S. — a filling station attached to a repair garage ** UK — motorway service area, a service centre or rest area ** Australia — a service station or a "servo" is any fuel station. * '''truck''': U.S. "truck" can refer to several different vehicles: ** A pickup truck ** An SUV (sport utility vehicle), known elsewhere as an "off-road vehicle", "4x4" / "four-by-four", or by brand names like "Jeep" or "Land Rover"; sometimes marketed as a "crossover" for light-duty vehicles with no off-road capability ** A heavy-duty vehicle for moving cargo (includes articulated semi-trailers [UK: "lorry"] and box/straight trucks) or specialized jobs (fire trucks, tow trucks, garbage trucks, etc.) :In casual conversation, "truck" is more likely to refer to a pickup, but could also refer to an SUV. *'''freeway, motorway, expressway, etc.''': ** The technical term for this type of road is a '''controlled-access highway''', though this is rarely if ever used in everyday speech. ** U.S. — Can be called a "highway", "freeway" or "expressway". While there may be technical legal distinctions between the terms depending on state, they are largely synonymous in everyday speech. "Interstate" is the name of a specific U.S. highway system, not a general term for any freeway or numbered road. "Turnpike" is a somewhat old-fashioned term still used in some states to refer specifically to expressways where tolls are charged, though you'll also occasionally see the word (and its shortened form "pike") fossilized in the proper names of ordinary roads that once levied tolls on travellers. ** UK — Known as a "motorway". Some specific motorways use the term "expressway" in their name, e.g. M6 Toll is known as the Midland Expressway. "Highway" refers to all publicly-owned roads of any size. **Australia: ***Australian Capital Territory – no specific usage. The only freeways in the ACT are either called parkway or avenue, but they can refer to any road ***New South Wales – motorway, freeway, expressway and highway (even if it's a freeway grade road) are all used. ***Queensland – Mostly uses motorway, with the exception of Western Fwy, and highway even if it's a freeway grade road ***South Australia – uses freeway and expressway interchangeably, with freeway being more common. The term "motorway" is only used in proper names and only on the North-South Motorway which is classified as an expressway. ***Victoria/Western Australia and a general Australian context – exclusively uses "freeway" ***Tasmania – just called a highway ** Papua New Guinea – the term "freeway" is only used when referring to the Poreporena Freeway in [[Port Moresby]], but it is hardly a freeway ** Canada — Commonly known as a "highway" or "expressway". "Autoroute" is used in Quebec (in English and in French). ** New Zealand — Both "expressway" and "motorway" are used. ** Singapore, Hong Kong — Known as an "expressway". In Singapore, the term "parkway" is only used in the proper name "East Coast Parkway", the main expressway from the city to Changi Airport. ** Malaysia — May be called a "highway" or "expressway" in English. On road signs, the Malay term "lebuhraya" is used. ** Outside North America, the term "highway" is often used to refer to any major sealed public road. ===See and do=== For sports, the International Olympic Committee and most international sports federations follow British usage. {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |bumper cars||dodgems||Singapore and India follow U.S. usage. Both terms are used in Australia and New Zealand. |- |checkers||draughts||The strategy board game played on a checkered (UK: "chequered") board. Australia follows U.S. usage. Singapore uses both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" |football||[[American football]]||''Multiple meanings; see notes below.'' |- valign="top" |[[soccer]]||football||''Multiple meanings; see notes below.'' |- valign="top" |hockey||ice hockey||The game played on ice, the national sport of Canada. All countries outside North America follow British usage. |- valign="top" |field hockey||hockey||The game played on grass or artificial turf, popular in India and Pakistan. All countries outside North America follow British usage. |- valign="top" |intermission||interval|| |- valign="top" |tie||draw|| When referring to matches where a winner cannot be determined. Several sports may have their own special words for different game results without a winner. [[Cricket]] uses both "tie" and "draw" with mutually exclusive meanings. Australia and NZ follow U.S. usage, although "draw" is not unheard of in soccer |- valign="top" |track and field||athletics|| U.S. "athletics" more often refers to sports in general.<br />UK "track and field" refers only to events that take place at the stadium (i.e. excluding road-based and cross-country events); U.S. "track and field" may also exclude cross-country depending on the area you are in. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |movie theater / cinema ||cinema|| In the UK, "going to the pictures" can also mean a trip to the movies. |} [[File:Lat Soc 21 (3807523890).jpg|thumb|The most popular sport in the world: "association football", "football", or "soccer".]] *'''football''' refers to the most common game in the respective country. ** In the UK, that would be [[association football]]. Although "soccer" was originally an Oxfordian word formed from ''association'' football, much like "rugger" was formed from ''rugby'' football, most Brits today insist that "football" is the one true name for this sport. ** In Australia, the usage varies by region; "football" or the slang term "footy" refers to [[Rugby football#Rugby league|rugby league]] in [[Queensland]] and most of [[New South Wales]], but refers to [[Australian rules football]] (AFL) everywhere else. However, "football" never refers to soccer. ** In the U.S., [[American football]] is meant when referring to "football" unqualified. Other countries may know it better as "gridiron football", of which American football is one variety; in North America, "gridiron" refers to the field itself. ** In Canada "football" refers to either the Canadian or the American variety of gridiron football (very similar to each other). ** In Ireland, "football" may refer to association football, Gaelic football, or sometimes rugby union. National media typically avoid confusion by not using "football" by itself to refer to any sport, respectively using "soccer", "Gaelic football", and "rugby" to refer to the three aforementioned sports. ** In New Zealand, "football" historically referred to [[Rugby football#Rugby union|rugby union]], but since 2005 this has dramatically changed, with "football" now referring almost exclusively to association football (soccer). ** In South Africa, "football" would most often refer to association football. However, the word is rarely used outside of official contexts (such as the name of the national governing body for the sport, the South African Football Association). All cultural groups in the country, when speaking English, refer to the sport as "soccer"; this is reflected in national media usage. ** In Singapore and Malaysia, "football" refers to soccer, though the term "soccer" is also widely used and understood. *The unqualified word '''rugby''' usually refers to rugby union, but refers to rugby league in the north of [[England]]. **Although "football" refers to rugby league in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales, the word "rugby" always refers to the rugby union throughout the whole of Australia. * When describing matches between two teams, the home team is typically stated first in the UK (e.g. "Manchester United vs Liverpool" means Manchester United hosting Liverpool), while it is typically stated second in the U.S. (e.g. "L.A. Lakers vs (or "@") Chicago Bulls" means L.A. Lakers visiting the Chicago Bulls). Australia mostly follows British convention. * '''Billiards''' is sometimes a generic term for all sports played with billiard balls and cue sticks, but more often refers to specific games or groups of games. ** In the UK, "billiards" usually refers to English billiards. ** In North America and Oceania, "billiards" usually refers to pool. ** '''Billiard balls''' are divided into "spots and stripes" in the UK, "solids and stripes" in the U.S., and "smalls and bigs" in Australia. * '''Bowling''', without further qualification, usually refers to indoor ten-pin bowling worldwide, but in the UK and some Commonwealth countries it can also refer to lawn bowls. * The strategy board game called '''[[Go]]''' in Japanese is known as such by most English speakers worldwide, but is known by its Chinese name "weiqi" in Singapore and Malaysia. ===Buy=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |swimsuit / bathing suit||swimming costume (female) / swimming trunks (male)|| Australian usage differs by region (eg. "cozzie" in Sydney, "tog" in Melbourne, elsewhere you might hear "swimmers" or "bathers"). |- valign="top" |bill (money)||note|| "Note" is short for "banknote", which is the official term used in all English-speaking countries. |- valign="top" |cash register||till|| U.S. "till" refers specifically to a money drawer, such as that of a cash register or a bank teller's station. Australia and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |checking account||current account|| Depending on location, may also be spelled "chequing account" or called a "cheque account". Canadian banks offer "chequing accounts" to individuals but "current accounts" to businesses. Australia follows U.S. usage, but also uses "transaction account" or "everyday banking account". |- valign="top" |fanny pack||bum bag|| UK "fanny" is obscene slang for female genitalia, whereas U.S. "bum" is a rude word for a homeless person.<br/>Singapore: "waist pouch" or just "pouch" |- valign="top" |jumper || pinafore [dress] || |- valign="top" |line (of people waiting)||queue||People in the New York City area stand "on line"; elsewhere in the U.S. they stand "in line". U.S. uses "queue" only as an abstract concept (e.g. "job queue" for a printer). |- valign="top" |mall||shopping centre|| U.S. "shopping center" usually refers to a complex of retail stores ''without'' interior corridors, though this can vary regionally and can also be called a "strip mall", "mini-mall", or "plaza". Australia mostly uses mall, however for smaller roadside malls, it's called "shopping plaza", although that is starting to fade out |- valign="top" |pants||trousers||UK "pants" refers to underwear. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore use both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" |panties||knickers|| New Zealand uses both terms interchangeably. Australia and Singapore follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |pump (women's shoe)||court shoe|| |- valign="top" |shopping cart||[shopping] trolley||In New Zealand you'll also hear "trundler". In the U.S. "shopping cart" is widespread, but you may also hear "buggy" in the South and in the older generations of the Midwest and "shopping carriage" in southern New England. U.S. "trolley" may refer to a streetcar or a bus built to outwardly resemble an old style streetcar. |- valign="top" |sneakers / athletic shoes / tennis shoes ||trainers|| Singapore: "track shoes"; Philippines: "rubber shoes" |- valign="top" | sweater || jumper || UK may also use "tank top" to refer to a sleeveless jumper (U.S. "sweater vest") |- valign="top" | tank top || vest / singlet || Singapore only uses "singlet". |- valign="top" | tuxedo || dinner jacket / dinner suit|| "Dinner jacket" can be abbreviated to "DJ", and "tuxedo" can be shortened to just "tux". Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. Singapore uses all these terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" | vest || waistcoat || Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. Singapore uses both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" | rubber boots / galoshes / mud boots / rain boots || Wellington boots / wellies || Australia: "gumboots" or "rubber boots" but Wellington boots is unheard of. Canada: "gumboots", "wellies", "wellingtons", or "rainboots". New Zealand: "gumboots", "wellies", or "Redbands". |} *'''ATM''', which stands for "automated teller machine", is the standard word in all English-speaking countries except the UK. ** UK — "cash point / cash machine / hole-in-the-wall". Unrelatedly, U.S. "hole-in-the-wall" means a place lacking ambience that sells cheap (but not necessarily bad) food. ** U.S. [[Midwest]] — Some areas also use "TYME machine" (an acronym for "Take Your Money Everywhere", the brand name of a former regional interbank network). *'''Flip-flops''' go by various local names: Australia: "thongs"; New Zealand: "jandals" (short for "Japanese sandals"); South Africa: "slops"; Hawaii: "slippa" (the local pronunciation of "slippers"); Philippines/Singapore: "slippers". They're also just called "sandals", but this term can cause confusion since there are various other types of sandals. *'''Senior [citizen]''' is a fairly universal term for elderly people, who are typically retired and on a fixed income, and consequently extended discounts at many restaurants and attractions. ** UK, Ireland — "OAP" (which stands for "old age pensioner") is also used ===Eat=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |appetizer / starter||starter|| Australia: "entrée". In Commonwealth countries except Canada and Australia, an "appetiser" refers to an even smaller dish consumed before the starter, which may also be called one of three French-derived terms: ''amuse-bouche'', ''hors d'œuvre'' or ''canapé''. |- valign="top" |arugula||rocket / roquette|| |- valign="top" | to broil / to grill || to grill || ''Broiling'' means the heat source is above the food; ''grilling'' means the heat source is below the food. The UK does not make the distinction between the two. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |candy||sweets|| Australia/New Zealand: "lollies". U.S. "sweets" refers to desserts in general. |- valign="top" |check (restaurant)||bill||Canada and Australia follow British usage. |- valign="top" |chips||crisps||''See notes below.'' |- valign="top" |cookies||biscuits||Britain distinguishes hard "biscuits" from soft "cookies". U.S. "biscuit" is similar to a savory scone. Australia and NZ follow British usage. |- valign="top" | corn || maize || ''See notes below.'' Southern Africa: "mealie" |- valign="top" |corned beef||salt beef|| UK "corned beef" refers to "bully beef". Australia/New Zealand: "corned beef" or "silverside" (after the beef cut commonly used). |- valign="top" |cotton candy||candy floss||Australia: "fairy floss" |- valign="top" |dessert||dessert / pudding / sweet||U.S. "pudding" without qualification usually means the same as UK "custard" or "blancmange". Australia follows American usage. |- valign="top" |eggplant||aubergine||South Asia/Singapore/Malaysia: "brinjal". Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |entrée / main course||main course|| In English-speaking areas outside the U.S, "entrée" would generally be understood to be a synonym of "starter". Australia uses both "main dish" and "main course". |- valign="top" |food truck||mobile canteen|| All Commonwealth countries that use the term "[[#Get in/around|truck]]" follow U.S. usage while other Commonwealth countries follow UK usage. |- valign="top" |[French] fries||chips||''See notes below.'' |- valign="top" | grocery store / supermarket || supermarket || Australia follows U.S. usage, and often just called "the groceries". |- valign="top" | ground beef / hamburger [meat] || minced beef / beef mince || |- valign="top" | Jell-O || jelly|| "Jell-O" is a trademarked brand of gelatin desserts, although the term is widely used generically in the U.S. and Canada. |- valign="top" |jelly||jam||U.S. "jam" contains fruit flesh and "jelly" is filtered to just the thickened juice, with pectin (and often sugar, etc.) added. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |ketchup / catsup || tomato sauce / ketchup || Usage may vary. "Tomato sauce" is more common in New Zealand, India, and South Africa. Wales, Scotland, and parts of England may use "red sauce". Depending on context, "tomato sauce" can also mean Italian sauces (e.g. Neapolitan, marinara). Australia uses both terms interchangeably, depending on restaurant. The spelling "catsup", while still occasionally seen in the U.S., is becoming increasingly uncommon. |- valign="top" |napkin||serviette / napkin||UK distinguishes paper "serviettes" from cloth "napkins". Canada uses both terms interchangeably. Australia and Singapore use both terms interchangeability for paper serviettes, but uses "napkin" exclusively for cloth napkins. |- valign="top" |pickle||gherkin|| U.S. "pickle" refers to a pickled cucumber, unless otherwise specified (e.g., pickled tomatoes, pickled peppers).<br/>UK "pickle" is a broad term that refers to any pickled vegetable, plus several kinds of preserve. |- valign="top" |rutabaga||swede|| Scotland: "neep" |- valign="top" |scallion / green onion||spring onion||Ireland: "scallion". Wales also uses "gibbon". Australia and the New Orleans area: "shallot", and a true shallot is called "French shallot". |-valign="top" |shrimp||prawn|| In British, Canadian, New Zealand and Singaporean usage, a "shrimp" is typically much smaller than a "prawn", while Australian English does not use the term "shrimp" at all. |- valign="top" |takeout / carryout / to go||takeaway|| |- valign="top" |zucchini||courgette||Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage. New Zealand uses both terms interchangeably. |- valign="top" |} * While '''breakfast''', '''lunch''' and '''dinner''' refer to the morning, midday and evening meals respectively in most countries, parts of the UK refer to the midday meal as "dinner", and to the evening meal as "supper" or "high tea". Outside the UK, "supper" may be another name for the evening meal, or may be a small late-night meal after dinner. * '''bacon''' — In English-speaking countries, the term refers to a type of cured pork product usually served in slices. However, countries differ on the meaning of the unqualified word: ** U.S., Canada — "Bacon" by itself refers to a product prepared from the pork belly. In the UK and Ireland, this product is called "side bacon" or "streaky bacon", with the latter term coming from the streaks of fat across the strips of meat. ** UK, Ireland — The unqualified term "bacon" refers to a different and much leaner product taken mainly from the loin, cut into "rashers" which include part of the belly or "medallions" which are just the trimmed eye of loin meat. North America calls this product "back bacon". In the U.S. only, "Canadian bacon" refers to a form of back bacon that is cut from the lean eye of the loin and sold ready to eat. In parts of Canada (mainly southern Ontario), a form of back bacon rolled in cornmeal known as "peameal bacon" (from the former use of dried peas as a coating) is popular. ** Australia — Standard "bacon" is something of a cross between the above types, being prepared mainly from the belly, with a piece of loin attached. * '''chips''' / '''crisps''' / '''fries''': ** UK — "chips" refers almost exclusively to deep fried, elongated strips of potatoes; crispy, thin slices of potatoes are referred to as "crisps". ** U.S., Canada — "chips" refers almost exclusively to crispy, thin slices of potatoes, while deep fried elongated strips of potatoes are referred to as "fries" or "French fries". However, the British dish "fish and chips" is still referred to as such, and in Canada, "chip trucks" sell French fries. ** Australia, New Zealand — Both the aforementioned fried-potato dishes are referred to as "chips"; the meaning is generally inferred from context. However, the term "fries" is used in American fast food chains such as McDonald's, and is also beginning to see some use outside of that in Australia. ** Singapore — Mostly follows U.S./Canadian usage, but the British sense of "chips" is also common in certain contexts. ** Some Commonwealth nations use "fries" for the thinner style as typically found at McDonald's and "chips" for the thicker style as typically found in fish and chips. * '''coriander''': In the UK, refers to both the seeds and leaves of ''Coriandrum sativum''. In North America, "coriander" refers only to the seeds; the leaves are called "cilantro". * '''corn''': ** North America, Oceania, Singapore — A cereal that grows on tall stalks, with the edible grains (most often yellow or white, though other colors exist) forming "ears" growing from the stalk. This plant and its grain are called "maize" in the UK and Ireland, and by botanists worldwide (at least within a scientific context). ** England and Wales — "Corn" can refer to any cereal, but most often to wheat. ** Scotland and Ireland — Similar to England and Wales, except that the most common reference is to oats. ** However, in culinary contexts, "corn" with an additional word (e.g. "popcorn", "sweet corn", or "corn flakes") always refers to maize, even in the UK and Ireland. * '''crayfish''': ** U.S. (except Louisiana), Canada: refers to small freshwater crustaceans resembling lobsters, known as a '''crawfish''' in Louisiana, and a '''yabby''' in Australia ** Australia, New Zealand: refers to rock lobsters (i.e. lobsters without pincers) ** Singapore: usually refers to a type of slipper lobster, known as a '''Moreton Bay bug''' in Australia. Can also be used in the North American sense, though these are rarely eaten in Singapore. * '''mutton''': ** In most of the English-speaking world, refers to the meat of adult sheep. ** India, Malaysia, Singapore — can also refer to goat meat. * '''flapjack''': In the U.S., this is an informal word for a pancake. In the UK, it's a simple pastry made from oats. * '''porridge''': Across the English-speaking world, this is a soft dish made of heated grain or legumes that can be eaten with a spoon. Different countries have local variations, like oatmeal in the UK or congee in Singapore. * '''yam''': ** UK, Ireland — refers exclusively to true yams, a usually white-fleshed root vegetable. ** North America — may also be used to refer to the orange-fleshed sweet potato. ** New Zealand — refers to oca, a small, usually red-skinned root vegetable. Sweet potatoes are sold under their Māori name, ''kūmara''. ** Malaysia, Singapore — refers to taro, a small white- or slightly purple-fleshed root vegetable. *The Greek dish consisting of meat roasted on a vertical rotisserie is called a '''gyro''' (often pronounced "YEE-roh") in the United States, but '''yiros''' (pronounced the way it is spelt) in Australia. *The Chinese dish known as '''hot pot''' in most of the English-speaking world is known as '''steamboat''' in Singapore and Malaysia. ===Drink=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |apple juice / [apple] cider||apple juice|| U.S. "apple juice" is filtered and "cider" is unfiltered (and both are non-alcoholic). Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |hard cider||cider|| In a U.S. bar, "cider" by itself would be assumed to mean hard cider, but elsewhere would usually be taken to mean unfiltered apple juice. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |liquor store / package store||off licence|| Australia/New Zealand: "bottle shop" or sometimes "Bottle-O".<br/>In places with a government-owned alcohol monopoly, often known by the name of that agency ("ABC store" or just "state store" in some U.S. states, "LCBO" in Ontario, "SAQ" in Quebec, etc.).<br/>In Canada, "off licence" means selling unopened bottles over the counter at a hotel, bar, or restaurant and is legal in only a few provinces. |- valign="top" |lemon-lime soda (e.g. Sprite, 7-UP) || lemonade || |- valign="top" |lemonade (squeezed lemons and sugar) || traditional lemonade / still lemonade || |- valign="top" |pop / soda / coke || fizzy drink / soft drink || ''See notes below.'' |} *'''pop''', etc. **U.S., Canada: ***In the U.S., "pop" is used in Western New York, western Pennsylvania, most of the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, and most of Alaska. It is also the preferred term throughout most of English-speaking Canada. ***"Soda" is used in New England, the coastal Mid-Atlantic, California, most of the Southwest, eastern Wisconsin, South Florida, Hawaii, and anywhere within a roughly 150-mile (240 km) radius of St. Louis. ***"Coke" predominates in the southern tier of the U.S. between New Mexico and Florida. The word is used generically, not just in reference to Coca-Cola: the answer to the question "what kind of coke would you like?" could very well be Pepsi. **Australia, New Zealand – generally synonymous with "soft drink", which is the common term and the equivalent of the UK/Ireland "fizzy drink". **UK, Ireland — "Fizzy drink" is the most common term throughout all of these countries, though you might also hear "mineral" in Ireland. In the UK, "soft drink" more commonly refers to ''any'' non-alcoholic beverage. **South Africa — "Cooldrink" is the most commonly used term. **Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines — "Soft drink" is the most commonly used term. **Nigeria — "Mineral" is the most commonly used term. ===Sleep=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |apartment||flat|| In the UK, "flat" is the generic term; "apartment" is used for similar dwellings in expensive residential areas. Australia mostly uses U.S. usage along with "unit". In Singapore, "flat" refers only to public housing units, while "apartment" is officially a generic term, but is more commonly used to refer to units in private condominiums. |- valign="top" |to rent ||to let || Australia, New Zealand and Singapore follow U.S. usage. In any dialect, "to lease" can be use for longer rentals that involve a lease. |- valign="top" |campground||camp site|| A group of spots for multiple tents, caravan trailers, or RVs. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |campsite||camping pitch || An individual spot for one tent, caravan trailer, or RV. Australia follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |comforter||duvet||Australia: "doona" |- valign="top" |faucet / spigot / tap||tap||Australia and Canada follow British usage. |} ===Learn=== {{seealso|Studying abroad}} Education is among the areas where differences between UK and U.S. English are most profound. {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |class / course||module / unit|| |- valign="top" |college||university / uni||''Usage varies by country; see notes below''. As a generic term for post-secondary undergraduate education, "university" is also understood in the U.S., though the contracted form "uni" generally is not. |- valign="top" |degree program||course [of study] / degree programme|| |- valign="top" |faculty||academics||As in educators (professors, teachers, lecturers/lectors, etc.) and researchers. In education contexts, U.S. usually distinguishes "faculty" from "staff": employees who have neither teaching, research, nor managerial responsibilities. UK "faculty" refers to a collection of related academic departments (sometimes referred to as a "school" in the context of UK higher education). Australia follows British usage |- valign="top" |grades / points||marks / grades||Also U.S. "to grade" or "to check" versus UK "to mark". Singapore and Australia distinguish quantitative "marks" from qualitative "grades". |- valign="top" |graduate / grad (stage of education)||postgraduate / postgrad||As in education above the level of a bachelor's degree. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |to major in (a subject)||to read / to study (a subject)||U.S. "to study (a subject)" can mean majoring, or simply to take any class, or reviewing (UK: "revising") before an exam |- valign="top" |private school||public school / independent school / private school||''See notes below.'' |- valign="top" |proctor / [exam] supervisor||invigilator|| |- valign="top" |professor||lecturer||In the UK, "professor" is a highly prestigious title and a department rarely has more than one; senior academics may be titled "readers", and the rest are "lecturers" of varying levels. In the U.S. and Canada, "lecturer" is sometimes the formal title for a junior or part-time faculty member, whereas the word "professor" can be used loosely for any professional college instructor or reserved for full-time faculty members. Other Commonwealth countries mainly follow the British system, but may use "associate professor" instead of the British "reader". |- valign="top" |public school||state school||''See notes below.'' As in a government-owned, publicly-funded school open to all students. May be known as a "government school" in some places. |- valign="top" |to review||to revise||U.S. "to revise" means to make edits to improve written or printed material |- valign="top" | to take (an exam) || to sit (an exam) || Canada: "to write (an exam)". India: "to write/give (an exam)".<br/>In the U.S., professional degree students (law, medicine, etc.) will "take" their school exams, but "sit [for]" their professional exams (bar, medical boards, etc.). |- valign="top" |tuition||tuition fees||UK "tuition" refers to the educational content transferred to students |} [[File:Oxford - Balliol College - geograph.org.uk - 1329613.jpg|thumb|Balliol College, part of [[Oxford]] University]] *'''college''': ** U.S. — Generic term for post-secondary undergraduate education. An American student will "go to college" regardless of whether his or her particular institution is formally called a "college", "university", or some other term, and whether or not the school awards bachelor's degrees. This usage of "college" does not extend to graduate education, which is usually called "grad school" (or for professional degrees, "law school", "med (medical) school", etc.). ** Canada — Mainly refers to a technical, career, or community college (U.S.: "community college" or "junior college"). Canadians draw a sharp distinction between "going to college" (implying a community, technical or career college diploma) and "going to university" (studying for a bachelor's or postgrad degree). College mostly offers two or three-year programs which prepare students for practical employment. A few exceptions: *** Quebec inserts two years of community college, locally known as CÉGEP, between its secondary education and university. Quebec students graduate from high school after grade 11, as opposed to grade 12 in Anglophone North America. Undergraduate degrees from Quebec universities are completed in one less year than in Anglophone North America, as the first year will have been completed at a CÉGEP. *** In Ontario, a "CVI" (Collegiate and Vocational Institute) is a secondary/high school facility (not a college) which offers technical or machine shops ** UK — Can refer to any post-secondary institution that is not a university, or sometimes to a secondary school. Students studying for their bachelor's or postgraduate degree will say that they are "going to university" (or "uni") instead of U.S. "college", regardless of the formal title of their school. ** Ireland — Similar to U.S. usage but slightly broader (i.e. includes postgraduate education) for historical reasons unique to that country. Before 1989, no Irish university provided teaching or research directly; they were instead offered by a constituent college of a university. ** Australia — Usually refers to a private (i.e., non-government) primary, or especially secondary, school. ** New Zealand — Normally refers to secondary schools; used interchangeably with "high school". ** Singapore — Generally refers to government high schools. Short for "junior college". ** In all countries, can also refer to a constituent college of a university. *'''graduation''' / '''to graduate''': ** U.S., Australia — Most commonly refers to having earned a high school diploma or an undergraduate (bachelor's or associate) degree. ** UK — Only refers to the completion of a university degree programme (i.e. bachelor's, master's or doctorate). *'''prep school''': ** U.S. — a secondary/high school that prepares students for college. ** UK — a primary school that prepares pupils for fee-paying public (private) secondary schools {{anchor|public school}}<!--DO NOT REMOVE THIS ANCHOR, it points to a link in another article--> *'''public school''': ** U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand — A government-owned, publicly-funded school; most often used to refer to an elementary or secondary school open to all students within the geographic boundaries designated for that school. ** UK — Can have several meanings: *** "Public" education as opposed to "private" education by a tutor *** Exclusive fee-paying secondary schools, typically boarding schools (which are "public" because they aren't restricted based on home location, religion, etc.) *** Any independent school (also called "private schools" following U.S. usage); this usage of "public school" is rare in Scotland and Northern Ireland [[File:Ucberkeley tower.jpg|thumb|The University of California in [[Berkeley]], regarded as one of the top public universities in the world]] *'''state school''': **U.S. — Used exclusively to refer to publicly-funded universities operated by state governments. **UK — A publicly-funded school for students aged between 5 and 18. Universities are not called schools in the UK, although the term may be used for departments within a university ("School of Chemistry"). **New Zealand – refers to publicly-funded primary and secondary schools, often to the exclusion of ''state integrated schools'', i.e. former private schools that have become state schools while retaining their private school character. *'''student''': ** UK, Ireland — Traditionally refers exclusively to those attending university-level institutions. Attendees of primary and secondary institutions are generally called "pupils". However, the North American sense of the term (see below) is beginning to see some use. ** New Zealand — Broader than in the UK and Ireland; "pupils" refers only to children in primary school (years 1–6). "Student" is used for all higher levels, from intermediate to postgraduate. ** Philippines — Likewise, formally "students" refer to learners in the secondary level (starting at grade 7) or higher, whereas "pupils" refer to learners in the elementary level. For most schools, "student" is more widespread although the word "pupil" is sometimes used. ** U.S., Canada, Australia — Refers to all people attending educational institutions at any level, from primary to postgraduate. "Pupils" is generally understood in North America but considered something of an archaic term. ** Singapore — Follows U.S. usage, but also used interchangeably with "pupils" up to the secondary school level. *'''student union''' or '''students' union''': ** U.S. ("student union" only) — One of several terms used to describe a college/university building intended for student recreation and socializing. Synonyms include "student center" and "student activity center". ** Other English-speaking countries — A college/university student organization devoted to representing the interests of the students before the administration. The recreational aspect is also looked after by the unions as in the U.S., but their political role is often emphasized. The most common U.S. equivalent is "student government", with "student senate" also seeing some use. ===Stay safe and stay healthy=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" | acetaminophen || paracetamol || A common over-the-counter pain remedy. Brand names include "Tylenol" and "Panadol". |- valign="top" | attorney / lawyer || solicitor / barrister / advocate / lawyer|| UK terms are not interchangeable; typically clients hire a "solicitor" to provide legal advice, who may in turn hire a "barrister" (Scotland, South Africa: "advocate") to represent the client in court. "Lawyer" is the generic term covering all these sub-professions in the UK. |- valign="top" | Band-Aid / bandage || [sticking] plaster || A small adhesive used to dress minor wounds. "Band-Aid" is a trademarked brand name of such items that is widely used generically. In the UK and parts of the U.S., "bandage" is understood to mean gauze or elastic bandages intended for more serious wounds. Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage |- valign="top" |drug store / pharmacy||chemist / pharmacy|| The "Green Cross" symbol in the UK and Europe indicates that store is a chemist or pharmacy. In the U.S. the same "Green Cross" symbol has been used by [[cannabis|marijuana dispensaries]], gardening suppliers and environmentalists. Australia and Singapore exclusively use "pharmacy". |- valign="top" | ER (emergency room) || A&E (accident & emergency) || Australia/New Zealand: "ED (emergency department)" |- valign="top" | family doctor / primary care physician || GP (General Practitioner) || "GP" is also used in the U.S., but it's possible not everyone will understand the term. GP is used in all Commonwealth countries though. |- valign="top" | fire department || fire brigade || Australia uses "fire brigade" in the state of [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], but uses "fire service" everywhere else. New Zealand primarily uses "fire service", but "fire brigade" is also used. |- valign="top" | physician (generic) / [medical] doctor || medical doctor || |- valign="top" | Q-tip || cotton bud || "Q-tip" is a trademarked brand name of such items that is widely used generically. Australia follows British usage. |} ===Insurance=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! Australia !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" | co-pay || gap || Singapore: co-insurance |- valign="top" | deductible || excess || Singapore follows U.S. usage. |} ===Cope=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |crib (infant bed)||cot|| U.S. "cot" refers to a small, portable, usually foldable bed used at campsites, military barracks, etc. |- valign="top" |day care||nursery / playgroup / child care|| Ireland and New Zealand: "crèche" Australia follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |diaper||nappy|| Singapore distinguishes a disposable "diaper" from a cloth "nappy". Disposable diapers are also knowns as "Pampers" in Singapore after a popular brand. |- valign="top" |laundromat||laundrette|| "Coin laundry" is the preferred term in Australia and Singapore as well as being used extensively as a secondary synonym pretty much everywhere else in the Anglosphere. |- valign="top" |[laundry] detergent || washing powder || Liquids used for this purpose are "liquid detergent" in the U.S. and "washing liquid" in the UK. Singapore: soap powder |- valign="top" |luggage storage || left luggage || U.S. and Australia: "left luggage" is a synonym for "lost luggage" (which was "left" behind) |- valign="top" |pacifier||dummy|| Singapore follows U.S. usage, but also uses "soother" |- valign="top" |power cord||mains lead (rhymes with "reed")|| Australia follows U.S. usage |- valign="top" |stroller / baby carriage||pushchair / pram||"[Baby] buggy" is common in both U.S. and UK. Canada, Australia and Singapore use both "pram" and "stroller" |- valign="top" |restroom / bathroom / lavatory || toilet(s) / lavatory / loo / bog / water closet / WC || ''See [[Toilets#Talk|Toilets &sect; Talk]], as this is a very nuanced topic.'' "Loo" and "bog" are both slang usages. Canada: "washroom" is the preferred (though not universal) term for public toilets. Philippines: "comfort room" or "CR" are used colloquially.<br/>"Toilet paper" is universally understood, but Brits may refer to "loo roll" or "bog roll". |} ===Connect=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |to call (to use a telephone)||to ring / to call|| |- valign="top" |cell [phone]||mobile [phone]||Britons understand "cell phone", and Americans understand "mobile phone" (unqualified "mobile" is generally understood in Canada but less so in the U.S, especially when pronounced to rhyme with "smile"). Singapore/Malaysia: "handphone". Some European second-language English speakers use "handy", from a German misconception of English slang. Australia follows UK usage although the U.S. "cell" is widely understood, while NZ follows U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |collect call||reverse charge call|| |- valign="top" |long-distance call ||trunk call|| |- valign="top" |mail||post||As the saying goes: "In the UK, the Royal Mail delivers the post; in the U.S., the Postal Service delivers the mail." Most Commonwealth countries follow U.S. usage. |- valign="top" |pound [sign/key]||hash [sign/symbol]||Referring to the # button on a telephone. When denoting the same symbol's usage on Twitter and other social media, the term "hashtag" is used throughout the Anglosphere, including the U.S.<br/>British usage avoids confusion with "£" as the "pound sign" as in the unit of currency. In North America, "#" is sometimes used ''after'' a number to indicate weight in pounds. Australia follows British usage. |- valign="top" |prepaid||pay as you go (PAYG)||Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage. In Canada, both terms are used interchangeably.<br/>U.S. "pay as you go" may refer to the more expensive per-unit rate after you use up the cheaper prepaid units. |- valign="top" |refill||top-up|| Australia/Hong Kong: "recharge". Philippines: "reload". Canada follows British usage. |- valign="top" |toll-free [call]||freephone||Australia and Canada follow U.S. usage while NZ follows UK usage |} * '''postal code''': ** Canada, Pakistan, Singapore — "postal code" ** UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia — "postcode" ** In many countries around the world they're known by the name of the local system: *** U.S. and its former colonies — "ZIP code" *** Ireland — "Eircode" *** India — "PIN" (Postal Index Number), sometimes redundantly called a "PIN code" ===Numbers=== You might expect that numbers would be simple, since they always mean the same thing. Alas, differences in how they're spoken (or even written) can sometimes lead to confusion when you're not expecting it. * The number 0 is spoken as "zero" or "oh" in all varieties of English, but Britons are also likely to use "nought" or "nil". ** When used in the score of a sporting event, British uses "nil" and American may use "nothing" or informally "zip". Hardcore soccer fans and journalists in North America often use "nil" following British usage when discussing soccer (or rather, "football"). Tennis and cricket have unique readings ("love" and "duck", respectively). ** For decimal numbers like 0.8 and 0.05, Britons would usually say "nought" as in "nought point eight" and "nought point nought five". Americans often omit the leading 0, saying "point eight" and "point oh five". * Most varieties of English informally count in hundreds up to 1,900, which is "nineteen hundred" rather than "one thousand nine hundred"; this is common for money or counting things, or when the number is understood to be rounded to the next hundred. (Philippine English is an exception; they prefer the more formal "one thousand nine hundred"; "nineteen hundred" is only spoken in military contexts, e.g. 1900 hours.) But Americans and Australians often continue this trend for even large four-digit numbers above 2,000, so they're likely to read 9,500 as "ninety-five hundred" rather than "nine thousand five hundred". * Similarly, all varieties of English group years into two-digit groups. But Americans also apply this to street addresses and sometimes phone numbers or other sequences of digits, as well as some three-digit sequences like road numbers (e.g. I-285 is "eye two eighty-five") and bus routes. The same applies in Australia, but not commonly for road numbers. * Meanwhile, Britons tend to use "double" when reading sequences of digits such as phone numbers (which is why James Bond's 007 moniker is "double-oh seven" rather than "zero zero seven"). * Monetary amounts in the range of one or two major currency units may be spoken differently in the two main forms of English. An American would say that an item costing $1.50 costs "one-fifty", "a dollar fifty", or (slangily) "a buck fifty". In British English, £1.50 would most often be said "one pound fifty". For amounts over one major unit, Americans typically drop the currency unit; $2.40 would most often be said "two-forty". In British, "two-forty" and "two pounds forty" are both commonly used. Australia and New Zealand follow US usage. [[File:Xbox 360 FF XIII Special Ed. bundle price tag at Target, Tanforan.JPG|thumb|Price tag for an item costing $399.99 (not including sales tax, as the photo was taken in the U.S.). In smaller print, the sale dates are given as "3/9 – 3/13", which uses the U.S. month-first order, implying March 9–13.]] * In British English, whole numbers of pounds (or other currency units) are spoken by their individual digits, especially in radio and TV advertising. "Three nine nine" implies a price of £399; "three ninety-nine" implies £3.99. American English never does this—"three ninety-nine" can mean either $399 or $3.99, with the context determining the meaning. * The U.S. has always used the ''short scale'', where a "billion" is 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million). But most other English-speaking countries formerly used the ''long scale'', where a "billion" is 1,000,000,000,000 (a million million). (In that scale, 1,000,000,000 is either "a thousand million" or sometimes a "milliard".) In 1974 the UK formally adopted the short scale, and other countries followed suit, although some use of the long scale persists. Most other European languages continue to use the long scale (including in bilingual countries, e.g. among French speakers in Canada) so you may want to clarify the exact quantity when talking to a non-native English speaker. ** Indian English follows the Indian numbering system; numbers are grouped completely differently, and spoken using words derived from Indian languages: *** 100,000 is written "1,00,000" and read "one lakh"; it's sometimes abbreviated "L", as in "₹‍5L" for "rupees five lakh" *** 1,000,000 is written "10,00,000" and read "ten lakh" *** 10,000,000 is written "1,00,00,000" and read "one crore"; it may be written out, as in "₹6 crore" for "rupees six crore" [[File:Handwriting variations, numeral 1.svg|right]] * In handwriting, numerals are written the plain way in North America and Oceania: "1" is a vertical line, and "7" is two lines. European handwriting puts the introductory swash on the top of the "1", making it look more like a typeset "1" and avoiding confusion with the capital letter I and with the lower-case letter L. Since the "1" with a swash could be confused with a "7", the "7" often gets a horizontal slash through it, a form that's also common in Australia and Singapore. ===Date and time=== Most countries use DD/MM/YYYY or something similar as their short date format. The biggest exception is the United States, which almost exclusively uses the MM/DD/YYYY format. The Philippines, which is a former American colony and still heavily influenced by American norms, uses MM/DD/YYYY in English-language publications, but usually DD/MM/YYYY in publications in Filipino languages. In Canada, usage is mixed: English speakers use both formats interchangeably, with newspapers invariably choosing MM/DD, but French speakers exclusively use DD/MM. Therefore, a date written as "01/02/2000" stands for "January 2, 2000" in the United States, but would stand for "1 February 2000" in almost any other country, and could conceivably mean either in Canada and the Philippines. (Note that the long dates are also formatted differently, although with hardly any potential for confusion.) Due to their significance and American media influence, the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are known internationally as "September 11" and "9/11" regardless of the actual date format in use. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommends the unambiguous and well-defined method of YYYY-MM-DD, primarily because that is the only format that a computer can sort with a straight text-based sort (not a special date-sorting routine) and get the right result. That format is widely used in Sweden, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, but not in English-speaking countries. Britons in particular often use compact expressions for dates (e.g. "tomorrow week" or "a week [on] Tuesday") and times (e.g. "half eight") that aren't used elsewhere. Their meaning is a cultural convention that's not universal in English, let alone in other languages: for example, "half eight" means 8:30 in English but the equivalent in Dutch means 7:30, and could be taken as either in South Africa. Some of these can be made less ambiguous (for example, Americans usually say "quarter past eight" or "quarter till eight") but others will always have the potential for confusion. Be prepared to clarify, or simply use explicit dates and times. ===Weights and measures=== {{See also|Metric and Imperial equivalents}} [[File:Sunoco, US 19, Jefferson County.JPG|thumb|Gas station in [[Florida]], with prices given per U.S. gallon of fuel. (1 U.S. gal = 0.84 imperial gallons.) In the UK, this would be a filling station and the price would be given in pence per litre]] The U.S., [[Liberia]] and [[Myanmar]], are the few countries that still use non-metric weights and measures (with a few exceptions including medicines, scientific work, and bottled wine, spirits, and soft drinks). The UK is partially metricated, using the metric system for some measures (such as temperature and fuel volume) but not for others (such as road distances and beer volume). Other Anglophone countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa) switched to metric beginning in the 1970s, though the imperial system still survives to varying extents in colloquial usage. A "pint" of beer in many places is now 500&nbsp;mL. The traditional British pint, which is still legally mandated in the UK, Ireland and Canada, is 568&nbsp;mL (20 imperial fluid ounces). A U.S. pint is just shy at 473&nbsp;mL (16 U.S. fluid ounces), although it's almost always sold in a conical glass that must be filled to the brim to contain 16 ounces. [[Australia#Beer|Beer in Australia]] comes in varying sizes with unique names. A "pint" of beer in Australia is 570&nbsp;mL except in [[South Australia]], where it is 425&nbsp;mL, and 570&nbsp;mL is somewhat erroneously called an "imperial pint". A "pint" of beer is not standardised in New Zealand, but most commonly follows the South Australian pint at 425&nbsp;mL. UK and Ireland measure body weight in "stone" (always singular after a number) and pounds; 1 stone is 14 pounds (6.35&nbsp;kg). Someone who weighs "11 stone 6 pounds" weighs 160 pounds (72.6 kg), and rough body weight is often given in stones only. The imperial ton, or "long ton", is defined to be 160 stone (2,240 pounds; 1016 kg), which is somewhat larger than the U.S. ton, or "short ton", at 2,000 pounds (907.2 kg). Both tons are distinct from the tonne, or "metric ton", which is defined as 1,000 kg (approximately 2,200 pounds). ===Other=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! U.S. !! UK !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- valign="top" |biweekly||fortnightly||The noun form "fortnight" is also used. UK "biweekly" refers to events that occur twice a week. Using the term "fortnight" in America may draw confusion among those who are familiar with Fortnite, the video game, but not fortnight, the period of time. |- valign="top" |butt / ass / buttocks / fanny||bum / bottom / arse||U.S. "bum" is a derogatory term for a homeless person; UK "fanny" is obscene slang for female genitalia. The words "ass" and "arse" in this sense are also profanities, albeit milder ones. Though Canada generally follows U.S. convention, "bum" is also widely used there. A "fanny pack" (U.S.) is a "bum bag" (UK). All seven of them are used in Australia. |- valign="top" |check||tick || Also the verb form "to check" vs "to tick". |- valign="top" |closet||cupboard / small room / wardrobe || U.S. "cupboard" specifically refers to kitchen cabinets; "wardrobe" is a collection of clothing. Australia uses "wardrobe". |- valign="top" |county seat || county town || Alaska: "borough seat"; Louisiana: "parish seat"; Vermont, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island: "shire town"; Liberia: "county capital". |- valign="top" |fall (season) / autumn||autumn|| |- valign="top" |to fire||to sack||To terminate from employment (often for cause, such as misconduct or poor performance). Australia follows U.S. usage, and Singapore uses both terms |- valign="top" |first name||first name / given name||Australia follows U.S. usage. Singapore only uses "given name". Ethnic Chinese in Singapore are often given an English name in addition to their Chinese name, the former of which is often referred to as their "Christian name" which is sometimes heard in Australia as well. |- valign="top" |flashlight||torch|| As a portable hand-held battery-operated light. <br> Singapore: torchlight <br> All dialects use "torch" to refer to a stick with an open flame at one end. |- valign="top" |garbage truck||dustcart / bin lorry|| New Zealand/Singapore: "rubbish truck" |- valign="top" |last name / family name||surname|| "Surname" is understood and used to a certain extent in the U.S., though less commonly than the alternatives given here. All versions are equally used in Australia. |- valign="top" |period||full stop|| The punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. |- valign="top" |résumé||CV (curriculum vitae)|| In the U.S., academia and medicine use a long "CV", which is a comprehensive detailing of your entire history of publications, positions, awards, etc. Australia and South Africa use both interchangeably (without the accents). |- valign="top" |sister city||twin town||Australia and New Zealand follow U.S. usage |- valign="top" |trash / garbage||rubbish / litter|| U.S. "litter" specifically refers to small pieces of garbage discarded in plain view — i.e., not in a trash can. The verb "to litter" or "littering" is even more common. Australia: garbage / rubbish |- valign="top" |trash can / garbage can||rubbish bin / dustbin|| All versions are common in Australia except "dustbin". |- valign="top" |vacation||holiday|| U.S. "holiday" is roughly equivalent to UK "bank holiday". UK "vacations" are long periods off from work/school (at least a week) |} ===Same words, different meaning=== *'''Asian''', when used by itself to describe people, has different meanings across the English-speaking world. ** UK — Typically refers to people from the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. People from [[East Asia|East]] and [[Southeast Asia]] are often referred to as "East Asians". ** U.S. and Australia — Typically refers to people from East Asia or Southeast Asia. U.S. usage often excludes South Asians. ** Canada and New Zealand — Generally follow US usage, but can include the Indian subcontinent and sometimes even the Middle East. *'''brew''': As a noun, usually refers to a cup of tea in the UK, but to a glass of beer in the U.S. and Australia. [[File:Bigbullmoose.jpg|thumb|North American moose]] *'''elk''': In the U.S. and Canada, refers to a very large deer similar to the red deer of Eurasia; this animal is also known by the Native American name "wapiti". There is also a smaller species found in India and known as either "Indian elk" or "Sambar deer". : In the UK and Ireland (and also second-language speakers in Europe), "elk" refers to an even larger deer whose males have flattened antlers; this animal is known as the "moose" in North America. *'''fag''': A slang term for a cigarette in the UK; a derogatory term for a homosexual man in the U.S. *'''faggots''': A traditional dish of pork offal/bacon, herb and gravy meatballs in the UK; same offensive connotation as "fag" in the U.S. *'''Indian''': ** [[South Asia]] and [[Oceania]] — Refers ''only'' to people from the country of [[India]]. (The common North American usage of the word to refer to all South Asians, irrespective of nationality, is often considered offensive here.) ** U.S. and Canada — Can have several meanings: *** People from South Asia, not always from the nation of India in particular. *** "East Indian", "American Indian" or "Canadian Indian" are used to avoid the ambiguity. *** Traditionally referred to indigenous people of the American continent, though this usage is rapidly disappearing in favor of "Native Americans" in the U.S. In Canada, it is offensive to many indigenous people; use "First Nations person" or "Indigenous person" instead. ** Caribbean — usually refers to the indigenous people. People of South Asian origin are usually referred to as "East Indians". *'''gentlemen's club''': Refers to a posh, exclusive private club in the UK; a euphemism for a strip club in the U.S. *'''mad''': UK "mad" usually means insane or crazy (as in "barking mad"), while in the U.S. "mad" (at someone) is often used to mean angry (with someone). *'''pissed''': UK "pissed" means drunk. U.S. "pissed" is short for "pissed off", which means annoyed or angry in all varieties of English. *'''rubber''': Refers to an eraser in the UK; a slang word for condom in the U.S. *'''to table''': Has the opposite meaning in the U.S. and the UK **U.S. — To postpone or remove something from consideration **UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand — To put something up for consideration. *'''thongs''' everywhere (including New Zealand) would mean a type of underwear, but in Australia, it means flip-flops. What would be called "thongs" everywhere else would be called a G-string. *'''hotel''' ** In all dialects, can refer to a place where you can pay for short-term lodging, but may take on additional meanings in some countries. ** In Australia, the word is also used to refer to pubs, which may or may not have accommodation on site but often do, especially in rural areas. ** In India and Pakistan, the world is also used to refer any dining establishment, regardless of whether they are part of an establishment that provides accommodation. *'''interstate''' in the U.S., it would refer to a highway system, while in Australia, ''interstate'' is the equivalent of the U.S. ''out-of-state'' *'''Eskimos''' has the same meaning in the U.S., Canada and Greenland, but is considered very offensive in Canada and Greenland. In the U.S., it is somewhat acceptable except in [[Alaska]], where it is becoming increasingly offensive. ==See also== * [[Australian slang]] * [[Talk#Using English]] * [[Phrasebooks]] {{PartOfTopic|Talk}} {{guidetopic}} 4hor1l16fr1pyembmzz7gofzrksq4b9 0 1652 4501649 4486637 2022-08-15T17:01:07Z Salil Kumar Mukherjee 2256076 Picture addition wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Arunachal Pradesh WV Banner.jpg|caption= Tawang Gompa }} [[Image:Arunachal Pradesh in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Arunachal Pradesh on the map of Republic of India]] {{disclaimerbox|Although most of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by both China and Taiwan (as South Tibet), it is under the ''effective control'' of the Indian government. As visitors wishing to visit have to obtain Indian visas, permits and so on, we treat it as a part of India here. ''This does not represent a political endorsement of the claims made by either side of the dispute.''}} '''Arunachal Pradesh''' is one of the [[North-Eastern India|northeastern states]] of [[India]]. It is bordered by [[Bhutan]] in the west, [[China]] in the north and northeast, [[Myanmar]] (Burma) in the southeast, and the states of [[Assam]] and [[Nagaland]] in the south. ==Regions== {{Mapframe|width=500|height=500|group=map1}}{{mapshape}} Arunachal Pradesh can be broadly classified into four regions: * '''Northern Region''', it is sparsely populated with snow-capped mountains. * '''Southern Region''', it is the most economically active zone. Most of the population live in the southern and eastern parts. * '''Eastern Region''', it is a big tourism spot with many local mountain ranges like the Naga hills and the Patkai Bum. * '''Western Region''', it is a very mountainous region with a big tourism centre for bikers. ==Cities== [[File:Mountains of Arunachal Pradesh.jpg|thumbnail|Arunachal Pradesh]] * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q41128|name=[[Itanagar]]|lat=27.1000|long=93.6167|image=Ita fort itanagar 161010 (3).jpg}} &mdash; the state capital * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q4900928|name=[[Bhalukpong]]|lat=27.01053|long=92.64623}} &mdash; located in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh - home to Pakke Tiger Reserve and the Tipi Orchard Research Centre * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q859141|name=[[Bomdila]]|lat=27.2500|long=92.4000}} &mdash; a small town with 3 famous Buddhist monasteries * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q1190872|name=[[Deomali]]|lat=27.158569444444|long=95.478161111111}} &mdash; a village that is a treat for environmentalists, biologists, and nature lovers, with several varieties of fruits and rich flora and fauna * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q14213565|name=[[Dirang]]|lat=27.322|long=92.293}} &mdash; a city with several forts and the remnants of Dirang Dzong (a fort) * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pasighat]]|lat=28.06190|long=95.32594}} &mdash; one of the oldest places in the state, and an educational hub * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q1006270|name=[[Rupa]]|lat=27.20309|long=92.39864}} &mdash; a municipality of the state * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Tawang]]|lat=27.5833|long=91.8667|image=Tawang-town.jpg|wikidata=Q1006270}} &mdash; Himalayan town with the second-largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in the world, built in 1681 * {{marker|type=city|wikidata=Q4022768|name=[[Yingkiong]]|lat=28.62358|long=95.03645}} &mdash; a small town often used as the start of the journey to the Pemako area, on the border with Tibet [[File:Golden Pagoda Namsai Arunachal Pradesh.jpg|thumb|Golden Pagoda in Arunachal Pradesh]] [[File:Siang River in Arunachal.jpg|thumb|Siang River in Arunachal]] ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Mouling National Park | lat=28.47382 |long=94.74845 | image= }} &mdash; (humid and wet area) named after Mouling peak part of the ''Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve'' * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Namdapha National Park | lat=27.45963 |long=96.54146 | image= }} &mdash; the largest national park in India, known for its biodiversity and for being home to the northernmost rain forest in India ==Understand== Arunachal Pradesh was part of [[Tibet]] until 1914, when a treaty between the [[British Raj|British Indian]] government and the Tibetan government brought the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] region under British control. However, [[China]] considered the Tibetan government to be a local government that had no power to sign treaties with another sovereign state. As a result, China refused to recognise the treaty, and continues to claim the region as part of Tibet. Arunachal Pradesh was known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) till 1987, when it was renamed to the current name. The current name literally means the "province of the dawn-lit mountains". ==Talk== People of Arunachal Pradesh can speak and understand [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] and English. There are more than 36 major tribes and more than 306 sub-tribes, but most of them know Hindi. ==Get in== === Fees and permits === Foreigners need a '''Protected Area Permit''' (PAP) to enter the state. The PAPs are issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, but the easiest approach is to get your Indian visa with a special endorsement allowing travel in the state. Individual travellers are generally granted 15 days (extendable once), but are allowed access only into major towns and sights; travels off the beaten track generally require a registered tour group of four or more people. Indian citizens require an '''Inner Line Permit''' (ILP) to enter the state, which can be acquired from any of the AP Houses situated in [[New Delhi]], [[Kolkata]] and [[Guwahati]]. The ILP is provided for each of the following sectors: # Bomdila, Dirang, Tawang #Itanagar, Ziro # Namdapha, Changlang One can get the ILP for any one of the above sectors. === By plane === The state has only one commercial airport in Pashigat, with Alliance Air flying to [[Tezpur]]. There is another airport for [[general aviation]] in Aalo (Along). FlyBig airline has tri-weekly services from the airport of [[Tezu]]. If you are visiting [[Namdapha]], then the nearest airport is in [[Dibrugarh]], Assam. There are no direct flights to [[Itanagar]], and the nearest airport is in Tezpur. There is a helicopter service available from [[Guwahati]] to various destinations like [[Pasighat]] and [[Tawang]]. The service is operated weather permitting. The fares are reasonably priced. There are no public taxis operating at the helipad in Tawang. If you want to trek from the helipad to Tawang town, make prior arrangements for road transport before boarding the flight. === By car === If you are visiting [[Bomdila]] sector, then the easiest way to reach there is by road from Tezpur (Assam). One can then go to [[Tezpur]] by state transport buses. From Tezpur, shared vehicles are available every morning from 05:30. It's recommended to use a reputed travel agency to book seats. Requesting your driver to stop at Sela pass during the winter allows you to see picturesque snow-covered views. The roads are good and well maintained by Border Road Organisation (BRO), but there can be landslides in the rainy season. ==Get around== ===By car=== For first-timers driving by your own in mountainous roads is not recommended. There are numerous rental cars available in almost all cities in the state. The rental cars are generally safe and charge reasonably. ===By bus=== Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Services provides daily bus services between the cities. The bus might get jam-packed sometimes. The prices are very cheap and the journey is safe. ==See== [[File:Aji Lamu Folk Dance of Arunachal Pradesh.jpg|thumb|Aji Lamu Folk Dance of Arunachal Pradesh]] * '''Bomdila''' is a great place for adventure sports, rafting, angling and trekking. The best time for trekking is October to February. * '''Pasighat''' is one of the oldest cities of Arunachal Pradesh. This is a great place for tourists who wish to experience the beauty of nature. The city is the entrance point for the Arunachal Pradesh. Places to visit around '''[[Tawang]]''' include: * '''Tawang Monastery'''. A Tibetan Buddhist gompa (fortified monastery) that was constructed in 1681. It is the second-largest Buddhist monastery in the world. * '''Anni Gompa''', a Buddhist monastery managed by nuns. * '''Nuranang Falls''', a large waterfall near Tawang. * '''Tawang War Memorial''' is not to be missed. It is maintained by the Indian Army and has inscribed therein the names of those who died defending Tawang during the Chinese intrusion in 1962. A sombre place, it elicits awe, gratefulness and perhaps a tear in the eyes of many Indian visitors. ==Do== * '''[https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ Greener Pastures]''' - An Eco-tourism venture that offers travelers an escape into the unexplored mountains of Arunachal Pradesh. They organize tribal cultural exchanges, treks, extreme river rafting challenges, and sightseeing tours around the region. * '''Kameng River Rafting:''' - This River was known as the Bhareli River, before it was renamed Kameng. This river flows on the India-Tibet border, in India it flows from Arunachal Pradesh. This is one of the most challenging rivers for river rafting in India. * '''Rafting''' - Brahmaputra is counted as one of the best rivers for rafting in the world. This river gives an amazing and exciting, lifetime memorable rafting expedition experience into the North-East of India. The Tsang Po River flows in the east side of Tibet, passing through great Himalayan. This river also passes through the Namche Barwa, highest unclimbed mountain and then reaches to Arunachal Pradesh. Brahmaputra river rafting is an challenging activity in which one can experience the “Zebra ock” and “Roaring Rikor”. Tourists can also set their camp on beaches in the night time. This journey also includes a ride at Dibrugarh on the Brahmaputra River also the densely forested river valley from the plains of Pasighat. * '''Biking''' - The curvy mountainous roads of Arunachal Pradesh offers stunning views of valleys. It is known as a biker's paradise. Biking through the sights of snow-capped mountains is a great experience. ==Eat== [[File:Red Rice With Pork pieces.jpg|thumb|Red Rice With Pork pieces]] Tibetan delicacies like thupka, momos or simple and delicious paratha-sabzi eaten hot from the roadside shacks on cold misty days are a treat. Most restaurants in Tawang serve them. A small shack called Annapurna serves delicious alu (potato) chips. The traditional Monpa cuisine uses a generous amount of chillies and fermented cheese which has a strong flavour. Some traditional Arunachal dishes are: *'''Gyapa khazi''' is a type of pulao made of rice, fermented cheese, small dried fish or shrimp, chillies, ginger and other spices. *'''Khura''' is a pancake, often taken with tea. *'''Momo''' is made by stuffing minced pork and onions into dough and then steaming the dumpling in a three-layer steamer or frying them. *'''Thukpa''' is a soup filled with noodles, minced meat and vegetables, also known as '''der thuk'''. '''Ashum thukpa''' is made of maize, beans and meat. *'''Zan''' is the staple dish of the Monpa tribes. It is usually made of millet flour, and is served with vegetables or meat, to which fermented cheese, soya bean or herbs are added. ==Drink== Getting tea or coffee is quite easy in Arunachal Pradesh. There are many local drinks which include local beers. * '''Saraku''' is a local alcoholic drink. * '''Apo''' is a local beer. It can be categorised as a rice beer. You cannot find it in shops as they are usually brewed in households and often served along with rice and chutney and is a part of a tradition and culture. ==Stay safe== Arunachal Pradesh is a safe state. The inhabitants are generally friendly and ready to help visitors. However, there are dangers of [[altitude sickness]] for the visitors of the state, especially in the high mountainous areas. You are not advised to visit sensitive places near the Indo-China border. Stay inside your hotel and its premises in the night as going out between the mountains during the night might not be a good idea. The most important, '''''Drive Carefully!''''', if you are driving in mountainous roads, speeding or overtaking might not be a safe choice. Avoid visiting the state in the rainy season. The heavy rains cause the roads to get really muddy and landslides are frequent which lead to road blocks. All the places are well guarded and the crime rate in this region is very low. ==Go next== * '''[[Assam]]''' - known for its lush tea gardens and wildlife, * '''[[Nagaland]]''' - known for its unique landscape and culture. * '''[[Manipur]]''' - a hybrid place with a mix of different cultures and tribes. * '''[[Mizoram]]''' - known for its cultural heritage. * '''[[Meghalaya]]'''- known for its exceptional wildlife and natural beauty. The world's wettest place [[Cherrapunji]] is also located here. * '''[[Tripura]]''' - known for being a fusion between modern and ancient world. {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.06|93.37|zoom=8}} {{IsPartOf|North-Eastern India}} 7tt66eq6v7ror8y9jdq764eaibo482g 0 1752 4501888 4500202 2022-08-16T05:18:05Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Regions */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Upper Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and DibruSaikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. | region2name=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Lower Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=The capital and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. '''National parks and wildlife sanctuaries''': * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles * There are several other wildlife sanctuaries across the length and breadth of Assam. '''Archaeological''': * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]]/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} ep3m78obj2fbgsvmnurzqb4futxa7mk 4501891 4501888 2022-08-16T05:24:45Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Regions */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Upper Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and DibruSaikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. | region2name=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Lower Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=Thehi9storic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. '''National parks and wildlife sanctuaries''': * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles * There are several other wildlife sanctuaries across the length and breadth of Assam. '''Archaeological''': * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]]/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} e70ffjtn5smr9fanvaddj2cgdngekbk 4501893 4501891 2022-08-16T05:25:55Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Regions */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Upper Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and DibruSaikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. | region2name=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Lower Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. '''National parks and wildlife sanctuaries''': * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles * There are several other wildlife sanctuaries across the length and breadth of Assam. '''Archaeological''': * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]]/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} 5v2bfmpq5hnp94nip8gicj0y1oe4osx 4501894 4501893 2022-08-16T05:28:05Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Regions */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. '''National parks and wildlife sanctuaries''': * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles * There are several other wildlife sanctuaries across the length and breadth of Assam. '''Archaeological''': * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]]/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} rdvftgbv9a18h9q9652tku47rmha63h 4501900 4501894 2022-08-16T05:39:12Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. '''National parks and wildlife sanctuaries''': * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles * There are several other wildlife sanctuaries across the length and breadth of Assam. '''Archaeological''': * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]]/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} ax4g94wzh7qe004sg504v5avslbwmn1 4501902 4501900 2022-08-16T05:40:42Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ commented the archaeological sites as these should be covered in nearby destinations. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} gzim0helea9e31pqvegll242jv8ljj6 4501915 4501902 2022-08-16T06:38:35Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} 234gv0pukzq0dtmml00r6fvo9s0blk4 4501957 4501915 2022-08-16T07:38:32Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Regions */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} gldu9uh1tabkj5s5yavyuyp2gykg93b 4501962 4501957 2022-08-16T07:45:48Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|350px|A View of [[Guwahati]]; the city, which was known as Pragjyotishapura (city of eastern light) in ancient times, has existed for more than 2000 years]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} egdo72vh4atbzstkp5uejibrkqqxkmc 4501995 4501962 2022-08-16T08:22:16Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Night view of Dibrugarh.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Dibrugarh]]]] [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Guwahati]]]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Other destinations== Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} bpnbcrpa2mm73m1xy4fqfnknlfbgbvq 4502007 4501995 2022-08-16T08:29:44Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Night view of Dibrugarh.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Dibrugarh]]]] [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Guwahati]]]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Other destinations== [[File:Rhino at Kaziranga.jpg|thumb|200px|A one-horned rhino at [[Kaziranga National Park]]]] Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | lat=27.66903 |long=95.36255 | image= }} &mdash; is a wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} njvjjqvs45qlus1is031bqpuzz8i562 4502011 4502007 2022-08-16T08:33:06Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Night view of Dibrugarh.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Dibrugarh]]]] [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Guwahati]]]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * [[Sibsagar]] archaeological region - the nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty - earlier known as the city of Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Other destinations== [[File:Rhino at Kaziranga.jpg|thumb|200px|A one-horned rhino at [[Kaziranga National Park]]]] Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; A wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; A World Heritage Site of UNESCO, it is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; In the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} co4evucwhsz2i82uxq88qerwsx50eyo 4502017 4502011 2022-08-16T08:37:04Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Night view of Dibrugarh.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Dibrugarh]]]] [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Guwahati]]]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Other destinations== [[File:Rhino at Kaziranga.jpg|thumb|200px|A one-horned rhino at [[Kaziranga National Park]]]] Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; A wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; A World Heritage Site of UNESCO, it is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; In the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate and disasters=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas in the Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter . Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (8.1 on the Richter scale); and in 1950 (8.6). ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled ('''ukhua) or sundried (aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Alcohol: Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ===Tea=== Tea: Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. ===Water=== Tap water is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} fbe2v86s8lzl3uie2g62ky2hxs1h7k2 4502034 4502017 2022-08-16T08:51:47Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Assam in India (disputed hatched).svg|thumb|Assam on map of the Republic of India]] '''Assam''' (Assamese: অসম) is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river — the majestic and sacred Brahmaputra. It is known for its famous tea, its silk and its biodiversity, and is also rich in archeological heritage. Assam is in the [[North-Eastern India|north eastern region]] of India, just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, and is home to more than 31 million people (2011). It is surrounded by the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]], [[Tripura]] and [[Meghalaya]], which together with Assam are known collectively as the ''seven sisters'', and by the nations of [[Bhutan]] and [[Bangladesh]]. The borders of [[China]] and [[Myanmar]] are within the range of 80 to 100&nbsp;km. In spite of its merits as a place to visit, Assam is decidedly off the beaten track for tourists. ==Regions== {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t3}}|title=[[Upper Assam]]|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t2}}|title=[[Central Hills and Barak Valley]]|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill={{StdColor|t1}}|title=[[Lower Assam]]|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} {{Regionlist | regionmap=Assam Wikivoyage map.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Lower Assam]] | region1color={{stdColor|t1}} | region1description=The historic and the largest city [[Guwahati]], wildlife habitats such as [[Manas National Park]], Pobitora, and Chakrasila; traditional silk industry at Soalkuchi, bronze and bell metal industry at Sarthebari, archaeological sites such as Ambari (Guwahati), Madan Kamdev, Suryapahar, and Hajo; cultural life at the villages of general Assamese and of Bodo, Rabha, Hajong, and Garo ethnocultural groups, rafting at several rivers, the religious places such as Hajo. | region2name=[[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] | region2color={{stdColor|t2}} | region2description=The historic Maibong, scenic Haflong, fabled Jatinga (known for the bird suicide myth), the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, hot water spring at Umrangshu, cultural life at the villages of Karbi, Dimasa and Tiwa ethnocultural groups, etc. | region3name=[[Upper Assam]] | region3color={{stdColor|t3}} | region3description=[[Kaziranga National Park]], the historical old capital city of Rongpur ([[Sibsagar]]), the ancient capital city and royal burial mounds at Charaideo the first capital of the Ahom rulers, [[Majuli]] - claimed to be the largest river island in the world, a centre of Vaishnav monasteries and typical villages and cultural life of the Mishing ethnocultural group, several other wildlife sanctuaries and habitats including the Joydihing rainforest and Dibru-Saikhowa with its population of feral horses (Brahmaputra's) close to [[Dibrugarh]], cultural life of ethnocultural groups such as Taiphakes, Taikhamtis, Singphos, Morans and of general Assamese population, [[Digboi]] - first Asian petroleum refinery with oil museum and the heritage wells, the WWII famous [[Stillwell Road]] and the natural and cultural environment along it, archaeological site of Deopahar near Numaligarh refinery. }} ==Cities== [[File:Night view of Dibrugarh.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Dibrugarh]]]] [[File:Sarania-hills-brahmaputra.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Guwahati]]]] Major cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; home to several parks, gardens and temples *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; an old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; considered by some to be the cultural center of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. <!-- * [[Charaideo]] - the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Assam with hundreds of burial mounds called Moidams for kings and nobles. * [[Dhansiri]] Valley archaeological region * [[Guwahati]] archaeological region - Guwahati is an ancient city; there are several archaeological sites with temples, tanks, ramparts, etc. The Assam State Museum located close to historic Dighali Pukhuri (a large tank) is worth visiting. * [[Hajo]] archaeological region - the ancient city of Apunarbhaba; there are remains of several ancient temples and other structures. * [[Kapili]] Valley archaeological region * Madan Kamdev - a 10th-century ancient city close to Guwahati; A large site of architectural, and sculptural remains with numerous objects. Excavations are still going on. * [[Maibong]] * Surya Pahar [[Goalpara]] archaeological region * [[Tezpur]] archaeological region include Da Parbatia ruins and the Bamuni hills --> ==Other destinations== [[File:Rhino at Kaziranga.jpg|thumb|200px|A one-horned rhino at [[Kaziranga National Park]]]] Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are national parks, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, areas with archaeological interests and areas with unique cultural heritage. Moreover, as a whole, the region is covered by beautiful natural landscapes. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; A wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; A World Heritage Site of UNESCO, it is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | lat=26.74599 |long=91.02032 | image= }} &mdash; In the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== [[File:Golden Langur.jpg|thumb|right|180px|A Golden Langur; endangered and are found in Chakrasila Sanctuary in Goalpara district]] [[File:Bhatou Phul.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea, the 'Blue Vanda]] ===History=== The state of Assam is in a transitional region between [[South Asia]] and [[South-East Asia]]. Prior to Indian independence in 1947, Assam had been a part of British India since the British annexed the Kingdom of Assam and its tributary states in 1826 following the Treaty of Yandaboo. Assam used to be a larger state. [[Sylhet Division]], formerly part of Assam, was allotted to [[Pakistan]] in the 1947 United Nations India Partition and subsequently became part of [[Bangladesh]] after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, while [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Meghalaya]] were carved out of Assam during the 1960s and 70s. With an area of 78,438 km², Assam in its current configuration is almost equivalent to the size of [[Ireland]] or [[Austria]]. History of urban development goes back to almost two thousand years in the region. Existence of ancient urban areas such as Pragjyotishapura (Guwahati), Hatapesvara (Tezpur), and Durjaya, and medieval towns such as Charaideu, Garhgaon, Rongpur, Jorhat, Khaspur, and Guwahati, are well recorded. [[Guwahati]] with its more than two thousand years of history is the largest urban centre and a million plus city in Assam. The city has experienced multifold growth during past three decades to grow as the primate city in the region; the city's population was approximately 0.9 million (considering Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) area) during the census of 2001. Assam was known as the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa during the first millennium AD and was broken into smaller states during the beginning of the second millennium; however, later, for almost 600 years starting in the 13th century, the region was again transformed into a united sovereign country as the Kingdom of Assam under the later dynasties such as the [[Ahom Kingdom|Ahoms]] and Koches. Assam has been a world leader in production of tea for more than past one hundred years and produces around 25 percent of the world's tea. Traditionally it is also a producer of high-quality silk, locally called ''paat'' bred on mulberry leaves, and the only place in the world where all four major silk types are cultivated, the others being the golden silk ''Muga'' unique to Assam, the Ahimsa silk Eri bred on castor leaves, and ''tassar''. ===A paradise for nature lovers=== Assam and surrounding regions have to be a paradise for the nature lovers and researchers. The region's unique natural settings, hydro-geomorphic environment and biodiversity have no parallel in [[Asia]]. Within an eighty to hundred kilometres of journey by land, one can travel from a flat flood plain with tropical rainforests and wet paddy fields to mountainous regions of Alpine-Himalayan climatic conditions at very high altitude. Geomorphic studies conclude that the Brahmaputra, the life-line of Assam is a paleo-river; older than the Himalayas. The river with steep gorges and rapids in Arunachal Pradesh entering Assam, becomes a braided river (at times 16&nbsp;km wide) and with tributaries, creates a flood plain (Brahmaputra Valley: 80–100&nbsp;km wide, 1000&nbsp;km long). The hills of Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and those in and close to Guwahati (also Khasi-Garo Hills) now eroded and dissected are originally parts of the South Indian Plateau system. In the south, the Barak originating in the Barail Range (Assam-Nagaland border), flows through the Cachar district with a 40–50&nbsp;km wide valley and confluences with the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and reserved forests. The Kaziranga, home of the rare Rhinoceros, and Manas are two [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in Assam. Pabitora has the highest density of rhinos. The reserve forests of Joypur, Upper Dihing and Dirak are a stretch of pristine rainforests. The region is the last refuge for numerous other endangered species such as Golden Langur or Honali Bandor (Trachypithecus geei), White-winged Wood Duck or Deohanh (Cairina scutulata), Bengal Florican or Ulumora, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Pygmy Hog or Nolgahori, Greater Adjutant or Hargila, Hispid Hare or Khagorikota, Slow Loris or Lajuki Bandor, Swamp Francolin or Koira and so on. Some other endangered species with significant population in Assam are Tiger, Elephant, Hoolock Gibbon, Jerdon's Babbler and so on. Assam is also known for orchids the more well known being the foxtail or kopou and blue vanda or bhatou. ===Climate=== With the "Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climate", Assam is temperate (Summer max. at 35-38 and winter min. at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and experiences heavy rainfall and high humidity. However, temperature is much lesser in the hilly areas of Central Assam. The climate is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter. Thunderstorms known as Bordoicila are frequent during the afternoons. Spring (March–April) and Autumn (September–October) are usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature. ===Cultural heritage=== Assam is also a region, which can be termed as a crucible of cultures. It is a true meeting place of South Asian and South East Asian cultures, where the principal language Assamese (Oxomeeya) exhibits hybridity between Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Tai-Kadai group of languages. Apart from the hybrid Assamese population, there are several distinct ethno-cultural groups such as Bodo, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Hasong, Taiphake, Taikhamti, Taiaiton, Singphow, Bru, Garo, etc. with distinct languages, dialects, food habits, architecture and settlement pattern, textile design, dance, music, musical instruments, belief, etc. [[File:Assam MK Lion.JPG|thumb|right|180px|A ferocious lion excavated in Madan Kamdev close to Baihata Cariali in Assam representing the powerful Kamarupa-Palas (c. 9th-10th century A.D.)]] [[File:Rangghar Assam.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Rong Ghor, a pavilion built by the king Pramatta Singha (also Sunenpha; 1744–1751) in Ahom capital Rongpur, now Sibsagar; the Rang Ghar is one of the earliest pavilions of outdoor stadia in Asia]] ===State of tourism=== It is important to understand that in the past 60 years, the Government of India's restrictions on the foreigners in the region such as the Restricted Area Permit System (RAP - finally abolished in Assam and neighbouring Meghalaya in the 1990s), acted as major hindrances for the foreign tourists and foreign interest groups to legally enter in to Assam and gradually pushed Assam in to isolation from the world. Assam today is a terra incognita to the new generations in the developed world; while the old generation British, other Europeans, Americans and Japanese still remember 'Assam' whatever may be the cause varying from colonial administration, to tea and oil industry or to WWII. For past 60 years, tourism promotion and development was a neglected subject. During the same time period, few Assamese have left Assam for other places; Assamese have been happy inside Assam, inside their native places and inside their houses, which has seen a sea-change with thousands of students and skilled labourers coming from different cities in India. Therefore, as a not well-known place, Assam has long way to go to establish herself as a foremost tourist destination. However, Assam possesses everything that is required for developing herself as a leader of travel and tourism in the world and most importantly Assamese are one of the most hospitable people. ==Talk== '''[[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]]''' is the principal language and the lingua franca in the region. Assamese and Bodo are the local official languages in Assam while [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] is used as the same in the [[Barak Valley]]. There are several other local languages such as [[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]], Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Hmar, Bru, Taiphake, Taikhamti, etc. used by the specific ethno-cultural groups in different pockets. However, most educated people speak English and [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] with local accents. Bengali is also spoken in many parts of Assam, especially Guwahati and Silchar, where there are large Bengali communities. Moreover, there are many speakers of other Indian languages and dialects such as Punjabi, Marwari, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati, particularly in the urban centres. Usually, all official signs and documents are written in both Assamese and English, using British spelling. The Government of India establishments Indian Railways, ONGC, et al. have sign boards in three languages - Assamese, English and Hindi. Commercial and street signs are usually written in Assamese and English and in Bengali in the Barak Valley. As English has a wider base, foreigners need not to worry about not becoming fluent Assamese or any other local language, although it is an additional advantage for a tourist to a know few sentences of a local language. ==Get in== ===By plane=== There is good air-connectivity to Assam from elsewhere in India. Guwahati's '''Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport''' ({{IATA|GAU}}) is the busiest in Assam. Other major airports in the state include [[Dibrugarh]] ({{IATA|DIB}}), and [[Silchar]] ({{IATA|IXS}}). Air India along with several private airlines operate daily services from all of India's big cities, including [[Delhi]], [[Kolkata]], [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Moreover, there are other airports in [[Tezpur]] and Jorhat ({{IATA|JRH}}) with less frequent flights connecting cities such as Kolkata and other cities of the northeast region to Assam. Arriving by plane gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the green valley surrounded by blue hills in Assam. The major airlines operating in the region are: * [http://airindia.in/ Air India] * [http://www.spicejet.com/ Spicejet] * [https://www.goindigo.in/ Indigo Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Go Airlines] * [https://www.airasia.com Air Asia] For international travellers from [[East Asia]] or [[South East Asia]], the easiest route to get to Assam is via Kolkata. There are several direct flights from Kolkata to Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Jorhat. The journey time in a direct flight from Kolkata to Guwahati takes less than 45&nbsp;minutes, while a flight from Kolkata to Dibrugarh (the eastern most civil airport in Assam) takes around 90&nbsp;minutes. Similarly for travellers from [[Europe]], [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[Africa]], routes via Delhi, Mumbai or even Kolkata are best ways to enter the state. Out of these three major Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata have higher frequency of flights to Guwahati. A Delhi-Guwahati direct flight takes around 2 hour and 30 minutes. There are a limited number of international flights going into Guwahati. As of February 2020, there are Nok Air flights between Guwahati and Bangkok while Druk Air flies between Paro and Singapore via Guwahati. ===By rail=== Three major routes of North East Frontier Railways (NF Railways) cover Assam and provide linkage to elsewhere in India. Guwahati railway station is the largest in Assam and is served by direct trains from most of the major cities in India. The Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned) from [[New Delhi]] (takes 27&nbsp;hours) and Saraighat Express from [[Howrah]] in [[Kolkata]] (takes 17&nbsp;hours) are the fastest ones. There are many direct trains from Delhi (including the Rajdhani Express) and Kolkata for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. Usually, Dibrugarh is an additional night's journey (12 hr) from Guwahati. ===By car=== There are highways from Indian states in the west and buses run between [[Siliguri]] (to Siliguri buses are available from [[Kolkata]], [[Darjeeling]] and [[Gangtok]]) and [[Guwahati]]; However, travelling by bus may not be comfortable in this patch and travel time is usually longer than that of trains. Road connectivity to surrounding Seven Sister States is good, however may take different durations depending on the location of the state. [[Tamu]] in western [[Myanmar]] is connected to a reasonably good highway to Assam via [[Manipur]]; Tamu in Myanmar border is closer to [[Mandalay]]. The historic Stilwell Road between Assam-Myanmar-[[China]] from Ledo in Upper Assam to [[Myitkina]] in Myanmar and further to [[Kunming]] in China is right now not fully operationalised. There are also roads connecting [[Bhutan]]. ==Get around== ===By bus and car=== Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long-distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Some private players have large networks as well. Taxi cabs can be a good option for travelling inside Assam and to the surrounding region. In majority cities and even small towns private taxi-cabs are available for rent for local travel as well for inter-city travel. The taxi-cabs can be also rented on daily basis. For a traveller, it is easier to hire a taxi from the hotel he or she is staying; usually the hotels can arrange or provide with information on the local car rental agencies. Self driving may not be advisable for many reasons - dangerous traffic, frequent agitations and 'bandh's and insurgency in certain areas to name some. ===By train=== Although having a fairly extensive railway network, trains are less convenient than buses or taxis for travelling short distances within Assam - inter-city or inter-regional trains are not very frequent within Assam. Moreover, the Assam's rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam ([[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Tinsukia]]), which is comfortable but little more time-consuming than the buses; However, from Guwahati, one may try using the Rajdhani Express (fully Airconditioned) for an over-night journey to reach Dibrugarh or Tinsukia. The railway tickets are bookable online or available at the electronic ticketing counters in the stations. It is important to have a reservation for an overnight train journey, to obtain a berth in a comfortable A/C or non A/C sleeper coach. For reservation, booking should be made 2 months before the journey; however, in majority trains 'Tatkal' service is available. ===By plane === Air travel from [[Guwahati]] to Upper Assam or Southern Assam districts can be quicker and easier. Guwahati is linked with [[Dibrugarh]], [[Jorhat]], [[Tezpur]] and [[Silchar]] with several flights. However, it is important to book a ticket early. A flight between Guwahati and Dibrugarh takes roughly 45&nbsp;minutes. ==See== [[File:Rhino side view.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The famous Rhinoceros of Assam in Kaziranga]] * [[Kaziranga National Park]] is on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home and one of the last refuges to rhinoceros of Assam and covers an area of 430&nbsp;km². * '''[[Manas National Park]]''' is a haven for tigers and a {{unesco}}. [[File:Deodhas of Deodhani dance with rythm.jpg|thumb|Deodhas of Deodhani dance]] ==Do== * '''Brahmaputra Cruise''' - A private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation offers river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. * [https://www.facebook.com/theforestmen/ '''Jadav Payeng Initiative'''] This village is famous for the man made forest & mishing tribe. They assist in Assam's eco-cultural tours & travel. * [https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/author/greenerpasturesind/ '''Greener Pastures'''] - An eco-tourism organization which provides responsible tours to offbeat and exotic destinations of Northeast India. Activities include trekking, tribal tours, wildlife journeys, river cruises, tea tours and adventure sports such as caving and rafting. * [https://www.facebook.com/pedalroads/ '''Pedalroads Adventures''' ]- An adventure tour company based in Guwahati offering cycling and trekking tours across the northeastern states. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} [[File:Assamese thali.JPG|thumb|Lunch in Assam means white rice with vegetables.]] It is worthwhile to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lamb, chicken and duck. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes ''(Alu Pitika)'' or pickles of small fried fishes. ===Rice=== Rice is the most important ingredient in the state's cuisine. The large varieties of rice found in the region has led to speculation that the grain was first domesticated in the Assam-Yunnan region. Both the indica as well as the japonica varieties are grown in Assam. The most popular class of rice is the joha or scented rice. As a staple diet rice is eaten either steam boiled (''ukhua) or sundried (''aaroi'''). Some very fine varieties of rice namely, Karaballam or kauribadam etc. are available in Assam only. Rice is eaten as a snack in many different forms: roasted and ground ('''xandoh'''), boiled in its husk and flattened ('''chira'''), puffed ('''akhoi'''). There is also a variety of rice grown that can be just soaked and eaten (kumol saul). ===Fish=== The next most important ingredient is fish, harvested from the many rivers, ponds and lakes in the region. There is no traditional ethnic community in Assam that does not eat fish. Some of the most popular big fishes are the Rohu, the Hilsa and the chital (big), khoria (medium) (Chitala chitala), Maagur, Xingi, Borali, Bhokua, Xaal, Xol, etc. The small varieties of fish available and eaten in Assam include Puthi, Borolia, Mua, cheniputhi, tengera, lachin, bhagun and pabho. * The most popular dish from Assam, the '''tenga''' (fish sour), is an indispensable part of a proper meal in Assam. The most popular tenga is made with tomatoes, though the ones made with '''kajinemu''' (thick skinned elongated lemon) and '''thekera''' (dried Mangosteen,) are also popular * Another favourite is small fish roasted in banana leaves ('''paatotdia'''). * '''Hukuti''' is a special fish dish prepared from dried small fish (puthi maas) pounded with an arum stem and dried and stored in bamboo tubes. Variations of this exist among the ethnic communities of Northeast India in general and Assam in particular, are dried and fermented small fish puthy mas (Ticto barb), three to four in numbers are roasted along with lavish amounts of green chillies, tomatoes, ginger and garlic (all roasted). The ingredients are then pounded in a mortar to make a coarse paste and served with rice. The Assamese meat and fish dish is characterized by low amount of spices and oil, higher quantity of ginger, norosingho paat (curry leaves) and lemon juice. This is quite different from Bengali dishes in taste. ===Meats=== Pork and to some extent, beef dishes are particular favorites in the tribal areas in Assam. Beef is not eaten by the majority of Assamese as they practice Hinduism; however, beef is popular among Assamese Muslims and tribal communities. Likewise pork is eaten by the non-Muslim Assamese population. The basic cooking method is boiling. Onla, of the Bodos, is made with ground rice and special herbs, and constitutes a complete meal in itself. Other meats include squab, duck, chicken, mutton, venison, and turtle although venison and turtle meat are legally prohibited. The combination of duck – white gourd and squab – papaya or banana flower is very popular. Meat is curried in spicy gravy. ===Typical Assamese dishes=== * '''Chutney''' is made of coriander, spinach, tomato, heartleaf, curry leaf, chilli, lentil, chickpea etc. Xukan masor chutney (chutney made of dried fish) is popular among the tribal communities. Salads contain ingredients like carrots, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers and beetroot. * The '''khar''' is a signature dish made with a key ingredient, also called khar. The traditional ingredient is made by filtering water through the ashes of a banana tree, which is then called kola khar . A traditional meal invariably begins with a khar dish, made of raw papaya, pulses or any other main ingredient. Xôkôta: It is a severely bitter type of preparation. It is prepared with dry jute leaf, urad bean and khar. * '''Kharoli''' is fermented mashed mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) seed to which a khar has been added, and kahudi to which an acidic agent (lemon juice or dried mangosteen) has been added. Pitikas are also made from roasted or steamed vegetables (tomatoes and eggplants being very popular). Small fishes, Asiatic pennywort, matikaduri, tengamora leaves, heartleaf, and dôrôn (Leucus longifolia) are roasted separately wrapped in banana leaves and mashed into pitika along with mustard oil, salt and chilli. It is also called patotdia (literally, 'in a leaf'). * '''Pickles''' in Assam are made from various fruits and vegetables, including mango, Indian gooseberry, hog plum, olive, Tamarind, star fruit, mangosteen, radish, carrot, elephant apple, Indian jujube, chilli, lime and garlic. * '''Poitabhat''' is a favourite dish in Assam during the summer season. Cooked rice is soaked overnight in order to prepare poitabhat and served the next day garnished with mustard oil, onion, chilli, pickles, pitika (smashes), etc. * '''Pokori''' is a fritter is made of flower and tender leaves of pumpkin, tender leaves of bottle gourd, eggplant, tender leaves of Night-flowering Jasmine, etc. * Side dishes called '''pitika''' - are a signature characteristic of Assamese cuisine. The most popular is '''aloo pitika''' - mashed potatoes) garnished with raw onions, mustard oil, green chillies and sometimes boiled eggs. khorisa tenga is mashed fermented bamboo shoot, sometimes pickled in mustard oil and spices. * The '''tenga''' is a light and sour fish dish, another signature class of preparations. The souring ingredient could be mangosteen or lemon but the most popular type is made with tomatoes. Fish dishes made with fermented bamboo shoot are generally sour, but they are not called tengas. Fish is fried in mustard oil or curried with bottle gourd or spinach. Another tenga dish is prepared with matimah (urad bean) and outenga (elephant apple). Bottle gourd also can be added to it. Tengamora or noltenga and lentil is also a distinct tenga curry. ===Assamese Snacks=== * '''Bora saul''' is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (ricecake or pancake). Soaked and ground bora saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled bora saul is served as Jolpan with curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. * '''Chira''' (Flattened rice, also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. It can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk or curd, with salt or sugar or jaggery to taste, or lightly fried in oil. * '''Ghila pitha''' is a type of pancake so called because of its knee cap sized shape. Knee cap is called Ghila in Assamese. Rice flour of Bora saul, one kind of glutinous rice or any common rice is used in it. A paste made of rice flour and jaggery is prepared first and then fried in cooking oil at a certain quantity. Salt is also used instead of jaggery to make salty Ghila pitha. It is generally prepared and served in Bihu in Assam. * '''Kumol saul''' is a unique type of rice from Assam that can be eaten without cooking. It is rendered fluffy and edible by being soaked in water for a short time. The rice may be eaten with milk or curd, jaggery, yogurt after being immersed in warm water for just fifteen minutes or so. * '''Muri''' (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice may be washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. It is served with hot milk or curd and jaggery or sugar. * '''Pitha''' is a ricecake or pancake, a thin flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. It is an inseparable part of Jolpan in Assam. It is a special class of rice preparation generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Made usually with soaked and ground rice, they could be fried in oil, roasted over a slow fire or baked and rolled over a hot plate. * '''Suji''' (Semolina) is also one type of common jolpan, a type of dessert. Like pithaguri it is heated on a frying pan and water is added to make it a paste and then served with hot milk. * '''Til Pitha''' is a type of pancake. It is a special class of rice preparation and generally made only on special occasions like Bihu in Assam. Bora saul, a glutinous type of rice is soaked and ground. Then a certain quantity of this rice flour is baked, filled up with sesame seeds, ground coconut and dried rind of orange, jaggery, etc. and pressed and rolled with many folders. This rice cake is also called Hesa pitha since it is pressed after rolling it as folder by folder. Major cities like [[Guwahati]], [[Tezpur]], [[Jorhat]] and [[Dibrugarh]] offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all kinds of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 – $8 per person. ==Drink== [[File:Rohi, a kind of local wine used in Assam.jpg|thumb|''Rohi'', a kind of local wine made in Assam]] Assam is famous for tea internationally. It has a large tea growing industry. Most plantations are located in the upper Assam. 70% tea is exported outside India. People drink tea with/without milk and also sometimes containing ginger and spices such as cardamom. Rohi is a fermented rice beer found throughout the northeast. The most common type in Assam is rohi made from sticky rice by the Bodo community. ==Stay safe== The region is prone to natural disasters with annual floods (in specific areas) and frequent mild earthquakes. Floods usually occur during monsoon (mid June till late August) and many a times can create trouble by destroying roads and railway linkages at places. Strong earthquakes are rare; three of these were recorded in 1869, 1897 (magnitude 8.1); and in 1950 (magnitude 8.6). [[Tap water]] is problematic due to lack of sanitary facilities and sewage treatment. It is safest to assume water is unsafe for drinking without being chemically treated or boiled, which is one reason to stick to tea or bottled water. ==Cope== ===Radio Stations=== * AIR Guwahati / Akashvani Guwahati) - 729&nbsp;kHz, 1035&nbsp;kHz, 4940&nbsp;kHz, 7280&nbsp;kHz, 100.8&nbsp;MHz * [http://www.gupshupfm.com/ Gupshup FM - 94.3] * Radio Oolala (Positive Radio Pvt. Ltd.) - 91.9&nbsp;MHz * Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati (Adlabs Films Ltd.) - 92.7&nbsp;MHz * Gyan Vani, Guwahati - 107.8&nbsp;MHz * AIR Dibrugarh / Akashvani Dibrugarh - 567&nbsp;kHz * AIR Jorhat / Akashvani Jorhat - 103.4&nbsp;MHz * AIR Tezpur / Akashvani Tezpur - 1125&nbsp;kHz * AIR Diphu / Akashvani Diphu) - 1485&nbsp;kHz * AIR Haflong / Akashvani Haflong - 100.2&nbsp;MHz * AIR Nagaon / Akashvani Nagaon - 102.7&nbsp;MHz * AIR Kokrajhar / Akashvani Kokrajhar - 1512&nbsp;kHz * AIR Dhubri / Akashvani Dhubri - 103.3&nbsp;MHz * AIR Silchar / Akashvani Silchar - 828&nbsp;kHz ===Newspapers=== * The [http://www.assamtribune.com/ Assam Tribune] * The [http://www.sentinelassam.com/ Sentinel] * The [http://asomiyapratidin.in/ Asomiya Pratidin] * [http://janasadharan.in/ Janasadharan] ==Go next== * [[Aizawl]] and other parts of [[Mizoram]] * [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] * [[Gangtok]] and other parts of Sikkim * [[Imphal]], [[Loktak Lake]] and other parts of [[Manipur]] * [[Kohima]], [[Zhukou Valley]] and other parts of [[Nagaland]] * The metropolises of [[Kolkata]], [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]] along with other parts of India * [[Mandalay]] in Myanmar via Moreh ([[Manipur]]) and Tamu ([[Myanmar]]) * [[Namdapha National Park]] in Arunachal Pradesh * [[Samdrup Jongkhar]] - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam * [[Shillong]] and the world's wettest town [[Cherrapunji]] in Meghalaya * [[Tawang]] - A picturesque Himalayan place with winter snow and a large Buddhist monastery about 100&nbsp;km north of the town of [[Tezpur]]. * [[Thimphu]], [[Paro]] and other parts of Bhutan {{geo|26|93|zoom=8}} {{isPartOf|North-Eastern India}} {{usableregion}} 6gd783ruiyi48l8506f9s5xihn3mgzp 0 2001 4502015 4501460 2022-08-16T08:33:57Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* Money */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Uluru-Kata_Tjuta_banner_Uluru_Sunset.jpg | caption=Uluru glowing at sunset, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory|origin=0.3,0}} {{COVID-19 box|Australia has ended all remaining COVID-related entry restrictions. Facial coverings are still required on all flights to Australia, and on most public transport settings in the country, regardless of vaccination status. For more information, see [https://www.australia.com/en/travel-alerts/coronavirus.html Tourism Australia's COVID-19 Travel Advice and Border Status page.]| lastedit=2022-07-06}} There is nowhere else quite like '''[http://www.australia.com Australia]''', the only country that has a whole continent to itself. With Indigenous cultures for over 65,000 years and truly global immigration in modern times, the country is famous for its natural wonders, wide open spaces, beaches, deserts, "the bush", and "the [[Outback]]". However, it is also highly urbanised, with an array of cosmopolitan cities &ndash; the largest and most famous being [[Sydney]], situated on one of the most famous harbours in the world. ==Regions== Australia has six states, five on the mainland with the sixth being the island state of Tasmania along with nine or ten territories but with the exception of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, the others are largely trivial. Visiting all at once would be nearly impossible, as the states in Australia are much much larger than the states in the United States and are more comparable in size to provinces in Canada – with almost {{km|5000}} separating Brisbane and Shark Bay, the country is vast, about the distance from Madrid to Murmansk, Cairo to Nairobi or Maine to California. {{Regionlist | regionmap=Australia regions map.png | regionmaptext=Australia's states/territories and major highways | regionmapsize=376px | region1name=[[New South Wales]] and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] ''(NSW) & (ACT)'' | region1color=#c8aa92 | region1items= | region1description=Australia's most populous state also has [[Sydney]], the oldest and largest city, and surrounds the purpose built capital city of [[Canberra]]. The coast of New South Wales is lined with beach-side communities; a little inland are the mountain ranges of the [[Blue Mountains|Blue]] and [[Snowy Mountains|Snowy]] mountains; further inland still are sweeping agricultural plains giving way to the outback. | region2name=[[Northern Territory]] ''(NT)'' | region2color=#acc2a6 | region2items= | region2description=From the red deserts surrounding [[Uluru]] and [[Alice Springs]] up to the tropics of [[Darwin]] and [[Kakadu National Park]], the Northern Territory is stunningly beautiful, and easier to access than you might think. | region3name=[[Queensland]] ''(Qld)'' | region3color=#c3bea3 | region3items= | region3description=Famous for its sunny warm weather, Queensland offers coastal exploration from the vibe of the [[Gold Coast]] to the tropics of the [[Great Barrier Reef]] to the bustling city of [[Brisbane]]. It is also home to tropical rainforests of the [[Daintree National Park]], and the island resorts of the Whitsundays. Inland lies the ranges of the hinterland, and further on the vast expanses and beauty of outback Australia. | region4name=[[South Australia]] ''(SA)'' | region4color=#bcb491 | region4items= | region4description=Renowned for the internationally recognised fine wines of the [[Barossa Valley]], the beauty of the [[Flinders Ranges]] and the outback and events and culture of the ''City of Churches'', [[Adelaide]]. | region5name=[[Tasmania]] ''(Tas.)'' | region5color=#b69eb3 | region5items= | region5description=Separated from the mainland by Bass Strait, the mountainous state of Tasmania has the rugged beauty of Cradle Mountain in the west, the beaches of the east, and the wilderness of the south. [[Hobart]] was the site of the second European settlement in Australia, and many historic sites are well preserved. | region6name=[[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] ''(Vic.)'' | region6color=#c3d099 | region6items= | region6description=Small, vibrant and with something for everyone, Victoria has dramatic surf beaches along the southwest and central coast, green rolling farmland and photogenic national parks. Australia and Victoria's sporting, shopping, fashion and food capital is [[Melbourne]]. | region7name=[[Western Australia]] ''(WA)'' | region7color=#cfcf94 | region7items= | region7description=A vast state. The southwest contains the state capital and major city of [[Perth]]. The wine growing and scenic destinations of [[Margaret River]] and [[Albany (Western Australia)|Albany]] are towards the southern region. In the far north are the tropics and the beachside destination of [[Broome]]. Small townships, roadhouses, mining communities and national parks are scattered around the long distances between.}} ===Islands=== [[Tasmania]] is the most significant island of Australia and a state in its own right. There are 8222 islands in Australia, other main islands include: * {{marker|name=[[Lord Howe Island]]|wikidata=Q104784}} — a showcase for nature two hours flying time from Sydney, administered as part of the state of New South Wales. * {{marker|name=[[Norfolk Island]]|wikidata=Q31057}} — halfway to New Zealand, with nature and beaches * {{marker|name=[[Christmas Island]]|wikidata=Q31063}} — famous for its red crab migration. Flights from Perth and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. * {{marker|name=[[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]|wikidata=Q36004}} — coral atolls, populated, accessible by flights from Perth. * {{marker|name=[[Torres Strait Islands]]|wikidata=Q1059258}} — Indigenous culture between Cape York and Papua New Guinea, and requires permission from the traditional owners to visit. Flights from [[Cairns]]. * {{marker|name=[[Kangaroo Island]]|wikidata=Q210371}} — the third-largest island in Australia containing wildlife, natural scenery, wineries and beaches. * {{marker|name=[[Rottnest Island]]|wikidata=Q585317}} — a nature reserve with 63 beaches and 20 bays, located near Perth and home to the infamous Quokka * {{marker|name=[[King Island]]|wikidata=Q794502}} — in the Bass Straight above Tasmania. * {{marker|name=[[Whitsunday Islands]]|wikidata=Q1646461}} — a famous tourist destination renowned for its white beaches There are quite a few uninhabited islands including the [[Coral Sea Islands]], some islands of the [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]], the [[Ashmore and Cartier Islands]] and the remote Antarctic islands of [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] and [[Macquarie Island]]. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[New South Wales]] and [[Australian Capital Territory]] ''(NSW) & (ACT)''|wikidata=Q3224}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#acc2a6|title=[[Northern Territory]] ''(NT)''|wikidata=Q3235}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c3bea3|title=[[Queensland]] ''(Qld)''|wikidata=Q36074}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#bcb491|title=[[South Australia]] ''(SA)''|wikidata=Q35715}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b69eb3|title=[[Tasmania]] ''(Tas)''|wikidata=Q34366}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c3d099|title=[[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] ''(Vic)''|wikidata=Q36687}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cfcf94|title=[[Western Australia]] ''(WA)''|wikidata=Q3206}} ==Cities== [[File:Sydney Harbour Bridge night.jpg|thumb|350px|Sydney cityscape at night]] <!-- Only a maximum of nine cities can be listed here. Please discuss changes to this list on the Talk page first. --> * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Canberra]]|wikidata=Q3114}} — the relatively small, purpose-built national capital of Australia is home to plenty of museums * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Adelaide]]|wikidata=Q5112}} — the "City of Churches", a relaxed South Australian alternative to the big eastern cities close to world-renowned wineries * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Brisbane]]|wikidata=Q34932}} — capital of sun-drenched Queensland and gateway to beautiful sandy beaches * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Cairns]]|wikidata=Q189133}} — gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas, Daintree National Park, and many beautiful beaches and resorts; a great place for people to get away and relax * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darwin]]|wikidata=Q11568}} — Australia's tropical northern capital, at the top end of the Northern Territory * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hobart]]|wikidata=Q40191}} — picturesque and quiet capital of Tasmania, the site of the second convict settlement in Australia * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Melbourne]]|wikidata=Q3141}} — Australia's second largest city, Melbourne is the country's sporting, shopping, food and cultural capital, while also being regarded as Australia's most European city * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Perth]]|wikidata=Q3183}} — the most remote continental city on Earth, on the south-western edge of Western Australia * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sydney]]|wikidata=Q3130}} — Australia's oldest and largest city, famous for its picturesque harbour and natural beauty ==Other destinations== [[File:Apostles 3 GOR.JPG|thumb|250px|The Twelve Apostles]] <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes on this page's talk page.--> * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Blue Mountains National Park]]|wikidata=Q885558}} — a mountainous national park in New South Wales, including the "Three Sisters" natural feature * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park]]|wikidata=Q1138453}} — most popular national park in Tasmania, home Australia's deepest lake and one of its most scenic mountains * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Daintree Rainforest]]|wikidata=Q5209517}} — the world's oldest living rainforest and a well preserved tropical rainforest, home to the largest groups of cassowaries. * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Great Barrier Reef]]|wikidata=Q7343}} — see first hand this natural wonder, off the coast of Queensland and the world's largest coral reef system * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Great Ocean Road]]|wikidata=Q74046}} — a spectacular coastal drive in Victoria past many scenic icons including the "[[Port Campbell National Park|Twelve Apostles]]" rocks standing in the ocean and the world's largest war memorial * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kakadu National Park]]|wikidata=Q189657}} — tropical adventure travel, Aboriginal culture and nature activities in the Northern Territory. Second largest national park in Australia about the size of Wales * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park]]|wikidata=Q426073}} – South Australia's most iconic national park containing a naturally formed amphitheatre and many fossils dating back from the Ediacaran era * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Purnululu National Park]]|wikidata=Q679568}} – includes the Bungle Bungle Range, a spectacularly incised landscape of sculptured rocks rising over 250 metres high * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]|wikidata=Q251999}} — Uluru (also known as ''Ayers Rock'') and Kata Tjuta (''The Olgas'') are iconic rock formations in the "Red Centre" in the middle of the Australian outback ==Understand== {{quote|We are one but we are many and from all the lands of Earth we come. We'll share a dream and sing with one voice: I am, you are, we are Australian|author=The Seekers - I am Australian}} {{quickbar|location=Australia with AAT (orthographic projection).svg}} The sixth largest country in the world by area, Australia has a relatively small (but growing) population of 25 million. A G20 member, it has high living standards and quality of life. It is a significant player in the economic and political spheres of the Indo-Pacific region. ===History=== {{seealso|Indigenous Australian culture|British Empire|Australian Convict Sites}} Aboriginal people have been living in Australia for at least 65,000 years. They arrived in successive waves from [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]]. With rising sea levels after the last Ice Age, Australia became largely isolated from the rest of the world and the Aboriginal groups developed a variety of cultures, based on a close spiritual relationship with the land and nature, and extended kinship. For thousands of years Australian Aboriginal people maintained a hunter-gatherer culture, or (in some areas) a semi-sedentary culture, in association with a complex artistic and cultural life, including a very rich tradition of story and song. The modern impression of Australian Aboriginal people is largely built around an image of the "desert people" who have adapted to some of the harshest conditions on the planet (equivalent to the bushmen of the Kalahari), but many others lived in forested and well-watered regions. Australia provided a comfortable living for the bulk of the Aboriginal people among the bountiful flora and fauna on the Australian coast – until the arrival of Europeans. Although a lucrative [[China|Chinese]] market for shells and ''bêche de mer'' (sea cucumber) had encouraged Indonesian fishermen to visit [[Northern Australia]] for centuries, it was unknown to Europeans until the 1600s, when [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] traders to Asia began to "bump" into the northwestern coast. The Makassan contact from [[Sulawesi]] also brought many Indonesian cultural elements to the Indigenous people living in [[Northern Australia]], making Islam the first foreign religion brought in – and quite a few rock artworks seen in Arnhem Land and the Kimberley depict many Islamic elements. Early Dutch impressions of this extremely harsh, dry country were unfavourable, and Australia remained for them somewhat of a marker sign pointing north to the much richer (and more lucrative) East Indies (modern day Indonesia). Deliberate exploration of the Australian coast was then largely taken over by the French and the British. Consequently, place names of bays, headlands and rivers around the coastline reflect a range of Dutch, French, or English names, however many place names are also from Aboriginal languages with places that were previously having Dutch, French, or English names renamed to Indigenous names, or dual named. In 1770, the expedition of the Endeavour under the command of [[Voyages of James Cook|Captain James Cook]] navigated and charted the east coast of Australia, making first landfall at [[Sydney/Sutherland Shire#History|Botany Bay]] on 29 April 1770. Cook continued northwards, and before leaving put ashore on [[Possession Island]] in the Torres Strait off Cape York on 22 August 1770. Here he formally claimed the eastern coastline he had explored for the British Crown, naming it New South Wales. Given that Cook's so-called discoveries would lead to the first European settlement of Australia, he is often popularly conceived as its European discoverer, although he had been preceded by more than 160 years by the Dutch. [[File:PortArthurPenitentiary.jpg|thumb|Part of the former [[Port Arthur (Tasmania)|Port Arthur]] convict settlement in Tasmania. The remains of the settlement form part of the [[Australian Convict Sites]] entry on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]].]] Following the exploration period, the first British settlement in Australia was founded in 1788 at what is today [[Sydney]], led by Captain Arthur Philip who became the first governor of the colony of New South Wales. The process of colonisation led to conflict with indigenous Australians as well as diseases to which they had no immunity. Their populations declined throughout much (though not all) of the land, and were displaced by the British settlers. Originally comprising the eastern two-thirds of the continent, the colony of New South Wales was later split into several separate colonies. [[Tasmania]] (then known as Van Diemen's Land) became a separate colony in 1825, which was followed by [[South Australia]] in 1836, [[New Zealand]] in 1841, [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] in 1851 and [[Queensland]] in 1859. The western third of the continent was not settled by Europeans until the British established a naval base in [[Albany (Western Australia)|Albany]], then known as King George Sound in 1826. The Swan River Colony was formally established in 1829 at what is today [[Perth]]. The Swan River Colony was renamed "[[Western Australia]]" in 1832. While Australia began its modern history as a British penal colony, the most people who came to Australia after 1788 were free settlers, mainly from Britain and [[Ireland]], and to a less extent other European countries such as France and what is now Germany. Convict settlements were mostly along the east coast, with scattered pockets of convict settlements in Western Australia. The state of South Australia, on the other hand, was settled entirely by free settlers. Many Asian and Eastern European people also came to Australia in the 1850s, during the Gold Rush that started Australia's first resource boom. Although such diverse immigration diminished greatly during the xenophobic years of the White Australia policy, from the Postwar Period Australia welcomed a successive series of immigration from continental Europe, the Mediterranean and later Asia and the rest of the world, becoming a highly diverse and multicultural society by the late 20th century. The system of separate colonies federated to form the self-governing British dominion of Australia in 1901, each colony now becoming a state of Australia, with New Zealand opting out of the federation. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and made a significant contribution (considering its small population) to the Allied war effort in [[World War I|World War I]] and [[World War II in Europe]] as part of the British Commonwealth forces. Australia was directly attacked in the [[Pacific War]]. Australian troops also made a valuable, if sometimes controversial, contribution to the [[Korean War]], the [[Indochina Wars|Vietnam War]], the [[Iraq]] War and the Afghanistan War. Australian Diggers retain a reputation as some of the hardest fighting troops along with a great social spirit. Australia and Britain passed the Australia Act in 1986, ending any remnant power the British parliament may have had to pass laws for Australia. Similar to Canada, the British Queen remains as the head of state with an (Australian) appointed Governor-General as her representative in Australia. During the second half of the 20th century, there was growth in Aboriginal activism, accompanied by a greater willingness by the general community to acknowledge both the Indigenous cultural heritage (particularly in the visual arts) and the darker side of colonial history. Significant areas of the country have been returned to Indigenous ownership as a result of the land rights movement. In 2008, then-prime minister Kevin Rudd delivered an official apology to the Aboriginal people in Parliament for the atrocities committed against them by the white majority. An Aboriginal ceremony has also been incorporated into Australia's State Opening of Parliament since 2008 as homage to its indigenous heritage. ===Geography=== {{infobox|Does Australia border two oceans, or three?|The number of oceans that Australia borders, is a little bit of an ambiguous one. The Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean boundaries are fairly unambiguous, but the third one, the Southern Ocean is. In most international contexts, the Southern Ocean begins only south of the 60°S point, but in Australia (including in government), the Southern Ocean begins at Australia's southern coastline, but at the 60° everywhere else. On most Australian maps, you will see "Southern Ocean" marked, particularly on South Australian diving maps and so unless otherwise indicated, the Southern Ocean on Wikivoyage's Australian articles follow the Australian context, not the international definition.}} [[File:Macropus rufus 01 - Christopher Watson.jpg|thumbnail|Red kangaroos in the Northern Territory]] The landmass of Australia is both the world's smallest continent and the world's largest island; making up most of [[Oceania]]'s land area. The nation of Australia includes the Australian mainland, and some smaller islands (such as [[Tasmania]]). It is the world's sixth largest country, with a land area of 7,682,300 km² (2,966,152 square miles). It is comparable in size to the 48 contiguous [[United States]] (which has an area of 7,663,941.7 km²) although it has less than one tenth the population, with the distances between cities and towns easy to underestimate. Australia is bordered to the west by the Indian Ocean, to the south by the Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea lies to the southeast, separating it from [[New Zealand]], while the Coral Sea lies to the northeast. [[Papua New Guinea]], [[East Timor]] and [[Indonesia]] are Australia's northern neighbours, all much closer than New Zealand, and are separated from Australia by the Arafura Sea and the Timor Sea with Papua New Guinea only being {{km|4}} away from Australia. Australia is highly urbanised with most of the population heavily concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts. Most of the inland areas of the country are semi-arid. The most populous states are [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] and [[Queensland]], but the largest in terms of area is [[Western Australia]]. Large parts of Australia have been deforested to make way for agriculture but many native forest areas survive in extensive [[National parks in Australia|national parks]] and other undeveloped areas. Long term environmental concerns in Australia include water management, salinity, pollution, threats to biodiversity from invasive species, and conserving coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. ===Climate=== As a large country, Australia has a wide variety of climates. Most of the country receives more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. Generally, the north is hot and tropical, while the south tends to sub-tropical and temperate. Most rainfall is around the coast, and much of the centre is '''arid''' and '''semi-arid'''. The daytime maximum temperatures in the tropical city of [[Darwin]] rarely drop below 30°C (86°F) even in winter while night temperatures in winter usually hover around 15-20°C (59-68°F). Australian winters tend to be milder than those at similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere and snow never falls in most parts of the country. Temperatures in high altitude areas of some southern regions can drop below freezing in winter (and sometimes even in the summer) and the Snowy Mountains in the southeast experience metres of winter snow. Parts of [[Tasmania]] have a temperature range more similar to [[Oregon]] and snow is very common to fall in the central and western mountainous parts of the state. As Australia is in the southern hemisphere the winter is June–August while December–February is summer. The winter is the dry season in the tropics and the summer is the wet. In the southern parts of the country, the seasonal temperature variation is greater. The rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year in the southern parts of the East Coast while in the rest of the south beyond the [[Great Dividing Range]], the summers are dry with the bulk of the rainfall occurring in winter. ===Economy=== Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP on par with other advanced economies. The service industries, including tourism, education, and financial services, account for just over half of the Australian Gross Domestic Product – about 60%. Within the service sector, tourism is one of the most important industries in Australia, as it provides employment, contributes $73 billion to the economy each year and accounts for at least 11% of total exports. Primary industry - mining and agriculture - has accounted for most of Australia's exports in the 20th and 21st centuries. Iron ore and coal are by far the largest exports, along with wheat, beef and wool. The mining sector is sensitive to global demand for iron ore, with events in the Chinese and Indian economies having direct impacts. Australia has a comprehensive social security system, and the minimum wage is higher than the United States or the United Kingdom. Manual labourers and tradesmen are well-paid in Australia, often more so than white-collar professionals. ===Politics=== [[File:Parliament House Canberra 2.jpg|thumb|250px|Parliament House in Canberra]] Australia has a federal system of government, with six state and two territory governments, as well as a national government. It also has several overseas territories in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, which are given considerable autonomy, and often not fully integrated with the rest of Australia. Laws vary slightly from state to state, but are for the most part fairly uniform. The national parliament is based on the British Westminster system, with some elements being drawn from the American congressional system. At the federal level it consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Each Member of the House of Representatives (colloquially known as a Member of Parliament (MP)) represents an electoral division, with more populous states having more electoral divisions and hence, more MPs. On the other hand, similar to the US Senate, each Australian state has an equal number of senators, with 12 senators being directly elected by the people in each state, and 2 senators each from the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. The Prime Minister is head of the national government, and is the leader of the political party (or coalition of parties) which has the most Members in the House of Representatives. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is also Queen of Australia and the head of state, and is represented in Australia by the Governor-General. The roles of the Queen and Governor-General are largely ceremonial, and the Prime Minister wields the most authority in government. A referendum to change Australia to a republic was defeated in 1999 (the idea to replace the Queen with a political appointee wasn't to the liking of most Australians). Republicanism in Australia remains a regular conversation point, albeit low on the list of real priorities. The Cabinet of Australia serves as the executive branch, and is headed by the Prime Minister, who appoints his Cabinet ministers from among the members of both houses of Parliament. The judicial branch is topped by the High Court of Australia, which replaced the UK Privy Council as the highest court of appeal in 1986. State and territory governments are organised similarly to the national government with a state parliament serving as the legislature, a Premier (Chief Minister in the territories) serving as the head of the state government, and its own judiciary. There is also a Governor for each state serving as the Queen's representative in a mostly ceremonial role. The two major political parties in Australia are the Australian Labor Party (ALP or just "Labor") and the Liberal Party (Australian slang: ''The Libs''), which operates in coalition with the National Party (referred to as the "Coalition"). There are smaller parties such as the Greens, the United Australia Party (UAP) and independents. The Liberal Party is a centre-right conservative party, with the term "liberal" referring to a free market economy. The centre-left Labor Party spells its name "Labor" instead of "Labour" to differentiate it from other Commonwealth countries that used "Labour Party" but also because of the American labor movement. ===Culture=== Australia has a multicultural population practising almost every religion and lifestyle. Over one-quarter of Australians were born outside Australia, and another quarter have at least one foreign-born parent. Virtually every large Australian city and town reflects the immigration from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific that occurred after World War II and continued into the 1970s. In the half century after the war Australia's population boomed from roughly 7 million to just over 20 million people. The cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are culturally very diverse, and home to communities originating from all corners of the globe. In all major cities you will find a variety of quality of global foods available in many restaurants. Sydney mainly promotes itself as the urban nature capital, Melbourne especially promotes itself as a centre for the arts and culture, while Brisbane promotes itself through various, multicultural urban villages. Adelaide is known for being a centre for festivals, and for German cultural influences, while Perth is known for its food and wine culture, pearls, gems and precious metals, and the international fringe arts festival and finally Hobart mainly promotes itself for the convict history. Smaller rural settlements generally still reflect a majority Anglo-Celtic culture often with a small indigenous population. Most rural centres still welcome visitors and generally have a history and local produce to share. [[File:Melbournes Chinatown (6760134067).jpg|thumb|Melbourne's Chinatown]] There are approximately one and a half a million Australians who identify as Aboriginal people who live throughout the country in cities and in rural Aboriginal communities, which is about three percent of the population. Although not particularly obvious to a new visitor, there are many opportunities and cultural activities for people wanting to explore Aboriginal culture. Contrary to popular mythology, descendants from the original fleets of British convicts are a minority, and even during the years of transportation free settlers outnumbered convict migrants by at least five to one. Nevertheless, it is seen as a badge of honour for someone to be 'Australian Royalty' in having been descended from a convict, however tenuous that connection may be. Australians can be more socially conservative than some European cultures, but tend to be relaxed in their religious observance. Modes of address are casual and familiar and most Australians will tend to address you by your first name from first contact, and will expect that you do the same to them. ====Holidays==== [[File:Lotto Skyworks Applecross.jpg|thumb|250px|Fireworks over Perth to mark Australia Day]] The national holidays in Australia are: * '''1 January''': New Year's Day * '''26 January''': Australia Day, marking the anniversary of the First Fleet's landing in Sydney Cove in 1788. * '''Easter weekend''' ("Good Friday", "Easter Saturday", "Easter Sunday" and "Easter Monday"): a four day long weekend in March or April set according to the Western Christian dates. Very few go to church, but instead many Australians travel on Easter weekend, so expect hotel rooms and airtickets to sell out months in advance. * '''25 April''': ANZAC Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps), honouring military veterans * '''Second Monday in June''': Queen's birthday holiday (celebrated in Western Australia in September, with WA observing '''Western Australia Day''' a week earlier) * '''25 December''': Christmas Day * '''26 December''': Boxing Day Many states observe '''Labour Day''', but on different days. Most states have one or two additional statewide holidays, with [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] and [[South Australia]] having a day off for a horse race (The Melbourne Cup and The Adelaide Cup). Western Australia has Western Australia Day typically the first Monday in June (recognising the founding of the state since 1829) but also celebrates the Queen's Birthday at a different date to the rest of the country, either at the end of September or early October, due to the usual June date is such close proximity to Western Australia Day. Victoria also has a day off for the AFL grand final friday. When a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday (and Tuesday if necessary) are usually declared holidays in lieu, although the celebrations and the retail closures will occur on the day itself. Most tourist attractions are closed Christmas Day and Good Friday. Supermarkets and other stores may open for limited hours on some public holidays and on holidays in lieu, but are almost always closed on Christmas Day (25 December), Good Friday, Easter Sunday and ANZAC Day morning. Other than official holidays, there are also days of national or regional cultural significance that might as well be holidays such as: * '''AFL Grand Final''': The championship game of the Australian Football League, and the most watched event perennially on the Australia sporting calendar. Expects all pubs to be packed full of people watching the game, while many people will hold big watching parties in their homes. Held on the last Saturday of September or first Saturday of October. * '''NRL Grand Final''': The championship game of the National Rugby League. Particularly popular in Queensland and New South Wales. Usually held on the last Sunday of September or first Sunday of October. ===Peak holiday times=== Most attractions in Australia remain open year-round, some operating at a reduced frequency or shorter hours during the off-peak season. Many attractions (but not all) are closed on Christmas and New Year's day. '''Summer school holidays''' start before Christmas and last the whole of January, and it is considered the busiest and most expensive time to visit (unless you're visiting [[Northern Australia]]). Holiday homes on beaches are often booked out months in advance as well as charging a significant premium. The long '''Easter weekend''' can also be busy as parents take their kids out for a last time before Winter arrives. Australian teenagers celebrate the end of school at the end of November and early December for the 3 weeks known as ''schoolies''. The volume of teen revellers can completely change the nature of some of the cities and towns they choose to visit, especially coastal towns like [[Byron Bay]] in New South Wales, the [[Gold Coast]] in Queensland, [[Rottnest Island]] in Western Australia, and various localities along the [[Mornington Peninsula]] in Victoria. ===Time=== [[File:Central time zone sign.jpg|thumb|200px|A road sign near Broken Hill reminding the time zone difference]] Australia can have up to seven different time zones during the daylight savings period, and five at other times. Time zone boundaries do not always follow state boundaries. For instance, the towns of [[Broken Hill]] and Silverton, although in New South Wales, follows South Australia time, Norfolk Island has its own time zone despite being a part of New South Wales and a number of outback communities officially follow NT time. [[File:Australia-states-timezones.png|thumbnail|Time zones in Australia from GMT]] In the east, Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria always have the same time. [[Queensland]] doesn't observe daylight saving, so it is an hour behind the other eastern states during that period. In the centre, Broken Hill and Silverton (NSW), South Australia and the [[Northern Territory]] are half an hour behind during the winter, but the Northern Territory doesn't observe daylight saving while South Australia, Broken Hill and Silverton do. During daylight saving South Australia remains half an hour behind New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, but moves half an hour ahead of Queensland. The Northern Territory remains half an hour behind Queensland at all times of they year, but moves an hour and a half behind New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania during daylight savings. In the west, Western Australia is two hours behind the eastern states in winter, and also doesn't observe daylight saving. It moves three hours behind the eastern states that observe daylight saving (remaining two hours behind Queensland), 2.5 hours behind South Australia, Broken Hill and Silverton while remaining 1.5 hours behind the Northern Territory. There is also the unusual +8:45 time zone, also known as Australian Central West Standard Time (ACWST or CWST) followed in some towns near the South Australian/Western Australian border. While not an official time used, it's generally the time used, and not the time zone used in either the rest of WA nor SA. There are even highway signs telling you to change your clocks, and Apple has a separate region (which can be found under "Eucla"). What makes this case even more confusing, is that the only South Australian town in the CWST zone; Border Village, meaning it would follow daylight savings, follows +9:45, one hour ahead of Eucla, and 45 minutes behind the rest of SA. On the contrary, the chances of being impacted on Border Village is next to zero given that all commercial activity is on the WA side in the town of Eucla which follows UTC+8:45. Although the chances of a traveller going to the extremely remote Outback WA towns of Blackstone, Irrunytju, Warakurna, Wanarn, Kiwirrkurra, and Tjukurla are very low, whilst all of these towns are in WA, they follow ACST (NT time), 1.5 hours ahead of the rest of WA, and since the NT does not follow DST, these remote towns also don't follow DST. There are no official abbreviations or names for Australian time zones, and you may see a few variations used. EST, CST, WST along with EDT, CDT are sometimes used. Sometimes AEST, etc., with the 'A' prefix distinguishing them from the North American time zones with the same names. <!-- In conversation, the abbreviations aren't used. People tend to say ''Sydney time'', ''Brisbane time'', or ''Perth time''. Expect blank stares from most if you start talking about ''Central Summer Time''. --> In those states which observe daylight saving, it commences on the first Sunday in October and ends on the first Sunday in April. {| class="wikitable" |- ! State/Territory !! Standard Time !! Daylight Saving Time |- | [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] || UTC+5 || N/A |- | [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]] || UTC+6.5 || N/A |- | [[Christmas Island]] ||UTC+7 || N/A |- | [[Western Australia]] || UTC+8 || N/A |- | [[Eucla]], Cocklebiddy, Madura, Mundrabilla || UTC+8.45 || N/A |- | Border Village, SA || UTC+8.45 || UTC+9.45 |- | [[South Australia]], [[Broken Hill]] and [[Silverton (New South Wales)|Silverton]] || UTC+9.5 || UTC+10.5 |- | [[Northern Territory]], Blackstone, Irrunytju, Warakurna, Wanarn, Kiwirrkurra, and Tjukurla || UTC+9.5 || N/A |- | [[Queensland]] || UTC+10 || N/A |- | [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], [[Tasmania]], the [[Canberra|ACT]] and [[Jervis Bay Territory]] | UTC+10 || UTC+11 |- | [[Lord Howe Island]] ||UTC+10.5 || UTC+11 |- | [[Norfolk Island]] || UTC+11 || N/A |} ===Power=== [[File:Australian electric outlet type.png|thumb]] The mains supply voltage standard is 230 V with a type I plug (angled live/neutral pins with a straight earth). Popularly referred to as a "two-forty volt socket". Hotel bathrooms will often have a type C and A socket marked "for shavers only" that will down-convert to 110 V for a North American style socket for shavers. Voltage is compatible with Europe and you'll just need a conversion plug that can be obtained from supermarkets and convenience stores (as well as the airport). From North America or other 110 V countries, check your appliance for voltage tolerances before using a conversion plug. === See also === {{topicsin|Australia|0}} ==Talk== {{seealso|English language varieties}} {{infobox|Australian terminology |Although Australian English is both heavily influenced by both American and British English, Australia also has its own set of terminology. Unlike [[Australian slang]], these are also used in formal conversations, on the TV and even in government. Most of these are also used in neighbouring [[Papua New Guinea]], and for those in neighbouring [[New Zealand]] or [[Singapore]], some of these will be familiar, but they generally are unheard of in the U.S., the UK, Canada or any other English speaking country outside Oceania or Southeast Asia. ;the bush:the woods. This includes derivatives of the word "bush", so a wildfire would be called a bushfire ;capsicum: bell pepper or (green/red) pepper ;esky:cooler box ;doona:comforter or duvet ;fairy floss:cotton candy (U.S.); candy floss (UK) ;footpath:sidewalk (U.S.); pavement (UK) ;icy pole:popsicle, popsicle stick ;lollies:candy (U.S.); sweets (UK) ;peak hour:rush hour ;powerpoint:electrical outlet ;road train:a very long truck ;service station (or a servo):gas station (U.S.); petrol station (UK); petrol shed (South Asia) ;ute:pickup truck ;yabby:crayfish; crawfish ;yiros:gyro (U.S.) ;crayfish: rock lobster }} [[File:Multilingual road safety sign (3565389671).jpg|thumb|200px|A multilingual road sign in German, Italian, Japanese and Pitjantjatjara. Quite an unusual sight for Australia.]] The '''English''' language is universally spoken and understood in Australia. Australian English as generally spoken is distinctive in accent and idiom. It mostly developed from the speech of the United Kingdom and Ireland in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, however, the 20th century brought a lot of American influence, giving Australia its own unique variety of English. Nevertheless, as Australia is a global melting pot, particularly in the major cities, you will encounter cultures and hear languages from all around the world, and you will often find areas and suburbs that predominately reflect the language of their respective immigrant communities. Foreign languages are taught at school, but students rarely progress past the basics. Australia follows mostly British spelling and an eclectic mix of American and British terminology, such as ''eggplant'' (not aubergine), ''boot'' (not trunk), ''toll-free'' (not freephone), ''take-away'' (not takeout) and ''truck'' (not lorry). American terminology is understood everywhere, while British terminology isn't well understood apart from South Australia and the elderly. In all that, some terminology is uniquely Australian, and is unlikely to be heard anywhere else, except maybe in neighbouring New Zealand, Singapore or Papua New Guinea. In a culinary context, "chips" refers to both the British and American senses of the word in Australia, which can be confusing for visitors. Australians typically infer the meaning from context. So what would be called "crisps" in the UK is called "chips" in Australia, while what would be called "fries" in the U.S. is called "hot chips" in Australia, but usually shortened to "chips". However, "fries" is used in American fast food chains, and is beginning to see some use outside of that. Some words also have different meanings in Australia. For example, thongs in Australia would refer to flip-flops, ''not'' underwear or the term ''dual carriageway'' would just mean there needs to be two lanes in each way, regardless of whether it's divided or not while ''divided highway'' can be a divided single lane highway. The same applies for opposites as well. People in rural areas may have a broader accent, using some of the slang words that have become outmoded in metropolitan areas, while highly educated urban dwellers sometimes use a cultivated accent similar to that of their British equivalents. [[Australian slang]] should not present a problem for tourists except possibly in some isolated outback areas. Australians understand different varieties of English, and you may look foolish in your attempts at the local slang. There is little regional variation in Australian English, although accents tend to be broader outside of the large cities, and the pronunciation of certain words like "dance" and "renaissance" varies between regions. Most regional differences come down to word usage. For example, swimming clothes are known as ''cossies'' or ''swimmers'' in New South Wales, ''togs'' in Queensland, and'' bathers'' elsewhere. Many indigenous communities around Australia and the [[Torres Strait Islands]] speak English as a second language. It is rare to find signs in a second language, except in urban areas with a high population of Asian immigrants and students, where signs and restaurant menus in [[Vietnamese phrasebook|Vietnamese]] and [[Chinese phrasebook|Chinese]] are a common sight; and also around [[Cairns]] and the [[Gold Coast]] in Queensland where some signs (but not road signs) are written in [[Japanese phrasebook|Japanese]] or [[Chinese phrasebook|Chinese]], due to the large number of tourists. Some warning signs at beaches are written in several foreign languages. Visitors who do not speak basic English will find communicating with Australians difficult, and should do some advance planning. Some tour companies specialise in offering package deals for Australian tours complete with language guides, but mostly in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, German, Italian, French, Indonesian and Korean. Some tours also give tours in Spanish, Malay and Portuguese, although this isn't as common. Only a very small minority of tours give tours in Hindi, Arabic and Swahili, and finding one of these is once in a blue moon. Fewer than 150 '''indigenous''' languages are still in daily use, spoken day to day by as little as 42,300 people, particularly those living in rural outback communities, and those in the Torres Strait Islands. There are initiatives to revive the languages within Australia's large Aboriginal community, however given the significant differences between the languages (many can't be proven to relate to one another) that continues to prove a challenge. Learning an Aboriginal language will be useful only in specific local areas. Almost all Indigenous Australians speak English as well, although residents of some remote communities may not be fluent in the language. On top of the Aboriginal languages spoken, various creole-based languages are spoken such as [[Australian Kriol phrasebook|Australian Kriol]] or [[Torres Strait Creole phrasebook|Torres Strait Creole]]. The standard sign language is '''Auslan''' (standing for Australian Sign Language). When a sign interpreter is present for a public event, he or she will use Auslan. Users of British and New Zealand Sign Languages will be able to understand much, though not all, of the language. Auslan and NZSL are largely derived from BSL, and all three languages use the same two-handed manual alphabet. Users of sign languages that have different origins (such as the French Sign Language family, which also includes American and Irish Sign Languages) will not be able to understand Auslan. {{clear}} ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Australia.svg|thumb|450px| {| |{{legend|#00C0FF|Australia}} {{legend|#FF8080|Special Category Visa&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;}} {{legend|#00A040|eVisitor}} ||{{legend|#00E040|eVisitor or Electronic Travel Authority}} {{legend|#A0FF00|Electronic Travel Authority}} {{legend|#B0B0B0|Visa required}} |}]] ===Entry requirements=== All visitors - apart from citizens of New Zealand - require a [[visa]] in advance of travel. If you are visiting for a holiday of less than 90 days, there are three types of visas you may apply for, depending on your nationality. * '''[https://www.eta.homeaffairs.gov.au/ETAS3/etas Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) subclass 601]''' is available online to nationals of [[Brunei]], [[Canada]], [[Hong Kong]] (SAR or BN(O)), [[Japan]], [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], [[South Korea]] (ROK) and the [[United States]]. In addition, citizens of [[Taiwan]] are also eligible for an ETA, but must apply through an approved Taiwanese travel agent, or by email through the relevant Australian diplomatic mission if living abroad. A service fee of $20 applies. This fee can sometimes be avoided if you obtain your ETA through a travel agent when booking your travel with them. Some online agents may also sell ETAs. * '''[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651 eVisitor (subclass 651)]''' for citizens of the [[European Union]], [[Norway]], [[Iceland]], [[Switzerland]], the [[United Kingdom]] (British Citizens only, other types of British nationality not eligible) and a few [[European microstates]]. These visas are free, but otherwise effectively identical to the ETA. You must apply online. * '''Visitor Visa (subclass 600)'''. Passport holders of 55 countries, including all the ETA and eVisitor eligible countries and [[Argentina]], [[Bahrain]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Kuwait]], [[Maldives]], [[Oman]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] can make applications online. Other nationalities must apply using the paper form, and may need to visit an embassy or visa processing centre. :: Like the ETA and eVisitor, a Visitor 600 is by default issued for a three month stay. Unlike the other options however, a 600 visa ''can'' be issued for a longer stay of up to one year. For more than a three month stay, you will likely be asked for supporting documentation about the reason for your visit and your ties to your country of origin and may need to attend an interview. Depending on your nationality, the embassy or visa processing centre may also require you to have an Australian sponsor before issuing the visa. The fee is $140. ETAs and eVisitors are valid for multiple entries within a 12-month period. If you're eligible for either, it may be easier to stay the three months you're allowed, go to [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]] or some other country reachable by a low cost airline for a few days and come back - restarting the 90-day clock. Doing this more than once, however, may cause immigration authorities to become suspicious, so proceed with caution if you pursue this route. :: There is a special arrangement for parents of Australians, including Australian permanent residents. The 600 visa can be valid for 18 months, three years, or five years and allow a maximum stay of 12 months during an 18-month period, depending on the circumstances. In most cases, ETAs and eVisitors are approved instantly and the visa will be issued and available for use immediately. If further enquiries are needed you may be asked to return to the application system later to see if you've been approved. Over 90% are processed the same day. In the worst-case scenario your application can be diverted for manual checks that can take months. if you have a complex national history, or any criminal record (including minor offences) you should allow plenty of time for the application. If you are visiting Australia to work, study or for medical treatment, check to make sure you have the right kind of visa, as a tourist visa may not be sufficient. Breaching the conditions or planning to breach the conditions of your visa will result in visa cancellation, deportation, and/or a period of exclusion. For all tourist visa classes you must be able to demonstrate your ability to support yourself financially for the time you intend to spend in Australia and meet character requirements. If you have a criminal conviction, contact an Australian Embassy or visa processing centre before applying or making travel arrangements. New Zealand citizens may travel to Australia without a pre-arranged visa. When they arrive, they will be automatically granted a Special Category New Zealand Citizen visa (subclass 444) if they have no criminal conviction or tuberculosis. This visa allows them to travel, live, work and study in Australia for as long as they like. New Zealand citizens with criminal convictions or tuberculosis may be denied this visa and should seek advice from an Australian diplomatic mission before travel. Non-citizen permanent residents of New Zealand are ''not'' eligible for this visa and should apply for a visa based on the passport they hold. {{infobox|Inorganic powder limitation|Passengers on transit through Australia are prohibited to carry more than 350 ml or 350 grams of inorganic powder into aircraft's cabins.}} If you are transiting through Australia, remain airside for a maximum of 8 hours, have a confirmed onward booking, have the correct entry documentation for the onward destination and are a citizen of New Zealand, the '''[[European Union]]''', [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Brunei]], [[Canada]], [[Cyprus]], the [[Federated States of Micronesia]], [[Fiji]], [[Iceland]], [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Kiribati]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Malaysia]], [[Mexico]], [[Monaco]], [[Nauru]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Philippines]], [[South Africa]], the [[Republic of Marshall Islands]], [[Samoa]], [[San Marino]], [[Singapore]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Korea]] (ROK), [[Switzerland]], [[Taiwan]], [[Thailand]], [[Tonga]], [[Tuvalu]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]] (regardless of nationality status), the [[United States]], [[Vanuatu]] or [[Vatican City]], you do '''not''' need to apply for any advance visa. All other passengers who transit through Australia '''must''' apply for a free-of-charge Transit Visa (subclass 771) before travel. At selected airports, visitors who are citizens of [[Canada]], [[Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]], [[Switzerland]], the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]] may make use of the SmartGate for automated immigration clearance when entering Australia. Being able to use SmartGate does not exempt you from visa requirements. Australia no longer stamps passports or issues visa stickers; all visas, entries and exits are recorded electronically. ====Customs and quarantine==== Australia has strict quarantine requirements regarding importing '''animal and plant''' derived products (any food, wooden products, seeds, etc.) '''You must declare all such material''', even if the items are permitted. Baggage is frequently scanned and may be examined by dogs. You may be fined $220 on-the-spot if you accidentally fail to declare, or even prosecuted in serious cases. Declared material will be examined and, depending on the circumstances, may be retained, disposed of, returned to you, or treated by quarantine at your expense. (You may have to pick the item up at a later time.) Processed and sealed chocolates and other confectionery are usually permitted after being declared and examined, as are reasonable quantities of infant formula with an accompanying infant. Different rules apply depending on the origin country of foods, and the state in which you are entering Australia. Check with the '''[http://www.agriculture.gov.au/travelling/bringing-mailing-goods Department of Agriculture and Water Resources]''' for more details. Travellers who are 18 years old or older are allowed to bring up to 2.25 litres of alcoholic beverages and up to 25 cigarettes or 25 grams of other tobacco products (including cigars) into Australia duty-free. These items may not be imported by anybody under the age of 18, and travellers who exceed their duty free allowance are liable to tax on all goods of that category, not just the amount in excess of the limit. Some shells, coral and items made from a protected species are also prohibited to discourage the trade in items that may originate from a threatened ecosystem or species. While there are no restrictions on the amount of '''money''' that can be brought in or out, Australian customs also requires you to declare if you are travelling with $10,000 or more (AUD or its equivalent in foreign currency) and you will be asked to complete some paperwork. Not declaring may expose you to a fine, possible seizure of the cash, or in the worst case even arrest. ===By plane=== [[File:Qantas 747 Landing.JPG|thumb|Qantas 747 landing at [[Sydney Airport]]]] Australia is a long way from anywhere else in the world, so for most visitors the only practical way of getting into Australia is by air. Australia's major points of entry, in decreasing order of importance, are the airports in [[Sydney]] ({{IATA|SYD}}), [[Melbourne]] ({{IATA|MEL}}), [[Brisbane]] ({{IATA|BNE}}) and [[Perth]] ({{IATA|PER}}). There are also limited international services into Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin and the Gold Coast. Sydney is a 3-hour flight from [[Auckland]], New Zealand, a 7-11 hour flight from many countries in Asia, a 14-hour flight from the west of the United States and Canada, a 14-hour flight from [[Johannesburg]], a 13-16 hour flight from [[South America]], and up to a 24-hour flight from western [[Europe]] (including a stopover). On account of long journey times from some destinations, most travellers from Europe must have a stop-over, commonly in [[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai]], [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]], [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok]] or [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur]]. Since March 2018, Qantas operates a nonstop flight from [[London Heathrow]] to Perth taking "only" 17 hours — the first ever regular nonstop route between Europe and Australia. Qantas also has plans to introduce more ambitious non-stop routes from Sydney to London and New York later. If you have to change to a domestic flight in a gateway city, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth all have separate domestic terminals, requiring some time and complexity to transit: check the guides. Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin, Cairns and the Gold Coast all have gates in the '''one''' terminal building or within easy walking distance of each other. Australia's national carrier is '''[http://qantas.com.au/ Qantas]''', which together with its low-cost subsidiary '''[http://www.jetstar.com/ Jetstar]''' operate many flights into Australia from all 6 inhabited continents of the world. '''[http://www.virginaustralia.com/ Virgin Australia]''' flies several routes from North America, south-east Asia and the Pacific islands into Australia. For those coming from Europe, '''[http://www.singaporeair.com Singapore Airlines]''' and Hong Kong's '''[http://www.cathaypacific.com Cathay Pacific]''' make good alternatives to Qantas, British Airways or the Gulf airlines for flights into Australia. Some routes into Australia are operated by '''[[Discount airlines in Australasia|discount airlines]]''' such as AirAsia X, AirAsia Indonesia, Scoot and [http://www.jetstar.com Jetstar Airways]. As of 2022, several additional airlines in partnership with Australian carriers have started operating services to Australia. These include [https://www.aircanada.com Air Canada] & [https://www.united.com United Airlines]. ==== Private aviation ==== Private aviation companies such as '''[http://www.australiajetcharter.com Australia Jet Charter]''' and '''[http://www.jetcorpaustralia.com/ JetCorpAustralia]''' offer direct private flights year-round using a variety of aircraft. Popular airports for charter jets include Sydney Bankstown Airport, [[Gold Coast|Gold Coast Airport]], and Melbourne Essendon Airport. ===By boat=== Cruise ships are available mostly in the November to February cruising season, and there are usually about 10 ships that arrive in Australia from other countries during this time. You can cruise to Australia, and then fly home. Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean all offer cruises to Australia across the Pacific. You may sail to Australia in your own yacht, just make sure you submit the right paperwork to Border Force, and arrive at an approved [https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/entering-and-leaving-by-sea/ports-of-entry port of entry]. There are no international ferry services operating. ===By overland transport=== There was a time when a couple of tour operators offered overland trips from London to Sydney, with only a short hop by air from [[Southeast Asia]] to Northwestern Australia while the bus went by barge. The only such tour operator is Madventure which runs 4 different routes: 26 weeks through Iran, Pakistan, and India; 26 weeks through the Caucasus & Central Asia; 64 weeks around Africa, the Middle East, & South Asia; and 64 weeks through Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, & Central Asia. For those determined to travel overland as much as possible from Europe, you can travel independently to Singapore from Europe by train and/or bus on scheduled services, and fly from there to Perth (3,500 flight kilometres). For the truly determined overland traveller, you can get a ferry from Singapore to Indonesia and make your way across to Bali, where you can fly to Darwin (2,000 flight kilometres). For the intrepid, ferries to West Timor, a bus to Dili and a flight to Darwin will mean only 700 km in the air. Travel to Darwin by cargo ship/ barge by ANL and Swire (the only two routine cargo haulers between Dili and Darwin) is '''not permitted''' (June 2016). For determined travellers, you may be able to obtain passage from Singapore by freighter vessel, organized through a travel agent. ==Get around== Australia is ''huge'' but sparsely populated over much of its area and is larger than the contiguous US, and you can sometimes travel many hours before finding the next trace of civilization, especially once you leave the south-eastern coastal fringe. Its mainland is the sixth largest country by area, which means that it will take you a few days (around 6) to fully appreciate just ten percent of a state or territory. Almost all modern Australian maps, including street directories, use the Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA) as their grid reference, which is for all purposes identical to the WGS84 used by the GPS. You can locate most things on an Australian map or street directory if you just have the "GPS coordinates". ===Quarantine=== There are restrictions on carrying fruit and vegetables (including honey) between states and even between regions of states that are involved in fruit growing. If you are driving over 100-150 km outside large metropolitan areas or interstate, or flying between states, don't stock up on fruits and vegetables. ===By car=== {{See also|Driving in Australia}} [[File:Great Ocean Road, Lorne, Australia - Feb 2012.jpg|thumb|The Great Ocean Road]] [[File:Stuart Highway, Australia.jpg|thumb|Part of the Stuart Highway in Central Australia]] Australia has a generally well-maintained system of roads and highways, and cars are a commonly used method of transport. All the mainland state capitals are linked to each other by good undivided highways. Some parts are divided highways but many sections are one lane each way with occasional overtaking lanes around every 5-20 km depending on the state. Roads linking minor centres (or what can look like short-cuts on the map) can be narrow or gravel roads and are generally slower. In general, unlike Europe, South Africa or the US, there are no freeways connecting major centres, and divided dual carriageways that link major centres don't go for very long, and you could get roundabouts or traffic lights at random areas with only 1km notice. While Sydney to Melbourne can be fully achieved on divided dual carriageways, however, particularly in the NSW section, there are plenty of flat junctions. Sydney to Brisbane can also be achieved on 99% divided dual carriageways, with plans to upgrade the remaining one percent to motorways, on that one percent, there are still plenty of roundabouts and traffic lights along the route. Other routes like Melbourne to Adelaide are only partial divided freeways, but yet there's still towns to be bypassed, and there's not much expressway section in the South Australian section. Drives like Sydney to Perth or Adelaide to Darwin would be much better off achieved by a plane, and journeying here often takes around half a week, and these are routes that Australians themselves only do about once or twice in their lifetime. Distances are huge, and if you put it onto a European perspective: is the distance between Madrid and Moscow, and on a North American perspective, the distance from Miami to Los Angeles. Major hazards on Australian roads are wildlife and large trucks. Be sure to take extra care when driving at dusk or in the dark, as the risk of animal collisions increases significantly. Major regional areas have paved (sealed) dual-lane roads, but isolated areas may have poorly maintained dirt roads or even tracks. Distances and speeds are specified in kilometres and fuel is sold by the litre. There are no tolls on roads or bridges outside of the urban areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Toowoomba. While public transport is usable in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, a car is handy, sometimes even essential, to get around anywhere else. Australia drives on the left. Overseas visitors who are used to driving on the right should take care when they first drive, and again when they are driving on country roads with little traffic. Generally, overseas licenses are valid for driving in Australia for three months after arrival. If the licence is not in English, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is required in addition to your licence. Licensing regulations and road rules vary slightly from state to state. Australia's low population density and large size makes for long driving times between major centres. The default speed limit in most of Australia is 50km/h in built-up areas, and 100 km/h on rural roads, unless signed otherwise except in the NT where urban defaults are 60 km/h, and in WA and the NT, rural defaults are 110 km/h. Many major rural roads have a posted speed limit of 110 km/h especially in the Outback. Average speed is seldom above 80 km/h due to the poor road conditions and limited overtaking opportunities. On some national highways that traverse mountain ranges and travel through small towns, even averaging 60&nbsp;km/h can be a challenge. Speed limits are strictly enforced in Australia, and even creeping ever so slightly above the speed limit could earn you a ticket with a hefty fine. While major highways are well serviced, anyone '''leaving well-maintained roads''' in inland Australia should take advice from local authorities, check weather and road conditions, and carry sufficient spare fuel, spare parts, spare tyres, matches, food and water. Some remote roads might see one car per month or less. Cellular coverage is non-existent outside of national highways and towns and you should take some precautions in case of emergency. Heat and dehydration at any time of year can kill you. If stranded, stay with your vehicle and do what you can to improve your visibility from the air. Do not take this advice lightly; even local people die out there when their car breaks down and they are not reported missing. If you do have to abandon your car (say you break down and then get a lift), call in quickly to the local police station, to avoid the embarrassment and cost of a search being started for you. ====Car rental==== Major cities around Australia have multiple outlets providing a wide range of rental vehicles from major international rental companies. Several major international providers with bases in Austraia include [https://www.enterpriserentacar.com.au/en/car-rental/locations/australia.html Enterprise], [https://alamo.com.au/ Alamo], [https://nationalcar.com.au/ National], Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, Sixt & Europcar. In smaller towns car rental can be difficult to find. One-way fees often apply from smaller regional outlets. Australia also hosts many national brands including [https://www.redspot.com.au/ Redspot], East Coast, Jucy & Nobirds. Smaller cars you can rent can be manual (stick-shift), whereas anything larger will mostly be automatic. If you do not hold an Australian driving licence, some rental vehicle companies will require you to take a free [http://www.driverknowledgetests.com/learners-permit/tourist/ driver knowledge test], aimed at tourists, that covers the basic road rules, or will take you on a short drive to assess whether you are competent behind the wheel. ====Campervans ==== A '''campervan''' is a vehicle, usually a minivan, converted into a motorhome (recreational vehicle), most often catering to the vast number of young European and American backpackers traversing the country. The East Coast from Sydney to Cairns is especially abundant with happy, hungover youths travelling around in these vehicles. [[Driving in Australia]] has more information on renting or buying a campervan. ===By taxi=== Larger towns and cities have taxi services, and can be hailed on the street in most CBDs. [https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/ Uber], [https://www.didiglobal.com/ Didi] and [https://www.olacabs.com/ Ola Cabs] are available in major cities. There are several smartphone taxi booking applications such as [https://www.mydriver.com/en myDriver], [http://www.gocatch.com/ GoCatch] that make finding a licensed taxi simple. Outside of cities, towns may have a limited taxi service, and smaller or remote towns may have no service at all. When travelling alone, it is customary for a passenger to sit in the front passenger seat, next to the driver. However, if you prefer to sit in the back then it isn't a problem. ===By plane=== [[File:Melbourne Airport T1 with Qantas and Jetstar jets.jpg|thumb|250px|Qantas and Jetstar aircraft at Melbourne Airport]] Due to the large distances involved, flying is a well-patronised form of travel in Australia. Services along the main business travel corridor (Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane) are run almost like a bus service, with flights leaving every 15 minutes during the day. The best fares are almost always available on the most competitive routes, whereas routes to remote destinations with fewer flights tend to be more expensive. Qantas actually do often offer competitive prices, so don't ignore that option just because they are the national carrier. There are only a handful of main airlines in Australia, so it won't take long to compare their prices on domestic routes: * '''[http://www.qantas.com.au/ Qantas]''', the full-service national carrier, flying to major cities and some larger regional towns; * '''[http://www.virginaustralia.com/ Virgin Australia]''', a nationwide full-service airline, flying to major cities and a few larger regional towns; * '''[http://www.jetstar.com.au/ Jetstar]''', Qantas's discount arm with limited service and assigned seating. Several airlines service regional destinations. Expect discounts on these airlines to be harder to come by, and for standard airfares to be above what you would pay for the same distance between major centres. * '''[http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/home/qualifier-country-au Qantaslink]''', the regional arm of Qantas, covering the smaller cities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia; * '''[http://www.rex.com.au/ Regional Express]''', covering larger towns & cities on the eastern seaboard and in country South Australia; * '''[http://www.skywest.com.au Skywest]''', covering regional Western Australia, Bali and Darwin; * '''[http://www.airnorth.com.au Airnorth]''', covering the Northern Territory; * '''[http://www.skytrans.com.au Skytrans Airlines]''', covering regional Queensland. * '''[http://www.sharpairlines.com.au/ Sharp Airlines]''', covering several regional towns in Victoria and South Australia. ====Charters==== {{seealso|General aviation}} Scheduled aviation only flies to a handful of the thousands of airports around Australia. There are numerous options to charter aircraft that may take you direct to smaller country towns or even offshore islands. The costs can be comparable to scheduled airlines if there are 3 or more people flying in a group. The Australian Private Pilots Licence permits private pilots to carry passengers and to recover the cost of the plane hire and fuel from passengers, but not to advertise for passengers or fly commercially. That said, if you check the web pages of local flying clubs, there are always private pilots willing to fly on a fine weekend if someone is willing to put in for the cost of the plane and fuel. ===By train=== {{seealso|Rail travel in Australia|Across Australia by train}} [[File:Passenger rail services in Australia en.png|thumb|upright=2.1|Map of the main inter-city rail lines in Australia]] Visitors from areas with well-developed long distance rail systems such as Europe and Japan may be surprised by the lack of high-speed, inter-city rail services in Australia. A historical lack of cooperation between the states, combined with sheer distances and a relatively small population to service, have left Australia with a national rail network that is relatively slow and used mainly for freight. Nevertheless, train travel between cities can be very scenic and present opportunities to see new aspects of the country, and can be a cost-effective way to get to regional towns and cities, which tend to have more expensive flights than those between the state capitals. The long-distance rail services that do exist are mainly used to link regional townships with the state capital, such as [[Bendigo]] to Melbourne, or Cairns to Brisbane. In Queensland, a tilting train operates from Brisbane to [[Rockhampton]] and Brisbane to Cairns (''Spirit of Queensland''). Queensland also has passenger services to inland centres including [[Longreach]] (''The Spirit of the Outback''), [[Mount Isa]] (''The Inlander''), [[Charleville]] (''The Westlander'') and [[Forsayth]] (''The Savannahlander''). There are also inter-city train services operated by Great Southern Railways on the Melbourne-[[Adelaide]] (''The Overland''), Sydney-Adelaide-[[Perth (Western Australia)|Perth]] (''Indian Pacific'') and Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin (''[[The Ghan]]''). However, these are not "high-speed" services and actually cost more than flying, so if you do not enjoy train travel as part of your holiday then this is probably not for you. Tasmania has no passenger rail services. The Northern Territory has the rail line linking Darwin to Adelaide through Alice Springs only, and the Australian Capital Territory has a single railway station close to the centre of Canberra. ====Long distance train operators==== [[File:Indian Pacific Bellevue, Western Australia-small.jpg|thumb|Indian Pacific]] * '''[http://www.gsr.com.au/ Great Southern Railways]''' - A private train operator running luxury tourist train services, The Ghan, The Indian Pacific and The Overland between Sydney, [[Broken Hill]], Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Perth and Melbourne. * '''[http://www.nswtrainlink.info NSW Trainlink Regional]''' - Links Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, and regional connections to most New South Wales towns, including [[Dubbo]], [[Coffs Harbour]], and [[Wagga Wagga]]. * '''[http://www.vline.com.au V/Line]''' - Train & coach services in Victoria, including combined Train and Coach services between Melbourne and Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra. * '''[https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/ Queensland Rail]''' - Long distance passenger train services in Queensland, including its flagship Spirit of Queensland service between Brisbane and [[Cairns]]. * '''[http://www.savannahlander.com.au The Savannahlander]''' - A privately-run train service that links Cairns with the outback town of [[Forsayth]], using old heritage trains, and providing overnight accommodation and tours on the way. * '''[http://www.transwa.wa.gov.au TransWA]''' - State government run, operating train services to [[Kalgoorlie]] and [[Bunbury]]. TransWA also operates coach services to much of the state where former rail services operated in the past, especially the southwest of the state. ====Rail passes==== No rail pass includes all train travel throughout Australia. However, if you are a train buff that intends travelling extensively by rail, there are some passes that may save you money. Plan your trip carefully before investing in a rail pass. Country train services are infrequent and can arrive at regional destinations at unsociable hours. * '''[http://www.nswtrainlink.info/deals/discovery Discovery Pass]'''. Use any NSW Trainlink services (trains and coaches). Get anywhere in NSW, and north to Brisbane and south to Melbourne. * Queensland Rail Coastal Pass and Queensland Rail Explorer Pass. ====Local public transport==== [[File:Cityrail-millennium-M32-ext.jpg|thumb|A suburban train in Sydney]] [[File:D2.5007 + C2.5111 bourke.JPG|thumb|Melbourne is well served by the world's largest tram network]] Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, [[Wollongong]] and [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] have commuter rail and bus services integrated into the city public transport, with trams also running in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney, and ferries in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Sydney is home to Australia's sole Metro line. The remaining capital cities have bus services only. See those city guides articles for public transport details. Some regional cities and towns have local bus services, but see the destination guides for service information, as frequency can be poor and weekend and evening services non-existent. ===By motorail=== Australia had a tradition of motorail, allowing you to carry carry your car with you on special car carriages attached to the back of the train. This service is now only available on Great Southern Railways between Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin. You cannot remove your car at any of the intermediate stations. ===By bus=== Bus travel in Australia is cheap and convenient, although the distances involved for interstate connections are daunting. Greyhound has the largest bus route network. There are no bus services from the other capital cities to Perth. * {{listing | name=Firefly Express | url=http://www.fireflyexpress.com.au | email=enquiries@fireflyexpress.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=1300 730 740 (local rate), +61 3 8318 0318 (international callers) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Firefly Express has services connecting Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | url=http://www.greyhound.com.au | email=info@greyhound.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=1300 473 946 (local rate) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Greyhound travels to over 1100 destinations in Australia daily every day of the year. It has a variety of ticketing options allow you to travel at your own pace, hopping on and off as many times as your ticket allows. }} * {{listing | name=Murrays | url=http://www.murrays.com.au | email=reservations@murrays.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 13 22 51 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Murrays has services connecting Canberra with Sydney, the [[South Coast (New South Wales)|NSW South Coast]] and [[Snowy Mountains|snowfields]]. }} ===By boat=== [[File:Spirit of Tasmania Port Melbourne.jpg|thumb|The ''Spirit of Tasmania II'' at Port Melbourne]] Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth have ferries as part of their public transport system. Some smaller roads in the regional areas still have punts to carry cars across rivers and canals. The islands of the Barrier Reef have some scheduled services, and there are a few cruises that cross the top of Australia as well. However, large inter city ferry services are not common. * '''[http://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/ The Spirit of Tasmania]'''. The only long distance ferry route connects Tasmania to the mainland and carries cars and passengers on the route across Bass Strait daily between Melbourne and [[Devonport]]. * '''[https://www.sealink.com.au/ Sealink]''' connects Kangaroo Island, Australia's second largest southern island to mainland South Australia with regular car ferries. * '''[http://seasa.com.au/ Sea SA]''' offers an short cut across the Spencer Gulf between Adelaide (Wallaroo) and the Lucky Bay on the [[Eyre Peninsula]]. The service has been suspended frequently, but is operating as of Dec 2018. ===By thumb=== It is legal to hitch hike in some states in Australia, so long as certain guidelines are followed. However, it is less commonly done than in neighbouring New Zealand. In Australia hitch hiking is often frowned upon by locals and police, especially in metropolitan areas. Hitch hiking is illegal in Victoria and Queensland. It is also illegal to stand on the verge or walk along freeways (often called "motorways" in New South Wales and Queensland) in all states (effectively making hitch hiking illegal in many practical places, in all states). If forced to hitch hike due to an emergency you may find a motorist willing to take you to the nearest town to obtain help. (Many major inter-city highways and freeways have emergency telephone units to request help.) It is common to see a tourist hitching in rural areas. The best time to hitch hike is early morning. The best location is near, but not on, the main exit from the town you are in. ===By bicycle=== Cycling the long distances between towns in Australia is not common, and most long distance highways in Australia have poorly developed facilities for cyclists. for example, to cycle between Sydney and Brisbane you would have to allow 2–3 weeks with around 80–100&nbsp;km per day. Intrepid travellers do manage to cover the longer distances by bicycle, and have a different experience of Australia. Long distance cyclists can be encountered on the Nullarbor and other isolated highways. In some states, former railway lines have been changed into rail trails. [https://www.railtrails.org.au/ Rail Trail Australia] website has good material of routes off the main highways, with the Murray to the Mountains Train being the best quality trail with the most to see and do along the route. In Western Australia long distance cycle trails have been developed for mountain bikers. The Munda Biddi trail is many days through bushland, with huts provided for camping along the route. Wherever you cycle - if you leave the urban sprawl of the capital cities, plan carefully and carry supplies. ===Hiking=== {{main|Hiking and bushwalking in Australia}} Walking through some parts of Australia is the only way to experience some particular landscapes. In Tasmania the Central Highland [[Overland Track]] and the South Coast Track are good examples of walking/hiking holiday ''to do'' items. The Bicentennial National Trail is one of the longest trails in the world, stretching from [[Cooktown]] in Northern Queensland, to [[Healesville]] in [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]. ==See== ===Wildlife=== [[File:Koala climbing tree.jpg|thumb|A koala]] {{seealso|Australasian wildlife}} Australian flora and fauna is unique to the island continent, the result of having been isolated from the rest of the world for millions of years. Amongst Australian animals are a large group of marsupials (mammals with a pouch) and monotremes (mammals that lay eggs). Just some of the animal icons of Australia are the kangaroo (national symbol) and the koala. A visit to Australia would not be complete without taking the chance to see some of these animals in their natural environment. ====Wildlife parks and zoos==== * '''Wildlife parks and zoos''' are in every state capital city, but also check out the animal parks if you are passing through smaller towns, like [[Mildura]] or [[Mogo]], or staying on [[Hamilton Island]]. See the Warrawong Fauna Sanctuary if you are in South Australia, or visit the koalas with best view in the world, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. ====In the wild==== [[File:Tassy Devil.jpg|thumb|A Tasmanian devil]] * '''Kangaroos''' and '''wallabies''' are in national parks all around Australia. You won't see any kangaroos hopping down the street in [[Sydney/City|Central Sydney]], but they're common on the outskirts of most urban areas. * '''Wombats''' and '''echidnas''' are also common, but harder to find due to their camouflage and tunnelling. See lots of echidnas on Kangaroo Island. * '''Koalas''' are present in forests around Australia, but are notoriously very hard to spot, and walking around looking upwards into the boughs of trees will usually send you sprawling over a tree root. Best seen during the day, there is a thriving and friendly population on Raymond Island near [[Paynesville (Victoria)|Paynesville]] in Victoria. You have a good chance on Otway Coast, on the [[Great Ocean Road]], or even in the National Park walk near [[Noosa]] on the Sunshine Coast. * '''Emus''' are more common in central Australia. You will certainly see some if you venture into the outback national park at [[Currawinya National Park|Currawinya]] * '''Platypus''' are found in reedy, flowing creeks with soft river banks in Victoria, Southern New South Wales, and the very southern region of Queensland - seen at dusk and dawn - you have to have a bit of luck to see one. Try the platypus reserves in [[Bombala]] or [[Delegate]] in New South Wales, or in Emu Creek at [[Skipton (Victoria)|Skipton]] just out of [[Ballarat]]. ===Convict sites=== Much of Australia's modern history was as a penal colony for convicts from the United Kingdom, and there are many historical sites that still stand as a reminder of the days of convict transportation. Perhaps the most famous of these sites are [[Port Arthur (Tasmania)|Port Arthur]] in [[Tasmania]] and Fremantle Prison in [[Perth/Fremantle|Fremantle]], located near [[Perth]], [[Western Australia]]. There are also many other sites scattered throughout the country. ===Landmarks=== [[File:07 Sydney Opera House in black and white, Australia.jpg|thumb|Sydney Opera House, one of Australia's most recognised landmarks]] Australia has many landmarks, famous the world over. From [[Uluru]] in the red centre, to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in Sydney. Small Australian towns have a tradition of making big sculptures as landmarks. See [[Big things in Australia]]. Australia has thousands of heritage-registered sites, with 20 [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] ===National parks=== {{see also|National parks in Australia}} [[File:Beech Forest (AU), Great Otway National Park, Beauchamp Falls -- 2019 -- 1271.jpg|thumb|Beauchamp Falls, Great Otway National Park, Victoria]] Perhaps the best of what can be found in the natural side of Australia is best found in its national parks. Australia has more than 500 or so national parks, which makes Australia the country having the most number of national parks in the world. Although that number can make it somewhat hard to pick, there are some particular national parks in particular that stand out to travelers more than others. Some national parks (including [[Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park|Australia's largest]]) are located in very remote areas with no roads leading there, and the only way to access them is off-road driving in a four-wheel drive; be sure to make ample preparations and stock up on food, water and fuel before you attempt to visit one of these, and it is highly recommended that you rent a [[Mobile_phones#Satellite_phones|satellite phone]] despite the high cost in case of emergencies. In New South Wales, a trip is never complete without going to [[Blue Mountains National Park]], just west of Sydney and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], home to several indigenous sacred sites, along with several lookouts, mountains and plateaus. Other national parks in New South Wales that are popular include [[Royal National Park]], a popular beachside spot and the world's second oldest national park just south of Sydney, [[Kosciuszko National Park]] for being home to Australia's tallest mountain on the mainland, [[Dorrigo National Park]] or [[New England National Park]] for its Gondwana Rainforests, or a more isolated [[Mungo National Park]] home to the unusual but yet great "Walls of China" formation. In the Northern Territory, the two most famous parks by far are [[Kakadu National Park]] and [[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]], two icons of Australia which are both pretty self explanatory. Other popular national parks include [[Litchfield National Park]] home to several waterfalls, [[Nitmiluk National Park|Nitmiluk]] for the Katherine Gorge, [[Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park]] and [[Watarrka National Park]] for their gorges and canyons. In Queensland, similar to the Northern Territory, the two most famous and internationally recognized parks are the [[Daintree Rainforest]] and the [[Great Barrier Reef]], one for being the world's oldest living rainforest while the latter for being the world's largest reef system. Other popular national parks include [[Lamington National Park]] for its Gondwana Rainforests or [[Fraser Island|Great Sandy National Park]] for being the world's largest sand island and the only place in the world where forest grows on sand or the [[Whitsunday Islands]], home to some of the world's whitest beaches. Other important but relatively unknown national parks include [[Boodjamulla National Park]], a world heritage site for its fossils or [[Carnarvon National Park]] for its landscape and rock art. In South Australia, national parks tend to be of different quality, and by far the most recognised one is [[Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park]], what first comes in mind for many who think about South Australia. Others include [[Naracoorte Caves National Park]], a world heritage site for its fossils, or [[the Coorong]], the world's longest beach. Tasmania has by far the most wilderness, and with almost a little less than 50% of [[Tasmanian national parks|its national parks]] as world heritage sites, it can be hard to decide which ones to visit. [[Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park]] is by far its most iconic national park, while [[Southwest National Park]] is the largest in the state. For those interesting in mountains that are easily accessible, [[Hartz Mountains National Park]] or [[Mount Field National Park]] is generally the national park to go, with the latter along with [[Ben Lomond National Park]] known for skiing and snowsports. For the parks of other kinds, [[Freycinet National Park]] is known for its beaches while [[Tasman National Park]] has some of the world's highest ocean cliffs. Victoria, despite being the smallest mainland state has quite a lot more to offer than you might think. Its most iconic one is [[Port Campbell National Park]], and although the name of the park is not well known, one of its main features – the 12 Apostles is what brings so much visitors to it. Others include [[Wilsons Promontory]], home to the southernmost point of the Australian mainland, or [[Murray Sunset National Park]], home to a pink lake. Western Australia, being the world's second largest jurisdictions has plenty to offer. In particular, the one that's most known is [[Nambung National Park]] for its Pinnacles Desert, but others include [[Kalbarri National Park]] or [[Karijini National Park]] both home to several unique geological formations, or [[Murujuga National Park]] for being home to some of the world's densest collections of rock art. [[Purnululu National Park]] or [[Shark Bay]] both tend to be a bit far from [[Perth]], but both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both offering something unique in sight. And if you thought that everything that's scenic has to be on land – you could be hardly ever more wrong. The Ningaloo Marine Park (and [[Exmouth (Western Australia)|Exmouth]] and [[Coral Bay]]) have a lot to offer, especially for those keen in marine life. ===Space=== {{main|Astrotourism in Australia}} The vast open outback in Australia makes Australia a prime destination for space-enthusiasts. However, unlike the Northern Hemisphere, the constellations here are very different, owing to the fact that Australia is in the southern hemisphere. There are plenty of [[Astrotourism in Australia|astrotourism]] sites, ranging from a cities, to as far deep in the outback as you can go. ===Sports=== [[File:Ball is in dispute in Hawthorn-Essendon AFL match.jpg|thumb|Part of an AFL match between the Hawthorn and Essendon teams]] Sport is an integral part of the Australian culture from the capital cities to country towns. As a testament to this, Australia has a track record of being one of the best performing teams at the Olympics despite its relatively small population. The majority of games are played over the weekend period (from Friday night to Monday night). Australian sports fans are generally well behaved, and it is not uncommon for fans of two opposing teams to sit together during a match, even if the teams are bitter rivals. While the cheering can get really passionate, actual crowd violence is extremely rare. {{Infobox|Football|The term "football" can be ambiguous in Australia, and differs in meaning depending on where you are and who you are talking to. However, the term on its own is almost never used to refer to association football, which is known as "soccer" in Australia. In general, "football", or the slang term "footy", refers to '''rugby league''' in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, while it refers to '''Australian rules football''' anywhere else in Australia.}} * In the winter in Victoria '''[[Australian rules football]]''' (Aussie Rules, or in some areas just "footy") is more than just a sport, it is a way of life. Catch a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Although originating from and most popular in the state of Victoria, the premier national competition, known as the '''[https://www.afl.com.au/ Australian Football League (AFL)]''', has teams from Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and the Gold Coast as well. The '''AFL Grand Final''', held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground either in late September or early October each year, is the most watched event on the Australian sporting calendar. The AFL now runs a women's league, known as '''[https://womens.afl AFL Women's]''', during the summer. While obviously not as popular as the men's game, it still enjoys a decent following. The next women's season in 2020 will feature 14 teams from all of the current men's AFL markets. * In summer, international '''[[cricket]]''' is played between Australia and at least two touring sides. The games rotate around all the capital cities. To experience the traditional game catch the New Year's test match at the Sydney cricket ground played for 5 days starting from the 2nd of January, or the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne. Or for a more lively entertaining form, that only takes a few hours, try a twenty-twenty match. The final form is "One Day" Cricket, international matches generally start at 13:00 and finish at 22:00 or 23:00 (a "Day-Nighter"), with most domestic and occasional international matches played from 11:00 to 18:00. The '''Australia Day''' One Day International is held in Adelaide every 26 January. '''The Ashes''' is a series of five test matches played between the Australian and English national teams. It is held in Australia every three or four years, and is one of the highlights of the cricket calendar. Whenever Australia hosts the series, the five matches are held in the five largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. * The '''[http://www.ausopen.com/index.html Australian Open]''', one of the '''tennis''' Grand Slams, is played annually at '''[https://mopt.com.au/ Melbourne Park]''', including the main stadium of '''[http://www.rodlaverarena.com.au/ Rod Laver Arena]''', near the [[Melbourne]] city centre. Or the Medibank International in [[Sydney/Sydney Olympic Park|Sydney Olympic Park]] in January. [[File:Hunter Stadium Day.JPG|thumb|Hunter Stadium in Newcastle]] * Catch a '''[[Rugby Football#Rugby union|rugby union]]''' Super Rugby game, with teams playing from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney during late Summer/Autumn. The Australian national team, the Wallabies, also host international teams during winter, including New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina for The Rugby Championship (formerly the Tri Nations tournament). * '''[[Rugby Football#Rugby league|Rugby League]]''' is a winter game played mainly in New South Wales and Queensland, with the '''[https://www.nrl.com/ National Rugby League (NRL)]''' competition being the premier competition. Teams include Melbourne in Victoria, Brisbane, North Queensland and the Gold Coast in Queensland, a team from New Zealand, with the rest of the teams coming from suburban areas in Sydney, and some in regional areas of New South Wales such as Newcastle and Canberra. The competition culminates in the '''NRL Grand Final''', which is held every year in the Stadium Australia in Sydney. The biggest event in the rugby league calendar of Australia is the '''State of Origin''' series between teams representing the states of New South Wales and Queensland, which consists of an annual series of three matches of which two are played in Sydney and Brisbane, and the third is played in either of those cities or sometimes, Melbourne or Perth. Many fans consider the level of play in the State of Origin series to be even higher than that in the Rugby League World Cup. * '''Netball''' is Australia's largest female sport, and there are weekly games in the domestic Super Netball league (which replaced a previous transnational league that also included New Zealand sides). The Australian national team is arguably the strongest in the world, with England, New Zealand and Jamaica usually posing the biggest challenge to Australian dominance. * '''Soccer''' is a growing sport that is aspiring to reach European levels. Many immigrants and second-generation Australians hail from European countries where passion for the sport is very high. The Australia national team (the Socceroos) won the Asia Cup for the first time in 2015 and have raised the sport's profile significantly. There is a national A-League, which is a fully professional league involving teams from Australia and one from New Zealand, with games played weekly during the summer. Most cities have a semi-professional "state league" played during winter, with most clubs being built around a specific ethnic/migrant community, for example a [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] league side Broadmeadow Magic, which was built around the cities' Macedonian population. While women's soccer is less popular as a spectator sport, it enjoys a decent following, with the national team (the Matildas) regularly participating in the World Cup. The women's counterpart to the A-League is the W-League. * '''[[Formula One|F1 Grand Prix]]''' The Melbourne Grand Prix in March takes place on a street circuit around Albert Park Lake, only a few kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a racetrack for the Australian Grand Prix and associated support races. * The '''Supercars Championship''' is a popular form of motor racing unique to Australia involving powerful cars, comparable to NASCAR racing in the United States—though unlike NASCAR, which races almost exclusively on oval tracks, the Supercars series uses road courses and street circuits. Events are held all over the country between March and early December. The famous Bathurst 1000 is traditionally held in October. * '''[[Horse racing]]''' is Australia's third most popular spectator sport after Australian rules football and rugby league, and races are held regularly in all of Australia's state capitals. The premier event in Australia's horse racing calendar is the annual '''[https://www.flemington.com.au/melbournecupcarnival Melbourne Cup]''', which also ranks among the most prestigious races in the world. * '''Greyhound racing''', although less popular than horse racing, also has a significant following in Australia, which has the world's largest greyhound racing industry. Greyhound racing tracks can be found in all of Australia's state capitals, as well as in many small towns throughout the country. ===Itineraries=== * [[Anne Beadell Highway]] * [[Gibb River Road]] * [[Grand Pacific Drive]] * [[Great Ocean Road]] * [[Gunbarrel Highway]] * [[Oodnadatta Track]] * [[Stuart Highway]]: crossing Australia north-south * [[Tourist Drive 33]] * [[Waterfall Way]] * [[Military museums and sites in Australia]] ==Do== [[File:Bondi 1.jpg|thumb|Australia is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world (Bondi Beach pictured)]] [[File:Gold-Coast-Skyline-at-Night.jpg|thumb|Surfers Paradise, located in the Gold Coast, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, boasting some of the world's greatest beaches and located near an array of theme parks]] ===Swim=== * '''in the surf'''. Australia has seemingly endless sandy beaches. Follow the crowds to the world-famous [[Sydney/Bondi|Bondi Beach]] in Sydney, or [[Surfers Paradise]] on the Gold Coast. Or find a stretch all for yourself (but beware of dangerous rips on beaches, it is considerably safer to find a patrolled beach). The surf is smaller and warmer in the Tropical North, where the reef breaks the swell, and larger and colder in the south with waves rolling in from the Southern Ocean. (And yes, in the middle it is ''just right''). * '''in calm tropical oceans'''. Cable Beach in [[Broome]] is swept pristine daily by the tide, has perfect sand, and warm water - go in winter. * '''in thermal pools'''. South of Darwin there are many natural thermal pools such as Berry Springs & Mataranka, surrounded by palms and tropical foliage. The most expensive resort in the world couldn't dream of making a pool this good. * '''in freshwater lakes'''. Inland Australia tends to be dry, but there are freshwater lakes where you would least expect them. Explore inland of Cairns at the Atherton Tablelands, or head outback to the [[Currawinya National Park]]. Watch out for crocodiles. * '''in rivers'''. If its hot, and there is water, there will be a place to swim. Wherever you are, just ask around for the favourite swimming spot, with a waterhole and rope to swing on. Watch out for crocodiles. * '''in man-made pools'''. The local swimming pool is often the hub of community life on a summer Sunday in the country towns of New South Wales and Victoria. Many of the beachside suburbs of Sydney and Newcastle have man made rock/concrete pools called 'baths' where you can swim beside the ocean beaches. * '''on the beach'''! Find your spot by the water, and get out the towel. Tropical north in the winter, down south in the summer. As always when in Australia, protect yourself from the sun. ===Bushwalking=== {{main|Hiking in Australia}} Bushwalking is a popular Australian activity. You can go bushwalking in the many national parks and rainforests. Some areas also have guided bush walks by the local Aboriginal people, and these are an excellent opportunity to learn about the culture of the local Aboriginal ethnic group. ===Diving=== [[File:Giant clam with diver.jpg|thumb|A scuba diver looking at a giant clam on the Great Barrier Reef]] * '''Snorkelling''' take a trip out to the [[Great Barrier Reef]] on the Queensland coast, or the [[Exmouth (Western Australia)|Ningaloo Reef]] off the coast of Western Australia. Or take a trip out to Julian rocks off [[Byron Bay]], or just dive in off the beach to see the tropical fish in [[Bundaberg]]. * [[Scuba diving in Australia|Scuba Diving]] ===Sports=== * [[Golf in Australia|Golf]] * '''Rock Climbing''' * '''Mountain Biking'''. Try the trails in the [[Snowy Mountains]] or black mountain in Canberra, or cycle for days along the Munda Biddi Mountain Bike trail in Western Australia. * '''Horse Riding'''. The horse has a rich tradition in the settlement of Australia since the arrival of the first European settlers. Relying on the horse to travel the vast distances and harsh environments of Australia was the foundation of a strong and lasting relationship between Australians and their horses. Today horse riding in Australia includes many recreational and occupational activities from cattle musters on vast stations, to the multimillion-dollar racing industry. On the outskirts of towns and cities and out in the rural landscape, you will see the many pony paddocks and much loved horses that are a testament to the ongoing passion and commitment Australian horse owners have to their horses and the enjoyment they bring. ===Ski=== * Skiing. New South Wales and Victoria have well developed ski facilities. Tasmania can also have skiing for a few months of the year, given the right weather. See [[Winter sports in Australia]] ===Surf=== * Surfing. If you think Australia is the most unpopulated and most remote place on earth where you can go to escape any trace of human contact, just find a good surf break in the most remote corner of Australia and you will be guaranteed to find someone surfing it. Australians love to surf and wherever there is surf there are Aussie surfers, any time and under any conditions. Virtually every coastline, except along the top end from Cairns across to Karatha has surf and surfers there to ride it. ===Thrill activities=== * '''Sky Diving''', all around Australia * '''Hot Air Ballooning''', in Canberra, Brisbane or in the [[Red Centre#Do|Red Centre]]. *''' Kitesurfing''' and '''windsurfing''' in and around Geraldton, Western Australia and at '''Coronation Beach''', the windsurfing and kitesurfing capital of Australia === Gamble === [[File:2008BerriganCup1.JPG|thumb|Horse racing at the Berrigan Cup race meeting in the small New South Wales town of Berrigan]] It has been said that if there are two flies crawling up a wall, then you just need to look around to find the Aussie who will be running a book. * '''Casinos'''. Crown Casino in Melbourne is Australia's largest, located at Southbank, but there are others scattered in every capital city and in Cairns, [[Launceston]], Alice Springs, the Gold Coast and [[Townsville]]. * '''[[Horse racing|Day at the races]]'''. All capital cities have horse racing every weekend, with on-track and off-track betting available. They are usually family occasions, and fashion and being seen are part of the event. Just about every pub in New South Wales will have a tab, where you can place a bet without leaving your chair at the bar. Greyhound racing and trotting happens in the evenings, usually with smaller crowds, more beer, and less fashion. Smaller country towns have race meetings every few months or even annually. These are real events for the local communities, and see the smaller towns come to life. Head outback to the [[Birdsville]] races, or if you find the streets deserted it is probably ten past three on the first Tuesday in November (the running of the Melbourne cup). * '''The unusual'''. Lizard races, cane toad races, camel races, crab races. Betting on these races is totally illegal and you'll find the TIB (Totally Illegal Betting) around the back of the shed. * '''Two up'''. If you are around for Anzac Day (25 April), then betting on coins thrown into the air will be happening at your local RSL club, wherever you are. * Australia has almost a quarter of all the '''slot machines''' (locally known as "pokies" or "poker machines") in the world, and more than half of these are in New South Wales, where most pubs and clubs have gaming rooms (labelled "VIP lounges" for legal reasons) where one can "have a slap" and go for the feature. * If none of this appeals, and you just have too much money in your pocket, '''every town and suburb in Australia has a TAB''' (Totalisator Agency Board – betting shop). Pick your sport, pick a winner, and hand over your money at the counter. Gambling is illegal for under-18's. This can often restrict entry to parts of pubs, clubs, and casinos for children. ===Royal shows=== Each of Australia's states and mainland territories is home to a '''royal show''', which are agricultural fairs that also feature amusement rides and other forms of entertainment, and serve as Australia's equivalent of state fairs in the United States. These shows are held in the respective state and territory capitals, usually during the spring or autumn months. ==Buy== [[File:Pitt Street Mall February 2016.jpg|thumb|Pitt Street Mall in Sydney is one of Australia's busiest shopping districts]] {{see also|Shopping in Australia}} ===Money=== <!--{{exchange rate AUD|currencies=USD,GBP,EUR,NZD,JPY,ZAR}}--> {{exchange rates | currency=Australian dollar | currencyCode=A$ | date=January 2022 | USD=1.4 | EUR=1.6 | GBP=1.9 | NZD=0.95 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/aud-australian-dollar XE.com] }} {{infobox|Gold coins|No, it's not coins made out of gold, it's just an informal way of what Australians call a $1 or a $2 coin. It is mostly used in the terms of when donating, often for not-for-profit museums or charities. However, unlike Canada's loonie and toonie, Australians do not distinguish between $1 and $2 coins, and so if you do see a place that requests for a gold coin donation, you could give either $1 or $2 (or nothing, as it's a donation), but most give $2.}} The Australian currency is known as the '''dollar''', denoted by the symbol "'''$'''" or "'''A$'''" (ISO code: '''AUD'''). It is divided into 100 '''cents (c)'''. In this guide, the "$" sign denotes Australian dollars unless otherwise noted. Coins come in denominations of 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, the 12-sided 50¢, $1 and the tiny $2. The pre-2006 New Zealand 5¢, 10¢ and 20¢ coins were virtually identical to their Australian counterparts, save for a different tails side, so it's not uncommon to come across them among your Australian change and you may also encounter SGD coins, particularly 20c coins. Notes come in denominations of $5 (mauve), $10 (blue), $20 (red), $50 (yellow) and $100 (green). $100 notes are rare and sometimes hard to use in shops. Australian notes are printed on plastic polymer rather than paper. If the total of a transaction is not a multiple of 5 cents the amount will be rounded to the nearest five cents if you are paying in cash. The exact amount will be charged if paying by card. The dollar is not pegged to any other currency, and is highly traded on world foreign exchange markets, particularly by currency speculators. Its exchange value to other currencies can be quite volatile, and 1-2% changes in a day are reasonably regular occurrences. ===Currency exchange=== [[File:Australian banknotes in wallet.jpg|thumb|Australian dollar banknotes in a wallet]] As the Australian dollar is considered to be a major world currency, it is widely available at money changers and banks throughout the world. Money changers in Australia operate in a free market, and charge a range of flat commissions, percentage fees, undisclosed fees built into the exchange rate, or a combination of all three. You can avoid rip-off rates by using banks in major centres, and staying clear of airports and tourist centres. However, both the best and worst rates come from the small private sellers, and you can certainly save money over the banks by shopping around. Always get a quote before changing money. You'll usually need to have photo identification with you, although you may be exempt if only changing a small amount. Dedicated currency exchange outlets are widely available in major cities, and banks can also exchange most non-restricted currencies. These exchange outlets - especially the ones at the airport - can charge 10% over the best exchange that can be obtained from shopping around. Australian banks usually offer an exchange rate around 2.5% from the current exchange midpoint. A flat commission of $5–8 can be charged on top. Some outlets advertise commission free exchange, usually accompanied by a worse rate of exchange. Don't assume every bank will offer the same exchange. There are vouchers for commission free exchange at American Express available in the tourist brochure at Sydney Airport. International airport terminals will have teller machines that can dispense Australian currency with Cirrus, Maestro, MasterCard or Visa cards. ===Banking=== Opening an Australian bank account is fairly straightforward if you have a residential address in Australia. You will need to provide evidence of your identity, such as a passport, to the bank in order for your application to be processed. The largest retail banks in Australia are '''[http://www.nab.com.au National Australia Bank (NAB)]''', '''[http://www.anz.com Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ)]''', '''[https://www.commbank.com.au/ Commonwealth Bank]''' and '''[http://www.westpac.com.au/ Westpac]'''. Cash dispensing Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are available in almost every Australian town. Australian ATMs are deregulated and may impose a surcharge over what is charged by your bank or card issuer. The fees can vary between institutions and between locations, but are usually around $2. The ATM will display the charges and you will have the option to stop the transaction before you are charged. Check with your bank as to what additional fees they apply to withdrawals in Australia. ===Costs=== {{infobox|Fast changing currency valuations|The Australian dollar is one of the world's more dynamic currencies, partly because of its relation to commodity prices such as iron and coal. Within the past 10 years the 'Aussie' has swung between 50¢ to $1.50 to the United States dollar, making the cost of visiting range from reasonable to very expensive depending on exactly when you are there.}} Australia is generally an expensive place to visit, with some surveys<!-- Any notable ones, peer reviewed etc?--> having ranked Australia as the third most expensive country in the world in terms of consumer prices, only behind Norway and Switzerland. Dorm accommodation in a capital city is around $30, but can run as low as $15 in Cairns or cheaper backpacker centres. A basic motel in the country or in the capital city suburbs would cost around $100 for a double. City Centre hotel accommodation in capital cities can be obtained for around $150 upwards for a double. Formule 1/Motel 6 style hotels (which are not common) can be around $60–90 for a double. Car hire will cost around $65 a day. Public transport day passes from $9–20 per day depending on the city. A cafe meal costs around $10–15, and a main course in a restaurant goes from around $17 upwards. A basic takeaway meal - a burger, sandwich, or couple of slices of pizza cost $5–10, a Big Mac costs $4.50, and you can usually grab a pie or sausage roll for around $4. A takeaway pizza from Pizza Hut big enough to feed two costs around $10. A middy/pot (285mL) of house beer will cost you around $5, and a glass of house wine around $8 in a low end pub. To take away, a case of 24 cans of beer will cost around $45, or a bottle of wine around $10. An airfare between neighbouring eastern capitals is around $120 each way but can get as low as $60 if you book at the right time, or around $350 to cross the country assuming that you are flexible with dates and book in advance. A train trip on the state run trains will usually cost slightly less. A bus trip, a little less again. A train trip on the private trains will be the most expensive way to travel. There is usually no admission charge to beaches or city parks. Some popular National Parks charge between $6 and $20 per day (per car, or per person depending on the state) while more out of the way National Parks are free. Art Galleries and some attractions are free. Museums generally charge around $10 per admission. Theme parks charge around $70 per person. ===Tax=== Australia has a 10% ''Goods and Services Tax (GST)'' that applies to all goods and services except unprocessed foods, education and medical services. GST is always ''included'' in the displayed price of any consumer purchases. Receipts (tax invoices) will contain the GST amount. ==== Tourist Refund Scheme ==== If you buy goods over $300 at one place at one time you can obtain a refund of the GST if you take the items out of Australia within 60 days and unlike in many other countries, this applies to both Australian citizens and foreigners. Make sure you get a tax invoice from the supplier (which will have the goods itemised, the GST paid, and the ABN of the supplier). Pack the items in hand luggage, and present the item(s) and the receipt at the TRS, after immigration and security when leaving Australia. If any of the items have to be checked in for whatever reason, make sure that you locate the customs office and let customs officers sight the goods before checking-in your bags. Also allow at least an extra 30 minutes before departure, and if possible enter the details online before you arrive at the airport. The refund payment can be made by either cheque, credit to an Australian bank account, or payment to a credit card. There is no refund available for GST on services. Remember the goods are now considered duty-free, and you'll have to pay GST on them if you bring them back into Australia and they are in excess of your duty-free allowances. ===Credit cards=== Credit cards are widely accepted in Australia. Almost all large vendors such as supermarkets accept cards, as do many small stores. '''Visa''' and '''MasterCard''' are the most universally accepted cards, then American Express, then Diners Club with other cards either never or very rarely accepted. American Express and Diners Club are accepted at major supermarket and department store chains. Any card showing the Cirrus or Maestro logos can be used at any terminal displaying those logos. Australian debit cards can also be used via a system known as EFTPOS. Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless credit cards are accepted at virtually all terminals. You will only need to enter a PIN if the purchase is over $200. All Australian credit cards are issued with a PIN. If you have an overseas card without a PIN you can still sign for purchases, however shopkeepers unused to dealing with overseas cards may not be aware of this. Try to have a PIN on your card if your bank allows it. If not, you may have to explain that you have an overseas card and wait while the shopkeeper finds a pen. '''Credit card surcharges''' are imposed at all car rental agencies, travel agents, airlines, and at some discount retailers (such as Aldi) and service stations. They are increasingly common in cafes, bars and restaurants. Surcharges are far more common and higher for American Express and Diners Club (typically 2%-4%) than they are for Visa and MasterCard (typically 1.5%). Businesses are legally required to put a sign up indicating the size of any surcharge they impose. UnionPay credit cards as well as AliPay and WeChat Pay are becoming more common in tourist shops and restaurants due to the rising number of Chinese visitors. It is difficult to use them in other businesses however. ===Haggling=== Bargaining is uncommon in Australian stores, though vendors are usually willing to meet or beat a quote or advertised price from a competing retailer. It's also worth asking for a "best price" for high-value goods or purchases involving several items. For example, it would not be unusual to get 10% off an item of jewelry that was not already reduced in price. The person you are dealing with may have limited authority to sell items at anything other than the marked price. Attempting to haggle without a reason will most likely be perceived as rude in Australia and will be unsuccessful. ===Tipping=== [[Tipping]] is ''not'' customary in Australia, although tips are accepted if you freely choose to give one. Restaurants are required to include the cost of service and taxes in posted prices. You may, however, choose to leave a small tip if the service was exemplary. When paying by credit card, some restaurants give the option of adding a tip to your payment, although it is completely optional. Other places provide a coin jar or bowl by the cashier labelled "Tips", but the vast majority of Australian diners do not leave one. Bartenders are rarely tipped. Other types of service personnel, including hotel staff, porters, tour guides, food delivery drivers and hairdressers do not expect to receive tips. Tipping is also not expected in taxis, and drivers will typically return your change to the last 5 cents, unless you indicate that they should round the fare to the nearest dollar. It is not unusual for passengers to instruct the driver to round up to the next whole dollar. Casinos in Australia generally prohibit tipping of gaming staff, as it is considered bribery. Similarly, offering to tip government officials will usually be interpreted as bribery and can potentially be treated as a criminal offence. ===Trading hours=== [[File:17 Open sign - free stock photo.jpg|thumb|A sign indicating that a shop is open]] [[File:OIC alex hts shops 1b.jpg|thumb|A shopping centre in Perth]] Australia's '''base trading hours''' are Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00. Shops usually have a single night of late night trading, staying open until 21:00 on Fridays in most cities and on Thursdays in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Sunday trading is common in the main cities but does not exist in all rural areas. Opening hours beyond these base hours vary by the type of store, by location, and by state. See our localised guides for more local information. Major supermarket chains in main centres are generally open at least until 21:00 on weekdays (and often until midnight), but generally have reduced hours on weekends. Convenience stores such as 7/11 are open 24 hours in major centres. Fast food restaurant chains are commonly open 24 hours or at least very late. Many food courts in city centres typically close by 4PM and completely close on weekends if targeting office workers, but other eateries and food courts in shopping centres have longer hours. Fuel/service stations are open 24 hours in major centres, but often close at 6pm and on Sundays in country towns. Australia's '''weekend''' is on Saturday and Sunday of each week. Retail trading is now almost universal in larger cities on weekends, although with slightly reduced hours. Again, Western Australia is an exception with restrictions on large stores opening on Sundays. In smaller country towns shops are closed on Sundays and often also on Saturday afternoons. Tourist-oriented towns and shops may stay open longer hours. Tourist areas within cities, such as [[Sydney/Darling Harbour|Darling Harbour]] in Sydney have longer trading hours every night. Australian banks are open Monday-Friday 09:00-16:00 only, often closing at 17:00 on Fridays. Cash is available through Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) 24 hours, and currency exchange outlets have extended hours and are open on weekends. ==Eat== {{see also|Australian cuisine}} Australian cuisine was mainly influenced by its British and Irish colonial heritage until the 1960s and 70s, but with a history of immigration from other parts of Europe like Germany, Italy, Greece and Poland, the influence of these cultures has become more evident in Australian cuisine than its British and Irish beginnings. The large influx of Asian migrants has also left its mark on Australian cuisine, with many Australian chefs incorporating Asian influences in nominally Western dishes. The various Aboriginal ethnic groups have their own distinctive cuisines, though due to the fact that they make extensive use of exotic ingredients, these have for the most part not become a part of mainstream Australian cuisine. Generally speaking, table manners in Australia conform to [[Europe]]an norms. ===Places to eat=== {{infobox|BYO - Bring Your Own|BYO stands for ''Bring Your Own'' (alcohol). In many of the urban communities of Australia you will find small low-cost restaurants that are not licensed to serve but allow diners to bring their own bottle of wine purchased elsewhere. This is frequently much cheaper than ordering a bottle of wine in a restaurant. Beer can be taken to some BYO restaurants, others allow only wine. Expect to pay a corkage fee which can vary from $2–15, or may be calculated by head. BYO is not usually permitted in restaurants that are licensed to sell alcohol.}} {{infobox|Where has Burger King gone?|You'd be surprised to find out that there are zilch Burger Kings in Australia, or at least, zero Burger Kings operating under the name "Burger King". Instead, in Australia, Burger King is called "Hungry Jack's". The name was chosen as there was already a small takeaway called "Burger King" in Queensland, and so for trademark reasons, "Burger King" had to choose another name. In 2001, Hungry Jack's did win the rights to use the name "Burger King" as the trademark had expired, but as the name had become established, the chain instead chose to keep its name "Hungry Jack's".}} There is no shortage of places to eat out in the cities and towns. In addition to good restaurants offering cuisine from around the world, there are also the following: * '''Pubs''', the counter lunch is the name for a lunch served in the bar of a pub. Traditionally served only at lunchtime in the lounge. Today most pubs provide lunch and dinner and many have a separate bistro or restaurant. Steak, chicken parmigiana and nachos are common. * '''Clubs''', clubs, such as bowling clubs, leagues clubs, RSLs are in many towns and cities. They are most common in the states of Queensland and New South Wales. Most allow visitors, and sometimes offer good value meals. A membership fee is often required. * '''Cafes''', most towns and suburbs have a cafe or coffee shop, serving breakfast and light meals and cakes throughout the day. Not unusual for them to close after 4PM. * '''Bakeries''', usually a good place to buy bread rolls, a pie or a sausage roll. * '''Fast food restaurants''', McDonald's (or ''Macca's''), Subway and KFC are common. Burger King is rebranded as Hungry Jack's. Red Rooster is an Australian chain, offering barbecued chicken and other mostly chicken-based items and Oporto is an Australian version of Nando's. * '''Take-away''', milk bars, sushi stores and other take-away stores usually sell sushi, pies, barbecued (rotisserie) chicken, hamburgers, fish and chips, gyros, and kebabs. * '''Food courts''', most shopping centres have a food court, even in country towns. * '''Picnic''', the Australian climate is usually amenable to getting whatever food you can, and heading to the nearest park, river, lake or beach. Electric BBQ facilities are often available. * '''Barbecue''', is a popular Australian pastime and many parks in Australia provide free barbecues for public use. Contrary to the stereotype, Australians rarely "Throw a shrimp on the barbie" (also, in Australia a shrimp is more commonly referred to as a prawn). Steaks, chops, sausages, chicken fillets, fish, and kebabs are popularly barbecued. * '''Wineries''', many of Australia's wineries have restaurants serving modern Australian cuisine that overlook their vineyards, where you can also purchase their wines to go with your meal. Typically only open for lunch, though an exception is Penfolds' Magill Estate Restaurant in Adelaide, which only opens for dinner. [[File:Jackadder Lake barbecues.jpg|thumb|Outdoor barbecues at Jackadder Lake, Woodlands, Western Australia. Similar facilities can be found in many parks across Australia.]] [[File:Centre Place Dec 2012.jpg|thumb|Centre Place in Melbourne's CBD is lined with cafes]] ===Native foods=== [[File:Kangaroo fillet.JPG|thumb|Kangaroo fillet at a restaurant in Sydney]] {{see also|Australian cuisine#Indigenous food (bush tucker)}} It may come as a disappointment that native foods are not actually available that much in Australian restaurants, nor consumed by Australians much themselves. They are available in supermarkets and in some of the remoter parts of the country. Traditional Aboriginal diets can include endangered species, the consumption of which is strictly restricted to specific communities and unlikely to be available to you. * '''Kangaroo''', if you fancy some, it is available from many supermarkets and butchers shops. Barbecue it until medium rare, but best not to overcook as it may become quite ''tough''. It tastes much like beef. It occasionally makes it onto the menu in restaurants, mostly in tourist areas. Kangaroos are abundant, do far less damage to the sensitive Australian environment than hoofed animals, and produce far fewer carbon emissions as well. Kangaroo is a great environmental statement to make whilst barbecuing. * '''Crocodile''', meat from farms in the Northern Territory and Queensland is widely available around the top end, and occasionally elsewhere. At Rockhampton, the beef capital of Australia, you can see the ancient reptile on a farm while munching on a croc burger. * '''Emu''', yes, you can eat the other half of the Australian Coat of Arms as well. Emu is low in fat and available in specialty butchers. Try the Coat of Arms in a pie in [[Maleny]] or on a pizza in [[Sydney/The Rocks|The Rocks]]. * '''Bush tucker''', many tours may give you an opportunity to try some bush tucker, the berries, nuts, roots, ants, and grubs from Australia's native bush. '''Macadamia nuts''' are the only native plant to Australia that is grown for food commercially. Some of the other bush foods can be an acquired taste, though native seasonings are certainly worth trying, and are increasingly being featured in Australian fine dining restaurants. Bush tucker ice cream can sometimes be found at farmers' markets and outdoor festivals. ===Beyond cuisine=== [[File:Pavlova Dessert.jpg|thumb|A pavlova garnished with cream and raspberries]] Australia has a good deal of British inspired food that is not well known internationally. Definitely worth a try. '''Vegemite''', a salty yeast-based spread, best spread thinly on toast. If you aren't up for buying a jar, any coffee shop will serve vegemite on toast at breakfast time. It may not even be on the menu, but the vegemite will be out the back in the jar next to the marmalade. If you do buy a jar, the secret is it to spread it very thin, and don't forget the butter as well. It tastes similar to Marmite in the UK or Cenovis in Switzerland. Australians are quite used to the taste, and may spread the Vegemite very thick; but this is not recommended for first-timers. The '''Tim-Tam''' is a chocolate fudge-filled sandwich of two chocolate biscuits, all dipped in chocolate. You can buy a packet (or two) from any supermarket or convenience store. Tim-Tams are required to perform the ''Tim-Tam Slam'' manoeuvre. This requires biting off both ends of the Tim-Tam, then using it as a straw to drink your favourite hot beverage, typically coffee. The hot drink melts the fudge centre and creates an experience hard to describe. Finesse is needed to suck the whole biscuit into your mouth in the microseconds between being fully saturated and dissolving. Tim-Tams are sold in packs of 11, so be sure to agree on the sharing arrangements before buying a packet with your travel partner, or onward travel arrangements may be disrupted. During summer Tim-Tams are often stored in the freezer and eaten ice cold. The '''lamington''' is a cube of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and dipped in desiccated coconut. It's named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. The home-baked form can be found at a local Saturday morning market, or you can buy one from a bakery if you are desperate. Avoid at all costs the plastic wrapped varieties sold in supermarkets. The '''pavlova''' is a meringue cake with a cream topping usually decorated with fresh fruit. Served on special occasions, or after a lunchtime barbecue. Often the source of dispute with [[New Zealand#Eat|New Zealand]] over the original source of the recipe. '''ANZAC biscuits''' are a mix of coconut, oats, flour, sugar and golden syrup. They were reputedly sent by wives and care organisations to world war I soldiers in care packages, but the story is likely apocryphal. They are available from bakeries, cafes and supermarkets, and are popular in the lead up to ANZAC day (25 April). '''Damper''' is a traditional soda bread that was baked by drovers and stockmen. It has basic ingredients (flour, water and perhaps salt) and usually cooked in the embers of a fire. It is not routinely available in bakeries and only commonly served to tourists on organised tours. Best eaten with butter and jam or golden syrup as it is dry and bland. A '''Chiko roll''' is a deep-fried snack inspired by the egg roll or the spring roll. Despite the name, it contains no chicken. Its filling is boned mutton, vegetables, rice, barley, and seasonings. Its shell is thicker than an egg roll, meant to survive handling at football matches. Available anywhere you can buy fish and chips. The '''Australian Meat Pie''' is considered to be the national dish by many. A variation is the '''pie floater''' from Adelaide which is a pie inverted in a bowl of thick mushy pea soup. ===Other cuisines=== Cuisines widely available in Australia, often prepared by members of the relevant culture, include: * '''British''', Australia's colonial heritage is perhaps best represented by the ubiquity of '''fish and chips''', and virtually every neighbourhood and small town in a coastal area will have a local fish and chips shop. Common types of fish used in Australia include flake (various types of small shark), flathead, barramundi and King George whiting. Unlike in the UK, fish and chips is typically served with ketchup and tartar sauce in Australia. British and Irish style pubs are common throughout populated areas of Australia, although they feature Australian staples such as chicken parmas, schnitzels and pasta. * '''Chinese''', synonymous with the term "takeaway" in the past generations. Many Chinese restaurants still cater to takeaway addicts today, mostly of the Australianised Chinese variety, but major cities have small "Chinatowns" or suburbs with a large number of ethnic Chinese residents, that have excellent restaurants serving authentic Chinese food. Cantonese Dim Sum is available in dedicated restaurants in most large shopping malls. * '''Thai''' restaurants have exploded in number over the past decade. Sydney in particular is known as one of the best destinations for Thai food in the world. * '''Italian''', the Italian community is one of the largest ethnic communities of non Anglo-Saxon origin in Australia, and they have contributed greatly to the cafe culture that has flourished across the major cities over the past few decades. Restaurants either serve Italian food that has been adapted to suit Australian tastes, or authentic regional Italian food, with the latter tending to be pricier and in more upmarket surrounds. Head to Lygon street in Melbourne or Leichhardt in Sydney if you're a fan. * '''Greek''' is not quite as widespread as Italian above, but good options exist in every city and town. * '''Lebanese''' and other Middle Eastern, especially in Sydney. A '''Manoosh''' is a tasty pizza variation that is somewhat more healthy as well. ** A fusion dish that's becoming increasingly popular nationwide is the '''halal snack pack''' (also known by many alternate names). It consists of halal-certified doner kebab meat (originating from Turkey) and chips, covered by any of a wide variety of sauces and often cheese. Typically served in styrofoam containers as a takeaway dish. In Adelaide, the AB is similar to the halal snack pack of the eastern states, but it usually not halal. * '''Indian''' is available in most cities, and often represent a good mid-range restaurant option. * '''Japanese''', including bento takeaway shops, udon restaurants and sushi trains. They are often operated by '''Koreans''', whose own cuisine is also well represented in the major cities. * '''Vietnamese''', Pho and Cha Gio (spring rolls) are easy to find in the major cities. * '''German''', South Australia and Queensland in particular have had a long history of German settlement, and German restaurants can be found in major cities and in country towns that were historically settled by Germans. The '''schnitzel''' is a German dish that has been Australianised and is widely available in pubs and cafes throughout the country, though unlike German schnitzels, which are usually made of pork, Australian schnitzels are usually made of chicken or beef. A good selection of German or German-inspired sausages is also available at many butchers. * '''Asian fusion''' refers generally to Asian-inspired dishes. ===Modern Australian=== Modern Australian is a recently developed cuisine that is often seen in [[fine dining]] establishments, analogous to Modern American cuisine in the United States. This cuisine mixes cooking styles and flavours from different parts of Europe and Asia, paying homage to the diverse origins of Australia's population, and often incorporates native Australian flavours from the bush as well. ===Vegetarian=== Eating vegetarian is available in Australia and many restaurants offer at least one or two vegetarian dishes. Some will have an entire vegetarian menu section. Vegans may have more difficulty but any restaurant with a large vegetarian menu should offer some flexibility. In large cities and in the coastal backpacker-friendly towns along the east coast, you will find vegetarian and vegan restaurants. The market town of [[Kuranda]] or the seaside towns of [[Byron Bay]] are a vegetarian's paradise. In other regional areas especially in the Northern Territory, North Western Australia and north Queensland vegetarians are often poorly catered-for, but most towns will have a Chinese or Thai restaurant that will provide steamed rice and vegetables. Sydney and Melbourne in particular cater well for vegans and vegetarians with a lot of purely vegetarian restaurants, vegan clothing stores and vegan supermarkets. Quick vegetarian options include: * 'Smashed Avo' is a mix of avocado and feta cheese, served on toast and with an egg. A popular breakfast option and (unfairly) associated with free spending millennials. * Sushi rolls and tofu pockets, available at sushi shops everywhere * Vietnamese spring rolls (Bahn Mi) are also readily available with vegetarian fillings * Korean restaurants offer rice bowls (such as Bibimbap) with no meat * Pie shops of spinach rolls (filled with spinach and ricotta cheese) * Most food halls have a dedicated salad counter More remote outback areas may have very few vegetarian options (lots of processed meat pies and little else), so it is worth packing some vegetarian supplies before you go. ===Religious diets=== People observing kosher or halal will easily be able to find specialist butchers in the capital cities, and will also find a number of restaurants with appropriate menus and cooking styles. Outside the capital cities, it will be much more difficult to find food prepared in a strict religious manner. Fast food chains often offer Halal certified meals in areas with high Muslim populations in Western Sydney and Melbourne. ===Allergies=== Australian restaurants generally provide options for people with common allergies such as nuts and seafood. Ask the waitstaff if in doubt. The '''gluten free''' diet fad has spread to Australia, and there is no shortage of gluten free products in supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants, albeit often at higher prices than the regular versions of those products. ===Markets=== [[File:SydFishMarkets.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets]] Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market, Adelaide's Central Market and the Fremantle Markets near Perth are perhaps Australia's best known examples of traditional European-style food markets. The Sydney Fish Market is one of the most iconic traditional seafood markets in the world. All of the capital cities and most regional towns in Australia host a "farmer's market", which is generally held each week in a designated area on a Saturday or Sunday. These markets mostly sell fresh fruits and vegetables, as hygiene regulations in Australia forbid the selling of meat directly from market stalls. Butchers who set up shop at a farmer's market would usually trade their wares from a display cabinet within their boot (trunk). The attraction of markets is the lower prices and freshness of the produce. The attraction for the traveller will be the cheap and excellent fruits on offer - depending on the region and season (in places like Queensland or the Northern Territory, you're more likely to find mangoes while down in Tasmania you're much more likely to find apples). In regional areas the market is usually held outside the town itself in an empty paddock or sports field, markets in capital cities are easier to reach but the prices are typically more in line with those you would find in supermarkets. See the destination guides for details. ==Drink== ===Beer=== Drinking '''beer''' is ingrained in Australian culture. Although Fosters is promoted as an Australian beer overseas, it is rarely consumed by Australians in Australia, and is almost impossible to find. Beers are strongly regional and every state has its own brews: Coopers and West End in South Australia, Carlton and VB in Victoria, Tooheys in NSW, XXXX (pronounced "fourex") in Queensland, Boags and Cascade in Tasmania, and Swan in Western Australia. There are also local microbrew choices, which can be harder to find, but are often worth seeking out. A range of imported European and American bottled beers are available in all but the most basic pub. [[File:XXXX Brewery Milton.jpg|thumb|The XXXX Brewery in Brisbane]] Light (Lite) beer refers to lower alcoholic content, and not lower calories. It has around half the alcohol of full strength beer, and is taxed at a lower rate, meaning it is also cheaper than full strength beer. Low calorie beer is sold as ''low carb''. Because Australians like their beer to stay cold while they drink it, draft beer glasses come in a multitude of sizes, so that you can drink a whole glass before it warms up in the summer heat. The naming of beer glasses varies widely from state to state, often in confusing ways: a '''schooner''' is 425mL everywhere except South Australia, where it's only 285mL, a size that's known elsewhere as a '''middy''' or '''pot''', except in Darwin where it's a '''handle''', but in Adelaide a "pot" means a 570mL full pint, and a ''pint'' means what a ''schooner'' does elsewhere, and... you get the idea. The local beers and the local descriptions are covered in detail in the state guides. Bottle naming is a little easier: the standard sizes across Australia are the 375 ml '''stubby''' and the 750mL '''long neck''', or '''tallie'''. Cans of beer are known as '''tinnies''', and 24 of them make up a '''slab''', '''box''', '''carton''', '''bag''' or '''case'''. ===Wine=== Australia produces quality wine on a truly industrial scale, with large multinational brands supplying Australian bottleshops and exporting around the world. There are also a multitude of boutique wineries and smaller suppliers. Very good red and white wine can be bought very cheaply in Australia, often at less than $10 a bottle, and even the smallest shop could be expected to have 50 or more varieties to choose from. The areas of the [[Barossa Valley]] (near Adelaide), [[Hunter Valley]] (near Sydney), [[Yarra Valley]] (near Melbourne) and [[Margaret River]] (near Perth) are particularly renowned for their wineries and opportunities for cellar door sampling, but northern Victoria and [[Mudgee]] also have a large variety. You are never too far from a wine trail anywhere in southern Australia. Try the local wines wherever you can find them, and ask for local recommendations. Try not to get taken in by the label, or the price tag. The best wine is rarely the one with the best artwork, or the most expensive price. However, it is probably wise to avoid the house wine if it comes straight from a cask (4-litre container). Wines at the cellar door are almost invariably sold at around 20% premium to the same wine in the shops in the local town. If you still prefer overseas wines, the [[Marlborough (New Zealand)|Marlborough]] region of New Zealand is usually well represented on wine lists and in bottle shops in Australia. See also [[Grape grazing in Australia]]. ===Spirits=== Bundaberg Rum (''Bundy'') is an Australian dark rum particularly popular in Queensland and many Queenslanders will not touch any other brand of rum. It is probably the most famous Australian made spirit, mass-produced in [[Bundaberg]] and available everywhere. For many years one had to search to find other Australian distilled spirits, mostly from niche players, but there are distilleries in every state of Australia if you look hard enough and more are popping up all the time&ndash;Adelaide gin distilleries 75° and the Adelaide Gin Company have grown in esteem over the past few years. The tiny Sullivan's Cove distillery in Tasmania made waves in 2014 when one of their whiskies was named the World's Best Single Malt, kicking off a mini-boom in Australian whisky, and they repeated the feat in 2018 and 2019. If $8,000 for a bottle of their 2014 French Oak is a bit steep, drop into the Lark Distillery on the scenic [[Hobart]] waterfront precinct, book a gin blending experience at Archie Rose in Sydney, pick up a bottle of 151 East Vodka in [[Wollongong]] or after a few days in [[Kununurra]] you are definitely going to need an Ord River Rum. Mixed drinks are also available, particularly vodka, scotch, bourbon and other whiskey mixers. Spirits are also available as pre-mixed bottles and cans but are subject to higher taxation in this form, so it is cheaper to mix them yourself. Spirits are served in all pubs and bars, but not in all restaurants. A basic spirit and mixer (vodka and orange juice for example) will cost you about $7 at a bar or nightclub, but can vary ~$5–12. ===Legal aspects=== The legal drinking age throughout Australia is '''18 years'''. It is illegal either to purchase alcohol for yourself if you are under 18 years of age or to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18 years of age. The only legally acceptable proof-of-age documentation are an Australian drivers licence, state-issued proof-of-age card, [https://auspost.com.au/id-and-document-services/apply-for-a-keypass-id Keypass card] or a passport, and it would be wise to carry one if you want to purchase alcohol or tobacco and look under 25 - vendors will frequently ask for ID for anybody who looks to be 25 or younger. In Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, foreign drivers licences and foreign ID cards are '''NOT''' legally acceptable as proof of age documentation, and people who are unable to produce a passport or valid Australian ID will be refused service. Only actual ID documents will be accepted - photographs or photocopies will NOT be accepted. It is illegal to go into a gambling area of a pub or club when under 18. Often there is a lounge, restaurant or bistro area in a pub or club that permits under-age people provided they are accompanied by a responsible adult over 18 and don't approach the bar or wander around. Some city pubs even have video games and playgrounds for children. Some country pubs have large open areas out in the back where kids can run and play. In general, you can take alcohol (say a bottle of wine or beer) to consume at a park or beach. Alcohol consumption is banned in some public places as 'street drinking'. These are often indicated by signs and is particularly the case in parks and footpaths where public drunkenness has been a problem. However, if you are a family with your picnic basket and blanket out at lunchtime with a bottle of wine, you are unlikely to encounter any problems. Alcohol can be purchased for consumption on premises only in '''licensed venues''': pubs, clubs and many restaurants. You can purchase alcohol for private consumption in '''bottle shops''', which are separate stores selling bottled alcohol. In some states you can buy alcohol in '''supermarkets'''. In those states where you can't, bottle shops and major supermarkets are often found in very close proximity. Although licensing laws and hours vary from state to state, and individual stores have different trading hours, as a rule of thumb, alcohol is generally available in towns to take-away seven days a week, 08:00-23:00, from bottle shops, supermarkets, licensed grocers/milk-bars and pubs. Outside of these hours though, it is almost impossible to buy alcohol to take home; unless you're in the middle of Sydney or Melbourne, so if you're planning on a party at home; it's a good idea to stock up and check on the local trading hours so you don't run out at 00:30 with no opportunity to buy more. Alcohol is not available at petrol stations or 24-hour convenience stores anywhere in Australia. Public drunkenness varies in acceptability. You will certainly find a great deal of it in close proximity to pubs and clubs at night time but much less so during the day. Public drunkenness is an offence but you would only likely ever be picked up by the police if you were causing a nuisance. You may spend the night sobering up in a holding cell or be charged. '''Driving while affected by alcohol''' is stigmatized, policed by random breath-testing police patrols in Australia, and inherently dangerous. Drink driving is a very serious offence in Australia, punishable by a range of mechanisms including loss of licence. The acceptable maximum blood alcohol concentration is 0.05% Australia-wide, often lower or not allowed for operators of heavy vehicles and young or novice drivers. Police officers are also empowered to randomly test drivers for the recent use of prohibited drugs. Refusing any of these tests is a criminal offence. The operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of prohibited drugs or alcohol will always result in arrest and a required court appearance many weeks from the date of arrest and it can comprehensively disrupt travel plans. Random breath-testing is common early Saturday and Sunday mornings, and many people are caught the morning after. ===A shout=== [[File:Birdsville Hotel.jpg|thumb|The Birdsville Hotel in far western Queensland]] Buying a round of drinks is a custom in Australia, as in many corners of the world. It is generally expected in a pub that when you arrive and make your first trip to the bar that you will offer to buy a drink for others you are drinking with. Similarly this will likely be done to you when someone else joins the group. This is called ''a shout'', and incurs an obligation that you will generally return the favour in a following round, and that also you will generally maintain the same drinking pace as your associates in the round throughout the evening. If someone in the same round as you has an empty glass, who is ahead of you in drinks bought, you should declare that it is your shout, and make your way to the bar. If someone offers to buy you a drink, but does not offer to buy for the person who already has bought you a drink, you should say you are already in a shout, and decline. If they buy you and the people in your round a drink, they have joined the shout. Its generally not polite to switch between shouts during an evening. It you are in a large shout, and you decline a drink, you still have to buy a drink for the round when it comes to your turn. You are well advised if you wish to skip a round, to do so on your shout. It is generally poorly received to buy a round, and then to refuse a drink when one is purchased for you. Often the drink will just be bought for you without even asking. Don't be surprised if someone who bought you a drink earlier in the night, later says that it is your shout. Not joining a shout can be awkward in some groups. The best way is to say you are driving, and you will buy your own drinks. This is also an acceptable way to drop out after one round, when the score is even. ===Non-alcoholic=== '''Milo''' is a malt and chocolate drink now made by Nestlé that was invented in Australia, and has since become immensely popular in parts of [[Southeast Asia]]. It can be found in any Australian supermarket. Australia has a strong coffee culture, especially Melbourne, a city with extensive Italian immigration. The joke is that Italians visiting Melbourne think the coffee is worse than their home city's, but better than every other city in Italy. Even service stations and fast food places will sell decent coffee. However, because of the strong preference for local coffee shops, many of the major chains in other countries don't exist -- Starbucks has a tiny handful of stores in Melbourne and Sydney, and none elsewhere in the country. Don't be taken aback by the lack of chains; try the local flavour instead! ==Learn== {{Main|Studying abroad#Australia}} Australia is a popular destination for University students, especially from [[East Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]] and [[India]]. Australia offers world class universities in an English speaking environment, along with potential opportunities to actually gain resident and work visas on a path to citizenship. If you are intending to study in Australia, you will need to be on a visa class that allows this. Students and academics invited to visit Australian universities will generally also need an appropriate visa, even if their visit is of a short enough period to be covered by a tourist electronic visa. For very short term or part-time courses, check with your Australian consulate or embassy. Australia also happens to be a great place to get Barista certification, with graduates being maybe able to command higher wages in coffee shops back in their home countries. Such courses can usually be conducted on a standard tourist visa. ==Sleep== [[File:Camping by the Yarrangobilly River - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Camping by the Yarrangobilly River, NSW]] Accommodation is readily available in most Australian cities and tourist destinations. As with everything else in Australia, it tends to be on the expensive side by international standards. ===Hotels=== {{infobox|When is a hotel not a hotel?|In Australian English, a '''hotel''' can also refer to what most of the rest of the world would call a '''pub'''. While country hotels (pubs) tend to have accommodation on site, most city hotels do not. A country hotel that does not have a public bar is typically called a '''motel'''.}} All state capitals have a number of 4 or 5 star standard hotels, often with upmarket restaurants, bars, room-service, and other premium hospitality services. Other 2 or 3 star hotels are scattered around the inner-cities and inner suburbs. Best to check local guides and reviews to know what you are in for. Most hotels offer internet connectivity, occasionally for an inflated fee. Most hotels (distinct from the country pubs known as hotels) have private bathroom facilities. It isn't unknown for all options to run out during major events in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. ===Pubs=== [[File:BendigoShamrockHotel.JPG|thumb|Bendigo's Shamrock Hotel]] Most pubs in Australia offer some form of accommodation. It can vary from very basic shabby rooms, to newly renovated boutique accommodation. The price is usually a good reflection of what you are in for. It is still quite unusual to have a private bathroom, even in the nicer pubs. The rooms are often on the second floor directly above the bar area and can be noisy, particularly on Fri/Sat nights. Outside of the major centres, the pub is called a '''Hotel'''. A motel won't have a public bar. A motel that does have a bar attached is called a Hotel/Motel. In very small towns local pubs offer the only accommodation available to travellers. Accommodation in these pubs tends to be budget-style with shared bathrooms but private rooms. Pub accommodation is even available in the centre of [[Sydney]], making getting back to your room after a beer a simple endeavour. If you travel as a single, and want a private room, pubs usually have single rooms at a discount over a double room. Most motels will charge the same price for one or two people sharing a room. ===Motels=== Typically, motel-style accommodation will have a private room with a bed or number of beds, and a private shower and toilet. Many motels have family rooms, that will usually have a double bed and two single beds in the one room. Motel rooms in the cities will generally cost upwards from $80. Usually the cost is the same for one or two adults, with any extra people charged an additional fee. Prices for additional children can range from free to $20 per child. During quiet times its not unusual for motels to offer standby discounts. Most motels will serve a cooked or continental breakfast to your room in the morning, for an additional charge. Some may have a restaurant or serve an evening meal. Some may have a toaster in the room and kettles are widely provided. Some motels however, do not have a private bathroom. For one, a little bit of an upgrade will get you this. ===Hostels and backpackers=== [[Hostels|Budget hostel-style accommodation]] with shared bathrooms and often with dormitories is approximately $20–30 per person per night. Facilities usually include a fully equipped kitchen with adequate refrigeration and food storage areas. Most hostels also have living room areas equipped with couches, dining tables, and televisions. There are several backpacker hostel chains in Australia. If you are staying many nights in the same brand of hostel, consider their discount cards, which usually offer a loyalty bonus on accommodation, and other attraction and tour discounts negotiated by the chain. ===Holiday parks=== Holiday parks are an Australian holiday institution and a great way to stay if you have your own wheels. These are basically an upgraded version of '''caravan parks''', but as the new marketing indicates, they now cater to regular travellers as well. A typical holiday park offers the following types of accommodation: * '''Cabins''' fully equipped with bedding, kitchens, TV, wifi and more, for travellers without their own home on wheels. Most can house 4 or more people with rates starting from around $100/night. * '''Powered sites''' for parking your caravan/campervan/motorhome/RV. Some parks offer '''ensuite sites''' featuring a little bathroom with shower & toilet. * '''Unpowered sites''' are for those intending to pitch their own tent, starting from around $20/night. Regardless of where you stay, the price includes access to communal facilities including BBQs, showers, kitchens, self-service laundries, pools, tennis courts and jumping pillows. The largest park chains covering the country are [https://topparks.com.au Top Parks/Discovery Parks] and [https://www.big4.com.au/ Big 4], but there are also plenty of independent options. There are a couple of caveats to holiday parks: * They're typically located on the outskirts of towns, so they're not very practical unless you have your vehicle. * Most cater to families, which is great if you have kids, but not so much if you're looking for peace and quiet. * During school holidays, parks tend to jack up their rates and require multiple-night minimum stays, and the best ones sell out anyway. * If you change your mind, too bad, since reservations are typically nonrefundable. ===Camping=== Camping is a popular pastime. In addition to camping at [[#Holiday parks|holiday parks]], national parks often provide cheap or free camping sites, which expect you to be more self-sufficient. Often toilets are provided and sometimes cold showers. Paid camping permits are sometimes required at popular parks, with some popular spots filling up during the holidays in summer. In Australia it is common to be within an hour's drive of a national park or recreation area that will permit some form of camping, even in the capital cities. Expect to pay around $5–10 per night per person for a camping permit, and national park admission fees in the more popular national parks (e.g.: Wilsons Promontory National Park, Kosciuszko National Park, etc.), however entry and camping is free in the majority of national parks further from population and tourist centres. Some other camping areas are run by government or even local landowners. Expect around $10 per person per night, depending on the time of year. You can try your luck sleeping on a beach or pitching a tent overnight in a highway rest area, or out in the bush for a free bed. Most rest areas and beaches prohibit camping and many even prohibit overnight parking to discourage this. Generally the closer you are to civilization or a tourist area, the greater the chance of being hassled by the authorities. Camping in state forests is often preferable to national parks if you're after a camping experience over sightseeing, as collecting of your own fire wood is allowed (sometimes felling of trees is permissible dependent on the area) and camping is not restricted to camp sites. Some other activities that are generally allowed in state forests that are not allowed in national parks are: bringing in dogs/pets, open fires, motorbikes and four-wheel driving. State forests are generally free to stay in, although you will need to check locally if public access is allowed. ===Farm stay=== Much as the name suggests, this usually involves a cabin or homestead accommodation on a working property. Suited for a stay of two or more days, this accommodation usually allows you to get a little involved in the running of the farm if you wish. It is common for dinner to be provided in the homestead, and a breakfast pack to be provided to your cabin. ===Holiday home=== Holiday homes are homes rented by their owners, often using local real estate agents or specialised web sites. Sometimes located in prime positions, but also sometimes in the residential sections of cities and towns. Minimum rental periods of at least 2 days usually apply, rising to a week during periods when they are busy. At a minimum will have bedrooms, a lounge, bathroom. ===[[Bed and Breakfasts]]=== [[File:HentyCentralHotel.JPG|thumb|250px|The Henty Central Hotel in the New South Wales town of Henty provides bed and breakfast accommodation. Many country towns have similar hotels.]] Bed and Breakfasts tend to be a premium form of accommodation in Australia, often focused on weekend accommodation for couples. They certainly don't offer the discount form of accommodation they do in part of the [[United Kingdom]], and the local motel will usually be cheaper. Sometimes extra rooms in a person's home, but often a purpose built building. You should expect a cosy, well kept room, a common area, and a cooked breakfast. Possibly private facilities. Substantial discounts often apply for mid-week stays at bed and breakfasts. ===Resorts=== There are many true resorts around Australia. Many have lagoon pools, tennis, golf, kids clubs, and other arranged activities. The island of the [[Whitsundays]] have a choice of resorts, some occupying entire islands. [[Port Douglas]] also has many resorts of a world standard. ===Serviced apartments=== Serviced apartments are a very popular form of accommodation in Australia, with all capital and most regional cities having multiple such hotels. These often include hotels located in prime positions in the centre of town. Guests are typically able to stay for as little as one night, and discounts are often available for bookings of a week and over. Rooms tend to be larger than in standard hotels, and amenities typically include a kitchen, washer and dryer, and separate bedrooms. Apartment hotels generally don't offer breakfast or have a restaurant, but there are usually cafes located nearby (often next door) which cater to guests. ===Houseboats=== Houseboats are available to rent on some scenic rural rivers, and provide an excellent opportunity to spend time in the wilderness. These usually have kitchens in them so you can bring your own food to cook. ===Station wagons and vans=== In most parts of Australia it is illegal to sleep in your vehicle but it is possible to get around this by simply rigging up curtains all around the windows so no one can see in from the outside. Trade vans can be picked up for as little as $1,000, with a more trustworthy van setting you back no more than $3,000-4,000. Add a mattress, pillow, portable gas cooker, cookware and a 20 L water container and you are off. If you get caught the fine could be as much as $150 each, so do it at you own risk. But if you are strategic in where you stay you probably won't get caught. Just be sensible and don't disturb the locals. Also, be aware of parking restrictions in certain parts of the cities and town, although overnight parking restrictions are rare. The parking inspectors can be ruthless and a $100+ fine is not uncommon. All cities and towns in Australia have free public toilets. Many parks, and most beaches have free electric barbecues as well. Popular beaches have fresh water showers to wash the salt water off after you swim, so for those on a tight budget (or for those that just love waking up at the beach) simply wash in the ocean (please do not pollute the ocean or waterways by using detergents or soaps) and rinse off at the showers. Almost all taps in Australia are drinking water, the ones that aren't will be marked. Service stations (petrol/gas) almost always have taps, so these are a good place to refill the water containers each time you refuel. Some of the best experiences you may have in Australia will be by taking that road on the map that looks like it heads to a beach, creek, waterfall or mountain and following it. You may just find paradise and not another soul in sight. And lucky you, you've got a bed, food and water right there with you. Travelling in a small group lowers the fuel bill per head, as this will likely be your biggest expense. Enjoy, and respect the land by taking your rubbish/bottles/cigarette butts with you and disposing of them properly. ==Work== Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent residents of Australia can work in Australia without any further permits, but others will require a work visa. It is illegal for foreigners to undertake paid work in Australia on a tourist visa. Be aware that any form of compensation for services performed, monetary or otherwise (e.g. room and board), counts as payment in Australia, meaning that such work would be illegal on a tourist visa. Volunteer work is allowed provided it is incidental to the trip (i.e. not the main purpose for the trip). Foreigners in Australia on a student visa are allowed to work for up to 20 hours a week during term time, and full-time during the school holidays. Working illegally in Australia runs a very real risk of arrest, imprisonment, deportation and being permanently banned from re-entering Australia. All visitors who do not hold Australian permanent residency or citizenship (including New Zealand citizens who aren't also Australian permanent residents or citizens) are not allowed to access Australian social security arrangements for the unemployed, and will have limited, or more usually, no access to the Australian government's health care payment arrangements. ===Payment and taxes=== Most Australian employers pay via direct deposit to Australian bank accounts and therefore you should open a bank account as soon as possible. Some banks allow you to open account from abroad, for example Commonwealth Bank and HSBC. You should also apply for a '''[http://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/ Tax File Number (TFN)]''' as soon as possible. You can apply on-line for free at the [http://www.ato.gov.au/ Australian Tax Office website], though you can generally get it quicker if you just go to one of their offices. You can start working without one, but you are advised to get one as soon as possible as your employer would have to withhold tax from your salary at the highest rate should you not provide one. Register your TFN with your bank as soon as possible, otherwise any interest you accrue will be taxed at the highest rate. The Australian financial year runs from 1st July to 30th June, and tax returns for each financial year are due on 30th October, four months after the accounting period ends. Check with Australian tax agents about Australian tax liability and filing an Australian tax return. Australian employers will make compulsory payments out of your earnings to an Australian superannuation (retirement savings) fund on your behalf. Visitors on temporary working visas who are not citizens of Australia or New Zealand should claim this money when they leave Australia. This payment is known as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) and you can [https://applicant.tr.super.ato.gov.au/applicants/default.aspx?pid=1 apply online]. New Zealand citizens can transfer their superannuation money to their New Zealand KiwiSaver account; contact your provider to arrange this. ===Working holidaymaker scheme=== [[File:CSIRO ScienceImage 4714 CSIRO Precision Viticulture Trial site in the Eden Valley SA March 2004.jpg|thumb|Vineyards in South Australia]] Australia has a working holidaymaker program for citizens of certain countries between 18 and 30 years of age. It allows you to stay in Australia for 12 months from the time you first enter. You may work during that time, but only for 6 months at any one employer. The idea is for you to take a holiday subsidised by casual or short-term jobs. If you're interested in a working holiday, some useful skills and experience might be: office skills to be used for temp work; or hospitality skills to be used for bar or restaurant work. An alternative is seasonal work like fruit picking, although much seasonal work will require that you work outside the major cities. Working for 3 months in seasonal work will allow you to apply for a second 12-month visa. You can apply online for a '''[https://www.ecom.immi.gov.au/visas/jsp/index.jsp?visaType=WORKING_HOLIDAY working holiday visa]''', but you must ''not'' be in Australia at the time. It takes just a few hours to process usually and it costs about $440 (as of March 2017). On arriving in Australia ask for the working holiday visa to be "evidenced", so you can show your future employer. It's recommended to arrive in Australia with sufficient funds which is a minimum of $5000 if you are on a working holiday visa. The cost of living in Australia is quite high and it may take a few days or weeks to get a job. ===Work visas=== Work visas in Australia change frequently and sometimes without any notice, so always check with your local Australian High Commission, Consulate or Embassy and the [http://www.immi.gov.au/ Immigration Department's website]. The most straightforward way to get a work visa (subclass 457, 186 & 187) is to find an Australian employer who will sponsor you. Your employer will need to demonstrate that they cannot hire anyone with your skills in Australia. Locally advertised jobs are usually explicit in requiring a valid work visa before your application can be considered. Getting the visa might take a couple of months from the beginning of the application process and you will need a medical examination by a doctor approved by the immigration officials before it can be granted (among other things, you will need a chest x-ray to show that you do not have tuberculosis). An employer with a good background and efficient immigration lawyers could get your 457 approved within a week. Your work visa will only be valid for the employer who sponsored you and you will have to leave within 30 days of your employment ending. Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa (subclass 187) is the easiest employer nominated visa to acquire, although you will have to live and work in a designated 'regional' area. These areas are mostly rural and far removed from the larger cities, although [[Adelaide]] does count in this scheme. Skilled independent visas (subclass 189, 190, 489) may be pursued if you have a valuable specialised skill and don't want to be tied to a specific employer. There is also a temporary graduate visa (subclass 485) which allows graduates of Australian universities to stay on and work in Australia, and is usually valid anywhere from 18 months to 4 years depending on your level of education, and your major. Your major must be from a list of skilled occupations for which there is a labour shortage in Australia. This list is updated every year, and whether or not you qualify for this visa is dependent on the list at the time of your graduation, ''not'' at the time you begin your studies. ===Immigration=== You can apply to immigrate as a skilled person or business person, but this process will take longer than receiving a work visa. You can also apply for permanent residency as the holder of a work or study visa, but your application will not be automatically accepted. If you have a lot of money, there are several investor's visas available which allow you to live in Australia with a view of obtaining permanent residency. After four years of legal residency which must include one year as a permanent resident, you are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship. ===Volunteering=== There are several volunteer opportunities in Australia. Many worldwide organisations offer extended travel for those wanting to volunteer their time to work with locals on projects such as habitat restoration, wildlife sanctuary maintenance & development, scientific research, & education programs such as [http://www.australianvolunteers.com '''Australian Volunteers'''], [http://www.wwf.org.au '''World Wildlife Fund'''], [http://www.gap360.com '''Gap 360'''], [https://www.godiscoverabroad.com/ '''Go Discover Abroad''']and [http://www.xtremegapyear.co.uk '''Xtreme Gap Year''']. ==Respect== Unless you are actively trying to insult someone, a traveller is unlikely to insult or cause offence to an Australian through any kind of cultural ignorance. Australian modes of address tend towards the familiar. It is acceptable and normal to use first names in all situations, even to people many years your senior. Many Australians are fond of using and giving nicknames - even to recent acquaintances. It is likely being called such a name is an indication that you are considered a friend and as such it would be rare they are being condescending. It is generally acceptable to wear revealing clothing in Australia. Bikinis and swimming attire are okay on the beach, and usually at the kiosk across the road from the beach. It is normal to wear at least a shirt and footwear before venturing any further. Most beaches are effectively top optional (topless) while sunbathing. Just about all women wear a top while walking around or in the water. There are some clothing optional (nude) beaches, usually a little further removed from residential areas. Thong bikinis (more commonly called g-string bikinis in Australia as thongs refer to flip-flop footwear) are fine on all beaches and some outdoor pools for women and men, although they are not as common as conventional beachwear. Some outdoor pools have a "top required" policy for women. Cover up a little more when visiting places of worship such as churches. In warm conditions casual "t-shirt and shorts" style clothing predominates except in formal situations. Business attire, however, is considered to be long sleeved shirt, tie, and long trousers for men, even in the hottest weather. Using [[Australian slang|Australian stereotypical expressions]] may be viewed as an attempt to mock, rather than to communicate. If you pull it off well, you might raise a smile. Australians are often self-deprecating; however, it is rude to ever agree with a self-deprecating remark. Boasting about achievements is rarely received well. Social classes do not feature as prominently in Australia as they do in many other countries, and you will notice that tradespeople and manual labourers are very well paid and accorded a lot more respect in Australia than elsewhere. Be careful not to imply that you are looking down on people whose jobs may be considered menial by the standards of other countries. Service workers, including hotel staff, waiters, cleaners, taxi drivers and shop employees, expect that customers will treat them as equals. Most Australians are happy to help out a lost traveller with directions, however many urban dwellers will assume that someone asking "excuse me", is asking for money, and may brush past. Looking lost, holding a map, looking like a backpacker or getting to the point quickly helps. ===Indigenous Australians === [[File:Ayers Rock 2004 - panoramio (2).jpg|thumb|Uluru]] [[Indigenous Australian culture|Aboriginal Australians]] likely arrived in the Australian landmass 65,000 years ago and number over half a million people today. They have faced significant discrimination over the years since European settlement took their traditional lands, and sensitivity should be given at all times. Aboriginal people actually come from many different 'nations' with distinctive cultures and identities that spoke up to 250 different languages before European settlement. Many areas of Aboriginal land are free to enter. Some areas carry a request from the Aboriginal people not to enter, and you may choose yourself whether or not to honour or respect that request. Uluru holds great spiritual significance to the Anangu people, who live in the area; while climbing it used to be a popular tourist activity, it has been '''illegal''' since October 2019. The Anangu feel themselves responsible if someone is killed or injured on their land (as has happened many times during the climb), so please keep off. Some Aboriginal land requires permission or a permit, and some areas are protected and illegal to enter. You should check before making plans to travel off the beaten track. Permits are usually just a formality for areas which regularly see visitors, or if you have some other business in the area you are travelling through. Often they are just an agreement to respect the land you are travelling on as Aboriginal land. Some Aboriginal Land Councils make them available online. If you need to refer to race, the politically correct term is ''Indigenous Australians''. ''Aboriginal people'' is usually okay and referring to sacred sites and land as Aboriginal sites, or Aboriginal land is okay too, though these terms only refer to people indigenous to mainland Australia or Tasmania. Avoid using ''Aboriginal'' as a noun to describe a person, as some people see negative connotations in this. The terms "Aborigine" or "Abo" are deeply offensive and should never be used. The word ''native'' generally not a preferred term, but reasonably acceptable – just use ''indigenous'' instead. People indigenous to the [[Torres Strait Islands]] do not identify as "Aboriginal", as they are more ethnically Melanesian than their southern neighbours; just stick to the term ''Torres Strait Islander''. Other areas to consider when interacting with indigenous Australians are: * Australia Day is considered a day of invasion by many Aboriginal people, and consequential protests against that day is frequent. * It is best not to mention the name, nor show any image of a deceased person to an indigenous Australian. Though Aboriginal custom varies, it is best to avoid the possibility of offence. * Permission to photograph an Aboriginal person should always be asked, but in particular in the more remote areas such as [[Arnhem Land]] and [[Northern Territory]]. * Avoid disrespecting sacred Aboriginal places like climbing on Uluru or the Three Sisters etc. While this may sound obvious that it's disrespectful, the number of indigenous sites that have been damaged, vandalised, or even destroyed by tourists is quite unimaginable. * While indigenous Australians have been given equal rights on paper, they are still often arrested or pulled over by a cop for things that a non-indigenous person wouldn't usually get arrested for. Talking about this subject may be highly sensitive, and to this day, there's a case every now and then of Aboriginal people, particularly children getting assaulted by police. This topic should be '''avoided whenever possible'''. ===Religion=== Contemporary Australian society is rather secular, and only a minority of Australians go to church regularly. Most Australians are tolerant towards people of all faiths, and people wearing religious attires such as hijabs, kippahs or crucifixes will in general not face harassment although Islamophobia does exist. Attempting to proselytise or inconveniencing others with your religion, however, will more often than not result in a negative response. This includes diets, and often people who have dietary restrictions get given a frown, particularly in rural Australia, although in urban areas, it is more tolerated. ===British legacy=== It can be very offensive to some, saying that Australia is or was a British country or that the culture is based solely on that of the UK. Australia is an independent country and Australians have many origins from all over the world, including most of the locals. It has a culture a bit similar to that of Europe, but there are a lot of things that are uniquely Australian and some that are brought from other countries of the world, not to forget the heavy American influence. ==Stay safe== ===Emergencies=== The number '''[tel:000 000]''' (called 'triple zero' or 'triple oh') can be dialled from any telephone in Australia free of charge. This number will connect you with the police, fire brigade, coastguard or ambulance service after you tell the emergency operator which service you need. If you want to contact these services but the situation is not an emergency, don't call 000: you can call the police assistance line on [tel:131444 131 444]. This includes requesting a call out for noise complaints. Poisons information advice, which can also advise on snake, spider and insect bites, is available on [tel:131126 131 126]. Information on locating the nearest medical services can be obtained by calling [tel:1800022222 1800 022 222] (except for Tasmania). If you require assistance during a flood, storm, cyclone, tsunami, earthquake or other natural disaster you can contact the State Emergency Service in each state (except for Northern Territory) on [tel:132500 132 500]. You will be connected with your local unit and help can be organised from there. If the emergency is life-threatening, call 000 instead. You can dial 000 from all mobile phones. Mobile phones sold in Australia recognise it as the emergency number and will use any available network to place the call. However, if you have a phone obtained outside Australia, using the universal emergency number '''[tel:112 112]''' is a better idea. Using 112 will use any available network, will work even if your phone is not roaming, and will work even if the phone does not have a SIM. 112 works from Australian purchased phones too. Hearing or speech impaired people with TTY equipment can dial '''[tel:106 106]'''. Those with Internet connectivity can use the [http://www.relayservice.com.au Internet Relay Service, via the website]. Calls from fixed line (landline) phones may be traced to assist the emergency services to reach you. The emergency services have limited ability to trace the origin of emergency calls from mobile phones, especially outside of urban areas, so be sure to calmly and clearly provide details of your location. Because of the number sequence for emergency calls, around 60% of calls to the emergency numbers are made in error. Nobody will likely respond to your call unless you can effectively communicate to the operator that you need assistance. If you are in need of assistance, but cannot speak, you will be diverted to an IVR and asked to press '''55''' to confirm that you are in need of assistance and have not called by accident. Your call will then be connected to the police. Except for 112 from a mobile, emergency numbers from other countries (for example, '911', '17' or '100') '''do not work''' in Australia. ===Driving=== Keep a sense of perspective. Tourists are far more likely to be killed or injured as pedestrians, drivers or passengers on Australian roads than all the other causes of death and injury combined. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is prohibited. Most states use a prescribed standard of alcohol in the blood to determine whether driving is criminal. The prescribed (allowed) content ranges from zero to 0.05. Random breath testing for blood and alcohol is carried out. Australia is a huge country and driving between cities and towns can take longer than you expect, especially if you are used to freeway or motorway driving in Europe, Asia or North America. While the major highways are comparable to those overseas, secondary highways in rural areas need to be treated with some care. Speed limits vary by location, road and by state. Avoid the stresses of fatigue by not planning to drive too far in a day. Authorities strongly recommend a break (with some walking outside the car) every two hours. Often, there are designated rest stops on numbered M, A routes as well as National Highways and Routes, but they are almost non existent on unpaved highways, state routes, B or C highways. Driving between towns and cities comes with a risk of hitting or crashing due to swerving to avoid wildlife. Kangaroos have a habit of being spooked by cars and then, bewilderingly, jumping in front of them. Take extra care when driving through areas with vegetation close to the road and during dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active. Wildlife is not usually an issue in major urban areas (with the exception of Canberra where a series of parks provides ample habitat for kangaroos, which often cross major roads). Urban Australians jaywalk, dodge cars, and anticipate the sequence of lights. Although most drivers will stop for a red light, running the amber light is common, so ensuring the traffic has stopped before stepping from the curb is always a good idea. People from countries that drive on the right will take a while to get used to looking the correct way when crossing. ===Beaches=== [[File:Lifeguard, Sydney, Australia.jpg|thumb|A lifeguard at Bondi Beach in Sydney]] <!-- There are links to this section from other beach going sections in Australia city and district articles. Please leave this heading intact, unless there is a good reason to change it. Please add information here that is common to beaches across Australia --> Around 10–20 overseas travellers drown in Australia each year. Most of these drownings occur at ocean beaches, where statistics put visitors at significantly higher risk than locals. Check the [http://www.beachsafe.org.au Beach Safety website]. Beach goers should '''swim between the red and yellow flags''' which designate patrolled areas. Beaches are not patrolled 24-hours a day or even during all daylight hours. In most cases the local volunteer surf lifesavers or professional lifeguards are only available during certain hours, and at some beaches only on weekends, and often only during summer. If the flags aren't up, then there's no one patrolling. Many beaches in rural areas aren't patrolled at all. If you choose to swim, be aware of the risks, check conditions, stay within your depth, and don't swim alone. Many beaches in Australia have a sudden drop off which can take non-swimmers by surprise. If in doubt, ask the locals. Hard surfboards and other water craft such as surf skis, kayaks etc., are '''not''' permitted between the red and yellow flags. These craft must only be used outside of the blue 'surfcraft permitted' flags. Australian ocean beaches can sometimes have strong rips that even the strongest swimmers cannot swim against. Rips are almost-invisible channels of water flowing away from the beach. Many locals can spot rips, so if in doubt, ask. These channels take out the water which the incoming surf waves bring into shore. Beach goers can mistakenly use these channels or areas since they can appear as calm water and look to be an easier area into which to swim. Problems arise when the swimmer tries to swim back into shore against the outgoing current or rip, tire quickly, and end up drowning. Rips can be recognised by one or more of these signs: a rippled appearance when the surrounding water is fairly calm; foam that extends beyond the break zone; brown, sandy coloured water; waves breaking further out on either side of the rip. If you are caught in a rip at a patrolled beach, conserve your energy, float or tread water and raise one hand. The surf lifesavers will come out to you. Don't wait until you are so tired you can't swim any more. You will probably find that local swimmers or surfers will also quickly come to your aid. Usually the flags are positioned where there are no rips, but this isn't always the case as rips can move. If you are caught in a rip at an unpatrolled beach stay calm to conserve energy and swim '''parallel''' to the beach (not against the pull of the current). Most rips are only a few metres wide, and once clear of the undertow, you will be able to swim or catch a wave to return to shore. '''Never swim alone.''' Don't think that the right technique will get you out of every situation. In the surf out the back of the beach, treading water can be hard with waves pounding you every few seconds. Unless you have seen it happen, it's hard to appreciate how quickly a rip can take you 50 m out to sea and into much larger wave breaks. If you are at an unpatrolled surf beach, proceed with great caution and never go out of your depth. Beach signs often have a number or an alphanumeric code on them. This code can be given to emergency services if required so they can locate you quickly. [[#Crocodiles|Crocodiles]] and [[#Jellyfish|Box Jellyfish]] are found on tropical beaches, depending on the time of year and area. Sharks occur on many of Australia's beaches. See the section below on dangerous creatures. Patrolled beaches will be monitoring the ocean for any shark activity. If you hear a continuous siren go off at the beach and a red and a red and white quartered flag is waved or held out of the tower, it indicates a shark sighting, so make your way to shore. Once it is clear, a short blast of the siren will be sounded, which usually means that it is safe to return to the water. ===Natural disasters=== As a large country, Australia is affected by a range of natural disasters. ====[[Cyclones]]==== Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) occur in the tropics (the northern part) of Australia between November and April, and you should understand how a tropical cyclone may impact you during the tropical wet season. The impact of cyclones varies with their intensity and your proximity to them. Weak cyclones may just cost you a day or two of your holiday to rain and wind while you stay indoors in your hotel, and an hour's drive from the cyclone's centre can still have good weather. More severe tropical cyclones can be deadly to the unprepared, may force you to evacuate and can seriously disrupt your travel plans. Even low intensity cyclones or tropical depressions in more remote areas can close roads for days to weeks at a time. On average, a town in the tropics experiences a tropical cyclone every 30 years or so. The sparseness of population in Australia's north and north-west (where cyclones are most prevalent) means that many cyclones pass the coast with little impact on towns. Still, if you are planning to travel to the tropics during cyclone season, you should understand and review the [http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/index.shtml Bureau of Meteorology's information page] before you set out, and keep a general eye on the page while you travel for early alerts of any problems developing. ====Floods==== In the tropical north the ''Wet Season'' occurs over the summer months of December, January and February, bringing torrential rains and frequent floods to those regions. It is not unusual for some coastal areas to be cut off for a day or two while the water recedes. It can still be a good time to visit some of the well populated, tourist-oriented areas, and, except in unusually heavy flooding, you can still get to see the pounding waterfalls and other attractions that can make this an interesting time to visit. Floods in outback and inland Australia are rare, occurring decades apart, so you would be unlucky to encounter them. However, if you are planning to visit the inland or the outback and the area is flooded, then you should reconsider. The land is flat, so the water can take weeks to move on, leaving the land boggy. Insects and mosquitoes go crazy with all the fresh water pooling around, and these things eat insect repellent for breakfast and are still hungry. Roads close, often adding many hours to driving times. Many attractions often lie on a short stretch of dirt road off the main highways, and these sections become impassable, even if the main road remains open. Plan to return in a few weeks, and the land will still be green, the lakes and rivers will still be flowing, and the bird life will still be around. The wettest period for the south of the country is usually around the winter months of June, July, and August. There is rarely enough rain at one time to cause flooding. The capital cities are rarely, if ever, significantly affected by floods. ====== Flash floods ====== Flash flooding occurs in many eastern cities at least once a year, generally in summer, and is a nuisance. However, stay inside and follow the advice of SES and ABC local radio. Never attempt to drive in flood waters, dozens of cars are destroyed every year by the thought "it's not that deep". You don't want to be the person floating under that bridge waiting for the police to rescue you. Flash flooding often brings large hail, which can damage cars. Seek undercover (not underground) car parking. It is usually predictable. You'll generally hear grumblings about a storm coming from locals, and [http://www.bom.gov.au/ bom.gov.au] will list a severe weather warning. ====Water supply==== Australia is a very dry country with large areas of '''desert''', and can also get very hot. When travelling in remote areas, away from paved roads, where the potential to become stranded for up to a week without seeing another vehicle is very real, it is vital that you carry your own water supply (4 gal or 7 L per person per day). Do not be misled by entries on maps such as 'well' or 'spring' or 'tank' (or any entry suggesting that there is a body of water). Nearly all are dry, and most inland lakes are dry salt pans. Many cities and towns have water restrictions, limiting use of water in activities like washing cars, watering gardens, or public showers. It is common to see signs in accommodation asking visitors to limit the length of their showers. It is common for many regional towns public bathrooms water supply to be non-potable. Do not drink from a tap labeled "Do not drink" or "Non-potable", as this is generally just untreated groundwater. ====[[Earthquakes]]==== Although Australia is not located on any plate boundaries, earthquakes occur from time to time. These are usually minor and very rarely cause major damage or fatalities. ===Bushfires=== '''[[Wildfires|Bushfires]]''' are a seasonal danger in many parts of Australia - and if you're venturing out into the bushland or rural areas it pays to check the fire danger and the status of any bushfire activity first. Although most fires are quickly controlled, on very hazardous fire days, bushfires can be life-threatening - especially if on foot, or not having the protection of a substantial building. If you are caught in a bushfire, most fires will pass over quickly. You need to find shelter that will protect you from the smoke and radiant heat. A house is best, then a car, then a clearing, a cave, or on the beach is the best location. Wet everything that you can. Stay low and cover your mouth. Cover yourself with non-flammable (woollen) clothing or blankets, and reduce the skin directly exposed to the heat. If you have access to a tap gather water early; don't rely on water pressure as the fire front approaches. The Fire Danger Rating (pictured to the right) tells you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. '''It is not a predictor of how likely a bushfire is to occur.'''[[File:WA fire danger sign Wyalkatchem.jpg|thumb|Fire danger signs are located across Australia]] * Severe: Hot, dry and windy conditions. A fire that starts in these conditions may be uncontrollable. Only well prepared buildings that are actively defended can provide safety. Leave at the first sign of fire. * Extreme: Hot dry and windy conditions. Any fires that start and take hold will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast moving. Only homes & buildings built to withstand bushfires that are well prepared and actively defended may provide safety. Avoid forested areas, thick bush or long, dry grass, It is recommended to leave such areas to ensure you are not caught up in a bushfire. * Catastrophic/code red: These are the worst conditions possible for a bush or grass fire. Avoid forested areas, thick bush or long, dry grass. It is highly advisable to leave forested and bushy areas. It is worth noting that many locals will leave their outback homes to seek refuge in large towns for the entire day, on the few days per year designated as "Catastrophic". ==== National parks and state forests ==== If the fire risk is extreme or higher, national parks may be closed, especially the backcountry areas, so you will need to have an alternative plan if you intend to camp or hike in parks during summer. If there is a fire in a park, it will usually be closed entirely. If you are staying in a park or forest during an extreme fire danger period the safest option is to leave the night before or early in the day. If you learn of a fire, or see smoke, take action quickly. ==== Travelling during active fires or during the fire season ==== If you are driving outside of cities during bushfire season, tune in to [https://www.abc.net.au/local/ local ABC radio]. During a bushfire or any other ongoing emergency, every thirty minutes a warning siren will sound, followed by an update on the current bushfire situation in that area. You may receive evacuation warnings on your phone. Emergency and bushfire management is a state responsibility in Australia - so find the website or app appropriate for the state you are in. Websites such as [https://www.emergency.wa.gov.au/ Emergency WA] and [https://emergency.vic.gov.au/ VicEmergency] list all current emergencies in their respective states and are often the most up-to-date method of getting information about a current emergency. '''It is possible that you will get yourself into a situation where it becomes too late to leave.''' During the bushfire season, have a plan consisting of two escape routes, and the ability to pack what you need quickly. Shopping Centres or Main streets of built up towns are safe locations to be in during Extreme or Code Red days, unless you hear otherwise via radio. Entire country towns can sometimes be evacuated when there is a bushfire threatening them. Often there can be no signs of the fire at evacuation time, but you should leave early, as evacuating through a fire front is dangerous. The best advice is just to move on, and not stay around to watch. ==== Lighting fires ==== Make sure any fires you light are legal and kept under control. The fire service operates a '''total fire ban''' system during periods of extreme fire danger. When a total fire ban is in place all outdoor fires are forbidden. Most parks will advertise a ban, and it is your responsibility to check the local fire danger levels. Fines or even jail terms apply for lighting fires that get out of control, not to mention the feeling you may get at being responsible for the property, wildlife, and person damage that you may cause. ===Venomous and dangerous creatures=== {{seealso|Pests}} Although Australia is home to many of the deadliest species of insects, reptiles and marine life on the planet, the traveller is unlikely to encounter any of these in an urban environment, and even in the bush these creatures try to avoid humans for the most part. The vast majority of deaths from bites and stings in Australia are due to allergic reactions to bees and wasps. Some of the information spread about Australia's dangerous wildlife is blown out of proportion, often jokingly by Australians themselves. However, you should take warnings about jellyfish and crocodiles seriously in the tropics, and keep your distance from snakes in the national parks and bushland. If travelling in rural areas it would be a good idea to carry basic first aid equipment including compression bandages and to learn what to do after a snake or spider bite. ====Snakes ==== It's not common to encounter snakes in urbanised areas in Australia, but they are common in grassland, national parks and other bushland. Snakes will generally try to put as much distance between themselves and you as possible, so if you see a snake while out walking, simply go around it or walk the other way. Walking blindly into dense bush and grassy areas is not advisable, as snakes may be hiding there. For the most part, snakes fear humans and will be long gone before you ever get the chance to see them. '''Never''' try to pick up any snake, even if you believe it to be a non-venomous species. Most people bitten by snakes were trying to pick up the snake or kill the creature, or inadvertently step on one while out walking. Australia has some snakes that are deadly. So treat all snakes with respect, and seek medical treatment urgently for any snake bite. Take a first-aid kit suitable for snake-bites if you are going off the beaten track. If bitten you should immobilise the wound by wrapping the affected area tightly with strips of clothing or bandages and seek immediate medical help. Do not clean the wound as venom residues can be tested to determine the anti-venom to use. If you are in an isolated area send someone else for help. The venom of some snakes (the taipan in particular) can take effect within fifteen minutes, but if the wound is immediately immobilised and you rest it is possible to delay the onset of the venom spreading by one to a few hours. Polyvalent anti-venoms are available in most hospitals that contain anti-venom for all dangerous Australian snakes. ====Spiders==== [[File:Atrax robustus.jpg|thumb|Sydney funnel-web spider in a warning posture]] Although famous for its arachnids, fatalities from spiders in Australia are extremely rare. It is common to see spiders in Australia, and most will do you no harm. Wear gloves while gardening or handling leaf litter. Check or shake out clothing, shoes, etc. that have been left outside before putting them on. Don't put your fingers under rocks or into tree holes, where spiders might be. Some spiders are commonly found inside buildings and homes, including the large and hairy Huntsman spiders, that are generally harmless, and reduce insect pests like cockroaches. The large spider webs strung between trees occupied by garden or orb weaving spiders are more an annoyance than a danger. However, some spiders are also very dangerous. The world's most venomous spider is the '''Sydney Funnel-Web spider''', found in and around Sydney and eastern New South Wales - usually under rocks and leaf litter. The spider is anywhere up to 5&nbsp;cm large, and is usually black. If you are in an area that is known for having Funnel-Web spiders and you are bitten by a spider that you believe could be a Funnel-Web it is important you get to hospital as quickly as possible. The Funnel-Web spends most of its time underground (it can typically live for only 30 minutes outside a humid hole) and therefore you are very unlikely to encounter one walking around. The last confirmed fatality was in 1979. The '''Red Back spider''' (usually easily identified by a red mark on its abdomen) is common and after a bite it is important to seek medical attention, although it is not as urgent as with a Funnel-Web. Red Backs typically hide in dark places and corners. It is highly unusual to see them indoors; however, they can hide in sheds, around outdoor tables and chairs and under rocks or other objects sitting on the ground. First aid treatment for spider bites may vary in Australia compared to other areas of the world. Always seek medical advice after a bite has occurred. If possible, you should attempt to identify the creature that bit you. Take a photo or trap it so that the appropriate anti-venom can be administered swiftly. But don't risk getting bitten again. ====Jellyfish==== Travellers in northern [[Queensland]], the [[Northern Territory]], or northern [[Western Australia]] should be aware of the risk of fatal stings from the '''Box Jellyfish''' if swimming in the ocean between October and May. They are very hard to detect and can be found in very shallow water. Stings from these jellyfish are 'excruciating' and often fatal. Vinegar applied immediately to adhering tentacles will lessen the amount of venom injected, but immediate medical assistance will be required. The danger season varies by location. In general the jellyfish are found close to shore, as they reproduce in the estuaries. They are not generally found out on the Great Barrier Reef, and many people swim on the reef without taking any precautions. Seek out reliable local information. Some locals at the beach can be cavalier to the risks. '''Irukandji''' are another species of tiny (fingernail sized) jellyfish that inhabit the waters off Northern Australia and the surrounding Indo-Pacific islands. They are also very hard to see, and can be dangerous, although stings are rare. Unlike the box jellyfish they are found out on the reef. The initial sting can go unnoticed. There is debate as to whether they can be fatal, but they certainly can place a victim in hospital, and cause extreme pain lasting days. If you have nausea or shooting pains shortly after emerging from the water seek medical treatment. A "stinger-suit" that is resistant to jellyfish stings costs around $100 or can be hired for around $20 a week. ====Blue ring octopus==== Found in rock pools around the coasts of Australia is the tiny Blue Ring Octopus. Usually a dull sandy-beige colour, the creature has bright blue circles on its skin if threatened. The Blue Ring Octopus is rare and shy. Avoid placing your hand under rocks or in crevaces in rock pools or near the shore as this is where they tend to hide. Most locals do the same. It has a powerful paralysing toxin which can cause death unless artificial respiration is provided. In the history of Australia there are only two confirmed deaths by Blue Ring Octopus. ====Crocodiles==== [[File:Crocodylus porosus - Daintree River.jpg|thumb|Saltwater crocodile]] Travellers in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory or north Western Australia should be aware of the risk of fatal attacks by '''saltwater crocodiles''' in and adjacent to northern waters (ocean, estuarine and fresh water locations) between King Sound, Western Australia, and Rockhampton, Queensland. Saltwater crocodiles in these areas can reach 25 feet in length and can attack in water without warning. Despite what their name implies, they can be found in both salt and fresh water. On land, crocodiles usually lie motionless, but they have the ability to move with extraordinary speed in short bursts. There are relatively few attacks causing injury – most attacks are fatal. Dangerous swimming areas will usually have prominent warning signs. In these regions only swim in inland waters if you are specifically advised that they are safe. Since 1970 there has been about one crocodile attack on a human each year. The smaller '''freshwater crocodile''' is, unlike the saltwater, timid and will avoid humans if possible. The freshwater may attack to defend itself or its eggs or if startled. They can inflict a nasty bite but due to their small jaws and teeth this will rarely cause death in humans. ====Dangerous flora==== '''The Gympie bush''' (''Dendrocnide moroides''), also known as the stinging tree, is a stinging plant, whose microscopic stinging hairs on leaves and branches can cause severe pain for up to several weeks. They are mostly found in northeast Queensland, especially in rain forest clearings. However, the Gympie bush and other closely related species (there are about five) of stinging tree can be found in southeast Queensland, and further south in eastern Australia. People bushwalking in such areas are advised not to touch the plant for any reason. ===Crime=== [[Crime]] rates in Australia are roughly comparable with other developed countries: few travellers will be victims of crime. You should take normal precautions against bag snatching, pick pocketing and the like. Some cities and towns have areas that can be dangerous at night, but these are generally off the tourist trail and highly unlikely for you to wander into by accident. Australian police are approachable and trustworthy, and you should report assaults, theft or other crime to the police as soon as possible. There are two types of police in Australia; the state/territorial police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Typically you will only interact with the state police, with the AFP being largely dedicated to very specific government-related roles, the exception being the Australian Capital Territory where the AFP is the main police force, operating under the name of ACT Policing. Under no circumstances should you offer an Australian police officer (or for that matter, any other government official such as a customs officer) a bribe or gratuity, as this is a crime and they will enforce the laws against it. When leaving your car alone, make sure it is locked, that the windows are rolled up, and that there are no obvious targets for theft in the vehicle, as thieves will often smash windows to get at a phone, GPS or bag that is visible in the car. ===Racism=== Australia is outwardly a multicultural and racially tolerant society and there are strong laws that prohibit hate speech and other forms of discrimination on grounds of race. Nevertheless, racism is still a sensitive subject for a nation still not fully reconciled to its history of colonial occupation. Forced appropriation of Aboriginal lands along with formal discrimination, state-sanctioned racism and even forced separation of Aboriginal children (known as the Stolen Generations) from their families extended well into the 20th century. Gradual change throughout the last century saw the abandonment of the white-only immigration policy, citizenship for the Aboriginal people, and the establishment of large communities of Asian, Middle Eastern and African origin. However, to this day, Aboriginal people are still discriminated against, and while on paper, they have equal rights, they are often charged for things that a white person would usually not. Visitors to Australia are fortunately unlikely to encounter random incidents of racial abuse. If it does happen then you can report it to the police and expect action to be taken. Violent incidents are even rarer. Words referring to racial background can be used between friends of different ethnic groups, but it is '''strongly advised not to try them out yourself'''. You may well hear Pom (British), Yank (American), Paki (Indian sub-continent), Wog (of southern European or middle-eastern) and Curry Muncher (South Indian) being used. In particular British people would regard some of these terms as particularly racist, but they are used far more casually in Australia. '''''Never''''' refer to Aboriginal people as "Abo's", "native tribes" or "Noogas" - as it is regarded as a highly racist term. There are anti-immigration and anti-multicultural groups that operate in Australian society, for the most part agitating against the immigration of people from Muslim and African countries. As a visitor you would be unlikely to come into contact with them, although if it's late at night in a pub, and you start prodding people for their racial views, then all bets are off - be prepared for anything. The western suburbs of Melbourne has experienced some violent crime involving youths of African descent, which in turn has been greatly exaggerated by much of the local media and many politicians, fuelling racist sentiments. It is not offensive to use ''Aussie'' (Ozzie) to describe Australian people, but it isn't a term Australians generally use to self-identify. They are more likely to apply it to things (Aussie Rules, etc.) than to themselves. When the chant of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oi Oi Oi goes up at an international sporting event, some Australians will cringe, and others will join in. Often this depends on their own perceived social standing, or their state of inebriation, or both. And while Australia may seem multicultural in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Hobart or Canberra; rural areas are usually less so and stick to their Anglo-Celtic roots. People who do not look Aussie on the outside are often subject to racism, though this is usually targeted at immigrants (often those of Vietnamese, Middle Eastern or Somali descent) rather than tourists. ===Scams=== Attempts to [[Common scams|scam]] tourists are not prevalent in Australia; take normal precautions such as finding out a little bit about your destination. There have been rare instances of criminals tampering with ATMs so that cash is trapped inside them, or so that they record card details for thieves. You should check your transaction records for odd transactions after using an ATMs and immediately contact the bank controlling the ATM if a transaction seems to be successful but the machine doesn't give you any cash. Always cover the keypad with your hand when entering your PIN to prevent any skimming devices which have cameras recording your PIN. ATM Skimming is rare and easily avoided by using ATMs from trusted banks (ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac, Nab), or ATMs located inside a bank "gallery" which are generally open 24/7 but are more secure than an outdoor ATM. Additionally, the ATO will never try and ask you to pay off your debts with Spotify or iTunes gift cards, and this ongoing scams have been targeting especially the elderly and those who are unaware of it. If you go to a Coles, Woolies, Myer, Target, Big W, Kmart etc. there will be warning notices at all checkouts, and it can never hurt to read it. ===Illegal drugs=== Opium, heroin, amphetamines (speed), cocaine, LSD and ecstasy are all illegal to possess and to sell in all jurisdictions of Australia. Trafficking offences carry a long jail term, and in serious cases can even lead to life imprisonment. Australia shares information on drug trafficking with other countries, even those with the death penalty. Medical use of cannabis is legal on a federal level, although obtaining a prescription is generally a time-consuming ordeal not feasible for a visitor. As of 2022, the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) remains the first and only state to legalize personal use. In South Australia and Northern Territory, possession of personal use quantities is decriminalized, although on-the-spot fines still apply. In all other states possession remains a criminal offense, and foreigners should not expect more lenient treatment than locals from Australian police for drug offences. Driving while under the influence of drugs is a serious offence, and doing so will invariably lead to arrest and prosecution, and in serious cases even a jail sentence. '''Do not under any circumstances attempt to bring illicit drugs into Australia''', including marijuana; this is strictly illegal and punishable with long jail terms of up to life in prison, and customs officers often employ dogs to sniff drugs out of arriving passengers' luggage. Dogs can even tell that you smoked marijuana from the day before you flew to Australia, so you may be held back for some long questioning. Australia's proximity to [[Asia]] means that heroin is a far more commonly used illicit drug than cocaine or crack cocaine. In some areas of large cities you will need to be careful of discarded needles: however these will generally be found in back streets rather than in popular tourist spots. ===Firearms=== Firearm ownership is rare in Australia, with strict licensing requirements resulting in gun ownership being typically limited to hunters and farmers in rural areas, as well as sport shooters. Criminal gangs sometimes carry illegal firearms in urban areas, although it is unlikely that travellers will run into them. It is very difficult to bring firearms into Australia, with a police permit required for each federal state to be visited ''before'' arrival. ===Gay and lesbian travellers=== {{see also|LGBT travel}} Australia has an equal age of consent set at 16 for all states except Tasmania and South Australia where the age is 17. Same sex marriage is legal in Australia, having been passed into law in December 2017 after the nation strongly voted for it (with 61% choosing change) in a national postal survey. Attitudes to homosexuality are similar to those found in most Western countries. Although inner Sydney is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world, caution is still advisable in conservative rural areas, including rural parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory. Australia has outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and legal recourse may be available should you experience discrimination. Police assistance may be difficult to obtain in remote and rural areas for discrimination. Sydney is Australia's gay capital, and hosts one of the world's most famous gay pride festivals - the [http://www.mardigras.org.au Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras] - annually during February and March. The festival culminates in a huge parade through central Sydney which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators. [[Alice Springs]] celebrates the "Alice Is Wonderland Festival", a gay and lesbian pride festival in late April/early May. [[Melbourne]] has a "[http://www.pridemarch.com.au/ Pride March]" every year on the first Sunday of February. ==Stay healthy== ===Skin=== [[File:Sunbaker maxdupain nga76.54.jpg|thumbnail|"Sunbaker" from 1937 is one of the most widely recognised of all Australian photographs.]] Exposure to the sun at Australian latitudes frequently results in '''[[sunburn]]''', and Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world. Getting sunburnt can make you feel feverish and unwell and may take a few days or weeks to heal depending on the severity. It means you can't go back out into the sun until the sunburn fades, so getting sunburnt on the first day of your beach holiday can seriously reduce the fun of your trip. It can take as little as 15 minutes to burn in Australia on a fine summer's day, even in shaded outdoor areas. You should wear sunscreen (SPF 50+), clothing, and a hat to shade the sun. Re-apply sunscreen every 2–3 hours throughout the day as it wears off quickly if you are sweating or swimming. Make sure to cover all parts of your body. UV radiation in the middle of the day can be double what it is in the early morning or later afternoon, so if possible avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day. [http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/uv/index.shtml Daily UV forecasts] are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology online. '''Spray On Sunscreen''' from an aerosol bottle is popular because of its ease of use, however it is far less effective than tradition sunscreen. If you are heading to the beach, consider buying a sun-tent (less than $20 from discount and hardware stores). You generally can't hire beach umbrellas at Australian beaches, and they are very exposed. ===Food preparation=== Australia has high hygiene standards, with restaurants required to observe strict food preparation standards. [[Food poisoning]] rates are comparable to other first world nations. ===Water=== The '''[[tap water]]''' in urban Australia is always safe to drink. Occasionally you may encounter recycled water taps which are for watering plants and not drinking; these should be coloured purple. Public drinking fountains and bottle refill stations are common in cities and at tourist attractions. The taste and hardness of the tap water will vary considerably across the country. Some cities such as Adelaide rely on ground water supplies that have an unpleasant taste, but are perfectly safe. Many households use water purifier jugs. Bottled water is also widely available. Carrying water on hot days is a good idea in urban areas, and it is a necessity if hiking or driving out of town. Remoter areas in the outback may not have treated drinking water on tap. At sites where tap water is untreated, water sterilization tablets may be used as an alternative to boiling. If driving long distances on infrequently trafficked roads it is essential to carry drinking water. This is absolutely necessary in hotter areas and on dirt roads or tracks. It is rare that someone does not die of thirst in outback Australia in any year. It is recommended that in event of a breakdown you stay with the car for shade and to increase your chances of being found. Before long-distance touring seek specific advice on calculating how much water to carry for the proposed journey and allowing for breakdowns. ===Vaccinations=== Australia does not have endemic communicable diseases that will require non-standard vaccinations. Like many other countries, it will require evidence of [[yellow fever]] vaccinations on entry if you will have been in a country with a risk of infection within 6 days before your arrival in Australia. ===Mosquitoes=== Mosquitoes are present all year round in the tropics, and during the summer in southern areas. Screens on windows and doors are common, and repellent is readily available. Ross River Virus is spread by mosquitoes in the tropics, and can make you sick for a few weeks. There have been cases of [[dengue fever]], for which no specific treatment exists. Malaria is not present in mainland Australia. ===Medical care=== [[File:VH-FDE (16640399301).jpg|thumb|Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft]] As described above, '''000''' is the Australian emergency services number and in any medical emergency you should call this number and ask for an ambulance and other emergency services as necessary, to attend. Australia has first world medical standards. In particular, it is safe to receive blood transfusions in Australia, as donors are screened for HIV, hepatitis and many other blood borne illnesses. Australia's population density is low; parts of Australia are a long way from medical facilities of any kind. Many of these areas are served by the '''[http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/ Royal Flying Doctor Service]'''. Small towns with populations of 5,000 or more will have a small hospital capable of giving emergency treatment. Larger towns will have a base hospital capable of routine and some kinds of emergency surgery. In some cases you may need to be evacuated to one of the capital cities for specialist treatment. Capital cities will have medical centres where you can drop in, often open on weekends or until late. In country towns you may have to make an appointment and may have no alternative other than the closest hospital after hours and weekends. You can also expect to wait a few hours if your condition isn't urgent. * {{listing | name=Poisons Information Hotline | phone=13 11 26 (in country only) | content=Give free advice if any medication or poisons are taken inadvertently. They will also give advice on what treatment is necessary for things like a spider bite. However, if you think you are in any immediate danger, call '000' for an ambulance. }} ==== Medical costs and travel insurance ==== Australian citizens and permanent residents who live in Australia can receive health care through the taxpayer funded Medicare. Foreigners working or studying in Australia and without a reciprocal agreement are generally required to take up private health insurance as part of their visa conditions. Foreigners on a short visit will want to make sure their travel insurance is in order, as medical costs can be expensive for those not entitled to Medicare benefits. Medicare does not cover private hospitals or dental care, so you will need to obtain private health insurance to pay for these. Travellers from [[Belgium]], [[Finland]], [[Ireland]], [[Italy]], [[Malta]], the [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Slovenia]], [[Sweden]] and the [[United Kingdom]] are entitled to free reciprocal Medicare treatment for medical problems that occur during their visit. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with the conditions of the [http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/medicare/reciprocal-health-care-agreements/health-care-for-visitors-to-australia reciprocal arrangement with your country]. For example, Irish people and New Zealanders are only entitled to free treatment at a hospital, whereas the other reciprocal nationalities are entitled to subsidised treatment at general practitioners as well. No reciprocal programs cover private hospitals, and the full cost will have to be met by yourself or with [[travel insurance]]. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of a reciprocal agreement country then travel insurance is highly recommended. You can expect to pay around $80 to see a general practitioner, plus any additional costs for any pathology or radiology required. The charge to visit a local hospital can be much more expensive, private hospitals even more so. You can pay up to $500 even if you are not admitted, and possibly several thousand dollars if you are. Rescue and Royal Flying Doctor Services are provided for free, but evacuation or ambulance services can cost many thousands of dollars from a country town to a capital city, or from an island to the mainland. Even if you are an Australian citizen, ambulance and evacuation services are not provided free of charge. If an air-ambulance is required this can still cost thousands of dollars. Most health-insurance companies sell ambulance only cover valid Australia-wide. Ambulance membership programs may only cover you in your own state - check before travelling interstate. Domestic travel insurance does not usually cover medical or ambulance expenses. Medicare cover does not include ambulance costs (at least several hundred dollars) in the event of an emergency; only private insurance ''with ambulance cover'' will pay for this. Snake and spider bite anti-venom is very expensive. The cost can be well over $10,000 even if you don't need a stay in hospital. ==Connect== ===Internet=== Australia offers many Internet access options for travellers: '''Internet cafes''' are available in most tourist areas and normally cost $4–5 per hour. However, many internet cafes have 12-20 computers sharing a single broadband connection, sometimes making the internet painfully slow. If possible, ask if you can check the speed of a cafe's connection before forking out $4–5 for an hour. '''Public libraries''' usually offer some form of Internet access to travellers, either free or for a small fee. Some prohibit access to email, promoting research use of their facilities. Others offer Wi-Fi and terminals, with Wi-Fi usually being free of restrictions. '''Major hotels''' offer Internet access, usually for an exorbitant fee. Most youth hostels and backpacker accommodation have at least an Internet terminal at reception. Some other accommodation providers offer Wi-Fi to their guests, almost always with a charge. It is still common to find motels and other smaller hotels without any Internet offering to customers. * Many '''coffee shops''' offer Wi-Fi free to their customers. * McDonald's has free Wi-Fi in just about all their stores. * [https://hotspot.internode.on.net/coverage/index.php Internode] has free Wi-Fi hotspots, including much of Adelaide city centre. * Telstra has partnered with Fon to create an extensive network of WiFi hotspots around Australia that utilise Telstra telephone boxes and Telstra broadband customers to create hotspots that go by the name Telstra Air with the slogan 'Australia's largest WiFi Network'. Look for a distinctive white WiFi logo on solid pink and the words 'Telstra Air' to indicate major hotspots. The networks appear in WiFi lists as 'Telstra Air' or 'Fon WiFi'. Expect good coverage in city centre areas although it may require some searching to locate a hot spot outside of CBD areas. Hot spot maps are available on the Telstra and Fon websites. :*Access can be purchased for $6.60 for 1 hour, $10 for 1 day or $23 for 5 days. In major urban centres, you'll find free Wi-Fi in shopping malls and other large shops and increasingly on public transport: Sydney's ferries offer free Wi-Fi as do Adelaide's trams. ====3G/4G/5G wireless==== There are three mobile networks in Australia. All of them provide 3G/UMTS, 4G/LTE, and 5G mobile data services. As the data is carried over the mobile network, the advice about frequencies, obtaining SIMs and using a foreign device in the [[#Mobile Cellular Phones|Mobile Cellular Phones]] section applies. If you intend to use your phone with your home carrier, check with them for data roaming fees (likely quite expensive). If your handset isn't locked, it may be much cheaper to buy a local SIM. Several carriers offer prepaid mobile data access with no contract from around $20-30 per month with various bundles and inclusions. For around $50 you can get a USB modem or Wi-Fi dongle. There are thousands of plans available through hundreds of resellers. Using an internet comparison site will direct you to the best deals. === Radio and television === Australia has 2 national public broadcasters, the [http://www.abc.net.au/ ABC] and [https://www.sbs.com.au/ SBS]. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (or ABC) broadcasts Local Radio, Triple J (Youth/Indie music) and ABC Classic on AM/FM Radio as well as 5 TV channels. The Special Broadcasting Service (or SBS) broadcasts more ethnic, bilingual and cultural content on 6 TV channels and 2 analog radio stations. Both broadcasters are available in most populous areas but the ABC has a greater radio coverage. There are 3 free-to-air commercial TV networks, namely [https://au.tv.yahoo.com/ Seven], [https://www.nine.com.au/ Nine] and [https://tenplay.com.au/ Ten]; all or most are available in a majority of areas. In regional areas, affiliates such as WIN, Imparja, and Prime will carry feeds from major networks along with some local programming. You should expect to be able to receive and watch all these channels in almost all accommodation in towns and cities across Australia. On Pay TV operator is also available called Foxtel - transmitted by Cable, Satellite, and Internet. Some hotels will advertise free Foxtel, which means you should also be able to view the main international news channels and lots of light entertainment reruns. hey may also subscribe to a range of sports and movies, but you should check first. The bigger the city, the more radio stations you'll find. Country towns will often just have one commercial radio station and the [https://www.abc.net.au/local/ ABC]. If you're driving the distances between country towns, you can often lose all radio coverage. Download some music or podcasts for the trip before you leave. It's advisable to stay tuned to the ABC if travelling during emergencies or high bushfire risk periods. DAB+ Digital Radio is available in capital cities, but receivers aren't installed in cars or most accommodation. If you have a digital radio, you'll get a handful of extra music channels. ===Newspapers=== The main national broadsheet newspaper is '''[https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ The Australian]''', with '''[http://www.afr.com/ The Australian Financial Review]''' focussing on financial and business news. There are also other newspapers that are published locally within their respective states, the most notable ones being ''[http://www.smh.com.au/ The Sydney Morning Herald]'' and ''[https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ The Daily Telegraph]'', both based in Sydney, and ''[https://www.theage.com.au/ The Age]'' and ''[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Herald Sun]'', both based in Melbourne. ===Telephone=== ====Calling overseas from Australia==== The main international access code or prefix is '''0011'''. (When using a mobile phone the plus symbol "+" can be used instead of the 0011 prefix.) ====Dialling codes==== The country code for international calls to Australia is +61. When dialling from overseas, omit any leading '0' in the area code. The area code is optional when calling from the same area code area. [[Norfolk Island]] and Australian-Antarctic bases use the +672 code, not Australia's country code. See the specific articles. The "+" stands for the ''international dialling prefix'', 0011 if calling overseas from Australia, 00 in most of Europe, 011 in the [[USA]] and [[Canada]], substituted automatically on mobile phones and most other smart dialling devices. Australian area code list: * 02 = Central East (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and north-eastern fringe of Victoria) * 03 = South East (Southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania) * 04 = Mobile phones Australia-wide (higher call charges apply) * 07 = North East (Queensland and parts of Northern NSW) * 08 = Central & West (Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western New South Wales) There is also the "05" calling code which is for mobile numbers, but to this date, none have ever been implemented to this day. Local calls are free of charge. * If calling an Australian number from outside Australia, use the format +61880803300 (no "0" area code prefix; substitute the relevant international dialling prefix for the "+" if needed). * If making an international call from within Australia dial the ''international dialling prefix'' or "+", followed by the ''country code'', followed by destination ''area code'', followed by the ''local number'' at the destination. For most countries you need to omit the area code prefix (usually "0" as in Australia). For example, the local number for the [[Moree (New South Wales)|Moree]] tourist information is {{nowrap|6757-3350}}. The area code is 02 as Moree is in the Central East area code region. To dial the number from [[Sydney]] or anywhere else ''inside'' the same area code, just dial {{nowrap|6757-3350}}. To dial the number from [[Brisbane]] or anywhere in Australia ''outside'' the area code region, you will need to dial {{nowrap|02 6757-3350}}. If you don't know your area code region, you can include the area code, and it will work regardless of from where you are calling. To dial the number from overseas you will need to dial {{nowrap|+61 2 6757-3350}}. ====Special numbers==== * Numbers commencing with '''13''' are charged at a local call rate, and what they connect you to can vary according to your location. They can be 10 or 6 digit numbers. For example, 1300 796 222, will connect you with the [[Albury]] tourist information, no matter where you are in Australia. However, 131 008 will connect you with a different local taxi service depending on where you are. 13 22 32 will connect you to New South Wales Railways in Sydney or Victorian Railways in Melbourne. Calling these numbers internationally can be problematic. * Numbers commencing with '''18''' are free when dialled from a payphone or fixed phone, and commonly used for hotel reservation numbers, or tourist information numbers. * Numbers commencing with '''19''' are premium numbers, often with ''very'' hefty call charges (make sure you check before dialling). * Numbers commencing with '''12''' are carrier services, and are dependent on what network you are connected to. For example, '''12 456''' is a general information number for Telstra. Vodafone offer a similar services on '''123'''. These numbers can be premium services as well. Calling special numbers internationally can often work - just try dialling the number prefixed with the +61 country code. Many locations will give an alternative direct number for use in international dialling. Making reverse charge (collect) calls is very expensive and can be problematic. You can use 12550 from a Telstra public phone, or 1800 NO CASH from any phone. But you have to be calling a number that will accept the charges (usually a landline or mobile on a mainstream telco). ====Mobile cellular phones==== {{anchor|Mobile Cellular Phones}} Australia has cellular networks operated by [http://www.telstra.com.au Telstra], [http://www.optus.com.au Optus] and [http://www.vodafone.com.au Vodafone], and each of the networks have several resellers with different price plans. All three operate UMTS/HSPA (3G), LTE (4G), and 5G networks. There are no restrictions on overseas residents obtaining Australian prepaid SIM cards, although you may require some form of photo ID such as your passport for identification. 2G-only and CDMA phones (phones without a SIM card) will not work in Australia. All '''2G''' networks in Australia have been shut down. Telstra and Vodafone have '''3G HSPA+''' services on 850/2100&nbsp;MHz, and Optus on 900/2100&nbsp;MHz. These are still the greatest geographical range of service. '''4G LTE''' is widely available most centres on all carriers. Support for 4G band 28 (700 MHz) on newer phones is necessary to get good 4G coverage outside of major centres and better coverage in them. On '''5G''' Networks, all of Australia's networks run on the n78 frequencies with Optus running on n40 mid-band, n257 for high-band, and n1 for low-band; Telstra at n258 and n5, and Vodafone at n28. With foreign SIM cards, international roaming is generally seamless onto Australia's 3G (UMTS/W-CDMA) and 4G networks, depending on agreements between operators. 5G networks are different with frequencies and can vary with the compatibility of your phone. Check with your home operator before you leave. All major cities and their suburbs have decent coverage on all three networks, as do most significant country towns and inter-capital links. Telstra's 850&nbsp;MHz 3G network provides the best rural coverage (though it is also the most expensive), but unpopulated or sparsely populated areas away from major roads are unlikely to have service at all. If you are heading way out into the bush then a '''satellite phone''' may be your only option. Remember all mobile phones can be used for emergency calls on all networks, even if they don't have a local SIM or aren't roaming. This applies to satellite phones too. A cheap prepaid mobile phone with a SIM retails for around $40 in most Australian retail outlets, supermarkets, and post offices; a SIM alone for an existing phone is around $2–3. Prepaid credit is added using recharge cards available at all supermarkets, newsagents, some ATMs, and other outlets. You can buy a seemly infinite variety of packages, SIM cards, and phone bundles, with varied combinations of data, SMS and call time. Some carriers make calculating included calls difficult, by giving you a dollar "value" that is included in your package, and you then need to find the call, sms and data rates to calculate what is included. These rates can differ from plan to plan. Make sure the plan you choose includes what you need, because using data or making calls outside of the package allowance is often orders of magnitude more expensive. ===Satellite phones=== [[File:Telstra phonebox at Quinns.jpg|thumb|A typical Telstra payphone]] If you need comprehensive coverage in rural and remote areas, you can use a satellite phone. Iridium, Globalstar and Thuraya satellite services are available in Australia. Expect to pay around $120 per week to hire a satellite phone, plus call costs. Satellite messaging units, which send your location and a help SMS or email, can be hired for around $80 per week. These units are only available from specialist dealers, often only in major cities (away from the remote areas you may be visiting). You should be able to acquire or hire these units in your home country before departure if you wish. Satellite phones can be used to make emergency calls without a SIM card or subscription plan. The cheapest cost around $300, or just a little more than a PLB. === Public phones === Most towns and suburbs have at least one public phone. Most railway stations will have a public phone. All public phones in Australia are free for local calls to landlines and mobiles. International calls may be made using Telstra or third-party calling cards available from newsagents. Free text messages can be sent from any Telstra public phone, using the keypad in much the same way as an old-style mobile phone. Follow the instructions on the phone display. ===Post=== [[File:Australia Post boxes.jpg|thumb|Express (yellow) and normal (red) Australia Post street posting boxes]] '''[http://www.auspost.com.au Australia Post]''' runs Australia's postal service. Letters can be posted in any red Australia Post posting box, which are found at all post offices and many other locations. All stamps can be purchased from post offices, and some stamps can be purchased from newsagents and hotels. Posting a standard letter or postcard costs $1.10 within Australia (up to 250g), and between $2.50 and $3.70 internationally (up to 20g). Sending international letters up to 50g is cheaper in November & December, at $2.40, but the letter must have "card only" written on the front. 'Domestic' and 'international' stamps are different, as international is tax free, therefore, so make sure you use the right stamp. Parcels, express post and other services are also available. Addresses in Australia are generally formatted in the following way, which is similar to addresses in the United States and Canada <blockquote>Name of recipient<br/>(If needed) Unit number or building name<br/>House number and street name<br/>City or town, two or three-letter state abbreviation, postcode</blockquote> You can receive mail via ''Poste Restante'' in any city or town. Mail should be addressed to your full name c/o Post Restante. ID is needed to pick up your mail. {{isPartOf|Oceania}} {{guidecountry}} {{geo|-28|137|zoom=5}} oemu9237izfvo4vccc7zdknfcugzrur 4502019 4502015 2022-08-16T08:38:57Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* Places to eat */ Adelaide, not Queensland wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Uluru-Kata_Tjuta_banner_Uluru_Sunset.jpg | caption=Uluru glowing at sunset, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory|origin=0.3,0}} {{COVID-19 box|Australia has ended all remaining COVID-related entry restrictions. Facial coverings are still required on all flights to Australia, and on most public transport settings in the country, regardless of vaccination status. For more information, see [https://www.australia.com/en/travel-alerts/coronavirus.html Tourism Australia's COVID-19 Travel Advice and Border Status page.]| lastedit=2022-07-06}} There is nowhere else quite like '''[http://www.australia.com Australia]''', the only country that has a whole continent to itself. With Indigenous cultures for over 65,000 years and truly global immigration in modern times, the country is famous for its natural wonders, wide open spaces, beaches, deserts, "the bush", and "the [[Outback]]". However, it is also highly urbanised, with an array of cosmopolitan cities &ndash; the largest and most famous being [[Sydney]], situated on one of the most famous harbours in the world. ==Regions== Australia has six states, five on the mainland with the sixth being the island state of Tasmania along with nine or ten territories but with the exception of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, the others are largely trivial. Visiting all at once would be nearly impossible, as the states in Australia are much much larger than the states in the United States and are more comparable in size to provinces in Canada – with almost {{km|5000}} separating Brisbane and Shark Bay, the country is vast, about the distance from Madrid to Murmansk, Cairo to Nairobi or Maine to California. {{Regionlist | regionmap=Australia regions map.png | regionmaptext=Australia's states/territories and major highways | regionmapsize=376px | region1name=[[New South Wales]] and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] ''(NSW) & (ACT)'' | region1color=#c8aa92 | region1items= | region1description=Australia's most populous state also has [[Sydney]], the oldest and largest city, and surrounds the purpose built capital city of [[Canberra]]. The coast of New South Wales is lined with beach-side communities; a little inland are the mountain ranges of the [[Blue Mountains|Blue]] and [[Snowy Mountains|Snowy]] mountains; further inland still are sweeping agricultural plains giving way to the outback. | region2name=[[Northern Territory]] ''(NT)'' | region2color=#acc2a6 | region2items= | region2description=From the red deserts surrounding [[Uluru]] and [[Alice Springs]] up to the tropics of [[Darwin]] and [[Kakadu National Park]], the Northern Territory is stunningly beautiful, and easier to access than you might think. | region3name=[[Queensland]] ''(Qld)'' | region3color=#c3bea3 | region3items= | region3description=Famous for its sunny warm weather, Queensland offers coastal exploration from the vibe of the [[Gold Coast]] to the tropics of the [[Great Barrier Reef]] to the bustling city of [[Brisbane]]. It is also home to tropical rainforests of the [[Daintree National Park]], and the island resorts of the Whitsundays. Inland lies the ranges of the hinterland, and further on the vast expanses and beauty of outback Australia. | region4name=[[South Australia]] ''(SA)'' | region4color=#bcb491 | region4items= | region4description=Renowned for the internationally recognised fine wines of the [[Barossa Valley]], the beauty of the [[Flinders Ranges]] and the outback and events and culture of the ''City of Churches'', [[Adelaide]]. | region5name=[[Tasmania]] ''(Tas.)'' | region5color=#b69eb3 | region5items= | region5description=Separated from the mainland by Bass Strait, the mountainous state of Tasmania has the rugged beauty of Cradle Mountain in the west, the beaches of the east, and the wilderness of the south. [[Hobart]] was the site of the second European settlement in Australia, and many historic sites are well preserved. | region6name=[[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] ''(Vic.)'' | region6color=#c3d099 | region6items= | region6description=Small, vibrant and with something for everyone, Victoria has dramatic surf beaches along the southwest and central coast, green rolling farmland and photogenic national parks. Australia and Victoria's sporting, shopping, fashion and food capital is [[Melbourne]]. | region7name=[[Western Australia]] ''(WA)'' | region7color=#cfcf94 | region7items= | region7description=A vast state. The southwest contains the state capital and major city of [[Perth]]. The wine growing and scenic destinations of [[Margaret River]] and [[Albany (Western Australia)|Albany]] are towards the southern region. In the far north are the tropics and the beachside destination of [[Broome]]. Small townships, roadhouses, mining communities and national parks are scattered around the long distances between.}} ===Islands=== [[Tasmania]] is the most significant island of Australia and a state in its own right. There are 8222 islands in Australia, other main islands include: * {{marker|name=[[Lord Howe Island]]|wikidata=Q104784}} — a showcase for nature two hours flying time from Sydney, administered as part of the state of New South Wales. * {{marker|name=[[Norfolk Island]]|wikidata=Q31057}} — halfway to New Zealand, with nature and beaches * {{marker|name=[[Christmas Island]]|wikidata=Q31063}} — famous for its red crab migration. Flights from Perth and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. * {{marker|name=[[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]|wikidata=Q36004}} — coral atolls, populated, accessible by flights from Perth. * {{marker|name=[[Torres Strait Islands]]|wikidata=Q1059258}} — Indigenous culture between Cape York and Papua New Guinea, and requires permission from the traditional owners to visit. Flights from [[Cairns]]. * {{marker|name=[[Kangaroo Island]]|wikidata=Q210371}} — the third-largest island in Australia containing wildlife, natural scenery, wineries and beaches. * {{marker|name=[[Rottnest Island]]|wikidata=Q585317}} — a nature reserve with 63 beaches and 20 bays, located near Perth and home to the infamous Quokka * {{marker|name=[[King Island]]|wikidata=Q794502}} — in the Bass Straight above Tasmania. * {{marker|name=[[Whitsunday Islands]]|wikidata=Q1646461}} — a famous tourist destination renowned for its white beaches There are quite a few uninhabited islands including the [[Coral Sea Islands]], some islands of the [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]], the [[Ashmore and Cartier Islands]] and the remote Antarctic islands of [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] and [[Macquarie Island]]. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[New South Wales]] and [[Australian Capital Territory]] ''(NSW) & (ACT)''|wikidata=Q3224}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#acc2a6|title=[[Northern Territory]] ''(NT)''|wikidata=Q3235}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c3bea3|title=[[Queensland]] ''(Qld)''|wikidata=Q36074}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#bcb491|title=[[South Australia]] ''(SA)''|wikidata=Q35715}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b69eb3|title=[[Tasmania]] ''(Tas)''|wikidata=Q34366}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c3d099|title=[[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] ''(Vic)''|wikidata=Q36687}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cfcf94|title=[[Western Australia]] ''(WA)''|wikidata=Q3206}} ==Cities== [[File:Sydney Harbour Bridge night.jpg|thumb|350px|Sydney cityscape at night]] <!-- Only a maximum of nine cities can be listed here. Please discuss changes to this list on the Talk page first. --> * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Canberra]]|wikidata=Q3114}} — the relatively small, purpose-built national capital of Australia is home to plenty of museums * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Adelaide]]|wikidata=Q5112}} — the "City of Churches", a relaxed South Australian alternative to the big eastern cities close to world-renowned wineries * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Brisbane]]|wikidata=Q34932}} — capital of sun-drenched Queensland and gateway to beautiful sandy beaches * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Cairns]]|wikidata=Q189133}} — gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas, Daintree National Park, and many beautiful beaches and resorts; a great place for people to get away and relax * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darwin]]|wikidata=Q11568}} — Australia's tropical northern capital, at the top end of the Northern Territory * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hobart]]|wikidata=Q40191}} — picturesque and quiet capital of Tasmania, the site of the second convict settlement in Australia * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Melbourne]]|wikidata=Q3141}} — Australia's second largest city, Melbourne is the country's sporting, shopping, food and cultural capital, while also being regarded as Australia's most European city * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Perth]]|wikidata=Q3183}} — the most remote continental city on Earth, on the south-western edge of Western Australia * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sydney]]|wikidata=Q3130}} — Australia's oldest and largest city, famous for its picturesque harbour and natural beauty ==Other destinations== [[File:Apostles 3 GOR.JPG|thumb|250px|The Twelve Apostles]] <!--Cities and Other destinations lists are limited to 9 items. Please first discuss proposed changes on this page's talk page.--> * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Blue Mountains National Park]]|wikidata=Q885558}} — a mountainous national park in New South Wales, including the "Three Sisters" natural feature * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park]]|wikidata=Q1138453}} — most popular national park in Tasmania, home Australia's deepest lake and one of its most scenic mountains * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Daintree Rainforest]]|wikidata=Q5209517}} — the world's oldest living rainforest and a well preserved tropical rainforest, home to the largest groups of cassowaries. * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Great Barrier Reef]]|wikidata=Q7343}} — see first hand this natural wonder, off the coast of Queensland and the world's largest coral reef system * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Great Ocean Road]]|wikidata=Q74046}} — a spectacular coastal drive in Victoria past many scenic icons including the "[[Port Campbell National Park|Twelve Apostles]]" rocks standing in the ocean and the world's largest war memorial * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kakadu National Park]]|wikidata=Q189657}} — tropical adventure travel, Aboriginal culture and nature activities in the Northern Territory. Second largest national park in Australia about the size of Wales * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park]]|wikidata=Q426073}} – South Australia's most iconic national park containing a naturally formed amphitheatre and many fossils dating back from the Ediacaran era * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Purnululu National Park]]|wikidata=Q679568}} – includes the Bungle Bungle Range, a spectacularly incised landscape of sculptured rocks rising over 250 metres high * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]|wikidata=Q251999}} — Uluru (also known as ''Ayers Rock'') and Kata Tjuta (''The Olgas'') are iconic rock formations in the "Red Centre" in the middle of the Australian outback ==Understand== {{quote|We are one but we are many and from all the lands of Earth we come. We'll share a dream and sing with one voice: I am, you are, we are Australian|author=The Seekers - I am Australian}} {{quickbar|location=Australia with AAT (orthographic projection).svg}} The sixth largest country in the world by area, Australia has a relatively small (but growing) population of 25 million. A G20 member, it has high living standards and quality of life. It is a significant player in the economic and political spheres of the Indo-Pacific region. ===History=== {{seealso|Indigenous Australian culture|British Empire|Australian Convict Sites}} Aboriginal people have been living in Australia for at least 65,000 years. They arrived in successive waves from [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]]. With rising sea levels after the last Ice Age, Australia became largely isolated from the rest of the world and the Aboriginal groups developed a variety of cultures, based on a close spiritual relationship with the land and nature, and extended kinship. For thousands of years Australian Aboriginal people maintained a hunter-gatherer culture, or (in some areas) a semi-sedentary culture, in association with a complex artistic and cultural life, including a very rich tradition of story and song. The modern impression of Australian Aboriginal people is largely built around an image of the "desert people" who have adapted to some of the harshest conditions on the planet (equivalent to the bushmen of the Kalahari), but many others lived in forested and well-watered regions. Australia provided a comfortable living for the bulk of the Aboriginal people among the bountiful flora and fauna on the Australian coast – until the arrival of Europeans. Although a lucrative [[China|Chinese]] market for shells and ''bêche de mer'' (sea cucumber) had encouraged Indonesian fishermen to visit [[Northern Australia]] for centuries, it was unknown to Europeans until the 1600s, when [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] traders to Asia began to "bump" into the northwestern coast. The Makassan contact from [[Sulawesi]] also brought many Indonesian cultural elements to the Indigenous people living in [[Northern Australia]], making Islam the first foreign religion brought in – and quite a few rock artworks seen in Arnhem Land and the Kimberley depict many Islamic elements. Early Dutch impressions of this extremely harsh, dry country were unfavourable, and Australia remained for them somewhat of a marker sign pointing north to the much richer (and more lucrative) East Indies (modern day Indonesia). Deliberate exploration of the Australian coast was then largely taken over by the French and the British. Consequently, place names of bays, headlands and rivers around the coastline reflect a range of Dutch, French, or English names, however many place names are also from Aboriginal languages with places that were previously having Dutch, French, or English names renamed to Indigenous names, or dual named. In 1770, the expedition of the Endeavour under the command of [[Voyages of James Cook|Captain James Cook]] navigated and charted the east coast of Australia, making first landfall at [[Sydney/Sutherland Shire#History|Botany Bay]] on 29 April 1770. Cook continued northwards, and before leaving put ashore on [[Possession Island]] in the Torres Strait off Cape York on 22 August 1770. Here he formally claimed the eastern coastline he had explored for the British Crown, naming it New South Wales. Given that Cook's so-called discoveries would lead to the first European settlement of Australia, he is often popularly conceived as its European discoverer, although he had been preceded by more than 160 years by the Dutch. [[File:PortArthurPenitentiary.jpg|thumb|Part of the former [[Port Arthur (Tasmania)|Port Arthur]] convict settlement in Tasmania. The remains of the settlement form part of the [[Australian Convict Sites]] entry on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]].]] Following the exploration period, the first British settlement in Australia was founded in 1788 at what is today [[Sydney]], led by Captain Arthur Philip who became the first governor of the colony of New South Wales. The process of colonisation led to conflict with indigenous Australians as well as diseases to which they had no immunity. Their populations declined throughout much (though not all) of the land, and were displaced by the British settlers. Originally comprising the eastern two-thirds of the continent, the colony of New South Wales was later split into several separate colonies. [[Tasmania]] (then known as Van Diemen's Land) became a separate colony in 1825, which was followed by [[South Australia]] in 1836, [[New Zealand]] in 1841, [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] in 1851 and [[Queensland]] in 1859. The western third of the continent was not settled by Europeans until the British established a naval base in [[Albany (Western Australia)|Albany]], then known as King George Sound in 1826. The Swan River Colony was formally established in 1829 at what is today [[Perth]]. The Swan River Colony was renamed "[[Western Australia]]" in 1832. While Australia began its modern history as a British penal colony, the most people who came to Australia after 1788 were free settlers, mainly from Britain and [[Ireland]], and to a less extent other European countries such as France and what is now Germany. Convict settlements were mostly along the east coast, with scattered pockets of convict settlements in Western Australia. The state of South Australia, on the other hand, was settled entirely by free settlers. Many Asian and Eastern European people also came to Australia in the 1850s, during the Gold Rush that started Australia's first resource boom. Although such diverse immigration diminished greatly during the xenophobic years of the White Australia policy, from the Postwar Period Australia welcomed a successive series of immigration from continental Europe, the Mediterranean and later Asia and the rest of the world, becoming a highly diverse and multicultural society by the late 20th century. The system of separate colonies federated to form the self-governing British dominion of Australia in 1901, each colony now becoming a state of Australia, with New Zealand opting out of the federation. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and made a significant contribution (considering its small population) to the Allied war effort in [[World War I|World War I]] and [[World War II in Europe]] as part of the British Commonwealth forces. Australia was directly attacked in the [[Pacific War]]. Australian troops also made a valuable, if sometimes controversial, contribution to the [[Korean War]], the [[Indochina Wars|Vietnam War]], the [[Iraq]] War and the Afghanistan War. Australian Diggers retain a reputation as some of the hardest fighting troops along with a great social spirit. Australia and Britain passed the Australia Act in 1986, ending any remnant power the British parliament may have had to pass laws for Australia. Similar to Canada, the British Queen remains as the head of state with an (Australian) appointed Governor-General as her representative in Australia. During the second half of the 20th century, there was growth in Aboriginal activism, accompanied by a greater willingness by the general community to acknowledge both the Indigenous cultural heritage (particularly in the visual arts) and the darker side of colonial history. Significant areas of the country have been returned to Indigenous ownership as a result of the land rights movement. In 2008, then-prime minister Kevin Rudd delivered an official apology to the Aboriginal people in Parliament for the atrocities committed against them by the white majority. An Aboriginal ceremony has also been incorporated into Australia's State Opening of Parliament since 2008 as homage to its indigenous heritage. ===Geography=== {{infobox|Does Australia border two oceans, or three?|The number of oceans that Australia borders, is a little bit of an ambiguous one. The Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean boundaries are fairly unambiguous, but the third one, the Southern Ocean is. In most international contexts, the Southern Ocean begins only south of the 60°S point, but in Australia (including in government), the Southern Ocean begins at Australia's southern coastline, but at the 60° everywhere else. On most Australian maps, you will see "Southern Ocean" marked, particularly on South Australian diving maps and so unless otherwise indicated, the Southern Ocean on Wikivoyage's Australian articles follow the Australian context, not the international definition.}} [[File:Macropus rufus 01 - Christopher Watson.jpg|thumbnail|Red kangaroos in the Northern Territory]] The landmass of Australia is both the world's smallest continent and the world's largest island; making up most of [[Oceania]]'s land area. The nation of Australia includes the Australian mainland, and some smaller islands (such as [[Tasmania]]). It is the world's sixth largest country, with a land area of 7,682,300 km² (2,966,152 square miles). It is comparable in size to the 48 contiguous [[United States]] (which has an area of 7,663,941.7 km²) although it has less than one tenth the population, with the distances between cities and towns easy to underestimate. Australia is bordered to the west by the Indian Ocean, to the south by the Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The Tasman Sea lies to the southeast, separating it from [[New Zealand]], while the Coral Sea lies to the northeast. [[Papua New Guinea]], [[East Timor]] and [[Indonesia]] are Australia's northern neighbours, all much closer than New Zealand, and are separated from Australia by the Arafura Sea and the Timor Sea with Papua New Guinea only being {{km|4}} away from Australia. Australia is highly urbanised with most of the population heavily concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts. Most of the inland areas of the country are semi-arid. The most populous states are [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] and [[Queensland]], but the largest in terms of area is [[Western Australia]]. Large parts of Australia have been deforested to make way for agriculture but many native forest areas survive in extensive [[National parks in Australia|national parks]] and other undeveloped areas. Long term environmental concerns in Australia include water management, salinity, pollution, threats to biodiversity from invasive species, and conserving coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. ===Climate=== As a large country, Australia has a wide variety of climates. Most of the country receives more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. Generally, the north is hot and tropical, while the south tends to sub-tropical and temperate. Most rainfall is around the coast, and much of the centre is '''arid''' and '''semi-arid'''. The daytime maximum temperatures in the tropical city of [[Darwin]] rarely drop below 30°C (86°F) even in winter while night temperatures in winter usually hover around 15-20°C (59-68°F). Australian winters tend to be milder than those at similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere and snow never falls in most parts of the country. Temperatures in high altitude areas of some southern regions can drop below freezing in winter (and sometimes even in the summer) and the Snowy Mountains in the southeast experience metres of winter snow. Parts of [[Tasmania]] have a temperature range more similar to [[Oregon]] and snow is very common to fall in the central and western mountainous parts of the state. As Australia is in the southern hemisphere the winter is June–August while December–February is summer. The winter is the dry season in the tropics and the summer is the wet. In the southern parts of the country, the seasonal temperature variation is greater. The rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year in the southern parts of the East Coast while in the rest of the south beyond the [[Great Dividing Range]], the summers are dry with the bulk of the rainfall occurring in winter. ===Economy=== Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP on par with other advanced economies. The service industries, including tourism, education, and financial services, account for just over half of the Australian Gross Domestic Product – about 60%. Within the service sector, tourism is one of the most important industries in Australia, as it provides employment, contributes $73 billion to the economy each year and accounts for at least 11% of total exports. Primary industry - mining and agriculture - has accounted for most of Australia's exports in the 20th and 21st centuries. Iron ore and coal are by far the largest exports, along with wheat, beef and wool. The mining sector is sensitive to global demand for iron ore, with events in the Chinese and Indian economies having direct impacts. Australia has a comprehensive social security system, and the minimum wage is higher than the United States or the United Kingdom. Manual labourers and tradesmen are well-paid in Australia, often more so than white-collar professionals. ===Politics=== [[File:Parliament House Canberra 2.jpg|thumb|250px|Parliament House in Canberra]] Australia has a federal system of government, with six state and two territory governments, as well as a national government. It also has several overseas territories in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, which are given considerable autonomy, and often not fully integrated with the rest of Australia. Laws vary slightly from state to state, but are for the most part fairly uniform. The national parliament is based on the British Westminster system, with some elements being drawn from the American congressional system. At the federal level it consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Each Member of the House of Representatives (colloquially known as a Member of Parliament (MP)) represents an electoral division, with more populous states having more electoral divisions and hence, more MPs. On the other hand, similar to the US Senate, each Australian state has an equal number of senators, with 12 senators being directly elected by the people in each state, and 2 senators each from the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. The Prime Minister is head of the national government, and is the leader of the political party (or coalition of parties) which has the most Members in the House of Representatives. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is also Queen of Australia and the head of state, and is represented in Australia by the Governor-General. The roles of the Queen and Governor-General are largely ceremonial, and the Prime Minister wields the most authority in government. A referendum to change Australia to a republic was defeated in 1999 (the idea to replace the Queen with a political appointee wasn't to the liking of most Australians). Republicanism in Australia remains a regular conversation point, albeit low on the list of real priorities. The Cabinet of Australia serves as the executive branch, and is headed by the Prime Minister, who appoints his Cabinet ministers from among the members of both houses of Parliament. The judicial branch is topped by the High Court of Australia, which replaced the UK Privy Council as the highest court of appeal in 1986. State and territory governments are organised similarly to the national government with a state parliament serving as the legislature, a Premier (Chief Minister in the territories) serving as the head of the state government, and its own judiciary. There is also a Governor for each state serving as the Queen's representative in a mostly ceremonial role. The two major political parties in Australia are the Australian Labor Party (ALP or just "Labor") and the Liberal Party (Australian slang: ''The Libs''), which operates in coalition with the National Party (referred to as the "Coalition"). There are smaller parties such as the Greens, the United Australia Party (UAP) and independents. The Liberal Party is a centre-right conservative party, with the term "liberal" referring to a free market economy. The centre-left Labor Party spells its name "Labor" instead of "Labour" to differentiate it from other Commonwealth countries that used "Labour Party" but also because of the American labor movement. ===Culture=== Australia has a multicultural population practising almost every religion and lifestyle. Over one-quarter of Australians were born outside Australia, and another quarter have at least one foreign-born parent. Virtually every large Australian city and town reflects the immigration from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific that occurred after World War II and continued into the 1970s. In the half century after the war Australia's population boomed from roughly 7 million to just over 20 million people. The cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are culturally very diverse, and home to communities originating from all corners of the globe. In all major cities you will find a variety of quality of global foods available in many restaurants. Sydney mainly promotes itself as the urban nature capital, Melbourne especially promotes itself as a centre for the arts and culture, while Brisbane promotes itself through various, multicultural urban villages. Adelaide is known for being a centre for festivals, and for German cultural influences, while Perth is known for its food and wine culture, pearls, gems and precious metals, and the international fringe arts festival and finally Hobart mainly promotes itself for the convict history. Smaller rural settlements generally still reflect a majority Anglo-Celtic culture often with a small indigenous population. Most rural centres still welcome visitors and generally have a history and local produce to share. [[File:Melbournes Chinatown (6760134067).jpg|thumb|Melbourne's Chinatown]] There are approximately one and a half a million Australians who identify as Aboriginal people who live throughout the country in cities and in rural Aboriginal communities, which is about three percent of the population. Although not particularly obvious to a new visitor, there are many opportunities and cultural activities for people wanting to explore Aboriginal culture. Contrary to popular mythology, descendants from the original fleets of British convicts are a minority, and even during the years of transportation free settlers outnumbered convict migrants by at least five to one. Nevertheless, it is seen as a badge of honour for someone to be 'Australian Royalty' in having been descended from a convict, however tenuous that connection may be. Australians can be more socially conservative than some European cultures, but tend to be relaxed in their religious observance. Modes of address are casual and familiar and most Australians will tend to address you by your first name from first contact, and will expect that you do the same to them. ====Holidays==== [[File:Lotto Skyworks Applecross.jpg|thumb|250px|Fireworks over Perth to mark Australia Day]] The national holidays in Australia are: * '''1 January''': New Year's Day * '''26 January''': Australia Day, marking the anniversary of the First Fleet's landing in Sydney Cove in 1788. * '''Easter weekend''' ("Good Friday", "Easter Saturday", "Easter Sunday" and "Easter Monday"): a four day long weekend in March or April set according to the Western Christian dates. Very few go to church, but instead many Australians travel on Easter weekend, so expect hotel rooms and airtickets to sell out months in advance. * '''25 April''': ANZAC Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps), honouring military veterans * '''Second Monday in June''': Queen's birthday holiday (celebrated in Western Australia in September, with WA observing '''Western Australia Day''' a week earlier) * '''25 December''': Christmas Day * '''26 December''': Boxing Day Many states observe '''Labour Day''', but on different days. Most states have one or two additional statewide holidays, with [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] and [[South Australia]] having a day off for a horse race (The Melbourne Cup and The Adelaide Cup). Western Australia has Western Australia Day typically the first Monday in June (recognising the founding of the state since 1829) but also celebrates the Queen's Birthday at a different date to the rest of the country, either at the end of September or early October, due to the usual June date is such close proximity to Western Australia Day. Victoria also has a day off for the AFL grand final friday. When a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday (and Tuesday if necessary) are usually declared holidays in lieu, although the celebrations and the retail closures will occur on the day itself. Most tourist attractions are closed Christmas Day and Good Friday. Supermarkets and other stores may open for limited hours on some public holidays and on holidays in lieu, but are almost always closed on Christmas Day (25 December), Good Friday, Easter Sunday and ANZAC Day morning. Other than official holidays, there are also days of national or regional cultural significance that might as well be holidays such as: * '''AFL Grand Final''': The championship game of the Australian Football League, and the most watched event perennially on the Australia sporting calendar. Expects all pubs to be packed full of people watching the game, while many people will hold big watching parties in their homes. Held on the last Saturday of September or first Saturday of October. * '''NRL Grand Final''': The championship game of the National Rugby League. Particularly popular in Queensland and New South Wales. Usually held on the last Sunday of September or first Sunday of October. ===Peak holiday times=== Most attractions in Australia remain open year-round, some operating at a reduced frequency or shorter hours during the off-peak season. Many attractions (but not all) are closed on Christmas and New Year's day. '''Summer school holidays''' start before Christmas and last the whole of January, and it is considered the busiest and most expensive time to visit (unless you're visiting [[Northern Australia]]). Holiday homes on beaches are often booked out months in advance as well as charging a significant premium. The long '''Easter weekend''' can also be busy as parents take their kids out for a last time before Winter arrives. Australian teenagers celebrate the end of school at the end of November and early December for the 3 weeks known as ''schoolies''. The volume of teen revellers can completely change the nature of some of the cities and towns they choose to visit, especially coastal towns like [[Byron Bay]] in New South Wales, the [[Gold Coast]] in Queensland, [[Rottnest Island]] in Western Australia, and various localities along the [[Mornington Peninsula]] in Victoria. ===Time=== [[File:Central time zone sign.jpg|thumb|200px|A road sign near Broken Hill reminding the time zone difference]] Australia can have up to seven different time zones during the daylight savings period, and five at other times. Time zone boundaries do not always follow state boundaries. For instance, the towns of [[Broken Hill]] and Silverton, although in New South Wales, follows South Australia time, Norfolk Island has its own time zone despite being a part of New South Wales and a number of outback communities officially follow NT time. [[File:Australia-states-timezones.png|thumbnail|Time zones in Australia from GMT]] In the east, Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria always have the same time. [[Queensland]] doesn't observe daylight saving, so it is an hour behind the other eastern states during that period. In the centre, Broken Hill and Silverton (NSW), South Australia and the [[Northern Territory]] are half an hour behind during the winter, but the Northern Territory doesn't observe daylight saving while South Australia, Broken Hill and Silverton do. During daylight saving South Australia remains half an hour behind New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, but moves half an hour ahead of Queensland. The Northern Territory remains half an hour behind Queensland at all times of they year, but moves an hour and a half behind New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania during daylight savings. In the west, Western Australia is two hours behind the eastern states in winter, and also doesn't observe daylight saving. It moves three hours behind the eastern states that observe daylight saving (remaining two hours behind Queensland), 2.5 hours behind South Australia, Broken Hill and Silverton while remaining 1.5 hours behind the Northern Territory. There is also the unusual +8:45 time zone, also known as Australian Central West Standard Time (ACWST or CWST) followed in some towns near the South Australian/Western Australian border. While not an official time used, it's generally the time used, and not the time zone used in either the rest of WA nor SA. There are even highway signs telling you to change your clocks, and Apple has a separate region (which can be found under "Eucla"). What makes this case even more confusing, is that the only South Australian town in the CWST zone; Border Village, meaning it would follow daylight savings, follows +9:45, one hour ahead of Eucla, and 45 minutes behind the rest of SA. On the contrary, the chances of being impacted on Border Village is next to zero given that all commercial activity is on the WA side in the town of Eucla which follows UTC+8:45. Although the chances of a traveller going to the extremely remote Outback WA towns of Blackstone, Irrunytju, Warakurna, Wanarn, Kiwirrkurra, and Tjukurla are very low, whilst all of these towns are in WA, they follow ACST (NT time), 1.5 hours ahead of the rest of WA, and since the NT does not follow DST, these remote towns also don't follow DST. There are no official abbreviations or names for Australian time zones, and you may see a few variations used. EST, CST, WST along with EDT, CDT are sometimes used. Sometimes AEST, etc., with the 'A' prefix distinguishing them from the North American time zones with the same names. <!-- In conversation, the abbreviations aren't used. People tend to say ''Sydney time'', ''Brisbane time'', or ''Perth time''. Expect blank stares from most if you start talking about ''Central Summer Time''. --> In those states which observe daylight saving, it commences on the first Sunday in October and ends on the first Sunday in April. {| class="wikitable" |- ! State/Territory !! Standard Time !! Daylight Saving Time |- | [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] || UTC+5 || N/A |- | [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]] || UTC+6.5 || N/A |- | [[Christmas Island]] ||UTC+7 || N/A |- | [[Western Australia]] || UTC+8 || N/A |- | [[Eucla]], Cocklebiddy, Madura, Mundrabilla || UTC+8.45 || N/A |- | Border Village, SA || UTC+8.45 || UTC+9.45 |- | [[South Australia]], [[Broken Hill]] and [[Silverton (New South Wales)|Silverton]] || UTC+9.5 || UTC+10.5 |- | [[Northern Territory]], Blackstone, Irrunytju, Warakurna, Wanarn, Kiwirrkurra, and Tjukurla || UTC+9.5 || N/A |- | [[Queensland]] || UTC+10 || N/A |- | [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], [[Tasmania]], the [[Canberra|ACT]] and [[Jervis Bay Territory]] | UTC+10 || UTC+11 |- | [[Lord Howe Island]] ||UTC+10.5 || UTC+11 |- | [[Norfolk Island]] || UTC+11 || N/A |} ===Power=== [[File:Australian electric outlet type.png|thumb]] The mains supply voltage standard is 230 V with a type I plug (angled live/neutral pins with a straight earth). Popularly referred to as a "two-forty volt socket". Hotel bathrooms will often have a type C and A socket marked "for shavers only" that will down-convert to 110 V for a North American style socket for shavers. Voltage is compatible with Europe and you'll just need a conversion plug that can be obtained from supermarkets and convenience stores (as well as the airport). From North America or other 110 V countries, check your appliance for voltage tolerances before using a conversion plug. === See also === {{topicsin|Australia|0}} ==Talk== {{seealso|English language varieties}} {{infobox|Australian terminology |Although Australian English is both heavily influenced by both American and British English, Australia also has its own set of terminology. Unlike [[Australian slang]], these are also used in formal conversations, on the TV and even in government. Most of these are also used in neighbouring [[Papua New Guinea]], and for those in neighbouring [[New Zealand]] or [[Singapore]], some of these will be familiar, but they generally are unheard of in the U.S., the UK, Canada or any other English speaking country outside Oceania or Southeast Asia. ;the bush:the woods. This includes derivatives of the word "bush", so a wildfire would be called a bushfire ;capsicum: bell pepper or (green/red) pepper ;esky:cooler box ;doona:comforter or duvet ;fairy floss:cotton candy (U.S.); candy floss (UK) ;footpath:sidewalk (U.S.); pavement (UK) ;icy pole:popsicle, popsicle stick ;lollies:candy (U.S.); sweets (UK) ;peak hour:rush hour ;powerpoint:electrical outlet ;road train:a very long truck ;service station (or a servo):gas station (U.S.); petrol station (UK); petrol shed (South Asia) ;ute:pickup truck ;yabby:crayfish; crawfish ;yiros:gyro (U.S.) ;crayfish: rock lobster }} [[File:Multilingual road safety sign (3565389671).jpg|thumb|200px|A multilingual road sign in German, Italian, Japanese and Pitjantjatjara. Quite an unusual sight for Australia.]] The '''English''' language is universally spoken and understood in Australia. Australian English as generally spoken is distinctive in accent and idiom. It mostly developed from the speech of the United Kingdom and Ireland in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, however, the 20th century brought a lot of American influence, giving Australia its own unique variety of English. Nevertheless, as Australia is a global melting pot, particularly in the major cities, you will encounter cultures and hear languages from all around the world, and you will often find areas and suburbs that predominately reflect the language of their respective immigrant communities. Foreign languages are taught at school, but students rarely progress past the basics. Australia follows mostly British spelling and an eclectic mix of American and British terminology, such as ''eggplant'' (not aubergine), ''boot'' (not trunk), ''toll-free'' (not freephone), ''take-away'' (not takeout) and ''truck'' (not lorry). American terminology is understood everywhere, while British terminology isn't well understood apart from South Australia and the elderly. In all that, some terminology is uniquely Australian, and is unlikely to be heard anywhere else, except maybe in neighbouring New Zealand, Singapore or Papua New Guinea. In a culinary context, "chips" refers to both the British and American senses of the word in Australia, which can be confusing for visitors. Australians typically infer the meaning from context. So what would be called "crisps" in the UK is called "chips" in Australia, while what would be called "fries" in the U.S. is called "hot chips" in Australia, but usually shortened to "chips". However, "fries" is used in American fast food chains, and is beginning to see some use outside of that. Some words also have different meanings in Australia. For example, thongs in Australia would refer to flip-flops, ''not'' underwear or the term ''dual carriageway'' would just mean there needs to be two lanes in each way, regardless of whether it's divided or not while ''divided highway'' can be a divided single lane highway. The same applies for opposites as well. People in rural areas may have a broader accent, using some of the slang words that have become outmoded in metropolitan areas, while highly educated urban dwellers sometimes use a cultivated accent similar to that of their British equivalents. [[Australian slang]] should not present a problem for tourists except possibly in some isolated outback areas. Australians understand different varieties of English, and you may look foolish in your attempts at the local slang. There is little regional variation in Australian English, although accents tend to be broader outside of the large cities, and the pronunciation of certain words like "dance" and "renaissance" varies between regions. Most regional differences come down to word usage. For example, swimming clothes are known as ''cossies'' or ''swimmers'' in New South Wales, ''togs'' in Queensland, and'' bathers'' elsewhere. Many indigenous communities around Australia and the [[Torres Strait Islands]] speak English as a second language. It is rare to find signs in a second language, except in urban areas with a high population of Asian immigrants and students, where signs and restaurant menus in [[Vietnamese phrasebook|Vietnamese]] and [[Chinese phrasebook|Chinese]] are a common sight; and also around [[Cairns]] and the [[Gold Coast]] in Queensland where some signs (but not road signs) are written in [[Japanese phrasebook|Japanese]] or [[Chinese phrasebook|Chinese]], due to the large number of tourists. Some warning signs at beaches are written in several foreign languages. Visitors who do not speak basic English will find communicating with Australians difficult, and should do some advance planning. Some tour companies specialise in offering package deals for Australian tours complete with language guides, but mostly in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, German, Italian, French, Indonesian and Korean. Some tours also give tours in Spanish, Malay and Portuguese, although this isn't as common. Only a very small minority of tours give tours in Hindi, Arabic and Swahili, and finding one of these is once in a blue moon. Fewer than 150 '''indigenous''' languages are still in daily use, spoken day to day by as little as 42,300 people, particularly those living in rural outback communities, and those in the Torres Strait Islands. There are initiatives to revive the languages within Australia's large Aboriginal community, however given the significant differences between the languages (many can't be proven to relate to one another) that continues to prove a challenge. Learning an Aboriginal language will be useful only in specific local areas. Almost all Indigenous Australians speak English as well, although residents of some remote communities may not be fluent in the language. On top of the Aboriginal languages spoken, various creole-based languages are spoken such as [[Australian Kriol phrasebook|Australian Kriol]] or [[Torres Strait Creole phrasebook|Torres Strait Creole]]. The standard sign language is '''Auslan''' (standing for Australian Sign Language). When a sign interpreter is present for a public event, he or she will use Auslan. Users of British and New Zealand Sign Languages will be able to understand much, though not all, of the language. Auslan and NZSL are largely derived from BSL, and all three languages use the same two-handed manual alphabet. Users of sign languages that have different origins (such as the French Sign Language family, which also includes American and Irish Sign Languages) will not be able to understand Auslan. {{clear}} ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Australia.svg|thumb|450px| {| |{{legend|#00C0FF|Australia}} {{legend|#FF8080|Special Category Visa&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;}} {{legend|#00A040|eVisitor}} ||{{legend|#00E040|eVisitor or Electronic Travel Authority}} {{legend|#A0FF00|Electronic Travel Authority}} {{legend|#B0B0B0|Visa required}} |}]] ===Entry requirements=== All visitors - apart from citizens of New Zealand - require a [[visa]] in advance of travel. If you are visiting for a holiday of less than 90 days, there are three types of visas you may apply for, depending on your nationality. * '''[https://www.eta.homeaffairs.gov.au/ETAS3/etas Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) subclass 601]''' is available online to nationals of [[Brunei]], [[Canada]], [[Hong Kong]] (SAR or BN(O)), [[Japan]], [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], [[South Korea]] (ROK) and the [[United States]]. In addition, citizens of [[Taiwan]] are also eligible for an ETA, but must apply through an approved Taiwanese travel agent, or by email through the relevant Australian diplomatic mission if living abroad. A service fee of $20 applies. This fee can sometimes be avoided if you obtain your ETA through a travel agent when booking your travel with them. Some online agents may also sell ETAs. * '''[https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651 eVisitor (subclass 651)]''' for citizens of the [[European Union]], [[Norway]], [[Iceland]], [[Switzerland]], the [[United Kingdom]] (British Citizens only, other types of British nationality not eligible) and a few [[European microstates]]. These visas are free, but otherwise effectively identical to the ETA. You must apply online. * '''Visitor Visa (subclass 600)'''. Passport holders of 55 countries, including all the ETA and eVisitor eligible countries and [[Argentina]], [[Bahrain]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Kuwait]], [[Maldives]], [[Oman]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] can make applications online. Other nationalities must apply using the paper form, and may need to visit an embassy or visa processing centre. :: Like the ETA and eVisitor, a Visitor 600 is by default issued for a three month stay. Unlike the other options however, a 600 visa ''can'' be issued for a longer stay of up to one year. For more than a three month stay, you will likely be asked for supporting documentation about the reason for your visit and your ties to your country of origin and may need to attend an interview. Depending on your nationality, the embassy or visa processing centre may also require you to have an Australian sponsor before issuing the visa. The fee is $140. ETAs and eVisitors are valid for multiple entries within a 12-month period. If you're eligible for either, it may be easier to stay the three months you're allowed, go to [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]] or some other country reachable by a low cost airline for a few days and come back - restarting the 90-day clock. Doing this more than once, however, may cause immigration authorities to become suspicious, so proceed with caution if you pursue this route. :: There is a special arrangement for parents of Australians, including Australian permanent residents. The 600 visa can be valid for 18 months, three years, or five years and allow a maximum stay of 12 months during an 18-month period, depending on the circumstances. In most cases, ETAs and eVisitors are approved instantly and the visa will be issued and available for use immediately. If further enquiries are needed you may be asked to return to the application system later to see if you've been approved. Over 90% are processed the same day. In the worst-case scenario your application can be diverted for manual checks that can take months. if you have a complex national history, or any criminal record (including minor offences) you should allow plenty of time for the application. If you are visiting Australia to work, study or for medical treatment, check to make sure you have the right kind of visa, as a tourist visa may not be sufficient. Breaching the conditions or planning to breach the conditions of your visa will result in visa cancellation, deportation, and/or a period of exclusion. For all tourist visa classes you must be able to demonstrate your ability to support yourself financially for the time you intend to spend in Australia and meet character requirements. If you have a criminal conviction, contact an Australian Embassy or visa processing centre before applying or making travel arrangements. New Zealand citizens may travel to Australia without a pre-arranged visa. When they arrive, they will be automatically granted a Special Category New Zealand Citizen visa (subclass 444) if they have no criminal conviction or tuberculosis. This visa allows them to travel, live, work and study in Australia for as long as they like. New Zealand citizens with criminal convictions or tuberculosis may be denied this visa and should seek advice from an Australian diplomatic mission before travel. Non-citizen permanent residents of New Zealand are ''not'' eligible for this visa and should apply for a visa based on the passport they hold. {{infobox|Inorganic powder limitation|Passengers on transit through Australia are prohibited to carry more than 350 ml or 350 grams of inorganic powder into aircraft's cabins.}} If you are transiting through Australia, remain airside for a maximum of 8 hours, have a confirmed onward booking, have the correct entry documentation for the onward destination and are a citizen of New Zealand, the '''[[European Union]]''', [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Brunei]], [[Canada]], [[Cyprus]], the [[Federated States of Micronesia]], [[Fiji]], [[Iceland]], [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Kiribati]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Malaysia]], [[Mexico]], [[Monaco]], [[Nauru]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Philippines]], [[South Africa]], the [[Republic of Marshall Islands]], [[Samoa]], [[San Marino]], [[Singapore]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Korea]] (ROK), [[Switzerland]], [[Taiwan]], [[Thailand]], [[Tonga]], [[Tuvalu]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]] (regardless of nationality status), the [[United States]], [[Vanuatu]] or [[Vatican City]], you do '''not''' need to apply for any advance visa. All other passengers who transit through Australia '''must''' apply for a free-of-charge Transit Visa (subclass 771) before travel. At selected airports, visitors who are citizens of [[Canada]], [[Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]], [[Switzerland]], the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]] may make use of the SmartGate for automated immigration clearance when entering Australia. Being able to use SmartGate does not exempt you from visa requirements. Australia no longer stamps passports or issues visa stickers; all visas, entries and exits are recorded electronically. ====Customs and quarantine==== Australia has strict quarantine requirements regarding importing '''animal and plant''' derived products (any food, wooden products, seeds, etc.) '''You must declare all such material''', even if the items are permitted. Baggage is frequently scanned and may be examined by dogs. You may be fined $220 on-the-spot if you accidentally fail to declare, or even prosecuted in serious cases. Declared material will be examined and, depending on the circumstances, may be retained, disposed of, returned to you, or treated by quarantine at your expense. (You may have to pick the item up at a later time.) Processed and sealed chocolates and other confectionery are usually permitted after being declared and examined, as are reasonable quantities of infant formula with an accompanying infant. Different rules apply depending on the origin country of foods, and the state in which you are entering Australia. Check with the '''[http://www.agriculture.gov.au/travelling/bringing-mailing-goods Department of Agriculture and Water Resources]''' for more details. Travellers who are 18 years old or older are allowed to bring up to 2.25 litres of alcoholic beverages and up to 25 cigarettes or 25 grams of other tobacco products (including cigars) into Australia duty-free. These items may not be imported by anybody under the age of 18, and travellers who exceed their duty free allowance are liable to tax on all goods of that category, not just the amount in excess of the limit. Some shells, coral and items made from a protected species are also prohibited to discourage the trade in items that may originate from a threatened ecosystem or species. While there are no restrictions on the amount of '''money''' that can be brought in or out, Australian customs also requires you to declare if you are travelling with $10,000 or more (AUD or its equivalent in foreign currency) and you will be asked to complete some paperwork. Not declaring may expose you to a fine, possible seizure of the cash, or in the worst case even arrest. ===By plane=== [[File:Qantas 747 Landing.JPG|thumb|Qantas 747 landing at [[Sydney Airport]]]] Australia is a long way from anywhere else in the world, so for most visitors the only practical way of getting into Australia is by air. Australia's major points of entry, in decreasing order of importance, are the airports in [[Sydney]] ({{IATA|SYD}}), [[Melbourne]] ({{IATA|MEL}}), [[Brisbane]] ({{IATA|BNE}}) and [[Perth]] ({{IATA|PER}}). There are also limited international services into Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin and the Gold Coast. Sydney is a 3-hour flight from [[Auckland]], New Zealand, a 7-11 hour flight from many countries in Asia, a 14-hour flight from the west of the United States and Canada, a 14-hour flight from [[Johannesburg]], a 13-16 hour flight from [[South America]], and up to a 24-hour flight from western [[Europe]] (including a stopover). On account of long journey times from some destinations, most travellers from Europe must have a stop-over, commonly in [[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai]], [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]], [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok]] or [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur]]. Since March 2018, Qantas operates a nonstop flight from [[London Heathrow]] to Perth taking "only" 17 hours — the first ever regular nonstop route between Europe and Australia. Qantas also has plans to introduce more ambitious non-stop routes from Sydney to London and New York later. If you have to change to a domestic flight in a gateway city, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth all have separate domestic terminals, requiring some time and complexity to transit: check the guides. Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin, Cairns and the Gold Coast all have gates in the '''one''' terminal building or within easy walking distance of each other. Australia's national carrier is '''[http://qantas.com.au/ Qantas]''', which together with its low-cost subsidiary '''[http://www.jetstar.com/ Jetstar]''' operate many flights into Australia from all 6 inhabited continents of the world. '''[http://www.virginaustralia.com/ Virgin Australia]''' flies several routes from North America, south-east Asia and the Pacific islands into Australia. For those coming from Europe, '''[http://www.singaporeair.com Singapore Airlines]''' and Hong Kong's '''[http://www.cathaypacific.com Cathay Pacific]''' make good alternatives to Qantas, British Airways or the Gulf airlines for flights into Australia. Some routes into Australia are operated by '''[[Discount airlines in Australasia|discount airlines]]''' such as AirAsia X, AirAsia Indonesia, Scoot and [http://www.jetstar.com Jetstar Airways]. As of 2022, several additional airlines in partnership with Australian carriers have started operating services to Australia. These include [https://www.aircanada.com Air Canada] & [https://www.united.com United Airlines]. ==== Private aviation ==== Private aviation companies such as '''[http://www.australiajetcharter.com Australia Jet Charter]''' and '''[http://www.jetcorpaustralia.com/ JetCorpAustralia]''' offer direct private flights year-round using a variety of aircraft. Popular airports for charter jets include Sydney Bankstown Airport, [[Gold Coast|Gold Coast Airport]], and Melbourne Essendon Airport. ===By boat=== Cruise ships are available mostly in the November to February cruising season, and there are usually about 10 ships that arrive in Australia from other countries during this time. You can cruise to Australia, and then fly home. Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean all offer cruises to Australia across the Pacific. You may sail to Australia in your own yacht, just make sure you submit the right paperwork to Border Force, and arrive at an approved [https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/entering-and-leaving-by-sea/ports-of-entry port of entry]. There are no international ferry services operating. ===By overland transport=== There was a time when a couple of tour operators offered overland trips from London to Sydney, with only a short hop by air from [[Southeast Asia]] to Northwestern Australia while the bus went by barge. The only such tour operator is Madventure which runs 4 different routes: 26 weeks through Iran, Pakistan, and India; 26 weeks through the Caucasus & Central Asia; 64 weeks around Africa, the Middle East, & South Asia; and 64 weeks through Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, & Central Asia. For those determined to travel overland as much as possible from Europe, you can travel independently to Singapore from Europe by train and/or bus on scheduled services, and fly from there to Perth (3,500 flight kilometres). For the truly determined overland traveller, you can get a ferry from Singapore to Indonesia and make your way across to Bali, where you can fly to Darwin (2,000 flight kilometres). For the intrepid, ferries to West Timor, a bus to Dili and a flight to Darwin will mean only 700 km in the air. Travel to Darwin by cargo ship/ barge by ANL and Swire (the only two routine cargo haulers between Dili and Darwin) is '''not permitted''' (June 2016). For determined travellers, you may be able to obtain passage from Singapore by freighter vessel, organized through a travel agent. ==Get around== Australia is ''huge'' but sparsely populated over much of its area and is larger than the contiguous US, and you can sometimes travel many hours before finding the next trace of civilization, especially once you leave the south-eastern coastal fringe. Its mainland is the sixth largest country by area, which means that it will take you a few days (around 6) to fully appreciate just ten percent of a state or territory. Almost all modern Australian maps, including street directories, use the Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA) as their grid reference, which is for all purposes identical to the WGS84 used by the GPS. You can locate most things on an Australian map or street directory if you just have the "GPS coordinates". ===Quarantine=== There are restrictions on carrying fruit and vegetables (including honey) between states and even between regions of states that are involved in fruit growing. If you are driving over 100-150 km outside large metropolitan areas or interstate, or flying between states, don't stock up on fruits and vegetables. ===By car=== {{See also|Driving in Australia}} [[File:Great Ocean Road, Lorne, Australia - Feb 2012.jpg|thumb|The Great Ocean Road]] [[File:Stuart Highway, Australia.jpg|thumb|Part of the Stuart Highway in Central Australia]] Australia has a generally well-maintained system of roads and highways, and cars are a commonly used method of transport. All the mainland state capitals are linked to each other by good undivided highways. Some parts are divided highways but many sections are one lane each way with occasional overtaking lanes around every 5-20 km depending on the state. Roads linking minor centres (or what can look like short-cuts on the map) can be narrow or gravel roads and are generally slower. In general, unlike Europe, South Africa or the US, there are no freeways connecting major centres, and divided dual carriageways that link major centres don't go for very long, and you could get roundabouts or traffic lights at random areas with only 1km notice. While Sydney to Melbourne can be fully achieved on divided dual carriageways, however, particularly in the NSW section, there are plenty of flat junctions. Sydney to Brisbane can also be achieved on 99% divided dual carriageways, with plans to upgrade the remaining one percent to motorways, on that one percent, there are still plenty of roundabouts and traffic lights along the route. Other routes like Melbourne to Adelaide are only partial divided freeways, but yet there's still towns to be bypassed, and there's not much expressway section in the South Australian section. Drives like Sydney to Perth or Adelaide to Darwin would be much better off achieved by a plane, and journeying here often takes around half a week, and these are routes that Australians themselves only do about once or twice in their lifetime. Distances are huge, and if you put it onto a European perspective: is the distance between Madrid and Moscow, and on a North American perspective, the distance from Miami to Los Angeles. Major hazards on Australian roads are wildlife and large trucks. Be sure to take extra care when driving at dusk or in the dark, as the risk of animal collisions increases significantly. Major regional areas have paved (sealed) dual-lane roads, but isolated areas may have poorly maintained dirt roads or even tracks. Distances and speeds are specified in kilometres and fuel is sold by the litre. There are no tolls on roads or bridges outside of the urban areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Toowoomba. While public transport is usable in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, a car is handy, sometimes even essential, to get around anywhere else. Australia drives on the left. Overseas visitors who are used to driving on the right should take care when they first drive, and again when they are driving on country roads with little traffic. Generally, overseas licenses are valid for driving in Australia for three months after arrival. If the licence is not in English, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is required in addition to your licence. Licensing regulations and road rules vary slightly from state to state. Australia's low population density and large size makes for long driving times between major centres. The default speed limit in most of Australia is 50km/h in built-up areas, and 100 km/h on rural roads, unless signed otherwise except in the NT where urban defaults are 60 km/h, and in WA and the NT, rural defaults are 110 km/h. Many major rural roads have a posted speed limit of 110 km/h especially in the Outback. Average speed is seldom above 80 km/h due to the poor road conditions and limited overtaking opportunities. On some national highways that traverse mountain ranges and travel through small towns, even averaging 60&nbsp;km/h can be a challenge. Speed limits are strictly enforced in Australia, and even creeping ever so slightly above the speed limit could earn you a ticket with a hefty fine. While major highways are well serviced, anyone '''leaving well-maintained roads''' in inland Australia should take advice from local authorities, check weather and road conditions, and carry sufficient spare fuel, spare parts, spare tyres, matches, food and water. Some remote roads might see one car per month or less. Cellular coverage is non-existent outside of national highways and towns and you should take some precautions in case of emergency. Heat and dehydration at any time of year can kill you. If stranded, stay with your vehicle and do what you can to improve your visibility from the air. Do not take this advice lightly; even local people die out there when their car breaks down and they are not reported missing. If you do have to abandon your car (say you break down and then get a lift), call in quickly to the local police station, to avoid the embarrassment and cost of a search being started for you. ====Car rental==== Major cities around Australia have multiple outlets providing a wide range of rental vehicles from major international rental companies. Several major international providers with bases in Austraia include [https://www.enterpriserentacar.com.au/en/car-rental/locations/australia.html Enterprise], [https://alamo.com.au/ Alamo], [https://nationalcar.com.au/ National], Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, Sixt & Europcar. In smaller towns car rental can be difficult to find. One-way fees often apply from smaller regional outlets. Australia also hosts many national brands including [https://www.redspot.com.au/ Redspot], East Coast, Jucy & Nobirds. Smaller cars you can rent can be manual (stick-shift), whereas anything larger will mostly be automatic. If you do not hold an Australian driving licence, some rental vehicle companies will require you to take a free [http://www.driverknowledgetests.com/learners-permit/tourist/ driver knowledge test], aimed at tourists, that covers the basic road rules, or will take you on a short drive to assess whether you are competent behind the wheel. ====Campervans ==== A '''campervan''' is a vehicle, usually a minivan, converted into a motorhome (recreational vehicle), most often catering to the vast number of young European and American backpackers traversing the country. The East Coast from Sydney to Cairns is especially abundant with happy, hungover youths travelling around in these vehicles. [[Driving in Australia]] has more information on renting or buying a campervan. ===By taxi=== Larger towns and cities have taxi services, and can be hailed on the street in most CBDs. [https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/ Uber], [https://www.didiglobal.com/ Didi] and [https://www.olacabs.com/ Ola Cabs] are available in major cities. There are several smartphone taxi booking applications such as [https://www.mydriver.com/en myDriver], [http://www.gocatch.com/ GoCatch] that make finding a licensed taxi simple. Outside of cities, towns may have a limited taxi service, and smaller or remote towns may have no service at all. When travelling alone, it is customary for a passenger to sit in the front passenger seat, next to the driver. However, if you prefer to sit in the back then it isn't a problem. ===By plane=== [[File:Melbourne Airport T1 with Qantas and Jetstar jets.jpg|thumb|250px|Qantas and Jetstar aircraft at Melbourne Airport]] Due to the large distances involved, flying is a well-patronised form of travel in Australia. Services along the main business travel corridor (Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane) are run almost like a bus service, with flights leaving every 15 minutes during the day. The best fares are almost always available on the most competitive routes, whereas routes to remote destinations with fewer flights tend to be more expensive. Qantas actually do often offer competitive prices, so don't ignore that option just because they are the national carrier. There are only a handful of main airlines in Australia, so it won't take long to compare their prices on domestic routes: * '''[http://www.qantas.com.au/ Qantas]''', the full-service national carrier, flying to major cities and some larger regional towns; * '''[http://www.virginaustralia.com/ Virgin Australia]''', a nationwide full-service airline, flying to major cities and a few larger regional towns; * '''[http://www.jetstar.com.au/ Jetstar]''', Qantas's discount arm with limited service and assigned seating. Several airlines service regional destinations. Expect discounts on these airlines to be harder to come by, and for standard airfares to be above what you would pay for the same distance between major centres. * '''[http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/home/qualifier-country-au Qantaslink]''', the regional arm of Qantas, covering the smaller cities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia; * '''[http://www.rex.com.au/ Regional Express]''', covering larger towns & cities on the eastern seaboard and in country South Australia; * '''[http://www.skywest.com.au Skywest]''', covering regional Western Australia, Bali and Darwin; * '''[http://www.airnorth.com.au Airnorth]''', covering the Northern Territory; * '''[http://www.skytrans.com.au Skytrans Airlines]''', covering regional Queensland. * '''[http://www.sharpairlines.com.au/ Sharp Airlines]''', covering several regional towns in Victoria and South Australia. ====Charters==== {{seealso|General aviation}} Scheduled aviation only flies to a handful of the thousands of airports around Australia. There are numerous options to charter aircraft that may take you direct to smaller country towns or even offshore islands. The costs can be comparable to scheduled airlines if there are 3 or more people flying in a group. The Australian Private Pilots Licence permits private pilots to carry passengers and to recover the cost of the plane hire and fuel from passengers, but not to advertise for passengers or fly commercially. That said, if you check the web pages of local flying clubs, there are always private pilots willing to fly on a fine weekend if someone is willing to put in for the cost of the plane and fuel. ===By train=== {{seealso|Rail travel in Australia|Across Australia by train}} [[File:Passenger rail services in Australia en.png|thumb|upright=2.1|Map of the main inter-city rail lines in Australia]] Visitors from areas with well-developed long distance rail systems such as Europe and Japan may be surprised by the lack of high-speed, inter-city rail services in Australia. A historical lack of cooperation between the states, combined with sheer distances and a relatively small population to service, have left Australia with a national rail network that is relatively slow and used mainly for freight. Nevertheless, train travel between cities can be very scenic and present opportunities to see new aspects of the country, and can be a cost-effective way to get to regional towns and cities, which tend to have more expensive flights than those between the state capitals. The long-distance rail services that do exist are mainly used to link regional townships with the state capital, such as [[Bendigo]] to Melbourne, or Cairns to Brisbane. In Queensland, a tilting train operates from Brisbane to [[Rockhampton]] and Brisbane to Cairns (''Spirit of Queensland''). Queensland also has passenger services to inland centres including [[Longreach]] (''The Spirit of the Outback''), [[Mount Isa]] (''The Inlander''), [[Charleville]] (''The Westlander'') and [[Forsayth]] (''The Savannahlander''). There are also inter-city train services operated by Great Southern Railways on the Melbourne-[[Adelaide]] (''The Overland''), Sydney-Adelaide-[[Perth (Western Australia)|Perth]] (''Indian Pacific'') and Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin (''[[The Ghan]]''). However, these are not "high-speed" services and actually cost more than flying, so if you do not enjoy train travel as part of your holiday then this is probably not for you. Tasmania has no passenger rail services. The Northern Territory has the rail line linking Darwin to Adelaide through Alice Springs only, and the Australian Capital Territory has a single railway station close to the centre of Canberra. ====Long distance train operators==== [[File:Indian Pacific Bellevue, Western Australia-small.jpg|thumb|Indian Pacific]] * '''[http://www.gsr.com.au/ Great Southern Railways]''' - A private train operator running luxury tourist train services, The Ghan, The Indian Pacific and The Overland between Sydney, [[Broken Hill]], Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Perth and Melbourne. * '''[http://www.nswtrainlink.info NSW Trainlink Regional]''' - Links Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, and regional connections to most New South Wales towns, including [[Dubbo]], [[Coffs Harbour]], and [[Wagga Wagga]]. * '''[http://www.vline.com.au V/Line]''' - Train & coach services in Victoria, including combined Train and Coach services between Melbourne and Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra. * '''[https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/ Queensland Rail]''' - Long distance passenger train services in Queensland, including its flagship Spirit of Queensland service between Brisbane and [[Cairns]]. * '''[http://www.savannahlander.com.au The Savannahlander]''' - A privately-run train service that links Cairns with the outback town of [[Forsayth]], using old heritage trains, and providing overnight accommodation and tours on the way. * '''[http://www.transwa.wa.gov.au TransWA]''' - State government run, operating train services to [[Kalgoorlie]] and [[Bunbury]]. TransWA also operates coach services to much of the state where former rail services operated in the past, especially the southwest of the state. ====Rail passes==== No rail pass includes all train travel throughout Australia. However, if you are a train buff that intends travelling extensively by rail, there are some passes that may save you money. Plan your trip carefully before investing in a rail pass. Country train services are infrequent and can arrive at regional destinations at unsociable hours. * '''[http://www.nswtrainlink.info/deals/discovery Discovery Pass]'''. Use any NSW Trainlink services (trains and coaches). Get anywhere in NSW, and north to Brisbane and south to Melbourne. * Queensland Rail Coastal Pass and Queensland Rail Explorer Pass. ====Local public transport==== [[File:Cityrail-millennium-M32-ext.jpg|thumb|A suburban train in Sydney]] [[File:D2.5007 + C2.5111 bourke.JPG|thumb|Melbourne is well served by the world's largest tram network]] Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, [[Wollongong]] and [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] have commuter rail and bus services integrated into the city public transport, with trams also running in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney, and ferries in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Sydney is home to Australia's sole Metro line. The remaining capital cities have bus services only. See those city guides articles for public transport details. Some regional cities and towns have local bus services, but see the destination guides for service information, as frequency can be poor and weekend and evening services non-existent. ===By motorail=== Australia had a tradition of motorail, allowing you to carry carry your car with you on special car carriages attached to the back of the train. This service is now only available on Great Southern Railways between Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin. You cannot remove your car at any of the intermediate stations. ===By bus=== Bus travel in Australia is cheap and convenient, although the distances involved for interstate connections are daunting. Greyhound has the largest bus route network. There are no bus services from the other capital cities to Perth. * {{listing | name=Firefly Express | url=http://www.fireflyexpress.com.au | email=enquiries@fireflyexpress.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=1300 730 740 (local rate), +61 3 8318 0318 (international callers) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Firefly Express has services connecting Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | url=http://www.greyhound.com.au | email=info@greyhound.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=1300 473 946 (local rate) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Greyhound travels to over 1100 destinations in Australia daily every day of the year. It has a variety of ticketing options allow you to travel at your own pace, hopping on and off as many times as your ticket allows. }} * {{listing | name=Murrays | url=http://www.murrays.com.au | email=reservations@murrays.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 13 22 51 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Murrays has services connecting Canberra with Sydney, the [[South Coast (New South Wales)|NSW South Coast]] and [[Snowy Mountains|snowfields]]. }} ===By boat=== [[File:Spirit of Tasmania Port Melbourne.jpg|thumb|The ''Spirit of Tasmania II'' at Port Melbourne]] Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth have ferries as part of their public transport system. Some smaller roads in the regional areas still have punts to carry cars across rivers and canals. The islands of the Barrier Reef have some scheduled services, and there are a few cruises that cross the top of Australia as well. However, large inter city ferry services are not common. * '''[http://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/ The Spirit of Tasmania]'''. The only long distance ferry route connects Tasmania to the mainland and carries cars and passengers on the route across Bass Strait daily between Melbourne and [[Devonport]]. * '''[https://www.sealink.com.au/ Sealink]''' connects Kangaroo Island, Australia's second largest southern island to mainland South Australia with regular car ferries. * '''[http://seasa.com.au/ Sea SA]''' offers an short cut across the Spencer Gulf between Adelaide (Wallaroo) and the Lucky Bay on the [[Eyre Peninsula]]. The service has been suspended frequently, but is operating as of Dec 2018. ===By thumb=== It is legal to hitch hike in some states in Australia, so long as certain guidelines are followed. However, it is less commonly done than in neighbouring New Zealand. In Australia hitch hiking is often frowned upon by locals and police, especially in metropolitan areas. Hitch hiking is illegal in Victoria and Queensland. It is also illegal to stand on the verge or walk along freeways (often called "motorways" in New South Wales and Queensland) in all states (effectively making hitch hiking illegal in many practical places, in all states). If forced to hitch hike due to an emergency you may find a motorist willing to take you to the nearest town to obtain help. (Many major inter-city highways and freeways have emergency telephone units to request help.) It is common to see a tourist hitching in rural areas. The best time to hitch hike is early morning. The best location is near, but not on, the main exit from the town you are in. ===By bicycle=== Cycling the long distances between towns in Australia is not common, and most long distance highways in Australia have poorly developed facilities for cyclists. for example, to cycle between Sydney and Brisbane you would have to allow 2–3 weeks with around 80–100&nbsp;km per day. Intrepid travellers do manage to cover the longer distances by bicycle, and have a different experience of Australia. Long distance cyclists can be encountered on the Nullarbor and other isolated highways. In some states, former railway lines have been changed into rail trails. [https://www.railtrails.org.au/ Rail Trail Australia] website has good material of routes off the main highways, with the Murray to the Mountains Train being the best quality trail with the most to see and do along the route. In Western Australia long distance cycle trails have been developed for mountain bikers. The Munda Biddi trail is many days through bushland, with huts provided for camping along the route. Wherever you cycle - if you leave the urban sprawl of the capital cities, plan carefully and carry supplies. ===Hiking=== {{main|Hiking and bushwalking in Australia}} Walking through some parts of Australia is the only way to experience some particular landscapes. In Tasmania the Central Highland [[Overland Track]] and the South Coast Track are good examples of walking/hiking holiday ''to do'' items. The Bicentennial National Trail is one of the longest trails in the world, stretching from [[Cooktown]] in Northern Queensland, to [[Healesville]] in [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]. ==See== ===Wildlife=== [[File:Koala climbing tree.jpg|thumb|A koala]] {{seealso|Australasian wildlife}} Australian flora and fauna is unique to the island continent, the result of having been isolated from the rest of the world for millions of years. Amongst Australian animals are a large group of marsupials (mammals with a pouch) and monotremes (mammals that lay eggs). Just some of the animal icons of Australia are the kangaroo (national symbol) and the koala. A visit to Australia would not be complete without taking the chance to see some of these animals in their natural environment. ====Wildlife parks and zoos==== * '''Wildlife parks and zoos''' are in every state capital city, but also check out the animal parks if you are passing through smaller towns, like [[Mildura]] or [[Mogo]], or staying on [[Hamilton Island]]. See the Warrawong Fauna Sanctuary if you are in South Australia, or visit the koalas with best view in the world, at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. ====In the wild==== [[File:Tassy Devil.jpg|thumb|A Tasmanian devil]] * '''Kangaroos''' and '''wallabies''' are in national parks all around Australia. You won't see any kangaroos hopping down the street in [[Sydney/City|Central Sydney]], but they're common on the outskirts of most urban areas. * '''Wombats''' and '''echidnas''' are also common, but harder to find due to their camouflage and tunnelling. See lots of echidnas on Kangaroo Island. * '''Koalas''' are present in forests around Australia, but are notoriously very hard to spot, and walking around looking upwards into the boughs of trees will usually send you sprawling over a tree root. Best seen during the day, there is a thriving and friendly population on Raymond Island near [[Paynesville (Victoria)|Paynesville]] in Victoria. You have a good chance on Otway Coast, on the [[Great Ocean Road]], or even in the National Park walk near [[Noosa]] on the Sunshine Coast. * '''Emus''' are more common in central Australia. You will certainly see some if you venture into the outback national park at [[Currawinya National Park|Currawinya]] * '''Platypus''' are found in reedy, flowing creeks with soft river banks in Victoria, Southern New South Wales, and the very southern region of Queensland - seen at dusk and dawn - you have to have a bit of luck to see one. Try the platypus reserves in [[Bombala]] or [[Delegate]] in New South Wales, or in Emu Creek at [[Skipton (Victoria)|Skipton]] just out of [[Ballarat]]. ===Convict sites=== Much of Australia's modern history was as a penal colony for convicts from the United Kingdom, and there are many historical sites that still stand as a reminder of the days of convict transportation. Perhaps the most famous of these sites are [[Port Arthur (Tasmania)|Port Arthur]] in [[Tasmania]] and Fremantle Prison in [[Perth/Fremantle|Fremantle]], located near [[Perth]], [[Western Australia]]. There are also many other sites scattered throughout the country. ===Landmarks=== [[File:07 Sydney Opera House in black and white, Australia.jpg|thumb|Sydney Opera House, one of Australia's most recognised landmarks]] Australia has many landmarks, famous the world over. From [[Uluru]] in the red centre, to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in Sydney. Small Australian towns have a tradition of making big sculptures as landmarks. See [[Big things in Australia]]. Australia has thousands of heritage-registered sites, with 20 [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] ===National parks=== {{see also|National parks in Australia}} [[File:Beech Forest (AU), Great Otway National Park, Beauchamp Falls -- 2019 -- 1271.jpg|thumb|Beauchamp Falls, Great Otway National Park, Victoria]] Perhaps the best of what can be found in the natural side of Australia is best found in its national parks. Australia has more than 500 or so national parks, which makes Australia the country having the most number of national parks in the world. Although that number can make it somewhat hard to pick, there are some particular national parks in particular that stand out to travelers more than others. Some national parks (including [[Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park|Australia's largest]]) are located in very remote areas with no roads leading there, and the only way to access them is off-road driving in a four-wheel drive; be sure to make ample preparations and stock up on food, water and fuel before you attempt to visit one of these, and it is highly recommended that you rent a [[Mobile_phones#Satellite_phones|satellite phone]] despite the high cost in case of emergencies. In New South Wales, a trip is never complete without going to [[Blue Mountains National Park]], just west of Sydney and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], home to several indigenous sacred sites, along with several lookouts, mountains and plateaus. Other national parks in New South Wales that are popular include [[Royal National Park]], a popular beachside spot and the world's second oldest national park just south of Sydney, [[Kosciuszko National Park]] for being home to Australia's tallest mountain on the mainland, [[Dorrigo National Park]] or [[New England National Park]] for its Gondwana Rainforests, or a more isolated [[Mungo National Park]] home to the unusual but yet great "Walls of China" formation. In the Northern Territory, the two most famous parks by far are [[Kakadu National Park]] and [[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]], two icons of Australia which are both pretty self explanatory. Other popular national parks include [[Litchfield National Park]] home to several waterfalls, [[Nitmiluk National Park|Nitmiluk]] for the Katherine Gorge, [[Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park]] and [[Watarrka National Park]] for their gorges and canyons. In Queensland, similar to the Northern Territory, the two most famous and internationally recognized parks are the [[Daintree Rainforest]] and the [[Great Barrier Reef]], one for being the world's oldest living rainforest while the latter for being the world's largest reef system. Other popular national parks include [[Lamington National Park]] for its Gondwana Rainforests or [[Fraser Island|Great Sandy National Park]] for being the world's largest sand island and the only place in the world where forest grows on sand or the [[Whitsunday Islands]], home to some of the world's whitest beaches. Other important but relatively unknown national parks include [[Boodjamulla National Park]], a world heritage site for its fossils or [[Carnarvon National Park]] for its landscape and rock art. In South Australia, national parks tend to be of different quality, and by far the most recognised one is [[Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park]], what first comes in mind for many who think about South Australia. Others include [[Naracoorte Caves National Park]], a world heritage site for its fossils, or [[the Coorong]], the world's longest beach. Tasmania has by far the most wilderness, and with almost a little less than 50% of [[Tasmanian national parks|its national parks]] as world heritage sites, it can be hard to decide which ones to visit. [[Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park]] is by far its most iconic national park, while [[Southwest National Park]] is the largest in the state. For those interesting in mountains that are easily accessible, [[Hartz Mountains National Park]] or [[Mount Field National Park]] is generally the national park to go, with the latter along with [[Ben Lomond National Park]] known for skiing and snowsports. For the parks of other kinds, [[Freycinet National Park]] is known for its beaches while [[Tasman National Park]] has some of the world's highest ocean cliffs. Victoria, despite being the smallest mainland state has quite a lot more to offer than you might think. Its most iconic one is [[Port Campbell National Park]], and although the name of the park is not well known, one of its main features – the 12 Apostles is what brings so much visitors to it. Others include [[Wilsons Promontory]], home to the southernmost point of the Australian mainland, or [[Murray Sunset National Park]], home to a pink lake. Western Australia, being the world's second largest jurisdictions has plenty to offer. In particular, the one that's most known is [[Nambung National Park]] for its Pinnacles Desert, but others include [[Kalbarri National Park]] or [[Karijini National Park]] both home to several unique geological formations, or [[Murujuga National Park]] for being home to some of the world's densest collections of rock art. [[Purnululu National Park]] or [[Shark Bay]] both tend to be a bit far from [[Perth]], but both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both offering something unique in sight. And if you thought that everything that's scenic has to be on land – you could be hardly ever more wrong. The Ningaloo Marine Park (and [[Exmouth (Western Australia)|Exmouth]] and [[Coral Bay]]) have a lot to offer, especially for those keen in marine life. ===Space=== {{main|Astrotourism in Australia}} The vast open outback in Australia makes Australia a prime destination for space-enthusiasts. However, unlike the Northern Hemisphere, the constellations here are very different, owing to the fact that Australia is in the southern hemisphere. There are plenty of [[Astrotourism in Australia|astrotourism]] sites, ranging from a cities, to as far deep in the outback as you can go. ===Sports=== [[File:Ball is in dispute in Hawthorn-Essendon AFL match.jpg|thumb|Part of an AFL match between the Hawthorn and Essendon teams]] Sport is an integral part of the Australian culture from the capital cities to country towns. As a testament to this, Australia has a track record of being one of the best performing teams at the Olympics despite its relatively small population. The majority of games are played over the weekend period (from Friday night to Monday night). Australian sports fans are generally well behaved, and it is not uncommon for fans of two opposing teams to sit together during a match, even if the teams are bitter rivals. While the cheering can get really passionate, actual crowd violence is extremely rare. {{Infobox|Football|The term "football" can be ambiguous in Australia, and differs in meaning depending on where you are and who you are talking to. However, the term on its own is almost never used to refer to association football, which is known as "soccer" in Australia. In general, "football", or the slang term "footy", refers to '''rugby league''' in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, while it refers to '''Australian rules football''' anywhere else in Australia.}} * In the winter in Victoria '''[[Australian rules football]]''' (Aussie Rules, or in some areas just "footy") is more than just a sport, it is a way of life. Catch a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Although originating from and most popular in the state of Victoria, the premier national competition, known as the '''[https://www.afl.com.au/ Australian Football League (AFL)]''', has teams from Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and the Gold Coast as well. The '''AFL Grand Final''', held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground either in late September or early October each year, is the most watched event on the Australian sporting calendar. The AFL now runs a women's league, known as '''[https://womens.afl AFL Women's]''', during the summer. While obviously not as popular as the men's game, it still enjoys a decent following. The next women's season in 2020 will feature 14 teams from all of the current men's AFL markets. * In summer, international '''[[cricket]]''' is played between Australia and at least two touring sides. The games rotate around all the capital cities. To experience the traditional game catch the New Year's test match at the Sydney cricket ground played for 5 days starting from the 2nd of January, or the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne. Or for a more lively entertaining form, that only takes a few hours, try a twenty-twenty match. The final form is "One Day" Cricket, international matches generally start at 13:00 and finish at 22:00 or 23:00 (a "Day-Nighter"), with most domestic and occasional international matches played from 11:00 to 18:00. The '''Australia Day''' One Day International is held in Adelaide every 26 January. '''The Ashes''' is a series of five test matches played between the Australian and English national teams. It is held in Australia every three or four years, and is one of the highlights of the cricket calendar. Whenever Australia hosts the series, the five matches are held in the five largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. * The '''[http://www.ausopen.com/index.html Australian Open]''', one of the '''tennis''' Grand Slams, is played annually at '''[https://mopt.com.au/ Melbourne Park]''', including the main stadium of '''[http://www.rodlaverarena.com.au/ Rod Laver Arena]''', near the [[Melbourne]] city centre. Or the Medibank International in [[Sydney/Sydney Olympic Park|Sydney Olympic Park]] in January. [[File:Hunter Stadium Day.JPG|thumb|Hunter Stadium in Newcastle]] * Catch a '''[[Rugby Football#Rugby union|rugby union]]''' Super Rugby game, with teams playing from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney during late Summer/Autumn. The Australian national team, the Wallabies, also host international teams during winter, including New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina for The Rugby Championship (formerly the Tri Nations tournament). * '''[[Rugby Football#Rugby league|Rugby League]]''' is a winter game played mainly in New South Wales and Queensland, with the '''[https://www.nrl.com/ National Rugby League (NRL)]''' competition being the premier competition. Teams include Melbourne in Victoria, Brisbane, North Queensland and the Gold Coast in Queensland, a team from New Zealand, with the rest of the teams coming from suburban areas in Sydney, and some in regional areas of New South Wales such as Newcastle and Canberra. The competition culminates in the '''NRL Grand Final''', which is held every year in the Stadium Australia in Sydney. The biggest event in the rugby league calendar of Australia is the '''State of Origin''' series between teams representing the states of New South Wales and Queensland, which consists of an annual series of three matches of which two are played in Sydney and Brisbane, and the third is played in either of those cities or sometimes, Melbourne or Perth. Many fans consider the level of play in the State of Origin series to be even higher than that in the Rugby League World Cup. * '''Netball''' is Australia's largest female sport, and there are weekly games in the domestic Super Netball league (which replaced a previous transnational league that also included New Zealand sides). The Australian national team is arguably the strongest in the world, with England, New Zealand and Jamaica usually posing the biggest challenge to Australian dominance. * '''Soccer''' is a growing sport that is aspiring to reach European levels. Many immigrants and second-generation Australians hail from European countries where passion for the sport is very high. The Australia national team (the Socceroos) won the Asia Cup for the first time in 2015 and have raised the sport's profile significantly. There is a national A-League, which is a fully professional league involving teams from Australia and one from New Zealand, with games played weekly during the summer. Most cities have a semi-professional "state league" played during winter, with most clubs being built around a specific ethnic/migrant community, for example a [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] league side Broadmeadow Magic, which was built around the cities' Macedonian population. While women's soccer is less popular as a spectator sport, it enjoys a decent following, with the national team (the Matildas) regularly participating in the World Cup. The women's counterpart to the A-League is the W-League. * '''[[Formula One|F1 Grand Prix]]''' The Melbourne Grand Prix in March takes place on a street circuit around Albert Park Lake, only a few kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a racetrack for the Australian Grand Prix and associated support races. * The '''Supercars Championship''' is a popular form of motor racing unique to Australia involving powerful cars, comparable to NASCAR racing in the United States—though unlike NASCAR, which races almost exclusively on oval tracks, the Supercars series uses road courses and street circuits. Events are held all over the country between March and early December. The famous Bathurst 1000 is traditionally held in October. * '''[[Horse racing]]''' is Australia's third most popular spectator sport after Australian rules football and rugby league, and races are held regularly in all of Australia's state capitals. The premier event in Australia's horse racing calendar is the annual '''[https://www.flemington.com.au/melbournecupcarnival Melbourne Cup]''', which also ranks among the most prestigious races in the world. * '''Greyhound racing''', although less popular than horse racing, also has a significant following in Australia, which has the world's largest greyhound racing industry. Greyhound racing tracks can be found in all of Australia's state capitals, as well as in many small towns throughout the country. ===Itineraries=== * [[Anne Beadell Highway]] * [[Gibb River Road]] * [[Grand Pacific Drive]] * [[Great Ocean Road]] * [[Gunbarrel Highway]] * [[Oodnadatta Track]] * [[Stuart Highway]]: crossing Australia north-south * [[Tourist Drive 33]] * [[Waterfall Way]] * [[Military museums and sites in Australia]] ==Do== [[File:Bondi 1.jpg|thumb|Australia is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world (Bondi Beach pictured)]] [[File:Gold-Coast-Skyline-at-Night.jpg|thumb|Surfers Paradise, located in the Gold Coast, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, boasting some of the world's greatest beaches and located near an array of theme parks]] ===Swim=== * '''in the surf'''. Australia has seemingly endless sandy beaches. Follow the crowds to the world-famous [[Sydney/Bondi|Bondi Beach]] in Sydney, or [[Surfers Paradise]] on the Gold Coast. Or find a stretch all for yourself (but beware of dangerous rips on beaches, it is considerably safer to find a patrolled beach). The surf is smaller and warmer in the Tropical North, where the reef breaks the swell, and larger and colder in the south with waves rolling in from the Southern Ocean. (And yes, in the middle it is ''just right''). * '''in calm tropical oceans'''. Cable Beach in [[Broome]] is swept pristine daily by the tide, has perfect sand, and warm water - go in winter. * '''in thermal pools'''. South of Darwin there are many natural thermal pools such as Berry Springs & Mataranka, surrounded by palms and tropical foliage. The most expensive resort in the world couldn't dream of making a pool this good. * '''in freshwater lakes'''. Inland Australia tends to be dry, but there are freshwater lakes where you would least expect them. Explore inland of Cairns at the Atherton Tablelands, or head outback to the [[Currawinya National Park]]. Watch out for crocodiles. * '''in rivers'''. If its hot, and there is water, there will be a place to swim. Wherever you are, just ask around for the favourite swimming spot, with a waterhole and rope to swing on. Watch out for crocodiles. * '''in man-made pools'''. The local swimming pool is often the hub of community life on a summer Sunday in the country towns of New South Wales and Victoria. Many of the beachside suburbs of Sydney and Newcastle have man made rock/concrete pools called 'baths' where you can swim beside the ocean beaches. * '''on the beach'''! Find your spot by the water, and get out the towel. Tropical north in the winter, down south in the summer. As always when in Australia, protect yourself from the sun. ===Bushwalking=== {{main|Hiking in Australia}} Bushwalking is a popular Australian activity. You can go bushwalking in the many national parks and rainforests. Some areas also have guided bush walks by the local Aboriginal people, and these are an excellent opportunity to learn about the culture of the local Aboriginal ethnic group. ===Diving=== [[File:Giant clam with diver.jpg|thumb|A scuba diver looking at a giant clam on the Great Barrier Reef]] * '''Snorkelling''' take a trip out to the [[Great Barrier Reef]] on the Queensland coast, or the [[Exmouth (Western Australia)|Ningaloo Reef]] off the coast of Western Australia. Or take a trip out to Julian rocks off [[Byron Bay]], or just dive in off the beach to see the tropical fish in [[Bundaberg]]. * [[Scuba diving in Australia|Scuba Diving]] ===Sports=== * [[Golf in Australia|Golf]] * '''Rock Climbing''' * '''Mountain Biking'''. Try the trails in the [[Snowy Mountains]] or black mountain in Canberra, or cycle for days along the Munda Biddi Mountain Bike trail in Western Australia. * '''Horse Riding'''. The horse has a rich tradition in the settlement of Australia since the arrival of the first European settlers. Relying on the horse to travel the vast distances and harsh environments of Australia was the foundation of a strong and lasting relationship between Australians and their horses. Today horse riding in Australia includes many recreational and occupational activities from cattle musters on vast stations, to the multimillion-dollar racing industry. On the outskirts of towns and cities and out in the rural landscape, you will see the many pony paddocks and much loved horses that are a testament to the ongoing passion and commitment Australian horse owners have to their horses and the enjoyment they bring. ===Ski=== * Skiing. New South Wales and Victoria have well developed ski facilities. Tasmania can also have skiing for a few months of the year, given the right weather. See [[Winter sports in Australia]] ===Surf=== * Surfing. If you think Australia is the most unpopulated and most remote place on earth where you can go to escape any trace of human contact, just find a good surf break in the most remote corner of Australia and you will be guaranteed to find someone surfing it. Australians love to surf and wherever there is surf there are Aussie surfers, any time and under any conditions. Virtually every coastline, except along the top end from Cairns across to Karatha has surf and surfers there to ride it. ===Thrill activities=== * '''Sky Diving''', all around Australia * '''Hot Air Ballooning''', in Canberra, Brisbane or in the [[Red Centre#Do|Red Centre]]. *''' Kitesurfing''' and '''windsurfing''' in and around Geraldton, Western Australia and at '''Coronation Beach''', the windsurfing and kitesurfing capital of Australia === Gamble === [[File:2008BerriganCup1.JPG|thumb|Horse racing at the Berrigan Cup race meeting in the small New South Wales town of Berrigan]] It has been said that if there are two flies crawling up a wall, then you just need to look around to find the Aussie who will be running a book. * '''Casinos'''. Crown Casino in Melbourne is Australia's largest, located at Southbank, but there are others scattered in every capital city and in Cairns, [[Launceston]], Alice Springs, the Gold Coast and [[Townsville]]. * '''[[Horse racing|Day at the races]]'''. All capital cities have horse racing every weekend, with on-track and off-track betting available. They are usually family occasions, and fashion and being seen are part of the event. Just about every pub in New South Wales will have a tab, where you can place a bet without leaving your chair at the bar. Greyhound racing and trotting happens in the evenings, usually with smaller crowds, more beer, and less fashion. Smaller country towns have race meetings every few months or even annually. These are real events for the local communities, and see the smaller towns come to life. Head outback to the [[Birdsville]] races, or if you find the streets deserted it is probably ten past three on the first Tuesday in November (the running of the Melbourne cup). * '''The unusual'''. Lizard races, cane toad races, camel races, crab races. Betting on these races is totally illegal and you'll find the TIB (Totally Illegal Betting) around the back of the shed. * '''Two up'''. If you are around for Anzac Day (25 April), then betting on coins thrown into the air will be happening at your local RSL club, wherever you are. * Australia has almost a quarter of all the '''slot machines''' (locally known as "pokies" or "poker machines") in the world, and more than half of these are in New South Wales, where most pubs and clubs have gaming rooms (labelled "VIP lounges" for legal reasons) where one can "have a slap" and go for the feature. * If none of this appeals, and you just have too much money in your pocket, '''every town and suburb in Australia has a TAB''' (Totalisator Agency Board – betting shop). Pick your sport, pick a winner, and hand over your money at the counter. Gambling is illegal for under-18's. This can often restrict entry to parts of pubs, clubs, and casinos for children. ===Royal shows=== Each of Australia's states and mainland territories is home to a '''royal show''', which are agricultural fairs that also feature amusement rides and other forms of entertainment, and serve as Australia's equivalent of state fairs in the United States. These shows are held in the respective state and territory capitals, usually during the spring or autumn months. ==Buy== [[File:Pitt Street Mall February 2016.jpg|thumb|Pitt Street Mall in Sydney is one of Australia's busiest shopping districts]] {{see also|Shopping in Australia}} ===Money=== <!--{{exchange rate AUD|currencies=USD,GBP,EUR,NZD,JPY,ZAR}}--> {{exchange rates | currency=Australian dollar | currencyCode=A$ | date=January 2022 | USD=1.4 | EUR=1.6 | GBP=1.9 | NZD=0.95 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/aud-australian-dollar XE.com] }} {{infobox|Gold coins|No, it's not coins made out of gold, it's just an informal way of what Australians call a $1 or a $2 coin. It is mostly used in the terms of when donating, often for not-for-profit museums or charities. However, unlike Canada's loonie and toonie, Australians do not distinguish between $1 and $2 coins, and so if you do see a place that requests for a gold coin donation, you could give either $1 or $2 (or nothing, as it's a donation), but most give $2.}} The Australian currency is known as the '''dollar''', denoted by the symbol "'''$'''" or "'''A$'''" (ISO code: '''AUD'''). It is divided into 100 '''cents (c)'''. In this guide, the "$" sign denotes Australian dollars unless otherwise noted. Coins come in denominations of 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, the 12-sided 50¢, $1 and the tiny $2. The pre-2006 New Zealand 5¢, 10¢ and 20¢ coins were virtually identical to their Australian counterparts, save for a different tails side, so it's not uncommon to come across them among your Australian change and you may also encounter SGD coins, particularly 20c coins. Notes come in denominations of $5 (mauve), $10 (blue), $20 (red), $50 (yellow) and $100 (green). $100 notes are rare and sometimes hard to use in shops. Australian notes are printed on plastic polymer rather than paper. If the total of a transaction is not a multiple of 5 cents the amount will be rounded to the nearest five cents if you are paying in cash. The exact amount will be charged if paying by card. The dollar is not pegged to any other currency, and is highly traded on world foreign exchange markets, particularly by currency speculators. Its exchange value to other currencies can be quite volatile, and 1-2% changes in a day are reasonably regular occurrences. ===Currency exchange=== [[File:Australian banknotes in wallet.jpg|thumb|Australian dollar banknotes in a wallet]] As the Australian dollar is considered to be a major world currency, it is widely available at money changers and banks throughout the world. Money changers in Australia operate in a free market, and charge a range of flat commissions, percentage fees, undisclosed fees built into the exchange rate, or a combination of all three. You can avoid rip-off rates by using banks in major centres, and staying clear of airports and tourist centres. However, both the best and worst rates come from the small private sellers, and you can certainly save money over the banks by shopping around. Always get a quote before changing money. You'll usually need to have photo identification with you, although you may be exempt if only changing a small amount. Dedicated currency exchange outlets are widely available in major cities, and banks can also exchange most non-restricted currencies. These exchange outlets - especially the ones at the airport - can charge 10% over the best exchange that can be obtained from shopping around. Australian banks usually offer an exchange rate around 2.5% from the current exchange midpoint. A flat commission of $5–8 can be charged on top. Some outlets advertise commission free exchange, usually accompanied by a worse rate of exchange. Don't assume every bank will offer the same exchange. There are vouchers for commission free exchange at American Express available in the tourist brochure at Sydney Airport. International airport terminals will have teller machines that can dispense Australian currency with Cirrus, Maestro, MasterCard or Visa cards. ===Banking=== Opening an Australian bank account is fairly straightforward if you have a residential address in Australia. You will need to provide evidence of your identity, such as a passport, to the bank in order for your application to be processed. The largest retail banks in Australia are '''[http://www.nab.com.au National Australia Bank (NAB)]''', '''[http://www.anz.com Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ)]''', '''[https://www.commbank.com.au/ Commonwealth Bank]''' and '''[http://www.westpac.com.au/ Westpac]'''. Cash dispensing Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are available in almost every Australian town. Australian ATMs are deregulated and may impose a surcharge over what is charged by your bank or card issuer. The fees can vary between institutions and between locations, but are usually around $2. The ATM will display the charges and you will have the option to stop the transaction before you are charged. Check with your bank as to what additional fees they apply to withdrawals in Australia. ===Costs=== {{infobox|Fast changing currency valuations|The Australian dollar is one of the world's more dynamic currencies, partly because of its relation to commodity prices such as iron and coal. Within the past 10 years the 'Aussie' has swung between 50¢ to $1.50 to the United States dollar, making the cost of visiting range from reasonable to very expensive depending on exactly when you are there.}} Australia is generally an expensive place to visit, with some surveys<!-- Any notable ones, peer reviewed etc?--> having ranked Australia as the third most expensive country in the world in terms of consumer prices, only behind Norway and Switzerland. Dorm accommodation in a capital city is around $30, but can run as low as $15 in Cairns or cheaper backpacker centres. A basic motel in the country or in the capital city suburbs would cost around $100 for a double. City Centre hotel accommodation in capital cities can be obtained for around $150 upwards for a double. Formule 1/Motel 6 style hotels (which are not common) can be around $60–90 for a double. Car hire will cost around $65 a day. Public transport day passes from $9–20 per day depending on the city. A cafe meal costs around $10–15, and a main course in a restaurant goes from around $17 upwards. A basic takeaway meal - a burger, sandwich, or couple of slices of pizza cost $5–10, a Big Mac costs $4.50, and you can usually grab a pie or sausage roll for around $4. A takeaway pizza from Pizza Hut big enough to feed two costs around $10. A middy/pot (285mL) of house beer will cost you around $5, and a glass of house wine around $8 in a low end pub. To take away, a case of 24 cans of beer will cost around $45, or a bottle of wine around $10. An airfare between neighbouring eastern capitals is around $120 each way but can get as low as $60 if you book at the right time, or around $350 to cross the country assuming that you are flexible with dates and book in advance. A train trip on the state run trains will usually cost slightly less. A bus trip, a little less again. A train trip on the private trains will be the most expensive way to travel. There is usually no admission charge to beaches or city parks. Some popular National Parks charge between $6 and $20 per day (per car, or per person depending on the state) while more out of the way National Parks are free. Art Galleries and some attractions are free. Museums generally charge around $10 per admission. Theme parks charge around $70 per person. ===Tax=== Australia has a 10% ''Goods and Services Tax (GST)'' that applies to all goods and services except unprocessed foods, education and medical services. GST is always ''included'' in the displayed price of any consumer purchases. Receipts (tax invoices) will contain the GST amount. ==== Tourist Refund Scheme ==== If you buy goods over $300 at one place at one time you can obtain a refund of the GST if you take the items out of Australia within 60 days and unlike in many other countries, this applies to both Australian citizens and foreigners. Make sure you get a tax invoice from the supplier (which will have the goods itemised, the GST paid, and the ABN of the supplier). Pack the items in hand luggage, and present the item(s) and the receipt at the TRS, after immigration and security when leaving Australia. If any of the items have to be checked in for whatever reason, make sure that you locate the customs office and let customs officers sight the goods before checking-in your bags. Also allow at least an extra 30 minutes before departure, and if possible enter the details online before you arrive at the airport. The refund payment can be made by either cheque, credit to an Australian bank account, or payment to a credit card. There is no refund available for GST on services. Remember the goods are now considered duty-free, and you'll have to pay GST on them if you bring them back into Australia and they are in excess of your duty-free allowances. ===Credit cards=== Credit cards are widely accepted in Australia. Almost all large vendors such as supermarkets accept cards, as do many small stores. '''Visa''' and '''MasterCard''' are the most universally accepted cards, then American Express, then Diners Club with other cards either never or very rarely accepted. American Express and Diners Club are accepted at major supermarket and department store chains. Any card showing the Cirrus or Maestro logos can be used at any terminal displaying those logos. Australian debit cards can also be used via a system known as EFTPOS. Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless credit cards are accepted at virtually all terminals. You will only need to enter a PIN if the purchase is over $200. All Australian credit cards are issued with a PIN. If you have an overseas card without a PIN you can still sign for purchases, however shopkeepers unused to dealing with overseas cards may not be aware of this. Try to have a PIN on your card if your bank allows it. If not, you may have to explain that you have an overseas card and wait while the shopkeeper finds a pen. '''Credit card surcharges''' are imposed at all car rental agencies, travel agents, airlines, and at some discount retailers (such as Aldi) and service stations. They are increasingly common in cafes, bars and restaurants. Surcharges are far more common and higher for American Express and Diners Club (typically 2%-4%) than they are for Visa and MasterCard (typically 1.5%). Businesses are legally required to put a sign up indicating the size of any surcharge they impose. UnionPay credit cards as well as AliPay and WeChat Pay are becoming more common in tourist shops and restaurants due to the rising number of Chinese visitors. It is difficult to use them in other businesses however. ===Haggling=== Bargaining is uncommon in Australian stores, though vendors are usually willing to meet or beat a quote or advertised price from a competing retailer. It's also worth asking for a "best price" for high-value goods or purchases involving several items. For example, it would not be unusual to get 10% off an item of jewelry that was not already reduced in price. The person you are dealing with may have limited authority to sell items at anything other than the marked price. Attempting to haggle without a reason will most likely be perceived as rude in Australia and will be unsuccessful. ===Tipping=== [[Tipping]] is ''not'' customary in Australia, although tips are accepted if you freely choose to give one. Restaurants are required to include the cost of service and taxes in posted prices. You may, however, choose to leave a small tip if the service was exemplary. When paying by credit card, some restaurants give the option of adding a tip to your payment, although it is completely optional. Other places provide a coin jar or bowl by the cashier labelled "Tips", but the vast majority of Australian diners do not leave one. Bartenders are rarely tipped. Other types of service personnel, including hotel staff, porters, tour guides, food delivery drivers and hairdressers do not expect to receive tips. Tipping is also not expected in taxis, and drivers will typically return your change to the last 5 cents, unless you indicate that they should round the fare to the nearest dollar. It is not unusual for passengers to instruct the driver to round up to the next whole dollar. Casinos in Australia generally prohibit tipping of gaming staff, as it is considered bribery. Similarly, offering to tip government officials will usually be interpreted as bribery and can potentially be treated as a criminal offence. ===Trading hours=== [[File:17 Open sign - free stock photo.jpg|thumb|A sign indicating that a shop is open]] [[File:OIC alex hts shops 1b.jpg|thumb|A shopping centre in Perth]] Australia's '''base trading hours''' are Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00. Shops usually have a single night of late night trading, staying open until 21:00 on Fridays in most cities and on Thursdays in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Sunday trading is common in the main cities but does not exist in all rural areas. Opening hours beyond these base hours vary by the type of store, by location, and by state. See our localised guides for more local information. Major supermarket chains in main centres are generally open at least until 21:00 on weekdays (and often until midnight), but generally have reduced hours on weekends. Convenience stores such as 7/11 are open 24 hours in major centres. Fast food restaurant chains are commonly open 24 hours or at least very late. Many food courts in city centres typically close by 4PM and completely close on weekends if targeting office workers, but other eateries and food courts in shopping centres have longer hours. Fuel/service stations are open 24 hours in major centres, but often close at 6pm and on Sundays in country towns. Australia's '''weekend''' is on Saturday and Sunday of each week. Retail trading is now almost universal in larger cities on weekends, although with slightly reduced hours. Again, Western Australia is an exception with restrictions on large stores opening on Sundays. In smaller country towns shops are closed on Sundays and often also on Saturday afternoons. Tourist-oriented towns and shops may stay open longer hours. Tourist areas within cities, such as [[Sydney/Darling Harbour|Darling Harbour]] in Sydney have longer trading hours every night. Australian banks are open Monday-Friday 09:00-16:00 only, often closing at 17:00 on Fridays. Cash is available through Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) 24 hours, and currency exchange outlets have extended hours and are open on weekends. ==Eat== {{see also|Australian cuisine}} Australian cuisine was mainly influenced by its British and Irish colonial heritage until the 1960s and 70s, but with a history of immigration from other parts of Europe like Germany, Italy, Greece and Poland, the influence of these cultures has become more evident in Australian cuisine than its British and Irish beginnings. The large influx of Asian migrants has also left its mark on Australian cuisine, with many Australian chefs incorporating Asian influences in nominally Western dishes. The various Aboriginal ethnic groups have their own distinctive cuisines, though due to the fact that they make extensive use of exotic ingredients, these have for the most part not become a part of mainstream Australian cuisine. Generally speaking, table manners in Australia conform to [[Europe]]an norms. ===Places to eat=== {{infobox|BYO - Bring Your Own|BYO stands for ''Bring Your Own'' (alcohol). In many of the urban communities of Australia you will find small low-cost restaurants that are not licensed to serve but allow diners to bring their own bottle of wine purchased elsewhere. This is frequently much cheaper than ordering a bottle of wine in a restaurant. Beer can be taken to some BYO restaurants, others allow only wine. Expect to pay a corkage fee which can vary from $2–15, or may be calculated by head. BYO is not usually permitted in restaurants that are licensed to sell alcohol.}} {{infobox|Where has Burger King gone?|You'd be surprised to find out that there are zilch Burger Kings in Australia, or at least, zero Burger Kings operating under the name "Burger King". Instead, in Australia, Burger King is called "Hungry Jack's". The name was chosen as there was already a small takeaway called Burger King in Adelaide, and so for trademark reasons, "Burger King" had to choose another name. In 2001, Hungry Jack's did win the rights to use the name "Burger King" as the trademark had expired, but as the name had become established, the chain instead chose to keep its name "Hungry Jack's".}} There is no shortage of places to eat out in the cities and towns. In addition to good restaurants offering cuisine from around the world, there are also the following: * '''Pubs''', the counter lunch is the name for a lunch served in the bar of a pub. Traditionally served only at lunchtime in the lounge. Today most pubs provide lunch and dinner and many have a separate bistro or restaurant. Steak, chicken parmigiana and nachos are common. * '''Clubs''', clubs, such as bowling clubs, leagues clubs, RSLs are in many towns and cities. They are most common in the states of Queensland and New South Wales. Most allow visitors, and sometimes offer good value meals. A membership fee is often required. * '''Cafes''', most towns and suburbs have a cafe or coffee shop, serving breakfast and light meals and cakes throughout the day. Not unusual for them to close after 4PM. * '''Bakeries''', usually a good place to buy bread rolls, a pie or a sausage roll. * '''Fast food restaurants''', McDonald's (or ''Macca's''), Subway and KFC are common. Burger King is rebranded as Hungry Jack's. Red Rooster is an Australian chain, offering barbecued chicken and other mostly chicken-based items and Oporto is an Australian version of Nando's. * '''Take-away''', milk bars, sushi stores and other take-away stores usually sell sushi, pies, barbecued (rotisserie) chicken, hamburgers, fish and chips, gyros, and kebabs. * '''Food courts''', most shopping centres have a food court, even in country towns. * '''Picnic''', the Australian climate is usually amenable to getting whatever food you can, and heading to the nearest park, river, lake or beach. Electric BBQ facilities are often available. * '''Barbecue''', is a popular Australian pastime and many parks in Australia provide free barbecues for public use. Contrary to the stereotype, Australians rarely "Throw a shrimp on the barbie" (also, in Australia a shrimp is more commonly referred to as a prawn). Steaks, chops, sausages, chicken fillets, fish, and kebabs are popularly barbecued. * '''Wineries''', many of Australia's wineries have restaurants serving modern Australian cuisine that overlook their vineyards, where you can also purchase their wines to go with your meal. Typically only open for lunch, though an exception is Penfolds' Magill Estate Restaurant in Adelaide, which only opens for dinner. [[File:Jackadder Lake barbecues.jpg|thumb|Outdoor barbecues at Jackadder Lake, Woodlands, Western Australia. Similar facilities can be found in many parks across Australia.]] [[File:Centre Place Dec 2012.jpg|thumb|Centre Place in Melbourne's CBD is lined with cafes]] ===Native foods=== [[File:Kangaroo fillet.JPG|thumb|Kangaroo fillet at a restaurant in Sydney]] {{see also|Australian cuisine#Indigenous food (bush tucker)}} It may come as a disappointment that native foods are not actually available that much in Australian restaurants, nor consumed by Australians much themselves. They are available in supermarkets and in some of the remoter parts of the country. Traditional Aboriginal diets can include endangered species, the consumption of which is strictly restricted to specific communities and unlikely to be available to you. * '''Kangaroo''', if you fancy some, it is available from many supermarkets and butchers shops. Barbecue it until medium rare, but best not to overcook as it may become quite ''tough''. It tastes much like beef. It occasionally makes it onto the menu in restaurants, mostly in tourist areas. Kangaroos are abundant, do far less damage to the sensitive Australian environment than hoofed animals, and produce far fewer carbon emissions as well. Kangaroo is a great environmental statement to make whilst barbecuing. * '''Crocodile''', meat from farms in the Northern Territory and Queensland is widely available around the top end, and occasionally elsewhere. At Rockhampton, the beef capital of Australia, you can see the ancient reptile on a farm while munching on a croc burger. * '''Emu''', yes, you can eat the other half of the Australian Coat of Arms as well. Emu is low in fat and available in specialty butchers. Try the Coat of Arms in a pie in [[Maleny]] or on a pizza in [[Sydney/The Rocks|The Rocks]]. * '''Bush tucker''', many tours may give you an opportunity to try some bush tucker, the berries, nuts, roots, ants, and grubs from Australia's native bush. '''Macadamia nuts''' are the only native plant to Australia that is grown for food commercially. Some of the other bush foods can be an acquired taste, though native seasonings are certainly worth trying, and are increasingly being featured in Australian fine dining restaurants. Bush tucker ice cream can sometimes be found at farmers' markets and outdoor festivals. ===Beyond cuisine=== [[File:Pavlova Dessert.jpg|thumb|A pavlova garnished with cream and raspberries]] Australia has a good deal of British inspired food that is not well known internationally. Definitely worth a try. '''Vegemite''', a salty yeast-based spread, best spread thinly on toast. If you aren't up for buying a jar, any coffee shop will serve vegemite on toast at breakfast time. It may not even be on the menu, but the vegemite will be out the back in the jar next to the marmalade. If you do buy a jar, the secret is it to spread it very thin, and don't forget the butter as well. It tastes similar to Marmite in the UK or Cenovis in Switzerland. Australians are quite used to the taste, and may spread the Vegemite very thick; but this is not recommended for first-timers. The '''Tim-Tam''' is a chocolate fudge-filled sandwich of two chocolate biscuits, all dipped in chocolate. You can buy a packet (or two) from any supermarket or convenience store. Tim-Tams are required to perform the ''Tim-Tam Slam'' manoeuvre. This requires biting off both ends of the Tim-Tam, then using it as a straw to drink your favourite hot beverage, typically coffee. The hot drink melts the fudge centre and creates an experience hard to describe. Finesse is needed to suck the whole biscuit into your mouth in the microseconds between being fully saturated and dissolving. Tim-Tams are sold in packs of 11, so be sure to agree on the sharing arrangements before buying a packet with your travel partner, or onward travel arrangements may be disrupted. During summer Tim-Tams are often stored in the freezer and eaten ice cold. The '''lamington''' is a cube of sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and dipped in desiccated coconut. It's named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. The home-baked form can be found at a local Saturday morning market, or you can buy one from a bakery if you are desperate. Avoid at all costs the plastic wrapped varieties sold in supermarkets. The '''pavlova''' is a meringue cake with a cream topping usually decorated with fresh fruit. Served on special occasions, or after a lunchtime barbecue. Often the source of dispute with [[New Zealand#Eat|New Zealand]] over the original source of the recipe. '''ANZAC biscuits''' are a mix of coconut, oats, flour, sugar and golden syrup. They were reputedly sent by wives and care organisations to world war I soldiers in care packages, but the story is likely apocryphal. They are available from bakeries, cafes and supermarkets, and are popular in the lead up to ANZAC day (25 April). '''Damper''' is a traditional soda bread that was baked by drovers and stockmen. It has basic ingredients (flour, water and perhaps salt) and usually cooked in the embers of a fire. It is not routinely available in bakeries and only commonly served to tourists on organised tours. Best eaten with butter and jam or golden syrup as it is dry and bland. A '''Chiko roll''' is a deep-fried snack inspired by the egg roll or the spring roll. Despite the name, it contains no chicken. Its filling is boned mutton, vegetables, rice, barley, and seasonings. Its shell is thicker than an egg roll, meant to survive handling at football matches. Available anywhere you can buy fish and chips. The '''Australian Meat Pie''' is considered to be the national dish by many. A variation is the '''pie floater''' from Adelaide which is a pie inverted in a bowl of thick mushy pea soup. ===Other cuisines=== Cuisines widely available in Australia, often prepared by members of the relevant culture, include: * '''British''', Australia's colonial heritage is perhaps best represented by the ubiquity of '''fish and chips''', and virtually every neighbourhood and small town in a coastal area will have a local fish and chips shop. Common types of fish used in Australia include flake (various types of small shark), flathead, barramundi and King George whiting. Unlike in the UK, fish and chips is typically served with ketchup and tartar sauce in Australia. British and Irish style pubs are common throughout populated areas of Australia, although they feature Australian staples such as chicken parmas, schnitzels and pasta. * '''Chinese''', synonymous with the term "takeaway" in the past generations. Many Chinese restaurants still cater to takeaway addicts today, mostly of the Australianised Chinese variety, but major cities have small "Chinatowns" or suburbs with a large number of ethnic Chinese residents, that have excellent restaurants serving authentic Chinese food. Cantonese Dim Sum is available in dedicated restaurants in most large shopping malls. * '''Thai''' restaurants have exploded in number over the past decade. Sydney in particular is known as one of the best destinations for Thai food in the world. * '''Italian''', the Italian community is one of the largest ethnic communities of non Anglo-Saxon origin in Australia, and they have contributed greatly to the cafe culture that has flourished across the major cities over the past few decades. Restaurants either serve Italian food that has been adapted to suit Australian tastes, or authentic regional Italian food, with the latter tending to be pricier and in more upmarket surrounds. Head to Lygon street in Melbourne or Leichhardt in Sydney if you're a fan. * '''Greek''' is not quite as widespread as Italian above, but good options exist in every city and town. * '''Lebanese''' and other Middle Eastern, especially in Sydney. A '''Manoosh''' is a tasty pizza variation that is somewhat more healthy as well. ** A fusion dish that's becoming increasingly popular nationwide is the '''halal snack pack''' (also known by many alternate names). It consists of halal-certified doner kebab meat (originating from Turkey) and chips, covered by any of a wide variety of sauces and often cheese. Typically served in styrofoam containers as a takeaway dish. In Adelaide, the AB is similar to the halal snack pack of the eastern states, but it usually not halal. * '''Indian''' is available in most cities, and often represent a good mid-range restaurant option. * '''Japanese''', including bento takeaway shops, udon restaurants and sushi trains. They are often operated by '''Koreans''', whose own cuisine is also well represented in the major cities. * '''Vietnamese''', Pho and Cha Gio (spring rolls) are easy to find in the major cities. * '''German''', South Australia and Queensland in particular have had a long history of German settlement, and German restaurants can be found in major cities and in country towns that were historically settled by Germans. The '''schnitzel''' is a German dish that has been Australianised and is widely available in pubs and cafes throughout the country, though unlike German schnitzels, which are usually made of pork, Australian schnitzels are usually made of chicken or beef. A good selection of German or German-inspired sausages is also available at many butchers. * '''Asian fusion''' refers generally to Asian-inspired dishes. ===Modern Australian=== Modern Australian is a recently developed cuisine that is often seen in [[fine dining]] establishments, analogous to Modern American cuisine in the United States. This cuisine mixes cooking styles and flavours from different parts of Europe and Asia, paying homage to the diverse origins of Australia's population, and often incorporates native Australian flavours from the bush as well. ===Vegetarian=== Eating vegetarian is available in Australia and many restaurants offer at least one or two vegetarian dishes. Some will have an entire vegetarian menu section. Vegans may have more difficulty but any restaurant with a large vegetarian menu should offer some flexibility. In large cities and in the coastal backpacker-friendly towns along the east coast, you will find vegetarian and vegan restaurants. The market town of [[Kuranda]] or the seaside towns of [[Byron Bay]] are a vegetarian's paradise. In other regional areas especially in the Northern Territory, North Western Australia and north Queensland vegetarians are often poorly catered-for, but most towns will have a Chinese or Thai restaurant that will provide steamed rice and vegetables. Sydney and Melbourne in particular cater well for vegans and vegetarians with a lot of purely vegetarian restaurants, vegan clothing stores and vegan supermarkets. Quick vegetarian options include: * 'Smashed Avo' is a mix of avocado and feta cheese, served on toast and with an egg. A popular breakfast option and (unfairly) associated with free spending millennials. * Sushi rolls and tofu pockets, available at sushi shops everywhere * Vietnamese spring rolls (Bahn Mi) are also readily available with vegetarian fillings * Korean restaurants offer rice bowls (such as Bibimbap) with no meat * Pie shops of spinach rolls (filled with spinach and ricotta cheese) * Most food halls have a dedicated salad counter More remote outback areas may have very few vegetarian options (lots of processed meat pies and little else), so it is worth packing some vegetarian supplies before you go. ===Religious diets=== People observing kosher or halal will easily be able to find specialist butchers in the capital cities, and will also find a number of restaurants with appropriate menus and cooking styles. Outside the capital cities, it will be much more difficult to find food prepared in a strict religious manner. Fast food chains often offer Halal certified meals in areas with high Muslim populations in Western Sydney and Melbourne. ===Allergies=== Australian restaurants generally provide options for people with common allergies such as nuts and seafood. Ask the waitstaff if in doubt. The '''gluten free''' diet fad has spread to Australia, and there is no shortage of gluten free products in supermarkets, bakeries and restaurants, albeit often at higher prices than the regular versions of those products. ===Markets=== [[File:SydFishMarkets.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets]] Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market, Adelaide's Central Market and the Fremantle Markets near Perth are perhaps Australia's best known examples of traditional European-style food markets. The Sydney Fish Market is one of the most iconic traditional seafood markets in the world. All of the capital cities and most regional towns in Australia host a "farmer's market", which is generally held each week in a designated area on a Saturday or Sunday. These markets mostly sell fresh fruits and vegetables, as hygiene regulations in Australia forbid the selling of meat directly from market stalls. Butchers who set up shop at a farmer's market would usually trade their wares from a display cabinet within their boot (trunk). The attraction of markets is the lower prices and freshness of the produce. The attraction for the traveller will be the cheap and excellent fruits on offer - depending on the region and season (in places like Queensland or the Northern Territory, you're more likely to find mangoes while down in Tasmania you're much more likely to find apples). In regional areas the market is usually held outside the town itself in an empty paddock or sports field, markets in capital cities are easier to reach but the prices are typically more in line with those you would find in supermarkets. See the destination guides for details. ==Drink== ===Beer=== Drinking '''beer''' is ingrained in Australian culture. Although Fosters is promoted as an Australian beer overseas, it is rarely consumed by Australians in Australia, and is almost impossible to find. Beers are strongly regional and every state has its own brews: Coopers and West End in South Australia, Carlton and VB in Victoria, Tooheys in NSW, XXXX (pronounced "fourex") in Queensland, Boags and Cascade in Tasmania, and Swan in Western Australia. There are also local microbrew choices, which can be harder to find, but are often worth seeking out. A range of imported European and American bottled beers are available in all but the most basic pub. [[File:XXXX Brewery Milton.jpg|thumb|The XXXX Brewery in Brisbane]] Light (Lite) beer refers to lower alcoholic content, and not lower calories. It has around half the alcohol of full strength beer, and is taxed at a lower rate, meaning it is also cheaper than full strength beer. Low calorie beer is sold as ''low carb''. Because Australians like their beer to stay cold while they drink it, draft beer glasses come in a multitude of sizes, so that you can drink a whole glass before it warms up in the summer heat. The naming of beer glasses varies widely from state to state, often in confusing ways: a '''schooner''' is 425mL everywhere except South Australia, where it's only 285mL, a size that's known elsewhere as a '''middy''' or '''pot''', except in Darwin where it's a '''handle''', but in Adelaide a "pot" means a 570mL full pint, and a ''pint'' means what a ''schooner'' does elsewhere, and... you get the idea. The local beers and the local descriptions are covered in detail in the state guides. Bottle naming is a little easier: the standard sizes across Australia are the 375 ml '''stubby''' and the 750mL '''long neck''', or '''tallie'''. Cans of beer are known as '''tinnies''', and 24 of them make up a '''slab''', '''box''', '''carton''', '''bag''' or '''case'''. ===Wine=== Australia produces quality wine on a truly industrial scale, with large multinational brands supplying Australian bottleshops and exporting around the world. There are also a multitude of boutique wineries and smaller suppliers. Very good red and white wine can be bought very cheaply in Australia, often at less than $10 a bottle, and even the smallest shop could be expected to have 50 or more varieties to choose from. The areas of the [[Barossa Valley]] (near Adelaide), [[Hunter Valley]] (near Sydney), [[Yarra Valley]] (near Melbourne) and [[Margaret River]] (near Perth) are particularly renowned for their wineries and opportunities for cellar door sampling, but northern Victoria and [[Mudgee]] also have a large variety. You are never too far from a wine trail anywhere in southern Australia. Try the local wines wherever you can find them, and ask for local recommendations. Try not to get taken in by the label, or the price tag. The best wine is rarely the one with the best artwork, or the most expensive price. However, it is probably wise to avoid the house wine if it comes straight from a cask (4-litre container). Wines at the cellar door are almost invariably sold at around 20% premium to the same wine in the shops in the local town. If you still prefer overseas wines, the [[Marlborough (New Zealand)|Marlborough]] region of New Zealand is usually well represented on wine lists and in bottle shops in Australia. See also [[Grape grazing in Australia]]. ===Spirits=== Bundaberg Rum (''Bundy'') is an Australian dark rum particularly popular in Queensland and many Queenslanders will not touch any other brand of rum. It is probably the most famous Australian made spirit, mass-produced in [[Bundaberg]] and available everywhere. For many years one had to search to find other Australian distilled spirits, mostly from niche players, but there are distilleries in every state of Australia if you look hard enough and more are popping up all the time&ndash;Adelaide gin distilleries 75° and the Adelaide Gin Company have grown in esteem over the past few years. The tiny Sullivan's Cove distillery in Tasmania made waves in 2014 when one of their whiskies was named the World's Best Single Malt, kicking off a mini-boom in Australian whisky, and they repeated the feat in 2018 and 2019. If $8,000 for a bottle of their 2014 French Oak is a bit steep, drop into the Lark Distillery on the scenic [[Hobart]] waterfront precinct, book a gin blending experience at Archie Rose in Sydney, pick up a bottle of 151 East Vodka in [[Wollongong]] or after a few days in [[Kununurra]] you are definitely going to need an Ord River Rum. Mixed drinks are also available, particularly vodka, scotch, bourbon and other whiskey mixers. Spirits are also available as pre-mixed bottles and cans but are subject to higher taxation in this form, so it is cheaper to mix them yourself. Spirits are served in all pubs and bars, but not in all restaurants. A basic spirit and mixer (vodka and orange juice for example) will cost you about $7 at a bar or nightclub, but can vary ~$5–12. ===Legal aspects=== The legal drinking age throughout Australia is '''18 years'''. It is illegal either to purchase alcohol for yourself if you are under 18 years of age or to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18 years of age. The only legally acceptable proof-of-age documentation are an Australian drivers licence, state-issued proof-of-age card, [https://auspost.com.au/id-and-document-services/apply-for-a-keypass-id Keypass card] or a passport, and it would be wise to carry one if you want to purchase alcohol or tobacco and look under 25 - vendors will frequently ask for ID for anybody who looks to be 25 or younger. In Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, foreign drivers licences and foreign ID cards are '''NOT''' legally acceptable as proof of age documentation, and people who are unable to produce a passport or valid Australian ID will be refused service. Only actual ID documents will be accepted - photographs or photocopies will NOT be accepted. It is illegal to go into a gambling area of a pub or club when under 18. Often there is a lounge, restaurant or bistro area in a pub or club that permits under-age people provided they are accompanied by a responsible adult over 18 and don't approach the bar or wander around. Some city pubs even have video games and playgrounds for children. Some country pubs have large open areas out in the back where kids can run and play. In general, you can take alcohol (say a bottle of wine or beer) to consume at a park or beach. Alcohol consumption is banned in some public places as 'street drinking'. These are often indicated by signs and is particularly the case in parks and footpaths where public drunkenness has been a problem. However, if you are a family with your picnic basket and blanket out at lunchtime with a bottle of wine, you are unlikely to encounter any problems. Alcohol can be purchased for consumption on premises only in '''licensed venues''': pubs, clubs and many restaurants. You can purchase alcohol for private consumption in '''bottle shops''', which are separate stores selling bottled alcohol. In some states you can buy alcohol in '''supermarkets'''. In those states where you can't, bottle shops and major supermarkets are often found in very close proximity. Although licensing laws and hours vary from state to state, and individual stores have different trading hours, as a rule of thumb, alcohol is generally available in towns to take-away seven days a week, 08:00-23:00, from bottle shops, supermarkets, licensed grocers/milk-bars and pubs. Outside of these hours though, it is almost impossible to buy alcohol to take home; unless you're in the middle of Sydney or Melbourne, so if you're planning on a party at home; it's a good idea to stock up and check on the local trading hours so you don't run out at 00:30 with no opportunity to buy more. Alcohol is not available at petrol stations or 24-hour convenience stores anywhere in Australia. Public drunkenness varies in acceptability. You will certainly find a great deal of it in close proximity to pubs and clubs at night time but much less so during the day. Public drunkenness is an offence but you would only likely ever be picked up by the police if you were causing a nuisance. You may spend the night sobering up in a holding cell or be charged. '''Driving while affected by alcohol''' is stigmatized, policed by random breath-testing police patrols in Australia, and inherently dangerous. Drink driving is a very serious offence in Australia, punishable by a range of mechanisms including loss of licence. The acceptable maximum blood alcohol concentration is 0.05% Australia-wide, often lower or not allowed for operators of heavy vehicles and young or novice drivers. Police officers are also empowered to randomly test drivers for the recent use of prohibited drugs. Refusing any of these tests is a criminal offence. The operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of prohibited drugs or alcohol will always result in arrest and a required court appearance many weeks from the date of arrest and it can comprehensively disrupt travel plans. Random breath-testing is common early Saturday and Sunday mornings, and many people are caught the morning after. ===A shout=== [[File:Birdsville Hotel.jpg|thumb|The Birdsville Hotel in far western Queensland]] Buying a round of drinks is a custom in Australia, as in many corners of the world. It is generally expected in a pub that when you arrive and make your first trip to the bar that you will offer to buy a drink for others you are drinking with. Similarly this will likely be done to you when someone else joins the group. This is called ''a shout'', and incurs an obligation that you will generally return the favour in a following round, and that also you will generally maintain the same drinking pace as your associates in the round throughout the evening. If someone in the same round as you has an empty glass, who is ahead of you in drinks bought, you should declare that it is your shout, and make your way to the bar. If someone offers to buy you a drink, but does not offer to buy for the person who already has bought you a drink, you should say you are already in a shout, and decline. If they buy you and the people in your round a drink, they have joined the shout. Its generally not polite to switch between shouts during an evening. It you are in a large shout, and you decline a drink, you still have to buy a drink for the round when it comes to your turn. You are well advised if you wish to skip a round, to do so on your shout. It is generally poorly received to buy a round, and then to refuse a drink when one is purchased for you. Often the drink will just be bought for you without even asking. Don't be surprised if someone who bought you a drink earlier in the night, later says that it is your shout. Not joining a shout can be awkward in some groups. The best way is to say you are driving, and you will buy your own drinks. This is also an acceptable way to drop out after one round, when the score is even. ===Non-alcoholic=== '''Milo''' is a malt and chocolate drink now made by Nestlé that was invented in Australia, and has since become immensely popular in parts of [[Southeast Asia]]. It can be found in any Australian supermarket. Australia has a strong coffee culture, especially Melbourne, a city with extensive Italian immigration. The joke is that Italians visiting Melbourne think the coffee is worse than their home city's, but better than every other city in Italy. Even service stations and fast food places will sell decent coffee. However, because of the strong preference for local coffee shops, many of the major chains in other countries don't exist -- Starbucks has a tiny handful of stores in Melbourne and Sydney, and none elsewhere in the country. Don't be taken aback by the lack of chains; try the local flavour instead! ==Learn== {{Main|Studying abroad#Australia}} Australia is a popular destination for University students, especially from [[East Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]] and [[India]]. Australia offers world class universities in an English speaking environment, along with potential opportunities to actually gain resident and work visas on a path to citizenship. If you are intending to study in Australia, you will need to be on a visa class that allows this. Students and academics invited to visit Australian universities will generally also need an appropriate visa, even if their visit is of a short enough period to be covered by a tourist electronic visa. For very short term or part-time courses, check with your Australian consulate or embassy. Australia also happens to be a great place to get Barista certification, with graduates being maybe able to command higher wages in coffee shops back in their home countries. Such courses can usually be conducted on a standard tourist visa. ==Sleep== [[File:Camping by the Yarrangobilly River - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Camping by the Yarrangobilly River, NSW]] Accommodation is readily available in most Australian cities and tourist destinations. As with everything else in Australia, it tends to be on the expensive side by international standards. ===Hotels=== {{infobox|When is a hotel not a hotel?|In Australian English, a '''hotel''' can also refer to what most of the rest of the world would call a '''pub'''. While country hotels (pubs) tend to have accommodation on site, most city hotels do not. A country hotel that does not have a public bar is typically called a '''motel'''.}} All state capitals have a number of 4 or 5 star standard hotels, often with upmarket restaurants, bars, room-service, and other premium hospitality services. Other 2 or 3 star hotels are scattered around the inner-cities and inner suburbs. Best to check local guides and reviews to know what you are in for. Most hotels offer internet connectivity, occasionally for an inflated fee. Most hotels (distinct from the country pubs known as hotels) have private bathroom facilities. It isn't unknown for all options to run out during major events in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. ===Pubs=== [[File:BendigoShamrockHotel.JPG|thumb|Bendigo's Shamrock Hotel]] Most pubs in Australia offer some form of accommodation. It can vary from very basic shabby rooms, to newly renovated boutique accommodation. The price is usually a good reflection of what you are in for. It is still quite unusual to have a private bathroom, even in the nicer pubs. The rooms are often on the second floor directly above the bar area and can be noisy, particularly on Fri/Sat nights. Outside of the major centres, the pub is called a '''Hotel'''. A motel won't have a public bar. A motel that does have a bar attached is called a Hotel/Motel. In very small towns local pubs offer the only accommodation available to travellers. Accommodation in these pubs tends to be budget-style with shared bathrooms but private rooms. Pub accommodation is even available in the centre of [[Sydney]], making getting back to your room after a beer a simple endeavour. If you travel as a single, and want a private room, pubs usually have single rooms at a discount over a double room. Most motels will charge the same price for one or two people sharing a room. ===Motels=== Typically, motel-style accommodation will have a private room with a bed or number of beds, and a private shower and toilet. Many motels have family rooms, that will usually have a double bed and two single beds in the one room. Motel rooms in the cities will generally cost upwards from $80. Usually the cost is the same for one or two adults, with any extra people charged an additional fee. Prices for additional children can range from free to $20 per child. During quiet times its not unusual for motels to offer standby discounts. Most motels will serve a cooked or continental breakfast to your room in the morning, for an additional charge. Some may have a restaurant or serve an evening meal. Some may have a toaster in the room and kettles are widely provided. Some motels however, do not have a private bathroom. For one, a little bit of an upgrade will get you this. ===Hostels and backpackers=== [[Hostels|Budget hostel-style accommodation]] with shared bathrooms and often with dormitories is approximately $20–30 per person per night. Facilities usually include a fully equipped kitchen with adequate refrigeration and food storage areas. Most hostels also have living room areas equipped with couches, dining tables, and televisions. There are several backpacker hostel chains in Australia. If you are staying many nights in the same brand of hostel, consider their discount cards, which usually offer a loyalty bonus on accommodation, and other attraction and tour discounts negotiated by the chain. ===Holiday parks=== Holiday parks are an Australian holiday institution and a great way to stay if you have your own wheels. These are basically an upgraded version of '''caravan parks''', but as the new marketing indicates, they now cater to regular travellers as well. A typical holiday park offers the following types of accommodation: * '''Cabins''' fully equipped with bedding, kitchens, TV, wifi and more, for travellers without their own home on wheels. Most can house 4 or more people with rates starting from around $100/night. * '''Powered sites''' for parking your caravan/campervan/motorhome/RV. Some parks offer '''ensuite sites''' featuring a little bathroom with shower & toilet. * '''Unpowered sites''' are for those intending to pitch their own tent, starting from around $20/night. Regardless of where you stay, the price includes access to communal facilities including BBQs, showers, kitchens, self-service laundries, pools, tennis courts and jumping pillows. The largest park chains covering the country are [https://topparks.com.au Top Parks/Discovery Parks] and [https://www.big4.com.au/ Big 4], but there are also plenty of independent options. There are a couple of caveats to holiday parks: * They're typically located on the outskirts of towns, so they're not very practical unless you have your vehicle. * Most cater to families, which is great if you have kids, but not so much if you're looking for peace and quiet. * During school holidays, parks tend to jack up their rates and require multiple-night minimum stays, and the best ones sell out anyway. * If you change your mind, too bad, since reservations are typically nonrefundable. ===Camping=== Camping is a popular pastime. In addition to camping at [[#Holiday parks|holiday parks]], national parks often provide cheap or free camping sites, which expect you to be more self-sufficient. Often toilets are provided and sometimes cold showers. Paid camping permits are sometimes required at popular parks, with some popular spots filling up during the holidays in summer. In Australia it is common to be within an hour's drive of a national park or recreation area that will permit some form of camping, even in the capital cities. Expect to pay around $5–10 per night per person for a camping permit, and national park admission fees in the more popular national parks (e.g.: Wilsons Promontory National Park, Kosciuszko National Park, etc.), however entry and camping is free in the majority of national parks further from population and tourist centres. Some other camping areas are run by government or even local landowners. Expect around $10 per person per night, depending on the time of year. You can try your luck sleeping on a beach or pitching a tent overnight in a highway rest area, or out in the bush for a free bed. Most rest areas and beaches prohibit camping and many even prohibit overnight parking to discourage this. Generally the closer you are to civilization or a tourist area, the greater the chance of being hassled by the authorities. Camping in state forests is often preferable to national parks if you're after a camping experience over sightseeing, as collecting of your own fire wood is allowed (sometimes felling of trees is permissible dependent on the area) and camping is not restricted to camp sites. Some other activities that are generally allowed in state forests that are not allowed in national parks are: bringing in dogs/pets, open fires, motorbikes and four-wheel driving. State forests are generally free to stay in, although you will need to check locally if public access is allowed. ===Farm stay=== Much as the name suggests, this usually involves a cabin or homestead accommodation on a working property. Suited for a stay of two or more days, this accommodation usually allows you to get a little involved in the running of the farm if you wish. It is common for dinner to be provided in the homestead, and a breakfast pack to be provided to your cabin. ===Holiday home=== Holiday homes are homes rented by their owners, often using local real estate agents or specialised web sites. Sometimes located in prime positions, but also sometimes in the residential sections of cities and towns. Minimum rental periods of at least 2 days usually apply, rising to a week during periods when they are busy. At a minimum will have bedrooms, a lounge, bathroom. ===[[Bed and Breakfasts]]=== [[File:HentyCentralHotel.JPG|thumb|250px|The Henty Central Hotel in the New South Wales town of Henty provides bed and breakfast accommodation. Many country towns have similar hotels.]] Bed and Breakfasts tend to be a premium form of accommodation in Australia, often focused on weekend accommodation for couples. They certainly don't offer the discount form of accommodation they do in part of the [[United Kingdom]], and the local motel will usually be cheaper. Sometimes extra rooms in a person's home, but often a purpose built building. You should expect a cosy, well kept room, a common area, and a cooked breakfast. Possibly private facilities. Substantial discounts often apply for mid-week stays at bed and breakfasts. ===Resorts=== There are many true resorts around Australia. Many have lagoon pools, tennis, golf, kids clubs, and other arranged activities. The island of the [[Whitsundays]] have a choice of resorts, some occupying entire islands. [[Port Douglas]] also has many resorts of a world standard. ===Serviced apartments=== Serviced apartments are a very popular form of accommodation in Australia, with all capital and most regional cities having multiple such hotels. These often include hotels located in prime positions in the centre of town. Guests are typically able to stay for as little as one night, and discounts are often available for bookings of a week and over. Rooms tend to be larger than in standard hotels, and amenities typically include a kitchen, washer and dryer, and separate bedrooms. Apartment hotels generally don't offer breakfast or have a restaurant, but there are usually cafes located nearby (often next door) which cater to guests. ===Houseboats=== Houseboats are available to rent on some scenic rural rivers, and provide an excellent opportunity to spend time in the wilderness. These usually have kitchens in them so you can bring your own food to cook. ===Station wagons and vans=== In most parts of Australia it is illegal to sleep in your vehicle but it is possible to get around this by simply rigging up curtains all around the windows so no one can see in from the outside. Trade vans can be picked up for as little as $1,000, with a more trustworthy van setting you back no more than $3,000-4,000. Add a mattress, pillow, portable gas cooker, cookware and a 20 L water container and you are off. If you get caught the fine could be as much as $150 each, so do it at you own risk. But if you are strategic in where you stay you probably won't get caught. Just be sensible and don't disturb the locals. Also, be aware of parking restrictions in certain parts of the cities and town, although overnight parking restrictions are rare. The parking inspectors can be ruthless and a $100+ fine is not uncommon. All cities and towns in Australia have free public toilets. Many parks, and most beaches have free electric barbecues as well. Popular beaches have fresh water showers to wash the salt water off after you swim, so for those on a tight budget (or for those that just love waking up at the beach) simply wash in the ocean (please do not pollute the ocean or waterways by using detergents or soaps) and rinse off at the showers. Almost all taps in Australia are drinking water, the ones that aren't will be marked. Service stations (petrol/gas) almost always have taps, so these are a good place to refill the water containers each time you refuel. Some of the best experiences you may have in Australia will be by taking that road on the map that looks like it heads to a beach, creek, waterfall or mountain and following it. You may just find paradise and not another soul in sight. And lucky you, you've got a bed, food and water right there with you. Travelling in a small group lowers the fuel bill per head, as this will likely be your biggest expense. Enjoy, and respect the land by taking your rubbish/bottles/cigarette butts with you and disposing of them properly. ==Work== Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent residents of Australia can work in Australia without any further permits, but others will require a work visa. It is illegal for foreigners to undertake paid work in Australia on a tourist visa. Be aware that any form of compensation for services performed, monetary or otherwise (e.g. room and board), counts as payment in Australia, meaning that such work would be illegal on a tourist visa. Volunteer work is allowed provided it is incidental to the trip (i.e. not the main purpose for the trip). Foreigners in Australia on a student visa are allowed to work for up to 20 hours a week during term time, and full-time during the school holidays. Working illegally in Australia runs a very real risk of arrest, imprisonment, deportation and being permanently banned from re-entering Australia. All visitors who do not hold Australian permanent residency or citizenship (including New Zealand citizens who aren't also Australian permanent residents or citizens) are not allowed to access Australian social security arrangements for the unemployed, and will have limited, or more usually, no access to the Australian government's health care payment arrangements. ===Payment and taxes=== Most Australian employers pay via direct deposit to Australian bank accounts and therefore you should open a bank account as soon as possible. Some banks allow you to open account from abroad, for example Commonwealth Bank and HSBC. You should also apply for a '''[http://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/ Tax File Number (TFN)]''' as soon as possible. You can apply on-line for free at the [http://www.ato.gov.au/ Australian Tax Office website], though you can generally get it quicker if you just go to one of their offices. You can start working without one, but you are advised to get one as soon as possible as your employer would have to withhold tax from your salary at the highest rate should you not provide one. Register your TFN with your bank as soon as possible, otherwise any interest you accrue will be taxed at the highest rate. The Australian financial year runs from 1st July to 30th June, and tax returns for each financial year are due on 30th October, four months after the accounting period ends. Check with Australian tax agents about Australian tax liability and filing an Australian tax return. Australian employers will make compulsory payments out of your earnings to an Australian superannuation (retirement savings) fund on your behalf. Visitors on temporary working visas who are not citizens of Australia or New Zealand should claim this money when they leave Australia. This payment is known as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) and you can [https://applicant.tr.super.ato.gov.au/applicants/default.aspx?pid=1 apply online]. New Zealand citizens can transfer their superannuation money to their New Zealand KiwiSaver account; contact your provider to arrange this. ===Working holidaymaker scheme=== [[File:CSIRO ScienceImage 4714 CSIRO Precision Viticulture Trial site in the Eden Valley SA March 2004.jpg|thumb|Vineyards in South Australia]] Australia has a working holidaymaker program for citizens of certain countries between 18 and 30 years of age. It allows you to stay in Australia for 12 months from the time you first enter. You may work during that time, but only for 6 months at any one employer. The idea is for you to take a holiday subsidised by casual or short-term jobs. If you're interested in a working holiday, some useful skills and experience might be: office skills to be used for temp work; or hospitality skills to be used for bar or restaurant work. An alternative is seasonal work like fruit picking, although much seasonal work will require that you work outside the major cities. Working for 3 months in seasonal work will allow you to apply for a second 12-month visa. You can apply online for a '''[https://www.ecom.immi.gov.au/visas/jsp/index.jsp?visaType=WORKING_HOLIDAY working holiday visa]''', but you must ''not'' be in Australia at the time. It takes just a few hours to process usually and it costs about $440 (as of March 2017). On arriving in Australia ask for the working holiday visa to be "evidenced", so you can show your future employer. It's recommended to arrive in Australia with sufficient funds which is a minimum of $5000 if you are on a working holiday visa. The cost of living in Australia is quite high and it may take a few days or weeks to get a job. ===Work visas=== Work visas in Australia change frequently and sometimes without any notice, so always check with your local Australian High Commission, Consulate or Embassy and the [http://www.immi.gov.au/ Immigration Department's website]. The most straightforward way to get a work visa (subclass 457, 186 & 187) is to find an Australian employer who will sponsor you. Your employer will need to demonstrate that they cannot hire anyone with your skills in Australia. Locally advertised jobs are usually explicit in requiring a valid work visa before your application can be considered. Getting the visa might take a couple of months from the beginning of the application process and you will need a medical examination by a doctor approved by the immigration officials before it can be granted (among other things, you will need a chest x-ray to show that you do not have tuberculosis). An employer with a good background and efficient immigration lawyers could get your 457 approved within a week. Your work visa will only be valid for the employer who sponsored you and you will have to leave within 30 days of your employment ending. Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) visa (subclass 187) is the easiest employer nominated visa to acquire, although you will have to live and work in a designated 'regional' area. These areas are mostly rural and far removed from the larger cities, although [[Adelaide]] does count in this scheme. Skilled independent visas (subclass 189, 190, 489) may be pursued if you have a valuable specialised skill and don't want to be tied to a specific employer. There is also a temporary graduate visa (subclass 485) which allows graduates of Australian universities to stay on and work in Australia, and is usually valid anywhere from 18 months to 4 years depending on your level of education, and your major. Your major must be from a list of skilled occupations for which there is a labour shortage in Australia. This list is updated every year, and whether or not you qualify for this visa is dependent on the list at the time of your graduation, ''not'' at the time you begin your studies. ===Immigration=== You can apply to immigrate as a skilled person or business person, but this process will take longer than receiving a work visa. You can also apply for permanent residency as the holder of a work or study visa, but your application will not be automatically accepted. If you have a lot of money, there are several investor's visas available which allow you to live in Australia with a view of obtaining permanent residency. After four years of legal residency which must include one year as a permanent resident, you are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship. ===Volunteering=== There are several volunteer opportunities in Australia. Many worldwide organisations offer extended travel for those wanting to volunteer their time to work with locals on projects such as habitat restoration, wildlife sanctuary maintenance & development, scientific research, & education programs such as [http://www.australianvolunteers.com '''Australian Volunteers'''], [http://www.wwf.org.au '''World Wildlife Fund'''], [http://www.gap360.com '''Gap 360'''], [https://www.godiscoverabroad.com/ '''Go Discover Abroad''']and [http://www.xtremegapyear.co.uk '''Xtreme Gap Year''']. ==Respect== Unless you are actively trying to insult someone, a traveller is unlikely to insult or cause offence to an Australian through any kind of cultural ignorance. Australian modes of address tend towards the familiar. It is acceptable and normal to use first names in all situations, even to people many years your senior. Many Australians are fond of using and giving nicknames - even to recent acquaintances. It is likely being called such a name is an indication that you are considered a friend and as such it would be rare they are being condescending. It is generally acceptable to wear revealing clothing in Australia. Bikinis and swimming attire are okay on the beach, and usually at the kiosk across the road from the beach. It is normal to wear at least a shirt and footwear before venturing any further. Most beaches are effectively top optional (topless) while sunbathing. Just about all women wear a top while walking around or in the water. There are some clothing optional (nude) beaches, usually a little further removed from residential areas. Thong bikinis (more commonly called g-string bikinis in Australia as thongs refer to flip-flop footwear) are fine on all beaches and some outdoor pools for women and men, although they are not as common as conventional beachwear. Some outdoor pools have a "top required" policy for women. Cover up a little more when visiting places of worship such as churches. In warm conditions casual "t-shirt and shorts" style clothing predominates except in formal situations. Business attire, however, is considered to be long sleeved shirt, tie, and long trousers for men, even in the hottest weather. Using [[Australian slang|Australian stereotypical expressions]] may be viewed as an attempt to mock, rather than to communicate. If you pull it off well, you might raise a smile. Australians are often self-deprecating; however, it is rude to ever agree with a self-deprecating remark. Boasting about achievements is rarely received well. Social classes do not feature as prominently in Australia as they do in many other countries, and you will notice that tradespeople and manual labourers are very well paid and accorded a lot more respect in Australia than elsewhere. Be careful not to imply that you are looking down on people whose jobs may be considered menial by the standards of other countries. Service workers, including hotel staff, waiters, cleaners, taxi drivers and shop employees, expect that customers will treat them as equals. Most Australians are happy to help out a lost traveller with directions, however many urban dwellers will assume that someone asking "excuse me", is asking for money, and may brush past. Looking lost, holding a map, looking like a backpacker or getting to the point quickly helps. ===Indigenous Australians === [[File:Ayers Rock 2004 - panoramio (2).jpg|thumb|Uluru]] [[Indigenous Australian culture|Aboriginal Australians]] likely arrived in the Australian landmass 65,000 years ago and number over half a million people today. They have faced significant discrimination over the years since European settlement took their traditional lands, and sensitivity should be given at all times. Aboriginal people actually come from many different 'nations' with distinctive cultures and identities that spoke up to 250 different languages before European settlement. Many areas of Aboriginal land are free to enter. Some areas carry a request from the Aboriginal people not to enter, and you may choose yourself whether or not to honour or respect that request. Uluru holds great spiritual significance to the Anangu people, who live in the area; while climbing it used to be a popular tourist activity, it has been '''illegal''' since October 2019. The Anangu feel themselves responsible if someone is killed or injured on their land (as has happened many times during the climb), so please keep off. Some Aboriginal land requires permission or a permit, and some areas are protected and illegal to enter. You should check before making plans to travel off the beaten track. Permits are usually just a formality for areas which regularly see visitors, or if you have some other business in the area you are travelling through. Often they are just an agreement to respect the land you are travelling on as Aboriginal land. Some Aboriginal Land Councils make them available online. If you need to refer to race, the politically correct term is ''Indigenous Australians''. ''Aboriginal people'' is usually okay and referring to sacred sites and land as Aboriginal sites, or Aboriginal land is okay too, though these terms only refer to people indigenous to mainland Australia or Tasmania. Avoid using ''Aboriginal'' as a noun to describe a person, as some people see negative connotations in this. The terms "Aborigine" or "Abo" are deeply offensive and should never be used. The word ''native'' generally not a preferred term, but reasonably acceptable – just use ''indigenous'' instead. People indigenous to the [[Torres Strait Islands]] do not identify as "Aboriginal", as they are more ethnically Melanesian than their southern neighbours; just stick to the term ''Torres Strait Islander''. Other areas to consider when interacting with indigenous Australians are: * Australia Day is considered a day of invasion by many Aboriginal people, and consequential protests against that day is frequent. * It is best not to mention the name, nor show any image of a deceased person to an indigenous Australian. Though Aboriginal custom varies, it is best to avoid the possibility of offence. * Permission to photograph an Aboriginal person should always be asked, but in particular in the more remote areas such as [[Arnhem Land]] and [[Northern Territory]]. * Avoid disrespecting sacred Aboriginal places like climbing on Uluru or the Three Sisters etc. While this may sound obvious that it's disrespectful, the number of indigenous sites that have been damaged, vandalised, or even destroyed by tourists is quite unimaginable. * While indigenous Australians have been given equal rights on paper, they are still often arrested or pulled over by a cop for things that a non-indigenous person wouldn't usually get arrested for. Talking about this subject may be highly sensitive, and to this day, there's a case every now and then of Aboriginal people, particularly children getting assaulted by police. This topic should be '''avoided whenever possible'''. ===Religion=== Contemporary Australian society is rather secular, and only a minority of Australians go to church regularly. Most Australians are tolerant towards people of all faiths, and people wearing religious attires such as hijabs, kippahs or crucifixes will in general not face harassment although Islamophobia does exist. Attempting to proselytise or inconveniencing others with your religion, however, will more often than not result in a negative response. This includes diets, and often people who have dietary restrictions get given a frown, particularly in rural Australia, although in urban areas, it is more tolerated. ===British legacy=== It can be very offensive to some, saying that Australia is or was a British country or that the culture is based solely on that of the UK. Australia is an independent country and Australians have many origins from all over the world, including most of the locals. It has a culture a bit similar to that of Europe, but there are a lot of things that are uniquely Australian and some that are brought from other countries of the world, not to forget the heavy American influence. ==Stay safe== ===Emergencies=== The number '''[tel:000 000]''' (called 'triple zero' or 'triple oh') can be dialled from any telephone in Australia free of charge. This number will connect you with the police, fire brigade, coastguard or ambulance service after you tell the emergency operator which service you need. If you want to contact these services but the situation is not an emergency, don't call 000: you can call the police assistance line on [tel:131444 131 444]. This includes requesting a call out for noise complaints. Poisons information advice, which can also advise on snake, spider and insect bites, is available on [tel:131126 131 126]. Information on locating the nearest medical services can be obtained by calling [tel:1800022222 1800 022 222] (except for Tasmania). If you require assistance during a flood, storm, cyclone, tsunami, earthquake or other natural disaster you can contact the State Emergency Service in each state (except for Northern Territory) on [tel:132500 132 500]. You will be connected with your local unit and help can be organised from there. If the emergency is life-threatening, call 000 instead. You can dial 000 from all mobile phones. Mobile phones sold in Australia recognise it as the emergency number and will use any available network to place the call. However, if you have a phone obtained outside Australia, using the universal emergency number '''[tel:112 112]''' is a better idea. Using 112 will use any available network, will work even if your phone is not roaming, and will work even if the phone does not have a SIM. 112 works from Australian purchased phones too. Hearing or speech impaired people with TTY equipment can dial '''[tel:106 106]'''. Those with Internet connectivity can use the [http://www.relayservice.com.au Internet Relay Service, via the website]. Calls from fixed line (landline) phones may be traced to assist the emergency services to reach you. The emergency services have limited ability to trace the origin of emergency calls from mobile phones, especially outside of urban areas, so be sure to calmly and clearly provide details of your location. Because of the number sequence for emergency calls, around 60% of calls to the emergency numbers are made in error. Nobody will likely respond to your call unless you can effectively communicate to the operator that you need assistance. If you are in need of assistance, but cannot speak, you will be diverted to an IVR and asked to press '''55''' to confirm that you are in need of assistance and have not called by accident. Your call will then be connected to the police. Except for 112 from a mobile, emergency numbers from other countries (for example, '911', '17' or '100') '''do not work''' in Australia. ===Driving=== Keep a sense of perspective. Tourists are far more likely to be killed or injured as pedestrians, drivers or passengers on Australian roads than all the other causes of death and injury combined. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is prohibited. Most states use a prescribed standard of alcohol in the blood to determine whether driving is criminal. The prescribed (allowed) content ranges from zero to 0.05. Random breath testing for blood and alcohol is carried out. Australia is a huge country and driving between cities and towns can take longer than you expect, especially if you are used to freeway or motorway driving in Europe, Asia or North America. While the major highways are comparable to those overseas, secondary highways in rural areas need to be treated with some care. Speed limits vary by location, road and by state. Avoid the stresses of fatigue by not planning to drive too far in a day. Authorities strongly recommend a break (with some walking outside the car) every two hours. Often, there are designated rest stops on numbered M, A routes as well as National Highways and Routes, but they are almost non existent on unpaved highways, state routes, B or C highways. Driving between towns and cities comes with a risk of hitting or crashing due to swerving to avoid wildlife. Kangaroos have a habit of being spooked by cars and then, bewilderingly, jumping in front of them. Take extra care when driving through areas with vegetation close to the road and during dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active. Wildlife is not usually an issue in major urban areas (with the exception of Canberra where a series of parks provides ample habitat for kangaroos, which often cross major roads). Urban Australians jaywalk, dodge cars, and anticipate the sequence of lights. Although most drivers will stop for a red light, running the amber light is common, so ensuring the traffic has stopped before stepping from the curb is always a good idea. People from countries that drive on the right will take a while to get used to looking the correct way when crossing. ===Beaches=== [[File:Lifeguard, Sydney, Australia.jpg|thumb|A lifeguard at Bondi Beach in Sydney]] <!-- There are links to this section from other beach going sections in Australia city and district articles. Please leave this heading intact, unless there is a good reason to change it. Please add information here that is common to beaches across Australia --> Around 10–20 overseas travellers drown in Australia each year. Most of these drownings occur at ocean beaches, where statistics put visitors at significantly higher risk than locals. Check the [http://www.beachsafe.org.au Beach Safety website]. Beach goers should '''swim between the red and yellow flags''' which designate patrolled areas. Beaches are not patrolled 24-hours a day or even during all daylight hours. In most cases the local volunteer surf lifesavers or professional lifeguards are only available during certain hours, and at some beaches only on weekends, and often only during summer. If the flags aren't up, then there's no one patrolling. Many beaches in rural areas aren't patrolled at all. If you choose to swim, be aware of the risks, check conditions, stay within your depth, and don't swim alone. Many beaches in Australia have a sudden drop off which can take non-swimmers by surprise. If in doubt, ask the locals. Hard surfboards and other water craft such as surf skis, kayaks etc., are '''not''' permitted between the red and yellow flags. These craft must only be used outside of the blue 'surfcraft permitted' flags. Australian ocean beaches can sometimes have strong rips that even the strongest swimmers cannot swim against. Rips are almost-invisible channels of water flowing away from the beach. Many locals can spot rips, so if in doubt, ask. These channels take out the water which the incoming surf waves bring into shore. Beach goers can mistakenly use these channels or areas since they can appear as calm water and look to be an easier area into which to swim. Problems arise when the swimmer tries to swim back into shore against the outgoing current or rip, tire quickly, and end up drowning. Rips can be recognised by one or more of these signs: a rippled appearance when the surrounding water is fairly calm; foam that extends beyond the break zone; brown, sandy coloured water; waves breaking further out on either side of the rip. If you are caught in a rip at a patrolled beach, conserve your energy, float or tread water and raise one hand. The surf lifesavers will come out to you. Don't wait until you are so tired you can't swim any more. You will probably find that local swimmers or surfers will also quickly come to your aid. Usually the flags are positioned where there are no rips, but this isn't always the case as rips can move. If you are caught in a rip at an unpatrolled beach stay calm to conserve energy and swim '''parallel''' to the beach (not against the pull of the current). Most rips are only a few metres wide, and once clear of the undertow, you will be able to swim or catch a wave to return to shore. '''Never swim alone.''' Don't think that the right technique will get you out of every situation. In the surf out the back of the beach, treading water can be hard with waves pounding you every few seconds. Unless you have seen it happen, it's hard to appreciate how quickly a rip can take you 50 m out to sea and into much larger wave breaks. If you are at an unpatrolled surf beach, proceed with great caution and never go out of your depth. Beach signs often have a number or an alphanumeric code on them. This code can be given to emergency services if required so they can locate you quickly. [[#Crocodiles|Crocodiles]] and [[#Jellyfish|Box Jellyfish]] are found on tropical beaches, depending on the time of year and area. Sharks occur on many of Australia's beaches. See the section below on dangerous creatures. Patrolled beaches will be monitoring the ocean for any shark activity. If you hear a continuous siren go off at the beach and a red and a red and white quartered flag is waved or held out of the tower, it indicates a shark sighting, so make your way to shore. Once it is clear, a short blast of the siren will be sounded, which usually means that it is safe to return to the water. ===Natural disasters=== As a large country, Australia is affected by a range of natural disasters. ====[[Cyclones]]==== Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) occur in the tropics (the northern part) of Australia between November and April, and you should understand how a tropical cyclone may impact you during the tropical wet season. The impact of cyclones varies with their intensity and your proximity to them. Weak cyclones may just cost you a day or two of your holiday to rain and wind while you stay indoors in your hotel, and an hour's drive from the cyclone's centre can still have good weather. More severe tropical cyclones can be deadly to the unprepared, may force you to evacuate and can seriously disrupt your travel plans. Even low intensity cyclones or tropical depressions in more remote areas can close roads for days to weeks at a time. On average, a town in the tropics experiences a tropical cyclone every 30 years or so. The sparseness of population in Australia's north and north-west (where cyclones are most prevalent) means that many cyclones pass the coast with little impact on towns. Still, if you are planning to travel to the tropics during cyclone season, you should understand and review the [http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/index.shtml Bureau of Meteorology's information page] before you set out, and keep a general eye on the page while you travel for early alerts of any problems developing. ====Floods==== In the tropical north the ''Wet Season'' occurs over the summer months of December, January and February, bringing torrential rains and frequent floods to those regions. It is not unusual for some coastal areas to be cut off for a day or two while the water recedes. It can still be a good time to visit some of the well populated, tourist-oriented areas, and, except in unusually heavy flooding, you can still get to see the pounding waterfalls and other attractions that can make this an interesting time to visit. Floods in outback and inland Australia are rare, occurring decades apart, so you would be unlucky to encounter them. However, if you are planning to visit the inland or the outback and the area is flooded, then you should reconsider. The land is flat, so the water can take weeks to move on, leaving the land boggy. Insects and mosquitoes go crazy with all the fresh water pooling around, and these things eat insect repellent for breakfast and are still hungry. Roads close, often adding many hours to driving times. Many attractions often lie on a short stretch of dirt road off the main highways, and these sections become impassable, even if the main road remains open. Plan to return in a few weeks, and the land will still be green, the lakes and rivers will still be flowing, and the bird life will still be around. The wettest period for the south of the country is usually around the winter months of June, July, and August. There is rarely enough rain at one time to cause flooding. The capital cities are rarely, if ever, significantly affected by floods. ====== Flash floods ====== Flash flooding occurs in many eastern cities at least once a year, generally in summer, and is a nuisance. However, stay inside and follow the advice of SES and ABC local radio. Never attempt to drive in flood waters, dozens of cars are destroyed every year by the thought "it's not that deep". You don't want to be the person floating under that bridge waiting for the police to rescue you. Flash flooding often brings large hail, which can damage cars. Seek undercover (not underground) car parking. It is usually predictable. You'll generally hear grumblings about a storm coming from locals, and [http://www.bom.gov.au/ bom.gov.au] will list a severe weather warning. ====Water supply==== Australia is a very dry country with large areas of '''desert''', and can also get very hot. When travelling in remote areas, away from paved roads, where the potential to become stranded for up to a week without seeing another vehicle is very real, it is vital that you carry your own water supply (4 gal or 7 L per person per day). Do not be misled by entries on maps such as 'well' or 'spring' or 'tank' (or any entry suggesting that there is a body of water). Nearly all are dry, and most inland lakes are dry salt pans. Many cities and towns have water restrictions, limiting use of water in activities like washing cars, watering gardens, or public showers. It is common to see signs in accommodation asking visitors to limit the length of their showers. It is common for many regional towns public bathrooms water supply to be non-potable. Do not drink from a tap labeled "Do not drink" or "Non-potable", as this is generally just untreated groundwater. ====[[Earthquakes]]==== Although Australia is not located on any plate boundaries, earthquakes occur from time to time. These are usually minor and very rarely cause major damage or fatalities. ===Bushfires=== '''[[Wildfires|Bushfires]]''' are a seasonal danger in many parts of Australia - and if you're venturing out into the bushland or rural areas it pays to check the fire danger and the status of any bushfire activity first. Although most fires are quickly controlled, on very hazardous fire days, bushfires can be life-threatening - especially if on foot, or not having the protection of a substantial building. If you are caught in a bushfire, most fires will pass over quickly. You need to find shelter that will protect you from the smoke and radiant heat. A house is best, then a car, then a clearing, a cave, or on the beach is the best location. Wet everything that you can. Stay low and cover your mouth. Cover yourself with non-flammable (woollen) clothing or blankets, and reduce the skin directly exposed to the heat. If you have access to a tap gather water early; don't rely on water pressure as the fire front approaches. The Fire Danger Rating (pictured to the right) tells you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. '''It is not a predictor of how likely a bushfire is to occur.'''[[File:WA fire danger sign Wyalkatchem.jpg|thumb|Fire danger signs are located across Australia]] * Severe: Hot, dry and windy conditions. A fire that starts in these conditions may be uncontrollable. Only well prepared buildings that are actively defended can provide safety. Leave at the first sign of fire. * Extreme: Hot dry and windy conditions. Any fires that start and take hold will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast moving. Only homes & buildings built to withstand bushfires that are well prepared and actively defended may provide safety. Avoid forested areas, thick bush or long, dry grass, It is recommended to leave such areas to ensure you are not caught up in a bushfire. * Catastrophic/code red: These are the worst conditions possible for a bush or grass fire. Avoid forested areas, thick bush or long, dry grass. It is highly advisable to leave forested and bushy areas. It is worth noting that many locals will leave their outback homes to seek refuge in large towns for the entire day, on the few days per year designated as "Catastrophic". ==== National parks and state forests ==== If the fire risk is extreme or higher, national parks may be closed, especially the backcountry areas, so you will need to have an alternative plan if you intend to camp or hike in parks during summer. If there is a fire in a park, it will usually be closed entirely. If you are staying in a park or forest during an extreme fire danger period the safest option is to leave the night before or early in the day. If you learn of a fire, or see smoke, take action quickly. ==== Travelling during active fires or during the fire season ==== If you are driving outside of cities during bushfire season, tune in to [https://www.abc.net.au/local/ local ABC radio]. During a bushfire or any other ongoing emergency, every thirty minutes a warning siren will sound, followed by an update on the current bushfire situation in that area. You may receive evacuation warnings on your phone. Emergency and bushfire management is a state responsibility in Australia - so find the website or app appropriate for the state you are in. Websites such as [https://www.emergency.wa.gov.au/ Emergency WA] and [https://emergency.vic.gov.au/ VicEmergency] list all current emergencies in their respective states and are often the most up-to-date method of getting information about a current emergency. '''It is possible that you will get yourself into a situation where it becomes too late to leave.''' During the bushfire season, have a plan consisting of two escape routes, and the ability to pack what you need quickly. Shopping Centres or Main streets of built up towns are safe locations to be in during Extreme or Code Red days, unless you hear otherwise via radio. Entire country towns can sometimes be evacuated when there is a bushfire threatening them. Often there can be no signs of the fire at evacuation time, but you should leave early, as evacuating through a fire front is dangerous. The best advice is just to move on, and not stay around to watch. ==== Lighting fires ==== Make sure any fires you light are legal and kept under control. The fire service operates a '''total fire ban''' system during periods of extreme fire danger. When a total fire ban is in place all outdoor fires are forbidden. Most parks will advertise a ban, and it is your responsibility to check the local fire danger levels. Fines or even jail terms apply for lighting fires that get out of control, not to mention the feeling you may get at being responsible for the property, wildlife, and person damage that you may cause. ===Venomous and dangerous creatures=== {{seealso|Pests}} Although Australia is home to many of the deadliest species of insects, reptiles and marine life on the planet, the traveller is unlikely to encounter any of these in an urban environment, and even in the bush these creatures try to avoid humans for the most part. The vast majority of deaths from bites and stings in Australia are due to allergic reactions to bees and wasps. Some of the information spread about Australia's dangerous wildlife is blown out of proportion, often jokingly by Australians themselves. However, you should take warnings about jellyfish and crocodiles seriously in the tropics, and keep your distance from snakes in the national parks and bushland. If travelling in rural areas it would be a good idea to carry basic first aid equipment including compression bandages and to learn what to do after a snake or spider bite. ====Snakes ==== It's not common to encounter snakes in urbanised areas in Australia, but they are common in grassland, national parks and other bushland. Snakes will generally try to put as much distance between themselves and you as possible, so if you see a snake while out walking, simply go around it or walk the other way. Walking blindly into dense bush and grassy areas is not advisable, as snakes may be hiding there. For the most part, snakes fear humans and will be long gone before you ever get the chance to see them. '''Never''' try to pick up any snake, even if you believe it to be a non-venomous species. Most people bitten by snakes were trying to pick up the snake or kill the creature, or inadvertently step on one while out walking. Australia has some snakes that are deadly. So treat all snakes with respect, and seek medical treatment urgently for any snake bite. Take a first-aid kit suitable for snake-bites if you are going off the beaten track. If bitten you should immobilise the wound by wrapping the affected area tightly with strips of clothing or bandages and seek immediate medical help. Do not clean the wound as venom residues can be tested to determine the anti-venom to use. If you are in an isolated area send someone else for help. The venom of some snakes (the taipan in particular) can take effect within fifteen minutes, but if the wound is immediately immobilised and you rest it is possible to delay the onset of the venom spreading by one to a few hours. Polyvalent anti-venoms are available in most hospitals that contain anti-venom for all dangerous Australian snakes. ====Spiders==== [[File:Atrax robustus.jpg|thumb|Sydney funnel-web spider in a warning posture]] Although famous for its arachnids, fatalities from spiders in Australia are extremely rare. It is common to see spiders in Australia, and most will do you no harm. Wear gloves while gardening or handling leaf litter. Check or shake out clothing, shoes, etc. that have been left outside before putting them on. Don't put your fingers under rocks or into tree holes, where spiders might be. Some spiders are commonly found inside buildings and homes, including the large and hairy Huntsman spiders, that are generally harmless, and reduce insect pests like cockroaches. The large spider webs strung between trees occupied by garden or orb weaving spiders are more an annoyance than a danger. However, some spiders are also very dangerous. The world's most venomous spider is the '''Sydney Funnel-Web spider''', found in and around Sydney and eastern New South Wales - usually under rocks and leaf litter. The spider is anywhere up to 5&nbsp;cm large, and is usually black. If you are in an area that is known for having Funnel-Web spiders and you are bitten by a spider that you believe could be a Funnel-Web it is important you get to hospital as quickly as possible. The Funnel-Web spends most of its time underground (it can typically live for only 30 minutes outside a humid hole) and therefore you are very unlikely to encounter one walking around. The last confirmed fatality was in 1979. The '''Red Back spider''' (usually easily identified by a red mark on its abdomen) is common and after a bite it is important to seek medical attention, although it is not as urgent as with a Funnel-Web. Red Backs typically hide in dark places and corners. It is highly unusual to see them indoors; however, they can hide in sheds, around outdoor tables and chairs and under rocks or other objects sitting on the ground. First aid treatment for spider bites may vary in Australia compared to other areas of the world. Always seek medical advice after a bite has occurred. If possible, you should attempt to identify the creature that bit you. Take a photo or trap it so that the appropriate anti-venom can be administered swiftly. But don't risk getting bitten again. ====Jellyfish==== Travellers in northern [[Queensland]], the [[Northern Territory]], or northern [[Western Australia]] should be aware of the risk of fatal stings from the '''Box Jellyfish''' if swimming in the ocean between October and May. They are very hard to detect and can be found in very shallow water. Stings from these jellyfish are 'excruciating' and often fatal. Vinegar applied immediately to adhering tentacles will lessen the amount of venom injected, but immediate medical assistance will be required. The danger season varies by location. In general the jellyfish are found close to shore, as they reproduce in the estuaries. They are not generally found out on the Great Barrier Reef, and many people swim on the reef without taking any precautions. Seek out reliable local information. Some locals at the beach can be cavalier to the risks. '''Irukandji''' are another species of tiny (fingernail sized) jellyfish that inhabit the waters off Northern Australia and the surrounding Indo-Pacific islands. They are also very hard to see, and can be dangerous, although stings are rare. Unlike the box jellyfish they are found out on the reef. The initial sting can go unnoticed. There is debate as to whether they can be fatal, but they certainly can place a victim in hospital, and cause extreme pain lasting days. If you have nausea or shooting pains shortly after emerging from the water seek medical treatment. A "stinger-suit" that is resistant to jellyfish stings costs around $100 or can be hired for around $20 a week. ====Blue ring octopus==== Found in rock pools around the coasts of Australia is the tiny Blue Ring Octopus. Usually a dull sandy-beige colour, the creature has bright blue circles on its skin if threatened. The Blue Ring Octopus is rare and shy. Avoid placing your hand under rocks or in crevaces in rock pools or near the shore as this is where they tend to hide. Most locals do the same. It has a powerful paralysing toxin which can cause death unless artificial respiration is provided. In the history of Australia there are only two confirmed deaths by Blue Ring Octopus. ====Crocodiles==== [[File:Crocodylus porosus - Daintree River.jpg|thumb|Saltwater crocodile]] Travellers in northern Queensland, the Northern Territory or north Western Australia should be aware of the risk of fatal attacks by '''saltwater crocodiles''' in and adjacent to northern waters (ocean, estuarine and fresh water locations) between King Sound, Western Australia, and Rockhampton, Queensland. Saltwater crocodiles in these areas can reach 25 feet in length and can attack in water without warning. Despite what their name implies, they can be found in both salt and fresh water. On land, crocodiles usually lie motionless, but they have the ability to move with extraordinary speed in short bursts. There are relatively few attacks causing injury – most attacks are fatal. Dangerous swimming areas will usually have prominent warning signs. In these regions only swim in inland waters if you are specifically advised that they are safe. Since 1970 there has been about one crocodile attack on a human each year. The smaller '''freshwater crocodile''' is, unlike the saltwater, timid and will avoid humans if possible. The freshwater may attack to defend itself or its eggs or if startled. They can inflict a nasty bite but due to their small jaws and teeth this will rarely cause death in humans. ====Dangerous flora==== '''The Gympie bush''' (''Dendrocnide moroides''), also known as the stinging tree, is a stinging plant, whose microscopic stinging hairs on leaves and branches can cause severe pain for up to several weeks. They are mostly found in northeast Queensland, especially in rain forest clearings. However, the Gympie bush and other closely related species (there are about five) of stinging tree can be found in southeast Queensland, and further south in eastern Australia. People bushwalking in such areas are advised not to touch the plant for any reason. ===Crime=== [[Crime]] rates in Australia are roughly comparable with other developed countries: few travellers will be victims of crime. You should take normal precautions against bag snatching, pick pocketing and the like. Some cities and towns have areas that can be dangerous at night, but these are generally off the tourist trail and highly unlikely for you to wander into by accident. Australian police are approachable and trustworthy, and you should report assaults, theft or other crime to the police as soon as possible. There are two types of police in Australia; the state/territorial police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Typically you will only interact with the state police, with the AFP being largely dedicated to very specific government-related roles, the exception being the Australian Capital Territory where the AFP is the main police force, operating under the name of ACT Policing. Under no circumstances should you offer an Australian police officer (or for that matter, any other government official such as a customs officer) a bribe or gratuity, as this is a crime and they will enforce the laws against it. When leaving your car alone, make sure it is locked, that the windows are rolled up, and that there are no obvious targets for theft in the vehicle, as thieves will often smash windows to get at a phone, GPS or bag that is visible in the car. ===Racism=== Australia is outwardly a multicultural and racially tolerant society and there are strong laws that prohibit hate speech and other forms of discrimination on grounds of race. Nevertheless, racism is still a sensitive subject for a nation still not fully reconciled to its history of colonial occupation. Forced appropriation of Aboriginal lands along with formal discrimination, state-sanctioned racism and even forced separation of Aboriginal children (known as the Stolen Generations) from their families extended well into the 20th century. Gradual change throughout the last century saw the abandonment of the white-only immigration policy, citizenship for the Aboriginal people, and the establishment of large communities of Asian, Middle Eastern and African origin. However, to this day, Aboriginal people are still discriminated against, and while on paper, they have equal rights, they are often charged for things that a white person would usually not. Visitors to Australia are fortunately unlikely to encounter random incidents of racial abuse. If it does happen then you can report it to the police and expect action to be taken. Violent incidents are even rarer. Words referring to racial background can be used between friends of different ethnic groups, but it is '''strongly advised not to try them out yourself'''. You may well hear Pom (British), Yank (American), Paki (Indian sub-continent), Wog (of southern European or middle-eastern) and Curry Muncher (South Indian) being used. In particular British people would regard some of these terms as particularly racist, but they are used far more casually in Australia. '''''Never''''' refer to Aboriginal people as "Abo's", "native tribes" or "Noogas" - as it is regarded as a highly racist term. There are anti-immigration and anti-multicultural groups that operate in Australian society, for the most part agitating against the immigration of people from Muslim and African countries. As a visitor you would be unlikely to come into contact with them, although if it's late at night in a pub, and you start prodding people for their racial views, then all bets are off - be prepared for anything. The western suburbs of Melbourne has experienced some violent crime involving youths of African descent, which in turn has been greatly exaggerated by much of the local media and many politicians, fuelling racist sentiments. It is not offensive to use ''Aussie'' (Ozzie) to describe Australian people, but it isn't a term Australians generally use to self-identify. They are more likely to apply it to things (Aussie Rules, etc.) than to themselves. When the chant of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oi Oi Oi goes up at an international sporting event, some Australians will cringe, and others will join in. Often this depends on their own perceived social standing, or their state of inebriation, or both. And while Australia may seem multicultural in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Hobart or Canberra; rural areas are usually less so and stick to their Anglo-Celtic roots. People who do not look Aussie on the outside are often subject to racism, though this is usually targeted at immigrants (often those of Vietnamese, Middle Eastern or Somali descent) rather than tourists. ===Scams=== Attempts to [[Common scams|scam]] tourists are not prevalent in Australia; take normal precautions such as finding out a little bit about your destination. There have been rare instances of criminals tampering with ATMs so that cash is trapped inside them, or so that they record card details for thieves. You should check your transaction records for odd transactions after using an ATMs and immediately contact the bank controlling the ATM if a transaction seems to be successful but the machine doesn't give you any cash. Always cover the keypad with your hand when entering your PIN to prevent any skimming devices which have cameras recording your PIN. ATM Skimming is rare and easily avoided by using ATMs from trusted banks (ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac, Nab), or ATMs located inside a bank "gallery" which are generally open 24/7 but are more secure than an outdoor ATM. Additionally, the ATO will never try and ask you to pay off your debts with Spotify or iTunes gift cards, and this ongoing scams have been targeting especially the elderly and those who are unaware of it. If you go to a Coles, Woolies, Myer, Target, Big W, Kmart etc. there will be warning notices at all checkouts, and it can never hurt to read it. ===Illegal drugs=== Opium, heroin, amphetamines (speed), cocaine, LSD and ecstasy are all illegal to possess and to sell in all jurisdictions of Australia. Trafficking offences carry a long jail term, and in serious cases can even lead to life imprisonment. Australia shares information on drug trafficking with other countries, even those with the death penalty. Medical use of cannabis is legal on a federal level, although obtaining a prescription is generally a time-consuming ordeal not feasible for a visitor. As of 2022, the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) remains the first and only state to legalize personal use. In South Australia and Northern Territory, possession of personal use quantities is decriminalized, although on-the-spot fines still apply. In all other states possession remains a criminal offense, and foreigners should not expect more lenient treatment than locals from Australian police for drug offences. Driving while under the influence of drugs is a serious offence, and doing so will invariably lead to arrest and prosecution, and in serious cases even a jail sentence. '''Do not under any circumstances attempt to bring illicit drugs into Australia''', including marijuana; this is strictly illegal and punishable with long jail terms of up to life in prison, and customs officers often employ dogs to sniff drugs out of arriving passengers' luggage. Dogs can even tell that you smoked marijuana from the day before you flew to Australia, so you may be held back for some long questioning. Australia's proximity to [[Asia]] means that heroin is a far more commonly used illicit drug than cocaine or crack cocaine. In some areas of large cities you will need to be careful of discarded needles: however these will generally be found in back streets rather than in popular tourist spots. ===Firearms=== Firearm ownership is rare in Australia, with strict licensing requirements resulting in gun ownership being typically limited to hunters and farmers in rural areas, as well as sport shooters. Criminal gangs sometimes carry illegal firearms in urban areas, although it is unlikely that travellers will run into them. It is very difficult to bring firearms into Australia, with a police permit required for each federal state to be visited ''before'' arrival. ===Gay and lesbian travellers=== {{see also|LGBT travel}} Australia has an equal age of consent set at 16 for all states except Tasmania and South Australia where the age is 17. Same sex marriage is legal in Australia, having been passed into law in December 2017 after the nation strongly voted for it (with 61% choosing change) in a national postal survey. Attitudes to homosexuality are similar to those found in most Western countries. Although inner Sydney is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world, caution is still advisable in conservative rural areas, including rural parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory. Australia has outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and legal recourse may be available should you experience discrimination. Police assistance may be difficult to obtain in remote and rural areas for discrimination. Sydney is Australia's gay capital, and hosts one of the world's most famous gay pride festivals - the [http://www.mardigras.org.au Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras] - annually during February and March. The festival culminates in a huge parade through central Sydney which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators. [[Alice Springs]] celebrates the "Alice Is Wonderland Festival", a gay and lesbian pride festival in late April/early May. [[Melbourne]] has a "[http://www.pridemarch.com.au/ Pride March]" every year on the first Sunday of February. ==Stay healthy== ===Skin=== [[File:Sunbaker maxdupain nga76.54.jpg|thumbnail|"Sunbaker" from 1937 is one of the most widely recognised of all Australian photographs.]] Exposure to the sun at Australian latitudes frequently results in '''[[sunburn]]''', and Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world. Getting sunburnt can make you feel feverish and unwell and may take a few days or weeks to heal depending on the severity. It means you can't go back out into the sun until the sunburn fades, so getting sunburnt on the first day of your beach holiday can seriously reduce the fun of your trip. It can take as little as 15 minutes to burn in Australia on a fine summer's day, even in shaded outdoor areas. You should wear sunscreen (SPF 50+), clothing, and a hat to shade the sun. Re-apply sunscreen every 2–3 hours throughout the day as it wears off quickly if you are sweating or swimming. Make sure to cover all parts of your body. UV radiation in the middle of the day can be double what it is in the early morning or later afternoon, so if possible avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day. [http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/uv/index.shtml Daily UV forecasts] are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology online. '''Spray On Sunscreen''' from an aerosol bottle is popular because of its ease of use, however it is far less effective than tradition sunscreen. If you are heading to the beach, consider buying a sun-tent (less than $20 from discount and hardware stores). You generally can't hire beach umbrellas at Australian beaches, and they are very exposed. ===Food preparation=== Australia has high hygiene standards, with restaurants required to observe strict food preparation standards. [[Food poisoning]] rates are comparable to other first world nations. ===Water=== The '''[[tap water]]''' in urban Australia is always safe to drink. Occasionally you may encounter recycled water taps which are for watering plants and not drinking; these should be coloured purple. Public drinking fountains and bottle refill stations are common in cities and at tourist attractions. The taste and hardness of the tap water will vary considerably across the country. Some cities such as Adelaide rely on ground water supplies that have an unpleasant taste, but are perfectly safe. Many households use water purifier jugs. Bottled water is also widely available. Carrying water on hot days is a good idea in urban areas, and it is a necessity if hiking or driving out of town. Remoter areas in the outback may not have treated drinking water on tap. At sites where tap water is untreated, water sterilization tablets may be used as an alternative to boiling. If driving long distances on infrequently trafficked roads it is essential to carry drinking water. This is absolutely necessary in hotter areas and on dirt roads or tracks. It is rare that someone does not die of thirst in outback Australia in any year. It is recommended that in event of a breakdown you stay with the car for shade and to increase your chances of being found. Before long-distance touring seek specific advice on calculating how much water to carry for the proposed journey and allowing for breakdowns. ===Vaccinations=== Australia does not have endemic communicable diseases that will require non-standard vaccinations. Like many other countries, it will require evidence of [[yellow fever]] vaccinations on entry if you will have been in a country with a risk of infection within 6 days before your arrival in Australia. ===Mosquitoes=== Mosquitoes are present all year round in the tropics, and during the summer in southern areas. Screens on windows and doors are common, and repellent is readily available. Ross River Virus is spread by mosquitoes in the tropics, and can make you sick for a few weeks. There have been cases of [[dengue fever]], for which no specific treatment exists. Malaria is not present in mainland Australia. ===Medical care=== [[File:VH-FDE (16640399301).jpg|thumb|Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft]] As described above, '''000''' is the Australian emergency services number and in any medical emergency you should call this number and ask for an ambulance and other emergency services as necessary, to attend. Australia has first world medical standards. In particular, it is safe to receive blood transfusions in Australia, as donors are screened for HIV, hepatitis and many other blood borne illnesses. Australia's population density is low; parts of Australia are a long way from medical facilities of any kind. Many of these areas are served by the '''[http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/ Royal Flying Doctor Service]'''. Small towns with populations of 5,000 or more will have a small hospital capable of giving emergency treatment. Larger towns will have a base hospital capable of routine and some kinds of emergency surgery. In some cases you may need to be evacuated to one of the capital cities for specialist treatment. Capital cities will have medical centres where you can drop in, often open on weekends or until late. In country towns you may have to make an appointment and may have no alternative other than the closest hospital after hours and weekends. You can also expect to wait a few hours if your condition isn't urgent. * {{listing | name=Poisons Information Hotline | phone=13 11 26 (in country only) | content=Give free advice if any medication or poisons are taken inadvertently. They will also give advice on what treatment is necessary for things like a spider bite. However, if you think you are in any immediate danger, call '000' for an ambulance. }} ==== Medical costs and travel insurance ==== Australian citizens and permanent residents who live in Australia can receive health care through the taxpayer funded Medicare. Foreigners working or studying in Australia and without a reciprocal agreement are generally required to take up private health insurance as part of their visa conditions. Foreigners on a short visit will want to make sure their travel insurance is in order, as medical costs can be expensive for those not entitled to Medicare benefits. Medicare does not cover private hospitals or dental care, so you will need to obtain private health insurance to pay for these. Travellers from [[Belgium]], [[Finland]], [[Ireland]], [[Italy]], [[Malta]], the [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Slovenia]], [[Sweden]] and the [[United Kingdom]] are entitled to free reciprocal Medicare treatment for medical problems that occur during their visit. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with the conditions of the [http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/medicare/reciprocal-health-care-agreements/health-care-for-visitors-to-australia reciprocal arrangement with your country]. For example, Irish people and New Zealanders are only entitled to free treatment at a hospital, whereas the other reciprocal nationalities are entitled to subsidised treatment at general practitioners as well. No reciprocal programs cover private hospitals, and the full cost will have to be met by yourself or with [[travel insurance]]. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of a reciprocal agreement country then travel insurance is highly recommended. You can expect to pay around $80 to see a general practitioner, plus any additional costs for any pathology or radiology required. The charge to visit a local hospital can be much more expensive, private hospitals even more so. You can pay up to $500 even if you are not admitted, and possibly several thousand dollars if you are. Rescue and Royal Flying Doctor Services are provided for free, but evacuation or ambulance services can cost many thousands of dollars from a country town to a capital city, or from an island to the mainland. Even if you are an Australian citizen, ambulance and evacuation services are not provided free of charge. If an air-ambulance is required this can still cost thousands of dollars. Most health-insurance companies sell ambulance only cover valid Australia-wide. Ambulance membership programs may only cover you in your own state - check before travelling interstate. Domestic travel insurance does not usually cover medical or ambulance expenses. Medicare cover does not include ambulance costs (at least several hundred dollars) in the event of an emergency; only private insurance ''with ambulance cover'' will pay for this. Snake and spider bite anti-venom is very expensive. The cost can be well over $10,000 even if you don't need a stay in hospital. ==Connect== ===Internet=== Australia offers many Internet access options for travellers: '''Internet cafes''' are available in most tourist areas and normally cost $4–5 per hour. However, many internet cafes have 12-20 computers sharing a single broadband connection, sometimes making the internet painfully slow. If possible, ask if you can check the speed of a cafe's connection before forking out $4–5 for an hour. '''Public libraries''' usually offer some form of Internet access to travellers, either free or for a small fee. Some prohibit access to email, promoting research use of their facilities. Others offer Wi-Fi and terminals, with Wi-Fi usually being free of restrictions. '''Major hotels''' offer Internet access, usually for an exorbitant fee. Most youth hostels and backpacker accommodation have at least an Internet terminal at reception. Some other accommodation providers offer Wi-Fi to their guests, almost always with a charge. It is still common to find motels and other smaller hotels without any Internet offering to customers. * Many '''coffee shops''' offer Wi-Fi free to their customers. * McDonald's has free Wi-Fi in just about all their stores. * [https://hotspot.internode.on.net/coverage/index.php Internode] has free Wi-Fi hotspots, including much of Adelaide city centre. * Telstra has partnered with Fon to create an extensive network of WiFi hotspots around Australia that utilise Telstra telephone boxes and Telstra broadband customers to create hotspots that go by the name Telstra Air with the slogan 'Australia's largest WiFi Network'. Look for a distinctive white WiFi logo on solid pink and the words 'Telstra Air' to indicate major hotspots. The networks appear in WiFi lists as 'Telstra Air' or 'Fon WiFi'. Expect good coverage in city centre areas although it may require some searching to locate a hot spot outside of CBD areas. Hot spot maps are available on the Telstra and Fon websites. :*Access can be purchased for $6.60 for 1 hour, $10 for 1 day or $23 for 5 days. In major urban centres, you'll find free Wi-Fi in shopping malls and other large shops and increasingly on public transport: Sydney's ferries offer free Wi-Fi as do Adelaide's trams. ====3G/4G/5G wireless==== There are three mobile networks in Australia. All of them provide 3G/UMTS, 4G/LTE, and 5G mobile data services. As the data is carried over the mobile network, the advice about frequencies, obtaining SIMs and using a foreign device in the [[#Mobile Cellular Phones|Mobile Cellular Phones]] section applies. If you intend to use your phone with your home carrier, check with them for data roaming fees (likely quite expensive). If your handset isn't locked, it may be much cheaper to buy a local SIM. Several carriers offer prepaid mobile data access with no contract from around $20-30 per month with various bundles and inclusions. For around $50 you can get a USB modem or Wi-Fi dongle. There are thousands of plans available through hundreds of resellers. Using an internet comparison site will direct you to the best deals. === Radio and television === Australia has 2 national public broadcasters, the [http://www.abc.net.au/ ABC] and [https://www.sbs.com.au/ SBS]. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (or ABC) broadcasts Local Radio, Triple J (Youth/Indie music) and ABC Classic on AM/FM Radio as well as 5 TV channels. The Special Broadcasting Service (or SBS) broadcasts more ethnic, bilingual and cultural content on 6 TV channels and 2 analog radio stations. Both broadcasters are available in most populous areas but the ABC has a greater radio coverage. There are 3 free-to-air commercial TV networks, namely [https://au.tv.yahoo.com/ Seven], [https://www.nine.com.au/ Nine] and [https://tenplay.com.au/ Ten]; all or most are available in a majority of areas. In regional areas, affiliates such as WIN, Imparja, and Prime will carry feeds from major networks along with some local programming. You should expect to be able to receive and watch all these channels in almost all accommodation in towns and cities across Australia. On Pay TV operator is also available called Foxtel - transmitted by Cable, Satellite, and Internet. Some hotels will advertise free Foxtel, which means you should also be able to view the main international news channels and lots of light entertainment reruns. hey may also subscribe to a range of sports and movies, but you should check first. The bigger the city, the more radio stations you'll find. Country towns will often just have one commercial radio station and the [https://www.abc.net.au/local/ ABC]. If you're driving the distances between country towns, you can often lose all radio coverage. Download some music or podcasts for the trip before you leave. It's advisable to stay tuned to the ABC if travelling during emergencies or high bushfire risk periods. DAB+ Digital Radio is available in capital cities, but receivers aren't installed in cars or most accommodation. If you have a digital radio, you'll get a handful of extra music channels. ===Newspapers=== The main national broadsheet newspaper is '''[https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ The Australian]''', with '''[http://www.afr.com/ The Australian Financial Review]''' focussing on financial and business news. There are also other newspapers that are published locally within their respective states, the most notable ones being ''[http://www.smh.com.au/ The Sydney Morning Herald]'' and ''[https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ The Daily Telegraph]'', both based in Sydney, and ''[https://www.theage.com.au/ The Age]'' and ''[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Herald Sun]'', both based in Melbourne. ===Telephone=== ====Calling overseas from Australia==== The main international access code or prefix is '''0011'''. (When using a mobile phone the plus symbol "+" can be used instead of the 0011 prefix.) ====Dialling codes==== The country code for international calls to Australia is +61. When dialling from overseas, omit any leading '0' in the area code. The area code is optional when calling from the same area code area. [[Norfolk Island]] and Australian-Antarctic bases use the +672 code, not Australia's country code. See the specific articles. The "+" stands for the ''international dialling prefix'', 0011 if calling overseas from Australia, 00 in most of Europe, 011 in the [[USA]] and [[Canada]], substituted automatically on mobile phones and most other smart dialling devices. Australian area code list: * 02 = Central East (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and north-eastern fringe of Victoria) * 03 = South East (Southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania) * 04 = Mobile phones Australia-wide (higher call charges apply) * 07 = North East (Queensland and parts of Northern NSW) * 08 = Central & West (Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western New South Wales) There is also the "05" calling code which is for mobile numbers, but to this date, none have ever been implemented to this day. Local calls are free of charge. * If calling an Australian number from outside Australia, use the format +61880803300 (no "0" area code prefix; substitute the relevant international dialling prefix for the "+" if needed). * If making an international call from within Australia dial the ''international dialling prefix'' or "+", followed by the ''country code'', followed by destination ''area code'', followed by the ''local number'' at the destination. For most countries you need to omit the area code prefix (usually "0" as in Australia). For example, the local number for the [[Moree (New South Wales)|Moree]] tourist information is {{nowrap|6757-3350}}. The area code is 02 as Moree is in the Central East area code region. To dial the number from [[Sydney]] or anywhere else ''inside'' the same area code, just dial {{nowrap|6757-3350}}. To dial the number from [[Brisbane]] or anywhere in Australia ''outside'' the area code region, you will need to dial {{nowrap|02 6757-3350}}. If you don't know your area code region, you can include the area code, and it will work regardless of from where you are calling. To dial the number from overseas you will need to dial {{nowrap|+61 2 6757-3350}}. ====Special numbers==== * Numbers commencing with '''13''' are charged at a local call rate, and what they connect you to can vary according to your location. They can be 10 or 6 digit numbers. For example, 1300 796 222, will connect you with the [[Albury]] tourist information, no matter where you are in Australia. However, 131 008 will connect you with a different local taxi service depending on where you are. 13 22 32 will connect you to New South Wales Railways in Sydney or Victorian Railways in Melbourne. Calling these numbers internationally can be problematic. * Numbers commencing with '''18''' are free when dialled from a payphone or fixed phone, and commonly used for hotel reservation numbers, or tourist information numbers. * Numbers commencing with '''19''' are premium numbers, often with ''very'' hefty call charges (make sure you check before dialling). * Numbers commencing with '''12''' are carrier services, and are dependent on what network you are connected to. For example, '''12 456''' is a general information number for Telstra. Vodafone offer a similar services on '''123'''. These numbers can be premium services as well. Calling special numbers internationally can often work - just try dialling the number prefixed with the +61 country code. Many locations will give an alternative direct number for use in international dialling. Making reverse charge (collect) calls is very expensive and can be problematic. You can use 12550 from a Telstra public phone, or 1800 NO CASH from any phone. But you have to be calling a number that will accept the charges (usually a landline or mobile on a mainstream telco). ====Mobile cellular phones==== {{anchor|Mobile Cellular Phones}} Australia has cellular networks operated by [http://www.telstra.com.au Telstra], [http://www.optus.com.au Optus] and [http://www.vodafone.com.au Vodafone], and each of the networks have several resellers with different price plans. All three operate UMTS/HSPA (3G), LTE (4G), and 5G networks. There are no restrictions on overseas residents obtaining Australian prepaid SIM cards, although you may require some form of photo ID such as your passport for identification. 2G-only and CDMA phones (phones without a SIM card) will not work in Australia. All '''2G''' networks in Australia have been shut down. Telstra and Vodafone have '''3G HSPA+''' services on 850/2100&nbsp;MHz, and Optus on 900/2100&nbsp;MHz. These are still the greatest geographical range of service. '''4G LTE''' is widely available most centres on all carriers. Support for 4G band 28 (700 MHz) on newer phones is necessary to get good 4G coverage outside of major centres and better coverage in them. On '''5G''' Networks, all of Australia's networks run on the n78 frequencies with Optus running on n40 mid-band, n257 for high-band, and n1 for low-band; Telstra at n258 and n5, and Vodafone at n28. With foreign SIM cards, international roaming is generally seamless onto Australia's 3G (UMTS/W-CDMA) and 4G networks, depending on agreements between operators. 5G networks are different with frequencies and can vary with the compatibility of your phone. Check with your home operator before you leave. All major cities and their suburbs have decent coverage on all three networks, as do most significant country towns and inter-capital links. Telstra's 850&nbsp;MHz 3G network provides the best rural coverage (though it is also the most expensive), but unpopulated or sparsely populated areas away from major roads are unlikely to have service at all. If you are heading way out into the bush then a '''satellite phone''' may be your only option. Remember all mobile phones can be used for emergency calls on all networks, even if they don't have a local SIM or aren't roaming. This applies to satellite phones too. A cheap prepaid mobile phone with a SIM retails for around $40 in most Australian retail outlets, supermarkets, and post offices; a SIM alone for an existing phone is around $2–3. Prepaid credit is added using recharge cards available at all supermarkets, newsagents, some ATMs, and other outlets. You can buy a seemly infinite variety of packages, SIM cards, and phone bundles, with varied combinations of data, SMS and call time. Some carriers make calculating included calls difficult, by giving you a dollar "value" that is included in your package, and you then need to find the call, sms and data rates to calculate what is included. These rates can differ from plan to plan. Make sure the plan you choose includes what you need, because using data or making calls outside of the package allowance is often orders of magnitude more expensive. ===Satellite phones=== [[File:Telstra phonebox at Quinns.jpg|thumb|A typical Telstra payphone]] If you need comprehensive coverage in rural and remote areas, you can use a satellite phone. Iridium, Globalstar and Thuraya satellite services are available in Australia. Expect to pay around $120 per week to hire a satellite phone, plus call costs. Satellite messaging units, which send your location and a help SMS or email, can be hired for around $80 per week. These units are only available from specialist dealers, often only in major cities (away from the remote areas you may be visiting). You should be able to acquire or hire these units in your home country before departure if you wish. Satellite phones can be used to make emergency calls without a SIM card or subscription plan. The cheapest cost around $300, or just a little more than a PLB. === Public phones === Most towns and suburbs have at least one public phone. Most railway stations will have a public phone. All public phones in Australia are free for local calls to landlines and mobiles. International calls may be made using Telstra or third-party calling cards available from newsagents. Free text messages can be sent from any Telstra public phone, using the keypad in much the same way as an old-style mobile phone. Follow the instructions on the phone display. ===Post=== [[File:Australia Post boxes.jpg|thumb|Express (yellow) and normal (red) Australia Post street posting boxes]] '''[http://www.auspost.com.au Australia Post]''' runs Australia's postal service. Letters can be posted in any red Australia Post posting box, which are found at all post offices and many other locations. All stamps can be purchased from post offices, and some stamps can be purchased from newsagents and hotels. Posting a standard letter or postcard costs $1.10 within Australia (up to 250g), and between $2.50 and $3.70 internationally (up to 20g). Sending international letters up to 50g is cheaper in November & December, at $2.40, but the letter must have "card only" written on the front. 'Domestic' and 'international' stamps are different, as international is tax free, therefore, so make sure you use the right stamp. Parcels, express post and other services are also available. Addresses in Australia are generally formatted in the following way, which is similar to addresses in the United States and Canada <blockquote>Name of recipient<br/>(If needed) Unit number or building name<br/>House number and street name<br/>City or town, two or three-letter state abbreviation, postcode</blockquote> You can receive mail via ''Poste Restante'' in any city or town. Mail should be addressed to your full name c/o Post Restante. ID is needed to pick up your mail. {{isPartOf|Oceania}} {{guidecountry}} {{geo|-28|137|zoom=5}} tvxu1i2rlbqrpbt1xeah84hkjk88j0q 0 3316 4501852 4011407 2022-08-16T03:26:17Z Ground Zero 1423298 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bellville Illinois banner.jpg|pgname=Belleville}} '''Belleville''' is a city in [[Illinois]]. ==Get in== {{Mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=MidAmerica St. Louis Airport | alt={{IATA|BLV}} | url=http://www.flymidamerica.com/ | email= | address= | lat=38.545278 | long=-89.835278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=MidAmerica St. Louis Airport | image=Scott afb IL - 2 April 1998.jpg | wikidata=Q3565245 | lastedit=2018-12-25 | content=[https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air] from Fort Walton Beach, Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford, Punta Gorda (FL), St. Petersburg/Clearwater }} === By train === [https://www.metrostlouis.org/ '''MetroLink'''] runs a very frequent light rail service from downtown [[St. Louis]]. * {{listing | type=go | name=Belleville MetroLink station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.521909 | long=-89.974463 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Belleville station (MetroLink) | wikidata=Q4883849 | lastedit=2020-06-30 | content= }} ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Victorian House Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=701 East Washington Street, Belleville | lat=38.51295 | long=-89.97633 | directions= | phone=+1 618 234-0600 | tollfree= | fax=+1 618 234-3060 | hours=M-F 10AM-2PM, closed Sa Su holidays | price=$2 adult, $1 child, free to Society members | lastedit=2016-10-12 | content=An 1866 Victorian Home recreating a family dwelling of the period. The Museum also features frequently changing exhibits of artifacts and collections pertaining to local history, Society office, research library, gift shop, and the Society's collections of artifacts and clothing. Group tours by appointment. }} ==Do== ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Wings Over Belleville | url= | email= | address=W. Main Street | lat= | long= | directions=in the old Burger King Building | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=go if you're a fan of chicken wings. fantastic. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Super 8 by Wyndham Belleville St. Louis Area | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/belleville-illinois/super-8-belleville-il/overview | email= | address=600 E Main St. | lat= 38.5136 | long=-89.9772 | directions= | phone=+1 618-234-9670 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-25 | content= }} ==Go next== {{routebox | image1=Illinois 15.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[St. Louis]] via [[File:I-55.svg|18px]][[File:I-64.svg|18px]] | minorl1=[[East St. Louis]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Mount Vernon (Illinois)|Mount Vernon]] | minorr1=Jct [[Lebanon (Illinois)|N]] [[File:Illinois 4.svg|18px]] → Jct [[Centralia (Illinois)|N]] [[File:US 51.svg|18px]] [[Carbondale (Illinois)|S]] }} {{geo|38.520|-89.984}} {{isPartOf|St. Louis Metro East}} {{outlinecity}} 6zfoo91cpqj4i1z2xi7w2eht8wp4qkm 0 4139 4502000 4410420 2022-08-16T08:25:12Z Vidimian 1815 /* Do */ + the hittite trail wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bogazkale Hattusa banner Yazilikaya.jpg|unesco=yes|caption=Rock-cut relief depicting the Hittite gods of the underworld in Yazılıkaya|pgname=Boğazkale-Hattuşa}} '''Boğazkale''' is a village in the [[Central Karadeniz]] region in [[Turkey]]. It lies next to the ruins of the ancient [[Hittites|Hittite]] city of '''Hattusa''' (Turkish: ''Hattuşaş''), a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. == Understand== ==Get in== Boğazkale is off the [[Ankara]] - [[Samsun]] road from the town of Sungurlu and there are plenty of buses that run on that route. There are 2 municipal buses per day from Sungurlu to Boğazkale from Monday to Friday. The bus leaves Sungurlu at 07:30 and 17:30. The return trips from Boğazkale are at 07:00 and 17:00. Ask the locals for ''Belediye otobüsü Boğazkale'' at Sungurlu. There are 1-2 dolmuş services per day without a reliable timetable. Taxis are also available between Sungurlu and Boğazkale. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Sphinx Gate, Hattusa 01.jpg|thumb|Sphinx Gate, Hattusa]] * {{see | name=Hattusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q181007 | lastedit=2020-12-09 | content=Ruins of a Hittite city dating from about 2000 BC to 1000 BC. At one time it must have been a great and impressive city but today little remains except for the reconstructed foundations. However, the plan of the city is still evident and walking around the ruins makes an interesting and instructive day. }} * {{see | name=Yazılıkaya | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q529923 | lastedit=2020-12-09 | content=An excavation site containing Hittite buildings. The foundations of large religious buildings from that period are still visible. }} * {{see | name=Boğazköy Museum | alt=Boğazkale Müzesi | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0252 | long=34.6081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-12-09 | content=Has a few objects from Hattusa (most are in Ankara) and lots of photographs of the excavations. }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in and around Boğazkale, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible while connecting the Hittite sites to each other. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Aşıkoğlu | alt= | url=http://hattusas.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.02615 | long=34.6072079 | directions= | phone= +90 364 452 2004 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=150 TL for a single room | lastedit=2017-05-30 | content=The first hotel founded in Boğazkale with a very helpful owner who can organize pickups from Sungurlu and also trips to the surroundings like Alacahöyük. }} * {{sleep | name=Hittite Houses | alt= | url=http://hattusas.com/hittitehouses.html | email= | address= | lat=40.0264642 | long=34.6080279 | directions= | phone=+90 533 517 43 96 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=80 TL for a single room | lastedit=2017-05-30 | content=The budget accommodation of the Hotel Aşıkogluç just on the other side of the street. You have access to all services of Hotel Aşıkoğlu with transfers etc. }} * {{sleep | name=Hattusas pension | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+90 364 452 2013 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=US$7-15 | content=The pension has a few rooms with shared bathroom and a restaurant on the ground floor. Run by Mustafa and Ahmet Baykal, the friendly owners, who are only to happy to chat and give advice. }} ==Stay safe== Boğazkale squarely lies within the habitat of the '''[[ticks]]''' (''kene''), which are known to be a vector of the serious '''Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever''' (CCHF, Turkish: ''Kırım Kongo Kanamalı Ateşi'' or ''KKKA'') in the area. Follow the usual tick prevention strategy of avoiding long grasses and wearing long trouses April through October when the ticks are active; if you nevertheless get bitten by one, seek medical help ''immediately'', as those unfortunate enough to be infected by CCHF have a mortality rate of 10-40% within three days of infection. Experts advice against removing the tick from your body as this may result in its mouth breaking apart — which results in an elevated likelihood for infection and makes it harder for the medical staff to identify the tick. ==Go next== * [[Amasya]] &mdash; inland town on Yeşilırmak River with whitewashed Ottoman architecture and ancient tombs engraved on cliffs overlooking the town. * [[Çorum]] - N 30 km. * [[Ordu]] &mdash; on the way to more popular cities and sites of eternally rainy and green [[Eastern Karadeniz|Eastern Black Sea]]. * [[Samsun]] &mdash; largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast with big city attractions: such as opera and museums. Also many sports, including wakeboarding in summer. * [[Tokat]] {{routebox | image4=19-51-TUR.png | imagesize4=35 | majorl4=Connects to [[File:D785-TR.svg|35px]] and [[File:D795-TR.svg|35px]] (via [[File:D190-TR.svg|35px]]) towards [[Çorum]] | minorl4= | directionl4=N | directionr4=S | minorr4= | majorr4=END }} {{geo|40.021111|34.609722}} {{IsPartOf|Central Karadeniz}} {{outlinecity}} {{related|UNESCO_World_Heritage_List}} [[de:Hattuşa]] 5fw4vtxdw2tvkeelrcxg9vh06xmnrnu 0 4367 4501780 4484068 2022-08-15T22:35:34Z 174.83.48.170 /* By car */ Removed repetition. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Boston_Skyline_July_5_2010.jpg|disambig=yes|dotm=yes}} {{printDistricts}} A city of history and tradition, '''[https://www.bostonusa.com/ Boston]''' offers a proud legacy of culture, education, and numerous sporting championships. The city's independent spirit has been displayed to the world ever since colonists angry over a British tax on their beloved tea dumped shiploads of it into the harbor in protest. In the early 1600s, the peninsula in [[Massachusetts]] that would become known as Boston was controlled by Native Americans until John Smith (English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author) named the area [[New England]] to attract European settlers. Boston was founded in 1630, making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. No other American city has made more of an effort to preserve its history, and you'll find buildings that pre-date the republic dotted throughout the region. But Boston isn't a city to dwell on the past: it has renovated and revitalized, in the process shedding its once deservedly parochial reputation. And its culture is refreshed every fall by an influx of freshmen pouring into its constellation of powerful universities, which attract great minds from around the globe. Visiting will reveal a distinct mix of puritanical ideals and liberal politics—the former responsible for the first public school in the Americas, the latter spurring Massachusetts to become the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. Don't believe everything you've heard about the gruff demeanor of locals. Bostonians are often friendlier than the unacquainted might expect...just don't call it "Beantown" to their face. ==Districts== Greater Boston is notoriously provincial, and as such, the surrounding area contains hundreds of small communities that are closer knit than is common elsewhere in the United States. Even a large city like Boston found it difficult to annex surrounding areas as it grew. When independent towns were absorbed, they retained their unique culture, which modern residents remain fiercely proud of today. What does this mean for the traveller? You'll find most every district goes by more than one name, with a full count exceeding 110 distinct squares, circles, and points. Don't worry about remembering all the names; just remember Boston is a very compact city. When you're ready to move on, the next block is bound to engage. {{Regionlist | regionmap=Boston_neighborhoods_crop.svg | regionmapsize=560px | regionmaptext=Map of Boston Districts | region1name=Central | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=[[Boston/Downtown|Downtown]], [[Boston/Downtown|Chinatown]], [[Boston/North End|North End]], [[Boston/North End|West End]] | region1description=The center of the city in so many ways, Downtown Boston is where it all begins. Perennial tourist favorites '''Faneuil Hall''' and '''Quincy Market''' are here, while most [[Freedom Trail]] sights are found nearby. | region2name=[[Boston/Back Bay-Beacon Hill|Back Bay-Beacon Hill]] | region2color=#AC5C91 | region2description=Classic Federalist architecture, '''The State House''', America's oldest city park, and one of its most photographed streets are waiting. Later, eat at some of the city's finest restaurants to recharge your tired legs. | region3name=[[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore|Fenway-Kenmore]] | region3color=#69999F | region3description=Perhaps most recognized as the home of '''Fenway Park''' and the Boston Red Sox; Fenway also boasts many top cultural institutions, including the '''Museum of Fine Arts'''. | region4name=[[Boston/South End|South End]] | region4color=#D56D76 | region4description=A high-end shopping, dining and art scene has coalesced around the South End and '''SoWa Market'''. Its renowned Victorian brownstone buildings and gas-lit cobblestone streets can charm at any time of year. | region5name=[[Boston/South Boston|South Boston]] | region5color=#71B37B | region5description=Don't let the movies fool you, South Boston is a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood still holding on to its Irish Catholic working class roots. The changing times are clearest in the Seaport district, home to the '''Institute of Contemporary Art'''. | region6name=[[Boston/Charlestown|Charlestown]] | region6color=#8A84A3 | region6description=Found between the Charles and Mystic rivers, Charlestown is home to significant landmarks such as the '''U.S.S. Constitution''' and the '''Bunker Hill Monument'''. The oldest neighborhood in Boston, Charlestown also has its oldest tavern. | region7name=[[Boston/East Boston|East Boston]] | region7color=#578e86 | region7description=This former center of shipbuilding has always been a neighborhood of immigrants. Today its population is made up largely of Italian-Americans and immigrants from Central and South America and Southeast Asia. If you arrive by air, this is the first neighborhood you'll visit. | region8name=[[Boston/Allston-Brighton|Allston-Brighton]] | region8color=#d5dc76 | region8description=Ever-changing Allston is best known for its student population, and the shops and restaurants that cater to them. The landscape becomes more residential as you move west into Brighton. | region9name=[[Boston/Jamaica Plain-Mission Hill|Jamaica Plain-Mission Hill]] | region9color=#B383B3 | region9description=Jamaica Plain is home to the '''Arnold Arboretum''' and the '''Sam Adams Brewery''', while Mission Hill includes a healthy collection of students and medical professionals from the many nearby colleges and hospitals. | region10name=[[Boston/Dorchester|Dorchester]] | region10color=#d09440 | region10description=Dorchester, Boston's largest neighborhood, is also one of its most diverse. Long-time residents mingle with newer immigrants from Ireland, Vietnam, and Cape Verde. A big draw is the powerful '''JFK Presidential Library and Museum'''. The oldest house in the city, the '''James Blake House''', can also be found here. | region11name=[[Boston/Roxbury|Roxbury]] | region11color=#B5D29F | region11description=Once a farming community, Roxbury is the heart of Black culture in Boston. It's also home to the historic '''Shirley Eustis House''', built by a British royal colonial governor. '''Franklin Park''' is here as well, considered the "crown jewel" of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system. | region12name=[[Boston/Outer Neighborhoods|Outer Neighborhoods]] | region12color=#ED8186 | region12items= | region12description=Once considered a "garden suburb" of Boston, today's residents of '''Roslindale''' are still attracted to the neighborhood's natural beauty. '''Mattapan'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s population is largely made up of African Americans and immigrants from the Caribbean. '''West Roxbury''', in Boston's southwest corner, is known for its civic activism and youth programming. As Boston's southernmost neighborhood, '''Hyde Park''' offers the intangibles of city life as well as the open space more commonly associated with the suburbs. }} {{infobox|A quick overview of costs|All cities on the East Coast are pricey and Boston is no different. You'll find most costs to be on the higher side, but within expectations for a city. This does not apply to hotel rooms however, see the [[Boston#Sleep|sleep]] section for more. <table> <tr> <td>Subway:</td> <td>$2.25</td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td> <td>Quick lunch:</td> <td>$10</td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td> <td>Reasonable dinner:</td> <td>$30</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Coffee:</td> <td>$4</td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td> <td>Museum:</td> <td>$20</td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td> <td>Double room:</td> <td>$250</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Beer:</td> <td>$7</td> <td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td> <td>Live music:</td> <td>$30</td> </tr> </table> }} Many sights visitors expect to see are not within the city limits. Politically distinct from Boston, the following three cities are bound together with Boston by their shared borders, transit options, and cultural values. The mayors meet often to plan and discuss long-term developments, and citizens travel between them daily. Casual visitors may not realize they are leaving Boston at all. * '''[[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]]''': "The People's Republic of Cambridge" is most famous for the prestigious '''Harvard University''' and '''MIT'''. Many stunning museums, architecture, and events belonging to these schools are well worth a visit. Cambridge also has '''The Longfellow House''' among other colonial sites. * '''[[Somerville]]''': Though this is a mostly residential neighborhood, you may find yourself here nonetheless exploring the many restaurants and quirky shops in '''Davis Square'''. In the warmer months, independent musicians and artists hold festivals, overtaking '''Union Square''' and beyond. * '''[[Brookline]]''': The greenest neighborhood by far, Brookline is home to Frederick Law Olmsted's '''Fairsted''', the first landscape design office. The '''Larz Anderson Park and Auto Museum''' is also nearby. Additionally many shopping and dining options can be found in '''Coolidge Corner''' and '''Washington Square'''. ==Understand== ===History=== The first people to arrive here discovered an archipelago of islands and isthmuses, filled with fruits of the land and sea. They called the land Shawmut, and would use '''fishweirs''' and tidal flows to catch their dinners. Calling themselves ''Massachusett'', meaning "people of the great hills" they chased the seasons, heading inland to hunker down in winter hunting camps, while fishing and foraging by the coast during summer. These eponymous great hills are today known as the Blue Hills, and are in nearby Milton. ====Founding==== The first European immigrant to appear was William Blaxton, an English priest who began living alone atop Beacon Hill in 1629. The following year the flagship ''Arbella'' and her fleet sailed from England, bringing hundreds of Puritan families across the Atlantic. Designated governor by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop quickly acquired Blaxton's land. He dubbed the area Boston after his boyhood home. Winthrop then delivered a powerful speech to his fellow settlers&mdash;one of the first examples of American Exceptionalism&mdash;proclaiming Boston to be '''"as a city upon a hill"'''. This sermon would inspire those seeking to live life as "a model of Christian charity", and over the next decade close to 10,000 additional Puritans would reach the colony. Differing somewhat from the English, the new Puritan arrivals to Boston placed an extreme value on literacy. Legislation was drafted during town meetings, requiring residents to be able to read and understand the Bible and the laws of the land. Boston Latin School and Harvard College were established early on as means to that end. This early commitment to education and system of small town governance are values that continue to endure throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts today. While forward thinking in some ways, Puritans were exceedingly intolerant in other aspects of life. Anne Hutchinson, a charismatic Puritan, was banished and excommunicated in 1637 for her strong anti-establishment religious convictions. Mary Dyer was less fortunate, and in 1660 was hanged in Boston Common for the "crime" of being a Quaker. And yes, Christmas celebrations really were banned in Boston from 1659-1681 for being "satanical" and "sacrilegious". Over the following 100 years, the New England colonists would war with remaining native Indian tribes, suffer deadly bouts of smallpox, and choose to rebuild after devastating fires and earthquakes. When in 1691 the colony expanded into the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Boston remained the capital of the region. Its position as the closest American city to England coupled with a high birth rate ushered in a boom time for the population and the economy. ====Revolution==== In direct competition with New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, Boston spent years improving its infrastructure. Investing in wharves, storage, and lighthouses helped Boston to become one of the world's wealthiest port cities. The trade in slaves, rum, salted cod, and tobacco were particularly important over the years. When, in the mid-1760s, taxes were levied on items Bostonians held most dear, the colonists' shared experiences and common religious background fostered a resistance unexpected to the far-off British Parliament. Resistance came to a boiling point on March 5, 1770 when Redcoats fired into a crowd of colonists, shooting Crispus Attucks and four others dead by the steps of the Old State House. An illustration by Paul Revere of what would become known as '''The Boston Massacre''' called American colonists up and down the coast to throw off the yoke of colonial oppression. On the night of April 18, 1775, Revere rode out of Boston famously yelling: "The British are coming, the British are coming!", helping to raise the alarm of British attack throughout the countryside. After victories at [[Lexington (Massachusetts)|Lexington]] and [[Concord (Massachusetts)|Concord]], General George Washington arrived on the scene to help the Continental Army break the siege of Boston. The British were finally expelled in 1776, when after an overnight flurry of activity, cannons were fortified atop a hill and trained on the Crown's ships. For these pivotal events in American history, Boston is often referred to as '''The Cradle of Liberty'''. ====19th century==== Now unencumbered by a foreign power and boasting a successful economy, Boston grew quickly, becoming a city in 1822. An elite class of community leaders developed, calling themselves '''Boston Brahmins'''. Families with the names Delano, Revere and Adams would prize the arts and became widely known for their rarefied literary culture and lavish patronage. Other contemporary Bostonians such as the famous writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, no less privileged but with an alternative outlook on life, called themselves Transcendentalists. They believed in the inherent goodness of people and nature. These groups would work together with Abolitionists to shape American liberal thought throughout the century. Calling Boston "The Athens of America", they helped drive unprecedented scientific, educational and social change that would soon sweep the country. Bostonians still think of the city as Brahmin Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. once put it, "The Hub of the Universe". This half-serious term is all you need to know to understand Boston's complicated self-image. One of the most visible historical events to shape the city of Boston was the Irish potato famine during the late 1840s. A massive number of Irish escaped their homeland and found quarters in a new city. "The Boston Irish" would go on to reshape the city, building Catholic Boston College and giving birth to a powerful political dynasty, the Kennedys. Even the local basketball team is named "The Celtics". Today, imagining the city of Boston without the Irish is an impossible task. Immigrants kept on arriving throughout the 1800s, not only from Ireland, but from Italy, eastern Europe, and beyond. The city needed space to put them all, so it began annexing nearby towns and undertaking land reclamation projects. Boston would eventually grow to become over 40 times its original size! Boston's economy would continue to expand along with its landmass, but not as quickly, and profits would not be distributed evenly. ====Modern==== [[File:Boston à lheure bleue (4769294947).jpg|thumb|Looking towards the harbor from the Pru's observation deck]] By the close of World War II, Boston was on the decline. Poorly thought out urban renewal policies demolished hundreds of acres of ethnic neighborhoods. Factories were closing, no large buildings were under construction, and anti-Jewish and anti-black violence was on the rise. A court order forced Boston Public Schools to integrate, flaring racial tensions throughout the city. White flight was in full swing, as wealthier white Bostonians fled the city. A widely circulated photograph, ''The Soiling of Old Glory'', depicted a young white student thrusting a flagpole at a restrained black man, reinforcing Boston's reputation for discrimination. But there were seeds of hope planted during the 1970s as well. As the market began to open up in the 1970s, Boston did well in the mutual fund and financial industries. The healthcare sector grew, and many hospitals in Boston began to lead the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Higher education also became more expensive, and the best and brightest were attracted to Boston's powerful universities. Graduates from MIT in particular founded many profitable high-tech and bio-tech companies. After the completion of the '''Big Dig''' in 2007, Boston began to step back into the spotlight on the national stage. Racial tensions have eased dramatically, and city streets once again echo with the sounds of activity and construction not seen for decades. Other cities look to Boston for how they handle health care, police violence, and civil rights issues. In the new millennium Boston is once again becoming a "hub" of intellectual, technological, and political thought. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Imperial | janhigh = 36 | febhigh = 38 | marhigh = 45 | aprhigh = 56 | mayhigh = 67 | junhigh = 77 | julhigh = 82 | aughigh = 80 | sephigh = 73 | octhigh = 63 | novhigh = 52 | dechigh = 41 | janlow = 22 | feblow = 23 | marlow = 31 | aprlow = 40 | maylow = 50 | junlow = 59 | jullow = 65 | auglow = 64 | seplow = 57 | octlow = 47 | novlow = 38 | declow = 27 | janprecip = 3.8 | febprecip = 3.5 | marprecip = 4 | aprprecip = 3.7 | mayprecip = 3.4 | junprecip = 3 | julprecip = 2.8 | augprecip = 3.6 | sepprecip = 3.3 | octprecip = 3.3 | novprecip = 4.4 | decprecip = 4.2 | jansnow = 14.0 | febsnow = 11.3 | marsnow = 7.8 | aprsnow = 1.9 | maysnow = 0 | junsnow = 0 | julsnow = 0 | augsnow = 0 | sepsnow = 0 | octsnow = 0 | novsnow = 1.3 | decsnow = 8.8 | jansun = 9:24 | febsun = 10:36 | marsun = 11:58 | aprsun = 13:23 | maysun = 14:34 | junsun = 15:17 | julsun = 14:52 | augsun = 13:48 | sepsun = 12:27 | octsun = 11:02 | novsun = 9:49 | decsun = 9:04 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Boston|42.3588|-71.05665}} }} [[File:Feb 2013 blizzard 5886.JPG|thumb|Brookline residents taking the streets back after a 2013 blizzard.]] Almost any time of the year is a good time to visit Boston. The springtime offers a window into renewal. Especially during May, blooms and blossoms are out and colors are at their brightest. Summer is summer of course, and June to September is the height of the tourist season. Daylight in the late spring and early summer months lasts from 5AM to 8PM. Every corner of the city takes advantage of the warm weather and is packed with festivals and special events. During fall, Mother Nature is on full display. She puts on such a show during October and November, many visitors choose this time to holiday over all others. If you are a snow lover, winter could be the season for you. Most residents, however, dread the cold temps and scant daylight hours found from December through March, sometimes extending into April. Although far north for an American city, the nearby Atlantic Ocean offers a moderating effect. Winters are slow to take hold, while conversely, spring is slow to take root. One thing about the North Atlantic, it never really gets warm. Never. No matter how hot it is at the beach, you can bet that ocean water will be cold! The Atlantic also has the unlikely potential to create a ''Nor'easter'', kind of a less powerful hurricane. ''Nor'easter's'' generally happen from September to April, when the cold Arctic air meets with warmer air over the Atlantic. Boston might get anywhere from 0-2 of these events a year, and is well prepared for them. So just hunker down for the day while the windy deluge passes by. When the snow comes, and it will come, it alters the rhythm of life in the city. Sidewalks become slippery and narrow. Daylight starts at 7AM, only for the sun to set at 4PM. The mercury drops below freezing and can stay there for months. It can dip even lower to 0°F (-18°C) for weeks at a time. For a few days each winter, however, warm Caribbean air pushes up into the Bay State, bringing with it a much welcomed respite from the cold. This helps keep the snow from piling up, so seeing more than a foot of accumulation is rare. The 2014–15 winter was an incredible exception, when over {{in|110}} of snow fell on Boston in 18 days. The city dumped it in piles as high as {{ft|75}}, and had to wait until July 14th for the last of it to finally melt away. Boston is not well equipped to handle snowfall to that degree, so expect similar extensive transit disruptions if that amount ever drops again. ===Watch=== [[File:Harvard Square during late afternoon.jpg|thumb|Do you like apples? Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples?]] * ''Good Will Hunting'' (Gus Van Sant, 1996). If you're only watching one movie about Boston, make it this one. While the tale of Romeo & Juliet has been told many times, this telling of star crossed "blue collar" and "ivory tower" lovers could only happen in Boston. A powerful Academy Award winning performance by Robin Williams and quotable dialogue make this a standout film. ''Good Will Hunting'' was a breakout success for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and you'll hear some great accents and see the city as it was before the current building boom. How you like them apples?! * ''The Departed'' (Martin Scorsese, 2006). Loosely based on the exploits of Irish mobster Whitey Bulger and corrupt FBI agent John Connolly. This star studded tale of murder and deception starring Matt Damon, Leonardo Di Caprio and Jack Nicholson won four Oscars including best picture. For a more biographical take on the mobster, don't miss ''Black Mass'' directed by Scott Cooper in 2015. * ''Glory'' (Edward Zwick, 1989). Among other sources, ''Glory'' is based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, commander of the first all-black regiment during the Civil War. OK, so there's a bit of a White savior thing going on, and it's not set in Boston; but still it's a great film and accurately depicts the feelings many Bostonians had about slavery during this time. * ''Mystic River'' (Clint Eastwood, 2003). This critically acclaimed film deals with the horrific fallout of child abuse, rampant in Boston during the 1970s. Exploring where people's loyalties really lie, and asking how far you would go to protect what is yours. Principal photography took place on location in Boston. *''The Town'' (Ben Affleck, 2010) If the grittier side of Boston intrigues you, this crime thriller by Boston's own Ben Affleck will give you an insight in many of the city's unsavory and blue-collar environments, peppered with wicked thick Boston accents. * ''Ted'' (Seth MacFarlane, 2012). On the lighter side, this hilarious buddy comedy features all the toilet humor and Boston accents you can shake a stick at. Fenway Park of course gets involved somehow, along with a few original (off-color) songs. * ''Spotlight'' (Tom McCarthy, 2015). Following The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, this film pursues the investigation into cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. Based on a series of stories that earned The Globe a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. * ''Patriots Day'' (Peter Berg, 2016). Shot in Boston and Quincy, ''Patriot's Day'' deals with the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent terrorist manhunt. While the film was well received, it was criticized in Boston for being made too soon and glamorizing the events it was based upon. ===Read=== Often, Boston isn't at the center of a novel, but repeatedly makes memorable cameo appearances. Perhaps owing to the academic magnet effect that attracts bright minds here for a few short years. See David Foster Wallace's ''Infinite Jest'' or Faulkner's ''The Sound and the Fury'' for examples. Another masterwork, ''The Handmaid's Tale'' by Margaret Atwood, is also set in Boston. * ''The Scarlet Letter'' (Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850). Exploring themes of legalism, sin, and guilt; the book tells the tale of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life in 17th century Boston. * ''The Bell Jar'' (Sylvia Plath, 1963). Esther Greenwood is&nbsp;a young woman from the suburbs of Boston&nbsp;who experiences a series of setbacks and struggles with depression as she struggles to choose between doing what's expected or what is in her heart. Semi-autobiographical. * ''Common Ground'' (J. Anthony Lukas, 1985). Winning the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction, this novel follows the lives of three families as they experience race relations in Boston during the 1960s and 70s. It briefly recounts how each family came to live in their neighborhood before narrowing in on racial and class conflicts. * ''The Rascal King'' (Jack Beatty, 2000). Hero or hooligan? Boston mayor James Michael Curley (1874-1958) could certainly be either. During his four terms he built schools, playgrounds and beaches; even while imprisoned under a fraud conviction. * ''Dark Tide'' (Stephen Puleo, 2003). In this book Puelo seeks to uncover the structural reasons for the occurrence of the great Boston molasses flood of 1919. [[Boston#Work|See this infobox]] for more. * ''A Short History of Boston'' (Robert Allison, 2004). The chair of Suffolk University’s history department brings Boston's history alive in 128 pages. Covering everything from the Puritan theocracy to the Big Dig and beyond. * ''Another Bullshit Night in Suck City'' (Nick Flynn, 2004). A memoir by playwright and poet Nick Flynn, describing his reunion with his estranged father, Jonathan, an alcoholic resident of the homeless shelter where Nick was a social worker in the late 1980s. * ''The Given Day'' (Dennis Lehane, 2008). A historical novel set in Boston during the turn of the last century. One of the story's main characters is Aiden "Danny" Coughlin, an ethnic Irish Boston Police patrolman. Lehane is also the author of other Boston based books frequently turned into films. You may have heard of ''Shutter Island'', ''Gone, Baby, Gone'', ''Mystic River'', and many others. * ''The Gardner Heist'' (Ulrich Boser, 2009). On the night of March 18, 1990 two men committed the largest art theft in history. A dozen masterpieces worth over $500 million went missing, and remain at large today. [[Boston#Sleep|See this infobox]] for more. ===Smoking=== Smoking is not permitted in any restaurant or bar in the metro Boston area. ==Talk== Often used in film and television as shorthand for "blue-collar" or "working-class" stereotypes, the Boston accent remains mostly alive and well in the region. Known for dropping "R"s, the accent is believed to be a continuation of the English accent imported by the first colonists. Today, however, it's on life support within the city itself, as long-time residents move out and younger transplants from around the country and world move in. Listen in to conversations of police, fire or construction workers for your best chance to hear it in the city. If you have time, pay a visit to the north or [[South_Shore_(Massachusetts)|south shore]], where you're much more likely to hear it in action. Though they have mostly eschewed the Boston accent, younger Boston residents do pepper their speech with a plethora of local lingo, with "wicked" being particularly popular. Also, young people in Massachusetts (and New England for that matter) tend to speak a lot faster than other Americans. The word "wicked" is still strongly in use, functioning as an amplifier in place of "very". You'll also hear "packie" for a liquor (package) store and "blinkers"<!--incidentally the exact same word as in German--> for the turn signals on your car. And some of our English friends might recognize a "rotary" as a roundabout. There are many others, but these are the most commonly used today. Feel free to try out "wicked" as often as you like, it's a fun way to get in on the culture. Try not to go overboard — saying stuff like "Pahk tha cah in Hahvid Yahd" is a dead giveaway for tourists. Avoid saying "pisser" — you'll see it printed on t-shirts but no one really says it anymore. Hosting a very large Hispanic population, Boston can be a great place to practice your Spanish. ===Visitor information=== * {{listing | name=Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau | alt= | url=http://www.bostonusa.com | email=info@bostonusa.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-536-4100 | tollfree=+1-888-733-2678 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-03-29 | content=This is a great place to book tours, get brochures and other information. This could sound pretty crazy, but it's even possible to buy souvenirs here. }} :* {{listing | name=Boston Common Visitors Center | alt= | url= | email= | address=139 Tremont St | lat=42.355468 | long=-71.063905 | directions=T: Park Street | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 8:30AM-5PM, Su 9AM-6PM | price=Free | lastedit=2017-03-29 | content= }} * {{listing | name=National Park Service | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/bost | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-242-5601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-03-29 | content=The National Park Service also maintains two visitor centers here, as many of Boston's historic sites are considered part of the NPS. Get up to date information about the status of Freedom Trail buildings and events. If you have a mobile phone, try out their Freedom Trail app. It's filled with historical anecdotes and helpful information. }} :* {{listing | name=Charlestown Navy Yard Visitors Center | alt=USS Constitution | url= | email= | address=Building 5 | lat=42.373169 | long=-71.056834 | directions=T: Community College | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-5PM daily | price=Free | lastedit=2017-03-29 | content= }} :* {{listing | name=Downtown Visitors Center | alt=Faneuil Hall | url= | email= | address=1 Faneuil Hall Sq | lat=42.360026 | long=-71.056169 | directions=T: State Street | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-5PM daily | price=Free | lastedit=2017-03-29 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | alt="The T" Ⓣ | url=https://www.mbta.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617 222-3200 | tollfree=+1 800 392-6100 | fax= | hours= | price=Bus $1.70/2.00; subway $2.25/2.75; commuter rail $2.25–$12.50 | lastedit=2018-02-24 | content=The <abbr title="Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority">MBTA</abbr> operates [[#By_public_transit|public transit]] — bus, subway, trolley, commuter rail and ferry services — throughout the region. }} ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also|Air travel in the United States}} [[File:N522NK_(6544786147).jpg|thumb|Logan is close, almost a little too close, to downtown Boston]] * {{listing|typr=go | name=[[Boston Logan International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|BOS}} | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800 23-LOGAN | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=It's modern, clean, easy to navigate, and the primary gateway to Boston and New England. Logan has a bevy of dining options scattered throughout its terminals, some of them are even good! Nowadays it's possible to find local farm-to-table fare and a wide selection of organic microbrews on tap. Of course this ''is'' America after all, so you can bet a McDonald's or Sbarro will never be out of sight. For shopping, you'll easily be able to find a new book or magazine once past security. You could also buy fancy new shoes, headphones, or a hundred other things. }} As the major airport for New England, Logan provides frequent non-stop service to most major cities in the United States and almost all major European airports. Logan airport serves as a focus city for '''JetBlue''' and as a hub for '''Delta Air Lines''', while '''American Airlines''' is another major carrier. The regional airline Cape Air and commuter airline PenAir also make Logan their base of operations. Flights tend to be on time, but you never know with that wild New England weather. Try not to plan your connections too tightly. Security is typically tight, like at most major American airports, and you can expect the TSA to be thorough, efficient, and quick. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Terminal !! Serves |- | A ||Delta (all departures), WestJet |- | B || Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines (all departures), Boutique Air, Southwest, Spirit, United |- | C || Aer Lingus, Cape Air, JetBlue (all departures), TAP Portugal (international departures) |- | E || Air France, Alitalia, Allegiant Air, American Airlines (international arrivals), Azores Airlines, British Airways, Cabo Verde Airways, Cathay Pacific, Copa Airlines, Delta (international arrivals), El Al, Emirates, Frontier Hainan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, ITA Airways, Japan Airlines, JetBlue (international arrivals), KLM, Korean Air, LATAM, Level, Lufthansa, Porter, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Scandinavian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal (international arrivals), Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic |} ====Ground transportation==== All terminals in Logan are directly connected to the central parking garage like spokes on a hub. Terminals A and B are fairly close together, and it's possible to walk from C to E. Above-ground enclosed walkways connect all terminals, while free MassPort shuttle buses connect all airport services. Shuttle #11 loops around and quickly connects the four terminals together. Shuttle #22 and #33 connect the subway and rental car center, with terminals A&B and C&E respectively. Shuttle #55 runs during off-peak hours and connects everything, and the #66 shuttle adds the water transportation dock into the mix as well. Finally, shuttle #88 connects all terminals to the economy parking garage. If you're renting a car, take one of the shuttles and don't wait for a branded company van. The MassPort shuttles will connect you to Airport Station, where you can switch to the Blue line. For most travellers, however, the best option is to '''board the Silver line for free at Logan and transfer for free to the Red line'''. The Silver line whisks you straight from your terminal to South Station downtown. Transfers to other lines will also be ''gratis'', but try to pick up a Charliecard at South Station if you plan on riding the T again. Service stops around 12:30AM, so if your flight arrives after this you'll be taking a cab. Taxis are more expensive in Boston than in many other cities. Fortunately though, the airport is quite close to downtown. Costs could range from $25-50, depending on your final destination. There is no one livery for Boston taxis, although they are predominantly white (hence the local name "White Cabs"). Cab models will also vary, with Ford Crown Victorias and Toyota Camry hybrids being the most common. Ride-hailing services such as '''Uber and Lyft''' can pick up and drop off at Logan. In March 2019, the airport said that it is planning to move all pickups and drop offs to the ground floor of the Central Garage, so check before you depart. Check with your hotel about airport shuttle service, it's an amenity offered by many. Other shuttle services that visit the airport include: * {{listing | name=Logan Express | alt= | url=https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/to-and-from-logan/logan-express/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$7.50 one way | content=Offers direct bus service from [[Braintree_(Massachusetts)|Braintree]], [[Framingham]], [[Woburn_(Massachusetts)|Woburn]], and [[Peabody]]. Buses leave every hour or so and trips take around 30-45 minutes. Express buses also run to the airport from Copley Square and Hynes Convention Center in the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill|Back Bay]]. }} * {{listing | name=Axis Coach | alt= | url=http://www.axiscoachusa.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617 340-3403 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=from $79 one way | content=Airport limos to and from Logan airport or Manchester airports. }} If you're driving to Logan, routes are well marked, but the airport road system is complex. Read the signs carefully and be sure you're in the correct lane. If an unexpected off-ramp sneaks up on you, don't panic, you can just drive around the airport loop again. ====Other airports==== A few small airports in New England add "Boston" to their name, even if they're in another state or have little means of reaching the city on public transportation. Flights to other New England airports such as Portland, Maine ({{IATA|PWM}}) and Hartford ({{IATA|BDL}}) occasionally appear in searches online, but are nearly {{mi|100}} from Boston! Not only are these airports impractical, they are usually more expensive due to economies of scale. Only use them if you're headed to the countryside in the first place. *'''[http://www.flymanchester.com/ Manchester-Boston Regional Airport]''' ({{IATA|MHT}}) ({{mi|50}} north of Boston, accessible via Interstate 93). Main service is offered by Southwest Airlines, along with a few flights operated by American, Delta, and United. It is a great option if you plan on going to Northern New England or Boston's northern suburbs (Haverhill, Salem). *'''[http://www.pvdairport.com/ T.F. Green Airport]''' ({{IATA|PVD}}) ({{mi|60}} south of Boston, accessible via Interstate 95) - 15 domestic flights depart daily from T.F. Green. It's also a stop on MBTA's Providence/Stoughton commuter rail line, although only a handful of rush-hour trains stop at this station each day. Otherwise you'll need to take a bus or cab to the train station downtown to catch the commuter rail to Boston. *'''[http://www.massport.com/worcester-airport/ Worcester-Boston Regional Airport]''' ({{IATA|ORH}}), {{mi|40}} west of Boston. Served by JetBlue, with daily service only to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in Florida. If you're coming from outside the US, it ''may'' be cheaper to fly into one of the New York City airports ({{IATA|JFK}} or {{IATA|EWR}}) and reach Boston via bus or rail (see below). Carefully consider the unlisted time and costs of this journey, however, as you'll have to organize everything yourself. Once you add up fares for Skytrain, subway, bus, and cabs; you'll quickly see your airfare savings evaporate. It can take over 8 hours to get from EWR to Boston for example, so consider a stopover in NYC if you're doing this. ==== Private aviation ==== Boston is a major global city among the 30 most economically powerful cities in the world. Its metropolitan area holds the 6th-largest economy in the United States, and the 12th-largest in the world, making it the main private aviation hub for New England. Boston Logan offers 3 private FBO terminals for private air travel, however, the main airport for private and general aviation in Boston is [https://www.massport.com/hanscom-field/ '''Laurence G. Hanscom Field'''] ({{FAA LID|BED}}), about {{mi|20}} northwest in [[Bedford (Massachusetts)|Bedford, MA]]. '''[http://www.norwoodma.gov/departments/airport/index.php Norwood Memorial Airport]''' ({{FAA LID|OWD}}) is just southwest of I-95 in [[Norwood|Norwood, MA]], while '''Beverly Regional Airport''' ({{FAA LID|BVY}}) and '''Lawrence Municipal Airport''' ({{FAA LID|LWM}}) offer arrivals to the north of Boston. Air charter companies such as [http://www.harvard-air-taxi.com/ Harvard Air Taxi] offer shuttle flights within the Northeast, while brokers including [https://flytailwind.com/ Tailwind Aviation] and [http://www.jetcharterboston.com/ Jet Charter Boston] offer access to private planes based at airports across the country for private flights to/from Boston and surrounding areas of New England. Aircraft options can range from luxury planes including Gulfstreams to economical single and twin-engine planes for individuals and small groups. === By train === {{see also|Rail travel in the United States}} [[File:South Station and subway headhouse at night, November 2014.jpg|thumb|Choose to enter South Station via its classical or modern entrances]] * {{listing | name=Amtrak | alt= | url=http://amtrak.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800 872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Boston is served by the national passenger rail service, as well as suburban commuter trains. The most important station is '''South Station''', where all long-distance Amtrak routes and most commuter rail routes terminate. The other main station is '''North Station''', which handles all northbound commuter rail traffic and the Amtrak route to Maine. It takes about 15-30 stressful minutes to transfer between the two stations. }} [[File:West entrance to TD Garden and North Station, June 2008.jpg|thumb|The less spectacular entrance to North Station and TD Garden]] All heavy gauge Commuter Rail trains (called the T, or purple line) terminate in either '''North Station''' or '''South Station'''. Once in town, you will find a variety of stations where switching to the light rail (or T) is quick and easy. They run as far as [[Worcester_(Massachusetts)|Worcester]], [[Lowell_(Massachusetts)|Lowell]], and [[Providence|Providence, RI]], and are significantly cheaper than Amtrak trains. The furthest you can get down [[Cape Cod|the Cape]], is [[Hyannis]] aboard the Cape Flyer. This service is provided only during summer and in cooperation with the MBTA and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority. * '''[https://www.amtrak.com/acela-express-train Acela Express]''' the fastest train in America (and slowest "high speed" train in the world) runs multiple times a day from '''South Station''' to: '''[[New Haven]]''' (2 hr), '''[[New_York_City|New York City]]''' (3 hr 45 min), '''Philadelphia''' (5 hr), and '''Washington D.C.''' (6 hr). Expensive yes, but trains are luxurious, with great Wi-Fi and power outlets. You also won't have to go through airport security, or worry about traffic delays affecting your schedule. * '''[https://www.amtrak.com/northeast-regional-train Northeast Regional]''' a cheaper train running multiples times daily along the eastern seaboard. Similar to the Acela, but with local stops from '''South Station''' including: '''New Haven''' (3 hr), '''New York''' (5 hr), '''[[Philadelphia]]''' (7 hr), '''[[Washington,_D.C.|Washington D.C.]]''' (9 hr), '''[[Richmond|Richmond, Virginia]]''' (12 hr). The overnight Northeast Regional service from Washington, D.C. includes sleeping cars, the train departs Washington, D.C around 9PM and arrives early morning in Washington, D.C. * '''[https://www.amtrak.com/downeaster-train Downeaster]''' runs multiple times daily from '''North Station''' to '''[[Brunswick_(Maine)|Brunswick, Maine]] (3 hr 20 min) via [[Portland (Maine)|Portland, Maine]] (2 hr 30 min)'''. * '''[https://www.amtrak.com/lake-shore-limited-train Lake Shore Limited]''' runs daily from '''South Station''' to '''[[Chicago]]''' (21hr30min) via '''[[Albany (New York)|Albany]]''' (5 hr), and scores of other stops throughout [[New_York_(state)|upstate New York]] and [[Ohio]]. The full trip is about 19 hours, so bring a book! * '''[http://capeflyer.com/ Cape Flyer]''' a summer weekend passenger train that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day from '''South Station''' to '''[[Hyannis]]''' (2h20min), with stops in '''[[Braintree_(Massachusetts)|Braintree]]''', '''[[Brockton]]''', '''[[Middleborough|Middleborough/Lakeville]]''', '''[[Wareham_(Massachusetts)|Wareham Village]]''' and '''[[Bourne|Buzzards Bay]]'''. ===By bus=== {{see also|Long-distance bus travel in the United States}} [[File:Boston south station bus terminal.JPG|thumb|Head upstairs to the bus terminals]] Almost every bus departing or arriving to Boston does so at '''South Station'''. The bus terminal is just a few hundred feet south of the train terminal. If you're arriving by T, walk upstairs and outside. Then keep the trains on your left, and follow the signs to get to the bus station. You should arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled departure, especially if your carrier doesn't assign seats. If you need food, try to arrive a little earlier to buy it near the trains. The train station has a variety of food options, while '''only the most basic facilities will be available near the busses'''. Many bus fares can be fairly reasonable if you book at least a week or two in advance (since pricing is demand based), although routes served by Greyhound/ Peter Pan can range from pricey to outright extortion. Some companies offer teaser fares as low as $1, but you'd need to book almost a year in advance and get lucky to boot. The New York City route is ''very'' popular, taking about 5 hours on average. However, it could take less than 4 if you leave in the dead of night, or over 8 hours if you get unlucky with traffic. If you're going anywhere other than NYC, typically only a single bus company serves the route. If you're facing bus rides of 10 hours or more, it's probably worth looking into the cost of flying, plane tickets may be comparable or even cheaper than traveling by bus. * {{listing | name=BoltBus | alt= | url=http://www.boltbus.com | email= | address=South Station | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877 265-8287 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another option connecting Boston with New York City, Newark, and Philadelphia. This was one of the first companies to offer passengers Wi-Fi and power outlets on board. Today you will find these amenities on almost every intercity bus. }} * {{listing | name=C & J | alt= | url=http://www.ridecj.com | email= | address=South Station and Logan Airport | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 603-430-1100 | tollfree=+1-800-258-7111 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Connecting Boston to Newburyport, MA, Portsmouth, NH, and Dover, NH. }} * {{listing | name=Concord Coach Lines | alt= | url=http://www.concordcoachlines.com | email= | address=South Station and Logan Airport | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 603 228-3300 | tollfree=+1-800-639-3317 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serving Maine with Portland, Augusta, Bangor, and many smaller communities along ocean and highway routes. Also serving New Hampshire with Manchester and Concord, before branching into two routes. Each branch serves little villages along the way to Littleton, NH and Berlin, NH. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/boston-ma | email= | address=(bus stop) 90 Traveler Street| lat= | long= | directions=Pickup area is in an LAZ parking lot. Enter the lot on NE corner of Traveler and Albany St. Pickup area is in the first row of parking spaces as cars pull into the lot. The area will have a FlixBus "wait here" sign. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-11-29 | content=Only to/from [[New York City#By_bus|New York]]. They also have another stop at 38 Professors Row in Tufts University. }} *{{listing | name=Go Bus | alt= | url=http://gobuses.com/ | email= | address=11 Cambridgepark West, Cambridge (Alewife Station) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It's not in Boston, but this company connects Cambridge (Alewife Station) and Newton (Riverside Station) with New York City. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address=South Station | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617 526-1800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=If you can find it on a map, Greyhound probably runs a bus there. Not always the best option, but sometimes the only one. For example, this is the only carrier connecting Boston with Montréal. }} * {{listing | name=LimoLiner | url=http://www.limoliner.com {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=39 Dalton Street, Sheraton Back Bay | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 309 502-6411 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$99 one way | content=A luxury bus transportation offering professionals business services between New York City and Boston. They may offer hot meals, waitstaff and wood paneling, but you'll have to sit in traffic like everyone else. }} * {{listing | name=Lucky Star Bus | url=http://www.luckystarbus.com | email= | address=South Station | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 617 734-1268 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$25 one way | content=Between Boston's South Station and New York's Chinatown. Buses are nice and run every 30 minutes. You can buy tickets 24-1 hours before departure only. }} * {{listing | name=Megabus | url=http://us.megabus.com/ | email= | address=South Station | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-462-6342 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Connecting Boston with the larger cities in the region. New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Also serving Secaucus, NJ, Portland, ME, Burlington, VT, New Haven and Hartford, CT. }} * {{listing | name=Peter Pan Bus Lines | url=http://www.peterpanbus.com | email= | address=South Station | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = | tollfree=+1-800-343-9999 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kind of like Greyhound, but for New England. Serves almost every town in the region, as well as the big boys: New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. }} * {{listing | name=Plymouth & Brockton | alt=Street Railway Co | url=http://www.p-b.com | email= | address=South Station and Logan Airport and 200 Stuart St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 508-746-0378 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-07-05 | content=This bus company serves Cape Cod. Going from Boston to Rockland, Plymouth, Sagamore, Barnstable and Hyannis. The route then continues from Hyannis up the Cape, makng several stops on the way to Provincetown. }} ===By car=== {{see also|Driving in the United States}} [[File:View west from Prudential Tower, July 2015.jpg|thumb|The often-crowded Pike slices through Boston]] If you’re coming from anywhere that isn’t on the east coast, '''I-90''' is how you will enter the city. Officially called '''The Massachusetts Turnpike''', locals call it "The Mass Pike", or simply "The Pike". Running east/west with a direct connection to Logan Airport, the road is over 3,000 miles long and can take you as far as [[Seattle]], if you've got time. I-90 ends (or does it begin?) with the '''Ted Williams Tunnel'''. Built during the Big Dig, it burrows under Boston Harbor to connect [[Boston/East_Boston|East Boston]] and Logan Airport with the rest of the city. The Pike is a toll road without toll booths, so '''cash transactions are not allowed'''. The tolls are paid automatically by E-ZPass (car mounted transponders) that communicate with sensors installed along the road. If you're missing a transponder, don't worry. Overhead cameras will snap a picture of your license plate and mail you a bill. In general, [https://www.ezdrivema.com/TollCalculator tolls are inexpensive]. Less than 2 bucks to get out of the city, and $1.50 for the Ted Williams Tunnel. '''I-93''' and '''Route 1''' are the major north-south highways in Boston. I-93 is toll free, and like everything else in Boston it has several names no one quite seems to agree on. '''The Southeast/Northern Expressway, or simply the Expressway''' are most common, usually referring to the section of I-93 within the Boston metro area. Another name for the road is "The Central Artery", or "The "Tip" O'Neill Tunnel", referring to the bit which runs beneath the core of the city. This stretch was built during the Big Dig and connects I-93 with I-90, and US-1. Route 1, also known as the '''Northeast Expressway,''' connects Boston with its northeastern and southwestern suburbs. Heading north from Boston, Route 1 is a toll road, crossing over the '''Tobin Bridge''' north of the Zakim before leading to a strip of commercial development in [[Saugus]] and connecting to I-95. Heading southwest, Route 1 is a scenic parkway that parallels Boston’s Emerald Necklace system of parks, before becoming a regional commercial artery in [[Boston/Outer Neighborhoods|West Roxbury]]. Crossing the mouth of the Charles River, you will drive over '''The Zakim''', or Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. This visually striking bridge is at the intersection of Route 1 and I-93, and was designed to echo the Bunker Hill Monument next door. Of note, I-95 (known locally as Route 128) does not enter Boston directly. During the 1960s, there were plans to run I-95 along the commuter rail tracks from the Route 128 Amtrak station up to I-93, and then up to the Zakim and along what is now Route 1, but those plans were scrapped. It instead bypasses the city by ringing around its northern and western suburbs. If coming from the '''[[Seacoast (New Hampshire)|Seacoast of New Hampshire]], [[Maine]], or [[Atlantic Canada]],''' take '''I-95''' down to '''Exit 44''' then take '''US 1 South''' to I-93. I-95 is a toll road throughout New Hampshire and parts of Southern Maine, and Route 1 (as mentioned earlier) is a toll road continuation of I-95 into Boston. If coming from '''[[Providence|Providence,]]''' '''[[New York City|New York City,]]''' '''[[Philadelphia]]''', '''[[Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C]]''', and points south, take I-95 north to I-93 near '''[[Canton (Massachusetts)|Canton]]'''. If coming from '''[[Hartford]]''' and most of '''[[Pennsylvania]]''', take '''I-84''' to merge onto I-90 near Sturbridge. In downtown Boston, along '''Route 1A''', you will find two more tunnels sunk beneath the harbor, '''The Callahan Tunnel''' and '''The Sumner Tunnel'''. These tunnels are smaller and poorly located (they connect at Haymarket), and you still need to pay a toll to use them. Only use them if you are in the area anyway, or there is a problem with the Ted Williams Tunnel. Other notable roads include '''Route 2''', sweeping in from the northwestern suburbs, '''Route 9''', which parallels the Pike and is toll free. It is an alternate route if you are coming into the city from Worcester or the [[MetroWest]] suburbs in Middlesex County, and '''Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive''' (two parkways paralleling the Charles River). ===By boat=== For a city on the ocean, there are surprisingly few options to arrive by ship. For in-state voyages, head to '''Long Wharf''', located downtown next to the aquarium. From here [http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/boats/ MBTA ferries] depart to Provincetown, Lynn, and Salem seasonally; while Hingham and Hull are served year round. If you're looking to spend a little more time at sea, head to '''[http://www.massport.com/port-of-boston/cruiseport-boston/ Black Falcon Cruise Terminal] {{dead link|December 2020}}''' ({{phone|+1 617-330-1500}}). From here [[cruise ships]] depart to Ft. Lauderdale, Montréal, and Quebec City. Some ships travel as far as Bermuda, the Netherlands, or even San Diego via the Panama Canal! ==Get around== Unlike other large American cities, Boston is not laid out on a grid. Folklore says modern streets were designed by wandering cows, which is surely a myth. What's more likely is that existing Native American trails were reused and extended over the years. New paths were cut around hills and streams, and shallow marshes were hastily filled in wherever the force of commerce demanded. Even the burning of the city in 1872 wasn't widespread enough to trigger a comprehensive urban update. With a compact and walkable central core, '''Boston is more similar to a European city''' than to its American counterparts. The narrow, winding streets can sometimes make getting around a bit of a challenge, but with a good map and a sense of adventure anyone can find their way. Most streets are clearly labeled, especially in the more touristy areas. Don't be surprised by streets' frequent name changes and name reuse. Many Boston neighborhoods were independent cities 100 years ago, and as they were annexed, so were their naming conventions. It's why a road might have a different name at every stop light, and why Tremont St. intersects with a ''different'' Tremont St. Keep your eyes peeled for more of these quirks while you're in town. ===By public transit=== [[File:2013_unofficial_MBTA_subway_map_by_Michael_Kvrivishvili.png|thumb|480px|This unofficial redesign of the 2013 MBTA subway map is quite close to what you'll find on the ground.]] [[File:MBTA services sampling excluding MBTA Boat.jpg|thumb|The "T" is the best way to get around Boston]] '''The best way to get around Boston is the [http://www.mbta.com/ MBTA]''', or "T" for short. Bostonians complain about it endlessly, but its convenience, affordable cost and extensive coverage are undeniable. As the fourth largest transit system in the US, the T conducts a daily symphony of every conveyance imaginable to move over 1.3 million people to their destinations. Use your favorite mapping application, or the [https://transitapp.com/ official MBTA transit app] to help plan your route. Tickets can be purchased from kiosks at virtually every entrance to every station systemwide; and all accept cash, credit and debit cards. Without a reloadable card your options will be limited, so try (hard) to '''get a CharlieCard before approaching a kiosk'''. Tap your card and follow on screen instructions to add value. '''Train rides cost $2.25''', whether you're traversing the city or just going one stop. Rather than paying per ride, you could instead buy something called a "LinkPass". With this option you'll get unlimited rides for $12/day or $21.25 for 7 days. It's not a crazy deal, but could save you some money if you're riding the train a lot. Changing between train lines is free wherever they connect. Once you have exited the turnstiles, boarding a bus is a free transfer, but you'll have to pay again if you decide to get back on the train or change to a third bus. Couldn't get a [https://commerce.mbta.com/ CharlieCard]? Really? All the big stations downtown have them. They're also carried by many convenience stores and maybe your hotel. Did you try the [http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/charlie/default.asp?id=25393 CharlieCard store] by the Roche Bros entrance of Downtown Crossing Station? Well, looks like you'll be stuck with a CharlieTicket then. Printed on cheap paper with a flimsy magnetic strip, holding this ticket makes fares cost more and free transfers are not allowed. It's fine if you're only riding the train once or twice. The CharlieCards/Tickets are valid for all travel on the [[Boston#Subway|subway]], [[Boston#Trolley|trolley]], and local [[Boston#Bus|busses]]. If you're travelling on the [[Boston#Commuter_rail|commuter rail]] or [[Boston#Boats|boats]] you'll have to switch to [http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/mTicketing/ mTickets] to pay your fare. You could buy paper tickets the old fashioned way, from a ticket window at North Station, Back Bay, or South Station. Finally, you can always just use cash and buy your tickets onboard, although you'll pay a $3 surcharge for doing that. ====Subway==== The '''Red, Orange, and Blue''' lines comprise Boston's traditional subway service. One thing Boston does a little differently, is that any transit running into the center is labeled as "inbound" and everything running away as "outbound". There are always signs for the last stop in your direction, in case you find that method more familiar. Train '''service starts around 5:30AM and ends around 12:30AM''', so make your travel plans accordingly. You can bring your bike on any subway, just not during rush hours. The '''Red line''' is the busiest and one of the most helpful for visitors to Boston. The fastest subway in the system, trains north of JFK/UMass station arrive every 4-7 minutes. South of JFK/UMass, trains run every 9-14 minutes as the Red line splits into two branches. One terminates in Ashmont Station in [[Boston/Dorchester|Dorchester]], while the other heads ''way'' out of the city and into [[Braintree_(Massachusetts)|Braintree]]. The trains used on this line are pretty old, but they will soon be replaced by shiny new trains in the 2020s. The '''Orange line''' with its drab 1970s chic vibe runs every 6-10 minutes. The cars on this line are due to be replaced in the early 2020s, and for many Bostonians this can't come soon enough. It connects downtown with [[Boston/Outer Neighborhoods#Roslindale|Roslindale]] and [[Malden]], and is a great way to access the Arboretum and Franklin Park. The much more modern '''Blue line''' runs every 5-9 minutes, taking you from downtown to Wonderland on the [[North_Shore_(Massachusetts)|North Shore]]. Outside of the airport connection, it's not of much use to tourists, although you can find some great getaways along this route. ====Trolley==== [[File:MBTA 3813 at Kent Street, August 2016.JPG|thumb|A few stops from Kenmore]] Most people would consider the '''Green line''' a trolley, though it does use a subway tunnel in the city center. When running above ground, the Green line serves many neighborhoods by splitting into four branches: B, C, D, and E. Each branch runs trolleys about every 6–11 minutes or so, it can depend on traffic. '''The B, C, and D lines''' converge at Kenmore Station. The '''E branch''' is a little wacky, running on the street through [[Boston/Jamaica_Plain-Mission_Hill|Mission Hill]] and [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore|Longwood]] before joining up with the pack at Copley Station. All trolleys will go to Park Street, but only some continue on to Union Square in Somerville. You'll just have to get off and wait for the next one. Serving [[Boston/Allston-Brighton|Allston/Brighton]], the ironically named B line is the slowest of the bunch. If you're going less than four stops on the B, it's probably faster to walk. The C line follows Beacon Street through [[Brookline]]. The C has to wait for stoplights like the B, but it's faster due to a direct route and fewer stops. The D line cuts a more southerly path through Brookline, ending up in [[Newton]]. With its own dedicated right of way, the D line is a (comparative) rocket ship. Off the radar of most Bostonians, the Mattapan High Speed Line is an extension of the Red line. Departing every 5–12 minutes from Ashmont, it connects Dorchester with [[Boston/Outer_Neighborhoods#Mattapan|Mattapan]] via [[Milton]]. These cute little cars are from the late 1940s, and could almost be considered a tourist attraction in themselves for train aficionados. ====Bus==== While the MBTA classifies '''the Silver line''' as rapid transit, it is ''clearly'' a bus. Silver line buses run on natural gas, and electricity from overhead wires, on different parts of the route. There is a small delay while the bus changes from gas to electric, and the engine must be shut off. Don't worry, you're not going to be murdered. Riders pay subway fares to board SL1 and SL2 branches, while bus fares are charged to board SL4 and SL5 branches. If you have a CharlieCard, just tap and go to remove all doubt. The SL4 and SL5 run from Downtown through South End to Dudley. The SL2 runs through South Boston, connecting with the SL1 at South Station. The SL1 connects from South Station to Logan Airport, running through its many terminals. The SL3 is a new branch of the Silver Line, running on its own dedicated run of way from Chelsea, with a quick stop at Airport, before continuing to South Station. '''Regular bus service''' is cheaper than the train and usually takes you closer to your final destination, but can take longer. Express buses are more expensive and travel over longer distances. CharlieCard users will enjoy free transfers from the subway and pay $1.70 for regular bus, $4.00 for Inner Express, and $5.25 for Outer Express buses. (You will almost certainly be on a regular bus.) Those poor souls who haven't secured CharlieCards will be dinked an extra 20-30% on fares and lose the free transfer perk. ====Commuter rail==== [http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/ Commuter rail] in Boston is primarily used by office workers traveling back and forth to their homes in the suburbs. Twelve rail lines fan out in all directions, and service is most frequent during rush hours. Fares range from $2.25 to $12.50 one way. You can purchase tickets once onboard, but you'll pay an extra $3 for the convenience. The official way to buy tickets is with the [http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/mticketing/ mTicket app], it's free to download and you don't need an account. If you prefer to do things the old fashioned way, wait in line to buy tickets at North Station, South Station, or Back Bay Station. One rarely helpful fact, you can ride commuter rail trains for free from Back Bay to South Station only. Trains heading north of the city leave from North Station, while those heading south or west leave from South Station. Both stations have good connections to the subway. North Station is on the Green and Orange lines, and South Station is on the Red and Silver lines. The two stations are not directly connected, and it can take 15-30 minutes to connect between the two depending how you do it. North Station trains reach tourist favorites like Salem, Gloucester, and Concord. South Station trains connect to Providence, Plymouth, Framingham, Worcester, and occasionally Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. '''Make sure you have your return train picked out!''' Trains become more and more infrequent as the night wears on (service usually ends around midnight-12:40AM and some lines don't run on weekends), and accommodations can be scarce in the suburban communities. ====Ferry==== [[File:Lightning Ferry Leaving Boston Harbor.jpg|thumb|Can you believe people commute to work like this?]] The MBTA runs a number of [http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/boats/ water shuttles] year round. The most useful for tourists is the '''Inner Harbor Ferry (F4)''' from Long Wharf to Navy Yard for $3.50. This provides a convenient connection between the USS Constitution and the New England Aquarium. There's also a shuttle from Long Wharf to Logan Airport, the F2H, but it runs relatively infrequently. Plan ahead if you want to make good use of it. Commuter ferries also visit Hull and Hingham to the tune of $9.25 a pop. It's a bit further so you pay more. There are also non-MBTA public ferries available from several docks, notably the Aquarium and [http://www.roweswharfwatertransport.com/ Rowes Wharf], as well as a [http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/water-taxi/ water taxi] service. These make scores of stops all along Boston's waterfront. You can just wait for it to show up in the summer, or call 15 minutes ahead if you're on a rigid schedule. It's $12 per ticket, and kids are free. The same company that runs the water taxis also runs '''[http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/harbor-islands/ harbor island ferries]''' out to Georges Island; several other smaller islands are accessible from there. ====The RIDE==== * {{listing | name=The RIDE | alt= | url=http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/accessible_services/default.asp?id=7108 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617 337-2727 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=A paratransit service for those who cannot use the regular transit system due to their disabilities. You will have to book way, ''way'' in advance. Call ideally a week or more before your trip. Make sure you have "certification of ADA paratransit eligibility", or plenty of time to burn on the phone going over your particulars with service staff. Everyone is frustrated with these dilapidated vans, but at least they exist. }} ===By foot=== Wear a comfortable pair of shoes, because you're going to be doing a lot of walking while you're here. There's really no other way to properly investigate the tucked away side streets and historical plaques. Downtown and the Back Bay in particular are compact and easily walkable. To give you an idea, walking the two miles between the State House and Fenway Park should only take about 45 minutes. While here, it's almost impossible not to notice the sheer amount of jaywalking Bostonians do on a daily basis. For historical reasons there may not be a well placed crosswalk, while the streets are narrow and traffic crawls. When you need to cross the road, do what the locals do and just walk out into the street! Use common sense of course, don't walk out from behind a truck or try to cross a multi-lane highway. ===By car=== {{infobox|Who will be first to "Storrow" their truck?|While "Storrowing" can occur year round, it often coincides with ''Allston Christmas'' in September. As tens of thousands of college freshmen arrive for the first time, many are unaware just how low some bridges in Boston can be. You've officially storrowed if you try to drive a 12-foot truck under an 11-foot bridge. The maneuver is named after Storrow Drive, an older thoroughfare featuring razor-thin height clearances. Usually people stop before they hit a bridge, or police will flag drivers down. Regardless, every year plenty of moving trucks are ripped open like a can of sardines. Local radio stations and workplaces sometimes arrange betting pools; often gambling on the first bridge to be hit, time of day accident will occur, and which university the student is attending.}} '''Driving in Boston is strongly discouraged in the dense, tourist-friendly areas of the city.''' Boston drivers are notoriously aggressive and impulsive, and construction is a way of life. The jaywalkers alone will give you a heart attack. But if you insist, here are a few helpful tips. Local drivers frequently run yellow (even red!) lights, so be careful accelerating when your light changes to green. Be prepared to change lanes at any time. Some travel lanes become right turn only lanes, or parking lanes, or simply cease to exist. Drivers double park wherever they please, so prepare to stop at any time. Do not try to squeeze past a bus or cut off a trolley, they are much bigger than you and you will lose. If you encounter a rotary you should yield, remember the right of way belongs to traffic in the rotary. Don't stop in a rotary! Some streets are two ways, but are only wide enough for one car. Don't panic, just pull into the parking lane while the other guy passes by. '''Garage parking is expensive''', around $12-15/hour and $40-50/day, assuming spaces are available. Garages are found near Quincy Market, the Aquarium, State Street Financial Center, the Theater District and Boston Common. Remember to factor in the 30 minutes or so it will take to get the half a mile from the highway to one of these garages. On-street parking is usually resident only, which requires a special sticker. '''Time limits on parking meters are zealously enforced''' for the precious few spaces that remain. The city is rolling out [http://park.boston.gov/ high tech solutions] and even experimenting with "surge pricing" in some neighborhoods. Many meters are digital kiosks that print a receipt for you to display on your windshield, while a few remain the old school quarter gobblers. As a rule, if you think you are parked illegally, you probably are. Parking fines range from $25-120 depending on the infraction. If you're heading into Boston for a day trip, consider dropping your car at a lot and taking the "T" in. Parking at MBTA locations is cheaper than parking in the city, and you don't have to deal with driving there. These stations do have large parking lots, but on weekdays they'll fill up by 9:30AM. * Alewife ($7/day, $8 overnight), adjacent to Route 2 * Braintree ($7/day, $8 overnight), near I-93 * Riverside($6/day, $7 overnight), near I-90/Route 128 * Quincy Adams ($7/day, $8 overnight), adjacent to I-93 * Wellington ($6/day, $7 overnight), near I-93, adjacent to Route 16 ===By taxi and ride-share=== Although there is no one official livery, taxis in Boston are predominantly white in color (hence called "white cabs" by locals). Including a tip for the driver and any highway tolls you might need to pay, expect to spend at least $15 and possibly up to $40 for an in town ride. '''Cabs are more expensive in Boston''' than you might expect, so be judicious using cabs if money is a concern. For example an $80 taxi fare from the airport to the nearby suburb of [[Wellesley]], would not be unreasonable. '''Uber X and Lyft are both available''' and may be cheaper than taking a white cab, especially for longer trips. Be careful during major events, as "surge pricing" could actually make these options ''more'' expensive than a traditional taxi. ===By bicycle=== [[File:Older_woman_with_flowers_protected_bike_lane_boston.jpg|thumb|Parking-protected bike lane in Cambridge]] Many Boston residents use bicycling as their primary mode of transit all year round. Boston's small size and relative flatness make biking an effective and appealing way to get around. Efforts under the Menino administration increased city investment in bicycling and the bad old days of "worst cycling city in America" are long gone. Cambridge does tend to have more bicycle lanes and racks than Boston, although Boston is catching up. Most bicycle traffic is going to and from Cambridge, so you'll often see the Longfellow and Mass Ave bridges festooned with spandex. Comm Ave is a busy east/west corridor, as students and commuters make their way across Allston and into downtown. Another popular route is the Southwest Corridor Bike Path, running parallel to the Orange line. It connects JP and Roxbury to the Back Bay. This is an excellent means of transit if you intend on visiting some of the city's southern parks. Boston and its neighboring cities run a bike-sharing service, [https://www.bluebikes.com/ Bluebikes]. Similar to many other urban bike-sharing services, riders pick up a bicycle at any station and return it to any station. The system is optimized for commuting and short trips. Your pass grants unlimited 30 minute rides, but fees are charged for long rides in order to keep bike stations full. If you're going to be doing some distance riding, consider renting your own bike for a day or two. * {{listing | name=Bluebikes | alt=formerly Hubway | url=https://www.bluebikes.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily | price=$10/one day, $20/month | content=Bike sharing service offering 3,000 bikes across 300 stations in Boston and 4 nearby municipalities. Journeys longer than 30 minutes (2 hours for the Adventour pass) cost an additional $2.50/30 minutes. Don't forget to bring your helmet; none are offered at the stations! }} * {{listing | name=Cambridge Bicycle | alt= | url=http://cambridgebicycle.com/rentals/ | email= | address=259 Massachusetts Ave | lat= | long= | directions=T: Central | phone=+1 617-876-6555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$35/day | content=Renting out Linus Dutchi and Roadster Sport 3-speeds. Set up with flat resistant tubes and tires plus a cute little basket to store whatever you've got. }} * {{listing | name=Urban AdvenTours | url=http://urbanadventours.com | email= | address=103 Atlantic Ave | lat= | long= | directions=T: Aquarium | phone=+1 617-670-0637 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$40-100/day | content=Provides all types of bike rentals: mountain, road, hybrid, even "e-bikes" with pedal assist. Rentals include helmet and lock. Delivery available. }} ==See== {{seeDistricts}} For some of the best discounts on popular tourist attractions check out [http://www.massvacation.com/50-under-50/ 50 Under 50]. Run by the official Massachusetts Tourism organization, they offer deals on a few of the most popular options in town. Also look into the [http://www.citypass.com/boston Boston CityPASS], which for $56 allows you 9 days to visit up to four famous sights. Alternatively, the [http://www.smartdestinations.com/boston-attractions-and-tours/ GoBoston Card] allows more flexibility by offering passes purchased by number of days or attractions visited. Ranging in price anywhere from $39-175, this could be a deal if you're really going to be doing a lot of sightseeing. ===Architecture=== [[File:Outside Boston Public Library.jpg|thumb|The Beaux-Arts facade at The Boston Public Library's McKim wing]] Many [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Architecture|notable buildings]] in town can be found within the Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. The facade and gold dome of the '''Massachusetts State House''' are well proportioned; while both the modern and classical halves of the '''Boston Public Library''' are distinguished in their own right. The many [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Churches|churches]] nearby are also extraordinarily picturesque. '''Trinity Church''' spawned a style of architecture all its own, the '''Old South Church''' graces many a postcard, and the grounds of the '''Christian Science Center''' make for a pleasant stroll year-round. Finally no tourist visit is complete without a stop at venerable '''[[Boston/Downtown#Quincy_Market|Quincy Market]]'''. Possibly the best example of modern architecture in the city is '''Boston City Hall'''. While this brutalist structure is mainly notable for how disliked it is, don't give up on evocative modernism just yet. Head over to [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)|Cambridge]] and explore the campuses of Harvard and (especially) '''MIT'''. There, you'll see some fantastic "starchitecture" by the likes of Le Corbusier, Eero Saarinen, and Frank Gehry to name but a few. If you're into it, poke around online to find out when universities have the next tour scheduled. ===Colonial=== A main feature on many itineraries will be touring [[Boston/Downtown#Colonial|colonial era]] Boston. One of the oldest public buildings in the country, the '''Old State House''' is striking and draped in historical significance. '''Faneuil Hall''' is conveniently located and always a favorite, while the '''Old South Meeting House''' was a hotbed of patriot activity in its day. Closer to the waterfront, Boston's [[Boston/North_End#See|North End]] is no slouch either when it comes to historical sites. Visit the '''Old North Church''', where Paul Revere began his famous ride. Then follow that up with a stop at his nearby home, the '''Paul Revere House'''. The '''Longfellow House''' is a National Historic Site in [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Presidential_places|Cambridge]]. It's where Washington had his headquarters in 1776, and what's a good tour of colonial America without George Washington, right? Additional interesting 18th-century sites can by found way off the beaten path in [[Boston/Roxbury#See|Roxbury]]. If you make it out this way, don't miss the '''Shirley-Eustis House''', one of the last remaining royal governors mansions. Once the town center, '''Roxbury Heritage State Park''' holds the Dillaway-Thomas House as well as the First Church of Roxbury. All are fantastic examples of 18th century life in Boston. Many of Boston's suburbs have their own colonial-era historic sites. Of particular note, the town of Lexington is a must for any history buff coming into Boston. It's 20-30 minutes northwest of the city by car, depending on traffic (follow signs for Route 2, or if you have a bike, take the Red Line to the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway). The town is famous for being a stop on Paul Revere's Midnight Ride, which originated in Boston, and ''many'' colonial monuments and historic buildings can be found throughout the town. ===Landmarks=== If you're near the water, you can't help but notice '''Fort Independence''' on [[Boston/South_Boston#See|South Boston]]'s shoreline. If you're a sucker for civil war forts, also check out '''Fort Warren''' on [[Boston Harbor Islands|George's Island]]. Ostensibly commissioned to provide for the defense of the city, in reality these forts were outdated by the time they were built. Also on the harbor, [[Boston/Charlestown#See|Charlestown]] has the '''Bunker Hill Monument''' which can be seen for miles around. Don't forget the iconic '''U.S.S. Constitution''', oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world. Save your American Theseus conjectures for the classroom, professor! ===Museums=== [[File:J_S_Copley_-_Watson_and_the_Shark_(Boston).jpg|thumb|''Watson and the Shark'' (1778) by John Singleton Copley]] Boston has some fantastic museums covering a wide variety of topics and interests. The '''Museum of Fine Arts''' in the [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#See|Fenway]] is the city's premiere, offering a great range of artifacts in a more traditional museum format. Highlights include works by popular French impressionists, ancient Egyptian artifacts, and a comprehensive collection of early American art. The nearby '''Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum''', by contrast, is an imaginative and eclectic space, an Italian palazzo in America featuring art curated by Isabella's discerning eye. For modern art instead, visit the '''Institute of Contemporary Art''' in [[Boston/South_Boston#See|South Boston]]. The exhibitions here have featured artists like Anish Kapoor, Tara Donovan and Shepard Fairey. They also feature lesser known artists working with glass, textiles, or sound. If you doubt that will hold the attention of your children, take them to the '''Boston Children's Museum'''. Very interactive and engaging, look for the oversize milk bottle out front. If the "kids" are a little older, try the '''Museum of Science''' in the [[Boston/North_End#Museums|West End]]. They have an ''enormous'' Van de Graaff generator (the world's largest!), and some exhibits were designed by Charles and Ray Eames. Right in the thick of it all [[Boston/Downtown#See|downtown]], you'll find the '''New England Aquarium'''. Walk around the giant cylinder simulating a coral reef, or just chill and watch the penguins doing their thing. While small, the '''Museum of African American History''' in [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Museums|Beacon Hill]] tells a big story about an often overlooked narrative in Boston's history. Finally, if you're into modern history, do not miss the '''JFK Presidential Library and Museum''' in northern [[Boston/Dorchester#See|Dorchester]]. In [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#See|Cambridge]], Harvard University holds ''very'' impressive collections at the '''Harvard Museum of Natural History''' and the '''Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology'''. The "glass flowers" exhibit alone has been on tourists to-do lists for over a hundred years. For strictly visual arts, explore '''The Fogg''' and '''The Sackler''', among other museums scattered around campus. Don't forget the engaging '''MIT Museum'''! It's got a variety of great interactive exhibits and is well worth your time. ===Parks=== [[File:Boston Common in the fall 04.jpg|thumb|The Common is beautiful in the fall]] Like many other major American cities, Boston has a series of [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Parks|parks]] designed by none other than Frederick Law Olmsted. Called The '''Emerald Necklace''', these parks comprise almost half the green space in town. The oldest and most loved of these parks is '''Boston Common'''. In the center of it all, this park is always in use. Right next door you'll find the '''Public Garden'''. Although smaller, its many plantings and formal design give this park a more genteel feeling. Coming right up to the waters edge, the gorgeous '''Charles River Esplanade''' makes relaxing easy and provides a fantastic escape from city life. If you're [[Boston/Downtown#Parks|downtown]], it's almost impossible to miss the '''Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway'''. This wonderful green ribbon replaced a noxious and congested expressway with art, food, and life. Its construction restored connections to neighborhoods that for decades were cut off from the rest of the city. Further afield, the '''Arnold Arboretum''' in [[Boston/Jamaica_Plain-Mission_Hill#See|Jamaica Plain]] is officially all about the science. Although that would come as news to the crowds soaking in the grandeur of this immaculately landscaped park. No picnics please, this is serious fun. Keep exploring in [[Boston/Roxbury#See|Roxbury]] and pay a visit to '''Franklin Park''', the biggest link in Olmsted's Emerald Necklace. Despite needing some maintenance, Franklin Park has miles of great hiking and biking trails. Not to mention a zoo and an 18-hole municipal golf course. There are also a great many parks in [[Boston/East_Boston#See|East Boston]]. Being across the harbor, these parks and beaches are much less visited than the others in town. If you go, take the opportunity to mingle with locals as you watch the jets coming in for a landing at Logan airport. ===Itineraries=== * [[Freedom_Trail|The Freedom Trail]] — A major tourist draw of significant historical sites in Boston. These 17 locations spread over {{mi|2.5}} are crucial to understanding revolutionary era America. * [[Black Heritage Trail]] — This less touristed trail covers ten sites important in American black history scattered throughout Beacon Hill. ==Do== {{seeDistricts}} For up to date listings have a look at [http://www.thebostoncalendar.com/ The Boston Calendar], a filterable list of almost everything going on in town. Also check out the city of Boston's [https://www.boston.gov/events event page]. It's a mix of things that appeal to residents as well as visitors. Another good resource for event listings of all shapes and sizes can be found in the free ''DigBoston'' publication. Grab a copy (or a competitor) from any newspaper box often found at busy intersections. ===Music=== [[File:HAIM and Vince Staples at Boston Calling Day Three.jpg|thumb|HAIM perform during day three of Boston Calling 2016]] If you're a lover of music, you'll find yourself right at home in Boston. With an array of venues, there is bound to be someone playing in town that will suit your tastes. The large student population helps to draw a wide variety of acts year round. For mega stars and headline performers, check out '''TD Garden''' or '''Fenway Park'''. Yeah these are normally sports arenas; but they'll also hold musical events for the right artists (think Janet Jackson, Bon Jovi or Lady Gaga). Another enormous musical attraction is '''[http://www.bostoncalling.com/ Boston Calling]''', a multi-day festival put on at the end of May. Crowd into Harvard Stadium with 20,000 friends to see whichever established and up and coming artists the kids are into these days. '''When it comes to smaller venues, [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Music_venues|Allston-Brighton]]''' is the place to be. There's a variety of options, but if you're looking for the next indie sensation or band that's just starting to blow up, try either the '''Paradise Rock Club, Brighton Music Hall''' or '''Great Scott'''. Each place commonly selects good artists, but tickets can sell out almost instantly when bigger names come to play. There are many more great music spots across the Charles in [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Do|Cambridge]]. Check out the '''Middle East''' (upstairs or down) for a variety of national acts. The '''Phoenix Landing''' is a soccer forward restaurant, until nighttime when it transforms itself into a dance club. For a full on nightclub experience try the nearby '''Middlesex Lounge''' or head to '''The Plough & Stars''' instead for a solid bar with live rock acts. For a week in May, '''[http://togetherboston.com/ Together Boston] {{dead link|December 2020}}''' is an electronic festival where performances incorporate elements of art and technology. Head downtown to find the best '''[[Boston/Downtown#Clubs|nightclubs]]''' the city has to offer. Many of them are packed around Faneuil Hall (like the '''Hong Kong''') or found down Boylston Place, a tiny gated alley off Boylston Street. Hosting music less often than you might think, the '''House of Blues''' on [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#Do| Lansdowne Street]] usually books very talented acts whose popularity isn't as "red hot" as it once was. For tiny venues that offer unique experiences, your best bet will be '''Wally's Cafe''' in the [[Boston/South_End#Drink|South End]]. This Jazz club was once one of dozens in the area, and is the last one remaining today. Still family owned and operated, you're likely to see gifted and passionate Berklee students gracing the stage. Shamble down the road to the '''Berklee Performance Center''', another great spot for the adventurous traveller to hear accomplished yet unknown musicians. Intrepid explorers of melody could also check out the '''Midway Café''' in [[Boston/Jamaica_Plain-Mission_Hill#Drink|Jamaica Plain]]. You never know what you're going to find, but there is often a Queer or Punk edge to the sound here. During the summertime, head into the neighborhoods and wander around a '''Porchfest''' or two. Homeowners allow their porches to become impromptu performance spaces for local and offbeat bands. Neighbors and visitors alike wander through city streets stopping at whatever piques their interest. [http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest The original] in [[Somerville#Do|Somerville]] featuring hundreds of performers is the best, but [http://www.jpporchfest.org/ JP] has a good one too and [[Boston/Outer_Neighborhoods#Do|Roslindale]] is also a contender. ===Performing arts=== [[File:2011 BostonOperaHouse Massachusetts 6244579324.jpg|thumb|Part of the Theatre District on Washington Street]] Head to the '''[[Boston/Downtown#Theatres|Theater District]]''' to find unusual cultural and entertainment programs to attend all year-round. The center of Boston's theatre scene can be found among the dozens of 19th-century buildings scattered between Washington and Tremont streets. Even if the theatre isn't for you, just taking a stroll around this historic district can be a performance in itself. If you are buying tickets; however, look into performances happening at the Emerson owned '''Cutler Majestic Theatre''' or Paramount Theatre. Many great performers have graced the stage of the '''Wang Theatre''' over the years, another historic building with landmark status. Using ornate Symphony Hall as their base, the world-renowned '''[[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#Do|Boston Symphony Orchestra]]''' performs notable classical music during the fall, winter and spring. During summertime, they morph into the '''Boston Pops Orchestra''' to perform programs of light classical and popular music, consistently pleasing audiences. The first professional ballet company in New England, the '''Boston Ballet''' performs exclusively at the '''Boston Opera House'''. Their performance of ''The Nutcracker'' is particularly popular, running annually since the late 1960s. '''The New England Conservatory''' is a world-famous music school right around the corner from Symphony Hall. It's well-known among musicians, but often overlooked by everyone else. The performances, recitals, and chamber group concerts found here are usually free and unticketed. Don't miss the '''[[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Do|Berklee Performance Center]]''', yet another great spot in town to see talented performers (usually) on the cheap. At the end of July a number of family friendly performers come to Copley Square to put on the '''Boston Summer Arts Weekend'''. It's supported by WGBH&mdash;the local Public Broadcasting Station&mdash;and the Boston Globe. '''[http://otbboston.com/ Outside The Box] {{dead link|December 2020}}''' is another huge performing arts festival taking place on the Common in mid-July. It's pretty corporate, but there are still a few fun, free things to do for the whole family. ===Social Dance=== The Boston area has a [http://www.havetodance.com/places.html very active social dance scene], although much of it is centered in Cambridge or in the suburbs. Travelers without prior experience may find the contra dances, such as the [https://www.bidadance.org BIDA series] on 1st and 3rd Sundays, particularly welcoming due to its ease of learning. ===Sports=== [[File:Fenway Park night game.JPG|thumb|Fenway isn't cheap, but it's hard to have a bad time here]] Boston is a sports town, and its teams are as dearly loved by New Englanders as much as they are ''loathed'' by the rest of the country. Winning (or at least competing) in almost every championship game since 2002 will have that effect on people. Seeing almost any game here could be a trip highlight, you'll be crammed in with thousands of the most passionate sports fans in the country. Tickets will be hard to come by, however, so do your research and plan ahead. One of the most prolific victors (and most likely to irritate [[American_football|football]] fans outside New England) are the '''[http://www.patriots.com/ New England Patriots]'''. They play during wintertime at Gillette Stadium, southwest of the city in [[Foxborough]]. For a surefire argument starter, simply mention ''anything'' (positive or negative) about ex-quarterback Tom Brady or the "deflategate" scandal to any jersey-wearing native. Bringing up brothers Eli and Peyton Manning, the New York Giants, and Nick Foles-era Philadelphia Eagles will elicit a similar reaction. Eli's Giants have denied the Pats two rings in hotly-contested Super Bowls, whereas Foles' Eagles managed to stage one of the biggest upsets in sport history by beating the heavily favored Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Meanwhile, Peyton holds "best quarterback" status in the eyes of many football fans. Make sure you have a full drink before you broach these subjects, as you're going to get an earful. Also calling Gillette Stadium home is the '''[http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/ New England Revolution]''', the region's soccer team. While not as popular as football, soccer fans are always very passionate as well. Both teams are owned by Robert Kraft, another lightning rod for passionate debate due to his controversial politics and personality. Two of Boston's oldest teams play at TD Garden, called Boston Garden by everyone who doesn't own a bank. As one of the original NBA teams, the '''[http://www.nba.com/celtics Boston Celtics]''' (pronounced ''SEL-tiks'') have been shooting hoops since 1946. They've got a great rivalry going with the L.A. Lakers, which hit its zenith during the 1980s when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would duke it out on the parquet. Also during the winter months, the '''[https://www.nhl.com/bruins Boston Bruins]''' are in the [[Boston/North_End#Do|West End]] and call the Garden home. The Bruins have been playing [[Ice_hockey_in_North_America|hockey]] since 1924, and are the oldest NHL team in the US. They, too, have a great rivalry, this time with the Montreal Canadiens to the north. The "Habs", as they're affectionately known, have shut down the Bruins during the Stanley Cup playoffs several times over the decades, something which Boston fans just can't forgive. Last but certainly not least, the '''[http://boston.redsox.mlb.com Boston Red Sox]''' are perhaps the team most closely linked with Boston's identity. The iconic Red Sox "B" logo can be seen gracing ball caps everywhere you look. For 86 years the Sox would start each season strong, only to see hopes of victory dashed by one unfortunate event or another. A bad play, a blown call, and the "there's always next year" mentality would kick back in. That all changed in 2004 when the drought was broken and the city rejoiced. The Red Sox have called [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#Fenway_Park|Fenway Park]] home for over a hundred years, and "the Cathedral of Baseball" is well worth a visit even for the [[Baseball_in_the_United_States|baseball]] averse. Jump at the opportunity if you can score tickets. It can be all but impossible to get into the park during a Red Sox-Yankees game. This is one of the fiercest rivalries in sport, strongly consider leaving your NY paraphernalia at home on game day. College athletics isn't a thing in Boston the way it can be in other regions of the country, but there are still some good Division I games to be found. Specifically, fans of college hockey shouldn't miss the '''[http://www.beanpothockey.com Beanpot]'''. This tournament is held during the first two Mondays of February and features teams from the four schools listed below. * '''[http://www.bceagles.com Boston College Eagles]''': The teams representing Boston College compete mainly in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), one of the so-called "Power Five" conferences in college sports. The ice hockey teams for men and women compete in Hockey East. The football team plays in the 45,000-seat Alumni Stadium in [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Do|Chestnut Hill]]. The basketball and hockey teams play in the adjacent Conte Forum, known for hockey games as Kelley Rink. * '''[http://www.goterriers.com/ Boston University Terriers]''': Play mainly in the Patriot League, with both hockey teams playing in Hockey East, and hasn't had a football team for more than 20 years. The venues for the highest-profile sports are on campus in [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Do|Allston]]. The men's hockey team plays at Agganis Arena; the women's hockey team at Walter Brown Arena; the basketball teams mainly at Case Gym (although the men's team will sometimes use one of the other two arenas); and teams in several outdoor sports play at Nickerson Field. The last of these venues is on the former site of Braves Field, where the Boston Braves played baseball before they moved to Milwaukee and later Atlanta; the original entry gate and right field stands remain in use, and the former ticket office now houses a BU campus police station. * '''[http://gocrimson.com/ Harvard Crimson]''': The Crimson have played football at Harvard Stadium (in [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Do|Allston]] as well) since 1903. This stadium and the nearby Jordan Field served as homes to the Boston Breakers, a women's professional soccer team, before the team folded after its 2017 season. Unlike the other schools listed here, the Crimson hockey teams play in ECAC Hockey instead of Hockey East, with home games at Bright–Landry Hockey Center. * '''[http://gonu.com/ Northeastern Huskies]''': Northeastern, like BU, doesn't have a football team; it plays mostly in the Colonial Athletic Association, with the hockey teams in Hockey East. The Northeastern hockey teams play in Matthews Arena. Opened in the [[Boston/South End#Do|South End]] in 1910, it's the original home of the Boston Bruins. ===Tours=== Tours in Boston are big business. Name any conveyance, and you're likely to find a tour built around it. The widest selection of tours depart from [[Boston/Downtown#Tours|downtown]], near the Aquarium. The fact that '''Duck Tours''' navigate the city by land and sea probably put them on top, but their competitors are no slouches either. A variety of companies offer '''harbor cruises''', a pleasant and relaxing way to see the city. If you opt for a '''whale watch''', go with the one affiliated with the Aquarium. You can always visit choice historical sights by bicycle, foot, skateboard or Segway; although it's much more fun when the weather is nice. Don't forget some of the more popular tour companies also offer departures from the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Do|Back Bay]]. ===Events=== [[File:Party goers and dancers at Back Bay Block Party.jpg|thumb|Party goers and dancers at Back Bay Block Party during Boston Pride]] * {{event | name=First Night | alt= | url=https://www.firstnightboston.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | year=annual | month=December | date=31 | endmonth=January | enddate=1 | hours= | price= | content=Boston's New Year's Eve celebration is the oldest public New Year's Eve party in America, and has been copied by cities around the world. It's a city-wide, family-friendly arts and culture festival which starts in the late morning with child-centric events and continues with dozens of music, dance, poetry and other exhibitions through midnight, culminating in fireworks on the waterfront. Dress appropriately! }} * {{event | name=Evacuation Day | alt=St. Patrick's Day | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | year=annual | month=March | date=17 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-11 | content=What the rest of America calls St. Patrick's Day, Boston calls Evacuation Day; a local holiday marking the expulsion of occupying British forces from the city. Remember to wear green, drink a beer, and wear something that says "Kiss Me I'm Irish!". Join the celebration at the huge parade held in [[Boston/South_Boston|Southie]] the closest Sunday. }} * {{event | name=Patriot's Day | alt=The Boston Marathon | url=http://www.bostonmarathon.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | yymmdd= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-18 | content=The third Monday in April, or "Marathon Monday" as locals call it, is the oldest marathon in the world. The race started in 1897 and is run on the holiday commemorating Paul Revere's famous ride in 1775. Running from [[Hopkinton (Massachusetts)|Hopkinton]] 26.2 miles to the finish line in Copley Square, the race draws crowds of over half a million spectators. Huge parts of the city are closed for the race, so don't plan on moving around too much. The Red Sox also play a home game on Patriot's Day; ensuring every bar, pub, and watering hole is filled to capacity by noon. }} * {{event | name=Boston Pride Parade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | yymmdd= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-18 | content=The second largest event in the city after the Fourth of July. Boston's LBGT community&mdash;and everyone else&mdash;comes out for a fabulous parade from Copley Square, through the South End, to Boston Common. Many other social events are scheduled around this weekend. The Boston Pride organization dissolved itself in 2021, so the event's future is uncertain. }} * {{event | name=Harborfest | alt= | url=http://www.bostonharborfest.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | yymmdd= | endyymmdd= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-18 | content=A family-friendly oceanfront festival during the runup to Independence Day (July 4). Check out presentations on musket technology, 18th-century chocolate making, or even argue the Stamp Act! OK, but there are pub crawls too and it's cooler than it sounds. Several specialized historical, architectural, wildlife and sightseeing tours also available by land and sea. }} * {{event | name=Independence Day | alt= | url=http://bostonpopsjuly4th.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | year=annual | month=July | date=4 | hours= | price= | content=A host of events occur throughout the day culminating in fireworks and a Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade. Many roads close and trains are packed to bursting, as close to a million spectators try to squeeze along the banks of the Charles River. For a "Boston" take on this national holiday, head over to the Old State House during the day. Here you can listen as the Declaration of Independence is read in its entirety from the main balcony, just as it has been every year since 1776. }} * {{event | name=St. Anthony's Feast | alt= | url=http://www.stanthonysfeast.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | yymmdd= | endyymmdd= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-18 | content=A religious festival taking place in the Italian [[Boston/North_End|North End]] neighborhood on the last Sunday of August. Patron Saint of the poor, St Anthony is also known as the "Saint of Miracles" and the finder of lost articles. This feast includes plenty of food, games, music, and of course a parade down Hanover Street. }} * {{event | name=Allston Christmas | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | year=annual | month=August | date=31 | endmonth=September | enddate=1 | hours= | price= | content=This ''very'' unofficial holiday commemorates the annual "changing of the leases", as students across the city switch apartments. Picture tens of thousands of young people simultaneously renting moving trucks, and carting everything they own a half mile down the road. Whatever didn't fit in the truck goes on the street. Check out the curbs in densely populated student neighborhoods to find everything from furniture and kitchenware, to clothing or even food! The city's DPW works all day and night to keep up with the chaos. }} * {{event | name=Head of the Charles Regatta | alt= | url=http://www.hocr.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | yymmdd= | endyymmdd= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-18 | content=Mid-October. Thousands of rowers come together from around the globe for two days of competition in one of the world's largest regattas. Get there before 8AM to see the first sculls run. The course is on the Charles River between [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)|Cambridge]] and Allston, it can take about an hour to walk the three mile course. Take the T to Harvard, Central, or any Boston University stop. }} ==Learn== [[File:USA-Harvard University.jpg|thumb|Truth]] Thinking of going to school in Boston? Join the club. Boston has an estimated '''250,000 college students''', and dozens of colleges call the Greater Boston area home. Learning is ingrained in Boston's culture, and overhearing conversations about the Planck constant or Context theory while grabbing your morning coffee is not uncommon. Undoubtedly the most prestigious is '''[http://www.harvard.edu/ Harvard University]''' in Cambridge, where eight US presidents were educated. Two miles away, the '''[http://web.mit.edu/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology]''' (MIT) is another one of the world's most prestigious universities. Not only do these two schools hold billions of dollars in endowments; they also churn out Nobel laureates, Rhodes Scholars, new companies, and patents by the wagonload. These are some of the most selective schools on earth, so if you're applying here, good luck! There are of course other top tier research universities in Boston. '''[http://www.bu.edu/ Boston University]''' is 65,000 strong and sprawls across a one and a half mile long urban campus throughout [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore|Fenway]] and [[Boston/Allston-Brighton|Allston]]. BU was attended by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who earned his PhD here in 1955. '''[http://www.bc.edu/ Boston College]''' is not a college (it's a fully accredited university) and not entirely in Boston either (its main campus is in the suburb of Chestnut Hill, with a satellite campus in Brighton). BC is a highly regarded private Jesuit Catholic research university. Over 40,000 students attend '''[http://www.northeastern.edu/ Northeastern University]''', another widely respected liberal arts college in Fenway. Yet another great school is '''[http://www.tufts.edu/ Tufts University]''', just north of the city in [[Medford_(Massachusetts)|Medford]]. In the Fens, next to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, '''[http://www.simmons.edu/ Simmons College]''' focuses almost entirely on women and offers a wide range of liberal arts degrees. Focusing on technical design and engineering, '''[http://www.wit.edu/ Wentworth Institute of Technology]''' also calls Fenway home. To the west of the city in [[Waltham]], '''[http://www.brandeis.edu/ Brandeis University]''' is very selective and known for its small class sizes and Jewish roots. You'll find the fine arts are also well represented in Boston. '''[http://www.emerson.edu/ Emerson College]''' is dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts, and it has a great radio station to boot. '''[http://www.berklee.edu/ Berklee College of Music]''' is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. It's often confused with the completely unrelated Berkeley in California. One of the oldest art schools, '''[http://www.massart.edu/ Massachusetts College of Art and Design]''' is the only publicly funded art school in the United States. Additional colleges in the area include the up and coming '''Bunker Hill Community College''' and '''Lesley University,''' state schools like '''UMass Boston''' and numerous suburban schools not already covered. Remember, the above is just an overview. If you're interested in pursuing higher education in the Boston area, keep digging to uncover plenty more offerings in Art, Architecture, Language, Law, Medicine, Music, Research, and Science. Don't forget about more affordable places like '''[http://www.umb.edu/ UMass Boston]''', or one of the many community colleges in town. The density of educational opportunities here work in your favor to provide big educations on small budgets. ==Work== {{infobox|The Great Boston Molasses Flood|[[File:GreatMolassesFlood 1919-Wreckage under the elevated tracks.jpg|noframe|center|360px]]"Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage"... Here and there struggled a form‍—‌whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was.... Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human beings‍—‌men and women‍—‌suffered likewise." ''&mdash;The Boston Post'' In one of Boston's oddest disasters, the [[Boston/North_End|North End]] was once inundated by millions of pounds of gooey brown molasses. Although you may think of the stuff as just another baking ingredient, back in the day molasses had a variety of uses, including being refined into alcohol. Booze was big business, and many enormous molasses tanks stood lining Boston's harbors and wharves. Just after noon on January 15, 1919, a massive storage tank holding over two million gallons of molasses exploded. How? A front of Caribbean air blew in, rapidly warming up frigid overnight temperatures. As the molasses started to expand, a shoddily constructed storage tank began to buckle. Rivets holding the plates of steel together shot out, sounding like machine gun fire to those unfortunates within earshot. A tidal wave of molasses 25 feet high thundered out in all directions, moving at speeds up to 35 mph. Buildings were washed off their foundations, and steel girders holding up elevated trains were badly damaged. The flood would ultimately take 21 lives and injure 150 more. Some people claim that during humid summer days you can still smell a faint waft of molasses every so often. It certainly makes for a good story; however, a century of construction and weather has surely eliminated all traces of the sticky stuff by now. Look for a small plaque commemorating the disaster in Langone Park, next to the bocce courts. }} Boston&mdash;along with New England in general&mdash;transitioned away from a manufacturing based economy to service based a long time ago. Many jobs in Boston require advanced degrees and years of specialized training. '''Those trying to join the workforce here will find themselves facing stiff competition for high-paying jobs.''' Many applicants for senior level positions will hold advanced degrees; you may find a masters degree, MBA, or even a PhD might be necessary for you to stand out. Even if you don't hold these qualifications, don't lose hope. Degrees are ''not'' universally required, and you'll find many professors and executives hiring a large support staff to assist them. Construction is also a booming business, but you'll have to somehow worm your way into a union to avail yourself of those jobs. Higher education is unsurprisingly a major employer here, with healthcare being another of the biggest industries. See the [[Boston#Learn|learn]] section for universities that are always hiring, or look at '''Longwood Medical Area''' in the Fenway, where many of the most distinguished hospitals are found. Longwood in particular employs tens of thousands of people at dozens of hospitals including: Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham and Women's, Dana-Farber, Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. Don't forget about Mass General Hospital in the West End, often ranked as the best in the country. Often spinning out of academia; startups, high tech and bio-tech have been big business in Boston for decades. There is a huge amount of venture capital here, the most outside the Bay Area. Companies like Formlabs, Runkeeper, and Hopper are but a few of the hundreds of startups active in the city. The highest concentration of '''incubators can be found within the Seaport Innovation District and Cambridge's Kendall Square'''. Established companies like Boston Dynamics, the Broad Institute, and Akamai are a few examples of successful "startups" from years past. Biotech companies today are concentrated in Cambridge and in the suburbs along Route 128. Multinational companies are becoming increasingly prominent in the city. '''Gillette''' (or Procter & Gamble) has been here for years, and in 2016 they welcomed their new neighbor '''General Electric'''. Financial services like '''Bain Capital''', Liberty Mutual, Fidelity, and several hedge fund firms are downtown. For unknown reasons, sneaker companies seem to love Boston. '''Converse''', New Balance, and Reebok all have headquarters within city limits. It's also likely your favorite fortune 500 corporation has at least an outpost in Boston. ==Buy== {{seeDistricts}} If it exists in New England (and you can buy it), it exists in Boston. Sure, you can find the multinational staples you've come to expect across America, but many areas work to maintain an independent spirit that endures. Increasing real estate prices have put pressure on owners to "sell out", yet plenty of entrepreneurs have found a way to make their business work. One of the first locations folks might visit is '''[[Boston/Downtown#Quincy_Market|Quincy Market]]''' downtown. The shops here are pretty clearly oriented towards the tour bus crowd. It's not all snow globes, shot glasses, and post cards; however, there are a few novel trinkets here too. And don't forget about Boston Public Market in your quest either, it's just a block or so north. Alternatively, head over to '''[[Boston/Downtown#Buy|Downtown Crossing]]''', where many locals go for fast fashion and other affordable items. Perhaps the most visited shopping location is '''[[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Newbury_Street|Newbury Street]]''' in the Back Bay. A dense avenue colored by historic brownstones, the shops and restaurants here are some of the finest in town. If price tags seem to contain a few zeros too many, it could be because you're near the Public Garden. Try walking west. You'll see your sticker shock gradually decrease the further you go. While you're over here, don't miss '''Boylston Street''' a few steps to the south. Many shops are proud to call this street home, and two gigantic high end '''[[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Malls|shopping malls]]''' can be accessed from Boylston as well. One of the more quaint shopping neighborhoods in Boston, '''[[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Charles_Street|Charles Street]]''' in Beacon Hill begins just north of the Common. The mix of storefronts here lends itself equally well to window shopping, as it does to picking up life's essentials. Multiple options for meals or just coffee, make this a pleasant and scenic stroll. If you are in town on a weekend, head over to the '''[[Boston/South_End#Buy|SoWa Open Market]]''' in the South End. This is a great chance to pick up some one of a kind handmade goods and take in some local color. If you're shopping in [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Buy|Cambridge]], make '''Harvard Square''' your first stop. Yeah, it's a little more corporate than you want it to be, but it's ''Harvard'', and there are more than a few interesting shops remaining. If you find yourself in [[Brookline]], head for '''Coolidge Corner'''. This area has the densest concentration of shops, restaurants, and entertainment in Brookline. ==Eat== {{seeDistricts}} While the first thing on most visitors minds is the excellent seafood, Boston does have other high quality options. Many travellers find sitting down to a fine Italian meal in the charming [[Boston/North_End#Eat|North End]] neighborhood an unforgettable experience, while others may prefer to explore classic dining options littered throughout the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Eat|Back Bay]] and [[Boston/South_End#Eat|South End]]. For an evening easier on the wallet, check out the wide variety of Asian restaurants found in either [[Boston/Downtown#Chinatown_2|Chinatown]] or [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Eat|Allston]]. And if you're accustomed to taking meals late, make sure you account for the fact that many restaurants here can close by 10 or 11PM. Examples of fine Boston cuisine often pull double duty as well known [[New_England#Eat|New England dishes]]. These are often thought of as traditional Thanksgiving foods, which makes sense considering the origins of the holiday. While the varieties of these foods served in the city may be more "elevated", examples found in the countryside are no less flavorful. Also, Boston baked beans are not really a thing anymore. If you are dead set on trying them, however, inspect the menus at some of the more touristy restaurants downtown. ===Seafood=== [[File:Lobster_Roll_(Sandwich)_@_Beal%27s_Lobster_Pier.jpg|thumb|The perfect summertime snack?]] *'''Atlantic Codfish''': This foodstuff, prized by early colonists, is closely associated with dining in Boston. Cherished for its flavor, ability to be salted, and marketable value; the cod was overfished and stocks collapsed during the 1990s. Today you may be offered '''scrod''' instead, which could be haddock or some other white fleshed fish. They all honestly taste about the same (as long as they're fresh!), and by choosing to eat this "trash fish" you're helping to give this vulnerable animal time to recover. *'''Clam Chowder''': Kind of like the New England version of ''pho'' in that every bowl is similar, yet each shop strives to put its own little spin on this traditional dish. No matter where you get it, you'll certainly find clams swimming in a thick creme broth, diced potatoes, onions, and celery. You might also see colorful garnishes, different kinds of crackers, or even whole clams in your bowl. You can be confident you're getting the best as long as ''tomatoes are never added'', as they blasphemously do in a certain large city to the south. *'''Fried Clams''': Another iconic regional dish, here the clams have been removed from their shells, dipped in batter and deep fried. Not particularly healthy, but always quite delicious. These are pretty ubiquitous as well, but they're purported to taste best when eaten outdoors at a picnic table of questionable cleanliness. See if you can hold out until you find one. *'''Lobster Roll''': Ah, the eternal argument of who has the best lobster roll. A very popular way of eating lobster, because all the work is done for you. Preferred examples will have diced lobster meat soaked in butter, and are just kissed with mayonnaise and various seasonings. They must also be served on a toasted New England style bun, split along the top, not the side. Lobster rolls are usually served cold, so don't be surprised by that. If you see a roll piled with toppings and dripping with mayo, it's likely an inferior product. *'''Oysters''': Bostonians love their oysters, and they're often offered after work for cheap, especially during happy hours. These bivalves can have different flavors and textures depending on the specific bay or inlet they're from. Oysters from Duxbury and Wellfleet are often the first on the list to run out. Garnishes tend to be a variety of choices, but cocktail sauce and lemons are always present. You'll usually see a few additional toppings, often with a spicier edge. *'''Steamers''': These are clams that have been steamed, unsurprisingly, in their own shells. Diners then scoop the meat out with a small fork and dip it briefly in butter before sucking them down. They'll also come with an array of other garnishes depending on where you find them. ===Desserts=== [[File:Boston cream pie with chocolate drizzle.jpg|thumb|Spotted on Newbury Street]] *'''Boston Cream Pie''': A true Boston original, and the official dessert of Massachusetts. Invented at the [[Boston/Downtown#Splurge|Parker House]] Hotel in 1856, you can still order a slice of this custard-filled yellow cake (not pie!) here today. If fine dining is a little rich for your tastes, try a version made by one of the nicer doughnut shops in town. It's the same idea. You could also go for the ubiquitous Dunkin' Donuts version, if you really don't want to expend any effort whatsoever. *'''Fluff''': This confection is basically marshmallows liquified into a spreadable paste. Artificial and sickly sweet, it's often combined with peanut butter to make a "Fluffernutter" sandwich that is enjoyed by children of all ages throughout New England. So beloved is this sweet treat, that Somerville&mdash;birthplace of Fluff&mdash;dedicates an entire weekend festival to celebrating the stuff in late September. Grab a jar in any grocery store, or just keep a sharp eye on your menus. [[Boston/South_End#Splurge|The Gallows]] in the South End uses it in their crème brulée for example. *'''Ice Cream''': New Englanders are some of the most prolific consumers of ice cream anywhere on earth, and Boston plays no small role in boosting those statistics. Not just a summertime treat, you'll see folks gobbling down artisanal varieties from across the region even in cold winter months. A few of the more notable local dairy slingers are: J.P. Licks, Emack and Bolio's, Toscanini's (Cambridge), The Ice Cream Smith, Picco, Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream... and that's just to start. There are scores more locations around Boston, with some also offering custard or gelato options. ===Drinks=== *'''Frappe''': A milkshake in New England is mostly milk, and not the drinkable ice cream you're looking for. Here that's still called a frappe, pushing back against a globalistic trend toward convergence. They're delicious whether you pronounce it "frap" or "frap-PAY", or even&mdash;ugh&mdash;milkshake. Some of the best are made at [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Budget|Lizzie's]] in Harvard Square, or try one of several UBurger locations. Many of the ice cream shops in town may make a good frappe as well. *'''New England IPA''': Is this truly its own distinct style of beer, or not? The jury is still out on that one. If you can get a hold of this popular elixir, however, note its unpasteurized, cloudy and hazy appearance. You'll find traditional IPA bitterness muted in NEIPAs, as brewers work to bring out the smoother floral and fruity characteristics of the hops. [[Boston/South_Boston#Buy|Trillium]] is your best bet in the city to find it, but get in line early. *'''Raspberry Lime Rickey''': Traditionally made with raspberry syrup, club soda and fresh limes. Some modern versions will use sickly sweet Sprite and cheap artificial lime flavor instead, accept no substitutes! For a quality RLR try Bartley's Gourmet Burgers in Harvard Square, [[Boston/South_Boston#Budget|Sullavan's]] in Southie, or one of the various Tasty Burger locations around town. In general if you find yourself in a place that serves burgers and isn't overly fancy, they may serve one even if it's not on the menu. ===Food trucks=== [[File:Dewey Food Trucks.jpg|thumb|Downtown blue shirts just can't say no to good food on the go]] Some of the best food available in Boston can be bought from a truck. Owing to sky high real estate prices, it can be cheaper and easier to get a food truck business started than a full on brick and mortar restaurant. Many entrepreneurs use trucks as a stepping stone to opening their own restaurant, so you'll see that some of these trucks also have permanent locations. Hundreds of trucks orbit the city, serving every style of cuisine imaginable. While many focus on lunch, more than a handful offer breakfast and dinner options as well. You can find food trucks in many neighborhoods, with the highest concentrations being found along the Greenway and other hotspots [[Boston/Downtown|downtown]]. Copley Square in the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill|Back Bay]] is another place to look, and trucks will also appear at popular spots like SoWa market in the [[Boston/South_End|South End]] and Lawn on D in [[Boston/South_Boston|Southie]]. Trucks rotate locations annually, so check out [http://www.cityofboston.gov/foodtrucks/schedule-tabs.asp this filterable list], kept up to date by the city of Boston. If you find yourself overwhelmed by all the options just put your faith in the locals and queue up in whichever line is longest. *'''Bon Me''': The most prolific trucks in the city. Good selection of Vietnamese staples that can be eaten on the go. Also has several stationary locations. *'''Chicken & Rice Guys''': Take a wild guess what they offer here. Middle Eastern inspired; so don't sleep on the lamb, it's great too! Pairs nicely with several of their flavorful sauces, especially the mint. Has a few permanent restaurants. *'''Clover''': Technology infused American fast food. Everything is fresh and always changing; it has to be since they don't use freezers. Digital menus tell you exactly how long you'll wait for your order. Started by MIT alumni, they now have several locations now throughout the region. *'''Jamaica Mi Hungry''': Fantastic truck offering the requisite spicy jerks, along with rice and peas, coconut milk and red beans, and other Jamaican specialties. Trucks only for now. *'''Mei Mei''': Siblings turn out this stellar Chinese-American food that changes with the seasons; winning multiple awards since 2012. One brick and mortar location near BU. *'''Tenoch''': The trucks are tiny, but the Mexican flavors are not. Top notch tacos, tortas, and burritos, but cash only. Has one other location in the North End. Yes, there is good Mexican in the North End. ==Drink== {{seeDistricts}} Boston has a thriving nightlife and is known to be a drinking town. It's easy to hop from bar to bar, and you'll find venues catering to college students, businesspeople, and sports fanatics alike. There is no "happy hour" in Massachusetts, you can thank the Puritans (or maybe the politicians?) for that. Since after work discounted drinks are off the table, look for businesses to get creative with their incentives. You'll often see discounts on food instead; dollar oysters are particularly common. One drawback to going out in Boston is how early everything closes. '''Most places shut down by 1AM''', with only a few dozen locations in the city holding grandfathered 2AM closing licenses. This can work to your advantage if you're taking the T, since it stops running at 12:30AM anyway. All venues will be 21+, with one or two rare exceptions for the 18+ crowd. If you're on the look out for an authentic Irish pub, prepare to hoof it or prepare to be disappointed. Most bars and pubs throughout downtown and the Back Bay are a bit too polished and corporate to have that warm historic feeling. The closest thing you'll find downtown is '''Mr. Dooley's''', everything else in the Faneuil Hall area is overtly touristy. '''J.J. Foleys''' is another decent option, found nearby in the [[Boston/South_End#Drink|South End]] neighborhood. If you're dedicated, head out to [[Boston/Jamaica_Plain-Mission_Hill#Drink|Jamaica Plain]] and visit '''Doyle's Cafe''' or really go for the gusto and hit up '''The Eire Pub''' in [[Boston/Dorchester#Drink|Dorchester]]. You'll certainly come away with a great story to tell if you make it all the way out to the Eire. Sports bars? Look into either Canal Street in the [[Boston/North_End#Drink|West End]] near Boston Garden, or Landsdowne Street in the [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#Drink|Fenway]] area. Looking for a trendy new spot with glass walls, roof decks and views? Why, the [[Boston/South_Boston#Drink|Seaport district]] of course. Boylston Street in the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Drink|Back Bay]] will also scratch that itch. Want cheap places to drink? Lots of options? Head to intersection of Harvard and Brighton Ave in [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Drink|Allston Village]]. Both Central and Harvard Squares in [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Drink|Cambridge]] are similarly dense with bars. ===Breweries and distilleries=== Undoubtably the largest, the '''Samuel Adams''' Brewery in [[Boston/Jamaica_Plain-Mission_Hill#Drink|J.P.]] and '''Harpoon''' Brewery in [[Boston/South_Boston#Drink|South Boston]] both offer tours and tastings. '''Trillium''' is also in Southie and brews some of the most acclaimed suds in the states. If you're gluten-free (or just love apples!) try out '''Downeast Cider House''' in [[Boston/East_Boston#Drink|East Boston]]. Heading south into Dorchester you'll find two more breweries. The '''Dorchester Brewing Company''' has 20 taps serving fresh house beer and regional partner brews. '''Deadwood''' is a respectable little brewery making their own in house beer for thirsty bowlers. One of the city's newer brewers, '''Turtle Swamp''', opened in spring 2017 in JP. To the north you'll find the excellent '''Lamplighter''' brewery in [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Drink|Cambridge]], while [[Somerville#Drink|Somerville]] offers '''Aeronaut''', '''Slumbrew''', '''Winter Hill Brewing Company''', and '''Bantam Cider Company''' to whet your whistle. For the adventurous, some of the best beer can be found to the north of the city. Real estate is a bit cheaper, so folks can afford to take a little more risk up there. For great examples, check out '''Idle Hands''' in [[Malden]] or '''Mystic Brewery''' in [[Chelsea_(Massachusetts)|Chelsea]]. Finally, [[Everett_(Massachusetts)|Everett]] has several great options with '''Night Shift''', '''Bone Up''', and '''Down the Road''' breweries all making their mark. If you're looking for something a little harder, Boston's got options. '''GrandTen Distilling''' in South Boston and '''Bully Boy Distillers''' in [[Boston/Roxbury#Drink|Roxbury]] offer tours and tastings. '''Short Path Distillery''', also in Everett, focuses specifically on rum and gin. ===Coffee=== Few people whack down as many daily cups of coffee as Bostonians. In fact a 2015 study estimated that 15% of ''toddlers'' in Boston drink a little java alongside their parents. You can expect to find a lot of options in town. With an almost Orwellian presence '''Dunkin' Donuts'''&mdash;founded in nearby [[Quincy_(Massachusetts)|Quincy]]&mdash;dominates. You should be able to see at least two locations from anywhere your little legs can take you. More utilitarian coffee can also be found at Starbucks and other chains, although nothing is more popular than "Dunks". Order it "regular" for cream and sugar, and "black" for without. Looking for something a little more inspired? If you're [[Boston/Downtown#Coffee|downtown]] check out '''Gracenote''' or '''Ogawa'''; while '''Pavement Coffeehouse''', '''Boston Common Coffee''', '''Barrington Coffee Roasting''', and '''Thinking Cup''' are great options in the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Coffee|Back Bay]] area and nearby neighborhoods. Almost every coffee shop in the [[Boston/North_End#Coffee|North End]] is filled with ambiance and probably what you're expecting. ==Sleep== {{infobox|The Biggest, Boldest Art Theft in History|In the early hours following St. Patrick's Day, 1990 two men posing as police officers entered '''[[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#See|The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]]''' and stole thirteen works of art valued around $500 million. The case remains unsolved today and is thought to be the largest theft of private property in history. The museum is still offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to the recovery of the stolen artworks. The subterfuge of police uniforms worked well enough for the thieves to trick the guards, allowing them access to the building. The guards were then promptly placed "under arrest", duct taping their mouths and handcuffing them to pipes in the basement. The thieves then had unfettered access to the museum for almost an hour and a half, enough time to make two trips and take anything they wanted. Some of the works stolen were artifacts by Dutch masters Vermeer and Rembrandt, as well as French Impressionists Degas and Manet. Because of limited surviving output by the artist, the Vermeer alone is valued at over $200 million. Quickly turning the case over to the FBI, they conducted hundreds of interviews; requesting information and cooperating with scores of international authorities, museums, and art dealers. Investigators now believe the thieves were amateur criminals, not experts; due to the fact more famous and valuable paintings were not stolen during the escapades that night in the museum. Every decade or so, some new lead surfaces about the location of the missing artworks. These generate great excitement, but are always fake (or hoaxes) and have never amounted to anything. The stipulations of Ms. Gardner's will state that works displayed within the museum are to be left as she placed them, but there were no provisions for stolen artifacts! Without such guidance, the empty frames continue to hang in the museum. They function both as a reminder of what was lost, and a hopeful placeholder for the day they are finally returned.}} {{seeDistricts}} Boston offers a wide range of accommodations, from budget options to mid-range hotels to luxurious penthouses in the sky. Most hotels are concentrated in the [[Boston/Back_Bay-Beacon_Hill#Sleep|Back Bay]], with many more options available in neighboring districts like the [[Boston/South_End#Sleep|South End]], the [[Boston/South_Boston#Sleep|Seaport]] and [[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)#Sleep|Cambridge]]. If you're primarily focused on the [[Freedom Trail]], aim for as central a location as you can afford. Otherwise look for any place near a T station, once you're behind the gate you can be pretty much anywhere in a half an hour. '''If anything will blow your budget, it will be the accommodations.''' Boston has some of the most expensive real estate in the country, behind only the Bay Area and New York City. In July 2019 the average room in town cost $280 a night! The city is aware of the problem and more hotels are either planned or under construction. Your best bet is to book far in advance and keep popular dates in mind. It can be especially bad during May graduations and around back-to-school in early September. Prices drop in winter, although shoulder season is probably the better compromise. There are a few hostels in town, and you can sometimes find more affordable accommodations in student-focused areas like [[Boston/Allston-Brighton#Sleep|Allston]] and the [[Boston/Fenway-Kenmore#Sleep|Fenway]]. Alternatively, get creative. Look up an old friend, crash someone's couch or browse your favorite room rental application. If you're staying a bit longer, a summer sublet might make a good option. Students returning home often have an extra 2-3 months on their lease that you could take over with a little paperwork. ==Connect== Greater Boston uses '''10-digit dialing'''. This means you must include the area code whenever you are making a call. The standard area code is 617, but some phone numbers, especially cell phones, use the new 857 overlay. ==Stay safe== In Boston, like the rest of the country, '''dial 911''' if there is an emergency. This free call will summon police, medical, and fire services to assist you. For a major American city, Boston's crime rate is extremely low, and ''most'' hazards are not a concern, although of course one must use common sense. Big tourist attractions draw crowds, crowds may draw thieves, so keep your eye on more than just that entertaining street performer! The same rules apply if you plan on enjoying Boston's nightlife. Watch out late at night when bars and clubs are emptying of drunken revellers and, most importantly, students. Even if you're not drinking, younger folks may be, so look for erratic drivers and other behavior. Be especially careful on nights when the Red Sox play the New York Yankees. Wearing Yankees gear in any part of town, especially in the Fenway area, is invitation to be verbally harassed by the locals. Although generally harmless and in good fun, as the night wears on and inhibitions are lowered, these encounters could become physical. While on the train or subway, know your stop. Try not to get too absorbed by your personal device, and look around. Take your headphones off. Use extra caution when exiting the train at night. Boston doesn't have too much of a problem with busking on the trains themselves, yet. Most T stations are staffed while open, so ask an attendant for help if you feel uncomfortable. As a ''very'' general rule of thumb, any place within a half a mile of a train or T station is likely to have undergone renovations since 2010, and is probably fine. More than other major cities, Boston has suffered from the opioid crisis. As of 2018, the area around the '''Boston Medical Center is the only area that should be avoided by tourists.''' Colloquially known as the ''Methadone Mile'', this area is at the border of Roxbury and the South End, and has a high concentration of drug addicts pitched in tents and makeshift homeless shelters. Many poor souls struggling with opioid addiction make use of the programs and services only available here. These tightly packed buildings found at the intersection of Mass Ave and the Route 93 ramps are one of the few places in New England offering treatment. The folks here are mostly harmless; with a mixture of addicts trying to recover, dealers trying to sell, and police trying to keep order. Despite their murky depictions in countless movies and TV shows, South Boston, Dorchester, and Charlestown are not particularly dangerous areas. However, it is advised to avoid going there alone at night if you are not familiar with those areas. Not that crime rates are high, but these parts have an uneasy feeling to them. There are a few blocks to the north and to the east of Franklin Park in Roxbury that should be avoided, as there is some lingering gang violence dotted around there, but it is usually retaliatory in nature and tourists are not always targeted. Some areas where extra caution is needed include Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, and Mattapan. While they've had their share of seediness and violence over the years (especially the latter), things have started to slowly improve. ==Cope== ===Publications=== * {{listing | name=''The Boston Globe'' | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=''The Boston Globe'' is the biggest daily publication around. It is the most respectable of the daily broadsheets. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=''The Boston Herald'' | alt= | url=http://www.bostonherald.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=''The Herald'' is a tabloid publication. }} * {{listing | name=''The Boston Metro'' | url=http://www.readmetro.com/en/usa/boston/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Published in many cities, ''The Boston Metro'' is free, filled with ads and designed to be read on the train in about 10-15 minutes. }} * {{listing | name=''DigBoston'' | url=https://digboston.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Free alternative weekly publication. }} * {{listing | name=''Bay State Banner'' | url=https://digboston.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=''The Banner'' is an independent newspaper geared toward the African-American community. }} * {{listing | name=''Bay Windows'' | url=https://digboston.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=''Bay Windows'' is an LGBT-oriented newspaper, published weekly. }} * {{listing | name=''Sampan Newspaper'' | url=http://www.sampan.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Pick up a copy of ''The Sampan'' to learn more about the history of Chinatown. }} * {{listing | name=''Spare Change'' | url=http://sparechangenews.net/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This biweekly paper contains alternative news, arts features, interviews, fiction and poetry that are written by staff writers and journalists, as well as by people who are homeless. Copies of ''Spare Change'' are purchased by the homeless, who sell them to passerby for $2. }} ===Consulates=== Here is the quick rundown of consular services in Boston and Cambridge. This list isn't definitive, there are some consulates just a bit outside of the city. {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=15 School Street, 5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-227-3131 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-227-8420 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | url=http://www.consulatebrazil.org/ | email= | address=175 Purchase Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-542-4000 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-542-4318 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | alt= | url=http://www.boston.gc.ca/ | email= | address=Three Copley Pl Ste 400 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-247-5100 | tollfree=+1-844-880-6519 (consular services) | fax=+1 617-247-5190 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cape Verde}} {{listing | name=Cape Verde | url= | email= | address=607 Boylston Street, 4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-353-0014 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-859-9798 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Chile}} {{listing | name=Chile (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=One Bernardo O’Higgins Circle | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-232-0416 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-232-0817 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Colombia}} {{listing | name=Colombia | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Saint James Avenue, Suite 960 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-536-6222 (Ext. 202) | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-536-9372 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=70-7 Kirkland Street | lat= | long= | directions=Cambridge | phone=+1 617-497-0219 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=60 State St 11F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-542-1415 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-482-6201 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Dominican Republic}} {{listing | name=Dominican Republic | url=http://domrep.org/ | email= | address=20 Park Plaza, Suite 601 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-472-8121 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-482-8133 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | name=El Salvador | url= | email= | address=46 Bennington Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-567-2864 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-567-8686 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=101 Arch Street, 12th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-654-1800 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-654-1735 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-boston.org/spip.php?rubrique2 | email= | address=31 Saint James Ave, Park Square Bldg Ste 750 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-832-4400 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-542-8054 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Georgia}} {{listing | name=Georgia (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=17 Berkeley Street | lat= | long= | directions=Cambridge | phone=+1 617-492-0727 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url=http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/03__Consulates/Boston/00/__Home.html | email= | address=Three Copley Pl Ste 500 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-369-4934 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-369-4940 | hours=9AM-noon | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North%20America/USA/GeneralConsulateBoston/en-US/ | email= | address=86 Beacon St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-523-0100 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-523-0511 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Guatemala}} {{listing | name=Guatemala | url= | email= | address= info@guatemala-embassy.org | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-202 745 4953| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Temporarily closed. The phone number reaches the Guatemalan embassy in Washington D.C. }} * {{flag|Haiti}} {{listing | name=Haiti | url= | email= | address=545 Boylston Street, Suite 201 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-266-3660 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-266-4060 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Hungary}} {{listing | name=Hungary (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=111 Huntington Avenue, 26th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617 342-4022 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-342-4001 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ireland}} {{listing | name=Ireland | url= | email= | address=535 Boylston St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-267-9330 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-267-6375 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Israel | url=http://boston.mfa.gov.il/ | email= | address=20 Park Plaza, Suite 1020 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-535-0200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consboston.esteri.it | email= | address=600 Atlantic Ave, 17th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-722-9201 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-722-9407 | hours= | price= | content= }} | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | * {{flag|Jamaica}} {{listing | name=Jamaica (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=183 State Street, Suite 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-778-0021 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617 778-7234 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.boston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/index.html | email= | address=600 Atlantic Ave, 22nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-973-9774 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-542-1329 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=50 Milk Street, Floor 19 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-772-1399 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-772-2401 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico | url=http://www.sre.gob.mx/boston | email= | address=55 Franklin St, 1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-426-4181 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-695-1957 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=40 Broad St., 10th fl | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-226-9797 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Morocco}} {{listing | name=Morocco (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=101 Arch Street, 12th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-654-1701 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-654-1735 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Nepal}} {{listing | name=Nepal (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=151 Tremont Street, Apt. 21K | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-948-9449 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-948-9448 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands (Honorary) | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/united-states/about-us/honorary-consulate-in-boston | email=boston@nlconsulate.com | address=590 Milk Street, 16th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 857-415-4773 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=253 Summer Street, Suite 203 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617 423-2515 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-423-2057 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Peru}} {{listing | name=Peru | url= | email= | address=20 Park Plaza, Suite 511 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-338-2227 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-338-2742 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal | url=http://www.un.int/portugal/visainfo.htm | email= | address=One Exeter Plaza 7F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-536-8740 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-536-2503 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | url= | email= | address=31 Saint James Ave Ste 905 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-536-2506, +1 617-536-2527 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=253 Summer Street, Suite 203 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-451-3456 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-451-2057 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=Republic of Korea | url= http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/us-boston-en/index.do| email= | address=300 Washington St #251, Newton | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +1-617-641-2830 | tollfreee= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland | url= | email= | address=420 Broadway | lat= | long= | directions=Cambridge | phone=+1 617-876-3076 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-876-3079 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=41 Union Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-720-8424 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-227-2306 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey | url= | email= | address=31 St. James Avenue, Suite 840 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 857-250-4700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=One International Place, Suite 2901 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-505-3300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | url=http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/boston/ | email= | address=One Broadway | lat= | long= | directions=Cambridge | phone=+1 617-245-4500 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-621-0220 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Venezuela}} {{listing | name=Venezuela | url=http://www.embavenez-us.org/_boston/ | email= | address=545 Boylston Street, 3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 617-266-9368 | tollfree= | fax=+1 617-266-2350 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== Boston has a unique location at the northern tip of the most densely populated area in the United States. From here it's easy to explore picturesque New England towns, charming seaside villages, and historic and natural parks galore. ===Greater Boston=== [[File:Salem Customs House.jpg|thumb|Not Salem's first Custom House]] * Mostly, but not entirely within the city, visiting the '''[[Boston Harbor Islands]]''' offers a completely different take on life in the city if you have the time. Accessible by ferry. * You didn't miss '''[[Cambridge_(Massachusetts)|Cambridge]]''', right? It's not part of Boston, but its museums, architecture, history, restaurants and shopping are not to be missed. Accessible by MBTA's Red Line subway. * Hop the Red line to '''Adams National Historical Park''' in neighboring [[Quincy_(Massachusetts)|Quincy]]. This was the family home of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the 2nd and 6th Presidents of the United States. * Plenty of hiking and biking opportunities can be found near the city. To the north you'll find '''Middlesex Fells Reservation''' in [[Stoneham]], while the '''Blue Hills Reservation''' is to the south in [[Milton_(Massachusetts)|Milton]]. * Speaking of cycling, pick up the '''Minuteman Bike Trail'''&mdash;a converted railroad track&mdash;and follow it out to [[Bedford_(Massachusetts)|Bedford]]. Once you arrive, let your legs decide if you should keep going or turn back to Cambridge. * Head west to [[Concord_(Massachusetts)|Concord]] to find '''Walden Pond''', a kettle pond once owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Here his friend and author, Henry David Thoreau penned his book ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods''. Take the Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line to Concord. * Next, visit the site where "the shot heard 'round the world" was fired from the North Bridge in the '''Minute Man National Historical Park'''. It's in [[Lexington_(Massachusetts)|Lexington]], where travellers will find a wealth of historical sites and small town charm. Take the Red Line to Alewife and then MBTA bus #62 or #76 (or take the Minuteman Bikeway or Route 2 ). *Right next door in [[Lincoln_(Massachusetts)|Lincoln]], you'll find the '''DeCordova Museum'''. It showcases modern art, with a focus on its many large outdoor sculptures. The nearby '''Gropius House''' was designed by Walter Gropius, father of the iconic Bauhaus art movement. Take MBTA's Fitchburg Line (or Route 2 by car) to Lincoln. * Site of the famous Salem Witch Trials, '''[[Salem_(Massachusetts)|Salem]]''' has done a fantastic job holding on to its historical roots. Walking through the historic district it's easy to imagine how a life controlled by the tides might have been lived. It's a vibrant suburb that feels more like a small city of its own, bursting with many new shops and restaurants. Salem gets ''bonkers'' during October, and is a complete madhouse on Halloween. Take MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport Line to Salem, or by car, take Route 1 to Route 128 and follow signs for Salem. ===Massachusetts=== [[File:Gay_Head_clay_cliffs_4_of_town_of_Aquinnah,_Martha%27s_Vineyard,_USA.JPG|thumb|Waves crash against the Clay cliffs of Aquinnah; Martha's Vineyard]] * The '''[[North_Shore_(Massachusetts)|North Shore]]''' is always a fantastic little getaway. Seaside villages like [[Gloucester_(Massachusetts)|Gloucester]] and [[Rockport_(Massachusetts)|Rockport]] (among several others) are well known for their charm, art, and fresh seafood. Take Route 1 to Route 128 or I-95, or follow the Newburyport or Rockport lines. * If you're driving south, stop by '''Plimoth Plantation''' in [[Plymouth_(Massachusetts)|Plymouth]]; an hour by car via I-93 south and Route 3. A living museum featuring a replica of the ''Mayflower'', and dedicated to showcasing the manner in which the first Pilgrim colonists would have lived. * Bring the kids out to '''Old Sturbridge Village''' in [[Sturbridge]]. Another living museum, this time re-creating life in rural New England as it was lived after the revolutionary war. One hour fifteen minutes from Boston by car via I-90. * Head south to '''[[New Bedford]]''' for a sort of less touristy version of Salem. Learn about how the lucrative whaling industry forged the area's strong Portuguese and Cape Verdean connections. Filled with great museums and history, it's also famous as the location of Melville's classic novel, ''Moby Dick.'' It's a little over an hour by car without traffic (follow I-93 south to Route 24, then follow signs for New Bedford); commuter rail service to the city will be starting in 2023. * Follow the crowd over the Sagamore bridge and "Escape to the Cape". Take as much time as you need to soak up the breathtaking '''[[Cape Cod National Seashore]]'''. * King of the Cape, '''[[Provincetown]]''' is achingly beautiful, easily accessible from Boston, and the perfect jump off for the rest of your Cape Cod explorations. Accessible by plane, bus or ferry. * If life on the ocean is more your style, don't miss '''[[Martha's Vineyard]]''' and '''[[Nantucket]]'''. The former is closer to the mainland, flashier and more built up. The latter is slightly smaller and more remote, often making for a more peaceful stay. * During the summer months, the Boston Symphony Orchestra makes its home in [[Lenox (Massachusetts)|Lenox]] at '''Tanglewood''', which hosts classical music and some contemporary acts. 2½ hours by car via i-90 west. * If you're in the [[Berkshires]] any time of year do not miss the '''Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art'''. Called Mass MoCA for short, there are always fresh exhibits rotating through their colossal gallery spaces. Three hours away by car in [[North Adams]] (follow Route 2 to the end), the museum's presence is slowly dragging this old factory town back to life, with new restaurants, shops and breweries opening. ===New England=== [[File:Bass_harbor_head_light_20041002_123635_1.1504x1000.jpg|thumb|A dramatic lighthouse in repose atop Acadia's rocky shoreline]] * If you're headed toward '''[[Rhode Island]]''', drive or take the train to [[Providence]], a city with its own share of art and culture, excellent Italian food, and a charming downtown area; or get a load of the jaw-dropping mansions and the [[jazz]] festival in [[Newport_(Rhode_Island)|Newport]]. Walk by the beach at Newport to see estates so grand, they're basically why Americans have to pay income tax now. The whole state is roughly 45 to 90 minutes away depending on traffic -- take I-95 south or the Providence commuter rail. * In '''[[New Hampshire]]''', the ocean town of [[Portsmouth_(New_Hampshire)|Portsmouth]] is a historic seaport bursting at the seams with charm, restaurants and shopping. If you want to get more outdoors or feel more active, hike the [[Franconia_(New_Hampshire)|White Mountains]] of New Hampshire. The 8.9-mile (13.4-km) Franconia Ridge Traverse takes all day and is one of the area's most popular treks. About 4 hours by car, [[Mount Washington State Park]] is another great option. *'''[[Vermont]]''' is filled with covered bridges and charming towns like [[Woodstock_(Vermont)|Woodstock]]. But really, any rustic town makes the perfect base to take in the dramatic fall foliage as seasons change. You can sample some of the finest brews in America in [[Burlington_(Vermont)|Burlington]], Vermont's largest town. Many other fine brewers are in the countryside nearby. 3hr 30min by car. *If you're in New Hampshire, keep heading northeast into '''[[Maine]]''' to find [[Portland_(Maine)|Portland]]. The largest city in Maine also offers some of its best options for dining, drinking, and dancing. If you're looking for the outdoors, spend a day or a week at [[Acadia National Park]]. This superlative park boasts some of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in all New England. A 5-hour drive from Boston without traffic. *'''[[Connecticut]]''' is past Providence on Interstate 95 and offers [[Mystic (Connecticut)|Mystic]], a popular tourist destination offering an aquarium, beaches, and beluga whales, the diverse cultural town of [[New Haven|New Haven,]] major Indian casinos, and some semi-large cities part of Greater New York City. New York is about a 5-hour drive without traffic from Boston. ===Beyond=== * Travel by bus, plane, or train to arrive at the greatest American city, '''[[New_York_City|New York]]'''. * If you're instead looking for towers of green, just a three hour drive from Boston will place you within the '''[[Mid-Hudson_and_Catskills|Hudson Valley and Catskills]]'''. * Drive north into Canadian province [[Quebec]]. The province's biggest city, '''[[Montreal]]''', is 5 hours away by car, while the provincial capital, '''[[Quebec City]]''', is 6.5 hours away. * If you prefer to travel the slow way, start (or finish) hiking the '''[[Appalachian Trail]]''' in [[Highlands_(Maine)|Baxter State Park]], Maine. *Also, you can drive about 5 hours or take a 1 1/2 hour flight to the '''[[Adirondacks]]'''. Just take '''Interstate 90''' (Massachusetts Turnpike) west to '''[[Albany (New York)|Albany]]''' then take '''Interstate 87 North.''' *Boston is also the beginning of a huge megalopolis, the Bos-Wash Corridor, that stretches all the way to '''[[Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C]]'''., which is an 8-hour drive away. {{routebox | placename=Boston (by long-distance rail) | image1=Amtrak Acela Express icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=SW | majorl1=[[New York City]] | minorl1=[[Westwood (Massachusetts)|Westwood]] | directionr1=NE | majorr1=END | image2=Amtrak Downeaster icon.png | imagesize2=100 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Portland (Maine)|Portland]] | minorl2=[[Woburn (Massachusetts)|Woburn]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Amtrak Lake Shore Limited icon.png | imagesize3=100 | directionl3=W | majorl3=Albany ([[Rensselaer (New York)|Rensselaer]]) | minorl3=[[Framingham]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=Amtrak Northeast Regional.png | imagesize4=100 | directionl4=SW | majorl4=[[Providence]] | minorl4=[[Westwood (Massachusetts)|Westwood]] | directionr4=NE | majorr4=END }} {{routebox | placename=Boston (by car) | image1=I-90.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Worcester (Massachusetts)|Worcester]] | minorl1=[[Newton]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | image2=I-93.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Manchester (New Hampshire)|Manchester]] | minorl2=[[Somerville]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Canton (Massachusetts)|Canton]] | minorr2=[[Milton (Massachusetts)|Milton]] | image3=US 1.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=[[Newburyport]] | minorl3=[[Chelsea (Massachusetts)|Chelsea]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Providence]] | minorr3=[[Milton (Massachusetts)|Milton]] | image4=US 20.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Worcester (Massachusetts)|Worcester]] | minorl4=[[Watertown (Massachusetts)|Watertown]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=MA Route 2.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=W | majorl5=[[Concord (Massachusetts)|Concord]] | minorl5=[[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]] | directionr5=E | majorr5=END | minorr5= | image6=MA Route 3.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=N | majorl6=[[Lowell (Massachusetts)|Lowell]] via [[File:US 3.svg|18px]] | minorl6=[[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]] | directionr6=S | majorr6=[[Plymouth (Massachusetts)|Plymouth]] | minorr6=[[Milton (Massachusetts)|Milton]] | image7=MA Route 9.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=W | majorl7=[[Worcester (Massachusetts)|Worcester]] | minorl7=[[Brookline]] | directionr7=E | majorr7=END | minorr7= | image8=MA Route 28.svg | imagesize8=22 | directionl8=N | majorl8=[[Lawrence (Massachusetts)|Lawrence]] | minorl8=[[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]] | directionr8=S | majorr8=[[Wareham (Massachusetts)|Wareham]] | minorr8=[[Milton (Massachusetts)|Milton]] }} {{routebox | placename=Boston (by commuter/regional rail) | image1=CapeFLYER icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=N | majorl1=END | minorl1= | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Hyannis]] | minorr1=[[Braintree (Massachusetts)|Braintree]] | image2=MBTA Fitchburg icon.png | imagesize2=100 | directionl2=NW | majorl2=[[Fitchburg]] | minorl2=[[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]] | directionr2=SE | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=MBTA Framingham-Worcester icon.png | imagesize3=100 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Worcester (Massachusetts)|Worcester]] | minorl3=[[Newton]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=MBTA Franklin icon.png | imagesize4=100 | directionl4=SW | majorl4=[[Franklin (Massachusetts)|Franklin]] | minorl4=[[Dedham (Massachusetts)|Dedham]] | directionr4=NE | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=MBTA Greenbush icon.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=NW | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=SE | majorr5=[[Scituate (Massachusetts)|Scituate]] | minorr5=[[Quincy (Massachusetts)|Quincy]] | image6=MBTA Haverhill icon.png | imagesize6=100 | image6a= | imagesize6a=75 | directionl6=N | majorl6=[[Reading (Massachusetts)|Reading]] | minorl6=[[Malden]] | directionr6=S | majorr6=END | minorr6= | image7=MBTA Lowell icon.png | imagesize7=100 | directionl7=N | majorl7=[[Wilmington (Massachusetts)|Wilmington]] | minorl7=[[Medford (Massachusetts)|Medford]] | directionr7=S | majorr7=END | minorr7= | image8=MBTA Middleborough-Lakeville icon.png | imagesize8=100 | directionl8=NW | majorl8=END | minorl8= | directionr8=SE | majorr8=[[Lakeville (Massachusetts)|Lakeville]] | minorr8=[[Quincy (Massachusetts)|Quincy]] | image9=MBTA Newburyport-Rockport icon.png | imagesize9=100 | directionl9=SW | majorl9=END | minorl9= | directionr9=NE | majorr9=[[Beverly (Massachusetts)|Beverly]] | minorr9=[[Chelsea (Massachusetts)|Chelsea]] | image10=MBTA Plymouth-Kingston icon.png | imagesize10=100 | directionl10=NW | majorl10=END | minorl10= | directionr10=SE | majorr10=[[Halifax (Massachusetts)|Halifax]] | minorr10=[[Quincy (Massachusetts)|Quincy]] | image11=MBTA Providence-Stoughton icon.png | imagesize11=100 | directionl11=N | majorl11=END | minorl11= | directionr11=S | majorr11=[[Canton (Massachusetts)|Canton]] | minorr11=[[Westwood (Massachusetts)|Westwood]] }} {{isPartOf|Greater_Boston}} {{geo|42.359|-71.056|zoom=12}} {{guidecity}} jmvxw3zkb3w2mp1y3p1b6m2czeam7av 0 4438 4501985 4482660 2022-08-16T08:15:50Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 Deleted sleeper trains as they don't run anymore (source: https://help.raileurope.co.uk/article/41270-french-night-train / https://rail.cc/night-train/paris-bourg-saint-maurice-icn-5705/303) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. To get to the slopes, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access to Arc 1600, there is also a free Funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, Geneva is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; Lyon is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} npe97872h18dy35v0mr0w920ttdtx8s 4502001 4501985 2022-08-16T08:26:09Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Get around */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables at https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables at https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, Geneva is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; Lyon is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} dg0qoh1nj75acc7t6dv863c9imypkvv 4502009 4502001 2022-08-16T08:31:55Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables at https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables at https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, Geneva is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; Lyon is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} pooym5421fduau5tlm6t2rwhjqelflf 4502013 4502009 2022-08-16T08:33:18Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Go next */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables at https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables at https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, [[Geneva]] is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; [[Lyon]] is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. [[Chambery]] is 2 hours by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} rq2h1rj2ajuqeht8vb5uzogvqye2p38 4502016 4502013 2022-08-16T08:36:45Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Summer sports */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables at https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables at https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. The area is very suitable for cycling (ATB as well as road cycling). There's a smooth cycling path along the Isère river. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, [[Geneva]] is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; [[Lyon]] is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. [[Chambery]] is 2 hours by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} bqow3ejcmdlc10rtvcxtrsyh5ikhtbi 4502076 4502016 2022-08-16T09:44:03Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Get around */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|45.6168|6.7703|zoom=15}} [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables at https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables at https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. The area is very suitable for cycling (ATB as well as road cycling). There's a smooth cycling path along the Isère river. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, [[Geneva]] is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; [[Lyon]] is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. [[Chambery]] is 2 hours by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} sbptc4ulwzfll58abr3fpaggx17qv1d 4502141 4502076 2022-08-16T11:31:57Z Ibaman 195012 some copyedit wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables [https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html here]. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables [https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html here]. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. The area is very suitable for cycling (ATB as well as road cycling). There's a smooth cycling path along the Isère river. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, [[Geneva]] is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; [[Lyon]] is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. [[Chambery]] is 2 hours by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} ghkq4ok1qrvk8jg73skh5vdshtrkrbs 4502144 4502141 2022-08-16T11:32:42Z Ibaman 195012 tweaking map wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Bourg-Saint-Maurice Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} [[Image:Arc 1950 from beside the Cabriolet 2000 station.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The nearby mountains, part of the Les Arcs ski area pistes (when there's snow!)]] '''Bourg-Saint-Maurice''' is a town in the French [[Alps]]. It is at the foot of the [[Les Arcs]] skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to [[La Plagne]]. ==Get in == {{mapframe|45.6168|6.7703|zoom=15}} {{mapshape}} [[Image:Eurostar at bourg st maurice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Eurostar service from London arrives at Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe. Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season. The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged. ==Get around== [[File:Commerces à Bourg-St-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Shops in Bourg-St-Maurice]] Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables [https://www.bourgsaintmaurice.fr/transports/bourg-saint-maurice.html here]. The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables [https://en.lesarcs.com/funicular.html here]. The whitewater course is in the centre of the town. ==See== [[File:Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice.jpg|thumb|Église Saint-Maurice de Bourg-Saint-Maurice]] Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular. The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams. ==Do== ===Winter sports=== The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day. ===Summer sports=== The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002. Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks. The area is very suitable for cycling (ATB as well as road cycling). There's a smooth cycling path along the Isère river. ===Entertainment=== The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities. ==Buy== Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer. On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold. ==Eat== There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for. ==Drink== There are also several bars in the town. ==Sleep== There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star. ==Go next== Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, [[Geneva]] is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; [[Lyon]] is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. [[Chambery]] is 2 hours by train. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|45.6167|6.7667}} {{isPartOf|Savoie}} ns1egtrindewfs8qiz3yb3zcwyqhkyy 0 5356 4501588 4501550 2022-08-15T13:16:32Z Ibaman 195012 [[Words to avoid]]: "note that (...)" wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|České Budějovice banner.jpg|caption=|unesco=}} [[File:České Budějovice.jpg|thumb|300px|Baroque Town Hall and Samson fountain]] [[Image:Ceske Budejovice.jpg|thumb|300px|The Square of Premysl Otakar II]] '''[https://www.budejce.cz/en/information-center České Budějovice]''' (also known as '''Budweis''' in German or English) is in [[South Bohemia]], in the [[Czech Republic]]. The town has since grown into the metropolitan centre. It is the largest town in South Bohemia region and it has approximately 96,000 inhabitants. The picturesque village of Holašovice, 16 km west of České Budějovice, has a well-preserved folk Baroque centre and is a [[UNESCO]] site. ==Understand== This South Bohemian metropolis was founded in 1265 by the Czech King Premysl Otakar II on the confluence of the Vltava and Malse Rivers. The Square of Premysl Otakar II is 133 m by 137 m, and is one of the largest squares in Bohemia. It has arcades and a range of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque burgher's houses. The other important town monuments include the Town Hall, the Samson's fountain and the 72-metre-high Black Tower which provides a beautiful view of the town and surroundings. The town is an excellent place to visit if you want to escape the large numbers of tourists in Prague or nearby [[Český Krumlov]]. Its well-developed transport links make it the perfect base from which to explore the surrounding region. There are many historic towns and villages nearby, numerous hiking trails, and a vast cycle path network. The most famous cycle path is No. 12 which connects České Budějovice and Hluboká nad Vltavou. ===Visitor information=== The {{listing | name=České Budějovice Tourist Information Center | alt=Turistické informační centrum | url=https://www.budejce.cz/en/information-center | email= | address= | lat=48.97421 | long=14.47326348 | directions=at the Square of Přemysl Otakar II, inside the Town hall | phone=+420 386 801 413| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=Provides promotion and presentation materials, a map and plan of the town České Budějovice and its environs. Tourist and topographic information, a calendar of cultural and social events. Sale of tourist literature, maps, souvenirs and '''[http://www.cbsystem.cz Cbsystem tickets]'''. It provides guide and accommodation services.<!--sp. per https://www.budejce.cz/en/information-center --> }} ==Get in== ===By bus=== Buses leave frequently from "Na Knížecí" and "Roztyly" bus stations in Prague to the {{marker|type=go|lat=48.97277 | long=14.48723|name=main bus station}}. The trip takes approximately 2½-3 hours. There is also the Yellow Bus line offered by '''[http://www.studentagency.cz Student Agency]''', which takes 2 hours 20 minutes for a similar price. The bus junction in České Budějovice is at the "Mercury Centrum", a two-storey shopping mall with the bus station on the roof, just outside the city center. It is 100 m down the street from the train station. For rates and schedules, visit the official transport website [http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz '''IDOS''']. Shuttle bus transfer '''[http://budweis-shuttle.cz Budweis-shuttle]''' operate comfortable daily bus service between České Budějovice and the following cities: Prague (1½ hours, 1000 Kč): From Austria: Salzburg (3 hours, 1100 Kč), Vienna (3 hours, 1100 Kč), Linz (1½ hours, 450 Kč), Hallstatt (2½ hours, 1100 Kč). From other countries: Munich, Germany (4 hours, 1600 Kč), and Bratislava, Slovakia. ===By train=== From Prague, train is probably better than bus, as it is often more comfortable, cheaper, faster, and goes from centre to centre. Trains connect from [[Prague]] to {{marker|type=go|wikidata=Q22712112|name=České Budějovice train station}} every hour. The trip from Prague takes 2-2½ hours. Standard fare sold at the ticket office is 222 Kč for single person (133 Kč second person, 111 Kč other), but it is often much cheaper when bought in advance or [https://www.cd.cz/en/default.htm online]. There are two types of train: rychlík (R) and express (Ex), with the latter being faster and more comfortable (both are the same price). Other useful destinations reachable by direct train are [[Český Krumlov]], [[Jindřichův Hradec]], [[Tábor]], [[Brno]], [[Třebíč]], [[Pilsen|Plzeň]] and [[Linz]] in [[Austria]] (connections to [[Salzburg]], [[Vienna]] and other cities in Austria). Timetables and tickets at the Czech Railways [https://www.cd.cz/en/default.htm website]. As of August 2022 the station is under renovation and there are no left luggage facilities. === By car === The road from Prague is not very good, half of it is a new dual carriage highway, but the other half is a heavily congested two-lane road. Avoid travelling on this road on Friday and Sunday evenings. You have to pay for parking in the wider centre of the city, with the amount depending on the part of the city. There are parking machines on the street - you have to enter your license plate number when buying a parking ticket. ===By plane=== There is a small airport to the southwest of the city, {{marker|type=go|wikidata=Q1322727|name=Airport České Budějovice|url=http://www.airport-cb.cz/?lang=en}}. However, there are no scheduled flights from this airport. == Get around == {{Mapframe|48.9790|14.4743|zoom=14}} {{mapshape}} === By foot === The historical centre of the city is completely walkable, but it is also possible to walk from the more distant parts of the city, even though it is likely to take more time. === By bike === The city is bike-friendly with many bicycle paths. You can rent the bike at the railway station or some hotel if you want it for a long term, but if you want it just for trips across the city, it is probably better to use bikesharing app [https://www.rekola.cz/en/ Rekola]. The best maps for cycling are [https://en.mapy.cz/ mapy.cz] in outdoor mode. ===By public transport=== There is an extensive network of public buses and trolleybuses that run quite frequently during the day. The ticket costs 16 Kč and is valid for one hour; there are ticket machines on the stops. Ticket inspectors are common, so it is better to have a valid a ticket. You have to validate your ticket in the bus. For timetable, you can use [https://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/ceskebudejovice/spojeni/ IDOS], if you want to find a route on the map, use [https://en.mapy.cz/ mapy.cz]. === By taxi === The world-wide app [https://taxify.eu/ Taxify] is working in České Budějovice. The biggest legacy taxi company is Taxi Budějovice, 0042014014. === By car === Common traffic jams and difficult parking zones make getting around by car a poor means of transport across the city. ==See== * {{see | name=Přemysl Otakar II Square | alt=Czech: ''Naměstí Přemysla Otakara II'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.97456 | long=14.47433 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6788175 | content=The immense square in the middle of the town. Historical landmarks here include St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Black Tower, Samson's Fountain and the distinct yellow-colored Vcela Palace. }} ** In the middle of the square there is one of the symbol of the town, '''the Baroque Samson’s Fountain'''. It was created in the years 1721-1726 by Zachariáš Horn and the statues were created by Josef Dietrich. On the top is a statue of the biblical hero Samson. ** '''The Erratic Boulder''' is not far from the Samson’s fountain, marked with a cross. It used by to have an execution scaffold, and legend says that anybody who crosses the Erratic Boulder after 22:00 will not find his way home and will wander the city until the morning. [[File:2006-04-02 Budweis 013.JPG|thumb|The Town Hall and Samson's fountain]] * {{see | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.9743 | long=14.4732 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19543341 | content=The building with three towers was built in the Renaissance style in 1555. Today it is an elegant Baroque building from 1727-1730 built by A.E. Martinelli. It is decorated by Dietrich’s statues allegories of Justice, Courage, Wisdom and Caution and symbols of the Town and Bohemia. }} * {{see | name=St. Nicholas Cathedral | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.97526 | long=14.47606 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1076146 | content=Built as a gothic building in the 13th century. However, it burned down in the 17th century and today’s appearance is Baroque. There are three statues at the frontage: St. Wenceslas, St. Nicholas and St. Auratian. The interior of the church is very simple. The most important part is the main altar from the 18th century. }} * Next to the cathedral there is main dominant of České Budějovice, {{see | name=the Black Tower | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.975556 | long=14.475556 | directions= | phone=+420 386 352 508 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3565955 | content=The 72-m-high renaissance tower was completed in 1577 and there are six bells in the tower, the largest of which is called Bumerin. Season 1 April - 31 October. }} * {{see|name=The Remains of the fortification|lat=48.9734 | long=14.4720|directions=on the embankment of the Malše river|content=The Iron Maiden and Rabenštejnská Tower, parts of the old fortifications and the last remaining part of the fortifications of the middle-age Budějovice. The Iron Maiden dating back to the 14th century. It is named after the instrument of torture, which was located inside.}} ==Do== [[Image:Beer vats at Budweiser brewery.jpg|thumb|The Czech Budweiser]] * {{do | name=Pivovar Budějovický Budvar | alt=brewery Budvar | url=https://www.budejovickybudvar.cz/en/tours | email=exkurse@budvar.cz | address=Karolíny Světlé 512 | lat=48.993539 | long=14.476171 | directions= | phone=+420 387 705 347 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 (''reservations required'') | price=Adults 180 Kč, students and children 90 Kč | lastedit=2022-04-28 | content=Karoliny Světlé 4. Take a tour of the town's largest brewery and home of "Budweiser" brand beer sold in most of Europe. Make sure to call several days in advance to schedule a tour, or if that's not possible, tours for visitors without reservations take place each day at 14:00. Visitors aged 18 or over are also able to visit the beer-tasting cellar. This is not the same as the "Budweiser" beer sold in the United States and Canada; due to trademark disputes over the name with US-based Anheuser-Busch, this is sold in the Americas under the "Budvar" or "Czechvar" name. }} * {{do | name=Museum of the Horse-drawn Railway | alt= | url=http://www.muzeumcb.cz/navstivte-nas/pobocky/muzeum-konesprezky/ | email=muzeumcb@muzeumcb.cz | address=Mánesova 10 | lat=48.968379 | long=14.471811 | directions=outside the historical centre, to the south of it in the Mánesova street | phone=+420 386 354 820 | tollfree= | hours=May to September, Tu-Su | price=30 Kč | wikidata=Q8310554 | lastedit=2021-11-10 | content=The museum is in the horse railway station. It is the first railway station in continental Europe. }} * {{do | name=The South Bohemian Museum | alt= | url=https://www.muzeumcb.cz/ | email= | address=Dukelská 242 | lat=48.97253 | long=14.476591 | directions= | phone=+420 391 001 531 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 9:00-17:30 | price=Adults 90 Kč, family 200 Kč | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=It has a rich collection relating to the history and nature of South Bohemia. Natural history collections of primeval South Bohemia, history of the Middle Ages, and arts of the 17th and 18th century. }} * {{do | name=Alš South-Bohemian Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.ajg.cz/ | email=office@ajg.cz | address=Zámek 142 | lat=49.051828 | long=14.441497 | directions= | phone=+420 387 967 041 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct: 09:00-18:00; Nov-Feb: 09:00-16:00 | price= | wikidata=Q8552687 | lastedit=2021-11-10 | content=It belongs to the five largest institutions of its kind in the Czech Republic. A permanent exhibition South Bohemian Gothic paintings on wood and sculpture 13th – 16th century. Flemish and Dutch paintings of the 17th century. Part of the exhibits are housed in Wortner House in České Budějovice. }} * {{do | name=Zoo Ohrada | alt=Zoo Hluboká | url=http://www.zoohluboka.cz/ | email= | address=Ohrada 417 | lat=49.0414 | long=14.4228 | directions= | phone=+420 724 846 142 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Adults 150 Kč | wikidata=Q8553030 | lastedit=2021-11-10 | content=It is located near Hluboká nad Vltavou and České Budějovice, which is the capital of the region, lies 8&nbsp;km away. The zoo can be reached very easily by train, bus or car and it is open daily all year. }} * Play {{do | name=DiscGolf at Stromovka Park | alt= | url=http://www.discgolfcb.cz/ | email= | address=Na Zlaté stoce 692/1 | lat=48.973381 | long=14.45573 | directions= | phone=+420 606 924 282 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=Like golf (with 18 holes), but you play with a frisbee. }} ===Events=== * '''Múzy na vodě''', traditional festival which can be seen at the confluence of the Vltava and Malše Rivers, every year at the beginning July. * '''Bread Basket''', international agricultural fair. One of the most popular agricultural fairs in Czechia. The Bread Basket offers: renewal and rural development technology, plant and animal production, agricultural technology, food production, forestry and water system, gardening and breeding, services for agriculture, other. * '''Ema Destinnová - musical festival''' is a series of concerts of classical music taking place during August and September. The festival is organised in the centre of town and in churches, theatres. * '''Traditional Christmas Markets''' take over the main square from the beginning of period Advent. There are free concerts and performances, warming foods and traditional crafts ranging from blacksmith-work to the finest beeswax and honey products and a lot more. ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Naměstí Přemysla Otakara II | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.97469 | long=14.4743401 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=Wander around the large old town square and surrounding streets to find many specialized stores (i.e. butcher, produce, tea & spices, fabric and so on). }} * {{buy | name=Lannova Tr | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.97441695 | long=14.48296822 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=A pedestrianised street leading from the train station to the old town. Has various shops along its length including a Billa supermarket and department store. }} * {{buy | name=Mercury Centrum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.97277197 | long=14.48708183 | directions=Dvořákova and Žižkova tř. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=A two-storey shopping mall that shares space with the town's main bus terminal. }} * {{buy | name=IGY Centrum | alt= | url=http://www.igycentrum.cz/ | email= | address=Pražská tř. 1247/24 | lat=48.983477 | long=14.472213183 | directions= | phone=+420 389 015 015 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-21:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=A shopping mall which also contains a pool and fitness centre (includes gym, squash, solarium, sauna, etc.) that is about 20 min by foot from the train station and is next to the Hotel Clarion Congress České Budějovice. }} ==Eat== ===Cafés=== * {{eat | name=Vypečený okno | alt= | url= | email= | address=Hroznová 10 | lat=48.975813 | long=14.476265 | directions= | phone=+420 777 734 317 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 07:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-11-10 | content=Meaning "a little bakery in a window", you can buy various baked goods here. Be sure to try the Zelňák (cabbage pita). }} * {{eat | name=Praži Café | alt= | url=http://www.prazicafe.cz/ | email= | address=Na Mlýnské stoce 282/11 | lat=48.977692 | long=14.474211 | directions= | phone=+420 607 078 485 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 07:00-22:00, Su 08:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-11-10 | content=Espresso bar with interior and patio. }} * {{eat | name=Plachý Café | alt= | url=http://www.plachycafe.cz/ | email= | address=Plachého 59/4 | lat=48.975439 | long=14.474764 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-F 08:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-11-10 | content=A coffee shop with an interesting name. It means "shy coffee" in Czech. }} * {{eat | name=Kavarna VLNNA | alt= | url=http://www.kavarna-vlnna.cz/ | email= | address=Sokolský ostrov 1 | lat=48.975084 | long=14.471037 | directions= | phone=+420 608 001 181 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=A cafe right by the river. You can rent a paddleboat at the cafe to paddle in the two rivers in České Budějovice. }} ===Restaurants=== * {{eat | name=Masné krámy | alt=Butcher’s Market | url=http://www.masne-kramy.cz/ | email= | address=Krajinská 13 | lat=48.975952 | long=14.473503 | directions= | phone=+420 387 201 301 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Famous local restaurant, formerly a butcher’s market. It was founded in 1364. It is your best chance to try the traditional food of region. }} * {{eat | name=Budvarka | alt= | url=https://budvar.pivnice-budvarka.cz/ | email= | address=Karla IV. 3 | lat=48.973882 | long=14.475733 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=a really nice little beer hall just off the main town square. It is owned by Budvar and has four of their beers on draft. The food includes lots of traditional Czech dishes and is cheap and very nice. }} * '''Vendetta''', an excellent value bar/restaurant on the main square and very nice freshly made pizzas. * '''Restaurace Karla IV.''', Karla IV. 4 — stylish Czech restaurant with large choice and the interior is decorated with Middle Ages legends. * '''Green House''', Biskupská 3 — healthy bio cuisine including vegetarian dishes, vegetable salads and soups. * '''Bar Lanovka''', Lannova třída 2 — There is a climbing wall and popular healthy restaurant. * {{eat | name=Soupculture | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karla IV. 92 | lat=48.973918 | long=14.475421 | directions= | phone=+420 725 745 714 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=A soup restaurant where you can eat the edible soup container afterwards. }} ===Desserts=== * {{eat | name=ZMRZ.LI | alt= | url=https://zmrz.li/ | email= | address=Hradební 14 | lat=48.9764995 | long=14.4764556 | directions= | phone=+420 734 839 477 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-18:00 seasonally | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=Meaning "they froze", this ice cream shop has many flavours of scoop ice cream. }} ==Drink== Knock back a pitcher of '''Budweiser''' beer, as this is after all, its hometown (see also Pivovar Budějovický Budvar, above). The best option to experience this is to visit one of the pubs operated by the brewery itself as there you can find the widest selection of beers including any specials. '''Masné krámy''' and '''Malý Pivovar''' are located in the old city centre near the main square. Pick one of these without doubt, the other choice: '''Budvarka''' pub is in the brewery complex, further from the city centre to the north. ===Pubs=== * '''Singer''', Česká 55 — Irish-style pub in the old town. The name is derived from old school Singer sewing machines on the tables inside. * '''Potrefená husa''', Česká 66 — A branch of another Czech brewery Staropramen franchise pubs. Select the place on the roof top terrace during the hot summer days to sip the beer or cocktail while look over the river Malse to Stromovka recreational park. * {{drink | name=HochŠpalíček | alt= | url= | email= | address=Vltavské nábř. 688/3 | lat=48.97744459 | long=14.46528648 | directions= | phone=+420 602 753 333 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=Bar with a terrace that overlooks the bridge and the Vltava river. }} * {{drink | name=Solnice | alt= | url=http://www.restauracesolnice.cz/ | email= | address=Piaristické nám. 3 | lat=48.976055 | long=14.471754 | directions= | phone=+420 777 357 120 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-11-25 | content=A restaurant with its own brewery. }} In the main square Přemysla Otakara II. There are a lot of pubs and visitors from which can choose, e.g., B26, and Fantom. ===Cafés=== You can get free Wi-Fi internet connection in almost all places listed below as one of the local ISPs provides the internet connection almost everywhere. * '''Kotva''', Lidická 2110 — Café sharing the building with a small cinema. * '''Cafe au chat noir''', Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II. 21 — Small cafe right on the main square near with awesome views on what's happening on the square as it is on the first floor (don't give up and walk through the stores on the ground floor to the stairs if you want to enter). * '''Cafe Placidus''', Na Mlýnské stoce 11 — Modern café with Davidoff coffee and wide selection of cakes and other desserts. * '''Manon''', Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II. 11 — Café on the west side of the main square with highly decorated interior purely in black & white tones. Good coffee, views of the square, but a bit lack of atmosphere. * '''Café Plaza''', Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II. 7 — "New kid on the block" right next to the city hall. One of the pluses here are particularly quite late opening hours every day. * '''Café la Storia''', Panská 26 — Café in one of the oldest buildings in the city near city walls. In the hot summer day don't sit outside, but try to find your chair inside in small yard between the buildings where you can avoid the sun and where the temperature stays always comfortable. Take one of the Lavazza coffee magazines to learn something new. * '''Café Ionia''', Plachého 16 — Small place with a bar, two tables outside during the summer and less frequent coffee brand which also gives a name to this place. * '''Rolo and Café''', if you want cake then head here! There is one opposite the train station, another on the main square and another just off the main square on the way to Tesco. ===Clubs=== * '''Modrý dveře''', Biskupská 1 — Trendy styled pub/restaurant with occasional live jazz music. * '''Velbloud''', U Tří lvů 4 — Small alternative music club near city centre. The program contains mainly rock, punk & alternative, but it is regularly mixed with other modern styles. * '''Horká vana''', Česká 7 — Café and club in modern space and it organizes regular performances every month. * '''SUD''', Hroznová 8 — Small theatre which is very popular among university students. ==Sleep== ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel U Nádraží | alt= | url=https://www.hotelcb.cz/?lang=en | email=recepce@hotelcb.cz | address=Dvořákova 161/14 | lat=48.971751 | long=14.486421 | directions=Near main bus station | phone=+420 734 200 826 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout=10:00 | price=Single room at 750 Kč, double room at 1150 Kč | lastedit=2022-05-05 | content=Hostel. }} ===Mid-range and splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel U Solné Brány | alt= | url=http://www.hotelusolnebrany.cz/en.html | email=hotel@hotelusolnebrany.cz | address=Radniční 11 | lat=48.974052 | long=14.472141 | directions= | phone=+420386354121 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Between 1000 and 2290 Kč | lastedit=2017-04-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Budweis | alt= | url=http://www.hotelbudweis.cz/ | email=info@hotelbudweis.cz | address=Mlýnská 6 | lat=48.976735| long=14.471234 | directions= | phone=+420 389 822 111 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=2100-3900 Kč | lastedit=2017-04-06 | content=This hotel has 60 rooms (including one suite), very near the Vltava River. }} * {{sleep | name=Grand Hotel Zvon | alt= | url=http://www.hotel-zvon.cz/en/grandhotel-zvon/home/ | email=ghz@hotel-zvon.cz | address=Nám. Přemysla Otakara II. 90/28 | lat=48.974136 | long=14.475143 | directions= | phone=+420 381 601 601 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms from around 1100 Kč | lastedit=2017-04-06 | content=Offers a range of rooms, including family rooms and triple rooms. }} ==Go next== České Budějovice a nice place to stay: its good connections with the surrounding region make it an excellent place from which to explore South Bohemia. The buses and trains run on time and are cheap and relatively easy to understand. The bus station is on the roof of Mercury Centrum and tickets are bought on the bus. Train tickets can be bought before boarding. If you need hiking or cycling maps then a small shop on the east side of the main square (under Café Chat Noir) sells everything that you'll need. [[File:Holašovice2009k.jpg|250px|thumbnail|Village of Holašovice, UNESCO site]] * '''[[Český Krumlov]]''', a UNESCO World Heritage landmark and an extremely popular tourist destination. Buses to Český Krumlov leave every half hour or so from the main bus station at Mercury Centrum and takes about 45 minutes (32 Kč). Train is usually slower (55 minutes) and more expensive (49 Kč, although you get discount from the second passenger). * '''[[Hluboká nad Vltavou|Hluboka nad Vltavou]]''', nearby village with large 'Windsor-style' castle up on the hill and an old church. Follow the cycle path 12 along the Vltava River north of the city (about 10&nbsp;km) and it will bring you right into Hluboka. * '''[[Holašovice]]''' is a small rural village which is included on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] for being the best preserved traditional Central European village. Its square is lined with unique houses decorated in the 'Folk Baroque' style. There is also a small pond and chapel. Two of the buildings house pubs and there is also a Tourist information office. * '''[[Klet - Blansky Lees|Kleť]]'''. This is the highest point in the nearby region and offers relaxed forest walking, cycling and 360° panoramic view of South Bohemia from the top. It also has an observatory on top. To get there take the train from main station to Holubov village, from where you will see the mountain. The train goes from the main station and you need to be in the end carriage to be able to get off at Holubov. On the way back visiting the ruins of gothic Divci Kamen castle is a few kilometers short trip in the area below the mountain (see Get Out section of [[Cesky Krumlov|Český Krumlov]]). * '''[[Telč]]''', a UNESCO World Heritage small but extremely charming city. Around 2 hours and 105 Kč by local bus. * '''[[Trebon]]''' - a picturesque town with a castle, the Regent brewery, fish lakes and a lovely town square. There are also various walking and cycling paths. It takes about 45 minutes on the bus from Mercury Centrum through some lovely scenery. * '''[[Zlata Koruna]]''', this beautifully-restored monastery is set in a stand of ancient oaks. The bus to Cesky Krumlov stops here. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ceske Budejovice}} {{IsPartOf|South Bohemia}} {{guidecity}} {{geo|48.97464|14.47436|zoom=15}} fpvppdrean9xsaw1zy03dh59t8fcszc 0 5614 4501725 4501461 2022-08-15T20:17:50Z 204.129.232.195 /* Talk */ Added new information a dialect name "California English" wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Antelope Valley banner.jpg|caption=California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley}} Perhaps the most diverse of all the fifty states in the [[United States of America|Union]], [http://www.visitcalifornia.com '''California'''] has a culture ranging from the easygoing surf spots on the beaches of [[Southern California]] to the glamor of [[Hollywood]], and the counterculture and thriving businesses of the [[Bay Area]]. The state, which is on the west coast of the U.S., also varies greatly in natural beauty, from redwood forests on the [[North Coast (California)|North Coast]] to the ski resorts of the rugged [[Sierra Nevada]] mountains and the harsh desert of [[Death Valley]]. The largest state in the U.S. by population and one of the largest by area, California boasts world-famous attractions and sights: [[Disneyland]], the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], the [[Napa Valley]] wine country, and the tallest mountain in the [[United States of America#Geography|contiguous United States]], [[Mount Whitney]]. ==Regions== California is geographically varied, ranging from warm beaches to snowy mountains to fertile farmland to extreme desert. In the middle of the state is the farmland of the Central Valley, which provides produce to the whole country. The conventional wisdom is that there is a huge difference—and also rivalry—between the Southern California area around Los Angeles (or as Californians often say, “LA”) and Northern California centered around the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the contrast between the (relatively wealthy) urban coastal areas and the (relatively poor) suburban and rural Central Valley is just as pronounced, if not more so. {{Regionlist | regionmap=Ca-regions.png | regionmaptext=California's regions | regionmapsize=350px | region1name=[[Southern California]] | region1color=#ac663d | region1description=Home to [[Los Angeles]], [[San Diego]], [[Disneyland]], and miles of famous beaches. | region2name=[[Desert (California)|Desert]] | region2color=#d5a90b | region2description=Palm trees, Joshua trees, blazing sun, and quirky resorts. | region3name=[[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] | region3color=#5fb388 | region3description=An isolated stretch of land that features cool mountains and a rugged coastline. | region4name=[[San Joaquin Valley]] | region4color=#a0a0c0 | region4description=Breadbasket of California and home to a large percentage of America's fruit and vegetable supply. | region5name=[[Sacramento Valley]] | region5color=#5bc7c0 | region5description=Home of [[Sacramento]], the state capital, and the urban areas around the city. | region6name=[[Sierra Nevada]] | region6color=#5ea54a | region6description=California's alpine and skiing region, including [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Lake Tahoe]]. | region7name=[[Gold Country]] | region7color=#d2d20d | region7description=Historic foothills leading east to the Sierras; the 1848 discovery of gold in this region brought many Americans to California and helped California become a state less than five years after the territory had been acquired. | region8name=[[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] | region8color=#d06666 | region8description=Home to the cities of [[San Francisco]], [[Oakland]], [[San Jose (California)|San Jose]], and the technology-centered [[Silicon Valley]]. | region9name=[[North Coast (California)|North Coast]] | region9color=#b2b24d | region9description=Home to the world's tallest trees, the coast redwoods as well as rugged coastlines and remote nature adventures. | region10name=[[Shasta Cascades]] | region10color=#c375a0 | region10description=Hills and mountains off the beaten path in the state's northeast corner. }} ==Cities== [[File:San Francisco with approaching fog.jpg|thumb|400px|San Francisco, partly enshrouded in fog]] Here are a few of California's major cities. <!--Please note: This is just a sampler of the cities most visited, with some geographic spread. If you want to add a new city, please locate the correct sub-region article that your city resides in and add the city there instead. --> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Sacramento]]|url=|lat=38.555556|long=-121.468889|wikidata=Q18013}} – The laid-back state capital with historic area of the city, Old Sacramento. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bakersfield]]|url=|lat=35.366667|long=-119.016667|wikidata=Q49256}} – The world's largest Basque population outside of Spain is found here and fine Basque restaurants abound. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Los Angeles]]|url=|lat=34.05|long=-118.25|wikidata=Q65}} – The state's largest city, and 2nd-largest in the nation. L.A. is home to Hollywood, Venice, The Getty Center, and Griffith Park. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Palm Springs]]|url=|lat=33.830278|long=-116.545278|wikidata=Q488004}} – Desert recreation with golf, spas, resorts, casinos, and the famous aerial tramway. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[San Diego]]|url=| lat=32.7157 | long=-117.1547 ||wikidata=Q16552}} – Balboa Park, Old Town, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, and nearby Tijuana, Mexico. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[San Francisco]]|url=| lat=37.7857 | long=-122.4061 |wikidata=Q62}} – Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, America's largest Chinatown, cable cars, and Victorian houses *{{marker|type=city|name=[[San Jose (California)|San Jose]]|url=|lat=37.333333|long=-121.9|wikidata=Q16553}} – South of San Francisco, home of the Winchester Mystery House, and the center of Silicon Valley, which is home to many technology companies. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Santa Cruz (California)|Santa Cruz]]|url=|lat=36.971944|long=-122.026389|wikidata=Q159232}} – A central coast city. The home of the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Mission Santa Cruz, and the Mystery Spot. *{{marker|type=city| name=[[Santa Barbara]] | lat=34.421 | long=-119.698| wikidata=Q159288}} – City on a south-facing coast which styles itself, with some justification, as "the American Riviera." ==Other destinations== [[File:4076-joshua-tree RJ.JPG|thumb|[[Joshua Tree National Park]]]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Big Sur]]|lat=36.27028|long=-121.80750|wikidata=Q859413}} can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Death Valley|Death Valley National Park]]|lat=36.45|long=-117.09|wikidata=Q242111}} – a place of legend and a place of trial. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Disneyland]]|lat=33.8091|long=-117.9190|wikidata=Q1229066}} – this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Joshua Tree National Park]]|lat=33.86|long=-115.89|wikidata=Q735202}} – the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Tahoe]]|lat=39.091667|long=-120.041667|wikidata=Q169962}} – a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Napa Valley]]|lat=38.50|long=-122.32|wikidata=Q1151105}} – spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks]]|lat=36.56472|long=-118.77337}} – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yosemite National Park]]|lat=37.7333|long=-119.5500|wikidata=Q180402}} – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. California also has [[California state parks|many state parks]], approximately half of which are near urban centers. ==Understand== [[File:Mission Santa Clara.jpg|thumb|Mission [[Santa Clara (California)|Santa Clara]]]] ===History=== {{seealso|Indigenous cultures of North America|Old West}} Human settlement in California goes back 50,000 years; California was home to thirty different tribal groups prior to the arrival of European explorers in the 1500s and now over 120 tribes are left. The first Europeans were the Spanish and Portuguese, who built a settlement in California, establishing twenty-one missions in California by the late 1700s. Many of these missions survive today, including the one in [[Santa Barbara]]. After the Mexican War for Independence in 1821, California became a part of [[Mexico]] for 25 years until 1846 where it briefly became a sovereign nation before it was annexed by the United States in 1846, and has since then had an image as the "land of opportunity" and the final destination of luck-seekers. In 1848 the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada mountains kicked off the California Gold Rush, and California's non-native population surged from 15,000 to over 300,000 within two years. People who moved to California during the Gold rush were often called "49ers", a term that also serves as the nickname of the San Francisco [[American Football|football]] team. California became a state in 1850, and its population has increased steadily since then. Los Angeles, a city which once boasted one of the longest streetcar networks in the world, boomed through defense contractors and later converted to a "freeway" city after the streetcars were dismantled. The city hosted Olympic Games twice (1932&1984) at times when the Olympic movement was in crisis and the games were largely seen as successes for the city as well as the Olympic movement. [[Post-war United States|In the post-war years]], California (especially the [[Bay Area]]) became a hotspot of counterculture, including popular music, the anti-war movement, and the LGBT community. Today California is the most populous state in the US with over 38 million residents and still growing rapidly. Taken by itself California would rank as one of the world's top ten economies and Californian places like Silicon Valley, Hollywood and San Francisco are known globally and have shaped not only American but world culture. Politically, California is seen as a solidly "blue" state: it has a two thirds majority of Democrats in both chambers of the legislature and often provides the Democratic party with particularly left-wing ideas, especially on social issues. That said, the state actually contains a lot of political diversity, with conservative views prevalent in much of the state outside the densely populated Bay Area and Los Angeles County, particularly in the fertile but relatively sparsely populated Central Valley. ===Landscape=== [[File:Giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park 2013.jpg|thumb|Sequoia National Park]] With over 160,000 square miles (411,000 km²) the landscape of California is vast and varied, and the stereotypical beach paradise is only the tip of the iceberg. The state contains extremes in elevation, with [[Mount Whitney]] at 14,505 ft (4,421 m) being the tallest mountain in the lower-48 states, while less than 200 miles away [[Death Valley]], at 282 ft (82 m) below sea level, is North America's lowest point. California's border to the west is made up of a rugged coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The coastal mountains rise up from the ocean and are home to redwood trees in the northern half. The Central Valley bisects California from north-to-south before giving way to the Sierra Nevada mountains, home of [[Yosemite National Park]], [[Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks]] and other natural wonders. The southeastern part of California is dominated by desert, which covers 25% of California's total area. The Mojave is a high desert, with elevations ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 ft (1,000 to 2,000 m) above sea level. This area receives less than six inches (152 mm) of rain each year. ===Climate=== [[File:Surfers At Steamer Lane Santa Cruz CA. - panoramio.jpg|alt=Surfers on the water|thumb|Wetsuits were invented in Santa Cruz because the ocean is so cold]] The state's climate varies from subtropical at the coast to the brutal winters of the mountains to one of the world's hottest regions in the deserts. Rainfall is more common in the northern part of the state than in the south, and snow is rare except in the mountains. Most precipitation occurs during winter, but California experiences frequent droughts. This has prompted people to install drought-resistant landscaping. In some years, farms lie fallow due to lack of water for irrigation. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, 134°F (56.6°C) was at Death Valley in 1913, and temperatures here regularly exceed 120°F (50°C) during the summer. In contrast, winter temperatures in the mountains can drop below 0°F (-20°C). In between these extremes there are great local variations in climate due to topography and the influence of the Pacific Ocean upon precipitation and temperature, with temperatures becoming increasingly moderated nearer the coastline. For swimming, the Pacific Ocean can be surprisingly cold even in July due to currents. September and October are the best months for swimming. Another surprise in coastal areas is the presence of cool temperatures and fog in the mornings through most of the year. To experience California as a sunny place, plan to sleep late. ===People=== California is a very diverse state with many ethnic groups. California has large populations of people of varied backgrounds such as Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Armenian, Iranian, Jewish, Chinese, Russian, Filipino, Eastern Indian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, and Hmong. California also has large populations of African Americans and Native Americans. Although typically considered to be a liberal state, Californians have a wide variety of political views which tend to vary based on region. The Central Valley, [[Orange County (California)|Orange County]], San Diego, and Palm Springs area tend to be more conservative, while [[Los Angeles County]] and the [[Bay Area|San Francisco Bay Area]] are among the most progressive areas in the country. California is a large and diverse state, with different cultures in each region. ===Holidays=== California observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Cesar Chavez Day on March 31st (or nearest weekday). However, some cities such as [[Coronado]] that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel do observe Columbus Day. ==Get in== [[File:Skyscraper Los Angeles Downtown 2013.jpg|thumb|Skyscrapers in Downtown L.A.]] ===By plane=== {{see also|Flying in the United States}} [[San Francisco International Airport]] ({{IATA|SFO}}) and [[Los Angeles International Airport]] ({{IATA|LAX}}) are the most popular entry points with a wide variety of flights from [[Europe]], [[East Asia]], [[India]], [[Oceania]] ([[Australia]], [[Fiji]], [[New Zealand]], [[Tahiti]], etc.), [[Latin America]] and from various cities in the U.S. on a variety of U.S. and foreign flag carriers. To a lesser extent there are also direct flights from the [[Middle East]] ([[Israel]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Turkey]], [[UAE]]) to Los Angeles. They are however also the most crowded and the SFO-LAX route is one of the busiest air corridors in the world causing frequent delays due to congestion. Delays at San Francisco airport due to fog are also somewhat common. If coming from within the U.S. and from Mexico there are other alternate airports in California that are less crowded and may be closer to your final destination. They are :* Los Angeles area – [http://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ Hollywood-Burbank Airport (Bob Hope Airport)] ({{IATA|BUR}}) in [[Burbank#By plane|Burbank]] (closest to Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles), [http://www.ocair.com John Wayne Airport] ({{IATA|SNA}}) in [[Santa_Ana_(California)|Orange County]] (closest to Disneyland & Knots Berry Farm); [[Ontario (California)#By plane|Ontario Airport]] ({{IATA|ONT}}) in Ontario (closest to Joshua Tree, Death Valley and the Inland Empire deserts), and a small airport in [http://www.lgb.org Long Beach Airport] ({{IATA|LGB}}) in [[Long Beach]] (west coast hub for JetBlue Airlines). :* San Francisco Bay Area – [http://www.flyoakland.com Oakland Airport] ({{IATA|OAK}}) in Oakland (closer to Downtown San Francisco than SFO) and [http://www.sjc.org San Jose Airport] ({{IATA|SJC}}) in San Jose; both San Francisco and Oakland airport are now connected to the local metro network, BART while San Jose is connected by Caltrain via a free shuttle to the 'Santa Clara Station'. :* [[Sacramento#By plane|Sacramento Airport]] ({{IATA|SMF}}) in Sacramento :* [[Reno#By plane|Reno Airport]] ({{IATA|RNO}}) in [[Reno]], Nevada closer to the Lake Tahoe area than from Sacramento. :* [[Las Vegas#By plane|Las Vegas Airport]] ({{IATA|LAS}}) in Las Vegas, Nevada closer to Death Valley NP. :* [http://www.flyfresno.com Fresno Airport] ({{IATA|FAT}}) in Fresno, closest to Yosemite NP. :* [[San Diego#By plane|San Diego Airport]] ({{IATA|SAN}}) in San Diego :*Palm Springs :*Santa Barbara :* [[Tijuana#By plane|Tijuana Airport]] ({{IATA|TIJ}}) in Tijuana. If coming from Mexico it may be more advantageous to fly to Tijuana on a (Mexican) domestic flight and then cross into San Diego by ground transportation than on an international flight to San Diego, Los Angeles, or other cities further north. From San Diego you can continue north to the San Francisco Bay area, Las Vegas, [[Phoenix]] or wherever in the U.S. you are continuing to. See [[California#By plane 2|By plane]] under the "Get Around" section for more information. ===By train=== {{see also|Rail travel in the United States}} [[Amtrak]] serves several routes into and out of California. If you are going to Los Angeles from the Central Valley, you might have to change to a bus for the last part of the trip, as the only railway connection between the Central Valley and Los Angeles is also one of the busiest freight lines in the USA. Plans to build a new [[high speed rail]] line to link San Francisco and Los Angeles are underway, but completion is not scheduled before the late 2020s. The following Amtrak routes serve California and terminate in [[Los Angeles#By train|Los Angeles]] or [[Emeryville]]: * The ''[[California Zephyr]]'' runs daily between [[Chicago#By train|Chicago]] and [[Emeryville]] with connections in [[Omaha]], [[Denver]], [[Provo]], [[Salt Lake City]] and [[Reno|Reno/Lake Tahoe]]. This train also stops in the Sierra Nevada (Truckee and Colfax) and the Sacramento Valley (Roseville, [[Sacramento]], Davies and Martinez). Emeryville is the nearest Amtrak station to downtown San Francisco where passengers transfer to the Amtrak Thruway bus to continue across the bay to San Francisco. * The ''[http://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train Coast Starlight]'' runs daily between Los Angeles and [[Seattle#By train|Seattle]] via [[Portland (Oregon)#By train|Portland]], [[Klamath Falls]], [[Redding]], [[Bay Area (California)|San Francisco Bay Area]], Santa Barbara, [[San Luis Obispo]] and [[Oxnard]]. * The ''[http://www.amtrak.com/routes/southwest-chief-train.html Southwest Chief]'' runs daily from [[Chicago#By train|Chicago]] via [[Kansas City]], [[Albuquerque]], [[Flagstaff]], Williams Junction (nearest stop to the [[Grand Canyon]]) and [[Kingman]] to Los Angeles. It also makes stops in the Mojave Desert ([[Needles]], [[Barstow]] and [[Victorville]]); the [[Inland Empire]] ([[Riverside]] and [[San Bernardino]]) and Orange County ([[Fullerton]]) and on its way into Los Angeles. * The ''[http://www.amtrak.com/routes/sunset-limited-train.html Sunset Limited]'' runs three times a week from [[New Orleans]] via [[Houston]], [[San Antonio]], [[El Paso]], [[Tucson]] and [[Yuma]]. Additionally, Amtrak's ''[http://www.texaseagle.com/ Texas Eagle]'' service between San Antonio and Chicago incorporates the Sunset Limited to provide a direct connection to Los Angeles with the same stops as the Sunset Limited between San Antonio and Los Angeles. This train also stops in the Inland Empire ([[Pomona]], Ontario and Palm Springs). Train services are limited to two token lines with hardly any real transport value in Mexico and there are NO passenger rail service to anywhere near the U.S./Mexican border from anywhere in Mexico. ===By bus=== Many bus companies operate services to California. Service is most frequent along the interstates from large cities in neighboring states. See ''By bus'' under ''Get around'' in the below for a list of bus companies serving the state. ===By road=== All major road entrances (including entrances from other U.S. States) to California have agricultural inspection stations to ensure that some fruits and vegetables do not cross into a region where they may come into contact with the farms in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]]. Often, travelers are subject to border inspection (somewhat strict for domestic travel) and asked if they have been on a farm or are carrying organic matter with them. ==Get around== California is the third largest state of the U.S. by area (after [[Alaska]] and [[Texas]]). It compares in size with [[Sweden]]. However, getting around California can be simple. ===By car=== [[File:California State Route 1 in Marin County.jpg|California State Route 1|thumb|right|250px]] [[File:405 southbound near Getty Museum.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Interstate 405 in Los Angeles]] In addition to interstates and US highways, California has one of the most expansive state highway systems in the United States. As with all long-distance trips in the United States, a car is generally the best way to get around and see destinations, especially rural ones. However the trip from the northern end of California to the southern end can take well over ten hours as the state's varied and in places rugged terrain can pose obstacles to the road network. The coast routes (State Route 1 and U.S. 101) are much slower and windier than Interstate 5, and GPS travel estimate times may be inaccurate, especially on Highway 1. Most California drivers are courteous and careful (although speeding is rampant), and the safety and ease of driving in California is comparable to most wealthy countries. Exceptions may be found in the most congested areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles &mdash; where potholes, road rage and reckless driving are commonplace &mdash; and some country roads in mountain ranges. Information about vehicle collisions and other non-congestion traffic problems on highways are reported online at [https://www.chp.ca.gov/traffic chp.ca.gov/traffic]. Traffic congestion is tracked by most online map sites. Gasoline prices are more expensive than in other parts of the U.S.; consider public transit in highly populated areas such as the Bay Area where prices are especially high. ====Freeway signage (and cautions)==== California uses the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) lane marking system standard throughout the United States, in which dashed white lines divide lanes of through traffic and yellow divides opposing traffic (with single dashed indicating passing and double solid indicating no passing). In many urban areas the lane markings are replaced by Botts dots for additional tactile feedback when crossing lanes. The network of freeways in major population centers is often confusing and intimidating to those unfamiliar with the area, so having a good map is very helpful. The great majority of exits from freeways are on the right. At interchanges between freeways, in most cases, the flow of traffic continues through the left lanes with the transition to the other freeway being in the right lanes. At certain freeway interchanges, Caltrans (California Dept. of Transportation) is notorious for posting advance direction signs that do not correctly explain which lanes correspond to which ramps. Additionally, Caltrans does not always post signs warning of upcoming lane drops or merges. For example, where a freeway has three through lanes and the central lane splits into two lanes, thus resulting in two ramps with two lanes each, the advance signage may incorrectly imply that only the right lane will break off for the upcoming right-side ramp, thus causing visitors driving in the middle lane to merge unnecessarily into the right lane. And the two lanes on the right-side ramp may suddenly merge into each other without any warning. These issues frequently result in visitors making wild last-minute lane merges. The 2009 national MUTCD is intended to remediate this problem (as seen in California and several other states) by mandating the use of detailed arrows on direction signs that clearly show which lanes split into new lanes at upcoming interchanges, but California has not yet implemented the new MUTCD standard. Thus, one should approach major freeway interchanges in California with caution. Mile-based exit numbering is in progress but is still very erratic in areas; an exit number may not be marked at all, may be marked on the last directional sign before the exit, or may be marked on the final "EXIT" sign where the exit ramp separates. ====Ramp meters==== In urban areas, the access ramps to a freeway may have traffic lights for each lane (called ramp meters or ramp metering lights; you'll see warning signs that read "METER ON"). During high-traffic times, the traffic light spaces out the vehicles attempting to merge onto the freeway. Be sure to read the sign below the light as ramps can allow 1 to 3 vehicles per green light. Most ramp meters are for ramps from local roads to a freeway, but some freeway junctions have meters on their ramps too. ====Toll roads and bridges==== Most highways are freely accessible, although there are a handful of tollways as well as tolled lanes on roads that are otherwise freeways. Most Southern California toll roads have no toll plazas; in most cases, you must have a FasTrak account and transponder - see below - to drive and pay the toll. On the other hand, all major bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area have toll plazas, with tolls charged on traffic in only one direction. All Bay Area toll plazas have cash lanes, except the Golden Gate Bridge (which takes photos of the license plates for non-FasTrak vehicles and bills the owner later). Cash toll lanes are staffed by human toll collectors; California toll plazas do not have "exact change" lanes where drivers may toss change in a basket without stopping. All California toll roads and toll plazas also accept FasTrak electronic toll collection transponders (aka tags) which can be used throughout the state. FasTrak is not compatible with any other state's ETC system. Going through a FasTrak-only toll plaza lane or toll road without a transponder or (only in some cases) an active FasTrak account with which your car's license plate is registered ''will'' result in a very expensive ticket. ====HOV/carpool lanes==== Some freeways have a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on the far left. This lane, also called the carpool lane or diamond lane, is marked by: * a diamond symbol painted on the road surface * signage on the wall separating the two sides of the freeway, with the diamond symbol * a double yellow line on the road surface (only in Southern California) Some freeway access ramps have carpool lanes too; often, the non-carpool lanes will have ramp meter traffic lights while the carpool lane has none. In most cases, the carpool lane is only for vehicles with 2 or more persons inside, motorcycles, and clean-air vehicles with [https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm government-issued "Access OK" stickers]. Sometimes, 3 or more persons and/or a FasTrak transponder may be required, so check the signage before entering a carpool lane. Carpool lane restrictions may be enforced 24 hours a day every day, or only when the signage says so (in those cases, it's usually only during rush hour on weekdays). Carpool lanes in Southern California have limited access points marked by a dashed white line. This is the only point at which a vehicle may legally enter or exit a carpool lane, since you are not allowed to cross a double yellow line. The minimum fine for unlawful use of a carpool lane is $490. ====Traffic safety and law enforcement==== All persons in a moving vehicle are required to wear a seatbelt and the driver and all passengers can be individually ticketed for failing to do so. Motorcycle riders must wear a helmet. Cellphone users are required to use a hands-free headset if talking on the phone while driving. Texting by the driver is illegal, as is any action on the phone that forces the driver to touch it more than once (and even single-touch actions are only allowed if the phone is mounted securely rather than hand-held). Unless otherwise signed, right-turns are permitted at red lights following a full stop. If it is raining hard enough to require you to use your windshield wipers, California law requires that your headlights be turned on. California does not have stationary photo radar cameras to deter speeding like in other countries, and mobile manned photo radar units are rare and still experimental. However, most California police officers do carry radar guns and use them often, and on rural freeways, the California Highway Patrol occasionally flies aircraft overhead to spot speeders and help ground units home in on their positions. Red light enforcement cameras are in use at many urban intersections, but are usually marked only by a single "PHOTO ENFORCED" sign before the intersection. The cameras must obtain a clear view of the driver's face and license plate before a ticket may be issued. California's laws against driving under the influence of alcohol are very strict; the maximum permissible blood alcohol concentration is 0.08%. All drivers are strongly encouraged to call 911 to report drunk drivers. California requires disabled out-of-state visitors to apply at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a travel placard for handicapped parking. It's valid for 90 days. Travelers with a non-US driver's license are generally permitted to drive in California. However, travelers who are in California for more than 10 days with some kinds of visas, especially the K-1 non-immigrant visa for future spouses, have run into some difficulties over their place of residence. The DMV refuses to issue drivers' licenses to people with non-immigrant visas, but police have filed charges against some of them for becoming a California resident without promptly obtaining a California license – the very license that the State refuses to issue on the grounds that they haven't legally become residents yet. This risk may be reduced by giving your non-California address as your place of legal residence if stopped by police. Unlike most states, "lane-splitting" by motorcyclists (i.e. riding down the painted lines between traffic lanes) is legal in California and commonly done in heavy traffic. It's only legal when traffic is going slower than 30 mph, and motorcyclists are only allowed to go 15 mph faster than the general flow of traffic, but many motorcyclists seem to treat this as more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. As a result, if you're driving a car, take extra care to watch for motorcycles when changing lanes on a major highway. ====Major highways==== [[File:California State Route 1 All American Road sign.jpg|150px|thumb|right|A California State Highway sign. The poppy sign below it indicates that it is a state scenic route]] Here are some important highways in California: *'''[[Interstate 5]]:''' Runs between San Diego, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, then north into Oregon and Washington *'''Interstate 8:''' Runs between San Diego and Arizona *'''Interstate 10:''' Runs between Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and Palm Springs, then into Arizona and points east *'''Interstate 15:''' Runs between San Diego, the Inland Empire, Barstow, Las Vegas, Nevada and points north *'''Interstate 40:''' Runs between Barstow, Needles, then into Arizona and points east *'''Interstate 80:''' Runs between the Bay Area, Sacramento, Reno, Nevada, and points east *'''Interstate 405:''' Loop around the Los Angeles Area *'''Interstate 580:''' Connects that San Francisco Bay Area with Interstate 5 *'''[[Pacific Coast Highway|State Route 1]]:''' Runs up the California Coast between Orange County, Los Angeles, Monterey, the Bay Area, and [[Fort Bragg]] *'''State Route 99:''' Runs along the California Central Valley between Red Bluff, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield *'''U.S. Highway 50:''' Runs between Sacramento, South Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Nevada, and points east *'''U.S. Highway 101:''' Runs between Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, then close to the California Coast to the San Francisco Bay, Eureka and points north *'''U.S. Highway 395:''' Runs along the Eastern Sierras, connecting the Inland Empire and High Desert with Bishop, Reno, and Susanville, then into Oregon and points north *'''[[Route 66]]:''' Now decommissioned, historically connected Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Barstow, Needles, then into Arizona and points east ===By plane=== [[File:LAX LA.jpg|Los Angeles International Airport|250px|thumb|right]] Flying may be a more reasonable option for crossing large expanses of the state. [http://www.aa.com American/American Eagle]; [http://www.united.com United/United Express], [http://www.delta.com Delta], [http://www.southwest.com Southwest], [http://www.jetblue.com JetBlue], [http://www.jsx.com Jet Suite X (JSX)] and [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] offer intrastate flights within the state of California. San Francisco is a hub for United and Alaska; Los Angeles is a hub for United, American/American Eagle, and Alaska Airlines; and Long Beach is the West Coast hub for JetBlue. The LAX-SFO route is one of the busiest in America which means competitive fares and delays are frequent which is only made worse by the fog that tends to hit San Francisco bay on a regular basis. In addition, the airlines offer flights from different airports in [[Southern California#By plane|southern California]] in the south; to the [[Bay_Area_(California)#By plane|SF Bay area]] and Sacramento to the north at competitive rates. The primary airports served by major US carriers, Volaris (from Mexico) and Aeromexico (from Mexico) in California are in: :* Los Angeles area – [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles International]] ({{IATA|LAX}}), [http://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ Burbank-Hollywood Airport (Bob Hope Airport)] ({{IATA|BUR}}) in [[Burbank#By plane|Burbank]], [http://www.ocair.com John Wayne Airport] ({{IATA|SNA}} in [[Santa Ana_(California)|Orange County]]; [[Ontario (California)#By plane|Ontario Airport]] ({{IATA|ONT}}), and a small airport in [http://www.lgb.org Long Beach] ({{IATA|LGB}}) :* San Francisco Bay Area – [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]] ({{IATA|SFO}}), [http://www.flyoakland.com Oakland] ({{IATA|OAK}}), [http://www.sjc.org San Jose] ({{IATA|SJC}}); both San Francisco and Oakland airport are now connected to the metro, BART, while San Jose is connected by Caltrain via a free shuttle at the 'Santa Clara Station'. Oakland is closer to Downtown San Francisco than SFO is and offers a fog-free alternative. :* [[San Diego#By plane|San Diego]] ({{IATA|SAN}}) :* [[Sacramento#By plane|Sacramento]] ({{IATA|SMF}}) :* [[Reno#By plane|Reno]] ({{IATA|RNO}}), Nevada closer to the Lake Tahoe area than Sacramento The busiest second tier airports are [http://www.flyfresno.com Fresno] ({{IATA|FAT}}) (nearest to Yosemite NP); [http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/flysba/default.asp Santa Barbara] ({{IATA|SBA}}); and [http://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/aviation-palm-springs-international-airport-psp Palm Springs] ({{IATA|PSP}}). There are also flights from major hubs to Bakersfield, [[Arcata]]/McKinleyville (nearest to Eureka), Monterey, Redding, Sonoma/Santa Rosa, Stockton, Merced, Santa Maria, Crescent City, Mammoth Lakes, El Centro, and San Luis Obispo. ===By train=== The state's various rail services provide a cheap and reasonably comfortable way to see and get around much of the state [[USA without a car|without a car]]. '''[[Amtrak]]''' operates a few long-distance routes through and out of California, as well as the three '''[http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com Amtrak California]''' routes: :* San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara-Los Angeles-Anahiem-San Diego on the ''[https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/ Pacific Surfliner]'' :* Oakland/Sacramento-Stockton-Fresno-Bakersfield on the ''[https://amtraksanjoaquins.com/ San Joaquins]'' (which have connecting Thruway bus service to Los Angeles) :* San Jose-Oakland-Sacramento-Auburn on the ''[https://www.capitolcorridor.org/ Capitol Corridor]'' :* Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo-San Jose-Oakland-Sacramento-Redding-(continues to Seattle) on the ''Coast Starlight'' :* Emeryville (San Francisco connection)-Sacramento-Truckee (near Lake Tahoe)-(continues to Chicago) on the ''California Zephyr'' :*Los Angeles-Palm Springs-(continues to Chicago) on the Sunset Limited :*''Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches'' connects additional cities and towns to/from the Amtrak (train) network by bus such as Santa Cruz-San Jose; San Francisco-Emeryville; Bakersfield-Los Angeles; Bakersfield-Las Vegas; Martinez-Arcata; Redding-Sacramento; etc. Amtrak has seen continuously increasing ridership in most of the USA for more than a decade now, and surprisingly enough three of the six most popular Amtrak routes run through California, thus making them a viable alternative to the more often than not congested roads and airports. In addition, there are several commuter and regional services in the state's metro areas: :*''[http://www.caltrain.com Caltrain]'' San Francisco-Palo Alto-San Jose-Gilroy through the famous Silicon Valley. :* ''[http://www.acerail.com/ Altamont Commuter Express]'' San Jose-Stockton through the Altamont Corridor Express. :* ''[http://www.bart.gov/ BART]'' operates in the Bay Area, connecting much of the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek) to San Francisco and SFO. :* ''[http://www.metrolinktrains.com/ Metrolink]'' runs regional train service throughout the greater Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura County (metropolis) region on multiple routes. :* ''[http://www.gonctd.com/coaster COASTER]'' runs along the coast of San Diego County between downtown San Diego, Carlsbad and Oceanside. :*''[https://gonctd.com/services/sprinter-hybrid-rail/ SPRINTER]'' runs across Northern San Diego County between Escondino and Oceanside with bus and train connections to Los Angeles and San Diego. :*''[https://www.sonomamarintrain.org/ Sonoma-Marin Rail (SMART)]'' runs between Santa Rosa and San Rafael in Marin/Sonoma County (Northern Bay Area) with ferry connections to San Francisco There are also light rail systems in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose. Almost all of these systems are being expanded or upgraded to cope with rising ridership, so expect more and better service in years to come. ===By bus=== {{see also|Long-distance bus travel in the United States }} The bus is not the most glamorous way to get around the state, but it can be the cheapest. There are fairly frequent service between [[San Francisco#By bus|San Francisco]] and [[Los Angeles#By bus|Los Angeles]]; San Francisco and [[Sacramento#By bus|Sacramento]]; and Sacramento and Los Angeles on multiple lines. There are hourly "clocker" buses between Los Angeles, San Diego and/or Tijuana. There are multiple bus companies operating within California. Many of the smaller companies, county bus services, and those connecting rural towns are not listed, check the article of your destination for all the transportation options. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/california/ here]. * {{listing | name=Eastern Sierra Transit | alt= | url=http://www.estransit.com/routes-schedule/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 760 872-1901 | tollfree=+1 800 922-1930 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-08 | content=Operates 'local' buses along US Hwy 395 corridor between Mammoth Lake, Bishop and Lone Pine in Mono and Inyo Counties in the eastern 'Desert' and the Sierra Nevada parts of the state. They have a route continuing north to Carson City & Reno from Mammoth Lake and south to Lancaster from Lone Pine. The area is not served by Greyhound or Amtrak Thruway buses }} * {{listing | type=go | name=El Paso Los Angeles Limousine Express | alt= | url=http://www.eplalimo.com | email= | address=(downtown LA depot) 622 E 6th St | lat= | long= | directions=SW corner of E 6th St & Wall St across the street from police station | phone=+1 213 623-2323 and +1 323-265-3232 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-10 | content=Travels along I-10 between Los Angeles, [[Indio]], Phoenix, [[Las Cruces]] and El Paso on one route and on I-15 to Las Vegas & North Las Vegas on another route. They have additional stops in E. Los Angeles, El Monte and [[Colton]] on their way on both routes. They also have a second depot at 4425 S Atlantic Blvd in E Los Angeles. }} * {{listing | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 855 626-8585 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-14 | content=German bus company to rival Greyhound Lines (First Group); Megabus (Stagecoach Group) and various American and Mexican bus companies in the American market. It connects Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Sacramento, SF Bay Area and San Diego via multiple cities en route in Arizona and California. It may expand to other parts of the U.S. if it is successful. It dominates the German market and has grown rapidly through subcontracting its operations, which has the downside for customers that the buses are not of a consistent style or quality. }} * {{listing | name=Green Tortoise | alt= | url=http://www.greentortoise.com/about.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 415 956-7500 | tollfree=1 800 867-8647 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-05-22 | content=Operates something like a 'hippie' bus that serves as a bus by day with stops to visit different places like a bus tour throughout the day and a RV camper by night in different campgrounds. It offers bus tours and camping trips to Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Death Valley Sequoia and along the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some of its tours involve a 3- to 5-day round trip from the point of origin such as from San Francisco to Yosemite NP and back while others are one way where the journey starts from one place and end in the other like from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree and end in Las Vegas. Even with round trips it is possible to ask to be picked up or dropped off in different places than the point of origin/return. Others like its 'Hostel Hoppers' or 'Express' are a straightforward bus ride from point A to B. It is one way to combine 'taking the bus' from one place to another and to visit and see remote places without a private automobile. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound & Cruceros-USA | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=1 800 231-2222 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-10 | content=Greyhound goes to 100 locations statewide, though these are not all actual stations, some are merely stops. In general, Greyhound serves the same routes that Amtrak does along the main highways. In some cases Greyhound is cheaper, faster, and more frequent than Amtrak. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Hoang Express | alt= | url=http://www.xedohoang.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 714 839-3500 | tollfree=+1-888-834-9336 | fax= | hours= | price=$60-65 to Bay Area; $80 to Sacramento | content=Travels between SoCal (San Diego, El Monte, Los Angeles, [[Westminster (California)|Westminster]]); Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose & Oakland) and to Sacramento on another route from Los Angeles. They also offer service from Los Angeles to Arizona (Phoenix, [[Chandler (Arizona)|Chandler]] and [[Tempe]]. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=International Bus Lines | alt=formerly Intercalifornias | url=https://www.ibuslines.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 213 629-4885 | tollfree=+1-888-834-9336 | fax= | hours= | price=Prices vary depending on your destination | content=Connects Tijuana, San Ysidro (just over the border), Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Fernando, Bakersfield, Fresno, and San Jose/[[Stockton (California)|Stockton]] (route splits/joins in Madero) and several other places in between. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=LuxBus | alt= | url=http://www.luxbusamerica.com/ | email= | address=on request for hotel pick up/drop off | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-610-7870 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates to/from [[Las Vegas]], [[Anaheim]], and [[San Diego]]. }} * {{listing | name=Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) | alt= | url=http://mendocinotransit.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-08 | content=Travels extensively in the North Coast region along Hwy 1 from Ft Bragg to Navarro River Junction (#65), Point Arena (#75), Bodega Bay and Santa Rosa (#95). Another route from Ft Bragg to Willits, Ukiah and Santa Rosa along SR-20 and US Hwy 101 (Rt #65). Much of the area is not served by Greyhound or Amtrak Thruway Buses off the US Hwy 101 corridor. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Megabus | alt= | url=http://us.megabus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-08-05 | content=Goes to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. They also have another route from San Francisco to Sacramento along I-80. }} * {{listing | name=Orange Belt Stages | alt=Trailways | url=http://www.orangebelt.com/schedules_fares.php {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 559 733-4408 | tollfree=1 800-266-7433 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-09 | content=Regular scheduled service between Lenmoore and Santa Maria through Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. They also offer [http://www.orangebelt.com/tours.php day trips] {{dead link|December 2020}} to different places for sightseeing and to scheduled events throughout California. }} * {{listing | name=Sage Stage | alt= | url=http://sagestage.com | email= | address=(bus stops) Rite Aide @ 5th & Main in Alturas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 530 233-6410 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-18 | content=Provides public transportation from Alturas and Canby in Modoc County, in the [[Shasta Cascades]], to [[Redding]]; [[Reno]], NV; and [[Klamath Falls]], OR on three separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Barbara Airbus | alt= | url=http://www.sbairbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 805 964-7759 | tollfree=+1-800-423-1618 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-08-05 | content=Eight trips a day from [[Los Angeles International Airport|LAX]] to [[Carpinteria]], [[Santa Barbara]] and [[Goleta]]. }} * {{listing | name="Cabin" | alt=formerly Sleep Bus | url=https://www.ridecabin.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-25 | content=Overnight service to the Los Angeles area (Ocean & Arizona Ave in Palisades Park in [[Santa Monica]]) from San Francisco (Bayside Lot @ 1 Bryant St). This is an actual sleeper bus featuring twin size bunk beds with privacy curtains, power outlets, and free wifi. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Tufesa | alt= | url=http://www.gotobus.com/tufesa/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 213 489-8079 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices vary depending on your destination | content=Connects Los Angles to Sacramento (via Bakersfield, Fresno, etc); to Salt Lake City (via Barstow, Las Vegas, St George, etc); to Hermosillo (via Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales); San Francisco Bay Area; and to Tijuana (via Santa Ana, San Diego/San Ysidro). }} * {{listing | name=Yarts | alt= | url=http://yarts.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-05-22 | content=Operates regularly scheduled buses from Yosemite NP (Visitors' Center) to Fresno, Merced, Mammoth Lakes & Sonora on four separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Jass | alt= | url=http://www.airportlimoservice.biz| email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 408 209-0304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices vary from place to place | content=Offers services from San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, Oakland and other areas of the state with different travel routes. }} ===By foot=== *The [[Pacific Crest Trail]] crosses the length of California on its way from [[Mexico]] to [[Canada]] *The [[American Discovery Trail]] connects California with [[Nevada]] and the East Coast. ===By boat=== *Ferry service is limited, but can be a scenic, relaxing, and fun way to travel. Major services exist in the Bay Area, to the Channel Islands and to Catalina Island near Los Angeles. Several of the smaller coastal towns have water taxi services within their city. Check as the stops and limited and the schedules may seasonal. *Many cities are along the coast, or else on navigable waterways, and you can dock your own boat there. ==Talk== [[File:Golden Hour at Emerald Bay.jpg|thumb|Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe]] Although the California Constitution states that English is the official language of the state of California, in reality, California is a multilingual state. American English is the main language and [[Spanish phrasebook|Spanish]] is the ''de facto'' second language, and a knowledge of even rudimentary Spanish is useful in most cities from Sacramento to San Diego. Los Angeles has some of the largest Hispanic populations north of Mexico. The state is highly influenced by Spanish culture, as California was once part of the Spanish empire until 1821, and then of Mexico for a short while after, until ceded to the USA after a decisive US victory in the war between Mexico and the US in 1848. In fact, some of its residents declared it an independent country for about a month (The Bear Flag Republic) in the midst of the Mexican-American War 1846–1848, and many of California's cities were named after saints or phrases in Spanish (such as [[Los Angeles]], [[San Diego]], [[San Francisco]], [[Sacramento]], and [[San Jose (California)|San Jose]]). Store and street signs are sometimes written in both English and Spanish in major metropolitan areas, and "Spanglish" (a mixture of English and Spanish) is often used and heard throughout the state. Even people with no Latino heritage whatsoever sometimes speak fluent Spanish or use common Spanish-derived expressions when speaking English. Most businesses in California have at least a few employees who are bilingual in English and Spanish. Some restaurants in fact may have a workforce that is more fluent in Spanish than English. Chinese is also spoken throughout California, and areas with a large number of Chinese residents or businesses have Chinese signage. [[Japanese]], [[Tagalog]], [[Korean]], [[Vietnamese]], [[Hindi]], [[Punjabi]], and [[Khmer]] are also spoken among Asian Californian populations. Big cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco also tend to have communities of essentially any ethnicity imaginable, and there is a good chance you can hear their language and have an opportunity to consume their culture's food. Los Angeles, for example, boasts quite a large Ethiopian neighborhood. California English is a dialect of the English language spoken within California. California is the home to a highly diverse populace, and this is reflected in many other languages, especially Spanish. As is the case of English is spoken in any state, not all features of California English is used by all speakers in the state, and not all features are restricted in use only to the state. However, there are some linguistic features which can be identified as either originally or predominantly Californian. == See == [[File:Us-ca-sanfran-goldengate.jpg|thumb|Golden Gate Bridge in [[San Francisco]]]] [[Image:16-yosemite-half-dome.jpg|thumb|Half-dome at [[Yosemite National Park]]]] [[File:Silver Lake.jpg|thumb|Silver Lake is in the [[Sierra Nevada|Sierra Nevada Range]] of eastern California]] * California's high population and its climate have led to the creation of numerous [[Reservoirs in California|reservoirs]]. * See California marine animals (native and migrating) that you can easily find in the wild along the state's beaches, in lagoons and estuaries, such as sea otters, grey whales, elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions as well as multitudes of tide pools dwellers including crabs, sea stars, anemone, and sea urchins. Timing is key: go at low tide to see lots of marine life. ===Itineraries=== *[[El Camino Real]] (The Royal Road) &mdash; a historic road linking the 21 Spanish missions of Alta California (modern day state of California) offering a fascinating look into California's history *[[Pacific Coast Highway]] &mdash; tour up and down the iconic California coast, along [[Big Sur]], all the way up to its end where it merges into the US 101, which goes up to Washington state. ==Do== [[File:Hollywood sign 053004.jpg|thumb|[[Hollywood]]]] * '''Ski''' at one of the great resorts near [[Lake Tahoe]] or [[Big Bear Lake|Big Bear]]. * Try your hand at '''surfing''' or work on your tan in [[Orange County (California)|Orange County]] or [[Santa Monica]]. * The long coastline offers some great [[Scuba diving in California|California scuba diving]]. * Climb a mountain and camp in the [[Sierra Nevada]] or [[Shasta Cascades]]. * See California's amazing wildflowers. From March through May, the [http://www.theodorepayne.org California Wildflower Hotline] at +1 818 768-3533 offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout Southern and Central California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, founded in 1983, is run by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants. * Listen to music at the '''[http://www.northerncaliforniabluesfest.com Northern California Blues Festival]'''. The fastest growing festival of its kind comes in June to Sacramento County around Father's day each year and usually features a spectacular line-up of Blues artists. Event benefits Through the Mind, a non-profit providing free alternative mental health to America's Veterans. * Visit one of the many '''theme parks''' in California, such as [[Disneyland]] or [[Six Flags Magic Mountain]]. ==Buy== Usually US dollars and common credit or debit cards are the only accepted modes of payment. Many stores can take contactless payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. You might have some luck with Mexican Pesos near the immediate border area, but the exchange rates are usually pretty bad. California stores no longer give out free plastic bags, except for fresh grocery produce and meats. Reusable plastic bags cost a minimum of ten cents (by state law). Many stores sell cloth bags for one or two dollars. Sales tax varies from county to county and city to city; it is usually around 9% and is charged on almost everything except regular groceries. The quintessential California souvenir depends a lot on which part of the state you visited, and what your interests are. The agricultural products change from citrus and avocadoes down south to strawberries in the middle, to almonds and wine as you move north. In LA, you might take home chocolates from See's Candies; in the Central Coast, keep an eye open for locally produced saltwater taffy; in the Bay Area, it's all about Ghirardelli Chocolate. Common themes for souvenir items include surfing, tie-dyed clothing, and redwood trees. ==Eat== {{See also|American cuisine|Fast food in the United States and Canada}} California doesn't have a single, well-defined cuisine of its own, but rather has a remarkably diverse food scene defined by its large population of immigrants of varied ethnic backgrounds and its access to one of the most productive agricultural regions on this side of the planet. The culinary style referred to as ''Californian cuisine'' or ''California fusion'' focuses on imaginative fusions of other cuisines, typically with heavy attention to presentation and an emphasis on using freshly prepared local ingredients, and has been somewhat subsumed into the general trend of "New American" cuisine. Almost any dish you can imagine can be found somewhere in California, with the cuisines of the Americas and Asia heavily represented, and those of nearly every other country available to a lesser extent. More "North American" fare includes everything from burger shacks to vegetarian, organic and even completely vegan restaurants; the Californian love for food has made it one of the most diverse restaurant scenes in North America. The large cities have the most variety, while things get simpler and more meat-heavy as you get more rural. There are a handful of distinctive California dishes, although most of them have been adopted and adapted throughout the US. * Cobb salad – a cold salad of bacon or ham, chicken, boiled eggs, avocado, tomato, lettuce, and bleu cheese, with a vinaigrette dressing. Traditionally it's chopped fairly fine, but in modern times it's served in a variety of ways, and sometimes with ranch dressing instead of the traditional vinaigrette. It was invented at the Brown Derby restaurant in LA. * French dip sandwich – invented somewhere in LA, the exact location is subject to dispute, but it's a warm sandwich of thinly sliced roast beef on a roll that's dipped into beef broth. * Cioppino – a seafood stew developed by Italian immigrants in San Francisco, it resembles various Italian fish stews but includes local ingredients like chopped Dungeness crab. * The Mission Burrito – a San Francisco tradition characterized mainly by its great size and caloric content, featuring copious amounts of beans and rice in addition to cheese, meat and/or vegetables. * California Burrito – a San Diego specialty, it's a carne asada (spicy grilled steak) burrito, stuffed with french fries. * Santa Maria Barbeque – This is a central coast tradition. It's a bottom sirloin beef roast (the cut is locally known as tri-tip), where the fat hasn't been trimmed. It's suspended high above a hot oak fire, fat side up, so it cooks slowly and the fat melts and tenderizes the meat. It's usually served thinly sliced with tortillas or bread, salsa, onions, avocado, and other side dishes. *Chop Suey – the original "American Chinese" dish was popularized as cheap food for laborers during the California gold rush. While it's increasingly hard to find, many other American Chinese dishes were first created in San Francisco's Chinatown. Larger cities in California have some restaurants selling American Chinese food and others selling traditional Chinese dishes. In smaller cities, the Americanized version may be the only option on the menu. As a general rule, plain water is free at any restaurant. However, if you need a disposable cup, the cup will cost you 25 cents (by state law). You are allowed to bring your own reusable water cup or bottle. ===Regional chains=== California's classic burger chain '''In-N-Out''' has expanded to states as far east as [[Texas]]—see [[Fast food in the United States and Canada]] for more. Outside of fast food, California chains that you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere include: * {{listing | type=eat | name=Ike's | alt= | url=http://www.loveandsandwiches.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-22 | content=Casual sandwich joint with more than 50 locations, mostly in California though a few are in Nevada. The menu varies by location, but in general about half the menu has meat and half is vegetarian; many vegetarian options can be made vegan. The sandwiches are filling and flavorful but not excessively heavy. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Three Twins Ice Cream | alt= | url=https://threetwinsicecream.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Three Twins | wikidata=Q17090076 | lastedit= | content=You can buy their ice cream at supermarkets and convenience stores all over the country, but the ice cream shops are only in California (plus a few new branches in Japan and Korea). Organic ice cream with somewhat distinctive flavors. They usually have a couple of vegan/non-dairy options. }} *{{listing | name=Farmer Boys | alt= | url=https://www.farmerboys.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5435711 | lastedit=2021-10-17 | content=A farm-to-table restaurant chain featuring a burger shack menu that is freshly cooked from local produce. Hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads, plus diner-style breakfast options served all day. }} *{{Listing|name=Lemonade|url=https://lemonadela.com/|price=$15|lastedit=2021-10-17|content=Poke bowls, chef bowls, sandwiches, and 10 different types of freshly made lemonade. This is California fusion food without the high-end budget. Take your friend who's always bored with the same-ol' stuff. Don't neglect the side dishes. Vegan options.}} ==Drink== California is known for its fine [[wine]]s and gourmet beers. [[Napa]], [[Sonoma]] and [[Mendocino]] are premier wine districts north of San Francisco, but there are others in the Central Coast region and even the San Diego region where suitable microclimates have been found. The inland Central Valley region has hotter summers and traditionally produced inexpensive bulk wines, but quality has been improving with winemaking innovations. Californians tend to view wine as a natural accompaniment of food or socializing, overlooking its alcoholic content more easily than with distilled spirits. However police crackdowns on drinking and driving are increasingly severe with roadblocks and random checks. Conviction for driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 percent is likely to bring serious legal and financial consequences. Drivers with lower blood alcohol can still be convicted for '''DUI''' (driving under the influence) if they fail field sobriety tests such as walking a straight line. You must be 21 years of age to drink any alcoholic beverage. Underage drinking is taken very seriously so if you are in a club or bar and appear to be under 30 you should be ready to present identification showing your age. The only acceptable proof of age documentation are passports or United States-issued identification cards (e.g. drivers licences); foreign drivers licences and foreign ID cards are '''NOT''' legally acceptable as proof of age documentation, and people who are unable to produce a passport or valid United States ID will be refused service. Only actual ID documents will be accepted - photographs or photocopies will NOT be accepted. For beer, California also has a lot of microbreweries. Sierra Nevada, in [[Chico (California)|Chico]], is one of the biggest microbreweries in North America. In the [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] the midsized brewery Firestone Walker in Paso Robles is a good addition to the local wineries in the area. In [[San Diego]], Stone Brewing Company offers a great variety of beers that can be purchased throughout the state. There are over 200 microbreweries in California. ==Stay healthy== ===Air pollution=== While [[air pollution]] levels have dropped dramatically since the 1970s, more than ninety percent of Californians live in counties with unhealthy air. Visitors to the mountains or the rural regions of Northern California will have nothing to worry about, but the overreliance on cars, low rainfall, and surrounding mountains in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area create some of America's worst air quality. It gets particularly bad when a layer of cold air gets "trapped" by a layer of warmer air above it ("inversion") which is particularly likely in basins. While air quality is rarely at levels that would be considered immediately dangerous, visitors should heed alerts and be especially cautious when any local wildfires are burning. Occasionally, there will be an '''advisory''' issued for air stagnation, which is a phenomenon involving an air mass that cannot move and therefore stagnates over an area for an extensive period of time. Air pollutants can cause breathing difficulties for those with existing respiratory conditions. If you have a respiratory condition, refer to the '''[http://www.nws.noaa.gov/aq/ National Weather Service]''' website on air quality to see if any such advisories have been issued for the areas you might visit. ===Disease=== [[File:MOUSE, CALIFORNIA (peromyscus californicus) (5-29-09) cerro alto campground road, slo co, ca -01 (3577515146).jpg|alt=California deermouse|thumb|This cute, large-eared mouse and its tan-colored siblings can carry a deadly virus.]] Deer mice can transmit a virus that causes '''hantaviral pulmonary syndrome'''. You are most likely to get infected if you breathe in dust containing their excrement (feces, urine, and saliva). Realistically, however, hantavirus is of very little concern to the traveler, as only a few people get infected each year, and most of them are exposed on the job, but sensible precautions should be applied. Do '''not''' venture in any wild animal's den or touch deer mice or their excrement. If you need to clean up after rodents, wear waterproof gloves, eye protection, and a high-quality respirator mask, and use disinfectants and wet-mopping techniques, rather than brooms and vacuums (both of which spread virus-laden dust). If you do get infected, treatment usually involves a week or two in the hospital. The main defense against the virus is prevention. ==Stay safe== [[File:Elephant seals fighting.jpg|thumb|Elephant seals fighting, [[San Simeon]]]] ===California–Mexico border=== Due to California's proximity to the international boundary with Mexico, visitors should be cautious while in areas near the border. * Beware Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) checkpoints and patrols. CBP is legally allowed to stop you or your vehicle solely in order to inquire about your citizenship and residency status within 100 miles of any international border (in this instance, the US–Mexico border). ''Non-whites, and especially Latinos, should expect to be profiled, targeted, and harassed by these government agents.'' *Know where you are at all times. Follow good safety procedures and use common sense when making decisions. * Do not pick up [[Hitchhiking|hitchhikers]]. If the person is undocumented or carrying drugs, you could be mistaken for a trafficker. * Keep valuables, including spare change, out of sight and lock your vehicle. * Avoid traveling in well-marked but unofficial "trails." * Avoid hiking or camping in areas of major border activity. If you are visiting a national or state park, consult park staff to help plan backcountry travel in safer areas. ====Crossing the border==== Thousands of U.S citizens visit the state of [[Baja California (state)|Baja California, Mexico]] from California every year, with the majority of travelers returning from an enjoyable experience. However, a minority of travelers do experience difficulties and serious inconveniences while traveling to Mexico. Before traveling to Mexico, ensure that you have the proper documentation and are familiar with the recommendations for foreign travel from the '''[http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1174.html U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs]''' There are six border crossings between California and Mexico: two between San Diego and [[Tijuana]], one between [[Tecate]] and Tecate, two between [[Calexico]] and [[Mexicali]], and one between Andrade and [[Los Algodones]]. The United States operates a consulate-general in Tijuana and a consulate in Mexicali. Mexico operates Consulates in Calexico, Fresno, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Ana. ===Crime=== The usual inner city crime can be found in the worst parts of [[Los Angeles]], [[San Francisco]], and [[Oakland]]. Central Valley cities, such as [[Sacramento]], [[Stockton (California)|Stockton]], and [[Fresno]] also have gang problems. Northern coastal cities such as [[Eureka]] have an ongoing problem with significant drug activity and property crimes. However, most California cities are safe. As long as you take basic precautions against petty crime, such as keeping your phone and other valuables out of sight in tourist areas, and stay out of obviously run-down neighborhoods, you will probably have a safe and pleasant visit. If you are traveling along the '''Pacific Coast Highway''' or '''Highway 101''', you may notice there are a substantial number of hitch-hikers along the way. Most are harmless youthful travelers or people who just need to get somewhere for lack of other means, while others may be a bit less safe to pick up. Use your best judgement, and, unless you feel confident in the people to whom you're giving a ride, it's probably better not to offer one while you're travelling alone. '''Drugs''' are illegal in California, with the noted exception of '''[[cannabis|marijuana]]'''. Adults 21 and over are allowed to possess, use, and cultivate small amounts of marijuana, so long as it is not consumed in public or possessed on the grounds of a school or day care center. The maximum amount a person may possess is one ounce of marijuana or 8 grams of concentrates. Some dispensaries sell marijuana products to the general public, although others remain restricted to those who have a medical marijuana recommendation from a doctor. Delivery services are also available. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, so do not carry marijuana across state lines—even to another state where it is legal—as this will be considered drug trafficking and subject to harsh punishment. Also, do not take marijuana onto federal land, including any of the dozens of national parks and national forests in California. If you find yourself in an emergency situation (of any kind), dial '''9-1-1''' on your phone or from any (available) phone. It is a free call from a payphone. ===Earthquakes=== [[Earthquakes]] that are large enough to cause extensive damage are rare, but remain a matter of reality for the state. Most earthquakes are mild and last for a couple of seconds. You're not likely to encounter one during your trip, but if you do, you'll probably go home with nothing more exciting than a story about it being over before you figured out that it was an earthquake. Compared to Japan, where earthquakes are common and a smartphone-based earthquake alert system is well-developed, or Mexico City, whose geography makes earthquakes easier to predict, expect to have no or very little warning even if you [https://earthquake.ca.gov/get-alerts/ sign up for mobile-based alerts]. When you feel the shaking, '''drop, cover, and hold on'''. The biggest dangers in an earthquake are falling objects (such as books or bottles flying off shelves – or the whole shelf with all of its contents, if it's not properly mounted) and windows, which may shatter explosively. In the event of an earthquake, '''face away from windows''' and '''hide under any sturdy table or desk''' – and then hold on to that table, because the shaking could cause the table to slide across the floor. Contrary to popular belief, do not stand in a door frame; these are structurally weaker spots in modern buildings, and they provide no protection against falling objects. If you are indoors, '''do not run outside!''' Falling building facades are more likely to cause severe injuries than anything inside. If outdoors, stay away from buildings (especially brick chimneys, which may spray bricks around a large area), and stay out from under power lines. If you are driving, your first thought will probably be that something is wrong with your car. Immediately slow down and then stop at the nearest safe place. When the shaking is over (the ground ''and'' your nerves), it's okay to start driving again, but drive cautiously, as traffic signals will likely be out, the road surface may be cracked, other drivers may be panicking, and there may be trees or damaged vehicles blocking the road ahead. ===Deserts=== Along the southern most border of California-Nevada, as well as the border of California-Arizona, California has elaborate desert landscapes which extend into the south central regions of the state, the most famous (or infamous) being the region known as [[Death Valley]], where several tourists and hikers have indeed met their fate while exploring the region. If you are planning on traveling or hiking into these locations, '''follow desert survival guidelines'''. Be sure to take plenty of water (at least one gallon/four litres per person, per day), sunscreen and wear light clothing. Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Be sure to have a full tank of gasoline prior to traveling by car into these regions, as many desert locations are extremely remote and without any services for several miles (in some cases nearly 100 miles). To break down in these regions could be extremely unpleasant in the best case scenario, tragic in the worst. Also, it is best to hike during the earlier part of the day, as thunderstorms tend to develop suddenly during the afternoon. In the event you encounter inclement weather conditions, seek high ground immediately! Thunderstorms can cause flash flooding in canyons and other low-lying areas. ===Tsunamis=== The incidence of earthquakes in California raises the concern for potential threats of tsunamis. Though tsunamis occur very rarely, a great deal of California's coastline is in a tsunami zone. For more information on the state's hazard assessment, visit the '''[http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/state/wa/index.html NOAA Center for Tsunami Research]''' website. ===Wildfires=== Wildfires are common between May and October, but can also occur at other times. Precautions include the following: clear the area around campfire pits/rings in campgrounds, never leave flames unattended (even artificial ones), do not throw cigarette ends out of a car, and avoid unnecessary weapon use in dry areas.<!-- My understanding of laws in California is that the latter is illegal anyway. --> The strongest impact from fires is smoke. Smoke affects areas dramatically exceeding the size of the root fire. Travelers with respiratory issues should consult visitor information sites before visiting areas where fires are occurring, or anywhere in the path of the smoke, which can spread across large portions of the state during the worst wildfires. ===Mudslides=== Fire season is followed by the rainy season, and hilly areas where the vegetation has burned are particularly vulnerable to destructive and sometimes deadly mudslides. Heed any evacuation warnings that are issued. ===Wild animals=== '''[[Bears]]''' are found in the Sierra Nevada and all neighboring parts of the state. They're rarely dangerous, but should never be approached. If you are camping, you need to ensure that food, food waste, and other scented items such as soap and toothpaste are secure from them. '''[[Mountain lions]]''' are rarely seen, but live in all mountainous parts of the state and once in a while attack humans. If you see one, yell and wave your arms to make yourself appear as large as possible. '''Coyotes''' are quite common, even in relatively populated areas like the Hollywood Hills. They pose little danger to humans, but will attack dogs, cats and other domestic animals. Many animals, most notoriously bats, can carry rabies. When hiking, watch for [[ticks]], which can carry Lyme disease, and [[rattlesnakes]]. California is home to 2 potentially deadly species of spiders - the black widow and the brown recluse - if you don't go poking around abandoned structures and woodpiles, you're very unlikely to encounter them. If you're bitten by any animal, seek immediate medical attention. Shark attacks have happened once in a great while at California beaches, and deadly sharks such as great whites do roam the California coast, but unless a shark has been repeatedly sighted by a specific beach (the local media will broadcast warnings) this is an extremely remote possibility. ===Poisonous plants and mushrooms=== '''[[Poison oak]]''' can be found almost anywhere in the state, but is particularly common in Southern California, the Central Coast, the Bay Area, and any Coast Redwood woodlands. It's toxic throughout the year, even during the winter when it's lost its leaves. Sensitivity varies by individual, but many people can end up with a very nasty, blistering rash by contacting it. See the linked article for treatment options. California is also home to several '''lethal''' varieties of '''mushrooms''', which can be particularly dangerous to would-be gatherers because some of them resemble edible varieties found elsewhere in the world. Even if you're an expert on mushroom varieties where you live, don't assume you're safe gathering them in California. ==Respect== California is filled with a very diverse group of people. Northern and Southern California have notably different cultures, while the rural areas in the Central Valley and Eastern portions of the state differ even more significantly. Sensitive topics include immigration, water rights, and land-use. Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area are especially well-known for being some of the most politically liberal areas in the US, and continue to serve as some of the world's major centers of counterculture. Conversely, parts of California, particularly the Central Valley, are conservative. However, don't assume any individual's political leaning based on where they live. ==Go next== * '''[[Arizona]]''' – Home to the [[Grand Canyon]], Arizona borders California to the southeast across the Colorado River. * '''[[Nevada]]''' – California's eastern neighbor is best known as the home of [[Las Vegas]], although towns such as [[Reno]] and [[Carson City]] are also good day-trip opportunities for visitors wanting to explore the Silver State. * '''[[Oregon]]''' – Sharing a border to the north, Oregon is home to impressive mountains and extensive forests. * '''[[Hawaii]]''' – Many visitors to America's fiftieth state depart through California on their journey across the Pacific, but it is not a neighboring state and requires a 5-hour flight to get there. * '''[[Baja California]]''' – Those traveling across the border to [[Mexico]] can visit some of that country's most impressive sea and landscapes. {{usableregion}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{geo|37|-119.5|zoom=6}} {{related|Off-road_vehicles_in_California}} {{related|California_desert_camping}} oup9vkuc6xtayarq2wvb5mo9hldk5wp 4501731 4501725 2022-08-15T20:34:53Z Ibaman 195012 [[WV:Tone]]: too encyclopaedic, not concise, grammar, concordance. Undo revision 4501725 by [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] ([[User talk:204.129.232.195|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Antelope Valley banner.jpg|caption=California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley}} Perhaps the most diverse of all the fifty states in the [[United States of America|Union]], [http://www.visitcalifornia.com '''California'''] has a culture ranging from the easygoing surf spots on the beaches of [[Southern California]] to the glamor of [[Hollywood]], and the counterculture and thriving businesses of the [[Bay Area]]. The state, which is on the west coast of the U.S., also varies greatly in natural beauty, from redwood forests on the [[North Coast (California)|North Coast]] to the ski resorts of the rugged [[Sierra Nevada]] mountains and the harsh desert of [[Death Valley]]. The largest state in the U.S. by population and one of the largest by area, California boasts world-famous attractions and sights: [[Disneyland]], the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], the [[Napa Valley]] wine country, and the tallest mountain in the [[United States of America#Geography|contiguous United States]], [[Mount Whitney]]. ==Regions== California is geographically varied, ranging from warm beaches to snowy mountains to fertile farmland to extreme desert. In the middle of the state is the farmland of the Central Valley, which provides produce to the whole country. The conventional wisdom is that there is a huge difference—and also rivalry—between the Southern California area around Los Angeles (or as Californians often say, “LA”) and Northern California centered around the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the contrast between the (relatively wealthy) urban coastal areas and the (relatively poor) suburban and rural Central Valley is just as pronounced, if not more so. {{Regionlist | regionmap=Ca-regions.png | regionmaptext=California's regions | regionmapsize=350px | region1name=[[Southern California]] | region1color=#ac663d | region1description=Home to [[Los Angeles]], [[San Diego]], [[Disneyland]], and miles of famous beaches. | region2name=[[Desert (California)|Desert]] | region2color=#d5a90b | region2description=Palm trees, Joshua trees, blazing sun, and quirky resorts. | region3name=[[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] | region3color=#5fb388 | region3description=An isolated stretch of land that features cool mountains and a rugged coastline. | region4name=[[San Joaquin Valley]] | region4color=#a0a0c0 | region4description=Breadbasket of California and home to a large percentage of America's fruit and vegetable supply. | region5name=[[Sacramento Valley]] | region5color=#5bc7c0 | region5description=Home of [[Sacramento]], the state capital, and the urban areas around the city. | region6name=[[Sierra Nevada]] | region6color=#5ea54a | region6description=California's alpine and skiing region, including [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Lake Tahoe]]. | region7name=[[Gold Country]] | region7color=#d2d20d | region7description=Historic foothills leading east to the Sierras; the 1848 discovery of gold in this region brought many Americans to California and helped California become a state less than five years after the territory had been acquired. | region8name=[[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] | region8color=#d06666 | region8description=Home to the cities of [[San Francisco]], [[Oakland]], [[San Jose (California)|San Jose]], and the technology-centered [[Silicon Valley]]. | region9name=[[North Coast (California)|North Coast]] | region9color=#b2b24d | region9description=Home to the world's tallest trees, the coast redwoods as well as rugged coastlines and remote nature adventures. | region10name=[[Shasta Cascades]] | region10color=#c375a0 | region10description=Hills and mountains off the beaten path in the state's northeast corner. }} ==Cities== [[File:San Francisco with approaching fog.jpg|thumb|400px|San Francisco, partly enshrouded in fog]] Here are a few of California's major cities. <!--Please note: This is just a sampler of the cities most visited, with some geographic spread. If you want to add a new city, please locate the correct sub-region article that your city resides in and add the city there instead. --> *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Sacramento]]|url=|lat=38.555556|long=-121.468889|wikidata=Q18013}} – The laid-back state capital with historic area of the city, Old Sacramento. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bakersfield]]|url=|lat=35.366667|long=-119.016667|wikidata=Q49256}} – The world's largest Basque population outside of Spain is found here and fine Basque restaurants abound. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Los Angeles]]|url=|lat=34.05|long=-118.25|wikidata=Q65}} – The state's largest city, and 2nd-largest in the nation. L.A. is home to Hollywood, Venice, The Getty Center, and Griffith Park. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Palm Springs]]|url=|lat=33.830278|long=-116.545278|wikidata=Q488004}} – Desert recreation with golf, spas, resorts, casinos, and the famous aerial tramway. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[San Diego]]|url=| lat=32.7157 | long=-117.1547 ||wikidata=Q16552}} – Balboa Park, Old Town, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, and nearby Tijuana, Mexico. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[San Francisco]]|url=| lat=37.7857 | long=-122.4061 |wikidata=Q62}} – Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, America's largest Chinatown, cable cars, and Victorian houses *{{marker|type=city|name=[[San Jose (California)|San Jose]]|url=|lat=37.333333|long=-121.9|wikidata=Q16553}} – South of San Francisco, home of the Winchester Mystery House, and the center of Silicon Valley, which is home to many technology companies. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Santa Cruz (California)|Santa Cruz]]|url=|lat=36.971944|long=-122.026389|wikidata=Q159232}} – A central coast city. The home of the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Mission Santa Cruz, and the Mystery Spot. *{{marker|type=city| name=[[Santa Barbara]] | lat=34.421 | long=-119.698| wikidata=Q159288}} – City on a south-facing coast which styles itself, with some justification, as "the American Riviera." ==Other destinations== [[File:4076-joshua-tree RJ.JPG|thumb|[[Joshua Tree National Park]]]] *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Big Sur]]|lat=36.27028|long=-121.80750|wikidata=Q859413}} can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Death Valley|Death Valley National Park]]|lat=36.45|long=-117.09|wikidata=Q242111}} – a place of legend and a place of trial. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Disneyland]]|lat=33.8091|long=-117.9190|wikidata=Q1229066}} – this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Joshua Tree National Park]]|lat=33.86|long=-115.89|wikidata=Q735202}} – the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Lake Tahoe]]|lat=39.091667|long=-120.041667|wikidata=Q169962}} – a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Napa Valley]]|lat=38.50|long=-122.32|wikidata=Q1151105}} – spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks]]|lat=36.56472|long=-118.77337}} – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. *{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Yosemite National Park]]|lat=37.7333|long=-119.5500|wikidata=Q180402}} – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. California also has [[California state parks|many state parks]], approximately half of which are near urban centers. ==Understand== [[File:Mission Santa Clara.jpg|thumb|Mission [[Santa Clara (California)|Santa Clara]]]] ===History=== {{seealso|Indigenous cultures of North America|Old West}} Human settlement in California goes back 50,000 years; California was home to thirty different tribal groups prior to the arrival of European explorers in the 1500s and now over 120 tribes are left. The first Europeans were the Spanish and Portuguese, who built a settlement in California, establishing twenty-one missions in California by the late 1700s. Many of these missions survive today, including the one in [[Santa Barbara]]. After the Mexican War for Independence in 1821, California became a part of [[Mexico]] for 25 years until 1846 where it briefly became a sovereign nation before it was annexed by the United States in 1846, and has since then had an image as the "land of opportunity" and the final destination of luck-seekers. In 1848 the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada mountains kicked off the California Gold Rush, and California's non-native population surged from 15,000 to over 300,000 within two years. People who moved to California during the Gold rush were often called "49ers", a term that also serves as the nickname of the San Francisco [[American Football|football]] team. California became a state in 1850, and its population has increased steadily since then. Los Angeles, a city which once boasted one of the longest streetcar networks in the world, boomed through defense contractors and later converted to a "freeway" city after the streetcars were dismantled. The city hosted Olympic Games twice (1932&1984) at times when the Olympic movement was in crisis and the games were largely seen as successes for the city as well as the Olympic movement. [[Post-war United States|In the post-war years]], California (especially the [[Bay Area]]) became a hotspot of counterculture, including popular music, the anti-war movement, and the LGBT community. Today California is the most populous state in the US with over 38 million residents and still growing rapidly. Taken by itself California would rank as one of the world's top ten economies and Californian places like Silicon Valley, Hollywood and San Francisco are known globally and have shaped not only American but world culture. Politically, California is seen as a solidly "blue" state: it has a two thirds majority of Democrats in both chambers of the legislature and often provides the Democratic party with particularly left-wing ideas, especially on social issues. That said, the state actually contains a lot of political diversity, with conservative views prevalent in much of the state outside the densely populated Bay Area and Los Angeles County, particularly in the fertile but relatively sparsely populated Central Valley. ===Landscape=== [[File:Giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park 2013.jpg|thumb|Sequoia National Park]] With over 160,000 square miles (411,000 km²) the landscape of California is vast and varied, and the stereotypical beach paradise is only the tip of the iceberg. The state contains extremes in elevation, with [[Mount Whitney]] at 14,505 ft (4,421 m) being the tallest mountain in the lower-48 states, while less than 200 miles away [[Death Valley]], at 282 ft (82 m) below sea level, is North America's lowest point. California's border to the west is made up of a rugged coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The coastal mountains rise up from the ocean and are home to redwood trees in the northern half. The Central Valley bisects California from north-to-south before giving way to the Sierra Nevada mountains, home of [[Yosemite National Park]], [[Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks]] and other natural wonders. The southeastern part of California is dominated by desert, which covers 25% of California's total area. The Mojave is a high desert, with elevations ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 ft (1,000 to 2,000 m) above sea level. This area receives less than six inches (152 mm) of rain each year. ===Climate=== [[File:Surfers At Steamer Lane Santa Cruz CA. - panoramio.jpg|alt=Surfers on the water|thumb|Wetsuits were invented in Santa Cruz because the ocean is so cold]] The state's climate varies from subtropical at the coast to the brutal winters of the mountains to one of the world's hottest regions in the deserts. Rainfall is more common in the northern part of the state than in the south, and snow is rare except in the mountains. Most precipitation occurs during winter, but California experiences frequent droughts. This has prompted people to install drought-resistant landscaping. In some years, farms lie fallow due to lack of water for irrigation. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, 134°F (56.6°C) was at Death Valley in 1913, and temperatures here regularly exceed 120°F (50°C) during the summer. In contrast, winter temperatures in the mountains can drop below 0°F (-20°C). In between these extremes there are great local variations in climate due to topography and the influence of the Pacific Ocean upon precipitation and temperature, with temperatures becoming increasingly moderated nearer the coastline. For swimming, the Pacific Ocean can be surprisingly cold even in July due to currents. September and October are the best months for swimming. Another surprise in coastal areas is the presence of cool temperatures and fog in the mornings through most of the year. To experience California as a sunny place, plan to sleep late. ===People=== California is a very diverse state with many ethnic groups. California has large populations of people of varied backgrounds such as Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Armenian, Iranian, Jewish, Chinese, Russian, Filipino, Eastern Indian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, and Hmong. California also has large populations of African Americans and Native Americans. Although typically considered to be a liberal state, Californians have a wide variety of political views which tend to vary based on region. The Central Valley, [[Orange County (California)|Orange County]], San Diego, and Palm Springs area tend to be more conservative, while [[Los Angeles County]] and the [[Bay Area|San Francisco Bay Area]] are among the most progressive areas in the country. California is a large and diverse state, with different cultures in each region. ===Holidays=== California observes all the [[United States of America#Holidays|federal holidays]], except Columbus Day, and adds Cesar Chavez Day on March 31st (or nearest weekday). However, some cities such as [[Coronado]] that have a large population of federal workers or military personnel do observe Columbus Day. ==Get in== [[File:Skyscraper Los Angeles Downtown 2013.jpg|thumb|Skyscrapers in Downtown L.A.]] ===By plane=== {{see also|Flying in the United States}} [[San Francisco International Airport]] ({{IATA|SFO}}) and [[Los Angeles International Airport]] ({{IATA|LAX}}) are the most popular entry points with a wide variety of flights from [[Europe]], [[East Asia]], [[India]], [[Oceania]] ([[Australia]], [[Fiji]], [[New Zealand]], [[Tahiti]], etc.), [[Latin America]] and from various cities in the U.S. on a variety of U.S. and foreign flag carriers. To a lesser extent there are also direct flights from the [[Middle East]] ([[Israel]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Turkey]], [[UAE]]) to Los Angeles. They are however also the most crowded and the SFO-LAX route is one of the busiest air corridors in the world causing frequent delays due to congestion. Delays at San Francisco airport due to fog are also somewhat common. If coming from within the U.S. and from Mexico there are other alternate airports in California that are less crowded and may be closer to your final destination. They are :* Los Angeles area – [http://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ Hollywood-Burbank Airport (Bob Hope Airport)] ({{IATA|BUR}}) in [[Burbank#By plane|Burbank]] (closest to Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles), [http://www.ocair.com John Wayne Airport] ({{IATA|SNA}}) in [[Santa_Ana_(California)|Orange County]] (closest to Disneyland & Knots Berry Farm); [[Ontario (California)#By plane|Ontario Airport]] ({{IATA|ONT}}) in Ontario (closest to Joshua Tree, Death Valley and the Inland Empire deserts), and a small airport in [http://www.lgb.org Long Beach Airport] ({{IATA|LGB}}) in [[Long Beach]] (west coast hub for JetBlue Airlines). :* San Francisco Bay Area – [http://www.flyoakland.com Oakland Airport] ({{IATA|OAK}}) in Oakland (closer to Downtown San Francisco than SFO) and [http://www.sjc.org San Jose Airport] ({{IATA|SJC}}) in San Jose; both San Francisco and Oakland airport are now connected to the local metro network, BART while San Jose is connected by Caltrain via a free shuttle to the 'Santa Clara Station'. :* [[Sacramento#By plane|Sacramento Airport]] ({{IATA|SMF}}) in Sacramento :* [[Reno#By plane|Reno Airport]] ({{IATA|RNO}}) in [[Reno]], Nevada closer to the Lake Tahoe area than from Sacramento. :* [[Las Vegas#By plane|Las Vegas Airport]] ({{IATA|LAS}}) in Las Vegas, Nevada closer to Death Valley NP. :* [http://www.flyfresno.com Fresno Airport] ({{IATA|FAT}}) in Fresno, closest to Yosemite NP. :* [[San Diego#By plane|San Diego Airport]] ({{IATA|SAN}}) in San Diego :*Palm Springs :*Santa Barbara :* [[Tijuana#By plane|Tijuana Airport]] ({{IATA|TIJ}}) in Tijuana. If coming from Mexico it may be more advantageous to fly to Tijuana on a (Mexican) domestic flight and then cross into San Diego by ground transportation than on an international flight to San Diego, Los Angeles, or other cities further north. From San Diego you can continue north to the San Francisco Bay area, Las Vegas, [[Phoenix]] or wherever in the U.S. you are continuing to. See [[California#By plane 2|By plane]] under the "Get Around" section for more information. ===By train=== {{see also|Rail travel in the United States}} [[Amtrak]] serves several routes into and out of California. If you are going to Los Angeles from the Central Valley, you might have to change to a bus for the last part of the trip, as the only railway connection between the Central Valley and Los Angeles is also one of the busiest freight lines in the USA. Plans to build a new [[high speed rail]] line to link San Francisco and Los Angeles are underway, but completion is not scheduled before the late 2020s. The following Amtrak routes serve California and terminate in [[Los Angeles#By train|Los Angeles]] or [[Emeryville]]: * The ''[[California Zephyr]]'' runs daily between [[Chicago#By train|Chicago]] and [[Emeryville]] with connections in [[Omaha]], [[Denver]], [[Provo]], [[Salt Lake City]] and [[Reno|Reno/Lake Tahoe]]. This train also stops in the Sierra Nevada (Truckee and Colfax) and the Sacramento Valley (Roseville, [[Sacramento]], Davies and Martinez). Emeryville is the nearest Amtrak station to downtown San Francisco where passengers transfer to the Amtrak Thruway bus to continue across the bay to San Francisco. * The ''[http://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train Coast Starlight]'' runs daily between Los Angeles and [[Seattle#By train|Seattle]] via [[Portland (Oregon)#By train|Portland]], [[Klamath Falls]], [[Redding]], [[Bay Area (California)|San Francisco Bay Area]], Santa Barbara, [[San Luis Obispo]] and [[Oxnard]]. * The ''[http://www.amtrak.com/routes/southwest-chief-train.html Southwest Chief]'' runs daily from [[Chicago#By train|Chicago]] via [[Kansas City]], [[Albuquerque]], [[Flagstaff]], Williams Junction (nearest stop to the [[Grand Canyon]]) and [[Kingman]] to Los Angeles. It also makes stops in the Mojave Desert ([[Needles]], [[Barstow]] and [[Victorville]]); the [[Inland Empire]] ([[Riverside]] and [[San Bernardino]]) and Orange County ([[Fullerton]]) and on its way into Los Angeles. * The ''[http://www.amtrak.com/routes/sunset-limited-train.html Sunset Limited]'' runs three times a week from [[New Orleans]] via [[Houston]], [[San Antonio]], [[El Paso]], [[Tucson]] and [[Yuma]]. Additionally, Amtrak's ''[http://www.texaseagle.com/ Texas Eagle]'' service between San Antonio and Chicago incorporates the Sunset Limited to provide a direct connection to Los Angeles with the same stops as the Sunset Limited between San Antonio and Los Angeles. This train also stops in the Inland Empire ([[Pomona]], Ontario and Palm Springs). Train services are limited to two token lines with hardly any real transport value in Mexico and there are NO passenger rail service to anywhere near the U.S./Mexican border from anywhere in Mexico. ===By bus=== Many bus companies operate services to California. Service is most frequent along the interstates from large cities in neighboring states. See ''By bus'' under ''Get around'' in the below for a list of bus companies serving the state. ===By road=== All major road entrances (including entrances from other U.S. States) to California have agricultural inspection stations to ensure that some fruits and vegetables do not cross into a region where they may come into contact with the farms in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]]. Often, travelers are subject to border inspection (somewhat strict for domestic travel) and asked if they have been on a farm or are carrying organic matter with them. ==Get around== California is the third largest state of the U.S. by area (after [[Alaska]] and [[Texas]]). It compares in size with [[Sweden]]. However, getting around California can be simple. ===By car=== [[File:California State Route 1 in Marin County.jpg|California State Route 1|thumb|right|250px]] [[File:405 southbound near Getty Museum.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Interstate 405 in Los Angeles]] In addition to interstates and US highways, California has one of the most expansive state highway systems in the United States. As with all long-distance trips in the United States, a car is generally the best way to get around and see destinations, especially rural ones. However the trip from the northern end of California to the southern end can take well over ten hours as the state's varied and in places rugged terrain can pose obstacles to the road network. The coast routes (State Route 1 and U.S. 101) are much slower and windier than Interstate 5, and GPS travel estimate times may be inaccurate, especially on Highway 1. Most California drivers are courteous and careful (although speeding is rampant), and the safety and ease of driving in California is comparable to most wealthy countries. Exceptions may be found in the most congested areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles &mdash; where potholes, road rage and reckless driving are commonplace &mdash; and some country roads in mountain ranges. Information about vehicle collisions and other non-congestion traffic problems on highways are reported online at [https://www.chp.ca.gov/traffic chp.ca.gov/traffic]. Traffic congestion is tracked by most online map sites. Gasoline prices are more expensive than in other parts of the U.S.; consider public transit in highly populated areas such as the Bay Area where prices are especially high. ====Freeway signage (and cautions)==== California uses the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) lane marking system standard throughout the United States, in which dashed white lines divide lanes of through traffic and yellow divides opposing traffic (with single dashed indicating passing and double solid indicating no passing). In many urban areas the lane markings are replaced by Botts dots for additional tactile feedback when crossing lanes. The network of freeways in major population centers is often confusing and intimidating to those unfamiliar with the area, so having a good map is very helpful. The great majority of exits from freeways are on the right. At interchanges between freeways, in most cases, the flow of traffic continues through the left lanes with the transition to the other freeway being in the right lanes. At certain freeway interchanges, Caltrans (California Dept. of Transportation) is notorious for posting advance direction signs that do not correctly explain which lanes correspond to which ramps. Additionally, Caltrans does not always post signs warning of upcoming lane drops or merges. For example, where a freeway has three through lanes and the central lane splits into two lanes, thus resulting in two ramps with two lanes each, the advance signage may incorrectly imply that only the right lane will break off for the upcoming right-side ramp, thus causing visitors driving in the middle lane to merge unnecessarily into the right lane. And the two lanes on the right-side ramp may suddenly merge into each other without any warning. These issues frequently result in visitors making wild last-minute lane merges. The 2009 national MUTCD is intended to remediate this problem (as seen in California and several other states) by mandating the use of detailed arrows on direction signs that clearly show which lanes split into new lanes at upcoming interchanges, but California has not yet implemented the new MUTCD standard. Thus, one should approach major freeway interchanges in California with caution. Mile-based exit numbering is in progress but is still very erratic in areas; an exit number may not be marked at all, may be marked on the last directional sign before the exit, or may be marked on the final "EXIT" sign where the exit ramp separates. ====Ramp meters==== In urban areas, the access ramps to a freeway may have traffic lights for each lane (called ramp meters or ramp metering lights; you'll see warning signs that read "METER ON"). During high-traffic times, the traffic light spaces out the vehicles attempting to merge onto the freeway. Be sure to read the sign below the light as ramps can allow 1 to 3 vehicles per green light. Most ramp meters are for ramps from local roads to a freeway, but some freeway junctions have meters on their ramps too. ====Toll roads and bridges==== Most highways are freely accessible, although there are a handful of tollways as well as tolled lanes on roads that are otherwise freeways. Most Southern California toll roads have no toll plazas; in most cases, you must have a FasTrak account and transponder - see below - to drive and pay the toll. On the other hand, all major bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area have toll plazas, with tolls charged on traffic in only one direction. All Bay Area toll plazas have cash lanes, except the Golden Gate Bridge (which takes photos of the license plates for non-FasTrak vehicles and bills the owner later). Cash toll lanes are staffed by human toll collectors; California toll plazas do not have "exact change" lanes where drivers may toss change in a basket without stopping. All California toll roads and toll plazas also accept FasTrak electronic toll collection transponders (aka tags) which can be used throughout the state. FasTrak is not compatible with any other state's ETC system. Going through a FasTrak-only toll plaza lane or toll road without a transponder or (only in some cases) an active FasTrak account with which your car's license plate is registered ''will'' result in a very expensive ticket. ====HOV/carpool lanes==== Some freeways have a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on the far left. This lane, also called the carpool lane or diamond lane, is marked by: * a diamond symbol painted on the road surface * signage on the wall separating the two sides of the freeway, with the diamond symbol * a double yellow line on the road surface (only in Southern California) Some freeway access ramps have carpool lanes too; often, the non-carpool lanes will have ramp meter traffic lights while the carpool lane has none. In most cases, the carpool lane is only for vehicles with 2 or more persons inside, motorcycles, and clean-air vehicles with [https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm government-issued "Access OK" stickers]. Sometimes, 3 or more persons and/or a FasTrak transponder may be required, so check the signage before entering a carpool lane. Carpool lane restrictions may be enforced 24 hours a day every day, or only when the signage says so (in those cases, it's usually only during rush hour on weekdays). Carpool lanes in Southern California have limited access points marked by a dashed white line. This is the only point at which a vehicle may legally enter or exit a carpool lane, since you are not allowed to cross a double yellow line. The minimum fine for unlawful use of a carpool lane is $490. ====Traffic safety and law enforcement==== All persons in a moving vehicle are required to wear a seatbelt and the driver and all passengers can be individually ticketed for failing to do so. Motorcycle riders must wear a helmet. Cellphone users are required to use a hands-free headset if talking on the phone while driving. Texting by the driver is illegal, as is any action on the phone that forces the driver to touch it more than once (and even single-touch actions are only allowed if the phone is mounted securely rather than hand-held). Unless otherwise signed, right-turns are permitted at red lights following a full stop. If it is raining hard enough to require you to use your windshield wipers, California law requires that your headlights be turned on. California does not have stationary photo radar cameras to deter speeding like in other countries, and mobile manned photo radar units are rare and still experimental. However, most California police officers do carry radar guns and use them often, and on rural freeways, the California Highway Patrol occasionally flies aircraft overhead to spot speeders and help ground units home in on their positions. Red light enforcement cameras are in use at many urban intersections, but are usually marked only by a single "PHOTO ENFORCED" sign before the intersection. The cameras must obtain a clear view of the driver's face and license plate before a ticket may be issued. California's laws against driving under the influence of alcohol are very strict; the maximum permissible blood alcohol concentration is 0.08%. All drivers are strongly encouraged to call 911 to report drunk drivers. California requires disabled out-of-state visitors to apply at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a travel placard for handicapped parking. It's valid for 90 days. Travelers with a non-US driver's license are generally permitted to drive in California. However, travelers who are in California for more than 10 days with some kinds of visas, especially the K-1 non-immigrant visa for future spouses, have run into some difficulties over their place of residence. The DMV refuses to issue drivers' licenses to people with non-immigrant visas, but police have filed charges against some of them for becoming a California resident without promptly obtaining a California license – the very license that the State refuses to issue on the grounds that they haven't legally become residents yet. This risk may be reduced by giving your non-California address as your place of legal residence if stopped by police. Unlike most states, "lane-splitting" by motorcyclists (i.e. riding down the painted lines between traffic lanes) is legal in California and commonly done in heavy traffic. It's only legal when traffic is going slower than 30 mph, and motorcyclists are only allowed to go 15 mph faster than the general flow of traffic, but many motorcyclists seem to treat this as more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. As a result, if you're driving a car, take extra care to watch for motorcycles when changing lanes on a major highway. ====Major highways==== [[File:California State Route 1 All American Road sign.jpg|150px|thumb|right|A California State Highway sign. The poppy sign below it indicates that it is a state scenic route]] Here are some important highways in California: *'''[[Interstate 5]]:''' Runs between San Diego, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, then north into Oregon and Washington *'''Interstate 8:''' Runs between San Diego and Arizona *'''Interstate 10:''' Runs between Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and Palm Springs, then into Arizona and points east *'''Interstate 15:''' Runs between San Diego, the Inland Empire, Barstow, Las Vegas, Nevada and points north *'''Interstate 40:''' Runs between Barstow, Needles, then into Arizona and points east *'''Interstate 80:''' Runs between the Bay Area, Sacramento, Reno, Nevada, and points east *'''Interstate 405:''' Loop around the Los Angeles Area *'''Interstate 580:''' Connects that San Francisco Bay Area with Interstate 5 *'''[[Pacific Coast Highway|State Route 1]]:''' Runs up the California Coast between Orange County, Los Angeles, Monterey, the Bay Area, and [[Fort Bragg]] *'''State Route 99:''' Runs along the California Central Valley between Red Bluff, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield *'''U.S. Highway 50:''' Runs between Sacramento, South Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Nevada, and points east *'''U.S. Highway 101:''' Runs between Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, then close to the California Coast to the San Francisco Bay, Eureka and points north *'''U.S. Highway 395:''' Runs along the Eastern Sierras, connecting the Inland Empire and High Desert with Bishop, Reno, and Susanville, then into Oregon and points north *'''[[Route 66]]:''' Now decommissioned, historically connected Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Barstow, Needles, then into Arizona and points east ===By plane=== [[File:LAX LA.jpg|Los Angeles International Airport|250px|thumb|right]] Flying may be a more reasonable option for crossing large expanses of the state. [http://www.aa.com American/American Eagle]; [http://www.united.com United/United Express], [http://www.delta.com Delta], [http://www.southwest.com Southwest], [http://www.jetblue.com JetBlue], [http://www.jsx.com Jet Suite X (JSX)] and [http://www.alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines] offer intrastate flights within the state of California. San Francisco is a hub for United and Alaska; Los Angeles is a hub for United, American/American Eagle, and Alaska Airlines; and Long Beach is the West Coast hub for JetBlue. The LAX-SFO route is one of the busiest in America which means competitive fares and delays are frequent which is only made worse by the fog that tends to hit San Francisco bay on a regular basis. In addition, the airlines offer flights from different airports in [[Southern California#By plane|southern California]] in the south; to the [[Bay_Area_(California)#By plane|SF Bay area]] and Sacramento to the north at competitive rates. The primary airports served by major US carriers, Volaris (from Mexico) and Aeromexico (from Mexico) in California are in: :* Los Angeles area – [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles International]] ({{IATA|LAX}}), [http://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ Burbank-Hollywood Airport (Bob Hope Airport)] ({{IATA|BUR}}) in [[Burbank#By plane|Burbank]], [http://www.ocair.com John Wayne Airport] ({{IATA|SNA}} in [[Santa Ana_(California)|Orange County]]; [[Ontario (California)#By plane|Ontario Airport]] ({{IATA|ONT}}), and a small airport in [http://www.lgb.org Long Beach] ({{IATA|LGB}}) :* San Francisco Bay Area – [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]] ({{IATA|SFO}}), [http://www.flyoakland.com Oakland] ({{IATA|OAK}}), [http://www.sjc.org San Jose] ({{IATA|SJC}}); both San Francisco and Oakland airport are now connected to the metro, BART, while San Jose is connected by Caltrain via a free shuttle at the 'Santa Clara Station'. Oakland is closer to Downtown San Francisco than SFO is and offers a fog-free alternative. :* [[San Diego#By plane|San Diego]] ({{IATA|SAN}}) :* [[Sacramento#By plane|Sacramento]] ({{IATA|SMF}}) :* [[Reno#By plane|Reno]] ({{IATA|RNO}}), Nevada closer to the Lake Tahoe area than Sacramento The busiest second tier airports are [http://www.flyfresno.com Fresno] ({{IATA|FAT}}) (nearest to Yosemite NP); [http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/flysba/default.asp Santa Barbara] ({{IATA|SBA}}); and [http://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/aviation-palm-springs-international-airport-psp Palm Springs] ({{IATA|PSP}}). There are also flights from major hubs to Bakersfield, [[Arcata]]/McKinleyville (nearest to Eureka), Monterey, Redding, Sonoma/Santa Rosa, Stockton, Merced, Santa Maria, Crescent City, Mammoth Lakes, El Centro, and San Luis Obispo. ===By train=== The state's various rail services provide a cheap and reasonably comfortable way to see and get around much of the state [[USA without a car|without a car]]. '''[[Amtrak]]''' operates a few long-distance routes through and out of California, as well as the three '''[http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com Amtrak California]''' routes: :* San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara-Los Angeles-Anahiem-San Diego on the ''[https://www.pacificsurfliner.com/ Pacific Surfliner]'' :* Oakland/Sacramento-Stockton-Fresno-Bakersfield on the ''[https://amtraksanjoaquins.com/ San Joaquins]'' (which have connecting Thruway bus service to Los Angeles) :* San Jose-Oakland-Sacramento-Auburn on the ''[https://www.capitolcorridor.org/ Capitol Corridor]'' :* Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo-San Jose-Oakland-Sacramento-Redding-(continues to Seattle) on the ''Coast Starlight'' :* Emeryville (San Francisco connection)-Sacramento-Truckee (near Lake Tahoe)-(continues to Chicago) on the ''California Zephyr'' :*Los Angeles-Palm Springs-(continues to Chicago) on the Sunset Limited :*''Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches'' connects additional cities and towns to/from the Amtrak (train) network by bus such as Santa Cruz-San Jose; San Francisco-Emeryville; Bakersfield-Los Angeles; Bakersfield-Las Vegas; Martinez-Arcata; Redding-Sacramento; etc. Amtrak has seen continuously increasing ridership in most of the USA for more than a decade now, and surprisingly enough three of the six most popular Amtrak routes run through California, thus making them a viable alternative to the more often than not congested roads and airports. In addition, there are several commuter and regional services in the state's metro areas: :*''[http://www.caltrain.com Caltrain]'' San Francisco-Palo Alto-San Jose-Gilroy through the famous Silicon Valley. :* ''[http://www.acerail.com/ Altamont Commuter Express]'' San Jose-Stockton through the Altamont Corridor Express. :* ''[http://www.bart.gov/ BART]'' operates in the Bay Area, connecting much of the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek) to San Francisco and SFO. :* ''[http://www.metrolinktrains.com/ Metrolink]'' runs regional train service throughout the greater Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura County (metropolis) region on multiple routes. :* ''[http://www.gonctd.com/coaster COASTER]'' runs along the coast of San Diego County between downtown San Diego, Carlsbad and Oceanside. :*''[https://gonctd.com/services/sprinter-hybrid-rail/ SPRINTER]'' runs across Northern San Diego County between Escondino and Oceanside with bus and train connections to Los Angeles and San Diego. :*''[https://www.sonomamarintrain.org/ Sonoma-Marin Rail (SMART)]'' runs between Santa Rosa and San Rafael in Marin/Sonoma County (Northern Bay Area) with ferry connections to San Francisco There are also light rail systems in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose. Almost all of these systems are being expanded or upgraded to cope with rising ridership, so expect more and better service in years to come. ===By bus=== {{see also|Long-distance bus travel in the United States }} The bus is not the most glamorous way to get around the state, but it can be the cheapest. There are fairly frequent service between [[San Francisco#By bus|San Francisco]] and [[Los Angeles#By bus|Los Angeles]]; San Francisco and [[Sacramento#By bus|Sacramento]]; and Sacramento and Los Angeles on multiple lines. There are hourly "clocker" buses between Los Angeles, San Diego and/or Tijuana. There are multiple bus companies operating within California. Many of the smaller companies, county bus services, and those connecting rural towns are not listed, check the article of your destination for all the transportation options. Information on transit can be found [https://www.apta.com/research-technical-resources/public-transportation-links/california/ here]. * {{listing | name=Eastern Sierra Transit | alt= | url=http://www.estransit.com/routes-schedule/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 760 872-1901 | tollfree=+1 800 922-1930 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-08 | content=Operates 'local' buses along US Hwy 395 corridor between Mammoth Lake, Bishop and Lone Pine in Mono and Inyo Counties in the eastern 'Desert' and the Sierra Nevada parts of the state. They have a route continuing north to Carson City & Reno from Mammoth Lake and south to Lancaster from Lone Pine. The area is not served by Greyhound or Amtrak Thruway buses }} * {{listing | type=go | name=El Paso Los Angeles Limousine Express | alt= | url=http://www.eplalimo.com | email= | address=(downtown LA depot) 622 E 6th St | lat= | long= | directions=SW corner of E 6th St & Wall St across the street from police station | phone=+1 213 623-2323 and +1 323-265-3232 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-10 | content=Travels along I-10 between Los Angeles, [[Indio]], Phoenix, [[Las Cruces]] and El Paso on one route and on I-15 to Las Vegas & North Las Vegas on another route. They have additional stops in E. Los Angeles, El Monte and [[Colton]] on their way on both routes. They also have a second depot at 4425 S Atlantic Blvd in E Los Angeles. }} * {{listing | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 855 626-8585 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-14 | content=German bus company to rival Greyhound Lines (First Group); Megabus (Stagecoach Group) and various American and Mexican bus companies in the American market. It connects Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Sacramento, SF Bay Area and San Diego via multiple cities en route in Arizona and California. It may expand to other parts of the U.S. if it is successful. It dominates the German market and has grown rapidly through subcontracting its operations, which has the downside for customers that the buses are not of a consistent style or quality. }} * {{listing | name=Green Tortoise | alt= | url=http://www.greentortoise.com/about.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 415 956-7500 | tollfree=1 800 867-8647 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-05-22 | content=Operates something like a 'hippie' bus that serves as a bus by day with stops to visit different places like a bus tour throughout the day and a RV camper by night in different campgrounds. It offers bus tours and camping trips to Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Death Valley Sequoia and along the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some of its tours involve a 3- to 5-day round trip from the point of origin such as from San Francisco to Yosemite NP and back while others are one way where the journey starts from one place and end in the other like from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree and end in Las Vegas. Even with round trips it is possible to ask to be picked up or dropped off in different places than the point of origin/return. Others like its 'Hostel Hoppers' or 'Express' are a straightforward bus ride from point A to B. It is one way to combine 'taking the bus' from one place to another and to visit and see remote places without a private automobile. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound & Cruceros-USA | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=1 800 231-2222 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-10 | content=Greyhound goes to 100 locations statewide, though these are not all actual stations, some are merely stops. In general, Greyhound serves the same routes that Amtrak does along the main highways. In some cases Greyhound is cheaper, faster, and more frequent than Amtrak. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Hoang Express | alt= | url=http://www.xedohoang.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 714 839-3500 | tollfree=+1-888-834-9336 | fax= | hours= | price=$60-65 to Bay Area; $80 to Sacramento | content=Travels between SoCal (San Diego, El Monte, Los Angeles, [[Westminster (California)|Westminster]]); Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose & Oakland) and to Sacramento on another route from Los Angeles. They also offer service from Los Angeles to Arizona (Phoenix, [[Chandler (Arizona)|Chandler]] and [[Tempe]]. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=International Bus Lines | alt=formerly Intercalifornias | url=https://www.ibuslines.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 213 629-4885 | tollfree=+1-888-834-9336 | fax= | hours= | price=Prices vary depending on your destination | content=Connects Tijuana, San Ysidro (just over the border), Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Fernando, Bakersfield, Fresno, and San Jose/[[Stockton (California)|Stockton]] (route splits/joins in Madero) and several other places in between. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=LuxBus | alt= | url=http://www.luxbusamerica.com/ | email= | address=on request for hotel pick up/drop off | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-610-7870 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates to/from [[Las Vegas]], [[Anaheim]], and [[San Diego]]. }} * {{listing | name=Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) | alt= | url=http://mendocinotransit.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-08 | content=Travels extensively in the North Coast region along Hwy 1 from Ft Bragg to Navarro River Junction (#65), Point Arena (#75), Bodega Bay and Santa Rosa (#95). Another route from Ft Bragg to Willits, Ukiah and Santa Rosa along SR-20 and US Hwy 101 (Rt #65). Much of the area is not served by Greyhound or Amtrak Thruway Buses off the US Hwy 101 corridor. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Megabus | alt= | url=http://us.megabus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-08-05 | content=Goes to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. They also have another route from San Francisco to Sacramento along I-80. }} * {{listing | name=Orange Belt Stages | alt=Trailways | url=http://www.orangebelt.com/schedules_fares.php {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 559 733-4408 | tollfree=1 800-266-7433 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-09 | content=Regular scheduled service between Lenmoore and Santa Maria through Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. They also offer [http://www.orangebelt.com/tours.php day trips] {{dead link|December 2020}} to different places for sightseeing and to scheduled events throughout California. }} * {{listing | name=Sage Stage | alt= | url=http://sagestage.com | email= | address=(bus stops) Rite Aide @ 5th & Main in Alturas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 530 233-6410 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-18 | content=Provides public transportation from Alturas and Canby in Modoc County, in the [[Shasta Cascades]], to [[Redding]]; [[Reno]], NV; and [[Klamath Falls]], OR on three separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Barbara Airbus | alt= | url=http://www.sbairbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 805 964-7759 | tollfree=+1-800-423-1618 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-08-05 | content=Eight trips a day from [[Los Angeles International Airport|LAX]] to [[Carpinteria]], [[Santa Barbara]] and [[Goleta]]. }} * {{listing | name="Cabin" | alt=formerly Sleep Bus | url=https://www.ridecabin.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-25 | content=Overnight service to the Los Angeles area (Ocean & Arizona Ave in Palisades Park in [[Santa Monica]]) from San Francisco (Bayside Lot @ 1 Bryant St). This is an actual sleeper bus featuring twin size bunk beds with privacy curtains, power outlets, and free wifi. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Tufesa | alt= | url=http://www.gotobus.com/tufesa/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 213 489-8079 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices vary depending on your destination | content=Connects Los Angles to Sacramento (via Bakersfield, Fresno, etc); to Salt Lake City (via Barstow, Las Vegas, St George, etc); to Hermosillo (via Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales); San Francisco Bay Area; and to Tijuana (via Santa Ana, San Diego/San Ysidro). }} * {{listing | name=Yarts | alt= | url=http://yarts.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-05-22 | content=Operates regularly scheduled buses from Yosemite NP (Visitors' Center) to Fresno, Merced, Mammoth Lakes & Sonora on four separate routes. }} * {{listing | name=Jass | alt= | url=http://www.airportlimoservice.biz| email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 408 209-0304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices vary from place to place | content=Offers services from San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, Oakland and other areas of the state with different travel routes. }} ===By foot=== *The [[Pacific Crest Trail]] crosses the length of California on its way from [[Mexico]] to [[Canada]] *The [[American Discovery Trail]] connects California with [[Nevada]] and the East Coast. ===By boat=== *Ferry service is limited, but can be a scenic, relaxing, and fun way to travel. Major services exist in the Bay Area, to the Channel Islands and to Catalina Island near Los Angeles. Several of the smaller coastal towns have water taxi services within their city. Check as the stops and limited and the schedules may seasonal. *Many cities are along the coast, or else on navigable waterways, and you can dock your own boat there. ==Talk== [[File:Golden Hour at Emerald Bay.jpg|thumb|Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe]] Although the California Constitution states that English is the official language of the state of California, in reality, California is a multilingual state. American English is the main language and [[Spanish phrasebook|Spanish]] is the ''de facto'' second language, and a knowledge of even rudimentary Spanish is useful in most cities from Sacramento to San Diego. Los Angeles has some of the largest Hispanic populations north of Mexico. The state is highly influenced by Spanish culture, as California was once part of the Spanish empire until 1821, and then of Mexico for a short while after, until ceded to the USA after a decisive US victory in the war between Mexico and the US in 1848. In fact, some of its residents declared it an independent country for about a month (The Bear Flag Republic) in the midst of the Mexican-American War 1846–1848, and many of California's cities were named after saints or phrases in Spanish (such as [[Los Angeles]], [[San Diego]], [[San Francisco]], [[Sacramento]], and [[San Jose (California)|San Jose]]). Store and street signs are sometimes written in both English and Spanish in major metropolitan areas, and "Spanglish" (a mixture of English and Spanish) is often used and heard throughout the state. Even people with no Latino heritage whatsoever sometimes speak fluent Spanish or use common Spanish-derived expressions when speaking English. Most businesses in California have at least a few employees who are bilingual in English and Spanish. Some restaurants in fact may have a workforce that is more fluent in Spanish than English. Chinese is also spoken throughout California, and areas with a large number of Chinese residents or businesses have Chinese signage. [[Japanese]], [[Tagalog]], [[Korean]], [[Vietnamese]], [[Hindi]], [[Punjabi]], and [[Khmer]] are also spoken among Asian Californian populations. Big cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco also tend to have communities of essentially any ethnicity imaginable, and there is a good chance you can hear their language and have an opportunity to consume their culture's food. Los Angeles, for example, boasts quite a large Ethiopian neighborhood. == See == [[File:Us-ca-sanfran-goldengate.jpg|thumb|Golden Gate Bridge in [[San Francisco]]]] [[Image:16-yosemite-half-dome.jpg|thumb|Half-dome at [[Yosemite National Park]]]] [[File:Silver Lake.jpg|thumb|Silver Lake is in the [[Sierra Nevada|Sierra Nevada Range]] of eastern California]] * California's high population and its climate have led to the creation of numerous [[Reservoirs in California|reservoirs]]. * See California marine animals (native and migrating) that you can easily find in the wild along the state's beaches, in lagoons and estuaries, such as sea otters, grey whales, elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions as well as multitudes of tide pools dwellers including crabs, sea stars, anemone, and sea urchins. Timing is key: go at low tide to see lots of marine life. ===Itineraries=== *[[El Camino Real]] (The Royal Road) &mdash; a historic road linking the 21 Spanish missions of Alta California (modern day state of California) offering a fascinating look into California's history *[[Pacific Coast Highway]] &mdash; tour up and down the iconic California coast, along [[Big Sur]], all the way up to its end where it merges into the US 101, which goes up to Washington state. ==Do== [[File:Hollywood sign 053004.jpg|thumb|[[Hollywood]]]] * '''Ski''' at one of the great resorts near [[Lake Tahoe]] or [[Big Bear Lake|Big Bear]]. * Try your hand at '''surfing''' or work on your tan in [[Orange County (California)|Orange County]] or [[Santa Monica]]. * The long coastline offers some great [[Scuba diving in California|California scuba diving]]. * Climb a mountain and camp in the [[Sierra Nevada]] or [[Shasta Cascades]]. * See California's amazing wildflowers. From March through May, the [http://www.theodorepayne.org California Wildflower Hotline] at +1 818 768-3533 offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout Southern and Central California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, founded in 1983, is run by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants. * Listen to music at the '''[http://www.northerncaliforniabluesfest.com Northern California Blues Festival]'''. The fastest growing festival of its kind comes in June to Sacramento County around Father's day each year and usually features a spectacular line-up of Blues artists. Event benefits Through the Mind, a non-profit providing free alternative mental health to America's Veterans. * Visit one of the many '''theme parks''' in California, such as [[Disneyland]] or [[Six Flags Magic Mountain]]. ==Buy== Usually US dollars and common credit or debit cards are the only accepted modes of payment. Many stores can take contactless payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. You might have some luck with Mexican Pesos near the immediate border area, but the exchange rates are usually pretty bad. California stores no longer give out free plastic bags, except for fresh grocery produce and meats. Reusable plastic bags cost a minimum of ten cents (by state law). Many stores sell cloth bags for one or two dollars. Sales tax varies from county to county and city to city; it is usually around 9% and is charged on almost everything except regular groceries. The quintessential California souvenir depends a lot on which part of the state you visited, and what your interests are. The agricultural products change from citrus and avocadoes down south to strawberries in the middle, to almonds and wine as you move north. In LA, you might take home chocolates from See's Candies; in the Central Coast, keep an eye open for locally produced saltwater taffy; in the Bay Area, it's all about Ghirardelli Chocolate. Common themes for souvenir items include surfing, tie-dyed clothing, and redwood trees. ==Eat== {{See also|American cuisine|Fast food in the United States and Canada}} California doesn't have a single, well-defined cuisine of its own, but rather has a remarkably diverse food scene defined by its large population of immigrants of varied ethnic backgrounds and its access to one of the most productive agricultural regions on this side of the planet. The culinary style referred to as ''Californian cuisine'' or ''California fusion'' focuses on imaginative fusions of other cuisines, typically with heavy attention to presentation and an emphasis on using freshly prepared local ingredients, and has been somewhat subsumed into the general trend of "New American" cuisine. Almost any dish you can imagine can be found somewhere in California, with the cuisines of the Americas and Asia heavily represented, and those of nearly every other country available to a lesser extent. More "North American" fare includes everything from burger shacks to vegetarian, organic and even completely vegan restaurants; the Californian love for food has made it one of the most diverse restaurant scenes in North America. The large cities have the most variety, while things get simpler and more meat-heavy as you get more rural. There are a handful of distinctive California dishes, although most of them have been adopted and adapted throughout the US. * Cobb salad – a cold salad of bacon or ham, chicken, boiled eggs, avocado, tomato, lettuce, and bleu cheese, with a vinaigrette dressing. Traditionally it's chopped fairly fine, but in modern times it's served in a variety of ways, and sometimes with ranch dressing instead of the traditional vinaigrette. It was invented at the Brown Derby restaurant in LA. * French dip sandwich – invented somewhere in LA, the exact location is subject to dispute, but it's a warm sandwich of thinly sliced roast beef on a roll that's dipped into beef broth. * Cioppino – a seafood stew developed by Italian immigrants in San Francisco, it resembles various Italian fish stews but includes local ingredients like chopped Dungeness crab. * The Mission Burrito – a San Francisco tradition characterized mainly by its great size and caloric content, featuring copious amounts of beans and rice in addition to cheese, meat and/or vegetables. * California Burrito – a San Diego specialty, it's a carne asada (spicy grilled steak) burrito, stuffed with french fries. * Santa Maria Barbeque – This is a central coast tradition. It's a bottom sirloin beef roast (the cut is locally known as tri-tip), where the fat hasn't been trimmed. It's suspended high above a hot oak fire, fat side up, so it cooks slowly and the fat melts and tenderizes the meat. It's usually served thinly sliced with tortillas or bread, salsa, onions, avocado, and other side dishes. *Chop Suey – the original "American Chinese" dish was popularized as cheap food for laborers during the California gold rush. While it's increasingly hard to find, many other American Chinese dishes were first created in San Francisco's Chinatown. Larger cities in California have some restaurants selling American Chinese food and others selling traditional Chinese dishes. In smaller cities, the Americanized version may be the only option on the menu. As a general rule, plain water is free at any restaurant. However, if you need a disposable cup, the cup will cost you 25 cents (by state law). You are allowed to bring your own reusable water cup or bottle. ===Regional chains=== California's classic burger chain '''In-N-Out''' has expanded to states as far east as [[Texas]]—see [[Fast food in the United States and Canada]] for more. Outside of fast food, California chains that you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere include: * {{listing | type=eat | name=Ike's | alt= | url=http://www.loveandsandwiches.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-22 | content=Casual sandwich joint with more than 50 locations, mostly in California though a few are in Nevada. The menu varies by location, but in general about half the menu has meat and half is vegetarian; many vegetarian options can be made vegan. The sandwiches are filling and flavorful but not excessively heavy. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Three Twins Ice Cream | alt= | url=https://threetwinsicecream.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Three Twins | wikidata=Q17090076 | lastedit= | content=You can buy their ice cream at supermarkets and convenience stores all over the country, but the ice cream shops are only in California (plus a few new branches in Japan and Korea). Organic ice cream with somewhat distinctive flavors. They usually have a couple of vegan/non-dairy options. }} *{{listing | name=Farmer Boys | alt= | url=https://www.farmerboys.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5435711 | lastedit=2021-10-17 | content=A farm-to-table restaurant chain featuring a burger shack menu that is freshly cooked from local produce. Hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads, plus diner-style breakfast options served all day. }} *{{Listing|name=Lemonade|url=https://lemonadela.com/|price=$15|lastedit=2021-10-17|content=Poke bowls, chef bowls, sandwiches, and 10 different types of freshly made lemonade. This is California fusion food without the high-end budget. Take your friend who's always bored with the same-ol' stuff. Don't neglect the side dishes. Vegan options.}} ==Drink== California is known for its fine [[wine]]s and gourmet beers. [[Napa]], [[Sonoma]] and [[Mendocino]] are premier wine districts north of San Francisco, but there are others in the Central Coast region and even the San Diego region where suitable microclimates have been found. The inland Central Valley region has hotter summers and traditionally produced inexpensive bulk wines, but quality has been improving with winemaking innovations. Californians tend to view wine as a natural accompaniment of food or socializing, overlooking its alcoholic content more easily than with distilled spirits. However police crackdowns on drinking and driving are increasingly severe with roadblocks and random checks. Conviction for driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 percent is likely to bring serious legal and financial consequences. Drivers with lower blood alcohol can still be convicted for '''DUI''' (driving under the influence) if they fail field sobriety tests such as walking a straight line. You must be 21 years of age to drink any alcoholic beverage. Underage drinking is taken very seriously so if you are in a club or bar and appear to be under 30 you should be ready to present identification showing your age. The only acceptable proof of age documentation are passports or United States-issued identification cards (e.g. drivers licences); foreign drivers licences and foreign ID cards are '''NOT''' legally acceptable as proof of age documentation, and people who are unable to produce a passport or valid United States ID will be refused service. Only actual ID documents will be accepted - photographs or photocopies will NOT be accepted. For beer, California also has a lot of microbreweries. Sierra Nevada, in [[Chico (California)|Chico]], is one of the biggest microbreweries in North America. In the [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] the midsized brewery Firestone Walker in Paso Robles is a good addition to the local wineries in the area. In [[San Diego]], Stone Brewing Company offers a great variety of beers that can be purchased throughout the state. There are over 200 microbreweries in California. ==Stay healthy== ===Air pollution=== While [[air pollution]] levels have dropped dramatically since the 1970s, more than ninety percent of Californians live in counties with unhealthy air. Visitors to the mountains or the rural regions of Northern California will have nothing to worry about, but the overreliance on cars, low rainfall, and surrounding mountains in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area create some of America's worst air quality. It gets particularly bad when a layer of cold air gets "trapped" by a layer of warmer air above it ("inversion") which is particularly likely in basins. While air quality is rarely at levels that would be considered immediately dangerous, visitors should heed alerts and be especially cautious when any local wildfires are burning. Occasionally, there will be an '''advisory''' issued for air stagnation, which is a phenomenon involving an air mass that cannot move and therefore stagnates over an area for an extensive period of time. Air pollutants can cause breathing difficulties for those with existing respiratory conditions. If you have a respiratory condition, refer to the '''[http://www.nws.noaa.gov/aq/ National Weather Service]''' website on air quality to see if any such advisories have been issued for the areas you might visit. ===Disease=== [[File:MOUSE, CALIFORNIA (peromyscus californicus) (5-29-09) cerro alto campground road, slo co, ca -01 (3577515146).jpg|alt=California deermouse|thumb|This cute, large-eared mouse and its tan-colored siblings can carry a deadly virus.]] Deer mice can transmit a virus that causes '''hantaviral pulmonary syndrome'''. You are most likely to get infected if you breathe in dust containing their excrement (feces, urine, and saliva). Realistically, however, hantavirus is of very little concern to the traveler, as only a few people get infected each year, and most of them are exposed on the job, but sensible precautions should be applied. Do '''not''' venture in any wild animal's den or touch deer mice or their excrement. If you need to clean up after rodents, wear waterproof gloves, eye protection, and a high-quality respirator mask, and use disinfectants and wet-mopping techniques, rather than brooms and vacuums (both of which spread virus-laden dust). If you do get infected, treatment usually involves a week or two in the hospital. The main defense against the virus is prevention. ==Stay safe== [[File:Elephant seals fighting.jpg|thumb|Elephant seals fighting, [[San Simeon]]]] ===California–Mexico border=== Due to California's proximity to the international boundary with Mexico, visitors should be cautious while in areas near the border. * Beware Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) checkpoints and patrols. CBP is legally allowed to stop you or your vehicle solely in order to inquire about your citizenship and residency status within 100 miles of any international border (in this instance, the US–Mexico border). ''Non-whites, and especially Latinos, should expect to be profiled, targeted, and harassed by these government agents.'' *Know where you are at all times. Follow good safety procedures and use common sense when making decisions. * Do not pick up [[Hitchhiking|hitchhikers]]. If the person is undocumented or carrying drugs, you could be mistaken for a trafficker. * Keep valuables, including spare change, out of sight and lock your vehicle. * Avoid traveling in well-marked but unofficial "trails." * Avoid hiking or camping in areas of major border activity. If you are visiting a national or state park, consult park staff to help plan backcountry travel in safer areas. ====Crossing the border==== Thousands of U.S citizens visit the state of [[Baja California (state)|Baja California, Mexico]] from California every year, with the majority of travelers returning from an enjoyable experience. However, a minority of travelers do experience difficulties and serious inconveniences while traveling to Mexico. Before traveling to Mexico, ensure that you have the proper documentation and are familiar with the recommendations for foreign travel from the '''[http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1174.html U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs]''' There are six border crossings between California and Mexico: two between San Diego and [[Tijuana]], one between [[Tecate]] and Tecate, two between [[Calexico]] and [[Mexicali]], and one between Andrade and [[Los Algodones]]. The United States operates a consulate-general in Tijuana and a consulate in Mexicali. Mexico operates Consulates in Calexico, Fresno, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Ana. ===Crime=== The usual inner city crime can be found in the worst parts of [[Los Angeles]], [[San Francisco]], and [[Oakland]]. Central Valley cities, such as [[Sacramento]], [[Stockton (California)|Stockton]], and [[Fresno]] also have gang problems. Northern coastal cities such as [[Eureka]] have an ongoing problem with significant drug activity and property crimes. However, most California cities are safe. As long as you take basic precautions against petty crime, such as keeping your phone and other valuables out of sight in tourist areas, and stay out of obviously run-down neighborhoods, you will probably have a safe and pleasant visit. If you are traveling along the '''Pacific Coast Highway''' or '''Highway 101''', you may notice there are a substantial number of hitch-hikers along the way. Most are harmless youthful travelers or people who just need to get somewhere for lack of other means, while others may be a bit less safe to pick up. Use your best judgement, and, unless you feel confident in the people to whom you're giving a ride, it's probably better not to offer one while you're travelling alone. '''Drugs''' are illegal in California, with the noted exception of '''[[cannabis|marijuana]]'''. Adults 21 and over are allowed to possess, use, and cultivate small amounts of marijuana, so long as it is not consumed in public or possessed on the grounds of a school or day care center. The maximum amount a person may possess is one ounce of marijuana or 8 grams of concentrates. Some dispensaries sell marijuana products to the general public, although others remain restricted to those who have a medical marijuana recommendation from a doctor. Delivery services are also available. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, so do not carry marijuana across state lines—even to another state where it is legal—as this will be considered drug trafficking and subject to harsh punishment. Also, do not take marijuana onto federal land, including any of the dozens of national parks and national forests in California. If you find yourself in an emergency situation (of any kind), dial '''9-1-1''' on your phone or from any (available) phone. It is a free call from a payphone. ===Earthquakes=== [[Earthquakes]] that are large enough to cause extensive damage are rare, but remain a matter of reality for the state. Most earthquakes are mild and last for a couple of seconds. You're not likely to encounter one during your trip, but if you do, you'll probably go home with nothing more exciting than a story about it being over before you figured out that it was an earthquake. Compared to Japan, where earthquakes are common and a smartphone-based earthquake alert system is well-developed, or Mexico City, whose geography makes earthquakes easier to predict, expect to have no or very little warning even if you [https://earthquake.ca.gov/get-alerts/ sign up for mobile-based alerts]. When you feel the shaking, '''drop, cover, and hold on'''. The biggest dangers in an earthquake are falling objects (such as books or bottles flying off shelves – or the whole shelf with all of its contents, if it's not properly mounted) and windows, which may shatter explosively. In the event of an earthquake, '''face away from windows''' and '''hide under any sturdy table or desk''' – and then hold on to that table, because the shaking could cause the table to slide across the floor. Contrary to popular belief, do not stand in a door frame; these are structurally weaker spots in modern buildings, and they provide no protection against falling objects. If you are indoors, '''do not run outside!''' Falling building facades are more likely to cause severe injuries than anything inside. If outdoors, stay away from buildings (especially brick chimneys, which may spray bricks around a large area), and stay out from under power lines. If you are driving, your first thought will probably be that something is wrong with your car. Immediately slow down and then stop at the nearest safe place. When the shaking is over (the ground ''and'' your nerves), it's okay to start driving again, but drive cautiously, as traffic signals will likely be out, the road surface may be cracked, other drivers may be panicking, and there may be trees or damaged vehicles blocking the road ahead. ===Deserts=== Along the southern most border of California-Nevada, as well as the border of California-Arizona, California has elaborate desert landscapes which extend into the south central regions of the state, the most famous (or infamous) being the region known as [[Death Valley]], where several tourists and hikers have indeed met their fate while exploring the region. If you are planning on traveling or hiking into these locations, '''follow desert survival guidelines'''. Be sure to take plenty of water (at least one gallon/four litres per person, per day), sunscreen and wear light clothing. Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Be sure to have a full tank of gasoline prior to traveling by car into these regions, as many desert locations are extremely remote and without any services for several miles (in some cases nearly 100 miles). To break down in these regions could be extremely unpleasant in the best case scenario, tragic in the worst. Also, it is best to hike during the earlier part of the day, as thunderstorms tend to develop suddenly during the afternoon. In the event you encounter inclement weather conditions, seek high ground immediately! Thunderstorms can cause flash flooding in canyons and other low-lying areas. ===Tsunamis=== The incidence of earthquakes in California raises the concern for potential threats of tsunamis. Though tsunamis occur very rarely, a great deal of California's coastline is in a tsunami zone. For more information on the state's hazard assessment, visit the '''[http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/state/wa/index.html NOAA Center for Tsunami Research]''' website. ===Wildfires=== Wildfires are common between May and October, but can also occur at other times. Precautions include the following: clear the area around campfire pits/rings in campgrounds, never leave flames unattended (even artificial ones), do not throw cigarette ends out of a car, and avoid unnecessary weapon use in dry areas.<!-- My understanding of laws in California is that the latter is illegal anyway. --> The strongest impact from fires is smoke. Smoke affects areas dramatically exceeding the size of the root fire. Travelers with respiratory issues should consult visitor information sites before visiting areas where fires are occurring, or anywhere in the path of the smoke, which can spread across large portions of the state during the worst wildfires. ===Mudslides=== Fire season is followed by the rainy season, and hilly areas where the vegetation has burned are particularly vulnerable to destructive and sometimes deadly mudslides. Heed any evacuation warnings that are issued. ===Wild animals=== '''[[Bears]]''' are found in the Sierra Nevada and all neighboring parts of the state. They're rarely dangerous, but should never be approached. If you are camping, you need to ensure that food, food waste, and other scented items such as soap and toothpaste are secure from them. '''[[Mountain lions]]''' are rarely seen, but live in all mountainous parts of the state and once in a while attack humans. If you see one, yell and wave your arms to make yourself appear as large as possible. '''Coyotes''' are quite common, even in relatively populated areas like the Hollywood Hills. They pose little danger to humans, but will attack dogs, cats and other domestic animals. Many animals, most notoriously bats, can carry rabies. When hiking, watch for [[ticks]], which can carry Lyme disease, and [[rattlesnakes]]. California is home to 2 potentially deadly species of spiders - the black widow and the brown recluse - if you don't go poking around abandoned structures and woodpiles, you're very unlikely to encounter them. If you're bitten by any animal, seek immediate medical attention. Shark attacks have happened once in a great while at California beaches, and deadly sharks such as great whites do roam the California coast, but unless a shark has been repeatedly sighted by a specific beach (the local media will broadcast warnings) this is an extremely remote possibility. ===Poisonous plants and mushrooms=== '''[[Poison oak]]''' can be found almost anywhere in the state, but is particularly common in Southern California, the Central Coast, the Bay Area, and any Coast Redwood woodlands. It's toxic throughout the year, even during the winter when it's lost its leaves. Sensitivity varies by individual, but many people can end up with a very nasty, blistering rash by contacting it. See the linked article for treatment options. California is also home to several '''lethal''' varieties of '''mushrooms''', which can be particularly dangerous to would-be gatherers because some of them resemble edible varieties found elsewhere in the world. Even if you're an expert on mushroom varieties where you live, don't assume you're safe gathering them in California. ==Respect== California is filled with a very diverse group of people. Northern and Southern California have notably different cultures, while the rural areas in the Central Valley and Eastern portions of the state differ even more significantly. Sensitive topics include immigration, water rights, and land-use. Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area are especially well-known for being some of the most politically liberal areas in the US, and continue to serve as some of the world's major centers of counterculture. Conversely, parts of California, particularly the Central Valley, are conservative. However, don't assume any individual's political leaning based on where they live. ==Go next== * '''[[Arizona]]''' – Home to the [[Grand Canyon]], Arizona borders California to the southeast across the Colorado River. * '''[[Nevada]]''' – California's eastern neighbor is best known as the home of [[Las Vegas]], although towns such as [[Reno]] and [[Carson City]] are also good day-trip opportunities for visitors wanting to explore the Silver State. * '''[[Oregon]]''' – Sharing a border to the north, Oregon is home to impressive mountains and extensive forests. * '''[[Hawaii]]''' – Many visitors to America's fiftieth state depart through California on their journey across the Pacific, but it is not a neighboring state and requires a 5-hour flight to get there. * '''[[Baja California]]''' – Those traveling across the border to [[Mexico]] can visit some of that country's most impressive sea and landscapes. {{usableregion}} {{isPartOf|United States of America}} {{geo|37|-119.5|zoom=6}} {{related|Off-road_vehicles_in_California}} {{related|California_desert_camping}} fo8nvsu6ve6vy9atlyxatv0dih1llgh 0 6425 4501788 4460257 2022-08-15T23:43:59Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Central African Republic WV banner.jpg|caption=An elephant at Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve}} {{warningbox|Traveling to the Central African Republic is '''extremely dangerous''' due to the risk of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and other violence including in the capital. Large areas of the country are controlled by armed groups. In the event of unrest, airport, land border, and road closures may occur with little or no notice. Foreign governments have limited ability to provide emergency services to their citizens. Many Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the CAR. |be=https://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Diensten/Op_reis_in_het_buitenland/reisadviezen/centraal_afrikaanse_republiek |australia=https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/africa/central/pages/central_african_republic.aspx |nz=https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/central-african-republic||uk=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/central-african-republic |us=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/central-african-republic-travel-advisory.html |canada=https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/central-african-republic |ie=https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/central-african-republic/ |de=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/zentralafrikanischerepubliksicherheit/226450 |lastedit=2020-08-16}} The '''Central African Republic''' ([[French phrasebook|French]]: ''République centrafricaine'' or ''Centrafrique'', Sangho: ''Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka''), at the geographic [[Central Africa|center of Africa]], has incredible wildlife but is undergoing a civil war and is too dangerous for travel. ==Cities== {{mapframe|zoom=6|layer=W}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bangui]]|wikidata=Q3832}} — the capital, and possibly the safest city in the country. *{{marker|type=city|name=Bambari|wikidata=Q805946}} — a market city and mining centre that is the third largest city in the country *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bangassou]]|wikidata=Q806478}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Birao]]|wikidata=Q864999}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bouar]]|wikidata=Q512111}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bria]]|wikidata=Q598667}} *{{marker|type=city|name=Kaga-Bandoro|wikidata=Q1210015}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mbaiki]]|wikidata=Q593435}} ==Other destinations== *{{marker|name=[[Dzanga Sangha National Reserve|Dzanga-Sangha National Park]]|wikidata=Q1138067}} — the country's only national park that still attracts adventurous tourists *{{marker|name=[[Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park]]|wikidata=Q503835}} *'''Pygmy settlements''' in the rainforests surrounding [[Mbaiki]]. ==Understand== {{quickbar| location=LocationCentralAfricanRepublic.png}} ===History=== Until the early 1800s, the peoples of Central Africa lived beyond the expanding Islamic frontier in the Sudanic zone of Africa and thus had relatively little contact with outsiders. During the first decades of the 19th century, however, Muslim traders increasingly began to penetrate this region and to cultivate special relations with local leaders to facilitate their trade and settlement in the region. The initial arrival of Muslim traders in the early 1800s was relatively peaceful and depended upon the support of local peoples, but after about 1850, slave traders with well-armed soldiers began to penetrate the region. European penetration of Central African territory began in the late 19th century during the so-called Scramble for Africa. The French, Belgians and Great British competed to establish their claims to territory in the Central African region. In 1889 the French established a post on the Ubangi River at [[Bangui]], the future capital of and the CAR and in 1894, the "French Congo's" borders with (Belgian) Congo Free State, now the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and (German) [[Cameroon]] were fixed by diplomatic agreements. The French named their colony Ubang Shari. On 1 December 1958 the colony of Ubangi-Shari became an autonomous territory and took the name Central African Republic. The founding father, Barthélémy Boganda, died in a mysterious plane accident in 1959, just eight days before the last elections of the colonial era. On 13 August 1960 the Central African Republic gained its independence and two of Boganda's closest aides became involved in a power struggle. David Dacko won and by 1962 had established a one-party state. Since then a series of coups, including a notorious period under a self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, and periodic violence from rebel groups, have dealt a very bad lot to the citizens of the Central African Republic. Today, it remains one of the most lawless, dangerous and unstable nations on earth, and is the world's poorest country as of 2019. The northeast of the country is the heart of the rebel movement and the CAR's most dangerous region. ===Climate=== The climate is generally tropical. The northern areas are subject to harmattan winds, which are hot, dry, and carry dust. The northern regions have been subject to desertification, and the northeast is a Sahel desert akin to neighboring [[Darfur]]. The remainder of the country is prone to flooding from nearby rivers. In the November 2008 issue of ''National Geographic'' magazine, the Central African Republic was named the country least affected by light pollution. ===People=== Central African Republic consists of 80 ethnic groups, each having their own language, including the Gbaya, Banda, Mandija, Sara, Mboum, M'baka and Yakoma. ===Holidays=== The national holiday December 1st is Republic Day, whose main highlight of the celebration involves traditional dugout canoe racing. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Central African Republic.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Central African Republic, with countries in green having visa-free access]] ===Entry requirements=== Citizens of the following 16 countries can visit Central African Republic without a visa for up to 90 days: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Israel, Liberia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, United States (up to 180 days). Visas can be single entry or multiple entry, but multiple entry is recommended more than single entry. Multiple entry visas usually last a year, whereas the single entry last three months. They cost US$150 and take two days to process. If you are from a country without a CAR embassy (such as New Zealand), you may apply for a CAR visa at a French consulate/embassy. It is unclear if other nationals (citizens of the USA, France, etc.) may apply at a French consulate or not. Policies for obtaining a visa vary among CAR embassies and from month-to-month. You may apply for a CAR visa at CAR embassies in neighboring Yaounde, N'Djamena, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, & Khartoum. The CAR also has embassies in Washington, Paris, & Bonn. Borders with Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (at least east of Bangui) are '''very''' insecure and any attempt to travel across them by land is not recommended. There are no land routes between the CAR and Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo). ===By plane=== The country's only international airport (and only airport with scheduled flights) is '''Bangui M'Poko International Airport''' ({{IATA|BGF}}). There is no Central African airline to provide regional connections or transfers to domestic flights. Air France provides the only service to Europe, flying to [[Paris]]. Ethiopian Airlines flies to [[Addis Ababa]]. Kenya Airways serves Bangui on its three-city route [[Nairobi]]-[[Bangui]]-[[Douala]]. Royal Air Maroc flies the three-city route [[Casablanca]]-Douala-Bangui. TAAG Angola Airlines flies two three-city routes connecting [[Luanda]]-[[Brazzaville]]-Bangui and Luanda-Douala-Bangui. Other airlines serving Bangui include: Camairco & Interair South Africa (both to Douala) and Toumai Air Chad (to Brazzaville, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Lomé, & N'Djamena). ===By bus=== Bus service is available from Cameroon and Chad, although the length and the dangerous countryside makes such bus trips infrequent. In terms of safety and ease of passing through checkpoints, however, traveling by bus is preferable to traveling by 4x4. ===By boat=== [[File:The Paddlers (5229094366).jpg|thumbnail|Rowing competition in CAR]] Other African cities and countries are accessible via boats and barges that travel infrequently along the Ubangui river. The Ubangui River flows into the Congo River, which is navigable all the way to Stanley Falls near [[Kinshasa]]/[[Brazzaville]]. Although slow, there are regular (although adhering to no set schedule) barges which travel from Bangui to Kinshasa/Brazzaville. Boats also traverse the Bangui river from Bangui to [[Zongo]], DRC, which is connected to the DRC's limited & rough road network, continuing onward to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. ===By 4x4=== The Central African Republic is one of the least developed countries in Africa and its road network is in poor condition and services are almost non-existent away from the largest cities and towns. The police/military are extremely corrupt and checkpoints (set up for bribes more than any other reason) are frequent. There are no roads through the dense jungle between the CAR & Congo-Brazzaville. Travel from Cameroon to Bangui and onwards to Dzanga-Sangha Reserve is ''relatively'' easy, but bribe checkpoints are common. In the northern & eastern parts of the country, local rebels and nominally government-controlled soldiers pose a great threat. Kidnapping and banditry are grave dangers in these regions and travel in the northern or eastern regions of the CAR (especially if you plan on driving your own vehicle) should only be done in consultation with local experts. This includes all routes to/from Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, & crossings into the DRC east of Bangui. ==Get around== [[File:A Local River Boat (5229115876).jpg|thumbnail|Travelling by ferry in CAR]] Getting around in the capital is easy with taxis, which make large parts of the city accessible. The fare must be negotiated before departure, there are no taximeters. To get to the provinces, you have to stick to buses that offer appropriate tours. You will need to plan a lot of time and some difficulties, especially during the rainy season. It is advisable to have an off-road vehicle and an experienced tour guide. You have to organize rides in minibuses yourself and negotiate prices. ===By bus=== ===By hitchhiking=== ===By boat=== Traditional trade is carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts. Oubangui is the most important river, navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less. There are {{km|282}} of waterways are navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m. ==Talk== The main language is French with a dialect called Central African French, which is easily understood by speakers of French. There are a lot of indigenous languages also. While French is the official language of the Central African Republic, only a few people in the country know more than a few words of it. '''[[Sango phrasebook|Sängö]]''' (also referred to as Sangro or Sangho) is the lingua franca and is spoken by most of the people in the Central African Republic (some 2000 have it as a mother tongue whilst 80% of the country have it as a second language). To find out if someone speaks Sängö, simply say ''Balâo'' (which means Hello), if they respond back with ''Balâo mïngï'' then you have found a Sango speaker. English is spoken by almost no one, even in the capital. ==See== [[File:Republique Centrafricaine - Boali - Chutes de Boali.jpg|thumb|Chutes de Boali]] The Musée Ethnograhique Barthélémy Boganda in [[Bangui]] is the country's national museum and has a decent collection of local instruments, weapons, tools, and displays about local traditions, religion, and architecture. Prehistoric rock paintings can be found in several locations, but some of the best can be found in Bambari. The "Chutes de Boali", a possible daytrip from the capital, are a rather picturesque series of waterfalls, which are even more impressive in the rainy season. Megaliths near the town of Bouar are positioned in concentric circles and are remnants of the CAR's ancient peoples. As with most of Africa, local markets can be a feast for the eyes, offering a wide arrangement of crafts. Just be vigilant, as markets in the CAR are rife with petty and violent theft. The country is made up of vast swathes of tropical rainforest that make it popular for exploring. ==Do== Visits and stays with the ''Pygmy communities'' are probably the biggest attraction for the country's few tourists. Possible activities include: hunting with traditional weapons/devices, gathering medicinal plants with the women of the village, participating in a night of music & dance. [[File:Elefanti.jpg|thumb|200px|Forest elephants in Dzangha-Sangha Special Reserve.]] Visit the ''Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve'' to trek through the jungle in search of gorillas, elusive forest elephants, chimpanzees, & more. A visit to the reserve is often combined with a stay in a Pygmy village. The reserve is part of larger protected area, with Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (which consists of two noncontinuous parts: "Dzanga Park" & "Ndoki Park") flanking Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve on two sides and which in turn is part of a larger, tri-national protected area including Lobéké National Park in Cameroon & Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Congo-Brazzaville. Should the CAR ever emerge from the grip of conflict & dysfunctional government, the country would be an appealing ecotourism destination similar to [[Gabon]]. Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park are promising wildlife reserves that are in insecure regions and without facilities. ==Buy== ===Money=== {{Exchange rate CFA}} The currency of the country is the '''Central African <abbr title="''Communauté Financière d'Afrique'' or Financial Community of Africa">CFA</abbr> franc''', denoted '''FCFA''' (ISO currency code: '''XAF'''). It's also used by five other Central African countries. It is interchangeable at par with the West African CFA franc (XOF), which is used by six countries. Both currencies are fixed at a rate of 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs. ===ATMs=== There are [https://www.ecobank.com/td/personal-banking/contact-us/locator Ecobank ATMs] in Chad where you can get a cash withdrawal with a '''Mastercard''' or '''Visa card'''. ===Costs=== Costs in the Central African Republic are exorbitant for foreigners who plan to maintain a lifestyle similar to those in their origin country. Much of the commerce and goods must be flown or shipped into the nation, explaining the high costs for many goods. "Local" goods that are imported into CAR from regional nations such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon are slightly less expensive (rice, beans, water, etc.) Finally, many of the supermarkets in Bangui and other cities are owned by Lebanese people and families, so there is abundant Middle Eastern food imported into the country, although these products are also very expensive. ==Eat== [[File:A Local Displaying His Produce (5229161856).jpg|thumbnail|Vegetable seller in CAR]] There is a wide diversity of food in Bangui, including Chinese, Lebanese, French, local food and so forth. Food in restaurants owned by foreigners are very expensive and can be US$10–20 per dish (or more). Local food, however, may also be expensive depending upon the restaurant and its location. There are abundant French bakeries in the downtown area in the centre of Bangui with moderate prices for baked goods as well as meals. Food in supermarkets is very expensive, although cheaper food can be purchased at local markets and from sellers in the street. ==Drink== Local beer ("33", Mocaf, Crystal) and soft drink (Mocaf is a major producer) is similarly priced to products in Europe and the United States. Wine is available in some French wine shops but can be very expensive. Palm wine is common. Water is produced in Cameroon and Central African Republic and can be purchased in all of the local supermarkets. Imported products such as Coca-Cola and Fanta are also available. ==Sleep== Outside the capital and the Dzanga-Sangha nature reserve, there is almost no tourist infrastructure. ==Learn== English lessons are available at the Martin Luther King centre of the United States embassy. French and Sango lessons are available at the Alliance Francaise. There is also a university in Bangui with university degrees and some graduate programmes. ==Work== There are myriad opportunities for working by teaching English or for any of a number of humanitarian or religious organisations in the Central African Republic. Many of the streets of Bangui are lined with organisations including MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), UNICEF, International Red Cross, European Union, WHO, Institut Pasteur, Catholic Relief Serices, COOPI and many others. Most organisations are involved in health and development programmes, although others deal with education, religion, etc. Speaking French is essential for somebody who wants to be effectively involved in working with these organisations, as English is rarely spoken, even in Bangui. ==Stay safe== Hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas. Floods are common. Police manning checkpoints ''will'' demand [[bribes]], expect no less than US_5; there are many reports that a trip from the Cameroon border to Bangui will cost hundreds of US dollars or euros in bribes. Police will often confiscate an item (passport, camera, watch) and demand money for it. Armed robberies on roads in the country are common. Violent crime in the capital is common even in daylight, particularly around the "kilometre 5" bus station. Alcoholism is a major problem with city-dwellers, so be wary of drunks and do not even think about drinking with locals (you ''will'' be out-drunk). ===Photography=== In theory, visitors can obtain a ''permis de filmer'' from the Ministry of Tourism in [[Bangui]] with a turnaround of a couple days. In practice, however, photography is viewed with suspicion and disliked not just with the police or army around the usual sensitive locations (government buildings, infrastructure, checkpoints), but by regular people just about everywhere. Taking photos conspicuously will draw negative attention and you should ask for permission to take anyone's photo, even in public places. ==Stay healthy== Some areas of Bangui have clean and filtered drinking '''[[water]]''', so it is safe to drink water served at some restaurants and bars. However, the purity of the water is not reliable and thus it is safer to buy bottled water, or boil or filter water. Outside the capital there is no guarantee of water purity. All '''food''' should be cooked or peeled prior to being served, particularly food purchased at local markets, where hygiene is a concern. If '''illness''' should arise, it is better to seek counsel with one of the doctors at an embassy (the French embassy and US embassy both have fine doctors) or at a clinic at an organisation like Institut Pasteur. The local clinics and hospitals sometimes have a limited supply of necessary resources such as syringes, medicine, etc. ==Respect== The locals often eat with their hands. If you are eating with them, and using your hands as well, eat with your right hand. The left is generally used for lavatory purposes, and therefore it is rude or unappealing to them if you eat with your left hand. ==Connect== {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|6.7|20.9|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Central_Africa}} k6bsn40d5la2otkl2dum4a37j4lust6 0 6508 4502152 4500059 2022-08-16T11:40:32Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Waterfalls */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Central_Java_banner.jpg}} '''Central Java''' is the heartland of Javanese culture. This page covers the central third of the island of [[Java]], [[Indonesia]], encompassing the two provinces of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} [[Image:Central Java Region map.png|thumb|right|300px|Map of Central Java]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jepara]]|wikidata=Q2662601}} — the furniture manufacturing capital of Indonesia; hundreds of workshops working mostly in teak * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kebumen]]|wikidata=Q4079521}} — a small city of great tourist attractions, and ancient geological national geopark site [[Karangsambung-Karangbolong]] ** {{marker|type=city|name=[[Gombong]]|wikidata=Q4079410}} – a colonial, military and business town in [[Kebumen]], Central Java region * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kendal (Indonesia)|Kendal]]|wikidata=Q10618}} — a regency with various natural lowlands and highlands tourist spot * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kudus]]|wikidata=Q10620}} — a small city of great importance to the Muslims of Java, a blend of Java and Muslim * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Magelang]]|wikidata=Q11017}} — the nearest large town to [[Borobudur]] with a splendid history from the Mataram period * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pekalongan]]|wikidata=Q11026}} — a Batik city has become a part of [[UNESCO Creative Cities]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Poncosari]]|wikidata=Q12506087}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Purwokerto]]|wikidata=Q650908}} — the gateway to Baturaden Park (12 kilometers from the peak of Mt Slamet) and the mighty Mt Slamet * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Semarang]]|wikidata=Q11025}} — the capital of Central Java province, an ancient seaport with preserved colonial legacies * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Solo]]|wikidata=Q4803}} (''Surakarta'') — a bustling city that has retained its authentic traditional Javanese nature * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Tegal]]|wikidata=Q11027}} — a lively north coast town with a strong colonial past * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Yogyakarta]]|wikidata=Q7568}} — the heritage city of Java and a semi-autonomous sultanate, in Yogyakarta Special Region * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Wonosobo]]|wikidata=Q11013}} — sleepy small city and regency, gateway to the enchanting Dieng Plateau with its volcano, temple, and nature ==Other destinations== [[File:Krakal Beach, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta.JPG|300px|thumb|right|[[Krakal]] beach, Gunung Kidul]] * {{marker|name=[[Borobudur]]|wikidata=Q42798}} — the world's largest Buddhist monument * {{marker|name=[[Dieng Plateau]]|wikidata=Q1220857}} — volcanic highland plateau with the oldest temples in Indonesia * {{marker|name=[[Gunung Kidul]]|wikidata=Q11478}} – beautiful beaches, in Yogyakarta Special Region * {{marker|name=[[Karangsambung-Karangbolong]]|wikidata=Q92722865}} – an ancient geological national geopark site in [[Kebumen]], Central Java region * {{marker|name=[[Karimunjawa]]|wikidata=Q1729398}} — a marine park of 27 islands, well off the beaten track * {{marker|name=[[Mount Merapi]]|wikidata=Q134108}} — a perennially active and spectacular volcano * {{marker|name=[[Mount Merbabu National Park]]|wikidata=Q598893}} – just north of Mount Merapi * {{marker|name=[[Parangtritis]]|wikidata=Q917409}} — a beach to the south of Yogyakarta * {{marker|name=[[Prambanan]]|wikidata=Q47721}} — a collection of awe-inspiring Hindu temples ==Understand== ==Talk== [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]] (''Bahasa Indonesia'') is the official language of education and business. The majority of Central Java's population also speak [[Javanese phrasebook|Javanese]], a related but mutually unintelligible language. In the southwest of the region, near the boundary with West Java, [[Sundanese phrasebook|Sundanese]] is also spoken. English and sometimes other European languages are widely understood in the major tourist areas. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Dewadaru Airport Karimun Jawa.JPG|300px|thumb|right|The terminal at Karimunjawa's Dewandaru airport. No airbridge!]] The busiest airports in the region are [[Yogyakarta]]'s Adisucipto Airport ({{IATA|JOG}}), Yogyakarta International Airport ({{IATA|YIA}}), [[Semarang]]'s Achmad Yani Airport ({{IATA|SRG}}), and [[Solo]]'s Adi Sumarmo Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}). They are well connected with domestic flights to [[Jakarta]], [[Surabaya]], [[Makassar]], [[Bandung]] and [[Denpasar]] (Bali) among others. In addition, the airports all have international connections to [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]], with Yogyakarta and Semarang also linking to [[Singapore Changi Airport]]. Smaller airports are in [[Cilacap]] ({{IATA|CXP}}), [[Purbalingga]] ({{IATA|PWL}}), [[Cepu]] ({{IATA|CPF}}) with flights to Jakarta and [[Karimunjawa]] ({{IATA|KWB}}) with flights to Semarang and Surabaya. ===By train=== [[Purwokerto]], [[Yogyakarta]], [[Solo]] and [[Semarang]] are well connected to other cities by rail serviced by [http://kai.id/ Kereta Api Indonesia], providing classes for all budgets. Cities and towns in Central Java often have more than one station, a legacy of the many private railway lines of the colonial era. ===By bus=== Frequent interprovincial buses (named '''AKAP''' for ''Antar Kota Antar Provinsi'', intercity/interprovince) connect many cities in Central Java with cities in [[Western Java]] and [[East Java]]. There are also a few long-distance buses to [[Sumatra]] and [[Bali]]. ===By boat=== [[Semarang]]'s Tanjung Emas port has services to ports in [[Kalimantan]], including [[Banjarmasin]], [[Pontianak]], [[Kumai]], [[Ketapang]] and [[Sampit]]. ==Get around== [[File:Kereta joglosemarkerto.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The loop line ''Joglosemarkerto'' train connects various cities and regencies on the north coast and south coast of Central Java]] ===By train=== The region is well served by trains with two main lines, one along the north coast linking [[Cepu]], [[Pekalongan]], [[Purwodadi]], [[Semarang]], and [[Tegal]], with stops in between. The southern line links [[Solo]] and [[Yogyakarta]] with [[Purwokerto]] and small towns on the south coast. Both lines continue through to Jakarta in the west and Surabaya in the east. The loop line ''Joglosemarkerto'' train connects the north coast to the south coast of Central Java. The trains are comfortable and run to schedule. The electric multiple units (EMU) serve the route from Yogyakarta to Solo and vice versa. It is operated by '''[https://www.krl.co.id/ KAI Commuter]'''. The schedule is from 05:00 to 19:00 with a 1-2 hour departure break. The line in the northeast of the region linking [[Semarang]] with [[Jepara]] and [[Kudus]] is long-disused despite still being shown on many maps. ===By bus=== [[File:Bis BRT Trans Jateng di Terminal Bukateja, Purbalingga.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The TransJateng bus]] Buses are widespread, servicing cities (named '''AKDP''' for ''Antar Kota Dalam Provinsi'', intercity in the province), towns and to a lesser extent, rural areas. There is a public bus called [https://www.instagram.com/brttransjateng/?hl=en '''TransJateng'''] bus which serves some areas in Central Java. ===By car=== The region's road network is in modest condition, as the toll road from the west to east in Central Java has been finished. Most inter-city roads are still two-lane affairs of variable quality. Having said that, the car is a convenient way to cover some of the large distances in the region. Hiring a car with a driver can be cost-effective if you are in a group, and allow more flexibility to get off the beaten track. For one of the ubiquitous Toyota Avanzas (or similar size compact MPV) expect to pay in the region of Rp650,000 (in town) or Rp900,000 per day (out of town) per day, all-in i.e. driver's fee, all parking and toll costs, petrol, and food and accommodation for the driver. This will carry five people, without large amounts of luggage. For the larger Toyota Innova (or equivalent) budget another Rp100,000 per day. ===By taxi=== There are taxi services in all cities and large towns. In general, the standard is satisfactory. Meters are fitted and will mostly be used. Most will be happy to take a longer job, either on the meter or by agreed price, and wait for you while you do some sightseeing or go shopping. Taxis are licensed for a defined area, which may be quite large and cover some of the hinterlands outside the town or city where they are based. It might be an option for a day of out-of-town sightseeing. Taxis are normally happy to take fares to neighbouring towns or cities, sometimes with a defined surcharge if it is a longish distance. They will usually not be able to operate in that city though, when they arrive, so will need to drop you at your specified destination and then head straight out of town again. Some taxi companies in the region have fleets of the compact MPVs rather than sedans, which are useful if travelling in a bigger group, or you just want more leg room. ===By ojek=== Motorcycle taxis are common all over Central Java. Where ojeks really come into their own when travelling through the province is to get to some rural places that a car might not make it to: a hidden temple or beach, or some such. A lot of Java's ugliest development takes place by the side of the major roads - driving along can be a dispiriting experience of unfinished concrete draped with tatty advertising banners. But head off the road, even just one kilometre, and you could be in a tranquil, green haven of rice terraces and clay-tiled villages. Consider using an ojek to make the break. ===By ride-hailing services=== The taxi and ojek industries have been rocked by the rise in smartphone apps allowing ride-hailing. [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Go-jek] and [https://www.grab.com/id/en/ Grab] operate in many cities and large towns in Central Java. It is worth getting an Indonesian SIM card with data to allow you to use them. Also consider learning enough [[Indonesian_phrasebook|Indonesian]] or [[Javanese_phrasebook|Javanese]] to talk to the driver who will normally call you straight after accepting the job, to confirm your location. ===By becak=== ''Becak'' (BAY-cha') are pedicabs used for travelling short distances in places such as residential areas and around traditional markets. The driver sits behind the passenger and turns the pedals. They are found in all towns and cities in Central Java. Becaks are the most expensive means of transit but are good value for money considering the human effort that goes into it. Good communication skills are vital to prevent getting overcharged. Agree on the cost beforehand, and haggle for the best price. ===By boat=== Ferries to the [[Karimunjawa]] archipelago leave from [[Jepara]], [[Semarang]] and [[Kendal]], just to the west of Semarang. ==See== ===Pre-colonial sights=== [[Image:Borobudur_Stupa_Merapi.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The stupas of Borobudur with steaming Mount Merapi in the background]] The region is best known for its two A-list [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]. [[Borobudur]] is an ancient Buddhist stupa and temple complex dating from the 9th century, and is the single most visited attraction in Indonesia. That brings with it some issues and the site can be over-run. Visitors keen to really enjoy the undoubted magnificence of Borobudur should consider staying the night in the area and visiting early the following morning before the hordes of day-trippers arrive. There is a growing choice of accommodation in Borobudur village itself, and sunrise entrance packages to the candi are available. [[Image:Prambanan LaraJonggrang.JPG|thumb|300px|Candi Lara Jonggrang, [[Prambanan]]]] No less impressive is the Hindu temple complex at [[Prambanan]] dating from the same period. The huge, imposing candi rise 40 to 50 metres in height and make for a truly awe-inspiring spectacle. Prambanan was tragically damaged by a major earthquake in May 2006 but the site is open again as restoration work continues. The nearby Queen Boko Palace was an 8th-century giant and complete Javanese palace and now stones that once support its structures, still standing in its former glory. It has magnificent views down over [[Prambanan]]. Both Borobudur and Prambanan are easily combined with a visit to the ancient city of [[Yogyakarta]], and these three destinations account for the vast majority of visitor arrivals in the region. Yogyakarta is the undoubted cultural capital of Java with a wonderful palace (''kraton'') and many historical attractions. [[Demak]] on the north coast of Central Java, is the home of one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, ''Masjid Agung'' (lit. "Great Mosque"), as well as ''Sunan Kalijaga Cemetery''. Nearby [[Semarang]] is home to several Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian temples, as well as mosques and churches, and nearby [[Bandungan]] offers the historic Gedung Songo (lit. "9 Buildings") temple complex, which has 9 Hindu shrines in it, as well as various activities for families and hikers to enjoy. ===Colonial architecture=== Old Semarang, the original part of the city has many Dutch-era buildings; Lawang Sewu (lit. "1,000 doors"), located at the Tugu Muda roundabout intersection (which is also home to a museum and a government office) in Semarang, is a large complex of Dutch buildings featuring stain glass windows and numerous doors which was used by the military, the Japanese during their World War II occupation of Indonesia, and prior to that the Dutch as the office of the railway system, prison, hospital and barracks. Supposedly, Lawang Sewu is haunted with over 30 different supernatural beings but you must be very talented to see even one after surveying the entire grounds from the foundation to attics and water towers! ===Steam trains=== [[File:Kereta Api D 5106 alat transportasi jaman Belanda di Ambarawa.jpg|thumb|300px|An active steam loco in Ambarawa railway museum]] Perhaps more for aficionados of steam, but there is a good collection of steam locomotives in Central Java. The best collection is in the railway museum in [[Ambarawa]] just south of [[Semarang]], which are run from time to time. There are also some in at the forestry museum in [[Cepu]], remnants of the teak logging industry. The sugar cane factories also used to use them. On high days and holidays, a steam locomotive runs up and down the main street in [[Surakarta|Solo]]. ===Natural sights=== The [[Dieng Plateau]] is a little off the beaten path. This volcanic highland plateau north of [[Wonosobo]] is home to the oldest standing structures in Indonesia (Hindu temples dating from the 8th century). But it is the scenery that draws most visitors here. Spectacular conical volcanoes, steaming sulphurous pools and eerie mountain lakes make for an almost other-worldly landscape, not to mention the severe environmental damage being done by intensive agriculture. ==Do== ===Getting out into nature=== Let's be realistic, Central Java is one of the most densely populated parts of the planet. Pretty much everything you see in Central Java will have been touched by the hand of humankind. The most you can hope for will be getting out to somewhere green, away from the unfinished concrete and bright yet fading paint jobs of the towns. ====Climbing volcanoes==== [[File:Gunung Sindoro dari puncak Gunung Sumbing.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mount Sindoro from the peak of Mount Sumbing]] Heading up a mountain is one way to see some nature, and Central Java offers some spectacular options. There are five volcanoes in the province in the ''high'' category, which means over 3,000m altitude and 1,000m prominence above the surrounding landscape. These are Slamet, Sumbing, Sindoro, Merbabu and Lawu (shared with [[East Java]]). Merapi and Unggaran are ''medium'', being between 2,000m and 3,000m in altitude and with over 1,000m of prominence. Mount Muria on the north coast is in a lower category, having an altitude between 1,000m and 2,000m and more than 1,000m of prominence. Mount Prau near the Dieng Plateau, and Mount Telomoyo, and the outlier of the Merbabu massif are also interesting and make exciting hikes. ====Waterfalls==== With plenty of mountains and plenty of rain, there are bound to be plenty of waterfalls. Within striking distance of Semarang alone, you can choose from the mighty Curug Sewu in [[Kendal (Indonesia)|Kendal]], Curug Lawe and Curug Semirang in [[Ungaran]], also the famous, Grojogan Sewu in [[Tawangmangu]]. Many more remain to be discovered. Just ask around for the nearest ''curug'' (CHOO-roog). ==Buy== ===Textiles=== {{infobox|Batik|Batik, Indonesia's national fabric, is synonymous with the culture of Java itself. Batik making in Java is an ancient tradition that has been passed down through generations. A wax-resist dying technique is used, in which melted wax is applied to the fabric using a ''canting'' (CHANT-ing), a tiny metal cup with a spout. It is held like a stylus and used to cover the pre-drawn pattern lines. It needs painstaking precision as the patterns can be extremely complex. This method is called ''batik tulis'', meaning ''written batik''. When dyed, the areas covered in wax will not take the dye. The wax is later removed by washing. This process needs to be repeated many times to build up a multi-coloured cloth. Batik patterns are rich in meaning, such as the ''Sidomukti'' pattern that symbolizes prosperity and happiness and is worn during weddings. Some patterns used to signify social status and hierarchy, such as ''parang'', which used to be exclusive to the nobility. The traditional method is now threatened by mass-printed batik. In 2009, UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity". The declaration is aimed at helping to save traditional batiking. Batik is produced across Java but Central Java is often considered as its home. There is a dizzying variety of styles to choose from. Each town has its special motifs and colourways, from the rich red browns of [[Surakarta|Solo]] and [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]], to the Chinese and European influence of [[Lasem]] on the north coast, and the unusual black, cream and indigo colours of the batik from Bakaran near [[Pati]]. [[Solo]] boast the districts of ''Kampung Kauman'' and ''Laweyan'', home to traditional batik merchants, and three of Indonesia's biggest batik manufacturers, Danar Hadi, Batik Keris and Batik Semar all based there.}} [[File:Batik craftswomen in Java handmarking resist on batik tulis cloth with tjantings.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The laborious hand-drawn batik wax resist process]] '''Batik''' if, of course, the pre-eminent cloth of Java, and there will be opportunities to buy wherever you turn. But batik is not the only cloth being made in the region. In [[Klaten]], between [[Yogyakarta]] and [[Solo]], the striped cotton cloth known as ''lurik'' is still being woven, in traditional narrow bands, often on back looms. You will most frequently see it, mostly blue or black, being used by market traders to strap their baskets to their backs. You will also see Javanese men in traditional dress wear it with broader stripes in the ''surjan'' jackets. Around [[Jepara]], especially the village of Troso, there are weavers using jacquard looms and also making cloths using the ''ikat'' process. There is an increasing amount of dyeing being done with natural rather than chemical dyes. On the coast, you might find batik dyed in the soft browns and greens derived from mangrove leaves. One ''lurik'' producer working in traditional and modern colours is: * {{buy | name=Lurik Yojo | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Yogyakarta|Jogja]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 815 688-5886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-11-19 | content=Traditional back-loomed ''lurik'' cloth and hand-drawn ''batik'' in natural colours. }} ===Coffee and tea=== [[File:Pagi di Kebun Teh Kemuning, Karanganyar, Central Java, 23052017.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Dawn in the Kemuning tea estate, Mount Lawu]] There is a lot of excellent '''coffee''' grown in Central Java, both arabica and robusta. The area around [[Temanggung]] is particularly noted as a coffee growing area, but it will be found growing wherever the altitude is high enough. Traditionally, the preference has been for a very dark roast, with beans ground superfine to a powder. This has sometimes made it difficult to differentiate between styles, but things are changing. Small producer groups are starting up, preparing different levels of roast and grind, and packing airtight to preserve freshness. Look out for suppliers working with local farmers on just about any volcano you go to. One brand to look out for is: * {{buy | name=Kopi Petruk | alt=Petruk Coffee | url= | email=petrukkopi16@gmail.com | address=Deles Indah RT27/009, Sidorejo, Kemalang, Klaten | lat=-7.5597 | long=110.4638 |directions=From growers on the eastern slopes of Mount Merapi | phone=+62 815 7806-3198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp65,000 for 250g beans | lastedit=2017-11-19 | content=From the Lintas Merapi community group. Arabica beans and ready-ground, identified by the preparation process, roasting date, depth of roast, altitude of the plantation, and the farmers' group who grew it. Available in the delicatessen attached to the Mediterranea restaurant in [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]]. }} You may be offered the fabled '''kopi luwak''', from beans pre-digested by palm civets, while you are in the region. It is almost impossible to validate whether what you are being offered has been processed by truly wild civets, or even by any civet at all. Be aware that ''kopi luwak'' is also produced from caged civets in unnatural and unhealthy conditions. Please think twice before buying. '''Tea''' is less widespread but there are a number of plantations across the province, on the slopes of Mount Lawu, Mount Slamet and the Dieng Plateau. It should be possible to buy loose-leaf tea from any of them. Tea from the Tambi plantation near the Dieng Plateau comes in attractive boxes decorated with ''wayang'' figures. ===Upcycling=== Indonesia is drowning in garbage. Innovative craftspeople are using some of it to make attractive and useful items - wallets, bags, and jewellery, for example. They are using car tyres, old mobile phones, discarded clothes, plastic shopping bags, used oil drums, and so on. Also handicrafts from water hyacinth which is a weed in Lake Rawapening, [[Ambarawa]]. Sometimes the producers are local communities who have received training, and all of the proceeds go back into the local community. ===Horn=== [[Magelang]] has some crafters working with cow and buffalo horn. Items start from small simple bowls and spoons, through larger rice scoops and hair pins, up to extravagant statuettes for the coffee table. The sellers and stalls around the [[Borobudur]] complex of ''candi'' always have a good selection, but you'll need to haggle as though your life depends on it. ===Stone carving=== If you have a very generous luggage allowance you may like to pick up a Buddha or other statuette carved from the volcanic stone of Merapi. The villages of Muntilan and Mungkid on the road between [[Magelang]] and [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]] are the places to look. At the very least, buy a proper Javanese '''cowék''' (CHOH-weh'), the flat stone used for grinding spices or mortar and pestle. ===Food souvenirs=== [[File:Getuk goreng Sokaraja.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Getuk goreng'']] Look out for the distinctive ''oleh-oleh'' from each part of the region: *'''Bakpia''' (bah'-PEE-yah) — the small, sweet pastry filled with mung bean paste from the Pathok district of [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]]. *'''Bandeng presto''' — on the other hand, you'll be clutching a bag of these pressure-cooked milkfish, as you board the bus out of Semarang. *'''Enting-enting gepuk''' — [[Salatiga]] peanut snack. *'''Getuk''' — a Javanese sweet dish made from cassava. The famous are ''Getuk Trio'' from [[Magelang]] and ''Getuk goreng'' from [[Purwokerto]]. *'''Jenang''' — palm sugar and coconut milk fudge from [[Kudus]]. *'''Lanting''' — a traditional [[Kebumen]] snack made from cassava that has been crushed, seasoned and subsequently fried. *'''Lumpia Semarang''' (LUMP-ee-ya) — Semarang's largish spring roll, heavy on the bamboo shoots. *'''Sale pisang''' — sweet banana dish from [[Cilacap]]. *'''Telur asin Brebes''' — [[Brebes]] salted duck egg. *'''Wingko Babat''' — if you had a spare hand, you'd have a box of this grilled coconut and sticky rice cake. ==Eat== The food of Central Java is renowned for its sweetness, and the dish of ''gudeg'' (GOO-duhg), made from jackfruit, is particularly sweet. Yogyakarta is renowned for its '''ayam goreng''' (fried chicken) and '''klepon''' (KLUH-pon), green rice-flour balls with palm sugar filling. Surakarta's (Solo) specialities include '''nasi liwet''' (rice with coconut milk, unripe papaya, garlic and shallots, served with chicken or egg) and '''serabi''' (coconut milk pancakes topped with chocolate, banana or jackfruit). Some insist that in a country of interesting cuisine, the best hails from Central Java. That may or may not be the case, but several wonderful dishes originate from this region. These include: [[Image:Gudeg.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Gudeg'' with white rice]] *'''Gudeg''' — a coconut-infused stew of young jackfruit, chicken and hardboiled eggs with a subtle sweet and savoury taste. Vendors all seem to have their own secret recipes, but the flavour base usually includes bay leaf, coriander, candlenut, onion, garlic, galangal, ginger, palm sugar, and unusually, teak tree leaves. This is a [[Yogyakarta]] speciality. Best tried in Yogyakarta but you will find it elsewhere. The side dish of ''gudeg'' is ''sambel krecek'', cow or water buffalo skin crackers cooked in spicy coconut milk sauce. *'''Lumpia Semarang''' — spring rolls could almost be the national dish of Indonesia, and the [[Semarang]] variety is one of the very best. Fillings vary but always include bamboo shoots. The dipping sauce might be sticky brownish garlic sauce and eaten with whole young scallion. *'''Nasi Bogana''' — this convenient dish has almost fast food status across Indonesia these days, but it originated from [[Tegal]] on the northern coast of this region. White rice accompanied by a whole host of other possibilities is tightly wrapped in a banana leaf packet. It can then be heated by steaming at any time inside the packet - hence the convenient fast food tag. Accompanying dishes could be chicken curry, tempeh (fermented soya beans), tofu, egg, dendeng (spicy beef jerky), chicken livers... the list goes on. Most likely is a combination of them all. If you are travelling on a budget, keep an eye out for Nasi Bogana street hawkers in any city or town. *'''Opor ayam''' — chicken cooked in coconut milk, usually eaten with ''ketupat'' (compressed rice cake). Eaten all year round, but also eaten as the celebratory meal at the end of the fasting month. Kind of a Javanese Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey. Having to eat it for days on end during that holiday period can result in an opor-dose. *'''Pecel''' — said to originate in East Java but found widely in Central Java, this is a dish of steamed vegetables in peanut sauce. Though superficially similar to the ubiquitous '''gado-gado''' there are key differences. Pecel has only steamed beansprouts, spinach, cabbage and green beans. None of the boiled egg, potatoes, beancurd or pressed rice cake that gado-gado has. Pecel sauce has a good dollop of palm sugar, making it a bit sweeter and glossy red compared to the pale brown of gado-gado sauce. The key flavouring in pecel sauce is '''kencur''', an aromatic rhizome related to ginger. *'''Pindang Serani''' — this fiery, sour fish soup from the north coast may or may not take its name from the Christian (''nasrani'') Portuguese adventurers who made their way along the north coast early in the 16th century, leaving behind a fort on the coast at the foot of Mount Muria. All the spicy astringency will clear away the gloopy sweetness of too much ''gudeg''. *'''Soto Kudus''' — the nationwide family of soupy rice is represented in Central Java by the buffalo- or chicken-based, warmly-spiced version in Kudus, and further to the west on the north coast, the popular '''sauto''' which is ''soto'' pimped with fermented soybean paste, ''tauco'', to give it umami depth. *'''Thiwul''' (TEE-wool) — in the Gunung Kidul region to the southeast of [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]] life has been desperately bleak on the poor, dry soils of the limestone hills. Poverty has driven the people to adapt cassava to be eaten in place of scarce and expensive rice. The cassava is chopped and treated to create a granular, savoury 'grain'. Not eaten widely now as living standards have improved, it can still be found, and makes a tasty alternative to rice. The ''angkringan'' is a popular type of eating stall in Central Java, named after the shoulder pole traditionally used to carry the baskets containing the food. They often serve tiny parcels of rice and a savoury side, wrapped in a banana or waxed paper packet. Due to the small portion, they are known as ''nasi kucing'' or ''sego kucing'' in [[Javanese_phrasebook|Javanese]] meaning ''cat rice'': just enough for a cat to eat. ''Nasi pincuk'' is a small portion of rice with a small portion of dishes arranged on a banana leaf. It is relatively cheap, but you need maybe two or three to fill up. Usually served by an old lady with a basket on her back. ==Drink== [[File:Fresh coconut seller in Old Town Jakarta; Prayitno; February 2013.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Learn the word ''degan'' (DUH-gan) and you need never go thirsty]] Being a predominantly Islamic region, alcohol can be a little difficult to find outside the few licensed hotels and restaurants. Supermarkets and mini-markets may have a discreet supply of beer, but rarely will it be chilled. Wine, when available, will be eye-wateringly expensive. A kind of local alcohol, ''ciu'', is made and you may sometimes be offered it. Drink it at your own risk. Besides socialising, another reason to drink is to stay hydrated. One of the pleasantest ways to do that in Central Java is with fresh, young coconut water ''degan'' (DUH-gan). Look for the pile of used coconut husks by the side of the road. The top will be chopped off a whole one, and a straw stuck in. That's all that's needed. You may be offered sugar syrup or some other flavouring, or ice. Up to you. The bonus is the jellyish flesh you get to scrape out with a spoon. In a restaurant they will do all for you, and tip it into a glass. ==Sleep== With both the well-developed tourism industry and business and industry sectors, there are plenty of sleeping options in the region, from the simplest of backpacker dorms, through the plain, cheap business hotels, and charming boutique hotels, to the most extravagant five-star luxury. All of the major national and international hotel chains are represented in the cities of [[Semarang]], [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]] and [[Surakarta|Solo]], and are now starting to appear in other towns too. If you have only one or two days to visit, choose [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]] as your hub, because of the number of sightseeing options. ==Stay safe== [[File:Blethrow merapi1.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Mount Merapi picturesquely venting steam]] *'''Road safety is your major concern''' — it is recommended to take a local driver. Wear your seat belt and, if possible, avoid long night drives. *'''This is an active volcanic and seismic region''' — there was a major earthquake south of [[Yogyakarta|Jogja]] in 2006 and Mount Merapi, to the north of Jogja, erupted in 2010. Take heed of official instructions. Even if it is not on alert, climbing a volcano often requires a permit from the national park authorities and they will know of any local risks. *'''Risk of violent crime is low''' — but there is always the chance of petty pilfering and pickpocketing. Keep an eye on your belongings. ==Go next== *'''[[West Java]]''' — despite being on the island of Java, it has a separate ''Sundanese'' culture. *'''[[East Java]]''' — for more national parks and volcanic scenery. *'''[[Kalimantan]]''' — flights from Semarang allow you to hop across the Java Sea, in search of the ''orangutan'' of [[Tanjung Puting]] National Park, or on to [[Kuching]] through [[Pontianak]]. *'''[[Bali]]''' — direct flights from Semarang, Solo, and Jogja. {{geo|-7.50|110.1|zoom=9}} {{IsPartOf|Java}} {{usableregion}} nhxibu93x6mytu14a6dz9kkd11p11v2 0 6724 4502030 4135407 2022-08-16T08:47:58Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Eat */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Chamberyelephants.JPG|thumb|300px|The Place of the elephants in Chambéry old town]] '''Chambéry''' is a beautiful town in the [[Rhône-Alpes]] region of [[France]] and the birthplace and historic capital of Savoie. ==Understand== Throughout history, it has been both Italian and French. It lies in a valley in the Alps surrounded by the Bauges and Chartreuse mountain ranges and provides almost 360-degree views of the French Alps. To the north, it is bordered by Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France. Chambéry has long been a "crossroads to the Alps" dating all the way back to the 11th century. For many years, it was ruled by the Duchy of Savoie before being annexed to the King of France. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man (the French version of the Bill of Rights) while living in Chambéry. Chambéry is a charming, peaceful place to visit with beautiful architecture, good food and wine, and friendly people. There are many vineyards in the area that visitors can enjoy, and on Saturdays, the city public market is abuzz with the freshest cheeses, meats, and local produce from the Alps. The area offers many recreational activities to choose from in all seasons, from skiing and snowshoeing, to sailing and rock climbing. The famous Tour de France bicycle race comes through the area in the summer. Chambéry also boasts the Savoie Technolac research park and the Universite de Savoie, and a mountain research center. ==Get in== [[File:Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (Savoie).jpg|thumb|Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (railway roundhouse of Chambéry)]] === By train === Chambéry has direct TGV from Paris and other trains (TER, Train Express Regional) to all major destinations of the region. It takes 3.5 hours to get to Chambéry on the direct TGV. Chambéry is easily accessible to Lyon, Grenoble, Chamonix, Geneva (Switzerland), and Turin (Italy.) === By car === It is linked by motorways to * [[Lyon]] via A43 in the west * [[Grenoble]] via A41 in the south * [[Aix-les-Bains]], [[Annecy]] and [[Geneva]] via A41 in the north * [[Torino]], [[Italy]] via ... and the tunnel of Fréjus in the east === By plane === There is also a small airport * {{listing | type=go | name=Aéroport de Chambéry-Savoie | alt={{IATA|CMF}} | url=http://www.chambery-airport.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.64 | long=5.881111 | directions={{km|10}} north of the city, next to Lac du Bourget | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Chambéry Airport | image=Aéroport Chambéry - Savoie (73).jpg | wikidata=Q1431076 | content=is served by British Airways, S7 Airlines, Transavia, and TUI during the winter months. }} ==Get around== Chambéry is compact in size and is easily explored on foot in a short amount of time. The medieval section of the town is quite well preserved. There are also local and regional buses. If you wish to explore the mountains or go on a wine tour, car rentals are available in town. If you want a bit of exercise, you can also rent a bicycle and explore a bit further. Bicycles can be rented from the Vélostation in front of the train station: [http://agence.ecomobilite.free.fr/ Agence Ecomobilité] Only €3 for a half day and €5 for a full day. Open Monday-Friday 6:30AM-7PM and from 9AM-7PM on weekends and holidays. Cycle paths: a cycle route goes from the centre of town north to the Lac du Bourget (mostly a cycle lane which is separate from the road) and another goes south into the vineyards (mixture of separate cycle lane and quiet country roads). ==See== [[File:Toits centre ancien Chambéry (2014).JPG|thumb|Roofs of the historical centre of Chambéry]] * The medieval quarter of Chambéry holds many well-preserved streets and alleys. The most famous was the 8th-century '''Rue Basse du Château''', which was tragically destroyed by a fire on January 1, 2001. * {{see | name=Chateau de Chambéry | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.5644 | long=5.91778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Chateaunuit.JPG | wikidata=Q2971586 | content=once the residence of the Ducs de Savoie and whose chapel once housed the Shroud of Turin, is now the department of Savoie government offices. }} * {{see | name=Place du Palais de Justice | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Hotel de Ville | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Place St-Leger | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Cathedral de Chambéry | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=The Elephants Fountain | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=(on lots of postcards, the fountain with these four elephant "busts" is affectionately called the "four buttless" by locals) }} * {{see | name=Croix du Nivolet | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Mont Granier | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Lac du Bourget | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Renting a paddle-boat for an hour or two is a cheap way to spend a sunny afternoon. }} * '''Museums''' ==Do== [[File:Rideau d'Orphée, théâtre Charles Dullin, Chambéry.JPG|thumb|Curtains showing a scene from the legend of Orpheus, in the théâtre Charles Dullin]] Shopping, eating, drinking, visiting vineyards, hiking, boating, skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding ==Buy== A light, yet sturdy knife from local company "Opinel" Cheap shoes and clothing from the store Axo. Hard to find (ask the locals for directions) and terribly disorganized, but the prices are very good. A pair of ballerina flats usually goes for around €8. ==Eat== Some foods to try are Fondue savoyarde, tartiflette, crêpes, and goats cheese (Saint Marcellin). * {{eat | name=Le Café de Lyon | alt= | url=https://www.lecafedelyon.com/ | email= | address=29 Place Monge | lat=45.563222 | long=5.9217796 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Nice restaurant with French food. }} * {{eat | name=Château de Candie | url= | email= | address=38 rue Bobby Sands, 73000, Chambéry-le-Vieux | lat= | long= | directions=5 km from Chambéry | phone=+33 4 79 96 63 00 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 96 63 10 | hours= | price=€90-160 + Restaurant, €23-55 | content=Five minutes from the centre of Chambéry, this massive XIVth Century Château had its beautiful rooms elegantly renovated. The cuisine is inspired by its Savoy roots: sautéed mushrooms and crawfish, omble chevalier meunière, beef fillet seasoned with Szechuan pepper. Great cheeses and wines. All food served in the "Orangerie". }} * {{eat | name=L'Essentiel | url= | email= | address=183, place de la Gare | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 96 97 27 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 96 17 78 | hours=Closed on Saturday Lunches & all Sundays. | price=€27-53 | content=A contemparary decor and inventive regional cuisine, served with local Savoy wines. }} * {{eat | name=L'Hypoténuse | url= | email= | address=Carré Curial | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 85 80 15 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 85 80 18 | hours=Closed on Saturday lunches & all Sundays as well as July 15th-August 15th. | price=€14-35 | content=In a space full of silence and fresh air, this restaurant offers a seasomal cuisine created with locally grown products at a reasonable price. }} * {{eat | name=Aux Piétons | url= | email= | address=Place Monge | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 85 52 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Closed on Sundays & Tuesday nights. | price= | content=Hearty local specialities: cheese fondue, tartiflette and brasérade. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Le Tonneau | alt= | url= | email= | address=2 rue Saint-Antoine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 33 78 26 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 85 49 69 | hours=Closed on Sunday evenings & all Sundays. | price=€17-35 | content=An elegant restaurant with a shaded terrace for summer dining. Great service and food. }} * {{eat | name=Le Saint Real Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.restaurant-saint-real.com | email= | address=Place Pierre Dumas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 70 09 33 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Situated in the heart of the Old Town of Chambéry, near the Fontaine des Elephants. Italian, German and English spoken; the businessperson's lunch is about €48. }} * {{eat | name=Le Palais de l'Inde | alt= | url=http://lepalaisdelinde-chambery.fr/localisation/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=118 Rue d'Italie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 4 79 33 81 05 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=e.g. Two starters + three main courses + two naans + half a bottle of wine + one beer + one coke = €88. | lastedit=2016-07-01 | content=Indian restaurant, with the usual range of Indian food. Right in the centre, a couple of minutes' walk from the Place de Théâtre. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Vins de Savoie | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Chartreuse | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{drink | name=O'Cardinal's Pub | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Best Hotel Chambery | url= | email= | address=9 rue Denfert Rochereau | lat= | long= | directions=Centre, near Savoy University | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€90 | checkin=12:00 | checkout=11:00 | content=Includes 40 soundproof bedrooms on three floors, which all include bathroom, telephone, satellite TV, and car space in front of the hotel to deposit luggage. English, Spanish, French and Italian are spoken. Also includes an indoor swimming pool, tennis, skating rink and an equestrian centre. Wireless internet is available in all rooms and is free of charge. Children and extra beds: Maximum capacity of extra beds in a room is 1. All rooms are non-smoking. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Budget Chambéry Centre Ville | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/2548/index.en.shtml | email=H2548@ACCOR.COM | address=391 Avenue Alsace Lorraine, 73000 Chambéry | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 892683173 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=€35 triple, booked in advance | lastedit=2016-07-01 | content=This is a French "Travelodge", previously known as ETAP, cheap, basic rooms with private bathrooms, all for 1-3 people. Buffet breakfast €5 extra - bread, toast, croissants, jams, fruit salad, yoghurts, cheeses, fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc. Large, protected car park. A 10-minute walk from the centre. No luxury, but for €35 for a triple, who's complaining?. }} ==Go next== * [[Aix-les-Bains]] * [[Annecy]] * [[La Feclaz]] {{usablecity}} {{geo|45.57|5.9118}} {{IsPartOf|Savoie}} e9wfi7mffyz34zfmhojjh2e35udws74 4502038 4502030 2022-08-16T08:57:56Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Get around */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Chamberyelephants.JPG|thumb|300px|The Place of the elephants in Chambéry old town]] '''Chambéry''' is a beautiful town in the [[Rhône-Alpes]] region of [[France]] and the birthplace and historic capital of Savoie. ==Understand== Throughout history, it has been both Italian and French. It lies in a valley in the Alps surrounded by the Bauges and Chartreuse mountain ranges and provides almost 360-degree views of the French Alps. To the north, it is bordered by Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France. Chambéry has long been a "crossroads to the Alps" dating all the way back to the 11th century. For many years, it was ruled by the Duchy of Savoie before being annexed to the King of France. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man (the French version of the Bill of Rights) while living in Chambéry. Chambéry is a charming, peaceful place to visit with beautiful architecture, good food and wine, and friendly people. There are many vineyards in the area that visitors can enjoy, and on Saturdays, the city public market is abuzz with the freshest cheeses, meats, and local produce from the Alps. The area offers many recreational activities to choose from in all seasons, from skiing and snowshoeing, to sailing and rock climbing. The famous Tour de France bicycle race comes through the area in the summer. Chambéry also boasts the Savoie Technolac research park and the Universite de Savoie, and a mountain research center. ==Get in== [[File:Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (Savoie).jpg|thumb|Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (railway roundhouse of Chambéry)]] === By train === Chambéry has direct TGV from Paris and other trains (TER, Train Express Regional) to all major destinations of the region. It takes 3.5 hours to get to Chambéry on the direct TGV. Chambéry is easily accessible to Lyon, Grenoble, Chamonix, Geneva (Switzerland), and Turin (Italy.) === By car === It is linked by motorways to * [[Lyon]] via A43 in the west * [[Grenoble]] via A41 in the south * [[Aix-les-Bains]], [[Annecy]] and [[Geneva]] via A41 in the north * [[Torino]], [[Italy]] via ... and the tunnel of Fréjus in the east === By plane === There is also a small airport * {{listing | type=go | name=Aéroport de Chambéry-Savoie | alt={{IATA|CMF}} | url=http://www.chambery-airport.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.64 | long=5.881111 | directions={{km|10}} north of the city, next to Lac du Bourget | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Chambéry Airport | image=Aéroport Chambéry - Savoie (73).jpg | wikidata=Q1431076 | content=is served by British Airways, S7 Airlines, Transavia, and TUI during the winter months. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|45.5659|5.9231|zoom=14}} Chambéry is compact in size and is easily explored on foot in a short amount of time. The medieval section of the town is quite well preserved. There are also local and regional buses. If you wish to explore the mountains or go on a wine tour, car rentals are available in town. If you want a bit of exercise, you can also rent a bicycle and explore a bit further. Bicycles can be rented from the Vélostation in front of the train station: [http://agence.ecomobilite.free.fr/ Agence Ecomobilité] Only €3 for a half day and €5 for a full day. Open Monday-Friday 6:30AM-7PM and from 9AM-7PM on weekends and holidays. Cycle paths: a cycle route goes from the centre of town north to the Lac du Bourget (mostly a cycle lane which is separate from the road) and another goes south into the vineyards (mixture of separate cycle lane and quiet country roads). ==See== [[File:Toits centre ancien Chambéry (2014).JPG|thumb|Roofs of the historical centre of Chambéry]] * The medieval quarter of Chambéry holds many well-preserved streets and alleys. The most famous was the 8th-century '''Rue Basse du Château''', which was tragically destroyed by a fire on January 1, 2001. * {{see | name=Chateau de Chambéry | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.5644 | long=5.91778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Chateaunuit.JPG | wikidata=Q2971586 | content=once the residence of the Ducs de Savoie and whose chapel once housed the Shroud of Turin, is now the department of Savoie government offices. }} * {{see | name=Place du Palais de Justice | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Hotel de Ville | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Place St-Leger | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Cathedral de Chambéry | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=The Elephants Fountain | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=(on lots of postcards, the fountain with these four elephant "busts" is affectionately called the "four buttless" by locals) }} * {{see | name=Croix du Nivolet | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Mont Granier | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Lac du Bourget | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Renting a paddle-boat for an hour or two is a cheap way to spend a sunny afternoon. }} * '''Museums''' ==Do== [[File:Rideau d'Orphée, théâtre Charles Dullin, Chambéry.JPG|thumb|Curtains showing a scene from the legend of Orpheus, in the théâtre Charles Dullin]] Shopping, eating, drinking, visiting vineyards, hiking, boating, skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding ==Buy== A light, yet sturdy knife from local company "Opinel" Cheap shoes and clothing from the store Axo. Hard to find (ask the locals for directions) and terribly disorganized, but the prices are very good. A pair of ballerina flats usually goes for around €8. ==Eat== Some foods to try are Fondue savoyarde, tartiflette, crêpes, and goats cheese (Saint Marcellin). * {{eat | name=Le Café de Lyon | alt= | url=https://www.lecafedelyon.com/ | email= | address=29 Place Monge | lat=45.563222 | long=5.9217796 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Nice restaurant with French food. }} * {{eat | name=Château de Candie | url= | email= | address=38 rue Bobby Sands, 73000, Chambéry-le-Vieux | lat= | long= | directions=5 km from Chambéry | phone=+33 4 79 96 63 00 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 96 63 10 | hours= | price=€90-160 + Restaurant, €23-55 | content=Five minutes from the centre of Chambéry, this massive XIVth Century Château had its beautiful rooms elegantly renovated. The cuisine is inspired by its Savoy roots: sautéed mushrooms and crawfish, omble chevalier meunière, beef fillet seasoned with Szechuan pepper. Great cheeses and wines. All food served in the "Orangerie". }} * {{eat | name=L'Essentiel | url= | email= | address=183, place de la Gare | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 96 97 27 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 96 17 78 | hours=Closed on Saturday Lunches & all Sundays. | price=€27-53 | content=A contemparary decor and inventive regional cuisine, served with local Savoy wines. }} * {{eat | name=L'Hypoténuse | url= | email= | address=Carré Curial | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 85 80 15 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 85 80 18 | hours=Closed on Saturday lunches & all Sundays as well as July 15th-August 15th. | price=€14-35 | content=In a space full of silence and fresh air, this restaurant offers a seasomal cuisine created with locally grown products at a reasonable price. }} * {{eat | name=Aux Piétons | url= | email= | address=Place Monge | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 85 52 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Closed on Sundays & Tuesday nights. | price= | content=Hearty local specialities: cheese fondue, tartiflette and brasérade. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Le Tonneau | alt= | url= | email= | address=2 rue Saint-Antoine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 33 78 26 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 85 49 69 | hours=Closed on Sunday evenings & all Sundays. | price=€17-35 | content=An elegant restaurant with a shaded terrace for summer dining. Great service and food. }} * {{eat | name=Le Saint Real Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.restaurant-saint-real.com | email= | address=Place Pierre Dumas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 70 09 33 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Situated in the heart of the Old Town of Chambéry, near the Fontaine des Elephants. Italian, German and English spoken; the businessperson's lunch is about €48. }} * {{eat | name=Le Palais de l'Inde | alt= | url=http://lepalaisdelinde-chambery.fr/localisation/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=118 Rue d'Italie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 4 79 33 81 05 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=e.g. Two starters + three main courses + two naans + half a bottle of wine + one beer + one coke = €88. | lastedit=2016-07-01 | content=Indian restaurant, with the usual range of Indian food. Right in the centre, a couple of minutes' walk from the Place de Théâtre. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Vins de Savoie | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Chartreuse | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{drink | name=O'Cardinal's Pub | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Best Hotel Chambery | url= | email= | address=9 rue Denfert Rochereau | lat= | long= | directions=Centre, near Savoy University | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€90 | checkin=12:00 | checkout=11:00 | content=Includes 40 soundproof bedrooms on three floors, which all include bathroom, telephone, satellite TV, and car space in front of the hotel to deposit luggage. English, Spanish, French and Italian are spoken. Also includes an indoor swimming pool, tennis, skating rink and an equestrian centre. Wireless internet is available in all rooms and is free of charge. Children and extra beds: Maximum capacity of extra beds in a room is 1. All rooms are non-smoking. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Budget Chambéry Centre Ville | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/2548/index.en.shtml | email=H2548@ACCOR.COM | address=391 Avenue Alsace Lorraine, 73000 Chambéry | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 892683173 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=€35 triple, booked in advance | lastedit=2016-07-01 | content=This is a French "Travelodge", previously known as ETAP, cheap, basic rooms with private bathrooms, all for 1-3 people. Buffet breakfast €5 extra - bread, toast, croissants, jams, fruit salad, yoghurts, cheeses, fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc. Large, protected car park. A 10-minute walk from the centre. No luxury, but for €35 for a triple, who's complaining?. }} ==Go next== * [[Aix-les-Bains]] * [[Annecy]] * [[La Feclaz]] {{usablecity}} {{geo|45.57|5.9118}} {{IsPartOf|Savoie}} ivfkb0x0nhrv25fyofpleilf4gvoenf 4502082 4502038 2022-08-16T09:49:52Z Ilcuoco57 2260411 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Chamberyelephants.JPG|thumb|300px|The Place of the elephants in Chambéry old town]] '''Chambéry''' is a beautiful town in the [[Rhône-Alpes]] region of [[France]] and the birthplace and historic capital of Savoie. ==Understand== Throughout history, it has been both Italian and French. It lies in a valley in the Alps surrounded by the Bauges and Chartreuse mountain ranges and provides almost 360-degree views of the French Alps. To the north, it is bordered by Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France. Chambéry has long been a "crossroads to the Alps" dating all the way back to the 11th century. For many years, it was ruled by the Duchy of Savoie before being annexed to the King of France. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man (the French version of the Bill of Rights) while living in Chambéry. Chambéry is a charming, peaceful place to visit with beautiful architecture, good food and wine, and friendly people. There are many vineyards in the area that visitors can enjoy, and on Saturdays, the city public market is abuzz with the freshest cheeses, meats, and local produce from the Alps. The area offers many recreational activities to choose from in all seasons, from skiing and snowshoeing, to sailing and rock climbing. The famous Tour de France bicycle race comes through the area in the summer. Chambéry also boasts the Savoie Technolac research park and the Universite de Savoie, and a mountain research center. ==Get in== [[File:Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (Savoie).jpg|thumb|Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (railway roundhouse of Chambéry)]] === By train === Chambéry has direct TGV from Paris and other trains (TER, Train Express Regional) to all major destinations of the region. It takes 3.5 hours to get to Chambéry on the direct TGV. Chambéry is easily accessible to Lyon, Grenoble, Chamonix, Geneva (Switzerland), and Turin (Italy.) === By car === It is linked by motorways to * [[Lyon]] via A43 in the west * [[Grenoble]] via A41 in the south * [[Aix-les-Bains]], [[Annecy]] and [[Geneva]] via A41 in the north * [[Torino]], [[Italy]] via ... and the tunnel of Fréjus in the east === By plane === There is also a small airport * {{listing | type=go | name=Aéroport de Chambéry-Savoie | alt={{IATA|CMF}} | url=http://www.chambery-airport.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.64 | long=5.881111 | directions={{km|10}} north of the city, next to Lac du Bourget | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Chambéry Airport | image=Aéroport Chambéry - Savoie (73).jpg | wikidata=Q1431076 | content=is served by British Airways, S7 Airlines, Transavia, and TUI during the winter months. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|45.5659|5.9231|zoom=14}} Chambéry is compact in size and is easily explored on foot in a short amount of time. The medieval section of the town is quite well preserved. There are also local and regional buses. If you wish to explore the mountains or go on a wine tour, car rentals are available in town. If you want a bit of exercise, you can also rent a bicycle and explore a bit further. Bicycles can be rented from the Vélostation in front of the train station: [http://agence.ecomobilite.free.fr/ Agence Ecomobilité] Only €3 for a half day and €5 for a full day. Open Monday-Friday 6:30AM-7PM and from 9AM-7PM on weekends and holidays. Cycle paths: a cycle route goes from the centre of town north to the Lac du Bourget (mostly a cycle lane which is separate from the road) and another goes south into the vineyards (mixture of separate cycle lane and quiet country roads). ==See== [[File:Toits centre ancien Chambéry (2014).JPG|thumb|Roofs of the historical centre of Chambéry]] * The medieval quarter of Chambéry holds many well-preserved streets and alleys. The most famous was the 8th-century '''Rue Basse du Château''', which was tragically destroyed by a fire on January 1, 2001. * {{see | name=Chateau de Chambéry | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.5644 | long=5.91778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Chateaunuit.JPG | wikidata=Q2971586 | content=once the residence of the Ducs de Savoie and whose chapel once housed the Shroud of Turin, is now the department of Savoie government offices. }} * {{see | name=Place du Palais de Justice | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Hotel de Ville | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Place St-Leger | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Cathedral de Chambéry | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=The Elephants Fountain | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=(on lots of postcards, the fountain with these four elephant "busts" is affectionately called the "four buttless" by locals) }} * {{see | name=Croix du Nivolet | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Mont Granier | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Lac du Bourget | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Renting a paddle-boat for an hour or two is a cheap way to spend a sunny afternoon. }} * '''Museums''' ==Do== [[File:Rideau d'Orphée, théâtre Charles Dullin, Chambéry.JPG|thumb|Curtains showing a scene from the legend of Orpheus, in the théâtre Charles Dullin]] Shopping, eating, drinking, visiting vineyards, hiking, boating, skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding ==Buy== * A light, yet sturdy knife from local company "Opinel" * Cheap shoes and clothing from the store Axo. Hard to find (ask the locals for directions) and terribly disorganized, but the prices are very good. A pair of ballerina flats usually goes for around €8. * {{buy | name=Boulangerie Hexagone | alt= | url=https://boulangerie-hexagone.fr/ | email= | address=5 rue Bonivard | lat=45.5662568 | long=5.9193999 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=7.00-20.00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Artisan bread }} ==Eat== Some foods to try are Fondue savoyarde, tartiflette, crêpes, and goats cheese (Saint Marcellin). * {{eat | name=Le Café de Lyon | alt= | url=https://www.lecafedelyon.com/ | email= | address=29 Place Monge | lat=45.563222 | long=5.9217796 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Nice restaurant with French food. }} * {{eat | name=Château de Candie | url= | email= | address=38 rue Bobby Sands, 73000, Chambéry-le-Vieux | lat= | long= | directions=5 km from Chambéry | phone=+33 4 79 96 63 00 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 96 63 10 | hours= | price=€90-160 + Restaurant, €23-55 | content=Five minutes from the centre of Chambéry, this massive XIVth Century Château had its beautiful rooms elegantly renovated. The cuisine is inspired by its Savoy roots: sautéed mushrooms and crawfish, omble chevalier meunière, beef fillet seasoned with Szechuan pepper. Great cheeses and wines. All food served in the "Orangerie". }} * {{eat | name=L'Essentiel | url= | email= | address=183, place de la Gare | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 96 97 27 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 96 17 78 | hours=Closed on Saturday Lunches & all Sundays. | price=€27-53 | content=A contemparary decor and inventive regional cuisine, served with local Savoy wines. }} * {{eat | name=L'Hypoténuse | url= | email= | address=Carré Curial | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 85 80 15 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 85 80 18 | hours=Closed on Saturday lunches & all Sundays as well as July 15th-August 15th. | price=€14-35 | content=In a space full of silence and fresh air, this restaurant offers a seasomal cuisine created with locally grown products at a reasonable price. }} * {{eat | name=Aux Piétons | url= | email= | address=Place Monge | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 85 52 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Closed on Sundays & Tuesday nights. | price= | content=Hearty local specialities: cheese fondue, tartiflette and brasérade. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Le Tonneau | alt= | url= | email= | address=2 rue Saint-Antoine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 33 78 26 | tollfree= | fax=+33 4 79 85 49 69 | hours=Closed on Sunday evenings & all Sundays. | price=€17-35 | content=An elegant restaurant with a shaded terrace for summer dining. Great service and food. }} * {{eat | name=Le Saint Real Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.restaurant-saint-real.com | email= | address=Place Pierre Dumas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 4 79 70 09 33 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Situated in the heart of the Old Town of Chambéry, near the Fontaine des Elephants. Italian, German and English spoken; the businessperson's lunch is about €48. }} * {{eat | name=Le Palais de l'Inde | alt= | url=http://lepalaisdelinde-chambery.fr/localisation/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=118 Rue d'Italie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 4 79 33 81 05 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=e.g. Two starters + three main courses + two naans + half a bottle of wine + one beer + one coke = €88. | lastedit=2016-07-01 | content=Indian restaurant, with the usual range of Indian food. Right in the centre, a couple of minutes' walk from the Place de Théâtre. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Vins de Savoie | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Chartreuse | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{drink | name=O'Cardinal's Pub | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Best Hotel Chambery | url= | email= | address=9 rue Denfert Rochereau | lat= | long= | directions=Centre, near Savoy University | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€90 | checkin=12:00 | checkout=11:00 | content=Includes 40 soundproof bedrooms on three floors, which all include bathroom, telephone, satellite TV, and car space in front of the hotel to deposit luggage. English, Spanish, French and Italian are spoken. Also includes an indoor swimming pool, tennis, skating rink and an equestrian centre. Wireless internet is available in all rooms and is free of charge. Children and extra beds: Maximum capacity of extra beds in a room is 1. All rooms are non-smoking. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Budget Chambéry Centre Ville | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/2548/index.en.shtml | email=H2548@ACCOR.COM | address=391 Avenue Alsace Lorraine, 73000 Chambéry | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 892683173 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=€35 triple, booked in advance | lastedit=2016-07-01 | content=This is a French "Travelodge", previously known as ETAP, cheap, basic rooms with private bathrooms, all for 1-3 people. Buffet breakfast €5 extra - bread, toast, croissants, jams, fruit salad, yoghurts, cheeses, fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc. Large, protected car park. A 10-minute walk from the centre. No luxury, but for €35 for a triple, who's complaining?. }} ==Go next== * [[Aix-les-Bains]] * [[Annecy]] * [[La Feclaz]] {{usablecity}} {{geo|45.57|5.9118}} {{IsPartOf|Savoie}} 1fu15bvm2222at7nrqpnccm1b1ghixr 0 7335 4502037 4497755 2022-08-16T08:56:00Z 廣九直通車 1666899 /* Politics */ addl. note on Japanese cultural symbols, based on the reactions of [[w:南京玄奘寺牌位事件]] (nun in a temple in Nanjing erected tablets of Japanese war criminals, stirring controversy) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|China Banner 2.jpg|caption=Nine Dragon Wall|pgname=China}} {{other uses}} {{COVID-19 box|For information about entering China, see [[#Get in|"Get in"]] below. COVID-19 cases in China are generally on low level and life within the country mostly continues as normal, although cases are higher in border areas due to more international traffic. Since early December 2021, localized outbreaks have also been reported in individual cities. Some restrictions continue, which vary widely and may change with little notice. Face masks continue to be required in some areas, and (despite the annoyance created) regular COVID testing irrespective of symptoms is adopted by some local governments. Chinese authorities adopt zero-COVID policy in dealing with even the smallest outbreaks, and cities or even entire provinces can be locked down at short notice should any infection cluster emerge, meaning that you could be stuck for weeks, or even months on end. '''Food supply may not keep up''' with lockdown measures, so you should keep some durable food to prepare for the worst case. * [http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/ Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention] * [http://en.nhc.gov.cn/ National Health Commission of the PRC] |lastedit=2022-07-03}} China (中国; ''Zhōngguó'') is one of the world's oldest civilizations. Its long and rich history is present in people's thinking and values, and in the art, architecture, and feats of engineering that remain from dynasties past. After a tumultuous 19th and 20th centuries, China has dramatically re-emerged as an economic powerhouse. Its rapid development has been paralleled by an ascent onto the international stage. Of course there are growing pains when high-rises and factories surge up to dwarf centuries-old pagodas, but there's also a strong sense of enthusiasm and optimism about what the future holds. If you visit now, you can see the relics of millennia of history and experience the signs of further transformations in progress. ==Regions== China's [[Chinese provinces and regions|hierarchy of administrative divisions]] has 22 '''provinces''' (省 ''shěng'') which tend to have their own cultural identities, and 5 '''autonomous regions''' (自治区 ''zìzhìqū''), each with a designated minority ethnic group. These along with four municipalities (直辖市 ''zhíxiáshì'') make up what is known as '''mainland China'''. {{disclaimerbox|Wikivoyage covers '''[[Hong Kong]]''', '''[[Macau]]''' and '''[[Taiwan]]''' in separate articles. They have separate immigration and visa systems and issue their own currencies. Journeys between any two of them or between any of them and mainland China will involve border inspections. * '''Hong Kong''' and '''Macau''' are [[Chinese_provinces_and_regions#Province-level_divisions|special administrative regions]] (SARs, 特别行政区 ''tèbié xíngzhèngqū''): part of China but with distinct political systems. * '''Taiwan''' has been completely autonomous since the end of the civil war in 1949, when the victorious Communists created the People's Republic of China on the mainland, and the defeated Nationalist government was left holding only Taiwan and some outlying islands. On paper, both governments claim sovereignty over all of China including Taiwan and support eventual re-unification. Wikivoyage also covers the [[Kinmen]] and [[Matsu]] islands in the Taiwan article. ''This does not represent an endorsement of any political position.''}} For the purposes of Wikivoyage, these provinces are grouped into the following regions: {{Regionlist | regionmap=Map of China.svg | regionmaptext=Regions of China | regionmapsize=500px | region1name=[[Northeast China]] | region1color=#d5dc76 | region1items=[[Liaoning]], [[Jilin]], [[Heilongjiang]] | region1description=Historically known as '''Manchuria''', the Northeast is a land of steppes, vast forests, and long snowy winters. Culturally influenced by Russia, Korea, and Japan, it contains a mix of modern cities and "rust belt" industrial towns that have become neglected. | region2name=[[North China]] | region2color=#b383b3 | region2items=[[Shandong]], [[Shanxi]], [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Henan]], [[Hebei]], [[Beijing]], [[Tianjin]] | region2description=The plains of North China around the fertile Yellow River basin were the '''cradle of Chinese civilization'''. They have been the political center of Chinese empires for millennia, and are home to the modern capital, Beijing. | region3name=[[Northwest China]] | region3color=#71b37b | region3items=[[Shaanxi]], [[Gansu]], [[Ningxia]], [[Qinghai]], [[Xinjiang]] | region3description=A historical borderland, with grasslands giving way to deserts and mountains, and with the ancient Silk Road connecting China to Europe. Northwest China is home to many Muslims and ethnic minorities who at times formed independent kingdoms. | region4name=[[Southwest China]] | region4color=#4da9c4 | region4items=[[Tibet]], [[Sichuan]], [[Chongqing (municipality)|Chongqing]], [[Yunnan]], [[Guizhou]] | region4description=Minority peoples, spectacular scenery, and backpacker havens. | region5name=[[South-central China]] | region5color=#a78379 | region5items=[[Anhui]], [[Hubei]], [[Hunan]], [[Jiangxi]] | region5description=Yangtze River Basin area, farms, mountains, river gorges, temperate and sub-tropical forests. | region6name=[[South China]] | region6color=#ffd0d0 | region6items=[[Guangdong]], [[Guangxi]], [[Hainan]] | region6description=Traditional trading center, manufacturing and tech powerhouse. | region7name=[[East China]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7items=[[Jiangsu]], [[Shanghai]], [[Zhejiang]], [[Fujian]] | region7description=The "land of fish and rice", traditional water towns, and China's new cosmopolitan economic center. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d5dc76|title=[[Northeast China]]|wikidata=Q43934,Q45208,Q19206}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b383b3|title=[[North China]]|wikidata=Q43407,Q46913,Q41079,Q43684,Q21208,Q956,Q11736}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#71b37b|title=[[Northwest China]]|wikidata=Q47974,Q42392,Q57448,Q45833,Q34800}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#4da9c4|title=[[Southwest China]]|wikidata=Q17269,Q43194,Q47097,Q19770,Q11725}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#a78379|title=[[South-central China]]|wikidata=Q40956,Q46862,Q45761,Q57052}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ffd0d0|title=[[South China]]|wikidata=Q15175,Q42200,Q15176}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d56d76|title=[[East China]]|wikidata=Q16963,Q8686,Q16967,Q41705}} ==Cities== <!--{{Mapframe|37.6|104.2|height=550|width=700|zoom=4}}--> [[File:Gateofheavenlypeace.JPG|thumb|Tiananmen, [[Beijing]]]] Here are nine of China's most interesting cities for travelers. Others are listed in region articles. <!-- Do not change or add to this list without discussion on the talk page --> * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Beijing]]|wikidata=Q956}} (北京) — the capital, cultural center, and home of the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and other important historical sites * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Chengdu]]|lat=30.657|long=104.066}} (成都) — capital of [[Sichuan]] province, known for tingly-spicy food, and home of the giant pandas * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Guangzhou]]|wikidata=Q16572}} (广州) — one of the most prosperous and liberal cities in the south, near [[Hong Kong]], and main center of Cantonese culture [[File:漓江山水.jpg|thumb|Li River near [[Guilin]]]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hangzhou]]|wikidata=Q4970}} (杭州) — built around West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and southern terminus of the [[Along the Grand Canal|Grand Canal]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Harbin]]|wikidata=Q42956}} (哈尔滨) — capital of [[Heilongjiang]], which hosts the Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival during its bitterly cold winters * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kashgar]]|wikidata=Q170521}} (Chinese: 喀什, Uyghur: قەشقەر) — center of Uyghur culture, with a beautiful and well-preserved old town, and the famous Id Kah Mosque * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nanjing]]|wikidata=Q16666}} (南京) — the capital during the early Ming Dynasty and Republic of China era, a renowned historical and cultural city with many historic sites * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shanghai]]|wikidata=Q8686}} (上海) — China's largest city, famous for its riverside cityscape, a major commercial center with many shopping opportunities * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Xi'an]]|wikidata=Q5826}} (西安) — the oldest city and ancient capital of China, terminus of the ancient [[Silk Road]], and home of the terracotta warriors <!-- Do not change or add to this list without discussion on the talk page --> You can travel to many of these cities using the new [[High-speed rail in China|fast trains]]. In particular, the Hangzhou - Shanghai - Suzhou - Nanjing line is a convenient way to see these historic areas. ==Other destinations== Some of the most famous tourist attractions in China are: * {{marker|name=[[Great Wall of China]]|wikidata=Q12501}} (万里长城) — longer than 8,000&nbsp;km, this ancient wall is the most iconic landmark of China * {{marker|name=[[Hainan]]|wikidata=Q42200}} (海南) — a tropical paradise island undergoing heavy tourism-oriented development * {{marker|name=[[Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve]]|wikidata=Q4111}} (九寨沟) — known for its many multi-level waterfalls, colourful lakes and as the home of the giant pandas * {{marker|name=[[Leshan]]|wikidata=Q426868|image=Leshan DaF0 Grand Buddha.JPG}} — most famous for its huge riverside cliff-carving of Buddha and nearby [[Mount Emei]] * {{marker|name=[[Qomolangma|Mount Everest]]|wikidata=Q3457459}} — straddling the border between Nepal and Tibet, this is the world's highest mountain * {{marker|name=[[Mount Tai]]|wikidata=Q216059}} (泰山 Tài Shān) — one of the five sacred Taoist mountains in China, and the most-climbed mountain in China * {{marker|name=[[Tibet]]|wikidata=Q17269}} (西藏) — with a majority of Tibetan Buddhists and traditional Tibetan culture, it feels like an entirely different world * {{marker|name=[[Yungang Grottoes]]|lat=40.11143|long=113.13233}} (云冈石窟) — these mountain-side caves and recesses number more than 50, and are filled with 51,000 Buddhist statues * {{marker|name=[[Guilin]] karst|lat=25.2667|long=110.2833}} (桂林) — sensational mountain landscapes that have long been the subject of Chinese paintings China has over 40 sites on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List#China|UNESCO World Heritage List]]. ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationPRChina.svg}} China is one of the major civilizations in this world, and for many centuries stood out as a leading nation with technologies that the West was not able to match until the early modern period. Paper and gunpowder are examples of Chinese inventions that are still widely used today. As the dominant power in the region for much of its history, China exported much of its culture to neighboring [[Vietnam]], [[Korea]] and [[Japan]], and Chinese influences can still be seen in the cultures of these countries. Chinese civilization has endured millennia of tumultuous upheaval and revolutions, golden ages and periods of anarchy. Through the economic boom initiated by the reforms since the 1980s, China has returned to its place as a major political and economic world power, buoyed by its large and industrious population. The depth and complexity of the Chinese civilization, with its rich heritage, has fascinated Westerners such as [[Marco Polo]] and Gottfried Leibniz in centuries past, and will continue to excite — and bewilder — the traveler today. In Chinese, China is ''zhōng guó'', literally "central state" but often translated more poetically as "Middle Kingdom". People from everywhere else are called ‘’wàiguórén‘’ (外国人, "outside country people"), or colloquially lǎowài, "old outsider" with "old" in the sense of venerable or respected (in practice, these terms mostly refer to white people or Westerners, and almost never to any foreigner of Chinese descent). ===History=== : ''See [[Imperial China]] for more information on pre-revolutionary China.'' ====Ancient China==== According to legend, the origin of the Chinese civilization can be traced to the '''Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors''' (三皇五帝), though they are regarded as mythical figures by most modern historians. The recorded history of Chinese civilization can be traced back to the [[Along the Yellow River|Yellow River]] valley, said to be the "cradle of Chinese civilization". The '''Xia Dynasty''' (夏朝, c.2070 BC- c.1600 BC) was the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical chronicles, though to date, no indisputable proof of its existence has been found. Some archaeologists have linked the [[Erlitou]] settlements to the Xia dynasty, but this is a controversial position. [[File:Statue of Lao Tzu in Quanzhou.jpg|thumb|Statue of Laozi in [[Quanzhou]]]] The '''Shang Dynasty''' (商朝, c.1600 BC- 1046 BC), China's first archaeologically confirmed dynasty, only ruled across the Yellow River basin. There were other Bronze Age civilisations in what is now China at about the same time, at least the [[Liangzhu Culture]] in the lower [[Along the Yangtze River|Yangtze]] region around [[Lake Tai]] and one further up that river in [[Sichuan]] whose main archeological site is at [[Sanxingdui]]. The Shang were succeeded by the '''Zhou Dynasty''' (周朝, 1046 BC- 256 BC), who expanded their empire southward into the Yangtze river basin. The Zhou adopted feudalism as their system of government; feudal lords ruled over their respective territories with a high degree of autonomy, even maintaining their own armies, while at the same time paying tribute to the king and recognizing him as the symbolic ruler of China. During the second half of the Zhou period, China descended into centuries of political turmoil, with the feudal lords of numerous small fiefdoms vying for power during the '''Spring and Autumn Period''' (春秋时代, 770 BC- 476 BC), and later stabilized into seven large states in the '''Warring States period''' (战国时代, 475 BC- 221 BC). This tumultuous period gave birth to China's greatest thinkers including Confucius, Mencius and Laozi (also spelt Lao-Tzu), who made substantial contributions to Chinese thought and culture, as well as the military strategist Sun Tzu, whose ''Art of War'' is studied to this day. ====Imperial China==== {{See also|On the trail of Marco Polo}} China was unified in 221 BC under Qin Shi Huang, "First Emperor of Qin". His '''Qin Dynasty''' (秦朝, 221 BC—206 BC) instituted a centralized system of government for China, and standardized weights and measures, Chinese characters and currency to create unity. The '''Han Dynasty''' (汉朝, 206 BC—220 AD) took over in 206 BC after a period of revolt and civil war, ushering in the first golden age of Chinese civilization. To this day the majority Chinese race use the term "Han" to describe themselves, and Chinese characters continue to be called "Han characters" (汉字 ''hànzì'') in Chinese. The Han Dynasty presided over the beginning of the [[Silk Road]], and the invention of paper. The empire was also expanded further southward, incorporating what is today Fujian, Guangdong and northern Vietnam. The collapse of the Han Dynasty in AD 220 led to a period of political turmoil and war known as '''the Three Kingdoms Period''' (三国时期, 220—280), which China split into the three separate states of '''Wei''' (魏, 220-265), '''Shu''' (蜀, 221—263) and '''Wu''' (吴, 222—280). The '''Jin Dynasty''' (晋朝, 265—420) reunified China in AD 280, though the reunification was short-lived, and China would rapidly descend into civil war and division again. From AD 420 to 589, China was divided into two parts, '''the Southern and Northern dynasties''' (南北朝). The '''Sui Dynasty''' (隋朝, 581—618) reunified China in 581. Sui were famous for major public works projects, such as the engineering feat of the [[Along the Grand Canal|Grand Canal]], which gradually developed into the Canal linking Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south. Certain sections of the canal are still navigable today. [[File:Great Wall of China (I) (7183821235).jpg|thumb|The Great Wall]] In 618 AD, the Sui were supplanted by the '''Tang Dynasty''' (唐朝, 618- 907), ushering in the second golden age of Chinese civilization, marked by a flowering of Chinese poetry, the rise of Buddhism and statecraft. After the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in AD 907, China was divided again, until it was reunified under the '''Song Dynasty''' (宋朝, 960—1279) in AD 960. In 1127, the Song were driven south of the Huai river by the Jurchens, where they continued to rule as the Southern Song based in Linan (临安 ''Lín'ān'', modern-day Hangzhou). Although militarily weak, the Song attained a high level of commercial and economic development that would be unmatched in the West until the [[Industrial Revolution]]. The '''Yuan Dynasty''' (元朝, 1271—1368, one of the four divisions of the [[Mongol Empire]]) defeated the Jurchens, then conquered the Song in 1279, and ruled the vast empire from Khanbaliq (大都 ''Dàdū'', modern-day Beijing). After defeating the Mongols, the '''Ming dynasty''' (明朝, 1368—1644) re-instituted rule by ethnic Han. The Ming period was noted for trade and exploration, with [[Voyages of Zheng He|Zheng He's numerous voyages]] to [[Southeast Asia]], [[India]] and the [[Middle East|Arab world]], even reaching the eastern coast of [[Africa]]; see [[Maritime Silk Road]]. Famous buildings in Beijing, such as the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, were built in this period. The last imperial dynasty, the '''Qing dynasty''' (清朝, 1644—1911), were ethnic Manchus who further expanded the Chinese empire to roughly its current boundaries by incorporating the western regions of Xinjiang and Tibet. The Qing dynasty fell into decay in the 19th century and China was often described as the "sick man of Asia" (東亞病夫/东亚病夫). It was nibbled apart by the Western powers and Japan, a period dubbed by the Chinese as the "Century of Humiliation". The Westerners and Japanese established their own treaty ports in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin. China lost several territories to foreign powers, including Hong Kong to Britain, and Taiwan to Japan, and it lost control of its tributaries, Vietnam, Korea and the Ryukyu Islands. This is also the period where the stereotypical appearance of Chinese people, such as pigtails, Manchu hairstyles, and ''magua'' (a kind of Manchu clothing) got rooted in other foreign countries due to a surge of foreign communications since the sea ban. The turmoil during the end of the Qing Dynasty and Republic of China-era led to the emigration of many Chinese, who established overseas Chinese communities in many other parts of the world. Most overseas Chinese who emigrated before World War II were from [[Fujian]], [[Guangdong]] or [[Hainan]], making those provinces the natural places to go if you want to explore the [[legacy of the Overseas Chinese]]. ====The Republic and World War II==== {{see also|Chinese Revolutionary Destinations|Pacific War|Long March}} The 2000-year-old imperial system collapsed in 1911, when Sun Yat-Sen founded the '''Republic of China'''. Central rule collapsed in 1916 after Yuan Shih-kai, the second president of the Republic and self-declared emperor, passed away; China descended into anarchy, with warlords ruling over different regions of China and fighting wars with each other. In 1919, student protests in Beijing over the perceived unfavorable terms of the Treaty of Versailles (since China had participated in [[World War I]] as part of the Allies) gave birth to the "May Fourth Movement", which espoused reforms to Chinese society, such as the use of the vernacular in writing, and the development of science and democracy. The intellectual ferment of the movement gave birth to the reorganized '''Kuomintang''' (KMT) in 1919 and the '''Chinese Communist Party''' (CCP), in 1921. It also laid the foundation for the establishment of Standard Mandarin as the first standard spoken form of Chinese for the entire country. After much of eastern China was united under KMT rule in 1928, the CCP and the KMT turned on each other, and the CCP fled to Yan'an in Shaanxi in the epic [[Long March]]. Although Shanghai became one of the most prosperous cities in East Asia during the 1920s and 30s, underlying problems throughout the vast countryside, particularly the more inland parts of the country, such as civil unrest, extreme poverty, famines and warlord conflict, remained. Japan established a puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria in 1931, and launched a full-scale invasion of China's heartland in 1937. The Japanese implemented a brutal system of rule in Eastern China, culminating in the Nanjing Massacre of 1937. After fleeing west to Chongqing, the KMT signed a tenuous agreement with the CCP to form a united front against the Japanese. With the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945, the KMT and CCP armies maneuvered for positions in north China, setting the stage for the civil war. The civil war lasted from 1945 to 1949. The Kuomintang were defeated and forced to flee to Taiwan where they hoped to re-establish themselves and recapture the mainland someday. ==== A Red China==== [[File:·˙·ChinaUli2010·.· Beijing - Entrance of the Forbidden Town - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the Imperial City nowadays features a Mao picture and red flags]] On 1 Oct 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the '''People's Republic of China''' (中华人民共和国). After an initial period closely hewing to the Soviet model of heavy industrialization and comprehensive central economic planning, China began to experiment with adapting Marxism to a largely agrarian society. Massive social experiments rocked China from 1957 to 1976. The Great Leap Forward aimed to collectivize and industrialize China quickly. The Cultural Revolution aimed to change everything by discipline, destruction of the "Four Olds" (customs, culture, habits, ideas), and total dedication to Mao Zedong Thought. The Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution are generally considered disastrous failures in China that caused the deaths of tens of millions of people. The effects of the Cultural Revolution in particular can still be felt: many elements of traditional Chinese culture and folk beliefs continue to thrive in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities, but have largely disappeared in mainland China. Mao died in 1976, and in 1978, Deng Xiaoping became China's paramount leader. Deng and his lieutenants gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making. One of the innovations was the creation of [[List_of_Chinese_provinces_and_regions#Development_zones|Special Economic Zones]] with tax breaks and other government measures to encourage investment and development; these still exist and are quite prosperous. China's miraculous growth since 1978 has been an extraordinary achievement. Significant problems remain, however, including inflation, regional income inequality, human rights abuses, major environmental issues, rural poverty, and ethnic conflict in Xinjiang and Tibet. In particular, blatant corruption was a major cause of large scale political movements in 1989, which in turn resulted in the bloody suppression of protesters in urban [[Beijing]], often known as the '''Tiananmen Massacre'''. The incident is still a sensitive and highly censored topic in China. Hu Jintao, who was paramount leader from around 2002 to 2012, proclaimed a policy for a "Harmonious Society", which promised to restore balanced economic growth and channel investment and prosperity into China's central and western provinces. China has developed economically at a breakneck speed since the 1990s, and overtook [[Japan]] to become the world's second largest economy after the [[United States]] in 2010, cementing its place again as a major political, military and economic world power. China has also expanded its international clout and become a major source of foreign investment, particularly in the less developed countries of [[Asia]], [[Africa]] and increasingly in [[Latin America]] and the [[Caribbean]] as well. President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, which attempts to expand international trading networks through Chinese investment in transportation infrastructure. It largely follows the route of the old [[Silk Road]]. While Xi's administration is often criticized for being more dictatorial than previous ones, China's international influence has also expanded considerably under him, and blatant corruption has been significantly reduced. Moreover, many poorer areas in western China that had largely been left behind by the economic boom are now beginning to see more government investment in infrastructure and poverty alleviation. China is now an upper middle income country. Two former colonies, [[Hong Kong]] (British) and [[Macau]] (Portuguese), rejoined China in 1997 and 1999 respectively. They are [[List_of_Chinese_provinces_and_regions#Province-level_divisions|Special Administrative Regions]] (SARs), run differently under the slogan "One country, two systems". This article does not cover them because for practical travel purposes, they function like different countries with their own visas, currencies, and laws. ===Government and politics=== {{see also|Chinese provinces and regions}} China is an authoritarian state ruled by the Communist Party of China. The "paramount leader" is the General Secretary of the Communist Party, who holds several other offices including ceremonial President. The State Council forms the executive branch; the next most powerful leader is the Premier of the State Council, who is the head of government (like a prime minister). The legislative branch consists of the unicameral National People's Congress (NPC), the largest legislature in the world with almost 3,000 delegates. The NPC is often described as a "rubber stamping" body; it has vetoed almost no bills and members have complained about their lack of power. China largely follows a centralized system of government, and is administratively divided into 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 directly controlled municipalities. Provincial governments have limited powers in their internal and economic affairs. Autonomous regions have more legal freedom than provinces, such as the right to declare additional official languages besides Mandarin. Directly controlled municipalities are cities that are not part of any province, and instead report directly to the central government in Beijing. Often having different names, prefectures ((地级)市/自治州/地区), counties (县/(县级)市/区) and townships (乡/镇/街道) are subordinated under provinces. The Special Administrative Regions (SAR), [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], in principle run themselves as separate jurisdictions, with only foreign policy and defense being controlled by Beijing, though in practice this autonomy is restricted. There is an active independence movement in Hong Kong, but the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020 has largely driven the movement underground. The PRC considers [[Taiwan]] to be one of its provinces, but Taiwan's government (the Republic of China) has been completely separate from the mainland Chinese one since 1949. Both governments on paper continue to claim to be the sole legitimate government for all of China. There is significant support for formal independence in Taiwan, but China's government has repeatedly threatened to launch a military attack on Taiwan if the island declares itself independent. See [[Chinese provinces and regions]] for more detail. ===People and customs=== With 1.4 billion inhabitants, China is home to nearly a fifth of the world's population and is the most populous country in the world. It is a diverse place with large variations in culture, language, customs and economic levels from region to region, and often strong distinct cultural and regional identities as well. The economic landscape is particularly diverse. The major cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai are modern and comparatively wealthy. However, about 50% of Chinese still live in rural areas even though only 10% of China's land is arable. Hundreds of millions of rural residents still farm with manual labor or draft animals. Some 200 to 300 million former peasants have migrated to townships and cities in search of work. Poverty has been reduced dramatically, but towards the end of 2016, China still had 43 million people under the official poverty line of ¥2,300 (about US$334) in annual income. At the other end of the spectrum, the wealthy continue to accumulate real estate and other assets at an unprecedented rate. Generally the southern and eastern coastal regions are more wealthy, while inland areas, the far west and north, and the south-west are much less developed. The cultural landscape is also very diverse. Han Chinese are the largest ethnic group, comprising over 90% of the population, but they are not culturally homogeneous, and speak a wide variety of mutually unintelligible dialects and languages. Many customs and deities are specific to individual regions and even villages. Celebrations for the Lunar New Year and other national festivals vary dramatically from region to region. Customs related to the celebration of important occasions such as weddings, funerals and births also vary widely. The Cultural Revolution wiped out much of traditional Chinese culture and religion, and while they still survive to some extent, many of the traditions of old are better preserved in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and overseas Chinese communities than in mainland China. In general, contemporary urban Chinese society is secular, and traditional culture is more of an underlying current in everyday life. That said, there has been a cultural revival in the 21st century, largely spearheaded by young middle class Chinese, who are now using social media to promote various aspects of their traditional cultures. The other 10% of the population are 55 recognized ethnic minorities — the largest of which are the Zhuang, Manchu, Hui and Miao (Hmong) — which each have their own unique cultures and languages. Other notable ethnic minorities include Koreans, Tibetans, Mongols, Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Russians. China is home to the largest Korean population outside Korea, and is home to more ethnic Mongols than is [[Mongolia]]. Many minorities have been assimilated to various degrees, losing their language and customs or fusing with Han traditions, although Tibetans and Uyghurs in China remain fiercely defensive of their cultures. In some areas, some ethnic minorities, such as the Mongols, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Tibetans, continue to maintain their traditional nomadic way of life, though that is changing as the younger generation gets better access to education and moves to the cities for higher-paying jobs, and even those who preserve the nomadic lifestyle often adopt numerous modern conveniences, such as replacing their horses with motorcycles. ====Lucky numbers==== Many Chinese people like homophones, and several numerals are considered auspicious or inauspicious based on rhymes with other Chinese words. '''"Six"''' is a good number for business, sounding like "slick" or "smooth" in Mandarin, and "good fortune" or "happiness" in Cantonese. '''"Eight"''' sounds so close to the word for "prosper" that it's widely considered auspicious. '''"Nine"''' used to be associated with the Emperor, and also sounds like "long lasting". Meanwhile, '''"four"''' is a taboo for most Chinese because the pronunciation in Mandarin, Cantonese and most other Chinese dialects is close to "death"; some buildings skip floors and room numbers that contain 4s. ===Climate and terrain=== [[File:Sanya Dongtian Park - panoramio (10).jpg|thumb|[[Hainan]] is a popular destination in tropical China]] The climate is extremely diverse, from tropical regions in the south to subarctic in the north. [[Hainan]] Island is roughly at the same latitude as Jamaica, while [[Harbin]], one of the largest cities in the north, is at roughly the latitude of Montreal and has the climate to match. North China has four distinct seasons with intensely hot summers and bitterly cold winters. Southern China tends to be milder and wetter. The further north and west you travel, the drier the climate. Once you leave eastern China and enter the majestic Tibetan highlands or the vast steppes and deserts of Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, distances are vast and the land is harsh. During the communist planned economy era, uniform rules required that buildings in areas north of the Yangtze River get heat in the winter, but anything south of it would not &mdash; this meant buildings were unheated in places like Shanghai and Nanjing, which routinely have temperatures below freezing in winter. The rule was relaxed long ago, but the effects are still visible. In general, Chinese use less heating and less building insulation, and wear more warm clothing, than Westerners in comparable climates. In schools, apartments and office buildings, even if the rooms are heated, the corridors are not. Double-glazing is quite rare. Students and teachers wear winter jackets in class, and long underwear is common. Air-conditioning is increasingly common but is similarly not used in corridors and is often used with the windows and doors open. China has many inland mountain ranges, high plateaus, and deserts in the center and the far west; plains, deltas, and hills dominate the east. The [[Pearl River Delta]] region around Guangzhou and Hong Kong and the [[Along the Yangtze river|Yangtze delta]] around Shanghai are major global economic powerhouses, as is the North China plain around Beijing and the Yellow River. On the border between Tibet (the Tibet Autonomous Region) and Nepal lies Mount [[Everest]], at 8,850&nbsp;m, the highest point on earth. The [[Turpan]] depression, in northwest China's Xinjiang is the lowest point in China at 154&nbsp;m below sea level, which is the second-lowest point in the world after the [[Dead Sea]]. ===Units of measure=== China's official system of measurement is metric, but you will sometimes hear the traditional Chinese system of measurements in colloquial usage. The one you are most likely to come across in everyday use is the unit of mass ''jīn'' (斤), nowadays equal to 0.5&nbsp;kg in mainland China. Most Chinese will quote their weight in ''jīn'' if asked, and food prices in markets are often quoted per ''jīn''. ===Holidays=== {{CNYdates}} China observes two week-long holidays during the year, called '''[[Golden Week holidays in China|Golden Weeks]]'''. During these weeks, around '''Chinese New Year''' (late January to mid-February) and '''National Day''' (1 October), hundreds of millions of migrant workers return home and millions of other Chinese travel within the country (but many in the service sector stay behind, enjoying extra pay). Try to avoid being on the road, on the rails, or in the air during the major holidays. If you do have to travel the, plan well in advance, especially for transportation and for travel from western China or the east coast. Every mode of transportation is extremely crowded; tickets are very hard to come by, and will cost you a lot more. Air tickets sell out more slowly because of the higher prices. The Chinese New Year period is the largest annual migration of people on Earth. [[File:New Year Scene.jpg|thumb|Chinese New Year]] China has seven national holidays: * '''New Year''' (元旦 ''Yuándàn'') — 1 January * '''Spring Festival''' (春节 ''Chūn Jié''), a.k.a. '''Chinese New Year''' — 1st day of the 1st lunar month, late January to mid-February (1 February in 2022) * '''Tomb-Sweeping Day''' (清明节 ''Qīngmíng Jié'') — 15th day from the Spring Equinox, 4 to 6 April (5 April in 2022). Cemeteries are crowded with people who go to sweep the tombs of their ancestors and offer sacrifices. Traffic on the way to cemeteries can be very heavy. * '''Labor Day''' (劳动节 ''Láodòng Jié'') — 1 May * '''Dragon Boat Festival''' (端午节 ''Duānwǔ Jié'') — 5th day of the 5th lunar month, late May to June (3 June in 2022). Boat races and eating rice dumplings (粽子 zòngzi, steamed pouches of sticky rice) are a traditional part of the celebration. * '''Mid-Autumn Festival''' (中秋节 ''Zhōngqiū Jié''） — 15th day of the 8th lunar month, September to early October (10 September in 2022). Also called the "Mooncake Festival" after its signature treat, mooncakes (月饼 ''yuèbǐng''). People meet outside, put food on the tables and look up at the full harvest moon. * '''National Day''' (国庆节 ''Guóqìng Jié'') — 1 October Known as the '''Golden Weeks''', Chinese New Year and National Day holidays span multiple days; nearly all workers get at least a week for Chinese New Year and some of them get two or three. For many working Chinese, these are the only times of the year they get to travel. Students get four to six weeks of holiday. Chinese New Year is a traditional time to visit family, and the entire country pretty well shuts down. Many stores and other businesses will close from a few days to a week or longer. In early July, around 20 million university students will return home and then in late August they will return to school. Roads, railways and planes very busy at these times. Many areas or ethnic minorities have their own festivals. See listings for individual towns for details. Here are some other nationally important festivals: * '''Lantern Festival''' (元宵节 ''Yuánxiāo Jié'' or 上元节 ''Shàngyuán Jié'') — 15th day of the 1st lunar month, traditionally the last day of the Chinese New Year, February to early March (15 February in 2022). In some cities, such as Quanzhou, this is a big festival with elaborate lanterns all over town. * '''Double Seventh Day''' (七夕 ''Qīxī'') — 7th day of the 7th lunar month, usually August (4 August in 2022). This romantic holiday is similar to Valentine's Day. * '''Double Ninth Festival''' or Chongyang Festival (重阳节 ''Chóngyáng Jié'') — 9th day of the 9th lunar month, usually October (4 October in 2022) * '''Winter Solstice''' (冬至 ''Dōngzhì'') — 21 to 23 December (22 December in 2022) Some Western festivals are noticeable, at least in major cities. Around Christmas, one hears carols &mdash; some in English, some in Chinese, and one from Hong Kong that goes "Lonely, lonely Christmas". Some stores are decorated and many shop assistants wear red and white elf hats. Chinese Christians celebrate services and masses at officially sanctioned Protestant and Catholic churches as well. For Valentine's Day, many restaurants offer special meals. Around the longer holidays (especially the two Golden Weeks and sometimes Labor Day), surrounding weekends may be rearranged to make the holiday longer. This means that around major holidays, places may be closed when they're usually open or open when they would usually be closed. ===Time zones=== Despite geographically spanning five time zones, all of China officially follows Beijing Time (UTC+8). However, in the restive province of Xinjiang, while the official time is Beijing Time, some ethnic Uyghurs use the UTC+6 time zone as a sign of defiance against Beijing. ===Read=== * ''Wild Swans'' by Jung Chang (''{{ISBN|0007176155}}'') - a biography of three generations, from the warlord days to the end of Mao's era, illustrating life under China's version of nationalism and communism. This book is banned in China. *''The Search for Modern China'' by Jonathan Spence - a standard history book on modern China from the late Ming to the current period. {{topicsin|China|0}} ==Talk== {{see also|Chinese phrasebook}} [[Image:Map of sinitic languages-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of Chinese dialects]] The official language of China is '''[[Chinese phrasebook|Standard Mandarin]]''', known in Chinese as ''Pǔtōnghuà'' (普通话, "common speech"), which is based on the Beijing dialect; Chinese in general is known as ''Zhōngwén'' (中文). Standard Mandarin is the main language for government and media, as well as the national lingua franca. While the official language is standardized, local pronunciation of Mandarin does vary by region. Unless otherwise noted, all terms, spellings and pronunciations in this guide are in Standard Mandarin. While national media is broadcast in Mandarin, each area often has its own local media that broadcasts in the local language. Chinese is written using '''Chinese characters''' (汉字, ''hànzì'', lit. "Han characters"). Unlike an alphabet that represents individual sounds without any inherent meaning, each Chinese character represents a meaningful syllable: a specific word or part of a word. Although they look impenetrable at first, there is some method to the madness: most characters are composed from base components combined with other characters (often giving clues to both pronunciation and general meaning). The same characters are used in Japan and Korea with usually similar meanings, albeit different pronunciations. However, since the 1950s mainland China has used '''simplified characters''', such as <span lang="zh-Hans">龟</span> instead of <span lang="zh-Hant">龜</span>, in an attempt to eradicate illiteracy. Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and many overseas Chinese still use the traditional characters, which are also sometimes used on the mainland as an aesthetic choice. As a result, a word like "bank" will be written <span lang="zh-Hant">銀行</span> as often as <span lang="zh-Hans">银行</span>. The simplification was fairly systematic, and you may deduce at least some of the simplifications on your own just from seeing them frequently. Cursive forms of Chinese characters, often used for effect in logos, range from "looks familiar if you squint" to "impenetrable scribbles". The standard way of romanizing Mandarin is '''pinyin''' (汉语拼音 ''hànyǔ pīnyīn''). It's a fairly logical system, although it has a few idiosyncrasies, including using some letters in ways that are different from English (such as ''q'' which is similar to English "ch" and ''x'' which is like English "sh"). Mandarin is also '''tonal''', meaning each syllable has to be pronounced with the correct tone &mdash; high, rising, falling-rising, falling, or neutral &mdash; to be understood; tones are marked in pinyin using diacritics that graphically mimic the tones patterns (as in ''mā'', ''má'', ''mǎ'', ''mà'', and ''ma''). With just a few hours of practice, you can learn to pronounce Mandarin words accurately using pinyin. However, as Chinese has many homophones, pinyin is useful for pronunciation but not practical for communicating meaning; for something like a street address, you need to use Chinese characters. Although Chinese is ''written'' nearly the same across the country, '''spoken Chinese''' has a huge array of '''dialects''', of which Standard Mandarin is just one. Verbally, Chinese dialects are as different from each other as English and Dutch, or French and Italian &mdash; related, but not mutually intelligible. Two people who speak different Chinese dialects read and write the same, but they would pronounce the written text differently, and can't carry on a conversation with each other. However, thanks to heavy emphasis in the education system, most people can comfortably carry on a conversation in Standard Mandarin, though sometimes with a strong accent. In some areas, younger people are more likely to speak Mandarin than dialects, due to previous education policies that prohibited the use of dialects in school. A variety of (mainly northern) dialects closely related to the standard are classified as Mandarin and account for the majority of China's population. Other large groups of dialects include '''[[Wu phrasebook|Wu]]''' (spoken in Shanghai, Zhejiang and southern [[Jiangsu]]) and '''Yue''' (Guangdong), which includes '''[[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]]''' (spoken in much of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau). The '''Min''' (Fujian) group includes '''[[Minnan phrasebook|Minnan]]''' (Hokkien, spoken in [[South Fujian]] and in Taiwan), '''[[Fuzhou dialect phrasebook|Fuzhou dialect]]''' (Foochow or Hokchiu, spoken around [[Fuzhou]]), '''[[Teochew phrasebook|Teochew]]''' (Chiuchow, spoken in [[Chaoshan]]) and '''[[Hainanese phrasebook|Hainanese]]''' (spoken in the island province [[Hainan]]). '''[[Hakka phrasebook|Hakka]]''' is spoken in several parts of southern China but is more related to northern dialects. Like Mandarin, these are all tonal languages. Most Chinese are bilingual or even trilingual, speaking Mandarin as well as regional or local dialects. Some who are older or less educated may speak only the local dialect. While you can easily get by in most of China speaking Mandarin, learning a bit of the local dialect is always appreciated, and may get you preferential treatment in shops and restaurants. Besides dialects of Chinese, various regions also have ethnic minority languages. The west has '''Turkic languages''' such as [[Uyghur phrasebook|Uyghur]], [[Kyrgyz phrasebook|Kyrgyz]], and [[Kazakh phrasebook|Kazakh]] as well as other languages such as '''[[Tibetan phrasebook|Tibetan]]'''; the north and northeast has [[Manchu phrasebook|Manchu]], [[Mongolian phrasebook|Mongolian]], and [[Korean phrasebook|Korean]]; the south has many other ethnic minorities who speak their own languages. However, except for some older folks, Mandarin is generally usable in these regions and many people are bilingual. In areas with large ethnic minority populations, the relevant ethnic minority language is sometimes co-official with Mandarin, and you may see bilingual road signs. '''Chinese Sign Language''' (CSL or ZGS, 中国手语 ''Zhōngguó Shǒuyǔ'') is the dominant sign language. There is an official version of CSL standardized by the government. There are also two regional dialects, Southern (from Shanghai) and Northern (from Beijing); these and official CSL are largely mutually intelligible. CSL is not mutually intelligible with Hong Kong, Taiwanese, or Malaysian Sign Languages, nor with any others. '''Tibetan Sign Language''' (藏语手语 ''Zàng yǔ shǒuyǔ'') is an independent sign language used in Tibet, not mutually intelligible with any others; it too is standardized by the government based on existing regional sign languages. ===English=== Chinese students study English from primary school to high school, and are required to pass an English test in order to graduate from university. However, the focus is mainly on formal grammar and writing, with less emphasis on reading, and even less on speaking or listening. While knowledge of basic words and phrases such as "hello," "thank you", "OK" and "bye-bye" appears nearly universal, the ability to participate in an English conversation can be limited. It's generally rare to find locals conversant in English. Staff at airports, hotels, and popular tourist attractions can sometimes speak basic to conversational English. As China's tourism industry primarily caters to the domestic market, outside major international tourist cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an, even staff at tourist attractions may not be conversant in English. When [[Talk#Speaking English with non-native speakers|using English]], '''simplify and speak slowly'''. Chinese grammar is very different from English, as verbs, pronouns, and other words essentially don't inflect at all. Although it sounds abrupt in English, simple declarative sentences like "Give me two beers" are quite similar to Chinese, and thus more readily understood than roundabout constructions like "Could we have a pair of beers please?". [[File:Shenzhen River chinglish warning sign.JPG|thumb|A typical "Chinglish" sign]] While English signage or menus are increasingly widespread in China, especially at or near tourist attractions, they are often written in incorrect English. Such signage can be difficult to read, but as "Chinglish" follows certain rules, it can usually be deciphered. Oftentimes, translations are simply a word-by-word equivalent of a Chinese expression which, like a word puzzle, can sometimes be pieced together with some thought, but in other cases may be utterly baffling. Many places have '''English Corner''', informal gatherings for [[Teaching English|practicing oral English]], which can be a good way to meet locals. They're often held at schools and colleges on Friday afternoons, and on Sundays in public parks, English schools, and bookstores, and universities. Topics often include cultural activities like holidays and festivals from English speaking countries, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. However, these have been progressively disappearing over the past decade due to the prolific rise of language exchange over the internet in China, and have all but disappeared in smaller cities. ===Other foreign languages=== Although not as widespread as English, some other foreign languages are of use in China. [[Korean phrasebook|Korean]] is spoken as a native language by the ethnic Korean minority in the north east of the country, while [[Mongolian phrasebook|Mongolian]] is the native language of the ethnic Mongol community in Inner Mongolia. [[Japanese phrasebook|Japanese]] is spoken by some professionals in international businesses. [[German phrasebook|German]] is a popular language for engineering professionals. Some people in border areas and some older people can speak [[Russian phrasebook|Russian]]. [[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]] is commonly studied among Muslim communities. ==Get in== {{COVID-19 box| Entry is denied to most travelers, but foreign nationals who hold valid residence permits, including work permits or permits for family reunion and personal matters, may be allowed to enter. The requirements are complicated and vary depending on what country you're coming from, any countries you transit in, your city of entry to China, and your destination city. Contact your nearest Chinese diplomatic mission for specific information. All passengers flying into China must obtain a health code through the Health Code International Version program on WeChat. The program may be hard to use if you don't have a Chinese ID number and mobile phone number; you might need to ask a Chinese citizen to help you complete the form. Make sure you get a health code for both your entry point city and your final destination in China. You'll need a COVID-19 negative certificate, which may need to be in English and notarized by a Chinese embassy. And you may also need an antibody test and/or proof of vaccination. Rules are less strict for travellers from Hong Kong and Macau, who just need to show a negative Covid-19 test result. On arrival, you will be subject to a strict mandatory quarantine for 14 or 21 days (or even longer), at your own expense, and will be tested for COVID multiple times, possibly including oral, nasal, and anal swabs. Food is provided in quarantine but may not be to your liking, though vegetarian options are reportedly available. Make sure you have a Chinese SIM card, as you may need it to use the health apps – if you don't have one you may be able to get it delivered to your quarantine hotel. * [http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/ Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention] * [http://en.nhc.gov.cn/ National Health Commission of the PRC] |lastedit=2021-12-03}} ===Visas=== {{infobox|Visa policy overview|China offers the following visas to citizens of most countries: * '''L visa''' - tourism, family visits * '''F visa''' - business trips, internships, short study * '''Z visa''' - working, 30 days during which you should get a residence permit * '''X visa''' - study more than six months * '''S1 visa''' - dependent family members of a Z (work) visa * '''Q1 / Q2 visa''' - for expats married to a Chinese citizen or green card holder * '''G visa''' - transit A few nationalities are exempted from needing to obtain a visa before traveling to China for certain durations. You can contact your nearest [http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/ Chinese embassy or consulate] for more details. }} [[File:Visa policy of China.png|thumb|440px|Map showing visa requirements for visitors to China. Green, blue and purple countries can have visa free travel, while all other countries need a visa.]] Most travelers will need a visa (签证 ''qiānzhèng'') to visit mainland China. In most cases, it should be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate before departure. Visas for [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] may be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate, but they must be applied for separately from the mainland Chinese visa; there is no visa that serves both mainland China and either of those areas. A single-entry mainland China visa is terminated if you go to Hong Kong or Macau, so ensure that you have a multiple entry visa if you plan to return to mainland China. You must submit your fingerprints during the visa application process. Children under 14, and senior citizens over 70 are excepted. Your fingerprints may also be taken when you enter China. 30-day single- or double-entry visas for the mainland can sometimes be acquired in Hong Kong or Macau. You can generally fly from overseas to Hong Kong and spend a few days there to get a visa for the mainland. This is supposed to be available only to residents of Hong Kong or Macau. Exceptions are often made but they vary over time, and are not reliable. Macau's visa office is less crowded and the hotels are a bit cheaper, but it takes just as long. In general, only single- and double-entry visas are granted to visitors without Hong Kong ID cards, although foreigners with previous entries into the mainland and Hong Kong student or work visa holders have been known to be approved for multiple entries. Many Hong Kong travel agencies (such as China Travel Service) offer a faster visa turnaround service for a fee. In addition, a travel agency has some capacity to negotiate on the length of your visa. You might apply for a one-year visa and have that rejected; however, they may well be able to get a 6-month visa for you instead. Visas are sometimes denied to travelers with passport stamps from Turkey and nearby Middle Eastern countries; see [[Visa trouble#China]] for more information. '''Visa-free travel''': Nationals of [[Brunei]], [[Japan]], and [[Singapore]] can visit China without a visa for up to 15 days; nationals of [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belarus]], [[Fiji]], [[Grenada]], [[Qatar]], [[Serbia]], [[Seychelles]], [[Tonga]], and [[United Arab Emirates]] for up to 30 days; nationals of [[Mauritius]] for up to 60 days; and nationals of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Ecuador]], and [[San Marino]] for up to 90 days. (Nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina can only stay 90 days within a 180-day period.) To visit mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau residents of Chinese nationality must apply at the China Travel Service, the sole authorized issuing agent, to obtain a Home Return Permit (回乡证 húixiāngzhèng), a credit card-sized ID allowing multiple entries and unlimited stay for ten years with no restrictions including on employment. Taiwanese citizens are required to obtain a Taiwan Compatriot Pass (台胞证 táibāozhèng), which is typically valid for five years, and may live in mainland China indefinitely for the duration of the permit's validity with no restrictions including on employment. Travelers should check the most up-to-date information before traveling. Chinese authorities do not recognize British National (Overseas) (BNO) passports. BNO passport holders should use appropriate travel documents (foreign passport/home return permit) to enter China. ====Transit without a visa==== [[File:Chinese Visa Waiver Programs.png|thumb|440px|Map showing visa waiver program eligibility for visitors to China.]] Exceptions from visa requirements may be available for those [http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/zgqz/#3 transiting through some airports], to enable you to take short visits to many metropolitan regions of the country. These rules are '''dizzyingly complicated and subject to sudden changes''', so check with your airline shortly before attempting this method of entry. Citizens of the designated countries who arrive at airports in [[Beijing]], [[Chengdu]], [[Chongqing]], [[Dalian]], [[Hangzhou]], [[Kunming]], [[Nanjing]], [[Qingdao]], [[Qinhuangdao]], [[Shanghai]], [[Shenyang]], [[Shijiazhuang]], [[Tianjin]], [[Wuhan]], [[Xiamen]], and [[Xi'an]] can stay in the city of arrival for up to 144 hours provided they depart from an airport of the same city. The onward ticket must be to a country other than the country from which their arriving flight originated and they must have the required entry documents for the third country or countries. In [[Guangdong]], this arrangement applies to the whole province. A similar policy in [[Guilin]], [[Harbin]], and [[Changsha]] allows stays of up to 72 hours. Passengers without a visa who intend to leave the transit area will typically be directed by an immigration officer to wait in an office for around 20 minutes while other officials review the passengers' onward flight documentation. For the city of '''Shanghai''' and the neighboring provinces of '''Jiangsu''' and '''Zhejiang''', visa-free entries through the airports of Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, as well as the Shanghai sea port or Shanghai Station (through train from Hong Kong), are allowed. Once admitted, passengers can go anywhere within the three province-level units, and must depart within 144 hours (6 days). [http://lawandborder.com/translation-shanghai-jiangsu-zhejiang-implement-144-hour-visa-free-transit-policy-for-certain-nationalities/ Translation: 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy for Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang]. In '''[[Hainan]]''', citizens of the UK, Canada, the US and some other European and Asian countries can travel for up to 30 days without a visa. ====Types of visas==== Getting a tourist visa is fairly easy for most passports as you don't need an invitation, which is required for business or working visas. The usual tourist single-entry visa is valid for a visit of 30 days and must be used within three months of the date of issue. A double-entry tourist visa must be used within six months of the date of issue. It is possible to secure a single, double, or multiple entry tourist visa for up to 60 days or, less commonly, 90 days for some citizens applying in their home countries. Consulates and travel agents have been known to occasionally request proof of onward travel at the time of visa application. Tourist visa extensions can be applied for at the local Entry & Exit Bureau or Public Security Bureau (公安局 ''Gōng'ānjú'') after handing in the following documents: valid passport, visa extension application form including one passport-sized photo, a copy of the Registration Form of Temporary Residence which you received from the local police station at registration. Tourist visas can be only extended once. Processing time is usually five working days and it costs ¥160. See city articles to find out the local bureau. Some travelers will need a dual entry or multiple entry visa. For example, if you enter China on a single entry visa, then go to Hong Kong or Macau, you need a new visa to re-enter mainland China. In Hong Kong, multiple entry visas are officially available only to HKID holders, but the authorities are willing to bend the rules somewhat and may approve three-month multiple entry visas for short-term Hong Kong qualified residents, including exchange students. It is recommended to apply directly with the Chinese government in this case, as some agents will be unwilling to submit such an application on your behalf. Obtaining a '''Visa on Arrival''' is possible usually only for the [[Shenzhen]] or [[Zhuhai]] Special Economic Zones, and such visas are limited to those areas. When crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen at Lo Wu railway station, and notably not at Lok Ma Chau, a five-day Shenzhen-only visa can be obtained during extended office hours on the spot. The office accepts only Chinese yuan as payment. There may be restrictions on visas for some nationalities and these vary over time. For example: * The visa fee for American nationals is [http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/t334452.htm US$140] (or US$110 as part of a group tour). * Indian nationals are limited to 10- or 15-day tourist visas, and have to show US$100 per day of visa validity in the form of traveler's checks. (US$1,000 and US$1,500, respectively). * Foreigners in South Korea not holding an alien registration card must travel to the Chinese consulate in [[Busan]], as the Chinese embassy in [[Seoul]] does not issue visas to non-residents in Korea. Applications must be made through an official travel agency. See [[Working in China]] for information for those who want to work in China, and their family members. One option for foreigners married to Chinese citizens is to obtain a six- to twelve-month ''visiting relatives'' (探亲 tànqīn) visa. This is a tourist (L) visa that permits individuals to remain in China continuously for the duration of their visa and does not require the visa holder to exit and re-enter China to maintain the validity of the visa. To apply for a this visa, you should first enter the country on a different visa and then apply for a ''visiting relatives'' visa at the local Public Security bureau in the city that your marriage was registered in, which is usually your Chinese spouse's hometown. Bring your marriage certificate and spouse's identification card (身份证 shēnfènzhèng). If you apply for a visa in South Korea, you will generally have to either show an Alien Registration Card showing you still have several months of residency in South Korea or show that you've received a Chinese visa within the last two years. You cannot apply to a Chinese embassy or consulate directly but must proceed through a travel agent. Generally only 30-day single entry visas are available. ====Registering your abode==== [[File:Longhai - Hotel reception - P1260519.JPG|thumb|An announcement above a hotel's reception desk lists acceptable document types (including a foreign citizen's passport, 外国人“护照”) for guest registration]] Chinese immigration law requires that hotels, guest houses and hostels register their guests with the local police when they check in. The staff will scan your passport including your visa and entry stamps. In some places, your face may be photographed. Help staff out if they do not know where the most recent stamp is —&nbsp;immigration officers are sometimes known to stamp in the wrong order. Some of the lower-end hotels are not set up for this and will refuse foreign guests. Others will accept foreign guests but ignore the registration requirement. You should avoid staying at one of these places immediately after arriving in China, lest you run into problems later, such as refusal of entry, due to not registering when you entered the country. If you are staying in a private residence, you are required to register your abode with the local police within 24 hours (city) to 72 hours (countryside) of arrival, though the law is enforced inconsistently. The police will ask for a copy of the photograph page of your passport, a copy of your visa, a copy of your immigration entry stamp, a photograph and a copy of the tenancy agreement or other document concerning the place you are staying in. That agreement might not be in your name but it will still be asked for. This Temporary Residence Permit should be carried with you at all times, especially if you are in larger cities or where control is tight. You must re-register if your visa or residence permit undergoes any changes — extensions, or changes in passport (even here, it is ideal to re-register when you get a new passport, regardless if you've transferred the visa or residence permit to the new passport). In some cities, you must re-register every time you re-enter mainland China even if your residence permit is still valid; check with your local police station to see if this is necessary. ===By plane=== {{COVID-19 box|China maintains a "circuit breaker" policy regarding flights arriving in China. Flights on a particular route may be cancelled for a period of weeks if too many passengers have tested positive. The Civil Aviation Administration of China publishes these termination orders regularly from time to time, and please contact your airline if you are affected by such orders.|lastedit=2021-11-27}} {{infobox|Transiting through Hong Kong and Macau|If arriving in Hong Kong or Macau there are ferries that can shuttle passengers straight to another destination such as Shekou or Bao'an Airport in Shenzhen, Macau Airport, Zhuhai and elsewhere without actually "entering" Hong Kong or Macau.<br>A shuttle bus takes transit passengers to the ferry terminal so their official entry point, where they clear immigration, will be the ferry destination rather than the airport. The ferries do have different hours so landing late at night may make it necessary to enter either territory to catch another bus or ferry to one's ultimate destination. For example, it would be necessary to clear immigration if going from Hong Kong International Airport to Macau via the Macau Ferry Terminal. The most recent information on the ferries to Hong Kong can be found at [http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/index.html the Hong Kong International Airport website].}} The main international gateways to mainland China are [[Beijing]] ({{IATA|PEK}} & {{IATA|PKX}}, for all airports {{IATA|BJS}}), [[Shanghai]] ({{IATA|PVG}}) and [[Guangzhou]] ({{IATA|CAN}}). The explosive growth of commercial aviation in China has led to the proliferation of international gateways to the country. Local governments also frequently subsidize international flight routes serving their cities, so these services may be much cheaper. In particular, [[Chengdu]] ({{IATA|CTU}}), [[Chongqing]] ({{IATA|CKG}}) and [[Kunming]] ({{IATA|KMG}}) are emerging as major Chinese hubs, with flights to destinations in North America, Europe and Oceania. Airline tickets are expensive or hard to come by around Chinese New Year, the Chinese 'golden weeks' and university holidays. If you live in a city with a sizeable overseas Chinese community, check for cheap flights with someone in that community or visit travel agencies operated by Chinese. Sometimes flights advertised only in Chinese newspapers or travel agencies cost significantly less than posted fares in English. However if you go and ask, you can get the same discount price. ====Airlines==== China's carriers are growing rapidly. The three largest, and state-owned airlines are flag carrier '''[http://www.airchina.com/ Air China]''' (中国国际航空), as well as '''[http://www.ceair.com/ China Eastern Airlines]''' (中国东方航空) and '''[http://www.csair.com/ China Southern Airlines]''' (中国南方航空), based in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou respectively. Other airlines include '''[https://www.xiamenair.com/ XiamenAir]''' (厦门航空), '''[https://www.hainanairlines.com/ Hainan Airlines]''' (海南航空), '''[http://www.shenzhenair.com/ Shenzhen Airlines]''' (深圳航空) and '''[http://www.sichuanair.com/ Sichuan Airlines]''' (四川航空). [[Hong Kong]]-based [http://www.cathaypacific.com Cathay Pacific] can connect from many international destinations to all the major mainland cities. Other Asian carriers with good connections into China include [http://www.singaporeair.com/ Singapore Airlines], Japan-based [http://www.jal.co.jp/en/ Japan Airlines] and [https://www.ana.co.jp/ All Nippon Airways], South Korea-based [http://www.koreanair.com Korean Air] and [http://flyasiana.com/ Asian Airlines], and Taiwan-based [http://www.china-airlines.com/ China Airlines] and [http://www.evaair.com/ EVA Air]. Many major carriers based outside Asia fly to at least one of China's main hubs &mdash; [[Beijing]] ([[Beijing Capital International Airport|Capital]] or [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Daxing]]), [[Pudong Airport|Shanghai Pudong]] and [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]] &mdash; and many go to several of those. Some, such as [http://www.klm.com/ KLM], also have flights to other less prominent Chinese cities. Check the individual city articles for details. See [[Discount airlines in Asia]] for some additional options both to reach China and to get around within it. ===By train=== China can be reached by train from many of its neighboring countries and even all the way from Europe. * '''Russia & Europe''' — two lines of the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] (Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian) run between [[Moscow]] and Beijing, stopping in various other Russian cities, and for the Trans-Mongolian, in [[Ulaanbaatar]], Mongolia. * '''Kazakhstan & Central Asia''' — from [[Almaty]], Kazakhstan, you can travel by rail to [[Ürümqi]] in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. There are long waits at the Alashankou border crossing for customs, as well as for changing the wheelbase for the next country's track. Another, shorter, trans-border route has no direct train service; rather, you take an overnight Kazakh train from Almaty to Altynkol, cross the border to Khorgos, and then take an overnight Chinese train from Khorgos (or the nearby [[Yining]]) to Urumqi. There is also direct train service between Ürümqi and [[Astana]] (via Khorgos). ([http://news.huochepiao.com/2017-6/2017621404433.htm Details], in Chinese) * '''Hong Kong''' — regular services link mainland China with [[Hong Kong]]. A [[high speed rail]] link was completed in 2018. * '''Vietnam''' — from Hanoi Gia Lam Station to Nanning in Guangxi province, via the Friendship Pass. You can take a train from Hanoi to [[Lao Cai]], walk or take a taxi across the border to Hekou, and take a train from Hekou North to Kunming. * '''North Korea''' — four weekly connections between the North Korean capital [[Pyongyang]] and [[Beijing]]. * '''Laos''' — a line was completed from [[Kunming]] to [[Vientiane]] in 2021. Due to COVID, no cross-border passenger trains run yet, but there are domestic trains running to the border on the separate Chinese and Lao sections. ===By road=== China has land borders with 14 countries. Mainland China also has land borders with the Special Administrative Regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], which are similar to international borders. Most of the border crossings in western China are in remote mountain passes, which while difficult to reach and traverse, often reward travelers willing to make the effort with breathtaking scenic views. ====India==== The Nathu La Pass between [[Sikkim]] in India and Southern Tibet is not open to tourists, and both countries require special permits to visit. The pass has reopened for cross-border trade since 2006, so the tourist restriction may be lifted in the future. ====Myanmar (Burma)==== Entering China from Myanmar is possible at the [[Ruili]] (China)-[[Lashio]] (Myanmar) border crossing, but permits must be obtained from the Burmese authorities in advance. Generally, this would require you to join a guided tour. ====Vietnam==== [[File:Border crossing at Lao Cai.png|thumb|Looking from Vietnam into China]] For most travelers, Hanoi is the origin for any overland journey to China. There are three international crossings: *From [[Dong Dang]] to [[Pingxiang (Guangxi)|Pingxiang]] (凭祥) *From [[Lao Cai]] to [[Hekou]] (河口) *From [[Mong Cai]] to [[Dongxing]] (东兴) ====Laos==== From [[Luang Namtha]] you can get a bus to [[Mengla]]. You must have a Chinese visa beforehand as there is no way to get one on arrival. Also, there is a direct Chinese sleeper-bus connection from [[Luang Prabang]] to Kunming (about 32 hours). You can jump in this bus at the border, when the minibus from [[Luang Namtha]] and the sleeper meet. Don't pay more than ¥200, though. ====Pakistan==== The [[Karakoram Highway]] from northern [[Pakistan]] into Western China is one of the most spectacular roads in the world. It's closed for tourists for a few months in winter. Crossing the border is relatively quick because of few overland travelers, and friendly relations between the two countries. Preliminary customs inspection is done on the spot, while immigration and customs inspection are done at suburban [[Tashkurgan]]. A bus runs between Kashgar (China) and Sust (Pakistan) across the Kunerjab pass. ====Nepal==== The [[Nepal#Get in|road from Nepal]] to Tibet passes near Mount Everest, and through amazing mountain scenery. Entering Tibet from Nepal is only possible for tourists on package tours, but it is possible to travel into Nepal from Tibet ====Mongolia==== [[File:Trans Mongolian wheel changing.JPG|thumb|Going by train between Mongolia and China, the carriages will need new wheels]] There are two border crossings open to foreigners between Mongolia and China: *[[Erenhot]] ([[Inner Mongolia]])/[[Zamiin Uud]], and *[[Takashiken]] ([[Xinjiang]])/[[Hovd (province)|Bulgan]]. Other crossings open to nationals are: Zhuen Gadabuqi or Zuun Khatavch (Xilingol, Inner Mongolia), Bichig (Mongolia), and Sheveekhuren - Sekhee. ====Kazakhstan==== The border crossing closest to Almaty is at [[Khorgos]]. Buses run almost daily from [[Almaty]] to [[Ürümqi]] and [[Yining]]. No visa-on-arrival is available so ensure that both your Chinese and Kazakh visas are in order before attempting this. Another major crossing is at Alashankou (Dostyk on the Kazakh side). ====Kyrgyzstan==== It is possible to cross the [[Torugart pass]] from Kyrgyztan, but the road is rough and the pass is only open during the summer months (June–September) every year. It is possible to arrange crossings all the way from Kashgar, but ensure that all your visas are in order. Alternatively, while less scenic, a smoother crossing is at [[Irkeshtam]] to the south of Torugart. ====Tajikistan==== There is a single border crossing between China and Tajikistan at [[Kulma]], which is open on weekdays from May to November. A bus operates across the border between [[Kashgar]] in Xinjiang and [[Khorog]] in Tajikistan. Ensure both your Chinese and Tajik visas are in order before attempting this crossing. ====Russia==== The most popular border crossing is at [[Manzhouli]] in [[Inner Mongolia]]. Buses run from Manzhouli to [[Zabaikalsk]] in Russia. There are also ferries across the Amur from [[Heihe]] to [[Blagoveshchensk]], and from [[Fuyuan]] to [[Khabarovsk]]. Farther east, there are land border crossings at [[Suifenhe]], Dongning, and Hunchun. Ensure both your Russian and Chinese visas are in order before attempting the crossing. ====North Korea==== Crossing overland from North Korea at the [[Dandong]]/[[Sinuiju]] border crossing is fairly straightforward if you have arranged it as part of your North Korean tour. The other border crossings along the Yalu and Tumen rivers may not be open to tourists. Your tour company must ensure that your Chinese and North Korean visas are in order before attempting this. ====Hong Kong==== There are four road border crossings into China from [[Hong Kong]]: *Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang, *Sha Tau Kok/Shatoujiao, *Man Kam To/Wenjindu, and *the Shenzhen Bay Bridge. A visa on arrival is available for some nationalities at Huanggang, but visas must be arranged in advance for all other crossings. ====Macau==== The two border crossings are at the '''Portas do Cerco'''/'''Gongbei''' and the '''Lotus Bridge'''. A visa-on-arrival can be obtained by certain nationalities at the Portas do Cerco. At Gongbei, [[Zhuhai]] train station is adjacent to the border crossing, with frequent train service to Guangzhou. ====Others==== Travelers cannot cross the borders with [[Afghanistan]] and [[Bhutan]]. ===By boat=== There are a number of boats to China by sea and river: * '''Hong Kong and Macau''': There is regular ferry and hovercraft service between Hong Kong and Macau and the rest of the Pearl River Delta, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and [[Zhuhai]]. Ferry service from Hong Kong International Airport allow arriving passengers to proceed directly to China without having to clear Hong Kong immigration and customs. * '''Japan''': A ferry service to [[Shanghai]] from [[Osaka]] and [[Kobe]], Japan. Service is once or twice weekly, depending on the season and takes about 2 days. * '''South Korea''': A ferry service to Shanghai and Tianjin from [[Incheon]], a port close to [[Seoul]]. Another line is to [[Qingdao]] or [[Weihai]] from Incheon or [[Dalian]] from Incheon. * '''Taiwan''': Hourly ferries (18 departures per day) run from [[Kinmen]] to [[Xiamen]], with the journey time either 30 minutes or one hour depending on port. There is also a regular ferry between Kinmen and [[Quanzhou]] with 3 departures per day. A twice-daily ferry links [[Matsu]] with [[Fuzhou]], with journey time about 2 hours. From the Taiwanese main island, there are weekly departures from [[Taichung]] and [[Keelung]] aboard the Cosco Star to [[Xiamen]] and [[Taizhou (Zhejiang)|Damaiyu, Taizhou]]. * '''Thailand''': Golden Peacock Shipping company runs a speedboat three times a week on the Mekong river to [[Jinghong]] in [[Yunnan]] from [[Chiang Saen]] (Thailand). Passengers are not required to have visas for Laos or Myanmar, although the greater part of the trip is on the river bordering these countries. Tickets cost ¥650. * '''Cruise ship''': In the fall, several cruise lines move their ships from [[Alaska]] to [[Asia]] and good connections can generally be found leaving from [[Anchorage]], [[Vancouver]], or [[Seattle]]. Star Cruises operates between [[Keelung]] in Taiwan and Xiamen in mainland China, stopping at one of the Japanese islands on the way. ==Get around== {{Infobox|Health Codes|[[File:健康码.png|thumb|right|An example of "health code"]]In an attempt to balance between public health and post-pandemic economic development, "health codes" have widely been used to indicate the health status of travelers, in which it is generated through specific mobile phone apps developed by authorities. A green code indicates the traveler is at lowest risk, while a red code indicates high transmission risk. These codes will be checked when traveling between provinces, or entering public places. Places are also divided into '''risk levels''' per sub-districts for the purpose of COVID-19 response. The default risk level is low-level, while if there are surges of local COVID-19 cases, risk levels of sub-districts will be raised. Depending on the severity, mass testing, restrictions on leaving your city or even communal lockdowns may be enforced, which are also reflected in your health code.}} Many foreign apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps '''do not work''' in China, and tend to have patchy coverage and data quality even if accessed via VPN. Moreover, China uses its own coordinate system, which sometimes causes problems when using foreign map apps. The most common direction-finding app used by the Chinese themselves is '''[https://map.baidu.com/ Baidu Maps]''', though it is only available in Chinese. [http://ditu.amap.com/ Amap] is effectively the Citymapper for the whole of China. It is only available in English on Apple devices, and replaces Apple Maps when you are in mainland China. It lists all public transport and suggested car routes even in seemingly rural places. Alternative methods include other map apps based on OpenStreetMap data or renting a local GPS. More information at [[GPS navigation]]. '''Names of long streets''' are often given a middle word indicating the part of the street: north (北 ''běi''), south (南 ''nán''), east (东 ''dōng''), west (西 ''xī''), or central (中 ''zhōng''). For example, White Horse Street or ''Báimǎ Lù'' (白马路) may be split up into ''Báimǎ Běilù'' (白马北路 "White Horse North Street"), ''Báimǎ Nánlù'' (白马南路 "White Horse South Street"), and ''Báimǎ Zhōnglù'' (白马中路 "White Horse Central Street"). In some cities, however, these names do not indicate parts of one street. In [[Xiamen]], ''Hubin Bei Lu'' and ''Hubin Nan Lu'' (Lakeside Road North and Lakeside Road South) are parallel, running east-west on the north and south sides of the lake. In [[Nanjing]], ''Zhongshan Lu'', ''Zhongshan Bei Lu'' and ''Zhongshan Dong Lu'' are three separate major roads. ===By plane=== China is a huge country so, unless you're planning to visit only the eastern seaboard, definitely consider domestic flights. China has many domestic flights connecting all the major cities and tourist destinations. Airlines include the three state-owned international carriers: Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern, as well as regional ones including Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines. Flights between Hong Kong or Macau and mainland Chinese cities are considered to be international flights and can be quite expensive. Hence if arriving in, or departing from, Hong Kong or Macau, it is usually '''much''' cheaper to fly to or from Shenzhen or Zhuhai, just across the border, or Guangzhou, which is a little further afield but offers flights to more destinations. Prices for domestic flights are set at standard rates, but discounts are common, especially on the busier routes. Most good hotels, and many hostels, will have a travel ticket service and may be able to save you 15-70% off the price of tickets. Travel agencies and booking offices are plentiful in all Chinese cities and offer similar discounts. Even before considering discounts, traveling by aircraft in China is not expensive. For travel within China, it is usually best to buy tickets in China, or on Chinese websites (these often have English versions). A useful app/website is [http://english.ctrip.com/?curr=CNY&language=EN&iburedirect=1 CTrip], which is the only way you can use an international credit/debit card on the fly to buy train/plane tickets. If you buy your ticket from a Chinese vendor they will contact you to let you know about changes to your flight. If you purchased your ticket overseas, be certain to check on the flight status a day or two before you plan to fly. On Chinese websites, prices tend to remain high until two months before the flight date, at which point large discounts are usually available unless a particular flight has been heavily booked already. Unexplained flight delays are common, in part because of the tight military control of the airspace — few countries have as much of their airspace off limits to civil aviation as China. For short-distance travel, you may want to consider alternatives like [[Rail travel in China#High-speed rail|high-speed railway]]. Flight cancellations are also not uncommon. If you buy your ticket from a Chinese vendor they will likely try to contact you (if you left contact information) to let you know about the change in flight plan. If you purchased your ticket overseas, check on the flight status a day or two before you plan to fly. Despite a lack of regulation in the late 20th century, the safety record of Chinese aviation is now superb. They have not had a major fatal accident from 2010 to 2022 and Chinese regulatory authorities are very no-nonsense when it comes to safety violations by crews or maintenance problems. Also be sure not to lose your checked baggage receipts, as they will be checked against your baggage tags before you are allowed to leave the baggage claim hall. ===By train=== : ''See also [[Rail travel in China]]'' [[File:A maglev train coming out, Pudong International Airport, Shanghai.jpg|thumb|300px|Maglev train in [[Shanghai]]]] [[File:Rail map of PRC.svg|thumb|500px|Rail map of China]] Train travel is the main method of long-distance transportation for the Chinese, with an extensive network of routes covering most of the country. Roughly a quarter of the world's total rail traffic is in China. China now has the world's longest network of [[high-speed rail]]ways (similar to French TGV or Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains) called '''CRH''', including the world's only high-speed [[sleeper trains]]. If your route and budget allow then these may be the best way to get around. CRH trains are top-notch, even internationally, in terms of equipment and cleanliness. On most higher-level trains, recorded announcements are made in Chinese and English. Local trains do not have announcements in English. Be careful with your valuables while on the train as theft on public transportation is a problem. Motion sickness pills and ear plugs are recommended. Long distance trains have a buffet or dining car, which serves mediocre hot food at around ¥25. The menu is entirely in Chinese. There may be vendors on station platforms who sell noodles, snacks, and fruit at better prices. Most train cars have a hot boiled water dispenser available so you can bring tea, soups and instant noodles. Smoking is not permitted in the seating or sleeping areas but is allowed in the vestibules at the end of each car on ordinary trains, while on high-speed trains, it is completely banned. Smoking is forbidden inside station buildings apart from in designated smoking rooms. See [[Rail travel in China]] for information on buying tickets. Chinese train stations function like airports, so do not count on catching a train at the last minute: gates close a few minutes prior to departure! To be safe, be there at least 20 minutes early, or 30 minutes if you are entering a big train station. Make sure you're waiting in the right place, because often the train will only stop for a couple of minutes. Many cities have different stations for normal trains and high-speed trains. High-speed station names usually consist of the city name and the cardinal direction (for example ''Héngyángdōng'', "Hengyang East"). ===By bus=== Traveling by public '''city buses''' (公共汽车 ''gōnggòngqìchē'') or long-distance buses (长途汽车 ''chángtúqìchē'') is inexpensive and ideal for in-city and short-distance transportation. City buses vary from city to city. However, if you can understand the bus routes then they are cheap and go almost everywhere. Buses will normally have recorded announcements telling you the next stop - examples of which might include 'xià yí zhàn - zhōng shān lù' (next stop Zhongshan Road) or 'Shànghǎi nán huǒ chē zhàn dào le' (Shanghai South railway station - now arriving). Some major cities such as Beijing or Hangzhou will have English announcements, at least on some major routes. Fares are usually about ¥1-3 or more if traveling into the suburbs. Most buses simply have a metal cash-box next to the entrance where you can insert your fare (no change - save up those ¥1 coins) or on longer routes a conductor that will collect fares and issue tickets and change. The driver usually prioritizes speed over comfort, so hold on tight. [[File:Meng H27360 at Liuliqiao Coach Station (20210624120340).jpg|thumb|A long-distance buses from [[Beijing]] to [[Xilinhot]]]] Coaches, or '''long-distance buses''', may be more practical than trains for going to suburbs or smaller cities. Coaches originating from larger cities on the east coast tend to be air conditioned with soft seats. Bus personnel tend to try to be helpful, but they are much less familiar with foreigners than airline personnel. [[File:Xiaoxi - Bus no. 2 - DSCF4163.JPG|thumb|Local buses in Pinghe County, [[Fujian]], connect the county seat with rural towns]] A coach or bus in rural China is a different experience. Signs in the station to identify buses will be in Chinese. The coach's license plate number is printed on the ticket, it will be spray-painted on the back of the bus. Scheduled times of departure and arrival are only rough estimates, with the bus leaving when it's full, rather than at a scheduled time. Often, rural coaches are the only forms of transportation in many areas of China and are usually more than willing to stop anywhere along the route should you wish to visit more remote areas without direct transport. Buses can also be flagged down at most points along their route. The ticket price the rest of the way is negotiable. [[File:Qujiang - highway bus stop - DSCF3093.JPG|thumb|A highway bus stop in [[Qujiang]], Nanjing County, [[Fujian]]. The sign lists departure times for buses to [[Xiamen]]]] Getting a ticket is straightforward. Large bus stations have ticket counters who sell printed tickets displaying the departure time, boarding gate and license plate number of your bus. You need your passport to purchase a ticket, and often you will have to go through security inspection. ===By subway=== Most major cities in China now have subway/metro (地铁 ''dìtiě'') systems. They are typically modern, clean, efficient, and are still rapidly expanding. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou already have some of the world's most extensive systems. On station platforms and in trains there is usually signage in Chinese and English listing all stations on that line. Announcements in the stations and trains are made in Mandarin and English, and sometimes the local language. Many maps (especially English versions) may not have kept up with rapid expansion. Look online for a bilingual subway map that you can carry with you. Chinese subway stations often have a security checkpoint before the turnstiles, where you must run your bags through an X-ray scanner. Pickpockets are most likely to strike during station stops, so pay attention to your belongings. Stations tend to have numerous exits with labels such as Exit A, B, C1, or C2. On maps you will find each exit is labeled clearly around the station. Signs in the station make it easy to find your exit. === By taxi === Taxis (出租车 ''chūzūchē'' or 的士 ''dīshì'', pronounced "deg-see" in Cantonese-speaking areas) are reasonably priced: flagfall ¥5-14, per km charge ¥2-3. Most trips within the city center will cost ¥10-50. There is no extra charge for luggage, but in many cities rates are higher at night. The taxi fee is usually rounded up to the nearest whole yuan. Tips are not expected, but are welcome, especially after long trips. Taxis are commonly ordered through a '''phone app''', and it has become harder to hail a taxi on the street. The most popular app, [http://www.didichuxing.com/en/com/en/ Didi Chuxing], is also available in English. Taxi hawkers stalk naive travelers at airport terminals, train stations, and border crossings. They will try to negotiate a set price, and will usually charge 2 to 3 times a metered fare. There are designated taxi areas outside most major airport terminals; insist that the driver use the meter. The fare should be plainly marked on the taxi. Finding a taxi during peak hours can be a bit hard. But it really gets tough if it is raining. Away from peak hours, especially at night, it is sometimes possible to get a 10% to 20% discount especially if you negotiate it in advance, even if with the meter on and asking for a receipt. Sitting in the front passenger seat is acceptable, and is useful if you have trouble communicating in Chinese. Some taxis mount the taxi meter down by the gearbox, where you can only see it from the front seat. Drivers may start smoking without asking. In some cities it is also common for drivers to try and pick up multiple passengers if their destinations are in the same general direction. Each passenger pays full fare but it saves the time of waiting for an empty cab at rush hour. Even in major cities, you are very unlikely to find an English-speaking taxi driver. If you are not able to pronounce [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]] well, have your destination written ''in Chinese characters'' to show the driver. Business cards for your hotel and for restaurants are useful for this. In major cities in the prosperous southern and eastern coastal provinces, many taxi drivers are migrants from other parts of China who speak Mandarin but not the local dialect. Most drivers are honest and fares are reasonable but there are the bad ones out there who will try to use your lack of Chinese skills to their advantage. The fare difference will usually be minimal. Should you feel you have been seriously cheated on the way to your hotel, and it has a doorman, you can appeal to him or the desk staff for assistance. In cities, photographing the driver's ID (posted on the dashboard) or license plate number and threatening to report him to the authorities can be quite effective. In some cities, taxi companies use a star-rating system for drivers, ranging from 0 to 5, displayed on the driver's name-plate, on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat. While no or few stars do not necessarily indicate a bad driver, many stars tend to indicate good knowledge of the city, and willingness to take you to where you ask by the shortest way. Another indicator of the driver's ability can be found on the same name-plate - the driver's ID number. A small number tells you he has been around for a long time, and is thus likely to know the city better. Use the bigger taxi companies when possible, as the smaller companies tend to have a higher number of dishonest drivers. Chinese are sometimes competitive when it comes to finding a taxi. The person who flags down a particular car is not necessarily entitled to that ride. Having locals move farther up in traffic to intercept cars or being shoved out of the way while trying to enter a taxi is common. If there are others in the area competing for rides, be ready to reach your car and enter it as soon as possible after flagging it down. Wear your seat belt at all times (if you can find it). Some taxi drivers, in particular those who can speak some English, can be quite curious and talkative, especially during peak-hour traffic (高峰 ''gāo​fēng''). ===By bicycle=== [[File:Mobikes_in_Huangzhou,_Huanggang,_Hubei,_China_3.jpg|thumb|A row of Mobike dockless bikes]] {{main|Cycling in China}} Bicycles (自行车 ''zìxíngchē'') were once the most common form of transportation in China, but many people have upgraded to electric bikes and motorcycles. Bicycle repair shops are common in cities and rural areas. '''Dockless rideshare bikes''' in China's larger cities operate on a grab'n'go basis: you use your mobile phone to unlock any available bike, pay ¥1-2 per 30 minutes while using them, and drop them off pretty much anywhere you like. The largest operators [https://mobike.com/global/ Mobike] (orange) and [https://www.ofo.com/au/en Ofo] (canary yellow) have English apps. Dockless bikes are built to last, meaning they're heavy, clunky and ungeared, but for travelers, they can be a cheap, convenient means of transport that is better than trying to deal with public transport. There are two major '''dangers for cyclists''' in China: * '''Motor traffic'''; cars and motorcycles frequently pull out without any warning, and in most areas red lights are apparently optional. * '''Bicycle theft is rampant''' throughout cities in China. China is a vast country and it provides serious cyclists with challenges to bike across mountains and desert. If you plan to cycle through China, get a visa before your journey, as it can be hard to get one along the way. Avoid saying that the journey will be by bike, as embassy personnel may not like that, and Xinjiang and Tibet are politically sensitive. The visa is valid for any border crossing and transport method anyway (except Tibet). ===By car=== {{main|Driving in China}} The PRC generally does not recognize International Driving Permits and does not permit foreigners to drive in China without a Chinese license. Hong Kong and Macau licenses are also considered to be foreign and having one of them will not allow you to drive in the mainland. Importing foreign vehicles is difficult. There are some ways of getting a temporary license: see the Driving in China article. Renting a car is virtually unheard of in major Chinese cities, which generally have excellent public transportation networks that get you almost anywhere. There are, however, some rural parts of China that are still best explored by car. Rented cars most often come with a driver and this is probably the best way to travel in China by car. ===By motorcycle=== {{seealso|Driving in China#Motorcycles}} Motorcycle taxis are common, especially in smaller cities and rural areas. They are usually cheap and effective but scary. The fares are negotiable. Regulations for riding a motorcycle vary from city to city. In some cases, 50cc mopeds can be ridden without a driving license although many cities have now banned them or reclassified them due to numerous accidents. Riding a 'proper' motorcycle is much harder, partly because you'll need a Chinese license, partly because they are banned in many cities and partly because production and importing have slowed with the focus on automobiles and electric scooters. The typical Chinese motorcycle is 125cc, can do about 100&nbsp;km/h and is a traditional cruiser style. They are generally slow, mundane to ride and have little sporting potential. Government restrictions on engine size mean that sports bikes are rare but can still be found. Another popular choice is a 125cc automatic 'maxi' scooter based loosely on the Honda CN250 - it's a bit quicker than a moped and more comfortable over long distances but has the benefit of automatic transmission which makes negotiating stop-start urban traffic much easier. Most cities will have a motorcycle market of some description and will often sell you a cheap motorcycle often with fake or illegal license plates, although a foreigner on a motorbike is a rare sight and it will grab the police's attention. Helmets are essential on 'proper' bikes but optional on scooters. You must have a license plate: they are yellow or blue on a motorcycle or green on a scooter and can cost several thousand yuan to register the bike yourself. Fake plates are easily available at a lower price, but are risky. ===By pedicab (rickshaw)=== {{infobox|What's in a name?|The terms pedicab and rickshaw are often used interchangeably by foreigners in China, but refer to two different modes of transportation - one of which no longer exists. The infamous rickshaw was a two-wheeled contraption with two poles at the front, which the operator held while walking or running passengers to their destinations. These proliferated in the late 19th century but were gradually phased out by the 1950s. Videos of Western elites playing polo on rickshaws propelled by Chinese workers showcased the exploitative nature of rickshaws. A distant relative of the rickshaw can still be seen when day-laborers in smaller or less developed cities gather with their rickshaw-like carts each morning waiting for work delivering construction materials, coal, or other odds and ends. The rickshaw has been replaced by the pedicab: a three-wheeled conveyance ridden much like a bicycle.}} In some mid-sized cities, pedicabs are a much more convenient means of traveling short distances. Sānlúnchē (三轮车), the Chinese term used both for pedal-powered and motorized rickshaws, are ubiquitous in rural China and lesser developed (which is to say, less touristy) areas of larger cities. Negotiating the fare in advance is a must. Reports of overcharging probably refer to rip-off artists working tourist destinations, like Silk Alley, Wangfujing, and the Lao She Tea House in Beijing in particular. Perhaps the rule of thumb should be, "Beware of anyone selling anything near tourist traps." If you see normal Chinese families using the "sanlun" — for instance, traveling between the Beijing Zoo and the nearest subway stop — then it's safe. Don't patronise any sanlun wearing some old fashioned costume to attract tourists. He'll try to charge you ten times the going rate. Electrified three-wheeled sanluns developed or converted from the pedicabs seem to be in the majority in Shanghai. ==See== China's attractions are endless and you will never run out of things to see. Especially near the coastal areas, when finished with one city, the next one is usually just a short train ride away. Whether you are a history buff, a nature lover or someone who just wants to relax on a nice beach, China has it all from the majestic Forbidden City in [[Beijing]], to the breathtaking scenery of [[Jiuzhaigou]]. Even if you live in China for many years, you'll find that there's always something new to discover in another part of the country. Perhaps unsurprisingly due to its sheer size and long history, China has the third largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, after Italy and Spain. China is on the border between two bioregions. [[Eurasian wildlife]] can be seen in the north and west, and [[South Asian wildlife]] can be found in the south and southeast. [[Image:Diecaishan.jpg|thumb|Karst formations, Guilin]] ===Karst scenery=== The gumdrop mountains and steeply sloping forested hills with incredible rock formations favored by traditional Chinese artists are not creative fantasy. In fact, much of southern and southwestern China is covered in intricate eroded rock formations known as '''karst'''. Karst is a type of limestone formation named after an area in [[Slovenia]]. As limestone layers erode, the denser rock or pockets of different stone resist erosion forming peaks. Caves hollow out beneath the mountains which can collapse forming sinkholes and channels leading to underground rivers. At its most unusual karst erodes to form mazes of pinnacles, arches and passageways. The most famous example can be found in the Stone Forest (石林 ''[[Shilin|Shílín]]'') near [[Kunming]] in [[Yunnan]]. Some of the most famous tourist areas in China feature spectacular karst landscapes &mdash; [[Guilin]] and [[Yangshuo]] in [[Guangxi]], [[Zhangjiajie]] in [[Hunan]], and much of central and western [[Guizhou]] province. ===Sacred mountains=== ''See also:'' [[Sacred sites of China]] {{infobox|Chinese mountains|Linell Davis, who literally wrote the book on practical cultural differences between China and the West, has this to say about Chinese mountains: "Westerners find Chinese mountains confusing as they do not provide an experience of wild untamed nature. They expect mountains to be natural rather than paved with steps from bottom to top. They don't expect to see very old people and very young children climbing mountains. I have also noticed that each local area in China has a 'mountain' even if it is quite small and even if people had to build it themselves. After a few experiences of finding there was nothing to see from the top or that the view was lost in clouds and mist ([[Emeishan National Park|Emei]] and [[Huangshan]], for instance), I started trying to figure out what people are really doing when they are climbing mountains. My conclusion is that in China people climb mountains because the experience of doing it is enjoyable. I think they also do it to experience the mountain by moving into it and up and down it. In climbing the mountain they realize their connection with nature rather than their power over it." –Linell Davis, ''Doing Culture''}} Mountains are an important part of Chinese geomancy, and there are many mountains which have religious significance in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism. These mountains often serve as a popular backdrop in Chinese period dramas, and have traditionally been associated with various Chinese martial arts sects. Today, these mountains continue to house many Taoist and Buddhist temples, and continue to serve as scenic backdrops that attract many domestic tourists. ====Five Great Mountains==== The '''Five Great Mountains''' (五岳) are associated with the five cardinal directions in Chinese geomancy, and are believed to have originated from the body of Pangu (盘古), the creator of the world in Chinese mythology. *'''[[Mount Heng (Shanxi)|Mount Heng]]''' (恒山), the Northern Mountain (北岳) in [[Shanxi]] province. Literally the "eternal mountain". *'''[[Mount Heng (Hunan)|Mount Heng]]''' (衡山), the Southern Mountain (南岳) in [[Hunan]] province. Literally the "balancing mountain". *'''[[Mount Tai]]''' (泰山), the Eastern Mountain (东岳), in [[Shandong]] province. Literally the "peaceful mountain". *'''[[Huashan National Park|Mount Hua]]''' (华山), the Western Mountain (西岳) in [[Shaanxi]] province. Literally the "splendid mountain". *'''[[Songshan National Park|Mount Song]]''' (嵩山), the Central Mountain (中岳) in [[Henan]] province. Also home to the famed '''Shaolin Monastery''' (少林寺), historically famous for its warrior monks. Literally the "lofty mountain". ====Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism==== [[File:Wutai Shan temple grounds.jpg|thumb|Temples at Mt Wutai]] The '''Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism''' (四大佛教名山) are traditionally associated with four different Bodhisattvas, who are revered in Chinese Buddhism. To this day, these mountains continue to be scenic spots with prominent Buddhist temples. *'''[[Mount Wutai]]''' (五台山), traditionally associated with Bodhisattva Manjusri (文殊菩萨), in [[Shanxi]] province. *'''[[Mount Emei]]''' (峨眉山), traditionally associated with Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (普贤菩萨), in [[Sichuan]] province. *'''[[Mount Putuo]]''' (普陀山), traditionally associated with Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (观音菩萨), the most popular Bodhisattva in Chinese Buddhism, in [[Zhejiang]] province. It isn't a mountain, but rather an island off the Chinese coast. *'''[[Mount Jiuhua]]''' (九华山), traditionally associated with Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha (地藏菩萨), in [[Anhui]] province. ====Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism==== Although there are many sacred mountains in Chinese folk religion, the '''Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism''' (四大道教名山), together with the Five Great Mountains are considered to be the holiest among them. These continue to be scenic spots that feature prominent Taoist temples. *'''[[Mount Wudang]]''' (武当山), regarded by most Chinese to be the holiest of all sacred mountains for Taoists, in [[Hubei]] province. Traditionally regarded to be a major center of Chinese martial arts, and the main rival to the Shaolin Monastery (albeit a friendly one). *'''[[Mount Longhu]]''' (龙虎山) in [[Jiangxi]] province. *'''[[Mount Qiyun]]''' (齐云山) in [[Anhui]] province. *'''[[Qingchengshan-Dujiangyan_National_Park|Mount Qingcheng]]''' (青城山) in [[Sichuan]] province. ===Flowers=== [[File:Pink peach tree in blossom in Mount Langya in Hebei, picture2.jpg|thumb|Peach blossoms in a Chinese park]] While Japan's cherry blossoms may be better known, China's '''plum blossoms''' (梅花 ''méi huā'') and '''peach blossoms''' (桃花 ''táo huā'') are often considered to rival the cherry blossoms in sheer beauty. Plums tend to flower during the coldest part of winter, often during heavy snowfall, making them a symbol of resilience, and is the national flower of the Republic of China that once ruled Mainland China. Peaches, on the other hand, tend to flower in the spring. These trees can be viewed in many parks, particularly in the northern and eastern parts if China, but also at higher elevations in the south. Both flowers are highly revered in traditional Chinese culture, and are frequently featured in traditional Chinese arts and crafts. The '''peony''' (牡丹花 ''mǔ dān huā'') is also highly revered, and represents honor and wealth. Unlike the plum and peach blossoms, peonies grow on shrubs rather than trees. They typically flower in late spring to early summer. ===Performing arts=== {{main|Chinese performing arts}} As a large and diverse country, China is home to a wide array of performing arts, both traditional and modern. While some genres are popular nationwide, there are also some which are only popular in specific regions, and the various ethnic minorities also have their own unique traditions. Two genres that are popular nationwide, and are also regularly performed internationally are '''Beijing opera''' (京剧 ''jīngjù'') and ''' Yue opera''' (越剧 ''yuèjù''). ===Other sites=== Sites of the Chinese revolution can be seen in our [[Chinese Revolutionary Destinations]] article. Significant Buddhist sites in China can be found in our [[Buddhism#See|Buddhism]] article. ===Itineraries=== Some itineraries cover trips that are entirely within China: * [[Along the Yangtze river]] * [[Along the Yellow river]] * [[Along the Grand Canal]] * [[Around Erhai Lake by electric scooter]] * [[Hong Kong to Kunming overland]] * [[Long March]] * [[Overland to Tibet]] * [[Qinghai–Tibet railway]] * [[Yunnan tourist trail]] Others are partly in China: * [[Silk Road]] - ancient caravan route from China to Europe * [[Karakoram Highway]] - Western China to Pakistan through the Himalayas * [[On the trail of Marco Polo]] ==Do== ===Massage=== High-quality, reasonably priced massages are available throughout China. Expert work costs ¥20-80 per hour. * Almost any hairdresser will give a hair wash and head massage for ¥10. This often includes cleaning out ear wax and some massaging of the neck and arms. With a haircut and/or a shave, prices range from ¥25-100 with prices higher in large cities and in higher-class or tourist-oriented establishments. * The availability of foot massage (足疗 ''zúliáo'') is often indicated by a picture of a bare footprint on the sign. Prices are from ¥15 to about ¥60. * Full-body massage is offered at prices from ¥15 an hour up and in two varieties: ''ànmó'' (按摩) is general massage; ''tuīná'' (推拿) concentrates on the meridians used in acupuncture. These three types of massage are often mixed; many places offer all three. * Massage is a traditional trade for the blind, and the best value is often at tiny out-of-the-way places with blind staff (盲人按摩 ''mángrén ànmó''). * The most expert massages are in massage hospitals, or general Chinese medicine hospitals, usually costing around ¥50 an hour. Some massage places are actually brothels. Prostitution is illegal in China but quite common and often disguised as massage. Most hot-spring or sauna establishments offer ''all'' the services a businessman might want for relaxation. Many hotels offer massage in your room, and additional services are almost always available once she is the room. Pink lighting or lots of girls in short skirts in smaller establishments probably indicates considerably more than just massage is on offer (''and quite often they cannot do a good massage either''). The same rule applies in many hair salons which double as massage parlors/brothels. The non-pink-lit places usually give good massages and generally do not offer sex. If the establishment advertises massage by the blind, it is almost certainly legitimate. For basic phrases to use when getting a massage, see [[Chinese phrasebook#Getting a massage]]. ===Traditional arts=== When planning an extended stay in China, consider learning some of the traditional arts. Traveling to China is after all a unique chance to learn the basics, or refine already acquired skills, directly from master practitioners in the arts' home country. Many cities have academies that accept beginners, and not knowing Chinese is usually not a problem as you can learn by example and imitation. Calligraphy (书法 ''shūfǎ''), a term that covers both writing characters and painting scrolls (that is, classical landscapes and the like) remains a popular national hobby. Many calligraphers practice by writing with water on sidewalks in city parks. Other traditional arts which offer classes include learning to play traditional Chinese instruments (inquire in shops that sell these as many offer classes), cooking Chinese cuisine, or even singing Beijing Opera (京剧 ''jīngjù''). Fees are usually modest, and the necessary materials will not exactly break the bank. The only requirement is being in the same place for a long enough time, and showing sufficient respect; it is better not to join these classes as a tourist attraction. ===[[Martial arts]]=== As with traditional cultural arts, those with the time and inclination may be interested in studying China's famed martial arts. Some, such as '''tai chi''' (太极拳 ''tàijíquán''), can be studied at a basic level by simply visiting any city park in the early morning and following along. You will likely find many eager teachers. However, learning martial arts to a level that allows you to use them competently in an actual fight requires years of study and training under a master, which often has to start from childhood. In English, Chinese martial arts are often called "kung fu" and we follow that usage below. However in Chinese, the general term for martial arts is ''wǔshù'' (武術), while ''gōngfu'' (功夫, "kung fu") is the term for the skill or power that practitioners acquire. Chinese martial arts are traditionally classified into northern and southern styles, with northern styles generally known for emphasizing powerful strikes with fully extended limbs, and southern styles generally known for fast strikes close to the body. Northern Chinese martial are further classified into two groups named for two mountain areas with monasteries which are centers of kung fu &mdash; Shaolin Temple on [[Songshan National Park|Mount Song]] and the [[Wudang Mountains]]. Shaolin are the hard or external styles emphasizing speed and power, while Wudang are the soft or internal styles emphasizing breath control and smooth movement. Of course it is nowhere near that simple; Shaolin experts also move extremely smoothly and a Wudang master has plenty of speed and power. Other well-known centers of kung fu include Southern Shaolin in [[Quanzhou#Learn|Quanzhou]], [[Fujian]], Wu Wei Temple near [[Dali]] and Wing Chun (Bruce Lee's style) in [[Foshan]], [[Guangdong]]. Shanghai has a [[Shanghai/Yangpu#See|martial arts museum]] at a Physical Education university. ===Square dancing=== [[File:Older women practicing dance at Temple of Heaven Park, Beijing.jpg|thumb|right|Square dancers at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing]] In public parks, squares or plazas, or indeed anywhere in a city that isn't fenced off and is large enough (like a parking lot), you will increasingly find, in the early morning and late evening, groups of (mostly) older women doing what looks like low-impact aerobics to music with a dance beat coming from a nearby portable speaker. This activity is called ''guǎngchǎngwǔ'' (广场舞), roughly translated into English as "square dancing", because of where it takes place (not to be confused with the traditional American folk dance of the same name). It originated in the mid-1990s among women (known as ''dàmā'' (大妈), or "dancing grannies" in English) who had just been forced into retirement as a way to stay fit, socialize and recall their own youth during the Cultural Revolution (indeed, many of the songs used are propaganda from that era, or current Chinese pop hits). By 2015 noise and space issues had provoked violent confrontations in some cities and led the government to introduce, then hastily withdraw, standard dance routines. It's interesting to watch at the very least as a modern folk phenomenon, and indeed some groups don costumes and props for their routines. Some tourists, particularly Russians visiting Manchurian cities, have joined in. However, this is often frowned upon, as many square dancers compete competitively and are only practicing publicly due to a lack of practice space otherwise. If you are tempted to do so, only join groups that appear to be casually-oriented (no apparent dance uniform or complicated routines) and go to the rear row where beginners follow the leader and learn the moves. You should avoid, or at least practice extreme caution when joining near several groups in a space barely enough for all of them — turf battles have been known to start and given the novelty of a foreigner participating in square dancing, you may be seen as a final provocation of member poaching. Ballroom dancing is also moderately common; western-style square dancing or line dancing are less common but not unknown. ===Traditional pastimes=== China has several traditional games often played in tea gardens, public parks, or even on the street. Players often attract crowds of on-lookers. * '''[[Xiangqi|Chinese chess]]''' (象棋 ''xiàngqí'') is the world's most-played chess variant. It is similar to but distinct from Korean chess (Korean: 장기 ''janggi''), but quite different from [[Shogi|Japanese chess]] (Japanese: 将棋 ''shōgi'') and [[Chess|international chess]], though they all have enough in common that a good player of one will find another easier to learn. It is a very popular pastime in China, and you can often see elderly Chinese having games with each other in the parks. There are also numerous national tournaments, from school tournaments all the way up to professional ones, and the top players often become major celebrities, with large prizes and numerous TV shows about the game. * '''[[Go]]''' (围棋 ''wéiqí'', lit. "the surrounding game") is a strategy board game. Players place their stones to surround the most territory on the board. While the rules are simple, the strategy and tactics are very complex. There are professional Go players, some of whom are major celebrities, tournaments with large prizes, and some TV shows about the game. * '''Mahjong''' (麻将 ''májiàng'') is popular and almost always played for money. Mahjong uses tiles with a variety of Chinese symbols and characters. Players draw and discard tiles trying to complete a hand with particular sets of tiles. The nearest Western equivalent (not very near!) would be card games like rummy or canasta. : While game play is broadly similar, the rules of mahjong in China differ significantly between regions, and from the Taiwanese and Japanese versions, meaning that you will have to learn new rules everywhere you go. The Chinese government has an officially-sanctioned standardized form of mahjong that is used in national competitions in an attempt to be fair to people who grew up playing with different rules, which is also used in international competitions like the [http://www.world-series-mahjong.com/ World Series Mahjong]. However, this standardized form is very rarely played outside of officially-sanctioned competitions. Many Chinese are skilled at '''cards''' (扑克牌 ''pūkèpái''); Deng Xiaoping was renowned for his love for bridge (桥牌 ''qiáopái''). ==Buy== ===Money=== {{exchange rates | currency=Chinese Yuan | currencyCode=¥ | date=January 2022 | AUD=4.6 | CAD=5.0 | EUR=7.2 | GBP=8.6 | HKD=0.8 | INR=8.6 | JPY=5.5 | MYR=1.5 | NZD=4.3 | THB=1.9 | USD=6.4 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/cny-chinese-yuan-renminbi XE.com]}}The official currency of the People's Republic of China is the '''Chinese yuan''', known as the '''renminbi''' (人民币 ''rénmínbì'', "People's Money"), denoted by the symbol '''¥''', international currency code '''CNY'''. All prices in China are given in yuan; the Chinese character is 元 (''yuán''), or in financial contexts (e.g. cheques and banknotes) 圆. A price may be shown as, for example, 20 元, 20 rmb, RMB 20, 20 yuan or ¥20; we use the latter form here. In informal spoken Chinese and sometimes in spoken English, 块 (''kuài'') may be used instead, much as "buck" can be used in the U.S. or "quid" in the UK. Some Chinese software will display a bigger "full width" character (￥) to differentiate it from the Japanese yen, which uses the same symbol. The Chinese yuan is ''not'' legal tender in the Special Administrative Regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], which issue their own currencies. However many businesses will also accept Chinese currency, albeit at an unfavorable exchange rate. {{infobox|Cheat Sheet|* 10 ''jiǎo'' is 1 ''yuán'' (&#20803;), the base unit * ''yuán'' is commonly called ''kuài'' (&#22359;) * ''jiǎo'' is commonly called ''máo'' (&#27611;) * 10 is ''shí'' (十) * 100 is ''bǎi'' (百) * 1,000 is ''qiān'' (千) * 10,000 is ''wàn'' (万)}} There are 10 ''jiǎo'' (角) in a yuan. A coin worth ¥0.1 will thus say 壹角 ("1 jiǎo"), on it, and a price like ¥3.7 would thus be read as "3 ''kuài'' 7". The ''jiǎo'' is rapidly heading for extinction, although you will get the odd 1 or 5 jiao coin or note as change. In spoken [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]], the ''jiǎo'' is usually called the ''máo'' (毛). A tenth of a ''máo'' is a ''fēn'' (分); you may see this digit on prices, but it will be rounded off if you pay in cash. In spoken language, the trailing unit may be dropped. For example ''wǔ bǎi sān'', literally "five hundred three", means 530 or "five hundred three tens". The number 503 would be read as ''wǔ bǎi líng sān'', literally "five hundred zero three". Similarly ''yì qiān bā'', literally "one thousand eight", means 1800. When using larger numbers, Chinese has a word for ten thousand, ''wàn'' (万), and thus for example 50,000 becomes ''wǔ wàn'', not ''wǔ shí qiān''. [[Image:China currency overview.jpg|thumb|Chinese coins and bills]] * '''Coins''': ¥0.1 (1 jiao; dull silver or shiny silver), ¥0.5 (5 jiao; gold), ¥1 (silver) * '''Bills''': ¥0.1 (1 jiao), ¥0.5 (5 jiao), ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50, ¥100 A lot of Chinese currency will be in the form of bills &mdash; even small change. Bills are more common in some areas, coins in others, but both are accepted anywhere. Even the jiao, at just one tenth of a yuan, exists as both a bill (the smallest) and two different coins. Conversely, one yuan exists as a coin and as two different bills. You should be prepared to recognize and handle either version. Due to the popularity of mobile payments, an increasing number of shops in urban areas do not accept cash or credit cards, and even those that accept cash will often not have any change available. ====Foreign currency==== Foreign currencies, including the Hong Kong dollar or U.S. dollar, are rarely seen as a substitute for yuan except in several five-star hotels, and in some shops on the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border, and stock exchanges. Other currencies are unlikely to be used in most transactions. If you only have dollars in your pocket, it usually means that you don't have money to pay the bill without a trip to a bank. Many shops won't accept it, having no idea on exchange rate or how to check if the bills are counterfeit. ====Counterfeiting==== With the popularity of mobile payment apps, counterfeit banknotes are less of a problem than before, but you should still be alert for them. Banknotes of ¥20, ¥50, and ¥100 are the main risks. When you're given one of these bills as change, scrutinize it to check. The main focus is on the texture of different parts, metal line, change of colours under different lights. Everyone has their own method, so just ask. When you pay with a ¥50 or ¥100 banknote in a shop or taxi, it's socially accepted that you note down the last few digits of the banknote you are handing over. This is in case they claim your banknote is fake, then these remembered digits will ensure they give you the same note back. Some unscrupulous money exchangers on the Chinese border areas give counterfeits to travelers. Go to a bank if you're not experienced in checking notes. It is common for cashiers to scrutinize banknotes and some of the more expensive supermarkets even have machines that can spot counterfeits. This is standard practice in China and offence should not be taken. Counterfeits from ATMs are not common, but some people are still concerned. If you are worried, withdraw your money from the bank counter and say "I worry about jiǎbì (''counterfeit'')". Bank staff are understanding about this. ====Currency exchange==== Although still restricted, the yuan is readily convertible in many countries, especially in Asia. The Hong Kong dollar, US dollar, Canadian dollar, euro, pound sterling, Australian dollar, Japanese yen and South Korean won, and Singapore dollars can be easily changed in China. Currency should only be changed at major banks (Bank of China in particular), or with the licensed money changers usually found at airports or high-end hotels, although they offer unfavorable rates. You should avoid black market for currency exchange as '''counterfeiting''' is a major issue, especially with money changers in markets and hanging around large banks. Foreign exchange is under tight control in China. Private money changers are still uncommon in China. In a bank, it usually takes 5 to 60 minutes to process the exchange, sometimes a little faster in a hotel. Bank branches in major cities usually know the procedure and are relatively quick, while even main branches in provincial cities can take much longer. You must fill out a form, and your passport will be photocopied and scanned. Keep the exchange receipt if you plan to leave the country with larger sum of money. Not all banks with the "Exchange" logo will exchange money for non-customers or for all currencies in cash. For example, Standard Chartered will only exchange cash for its customers and will only do US dollars and Hong Kong dollars in cash (but opening an account is quick and doable even on a tourist visa, and they offer a better cash exchange rate than most local banks). Exchanging US currency for yuan can be simple, but expect the bills to be heavily scrutinized before the exchange is processed. Opportunities to buy yuan before entering China, for example when coming overland from Hong Kong or Vietnam, should be taken, as the rates are better. The same is true going the other way - selling just across the border will often net a more favorable rate. You may only import or export a maximum in local currency of ¥20,000 in cash, and sums greater than US$5,000 cash in foreign currency require paperwork. Most international banks will allow you to get a cash advance via a debit or credit card at a Chinese ATM. However, the rates for such actions are often unfavorable and may include steep service charges. It's useful to carry an international currency such as pounds sterling, US dollars, or Japanese yen to fall back on should you not have access to a cash machine. If you are planning to stay a long time in China, e.g. for work or study, you may want to open a Chinese bank account. See [[Working in China#Banking]] for more information. ====ATM cards==== Many ATMs will only accept Chinese bank cards. ATMs from three of the big four banks are likely to accept foreign (Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Diners) cards: Bank of China (BOC), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and China Construction Bank (CCB). Although ATMs from other banks are plentiful, state they accept Visa/MasterCard/Cirrus and have an English option, they are not likely to work with an international credit/debit card unless the ATM operator is a foreign big-name bank (HSBC, Citibank, Bank of East Asia). Before traveling, find out if your home bank charges a currency conversion fee (often between 0-3%) on such transactions. It is worth opening a zero conversion fee account beforehand if possible. If you have trouble because the ATM requires a 6-digit PIN and your PIN only has four digits, try adding two zeros before it. If you find yourself in a town with a Bank of China branch but no international network-capable ATM, it is usually possible to get a cash advance on a credit card inside the bank for a 3% fee. Just ask. UnionPay, the local ATM card network, has made agreements with various ATM card networks around the globe. If your card is covered, any ATM in China will accept withdrawals and balance inquiries from your card. While UnionPay ATM and/or debit cards are now issued by banks in a number of countries, ATM cards linked to NYCE and Pulse in America (also applies to cash advances from Discover cards), Interac in Canada, and LINK in the UK are covered. If your bank is part of the Global ATM Alliance, China Construction Bank is the local partner for fee-free withdrawals. ===Credit cards=== [[File:Dalian large Shopping Mall 2005.jpg|thumb|Inside a mall in [[Dalian]]]] Outside of star-rated or chain hotels, major supermarkets, and high-class restaurants, '''foreign credit cards like Visa and MasterCard are generally not accepted''' and most transactions will require cash or mobile payments. Many department stores and large grocery stores have point-of-sale terminals for Chinese bank cards, but most foreign cards are not supported. Most Chinese banks and many merchants use the UnionPay system, so a foreign card that supports UnionPay will probably be widely accepted. Several countries now have banks that issue UnionPay credit cards, and UnionPay supports Discover and JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) cards as well. Visa, MasterCard and American Express meanwhile are less common. Most convenience stores take UnionPay, as do most restaurant chains, stores selling high-value items, grocery store chains, and most ATMs. In 2017, it was reported that the new Discover cards with chip would require multiple attempts or did not work at all in most of the POS machines. Do not rely on credit cards as your sole payment method. Consider signing up for an international card that can interact with UnionPay. If you have a bank account in [[Hong Kong]] then you may be able to open an additional renminbi account with a UnionPay card which is convenient for traveling in the mainland. As with debit cards, Chinese retail clerks will usually present the POS credit card terminal to the cardholder for entry of a PIN for chip-and-pin cards. Visitors from sign-only countries should attempt to explain that fact to the clerk (while chip-and-sign cards will cause most terminals to automatically skip the PIN prompt), and sign the receipt as usual. ===Mobile payments=== [[File:Alipay_and_WeChat_pay_signs_in_BurgerKing_ZBAA_(20170309123855).jpg|thumb|Alipay (blue) and WeChat Pay (green) accepted here]] QR-code based mobile payments such as [https://pay.weixin.qq.com/index.php/public/wechatpay WeChat Pay] (微信支付 ''Wēixìn zhīfù'') and [https://global.alipay.com/ Alipay] (支付宝 ''Zhīfùbǎo'') are extremely popular in China. The vast majority of places that take small payments, including restaurants, street-food places, and some public transportation in large cities, accept either or both of WeChat Pay and Alipay. In some cases, mobile payment is the only accepted payment method. Look for a QR-code posted with the App logo of WeChat or Alipay to find places that accept these payment types. Unfortunately for the traveler, both maintain strict separation between their Chinese and global networks: you can't use a global account to make payments in China. Getting full access to the Chinese network as a foreigner requires a Chinese bank account, but you '''can use Alipay with a foreign credit card'''. There are two key limitations that tourists may bump into- first is that the maximum amount that can be spent with Alipay linked to a foreign credit card is ¥5000 per 90 days (sufficient for short visits and if major expenses can be paid with credit card or cash, less so otherwise), and you can only make payments to registered business accounts (some small vendors use an individual account in the owner's name rather than a separate business account). Various other workarounds may be possible—WeChat also accepts foreign credit cards for certain in-app transactions like reloading a prepaid phone balance or ordering delivery—but requirements are always changing. Other NFC-based mobile payments, including Apple Pay and Android Pay, are not accepted in the vast majority of the places. The NFC/Contactless POS terminals usually only takes Contactless UnionPay cards. Even though some stores in large cities are labeled to accept Apple Pay, Apple Pay with a Visa/MasterCard/AmEx/Discover/JCB would probably not work at all in those stores as in most cases they also require a UnionPay card. Android Pay is completely absent from China due to the ban of Google in mainland China. ===Costs=== China is affordable for Western visitors, though it's noticeably more expensive than much of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Unless you are heading to [[Hong Kong]] or [[Macau]], China is generally much less expensive - from a traveler's perspective - than industrialised countries. If you eat local food, use public transportation and stay in budget hotels or hostels, then ¥200-300 is a serviceable daily backpacker budget. However, if you want to live an extravagant lifestyle and eat only Western food and stay in luxury hotels, then even ¥3,000 a day would not be enough. As a general rule, basic items are relatively cheap, but the prices of luxury items are exorbitant, even by the standards of Japan and Western countries. Western-branded products in particular are extremely expensive, sometimes more than double what you would pay for the same items in the U.S. There is a high degree of variation in prices depending on where you go. Major cities like [[Shanghai]], [[Beijing]] and [[Guangzhou]] generally cost more than smaller cities and rural, inland parts of the country. The boom towns of [[Shenzhen]] and [[Zhuhai]] are also more expensive than the national average. Nonetheless, many Hong Kong or Macau residents (who live just across the border from Shenzhen and Zhuhai, respectively, and who are generally more affluent than mainlanders), often go to these cities to shop, play golf, and enjoy services like massage as prices are far lower. ===Tipping=== As a general rule, tipping is not practiced in China. While tipping would rarely be regarded as insulting, in some cases a tip might be seen as suggesting that a relationship is based on money, not friendship. When leaving a tip on your table, it is common to see a waiter chase after you to return the money you "forgot" to take. In China, compliments over service is usually expressed in implicit ways. If you are a smoker, you are expected to pass a cigarette to the service staff or manager. If you don't do so, you will be seen as selfish and egocentric. It is common to buy a bartender or pub owner a drink. In a hotel, it is customary not to tip for room service, airport service, taxis or anything else, although hotels that routinely serve foreign tourists may allow tipping for tour guides and associated drivers. Masseurs in some areas such as Shenzhen have been known to ask for a tip. However, if they become pushy at getting tips, most Chinese see this as extortion and an immoral practice, so just be firm if you don't wish to give any. Taxi drivers do appreciate a few yuan rounded up if they have made an extra effort for your journey; however, it is by no means required. ===Shopping=== {{See also|Shopping in China}} {{infobox|Antiquities Banned From Export|China's government has banned the export of antiques from before 1911, the date of the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Violation of this law could lead to heavy fines and even imprisonment. }} Shopping has become a national pastime as China's middle class expands. A variety of goods are available to suit any budget. In most brand name shops, upscale malls and supermarkets, the prices already have Value-Added Tax (VAT) and any sales tax included. Thus, anything with a marked price tends to be sold at that price or, perhaps, slightly below especially if you pay cash and do not require a receipt for your purchase. For unmarked goods, there is '''wide room for [[bargaining]]'''. Chinese make sales using the character: 折 (''zhé'') which represents how many tenths of the original price you pay. For example, 8折 refers to 20% off and 6.5折 is 35% off. China excels in handmade items, partly because of long traditions of exquisite artisanship and partly because labor is still comparatively inexpensive. The overwhelming majority of the "antique" items you will be shown are fakes, no matter how convincing they look and no matter what the vendor says. [[Image:China porcelain.jpg|thumb|Porcelain at Shanghai's antique market]] * '''Porcelain''': with a long history of porcelain manufacture, China still makes great porcelain today. * '''Furniture''': in the 1990s and 2000s China became a major source of antique furniture. * '''Art and Fine Art''': Traditional painting, modern art, and hand-painted reproductions of great works. * '''Jade''' There are two types of jade in China today: one type is pale and almost colorless and is made from a variety of stones mined in China. The other type is green in color and is imported from [[Myanmar]] (Burma) - if genuine! * '''Carpets''': China is home to a remarkable variety of carpet-making traditions, including Mongolian, Ningxia, Tibetan and modern types. * '''Pearls & pearl jewellery''': cultured Akoya and freshwater pearls are mass-produced and sold at markets across China. * '''Other arts and crafts''': Cloisonné (colored enamels on a metal base), lacquer work, opera masks, kites, shadow puppets, Socialist-realist propaganda posters, wood carvings, scholar's rocks (decorative rocks, some natural, some less so), paper-cuts, and so on. *'''Clothing''': China is one of the world's leading manufacturers of clothing, shoes and accessories. There are affordable tailors anywhere in China. There is also traditional Chinese clothing if you are interested, and a growing revival movement. The styles that Westerners are most familiar with are the '''cheongsam''' (长衫 ''chángshān''; ''chèuhng-sāam'' in Cantonese) or '''qipao''' (旗袍 ''qípáo'') for women, and the '''tangzhuang''' (唐装 ''tángzhuāng'') for men, which were based on traditional Manchu clothing that was imposed on the Han Chinese during the Qing Dynasty. Traditional Han Chinese clothing from the Ming Dynasty and earlier is known as the '''hanfu''' (汉服 ''hànfú''); it looks superficially similar to the Japanese kimono and Korean hanbok, and is often mistaken for one of those. *'''Brand-name goods''': genuine branded foreign goods won't be cheaper than in Western countries. There are a number of sources of potential knock-offs or fake brand-name goods. *'''Software, music and movies''': Most CDs (music or software) and DVDs in China are unauthorized copies. *'''Endangered species''': avoid purchasing &mdash; coral, ivory and parts from endangered animal species. Anyone buying such products risks substantial fines and/or jail time either when trying to leave China with them or when trying to import them into another country. * '''Electronics''': Since the 2010s, Chinese companies have been pushing the boundaries of innovation in consumer electronics. In particular, they have become the world leader in the design and manufacturing of drones for photography. ===Bargaining=== {{Seealso|Shopping in China#Bargaining|Bargaining}} [[File:Market china.jpg|thumb|Merchandise at a market in China]] Bargaining is a national pastime in China. You can bargain over almost anything, and sometimes it's even possible to ask for discount in a restaurant at the last minute before paying the bill. Many restaurants or bars will willingly offer a free dish or two (such as a fruit plate in a KTV) if you have made a particularly large order. Shopping malls are less willing to bargain, but why not ask "Will I get a gift?" Prices are almost always posted, but they are all substantially marked up, normally 2-3 times. It's often better to buy souvenirs somewhere just a few blocks away from the tourist spots. It is hard to tell what price to offer when starting negotiations. Depending on the city, product or market in question, 5% to 50% of the posted price or vendor's first offer is common. If someone offers you too-great-to-be-true discount, it could be a sign that the goods are of less-than-great quality. The rule of thumb is to walk around and compare. In tourist spots, it's common to ask for a 30-50% discount, but in a place catering to local people, asking for a 50% discount sounds foolish. In tourist places, don't take what merchants say seriously. When you ask for a 50% discount, they may be appalled and show scorn; it's a favorite drama. ===Basics=== Unless you have a supermarket within walking distance of your hotel (see next section below), the most convenient option for basic supplies and groceries will almost always be a convenience store. Major chains in China include Kedi, Alldays, FamilyMart and 7-Eleven. China has belatedly caught up with East Asia's love affair with convenience stores, to the point where the largest cities like Beijing and Shanghai have become oversaturated with them. Many convenience stores sell individual tissue packets, which are a necessity for touring China as many public restrooms do not have toilet paper. Although supermarkets also sell tissue packets and toilet paper, they tend to sell it in 6 or 10-packs which are too much for tourists (the ones that sell individual packs will have them close to or at the tills). Some discount and mid-market department stores in China also have groceries sections. ===Western goods=== Areas with large expatriate communities like [[Beijing]], [[Shanghai]], [[Guangzhou]] and [[Shenzhen]] have specialty grocery stores catering to those communities. These are often no larger than a 7-Eleven. They usually stock imported snacks, alcohol, and specialty groceries such as meats and cheeses and are often very expensive. See individual articles for details. Several Western-owned supermarket chains are widespread in China &mdash; American Wal-mart (沃尔玛 Wò'ěrmǎ), German Metro (麦德龙 Màidélóng), and French Carrefour (家乐福 Jiālèfú). All have some Western groceries — often at high prices. However, the availability of foreign products diminishes at their branches according to the size of the city. Metro is probably the best of these; in particular it usually has a fine selection of alcohol. Asian-owned chains include Japanese AEON (永旺 Yǒngwàng), Taiwanese RT-Mart (大润发 Dàrùnfā), South Korean LOTTE Mart (乐天玛特 Letianmate) and Filipino SM; these also carry imported goods. Some larger Chinese chains such as Beijing Hualian (北京华联 Běijīng Huálián) also carry a limited selection of foreign products. === Tobacco products=== {{Seealso|Shopping in China#Tobacco}} {{main|Tobacco}} Smoking is quite common and cigarettes (香烟 xiāngyān) are generally cheap. Cigarettes can be purchased from small neighbourhood stores, convenience stores, counters in supermarkets and in department stores. Rolling tobacco and papers are rare in urban China. Lighters (打火机 dǎhuǒjī) are usually cheap (about ¥1) but flimsily made. Zippos are available but expensive. Smoking is something of a social activity in China. In a bar or at dinner few Chinese will light up without offering cigarettes around the table, or at least to the men since few Chinese women smoke; visitors should do the same. Having an expensive brand is a status symbol. ==Eat== {{main|Chinese cuisine}} [[File:Yangzhou - fish dish - P1070031.JPG|thumb|A fish dish in a [[Yangzhou]] restaurant]] Food in China varies widely between regions, so the term "Chinese food" is a blanket term, about as descriptive as "Western food." Still, there are some broad characteristics. Gastronomy has a long history in China, and dishes subtly balance many flavors, aromas, and colors. Each region developed cuisine and techniques based on the ingredients at hand, so you'll find spicy meat-filled dishes in cooler inland regions, slowly simmered seafood stews in coastal regions, and quickly stir-fried fresh vegetables in busy southern ports like [[Guangzhou]]. Even many native Chinese find food from outside their home region to be "foreign". In southern China, '''rice''' (米饭 ''mǐfàn'') is a staple food served with many meals, so much so that its root word 饭 (''fàn'') means "meal" as well as "cooked grain". It may be served plain (eaten by itself as a side, or used as a bed to soak up sauce from the main dish), stir-fried with a variety of ingredients to make '''fried rice''', a quick tasty street meal and a common way to use up leftovers at home, or made into '''congee''', rice porridge that's a common breakfast. '''Noodles''' (面 ''miàn'') are another important staple, made from either rice or wheat, and served in a variety of methods. Soybeans are used to make '''soy sauce''', a quintessential seasoning in Chinese cooking. They're also used to make '''tofu''' (豆腐 ''dòufu''), which comes in many forms besides tasteless white blocks: some can be as flavorful and crispy as meat, others quite pungent like a blue cheese. Chinese gourmands place emphasis on '''freshness''' so your meal will most likely be cooked as soon as you order it. Searing hot woks over coal or gas fires make even street food usually safe to eat. Indeed freshly prepared street food is often safer than food sitting on the buffet lines of 5-star hotels. Still, use common sense: if it's a searing hot summer day and the kebab vendor has their raw meat sitting unrefrigerated on the counter, you might want to head elsewhere. Various types of Chinese food provide quick, cheap, tasty, light meals. Street food and snacks sold from portable vendors can be found throughout China's cities, good for breakfast or a snack. And Western-style fast food is arguably as popular as the domestic variety. Yelp is virtually unknown in China, while the Michelin Guide only covers Shanghai and Guangzhou, and is not taken seriously by most Chinese people. Instead, most Chinese people rely on local website [https://www.dianping.com/ Dazhong Dianping] (Chinese only). ===Etiquette=== {{seealso|Chinese cuisine#Respect}} China is the birthplace of '''chopsticks''' (筷子 ''kuàizi''), which are used for most Chinese food. Chinese cuisine evolved to be eaten using chopsticks, with almost all food prepared in bite-sized chunks or easily picked apart. Eating with chopsticks is a surprisingly easy skill to pick up, although mastering them takes a while. Some chopstick guidelines to be aware of: * '''Never''' place or leave chopsticks upright in a bowl of food (reminiscent of funeral rites), pass something from your chopsticks to another person's chopsticks (another funeral rite), or drum your bowl with chopsticks (reminiscent of beggars). * Always use chopsticks as a pair, like a set of tongs; '''never''' use just one chopstick at a time (nor one in each hand), hold them in your fist like you would a knife or dagger, or try to "cut" food with them like you would with a knife. Spearing food with your chopsticks is generally rude and should be done only as a last resort. * Using chopsticks to move plates or bowls is rude. * Pointing at things with your chopsticks is rude. (Pointing at people in general is rude; with chopsticks, doubly so.) Even when setting chopsticks down on the table, angle them so they're not pointing at anyone. * In general, try not to touch food with your fingers. Even fried chicken is picked up with chopsticks and gingerly nibbled, touching it as little as possible. Small bones should be spat onto your plate or bowl, rather than removed using your hands or chopsticks. For foods that are eaten with your hands, disposable plastic gloves may be provided. It's normal to pick up any bowl of food for easier eating, and you can put a bowl of rice directly to your mouth to push the last few bites in using your chopsticks. '''Spoons''' are used for soups and porridge, and to help with eating noodles in a soup. In traditional Chinese dining, dishes are shared '''family style''', and at larger tables there is usually a lazy Susan to pass dishes around. * Communal chopsticks (公筷 ''gōngkuài'') are not always provided; if not, just use your own chopsticks to transfer food to your bowl. It's not rude to request communal chopsticks from the restaurant, but it may make you look like a stickler for formality. * Each communal dish should only be served from by one person at a time. Don't reach across someone to reach a farther dish while they're serving; wait until they're done. * Once you put something on your plate, don't put it back. Confucius says never leave someone else with what ''you'' don't want. * Do not start eating until the most senior person at the table has started eating. Don't expect to get a fortune cookie with your meal; that's strictly a Western custom. (Fortune cookies were actually invented in California sometime in the early 20th century.) Most Chinese have never even heard of them. ===Regional cuisines=== {{seealso|Chinese cuisine#Regional cuisines}} Several varieties of Chinese food have enough international popularity that you may already recognize some of them: * '''Cantonese''' cuisine (from [[Guangdong]]), is by far the most widely known type of Chinese food abroad. Neither bland nor spicy, Cantonese cuisine will use almost anything as an ingredient, often preserving the freshness by quickly stir-frying in a very hot wok or steaming. Fried rice, chow mein, char siu pork, and sweet and sour pork are just a handful of its most famous dishes. * '''Huaiyang''' cuisine (from the eastern area towards [[Shanghai]]) is considered a good mix of northern and southern Chinese cooking styles. Dishes tend to focus on a main ingredient, which is often seafood in this coastal region; flavors are often sweet, and almost never spicy. Its most famous dishes include xiaolongbao soup dumplings, red braised pork belly, drunken chicken, and sweet and sour mandarin fish. * '''Sichuan''' or Szechuan cuisine (from the western inland) is popular with many foreigners for its ''málà'' flavors, using Sichuan peppercorns for a tingling numbness (''má'') and chili peppers for spiciness (''là''). Using lots of meat, preserved foods, and chili oil, it's famous for the original form of Kung Pao chicken, mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, and dandan noodles. * '''Teochew''' cuisine (from the [[Chaoshan]] region of Guangdong) is well known in Hong Kong and much of Southeast Asia. Particularly known for its braised meats and steamed dishes. Other major traditional cuisines include fragrant and vinegary Shandong, tender Fujian, spicy Hunan, herbal Anhui, and delicate Zhejiang. Ethnic minority cuisines in China include [[Korean cuisine|Korean]], Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and various cuisines from Yunnan, while Northeastern Chinese cuisine is influenced by both Mongolian and Russian cuisines and includes dishes like potato dumplings and a type of borscht. There is even unique local-style '''Western food''' to be found in [[Shanghai]]. ===Dietary restrictions=== {{seealso|Chinese cuisine#Dietary restrictions}} People with dietary restrictions will have a '''hard time''' in China. '''''Halal''''' food is hard to find outside areas with a significant Muslim population, but look for Lanzhou noodle (兰州拉面, ''Lánzhōu lāmiàn'') restaurants, which may have a sign advertising "halal" in Arabic (حلال) or Chinese (清真 ''qīngzhēn''). If you are attending university in China, most major Chinese universities have halal canteens to cater to their Muslim students. '''''Kosher''''' food is nearly unknown, and you will have to do some advance planning; there are Chabad houses in major Chinese cities that you can contact to help with this. '''Vegetarian''' restaurants can often be found near major Buddhist temples (look for the character "素" or the symbol "卍", a Buddhist symbol in this context), but elsewhere you'll probably need to ask specifically and it may not always be available. Dairy and eggs are little-used in Chinese vegetarian cuisine, so much of it is suitable for '''vegans''', but do pay attention, especially when it comes to desserts. Awareness of '''food allergies''' (食物过敏 ''shíwù guòmǐn'') is limited, and '''gluten-free''' foods are virtually non-existent. ==Drink== The Chinese love a tipple, but unless you are used to imbibing heavily, be careful when drinking with Chinese. The Chinese liquor ''báijiǔ'' is quite potent (up to 65% alcohol); it's often drunk in small shot glasses for a good reason. When U.S. President Richard Nixon &mdash; who was an experienced drinker, if a bit of a lightweight &mdash; first visited China, his staff sent dire warnings that he ''not'' drink in response to toasts. (He diplomatically managed to toast every table at the banquet, taking ''very'' small sips.) There are hardly any liquor laws in China. The legal drinking age is 18, but it's basically not enforced, and you'll never need to show ID. Alcohol can be purchased anywhere and drunk anywhere. ===Toasting=== Toasts are made by saying '''"''gānbēi''"''' (干杯, lit. "dry glass"). Drinks are served in small glasses (even beer is usually drunk from oversized shot glasses), and traditionally you should drain the whole glass for a toast. Chinese toasts are generally one-on-one, not something involving the whole table. At most meals, a visitor can expect everyone at the table to offer them a toast. Visitors should also '''offer toasts''' and not just receive them. This means that if you are out for dinner with a dozen people, you will be expected and pressured to drink around two dozen toasts. Fortunately, it's okay to stick to beer, and Chinese beer is usually low alcohol. It may be considered rude if you don't offer a toast to someone whenever you take a drink, at least at the start of a meal. The same applies to smoking; offer the pack around whenever you want to light up. If you want to take it easy but still be sociable, say "'''suíbiàn''" (随便) or "''pèngbeī''" (碰杯) before you make the toast, then drink only part of the glass. It may also be possible to have three toasts (traditionally signifying friendship) with the entire company, rather than a separate toast for each person. ===Alcohol=== {{Seealso|Chinese cuisine#Alcoholic}} The all-purpose word ''jiǔ'' (酒, "alcohol") covers quite a range of alcoholic drinks. Generally speaking, heavy drinking is more prevalent in northern China than in southern China. '''Beer''' (啤酒 ''píjiǔ'') is common in China and is served in nearly every restaurant and sold in many grocery stores. The most famous brand is Tsingtao (青島 ''Qīngdǎo'') from [[Qingdao]], which was at one point a German concession. Locally made '''grape [[wine]]''' (葡萄酒 ''pútáojiǔ'') is common and much of it is reasonably priced, but usually bears only the faintest resemblance to Western wines. The Chinese like their wines red and very sweet, and they're typically served over ice or mixed with Sprite. That said, higher-quality local wines that are more similar to their Western counterparts also exist, if you know what to look for. There are also several brands and types of '''rice wine'''. Most of these resemble a watery rice pudding, they are usually sweet and contain a minute amount of alcohol for taste. '''Baijiu''' (白酒 ''Báijiǔ'') is distilled liquor, generally 40% to 60% alcohol by volume, made from sorghum and sometimes other grains depending on the region. Maotai or Moutai (茅台 ''Máotái''), made in Guizhou Province, is China's most famous brand of baijiu and China's national liquor. Maotai and its expensive cousins (such as '''Kaoliang''' from [[Kinmen]] in Taiwan) are well known for their strong fragrance and are actually sweeter than western clear liquors as the sorghum taste is preserved — in a way. Chinese '''brandy''' (白兰地 ''báilándì'') is excellent value, priced about the same as wine. There are several brands; all are drinkable and many visitors find them more palatable than baijiu. The Chinese are also great fans of various supposedly '''medicinal liquors''', which usually contain exotic herbs and/or animal parts. Some of these have prices in the normal range and include ingredients like ginseng, while other more exotic may include snakes, wasps and newborn mice. These can be palatable enough, if tending toward sweetness. Note that some medicinal liquors are only intended for external use. ===Bars, discos and karaoke=== Western style pubs are becoming increasingly popular across the country. Especially in the more affluent urban centers such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hangzhou one can find painstakingly recreated replicas of traditional Irish or English pubs. Like their Western counterparts most will have a selection of foreign beers on tap as well as provide pub food (of varying quality) and often feature live cover bands. Most of these pubs cater to and are frequented by the expatriate communities so you should not expect to find many Chinese in these places. Imported beer can be very expensive compared to local brew. To just go out for a few drinks with friends, pick a local restaurant and drink beer at around ¥5 for a 600 ml bottle. It will be Chinese lager, around 3% alcohol, with a limited choice of brand and may be served warm. Most mid- to high- range restaurants will have small private suites for gatherings (usually offered free if there is more than around 5 people), and the staff will generally not try to hustle you out even if you decide to stay until closing time. Many residents frequent outdoor restaurants or roadside stalls and barbecues (烧烤 ''shāokǎo'') for a nice and inexpensive evening. In '''discos''' and '''fancy bars''' with entertainment, you normally buy beer ¥100 at a time; this gets you anywhere from 4 import-brand beer (Heineken, Bud, Corona, Sol, etc.) to 10 local beers. A few places offer cocktails; fewer have good ones. Other drinks are sold only by the bottle, not by the glass. Red wine is in the ¥80-200 range (served with ice and Sprite) and mediocre imported whiskeys (Chivas, Johnny Walker, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels; extremely rarely single malts) and cognacs, ¥300-800. Both are often mixed with sweet bottled green or red tea. Vodka, tequila and rum are less common, but sometimes available. Bogus "brand name" products are fairly common and may ruin your next day. These places often have '''bar girls''', young women who drink a lot and want to play drinking games to get you to consume more. They get a commission on whatever you buy. In general, these girls will not leave the bar with you; they are professional flirts, not prostitutes. [[File:Wuhan-LuoyuDongLu-karaoke-4108.jpg|thumb|A karaoke place near the Huazhong University of Science and Technology campus in [[Wuhan]]]] '''Karaoke''' (卡拉OK ''kǎlā'ōukèi'') is huge in China and can be broadly split into two categories. More common is the no-frills karaoke box or '''KTV''', where you rent a room, bring your friends and the house gives you a mic and sells you booze. Much favored by students, these are cheap and fun with the right crowd, although you need at least a few people for a memorable night. Bringing your own booze can keep the price tag down but must be done on the sly - many places have windows in the door so the staff can make sure you only drink liquor they sold to you. Rather different is the distinctly dodgier '''special KTV''' lounge, more oriented to businessmen entertaining clients or letting their hair down, where the house provides anything and everything at a price. At these often opulent establishments &mdash; over-the-top Roman and Egyptian themes are standard &mdash; you'll be joined by short-skirted professional karaoke girls, who charge by the hour for the pleasure of their company and whose services may not be limited to just singing badly and pouring your drinks. It's highly advisable not to venture into these unless you're absolutely sure somebody else is footing the bill, which can easily run into hundreds of dollars even if you keep your pants on. As elsewhere, never '''never''' accept an invitation to a restaurant or bar from an available-looking woman who just picked you up in the street sometime after sundown. At best, suggest a different place. If she refuses, drop her on the spot. More than likely, she will steer you into a quiet little place with too many doormen and you will find yourself saddled with a modest meal and beer that will cost you ¥1,000 or worse. And the doormen won't let you leave till you pay up. ===Tea=== China is the birthplace of tea culture, and at the risk of stating the obvious, there's a lot of '''[[tea]]''' (茶 ''chá'') in China. Green tea (绿茶 ''lǜchá'') is served up for free in some restaurants (depending on region) or for a small fee. For more information, see [[Chinese cuisine#Tea]]. The most common types served are: * gunpowder tea (珠茶 ''zhū chá''): a green tea named after the appearance of the bunched-up leaves used to brew it * jasmine tea (茉莉花茶 ''mòlìhuā chá''): green-tea scented with jasmine flowers * oolong (烏龍 ''wūlóng''): a half-fermented mountain tea. Specialist tea houses serve a vast variety of brews, ranging from the pale, delicate white tea (白茶 ''báichá'') to the powerful fermented and aged pu'er tea (普洱茶 ''pǔ'ěrchá''). Most tea shops will be more than happy to let you sit down and try different varieties of tea. "Ten Fu Tea" is a national chain. Chinese teas are drunk without sugar or milk. However, in some areas you will find Hong Kong style "milk tea" (奶茶 ''nǎichá'') or Tibetan "butter tea". Taiwanese bubble tea (珍珠奶茶 ''zhēnzhū nǎichá'') is also popular; the "bubbles" are balls of tapioca and milk or fruit are often mixed in. ===Coffee=== [[Coffee]] (咖啡 ''kāfēi'') is popular in urban China, though it can be quite difficult to find in smaller towns. Several chains of coffee shops have branches in many cities, including Starbucks (星巴克), UBC Coffee (上岛咖啡), Ming Tien Coffee Language and SPR. There are many small independent coffee shops or local chains. ===Cold drinks=== Many drinks that are usually served chilled or with ice in the West are served at room temperature in China. Ask for beer or soda in a restaurant, and it may arrive at room temperature, though beer is more commonly served cold, at least in the summer. Water will generally be served hot. That is actually good, because only boiled (or bottled) water is safe to drink. Small grocery stores and restaurants sell cold drinks, just look for the cooler (even though it might not actually be cool). You can try bringing a cold beverage into a restaurant. Most small restaurants won't mind—if they even notice—and there is no such thing as a "cork" charge in China. Most people will be drinking tea, which is free anyway, so the restaurant is probably not expecting to profit on your beverage consumption. Asking for ice is best avoided. Many, perhaps most, places just don't have it. The ice they do have may well be made from unfiltered tap water and arguably unsafe for travelers sweating bullets about [[Travellers' diarrhea|diarrhea]]. ==Sleep== [[File:Muyu-rural-inn-5476.jpg|thumb|Rural inn in Shennongjia, [[Hubei]]]] Availability of accommodation for tourists is generally good and ranges from shared dorm rooms to 5-star luxury hotels. '''Sleeper trains''' and '''sleeper buses''' can also be a decent option if you schedule your long-distance travel overnight (see the [[#Get around|Get around]] section of this page for more information). In the past, only a few hotels were allowed to take foreign guests and the police monitored those, but restrictions now vary from city to city. Even in restricted cities and towns, family-run operations in particular may check you in if they feel they can get enough information from you to get you registered in the system or feel that they can get away without such reporting. Any hotel will still require a photocopy of your passport, some will check if your visa has expired, and they are supposed to share information with the authorities. On rare occasions, someone from your hotel will escort you to the local police station to satisfy the establishment's reporting requirement. Finding a hotel when arriving in a Chinese city is difficult if you don't know where to look and what you're looking for. In general, neither star ratings nor price are an accurate indication of the quality of the hotel, so research before booking. If you're willing to pay ¥180 or more for a room, you'll probably have little problem finding one. You could, for example, search Google Maps with the name of a chain hotel listed under "mid-range", below, determine what the address would be in Chinese, and then write that down on a note which you give to a taxi driver. There are usually cheap hotels near the train or bus station. If you do plan on just showing up in town and looking for a place to sleep, it's best to arrive before 18:00 or the most popular places will be booked for the night. If you are absolutely at a loss for finding housing, the local police (警察) or Public Security Bureau (公安局) can help you find a place to crash - at least for one night. '''Prices are often negotiable,''' and a sharp reduction from the price listed on the wall can often be had, even in nicer hotels, by simply asking "what's the lowest price?" (最低多少 ''zuìdī duōshǎo''). When staying for more than a few days it is also usually possible to negotiate a lower daily rate. However, these negotiating tactics won't work during the busy Chinese holiday seasons when prices sky-rocket and rooms are hard to get. Many hotels, both chains and individual establishments, have membership cards offering discounts to frequent guests. In mid-range and above hotels, it was once quite common for guests to receive phone calls offering "massage" services (that actually offered additional physical services) but this has become rarer such that male guests might just encounter business cards stuffed under the door. '''Booking a room over the Internet''' with a credit card can be a convenient and speedy method of making sure you have a room when you arrive at your destination, and there are numerous websites that cater for this. Credit cards are not widely used in China, particularly in smaller and cheaper hotels. Such hotels usually ask to be paid in cash, and many hotels ask for a cash security deposit of a few hundred yuan up front. Some new [http://www.dajiudian.info online services] {{dead link|December 2020}} allow you to book without a credit card and pay cash at the hotel. During Chinese holidays, when it is difficult to get a room anywhere, this may be an acceptable option, but in the off-season, rooms are plentiful almost everywhere and it may be just as easy to find a room upon arrival as it is to book one over the Internet. Across China, check-out is normally noon, and there is often the possibility of paying half a day's cost to get an 18:00 checkout. For those staying in China on a more permanent basis, rental is possible with the obvious caveat that all contracts are in Chinese. Real estate prices are exorbitant in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, surpassing even those of many major Western cities. ===Low-cost housing=== Many ultra-cheap options would not appeal to most travelers from developed countries for security and cleanliness reasons. In the cheapest range of hotels it is important to ask if hot water is available 24 hours-a-day (有没有二十四个小时的热水 ''yǒuméiyǒu èrshisì ge xiǎoshí de rèshuǐ''), and check if the shower, sink and toilet actually work. It is also advisable to avoid checking into a room next to a busy street as traffic may keep you up late and wake you up early. * '''Hostels (青年旅社)''' are the most comfortable low-cost options. They typically cater to foreigners, have English-speaking employees, and provide cheap, convenient transport around town. Some of them are even cleaner and better furnished than more expensive places. Hostels also have a cozy, international atmosphere and are a good place to meet other travelers and get some half-decent Western food. In most cities of any size there is at least one hostel available, and in travel hot spots there are plenty of hostels, although they can still fill up quickly because of their popularity with backpackers. Hostels can often be booked on-line in advance although you definitely should bring a print-out of your confirmation as not all hostels are aware that you can book their rooms (and pay a portion of the cost) on-line in advance. In Beijing, many hostels are in '''hutongs''' - traditional courtyard homes in the midst of a maze of traditional streets and architecture. While many of Beijing's Hutongs have been demolished, a movement to save those which remain has led to a boom in youth hostels for backpackers and boutique hotels for the mid-range traveler. * '''Dorm rooms (宿舍)''' are found on university campuses, near rural tourist attractions and as part of some hotels. Most travelers have spotty luck with dorms. It is common to have rowdy or intoxicated roommates, and shared bathrooms can take some getting used to, especially if you're not used to traditional squat toilets or taking cold showers. However, in some areas, especially on top of some of China's holy mountains, dorm rooms might be the only budget option in a sea of luxury resorts. [[File:Yangzhou - guesthouse sign - P1080108.JPG|thumb|Signage over a budget hotel in Yangzhou]] * '''Zhùsù (住宿)''', which simply translates as "accommodation", can refer to any kind of sleeping accommodation, but those places that have the Chinese characters for zhusu written on the wall outside are the cheapest. A zhusu is not a hotel, but simply rooms for rent in homes, restaurants, and near train and bus stations. Zhusu rooms are universally spartan and bathrooms are almost always shared. The price can be quite low, costing only a few dozen renminbi. Officially a zhusu should not provide a room to a foreigner, but many times the caretaker is eager to get a client and will be willing to rent to anyone. There are never any English signs advertising a zhusu, so if you can't read Chinese you may have to print out the characters for your hunt. Security in zhusu's is sketchy, so this option is not recommended if you have valuables with you. * '''Spas''': spa costs vary but can be as low as ¥25. Admission to a spa is typically for 24 hours, but entering a spa late at night (after 01:00) and leaving before noon may get you a 50% discount. Spas provide beds or reclining couches and a small locker for bags and personal possessions (this is ideal if you are traveling light), but there is no privacy because usually everyone sleeps in one room (so there is more security than in a dorm, since there are attendants who watch over the area, and your belongings (even your clothes!) are stored away in a locker). There are also showers, saunas, complimentary food, and paid services such as massages and body scrubbing. Don't be fooled when receptionists try to make up reasons why you have to pay more than the listed rate. They may try to convince you that the listed rates are only for members, locals, women, men, or include only one part of the spa (i.e. shower, but no bed/couch). To verify any claims, strike up a conversation with a local a good distance away from the spa and inquire about the prices. Don't let them know that you are checking the spa's claims. Just act as if you are thinking about going there if the price is good. If they know that the spa is trying to overcharge you, they will typically support the spa's claim. ===Budget hotels=== [[File:Yangzhou - 7 Tian Liansuo Jiudian - P1070222.JPG|thumb|A mid-range hotel in Yangzhou with a couple of cheaper establishments nestled on its first floor]] The next level of hotels, which cater almost exclusively to Chinese clients, are usually off-limits to foreigners but you may be able to convince them to accept you, especially if you can speak a smattering of Chinese. As a foreigner, you are obligated to register your stay with local authorities, and in urban areas, budget hotels are often unaware of how to register foreign guests in the local system (and thus unwilling to take foreign guests). Despite this, you can offer to work with hotel staff in properly registering your stay in the PSB system (as most public security bureaus use the same registration system) using [https://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/foreigners-allowed-hotel-registration-tutorial/ one of many online guides], but it is important to do so in a way that won't make the hotel clerk lose face. In rural areas, you will likely stick out like a sore thumb (especially if you have multimedia equipment), and even if you are registered as a guest, public security bureau officials will often show up late at night to firstly question your intentions for staying in a rural area, and furthermore ask you to leave and move on to another hotel. The cheapest range of Chinese budget hotels (one step above the zhusu) are called '''zhāodàisuǒ''' (招待所). Unlike zhusu these are '''licensed''' accommodations but are similarly spartan and utilitarian, often with shared bathrooms. Slightly more luxurious budget hotels and Chinese business hotels may or may not have English signs and usually have the words '''lǚguǎn''' (旅馆, meaning "travel hotel"), '''bīnguǎn''' or '''jiǔdiàn''' (宾馆 and 酒店, respectively, meaning "hotel") in their name. Room options typically include singles and doubles with attached bathrooms, and dorms with shared baths. Some budget hotels include complementary toiletries and Internet. In small towns a night's stay might be as cheap as ¥25; in bigger cities rooms usually cost ¥80-120. One problem with such hotels is that they can be quite noisy as patrons and staff may be yelling to each other across the halls into the wee hours of the morning. Another potential inconvenience is taking a room with a shared bath as you may have to wait to use a shower or squat toilet that moreover isn't in any sort of appealing condition. In smaller budget hotels the family running the place may simply lock up late at night when it appears no more customers are coming. If you plan to arrive late, explain this in advance or else you may have to call the front desk, bang on the door, or climb over the gate to get in. ===Mid-range hotels=== These are usually large, clean and comfortable, with rooms ranging from ¥150 to over ¥300. Frequently the same hotels will also have more expensive and luxurious rooms. The doubles are usually quite nice and up to Western standards, with a clean private bathroom that has towels and free toiletries. A buffet breakfast may be included, or a breakfast ticket can be purchased for around ¥10. Sprouting up around China are a number of Western-quality mid-range hotels that include the following chains, all of which have rooms in the ¥150-300 range and on-line advance booking: * {{sleep | name=7 Days Inns | alt= | url=http://www.7daysinn.cn/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=(7天连锁酒店) }} * {{sleep | name=JinJiang Inns | alt= | url=http://www.jinjianginns.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=(锦江之星) }} * {{sleep | name=Home Inns | alt=如家快捷酒店 | url=http://www.homeinns.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Green Tree Inns | alt=格林豪泰酒店 | url=http://www.998.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=(English) }} * {{sleep | name=Super 8 Motels by Wyndham | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=(English) }} ===Splurge=== The high end includes international hotel chains and resorts, such as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and Shangri-La and their Chinese competitors. These charge hundreds or thousands of yuan per night for luxurious accommodations with 24-hour room service, satellite TV, spas, and western breakfast buffets. There are suites in Shanghai, for example, for over ¥10,000 a night. Many of these establishments cater to traveling business-types with expense accounts and charge accordingly for food and amenities (i.e. ¥20 for a bottle of water which costs ¥2 at a convenience store). Internet (wired or wireless) which is usually free in mid-range accommodations is often a pay service in high-end hotels. Some hotels in the ¥400-700 range such as Ramada or Days Inn are willing to lower their prices when business is slow. Chinese three and four-star hotels will often give block pricing or better deals for stays of more than 5 days. If you are coming to China on a tour, the tour company may be able to get you a room in a true luxury hotel for a fraction of the listed price. ==Learn== {{Seealso|Studying in China}} Traditional Chinese culture places a strong emphasis on education, so there is no lack of options for those who wish to receive quality education in China. China's universities offer many different types of courses, and some of them are regularly ranked among the top universities in the world. Universities accept students who have achieved the minimum of a high-school education for courses in the Chinese language. These courses usually last 1 or 2 years. Students are given certificates after they complete their course. Students who do not speak Chinese and want to study further in China are usually required to complete a language-training course. There are many opportunities to learn Chinese in China, including university courses and special programs. Scholarships may be available, from your home country or the Chinese government. In any city with a sizeable expat community, you can also find private classes, which you can take on the side while [[working in China]]. While not as popular as Mandarin, there are also some opportunities to study the local dialects and ethnic minority languages. ==Work== {{seealso|Working in China}} China has grown so much that it is on track to become the world's biggest economy. Although the labor market is difficult for foreigners to access, there are, however, significant opportunities for those who wish to experience China. It is illegal to work in China on a tourist or business visa, and while many foreigners used to get away with doing so, the Chinese government is cracking down on the practice; you will need to proactively make sure your employer goes through the appropriate procedures for you. Employment opportunities include [[English teaching|English-language teaching]], engineering, tech jobs, international trade, scientific research and working for multi-nationals. For most jobs, Chinese immigration law requires foreigners to have at least a bachelor's degree before they can be granted a work visa, and your application will be rejected if you do not have one. See [[Working in China]] for details. ==Stay safe== While China is generally safe for visitors, the government has some authoritarian aspects, and the topic of '''human rights''' in China is highly contested. Despite what's written in the Chinese constitution, in practice some freedoms are strongly curtailed, such as free speech, privacy, freedom of information and the press, freedom of religion, and the right to a fair trial. As long as you're not deliberately provocative, most of these are unlikely to affect you during your visit — especially since enforcement is somewhat arbitrary anyway — but if they do, punishments can be heavy. China is known to use extrajudicial detention, torture, and (rarely, mainly for murder and drug trafficking) the death penalty. Often criticized as "hostage diplomacy", detentions and enforcement are sometimes stepped up in reaction to geopolitical events, meaning that, for example, Canadian and American businesspeople have faced extra scrutiny in 2019. Chinese dual citizens and people of Chinese heritage who are citizens of other countries have been subject to "exit bans", kept in China, sometimes for years, to compel them to cooperate with government investigations or pressure their relatives to return to China. <!--This section is just a political discussion that doesn't provide information to travelers. If the preceding is not fair, then let's fair that: An alternate interpretation is that China simply takes a different approach to law and freedom. Liberal democratic countries are also known to spy on their own citizens, for example, and the freedoms espoused by other countries demonstrably do not eliminate religious and racial segregation, crime, or political extremism. The Chinese view, which began evolving in the 18th century as new Enlightenment ideas about democracy were compared to traditional Confucian values, is that '''too much freedom is dangerous'''. While American culture emphasizes individual freedoms and self-interest, Chinese culture emphasizes the collective good of the society, and hence considers it acceptable for personal freedoms to be curtailed if doing so benefits the society as a whole. The bottom line is that, no different from most other countries, --> As long as you behave and do not get involved in drugs or political activity, you shouldn't have any problems. Even bypassing the Internet firewall or accessing potentially subversive material is usually overlooked for the average visitor. However, it doesn't hurt to have a contingency plan in case you run afoul of the government. ===Law enforcement agencies=== Private security officers in China dress similarly to the police, and also often use lights and sirens on their vehicles. [[File:Chine police.JPG|thumb|right|Typical public security police officers]] The major law enforcement agency you will encounter most is the '''public security police''' (公安机关人民警察), often abbreviated as the public security (公安, ''Gōng'ān''), or civilian police (民警, ''mínjǐng''). *Most officers wear navy-blue peaked caps and light-blue shirts. Officers should carry their police identification document, which must be shown when you request them to do so. They are usually unarmed. *Special police officers wear black uniform, and are armed. *Traffic police officers wear white peaked-caps, and in some cities, they may wear fluorescent shirts. *Auxiliary police officers have limited law enforcement power, and do not have the power of arrest. Their uniforms differ from city to city; but have the words "auxiliary police" (辅警), or something similar. *Detectives, including domestic security agents, wear plain clothes. *Typical police vehicles bear the word "公安". Special police vehicles are painted with black, and bear the word "特警". All public security police officers have nationwide authority. Most of the officers are friendly, professional and reliable, yet there will inevitably be corrupt ones too. [[File:Pékin, People's Armed Police at Tianamen Square (1).JPG|thumb|right|A typical PAP soldier]] The '''People's Armed Police''' (PAP) (中国人民武装警察部队, often abbreviated to 武警, ''wǔjǐng'') is a branch of the Chinese military tasked with assisting the public security police, riot control and guarding key infrastructures like railway stations and airports. Soldiers wear green camouflage or olive-green military uniform with red insignia, while officers have similar uniform with that of People's Liberation Army (PLA) Ground Force. [[File:Shantou, Guangdong, China - Chengguan Officials.jpg|thumb|Chengguan officers of [[Shantou]]]] '''Chengguan''' (城管, ''chéngguǎn''), known officially as City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau (城市管理行政执法局), and often known as Integrated Enforcement (综合执法) or Administrative Enforcement (行政执法), may dress differently. Chengguan officers are often poorly-trained, brutal, and sometimes corrupt. The Chinese government is cracking down on corruption, so '''under no circumstances''' should you offer a bribe to any type of law enforcement officer, as this could result in legal consequences for you and the person accepting your bribe. ===Crime=== [[Crime]] rates vary across the huge nation, but in general it as safe as most Western countries. Many Western tourists will feel safer in China than in their home country, and it is generally not a problem for women to roam the streets alone at night. Violent crime is very rare, though scams and petty crimes are common, so it pays to be prudent and secure your valuables properly. As with anywhere else, a little commonsense goes a long way. Generally speaking, crime rates are higher in the larger cities than in the countryside. Nevertheless, they are no more dangerous than major Western cities, so if you avoid seedy areas and use your common sense, you'll be fine. Video surveillance is widely used in both urban and in some rural areas. CCTVs are generally welcomed by the police, due to the fact that front-line officers are often insufficient to deal with China's huge population. While not as rampant as in [[Europe]], [[Pickpockets|pickpocketing]] is a significant issue in crowded places. Be particularly vigilant when on public transport during peak hours, as it provides the perfect cover for pickpockets to get away after striking. Bicycle theft can be a problem. In big cities there are stories of locals who have lost three bikes within one month, but in some other places, local people still casually park their bikes. Follow what local people do. Assume your expensive lock won't help at all. Professional thieves can break virtually any lock. In China, bike parking is common outside supermarkets or shopping centers, and usually charges ¥1-2 per day (usually until 20:00-22:00). If you have an electric bicycle or scooter, be extra cautious as the battery-packs or charger may be targeted. The main crimes foreigners get in trouble for are around drug use (including drug use outside China before you arrived—they sometimes do a hair test for cannabis) or working illegally, with the consequence usually being a short sentence, fine and deportation. If you are accused of a more serious crime, then your first 72 hours of investigation is critical. It is during that time that the police, prosecutors and your lawyers will investigate, negotiate and decide if you are guilty. Police use hard interrogations (or torture) immediately after arrest because eliciting a confession is the quickest way to secure a conviction. Chinese law prohibits your lawyer from being present during your interrogation. If your case goes to trial, then your conviction is merely a formality (99.9% of criminal trials in 2013 ended in a conviction), and the judge's only role is to decide your sentence. Signing any document during your interrogation would be an extremely bad idea, especially if you do not understand what you are signing. You should politely insist that you be allowed access to consular services and a translator. ===Traffic=== {{see also|Driving in China}} [[File:瀋陽市街地.jpg|thumb|Traffic in [[Shenyang]]]] The mortality rate per person for car accidents in China is lower than that of many Western countries. But, in general, driving in China can range from anywhere from nerve-rattling to outright reckless. Traffic can appear chaotic. Cars are allowed to turn right on a red light and do not stop for pedestrians, regardless of the walk signal. Cars drivers, cyclists and electric scooter drivers will all drive assuming they all have right of way/priority at once. Pedestrian crossings are a guide for the driver where pedestrians are more likely to cross. In cities, however, it is unlikely drivers will be traveling fast enough to cause significant damage. Do as the locals do: cross the road with confidence, be aware of your surroundings, know that cars, bikes and scooters will tend to continue rather than stop. It is advisable as a foreigner not to drive, since in an accident you will be poorly equipped to deal with the nature of Chinese compensation. ===Terrorism=== Although rare, terrorist attacks in China have occurred, mostly in [[Xinjiang]], where Uyghur Islamist separatists are fighting for independence against the Chinese government, though there have also been high-profile attacks on people in [[Guangzhou]] station, [[Kunming]] station and [[Beijing]]. There is airport-style security at all major train stations, metro stations, and long-distance bus terminals. You will have your bag X-rayed and take water bottles out of your bag to be scanned separately, but there is no need to empty your pockets. ===Begging=== Chinese people traditionally disapprove of [[begging]], so begging is not a major issue in most places. It is, however, never far off the scene and particularly common just outside the main tourist attractions and in major transportation hubs. Be aware of child beggars who could be victims of child trafficking. While it is becoming less common, you should avoid giving them any money. In China, local people usually only give money to those who have obviously lost the ability to earn money. Professional beggars have clear deformities, and some syndicates have been known to deliberately maim children as it is seen as more effective in soliciting pity. If you feel like giving them some, bear in mind that the minimum hourly wage ranges from ¥11 to ¥24 (2020).<!-- look for updates here: https://www.china-briefing.com/news/minimum-wages-china-2020/--> ====Buddhist monks==== The presence of foreign tourists unaware of local Buddhist customs has also given rise to many scams, with many fake monks and temples preying on unsuspecting visitors. Buddhism in China generally follows the Mahayana school, whose monks are required to be vegetarian, and usually grow their own food in the temples, or buy their food using temple donations. As such, they generally ''do not'' beg for food. Monks also do not sell religious items (these are sold by laymen), and neither do they offer "Buddha's blessing" in exchange for money, or threaten you with misfortune should you not donate. Most temples will have a donation box in the main hall for devotees to make donations should they wish to do so, and monks will never go out in public to ask for donations. According to traditional Buddhist philosophy, it is entirely up to an individual to decide whether and how much he/she wishes to donate, and genuine Buddhist temples will never use high-pressure tactics to solicit donations, or ask for any amount of money in exchange for services. ===Nature=== [[File:Trimeresurus stejnegeri.jpg|thumb|The Chinese bamboo viper]] Being a large country, China is affected by a range of different natural disasters. Pacific [[cyclones|typhoons]] hit the coast in the summer and autumn months, bringing physical destruction and torrential rain. Floods also occur, in particular around the large rivers. Northern parts of the country have winter storms. Much of the country is prone to [[earthquakes]] and [[tornadoes]]. China has a variety of '''[[venomous snakes]]'''. Be careful when hiking and seek immediate treatment for any snakebite. The bright green '''bamboo viper''' (''Trimeresurus stejnegeri'') is especially notorious. ===Scams=== : ''See also: [[Common scams]], [[Pickpockets]]'' Chinese people are in general hospitable to foreigners, and want to leave a good impression on tourists visiting their country. However, as with anywhere else, there are also scam artists who operate at tourist hot spots, so it pays to be prudent and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. High prices do not necessarily indicate a scam. In a teahouse or bar, ¥50-200 per cup or pot of tea (including hot water refills) and ¥15-60 per bottle of beer is not uncommon. Tea samplings may also charge high prices for each sample. [[File:Pudong Shanghai November 2017 HDR panorama.jpg|thumb|300px|Shanghai skyline]] Touristy parts of Beijing and Shanghai have become notorious for various scams. If you are keen to avoid being scammed, the following are good rules of thumb: * It is less likely for scammers to operate outside of the usual tourist spots * If you are approached in a touristy area by a person who appears ''too'' enthusiastic about going to a particular place (teahouse or otherwise), you are likely to pay a premium and maybe get a better time elsewhere * If you are uncomfortable, '''walk away.''' * Most ordinary Chinese people are unable to speak English, so be on your guard if someone approaches you spontaneously and starts speaking to you in English. The police are sensitive to foreigners being targeted in this way and giving the country a poor reputation. In China, you have a legal right to ask for a "fa piao" (发票, lit. receipt/invoice) which is an official sales invoice issued by the taxation department. It is against the law for an owner to refuse to give it to you. For scams, they generally will refuse since it is legal evidence of their extortionate price. Accident scams occur, too, and even 'good samaritans' who help people genuinely in distress have been sued for compensation by the people they were trying to help. These scams are not tried on foreigners too often, but be careful when using a vehicle and always record your journey with a dashboard or bicycle camera. If you find yourself being or having been scammed then call 110 and report it immediately. Suspicious phone calls can be enquired through '''96110''', a hotline established in view of soaring telecommunications scams. The police may also notify you by this number with area code prefix if you encountered suspected scam calls, which is similar to a reverse-911 call itself. ===Illicit drugs=== Acts related to illicit drugs are dealt with harshly in China. Although drug use alone and the mere possession of ''small'' quantities of drugs (for example, less than 200 grams of opium and less than 10 grams of heroin or methamphetamine) are not prosecuted and are only subject to lengthy detention and/or a fine, '''smuggling, trafficking, transporting, and manufacturing illicit drugs are crimes punishable by death''', and there are plenty cases of foreign drug traffickers being executed in China. In addition, the possession of ''large'' quantities of drugs is a crime punishable by up to life imprisonment, and sheltering others to take drugs is a crime punishable by up to 3 years of imprisonment. Chinese people usually associate drugs with national humiliation (due to an unlimited influx of opium after Opium Wars); publicly doubting the death penalty for drug offences or advocacy for drug liberalization will most likely get you publicly criticized. For recorded drug addicts, you may be subjected to sudden raids by the police, in order to verify that you did not consume any illicit drugs. Be particularly wary in the provinces of [[Yunnan]] and [[Guangxi]], as these provinces border the Golden Triangle, a major drug-producing region in Southeast Asia. Police now target bars and nightclubs that foreigners frequent with drug-testing kits, with detention and deportation the likely consequence of a positive drug test. In a hair test, you may test positive even for drugs that you consumed three months before arriving in China. If you are driving from Chinese-Burmese border (eg. [[Xishuangbanna]]), you may also encounter layered narcotics checkpoints, in which you and your vehicle will be thoroughly searched or even partially dismantled (if suspicion arise) to intercept drug smugglers. ===Banned items=== Due to the fast pace of change in China, you may find some items (especially media) continue to be banned by customs although they are readily available for purchase in the country itself. Searching your belongings for illicit items such as the ones below could potentially happen when entering China through an airport, although in practice it is rare these days. * Materials considered by the authorities as ''Anti-Chinese'' will be confiscated. This has a fairly wide interpretation, but can include the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan lion-mountain flag and literature about the Falun Gong religious group, independence movements in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan or the Tiananmen Square protests. As a rule of thumb, '''do not bring anything critical of the Communist Party of China'''; if some literature refers to the government of the PRC as the Communist Party of China (中共), then it's either from Taiwan (as the local official term when referring to the Chinese government), and/or its stance is likely to be critical of the party. **''The Epoch Times'' (大紀元時報) and ''Ming Hui Times'' (明慧周刊/明慧周報) are two examples of Falun Gong literature. The Falun Gong sect is known to print proselytising words on Chinese yuan bills, so consider checking your bills to avoid unnecessary hassle. * A heavy penalty is imposed on all '''pornography''' and penalties are counted based on the number of pieces brought into the country. ===Religion=== Visitors to China rarely get into trouble for practicing their religion. As a communist country, China is officially atheist, and religion is banned for people working in government jobs. Although religion was targeted for extermination during the Cultural Revolution, in modern times, visitors and private citizens are generally free to practice a religion if they wish. However, '''proselytising is prohibited''' and taken very seriously by the government, and could potentially lead to arrest and imprisonment, especially if there is any fear that it could undermine the government's authority. Catholics in China are split between the state-sanctioned Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPA, CPCA, or CCPA, 中国天主教爱国会 ''Zhōngguó Tiānzhǔjiào Àiguó Huì''), which is run separately from the Vatican, and an '''underground church''' which is illegal; visitors should not associate with the latter for legal reasons. '''Falun Gong''' is '''illegal''' and heavily censored in China. Visibly supporting it will make you subject to arrest. Despite all that, modern Chinese society is in general rather secular, and religiously-motivated hate crimes are exceedingly rare. ===Racism=== Although unprovoked violent racist attacks are virtually unheard of, foreigners, particularly darker-skin ones, often suffer discrimination in employment and are the subject of stereotyping from Chinese people. Even white foreigners, who allegedly enjoy significantly better treatment than locals, have been occasionally confronted by Chinese people during politically sensitive periods. Xenophobia has intensified amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with many restaurants now refusing service to foreign customers. Discrimination is particularly severe against black people, some of whom have been evicted by their landlords and denied rooms in hotels. If your skin tone doesn't match people's assumptions for someone from your country, and especially if you're ethnically Chinese, you may be treated like the country on your passport isn't where you're ''really'' from. Visas on arrival are sometimes denied on this basis. ===Gay and lesbian travelers=== China is generally a safe destination for gay and lesbian travelers. There are no laws against homosexuality in China, though there is censorship of homosexual-themed content in the media. Gay scenes and communities are found in the major cities in China, but are generally non-existent everywhere else. Most Chinese are reluctant to discuss their sexuality in public, as it is generally considered to be a personal matter, and acceptance of homosexuality by Chinese people tends to be mixed. Same-sex marriages and unions are not recognised anywhere in the country. While openly displaying your sexual orientation in public is still likely to draw stares and whispers, gay and lesbian visitors should generally not run into any major problems, and unprovoked violence against homosexual couples is almost unheard of. In general, the younger generation tend to be more accepting of homosexuality, and gay dramas have been gaining in popularity among young Chinese women since the 2010s. Staff in hotels and guesthouses may assume that a mistake has been made if a same-sex couple has reserved a room with one large bed and try to move you to another room. However, they will generally back down if you insist that it is not a problem. ==Stay healthy== ===Personal hygiene=== Outside major cities, public washrooms range from mildly unpleasant to utterly repulsive. In cities, it varies from place to place. High-quality bathrooms can be found inside major tourist attractions, at international hotels, office buildings, and upper-class department stores. Washrooms in foreign restaurant chains, or any of the coffee chains listed in the drink section are usually more or less clean. While those in common restaurants and hotels are barely acceptable, those in hotel rooms are generally clean. Some public facilities are free, others cost from a few mao up to ¥2. Separate facilities are always provided for men (男 nán) and women (女 nǚ), but sometimes there are no doors on the front of the stalls. The sit-down toilet familiar to Westerners is rare in China in public areas. Hotels will generally have them in rooms, but in places where Westerners are scarce, expect to find squat toilets more often than not. Many private homes in urban areas now have sit-down toilets, and one major benefit from having a local host is that they have clean bathrooms. As a rule of thumb, a western establishment such as McDonald's or Starbucks will have a western toilet, but may not have toilet paper. Carry your own tissue paper (卫生纸 wèishēngzhǐ, or 面纸 miànzhǐ) as it is rarely provided. You can sometimes buy it from the money-taker at a public toilet; you can also buy it in bars, restaurants and Internet cafés for ¥2. Put used paper in the bucket next to the toilet; do not flush it away as it may block the often poor plumbing systems. There may not be soap in the public washrooms either. The Chinese tend to distrust the cleanliness of bathtubs. In hotels with fixed bathtubs, disposable plastic bathtub liners may be provided. Wash your hands often with soap if you can find any, carry some disposable disinfectant tissues (found in almost any department or cosmetics store), or use alcohol gel. ===Food and drink=== ====Food==== Although there are few widely enforced health regulations in restaurants, each major city does have an inspection regime that requires each establishment to prominently display the result (good, average or poor). It is hard to say how effective this is, but it is a start. Restaurants generally prepare hot food when you order. Even in the smallest of restaurants, hot dishes are usually freshly prepared, instead of reheated, and rarely cause health problems. A rule of thumb regarding street food is to make certain it is cooked thoroughly while you are watching; also, visit stalls frequented by locals, and look for plastic-wrapped disposable chopsticks. Minor stomach discomfort may still be experienced from street food and restaurant food alike, but is said to pass as one becomes accustomed to the local food. Ginger can be effective against nausea. ====Drink==== Chinese people '''do not drink water straight from the tap''', even in the cities. All hotels provide a thermos flask of boiled water in your room (refillable by your floor attendant), a kettle you can use to do it yourself or a sealed plastic bottle of commercial mineral water. Tap water is safe to drink ''after'' boiling. Some apartments and businesses have rather large water filters installed (which require changing twice a year) to improve the quality of water for cooking and washing. It still doesn't make the water drinkable from the tap, however it does improve the water quality a great deal. Purified drinking water in bottles is available everywhere, and is generally quite cheap. ¥2 is normal for a small bottle. Check that the seal on the cap is not broken. Beer, wine and soft drinks are also cheap and safe. Also note that much river water in China has been contaminated by chemicals that filters can not help much with, although this should only be dangerous if consumed over an extended period of time. ===Pollution=== {{infobox|Smog|Most smog or haze outbreaks are made up of fine particles that are 2.5 microns or smaller (PM2.5). '''N95 masks''' provide good protection against smog as they are at least 95% efficient against fine particles that are about 0.1 – 0.3 microns. They are 99.5% efficient against larger particles of 0.75 microns or more. As with most things in China, be sure to identify a reputable brand such as 3M}} [[File:3M N95 Particulate Respirator.JPG|thumbnail|N95 mask for dealing with China smog]] Due to a rapid rate of industrialization in China, [[Air pollution|pollution and heavy smog]] is unfortunately part of the way of life in most major towns and cities. That said, stricter environmental protection laws are slowly beginning to bear fruit, with the result that Beijing is no longer the most polluted city in the world, but there is still a long way to go. Even the countryside, depending on the province in question, is not immune. Long-term effects of smog particulate are unlikely to have a significant effect on your health if you are in China for a short stay (e.g. a number of weeks) and have no significant respiratory problems. If you are concerned, discuss this with a medical professional before your trip. Places at higher altitudes or plains like parts of Yunnan and Sichuan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet and outlying islands such as Hainan usually have good air quality. Visitors should be prepared to see smog, which can be quite heavy, in nearly all large cities, including those on the coast. This [http://aqicn.org website] can provide detailed hourly pollution readings for most large cities. You will also hear a lot of noise. Construction and renovation are full-time activities. Chinese and long-time residents' ears are adapted to filter and tolerate it. ===Health care=== {{COVID-19 box|During lockdowns, medical resources are limited to non-COVID patients , '''even for urgent cases'''. Despite official prohibition, there are also cases where patients who don't have negative COVID testing results are denied treatment. Travellers are advised to bring sufficient essential and necessary medicines.|lastedit=2022-07-03}} {{infobox|Healthcare for foreigners|Most major Chinese cities have clinics and hospitals that are more appropriate for foreigners, with English-speaking and Western-qualified staff. Although expensive, it is worth identifying them whenever you plan to stay in an area for a significant time. For non-urgent medical treatment, you may want to consider traveling to [[Hong Kong]], [[Taiwan]] or [[South Korea]] for a higher standard of treatment which may not be particularly more expensive.}} The quality of Chinese hospitals for the Chinese people is generally not up to the standards of the West. Local doctors have been known to prescribe more expensive treatments than necessary; IV drips are routine prescriptions in China, even for minor ailments like the common cold, and doctors have a tendency to liberally prescribe antibiotics. Most locals go to the hospital even for the most minor ailments, and the concept of a private clinic effectively does not exist. You should consider keeping a significant amount of cash readily available for emergencies, since not being able to pay upfront may delay treatment. Ambulance services are expensive, require upfront payment, are not accorded much priority on the roads and are therefore not particularly fast. Quality of ambulance service also varies with regions, and paramedics in poorer regions are often poorly equipped and trained. Taking a taxi to the hospital in an emergency will often be much quicker. Common therapeutic drugs &mdash; things like penicillin or insulin &mdash; are generally available from a pharmacist with a prescription and considerably cheaper than in western countries. You can usually ask to see the instructions that came with the box. Western medicine is called xīyào (西药). Less common drugs are often imported, hence expensive. In larger cities there are strong controls over medicine, and even 'standard' cold medicine such as acetaminophen/paracetamol or dextromethorphan may require a prescription or a foreign passport. Opiates always require a prescription, although Viagra never does. In smaller cities and rural areas many medicines, including most antibiotics, are often available without a prescription. {{infobox|Common symptoms|* Caught a cold: 感冒 gǎnmào * Fever: 发烧 fāshāo * Headache: 头痛 tóutòng * Stomach ache: 肚子痛 dùzǐtòng * Sore throat: 喉咙痛 hóulóngtòng * Cough: 咳嗽 késòu See [[Chinese phrasebook]] for more.}} Most Chinese doctors and nurses, even in larger cities, will speak little or no English. However, medical staff are in plentiful supply and hospital wait times are generally short - usually less than 10 minutes at general clinics (门诊室 ménzhěnshì), and virtually no wait time at emergency rooms (急诊室 jízhěnshì). There are private Western-style clinics and hospitals in most major Chinese cities which provide a higher standard of care at a much higher price. The doctors and nurses will speak English (with interpretation services often available for other foreign languages), and are often hired from, or have obtained their medical qualifications in Western countries. These provide an easy and comfortable way to obtain familiar Western treatment from doctors qualified in the West, although you will be paying a steep premium for these services starting at ¥1,000 just for the consultation. Check beforehand to see whether your insurance will cover all or part of this. For any significant surgery, it is worth considering traveling to [[Hong Kong]], [[Taiwan]] or [[South Korea]] as the standard of treatment and care is more aligned to Western standards. Ensure that needles used for injections or any other procedure that requires breaking the skin are new and unused - insist on seeing the packet being broken open. In some parts of China it is acceptable to re-use needles, albeit after sterilization. For acupuncture, although the disposable needles are quite common in mainland China, you can provide your own needles if you prefer. The disposable type, called Wujun zhenjiu zhen (无菌針灸針, Sterilized acupuncture needles), usually cost ¥10-20 per 100 needles and are available in many pharmacies. There should be minimal to no bleeding when the needle is inserted and removed if the acupuncturist is sufficiently skilled. While Traditional Chinese Medicine is ubiquitous in China, regulation tends to be lax and it is not unheard of for Chinese physicians to prescribe herbs which are actually detrimental to one's health. Do some research and ensure you have some trusted local friends to help you out if you wish to see a Chinese physician. You can head to Hong Kong or Taiwan instead, as the practice is better regulated there. ====Infectious diseases==== If making more than a short trip to China, it may be a good idea to get vaccinated against Hepatitis A and Typhoid as they can be spread via contaminated food, and Japanese encephalitis which is transmitted in rural areas. Parts of southern China have [[mosquitoes]] which transmit [[dengue fever]]. As of 2019 the official estimate is that nearly 1 million people in China are living with HIV/AIDS. One in four infected individuals do not know their status. Sex workers, clients of sex workers and injecting drug users are the most infected groups. New diseases are sometimes a threat in China, particularly in its more densely populated parts. There have been cases of bird flu: avoid undercooked poultry or eggs. ==Respect== {{quote|入乡随俗<br/>''Rù xiāng suí sú''<br/>When you enter a village, follow the customs.|author={{nowrap|Chinese proverb (English speakers might say "When in Rome...")}}}} {{infobox|Using people's names|2=Names can be a complicated matter in China. Except for certain ethnic minorities, names always follow the East Asian naming order of '''family name followed by given name'''; this is usually done in English as well. Someone called 陈晓明 (''Chén Xiǎomíng'') therefore has the surname "Chen" and the given name "Xiaoming". Many Chinese acquire English names, which may have no relation to their Chinese name (and are sometimes quite unusual words or non-words). When using their English name, they will likely switch their name to Western name order (given name followed by family name). It's usually okay to address adult friends and children by given names, although using their full name is also common. In formal situations, the default is to address people using their family names with a title, or their full names with a title if necessary to disambiguate. Occupational titles are even used outside the workplace, so a teacher may be called "Teacher Zhang" (张老师 ''Zhāng Lǎoshī'') even outside the classroom, and a manager or business owner may be called "Boss Huang" (黄老板 ''Huáng Lǎobǎn''). Generic titles of varying commonness include ''Xiānshēng'' (先生, "Mr." or "Sir"), ''Tàitai'' (太太, "Madam" or "Mrs."), and ''Nǚshì'' (女士, "Ms."). The informal prefixes ''Lǎo-'' (老, "Old" or "Elder") and ''Xiǎo-'' (小, "Young" or "Little") are also commonly used, but you should avoid calling someone these unless you know the person well. The title "comrade" (同志) is rarely used outside of official situations, as the term nowadays also means LGBT people. While the title ''Xiǎojiě'' (小姐) is commonly used in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore as an equivalent for the English "Miss", it is a euphemism for "prostitute" in mainland China and hence should be ''avoided''. Names for familial relationships (e.g. big sister, uncle) are frequently used for acquaintances and even strangers based on their age relative to you. It will usually be clear from context, but generally when someone refers to another person as "Brother Zhang" or "Aunt Zhang", even in English, they probably don't mean a family member. Ethnic minorities often have their own naming conventions and modes of address, which can sometimes be very different from those of the Han majority. The foolproof method is therefore to ''ask'' how somebody would like to be addressed.}} [[File:China tea serving.JPG|thumb|Tea-serving at a restaurant in China]] Foreigners are still a rare breed in most parts of China, which means that how you interact with people there may well shape their impression of your country or even of foreigners in general. Follow the law, be polite, and try to leave a good impression as it affects the general reputation of foreigners in China. * Unlike Japan and South Korea where bowing is extremely common, in China the practice did not survive into the modern era, and is only used in certain formal occasions such as marriage ceremonies, funerals, religious rituals, and for students greeting teachers in school. Give a soft '''handshake''' when greeting someone, which can optionally be accompanied by a slight bow. * '''Personal space''' more or less does not exist in China. Elevators and buses can get very crowded. It's common and acceptable for someone to come in close contact with you or to bump into you and say nothing. Don't get mad, as they'll be surprised and most likely won't even understand why you're offended. * Important items such as business cards or important papers are given and received with '''both hands'''. ** '''Business cards''' in particular are treated very respectfully and formally. How you treat someone's business card is seen as representing how you will treat the person. When accepting a business card, use both hands to pick it up by the corners, give a slight bow of your head, and take the time to read the card and confirm how to pronounce the person's name. It's disrespectful to write on a card, fold it, or place it in your back pocket (where you'll sit on it!); a nice case to keep cards pristine is preferable to a pocket. * '''Smoking''' is common almost anywhere. "No smoking" signs are routinely ignored, and it's common for someone to smoke in an elevator or even in the hospital. Some cities now forbid smoking in most restaurants, but enforcement varies. Beijing has one of the nation's strictest smoking laws: you are not allowed to smoke anywhere with a roof; again, enforcement is patchy. Western restaurants seem to be the only ones who consistently enforce the ban. Masks would be a good idea for long distance bus trips. ** When you smoke, it's always considered polite to '''offer a cigarette''' to those you meet. This rule applies almost exclusively to men, but under certain circumstances, such as a club, it's okay to offer cigarettes to women. * In homes and some other buildings, '''slippers''' or sandals are worn indoors. If your hosts are wearing slippers at home, and especially if there is carpet on the floor, remove your shoes and ask for a pair of slippers before you enter, even if your host says you don't have to. * '''Saving face''' is an important concept in Chinese culture, and this concept extends beyond the individual to one's family (including extended family), and even the country. Pointing out mistakes directly may cause embarrassment. If you have to, call the person to one side and tell them in private. ** '''Humility''' is highly valued in traditional Chinese culture, and bragging about your achievements is in general not well received. It is also customary to politely turn down any compliments you receive from others. ** Chinese people sometimes criticize their own country, but you are highly advised not to do it yourself, as the same things being said by a foreigner tend not to be received so well. * Swastikas have been used in Buddhist temples since the 5th century to represent Dharma, universal harmony, and the balance of opposites. Like the case for other Asian countries, it does not represent Nazism. Jews have been living in China for centuries, and have always had peaceful relations with their non-Jewish neighbours. * Outside of a business context, casual clothes are acceptable at most places, including temples and expensive restaurants. Sleeveless or low-cut tops are uncommon and may stand out. At the beach or the pool, conservative swimsuits are much more common than bikinis. ===Gifts=== When visiting someone's home, a small gift is always welcome. Wine, fruit, or some trinket from your native country are common. When receiving a gift, it is generally rude to open it in front of the person who gave it to you unless (s)he specifically tells you to do so. Wait until the person has left and open it in private. Some items are '''not given as gifts''' because of cultural associations. Some things to watch out for: black and white are important colors in funerals, scissors or knives may insinuate you want to cut off your relationship with someone, and many people see mirrors as bad luck. Other taboos are based on homophones: the word "four" (四 ''sì'') sounds like "death" (死 ''sǐ''), "pear" and "umbrella" sound like "separation", and "giving a clock" sounds like "attending a funeral". These gift taboos and others vary by region and generation, so it's a good idea to consult a local for advice, or at least search the Internet for lists of taboo gifts before you purchase one. ===Eating and drinking=== Eating is very important in Chinese culture, and '''dining out''' is a widespread way to honor guests and deepen relationships. Seating at a formal dinner follows a specific order, with the host or most senior person at the center. Don't pick up your chopsticks until the most senior person at the table has done so. Table manner varies from different places among different people in different scenarios. Sometimes you can see Chinese spit on a restaurant floor, pick their tooth in front of you, and yell whilst dining, but it's not always welcome. Follow what other people do. Hosts tend to order more food than you can eat because it's considered shameful if they can't stuff their guests. Although it varies regionally, finishing your plate generally means you're still hungry and may prompt your hosts to order ''more'' food, but leaving too much can imply you didn't like a dish; leaving an appropriate amount of food on your plate is a bit of a balancing act. When offered a drink, you're expected to take it or your friends will keep pushing you. Excuses such as "I'm on medication" are better than "I don't feel like drinking". Toasts are common, and it's generally considered rude to turn down a toast (although you can take small sips with each toast). China has a strong drinking culture, especially in business, and turning down alcohol can sometimes cause offense. However, foreigners may be given some slack on this. If the hard ''baijiu'' is too much for you, consider opting for a beer instead. ====Paying==== While splitting the bill is beginning to be accepted by young people, '''treating''' is still the norm, especially when the parties are in obviously different social classes. Men are expected to treat women, elders to juniors, rich to poor, hosts to guests, working class to non-income class (students). Friends of the same class will usually prefer to take turns treating rather than split the bill. It is common to see Chinese competing intensely to pay the bill. You are expected to fight back and say "It's my turn, you treat me next time." That being said, Chinese tend to be very tolerant towards foreigners. If you feel like going Dutch, try it. They tend to believe that "all foreigners prefer to go Dutch". ===Politics=== For your safety, it's best if you '''avoid getting involved in any political activity''', and avoid discussing politics with Chinese people. Most Chinese are passive about their country's politics and are generally reluctant to talk about it, and in most cases, will change the topic of discussion. * Most Chinese are ashamed that their country was forced into unequal treaties with Japan and the Western powers over the past two centuries, and are proud of the recent progress made by their government in restoring China's international influence. Many Chinese are also aware of alternative Western views, but you should tread lightly if you choose to discuss these. * Supporting the '''independence movements''' of Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan or Hong Kong is '''illegal''', so you should avoid discussing them. Most Chinese people support their government's position on these issues, and trying to advocate for these movements is going to do nothing more than getting you into the bad books of your hosts. ** Do not suggest that Hong Kong and Taiwan are not part of China. Be sure to use the term "mainland" (大陆 ''dàlù'') or "mainland China" (中国大陆 ''zhōngguó dàlù'') instead of just "China" (中国 ''zhōngguó'') if you are looking to ''exclude'' Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is also a common practice in China to refer to Taiwan as "Taiwan Province" (台湾省), and Hong Kong and Macau as "Hong Kong, China" (中国香港) and "Macau, China" (中国澳门). ** Allegations of Uyghur genocide and slavery are sensitive issues that are best not discussed with locals. The latter in particular are regarded by most Chinese as false allegations that were made up by Western governments for geopolitical reasons. * Avoid discussing any of the territorial disputes China is involved in, as many Chinese have strong feelings about these issues. If you are drawn into any such discussions, it is best to stay neutral. * '''Japan''' and its role in World War II and other wars with China is a sensitive and emotive issue that is best avoided. To a lesser extent, '''historical and cultural disputes''' with both [[Korea|Koreas]] are sensitive as well. ** Avoid displaying Japanese cultural symbols like clothing in places where the Japanese military committed war crimes, particularly [[Nanjing]], as this may offend some locals even if you have no intention. ** Japanese cultural symbols should be '''totally avoided''' when Sino-Japanese relations are strained. While violence like the anti-Japanese riots in early 2010s are rare, those displaying these symbols is likely to be subjected to hostility in real life and the Internet. * Thanks to China's recent development, the Chinese government enjoys strong support among its people despite its authoritarian nature. Common Western views that "they have all been brainwashed" or "they are just too afraid to speak up" oversimplify things. * Many Chinese have a strong sense of '''ethnic nationalism'''. Tread particularly carefully if you are of Chinese ethnicity, even if you were born and raised overseas, as you may still be expected to align your political views with that of the Chinese government, and doing otherwise could result in you being labeled a "race traitor". ===Differing cultural norms=== Chinese people are sometimes puzzled when foreign visitors complain that Chinese people are rude. Many of them feel that really it's foreigners who tend to be rude. What's actually going on is that China has a different set of customs and values from common Western cultures — some Chinese behavior can be jarring to foreigners, and vice versa. People in China are '''friendly ''without'' being polite''' (unlike countries like the UK, where people can be polite without being friendly). Generally speaking, younger well-educated Chinese, particularly those from the major cities, are more likely to behave in a way that conforms more closely to Western cultural norms. [[Image:China no spitting.jpg|thumb|120px|No spitting please]] * Chinese often '''ignore rules''' they don't feel like following, including laws. Among many other things, this includes '''dangerous and negligent driving''' (see [[Driving in China]]) such as driving on the wrong side of the street, excessive speeding, not using headlights at night, not using turn signals, and jaywalking. * '''Spitting''' is common everywhere, including in shops, supermarkets, restaurants, on buses and even in hospitals. Traditional Chinese medicine believes it is unhealthy to swallow phlegm. Although the government has made great efforts to reduce this habit in light of the SARS epidemic as well as the Olympics, it still persists to varying degrees. * Many Chinese do not cover their mouths when they '''sneeze'''. '''Picking one's nose''' in public is common and socially acceptable. * As many parts of China are ethnically rather homogeneous, people who are visibly foreign will often elicit calls of "hello" or "''wàiguórén''" (外国人 "foreigner"); you may also hear ''lǎowài'' (老外), a colloquial equivalent. These calls are ubiquitous outside of the big cities (and are not uncommon even there); these calls will come from just about anyone, of any age, and are even more likely from children and can occur many times in any given day. * Similarly, it's rather common that someone may come up and '''stare''' at you as if they're watching the TV. The staring usually originates out of sheer curiosity, almost never out of hostility. * Many Chinese have '''loud conversations''' in public, and it may be one of the first things you notice upon arrival. China is rooted in a community-based culture, and noise means life; loud speech usually doesn't mean the speaker is angry or engaged in an argument (although obviously it can). You may want to bring earplugs for long bus or train rides. * A fairly recent phenomenon particular to China is '''air rage''': groups of passengers being verbally and physically aggressive towards airline staff whenever there is a delay (which is often). This is generally done in order to leverage better compensation from the airline. * The concept of '''waiting in line''' has not fully been adopted in China. You'll have to learn to be more assertive to get what you want, and even push and shove as others do. If you're trying to catch a taxi, expect other people to move further down the road to catch one before you. * Be careful when standing behind people on an '''escalator''', since many people have a look-see as soon as they get off — even when the escalator behind them is fully packed. Department stores have staff to try to prevent this behavior. * People love to use '''elevators''' whenever possible, especially in large family groups. Be extra patient if you want to go around a shopping mall with a baby buggy or luggage. ==Cope== [[File:Chinasocket.jpg|thumb|A typical Chinese wall socket]] '''Electricity''' is 220 volts/50&nbsp;Hz. Two-pin European and North American, as well as three-pin Australian style plugs are generally supported. However, be careful to read the voltage information on your devices to ensure they accept 220 V (twice the 110 V used in many countries) before plugging them in — you may cause burnout and permanent damage to some devices such as hairdryers and razors. Universal extension cords that can handle a variety of plug shapes (including British) are often used. '''Laundry''' services may be expensive or hard to find. In upper-end hotels, it will cost ¥10-30 to wash each article of clothing. Cheap hotels in some areas do not have laundry services, though in other areas such as along the [[Yunnan tourist trail]] the service is common and often free. In most areas, with the exception of the downtown areas in big cities, you can find small shops that do laundry. The '''sign''' to look for on the front door is 洗衣 (''xǐyī''), or spot the clothes hanging from the ceiling. The cost is roughly ¥2-5/item. In even the smallest of cities '''dry cleaning''' (干洗 ''gānxǐ''）outlets are common and may be able to wash clothes. But in some areas you're going to be stuck washing clothes by hand, which is time-consuming and tiresome, so perhaps opt for fast-drying fabrics such as polyester or silk. If you do find a hotel that does laundry, usually they will put all your clothes into the wash together or even with other items from the hotel, so lighter colours are best washed by hand. [[File:Jianshui - old city - P1370481.JPG|thumb|Traditional smoking pipes for sale]] '''Smoking''' is banned in public buildings and public transport except for restaurants and bars (including KTVs) - many of which are outright smoke dens, although many multinational restaurant chains do ban smoking. These bans are enforced across the country. Generally, smoking laws are most strict in Shanghai and Beijing, whilst they are more lightly enforced elsewhere. Many places (particularly train stations, hospitals, office buildings and airports) will have smoking rooms, and some long-distance trains may have smoking areas at the end of each car. Facilities for non-smokers are often poor; most restaurants, bars and hotels will not have non-smoking areas apart from top-end establishments although many modern buildings have a smoke extraction systems which suck cigarette smoke out of the room through a ceiling vent - meaning that the smoke doesn't hang in the air. The Chinese phrase for 'May I smoke?' is 'kěyǐ chōuyān ma?' and 'No Smoking!' is 'bù kěyǐ chōuyān!'. '''Public holidays''' in China are worth being aware of. Although you will never be truly alone in the most popular tourist sites, which includes the popular hikes in particular mountains, on weekends and public holidays these areas can be nearly impassible due to local tourism. What you may have planned as a quiet contemplative hike may turn into a many-hour queue! Know the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_China national holiday dates] and plan accordingly. ===Media=== {{infobox|Please fix it!|''China Daily'', the nationally distributed English newspaper, sometimes publishes constructive criticism of China from frustrated tourists. If you think something about China for travelers needs to be fixed, consider sending a letter to letters@chinadaily.com.cn or opinion@chinadaily.com.cn and it might be published.}} Media in China diversified substantially after Mao, with independent outlets offering increasing competition to the state-run agencies of '''[http://www.news.cn/english Xinhua]''' (press agency publishing in many formats), '''[http://www.cctv.cn/ CCTV]''' (more than 40 TV channels), and the '''''[http://en.people.cn/ People's Daily]''''' newspaper. These state-owned media tend to be accurate in terms of general news, but always stick to the government's policies and ideology in terms of politics. Each province and city in China is also home to its own local channels, often being subordinated or having close-ties to the local government, with a stronger focus on local events. Some of these channels also broadcast in the local dialect or ethnic minority language. Still, the press remains tightly controlled, with restrictions on what news is reported and what opinions may be aired. Certain topics are strictly off limits (such as criticizing China's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan), and the vagueness of boundaries for acceptable topics leads to further self-censorship. The biggest threat to state-controlled media has been the rise of '''text messaging''' and '''Internet news''', although these are restricted by the government's firewall and internal censorship. China has some local English-language news media. CCTV News channel is a global English channel available 24/7 in most cities, with French and Spanish variants as well. CCTV 4 has a short newscast in English every day. '''''[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ China Daily]''''' (generally subdued, if a bit dry) and the '''''[http://www.globaltimes.cn/ Global Times]''''' (a notoriously nationalistic tabloid) are two state-run English-language newspapers available in hotels, supermarkets and newsstands. There are also a few English magazines such as ''[http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/ctenglish/ China Today]'' and ''21st Century''. Foreign magazines and newspapers are not generally available in bookstores or newsstands except at top hotels. ==Connect== ===Internet=== ====Internet cafés and business services==== [[File:Tongyang - downtown - internet cafe - CIMG9869.JPG|thumb|Inside an Internet café in Tongyang, [[Hubei]]]] China has more Internet users than any other country in the world and Internet cafés (网吧 ''wǎngbā'') are abundant. Most are designed for online gaming and are not comfortable places to do office-style work. It is cheap (¥1-6 per hour) to use a computer, albeit one with Chinese software. Internet cafés are supposed to require users to show official identification although enforcement varies by region. Browsing of Internet pages may well be monitored by the Public Security Bureau (the police). For printing, scanning, photocopying, and other business services, go to one of any number of small shops in most towns or print shops near university areas. Look for the characters 复印 (fùyìn) meaning "photocopy". Printing costs about ¥2 per page and photocopies are ¥0.5 per page. These shops may or may not have Internet access so bring your materials on a flash drive. ====== Wifi access ====== Free wifi, which may require registration either with a Chinese mobile number, or your WeChat login, is abundant. The quality and speed of the wifi is not proportionate to the provider; i.e. your expensive hotel's free wifi may be nowhere near as fast nor more reliable than the wifi found on the bus you paid ¥2 to get on. Many hotels and some cafés and restaurants provide wifi, typically free, of varying speeds and quality. Some cafés, especially in tourist areas such as Yangshuo, even provide a machine for customer use. Business hotels typically have wired Internet service for your laptop in each room: 7 Days Inn and Home Inn are two nationwide chains meeting Western standards for mid-range comfort and cleanliness that consistently offer Internet and cost ¥150-200 per night. WiFi may also be provided in one's room, perhaps for an extra charge. On occasion, for a bit more, hotels will have rooms with older computers in them as well. The better hotels often have satellite TV in the rooms. ====== Security ====== Since public computers and the Internet are not secure, assume that anything you type is not private. Do not send sensitive data such as banking passwords from an Internet café. It may be better to purchase a mobile data card for use with your own computer instead (these generally cost ¥400 and data plans run ¥10-¥200 per month depending on your usage). If you are connecting to the Internet with your own computer, some websites in China (especially college campuses) require you to use Microsoft Internet Explorer and to install dedicated software on your system and/or accept certificates to access their websites. There are increasing cases of misuse of photocopy, in which your submitted photocopies are illegally disclosed to spammers and fraudsters by the receiver of your photocopies. Always state the purpose of your photocopies on the photocopies clearly, as this leaves evidence in favour of you should any legal matters arise. ====Internet censorship==== {{quote|Across the Great Wall, we can reach every corner in the world.|author=Content of the first Chinese email sent in 1987|source=often used to satirize the current practice of Internet censorship in China.}} '''Internet censorship''' is extensive in mainland China. Pornographic and political sites are routinely blocked, as are many other sites with a broad range of content, including sites that are popular internationally. The government call their censorship system "Golden Shield" (金盾); others call it the '''Great Firewall of China''', GFW, or simply '''the wall''', while circumventing Internet censorship is often referred to as "scaling the wall" (翻墙). {{infobox|Which Internet sites are available?|The actual list of websites and services banned is a secret, changes every day without notification, and oddly enough seems to depend on whether you're using a mobile or WiFi connection. Blocked sites generally include: * Large '''social media''' websites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, Blogspot and Instagram. * '''Messaging services''' such as Whatsapp. * Most of '''Google's services''', including Google Search, Gmail, Google Play, Google Maps ([https://maps.google.cn/ maps.google.cn] may still work) and Google Translate ([https://translate.google.cn/ translate.google.cn] may still work). Corresponding fast and responsive Chinese websites exist (often only in Chinese), such as [https://www.baidu.com/ Baidu] for search, maps, and other services, [http://www.qq.com/ QQ] and [https://weixin.qq.com/ WeChat] for messaging, [http://weibo.com/ Weibo] for Twitter-style microblogging, [http://renren.com/ Renren] for Facebook-style social networking, and [https://www.bilibili.com/ Bilibili] and [https://v.qq.com/ Tencent Video] for YouTube-style video sharing. You may instead wish to use a different foreign service such as [https://www.bing.com/ Bing] for search and [https://outlook.live.com/ Outlook] for emails. Foreign '''news''' sites such as BBC, CNN, Reuters and ''The Economist'' may or may not be available. They're especially likely to be blocked after publishing stories the Chinese government disapproves of; for example, ''The New York Times'' has been blocked since 2012, when it reported on the financial holdings of top Chinese leaders. Since December 2019, all Wikimedia projects, including Wikivoyage and Wikipedia are '''blocked''', except on the China Mobile network, which only blocks Wikipedia, Wikinews and Commons. Apart from actual website blocks, the firewall also scans for sensitive keywords in every unencrypted message or encrypted Chinese message (QQ, WeChat, etc.) in either direction and may block anything it disapproves of. The system relies heavily on word-filtering, and changes frequently in response to recent social events or current affairs. }} Censorship is often tightened during sensitive periods, such as the annual meeting of China's parliament in March, the CCP congress every fourth October, and anniversaries such as the National Day in October and the Tiananmen massacre in June. Few hotels offer uncensored Internet access. These hotels generally cater to foreigners, but obviously do not advertise this facility. Try browsing to known restricted sites to see if your hotel supports this. The most popular way to access blocked websites is to use a '''VPN (Virtual Private Network)''' which provides users with ''relatively'' stable and reliable access to the Internet through a computer in another country. The best ones have a monthly fee on the order of US$10; free, ad-supported VPNs are also available. Other ways to bypass censorship include software such as [http://dit-inc.us/freegate.html Freegate], [http://tor.eff.org Tor] (with an inconvenient special configuration), and [https://psiphon.ca/ Psiphon]. Any of these should be downloaded before entering China as access to their official websites is generally blocked. Be warned that VPNs in China are not as reliable as they used to be—you may want to download more than one so that you have a backup, and be prepared for a lot of frustration and waiting for things to load. If you need constant access to Twitter or Facebook to be happy, you may yet still be able to guarantee it, at a cost. Due to the way international mobile roaming works, the government cannot interfere with internet access via a foreign SIM without blocking roaming entirely (a revenue stream for the state-owned carriers). This will cost a good deal more than a local SIM, and you will be subject to the restrictions of the country your SIM came from instead (for instance, when roaming with a Thai SIM, you will find yourself unable to access content critical of the Thai regime, just as if you were in Thailand). Chinese law enforcement is sometimes able to pinpoint (and arrest, if needed) users who access restricted sites using VPNs, especially if they access them frequently. On at least one occasion, the police pinpointed and fined a netizen who accessed Wikipedia through a VPN. Moreover, it's a criminal offence to upload and submit any materials seen as subversive. However, enforcement is sporadic and mostly targets journalists and high-profile public figures. ===Mail=== The Chinese Post Office is generally reliable and sometimes quick. There are a few things you need to adapt to: * Incoming mail will be both faster and more reliable if the address is in Chinese. If not, the Post Office has people who will translate, but that takes time and is not 100% accurate. * If you don't know the exact postal code of where your recipient lives, you can fill in the first two digits (which correspond to the prefecture city/municipality/province), and fill the rest with 0s. Alternatively, you can search your destination's postal code at [http://cpdc.chinapost.com.cn/web/ this website]. * It will be helpful to provide the receiver's phone number with packages or expedited mail. The customs and delivery drivers usually need it. * '''Do not seal outgoing packages''' before taking them to the Post Office; they will not send them without inspecting the contents. Generally it is best to buy the packing materials at the Post Office, and almost all Post Offices will pack your materials for you, at a reasonable price. * Most Post Offices and courier services will refuse to send CDs or DVDs, this can be circumvented by placing them in CD wallets along with lots of other things and finally packing the space in with clothes, giving the appearance of sending your stuff home, it is also easier to send by sea as they care less. * Your ID is now '''required''' when sending parcels. When sending parcels domestically, write the receiver's name ''correctly''; it will be compared with their ID, as all parcels are now tracked end to end. ===Fax=== International fax (传真 ''Chuánzhēn'') services are available in most large hotels for a fee of a dozen renminbi or more. Inexpensive faxes within China can be made in the ubiquitous photocopy outlets that have the Chinese characters for fax written on the front door. ===Telephone=== Telephone service is more of a mixed bag. Calling outside China is often difficult and usually impossible without a calling card, which can often only be bought locally. The good news is that these cards are fairly cheap and the connection is surprisingly clear, uninterrupted and delay-free. Look for '''IP Telephone Cards''', which typically have a value of ¥100 but sometimes can be had for as little as ¥25. The cards have printed Chinese instructions, but after dialling the number listed on the card English-spoken instructions are available. As a general indication of price, a call from China to Europe lasts around 22 minutes with a ¥100 card. Calls to the US and Canada are advertised to be another 20% cheaper. If you end up with an '''IC Telephone Card''' instead, those are only intended to be used in payphones. They may be sold at a slight discount off of face value, but rarely below 20% off when purchased off the street. At a China Telecom payphone, domestic calls will cost ¥0.1/minute, calls to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the US, and Canada will cost ¥1/minute, and calls to all other countries will cost an uneconomical ¥8/minute. If your line allows for international direct dialling (IDD), the prefix for international calls in China is ''00''. To make an overseas call, dial ''00-(country code)-(number)''. Calls from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macau require international dialling. '''IDDs can be expensive.''' Ask the rate before calling. =====Mobile phones===== [[File:ChinaTelecomCustomerOffice.JPG|thumb|A China Telecom shop]] '''[[Mobile phones|Mobile (cellular) phones]] are widespread''' and offer good service in China. They play an essential role in daily life for most Chinese and for nearly all expatriates in China. As of 2022, China is the world leader in 5G mobile phone technology. If you already have a GSM 900/1800 or 3G (UMTS/W-CDMA 2100) mobile phone, you can roam onto Chinese networks, subject to network agreements, but calls will be very expensive (¥12-35/min is typical). There are few (but growing in number) exceptions; the primary sets are Hong Kong-based providers which typically charge no more than HK$6/minute (and usually close to local rates with a special "Hong Kong/China" SIM sold by China Mobile or China Unicom in Hong Kong) and the second is T-Mobile US which charges US$0.20/minute with free text and data service. Check with your home operator before you leave to be sure. Most carriers now have 4G roaming agreements, so you will be able to use data with decent speeds. In addition, roaming data is not censored by the Chinese authorities, meaning you will be able to retain access to websites that otherwise would be blocked without having to deal with getting a separate VPN. If your provider offers reasonably priced roaming in China, you should consider taking advantage. Alternatively, depending on if you are transiting somewhere before arriving in China, you may consider buying a SIM from there that roams in China at a discount. There is a wide selection in Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asian countries as well as a few affordable options in certain parts of Europe (for example, Free Mobile in France includes 25GB of roaming in China per month on their 20€ plan). China Telecom has shifted away from CDMA, with 4G/LTE being available in the majority of its coverage area. If your device supports VoLTE (voice over LTE) then you will be able to obtain service from them with no issue. For a '''short visit''', consider renting a Chinese mobile phone from a company such as [http://www.pandaphone.com/china_cell_phone_rental.htm Pandaphone]. Rates are around ¥7 a day. The company is based in the US but has staff in China. Toll-free numbers are {{phone|+1-866-574-2050}} in the U.S. or {{phone|+86 400-820-0293}} in China. The phone can be delivered to your hotel in China prior to your arrival and dropped off there at the end of your trip, or shipped to you in the US. When you rent the phone, they will offer you an access code for calling to your country, which is cheaper than buying a SIM card from a local vendor and dialling directly. If you're '''staying for more than a few days''', it will usually be cheaper to buy a prepaid Chinese SIM card; this gives you a Chinese phone number with a certain amount of money preloaded. Chinese tend to avoid phone numbers with the bad-luck digit '4', and vendors will often be happy to offload these "unsellable" SIM-cards to foreigners at a discount. If you need a phone as well, prices start around ¥300 used or ¥1000 new for a smartphone (as of 2020). Chinese phones, unlike those sold in some Western countries, are never "locked" and will work with any SIM card you put in them, but some phones don't have Google services or the Play Store. Some stores can install this for you at time of purchase, so you can ask. However, Google services sideloaded in this manner may not be as stable as when pre-installed as part of the system package. Most shops selling SIM cards require a standard swipeable Chinese ID card (a citizen's ID card, or a foreigner's permanent-resident card) to purchase a SIM card. If you want to purchase a SIM card using a passport as your identity document, you may be asked to go to the cell-phone company's main office, probably somewhere in the city center. The staff will take your photograph for their record, along with the photocopy of your passport. China's three big operators are [http://www.10086.cn/ China Mobile] (Chinese only), [http://eng.chinaunicom.com/ China Unicom] and [https://www.chinatelecomglobal.com/ China Telecom] . ''Most'' SIMs sold by them work nationwide. Domestic roaming charges have largely been abolished, so you no longer need to worry about taking a SIM from one part of mainland China to another. Roaming in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Macau, however, still requires a separate activation step and additional charges. '''International calls''' have to be '''enabled separately''' by applying for China Mobile's "12593" or China Unicom's "17911" service. Neither provider requires a deposit, though both require applications. Usually there will be an English speaker, so let him/her know what you want. Ask for the "special" dialing code, and for ¥1/month extra, this will be provided to you. Enter the code, the country code, then the local number and you will be talking cheaply in no time. Don't be fooled by cellphone shops with the China Mobile signage: be sure to go a to a corporate store. The employees will wear a blue uniform and there will be counter services. China Mobile is the cheaper of the two with calls to North America and Asia around ¥0.4/min. You can also use prepaid cards for international calling; just dial the number on the card as with a regular landline phone, and the charges will go to the prepaid calling card. To recharge, visit the neighborhood office of your mobile service provider, give the staff your number and pay in cash to '''recharge your account'''. Alternately, many shops will sell you a charge card, which has a number and password that must be used to call the telephone company to recharge the money in your account. You will be calling a computer and the default language is Chinese, which can be changed to English if you understand the Chinese. Charge cards are sold in denominations of ¥30, 50 and 100. (If you have WeChat Pay, this is a more convenient way to recharge your account, and foreign credit cards are accepted). For '''mobile data''' addicts who are willing to deal with the Chinese website blocking, mobile data on local SIMs is cheaper than ever. China Mobile has 4G plans starting at ¥29 for a low rate of ¥0.10/minute voice and 3GB data with additional data costing only ¥5/GB (as of 2021). Many locals have access to special online-only offers that provide a very large amount (or even unlimited) data for a low cost, but only some of these are accessible to foreigners; some can be purchased on top of any SIM if you have the carrier app installed (and can understand Chinese to use it), others require special online-only starter packs that foreigners can not purchase due to the requirement to submit a photo of a Chinese ID card when purchasing SIMs online. China Mobile only uses the "standard" LTE frequency bands of 3 and 8 in large cities and uses a different set of frequency bands for its data services outside major cities; if your phone does not support TD-LTE on bands 38, 39, 40, and 41 and you plan on going outside the biggest cities, then China Unicom or China Telecom is recommended instead. In general, apps that are widespread internationally are banned in China, and Chinese people typically use Chinese apps that are sometimes close copies of their foreign equivalents instead. The most important is '''[https://www.wechat.com/ WeChat]''' (微信 Wēixìn), which Chinese people use instead of the internationally popular WhatsApp. WeChat is a combination messaging app, social network, and mobile payment service, and downloading it is essential if you want to start making friends in China or stay in the country for an extended period. The interface can be set to English, Chinese, and various other languages. ====Area codes==== The country dialing code for mainland China is '''86'''. The dialing code is '''852''' for Hong Kong, '''853''' for Macau, and '''886''' for Taiwan. * Major cities with eight-digit numbers have a two-digit area code. For example, Beijing is (0)10 plus an eight-digit number. Other places use seven- or eight-digit local numbers and a three-digit area code that does not start with 0, 1 or 2. So for example: (0)756 plus 7 digits for Zhuhai. The north uses small numbers, the south has larger numbers. * Normal cell phones do not need an area code. The numbers are composed of 130 to 132 (or 156/186) plus 8 digits (China Unicom, GSM/UMTS), 133/153/189 plus 8 digits (China Telecom, CDMA) or 134 to 139 (or 150/152/158/159/188) plus 8 digits (China Mobile, GSM/TD-SCDMA). Additional prefixes have been introduced; a good rule of thumb is that an 11-digit domestic phone number that starts with 1 is a mobile number. Mobile phone numbers are geographic; if you attempt to dial a mobile number issued outside of the province you are in from a landline, you will be prompted to redial the number with a zero in front for long-distance. * There are two additional non-geographic prefixes. A number starting with 400 can be dialed from any phone and is treated as a local call with associated airtime charges, while a number starting with 800 is totally free but can ''not'' be dialed from mobile phones. ====Emergency numbers==== The following emergency telephone numbers work in all areas of China; calling them from a cell phone is free. * Patrol Police: '''110''' * Fire Department: '''119''' * (Government-owned) Ambulance/EMS: '''120''' * (some areas private-owned) Ambulance: 999 * Traffic Police: 122 * Directory inquiries: 114 * Consumer Protection: 12315 112 and 911 do not connect you to emergency service personnel. It is also possible to contact the police by sending SMS message to '''12110XXX''', where XXX is the area code of the prefectural-level city you are located. See [[w:Telephone numbers in China|this list]] for more information. {{related|Working_in_China}} {{related|Rail_travel_in_China}} {{related|List_of_Chinese_provinces_and_regions}} {{related|Driving_in_China}} {{related|Golf_in_China}} {{IsPartOf|East Asia}} {{usablecountry}} {{geo|35|103|zoom=4}} 0qilxn124oiyyxkst2e3fpwflem6ypi 0 7357 4501733 4467414 2022-08-15T20:38:00Z The dog2 35982 /* Basics */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner Chinese phrasebook Street in Fuzhou.jpg}} [[Image:Sign Fragrance.JPG|thumb|Chinese script in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]], [[Singapore]]]] {{about|Standard Mandarin Chinese|Cantonese Chinese (official language in Hong Kong and Macau)|Cantonese phrasebook}} :''Phrasebooks for other varieties of Chinese are listed at [[China#Talk]].'' '''Mandarin Chinese''' is the official language of mainland [[China]], and one of the official languages of [[Taiwan]] and [[Singapore]]. Chinese is also one of the official languages in [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], although most local people speak [[Cantonese]] instead of Mandarin. In English, it is often just called "Mandarin" or "Chinese". While not an official language, it is also widely studied and spoken by the ethnic Chinese minorities in [[Malaysia]] and [[Myanmar]]. In China, it is called ''Pǔtōnghuà'' (普通话), meaning "common speech", while in Taiwan it is referred to as ''Guóyǔ'' (國語), "the national language." In Singapore and Malaysia, it is referred to as ''Huáyǔ'' (华语). It has been the main language of education in mainland China and Taiwan since the 1950s, so most non-elderly locals speak it regardless of what their native language or dialect is. While the spoken Mandarin in the above places is more or less the same, the written characters are different. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau all still use traditional characters, whereas Mainland China and Singapore use a simplified derivative. ==Understand== [[Image:Map of sinitic languages-en.svg|thumb|285px|Map of Chinese Languages]] China is host to a wide variety of related languages (often referred to as dialects), of which Standard Mandarin is just one. Within the Chinese language family, there are 7-10 major branches, each of which contain their own varieties of languages. Languages from different branches (such as Mandarin and [[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]]) are completely mutually unintelligible, whereas languages within the same branch (such as Standard Mandarin and Sichuanese) may have limited mutual intelligibility. Despite the wide variance in Chinese languages, all speakers normally write the same standard form (using either traditional or simplified characters). This is possible because the Chinese writing system is logographic, meaning individual characters represent ideas as opposed to phonetic sounds. What this means is that one character that would be pronounced completely differently in any number of Chinese languages will be written identically and understood to mean the same thing. Therefore speakers of different Chinese languages who are completely unable to understand each others' speech can effectively communicate via writing. The challenge with a logographic writing system, however, is the huge number of characters required to adequately represent different words: the average Chinese dictionary indexes around 20,000 characters, with an educated Chinese person likely knowing around 8,000, while a typical newspaper requires the reader to know at least 3,000 characters. {{Infobox|A (related) tale from Chinese Wikipedia|In the early days of Chinese Wikipedia, radical supporters of both traditional and simplified Chinese characters developed a unique kind of vandalism by converting the opposing writing system into their favored one. The problem was essentially resolved by creating an automatic translator that converts between traditional and Chinese characters (including vocabulary differences between multiple regions), allowing users to read an article in whichever variety they wish. It's not a perfect system, as there are about 100 characters that don't have a one-to-one mapping, and tens of thousands of words that need to be translated differently depending on context. And there are still issues that can't be fixed with software, such as writing from a neutral global point of view. But it broadly succeeded at solving the vandalism problem, consolidated Chinese Wikipedia into a single version rather than separate ones for China and Taiwan, and paved the way for automatic translators for other languages that can be written in multiple scripts.}} Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC), formal simplifications were made to a large number of common characters in order to reduce the number of strokes required to write them, with the aim of increasing literacy. This has led to two current standards for Chinese writing: Simplified and Traditional characters. Simplified characters are the standard for Singapore and the mainland China, whereas Traditional characters are retained as the standard in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The use of traditional or simplified characters can have controversial political connotations, particularly in Hong Kong. Traditional characters are generally preferred in calligraphy, even in mainland China, due to their superior aesthetic value. About one fifth of the world's population speak some form of Chinese as their native language. It is a tonal language that is related to ''Burmese'' and ''Tibetan''. In addition, the Dungan language, which is spoken in some parts of the former [[Soviet Union]], is considered to be a variant of Mandarin but uses the Cyrillic alphabet instead of Chinese characters. The writing system is used by other countries as well, although the languages are not related. The [[Korean phrasebook|Korean]] writing system historically used Chinese characters, but completely abandoned them in favor of their own 'Hangul' system since the 1950s. South Koreans still learn the basics of Chinese characters, and some basic Chinese characters are still occasionally used and widely understood; [[Japanese phrasebook|Japanese]] uses a mixed writing system comprising of Chinese characters and its own 'kana' system, although over time the meaning of some characters has diverged significantly from those used in China. The [[Vietnamese phrasebook|Vietnamese]] language (which uses a distinctive version of the Latin alphabet) has borrowed many words from Chinese, and at one time used Chinese characters as well. Standard Mandarin is based on the Mandarin dialect of the [[Beijing]] area, and is almost universally understood and spoken (in conjunction with local languages) across mainland China and Taiwan as a result of being the primary language of education and the media. Travelers headed to the special administrative regions (SARs) of [[Hong Kong]] or [[Macau]] will largely encounter native [[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]] speakers. Mandarin is largely understood in the SARs, though speaking ability varies widely, and in Hong Kong, the use of Mandarin is a touchy political issue, and most locals are more proficient in English than in Mandarin. Those heading for [[Taiwan]] or [[South Fujian]] may find the [[Minnan phrasebook|Minnan]] dialect useful as well. ===Difficulties=== In the West, Chinese has a reputation for difficulty. In fact, its difficulty to learn once led to calls to replace Chinese characters and grammar with Latin script and English grammar during the 1920s by some intellectuals and writers. These opinions eventually died out, but they certainly influenced the ruling communist party's policy on simplified Chinese characters. The language is more dense than European languages, meaning considerably more can be said in a text message with the same number of characters. Each character corresponds to a syllable, and each syllable can have multiple meanings depending on the tone with which it is pronounced. Compared to, say, Japanese or Korean, Chinese contains many fewer loan words from European languages such as English, meaning that more effort will have to be made to acquire vocabulary. The grammar, however, may strike a Westerner as pretty simple. Verbs and adjectives are static regardless of subject and whether they are referring to the past, present or future. Nouns do not have genders like most European languages, and there is no separate form for plurals. The main difficulties are the five tones, numerous consonants that are not found in European languages, and the numerous characters. Mandarin, like Vietnamese and Thai, is a tonal language that uses different pitches in syllables and words to indicate different meanings. "Ma" could mean mother, horse, numb, or blame, depending on the tone. Homophones are also common; the same sound at the same pitch can have dozens of meanings. "Zhōng" ("Zhong" with the 1st tone) can mean China/central/centre (中), loyalty (忠), clock (钟), chime (钟), finish (终), a bowl (盅), etc. All of them come with different Chinese characters, just the same sound at the same pitch. While homophones are rarely a problem in most everyday conversations, it is common for Chinese to ask how to write someone's name by identifying the characters one by one. "My name is Wang Fei (王菲). Wang is the "wang" with four strokes, Fei is the "fei" in "shifei" (gossip), with a grass on top." Written Chinese looks like a mysterious secret code to some, but if you can recognize so many commercial logos (usually not logically related), you will be impressed with your capacity to memorize so many characters - most of which are logically related and formed based on certain rules. There are, in theory, more than 50,000 Chinese characters. The good news is that more than 85% have become obsolete, or are rarely used. Like native speakers of many languages, most Chinese couldn't tell you how many characters are required to read a book and never bother to count how many characters they know. One may argue that junior students are supposed to learn at least 2000 characters and university graduates 5000 characters. ==Pronunciation guide== To bridge the gap between recognizing characters and reading out loud, Hanyu pinyin was developed, which uses Latin script as an aid to teaching Chinese. Pronouncing pinyin is not intuitive as certain letters and consonant clusters are used to represent sounds not present in European languages and are thus not pronounced as an English speaker would expect. Nonetheless, learning pinyin at even a basic level has enormous practical value for the traveller. Written pinyin is less useful as most Chinese will not recognize place names or addresses in pinyin, and the same pinyin can be shared by different Chinese characters; it is always better to use characters for written communication. The pronunciation guide below uses Hanyu pinyin, which is the official romanization of the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Taiwan]]. Mainland China uses Hanyu pinyin almost universally, though a few older transliterations remain in names like ''Tsingtao Beer'' and ''Peking University''. [[Taiwan]] used to use the [[w:Wade-Giles|Wade-Giles]] system, which is quite different, then in 2002 switched to [[w:Tongyong_Pinyin|Tongyong pinyin]], only slightly different from Hanyu pinyin, and since 2009 uses Hanyu pinyin just like the People's Republic. However, many older transliterations remain in use in Taiwan, and you may well encounter multiple spellings of the same name (like ''Tamsui'', ''Tamshui'', and ''Danshui'' for [[Tamsui|the town in New Taipei]]). Pinyin allows very accurate pronunciation of Mandarin for those who understand it, although the way that it uses letters like ''q'', ''x'', ''c'', ''z'' and even ''i'' is not at all intuitive to the English speaker since some of these sounds do not exist in English or many other languages. Thus, studying the pronunciation guide below carefully is essential. After you master the pronunciation you will need to move on to the next challenge: using accurate tones whilst speaking. Some pinyin vowels (especially "e", "i", "ü") can be tricky, so it is best to get a native speaker to demonstrate. Also, beware of the spelling rules listed in the [[#exceptions|exceptions]] below. ;a :as in f'''a'''ther; otherwise ;a in ian and yan: as "e" in "b'''e'''t" or "t'''e'''xt" (just the English short "e" sound) ;e :unrounded back vowel (IPA [ɤ]), similar to d'''uh'''; in unstressed syllables, a schwa (IPA [ə]), like ide'''a''' ;i :as in s'''ee''' or k'''ey''';<br>after ''ch'', ''sh'', ''zh'', ''c'', ''s'', ''z'' or ''r'', not really a vowel at all but just a stretched-out consonant sound ;o :as in m'''o'''re<br>after ''b'', ''p'', ''m'', or ''f'', as in '''wa'''r ;u :as in s'''oo'''n; but read '''ü''' in ''ju'', ''qu'', ''yu'' and ''xu'' ;ü :as in French l'''u'''ne or German gr'''ü'''n; pronounced like "ee" but with rounded lips ===Vowel combinations=== These are the most important vowel combinations in Chinese: ;ai : as in p'''ie''' ;ao: as in p'''ou'''ch ;ei : as in p'''ay''' ;ia: as in '''ya''' ;ia in '''ia'''n (but not iang): as in ''''ye'''s ;iao: as in m'''eow''' ;ie: as in '''ye'''s ;iong: as in P'''yong'''yang ;iu: as in '''yo'''del ;ou: as in m'''o'''w ;ua: as in '''wa'''nt ;uo: as in '''wa'''r ===Consonants=== Chinese stops distinguish between ''aspirated'' and ''unaspirated'', not ''unvoiced'' and ''voiced'' as in English, and Chinese lacks voiced stops. Aspirated sounds are pronounced with a distinctive puff of air as they are pronounced in English when at the beginning of a word, while unaspirated sounds are pronounced without the puff, as in English when found in clusters. Place a hand in front of your mouth and compare '''p'''it (aspirated) with s'''p'''it (unaspirated) to see the difference. Note that the list below only gives approximate pronunciations, as many of these consonants have no equivalent in English. As Mandarin does not have voiced stops or affricates, all the consonants listed in the "unaspirated" column should be pronounced unvoiced. {| ! !! width=200 | Unaspirated !! !! width=200 | Aspirated |- | '''b''' || <br>as in s'''p'''ot || '''p''' || <br>as in '''p'''it |- | '''d''' || <br>as in s'''t'''op || '''t''' || <br>as in '''t'''ongue |- | '''g''' || <br>as in s'''k'''in || '''k''' || <br>as in '''k'''ing |- | '''j''' || <br>as in i'''tch'''y || '''q''' || <br>as in '''ch'''eap |- | '''zh''' || <br>as in '''j'''ungle || '''ch''' || <br>as in '''ch'''ore |- | '''z''' || <br>as in pi'''zz'''a || '''c''' || <br>as in ra'''ts''' |} Here are the other consonants in Chinese: ;m :as in '''m'''ow ;f :as in '''f'''un ;n :as in '''n'''one or no'''n'''e ;l :as in '''l'''ease ;h :a throaty '''h''' sound as in as in Scottish lo'''ch'''/Spanish '''j'''efe (IPA: [x]) ;x :as in '''sh'''eep, but softer than sh ;sh :as in '''sh'''oot ;r :as in fai'''r''' ;s :as in '''s'''ag ;ng :as in si'''ng''' ;w :as in '''w'''ing but '''silent''' in ''wu''. Before a, ai, ang, eng, and/or o ;y :as in '''y'''et but '''silent''' in ''yi'', ''yu'' If you think that is a fairly intimidating repertoire, rest assured that many Chinese people, particularly those who are not native Mandarin speakers, will merge many of the sounds above (especially ''c'' with ''ch'' and ''z'' with ''zh''). Other sounds that you may hear merged, depending on the region, include ''s'' with ''sh'', ''f'' with ''h'', ''l'' with ''n'', ''l'' with ''r'', ''i'' with ''ü'', and ''n'' with ''ng''. These are particularly common in southern China, Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities. ===Exceptions=== There are a fairly large number of niggling exceptions to the basic rules above, based on the position of the sound: ; wu- :as '''u-''', so 五百 (五百) ''wubai'' is pronounced "'''u'''bai" ; yi- :as '''i-''', so 一个 (一個) ''yige'' is pronounced "'''i'''ge" ; yu- :as '''ü-''', so 豫园 (豫園) ''Yuyuan'' is pronounced "'''ü'''-'''ü'''an" ===Tones=== {{infobox|How do I put my tone marks?|If you are confused by how to put tone marks above the Hanyu Pinyin, follow the steps below: Always insert tone marks above the vowels. If there is more than one vowel letter, follow the steps below: (1) Insert it above the 'a' if that letter is present. For example, it is ''r'''ǎ'''o'' and not ''ra'''ǒ''''' (2) If not, insert it above 'o'. For example, ''gu'''ó''''' and not ''g'''ú'''o'' (3) Insert it above the letter 'e' if the letters 'a' and 'o' are not present. For example, ''ju'''é''''' and not ''j'''ú'''e'' (4) If only 'i', 'u' and 'ü' are the only present letters, insert it in the letter that occurs '''last'''. For example, ''ji'''ù''''' and not ''j'''ì'''u'', ''chu'''í''''' and not ''ch'''ú'''i''. Note, if the vowel present is ü, the tone mark is put '''in addition''' to the umlaut. For example, l'''ǜ''' }} There are five tones in Mandarin that must be followed for proper pronunciation. Never underestimate the importance of these tones. Consider a vowel with a different tone as simply a different vowel altogether, and you will realize why Chinese will ''not'' understand you if you use the wrong tone &mdash; ''mǎ'' is to ''mā'' as "I want a cake" is to "I want a coke". Be especially wary of questions that have a falling tone, or conversely exclamations that have an "asking" tone (eg ''jǐngchá'', police). In other words, ''pronounced like'' does not imply ''meaning''. While Mandarin speakers also vary their tone just like English speakers do to differentiate a statement from a question and convey emotion, it is much more subtle. Do not try it until you have mastered the basic tones. ;1. first tone ( ā ) : "high tone": flat, high pitch that is more sung instead of spoken. ;2. second tone ( á ) : "rising tone": low to middle, rising pitch that is pronounced like the end of a question phrase (''Whát?''). ;3. third tone ( ǎ ) : "low tone" or "falling-rising": mid-low to low. For two consecutive syllables in the third tone, the first syllable is pronounced as if it is in the second tone. For example, 打扰 ''dǎrǎo'' is pronounced as ''dárǎo''. (When stressed, the third tone is sometimes pronounced mid-low to low to high, dipping pitch.) ;4. fourth tone ( à ) : "falling tone": high to low, rapidly falling pitch that is pronounced like a command (''Stop!''). ;5. neutral tone ( a ) : "toneless": short, unstressed syllable; rarely used by itself (except for phrase particles) but frequently occurs as the second part of a phrase. ==Regional differences== While standard Mandarin in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong/Macau is fundamentally similar, and speakers from these regions can generally communicate with each other with no major issues, there are several terms which differ. These differences mainly stem from stronger influences from southern Chinese dialects and Japanese in Taiwanese Mandarin, as well as differing translations for some post-1949 modern concepts. These differences are generally understandable to Chinese speakers from different places. The following is a list of some common terms that differ among different areas. {| class="wikitable" |+ !English !Mainland China !Taiwan !Hong Kong !Macau !Singapore !Notes |- |taxi |出租车 (出租車) ''chū zū chē'' |计程车 (計程車) ''jì chéng chē'' |的士 (的士) |的士 (的士) |德士 (德士) ''dé shì'' | |- |metro / subway |地铁 (地鐵) ''dì tiě'' |捷运 (捷運) ''jié yùn'' |地铁/港铁 (地鐵/港鐵) |地铁 (地鐵) |地铁 (地鐵) ''dì tiě'' | |- |light rail |轻轨 (輕軌) ''qīng guǐ'' |轻轨 (輕軌) ''qīng guǐ'' |轻铁 (輕鐵) |轻轨 (輕軌) |轻轨 (輕軌) ''qīng guǐ'' | |- |bicycle |自行车 (自行車) ''zì xíng chē'' |脚踏车 (腳踏車) ''jiǎo tà chē'' |单车 (單車) |单车 (單車) |脚踏车 (腳踏車) ''jiǎo tà chē'' / 脚车 (腳車) ''jiǎo chē'' | |- |air conditioning |空调 (空調) ''kōng tiáo'' |冷气 (冷氣) ''lěng qì'' |冷气 (冷氣) |冷气 (冷氣) |冷气 (冷氣) ''lěng qì'' | |- |potato |土豆 (土豆) ''tǔ dòu'' |马铃薯 (馬鈴薯) ''mǎ líng shǔ'' |薯仔 (薯仔) |薯仔 (薯仔) |马铃薯 (馬鈴薯) ''mǎ líng shǔ'' |土豆 (土豆) refers to peanuts in Taiwan |- |pineapple |菠萝 (菠蘿) ''bō luó'' |凤梨 (鳳梨) ''fèng lí'' |菠萝 (菠蘿) |菠萝 (菠蘿) |黄梨 (黃梨) ''huáng lí'' | |- |boxed meal |盒饭 (盒飯) ''hé fàn'' |便当 (便當) ''biàn dāng'' |饭盒 (飯盒) |饭盒 (飯盒) |便当 (便當) ''biàn dāng'' / 饭盒 (飯盒) ''fàn hé'' | |- |text message / SMS |短信 (短信) ''duǎn xìn'' |简讯 (簡訊) ''jiǎn xùn'' |短讯 (短訊) |短讯 (短訊) |简讯 (簡訊) ''jiǎn xùn'' | |- |spoon |勺子 (勺子) ''sháo zi'' |汤匙 (湯匙) ''tāng chí'' |匙羹 (匙羹) |匙羹 (匙羹) |汤匙 (湯匙) ''tāng chí'' | |} Also note that while the term 小姐 (小姐) ''xiǎo jiě'' is often used to address young women and waitresses in Taiwan (and in Singapore and Malaysia), it is a euphemism for "prostitute" in mainland China, and thus would be considered an insult. In mainland China, the corresponding word for addressing a young woman would be 女士 (女士) ''nǚ shì'' (which can be used for women of all ages), while the word for addressing a waitress would be 服务员 (服務員) ''fú wù yuán'' (which is used for waitstaff of both sexes). The Chinese names for several countries also differ between mainland China and Taiwan, as shown in the table below. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Country !Mainland China !Taiwan !notes |- |Australia |澳大利亚 (澳大利亞) ''ào dà lì yà'' |澳洲 (澳洲) ''ào zhōu'' | |- |Laos |老挝 (老撾) ''lǎo wō'' |寮国 (寮國) ''liáo guó'' | |- |New Zealand |新西兰 (新西蘭) ''xīn xī lán'' |纽西兰 (紐西蘭) ''niǔ xī lán'' | |- |North Korea |(北)朝鲜 ((北)朝鮮) ''cháo xiǎn'' |北韩 (北韓) ''běi hán'' | |- |Saudi Arabia |沙特 (沙特) ''shā tè'' |沙乌地 (沙烏地) ''shā wū dì'' | |- |United Arab Emirates |阿联酋 (阿聯酋) ''ā lián qiú'' |阿联 (阿聯) ''ā lián'' | |} ==Phrase list== All phrases show both the simplified characters (used in mainland [[China]] and [[Singapore]]) and the traditional characters (used in [[Taiwan]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Macau]]) in the following format: ; English phrase : Simplified characters (Traditional characters) ''Hanyu Pinyin'' === Basics === {{infobox|Pronouns|Chinese pronouns are relatively straightforward. 我 ''wǒ'' is the standard first person pronoun, while 你 ''nǐ'' is the standard second person pronoun, though 您 ''nín'' is a more respectful pronoun that should be used when addressing people of higher status, and is also sometimes used by shop assistants to address customers. The equivalent of the third-person pronouns "he", "she" and "it" are 他, 她 and 它 respectively, all pronounced ''tā''. Plurals are relatively straightforward, and are formed by adding a 们 (們) ''men'' behind the singular pronoun, so 我们 (我們) ''wǒmen'' means "we", 你们 (你們) ''nǐmen'' is the equivalent of the plural "you" and 他们 (他們) ''tāmen'' means "they". In Northern China, 咱们 (咱們) ''zámen'' is used as the inclusive "we" (i.e. if the subject includes the person(s) you are talking to), and 我们 (我們) is used as the exclusive "we" (i.e. if the subject does not include the person(s) you are talking to), though this distinction is not made in southern China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, which only use 我们 (我們). }} {{infobox|Have you eaten?|The literal translation of "how are you", ''Nǐ hǎo ma?'', will be understood but may sound stilted and foreign. When greeting someone, it's more natural to ask some variation of 你吃饭了吗？ (你吃飯了嗎） ''Nǐ chī fàn le ma?'' (Have you eaten?). You can answer like this: ;Yes, I've eaten. :已经吃了 (已經吃了) ''Yǐjīng chī le'' ;No, I haven't yet. :还没吃 (還沒吃) ''Hái méi chī'' }} ; Hello. : 你好。 (你好。) ''Nǐ hǎo''. ; Hello. (''only on the telephone'') : 喂。 (喂。) ''Wéi.'' (In Singapore and Malaysia, the English "hello" is typically used instead) ; How are you? : 你好吗？ (你好嗎？) ''Nǐ hǎo ma?'' ; Not bad : 还不错。 (還不錯。) ''Hái búcuò.'' ; Fine, thank you. : 很好, 谢谢。 (很好，謝謝。) ''Hěn hǎo, xièxie.'' ; May I please ask, what is your name? : 请问你叫什么名字？ (請問你叫什麼名字？) ''Qǐngwèn nǐjiào shěnme míngzì?'' ; What is your name? : 你叫什么名字？ (你叫什麼名字？) ''Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?'' ; My name is ______ . :我叫 _____ 。 (我叫 _____ 。) ''Wǒ jiào ______ .'' ; Nice to meet you. : 很高兴认识你。 (很高興認識你。) ''Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.'' / 幸会。 (幸會。) ''Xìng huì.'' ; Please. : 请。 (請。) ''Qǐng.'' ; Thank you. : 谢谢。 (謝謝。) ''Xièxie.'' ; You're welcome. : 不客气。 (不客氣。) ''Bú kèqi.'' ; Excuse me. (''getting attention'') : 请问。 (請問。) ''qǐng wèn.'' ; Excuse me. (''begging pardon'') : 打扰一下。 (打擾一下。) ''Dǎrǎo yixià'' / 麻烦您一下。 (麻煩您一下。) ''Máfan nín yíxià''. ; Excuse me. (''coming through'') : 对不起。 (對不起。) ‘’Duìbùqǐ’’ / 请让一下。 (請讓一下。) ''Qǐng ràng yixià'' ; I'm sorry. : 对不起。 (對不起。) ''Duìbuqǐ.'' ; It's okay. (polite response to "I'm sorry"): 没关系。 (沒關系。) ''méiguānxi.'' ; Goodbye : 再见。 (再見。) ''Zàijiàn'' ; Goodbye (''informal'') : 拜拜。 (拜拜。) ''Bai-bai'' (Byebye) ; I can't speak Chinese. : 我不会说汉语。 (我不會說漢語。) ''Wǒ bú huì shuō hànyǔ.'' ; Do you speak English? : 你会说英语吗？ (你會說英語嗎？) ''Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?'' ; Is there someone here who speaks English? : 这里有人会说英语吗？ (這裏有人會說英語嗎？) ''Zhèlĭ yǒu rén hùi shuō Yīngyǔ ma?'' ; Help! (in emergencies): 救命！ (救命!) ''Jiùmìng!'' ; Good morning. : 早安。 (早安。) ''Zǎo'ān.'' ; Good evening. : 晚上好。 (晚上好。) ''Wǎnshàng hǎo.'' ; Good night. : 晚安。 (晚安。) ''Wǎn'ān.'' ; I don't understand. : 我听不懂。 (我聽不懂。) ''Wǒ tīng bu dǒng.'' ; Where is the toilet? : 厕所在哪里？ (廁所在哪裡？) ''Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?'' ; Where is the bathroom（polite)? : 洗手间在哪里？ (洗手間在哪裡？) ''Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?'' ; How do you say ____? : ____ 怎么说？ (____ 怎麼說？) ''____ zěnme shuō?'' ===Problems=== {{infobox|To be or not to be?|Chinese does not have words for "yes" and "no" as such; instead, questions are typically answered by repeating the verb. Here are common examples: ; To be or not to be: 是 (是) ''shì'', 不是 (不是) ''bú shì'' ; To have or not have / there is or is not: 有 (有) ''yǒu'', 没有 (没有) ''méi yǒu'' ; To be right or wrong: 对 (對) ''duì'', 不对 (不對) ''bú duì'' If all this seems like too much to handle, you can say "yes" with a short falling-tone grunt (嗯 ''ǹg''), and you'll usually be understood if you say 不 ''bù'' for "no". }} ; Leave me alone. : 不要打扰我。 (不要打擾我。) ''búyào dǎrǎo wǒ'' ; I don't want it! (useful for people who come up trying to sell you something) : 我不要！ (我不要！) ''wǒ búyào!'' ; Don't touch me! : 不要碰我！ (不要碰我！) ''búyào pèng wǒ!'' ; I'll call the police. : 我要叫警察了。 (我要叫警察了。) ''wǒ yào jiào jǐngchá le'' ; Police! : 警察！ (警察！) ''jǐngchá!'' ; Stop! Thief! : 住手！小偷！ (住手！小偷！) ''zhùshǒu! xiǎotōu!'' ; I need your help. : 我需要你的帮助。 (我需要你的幫助。) ''wǒ xūyào nǐde bāngzhù'' ; It's an emergency. : 这是紧急情况。 (這是緊急情況。) ''zhèshì jǐnjí qíngkuàng'' ; I'm lost. : 我迷路了。 (我迷路了。) ''wǒ mílù le'' ; I lost my bag. : 我的包丢了。 (我的包丟了。) ''wǒ de bāo diūle'' ; I lost my wallet. : 我的钱包丢了。 (我的錢包丟了。) ''wǒ de qiánbāo diūle'' ; I'm sick. : 我生病了。 (我生病了。) ''wǒ shēngbìng le'' ; I've been injured. : 我受伤了。 (我受傷了。) ''wǒ shòushāng le'' ; I need a doctor. : 我需要医生。 (我需要醫生。) ''wǒ xūyào yīshēng'' ; Can I use your phone? : 我可以打个电话吗？ (我可以打個電話嗎？) ''wǒ kěyǐ dǎ ge diànhuà ma?'' ===Going to the doctor=== {{infobox|Asking a question in Chinese|There are many ways to ask a question in Chinese. Here are two easy ones for travelers... ; Verb/Adj. + 不 (不) ''bù'' + Verb/Adj. : Example - 好不好？ （好不好？）''hăo bù hăo?'' - Is that okay? / Are you all right? (literally - good not good?) Exception - 有没有？ （有沒有？） ''yŏu méi yŏu?'' - Do you have? (literally - have not have?) ; Sentence + 吗 （嗎） ma : Example - 你是中国人吗？ （你是中國人嗎？） ''nĭ shì zhōngguóren ma?'' - Are you Chinese? (literally - you are Chinese + ma)}} ; Doctor: 医生 (醫生) ''yīshēng'' ; Nurse: 护士 (護士) ''hùshi'' ; Hospital: 医院 (醫院) ''yīyuàn'' ; Chinese medicine: 中药 (中藥) ''zhōngyào'' ; Western medicine: 西药 (西藥) ''xīyào'' ; I am sick.: 我生病了。 (我生病了。) ''wǒ shēngbìng le'' ; My _____ hurts.: 我的 ____ 疼/痛。 ( 我的 ____ 疼/痛。) ''wŏde ____ téng/tòng'' ; Painful: 疼/痛 (疼/痛) ''téng/tòng'' ; Sick/Uncomfortable: 不舒服 (不舒服) ''bù shūfu'' ; Itchy/ticklish: 痒 (痒) ''yǎng'' ; Sore (In muscle strains): 酸 (酸) ''suān'' ; Fever: 发热 (發熱) ''fārè'' / 发烧 (發燒) ''fāshāo'' ; Cough: 咳嗽 (咳嗽) ''késòu'' ; Sneeze: 打喷嚏 (打噴嚏) ''dǎ pēntì'' ; Diarrhoea: 拉肚子 (拉肚子) ''lā dùzi'' / 泻肚子 (瀉肚子) ''xiè dùzi'' ; Vomiting: 呕吐 (嘔吐) ''ŏu tù'' ; Running nose: 流鼻涕 (流鼻涕) ''liú bítì'' ; Phlegm: 痰 (痰) ''tán'' ; Cut/wound: 割伤 (割傷) ''gēshāng'' / 伤口 (傷口) ''shāngkǒu'' ; Burn: 烧伤 (燒傷) ''shāoshāng'' ; Hands: 手 (手) ''shǒu'' ; Arms: 手臂 (手臂) ''shǒubì'' / 胳膊 (胳膊) ''gēbo'' ; Fingers: 手指 (手指) ''shǒuzhǐ'' ; Wrist: 手腕 (手腕) ''shǒuwàn'' ; Shoulder: 肩膀 (肩膀) ''jiānbǎng'' ; Feet: 脚 (腳) ''jiǎo'' ; Toes: 脚趾 (腳趾) ''jiáozhǐ'' ; Legs: 腿 (腿) ''tuǐ'' ; Nails: 指甲 (指甲) ''zhǐjia'' ; Body: 身体 (身體) ''shēntǐ'' ; Eyes: 眼睛 (眼睛) ''yǎnjīng'' ; Ears: 耳朵 (耳朵) ''ěrduo'' ; Nose: 鼻子 (鼻子) ''bízi'' ; Face: 脸 (臉) ''liǎn'' ; Hair: 头发 (頭髮) ''tóufa'' ; Head: 头 (頭) ''tóu'' ; Neck: 脖子 (脖子) ''bózi'' / 颈项 (頸項) ''jǐngxiàng'' ; Throat: 喉咙 (喉嚨) ''hóulóng'' ; Chest: 胸 (胸) ''xiōng'' ; Abdomen: 肚子 (肚子) ''dùzi'' / 腹 (腹) ''fù'' ; Hip/Waist: 腰 (腰) ''yāo'' ; Buttocks: 屁股 (屁股) ''pìgu'' ; Back: 背 (背) ''bèi'' ; Medical Insurance: 医疗保险 (醫療保險) ''yīliáo bǎoxiǎn'' ; Doctor's fees: 医生费 (醫生費) ''yīshēng fèi'' ; Prescription: 处方 (處方) ''chǔfāng'' / 药方 (藥方) ''yàofāng'' ; Medicine: 药 (藥) ''yào'' ; Pharmacy: 药店 (藥店) ''yàodiàn'' ===Numbers=== {{Infobox|Number gestures|Chinese people use a set of gestures for the numbers 1-10. They're a useful way to communicate prices and quantities, especially if you're having trouble understanding or pronouncing the Chinese word for a number. The gestures vary a bit by region. <gallery> Image:Chinese number one.jpg|thumb|1 Image:Chinese number two.jpg|thumb|2 Image:Chinese number three.jpg|thumb|3 Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Vier.jpg|thumb|4 Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Fuenf.jpg|thumb|5 Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Sechs.jpg|thumb|6 Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Sieben.jpg|thumb|7 (may be interpreted as 5 by Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese and as 8 by Guangdong & Hong Kong locals) Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Acht.jpg|thumb|8 (may be interpreted as 7 in some regions, such as Guangdong, Fujian, Hong Kong and Taiwan and by Malaysian or Singaporean Chinese) Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Neun.jpg|thumb|9 (will be interpreted as the verb "to die" in Singapore) Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Zehn.jpg|thumb|10 (may be interpreted as 0 in Malaysia and Singapore) Image:Chinesische.Zahl.Zehn.zweiHaende.jpg|thumb|10 (alternative) </gallery>}} Chinese numbers are very regular. While Western numerals have become more common and are universally understood, the Chinese numerals shown below are still used, particularly in informal contexts like markets. ; 0: 〇 (〇) / 零 (零) ''líng'' ; 1: 一 (一) ''yī'' (pronounced ''yāo'' when reading numbers like ID card or telephone numbers) ; 2: 二 (二) ''èr'' (两 (兩) ''liǎng'' is used when specifying quantities) ; 3: 三 (三) ''sān'' ; 4: 四 (四) ''sì'' ; 5: 五 (五) ''wǔ'' ; 6: 六 (六) ''liù'' ; 7: 七 (七) ''qī'' ; 8: 八 (八) ''bā'' ; 9: 九 (九) ''jiǔ'' ; 10: 十 (十) ''shí'' ; 11: 十一 (十一) ''shí-yī'' ; 12: 十二 (十二) ''shí-èr'' ; 13: 十三 (十三) ''shí-sān'' ; 14: 十四 (十四) ''shí-sì'' ; 15: 十五 (十五) ''shí-wǔ'' ; 16: 十六 (十六) ''shí-liù'' ; 17: 十七 (十七) ''shí-qī'' ; 18: 十八 (十八) ''shí-bā'' ; 19: 十九 (十九) ''shí-jiǔ'' ; 20: 二十 (二十) ''èr-shí'' ; 21: 二十一 (二十一) ''èr-shí-yī'' ; 22: 二十二 (二十二) ''èr-shí-èr'' ; 23: 二十三 (二十三) ''èr-shí-sān'' ; 30: 三十 (三十) ''sān-shí'' ; 40: 四十 (四十) ''sì-shí'' ; 50: 五十 (五十) ''wǔ-shí'' ; 60: 六十 (六十) ''liù-shí'' ; 70: 七十 (七十) ''qī-shí'' ; 80: 八十 (八十) ''bā-shí'' ; 90: 九十 (九十) ''jiǔ-shí'' {{Infobox|''Shí kuài'' or ''sì kuài''?|In southern China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, many speakers don't distinguish the ''sh'' and ''s'' sounds, which means that in these areas, the only reliable difference between ''shí'' (ten) and ''sì'' (four) is the tone. So if you're talking to someone from southern China, it's important to listen for the tone when they tell you a number, lest you think something costs 4 yuan when it's really 10.}} For numbers above 100, any "gaps" must be filled in with 零 ''líng'', as e.g. 一百一 ''yībǎiyī'' would otherwise be taken as shorthand for "110". A single unit of tens may be written and pronounced either 一十 ''yīshí'' or just 十 ''shí''. ; 100: 一百 (一百) ''yī-bǎi'' ; 101: 一百零一 (一百零一) ''yī-bǎi-líng-yī'' ; 110: 一百一十 (一百一十) ''yī-bǎi-yī-shí'' ; 111: 一百一十一 (一百一十一) ''yī-bǎi-yī-shí-yī'' ; 200: 二百 (二百) ''èr-bǎi'' (written) or 两百 (兩百) ''liǎng-bǎi'' (colloquial) ; 300: 三百 (三百) ''sān-bǎi'' ; 500: 五百 (五百) ''wǔ-bǎi'' ; 1000: 一千 (一千) ''yī-qiān'' ; 2000: 二千 (二千) ''èr-qiān'' (written) or 两千 (兩千) ''liǎng-qiān'' (colloquial) Numbers starting from 10,000 are grouped by in units of four digits starting with 万 (萬) ''wàn'' (ten thousand). "One million" in Chinese is thus "hundred ten-thousands" 一百万 (一百萬), and "one billion" is "ten hundred-millions" 十亿 (十億). ; 10,000: 一万 (一萬) ''yī-wàn'' ; 10,001: 一万零一 (一萬零一) ''yī-wàn-líng-yī'' ; 10,002: 一万零二 (一萬零二) ''yī-wàn-líng-èr'' ; 20,000: 二万 (二萬) ''èr-wàn'' (written) or 两万 (兩萬) ''liǎng-wàn'' (colloquial) ; 50,000: 五万 (五萬) ''wǔ-wàn'' ; 100,000: 十万 (十萬) ''shí-wàn'' ; 200,000: 二十万 (二十萬) ''èr-shí-wàn'' ; 1,000,000: 一百万 (一百萬) ''yī-bǎi-wàn'' ; 10,000,000: 一千万 (一千萬) ''yī-qiān-wàn'' ; 100,000,000: 一亿 (一億) ''yī-yì'' ; 1,000,000,000: 十亿 (十億) ''shí-yì'' ; 1,000,000,000,000: 一万亿 (一萬億) ''yī-wàn-yì'' or 一兆 (一兆) ''yī-zhào'' ; number _____ (''train, bus, etc.'') : number '''''measure word''''' (路(路) ''lù'', 号(號) ''hào'', ...) _____ (火车 (火車) ''huǒ chē'', 公共汽车 (公共汽車) ''gōng gòng qì chē'', etc.) Measure words are used in combination with a number to indicate an amount of something, similar to how English requires "two ''pieces of'' furniture" rather than just "two furniture". [[w:measure_word]] When unsure, use 个 (個) ''ge''; even though it may not be correct, you will probably be understood because it is the generic and most common measure word. ;one person: 一个人 (一個人) ''yí ge rén'' ;two apples: 两个苹果 (兩個蘋果) ''liǎng ge píngguǒ'' ;one slice of bread: 一片面包 (一片麵包) ''yí piàn miàn bāo'' ;one piece of cake: 一块蛋糕 (一塊蛋糕) ''yí kuài dàn gāo'' Be careful about using the right counter words for the latter two. 一个面包 (一個麵包) ''yí ge miàn bāo'' and 一个蛋糕 (一個蛋糕) ''yí ge dàn gāo'' refer to a whole loaf of bread and a whole cake respectively. Note that two of something always uses 两 (兩) ''liǎng'' rather than 二 (二) ''èr''). ; half : 半 (半) ''bàn'' ; less than : 少于 (少於) ''shǎoyú'' ; more than : 多于 (多於) ''duōyú'' ====Financial forms==== There are also more complex forms of these characters, used in financial contexts to prevent fraud. Most travellers are unlikely to need to recognize them, but they are used in situations such as writing cheques and printing banknotes. {| class="wikitable" | Everyday character || 零/〇 || 一 || 二 || 三 || 四 || 五 || 六 || 七 || 八 || 九 || 十 || 百 || 千 || 万 (萬) || 亿 (億) |- | Financial character || 零 (零) || 壹 (壹) || 贰 (貳) || 叁 (參) || 肆 (肆) || 伍 (伍) || 陆 (陸) || 柒 (柒) || 捌 (捌) || 玖 (玖) || 拾 (拾) || 佰 (佰) || 仟 (仟) || 萬 (萬) || 億 (億) |- | Value || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 100 || 1,000 || 10,000 || 100,000,000 |} ===Time=== ; now : 现在 (現在) ''xiànzài'' ; later : 以后 (以後) ''yǐhòu'' / 稍后(稍後) ''shāohòu'' ; before : 以前 (以前) ''yǐqián'' ; morning : 早上 (早上) ''zǎoshang'' / 上午 (上午) ''shàngwǔ'' ; noon: 中午 (中午) ''zhōngwǔ'' ; afternoon : 下午 (下午) ''xiàwǔ'' ; evening : 傍晚 (傍晚) ''bàngwǎn'' ; night : 晚上 (晚上) ''wǎnshang'' ; midnight: 半夜 (半夜) ''bànyè'' / 午夜 (午夜) ''wǔyè'' ====Clock time==== ; What time is it? : 现在几点？ (現在幾點？) ''Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?'' ; It is nine in the morning.: 早上9点钟。 (早上9點鐘。) ''Zǎoshàng jǐu diǎn zhōng.'' ; 3<nowiki>:</nowiki>30 PM: 下午3点半 (下午3點半) ''Xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn'' / 下午3点30分 (下午3點30分) ''Xiàwǔ sāndiǎn sānshí fēn'' ; 3<nowiki>:</nowiki>38 PM: 下午3点38分 (下午3點38分) ''Xiàwǔ sāndiǎn sānshíbā fēn'' In formal writing, 时 (時) ''shí'' is used instead of 点 (點) ''diǎn'' to indicate hours when telling time. Therefore, the time 3<nowiki>:</nowiki>30 PM would be written as 下午3时30分 (下午3時30分) in formal writing. This form is, however, not used in speech. ====Duration==== ; _____ minute(s) : _____ 分钟 (分鐘) ''fēnzhōng'' ; _____ hour(s) : _____ 个小时 (個小時) ''ge xiǎoshí'' / _____ 个钟头 (個鍾頭) ''ge zhōngtóu'' ; _____ day(s) : _____ 天 (天) ''tiān'' (colloquial) / _____ 日 (日) ''rì'' (formal) ; _____ week(s) : _____ 个礼拜 (個禮拜) ''ge lǐbài'' (colloquial) / _____ 个星期 (個星期) ''ge xīngqī'' / _____ 周 (週) ''zhōu'' ; _____ month(s) : _____ 个月 (個月) ''ge yùe'' ; _____ year(s) : _____ 年 (年) ''nián'' ====Days==== ; today : 今天 (今天) ''jīntiān'' ; yesterday : 昨天 (昨天) ''zuótiān'' ; the day before yesterday: 前天 (前天) ''qiántiān'' ; tomorrow : 明天 (明天) ''míngtiān'' ; the day after tomorrow: 后天 (后天) ''hòutiān'' ; this week : 这个星期 (這個星期) ''zhège xīngqī'' / 这个礼拜 (這個禮拜) ''zhège lǐbài'' (colloquial) / 这周 （這週） ''zhè zhōu'' ; last week : 上个星期 (上個星期) ''shàngge xīngqī'' / 上个礼拜 (上個禮拜) ''shàngge lǐbài'' (colloquial) / 上周 (上週) ''shàng zhōu'' ; next week : 下个星期 (下個星期) ''xiàge xīngqī'' / 下个礼拜 (下個禮拜) ''xiàge lǐbài'' (colloquial) / 下周 (下週) ''xià zhōu'' Weekdays in Chinese are easy: starting with 1 for Monday, just add the number after 星期 (星期) ''xīngqī''. In [[Taiwan]] and Singapore, 星期 (星期) is pronounced ''xīngqí'' (second tone on the second syllable). ; Sunday : 星期天 (星期天 ) ''xīngqītiān'' / 星期日 (星期日) ''xīngqīrì'' ; Monday : 星期一 (星期一) ''xīngqīyī'' ; Tuesday : 星期二 (星期二) ''xīngqī'èr'' ; Wednesday : 星期三 (星期三) ''xīngqīsān'' ; Thursday : 星期四 (星期四) ''xīngqīsì'' ; Friday : 星期五 (星期五) ''xīngqīwǔ'' ; Saturday : 星期六 (星期六) ''xīngqīliù'' In colloquial usage, 星期 (星期) can also be replaced with 礼拜 (禮拜) ''lǐbài'' or just 拜 (拜) ''bài'', and 周 (週) ''zhōu'', but only 礼拜天 (禮拜天) ''lǐbàitiān'' and 周日 (週日) ''zhōurì'' are used, while 礼拜日 (禮拜日) or 周天 (週天) are not used. In colloquial usage, a common way to refer to Saturday and Sunday collectively is 拜六礼拜 (拜六禮拜) ''bài lìu lǐ bài''. ====Months==== Months in Chinese are also easy: starting with 1 for January, just add the number before 月 (月) ''yuè''. ; January : 一月 (一月) ''yī yuè'' ; February : 二月 (二月) ''èr yuè'' ; March : 三月 (三月) ''sān yuè'' ; April : 四月 (四月) ''sì yuè'' ; May : 五月 (五月) ''wŭ yuè'' ; June : 六月 (六月) ''liù yuè'' ; July : 七月 (七月) ''qī yuè'' ; August : 八月 (八月) ''bā yuè'' ; September : 九月 (九月) ''jiŭ yuè'' ; October : 十月 (十月) ''shí yuè'' ; November : 十一月 (十一月) ''shí yī yuè'' ; December : 十二月 (十二月) ''shí èr yuè'' ====Writing dates==== {{infobox|Writing dates in the lunar calendar|If you are attempting to name a date in the Chinese lunar calendar, add the words 农历 (農歷) before the name of the month to distinguish it from the months of the solar calendar, although it is not strictly necessary. There are some differences: The words 日(日) ''rì''/ 号(號) ''hào'' are generally not required when stating dates in the lunar calendar; it is assumed. Besides that, the 1st Month is called 正月 (正月) ''zhēngyuè''. If the number of the day is less than 11, the word 初 (初) is used before the value of the day. Besides that, if the value of the day is more than 20, the word 廿 (廿) ''niàn'' is used, so the 23rd day is 廿三 (廿三) for example. ;15th day of the 8th lunar month (the mid-autumn festival): (农历)八月十五 ((農歷)八月十五) ''(nónglì) bāyuè shí-wǔ''. ;1st day of the 1st lunar month: (农历)正月初一 ((農歷)正月初一) ''(nónglì) zhèngyuè chūyī''. ; 23rd day of the 9th lunar month: (农历)九月廿三 ((農歷)九月廿三) ''(nónglì) jiŭ yuè niànsān''. }} When writing the date, you name the month ''(number (1-12) + 月 (月) ''yuè'')'', before inserting the day ''(number (1-31) + 日(日) ''rì''/ 号(號) ''hào'')''. Note that the usage of 号(號) ''hào'' is more colloquial than that of 日(日) ''rì'', the latter of which is used in writing and formal speech. ;6th January: 一月六号 (一月六號) ''yī yuè liù hào'' or 一月六日 (一月六日) ''yī yuè liù rì'' ;25th December: 十二月二十五号 (十二月二十五號) ''shí-èr yuè èr-shí-wǔ hào'' ===Colours=== ; black : 黑色 (黑色) ''hēi sè'' ; white : 白色 (白色) ''bái sè'' ; grey : 灰色 (灰色) ''huī sè'' ; red : 红色 (紅色) ''hóng sè'' ; blue : 蓝色 (藍色) ''lán sè'' ; yellow : 黄色 (黄色) ''huáng sè'' ; green : 绿色 (綠色) ''lǜ sè'' / 青色 (青色) ''qīng sè'' ; orange : 橙色 (橙色) ''chéng sè'' ; purple : 紫色 (紫色) ''zǐ sè'' ; brown : 褐色 (褐色) ''hè sè'' / 棕色 (棕色) ''zōng sè'' ; gold : 金色 (金色) ''jīn se'' ; Do you have it in another colour? : 你们有没有其他颜色? (你們有沒有其他顏色?) ''nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu qítā yánsè ?'' ''Sè'' means 'colour' so ''hóng sè'' is literally 'red colour'. More common for brown and easier to remember is 'coffee colour': 咖啡色 (咖啡色) ''kā fēi sè'' ===Transportation=== ====Bus and Train==== ; How much is a ticket to _____? : 去______的票多少钱? (去______的票多少錢?) ''qù _____ de piào duō shǎo qián?'' ; Do you go to... (the central station)? : 去不去... (火车站)? (去不去... (火車站)?) ''qù bu qù... (huǒ chē zhàn)'' ; bus : 公交车 (公交車) ''gōng jiāo chē'' (China) / 公车 (公車) ''gōng chē'' (Taiwan) / 巴士 (巴士) ''bā shì'' (Singapore) ; slow train : 火车 (火車) ''huǒ chē'' ; high-speed train : 高铁 (高鐵) ''gāo tiě'' ; metro / subway : 地铁 (地鐵) ''dì tiě'' (China & Singapore) / 捷运 (捷運) ''jié yùn'' (Taiwan) ; tram / streetcar : 电车 (電車) ''diàn chē'' ; light rail : 轻轨 (輕軌) ''qīng guǐ'' ====Directions==== ; How do I get to _____ ? : 怎么去_____? (怎麼去_____?) ''zěnme qù _____?'' ; ...the train station? : ...火车站? (...火車站?) ''...huǒchēzhàn''? ; ...the bus station? :...汽车站? (汽車站?) ''..qìchēzhàn? ''(China) / ...巴士站? (..巴士站?) ''...bāshìzhàn''? (Singapore) ; ...the airport? : ...飞机场? (...飛機場?) ''...fēi jī chǎng?'' / ...机场? ( ...機場?) ''... jī chǎng?'' ; street : 街 (街) ''jiē'' ; road : 路 (路) ''lù'' ; Turn left. : 左转 (左轉) ''zuǒ zhuǎn'' ; Turn right. : 右转 (右轉) ''yòu zhuǎn'' ; Go straight: 直走 (直走) ''zhízŏu'' ; I've reached my destination: 到了 (到了) ''dàole'' ; U-turn: 掉头 (掉頭) ''diàotóu'' ; Taxi driver: 师傅 (師傅) ''shīfu'' ; Please use the meter machine: 请打表 (請打表) ''qǐng dǎbiǎo'' ; Please turn up the aircon/heater: 请把空调开大点。 (請把空調開大點。) ''qǐng bǎ kōngtiáo kāi dàdiǎn'' (China) / 请把冷气开大一点。 (請把冷氣開大一點。) ''qǐng bǎ lěngqì kāi dà yīdiǎn'' (Singapore) ; left : 左 (左) ''zuǒ'' ; right : 右 (右) ''yòu'' ; in front of the _____ : _____前面 (_____前面) ''_____ qiánmiàn'' ; behind the _____ : _____后面 (_____後面) ''_____ hòumiàn'' ; straight ahead : 往前走 (往前走) ''wǎngqián zǒu'' / 直走 (直走) ''zhí zǒu'' ; inside : 里面 (裡面) ''lǐ miàn'' ; outside : 外面 (外面) ''wài miàn'' ; north : 北 (北) ''bĕi'' ; south : 南 (南) ''nán'' ; east : 东 (東) ''dōng'' ; west : 西 (西) ''xī'' ====Taxi==== ; Taxi : 出租车 (出租車) ''chū zū chē'' (in China) / 计程车 (計程車) ''jìchéngchē'' (in Taiwan) / 德士 (德士) dé shì (in Singapore) ; Take me to _____, please. : 请开到_____。 (請開到_____。) ''qǐng kāidào _____。'' ===Lodging=== {{infobox|Common signs| ; 入口 (入口) : Entrance [''rùkǒu''] ; 出口 (出口) : Exit [''chūkǒu''] ; 推 (推) : Push [''tuī''] ; 拉 (拉) : Pull [''lā''] ; 厕所 (廁所) / 洗手间 (洗手間) : Toilet [''cèsuǒ''] / [''xǐshǒujiān''] ; 男 (男) : Men [''nán''] ; 女 (女) : Women [''nǚ''] ; 禁止 (禁止) : Forbidden [''jìnzhǐ''] ; 吸烟 (吸煙) : Smoking [''xīyān''] ; 饮水 (飲水) / 饮用水 (飲用水) : Drinking water [''yǐnshuǐ''] / [''yǐnyòngshuǐ'']}} ; Do you have any rooms available? : 你们有房间吗？ (你們有房間嗎？) ''Nǐmen yǒu fángjiān ma?'' ; Does the room come with... : 有没有... (有沒有...) ''Yǒu méiyǒu…'' ; ...bedsheets? : ...床单？ (...床單？) ''...chuángdān?'' ; ...a bathroom? : ...浴室？ (浴室？) ''...yùshì?'' (in China) / ...冲凉房？ (...沖涼房？) ''...chōngliángfáng?'' (in Singapore) ; ...a telephone? : ...电话？ (...電話？) ''...diànhuà?'' ; ...a TV? : ...电视机？ (...電視機？) …''diànshìjī?'' ; I will stay for _____ night(s). : 我打算住_____晚。 (我打算住_____晚。) ''Wǒ dǎsuàn zhù _____ wǎn.'' ; Do you have a safe? : 你们有没有保险箱？ (你們有沒有保險箱？) ''Nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu bǎoxiǎn xiāng?'' ; Can you wake me at _____? : 请明天早上_____叫醒我。 (請明天早上_____叫醒我。) ''Qǐng míngtiān zǎoshàng _____ jiàoxǐng wǒ.'' ; I want to check out. : 我想退房。 (我想退房。) ''Wǒ xiǎng tuìfáng.'' ===Money=== The base unit of currency in Chinese is the 元 (''yuán''), which could be translated as "dollar", or simiply transliterated as "yuan", depending on what currency you are referring to. In financial contexts, such as when writing cheques and printing banknotes, 元 is written as 圆 (圓). One yuan is divided into 10 角 (''jiǎo''), which is in turn divided into 10 分 (''fēn''). Collquially, the yuan is often referred to as the 块 (''kuài''), while the jiao is referred to as the 毛 (''máo''). ; pay: 付 (付) ''fù'' ; cash: 现金 (現金) ''xiàn jīn'' / 现钱 (現錢) ''xiàn qián'' ; credit card: 信用卡 (信用卡) ''xìn yòng kǎ'' ; debit card: 借记卡 (借記卡) ''jiè jì kǎ'' ; check: 支票 (支票) ''zhīpiào'' ; foreign exchange: 外汇 (外匯) ''wài huì'' ; to change money: 换钱 (換錢) ''huàn qián'' ; exchange rate: 汇率 (匯率) ''huìlǜ'' ; Chinese yuan: 人民币 (人民幣) ''rénmínbì'' ; Taiwan dollars: 新台币 (新臺幣) ''xīn tái bì'' / 台币 (臺幣) ''tái bì'' ; Hong Kong dollars: 港元 (港元) ''gǎng yuán'' / 港币 (港幣) ''gǎng bì'' ; Singapore dollars: 新加坡元 (新加坡元) ''xīnjiāpō yuán'' / 新币 (新幣) ''xīn bì'' ; Malaysian ringgit: 马来西亚令吉 (馬來西亞令吉) ''mǎláixīyà lìngjí'' / 马币 (馬幣) ''mǎ bì'' ; US dollars: 美元 (美元) ''mĕi yuán'' / 美金 (美金) ''mĕi jīn'' ; Euros: 欧元 (歐元) ''ōu yuán'' ; British pounds: 英镑 (英鎊) ''yīng bàng'' ===Eating=== {{infobox|Reading a Chinese Menu|Look for these characters to get an idea of what you're ordering. With help from ''The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters'' (J. McCawley). ;''dīng'': 丁 (丁) (cubed/diced) ;''piàn'': 片 (片) (thinly sliced) ;''sī'': 丝 (絲) (shredded) ;''kuài'': 块 (塊) (chunk/cut into bite-sized pieces) ;''qiú'': 球 (球) (curled) ;''chăo'': 炒 (炒) (stir-fried) ;''zhá'': 炸 (炸) (deep-fried) ;''jiān'': 煎 (煎) (pan-fried) ;''zhēng'': 蒸 (蒸) (steamed) ;''zhǔ'': 煮 (煮) (boiled) ;''kăo'': 烤 (烤) (dry-roasted) ;''shāo'': 烧 (燒) (roasted w/ sauce)}} ; Can I look at the menu, please? : 请给我看看菜单。 (請給我看看菜單。) ''qǐng gěi wǒ kànkan càidān.'' ; Do you have an English menu? : 你有没有英文菜单？ (你有沒有英文菜單？) ''nǐ yŏu méi yǒu yīngwén càidān?'' :''(Listen for...'' :;Yes, we have one. : 有(有) ''yǒu'' :; No, we don't. : 没有 (沒有) ''méi yǒu'' {{infobox|Are you Buddhist?| If you're a vegetarian traveling in China, you may find that a common reaction to '''我吃素 ''wǒ chī sù''''' is '''你信佛吗？ ''nǐ xìn fó ma?''''' ("Are you Buddhist?", literally "Do you believe in Buddhism?"). As with other yes-or-no questions, the correct responses repeat the verb: ;Yes :信 ''xìn'' (I believe) ;No :不信 ''bú xìn'' (I don't believe) }} ; I'm a vegetarian : 我吃素 (我吃素) ''wǒ chī sù'' ; I only eat Halal food. : 我只吃清真食品 (我只吃清真食品) wǒ zhǐ chī qīngzhēn shípǐn ; breakfast : 早饭 (早飯) ''zǎofàn'' / 早餐 (早餐) ''zǎocān'' ; lunch : 午饭 (午飯) ''wǔfàn'' / 中饭 (中飯) ''zhōngfàn'' / 午餐 (午餐) ''wǔcān'' ; supper : 晚饭 (晚飯) ''wǎnfàn'' / 晚餐 (晚餐) ''wǎncān'' ; beef : 牛肉 (牛肉) '' niúròu'' ; pork : 猪肉 (豬肉) ''zhūròu''，or sometimes simply 肉 (肉) ''ròu''. ; mutton : 羊肉 (羊肉) '' yángròu'' ; chicken : 鸡 (雞) ''jī'' ; duck : 鸭 (鴨) ''yā'' ; goose: 鹅 (鵝) ''é'' ; fish: 鱼 (魚) ''yú'' ; cheese : 奶酪 (奶酪) ''nǎilào'' ; eggs : 鸡蛋 (雞蛋) ''jīdàn'' / 蛋 (蛋) ''dàn'' (the former specifically refers to chicken eggs, the latter can be used generally for any type of egg) ; fresh : 新鲜 (新鮮) ''xīnxiān'' ; fruit : 水果 (水果) ''shuĭguǒ'' ; vegetables : 蔬菜 (蔬菜) ''shūcài'' / 青菜 (青菜) ''qīngcài'' ; bread : 面包 (麵包) ''miànbāo'' ; noodles : 面条 (麵條) ''miàntiáo'' ; fried rice: 炒饭 (炒飯) ''chǎofàn'' ; dumpling: 饺子 (餃子) ''jiǎozi'' ; cooked rice : 米饭 (米飯) ''mĭfàn'' (China) / 饭 (飯) ''fàn'' (Singapore) ; raw rice: 米 (米) ''mĭ'' ; congee / rice porridge : 粥 (粥) ''zhōu'' / 稀饭 (稀飯) ''xīfàn'' ; coffee : 咖啡 (咖啡) ''kāfēi'' ; black coffee : 黑咖啡 (黑咖啡) ''hēi kāfēi'' ; milk : 奶 (奶) ''nǎi'' / 牛奶 (牛奶) ''niúnǎi'' (The former is more general, while the latter specifically refers to cow's milk.) ; butter : 奶油 (奶油) ''nǎiyóu'' (in China and Taiwan) / 牛油 (牛油) ''niúyóu'' (in Singapore) ; sugar : 糖 (糖) ''táng'' (Also means "candy".) ; salt : 盐 (鹽) ''yán'' ; ground pepper : 胡椒粉（胡椒粉）''hújiāo fěn'' ; soy sauce : 酱油 (醬油) ''jiàngyóu'' ; tea (''drink'') : 茶 (茶) ''chá'' ; green tea : 绿茶 (綠茶) ''lǜ chá'' ; scented tea : 花茶 (花茶) ''huāchá'' ; black tea : 红茶 (紅茶) ''hóngchá'' ; juice : 果汁 (果汁) ''guǒzhī'' ; water : 水 (水) ''shuĭ'' ; natural mineral water: 矿泉水 (礦泉水) ''kuàngquán shuǐ'' ; beer : 啤酒 (啤酒) ''píjiŭ'' ; red/white wine : 红/白 葡萄酒 (紅/白 葡萄酒) ''hóng/bái pútáojiŭ'' ; It was delicious. : 很好吃。(很好吃。) ''hěn hǎochī'' (eating) / 很好喝。（很好喝。） ''hěn hǎohē'' (drinking) ; The check, please. : 买单 (買單) ''mǎidān'' ===Bars=== ; Do you serve alcohol? : 卖不卖酒？ (賣不賣酒？) '' mài búmài jiǔ?'' ; Is there table service? : 有没有餐桌服务？ (有沒有餐桌服務？) ''yǒu méiyǒu cānzhuō fúwù?'' ; A beer/two beers, please. : 请给我一杯/两杯啤酒。 (請給我一杯/兩杯啤酒。) ''qǐng gěiwǒ yìbēi/liǎngbēi píjiǔ'' ; A glass of red/white wine, please. : 请给我一杯红/白葡萄酒。 (請給我一杯紅/白葡萄酒。) ''qǐng gěi wǒ yìbēi hóng/bái pútáojiǔ'' ; A pint, please. : 请给我一品脱。(請給我一品脫。) ''qǐng gěi wǒ yìpǐntuō'' ; A bottle, please. : 请给我一瓶。 (請給我一瓶。) ''qǐng gěi wǒ yìpíng'' ; _____ (''hard liquor'') and _____ (''mixer''), please. : 请给我_____和_____。 (請給我_____和_____。) ''qǐng gěi wǒ _____ hé _____'' ; baijiu (Chinese hard liquor) : 白酒 (白酒) ''báijiǔ'' ; whiskey : 威士忌 (威士忌) ''wēishìjì'' ; vodka : 伏特加 (伏特加) ''fútèjiā'' ; rum : 兰姆酒 (蘭姆酒) ''lánmǔjiǔ'' ; water : 水 (水) ''shuǐ'' ; mineral spring (i.e. bottled) water : 矿泉水 (礦泉水) kuàngquánshuǐ ; boiled water: 开水 (開水) kāishuǐ ; club soda : 苏打水 (蘇打水) sūdǎshuǐ ; tonic water : 通宁水 (通寧水) tōngníngshuǐ ; orange juice : 橙汁 (橙汁) chéngzhī ; Coke (''soda'') : 可乐 (可樂) ''kělè'' ; Do you have any bar snacks? : 有没有吧台点心？ (有沒有吧臺點心？) ''yǒu méiyǒu bātái diǎnxīn?'' ; One more, please. : 请再给我一个。 (請再給我一個。) qǐng zài gěi wǒ yíge' ; Another round, please. : 请再来一轮。 (請再來一輪。) qǐng zàilái yìlún ; When is closing time? : 几点打烊/关门？ (幾點打烊/關門？) jǐdiǎn dǎyáng/guānmén? ; Where is the toilet? : 厕所在哪里？ (廁所在那裏？) ''cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?'' ; Where is the washroom? : 洗手间在哪里？ (洗手間在哪裡？) ''xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?'' ; You're handsome. : 你好帅。 (你好帥。) ''nǐ hǎo shuài'' ; You're pretty. : 你好漂亮。 (你好漂亮。) ''nǐ hǎo piàoliang'' ===Shopping=== Bargaining (还价 (還價) ''huán jià'') is possible (and expected) in markets and many small shops. The first price you are given will usually be hugely inflated - it's up to you to [[haggle]] it down to something more acceptable. This will probably feel awkward if you aren't used to it, and you may worry about ending up cheating the seller. Don't worry - sellers won't take a price that's too low, and you will usually end up agreeing on a price that's considerably lower than the starting one but still allows the seller to make a profit. Try starting at around 20-30% of the original price; you can always work up from there. The exceptions to the rule are supermarkets, large department stores, bookshops and some of the higher end boutiques, most of which will have signs letting you know that haggling is unacceptable in these stores. ; Do you have this in my size? : 有没有我的尺码？ (有沒有我的尺碼？) ''yǒu méiyǒu wǒde chǐmǎ?'' ; How much is this? : 这个多少钱？ (這個多少錢？) ''zhège duōshǎo qián?'' ; That's too expensive. : 太贵了。 (太貴了。) ''tài guì le'' ; Would you take _____? : _____元可以吗？ (_____元可以嗎？) ''_____ yuán kěyǐ ma?'' ; expensive : 贵 (貴) ''guì'' ; cheap : 便宜 (便宜) ''piányi'' ; I can't afford it. : 我带的钱不够。 (我帶的錢不夠。) ''wǒ dài de qián búgòu'' ; I don't want it. : 我不要。 (我不要。) ''wǒ bú yào'' ; You're cheating me. : 你欺骗我。 (你欺騙我。) ''nǐ qīpiàn wǒ'' '''Use with caution!''' ; I'm not interested. : 我没有兴趣。 ( 我沒有興趣。) ''wǒ méiyǒu xìngqù'' ; OK, I'll take it. : 我要买这个。 (我要買這個。) ''wǒ yào mǎi zhège'' ; Do you need a carrier-bag? / Yes / No : 你要不要袋子？ ''nǐ yào bu yào dàizi?'' / 要 ''yào'' / 不要 ''bú yào'' ; Please provide me with a carrier-bag. : 请给我个袋子。 (請給我個袋子。) ''qǐng gěi wǒ ge dàizi'' ; Do you ship (overseas)? : 可以邮寄到海外吗？ (可以郵寄到海外嗎？) ''kěyǐ yóujì dào hǎiwài ma?'' ; I need... : 我要_____ (我要_____) ''wǒ yào _____'' ; ...toothpaste. : 牙膏 (牙膏) ''yágāo'' ; ...a toothbrush. : 牙刷 (牙刷) ''yáshuā'' ; ...sanitary napkins. : 卫生巾 (衛生巾) ''wèishēngjīn'' ; ...tampons. : 卫生棉条 (衛生棉條) ''wèishēng miántiáo'' ; ...soap. : 肥皂 (肥皂) ''féizào'' ; ...shampoo. : 洗发精 (洗髮精) ''xǐfàjīng'' ; ...pain reliever. ''e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen'' : 止疼药 (止疼藥) ''zhǐténg yào'' ; ...cold medicine. : 感冒药 (感冒藥) ''gǎnmào yào'' ; ...stomach medicine. : 胃肠药 (胃腸藥) ''wèicháng yào'' ; ...a razor. : 剃须刀 (剃鬚刀) ''tìxūdāo'' ; ...an umbrella. : 雨伞 (雨傘 ) ''yǔsǎn'' ; ...sunblock lotion. : 防晒霜 (防晒霜) ''fángshàishuāng'' ; ...a postcard. : 明信片 (明信片) ''míngxìnpiàn'' ; ...postage stamps. : 邮票 (郵票) ''yóupiào'' ; ...batteries. : 电池 (電池) ''diànchí'' ; ...writing paper. : 纸 (紙) ''zhǐ'' ; ...a pen. : 笔 (筆) ''bǐ'' ; ...a pencil. : 铅笔 (鉛筆) ''qiānbǐ'' ; ...glasses. : 眼镜 (眼鏡) ''yǎnjìng'' ; ...English-language books. : 英文书 (英文書) ''Yīngwén shū'' ; ...English-language magazines. : 英文杂志 (英文雜誌) ''Yīngwén zázhì'' ; ...an English-language newspaper. : 英文报纸 (英文報紙) ''Yīngwén bàozhǐ'' ; ...a Chinese-English dictionary. : 汉英词典 (漢英詞典) ''Hàn-Yīng cídiǎn'' ; ...an English-Chinese dictionary. : 英汉词典 (英漢詞典) ''Yīng-Hàn cídiǎn'' ===Driving=== ; I want to rent a car. : 我想要租车。 (我想要租車。) ''wǒ xiǎngyào zūchē'' ; Can I get insurance? : 我可以买保险吗？ (我可以買保險嗎？) ''wǒ kěyǐ mǎi bǎoxiǎn ma?'' ; stop (''on a street sign'') : 停 (停) ''tíng'' ; one way : 单行道 (單行道 ) ''dānxíngdào'' ; yield : 让路 (讓路) ''rànglù'' ; no parking : 禁止停车 (禁止停車) ''jìnzhǐ tíngchē'' ; speed limit : 速度限制 (速度限制) ''sùdù xiànzhì'' ; gas (''petrol'') station : 加油站 (加油站) ''jiāyóuzhàn'' ; petrol : 汽油 (汽油) ''qìyóu'' ; diesel : 柴油 (柴油) ''cháiyóu'' ===Authority=== ; I haven't done anything wrong. : 我没有做错事。 (我沒有做錯事。) ''wǒ méiyǒu zuòcuò shì'' ; It was a misunderstanding. : 这是误会。 (這是誤會。) ''zhè shì wùhuì'' ; Where are you taking me? : 你带我去哪里？ (你帶我去哪里？) ''nǐ dài wǒ qù nǎlǐ?'' ; Am I under arrest? : 我被捕了吗？ (我被捕了嗎？) ''wǒ bèibǔle ma?'' ; I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. : 我是 美国/澳洲/英国/加拿大 公民。 (我是 美國/澳洲*/英國/加拿大 公民。) ''wǒ shì měiguó/àozhōu/yīngguó/jiānádà gōngmín'' ; I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. : 我希望跟 美国/澳洲/英国/加拿大 的 大使馆/领事馆 联系。 (我希望跟 美國/澳洲*/英國/加拿大 的 大使館/領事館 聯繫。) ''wǒ xīwàng gēn měiguó/àozhōu/yīngguó/jiānádà de dàshǐguǎn/lǐngshìguǎn liánxì'' ; I want to talk to a lawyer. : 我希望跟律师联系。 (我希望跟律師聯繫。) ''wǒ xīwàng gēn lǜshī liánxì'' ; Can I just pay a fine now? : 我可以支付罚款吗？ (我可以支付罰款嗎？) ''wǒ kěyǐ zhī fù fákuǎn ma?'' ===Telephone and the Internet=== {{infobox|Telephone & Internet| In most Chinese cities, there are no telephone booths. Instead, small street shops have telephones which can usually be used for national calls. Look for signs like this: :公用电话 (公用電話) Public Telephone Most cafes are cheaper than in hotels. Many mid-range hotels and chains now offer free wireless or plug-in internet. Those cafes are quite hidden sometimes and you should look for the following Chinese characters: : 网吧 (網吧) / 网咖 (網咖) Internet Cafe }} ; mobile phone : 手机 （手機） ''shǒujī'' (China and Taiwan) / 手提电话 （手提電話）''shǒutí diànhuà'' (Singapore) ; Can I make international calls here? : 可以打国际电话吗? (可以打國際電話嗎?) ''kěyǐ dǎ guójì diànhuà ma?'' ; How much is it to America/Australia/Britain/Canada? : 打到 美国/澳洲/英国/加拿大 是多少钱? (打到 美國/澳洲/英國/加拿大 是多少錢?) ''dǎdào měiguó/àozhōu/yīngguó/jiānádà shì duōshǎo qián?'' ; Where can I find an Internet cafe? : 哪里有网吧? (哪裏有網吧?) ''nǎlǐ yǒu wǎng bā?'' ; How much is it per hour? : 一小时是多少钱? (一小時是多少錢?) ''yī xiǎoshí shì duōshǎo qián?'' ===Getting a massage=== ;"Pain" and "no pain" : 痛 ''tòng'' and 不痛 ''bú tòng'' ;"Good" and "not good" : 好 ''hǎo'' and 不好 ''bù hǎo'' ;"Very good" or "great" : 很好 ''hěn hǎo'' ;"Want" and "don't want" : 要 ''yào'' and 不要 ''bú yào'' ;"That tickles" : 痒 ''yǎng'' ;"Does this hurt?" : 痛不痛？ ''tòng bú tòng?'' or ''tòng ma?''. For either, answer ''tòng'' or ''bú tòng''. ==Learning more== Chinese language learning is flourishing as foreigners recognize the importance of gaining the ability to effectively communicate with a population of 1.3+ billion people. Due to the rapid rise of the Chinese teaching industry however, finding consistent quality instruction can be difficult. Many Chinese language schools and institutes have opened up over the past decade both abroad as well as within China, though before enrolling it is definitely recommended to thoroughly research and speak with current or former students to ensure that effective education is being provided. For independent learners, it is imperative that one first master tones and the pinyin system before beginning to build vocabulary. The [http://english.hanban.org/node_8002.htm Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi] (HSK, 汉语水平考试) or Chinese Proficiency Test is China's standardized test for Chinese language proficiency (equivalent to the English TOEFL or IELTS). The HSK provides detailed guides for essential vocabulary and grammatical concepts in increasing level of fluency up to Level VI, which represents full written and oral abilities in the language. A good idea for practicing is to make Chinese friends online since millions of young people in China also look for somebody to practice English with. In Taiwan, the equivalent of the HSK is the [https://www.sc-top.org.tw/english/eng_index.php Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language] (TOCFL, 華語文能力測驗), though it is not as widely available or recognised internationally as the HSK. *[http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_%28Mandarin%29 Chinese (Wikibooks.org)]: Free lessons providing detailed grammar explanations, audio samples and stroke order animations. *[http://www.daydayupchinese.com/ Day Day Up Chinese]: Online textbook with dialogues, example sentences, grammar, vocabulary and cultural notes, and some practice exercises *[http://www.digitaldialects.com/Chinese.htm Digital Dialects Chinese]: Interactive games for learning Chinese in both Pinyin and simplified characters. *[http://www.zhongwenred.com ZhongWen Red]: Free basic online Mandarin tutorials with audio. *[http://www.chinese-course.com Chinese Flashcards]: Annotated Texts, Flashcards, Multiple choice tests *[http://www.mandarintoplist.com Mandarin Toplist]: List of the major Mandarin instructional websites with short reviews * [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/10573 a keyboard for typing Chinese characters for Firefox] {{dead link|December 2020}} * [http://www.yocoy.com/i-You/ Mandarin phrasebook app for travelers] {{dead link|December 2020}} * [https://deardimsum.wordpress.com/ Dear Dim Sum, daily small bites Chinese lessons] English-Chinese and Chinese-English dictionaries are often disappointingly incomplete and have surprisingly many errors, at least once you get past the basics. Some decent digital dictionaries include: * Pleco (possibly the most complete Chinese-English dictionary app aimed at learners) * Youdao (有道词典, popular with Chinese students learning English) * [[wikt:|Wiktionary]] The first two can be downloaded as apps, and Pleco can be used offline. {{related|Cantonese phrasebook}} {{related|Minnan phrasebook}} {{related|Teochew phrasebook}} {{related|Hakka phrasebook}} {{related|Mindong phrasebook}} {{related|Hainanese phrasebook}} {{related|Wu phrasebook}} {{guidephrasebook}} {{phrasebookguide}} fup2uhdvqqjwx3dee68t4lv2iay7wv6 0 8189 4501870 4500672 2022-08-16T04:49:30Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Key sights */ Updated listing for Christiansborg wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Copenhagen Indre By Slotsholmen banner.png|pgname=Indre By of Copenhagen}} '''Indre By''' (literally ''the inner city'') is the central area and the historical heart of [[Copenhagen]], bounded by the lakes circling the inner city and the harbour, it reflects the entire city’s extent during the reign of King Christian IV, when the town was fortified. All the neighboring districts were only founded when the king allowed construction outside the fortification in the 1850s. Referred to by locals simply as ''City'', it is the home of most of Copenhagen's attractions, nightlife options, and hotels. [[File:Nyhavn MichaD.jpg|thumbnail|right|Colorful facades of the Nyhavn]] [[File:Gammel Strand seen from Thorvaldsens Plads.jpg|thumb|The house row at Gammel Strand seen from Thorvaldsens Plads across Slotsholmen canal]] ==Understand== The old fortifications are still evident in the two strings of lakes circling the downtown area. The outer lakes are known to the locals simply as ''Søerne'' or The Lakes in English, and they do not only define the border to the inner city, they are also immensely popular with joggers. The inner lakes are laid out in a zigzag pattern, and are what remains of the old fortifications, if you look at a map or satellite photo this is still very visible. The remaining lakes, which used to completely circle the city, are now a string of parks; ''Østre Anlæg'', with the National gallery, the Botanical gardens, ''Ørsteds Parken'' and finally Tivoli. The names Østerport (eastern gate), Nørreport (northern gate) and Vesterport (western gate), now associated with the stations carrying the same names, are actually the locations of the old gates leading through the fortifications, and into the city. The heart of the district is the medieval city, shaped like a square with Rådhuspladsen, Kongens Nytorv and Nørreport as its corners. It is dotted with historic buildings, church spires and narrow streets. Many of them has been pedestrianized and is commonly known as '''Strøget''', Copenhagen's main shopping area. But it gets much more interesting if you venture into the narrow streets and squares, since it hides some interesting shops, restaurants and old traditional bars hidden away for the curious traveler. South of the medieval district is '''Slotsholmen''', an artificial island, the name translates to the castle islet at the site where Copenhagen's founder, the archbishop Absalon's built first fortification in the city. The ruins thereof are visible under the present day parliament, housed in the massive Christiansborg palace. Slotsholmen is also home to a cluster of museums and the national archives. Børsen, the former stock exchange from 1640, is another striking Renaissance building located here, with its signature dragon spire. ==Get in== [[File:Copenhagen Central Station.jpg|thumbnail|Københavns Hovedbanegård, Copenhagen's Central Station, is a sprawling and magnificent historic building which is a landmark and a sight worth exploring itself.]] Being the center of the capital, the majority of bus, train and Metro lines run through Indre By. From the airport you can opt for either the regional Öresundstog to the Central Station or Nørreport, the Metro with stops at Kongens Nytorv and Nørreport or, if you want to take it slow and enjoy the views, the buses 2A or 5A. All of the options cost the same in terms of ticket fares - you need a three-zone ticket, as the Indre By is Zone 1, the Airport is in Zone 4 and you have to cross Zone 3 on your way. From the DFDS and Polferries terminals take bus 26 or 20E to Kongens Nytorv. {{Marker|name=Copenhagen Central Station|lat=55.67276 | long=12.56497}} (Hovedbanegården) lies on the border between the inner city and [[Copenhagen/Vesterbro|Vesterbro]], and acts as a central hub, with all S-train, regional and intercity lines stopping here, as well as a large number of bus lines at the terminal between the station and the Tivoli Gardens. Served by the following bus lines: * 1A (stops at the bridge south on the tracks), * 2A and 5A (for [[Copenhagen/Christianshavn|Christianshavn]], [[Copenhagen/Amager|Amager]] and the Kastrup Airport) * 6A, * 250S, * 10, 15, 26, 30, 40, 66. {{Marker|name=Nørreport|lat=55.68386 | long=12.57195}} station also has all S-train lines, as well as several regional lines stopping here, and acts as an interchange between these lines, and the Metro. It is also a major bus terminal for many lines going north and northwest from the city center. It lies at the northern end of the pedestrian district ''Strøget''. * Bus lines: 5A, 6A, 150S, 350S, 174E, 14, 42, 43, 184, 185 {{Marker|name=Kongens Nytorv|lat=55.68058 | long=12.58601}} is a major square at the eastern end of ''Strøget'' and where Nyhavn begins. It has a Metro station and a bus terminal. * Bus lines: 1A, 350S, 20E, 15, 26, 29 (stops behind the royal theater) {{Marker|name=Rådhuspladsen|lat=55.67630 | long=12.56820}} is Copenhagen's central square and features a large bus terminal. It is also the western access point to ''Strøget'', and a short walk from the Central Station. * Bus lines: 2A, 5A, 6A, 250S, 173E, 10, 12, 14, 26, 29, 33, 67, 68, 69. ''For information about where these lines go, please refer to [http://www.movia.dk Movia's homepage] or the many signboards around the terminals.'' ==Get around== {{Mapframe|55.67946|12.57729|width=530|height=500|zoom=14|staticmap=Indre by.png}} {{Mapmask |55.6707,12.5779 |55.6706,12.5778 |55.6706,12.5775 |55.6699,12.5763 |55.6698,12.5766 |55.6693,12.5756 |55.6693,12.5756 |55.6674,12.5723 |55.6672,12.5718 |55.6677,12.5711 |55.6683,12.5722 |55.6696,12.5702 |55.6716,12.5678 |55.6746,12.5645 |55.6735,12.5612 |55.6736,12.5610 |55.6747,12.5603 |55.6746,12.5600 |55.6739,12.5564 |55.6738,12.5556 |55.6742,12.5554 |55.6801,12.5569 |55.6818,12.5574 |55.6817,12.5585 |55.6826,12.5592 |55.6873,12.5642 |55.6914,12.5704 |55.6907,12.5716 |55.6892,12.5748 |55.6875,12.5784 |55.6892,12.5821 |55.6887,12.5838 |55.6890,12.5841 |55.6873,12.5903 |55.6884,12.5990 |55.6881,12.5994 |55.6814,12.5939 |55.6812,12.5947 |55.6820,12.5954 |55.6820,12.5956 |55.6829,12.5963 |55.6827,12.5970 |55.6818,12.5963 |55.6818,12.5965 |55.6807,12.5956 |55.6807,12.5954 |55.6805,12.5953 |55.6803,12.5958 |55.6794,12.5949 |55.6795,12.5947 |55.6793,12.5942 |55.6782,12.5929 |55.6771,12.5908 |55.6767,12.5899 |55.6760,12.5878 |55.6758,12.5879 |55.6757,12.5876 |55.6758,12.5873 |55.6753,12.5874 |55.6752,12.5874 |55.6752,12.5873 |55.6750,12.5872 |55.6743,12.5856 |55.6741,12.5850 |55.6735,12.5835 |55.6735,12.5836 |55.6723,12.5805 |55.6720,12.5803 |55.6714,12.5793 |55.6714,12.5790 |55.6710,12.5781 |55.6708,12.5782 |55.6707,12.5779}} {{mapshapes|Q212741}}<!--Metro--> {{Mapshapes|Q585154}}<!--S-tog--> ===By foot=== The Indre By is easily walkable and in fact a large part of it has been pedestrianized and is devoid of both motorized and bicycle traffic. ===By public transport=== Public transportation is not of much use unless you want to travel between the extremities, and both the metro and the railway lines circle the Indre By with only two stations each. ===By bicycle=== Biking may be a good option - in case you do not want to bring your own bike or hire one permanently, you can take advantage of the city's ''[http://bycyklen.dk/en/ Bycyklen]'' bike-sharing scheme - as of 2014, ''Bycyklen'' stands in the Indre By are around the Central Station and by the Amalienborg. ==See== [[File:Copenhagen City Hall, Denmark.jpg|thumbnail|right|The City Hall (''Rådhuset'')]] === Key sights === * {{see | name=The City Hall | alt=Rådhuset | url=http://www.kk.dk/artikel/rundvisninger-paa-raadhuset | email= | address=Rådhuspladsen 1 | lat=55.675278 | long=12.570278 | directions= | phone=+45 33 66 25 82 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 07:45-17:00 | price=Free | wikipedia=Copenhagen City Hall | image=CopenhagenCityHallFront.jpg | wikidata=Q2010247 | lastedit=2019-05-15 | content=The City Hall is open to the public, so you can stroll through the hallways, stairs, and study all the paintings, frescoes, and other decorations on your own. City Hall guided tours in English M–F at 13:00, Sa 10:00, 50 kr. Visit the tower: M–F 11:00 and 14:00, Sa at 12:00, 30 kr or free with Copenhagen Card. There is a nice little garden that cannot be seen from outside the city hall. The city hall is also home of ''Jens Olsen's World Clock'' - this mechanical masterpiece of a complete astronomical clock is in the foyer. }} [[File:Christiansborg Slot.jpg|thumbnail|right|Christiansborg Castle]] * {{see | name=Christiansborg | alt=the Parliament | url=http://kongeligeslotte.dk/en/palaces-and-gardens/christiansborg-palace/visit-christiansborg-palace/tickets-to-christiansborg-palace.html | email= | address=Prins Jørgens Gård 1 | lat=55.675833 | long=12.578889 | directions= | phone=+45 33 92 64 92 | tollfree= | hours=10:00–17:00, May-September opens one hour earlier | price= | wikipedia=Christiansborg Palace | image=Christiansborg Slot.jpg | wikidata=Q940733 | lastedit=2017-12-29 | content=This Neo-baroque palace, completed in 1928, after 11 years of construction - is unique in the world, housing both the executive power, the legislative power, and the judicial power of Denmark, in a single building. It is the 5th construction at the site, and the ruins of the original castle dating back to the 12th century - was excavated during the construction of the current palace, is open to the public (adult 50 kr, student 40 kr). Apart from the ruins there are a few other places that can be visited: free guided tours of ''the parliament building'' are conducted during summer months; [https://taarnet.dk/taarnet/?lang=en ''Parliament's tower''] can be visited free of charge Tu-Su 11:00-21:00; ''the Royal Reception Rooms'' (including the Great Hall with the tapestries) 90 kr; ''the Royal Kitchen'' 50 Kr, ''the Royal Stables'' 50 kr; ''the Palace Chapel'' - free admission. Besides, there is a combination ticket which allows entrance to all of the aforementioned sights - 150 kr. }} [[File:Den Sorte Diamant København 20110602 0005F (8364580035).jpg|thumbnail|right|The Black Diamond]] * {{see | name=The Royal Library | alt=Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Black Diamond (Den Sorte Diamant) | url=http://www.kb.dk/index-en.htm | email=kb@kb.dk | address=Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1 | lat=55.673825 | long=12.582208 | directions= | phone=+45 33 47 47 47 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10:00-17:00, Sa 10:00-14:00 | price=Free | wikipedia=Royal Library, Denmark | image=Det Kongelige Bibliotek 6.jpg | wikidata=Q867885 | content=The library was founded in the 1650s and have an impressive collections of rare books and manuscripts, which includes a Gutenberg Bible, tormented philosopher Soren Kierkegaard's original manuscripts and "Out of Africa" author Karen Blixen's diaries, as well as a newer collection that includes most of the original drawings of the controversial Mohammad cartoons. Changing exhibitions of books and art, often from the libraries own collection, are displayed in a new striking building overlooking the harbor, called the black diamond. }} [[File:Charlottenborg København.jpg|thumbnail|right|Charlottenborg]] *{{listing | type=see | name=Charlottenborg Palace | alt= | url=http://www.kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk/ | email= | address=Nyhavn 2 | lat=55.680167 | long=12.587389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 12:00-17:00 | price=60 kr | wikipedia=Charlottenborg Palace | image=Charlottenborg København.jpg | wikidata=Q1280223 | content=This classical mansion on Kongens Nytorv, is home of several cultural institutions, like the Royal Danish school of Visual arts, and has an art exhibition space, with changing, often world class, expositions - check the schedule at their website. }} [[File:Amalienborg and Marble Church view.jpg|thumb|Amalienborg with the Marble Church seen from the water]] * {{see | name=Amalienborg | alt= | url=http://kongehuset.dk/english/palaces/amalienborg | email= | address=Amalienborg Slotsplads | lat=55.684028 | long=12.593333 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 08 08 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-16:00 | price=90 kr (museum entrance) | wikipedia=Amalienborg | image=Amalienborg Palace - aerial view.jpg | wikidata=Q211053 | content=Amalienborg is the Royal residence and consists of four identical classical mansions, each facing an octagonal courtyard. On the Queen's birthday (14th of January) and for other highlights in the lives of the royal family, the square is jam-packed with people waving the Danish flag and greeting the Queen. There is a museum in the ''Christian VIII Mansion'' displaying exhibitions of the period 1863-1972, and four generations of the royal family. There is changing of the guards each day at 12:00. (Marches from Rosenborg Castle barracks) }} * {{see | name=Marmorkirken | alt=The Marble Church, Frederik's Church | url=http://www.marmorkirken.dk | email= | address=Frederiksgade 4 | lat=55.685 | long=12.589444 | directions= | phone=+45 33 15 01 44 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th Sa 10:00-17:00, F Su 12:00-17:00 | price=Free | wikipedia=Frederik's Church | image=Marble Church in Copenhagen - street view.jpg | wikidata=Q1321231 | lastedit=2019-05-15 | content=Officially called Frederikskirken, this impressive church imposes a massive presence on the Copenhagen skyline, with its 31 m. diameter dome. Because of financial turmoil in the country, it took over 100 years to complete. The church takes it name from the original lower part of the structure which is made from Norwegian marble. '''Guided tours of the dome:''' adults: 35 kr, children (under 18) 20 kr (cash only); June 15-Aug 31: daily at 13:00; at other times: Sa Su at 13:00. Tickets are sold from 12:50. Visits might be cancelled due to services or concerts. Services in Danish on Sundays and holidays at 10:30. }} [[File:Castelo Rosenborg.JPG|thumbnail|right|Rosenborg Castle]] * {{see | name=Rosenborg | alt= | url=http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/ | email= | address=Østre Voldgade 4A | lat=55.685556 | long=12.577778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-16:00 | price=110 kr, students 70 kr, free for under 17 years old | wikipedia=Rosenborg Castle | image=Kopenhagen Rosenborg Slot.jpg | wikidata=Q206101 | lastedit=2017-11-29 | content=A former royal residence, Rosenborg is not only a beautiful Renaissance proper castle, with a moat and all, today it is also a fascinating museum of cultural history. Rosenborg houses some of Denmark’s greatest cultural treasures, not least the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia, and includes exhibits about the Danish monarchy over 300 years. }} [[File:Palmehuset.JPG|thumbnail|The Palm House in the Botanical Garden]] * {{see | name=The University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden | alt= | url=http://botanik.snm.ku.dk/ | email= | address=Øster Farimagsgade 2 B | lat=55.686944 | long=12.573889 | directions= | phone=+45 35 32 22 22 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Palmhouse:10:00-15:00, garden: 08:30-18:00 | price=Free | wikipedia=University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden | image=Botanisk have drivhus 1.jpg | wikidata=Q892711 | content=The Botanical Gardens are one of several parks, dotted along the string of lakes, which used to form part of the old city fortifications. Run by the University of Copenhagen, the garden hosts Denmark's largest collection of living plants, including an impressive collection of orchids. The signature palm house is a huge greenhouse, with large tropical trees, and a sky walk in the canopy. }} * {{see | name=Nyhavn | alt=New Harbour | url= | email= | address= | lat=55.679687 | long=12.590659 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nyhavn | image=Nyhavn-panorama.jpg | wikidata=Q943946 | content=Nyhavn is a canal leading from the main harbourfront all the way to the ''Kongens Nytorv'' square, lined with colourful historic buildings. It was built to originally be what the name says - Copenhagen's new harbour. Over time, it became too small and lost its commercial and transportation importance, and in the 1970s it was designated as the historic port area, where historic boats and their replicas are moored. It is immensely popular with tourists and locals due to its picturesque nature and is full of restaurants, cafes and bars offering waterside gardens. }} [[File:Rundetårn - Øresund Bridge.jpg|thumbnail|right|On a clear day you can see the Oresund Bridge from the Rundetårn]] * {{see | name=Rundetårn | alt=The Round Tower | url=http://www.rundetaarn.dk/en/ | email= | address=Købmagergade 52A | lat=55.681389 | long=12.575833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 (winter: 17:00) | price=25 kr | wikipedia=Rundetaarn | image=Rundetårn right.jpg | wikidata=Q1140534 | content=Climb the spiral, cobbled road up to the observation platform of this tower, for a wonderful view of the city. }} === Museums and galleries === [[File:Prinsenspalae.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Prinses Palæ, housing the National Museum, in the winter]] * {{see | name=Nationalmuseet | alt=National Museum of Denmark | url=http://www.natmus.dk | email= | address=Frederiksholms Kanal 12 | lat=55.674722 | long=12.574722 | directions= | phone=+45 33 13 44 11 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-17:00 | price= 95 kr, "Family admission" (1 child + 1 adult): 80 kr, children under 18 years old free. | wikipedia=National Museum of Denmark | image=Nationalmuseet kbh.jpg | wikidata=Q648166 | lastedit=2017-11-29 | content=This museum portrays the national history and cultural heritage of Denmark and is widely regarded as one of the best in Europe. The permanent collection is well laid out, an informative collection of national artifacts, perhaps the most impressive being those exploring Danish prehistory from the Bronze Age through to the Vikings. The museum also holds a collection of Classical and Near Eastern artefacts. The children's museum in the basement is a blast for the kids. }} [[File:Main entrance, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.jpg|thumbnail|right|Glyptoteket - main entrance]] * {{see | name=Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket | alt= | url=https://www.glyptoteket.com | email=info@glyptoteket.dk | address=Dantes Plads 7 | lat=55.6725 | long=12.571944 | directions= | phone=+45 33 41 81 41 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Tu-Su 11:00–18:00, Th 11:00-22:00, closed on Mondays | price=Adul 115 kr, under 27 85 kr, under 18 and Tuesdays free | wikipedia=Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek | image=Main entrance, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.jpg | wikidata=Q1140507 | lastedit=2017-11-29 | content=The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek houses over 10,000 works, divided into two principal collections. One is of works from the Mediterranean cradle of Western culture, including classical Egyptian, Roman and Greek antiquities and Romanticist sculptures; the other of Danish and French art from the 19^th and 20^th centuries, including paintings by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Cézanne and van Gogh, as well as several bronze sculptures by Degas. Completed in 1897, the building is an attraction in its own right, especially the sub-tropical winter garden. }} * {{see | name=Davids Samling | alt=The David Collection | url=http://www.davidmus.dk/en | email= | address=Kronprinsessegade 30 | lat=55.68429 | long=12.58225 | directions= | phone=+45 33 73 49 49 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00–17:00, Th 10:00-21:00, Mondays: closed | price=Free | wikipedia=The David Collection | image=Davids Samling.JPG | wikidata=Q536499 | lastedit=2017-11-29 | content=Art from the Islamic world, European 18th-century art, and Danish early modern art. Free guided tours are only in Danish and are given in the spring and autumn. }} * {{see | name=Geologisk Museum | alt=Geological Museum | url=http://geologi.snm.ku.dk/english/ | email= | address=Øster Voldgade 5-7 | lat=55.6874 | long=12.577 | directions= | phone=+45 35 32 23 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-17:00, Mondays closed | price=Adult 95 kr, children (aged 3-16) and students: 50 kr | wikipedia=University of Copenhagen Geological Museum | image=Geologisk museum.jpg | wikidata=Q3275232 | content=Various exhibitions related to geology. Has some impressive samples of minerals, rocks and fossils from all over the world on display. Including stones from the moon were brought back to the earth by Apollo 17, dinosaur fossils, and the kids favorite; glow in the dark minerals. }}[[File:Chairs_in_The_Danish_Museum_of_Art_&_Design.jpg|thumb|Chairs in The Danish Museum of Art & Design]] * {{see | name=The Danish Museum of Art & Design | alt=Designmuseum Danmark | url=https://designmuseum.dk/en/ | email= | address=Bredgade 68 | lat=55.686375 | long=12.59335 | directions= | phone=+45 33 18 56 56 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00, W 10:00 – 21:00 | price=100 kr, free for students and under 26 years | wikipedia=Danish Museum of Art & Design | image=Designmuseum Danmark.jpg | wikidata=Q834603 | lastedit=2017-11-29 | content=Housed in one of Copenhagen’s finest rococo buildings, a former hospital. This museum is home of one of the most important collections of Danish and Scandinavian industrial design, decorative and applied arts., The cafe is a good place for lunch (does not require admission). }} * {{see | name=Medical Museion | alt=Museum of the History of Medicine | url=http://www.museion.ku.dk | email=museion@sund.ku.dk | address=Bredgade 62 | lat=55.6859 | long=12.5919 | directions= | phone=+45 35 32 38 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-F 10:00-16:00, Sa Su 12:00-16:00 | price=Adults 75 kr, children under 16 and students 50 kr | wikipedia=Medical Museion (Copenhagen) | image=FVNP - Medicinsk Museion.jpg | wikidata=Q6806387 | lastedit=2017-09-18 | content=The museum communicates knowledge about the history of medicine, the study of the preparation of medicines and dentistry, by means of public exhibitions, publications, lectures and other museum-related activities. }} * {{see | name=The Workers' Museum | alt= | url=http://www.arbejdermuseet.dk/en/ | email= | address=Rømersgade 22 | lat=55.6848 | long=12.5702 | directions= | phone=+45 33 93 25 75 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-16:00 (W until 19:00) | price= Adult 90 kr, children free, 18-25 year olds & students: 65 kr, members of participating Danish trade unions: Free. | wikipedia=Worker's Museum (Copenhagen) | image=Arbejdermuseet Copenhagen courtyard.jpg | wikidata=Q3365660 | content=Covers Danish daily lives in the last 150 years, with exhibitions that both include artifacts relating to the main theme, and art portraying the life of the industrial worker. }} * {{see | name=Thorvaldsens Museum | alt= | url=http://www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/ | email= | address=Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads 2 | lat=55.67669 | long=12.57827 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 15 32 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult 70 kr, students 50 kr, children free, retired Danish citizens: Free. Free admission for all on Wednesdays | wikipedia=Thorvaldsen Museum | image=Thorvaldsens museum.jpg | wikidata=Q1992413 | content=Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) was a Danish/Icelandic sculptor, who lived most of his live in Rome. He is one of the major internationally renowned Danish artists. The museum houses many of Thorvaldsens original models, and several marble casts makes the collection almost complete. It is big and impressive, and the building itself is a striking piece of architecture. }} * {{see | name=Krigsmuseet (previously: Tøjhusmuseet) | alt=Danish War Museum (previously: the Royal Danish Arsenal Museum) | url=http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-royal-danish-arsenal-museum/ | email= | address=Tøjhusgade 3 | lat=55.674302 | long=12.580207 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 60 37 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-17:00, closed Mondays | price= Adult 80 kr, adult with a child: 70 kr, children: free admission | wikipedia=Royal Danish Arsenal Museum | image=Arsenal Museum Copenhagen backend.jpg | wikidata=Q653100 | content=The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum covers the history of the Danish Defence, its collection dating back to 1604. It covers the development of weapons from the introduction of firearms to the present day, and is well known for its many activities for kids - especially its medieval knight days, during the schools autumn break in week 42. }} *{{see | name=Dansk Jødisk Museum | alt=Danish Jewish Museum | url=http://www.jewmus.dk/?language=uk | email= | address=Proviantpassagen 6 | lat=55.674167 | long=12.582222 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 22 18 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Opening hours Summer (June-August): Tu-Su 10:00-17:00, closed on Mondays. Opening hours Winter (September-May): Tu-F 13:00-16:00, Sa Su 12:00-17:00, closed on Mondays | price=Adult 60 kr, students & people over 65 50 kr, children free | wikipedia=Danish Jewish Museum | image=DanishMuseumInterior.jpg | wikidata=Q872947 | content=The museum presents Jewish life in Denmark through 400 years, from the first immigrants in the seventeenth century until today. The exhibition space is designed by famous architect Daniel Liebeskind, and is quite striking - with its old traditional exterior contrasted by a very modern interior. }} * {{see | name=The Happiness Museum | alt= | url=https://www.thehappinessmuseum.com/ | email= | address=Admiralgade 19 | lat=55.677904 | long=12.581906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 11:00–17:00 | price=Adults 95 kr, age 7–17 65 kr | lastedit=2020-09-11 | content=A museum about the psychology, history, and geography of happiness—and why Denmark is often ranked the happiest country in the world. Created by the Happiness Research Institute, an organization that studies happiness with the goal of improving people's well-being across the world. }} ==Do== [[File:Tivoli København 20121130 0564F (8233474507).jpg|thumbnail|right|Main entrance to the Tivoli Gardens]] === Tivoli === {{listing | type=do | name=Tivoli | alt=main entrance shown on map | url=http://www.tivoli.dk | email= | address=Vesterbrogade 3 | lat=55.67464 | long=12.56563 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:00-23:00 (later on weekends) | price=Entry adults (8 years and up) 130 kr, children 3-7 years old 60 kr (discounts available online and for groups) | wikipedia=Tivoli Gardens | image=CopenhagenTivoliEntrance.jpg | wikidata=Q110289 | lastedit=2019-05-15 | content=Tivoli is a garden built around a lake stemming from the old fortification of the city. It was opened in 1843 by its founder Georg Carstensen, just outside the city walls. Since then Copenhagen has grown up around it, and today the world famous gardens and amusement park, is literally a magic and green oasis smack in the center of the city, between the central station and the city hall square. The magic is particularly obvious after dark, when the lights and lanterns in every color of the rainbow, lights up everywhere. Main season is mid-April to late September. From mid November to late December there is ''Christmas in Tivoli''. Tivoli is especially beautiful at night when coloured lamps light up everywhere. Pop/rock concerts every Friday night, sometimes with internationally known names. Some evenings end with fireworks, consult the program. Also brass bands, pantomime theater etc. on the program. }} [[File:Pantomime Theatre.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Pantomime Theatre]] ==== Event venues ==== * {{do | name=Glassalen | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=55.6739 | long=12.5686 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=da:Glassalen | image=Glassalen.jpg | wikidata=Q12314004 | content=A beautiful theater designed by Poul Henningsen in 1946, which hosts plays and varietes }} * {{do | name=Tivolis Koncertsal | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=55.6728 | long=12.5683 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tivolis Koncertsal | image=Tivoli Concert Hall-2.jpg | wikidata=Q9108317 | content=Tivoli's big concert hall, hosts everything from plays, to classic, jazz and opera concerts. }} * {{do | name=The Pantomime Theater | alt=Pantomimeteatret | url= | email= | address= | lat=55.6745 | long=12.5665 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pantomimeteatret | image=Harlekin Columbine Tivoli Denmark.jpg | wikidata=Q955226 | content=A beautiful Chinese style open air stage, where the curtain is designed as feathers of a peacock. Famous pantomime plays of HC Andersen stories, Pjerrot and Harlequin. }} * {{do | name=Store Scene | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-09-18 | content=The big stage, Rock/pop concerts every Friday night. }} [[Image:Tivoligardens2.jpg|thumb|right|Part of the lake in Tivoli, with the Chinese tower and Dæmonen in the background]] ==== Rides ==== * '''Balongyngen''' You will find very few locals who have not kissed a date on this slow-going ferris wheel, with a romantic view of the city after dark. * '''Den Flyvende Kuffert''' Hop on into a suitcase, and run through puppet exhibitions of HC Andersen's tales in a leisurely pace. * '''Det gyldne Tårn''' is a 63 meter tower, where you can have a splendid view over Copenhagen before you are dropped to the ground in free fall, with a speed of 65 km/h and 1.5 G's * '''Dragen''' a flic flac ride, that twirls you around, in irregular moves, at a rather fast pace. * '''Dæmonen''' is a 600m roller coaster, running at 77 km/h, and through 3 loops. * '''Himmelskibet''' is not just a carousel, it is the world's tallest, where you are carried up to the top, 80 meters above Tivoli, and taken for a spin. * '''Odin Expressen''' is a fast roller coaster ride, with a big helix loop, and a peak speed of 60 km/h * '''Monsunen''' A rather big, flying carpet type ride - watch for the first and law row, sometimes you get wet when it is windy. * '''Rutchebanen''' is the worlds oldest running wooden roller coaster, running through an artificial mountain terrain since 1914. * '''Snurretoppen''' break dance, round and round, get's you a bit dizzy at times. * ... ''and 15 other rides, mainly for the kids.'' [[File:Imperial (Copenhagen).jpg|thumbnail|The Imperial building houses both a hotel and a cinema]] === Cinema === * {{do | name=Imperial | alt= | url=https://www.nfbio.dk/biografer/imperial | email= | address=Ved Vesterport 4 | lat=55.67528 | long=12.56125 | directions=Beside the Hotel Imperial | phone=+45 70131211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:30-Last show | price=75-100 kr | content=On a rainy day, you can go for a movie, in the largest single movie theater hall in Northern Europe, seating a staggering 1102 people. Movies are with original language with Danish subtitles. Good quality regarding projector and sound systems. }} * {{do | name=Cinematheque | alt= | url=http://www.dfi.dk/filmhuset/cinemateket.aspx | email= | address=Gothersgade 55 | lat=55.68313 | long=12.57859 | directions= | phone=+45 33 74 34 12 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-last screening | price=Many of the screenings are free, others cost 65 kr | content=Part of the Danish film institute, this is a paradise for any cinephile. There are 3 movie theaters playing classics, cults, documentaries, art movies and exam projects from the film school. The basement houses a Videotheque, with over 3500 titles, that you are free to watch. There is also a book and video store with special movie titles, and books relating to cinematography. Lastly the building also has a restaurant and café. }} === Theatre === * {{do | name=Det Kongelige Teater | alt=The Royal Theatre | url=http://www.kgl-teater.dk/ | email= | address=Kongens Nytorv 1 | lat=55.68022 | long=12.58707 | directions= | phone=+45 33 69 69 69 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Price varies | content= A majestic old building on Kongens Nytorv, houses ballet, for which the theater is world renowned - and drama performances. There is a 65% discount for those under 30 on selected performances, to encourage young people to see the classic arts. }} * {{do | name=Skuespilhuset | alt=The Royal Danish Playhouse | url=http://www.kglteater.dk/site/OmTeateret/Scenerne/Skuespilhuset.aspx | email= | address=Sankt Annæ Plads 36 | lat=55.68006 | long=12.59483 | directions= | phone=+45 33 69 69 69 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-23:30 | price=Price varies | content=A 1000-seat national stage for the dramatic arts, with 3 stages. Opened in 2008, its beautiful piece of modern architecture overlooking the harbour. Even if you are not going for a play, the cafe in the foyer, ''Ofelia'', is a nice place to sit and enjoy the view over the water and Christianshavn. }} === Parks and recreation === * {{do | name=Kongens Have | alt=King's Garden | url=https://slks.dk/slotte-ejendomme-og-haver/ejendomme/slotshaver/kongens-have/ | email= | address=Øster Voldgade 4 B | lat=55.68510 | long=12.57868 | directions= | phone=+45 33 13 47 65 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-22:00 | price=Free | content=This park adjacent to Rosenborg is the most frequented park in the city. It is a place for a stroll, a picnic, drinking beers in the sun, or whatever you feel like doing. The topless sunbathers often inject a shock into foreign visitors. Also the marionette theatre in the eastern corner is doing plays every day at 14:00 and 15:00. Great for kids. }} * {{do | name=Nyhavn | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=55.68029 | long=12.58942 | directions=Kongen Nytorv Metro station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-09-18 | content=On a sunny day, this is a top spot for oozing in the sun - on the bulwark with a beer from the supermarket, or at the outdoor serving areas of the many (rather expensive) restaurants and cafe's dotted along the "sunny side" of the canal. For any self-respecting Copenhagener, this is a top priority on the first day of spring - while at the height of the tourist season, it is mainly left for the visitors to populate. Often there will be street performances, mostly improvised music concerts, somewhere along the canal - take a seat, and relax. }} * {{do|name=Green Kayak |url=https://greenkayak.org/ |lastedit=2021-05-26 |directions=There are 5 locations in Indre By (and a couple in [Copenhagen/Østerbro] and one on [[Copenhagen/Nørrebro]] |content=Paddle for free in a sit-up kayak under two conditions: collect trash and share on Social Media. You need to book a two-hour slot in advance. }} ===Museums & educational=== * {{do | name=Tycho Brahe Planetarium | alt=The Planetarium | url=http://www.tycho.dk/in_english/ | email= | address=Gammel Kongevej 10 | lat=55.674537 | long=12.558092 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 12 24 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M 13:00-21:00, Tu-Su 10:30-21:00 | price=shows 130 kr | content=Named after the Danish astronomer who formed the basis for the discovery of planetary motion, this planetarium features a small but good free exhibit on astronomy, a 4000-star projector, OmniMax theatre, and a restaurant. }} ==Buy== The best place for shopping in Copenhagen, is without a doubt '''Strøget'''. A set of connected pedestrian streets in the heart of the medieval city. It is claimed to be the biggest outdoor pedestrian shopping area in the world, regardless of whether this is true or not, it is a shoppers paradise, and the historic buildings as far as the eye can see, makes it a welcome alternative to any shopping center. The really interesting shopping however, is found in the small shops, in the many narrow side streets to Strøget, colloquially known as ''pisserenden'' or the ''Latin quarter''. If you are out for traditional souvenirs, there are several shops on the section if Strøget running between the city hall, and Amager torv. [[File:Kopenhagen Mai 2009 PD 058.JPG|thumbnail|right|The magnificent Magasin du Nord]] ==== Department stores ==== * {{buy | name=Magasin du Nord | alt= | url=http://www.magasin.dk | email= | address=Kongens Nytorv 13 | lat=55.67916 | long=12.58484 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 44 33 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-19:00, F 10:00-20:00, Sa 10:00-17:00 | price= | content=Housed in a former grand hotel on Kongens Nytorv, marking the entrance to Strøget, and with over a 100 years of history on its back, Magasin du Nord is the grand old dame of shopping in Copenhagen. Although not as exclusive as it used to be, it is still the premier department store in the city. }} * {{buy | name=Illum | alt= | url=http://www.illum.dk/ | email= | address=Østergade 52 | lat=55.67940 | long=12.58026 | directions= | phone=+45 33 14 40 02 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-19:00, F 10:00-20:00, Sa 10:00-17:00 | price= | content=Illum is an 8-storey department store, smack in the middle of Strøget, founded in 1891 and it has competed with Magasin ever since. Unlike Magasin, it is mostly made up of small independent stores. }} [[Image:Streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, Northern Europe.jpg|thumb|Royal Shopping in Amagertorv]] * '''Royal shopping''' is a group of 3 stores, connected to each other to make it feel somewhat like a department store for exclusive Design products. Royal Copenhagen and Georg Jensen are the top brands of Danish design, with a rich history, while the third store, Illums bolighus, handpicks other design products. The super store takes it name from the fact that all three are purveyors to the royal Danish court. :* {{buy | name=Royal Copenhagen | alt= | url=http://www.royalcopenhagen.com/Service/Stores-and-Shops/Flagship-Store.aspx | email= | address=Amagertorv 6 | lat=55.67895 | long=12.57904 | directions= | phone=+45 33 13 71 81 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-18:00, F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00–17:00 | price= | content=The flagship store of the world famous Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory, tracing its history back to 1775. It is really exclusive (and expensive) stuff. On the 2nd floor there is a museum, portraying the history of the company, with exhibitions of its porcelain products. }} :* {{buy | name=Georg Jensen | url=http://www.georgjensen.com/ | email= | address=Amagertorv 4 | lat=55.67899 | long=12.57930 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 40 80 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-17:00 | price= | content=Georg Jensen was a Danish silversmith (1866-1935), today it is a company producing some exquisite products in silver, like watches, jewelry and interiors. }} :* {{buy | name=Illums bolighus | alt= | url=http://www.illumsbolighus.dk/ | email= | address=Amagertorv 10 | lat=55.67890 | long=12.57861 | directions= | phone=+45 33 14 19 41 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-17:00 | price= | content=The best, most expensive and most exclusive of Danish interior, decorative and furniture design. }} ==== Danish design ==== [[Image:In the City (2754115703).jpg|thumb|The Strøget opening onto the Amagertorv]] An option for bringing home some unique and useful souvenirs is buying furniture, lamps or industrial design from one of Copenhagen's own superstar architects and designers like Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen or Børge Mortensen, who helped to turn Danish Design into a world wide brand in the first half of the 21st century - but don't expect it to be cheap, there are other options however, Kitchen accessories by Bodum and glassware by Holmegaard are some options that can be found in many stores throughout Copenhagen. ===== Interiors ===== Other options are Illums bolighus and the Danish Design Center store, both listed above. * {{buy | name=Area | url=http://www.areastore.dk/ | email=mail@areastore.dk | address=Store Kongensgade 73 | lat=55.68512 | long=12.58823 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 38 77 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Carries furniture, lamps and accessories by both Danish and international designers }} * {{buy | name=Bang & Olufsen | alt= | url=http://www.bang-olufsen.com/sw19091.asp | email= | address=Østergade 18 | lat=55.68133 | long=12.58499 | directions= | phone=+45 33111415 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-18:00, F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-16:00 | price= | content=A flagship store for Danish electronics producer Bang & Olufsen, who makes exclusive design products of high quality - like TV's, Stereo's, Speakers and home integration products. They are well known, for the high quality of sound in their products. }} * {{buy | name=Dansk Møbel Kunst | alt=Danish Furniture art | url=http://www.dmk.dk/ | email=info@dmk.dk | address=Bredgade 32 | lat=55.68350 | long=12.58978 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 38 37 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dansk Møbelkunst is a gallery of first class vintage design. Specialized in Scandinavian furniture design from 1920 to 1975, with particular focus on Danish design classics. }} [[File:Walk down the Strøget (2760265707).jpg|thumbnail|right|Vimmelskaftet, an extension of the Strøget ]] ===== Fashion ===== The Danish fashion industry has long been lagging behind the interior and furniture design industries, where Danish design is a recognized brand in itself. But this has changed, and Copenhagen has established itself as a fashion center. Many of the important names in the industry, runs their own independent stores in central Copenhagen. * {{buy | name=Birger Christiensen | url=http://www.birger-christensen.com/ | email= | address=Østergade 38 | lat=55.67952 | long=12.58184 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 55 55 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-18:00, F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-17:00 | price= | content=This store has been running since 1869, and is most famous for its exclusive skins and furs, from Scandinavia and Greenland. But they also sell some of the worlds top fashion brands like Hermes and Channel. }} * {{buy | name=Bruuns Bazaar | url=http://www.bruunsbazaar.com/ | email= | address=Kronprinsensgade 8 | lat=55.6806 | long=12.5793 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 19 99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Along with Munthe+Simonsen, this design house is front runners in an ongoing Danish fashion revolution. There are two stores here; Number 8 is for the ladies, while number 9 is for the gents. }} *{{buy | name=DAY - Birger et Mikkelsen | url=http://www.day.dk/ | email= | address=Pilestræde 16 | lat=55.68017 | long=12.58094 | directions= | phone=+45 33 45 88 80 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This design house of 5 national and international designers makes glamorous, yet classical clothing of high quality. This concept store only carries women's fashion, lingerie and home accessories. Their clothing line for men can be found in both the Illums and Magasin department stores. }} * {{buy | name=House of Amber | url=http://www.houseofamber.com/ | email= | address=Kongens Nytorv 2 | lat=55.68092 | long=12.58762 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 67 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-20:00 | price=Museum: 25 kr | content=Known historically as 'Nordic Gold', amber is a quintessential Scandinavian jewelry. And there is no better place to get in than in this store, housed in a 17th-century house, right at the beginning of Nyhavn. The shops also runs a museum with an extensive collection of rare finds. }} * {{buy | name=Malene Birger | url=http://www.bymalenebirger.com/ | email= | address=Antonigade 10 | lat=55.68044 | long=12.58181 | directions= | phone=+45 35 43 22 33 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=MTV calls her the "Queen of Fashion in Copenhagen", and her store is one of the best woman's fashion stores in Scandinavia. }} * {{buy | name=Munthe | url=https://www.munthe.com/ | address=Grønnegade 10 | lat=55.68079 | long=12.58242 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 03 12 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-18:00, F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-16:00 | price= | content=Another of the major Danish fashion houses. This flagship store has dark brown buffalo skin covers on the walls, hand-painted , individually made Venetian lamps and water flowing from a huge gold mosaic. Only for the girls, or for a popular present to bring home. }} *{{buy | name=Nørgaard | alt= | url=https://www.madsnorgaard.dk/ | email= | address=Amagertorv 13-15 | lat=55.67878 | long=12.57899 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 24 28 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-18:00, F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-17:00 | price= | content=Has long been one of the main fixtures of Strøget, these two stores, right next to each other - ''Nørgaard på strøget'' for women, and ''Mads Nørgaard'' for men. The stores won the AOK Copenhagen award in 2007, for both best woman's and best men's shopping. And the best part is that there is something here to fit anyone's pocket. }} *{{buy | name=Samsoe & Samsoe | url=http://www.samsoesamsoe.dk | email= | address=Studiestræde 13 | lat=55.67881 | long=12.57031 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 11 38 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-18:00, F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-16:00 | price= | content=This store mainly sells clothing by the designer of the same name, making classic clothes with an edge, but also carries small collections of other designers with the same theme. Both for girls and guys. }} ==== Music ==== Shop for some of Copenhagen's music stars in these stores. Good buys of local bands from Copenhagen with international quality include; ''Kashmir'' and ''Mew'' for rock music, and ''Trentemøller'' is an international electronica superstar, * {{buy | name=Blackout | url=http://www.blackout.dk | email= | address=Studiestræde 27 | lat=55.67828 | long=12.56884 | directions= | phone=+45 33 14 14 95 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10:00-18:30, Sa 10:00-15:00 | price= | content=The country's only specialty store for Rap, Hip Hop and R&B music. And a friendly and knowledgeable owner. }} ==Eat== {{Eatpricerange|99 Kr or less|100&ndash;250 Kr|250 Kr or more}} ===Bakeries=== Denmark, especially Copenhagen, is home to hundreds of traditional bakeries serving 'wienerbrød' (literally, bread from Vienna), the traditional and famous Danish pastries. While many are closing due to competition from 7-Eleven kiosks, a traditional bakery is still good to find and hard to beat. Look for signs with a pretzel on them or shaped like a pretzel, usually with a crown on top. The major department stores listed above also have bakeries, although they can be pricey. * {{eat | name=Lagkagehuset | alt= | url=http://www.lagkagehuset.dk | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+45 72 14 47 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=15-40 Kr | content=While the original "layer cake house" is in [[Copenhagen/Christianshavn|Christianshavn]], the famous bakery, one of the best in Copenhagen, has expanded all over the city (and Denmark for that matter), with no less than five outlets in Indre By. }} ** {{eat | name=Strøget | url= | email= | address=Frederiksberggade 21 | lat=55.67696 | long=12.57073 | directions= | phone=+45 72 48 47 77 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 07:30-20:00}} ** {{eat | name=Kultorvet | alt= | url= | email=kultorvet@lagkagehuset.dk | address=Frederiksborggade 6 | lat=55.68295 | long=12.57356 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 29 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 06:30-19:00, F 06:30-20:00, Sa 08:00-19:00, Su 08:00-17:00 | price= | content= }} ** {{eat | name=Vesterbrogade | url= | email=vesterbrogade@lagkagehuset.dk | address=Vesterbrogade 4A | lat=55.67491 | long=12.56451 | directions=Across the street from the entrance to the Tivoli gardens | phone=+45 33 11 36 07 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 07:30-18:00, Sa Su 08:00-18:00}} **{{eat | name=Ny Østergade | url= | email=nyoestergade@lagkagehuset.dk | address=Ny Østergade 12 | lat=55.68090 | long=12.58320 | directions=Close to Nyhavn and Kongens Nytorv, behind Hotel d'Angelterre | phone=+45 72 14 47 37 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 07:30-18:30, Sa 07:30-18:00, Su 08:00-17:00}} * {{eat | name=Conditori La Glace | alt= | url=http://www.laglace.dk/ | email= | address=Skoubogade 3 | lat=55.67859 | long=12.57359 | directions= | phone=+45 33144646 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:30-17:30, Sa 09:00-17:00 | price=Pieces from 42 kr | content=Has been serving cakes, ice cream and hot chocolate since 1870, Their specialty is the Sports Cake. }} * {{eat | name=Skt. Peders Bageri | url= | email= | address=Sankt Peders Stræde 29 | lat=55.67913 | long=12.56921 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 11 29 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 07:00-17:30, Sa 07:00-16:00 | price=10-20 kr | content=Located in the wallet-friendly Latinekvarteret (The Latin Quarter), Skt. Peder's has a special every day and 10 kr take-away coffee. Don't worry about knowing the names for anything (none are posted anyway), the clerks are friendly and used to English-speaking customers. }} * {{eat | name=7-Eleven | url= | email= | address=many street corners, especially near train stations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=10-15 kr | content=Yes, it's 7-Eleven, mass-produced and all, but the price usually can't be beat, and there is frequently a pastry and coffee special for around 20 kr. }} ===Royal Warrant holders=== When in Copenhagen, you have the opportunity to visit a Royal Warrant holder. The Royal Warrant holder is a predicate dating back to the 19th century, it is only awarded to companies and individuals who have had long-term and regular trade of a certain extent with the royal family and the royal household. Only a few handpicked companies are appointed this special title. Visiting stores labeled Royal Warrant Holder will give you a sense of the historical heritage of Copenhagen. * {{eat | name=Perchs Tearoom | alt=Perchs tesalon | url=http://www.perchstearoom.dk | email=tearoom@perchs.dk | address=Kronprinsensgade 5, 1.sal, 1114 København K | lat=55.680694 | long=12.578868 | directions= | phone=+45 33 15 35 62 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:30-17:30, Sa 11:00-17:00 | price=90-250 kr | content=A classic tea room serving more than 150 different tea variants. In the tea room, there is also served different locale cakes and sandwiches. Tea has been served in this location since 1835. }} * {{eat | name=Sømods Bolcher | alt=Soemods Candy | url=https://soemods-bolcher.dk/ | email=bolcher@soemod.dk | address=Nørregade 36B, 1165 København K | lat=55.681953 | long=12.571174 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 60 46 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 09:15-17:30, F 09:15-18:00, Sa 10:00-15:30 | price=36-190 kr | content=A historic drop-boiler started in 1891, here former times craftsmanship is celebrated and kept alive. Watch how the professionals cook drops and make colorful lollipops or engage yourself. Good variety of drops, known as bolcher in Danish. Particularly great with kids as they can see the candy being made. Has been owned by the same family since it first opened more than 125 years ago. }} ===Budget=== [[File:Frederiksberggade, Kopenhagen Mai 2009.jpg|thumbnail|right|Get yourself in the Rådhuspladsen/Frederiksberggade area for a combination of cheap and open till late]] Frederiksberggade, the part of Strøget nearest to Rådhuspladsen, is packed with cheap burger joints, Shawarma places, and China boxes - which all shell out quick food, until very late at night on the weekends. Burger King on the corner of Strøget and Rådhuspladsen operates 24 hours. * {{eat | name=Ankara | alt= | url=http://www.ankaracity.dk/ | email= | address=Krystalgade 8-10 | lat=55.68059 | long=12.57198 | directions=across the street from the main library | phone=+45 33 15 19 15 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Inexpensive Turkish food. The 79-kr all-you-can-eat buffet is a good deal (and it is only 49 kr for lunch between 11:00-16:00). }} * {{eat | name=Lotte's | url=http://www.lottessandwichbar.dk/ | email= | address=Kronprinsessegade 10 | lat=55.68329 | long=12.58144 | directions= | phone=+45 35 10 98 98 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-16:00 | price=Sandwiches for 45-55 kr | content= Excellent sandwich shop across the street from the King's Garden. }} * {{eat | name=Riz Raz | alt= | url=http://www.rizraz.dk | email= | address=Store Kanikkestræde 19 | lat=55.6801617 | long=12.5742602 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 33 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30-00:00 | price= | content=All you can eat mediterranean inspired, vegetarian buffet for 99 kr (and 79 kr for lunch) }} * {{eat | name=Shawarma Grill House | alt= | url=http://www.shawarmagrillhouse.dk/ | email=shawarmagrillhouse@hotmail.com | address=Frederiksberggade 36 | lat=55.6766311 | long=12.569506 | directions= | phone=+45 33126323 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 70 kr | content=This is the first and probably the best shawarma restaurant in Denmark. This restaurant serves pita breads with shawarma and falafel, but also other Middle-Eastern specialities. A shawarma meal contains a pita bread with shawarma, french fries and a soft drink }} ===Mid-range=== [[File:Gråbrødretorv facades.jpg|thumb|There are many restaurants at Gråbrødre torv]] There are many opportunities. The area around Gråbrødre square is popular. *{{eat | name=Amadeus | alt= | url=http://www.restaurant-amadeus.dk | email= | address=Store Kongensgade 62, 1264 København K | lat=55.683901 | long=12.58757 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 35 11 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 07:30-23:00, Th-Sa 07:30-00:00 | price=150-300 kr | content=Cozy basement restaurant with lots of candles, very decent food, and wonderful desserts. And a nice outdoor serving area for good weather }} * {{eat | name=Bøf og Ost | url=http://www.boef-ost.dk/ | email= | address=Gråbrødretorv 13 | lat=55.67955 | long=12.57594 | directions= | phone= +45 33 11 99 11 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:30-01:00 | price=Main from 149 kr | content=A popular restaurant on Gråbrødre Torv, dishing out French and Danish cuisine. Has a large outdoor serving area on the square. }} * {{eat | name=Café Petersborg | url=http://www.cafe-petersborg.dk/ | email= | address=Bredgade 76 | lat=55.68731 | long=12.59295 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 50 16 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:45-15:00 & 17:00-20:30, Sa 11:30-16:00 | price=125 kr | content=Dates back to the 17th century, and have traditional Danish open faced sandwiches (smørrebrød). The ''Petersborg Lunch Plate'' is a good deal at }} * {{eat | name=The Standard | alt= | url=http://thestandardcph.dk/ | email= | address=Havnegade 44 | lat=55.67793 | long=12.59214 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in an old customs house right at the harbour canal, with great views over Christianshavn and the water. It is actually several restaurants and bars in one building }} *{{eat | name=La Galette | url=http://www.lagalette.dk | email= | address=Larsbjørnsstræde 9 | lat=55.67815 | long=12.56955 | directions=in the back court | phone=+45 33323790 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 12:00-16:00, 17:30-22:00; Su 16:00-22:00 | price=30-110 kr depending on what galette you take | content=La Galette is a French style crèperie situated in the inner city of Copenhagen in a court yard surrounded by plants, and an old fence, friendly staff and an atmosphere that takes you somewhere else! Get a Galette or two in "amoureux" and don't miss the cider plus the dessert crêpe with crème de marrons and a dot of vanilla ice cream. Perfect for a quick lunch or a light dinner. }} * {{eat | name=Palæo Torvehallerne | alt= | url=http://www.palaeo.dk | email=info@palaeo.dk | address=Københavns Torvehaller, Hal nr 1, Rømersgade 18, 1362 København K | lat=55.6838 | long=12.5691 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:00-20:00, Sa 10:00-19:00, Su 11:00-18:00 | price= | content=Inside the front door of one of Copenhagen's great food markets, Palæo offers what the name suggests: a Paleo food offering for those who are following the Paleo diet.... No gluten, just loads of meat and veg, salads and filled omelette wraps, plus a great juice bar! Very popular with locals who like to eat healthy! }} * {{eat | name=Reef N'beef | alt=Australian | url=http://www.reefnbeef.dk | email= | address=Jernbanegade 4 | lat=55.67627 | long=12.56617 | directions= | phone=+45 33 33 00 30 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 17:00-00:00 | price=Mains from 184 kr | content=If it ain't in Australian, it's not on the menu, goes the advertising on this place. And for homesick Aussies or curious guests you can both get Kangaroo, Barramundi, crocodile satay and of course a proper steak, and down it with a VB or a glass of Australian wine - or in the Oz cocktail bar. }} ===Splurge=== [[Image:Copenhagen_gammel_moent.jpg|thumb|Restaurant Gammel Mønt]] *{{eat | name=Alberto K at The Royal | url=http://www.radissonblu.com/royalhotel-copenhagen/dining/alberto-k | email= | address=Hammerichsgade 1, 1611 Copenhagen Denmark | lat=55.67491 | long=12.56377 | directions= | phone=+45 3342 6161 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 18:00 to 00:00 (the kitchen closes at 22:00) | price= | content=A new level of simplicity and lightness. Lead by Head Chef Søren Selin and Restaurant Manager and Sommelier Werner Nymo, Alberto K offers a tailored menu that follows the seasons and fuses Italian influences with Danish ingredients. Alberto K won praise from the New York Times' writer Seth Sherwood. Advance reservation recommended. }} * {{eat | name=Kong Hans Kælder | alt= | url=http://www.konghans.dk/ | email= | address=Vingaardsstræde 6 | lat=55.67877 | long=12.58399 | directions=at the back side of Magasin du Nord | phone=+45 33 11 68 68 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 18:00-00:00 | price=Mains from 450 kr | wikidata=Q6429123 | content=Michelin starred French restaurant, open since 1976 and located in the oldest building in Copenhagen. The setting is amazing, with Gothic arches and a medieval atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=Krogs Fiskerestaurant | alt= | url=https://www.krogs.dk/ | email= | address=Gammel Strand 38 | lat=55.67777 | long=12.57854 | directions= | phone=+45 33 15 89 15 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 18:00-22:30 | price=Menus 750-1000 kr | content=Historical seafood restaurant open since 1920. The restaurant environs are a taste of classical Copenhagen and can make you feel like you stepped back in time. Food is high quality, with fresh fish from Danish waters. }} ==Drink== === Brewery pubs === [[Image:CphTivoliLake.jpg|thumb|Tivoli lake, Færgekroen]] These listings are some excellent options for starting your night in Copenhagen, offering good food and excellent beers produced in the places' own micro breweries. * {{drink | name=Apollo Brewery | alt= | url=http://bryggeriet.dk/eng/breweries/apollo-copenhagen | email= | address=Vesterbrogade 3 | lat=55.67483 | long=12.56619 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 33 13 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11:30-14:30 and 17:00-22:30, Su 17:00-22:00 | price=Mains from: 171 kr | content=This former theatre right next to the Tivoli main entrance, offers some excellent beers from the inhouse brewery, if you combine it with the spareribs, you have a winning combination for a night out with the boys. }} * {{drink | name=BrewPub | alt= | url=http://brewpub.dk | email= | address=Vestergade 29 | lat=55.67717 | long=12.56949 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 00 60 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 12:00-22:00 | price=2 courses 280 kr, 2 beer menu 75 kr | content=This place has a really nice outdoor beergarden in a courtyard in one of the historic buildings downtown. The menu is specially designed to go well with the beers, that the brewery produces in their own basement. Also has indoor seating. }} * {{drink | name=Færgekroen Brewery | alt= | url=http://www.faergekroen.com/ | email= | address=Tivoli | lat=55.67410 | long=12.56985 | directions= | phone=+45 33 75 06 80 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 12:00-22:00 (only in the Tivoli season) | price=Mains from 159 Kr | content=This idyllic place set by a lake inside Tivoli has an Austrian brewmaster behind its beers, and serves Danish food both inside the old building, or at a large patio by the lake. }} ===Bars=== [[Image:Nyhavn_cph.jpg|thumb|The Nyhavn canal is popular place to go for a drink]] * {{drink | name=Charlies | email= | address=Pilestræde 33 | lat=55.68066 | long=12.58029 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 22 89 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 14:00-02:00, Th-Sa 12:00-02:00, Su 14:00-21:00 | price= | content=Great choice of beers, especially British beers and real cask ales. Very popular so you might have to stand on weekends, but lively also on weekdays. }} * {{drink | name=Cosy Bar | alt= | url=https://www.cosybar.dk/ | email= | address=Studiestræde 24 | lat=55.67842 | long=12.56877 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 74 27 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open every day of the week | price= | content=A small late night gay bar/club with a very mixed clientele, extremely busy in the weekends, but the fun usually never starts until 04:00-05:00 when other places are closed. Fun, but can feel a bit like a meat market at times. }} [[File:Nyhavn by night.jpg|thumb|The Nyhavn canal at night]] * {{drink | name=The Dubliner | url=https://thedubliner.dk/ | email= | address=Amagertorv 5 | lat=55.67866 | long=12.57891 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 22 26 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-late, F Sa 10:00-05:00, Su 11:00-late | price= | content=Huge and rather touristy, it is still probably the most authentic Irish pub in Copenhagen, usually always something going on, even on weekdays - also serves pub food, and has many big screens for watching sports. }} * {{drink | name=Funch's Vinstue | url=https://www.funchs55.com/ | email= | address=Nørre Farimagsgade 55 | lat=55.68449 | long=12.56739 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 54 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-02:00, F Sa 10:00-05:00, Su 10:00-02:00 | price= | content=Real old-fashioned bar with a good mix of regulars and "poor" student's from the universities. The bar prices are some of the cheapest you get in downtown, and while the place looks pretty run down, the mixed clientele gives it a good atmosphere. }} * {{drink | name=Halvvejen | url=https://cafehalvvejen.dk/ | email= | address=Krystalgade 11 | lat=55.68094 | long=12.57392 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 91 12 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another old fashioned bar. Its main claim to fame is its adoption of the 10-trip card you use at public transit, known as a ''klippekort'' in Danish, to sell alcohol. 13 servings of beer, shots or spirits for 199 Kr. }} * {{drink | name=Heidi's Bier Bar | url=https://www.heidisbierbar.dk/event/koebenhavn/livemusik-koebenhavn/ | email= | address=Vestergade 18 | lat=55.67746 | long=12.56978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 16:00-03:00, Th-Sa 16:00-05:00, Su 16:00-02:00 | price= | content=2 floors of Tyrolean after ski attitude a short walk away from Rådhuspladsen. }} * {{drink | name=La Fontaine | url=https://www.lafontaine.dk/ | email= | address=Kompagnistræde 11 | lat=55.67737 | long=12.57615 | smoking=yes | phone=+45 33 11 60 98 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F Sa 11:00-15:00, Su 09:00-13:00 | price= | content=Oldest jazz bar with live jazz music. Double up on beer and liquor Monday to Saturday between 20:00 and 22:00. }} * {{drink | name=The Moose | url=https://www.themoosebar.dk/ | email= | address=Sværtegade 5 | lat=55.68112 | long=12.58059 | smoking=yes | phone=+45 33914291 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Weekdays until 03:00, weekends until late - | price= | content=A long time favourite for students from the universities, this small cramped bar is famed for its moose head, over tagged walls and most importantly the "double up" Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays - where you get two draft beers for 32 kr. }} * {{drink | name=Ruby | url=https://www.rby.dk/ | email= | address=Nybrogade 10 | lat=55.67669 | long=12.57662 | directions= | phone=+45 33 93 12 03 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 16:00-01:00, Th-Sa 16:00-02:00 | price= | content=This is probably the best cocktail bar in town in the moment, although, visitors should keep in mind that this is Scandinavia, and a night out here could easily break a budget. This is, however, a great place to do it, with attentive and qualified bartenders, and a well designed interior. }} *{{drink | name=Tango y Vinos Argentinean wine bar | url=http://www.tangoyvinos.dk/ | email= | address=Herluf Trolles Gade 9 | lat=55.67913 | long=12.58972 | directions= | phone=+45 2293 9800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 16:00-late | price= | content=Argentinian run place, that is part wine bar, part concert venue. This place imports its own Argentinian wines, arranges Tango lessons on Tuesdays (20:00-21:30, 100 kr) and has frequent Tango,Jazz and classical concerts. }} * {{drink | name=Togas Vinstue | url=http://www.toga.dk/ | email= | address=St. Kirkestræde 3 | lat=55.67876 | long=12.58034 | smoking=yes | phone=+45 33 12 21 26 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 12:00-03:00, Th 12:00-16:00, F Sa 12:00-17:00 | price= | content=If you are interested in politics, this oddity of low key bar near the parliament, is frequented by many parliamentarians, and always have a heated debate going on - feel free to join in as mostly everyone has some command of English. Speciality is the Von Oosten bitter - tastes terrible, but don't be surprised if someone forces it in you. }} * {{drink | name=Dahl & Dahl | url=https://www.dahl-dahl.dk/ | email= | address=Dronningens Tværgade 6 | lat=55.68344 | long=12.58820 | directions= | phone=+45 29210660 | tollfree= | fax= | content=A wine and cocktail bar. Serves tapas based on products from Bornholm. }} * {{drink | name=Zoo Bar | url=https://www.zoocopenhagen.dk/ | email= | address=Sværtegade 6| lat=55.6810090 | long=12.5806605 | directions= | phone=+45 33 15 68 69 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Sa 20:00-05:00 | price= | content=Small but hip place, which also serves good food. Always crowded on weekends. Interesting decoration. }} * {{drink | name=Ørsted Ølbar & Cafe | url=http://gruppe4.dk/ | email=info@oerstedoelbar.dk | address=Nørre Farimagsgade 13 | lat=55.68135 | long=12.56455 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mo 16:00-222, Tu-Fr 15:00-22:00, Sa 13:00-22:00, Su 14:00-22:00 | price= | content=Relaxed bar with a wide range of beers on draft and several good beers on bottle, soft chairs, a pool table, and a fussball table. }} [[File:Amagertorv in Copenhagen by night..jpg|thumbnail|right|Amagertorv by night]] * {{drink | name=The Scottish Pub | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheScottishPubCPH | email= | address=Rådhuspladsen 16 | lat=55.67598 | long=12.56719 | directions= | phone=+45 33 15 92 43 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-11-06 | content=It hosts a backpackers night, which is sometimes quite lively. }} === Clubs & venues=== [[File:CopenhagenNYE.jpg|thumbnail|right|Tivoli at night]] * {{drink | name=Be Proud | url=http://www.beproud.dk/ | email= | address=Jernbanegade 9 | lat=55.67637 | long=12.56686 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F Sa from 23:00-06:00 | price= | content=The city's biggest dance venue for the younger gay/lesbian crowd. Mainstream hits on Fridays and more experimental music Saturdays. }} * {{drink | name=Copenhagen Jazz house | url=http://www.jazzhouse.dk/ | email= | address=Niels Hemmingsens Gade 10 | lat=55.67936 | long=12.57771 | directions= | phone=+45 33 15 47 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nightclub: F Sa 00:00-late | price= | content=This place, was along with the now closed Montmartre, institutions in the hey-days of Danish Jazz. There is concerts daily on evenings, and on weekends there is a nightclub for the 30+ crowd in the basement. }} * {{drink | name=Club Mambo | url=http://www.clubmambo.dk/ | email= | address=Vester Voldgade 85 | lat=55.67505 | long=12.57229 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 50 50 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th 20:00-03:00, F Sa 21:00-05:00 | price=Cover charge: 40-50 kr | content=Copenhagen's main Latin venue, with a large dance floor for salsa dancing, and a lounge bar with a wider variety of music. Free Salsa lessons every Thursday from 20:00-21:00. It is totally random whether the place is jam packed or really quiet. }} * {{drink | name=Culture Box | url=http://www.culture-box.com/ | email= | address=Kronprinsessegade 54A | lat=55.68640 | long=12.58398 | directions= | phone=+45 26 43 94 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Sa 23:00-05:00 | price=Cover charge: 30-80 kr | content=Culture Box is the flagship of the electronic music scene in Copenhagen, and is immensely important for the local development of the genre. Mixes superstar DJs with local talent. Usually a friendly, open crowd, and non commercial music blasting out the speakers. }} * {{drink | name=Discotek In | url=http://diskotekin.dk/ | email= | address=Nørregade 1 | lat=55.67859 | long=12.57205 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 74 78 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=23:00-08:00 | price=150 kr for all you can drink beer, wine and champagne. | content=This is the place to go if you enjoy dance and light house music. But be forewarned, has a reputation among locals, for its mostly very young crowd, heavy drug use and frequent shows of testosterone. That being said, it can be fun if you take it as an experience. }} * {{drink | name=Kulør Bar | url=http://www.kulorbar.dk | email= | address=Gothersgade 8F | lat=55.68224 | long=12.58477 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 20 90 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Sa 23:00-05:00 | price=Entrance 80 kr | content=A hit-or-miss sorta place, with nice colorful interiors, chill corners, and occasional artistic performances in the midst of the partying crowd. The entrance fee includes free beers from 22:00 to 01:00, Minimum age is 18 on Thursdays, and 21 on weekends. }} * {{drink | name=The Rock | url=http://www.the-rock.dk/ | email= | address=Skindergade 45-47 | lat=55.67912 | long=12.57391 | directions= | phone=+45 33 91 39 13 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Sa 20:00-06:00 | price=Cover charge: 50 kr | content=This is a large club, playing rock music, heavy metal etc. People here mainly wear black, has died their hair black, and uses black eyeliner - but the crowd is open and friendly to everyone. Also has a stage where live music of the same genre is played mostly every weekend. }} * {{drink | name=Studenterhuset | url=http://studenterhuset.com/ | email= | address=Købmagergade 52 | lat=55.68118 | long=12.57630 | directions= | phone=+45 35 32 38 60 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M 12:00-18:00, Su 15:00-18:00 (also see daily schedule) | price= | content=Studenterhuset or the Student house in English is a lively cafe, bar and live venue run by the student association on the University of Copenhagen, right next to Rundetårn. There are certain regular weekly events here; Tuesdays (12:00-13:00) it is gay day, Wednesdays (12:00-13:00) it is international night where many exchange students come to party, a good option for a night out on Wednesdays which can be pretty quite elsewhere, Thursdays & Fridays (12:00-late) are nights for various live acts. The rest of the week has no set schedule. }} === Coffee === If you are in dire need of some caffeine the following morning, here are some places that should (could?) sharpen you up. * {{drink | name=Risteriet | url=http://www.risteriet.dk | email= | address=Studiestræde 36 | lat=55.67811 | long=12.56785 | directions= | phone=+45 33 91 00 45 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-15:00 | price= | content=This place at the end of Studiestræde roasts coffee freshly on the premises every day. And you are offered both to drink some in the cafe or bring it home from the store. }} * {{drink | name=The Living Room | url= | email= | address=Larsbjørnsstræde 17 | lat=55.67857 | long=12.56908 | directions= | phone=+45 33 32 66 10 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10:00-23:00, F 10:00-01:00, Sa 11:00-00:00, Su 12:00-19:00 (only summer) | price= | content=The Living Room is a nice place in the Latin quarter, with a clean and lean 1st floor, and a more anarchistic but very cosy basement with a fireplace, candlelight, bare massive stone walls and an interesting decoration - Perfect for a cold day. The many coffee's are mostly organic, and they also sells beers and cakes. Sometimes there are random, intimate concerts going on the basement. }} ==Sleep== ===Budget=== [[Image:CphDhView.jpg|thumb|View from Danhostel City]] * {{sleep | name=Copenhagen Downtown Hostel | url=http://www.copenhagendowntown.com | email=info@copenhagendowntown.com | address=Vandkunsten 5 | lat=55.67595 | long=12.57426 | directions= | phone=+45 70 23 21 10 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Dorms: 180 kr, rooms: 282-860 kr | checkin=14:00 | checkout=10:00 |lastedit=2022-08-14| content=Prime location, right next to Slotsholmen and the Parliament near the canal—short walking distance to the main shopping area and with the National Museum and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek just around the corner. This clean and friendly hostel has its own bar and student-style lounge. Happy hour (2 for 1) from 20:00-21:00. It can get a bit noisy, but entertains and accommodates a mixed group of ages. Groups welcome. 24-hour reception. }} *{{sleep | name=Hotel Bethel | url=http://www.hotel-bethel.dk/ | email=info@hotel-bethel.dk | address=Nyhavn 22 | lat=55.67946 | long=12.59074 | directions= | phone=+45 33 13 03 70 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 895 kr | checkin= | checkout= |lastedit=2022-08-14| content=A very good budget option with a prime location on Nyhavn and great views over the canal. Used to be a ''Sømandshjem'' or Seamans' Home, and it still shows in the atmosphere of the place - so don't expect anything fancy! }} * {{sleep | name=Cab-Inn City | alt= | url=http://www.cabinn.com/ | email=city@cabinn.com | address=Mitchellsgade 14 | lat=55.67053 | long=12.57081 | directions= | phone=+45 33 46 16 16 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From 551 kr, Breakfast 50 kr |lastedit=2022-08-14| content=Part of a chain, this hotel has good small rooms at an affordable price, just behind Tivoli and Glyptoteket. 24 hour reception. }} * {{sleep | name=Danhostel - Copenhagen City | url=http://www.danhostel.dk/copenhagencity | email=copenhagencity@danhostel.dk | address=H.C. Andersens Boulevard 50 | lat=55.67106 | long=12.57657 | directions= | phone=+45 33 18 83 32 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Dorms from 230 kr, rooms from 690 kr. | checkin= | checkout= |lastedit=2022-08-14| content=Rooms are clean and minimal, if not to say Spartan, although the hostel prides itself on having rooms designed by renowned design house Gubi. It looks more like a room by Ikea - not that this is necessarily a bad thing, considering it is a hostel, and the view are great! Everything extra comes with a cost, but the lobby is super nice. }} *{{sleep | name=Hotel Windsor | url=| email=hotelwindsor@inet.uni2.dk | address=Frederiksborggade 30 | lat=55.68454 | long=12.56980 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 08 30 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 475 kr | checkin= | checkout= | content=A central and cheap hotel, '''only''' catering to gays and lesbians. Some rooms with private showers, the rest have shared facilities in the corridors. The staff is very knowledgeable about the local gay scene. }} [[File:Royal Hotel Lobby - Swan chairs.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Swan chairs, now found in McDonald's all over the world, were designed for the Radisson Royal hotel (lobby pictured)]] * {{sleep | name=Bedwood Hostel | alt= | url=https://bedwood.dk/en/ | email=reception@bedwood.dk | address=Nyhavn 63 | lat=55.6799751 | long=12.5927888 | directions=The hostel is in the second row. | phone=+45 6142 6146 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Dorms from 220 kr. Private rooms from 1300 kr | lastedit=2018-07-07 | content=Nice hostel in an old builiding with friendly staff. Breakfast is optional and costs 55 kr. There is a bar with reasonable prices and an happy hour. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{sleep | name=Hotel Danmark | url=https://www.brochner-hotels.dk/hotel-danmark/ | email= | address=Vester Voldgade 89 | lat=55.67481 | long=12.57273 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 48 06 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 990 kr | checkin= | checkout= | content=A medium-priced, very friendly and cosy hotel in the middle of Copenhagen. Very good location, close to Tivoli. Free wireless and a great breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=The Square | url=https://thesquare.dk/ | email=thesquare@arp-hansen.dk | address=Rådhuspladsen 14 | lat=55.67623 | long=12.56690 | directions= | phone=+45 33 38 12 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 995 kr | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | content=Stylish minimalist design hotel, smack in the busiest part of the city center, with a view over Rådhuspladsen. Both wireless internet and a terminal available in the lobby. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Twentyseven | alt= | url=https://www.hoteltwentyseven.dk/ | email=hello@h-27.dk | address=Løngangstræde 27 | lat=55.67538 | long=12.57280 | directions= | phone=+45 70 27 56 27 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From 1200 kr | content=This cool designer hotel is a few meters from Rådhuspladsen. The rooms are small but have a very stylish minimalist feel. Prices are in the mid-range, The Absolut Ice Bar is next door where the walls and seats are made of ice, and the Absolut cocktails are served in ice glasses, is operated by the same guys. The walls, bar and seats are also all made of ice. }} * {{sleep | name=Ibsens Hotel | url=https://www.arthurhotels.dk/ibsens-hotel/ | email=hotel@ibsenshotel.dk | address=Vendersgade 23 | lat=55.68471 | long=12.56614 | directions= | phone=+45 33 95 77 55 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rooms from 990 kr | checkin=14:00 | checkout=11:00 | content=Nice and classical hotel, in a good area between Nansensgade and the lakes, and very close to shopping. Free wireless. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Sanders | url=https://hotelsanders.com/ | address=Tordenskjoldsgade 15 | lat=55.67843 | long=12.58756 | directions=Next to the royal theater at Kongens Nytorv | phone=+ 45 46400040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Smaller hotel located on a quiet street between Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn. }} * {{sleep | name=Phoenix Hotel | url=https://www.phoenixcopenhagen.dk/ | email= | address=Bredgade 37 | lat=55.68290 | long=12.58888 | directions=1 block south of the Marmorkirken on Bredgade | phone=+45 3395 9500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=~1000 kr | checkin= | checkout=12:00 | content=Small, if well appointed rooms. Handy central location. }} * {{sleep | name=Scandic Front | alt= | url=https://www.scandichotels.com/hotels/denmark/copenhagen/scandic-front | email=front@scandichotels.com | address=21 Sankt Annæ Plads | lat=55.68130 | long=12.59297 | directions=a block from Nyhavn | phone=+45 33 13 34 00 | tollfree= | fax=+45 33 11 77 07 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From 750 kr | content=New stylish hotel. Spacious rooms with great views. Trendy bar. }} ===Splurge=== [[Image:Kongens Nytorv - ice skaters.jpg|thumb|Hotel D'Angleterre decorated for Christmas, with the winter ice skating ring on Kongens Nytorv in front]] * {{sleep | name=71 Nyhavn Hotel | url=https://www.71nyhavnhotel.com/ | email=71nyhavnhotel@arp-hansen.dk | address=Nyhavn 71 | lat=55.67935 | long=12.59358 | directions= | phone=+45 33 43 62 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 1200 kr | checkin=03:00 | checkout=12:00 | content=This place is a top notch, historic, waterfront hotel - right at Nyhavn. With wireless internet, satellite TV and all other amenities you would expect from a four star hotel }} * {{sleep | name=Admiral Hotel | url=https://admiralhotel.dk/ | email=booking@admiralhotel.dk | address=Toldbodgade 24-28 | lat=55.68544 | long=12.59613 | directions= | phone=+45 33 74 14 14 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rooms from 1175 kr | checkin= | checkout= | content=Charming hotel on the waterfront, in an old harbor warehouse from 1781. 10-minute walk from the little mermaid. }} * {{sleep | name=D'Angleterre | url=https://www.dangleterre.com/ | email=dangleterre@dangleterre.dk | address=Kongens Nytorv 34 | lat=55.68060 | long=12.58467 | directions= | phone=+45 33 12 00 95 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 2680 kr | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | content=This is easily Copenhagen's most exclusive hotel. Set in a classical building overlooking Kongens Nytorv and the royal theater, it can trace its roots back to 1755. The service is impeccable, and the historic interiors are down right amazing. }} *{{sleep | name=Hotel Kong Arthur | url=https://www.arthurhotels.dk/dk/hotel-kong-arthur/ | email= | address=Nørre Søgade 11 | lat=55.68478 | long=12.56494 | directions= | phone=+45 33 11 12 12 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A very classic and stylish hotel with a nice and friendly atmosphere. Good location near the lakes and ecofriendly too as it is CO2-neutral. The hotel is right next door to the amazing Avalon spa, and in the summertime you can have the (really good) breakfast outside in the courtyard. }} * {{sleep | name=Palace Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.scandichotels.com/hotels/denmark/copenhagen/scandic-palace | email=palacecopenhagen@scandichotels.com | address=Rådhuspladsen 57 | lat=55.6761344 | long=12.5701437 | directions=Central Station 500 m; Nørreport 1 km | phone=+45 33 14 40 50 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Landmark hotel affiliated with the Scandic chain, immediately next to the City Hall at the west end of Strøget. Standard rooms are available with two beds or a queen-sized bed, and include a kettle, wireless internet, and in some cases a bathtub. Normal rates do not include breakfast, which is an additional 165 kr. Note that musical events are sometimes held in the City Hall square, so light sleepers may prefer a back room. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson BLU Royal Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-collection-copenhagen | email=info.cphzh@radissonblu.com | address=Hammerichsgade 1 | lat=55.6747944 | long=12.5637419 | directions= | phone=+45 33 42 60 00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Five-star hotel opposite the Central station and the Tivoli. The entire hotel from the exterior facade through to the swan and egg chairs gracing the lobby have been designed by famous Danish architect, Arne Jacobsen. Free broadband, fitness centre, gourmet restaurant "Alberto K" on the 18th floor. }} * {{sleep | name=Skt Petri Hotel | url=https://www.sktpetri.com/ | email=reception@hotelsktpetri.com | address=Krystalgade 22 | lat=55.68068 | long=12.57193 | directions= | phone=+45 33 45 91 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From 1295 kr | checkin= | checkout= | content=The modern designer hotel is in the heart of the Copenhagen Latin Quarter, close to prime pedestrianized shopping areas and the Round Tower, and looks nothing like any other hotel in Copenhagen. The bar in the lobby area is good, but posh, as the rest of the Hotel. }} ==Connect== The postal code for central Copenhagen ranges between 1000-1499 (''København K''), and is quite confusing compared to the rest of the country, since almost every street here has its own postcode. * {{listing | name=Hovedbiblioteket | alt=The main library | url=https://bibliotek.kk.dk/biblioteker/hovedbiblioteket | email= | address=Krystalgade 15 | lat=55.68081 | long=12.57371 | directions= | phone=+45 33 73 60 60 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-16:00 | price= Free | content=The central library is not far from Rundetårn, and has internet terminals, as well as Wi-Fi available. }} == Cope == * {{listing | type=listing | name=Møntvask | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nansensgade 84 | lat=55.684976 | long=12.566903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-18 | content=Coin laundry. }} {{IsPartOf|Copenhagen}} {{geo|55.67981|12.57857}} {{guidedistrict}} acb7wdaoef51ouymcdiszaprdggxnf3 0 8584 4501936 4430113 2022-08-16T07:13:27Z Lcmortensen 105582 elevators wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=Cruise ships in Nassau, Bahamas|ftt=yes}} [[Image:Cruise ship deck.jpg|thumb|300px|The upper deck of a typical cruise ship]] {{COVID-19 box|There have been a number of outbreaks of [[COVID-19]] on cruise ships. Infections can spread easily on board, and medical care onboard is limited. Amid an outbreak, quarantines and docking are challenging partly due to the large number of people aboard. Those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 are most at risk. Many cruise ship companies require proof of COVID-19 vaccination to board. See official advice: * [https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories From the Canadian government] * [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html From the US government] |lastedit=2021-12-20}} '''Cruise ships''' are a means of travel with substantial benefits, and a few drawbacks. Some people love them; others don't care for them. They make it easy to visit several places in a single trip with no need to repack belongings and use a car/train/bus/plane to travel to each location. On a cruise, your "hotel" comes along with you – cabin, meals and transportation, and even entertainment. You unpack once, and may go to bed in [[Cabo San Lucas]] and wake up in [[Puerto Vallarta]], and so on to other destinations, to repack only at cruise end. This can make a great travel experience. Your sense of where you are is compromised only by not taking note of your itinerary and the daily ship's newsletters delivered to your cabin. Such a sampling of various ports, cities, islands or shores in a region can help you decide if and where you'd want to visit later for a longer time. Typical cruise itineraries limit the time you spend in each place; usually it means just a day of activities or sightseeing. They may also include one or more days at sea – paradise if you enjoy a relaxing day by the pool or other shipboard activities, but less so if you prefer more active and open exploration ashore. Nonetheless, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for enough people to support a growing industry. Today you can visit every continent on earth, including [[Antarctica]], by cruise ship. Exotic destinations, such as the [[Galapagos Islands]], are best visited by small expedition vessels. While these cruises are expensive, you'll be traveling with expert guides. This article focuses on ocean cruising and ships. Cruise ships represent just one of multiple options for [[boat travel|passenger travel by sea]]; [[ferries]] reach isolated coastal outports with no road and islands where distance or limited amounts of traffic make highway bridge construction impractical, [[river boat]] and [[barge canal]] cruising offer more in-depth, close-up looks at many countries in their interiors, while the few remaining [[ocean liners]] were designed not as floating hotels for entertainment but as practical transport vessels built for speed. For travel on smaller vessels, see [[Cruising on small craft]]. ==Understand== The golden age of transoceanic passenger travel has faded greatly. The few surviving ships from the era of the great [[ocean liners]] have mostly been converted to cruising, preserved as museums and/or hotels, or are laid-up. That does not mean that travel across the sea by ship is gone too. In truth, modern-day ''passenger ships'' are sometimes faster than the ocean liners of yore, and in some ways more luxurious – and you do not have to buy first class tickets to enjoy most of it. The Cunard "Queens" ''Queen Mary 2'', ''Queen Victoria'' and ''Queen Elizabeth'' still make traditional fast Atlantic crossings seasonally and receive use as cruise ships at other times. ''Queen Mary 2'', launched in 2004, runs from [[Southampton]] to [[New York City]], formerly a well-beaten path for multiple rival trans-Atlantic passenger lines. In those days, passengers were separated physically by the class of passage they had booked (exemplified in the movie "Titanic"). Today nearly all public facilities and areas are shared by all passengers. The picture of cruise ship travel painted by the TV series ''The Love Boat'' (aired 1977-87) isn't particularly ''misleading'' (except about the inevitable bliss before debarkation and the all-American crew), but it is rather ''incomplete''. Due to economy of scale, most modern cruise ships carry lots of passengers. While the luxury segment of the cruise industry boasts small ships – even "boutique" vessels or "mega-yachts" – most ships form floating towns. Voyages range from a few days to full circumnavigations of the globe lasting three months or more, while fares range from a few hundred dollars to US$100,000 or more. Luxury cruise lines may have ships carrying just 100–800 or so passengers. Larger ships carry 2,000–3,500 passengers, while mega-ships can carry over 5,000. The largest cruise ship in the world, ''Wonder of the Seas'' can carry nearly 7,000 passengers (5,750 at double occupancy) and has a gross tonnage over five times that of the ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]''! Each size has its merits; for example: * Smaller ships can visit smaller harbors in highly desirable, rugged shorelines or unusual locales, e.g. the Riviera, Galapagos, Fjords. * Larger ships may offer a few more amenities as discussed in "On-board" below but must use well-sized harbors (or anchor/moor off-shore), and require transport and touring infrastructures to handle so many people. * Mega-ships offer huge public spaces and wide-ranging activities, but are limited to major ports with even greater tourist infrastructures. Cruise lines offer widely varying itineraries. Examples range from: * '''A few days''' at sea or to a nearby port-of-call. These may be offered as an introduction to cruising, or just as an opportunity to party. * '''One or two weeks''' to visit ports and sights in a particular region, per "Cruise types" below. * '''A month or more''' to see a region of the world, or '''three or more months''' to go around the world; a lifetime experience. Each cruise is comprised of one or more '''cruise segments''', e.g., a 1–2 week "round-tripper" may be one segment, while visiting two or more regions may sometimes involve 2–3 segments of an around-the-world cruise. That way, cruise lines can sell affordable "pieces" of long cruises that otherwise few can consider. Not infrequently, cruisers will buy two or three back-to-back/sequential segments to build a longer cruise, e.g., 7–10 days from Florida to the Western Caribbean, return, then 7–10 days for the Eastern, or two or more world regions when they are far away. The price of an economy cruise may be compared to staying at a hotel with small rooms but good facilities, meals, etc. Standard cabins may cost $80–150 per day per person, while the rate for a luxury cruise or expeditionary cruise to polar regions can cost $1,000 per day — yes, per person. As a rule of thumb, if you focus only on economy you may get a somewhat older, less well decorated and equipped ship; you ''may'' have to pay for meals (rare); or your cabin may have noise from the ship's engines or other sources. If you pay a bit more for essentially the same cruise but on a higher-quality or newer ship, you ''should'' get better amenities, comfort, etc. ===Choosing a cruise - early questions=== Especially for first-time cruisers, this overall article should help you understand what going on a cruise is all about, and what might fit what you'd like. Before that, you might ask yourself key questions: * Who'll be in your group, e.g., just friends, a couple, a family of parents and children, a multi-generational family (including grand-parents)? And do any members have special needs, e.g., to get around? * What "caliber" of cruise interests you? — economy, mainstream, premium, luxury, expedition? * What's your budget? In-pocket now and for cash needed during/after the trip, e.g., payments you'll make at least as a cruise deposit and (probably) to buy trip insurance shortly after you book the trip, as you pay the rest of the cruise cost a few months before departure, as needed when you buy airline tickets to/from the cruise port, and to cover funds for what can be non-trivial costs during the trip? ** Does your budget fit a typical cruise with lots of benefits included (discussed below)? Or perhaps an "all-inclusive" where (at substantially greater cost) nearly everything is pre-paid by and for everyone, e.g., tours, spa services, unlimited alcoholic drinks? * How much time do all in your group have to make the trip together and when? And how well does the "when" fit with where you all might want to go, e.g., Alaska in January might have certain complications. * How much time do you want to spend at each cruise destination? Each cruise tends to vary in the amount of time they spend at their destinations. This is an especially important consideration for Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises which can stop in multiple islands and cities even in the span of a few days. Some cruises will spend a few hours at each destination, whereas some cruises will spend a whole day or more. Look into the trip itinerary and ask yourself if you want to spend most of your time relaxing on the ship, or if you prefer to explore each destination. With basic answers to those questions and use of this article, (we hope) you'll be able to generate a picture of what kind of cruise fits you best. Many find themselves surprised that the cost for a cruise (using advice on cost-avoidance noted below) may cost about the same as a road trip or fly/stay vacation of comparable length, services and accommodations. ===Companies=== [[File:Portofkeywest.jpg|thumbnail|Cruise ships in the port of Key West]] ===="Big Three" cruise lines==== The "Big Three" of the ocean cruise industry are (from largest to smallest) ''Carnival Corporation'', ''Royal Caribbean Cruises'', and ''Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings''. Together, they carry 80 percent of all cruise passengers. '''Carnival Corporation''' is the largest of the Big Three. It owns nine cruise lines: * [http://www.carnival.com Carnival Cruise Line] * [http://www.princess.com Princess Cruises] * [http://www.costacruise.com Costa Cruises] * [http://www.aida.de AIDA Cruises] * [http://www.hollandamerica.com/main/Main.action Holland America Line] * [http://www.pocruises.com P&O Cruises International] * [http://www.pocruises.com.au P&O Cruises Australia] * [http://www.cunard.com Cunard Line] * [http://www.seabourn.com Seabourn Cruise Line] '''Royal Caribbean Cruises''' is the second largest of the Big Three. It wholly owns two cruise lines, and owns the majority of a fourth (Silversea). * [http://www.royalcaribbean.com.au Royal Caribbean International] = * [http://www.celebritycruises.com/home.do Celebrity Cruises] * [http://www.silversea.com Silversea Cruises] '''Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings''' is the smallest of the Big Three. It owns three cruise lines: * [http://www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)] * [http://www.oceaniacruises.com Oceania Cruises] * [http://www.rssc.com Regent Seven Seas Cruises] ====Independent cruise lines==== * [http://www.ponant.com Compagnie du Ponant] * [http://www.crystalcruises.com Crystal Cruises] * [[Disney Cruise Line]] * [http://www.fredolsencruises.com Fred Olsen Cruise Lines] * [http://www.hlkf.de Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten] (in German) * [https://www.tui.co.uk/cruise/ Marella Cruises] (TUI) * [http://www.msccruises.com/gl_en/select_your_country.aspx MSC Cruises] * [http://www.deilmann-kreuzfahrten.de Peter Deilmann-Reederei] (in German) * [http://www.phoenixreisen.com Phoenix Kreuzfahrten] (in German) * [http://www.starcruises.com Star Cruises] — based out of [[Hong Kong]], covering mainly the Asia-Pacific region * [http://www.transocean.de Transocean Kreuzfahrten] (in German) * [http://tuicruises.com TUI Cruises] (in German) * [https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans Viking Ocean Cruises] ====Small ship cruise options==== * [http://www.adventurecanada.com Adventure Canada] – Canadian Arctic including Northwest Passage crossings, Greenland * [https://www.nicko-cruises.de/en/ Nicko Cruises] – cruises in German rivers including the Rhine, Elbe, Saar, and Oder * [https://northpacificexpeditions.com North Pacific Expeditions] – adventure cruises to Alaska (via Inside Passage), Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula * [http://www.northstarcruises.com.au North Star Cruises] – Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia * [http://www.orionexpeditions.com Orion Expedition] – adventure cruises, worldwide but specialising in things like Antarctic or Amazon trips * [http://www.pgcruises.com Paul Gauguin Cruises] * [http://www.seadream.com SeaDream Yacht Club] * [http://www.starclippers.com Star Clippers] – sailing vessels * [https://uncruise.com/ Un-Cruise Adventures] – small ship adventure cruises focusing on wilderness, wildlife and treading lightly; Western hemisphere * [http://www.vikingrivercruises.com Viking River Cruises] – river cruises in Europe, Egypt, and Asia * [https://www.windstarcruises.com/ Windstar Cruises] – luxury sailing vessels *[https://www.skarvlines.com SkarvLines Adventure Cruises] - small ship converted fishing trawler cruising Scotland's waters, focussing on wildlife, walking & Scottish heritage. For less-traditional cruising, {{see also|Baltic sea ferries|Hurtigruten}} ===Cruise types=== Your experience will be substantially affected by the cruise type you choose. You'll see discussion of other issues about timing (high-/low-season and "shoulder" seasons), and distances and how to traverse them later. On a '''port-intensive''' itinerary, except for a few sea days: * You might dine one evening, then enjoy entertainment, dancing, etc., go to sleep, and wake-up docked at your next port of call. * Under a typical full-day port visit, you can often start ashore at 7–8AM and be expected back approximately 30 minutes before ship departure at 5–6PM or so. ** You can eat breakfast shipboard at your place of choice and be off-ship on your way to an organized tour, self-arranged tour or activities, or just a walk-about. ** An "all-day" tour may include lunch; see the tour description. A half-day morning tour can have you back to the ship for lunch, after which you may choose shopping or a walk-about for the afternoon. Half-day tours that begin shortly after on-board lunch allow you to walk about on-shore or shop in the morning. ** See discussion of touring in "Ashore" below If you prefer such a cruise: * Look for itineraries in regions that offer many nearby ports, such as the Mediterranean, [[Cruising the Baltic Sea|Baltic]], The Fjords, the United Kingdom, Caribbean, Alaska, Australia, South Pacific and the Mexican Riviera. * Look for departure ports within the region, to minimize sea days: for example, Caribbean trips starting in San Juan for the Caribbean, Amsterdam or Copenhagen for the Baltic or Fjords. * In contrast, ships from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Tampa can take 1–2 days to reach the Caribbean, and the same to return. But you have more cruise and ship choices there, and you can choose to drive to either port if you live close enough (see "Get in" below). If you prefer '''sea days''', you can look for: * ''Re-positioning cruises'' (often crossing oceans) or ''crossings'' per se. The former takes the ship to a new region for many segments that take advantage of an approaching high season, e.g., from Alaska to "winter" in the Caribbean. The latter involves a segment of a major cruise to another region. Both usually take two weeks or more, and often involve one-way international flights to reach departing or ending ports. (See "Flying" under "Get in" below.) * Visits to distant islands or regions, e.g., a voyage to/around Hawaii from Los Angeles. * Segments of around-the-world cruises, usually "crossing" major regions over a period of 3–6 weeks. They, too, will usually involve one-way international flights. * Around-the-world cruises, taking 90 days or more — best considered once you know you're comfortable with ''many'' days at sea. When you find a voyage that appeals to you, look at "Do" below and the ship's description (on-line or in brochure) to appreciate on-board activities. There are also various '''cruises for special interests''', e.g., for bridge players (perhaps with a few masters on board), celebrity entertainers, lectures on culture, political science or history, or LGBT lifestyles. There have even been Linux, "geek", big band, rock and roll, and home theater cruises, some of which are annual events. A few cruise sites will help you find them. Their itineraries may focus more on on-board activities than destinations. ===Cruise modes/themes=== ==== Ocean cruises ==== [[File:Hurtigruten-fram-uummannaq.jpg|thumbnail|Cruises to [[Greenland]] are usually of the "Expedition" type]] * '''Classic cruises''' still exist, the cruises where you dress up for dinner. The exclusive ships are patronized by an affluent clientele and the ships are more of ocean yachts with larger cabins than modern ocean giants. A special subcategory are the large sail ships. * '''Sightseeing cruises''' are designed to include as many sights as possible, itineraries including the Mediterranean and port cities of Northern and Western Europe. A subclass more reminiscent of expeditions are cruises around Cape Horn, to the Antarctica or into the Milford Sound. On such cruises you will generally travel onboard special-built ships. * '''Club cruises''' are popular nowadays. These almost always include land excursions, wellness, fitness and sunbathing on board. The atmosphere and dress code on board is casual. These cruises are common all over the world. * '''Fun cruises''' are geared towards entertaining the guests and include a professional entertainment program as well as discos and movie theaters. This "Las Vegas-version" of the club cruise is primarily offered by American cruise companies in the Caribbean. * '''Mini-cruises''' of one or a few days are usually taken on board large ferries, these are common for example in the [[Baltic Sea ferries|Baltic Sea]]. * '''Theme cruises''' – as the name indicates, they are centered around a theme like music, sports, wellness or fine dining. Frequently there are famous people on board such as Olympic medalists, star chefs, singers or orchestras. These cruises can be quite expensive and are usually only worth considering if you are very interested in the theme. * '''Expeditions''' mean a limited number of guests, and high prices on board ships small enough to get to places where normal cruise ships wouldn't be able to go. Popular are destinations like the Amazon or the Poles. In particular the icebreakers that are required for getting to the polar parts of the world offer only a few dozen cabins. Such cruises are geared towards people who want to experience and learn more about the destinations and are often headed by academics and other experts who hold lectures on board. * '''Round the world cruises''' on luxury cruisers take at least three months and prices start from USD15,000. These are in practice series of shorter cruise segments, each one or two weeks in duration, that can be booked separately. * '''Freighter cruises''' sound exotic, but on surprisingly many [[Freighter travel|freighters]] you may travel as a paying passenger. For long distances, these are often cheaper than regular cruises and they are certainly different from other forms of travel. There are some drawbacks, though: there is generally no entertainment on board and the cabins are rather spartan. The ports and the schedules are planned according to the freight, not to the wishes of the couple of extra passengers. * '''Maiden voyages''' – traveling on the very first trip from the shipyard (or from some other departure port) to the customer can be astonishingly cheap if tickets are available. These are the "test drives" of new ships and can be real adventures. Finishing work is often still being done on the interior during the maiden voyage, moreover the crew is often inexperienced or do not know each other well. There are many things that can go wrong on such a trip – the worst case scenario being engine malfunction in the middle of the ocean, and itineraries often change during the voyage. ====River cruises==== [[File:Nebenfluß des Yangtzi.jpg|thumbnail|River cruise boat on a tributary of the Yangtze]] The character of these cruises depends on the cities and regions next to the river. These are common on major rivers such as the [[Danube]] (Europe), Volga (Asia) or [[Nile]] (Africa). Many package tours to [[China]] include a multi-day cruise [[along the Yangtze River]] including passing through the ship locks of the Three Gorges Dam. These ships and boats are much smaller than ocean cruisers and the entertainment on board is much more limited. ===Cruise seasons=== Many cruising regions have '''"high", "low" and "shoulder" seasons'''. These usually track with the most and least desirable times to visit the region, and times in-between, e.g., winter for the Fjords and late summer and fall for the Caribbean (tropical storms) are deemed undesirable. Expect to pay premium prices during high-season, substantially less in "low", and perhaps you'll find some bargains in "shoulder", e.g., for "re-positionings". Under '''repositioning cruises''', many ships transfer among distant regions that have opposite high-seasons, e.g., between the Mediterranean, Baltic or [[Alaska]] and the [[Caribbean]], [[South America]], [[Australia]], or [[New Zealand]]. The long distances require many sea days, often at attractive per day prices for those who like at sea days. On the downside, you may not see much else than the ocean during the cruise. Here are some of the most popular cruising regions in the world: * Mediterranean — often divided in a western and eastern section, cruises in the latter section may include ports in the Black Sea or the Red Sea * Western Europe — some cruises are extended all the way to the Canary Islands and the Azores * Northern Europe — including the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, if you are looking for a shorter cruise, this may be a good area * Alaska — normally runs out of [[Vancouver]] in the summer months * Caribbean — possibly the most popular cruise destination, usually out of ports in on the east coast of the United States, some trips continue all the way to the South American coast * Oceania — commonly in the waters of Australia and New Zealand, but sometimes also including islands in the Southern Pacific, usually from hubs off the east coast of Australia * Southeast Asia — can generally be divided into the eastern and western sections, with Singapore serving as a hub serving both sections. Hong Kong is also a major hub for the eastern section of Southeast Asia. * Cold areas of the world, like [[Greenland]], [[Svalbard]] and [[Antarctica]] are usually visited by special ships that have the ability to travel through ice Be prepared for bad weather or ice changing the itinerary of the cruise. Usually the cruise company has planned in alternative destinations if it's impossible to follow the original schedule. ===Cruise demographics=== While the cruise industry once catered primarily to seniors, the age of passengers has diversified significantly. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in 2018 reported the average age of cruise ship passengers is 46.7 years, which is slightly younger than the populations of Japan and Germany (47.3 years and 47.1 years respectively). Many lines appeal to 20–to-40-year-old couples, "party" cruises attract young adults, and Disney and others focus on families with children and teens. Cruising has turned into an enormously popular family vacation due to well-designed children's programs, even special cabin configurations. Some itineraries and cruise-lines may attract more seniors, e.g., trans-Atlantic and -Pacific re-positioning cruises, Holland–America (it very effectively supports but doesn't just market to seniors). Reasons include cost, cruise length, numbers of days at sea, and dates that conflict with school. If cruise demographics are important to you, read the cruise description carefully, research web sites on cruising (see "Other resources" below), and work through your travel/cruise agent to learn the probable demographics of any trip you're considering. You'll be glad you did so, or you risk embarking on a ship filled with rowdy young adults or seniors with limited activities. ===If handicapped or pregnant=== If anyone in your party has a '''physical limitation''', the cruise line can usually help – especially if notified in-advance. Without sacrificing personal privacy, use your agent (or directly if no agent is involved) to let them know about your needs and when they apply, e.g. * If you need access to special cabin facilities, you can be assigned a cabin specially equipped for your general needs, e.g., ADA qualified. These may include door thresholds with little or no rise, convenient handrails to get about the cabin and bathroom, and special bathing equipment. * Help with the significant walking distances to embark and dis-embark (process discussed below), or to go on port visits. In some ports the ship is anchored offshore and shore excursion participants are transported ashore by small boats which might pose challenges if you've not prearranged crew assistance. * If you purchase a fly/cruise or cruise-extension package (also discussed below), you should mention any other help you'll need. * Some companies may also require you to bring an assistant to help you in possible emergency situations. A cruise can place you some distance from proper '''pre-natal care and birthing facilities''', especially advanced medical care, as sickbays are not equipped or staffed to handle labor or premature infants. If you have any complication, or might be well-into your third-trimester during a cruise under consideration, consult your doctor. Then inform the cruise-line, through your agent if used. A note of fitness for travel from him/her can assuage the fears of the line and staff as you go through embarkation processing. Many cruise lines will in fact not permit you to cruise once you reach a certain point in your pregnancy – often 24 weeks. Failure to check this may mean you'll be denied boarding upon arrival at the pier to embark if you are too far along. Birth at sea also has some interesting but not unsolvable citizenship complications. ===Booking a cruise=== [[File:'Queen Mary 2', Wellington, New Zealand, 26th. Feb. 2011 - Flickr - PhillipC (5).jpg|thumb|Queen Mary 2 in Wellington, New Zealand]] You can book a cruise through several types of providers, e.g., directly with a cruise line (by phone or on-line), through an on-line travel web site (that may also offer (even bundle) flights, hotels, tours, et al.), through a web site that sells only cruises, and through travel agents or cruise agents that offer their personal advice and services. Most agents charge little for their services unless you have special requests/needs. Beyond on-line sources, ask neighbors who travel, or look near home for an agency. Be selective and you'll often find someone who can help – for complex trips, good advice and travel arrangements can be very useful, or even crucial. * Make all deposits and final payments by credit card. You'll enjoy the best possible protections by the issuing bank should anything go wrong. Debit cards rarely provide such. * When on-line, assure you are looking at a reputable on-line seller, i.e., look for credentials. Cruise specialists are certified by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and will show a seal authorized by the CLIA. Many of their staff are trained agents; some specialize in certain cruise lines, with detailed insights into what any ship or cruise offers. * If you become a repeat customer, sellers may offer to assign you an agent who can learn your preferences, and (with multiple cruises over the years) can give advice and services, help with problems encountered as your trip approaches, even offer notices about unpublished deals, information which is unavailable just on-line. Once you've found one or more cruises that suit you, you'll want to know the ''full costs'' and terms, including port fees and taxes, options on how to get to and from the port easily and on-time, what the cruise contract calls for, and other details rarely reflected in brochure or web-site prices or pages. Prices shown are per person, for double occupancy in a cabin usually designed for two adults. If you have a group of 3-4 (e.g., family), the per person cost for the third and fourth in the same cabin (designed for 3-4) may be lower. Prices shown will reflect port fees, but not taxes because taxes vary by your home country (sometimes state/province) and other factors. Taxes will be shown in invoiced quotes of cruise costs specifically for you; if not, the invoice is incomplete, inaccurate, and possibly bogus. You may be able to extend the cruise you're looking at economically ''if'' cabins are available. Book any extension very-preferably at the same time you book the initial cruise segment, at least well before cruise start. You can ask about an extension just before or after embarkation, but you'll have ''little hope in high season'' when cruises are quite full, and virtually no hope of occupying the same cabin. If you wish to cruise alone (e.g., in a double-occupancy cabin), you will often face a "single supplement" charge, often equal to the cost of a second person. Expect to be quoted "double" because cruise lines dislike single cruise guests in cabins (even if they pay the double price for the cabin); the ship can't earn other revenues from you in the restaurants, bars, and shops on board, as well as for other services. If cruising alone remains crucial to you, you should allow an informed cruise/travel agent to help you choose it and a cabin. To better understand cost details, how they work and the meaning of basic cruise contracts, at least look for and digest related articles in travel/cruise web sites before you decide to book. Many of their terms are based on international maritime law and the laws of the country where the ship is registered, rarely those of a traveler's home country. And they will favor the cruise line — another reason why quality travel insurance becomes important. Unless you have considerable experience with choosing and booking a cruise, consider using an agent. He/she should help you considerably to understand the contract, all fixed costs, all options available and their costs and import. Before you buy any cruise or package, he/she should provide a full invoice reflecting all costs and the basic cruise contract, and will explain non-cruise arrangements needed (e.g., see "Getting to port" below) for your careful examination. This allows you to question details and request changes. If you still wish to book on your own (e.g., on line or by phone with the cruise line), as you approach the "buy point", you should be offered a quoted full price (including all taxes and fees) based on all the parameters you've chosen, ''and the cruise contract''. If buying on-line, examine (and print) the invoice and contract to examine them. Once you concur with the terms, use the same parameters to return to the offer and complete your booking. (More than a few days "examination" may result in some changes to costs, so be prompt.) Once you book a cruise on your own, you become wholly-responsible for the many details surrounding it (many explained later). You'll have to wisely arrange them on your own. All must complement each other, e.g., per "Flying to/from port" discussed below. ===Travel insurance=== ''For a more in-depth discussion, see [[Travel insurance]]'' If your trip starts to gain complexity or substantial cost as you plan it, or you are a first-time cruiser, you should consider travel insurance. Other reasons include if you intend to go on "adventure" or high-risk tours or activities (e.g., para-gliding), have any medical condition that could flare up and require treatment or evacuation, will be a great distance from home, there's possibility that a provider of essential trip services might go bankrupt, or if you've been forced to accept tight airline connections. To be eligible for all available coverage, you usually must buy it shortly after you have booked your trip, specifically right after you make a deposit if well before the trip, otherwise as you pay all in-full at once. Its cost will basically be determined by your total trip cost (except costs and obligations which can be cancelled at no cost or with partial or full refund), the age of travelers to be covered, levels of coverage, and options for coverage requested for certain problems, e.g., treatment for sickness or injury (on and off the ship), or medical evacuation. '''Good insurance''' will cover pre-existing medical conditions if purchased promptly after booking your trip, and often not if bought later. You may obtain better insurance rates and/or coverage by buying coverage through or from an association you belong to, e.g., AAA, AA, AARP. '''Travel experts recommend against "insurance" from airlines or cruise lines'''. * Coverage offered often focuses only or primarily on the responsibilities of the line, while a quality policy will cover all elements and risks of your end-to-end trip, with options for many risks that apply uniquely to you. * Cruise line protection (for a fee) covers selected cruise risks, and is not actually insurance. No law or government agency has jurisdiction over their terms, and specific assurances about promises of protection may be lacking. The fee for promised protections may amount to a large fraction of regular, well-purchased, overall trip insurance. ===Other resources=== Several websites provide objective information about various cruise lines, ships, cruising regions and ports, and how to choose, prepare for and go on a cruise. Many offer professional reviews, some offer passenger reviews. But because they often sell cruises through third parties, they cannot be listed here. To find them, use a good search engine, with "cruise" and "advice" or "review" as keywords among your search parameters. Those sites and travel magazines discuss other valuable topics, e.g., "wave season" (when to book, not when to go) versus other times, understanding what's included (and not) in prices shown, industry trends that may cause prices to go down. A good travel/cruise agent will have those and other insights. ''Knowing exactly when and how to best book a cruise'' receives nearly constant attention in travel articles, and ''approaches being an art''. ===Cabins=== [[File:Wilderness Discoverer - Navigator Cabin.jpg|thumb|Cabin on the Wilderness Discoverer]] Your accommodations can range widely: they are usually determined by cost. Most cruise lines promote their ships as luxurious, and cabin (aka stateroom) furnishings can range from quite "nice" to "utterly elegant". The less expensive tend to be quite a bit smaller than ordinary hotel rooms—space you may only use for a few hours each day to sleep anyway. But every square inch is usable, e.g., luggage fits under the bed to allow you to unpack many/all items and hang them in closets or store on shelves/in drawers for easy access. ==== Cabin grades and categories ==== On large ships, you'll find a number of cabin grades or categories within each cabin type. They involve location, size, quality of view, features, etc. Good travel/cruise agents have access to the nuances of features and shortfalls for each. Cabin costs will vary not only by type but by those gradations/categories. For any cabin type, costs reflected in brochures and on web sites usually apply to the lowest grade. One useful site (among many) for information on ship layouts and features is [https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/ CruiseDeckPlans]. ==== Cabin types ==== The basic types include: * '''Inside''' cabins are the least expensive and located in the interior of the ship, hence the name. They lack any window, and ship's air is "piped-in". On some new ships, they may have live video displays "fed" by exterior cameras. * '''Ocean view''' have windows that don't open (the ship's air is "piped-in") and are slightly more expensive. The least expensive may have partially or substantially obstructed views. * '''Balcony/veranda''' at even higher prices, with outside chairs, perhaps a table, to watch sunsets, have a room-service meal or treat, and watch passing ships and land. On older ships, the least expensive may have partially or substantially obstructed views. * '''Mini-suites''' and '''full suites''' (the latter often multi-room) with private verandas, shower/bathtubs, sitting areas, perhaps hot tubs and other amenities, and at the highest prices. Perhaps oddly, suites and the least expensive cabins tend to sell out first. Cabins designed for the disabled will have many handrails, flat thresholds and wider doors to aid accessibility and safety. Some cruise lines cater to such clientele by offering greater numbers of prepared cabins. Many may have an ADA (American Disabilities Act) certification. A few other cabins and all hallways have handrails for safety during occasional rough weather. On ships built in the late 1990s or later, few passengers will be: * Bothered by pitching and rolling of the ship; they're built with highly-effective stabilizers. * Disturbed by the ship's engines or screws (propellers); they're very quiet. * Disturbed by public announcements; these are heard in hallways and public areas. For key announcements, they are piped into cabins; all can be heard in cabin on a designated TV channel. ====Features==== * Virtually all cabins have twin '''beds''', usually joined to create a generous queen, with side tables/drawers or shelves. If you prefer them separated, let the cruise line know. Suites may have king-sized beds. (See also "Sleep" below.) ** Cabins configured for families may also have a pull-down or wall-mounted bunk-bed, sleeper sofa or settee, or another twin/queen bed. * All come with a '''small safe'''. While on board, you should lock all valuables in it (e.g., fine jewelry, passports, charge cards, cash), and leave them there unless needed, e.g., for a port visit, shopping ashore or dressing for dinner. * Expect to find a large wall-mounted mirror or two. Handy for checking your appearance, they also make the cabin seem bigger. * Small '''private bathrooms with showers''' are the minimum, with better cabins offering more space, shower/baths or larger showers. Each type will offer at least minimal toiletries typical for a motel (if you need specific ones, bring them or buy them near the port), small cabinets and shelves for all toiletries, at least one counter and lavatory, a toilet that operates by power suction, and a portable or installed hairdryer. Operate the toilet exactly as instructed. * All will have a '''phone''' with wake-up call capability (synchronized to the ship's time). * Virtually all will have a '''TV''', some even an attached DVD player. * All will have at least a reach-in '''closet''' with a hanging rod, some hangars and a shelf often holding your life-vests. You'll also find storage drawers or shelves elsewhere. Suites may have walk-ins, with numerous shelves. * Better cabins resemble hotel rooms and may have a '''settee''', '''desk with chair''' or more. * Better ships/cabins often offer a small '''refrigerator''', holding chilled cans and bottles for sale. If you bring your own drinks, ask the cabin steward to empty it of items for sale, which can be very pricey. Then put your own it it. * '''Power outlets and wattage are minimized'''—this is essential to avoid fire risk. ** The bathroom should have a low-wattage, usually 120 V 60 Hz outlet, adequate for such as a shaver, and a 220 V outlet for the ship's hair-dryer if it's not built-in. *** If the dryer is not installed in the bathroom, a 220 V outlet may be near the bed or desk, likely with a portable hair-dryer stored nearby. ** Near the bed or desk, you may find one or two low-wattage, usually 120 V 60 Hz outlets, adequate only for such as a laptop or to charge electronics. ** ''Net result'': '''Don't bring your own iron, or use your own hairdryer or anything that heats food or liquid.''' If found during embarkation, they may be seized. If used, they may trip a circuit breaker serving other uses and cabins. * Knowing these features and limits, experienced cruisers variously bring: ** A short, well-made 120 V extension cord to use low-wattage items at convenient locations. ** One or two nite-lites in case needed. ** A small, plug-in surge arrester, to prevent electrical damage to personal electronics. ** For warm climes, a small fan. Cabin air conditioners effectively but slowly change cabin temperature, but airflow is often modest. A fan can help cabin comfort substantially. ** A power ''converter'' and adapter plugs if your electronics aren't compatible with available cabin power, or if you'll travel before or after your cruise where power is incompatible. ** Some form of air deodorizer; balcony fresh air (if you have one) quickly helps but can also quickly compromise cabin air temperature and humidity. ====Cabin location==== Location can affect price somewhat because parts of a ship are more desirable for some passengers, e.g., * To avoid the effects of ship's rolling or pitching, some opt for a cabin on a lower deck or closer to amidships. * To sunbathe on their balcony, many choose a deck well below any over-hanging upper deck. * Those who need quiet to sleep should choose locations away from lobbies and elevators, and with at least one deck between their cabin and any place with late-night revelers, e.g., nightclubs, showrooms. * Those with mobility challenges may prefer to be near elevators. ====Other==== '''Cabin water''' is fully potable, usually obtained by reverse-osmosis, so efficient that some large ships visiting ports with water shortages may offload potable water. (It does not substantially soften the water.) Older ships may use distillation supplemented by fresh water on-loads. All ships carefully treat the water to ensure its safety. Taste in cabins may be somewhat bland or have a hint of chemicals. Elsewhere, water often receives additional filtration to assure excellent taste for use in bars, dining rooms, kitchens, and buffet self-serve drink dispensers. As you get interested in any cruise, ship or cabin type, go to the cruise line's web site and others for more details. Again, a good travel/cruise agent can help you find the features you need or want. ===Key ships officers=== [[File:Norwegian Jade, Ship's Bridge.jpg|thumb|Bridge on the Norwegian Jade]] The ship and your cruise depend on them. Just a few of them include: * The ''Captain'': He or she is called the ''ship's master'' for a reason, with total operational command and responsibility of the vessel and when and where it goes. Depending on the ship's nation of registry, some may be able to officiate at weddings, as can accredited, "resident", or pre-certified clergy. * The ''Hotel Manager'': In charge of all staff that deliver on-board services, e.g., Purser/Customer Services, food and bar service, cabin staff, tour office, shops and nearly countless behind-the-scenes support staff. * The ''Cruise Director'': Responsible for all entertainment, special activities, key briefings and announcements, and any port or shopping advisers. * The ''Maitre d' '' for your dining room, the ''headwaiter'', and (perhaps) most-especially ''your waiter'' for the area where your table is located ''if you have opted for traditional evening dining'' (see "Eat" below). They stand ready to make special arrangements for you on-request such as birthday or anniversary celebrations, table changes, and special or required dining needs, e.g., food allergies, special diets. ==Get in== The best-known destinations for cruise ships are tropical ports in the [[Caribbean]] or the [[Pacific Coast (Mexico)|Mexican Riviera]], the [[Mediterranean]] and Northern Europe, but cruises can be found almost anywhere there's enough water to float a ship and cities or sites to visit. Cruise ships of various sizes visit the coasts of [[Alaska]], the [[Nordic countries]], [[South-East Asia]], [[East Asia]], [[Europe|southern Europe]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], [[Oceania]] and [[New England]]; and various [[islands of the Pacific Ocean]]. Even the [[North Pole]] and [[Antarctica]] are now destinations, though the latter has emerging ecological questions. In addition, specially designed ''river boats'' and ''barges'' ply navigable rivers and lakes of [[Europe]], [[China]], [[Brazil]], [[Egypt]], [[North America]] and numerous other places. However, as noted above, this article focuses on ocean cruising and ships. ===What to pack=== ''For more discussion, see [[Packing for a cruise]]'' and Recommended dinner dress under "Eat" below. This can vary substantially according to the region you'll cruise, e.g., clothing for cool/cold areas versus warm, conservative colors for Europe, items to cover arms and legs as you enter many religious buildings worldwide. If you'll fly to/from a cruise port, see [[Flying]] for other advice and suggestions. Many experienced cruisers find certain items necessities, e.g.,: * ''Polarized sunglasses'' with strong light filtration, including '''full UV protection'''. * ''Sanitizing wipes or solution''. If you purchase any, look for active sanitizing ingredients beyond just alcohol. Most intended for hands have a glycerin base to prevent drying skin. Avoid using them on hard surfaces as they leave an undesirable residue. * ''Skin protection''. Essential for all cruises, the sun not only strikes you from above, but is reflected off the water on boat excursions and at beaches. See the article on [[Sunburn and sun protection]]. Pack and use protection, e.g., adequate clothing, brimmed hats, "fresh" sunblock with high UV A/B protection ratings (yes, it has a finite shelf-life). Ship's stores have some such items but charge dearly for them. You'll also find them ashore, but usually at a premium over offerings at home. * ''Binoculars''. Most passing views from ship are at a considerable distance. * ''Duct tape''. Useful to make temporary repairs to luggage and other items. ===Essential papers=== [[File:Carnival Destiny Miami 12-22-11.JPG|thumbnail|Cruise ship leaving [[Miami]]]] Any authority looking at airline tickets, boarding passes and passports will examine names carefully. TSA and other security authorities often require that key papers (e.g., airline tickets, passports, visas, ship boarding passes) '''precisely reflect your full name'''. This applies to all persons in your travel group, e.g., spouse, children (toddlers perhaps excepted). It starts by making sure that whoever books your cruise (and any associated airline tickets) accurately enters each full name on reservations and later-generated tickets. ====[[Passports]] and [[visas]]==== Unless your ship's itinerary is confined to your home country (not often), you must prepare for a cruise as you would for any other international trip, to include passports, perhaps visas. Many countries to be visited may levy few or no visa requirements on day-visitors via cruise ship. But, check with the cruise line (through your agent if used) well ahead of time. Some lines will arrange needed visas for scheduled port visits, but also check specifically for visa requirements if you have an international flight itinerary. * The cruise-line will often insist that your passport have '''more than six months''' before it expires as of the date your international travel ends. They are echoing requirements of countries the ship will visit and/or where you'll fly, e.g., many that require visas will not issue them for passports with less time. * Lacking a passport, or any required visa, you risk being '''denied boarding''' on your departing flight or ship at embarkation without refund or other compensation. Your resulting expenses ''may'' also not be covered by travel insurance (you have a duty to fully prepare for your entire trip). * If your passport is stolen during a visit ashore during an international cruise, you will be left stranded; the cruise line will not let you return to the ship. Very occasionally, port officials in certain countries will require review of all passenger passports before clearing the ship for passengers to go ashore. If so, they may join the ship a few days in-advance, and the ship will announce a day or so before the port visit that the staff must gather all passports for inspection or passengers will be processed in-person. Before you leave home, make machine or photo color copies of at least the primary, facing pages of each passport per details in the above linked article. Use the passports when instructed by authorities, e.g., going through airport, airline or customs and immigration processing, or processing for initial ship's embarkation. Take the originals with you ashore on the rare occasion needed per ship's daily news or announcements. Otherwise, once on board, leave them in your cabin's safe and take the copies ashore (with government-issued photo identification) instead. On your request, the United States can issue special [http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html '''passport cards'''] for possible use at land borders and on cruise ships. However, in the event something comes up and you need to fly home from an international port of call, they are not accepted for international air travel. ==== Boarding passes and tickets ==== Once booked and paid, you must promptly go to your cruise line's web site to '''register'''. Immigration authorities require that any ship leaving their jurisdiction have personal data of all passengers well in-advance of cruise embarkation. And your agent or the line may need to mail documents to you reflecting that registration data. On the cruise line's web site, using your booking number, complete all details about all people in your travel group for whom you are responsible. If to informally travel with others, ensure they understand this. Data needed will include full names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers (or the equivalent for other countries), passport details, emergency contact names and phone numbers, how you want your shipboard account established/paid (an indicator, not a final commitment.) (see "Embarkation" and "Buy" below). Once registered, within 60 days or so of cruise start, the line's web site will often allow you to print your boarding passes (see "Embarkation"). Others may mail them (and other information) to you as noted above. You may get one set of papers listing all persons in your group, or a set for each person. Web site or mail, you should also have the cruise contract and boarding instructions and times. If you've paid the line for flights or airport-to-port transfers, you should also find vouchers or flight tickets (or Internet links to them for printing at home). If you don't have these key papers in-hand in usable form at least three weeks before your cruise, notify your agent/cruise line immediately. Per "Embarkation", each person will need his/her boarding pass and passport to be processed on board. ==== Cruise-line luggage tags ==== Tags showing your name, cruise ship, cruise date/identity/number and cabin number are ''essential to ensure your large luggage reaches your cabin''. * Some lines will send you durable tags in-advance, to attach at least to your large luggage. If so, they'll often come with your boarding passes and vouchers if you have prepaid transfers. * Others will offer tags for you on-line. If so, print them (in color if possible). ''Yes, they'll be on printer paper''. Then fold each as indicated into a narrow strip, and reinforce it with transparent package sealing tape. When you're ready to attach one, wrap it around a fixed luggage handle, information showing, and then staple multiple times or apply strong tape at the overlapping ends. The results can be surprisingly durable. * If you make your own flight arrangements, you'll have to get yourself and all bags to the port/cruise terminal. You can wait to attach the cruise-line tags as you claim them at the end of your flight, but do so before your bags reach the port if possible. If you have no tags, porters at the terminal can create them using your boarding pass data. * If you have arranged services through the cruise-line to transfer your checked luggage from the end of your flight to the ship, you need to attach the cruise tags as you check the luggage to ''begin'' flying. Before you leave the terminal at the port city's airport, '''get confirmation''' from any welcoming cruise-line staff about transfers and any responsibilities you have, e.g., if flying internationally, you may have to first claim your bags to go through customs and immigration processing before re-checking them into the cruise line luggage system at the airport. ==== Other essential papers ==== If travel is international, take no more '''prescription medications''' than you'll need on your trip—with convincing documentation that they belong to you and are necessary, e.g., properly labeled bottles with your name, perhaps a copy of the doctor's prescription. Leave the medications in and pack their prescribed bottles; otherwise, the meds lose their link to the prescriptions, and may be summarily confiscated as you enter or transit some countries. * If any contain a '''controlled or narcotic ingredient''', make absolutely sure you will not violate any law of any country you'll enter — even as a ''through'' cruise or flight passenger, e.g., as needed, have the country's written permission to carry the meds within its borders. Most countries with restrictions will have ways to apply in advance for permission. If so, apply well in-advance, especially if hard copy postings are involved, e.g., such can require 1-2 months, while e-mail perhaps 1-2 weeks, even if your initial efforts prove incomplete. * Some countries may have unexpected restrictions on entering/transiting with some basic medications, e.g., for Japan anything containing ''pseudoephedrine'' (‎Afrinol, Sudafed, Sinutab) or ''codeine'' (some cough and anti-diarrhea medicines). Always read the ingredients. Without prior permission to have them, they will be confiscated, and you may be arrested. You'll have to consult (and likely be examined by) a physician in the country to obtain replacement/substitute medication if it's available. * Without action in-advance to comply with their laws, in a few countries for some medications the '''consequences can be severe''', e.g., fine, arrest, possible prison. Avoid '''paying duty''' on valuable items you take with you. You'll be exasperated as you return home if customs officials charge you duty for jewelry, a late model camera or electronics you took with you. See [[Proof of What You Already Own]] If you have purchased '''travel insurance''', take at least a summary of the policy coverage and how to contact the insurer for help from wherever you will go on the trip. And leave a copy of that with someone at home who can help with any actions needed or may benefit from its terms. ===Flying to/from port=== [[File:Hurtigruten in Trondheim Fjord.JPG|thumbnail|[[Hurtigruten]] takes you along Norway's coast]] Cruise ships sail from an increasing number of port cities. Most people must fly to get to them. If that applies to you, you have options. They include '''arranging your own''' flights (discussed later), choosing a cruise line '''fly/cruise package''', choosing a '''cruise extension''', or making a '''flight deviation request''' to suit your needs/desires to/from the cruise. For all those options, if you miss your ship's departure (actually from any port), '''you are responsible''' for joining it at its next port of call or getting home on your own. (That can be ''very expensive'' unless covered by travel insurance and you acted diligently to not miss the ship.) Some sources imply that ships will delay departure for flights their line has arranged that arrive late. More accurately, they may delay, but only if it doesn't compromise the ship's ability to reach the next port on-schedule. Accordingly: * Fly to a departure port under the simplest possible flight arrangements (e.g., to avoid missed connections/lost luggage), scheduled to arrive in plenty of time for you to reach the ship's terminal '''at least two hours before sailing'''. Otherwise, fly to reach the port area the day before, even if it means you must pay there for an overnight stay, meals and transfers. (For return flights, see also "Disembarkation" discussion below.) * If flying to a distant ''overseas departure port'', plan to get to the port city/area at least a day before cruise departure, again despite the overnight costs and transfers. Such "day early" arrivals at distant ports are good industry practice and so should be offered by your cruise line in any fly/cruise package. Your insistence about decent flight routes and timing should not be treated by any agent or cruise line as a flight deviation request (discussed below). If you'll have a long flight, you'll appreciate the chance to rest after arrival anyway. A '''fly/cruise package''' means the line makes all arrangements for you to fly to, go on and return from the cruise. This offers convenience and confidence for first-time cruisers or those going to/from unfamiliar ports. Those packages include air travel (economy, from/to select gateway airports), land transfers to/from ship, and may include lodging. Lines reserve seats well in-advance, anticipating demand by those liking the option (and for other uses). Those packages have trade-offs: * They ''usually'' cost more than arranging your own flights and transfers; "usually" because some offers may be a good deal — an effort to help cruise line business. The line may want to develop new, expanded or unusual passenger or destination "markets", or it may be trying to fill empty cabins. Others may regularly offer "free airfare" or reduced air rates. Take care with "free". If you see anything in the trip description or the total invoiced/quoted cruise cost that in-effect refunds/rebates for air support not used, the offer really isn't free, but it still may be desirable. * The line's choices of flights/routes are often made semi-automatically, emphasizing cruise-line cost-avoidance (e.g., using airline seats they've already blocked), then your cruise departure time. * You have little control over their initial choices. Results occasionally have inconvenient flight times, use busy air hubs, have short connections, require considerable walking between gates/terminals, choose seats for group/family members apart from each other, and/or have quite long total times en route. * If you have special needs that would affect transfers or seating need/preference, let your agent or the line know, preferably before the line makes initial flight choices. This may give you/your agent some leverage in later negotiations over cruise line choices. And some high-end cruise lines may offer premium flight seating at ''relatively'' modest cost, which is perhaps crucial for tall or "mature" passengers. * The line will notify you of proposed flight details 45-60 days ahead of the cruise. Promptly examine them. If any detail appears problematic, promptly question its wisdom (through your agent if used), and decline to accept until corrected or explained to your full satisfaction. Most lines also offer '''cruise extensions'''. You can opt to spend 2-3 (perhaps more) nights at/near a port area/city immediately before and/or after your cruise. Extensions can be somewhat to decidedly pricey, are integrated into your overall trip, with flight arrangements, quality lodging and transfers usually included. Meals may not be included; some may be. They may include one or more tours. The line should not demand any flight deviation fee (see below). Cruise brochures, your travel agent and the cruise-line's website will variously describe the extensions available. If travel involves flying overseas, and if you can, choose the number of days of the extension with intent to use at least some of the first day at the port destination to rest, with the remainder for exploring. '''Flight deviation requests'''. A "deviation" is used to arrange flight dates for early arrival at the cruise port city/area, en route stay-overs, specific flight dates/times, aircraft cabin class, airlines or specific flight numbers that suit your preferences. The request must be based on what's actually possible, so your prior research is essential, or your request may be fruitless. For a fee (e.g., US$75–150 per person), the cruise line will ''process'' (not book) your request for special flight arrangements. This request should preferably be placed through any agent that booked your cruise. You should formulate and submit it long before cruise start, and ensure it's understood by any agent used. If your agent already knows of your needs/preferences, he/she ''may'' be able to negotiate minor changes to flight choices by the line with no deviation request needed or fee involved. If that fails, you may need/want a deviation. The line usually begins work to satisfy your deviation request after it has chosen/proposed initial flight arrangements, e.g., in a fly/cruise package. This may be a short time after you make full payment for the package. * The later your request, the more difficult it will be to arrange, and likely more costly. (Cruise lines block seats in-advance, and they may be quickly spoken for. A late deviation request can force the line to quote you added costs to "cold purchase" necessary air tickets, at substantial extra cost to you even using their mass/wholesale contacts.) * Your request may be one of hundreds being processed for that cruise, so make it simple, e.g., clear objectives with few alternatives/options; each requires some research by whomever works to help you. * The more specific, "exotic" or luxurious your request (e.g., first- or business-class seating), the more expensive your deviation (beyond the deviation processing fee) will tend to be. After any negotiations, you'll receive (through your agent if any) the line's final offer of arrangements and cost and itinerary details. As above, examine each detail for feasibility and whether it meets your objectives. ** If the cruise cost includes airfare, the line's web site or your invoice for the total cruise cost will usually include a sum reflecting a flight "refund". If negotiations for the flight deviation fail, you will (usually) have that sum to use as you look for flights on your own or with travel agent help if you wish. ** If you've booked a cruise with prices that say "airfare included", and then you make a deviation request, watch out for unusually high air charges for minor changes to time, seating, route or airline. They may be an effort by the cruise line to recoup under-calculated air costs in the original price. * If your initial request might be difficult to fill, you should first ask about the line's policy on deviation charges. If negotiations fail, many cruise lines won't charge the deviation fee. '''Booking your own''': If you're a seasoned traveler or have a good travel agent, you/your agent ''may'' do better by booking your own flights and lodging. This can mean better economy, flight dates and times, routes, seating and hotels you prefer. However, if your cruise starts at one distant port and ends at a different one, look at both self/agent-arranged flights and cruise-line fly/cruise packages. * On your own, you may face buying one-way air tickets for all in your party. On many airlines, one-way domestic tickets can cost more than round trips on the same dates. For international flights, one-way tickets can cost more than twice as much as round-trips on the same dates. * You/your agent may also be able to find "open jaw" tickets for less than one-way full-fare prices. * As a last resort, you/your agent may know of budget web sites, flight packagers or brokers, or unscheduled airline charters. They may offer quality arrangements or "econo" bookings. The latter may require that all in your party be "flexible" about dates, routes, times en route, and on-board niceties. It occasionally involves need to claim luggage from one carrier while en route, take it to another carrier or terminal (even airport) and recheck it. Unless you are clearly "booked through" (as reflected on your detailed itinerary, later on boarding passes), the two or more airlines involved have no responsibility for making your arranged flight connections, for you ''or'' your luggage. If you arrange anything on your own, keep any affected agent informed of your intent, efforts and results. Regardless of how you've gotten airline tickets, once you're booked, check frequent-flier miles you may have and if they apply. If you have enough, and "your airline" or "alliance" gets chosen to transport you, you may be able to use your "miles"/points for seating upgrades. Contact the airline directly. Regardless of how arranged, ensure you have completely adequate scheduled connection times to make flight check-ins and flight connections (including possibly going through customs/immigration at some airports) en route to reach the start of your cruise, and for return flights. Include extra time for unpredictable delays. Consider everything that might make you late, e.g., flight schedules, "tricky" connections, seasonal weather anywhere on your route, distance/time between the cruise ports and airports, ground transport dependability/availability, how far in advance you need to check-in for flights. If you don't have fully-adequate time, choose other arrangements. Such complexity, risk and cost point to the usefulness of a travel or cruise agent and the importance of quality trip insurance. ===Home to/from port by land=== In contrast to flying, you might '''drive''' to your port city if practical without great effort and if the costs are right. With an adequate vehicle, you can take and bring home much more than allowed by air, which is quite useful for serious shoppers with family souvenirs, etc. It may allow you to visit the port area one or more days before or after the cruise. If it looks tempting, examine and compare: * Using a hotel/motel park-stay-cruise package near the port. Some let you park for 7–14 days at no or small charge (but without assurance of vehicle security) and offer shuttles to/from the port. Certain web sites specialize in finding such offers. * Driving and parking at a commercial parking lot near or at the port. They nearly always offer shuttles to and from the port. They can be pricey for multi-week cruises, but do offer some security for your vehicle. Lots in/on the port are often much more expensive than off-port. * Renting a car or van one-way each way. If your group is 3 or more adults or a family, you'll need a sizable vehicle for all, to assure comfort and room for luggage. Renting lets you "up-size" as needed and avoid parking costs for long cruises. However, watch out for large drop-off fees, especially if the drive crosses state lines. Major rental brands should have an office for vehicle drop-off and pick-up near the port, often offering shuttles to/from. If you can obtain quality, convenient '''bus or train''' service (as in Europe), you might obtain similar benefits, with simplicity and savings possible over a car. Examine the carrier's costs, reputation for punctuality, schedules, locations of terminals, transfers needed and any parking costs near home, and plan your departures accordingly. ===Embarkation=== [[File:Carnival Fantasy Elevator.jpg|thumb|Elevator on the Carnival Fantasy]] This all starts as you reach your ship's terminal. The walking distance from ground transport to on-board ship can vary from 100–300 meters or more depending on terminal design and ship size. If anyone in your party has mobility challenges, request help in-advance. If you'll board a large ship, examine the cruise line's instructions on when to arrive. Consider that: * A large group will eagerly reach the terminal as early as they can—perhaps forgetting that the same staff (ship's, terminal and customs) that processes them will first have to help nearly all on-board passengers disembark. If you are also that early, you'll likely spend considerable time idle in line waiting to be processed, with no guarantee of seating, refreshments or shelter from the weather. * Many other embarking passengers will precisely follow the cruise line advice and arrive at the designated time. That can create another line. * Once all staff are ready to embark passengers, only very frequent customers of that line, or those who've booked suites, will receive any preferential processing. So if you have a choice, consider reaching the terminal 30 minutes or so after the time mentioned by the cruise line. In any event, reach the cruise terminal at least '''two hours''' before the ship is scheduled to sail. As above, if your agent or cruise line has arranged a flight that ''could'' cause you to reach the port later, ''seriously'' question its wisdom well in-advance. If you're traveling in a group (e.g., family), don't begin embarkation processing without all members present. At the cruise terminal, give your large baggage (virtually no limit on numbers, but don't pack ''that'' much), with cruise tags attached, to porters for mandatory, separate security screening, then loading on the ship. They deserve a modest tip. As above, if you have no tags to attach, the porters will help you to fill-in blank tags using details on your boarding pass. You won't see those large bags until they arrive at your cabin door. Delivery may take 2–3 hours, perhaps more. If you've paid the cruise line for airport-to-terminal transfers, and you have no intermediate customs processing at the airport, you may not see your checked luggage after initial airport check-in until it reaches the terminal, perhaps even at your cabin. But learn the full process and understand your responsibilities. As you start '''in-processing''' at the ship's terminal, officials will examine your boarding passes and passports. Then: * You and your hand-carried items will be scanned, much as at an airport — but ''without limits on numbers or non-alcoholic liquids''. If you hope to bring beer, wine or liquor aboard (in checked or carried bags), understand and pack for the cruise line's policy about what you are allowed to bring aboard. Policy can range from no restrictions to confiscation of any "no no" found during embarkation. * You'll be instructed to fill-out and sign a simple '''current health statement''', one for at least each person in your group. If anyone reports or exhibits symptoms of something that might be communicable, he/she may be interviewed. At worst, he/she ''may be denied boarding'', at no liability to the cruise line. (Law requires ship's officers to minimize health risks to all the (perhaps) thousands of passengers and crew on board.) This event should be covered by good trip insurance. * You'll be shown to a processing counter to provide identification, set up a '''shipboard charge account''' and be issued a '''cabin key card''' for each person in your group. (See also "Ashore" and "Buy" below) * From there, you'll begin boarding. At the counter or on the way on-board, you'll each have an electronic '''identification photo''' taken, computer-linked to your cabin key/card. After that, you are free to board and walk about on-board. Later, as you disembark and re-board, you'll have to use your card, and the photos will electronically pop-up on a monitor used by ship's security staff. ** On the way aboard, you'll often encounter a ship's commercial photographer. All pictures they take throughout the cruise have no cost unless you choose to buy one as you find it later in the ship's photo gallery. They tend to be rather pricey. Once on board, a lounge or the buffet and casual food counters await, usually on upper decks. You'll often be instructed not to go to your cabin until their readiness is announced (your cabin steward is completely cleaning and sanitizing it, and changing all linens and towels in your cabin and many others). So, after food if any, it's a good time to walk about the ship to get oriented. * Top-side you'll probably see a swimming pool or more, other sports and exercise facilities, bars, perhaps the spa and a forward lounge. * Likely on lower, public decks, you'll find the Purser's Desk (aka Customer Service), often a concierge desk and shore tour ticket office, future cruise sales desk, perhaps shops (not open), and an Internet café somewhere. Before sailing, there will be a '''safety at sea briefing''' that everyone must attend. Cruise lines and captains take this maritime law requirement seriously. You'll find instructions in your cabin, and papers and announcements will tell where and when to go. It includes learning the location of ''your'' emergency "muster station", ways to get there, emergency signals and procedures, and how to wear your life vest. You may or may not need to take or don your life-vest—stored in your cabin. All ship's services will be closed during this time. If anyone in your group has mobility problems, this is a good time to tell the staff for your muster station so they can prearrange special help for emergencies. ''Truants will be called to a separate, later briefing'' at staff's convenience. Continuing truancy can result in being ordered to disembark at the next port. If time permits after the briefing and before sailing, go top-side for departure. It's always interesting, often scenic (take your camera if light will be adequate), with a bon voyage party likely. ==Get around== {{infobox|Nautical directions|Since you're on a ship, you'll want to learn at least a little bit of nautical lingo, especially for navigating the ship. The front of the ship is the '''bow''' and the back is the '''stern'''; all directions aboard the ship are relative to those two locations. If something is closer to the bow, it's '''fore''' or '''forward'''; if it's closer to the stern, it's '''aft'''. '''Starboard''' is to the right if you're facing the bow; '''port''' is to the left. And if something is in the middle of the ship (either fore-to-aft or starboard-to-port), it's '''amidships'''.}} [[File:Mariner of the Seas (2669774411).jpg|thumb|One of the long corridors on the Mariner of the Seas]] The key advantage of a cruise ship is that it does most of the "getting around" ''for'' you. See "Understand" (above) and the following sections for details about ships and port visits. Basically, you unpack once, then visit the ports on your ship's itinerary and only repack at the end of the cruise. Careful consideration of the cruise itinerary and daily bulletins will eliminate confusion about where you are, what's happening, and where you'll go next. As you explore the ship, you'll note that instead of numbers, decks may have fanciful names. You may find yourself referring frequently to the small pocket-map in your cabin and diagrams in elevators and stairwells to figure out where you are and whether the Lido Deck is above or below the Promenade Deck. The biggest ships can have 15 or more decks (counting bars and whatnot perched above the pools), making even the most conscientious stair-climbers resort to elevators from time to time. Thankfully, elevators will have an outside and inside list of facilities for each deck. But they often do not tell you if any is aft or forward, so again you'll need to look at the pocket-map. Beware some elevator banks may not serve all decks, For example, the forward elevators may only go down to deck 7, whereas the midship and aft elevators go down to deck 5, so you would need to take the forward elevators to deck 7 then walk aft to the midship elevators or stairs to access decks 5 and 6. Only rarely does a ship fail to visit a scheduled port. This most often stems from adverse weather, rarely by equipment failure or accident. If weather threatens, the captain will avoid the effects of the weather as much as possible, and will make announcements explaining what is happening and if alternate ports will be visited. ==See== [[Image:Cruise ship in distance.jpg|thumb|Cruising [[southeastern Alaska]]'s Inside Passage]] Some ships have been outfitted with millions of dollars worth of art and elaborate interior decor, but generally after a few days there isn't ''that'' much to see on most cruise ships. The real sights are ashore. Some ships travel to geographically interesting areas such as [[Alaska]] or [[Scandinavia]] where they make efforts to view shorelines up-close, e.g., Fjords and glaciers. Generally speaking, the smaller the ship, the better proximity to scenery you can expect, because they won't need to stick to deep and open water. On large ships, other scenery may be too far off to really enjoy its details, though binoculars help. Depending on the region and season, you may spot whales, dolphins, or flying fish swimming nearby or even following alongside. Lacking those benefits, the real sightseeing opportunities come as you approach and reach port, and as you take shore outings discussed below. ===[[Travel photography|Taking photos]]=== * Coasts are seldom straight lines, but if you are taking photos of the ocean, keep the horizon horizontal. * If you plan on taking photos involving the ocean or distant objects, learn what situations recommend a UV or circular polarization filter, and prepare accordingly. * Binoculars are essential when just looking at ships and coastlines, typically at considerable distances. If you plan to take photos of them, make sure you have a lens with focal length to magnify considerably. ==Do== As you plan each day's activities, everything on-board will be based on '''ship's time'''. Depending on its itinerary, the ship will usually change its time to agree with any time zone it has entered. This assures that you can take advantage of all activities and tours, on-board and ashore, with confidence about time. Your cabin phone will be synchronized to that time, so feel free to use its wake-up call capability to ensure you miss no event. ===Aboard=== [[File:Independence of the Seas pool bar at Vigo, Spain.jpg|thumb|The swimming pool area and pool bar aboard MS Independence of the Seas]] Large ships will have most or all of the features discussed below—mega-ships even more. Smaller ships (e.g., 600-1200 passenger capacity) will have many of them, but in fewer numbers or smaller scale. You'll be surrounded by water you can't swim in (it's passing by at 15-20 knots or so), but all but the smallest ships will have at least one '''"swimming pool"''' (perhaps covered, otherwise usable only in warm climes) and deck chairs. The pools won't be great for swimming laps, but some new ships are being equipped with small, swim-against-the-current pools. Most are filled with processed seawater. Parents of infants and small children (or staff on some ships. e.g., Disney) must ensure that their little ones create no safety or sanitary problem for anyone. Without the legal restrictions imposed on land-based facilities, most cruise ships have a '''casino''' (not Disney). Expect more emphasis on gaming on ships catering to Americans than for Europeans. Don't expect table games or machines with payoff rates even close to those found in better land-based casinos; concessionaires pay dearly for the space. It will be open for gaming only while at sea. If you do win a substantial amount of money, ask to have your earnings given to you in the form of a check. Otherwise, you may have to carry and protect cash. (You could have the prize converted to shipboard credits, but on many ships unused credits are not refundable at cruise end: you will lose them. Wisely using a very large number of credits by cruise end may be no small feat.) On larger ships, Las Vegas and Broadway are the models for '''entertainment'''. They'll variously feature singing-and-dancing shows, feature singers, comedians, magicians, jugglers and other live entertainment. On large ships, they'll be presented in a large theater; on small ships, they'll use a lounge with stage. Shows typically follow dinner, but may precede it for those who opt for "late" dinner seating. During and after shows, other venues offer small bands, piano bars, and dancing to live music or a disc jockey. Special cruises focused on certain types of music or performers/bands will use many of the same venues. For culturally- or geographically-important destinations or special events, ships will often offer knowledgeable '''lecturers'''. Some ships provide on-board '''chaplains''' to conduct religious observances, although this is becoming less common outside peak times, e.g., Christmas, Easter. To bolster this at other times, they may welcome credentialed passengers (with necessary accouterments) as volunteers to conduct services. [[File:MS Eurodam mainstage.jpg|thumb|Theatre in MS Eurodam]] A '''movie theater''' is found on most ships, playing movies similar to those found on airlines. There is usually a '''library''' on board for your reading pleasure but don't expect the latest novels unless left behind from an earlier cruise. If cabins have DVD players, the library may have a modest collection of titles. It may also offer electronic or board '''games''' to check out. Quite commonly, you'll find an '''Internet café''' (discussed later) offering several computers with a networked printer. Topside you should find someone issuing equipment for basketball, table tennis, shuffle-board and other uses. The ship will often offer space and seating to support impromptu or organized '''bridge''', even tournaments. And staff very often have '''trivia and other contests'''. And on most sea days, you'll see at least one large '''Bingo''' session offered. '''Shopping''' is readily available, with shops on board. (See "Buy" below.) They'll be duty free but don't expect big bargains. They too will be open only while at sea. '''Weddings at sea''' are possible on some ships, such as the [[Bermuda]]-registered Princess line, but require advanced requests and planning to be feasible. You'll receive a '''daily newsletter''' with a schedule of '''activities''', apt to mention ''art auctions'' (reportedly the "most dangerous place on a ship"), ''bingo'', ''kitchen tours'', ''port and shopping lectures'', cruise ''enhancement lectures'' (by naturalists, historians, political scientists, et al), ''arts and crafts lessons'', ''poolside contests'', ''dancing classes'', etc. Family-oriented cruises (especially Disney) will have many ''age-specific activities'' and staff, geared for kids and teens. Most ships have a '''gym or health center''' with exercise machines. They often offer instruction programs in exercise regimes or Tai Chi, etc., at modest cost, which may need to be booked beforehand. Many people use the "promenade" deck or topside track for walking/jogging. The former usually loops around the ship on a mid-deck &ndash, but may have stairs that interrupt you. If so, a topside track might be better if available (often the sun deck is available for joggers at a certain time, usually in the morning). Some ships find room for putting greens, golf simulator, a basketball or tennis court (enclosed by ball-catching nets) topside. Some very-large ships have ice rinks, rock climbing walls, "surf parks" and other activities. '''Spa facilities''' are a staple of cruise ships. Everything from massages to hairdressing to exotic health and beauty treatments are available at substantial extra cost. Some European based ships may have a deck for '''naturist sunbathing''', this is the uppermost deck in order to prevent other people from looking. However, as the uppermost deck usually has the best views, it happens that people get up on this deck with their camera. This is of course prohibited. ===Ashore=== [[File:Pride of America lifeboat.jpeg|thumb|A lifeboat from the "Pride of America", being used as a tender in Hawaii.]] You must use your '''cabin key card''' every time you leave and re-board the ship. It's how they determine if you're aboard and how ship's security staff recognize you. Otherwise, they might leave you behind. * You'll regularly be instructed to return to the ship at least 30 minutes before its scheduled departure. * Near departure time, based on tracking of who's not aboard, you may hear announcements for certain passengers to contact the Purser's desk—they're "missing". Research in-advance each place you'll visit. That can greatly enhance your cruise experience at little or no cost. Many ports and nearby sights are covered by Wikivoyage destination pages, travel web sites (e.g., [http://www.whatsinport.com/index.htm WhatsInPort], and books. The ship will usually dock at a pier. If none is available, it will anchor or moor off-shore, and ship's lifeboats or commercial boats will '''tender''' you to a convenient place on-shore. Your detailed itinerary will indicate how your ship will visit each port. * If you're on a very large ship, tendering can take considerable time. Ship's tour takers usually go first, then "early-birds" who've obtained first-come-first-served tender tickets/numbers. Unless you've purchased a ship's tour, plan your time ashore accordingly. * If weather generates rough seas at any port where your ship anchors/moors, tenders to shore may be unusable and so cancelled. If the ship cannot get you on shore at a port, the line ''may'' offer reimbursement for the disappointment, but ''will'' refund the cost of ship's tours purchased but cancelled. [[File:Hafen von St John's.jpg|thumb|right|The port of [[Saint John's]] on Antigua. When you compare the size of the cruising ships with its thousands of passengers to the size of the town, it's easy to understand how important cruise tourism is for some island nations]] '''Port visit times''' usually allow passengers to go ashore by 7-8AM, with ship departure often at 5-6PM. Earlier or later departure times can be affected by tides, distance to next port or special tour needs ashore; disembarkation may be delayed slightly by port customs clearance of the ship or passengers. At special stops, some ships may stay later, perhaps overnight or multiple nights. The '''shore excursions office''' will offer a variety of sightseeing tours, cultural visits and organized activities (e.g., scuba, snorkeling, kayaking, bicycling)— offerings dictated by the nature of each port, its climate, time of year and time in port. * At major ports, tours often use large air-conditioned buses for 30-50 people. Popular ports will also have large numbers of air-conditioned taxis, sedans or vans with drivers/guides for-hire: cars able to carry 3-4 adults, vans for 6 or more. * All-day tours often fill virtually all your time in port. You'll usually find half-day tours offered as well, morning and afternoon—worth considering if a walk-about or shopping before or after lunch also appeals. * If you are a confident traveler or you've visited the port before and want to tour special locales, you may do well hiring a car with driver/guide to take a tour of your choice and design. It can involve just your family/group or 2-4 fellow passengers or so. Again, advanced arrangements may be advisable. Ship's tours often cost more than equivalent tours negotiated independently with locals, e.g., you may hire a taxi or van with driver/guide at $40–50 per hour for 4-6 people. In contrast, a half-day ship's tour can range from $50–100 ''per person'', with whole-days $125–300. But for that extra cost, ship's tours provide: * Great convenience in booking a tour, though advance research can greatly help your own arrangements. * Some confidence about the itinerary if you will venture far from port. * Some assurance in especially "entrepreneurial" locations that you won't be scammed by a driver or a pier-side tour "broker". * Greater assurance that the ship will wait if your tour is not back on time. Again, it will wait as long as possible for ship's tours, and ''may'' wait for those on their own, but only if it can reach the next port on-schedule without high added (fuel) cost. Very popular ship's shore excursions ''may'' fill-up many days before you set sail (they're purchasable on-line). You may be wise to research them and commit to some or make advanced, self-arranged alternatives, as justified, e.g., if: * You have your heart set on swimming with dolphins or stingrays, or climbing a glacier. * You're focused on a full-day tour at a truly special locale some distance from the port, e.g. the Normandy beaches from Le Havre. Availability of tours heavily depends on location/tour popularity. For instance there are several operators and dozens of buses taking travelers from [[Cancún]] to [[Chichén Itzá]]. You won't see this on small, and less-visited Caribbean islands. With several cruise ships in port, tours anywhere may be sold out. At some ports, ships must dock among commercial freight operations. Walking from/to the ship may be through unpredictably dangerous activity, even forbidden by the port authority. Look at the ship's newsletter for port conditions and listen for Cruise Director or port adviser announcements. At such docks, most ships will arrange a shuttle from the ship to a terminal with taxis/buses, even to a shopping area or downtown. If so, look for details about a return shuttle as well. Lacking a shuttle, you should request transport that avoids the danger, and perhaps question the Cruise Director in-advance about safety issues. As discussed in-depth below, the UV content of the sun can be very high on any tour, especially on or near water at any latitude during summer. Protect yourself. See "Stay healthy" below. ==Buy== ===Money=== Inform yourself about any possible additional expenses onboard '''before''' your trip – what's included in the price and what's not. Try on-line queries for "cruise" and "advice". '''Cabin key'''. For both convenience and to foster a ''casual-spending atmosphere'', most cruise ships run a "cashless" system in which you use your cabin key (card) to charge all on-ship expenses, sometimes except for gambling. Two or more cabin keys/cards can reference one credit card or cash account (cash deposit given in-advance), e.g., for couples and families. At the end of each cruise segment, the ship will use your credit card or cash deposit to settle the final balance of your account. * You can obtain the ''current balance of your account'', with a list of all charges, at any time, sometimes even on your cabin TV. You should review those details ''at least'' near the end of the cruise to allow you time to question any charge. * If linked to your credit card, your account balance will be automatically charged to it; many lines charge your credit card with other expenses (explained before the cruise, e.g., staff gratuities) during the cruise. At cruise end, the balance is settled automatically—allowing use of your cabin key through the last evening. * '''You must personally settle any cash account'''. This risks long lines at the Purser's Desk on the last full day of the cruise as many others also pay their accounts. Once paid, you may not be able to make any more charges before disembarking. * At debarkation, anyone who has not fully settled their account will not be allowed to leave. Better-equipped ships may offer one or more '''ATMs'''. They are usually to make gambling more convenient. Consequently, they usually offer only the currency used by the casino. And their fees tend to be quite high compared to banks ashore. If you require "foreign" currency for a shore excursion, the "Excursion" staff may have advice about where to get it ashore. Opportunity may also include using the ship's purser to exchange your currency for small amounts of local. ===Account balance management=== You'll be instructed to commit cash or a credit/debit card account to pay your ship's account balance. Charges to your account can include costs of drinks, tours, dining in specialty restaurants, merchandise purchases, spa services, etc. For many reasons, your account may receive credits, e.g., if paid tours must be canceled, or perhaps granted in-advance to frequent cruisers. Take care that you use all credits granted. None will be refunded, as cash or charge account credit at cruise end, with the possible exception of tour cancellations by action of the ship's staff. ===Tipping=== Tips on-board take two forms—the surcharges for special drinks, specialty restaurants and some services (discussed below), and (ultimately optional) tips for the ship's staff (not officers) usually levied at the end of the cruise. Learn the cruise line's recommendations for '''tipping''' the ship's staff. They suggest "appropriate" ''optional'' amounts—a crucial part of staff income. Amounts recommended may vary somewhat by your class of cabin. * Many cruise lines ''add those amounts to passengers' shipboard accounts automatically'' - this may be US$12-15 per day per passenger. This method ensures that ''all'' staff contributing to your cruise experience (e.g., cooks, cleaning and maintenance workers), not just your waiter and cabin steward, ''receive some extra income'' and recognition. ** ''No automatic gratuities go to ship's officers.'' * You can opt to decline or adjust this automatic tipping as desired before cruise end. Royal Caribbean and others offer that option in advance, but may not make the option or how to exercise it obvious. * As inducement to regular customers, some cruise lines and travel/cruise agencies may pay for gratuities. * Whether automatically or in-person, any crew member who has especially enhanced your cruise experience deserves something — perhaps in-addition to automatic amounts. * Many experienced cruisers find that a partial tip, to key crew members (e.g., cabin steward), at cruise start often has good results. Some cruise lines or cruises have a "no-tipping" policy, often aimed at the European or other markets where tipping is culturally alien and may frighten customers away if charged. In reality, gratuities are built into the higher price of those cruises, on which passengers also pay taxes. ===Shopping on-board=== [[File:QM2 Grand Lobby.JPG|thumb|Grand Lobby on the Queen Mary 2]] Cruise ships take advantage of their international/at-sea status to offer [[duty free shopping]] (e.g., for liquor, jewelry (costume and precious), cosmetics, perfumes) at decent if not outstanding prices. Large ships usually have boutiques selling logo clothing/souvenirs, perhaps offering casual and evening wear (a few even include tux/formal rentals). Other shops offer basic sundries, candy and over-the-counter drugs. All will be open only while at sea. * You may see "sidewalk sales", specials on jewelry and watches, and toward the end perhaps a clearance sale on outdated logo clothing and other items. * ''All'' bottled liquor purchased on-board will be held until the last full day of your cruise, and then delivered to your cabin, likely boxed, but needing more padding in the box to be ready for carrying or (with further preparation) to go in checked luggage to fly home. * '''Ship's merchandise''' has no duty or tax prepaid as it's purchased/delivered on board, and so can be subject to duty payable as you return home ''if'' all of your trip purchases exceed your duty exemption. ** If you contemplate purchasing an expensive item (e.g., jewelry, one-of-a-kind items), check if it is "customs exempt", e.g., was made in your home country, was already imported there and then sent to the ship, or really is one-up such as a unique artwork. If so, with a proper certificate from the ship's store manager, you may not have to count the item against your duty allowance. ** If U.S. citizens exceed their duty allowance with on board purchases and return to the U.S. on the ship, the ship must (by law) provide notice of those purchases to the port's U.S. Customs office. Those passengers can expect "special" Customs attention. A few ships may arrange customs processing on board. ''Caveat emptor'' (let the buyer beware) is good advice anywhere, and applies on-board. Cruise passengers are a "captive market". * Few items in on-board shops will be great bargains. Also, cruise ships in international waters follow laws of their flag country and buyers may be treated unlike businesses on land; requesting consumer protections you normally enjoy at home ''may'' fail. However, cruise lines usually have overarching policies protecting buyers from all but buyer's remorse or careless damage to merchandise. * Staff working in the '''spa''' or '''gym''' may tout very-expensive lotions/potions, services, tests or treatments with ''claimed'' health or other benefits. Before saying "yes", you should learn their certified qualifications and understand the realities about what they offer. * There have been past cases where on-board auctions (usually by concessionaires offering rugs/carpets, paintings, etc.) have made unjustified claims of item value, offered counterfeits of famous works, or have influenced bidding in ways that would be illegal ashore in most countries. Fortunately, many of these practices have been greatly reduced as a result of major, successful class-action lawsuits. Basic advice: Buy what you like with discipline (to include costs for getting the item home), not as an investment. '''For cruises in Europe''': The European Union (EU) has begun levying its VAT on all shipboard sales and services (including service fees) on any cruise segment that departs and ends in the EU ''without visiting a port outside the EU'' (or the EU VAT area). Because this can materially degrade on-board sales, lines are (re)designing many cruise segments to visit "outside" ports, e.g., Gibraltar, Casablanca. ===Shopping ashore=== Shopping remains a highly popular activity, with nearly all ports offering at least handicrafts and souvenirs reflecting the destination, but often not made there. (A crude rule of thumb for "local" souvenirs: the farther you venture from the dock area, the lower the prices may be for given types of items.) Others offer wide ranges of merchandise, to include cameras/lenses, clothing, electronics, jewelry and "gourmet" consumables. If there is a chance that you'll use your credit, debit or ATM card to buy them: * Let the issuing bank know in-advance where and when you'll be traveling — always a good practice anyway. * Follow good practices for ensuring it won't be lost or misused by others. See [[Money]] for a full discussion. Certain destinations may offer '''"serious shopping"''': duty-free and/or highly competitive, e.g., [[Saint Martin]] and [[Saint Thomas]] in the Caribbean, (perhaps except for "designer stores") [[Hong Kong]] and [[Singapore]] if you bargain successfully. For example discussion of duty-free shopping and customs obligations, see [[Saint Thomas#Buy]]. If inclined to seriously shop somewhere not familiar to you, on-line research should help you understand what to expect, e.g., stores, tax/duty, and what to watch out for. The ship may have a ''port shopping adviser'' who can provide useful information and may recommend (even tout) certain merchants and brands/items. Those advisers are often employed by merchandising firms that receive large fees (even commissions) from merchants and brands they recommend. This does not guarantee (or impugn) the reputation of any merchant or brand, nor should it question the worthiness of competitors — though the "adviser" may mention a special guaranty for touted merchants. Their fees may well increase the final prices that "recommended merchants" demand. In desirable shopping locales, most merchants are quite responsible. At other locations, take care with merchants, product claims, warranties, fixed, labeled and negotiable prices, and ''final costs'' beyond agreed prices, e.g., hidden duty or tax. Though eligible for tax/duty refunds, you may be able to obtain them only at certain places as you leave the jurisdiction, e.g., airports, and only for each purchase that exceeds a substantial amount. At the last port for a taxing jurisdiction, the port may have no "standing", nor an office offering to provide or process refunds. Getting refunds by mail after you are home can be problematic. Such challenges cause serious shoppers to seek out cruises to truly duty/tax-free and highly-competitive locales. Wherever you plan to shop, some research should help you understand each port and its merchants, what you may see, and what it costs elsewhere. See also [[Shopping]] and [[Bargaining]]. ==Eat== [[File:Norwegian Dawn 6.JPG|thumb|Restaurant on the Norwegian Dawn]] Most lines heavily invest in food quality and quantity, and they brag about it. Rarely are meals not included in the price of a typical cruise, with the occasional exception of specialty restaurants and room service. Included offerings include poolside '''snack bars''' where you can order a burger, "dog", shake, pizza or something, and walk off without paying. It's not "free", of course; you paid for it when you bought your ticket. On virtually all cruise ships, you'll also find a '''buffet''', usually on one of the upper decks, available during all meal times and usually offering something from early morning to late evening. On better ships, buffets can seem almost like pure extravagance. '''Room service''' is usually available at all times, except after a certain late time the night prior to disembarkation on most cruise lines. Sometimes, you may have to pay a gratuity or late-night surcharge for it. At normal meal times, you'll find '''seated dining''' with full waiter service, usually with a multi-course menu featuring variably fancy dishes. (''Damp swimwear can damage dining room chairs; don't wear it there, even under a wrap or cover; even if quite dry, you might alarm the dining room staff.'') At least one dining room will offer '''seated breakfast and lunch''' (you'll rarely have a regularly-assigned table). It will be open for 2–3 hours around the usual time for any meal. For breakfast, the menu may not change much each day. For lunch and dinner, the menu will change every day. For dinner, it will usually have a section for items always available, and one for the evening's "specials". '''Traditional evening dining''' service is at set times,musually early/main and late sittings. If you choose or prefer a time and table size (best when you book your cruise), you'll be seated at the same table at that time every evening. * If your table preferences haven't been met (at least indicated on your cabin key card), contact the maitre de for help as soon as possible after embarkation. * Exceptions to your usual time and table may may occur when the ship is in port and many passengers are eating ashore. The daily newsletter will mention this. If so, you may share a different table with "strangers", even in a different dining room. Table size can vary from 2 to 8-10 people, occasionally more. Round tables for 6-8 seem conducive to easy conversation among all. Unless you/your group fully occupies a table, you'll meet other guests as table mates. This usually an interesting time, with repartee beyond what's possible with a new set of strangers at "open sitting" (see below). It also ''helps your waiters learn and anticipate important needs and preferences'', e.g., kosher, vegetarian, ''food allergies'', drink preferences and timing. [[File:River Venture (ship, 2012) - Restaurant.jpg|thumb|The restaurant of a smaller river cruise ship]] To assure well-timed service, ''reach your table within 30 minutes of when the dining room opens for your sitting''. Large kitchens must serve several hundred (perhaps thousands of) passengers at each sitting, one course at a time, with expectations of freshness and proper temperatures. Many cruise lines offer '''freestyle''', '''choice''' or '''open seating dining''', which allow dining at any time during dinner hours. This may be offered in separate dining rooms, but menus will be the same as for scheduled sittings. As you enter, you may have to wait for a table, just as you would without reservations for restaurants at home. If it's especially busy, you have just a few in your party, and are willing, tell the Maitre de that you "will share". It greatly helps him/her efficiently use tables/seating, so may speed getting you seated. Most ships also offer '''specialty restaurants''', often with international themes, usually by reservation only. (If you have no reservation, you can try "will share", but don't rely on it; most diners who've made reservations there don't expect to share.) Many such restaurants have surcharges (e.g., $20 per person or more) for ''exceptional service and dishes'', most well-deserved. If you normally dine at a fixed sitting but plan to use a specialty restaurant any evening, tell your regular waiter the evening before. '''Recommended dinner dress''' in dining rooms varies somewhat across cruise lines. For details, each cruise-line explains its expected dress code on its web-site, and you should find details on web sites for cruising. * Many "main line" ships declare dining for most evenings as requiring just "country club" or "resort" casual wear: collared shirt and slacks for men, nearly anything but pool wear for women (we jest). They'll also often have one or two "formal" nights per week: tux or dark suit and tie for men, evening wear for women. * Some luxury lines may declare every evening as semi-formal—coat and tie for men, evening wear for women. * For any evening, the same dress standards apply in specialty restaurants. ''You'll embarrass yourself'', your table mates, your waiter and others ''if you go to your dining room for dinner wearing jeans, shorts, a tank-top, or similar casual/pool-wear'', and inadequate dress on formal nights. You may also be denied seating. If you have no interest in "seated dining" on formal nights (or any evening), you can use the buffet for dinner instead. Food offerings will be somewhat similar to that in the dining rooms that night, but often lacking items that require complex service. Dress here includes covered pool wear. The buffet indirectly offers another benefit: if you must fly to/from port, and may too-easily exceed your luggage limits (e.g., must pack for small children or seniors and yourself), consider leaving semi- and formal-wear (and related shoes/accessories) at home. You can reduce packing space and weight otherwise needed by perhaps 20-25 percent. ==Drink== [[File:Eurodam - Ocean bar.jpg|thumb|Bar on MS Eurodam]] '''Typical staples''' such as coffee, tea/iced tea, lemonade, and juices (at breakfast) are available at no charge. Other drinks are usually not included in the cruise price, even if the cruise's promotional brochure says or implies "all-inclusive". * Those "others" (e.g., ''soft drinks, bottled waters, fresh-squeezed juices, specialty coffees, beers, wine, mixed drinks'') can be pricey. Prices listed will not include a 15-18 percent service fee/surcharge. * Expect to find one or more well-stocked bars on all public decks, catering expertly to your preferences, many opening mid- to late-morning and some staying open very late. * All dining rooms will have a very good wine list, with a few offerings by the glass, as well as bottled waters, mixed drinks and specialty coffees. If you don't finish a bottle of wine that evening, they'll gladly re-cork it and put your cabin number on it for recall at another time no charge. If you've brought your own wine (bottle) to dinner, they'll serve it but charge a "corkage fee"; if not consumed at that meal, they'll re-cork for later use in the same manner as a purchased bottle. * The small refrigerator in your cabin may be filled with soft drinks, chips or candies. Carefully note if they are charged for, especially if you have children. The convenience may overwhelm resistance despite the costs. Many cruise lines offer '''drink packages''' for unlimited soft drink refills, some for specialty coffees, wine, even a few for mixed drinks. Many include the service fee. But, understand the terms clearly before committing to any. Examples: * A "pop/soda pass" often runs US$30–45 for a week (per person, not to be shared), which can equal 5-8 separately purchased drinks ''every day''. (A considerable average daily consumption rate.) * A mixed-drink package starts at US$50 per person per day, while you can get a "beer and wine with your meal" package on some lines for US$25 (Jan 2020). Most separately-priced drinks run US$7–11 or so each. Again, this means a considerable daily consumption rate to make the package worthwhile, especially if you contemplate staggering, uh, going ashore. * If you delay purchase of a package a day or more, the price often remains the same. * You have no obligation to purchase any package type for everyone in your group. But the package terms forbid sharing your drinks with anyone. Not counting the service fee, some mixed drinks may be cheaper than you might find at better watering holes ashore, but don't count on it. However, you'll usually find drink specials mentioned in the ship's daily newsletter. These costs prompt some people to try to bring their own. But most lines forbid bringing liquor on board, and any found (at embarkation or as you board from later port visits) will be "held for you", and returned on the last full day of the cruise in the same packaging as received. A few lines confiscate contraband liquor. A few others will allow you to initially bring 1-2 bottles of wine per cabin; if opened/decanted outside your cabin, you'll be charged the "corkage fee" as above. Most lines will allow you to bring your own soft drinks. For details, consult the cruise line web site. Some ships are primarily '''party vessels''', full of young adults taking advantage of bargain duty-free drinks and (perhaps) lower drinking ages in international waters. You may identify them by their ''extremely uneventful itineraries'': straight out to sea, stay there for much of the trip, then back to port. Their advertising is usually also not particularly subtle. If you want one, you'll recognize the signs; if you want to avoid one, likewise. Responsible cruise lines avoid unbridled drinking by: * Requiring at least one occupant of each cabin to be a minimum age (with some exceptions for legitimate families) and by not serving alcohol to anyone under 21. * Training and directing wait staffs to control service to those who've had too much. ==Sleep== [[File:P&O Cruises - MV Azura - Twin Cabin.jpg|thumb|Twin Cabin on P&O MV Azura]] Let your travel agent or cruise line know your cabin needs in advance to ensure your cabin assignment and preparation meets them. Shortly after arriving at your cabin, '''introduce yourself to your cabin steward''' as he/she stops by, and discuss any preferences or needs for service not already met, e.g., ice at certain times, softer or firmer pillows, emptying the refrigerator of unwanted items. He/she will often have an assistant, and will both work as a team. If you brought sanitizing wipes or solution, you might sanitize key surfaces like the lavatory counters, telephone handset, TV remote and desktop — the latter is often missed in their cabin preparation. For families, in addition to the bedding noted earlier, some cabins will have a pull-down bunk-bed (not appropriate for small children due to safety, or for full-sized adults due to height and weight) and/or a pull-out sleeper-settee or sleeper-sofa. If you've booked as a family, your steward will "unlock" any "pull-down" or pull-out, for your use whenever desired. It will be made-up each morning and prepared for use each evening. If there are more than 2 adults, your cabin steward will prepare the second bed or sleeper-sofa each morning and evening. For 3-4 adults, ensure your agent or the cruise line chooses a cabin with at least some visual privacy for sleepers. Suites usually have such privacy, and often more options. The cabin steward (or butler) will be ready to explain use of all and prepare them as needed. If your cabin is not as described, desired or needed on arrival, resolve the issues through your cabin steward before you retire the first night. ==Stay safe== [[File:Queen Mary II at Liverpool 3.jpg|thumb|Lifeboat on the Queen Mary II]] Because of the numerous advancements in modern shipbuilding and other technology, '''cruise travel is generally very safe'''. The crew of your ship are trained to calmly and efficiently handle emergencies that may arise. Occasionally, non-trivial problems may be discovered and addressed while going completely unnoticed by passengers. Unlike the [[ocean liners]] of yore, cruise ships are not built for great speed or unusual maneuvers. Whenever feasible, they avoid bad weather even if this means delays, in deference to security and passenger comfort. The press often recounts public incidents/accidents — a few deservedly, that may induce unnecessary cruise-customer concern. * Cruise accidents resulting in serious passenger injuries or deaths are rare when one remembers that hundreds of ships are at sea at any moment nearly every day of the year. Cruise lines and every ship's captain and his/her crew regularly train for problems and inspect ship condition and sanitation to thoroughly minimize troubles. * Stories about the frequency of '''sickness outbreaks''' often get overblown. The same maladies affect all travel and group occasions. Only on a cruise does enough time lapse for symptoms to surface 2-4 days after infection. ===Aboard=== Follow what you learned at the Safety at Sea briefing. In the event of a '''life-threatening emergency''', instructions will be given on where to report (not necessarily your lifeboat or muster station designated in the briefing) and what to bring with you (e.g., adequate clothing, crucial medications, your life vest and cruise ID card). You'll know what to do if you're distant from your cabin. Remain as orderly as you can and do not panic as you muster or are evacuated; acting out of place will only make matters more complicated and increase chances of injury to yourself or others. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially at night. Don't worry about going about on your own, just be vigilant around bars where late-night, intoxicated passengers are a possibility. Keep an eye on your belongings and don't flaunt nor take them with you everywhere; leaving your iPod on a pool chair unattended while you quickly order a drink is just asking for someone to snatch it. Lock expensive items and jewelry in your cabin safe, then use or wear it only when appropriate. Families traveling with children should be cautious as well. While family-friendly lines like Disney are "age-proofed" for their safety, other lines and older ships may not be and there are many hazards that could put them in a dangerous situation; e.g. being left unsupervised on a balcony, falling down the stairs, swimming in a pool without a lifeguard, etc. Older teenagers should be given some freedom about what they'd like to do and where they want to relax during the cruise, but you should always know the whereabouts of younger children. Some ships even offer two-way, on-board "walkie talkies" for rent for your group to stay in-touch. Very minor fires are not rare, especially in the many restaurant kitchens on board, e.g., in fryers. The crew is trained and equipped to deal with them. There is no reason to panic just because you see a crew member with extinguishing equipment. Piracy incidents are virtually nonexistent in the regions of the world where most cruise lines sail ([[North America|North]] and [[South America]], [[Europe]], etc.). It can be a legitimate concern to cruisers sailing some waters, e.g., near a few African countries and a few locations in Asia. However, no ship has ever been boarded by pirates if going more than 17 knots, a speed easily attained by cruise ships. Many ships plying those waters also have non-lethal means to "discourage" pirates. Always report anything suspicious or concerning to a crew member; they will investigate or get someone who can to investigate the matter. Trust your instincts as well. If a situation or activity doesn't feel "right" to you, it may not be, e.g., substantial smell of smoke may be cause to activate the fire alarm. ===Ashore=== While you are safest while on-board the ship, this may not be the case ashore. It's useful to learn a bit about each destination you plan to visit beforehand and to act responsibly wherever you are. When ashore, hold on to your boarding card as though it's your passport - without it you may not be allowed back on board without substantial delay. Actually, at many destinations, passengers won't need to present or carry their passport - the boarding card is enough. However, you should always carry at least a passport photocopy and government-issued photo identification as well as your ship's card. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Pool-area-lido-deck-sm.jpg|thumbnail|Typical pool area]] === Sunburn === {{See also|Sunburn and sun protection}} At sea, on beaches or small boats, bare skin can sunburn very rapidly between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. That ruins cruises for more people than any other cause. Sunburns (and their pain) can last until well after you return home. For a few, they may later induce permanent skin damage, and even cancer. So before you'll be exposed to sun for more than a short time, take effective precautions with clothing, a hat and highly-rated sunblock so that you can fully enjoy whatever recreation you choose. === Queasiness === {{disclaimerbox|No discussion here of any medication is authoritative. Consult your physician or pharmacist for any question or issue.}} Some people experience '''queasiness''' on cruise ships. This is very unlikely on large or recently-built vessels, which consistently have highly effective stabilizers. Even so, some sensitive inner ears may react to even imperceptibly slow and gentle rocking of a calm sea. Localized intense storms may make the ocean rough for a day or so. And very-occasionally, major storms can't be avoided, but full-fledged tropical storms always are. * If you know or worry that it may be a problem, pick a cabin location that minimizes movement when the ship rolls and pitches; e.g., amidship and/or on a lower deck. * Over-the-counter motion sickness medications (e.g., Dramamine, Bonine) usually help. (Reportedly, Draminine has a tendency to cause drowsiness that can make it impractical to use for the duration of a cruise.) * Prescription trans-dermal Scopalomine patches can be very effective. But a few people have troubling side-effects. So, (with the permission/help of a doctor) test a patch before the cruise if you like the multi-day convenience they promise. * Some people find relief with special wristbands that claim to stimulate pressure points that are believed to counteract the nausea of motion sickness. Their effectiveness has not yet been clinically verified. Staying well can be as simple as eating (and drinking) responsibly. Generous helpings of that beautiful, fresh pineapple for breakfast ''every'' morning can cause problems, as can the portions of ''wonderful and rich delights at dinner''. Marine biologists know that the calf of a blue whale can gain up to 30 pounds per day. The next fastest weight-gaining mammal may be the cruise passenger - actually known to gain 6-7 pounds per week if he or she "over celebrates". ===Care about exercise and choices of tours=== If you exercise only occasionally or seldom, you may find the ship's gym tempting. "Exercise" some moderation in the same way you would with sunbathing to ensure it doesn't compromise enjoying your cruise. Similarly, available tours will demand different levels of physical effort. Whether privately arranged or offered by the ship, understand what each demands and choose wisely. === Outbreaks === Passengers and crew are susceptible to ''communicable diseases'' (e.g., the flu, colds, Norovirus), but thankfully this happens only ''very'' occasionally due to great effort and care by the ship's staff, and by passengers who cooperate with health protections. It occurs because large numbers of people from countless places have close proximity, share facilities, forget to be responsible, and stay aboard long enough for symptoms to appear. ==== Prevention ==== Most maladies spread much in the same ways as the common cold. Stifling coughs and sneezes into your sleeve helps greatly. And ships regularly provide hand disinfectant dispensers at entrances to dining areas; use them, but don't rely completely on them. You can help yourself if you: * ''Wash hands very frequently and thoroughly.'' * Substitute "elbow bumps" for handshakes with staff and fellow passengers; at the very least, wash up well after shaking someone's hand. * Use sanitizing wipes or solution on key parts of your cabin occasionally. This is no criticism of your cabin steward, whose efforts will also be thorough, but an added protection nonetheless. * Use your cabin bathroom rather than public restrooms whenever you can. ==== If you become ill ==== * Report it as soon as possible, very preferably by cabin phone. * The medical staff can help considerably, may attend to you in your cabin, and may direct you to remain there and cancel any port visits until you recover (usually within a couple days) to avoid spreading the malady. ''Such direction is often reinforced by law in ports.'' * If the illness is deemed the ship's responsibility (e.g., several other passengers have or have had it), you may not be charged for medical services and may receive reimbursement for pre-paid but missed ship's tours. * Specially-equipped teams of ship's staff will thoroughly clean and sanitize any "accidents" in your cabin. So report them, and report public accidents as well. Ships that see "possible signs" of an outbreak (even several passengers with sea-sickness) will set up extensive precautions and health/sanitation protocols to limit spread of any infectious agent. This can include hand sanitizer dispensers at entry to ''all public areas'', barriers to self-help in buffets, nearly constant sanitizing of railings, door handles and public restrooms everywhere. Use and respect those measures. === Food and drink ashore === Although shipboard food and water will be sanitary, the usual precautions for overseas travel should be taken when eating and drinking ashore. * Advance research about your port visits should include looking for possible health risks. * In well-developed countries and touristy areas, food and water ''may'' be safe. In addition to research, consult the ship's port descriptions and the port adviser. Even with assurances, take care with sidewalk food stands and road-side cafés. Crowds of locals only indicate popularity and low cost, not necessarily safety. * In less developed countries, ports and areas, take care to avoid local water and food-borne bacteria or parasites, including drinks made with ice a bar/restaurant may make using local tap water. * If in doubt about getting water ashore, buy it in sealed, labeled bottles. * Restrooms in "rustic" places in any country may have no tissues or napkins, so bring your own. * As with safety, there might also be health risks ashore that are not present on-board — especially in tropical countries. Before your cruise, check the situation in each of the destinations you'll visit. === Carrying bottled water === Few ports prohibit bringing bottles of water ashore. You'll see pricey offerings each time you leave the ship. Ask a ship's officer in-advance if sealed bottles are necessary; if not, you could refill your own, with buffet beverage/water dispensers perhaps offering better tasting water than that in your cabin. === Medical staff === Nearly all cruise ships have one, with an accredited doctor. Larger ships may also have two or more nurses or even a dentist. Most will offer open hours ("sick call") in the morning and late afternoon for routine ailments, with on-demand response (even in-cabin) for injuries or major illnesses. Most can effectively render first- and second-aid, perhaps more depending on the doctor's experience and on-board facilities, e.g., X-ray. They carry basic medications and supplies typically needed for cruises. Don't depend on them to replace '''special medications''' you use, even with near-equivalents. * If the ship's itinerary is quite repetitive during a season, the doctor ''may'' have standing with pharmacies in some ports. He/she ''may'' be able to issue usable scripts for your needs, but the ship's staff must pick up the medications at a fee to you. Again, don't expect the pharmacy on an island to be stocked with the medications you require - in some cases "pharmacy" might only be a shelf in the harbor's convenience store. * Unless your problem appears to have been caused by some condition or event that's the ship's responsibility, expect to be charged a fee for their services. Your regular health insurance may not cover such fees, but good trip insurance usually does. * Some ships have modest '''dialysis''' capability. If you need it, learn in advance if it's the type you need and you can reserve time slots. If available and as needed, reserve the service/times through your agent if you used one. Check with your health insurance agent to see if your regular health insurance covers any or all of what will be a substantial cost. Also check (before you commit to initial coverage) if your trip insurance covers this need. * Though the doctor and staff often wear ship's uniforms, many are concessionaires, not ship or cruise line officers. Nevertheless, for serious conditions, the doctor's decision about continuing your cruise under illness or injury will usually prevail. '''Medical evacuation''' can be unbelievably expensive, and so you should ensure it will be covered by your trip insurance. === Physical limitations === If you have '''physical limitations''', have your agent arrange needed services in advance, e.g., wheelchair to embark/disembark, for port visits/during the cruise, perhaps even to rent a "power chair" motorized wheelchair (usually only available for round-trip cruises). ==Connect== ===Calling=== Many cruise ships are now equipped with '''cell phone-to-satellite transponders''', which take over automatically at sea to provide wireless phone service throughout the ship. Your cell phone works just like at home and bills its usage back to your regular cell phone bill. * As your phone switches over to that "Cellular at Sea", you are roaming at their pricey per minute rates — the allotment of minutes on your plan doesn't apply here. Data should work as well, but cost can add up fast if your phone automatically checks e-mail. * Once the ship docks at a port with available cell service compatible with your phone, and you then turn it on or disable flight mode, your phone will likely use shore signals instead, providing that your cell phone company has a roaming contract with a local cell-service provider. Keep in mind that international calling from island nations' networks can be rather expensive too. * Experienced cruisers (wanting to avoid ship's costs) simply ensure that their cell phones are turned off or in flight mode while on-board. Most ships offer ship-to-shore phone service from your cabin, but again at rather expensive rates. They may also levy heavy tolls on people at home who call you by phone on the ship. ===Internet on-board=== On-board Internet cafés and Wi-Fi hotspots are increasingly common, but the rates also tend to be fairly steep and the speeds (usually relying on high-latency satellite links shared with ship's business) can be unimpressive, though that is improving on some lines. * All usage will involve a fee, unless it's been paid-for in-advance as a kind of perk. If not, you may well want to buy a block of minutes (also linked to megabytes of usage), at a lower per-minute rate, early in your cruise. You'll have two basic ways of using Internet: at the "Internet Café" on desktop PCs (that can print essential papers, e.g., flight boarding passes at a small fee per page), or through your laptop/tablet. * If offered in your cabin, WiFi signal strength should be decent and dependable, but check it first on your device. Coverage elsewhere may vary wildly: most of the ship is constructed of steel — an unfriendly material for dependable wireless connections. * As with "calling" above, you may be able to use the local, on-shore cell phone/WiFi network for logging-in when the ship is docked or anchored very near a populated coast. This will be cheaper and likely faster than what the ship provides, but probably much slower and definitely more expensive than at home. * 'Avoid depending on a ship's Internet service to download major files of any kind, e.g., video clips, security/software updates. Networked, real time gaming will be frustrating and expensive. On-board, consider limiting yourself to e-mail, unless cost is no object. If using faster services ashore (and promptly back home), you might turn your automatic updates back on. * If you can, avoid depending on the day before disembarkation to conduct essential business. It's usually the busiest day for on-board internet use, with unusually slow response because so many passengers are checking flight details/getting boarding passes, using up surplus pre-purchased time, and doing other tasks, all while ship's business is especially intense. PCs in the Internet Café will be equally busy. ===Internet ashore=== If you find these cautions worrisome, you can usually find Internet cafés and WiFi nets at or near many ports, often offering much better rates and speed. You'll often find nets in modern cruise terminals: look for ship's staff. Also look for them for objective advice — they use other port cafés as well. Anytime you use any computer while traveling, ensure that all private or sensitive portions of your sessions and data are secure, e.g., avoid doing financial or highly-personal business, use your own laptop if possible, have pro-active security capabilities installed and running, use wired Ethernet instead of WiFi if possible, set up a unique and complex password just for the trip, look for the http'''s''' in networked sessions any time privacy or security is needed. See more discussion at [[Internet access]]. ==Cope== [[File:Deception-Tourists.jpg|thumbnail|Bathing in hot springs on [[South Shetland Islands|Deception Island]] as part of an Antarctic cruise]] Look for '''laundry rooms''' in ship descriptions—''not all ships have them''. If laundry rooms are available, each will have two or more pairs of washers/dryers, detergent and softener dispensers (all usually taking coins/tokens, obtained at the Purser's desk, or perhaps from a coin machine in the laundry room), and irons and ironing boards. A large ship may have a laundry room on each deck where cabins are located. If you'll be cruising for more than a week or so, on a ship without self-serve laundry facilities, you may have to pack substantially more clothes. All ships offer laundry services, but they're quite pricey. Some folks bring detergent (e.g., Woolite) to hand-wash select items in their cabin, though humidity creates extended drying times. ==Go next== This is a recap of a typical disembarkation process. Near the end of each cruise segment (not necessarily when you'll finally disembark), the Cruise Director will give a briefing that covers specific details for that ship/cruise and debarkation port, to include likely local customs and immigration (C&I) processing. His/her comments will also cover those staying aboard for the next segment. Final processing to leave the ship is called "debarkation" or "disembarkation". This involves getting perhaps a few thousand passengers off the ship as efficiently as possible. ''You can't all leave at once.'' So you'll likely receive a questionnaire several days before the cruise segment end, asking what travel arrangements (if any) you have made to return home. Your answers (e.g., staying aboard, end-of-cruise tour, scheduled flight departure date/time) will determine in what group you will disembark. ("Staying aboard" may still require some form of immigration processing on or off the ship. If so, that will also be arranged and announced.) * Two or so days before your final cruise end, you'll receive luggage tags indicating your debarkation group. Instructions that come with them will indicate the time your group is ''scheduled'' to be called to leave the ship. ** If your group's scheduled debarkation provides too little time to ''comfortably'' reach a necessary place ashore in plenty of time (e.g., your airline's check-in counter), notify the Pursor's Office/customer service immediately. * On most ships, those tags will be colored and/or numbered. You can obtain more from the pursor/customer service desk if needed. * On the last night, place a tag on a fixed handle of ''each piece'' of your luggage and put at least your large, packed luggage outside your cabin door—usually by 10 or 11PM. It will be taken by stewards that night for you to claim ashore in the terminal the next morning. ** Unlike airlines, you can put out two or more pieces per person. If you're flying home, you'll need a way to deal with all pieces somewhere ashore before check-in for your flight. * You can also put out '''carry-on bags''', but: ** Don't pack in them what you'll need in the morning, e.g., keep necessary toiletries/other liquids, ''something to wear'' to leave the ship. If you'll be flying home, you'll need to later transfer some items (e.g., liquids you've kept for morning use) into your to-be-checked luggage before you approach the airline counter for a flight. ** Always keep with you any bags that have medications, valuables and valuable papers inside. ** Do not re-lock the room safe after you take out belongings for the last time. If you do, the next occupants of your cabin will have to ask a very-busy technician to open it, often with a considerable wait. Some ships offer a '''"walk off" or "express" disembarkation''' option. On the questionnaire, you can choose to leave the ship early as part of such a group receiving ''special, expedited C&I processing'' if you carry off all your possessions. If you opt for it, do '''not''' miss the call for your group to disembark, or you will be directed to leave in the very last group instead. Everyone in your party should opt for it; otherwise, you'll be processed and outside the terminal perhaps 2-3 hours before the rest reach you. At some major ports, some ships offer '''special luggage handling''' services for flying home on certain airlines. For a fee, late the last night, they will take specially-tagged luggage to (perhaps through) your airline check-in at the airport. Before you opt for this, understand the process and your responsibilities, e.g., all belongings you have in-hand to go through pier-side customs, the others as designated elsewhere. Typically, people opting for express walk-off, those having early flights or cruise-line shore excursions are given the earliest group debarkation times. Your last morning, you may be instructed to leave your cabin somewhat early (yes, at least one dining room and the buffet will open quite early for breakfast), and proceed to a specific public area on the ship to wait to be called to disembark. * Consider having a hearty breakfast. You may face several hours before the next opportunity for decent food. * If anyone in your personal group has a physical limitation affecting debarkation, request help in-advance. He/she may be given permission (and baggage tags) to depart at any time to include members of the family. If he/she needs to be seated while waiting (perhaps 1–2 hours) to disembark, they should go to your assigned public area promptly after breakfast. * Your waiting area won't necessarily be on the same deck as for exiting the ship. If not, you may have to negotiate stairs with your belongings because elevators will be very busy; those with mobility challenges will have priority. * In that waiting area, you'll eventually be called by color/number to disembark — usually not before the scheduled time. ** Many ships do not call groups using the public address system. You may be notified only by staff in your assigned public area. ** If you're not part of the "express" group that leaves early, and you miss your "regular" group's call, you can usually leave any time later without complications. As you walk off the ship into the terminal, you'll be ushered to a large area with masses of luggage, considerably less if you disembark in one of the last groups. Your luggage will be arranged according to your disembarkation group. You'll need to pick-out your pieces and proceed to C&I or other processing if any. Porters will likely be available to help. After any processing, many options begin, e.g., * If you have an end-of-cruise tour, cruise extension or prepaid airport transfer arranged, you'll be ushered to a bus or other vehicle to transport you, often with your luggage placed on board. * Other transport can take many forms, e.g., self-arranged taxis, surries to paid parking lots or local hotels. Once you leave the terminal to travel independently, or after any ship's tour or cruise extension, you basically have full responsibility to reach whatever destination or follow-on transport awaits. {{PartOfTopic|Boat travel}} {{guidetopic}} {{related|Packing_for_a_cruise}} 42bkr9az2mrd6o15ldvz4d7ieegjqti 0 9147 4502120 4471850 2022-08-16T10:45:26Z Pashley 1822 /* Falaise */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|D day banner.jpg|ftt=yes|caption=16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) wading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach}} The [http://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/articles/d-day-sites-and-attractions-1232-2.html '''D-Day Beaches'''] are in the [[Calvados]] and [[Manche]] departments of [[Normandy]], [[France]]. They were the landing places for the Allied invasion of western Europe during [[World War II in Europe|World War II]]. An excellent time to visit is on the June 6th anniversary when there are numerous memorial ceremonies to mark the occasion. A large number of [[reenactment]] groups attend, adding pageantry and atmosphere. The church bells ring in the towns to celebrate the anniversary of their liberation. The French people will be happy to see you - these people remember, and the welcome will be warm. It has been a long time since 1944 and not many of the old soldiers survive, but those that do often return to these beaches on June 6th. For the 70th anniversary in 2014, 90-year-old Royal Navy veteran Bernard Jordan was denied permission to leave his nursing home because of his health; he snuck out and got on a ferry to France anyway. Two elderly paratroopers, a 93-year-old American and an 89-year-old Briton, jumped into France that day as they had 70 years earlier. ==Understand== : ''See [[World War II in Europe]] for context.'' [[Image:Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Reflection on D-Day.jpg|thumb|300px|American troops going in<br/>The high ground visible here made the landing on Omaha Beach especially difficult]] On 6 June 1944 (D-Day), the long-awaited invasion of Northwest Europe (Operation Overlord) began with Allied landings on the coast of [[Normandy]] (Operation Neptune). The task was formidable, for the Germans had turned the coastline into an interlinked series of strongpoints with artillery, machine guns, pillboxes, barbed wire, land mines, and beach obstacles. Germany had 50 divisions in northern [[France]] and the [[low countries|Low Countries]], including at least a dozen in position to immediately be used against this invasion. Following an extensive air and sea bombardment of the assault areas, the Allies launched a simultaneous landing of U.S., British and Canadian forces. About 160,000 ground troops landed that day, roughly half American and half Commonwealth. About 4,000 ships, 11,000 planes, and many thousands of sailors and airmen also took part in the operation. Overall commander of Allied forces in Europe was the American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would later become the country's president, while the British General Bernard Montgomery was in charge of the ground forces in Normandy once they landed. On the German side, General Erwin Rommel was in charge of coastal defenses while Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt had overall command in the region. This was the largest seaborne invasion in history and an important Allied victory, though the costs in both lives and material were enormous. ===The landings=== <blockquote>''The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.'' &ndash; <small>General Dwight D. Eisenhower</small></blockquote> Just after midnight 24,000 men came in by parachute and glider on the flanks, to secure key points. Then the main seaborne landings on five separate beaches began at dawn. East-to-west, the attacks were: [[File:Pegasus_Bridge_1944.jpg|right|thumb|Pegasus Bridge]] * The British 6th Airborne, with one Canadian battalion, on the left flank near [[Caen]] ** {{see | name=Mémorial Pégasus | alt= | url=http://www.memorial-pegasus.org/ | email= | address=av du Major Howard, 14860 Ranville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 78 19 44 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€7.50 | content=The capture of Pegasus Bridge was a remarkable achievement of the Glider Pilot regiment and the Sixth British Airborne. The story is well covered in the museum where exhibits include the original Pégasus Bridge and a Horsa Glider. Several monuments to the Sixth British Airborne are beside the bridge. }} * {{listing | name=Sword Beach | alt=British | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.2988 | long=-0.3055 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1138519| wikipedia=Sword Beach | content= }} * {{listing | name=Juno Beach | alt=Canadian | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.332 | long=-0.399 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q832409| wikipedia=Juno Beach | content= }} * {{listing | name=Gold Beach | alt=British | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.346 | long=-0.554 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q745883| wikipedia=Gold Beach | content= }} * {{listing | name=Omaha Beach | alt=American | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.3720 | long=-0.8836 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q464257| wikipedia=Omaha Beach | content= }} * {{listing | name=Utah Beach | alt=American | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.415402777 | long=-1.174647222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q757273| wikipedia=Utah Beach | content= }} * The US 82nd and 101st Airborne, on the right flank around [[Sainte-Mère-Église]] Every beach has monuments and museums; see the [[#Beaches|Beaches]] section below for details. [[Image:D-day allied assault routes.jpg|thumb|300px|The main assault routes]] When the seaborne units began to land, the allied soldiers stormed the beaches against strong opposition, despite mines and obstacles. They raced across open beaches swept with machine gun fire and stormed the German gun positions. In fierce hand-to-hand fighting, they fought their way into the towns and hills and then advanced inland. Casualties were heavy in all areas and on both sides, though initially the Germans in their fortified positions had lighter losses than the Allies. ''“As we near the edge of the water we spread out. Other craft have grounded further along the beach. We are now abreast of them. They are disembarking with all types of material about their person, just as helpless as myself to shoot back the beach defenders. Some of the boys go down at the water's edge for a breather, but they come under direct machine-gun fire which criss-crosses the whole beach. Thank Heaven! "'' &ndash; <small>John Robson, [https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/discoveries/12-incredible-d-day-stories1 Hull Daily Mail]</small> By the end of the day the 3rd British Division was within three miles of Caen, the 3rd Canadian Division was well established on its intermediate objectives and the 50th British Division was only two miles from Bayeux. In the American zone, the 4th Division had established a 4-mile deep penetration inland and was within reach of Ste-Mere-Eglise, where the 82nd had fought throughout the night. At Omaha Beach the Germans had an advantage of terrain from the bluffs above the landing sites, but there too beachheads had been established. It was a magnificent accomplishment; the formidable Atlantic Wall had been successfully breached. By the end of D-Day, the Allies had landed more than 150,000 troops in France by sea and air, 6,000 vehicles including 900 tanks, 600 guns, and about 4,000 tons of supplies and, astonishingly, they had achieved complete surprise in doing it. More soldiers and supplies were pouring ashore to continue the advance; by early July the Allies had over a million men in France, and in August the total reached two million. ===Other allies=== The main invading force was American, British and Canadian, but several other allies had observers present or were involved in other ways. The captive nations of Europe contributed significantly to their own liberation; they all (even Germany) had resistance movements, and several also had more formal forces involved; on D-Day there were Free French on the beaches, and Norwegian, Dutch and Polish Navy ships offshore. A Polish armoured division fought as part of the Canadian army in Normandy. From D-Day through all the fighting in France, Belgium and Holland, the resistance disrupted both German communications and their efforts to move urgently-needed reinforcements and supplies. On D-Day, Free French paratroopers were dropped in [[Brittany]] (the region west of Normandy) to help with that; their success was a factor in the American victories on the [[#Cotentin Peninsula|Cotentin Peninsula]] shortly after D-Day and in Brittany later. By the time of this war the [[British Empire]] was far past its peak, but it was still a force to be reckoned with. On D-Day about half the landing force were British or Canadian, and the Empire made contributions beyond that. Ships of the New Zealand merchant marine delivered troops and British-based squadrons of commonwealth air forces were in action along with the RAF and USAF. Also, every branch of the British services included personnel from other countries of the Empire. ===Towns=== The usual bases for visits to the beaches are either Caen or Bayeux; all the beaches are easily reached from either, though both are a bit inland not right on the beaches. [[Caen]] is the main city of the department of [[Calvados]], and the second most important city in Normandy after Rouen; it has various attractions and excellent shopping. It is about 15&nbsp;km (10 miles) from the coast. * {{see | name=Mémorial de Caen |url=http://www.memorial-caen.fr/ | wikipedia=Mémorial de Caen | content=This museum offers daily tours of the beaches and shows some good films of both the landings and the rest of the [[#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]]. }} [[Bayeux]] is a smaller town, closer to the coast and to the center of the invasion landing area. It is easy to get in and out of, and convenient for visiting the [[#Omaha Beach|Omaha]], [[#Gold Beach|Gold]] and [[#Juno Beach|Juno]] beach sectors. It has excellent restaurants and shops with an interesting pedestrian section. * {{see | name=Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie | alt=Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum | url= | email= | address=boul Fabian Ware, 14400 Bayeux | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 51 46 90 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This museum offers a chronological presentation of the events of the Battle of Normandy along with an exhibition of equipment, small arms, weapons and uniforms, films, mementos and slides. English and French. Outside: German "Marder" anti-tank vehicle, Sherman Tank, American tank destroyer, and a British "crocodile" flame-throwing tank. Inside: American self-propelled 105 mm howitzer, Radio truck, armored bulldozer, American quad-50 caliber anti-aircraft gun (aka "meat chopper"), and several other large weapons. One of the best D-Day museums to offer a balance of artifacts on the one hand together with explanations and historical context on the other. }} * {{see | name=Musée Mémorial du General de Gaulle | alt=General de Gaulle Memorial | url= | email= | address=10, rue Bourbesneur, 14400 Bayeux | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 92 45 55 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In the former Governor's House, this museum is dedicated to the numerous visits made by the general to Bayeux and in particular, the two important speeches delivered on 14 June 1944 and 16 June 1946. Film archives, photos, manuscripts, documents and memorabilia. }} There are other choices. * [[Ouistreham]] is on the coast at the eastern end of the landing area, on [[#Sword Beach|Sword Beach]], and may be convenient because it has a ferry from [[Portsmouth]]. * [[Arromanches-les-Bains]] is on the coast near the center, on [[#Gold Beach|Gold Beach]], and was one site where a "mulberry harbour" (artificial port) was built shortly after D-Day. * [[Sainte-Mère-Église]] is to the west, inland of [[#Utah Beach|Utah Beach]]; American paratroopers were dropped in the area a few hours before the seaborne invasion and fought a fierce battle in and around the town. The area has many other villages; most are quite picturesque and are able to accommodate tourists. One could also stay in one of the towns outside the actual landing area where an important battle was fought in the weeks after D Day. See the [[#Normandy_campaign|Normandy campaign]] section below for details. Almost every town in this area was damaged during the war; some &mdash; such as [[Caen]], [[Saint-Lô]], [[Vire]] and [[Falaise]] &mdash; were mostly destroyed. However, they have all long since been rebuilt. [[Bayeux]] was fortunately undamaged and so still retains the Medieval character. ===Climate=== Normandy has a temperate-zone maritime climate. The summers are warm and winters are mild. Rain however is a part of the climate all year round, winter seeing more rain than summer. The ongoing rain isn't enough to spoil a vacation most of the time and it does have a benefit, the nature is incredibly lush and green. Winter does see the occasional snow and frost as well, but in general the climate is pretty moderate in winter. Summers are a little warmer than in southern Britain with up to 8 hours of sunshine per day. Cyclists love the region because it is not nearly as hot as most other parts of France and can be more compared to southern England than inland France. Either way, sunscreen and a hat are necessary; even if it doesn't feel as hot as the rest of France, the sun is still beating down with force! ==Get in== Normandy is easily reachable from Paris, either by car (2 to 3 hours drive) or by train (2 hours from [[Paris]] St Lazare station to [[Caen]] central station). Alternatively, a ferry across the channel will take you in just over three hours from [[Portsmouth]] to [[Ouistreham]], the easternmost D-Day target, an ideal starting point. [[Portsmouth]] was one of the ports from which the invasion was launched and has a [http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/ D-Day Museum]. Other ferries go to [[Cherbourg]] and [[Le Havre]], nearby though not in the actual landing area. Cherbourg is a major city and was liberated by the Americans in late June; see [[#Cotentin_Peninsula|Contentin Peninsula]] below. Le Havre is a smaller town and further from the beaches; it was a German naval base, mainly for torpedo boats. It was liberated by a British and Canadian force in early September after some of the heaviest bombing of the war and a fierce fight on the ground. Caen also has an airport, near the village of [[Carpiquet]] west of the city. Control of the airfield was fiercely contested in the weeks after D-Day. ==Get around== Tour the [[#Beaches|beaches and battlefields]], see the various museums and [[#Cemeteries|cemeteries]] throughout the area, and visit the seaside villages and towns. Independent travel either by car or using public transport is possible. {{Mapframe|49.37|-0.88|zoom=9|width=520|height=560|layer=M|lang=en}} Local tourist information offices provide a leaflet (in English) that lists key visitor attractions, and has details of seven route itineraries which are also signposted on the road network. ===By car=== Car rental in Normandy can be arranged through several international chains including Avis, Budget, Eurocar, and Hertz. Cars can be picked up in Caen. Driving in France is on the right-hand side of the road and all distance and speed measurements are in km. ===Bus=== Bus routes in Normandy with services between Caen and Bayeux, Bayeux and Ouistreham, and Bayeux to Grandcamp. These cover most of the main landing beaches. All the routes are operated by [http://www.busverts.fr/ Bus Verts du Calvados] {{phone|09 70 83 00 14 (non-geographic number)}}, and free timetables can be acquired from the main tourist offices. From Bayeux train station, you can catch a bus to some of the D-Day beaches. On the [http://www.busverts.fr bus website] there is a map of the bus route to the D-Day beaches. Bus 70 takes you to Omaha beach, the American cemetery, and to Pointe Du Hoc. Bus 74 takes you to Arromanches Beach, the location of the Mulberry harbors. According to Wikipedia: "Omaha beach is 5 miles (8 km) long, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer" and these villages are accessible via Bus 70. Buses are few and far between, so take the few number of buses into account. Also, buses do not run when there is heavy snow, so check the bus website beforehand during snow season. ===Bicycle=== Bike tours are very popular in France and biking is an excellent way of visiting the battlefields. You can rent bicycles at most major towns and railway stations in France. On D-Day, some of the invading troops used bicycles; see the photos below of British troops at [[#Sword Beach|Lion-sur-Mer]] and Canadians at [[#Juno Beach|Juno Beach]]. ===Guided tours=== Guided tours including transport are available; most travel agents in the area and many of the hotels can arrange these if required. In [[Caen]] or [[Bayeux]], some companies offer half-day or full-day guided tours to the battlefields with English-speaking guides. * [http://www.normandy-sightseeing-tours.com/ Normandy Sightseeing Tours] offers tours from Bayeux to all five landing beaches and beyond. They use 8-seat vans, for smaller groups and a better experience. The guides are French and mostly locals from Normandy, all English-speaking. * [http://larougerietours.co.uk/index.html La Rouge Tours] is one example of tours led by professional Battlefield Guides, mostly conducted by former servicemen. The [http://www.memorial-caen.fr/ Memorial de Caen] museum also conducts daily tours of the beaches. ==Beaches== Now more than 70 years after D-Day, the Normandy coastline is peaceful with lovely seaside towns and picturesque beaches. Many of the towns have names of the form something-sur-mer; ''sur-mer'' is French for "on the sea". Behind the coast is an old-fashioned farming landscape of grain fields, cattle and pastures, hedges and farmhouses. :"Take time to stroll on the beaches and through the villages and to drive country lanes that are once again regulated by rural rhythms, just as if they’d never been devastated at all. It's pretty and poignant, and here’s a strange thing, it brings out the best in people. There’s respect in the air and a common bond between visitors. Folk behave well, smile and chat more easily than usual."<br/>Anthony Peregrine, ''The Sunday Times''. However, the memories of war and D-Day are engrained in the landscape. Along the 80-km (50-mile) D-Day invasion coast there are the remains of German gun emplacements and bunkers, while war memorials and monuments mark where the allied forces landed. Inland, there are monuments in almost every village and at every bend in the road, for there is barely a square yard that wasn’t fought over. Along the coast and inland there are numerous D-Day related museums. Only by visiting do you get a proper idea of the vastness of the enterprise. The following description of the beaches is organized in an east-to-west order, so that it can be used to plan a driving or biking tour along the coast. The length of a tour depends on how many sites and museums a person decides to visit. Enthusiasts could spend several weeks, but two or three days are enough to cover the major sites. A good starting point is to get an orientation to the area and the history of D-Day at either the [http://normandy.memorial-caen.com/ Mémorial de Caen] or Musée du Débarquement (The Landing Museum) in Arromanches, and from there set out to explore. The beaches are still known today by their D-Day code names. ===Sword Beach=== [[File:Monument au commando Kieffer.jpg|thumb|Kieffer monument]] [[File:D-day - British Forces during the Invasion of Normandy 6 June 1944 B5040.jpg|thumb|British troops at Lion-sur-Mer]] Sword beach, the most easterly of the five beaches, stretches from [[Ouistreham]] to Luc-sur-Mer. The British 3rd Infantry Division landed on the 4&nbsp;km (2½-miles) of beach between Ouistreham and Lion-sur-mer. The 41st Royal Marine Commando landed at Lion-sur-Mer, while the N°4 British Commando landed at Ouistreham. Integrated with the N°4 British Commando were 177 Frenchmen of the 1st Battalion of Fusiliers Marins Commandos who were granted the honor to set foot on Normandy soil in the first wave. On the eastern flank of Sword beach, the Sixth British Airborne had parachuted in the early morning hours of June 6th to seize bridges over the River Orne and Caen canal, silence gun batteries and secure the eastern flank of the D-Day beaches. A Coup de Main attack captured Pegasus and Horsa bridges to ensure access to the high ground overlooking Sword was secured. The Germans fought hard on all beaches, but Sword was the only one where they were able to mount a counter-attack with an armoured division on D-Day itself. This caused heavy casualties and stopped the British advance for a time. * {{see | name=Musée de la Batterie de Merville | alt= | url= | email= | address=Place du 9ème Bataillon, 14810 Merville-Franceville | lat= | long= | directions=In the Merville coastal battery casemate | phone=+33 2 31 91 47 53 | fax= | hours= | price=6.50€ | content=The museum retraces the operations of the British Sixth Airborne. }} * {{see | name=Site D’Ouistreham | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This beautiful seaside resort town has a legacy of fortifications, memorials, museums and military cemeteries, that stand at ease between beach hotels, fine stretches of sand, breezy cliffs and postcard-picturesque fishing harbours. There are several monuments in the town including the Free French monument, Royal Navy and Royal Marines monument, 13th/18th Royal Hussars monument, and N°4 Commando plaques. The Kieffer monument stands atop a German bunker and is named for the Commando Lieutenant who led the attack that took it. }} * {{see | name=Musée Nr 4 Commando | alt=N° 4 Commando Museum | url= | email= | address=Place Alfred Thomas, 14150 Ouistreham | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 96 63 10 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In this museum one can see scale models, weapons, and uniforms to retrace the story of the Franco-British Commandos who landed on Sword Beach.}} * {{see | name=Musée du Mur de L’Atlantique | alt=Atlantic Wall Museum | url=http://www.musee-grand-bunker.com | email= | address=av du 6 Juin, 14150 Ouistreham | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 97 28 69 | fax= | hours= | price=7€ | content=In a former artillery range-finding post on the Atlantic Wall, this 17 m high concrete tower is the only one of its kind and has been restored and re-equipped to its original state.}} * {{see | name=Site de Lion-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Monuments include the Liberation monument, Royal Engineers Corps monument, and 41st Royal Marine Commando stele.}} * {{see | name=Site de Colleville-Montgomery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A plaque is located on the Hillman Battery main blockhouse in memory of the 1st Battalion the Suffolk Regiment soldiers. There is also a General Montgomery statue and the Provisional Cemetery, Kieffer and Montgomery monument.}} * {{see | name=Site D’Hermanville | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Monuments in the area include 3rd Infantry Division and South Lancashire monument, Royal Artillery monument, Allied headquarters and Field hospital plaques, and Allied Navy sailors monument. The British Cemetery Hermanville-sur-Mer, where 1,003 soldiers rest is close to Hermanville-sur-Mer.}} * {{see | name=Musée Du Radar | alt=Radar Museum | url= | email= | address=Route de Basly 14440 Douvres la Délivrande | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 06 06 45 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=On the site of a German fortified radar base, the museum explains the evolution and operation of radar. Outside one can observe a German radar Würzburg.}} There are two Commonwealth cemeteries near this beach; see the [[#Cemeteries|cemeteries]] section for details. ===Juno Beach=== [[File:Follow-up waves of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade disembarking with bicycles from landing craft onto 'Nan White' sector of Juno Beach at Bernieres-sur-Mer, 6 June 1944. A23938.jpg|thumb|Second-wave Canadians at Bernières, bringing bicycles to move inland quickly]] Juno beach is five miles wide and includes the towns of St. Aubin-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer and Courseulles-sur-Mer. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division reinforced by the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade landed in two brigade groups and fought their way across the beaches and into the towns. The No. 48 Royal Marine Commando secured the left flank at Langrune-sur-Mer. The coastline bristled with guns, concrete emplacements, pillboxes, fields of barbed wire and mines. The opposition the Canadians faced as they landed was stronger than at any other beach except Omaha. * {{see | name=Site de Langrune-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Langrune-sur-Mer | content=In the town center, on the sea front is the 48th Royal Marine Commando monument. In the entrance hall of the city hall there is a plaque in memory of the friendship between the 48th Royal Marines Commando veterans and the citizens of Langrune-sur-Mer. }} * {{see | name=Site de Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Calvados | content=A 50-mm gun casement has been preserved at Place du Canada. There are stone memorials to the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, Fort Garry Horse, and 48th Royal Marine Commando here. }} [[File:Bernieres-sur-mer-monument-debarquement.jpg|right|thumb|D-Day Memorial, near Bernières-sur-Mer, Juno Beach]] * {{see | name=Site de Bernières-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This pretty seaside village is distinguished by its church with a 13th century bell tower and 67 m (220 ft) spire. La Maison Queen's Own Rifles of Canada commemorates the men of this regiment. The house is one the famous houses on the beach as it appeared in many newsreels and official photos. Memorials to the Queen's Own Rifles, Le Regiment de la Chaudière, and Fort Garry Horse are by a German bunker at La Place du Canada. There is an excellent view of the beach from the bunker position and you can imagine what it must have been like when 800 men of the Queens's Own Rifles stormed ashore here as the lead wave of the dramatic D-Day assault. There are also the North Nova Scotia Highlanders plaque and Journalists HQ plaque. There is a walkway on the seawall that makes for a pleasant stroll along the ocean. If you walk east along the seawall about ½ km, you can see the house that appears in the background on the famous film footage showing the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada storming the beach on D-Day.}} [[File:Charcourseullessurmer.jpg|right|thumb|Sherman Duplex Drive tank, Courseulles-sur-Mer]] * {{see | name=Site de Courseulles-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=In the Courseulles-sur-Mer town centre, on the sea front there is a Sherman Duplex Drive (DD) tank on display. These tanks were partly amphibious, capable of swimming ashore from their landing craft; the soldiers interpreted "DD" as "Donald Duck". This tank was recovered in 1970 from the sea and restored. Badges of regimental units who fought in the area are welded to it.<br/>Monuments in the area include the Royal Winnipeg Rifles monument, Regina Rifles Regiment stele, Canadian Scottish Regiment stele, Royal Engineers plaque, and the Liberation and De Gaulle monument. The Croix de Lorraine monument commemorates the return of General de Gaulle to France. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Centre Juno Beach | alt=Juno Beach Centre | url=http://www.junobeach.org/ | email= | address=voie des Français Libres, 14470 Courseulles-sur-Mer | lat=49.336389 | long=-0.461667 | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 37 32 17 | tollfree= | hours= | price=7€ | wikipedia=Juno Beach Centre | wikidata=Q12060923 | content=The Juno Beach Centre presents Canada's role in military operations and the war effort on the home front in World War II. Film, audio and displays bring pre-war and wartime Canada alive, as well as covering the fighting experiences. Juno Park at the front of the centre has walkways with interpretation panels, a preserved German bunker, and a path leading to the beach. There is little development here, so nothing interrupts your contemplation of beach and ocean. You can imagine the sands littered with mines-on-sticks, spiky metal “hedgehogs”, barbed wire and other barbarisms intended to rip the heart out of landing craft and the 14,000 Canadians that landed in this area. }} * {{see | name=Site de Graye-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Monuments include the Liberation monument , Churchill "One Charlie" tank, breakthrough plaque, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, and 1st Canadian Scottish plaque, Canadian plaque, and Inns of Court monument.}} There is a Canadian cemetery near this beach; see the [[#Cemeteries|cemeteries]] section. ''Star Trek'' enthusiasts may be interested to know that James Doonan &mdash; the actor who played Scotty in the original series &mdash; was a Canadian officer who was wounded on this beach. ===Gold Beach=== Gold beach is more than 5 miles wide and includes the towns of La Rivière, Le Hamel and [[Arromanches-les-Bains]]. The British 50th Infantry Division reinforced by the British 8th Armoured Brigade landed in two brigade groups at Gold beach. The 47th Royal Marine Commando landed on the western flank with the objective to take Port-en-Bessin. * {{see | name=Musée America Gold Beach | alt=America Gold Beach Museum | url= | email= | address=2, Place Amiral Byrd, 14114 Ver-sur-Mer | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 22 58 58 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This museum recounts the 1st airmail flight between the USA and France, together with a retrospective of the D-Day Landing and the British beachhead on Gold Beach.}} [[File:Arromanches-mulberry-3.jpg|right|thumb|Gold Beach overlooking Arromanches, site of the Mulberry harbour]] * {{see | name=Arromanches 360 | alt= | url=http://www.arromanches360.com | email= | address=Chemin du Calvaire, 14117 Arromanches | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 22 30 30 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The film ''The Price Of Freedom'' impressively mixes archived film from June 1944 with present day pictures and is presented on 9 screens in a circular theater.}} * {{see | name=Mulberry harbour | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At [[Arromanches]], you’re looking down a stretch of Gold Beach and site of the Mulberry harbour. The invasion needed a port to bring in supplies on a huge scale. So the allies built concrete pontoons that were towed across the channel and sunk to form the port’s outer perimeter. Twenty of the original 115 pontoons still defy the waves.}} * {{see | name=Musée du Débarquement | alt=The Landing Museum | url=http://www.musee-arromanches.fr/accueil/index.php?lang=uk | email= | address=Place du 6 Juin, 14117 Arromanches | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 22 34 31 | fax= | hours= | price=£3.90 | content=In front of the actual vestiges of the Mulberries, this museum is devoted to the incredible feat of technology achieved by the British in building and setting up the artificial harbour. Period newsreel movies in English and French. Impressive dynamic scale-models showing how the floating docks rolled with the waves and tides. A 75-foot section of Mulberry floating bridge on display outside. Military equipment is on display outside, including an American half-track and a Higgins boat.}} [[File:Longues-sur-Mer Battery.jpg|right|thumb|The Longues-sur-Mer battery housed four 150mm guns with a range of 20 km]] * {{see | name=Batterie de Longues | alt= | url= | email= | address=Longues-sur-Mer | lat= | long= | directions=Access from the D514 road (follow the road-signs) | phone=+33 2 31 06 06 45 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Longues-sur-Mer battery housed four 150mm guns with a range of 20 km and gave the Allied ships a pounding on the morning of 6 June. It is the only coastal battery to have kept its guns, giving an impressive picture of what an Atlantic Wall gun emplacement was really like.}} * {{see | name=Site de Port-en-Bessin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A monument in memory of the 47th Royal Marine Commando soldiers who were killed during the liberation of Port-en-Bessin and Asnelles is on top of the cliff, on the west side of the harbor.}} * {{see | name=Musée des épaves sous-marines | alt=Underwater Wrecks Museum | url= | email= | address=Route de Bayeux-Commes, 14520 Port-en-Bessin | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 21 17 06 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This museum presents recovered wrecks and artifacts from more than twenty-five years of under-water exploration, in the coastal landing area. Debris includes a Sherman tank. }} The Bayeux War Cemetery is not far inland of this beach, and the Bayeaux Memorial near it commemorates soldiers with no known grave. See the [[#Cemeteries|cemeteries]] section for details. ===Omaha Beach=== [[File:2nd Infantry Division, E-1 draw, Easy Red sector, Omaha Beach, D+1, June 7, 1944.jpg|thumb|US Army 2nd Infantry Division marching up the bluff at Omaha Beach, on D+1, June 7, 1944 ]] [[File:Cratères à la pointe du Hoc.jpg|right|thumb|Pointe-du-Hoc Bomb Craters]] Omaha beach is overlooked by bluffs which rise to 150 feet (46&nbsp;m) and command the beaches. These naturally strong defensive positions had been skillfully fortified with concrete gun emplacements, anti-tank guns and machine guns. In particular the guns at Pointe du Hoc were in position to be deadly, although they weren't actually firing on D-Day and it was Maisy battery that continued to fire onto both American beaches for three days. Allied bombing left these largely undamaged, and since there was no cover on the beach, this tranquil strand of beach became a killing field. Within a mile to the rear of the beach lay the fortified villages of Colleville-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Vierville-sur-Mer. The US 1st Infantry Division had the most difficult landing of the whole Allied assault on D-Day and took around 2,000 casualties. One reason was the terrain, another that they faced the only German division on the coast which had a full complement of German troops. There were four divisions on the Cotentin Peninsula and three more defending the British and Canadian beaches to the east, but those divisions were either below strength or composed partly of Russian, Polish and other forced conscripts. The Omaha Beach landing is shown in the Oscar-winning film ''Saving Private Ryan'' and, unlike much from Hollywood, the battle scenes are quite realistic. However, the landing sequences were filmed on beaches in [[County Wexford]], [[Ireland]], which bear little physical resemblance to the beaches in Normandy. * {{see | name=1st Infantry Division Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A monument dedicated to the “Big Red One”, the US 1st Infantry Division, is on the sea front, within walking distance from the American cemetery. Other monuments in the area include the 5th Engineer Special Brigade Memorial, and plaques commemorating the American armoured vehicles that passed through here.}} * {{see | name=2nd Infantry Division Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.36448 | long=-0.86366 | directions=Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A monument dedicated to the US 2nd Infantry Division is on the sea front, by the German defensive bunker, Widerstandsnest 65 (WN 65), that defended the route up the Ruquet Valley to Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. }} [[File:2nd Infantry Division Monument, Omaha Beach, WN 65.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|2nd Infantry Division Monument]] * {{see | name=Musée Mémorial d’Omaha Beach | alt=Omaha Beach Memorial Museum | url=http://www.musee-memorial-omaha.com | email= | address=av de la Libération, 14710 Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 21 97 44 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This museum has a fine collection of uniforms, weapons, personal objects and vehicles. Dioramas, photos, and maps together with a film featuring veterans’ testimonies explain the landings at Omaha Beach and at Pointe du Hoc. A landing ship, Sherman tank and "Long Tom" 155 mm gun are on display outside.}} * {{see | name=Musée D-Day Omaha | alt=Omaha D-Day Museum | url=http://www.dday-omaha.fr/en/ | email= | address=Route de Grandcamp-Maisy, 14710 Vierville-sur-Mer | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 21 71 80 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Devoted to the landing on Omaha Beach. Various equipment is displayed including: vehicles, weapons, radios, and engineer equipment. }} * {{see | name=Site de Vierville-sur-Mer | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Monuments here include the 29th US Infantry Division stele, National Guard monument, 6th Engineer Special Brigade stele, 29th DI Engineer plate, 81st CM battalion, and 110th FA bat. Plates, 5th Rangers Battalion plate, 58th Armored Field Battalion stele, boundary marker in memory of the 58th Artillery Battalion. Along the coastal road, 500 m from Les Moulins, is a monument on the site of the first American cemetery in Normandy on Omaha Beach. The soldiers interred there were later moved to the military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The beach's desolation makes it a powerful site to imagine soldiers battling on the sand, completely vulnerable to German artillery. }} [[File:Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument.jpg|right|thumb|Monument, Pointe-du-Hoc]] * {{see | name=La Pointe du Hoc | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A rocky headland towering over the beaches, La Pointe du Hoc has become a symbol of the courage of American troops. Here, Germans had placed bunkers and artillery. The positions were bombed, shelled and then attacked by 225 US Rangers, who scaled the 35 m rock wall, besieged the bunkers, and finally took them, only to find there were no guns at all. The guns had been dismantled and hidden in an orchard inland. Only 90 rangers were still standing at the summit. Today, bomb and shell craters remain. There is a monument in memory of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, who assaulted and captured La Pointe du Hoc battery. The memorial is built on a control firing casemate where bodies of the soldiers still lie under the ruins.}} * {{see | name=Musée des Batteries de Maisy | alt=Ranger Objective | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Grandcamp Maisy | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-01 | content=This outdoor German group of artillery batteries and HQ has been preserved and is camouflaged in over 14 hectares of land close to Grandcamp Maisy. The site covered the Omaha Sector and opened fire at Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc on the morning of D-day. The US 29th Division as well as the 5th and 2nd Rangers attacked the site on 9 June 1944 and after heavy fighting they captured the position. It is the largest German position in the invasion area and has original field guns, Landing craft and other D-day objects on display. American Rangers monument is on the site. }} There is an American cemetery near this beach; see the [[#Cemeteries|cemeteries]] section. ===Utah Beach=== Utah beach, the most westerly of the five beaches and the only one in Manche, was attacked by the US 4th Infantry Division. Due to navigational errors, the landings all took place on the south part of the beach which happened to be less well defended. Airborne troops landed through the night to secure the invasion’s western flank and to open the roads for their colleagues landing by sea at dawn. The objective was to cut the [[#Cotentin_Peninsula|Cotentin Peninsula]] off from the rest of France and take the port of [[Cherbourg]]. * {{see | name=Dead Man's Corner Museum | alt= | url=http://www.paratrooper-museum.org | email= | address=2 Village de l'Amont - 50500 Saint Come du Mont | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 33 42 00 42 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At the point where the 101st Airborne Division encountered the Green Devils (the German paratroopers) you can get an insight into the battle for Carentan on the site which has remained largely intact.}} * {{see | name=Musée Airborne | alt=Airborne Museum | url=http://www.airborne-museum.org/ | email= | address=14 rue Eisenhower - 50480 Sainte-Mère-Église | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 33 41 41 35 | tollfree= | hours= | price=£2.85 | content=The story of D-Day is told in pictures and mementos of the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. On display are a Douglas C-47, a Waco glider, a Sherman tank, several artillery pieces, vehicles, equipment, many small arms, uniforms and historic objects. Film. One of the best D-Day museums to strike a balance between an extensive collection of artifacts together with explanations and context. }} [[File:Normandy '10- Ste Mere Eglise La Fiere Bridge (4823099763).jpg|thumb|Statue on a bridge in Ste-Mère-Église]] * {{see | name=Ste Mère-Eglise | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=[[Sainte-Mère-Église]] is perhaps the most famous "D-day village" of all. Street panels around Ste Mère-Eglise explain the operations of the US paratroopers. In the square, a parachute effigy still dangles from the church, commemorating what happened to John Steele when his parachute snagged on the spire. Inside the church is a stained glass window featuring the Virgin and child, surrounded by paratroopers. Monuments in the area include the 82nd Airborne plate, 505th Parachute regiment stele, and Sainte-Mère-Église liberators stele.}} * {{see | name=Musée du Débarquement | alt=Utah Beach Landing Museum | url=http://www.utah-beach.com | email= | address=Ste Marie-du-Mont, | lat= | long= | directions=opposite the beach on the Utah site | phone=+33 2 33 71 53 35 | fax= | hours= | price=£2.70 | content=This museum uses film, documents and models to recall D-Day in a unique and innovative manner. Several armored vehicles, equipment and a landing ship are on display.}} * {{see | name=Monuments located by the Utah Beach Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American Soldier's Monument, 4th Infantry Division Monument, 90th Infantry Division Monument, VIIth Corps headquarters plaque, Coast Guard plaque, and US Navy plaque.}} * {{see | name=Batterie d’Azeville | alt=Azeville Battery | url= | email= | address=La Rue - 50310 Azeville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 33 40 63 05 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Near Ste Mère-Eglise, the Azeville Battery consisted of a dozen casemates, including four blockhouses with 105mm heavy guns, 350 m of underground tunnels, underground rooms and ammunition storage. The position was held by 170 German gunners. Guided tours of the Azeville battery offers insight into the German coastal defenses and the battle that took place here.}} * {{see | name=Musée de la Batterie de Crisbeq | alt=Crisbeq Gun Battery Museum | url= | email= | address=Route des Manoirs, Saint-Marcouf | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 6 86 10 80 59 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Crisbeq Gun Battery was one of the largest German coastal artillery batteries located on Utah Beach. There are 21 blockhouses linked by more than 1 km of trenches and restored recreation rooms, hospital, and kitchens.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Mémorial de la Liberté Retrouvée | alt=Museum of Freedom Regained | url= | email= | address=18, av de la Plage, 50310 Quinéville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 33 95 95 95 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This museum recalls the French peoples daily life during the German occupation until the liberation. }} ==The technical side== The invasion got fine support from a range of engineers, technicians and workers in all the Allied countries. Some of the most important developments were: [[File:LST-21 unloads tanks during Normandy Invasion, June 1944 (26-G-2370).jpg|thumb|British tanks roll ashore, from an American LST]] * {{see | name=Landing Ship, Tank | alt=LST | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Landing Ship, Tank | content=These ships were designed by the Americans, with some British input, and built mainly in the US. They were first used in [[World War II in Africa|North Africa]], then in the invasion of Italy. On D-day, all the Allies used them. Most were manned by the US Navy. }} * {{see | name=Hobart's Funnies | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hobart's Funnies | content=The amphibious DD tanks mentioned at [[#Site de Courseulles-sur-Mer]] and the flamethrower tank outside the [[#Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie]] in Bayeux were two of several types of unusual armour developed specifically for the Normandy landings; others were designed for clearing minefields, destroying fortifications, or creating a bridge. The British general Percy Hobart was in charge of their design and crew training. On the day, he was in command of the 79th Armoured Division which provided the crews. They were used on all the beaches, and later in the war, supporting all the Allies. }} * {{see | name=Mulberry harbours |wikipedia=Mulberry harbour | content=These were a British invention, prefabricated concrete caissons that could be towed across the Channel and sunk to create docks, breakwaters and so on for a temporary harbour. Two were built, one on the British [[#Gold Beach]] and one on the American [[#Omaha Beach]], but the American one was destroyed by a storm. }} The British "Ultra" group at [[Bletchley Park]] broke nearly all the German codes used in this war and provided crucial intelligence to Allied field commanders. ==Normandy campaign== The successful landing was a turning point in [[World War II in Europe|World War II]], a major step toward the defeat of Nazi Germany; after D-Day, the Allies went on to liberate all of Europe. On the Western Front, the three main participants were the US, Britain and Canada. On the Eastern Front, [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] forces continued to drive forward relentlessly as they had been doing since long before D-Day. D-Day (June 6) was the start of a '''campaign in Normandy''' that lasted until late August. Those interested in wartime history may wish to visit the sites of the other main battles of that campaign, described below. Meanwhile an attempt to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944 led to at least 7,000 arrests and almost 5,000 executions. Some of the plotters were senior officers and the repercussions greatly disrupted the German military. Among others, Rommel was forced into suicide. ===Around Caen=== [[File:A Canadian soldier fires on the enemy in a house in Caen, July 10, 1944..png|thumb|Canadians in Caen, early July]] [[Caen]] is symbolically important as the capital of the Calvados department and the largest city in [[Lower Normandy]], and was strategically important as the transport hub of the region. The allies attacked it forcefully, and the Germans reinforced it heavily; at one point they had nine armored divisions plus infantry in and around the town. The British and Canadians fought house-to-house in Caen itself and pressed hard in nearby areas, but did not gain full control of the town and environs until mid-July. By the end of the battle, much of the city was reduced to rubble and nearby villages were also heavily damaged. The airfield at [[Carpiquet]], just west of Caen, was one of the first Canadian objectives after D-Day, but it was defended by an entire SS panzer division plus other troops and the Canucks were beaten back. Both sides sent reinforcements and there was heavy fighting around the town until the Allies finally took it in early July. *{{see | name=Ardenne Abbey | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.1965 | long=-0.4139 | directions=Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe, between Caen and Carpiquet | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Ardenne Abbey massacre | wikidata=Q22947455 | content=Twenty Canadian prisoners were shot by Waffen SS troops in the abbey courtyard in early June; over 150 Canadian prisoners were killed during the Normandy campaign. The regimental commander, Kurt Meyer, was using the Abbey as his headquarters at the time and was later convicted of war crimes. }} ===Cotentin Peninsula=== [[File:Liberation de Cherbourg le maire felicite les americains.jpg|thumb|The mayor of Cherbourg greets American General Collins]] There was heavy fighting on the [[Cotentin Peninsula]], west of the beaches, shortly after D-Day. The Allies urgently needed the port of [[Cherbourg]] at the tip of the peninsula, and sent an American force to take it. The Americans faced quite a difficult fight; four German divisions were on the peninsula, and the ''bocage'' terrain there is largely unsuitable for tanks so a lot of hard foot slogging was required. Hitler, against his generals' advice, ordered German forces to defend the whole peninsula rather than withdrawing to strong positions around the city. They did that and made the Americans fight for every bit of ground, with heavy casualties on both sides. Later Hitler commanded the defenders to fight to the last man, sacrificing themselves for the Fatherland. However when the situation became hopeless, General von Schlieben fought a delaying action while his troops demolished the port, then surrendered rather than let his remaining men die pointless deaths. Cherbourg fell at the end of June; it was the first major French city liberated, and Caen the second. After Cherbourg, the Americans turned south to take [[Saint-Lô]] at the base of the peninsula against stiff opposition; the town was thoroughly destroyed. Other units swept down the West side of the peninsula taking [[Coutances]], [[Granville (Normandy)|Granville]] and [[Avranches]]. ===American breakout=== The American victories on the peninsula got them out into open territory more suited for tanks, and they then moved quickly in several directions. [[File:Normandybreakout.jpg|thumb|American breakout]] By this time nearly all German reserves had been committed in unsuccessful attempts to hold Caen and Saint-Lô, and many German formations had been badly chewed up. Some German units were tied down fighting the British and Canadians, four whole divisions had been wiped out by the Americans on the peninsula, and both the French Resistance and Allied bombing raids disrupted German efforts to bring in reinforcements. The Americans had both more tanks and far better air support than the enemy; they used these advantages to full effect in a textbook example of fast-moving armoured tactics, similar to the ''blitzkrieg'' (lightning war) with which the Germans had devastated several countries a few years earlier. Part of the American force swung west to take [[Brittany]] with little resistance. Other units &mdash; most of the American force plus three British amoured divisions &mdash; moved south to [[Nantes]] and [[Angers]] on the Loire and east to [[Le Mans]] and [[Alençon]], despite much more serious opposition. In early August they took part in the battle around Falaise, and by the end of August they had liberated [[Paris]]. ===Falaise=== The '''decisive battle''' of the Normandy campaign was fought around [[Falaise]], some distance inland of Caen, in the first half of August. [[File:Falaise_Pocket_map.jpg|thumb|The Falaise pocket]] Over 100,000 German troops were almost surrounded in the "Falaise Pocket". Commonwealth forces by now held everything around Caen on the north side and the British had taken the area around [[Vire]] on the west, while the rapid American advance had put them on the south side. Among other German forces, the pocket had those retreating after defeats in the intense battles for Caen, Saint-Lô and Vire. The Allies hammered them from the air and with artillery, pressed in with armour and infantry, and hoped to completely surround them by closing off the only exit, the "Falaise Gap" on the east. To close the gap the Canadians, and the Polish armoured division deployed with them, thrust south near Falaise and Americans moved north in the [[Argentan]] area. However the by-now-desperate Germans fought hard to keep the gap open and escape through it; there was '''more than a week of extremely heavy fighting''' before it was finally closed. Falaise is a '''distinctly controversial battle'''; two decisions by the senior generals kept the Allies from closing the gap sooner and having an even larger victory: * Patton's Americans were ordered to stop their advance and dig in near Argentan, rather than risk over-extending their lines by continuing north to join up with the Canadians. One reason for this was that the Allies knew from the code breakers at [[Milton Keynes#Q155921|Bletchley Park]] that the Germans were planning an attack near Argentan. * The British reserves were not sent to reinforce the Canadians who appealed urgently for them. These decisions were heatedly debated at the time; Patton and the Canadian generals were furious. Even with the benefit of hindsight, experts still disagree over whether they were sensible and prudent or foolish and costly. The Canadians and Poles &mdash; unassisted on the ground, though they did get plenty of air support &mdash; could neither close the gap completely nor hold against German efforts to batter their way out; they did try and got quite badly mauled. There were many panzer divisions in the pocket; at one point six of them were defending Falaise. By now all were badly damaged but they could still mount devastating thrusts against chosen targets. On the German side, Hitler overruled the generals who wanted to conduct an orderly retreat early in the battle, ordering them instead to hold their ground and even mount counterattacks (the red arrows on the map). Most historians believe the generals were right, a German defeat was inevitable, and Hitler's interference only made it worse. In particular, ordering tanks withdrawn from the defense of Falaise for use in his counter-attacks allowed a Canadian advance. [[File:Panther mont ormel 03.jpg|thumb|Devastation near Falaise]] The battle was utterly devastating to the countryside. <blockquote>''I was conducted through it on foot, to encounter scenes that could be described only by Dante. It was literally possible to walk for hundreds of yards at a time, stepping on nothing but dead and decaying flesh.'' &mdash; Eisenhower</blockquote> '''Falaise was a major Allied victory'''; about 10,000 Germans were killed and 50,000 surrounded and forced to surrender; some did escape to fight on, but they lost nearly all their equipment and many were wounded. After Falaise, the Germans had no effective force west of the Seine and what troops they did have in the area were in full retreat; Paris was liberated only days later. ===Overall result=== The campaign in Normandy that began with D-Day and ended with Falaise was a major success for the Allies. Their losses were heavy &mdash; about 200,000 killed, missing, wounded or captured &mdash; but German losses were more than twice that. Both sides lost many tanks, guns, vehicles and other supplies, but at this stage of the war the Allies could better afford those losses. ==After Normandy== After Normandy, Allied forces drove toward [[Paris]] from Normandy and the [[Pays de la Loire]] which the Americans had taken after breaking out of the peninsula. After Falaise, the German forces in the area were in severe disarray and the Allies still had air superiority so the advance was rapid. The German garrison in Paris surrendered on August 25. [[File:American troops march down Champs-Elysees HD-SN-99-02719.JPG|thumb|American troops in Paris]] Meanwhile American and Free French forces, plus some British paratroopers, invaded southern France (east of [[Marseilles]]) in mid-August. Between that and the victories in the north, they soon liberated much of France. After that, the British and Americans drove through eastern France and then into central Germany, aiming for Berlin. The Canadians took the left flank, liberating coastal parts of France, then Belgium, Holland and the North Sea coast of Germany. In the last few days of the war a Canadian parachute battalion who had been among the first to land on D-Day were sent on a mad dash to take [[Wismar]] on Germany's Baltic coast, getting there just in time to prevent the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] from taking that region and possibly [[Denmark]]. After Falaise and the liberation of Paris, the Germans regrouped and were able to put up a stiff resistance and even mount some counterattacks; the Allied advance slowed down, but it was unstoppable. Caught between the Russians on the east and the Western Allies on the west, losing on both fronts and being heavily bombed as well, Germany surrendered less than a year after D-Day, in early May 1945. ==Cemeteries== Beautiful cemeteries overlook the sea and countryside and are essential stops along the way to understand and reflect on the human cost of the war. This was enormous; around 100,000 soldiers (about 60,000 German and 40,000 Allied) died in Normandy during the summer of 1944. There were also air, naval and civilian deaths, plus large numbers wounded or captured. We list the cemeteries in two groups; the first four near the coast and the rest further inland. Order within each group is east-to-west. [[Image:Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery (8).JPG|thumb|Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Reviers]] * {{see | name=Ranville War Cemetery | alt= | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2033500/RANVILLE%20WAR%20CEMETERY | email= | address=5357 Rue du Comté Louis de Rohan Chabot | lat=49.23113 | long=-0.25776 | directions= | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This cemetery has mainly men of the British 6th Airborne Division who made parachute and glider landings in the area on D-Day. There are 2,235 Commonwealth graves (the division had a Canadian battalion), plus 330 German and a few others.}} *{{see | name=Hermanville War Cemetery | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2033000/HERMANVILLE%20WAR%20CEMETERY | lat=49.286 | long=-0.309 | content=This cemetery has 1,003 graves, mainly of British troops who fell in the first few days of the invasion. }} *{{see | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2004600/BENY-SUR-MER%20CANADIAN%20WAR%20CEMETERY,%20REVIERS | name=Beny-sur-mer Canadian War Cemetery | lat=49.304 | long=-0.45 | content=Just over 2,000 Canadians are buried here; nearly all of them fell during the landings or shortly after. The cemetery is near the village of Reviers, about 18 km east of Bayeux.}} [[Image:Flickr - DVIDSHUB - USACAPOC(A) remembers D-Day (Image 3 of 7).jpg|thumb|American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer]] *{{see | name=Normandy American Cemetery | url=https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/normandy-american-cemetery | email= | address= | lat=49.3591555 | long=-0.85316111 | directions= | phone=+33 2 31 51 62 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-18:00 | price= | content=Overlooking Omaha Beach, this 172.5 acre (70 hectare) cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 American soldiers. The rows of perfectly aligned headstones against the immaculate, emerald green lawn convey an unforgettable feeling of peace and tranquility. The beaches can be viewed from the bluffs above, and there is a path down to the beach. On the Walls of the Missing in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.}} *{{see | name=Banneviile-la-Campagne War Cemetery | lat=49.1755 | long=-0.229 | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2101000/BANNEVILLE-LA-CAMPAGNE%20WAR%20CEMETERY | content=This cemetery has 2,170 Commonwealth dead and five Poles. Most fell after the capture of Caen in mid-July.}} *{{see | name=Grainville-Langannerie Polish Cemetery | lat=49.0230 | long=-0.2706 | content=This is the only Polish war cemetery in France. It has the graves of 696 soldiers from the Polish armoured division who fought alongside the Canadians in Normandy; most fell in the fight around the Falaise Gap. }} *{{see | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2032600/Bretteville-sur-Laize%20Canadian%20War%20Cemetery | name=Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery | lat=49.06 |long=-0.292 | content=This cemetery is near Falaise and has 2871 Canadians, most of whom fell in the fight to close the Falaise Gap.}} *{{see | name=Saint Manvieu War Cemetery | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2004800/ST.%20MANVIEU%20WAR%20CEMETERY,%20CHEUX | lat=49.1780 | long=-0.5143 | content=This cemetery has 1,627 Commonwealth graves and 555 German. It is near the airport at [[Carpiquet]] and has mainly men who fell in the fierce battles over that.}} *{{see | name=Bayeux War Cemetery | alt= | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2033300/BAYEUX%20WAR%20CEMETERY | email= | address= | lat=49.274 | long=-0.7143 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-03-21 | content=The largest British cemetery of the Second World War in France, containing the graves of over 4,400 Commonwealth soldiers, mostly British, and 500 others, mostly German. The Bayeux Memorial stands opposite the cemetery and bears the names of 1,808 Commonwealth soldiers who have no known grave. The cemetery is about a 15-minute walk from Bayeux train station. }} *{{see | name=La Cambe German War Cemetery | alt= | url=http://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/Cimetiere-Militaire-Allemand/PCU/LA-CAMBE/fiche-PCUNOR014FS0007M-2.html | email= | address= | lat=49.3428 | long=-1.0266 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This site has the graves of 23,400 German soldiers, most of whom fell in the Normandy campaign. See also the [http://www.volksbund.de/kriegsgraeberstaette/la-cambe.html German government site]. }} *{{see | name=Orglandes German War Cemetery | url=http://www.normandie-tourisme.fr/pcu/cimetiere-militaire-allemand/orglandes/fiche-PCUNOR050FS0007T-2.html | lat=49.426 | long=-1.449 | content=This cemetery has just over 10,000 German graves, including many who fell in the defense of the Cotentin Peninsula. [http://www.volksbund.de/kriegsgraeberstaette/orglandesmanche.html German government site]}} Nearly all the dead in these cemeteries fell sometime between the invasion on June 6 and the end of the Falaise battle in mid-August. ==Go next== From this area, one might go anywhere in [[France]] or across the channel to the [[UK]]. [[Normandy]] is a major tourist area with a range of attractions, as are nearby [[Brittany]], the [[Pays de la Loire]], and the [[Channel Islands]]. Other places of possible interest to war buffs are the scenes of two Allied raids on the German-held French coast in 1942. A predominantly Canadian force attacked [[Dieppe]], further north on the Normandy coast, and British commandos raided [[Saint-Nazaire]], near [[Nantes]] to the south. Losses were extremely heavy in both places and arguably both raids were disasters, though the Saint-Nazaire attack did knock out an important drydock for the rest of the war. On the other hand, it is often claimed that these raids were essential preparation for D-Day, tests of German defenses that gave intelligence required for planning the invasion. People interested in earlier history can see sites associated with ''Duke William IV of Normandy'', who invaded England in 1066 and is known there as '''William the Conqueror'''. He was born in [[Falaise]] and is buried in [[Caen]] which was his capital; his castle is now a tourist attraction. His invasion fleet sailed from [[Bayeux]] and a museum there has a famous tapestry depicting his conquest of England. {{PartOfTopic|World War II in Europe}} {{guidetopic}} {{geo|49.35|-.75|zoom=9}} 3vx626rg32e7sxbqc6cteuuzsg9tk2j 0 9475 4501678 4452760 2022-08-15T18:20:10Z Kondephy 95177 /* By thumb */Add option wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Dhermi beach.jpg|thumb|300px|Dhermi beach]] '''Dhërmi''' is a village in Himarë Municipality in the [[Bregu|Albanian Riviera]] part of [[Coastal Albania]]. ==Get in== ===By plane=== '''Tirana International Airport''' and then take the buses south towards [[Sarandë]] and [[Himarë|Himara]]. Or first you go to [[Corfu]], take the boat to Sarandë (in the morning or in the afternoon), then with the bus to Dhërmi, (in the afternoon 14:00). ===By boat === From Corfu to Sarandë (all year) or [[Himarë|Himara]] (in summer), then take the bus to Dhërmi. Or from Italy Bari, Brindisi to Vlorë and Durrës, than take the bus in the direction to Sarandë or Himara. ===By bus=== *From [[Tirana]] take the bus directly to Dhërmi every midday, at the bus station for south. *Buses run erratically between [[Vlorë]] and [[Sarandë]]. They are cheap and also stop at the national park just south of Vlorë which has several restaurants. The road is excellent over the top of the mountain pass as you head south to Sarandë. You can also travel from Tirana to Dhërmi by [https://www.rivierabus.com/ RivieraBus]. Online seat reservation, payments by credit card, free Wi-Fi and drinks on board and a stable timetable. Fixed price €40 to any destination - Durres, Vlora, Dhërmi, Jale, Himara, Borsh, Sarandë. ===By thumb=== While travelling along the Albanian Riviera, many folks are willing to give you a ride to your next beach town. A small donation at the end (200-400 lek) is a nice gesture and much appreciated by locals. ===By Foot=== There is a marked hiking trail along the coast, e.g. from/to [[Himarë]], walking time approximately 6h. ==Get around== You can walk around in Dhërmi as the distances are not that long, or you can take a taxi if needed. Don't forget to settle the price before you enter the taxi. As of September 2014, a taxi ride from Drymades Beach to the top of coastal road costs 750 lek. A quite pricey less than 10-minute car ride! ==See== [[File:Dhërmi, Cesta ke kosteliku.jpg|thumb|200px|]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Monastery of Saint Mary Panajia | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.153155 | long=19.642757 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Monastery of Saint Theodhor | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.131654 | long=19.654723 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=The Pirate Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.129370 | long=19.651230 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * beaches of Shkambo, Jaliskari, Perivoli. *the harbor of Gjipe * the old village of Dhërmi, walk around the old narrow stone paths. * old churches * the water miles on Potami river * the olive miles at Gjikopulli house * Vreto and Kumi Kulla (castel-house). ==Do== * Renting a speed boat and visiting the Gjipe Bay. Take a walk up the Gjipe Canyon, around 4 km, to the waterfall of Petasma that is 75 m high. * Do not forget to spend some hours at Perivoli Beach; you'll have about 3 km of beach all for yourself. == Festivals == {{listing | type=do | name=Kala Festival | alt= | url=https://kala.al/ | email=hello@kala.al | address= | lat=40.1445 | long=19.631176 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-01 | content=A week-long annual music fest usually held at the start of June. Kala is a boutique festival that takes place in Dhërmi, a stunning beach location on the Albanian Riviera. During the day you can enjoy paradisiacal beaches, excursions to explore the unspoilt surroundings, wellness activities, heavenly food and laid-back music selections. }} {{listing | name=Turtle Fest | alt= | url=https://turtle-fest.com/ | email=info@turtle-fest.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355696066664 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} {{listing | name=ION Festival | alt= | url=https://www.ionalbania.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} ==Buy== Do not forget to buy olive oil (€4 per litre) and honey (€8 per litre) while you are in Dhërmi, it's the best you can find in Albania and one of the best in the Balkans. The oil is very virgin and usually home-made. Also don't forget to get some figs - Albania is the world's 13th largest producer of figs. In some parts of Dhërmi, there are bananas. They aren't usually fully developed, but feel free to enjoy the only bananas grown in Europe! Lemons and oranges are also very popular, and pretty nice. Just feel free to stretch your hand, take an orange from the tree, peel the skin off and eat it. ==Eat== In general eating in a restaurant in Dhërmi (there are various kinds of places serving the likes of pizza, fish, traditional Albanian, Italian or Greek cuisine) will cost you around €10 per meal. There are some really good fast foods where you will spend less than €4 per person including the drink. Since the tourist seasons ends abruptly in August, visitors should expect very few restaurant options available in the Drymades Beach area beginning September 1st each year. The few restaurants that are available will typically have a limited menu based on what food they still have in the kitchen. '''Piratet''' is a very nice option if you want to enjoy fresh seafood near the beach. ==Drink== You have two places to go out at night, '''Havana Beach Bar''' one of the first beach bars since 2001 at Dhërmi Beach and Palase, and '''Cafe del Mare Pub''', the best choices on the Ionian Coast, well known amongst Albanians. In fact, Havana Beach Bar is so popular that in summer, most of the Albanian young members of the government, singers, models, and Big Brother stars go there. From '''Panorama''' you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dhërmi during the day and the night. Dhërmi is full of nice modern cafes and bars, a coffee costs around €0.50 cents, and a cola around €1, a beer around €1-2, and a drink €2-4. But be careful when family shopping because buying in the centre of Dhërmi is far more expensive than buying in the village, where old women sell what they grow on their balconies - usually called "veranda" in Albanian. ==Sleep== It will not be difficult to find a place to sleep, unless you visit Dhërmi in August, in this month you need to book in advance or the only choice will be the camp sites. There are hotels at Dhërmi, and also several resorts a few kilometres to the South West in Drymades Beach. To reach this, take the right fork in the SH8 road as you are going down towards Dhërmi and follow the rough track past some farms. Resorts have some expensive chalets, but if you go off-season in May, June, September, the weather is still great and the prices are low. Altea Beach Lodges can be a good choice during the off-season since it's cheap and the restaurant is open, although the menu might be limited. During July-August every hotel/resort will be expensive. Additionally you can pitch a tent down the beach a few hundred yards and use their bar and restaurant. If you get a room in the village it will not cost you ''less'' than ,€20, but if you rent one near the beach it will cost you for €20 up to €40, depending on the location and high season. If you search you will find some rooms for 4 persons up to €5 per person a night. Also there are some camping sites available costing €4 per person. You can camp on the beach or under the orange tree near the beach as it is not forbidden to camp around the place. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Summer Dream | alt= | url= | email= | address=Drymardes beach, 9700 | lat=40.162062 | long=19.600633 | directions=The village of Dhërmi is 8 km away. The town of Himarë is 25 km from Summer Dream Hotel. | phone=+355 069 248 1407 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=5966ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Free private parking is provided on site, and a free sun lounger with a parasol is available for each guest. An on-site restaurant serves local and international dishes. }} * {{sleep | name=Empire Beach Resort | alt= | url= | email=info@empirebeachresort.al | address=Empire Beach Resort, 9422 Dhërmi | lat=40.152107 | long=19.635725 | directions=Palasa Beach is 700 m from Empire Beach Resort, while Dhermi Beach is 750 m from the property. | phone=+355 069 606 0930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=12591ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Complete with a private bathroom fitted with a shower and a hairdryer, the rooms at the hotel have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and certain rooms are equipped with a balcony. At Empire Beach Resort rooms come with bed linen and towels. The accommodation offers a continental or buffet breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Dima Vista | alt= | url= | email=dimavista11@yahoo.gr | address=SH8, Dhërmi | lat= 40.1471169| long= 19.6410651| directions= | phone=+355 069 369 0095 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=4317ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=At the hotel, each room is fitted with a desk. At Dima Vista, every room includes air conditioning and a private bathroom. }} * {{sleep | name=Golden View Residence | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dhërmi 9422 | lat=40.142377 | long=19.653545 | directions=Sarandë is 67 km from the accommodation, while Vlorë is 58 km from the property. | phone=+355 069 644 3013 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Golden View Residence offers a terrace. Guests can enjoy various activities in the surroundings, including cycling and hiking. }} * {{sleep | name=Mehilli Hotel | alt= | url=http://mehilli-hotel.dhermi.hotels-al.com/en/ | email= | address=4JWM+4QG beach, Rruga e kampit, Dhërmi 9425 | lat=40.145316 | long=19.634456 | directions= | phone=+30 697 962 1074 | tollfree= | checkin=from 16:00 until 23:30 | checkout=until 10:00 | price=2393ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=every room is equipped with a patio with a garden view. Rooms are complete with a private bathroom equipped with a shower, all units at Mehilli Hotel have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and selected rooms include a balcony. The rooms include a wardrobe. }} ==Go next== * [[Tirana]] can be reached by bus on a somewhat gruelling 5½-hour bus trip through the Llogara Pass. * [[Himarë]] * [[Llogara National Park|Llogara]] * Orikum {{geo|40.1500|19.6333}} {{IsPartOf|Albanian Riviera}} {{outlinecity}} 75jvhy02c577tc9mregfoernhwyzj66 4501683 4501678 2022-08-15T18:25:57Z Kondephy 95177 /* By Foot */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Dhermi beach.jpg|thumb|300px|Dhermi beach]] '''Dhërmi''' is a village in Himarë Municipality in the [[Bregu|Albanian Riviera]] part of [[Coastal Albania]]. ==Get in== ===By plane=== '''Tirana International Airport''' and then take the buses south towards [[Sarandë]] and [[Himarë|Himara]]. Or first you go to [[Corfu]], take the boat to Sarandë (in the morning or in the afternoon), then with the bus to Dhërmi, (in the afternoon 14:00). ===By boat === From Corfu to Sarandë (all year) or [[Himarë|Himara]] (in summer), then take the bus to Dhërmi. Or from Italy Bari, Brindisi to Vlorë and Durrës, than take the bus in the direction to Sarandë or Himara. ===By bus=== *From [[Tirana]] take the bus directly to Dhërmi every midday, at the bus station for south. *Buses run erratically between [[Vlorë]] and [[Sarandë]]. They are cheap and also stop at the national park just south of Vlorë which has several restaurants. The road is excellent over the top of the mountain pass as you head south to Sarandë. You can also travel from Tirana to Dhërmi by [https://www.rivierabus.com/ RivieraBus]. Online seat reservation, payments by credit card, free Wi-Fi and drinks on board and a stable timetable. Fixed price €40 to any destination - Durres, Vlora, Dhërmi, Jale, Himara, Borsh, Sarandë. ===By thumb=== While travelling along the Albanian Riviera, many folks are willing to give you a ride to your next beach town. A small donation at the end (200-400 lek) is a nice gesture and much appreciated by locals. ===By Foot=== There is a marked hiking trail along the coast, e.g. from/to [[Himarë]], walking time approximately 6h. ===By Bicycle=== [[EuroVelo cycling routes]] 8 (EV8) passes through Dhërmi. ==Get around== You can walk around in Dhërmi as the distances are not that long, or you can take a taxi if needed. Don't forget to settle the price before you enter the taxi. As of September 2014, a taxi ride from Drymades Beach to the top of coastal road costs 750 lek. A quite pricey less than 10-minute car ride! ==See== [[File:Dhërmi, Cesta ke kosteliku.jpg|thumb|200px|]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Monastery of Saint Mary Panajia | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.153155 | long=19.642757 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Monastery of Saint Theodhor | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.131654 | long=19.654723 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=The Pirate Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.129370 | long=19.651230 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * beaches of Shkambo, Jaliskari, Perivoli. *the harbor of Gjipe * the old village of Dhërmi, walk around the old narrow stone paths. * old churches * the water miles on Potami river * the olive miles at Gjikopulli house * Vreto and Kumi Kulla (castel-house). ==Do== * Renting a speed boat and visiting the Gjipe Bay. Take a walk up the Gjipe Canyon, around 4 km, to the waterfall of Petasma that is 75 m high. * Do not forget to spend some hours at Perivoli Beach; you'll have about 3 km of beach all for yourself. == Festivals == {{listing | type=do | name=Kala Festival | alt= | url=https://kala.al/ | email=hello@kala.al | address= | lat=40.1445 | long=19.631176 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-01 | content=A week-long annual music fest usually held at the start of June. Kala is a boutique festival that takes place in Dhërmi, a stunning beach location on the Albanian Riviera. During the day you can enjoy paradisiacal beaches, excursions to explore the unspoilt surroundings, wellness activities, heavenly food and laid-back music selections. }} {{listing | name=Turtle Fest | alt= | url=https://turtle-fest.com/ | email=info@turtle-fest.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355696066664 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} {{listing | name=ION Festival | alt= | url=https://www.ionalbania.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} ==Buy== Do not forget to buy olive oil (€4 per litre) and honey (€8 per litre) while you are in Dhërmi, it's the best you can find in Albania and one of the best in the Balkans. The oil is very virgin and usually home-made. Also don't forget to get some figs - Albania is the world's 13th largest producer of figs. In some parts of Dhërmi, there are bananas. They aren't usually fully developed, but feel free to enjoy the only bananas grown in Europe! Lemons and oranges are also very popular, and pretty nice. Just feel free to stretch your hand, take an orange from the tree, peel the skin off and eat it. ==Eat== In general eating in a restaurant in Dhërmi (there are various kinds of places serving the likes of pizza, fish, traditional Albanian, Italian or Greek cuisine) will cost you around €10 per meal. There are some really good fast foods where you will spend less than €4 per person including the drink. Since the tourist seasons ends abruptly in August, visitors should expect very few restaurant options available in the Drymades Beach area beginning September 1st each year. The few restaurants that are available will typically have a limited menu based on what food they still have in the kitchen. '''Piratet''' is a very nice option if you want to enjoy fresh seafood near the beach. ==Drink== You have two places to go out at night, '''Havana Beach Bar''' one of the first beach bars since 2001 at Dhërmi Beach and Palase, and '''Cafe del Mare Pub''', the best choices on the Ionian Coast, well known amongst Albanians. In fact, Havana Beach Bar is so popular that in summer, most of the Albanian young members of the government, singers, models, and Big Brother stars go there. From '''Panorama''' you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dhërmi during the day and the night. Dhërmi is full of nice modern cafes and bars, a coffee costs around €0.50 cents, and a cola around €1, a beer around €1-2, and a drink €2-4. But be careful when family shopping because buying in the centre of Dhërmi is far more expensive than buying in the village, where old women sell what they grow on their balconies - usually called "veranda" in Albanian. ==Sleep== It will not be difficult to find a place to sleep, unless you visit Dhërmi in August, in this month you need to book in advance or the only choice will be the camp sites. There are hotels at Dhërmi, and also several resorts a few kilometres to the South West in Drymades Beach. To reach this, take the right fork in the SH8 road as you are going down towards Dhërmi and follow the rough track past some farms. Resorts have some expensive chalets, but if you go off-season in May, June, September, the weather is still great and the prices are low. Altea Beach Lodges can be a good choice during the off-season since it's cheap and the restaurant is open, although the menu might be limited. During July-August every hotel/resort will be expensive. Additionally you can pitch a tent down the beach a few hundred yards and use their bar and restaurant. If you get a room in the village it will not cost you ''less'' than ,€20, but if you rent one near the beach it will cost you for €20 up to €40, depending on the location and high season. If you search you will find some rooms for 4 persons up to €5 per person a night. Also there are some camping sites available costing €4 per person. You can camp on the beach or under the orange tree near the beach as it is not forbidden to camp around the place. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Summer Dream | alt= | url= | email= | address=Drymardes beach, 9700 | lat=40.162062 | long=19.600633 | directions=The village of Dhërmi is 8 km away. The town of Himarë is 25 km from Summer Dream Hotel. | phone=+355 069 248 1407 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=5966ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Free private parking is provided on site, and a free sun lounger with a parasol is available for each guest. An on-site restaurant serves local and international dishes. }} * {{sleep | name=Empire Beach Resort | alt= | url= | email=info@empirebeachresort.al | address=Empire Beach Resort, 9422 Dhërmi | lat=40.152107 | long=19.635725 | directions=Palasa Beach is 700 m from Empire Beach Resort, while Dhermi Beach is 750 m from the property. | phone=+355 069 606 0930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=12591ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Complete with a private bathroom fitted with a shower and a hairdryer, the rooms at the hotel have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and certain rooms are equipped with a balcony. At Empire Beach Resort rooms come with bed linen and towels. The accommodation offers a continental or buffet breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Dima Vista | alt= | url= | email=dimavista11@yahoo.gr | address=SH8, Dhërmi | lat= 40.1471169| long= 19.6410651| directions= | phone=+355 069 369 0095 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=4317ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=At the hotel, each room is fitted with a desk. At Dima Vista, every room includes air conditioning and a private bathroom. }} * {{sleep | name=Golden View Residence | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dhërmi 9422 | lat=40.142377 | long=19.653545 | directions=Sarandë is 67 km from the accommodation, while Vlorë is 58 km from the property. | phone=+355 069 644 3013 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Golden View Residence offers a terrace. Guests can enjoy various activities in the surroundings, including cycling and hiking. }} * {{sleep | name=Mehilli Hotel | alt= | url=http://mehilli-hotel.dhermi.hotels-al.com/en/ | email= | address=4JWM+4QG beach, Rruga e kampit, Dhërmi 9425 | lat=40.145316 | long=19.634456 | directions= | phone=+30 697 962 1074 | tollfree= | checkin=from 16:00 until 23:30 | checkout=until 10:00 | price=2393ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=every room is equipped with a patio with a garden view. Rooms are complete with a private bathroom equipped with a shower, all units at Mehilli Hotel have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and selected rooms include a balcony. The rooms include a wardrobe. }} ==Go next== * [[Tirana]] can be reached by bus on a somewhat gruelling 5½-hour bus trip through the Llogara Pass. * [[Himarë]] * [[Llogara National Park|Llogara]] * Orikum {{geo|40.1500|19.6333}} {{IsPartOf|Albanian Riviera}} {{outlinecity}} 8a2ytjf0znlf0gk8r1riiwrybcx2foi 4501688 4501683 2022-08-15T18:34:05Z Ibaman 195012 [[WV:SH]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Dhermi beach.jpg|thumb|300px|Dhermi beach]] '''Dhërmi''' is a village in Himarë Municipality in the [[Bregu|Albanian Riviera]] part of [[Coastal Albania]]. ==Get in== ===By plane=== '''Tirana International Airport''' and then take the buses south towards [[Sarandë]] and [[Himarë|Himara]]. Or first you go to [[Corfu]], take the boat to Sarandë (in the morning or in the afternoon), then with the bus to Dhërmi, (in the afternoon 14:00). ===By boat === From Corfu to Sarandë (all year) or [[Himarë|Himara]] (in summer), then take the bus to Dhërmi. Or from Italy Bari, Brindisi to Vlorë and Durrës, than take the bus in the direction to Sarandë or Himara. ===By bus=== *From [[Tirana]] take the bus directly to Dhërmi every midday, at the bus station for south. *Buses run erratically between [[Vlorë]] and [[Sarandë]]. They are cheap and also stop at the national park just south of Vlorë which has several restaurants. The road is excellent over the top of the mountain pass as you head south to Sarandë. You can also travel from Tirana to Dhërmi by [https://www.rivierabus.com/ RivieraBus]. Online seat reservation, payments by credit card, free Wi-Fi and drinks on board and a stable timetable. Fixed price €40 to any destination - Durres, Vlora, Dhërmi, Jale, Himara, Borsh, Sarandë. ===By thumb=== While travelling along the Albanian Riviera, many folks are willing to give you a ride to your next beach town. A small donation at the end (200-400 lek) is a nice gesture and much appreciated by locals. ===On foot=== There is a marked hiking trail along the coast, e.g. from/to [[Himarë]], walking time approximately 6h. ===By bicycle=== [[EuroVelo cycling routes]] 8 (EV8) passes through Dhërmi. ==Get around== You can walk around in Dhërmi as the distances are not that long, or you can take a taxi if needed. Don't forget to settle the price before you enter the taxi. As of September 2014, a taxi ride from Drymades Beach to the top of coastal road costs 750 lek. A quite pricey less than 10-minute car ride! ==See== [[File:Dhërmi, Cesta ke kosteliku.jpg|thumb|200px|]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Monastery of Saint Mary Panajia | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.153155 | long=19.642757 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Monastery of Saint Theodhor | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.131654 | long=19.654723 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=The Pirate Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.129370 | long=19.651230 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-28 | content= }} * beaches of Shkambo, Jaliskari, Perivoli. *the harbor of Gjipe * the old village of Dhërmi, walk around the old narrow stone paths. * old churches * the water miles on Potami river * the olive miles at Gjikopulli house * Vreto and Kumi Kulla (castel-house). ==Do== * Renting a speed boat and visiting the Gjipe Bay. Take a walk up the Gjipe Canyon, around 4 km, to the waterfall of Petasma that is 75 m high. * Do not forget to spend some hours at Perivoli Beach; you'll have about 3 km of beach all for yourself. == Festivals == {{listing | type=do | name=Kala Festival | alt= | url=https://kala.al/ | email=hello@kala.al | address= | lat=40.1445 | long=19.631176 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-01 | content=A week-long annual music fest usually held at the start of June. Kala is a boutique festival that takes place in Dhërmi, a stunning beach location on the Albanian Riviera. During the day you can enjoy paradisiacal beaches, excursions to explore the unspoilt surroundings, wellness activities, heavenly food and laid-back music selections. }} {{listing | name=Turtle Fest | alt= | url=https://turtle-fest.com/ | email=info@turtle-fest.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355696066664 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} {{listing | name=ION Festival | alt= | url=https://www.ionalbania.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} ==Buy== Do not forget to buy olive oil (€4 per litre) and honey (€8 per litre) while you are in Dhërmi, it's the best you can find in Albania and one of the best in the Balkans. The oil is very virgin and usually home-made. Also don't forget to get some figs - Albania is the world's 13th largest producer of figs. In some parts of Dhërmi, there are bananas. They aren't usually fully developed, but feel free to enjoy the only bananas grown in Europe! Lemons and oranges are also very popular, and pretty nice. Just feel free to stretch your hand, take an orange from the tree, peel the skin off and eat it. ==Eat== In general eating in a restaurant in Dhërmi (there are various kinds of places serving the likes of pizza, fish, traditional Albanian, Italian or Greek cuisine) will cost you around €10 per meal. There are some really good fast foods where you will spend less than €4 per person including the drink. Since the tourist seasons ends abruptly in August, visitors should expect very few restaurant options available in the Drymades Beach area beginning September 1st each year. The few restaurants that are available will typically have a limited menu based on what food they still have in the kitchen. '''Piratet''' is a very nice option if you want to enjoy fresh seafood near the beach. ==Drink== You have two places to go out at night, '''Havana Beach Bar''' one of the first beach bars since 2001 at Dhërmi Beach and Palase, and '''Cafe del Mare Pub''', the best choices on the Ionian Coast, well known amongst Albanians. In fact, Havana Beach Bar is so popular that in summer, most of the Albanian young members of the government, singers, models, and Big Brother stars go there. From '''Panorama''' you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dhërmi during the day and the night. Dhërmi is full of nice modern cafes and bars, a coffee costs around €0.50 cents, and a cola around €1, a beer around €1-2, and a drink €2-4. But be careful when family shopping because buying in the centre of Dhërmi is far more expensive than buying in the village, where old women sell what they grow on their balconies - usually called "veranda" in Albanian. ==Sleep== It will not be difficult to find a place to sleep, unless you visit Dhërmi in August, in this month you need to book in advance or the only choice will be the camp sites. There are hotels at Dhërmi, and also several resorts a few kilometres to the South West in Drymades Beach. To reach this, take the right fork in the SH8 road as you are going down towards Dhërmi and follow the rough track past some farms. Resorts have some expensive chalets, but if you go off-season in May, June, September, the weather is still great and the prices are low. Altea Beach Lodges can be a good choice during the off-season since it's cheap and the restaurant is open, although the menu might be limited. During July-August every hotel/resort will be expensive. Additionally you can pitch a tent down the beach a few hundred yards and use their bar and restaurant. If you get a room in the village it will not cost you ''less'' than ,€20, but if you rent one near the beach it will cost you for €20 up to €40, depending on the location and high season. If you search you will find some rooms for 4 persons up to €5 per person a night. Also there are some camping sites available costing €4 per person. You can camp on the beach or under the orange tree near the beach as it is not forbidden to camp around the place. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Summer Dream | alt= | url= | email= | address=Drymardes beach, 9700 | lat=40.162062 | long=19.600633 | directions=The village of Dhërmi is 8 km away. The town of Himarë is 25 km from Summer Dream Hotel. | phone=+355 069 248 1407 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=5966ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Free private parking is provided on site, and a free sun lounger with a parasol is available for each guest. An on-site restaurant serves local and international dishes. }} * {{sleep | name=Empire Beach Resort | alt= | url= | email=info@empirebeachresort.al | address=Empire Beach Resort, 9422 Dhërmi | lat=40.152107 | long=19.635725 | directions=Palasa Beach is 700 m from Empire Beach Resort, while Dhermi Beach is 750 m from the property. | phone=+355 069 606 0930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=12591ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Complete with a private bathroom fitted with a shower and a hairdryer, the rooms at the hotel have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and certain rooms are equipped with a balcony. At Empire Beach Resort rooms come with bed linen and towels. The accommodation offers a continental or buffet breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Dima Vista | alt= | url= | email=dimavista11@yahoo.gr | address=SH8, Dhërmi | lat= 40.1471169| long= 19.6410651| directions= | phone=+355 069 369 0095 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=4317ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=At the hotel, each room is fitted with a desk. At Dima Vista, every room includes air conditioning and a private bathroom. }} * {{sleep | name=Golden View Residence | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dhërmi 9422 | lat=40.142377 | long=19.653545 | directions=Sarandë is 67 km from the accommodation, while Vlorë is 58 km from the property. | phone=+355 069 644 3013 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Golden View Residence offers a terrace. Guests can enjoy various activities in the surroundings, including cycling and hiking. }} * {{sleep | name=Mehilli Hotel | alt= | url=http://mehilli-hotel.dhermi.hotels-al.com/en/ | email= | address=4JWM+4QG beach, Rruga e kampit, Dhërmi 9425 | lat=40.145316 | long=19.634456 | directions= | phone=+30 697 962 1074 | tollfree= | checkin=from 16:00 until 23:30 | checkout=until 10:00 | price=2393ALL | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=every room is equipped with a patio with a garden view. Rooms are complete with a private bathroom equipped with a shower, all units at Mehilli Hotel have a flat-screen TV and air conditioning, and selected rooms include a balcony. The rooms include a wardrobe. }} ==Go next== * [[Tirana]] can be reached by bus on a somewhat gruelling 5½-hour bus trip through the Llogara Pass. * [[Himarë]] * [[Llogara National Park|Llogara]] * Orikum {{geo|40.1500|19.6333}} {{IsPartOf|Albanian Riviera}} {{outlinecity}} c3t81xf7376auijq2r8fu1ah31165n1 0 10504 4501739 4500855 2022-08-15T21:08:44Z Keystone18 2203296 + photo wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]]. These are: * Easton Taxi, +1 610-258-2888. * Lehigh Valley Taxi, +1 610-867-6000. * Quick Service Taxi, +1 610-434-8132. ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.elitelimo-pa.com/ Elite Limosuine & Coach] * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine] * [http://www.abelimo.net/ ABE Limousine] * [http://www.adamolimo.com/ Adamo Limo] * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} d0ukahpbyyethb9pzbafc2ns5dyaw76 4501741 4501739 2022-08-15T21:11:29Z Keystone18 2203296 /* Get around */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: * Lehigh Valley Taxi, +1 610-867-6000 ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.elitelimo-pa.com/ Elite Limosuine & Coach] * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine] * [http://www.abelimo.net/ ABE Limousine] * [http://www.adamolimo.com/ Adamo Limo] * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} 6ntihhgc9zywi0kakv9erhn5qol35oh 4501742 4501741 2022-08-15T21:13:01Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By cab */ + link and updated phone wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *[http://www.lehightaxi.com/ Lehigh Taxi], +1 555-444-9333 ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.elitelimo-pa.com/ Elite Limosuine & Coach] * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine] * [http://www.abelimo.net/ ABE Limousine] * [http://www.adamolimo.com/ Adamo Limo] * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} ej3j6kegd3xw2y6pp65z7usrxuqodv3 4501743 4501742 2022-08-15T21:13:52Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ dead link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *[http://www.lehightaxi.com/ Lehigh Taxi], +1 555-444-9333 ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine] * [http://www.abelimo.net/ ABE Limousine] * [http://www.adamolimo.com/ Adamo Limo] * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} fxis2xux6sq3iqlfb31po81ja5wutak 4501744 4501743 2022-08-15T21:14:37Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ updated phone wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *[http://www.lehightaxi.com/ Lehigh Taxi], +1 555-444-9333 ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine], +1 610-863-5994 * [http://www.abelimo.net/ ABE Limousine] * [http://www.adamolimo.com/ Adamo Limo] * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} h152yb5go83ihz92uzhmtm9mky0q45n 4501745 4501744 2022-08-15T21:14:52Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ dead link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *[http://www.lehightaxi.com/ Lehigh Taxi], +1 555-444-9333 ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine], +1 610-863-5994 * [http://www.adamolimo.com/ Adamo Limo] * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} 7ow5x7npeqn059dty8ps8hwe4nc73re 4501746 4501745 2022-08-15T21:15:06Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ dead link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *[http://www.lehightaxi.com/ Lehigh Taxi], +1 555-444-9333 ===By limo=== * [http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 * [http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine], +1 610-863-5994 * [http://www.car1limo.com/ca/ Car One Limousine] ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} hx6pxywe112mbbbbzbqswzhsqmlqza5 4501747 4501746 2022-08-15T21:15:40Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By limo */ dead link and place alphabetically wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Easton banner.jpg|pgname=Easton}} '''Easton''' is one of three cities, along with [[Allentown]] and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], that are the urban population centers of the [[Lehigh Valley]] in eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, New Jersey]] to its east and [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|72|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]] and {{convert|77|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]]. ==Understand== [[File:Easton peace candle lit at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The {{convert|106|ft|adj=on}} high Easton Peace Candle on Centre Square at night, December 2009]] In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July. Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels. The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic. ===Geography=== Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton ''Lechawitau'', "the place at the Forks". ===Climate=== Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate. Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over {{F|95}}, with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms. Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently. Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October. ===Tourist Information=== * Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, {{phone|+1 484-546-0594}}. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday. * [http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com Discover Lehigh Valley] (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau). ==Get in== {{mapframe|layer=W}} [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The main terminal of [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in neighboring [[Allentown]]]] ===By plane=== * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} southwest of Easton, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|84|mi|km}} south of Easton. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport. }} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|76|mi|km}} south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/choose-your-route Trans-Bridge bus line]''' offers daily service to and from [[New York City]] and [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], [[New Jersey]]. ===By car=== [[File:PA 611 NB past Third Street Easton.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Larry Holmes Drive, an Easton street named in honor of former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, who was from Easton and fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin".]] * U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton. * Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from [[New Jersey]]) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost). * From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel. * Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west. * PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] and points east. ==Get around== ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority ([http://lantabus.com LANTA]). ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and [[Lehigh Valley]], including: *[http://www.lehightaxi.com/ Lehigh Taxi], +1 555-444-9333 ===By limo=== *[http://www.champagne-limousine.com/ Champagne Limousine], +1 610-863-5994 *[http://jjtransportation.com/ J&J Luxury Transportation], +1 610-776-1516 or +1-800-726-5466 ==See== [[File:Crayola Experience in Easton, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Crayola Experience at 30 Centre Square, November 2019. Since 1900, Crayola, manufacturer of crayons, has been headquartered in Forks Township, outside Easton]] [[File:Easton, Pennsylvania (6616765189).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|State Theatre, a 1,500-seat Easton theatre built in 1910 and located at 453 Northampton St.]] [[File:GEORGE TAYLOR HOUSE, EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|George Taylor House at 56 S. 4th St., the Easton home of George Taylor, one of 56 founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence]] *{{see | name=Crayola Factory | alt=Crayola Experience | url=http://www.crayola.com/Factory/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat= 40.6906 | long= -75.2092 | directions= | phone=+1 610-515-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM | price=Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less |lastedit=2019-07-13| content=Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. }} *{{see | name=Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/dele/index.htm | email= | address=2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd | lat=40.66205 | long=-75.2392 | directions= | phone=+1 610-923-3548 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor | wikidata=Q5253437 | content=Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. }} *{{see | name=Easton High School sports | alt= | url=https://www.eastonathletics.com/ | email= | address=2601 William Penn Hghwy | lat=40.682629 | long=-75.252747 | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-2481 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Easton High School | content=Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the [[Lehigh Valley]] and [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]] that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. }} *{{see | name=Moyer Aviation | alt= | url=http://www.moyeraviation.com | email= | address=Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail | lat=40.682630 | long=-75.252750 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-0473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Private plane tours. }} *{{see | name=National Canal Museum | alt= | url=https://canals.org/ | email= | address=30 Centre Square | lat=40.6622 | long=-75.239 | directions= | phone=+1 610-559-6613 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Canal Museum | wikidata=Q6971236 | content=The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society | alt=Sigal Museum | url=http://www.northamptonctymuseum.org | email= | address=101-107 S 4th St | lat= 40.6908 | long= -75.2106 | directions=342 Northampton St | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name=The State Theatre Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.statetheatre.org | email= | address=453 Northampton St. | lat=40.69146 | long=-75.21242 | directions= | phone=+1 610-252-3132 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. }} * {{see | name=Sigal Museum | alt= | url=https://www.sigalmuseum.org/ | email= | address=342 Northampton Street | lat=40.69075 | long=-75.21071 | directions= | phone=+1 610-253-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-04-02 | content=Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. }} For more things to do in the area, check out the [[Allentown]] or [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] pages. ==Do== [[File:Barl Of Fun Funhouse, Bushkill Park, 2017.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bushkill Park, a small amusement park at 2100 Bushkill Park Dr.]] *{{do | name=Riverview Country Club | url=http://www.riverviewcountryclub.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Player-friendly layout, panoramic views. Two miles north of PA-22 on PA-611. *{{do | name=The Club at Morgan Hill | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=18-hole public golf course. Named 2009's "Best Places to Play in North America" by ''Golf Digest''. Full-service clubhouse. }} }} * '''Skiing''' is a popular activity in nearby mountains. Most skiing areas are closed seasonally, since snow can usually only be manufactured from about November to April. [http://www.bcmountainresort.com Bear Creek Mountain Resort] and [http://www.skibluemt.com Blue Mountain Resort] are a short drive away in Macungie and Palmerton, respectively. Larger, world-famous ski resorts, including [http://www.jfbb.com/ Jack Frost & Big Boulder], are in the [[Poconos and Endless Mountains|Poconos]], about an hour drive north on Interstate 476. ==Learn== [[File:Zeta Psi Fraternity House, Lafayette College 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Zeta Psi fraternity house at Lafayette College in Easton]] Easton is home to [http://www.lafayette.edu/ Lafayette College], which was founded in 1826. ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Easton Farmers' Market | alt= | url=http://www.eastonfarmersmarket.com | email= | address=Centre Square | lat=40.69124 | long=-75.20915 | directions= | phone=+1 610-330-9942 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. }} *{{buy | name=Palmer Park Mall | alt= | url=http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/ | email= | address=123 Palmer Park Mall | lat=40.6968 | long=-75.2581 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6017 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Palmer Park Mall | wikidata=Q7128258 | content=It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. }} *{{buy | name=Partyology | url=http://www.partyology.com | email= | address=230 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-330-9535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Angelo's Restaurant | url= | email= | address=14 N 4th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6956 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti | url=http://www.colonialpizzapub.com | email= | address=136 Spring Garden St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-3033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=deLorenzo's | url=http://www.delorenzosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1210 Knox Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-438-6026 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Don Juan Mexican Grill | url=http://www.donjuanmexgrill.com/ | email= | address=518 March Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-5661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An independently run fast food burrito and taco joint right next to Lafayette College. Open late on the weekends. }} *{{eat | name=Gino's Pizza | url= | email= | address=349 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good pizza and cheesesteaks, friendly service. }} *{{eat | name=Green Harvest Food Emporium | url=http://www.greenharvestfood.com | email= | address=140-B Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Joe's Market Deli | url= | email= | address=235 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-7247 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Josie's New York Deli | url= | email= | address=14 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant & Lounge | url=http://www.larryholmes.com | email= | address=91 Larry Holmes Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-6905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Marblehead Grille & Chowder House | url=http://www.marbleheadchowderhouse.com | email= | address=4101 William Penn Highway | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-4301 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=MeGs and MaDs Casual Dining | url= | email= | address=325 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 438-3581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM - 9PM, F 4PM - 10PM | price= | content=BYOB. }} *{{eat | name=Mex-Tex Trio | url=http://www.mextextrio.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=42 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-2235 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Morici's Pizza and Sub Shop | url= | email= | address=218 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-6257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy pizza place with comfortable indoor dining available. The subs and pizza are excellent for takeout, but they offer many Italian pasta dishes as well. }} *{{eat | name=Ocean | url=http://www.ocean235.com | email= | address=235 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-559-7211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale modern tapas restaurant. Reservations recommended. }} *{{eat | name=Pearly Baker's Ale House | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-9949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Phenom | url=http://www.phenomthai.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=159-161 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-258-9777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty, reasonably priced thai cuisine. The lunch special is the best deal. }} *{{eat | name=Pizza D'Oro Italian Restaurant | url= | email= | address=208 Cattell Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 253-5533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Porter's Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com | email= | address=700 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-250-6561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10-25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=This quaint local Irish pub offers a wide selection of local craft beers and a seasonal selection of handmade mixed drinks. They boast a menu full of delicious meals as well as pub fare made from scratch in-house and often from local ingredients. They serve a creative selection of options, including vegan and vegetarian choices. There is often live music on weekends. }} *{{eat | name=River Grille | url=http://www.therivergrille.com {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=243 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-5110 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Sette Luna | url=http://www.setteluna.com | email= | address=219 Ferry St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-253-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Delicious upscale Italian food in a warm atmosphere. Amazing pizza. }} *{{eat | name=Sogo Fusion | url=http://www.sogofusion.com | email= | address=237 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-250-0198 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Steve's Pizzeria | url= | email= | address=1005 S Greenwood Ave directions= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-7756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=3rd & Ferry Restaurant and Bar | url= | email= | address=56 S 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Third Street Café | url=http://www.thirdstreetcafeeaston.com | email= | address=117 N 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-515-1818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Tic Toc Family Restaurant | url= | email= | address=2510 Northampton St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-252-6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A diner that attracts mostly local regulars. }} *{{eat | name=Vintage Restaurant & Bar | url=http://www.theclubatmorganhill.com | email= | address=100 Cluhouse Drive (located at The Club at Morgan Hill) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-923-8480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Touch of Thai | url= | email= | address=123 N 2nd St Apt 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-0716 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Two Rivers Brewing Company | alt=Two Rivers | url=http://www.tworiversbrewing.com/ | email=info@tworiversbrewing.com | address=542 Northampton St. 18042 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 829-1131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price=$10-$25 | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Two Rivers boasts an intricately creative farm-to-table menu for lunch and dinner. They recently began brewing their own craft beers and also offer a range of specialty mixed drinks. }} There are also many chain restaurants around the area. ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Black and Blue | alt= | url=http://www.blackandblueeaston.com | email=craft@blackandblueeaston.com | address=683 Walnut St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 438-3604 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-02-07 | content=Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. }} * {{drink | name=College Hill Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.collegehilltavern.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=420 Cattell St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 252-9456 | tollfree= | hours=4PM-2AM daily | price= | content=The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. }} * {{drink | name=Fat Jacks' | url=http://www.fat-jacks.net/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=2722 Freemansburg Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 250-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lafayette Bar | url=http://www.lafayettebarjazz.com/ | email= | address=15 N 4th St/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 252-0711 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Original home of Jazz in Easton. }} * {{drink | name=Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant | url=http://www.leafcigarbar.com/ | email=info@leafcigarbar.com | address=90 Mort Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. }} * {{drink | name=Milo's Place | url= | email= | address=217 Cattell St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 258-4390 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Average bar, smoking permitted inside. }} * {{drink | name=Mothers Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610 559-1700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. }} *{{drink | name=Pearly Baker's Alehouse | alt= | url=http://www.pearlybakers.net/ | email= | address=11 Centre Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-9499 | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. }} * {{drink | name=Porters Pub | alt= | url=http://www.porterspubeaston.com/ | email= | address=700 Northampton Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6561 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel | url=http://www.grandeastoniansuiteshotel.com | email= | address=140 Northampton St | lat=40.691116 | long=-75.206380 | directions= | phone=+1 610-258-6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hampton Inn | url=http://www.easton.hamptoninn.com | email= | address=3723 Easton-Nazareth Hwy. | lat=40.709693 | long=-75.280672 | directions= | phone=+1 610 250-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites | url=http://www.hiexpress.com/eastonpa | email= | address=90 Kunkle Dr. | lat=40.683522 | long=-75.256310 | directions= | phone=+1 610 923-9495 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$75-150 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | content=Located right off of 22, the Holiday Inn Express features continental breakfast and free internet. }} *{{sleep | name=The Lafayette Inn | url=http://www.lafayetteinn.com | email= | address=525 W Monroe St | lat=40.702644 | long=-75.207458 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-4500 | tollfree=+1-800-509-6990 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content=The Lafayette Inn, near Lafayette College, is a beautiful bed and breakfast. On the pricier side, it provides its guests with a spa, balconies and other special amenities. All of the eighteen custom decorated rooms feature antique furnishings and private baths. A variety of bed sizes is available. All of the rooms have a desk, armoire or closet, TV with DVD, alarm clock, hair dryer, and telephone with data port. }} *{{sleep | name=TownPlace Suites Bethlehem Easton | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/abets-towneplace-suites-bethlehem-easton/ | email= | address=3800 Easton Nazareth Highway | lat=40.719591 | long=-75.287554 | directions= | phone = +1 610-829-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Quality Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/easton/quality-inn-hotels/pa374 | email= | address=2415 Nazareth Rd., Rt. 22 Ex. 25th Street | lat=40.690438 | long=-75.250191 | directions= | phone=+1 610 253-0546 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-09-03 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Easton, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== *[[Allentown]], {{convert|172|mi|km}} *[[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} *[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} *[[Emmaus]], {{convert|22|mi|km}} *[[Fogelsville]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} *[[Hellertown]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} *[[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} *[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|2|mi|km}} *[[Slatington]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} *[[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} *[[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|16|mi|km}} ===Regional locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|139|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|96.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|72|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|77|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|40.1|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg]] | image2=PA-611.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Stroudsburg]] | minorl2=[[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area|Delaware Water Gap]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr2='''[[Doylestown (Pennsylvania)|Doylestown]]''' }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|40.6883|-75.2164|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} tnndvch95zgof5jgzshh91b5x0linvt 0 10787 4501625 4501479 2022-08-15T14:55:26Z 181.112.8.164 wikitext text/x-wiki 4501630 4501625 2022-08-15T15:23:00Z Ibaman 195012 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/181.112.8.164|181.112.8.164]] ([[User talk:181.112.8.164|talk]]) to last version by [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[Image:Geden Sheddup Choikorling.jpg|thumb|400px|The Monastery of Geden Sheddup Choikorling]] '''[http://www.kalm.ru/en/elista.html Elista]''' is the capital of [[Kalmykia]] in [[Russia]], containing many Buddhist temples, monasteries and architecture. ==Understand== The city was founded in 1865, and has a population of just over 100,000. When, in WWII, a significant number of Kalmyks collaborated with the Germans during WWII, Stalin dissolved the Kalmyk ASSR, deported much of the citizenry to Siberia, and resettled the land with ethnic Russians and Siberians. Elista was named Stepnoy during this period. Only after Stalin's death were the Kalmyk people allowed to return, and the city resumed its former name. From then on, it witnessed some brighter days as the site of the 1998 Chess Olympiad (with the creation of a satellite village called Chess City even), the dedication of the tallest Buddhist temple in Europe by the Dalai Lama, and the establishment of many Buddhist and Lenin monuments by its enthusiastic mayor. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{listing | type=go | name=Elista Airport | alt={{IATA|ESL}} | url=http://aero-elista.narod.ru/ | email= | address= | lat=46.373889 | long=44.330833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Elista Airport | image=Elista airport.jpg | wikidata=Q2276543 | content=Flights from [[Moscow]] are a few times a week on Rusline. There are more regular flights to [[Volgograd]] and [[Rostov]], with transfer to Elista by bus or train respectively. }} ===By train=== The [[Moscow]]-Elista train route goes through [[Stavropol]]. However, the most convenient way is travel to Volgograd by train then on to Elista by express minivan, which are relatively cheap. ===By car=== ===By bus=== Several private companies operate a daily bus service between Moscow and Elista. The pickup point in Moscow is [[Moscow/Outskirts#Q2990519|Luzhniki Stadium]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}}{{mapshape}} Mini-buses ply routes around the city. ==See== * {{see | name=Golden Temple of Elista | alt=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.309314 | long=44.271522 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | image=Golden Temple Elista.jpg | wikidata=Q2657222 | content=Modern Buddhist temple opened in 2005 with the Dalai Lama's blessing, and said to be the biggest in Europe. It is quite visible from many places in town. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Kalmyk Buddhist Art | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum of Local Lore | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum of Buddhist History | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Gallery of Fine Arts | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Kazansky Cathedral | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.316111 | long=44.245833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery | wikidata=Q5529671 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Golden Abode of the Buddha Shakyamuni | alt=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.309314 | long=44.271522 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | wikidata=Q2657222 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Seven Days Pagoda | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.308011 | long=44.269625 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4341983 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} ==Do== *'''Drama Theatre''' *'''Puppet Theatre''' *'''Play chess''' ==Buy== * Kalmyk puzzle ''närn shanj'' (''нәрн шанҗ'') ==Eat== *'''Uralan''' (''Уралан''), Nomto Ochirova St., 9 *'''Zheltaya Cheburechka''', Ulitsa Pushkina 1. A little shwarma/cheburek hut that seems to win people's hearts and serves tea. *'''Chaykhana "Tamerlan"''', Ulitsa Imeni Yu 27A. Good-sized portions of kebabs, dumplings, soup, etc. *'''Gurman''', Ulitsa Imeni Nomto Ochirova 9. Traditional dishes. Attached to the Kalmykia Museum. *Cafe '''Kalmyk Cuisine''' (''Калмыцкая Кухня'') ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Restaurant White Lotus | alt=Белый Лотос | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Bely Lotus Hotel | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Drink== You can drink Kalmyk tea ==Sleep== ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Elista | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +7 84722 62316 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=1 Gorodovikova ul. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=City Chess Hotel | alt=Otel' Gorod Shakhmat | url= | email= | address=Siti Chess 18 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +7 961 395-29-55 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Uralan district. Little chess displays, so it lives up to the name. }} *'''Belyy Lotos''', Khoninova Str., 7. Glassy exterior. Here you'll get a free breakfast and maybe some tea from a samovar. +7 960 897-18-18. ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Kalmyk Institute for Humanities Research | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q4210236 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== *'''Khurul Monastery''' - about 6 km from the city. {{geo|46.3167|44.2667}} {{IsPartOf|Kalmykia}} {{outlinecity}} 84oppjsel2m50upxuz6hp7jx182hf5v 4501634 4501630 2022-08-15T16:05:24Z Ibaman 195012 Protected "[[Elista]]": Target page for a block evading user ([Edit=Allow only autoconfirmed users] (expires 16:05, 15 November 2022 (UTC)) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[Image:Geden Sheddup Choikorling.jpg|thumb|400px|The Monastery of Geden Sheddup Choikorling]] '''[http://www.kalm.ru/en/elista.html Elista]''' is the capital of [[Kalmykia]] in [[Russia]], containing many Buddhist temples, monasteries and architecture. ==Understand== The city was founded in 1865, and has a population of just over 100,000. When, in WWII, a significant number of Kalmyks collaborated with the Germans during WWII, Stalin dissolved the Kalmyk ASSR, deported much of the citizenry to Siberia, and resettled the land with ethnic Russians and Siberians. Elista was named Stepnoy during this period. Only after Stalin's death were the Kalmyk people allowed to return, and the city resumed its former name. From then on, it witnessed some brighter days as the site of the 1998 Chess Olympiad (with the creation of a satellite village called Chess City even), the dedication of the tallest Buddhist temple in Europe by the Dalai Lama, and the establishment of many Buddhist and Lenin monuments by its enthusiastic mayor. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{listing | type=go | name=Elista Airport | alt={{IATA|ESL}} | url=http://aero-elista.narod.ru/ | email= | address= | lat=46.373889 | long=44.330833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Elista Airport | image=Elista airport.jpg | wikidata=Q2276543 | content=Flights from [[Moscow]] are a few times a week on Rusline. There are more regular flights to [[Volgograd]] and [[Rostov]], with transfer to Elista by bus or train respectively. }} ===By train=== The [[Moscow]]-Elista train route goes through [[Stavropol]]. However, the most convenient way is travel to Volgograd by train then on to Elista by express minivan, which are relatively cheap. ===By car=== ===By bus=== Several private companies operate a daily bus service between Moscow and Elista. The pickup point in Moscow is [[Moscow/Outskirts#Q2990519|Luzhniki Stadium]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}}{{mapshape}} Mini-buses ply routes around the city. ==See== * {{see | name=Golden Temple of Elista | alt=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.309314 | long=44.271522 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | image=Golden Temple Elista.jpg | wikidata=Q2657222 | content=Modern Buddhist temple opened in 2005 with the Dalai Lama's blessing, and said to be the biggest in Europe. It is quite visible from many places in town. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Kalmyk Buddhist Art | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum of Local Lore | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum of Buddhist History | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Gallery of Fine Arts | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{see | name=Kazansky Cathedral | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.316111 | long=44.245833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery | wikidata=Q5529671 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Golden Abode of the Buddha Shakyamuni | alt=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.309314 | long=44.271522 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume | wikidata=Q2657222 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Seven Days Pagoda | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.308011 | long=44.269625 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4341983 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} ==Do== *'''Drama Theatre''' *'''Puppet Theatre''' *'''Play chess''' ==Buy== * Kalmyk puzzle ''närn shanj'' (''нәрн шанҗ'') ==Eat== *'''Uralan''' (''Уралан''), Nomto Ochirova St., 9 *'''Zheltaya Cheburechka''', Ulitsa Pushkina 1. A little shwarma/cheburek hut that seems to win people's hearts and serves tea. *'''Chaykhana "Tamerlan"''', Ulitsa Imeni Yu 27A. Good-sized portions of kebabs, dumplings, soup, etc. *'''Gurman''', Ulitsa Imeni Nomto Ochirova 9. Traditional dishes. Attached to the Kalmykia Museum. *Cafe '''Kalmyk Cuisine''' (''Калмыцкая Кухня'') ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Restaurant White Lotus | alt=Белый Лотос | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Bely Lotus Hotel | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Drink== You can drink Kalmyk tea ==Sleep== ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Elista | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +7 84722 62316 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=1 Gorodovikova ul. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=City Chess Hotel | alt=Otel' Gorod Shakhmat | url= | email= | address=Siti Chess 18 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +7 961 395-29-55 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Uralan district. Little chess displays, so it lives up to the name. }} *'''Belyy Lotos''', Khoninova Str., 7. Glassy exterior. Here you'll get a free breakfast and maybe some tea from a samovar. +7 960 897-18-18. ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Kalmyk Institute for Humanities Research | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q4210236 | lastedit=2019-03-13 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== *'''Khurul Monastery''' - about 6 km from the city. {{geo|46.3167|44.2667}} {{IsPartOf|Kalmykia}} {{outlinecity}} 84oppjsel2m50upxuz6hp7jx182hf5v 0 11682 4501792 4494711 2022-08-16T00:09:53Z BrianM0000 2272790 /* Go next */ expanded content wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Snowbowlaspens Banner.jpg}} {{otheruses|Flagstaff}} [[File:San Francisco Peaks.jpg|thumb|300px|San Francisco Peaks seen from Mt. Elden]] '''[http://www.flagstaffarizona.org/ Flagstaff]''' is a city of over 75,000 people (2019) near the San Francisco Peaks mountain range of northern [[Arizona]] and the [[Grand Canyon]]. At an altitude of {{ft|6990}}, Flagstaff and much of the surrounding region are substantially cooler than the low desert that dominates the southern part of the state. Though still dry by east coast standards, enough rain and snow falls in the area to allow a forest of ponderosa pine trees to cover the landscape. Winters tend to be cold, and heavy snowfall is expected on an annual basis. ==Understand== ===Visitor information center=== * {{listing | name=Flagstaff Visitor Center | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaffarizona.org/ | email=VisitorCenter@flagstaffaz.gov | address=1 E Rte 66 | lat=35.197383 | long=-111.649252 | directions=next to the Amtrak station | phone=+1 928-774-9541 | tollfree=+1-800-842-7293 | fax= | image=Flagstaff Visitor Center.jpg | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Climate=== {{climate | align = right | units = imperial | janhigh = 43 | febhigh = 45 | marhigh = 50 | aprhigh = 58 | mayhigh = 67 | junhigh = 77 | julhigh = 81 | aughigh = 79 | sephigh = 73 | octhigh = 63 | novhigh = 52 | dechigh = 43 | janlow = 11 | feblow = 14 | marlow = 20 | aprlow = 25 | maylow = 30 | junlow = 36 | jullow = 46 | auglow = 46 | seplow = 37 | octlow = 27 | novlow = 18 | declow = 11 | janprecip = 2.1 | febprecip = 2.3 | marprecip = 2.3 | aprprecip = 1.3 | mayprecip = 0.6 | junprecip = 0.4 | julprecip = 2.4 | augprecip = 3.5 | sepprecip = 2.6 | octprecip = 1.9 | novprecip = 1.8 | decprecip = 2.0 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Flagstaff|35.1611|-111.7311}} &#160;&#160; Data from [http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/normals NOAA (1981-2010)] |float=right |clear=right }} Although located in Arizona, Flagstaff has a very different climate from the southern desert areas of the state. Winters are cold and sometimes very snowy, depending on the year. Temperatures can dip below {{F|0}} in the coldest months. Snow tends to melt quickly, as the temperature is usually above freezing during the day, even in winter. The spring season is windy and chilly, albeit otherwise mild, with occasional rain and snowstorms. Flagstaff's summer begins around May, when temperatures warm substantially; the highs can exceed {{F|90}} during the hottest days. During the monsoon season (roughly June - September), intense, frequent rainstorms occur, lowering temperatures and ending the dry spell that tends to set in when the weather warms. The cool temperatures and frequent rain continue into the fall, and the first snowfall is often in November or December. ==Get in== {{Mapframe|35.19920|-111.65131|zoom=11}} ===By car=== Flagstaff is at the intersection of I-40, which runs west to [[California]] and east to [[New Mexico]] (following historic [[Route 66]]) and I-17, which runs south to [[Phoenix]]. ===By train and bus=== * {{listing | name=Amtrak Station - FLG | alt= | type=go | url=http://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train | email= | address=1 E Rte 66 | lat=35.197277 | long=-111.649006 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-8679 | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | fax= | image=Flagstaff train station.jpg | hours= | price= | content=The daily '''Southwest Chief''' Chicago-Los Angeles line makes a stop in downtown Flagstaff. The westbound train arrives at 9:51PM and the eastbound train arrives at 6:06AM. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | alt= | type=go | url=http://www.greyhound.com/en/locations/locations.aspx?state=az | email= | address=880 E Butler Ave | lat=35.192346 | long=-111.638829 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-4573 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===By plane=== {{marker|type=go|name=Flagstaff Pulliam Airport|url=https://www.flyflagstaffaz.com/|wikidata=Q5457039}} ({{IATA|FLG}}) has regular scheduled commercial airline service. '''[https://aa.com American Airlines]''' provides service from [[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas-Fort Worth]] and [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix Sky Harbor]]. '''[https://united.com United Express]''' operates flights from [[Denver International Airport|Denver]]. There are also several air charter carriers. The nearest major airport is [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] ({{IATA|PHX}}). Driving time between Flagstaff and Sky Harbor is greater than the 150-mile separation would suggest: the airport is on the east side of Phoenix, traffic jams in Phoenix are a problem, and I-17 can be shutdown for accidents or wildfires. Allow 2½ hours or more to get from one to the other by car. ==Get around== Flagstaff is stretched out along historic Route 66, which runs roughly east-west. The fairly small (about 5 blocks square) downtown is on the western side of town, near the base of Mars Hill, the location of Lowell Observatory. The I-40 highway and the BNSF railroad tracks run roughly parallel to Route 66. Northern Arizona University is south of downtown and the tracks, but north of I-40. Here the north-south oriented Milton Road, which becomes I-17, is the main thoroughfare, with Route 66 heading west north of the railroad underpass. The city is fairly bike-friendly, with many roads having bike lanes. In 2006 the Flagstaff was designated a "Bicycle-Friendly Community" by the [http://www.bikeleague.org/bfa/search/map?bfaq=flagstaff%2C+az League of American Bicyclists]. The [http://flagstaff.az.gov/futs '''Flagstaff Urban Trails System'''] (FUTS) includes more than 50 miles of paved and unpaved trails that wind throughout the town and are used extensively for recreation and transportation. One well-traveled FUTS path runs along the south side of Route 66 from downtown to the east side of town. The Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority operates [http://www.mountainline.az.gov/ '''The Mountain Line'''], fixed-route bus service that extends throughout Flagstaff and carries more than one million passengers per year. ==See== [[File:Alvan Clark Telescope Lowell Observatory.jpg|thumb|Lowell Observatory]] [[File:Museum of Northern Arizona Rugs.jpg|thumb|Museum of Northern Arizona]] [[File:Elden Pueblo Ruins Arizona 2.jpg|thumb|Elden Pueblo Historic Site]] * {{see | name=Lowell Observatory | alt= | url=http://www.lowell.edu/ | email= | address=1400 W Mars Hill Rd | lat=35.203068 | long=-111.66458 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-3358 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price=$12 (adults), $10 (students/seniors), $5 (children 5-17) | wikipedia=Lowell Observatory | image=Alvan Clark Telescope Lowell Observatory.jpg | wikidata=Q466895 | content=An astronomical research center from which the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered, this historic institution is on a mesa overlooking the west side of town. The staff leads guided daytime tours, and visitors use the Observatory's 24" Clark telescope and smaller portable telescopes during regular evening programs (inquire). }} * {{see | name=Museum of Northern Arizona | alt= | url=http://www.musnaz.org/ | email=info@mna.mus.az.us | address=3101 N Ft Valley Rd | lat=35.234561 | long=-111.665599 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-5213 | tollfree= | fax=+1 928-779-1527 | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM except some holidays | price=$10 (adults), $9 (seniors), $7 (students), $6 (Native Americans, youths 10-17) | wikipedia=Museum of Northern Arizona | image=MusNoAz1.JPG | wikidata=Q14680594 | content=On the north side of town, it has displays on Native American life and the natural history of the region. A good selection of Native American folk art, particularly Navajo rugs, is available at the gift shop. }} * {{see | name=Arboretum at Flagstaff | alt= | url=http://www.thearb.org/ | email= | address=4001 S Woody Mountain Rd | lat=35.159968 | long=-111.731903 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-1442 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Su 10AM-4PM, May-Oct | price=$7 (adults), $6 (seniors), $3 (youth 3-17) | wikipedia=The Arboretum at Flagstaff | image=The Arboretum at Flagstaff.jpg | wikidata=Q1890779 | content=This 200-acre botanical garden, environmental research station, and nature center displays one of America's largest collections of high country wildflowers. Daily guided tours at 11AM and 1PM. Wild Birds of Prey programs at F-M noon and 2PM. }} * {{see | name=Riordan Mansion State Historic Park | alt= | url=http://azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/index.html | email= | address=409 W Riordan Rd | lat=35.187387 | long=-111.659375 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-4395 (reservations) | tollfree= | hours=May-Oct: daily 9:30AM-5PM; Nov-Apr: daily 10:30AM-5PM | price=$12 (adults 14+), $7 (youths 7-13) | wikipedia=Riordan Mansion State Historic Park | image=The Riordan Mansion.jpg | wikidata=Q7335419 | content=This fine example of an Arts and Crafts style house was built in 1904 for a prominent local family. Guided tours are conducted at the top of the hour, reservations recommended. }} * {{see | name=Pioneer Museum | alt= | url=http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/museums/welcome-to-pioneer-museum-flagstaff/ {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email=ahsflagstaff@azhs.gov | address=2340 N Fort Valley Rd | lat=35.223816 | long=-111.655224 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-6272 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 9AM-5PM | price=$6 (adults), $5 (seniors/students/active military), $3 (youths 7-17), Free (children 0-6) | content=This small state museum collects, preserves and exhibits artifacts, documents and photographs of the history of Flagstaff and northern Arizona. It also hosts a number of events throughout the year. }} * {{see | name=Fort Tuthill Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.forttuthill.org/ | email= | address=Arizona 89A | lat=35.132325 | long=-111.689233 | directions= | phone=+1 928-226-0965 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May-Sep: Th F noon-4PM (based on staff availability), Sa Su 10AM-4PM | price=$3 (adults 13+), Free (seniors, children, active military, National Guard members) | content=A former National Guard training facility built in 1929, this small museum now has displays devoted to regional military history. }} * {{see | name=Northern Arizona University Art Museum | alt= | url=http://nau.edu/CAL/Art-Museum/ | email=art.museum@nau.edu | address=321 McMullen Circle, Bldg 10 Room M205, NAU Campus | lat=35.192523 | long=-111.656186 | directions=on the corner of Tormey Ave and Knoles Dr | phone=+1 928-523-3471 | tollfree= | fax=+1 928-523-1424 | hours=Tu-Sa noon-5PM during the school year | price=Free | content=Has rotating exhibits featuring local and international artists. }} * {{see | name=Coconino Center for the Arts | alt= | url=http://www.culturalpartners.org/ | email=info@culturalpartners.org | address=2300 N Fort Valley Rd | lat=35.225153 | long=-111.655089 | directions=next to Sechrist Elementary School, behind the Pioneer Museum | phone=+1 928-779-2300 | tollfree= | fax=+1 928-779-7197 | hours=Tu-Sa 11AM-5PM | price= | content=The largest gallery in northern Arizona, showcases local and regional art. }} * {{see | name=Elden Pueblo Historic Site | alt= | url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/outdoorlearning/recarea/?recid=55092&actid=119 | email= | address=Hwy 89 and Townsend-Winona Rd | lat=35.243539 | long=-111.568244 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0866 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 24 hr | price=Free | wikipedia=Elden Pueblo | image=Elden Pueblo Ruins Arizona 2.jpg | wikidata=Q5353920 | content=A Sinagua archeological site which was inhabited from 1050-1275 BCE. An easy interpretive trail circles the ruins. It is managed by the Coconino National Forest Service, which hosts a number of educational programs and workshops at the site. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve | alt= | url=https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/2881/Picture-Canyon | email= | address= | lat=35.22903 | long=-111.55347 | directions= | phone=+1 928 213-2154 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve | wikidata=Q56452376 | lastedit=2019-02-23 | content= }} ==Do== [[File:Doyle Peak and Fremont Peak from the east side of Agassiz Peak.jpg|thumb|''Inner Basin Trail'' in the San Francisco Peaks]] * {{do | name=Twin Arrows Casino Resort | alt= | url=http://www.twinarrows.com/ | email=TwinArrowsInfo@nnge.org | address=22181 Resort Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 855 946-8946 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-02 | content= }} ===Outdoors=== The area surrounding Flagstaff is a hotspot for outdoor activities. *Many of the bicycle and outdoor sports stores in downtown Flagstaff carry ''Favorite Hikes: Flagstaff and Sedona'' and ''Mountain Biking Arizona Guide: Fat Tire Tales and Trails'', two excellent guidebooks written by local Flagstaff mountain bike enthusiast Cosmic Ray. * {{listing | type=do | name=Absolute Bikes | alt= | url=http://www.absolutebikes.net/ | email= | address=202 E Hwy 66 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 928 779-5969 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Mountain bikes can be rented }} * {{do | name=Mount Elden | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.241111 | long=-111.596667 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0866 (Ranger District Office) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Mount Elden | image=Atop Mount Elden.jpg | wikidata=Q6920585 | content=This area is managed by the Coconino National Forest, and is an excellent starting point for exploring the area with numerous trails running up and alongside most faces of the mountain. One of the most popular trails is [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=55140&actid=50 '''Elden Lookout Trail'''], which scales all 2800 ft (855m) from base to summit, and has access to the lookout tower at the top which looks down on the entire city. The trail can be accessed from Hwy 89 across from the Flagstaff Mall and next to the Ranger Station (35.230295, -111.579234). }} * {{do | name=San Francisco Peaks | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.346342 | long=-111.677946 | directions= | phone = +1-928-527-3600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Francisco Peaks | image=San Francisco Peaks 01.jpg | wikidata=Q1974825 | content=Managed by the Coconino National Forest, the San Francisco Peaks northwest of Flagstaff offer a number of hiking trails for all skill levels, as well as opportunities for mountain biking, rock climbing, camping, and skiing. The range is crowned by the 12,637-ft Humphreys Peak, and is held sacred by the Havasupai, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes. Maps and trail information can be obtained from the Coconino National Forest Headquarters (1824 S. Thompson St.). }} * {{do | name=Arizona Snowbowl | alt= | url=http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com | email=info@arizonasnowbowl.com | address=9300 N Snowbowl Rd | lat=35.330917 | long=-111.710254 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-1951 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Arizona Snowbowl | image=Snowbowl Skilift, 2008.jpg | wikidata=Q4791400 | content=Alpine skiing. One of only three ski resorts in the state of Arizona. Despite the surrounding desert, Flagstaff is a popular skiing destination for the Southwest due to the high elevation. Interestingly, the Snowbowl is one of the first ten ski resorts established in the United States. Snowbowl is in the San Francisco Mountains, which offer pleasant high-country hiking after the snow melts, including a trail to '''Humphreys Peak''', highest mountain in Arizona. Access to some of the San Franciscos is restricted, as they're sacred to several of the area's Native tribes. }} * {{do | name=Flagstaff Nordic Center | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaffnordiccenter.com/ | email= | address=16848 Hwy 180 | lat=35.36681 | long=-111.78972 | directions=parking lot alongside Hwy 180 at Mile Marker 232 | phone=+1 928-220-0550 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the southwest's best cross-country skiing areas with over 50 km of well-groom ski trails and 25 km of snowshoe trails. In the summer the trails are open for hiking and mountain biking. Trail passes and equipment rental prices are listed [http://www.flagstaffnordiccenter.com/price-list/ here]; overnight cabin rental is also available. }} * {{do | name=Jay Lively Activity Center | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/index.aspx?NID=63 | email= | address=1650 N Turquoise Dr | lat=35.214341 | long=-111.638272 | directions= | phone=+1 928-213-2340 | tollfree= | fax=+1 928-774-9718 | hours= | price=Price varies | content=City-owned permanent indoor ice skating rink. Offers ice skating lessons, public skating sessions, and also hosts ice hockey games. }} *{{do | name=Northern Arizona Yoga Center | url=http://www.northernarizonayogacenter.com | email=info@northernarizonayogacenter.com | address=113 S San Francisco St | lat=35.194897 | long=-111.649451 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-3144 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$15 drop in | content=Northern Arizona Yoga Center is the largest yoga studio in town. This studio offers more than just yoga: they also host Salsa parties, Tango classes, Capoiera, Pilates, and Tai Chi. They are also a great supplier of yoga clothing and accessories. They are partners with the Vertical Relief Climbing Gym. Dual memberships are available. }} * {{do | name=Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaffextreme.com/ | email=info@flagstaffextreme.com | address=Fort Tuthill Loop Rd | lat=35.143248 | long=-111.693708 | directions=Fort Tuthill County Park | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-259-0125 | fax=+1 480-718-7450 | image=Extreme Adventure Park.jpg | hours= | price=$45 (adults and teens), $25 (kids 7-11) | content=A suspended obstacle course with more than 70 aerial challenges for children and adults. }} * '''Trailriding''' ** {{do | name=Hitchin’ Post Stables | alt= | url=http://historichitchinpoststables.com/ | email=spirit7sevens@gmail.com | address=4848 Lake Mary Rd | lat=35.134282 | long=-111.613821 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-1719 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$45-250 | lastedit=2017-10-14 | content=Offers guided horseback riding excursions forest land southeast of Flagstaff, ranging from 1 to 8 hours in length. }} ** {{do | name=Morrison Brothers Windmill Ranch | alt= | url=http://www.windmillrancharizona.com/ | email=windmillranchaz@gmail.com | address=Newman Park | lat=35.018636 | long=-111.682668 | directions=Exit 328 off I-17 | phone=+1 928-606-3973 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$45-70 (adults), $35-55 (children) | content=A working cattle ranch which now offers guided horseback riding excursions to day visitors, ranging in length from 1 to 1.5 hours. }} ===Festivals and events=== [[File:Pickin in the Pines.jpg|thumb|Pickin' in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival]] * {{do | name=First Friday ArtWalk | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/flagstaffartwalk {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@culturalpartners.org | address=Heritage Square | lat=35.198632 | long=-111.648045 | directions=downtown | phone=+1 928-779-2300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=Every first Friday of the month art galleries and restaurants stay open until late in the evening, with live street entertainment and music centered around Heritage Square. }} * {{do | name=Zuni Festival of Arts and Culture | alt= | url=https://musnaz.org/heritage/zuni-festival/ | email=info@mna.mus.az.us | address=3101 N Ft Valley Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Museum of Northern Arizona | phone=+1 928-774-5213 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$12 (adults), $8 (youth/student/American Indian), free (children under 10) | lastedit=2017-01-25 | content=Held annually in late May, this two-day festival sponsored by NAU celebrates Zuni culture with dance and music, and arts and crafts demonstrations and exhibits. }} * {{do | name=Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture | alt= | url=https://musnaz.org/heritage/hopi-festival/ | email=info@mna.mus.az.us | address=3101 N Ft Valley Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Museum of Northern Arizona | phone=+1 928-774-5213 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$12 (adults), $8 (youth/student/American Indian), free (children under 10) | lastedit=2017-01-25 | content=Held annually on the 4th of July weekend, this festival celebrates Hopi traditions and culture with music, dance, food, and arts and crafts exhibits. }} * {{do | name=Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture | alt= | url=https://musnaz.org/heritage/navajo-festival/ | email=info@mna.mus.az.us | address=3101 N Ft Valley Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Museum of Northern Arizona | phone=+1 928-774-5213 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$12 (adults), $8 (youth/student/American Indian), free (children under 10) | lastedit=2017-01-25 | content=Held annually in early August, celebrates Diné (Navajo) culture with music, dance, lectures, food, art, and weaving demonstrations. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Celebraciones de la Gente | alt= | url=https://musnaz.org/heritage/celebraciones/ | email=info@mna.mus.az.us | address=3101 N Ft Valley Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Museum of Northern Arizona | phone=+1 928-774-5213 | tollfree= | hours= | price=$12 (adults), $8 (youth/student/American Indian), free (children under 10) | lastedit=2017-01-25 | content=Held in late October, this festival celebrates the Mexican holiday [[Day of the Dead|Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead]]. Activities include mariachi music, storytelling, and arts demonstrations. Ofrendas (private altars) are exhibited in the courtyard. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Highland Celtic Festival | alt= | url=http://www.nachs.info/festival.shtml | email=information@nachs.info | address=Foxglenn Park | lat=35.194172 | long=-111.597969 | directions= | phone=+1 928-556-3161 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$15/1-day, $22/2-days (adults); $4/1-day, $6/2-days (children 3-12) | content=Held every July, with music, dance, and food and drink. }} * {{do | name=Pickin' in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival | alt= | url=http://pickininthepines.org/ | email=PIPinfo@pickininthepines.org | address=Ft Tuthill County Park | lat=35.14488 | long=-111.691371 | directions= | phone=+1 928-525-1695 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Held annually in mid-September. }} * {{do | name=Coconino County Fair | alt= | url=http://www.coconino.az.gov/index.aspx?nid=275 | email=parksrec@coconino.az.gov | address=2446 Ft Tuthill Loop | lat=35.144793 | long=-111.688882 | directions=Coconino County Fairgrounds | phone=+1 928-679-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$8 (adults), $5 (children and seniors) | content=Held annually in September and features traditional fair exhibits, entertainment, livestock auctions, and carnival rides. }} * {{do | name=Dew Downtown Flagstaff | alt= | url=http://www.dewdowntownflagstaff.com/ | email= | address=San Francisco St | lat=35.199886 | long=-111.646868 | directions=downtown | phone=+1 928-213-2300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=A two-day urban snowboarding and skiing festival held on the streets of downtown Flagstaff. }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Aspen Sports | alt= | url=http://aspensportsflagstaff.com/ | email= | address=15 N San Francisco St | lat=35.197913 | long=-111.647948 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-1935 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-7PM, Su 9AM-5PM | price= | content=A good source of outdoor sporting gear. }} * {{buy | name=Babbit’s Backcountry Outfitters | alt= | url=http://babbittsbackcountry.com/ | email= | address=12 E Aspen Ave | lat=35.198413 | long=-111.647742 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-4775 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Winter: M-Sa 9AM-7PM, Su 10AM-5PM; Summer: M-Sa 9AM-8PM, Su 10AM-6PM | price= | content=Stocks a good range of camping gear, and rents out some gear as well. }} * {{buy | name=Bookmans Entertainment Exchange | alt= | url=http://bookmans.com/stores/flagstaff/ | email= | address=1520 S Riordan Ranch St | lat=35.18599 | long=-111.65930 | directions=Varsity Shopping Center | phone=+1 928-774-0005 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=This Tucson-based used bookstore chain also carries used CDs, DVDs, video games, etc. There is an onsite café, electric vehicle charging station, and free Wi-Fi, and pets are welcome in the store. }} * {{buy | name=Flagstaff Mall & The Marketplace | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaffmall.com/ | email= | address=4605 N Highway 89 F-36 | lat=35.22315 | long=-111.581165 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-4827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-6PM; restaurant and department store hrs vary | price= | wikipedia=Flagstaff Mall | wikidata=Q20714643 | content=Anchored by Sears, JCPenney, and Dillard's. }} * {{buy | name=Starrlight Books | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 N Leroux St | lat=35.19809 | long=-111.64908 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-6813 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Starlight Books - Flickr - brewbooks.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-23 | content=An independent used bookshop. }} ==Eat== ===Asian=== * {{eat | name=August Moon | alt= | url=http://www.augustmoonflagstaff.com/ | email=augustmoon_flagstaff@yahoo.com | address=1300 S Milton Rd | lat=35.187632 | long=-111.661049 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-5280 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-9PM | price= | content=No frills, but excellent Chinese food and friendly service. Delivery too. }} * {{eat | name=Dara Thai Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.darathaiflagstaff.com/ | email= | address=14 S San Francisco St | lat=35.196092 | long=-111.648418 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-0047 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Downtown, centrally located serving decent Thai food. Get a seat by the window and view San Francisco Street while you dine. Takeout available. }} * {{eat | name=Hunan East | alt= | url=http://www.hunaneastflagstaff.com/ | email= | address=1926 N 4th St #8 | lat=35.207986 | long=-111.612807 | directions=East Side | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-8:45PM, F Sa 11AM-9PM | price= | content=Great Chinese food in a casual atmosphere. Takeout available. }} * {{eat | name=Little Thai Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=1051 S Milton Rd | lat=35.190421 | long=-111.661625 | directions= | phone=+1 928-226-9422 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A Thai restaurant popular with locals. }} * {{eat | name=Pato Thai | alt= | url= | email= | address=104 N San Francisco St | lat=35.198395 | long=-111.647661 | directions= | phone=+1 928-213-1825 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Downtown, another popular one with locals. }} ===Pizza=== [[File:Pizzicletta Neopolitan Pizza Oven (6045969232).jpg|thumb|Pizzicletta]] * {{eat | name=Fratelli Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.fratellipizza.net/ | email= | address=119 W Phoenix Ave; 2120 N 4th St | lat=35.196968 | long=-111.651685 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-9700 (Phx Ave location) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A pizza place that is well-loved by the locals. They have cheese, pepperoni, and pesto slices, and many specialty pies. Their pizza is hand-tossed, thin crust, brick oven pizza, like what is found back east. }} * {{eat | name=New Jersey Pizza Company | alt= | url=http://newjerseypizzacompany.com/ | email=email@newjerseypizzacompany.com | address=2224 E Cedar Ave #6 | lat=35.218364 | long=-111.6161 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4-9PM | price= | content=Excellent choice for those looking for an all organic menu or more exotic options than the typical pizza restaurant offers. }} * {{eat | name=NiMarcos Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.nimarcospizza.com/ | email= | address=101 S Beaver St | lat=35.195785 | long=-111.651315 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-2691 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Locally owned and operated in Flagstaff for years, NiMarcos offers semi-thick crust pizza, salads and soft-serve ice cream. Go in and order your own pie or just buy a slice. Local favorite. }} * {{eat | name=Oregano's Pizza Bistro | alt= | url=http://www.oreganos.com/index_main.html | email= | address=605 Riordan Rd | lat=35.189838 | long=-111.660625 | directions= | phone=+1 928-773-8600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-9PM | price= | content=Fantastic Chicago-style pizza with a great throw-back atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=Pizzicletta | alt= | url=http://www.pizzicletta.com/ | email=pizzicletta@gmail.com | address=203 W Phoenix Ave | lat=35.197019 | long=-111.652326 | directions=Off milton road near route 66 | phone=+1 928-774-3242 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Pizzicletta Flagstaff.jpg | hours=Su-Th 5-9PM, F Sa 5-10PM | price=$11-15 per pie | lastedit=2015-07-16 | content=A Neapolitan style pizza place with house-made gelato. Takeout available. You can sit next door at Mother Road Brewery and order from Pizzicleta next door. }} ===Mexican=== [[File:Chilequilas MartAnnes.jpg|thumb|Chilequilas at MartAnne's Cafe]] * {{eat | name=Casa Bonita | alt=Plaza Bonita | url=http://www.casabonitaaz.com/ | email= | address=1551 S Milton Rd | lat=35.185686 | long=-111.662079 | directions=by Wendy's | phone=+1 928-773-0065 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 11AM-10PM, Th F 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Has great Mexican food and a great bar menu with afforable prices, though more expensive than some of the other local restaurants. A good family spot, but lacks authentic flavor. }} * {{eat | name=El Charro Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=409 S San Francisco St | lat=35.19237 | long=-111.65051 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-0552 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located between the campus of Northern Arizona University and the downtown area, this an authentic Mexican food restaurant. The nachos are actually crisp and the enchilada sauce tastes how it should! Very affordable and very genuine. }} * {{eat | name=Kachina Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.kachinarestaurant.com/ | email=kachina@flagstaff.net | address=522 E Rte 66 | lat=35.195905 | long=-111.64311 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-1944 | tollfree=+1-866-798-4253 | fax= | hours=M 10AM-8PM, Tu-Th 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8PM | price= | content=Located on the eastern fringe of downtown, yet another great locally owned Mexican restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=La Fonda Mexican Restaurant | alt= | url=http://lafondaflg.com/ | email= | address=1900 N 2nd St | lat=35.206625 | long=-111.615614 | directions=East Side | phone=+1 928-779-0296 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 10AM-8PM | price= | image=La Fonda Mexican Restaurant.jpg | content=Same location since the 1950s, this a well-loved Mexican restaurant with great salsa and authentic dishes. Is busy most times so expect to wait to be seated. }} * {{eat | name=MartAnne's Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=10 N San Francisco St | lat=35.197273 | long=-111.647179 | directions= | phone=+1 928-773-4701 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Chilequilas MartAnnes.jpg | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-2:30PM | price= | content=Mexican breakfast/brunch. Awesome food, huge portions at fairly reasonable prices. Cash only. }} ===American/Southwest=== [[File:Grand Canyon Cafe (8046042653) (3).jpg|thumb|upright|Grand Canyon Cafe]] [[File:Breakfast at Macy's.jpg|thumb|Breakfast at Macy's European Coffeehouse and Bakery]] * {{eat | name=Bigfoot BBQ | alt= | url=http://bigfootbbq.com/ | email=office@bigfootbbq.com | address=120 N Leroux St | lat=35.19907 | long=-111.648131 | directions=in basement of Old Town Shops | phone=+1 928-226-1677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Flagstaff, AZ, USA - panoramio (5).jpg | content=This is the place to go if you have a hankering for a pulled pork sandwich or a batch of fried okra. They even serve gourmet hotdogs. Owned by a Georgia native turned Flagstaff resident, you won't want to miss out on this! }} * {{eat | name=Brandy's Restaurant & Bakery | alt= | url=http://brandysrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1500 E Cedar Ave #40 | lat=35.218908 | long=-111.620719 | directions=Midtown Shopping Center | phone=+1 928-779-2187 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 6:30AM-3PM | price= | content=Breakfast features quiche of the day, seven grain French toast, specialty egg dishes, homemade pastries and many other quality items. Lunch features tons of tasty sandwiches and burgers. Dinner is slightly more upscale but definitely affordable ($10-15 a plate) and features the wonderful creations of Chef Sherman Johnson. Tequila Lime Chicken and Garlic Stuffed Pork just to name a couple. Dinner is only served Tuesday thru Saturday. Breakfast served until 2:30PM on Sunday. }} * {{eat | name=Buster's Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://www.bustersflagstaff.com/ | email=bustersflag@aol.com | address=1800 S Milton Rd | lat=35.182942 | long=-111.659756 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-5155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price= | content=Casual fine dining with decent food. A good place, but may be a disappointment for those expecting the spectacular. }} * {{eat | name=Charly's Pub & Grill | alt= | url=http://weatherfordhotel.com/food-spirits/charlys-pub-grill/ | email= | address=23 N Leroux St | lat=35.198448 | long=-111.649098 | directions=Weatherford Hotel | phone=+1 928-779-1919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 8AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=Live blues music in the evening. }} *{{eat | name=Diablo Burger | url=http://www.diabloburger.com/ | email= | address=120 N Leroux St #112 | lat=35.19886 | long=-111.64801 | directions=an oddly shaped circular building next to an Italian restaurant with outdoor seating | phone=+1 928-774-3274 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Diablo Burger.jpg | hours=M-W 11AM-9PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Although tricky to find and seating is rather limited, this place is one of those extraordinarily rewarding discoveries for the persistent traveler. Their burgers ($8-10) are made from range-raised beef from a ranch just north of Flagstaff, served on an English muffin with a boatload of Belgian-style fries. In fact, all of their ingredients are from local businesses whenever possible. They also offer a handful of good regional beers. Their commitment to doing good by staying local even extends to their billing practices: they don't accept credit cards. Bring cash - you'll be glad you did! }} * {{eat | name=Horsemen Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.horsemenlodge.com/ | email= | address=8500 Hwy 89 | lat=35.261889 | long=-111.550393 | directions=3.5 miles north of Flagstaff Mall | phone=+1 928-526-2655 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Open for dinner with a great salad bar. The place to go for a nice, tender steak! Decorated with a authentic ranch style atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=Macy's European Coffeehouse | alt= | url=http://www.macyscoffee.net/ | email= | address=14 Beaver St | lat=35.1963 | long=-111.650776 | directions=south side of the tracks | phone=+1 928-774-2243 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Breakfast at Macy's.jpg | hours= | price= | content=They roast their own coffee and have lots of vegan foodstuffs. A favorite amongst the hippies. }} * {{eat | name=Western Gold Steakhouse | alt= | url=http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/dining/western-gold-restaurant | email= | address=2515 E Butler Ave | lat=35.19157 | long=-111.619196 | directions=in the Little America Hotel | phone=+1 928-779-7979 | tollfree=+1-800-865-1401 | fax= | hours=Daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner | price= | content=The Western Gold Steakhouse is one of Flagstaff's most popular dining choices, American cuisine. }} ===Grocery stores=== * {{eat | name=Fry's | alt= | url=https://www.frysfood.com/storeHours?store=66000104 | email= | address=201 N Switzer Canyon Dr | lat=35.195107 | long=-111.635203 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-2719 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 5:30AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=Has a full-service hot and cold deli, and onsite pharmacy. }} ==Drink== [[File:Museum Club - Flagstaff Arizona.jpg|thumb|The historic Museum Club]] [[File:Flagstaff Brewing Company (17044774025).jpg|thumb|Flagstaff Brewing Company]] For beer fans, Flagstaff boasts several brewpubs and microbreweries. * {{drink | name=Altitude's Bar & Grill | alt= | url=http://www.altitudesbarandgrill.com/ | email=info@altitudesbarandgrill.com | address=2 Beaver St #200 | lat=35.196962 | long=-111.650395 | directions= | phone=+1 928-214-8218 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price= | content=Relaxed atmosphere, great outdoor seating and a cozy fireplace inside for the winter months. Live music. }} * {{drink | name=Beaver Street Brewery | alt= | url=http://www.beaverstreetbrewery.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@beaverstreetbrewery.com | address=11 S Beaver St | lat=35.196537 | long=-111.650979 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-0079 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Restaurant: Su-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa 11AM-midnight; Brewpub: Su-W 11AM-1AM, Th-Sa 11AM-2AM | price= | image=Beaver Street Brewery (2437429011).jpg | content=Brewpub. Serves up a wide range of their own beers, as well as a good selection of reasonably priced and tasty German-style pub grub (sausages, mashed potatoes and the like). }} * {{drink | name=Flagstaff Brewing Company | alt= | url=http://www.flagbrew.com | email=flagbrew@flagbrew.com | address=16 E Rt 66 | lat=35.197514 | long=-111.64841 | directions= | phone=+1 928-773-1442 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Flagstaff Brewing Company (17044774025).jpg | hours=Daily 11AM-2AM | price= | content=Brewpub serving ales, pub food, and a good selection of whiskeys. }} * {{drink | name=Historic Barrel+Bottle House | alt= | url=http://www.historicbarrelandbottle.com/ | email=info@historicbrewingcompany.com | address=110 S San Francisco St | lat=35.19494 | long=-111.64883 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-0454 | tollfree= | image=Historic Brewing Barrel + Bottle House (29848632900).jpg | hours=Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-midnight | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-10-23 | content=The popular brewpub serves locally-crafted and imported beers, and pub food. }} * {{drink | name=Lumberyard Brewing Company | alt= | url=http://www.lumberyardbrewingcompany.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=5 S San Francisco St | lat=35.19640 | long=-111.64862 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-2739 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Knotty Pine Pale Ale (29495025664).jpg | hours=Su-Tu 11AM-11PM, W-Sa 11AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2016-08-02 | content=A brewery/restaurant with outdoor area. Has good food and great beer. They have square-dancing nights one day a week. }} * {{drink | name=Mother Road Brewing Company | alt= | url=http://www.motherroadbeer.com/ | email=michael@motherroadbeer.com | address=7 South Mikes Pike St. | lat=35.196985 | long=-111.652476 | directions=Corner of W Phoenix Ave and South Mikes Pike St. | phone=+1 928 774-9139 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Mother Road Brewing Company.jpg | hours=M-Th 2-9PM, F Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-9PM | price=$4-6 for a pint | lastedit=2015-07-16 | content=Really, really good craft brews with friendly service. Pizzicletta handles the food menu. }} * {{drink | name=The Museum Club | alt= | url=http://www.museumclub.net/ | email=3404ENT@gmail.com | address=3404 E Rte 66 | lat=35.214131 | long=-111.599606 | directions= | phone=+1 928-440-5214 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Museum Club - Flagstaff Arizona.jpg | hours= | price= |lastedit=2018-11-05| content=This historic log-built roadhouse opened in 1939, and has hosted the likes of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Known primarily for live country music. }} * {{drink | name=Tiffany Tree Lounge | alt= | url=http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/dining/tiffany-tree-lounge | email= | address=2515 E Butler Ave | lat=35.191565 | long=-111.619262 | directions=in the Little America Hotel | phone=+1 928-779-7979 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shares a common area with Western Gold Restaurant (see listing above). }} ==Sleep== Because of its proximity to the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff has a wide array of hotels and other lodging, with over 5,000 rooms available. Cheap rooms are available at older non-chain motels, but you get what you pay for, and prices may not be that much cheaper than discount chains. Be sure to shop around and bargain as proprietors are often willing to drop prices during the off-season. Many motels of the older variety are located along Route 66 east of downtown. More older hotels and most newer motels are located south of downtown along Milton Road. There are a few historic hotels downtown, as well as two hostels. Various B&B establishments can be found near downtown in older neighborhoods. Campgrounds and RV parks can be found on the outskirts of town. Note that the BNSF rail line is very busy and in many hotels train horn noise is prominent (though not overwhelming as no facility is directly on the tracks). Sensitive sleepers should look to the Milton Road area for more quiet. Visible from the I-40 freeway off the Butler Ave. exit on Lucky Lane is a large selection of national chain economy class hotels including '''Econo Lodge''', '''Motel 6''', '''Quality Inn''', '''Super 8''' and '''Howard Johnson'''. ===Budget=== [[File:Flagstaff - Monte Vista Hotel - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Some scenes of ''Casablanca'' were shot in the Hotel Monte Vista]] [[File:Flagstaff-Weatherford Hotel-1887.jpg|thumb|The historic Weatherford Hotel hosted novelist Zane Grey and is rumored to be haunted]] * {{sleep | name=DuBeau Hostel | alt= | url=http://www.grandcanyonhostel.com/dubeau/script/newDubeauSet.htm | email=info@dubeauhostel.com | address=19 W Phoenix St | lat=35.196668 | long=-111.650534 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-6731 | tollfree=+1-800-398-7112 | fax=+1 928-774-6047 | checkin= | checkout= | price=$22-24 (bed), $48-60 (private room) | image=Motel DuBeau.jpg | content=Free wi-fi and breakfast, free coffee and tea available throughout the day. }} * {{sleep | name=Grand Canyon International Hostel | alt= | url=http://www.grandcanyonhostel.com/GCindex.htm | email=info@GrandCanyonHostel.com | address=19½ S San Francisco St | lat=35.195695 | long=-111.648981 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-9421 | tollfree=+1-888-442-2696 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$22-24 (bed), $44-56 (private room) | content=Free wi-fi and breakfast, free coffee and tea available throughout the day. }} *{{sleep | name=Hotel Monte Vista | alt= | url=http://www.hotelmontevista.com/ | email=hotelmontevista@gmail.com | address=100 N San Francisco St | lat=35.198222 | long=-111.647321 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-6971 | tollfree=+1-800-545-3068 | fax=+1 928-779-2904 | checkin= | checkout= | price=$50-150/night | wikipedia=Hotel Monte Vista | image=Flagstaff - Monte Vista Hotel - panoramio.jpg | wikidata=Q5911758 | content=Stay at the same hotel where some scenes of ''Casablanca'' were shot. Opened in 1927, the hotel hosted such illustrious guests as Bing Crospy, Spencer Tracy, and Jane Russell, and is widely reputed to be haunted. }} * {{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn | alt= | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-flagstaff-arizona-AZ822 | email= | address=2765 S Woodlands Village Blvd | lat=35.174317 | long=-111.665609 | directions=near Northern Arizona University | phone=+1 928-556-3000 | tollfree= | fax=+1 928-774-1901 | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=$62-$89/night | content=58-room hotel. Non-smoking, free breakfast and wi-fi, pets welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=Weatherford Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.weatherfordhotel.com/ | email=samgreen@weatherfordhotel.com | address=23 N Leroux St | lat=35.19840 | long=-111.64895 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-1919 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$49-139/night | wikipedia=Weatherford Hotel | image=Flagstaff-Weatherford Hotel-1887.jpg | wikidata=Q7978286 | content=Noted novelist Zane Grey wrote ''Call of the Canyon'' while staying here. Widely rumored to be haunted. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{sleep | name=Abineau Lodge Bed & Breakfast | url=http://www.abineaulodge.com/ | email=info@abineaulodge.com | address=1080 Mountainaire Rd | lat=35.088626 | long=-111.667905 | directions=Exit 333 off I-17, 1.4 miles east | phone=+1 928-525-6212 | tollfree=+1-888-715-6386 | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=11AM | price=$150/night | content=A quiet hideaway with 8 rooms, 6 miles south of Flagstaff. Away from the train noise but close enough to enjoy all the region has to offer. }} *{{sleep | name=Conifer House Bed and Breakfast | url=http://www.coniferhouse.com/ | email=info@coniferhouse.com | address=1701 West Stevanna Way | lat=35.224037 | long=-111.657696 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-2438 | tollfree=+1-888-788-3614 | fax= | checkin=4-6PM | checkout=11AM | price=$129-189 | content=This bed and breakfast features a 2-person jacuzzi and a gas fireplace in every room. It is also easily accessible from downtown Flagstaff. }} * {{sleep | name=Days Inn and Suites East Flagstaff | alt= | url=http://www.daysinn.com/hotels/arizona/flagstaff/days-inn-and-suites-flagstaff-east/hotel-overview | email=cindy.iniguez@gmail.com | address=3601 E Lockett Rd | lat=35.217378 | long=-111.595136 | directions=I-40 at Exit 201 | phone=+1 928-527-1477 | tollfree=+1-800-261-0506 | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=$100-160/night | content=Pet-friendly lodging with king-size beds, which also provides a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast. }} *{{sleep | name=Starlight Pines Bed & Breakfast | url=http://www.starlightpinesbb.com | email=romance@starlightpinesbb.com | address=3380 E Lockett Rd | lat=35.219898 | long=111.59521 | directions=Exit 201 off I-40, left on Hwy 89, right on Fanning, left on Lockett | phone=+1 928-527-1912 | tollfree=+1-800-752-1912 | fax= | checkin=4-6PM | checkout=11AM | price=$155-179/night | content=1912 Victorian style B/B. Four guest rooms with private baths, Lily with private balcony overlooking Mount Elden, Dragonfly with wood-burning fireplace. }} ===Splurge=== *{{sleep | name=England House Bed and Breakfast | url=http://www.englandhousebandb.com | email=innkeeper@englandhousebandb.com | address=614 W Santa Fe Ave | lat=35.199934 | long=-111.65615 | directions= | phone=+1 928-214-7350 | tollfree=+1-877-214-7350 | fax= | checkin=4-6PM (no late checkins) | checkout=11AM | price=$135-200/night | content=This well-respected bed and breakfast is just four blocks from Flagstaff's historic downtown. England house was built in the early 1900s and is now furnished with antiques from the late 1800s. Breakfast is served on the bright sun porch. }} * {{sleep | name=Little America Hotel Flagstaff | alt= | url=http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/ | email= | address=2515 E Butler Ave | lat=35.191592 | long=-111.619069 | directions= | phone=+1 928-779-7900 | tollfree=+1-800-865-1401 | fax=+1 928-779-7983 | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=$149-189 | content=Antique, continental flair. One of the more unique hotel experiences that Flagstaff has to offer. Free airport shuttle from 7AM-10PM. }} *{{sleep | name=Flagstaff Rental Cabin | url=http://flagstaffrentalcabin.com | email= | address=2584 Cibola Ovi | lat=35.090952 | long=-111.696475 | directions= | phone=+1 602-628-3500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3:30PM | checkout=11AM | price=$175-225/night, $800-1500/week | content=3-bedroom cabin with two king size fully adjustable beds with massage upstairs and two queen beds downstairs. Ralph Lauren bedding throughout. 55" 3D TV and fireplace in the great room. }} ===Camping=== [[File:Lockett Meadow, 1996.jpg|thumb|Locket Meadow in the San Francisco Peaks]] [[File:Kendrick Cabin.jpg|thumb|Kendrick Cabin]] [http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/?cid=stelprdb5313448 Dispersed camping] (free) is permitted almost anywhere in the Coconino National Forest, which abuts town in many places (i.e. Thorpe Park, Mt Elden). Specific sites set aside for dispersed camping include [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=70996&actid=34 '''Cinder Hills'''], [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=75157&actid=34 '''Freidlein Prairie'''], and [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=75328&actid=34 '''Marshall Lake'''] (free, no water or facilities). Some of the choicest camp sites are on the San Francisco peaks and inner basin where a breathtaking aspen color changes happen every fall. * {{sleep | name=Bonito Campground | alt= | url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=55072&actid=29 | email= | address= | lat=35.370429 | long=-111.543602 | directions=off of Hwy 89 | phone=+1 928-526-0866 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$18/night (no reservations) | content=Open beginning of May to mid-October. This campground with 44 sites is very popular and is close to Wupatki and Sunset Crater National Monuments. Drinking water, flush toilets, no hookups, trailers/RVs under 42'. }} * {{sleep | name=Canyon Vista Campground | alt= | url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=54954&actid=29 | email= | address= | lat=35.125981 | long=-111.59839 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0866 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$16/night (no reservations) | content=Open beginning of May to mid-October, with 11 individual sites. Located near Walnut Canyon, with good views of the San Francisco Peaks. Drinking water and vault toilets, no hookups, trailers/RVs under 22'. }} * {{sleep | name=Fort Tuthill County Park Campground | alt= | url=http://coconino.az.gov/index.aspx?NID=502 | email= | address= | lat=35.141679 | long=-111.695482 | directions= | phone=+1 928-679-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$16 (tent), $20 (hookup), $6 (reservation fee) | image=Fort Tuthill Campground (5857447944).jpg | content=Facilities include a few hook-up sites, picnic tables, fire rings, portable toilets, and water spigots. No water or electricity available. Reservations can be made by phone or [https://activenet020.active.com/coconinoparksandrec/ online]. }} * {{sleep | name=Lockett Meadow Campground | alt= | url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=55136&actid=29 | email= | address= | lat=35.3586 | long=-111.6208 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0866 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Lockett Meadow, 1996.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price=$12/night (no reservations) | content=Open mid-May to mid-September, with 17 individual sites. A very popular campground with great views of the San Francisco Peaks. No water, vault toilets. Not recommended for trailers/RVs. }} * {{sleep | name=Fernow Cabin | alt= | url=http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Fernow_Cabin_Az/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75336&pstate=AZ | email= | address=5075 N Hwy 89 | lat=35.01639 | long=-111.84972 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0866 | tollfree=+1-877-444-6777 | fax= | checkin=11AM | checkout=2PM | price=$75/night (no water), $125/night (water) | content=A retired US Forest Service Fire Guard Station, this 3-BR log cabin housed fire fighters in the summer. The cabin can sleep up to 8 people, and is furnished with bunks, stove, and pots and pans, and vault toilet. Campers must bring their own bedding supplies. Open April 15 - November 15 (weather-dependent), water available from May 16 - October 16. Reservations can be made online. }} * {{sleep | name=Kendrick Cabin | alt= | url=http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Kendrick_Cabin_Az/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75333 | email= | address=5075 N Hwy 89 | lat=35.4222 | long=-111.73789 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0866 | tollfree=+1-877-444-6777 | fax= | image=Kendrick Cabin.jpg | checkin=11AM | checkout=2PM | price=$75/night (no water), $125/night (water) | content=A retired US Forest Service Fire Guard Station, this 3-BR stone-built cabin housed fire fighters in the summer. Can sleep up to 10 people and is furnished with bunks, stove, and pots and pans; there is an outside bath house with flush toilet and shower. Campers must bring their own bedding supplies. Open April 15 - November 15 (weather-dependent), water available from May 16 - October 16. Reservations can be made online. }} * {{sleep | name=Off Grid Getaways at Flagstaff Nordic Center | alt= | url=http://www.offgridgetaways.com/ | email= | address=16848 Hwy 180 | lat=35.366717 | long=-111.790225 | directions=parking lot alongside Hwy 180 at Mile Marker 232 | phone=+1 928-220-0550 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price=$45-$55/night (cabins), $30-$35 (small yurts), $60-$75/night (large yurts) | content=Offers yurts and log-sided camper cabins to rent. Yurts and cabins have bunks or mattress pads and wood stoves; no electricity or water. Wi-fi and showers are available at the main lodge, which also offers mountain bikes for rent. Reservations can be made by phone or online. }} * {{sleep | name=Flagstaff KOA | alt= | url=http://koa.com/campgrounds/flagstaff/ | email=jsatkoaflag@aol.com | address=5803 N Hwy 89 | lat=35.234165 | long=-111.576736 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-9926 | tollfree=+1-800-562-3524 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Spaces for trailers/RVs and tents, cabins available. Laundry, showers, wi-fi and shuttle bus; bicycles available to rent. }} *{{sleep | name=Black Barts RV Park / Steakhouse & Saloon | alt= | url=http://www.blackbartssteakhouse.com/ | email=info@blackbartssteakhouse.com | address=2760 E Butler Ave | lat=35.193677 | long=-111.616465 | directions= | phone=+1 928-774-1912 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=Full hookups with 50-amp service. }} ==Stay safe== [[File:Snow plowed.jpg|thumb|Flagstaff really does receive a lot of snow]] Although Flagstaff is well within the southern half of the U.S., it receives more snowfall than just about any other American city. Always come prepared in wintertime. There is not a huge crime problem, but certain areas noted below should be avoided, mainly at night: Sunnyside, one of Flagstaff's larger neighborhoods, is on the east side of town (bordered by Cedar Ave. on the north, 4th St. on the east, Izabel St. and Cedar Hill on the west and Route 66 on the south). Sunnyside is an incredibly diverse and interesting neighborhood but is also one of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in the city. Most points of interest are restaurants located on the edge of the neighborhood in the business districts which are generally safe any time of day. The area has been afflicted with some gang activity, mostly in the very center of the neighborhood. Just don't walk the neighborhood at night or hang out in an area that seems unsafe. The other area that becomes unsafe at night is some areas of what locals call the "South Side". South of the railroad tracks, west of Lone Tree Road, east of Milton and north of the NAU campus is the general designation of this area. The exception being most of the areas along South Beaver St. and South San Francisco St., which are safe even at night because of the night-time music, restaurant and bar scene that takes place along these streets. Areas closer to campus and on side streets such as South O'Leary and South Fontaine should be avoided at night. Though a lot of college students inhabit the area, drug addicts and transients do also, and there is some gang activity. ==Connect== * {{listing | name=Flagstaff Public Library | alt= | url=http://flagstaffpubliclibrary.org/ | email= | address=300 W Aspen Ave | lat=35.200184 | long=-111.652396 | directions= | phone=+1 928-213-2330 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Flagstaff Public Library (reputed to be haunted).JPG | hours=M-Th 10AM-9PM, F 10AM-7PM, Sa 10AM-6PM | price= | content=Public computers available. 30 minutes of wi-fi is available to visitors with valid ID; additional online access can be purchased. }} * {{listing | name=East Flagstaff Community Library | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaffpubliclibrary.org/about/locations.html | email= | address=3000 N 4th St #5 | lat=35.217738 | long=-111.612726 | directions= | phone=+1 928-213-2348 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 9AM-9PM, F 9AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-1PM, Su 1-5PM | price= | content=Public computers available. 30 minutes of wi-fi is available to visitors with valid ID; additional online access can be purchased. }} ==Cope== * {{listing | name=Arizona Daily Sun | alt= | url=http://azdailysun.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Daily newspaper, also available in print. }} * {{listing | name=Flagstaff 365 | alt= | url=http://www.flagstaff365.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Has comprehensive listings for events in the Flagstaff area. }} ==Go next== [[File:CampingWithLukeAug06 081.jpg|thumb|Wupatki National Monument]] An unusual number of [[United States National Park System|national parks and monuments]] are close to Flagstaff, the largest and most famous of which is the [[Grand Canyon]], but there are three right nearby. Note that there is a $25 Flagstaff Area National Monuments Annual Pass which works for all three monuments, and covers entrance fees for up to four people which may be cheaper for groups visiting multiple sites. * {{see | name=Walnut Canyon National Monument | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/waca/index.htm | email= | address= | lat=35.171667 | long=-111.509722 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-3367 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Apr daily 9AM-5PM, May-Oct daily 8AM-5PM | price=$5, good for 7 days; Park Pass applies | wikipedia=Walnut Canyon National Monument | image=Walnut canyon cliff dwellings.jpg | wikidata=Q1934145 | content=Contains a number of Native American cliff dwellings built in a narrow canyon. Two trails allow good views of the ruins and the canyon. }} * {{see | name=Wupatki National Monument | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm | email= | address= | lat=35.565556 | long=-111.386944 | directions= | phone=+1 928-679-2365 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM, closed Dec 25 | price=$5, good for 7 days at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments; Park Pass applies | wikipedia=Wupatki National Monument | image=Wupatki National Monument (6633181729).jpg | wikidata=Q639000 | content=Contains a collection of Native American ruins scattered along a circular drive that also passes by Sunset Crater (an extinct volcano). Probably some of the finest outside of Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Plan on spending most of the day on this loop drive. }} * {{see | name=Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/sucr/ | email= | address= | lat=35.365676 | long=-111.503706 | directions= | phone=+1 928-526-0502 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Apr daily 9AM-5PM, May-Oct daily 8AM-5PM | price=$5, good for 7 days at both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments; Park Pass applies | wikipedia=Sunset Crater | image=Sunset Crater National Monument SUCR4021.jpg | wikidata=Q1754469 | content=At the southern end of the loop drive that connects it to Wupatki National Monument, this monument contains a relatively new volcano. The main eruption around 1064 C.E. built most of the cinder cone, with the last eruption in 1260 C.E. adding the spectacular to the cone's top. }} For more of the canyon landscape: the [[Grand Canyon]] is just a short drive further north, and to the northeast is [[Navajo Nation|Navajo Country]] and [[Vermilion Cliffs National Monument]]. The detour through [[Sedona]] on the way south to [[Phoenix]] offers a scenic route west of I-17. For more forested high-country, head southeast to the [[Mogollon Rim]] area or southwest towards [[Prescott]]. For more of [[Route 66|Historic Route 66]] and the Old West, head east towards [[New Mexico]], going through [[Williams (Arizona)|Williams]] and onwards to [[Gallup]], [[Albuquerque]] and [[Santa Fe (New Mexico)|Santa Fe]]. Or head west to [[Kingman]], with options to continue into [[California]] towards [[Barstow]] and eventually [[Los Angeles]], or veer north at Kingman from Route 66 to [[Hoover Dam]] and [[Las Vegas]]. {{routebox | image1=Amtrak Southwest Chief icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Los Angeles]] | minorl1=[[Williams (Arizona)|Williams]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Albuquerque]] | minorr1=[[Winslow (Arizona)|Winslow]] | link1=https://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train | image2=I-17.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Phoenix]] | minorr2=[[Camp Verde]] | image3=I-40.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Kingman]] | minorl3=[[Williams (Arizona)|Williams]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Gallup]] | minorr3=[[Winslow (Arizona)|Winslow]] | image4=US 89.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=N | majorl4=[[Page]] | minorl4=[[Cameron (Arizona)|Cameron]] | directionr4=S | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=US 180.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Grand Canyon]] | minorl5=[[Tusayan]] | directionr5=E | majorr5=[[Holbrook (Arizona)|Holbrook]] | minorr5=[[Winslow (Arizona)|Winslow]] | image6=Arizona 89A.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=N | majorl6=END | minorl6= | directionr6=S | majorr6=[[Prescott]] | minorr6=[[Sedona]] | image7=US 66 (historic).svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=W | majorl7=[[Kingman]] | minorl7=[[Williams (Arizona)|Williams]] | directionr7=E | majorr7=[[Gallup]] | minorr7=[[Winslow (Arizona)|Winslow]] | link7=Route 66 }} {{related|Route 66}} {{Guidecity}} {{geo|35.199167|-111.631111}} {{isPartOf|Northern Arizona}} bdw4tsks0f02djkodt46f1pjvm2eaxj 0 11767 4501982 4486186 2022-08-16T08:14:24Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Get in */ expand wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north every 10-15 min from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. Bus 745 runs runs every 15 min from Biçerova station, taking 20 min to Yeni Foça. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} ==Sleep== == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} geuydiyegn5x3zgmu6y32cxrrmtj34f 4502006 4501982 2022-08-16T08:29:18Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Get in */ bus station marker wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} ==Sleep== == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} cvhzr10j5zh3p87ofg6av9kydkbko33 4502020 4502006 2022-08-16T08:38:59Z Grahamsands 2164467 Added listing for Foça Otel 1887 - new listing wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} 21w0xeexfpnpfigus2l8iff5n6komaz 4502036 4502020 2022-08-16T08:55:35Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ named some wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} 7w23mktlouir4ad5d5k55umfh14xs8s 4502054 4502036 2022-08-16T09:21:41Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ camping area wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=İngiliz Burnu | alt= | url= | email= | address=394th Sk, Eski Foça | lat=38.6770 | long=26.7374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=This is the breezy headland north of the bay where camping is permitted. No water supply or toilets. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} sw7veljjywgevb0xib9a9uua9kjmmqc 4502066 4502054 2022-08-16T09:28:06Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Bulbul Yuvasi wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=İngiliz Burnu | alt= | url= | email= | address=394th Sk, Eski Foça | lat=38.6770 | long=26.7374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=This is the breezy headland north of the bay where camping is permitted. No water supply or toilets. }} * {{sleep | name=Bülbül Yuvasi Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=121st Sk 20, Eski Foça | lat=38.6685 | long=26.7511 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 5152 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1500 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Pleasant small hotel on the headland just west of village centre. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} mgtx6kjk4kep18if30l898hb3xfbnms 4502069 4502066 2022-08-16T09:37:40Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Navalia wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=İngiliz Burnu | alt= | url= | email= | address=394th Sk, Eski Foça | lat=38.6770 | long=26.7374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=This is the breezy headland north of the bay where camping is permitted. No water supply or toilets. }} * {{sleep | name=Bülbül Yuvasi Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=121st Sk 20, Eski Foça | lat=38.6685 | long=26.7511 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 5152 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1500 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Pleasant small hotel on the headland just west of village centre. }} * '''Harbour''' area has Limon Pansiyon, [https://vertigo-foca.business.site/ Vertigo Foça], [https://hanedanotel.business.site/ Hanedan] and Navalia (below). * {{sleep | name=Navalia Otel | alt= | url=https://navaliaotel.com/ | email= | address=29th Sk 1, Eski Foça | lat=38.6633 | long=26.7424 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 2022 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 2000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Spacious comfy hotel a short walk west of centre. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} aj5kus3e3st5f9iy2nk5ssh43e1eo1g 4502073 4502069 2022-08-16T09:40:47Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Yeni Foca wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=İngiliz Burnu | alt= | url= | email= | address=394th Sk, Eski Foça | lat=38.6770 | long=26.7374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=This is the breezy headland north of the bay where camping is permitted. No water supply or toilets. }} * {{sleep | name=Bülbül Yuvasi Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=121st Sk 20, Eski Foça | lat=38.6685 | long=26.7511 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 5152 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1500 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Pleasant small hotel on the headland just west of village centre. }} * '''Harbour''' area has Limon Pansiyon, [https://vertigo-foca.business.site/ Vertigo Foça], [https://hanedanotel.business.site/ Hanedan] and Navalia (below). * {{sleep | name=Navalia Otel | alt= | url=https://navaliaotel.com/ | email= | address=29th Sk 1, Eski Foça | lat=38.6633 | long=26.7424 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 2022 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 2000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Spacious comfy hotel a short walk west of centre. }} * '''Yeni Foça''' has lots, no stand-outs. == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. ==Go next== {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} q1w0fna7nac9hg8bzhv1oagxykkck3l 4502080 4502073 2022-08-16T09:46:05Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Go next */ name some wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=İngiliz Burnu | alt= | url= | email= | address=394th Sk, Eski Foça | lat=38.6770 | long=26.7374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=This is the breezy headland north of the bay where camping is permitted. No water supply or toilets. }} * {{sleep | name=Bülbül Yuvasi Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=121st Sk 20, Eski Foça | lat=38.6685 | long=26.7511 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 5152 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1500 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Pleasant small hotel on the headland just west of village centre. }} * '''Harbour''' area has Limon Pansiyon, [https://vertigo-foca.business.site/ Vertigo Foça], [https://hanedanotel.business.site/ Hanedan] and Navalia (below). * {{sleep | name=Navalia Otel | alt= | url=https://navaliaotel.com/ | email= | address=29th Sk 1, Eski Foça | lat=38.6633 | long=26.7424 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 2022 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 2000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Spacious comfy hotel a short walk west of centre. }} * '''Yeni Foça''' has lots, no stand-outs. == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. == Go next == * [[Dikili]] is the next resort north, with a long sandy beach north and attractive rocky coasts south around the headland to Çandarli. * [[Bergama]] has the must-see ruins of Pergamon. * [[Izmir]] is a busy modern city but with lots to see and do. The Aegean international tourist strip starts south of the city. * [[Istanbul to Izmir]] is a long distance itinerary passing through Foça. {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} 3gur8hqevso21t9dru568hphlst1me4 4502083 4502080 2022-08-16T09:54:10Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ Added listing for Five Gates Castle - new listing wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The coastline near Foça}} {{confused|[[Foča]] in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]}} '''Foça''' is a town in [[Central Aegean]], just north of [[Izmir]]. ==Understand== [[File:Foça pictures 10.jpg|thumb|350px|Foça]] Foça, not unlike many others along the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean coast]], is a town about 3000 years old. For most of its history, it was known as '''Phocaea'''/'''Phokaia''', which was the ''metropolis'' ("mother city", i.e. sailors of which founded the colony) of a number of cities in western Mediterranean, including [[Marseille]], [[France]]. Modern Foça is one of the towns with a well-preserved old town full of stone/Greek architecture on the Aegean coast, along with others such as [[Ayvalik|Ayvalık]], [[Alaçatı]], and [[Çeşme]], but perhaps the least known and the least travelled of them. Foça was for long known for its local breed of roosters, but with the growing environmentalist movement, critically endangered '''Mediterranean monk seal''' (''Monachus monachus'')—after which, known as ''fokia'' in Greek and ''fok'' in Turkish, the town was named in the first place—largely replaced them as the mascot of the town. Around 20 individuals of this species, which is estimated to have a worldwide population of fewer than 600, live on the uninhabited islands just off Foça. Foça is sometimes colloquially called ''Eski Foça'' ("old Foça") as opposed to [[Yeni Foça]] ("new Foça"), another town about 20 km to north, which was founded only about 800 years ago. == Get in == {{mapframe | 38.670 | 26.745 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} IZBAN the Izmir suburban railway blue line runs north from [[Izmir]] Airport via city centre to Hatundere (for Eski Foça), Biçerova (for Yeni Foça) and Aliağa (for [[Bergama]] and [[Dikili | Çandarli]]). They run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to midnight. You need an Izmirim card, local transport doesn't take cash. Eshot bus 744 runs every 20 min or so daily from Hatundere Izban station, taking 40 min to Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Foça Belediyesi Otogarı | type=go | lat=38.6663 | long=26.7546 }} is the bus station and transport hub in Eski Foça. {{marker | name=Yeni Foça Son Durak | type=go | lat=38.7381 | long=26.8343 }} is the end of the line for Bus 245 from Biçerova station, taking 20 min. By road follow O-33 and exit at Hatundere for Eski Foça or at Şehitkemal for Yeni Foça. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Foça pictures 6.jpg|thumb|275px|Waterfront of Foça]] * {{see | name=Five Gates Castle | alt=Beş Kapılar Kalesi | url=http://www.foca.gov.tr/bes-kapilar-kalesi | email= | address=Aşıklar Cd 11, Eski Foça | lat= | long= | directions=50 m north of Bülbül Yuvasi Hotel | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Closed | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=13th century Genoese castle, repaired by the Ottomans and again in modern times. The interior is closed. }} ==Do== Foca offers many boat tours, for approximately 40 TL (July 2012). The tour lasts from 1000-17:00 and stops at several of the small surrounding islands. Lunch is included in the tour and you can swim and snorkel at the various stops. ==Buy== ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Palmiye Cafe | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Palmiye cafe is located in the middle of Foca's city center near the water. They offer a full traditional Turkish breakfast with free tea for 12 TL, hamburgers for 4 TL, Turkish coffee for 2 TL, and 0.5 liter Efes beer for 6 TL. They have friendly service and great prices. }} *{{eat | name=Kale Cafe | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kale-Kafe/218566771509839 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Kale Cafe is located just beyond Foca's "5 doors" medieval castle. They offer 0.5 liter Efes beer for 7 TL, and an assortment of frozen lemonade, milk shakes and other refreshing drinks. The cafe also offers a full assortment of food and appetizers for reasonable prices. Kale Cafe is located just in front of a swimming area allowing patrons to cool off in the water and return to drinking, eating, and relaxing in the outdoor cafe. Kale cafe is a great place to escape the crowd commonly found closer to the center. }} ==Drink== Most places in Foca offer a selection of alcohol. In cafes, a half liter of beer is 6-8 TL, at bars and night life oriented locations prices can be 10 TL or higher. Turkish Raki is available in many places for reasonable prices. Drinks containing liquor can be a bit more pricey, so budget minded travellers should stick to beer or raki. *{{drink | name=Dip Bar | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dip-Bar-Eski-Fo%C3%A7a/223573814339017 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dip Bar is a fairly well known bar among the locals in Foca. It offers a stage with live music inside, or a relaxing atmosphere outside. Inside a half liter beer on tap is 10 TL. The crowd is mostly younger and lively. }} == Sleep == * '''Eski Foça''' accommodation stretches north of the bus station. [http://www.menendiotel.com/ Menendi] is closest, [https://focakirke.business.site/ Foça Kirke Otel] is more like a pizzeria with rooms. Further up the beach are [https://www.senyildizhotel.com/ Şenyıldız] (aka Villa Dedem], [https://hotelkaracam.com/ Karacam], Foça Otel 1887 (below), [https://www.ayshepansiyon.com/ Ayshe Pansiyon], Limon, [https://www.sirenpansiyon.com/indextr.htm Siren Pansiyon], [https://www.focaensarotel.com/ Foça Ensar], Melaike, Celep, [http://www.focakumsalhotel.com/ Kumsal], [http://www.iyonpansiyon.com/ Iyon Pansiyon] and [https://www.midillikonak.com/ Midilli Konak]. * {{sleep | name=Foça Otel 1887 | alt= | url=https://www.focaotel1887.com/ | email= | address=206th Sk 7, Eski Foça | lat=38.6711 | long=26.7557 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 3930 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Charming small hotel, great welcome. }} * {{sleep | name=İngiliz Burnu | alt= | url= | email= | address=394th Sk, Eski Foça | lat=38.6770 | long=26.7374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=This is the breezy headland north of the bay where camping is permitted. No water supply or toilets. }} * {{sleep | name=Bülbül Yuvasi Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=121st Sk 20, Eski Foça | lat=38.6685 | long=26.7511 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 5152 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 1500 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Pleasant small hotel on the headland just west of village centre. }} * '''Harbour''' area has Limon Pansiyon, [https://vertigo-foca.business.site/ Vertigo Foça], [https://hanedanotel.business.site/ Hanedan] and Navalia (below). * {{sleep | name=Navalia Otel | alt= | url=https://navaliaotel.com/ | email= | address=29th Sk 1, Eski Foça | lat=38.6633 | long=26.7424 | directions= | phone=+90 232 812 2022 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double 2000 TL | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Spacious comfy hotel a short walk west of centre. }} * '''Yeni Foça''' has lots, no stand-outs. == Connect == As of July 2022, Foça and its main approach road have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but the signal is patchy in the smaller resorts along its coast. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey. == Go next == * [[Dikili]] is the next resort north, with a long sandy beach north and attractive rocky coasts south around the headland to Çandarli. * [[Bergama]] has the must-see ruins of Pergamon. * [[Izmir]] is a busy modern city but with lots to see and do. The Aegean international tourist strip starts south of the city. * [[Istanbul to Izmir]] is a long distance itinerary passing through Foça. {{geo|38.6667|26.7667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{outlinecity}} ktyx7vqj1t1ry6zbqm1mo3k8km64l2q 0 11772 4501905 4500858 2022-08-16T05:48:50Z Keystone18 2203296 /* Do */ defunct wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Fogelsville''' is an unincorporated community of about 3,200 people in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. Fogelsville surrounds a number of large industrial parks and corporate centers. It is known as a large regional trucking hub and is located in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|26|mi|km}} southwest of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|60|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|98|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Main terminal at [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in [[Allentown]]]] * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} northeast of Fogelsville, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|68|mi|km}} south of Fogelsville. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport.}} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|59|mi|km}} southeast of Fogelsville. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Allentown Bus Terminal | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 | email= | address=325 Hamilton St., Allentown | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-6188 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The primary bus terminal for Fogelsville Emmaus is the Allentown bus terminal at 325 Hamilton Street in center city [[Allentown]], and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville.}} ===By car=== * From the east/west, use Interstate 78 and/or Route 22. * From the north/south, use Route 309 to Route 100 south. * From the north/south, use Interstate 476 (Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike) - toll road - to Route 22 west. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by [https://lantabus.com/ Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA)]. ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout [[Lehigh Valley]]. These are: *Lehigh Valley Taxi, +1 610-867-6000 *Quick Service Taxi, +1 610-434-8132 *Car One of Allentown, +1 610-266-9770 or +1-877-LVIACAR ==See== Aside from the wineries (listed below) and Upper Macungie Park (north on Route 100), there's not much to see in Fogelsville. It's mostly industrial. However, Fogelsville is less than 5 minutes from [[Allentown]], where's there's lots of stuff to see and do. ==Do== ==Buy== The only real shopping in Fogelsville is at the corner of Route 100 and Tilghman Street. There's an Rite Aid Drug Store and across the street is Lamar Center, a strip mall with a flower shop, pet shop, shipping facility, a salon/spa and a couple small restaurants. ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Fogelsville.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Yocco's at I-78 and PA Route 100 in Fogelsville]] *{{eat | name=America Restaurant | url=http://meritagecatering.com/america/america_restaurant.asp {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located at the Holiday Inn Conference Center. }} *{{eat | name=Glasbern | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email= | address=2141 Pack House Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Farm to table meals. Evening dining only, 5:30pm-8:30pm. Reservations required. Dress code. }} *{{eat | name=Yocco's | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=225 Route 100 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-928-3100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yocco's Hot Dogs | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=A Lehigh Valley original - Yocco's chili dogs. Fast food. }} *{{eat | name= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=National chains include '''Pizza Hut''', '''Long John Silver''', '''Arbys''', '''Cracker Barrel''', '''Burger King''' and '''Taco Bell'''. Also, there's a diner on Route 100 and the '''[http://hopsfogelsvillehotel.com/ Fogelsville Hotel]''' a block west off Route 100 on Tilghman Street. }} ==Drink== *{{drink | name=Boston's | url=http://www.bostonsgourmet.com/ | email= | address=327 Star Road, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-841-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and gourmet pizza. Even though an '''Allentown''' address, located in Fogelsville area. }} *{{drink | name=Hops Fogelsville Hotel | alt= | url=http://hopsfogelsvillehotel.com | email= | address=7921 Main St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Happy hour - free appetizer buffet on Fridays. Outside seating. Loads of TVs to watch the games (definitely Philadelphia Eagles fan hotspot). }} *{{drink | name=Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery | url=http://www.cloverhillwinery.com/ | email= | address=9850 Newtown Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-2468 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Winery tours and wine tastings. Part of the award-winning Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. }} *{{drink | name=Vynecrest Winery | url=http://www.vynecrest.com/ | email= | address=172 Arrowhead Lane | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-398-7525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine tasting and winery tours. Part of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd. | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= Just 20 minutes from Lehigh Valley International Airport. }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=http://www.hawthorn.com/reservations/locationdetail.asp?facid=513 | email= | address=7720 Main St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 610 366-9422 | tollfree= | fax=+1 610 366-9445 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.hilehighvalley.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-530-4601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | url=http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ABEAWGI {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=230 Sycamore Road, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49B off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Allentown Hampton Inn | url=http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ALLPAHX {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US 22 | phone = +1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfo?hotel=PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Comfort Inn | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49B off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Even though it has an Allentown address, it's still located in the Fogelsville area. }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites | url=http://www.staybridgesuites.com/ | email= | address=327 C Star Road, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Even though it has an Allentown address, it's located in the Fogelsville area. }} Also, a Homewood Suites is being constructed near the new US 222/PA 100 interchange, but no word on the opening yet. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Fogelsville, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== * [[Allentown]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} * [[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|39|mi|km}} * [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|17|mi|km}} * [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} * [[Emmaus]], {{convert|11|mi|km}} * [[Hellertown]], {{convert|19|mi|km}} * [[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} * [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|27|mi|km}} * [[Slatington]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} * [[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} * [[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|10|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|122.2|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|73.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|98.6|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|60.2|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|51|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=Merges with [[Image:I-81.svg|18px]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Allentown]] }} {{geo|40.58306|-75.63278}} {{IsPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{outlinecity}} 5iqu9buxq0eqvlycm9tz0ogbqxdb266 4502045 4501905 2022-08-16T09:11:51Z Keystone18 2203296 /* Sleep */ better link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Fogelsville''' is an unincorporated community of about 3,200 people in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. Fogelsville surrounds a number of large industrial parks and corporate centers. It is known as a large regional trucking hub and is located in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|26|mi|km}} southwest of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|60|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|98|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Main terminal at [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in [[Allentown]]]] * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} northeast of Fogelsville, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|68|mi|km}} south of Fogelsville. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport.}} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|59|mi|km}} southeast of Fogelsville. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Allentown Bus Terminal | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 | email= | address=325 Hamilton St., Allentown | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-6188 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The primary bus terminal for Fogelsville Emmaus is the Allentown bus terminal at 325 Hamilton Street in center city [[Allentown]], and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville.}} ===By car=== * From the east/west, use Interstate 78 and/or Route 22. * From the north/south, use Route 309 to Route 100 south. * From the north/south, use Interstate 476 (Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike) - toll road - to Route 22 west. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by [https://lantabus.com/ Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA)]. ===By cab=== Several cab companies also operate throughout [[Lehigh Valley]]. These are: *Lehigh Valley Taxi, +1 610-867-6000 *Quick Service Taxi, +1 610-434-8132 *Car One of Allentown, +1 610-266-9770 or +1-877-LVIACAR ==See== Aside from the wineries (listed below) and Upper Macungie Park (north on Route 100), there's not much to see in Fogelsville. It's mostly industrial. However, Fogelsville is less than 5 minutes from [[Allentown]], where's there's lots of stuff to see and do. ==Do== ==Buy== The only real shopping in Fogelsville is at the corner of Route 100 and Tilghman Street. There's an Rite Aid Drug Store and across the street is Lamar Center, a strip mall with a flower shop, pet shop, shipping facility, a salon/spa and a couple small restaurants. ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Fogelsville.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Yocco's at I-78 and PA Route 100 in Fogelsville]] *{{eat | name=America Restaurant | url=http://meritagecatering.com/america/america_restaurant.asp {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located at the Holiday Inn Conference Center. }} *{{eat | name=Glasbern | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email= | address=2141 Pack House Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Farm to table meals. Evening dining only, 5:30pm-8:30pm. Reservations required. Dress code. }} *{{eat | name=Yocco's | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=225 Route 100 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-928-3100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yocco's Hot Dogs | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=A Lehigh Valley original - Yocco's chili dogs. Fast food. }} *{{eat | name= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=National chains include '''Pizza Hut''', '''Long John Silver''', '''Arbys''', '''Cracker Barrel''', '''Burger King''' and '''Taco Bell'''. Also, there's a diner on Route 100 and the '''[http://hopsfogelsvillehotel.com/ Fogelsville Hotel]''' a block west off Route 100 on Tilghman Street. }} ==Drink== *{{drink | name=Boston's | url=http://www.bostonsgourmet.com/ | email= | address=327 Star Road, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-841-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and gourmet pizza. Even though an '''Allentown''' address, located in Fogelsville area. }} *{{drink | name=Hops Fogelsville Hotel | alt= | url=http://hopsfogelsvillehotel.com | email= | address=7921 Main St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Happy hour - free appetizer buffet on Fridays. Outside seating. Loads of TVs to watch the games (definitely Philadelphia Eagles fan hotspot). }} *{{drink | name=Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery | url=http://www.cloverhillwinery.com/ | email= | address=9850 Newtown Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-2468 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Winery tours and wine tastings. Part of the award-winning Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. }} *{{drink | name=Vynecrest Winery | url=http://www.vynecrest.com/ | email= | address=172 Arrowhead Lane | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-398-7525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine tasting and winery tours. Part of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd. | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= Just 20 minutes from Lehigh Valley International Airport. }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 610 366-9422 | tollfree= | fax=+1 610 366-9445 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.hilehighvalley.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-530-4601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | url=http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ABEAWGI {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=230 Sycamore Road, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49B off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Allentown Hampton Inn | url=http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ALLPAHX {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US 22 | phone = +1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfo?hotel=PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Comfort Inn | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49B off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Even though it has an Allentown address, it's still located in the Fogelsville area. }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites | url=http://www.staybridgesuites.com/ | email= | address=327 C Star Road, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Even though it has an Allentown address, it's located in the Fogelsville area. }} Also, a Homewood Suites is being constructed near the new US 222/PA 100 interchange, but no word on the opening yet. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Fogelsville, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== * [[Allentown]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} * [[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|39|mi|km}} * [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|17|mi|km}} * [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} * [[Emmaus]], {{convert|11|mi|km}} * [[Hellertown]], {{convert|19|mi|km}} * [[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} * [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|27|mi|km}} * [[Slatington]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} * [[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} * [[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|10|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|122.2|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|73.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|98.6|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|60.2|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|51|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=Merges with [[Image:I-81.svg|18px]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Allentown]] }} {{geo|40.58306|-75.63278}} {{IsPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{outlinecity}} 70yq2opnu7n7wgyxbt348pfe33en2ml 4502048 4502045 2022-08-16T09:17:40Z Keystone18 2203296 /* By cab */ none appear active online at least wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Fogelsville''' is an unincorporated community of about 3,200 people in the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of eastern [[Pennsylvania]]. Fogelsville surrounds a number of large industrial parks and corporate centers. It is known as a large regional trucking hub and is located in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., {{convert|26|mi|km}} southwest of the [[Skylands]] and [[New Jersey]] state line, {{convert|60|mi|km}} north of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|98|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]]. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:ABE terminal (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Main terminal at [[Allentown#Get in|Lehigh Valley International Airport]] in [[Allentown]]]] * {{go | name=Lehigh Valley International Airport | alt={{IATA|ABE}} | url=https://www.flyabe.com/ | email= | address=3311 Airport Rd. Allentown | lat=40.65253 | long=-75.43554 | directions= | phone=+1-800-FLY-LVIA | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2875759 | content=This airport lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, {{Convert|13|mi|km}} northeast of Fogelsville, and has nine gates, six aircraft holding spots, and two runways. [https://www.allegiantair.com/ Allegiant Air], [https://www.alternativeairlines.com/american-eagle American Eagle], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta Connection], and [https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/united-express-partners.html United Express] offer direct flights to Lehigh Valley International from [[Atlanta]], [[Charlotte]], [[Chicago]], [[Detroit]], [[Nashville]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Myrtle Beach]], [[Orlando]], [[Clearwater]], [[St. Petersburg (Florida)|St. Petersburg]], and elsewhere. Car rental services and commercial and public bus services are available for ground transportation from the airport. }} * {{go | name=[[Philadelphia International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHL}} | url=https://www.phl.org/ | email=contactPHL@phl.org | address= | lat=39.871944 | long=-75.241111 | directions= | phone=+ 1-800-PHL-GATE | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q512128 | lastedit=2018-09-24 | content=A second option is [[Philadelphia International Airport]], which is {{Convert|68|mi|km}} south of Fogelsville. An extensive number of domestic and international carriers offer direct flight service to PHL from most U.S. cities, Canada, and a number of Caribbean, European, and Latin American destinations. Cars are available for rent at the airport.}} ===By train=== [[File:30th Street Station Philadelphia July 2016 002 edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|30th Street Station in [[Philadelphia]]]] * {{go | name=30th Street Station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl | email= | address=2955 Market St., Philadelphia | lat=39.955822 | long=-75.1824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-872-7245 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=30th Street Station | wikidata=Q224214 | content=This major East Coast United States train station, the third busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is {{Convert|59|mi|km}} southeast of Fogelsville. Cars are available for rent inside the station.}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Allentown Bus Terminal | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com/en-us/bus-station-170049 | email= | address=325 Hamilton St., Allentown | lat=40.603973 | long=-75.466923 | directions= | phone=+1 610-434-6188 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The primary bus terminal for Fogelsville Emmaus is the Allentown bus terminal at 325 Hamilton Street in center city [[Allentown]], and several commercial bus companies offer transportation to Allentown, including: * '''[https://transbridgelines.com/allentown-clinton-new-york Trans-Bridge Lines]''' offers daily service to Allentown from [[New York City]] and [[Newark, New Jersey]]. There are several express buses per day into New York City. *'''[https://trailways.com/bus-station/allentown-e-pa/ Trailways]''' offers service from most major Northeastern cities. * '''[https://www.ourbus.com/routes/allentown-wescosville-to-nyc OurBus]''' offers daily service from [[New York City]] and weekend service from [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Binghamton]], and [[Ithaca (New York)|Ithaca]], arriving at the I-476 Allentown Service Plaza near Wescosville.}} ===By car=== * From the east/west, use Interstate 78 and/or Route 22. * From the north/south, use Route 309 to Route 100 south. * From the north/south, use Interstate 476 (Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike) - toll road - to Route 22 west. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|zoom=auto}} {{mapshape}} ===By bus=== Extensive bus services are provided by [https://lantabus.com/ Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA)]. ==See== Aside from the wineries (listed below) and Upper Macungie Park (north on Route 100), there's not much to see in Fogelsville. It's mostly industrial. However, Fogelsville is less than 5 minutes from [[Allentown]], where's there's lots of stuff to see and do. ==Do== ==Buy== The only real shopping in Fogelsville is at the corner of Route 100 and Tilghman Street. There's an Rite Aid Drug Store and across the street is Lamar Center, a strip mall with a flower shop, pet shop, shipping facility, a salon/spa and a couple small restaurants. ==Eat== [[File:Yocco's, Fogelsville.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Yocco's at I-78 and PA Route 100 in Fogelsville]] *{{eat | name=America Restaurant | url=http://meritagecatering.com/america/america_restaurant.asp {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-391-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Located at the Holiday Inn Conference Center. }} *{{eat | name=Glasbern | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email= | address=2141 Pack House Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Farm to table meals. Evening dining only, 5:30pm-8:30pm. Reservations required. Dress code. }} *{{eat | name=Yocco's | alt= | url=http://www.yoccos.com | email= | address=225 Route 100 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-928-3100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yocco's Hot Dogs | wikidata=Q8054235 | content=A Lehigh Valley original - Yocco's chili dogs. Fast food. }} *{{eat | name= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=National chains include '''Pizza Hut''', '''Long John Silver''', '''Arbys''', '''Cracker Barrel''', '''Burger King''' and '''Taco Bell'''. Also, there's a diner on Route 100 and the '''[http://hopsfogelsvillehotel.com/ Fogelsville Hotel]''' a block west off Route 100 on Tilghman Street. }} ==Drink== *{{drink | name=Boston's | url=http://www.bostonsgourmet.com/ | email= | address=327 Star Road, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-841-5404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and gourmet pizza. Even though an '''Allentown''' address, located in Fogelsville area. }} *{{drink | name=Hops Fogelsville Hotel | alt= | url=http://hopsfogelsvillehotel.com | email= | address=7921 Main St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 610-395-3999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Happy hour - free appetizer buffet on Fridays. Outside seating. Loads of TVs to watch the games (definitely Philadelphia Eagles fan hotspot). }} *{{drink | name=Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery | url=http://www.cloverhillwinery.com/ | email= | address=9850 Newtown Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-395-2468 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Winery tours and wine tastings. Part of the award-winning Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. }} *{{drink | name=Vynecrest Winery | url=http://www.vynecrest.com/ | email= | address=172 Arrowhead Lane | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 610-398-7525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine tasting and winery tours. Part of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Glasbern | alt= | url=http://www.glasbern.com/ | email=innkeeper@glasbern.com | address=2141 Pack House Rd. | lat=40.593210 | long=-75.658750| directions= | phone=+1 610-285-4723 | tollfree= | fax=+1-610-285-2862 | checkin=4PM | checkout=Noon | price=From $239 a night | content= Just 20 minutes from Lehigh Valley International Airport. }} *{{sleep | name=Hawthorne Suites | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hawthorn-extended-stay/fogelsville-pennsylvania/hawthorn-suites-by-wyndham-allentown-fogelsville/overview | email= | address=7720 Main St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 610 366-9422 | tollfree= | fax=+1 610 366-9445 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Conference Center | url=http://www.hilehighvalley.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7736 Adrienne Drive, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-530-4601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West | url=http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ABEAWGI {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=230 Sycamore Road, Breinigsville | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49B off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-398-6686 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Allentown Hampton Inn | url=http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ALLPAHX {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=7471 Keebler Way, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US 22 | phone = +1 610-391-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Sleep Inn | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfo?hotel=PA068 | email= | address=327 Star Rd, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-395-6603 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Comfort Inn | url=http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-allentown-pennsylvania-PA140 | email= | address=7625 Imperial Way | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49B off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-391-0344 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Even though it has an Allentown address, it's still located in the Fogelsville area. }} *{{sleep | name=Staybridge Suites | url=http://www.staybridgesuites.com/ | email= | address=327 C Star Road, Allentown | lat= | long= | directions=Exit 49A off I78/US22 | phone = +1 610-841-5100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Even though it has an Allentown address, it's located in the Fogelsville area. }} Also, a Homewood Suites is being constructed near the new US 222/PA 100 interchange, but no word on the opening yet. ==Connect== ===Tourist information=== * '''[https://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/ Discover Lehigh Valley]''', 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton, {{phone|+1-610 882-9200}} ===Phones=== In Fogelsville, like all [[Lehigh Valley]] locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484. ==Go next== ===Other Lehigh Valley locations=== * [[Allentown]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} * [[Bangor (Pennsylvania)|Bangor]], {{convert|39|mi|km}} * [[Bethlehem (Pennsylvania)|Bethlehem]], {{convert|17|mi|km}} * [[Easton (Pennsylvania)|Easton]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} * [[Emmaus]], {{convert|11|mi|km}} * [[Hellertown]], {{convert|19|mi|km}} * [[Nazareth (Pennsylvania)|Nazareth]], {{convert|23|mi|km}} * [[Phillipsburg (New Jersey)|Phillipsburg, NJ]], {{convert|27|mi|km}} * [[Slatington]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} * [[South Whitehall Township]], {{convert|7|mi|km}} * [[Whitehall Township]], {{convert|10|mi|km}} ===Regional cities and locations=== *[[Atlantic City]], {{convert|122.2|mi|km}} *[[Harrisburg]], {{convert|73.8|mi|km}} *[[New York City]], {{convert|98.6|mi|km}} *[[Philadelphia]], {{convert|60.2|mi|km}} *[[Poconos and Endless Mountains|The Poconos]], {{convert|51|mi|km}} {{routebox | image1=I-78.svg | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Harrisburg]] | minorl1=Merges with [[Image:I-81.svg|18px]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Allentown]] }} {{geo|40.58306|-75.63278}} {{IsPartOf|Lehigh Valley}} {{outlinecity}} qalsyz9lzshoq30nnuj5x7dc3rbgdji 0 12055 4501784 4500986 2022-08-15T22:50:01Z Freeholdman12 2273495 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Freehold page banner MonmouthCountyCourtHouse.jpg|pgname=Freehold}} '''Freehold''' is a city in [[Monmouth County]], [[New Jersey]]. Freehold is a great day or weekend trip for those who love history, architecture, and food. ==Understand== Freehold is the seat of Monmouth County, and one of the original townships of Monmouth County. Freehold is a city which contains much 18th-century history, as it was here where the Battle of Monmouth was waged. In the 19th century, many quaint Victorian houses were built, along with the Freehold Raceway. The city is a bedroom community of New York City, home to the Freehold Raceway Mall (the third largest mall in the state) and steps away from trendy dining spots, bars, taverns, museums, and art galleries on Main Street. ==Get in== ===By train=== While there is no designated station for Freehold, the nearest train station, is Aberdeen-Matawan, which runs along the North Jersey Coast Line towards [[New York City]]/[[Hoboken]] and [[Ocean County (New Jersey)|Bay Head]]. The station situates on the intersection of Main Street & Atlantic Avenue in [[Monmouth County|Matawan, New Jersey]], approximately 10 miles/20 minutes away along Route 79. The two towns are separated by Marlboro Township. ===By car=== U.S Route 9, New Jersey Turnpike, Route 18, Route 33, Garden State Parkway, Interstate 195, and County Routes 522, 524, 527, and 537 all provide access to Freehold: *'''U.S. Route 9''' runs through the 'heart' of Freehold. Freehold Raceway and Freehold Raceway Mall are located across from each other on US-9. Many strip malls, restaurants, and car dealerships are also dotted along US-9. *'''State Route 18''' briefly runs in the northeast section of Freehold Township at a junction with County Route 537. The route is a vital link for the Jersey Shore and Raritan Valley region in Central New Jersey. The route can also be accessed in Marlboro via Route 79 and in Old Bridge via US-9. * '''State Route 33''' passes through near the center the city. It is further divided into two sections: ** ''Freehold Bypass'' is the freeway section of Route 33 that bypasses the urban commercial areas of Freehold Borough ** ''Route 33 Business'' is the 'old' section of Route 33 that travels through the urban commercial areas of Freehold Borough * '''State Route 79''' runs through the 'heart' of Freehold, from US-9 near Freehold Township into Freehold Borough briefly running concurrent with County Route 537, before heading northwest towards northern sections of Freehold into Marlboro. * '''County routes 522, 524, 527, and 537''' traverse the municipality. Other major roads provide access to the area. * '''Garden State Parkway''' is 10 miles east in [[Tinton Falls]] Borough (Exit 100) * '''Interstate 195''' is in bordering [[Millstone]], Jackson, and Howell Townships * '''New Jersey Turnpike''' Interstate 95 is 10 miles west in [[East Windsor (New Jersey)|East Windsor]] Township (Exit 8) ===By bus=== New Jersey Transit provides bus service between Freehold and New York City from Port Authority Bus Terminal in [[Midtown Manhattan]] via bus routes 131, 135 and 139. The Academy Bus Line provides bus service between Freehold and New York City from Wall Street in [[Lower Manhattan]]. ===By plane=== * '''Old Bridge Airport''' ({{FAA LID|3N6}}) Public-use airport 5 miles (9 km) south of the Old Bridge CBD in [[Middlesex County (New Jersey)|Middlesex County]]. The airport is privately owned and next to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The city is served by several nearby international and domestic airports :* '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}). :* '''[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|JFK}}). :* '''[[LaGuardia Airport]]''' ({{IATA|LGA}}). :* '''[[Philadelphia International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|PHL}}) [http://www.phl.org/] :* '''Atlantic City Airport''' ({{IATA|ACY}}) [https://www.sjta.com/acairport/] provides some minor domestic service. Please see the '''New Jersey [[New Jersey#Get in|article]]''' for more detailed information on these airports and services. ===By boat=== Ferry service is available through the SeaStreak service in '''Highlands''' (near [[Middletown (New Jersey)|Middletown]]). The ferry slip is roughly a 30-minute drive to/from Freehold. Some residents (particularly residents in the northeastern section of town, near Route 18) opt to commuting to New York City via SeaStreak, as it offers ferry service to Pier 11 (on the East River at Wall Street) and East 35th Street. ==Get around== While public transportation is provided, most residents and visitors get around by car. ==See== *{{see | name=Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County | url=https://www.jhmomc.org/ | email=Jessica Solomon- jsolomon@jhmomc.org | address=310 Mounts Corner Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732 252-6990 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | content= At Mount's Corner Historic Shopping Center was the place of an historic residence of one of New Jersey's earliest Jewish families. The Solomons had lived in the property since roughly 1720, where they occupied a large piece of farmland. During the Battle of Monmouth, their dwelling was attached by the British, but the widowed matriarch Hannah Solomon and her two sons were able to save their house. Their farm had continued to be prosperous for decades and centuries after that fated encounter. However, the barn and surrounding barn eventually fell into disarray, especially with the construction of the much larger Mount's Corner Shopping Center in which much of the farm once encompassed. To address this, in 2005 The Jewish Federation of Monmouth County established a planning committee which in turn was what spawned the Jewish Heritage Museum. The museum is located in the historic village of West Freehold. It is "dedicated to the promotion of public awareness of the county’s Jewish heritage for the education and enjoyment of both children and adults."}} *{{see | name=Monmouth Battlefield State Park | url=https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/monmouthbattlefieldstatepark.html | email= | address=347 Freehold Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732 462-9616 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monmouth Battlefield State Park | content=Historic battlefield site on the site of the longest battle of the American Revolution. The location is now preserved as an 18th-century rural setting with wooded areas, fields, orchards, and wetlands with miles and miles of trails, picnic areas, and restored farmhouses }} **{{see | name=Craig House | url= https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/historic/craighouse.html| email= | address= U.S. Route 9 southbound at Schibanoff Commuter Lot | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732 462-9616 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Craig House (New Jersey) | content=One of many 18th-century farmhouses that have been preserved at Monmouth Battlefield State Park. The family of the home (the Craigs) were Patriots, but the home was raided and used as a hospital by the British during the Battle of Monmouth. }} *{{see | name=Covenhoven House | url= https://www.monmouthhistory.org/covenhoven-house| email= | address= 150 West Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hankinson–Moreau–Covenhoven House | content=18th-century farmhouse of great importance to the Battle of Monmouth. The Covenhoven family were loyal supporters of the Crown, and it was utilized as General Clinton's headquarters during the Battle of Monmouth. }} *{{see | name=Monmouth County Courthouse | url= https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/vicinages/monmouth.html | email= | address=71 Monument Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-358-8700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monmouth County Courthouse | content=The County Courthouse for Monmouth. The courthouse was built in neoclassical architecture. At front of the courthouse, is a 90-foot (27 m) obelisk tall monument dedicated to the Battle of Monmouth. It was also George Washington's headquarters during the battle. }} *{{see | name=Monmouth County Historical Association | url=https://www.monmouthhistory.org/ | email= | address=70 Court Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monmouth County Historical Association | content=A museum that has a wide array of unique artifacts, furniture, paintings, rare documents, and books, from over three centuries within Monmouth County history. It was established in 1898 by a group of county residents and professional educator Caroline Gallup Reed, with the purpose “to discover, procure, preserve and perpetuate whatever relates to the history of Monmouth County.” There are other historically preserved properties throughout Monmouth County, particularly from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The main museum headquarters in the borough is located inside a brick Georgian-style building designed by architect J. Hallam Conover. There are numerous historical exhibits that are featured throughout the year. }} *{{see | name=Oakley Farmstead | url= https://www.oakleyfarmmuseum.org/oakley-farm| email= | address= 189 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Walker-Combs-Hartshorne Farmstead | content=Also known as the '''Walker, Combs, Hartshorne, Oakley Farmhouse''' it is in the historic district of the village of West Freehold. The first recorded owners of the property were 'new-world' Scottish Quakers in the 17th century. The last recorded owner was Elizabeth Oakley, who died in the property in 1995. At the time of her death, it was one of the oldest (if not the oldest) continuous operational farm in Monmouth County. It was then sold to the township in 1997, and has been converted into a museum. }} ==Do== *{{do | name=Freehold Raceway | url=http://www.freeholdraceway.com/ | email= | address=130 Park Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-3800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Freehold Raceway | content=A half-mile racetrack, that is the oldest of its kind in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. Many local thoroughbred farms in the area (such as in Millstone and Colts Neck) breed horses that race at the racetrack. }} *{{do | name=Battleview Orchards | url=https://www.battlevieworchards.com/ | email= | address=91 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-0756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 9AM-6PM (closed Tuesdays) all year | price= | content=Family owned and operated farm located near Monmouth Battlefield and is one of the oldest orchards in New Jersey. The farm annually in the Summer and Autumn months harvests "Pick Your Own" fruits for visitors, such as Strawberries, Peaches, Apples, and Pumpkins. The orchard also has a country store of their stocked items and offers hayrides in Autumn. }} *{{do | name=iPlay America | url=https://www.iplayamerica.com/ | email= | address=110 Schanck Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-577-8200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An indoor family entertainment and event center that opened in 2011, offering fun for children and adults alike. Featuring rides, arcade and carnival games, along with Topgolf, music venues, laser tag, shops, bars, and restaurants. }} *{{do | name=Wemrock Orchards | url=https://wemrockorchard.com/ | email= | address=100 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-431-2668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM all year | price= | content=Family owned and operated farm on the corner of Route 33 Business and Wemrock Road, between Monmouth Battlefield and Freehold Raceway Mall. It was founded in 1952 as "Twin Lakes Orchards" by Albert and Jeannette Giunco (whom were originally grocery store owners from Belmar). They bought the 250 acre cow farm in Freehold at the corner of Gravel Hill Road and Thompson Grove Road on the border of Freehold and Manalapan. The farm was originally just a fruit stand and it was a popular destination for travelers heading to and from the Jersey Shore. The farm moved to its current location in 1967, featuring a country store of their stocked items, a bakery, and winery (see Tomasello Winery ''"To Drink"'' section). The farm annually in the Summer and Autumn months harvests "Pick Your Own" fruits for visitors, such as Strawberries, Peaches, Apples, and Pumpkins. }} ==Buy== [[File:BordersJared.jpg|thumb|right|Freehold Raceway Mall's main entrance]] * {{listing | type=buy | name=Freehold Raceway Mall | alt= | url=https://www.freeholdracewaymall.com/ | email= | address=3710 U.S. 9 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Freehold Raceway Mall | lastedit=2020-03-05 | content=A super-regional high-end shopping mall, opposite the Freehold Raceway over US-9. The mall is the third largest shopping mall in the state and is a popular shopping destination for residents and visitors. It features Macy's, JCPenney, L.L. Bean, Primark, Apple, Forever 21, Zara, Lululemon Athletica, and Michael Kors. }} *{{listing | type=buy | name=Diane & Co. | alt= | url=https://www.dianeandcoonline.com/ | email= | address=3440 U.S. 9 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-825-8001 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A famous elegant dress shop that has been featured on the Oxygen Network's show ''Jersey Couture''. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Metropolitan Cafe | url=https://www.metrocafenj.com/ | email= | address=8 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-780-9400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At this restaurant, you have the option on either dining inside or outside. The menu offers a variety of delicious food, especially sushi. This place has a great bar, and some nights during the week they have different activities, such as karaoke, bingo, and trivia. }} *{{eat | name=Federici's Pizzeria | url=https://www.federicis.com/ | email= | address=14 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1312 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Federici's serves thin crust pizza. This pizzeria is relatively large, and has a lot of tables, so it is more of a restaurant then a pizzeria, and has great food. This location is in the center of town and is a very popular location. }} *{{eat | name=Jersey Freeze | url=https://www.jerseyfreeze1952.com/ | email= | address=120 Manalapan Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-3008 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Jersey Freeze is a soft-serve ice cream and diner that was featured on the Food Network. In the dining section, they offer a variety of choices, including hotdogs, fries, burgers and sandwiches. Stop over in the ice cream section to get a milkshake, sundae, or your option of a variety of frozen yogurt and soft-serve creations. A lot of seating outside and inside the dining area. }} ==Drink== *{{drink | name=Court Jester | url=https://www.courtjesternj.com/ | email= | address=16 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At Court Jester, you will find a bar scene with dine in or take out for its food. There are many screens to watch sports games, and there are over 42 beers on tap. When you go there, you should expect to find a very social and energetic environment and there are usually a lot of people. Every night out of the week there are drink specials, and some cool games to win gift cards and prizes. }} *{{drink | name=Moore's Tavern | url=https://www.moorestavern.com/ | email= | address=402 West Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-863-0555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Established in 1787 by Moses Mount (an aide to George Washington during the American Revolution), the sports tavern (in its original structure) is a popular place for locals and visitors. It features tavern-style food for dine in or takeout and a wide array of beer on tap. }} *{{drink | name=Tomasello Winery | url=https://tomasellowinery.com/locations-wemrock/ | email= | address=100 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 800-MMM-WINE | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Tomasello Winery | content=Based out of Hammonton, near [[Atlantic City]] New Jersey, Tomasello Winery is the second-oldest active winery in the state, after Renault Winery. It has locations across the state, including in Freehold. There is a wine tasting room located inside of Wemrock Orchards. The winery offers over 50 homegrown wines for tasting sessions (reservations strongly encouraged), but the winery is open to retail transactions of their stocked wine as well. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=American Hotel | url=https://www.americanhotelnj.com/ | email=hospitality@americanhotelnj.com | address=18-20 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-431-3220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Built in 1827 on a stagecoach stop, the American Hotel has been an iconic hotel in Freehold since. Features elegant suites, extravagant banquet halls, comfortable lounges, fine dining, and a wide array of liquor on tap. }} *{{sleep | name=Radisson at Freehold | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-freehold | email=sbiondi@radissonfreehold.com | address=59 Gibson Place | lat= | long= | directions=across from the Freehold Raceway Mall, off of NJ-33, CR-537, and US-9 | phone = +1 732-780-3400 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=This Radisson features 6 meeting rooms and the locally famous 5,110-square-foot Crystal Ballroom. Amenities include an outdoor pool, fitness center, cocktail lounge, and the Winner’s Circle Restaurant and Lounge. }} <!-- ===Budget=== ===Mid-range=== ===Splurge=== --> ==Stay safe== ==Connect== [[File:CentraState Front view 2.jpg|thumb|right|Front of CentraState Medical Center]] ====Emergency services==== * '''911''' for immediate attention by the Police, Fire Department or an ambulance. ====Local governement services==== * {{listing | name=Freehold Township administration | phone=+1 732 294-2001 }} * {{listing | name=Freehold Borough administration | phone=+1 732 462-4200 }} ====Hospitals==== * {{listing | name=Centra State Hospital | phone=+1 732 431-2000 }} * {{listing | name=Jersey Shore Medical Center | phone=+1 732 775-5500 }} * {{listing | name=Monmouth Medical Center | phone=+1 732 222-5200 }} * {{listing | name=Raritan Bay Medical Center | phone=+1 732 360-1000 }} * {{listing | name=Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital | phone=+1 732 828-3000 }} ==Cope== ==Go next== {{routebox | image1=Ellipse sign 18.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=NW | majorl1= [[New Brunswick (New Jersey)|New Brunswick]] | minorl1=[[East Brunswick]] | directionr1=SE | majorr1=[[Asbury Park]] | minorr1=[[Colts Neck]] | image2=US 9.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[New York City]] | minorl2=[[Manalapan]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Cape May]] | minorr2=Jct [[Jackson Township (New Jersey)|W]] [[File:I-195.svg|18px]] → [[Lakewood (New Jersey)|Lakewood]] | image3=Elongated circle 33.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Princeton]] | minorl3=[[File:County 571.svg|18px]] [[Hightstown]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Asbury Park]] | minorr3=[[Ocean Grove]] }} {{geo|40.26000|-74.27389}} {{IsPartOf|Monmouth County}} {{outlinecity}} fbs55hkn3ewr87ifutnr1ar41csf8j5 4501899 4501784 2022-08-16T05:38:44Z Freeholdman12 2273495 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Freehold page banner MonmouthCountyCourtHouse.jpg|pgname=Freehold}} '''Freehold''' is a city in [[Monmouth County]], [[New Jersey]]. Freehold is a great day or weekend trip for those who love history, architecture, shopping, and food. ==Understand== Freehold is the seat of Monmouth County, and one of the original townships of Monmouth County. Freehold is a city which contains much 18th-century history, as it was here where the Battle of Monmouth was waged. In the 19th century, many quaint Victorian houses were built, along with the Freehold Raceway. The city is a bedroom community of New York City, home to the Freehold Raceway Mall (the third largest mall in the state) and steps away from trendy dining spots, bars, taverns, museums, and art galleries on Main Street. ==Get in== ===By train=== While there is no designated station for Freehold, the nearest train station, is Aberdeen-Matawan, which runs along the North Jersey Coast Line towards [[New York City]]/[[Hoboken]] and [[Ocean County (New Jersey)|Bay Head]]. The station situates on the intersection of Main Street & Atlantic Avenue in [[Monmouth County|Matawan, New Jersey]], approximately 10 miles/20 minutes away along Route 79. The two towns are separated by Marlboro Township. ===By car=== U.S Route 9, New Jersey Turnpike, Route 18, Route 33, Garden State Parkway, Interstate 195, and County Routes 522, 524, 527, and 537 all provide access to Freehold: *'''U.S. Route 9''' runs through the 'heart' of Freehold. Freehold Raceway and Freehold Raceway Mall are located across from each other on US-9. Many strip malls, restaurants, and car dealerships are also dotted along US-9. *'''State Route 18''' briefly runs in the northeast section of Freehold Township at a junction with County Route 537. The route is a vital link for the Jersey Shore and Raritan Valley region in Central New Jersey. The route can also be accessed in Marlboro via Route 79 and in Old Bridge via US-9. * '''State Route 33''' passes through near the center the city. It is further divided into two sections: ** ''Freehold Bypass'' is the freeway section of Route 33 that bypasses the urban commercial areas of Freehold Borough ** ''Route 33 Business'' is the 'old' section of Route 33 that travels through the urban commercial areas of Freehold Borough * '''State Route 79''' runs through the 'heart' of Freehold, from US-9 near Freehold Township into Freehold Borough briefly running concurrent with County Route 537, before heading northwest towards northern sections of Freehold into Marlboro. * '''County routes 522, 524, 527, and 537''' traverse the municipality. Other major roads provide access to the area. * '''Garden State Parkway''' is 10 miles east in [[Tinton Falls]] Borough (Exit 100) * '''Interstate 195''' is in bordering [[Millstone]], Jackson, and Howell Townships * '''New Jersey Turnpike''' Interstate 95 is 10 miles west in [[East Windsor (New Jersey)|East Windsor]] Township (Exit 8) ===By bus=== New Jersey Transit provides bus service between Freehold and New York City from Port Authority Bus Terminal in [[Midtown Manhattan]] via bus routes 131, 135 and 139. The Academy Bus Line provides bus service between Freehold and New York City from Wall Street in [[Lower Manhattan]]. ===By plane=== * '''Old Bridge Airport''' ({{FAA LID|3N6}}) Public-use airport 5 miles (9 km) south of the Old Bridge CBD in [[Middlesex County (New Jersey)|Middlesex County]]. The airport is privately owned and next to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The city is served by several nearby international and domestic airports :* '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|EWR}}). :* '''[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|JFK}}). :* '''[[LaGuardia Airport]]''' ({{IATA|LGA}}). :* '''[[Philadelphia International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|PHL}}) [http://www.phl.org/] :* '''Atlantic City Airport''' ({{IATA|ACY}}) [https://www.sjta.com/acairport/] provides some minor domestic service. Please see the '''New Jersey [[New Jersey#Get in|article]]''' for more detailed information on these airports and services. ===By boat=== Ferry service is available through the SeaStreak service in '''Highlands''' (near [[Middletown (New Jersey)|Middletown]]). The ferry slip is roughly a 30-minute drive to/from Freehold. Some residents (particularly residents in the northeastern section of town, near Route 18) opt to commuting to New York City via SeaStreak, as it offers ferry service to Pier 11 (on the East River at Wall Street) and East 35th Street. ==Get around== While public transportation is provided, most residents and visitors get around by car. ==See== *{{see | name=Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County | url=https://www.jhmomc.org/ | email=Jessica Solomon- jsolomon@jhmomc.org | address=310 Mounts Corner Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732 252-6990 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | content= At Mount's Corner Historic Shopping Center was the place of an historic residence of one of New Jersey's earliest Jewish families. The Solomons had lived in the property since roughly 1720, where they occupied a large piece of farmland. During the Battle of Monmouth, their dwelling was attached by the British, but the widowed matriarch Hannah Solomon and her two sons were able to save their house. Their farm had continued to be prosperous for decades and centuries after that fated encounter. However, the barn and surrounding barn eventually fell into disarray, especially with the construction of the much larger Mount's Corner Shopping Center in which much of the farm once encompassed. To address this, in 2005 The Jewish Federation of Monmouth County established a planning committee which in turn was what spawned the Jewish Heritage Museum. The museum is located in the historic village of West Freehold. It is "dedicated to the promotion of public awareness of the county’s Jewish heritage for the education and enjoyment of both children and adults."}} *{{see | name=Monmouth Battlefield State Park | url=https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/monmouthbattlefieldstatepark.html | email= | address=347 Freehold Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732 462-9616 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monmouth Battlefield State Park | content=Historic battlefield site on the site of the longest battle of the American Revolution. The location is now preserved as an 18th-century rural setting with wooded areas, fields, orchards, and wetlands with miles and miles of trails, picnic areas, and restored farmhouses }} **{{see | name=Craig House | url= https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/historic/craighouse.html| email= | address= U.S. Route 9 southbound at Schibanoff Commuter Lot | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732 462-9616 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Craig House (New Jersey) | content=One of many 18th-century farmhouses that have been preserved at Monmouth Battlefield State Park. The family of the home (the Craigs) were Patriots, but the home was raided and used as a hospital by the British during the Battle of Monmouth. }} *{{see | name=Covenhoven House | url= https://www.monmouthhistory.org/covenhoven-house| email= | address= 150 West Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hankinson–Moreau–Covenhoven House | content=18th-century farmhouse of great importance to the Battle of Monmouth. The Covenhoven family were loyal supporters of the Crown, and it was utilized as General Clinton's headquarters during the Battle of Monmouth. }} *{{see | name=Monmouth County Courthouse | url= https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/vicinages/monmouth.html | email= | address=71 Monument Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-358-8700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monmouth County Courthouse | content=The County Courthouse for Monmouth. The courthouse was built in neoclassical architecture. At front of the courthouse, is a 90-foot (27 m) obelisk tall monument dedicated to the Battle of Monmouth. It was also George Washington's headquarters during the battle. }} *{{see | name=Monmouth County Historical Association | url=https://www.monmouthhistory.org/ | email= | address=70 Court Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monmouth County Historical Association | content=A museum that has a wide array of unique artifacts, furniture, paintings, rare documents, and books, from over three centuries within Monmouth County history. It was established in 1898 by a group of county residents and professional educator Caroline Gallup Reed, with the purpose “to discover, procure, preserve and perpetuate whatever relates to the history of Monmouth County.” There are other historically preserved properties throughout Monmouth County, particularly from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The main museum headquarters in the borough is located inside a brick Georgian-style building designed by architect J. Hallam Conover. There are numerous historical exhibits that are featured throughout the year. }} *{{see | name=Oakley Farmstead | url= https://www.oakleyfarmmuseum.org/oakley-farm| email= | address= 189 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Walker-Combs-Hartshorne Farmstead | content=Also known as the '''Walker, Combs, Hartshorne, Oakley Farmhouse''' it is in the historic district of the village of West Freehold. The first recorded owners of the property were 'new-world' Scottish Quakers in the 17th century. The last recorded owner was Elizabeth Oakley, who died in the property in 1995. At the time of her death, it was one of the oldest (if not the oldest) continuous operational farm in Monmouth County. It was then sold to the township in 1997, and has been converted into a museum. }} ==Do== *{{do | name=Freehold Raceway | url=http://www.freeholdraceway.com/ | email= | address=130 Park Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-3800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Freehold Raceway | content=A half-mile racetrack, that is the oldest of its kind in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. Many local thoroughbred farms in the area (such as in Millstone and Colts Neck) breed horses that race at the racetrack. }} *{{do | name=Battleview Orchards | url=https://www.battlevieworchards.com/ | email= | address=91 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-0756 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 9AM-6PM (closed Tuesdays) all year | price= | content=Family owned and operated farm located near Monmouth Battlefield and is one of the oldest orchards in New Jersey. The farm annually in the Summer and Autumn months harvests "Pick Your Own" fruits for visitors, such as Strawberries, Peaches, Apples, and Pumpkins. The orchard also has a country store of their stocked items and offers hayrides in Autumn. }} *{{do | name=iPlay America | url=https://www.iplayamerica.com/ | email= | address=110 Schanck Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-577-8200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An indoor family entertainment and event center that opened in 2011, offering fun for children and adults alike. Featuring rides, arcade and carnival games, along with Topgolf, music venues, laser tag, shops, bars, and restaurants. }} *{{do | name=Wemrock Orchards | url=https://wemrockorchard.com/ | email= | address=100 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-431-2668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM all year | price= | content=Family owned and operated farm on the corner of Route 33 Business and Wemrock Road, between Monmouth Battlefield and Freehold Raceway Mall. It was founded in 1952 as "Twin Lakes Orchards" by Albert and Jeannette Giunco (whom were originally grocery store owners from Belmar). They bought the 250 acre cow farm in Freehold at the corner of Gravel Hill Road and Thompson Grove Road on the border of Freehold and Manalapan. The farm was originally just a fruit stand and it was a popular destination for travelers heading to and from the Jersey Shore. The farm moved to its current location in 1967, featuring a country store of their stocked items, a bakery, and winery (see Tomasello Winery ''"To Drink"'' section). The farm annually in the Summer and Autumn months harvests "Pick Your Own" fruits for visitors, such as Strawberries, Peaches, Apples, and Pumpkins. }} ==Buy== [[File:BordersJared.jpg|thumb|right|Freehold Raceway Mall's main entrance]] * {{listing | type=buy | name=Freehold Raceway Mall | alt= | url=https://www.freeholdracewaymall.com/ | email= | address=3710 U.S. 9 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Freehold Raceway Mall | lastedit=2020-03-05 | content=A super-regional high-end shopping mall, opposite the Freehold Raceway over US-9. The mall is the third largest shopping mall in the state and is a popular shopping destination for residents and visitors. It features Macy's, JCPenney, L.L. Bean, Primark, Apple, Forever 21, Zara, Lululemon Athletica, and Michael Kors. }} *{{listing | type=buy | name=Diane & Co. | alt= | url=https://www.dianeandcoonline.com/ | email= | address=3440 U.S. 9 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-825-8001 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A famous elegant dress shop that has been featured on the Oxygen Network's show ''Jersey Couture''. }} ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Metropolitan Cafe | url=https://www.metrocafenj.com/ | email= | address=8 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-780-9400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At this restaurant, you have the option on either dining inside or outside. The menu offers a variety of delicious food, especially sushi. This place has a great bar, and some nights during the week they have different activities, such as karaoke, bingo, and trivia. }} *{{eat | name=Federici's Pizzeria | url=https://www.federicis.com/ | email= | address=14 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1312 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Federici's serves thin crust pizza. This pizzeria is relatively large, and has a lot of tables, so it is more of a restaurant then a pizzeria, and has great food. This location is in the center of town and is a very popular location. }} *{{eat | name=Jersey Freeze | url=https://www.jerseyfreeze1952.com/ | email= | address=120 Manalapan Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-3008 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Jersey Freeze is a soft-serve ice cream and diner that was featured on the Food Network. In the dining section, they offer a variety of choices, including hotdogs, fries, burgers and sandwiches. Stop over in the ice cream section to get a milkshake, sundae, or your option of a variety of frozen yogurt and soft-serve creations. A lot of seating outside and inside the dining area. }} ==Drink== *{{drink | name=Court Jester | url=https://www.courtjesternj.com/ | email= | address=16 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-462-1040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At Court Jester, you will find a bar scene with dine in or take out for its food. There are many screens to watch sports games, and there are over 42 beers on tap. When you go there, you should expect to find a very social and energetic environment and there are usually a lot of people. Every night out of the week there are drink specials, and some cool games to win gift cards and prizes. }} *{{drink | name=Moore's Tavern | url=https://www.moorestavern.com/ | email= | address=402 West Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-863-0555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Established in 1787 by Moses Mount (an aide to George Washington during the American Revolution), the sports tavern (in its original structure) is a popular place for locals and visitors. It features tavern-style food for dine in or takeout and a wide array of beer on tap. }} *{{drink | name=Tomasello Winery | url=https://tomasellowinery.com/locations-wemrock/ | email= | address=100 Wemrock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 800-MMM-WINE | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Tomasello Winery | content=Based out of Hammonton, near [[Atlantic City]] New Jersey, Tomasello Winery is the second-oldest active winery in the state, after Renault Winery. It has locations across the state, including in Freehold. There is a wine tasting room located inside of Wemrock Orchards. The winery offers over 50 homegrown wines for tasting sessions (reservations strongly encouraged), but the winery is open to retail transactions of their stocked wine as well. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=American Hotel | url=https://www.americanhotelnj.com/ | email=hospitality@americanhotelnj.com | address=18-20 East Main Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 732-431-3220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Built in 1827 on a stagecoach stop, the American Hotel has been an iconic hotel in Freehold since. Features elegant suites, extravagant banquet halls, comfortable lounges, fine dining, and a wide array of liquor on tap. }} *{{sleep | name=Radisson at Freehold | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-freehold | email=sbiondi@radissonfreehold.com | address=59 Gibson Place | lat= | long= | directions=across from the Freehold Raceway Mall, off of NJ-33, CR-537, and US-9 | phone = +1 732-780-3400 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=This Radisson features 6 meeting rooms and the locally famous 5,110-square-foot Crystal Ballroom. Amenities include an outdoor pool, fitness center, cocktail lounge, and the Winner’s Circle Restaurant and Lounge. }} <!-- ===Budget=== ===Mid-range=== ===Splurge=== --> ==Stay safe== ==Connect== [[File:CentraState Front view 2.jpg|thumb|right|Front of CentraState Medical Center]] ====Emergency services==== * '''911''' for immediate attention by the Police, Fire Department or an ambulance. ====Local governement services==== * {{listing | name=Freehold Township administration | phone=+1 732 294-2001 }} * {{listing | name=Freehold Borough administration | phone=+1 732 462-4200 }} ====Hospitals==== * {{listing | name=Centra State Hospital | phone=+1 732 431-2000 }} * {{listing | name=Jersey Shore Medical Center | phone=+1 732 775-5500 }} * {{listing | name=Monmouth Medical Center | phone=+1 732 222-5200 }} * {{listing | name=Raritan Bay Medical Center | phone=+1 732 360-1000 }} * {{listing | name=Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital | phone=+1 732 828-3000 }} ==Cope== ==Go next== {{routebox | image1=Ellipse sign 18.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=NW | majorl1= [[New Brunswick (New Jersey)|New Brunswick]] | minorl1=[[East Brunswick]] | directionr1=SE | majorr1=[[Asbury Park]] | minorr1=[[Colts Neck]] | image2=US 9.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[New York City]] | minorl2=[[Manalapan]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Cape May]] | minorr2=Jct [[Jackson Township (New Jersey)|W]] [[File:I-195.svg|18px]] → [[Lakewood (New Jersey)|Lakewood]] | image3=Elongated circle 33.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Princeton]] | minorl3=[[File:County 571.svg|18px]] [[Hightstown]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Asbury Park]] | minorr3=[[Ocean Grove]] }} {{geo|40.26000|-74.27389}} {{IsPartOf|Monmouth County}} {{outlinecity}} 0joeu6hvqk135u3e324pkkeixxpd4n6 0 13376 4501603 2382394 2022-08-15T13:46:56Z SHB2000 2248002 formatting, reformat Green Island, South Is. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Disambiguation banner.png}} There are several destinations called [[Green Island]]. You might be looking for: ===[[Australia]]=== * [[Green Island (Great Barrier Reef)]], an island on [[Australia]]'s [[Great Barrier Reef]]. ===[[New Zealand]]=== *Green Island is a southern suburb (but not an island) of [[Dunedin]], [[South Island]]. ===[[Taiwan]]=== * [[Green Island (Taiwan)]], a region of [[Taiwan]] {{disamb}} rp65brnu241fponz6746nyi80tzaorh 4501604 4501603 2022-08-15T13:47:21Z SHB2000 2248002 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Disambiguation banner.png}} There are several destinations called [[Green Island]]. You might be looking for: ===[[Australia]]=== * [[Green Island (Great Barrier Reef)]], an island on [[Australia]]'s [[Great Barrier Reef]]. ===[[New Zealand]]=== *Green Island is a southern suburb (but not an island) of [[Dunedin]], [[Otago]], [[South Island]]. ===[[Taiwan]]=== * [[Green Island (Taiwan)]], a region of [[Taiwan]] {{disamb}} 4zckaocn3uatyad74hlesqan2fhir9i 4501698 4501604 2022-08-15T18:45:15Z The dog2 35982 /* Taiwan */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Disambiguation banner.png}} There are several destinations called [[Green Island]]. You might be looking for: ===[[Australia]]=== * [[Green Island (Great Barrier Reef)]], an island on [[Australia]]'s [[Great Barrier Reef]]. ===[[New Zealand]]=== *Green Island is a southern suburb (but not an island) of [[Dunedin]], [[Otago]], [[South Island]]. ===[[Taiwan]]=== * [[Green Island (Taiwan)]], an island off the east coast of [[Taiwan]] {{disamb}} 3l7e3lluhpnktdvisr2wc0hdeen1aao 4501796 4501698 2022-08-16T01:08:16Z SHB2000 2248002 fix link, rm redundant wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Disambiguation banner.png}} There are several destinations called [[Green Island]]. You might be looking for: ===[[Australia]]=== * [[Green Island (Queensland)]], an island on the [[Great Barrier Reef]]. ===[[New Zealand]]=== *Green Island is a southern suburb (but not an island) of [[Dunedin]], [[Otago]], [[South Island]]. ===[[Taiwan]]=== * [[Green Island (Taiwan)]], an island off the east coast of [[Taiwan]] {{disamb}} 5alo1gbcixr8ej279vhbsk03geeemwz 0 14000 4501656 4485831 2022-08-15T17:38:37Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Towns */ No longer offer tours wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Hampshire Winchester cathedral flags banner.jpg|caption=The interior of Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire}} {{confused|[[Hampshire County]], a region in Massachusetts}} [[File:Highclere Castle July 2012 (8).jpg|thumb|330px|"Downton Abbey" is in Hampshire; well, Highclere Castle is anyway]] Stretching from Solent beaches in the south west, to [[London]]'s [[Surrey|suburban]] [[Berkshire|fringe]] in the north east, '''[http://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/ Hampshire]''' is the largest county in [[South East (England)|South East England]]. Known as '''Jane Austen's County''' after its most famous daughter (see [[Jane Austen tourism]]), Hampshire has a wealth of attractions to offer the traveller. Visitors may see one of England's greatest cathedrals in [[Winchester (England)|Winchester]], ascend to the top of the South's tallest landmark in [[Portsmouth]] or fish for trout in crystal clear chalk rivers. Hampshire has excellent museums, with a particular focus on military, maritime and aviation history. It is equally possible to visit the former homes of some of the county's more celebrated residents, among them Charles Dickens, the Duke of Wellington and Ms Austen herself. If urban Hampshire's port cities and historic market towns don't grab you, then how do you feel about two national parks (the heath and woodland of the [[New Forest]] and the rolling chalk hills of the [[South Downs]]), hundreds of miles of coastal inlets, islands and estuaries and a rich agricultural heartland dotted with many fine homes and gardens? Come to Hampshire and discover where the ''Titanic'' [[Southampton|weighed anchor]] on its fateful maiden voyage, where Britain [[Farnborough|first took to the skies]] - with an American cowboy at the controls - and where, over 1100 years ago, King Alfred the Great [[Winchester (England)|founded]] the nation of England. ==Cities, towns and villages== {{Mapframe | 51.050 | -1.300 | height=500 | width=500 | zoom=9}} {{Mapshape}} ===Cities=== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Winchester (England)|Winchester]]|url=|lat=51.06|long=-1.31|wikidata=Q172157}} – Hampshire's county town and England's first capital city is best known for its ancient cathedral and medieval centre. * {{marker | type=city | name=[[Portsmouth]] | wikidata=Q72259}} – An active naval city since the 1500s, its historic dock has vessels such as ''Victory'' and ''Mary Rose'', contrasting with impressive modern architecture. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Southampton]]|url=|lat=50.91|long=-1.40|wikidata=Q79848}} – The largest city in Hampshire is also the county's commercial, education and media hub. Good shopping, two universities and the UK's main cruise ship port attract visitors. ===Towns=== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Aldershot]]|url=|lat=51.25|long=-0.76|wikidata=Q646980}} – The "Home of the British Army" has two good military museums. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Alresford]]|url=|lat=51.09|long=-1.16|wikidata=Q1227651}} – Colourful old town at the west end of the Mid Hants Steam Railway that is still the hub of England's watercress industry. * {{marker | type=city | name=[[Alton (Hampshire)|Alton]] | wikidata=Q443840}} – Historic market town at the east end of the Mid Hants Railway, with Jane Austen's and Gilbert White's houses in nearby villages. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Andover (England)|Andover]]|url=|lat=51.22|long=-1.47|wikidata=Q492805}} – This pretty coaching town is an excellent base for exploring the Wessex countryside and neighbouring towns and villages such as charming {{marker|type=city|name=Whitchurch|url=|lat=51.23|long=-1.34|wikidata=Q632258}}. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Basingstoke]]|url=|lat=51.27|long=-1.09|wikidata=Q810196}} – 'Soulless' new town it may be, Basingstoke nonetheless offers some of the best shopping and entertainment in Hampshire, and an unusual "living history" museum. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Brockenhurst]]|url=|lat=50.82|long=-1.58|wikidata=Q1612283}} – a small town in the New Forest. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Eastleigh]]|url=|lat=50.97|long=-1.35|wikidata=Q731069}} – Benny Hill once did his milk round here and the Spitfire first flew here, but modern Eastleigh has little to offer the traveller beyond good cheap accommodation and excellent transport connections. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fareham]]|url=|lat=50.85|long=-1.18|wikidata=Q1017943}} – Coastal town home to the Roman and medieval Portchester Castle and several imposing fortresses from the Napoleonic Wars. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Farnborough]]|url=|lat=51.29|long=-0.75|wikidata=Q547071}} – The "Birthplace of British Aviation" is still home to the biennial International Air Show and a super little aerospace museum. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fleet]]|url=|lat=51.28||long=-0.85|wikidata=Q734696}} – Small commuter town known for its high happiness levels surrounded by pleasant countryside. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Fordingbridge]]|url=|lat=50.93|long=-1.79|wikidata=Q1234233}} – A town on the northwestern edge of the New Forest at a medieval river crossing. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gosport]]|url=|lat=50.80|long=-1.12|wikidata=Q936263}} – Facing Portsmouth across their shared harbour, Gosport has two naval museums of repute. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Havant]]|url=|lat=50.85|long=-0.98|wikidata=Q1234712}} – A former Celtic settlement close to Langstone Harbour. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hythe (Hampshire)|Hythe]]|url=|lat=50.87|long=-1.40|wikidata=Q5962455}} – On the western shore of Southampton Water next to the New Forest, includes the seaside village of '''Calshot'''. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Lymington]]|url=|lat=50.75|long=-1.55|wikidata=Q1018133}} – Beautiful Georgian seaside town in the New Forest. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Lyndhurst]]|url=|lat=50.87|long=-1.58|wikidata=Q3182986}} – The picturesque main town of the New Forest, which has the reputation for being somewhat of a tourist trap. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Petersfield]]|url=|lat=51.00|long=-0.94|wikidata=Q1247815}} – Hampshire's gateway to the South Downs *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ringwood (England)|Ringwood]]|lat=50.85|long=-1.78}} – Well-known brewery and country parks *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Romsey]]|url=|lat=50.99|long=-1.50|wikidata=Q1234718}} – Market town on the edge of the New Forest, home to an abbey and many historic houses. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Tadley]]|url=|lat=51.35|long=-1.14|wikidata=Q773052}} – Small town that's good for visits to local landmarks, including a ruined Roman city and a Georgian stately home. [[File:Church of All Saints, Odiham 1.JPG|thumb|400px|A typical parish church in Hampshire]] ===Villages=== * {{marker | type=city | name=[[Beaulieu]] | wikidata=Q186954}} is best known for the National Motor Museum, but also has the Victorian Gothic Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey, the World of Top Gear and On Screen Cars exhibitions, various gardens and the park's famous monorail. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Burley (England)|Burley]]|url=|lat=50.83|long=-1.70|wikidata=Q3195509}} – A village in the New Forest. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Emsworth]]|url=|lat=50.85|long=-0.94|wikidata=Q1219676}} – Foodie village with views over Chichester Harbour. *{{marker|type=city|name=[http://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/places-to-visit/hamble-p971711 Hamble-le-Rice]|url=|lat=50.86|long=-1.32|wikidata=Q1439543}} – Scenic estuary village perfect for bird- and ship-watching. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Odiham]]|url=|lat=51.25|long=-0.95|wikidata=Q928816}} – Small rural town with regular markets and pretty countryside ideal for walking. *{{marker|type=city|name=[http://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/places-to-visit/stockbridge-p524261 Stockbridge]|url=|lat=51.11|long=-1.49|wikidata=Q547492}} – Another pretty village base for seeing some of the loveliest countryside in Hampshire. *{{marker|type=city|name=[http://www.visit-hampshire.co.uk/places-to-visit/wickham-p645461 Wickham]|url=|lat=50.90|long=-1.19|wikidata=Q642227}} – Great country shopping and dining in the Meon Valley. ==Other destinations== * {{marker | type=other | name=[[Hayling Island]] | wikidata=Q1541751}} – Popular tourist island, with blue flag beaches and typical seaside attractions, between Langstone and Chichester harbours which offer good birdwatching opportunities. * {{marker | type=other | name=[[New Forest]] |wikidata=Q277755}} – Large hunting forest created in 1079 by William the Conqueror, that is now a national park. Known for its pristine woodland and large open heaths, the deer and wild boar that the Normans hunted are still on the loose in the park, as are the iconic New Forest ponies. * {{marker | type=other | name=[[South Downs]] | lat=50.977 | long=-0.984}} – Britain's newest national park stretches along the south coast from Hampshire to [[East Sussex]]. Hampshire's part is known for Iron Age history, the chalky escarpment around Butser Hill, bucolic countryside and "flint and brick" villages. ==Understand== In both speech and writing (for example on postal addresses), Hampshire's name is often abbreviated to '''Hants'''. ===Orientation=== [[File:County Flag of Hampshire.svg|200px|thumb|right|The flag of Hampshire]] Although administratively part of [[South East England]], Hampshire is actually midway along the south coast between east and west. Clockwise from the west, it is bordered by the counties of [[Dorset]], [[Wiltshire]], [[Berkshire]], [[Surrey]], and [[West Sussex]]. To the south is the Solent, a narrow channel of sea separating mainland Britain from the [[Isle of Wight]], and the English Channel. Hampshire's coast is characterised by many natural harbours and inlets, which boost the coast's {{convert|60|mi|km|-1}} "as the crow flies" into a true length of around {{convert|250|mi|km|-1}}. Hampshire combines scattered population centres with a typical English rural landscape. The bulk of the population lives in the South Hampshire conurbation - [[Southampton]], [[Portsmouth]] and their respective suburbs, connected to [[Winchester (England)|Winchester]] by a corridor of urbanisation. Outside this area, the largest centres of population are [[Basingstoke]] and, in the north east corner, the Blackwater Valley towns ([[Farnborough]] and [[Aldershot]]) which signal the start of London's commuter suburbs. A fair chunk of the [[South Downs|South Downs National Park]] lies within the south eastern portion of the county. Almost all of the south western corner is within the [[New Forest]], another national park. The north and north west of the county are largely agricultural and retain many similarities with neighbouring [[Westcountry]] counties. ===People and culture=== The population of Hampshire was 1,837,800 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous English county. The entire county is within commuting distance of London and the population is on the whole prosperous. People from Hampshire are known as '''Hampshire Hogs''', due to the county's long association with both boar-hunting and pig-farming (indeed the American breed of pig known as the "Hampshire" is thought to have its origins in the county). Famous Hampshire Hogs include English monarchs Alfred the Great, Henry III and Matilda, novelists Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, comedian Benny Hill, and actors Colin Firth and Martin Freeman. The patron saint of Hampshire, '''Saint Swithun''', was bishop of Winchester in the mid 9th century. His feast day, 15 July, is also the county day. Folklore holds that if even a drop of rain falls on his namesake bridge in Winchester on Saint Swithun's Day, it will rain for the next forty days: {{quote| :''St Swithun's day if thou dost rain '' :''For forty days it will remain'' :''St Swithun's day if thou be fair'' :''For forty days 'twill rain nae mare '' }} ===History=== [[File:Winchester - Table ronde du roi Arthur.JPG|thumb|400px|King Arthur's Round Table in Winchester Great Hall]] Hampshire has a crucial place in both English and British history. Home to the Belgiae Celts prior to 55 AD, Hampshire later saw [[Roman Empire|Roman]] civilisation at [[Fordingbridge#Rockbourne|Rockbourne]] and [[Basingstoke#Q1027253|Silchester]] (the city of ''Calleva Atrebatum''). Later, the area formed part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and it was from here that King Alfred of Wessex repelled the Danes and united all the Saxon states into the first unified Kingdom of England. Alfred, who remains the only English monarch to be posthumously honoured with the title of "the Great", was celebrated for his reform of the English justice system and the improvement of his subjects' quality of life and literacy. He made [[Winchester (England)|Winchester]] the new nation's capital, a status retained until the Norman Conquest when William the Conqueror designated the already much larger city of [[London]] his seat of power. Under the Normans, much of Hampshire became royal hunting ground, the most famous domain of which was the [[New Forest]], planted on the orders of William himself. The Conqueror's son, King William II, was killed in a 'hunting accident' (probable assassination by his own men) in the New Forest in 1100, and the spot is today marked by a [[New Forest#Q26460885|memorial stone]]. Many of Hampshire's castles such as those at [[Fareham#Q732249|Portchester]] and [[Odiham]] date from this period of the Middle Ages, although Henry VIII continued to build new fortresses along the Solent, many of which were reinforced and expanded during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. The middle ages also saw the building of Winchester's stunning cathedral. Both [[Southampton]] and [[Portsmouth]] became important harbours during the late middle ages, the former for commercial traffic and the latter as a naval dockyard. Among the famous vessels to sail from Southampton were the ''Mayflower'' and the ''RMS Titanic'' , which was largely staffed by more than 500 citizens of Southampton, most of whom perished on board. Portsmouth launched the ''Mary Rose'', which lay at the bottom of the Solent for 450 years until it was rediscovered and raised in 1982, and ''HMS Victory'', Lord Nelson's flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar, where the admiral was killed in action. Many of the [[Early United States history|earliest European settlers of the United States]] originated from Hampshire. The military connection continued through the 19th and 20th centuries, when large Army garrisons were established around [[Aldershot]] and aviation pioneers moved in to [[Farnborough]], where the first powered flight in British skies took place in 1908, flown by American Wild West showman Samuel Franklin Cody. Among other aeronautical developments to take place in the county, [[Eastleigh]] hosted the development of the ''Spitfire'' fighter plane, while Farnborough launched the first jet aircraft and much of the engineering work required to bring the supersonic liner ''Concorde'' into existence. ==Talk== The variety of '''English''' spoken in Hampshire is similar to the rest of the South East, and is relatively close to the "accentless" standard Received Pronunciation (RP). In the south and west of the county, many people speak in an accent that has a [[Westcountry]] twang to it - the original '' 'Ampshire 'Og '' accent before RP's dominance - and some older residents even use dialect words and phrases, though this is becoming increasingly uncommon as time marches on. The area around [[Aldershot]] and [[Farnborough]] is home to around 10,000 '''[[Nepali]]''' speakers, perhaps the greatest concentration outside the [[Himalayas]]. In these areas, you will see Nepalese people greet each other by saying ''Namaste'' and bowing their heads slightly while clasping their hands together vertically. ==Get in== ===By road=== Driving times from the '''Channel Tunnel''' to Hampshire, via the M20, M26, M25 and M3 motorways, are 2&ndash;3 hours in good traffic, though you should allow for longer when travelling during peak hours (M-F 7:30&ndash;9:30 AM, 4:30&ndash;6:30 PM; and all day on holiday weekends). The main roads from [[London]] are the '''A3''' (which heads to [[Portsmouth]], via Liss, Liphook and [[Petersfield]]) and the '''M3''' motorway (which runs to [[Southampton]], via [[Farnborough]], [[Basingstoke]], [[Winchester (England)|Winchester]] and [[Eastleigh]]). The '''M27''' ''South Coast Motorway'' runs from the [[New Forest]] to Portsmouth, via Southampton; it connects at its western end with the '''A31''' from [[Bournemouth]], and at its eastern end with the '''A27''' from [[Brighton]] and [[Chichester]]. The '''A34''' offers connections from [[Oxford]] and the Midlands, while the '''A303''' brings traffic from the West Country. In north Hampshire, the "other" road called '''A31''' branches off the A3, allowing faster journey times to [[Alton (Hampshire)|Alton]] and Winchester from [[Surrey]] and [[Kent]] than the M3 can offer. ===By plane=== Hampshire has its very own international airport, {{marker|type=go|name=Southampton Airport|url=http://www.southamptonairport.com/|lat=50.9503|long=-1.3567}} ({{IATA|SOU}}). This has good connections from northern England, Scotland, Ireland and the Channel Islands, as well as from near parts of the continent such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. See the [[SOU|main article]] for details. The county is also well-served by [[London#Get in|London's international and domestic airports]], with '''[[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]]''' and '''[[London Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]]''' especially close by. ===By train=== [http://www.eurostar.com/ Eurostar] run trains '''from [[France]], [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]]''' to London St Pancras. Onward journey times (by Tube, and then rail from Waterloo station) to Hampshire take between one and three hours, depending on where in the county you're headed. Rail services '''from the rest of the UK''' are good. Trains from [[London Waterloo]], [[Surrey]], [[Wiltshire]] and [[Dorset]] are operated by [https://www.southwesternrailway.com/ South Western Railway], while services from [[London Victoria]] and [[Sussex#United Kingdom|Sussex]] are run by [http://www.southernrailway.com/ Southern Railway]. [http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/ Cross Country] run trains from [[Berkshire]], the Midlands and North, and [https://www.gwr.com/ Great Western Railway] run from [[South Wales]] and [[Somerset (England)|Somerset]]. The main stations for inter-regional services are [[Basingstoke#By train|Basingstoke]], [[Portsmouth#By train|Portsmouth & Southsea]], [[Southampton#By train|Southampton Central]], and [[Winchester (England)#By train|Winchester]]. ===By boat=== '''[[Portsmouth]]''' is a major international ferry port, and receives ferries from [[Jersey]] and [[Guernsey]] (in the [[Channel Islands]]), [[Cherbourg]], [[Caen]], [[Le Havre]] and [[St. Malo]] (in [[France]]), and [[Bilbao]] and [[Santander]] (in [[Spain]]). '''[[Southampton]]''' is on the [[cruise ship]] circuit, and is also the home port of ''RMS Queen Mary II'', the world's only remaining [[ocean liner]] that makes regular transatlantic crossings to and from [[New York City]]. Other nearby south coast ports with ferry service from the continent are [[Dover (England)|Dover]], [[Newhaven]], and [[Poole]]. ==Get around== [[File:Signpost at Salternshill - geograph.org.uk - 757442.jpg|thumb|250px|Vintage signposts are a common sight on Hampshire's country lanes]] ===By road=== Private vehicle is the best the way to get around Hampshire, especially for those travelling to smaller towns and the countryside. The main roads in the county are the: *M3 (linking Southampton in the south to Farnborough in the north east, via Winchester and Basingstoke); *M27 (linking the New Forest in the west to Portsmouth in the east along the coast, via Southampton); *A3 (linking Portsmouth in the south east to Surrey, via Petersfield); *A31 (linking Winchester with Surrey and the A3, via Alton); *A32 (linking Portsmouth with Alton); *A33 (linking Basingstoke with [[Reading (England)|Reading]] in Berkshire); *A34 (linking Winchester and the M3 with [[Newbury and Thatcham|Newbury]] in Berkshire) *A272 (linking Winchester to Petersfield and West Sussex); *A303 (linking the M3 near Basingstoke to Andover and Wiltshire); *A331 (linking Farnborough, Aldershot and the M3 with other local towns in Surrey and Berkshire). ===By public transport=== If you intend to remain within the major towns and cities, public transport is a very viable option. The most practical mode is by train, though there are also bus services throughout the county. ====By train==== Hampshire is well-connected by rail, with several radial lines coming from London, as well as an east-west network along the coast. Most towns and even some villages have a railway station with regular services. Most rail services within Hampshire are operated by [https://www.southwesternrailway.com/ South Western Railway], though some service patterns are run by other operators. The best website to find timetables and book tickets is [http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ National Rail Enquiries]. One line in Hampshire is still served by steam locomotives and vintage diesel trains, the '''[http://www.watercressline.co.uk/ Mid Hants Railway]'''. This does not form part of the National Rail network and tickets must be bought separately, but this is a fantastic way to travel through the Hampshire countryside. The '''Watercress Line''', as it is also known, links Alton's National Rail station to [[Alresford]]. ====By bus==== Most local bus services are operated by [https://www.stagecoachbus.com/localdefault.aspx?Tag=Portsmouth Stagecoach South]. Bus travel in Hampshire is expensive and slow when compared with the buses in London and other large cities, but this can be an excellent way to travel short distances in and between towns. ====By boat==== [[Portsmouth]] is linked to [[Gosport]] by a frequent passenger ferry. There are also hovercraft, passenger and car ferry crossings to various towns on the [[Isle of Wight]] from [[Lymington]], [[Southampton]], and Portsmouth. ==See== * '''[[Farnham#Q15199389|Birdworld]]''', south of Farnham, has over 150 species of birds, of which 11 are endangered, plus a children's petting zoo and an aquarium. * '''[[Petersfield#Q1018018|Butser Ancient Farm]]''', south of Petersfield, is an experiment to recreate an Iron Age farming settlement and Roman villa. * '''[[Newbury and Thatcham#Q1508450|Highclere Castle]]''', south of Newbury, is a magnificent stately home, better known as the fictional Downton Abbey. * '''[[Eastleigh#Q15249491|Marwell Zoo]]''', east of Eastleigh, is home to cheetahs, giraffes, meerkats, penguins, pygmy hippos, red pandas, rhinoceros, snow leopard, tigers and zebra. * '''[[Romsey#Q2731378|Mottisfont]]''', north of Romsey, is a former monastery and stately home with fine rose gardens in a gorgeous rural setting. * The excavated remains of '''[[Fordingbridge#Q7354971|Rockbourne Roman Villa]]''', north of Fordingbridge, clearly indicate a luxury dwelling in its day. * '''[[Romsey#Q7527037|Sir Harold Hillier Gardens]]''', near [[Romsey]], is a large garden and arboretum with over 40,000 trees and shrubs. * '''Famous figures''' from Hampshire whose former homes you can visit: south of Alton are [[Alton (Hampshire)#Q3161847|Jane Austen's house]] and [[Alton (Hampshire)#Q42754170|Gilbert White's house and garden]]; Portsmouth has [[Portsmouth#Q17528937|Charles&nbsp;Dickens' birthplace]]; and northeast of Basingstoke is [[Basingstoke#Q3500090|Stratfield Saye]], country pad of Arthur Wellesley and his descendant Dukes of Wellington. ==Do== * '''Fly fishing''' and '''riverbank angling''' are very popular pursuits in Hampshire's three crystal-clear chalk rivers: the Itchen, the Meon and the Test. [[Winchester (England)|Winchester]] and [[Andover]] make good bases. You need a licence from the [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences Environment Agency] to fish in English rivers. It's quite affordable - £6 for one day, £12 for eight days, or £30 for a whole year <small>(Jan 2022)</small> - and the process is easily completed online, while the penalties for fishing without a licence can be severe. Alternatively, you can fish without a licence at any number of private fisheries across the county, where the chance of a catch is much higher, but so are the tariffs. * '''Horse riding''' - Hampshire has many private stables and there are public bridleways (horse-riding trails) across the county, but particularly in the New Forest. * '''[[Romsey#Q3372842|Paulton's Park]]''', south of Romsey, is a family theme park with a small zoo, gardens and 'park within a park' '''Peppa Pig World''' * '''[[Petersfield#Q7270317|Queen Elizabeth Country Park]]''' has 2000 acres of woodland and downland south of Petersfield. Great for walking, mountain biking, off-roading, paragliding and laser games * '''Walking''' is a great way to explore Hampshire's diverse countryside. On the coast, search out beaches, harbours, and inlets, while inland you may find heathland, ancient woodland, downland, and water meadows, as well as agricultural land. Long-distance trails such as the '''[http://www.routeyou.com/en-gb/route/view/1373937/recreational-walking-route/pilgrim-s-way-from-winchester-to-canterbury Pilgrims' Way]''' and '''[http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/south-downs-way South Downs Way]''' demand several days' commitment. '''Meon Valley Trail''' is intermediate, an 11 mile cycle and walking trail between Wickham and West Meon. There are plenty more shorter walks for an afternoon. * '''Watersports''', particularly sailing, are popular activities in the waters of the south coast * '''[[Cricket]]:''' Hampshire CCC matches and occasional Test matches are played at Ageas Bowl in Southampton. ==Eat== [[File:Fishing the River Test at Kimbridge - geograph.org.uk - 489067.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Hampshire is prime fly-fishing country and its cuisine is heavily influenced by freshwater fish.]] Hampshire's food is typical among English counties, although there are some local specialities well worth sampling. First of these has to be the county's '''pork products'''; bacon, ham, meat patties and sausages, from both farmed pigs and wild boar - the people aren't called Hampshire hogs for nothing! Also on offer locally is '''game''' (particularly venison, pheasant and rabbit), '''freshwater fish''' (most commonly trout and salmon) and '''watercress''', an industry which Hampshire has dominated since the 19th century. There are also several award-winning '''cheeses''' from Hampshire, including local buffalo mozzarella, New Forest blue, Hampshire rose, the camembert-like tunworth, the gouda-like Old Winchester, and various oak-smoked cheeses. Much of the countryside is arable land, so farms often sell their fruit and vegetable produce in the relevant season, and there are "pick your own" sites for fruits such as raspberries and strawberries. In addition to the more traditional Indian and Thai curry houses, there are many '''Nepalese restaurants''' in Hampshire, particularly in the north east, where many thousands of Nepalese people have made their home. '''[http://www.hampshirefare.co.uk/ Hampshire Fare]''' is the official body which promotes the county's food and drink and also puts on events and markets where you can taste Hampshire: *'''[http://www.hampshirefare.co.uk/food-festival Hampshire Food Festival]''': The annual food festival takes place every July throughout the county *'''[http://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/ Hampshire Farmers' Markets]''': with so much great local produce and a myriad of market towns within its borders, the county has an official farmers' market organising board, that puts on markets around Hampshire [http://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/ almost every weekend]. ==Drink== * '''Beer''': Like much of southern England, Hampshire is traditional hop-producing land and local ales and other beers are usually available in the county's pubs. Conical-roofed oast houses (where hops were once fermented) are a prominent architectural feature of the countryside, now mostly converted to homes. Ringwood brewery in the New Forest is one significant local brewery, though there are many smaller businesses throughout the county, many of which are open to visits from the public. Check the [https://www.shantscamra.org.uk/breweries/ local CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) page] for all the county's breweries, as well as the best real ale pubs. * '''Wine''': there have been vineyards in Hampshire since Roman times. Modern examples are [https://www.blackchalkwine.co.uk/ Black Chalk] near Andover and [https://hambledonvineyard.co.uk/ Hambledon] at Waterlooville. * '''Tea''': Based in Andover, Twinings have been international tea merchants for over 300 years. Enjoy a cup and a slice of homemade cake in any number of tearooms in Hampshire's market towns and country villages. Aside from the ubiquitous pub, nightlife in Hampshire is quite poor outside Southampton, which itself boasts some of the best clubs in the south. Other than that, travelling to [[Bournemouth]], [[Brighton (England)|Brighton]] or [[London]] could be a better option to guarantee a good night out. ==Go next== * '''[[Dorset]]''' has much to offer the traveller, from the seaside resorts of the '''[[Bournemouth]]''' area, west to the UNESCO-listed '''[[Jurassic Coast]]''' and inland to Thomas Hardy country. * The '''[[Isle of Wight]]''' is an easy ferry trip from [[Portsmouth]] or [[Southampton]]. * The cathedral city of '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' offers a pleasant contrast to Winchester. * '''[[Stonehenge]]''' is just one of many neolithic sites in rural '''[[Wiltshire]]'''. * The '''[[South Downs|South Downs National Park]]''' continues into '''[[West Sussex]]''' and '''[[East Sussex]]''', counties which also boast sandy beaches and white cliffs. * And finally, '''[[London]]''' is always worth the trip and is just a train ride away. {{geo|51.0833|-1.2500|zoom=9}} {{IsPartOf|South East England}} {{usableregion}} {{hasDocent|ThunderingTyphoons!}} f7z4uirx70nikeogoxjoagvoi8bqa0d 0 14453 4501652 4481070 2022-08-15T17:28:20Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Go next */ expand wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St Helmsdale | lat=58.118 | long=-3.649 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From £30 ppn | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.116121 | long=-3.651087 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double from £90 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=http://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.117339 | long=-3.653265 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £85 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 1pb86u4pcy8qg5s8dh0n9e2qp7nr1v6 4501654 4501652 2022-08-15T17:34:38Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Updated listing for Belgrave Arms Hotel - info still current wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St Helmsdale | lat=58.118 | long=-3.649 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From £30 ppn | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=http://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.117339 | long=-3.653265 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £85 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} qnnk5bvrw2i6cg8i8mj7jv35dtw2gd0 4501657 4501654 2022-08-15T17:40:40Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Updated listing for Helmsdale Hostel - info still current wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=http://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.117339 | long=-3.653265 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £85 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} nor4k30shf4rf0u253bjwtuv2sfu08x 4501659 4501657 2022-08-15T17:42:08Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Get around */ move map higher wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=http://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.117339 | long=-3.653265 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £85 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} dy77mf4p75ep67b1kpur3u0m0ju1r3h 4501660 4501659 2022-08-15T17:43:22Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Get in */ move map here wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=http://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.117339 | long=-3.653265 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £85 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} ptsih312jecc8yp8lv8h3zpmqsw6lfp 4501662 4501660 2022-08-15T17:46:57Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Updated listing for Kindale House - info still current wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} aigd94o2ly7uzl0n6s5nv5k970d17g5 4501667 4501662 2022-08-15T17:56:10Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Crakaig Loth campsite wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} dx1099sgh342fsrwsprcd4qjgcgmr54 4501668 4501667 2022-08-15T17:58:10Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ marina wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 1p23cqrqwactem6aixzzl5n9ns6582i 4501674 4501668 2022-08-15T18:16:34Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ Dunbeath wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is a substantial Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} skqmmzpzwkfmq6t890zes2a0pzdv8mo 4501682 4501674 2022-08-15T18:25:51Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ Berriedale Castle wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{see | name=Badbea | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.164 | long=-3.557 | directions=5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4840650 | content=Was a village whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep. Such remains are dotted all over these hills and glens but this is one of the most accessible. }} * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is a substantial Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} l004brkh4dt7186hayq1pyzn9gz436z 4501695 4501682 2022-08-15T18:42:30Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ Badbea explainer wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is a substantial Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 3783cexyi8f1kez10ytwk4ra9zis4c9 4501703 4501695 2022-08-15T18:57:31Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* North of town */ Ousdale Broch wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 59yqt0c9jwj5543oyx0xegvzk8df5n2 4501711 4501703 2022-08-15T19:19:20Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* North of town */ Eagle Rock wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} ecaf0flebiq52uxjx5gpyjgjmh2l7ig 4501713 4501711 2022-08-15T19:34:41Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ wolf stone wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sunderland is one area proposed for their re-introduction. === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 7a09ujl5boa5url8hccteixn4a31zx6 4501714 4501713 2022-08-15T19:43:30Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ Carn Liath wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sunderland is one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 4s45i0u9ostv1aq4u7drt5v3rfsnju4 4501715 4501714 2022-08-15T19:50:22Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* South of town */ migrate Dunrobin here wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{See|name=Dunrobin Castle|alt=|url=http://dunrobincastle.co.uk|email=|address=|lat=57.982257|long=-3.945821|directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2018-05-27|content=}} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} fh0wppa0a7tdy9lztqt13ysmd4997jx 4501720 4501715 2022-08-15T19:59:57Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* South of town */ Updated listing for Dunrobin Castle - explainer wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. ==Do== * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} cs9gahpqdnn2fkjbl1njudh2tsp6r2p 4501723 4501720 2022-08-15T20:10:35Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Do */ golf wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 741aqs7h4vwowp1jl03vb7sj2t5yd0z 4501724 4501723 2022-08-15T20:17:16Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Do */ football wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan Museum and Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.11665 | long=-3.65418 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb Tu 12:00-16:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} fkkus5zhh9428tc33yrmgwtoj9ztlev 4501730 4501724 2022-08-15T20:26:20Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ Updated listing for Timespan - info still current wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=The Emigrants Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=58.115 | long=-3.654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | content=Commemorates those who left the Highlands. It's by the A9 road bridge across the river: building this in the 1970s demolished what was left of Helmsdale castle. }} * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} commemorates the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. There are other claimants, but the date is plausible. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} omboa15e4rj9mtceoqohsjbzsjqkt5i 4501734 4501730 2022-08-15T20:43:49Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* See */ castle memorial wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} ==Drink== * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} t9xkcv6v8terq6wht2a5gfipyotz8px 4501737 4501734 2022-08-15T20:57:02Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Drink */ crypto-rum wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 2cfdz7taiqruqm09538zs6z3y8lrns8 4501738 4501737 2022-08-15T21:03:09Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Go next */ space wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions=10 miles south of Helmsdale on A9 | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb M-Sa 10:00-15:00 | price=Standard tour £12 | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Diageo whisky distillery, most product blended into Johnnie Walker but issues some single malt. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 07wnea7j4bnxl1uwnni328to3pjx7j5 4501751 4501738 2022-08-15T21:20:39Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* South of town */ Updated listing for Clynelish Distillery - explainer wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} b8wfbt63qxo4w82kkb3ed8t2w9bnitd 4501756 4501751 2022-08-15T21:31:06Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Buy */ named two wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 0o2kmwzmb5nwwak3malazuty61dyu8q 4501757 4501756 2022-08-15T21:35:02Z Grahamsands 2164467 lede: population wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=http://www.lamirage.org/ | email=lamirage@live.co.uk | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-01-27 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} hiuivp0o6wbo4e1s2o5t0tloa92rwat 4501758 4501757 2022-08-15T21:39:29Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Eat */ Updated listing for La Mirage - practical info wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=7 Dunrobin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2019-07-31 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} s8r6nlzztx3l451d73sxzy1irj1pgsg 4501759 4501758 2022-08-15T21:42:21Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Eat */ Updated listing for Thyme and Plaice - practical info wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * Try Bannockburn Inn or Tartan Lounge, both on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 3he2bn2dzvbu9r6wl6gs303juqusi4v 4501762 4501759 2022-08-15T21:46:23Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Drink */ Bannockburn Inn wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * Tartan Lounge is also on Stafford Street. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} e6wdlfluil4eztj7smnr88uso47rakh 4501763 4501762 2022-08-15T21:47:57Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Drink */ Tartan Lounge is same place as Bannockburn Inn wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} ksqywx6ui254o5gnslua5tydav8c786 4501766 4501763 2022-08-15T21:51:04Z Grahamsands 2164467 Dunrobin Castle pic from W Commons wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} fk3cux6klrezt2il08g89w4eqjaxhtp 4501767 4501766 2022-08-15T21:55:46Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* North of town */ Ousdale Broch pic from W Commons wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. [[File:Ousdale exterior.JPG | thumb | 300px | Ousdale Broch ]] * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. Useful to know: "Latheron" is from the Gaelic for "muddy place". == Do == * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the pro leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Sat 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} kgc4euk24xjmziiqh2270f0k0hf9gf8 4501768 4501767 2022-08-15T22:01:09Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Do */ village pic from W Commons wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. [[File:Ousdale exterior.JPG | thumb | 300px | Ousdale Broch ]] * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. Useful to know: "Latheron" is from the Gaelic for "muddy place". == Do == [[File:Helmsdale with Gorse Blossom.jpg | thumb | 300px | Helmsdale with the gorse in bloom ]] * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the professional leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Saturday 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} db3mw8j1yd5lnxicenaw4src3uwh53r 4501769 4501768 2022-08-15T22:04:30Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Eat */ Highland band pic from W Commons wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. [[File:Ousdale exterior.JPG | thumb | 300px | Ousdale Broch ]] * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. Useful to know: "Latheron" is from the Gaelic for "muddy place". == Do == [[File:Helmsdale with Gorse Blossom.jpg | thumb | 300px | Helmsdale with the gorse in bloom ]] * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the professional leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Saturday 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == [[File:Northern Constabulary at Highland Games, Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6063996938).jpg | thumb | 300px | Police band at Helmsdale Highland Games ]] * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 6aifzpchml033lqn4vmhgmt7gjkba7g 4501770 4501769 2022-08-15T22:07:26Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Sleep */ Emigrants statue pic from W Commons wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. [[File:Ousdale exterior.JPG | thumb | 300px | Ousdale Broch ]] * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. Useful to know: "Latheron" is from the Gaelic for "muddy place". == Do == [[File:Helmsdale with Gorse Blossom.jpg | thumb | 300px | Helmsdale with the gorse in bloom ]] * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the professional leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Saturday 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == [[File:Northern Constabulary at Highland Games, Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6063996938).jpg | thumb | 300px | Police band at Helmsdale Highland Games ]] * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == [[File:Emigrants Statue at Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6067521248).jpg | thumb | 300px | The Emigrants ]] * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in humble Scottish villages; ''per auchterarder ad astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 2vienn5dmnnfxmfxzqga8gbmmeoiv7t 4501773 4501770 2022-08-15T22:12:54Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Go next */ boat pic from W Commons wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. [[File:Ousdale exterior.JPG | thumb | 300px | Ousdale Broch ]] * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. Useful to know: "Latheron" is from the Gaelic for "muddy place". == Do == [[File:Helmsdale with Gorse Blossom.jpg | thumb | 300px | Helmsdale with the gorse in bloom ]] * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the professional leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Saturday 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == [[File:Northern Constabulary at Highland Games, Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6063996938).jpg | thumb | 300px | Police band at Helmsdale Highland Games ]] * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == [[File:Emigrants Statue at Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6067521248).jpg | thumb | 300px | The Emigrants ]] * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == [[File:Dory and Helmsdale Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 198247.jpg | thumb | 300px | The journey into space might start here ]] * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] is worth missing, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in a quiet Scottish village; ''Per Auchterarder Ad Astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{outlinecity}} 2qa6jlw15anvud28k0m9zhuwyqebiyh 4501775 4501773 2022-08-15T22:14:49Z Grahamsands 2164467 /* Go next */ upstage to USABLE wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Helmsdale banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.helmsdale.org/ Helmsdale]''' is a fishing village in [[Caithness and Sutherland | Sutherland]] in the [[Scottish Highlands]], about two hours by road or rail north of Inverness. In 2011 its population was 764. The name derives from Norse ''Hjalmundal'', the "Dale of the Helmet". The village was planned and built on a grid pattern in the early 19th century to accommodate those who were being evicted from the valleys above to make way for sheep, the infamous "Highland Clearances". There was a brief gold rush along the river in 1869. == Get in == {{mapframe | 58.116 | -3.652 | height=550 | width=550 | zoom=14 }} Long-distance travel is usually via [[Inverness]], which has an airport, and trains, buses and highways from the south. Trains from Inverness run via [[Dingwall]], [[Tain]], Golspie (for Dunrobin Castle) and Brora to Helmsdale, taking 2 hrs 30 min, with four M-Sa and one on Sunday. They continue north to [[Thurso]] (for Orkney ferries) and [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]. {{marker | name=Helmsdale railway station | type=go | wikidata=Q2412149 }} is 200 yards west of the village. It's just a platform halt with no ticket office, machines or other facilities - buy your ticket on board if you start from here. There is level access to Platform One southbound but stairs over the footbridge to Platform Two northbound. Stagecoach Highlands Bus X99 takes 2 hours from Inverness via Tain, Dornoch and Brora to Helmsdale, with four M-Sa and two on Sunday, and continues to Wick and Thurso. Stagecoach Bus 66 runs three times a day from Lairg via Golspie and Brora to Helmsdale, 80 min. Lairg has buses to [[Kinlochbervie]] and [[Durness]] on the west coast. == Get around == The village is walkable but you need wheels to reach the distillery or Badbea. == See == * {{see | name=Timespan | alt= | url=https://www.timespan.org.uk | email= | address=Dunrobin Street, KW8 6JA | lat=58.1167 | long=-3.6542 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821327 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Oct daily 10:00-17:00 | price=Adult £4 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Local history museum, covering the Clearances, and the Helmsdale gold rush of 1869. You can still pan for gold further up the valley. With café. }} * '''Helmsdale Castle''' was an L-plan tower house built 1488 just south of the river. In 1567 the Earl's aunt tried to poison her way to the succession. The last of the ruins were cleared away in the 1970s when A9 was re-aligned across the bridge, so all you see now is a monument by the roadside. * '''Emigrants' Statue''' adjacent commemorates the Scots of the diaspora to the colonies, and those dispossessed by the clearances (not quite the same thing). Completed in 2007, its sculptor was born in Helmsdale but went out to the South Africa goldfields. A matching statue was unveiled in Winnipeg in 2008, where a group from Helmsdale had been among the founder families. === South of town === [[File:Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland.jpg | thumb | 300px | Dunrobin Castle ]] * {{marker | name=Lothbeg Wolf Stone | type=see | lat=58.0659 | long=-3.7963 }} records the killing of the last wolf in Scotland around 1800. The claim is possible, but 1700 is a likelier date. Wolves were hunted or trapped to extinction in England and Wales by 1500, and in Ireland by 1786. The bleak hills of Sutherland are one area proposed for their re-introduction. * {{see | name=Clynelish Distillery | alt= | url=https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/clynelish/ | email=clynelish.distillery@diageo.com | address=Brora KW9 6LR | lat=58.0235 | long=-3.8681 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 623000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily10:00-17:00 | price=Tasting £15, tour £19 | wikipedia=Clynelish distillery | wikidata=Q124932 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Now part of Diageo, this was a twin distillery, but Clynelish A (or Brora) closed in 1983 and you visit Clynelish B. It produces a peaty single malt whisky, 95% of which goes into Johnnie Walker Red Label - see [[Kilmarnock#Understand]] for the story of this iconic brand. However a few bottles of single malt are released, and old stock from Distillery A are pricey collectors' items. }} * {{marker | name=[https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/carn-liath-broch/ Carn Liath] | type=see | lat=57.9872 | long=-3.9121 }} is an Iron Age broch, which looks to have been built over a Bronze Age village and burial site. It's free to access 24 hours. * {{see | name=Dunrobin Castle | alt= | url=http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ | email= | address=Golspie KW10 6SF | lat=57.9823 | long=-3.9458 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 633177 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Oct daily 10:00-16:30 | price=Adult £13.50, conc £11.50, child £8.50 | wikipedia=Dunrobin Castle | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Opulent home of the Dukes of Sutherland, originally from 14th century but what you see now is mostly a grandiose Victorian chateau. Yes, lots of heads of dead animals, and the dark side is that the duchy ruthlessly evicted its tenants in the 18tth and 19th centuries. With extensive gardens. }} === North of town === * {{marker | name=[https://www.thebrochproject.co.uk/ Ousdale Broch] | type=see | lat=58.1484 | long=-3.5793 }} is a substantial Iron Age tower from 2nd or 3rd century BC; it was repaired 2015-20 and the access path was improved. In 1201 it may have marked the boundary between Viking and Scots territory, as William King of Scotland faced down Harald the Elder here. Nearby are ruins of the clearance village of Borg, but those at Badbea are better. [[File:Ousdale exterior.JPG | thumb | 300px | Ousdale Broch ]] * {{marker | name=Badbea | type=see | wikidata=Q4840650 }} (pronounced "bad-bay") is an abandoned village 5 miles north of Helmsdale along A9. There are many poignant ruins across this region whose inhabitants were evicted to make way for sheep, but Badbea is the other way round: from 1792 evicted crofters gathered in this area, and were given small plots of land (useless even for sheep) to tend and on which to build their own houses. They also found employment in herring fishing. By the late 19th century that was unprofitable, and the villagers drifted away to the cities and to the colonies. The site is freely accessible 24 hours: park on A9 and follow the soggy track south for half a mile. * {{marker | name=Berriedale Castle | type=see | lat=58.1820 | long=-3.4962 }} is a medieval ruin on a coastal promontory. * {{marker | name=Eagle Rock | type=see | lat=58.2363 | long=-3.5089 }} is a memorial on the hillside where an RAF Sunderland flying boat crashed on 25 Aug 1942. Fourteen of the 15 aboard were killed, including Prince George, Duke of Kent, the first British royal death on active service since James IV was slain at Flodden. The plane was heading through fog to Iceland, and it's thought strong winds pushed it inland from its intended course; the Duke's lurid early life prompted all sorts of alternative stories. * {{marker | name=Dunbeath | type=see | lat=58.249 | long=-3.432 }} is a village 15 miles north of Helmsdale on A9. It was the birthplace of the novelist Neil Gunn (1891-1973), best known for "The Silver Darlings". [https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/ Dunbeath Heritage Museum] (Tu W F 10:00-16:00) covers his work, a major component of the 20th century rebirth of Scottish literature. Dunbeath Broch half a mile upriver is an Iron Age redoubt. Dunbeath Castle teetering on the cliff edge a mile south of the village is private, no tours. [http://laidhay.co.uk/ Laidhay Croft Museum] a mile north up A9 is a 250-year old thatched longhouse. * '''See [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]]''' for points north of Latheron, where A9 heads north inland to Thurso while A99 follows the coast to Wick and John o'Groats. Useful to know: "Latheron" is from the Gaelic for "muddy place". == Do == [[File:Helmsdale with Gorse Blossom.jpg | thumb | 300px | Helmsdale with the gorse in bloom ]] * '''Football:''' [https://brorarangers.football/ Brora Rangers] play soccer in the Highland League, Scotland's regional fifth tier. They often do well and for some years have been knocking on the door of promotion to the professional leagues, but play-off setbacks and covid have thwarted this. Their home ground is Dudgeon Park in Brora, capacity 4000. * '''Golf:''' [http://www.helmsdale.org/golf.html Helmsdale GC] is nine holes. Twice round off yellow tees is 3720 yards, par 60. : [https://broragolfclub.co.uk/ Brora GC] is 18 holes, white tees 6211 yards, par 70. * '''[https://www.helmsdalegames.co.uk/ Helmsdale Highland Games]''' are held on Couper Park in August: parades, pipe bands, tug of war, caber-tossing, and track and field events. The next are on Saturday 20 Aug 2022. == Buy == * No supermarkets, just convenience stores: Spar in Helmsdale (M-Sa 06:00-22:00, Su 08:00-22:00) and Co-op Food in Brora (daily 07:00-22:00). == Eat == [[File:Northern Constabulary at Highland Games, Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6063996938).jpg | thumb | 300px | Police band at Helmsdale Highland Games ]] * {{eat | name=Thyme and Plaice | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Thyme.n.plaice | email= | address=10 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821598 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-W 09:00-17:00, Th-Sa 09:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Friendly casual place, vegan options. No alcohol but bring your own. }} * {{eat | name=La Mirage | alt= | url=https://lamirage.co.uk/ | email= | address=7-9 Dunrobin St KW8 6JA | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821615 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 12:00-20:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Fish are the thing here. }} == Drink == * '''[http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/ Bannockburn Inn]''' is on Stafford St the main road. The bar is open 16:00 till late. They serve meals and have rooms. * '''Rum''' is only produced in a handful of places across Scotland; the micro-distillery revival of the 2010s was mostly about gin. [https://www.scotsrum.com/ Scots Rum] is a Helmsdale-based venture to make more. Ominously, the website extols piratical traditions in the same breath as crowd-funding the planned distillery via cryptocurrency, so it's unclear when or if anyone will get to drink any rum, or reap any other return on investment. == Sleep == [[File:Emigrants Statue at Helmsdale Sutherland Scotland (6067521248).jpg | thumb | 300px | The Emigrants ]] * '''Helmsdale Marina''' permits overnight parking of motorhomes. * {{sleep | name=Helmsdale Hostel | alt= | url=https://helmsdalehostel.co.uk | email=stay@helmsdalehostel.co.uk | address=Stafford St, Helmsdale KW8 6JR | lat=58.1178 | long=-3.6488 | directions= | phone=+44 7971 516287 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room £70 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean friendly well-run hostel, six rooms en suite each with four beds. Open all year but Nov-March only for group bookings. Dogs welcome by arrangemnt. }} * {{sleep | name=Belgrave Arms Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.belgravearmshotel.co.uk/ | email= | address=Dunrobin St, Helmsdale KW8 6JX | lat=58.1161 | long=-3.6511 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821242 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £95 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Small friendly 3-star with restaurant. }} * {{sleep | name=Kindale House | alt= | url=https://www.kindalehouse.co.uk/ | email= | address=Lilleshall St, Helmsdale KW8 6JF | lat=58.1173 | long=-3.6533 | directions= | phone=+44 1431 821415 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=B&B double £90 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Clean central friendly B&B. }} * {{sleep | name=Crakaig Loth Campsite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Crakaig Farm, Helmsdale KW8 6HP | lat=58.0677 | long=-3.7606 | directions= | phone=+44 1408 621972 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Pitch £20 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Very basic site, friendly and clean facilities but strewn with derelict caravans. Rough access lane under railway bridge, low clearance. }} == Connect == As of July 2022, Helmsdale and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and a basic mobile signal from Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area. == Go next == [[File:Dory and Helmsdale Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 198247.jpg | thumb | 300px | The journey into space might start here ]] * North are [[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] and [[Thurso]], in former Norse territory dotted with ancient remains. * [[John o'Groats]] itself is worth skipping, but nearby are Dunnet Head (true north tip of Great Britain), Castle of Mey and Duncansby Head. * [[Tain]] to the south has the Glenmorangie whisky distillery. * [[Inverness]] is the agreeable Victorian town that all north Highland routes lead back to. * [[North Coast 500]] is a motoring itinerary that loops through Helmsdale. * [[Space]]: David Mackay, born in Helmsdale in 1957, is Chief Pilot for Virgin Galactic and has flown three sub-orbital missions to date. The journey has to start somewhere, so why not in a quiet Scottish village; ''Per Auchterarder Ad Astra'' as they say. {{routebox | image1=UK road A9.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NE | majorl1=[[Thurso]]/[[Wick (Scotland) | Wick]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SW | majorr1=[[Inverness]] | minorr1=[[Tain]] }} {{geo|58.12|-3.66}} {{IsPartOf|Caithness and Sutherland}} {{usablecity}} 43w3udfw7ptmezf30rzmw4wyg7a1bw5 0 14550 4501849 4498599 2022-08-16T03:22:00Z Ground Zero 1423298 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner Hertfordshire Verulamium wall ruins.jpg}} '''Hertfordshire''' is a county in [[East of England|eastern]] [[England]], located north of [[London]]. == Towns and villages == {{Mapframe | 51.830 | -0.230 | height=600 | width=750 | zoom=10 }} {{Mapshape}} === Towns === *{{marker | type=city | name=[[St Albans]] | wikidata=Q6226 }} City with a magnificent cathedral *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hertford]]|url=|lat=51.795|long=-0.078|wikidata=Q9681 }} county town *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Baldock]]|url=|lat=51.99|long=-0.19|wikidata=Q789348}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Berkhamsted]]|url=|lat=51.76|long=-0.56|wikidata=Q19784}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bishop's Stortford]]|url=|lat=51.872|long=0.1725|wikidata=Q19797}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Borehamwood]]|url=|lat=51.658|long=-0.273|wikidata=Q19773}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Buntingford]]|url=|lat=51.9445|long=-0.016|wikidata=Q1938551}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Cheshunt]]|url=|lat=51.702|long=-0.035|wikidata=Q19790}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harpenden]]|url=|lat=51.8175|long=-0.3524|wikidata=Q19785}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hatfield]]|url=|lat=51.762|long=-0.228|wikidata=Q19788}} – home of Hatfield House, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hemel Hempstead]]|url=|lat=51.7526|long=-0.4692|wikidata=Q3532}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hitchin]]|url=|lat=51.947|long=-0.283|wikidata=Q19798}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Letchworth Garden City]]|url=|lat=51.978|long=-0.23|wikidata=Q19801}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Potters Bar]]|url=|lat=51.698|long=-0.183|wikidata=Q19775}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Rickmansworth]]|url=|lat=51.6383|long=-0.4659|wikidata=}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Royston]]|url=|lat=52.0471|long=-0.0202|wikidata=Q19804}} – Wimpole hall and Farm *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Stevenage]]|url=|lat=51.9|long=-0.2|wikidata=Q19795}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Tring]]|url=|lat=51.7962|long=-0.6592|wikidata=Q10999}} – and the Natural History Museum *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ware]]|url=|lat=51.817|long=-0.0292|wikidata=Q19792}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Watford]]|url=|lat=51.655|long=-0.395694|wikidata=Q2598}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Welwyn Garden City]]|url=|lat=51.831|long=-0.215|wikidata=Q19789}} ===Villages=== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Abbots Langley]]|url=|lat=51.701|long=-0.416|wikidata=Q19777}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Brookmans Park]]|url=|lat=51.721|long=-0.203|wikidata=Q9180055}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kings Langley]]|url=|lat=51.71559|long=-0.45692|wikidata=Q19807}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Knebworth]]|url=|lat=51.866|long=-0.184|wikidata=Q386419}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[London Colney]]|url=|lat=51.726|long=-0.3|wikidata=Q3366058}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Pirton]]|url=|lat=51.966667|long=-0.333333|wikidata=Q7198115}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Redbourn]]|url=|lat=51.7986|long=-0.3953|wikidata=Q19853}} ==Other destinations== ==<nowiki/>Understand== The county is situated just north of [[London]]. The area is quite suburban in character and has the third highest population density for a non-metropolitan county after [[Surrey]] and [[Berkshire]] which are similarly suburban in nature. The Hertfordshire district of Hertsmere has the highest percentage of Jewish residents (11% but much larger in certain towns such as [[Radlett]]) of any English district outside [[London]]. ==Get in== === By train === Hertfordshire is to the north of London and is easily accessible by train. The train lines running north to south Hertfordshire. The main train lines serving Hertfordshire are: * London Northwestern - from London Euston to Birmingham, the North West and Bedford (with stops in Hertfordshire including Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead and Tring) * Avanti West Coast - from London Euston to the North West (with stop at Watford Junction) * Thameslink - from Brighton, Sutton and Rainham via London St Pancras to Bedford (with stops in Hertfordshire including Elstree and Borehamwood, Radlett, St Albans City Station and Harpenden) Serves London Luton Airport (Luton Airport Parkway) * East Midlands Trains - runs through Hertfordshire from St Pancras Station but does not stop in Hertfordshire * LNER - runs from Kings Cross to Yorkshire and Scotland (with stop at Stevenage) * Great Northern - runs from Kings Cross to Peterborough & Kings Lynn (with stops including Hatfield, Stevenage, Hertford North and Hitchin) * Greater Anglia - runs from Liverpool Street to Cambridge (with stops in Hertfordshire including Cheshunt, Broxbourne and Hertford East) Serves Stansted Airport * London Overground from London Euston to Watford Junction and from London Euston to Cheshunt (with stops in Hertfordshire including Bushey, Watford Junction and Cheshunt) * London Underground / Metropolitan Line (with stops in Hertfordshire at Croxley and Watford) === By car === Any of the major roads heading north out of London will pass through Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire is served by three motorways M1, A1M and M25. Hertfordshire is served by Greenline and National Express coaches. The main coach station is Hemel Hempstead. The coach services provide good links to airports and major cities. * 370 (National Express) Southend to Liverpool calls at Bishops Stortford in Hertfortshire (also serves Stansted & Manchester Airport) * 707 (National Express) Gatwick Airport to Northampton service calls at Hemel Hempstead (also serves Heathrow & Luton Airports) * 737 (National Express) Oxford to Stansted Airport service calls at Hemel Hempstead & Hatfield in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport) * 758 (Greenline) Central London to Hemel Hempstead * 757 (Greenline) Central London to Luton calls at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport). * 758 (Greenline) Central London to Hemel Hempstead * 777 (National Express) Stansted Airport to Birmingham calls at Standon, Stevenage & Hitchin in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton & Birmingham Airports) * 787 (National Express) Heathrow Airport to Cambridge service calls at Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock & Royston in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport) === By plane === Hertfordshire is served by two main airports on its borders. London Stansted just over the border in [[Essex (England)|Essex]] and London Luton Airport just over the border in [[Bedfordshire]]. Good connections to Hertfordshire are available from London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airports. * {{marker|type=go|name=[[London Stansted Airport]]|url=|lat=51.88354 |long=0.25263}} ({{IATA|STN}}) is London's third airport, and is dominated by the two low-cost airlines EasyJet and Ryanair, connects to many international destinations and to the train services offering connections to London or Cambridge. * {{marker|type=go|name=[[London Luton Airport]]|url=|lat=51.87861|long=-0.37567}} ({{IATA|LTN}}) is London's fourth airport. It's a major hub for easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI. The vast majority of routes served are within Europe, although there are some charter and scheduled routes to destinations in Northern Africa and Asia. Located in Hertfordshire is London Elstree Aerodrome (ICAO: EGTR) which is a general aviation aerodrome located in Elstree, and is situated 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km; 3.0 mi) east of Watford. Elstree Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence number P486 which allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. ==Get around== Rail links, as mentioned, run north-south but there are no services running east-west across the county so the alternative is bus/coach travel or car ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Henry Moore Studios and Gardens | alt= | url=https://www.henry-moore.org/ | email=receptiondth@henry-moore.org | address=Perry Green, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire SG10 6EE | lat=51.8372 | long=0.0867 | directions=in rural Hertfordshire, less than 30 miles from central London, close to Hertford, Bishop’s Stortford and Stansted Airport | phone=+44 1279 843333 | tollfree= | hours=Open seasonally, usually from Easter until the end of October each year. W&ndash;Su & Bank Holidays 11AM&ndash;5PM. Mo Tu closed | price=Adult entry for galleries and gardens £12.60. Entry to Hoglands house £4.50 (2018) | wikipedia=Henry_Moore_Foundation | lastedit=2018-07-10 | content=The former home and studios of the great British sculptor. Includes the artist's restored home, and its flower garden, his studios, and over 70 acres of less formal gardens and fields containing many of his monumental sculptures. The grounds also feature the Sheep Field Barn gallery with changing exhibititions, and the medieval Aisled Barn with a display of nine large colourful tapestries based on his drawings. }} ==Do== === Walk === Hertfordshire has a pretty good network of public footpaths and other rights of way, allowing for plentiful walking around the county. [[File:Hertfordshire Way Route diagram.jpg|thumb|right|The route of the Hertfordshire Way.]] * {{do | name=The Hertfordshire Way |alt= | url=https://www.fhw.org.uk/test-page | email=hertfordshireway@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5744799 | image=Hertfordshire Way.JPG | lastedit=2022-08-09 | content=A 195 mile waymarked, circular, long-distance footpath that passes primarily through Hertfordshire's countryside. It is broken up into 14 legs, mostly running between towns and villages, which can be walked individually. To view the route on the map, hover over the layers icon, select hiking and look for "HW". }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Hertfordshire is the second safest county in the U.K. The chances of you being attacked/robbed at night are slim, and in the daytime basically none. The only crime you may encounter is at closing time in the larger urban areas (Watford, St. Albans, Hatfield and Stevenage) around clubs/pubs. Theft or interference with cars may occur, but only if left in the more unpleasant areas overnight. Usual instructions apply, if a crime/emergency is in progress call 999 or 112 and ask for Police/Fire/Ambulance as needed. There are three main police stations (Open Mon/Thurs 8am - 11pm, Fri/Sat 8am - Midnight and Sun 10am to 8pm) in Watford, Hatfield and Stevenage. A police counter service is available at Abbots Langley and Rickmansworth police stations. === Hospitals === * Stevenage (Lister Hospital) with 24h A&E * Watford (Watford General) with 24h A&E * St Albans (St Albans City Hospital) with a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day of the week from 9am to 8pm. No A&E * Bishop's Stortford (Herts and Essex Hospital) with Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open Mon - Fri 9am to 4:30pm. No A&E * Cheshunt (Cheshunt Community Hospital) with a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day of the week from 8am to 8pm. No A&E * Hemel Hempstead (Hemel Hempstead Hospital) with Urgent Care Centre open 8am to 10pm. No A&E * Northwood (Mount Vernon Cancer Centre) with Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day 9am to 8pm (except Christmas Day). No A&E * Welwyn Garden City (QEII) with 24h Urgent Care Centre. No A&E ==Go next== * [[London]] to the South * '''Whipsnade Zoo''', just outside [[Dunstable]]. {{IsPartOf|East_of_England}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|51.83|-0.22|zoom=11}} l639hymo59d2wb2smc2cxkyj2cqfx5q 4501850 4501849 2022-08-16T03:24:18Z Ground Zero 1423298 /* Hospitals */ times and dates per [[wv:tdf]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner Hertfordshire Verulamium wall ruins.jpg}} '''Hertfordshire''' is a county in [[East of England|eastern]] [[England]], located north of [[London]]. == Towns and villages == {{Mapframe | 51.830 | -0.230 | height=600 | width=750 | zoom=10 }} {{Mapshape}} === Towns === *{{marker | type=city | name=[[St Albans]] | wikidata=Q6226 }} City with a magnificent cathedral *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hertford]]|url=|lat=51.795|long=-0.078|wikidata=Q9681 }} county town *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Baldock]]|url=|lat=51.99|long=-0.19|wikidata=Q789348}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Berkhamsted]]|url=|lat=51.76|long=-0.56|wikidata=Q19784}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bishop's Stortford]]|url=|lat=51.872|long=0.1725|wikidata=Q19797}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Borehamwood]]|url=|lat=51.658|long=-0.273|wikidata=Q19773}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Buntingford]]|url=|lat=51.9445|long=-0.016|wikidata=Q1938551}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Cheshunt]]|url=|lat=51.702|long=-0.035|wikidata=Q19790}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harpenden]]|url=|lat=51.8175|long=-0.3524|wikidata=Q19785}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hatfield]]|url=|lat=51.762|long=-0.228|wikidata=Q19788}} – home of Hatfield House, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hemel Hempstead]]|url=|lat=51.7526|long=-0.4692|wikidata=Q3532}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hitchin]]|url=|lat=51.947|long=-0.283|wikidata=Q19798}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Letchworth Garden City]]|url=|lat=51.978|long=-0.23|wikidata=Q19801}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Potters Bar]]|url=|lat=51.698|long=-0.183|wikidata=Q19775}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Rickmansworth]]|url=|lat=51.6383|long=-0.4659|wikidata=}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Royston]]|url=|lat=52.0471|long=-0.0202|wikidata=Q19804}} – Wimpole hall and Farm *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Stevenage]]|url=|lat=51.9|long=-0.2|wikidata=Q19795}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Tring]]|url=|lat=51.7962|long=-0.6592|wikidata=Q10999}} – and the Natural History Museum *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ware]]|url=|lat=51.817|long=-0.0292|wikidata=Q19792}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Watford]]|url=|lat=51.655|long=-0.395694|wikidata=Q2598}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Welwyn Garden City]]|url=|lat=51.831|long=-0.215|wikidata=Q19789}} ===Villages=== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Abbots Langley]]|url=|lat=51.701|long=-0.416|wikidata=Q19777}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Brookmans Park]]|url=|lat=51.721|long=-0.203|wikidata=Q9180055}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kings Langley]]|url=|lat=51.71559|long=-0.45692|wikidata=Q19807}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Knebworth]]|url=|lat=51.866|long=-0.184|wikidata=Q386419}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[London Colney]]|url=|lat=51.726|long=-0.3|wikidata=Q3366058}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Pirton]]|url=|lat=51.966667|long=-0.333333|wikidata=Q7198115}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Redbourn]]|url=|lat=51.7986|long=-0.3953|wikidata=Q19853}} ==Other destinations== ==<nowiki/>Understand== The county is situated just north of [[London]]. The area is quite suburban in character and has the third highest population density for a non-metropolitan county after [[Surrey]] and [[Berkshire]] which are similarly suburban in nature. The Hertfordshire district of Hertsmere has the highest percentage of Jewish residents (11% but much larger in certain towns such as [[Radlett]]) of any English district outside [[London]]. ==Get in== === By train === Hertfordshire is to the north of London and is easily accessible by train. The train lines running north to south Hertfordshire. The main train lines serving Hertfordshire are: * London Northwestern - from London Euston to Birmingham, the North West and Bedford (with stops in Hertfordshire including Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead and Tring) * Avanti West Coast - from London Euston to the North West (with stop at Watford Junction) * Thameslink - from Brighton, Sutton and Rainham via London St Pancras to Bedford (with stops in Hertfordshire including Elstree and Borehamwood, Radlett, St Albans City Station and Harpenden) Serves London Luton Airport (Luton Airport Parkway) * East Midlands Trains - runs through Hertfordshire from St Pancras Station but does not stop in Hertfordshire * LNER - runs from Kings Cross to Yorkshire and Scotland (with stop at Stevenage) * Great Northern - runs from Kings Cross to Peterborough & Kings Lynn (with stops including Hatfield, Stevenage, Hertford North and Hitchin) * Greater Anglia - runs from Liverpool Street to Cambridge (with stops in Hertfordshire including Cheshunt, Broxbourne and Hertford East) Serves Stansted Airport * London Overground from London Euston to Watford Junction and from London Euston to Cheshunt (with stops in Hertfordshire including Bushey, Watford Junction and Cheshunt) * London Underground / Metropolitan Line (with stops in Hertfordshire at Croxley and Watford) === By car === Any of the major roads heading north out of London will pass through Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire is served by three motorways M1, A1M and M25. Hertfordshire is served by Greenline and National Express coaches. The main coach station is Hemel Hempstead. The coach services provide good links to airports and major cities. * 370 (National Express) Southend to Liverpool calls at Bishops Stortford in Hertfortshire (also serves Stansted & Manchester Airport) * 707 (National Express) Gatwick Airport to Northampton service calls at Hemel Hempstead (also serves Heathrow & Luton Airports) * 737 (National Express) Oxford to Stansted Airport service calls at Hemel Hempstead & Hatfield in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport) * 758 (Greenline) Central London to Hemel Hempstead * 757 (Greenline) Central London to Luton calls at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport). * 758 (Greenline) Central London to Hemel Hempstead * 777 (National Express) Stansted Airport to Birmingham calls at Standon, Stevenage & Hitchin in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton & Birmingham Airports) * 787 (National Express) Heathrow Airport to Cambridge service calls at Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock & Royston in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport) === By plane === Hertfordshire is served by two main airports on its borders. London Stansted just over the border in [[Essex (England)|Essex]] and London Luton Airport just over the border in [[Bedfordshire]]. Good connections to Hertfordshire are available from London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airports. * {{marker|type=go|name=[[London Stansted Airport]]|url=|lat=51.88354 |long=0.25263}} ({{IATA|STN}}) is London's third airport, and is dominated by the two low-cost airlines EasyJet and Ryanair, connects to many international destinations and to the train services offering connections to London or Cambridge. * {{marker|type=go|name=[[London Luton Airport]]|url=|lat=51.87861|long=-0.37567}} ({{IATA|LTN}}) is London's fourth airport. It's a major hub for easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI. The vast majority of routes served are within Europe, although there are some charter and scheduled routes to destinations in Northern Africa and Asia. Located in Hertfordshire is London Elstree Aerodrome (ICAO: EGTR) which is a general aviation aerodrome located in Elstree, and is situated 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km; 3.0 mi) east of Watford. Elstree Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence number P486 which allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. ==Get around== Rail links, as mentioned, run north-south but there are no services running east-west across the county so the alternative is bus/coach travel or car ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=The Henry Moore Studios and Gardens | alt= | url=https://www.henry-moore.org/ | email=receptiondth@henry-moore.org | address=Perry Green, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire SG10 6EE | lat=51.8372 | long=0.0867 | directions=in rural Hertfordshire, less than 30 miles from central London, close to Hertford, Bishop’s Stortford and Stansted Airport | phone=+44 1279 843333 | tollfree= | hours=Open seasonally, usually from Easter until the end of October each year. W&ndash;Su & Bank Holidays 11AM&ndash;5PM. Mo Tu closed | price=Adult entry for galleries and gardens £12.60. Entry to Hoglands house £4.50 (2018) | wikipedia=Henry_Moore_Foundation | lastedit=2018-07-10 | content=The former home and studios of the great British sculptor. Includes the artist's restored home, and its flower garden, his studios, and over 70 acres of less formal gardens and fields containing many of his monumental sculptures. The grounds also feature the Sheep Field Barn gallery with changing exhibititions, and the medieval Aisled Barn with a display of nine large colourful tapestries based on his drawings. }} ==Do== === Walk === Hertfordshire has a pretty good network of public footpaths and other rights of way, allowing for plentiful walking around the county. [[File:Hertfordshire Way Route diagram.jpg|thumb|right|The route of the Hertfordshire Way.]] * {{do | name=The Hertfordshire Way |alt= | url=https://www.fhw.org.uk/test-page | email=hertfordshireway@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5744799 | image=Hertfordshire Way.JPG | lastedit=2022-08-09 | content=A 195 mile waymarked, circular, long-distance footpath that passes primarily through Hertfordshire's countryside. It is broken up into 14 legs, mostly running between towns and villages, which can be walked individually. To view the route on the map, hover over the layers icon, select hiking and look for "HW". }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Hertfordshire is the second safest county in the U.K. The chances of you being attacked/robbed at night are slim, and in the daytime basically none. The only crime you may encounter is at closing time in the larger urban areas (Watford, St. Albans, Hatfield and Stevenage) around clubs/pubs. Theft or interference with cars may occur, but only if left in the more unpleasant areas overnight. Usual instructions apply, if a crime/emergency is in progress call 999 or 112 and ask for Police/Fire/Ambulance as needed. There are three main police stations (Open Mon/Thurs 8am - 11pm, Fri/Sat 8am - Midnight and Sun 10am to 8pm) in Watford, Hatfield and Stevenage. A police counter service is available at Abbots Langley and Rickmansworth police stations. === Hospitals === * Stevenage (Lister Hospital) with 24-hr A&E * Watford (Watford General) with 24-hr A&E * St Albans (St Albans City Hospital) with a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day of the week from 9AM-8PM. No A&E * Bishop's Stortford (Herts and Essex Hospital) with Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open M-F 9AM-4:30PM. No A&E * Cheshunt (Cheshunt Community Hospital) with a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day of the week from 8AM-8PM. No A&E * Hemel Hempstead (Hemel Hempstead Hospital) with Urgent Care Centre open 8AM-10PM. No A&E * Northwood (Mount Vernon Cancer Centre) with Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day 9AM-8PM (except Christmas Day). No A&E * Welwyn Garden City (QEII) with 24-hr Urgent Care Centre. No A&E ==Go next== * [[London]] to the South * '''Whipsnade Zoo''', just outside [[Dunstable]]. {{IsPartOf|East_of_England}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|51.83|-0.22|zoom=11}} ojs5wkui439rf1bujprmus3kcwwf3bj 0 14963 4501597 4501423 2022-08-15T13:27:43Z Ibaman 195012 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Sunset Hope British Columbia Canada 13A (cropped).jpg|pgname=Hope}} [[Image:Hope_BC_WaterAvenue.JPG|thumb|View of Hope from Water Avenue (Trans Canada Hwy)]] '''[http://www.hope.ca/ Hope]''' is a small town at the far east of the [[Fraser Valley]] in [[British Columbia]]. Hope is well-known as the gateway to British Columbia's interior, and serves as the junction of four major highways. Outside of the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and Whistler areas, going anywhere in British Columbia by road requires travelling through Hope. Locals like to say that the rest of British Columbia is "Beyond Hope". While it might be easy to dismiss this small town as just a place to gas up and grab a Timmy's coffee, Hope is justifiably popular as a four-season travel destination. Nestled among mighty peaks, at the confluence of three rivers, Hope is an excellent base for exploring some of the best scenery Canada has to offer. The Hope area offers outdoor recreational opportunities from hiking, downhill and cross-country skiing, fishing, and hunting, to all types of sports in and on the water. ==Understand== The Sto:lo First Nations were the early residents of the area. Explorer Simon Fraser arrived in what is now Hope in 1808, with the Hudson's Bay Company creating the Fort Hope trading post in 1848. The Fraser River and Fraser Street is named for the explorer, while Hudson's Bay Street and Fort Street in Hope commemorate the town's origins. Hope was transformed in 1858 and onward by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush as thousands of miners flooded into the region. Spurred by the gold rush and the desire of the British to solidify their claim to control in the face of thousands of American prospectors pouring in, the Colony of British Columbia was created on 2 August 1858, and the Colony of British Columbia joined Canada in 1871 after being promised a railway connection to eastern Canada, which came through Hope. Founded as a trading post because of its strategic location at the confluence of multiple river valleys, built up because it lay at a choke point into the gold fields, and today a major junction of highways, Hope exists because of its strategic location as the only way to get to so many places. Hope was incorporated as a village (District) on 6 April 1929, became a town on 1 January 1965, and was reincorporated as a district municipality named the District of Hope on 7 December 1992. Hope has been a popular location to shoot films. The first Rambo film ''First Blood'' (1982), with Sylvester Stallone, was almost entirely shot in and around Hope. Other movies filmed here include ''Shoot to Kill'' (1988), with Sidney Poitier, Tom Berenger and Kirstie Alley; ''K2'' (1992) - the area's mountains standing in for the Himalayas - and several others. ==Get in== ===By car=== * '''Highway 1 - West''' (the [[Trans-Canada Highway]]) follows the Fraser Valley to [[Vancouver]] as a fully controlled access route. which merges seamlessly with Highway 5. * '''Highway 1 - North''' - the Fraser Canyon portion of (the Trans-Canada Highway) links to [[Cache Creek]] where drivers connect to Highway 97 to access Northern British Columbia/Yukon/Alaska or continue on Highway 1 east to [[Kamloops]] and beyond to the rest of Canada. Highway 1 north is accessed by exiting at the Welcome to Hope sign, then driving through the edge of downtown Hope and across the Fraser River. This route is generally called "the canyon" by locals. * '''Highway 3''' (Crowsnest Highway) travels east to [[Manning Park]], and on to [[Princeton (British Columbia)|Princeton]], [[Osoyoos]], and ultimately Alberta via a southern route. It is a 2- to 4-lane road and still contains many narrow sections. This route is known as the "Hope-Princeton" by locals. * '''Highway 5 (the Coquihalla Highway portion of the Yellowhead Highway)''' is a controlled access freeway that winds high through the mountains northeast to [[Merritt]], then to either [[Kamloops]] and beyond to northern BC, or via 97C (the "Okanagan connector") towards the [[Okanagan Valley]]. While built as a toll road, and still marked as such on some maps, the tolls have been lifted. The route is called '''"the Coq"''' (pronounced "coke") by locals. Important: '''Highway 5 (the Coq)''' between Hope and Kamloops is not part of the Trans-Canada Highway, but the high mountain route built in 1986 saves at least an hour of travel time over the older, often two lane Highway 1 route to Kamloops and is therefore preferred by travellers, except during extreme winter weather, when the lower elevation canyon route may be a better choice. * '''Highway 7 (the Lougheed Highway)''' heads west on the north bank of the Fraser River, to [[Mission (British Columbia)|Mission]], [[Coquitlam]], and eventually [[Vancouver]]. This route is a slower route to Vancouver because it is not generally a divided highway and goes through the commercial cores of Mission, [[Maple Ridge]], Pitt Meadows, Coquitlam, and Burnaby before reaching Vancouver. A scenic drive though. ===By plane=== The nearest major international airport is Vancouver International Airport ({{IATA|YVR}}), 155 km west in [[Vancouver]]. Closer is the Abbotsford International Airport ({{IATA|YXX}}), 70 km west in [[Abbotsford (British Columbia)|Abbotsford]]. Abbotsford Airport offers fewer connecting flights but it is much closer and easier to navigate. The airport is serviced by WestJet, Air Canada, and several car rental agencies. * {{listing | type=go | name=Hope Aerodrome | alt={{IATA|YHE}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.3683 | long=-121.498 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hope Aerodrome | wikidata=Q10853574 | content=Hope is home to what may be the longest grass airstrip in Canada at {{ft|3,960}} in length. During summer months, the Hope Aerodrome has extensive [http://vancouversoaring.com/ glider] activity. }} ===By bus=== *{{listing | name=Adventure Charters | alt= | url=https://www.adventurecharters.ca/ | email=info@adventurecharters.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-305-2251 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-19 | content=Twice per week bus service between [[Prince George]] and [[Surrey_(British_Columbia)|Surrey]] with stops in [[Quesnel]], [[Williams Lake]], [[100 Mile House]], Clinton, [[Cache Creek]], [[Lytton]], [[Boston_Bar_(British_Columbia)|Boston Bar]], Hope, [[Chilliwack]], and [[Abbotsford]]. Travel time to Hope from Prince George is 8.75 hours, from Quesnel is 7 hours, from Williams Lake is 5 hours, from Cache Creek is 2.25 hours, from Abbotsford is 1.5 hours, and from Surrey is 2.25 hours. }} *{{go | name=Ebus | alt= | url=https://myebus.ca | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877-769-3287 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-19 | content=Travels daily between [[Kamloops]] and [[Vancouver]], and [[Kelowna]] and Vancouver on two separate routes. Both routes have stops in [[Merritt]], Hope, [[Chilliwack]], [[Abbotsford]], and [[Surrey_(British_Columbia)|Surrey]]. Travel time to Hope from Kamloops is 2 hours, from Kelowna is 3 hours, from Abbotsford is 1.25 hours, and from Vancouver is 2.5 hours. }} *{{listing | name=Mountain Man Mike's Bus Service | alt= | url=https://mountainmanmikes.ca/ | email=info@mountainmanmikes.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-778-382-7729 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-19 | content=Twice per week service between [[Kaslo]] and [[Vancouver]] with stops in [[Ainsworth_Hot_Springs-Balfour|Balfour]], [[Nelson_(British_Columbia)|Nelson]], [[Castlegar]], [[Christina Lake]], [[Grand_Forks_(British_Columbia)|Grand Forks]], [[Greenwood (British Columbia)|Greenwood]], Rock Creek, [[Osoyoos]], [[Keremeos]], [[Princeton_(British_Columbia)|Princeton]], [[Manning Provincial Park]], Hope, [[Chilliwack]], [[Abbotsford]], [[Langley_(British_Columbia)|Langley]], and [[New Westminster]]. Travel time to Hope from Kaslo is 8.25 hours, from Nelson is 7.25 hours, from Castlegar is 6.5 hours, from Grand Forks is 5.25 hours, from Osoyoos is 3.75 hours, from Princeton is 2.25 hours, from Abbotsford is 1.25 hours, and from Vancouver is 2.5 hours. This service provider also offers a weekly route between Kalso and [[Calgary]] via Nelson. }} *{{go | name=Rider Express | alt= | url=https://riderexpress.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-833-583-3636 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-19 | content=Multiple days per week service along the Trans-Canada Highway from between [[Calgary]] and [[Vancouver]] with stops in [[Canmore]], [[Banff]], [[Lake Louise]], [[Golden (British Columbia)|Golden]], [[Revelstoke]], [[Sicamous]], [[Salmon Arm]], Sorrento, Chase, [[Kamloops]], [[Merritt]], Hope, [[Chilliwack]], [[Abbotsford]], and [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]]. Travel time to Hope from Calgary is 11.5 hours, from Banff is 10 hours, from Lake Louise is 9.25 hours, from Golden is 7.75 hours, from Revelstoke is 6 hours, from Salmon Arm is 4.5 hours, from Kamloops is 2.5 hours, from Abbotsford is 1 hour, and from Vancouver is 2.5 hours. From Calgary, this service provider offers routes that enable passengers to reach [[Edmonton]], [[Regina]], [[Saskatoon]]. }} ===By train=== {{go | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Operates ''[[The Canadian]]'' up to three trips per week between [[Toronto]] and Vancouver with stops in both directions in medium to large cities and tourist destinations such as [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]], [[Winnipeg]], [[Portage la Prairie]], [[Saskatoon]], [[Edmonton]], [[Jasper]], and [[Kamloops]]. This route can offer a scenic view of the [[Canadian Rockies]], depending on the train schedule, as the train operates day and night. This service connects with another route that travels between Jasper and [[Prince Rupert]]. }} * For westbound trips from Toronto to Vancouver, the train stops at {{Marker|type=go|name=Hope station|lat=49.37917|long=-121.43635}}. * For eastbound trips from Vancouver to Toronto, the nearest station where train stops is north of the Fraser River at {{Marker|type=go|name=Katz station|lat=49.36835|long=-121.55168}}, which is a distance from Hope. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|49.3826|-121.4346|zoom=12}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q1610654}}The town of Hope is small, and can be crossed on foot or by bicycle. There are two distinct commercial areas. Downtown Hope centred on Wallace Street is laid out on a grid that includes numbered streets crossing Wallace St. Downtown fronts on the Trans-Canada Highway (as Water Street) separating it from the Fraser River. Downtown includes city hall beside a lovely central park, a grocery store, lots of places to eat, several motels around the northern fringes. There is an Envision Credit Union with an ATM on the north side of downtown. The Hope Visitor Centre is located at the southwest corner of downtown on Water Street just before it funnels traffic onto highways out of town. The Old Hope-Princeton Way, found south of downtown and across the railway tracks, hosts most of the gas stations and fast food joints. A Save-On Foods grocery store, RCMP station, and many motels are strung along the old highway route. === By public transit === {{Listing|name=BC Transit (Hope Regional Transit System)|url=https://www.bctransit.com/agassiz-harrison/home|phone=+1-604-795-3838|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=Operates a route between Hope and the [[Kent (British Columbia)|Agassiz]]. Operates multiple times per day from Monday to Saturday. From Agassiz, there is a bus route that travels between downtown [[Chilliwack]] and [[Harrison Hot Springs]].}} ==See== [[Image:HopeBC_ChainsawCarving.JPG|thumb|One of many chainsaw carvings in Hope.]] * {{see | name=Hope Visitor Centre & Museum | alt= | url=https://tourismhcc.ca/about/visitor-centre/ | email=vc@hopebc.ca | address=919 Water St | lat=49.377 | long=-121.4418 | directions= | phone=+1 604 869-2021 | tollfree=+1-866-467-3842 | hours=9AM-5PM daily | price= | content=This is a good place to stop if you're looking for travel information, including brochures, maps and self-guided tour routes. There is a small museum (open from mid-May to early-September) and a gift shop. Some staff members are very knowledgeable about the filming of ''Rambo: First Blood'' in Hope, and you may be able to arrange a guided tour of the sites if you call ahead. }} * {{see | name=Hope Arts Gallery | alt= | url=https://www.hopedistrictartscouncil.com/hope-arts-gallery | email=hopedistrictartscouncil@gmail.com | address=349 Fort St | lat=49.3793 | long=-121.4402 | directions= | phone=+1 604 869-2408 | tollfree= | hours=W-Su 11:00AM-3:00PM (4 Feb 2022-24 Dec 2022) | price=Free | lastedit=2022-08-09 | content=Works by local artists. }} * {{see | name=Doc's Carving Gallery | alt= | url= | email= | address=314 Hudson Bay St| lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 604 869-0555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Collection of chainsaw carvings created by a local chiropractor. Admission by donation.}} * {{see | name=Self-guided walking and driving tour of ''Rambo: First Blood'' filming locations | alt= | url=https://hopebc.ca/rambo-first-blood-filming-location-tour-self-guided/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tour includes locations in and around Hope. }} * '''Self-guided tour of chainsaw carvings''', Various locations in and around Hope. Hope is home to over 30 large chainsaw carvings, mostly of British Columbia wildlife. A tour map is available from the Hope Visitor Centre. * {{see | name=Hope Cinema | alt= | url=http://www.hopecinema.ca/ | email= | address=376 Wallace Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 604 869-0752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F-Su, Tu | price= | content=Lovely, restored cinema showing mainstream movies. }} * {{see | name=Hope Slide | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.29843 | long=-121.26262 | directions=on Highway 3, 13 km to the east of Hope. Look for signs saying "Hope Slide Chain-up Area" and "Rest Area". | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q5899474| wikipedia=Hope Slide | lastedit=2017-08-30 | content=A huge landslide on 9 January 1965 peeled off 47 million cubic metres of rock, the largest in recorded Canadian history at the time. The flow filled a lake in the valley, sloshed 30-60 m up the opposite hillside, and fell back. It buried the highway to a depth of 50 m and it buried some areas of the valley up to 150 m. Several vehicles, stopped below by an earlier slide, were buried, and four were people killed. The scar all the way up Johnson Ridge is still vivid, and it's possible to make out a crease in the trees on the other side of the valley, where the slosh reached. A driveway up from the highway leads to a parking lot with a good view, an explanation, and simple toilets. }} * '''Christ Church''' historic site. Reverend Alexander St. David Francis Pringle arrived in Hope in 1859 and founded the first library on the British Columbia mainland and within two years, also founded Christ Church (Anglican). Today, Christ Church is the oldest church on the BC mainland still holding services on its original site in downtown Hope. It is now a National Historic Site of Canada. * '''Friendship Garden''' is a Japanese garden immediately adjacent to the district hall on Wallace Street. Built by Japanese-Canadians in 1991, it is dedicated to the Japanese-Canadians who were interned nearby at Tashme during World War II. ==Do== [[Image:HopeBC_KawkawaCreek.JPG|thumb|Salmon spawning in Kawkawa Creek]] * {{do | name=Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park | alt= | url=https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/coquihalla_cyn/ | email= | address= | lat=49.37788 | long=-121.36891 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1131688 | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=Othello Tunnels is a popular trail that follows the former Kettle Valley Railway path through rough cut tunnels and shear canyon walls. Popular movie filming location and the most unique walking trail in the area. Note: As of August 2022, the trail remains closed due to damage and safety hazards caused by flooding that occurred in November 2021; it is uncertain when or whether it will reopen in 2022. }} * '''Whitewater rafting''' on the Fraser River. Various companies offer rafting trips so you may want to pick up some brochures or seek advice from the Hope Visitor Centre. Most tours must be booked well in advance. * '''Mountain biking'''. Numerous decommissioned logging roads and the '''Kettle Valley Railway''' bed provide hundreds of kilometres of trails. *{{do | name=Kawkawa Creek | alt=Sucker's Creek | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This is one of the best locations in Hope to see salmon spawn. Fall is a particularly active time of year to witness salmon running upstream.}} * {{do | name=Kawkawa Lake | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions={{km|2.5}} E of Hope | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q317419 | lastedit= | content=Offers a beach, swimming, boating, and canoeing opportunities. }} *{{do | name=Hope Golf Club | alt= | url=https://hopegolfclub.ca/ | email= | address=900 Golf Course Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 869-5881 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * '''Hiking''' the many nearby trails. Try the Mount Hope lookout (if you're in good shape) or the trails around Thacker Mountain. The Trans-Canada Trail runs through Hope. * '''Camp Hope''' is an over 100-acre facility just west of the town on Hwy 7 operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is used for a 10-day camp meeting that annually attracts more than 10,000 people, a full youth summer camp program and other meetings and conventions year round. * '''Hope Brigade Days''' One of the largest events of the year in Hope is Hope Brigade Days. Hope Brigade Days occur every year at the start of September. Hope Brigade Days events include a parade, fireworks display, midway, chainsaw carving competition, demolition derby, kids' carnival, and 4x4 racing. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Blue Moose Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.bluemoosecafe.com/ | email= | address=322 Wallace St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 604 869-0729 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Everyday 7:30AM-9PM. Coffee drinks and quick meals. Internet cafe. Live music. Licensed. $4-10.}} * '''Kimchi Japanese & Korean Restaurant''' 821A 6th Avenue. Sushi and Korean food. * {{eat | name=Hope Pizza Place | alt= | url= | email= | address=468 Wallace St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 604-869-3330 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su-Th 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Pizza, etc., to take out.}} * {{eat | name=Rolly's Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=888 Fraser Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-869-7448 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very good pancakes, pasta and other more casual dishes. Huge food portions for the price and nice atmosphere - a neat little restaurant.}} * {{eat | name=293 Wallace | alt= | url=http://www.293wallace.com | email= | address=293 Wallace St. | lat= | long= | directions=downtown, on Main Street | phone=+1 604-860-0822 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M noon-3PM & 5PM-9PM | price=$15-30 | lastedit=2016-10-03 | content=A more upscale place to eat. Seasonal outside patio, reservations recommended. }} ==Drink== There are no real drinking establishments of note in Hope. ==Sleep== Hope abounds with motels; they number over twenty, most centred around the downtown core. *{{sleep | name=Heritage Inn Hope | url=https://www.heritageinnhope.com/ | email= | address=570 Old Hope-Princeton Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 604-869-7166 | tollfree=+1-888-869-6577 | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= |lastedit=2022-08-15| content=}} *{{sleep | name=Kw'o:kw'e:hala Eco Retreat | url=http://www.ecoretreat.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 604-869-3799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Located near Hope, this wilderness lodge and eco vacation experience offers fully-guided eco vacation destination packages, or self-guided eco getaways. See website for information & directions.}} There are also a number of private campgrounds, a city operated campground and Provincial Parks campgrounds. ==Go next== * '''Fraser Canyon''' and the '''[https://www.hellsgateairtram.com/ Hell's Gate Airtram]''' - The drive along the Fraser Canyon from Hope to [[Boston Bar (British Columbia)|Boston Bar]] is a beautiful journey. The tram ride over the Fraser River is short, but very scenic. Enjoy the ride, but don't expect much from the touristy gift shops, fudge factory and children's activities at the bottom of the ride. *[[Manning Provincial Park]] is one of British Columbia's largest provincial parks. Highway 3 passes through it, taking about 50 minutes to drive between the west gate and the east gate. [[wikipedia:Hope_Slide]] [[wikipedia:Hope_Slide]] * '''[https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/skagit/ Skagit Valley Provincial Park]''' can be accessed to the south of Hope off Flood-Hope Road via Silver Skagit Road. This scenic recreation area adjoins the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in Washington State. It is possible to drive into the United United of America park for several kilometres legally without any border formalities, but it is expected that you will return to Canada the same day. {{routebox | image1=VIA Rail Canadian icon.png | imagesize1=100 | link1=The Canadian | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Vancouver]] | minorl1=[[Chilliwack]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Edmonton]] | minorr1=[[Boston Bar (British Columbia)|Boston Bar]] | image2=BC-1 (TCH).svg | imagesize2=22 | link2=Trans-Canada Highway | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Vancouver]] | minorl2=[[Chilliwack]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Kamloops]] / [[Prince George]] via [[File:BC-97.svg|16px|alt=|link=]] | minorr2=[[Boston Bar (British Columbia)|Boston Bar]] | image3=BC-3 (Crowsnest).svg | imagesize3=22 | caption3=Crowsnest Highway | directionl3=W | majorl3=END | minorl3= | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Osoyoos]] / [[Penticton]] via [[File:BC-3A.svg|16px|alt=|link=]] | minorr3=[[Manning Provincial Park]] | image4=BC-5 (Yellowhead).svg | imagesize4=24 | directionl4=S | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=N | majorr4=[[Kamloops]] / [[Kelowna]] via [[File:BC-97C.svg|16px|alt=|link=]] | minorr4=[[Merritt]] | image5=BC-7.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=W | majorl5=[[Vancouver]] | minorl5=[[Kent (British Columbia)|Kent]] | directionr5=E | majorr5=END | minorr5= }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|49.385833|-121.441944}} {{IsPartOf|Fraser Valley}} 12zv7b4djm6gsjxj7k09o5m3rc98g4t 0 15090 4501608 4494912 2022-08-15T13:54:59Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Get in */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wv Howrah banner.jpg}} [[Image:Howrah Bridge et les ablutions dans la Howrah.jpg|thumb|300px|Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu)]] '''Howrah''' (Bengali: হাওড়া, Hindi: हावड़ा) is a city in [[Southeast Bengal]] in [[India]] and the twin city of [[Kolkata]]. It is the second-largest city in [[West Bengal]] after Kolkata. ==Understand== Howrah is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the western banks of the Hooghly River. While it is a separate city, Howrah is very much a part of the [[Greater Kolkata|Kolkata metropolitan area]], and Howrah railway station is where you will arrive if connecting with anywhere north, south or east of Kolkata. This article also covers Dankuni, which though a separate city is one of the entrance points to Howrah and also a part of the metropolitan area. ==Get in== === By plane=== The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport ({{IATA|CCU}}) in [[Kolkata]]. === By train === {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service in Eastern India began on 15 August 1854 on its first run between Howrah Junction railway station to [[Hooghly]] railway station.}} [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.582871 | long=88.342811 | directions=near the Howrah Bridge | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Howrah Junction railway station is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. An estimated two million people use Howrah station every day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. }} * {{go | name=Andul railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Andul | lat=22.575169 | long=88.239643 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q59858133 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bally railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bally | lat=22.655078 | long=88.340429 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25549108 | lastedit=2022-07-07 | content= }} * {{go | name=Dankuni Junction railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dankuni | lat=22.6783 | long=88.2908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15212753 | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content= }} *{{go | name=Santragachi Junction railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi | lat=22.5838 | long=88.2843 | directions=near Santragachi Jheel | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7420706 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=There are six platforms. Serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to [[Ajmer]], [[Porbandar]] and [[Nanded]], and a Vivek Express running to [[Mangalore]] Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} * {{go | name=Shalimar railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.556389 | long=88.314722 | directions=near Vidyasagar Setu | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7487222 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A small railway station compared to Howrah station, which handles a few EMU trains and few Express trains. }} === By metro === The nearest operational metro station is at {{Marker|type=go|name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]]|wikidata=Q5399030}} and one may have to change to other modes of transport to reach one's destination in Howrah. The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is under construction and is expected to connect Kolkata and Howrah directly with underwater metro service by 2023. That would be the first underwater metro service in India. ===By bus=== There are two bus stands: Howrah Bus Stand and Kolkata Bus Stand from where you can avail numerous buses from Kolkata and different parts of West Bengal. Kolkata Airport linked Volvo air-conditioned buses are available from Howrah railway station. === By ferry === Howrah is just across the river from [[Kolkata]]. The ferry services to cross the Hooghly River from Kolkata to Howrah is very convenient to zip across both cities. There are a number of jetties. On the Kolkata side the ferries link to such jetties as Bagbazar, Armenian, Fairlie, Chandpalghat, Babughat, Prinsep Ghat. On the Howrah side there are jetties at Howrah Station, Ramkrishnapur Ghat, Botanical Garden Ghat, Bandhaghat, Golabari and Belur Math. Buy the ticket before you board the ferry and retain the ticket till after you have crossed to the other side and have shown it to the ticket checker near the exit gate or else you will be penalised! ==Get around== {{mapframe|height=600}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q205697,Q4851973,Q5071109}} For short distance travel, there are auto-rickshaws, electric rickshaws and cycle rickshaws. ===By taxi=== Like in [[Kolkata]], taxis in Howrah are easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. They generally stand at the major railway stations in Howrah. ==See== [[File:Migratory Birds - Santragachi Lake - Howrah 2012-01-26 1520.JPG|thumb|200px|Migratory Birds at Santragachi Jheel in January]] [[File:Vidyasagar Setu.jpg|thumb|200px|Vidyasagar Setu]] * {{see | name=Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden | alt=Shibpur Botanic Garden | url=http://www.bgci.org/garden.php?id=53 | email= | address=Shibpur | lat=22.560556 | long=88.286944 | directions= | phone=+91 33 67 32 31 35 | tollfree= | hours=Mar-Sep: 5AM-5:30PM; Oct-Feb: 5:30AM-5PM | price=foreigners: ₹50; Indians: ₹5 | wikidata=Q3346386 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=An extraordinary place of vivid nature under the smog filled sky of the city. You will value the silence that is only filled by some birds singing. The Great Banyan tree in the botanical garden boasts of having the largest canopy in the world. The British established the institution in 1786 as Indian Botanical Garden. }} * {{see | name=Belur Math | alt= | url= | email= | address=Belur | lat=22.6315 | long=88.3561 | directions=about {{km|4}} from Howrah railway station. You can travel there by bus, auto or taxi. It takes 20-25 min to get there and around 40 min to return, because this route is longer and becomes more congested. All modes of transportation are easily accessible from adjacent to the Howrah station area/Howrah bus stand. Local trains also go to Belur Math, but going by auto, bus or taxi is much better as they drop you off at the entrance of Belur Math. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q816234 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content=Belur Math is a monastery and the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Situated next to the Ganges one can sit on the banks of the Hooghly River during evening time and relax. Across the Hooghly River is the [[Kolkata/Northern fringes#See|Dakshineswar Temple]]. }} * {{See | image=HOWRAH BRIDGE from howrah station.jpg | name=Howrah Bridge | alt=Rabindra Setu | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5851 | long=88.3469 | directions=Near Howrah station | phone= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The area around Howrah station and Howrah Bridge has grown as a world of its own, catering to the needs of a huge floating population. The 705-metre (2,313 ft) long Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River, commissioned in 1943, replacing the older pontoon bridge. This bridge frames the skyline of the riverfront. The ambience is as amicable and profound as the river that flows alongside. }} * {{see | image=Kolkata West gate.jpg | name=Kolkata West Gate | alt= | url= | email= | address=Salap | lat=22.61368 | long=88.275 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Based on the Brandenburg Gate in [[Berlin]], the gate is an entrance to the Kolkata West International City (KWIC), a satellite township in Howrah developed by Indonesia's Ciputra Group. }} * {{see | name=Nabanna | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shibpur | lat=22.5676 | long=88.3135 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15222967 | lastedit=2022-07-20 | content=Despite Kolkata is declared as the capital of West Bengal, the permanent administrative office of the state government is in Howrah. }} * {{See | name=Nivedita Setu | alt=Second Vivekananda Bridge | url= | email= | address=Bally | lat=22.652286 | long=88.353258 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Nivedita Setu is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hooghly River. It runs parallel to and around {{m|50}} downstream of Vivekananda Setu. }} * {{see | name=Rail Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Howrah railway station | lat=22.578693 | long=88.340445 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q56683370 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | image=Santragachi Lake - Howrah 2013-01-25 3597 to 3598 Combined.JPG | name=Santragachi Jheel | url= | email=| address=Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5820669 | long=88.283338 | directions={{km|7}} from Howrah station by train, or {{km|6}} from Kolkata via Vidyasagar Setu| phone=| fax=| hours= | price=| content=Santragachi Jheel is a large lake next to Santragachi railway station. This lake attracts a lot of migratory birds in the winter months, particularly in December and January, impart because migratory birds are avoiding destinations like the lakes in Alipore Zoo, Kolkata. Birds like Saras Crane from North America and Australia, and many other local migratory birds such as Cotton Pygmy Goose, and Comb Duck, are spotted here during this season. The lake area is owned by South Eastern Railway, though the Forest Department of West Bengal also looks after the place. Efforts are made by local residents, Forest Department and Railways to improve the environment for the birds. }} * {{see | name=Statue of Enlightened Buddha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kona Expy, Shibpur | lat=22.57216 | long=88.3048 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Buddha Statue (18 June 2022) 2.jpg | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=A pair of brass statues of the Buddha at Kona Expressway. }} * {{See | name=Vidyasagar Setu | alt=Second Hooghly Bridge | url= | email= | address=Shibpur | lat=22.556944 | long=88.327778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=With a total length of {{m|823}}, Vidyasagar Setu is the longest cable–stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia. It was built {{km|3.7}} south/downstream of the Howrah Bridge. The bridge was commissioned in 1992 }} * {{See | name=Vivekananda Setu | alt=Bally Bridge | url= | email= | address=Bally | lat=22.65319 | long=88.35326 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The {{m|880}} long rail-cum-road bridge was built in 1932 as Willingdon Bridge and later renamed Vivekananda Setu. }} * {{see | name=Andul Rajbari | alt= | url= | email= | address=Andul | lat=22.58329 | long=88.23466 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-24 | content= }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Belilious Park | alt= | url=http://panchwatigroup.com/beliliouspark.php | email= | address=Tikiapara | lat=22.5951 | long=88.3279 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{do | name=Howrah Maidan | alt= | url= | email= | address=RBC Rd | lat=22.58227 | long=88.33448 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{do | name=Howrah Indoor Stadium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shibpur | lat=22.58171 | long=88.30681 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q65058968 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur | alt=IIEST Shibpur | url=https://www.iiests.ac.in/ | email= | address= | lat=22.5558 | long=88.3056 | directions=near Shalimar railway station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348743 | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content= }} ==Buy== * It might be worth while to stroll down Howrah Maidan just for the excitement of a local market, busy with street shops selling anything from clothes, to pots, to fruits. By bus or taxi from Howrah station it will only take 10 minutes to get there. * {{buy | name=Avani Riverside Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/avaniriversidemall/ | email= | address=32 Jagat Banerjee Ghat Rd | lat=22.56301 | long=88.3231 | directions=on the way to Kolkata - from Prinsep Ghat Railway Station &mdash; {{km|1}} &mdash; take a trip to Dinobondhu College Bus Stop &mdash; {{km|0.5}} | phone=+91 33 3312-9000 | tollfree= | fax=+91-33-2289-5811 | hours=11AM–10PM | price=Free | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content=This three storey mall contains Eastern India's first PVR cinema hall. Large food court and many shops. }} * {{buy | name=Forum Rangoli Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=212, Girish Ghosh Rd | lat=22.62389 | long=88.353718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-24 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Dankuni Bazar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Railway Station Rd, Dankuni | lat=22.68033 | long=88.28869 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content= }} ==Eat== Local foods you must try are egg, chicken and mutton roll. Howrah is known for its egg chicken roll, which is available anywhere for ₹25. You will not find these foods anywhere else in the world. Mutton Biryani is also worth a try, in Nizams or Arsalan. * {{eat | name=Kichukhhan | alt= | url= | email= | address=23/2/2, Bhagwan Chatterjee Ln, Kadamtala | lat=22.59195 | long=88.31632 | directions= | phone=+91 98300 88008 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=₹200-250 for an average meal per person | lastedit=2018-07-09 | content=North Indian and Indo-Chinese. Their signature dish is mixed fried rice. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Blue Heaven Bar Cum Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=Old Delhi Rd, Dankuni | lat=22.68622 | long=88.30468 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Das Restaurant Cum Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Benaras Road | lat=22.62384 | long=88.2937 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content= }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Rail Yatri Niwas | alt= | url= | email= | address=Howrah railway station | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2660-1742 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹350 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content=Contains dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. Show your ticket. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=The Howrah Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.thehowrahhotel.com/ | email=info@thehowrahhotel.com | address=1, Mukhram Kanoria Road | lat=22.585833 | long=88.341843 | directions=Adjacent to Howrah station | phone=+91 33 26413878, +91 33 26412149, +91 33 28490240 | tollfree= | checkin=24 hours | checkout= | price=₹550-₹650 | content=A heritage property, with a lot of character and one of the oldest hotels of Kolkata. Renowned for homey atmosphere and offers very neat and clean, airy rooms - one of the safest hotels in the locality, with cordial staff. Attached baths and cable TV. Five minutes walking distance from the railway station and bus stand. 5,000 sq ft garden. }} * {{sleep | name=Samrat Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=219, GT Rd | lat=22.56766 | long=88.32398 | directions= | phone=+91 0124 620 1612 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== ===Splurge=== *{{sleep | name=Fortune Park Panchwati | alt= | url=http://www.fortunehotels.in/hotel/Kolkata-Fortune_Park_Panchwati.aspx | email=sales.fhp@fortunehotels.in | address=Kona Expy | lat=22.593273 | long=88.270195 | directions= | phone=+91 33-39884444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-39881222 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Standard Room ₹4,200, Fortune Club Room ₹5,000, Executive Suite ₹7,000 (Best Rates Price) | content= }} ==Connect== * {{listing | name=Batai Post Office | alt= | url=http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ | email=| address=461, Sarat Chaterjee Road, Kazipara, Shalimar, Howrah | lat=22.5617 | long=88.3177| directions=at 'Santa Sing More' Bus Stop| phone= | hours= | price=| content=A Branch Office. }} ==Go next== * [[Gadiara]] * [[Kolkata]] — Kolkata is just across the river, and probably the reason one's here in the first place. * [[Rural Hooghly and rural Howrah]] * [[Serampore]] {{geo|22.595770|88.263641|zoom=12}} {{IsPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{usablecity}} ase4ndpujppusf6fjlkl9uvxt4yz8so 0 15564 4501801 4444503 2022-08-16T01:29:55Z SHB2000 2248002 cleanup wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} [[File:Indiana Dunes.jpg|thumb|350px|View from the dunes]] '''[http://www.nps.gov/indu/ Indiana Dunes National Park]''' is a [[United States national narks|United States national [ark]] lated in [[Northwestern Indiana]]. The only national park in Indiana, it's popular for its big sand dunes and plentiful beaches on [[Lake Michigan]], and for its easily accessible location near [[Chicago]]. The park is also home to a variety of ecosystems including swamps and forests, with diverse plants and wildlife. ==Understand== ===History=== The history of Indiana Dunes National Park falls into settlement, preservation, and park segments. ====Settlement==== Joseph and Monee Bailly, the fur traders, settled on the banks of the Little Calumet River in 1822. The wetlands of the Indiana Dunes proved to be a good place for contacts between the Bailly family and the Pottawatomie tribe of Native Americans. In 1822, the Pottawatomie nation had already developed an established lifestyle of duneland use, including the trapping of local beaver, raccoon, and muskrat. After the Pottawatomie people were forcibly expelled from the Lake Michigan shoreline in the 1830s and 1840s, railroads built lines through the Indiana Dunes westward to the fast-growing city of Chicago; but the Dunes themselves, with their comparatively infertile soil, were settled relatively slowly. ====Preservation==== After the newly formed U.S. Steel Corporation began to construct a massive mill complex within the dunes at Gary, Indiana, lovers of the Dunes began efforts to preserve them. The National Park Service offered in 1916 to protect much of the remaining duneland as Sand Dunes National Park, but many locals opposed the proposal. In the 1920s, the state of Indiana preserved 2,182 acres of central duneland as Indiana Dunes State Park. Other sections of duneland were developed as the small communities of Ogden Dunes, Dune Acres, and Beverly Shores. World War II and the early Cold War years increased pressure upon the United States to increase its production of steel. For reasons of economical coal and iron ore supply, one of the most efficient geographic locations to make steel within the United States is on the southern border of Lake Michigan. During the 1950s and early 1960s, several additional steel mills were sited within the dunelands in areas that could otherwise have been preserved for parkland. After the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired and built its Burns Harbor mill in 1962-64, a public outcry and pressure from activists, led by Sen. Paul H. Douglas (D-Ill.) led to the creation of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, now the Indiana Dunes National Park. ====National lakeshore and park==== [[File:Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan City, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-10-20, DD 06.jpg|thumb|Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore]] The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was created by Congress in 1966. But it owned no land of its own, and land acquisition opportunities were limited because of previous development. Many local residents were understandably opposed to federal condemnation. By the 1980s, much of the 15,000 acres of land making up the current National Park (as of 2006) had been acquired. The federal government included the Indiana Dunes State Park within the boundaries of the national lakeshore, but has allowed the state to continue to maintain and charge a separate admission fee to the state park. By 2006, the lakeshore had come to include eight separate parcels of Lake Michigan beachfront land, as well as numerous parcels of property inland from the lake. Because the national park was founded after much of the drier land had already been developed, many of the inland parcels that make up the current park are riverbottoms or sandy wetlands. In 2019, the National Lakeshore was reclassified and renamed a National Park, the first national park in Indiana. ===Landscape=== The Indiana Dunes, of which the Indiana Dunes National Park preserves a part, are a relatively recent product of sand deposition, wave erosion, and wind erosion on the southern tip of Lake Michigan. During the warming process that ended the last Ice Age, the lake at several periods rose to levels much higher than the current lake level and laid down sandy shorelines and beaches at points that are now inland from the current coastline. Today's lake waves and currents continue to bring more sand ashore from beds underneath the surface of the current lake. This sand, further sculpted by wind and foot erosion, has become today's Indiana Dunes. ===Flora and fauna=== [[File:Round-leaved Sundews and baby Purple Pitcher Plants.jpg|thumb|Round-leaved sundews and baby purple pitcher plants in Pinhook Bog]] Many ecosystem types can be readily recognized by amateurs. Ecosystem types, and characteristic grasses and flowering plants, that exist within the Indiana Dunes include the following: *Sand dunes - marram grass, prickly pear, puccoon *Wetlands (bogs, marshlands, and swamps) - marsh marigold, skunk cabbage *Ponds - bladderwort, gentian *Prairies - black-eyed susan, butterfly weed, goldenrod, lupine, prairie grass *Savannas - asters, prairie grass *Dry woods - columbines, hepatica, Solomon's seal *Wet woods - Dutchmen's breeches, hepatica, trillium, violet The most common large tree in the Indiana Dunes is the black oak. There are also plenty of cottonwoods. Jack pines often grow in burned-over or disturbed areas, and there are several groves of sugar maples (the Bailly/Chellberg farm operates an maple-syrup boil in early spring). A grove of paper birches on the Cowles Bog Trail is said to be the farthest-south naturally reproducing population of this species in the Great Lakes area. As of January 2006, whitetail deer lived in quantity in the Indiana Dunes. The common North American wetland and woodland rodents, such as beavers, muskrats, and squirrels, can be easily seen. ===Climate=== The Indiana Dunes are part of the temperate Great Lakes shoreline, characterized by relatively even amounts of rain and snow year-round, but wide jumps in temperature. A dunes shoreline that is crowded with swimmers in August may be caked with unsafe but majestic shelves of pack ice in February. {{climate | align = center | units = imperial | janhigh = 32 | febhigh = 35 | marhigh = 45 | aprhigh = 57 | mayhigh = 68 | junhigh = 77 | julhigh = 82 | aughigh = 80 | sephigh = 74 | octhigh = 62 | novhigh = 49 | dechigh = 36 | janlow = 18 | feblow = 21 | marlow = 30 | aprlow = 40 | maylow = 49 | junlow = 59 | jullow = 64 | auglow = 63 | seplow = 56 | octlow = 44 | novlow = 35 | declow = 22 | janprecip = 2.0 | febprecip = 1.8 | marprecip = 2.2 | aprprecip = 3.5 | mayprecip = 3.9 | junprecip = 4.3 | julprecip = 4.1 | augprecip = 4.2 | sepprecip = 3.5 | octprecip = 3.6 | novprecip = 3.4 | decprecip = 2.4 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Indiana Dunes|41.6316|-87.0881}} &#160;&#160; Data from [http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/normals NOAA (1981-2010)] }} === Visitor information centers === * {{listing | name=Indiana Dunes Visitor Center (Dorothy Buell Visitor Center) | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/idnlvc.htm | email= | address=1215 North State Road 49, [[Porter (Indiana)|Porter]] | lat=41.6332 | long=-87.0543 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=8AM-6PM (Summer, Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Monday of Labor Day weekend). 8:30AM-4:30PM (Winter) | price= | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=View lobby displays and pick up brochures about Porter County, Indiana, Dunes State Park, and Indiana Dunes National Park. Enjoy educational displays and watch two short orientation videos. Shop in the Eastern National bookstore. The visitor center is open everyday with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. }} * {{listing | name=Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/deec.htm | email= | address=100 North Lake Street, [[Gary]] | lat=41.6063 | long=-87.2675 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=9AM-5PM (Summer, Friday of Memorial Day weekend through the Monday of Labor Day weekend). 9AM-4PM (Winter) | price= | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=Visitor activities include attending scheduled programs for groups presented by the national lakeshore or hiking the Miller Woods Trail. The Paul H. Douglas Center is open everyday with the exception of federal holidays. }} ==Get in== {{mapframe|zoom=10|height=300}} {{mapshape}} ===By car=== The Indiana Dunes area is accessible from [[Chicago]] by Interstates 80, 90, and 94; from Indianapolis by Interstate 65; from [[Detroit]] by Interstate 94; and from [[Cleveland]] and the East Coast by Interstates 80 and 90. U.S. Highways 12 and 20 go directly through the park. ===By train=== The Indiana Dunes are served by the South Shore Line from [[Chicago]], [[Michigan City]], and [[South Bend]]. There are approximately 12 trains through the Park each way on weekends, with 9 trains each way on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. As of May 2021, the train service has been replaced by buses between [[Gary]] and [[South Bend]] due to track construction. The project is scheduled to end in May, but conductors think it could last for most of summer 2021. There are several stations near the dunes: * '''Dune Park''' is closest to the Indiana Dunes State Park. Follow the signs out of the station and walk along a sidewalk about 20 min to the park's main entrance. * '''Portage/Ogden Dunes''' is closest to Ogden Dunes. To get to the West Beach Recreation Area, walk North through the town to the intersection of Diana Road and Ski Hill Road (about 20 min) and enter Long Lake Park. Follow the path past the tennis courts and along the lake; at the very end it connects to the West Beach Trail in the recreation area. You can take bikes on the South Shore Line, but they are only permitted on some trains and some stations. As of May 2021, the only station near the dunes that accepts bikes was Dune Park, but even that was not allowed due to construction. ==Fees and permits== Most inland sections of the Indiana Dunes National Park can be visited year-round without an admission fee. Parking fees may be charged during seasonal festivals. Entrances fees are charged for accessing the park's West Beach area; as of 2020 this fee was $6 per vehicle. As of January 1, 2006, the admission fee for entering the Indiana Dunes State Park section of the National Lakeshore was $10.00 per motor vehicle. The fee covers the driver and passengers, and there is a discount for motor vehicles with Indiana license plates. ==Get around== ===By bike=== Most of the hiking trails are closed to bikes, but the '''Calumet Trail''' runs parallel to Dunes Highway and can be used to transit between some parts of the park. ==See== [[File:Monte Baldy, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan City, Indiana, Estados Unidos, 2012-10-20, DD 01.jpg|thumb|Mount Baldy]] * '''Lake Michigan'''. Accessible via a short walk from any of the beach access parking areas. For visitors, who have limited mobility can view the lake from Lakefront Drive through Beverly shores or from the Dunbar Ave. Parking lot. Drive out to Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. Here, you have a spectacular view to the north across Lake Michigan. On clear days or days when clouds hang over the water, you can see the skyline of Chicago off to the northwest. * '''Mt. Baldy'''. While hiking to the top is a challenge, as worth the time, you can see the moving southface from the Mt. Baldy parking lot. In a windy year, it will move another foot towards the lot. * '''Inland Marsh Overlook'''. A unique attraction is the marsh overlook. An unimposing parking area and a picnic table are the only clue that this short trail exist. It's all boardwalk and easily accessible by wheelchair or walker. You'll walk a short distance across a bridge between two tree covered dunes. From ground level to the tree tops and there are no steps. Once to the overlook, you'll see a vast inland marsh. During migration, the area can host flocks of arctic wanderers and other summer residents from the tropics. * {{see | name=Century of Progress Homes | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.68427 | long=-87.00207 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Century of Progress Architectural District | lastedit=2021-05-16 | content=See five buildings, all from the Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition of the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair which took place in Chicago. They were originally intended to display the future of housing, and today are private residences with nearby plaques. }} === Nearby attractions === * The Depot of Beverly Shores - South Shore Line Passenger Depot, * Museum and Art Gallery - 525 Broadway, Beverly Shores (on U.S. 12) ==Do== [[File:Trail to the Dunes.JPG|thumb]] === Swimming === The beaches, owing to the deep blue, often clear water, as well as the huge dunes and the copious sand they bring, are beautiful. Industrial vistas in the distance can lessen the bucolic impact, although with a good sense of humor and appreciation for the weird, they can add to the experience. The worst industrial offender is the big power plant to the east of the park, which is very visible from both Central Beach and the beach below Mt Baldy. A generally useful tip is that the beaches are more crowded with proximity to [[Chicago]]. The least crowded, on average, are the two at the east (Central and Mt Baldy). Going to the beach at the ''state'' park is also a good way to get more beach space since Indiana charges an entrance fee. Now of course, if you're from a more crowded section of the country on the East Coast or California, you'll feel like you have an extraordinary amount of space no matter which beach you choose. [[File:2010-11-26 3060x2040 portage indiana dunes.jpg|thumb|West Beach]] From East to West: *{{do | name=West Beach | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The sole beach west of the Port of Indiana and its steel mills. It's right by Long Lake, and several nice, short trails through the woods. As it is the park's largest and most visited, it also has the most amenities. }} *{{do | name=Porter Beach | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Just west of the state park section of the shoreline. }} *{{do | name=Kemil and Dunbar Beaches | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Less than a half mile apart, Kemil is wheelchair-accessible. }} *{{do | name=Lake View | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Along with Kemil and Dunbar Beaches, Lake View is one of the most isolated from industrial vistas. }} *{{do | name=Central Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=As it is far enough east, Central Beach is one of the frequently visited beaches, despite being not very easy to reach&mdash;nonetheless Mt Baldy probably has claim the title of most remote. }} === Picnic === There are numerous picnic areas for those who wish to make a day of it. Picnicking on the beaches is allowed. No glass containers are allowed on the beach. Nearby some of the beaches you'll find picnic tables, including a large family or group picnic area at West Beach and family tables at Mt. Baldy. From the west, picnic areas include: West Beach, Bailly Homestead-Chellberg Faram, Tremont (roadside rest on U.S. 12), Ly-co-ki-we Horse and Hiking trailhead (U.S. 20), Lake View beach access point(Lakefront Dr, Beverly Shores), Central Beach Access Point, and Mt. Baldy. Fires are ''not permitted'' on any of the beaches. That includes grilling on the beaches and any beach to the East of State Park Road. === Hiking === The park has several miles of dedicated hiking trails. On the dunes themselves, the trail surface can be soft sand, which is just as challenging to walk on as a sandy beach. Don't forget to empty the sand out of your shoes before you go home! *{{do | name=Trail 9 in the Indiana Dunes State Park | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hike over some dunes for spectacular views of Lake Michigan and--on a clear day--the Chicago Skyline }} *{{do | name=3 Dunes Challenge | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Challenge your calves and climb three separate dunes in the Indiana Dunes State Park: Mount Tom, Mount Holden, and Mont Jackson. Stop by the visitor center to get your completion prize. }} *{{listing | type=do | name=Mt Baldy | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.7089 | long=-86.9281 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mount Baldy (sand dune) | wikidata=Q16982263 | content=The name of the park's highest dune, and given the height of the dunes around the beach, this beach is the most strenuous to reach. The views from the top of the "mountain" are quite nice, and reward the heavy breathing you'll do on the trail to the top. Don't let the fear-mongering signage dissuade you, though, the trek really is not too hard, as it is a gentle incline heading up. Walking in sand even on a slight incline, though, is a good deal harder than on solid ground. The drop from Mt Baldy to the beach is extreme, and goofing around on the steep slope is a bad idea&mdash;sand is soft, but you could pick up enough speed rolling down to seriously injure yourself. There is an alternate path further back along the Mount Baldy trail that will take you to the beach without the sharp incline. Mount Baldy is suffering from increasing erosion, in part due to off-trail hiking. Please only hike the main trail on Mount Baldy. }} === Bird watching === At the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes is a natural way-station on the annual migration of birds. Over 300 species birds live or pass through the park. The greatest concentrations are during the spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) migrations. ===Biking=== The Calumet Trail, a multi-use, crushed-limestone trail where cycling is acceptable, also runs in a generally east-west direction through the eastern section of the park, providing access to the Indiana Dunes State Park and towns to the east. It skirts a wooded area where deer and other wildlife may often be seen, especially early in the morning. It also follows the path of several large power lines. === Horseback riding === Horseback riding is limited to the Ly-co-ki-we Horse and Hiking trail, off U.S. 20 at Schoolhouse Road. There are no stables provided in the park. Riders have to bring their own horses. On sunny Saturdays, this is a great area to watch a variety of horses. ''No'' dogs or any other animals are allowed, other than horses. === Fishing & boating === [[File:Little Calumet River at Bailly Homestead Indiana Dunes NL PC160148.JPG|thumb|Little Calumet River]] Fishing requires a State of Indiana Fishing license. Most fishing areas, are along streams and at a few of the ponds in the park. The newest fishing access is Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. Located just west of U.S. Steel along the Burns Waterway, there is parking and a walkway along the waterways entrance breakwall. Here, you can fish in the waters of Lake Michigan. Other fishing accesses are available at Long Lake (West Beach entrance road), Burns Waterway and Lake Michigan (Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk), Little Calumet River (via the AmeriPlex access trail), and the Little Calumet in the Heron Rookery. === Skiing === In the winter, cross-country skiing is possible. The park is beautiful under the snow. ==Buy== ==Eat== There are no services in the park, but the park has numerous communities adjacent to its boundaries. Concentrations of restaurants, including fast-food and family restaurants are at the major freeway interchanges: * I-94 and Hwy. 51-Gary/Miller/Lake Station * I-94 and Hwy. 249-Portage * I-94 and Hwy. 20-Burns Harbor/Porter * I-94 and Hwy. 49-Porter/Chesterton, and, * I-94 and Hwy. 421-Michigan City. If you're willing to browse around, you can find many smaller local restaurants in the communities nearby. ==Drink== Alcohol is allowed everywhere in the national park, except inside NPS buildings. No glass is allowed on the beach. ==Sleep== ===Lodging=== There are no lodging options within the state or national parks aside from camping, but the nearby towns of [[Chesterton (Indiana)|Chesterton]] and [[Porter (Indiana)|Porter]] have several options. ===Camping=== * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Dunewood Campground | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm | email= | address= | lat=41.6720 | long=-86.9838 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$25 Dunewood Campground Fee (2020 rates) | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=66 sites. All sites are first-come, first-served. The campground is fairly open with few trees between sites. There are two large modern bathhouses with showers and several pit-toilets scattered around. The dunes area is all sand and the campground is no exception. Grass is sparse in some areas and expect to get sand in everything. The campground is often full by the Friday before most summer weekends so it pays to arrive early to secure a site. Consists of two loops containing 66 camp-sites (53 conventional drive-in sites and 13 walk/carry-in sites). Four sites are wheelchair accessible (numbers 15, 30, 41 and 55). Each loop has modern restrooms and hot/cold showers. Some sites have limited recreational vehicle length. Convenience stores and a gas station are located 1/4 mile north of the campground at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Broadway Avenue in the town of Beverly Shores. }} * {{sleep | name=Indiana Dunes State Park | alt= | url=https://indianastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/indiana-dunes-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IN&parkId=570035 | email= | address= | lat=41.66 | long=-87.04 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata=Q598933 | lastedit=2021-05-16 | content= }} ===Backcountry=== The National Park has no wilderness area nor backcountry. Overnight stays are permitted only in Dunewood Campground, the State Park's campground or local motels which may be along the boundary of the park. All of the beach access parking lots are closed at dusk as there is no overnight use of the beaches. ==Stay safe== Lake Michigan can have strong riptides and there are no lifeguards on several sections of the beach. Look for the warning signs at beach entrances. Sometimes they advise not entering the water at all. During the winter pack ice forms in thick chunks but is dangerous to walk on. The area's only venomous snake, the massasauga rattlesnake, is occasionally seen in the forested parts of the park away from the beaches and dunes. However, it is not aggressive if left alone, hardly the most potent of rattlers, and the chances of running into one are nil. ==Go next== {{routebox | image1=US 12.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Gary]] | minorl1=[[Portage (Indiana)|Portage]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Coldwater]] | minorr1='''[[Michigan City]]''' }} {{usablepark}} {{geo|41.648056|-87.108056}} {{isPartOf|Northwestern Indiana}} {{related|United_States_National_Parks}} b6bc4oom31ow1x2o7ykzbvdyga1yixh 0 15995 4501728 4484280 2022-08-15T20:22:19Z Vidimian 1815 /* Go next */ + kemalpaşa wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Izmir banner.jpg}} [[Image:TR Izmir asv2020-02 img30 Konak Clock Tower.jpg|thumb|270px|Clock tower in Konak Square, iconic symbol of the city]] '''Izmir''' ([[Turkish phrasebook|Turkish]]: ''İzmir'') is a rapidly growing city on the [[Central Aegean]] coast of [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey with a population of around 3.7 million, the second biggest port after [[Istanbul]], and a very good transport hub. Once the ancient city of '''Smyrna''', it is now a modern, developed, and busy commercial center, set around a huge bay and surrounded by mountains. The broad boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centers are dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, and old mosques, churches and synagogues, although the city has an atmosphere more of Mediterranean Europe than traditional Turkey. ===History=== The history of Izmir stretches back to around 3000 BC when the [[Troy (Turkey)|Trojans]] founded the city in Tepekule in the northern suburb of Bayraklı, where is now the "Eski Smyrna" museum. This was the Smyrna that is the supposed birthplace of Homer; a common and consistent tradition connects Homer with the valley of Smyrna and the banks of the river Meles. The Aeolians, the first [[Ancient Greece|Greek settlers]], were eventually superseded by the (also Greek) Ionians, and then the Lydians destroyed the city around 600 BC before a brief recovery following Alexander the Great’s arrival in 334 BC. After his death, Alexander’s generals followed his wishes and re-established Smyrna on the shadow of Mount Pagos (Kadifekale), and the city then prospered under the [[Roman Empire|Romans]]. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 178 AD but later reconstructed and became a major commercial port. After the Byzantines, the city had a turbulent time under the Arabs, Seljuks, Crusaders and [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]], until Mehmet I incorporated it into the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1415. Under Suleyman the Magnificent, Smyrna became a thriving and sophisticated city and a huge trading center, despite its frequent earthquakes. It was cosmopolitan, with mainly Greek Orthodox and also [[Judaism|Jews]] and [[Islam|Muslims]], and many languages were spoken among locals and visiting traders. Following [[World War I]] and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, on the basis of a major Greek-speaking population in the area, the Allies gave [[Greece]] a mandate over Izmir. Greece thereby took control of the [[Aegean Turkey|Aegean area]], and marched on Ankara. Led by Kemal Atatürk the Turkish army counter-attacked, in what became the War of Turkish Independence, and regained their territory, but a huge fire broke out which destroyed 70% of Izmir. Atatürk formally took Izmir on 9 September 1922 and this is celebrated as the date of the city's independence. As part of the peace deal, Greeks in Izmir were compulsorily re-settled in Greece, while Turks in Greece (especially around [[Thessaloniki]], Atatürk's own birthplace) were compulsorily re-settled in Turkey. This ended the multicultural nature of the city. ===Climate=== {{Climate|janhigh=11.7|aprprecip=48.0|octlow=12.3|novlow=8.6|declow=5.9|janprecip=143.2|febprecip=103.9|marprecip=82.9|mayprecip=36.1|auglow=19.9|junprecip=11.6|julprecip=4.1|augprecip=5.7|sepprecip=19.9|octprecip=44.6|novprecip=109.7|decprecip=167.5|seplow=16.4|jullow=20.2|febhigh=12.9|octhigh=23.2|marhigh=15.8|aprhigh=20.3|mayhigh=25.5|junhigh=30.2|julhigh=32.5|aughigh=32.1|sephigh=28.7|novhigh=17.9|junlow=17.3|dechigh=13.6|units=metric|janlow=4.1|feblow=4.7|marlow=6.0|aprlow=9.2|maylow=13.3|jansnow =1.1|febsnow =0.9|marsnow =0.8|aprsnow =0|maysnow =0|junsnow =0|julsnow =0|augsnow =0|sepsnow =0|octsnow =0|novsnow =0| decsnow =0.6|description=}} Izmir experiences a typical, subtropical Mediterranean climate, with hot, sunny summers and rainy winters, but being the northernmost major city in Turkey to do so, it does have some transitional qualities, such as the slightly cooler and cloudier winters. Summers are hot and rainless, especially in July and August. Summer highs vary around 30-35°C, and with a moderate amount of humidity, perceived temperatures can easily reach 38°C or above most years. Winters are generally mild to cool, with occasional heavy rains. Temperatures do see the freezing mark, however, this almost always happens on clear, windless nights when there's no chance of snowfall. As a consequence, Izmir averages only around one to three days of snowfall per year and virtually no days with snow cover. The rest of winter brings comfortable highs, usually around 14-18°C, although higher temperatures have been recorded. Spring and fall are warm, usually pleasant and generally the best time to visit the city. If you're planning to go on a beach holiday, however, fall is generally a better option; the water is often warmer then, with water temperatures well above 20°C in both September and October. ==Get in== {{seealso|Istanbul to Izmir}} ===By plane=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport | alt={{IATA|ADB}} | url=http://www.adnanmenderesairport.com | email= | address= | lat=38.289167 | long=27.155 | directions=16 km south of city center | phone=+90 232 274-21-87 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-10-29 | wikipedia=Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport | wikidata=Q504382 | content=This has frequent flights to [[Istanbul]], [[Ankara]], and [[Antalya]], and daily to several other Turkish cities. There are also flights from Athens, Frankfurt and several other European cities. Operators include Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Anadolujet, Onur and Sun Express (which has a hub here) so this competition keeps fares low. }} '''To & from the airport:''' * '''[http://www.izban.com.tr/ İzban suburban trains]''' run every 10 mins to Alsancak Station north of city centre. Change at Hilal for the metro downtown - this station and its surroundings are messy and not easy to navigate. You'll need an izmirimkart card for the train and subway. * '''HAVAŞ shuttle buses''' run to city center for 14 TL, then continue north away out to Mavişehir. * '''Town buses''' run by ESHOT (transport dept of city council), are cheaper than ''Havaş'', at 5.20 TL/passenger if you have an İzmirimkart. * [http://www.viaydirentacar.com Adnan Menderes Airport Car Hire] Address : 1375 Sokak No : 6/e Alsancak Konak / İzmir Telephone : +90 232 313 01 13 Call Center 0850 380 01 80 ===By train=== Izmir is not yet on Turkey's high-speed YHT network, so trains are ponderous overnight affairs, when daytime buses cover the distance in half the time. A high-speed railway is under construction and might be partly open by 2023. Until then, the main services (all daily) are: * ''İzmir Mavi'' ("Izmir Blue Train"), 14 hrs overnight from [[Ankara]] via [[Eskişehir]] (which has YHT trains, but not at night) and [[Kütahya]], departing around 18:00. * ''Konya Mavi'' ("Konya Blue Train"), 12 hrs overnight from [[Konya]] (which has YHT trains, and connections for [[Adana]] and [[Antalya]]), via [[Afyon]] and [[Manisa]], departing around 19:30. * ''Ege Ekspressi'', 9½ hours daily from [[Kutahya]] via Tavsanli, [[Balıkesir]], Soma, [[Akhisar]] and [[Manisa]], departing around 09:30 and returning north at 06:30. * ''Göller Ekspresi'' ("Lakes Express"), 8 hrs overnight from Isparta via [[Denizli]] (for [[Pamukkale]]), Nazilli, Aydin and [[Selcuk]] (for [[Ephesus]] and [[Kuşadası]]), departing around 22:00. * ''6 Eylül Ekspresi'' ("6th of September Express"), 6½ hr daily from [[Bandırma]] (with ferries from [[Istanbul]]) via [[Balıkesir]] and Soma, departing around 08:00. Buy tickets at the station or on the [http://www.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/ '''TCDD'''] website. * {{go | name=Basmane railway station | alt=Basmane Garı | url= | email= | address=Anafartalar Cd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2887254 | lastedit=2020-12-09 | content=Terminus station for long-distance trains. }} * {{go | name=Alsancak railway station | alt=Alsancak garı | url= | email= | address=Şehitler Cd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q8080254 | lastedit=2020-12-09 | content=Terminus for the suburban IZBAN railway which runs to the airport and city centre, and connects with the metro. }} ===By boat=== From July 2019 a direct ferry sails between [[Çeşme]] near Izmir and Lavrion near [[Athens]], operated by [https://aegeanseaways.com Aegean Seaways] {{dead link|December 2020}}. This sails overnight M W F from Lavrion at 22:00 to reach Çeşme at 06:00, with the return sailing Tu Th Sa at 22:00. On Sunday the ferry sails from Lavrion at 11:00 to reach Çeşme at 19:00, then sails back near midnight to reach Lavrion at 08:00. It's intended to run this service year-round. ===By bus=== The bus station, or ''otogar'' (Turkish for bus garage), is 6&nbsp;km north east of city centre, with frequent ''dolmuş'' running there. The bus station is huge and has an internet cafe, plenty of facilities for food and drink, and pay toilets. There are multiple bus operators and ticket offices; when a bus is about to depart, the agents will shout a last call for that destination. There are free shuttle bus service that will bring passengers from the bus terminal to Basmane Square, the city center. To get to the free shuttle station, after getting off the bus, go to the leftmost side of the bus terminal building without entering it. There should be stairs going down and here you'll see all the bus companies' free shuttle buses, as well as the terminal service free shuttle. There also is a city bus route that goes to Konak through former Kemalpaşa road. Another option is to take a dolmus to Bornova metro (or Evka 3), and then continue by metro. Buses to [[Istanbul]] run frequently and take 6½ hours, with regular rest stops. The fare of 70-90 TL will usually include water, hot drinks, and snacks. For example, Ulusoy bus from Istanbul will set you back around 85 TL (August 2016). * {{go | name=İzmir Coach Terminal | alt=İzmir Otogarı | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q54165725 | lastedit=2020-12-09 | content= }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|38.429|27.136|zoom=14|height=520|layer=M|lang=en|38.430|27.129}} {{Mapmask |38.4864,27.0816 |38.4793,27.0700 |38.4750,27.0624 |38.4729,27.0542 |38.4690,27.0430 |38.4685,27.0366 |38.4685,27.0329 |38.4727,27.0260 |38.4767,27.0298 |38.5063,27.0274 |38.5076,27.0329 |38.5170,27.0301 |38.5248,27.0363 |38.5425,27.0452 |38.5398,27.0521 |38.5310,27.0477 |38.5165,27.0449 |38.5079,27.0494 |38.5194,27.0514 |38.5251,27.0634 |38.5181,27.0696 |38.5022,27.0751 |38.5041,27.0964 |38.4990,27.1002 |38.4979,27.1211 |38.4993,27.1352 |38.4989,27.1414 |38.4926,27.1390 |38.4897,27.1426 |38.4936,27.1455 |38.4957,27.1494 |38.4967,27.1491 |38.4985,27.1505 |38.5001,27.1541 |38.4985,27.1589 |38.4934,27.1579 |38.4912,27.1544 |38.4887,27.1534 |38.4840,27.1474 |38.4764,27.1429 |38.4711,27.1405 |38.4666,27.1423 |38.4667,27.1451 |38.4711,27.1461 |38.4682,27.1534 |38.4712,27.1523 |38.4736,27.1537 |38.4778,27.1561 |38.4779,27.1617 |38.4779,27.1674 |38.4783,27.1706 |38.4805,27.1727 |38.4803,27.1880 |38.4891,27.2021 |38.4905,27.2088 |38.4964,27.2114 |38.4993,27.2150 |38.4987,27.2197 |38.4917,27.2186 |38.4877,27.2180 |38.4786,27.2193 |38.4799,27.2334 |38.4767,27.2464 |38.4686,27.2492 |38.4660,27.2646 |38.4600,27.2797 |38.4490,27.2852 |38.4479,27.2983 |38.4410,27.3014 |38.4353,27.2993 |38.4307,27.2818 |38.4256,27.2742 |38.4210,27.2633 |38.4087,27.2379 |38.4208,27.2324 |38.4288,27.2286 |38.4288,27.2200 |38.4235,27.2145 |38.4178,27.2128 |38.4162,27.2021 |38.4141,27.1901 |38.4057,27.1881 |38.4084,27.2056 |38.4036,27.2100 |38.3963,27.2001 |38.3788,27.1963 |38.3723,27.2018 |38.3659,27.2090 |38.3656,27.1925 |38.3651,27.1802 |38.3621,27.1599 |38.3562,27.1541 |38.3446,27.1472 |38.3294,27.1733 |38.3119,27.1529 |38.3090,27.1566 |38.3120,27.1614 |38.3168,27.1700 |38.3199,27.1708 |38.3163,27.1802 |38.3149,27.1776 |38.3132,27.1769 |38.3057,27.1802 |38.3042,27.1777 |38.2982,27.1818 |38.2971,27.1847 |38.2952,27.1874 |38.2934,27.1868 |38.2921,27.1881 |38.2913,27.1862 |38.2940,27.1847 |38.2948,27.1836 |38.2947,27.1819 |38.2960,27.1800 |38.2969,27.1767 |38.2931,27.1763 |38.2905,27.1770 |38.2914,27.1678 |38.2937,27.1670 |38.2960,27.1628 |38.3037,27.1595 |38.3052,27.1578 |38.3088,27.1553 |38.3108,27.1507 |38.3113,27.1451 |38.3069,27.1458 |38.3062,27.1418 |38.3019,27.1386 |38.2903,27.1422 |38.2897,27.1367 |38.2995,27.1270 |38.3037,27.1331 |38.3083,27.1227 |38.3127,27.1249 |38.3146,27.1191 |38.3220,27.1184 |38.3298,27.1191 |38.3371,27.1163 |38.3422,27.1163 |38.3489,27.1239 |38.3524,27.1153 |38.3522,27.1074 |38.3470,27.1043 |38.3435,27.0981 |38.3535,27.0950 |38.3578,27.0861 |38.3621,27.0816 |38.3643,27.0919 |38.3688,27.0961 |38.3729,27.0889 |38.3772,27.0947 |38.3828,27.0916 |38.3828,27.0840 |38.3853,27.0744 |38.3839,27.0638 |38.3791,27.0686 |38.3783,27.0600 |38.3799,27.0535 |38.3839,27.0525 |38.3818,27.0339 |38.3869,27.0325 |38.3888,27.0277 |38.3858,27.0247 |38.3826,27.0236 |38.3799,27.0157 |38.3775,27.0130 |38.3740,27.0089 |38.3780,27.0068 |38.3831,27.0071 |38.3882,27.0095 |38.3888,27.0044 |38.3855,26.9999 |38.3877,26.9958 |38.3904,26.9938 |38.3890,26.9824 |38.3947,26.9821 |38.3960,26.9776 |38.3981,26.9842 |38.4000,26.9874 |38.4016,26.9901 |38.4039,26.9915 |38.4042,26.9928 |38.4065,26.9955 |38.4065,26.9985 |38.4081,27.0001 |38.4089,27.0043 |38.4082,27.0098 |38.4117,27.0138 |38.4153,27.0170 |38.4182,27.0176 |38.4153,27.0209 |38.4146,27.0211 |38.4139,27.0227 |38.4146,27.0267 |38.4138,27.0296 |38.4140,27.0331 |38.4116,27.0336 |38.4106,27.0368 |38.4114,27.0416 |38.4132,27.0483 |38.4130,27.0501 |38.4130,27.0515 |38.4156,27.0595 |38.4142,27.0615 |38.4062,27.0675 |38.4025,27.0739 |38.4010,27.0767 |38.4007,27.0798 |38.3994,27.0840 |38.3986,27.0868 |38.3992,27.0884 |38.4003,27.0904 |38.4020,27.0920 |38.4031,27.0942 |38.4046,27.0961 |38.4071,27.1002 |38.4106,27.1115 |38.4102,27.1144 |38.4106,27.1180 |38.4111,27.1195 |38.4120,27.1201 |38.4139,27.1208 |38.4157,27.1228 |38.4170,27.1229 |38.4175,27.1235 |38.4176,27.1248 |38.4201,27.1272 |38.4222,27.1292 |38.4225,27.1286 |38.4229,27.1290 |38.4235,27.1280 |38.4239,27.1283 |38.4228,27.1304 |38.4276,27.1321 |38.4299,27.1343 |38.4304,27.1335 |38.4330,27.1366 |38.4370,27.1403 |38.4389,27.1407 |38.4426,27.1429 |38.4431,27.1442 |38.4426,27.1460 |38.4442,27.1457 |38.4471,27.1489 |38.4470,27.1496 |38.4443,27.1467 |38.4422,27.1474 |38.4426,27.1514 |38.4475,27.1546 |38.4455,27.1591 |38.4428,27.1572 |38.4424,27.1577 |38.4418,27.1576 |38.4409,27.1595 |38.4415,27.1603 |38.4418,27.1594 |38.4459,27.1618 |38.4449,27.1637 |38.4417,27.1627 |38.4407,27.1657 |38.4399,27.1660 |38.4413,27.1683 |38.4417,27.1676 |38.4440,27.1679 |38.4444,27.1687 |38.4450,27.1680 |38.4488,27.1657 |38.4472,27.1694 |38.4474,27.1713 |38.4483,27.1708 |38.4495,27.1692 |38.4503,27.1696 |38.4522,27.1685 |38.4538,27.1678 |38.4541,27.1673 |38.4559,27.1657 |38.4558,27.1666 |38.4634,27.1624 |38.4636,27.1615 |38.4649,27.1610 |38.4668,27.1583 |38.4672,27.1561 |38.4654,27.1512 |38.4645,27.1479 |38.4646,27.1390 |38.4649,27.1349 |38.4608,27.1288 |38.4593,27.1273 |38.4554,27.1243 |38.4553,27.1232 |38.4555,27.1232 |38.4555,27.1217 |38.4554,27.1207 |38.4550,27.1197 |38.4546,27.1194 |38.4544,27.1197 |38.4535,27.1183 |38.4531,27.1183 |38.4526,27.1179 |38.4525,27.1174 |38.4511,27.1159 |38.4512,27.1155 |38.4494,27.1123 |38.4489,27.1126 |38.4487,27.1121 |38.4490,27.1118 |38.4499,27.1070 |38.4509,27.1029 |38.4513,27.1029 |38.4534,27.0991 |38.4526,27.0984 |38.4523,27.0973 |38.4530,27.0967 |38.4534,27.0966 |38.4534,27.0960 |38.4525,27.0955 |38.4533,27.0934 |38.4538,27.0932 |38.4542,27.0929 |38.4551,27.0931 |38.4565,27.0899 |38.4573,27.0888 |38.4580,27.0881 |38.4623,27.0837 |38.4637,27.0833 |38.4650,27.0819 |38.4658,27.0799 |38.4662,27.0791 |38.4666,27.0793 |38.4655,27.0814 |38.4668,27.0794 |38.4676,27.0786 |38.4675,27.0778 |38.4671,27.0770 |38.4672,27.0698 |38.4661,27.0699 |38.4658,27.0694 |38.4645,27.0692 |38.4646,27.0678 |38.4684,27.0652 |38.4735,27.0658 |38.4753,27.0662 |38.4783,27.0713 |38.4798,27.0737 |38.4817,27.0767 |38.4832,27.0811 |38.4889,27.0880 |38.4864,27.0816}} {{Mapshapes|Q1503686}} <!-- metro --> {{Mapshapes|Q8080017}}<!--train lines--> ===On foot=== You can explore Izmir's inner city by walking. [http://www.walkizmir.com/ Walking Routes] of the city center are very easy to walk and enjoyable. ===By train=== [[File:Izmir Rapid Transit Map.png|thumb|The Rapid Transit system]] The '''[http://www.izban.com.tr/ IZBAN]''' railway (shown in green) runs north-south: * South Line runs from Tepeköy (for Torbali) in the south via the airport and Menderes town to Hilal (for Metro) and Alsancak (for trams, city ferries and the North Line). * North Line runs from Alsancak to Turan, Mavişehir (for trams), Çiğli, Menemen and Aliağa (for connections to [[Foça]] and Bergama). The '''[https://www.izmirmetro.com.tr/ Metro]''' (shown in blue) runs east-west, from Bornova to the east via Halkapinar interchange (for trams and North Line), Hilal (for South Line), Basmane (for mainline trains) and Konak to Fahrettin Altay (for Göztepe and Balçova town). The '''[http://www.tramizmir.com/ Tram]''' (shown in red) has two separate loops: * City centre and south shore: from Halkapinar interchange to Alsancak, Konak, Göztepe and Fahrettin Altay. * North shore: from Alaybay to Bostanli, Atakent and Mavişehir. All three systems have extensions under construction or in planning. ===By bus=== There is an extensive system of public buses covering the entire province. * {{listing | name=ESHOT | alt=Elektrik Su Havagazı Otobüs Troleybüs | url=https://www.eshot.gov.tr | email=him@eshot.gov.tr | address=İnönü Mahallesi İsmail Sivri Bulvarı No:105 Buca | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+90 2323200320 (PBX) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=8-17(weekdays) offices, 6-24 most buses, 24/24 some bus lines | price= | wikipedia=ESHOT | image= | wikidata=Q5324169 | content=ESHOT is one of two city bus operators in Izmir, other being İZULAŞ. }} ===By boat=== [https://www.izdeniz.com.tr/ Izdeniz Ferries] criss-cross the city inlet, a cheap, fast and pleasant form of transport. ===By taxi=== There are many taxis with reasonable prices and no night rate. Turkish taxis are not allowed to go outside province they are registered at. Meaning an Izmir-registered taxi (registration starting in 35) cannot go beyond Izmir provincial boundaries. ==See== Due to the Great Fire of 1920s, there is a relative lack of historical sights in Izmir, especially when considering how old the city really is (more than 5000 years old). * {{see | name=Konak Square | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.418862 | long=27.128664 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Konak Square | image=Izmir Konak Square.jpg | wikidata=Q6428726 | content=Main square of the city center, famous for the clock tower, one of the unique symbols of Izmir. The clock tower was built in 1901. There are also Konak Yali Mosque and Kemeraltı Bazaar around the square. }} * {{see | name=Asansör | alt=Elevator | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.408798 | long=27.117489 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Asansör | wikidata=Q4803558 | content=This landmark was constructed by a Jewish businessman in 1907. The purpose was to help residents to go to their districts on the top of the hill. The elevator used to be powered by a water-driven mechanism. Later, it was restored by Izmir Municipality and now it uses electricity. There is a restaurant on the top of the elevator, with a bird-eye view of Izmir. }} * {{see | name=Izmir Archaeological Museum | alt= | url=http://www.izmir.bel.tr/StandartPages.asp?menuID=440&MenuName= {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Halil Rifat Paşa Cad. No: 4 Bahribaba Parkı | lat=38.485845 | long=27.149963 | directions= | phone=+ 90 232 446 28 52 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=İzmir Archaeological Museum | image=Izmir Archeology Museum.jpg | wikidata=Q6102069 | lastedit=2017-03-31 | content=Hosts a large collection of finds from Smyrna and other Ionian cities, mostly from the Roman age. There's also a numismatic department with ancient coins and jewelry. }} * {{see | name=Izmir Agora Open Air Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ruins of the Hellenistic and Roman Smyrna's marketplace. }} * {{see | name=Atatürk Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cumhuriyet Meydanı (Republic Square) | lat=38.429167 | long=27.134444 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Atatürk Monument (İzmir) | image=Atatürk Monument in İzmir.JPG | wikidata=Q6086895 | lastedit=2017-03-31 | content=Equestrian statue of the Turkish leader, erected on 27 July 1932. }} * {{see | name=Alsancak | alt=Punta, Reşadiye | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.437808 | long=27.143483 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Alsancak | image=Alsancak.jpg | wikidata=Q4735767 | content=A neighbourhood of small streets with lots of bars in old Greek houses, where you can have tea or a beer and try several shisha flavors. }} * {{see | name=Kadifekale | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.413833 | long=27.145139 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kadifekale | image=Kadifekale IzmirTurkey EUnluBlogspot.jpg | wikidata=Q4810717 | content=An old castle named after the hill on which it stands. This castle resides in an undeveloped but friendly neighbourhood. }} * '''''Teleferik''''' (cable car) — Since 1977, it has carried people to 423 m up above the sea level. There are restaurants, cafes and gift shops on the top of the hill. * {{see | name=Ancient Smyrna museum | alt=Eski Smyrna - Hacı Mutzo Arkeolojik Alanı/Tepekule -Bayraklı Ören Yeri | url= | email= | address=1912 Street Bayraklı | lat=38.46400 | long=27.17000 | directions=just behind central Bayraklı İstasyonu | phone=+90 232 341 50 31 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-25 | content=The ruins of the very first Smyrna. }} ==Do== * Walk along the '''Kordon''', the waterfront promenade, now lined by rows of tall apartment buildings and palm trees on one side and the Aegean on the other, with a large patch of lawn and a cobbled street in between, where you can have a 19th-century ''fayton'' (horse-drawn carriages) ride. * '''Kemeraltı''' — A must see. A big bazaar, where you can buy clothes, presents etc. There are also a lot of lounges where you can sit. * Kızlarağası Hanı-House of Girls' Master— An old inn (''kervansaray'') in Kemeraltı where you can shop for carpets and jewelry. * Blend in with locals and take the boat from Konak to Karşıyaka. * See also the old fortress and the Agora. This site is usually quiet and you can roam about the ruins of the old Greek market. * '''Beaches''' — Having a coastline on Aegean sea, Izmir owns lots of beaches which are not too far from the city center. There is public transportation available to most of them. The places include [[Foça]], [[Dikili]], Urla, Seferihisar, and [[Çeşme]]. ==Buy== You can go to Konak Pier, a small mall along the Kordon with a cinema and with local and other known brands. Forum, in Bornova, is a very big mall with many brands and a supermarket in a Mediterranean style one floored houses in open air. '''Kemeraltı''' (in the city center) offers great deal of souvenirs in a nice traditional atmosphere. ==Eat== Typical food are: * Melons, because Izmir has a warm climate so melons are always local and fresh. * Izmir has a famous restaurant that serves the region's specialities, especially ''shish kebabs''. * Fish, grilled sea bass and mezes. Usually the fish is fresh and plenty in all seasons. '''Veli Usta''' offers great deal of fish in Alsancak. * ''Kumru'', a warm sandwich, made with a special bread with sesame seeds, Turkish sausage, grilled cheese and tomatoes, also a vegetarian version is available without the sausage and with the addition of green pepper. This is something not to be missed while in Izmir, because it's almost impossible to find it anywhere else in the country. It's sold at numerous stalls in the streets. Best to be eaten earlier in the day to have it warm as they find their way out of bakeries in the morning. Two of them is more than enough to appease you hunger. * Tulum Peyniri, a kind of cheese specially made in the Izmir region. * Copsis Kebab at Topcu in Cankaya * Belkahve: Izmir from the eye of Atatürk in 1922 * ''Boyoz'', another local pastry but much oilier than ''kumru'', to eat with a cup of tea for breakfast. Balcova Shopping Complex may be the most modern shopping and entertainment where in European Style. Besides, prices are reasonable. Kıbrıs Şehitleri Caddesi Street in Alsancak, is a nice pedestrian street with a lot of low-priced restaurants. ===Budget=== ====Around the port Alsancak İskelesi==== * {{eat | name=Sultan Yemek Evi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alsancak, 1441. Sk. No:9/B | lat=38.4357913 | long=27.1432609 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} * {{eat | name= Alsancak Pide Pizza Lahmacun| alt= | url= | email= | address=Alsancak, 1440. Sk. No:11 | lat=38.4357774 | long= 27.1436786 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} ====Around the Kemeraltı Çarşısı==== * {{eat | name=Köfteci Okan | alt= | url= | email= | address= Uğur Mah, Dr. Faik Muhittin Adam Cd. No: 38/A| lat=38.4169934 | long= 27.1318953 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=A kofta restaurant}} * {{eat | name=Yaşar Gül Balık Evi | alt= | url= | email= | address= Güzelyurt, 863. Sk. No-64| lat=38.4186781 | long=27.1331040 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=A fish restaurant}} * {{eat | name=Çarşı Balık | alt= | url= | email= | address=Konak, 871. Sk. | lat=38.4189242 | long=27.1334839 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} * {{eat | name=Piraye Ev Yemekleri | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kemeraltı Çarşısı, 851. Sk. No:6B | lat=38.4170268 | long= 27.1313257 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} * {{eat | name=Köfteci Murat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Güzelyurt, 927. Sk. No:4 | lat=38.4206440 | long=27.1364883 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=A kofta restaurant}} ===Mid-range=== <br> ===Splurge=== <br> ==Drink== Join the nightlife on Kıbrıs Şehitleri Caddesi in Alsancak, and go find the Gazi Kadinlar Street. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are when the street is liveliest. * All pubs and cafes in '''Kordon''' (Alsancak's waterfront) are attractive in nice weather. * '''1448 Sokak''' at Alsancak is full of bars and pubs from one end to another. They also have seats out on the sidewalk, and a uniform price for a bottle of beer (a pint/0.50 litre) all along the street. ==Sleep== In Izmir there are many hotels 5 minutes walk from the railway station to suit all tastes and wallets. Hilton is very close to city center in Alsancak, and Swissotel is also in Alsancak. Also there is Crowne Plaza, which is about 30 min from the center. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Vakana House Hostel | alt= | url=https://vakana-house-hostel.business.site/ | email= | address=Alsancak, Yzb. Şerafettin Bey Sk. no:40 | lat=38.43777 | long=27.14429 | directions= | phone=+90 542 550 34 70 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=151 TL | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=It's very bohemian with a terrace and garden. }} * {{sleep | name=Shantihome Hostel | alt= | url=http://shantihome.org/ | email= | address=Alsancak, 1464. Sk. No:15 | lat=38.43843 | long=27.14485 | directions= | phone=+90 546 235 08 05 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=158 TL | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=It is done up in lots of bright pastel colors with bike rental and wifi and free condiments like coffee and tea. }} * {{sleep | name=Piano Hotel Izmir | alt= | url=http://pianohotel.com.tr/en | email= | address=İsmet Kaptan, 1364. Sk. 11/101 | lat=38.42344 | long=27.14018 | directions= | phone=+90 553 920 10 29 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=166 TL | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=It's an accommodating place offering a continental breakfast that tries hard with the piano motif. }} ===Mid-Range=== * {{sleep | name=Renaissance Izmir Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/adbbr-renaissance-izmir-hotel/ | email= | address=Akdeniz, Gazi Osman Paşa Blv. No 16 | lat=38.4268 | long=27.13565 | directions= | phone=+90 232 497 77 77 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=422 TL | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=A futuristic-looking hotel with a large jacuzzi and some rooftop seating make this place pretty interesting. }} * {{sleep | name=Lagora Old Town Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.lagoraoldtown.com/ | email= | address=Güzelyurt, Havra Sk. 10 C | lat=38.41977 | long=27.13543 | directions= | phone=+90 232 425 02 05 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=400 TL | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=This place has a really standout open forum type cafeteria that you should probably try even if you don't stay here. }} === Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Key Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.keyhotel.com | email= | address=Akdeniz Mahallesi, Mimar Kemalettin Cd. No:1 | lat=38.423548 | long=27.131272 | directions= | phone=+90 232 482 11 11 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2017-04-23 | content=It's pretty swanky with a bar and Aegean-themed restaurant overlooking the sea. Plus a gym and breakfast buffet (do those go together very well?). }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel Buyuk Efes Izmir | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/izmir/ | email= | address=Alsancak, Gazi Osman Paşa Blv. No 1 | lat=38.42820 | long=27.13578 | directions= | phone=+90 232 414 00 00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=709 TL | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=Two pools, hot tubs, an aquarium-themed restaurant, and rooms with balconies are some of the highlights of this distinguished hotel close to the waterfront. }} * {{sleep | name=Wyndham Grand Izmir Ozdilek | alt= | url=https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/tr-tr/wyndham-grand/izmir-turkey/wyndham-izmir/overview | email= | address=67, İnciraltı Cd | lat=38.41160 | long=27.03210 | directions= | phone=+90 232 292 13 00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=505 TL | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=This one kind of looks like a giant time capsule made of glass sticking out over the harbor, which means your chance of getting at least a partial view of the water from your room are pretty good. Pools and restaurants also can be found. }} * {{sleep | name=Movenpick Hotel Izmir | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4H2/index.en.shtml | email= | address=Cumhuriyet Blv No 138 Pasaport | lat=38.42814 | long=27.13411 | directions= | phone=+90 232 488 14 14 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=460 TL | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=It has a very sharp look with its glass exterior, and has the amenities that most hotels of this class do (i.e. pool, restaurant, gym, etc). }} ==Cope== ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/Europe/Turkey/GeneralConsulateSmirni/el-GR {{dead link|October 2017|December 2020}} | email=grgencon.smy@mfa.gr | address=Atatürk Caddesi 366/1A, Alsancak | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+90 232 464-31-60, +90 232 464-31-61, +90 232 421-69-92 | tollfree= | fax=+90 232 463-33-93 | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00, except official holidays | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | alt= | url=http://izmir.mae.ro/en | email=izmir.consul@mae.ro | address=479 Sokak no. 9, Alsancak | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+90 232 4650579 | tollfree= | fax=+90 232 4650938 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-12-03 | content= }} ==Stay safe== Izmir Police Department has a "tourism police" section where travellers can report passport loss and theft or any other criminal activity, they may have become victims of. The staff is multilingual and you'll be able to converse with them in English, German, French, or Arabic. *{{listing | name=Tourism Police | alt=Turizm Polisi | url= | email= | address=Turizm Şube Müdürlüğü, Tepecik | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+90 232 489-47-77 | tollfree= | fax=+90 232 441-11-63 | hours= | price= | content= }} == Connect == Izmir has a good 4G signal from all Turkish carriers. As of July 2022, 5G has not reached this area. ==Go next== * '''[[Çeşme]]''' a small village for all summer activities, half an hour drive to the west of Izmir. *'''[[Selçuk]]''' a few hours by bus or train to the south of the city, is a town with many historical sights, as well as serving as a hub to visit nearby Roman city of '''[[Ephesus]]''' and Virgin Mary’s House, which the Vatican declared an official Catholic pilgrimage site. It is also a few km away from '''[[Kusadasi|Kuşadası]]''' and Şirince. *'''[[Şirince]]''' a pleasant inland village, renowned for its wines. *'''[[Tire]]''' takes only an hour to reach from the city center, a typical Aegean town where you can visit Turkey's biggest open town market on Tuesdays. You can also have a good lunch in Kaplan with typical Aegean foods and try the famous meatballs of Tire. '''[[Ödemiş]]''' is a traditional agricultural town also noted for its meatballs. Further east, '''[[Birgi]]''' is a medieval old town, one of the prettiest in the country. *'''Kemalpaşa''' 30 km east was the summer capital of the Empire of Nicaea, a rump [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] polity existed during the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204–1261). The town, then known as Nymphaion, is the site of the ruins of the '''Laskaris Palace''' (locally known as the ''Kız Kulesi'', "maiden's tower") built in a style of alternating marble and red bricks rows, similar to the [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City#Palace of the Porphyrogenitus|Palace of the Porphyrogenitus]] in Istanbul. Another historic attraction nearby is the '''Karabel Relief''', a prominent [[Hittites|Hittite]] rock relief depicting King Tarkasnawa on the road south to Torbalı. *'''[[Manisa]]''' northeast over Sabuncubeli Pass, is hub for visiting nearby '''[[Sardes]]''', the capital of ancient Lycians, and '''Mount Sipylus''' which offers beautiful forest scenery as well as sites with mythological references. {{routebox | image1= E881-TR.png | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Bursa]] | minorl1=[[Manisa]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Çeşme]] | minorr1=[[Alaçatı]] | image2=E87-TR.png | imagesize2=40 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Çanakkale]] | minorl2=[[Bergama]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Denizli]] | minorr2=[[Selçuk]] | image3=D300-TR.svg | imagesize3=40 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Çeşme]] | minorl3=[[Alaçatı]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Afyonkarahisar]] | minorr3=[[Sardes]] | image4=D550-TR.svg | imagesize4=40 | directionl4=N | majorl4=Merges with [[File:E87-TR.png|35px]] | minorl4= | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Muğla]] | minorr4=[[Selçuk]] }} {{usablecity}} {{isPartOf|Central Aegean}} {{geo|38.43333333|27.15}} lvzkkpp56en7b73xf1wt0c8b0e1ktby 0 16090 4501590 4501546 2022-08-15T13:17:35Z Ibaman 195012 cleaner wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Jaldapara banner Rhinoceros.jpg}} [[File:Elephant safari.jpg|thumb|350px|An elephant safari through Jaldapara National Park]] '''Jaldapara''' is a national park in [[West Bengal]] in [[India]]. ==Understand== ===History=== It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1991 and a national park in 2012. ===Landscape=== Jaldapara is in the foothills of eastern Himalayas The river Torsha flows through this rain forest sanctuary which is mostly covered with tall grasses, the sanctuary encompasses a luxuriant vegetation and a rich variety of wildlife. The Malangi River also flows nearby from east to west. Riding elephants and jeep safari is the only way to move inside this forest. Elephant safari is preferred by the people staying at Jaldapara (in Holong Forest Guest House or Tourist Lodge) overnight. The jeep safari is available in the morning and in afternoon. ===Flora and fauna=== The forest is mainly savannah covered with tall elephant grasses. The main attraction of the sanctuary is Asiatic one-horned rhinoceros. The sanctuary holds the highest rhino population in India after Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The other animals found are tigers, elephants, deers, sambhar, barking deer, spotted deer, hog deer, wild pig and bisons. Jaldapara is a paradise for bird watchers. It is one of the very few places in India, where the Bengal florican is sighted. The other birds to be found here are the crested eagle, Pallas's fishing eagle and shikra, besides jungle fowl, peafowl, partridges, and lesser pied hornbill. Python, monitor lizards, krates, cobras, geckos and about 8 species of fresh water turtles have also found sanctuary here. ===Climate=== Warm and humid all the year long. The best season to visit is from the middle of October to the end of February. ==Get in== '''Madarihat''' is the entry point for the sanctuary. It is on the NH 31 (Siliguri-Hasimara), 140 km east from [[Siliguri]], 80 km north from [[Cooch Behar]] and 50 km west from Alipurduar. === By plane === Bagdogra in Siliguri is the nearest airport, 140 km away. === By rail === The nearest railway station is Madarihat which is 7 km from the sanctuary. All passenger trains stop here. * {{listing | name= Madarihat railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= 26.6945 | long= 89.2747 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name= Hasimara railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= 26.72685 | long= 89.3476| directions= | | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It serves [[Hasimara]] }} Jaldapara Tourist Lodge is 11 km from this railway station. All the mail and express trains stop at Birpara/Hasimara railway stations; both are 20 km away from the sanctuary. === By road === Jaldapara is connected by road with Siliguri and other places in North Bengal. North Bengal State Transport Corporation buses, Bhutan Government buses, minibuses are available from Siliguri to Alipurduar via Madarihat. Cars can also be hired at Siliguri. ==Get around== {{mapframe|26.690|89.312 |zoom=12}} ==Fees and permits== A permit is required for visit to the sanctuary. (As of 2007-08) Entry fees to visit the park (Hollong) : ₹25/- per head for Indian Nationals. ₹50/- per light vehicle. ₹200/- per heavy vehicle. ₹5/- per still camera. ₹250/- per video camera. A thrilling elephant safari is organized in the early morning from Hollong to offer the exquisite beauty of the vast grassland of Jaldapara. The elephant ride is the best possible way to explore the sanctuary with the rare sight of Indian rhinos and Asiatic elephants. The jeep safari inside the sanctuary is another main attraction. Jeeps can be hired from Madarihat for day visits. Elephant ride charge (as of 2007-08): per adult: ₹120 (maximum 4 persons allowed on each elephant). ==See== On an elephant ride you can see so many animals, like rhino, various types of deer, elephants, bisons, peacocks, etc. See the view from Hollong Rest House (govt.) ==Buy== ==Eat== Bar & restaurant attached with good facilities. Jaldapara family tourism and restaurant is a cheap rated lodge which is very close to the ticket counter for car & elephant safari. ==Drink== No drinks inside the sanctuary. For consumption in the lodge, it is better to carry one’s own choice. ==Sleep== * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel Royal Green | alt= | url= | email= | address=NH 31C, Kharibari Forest, Madarihat | lat=26.6923 | long=89.2675 | directions= | phone=+91-9933160106 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Jaldapara Jungle Camp | alt= | url=http://www.helptourism.net/jaldapra-jungle-camp.php | email= | address=Madarihat | lat= | long= | directions=Near Reliance Petrol Pump | phone=+91-353-2433683-2535896, +91-97330-00440 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,000 - 2,000 | content=Jaladapara Jungle Camp have 02 Attic Cottages, 02 Wooden Cottages, 02 Cottages and 01 Triple Bedded Cottage with attach toilets & baths. }} * {{sleep | name= Chilapata Jungle Camp | alt= | url= http://www.helptourism.net/chilapata-jungle-camps.php | email=info@helptourism.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary | phone = +91-353-2433683-2535896| tollfree= | fax= | price= Cottages ₹1000-1500| checkin= | checkout= | content= Run by Help Tourism. }} ===Tourist lodges=== * {{sleep | name= Hollong Tourist Lodge | url=http://www.traveldias.com/hollong-tourist-lodge-jaldapara/ | content=It is maintained by WBTDC. There are only 7 rooms available for tourists. Booking has to be done 120 days in advance. The lodge is 7-8 km deep inside the forest from the entry gate on the high way at Madarihat. All rooms are double bedded at ₹2,500 per day. If you want to have food, the package is ₹400 per head per day which includes breakfast with tea or coffee, evening snacks with tea or coffee and dinner. Lunch is an optional ₹150 per meal. }} * {{sleep | name=Jaldapara Tourist Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=PO Madarihat, Dist. Jalpaiguri PIN 735 220 | lat=26.6985 | long=89.2856 | directions= | phone=+91 3563 262230 (Telefax), +91 3563 262606 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= ₹1,000 (non AC double bed), ₹300 (dormitory - 5 bedded), ₹650 (double-bedded Tourist Hut). | content=It much bigger than Hollong Tourist Lodge and has dormitories too. Direct booking at Tourist Lodge. }} * {{sleep | name= Malangi Nature Resort| alt= West Bengal Forest Development Corporation| url= | email= | address= Baradabari| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 3581 2886308| tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= On the other side of the sanctuary. }} *'''Booking can be done for all''': ::*From [[Kolkata]] - West Bengal Tourism, 3/2 B.B.D. Bag (E), Kolkata-700029. Telephone +91 33 2225 4723, +91 33 2210 3199, e-mail: dtwbtour@vsnl.net, ::*From [[Siliguri]] - West Bengal Tourism, M-4 Building, Hill Cart Road, Siliguri, Telephone +91 353 2511974, +91 353 2516306. Priority to enter Jaldapara Sanctuary is first given to those booked into the tourist lodges only if there are fewer people booked in the lodges, can people not staying at the lodges get a safari. There is only a limited number of safaris each day (May 2008). ==Stay safe== * Keep fire away. This is the most destructive of all forces. Please do not kindle fires, throw lighted matches, cigarettes, bidis etc. * Keep the forest clean. Do not litter with plastic, paper, cellophane etc. * Keep pets at home. * Do not carry firearms, explosives, etc. These are prohibited. * Keep sober. Do not consume alcoholic drinks within the sanctuary. * Entering inside the forest prohibited. Follow the specific road/ path only. * Picnics are not permitted inside the sanctuary. * Do not tease the wild animals. Watch and observe nature silently. * Drive slowly. Permissible speed is 20 km/hr. * Disorderly conduct is not permitted. * No person shall hunt, destroy or remove or collect any forest produce or wildlife. Fishing prohibited. Violations of any provisions as mentioned above or any rules shall be punishable under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and rules made thereunder and Indian Forest Act, 1927. ==Go next== *'''Bhutan Ghat''', 85 km from Madarihat, is a road that passes through beautiful forest and tea gardens *'''Buxa Duar''', 60 km from Madarihat, is a fort at an altitude of 867 metres on the Sinchula Range guarding the most important of the eleven routes into Bhutan *'''[[Chilapata|Chilipata Wildlife Sanctuary]]''' - This forested sanctuary forms an elephant corridor between Jaldapara and the Buxa Tiger Reserve and is rich in wildlife *'''[[Gorumara National Park]]''' *'''[[Jayanti]]''', 75 km from Madarihat, is a beautiful picnic spot on the bank of Jayanti River that provides an excellent view of the hills of Bhutan. *'''[[Totopara]]''', 30 km from Jaldapara, is a small village on the banks of River Torsha bordering Bhutan that is the only habitation of the Toto tribe {{geo|26.6385|89.2853|zoom=12}} {{outlinepark}} {{IsPartOf|Dooars}} 6fi0zbt3i2hhusl7kkp3kp5u4m6i4od 0 17236 4502074 4482120 2022-08-16T09:42:08Z LPfi 79572 /* Do */ +[[Tornio#Bothnian Bay National Park|Bothnian Bay National Park]], linking to [[Tornio]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kemi banner LumiLinna.jpg|caption=LumiLinna – Snow Castle}} [[File:Kemi City Hall view 4.jpg|thumb|350px|Kemi centre in the summer. Metsä Group pulp mill in the background]] '''[https://www.kemi.fi/en/ Kemi]''' is a town in [[Finnish Lapland]], at the northernmost tip of the Gulf of Bothnia. Most tourists are drawn by two wintry sights: its world famous '''Lumilinna Snow Castle & Hotel''' and the unusual chance to have an '''icebreaker cruise'''. The city also boasts an array of shops, restaurants and bars. In its character, rather than having a Lappish ambiance, it strongly resembles an ordinary Finnish town. The surrounding countryside is a separate municipality, '''Keminmaa'''. ==Understand== Kemi is an industrial town dominated by a Metsä Group {{marker|name=pulp mill|url=|lat=65.7546|long=24.5208}} and Veitsiluoto {{marker|name=paper mill|url=|lat=65.6923|long=24.6214}}. The {{marker|name=Kemi mine|url=|lat=65.7800|long=24.7168}} in Keminmaa is the only chromium mine in Europe. The chromium is used in Tornio's stainless steel mill, which was established for this particular reason, 30 km away. The area surrounding the mouth of the river Kemi (Finnish: ''Kemijoki'') has been subject to agriculture at least since the 13th century. The Kemi parish was mentioned in 1329, but it was only in 1856 that Emperor Alexander II of Russia established the town. It was built according to a strict grid plan, which still makes finding places in downtown Kemi fairly simple. A sawmill on the Laitakari island began operating in 1863; the economy of the reborn Kemi was heavily based on logging. The railway connected the town to southern Finland in 1903, and in 1939 the harbor moved from downtown to Ajos, about 10 km off-town. Today Kemi has one of the few deep-water harbours in Finland. During the World War II aftermath known as the Lapland War, retreating German troops devastated public buildings, and all the bridges over the Kemijoki river, but left private houses untouched. In July 1949 the government wanted to cut the wages of lumber workers, who went into a strike against the plans. In August 18th 1949 the strike ended up into a bloody conflict between the police and over 3,000 lumber workers and harbour dockers. This "Bloody Thursday" is so far the last fatal political protest in Finland. Due to its labour activist past Kemi has got fame as a "red town". The Left Alliance and the Social Democratic Party still have more than half of the city council seats, making Kemi a political curiosity in Finland. Modern-day Kemi has slightly over 20,000 inhabitants. The population trend is declining. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{listing | type=go | name=Kemi-Tornio Airport | alt={{IATA|KEM}} | url=https://www.finavia.fi/en/kemi-tornio/ | email= | address= | lat=65.779167 | long=24.584722 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kemi-Tornio Airport | image=Kemi-Tornio airport runway.jpg | wikidata=Q1413172 | content={{km|6}} from the city. [http://www.flynyx.com NyxAir] has one or two daily flights from [[Helsinki]], flights taking about an hour. }} ===By train=== There are no passenger services across from [[Sweden]], as the rail gauge is different. Within Finland, trains from [[Rovaniemi]] take about 1½ hours, while a trip all the way from [[Helsinki]], fairly comfortable if done in a sleeper overnight, is 9 hours. {{Listing|type=go | name=Kemi train station|alt=Kemin rautatieasema |url= |email= | address= |lat=65.73672 |long=24.57431 |directions= | phone= |tollfree= |fax= | hours= |price= | wikidata= |lastedit=2020-01-20 | content=There are a few lockers available inside the station. A sign also mentions luggage storage at the nearby cafe Hertta for (a more expensive) €5. }} ===By bus=== Buses head over the Swedish border at [[Tornio]]/[[Haparanda]] (30 min), coming from [[Luleå]] (2½ hr), to where there are trains from the south (and from Narvik in Norway). Buses from Luleå are free with most rail passes. A direct bus connection to Kemi is available from [[Helsinki]], [[Oulu]] and [[Rovaniemi]]. {{Listing|type=go | name=Kemi bus station |alt=Kemin linja-autoasema |url= |email= | address= |lat=65.73675 |long=24.56995 |directions=100 m up the street from the railway station | phone= |tollfree= |fax= | hours= |price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-01-20 |content=Tickets can be bought online from Matkahuolto. }} ===By boat=== {{Listing|type=go | name=Kemi Yachting Club | alt= | url=https://www.keminpurjehdusseura.fi | email=kps@kemi.fi | address=Luulajantie 11 | lat=65.72833 | long=24.55646 | directions= | phone=+358 45 134 6090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€10/night, third night €5 | lastedit=2016-05-03 | content=Guest marina at local sailing clubs: depth 2.4 m; electricity, water supply, WC, shower, laundry, waste bin, fuel. Restaurants nearby with sauna and Wi-Fi. }} ===By car=== Kemi is a little north of the mid-point of [[Highway 4 (Finland)|highway 4]] (part of E75) connecting [[Helsinki]] to [[Utsjoki]] (near Nuorgam at the northernmost point of the country); from either of these it's about 9 hours of driving depending on the road conditions. [[Oulu]] and [[Rovaniemi]] are both a little over an hour away along the same highway. [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] along the coast as highway 8 joins highway 4 south of Oulu and continues as highway 21 via [[Tornio]] (with road connections from Sweden by [[E4 through Sweden|E4]]) towards [[Kilpisjärvi]] and [[Tromsø]]. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} {{nowrap|Easily by walking. Kemin Taksipalvelu Oy}} operates [https://kemintaksi.fi/joukkoliikenne/ local bus lines] in Kemi with just a few departures a day. There is a [https://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi route planner] for local transport trips. Aside from these your options for getting around without walking (or biking) are driving or taking a taxi. ===By taxi=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Kemin taksipalvelu Oy | alt= | url=https://sealaplandtaxi.com | email=info@sealaplandtaxi.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+359 400-691-401 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Menevä Kemi | url=https://meneva.fi/fi/palvelualueet/lappi/kemi | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+358 50-471-0470 (head of office) | tollfree=0800-02120 (booking) | hours= | price=Flag fall M–Sa 06:00–18:00: €7, other times and holidays: €7; 1–4 persons €1.00/km + €0.90/min, 5–8 persons minimum €20, €1.60/km + €0.90/min (March 2021) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-27 | content=Also bookable by app or web. Fixed price based on calculated route and time if destination address given when booking by app or web. }} * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi ==See== [[File:LumiLinna.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Kemi Snow Castle]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Kemi Snow Castle | alt=Lumilinna | url=http://www.experience365.fi/snowcastle/ | email= | address=Lumilinnankatu 15 | lat=65.72653 | long=24.56955 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=18 Jan–15 Apr | price=€29 | lastedit=2020-01-20 | content=The biggest snow castle in the world, built yearly in Kemi since 1996. About 300,000 people visited the first snow castle. The area covered by the castle has varied from 13,000 to over 20,000 m². The highest towers have been over 20 m high and longest walls over 1,000 m long, and the castle has had up to three stories. The snow restaurant has ice tables, seats covered with reindeer fur, and ice sculptures. The ecumenical snow chapel with 50–100 seats has seen numerous weddings, of couples from as far as Japan and Hong Kong. There is also a snow hotel in the snow castle, with double rooms and a honeymoon suite. The snow castle has an adventure land for kids, theatre, and ice art exhibitions with lights and sound effects. Many opera singers and dancers have performed in the snow castle. }} * {{see | name=Kemi Church | alt=Kemin kirkko | url=http://www.keminseurakunta.fi/?sid=56 | email= | address= | lat=65.7325 | long=24.5632 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Gothic revival church completed in 1902. }} * {{see | name=Keminmaa old church | alt= | url=https://www.keminmaanseurakunta.fi/kirkot-ja-tilat/vanha-kirkko | email= | address=Mikaelintie | lat=65.8119 | long=24.5482 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open during the summer season | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-12 | content=One of the northernmost medieval churches in the world and the northernmost one in Finland. Although said to be built around 1520 the church is probably built between 1530 and 1550, in the very end of the catholic era. This church is one of the most popular attractions in Lapland. The main reason is the '''undecomposed body''' of priest ''Nicolaus Rungius'', who died in 1629. Taking photos of the mummy is forbidden. The new Keminmaa church, built in 1827, is across the road. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Arctic Gems & Comics | alt=Kemin jalokivigalleria | url=https://visitkemi.fi/kohde/sarjakuvanayttely | email=info@sealapland.com | address=Rantabulevardi 2 | lat=65.7323 | long=24.5527 | directions= | phone=+358 50-386-8563 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Tickets €10/6, children 4–11 | content=The largest collection of gemstones in Europe. The gem stone gallery was established in 1986 by goldsmith Teuvo Ypyä. The well known speciality is the '''crown designed for the King of Finland''' in 1918. Since 2019 the ''Kemi comics centre'' has got their comics exhibition in the same building. }} * {{see | name=City hall | alt=Kaupungintalo | url= | email= | address= | lat=65.7352 | long=24.5705 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The most visible building in the town and an excellent landmark. It has 13 storeys and is 51 meters tall. Built in 1940 it was so steady that even German troops failed to explode it during the Lapland War! There is a cafeteria and a viewing platform on the top floor. }} * {{see | name=Pohjanranta church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Pohjantie 23 | lat=65.8404 | long=24.5665 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-12 | content=A modern wood shingle church, built in 2010. }} ==Do== [[File:Jäänmurtaja Sampo.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|Icebreaker Sampo]] * {{do | name=[[Tornio#Bothnian Bay National Park|Bothnian Bay National Park]] | alt=Perämeren kansallispuisto | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q762706 | lastedit= | content=The sea off Kemi and Tornio, with scattered islands. Birds and seals. Only reachable by boat or, parts of it in winter, over the ice. A few tour companies offer cruises, paddling or skiing tours etc. }} * {{do | name=Icebreaker cruise | alt= | url=http://www.experience365.fi/icebreakersampo/ | email= | address= | lat=65.6608 | long=24.5177 | directions=Ajos, 11 km from Kemi | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=approx Dec-Apr | price=From €200 | lastedit=2015-12-01 | content=In the winter, there are cruises of either 3 or 4 hours on board Sampo out into the Gulf of Bothnia. Depending on the ice conditions the cruise includes either walking on the sea ice or floating in the water wearing a survival suit. There's a restaurant on board the ship. In the summer the ship is anchored and open to visitors. A fun fact is that Sampo is the only Arctic icebreaker in the world solely used for tourist cruises. You can get to Ajos, where the ship departs from, by your own car or by the cruise company's bus from Kemi (an outrageous €39/return and has to be reserved at the same time you reserve your cruise). }} * {{do | name=Watch a football game | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=65.7299 | long=24.5603 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer | price= | lastedit=2015-12-01 | content=PS Kemi Kings football team plays their home games in the city centre football stadium. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Martimoaapa-Lumiaapa-Penikat Mire Reserve| alt= | url=https://www.nationalparks.fi/martimoaapa | email= | address= | lat=65.8640 | long=25.0482 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Very important mire protection and bird area, old-growth forests. The mires are in [[Simo]] but the northernmost forested part, the Penikat hills, extends to Keminmaa. }} * {{do | name=Pohjanranta dances | alt= | url=https://www.pohjanranta.fi/fi/tapahtumat/tanssikeskus/ | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions=in Pohjanranta, see [[#Pohjanranta|below]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours=In summer: F 20:00–, karaoke 18:00– | price=€15 | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Social dancing with live music. }} === Festivals === * {{event | name= Satama Open Air| url= http://satamaopenair.fi | frequency= Annual, early August | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location=Ruth's Park (Ruutinpuisto), Kemi| country=Finland | content= A rock festival. }} ==Buy== '''Reindeer skin rugs''' are available year round in speciality stores from around €60. The city centre has a number of shops, including supermarkets, clothes, sports and photography shops. ==Eat== In the city centre of Kemi within 5 minutes walk from the railway station and all hotels: * {{eat | name=Ravintola Pursiseura | alt= | url= | email= | address=Luulajantie 11 |lat=65.7287 | long=24.5559 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Hoa Phong Lan-Orkidean kukka | alt=Vietnamese | url= | email= | address=Valtakatu 5 | lat=65.73845 | long=24.56236 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ravintola Samaani | alt= | url= | email= | address=Valtakatu 1 | lat=65.7390 | long=24.5612 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=x | content= }} ==Drink== Kemi has a varied selection of bars, pubs and nightclubs with students often filling them midweek, and locals each weekend. The most popular '''bars''' in Kemi include: * {{drink | name=Punainen Kukko | alt= | url= | email= | address=Valtakatu |lat=65.73747 | long=24.56565 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} Nightclub choice is reasonably good: * {{drink | name=Corner Inn | alt= | url=http://www.corner-inn.fi/ | email= | address=Kauppakatu 10 | lat=65.7363 | long=24.5649 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2019-11-24| content=4 bars within one, with the rooms including Suomi Pop, Karaoke, Pub and Club. Entrance is free with beer typically costing €4 per glass (0.4 L) although in some karaoke bars it is available for as little as €2.50. Cider is around €5 while alcopops and spirit based drinks will cost from €7. }} ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=Cumulus Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.cumulus.fi/cumulus!/en_GB/ | email= | address=Hahtisaarenkatu | lat=65.7375 | long=24.5575 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Merihovi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.merihovi.fi/en/etusivu-en-gb/ | email= | address=Keskuspuistokatu 6 | lat=65.7375 | long=24.5625 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€115; breakfast buffet for non-guests €16 | content=Basic hotel. Breakfast, Wi-Fi and sauna (17:00–21:00) included. }} *{{sleep | name=Palomestari Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.hotellipalomestari.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Valtakatu | lat=65.7374 | long=24.5658 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Motel Käpylä | alt= | url=https://www.motelkapyla.fi | email=sales@motelkapyla.fi | address=Torniontie 7 | lat=65.7958 | long=24.5238 | directions=Keminmaa, 7 km from Kemi centre | phone=+358 40-775-2466 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=single €80, double €95, family room €150, pets +€10 | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Hotel aiming for 1970s nostalgia. Wi-Fi, breakfast and sauna included. Bistro (about 15:00–22:00, varying by day of week). Occasional programme evenings. Check reception hours. }} * {{sleep | name=Pohjanranta | alt= | url=https://www.pohjanranta.fi | email=info@pohjanranta.com | address=Pohjantie 23 | lat=65.8415 | long=24.5667 | directions=Pohjanranta, upstream, 12 km from Kemi centre | phone=+358 16 275-070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Reception 08:00–20:00; camping and cottages Jun–Sep, later if weather permits | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Caravan €28, electricity +€7, tent €15; breakfast €10 (included with rooms); kayak hire €20/4 hr; dances €15 | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Spa hotel, cottages and camping. Beach. Sauna. Social dancing in summer (F 20:00–). Wine from currants (own produce for sale). }} *{{sleep | name=Törmä Camping | alt= | url=http://www1.keminmaa.fi/tormacamping/index_en.htm {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=65.8923 | long=24.6284 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Approximately 15 km outside of the city centre. }} ==Stay safe== * {{listing | name=Länsi-Pohja Central Hospital| alt=Länsi-Pohjan keskussairaala | url=https://www.lpshp.fi/en/ | email= | address=Kauppakatu 25 | lat=65.7344| long=24.5556 | directions= | phone=+358 40-149-1340 | tollfree= | fax= | content=The general emergency clinic is open 24 hr daily. }} ==Go next== * [[Rovaniemi]], the regional centre of Finnish Lapland. Its world-famous Santa Claus Village is a 80 minutes drive north of Kemi, using [[Highway 4 (Finland)|Highway 4]]. * [[Tornio]], a nearby city in the same region, near the border with Sweden ** '''[[Tornio]]-[[Haparanda]] Golf Club''' is an internationally-known course, which has holes starting and finishing in Finland and Sweden. The course is approximately 20 minutes drive north in the city of Tornio. A round costs €30 in summer, while snow golf is also available in winter. * [[Bothnian Bay National Park]] is a maritime national park out to sea. It is accessible only by boat. {{routebox | image1=Tabliczka_E8.svg | imagesize1=40 | directionl1=NW | majorl1=[[Sundsvall]] / [[Kilpisjärvi]] | minorl1=[[Tornio]] | directionr1=SE | minorr1=[[Simo]] | majorr1=[[Oulu]] | link1=E8 through Finland and Norway | image2=Tabliczka E75.svg | imagesize2=40 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Rovaniemi]] | minorl2=[[Tervola]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=merges with [[Image:Tabliczka E8.svg|30px]] (S) | minorr2= | link2=[[Highway 4 (Finland)]] }} {{geo|65.7333|24.5667}} {{IsPartOf|Finnish Lapland}} {{usablecity}} i2hbt8et6szdk9snz2p1vyhw8lzm7wd 0 17962 4501602 4500257 2022-08-15T13:46:51Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Name */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the name of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} 80fo74sl0bue72xe71s6joyd7nl4pcn 4501605 4501602 2022-08-15T13:50:08Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Name */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} qz0nx5f0wnm8lc1pgvl0pjetumsbu1m 4501606 4501605 2022-08-15T13:53:35Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By train */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} qolsyv9kcqpcgmqd5ah7u8puau3cxqo 4501612 4501606 2022-08-15T14:02:16Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By tram */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A single-coach tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} 3znrw7h4p9pa6skmxvq2j20xpy85tue 4501614 4501612 2022-08-15T14:02:49Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By tram */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} bc3xktgia2xevz65ujcpfd8tlby9bla 4501615 4501614 2022-08-15T14:04:16Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By bus */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} ss1ipf2hm0dql1yoal071di3kzqd5tc 4501617 4501615 2022-08-15T14:29:18Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By bus */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19 radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} n1migcbc3uhy29xc3kgx4x75ore7ik9 4501619 4501617 2022-08-15T14:29:55Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By car */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity.Cell phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. The area '''dialing code''' for Kolkata is '''33'''. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 XXXXX XXXXX. Kolkata has only one area code (033). Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} 9zh2dokrj338ziu71r3pbvxckirnqu1 4501670 4501619 2022-08-15T18:02:31Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Connect */ copied from [[Mumbai]] as certain aspect of "Connect" is also applicable for this city. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== ===Landlines=== The area code for Kolkata is "33" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long. ===Phone booths=== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local sim card can be used for connectivity. ===Mobile phones=== Mobile phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. ===Cybercafes=== Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} e8a2zj4gan4tkcmqc2gjqfa9lm2owvr 4501671 4501670 2022-08-15T18:02:52Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Phone booths */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== ===Landlines=== The area code for Kolkata is "33" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long. ===Phone booths=== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local SIM card can be used for connectivity. ===Mobile phones=== Mobile phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. ===Cybercafes=== Internet cafes are also available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} 9pd517ewvr67b9g5px3dggm4j0krcjf 4501672 4501671 2022-08-15T18:06:01Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cybercafes */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Kolkata Police=== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. '''For police assistance during an emergency dial 100.''' For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lal Bazar | lat=22.5726076 | long=88.3501937 | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 | lastedit=2020-03-02 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== ===Landlines=== The area code for Kolkata is "33" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long. ===Phone booths=== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local SIM card can be used for connectivity. ===Mobile phones=== Mobile phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. ===Cybercafes=== Internet cafes are available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} e0zks37yy7e2d4nycqyv91x5qwvs043 4501680 4501672 2022-08-15T18:24:40Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Stay safe */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. Violent crime in Kolkata is more or less like any other large Indian city. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Emergency numbers=== ====Airports==== * {{listing | name=Kolkata Airport | phone=+91 33 2569-1002 }} ====Police==== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a white-uniform police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. For police assistance during an emergency dial 100. For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | name=Lal Bazar | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ====Railways=== * {{listing | name=Howrah Junction | phone=+91 7985727760 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== ===Landlines=== The area code for Kolkata is "33" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long. ===Phone booths=== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local SIM card can be used for connectivity. ===Mobile phones=== Mobile phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. ===Cybercafes=== Internet cafes are available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} fcmdaoubk9bcg58cdkl4wh7h6htvplr 4501681 4501680 2022-08-15T18:25:04Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Airports */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. Violent crime in Kolkata is more or less like any other large Indian city. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Emergency numbers=== ====Airport==== * {{listing | name=Kolkata Airport | phone=+91 33 2569-1002 }} ====Police==== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a white-uniform police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. For police assistance during an emergency dial 100. For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | name=Lal Bazar | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ====Railways=== * {{listing | name=Howrah Junction | phone=+91 7985727760 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== ===Landlines=== The area code for Kolkata is "33" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long. ===Phone booths=== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local SIM card can be used for connectivity. ===Mobile phones=== Mobile phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. ===Cybercafes=== Internet cafes are available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} 9fbx36khmalm6gsnkttbau27ma7fwik 4501687 4501681 2022-08-15T18:33:11Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cope */ copied from Mumbai, with the exclusion of Mumbai-specific discussions wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|BBDBag Pano-2.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{confused|[[Kozhikode]], formerly '''Calicut''', a city in southwestern India.}} '''Kolkata''' ([[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]: কলকাতা, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: कोलकाता) (formerly '''Calcutta''') is the capital of [[West Bengal]] and one of the largest urban agglomerations in [[India]]. It is the largest city in Eastern India. Kolkata is an 'in your face' city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the so-called Bengal Renaissance, 'The City of Joy' (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India's metropolitan cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Kolkata is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the 'City of Joy'. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q1048849}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Kolkata Wikivoyage map PNG.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] | region1color=#4f93c0 | region1description=The colonial district is still the central business and administrative area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of the northern part of Chowringhee, Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), B. B. D. Bagh (Dalhousie Square), Chandni Chowk, Burrabazar and Sudder Street. | region2name=[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2description=The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and the southern part of Chowringhee. | region3name=[[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]] | region3color=#ac5c91 | region3description=The posh and new part of the city. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhowanipore, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Dhakuria etc. This entire region is within Kolkata district (KMC Area). | region4name=[[Kolkata/Southern fringes|Southern fringes]] | region4color=#578e86 | region4description=The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Tollygunge, Taratala, Behala, Thakurpukur, Jadavpur, Kasba, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Maheshtala, Rajpur Sonarpur, Baruipur, Joka, Pailan, Budge Budge, Narendrapur etc. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. | region5name=[[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] | region5color=#d09440 | region5description=The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also here is the Kolkata station. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. | region6name=[[Kolkata/Northern fringes|Northern fringes]] | region6color=#8a84a3 | region6description=The large industrial area to the north of the city extends up to Naihati and Barasat. Includes Cossipore, Dum Dum, Belghoria, Khardaha, Panihati, Titagarh and Madhyamgram, where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. The northern fringes are also the prime communication hub of Kolkata, having the airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, and overground rail. | region7name=[[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] | region7color=#d56d76 | region7description=Rapidly developing, especially the IT sector, and home to several malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town and the EM Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks are being built in this area. | region8name=[[Kolkata/Baranagar|Baranagar]] | region8color=#69999f | region8description=A major industrial centre for the manufacturing of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies. Baranagar is very rich culturally, a good tourist attraction of Kolkata. | region9name=[[Kolkata/Barrackpore|Barrackpore]] | region9color=#b5d29f | region9description=A cantonment town. }} == Understand== ===Name=== The name is derived from ''Kalikātā'', the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of ''Kalikātā'' itself. Some say the name derives from ''kālīkṣetra'', meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Others claim the name may have its origin in the indigenous term for a natural canal, ''khāl'', followed by ''katta'' (which may mean dug). Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (''kalicun'') and coir rope (''kātā''). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of institutions like Calcutta High Court, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, University of Calcutta etc. ===History=== [[File:Victoria Memorial By Saprativa.jpg|thumb|The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj.]] Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore. Whatever its origins, Kolkata flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Kolkata became the centre of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery operational for nearly the first two decades after independence, the ideologically motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s, followed by the Marxist rule has shaped the city to its present form. ===Modern Kolkata=== Kolkata has become the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. The city's economic fortunes grew as the economic liberalisation in India during the early 1990s reached Kolkata during late 1990s. Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India as well as Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to many ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations. In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled the state for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the down-trodden has helped the city in bridging the wealth-gap and decreasing impoverishment. ===Economy=== [[File:Camac Street 'G K Tower'.jpg|thumb|GK Tower located in Camac Street]] [[File:SC Mall (1).JPG|thumb|The South City Mall in Jadavpur, is one of the largest shopping malls in Kolkata]] Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shops here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city has expanded into its suburbs, with [[Greater Kolkata]] stretching from [[Kalyani]] (in Nadia district) in north to [[Jaynagar Majilpur]] in south (in South 24 Parganas district). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratala, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, and Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantala. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialised setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. ===Film industry=== Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From a beginning in the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 70s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. ===Geography=== [[File:Eastern High - Rajarhat 2012-04-11 9384.JPG|thumb|Apartment buildings in New Town, Kolkata]] Kolkata is in the eastern part of India and is spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River. The city of Kolkata is ''huge'', stretching from the industrial suburbs in the north to the mushrooming area in the south, a distance of almost {{km|70}}. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has an area of {{km2|185}}. The city can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (which was known during the British rule as Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. South Kolkata is better planned with wider roads and better equipped police force for keeping law & order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata and most of the oldest families and buildings are situated there. Over the past several years the city has expanded to the south and the east. The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the Government of West Bengal is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the B. B. D. Bagh area (named after the revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta who forced entry into the Writers' Building, the epicentre of the British Raj government in Bengal). Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings, like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building, are located here. An even-newer CBD is now being set up in the Rajarhat-New Town area, lying between Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) and the Airport. Maidan (meaning open field) is between the river Hooghly and J. L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India, the four 35-storey towers of South City, are on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well planned Salt Lake City. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost with the signing of an agreement with Ciputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in [[Dankuni]]. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift. Many roads in Kolkata have two names in use: the old colonial name that is still commonly used by locals, and the official post-independence new name that you will see in maps and on road signs. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =24.6 | febhigh =29.7 | marhigh =34.0 | aprhigh =36.3 | mayhigh =36.0 | junhigh =34.1 | julhigh =32.2 | aughigh =32.0 | sephigh =32.2 | octhigh =31.9 | novhigh =29.8 | dechigh =27.0 | janlow =13.4 | feblow =16.9 | marlow =21.7 | aprlow =25.1 | maylow =26.4 | junlow =26.5 | jullow =26.1 | auglow =26.1 | seplow =25.8 | octlow =24.0 | novlow =19.6 | declow =14.5 | janprecip =16.9 | febprecip =22.9 | marprecip =32.8 | aprprecip =47.7 | mayprecip =101.7 | junprecip =259.9 | julprecip =331.8 | augprecip =328.8 | sepprecip =295.9 | octprecip =151.3 | novprecip =26 | decprecip =17.2 | description =Source: [http://www.imd.gov.in/section/climate/kolkata1.htm IMD] }} [[File:Nalban - Kolkata 2011-09-14 5167.JPG|thumb|Monsoon clouds over Kolkata.]] Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Kolkata Airport new integrated terminal skyview.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Kolkata Airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | alt={{IATA|CCU}}, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport, নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর | url=http://www.kolkatainternationalairport.com/ | email=apdkolkata@aai.aero | address=Jessore Road | lat=22.654722 | long=88.446667 | directions=about 18&nbsp;km outside the city centre | phone=+91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 39874987 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2511 9266 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport | image=Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.jpg | wikidata=Q388535 |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=There is a '''prepaid taxi''' option (₹150-250). State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi, which takes you directly to your destination. Moreover app based Cab services such as Ola and Uber are also available from the airport. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the domestic terminal. International travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for 800 m. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore. Services on the airport, at the International Terminal: a newsagent, a duty free shop, a clothes outlet, a coffee shop and a music outlet. At the Domestic Terminal: a couple of handicraft shops, a newsagent, a medical outlet, a sweets stall, a florist. Passengers facilities: trolleys, telephone in security hold area, wheelchair, medical inspection room, child care room, assistance to physically challenged, inter-terminal bus service, airport post office. }} ===By train=== : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' [[File:Howrah Station.jpg|thumb|Howrah railway station as seen from the Hooghly River]] Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to [[North-Eastern India]]. Also, there are two international trains from [[Bangladesh]], the ''Maitree Express'' connects Kolkata with the capital [[Dhaka]] three times per week and the ''Bandhan Express'' runs from [[Khulna]] once per week. For train timings and tickets check with [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ '''Indian Railways''']. * {{go | name=Howrah Junction railway station | alt=হাওড়া জংশন রেলওয়ে স্টেশন | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.583 | long=88.3425 | directions=Across the Hooghly river from the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Howrah Junction railway station | wikidata=Q986105 | image=Howrah Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content=It is not in Kolkata but in the adjoining city of [[Howrah]], on the west bank of the Hooghly River. Howrah is the largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day. There are 26 platforms in Howrah station. Local trains of Eastern Railway arrives mainly at 1-9 platforms while South Eastern Railway local trains arrive at platforms 17-23, remaining platforms is used for long-distance trains. Platforms 17 to 26 are in New Complex, just south of the original building. For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas (railway's travellers' lodge) with dormitory, single room, and double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments — a facility unique among most major stations of the country. Directly facing Howrah are ferries (₹5) that can get you to other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade|Esplanade]] district from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to rickshaws. }} [[File:The new DEMU bullet train at sealdah station 2014-06-03 12-27.jpg|thumb|A DEMU train at Sealdah station]] *{{listing | type=go | name=Sealdah railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, Sealdah | lat=22.5681 | long=88.3718 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347406 | content=Handicapped/disabled access. There are 19 platforms. Never hire a taxi from the nearby taxi-stand as they ask higher fares for taxi. There are pre-paid taxis to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shed. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Kolkata railway station | alt=Kolkata Chitpur Railway Terminus | url= | email= | address=Belgachia | lat=22.6013 | long=88.3841 | directions=Buses: '''K1''' ( Kolkata Station -Ultadanga- New Town -unitech) at an interval of about ten minutes; '''007''' (Makrampur - Kolkata station via Tematha, Sonarpur station, Kamalgazi, Garia, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); '''JM2''' (Malancha - Kolkata Station via Harinavi, Rajpur, Kamalgazi, Dhalai Bridge, Patuli, Hiland Park, Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ruby Hospital, Science City, Chingrighata, E.M. Bypass, Ultadanga, Khanna, Shyambazar); if you reach near RG Kar Medical College and Hopital, which is only 8 to 10 minutes' walk, you get myriads of buses plying on different routes | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6427323 | content=It receives a number of trains which used to terminate at Sealdah station. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. The station also has an International train. The ''Maitree Express'', provides a direct link between Kolkata and [[Dhaka]], the capital of [[Bangladesh]]. There are five platforms, among them Platform 1 & 2 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 3, 4 & 5 are used by long-distance trains. '''Services''': There are waiting rooms and retiring rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand and a bus station outside the station. }} *{{go | image=Santragachi Railway Station - Howrah 2012-01-26 1624.JPG | name=Santragachi railway station | alt= | url= | email=| address=Santragachi Station Rd, Santragachi, Howrah | lat=22.5836 | long=88.2839| directions= there are taxi stands and bus stands, and a Volvo bus service to connect this area to Netaji Subhash Chandra International Airport| phone= | hours= | price=| content=There are six platforms. Serves '''local trains''' to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Haldia, [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and Kharagpur. A few trains originate from Santragachi station to Ajmer, Porbandar, and Nanded, and a Vivek Express running to Mangalore Central starting from Santragachi. Mostly all Howrah/Shalimar bound express/mail trains stop here. }} ====Local trains==== * The Eastern Railway serves local trains to Hasnabad, Bongaon, Gede, Krishnanagar, Budge Budge, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Namkhana, Tarkeshwar, Katwa, [[Bardhaman]] and numerous intermediate stations and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. * The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, [[Tamluk]], [[Haldia]], [[Contai]], [[Midnapore]] and [[Kharagpur]]; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. ===By bus=== [[File:Esplanade Bus Station.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Bus Station]] Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. * '''From Bangladesh''', there are numerous bus options between Kolkata and [[Bangladesh]]. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from [[Dhaka]] to Kolkata via the [[Haridaspur]] / [[Benapole]] border post. Private bus companies '''[http://www.shohagh.com/group/ Shohagh]''', '''[http://www.greenlineparibahan.com/ Green Line]''','''[http://shyamolibusservice.com/ Shyamoli]''' and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) and the '''[http://www.brtc.gov.bd/ Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation]''' (BRTC). WBTC and BRTC operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hr with a one-way fare of 550 or 600-800 [[Bangladesh#Money|Bangladeshi taka]]s. If you're only headed to [[Haridaspur]] the fare is ₹86 (2½ hours). The '''Shyamoli Paribahan''' ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St (''parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL''), 2252 0693. Several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for 5 Bangladeshi takas for the 2-km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way. * '''From North-Eastern India via Bangladesh'''. Bus travel to some points in North-Eastern India is faster via Bangladesh (visas will be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you're heading to points in North -Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh, then there is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]], the capital of India's [[Tripura]] state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at '''Ashuganj''' in Bangladesh during the journey. Call {{phone|+880 2 8360241}} for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are '''Hili''', Chilahati / '''Haldibari''' and '''Banglaband''' border posts through Northern Bangladesh and '''Tamabil/Dawki''' border post for a route between [[Shillong]] ([[Meghalaya]]) and [[Sylhet]] in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser-known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus services to Shillong from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be available, you can get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details. * {{go | name=Esplanade Bus Terminus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rashmoni Avenue | lat=22.56360 | long=88.3498 | directions=Next to Esplanade metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | image=Esplanade Bus Station.jpg | lastedit=2018-11-17 | content= }} ===By car=== National highway numbers 12, 16 and 19, and the [[Grand Trunk Road]] radiate from the city providing links to most parts of the country. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== [[File:India - Kolkata rainy street - 3819.jpg|thumb|right|Kolkata's yellow Ambassador taxis]] Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow Ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They're easily available, relatively cheap, and will use their meters, at least in theory. However, Kolkata taxis sometimes refuse to go to some distant remote locations (like Behala, Bansdroni, Howrah) where they wouldn't get any passenger while returning. If they agree, they will demand high pay; be ready for such a situation. New taxis have been introduced, which are called "No Refusal Taxis", but sadly, these taxis are also no different. Some of the new taxis are air-conditioned; usually, these will also have a "Same Fare" sign on them. There is a 25% extra charge if you want the air-conditioner to be turned on in such taxis. In Kolkata, it is a crime for taxis to refuse a request to go to certain destinations, and they can be fined, but if you threaten the driver with a complaint to the police, they will simply ask you to complain. Cars by app-based services such as Uber and Ola are easily available (round-the-clock), reasonably priced, comfortable and have been embraced by citizens. ===By metro=== [[File:Kolkata Metro.jpg|thumb|The Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system in India.]] Kolkata's [http://www.kmrc.in/ '''Metro Rail'''] is the oldest underground and elevated railway system in India. It is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 6-15 min. They run from 7AM-9:45PM from Monday to Saturday and 10AM-9:45PM. on Sunday. Line 1 connects the North and South of the city, from Dakshineswar to New Garia. Line 2 connects the city from Salt Lake Sector-V to Sealdah. New Tourist Smart Cards shall be introduced, Card-I. valid for one day unlimited ride, Card-II. for three days. For more about these, read the '''[http://www.mtp.indianrailways.gov.in/viewsection_opennew2.jsp?lang=0&id=0,2,396 conditions here].''' ===By tram=== [[File:Calcutta blue trams, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|A blue tram in Kolkata]] Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia. Though decommissioned in some parts of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of travelling between a few places within the city. Operated by WBTC since 2016, they move slowly on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets, but they are environment-friendly (no emissions on the street, only at the source of energy generation). The network includes '''[http://wbtc.co.in/ 25 Tram Routes]''' ===By train=== The electrified suburban rail network of SER and ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail. Depending on the route, 'local' trains can be extremely crowded. It is less expensive to travel around by train as compared to private cabs or taxis. Men are advised not to sit in the ‘Ladies’ compartment. ===By bus=== [[File:Calcutta city bus (7354429936).jpg|thumb|A typical bus in Kolkata]] The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. The routes are written all over the colourful buses in Bengali and also in English. The conductors call out their destinations to everyone he's passing and all you have to do is wave at the bus anywhere and it will stop, at times causing a small queue of other cars behind it. Esplanade is a major bus terminus in Kolkata. Karunamoyee in Salt Lake City is another major bus depot. Some buses operate from the Babughat area in Kolkata as well. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. Air-conditioned buses (Volvo) are also available to many destinations. ===By auto-rickshaw=== In Kolkata, there are shared auto-rickshaws, i.e. the auto-rickshaws don't ferry just a single person but four person at a time. The fare is not set by meters, as fares are fixed by the auto-rickshaw associations. Auto-rickshaws have a fixed route and a vehicle of that route travel in that particular route only. However unlike taxis, they don't refuse passengers. The fare of an auto-rickshaw is much less than that of a taxi (for example, ₹7-10). Be prepared to give the exact fare as they are very reluctant to give change. ===By rickshaw=== [[File:Manpowered rickshaw.JPG|thumb|A human-pulled rickshaw]] There are two types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human pulled rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. However human-pulled rickshaws are confined to the Gariahat and Ballygunge region and take more fare than cycle-rickshaws. The cycle-rickshaw is the most convenient mean of transport in Kolkata. It is very cheap and can accommodate two adults. The fare is not determined by meter by the respective rickshaw association. Unlike auto-rickshaws, they go to any place in a particular region. However, after 10PM rickshaw drivers may demand an exorbitant fees, and the same goes for times during natural calamities such as heavy rainfall. ===By ferry=== The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boat like you get in [[Varanasi]], the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city. ===By rental car=== Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. ===By foot=== Except in [[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]] and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts. Crossing roads often involves wading across multiple lanes of heavy traffic. Try your best to move in a predictable straight line, so vehicles can weave around you. Better yet, latch onto a group of locals and cross in their shadow. If you really want to walk around, these places would be good: * Walk along the Hooghly River. There is a good promenade near the Eden Gardens. * Walk along the Chowringhee Road, which sets the pace as you unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the '''[[Kolkata/Maidan|Maidan]]''', centering around '''Fort William''', the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. A rambling green ‘lung of Kolkata’, the area is a hub of diverse activities. ==Talk== Being in [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Kolkata is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. However, most locals also speak English and some [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers are able to communicate in broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. == See == [[File:Indian Museum, Courtyard, Kolkata, India.jpg|thumb|Built in 1814, the Indian Museum is one of the oldest museums in India]] [[File:Kolkatatemple.jpg|thumb|Dakshineswar Kali Temple]] [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|Science City]] Kolkata is known for its numerous attractions — palaces, parks and museums — built during and after the 190 years of [[British Raj|British rule in India]]. The most notable sites are the '''Victoria Memorial''' (a memorial hall dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria), the '''Howrah Bridge''' (a cantilever bridge opened in 1943), '''Dakshineswar Kali Temple''' (a Hindu temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna), '''Science City''' (a massive science museum in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]) and the '''Indian Museum''' (one of the oldest museums in India). Detailed listings of all sights in Kolkata can be found in the district articles. ==Do== Take a '''tram ride''' in Kolkata. The city has the only active tram service in India and has become an icon of Kolkata. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic-jammed streets. Several modern '''cinemas''' are dotted around the city, including [http://www.inoxmovies.com/ INOX] with several locations, [http://www.famecinemas.com/ Fame] at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, and [http://www.adlabscinemas.com/ RDB Adlabs] at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Salt Lake Sector-V, all showing Indian and American blockbusters. Unlike most of cricket-obsessed India, '''[[Association football|football (soccer)]]''' reigns supreme in Kolkata, with the local clubs [http://www.mohunbaganac.com Mohun Bagan Athletic Club] and [http://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com East Bengal Club] being the most successful in India. They contest the Kolkata Derby biannually, which is considered by many to be the oldest and most intense football rivalry in all of Asia. ===Events=== '''[http://www.iplt20.com/ Indian Premier League]''' (IPL) is the main club [[cricket]] league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. '''[http://www.kolkatabookfaironline.com Kolkata Book Fair]''' takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. '''Durga Puja''', a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of ''pandals'', large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2022. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds. ==Learn== Kolkata is a key centre of learning in India. The most famous universities and colleges in Kolkata are the '''Medical College and Hospital''', '''Jadavpur University''', the '''University of Calcutta''', the '''Presidency University''' and '''Indian Institute of Management Calcutta'''. Apart from undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses, there are several training and diploma-level institutes and polytechnics that cater to the growing demand for skill-based and vocational education. ==Work== '''Volunteering''' is a real option here with several opportunities. * '''Brother Xavier's New Hope'''. Home for orphans of Kolkata's red light district. A much smaller mission than Mother Teresa's which one man built from the ground up. Brother Xavier and the children always need volunteers and funds. * '''Mother Teresa's Mission''' accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around the city. Enquire at the motherhouse. ==Buy== Traditionally Kolkata had certain shopping areas or districts. The New Market area was considered the core of fashionable marketing. That was the marketplace for the British and later patronised by the more sophisticated Indians. There were large markets in Burrabazar, Hatibagan-Shyambazar, Gariahat and Bhowanipore. There were several specialised markets: electrical goods at Chandni Chowk, jewellery at Bowbazar, books at College Street, fish at Maniktala, flowers at Jagannath Ghat, the Maidan market for sports goods and so on. The malls are a more recent addition. The South City Mall, one of the biggest in the city, is in its [[Kolkata/Southern fringes|southern fringes]]. The Quest Mall is another large shopping mall at Park Circus, an old neighbourhood in [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]].There are large number of malls in [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]] and new malls are being added. '''See district articles for specific listings.''' ==Eat== [[File:Rasgulla - Kolkata 2011-08-02 4547.JPG|thumb|''Roshogolla,'' sweet dumplings made out of ''Chenna'' (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough.]] Kolkata has old traditions about eating out. Wilson's Hotel (which later became the Great Eastern Hotel) is credited to have been the first western-style hotel/restaurant in Kolkata, serving what was then forbidden food for Indians, particularly Hindus. One could be treated as an out-caste if caught eating there, but the idea caught on and others followed. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years. The joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's (at 23-24 Hogg Street), close to New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. For Mughlai dishes, there are several places to eat in the [[Kolkata/South|Park Circus]] area and there are others all over the city. Besides Bengali foods, Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food. Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian Chinese dish of chilli chicken. The best place to have Chinese is to visit Chinatown near Tangra, [[Kolkata/East|East Kolkata]]. It serves the best of the Chinese dishes and you will find plenty of large, small & medium restaurants. There are some restaurants serving Thai, Mediterranean or Italian food. Kolkata also has many excellent vegetarian restaurants ranging from budget to expensive ones. There are two types: those serving North Indian and those serving South Indian food. For those looking for vegetarian street foods, one can find ubiquitous ''jhal muri'' (somewhat similar to ''bhel puri'' of [[Mumbai]]) a concoction of puffed rice mixed with various spices, vegetables & other ingredients available at street vendors all over Kolkata. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat. Mughlai Paratha (earlier it was a paratha stuffed with minced meat, but now the minced meat has been replaced by cheaper but tasty alternatives) is a Kolkata speciality. ''Fuchka'', the Kolkata version of paani-puri, but very different from the ones found in Delhi, is available on the streets but be wary of the tamarind water. It never troubles the local people and outsiders can safely taste this delicacy as long as they don't take too much. Earlier, the restaurants were standalone entities. A cluster of restaurants in a single mall is a comparatively new idea and has become popular. (See district pages for restaurant listings.) ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} There are plenty of places to buy alcohol around the city. Kolkata has many pubs and bars, which are frequented by youngsters as well as its older residents. Some pubs have live concerts or DJs. They include: *Someplace Else (The Park) * Roxy (The Park) * Aqua (The Park) * The Myx (Park Street) * Olypub (Park Street), famous for the beer and the beef steak * Mocha (AJC Bose Road) * Underground (HHI, AJC Bose Road) * Nocturne (Theatre Road) * Shisha Bar Stock Exchange, The Factory Outlet (22 Camac Street) * Chili's (Quest Mall, South City Mall, Acropolis Mall Kasba) * Cafe Mezzuna (Forum Mall Elgin Road, South City Mall) * Hoppipola (Acropolis Mall) * Afraa Lounge (City Centre Salt Lake) * Fairlawns (Sudder Street) * Big Ben (The Kenilworth, Little Russel Street) All pubs are supposed to shut shop by midnight or 1AM. So go early if you want to enjoy yourself in the club. ==Sleep== Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the [[Kolkata/Esplanade#Sleep|Sudder Street]] area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Sudder Street is centrally located and is well connected by public transport. Both the major railway stations at [[Howrah]] and [[Kolkata/North#Sleep|Sealdah]] have many hotels around them. Most of them might be only licensed to accommodate Indian citizens. Be sure to not walk with a local "friend" or guide, unless you want to have higher prices. There are some hotels in [[Kolkata/South#Sleep|Gariahat]]. The growth of the IT Sector and hospital facilities in [[Kolkata/East#Sleep|East Kolkata]] has led to development of hotels in that area. British-era clubs such as Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club (AJC Bose Rd), Saturday Club (Theatre Rd), and Bengal Club (Russel St) have lavish rooms for rent. However, they only accept bookings through members. (See district pages for hotel listings.) ==Stay safe== {{cautionbox | Recently, several roads and streets in Kolkata became one-way, permanently or temporarily, generally without notice. Unless you know where the streets in Kolkata become one-way, avoid using your car to drive in the city. Otherwise, you might face a hefty fine from traffic police. | lastedit=2022-08-05 }} [[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A beggar in Kolkata]] Kolkata is one of the safest metropolitan areas in India, and the people are friendly and helpful, unlike in most of India's other large cities. Violent crime in Kolkata is more or less like any other large Indian city. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are not persistent and rarely a threat. There have been rare incidents of chain, bag and mobile snatching in railway stations and empty roads. Visitors outside the city are often magnets for [[begging|beggars]], frauds and touts. In [[Kolkata/South|South Kolkata]], beggars often knock at the glass windows of cars. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behaviour. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout, positive or negative, the longer they will follow you hoping for a donation. ===Emergency numbers=== ====Airport==== * {{listing | name=Kolkata Airport | phone=+91 33 2569-1002 }} ====Police==== The [http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/ Kolkata Police] is a white-uniform police force serving the city. While most of the police officers are honest and helpful, you may find some officers who may be corrupt and unhelpful. For police assistance during an emergency dial 100. For non-emergencies, or to report a crime, visit the nearest police station. * {{listing | name=Lal Bazar | phone=+91 33 2214-3024, +91 33 2214-3230, +91 33 2214-1310 }} * {{listing | name=Ballygunge | phone=+91 33 24543179 (2100), +91 33 24862601 }} * {{listing | name=Bhowanipore | phone=+91 33 24558092, +91 33 24541100, +91 33 24862711 }} * {{listing | name=Dum Dum | phone=+91 33 25514167 }} * {{listing | name=Maidan | phone=+91 33 2223 2462 (4551), +91 33 22480100 }} * {{listing | name=Park Street | phone=+91 33 22268321, +91 33 22832100, +91 33 22276437 }} ====Railways=== * {{listing | name=Howrah Junction | phone=+91 7985727760 }} ==Stay healthy== Kolkata has a number of medical colleges and hospitals. For individual hospital listings, please see the various district pages. ===Ambulance=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata (''Government'') | alt= | url=https://www.medicalcollegekolkata.in/ | email= | address=88 College St | lat=22.5736 | long=88.3619 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24512644 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3348933 | content= }} * {{listing | name=St. John's Ambulance | address=5, Government Place | phone=+91 33 22485277 }} * {{listing | name=Wochhardt Medical Centre | address=2/7, Sarat Bose Road | phone= +91 33 24754320 }} ==Connect== ===Landlines=== The area code for Kolkata is "33" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long. ===Phone booths=== Public call booths can be found easily throughout the city from where local, national, and international calls can be made. Else local SIM card can be used for connectivity. ===Mobile phones=== Mobile phone coverage is excellent with all major mobile service providers offering their services in the city. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. ===Cybercafes=== Internet cafes are available in plenty and charges ₹10-25/hour. You need to show your identity card to use internet in those cafes. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. ==Cope== === Consulates === * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh |alt=| url=http://bdhc-kolkata.org/ | email= | address=Circus Ave | lat=22.5414929 | long=88.3589803 | directions=Just E of AJC Bose Rd | phone=+91 33 2290 5208, +91 33 2290 5209, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=Issues 15-day visas. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos. As of December 2018, there seems to be a new policy: the application should be first filled online as directed on their website. You can use the payed services of the stands in front of the High Commission to fill the forms for you, just bring one or two passport photos. Beware that at least in some cases, the Kolkata office can be reluctant to issue visa for non-Indians, and the process requires assertiveness and patience. }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China |alt=| url=http://in.china-embassy.org/eng/jgsz/t631873.htm | email=chinaconsul_kkt@mfa.gov.cn | address=EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5834834 | long=88.4070012 | directions= | phone=+91 33 4004 8169 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM| price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France |alt=| url= | email= | address=26 Park Mansions, Park St | lat=22.5184239 | long=88.3286423 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany |alt=| url= | email= | address=1 Hastings Park Rd, Alipore | lat=22.5249993 | long=88.3321313 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2479 1141, +91 33 2479 1142, +91 33 2479 2150, +91 33 2439 8906 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 4004 8168 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content=The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the Consulate of Prussia in 1854. }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy |alt=| url=http://www.conscalcutta.esteri.it/ | email=consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it | address=Alipore | lat=22.5240717 | long=88.325556 | directions=3, Raja Santosh Road | phone=+91 33-24792414 - 24792426, +91 98312-12216 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-24793892 | hours=M-F 10AM-noon | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | alt= | url=http://www.kolkata.in.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html | email= | address=55, M. N. Sen Lane, Tollygunge | lat=22.4874321 | long=88.3409411 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2421-1970 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2421-1971 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/india/about-us/honorair-consulaat-in-kolkata | email=consulkolkata.netherlands@gmail.com | address=5, Rameshwar Shaw Road | lat=22.54837 | long=88.37208 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2289 7020, +91 33 2289 7676 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2289 7919 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2022-07-24| content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url= | email= | address=1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2288 5173, +91 33 2288 6536 (After hours) | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2288-1616 | hours= | price= |wikidata= |lastedit=2020-03-02| content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/kolkata/ | email=consularkolkata@state.gov | address=5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani | lat=22.5472312 | long=88.347796 | directions= | phone=+91 33 3984 2400 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-2282 2335 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-03-02| content=It is the oldest diplomatic post of the U.S. in India, and the second oldest in the world (the oldest being in London). Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Kolkata by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then- Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Note that the ironic address was the result of a diplomatic snub by the then Marxist Bengal government during the period of the U.S. war in Indochina.) }} ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. English newspapers include ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'', ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. ==Go next== ===West Bengal=== [[File:Ferry in Sundarbans.jpg|thumb|Sundarbans]] *'''[[Bishnupur (West Bengal)|Bishnupur]]''' — Famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures and silk sarees. *'''[[Darjeeling Hills]]''' — A mountainous region home to [[Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong]] and [[Mirik]]. When Darjeeling is your destination, you could travel the last {{km|72}} by a combination of bus/train and the famous [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. *'''[[Digha]]''' — A beach town in the southern part of the state. Buses from Esplanade Bus Station. *'''[[Santiniketan]]''' — Famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and ''kantha'' stitch sarees. *'''[[Sundarbans National Park]]''' — Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers. ===Elsewhere=== *'''[[Bangladesh]]''' — Tickets for buses running to the border and [[Dhaka]] can be reserved at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), {{phone|+91 33 2252 0693}}. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tu, Th and Sa, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. The fare is ₹86 to the Haridaspur border post (about 2½ hr). All the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will cost ₹550 (about 12 hr). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border, it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the maths on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side, there are some bus stands just behind the border, or you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2&nbsp;km trip to the bus stand for onward travel, or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least halfway. *'''[[Bhutan]]''' — Tucked away in the corner of the bus station is a small Bhutan Government kiosk selling tickets for buses running to the Bhutanese border town of [[Phuentsholing]]. Buses depart Tu Th Sa at 9PM, and the 18-hr journey costs ₹300. {{usablecity}} {{geo|22.5726723|88.3638815|zoom=13}} {{isPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{hasDocent|2006nishan178713}} mg1axnlb6pif15887kgplupr55p5io8 0 17969 4502077 4494651 2022-08-16T09:44:15Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Kochpukur, Hatgachia | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} p00odul7yx06sfcspxy33864a9dvalv 4502078 4502077 2022-08-16T09:44:57Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Kochpukur, Hatgachia | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} f3got12dj19rc9xwlra6mp0dchd8iao 4502081 4502078 2022-08-16T09:47:55Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Kochpukur, Hatgachia | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} 9zclh14zjeddpedv06gpfb16hddtpjz 4502085 4502081 2022-08-16T10:02:10Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* See */ reorganising along areas. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} ===Eastern Metropolitan Bypass=== ===New Town=== * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} fq17dqbkqsbgtc7ci13hty3zepewebp 4502086 4502085 2022-08-16T10:02:47Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} ===Eastern Metropolitan Bypass=== * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} ===New Town=== * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} o6pe15u6f4gcuyirxa02bydejtvomp3 4502087 4502086 2022-08-16T10:03:07Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Eastern Metropolitan Bypass */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} ===Eastern Metropolitan Bypass=== * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} ===New Town=== * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} ss04x0cei4wj53o1w08lhy2cgkjejyu 4502089 4502087 2022-08-16T10:03:58Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Rd, Phoolbagan | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} ===Eastern Metropolitan Bypass=== * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} ===New Town=== * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} ==Do== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Watch sporting activities | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=Officially named Kishore Bharati Krirangan, but more popularly known as Jadavpur Stadium, it is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I, New Town | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} i4r0zucs7sbj0t624ykdf3u6mnxn9qe 4502093 4502089 2022-08-16T10:08:57Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Do */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Rd, Phoolbagan | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} ===Eastern Metropolitan Bypass=== * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} ===New Town=== * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Kishore Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=It is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} ===New Town=== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} magmq3elhvwycz3o4gsicnu0agywajg 4502094 4502093 2022-08-16T10:09:46Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Do */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saltlake Sector V.jpg|pgname=East Kolkata}} [[File:Science_City_Kolkata_4643.JPG|thumb|350px|Science City]] '''East Kolkata''' is a district of [[Kolkata]] in [[Southeast Bengal]]. It includes the IT hub of Kolkata, shopping emporiums and amusement parks. Science City is a major attraction. Salt Lake Stadium is a major occasional crowd puller. Large number of hospitals attract patients from the metropolis and beyond. ==Understand== [[File:Kolkata Aerial view near Airport 095603.jpg|thumb|200px|Central Park, Salt Lake City]] [[File:Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg|thumb|200px|Salt Lake Stadium]] East Kolkata basically covers new growth areas on the eastern side of the metropolis and it is an area that is still growing. There are heavy construction activities along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake City's Central Park. The expansion of East Kolkata is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake City. With the formation of New Town and extension of Salt Lake Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city. === Orientation === East Kolkata consists of Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Rajarhat, New Town, Lake Town, Dhapa, Tangra, Bantala, Topsia, Tiljala, Kasba, VIP Nagar, Anandapur, Kalikapur, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Panchasayar, Beleghata, Phoolbagan and Kankurgachi. Tangra (New China Town), along with Tiretta Bazaar (Old China Town), are the only extant Chinatowns in India. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and the Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically there were many opium dens in this area (now opium is illegal). ==Get in== The area is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is regular demand for it. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis. ===By bus=== Numerous bus routes connect the area with other parts of the city. * {{go | name=Ajaynagar More bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4896 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are many long-distance buses from places like Baruipur and Sonarpur in the south to places like Airport, Barasat and Dakshineswar which avoid the city crowds and travel via EM Bypass. This is the bus stop from where people of Santoshpur and the surrounding areas can board such buses. Mukundapur is nearby. It has many hospitals and many budget guest houses and hotels have sprung up. }} * {{go | name=Avisikta More bus stop | alt=Kalikapur | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5042 | long=88.4004 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It is at the meeting point of the Prince Anwar Shah Road Connector and EM By Pass, near Kalikapur and Anandapur crossings. There is a Spencer's outlet nearby. }} * {{Go | name=International Bus Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karunamoyee, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5852 | long=88.4208 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Kolkata-Dhaka bus service operates from here. }} * {{go | name=Santoshpur Jora Bridge bus stop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.4937 | long=88.3902 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Buses may available to some important places, such as Howrah, Burrabazar, Ultadanga, Sealdah, College Street, Dum Dum Airport, Birati, Kalighat, Behala, Park Street, Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Tea board, Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake Sector-V, Karunamoyee, Beleghata, Santragachi, Vidyasagar Setu, PTS, Alipore Zoo, Park Circus and Nabanna, except Dakshineswar and Belur Math. }} ===By metro=== The East-West Corridor (Line 2) of the [[Kolkata#By metro|Kolkata Metro]] is the fastest and the most convenient way to reach East Kolkata. It runs from Sealdah in [[Kolkata/North|North Kolkata]] to Salt Lake Sector-V in East Kolkata. The metro route within North Kolkata is underground up to Phoolbagan and the metro runs above ground from Salt Lake Stadium. The route is still under construction and is expected to be be operational from Teghoria to [[Howrah]] in 2023. The metro stations are: * {{go | name=Sealdah metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.56685 | long=88.36978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to overground suburban railway at Sealdah railway station. }} * {{Go | name=Phoolbagan metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.57215 | long=88.39031 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Stadium metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.57306 | long=88.40306 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q65090392 }} * {{go | name=Bengal Chemical metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58006 | long= 88.40132 | directions=| phone= | hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256245 }} * {{go | name=City Centre metro station | alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat=22.58708 | long=88.4079 | directions=| phone=| hours= | price=| content= | wikidata=Q63256235 }} * {{go | name=Central Park metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59046 | long=88.41562 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q30632539 | content= }} * {{go | name=Karunamoyee metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58632 | long=88.42145 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q62019524 | content= }} * {{go | name=Salt Lake Sector-V metro station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58093 | long=88.42906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q55632405 | content= }} ===By tram=== The tram stations in East Kolkata are: * {{go | name=Bidhan Nagar tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.59117 | long=88.39127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Changeover to suburban railway at Bidhannagar Road railway station. }} * {{go | name=Housing Estate tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.5896 | long=88.3931 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Manik Tala ESI Hospital tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58595 | long=88.39211 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Bagmari Kabristan tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58436 | long=88.39169 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{go | name=Kankurgachi tram station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.58028 | long=88.38908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} ==See== {{mapframe|height=600|zoom=12|name=Map of East Kolkata}} {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q6427302}} [[File:Nicco Park Salt lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Nicco Park, Salt Lake City]] * {{see | name=Kolkata Time Zone | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Lake Town | lat=22.60012 | long=88.40668 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=KOLKATA TIME ZONE.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=A full-scale replica of the iconic Big Ben in [[London]]. }} * {{see | name=Subhas Sarobar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phoolbagan | lat=22.56831 | long=88.40093 | directions={{km|1.2}} east of Phoolbagan metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q68030125 | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content= }} * {{see | name=Swabhumi Heritage Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Rd, Phoolbagan | lat=22.5712 | long=88.4019 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls. }} ===Eastern Metropolitan Bypass=== * {{see | name=PC Chandra Garden | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.53847 | long=88.39828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Science City | alt= | url= | email= | address=junction of J.B.S. Haldane Avenue (Park Circus Connector) and EM Bypass | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7433497 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is one of the most spectacular science centres in the country. The size of the Science City baffles the first time visitor. }} ===New Town=== * {{see | name=Aquatica Water Park | alt= | url=http://aquaticaindia.com/ | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.562065 | long=88.465197 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32007947, +91 9331555220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM to 6PM | price= | content=This theme water park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. }} * {{see | name=Biswa Bangla Gate | alt=Kolkata Gate | url=https://www.biswabanglagatekolkata.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-I | lat=22.578611 | long=88.471667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kolkata Gate | wikidata=Q39087520 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=Arch monument in New Town, Kolkata. }} * {{see | name=New Town Lake Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.5903 | long=88.4443 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mangaldeep | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.6193 | long=88.4645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Mangaldeep - HIDCO Iconic Structure - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0861.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Mother's Wax Museum | alt= | url=http://www.motherswaxmuseum.in/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat=22.5999 | long=88.472 | directions=opposite of Eco Park | phone=+91 033 23247243 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-3:30PM | price=150 | wikidata=Q22079942 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content=The Mother's Wax Museum consists of nine sections containing 18 to 19 wax models of eminent personalities. It contains models of Maradona, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Manna Dey, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Bengal Modern Arts | alt= | url=https://artsacre.org/museum/ | email=artsacrefoundation@gmail.com | address=Action Area-III | lat=22.549888 | long=88.521372 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q111461856 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Rabindra Tirtha | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-I | lat=22.57905 | long=88.47338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7278759 | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{see | name=Central Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.586694 | long=88.414861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5061595 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nalban Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-V | lat=22.56841 | long=88.43092 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{see | name=Nicco Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66285549, +91 33 66285509 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7024551 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=It is Disneyland for the Kolkatans with its various adventure rides. Opened in 1991, Nicco Park is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and has innovative entertainment for all age groups. This amusement park offers fun for children as well as adults and draws crowds from suburban Kolkata, especially on the weekends. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan | alt=Milan Mela | url= | email= | address=JBS Haldane Ave | lat=22.5442 | long=88.3949 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=It is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals, including Kolkata Book Fair. }} * {{do | name= Fame - Hiland Park | alt=Watch films | url=http://in.bookmyshow.com/cinemas/fame-cinemas-hiland-park-kolkata/FCHP | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Jadavpur Stadium | alt=Kishore Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.4942 | long=88.3945 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15238600 | content=It is a 13-acre sports complex. It has a stadium that can accommodate 12,000 spectators and hosts lower division matches of the Kolkata Football League. It has a swimming pool with training facilities for children. now the stadium may under the supervision of KMDA and Survey Park police station (as per the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police). }} ===New Town=== [[File:Lush_green_grass_along_the_lake.jpg|thumb|200px|Eco Park, New Town]] * {{do | name=Bioscope | alt= | url= | email= | address=Axis Mall | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Four screens for films. }} * {{do | name=Eco Park | alt=Prakriti Tirtha | url=http://www.ecoparknewtown.com/ | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33-2706-4010 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-4:30PM | price=₹20 | wikidata=Q7012129 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content=A 480-acre landscaped park surrounding a 104-acre water body. Contains replicas of famous structures. Activities include paddleboats, rowboats, duo cycles, birdwatching, etc. Non-residents require permission to enter this and all other parks in New Town. }} * {{do | name=Inox | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor, City Centre II Rajarhat | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone=+91 - 33 - 25266063 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=New Town Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Rd, BF Block, Action Area-I | lat=22.5799 | long=88.469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Salt Lake City=== * {{do | name=Central Park Mela Ground | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-III | lat=22.5876 | long=88.4198 | directions=near Karunamoyee metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{do | name=Club Prana | alt=Spa | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/ | email=india.reservations@hyattintl.com | address=Hyatt Regency Kolkata Hotel, JA-1 Sector-III | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Nalban Boating Complex | alt= | url= | email= | address=Sector-IV | lat=22.5683 | long=88.4193 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Adjoining Nicco Park, Nalban, as the name suggests, is mainly lakes and creeks (nal) fringed by groves (ban). It is a beautiful picnic spot for families, who would like to spend few hours in the lush greenery and placid lake. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its unpolluted environment offers a respite and soothes the visitors. }} * {{Do | name=Salt Lake Stadium | alt=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | url= | email= | address=JB Block, Sector-III | lat=22.5688 | long=88.4091 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The stadium has the second largest non-auto racing capacity in the world and the largest in the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It is used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000 in a three-tier configuration. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Amity University, Kolkata | alt= | url=https://www.amity.edu/kolkata/ | email= | address=New Town | lat=22.595869 | long=88.485447 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23808476 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Bose Institute | alt=বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির | url=http://www.jcbose.ac.in/ | email= | address=93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd | lat=22.5861 | long=88.3937 | directions= next to Rajabazar Science College | phone=+91 33 2355-9219 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4947204 | content=A scientific research institute founded by Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his residence. It is now the main campus with branches. }} * {{listing | name=Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology | alt=MAKAUT | url=https://makautwb.ac.in | email= | address= | lat=22.5972 | long=88.4183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3347298 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{listing | name=University of Engineering & Management (UEM), Kolkata | alt= | url=https://uem.edu.in/uem-kolkata/ | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.560288 | long=88.49016 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28134230 | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Apsara Shopping Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.50415 | long=88.39986 | directions=at the crossing of EM Bypass and Prince Anwar Shah connector | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Axis Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=CF Block, Action Area-IC, New Town | lat=22.5802 | long=88.4596 | directions= | phone=+91 33 32006827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Shopping mall, restaurants, Bioscope multiplex with four screens. }} * {{buy | name=Big Bazaar Supermarket | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Baguiati | lat=22.6166 | long=88.4322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name= Charnock City | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB-26 Salt Lake City | lat=22.5674 | long= 88.4114 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 1349 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=City Centre II Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-IID, New Town | lat=22.6232 | long=88.4503 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=City Centre Salt Lake City | alt= | url=http://saltlake.citycentremalls.in/ | email= | address=3rd Avenue, DC Block | lat=22.5879 | long=88.4079 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581011 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=http://www.hiland.in/ | email= | address=EM Bypass Chak Garia | lat=22.4834 | long=88.3909 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=175,000 sq ft mall. }} * {{buy | name=Home Town | alt= | url= http://www.hometown.in/| email= | address=BG Block, New Town | lat=22.5829 | long=88.4587 | directions= | phone=+91 90 07 862472 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mani Square | alt= | url= | email= | address=164/1, Manicktala Main Road (EM Bypass) | lat=22.5779 | long=88.4012 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= It has more than 710,000 square feet (66,000 m²) of total area accommodating 250 outlets. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Spring Arcade | alt= | url= | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5489 | long= 88.4004| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Upohar Town Centre | alt=attached to Upohar Housing Complex of Bengal Ambuja | url= | email= | address=New Garia | lat=22.4753 | long=88.4009 | directions=near Kavi Subhas metro station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Spencer's and other outlets. }} * {{buy | name=VIP Bazaar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Picnic Garden Rd, Tiljala | lat=22.52536 | long=88.395288 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Down Town Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Action Area-III, New Town | lat=22.55951 | long=88.49538 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-21 | content= }} ==Eat== Major restaurant chains include '''Haldiram's''' (P420, VIP Road, Kaikhali). * {{eat | name=Charnock's | alt= | url= | email= | address=KB 26, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23351349, +91 9051325905 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-4PM, 7:30PM-10:30PM | price= | content=Continental, Bengali, North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hiland Park Metropolis Mall | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public---Government-Service/Metropolis-Mall-Hiland-Park-Kolkata-219404518267169/ | email= | address=Santoshpur | lat=22.48327 | long=88.38843 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2436 8705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Has a ten-outlet eatery. }} ===City Centre II Rajarhat=== * {{eat | name=Gamma's World Cuisine | alt= | url= | email= | address=M 208, 2nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620069 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4062 0072, +91 33 40278000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kwality Wall Swirl's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Massekah | alt= | url= | email= | address=B 215 2nd floor, Block B | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9007213377, +91 9051834932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Afghani cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Unit A001, Block A, Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=The Orient | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65410399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor, Block C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40620073 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian cuisine, desserts. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Zion Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ground Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903996699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Drinks not served. }} ===Axis Mall=== * {{eat | name=Aaheli | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242411, +91 9007770841 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. Good environment, high price, indifferent service. }} * {{eat | name=Addiction | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 3200 6827 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Coffee Day | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-11:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Calcutta Retro | alt= | url= | email= | address=5th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23242345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-10:30PM | price= | content=Bengali cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Mehak-e-Punjab | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor, Axis Mall, New Town, Major Arterial Road, Action Area I, Rajarhat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 2324 2434 | tollfree= | hours=Noon-11PM | price= | content=North Indian, Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===City Centre, Salt Lake City=== * {{eat | name= Afraa Restaurant| alt= | url= | email= | address=7th Floor, Block G | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581111, +91 9007017098 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 12:30-3PM, 7-11PM| price= | content= Continental, Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Caught n Bowled | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580333, +91 33 23589993 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:45PM| price= | content= Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name= Copper Chimney | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40215555, +91 8420000206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 7-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=2nd Floor, Block E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23581359, +91 33 23581445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-10PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kaafila | alt= | url= | email= | address= 3rd Floor, Block B| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40063210, +91 33 40063211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:15PM, 7PM-10:30PM | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor, Block A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40278000, +91 33 40063283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Hut | alt= | url= | email= | address= 1st Floor, Block A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23580984, +91 33 23580985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-11PM| price= | content=Italian, pizza, desserts. Drinks not served. }} ===Mani Square=== * {{eat | name=Flame & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address= 4th Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202186, +91 9330627517 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Haka | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679, +91 33 23202452 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content= Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=KFC | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40682017, +91 9830461313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content=American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23202828, +91 33 23202839 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:30AM-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM | price= | content=Rajasthani, Gujarati cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Machan | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364680, +91 33 23202182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Noon-3:30PM, 6:30-11PM| price= | content= North Indian, Mughlai cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=McDonald's | alt= | url= | email= | address= Ground Floor| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 66064251 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-11PM | price= | content= American fast food. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Mio Amore | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9903986636, +91 33 23202668 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=12:30-11PM | price= | content=Mediterranean cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=The Shack | alt= | url= | email= | address=4th Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 65364679 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1-11PM | price= | content=Goan cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Square 4o5 | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 40208206, +91 8420033622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11AM-10:30PM| price= | content=Continental, North Indian cuisine. Drinks not served. }} ===Silver Spring Arcade=== * {{eat | name=Mainland China | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517034, +91 33 22517035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Masque | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Calcutta | alt= | url= | email= | address=3rd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517036, +91 33 22517037 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bengali cuisine, seafood. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Sigree | alt= | url= | email= | address=1st Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 22517032, +91 33 22517031 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North Indian cuisine. Drinks served. }} ===Tangra=== * {{eat | name=Beijing Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=77/1, Christopher Road, Tangra | lat=22.54651 | long=88.38707 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Big Boss | alt= | url= | email= | address=54C Matheswartala Rd | lat=22.54674 | long=88.38833 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=China Town | alt= | url= | email= | address=Tangra | lat=22.54968 | long=88.39177 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Chinese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Golden Joy | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office | phone=+91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} * {{eat | name=Kafulok | alt= | url= | email= | address=47, Govinda Khatick Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Kim Ling | alt= | url= | email= | address=13, South Tangra Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served. }} * {{eat | name=Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=50/2, Matheswartala Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chinese cuisine. Drinks served. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=DG 1, Sector 2, Salt Lake City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 4009191, +91 33 4009195 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Mishra's Bar & Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.mishrasindia.com/ | email= | address=IB-157, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.57041 | long=88.4153 | directions=Near Tank 14 | phone=+91 33 40669178 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Bar with good food arrangements. North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisine. }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Under ₹1000|₹1000 to ₹3000|Over ₹3000}} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Apanjan | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830016645, +91 9836198199 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Around ₹200 per day/ non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Aquatic Palace | alt= | url= | email= | address=NP 222, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat= 22.5807 | long=88.4379 | directions=opposite Technopolis | phone=+91 33 44502716 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Arunadoy Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=173/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.4926 | long=88.4024 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24260842, +91 9831284083 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹250 per non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ashirbad Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=264 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat=22.49378 | long=88.40093 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2426 4048, +91 9477402644, +91 9477402645 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300 per double-bedded room, ₹350 per triple bedded room, all non-AC rooms | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Atithi | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9830380049 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹250-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Bina Bhawan | alt= | url= | email= | address=15A, Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 98311248611, +91 987407250 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹300-350 per double-bedded non-AC room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Debi Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175 Barakhola Mukundapur, Kalikapur | lat=22.49276 | long=88.40239 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264817, +91 9831687537, +91 9831923007 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹500 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maa Tara Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=175/1 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9831203612, +91 9903803612, +91 9007304467| tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400-500 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Maity Villa | alt= | url= | email= | address= 27 Sonali Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-500 double-bedded non-AC room; ₹800-1200 for double-bedded AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Meghalaya Guest House | alt= | url= | email= | address=138 Barakhola, Mukundapur | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 33 32986868 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300 per double-bedded non-AC room | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ricko | alt= | url= | email= | address=22 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9836955183 | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹300-600 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Shib Bandhalay| alt= | url= | email= | address=21 Shanti Park, Panchasayar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=₹400 per double-bedded non-AC room| checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Step In | alt= | url= | email= | address= G6 Tagore, Ruby Park, Kasba | lat= | long= | directions= Near Ruby Hospital | phone=+91 33 66037838 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sun & Services | alt= | url= | email= | address=GC 35, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5797 | long=88.4134 | directions=Near GC Island | phone=+91 33 66245815 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Uttam Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.uttamguesthouse.in/ | email= | address=1563 Mukundapur Rd | lat=22.49178 | long=88.40224 | directions= | phone=+91 33 24264287, +91 9830057482 | tollfree= | checkin=9AM | checkout=9AM | price=₹500-₹600 per double-bedded non-AC room, ₹800-₹900 per double-bedded AC room | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Alcove Guest House & Service Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.alcove.co.in/ | email=stay@alcove.co.in | address=Block DL-39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5837 | long=88.4255 | directions=Close to CK Market. | phone=+91 89510 89510 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2250 for serviced room | content=All rooms with air-conditioning, TV and private bathroom. Breakfast complimentary, free Wi-Fi access. They also have guest houses at other locations in Salt Lake City and Kolkata. }} * {{sleep | name=Duhita Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.duhita.com/ | email=manager@duhita.com | address=AA 39, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59129 | long=88.39897 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2337-5332 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating from 1987. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=FabHotel Shivangan | alt= | url=https://www.fabhotels.com/hotels-in-kolkata/fabhotel-shivangan.html | email= | address=VIP Road | lat=22.6132 | long=88.4294 | directions=Jora Mandir, Baguiati | phone=+91 33 2576 2711 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1,900-2,800 | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Harry Guest House | alt= | url= | email=harryguest@gmail.com | address=AE 329, Salt Lake City | lat=22.59846 | long=88.41102 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5096 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=Operating since 1992 it is a fully air conditioned guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Next Generation Guest House | alt= | url=http://nextgenguesthouse.in/ | email=nextgencareer@gmail.com | address=Plot No 255, Block AD, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5954 | long=88.4054 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2321 5536 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=NRI Residency | alt= | url=http://www.NRIResidency.com | email=info@NRIResidency.com | address=C.I.T Road, Kankurgachi | lat=22.5779 | long=88.3905 | directions= close to Salt Lake City and the EM Bypass | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹1050-1200 | content=Offers guesthouse style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Tiger Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=1686 Lashkrhat, Tagore Park (Block -1) Naskar Hat, Kasba | lat=22.5201 | long=88.3979 | directions=near Calcutta International School and Fortis Hospital, off EM Bypass | phone=+91 33 2345 2433 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=O2 Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=VIP Road, Kaikhali| lat=22.6327 | long=88.4343 | directions= | phone= +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Hotel The Sojourn | alt= | url=https://www.hotelthesojourn.com/ | email=info@hotelthesojourn.com | address=Plot KB 23, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5668 | long=88.4113 | directions=Beside of Salt Lake Stadium opposite Gate No 4 | phone=+91 33-2335-1462 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹3450-4400 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency | alt= | url=https://kolkata.regency.hyatt.com | email= | address=EM Bypass | lat=22.5706 | long=88.4055 | directions=in Salt Lake Sector III | phone=+91 33 2335 1234 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2335 1235 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Indismart Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.indismart.in/ | email=info@indismartgroup.com | address=International Tower X-1,8/3 Block EP, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5716 | long=88.4341 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2357 7550-59, +91 33 4010 1350 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2357 7735 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ITC Sonar Kolkata | alt= | url=http://itc-sonar-kolkata.hotel-rn.com/?lbl=ggl | email= | address=1 JBS Halden Ave | lat=22.5451 | long=88.3979 | directions=Next to Science City | phone=+91 33 2345 4545 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33 2345 4455 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Monotel | alt= | url=http://www.monotel.com/ | email= | address=DM-2, Sector-V, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5781 | long=88.4277 | directions=Next to Wipro Technologies | phone=+91 33-40302000 | tollfree= | checkin=Noon | checkout=11AM | price=₹3000-5000 | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Salt Lake Sector-V. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6937/index.en.shtml | email= | address=CF 11, Action Area-1C, New Town | lat=22.57963 | long=88.46150 | directions= | phone=+91 33-40323334 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-29 | content=A luxury hotel in Rajarhat-New Town area. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sonnet | alt= | url=http://www.thesonnet.in/ | email=reservations.kol@thesonnet.com | address=Block DD, Plot No. 8, Sector-I, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5896 | long=88.4115 | directions= | phone=+91 33-66339000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 33-66339001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=The Stadel | alt= | url=http://www.thestadel.com/ | email= | address=Gate 3, Salt Lake Stadium, Sector-III, Salt Lake City | lat=22.5690 | long=88.4110 | directions= | phone=+91 33 2335 7220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Swissotel | alt= | url=https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/kolkata/?intid=bansko0510enexplore-hotel/reviews/explore-hotel/reviews/ | email=kolkata@swissotel.com | address=City Centre New Town, Action Area-2D, New Town | lat=22.6223 | long=88.4499 | directions= | phone=+91 33 6626 6666 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Westin Kolkata Rajarhat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Major Arterial Road (South-East), Action Area-II, New Town | lat=22.59223 | long=88.47482 | directions=opposite Eco Park | phone=+91 033 4037 1234 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price= | image=Westin Hotel And V Service Apartments - Major Arterial Road - Rajarhat 2017-03-30 0855.JPG | lastedit=2022-07-06 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass | alt= | url= | email= | address=1930, Rash Behari Ave | lat=22.51304 | long=88.40095 | directions= | phone=+91 033 6666 0000 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=₹4490-5600 | lastedit=2022-07-27 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Hospitals === * {{listing | name=Apollo Gleneagles Hospital | alt= | url=http://kolkata.apollohospitals.com/ | email= | address=58 Canal Circular Road, EM Bypass | lat=22.57464 | long=88.40157 | directions= | phone=+91 33 23203040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4780307 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Desun Hospital and Heart Institute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Anandapur Main Road | lat=22.51458 | long=88.40325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q25714725 | lastedit=2022-07-05 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ruby General Hospital |url=http://www.rubyhospital.com/ | address=Kasba Golpark, EM Bypass | lat=22.51349 | long=88.40306 | directions= | phone=+91 33 39871800 }} * {{listing | name=Medica Superspeciality Hospital |url= | address=EM Bypass, Mukundapur | phone= }} ==Go next== * [[Kolkata/North]] * [[Kolkata/Northern fringes]] {{routebox | placename=East Kolkata | image1=Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=[[Kolkata/North|Sealdah]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | link1= | caption1= }} {{usabledistrict}} {{IsPartOf|Kolkata}} {{geo|22.5583|88.4193|zoom=12}} 0b582iyo5usptm1a9bo8i61qd5hf2my 0 18824 4501800 4342555 2022-08-16T01:26:41Z SHB2000 2248002 /* See */ Updated listing for Redoubt Volcano - ce, no imperial-only units please wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Lake Clark Wikivoyage Banner.jpg}} '''[https://www.nps.gov/lacl Lake Clark National Park and Preserve]''', along the gulf coast of [[Southwestern Alaska]], is the most remote and least visited of the [[United States National Parks]], with a mere 5,000 annual visitors. ==Understand== ===History=== Lake Clark's first people are of Alaska Native descent and came to this region a millennia ago. In more recent times, Russian explorers and missionaries arrived in the 18th century, quickly followed by prospectors, trappers, and entrepreneurs from Western Europe, Canada and the United States. Despite this relatively rapid exposure to the wider world, the native communities of the region retain their traditions and languages. Today's Lake Clark is a mix of various ethnicities, founded upon a collaborative history. ===Landscape=== Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a place where natural processes dominate. Four of the five biotic communities found in Alaska - coastal, lakes/rivers/wetlands, tundra, and boreal forest - exist in the park. Two active volcanoes - Mount Iliamna and Mount Redoubt - tower above the landscape. Glaciers wind their way down into valleys where the Alaska and Aleutian ranges join. ===Flora and fauna=== A full compliment of subarctic fish, wildlife,and plant species make their homes in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve's various ecosystems. Salmon pass through tidal estuaries on their way to spawning grounds in mountain lakes and streams, chased by hungry seals and brown bears. Dall sheep share treacherous mountain slopes with delicate alpine wildflowers. Once-endangered peregrine falcons occupy eyries on cliffs where they can easily hunt migrating and nesting waterfowl. Follow the links below to explore the plants and animals of the park and preserve. ===Climate=== Lake Clark has two distinct climate areas: the coast and the interior. The coast is wetter and experiences milder temperatures. The interior gets half to one fourth as much precipitation, but temperatures are hotter in summer and colder in winter. Frost and snow can occur any time parkwide, but are most common from September to early June. Lakes here typically begins freezing in November and melting in April. Ice conditions dictate whether planes need floats or skis to land on lakes. ==Get in== {{mapframe|zoom=7}} {{mapshape}} Almost all visitors must arrive '''by air'''. The park's lands and waters are open to fixed-wing aircraft. There are no fixed runways or FBO services within the park. [[Port Alsworth]], immediately west of the park, has two private airstrips (ramp fee will be charged) where fuel is available. Weather and tides permitting, the coastline may be approached by boat. There is '''no car access''' to any part of the park. ==Fees and permits== There are no fees or permits anywhere within the park. ==Get around== ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Port Alsworth Visitor Center | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.1974 | long=-154.3229 | directions=The visitor center is located midway up the eastern-most runway in Port Alsworth | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=Open in the summer only, the visitor center is located midway up the eastern-most runway in Port Alsworth. Speak with a ranger, receive assistance with any final trip planning needs, obtain free park brochures, purchase a souvenir at the Alaska Geographic bookstore, or watch free films about Dick Proenneke and other aspects of the park. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Lake Clark | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.244167 | long=-154.285278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1476428 | lastedit=2020-05-01 | content= }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iliamna Volcano | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/places/iliamna-volcano.htm | email= | address= | lat=60.0508 | long=-153.0654 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=10,016 feet tall and covered in glaciers, active Iliamna Volcano is a landmark that displays both fire and ice. }} * {{see | name=Redoubt Volcano | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/places/redoubt-volcano.htm | email= | address= | lat=60.4852 | long=-152.7438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=An active stratovolcano that rises {{ft|10,197}} from nearby sea level. Ash fall during recent eruptions has disrupted air traffic and has fallen in southcentral Alaska communities including the state's largest city, Anchorage. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Richard L. Proenneke Cabin | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/proenneke-cabin.htm | email= | address= | lat=60.6465 | long=-153.8091 | directions=Upper Twin Lake is northeast of Port Alsworth, and is not on the road system. The lake can be accessed by float plane from many locations or by boat from Lower Twin Lake. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=Step into the home of one of Alaska's foremost wilderness icons, Richard L. Proenneke, who built his cabin by hand using his own clever innovations. Located on the south shore of Upper Twin Lake, Proenneke's wilderness home showcases his remarkable craftsmanship and reflects his unshakeable wilderness ethic. }} ==Do== ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== ===Lodging=== * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Priest Rock Public Use Cabin | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/lacl/planyourvisit/priest-rock-cabin.htm | email= | address= | lat=60.3094 | long=-154.1772 | directions=The cabin is 8 miles from Port Alsworth by boat or floatplane. | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$65 per night (2020 rates) | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=The Priest Rock Cabin sits on the north shore of Lake Clark, approximately eight miles north of Port Alsworth. The cabin is perched above a small creek that runs into the lake. It commands a sublime view of Lake Clark's upper reaches, backed by mountains rising to 6,000 feet. It's an ideal place for kayaking, boating, fishing and wildlife viewing. The cabin was originally built and lived in by long-time Alaskan Allen Woodward of Anchorage who was a summer resident of Lake Clark from about 1950 to the early 2000s. The cabin is rustic and accommodates up to six people. It is equipped with a wood stove, table, chairs and a nearby outhouse. Sleeping accommodations include wooden bunks--three single beds and one queen bed. There is no electricity or running water at the cabin. Fresh water is available in the lake but must be treated. Available for stays of 1-5 days in the spring, summer and fall. Reservations must be made in advance through [https://recreation.gov recreation.gov]. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Joe Thompson Public Use Cabin | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/lacl/planyourvisit/joethompsoncabin.htm | address= | lat=60.3480 | long=-154.0428 | directions=The cabin is 13 miles from Port Alsworth by boat or floatplane. | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$65 per night (2020 rates) | lastedit=2020-06-28 | content=The Joe Thompson Cabin is a small two-room rehabilitated log cabin located on the north shore of Lake Clark, about 13 miles northeast of Port Alsworth. It stands in a semi-open clearing surrounded by a white spruce and white birch forest. A historic trail attached to the Thompson Historic District connected Joe Thompson to his last prospecting site approximately one and one half miles to the east. The cabin is rustic and accommodates up to three people. It is equipped with a wood stove, table, chairs and a nearby outhouse. Sleeping accommodations are wooden bunks (two twin beds, bring your own pads). There is no electricity or running water at the cabin. Fresh water is available in the lake but must be treated. Available for stays of 1-5 days in the spring, summer and fall. Reservations must be made in advance through [https://recreation.gov recreation.gov]. }} ===Camping=== ===Backcountry=== Backcountry hikers are requested to fill out a [http://www.nps.gov/lacl/planyourvisit/upload/Voluntary%20Backcountry%20Registration.pdf free registration form], which can assist rangers in the event of a rescue. ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Southwestern Alaska}} {{outlinepark}} {{geo|60.966666666667|-153.41666666667}} dmj6b1e8s7fbz72408smyy2jisdm84s 0 19525 4501641 4403243 2022-08-15T16:22:42Z 69.133.116.176 /* Do */ Updated listing for Balloons Over Letchworth - Pricing update Aug '22 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Letchworth State Park - Upper Falls Wikivoyage Banner.jpg|otbp=yes}} A happy confluence of geography and generosity has created '''[https://parks.ny.gov/parks/79/ Letchworth State Park]''', a long swath of parkland on the western edge of the [[Finger Lakes]] region of [[New York (state)|New York]]. The '''Genesee River''' has carved a magnificent gorge through this area, including a series of three large waterfalls, earning the park its nickname, '''The Grand Canyon of the East'''. It's one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the entire Northeast. ==Understand== A popular destination for day-trips and camping alike, the vistas of Letchworth State Park have entranced since human eyes first sighted them. Today, outdoor enthusiasts use bikes, skis, snowshoes, horses, or just their feet to traverse the trails, while sightseers gape at the three magnificent cascades of the Genesee and the abundant foliage. It's well worth a side trip for anyone visiting nearby, or even as the main destination for travelers from afar. ===History=== The Seneca Indians called the area ''Sehgahunda'', meaning the "Vale of Three Falls," forming several villages within what are now the park boundaries. Many of the trails in the park today are based on original Seneca trails, which were used for river access. In the middle of the 19th century, when the Erie Railroad needed to bridge the gorge, they built the world's tallest wooden bridge right above the Upper Falls. The view from above was so spectacular that trains would '''stop and let passengers off''' to take in the sight. On one such voyage was [[Buffalo]] industrialist '''William Pryor Letchworth'''; he so enjoyed the view that he bought over a thousand acres of gorge land and built himself a summer home. He called the estate '''Glen Iris''' after the rainbow that often formed in the mist of the Middle Falls. As his death approached, the elderly Letchworth decided to protect the gorge from hydro-power or other commercial development by deeding it to the State for use as a park in 1906. ===Landscape=== [[File:Letchworth State Park Middle Falls 2002.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Rainbow over the Middle Falls – Mr. Letchworth's "Glen Iris"]] Despite its nickname, the valley carved by the Genesee River doesn't really look like the Grand Canyon; visitors who've seen the real thing won't be very impressed by the comparison. For starters, it's much smaller in scale. At its widest point, the Grand Canyon is 18 miles (29 km) wide; Letchworth Park would just fit inside there&mdash;lengthwise! And the Grand Canyon's mile-high depth dwarfs the 300- to 500-foot-plus (100- to 150-meter-plus) walls of the Letchworth gorge. On the other hand, Letchworth has far more vegetation in and around the gorge, and it's fair to say there are few other gorges this side of the Mississippi that approach Letchworth in either size or beauty. Geologically, the Letchworth gorge is very young, carved when the Genesee was forced to find a new route northward after the last ice age. The preglacial river that flowed through current-day [[Portageville]] was a tributary of the preglacial Genesee River, and it took a more easterly course through [[Nunda]]. It then joined the main branch of the preglacial Genesee, which flowed northwest to [[Mount Morris]], then north to [[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]]. When the two branches of the river were blocked by glacial debris at [[Dansville]] and Nunda, the east branch rerouted to the south, becoming part of the Susequehanna watershed, while the west branch was forced into a more direct route between Portageville and Mount Morris. The new route led the river over the Allegheny Plateau, dropping into the preglacial river valley at Mount Morris. Over the next ten millennia, the cascade carved its way backward, much as the Niagara River did during the same period, eventually forming a series of three waterfalls just north of modern Portageville... and a spectacular gorge in its wake. The course the gorge takes is a bit unusual; it twists and turns rather than taking a straight path; since the river once flowed in a meandering route over a broad plain, the falls cut their way backward along the original course of the river. The three cascades of the upper Genesee should not be confused with three similar waterfalls farther downstream (to the north) in Rochester. Both locations have a Lower, Middle, and Upper (or High) Falls, and both sets were formed during the same period, but they are more than 50 miles apart. ===Flora and fauna=== Unlike the Grand Canyon of the West, Letchworth's gorge walls are covered in trees, making for spectacular sightseeing in the autumn, as the leaves change color. Birdwatchers love the rim of the gorge for spotting hawks, eagles, and vultures soaring overhead. ===Climate=== Like much of the northeastern U.S., the park lies in the humid continental climate zone, with four seasons. Normally summer highs are around 70-80°F (20-27°C), whereas the winter temperatures are generally around freezing or a bit below. There aren't radical differences between the monthly precipitation throughout the year. In the winter you can expect it in the form of snow, in the case of lake-effect snow, quite a lot of it. ==Get in== {{mapframe|42.658712|-77.963737|zoom=12|height=725|width=535}}{{mapshape}} Letchworth is located on the western edge of New York's [[Finger Lakes]] region. It's about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of [[Buffalo]], and about 40 miles (65 km) south-southwest of [[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]], depending on what part of the 17-mile-long park you're headed to. For example, if you're headed from the Rochester airport to the Mount Morris Dam, at the north end of the park, it'll take about 45 minutes to drive. If you're headed to the Portageville end, to see the waterfalls, on the other hand, you'll tack on an extra twenty minutes&mdash;or an extra 45 minutes if you drive through the park. ===By car=== The most convenient expressway to Letchworth is I-390, which runs south from the Rochester airport and passes near Mount Morris as it travels through the preglacial Genesee Valley. If you're going to the north end of the park, take the Mount Morris exit (Exit 7); if you're going to the south end, you can take Exit 7 and drive through or around the park, or take Exit 4 or 5 in Dansville and follow State Route 436 west to Portageville. The major east-west expressway routes are the New York State Thruway (I-90), about 20 miles (30 km) north of Mount Morris, and I-86 (the Southern Tier Expressway), about the same distance south of Portageville; both connect up with I-390 or any number of state routes that are more direct. The park has six entrances, but choose wisely, as there's no way to cross the river (by car, at least) once you're in the park. All of the amenities, including the main park road, are on the west side of the river; the east side has a number of trails and a couple of campgrounds, but is largely wild and undeveloped. On the other hand, only the west side carries an admission fee. On the east side, the {{marker|type=go|name=Parade Grounds Entrance|lat=42.579877|long=-78.028819}} is to the south near Portageville, off New York State Route 436; it's closed in winter, but the rest of the year leads to the only cabins on the east side. Its trails provide east-side views of the falls and gorge that many visitors never see. There's also a {{marker|type=go|name=Mount Morris Dam Entrance|lat=42.709732|long=-77.901830}} on the north end, accessible from New York State Route 408 south of Mount Morris, which only provides access to the dam's visitors center (along with a nice gorge overlook). Most visitors will use a west-side entrance. The {{marker|type=go|name=Main Entrance|lat=42.740525|long=-77.890372}} is all the way at the top of the park; take New York State Route 36 West (northwest) from Mount Morris and across the river (or eastbound from Leicester, a couple miles to the north) and turn onto the Park Road. There's also access to the Park Road from the {{marker|type=go|name=Parade Grounds Entrance|lat=42.694314|long=-77.958226}} and {{marker|type=go|name=Castile Entrance|lat=42.601061|long=-78.037223}}, each farther south. Castile is the southernmost entrance open in the winter; the entrance at the southern tip, the {{marker|type=go|name=Portageville Entrance|lat=42.571718|long=-78.051782}} is closed in winter. The Portageville entrance is on New York State Routes 19A and 436; the former comes in from the south, through Portageville, while the latter runs east-west and connects to Nunda and [[Dansville]]. The Portageville and Castile entrances provide the best access to the falls, the most popular gorge views, the Glen Iris Inn, and the highest concentration of lodges, cabins, and concessions. To get from one side of the park to the other, you can cross at the north end on Route 36 or at the south end on Route 436, but either way you'll have to re-enter the park at another entrance. ===By foot=== Part of the park's trail system is connected to the '''[http://www.fogvg.org/ Genesee Valley Greenway]''', a multi-use rail trail that extends 90 miles (140 km) from the Erie Canal in [[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]] all the way down to [[Cuba (New York)|Cuba]] in the [[Southern Tier]], along I-86. The trail crosses the river on Route 36 in Mount Morris, right at the north end of the park; one of the park's trails picks up just inside the park entrance. From there, the Greenway heads southeast through Mount Morris and Sonyea, then southwest through Tuscarora, Nunda, and Oakland before entering the park north of Portageville; from there you can access the east-side facilities and trails near the Parade Grounds entrance. ===By plane=== Both Buffalo and Rochester have mid-sized airports with plenty of flights daily from all the major domestic hubs and fully staffed rental car agencies. There are a number of smaller airstrips in the surrounding countryside, but then you're stuck without a car to take you the rest of the way. ==Fees and permits== The park is open daily 6AM&ndash;11PM. The per-vehicle entrance fee is $10, payable at the four entrances on the west side of the river. (The fee is only collected between 9AM and 5PM, and only during the busy season.) The east-side Dam and Parade Grounds entrances have no fee, but you can't get to the west side, where most of the attractions and amenities are. Alternatively, the '''[http://nysparks.com/admission/empire-passport/ Empire Passport]''' costs $65 and gets you access to all New York State Parks; it's valid from the date of purchase through the end of March in the following calendar year (that is, for at least 3 and as many as 15 months, depending on date of purchase). Some park amenities and attractions cost extra; see individual listings below. You don't need a permit to do most things in the park; the exceptions are for hunting and nighttime snowmobiling. You'll also need to fill out an application to use certain lodges and shelters. All such forms are available on the web site. ==Get around== The park is close to Interstate 390 and served by several state highways of good quality. Roads within the park are all hard-surfaced, with ample parking at major sightseeing points. It is illegal to leave the marked trails and roads, even on foot or snowmobile. Don't do it; leave the wilds to the animals! ==See== [[File:Lower Falls at Letchworth State Park, New York, USA.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The Lower Falls]] ===Waterfalls=== Located near the south end of the park, these are Letchworth's primary draws. Though the views of the falls and gorge are great year-round, the place really shines in autumn; it's one of the best sites for leaf-peeping in the entire Northeast. The {{marker|type=see|name=Upper Falls|lat=42.578515|long=-78.048899}}, whose drop totals 71 feet (a 50-foot main drop and a few rapids just below), cascade over a tight horseshoe bend, making them a little hard to see. But the Portage Bridge just above the crest makes for a dramatic backdrop. The {{marker|type=see|name=Middle Falls|lat=42.583085|long=-78.042698}} are within easy walking distance of the Upper via a paved trail, and they are both the tallest (107 ft) and the most picturesque. The rainbows of the Middle Falls captured the imagination of both the Seneca Indians (who believed the beauty of the falls made the sun pause at midday) and William Pryor Letchworth, who named his estate Glen Iris after the rainbow-filled valley of the Middle Falls. The {{marker|type=see|name=Lower Falls|lat=42.585369|long=-78.021249}} are a bit further downstream, and they have the shortest drop (70 feet). You've got to climb down a substantial set of stairs to get to any decent viewing location, but it's worth it, as the Lower Falls' face is the most interesting of the three. There's a stone footbridge just below the Lower Falls, the only (legal) way to walk across the river within the park. While the three main waterfalls capture most of the attention—rightfully so—there are a number of other waterfalls in the park, each representing a tributary of the Genesee that now has to drop all the way down into the carved gorge. That makes for some very tall falls, though they tend to be fairly small in width and volume. Some even dry up seasonally. But with total drops approaching 500 feet, the heights some of these falls reach can rival the volume of the Genesee Falls for sheer spectacle. ===Other points of interest=== Once you're done gazing at the falls, there are a few more attractions to check out. * {{see | name=Letchworth State Park Visitors Center | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.5842 | long=-78.0433 | directions= | phone=+1 585 493-3600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are concession buildings with restrooms and guides in several places in the park, but the main visitors center is along the park road between the Middle and Lower Falls, not far from Inspiration Point, north of the Glen Iris area. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=William Pryor Letchworth Museum | alt= | url=http://www.letchworthparkhistory.com/museum.html | email= | address= | lat=42.5851 | long=-78.0438 | directions=Glen Iris grounds | phone=+1 585 493-2760 | tollfree= | hours=May-Oct: daily 10AM-5PM | price=Recommended donation: $1/adult, $0.50/child, $3/family | content=In 1898, Mr. Letchworth himself erected a "Genesee Valley Museum" building on his estate grounds. He used it to exhibit his collection of Native American artifacts and geological specimens&mdash;including a mastodon skull! Though the collection has been expanded and moved to a bigger building since that time, it still maintains his original focus on the human and geological history of the Genesee Valley. The museum also memorializes Letchworth himself, housing his personal library and other documents and artifacts from his life. And the original mastodon skull still astounds visitors today. }} * {{see | name=Council Grounds | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.58786 | long=-78.03861 | directions=just north of Glen Iris | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free with park admission | content=Letchworth took a keen interest in the Native American history of the Genesee Valley, and when he heard that the old 1765 Seneca Council House in nearby Caneadea was in danger, he had the whole thing taken apart and reassembled on his estate grounds. Later, at the request of relatives, he relocated the grave of '''Mary Jemison''', the "White Woman of the Genesee", from the endangered Buffalo Creek Reservation near [[Buffalo]] to the new Council Grounds at Glen Iris. A cabin, built by Jemison for one of her daughters and formerly located on her property downstream at the Gardeau Flats, was also relocated. Today, the two buildings and the gravesite (marked by an iconic statue) continue to be carefully preserved. }} * {{see | name=Humphrey Nature Center | alt= | url=https://parks.ny.gov/environment/nature-centers/19/details.aspx | email= | address= | lat=42.592739 | long=-78.034711 | directions= | phone=+1 585 493-3680 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily, 10AM-5PM | price=Free with park admission | lastedit=2018-06-21 | content=Open year-round, the Humphrey Nature Center has exhibits, many of them interactive, illustrating the geology and biology of the park. }} [[File:Mount Morris Dam.JPG|right|thumb|250px|The Mount Morris Dam, looking south, with the visitors center in the background.]] * {{see | name=Mount Morris Dam | alt= | url=http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/MountMorrisDam.aspx | email= | address=6103 Visitor Center Rd, Mt Morris | lat=42.733333 | long=-77.906944 | directions=Access from Route 408, south of Mt Morris | phone=+1 585 658-4790 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Visitors Center open Apr-Oct, daily 10AM-4:30PM; tours Apr-Oct, daily 2PM plus F-Su 11AM; grounds open all year, daily 6AM-11PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Mount Morris Dam | wikidata=Q6922291 | content=Communities along the Genesee River suffered under periodic flooding throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Great Flood of 1865, for instance, devastated [[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]], and a repeat was seen as increasingly inevitable. Around 1950, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the massive Mount Morris Dam, using the deep valley to the south as a reservoir, allowing the regulation of northward flow. At 230 feet (70 m) high and over 1000 feet (300 m) long, the dam is an impressive sight. A Visitors Center was created in 1999 on the east side of the river; it contains exhibits on the Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and earth science. Free walking tours that go inside the dam structure depart once or twice daily. The grounds have picnic areas, playgrounds, and trails. }} **The dam can also be viewed from the west side of the river, just off the main Park Road; there's no access to the dam or to the main Visitors Center from there, but it's close to the main park entrance, so there's a parking lot and concession stand with souvenirs and food. ==Do== By far, the most popular activity in Letchworth&mdash;not counting sightseeing&mdash;is walking the trails, though bicyclists and horseback riders also make extensive use of them. In the winter, bicyclists and hikers are replaced by cross-country skiers and snowshoers. But there are a couple of other ways to traverse the park's spaces. There are playgrounds throughout the park. * {{do | name=Adventure Calls Outfitters | alt=white-water rafting | url=http://www.adventure-calls.com | email=aco.rafting@gmail.com | address= |lat=42.5907 | long=-78.0125 | directions=near Lower Falls Restaurant; use Castile entrance | phone=+1 585 343-4710 | tollfree=+1-888-270-2410 | fax=+1 585 345-4232 | hours=Apr 6 - Nov 17, Sa Su holidays; plus once daily Tu-Fr from Jun 23 - Sep 2 | price=$45/person, plus $7 wetsuit rental in cold weather |lastedit=2018-04-05| content=Five-mile white-water rafting trips through the gorge, starting just below the Lower Falls. }} * {{do | name=Balloons Over Letchworth | alt= | url=http://www.balloonsoverletchworth.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 585 493-3340 | tollfree= | hours=daily May - mid-Oct, sunrise and sunset | price=$365 | content=Spend up to an hour in the air above the Letchworth gorge, with absolutely unparalleled views. Extremely popular in the fall for leaf peeping; book early. }} There are also a number of playgrounds in the park, usually in close proximity to picnicking areas, as well as a larger recreation area. * {{do | name=Highbanks Recreation Area | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.72756 | long=-77.91973 | directions=south of the Dam overlook on the west river bank | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Pool open daily late Jun - Labor Day | price=Pool: ages 12+ $2, under 12 $1 | wikidata=Q49500957 | content=The main attraction at this recreation area is the swimming pool, which is open when school is out. There's a diving pool and bathhouse adjacent, and ample parking. Other than that, there are a couple of shelters, an information center, some picnic tables, and easy access to the Highbanks camping area. If you came into the park from the north, and don't want to drive all the way to the south end to see the falls, this is probably as far into the park as you'll go; there's not much else to see for another 10 miles at least. }} ** {{do | name=Fire on the Genesee | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Fire-on-the-Genesee-Civil-War-Re-eactment-148589041929617 | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=at Highbanks Rec Area | phone=+1 585 493-3600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=3 days in mid-May | price= | content=An annual Civil War Encampment event, featuring 'living history' presentations and of course battle re-enactments. }} ==Buy== [http://www.letchworthconcessionsandevents.com/shopping.html The Basics, Inc.] {{dead link|December 2020}} operates gift shops in several locations; they sell items commonly requested by visitors, such as souvenir clothing and camera batteries. ==Eat and drink== All food and drink services within the park are seasonal, generally operating from late April to early November. The Glen Iris Inn (see below) is well known for its elegant restaurant serving American and European fare, though the service is sometimes found a bit lacking for the price. It's also the only place within the park where you can get alcohol, with local Finger Lakes wines, among others, popularly served with meals. Main courses run from $21-37. There are also a number of smaller concession stands operated by [http://www.letchworthconcessionsandevents.com The Basics, Inc.] {{dead link|December 2020}} Nearby towns have additional dining options. ==Sleep== 270 campsites, 82 cabins, a small motel-style facility, and the Glen Iris Bed & Breakfast rooms (upstairs at the mansion). All accommodations, cabins and campsite are seasonally available, generally from late April to early November. The exception to this are the 'C' loop cabins which are available year-round primarily to service hunters in the northern park areas. ===Lodging=== [[File:Glen Iris Inn.jpg|thumb|You can sleep at the former estate of William Pryor Letchworth]] * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Glen Iris Inn | alt= | url=http://www.glenirisinn.com/ | email= | address=7 Letchworth State Park, Castile | lat=42.5845 | long=-78.0429 | directions=Park Road between Castile and Portageville entrances, at the Middle Falls | phone=+1 585 493-2622 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$100-400 | wikipedia=Glen Iris Inn | image=Glen_Iris_Inn.jpg | wikidata=Q5567827 | content="Glen Iris" is the name William Pryor Letchworth gave to his country estate, where he entertained friends and business associates above the Middle Falls of the Genesee. Today, guests can relax in the very same building, or in one of several out-parcels. The 12 standard rooms are a bit small, with either one double bed or two twin beds, but each has a private bath. The four suites are larger, each with a queen bed, but almost twice as expensive; the largest has a private porch and a whirlpool tub. The adjacent Pinewood Lodge offers seven efficiency units, each with a kitchenette, queen bed, and single-size sleeper sofa. There are also three smaller houses not too far away, offering multiple bedrooms and full kitchen facilities for larger families and groups of up to eight people. }} ===Camping=== * {{sleep |name=Letchworth Campgrounds |url=http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/letchworth-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NY&parkId=375 |phone=+1 800 456-2267 |lat=NA |long=NA |content=The park camping season lasts from early May into mid-October. Prices range from $21 to $27 per night per site. ($5 daily surcharge for out-of-state visitors.) Reservations are made through Reserve America. }} ** {{sleep |name=Highbanks Camping Area |lat=42.697274 |long=-77.933645 |content=The tent and RV camping area is located near the Perry Entrance. Pets (max 2) allowed in 100, 200, and 700 loops. 30 and 50 amp electric sites. }} ** {{sleep |name=Cabin Areas |lat=NA |long=NA |content=Cabins are available for an extra month on either side versus campsites. Prices range from $30 to $115 per night, with a $6.25 daily surcharge for out-of-staters. All five areas offer cabins with electricity, a stove, and refrigerator. Most are heated, other amenities vary. No pets allowed. Cabin areas D and E are only accessible via the Parade Grounds entrance (eastern side). }} *** {{sleep |name=Cabin Area A |lat=42.5941 |long=-78.0091 |content=Cold running water (during peak season). }} *** {{sleep |name=Cabin Area B |lat=42.5898 |long=-78.0143 |content=Cold running water (during peak season) }} *** {{sleep |name=Cabin Area C |lat=42.71325 |long=-77.93319 |content=The only cabin area in the northern part of the park, most open year-round }} *** {{sleep |name=Cabin Area D |lat=42.5832 |long=-78.0320 |content=Cabins 3, 8 unheated }} *** {{sleep |name=Cabin Area E |lat=42.5973 |long=-78.0020 |content=Unheated, no shower facilities }} Once you have arrived, check in at one of two places. * {{listing | name=Visitor Center | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.59059 | long=-78.02698 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-07-09 | content=Cabin areas A, B, D, E }} * {{listing | name=Contact Station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.69311 | long=-77.95519 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-07-09 | content=Campground, Cabin area C }} ===Backcountry=== The 584-mile main leg of the Finger Lakes Trail runs through the park for approximately 25 miles along the much less visited eastern side of the gorge. There are two lean-tos along this trail, however a permit must be obtained from the New York State Parks Department in order to camp overnight. ==Stay safe== Cell phone service is sporadic within the park boundaries depending on carrier; take appropriate precautions. In the off season, it may be difficult to contact emergency services depending on location in the park. The nearest major medical facility is Noyes Hospital, in [[Dansville]], or Noyes Health Services in Geneseo. As in most other Northeastern forested areas, [[ticks]] which may carry Lyme disease and other harmful illnesses are a growing concern. Protect yourself by staying on marked paths, spraying skin and clothing with appropriate insect repellents and checking for any insects that may be on you or your clothes immediately after hiking. ==Connect== Payphones are available near most camping areas and places with public facilities. ==Go next== *Letchworth serves as a western gateway to the [[Finger Lakes]], one of the most important wine regions in the eastern United States, with over 100 wineries offering tours and tastings in season. *[[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]] is the nearest large city to Letchworth, about an hour to the north via I-390. Come in the spring to take in the famous Lilac Festival, in the summer to experience the Rochester Jazz Festival or explore a fine system of parks and green spaces designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, or any time of year to take in a wealth of museums and historical attractions. *[[Buffalo]], New York State's second-largest city, is located a little over an hour west of Letchworth via Route 20A. Once a major industrial center and inland port, the "Queen City" hosts a wealth of Gilded Age architectural treasures, cultural attractions, big-league sports, and bustling nightlife — and is the home of the famous Buffalo chicken wing, invented here in 1964. *An hour and a half southwest of the park via I-390 and I-86 lies [[Corning (New York)|Corning]], famous as home of the Corning Glass Works and the attached Corning Museum of Glass. As well, there are many older villages and towns dotting the countryside around the park itself. The entire area is hilly with pretty vistas. {{isPartOf|Western Finger Lakes}} {{guidepark}} {{geo|42.66|-77.97|zoom=12}} iy570dkw7ztoni2zmlnobtslor6a49g 0 20423 4501633 4450043 2022-08-15T15:58:26Z 31.221.180.208 /* By train */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Luanda_Wikivoyage_banner.jpg}} [[File:Luanda_Skyline_-_Angola_2015_(cropped).jpg|thumb|350px|View of Luanda, taken from the Fortaleza]] '''Luanda''', the capital of [[Angola]], is on the Atlantic coast. Its current renaissance is an inspiring success story. Decades of conflict, which only ended in 2002, had long held Angola back. Since the start of the 21st century there has been a massive boom in construction in Luanda, where peace and stability have attracted numerous foreign companies to invest in offices in the city. The government of Angola, getting rich off revenue from oil, diamond and other natural resources, is also investing heavily in and around Luanda, including large social housing high-rise blocks of flats to replace slums and existing dilapidated (and often bullet-ridden) tower blocks; extensive repaving; the construction of several six-lane highways leading out of the city; the reconstruction of railway lines leading out of the city; and a large new airport on the south side is under construction, and following various delays is reported to be scheduled to open in 2022. ==Understand== ===History=== Luanda was founded in 1575 under the name '''São Paulo de Loanda''' by a hundred families of settlers and four hundred soldiers. Two forts were constructed in the early 17th century and the city became Portuguese Angola's administrative centre in 1627. From the late 16th century until 1836, Luanda was the port where nearly all slaves bound for Brazil left. Aside from a brief period of Dutch rule (1640–48), this period was relatively uneventful, with Luanda growing much like many other colonial cities, albeit with a strong Brazilian influence as a result of the extensive shipping trade between these Portuguese colonies. The independence of Brazil in 1822 and the end of slavery in 1836 left Luanda's future looking bleak, but the opening of the city's port to foreign ships in 1844 led to a great economic boom. By 1850, the city was arguably the most developed and one of the greatest cities in the Portuguese empire outside Portugal itself and fuelled by trade in palm and peanut oil, wax, copra, timber, ivory, cotton, coffee, and cocoa. After slavery officially ended (resisted by the Portuguese but enforced by the British) forced labour began. Numerous imported crops grew well in the surrounding area to support residents, such as maize, tobacco, and cassava. In 1889, an aqueduct opened, supplying fresh water and removing the only inhibitor to growth in the city. The city blossomed even during the Portuguese Colonial War (1961–74), which did not affect the city, and this modern city was even labelled the "Paris of Africa" in 1972. After so much success, the city took a turn for the worse in the mid-1970s. While largely untouched during the Carnation Revolution (Angolan independence), the start of the '''Angolan Civil War''' in 1975 scared almost all Angola's population of Portuguese descent out of the country as refugees (including the majority of Luanda's population). This led to an immediate crisis as Angola's African population knew little about how to run or maintain the city. They were helped a little by skilled Cuban soldiers who were able to help the MPLA government maintain some of the city's basic services, but hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled fighting in the countryside created slums stretching for miles on all sides of the city. The city saw some sporadic fighting during the Civil War which left bullet holes in many high-rises and government buildings. When peace was achieved in 2002, the government began planning to rebuild using oil revenues. Today Luanda's skyline is dotted with cranes, erecting numerous social housing apartments to replace slums and existing, but grossly dilapidated, 40-plus-year-old high-rises as well as offices for numerous foreign companies operating in Angola. Just south of Luanda in an area aptly called Luanda Sul, Western-standard housing, many compound-style, is being built for the growing expat community. Major improvements are being made to roads, highways, and the rail system in and around the city but there is yet an overwhelming amount of work to be done. And while certainly still home to a large impoverished population (59%), free housing and the creation of thousands of new jobs each year means that Luanda may have a bright future ahead. ===Climate=== [[File:Luanda01.JPG|thumb|Luanda receives most nearly all its heavy rain in March and April.]] The climate is largely influence by the offshore Benguela current. The current gives the city a surprisingly low humidity despite its low latitude, which makes the warmer months considerably more bearable than similar cities in Western/Central Africa. The city receives an average of 405mm (15.9 in) of rain a year, mostly in heavy amounts in March and April and in lighter amounts from November through February. However, this is quite variable depending on the strength of the current and the coefficient of variation is 40% (there can be a sixfold difference between rain received in the driest of years and wettest of years). The temperatures are fairly stable year-round, with the mildest months being between May (29° max/23° min) and October and the warmest months being November (31° max/25° min) and April. ===Orientation=== Luanda is divided into ten municipalities: Ingombota, Maianga, Sambizanga (centre), Samba, Rangel, Cazenga, (middle ring), Cacuaco, Viana, Kilamba Kiaxi, and the newly created municipality of Belas (periphery). In the centre (Ingombotas and Maianga) the oldest colonial town is divided in ''Baixa de Luanda'' (lower Luanda, from the port to the fortress), ''Cidade Alta'' (upper city, where the presidential palace is), and ''Ilha do Cabo'' (a peninsula surrounding the bay, with beaches and expensive night-clubs, bars and restaurants). Behind and above the historic centre, central ''bairros'' include Maianga and Alvalade (residential) and Miramar (embassies), as well as Kinaxixe and Maculusso, which are characterised by Portuguese apartment blocks. Further outside the centre, the neighbourhoods become more informal (self-construction), dotted with 1970s Cuban apartment blocks and new developments. In the South, luxury gated communities (condominiums) predominate. ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-8.818|13.233|zoom=|layer=|staticmap=|align=|name=}} {{Mapmask |-8.7581,13.3880 |-8.7576,13.3901 |-8.7585,13.3922 |-8.7618,13.3944 |-8.7992,13.3851 |-8.8301,13.3844 |-8.8579,13.3889 |-8.8956,13.4099 |-8.9220,13.4116 |-8.9400,13.3993 |-8.9512,13.3855 |-8.9505,13.3727 |-8.9327,13.3321 |-8.9276,13.3117 |-8.9287,13.3020 |-8.9273,13.2667 |-8.9253,13.2603 |-8.9220,13.2588 |-8.9198,13.2538 |-8.9185,13.2208 |-8.9285,13.1844 |-8.9276,13.1698 |-8.9255,13.1627 |-8.9210,13.1585 |-8.9144,13.1590 |-8.9112,13.1577 |-8.9081,13.1583 |-8.9069,13.1604 |-8.9033,13.1610 |-8.9017,13.1669 |-8.9002,13.1679 |-8.9007,13.1688 |-8.8982,13.1713 |-8.8963,13.1691 |-8.8934,13.1715 |-8.8895,13.1727 |-8.8841,13.1740 |-8.8848,13.1765 |-8.8821,13.1786 |-8.8793,13.1820 |-8.8772,13.1865 |-8.8738,13.1918 |-8.8677,13.1970 |-8.8605,13.2011 |-8.8508,13.2052 |-8.8482,13.2048 |-8.8475,13.2038 |-8.8419,13.2026 |-8.8417,13.2033 |-8.8357,13.2023 |-8.8318,13.2018 |-8.8275,13.2053 |-8.8240,13.2110 |-8.8224,13.2118 |-8.8212,13.2122 |-8.8198,13.2122 |-8.8193,13.2110 |-8.8168,13.2123 |-8.8168,13.2117 |-8.8137,13.2140 |-8.8133,13.2129 |-8.7989,13.2219 |-8.7938,13.2238 |-8.7939,13.2250 |-8.7900,13.2262 |-8.7900,13.2272 |-8.7885,13.2280 |-8.7856,13.2304 |-8.7814,13.2353 |-8.7773,13.2416 |-8.7694,13.2521 |-8.7598,13.2629 |-8.7616,13.2638 |-8.7666,13.2585 |-8.7684,13.2580 |-8.7713,13.2533 |-8.7737,13.2524 |-8.7759,13.2499 |-8.7776,13.2491 |-8.7794,13.2460 |-8.7810,13.2453 |-8.7818,13.2439 |-8.7815,13.2424 |-8.7822,13.2405 |-8.7850,13.2344 |-8.7854,13.2350 |-8.7882,13.2333 |-8.7894,13.2336 |-8.7902,13.2335 |-8.7908,13.2330 |-8.7949,13.2278 |-8.7952,13.2265 |-8.7951,13.2257 |-8.7966,13.2253 |-8.7971,13.2257 |-8.8027,13.2238 |-8.8033,13.2248 |-8.8053,13.2243 |-8.8060,13.2257 |-8.8081,13.2261 |-8.8085,13.2277 |-8.8098,13.2281 |-8.8104,13.2310 |-8.8094,13.2339 |-8.8085,13.2367 |-8.8065,13.2384 |-8.8057,13.2388 |-8.8040,13.2387 |-8.8020,13.2384 |-8.8014,13.2386 |-8.8009,13.2390 |-8.8007,13.2395 |-8.8008,13.2402 |-8.8020,13.2422 |-8.7953,13.2457 |-8.7960,13.2469 |-8.7989,13.2454 |-8.7997,13.2470 |-8.7988,13.2539 |-8.7935,13.2643 |-8.7912,13.2666 |-8.7919,13.2672 |-8.7887,13.2705 |-8.7879,13.2699 |-8.7847,13.2737 |-8.7849,13.2742 |-8.7844,13.2745 |-8.7847,13.2760 |-8.7839,13.2766 |-8.7861,13.2787 |-8.7845,13.2803 |-8.7819,13.2784 |-8.7783,13.2808 |-8.7779,13.2844 |-8.7752,13.2850 |-8.7724,13.2857 |-8.7718,13.2868 |-8.7687,13.2880 |-8.7641,13.2899 |-8.7584,13.2974 |-8.7562,13.3034 |-8.7559,13.3052 |-8.7564,13.3069 |-8.7575,13.3087 |-8.7600,13.3126 |-8.7597,13.3152 |-8.7581,13.3186 |-8.7585,13.3198 |-8.7594,13.3204 |-8.7598,13.3200 |-8.7596,13.3195 |-8.7601,13.3182 |-8.7611,13.3191 |-8.7613,13.3207 |-8.7625,13.3210 |-8.7633,13.3243 |-8.7645,13.3260 |-8.7645,13.3269 |-8.7656,13.3290 |-8.7682,13.3323 |-8.7679,13.3359 |-8.7693,13.3375 |-8.7701,13.3374 |-8.7701,13.3369 |-8.7697,13.3366 |-8.7699,13.3358 |-8.7710,13.3359 |-8.7719,13.3378 |-8.7724,13.3395 |-8.7723,13.3419 |-8.7706,13.3446 |-8.7705,13.3458 |-8.7684,13.3492 |-8.7695,13.3510 |-8.7700,13.3526 |-8.7711,13.3535 |-8.7716,13.3546 |-8.7733,13.3558 |-8.7746,13.3559 |-8.7756,13.3569 |-8.7743,13.3613 |-8.7735,13.3630 |-8.7738,13.3634 |-8.7753,13.3636 |-8.7757,13.3661 |-8.7721,13.3733 |-8.7638,13.3813 |-8.7581,13.3880}} ===By plane=== *{{marker|type=go|name=Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport| wikidata=Q598002}} Despite the city's very low tourist numbers, it has a surprisingly large number of international connections, which largely service Angolans living abroad (such as in Brazil) and the growing number of firms servicing the oil and diamond industries as well as reconstruction (done largely by Chinese workers and Brazilian firms). A couple of carriers still operate routes based on Cold War alliances (to Havana and Moscow). The city is the hub of national carrier ''TAAG Angola Airlines'', one of just three profitable airlines in Sub-Saharan Africa, which offers flights to 15 Angolan cities. They offer flights to many cities in West-Central/Southern Africa including daily flights to [[Johannesburg]] as well as [[Douala]], [[Cameroon]]; [[Sal]], [[Cape Verde]]; [[Bangui]], [[Central African Republic|CAR]]; [[Kinshasa]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC]]; [[Brazzaville]] & [[Pointe Noire]] in the [[Republic of the Congo|Congo]]; [[Windhoek]], [[Namibia]]; [[Sao Tome]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]]; [[Lusaka]], [[Zambia]]; [[Harare]], [[Zimbabwe]]. Their long-haul offerings include: [[Dubai]], [[Beijing]] (via Dubai), [[Lisbon]], [[Paris]], and trans-Atlantic flights to [[Rio de Janeiro (city)|Rio de Janeiro]], [[São Paulo]], and [[Salvador|Salvador de Bahia]] in [[Brazil]]. Aside from TAAG, SonAir serve about a dozen airports each around the country. International service includes flights to/from: [[Dubai]] (Emirates), [[Frankfurt]] (Lufthansa), [[London]]-Heathrow (BA), [[Paris]]-de Gaulle (Air France), [[Windhoek]] (Air Namibia), [[Brussels]] (Brussels Airlines), [[Havana]] (Cubana, seasonal), [[Moscow]] (Aeroflot), [[Beijing]] (Hainan, via Dubai), [[Addis Ababa]] (Ethiopian), [[Lisbon]] (TAP Portugal). When leaving the country do not take any kwanza to the airport as it is illegal to try to take kwanza out of the country; you may be stopped by the fiscal police and receive a heavy fine (all your kwanza taken and most of your other money) or imprisoned. ===By train=== Rail services in Angola have seen a dramatic improvement over the last few years. Reconstruction and modernization are carried out by Chinese firms, rehabilitating what was once one of the most extensive rail network in Africa during under colonial rule. However, trains are of limited use for the tourist as they mainly serve commuters. An exception is the long distance services from [[Malanje]]. Notice that rail services still have a reputation of not being fully safe. * {{go | name=Central railway station | alt=Estação Central de Luanda | url= | email= | address=Largo Eng. Pedro Folque | lat= | long= | directions=1 km north of city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q65170215 | lastedit=2020-08-30 | content=Also known as '''Bungo railway station''' (''Estação Ferroviária do Bungo''). All long-distance trains terminates here. }} ===By car=== The main road for tourists will be the coastal highway leading north to the DR Congo and south to Namibia. It is very scenic and in reasonably good repair. Roads are one of the top priorities in reconstruction efforts, including a handful of six-lane highways leading out of the city. Expect a mix of okay pavement on old highways and a smooth ride on new roads. ===By bus=== The National Bus Service has just re-opened but routes are not organized yet. There are some local services in Luanda and in between cities. ===By boat=== In 2018 a new ferry started on the Luanda to [[Cabinda]], which is useful to avoid a transit through the DR Congo. It is operated by TMA Express. ==Get around== [[File:Avenida dos Combatentes Luanda.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Congestion is a fact of life in Luanda. (Av. dos Combatentes)]] ===By minibus=== The government is investing in an expansive a bus system. ===By taxi=== A popular means for locals to get around the city is by mini bus taxis (Candongueiros), easily identifiable by their pale blue and white. Although they are considered dangerous by most expats, locals use them on a daily basis. During the daytime, until around 20:00, they are a safe, convenient, and usually fast means of transport in the inner-city. Fares are 100 Kwanzas per trip, except in rain or heavy traffic, when fares are doubled. Consider to use the Macon Taxi a private taxi company (20-30 USD per trip). Eco Tur also do 4x4 and minibus hire and airport transfers with bilingual drivers (paul@eco-tur.com) +244 912 501 387 '''[http://www.gobhome.com B Home]''' will provide airport pick ups and are available for hire (drivers) +244 222 264 423 B Home has offices in Luanda, and in the US. +1-281-444-5988 (Houston Office). '''Afri-taxi''' had 150 vehicles in Luanda and a rank at the airport. ===By car=== The roads in Luanda are generally of okay standard, as is the case on the main routes between cities, but elsewhere road quality greatly decreases. Don't be surprised if you encounter unexpected problems during the rainy season. In Luanda main streets are paved, but streets in the slums are in disrepair, and most roads have no lines or signals. As mentioned before, there are improvements being made throughout the city. Congestion is a major problem with lack of public transport and the plethora of minibus taxis. === By train === A commuter rail service is expected to open during the first half of 2021. While useful for reaching the suburbs, it will not be too useful for the average tourist. ==See== [[File:Bahia de Luanda.jpg|thumb|right|550px|Bahia de Luanda, the beautiful natural harbor Luanda surrounds, as seen from the fort.]] [[File:Agostinhonetomausoleu.jpg|thumbnail|The Agostinho Neto mausoleum]] *{{see | name=Agostinho Neto Mausoleum | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.823789| long=13.218918 | directions= | phone=+244 222334835 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upon arrival in Luanda, it is impossible to miss the towering obelisk-like structure shooting above the rest of the city. If you're curious to know what it is and why it is there, it's a mausoleum dedicated to Agostinho Neto, the first President of Angola who led Angola's struggle for independence. }} *{{see | name=Fortress of São Miguel | alt=Fortaleza de São Miguel | url= | email= | address=Calçada de S. Miguel | lat=-8.808302 | long=13.223428 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Fortress of São Miguel | wikidata=Q1408988 | lastedit=2018-10-13 | content=Built in 1576, it became the administrative center of Luanda during the early part of colonial rule and was a self-contained city for the early military garrison and an important holding place for slaves. It contains ornate wall tiles detailing the history of the city along with many relics, such as cannons and the original holding cells for slaves. }} *{{see | name=National Museum of Slavery | alt=Museu Nacional da Escravatura | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.960470 | long=13.105364 | directions= | phone=+244 222371622 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00 to 18:00 | price= | wikipedia=National Museum of Slavery (Angola) | wikidata=Q868140 | lastedit=2018-10-13 | content=Built in the area where the slaves were held prior to being taken off to the Americas. The museum building is the '''Capa de Casa Grande''', which is where they baptized slaves prior to sending them off to the Americas. The museum is worth seeing for the chapel and the cannons on the outside. In the center of the chapel is a fascinating stone font, but with no description. There are a few period objects of real interest (such as stocks, a whip, shackles), but the framed prints on the walls are mostly copies from published works, with relatively little accompanying information. The high, windswept location is beautiful. }} *{{see | name=National Museum of Natural History | url= | email= | address=Nossa Senhora da Muxima | lat=-8.815181 | long=13.238367 | directions= | phone=+244 222334055 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museu Nacional de História Natural de Angola | wikidata=Q10333589 | lastedit=2018-10-13 | content=A museum filled with thousands of species of animals, including fish, birds, crustaceons and insects. Many of the displayed animals are endangered, and some are even extinct. The museum does an impeccable job of displaying the large amount of diverse organisms that inhabit and once inhabited the country. }} *{{see | name=National Museum of Anthropology | alt=Museu Nacional de Antropologia | url=http://www.museuantropologia.angoladigital.net/ | email= | address=Av. de Portugal 61 | lat=-8.817053 | long=13.237540 | directions= | phone=+244 222337024 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Museu Nacional de Antropologia (Angola) | wikidata=Q10333588 | lastedit=2018-10-13 | content=Dedicated to educating people about Angolan history and culture, the National Museum of Anthropology features an impressive array of traditional masks along with art, sculptures, tools, weaponry, jewellery, clothing and musical instruments. }} *{{see | name=São Pedro da Barra Fortress | alt=Fortaleza de São Pedro da Barra | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.773356 | long=13.286187 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A fortress that served a variety of purposes throughout its history. It was constructed in the 17th century to protect the area from invaders. When the slave trade began, it was then used as a keep for the slaves until they were ready to send them away. Throughout Angola's struggle for independence against Portugal from 1961-1975, the fort housed nationalists who were arrested and then forced into labor camps. }} *{{see | name=Igreja do Carmo | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.816205 | long=13.232977 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Built in 1669. }} *{{see | name=Igreja da Nazare | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.808080 | long=13.239376 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A church built in 1664. It is famous for its beautiful altar made of Italian rose marble. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Money | alt=Museu da Moeda | url=http://www.museudamoeda.bna.ao/ | email= | address=Av. 4 de Fevereiro 151 | lat=-8.81101 | long=13.23337 | directions= | phone=+244 226 431 231 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-15:00 M-Sa, closed Su | price= | lastedit=2020-09-04 | content=About Angola's history of currency, from non-cash to Zimbo and Kwanza. }} * {{see | name=Church of Our Lady of Remedies | alt=Igreja Nossa Senhora dos Remédios | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.81377 | long=13.22974 | directions= | phone=+244 939 779 809 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-09-04 | content=Another old Catholic church, this one built in 1628. }} ==Do== ==Work== Jobs are mainly available in the oil sector, but also in the increasing number of international Angola based companies which are investing in Angola now that peace and stability are offering great development prospects for the country. ==Buy== [[File:Luanda1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Luanda skyline]] * {{buy | name=Benfica Handcrafts Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Belas | lat=-8.9591 | long=13.1049 | directions= | phone=+244 941 615 450 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-31 | content=For local crafts, at low prices, try this market just south of Luanda. }} *{{buy | name=Belas Shopping | url=http://www.belasshopping.co.ao | email= | address=Av. Luanda Sul | lat=-8.923860 | long=13.186027 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=21:00 to 22:00 | price= | content=Opened in 2007, it is Angola's first shopping mall. It features nearly 100 shops, a cinema, various restaurants and a central square for live entertainment. }} ==Eat== The majority of restaurants are on '''The Marginal''' or on '''Ilha de Luanda''', where Luanda's elite go to dine and have fun. Be careful: when eating out, '''do not drink the tap water.''' The '''Belas Shopping''' mall has a food court with a variety of options from local foods to pizza and burgers. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Panela de Barro | alt= | url= | email= | address=R. Emílio M'Bidi | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 933 552 244 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-31 | content= }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Chez Wou | alt= | url= | email= | address=Av. Mortala Mohamed 50 R/C Ilha do Cabo | lat=-8.8008 | long=13.2228 | directions= | phone=+244 924 237 190 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-31 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Macau Restaurante | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/macau.ilha/ | email= | address=Avenida Mortala Mohamede Ilha | lat=-8.7670 | long=13.2554 | directions= | phone=+244 938 967 888 | tollfree= | hours=10:00–23:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-01-31 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Vista Da Fortaleza | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rua Massano de Amorim, Chicala 1 | lat=-8.8075 | long=13.2179 | directions=in front of Supermercado Pomobel | phone=+244 938 550 540 | tollfree= | hours=11:00–22:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-01-31 | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Restaurante Café Del Mar | alt= | url=http://cafedelmar.co.ao/ | email= | address=Av Murtala Mohamed | lat=-8.764346 | long=13.258309 | directions= | phone=+244 923 581 333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Formerly Coconuts Restaurant, still with a great Atlantic Ocean view though. }} * {{eat | name=Beer Burger & Beef | alt=BBB | url=https://www.instagram.com/bbbcervejaria/ | email= | address=Av Murtala Mohamed | lat=-8.795228 | long=13.225456 | directions= | phone=+244 931 003 774 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Formerly the popular Cais de Quatro Restaurant. You can still see a spectacular view of the Luanda skyline from your table. }} * {{eat | name=Pimms | alt= | url=https://www.pimmsangola.com/ | email= | address=Rua Emílio M’Bidi, nº 112 | lat=-8.8328 | long=13.2364 | directions= | phone=+244 222 326 290 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 12:30–15:30 & 19:30–22:30, Sa 19:30–22:30 | price= | content= }} ==Drink== Luanda is highly influenced by Portuguese culture. Portuguese beer is widely consumed, although Heineken and Carlsberg make an appearance. Super Bock, Sagres and Cristal (most popular) are popular beers from Portugal. Local beers such as Nocal, Cuca (the most popular, especially the excellent draught version, or "fino" in Portuguese) and Eka. Try Portugalia (Portuguese Beer House) at the beginning of the Ilha, or either of the two boat clubs just on the Ilha for a nice sundowner (Clube Nautico and Clube Naval). Also, there are some excellent Portuguese wines widely available. ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=Inn Luanda | alt=Inn Luanda Boutique Hotel Type | url=http://www.innluanda.com | address=Rua Francisco Sá de Miranda, nº 50 | lat=-8.821662 | long=13.251759 | price=Single $225, Double $245, Triple $275 | phone=+244 922687350, +351 919863637 | content=Boutique hotel located in residential area close to center. Very clean and good air-con with free WiFi. Breakfast was included and they can prepare lunch and dinner. The manager speaks English. }} * {{sleep | name=Art House | alt= | url=http://www.thomsonarthouse.com/ | email= | address=Av. Murtala Mohamed | lat=-8.77193 | long=13.25070 | directions= | phone=+244 918 001 001 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Kz 55469 | lastedit=2020-09-03 | content=Free breakfast, wifi, a/c, restaurant/bar, beach access. Nice artistic vibe. }} * {{sleep | name=Casas de Luanda-GH Kinaxixe | alt= | url=http://casasdeluanda.com/ | email= | address= | lat=-8.81505 | long=13.23822 | directions=next door to natural history museum | phone=+244 222 320 358 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Kz 56079 | lastedit=2020-09-03 | content=Free wifi and breakfast. }} === Splurge === * {{sleep | name=Hotel Tropico | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.81539 | long=13.23702 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Kz 202981 | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-03 | content=This one will cost a pretty penny. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Presidente | alt= | url=http://www.hotelpresidenteluanda.com/ | email= | address=Largo 17 de Setembro nº4 | lat=-8.803591 | long=13.242090 | directions= | phone=+244 222 311 717 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia=Hotel Presidente Luanda | wikidata=Q20716843 | lastedit=2018-10-13 | content=A prestigious four star hotel in the city center. }} *{{sleep | name=Rouxinol Luxury Guesthouse | alt=Hotel Rouxinol | url=https://www.facebook.com/RouxinolBoutiqueHotel/ | email= | address=Beco de Moçambique nº 16, Bairro Cruzeiro | lat=-8.814977173715164 | long=13.2430100440979 | directions= | phone=+244 923 745 078 (Farah), +244 923 581 308 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00 | checkout=14:00 | price=$180-400 | lastedit=2018-10-13 | content=Near the Embassies in Miramar and the centre of town. }} * {{sleep | name=Alvalade Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.83518 | long=13.23318 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Kz 179818 | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-03 | content= }} ==Stay safe== Safety in Luanda is average for safety among African cities. Don't venture into the slums. Don't go out at night alone. Keep your car doors locked at all times. Violent crime has been on the rise, but it is mostly in the slums. The colonial part of the city is safe from violent crime; but like most African cities, pickpocketing or muggings are a fact of life. You will greatly reduce your chances of such if you stay low key: no fancy clothes or car, use a money belt, etc. The city is an expensive place to live and Angolans have realized that most expats in the city are high-salaried employees from large corporations, so you should especially avoid business attire. Do not give [[begging|beggars]] money; if you do, you will soon have a lot of them surrounding you. This is Central Africa: many police in Luanda are very corrupt. Check for their identity number (should be located on an arm band near the shoulder) and you may present charges against any abuse. As a visitor, it's important to carry an authorised photocopy of your passport at all times. Otherwise, you ''will'' get an on the spot fine or worse, courtesy of the police. Do not carry your original; the police may ask for it and keep it until you pay a "fine". ==Connect== ==Cope== ===Embassies and consulates=== * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Consulate of Canada | url= | email=consul.can@angonet.org | address=Rua Rei Katyavala 113 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222 448-371, +244 222 448-377, +244 222 448-366 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222 449-494 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany | alt= | url=http://www.luanda.diplo.de | email= | address=Avenida 4 de Fevereiro 120 Caixa Postal 1295 Luanda | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222 334516, +244 912 508146 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222 37 25 51 | hours=Mondays to Friday- from 09:00 to 12:00 or by appointment | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Consulate of Greece | url= | email= | address=Av. 4 de Feveiro 82, 2 o Andar, Apt. 1, Zip Code 2177, Luanda | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 23 96 852 | tollfree= | fax=+244 23 96 171 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Embassy of the Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/landen/angola/over-ons/ambassade-in-luanda | email=lua@minbuza.nl | address=Empr. Comandante Gika Edificio Garden Towers - Torre B - Piso 8, Travessa Ho Chi Minh - Bairro Alvalade | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222 310686 or +244 222 311511 | tollfree= | fax=+31 847300850 | hours=Mondays to Friday- from 08:00 to 16:00 on Friday till 13:00 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | url=http://luanda.mae.ro/ | email=luanda@mae.ro | address=Rua Ramalho Ortigão, 30, Bairro Alvalade | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222 321076 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222 321076 | hours= | price= | content=Embassy }} * {{flag|Serbia}} {{listing | name=Embassy of the Republic of Serbia | url= | email= | address=Rua Comandante Nzagi 25/27, Alvalade | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222 321421 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222 321724 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=Embassy of the United Kingdom | url=http://ukinangola.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Rua Diogo Cão 4 Caixa Postal 1244 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222 334582 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222 333331 | hours=Mondays to Thursday - from 08:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:30; Fridays - from 08:30 to 13:00 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=Embassy of the United States | alt= | url=https://ao.usembassy.gov/ | email=ConsularLuanda@state.gov | address=Rua Houari Boumedienne, #32 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222-641-000 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222-641-232 | hours= | price= | content=Consular assistance (for US citizens) available Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday from 2PM-4:30PM. }} * {{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Embassy of Israel | url=http://www.consulates.co.il/%D7%A9%D7%92%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C_%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%93%D7%94/ | email=info@luanda.mfa.gov.il | address=Rua Rainha Ginga #34, Edificio Siccal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+244 222-395-195 | tollfree= | fax=+244 222-396-366 | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Go next== Go a bit south of Luanda and you will find the outstanding '''Parque Nacional Da Kissama''' (also spelled Quiçama in Portuguese), home to elephants, antelope, exotic birdlife, ostriches, zebras, wildebeest, and giraffes, which are still thriving in great numbers but because tourism is just beginning to start in Angola, it still has a bit of a wild side to it. It is also very beautiful with spectacular views. {{usablecity}} {{geo|-8.83833|13.23444|zoom=13}} {{IsPartOf|Greater Luanda}} pubn6wfjoyese3h22aaqshut6pkj0o4 0 20554 4501699 4302224 2022-08-15T18:46:12Z BinUnterwegs 2162533 /* Get around */ Added hint that the Urnes ferry is very crowded in summer (own experience and conversations with the locals) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Sogn og Fjordane Lustrafjord 04 crop.jpg|unesco=yes}} '''Luster''' is a district in [[Sogn og Fjordane]] county. Luster sits right at the intersection of central alpine mountains, great glaciers and the iconic fjords. Luster is also the name of one of the villages. The great Luster fjord, a major branch of [[Sognefjord]], is surrounded by [[Jostedalsbreen]], Breheimen and [[Jotunheimen]]. Skjolden is known for Ludwig Wittgenstein's lodge and Urnes is a UNESCO world heritage site. Luster offers all of Norway's grand nature as well as some of the finest cultural heritage. [[File:Norway Sogn og Fjordane - Luster.svg|thumb|Luster district in Sogn og Fjordane county.]] ==Understand== Luster is at the inner (eastern) end of the 204 km (127 mi) long [[Sognefjord]]. Parts of [[Jotunheimen]] (Norway's high alpine summits) and [[Jostedalsbreen]] (Norway's great glacier) are within Luster municipality. Luster's grand nature is created at the intersection of Norway's largest fjord, largest glacier and tallest mountains. Numerous rivers transport "thick" (opaque) glacial meltwater to lakes and to the fjord, giving fjords and lakes a milky turquoise appearance. Luster is also home to numerous pretty waterfalls. Luster fjord (Lustrafjorden), easily recognized by its emerald-turquoise color, is a major arm of the great Sognefjord, and is more than 600 meters deep at Urnes. The area is sparsely populated, and is primarily glaciers and barren uninhabited mountains. [[File:Lustrafjorden.jpg|thumb|200px|Luster fjord]] Some 5,000 inhabitants share more than 2,500 km², making it a sparsely populated area, built up areas and farm land is limited to narrow shores and narrow valleys. About 15 % of the area is glacier or permanent snow. There are no towns in the area, only small villages and settlements. ==Villages== * Skjolden * Dale * Gaupne * Hafslo * Solvorn - once an important trading place, now peaceful village with a fine hotel. ==Get in== Luster is in western Norway so overland transport from East Norway runs through mountain passes. ===By plane=== There is a small airport in [[Sogndal]]. The nearest airport with international flights is [[Bergen]] airport, while the drive from Oslo airport ([[Gardermoen]]) is only slightly longer. ===By bus=== Seven times daily from [[Sogndal]]. Buses twice daily from [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]], July-August only. ===By car=== [[File:A view from Riksveg 55 at Sognefjellet.jpg|thumb|Sognefjell mt pass]] Luster is on route 55 between [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] and [[Sogndal]]. Route 55 is a national tourist route that includes the Sognefjell mountain pass - Norway's highest public road and closed during winter. Road 55 connects to the private Tindevegen at Turtagrø, road to [[Årdal]] through high mountains. ==Get around== {{mapframe|61.481|7.554|zoom=9}} [https://www.lustrabaatane.com/ Lustrabaatane] is a ferry connecting Solvorn to Ornes (Urnes) respectively on the west and east shore of the fjord. The ferry is running 9 times a day in summer, 4 times in winter and it costs 34 kr per person and 93 kr for vehicles less than 6 m (19.7 ft). The crossing takes about 15 minutes. Be aware that the last ferry of the day is often very crowded, and it is possible that vehicles are left behind. If you just want to visit the church in Urnes from the western (Solvorn) side, do not take your car but cross as a foot passenger instead — you won’t need a car in Urnes if you can manage to walk up the small hill the church stands on. ==See== [[Image:Urnes Stave Church 1.jpg|thumb|Urnes Stave Church.]] ===Nature=== [[File:Nigardsbreen paa avstand.jpg|thumb|Nigardsbreen glacier arm]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Nigardsbreen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gaupne/Jostedalen | lat=61.6765 | long=7.2134 | directions=Route 55 to Gaupne then route 604 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Nigardsbreen | image=Nigardsbreen glacier.jpg | wikidata=Q1781997 | content=Arm of the great Jostedalsbreen glacier. '''Caution''': Watch from a safe distance, respect signs and fences, professional guide needed for hike on the ice. }} * {{see | name=Feigumfossen | alt=Feigefossen | url= | email=info@visitsogn.info | address=Skjolden | lat=61.38069 | long=7.44241 | directions= | phone=+47 97600443 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | image=Feigefossen 2.jpg | content=A 218 m (720 ft) high waterfall. The waterfall can be seen from route FV331. A path let you take a closer look. If you continue on the path there is a place right by the bottom of the waterfall where you can take a sip of pure, safe snowmelt. }} * {{see | name=Romantic Road | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=61.4869 | long=7.6000 | directions=Starts in Skjolden ends in Urnes | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=The FV331 is a 30 km scenic road along the eastside of the fjord. The road is narrow with several curves, so drive slowly. From Urnes you can take the ferry to Solvorn. This is a nice alternative to route 55. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Jotunheimen]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=61.462 | long=7.875 | directions=Road 55 (and/or Tindevegen road to Årdal) | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hurrungane | image=JOV 0060.jpg | wikidata=Q946828 | content=The western part of Norway's highest mountains are in Luster and Årdal districts. These are also the wildest part of Jotunheimen, steep summits and sharp ridges. Visible from a long distance as well as from road 55. }} ===Culture=== * {{listing | type=see | name=Urnes Stave Church | alt=Urnes Stavkyrkje | url=http://www.stavechurch.com/en/urnes/ | email=fmf-sfj@online.no | address=Urnes | lat=61.29803 | long=7.32197 | directions=30 km (19 mi) from Skjolden on route FV331, or with ferry from Solvorn. | phone=+47 57678840 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57678889 | hours=5 May-30 Sep: 10.30AM-5.45PM | price=Adults: 80 kr, Students/Children: 60 kr | wikipedia=Urnes Stave Church | image=La pared original de la Urnes stavkyrkje (I).jpg | wikidata=Q210678 | content=The oldest stave church in Norway, built around 1130 AD. Included on [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. }} * {{see | name=Ludwig Wittgenstein's lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Skjolden | lat=61.4875 | long=7.6303 | directions=Eidsvatnet lake | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | lastedit=2020-08-02 | content=Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein had a vacation lodge on an isolated spot above the lake, he spent long periods there working on his theories. The building was later moved down to Skjolden, but has since been moved back to its original foundations. Barely visible across the lake from road 55. If you are walking from the town, you have to walk a stretch along the lake before reaching the trail. The last part of the trail is quite steep, and can be slippery if it is wet. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Dale church | alt=Dale kyrkje | url= | email= | address=Luster village | lat=61.4413 | long=7.4549 | directions=Road 55 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Dale Church (Luster) | image=Dale kyrkje Luster klebersteinsportal.JPG | wikidata=Q4577509 | content=A modest gothic, medieval parish church with an impressive soapstone portal (visible indoor only) and murals. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Gaupne old church | alt=Gaupne gamle kyrkje | url=http://www.stavechurch.com/en/gaupne-2/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Gaupne | lat=61.40806 | long=7.29722 | directions=Road 55 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Adults: 50 kr, Students: 40 kr | wikipedia=Old Gaupne Church | image=Gaupne stavkyrkjeportal.jpg | wikidata=Q12715029 | content=Wooden church (about 1647) with remains of an ancient stave church on the same site, notably the wooden portal. Modest exterior. Interior rosemaling or tole painting. Now maintained as cultural heritage. }} * {{see | name=Galleri Walaker | alt= | url=http://www.en.walaker.com/gallery/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Solvorn | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 12:00-17:00 | price= | content=This gallery holds exhibitions by local and national artists. }} ==Do== [[File:View from the Storebjørn against Hurrungane.jpg|thumb|Hurrungane summits as seen by skiers in Jotunheimen, mid April.]] * {{do | name=Cycling | url= | email=nordstedalseter@turistforeningen.no | address=Nørstedalseter | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 95076382 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=26 Jun-13 Sep: 8AM-11PM | price=Cyclehire: 120 kr, Drop of Cycle by the fjord: 80 kr | content=Cycle the 32 km (20 mi) long downhill from the mountain down to the fjord. Those with strong leg muscles can cycle up again (and save 80 kr). }} * {{do | name=Hiking | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 97600443 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hiking in [[Jotunheimen]]. }} * {{do | name=Moreld Sea Kayak | url=http://www.moreld.net/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email=info@moreld.net | address=Kroken | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 40467100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=450-750 kr | content=Kayaking tours to Feigumfossen waterfall and Urnes Stave Church. Longer tours also available. }} * {{do | name=Sognefjellet mountain pass | alt=Sognefjellsvegen | url= | email= | address=Road 55 from Skjolden | lat=61.557 | long=7.926 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=''Summer'' only | price=Free | content=Norway's highest mountain pass runs pass Norway's highest mountains in [[Jotunheimen]] with view to summits and glaciers. On the eastern side through Bøverdalen valley to [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] village. The road is closed in winter, opens about May. Steep ascent and descent, sharp corners. Cross country skiing is possible until June. }} *Other hiking: ** Molden for spectacular views at 1118 m above sea level up and down the Lustrafjord. ** Solvornnipa for full day hike *Other cycling ideas **Skjolden-Urnes road **Veitastrond ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Husflidsbua | url= | email= | address=Skjolden | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57686106 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Arts and traditional crafts. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Fjordstova | url= | email=fjordstova@skjolden.com | address=Skjolden | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57686744 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Lustrafjorden Kro | url= | email=goruda@hotmail.com | address=Høyheimsvik | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57681880 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Sleep== [[File:Eidsvann-Skjolden-Luster-by-Anders Beer Wilse-1937.jpg|thumb|Wittgenstein's cottage barely visible across the lake (1937)]] ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Nymoen Leirplass | url=| email= | address=Skjolden | lat=61.48995 | long=7.60699 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Small tent 100 kr | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit = 2020-08-26 | content=A nice, medium sized camp site with an all around perfect view of the fjord. Cabins available. Small, shared kitchen. Hot shower at extra charge (10 kr). }} * {{sleep | name=Solstrand Fjordhytter | url=http://www.solstrand-fjordhytter.no/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=post@solstrand-fjordhytter.no | address=Luster | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 95221641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Cabins with view of the fjord. }} * {{sleep | name=Eplet Bed & Apple | alt= | url=http://www.eplet.net/ | email=post@eplet.net | address= | lat=61.3023 | long=7.2443 | directions=Solvorn village on road 55 | phone=+47 41649469 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double: 600 kr, Single: 500 kr, Dormitory: 200 kr, Tent: 100 kr per person. Warning: cash only payment and no ATM available in Solvorn | content=Guest house and apple juice farm with friendly staff. You can do fruit picking during summer and stay for free in dormitory or with your tent. Open from 1st April to 1st October. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Skjolden Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.skjolden-resort.com/index.php?lan=2&side=12 | email=post@skjolden-resort.com | address=Skjolden | lat=61.49091 | long=7.59878 | directions= | phone=+47 57682380 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57682381 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: 990-1090 kr | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Turtagrø Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.turtagro.no/english/ | email=hotel@turtagro.no | address=Fortun | lat=61.5035 | long=7.8019 | directions= | phone=+47 57680800 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57680801 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double: 1980 kr, Single: 1490 kr, Tent: 125 kr per person | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Tørvis Fjordhotell | alt= | url=http://www.torvis.no/ | email=post@torvis.no | address=Marifjøra | lat=61.3811 | long=7.3074 | directions= | phone=+47 57683500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: 1590 kr | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Eikum Hotell | alt= | url=http://www.en.eikum.no/ | email=post@eikum.no | address=Hafslo | lat=61.31538 | long=7.20338 | directions= | phone=+47 57680600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== [[File:Walaker hotell.jpg|thumb|Walaker hotel in Solvorn, run by the Nitter family since 1690.]] * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Walaker Hotell | alt= | url=http://www.en.walaker.com/r {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=61.300833 | long=7.245278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | image=Walaker hotell (2016).jpg | lastedit=2019-04-12 | content=The Walaker Hotel, by the Nitter family since 1690. Walaker serves a fine 4-course, set menu dinner with wine recommendations. This is served at 19:30 in the restaurant in the main building and is an important part of the Walaker experience. From June to August, it is recommended to reserve dinner in advance because the restaurant will be full. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * Route 55 to [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] is a scenic road and named one of 18 national tourist routes of Norway. It is the highest mountain pass in Norway at 1434 m (4705 ft). Closed during the winter (Nov-May). Private road from route 55 at Turtagrø to Årdal. * Route 55 to [[Sogndal]]. {{IsPartOf|Sognefjorden}} {{usableruralarea}} {{geo|61.409|7.416|zoom=10}} naw8mvmgmh062weov1vzn75upagc8c6 4501700 4501699 2022-08-15T18:49:39Z BinUnterwegs 2162533 /* Culture */ Added hint about overcrowding at Urnes stave church wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Sogn og Fjordane Lustrafjord 04 crop.jpg|unesco=yes}} '''Luster''' is a district in [[Sogn og Fjordane]] county. Luster sits right at the intersection of central alpine mountains, great glaciers and the iconic fjords. Luster is also the name of one of the villages. The great Luster fjord, a major branch of [[Sognefjord]], is surrounded by [[Jostedalsbreen]], Breheimen and [[Jotunheimen]]. Skjolden is known for Ludwig Wittgenstein's lodge and Urnes is a UNESCO world heritage site. Luster offers all of Norway's grand nature as well as some of the finest cultural heritage. [[File:Norway Sogn og Fjordane - Luster.svg|thumb|Luster district in Sogn og Fjordane county.]] ==Understand== Luster is at the inner (eastern) end of the 204 km (127 mi) long [[Sognefjord]]. Parts of [[Jotunheimen]] (Norway's high alpine summits) and [[Jostedalsbreen]] (Norway's great glacier) are within Luster municipality. Luster's grand nature is created at the intersection of Norway's largest fjord, largest glacier and tallest mountains. Numerous rivers transport "thick" (opaque) glacial meltwater to lakes and to the fjord, giving fjords and lakes a milky turquoise appearance. Luster is also home to numerous pretty waterfalls. Luster fjord (Lustrafjorden), easily recognized by its emerald-turquoise color, is a major arm of the great Sognefjord, and is more than 600 meters deep at Urnes. The area is sparsely populated, and is primarily glaciers and barren uninhabited mountains. [[File:Lustrafjorden.jpg|thumb|200px|Luster fjord]] Some 5,000 inhabitants share more than 2,500 km², making it a sparsely populated area, built up areas and farm land is limited to narrow shores and narrow valleys. About 15 % of the area is glacier or permanent snow. There are no towns in the area, only small villages and settlements. ==Villages== * Skjolden * Dale * Gaupne * Hafslo * Solvorn - once an important trading place, now peaceful village with a fine hotel. ==Get in== Luster is in western Norway so overland transport from East Norway runs through mountain passes. ===By plane=== There is a small airport in [[Sogndal]]. The nearest airport with international flights is [[Bergen]] airport, while the drive from Oslo airport ([[Gardermoen]]) is only slightly longer. ===By bus=== Seven times daily from [[Sogndal]]. Buses twice daily from [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]], July-August only. ===By car=== [[File:A view from Riksveg 55 at Sognefjellet.jpg|thumb|Sognefjell mt pass]] Luster is on route 55 between [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] and [[Sogndal]]. Route 55 is a national tourist route that includes the Sognefjell mountain pass - Norway's highest public road and closed during winter. Road 55 connects to the private Tindevegen at Turtagrø, road to [[Årdal]] through high mountains. ==Get around== {{mapframe|61.481|7.554|zoom=9}} [https://www.lustrabaatane.com/ Lustrabaatane] is a ferry connecting Solvorn to Ornes (Urnes) respectively on the west and east shore of the fjord. The ferry is running 9 times a day in summer, 4 times in winter and it costs 34 kr per person and 93 kr for vehicles less than 6 m (19.7 ft). The crossing takes about 15 minutes. Be aware that the last ferry of the day is often very crowded, and it is possible that vehicles are left behind. If you just want to visit the church in Urnes from the western (Solvorn) side, do not take your car but cross as a foot passenger instead — you won’t need a car in Urnes if you can manage to walk up the small hill the church stands on. ==See== [[Image:Urnes Stave Church 1.jpg|thumb|Urnes Stave Church.]] ===Nature=== [[File:Nigardsbreen paa avstand.jpg|thumb|Nigardsbreen glacier arm]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Nigardsbreen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gaupne/Jostedalen | lat=61.6765 | long=7.2134 | directions=Route 55 to Gaupne then route 604 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Nigardsbreen | image=Nigardsbreen glacier.jpg | wikidata=Q1781997 | content=Arm of the great Jostedalsbreen glacier. '''Caution''': Watch from a safe distance, respect signs and fences, professional guide needed for hike on the ice. }} * {{see | name=Feigumfossen | alt=Feigefossen | url= | email=info@visitsogn.info | address=Skjolden | lat=61.38069 | long=7.44241 | directions= | phone=+47 97600443 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | image=Feigefossen 2.jpg | content=A 218 m (720 ft) high waterfall. The waterfall can be seen from route FV331. A path let you take a closer look. If you continue on the path there is a place right by the bottom of the waterfall where you can take a sip of pure, safe snowmelt. }} * {{see | name=Romantic Road | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=61.4869 | long=7.6000 | directions=Starts in Skjolden ends in Urnes | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=The FV331 is a 30 km scenic road along the eastside of the fjord. The road is narrow with several curves, so drive slowly. From Urnes you can take the ferry to Solvorn. This is a nice alternative to route 55. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Jotunheimen]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=61.462 | long=7.875 | directions=Road 55 (and/or Tindevegen road to Årdal) | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hurrungane | image=JOV 0060.jpg | wikidata=Q946828 | content=The western part of Norway's highest mountains are in Luster and Årdal districts. These are also the wildest part of Jotunheimen, steep summits and sharp ridges. Visible from a long distance as well as from road 55. }} ===Culture=== * {{listing | type=see | name=Urnes Stave Church | alt=Urnes Stavkyrkje | url=http://www.stavechurch.com/en/urnes/ | email=fmf-sfj@online.no | address=Urnes | lat=61.29803 | long=7.32197 | directions=30 km (19 mi) from Skjolden on route FV331, or with ferry from Solvorn. | phone=+47 57678840 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57678889 | hours=5 May-30 Sep: 10.30AM-5.45PM | price=Adults: 80 kr, Students/Children: 60 kr | wikipedia=Urnes Stave Church | image=La pared original de la Urnes stavkyrkje (I).jpg | wikidata=Q210678 | content=The oldest stave church in Norway, built around 1130 AD. Included on [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. }} Due to its fame, the stave church in Urnes tends to be quite crowded. You can only access the church through a guided tour, which will give you very good information but also very limited flexibility in discovering the details of the building for yourself (or taking pictures). Plan accordingly. * {{see | name=Ludwig Wittgenstein's lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Skjolden | lat=61.4875 | long=7.6303 | directions=Eidsvatnet lake | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | lastedit=2020-08-02 | content=Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein had a vacation lodge on an isolated spot above the lake, he spent long periods there working on his theories. The building was later moved down to Skjolden, but has since been moved back to its original foundations. Barely visible across the lake from road 55. If you are walking from the town, you have to walk a stretch along the lake before reaching the trail. The last part of the trail is quite steep, and can be slippery if it is wet. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Dale church | alt=Dale kyrkje | url= | email= | address=Luster village | lat=61.4413 | long=7.4549 | directions=Road 55 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Dale Church (Luster) | image=Dale kyrkje Luster klebersteinsportal.JPG | wikidata=Q4577509 | content=A modest gothic, medieval parish church with an impressive soapstone portal (visible indoor only) and murals. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Gaupne old church | alt=Gaupne gamle kyrkje | url=http://www.stavechurch.com/en/gaupne-2/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Gaupne | lat=61.40806 | long=7.29722 | directions=Road 55 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Adults: 50 kr, Students: 40 kr | wikipedia=Old Gaupne Church | image=Gaupne stavkyrkjeportal.jpg | wikidata=Q12715029 | content=Wooden church (about 1647) with remains of an ancient stave church on the same site, notably the wooden portal. Modest exterior. Interior rosemaling or tole painting. Now maintained as cultural heritage. }} * {{see | name=Galleri Walaker | alt= | url=http://www.en.walaker.com/gallery/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Solvorn | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 12:00-17:00 | price= | content=This gallery holds exhibitions by local and national artists. }} ==Do== [[File:View from the Storebjørn against Hurrungane.jpg|thumb|Hurrungane summits as seen by skiers in Jotunheimen, mid April.]] * {{do | name=Cycling | url= | email=nordstedalseter@turistforeningen.no | address=Nørstedalseter | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 95076382 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=26 Jun-13 Sep: 8AM-11PM | price=Cyclehire: 120 kr, Drop of Cycle by the fjord: 80 kr | content=Cycle the 32 km (20 mi) long downhill from the mountain down to the fjord. Those with strong leg muscles can cycle up again (and save 80 kr). }} * {{do | name=Hiking | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 97600443 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hiking in [[Jotunheimen]]. }} * {{do | name=Moreld Sea Kayak | url=http://www.moreld.net/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email=info@moreld.net | address=Kroken | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 40467100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=450-750 kr | content=Kayaking tours to Feigumfossen waterfall and Urnes Stave Church. Longer tours also available. }} * {{do | name=Sognefjellet mountain pass | alt=Sognefjellsvegen | url= | email= | address=Road 55 from Skjolden | lat=61.557 | long=7.926 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=''Summer'' only | price=Free | content=Norway's highest mountain pass runs pass Norway's highest mountains in [[Jotunheimen]] with view to summits and glaciers. On the eastern side through Bøverdalen valley to [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] village. The road is closed in winter, opens about May. Steep ascent and descent, sharp corners. Cross country skiing is possible until June. }} *Other hiking: ** Molden for spectacular views at 1118 m above sea level up and down the Lustrafjord. ** Solvornnipa for full day hike *Other cycling ideas **Skjolden-Urnes road **Veitastrond ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Husflidsbua | url= | email= | address=Skjolden | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57686106 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Arts and traditional crafts. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Fjordstova | url= | email=fjordstova@skjolden.com | address=Skjolden | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57686744 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Lustrafjorden Kro | url= | email=goruda@hotmail.com | address=Høyheimsvik | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57681880 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Sleep== [[File:Eidsvann-Skjolden-Luster-by-Anders Beer Wilse-1937.jpg|thumb|Wittgenstein's cottage barely visible across the lake (1937)]] ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Nymoen Leirplass | url=| email= | address=Skjolden | lat=61.48995 | long=7.60699 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Small tent 100 kr | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit = 2020-08-26 | content=A nice, medium sized camp site with an all around perfect view of the fjord. Cabins available. Small, shared kitchen. Hot shower at extra charge (10 kr). }} * {{sleep | name=Solstrand Fjordhytter | url=http://www.solstrand-fjordhytter.no/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=post@solstrand-fjordhytter.no | address=Luster | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 95221641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Cabins with view of the fjord. }} * {{sleep | name=Eplet Bed & Apple | alt= | url=http://www.eplet.net/ | email=post@eplet.net | address= | lat=61.3023 | long=7.2443 | directions=Solvorn village on road 55 | phone=+47 41649469 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double: 600 kr, Single: 500 kr, Dormitory: 200 kr, Tent: 100 kr per person. Warning: cash only payment and no ATM available in Solvorn | content=Guest house and apple juice farm with friendly staff. You can do fruit picking during summer and stay for free in dormitory or with your tent. Open from 1st April to 1st October. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Skjolden Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.skjolden-resort.com/index.php?lan=2&side=12 | email=post@skjolden-resort.com | address=Skjolden | lat=61.49091 | long=7.59878 | directions= | phone=+47 57682380 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57682381 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: 990-1090 kr | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Turtagrø Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.turtagro.no/english/ | email=hotel@turtagro.no | address=Fortun | lat=61.5035 | long=7.8019 | directions= | phone=+47 57680800 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57680801 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double: 1980 kr, Single: 1490 kr, Tent: 125 kr per person | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Tørvis Fjordhotell | alt= | url=http://www.torvis.no/ | email=post@torvis.no | address=Marifjøra | lat=61.3811 | long=7.3074 | directions= | phone=+47 57683500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: 1590 kr | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Eikum Hotell | alt= | url=http://www.en.eikum.no/ | email=post@eikum.no | address=Hafslo | lat=61.31538 | long=7.20338 | directions= | phone=+47 57680600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== [[File:Walaker hotell.jpg|thumb|Walaker hotel in Solvorn, run by the Nitter family since 1690.]] * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Walaker Hotell | alt= | url=http://www.en.walaker.com/r {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=61.300833 | long=7.245278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | image=Walaker hotell (2016).jpg | lastedit=2019-04-12 | content=The Walaker Hotel, by the Nitter family since 1690. Walaker serves a fine 4-course, set menu dinner with wine recommendations. This is served at 19:30 in the restaurant in the main building and is an important part of the Walaker experience. From June to August, it is recommended to reserve dinner in advance because the restaurant will be full. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * Route 55 to [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] is a scenic road and named one of 18 national tourist routes of Norway. It is the highest mountain pass in Norway at 1434 m (4705 ft). Closed during the winter (Nov-May). Private road from route 55 at Turtagrø to Årdal. * Route 55 to [[Sogndal]]. {{IsPartOf|Sognefjorden}} {{usableruralarea}} {{geo|61.409|7.416|zoom=10}} ijnu4pyk100h4mmzep77oy5617j8jzj 4501702 4501700 2022-08-15T18:55:27Z Ibaman 195012 /* Get around */ [[WV:SH]] and uniformity wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Sogn og Fjordane Lustrafjord 04 crop.jpg|unesco=yes}} '''Luster''' is a district in [[Sogn og Fjordane]] county. Luster sits right at the intersection of central alpine mountains, great glaciers and the iconic fjords. Luster is also the name of one of the villages. The great Luster fjord, a major branch of [[Sognefjord]], is surrounded by [[Jostedalsbreen]], Breheimen and [[Jotunheimen]]. Skjolden is known for Ludwig Wittgenstein's lodge and Urnes is a UNESCO world heritage site. Luster offers all of Norway's grand nature as well as some of the finest cultural heritage. [[File:Norway Sogn og Fjordane - Luster.svg|thumb|Luster district in Sogn og Fjordane county.]] ==Understand== Luster is at the inner (eastern) end of the 204 km (127 mi) long [[Sognefjord]]. Parts of [[Jotunheimen]] (Norway's high alpine summits) and [[Jostedalsbreen]] (Norway's great glacier) are within Luster municipality. Luster's grand nature is created at the intersection of Norway's largest fjord, largest glacier and tallest mountains. Numerous rivers transport "thick" (opaque) glacial meltwater to lakes and to the fjord, giving fjords and lakes a milky turquoise appearance. Luster is also home to numerous pretty waterfalls. Luster fjord (Lustrafjorden), easily recognized by its emerald-turquoise color, is a major arm of the great Sognefjord, and is more than 600 meters deep at Urnes. The area is sparsely populated, and is primarily glaciers and barren uninhabited mountains. [[File:Lustrafjorden.jpg|thumb|200px|Luster fjord]] Some 5,000 inhabitants share more than 2,500 km², making it a sparsely populated area, built up areas and farm land is limited to narrow shores and narrow valleys. About 15 % of the area is glacier or permanent snow. There are no towns in the area, only small villages and settlements. ==Villages== * Skjolden * Dale * Gaupne * Hafslo * Solvorn - once an important trading place, now peaceful village with a fine hotel. ==Get in== Luster is in western Norway so overland transport from East Norway runs through mountain passes. ===By plane=== There is a small airport in [[Sogndal]]. The nearest airport with international flights is [[Bergen]] airport, while the drive from Oslo airport ([[Gardermoen]]) is only slightly longer. ===By bus=== Seven times daily from [[Sogndal]]. Buses twice daily from [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]], July-August only. ===By car=== [[File:A view from Riksveg 55 at Sognefjellet.jpg|thumb|Sognefjell mt pass]] Luster is on route 55 between [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] and [[Sogndal]]. Route 55 is a national tourist route that includes the Sognefjell mountain pass - Norway's highest public road and closed during winter. Road 55 connects to the private Tindevegen at Turtagrø, road to [[Årdal]] through high mountains. ==Get around== {{mapframe|61.481|7.554|zoom=9}} ===By ferry=== [https://www.lustrabaatane.com/ Lustrabaatane] is a ferry connecting Solvorn to Ornes (Urnes) respectively on the west and east shore of the fjord. The ferry is running 9 times a day in summer, 4 times in winter and it costs 34 kr per person and 93 kr for vehicles less than {{m|6}}. The crossing takes about 15 minutes. The last ferry of the day is often very crowded, and it is possible that vehicles are left behind. If you just want to visit the church in Urnes from the western (Solvorn) side, do not take your car, but cross as a foot passenger instead — you won’t need a car in Urnes if you can manage to walk up the small hill the church stands on. ==See== [[Image:Urnes Stave Church 1.jpg|thumb|Urnes Stave Church.]] ===Nature=== [[File:Nigardsbreen paa avstand.jpg|thumb|Nigardsbreen glacier arm]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Nigardsbreen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gaupne/Jostedalen | lat=61.6765 | long=7.2134 | directions=Route 55 to Gaupne then route 604 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Nigardsbreen | image=Nigardsbreen glacier.jpg | wikidata=Q1781997 | content=Arm of the great Jostedalsbreen glacier. '''Caution''': Watch from a safe distance, respect signs and fences, professional guide needed for hike on the ice. }} * {{see | name=Feigumfossen | alt=Feigefossen | url= | email=info@visitsogn.info | address=Skjolden | lat=61.38069 | long=7.44241 | directions= | phone=+47 97600443 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | image=Feigefossen 2.jpg | content=A 218 m (720 ft) high waterfall. The waterfall can be seen from route FV331. A path let you take a closer look. If you continue on the path there is a place right by the bottom of the waterfall where you can take a sip of pure, safe snowmelt. }} * {{see | name=Romantic Road | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=61.4869 | long=7.6000 | directions=Starts in Skjolden ends in Urnes | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=The FV331 is a 30 km scenic road along the eastside of the fjord. The road is narrow with several curves, so drive slowly. From Urnes you can take the ferry to Solvorn. This is a nice alternative to route 55. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Jotunheimen]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=61.462 | long=7.875 | directions=Road 55 (and/or Tindevegen road to Årdal) | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hurrungane | image=JOV 0060.jpg | wikidata=Q946828 | content=The western part of Norway's highest mountains are in Luster and Årdal districts. These are also the wildest part of Jotunheimen, steep summits and sharp ridges. Visible from a long distance as well as from road 55. }} ===Culture=== * {{listing | type=see | name=Urnes Stave Church | alt=Urnes Stavkyrkje | url=http://www.stavechurch.com/en/urnes/ | email=fmf-sfj@online.no | address=Urnes | lat=61.29803 | long=7.32197 | directions=30 km (19 mi) from Skjolden on route FV331, or with ferry from Solvorn. | phone=+47 57678840 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57678889 | hours=5 May-30 Sep: 10.30AM-5.45PM | price=Adults: 80 kr, Students/Children: 60 kr | wikipedia=Urnes Stave Church | image=La pared original de la Urnes stavkyrkje (I).jpg | wikidata=Q210678 | content=The oldest stave church in Norway, built around 1130 AD. Included on [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. }} Due to its fame, the stave church in Urnes tends to be quite crowded. You can only access the church through a guided tour, which will give you very good information but also very limited flexibility in discovering the details of the building for yourself (or taking pictures). Plan accordingly. * {{see | name=Ludwig Wittgenstein's lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Skjolden | lat=61.4875 | long=7.6303 | directions=Eidsvatnet lake | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | lastedit=2020-08-02 | content=Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein had a vacation lodge on an isolated spot above the lake, he spent long periods there working on his theories. The building was later moved down to Skjolden, but has since been moved back to its original foundations. Barely visible across the lake from road 55. If you are walking from the town, you have to walk a stretch along the lake before reaching the trail. The last part of the trail is quite steep, and can be slippery if it is wet. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Dale church | alt=Dale kyrkje | url= | email= | address=Luster village | lat=61.4413 | long=7.4549 | directions=Road 55 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia=Dale Church (Luster) | image=Dale kyrkje Luster klebersteinsportal.JPG | wikidata=Q4577509 | content=A modest gothic, medieval parish church with an impressive soapstone portal (visible indoor only) and murals. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Gaupne old church | alt=Gaupne gamle kyrkje | url=http://www.stavechurch.com/en/gaupne-2/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Gaupne | lat=61.40806 | long=7.29722 | directions=Road 55 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Adults: 50 kr, Students: 40 kr | wikipedia=Old Gaupne Church | image=Gaupne stavkyrkjeportal.jpg | wikidata=Q12715029 | content=Wooden church (about 1647) with remains of an ancient stave church on the same site, notably the wooden portal. Modest exterior. Interior rosemaling or tole painting. Now maintained as cultural heritage. }} * {{see | name=Galleri Walaker | alt= | url=http://www.en.walaker.com/gallery/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Solvorn | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 12:00-17:00 | price= | content=This gallery holds exhibitions by local and national artists. }} ==Do== [[File:View from the Storebjørn against Hurrungane.jpg|thumb|Hurrungane summits as seen by skiers in Jotunheimen, mid April.]] * {{do | name=Cycling | url= | email=nordstedalseter@turistforeningen.no | address=Nørstedalseter | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 95076382 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=26 Jun-13 Sep: 8AM-11PM | price=Cyclehire: 120 kr, Drop of Cycle by the fjord: 80 kr | content=Cycle the 32 km (20 mi) long downhill from the mountain down to the fjord. Those with strong leg muscles can cycle up again (and save 80 kr). }} * {{do | name=Hiking | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 97600443 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hiking in [[Jotunheimen]]. }} * {{do | name=Moreld Sea Kayak | url=http://www.moreld.net/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email=info@moreld.net | address=Kroken | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 40467100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=450-750 kr | content=Kayaking tours to Feigumfossen waterfall and Urnes Stave Church. Longer tours also available. }} * {{do | name=Sognefjellet mountain pass | alt=Sognefjellsvegen | url= | email= | address=Road 55 from Skjolden | lat=61.557 | long=7.926 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=''Summer'' only | price=Free | content=Norway's highest mountain pass runs pass Norway's highest mountains in [[Jotunheimen]] with view to summits and glaciers. On the eastern side through Bøverdalen valley to [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] village. The road is closed in winter, opens about May. Steep ascent and descent, sharp corners. Cross country skiing is possible until June. }} *Other hiking: ** Molden for spectacular views at 1118 m above sea level up and down the Lustrafjord. ** Solvornnipa for full day hike *Other cycling ideas **Skjolden-Urnes road **Veitastrond ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Husflidsbua | url= | email= | address=Skjolden | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57686106 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Arts and traditional crafts. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Fjordstova | url= | email=fjordstova@skjolden.com | address=Skjolden | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57686744 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Lustrafjorden Kro | url= | email=goruda@hotmail.com | address=Høyheimsvik | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 57681880 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Sleep== [[File:Eidsvann-Skjolden-Luster-by-Anders Beer Wilse-1937.jpg|thumb|Wittgenstein's cottage barely visible across the lake (1937)]] ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Nymoen Leirplass | url=| email= | address=Skjolden | lat=61.48995 | long=7.60699 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Small tent 100 kr | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit = 2020-08-26 | content=A nice, medium sized camp site with an all around perfect view of the fjord. Cabins available. Small, shared kitchen. Hot shower at extra charge (10 kr). }} * {{sleep | name=Solstrand Fjordhytter | url=http://www.solstrand-fjordhytter.no/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=post@solstrand-fjordhytter.no | address=Luster | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+47 95221641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Cabins with view of the fjord. }} * {{sleep | name=Eplet Bed & Apple | alt= | url=http://www.eplet.net/ | email=post@eplet.net | address= | lat=61.3023 | long=7.2443 | directions=Solvorn village on road 55 | phone=+47 41649469 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double: 600 kr, Single: 500 kr, Dormitory: 200 kr, Tent: 100 kr per person. Warning: cash only payment and no ATM available in Solvorn | content=Guest house and apple juice farm with friendly staff. You can do fruit picking during summer and stay for free in dormitory or with your tent. Open from 1st April to 1st October. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Skjolden Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.skjolden-resort.com/index.php?lan=2&side=12 | email=post@skjolden-resort.com | address=Skjolden | lat=61.49091 | long=7.59878 | directions= | phone=+47 57682380 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57682381 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: 990-1090 kr | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Turtagrø Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.turtagro.no/english/ | email=hotel@turtagro.no | address=Fortun | lat=61.5035 | long=7.8019 | directions= | phone=+47 57680800 | tollfree= | fax=+47 57680801 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double: 1980 kr, Single: 1490 kr, Tent: 125 kr per person | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Tørvis Fjordhotell | alt= | url=http://www.torvis.no/ | email=post@torvis.no | address=Marifjøra | lat=61.3811 | long=7.3074 | directions= | phone=+47 57683500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: 1590 kr | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Eikum Hotell | alt= | url=http://www.en.eikum.no/ | email=post@eikum.no | address=Hafslo | lat=61.31538 | long=7.20338 | directions= | phone=+47 57680600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== [[File:Walaker hotell.jpg|thumb|Walaker hotel in Solvorn, run by the Nitter family since 1690.]] * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Walaker Hotell | alt= | url=http://www.en.walaker.com/r {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=61.300833 | long=7.245278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | image=Walaker hotell (2016).jpg | lastedit=2019-04-12 | content=The Walaker Hotel, by the Nitter family since 1690. Walaker serves a fine 4-course, set menu dinner with wine recommendations. This is served at 19:30 in the restaurant in the main building and is an important part of the Walaker experience. From June to August, it is recommended to reserve dinner in advance because the restaurant will be full. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * Route 55 to [[Lom (Norway)|Lom]] is a scenic road and named one of 18 national tourist routes of Norway. It is the highest mountain pass in Norway at 1434 m (4705 ft). Closed during the winter (Nov-May). Private road from route 55 at Turtagrø to Årdal. * Route 55 to [[Sogndal]]. {{IsPartOf|Sognefjorden}} {{usableruralarea}} {{geo|61.409|7.416|zoom=10}} 261tulk3wnvu1v134fbesfjz6pzqjio 0 20976 4502090 4486122 2022-08-16T10:07:57Z 廣九直通車 1666899 /* Crime */ death penalty no longer mandatory for certain cases: See s. 39B(2)-(2A) of Act 234 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner | Cameron_Highlands_Tea_Plantation_banner.jpg}} {{COVID-19 box| Travelers ages 7 and above entering Malaysia from all countries must register their vaccination before departure and/or arrival through the '''[https://mysejahtera.malaysia.gov.my/traveler_en/ MySejahtera]''' app. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers ages 18 & above are required to test 48 hours before arrival, test again within 24 hours of arrival, and quarantine for 5 days. |lastedit=2022-06-20}} '''[http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my Malaysia]''' is a country in [[Southeast Asia]], on the Malay Peninsula, as well as on northern [[Borneo]]. The country is one of Asia's new tiger economies, having seen great economic and human development during the last decades. While the capital Kuala Lumpur is a cosmopolitan city, deep jungles cover some of the land. == Regions == Malaysia is divided into two main geographical regions, commonly known as Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. See [[Malaysia#Geography|Geography]] for more information. === Peninsular Malaysia === {{Mapframe|3.95|108.85|width=500|height=200|zoom=5|staticmap=Malaysia regions map.png|name=Map of Peninsular and East Malaysia}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q213467,Q188947,Q188096,Q188953,Q189710,Q1865,Q182378,Q213893,Q185221|fill=#69999f|title=[[West Coast (Malaysia)|West Coast]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q185944,Q189701,Q191346|fill=#71b37b|title=[[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q183032|fill=#d09440|title=[[Johor|South]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q179029,Q214504|fill=#867ea9|title=[[Sabah]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q170462|fill=#4f93c0|title=[[Sarawak]]}} {{Regionlist | region1name=[[West Coast (Malaysia)|West Coast]] | region1color=#69999f | region1items=[[Perlis]], [[Kedah]], [[Penang]], [[Perak]], [[Selangor]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Putrajaya]], [[Negeri Sembilan]], [[Malacca (state)|Malacca]] | region1description=The more developed region, offering the modern capital, [[Kuala Lumpur]], UNESCO World Heritage cities with colonial flare and the [[Langkawi]] archipelago. Perlis Kedah and Perak are the gateways to [[Thailand]] overland. | region2name=[[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2items=[[Kelantan]], [[Pahang]], [[Terengganu]] | region2description=The more traditional Muslim region, home to ''[[Taman Negara]]'' (National Park), numerous unspoilt islands and the [[Jungle Railway]], which winds through the rural hinterlands. Kelantan is the gateway to [[Thailand]] overland. | region3name=[[Johor]] | region3color=#d09440 | region3items= | region3description=Comprising just one state, two coastlines, endless palm oil plantations and the gateway to [[Singapore]] via a causeway or bridge. }} ===East Malaysia=== {{Regionlist | region1name=[[Sabah]] | region1color=#867ea9 | region1items= | region1description=Superb scuba diving in [[Sipadan]] island plus muck diving at [[Mabul]], nature reserves, the federal enclave of [[Labuan]] and the mighty [[Mount Kinabalu]]. | region2name=[[Sarawak]] | region2color=#4f93c0 | region2items= | region2description=The southern state of East Malaysia (Borneo). Home to traditional longhouses, lush jungles and national parks in contrast to the state capital, [[Kuching]]. It is the gateway to [[Brunei]] and [[Indonesia]] overland. }} == Cities == [[File:PetronasKLCC.jpg|thumb|The iconic Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur]] <!-- Only cities of primary importance to tourists here, maximum 9 --> * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuala Lumpur]]|wikidata=Q1865}} — the multi-cultural national capital, home of the Petronas Twin Towers * {{marker|type=city|name=[[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]]|wikidata=Q61092}} — the capital of [[Penang]] and Malaysia's second largest city, famed for its colonial-era architecture, multi-cultural populace, food and arts scene * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Malacca]]|wikidata=Q61089}} — the historical city of Malaysia with colonial-style architecture * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ipoh]]|wikidata=Q271619}} — the capital of [[Perak]], with a historic colonial old town and tin mining area * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Johor Bahru]]|wikidata=Q231318}} — capital of [[Johor]] and Malaysia's third largest city * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuantan]]|wikidata=Q817578}} — capital of [[Pahang]] and commercial centre of the East Coast * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kota Kinabalu]]|wikidata=Q137271}} — close to tropical islands, lush rain forest and Mount Kinabalu * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuching]]|wikidata=Q220445}} — capital of [[Sarawak]], and largest city in East Malaysia * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Miri]]|wikidata=Q986803}} — resort city of Sarawak located near the border of Brunei and gateway to [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], [[Gunung Mulu National Park]] <!-- Only cities of primary importance to tourists here, maximum 9 --> ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Cameron Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1028741}} — famous for its tea plantations * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Perhentian Islands]]|wikidata=Q2070782}} (''Pulau Perhentian'') — glittering jewels off the East Coast still undiscovered by mass tourism * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Taman Negara]]|wikidata=Q728141}} — a large area of rainforest national park spanning [[Kelantan]], [[Pahang]] and [[Terengganu]] * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kinabalu National Park]]|wikidata=Q60967}} — home of Mount Kinabalu * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Langkawi]]|wikidata=Q273303}} — an archipelago of 99 islands known for its beaches, rainforest, mountains, mangrove estuaries and unique nature. It's also a duty-free island * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sipadan]]|wikidata=Q1412482}} (''Pulau Sipadan'') — one of the best dive spots in the world * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Redang]]|wikidata=Q1897123}} (''Pulau Redang'') — popular island destination for scuba divers * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Tioman]]|wikidata=Q771765}} (''Pulau Tioman'') — once nominated one of the most beautiful islands in the world * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Fraser's Hill]]|wikidata=Q3086678}} — a time warp to the colonial era == Understand == {{quickbar|location=LocationMalaysia.png}} Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become a rich nation in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix: there is high-tech infrastructure and things generally work well and more or less on schedule, but prices remain more reasonable than, say, [[Singapore]]. The demographics between the rich and poor can also be quite apparent: for example, a high rise luxury condominium building built right across the street from old, rundown shop lots or flats. However, you will not find extreme rural poverty or gigantic urban slums as in other countries in Southeast Asia. In terms of attractions, peninsular (West) Malaysia contains islands with gorgeous beaches and a fraction of visitors found in [[Thailand]]'s most popular beaches, mountain retreats surrounded by tea plantations, interesting historical cities, World-famous food, and the highly modern, multi-cultural capital of [[Kuala Lumpur]]. East Malaysia contains lush jungles with diverse native population and wildlife, as well as stunning natural attractions such as giant caves, beautiful mountains and fantastic diving sites. Notably, however, Malaysia is not as popular among backpackers as other Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand, [[Cambodia]] and [[Vietnam]], partly due to the relatively higher costs, and partly due to the more religious and conservative, albeit generally tolerant, culture. It also lacks the ancient Hindu and/or Buddhist temples and temple complexes of its neighbors, though it does have some large ones built since the 19th century. === History === [[File:Melaka-Dutch-Square-2164.jpg|thumb|The Dutch Square in Malacca]] Before the rise of the European colonial powers, the Malay Peninsula and the [[Malay Archipelago|Malay archipelago]] were home to empires such as the Srivijaya (whose capital was near modern [[Palembang]], [[Sumatra]], but which included the entire Malay Peninsula and lands further north at its greatest extent), the Majapahit (centred in [[Java]], now part of Indonesia, but believed by most scholars to have included the entire Malay Peninsula and most of coastal Borneo among its vassal states) and the [[Malacca]] Sultanate. The Srivijaya and Majapahit empires saw the spread of Hinduism to the region, and to this day, despite the fact that Malays are Muslims, many Hindu legends and traditions survive in traditional Malay culture. Mass conversion to Islam only occurred after the arrival of Arab traders during the Malacca Sultanate. [[File:Fort Cornwallis Eck.JPG|thumb|Fort Cornwallis in [[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]], [[Penang]] marked the site where the British colonisation of Malaya began in 1786.]] During the 16th century the Portuguese established the first European colony in Southeast Asia by defeating the Malacca Sultanate. The Portuguese were religiously intolerant and cruel, so the Sultan of Johor assisted the Dutch in defeating them, and the Netherlands took control of the city. The British also established their first colony on the Malay peninsula in [[Penang]] when it was ceded by the Sultan of Kedah in 1786. Finally, the area was divided into Dutch and British spheres of influence with the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824. With this treaty, the Dutch agreed to cede Malacca to the British and in return, the British ceded all their colonies on Sumatra to the Dutch. The line of division roughly corresponds to what is today the border between Malaysia and [[Indonesia]]. Before World War II, the Malay Peninsula was governed by the British as the Federated Malay States (Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang), which were governed as a single entity, the Unfederated Malay States (Johor, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan), which were each governed as separate protectorates, and the Straits Settlements (including Malacca, Penang and Singapore), which were crown colonies. These colonies and protectorates were collectively referred to as "Malaya". British Borneo consisted of the British colony of North Borneo, the Kingdom of Sarawak, which was ruled by a British family known as the "White Rajas", and the British protectorate of Brunei. [[Pacific War|World War II]] was disastrous for the British Malayan Command. The Japanese swept down both coasts of the Malay Peninsula and despite fierce fighting, much of the British military was tied down fighting the Germans in Europe and those that remained in Malaya simply could not cope with the Japanese onslaught. The British military equipment left to defend Malaya was outdated and no match for the modern technology used by the Japanese, and the only two British battleships based in the region, the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, were sunk by Japanese bombers off the East Coast of Malaya. By 31 January 1942, the British had been pushed all the way back to Singapore, which fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. The situation was no different on Borneo, which fell to the Japanese on 1 April 1942 after months of fierce fighting. The Japanese occupation was brutal, and many, particularly the ethnic Chinese, suffered and perished during the occupation. Among the most notorious atrocities committed by the Japanese were the Sandakan Death Marches, with only 6 out of 2,345 prisoners surviving the war. After World War II, the Federated Malay States, Unfederated Malay States and the Straits Settlements of Malacca and Penang were federated to form a single British colony known as the Malayan Union, with Singapore being split off to form a separate colony. In the Malayan Union, the sultans of the various states ceded all their powers except those in religious affairs to the British crown. However, widespread opposition to the Malayan Union led the British to reconsider their position, and in 1948, the Malayan Union was replaced by the Federation of Malaya, in which the executive positions of the sultans were restored. In Borneo, the White Rajas ceded Sarawak to the British crown in 1946, making it a crown colony of the United Kingdom. [[File:Dataran Merdeka (18359791323).jpg|thumb|Malaysian flag flying in ''Dataran Merdeka'', Kuala Lumpur]] On 31 August 1957, Malaya gained independence from the British. At midnight, the Union Jack was lowered, and the Malayan flag raised in its place at what is today ''Dataran Merdeka'' (Independence Square) in [[Kuala Lumpur]]. The crowd, led by the first Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, then proceeded to chant "''Merdeka''" seven times. On 16 September 1963, Malaysia was formed through the merging of Malaya with the British colonies of North Borneo (now known as Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore, with Brunei deciding not to join. The first several years of the country's history were marred by the Confrontation (''Konfrontasi'') — actually a series of acts of aggression by Indonesia that ultimately ended in her defeat and a formal peace that has held ever since — and claims to Sabah from the Philippines. On 9 August 1965 Singapore was officially expelled from the federation after several bloody racial riots as Singapore's majority Chinese population and the People's Action Party, led by Lee Kuan Yew (later the long-ruling Prime Minister of Singapore), were seen as a threat to Malay dominance. There were further racial riots in 1969, which led to the forced resignation of Tunku Abdul Rahman; his replacement by Tun Abdul Razak; changes in the Malaysian Constitution that sought to prevent the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) from ever being defeated in a future national election; and the start of the New Economic Policy, which sought to aggressively promote the economic interests of the generally poorer Malay community (and also the non-Malay indigenous peoples of East Malaysia) over those of the generally less poor Chinese community (with the poorest major ethnic group, the Indians, and also to a very large extent the Orang Asli [aboriginal people] in the Peninsula mostly ignored in the process). In 1975, boat people from across the South China Sea in [[Vietnam]] started coming, and Malaysia became one of the most important places of first refuge for Indochinese refugees, but in general, only those of the Muslim Champa minority were invited to stay permanently. Later, during the period of tremendous economic development under the long premiership of Mahathir Mohammed, a large number of immigrant workers were invited from [[Bangladesh]], [[Indonesia]], [[India]], and several other countries in the area, and even more immigrated illegally. This further increased the diversity of the population, and quite a number of the workers were reported in local newspapers to have intermarried with local women, but it also led to social strife as many Malaysian men resented the competition, and while the economy depended on immigrant workers to do jobs most Malaysians were no longer willing to do, now that their standard of living was higher, most Malaysians also did not want to permanently absorb a large and potentially almost limitless number of poor people from the much more populous countries in the region. Some immigrants were expelled and even caned for immigration violations, but the issue has never been really resolved. Things came to a head in 2015 when allegations of corruption by then-prime minister Najib Razak surfaced in connection with 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was originally set up to promote economic development by attracting foreign investment. The allegations led to the ''Bersih'' (Malay for "clean") rally in which protesters unsuccessfully called for Najib to step down. However, widespread discontent arising from the 1MDB corruption scandal continued to simmer, eventually leading to a shock first-ever electoral defeat for the incumbent BN coalition in the 2018 general election. === Politics === Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy consisting of 13 states and 3 federal territories, nominally headed by the king (''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'', lit. Paramount Ruler), whose position rotates among the rulers of the 9 royal states of Malaysia every five years, giving Malaysia a unique political system of rotational monarchy. The current king, Tuanku Abdullah from Pahang, was sworn into office on 31 January 2019 and his term ends on 31 January 2024. In practice, the king is only the nominal head of state, while the prime minister is the one who wields the most authority in government. Malaysia's government is largely based on the British Westminster system, consisting of a bicameral national parliament. The lower house, known as the ''Dewan Rakyat'' (Hall of the People) is elected directly by the people. The upper house, known as the ''Dewan Negara'' (National Hall), consists of 26 members elected by the state governments, with each state having 2 representatives, while the remaining members are appointed by the king. The head of government is the prime minister, who is the party leader of the winning party in the lower house. At the state level, each of the states also has its own unicameral ''Dewan Undangan Negeri'' (State Legislative Assembly), with the head of the state government being the ''Menteri Besar'' (First Minister, often translated as "Chief Minister" in English-language media) in the royal states, and the ''Ketua Menteri'' (Chief Minister) in the non-royal states. === Geography === Malaysia comprises two geographic regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, which are separated by the South China Sea. '''Peninsular Malaysia''' (''Semenanjung Malaysia'') occupies all of the Malay Peninsula between [[Thailand]] and [[Singapore]], and is also known as West Malaysia (''Malaysia Barat'') or the slightly archaic [[Malaya]] (''Tanah Melayu''). It's home to the bulk of Malaysia's population, the capital and the largest city [[Kuala Lumpur]], and generally more economically developed. Peninsular Malaysia consists of plains on both the East and West Coasts, separated from each other by a mountain range known as the ''Banjaran Titiwangsa'', with the West Coast being more densely populated and generally more well-developed than the East Coast. Separated some 800&nbsp;km to the east of Peninsular Malaysia is '''East Malaysia''' (''Malaysia Timur''). East Malaysia occupies the northern third of the island of [[Borneo]], shared with [[Indonesia]] and tiny [[Brunei]]. Much of the development on East Malaysia is centred around the cities of [[Kuching]], [[Miri]] and [[Kota Kinabalu]]. Outside of the major cities and smaller towns are impenetrable jungle where head hunters once roamed and coastal plains rising to mountains. East Malaysia is rich in natural resources and is very much Malaysia's hinterland for industry and tourism, though those who make the trip will find it to be a world-class ecotourism destination. ===People=== Malaysia is a multicultural society. While Malays (a branch of the [[Austronesian]] group) make up a 52% majority, 27% of Malaysians are Chinese (who are especially visible in the cities), 9% are Indians, 12% are members of aboriginal peoples (often called ''Orang Asli'', Malay for "Original People"), and there is a miscellaneous grouping of 1.5% "others", including Thai communities in northern border states and the Portuguese clan in Malacca. The majority of the population (including virtually all Malays, as well as a significant minority of Indians) adhere to [[Islam]], the official religion, and there are substantial minorities who practice [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]], Taoism, [[Hinduism]], [[Sikhism]] and Animism, which is allowed under constitution subject to the supremacy of Islam — for example, it is illegal to proselytize other religions to Muslims. ===Culture=== Malaysia shares many cultural similarities with its neighbours, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore due to their common history. As the first great kingdoms to emerge in the region were Hindu kingdoms with much influence from India, Malay culture has substantial Indian influences. This is most visible in Malay cuisine with its relatively heavy use of curries, albeit using local instead of Indian spices, meaning that Malay curries often have a unique local flavour that is different from their Indian counterparts. Malaysia's minorities also continue to maintain their own distinct cultures, with the Chinese and Indian communities continuing to preserve the traditions brought from their ancestral homelands. In particular, Malaysia's ethnic Chinese community is considered to have preserved Chinese culture and language the best among all the overseas Chinese communities of the world. Moreover, as Malaysia was unaffected by the Cultural Revolution, the ethnic Chinese community of Malaysia has preserved many elements of traditional Chinese culture that have been lost in mainland China. ===Holidays=== {{ramadandates}}One of the significant characteristics of Malaysian culture is its celebration of various festivals and events. The year is filled with colourful, exhilarating and exciting activities. Some are religious and solemn but others are vibrant, joyous events. One interesting feature of the main festivals here is the 'open house' custom. This is when Malaysians celebrating the festival invite friends and family to come by their homes for some traditional delicacies and fellowship. Multicultural Malaysia celebrates a vast range of festivals, but the ones to look out for nationwide are Islamic holidays, most notably the fasting month of '''Ramadan'''. During its 29 or 30 days, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to sunset. Not all Muslims follow the tradition, or sustain the full period of Ramadan fasting, but most do make a very serious effort. Pregnant, breast feeding or menstruating women are not expected to fast, nor are the elderly, the infirm, or travellers. People get up early before sunrise for a meal (''sahur''), and take off early to get back home in time to break fast (''buka puasa'') at sunset. At the end of the month is the festival of '''Eid ul-Fitr''', known locally as '''Hari Raya Puasa''' or '''Aidilfitri''', when many locals take one to two weeks off to 'balik kampung' or return to their home towns to meet family and friends. Accordingly, this is one of the many times in a year when major cities like Kuala Lumpur have virtually no traffic congestion. Another important festival is the Muslim festival of '''Eid ul-Adha''', known locally as '''Hari Raya Haji''' or '''Aidiladha'''. It is during this festival that Muslims perform the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. In local mosques, cows and goats are donated by the faithful and sacrificed, after which the meat is distributed to all. Family reunions are also celebrated during other main festivals when locals usually put on traditional costumes and finery as these festivals are an integral feature of Malaysian society. During the month of Ramadan, non-Muslims are expected to be considerate of those fasting. Non-Muslims, as well as Muslims travelling (''musafir''), are exempt from fasting but it is polite to refrain from eating or drinking in public. Public school systems also require non-Muslims to refrain from eating in front of those who are fasting. Many restaurants close during the day and those that stay open maintain a low profile. Business travellers will notice that things move rather more slowly than usual. The upside for foreign travellers are the Ramadan bazaars in every city and town, bustling with activity and bursting at the seams with great food. Hotels and restaurants also pull out all stops to put on massive spreads of food for fast-breaking feasts. During the month of Ramadan, meals at the end of fasts are usually considered grand feasts. Worldwide fast-food chain McDonald's is known for holding several all-you-can-eat Ramadan feasts during the month. {{CNYdates}} Other major holidays include '''Chinese New Year''' (around January/February), '''Deepavali''' or '''Diwali''', the Hindu festival of lights (around October/November), the Buddhist holiday of '''Wesak''' (around May/June), and '''Christmas''' (25 December). During Chinese New Year, George Town and Ipoh become the major cities as many local Chinese working and living in KL originated from there. However this situation is changing gradually, as more and more people are making Kuala Lumpur their home town. While visiting during such festivals, travellers will be able to experience many wonderful celebrations, but the downside is many ethnic shops/eateries will be closed. The best option is to visit during the period just after the first two days of the major festival (Hari Raya/Chinese New Year), when shops will open, and the festive mood has still not died down. Another major celebration is '''Deepavali''', celebrated by the Malaysian Hindus as the festival of light originating from classical India and one of the main cultural celebrations. In Malaysia, locals practice this tradition by wearing new clothes and receiving token gifts of money. This practice has been adapted by all Malaysians regardless of their religion. They distribute red packets or ''ang pow'' during Chinese New Year, green packets or 'duit raya' for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and multi-coloured packets during Deepavali. Some uniquely Malaysian festivals of note include the '''Harvest Festival''' at the end of May each year and the ''''Pesta Gawai'''' in early June, both thanksgiving celebrations held in [[East Malaysia]]. '''Thaipusam''' is a Hindu festival that falls in January or February and is one of the must-see events. The largest procession in the country takes place at Batu Caves, Selangor. Male devotees carry decorated altars or ''kavadi'' up a flight of 272 steps towards the temple, all this while also having religious spears and hooks pierced through external surfaces of their bodies. The ability is attributed to divine intervention and religious fervour. Female devotees join the procession carrying pots of milk on their head instead. === Climate === The '''climate''' in Malaysia is equatorial. The north-east monsoon (October to February) deluges Borneo and the East Coast of the Peninsula in rain and often causes flooding, while the West Coast (particularly Langkawi and Penang) escapes unscathed. The milder south-west monsoon (April to October) reverses the pattern. The southern and central parts of Peninsular Malaysia, including perennially soggy Kuala Lumpur, are exposed to both but even during the rainy season, the showers tend to be intense but brief. Malaysia is close to the equator, so warm weather is guaranteed. Temperatures generally range from 32°C (90°F) at noon to about 26°C (79°F) at midnight. But like most Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia's sun-shining days are interrupted by monsoon season every year, and night temperatures can hit a low of about 23°C (73°F) on rainy days. Temperatures tend to be cooler in the highlands, with the likes of [[Genting Highlands]], [[Cameron Highlands]] and [[Fraser's Hill]] having temperatures ranging from about 17°C (63°F) at night to about 25°C (77°F) in the day. Mount Kinabalu is known to have temperatures falling below 10°C (50°F). == Talk == {{seealso|Malay phrasebook}} The national-level official language of Malaysia is '''[[Malay phrasebook|Malay]]''' (officially ''Bahasa Malaysia'', sometimes also known as ''Bahasa Melayu'') and '''English''' is also the co-official language of the state of [[Sarawak]]. The [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]] language, spoken across the border in Indonesia, is similar to Malay, and speakers of both languages can generally understand each other. The main differences are in the loan words: Malay borrowed more from English, while Indonesian borrowed more from Dutch. Some parts of Malaysia near the Thai border, most notably [[Kelantan]], have dialects of Malay which are nearly incomprehensible to speakers of standard Malay, though most people in these areas will be able to converse in standard Malay if needed. '''English''' is compulsory in all schools and widely spoken in the larger cities, among the well-educated upper class, as well as around the main tourist attractions, although in rural areas a little Malay will come in handy. There is also a local dialect of English spoken among Malaysians in urban areas, not inappropriately known as '''Manglish''', which has its own simplified grammar and a vocabulary that is mostly English but includes borrowings from Malay and several other locally-spoken languages; it takes a bit of getting used to if you intend to join in the conversation on local topics. Almost all Malaysians will not pronounce the letter, "h", so "three" becomes "tree". Malaysians will almost always try to speak 'standardized English' (British) when approached by Western travellers. In general, police stations and government offices have English-speaking staff on duty. [[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]] is taught to those who attend Islamic religious schools, and many clerics as well as other very observant Muslims have a functional command of Arabic. However, it is not widely spoken, though the Malay language does have a large number of loan words from Arabic. You also might notice some examples of Malay written with Arabic letters. This is called Jawi, and it is still used for religious publications and inscriptions, especially in more conservative states like [[Kelantan]], although the Latin alphabet is much more commonly used throughout the country. The Chinese community in Malaysia speaks a wide variety of Chinese dialects including [[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]], [[Teochew phrasebook|Teochew]], [[Hakka phrasebook|Hakka]], [[Hainanese phrasebook|Hainanese]], [[Fuzhou dialect phrasebook|Hokchiu]] and [[Minnan phrasebook|Hokkien]]. [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]] is taught in Chinese schools while Cantonese is commonly heard in the mass media due to the popularity of TVB serials from Hong Kong among the Chinese community, so many are conversant in both, regardless of their native dialect. Malaysian cities with large ethnic Chinese populations will often have a dialect serving as a lingua franca among that community: in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh, this is Cantonese; in Penang and Klang, Hokkien; and in Kota Kinabalu, Hakka. The most commonly spoken Indian language is [[Tamil phrasebook|Tamil]]; others include [[Malayalam phrasebook|Malayalam]], [[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]] and [[Telugu phrasebook|Telugu]]. In the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia bordering Thailand, there are various ethnic Thai communities, known locally as the ''Orang Siam'', who speak various dialects of [[Thai phrasebook|Thai]]. [[Malacca]] in the south is also home to a Portuguese community which speaks a [[Portuguese phrasebook|Portuguese]] based creole. The remote forest areas of Peninsular Malaysia are also home to various tribal people known as the ''Orang Asli'', who speak various indigenous languages such as Semelai, Temuan and many others. In East Malaysia several indigenous languages are also spoken, especially [[Iban phrasebook|Iban]] and Kadazan. Films and television programmes are usually shown in their original language with Malay subtitles, although some children's programmes are dubbed into Malay. == Get in == ===Immigration formalities=== {{VisaRestriction|Entry '''will be refused''' to citizens of [[Israel]] with an Israeli passport unless holding a letter of approval from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs. Additionally citizens of Israel require an onward ticket and will be asked to purchase one or be '''refused entry'''. Malaysia is no longer concerned about other nationals' passports that show entry stamps and/or visas from Israel.}} [[File:Visa policy of Malaysia.svg|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Malaysia, with countries in green, brown and light brown having visa-free access; and countries in blue having E-Visa]] Most nationalities can enter Malaysia without a visa and can reside in Malaysia for 14 to 90 days, depending on their nationality. Refer to the '''[http://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/requirement-for-foreigner Ministry of Foreign Affairs]''' for current information regarding visa requirements and stay periods. The East Malaysian states of [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]] each maintains its own immigration system and separate controls: even Malaysians from other states require a passport or MyKad on arrival. {{infobox|Fingerprinting at Immigration|Malaysian Immigration authorities '''fingerprint''' visitors on arrival and departure. These fingerprints may well find their way to other country's authorities or other non-state agencies.}} Those who wish to enter Malaysia for purposes other than for a Social or Business visit still require a visa for any period (except for US citizens who enter for the purpose of studying) but [http://www.studymalaysia.com/education/art_apply.php?id=immigration see here for "loopholes"]. Nationals of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Serbia, and Sri Lanka need a visa but can apply for an '''e-visa''', which is valid for 3 months for a stay of up to 30 days. You'll have to print out the visa once it's issued and bring proof of sufficient funds, a return ticket, and proof of accommodation when you enter the country. '''Overstaying''' a visa will result in a US$10, €7.50 or RM30 fine per day. However it's fairly simple to avoid overstaying a visa by doing a "visa run" to a neighbouring country overland or via a cheap flight. Malaysia may impose '''caning''' as a punishment for overstaying a visa. If you are not a Malaysian citizen, '''ensure that your passport is stamped on entry''', or you would be considered to have entered illegally otherwise (and Malaysian immigration officials don't always give entry stamps unprompted). Fines on the order of RM3,000 will be imposed when you try to leave without the entry stamp in your passport. Also '''ensure that your passport is stamped when you leave''', or you would be considered to have left illegally otherwise, which could cause problems should you wish to visit Malaysia again in the future. ====Transit Visas==== Even though citizens of Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka normally require a visa, they can transit the same airport for up to 120 hours provided they arrive and depart on the same airline, land at Sepang, [[Kota Kinabalu]], [[Kuching]], [[Penang]] or [[Senai]] and present a genuine air ticket. ===By plane=== [[File:KLIA MTB&Tower.jpg|thumb|[[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]] in [[Sepang]], [[Selangor]].]] National carrier '''[https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ Malaysia Airlines]''' (MAS) has extensive coverage within Asia, as well as intercontinental flights to Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and regularly ranks high in airline quality assessments. Low-cost carrier '''AirAsia''' and its sister company, '''AirAsia X''', now connects an ever-expanding set of countries including [[Australia]], [[China]], [[Cambodia]], [[Hong Kong]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Laos]], [[Macau]], [[New Zealand]], the [[Philippines]], [[Singapore]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Thailand]], [[Myanmar]] and [[Vietnam]]. Emirates Airlines also flies from most cities to [[Kuala Lumpur]] via [[Dubai]], and flights to [[Perth]], [[Australia]], make a brief stop in [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|KLIA]]. * {{listing | name=AirAsia | alt= | url=http://www.airasia.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 3 8775-4000, 1 300 88 9933 (in country only)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Malaysia Airlines | alt= | url=http://www.malaysiaairlines.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 3 7846-3000, 1-300-88-3000 (in country only)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Emirates Airlines | alt= | url=http://www.emirates.com/my/english/index.aspx | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 36 207 4999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} Most international flights land at '''[[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]] [http://www.klia.com.my (KLIA)]''' ({{IATA|KUL}}). KLIA's predecessor, the '''Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport''' ({{IATA|SZB}}) in Subang near [[Kuala Lumpur]] handles chartered and turboprop aircraft for regional operators '''[http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ Firefly]''' and '''[https://www.malindoair.com/ Malindo Air]''', which operate some international flights to the neighbouring countries. See the [[Kuala Lumpur#get in|Kuala Lumpur '''Get in''' section]] for detailed airport information. Other airports which have significant numbers of flights to regional destinations are [[Kota Kinabalu]] (Sabah), [[Penang]], [[Kuching]] (Sarawak), [[Langkawi]] and [[Johor Bahru]]. === By train === * '''To/from Singapore:''' There's a shuttle train service which runs seven times each way during the morning and evening periods from Woodlands Train Station (in the north of [[Singapore]]) to JB sentral in [[Johor Bahru]], costing MYR5 from the Malaysian side and SGD5 on the Singapore side. Conventional intercity trains then connect [[Johor Bahru]] with [[Gemas]] (where you can transfer to a train to [[Kuala Lumpur]]) and Tumpat, near [[Kota Bharu]]. They don't always match up to the shuttle times, so be prepared for long waiting times or get a backup plan by bus should you miss the shuttle. Early morning trains to Singapore and late evening trains to Malaysia are usually packed on the weekdays and the traffic flow reverses on the weekends. Booking online at the [http://www.ktmb.com.my KTMB website] may reserve a precious seat without hassle. When travelling from Singapore into Malaysia, both Singaporean and Malaysian immigration checks are conducted at Woodlands Train Station before boarding the train for Malaysia. In the reverse direction, Malaysian immigration checks are conducted at JB Sentral before boarding, while Singaporean immigration checks are conducted on arrival in Woodlands. * '''To/from Thailand:''' Since December 2016, trains to and from Thailand now start and terminate at the border at [[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]] where Thai and Malaysian immigration formalities are all conveniently done in the station, and you can transfer between Malaysian and Thai trains. There are two Padang Besar stations; one in Thailand and one in Malaysia; be sure to get off the train only at the Padang Besar station in Malaysia, as that is where both Thai and Malaysian immigration checks are conducted, and where transfers between the Malaysian and Thai trains take place. There is also a less used eastern route from [[Hat Yai]] to Thai border town [[Sungai Kolok]], but there are no through trains to the nearby Malaysian station at Wakaf Bahru (near [[Kota Bharu]]). === By bus === Long-distances buses/coaches into Malaysia run from Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Please see the relevant city pages for more details. * '''[[Brunei]]''' - there are buses to [[Miri]] and [[Kota Kinabalu]], leaving from the waterfront in downtown [[Bandar Seri Begawan]]. There are also buses to [[Limbang]]. * '''[[Indonesia]]''' - direct buses operate between [[Pontianak]] in [[West Kalimantan]] and [[Kuching]] in [[Sarawak]]. * '''[[Singapore]]''' - a multitude of bus companies operate direct routes from Singapore to various destinations in [[Peninsular Malaysia]], including [[Malacca]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Penang]], [[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] cities and even [[Petaling Jaya]] and [[Subang Jaya]]. Frequent buses make the short run between Singapore and [[Johor Bahru]], and you can save a few bucks by changing at JB's Larkin terminal to a cheap domestic bus instead of taking a more expensive direct bus. * '''[[Thailand]]''' - several companies operate services from [[Kuala Lumpur]] and other cities in Malaysia to [[Hat Yai]] in [[South (Thailand)|southern Thailand]], where direct connections are available to [[Bangkok]] and many other Thai destinations. === By taxi=== Special cross-border taxis operate between Singapore and Johor Bahru. See [[Johor_Bahru#By_taxi]] for details. === By car=== [[File:Danok Sadao Border Crossing2.jpg|thumb|Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in [[Kedah]], on the border with [[Thailand]].]] Land crossings are possible from [[South (Thailand)|southern Thailand]] and Singapore into [[Peninsular Malaysia]], as well as from Brunei and [[Kalimantan]] (the Indonesian side of Borneo) into [[Sarawak]]. There is no official crossing into Indonesia from [[Sabah]] even though they share a land border. An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is required. See the respective city or state pages for more detailed information. * '''[[Brunei]]''' - the main crossings are at '''Sungai Tujoh''' on the [[Miri]], [[Sarawak]], to [[Bandar Seri Begawan]] (Brunei) road, and the '''Kuala Lurah-Tedungan''' checkpoint which is used for traffic travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and [[Limbang]] in [[Sarawak]]. You can also access the [[Temburong]] district of Brunei by road from [[Limbang]] via the Pandaruan (Puni on the Brunei side) checkpoint and [[Lawas]] via Trusan (Labu on the Brunei side). * '''[[Indonesia]]''' - the main crossing is at the '''Tebedu-Entikong''' checkpoint on the main [[Kuching]]-[[Pontianak]] road. The other two official crossings are the '''Biawak-Aruk''' and '''Lubok Antu- Nanga Badau''' border crossings. All three crossings are between the Malaysian state of [[Sarawak]] and the Indonesian province of [[West Kalimantan]]. There are also several unofficial crossings that are used by locals, but as a foreigner, you are advised not to use them as that is considered to be illegal entry. * '''[[Singapore]]''' - the two crossings are the '''Causeway''' which links [[Johor Bahru]] with '''Woodlands''' in Singapore, and the Malaysia-Singapore '''Second Link''' which links [[Iskandar Puteri]] with Tuas in Singapore. See [[Johor Baru#Get in|Johor Bahru '''Get in''' section]] and [[Singapore#Get in|Singapore '''Get in''' section]] for more details. Generally speaking, the Second Link is less congested than the Causeway, and is more convenient for those who wish to drive up the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, but a lot less convenient for people who just want to visit Johor Bahru. * '''[[Thailand]]''' - international checkpoints (from west to east, with the Thai towns in brackets) are at '''[[Wang Kelian]]''' ([[Satun]]) and '''[[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]]''' ([[Padang Besar (Thailand)|Padang Besar]]) in [[Perlis]], '''[[Bukit Kayu Hitam]]''' ([[Sadao]]) and '''Kota Putra''' (Banprokob) in [[Kedah]], '''Pengkalan Hulu''' (Betong) in [[Perak]], and '''Bukit Bunga''' (Buketa) and '''[[Rantau Panjang]]''' ([[Sungai Kolok]]) in [[Kelantan]]. Thai immigration has long been known to demand a bribe of RM2/20 baht per person to stamp you in or out, though there have been some crackdowns on this. === By boat === [[File:Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal.jpg|thumb|Ferry terminal in [[Iskandar Puteri]], [[Johor]].]] Ferries connect various points in [[Peninsular Malaysia]] with [[Sumatra]] in Indonesia and [[South (Thailand)|southern Thailand]], [[Sarawak]] with Brunei, and [[Sabah]] with [[East Kalimantan]] in Indonesia and [[Mindanao]] in the Philippines. Luxury cruises also run from Singapore and sometimes [[Phuket]] (Thailand) to Malaysia. * '''[[Brunei]]''' - ferries daily between the Muara Ferry Terminal in Brunei and [[Labuan]] island and Lawas in [[Sarawak]]. Speedboats, mostly in the morning, also run between Bandar Seri Begawan jetty and Limbang, [[Sarawak]]. * '''[[Indonesia]]''' - the main jumping-off points from Indonesia are the [[Riau Islands]] of [[Batam]], [[Bintan]] and [[Karimun]]; [[Dumai]], [[Medan]] and [[Pekanbaru]] on the [[Sumatra]] mainland as well as [[Nunukan]] in [[East Kalimantan]]. Ferries link [[Batam]] with Batu Pahat, [[Iskandar Puteri]] and [[Johor Bahru]]; [[Bintan]] with [[Johor Bahru]]; [[Karimun]] with Batu Pahat and Kukup in [[Johor]]; Dumai with [[Malacca]], Muar in [[Johor]], Port Dickson (in [[Negeri Sembilan]]) and [[Port Klang]], the port for [[Selangor]]; Pekanbaru with [[Malacca]]. Daily ferries also link Nunukan with Tawau in [[Sabah]]. There are also minor crossings like between Bengkalis in [[Riau]] and Batu Pahat; [[Sumatra]] and [[Malacca]] and Muar in [[Johor]]; and Tanjung Balai Asahan in [[North Sumatra]] with [[Port Klang]], the port for [[Selangor]]. * '''[[Singapore]]''' - daily passenger boats run between Changi Point and [[Pengerang]], between Tanah Merah and Sebana Cove Resort, as well as Tanah Merah and [[Desaru]], all in [[Johor]]. See the [[Singapore#Get in|Singapore '''Get in''' section]] for details. * '''[[Thailand]]''' - four ferries daily (reduced to three during Ramadan) between Tammalang at [[Satun]] and Kuah on [[Langkawi]], Malaysia. Vehicle ferries operate between Ban Taba near [[Tak Bai]] in [[Narathiwat_(province)|Narathiwat province]] and Pengkalan Kubur in [[Kelantan]], Malaysia, while passenger boats run between Ban Buketa in [[Narathiwat_(province)|Narathiwat province]] and Bukit Bunga in [[Kelantan]]. === On foot === It is possible to enter Malaysia from [[Thailand]] by foot at [[Wang Kelian]] and [[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]] (both in [[Perlis]]), [[Bukit Kayu Hitam]] ([[Kedah]]), Pengkalan Hulu ([[Perak]]) and [[Rantau Panjang]] ([[Kelantan]]). From [[Singapore]], it is possible to cross into Malaysia by foot using the Causeway, but be prepared for a very long walk as Malaysian immigration is now located 2km inland from the border. Unlike the previous customs and immigration complex, the current one was not set up to handle pedestrian traffic, meaning that there are no pedestrian footpaths on the Malaysian side, and you have to walk on the road with among vehicular traffic to get to customs and immigration. Crossing the Second Link on foot is not allowed; not that there would be any practical way to continue your journey on either side even if you did. == Get around == Immigration controls are in place for travel between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, as well as between the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Malaysian citizens need to present their ID cards, while foreign citizens are required to present their passports in order to travel. === By plane === Largely thanks to budget carrier '''[http://www.airasia.com AirAsia]''', Malaysia is crisscrossed by a web of affordable flights with advertised "promotional" prices starting at RM9 for flights booked well in advance. Flying is the only practical option for traveling between peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, as well as reaching some of the more remote outposts of Borneo. State carrier '''[http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ Malaysia Airlines]''' also has competitive fares which now offers equal or even lower priced tickets if booked in advance through the internet, with sustaining class of hospitality. And their offshoot '''[http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ Firefly]''' has a handy network radiating out of Penang previously, has also began operating from the Subang (Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah) airport. In [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]], '''[http://www.maswings.com.my MASWings]''', operates turboprop services linking interior communities, including those in the [[Kelabit Highlands]], with coastal cities. MASWings took over the rural air services network from FlyAsian Express on 1 October 2007, which in turn took the service over from Malaysia Airlines 14 months before that. === By train === [[File:Sabah State Railway Passanger Car Interior.jpg|thumb|Inside a passenger car of the Sabah State Railway]] State operator [http://www.ktmb.com.my '''Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad''' (KTMB)] provides relatively inexpensive and generally reliable services around [[Peninsular Malaysia]] (but not [[Sabah]]/[[Sarawak]] in [[Borneo]]). The main western line connects [[Butterworth]], [[Ipoh]], [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Johor Bahru]], while the eastern line runs through [[Gua Musang]] and the [[Taman Negara]] to [[Kota Bharu]], near the Thai border and the [[Perhentian Islands]]. The pride of KTMB's fleet is the '''ETS''' (Electric Train Service) from [[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]] to [[Gemas]], with a branch line to [[Butterworth]] (with transfers to/from [[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]] by ferry) from [[Bukit Mertajam]], running modern air-conditioned trains daily at 140&nbsp;km/h. There is no longer ETS service from Padang Besar to Butterworth; the route is served by '''KTM Komuter''' trains instead, which while also electrified are designed for commuter rather than long-distance travel. The rest of the network, though, is mostly single-track, with slow diesel locos and all too frequent breakdowns and delays. In May, 2016 KTMB ceased all sleeper trains on the western line, following the electrification of the track to Gemas. An air conditioned 2nd class only, diesel shuttle train now connects the section from Gemas to JB Sentral. Electrification and double tracking of the Gemas to [[Johor Bahru]] section is expected to be completed by October 2022. The '''[[Jungle Railway]]''' is the apt description for the eastern line between [[Tumpat]] (close to the Thai border) and [[Gemas]], including stops at [[Gua Musang]], [[Kuala Lipis]], [[Jerantut]] (for [[Taman Negara]]) and Wakaf Bahru (for [[Kota Bharu]] and the [[Perhentian Islands]]). The original "Jungle Train" is the slow daytime service which stops at every station (every 15-20min or so). It's 3rd class only, meaning no air-con and no reservations, and some stops may be lengthy as it's a single line and all other trains have priority - hence the "Jungle Train" waits in side loops along the way so that oncoming or overtaking trains can pass. Some find it to be a fascinating and stunningly scenic ride; others feel there's not much to see when you're in the jungle. The eastern line also has one night express train (for which reservations are possible and recommended) going in each direction. In addition to air-con seats, these trains have '''Superior Night''' (ADNS) sleeper cars, which have upper and lower berths along each side, each bunk having a solid partition at each end and a side curtain for privacy. The carriages shake and rattle quite a bit but are comfortable and clean. These trains have windows for both top and bottom bunks, unlike on Thai sleeper trains. A third line, known as the '''[https://www.mrl.com.my/en/ East Coast Rail Link]''' is under construction between [[Port Klang]] and [[Kota Bharu]], with plans for it to pass through [[Kuantan]] and [[Kuala Terengganu]] along the way. It is scheduled to be completed in 2027. Tickets can be booked and even printed online at KTMB's site. Enquiries and reservations can be made by phone at KTMB's call centres, {{Phone|+60 3 2267-1200}} (Malaysia) or, {{Phone|+65 6222-5165}} (Singapore). In East Malaysia, the only railway line is run by [https://railway.sabah.gov.my/ '''Jabatan Kereta Api Negeri Sabah''' (JKNS)] (Web-site in Malay only), running from Tanjung Aru near [[Kota Kinabalu]] to the town of [[Tenom]]. Malaysia's sole luxury train is the '''[https://www.belmond.com/trains/asia/eastern-and-oriental-express/ Eastern & Oriental Express]''', which travels from [[Singapore]] to [[Bangkok]], with stops in [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Butterworth]]. === By car === Malaysia has an excellent highway network, culminating in the '''North-South Expressway''' along the West Coast from [[Johor Bahru]] at the border with [[Singapore]] all the way to [[Bukit Kayu Hitam]] in [[Kedah]] at the border with [[Thailand]]. There is also the '''East Coast Expressway''', crossing Peninsular Malaysia coast-to-coast from [[Kuala Lumpur]] to [[Kuantan]] before heading up north towards [[Kuala Terengganu]]. Gasoline or locally known as Petrol is slightly cheaper than market prices at RM1.90/litre (Ron 95) (in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak). Tolls are payable on expressways, but these are priced at varying degrees, ranging from expensive to reasonable: driving the length of the country (734&nbsp;km) from the Thai border to Singapore costs RM108 (~US$25). While you can drive from Singapore to Thailand within a day on the West Coast, the highway system is considerably less developed on the East Coast, and even less so in Sabah and Sarawak, so be sure to factor in additional travel time if travelling in those areas. Toll prices for highways and causeways inside major cities, especially Kuala Lumpur, are priced exorbitantly, ranging from RM4.00 to RM7.00 for each exit. For those thinking of using GPS (Garmin, Papago, Galactio and Mio-Polnav), the Malaysia maps can be downloaded for free from http://www.malfreemaps.com/index.php Garmin user lucky enough to have another choice from http://www.malsingmaps.com/portal/. Both party maps is contributed by the amazing non-profit group of people who share a common passion to make a gps maps of Malaysia. While driving quality and habits in Malaysia are better than in most of the rest of Southeast Asia, they are not necessarily great, especially compared to what visitors from most Western countries are used to at home. Traffic in Malaysia drives on the left, a legacy left by the British. Beware reckless motorcyclists, especially at night, and especially if you are a pedestrian: locals typically disregard a red light for left turns, putting pedestrians at risk. As a motorist, at traffic lights, motorcyclists will accumulate in front of you - let them drive away first to avoid accidents. Care is needed when driving in larger cities, such as Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and George Town. Problems include apparently suicidal motorcyclists, congested traffic lanes throughout the day, and bewildering roads especially in the older parts of the city where planning was virtually nonexistent by the then British colonial occupiers. Out of town, however, cars and motorcycles are the best and sometimes the only way to explore the country. Some of the more rural areas have motorcycles and scooters to rent for as little as RM25/day, a great way to explore the local area or larger islands like Langkawi. As expected, most rental agencies will require a valid drivers licence to be presented upon rental. Fuel levels are often compared before and after rental, and the vehicle is also checked for damage, so ensure everything is documented, and request a refund of any excess fuel if possible. The bigger car rental companies like Hertz and Avis may also require you to have a valid credit card where a deposit will be authorised but not deducted from (unless there is damage to the car). === By taxi === [[File:Taxi in Penang 02.JPG|thumb|Taxi in Penang]] Taxis are available in all cities and larger towns, although in smaller places you may have to call one (ask any shopkeeper or consult the yellow-pages). You will generally need to negotiate the fare in advance, although prepaid coupon taxis are usually available at airports. RM5 should suffice for a short cross-town trip, while RM100 is enough to hire a taxi for a full day. In Kuala Lumpur, the budget taxis are usually coloured Red and White (City taxi - these taxis are not allowed to travel out of the city e.g. to another state) or Yellow. Taxis are usually small saloons such as Proton Wira and run on NGV (Natural Gas). The Blue taxis are larger saloons or MPVs (Multi Purpose Vehicles) and more luxurious. These cost typically 25-30% more than the budget taxis & are normally available at taxi stands all over Kuala Lumpur including the major malls & hotels. The Red & White taxis can be hailed off the roads & are metered. Ensure that the taxi driver is a Malaysian (all drivers must have a taxi permit &amp license with their photo on it) before you board, as unscrupulous taxi owners have been known to rent their taxi out to unlicensed stand-ins. All legal taxi drivers must be Malaysian citizens or permanent residents as the Malaysian government does not issue work visas to foreigners to drive taxis. Additionally, beware of unlicensed taxis ''(taxi sapu)'' at the airports. They can literally take you for a ride. There will be touts at the airports offering travellers their taxi service, even pretending to be legitimate. As unbelievable as it may sound, some have been known to rob first time visitors hundreds of ringgit for a single trip into the city, charging 100 times more than the correct fare. At the airports '''always''' get your taxi from the authorised operators' booths set up in the airport itself & '''never''' from anyone that solicits directly. They will always claim to be legitimate but are rarely licensed and may be unsafe. The taxi operator booths can provide you with receipts. Another tip is to book your taxis in advance. All good hotels' concierge will be able to assist you with this. If travelling in an unlicensed taxi you may not be covered by your travel insurance should that taxi be involved in a mishap. The most popular ride hailing app is '''Grab'''. On Grab, you can pay with cash—drivers have change. === By bus === {{infobox|Report Bad Drivers|Bus drivers (especially on more "rural" routes) sometimes drive carelessly, speed like maniacs, overtake on blind corners, etc. The vast majority of journeys are problem-free. However, some horrific accidents attributed to reckless driving have led to a crackdown and a nationwide hotline, and an SMS number for reporting these drivers/vehicles has been set up. This number is conveniently pasted on the back of every single large vehicle in the country.}} [[File:Higer-RapidPenang.JPG|thumb|Public bus in Penang]] The cheapest way to travel in Malaysia is by bus. All towns of any size have a bus terminal offering connections to other parts of the country. There are many companies of varying degrees of dependability, but two of the largest and more reliable are '''[http://transnasional.com.my Transnasional]''' and '''[http://www.plusliner.com.my/ NICE/Plusliner]'''. 24-seater "luxury" buses are recommended for long-distance travel. If travelling on holidays or even over the weekend, it is advisable to reserve your seats in advance. Many bus companies allow for you to book online directly through their website. However, some only allow online booking for individuals with Malaysian credit cards, which is not really convenient for international visitors. Luckily, most bus operators have banded together into two booking portals and are particularly handy if you have specific destinations but are not sure which bus company to use. Both allow payment with any credit card and require a nominal fee for their service (usually RM1-2). *{{listing | name=Bus Online Ticket |alt=| url=https://www.busonlineticket.com/ | email=sales@busonlineticket.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+603 2027 4626 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2019-05-26| content= }} *{{listing | name=catchthatbus.com | alt=catchthatbus.com | url=http://www.catchthatbus.com | email=sales@catchthatbus.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+603 9212 1818 (MY) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=redbus | alt=redbus | url=http://www.redbus.sg | email=support@redbus.sg | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65-31582888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Easybook | alt=Easibook | url=http://www.easybook.com | email=enquiry@easybook.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 4 332 7718 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-03-27 | content= }} Air conditioning on some buses can be extremely cold so don't forget to bring a good sweater, pants and socks, especially for overnight journeys on luxury buses! ==See== [[File:Penang Malaysia Wat-Chaiya-Mangkalaram-Temple-01.jpg|thumb|Wat Chaiyamangkalaram in [[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]], [[Penang]].]] [[File:Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation 2012.JPG|thumb|Tea plantations in the [[Cameron Highlands]], [[Pahang]].]] Malaysia is a fascinating country with many faces. It's multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, and its attractions vary from the iconic Petronas Towers in bustling '''[[Kuala Lumpur]]''' to perfect sandy beaches lined with palm trees and dense jungles with orangutangs and tigers. There are various impressive '''national parks'''. Expeditions range from those where you hardly lose sight of the hotel to those where you are fully immersed in the jungle for weeks, with only the guide and yourself. To spot a tiger or wild elephant in its natural habitat you might have to spend more than a few days in the wild, but you'll have no trouble seeing smaller wildlife. '''[[Bako National Park]]''' is the oldest national park in Malaysia and one of the best places to see proboscis monkeys. The vast jungles of '''[[Taman Negara]]''' have become a popular destination for [[ecotourism|ecotourists]], just like the remote but gorgeous '''[[Gunung Mulu National Park]]''', a World Heritage Site famous for its limestone karst formations, stone pinnacles and huge caves. To escape from the muggy tropics, do as the English did and head up to the cool tea plantations of the '''[[Cameron Highlands]]''', the quaint Tudor-style village on '''[[Fraser's Hill]]''' or climb '''[[Mount Kinabalu]]''' in [[Sabah]]. For many people, Malaysia brings pictures of pristine beaches with great diving opportunities to mind - and for good reason. '''[[Sipadan]]''' off the coast of Sabah, and the beautiful '''[[Perhentian]]''' Islands are among the best (and most popular) places. Coastlines in the less industrialized parts of the country, in general, are well worth driving through for their natural beauty and relaxing seaside kampung (villages). Follow the crowds to the postcard perfect sands of the '''[[Langkawi]]''' Islands, where you can have a cocktail on the beach and stay in one of the many resorts. If you're most interested in taking the pulse of a city, don't miss '''[[Kuala Lumpur]]''''s crazy quilt ultra-modern skyline, including the famous Petronas Twin Towers. [[George Town (Malaysia)|'''George Town''']], the capital city of [[Penang]], is known for its great food, colonial architecture, and relatively long-standing and institutionalized Chinese, Peranakan and Indian communities, who share the city with ethnic Malays, Thais and Eurasians. '''[[Ipoh]]''' is a good choice if you enjoy a somewhat slower paced city that features elegant colonial-era buildings from about 100 years ago, and '''[[Malacca]]''' is for those who want to trace the colonial and imperial history of Malaysia several hundred years further back. For a completely different experience, head to '''[[Kota Bharu]]''' to discover a unique conservative Islamic regional culture influenced by [[Thailand]], only a few kilometres away, or visit the diverse cities of [[East Malaysia]], like '''[[Kuching]]''' and '''[[Kota Kinabalu]]'''. Especially when travelling with children, consider visiting one of the country's excellent zoos, such as [[Taiping]] Zoo, [[Kuala Lumpur]]'s Zoo Negara, [[Johor Bahru|Johor]] Zoo and [[Malacca]]'s Zoo. == Do == [[File:Perhentian Beach (106319844).jpg|thumb|A beach on [[Perhentian Islands]], [[Terengganu]].]] [[File:Amphiprion clarkii sipadan.jpg|thumb|A first glance at Sipadan's colourful underwater life]] Malaysia has excellent '''[[scuba diving]]'''. The most popular spots are the islands off the [[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] of peninsular Malaysia ([[Perhentian]], [[Redang]], [[Tioman]] and many more), although the dive season is limited to April to September. However, the most famous dive site &mdash; often ranked among the best in the world &mdash; is [[Sipadan]], off the easternmost tip of [[Sabah|Malaysian Borneo]]. There are many other less well known sites, like [[Layang Layang]]. ===Whitewater Rafting=== You can find tame Grade I to incredibly difficult and dangerous Grade V rapids in Malaysia's many national parks: * Jeram Besu - Grade I-III - [[Pahang]] * [[Telom River]] - Grade V - [[Pahang]] * Kuala Perahu - [[Pahang]] * Lipis River - [[Pahang]] * Anak Jelai River - Grade I-II - [[Pahang]] * Tembeling River - Grade I-II - [[Pahang]] * Sedim River - Grade III-IV - [[Kedah]] * Sungai Selangor - Grade I-III - [[Selangor]] * Kiulu River - Grade II - [[Sabah]] * Padas River - Grade III-IV - Sabah * Sungai Itek (Kampar River) - Grade I-III - [[Perak]] * Sungkai River - Grade I-II - Perak * Singoh River - Grade V - Perak * Endau River - [[Johor]] * Nenggiri River - Grade I-III [[Kelantan]] * [[Kuala Kubu Bahru]], [[Selangor]] ===[[Martial arts]]=== [[File:Men Pencak Silat Match Malaysia vs Vietnam.jpg|thumb|A silat match taking place.]] Malaysia is home to a uniquely Malay style of martial arts known as '''silat'''. Silat tournaments are held between different schools in the country, and the Southeast Asian Games is the premier international tournament in silat, with competitors from the neighbouring countries as well. There is also an equally traditional stylised dance version of silat called ''silat gayung'', which is quite worth seeing if you have the chance. In addition, there are also many kung fu masters among the ethnic Chinese community, and Malaysia is consistently one of the top performers in international wushu competitions. ===Music=== Malaysia is home to a uniquely Malay form of singing called ''dikir barat''. Dikir barat is typically sung by a choir, though there may also be solo parts, and is also either sung ''a capella'', or accompanied only by percussion instruments. Dikir barat competitions are fairly popular among the Malay community, and are frequently broadcast on Malaysian national television. == Buy == ===Money=== {{exchange rates | currency=Malaysian ringgit | currencyCode=RM | date=January 2022 | EUR=4.8 | GBP=5.7 | SGD=3.1 | USD=4.2 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/myr-malaysian-ringgit XE.com] }} The Malaysian currency is the '''Malaysian ringgit''', abbreviated as '''RM''' (ISO code: '''MYR'''). It is divided into 100 '''sen''' (cents). The ringgit used to be referred to as the dollar and you may see the '$' symbol on older notes. There are coins of RM0.05 (silver), RM0.10 (silver), RM0.20 (silver or gold), and RM0.50 (silver or gold) as well as bills of RM1 (blue), RM5 (green), RM10 (red), RM20 (orange), RM50 (green/blue) and RM100 (purple). 5 sen coins are mainly given as change in large establishments or supermarkets whereas peddlers and street vendors might be reluctant to accept them. The Singapore and Brunei dollars are also known as ''ringgit'' in Malay, so when near border areas you might want to check to be sure which currency they are quoting the price in. '''Foreign currencies''' are ''not'' generally accepted, although you might get away with exchanging some US dollars or euros even in more remote areas, but do expect a lot of stares and some persuasion. The major exception is Singapore dollars, which are accepted by KTMB and toll roads, but at a highly unfavorable 1:1 exchange rate (an anomaly dating back to when the ringgit was interchangeable with the Singapore dollar, prior to the 1970s). '''Currency exchange''' counters can easily found in major shopping areas and have a better exchange rate than in banks and airports. Be sure to say the amount you wish to exchange and ask for the 'best quote' as rates displayed on the board are often negotiable, especially for larger amounts. Large foreign banknotes, such as €500, are almost impossible to change for a good rate in some areas, especially in Sabah or Sarawak, where the banks offer a much lower rate comparing to the one you'd get if changing a banknote of smaller amount. Some money exchangers in Kota Kinabalu or Kuching even may refuse your business if you have large foreign banknotes, so the best option is to bring smaller notes unless you are willing to shop around. === Banking === '''ATMs''' are widely available in cities, but do stock up on cash if heading out into the smaller islands or the jungle. '''Credit cards''' can be used in most shops, restaurants and hotels, although '''skimming''' can be a problem in dodgier outlets. For credit card usage, make sure your credit/debit card is chip based as most merchants no longer accept '''magnetic strips''' based cards. Banks in Malaysia do handle international transactions. These ranges from a nominal fee if you are an account holder to a slightly more expensive amount if you are only walking in to use a certain service. International banks such as Citibank & HSBC have their presence in Malaysia, with the latter having branches throughout the country. Local banking giants are Maybank, Public Bank & CIMB Bank, & they are a very good alternative to the earlier mentioned banks, especially in terms of pricing, local knowledge & presence as well as international services available e.g. money transfers. For any enquiries and transactions, get a number, sit down and wait for your turn to be served. (There is no need to queue while you wait in air-conditioned comfort!) Banks are open Monday-Friday from 09:30-16:00 and selected banks are open Saturday 09:30-11:30 except on the first and third Saturdays of each month. In the states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, they are open Sunday-Thursday from 09:30-16:00. Due to fraud risk, many Malaysian ATMs do not allow you to withdraw using foreign debit cards. If your card is rejected, try another ATM. This is unique to Malaysia and is not applicable to Thailand, Singapore, or Indonesia. If you call your bank or even Visa/MasterCard, they are often not aware because the transaction is declined by the Malaysia bank. Make sure to bring cash or other forms of money in case your debit card is rejected. === Costs === Most Western visitors will find Malaysia quite cheap, although it is noticeably more expensive than neighbouring Indonesia. You can live in hostel dorms and feast on hawker food for less than RM50 per day, but you'll wish to double this for comfort, particularly if travelling in more expensive East Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is also generally more expensive than the rest of the country. At the other end of the spectrum, luxury hotels and air fares are comparatively affordable, with even the fanciest 5-star hotels costing less than RM400/night. [[File:Bukit bintang from kl monorail 2009.jpg|thumb|''Bukit Bintang'', a popular shopping area in [[Kuala Lumpur]].]] ===Tipping=== Tipping is not customary in Malaysia. A service charge of 10% is included in total bill in most air conditioned restaurants, but otherwise, you are not expected to pay anything more than what is stated in the bill. Most expensive restaurants, bars and hotels may indicate prices in the form of RM19++ ("plus plus"), meaning that sales tax (6%) and service charge (10%) will be added to the bill. Hotel tax of 5% may also be added to this. === Shopping === [[Kuala Lumpur]] is a shopping mecca for clothes, electronics, watches and computer goods, with very competitive prices by any standard. Local Malaysian brands include Royal Selangor and British India. Traditional Malaysian fabrics (''batik'') are a popular souvenir. The cheapest place to easily buy ethnic souvenirs (especially wood-based) is in [[Kuching]], East Malaysia, and the most expensive place is in the major, posh [[Kuala Lumpur]] shopping centres. In general shops are open 10:30-21:30/22:00 in the large cities. They open and close for business earlier in the smaller towns and rural areas. Some shops may also be closed on certain days, such as in [[Malacca]] where many shops and restaurants close on Tuesday. If you buy too much while shopping in Malaysia (which is quite easy to do), surface postage rates are very reasonable. Excess luggage at the airport is still high but not as high as in many other countries. Check first with your airline. == Eat == {{main|Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei}} The crossroads of Malay, Chinese and [[Indian cuisine]], Malaysia is an excellent place to ''makan'' (eat in Malay). Look out for regional specialities and Nyonya (Peranakan) cuisine, the fusion between Malay and [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese cooking]]. There is even unique Eurasian cooking to be found in the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca, the heartland of the Portuguese Eurasian community. Malaysians are very proud of their cooking and most towns or even villages have their own delicious specialities such as [[Penang]] ''char kway teow'', [[Kajang]] satay, [[Ipoh]] bean sprout chicken, [[Sarawak]] ''laksa'', [[Kelantan]]ese ''nasi dagang'', [[Sabah]]an ''hinava'', and many, many more. Most of them rely on word of mouth for advertising and are frequently located in the most inconvenient, out-of-the-way places so you might want to try asking the locals for their personal recommendations. If you intend to travel around Malaysia trying out the local food, don't be fooled by the names. Sometimes two entirely different dishes from different parts of the country can be known by the same name. For example, ''laksa'' refers to completely different noodle dishes in [[Penang]] and [[Sarawak]]. Generally, you can eat pretty much anywhere in Malaysia. Food outlets are comparatively clean - the only thing you should avoid when you frequent the street or hawker stalls is ice for your drinks, since the blocks of ice used there might not be up to your hygienic standards. In actual restaurants this is not a problem. Also you might want to avoid ordering water from hawker stalls or the ''mamak'' restaurants as you will usually be served unboiled tap water. Cheaper places often do not display prices; most will charge tourists honestly, but check prices before ordering to make sure. Eating habits run the gamut, but most foods are eaten by '''fork and spoon''': push and cut with the fork in the left hand, and eat with the spoon in the right. As eating is a favourite 'pastime' of Malaysians, the majority are adept at using chopsticks, regardless of background. Noodles and Chinese dishes typically come with these, while Malay and Indian food is traditionally eaten by hand, though a fork and spoon are often use to eat Malay and Indian food in restaurants and may be requested if not provided. If eating by hand, '''always use only your right hand''' to handle the food, as Malays and Indians traditionally use their left hand to handle dirty things. When eating with chopsticks at Chinese restaurants, take note of the usual etiquette and most importantly, ''do not'' stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. This is reminiscent of incense sticks burning at the temple and has connotations of wishing death on those around you. If eating in a group, serving dishes are always shared, but you'll get your own bowl of rice and soup. === Where to eat === [[File:Beaufort Sabah KedaiKopi-01.jpg|thumb|The interior of a kedai kopi near the railway station in [[Beaufort (Sabah)|Beaufort, Sabah]]]] The cheapest places to eat are '''hawker stalls''' and '''coffeeshops''', known as ''kedai kopi'' in Malay or ''kopitiam'' in Hokkien. These shops sell, besides coffee, many other types of food and drinks. Particularly popular and tasty are '''''mamak''''' stalls, run by Indian Muslims and serving up localized Indian fare like ''roti canai''. Most hawker stalls stay open till late and some even operate on shifts so you can find the same stall offering different food at different points throughout the day. You can also do take away from any stall, just ask for ''bungkus'' (Malay) or ''ta pao'' (Cantonese). A hawker meal will rarely cost you over RM5. Hygiene standards in Malaysia, while not up to that of neighbouring Singapore or Western countries, is still reasonable and much better than say, China or most of the rest of Southeast Asia. Just be observant, and generally speaking, if a stall is patronised by locals, it should be safe to eat there. One step up on the scale is the '''''kedai makanan''''' or the more Western-style '''''restoran'''''. A type to look out for is the ''nasi kandar'' restaurant (also known as ''nasi campur'' or ''nasi padang''), with a vast range of curries and toppings to ladle on top of your rice. '''Seafood restaurants''' (''makanan laut'') are comparatively pricy but still excellent value by most standards; do check prices before ordering though. Local prawns are gigantic, Chinese-style steamed fish is a treat and crab served with sticky chilli sauce is particularly popular. Last but not least, some less adventurous options. '''Food courts''' in shopping malls are a good way to sample local delicacies in air-conditioned comfort, paying only a small premium over hawker prices. And yes, you can also find McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and the usual suspects plus imitators throughout Malaysia. === Dietary restrictions === [[File:Su Xin Vegetarian Restaurant.jpg|thumb|A vegetarian restaurant in [[Johor Bahru]], [[Johor]].]] Being a Muslim-majority country, finding '''halal''' food in Malaysia is easy, but most Chinese stalls and restaurants, as well as those serving some indigenous ethnic groups of East Malaysia such as the Iban and Kadazan, are ''not'' halal. Ask if in doubt. Meals at Malay restaurants and Western fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut are halal. Restaurants at major hotels are not certified 'Halal' as they serve alcohol as well, but with the exception of Chinese restaurants, they generally don't serve pork. Local Muslims will eat at Western, Chinese and Indian eateries if there is a halal sign on the walls. Most of the restaurants tend to display their halal certification or halal sign on their places. Halal certification is awarded and enforced by a government agency, usually JAKIM. There are ''no'' '''kosher''' establishments in Malaysia, so Jewish visitors will have to bring their own food with them. Kosher grocery stores and restaurants can be found in neighbouring [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]], the [[Philippines]] and [[Vietnam]], so you might want to stop in one of those countries to stock up before entering Malaysia. '''Vegetarianism''' is well-understood by the Chinese and Indian communities (not so by the Muslim Malays and other indigenous minorities) and many restaurants or hawker stalls will be able to come up with something on request (DO state "no meat, no fish, no seafood - ASK for vegetables and/or eggs ONLY"), but don't rely entirely on menu descriptions: innocuous-seeming dishes like "fried vegetables" etc. will often contain pork bits in non-halal Chinese restaurants, shrimp paste (''belacan'', commonly used in Malay and spicy Chinese dishes), fish sauce, etc. Indian restaurants usually have very good vegetarian selections - the ''roti'' (Indian flat bread - any kind; including roti canai, roti naan, capati, tosai) are good choices, and DO insist on being given ''dhal'' (lentil-based curry dip) lest you'll be given a fish curry dip. Purely vegetarian Chinese restaurants (often serving remarkable "mock meat" products made from tofu, gluten etc.) are quite easy to find in big urban areas with a large ethnic Chinese population. Getting vegetarian food in rural areas, especially those near fishing villages or in Muslim/Malay-dominated regions, may be more difficult, but learning some basic Malay vocabulary will go a long way to help you get your message across &mdash; see the [[Malay phrasebook#Eating|Malay phrasebook]]. Upmarket Western restaurants, such as those serving Italian cuisine, will normally have some good vegetarian options. '''Veganism''' is rarely understood in this part of the world and is largely mistaken as a synonym for vegetarianism. The safest bet for a vegan is to patronize a Chinese Buddhist vegetarian restaurant (most Chinese vegetarian restaurants are essentially vegan and operated on Buddhist principles of non-killing and compassion, and thus they abstain from using dairy products, eggs, and the 5 fetid vegetables [onions, garlic, leeks, etc.] discouraged in Mahayana Buddhism). And if you're still feeling uneasy or unsure, do not hesitate to ask. == Drink == [[File:Cheng Ho Tea House.JPG|thumb|A tea house in [[Melaka]].]] Malaysians like both coffee (''kopi'') and tea (''teh''), especially the national drink ''teh tarik'' ("pulled tea"), named after the theatrical 'pulling' motion used to pour it. By default, both will be served hot, sweet and with a dose of condensed milk; request ''teh o'' to skip the milk, ''teh ais'' for iced milky tea, or ''teh o ais'' for iced milkless tea. Drinking with no sugar at all is considered odd, but asking for ''kurang manis'' (less sugar) will ease the pain. However, if you really want no sugar at all, you can try asking for "teh kosong." Another peculiar local favourite is the kopi tongkat ali ginseng, a mixture of coffee, a local aphrodisiacal root, and ginseng served with condensed milk that's touted as an alternative to viagra and red bull combined and is usually advertised with a picture of a bed broken in half. Other popular nonalcoholic options include the chocolate drink Milo and lime juice (''limau''). Freshly made fruit juices are also widely available, as well as a wide range of canned drinks (some familiar, some less so). There is also a local drink comprised of white soya milk and black grass jelly (''cincau'') called ''soya cincau''. It can be ordered at most hawker centres and local roadside cafes (''kedai kopi/kopitiam''). === Alcohol === [[Image:Gawai.JPG|thumb|Tuak is widely consumed during Gawai Dayak festival and Christmas Day.]] Although Malaysia has a Muslim majority, alcohol is available on licensed outlet for the consumption of its non-Muslim citizens (e.g., Chinese, Indigenous Sabahan, Indigenous Sarawakian and Indian) and non-Muslim foreigners. However, some states (notably [[Kelantan]] and [[Terengganu]]) ban the selling of alcohol. With the exception of tax-free islands ([[Labuan]], [[Langkawi]], [[Tioman]]) and duty free shops (for example in [[Johor Bahru]]), prices are comparatively high, with a can of beer costing RM7.50 or more even in supermarkets or 7-Eleven stores. However, in East Malaysia, smuggled liquors are widely available. The legal drinking age in Malaysia is 21. In East Malaysia, particularly [[Sarawak]], ''tuak'' is a common affair for any celebration or festivals such as Gawai Dayak and Christmas Day. ''Tuak'' is made from fermented rice which sometimes sugar, honey or other various condiments are added. It is normally served lukewarm without ice. Visitors can choose from 'strong' flavour of tuak (which is normally being fermented for years), or 'mild' flavour (which sometimes just being prepared a week or even a day before). In [[Sabah]], cheap liquors are very widely available at most supermarkets and mini markets in the state. Other alcoholic drinks such as beer and whisky are also widely available. On the other hand, ''Tuak'' in [[Kelantan]] also can be considered as a liquor since that it contains trace amount of fermented ''nipah'' or sap juice. The alcohol content in Kelantan ''tuak'' can easily reach 50% after 3 days from the time it was extracted. [[File:Tapai peuyeum Pasar Baru.JPG|thumb|Cassava tapai is shown in plastic bags in the foreground]] ''Tapai'' consists of cassava (less often, rice) that is fermented and eaten as a food (though the liquid in the bottom can also be drunk). As it is commonly eaten during Hari Raya Puasa, the major Muslim holiday celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, it is interesting that Islamic legal authorities associated with the Islamist opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) have given Muslims a special dispensation from laws against consuming alcohol, in the case of tapai. == Sleep == Malaysia has ample affordable accommodations in all of its cities and towns, with full range from budget until luxury ones. Hotels and hostels are required to charge a '''tourism tax''' on international visitors: RM10 per room per night, which may not be included in the advertised rates. ===Budget=== Budget hotels and youth [[hostels]] are available in most cities and around most tourist destinations. As with most budget accommodations, some are more reliable than others. Be cautious when selecting budget accommodation to avoid places that house illegal vice activities. Larger cities will have YMCAs that are safe bets. Another noticeable budget hotel chain is [http://www.tunehotels.com/ Tune Hotels,] an affiliate of the budget airline, Air Asia. They are expanding and have hotels at numerous locations throughout the country ===Mid-range=== Mid-range hotels are readily available just about anywhere. Prices of 3-4 star hotels are upwards from RM100 and are generally reliable in terms of quality. ===Splurge=== 5-star hotels, service apartments and resorts are found in larger cities like Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching and also in some coastal towns and areas. Also, almost all islands have upscale resorts and spas for the wealthy traveller. == Learn == Malaysia's universities are generally well-regarded and draw exchange students from near and far. Among Malaysia's universities, the undisputed most prestigious one is the '''[https://www.um.edu.my/ University of Malaya]''' (UM), located in Kuala Lumpur. In addition, several foreign universities have established campuses in Malaysia. == Work == Obtaining a working visa takes some effort. The easiest way to work in Malaysia is probably to work for an overseas company and get posted to Malaysia. The [http://www.imi.gov.my Malaysian Immigration Department website] has basic advice. In order to obtain a work permit, you need to have an offer from your future employer who will have to do the paperwork for you. It's very expensive and comes with many restrictions if a company wants to hire a foreigner and as such next to impossible. As stated above, a feasible way is to get transferred. Finding a job is otherwise unlikely unless you are married to a local and even then it remains difficult. Working days in the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Johor are from Sunday to Thursday, while in most other states, the working days are from Monday to Friday. Weekend holidays are on Saturday and Sunday, while in the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor are on Friday and Saturday. == Stay safe == {{infobox|Emergency numbers|Central emergency number '''999'''}} Though the crime rate is higher than in neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia is generally a safe country for visitors. Crimes towards tourists are usually restricted to bag-snatching, pickpocketing and petty theft. It is important to keep a close eye on valuable items. Theft is more common in crowded places, such as markets and on public transport. Generally, if you avoid deserted areas, get back to your hotel before midnight and use your common sense, you're unlikely to be assaulted. Homosexuality is a crime and gay bars may be raided by police; gay and lesbian tourists should be self-aware and careful. ===Crime=== {{warningbox|Malaysia treats '''drug offences''' ''extremely'' severely. With limited exceptions, the '''death penalty is mandatory''' for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15 g of heroin, 30 g of morphine, 30 g of cocaine, 500 g of cannabis, 200 g of cannabis resin and 1.2 kg of opium, and possession of these quantities is all that is needed for you to be convicted. Even if the mandatory death penalty is not imposed, life imprisonment and mandatory whipping is still expected. Unauthorised consumption can result in up to 10 years' jail, or a heavy fine, or both. You can be charged for unauthorised consumption as long as traces of illicit drugs are found in your system, even if you can prove that they were consumed outside the country and you can be charged for trafficking as long as drugs are found in bags that are in your possession or in your room, even if they aren't yours and regardless of whether you're aware of them - therefore be vigilant of your possessions.|lastedit=permanent}} There have been some reports of [[pickpockets]] and snatch-and-run thieves in some of the major cities like [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Petaling Jaya]] and [[Johor Bahru]]. As a general precaution, never carry your bags on the side facing the road and always walk facing the oncoming traffic. Additionally, walk a few feet deeper away from the roads. Women travellers should take extra precautions at night. Johor Bahru is known for having a relatively higher crime rate compared to the rest of Malaysia, and armed robberies and snatch thefts could happen at night in run-down areas of the city. Travel documents and valuables are best deposited in a hotel safe. In Malaysia, some crimes are punished with caning. Being convicted of rape, vandalism, illegal entry, bribery, overstaying your visa, and certain other crimes could get you caned. '''This is no slap on the wrist!''' Strokes from the thick rattan cane are ''very painful'', will take some time to heal and probably leave you with a permanent scar. Credit card fraud is a growing problem in this country, especially if you order in an on-line store during your stay. Use credit cards only in reputable shops. If you are not sure about the reputation of a certain shop or service, there are several services available that can help to identify fraud and scams such as [http://trustedcompany.com Trustedcompany.com] for any online service they want to use. ===Corruption=== While not as bad as the likes of Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia, corruption remains a significant issue in Malaysia. Traffic police have been known to pull over motorists to demand bribes of RM100-200; this tends to happen somewhat more often to those driving Singapore-registered cars (recognisable by the licence plates). Nevertheless, there have been some crackdowns on this, and bribery is punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Anyone who tries to bribe public officials may be arrested on the spot and placed in a lock-up overnight to be charged for the offence in the morning. If this happens on a Friday or on eve of public holidays, you will find yourself spending a few nights in the lock-up as the courts are only open Monday to Friday. Do not let this dissuade you from requesting help — generally Malaysian police are helpful to tourists. Customs and immigration officers are generally fairly clean, and unlike in other mainland Southeast Asian countries, being asked to pay a bribe to get your passport stamped is virtually unheard of, even at land border crossings. (Thai immigration on the other side of the border is another story, though.) Do check your passport before driving off when entering by land from the Singapore border though, as immigration officers have been known to "forget" to stamp people in, and you will be subject to fines of several thousand ringgit for illegal entry when you try to leave Malaysia if your passport was not stamped on entry. The [https://www.sprm.gov.my/ Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission] (MACC, Malay ''Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia/SPRM'') is responsible for investigating corruption throughout the country. A list of MACC branches can be found [https://www.sprm.gov.my/index.php?id=21&page_id=75&articleid=430 here]. ===Traffic safety=== Drunk-driving is a serious offense and breathalyzer tests by the police are common. When on foot, be careful when crossing the street. Vehicles will often ignore pedestrian (zebra) crossings. However, reports of road bullying during accidents are still common, so if you are involved in an accident be very careful when negotiating or dial 999 for help. ===Other=== [[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Taxi-waiting-for-passengers-01.jpg|thumb|Taxis in [[Kota Kinabalu]], [[Sabah]].]] Many taxis will refuse to use the meter, even though there is an official rate. Most taxis now have a sticker on the rear door informing tourists that haggling is prohibited. Taxi drivers, sensing that you are a tourist, may drive around and take a very long route to reach your destination. If you need a taxi late at night, it is best to use the dial-a-taxi service as there have been incidents in which taxis flagged down during those hours have been fake/unregistered. An unregistered taxi driver might rob or assault you with the help of other assailants. You are also more likely to get a metered taxi by flagging one at a street than at a taxi stand. It is advisable to study maps and compare fares on the internet before visiting the country. Knowing distances between places is helpful when negotiating with taxi drivers. They won't try to fool even a foreigner who demonstrates clearly that he knows the distance from point A to point B is 50 km and not 150 km. Do not accept the first rates for inter-city travels by car offered by hotels, as these could be as much as double normal prices. In this case, negotiate with a taxi driver directly for a better and fair price (for example, a hotel near Balok Beach, not very far from Kuantan, asked 800 RM for a ride to Johor Bahru, while a negotiated price with a taxi driver who could be found in downtown Kuantan came down to a normal 400 RM). But for all this you need to know the exact distance and if possible even the exact itinerary between your departure and arrival point. Public demonstrations are uncommon in Malaysia due to police crackdowns. Should one occur it may be dealt with in a heavy-handed manner, so '''avoid them at all costs'''. Finally, it is generally not allowed for non-Muslims or non-Sunnis to proselytize. In particular, attempting to persuade Muslims to convert out of their religion is illegal, and if you are caught doing this, you will at best be expelled from the country. ===Natural disasters=== Peninsular Malaysia is largely free from [[earthquakes]] as there are no nearby faultlines, though tremors can occasionally be felt in the upper storeys of tall buildings when a major quake occurs in neighbouring Indonesia. East Malaysia, on the other hand, especially the area around Mount Kinabalu, does experience occasional earthquakes (such as the fatal one occurring in 2015). [[Cyclones|Typhoons]] are also exceedingly rare, though one hit the southern part of [[Johor]] in 2001. However, the Nov-Jan monsoon season often results in flooding due to torrential rains, and landslides are known to occur, most notably on the East Coast. [[Tsunamis]] are a rare occurrence, though Penang and a few islands on the north of the West Coast were hit by the infamous tsunami in 2004. == Stay healthy == '''[[Tap water]]''' is drinkable straight off the tap, as it is treated, but even locals boil or filter it first just to be on the safe side. When travelling it is best to stick to bottled water, which is very inexpensive. Ice in drinks might be made from tap water but nowadays, most restaurants and even roadside stalls use the cylindrical variety with a hollow tube down the middle that are mass-produced at ice factories and are safer to consume. Heat exhaustion is rare, but do consume lots of fluids, use a hat and sunscreen and shower often! Peninsular Malaysia is largely [[malaria]]-free, but there is a significant risk in Borneo especially in inland and rural areas. [[Dengue fever]] occurs throughout Malaysia in both urban and rural areas, and can be avoided only by preventing [[mosquito]] bites. The mosquito that transmits dengue feeds throughout the daytime, and is most active at dawn and dusk. If you experience a sudden fever with aches and lethargy, seek medical attention immediately. Aspirin and ibuprofen should not be used until dengue fever has been ruled out. Mosquito repellents (''ubat nyamuk'') are widely available. Be careful with mosquito coils, which can easily start fires: set them on a plate or other non-flammable surface and extinguish them before going to sleep. Haze from burning vegetation in neighbouring Indonesia may come and go without warning from the months of May to August so travellers with respiratory ailments should come prepared. Most public washrooms charge a small fee (generally between RM0.20-RM2.00, usually depending on the standard of the facilities), so keep some loose change to hand. If the condition of the sitting toilets is questionable, use the squatting toilets instead - both are usually available, and some believe that the latter are more hygienic and (if you can get used to them) are just as easy to use as sitting toilets. ===Healthcare=== [[File:Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital.JPG|thumb|Public hospital in [[Kuantan]], [[Pahang]].]] The standard of healthcare in Malaysia is generally high, and Malaysia is rapidly emerging as a popular destination for medical tourism, with treatment costs in general far cheaper than in neighbouring Singapore and Western countries. Almost all Malaysian doctors are able to speak English fluently, while most other medical staff are able to converse in at least basic English. Government healthcare facilities are cheap but good, though they tend to be understaffed and consequently, waiting times are long. Due to the shorter waiting times and sometimes hotel-like levels of comfort, most expatriates and visitors prefer to seek out private medical care. Malaysia's largest private healthcare groups are '''[https://www.parkwaypantai.com/ Parkway Pantai]''', which operates the well-known Gleaneagles and Pantai hospital chains, and '''[http://www.kpjhealth.com.my/ KPJ Healthcare]'''. Private medical costs can be high and having [[travel insurance]] is a very good idea. == Respect == {{infobox|What's in a name?|- Malaysian '''Malay''' names are usually given name + ''bin'' or ''binti'' (son/daughter) + father's name. ''Mohammed bin Abdullah'' would usually be called Mohammed by his friends, and Mr. Mohammed for business. Sometimes, the person's given name appears after the Mohammed or Abdul (example: ''Mohammed Faizal bin Abdul Nasser'') so, in such a case, he would usually be addressed as Mr. Faizal.<br /> - '''Chinese''' place their family name first, so ''Tan Ah Heng'' is Mr Tan for business and Ah Heng to his friends. Many have Western names, so he may also be known as ''John Tan''.<br> - '''Indian''' names are complex, but the south Indian (Tamil) names usually found in Malaysia have two patterns: either given name + ''a/l'' or ''a/p'' (''anak lelaki'' (son of)/''anak perempuan'' (daughter of)) + father's name, or father's initial + given name. Given names are often long and may be abbreviated, so ''Thirumurugan a/l Govindasamy'' may just be addressed as Thiru by his friends and Mr Thiru for business.<br /> - '''Other ethnic minorities''', such as the Iban and Kadazan have their own naming conventions.<br />The foolproof method, therefore, is to ''ask'' how the person would like to be addressed.}} It is advisable to dress respectfully, particularly in rural areas (wearing trousers or a long skirt, not shorts and covering your shoulders is recommended but not essential). In more cosmopolitan cities such as Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Malacca and Ipoh, as well as East Malaysian states (Sabah and Sarawak) attitudes are more liberal. Women are not legally required to wear the hijab, known locally as the ''tudung'', except when entering mosques, where it is required for both Muslims and non-Muslims. As in many countries, it is best not to criticise the government or the Malaysian royal families as a visitor. You may hear Malaysians criticise their own government, but you do not need to take sides; just listen and feel free to talk about your feelings about your own government. The '''bumiputera''' policy (laws granting ethnic Malays special rights not granted to the other races) is a very polarising and sensitive issue, and best avoided as a conversation topic. When entering a home or a place of worship, always take off your shoes (this is often required at hostels too). Also, never eat with your left hand or give a gift with your left hand, and never point with your forefinger (you may use a closed fist with the thumb instead). Do not point with your feet or touch a person's head either. Swastikas are commonly seen in Hindu and Buddhist temples, and are regarded as a religious symbol by these communities. They emphatically do '''not''' represent Nazism or anti-Semitism, so Western visitors should not feel offended when seeing them in the homes of their hosts. As a predominantly Muslim country, Malaysia tends to be conservative about sexuality. Public showing of affection in the more diverse, larger cities is tolerated but might invite unnecessary attention from the public. In more rural areas and in very conservative states like [[Kelantan]] and [[Terengganu]] on the East Coast of the Peninsula it is frowned upon and is best avoided. '''Don't make out in public'''; you'll embarrass yourself and inflame local sensibilities. Big cities like Kuala Lumpur have a fairly active gay scene and gay bashing is rarely heard of. However, same-sex relationships are a taboo subject and "Carnal intercourse against the order of nature" is punished by up to 20 years jail and whipping (men only) under colonial era laws not usually enforced against consenting adult heterosexuals. Different states may also impose '''consecutive''' sharia law punishments of up to 3 years and six lashes against Muslims of all genders. ==Cope== ===Electricity=== Malaysian sockets are designed for the 3-pin rectangular-pronged British plug. Electricity is delivered at 240 V, 50 Hz. ===Newspapers=== Malaysia's main Malay newspapers are '''''[http://www.bharian.com.my/ Berita Harian]''''' and '''''[http://www.utusan.com.my/ Utusan Malaysia]'''''. There are also numerous Chinese newspapers, the most popular ones being the [http://www.chinapress.com.my/ China Press] (中國報), [http://www.enanyang.my/ Nanyang Siang Pau] (南洋商報) and [http://www.sinchew.com.my/ Sin Chew Daily] (星洲日報), as well as several Tamil newspapers. Malaysia's English-language paper of record is the '''[https://www.nst.com.my/ New Straits Times]''', a splinter from the Singaporean Straits Times, which is available at most hotels and newsstands. '''[https://www.thestar.com.my/ The Star]''' is also available. ==Connect== === Internet === Connecting to the internet in Malaysia is easily accessible in most cities and towns. It was one of the first countries in the world to offer 4G connectivity. Broadband Internet is available in most hotels, internet cafes, and some restaurants. Wi-Fi is usually available in hot spots in almost all restaurants and fast-food outlets and shopping malls. Prepaid internet cards are also available to access wireless broadband, in some cafes. Customers usually pay RM1-5 per hour for internet services in cybercafes (depending on which city you're in). Internet connections offered in restaurants and cafes are usually free, and more and more food outlets are offering this. These include all Starbucks and Coffeebean, some McDonald's and Subway, and an increasing number of smaller places. === Telephone numbers === The country code for Malaysia is +60. [[File:Sandakan Sabah Public-Phone-Booths-01.jpg|thumb|Phone booths in Sabah]] '''Landlines''' Malaysian landline telephone numbers have either seven or eight digits. The country is also divided up into areas which have been assigned two or three digit area codes, which have to be dialled when calling from outside the area. The area codes are: * '''03''' - Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor (all are Klang Valley), Pahang (Genting Highlands only) * '''04''' - Kedah, Penang, Perlis * '''05''' - Perak, Pahang (Cameron Highlands only) * '''06''' - Malacca, Johor (Muar district only), Negeri Sembilan * '''07''' - Johor (all districts except for Muar) * '''082''' - Sarawak (Kuching and Samarahan districts) * '''083''' - Sarawak (Sri Aman and Betong districts) * '''084''' - Sarawak (Sarikei, Sibu and west Kapit districts) * '''085''' - Sarawak (Miri and Limbang districts) * '''086''' - Sarawak (Bintulu districts and Belaga) * '''087''' - Sabah (Interior Division), Labuan * '''088''' - Sabah (West Coast and Kudat Division) * '''089''' - Sabah (Sandakan and Tawau Division) * '''09''' - Kelantan, Pahang (all districts except Genting Highlands), Terengganu Area code '''02''' has been assigned for calls made from Malaysia to Singapore. This means there's no need to call Singapore's country code '''65''' when calling from Malaysia. International direct dialing (IDD) calls from landlines to all other countries should use the prefix '''00''' followed by the country code. To call a Malaysian number: * '''From overseas except Singapore''' dial the international access code, the country code for Malaysia, the area code without the "0", and then the phone number. * '''From Singapore''' dial 02, the area code with the "0", and then the phone number. * '''From outside the local area''' dial the full area code, followed by the phone number. There are no exceptions to this rule, except when using a mobile phone. * '''From within the local area''' just dial the phone number without any code. '''Mobile phones''' Malaysia also has four mobile telephone service providers, [http://www.maxis.com.my Maxis], [http://www.digi.com.my DiGi], [http://www.celcom.com.my Celcom], and [http://www.u.com.my U Mobile] which utilise codes '''012, 013, 014, 016, 017, 018, 019.''' Network connection in Malaysia is excellent. Mobile number portability has been implemented in Malaysia, meaning a code like 012 that traditionally belonged to Maxis, can now be a DiGi subscriber. Mobile networks utilize the GSM 900 and 1800 systems. 3G (WCDMA), EDGE & HSPDA networks available in larger towns. International roaming onto these networks is possible if your operator allows it. '''Prepaid SIM cards''' for sale at airports are pretty affordable; a one-week SIM card with a good amount of data might cost about RM20-30 (2019). To call a Malaysian mobile number: * '''From overseas''' dial the international access code, the country code for Malaysia, the mobile telephone provider's code without the "0", and then the telephone number. * '''From within Malaysia''' dial the provider's code with the "0", and then the telephone number. * '''From mobile phone to mobile phone within Malaysia''' dial the provider's code with the "0", and then the telephone number. Although you can drop the provider's code if the two phones share the same provider, you will still get through if the provider's code is dialled. To call from Malaysia to another country: * '''From a landline''' dial the international access code "00" followed by the country code and the phone number. For example, dialing the United States from Malaysia you would dial 001 followed by the US area code and phone number. On the Maxis network, take advantage of 50% IDD rates via IDD132, which doesn't require any registration, just dial "132" prior to the "00". * '''From a mobile phone''' same as from a landline (above). An alternative, and simpler, approach on many mobile phones is to press & hold the zero button to enter a "+" (plus sign) before the country code and phone number. The "+" represents (in any country) the appropriate international access code. On the Maxis network, take advantage of 50% IDD rates via IDD132, which doesn't require any registration, just dial "132" prior to the "00", and do not use the "+" symbol using this method. === Postal services === [[File:Pos Malaysia Arau Post Office.jpg|thumb|Post office in [[Arau]], [[Perlis]].]] Many international courier services like Fedex, DHL and UPS are available in towns and cities but the main postal service provider is [http://www.pos.com.my Pos Malaysia] which reliably provides postal services to most countries in the world. Postage rates in Malaysia are cheap. Much much cheaper than Thailand, Singapore or Vietnam, and surface post is available as well. In addition the mail is reliable and trustworthy. When posting, do not seal the box. This is to allow for inspection in case illegal items are posted this way. A local alternative to the international courier companies mentioned above is the Pos Laju, which provides just as reliable a service but at a fraction of the costs! Non-urgent letters and postcards can be dropped in postboxes inside post offices or red postboxes found outside post offices and along main roads. If there are two slots in a postbox use the one that says "lain lain" for international post. Post offices are open M-Sa 08:00-17:00 except public holidays, although a few in Klang Valley stay open until 22:00. In the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Johor and Terengganu they are closed on Fridays and public holidays. {{isPartOf|Southeast Asia}} {{usablecountry}} {{geo|3|108|zoom=6}} jy813gq5vo1brepbt7viyat406sck14 4502092 4502090 2022-08-16T10:08:25Z 廣九直通車 1666899 /* Crime */ English variant wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner | Cameron_Highlands_Tea_Plantation_banner.jpg}} {{COVID-19 box| Travelers ages 7 and above entering Malaysia from all countries must register their vaccination before departure and/or arrival through the '''[https://mysejahtera.malaysia.gov.my/traveler_en/ MySejahtera]''' app. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers ages 18 & above are required to test 48 hours before arrival, test again within 24 hours of arrival, and quarantine for 5 days. |lastedit=2022-06-20}} '''[http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my Malaysia]''' is a country in [[Southeast Asia]], on the Malay Peninsula, as well as on northern [[Borneo]]. The country is one of Asia's new tiger economies, having seen great economic and human development during the last decades. While the capital Kuala Lumpur is a cosmopolitan city, deep jungles cover some of the land. == Regions == Malaysia is divided into two main geographical regions, commonly known as Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. See [[Malaysia#Geography|Geography]] for more information. === Peninsular Malaysia === {{Mapframe|3.95|108.85|width=500|height=200|zoom=5|staticmap=Malaysia regions map.png|name=Map of Peninsular and East Malaysia}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q213467,Q188947,Q188096,Q188953,Q189710,Q1865,Q182378,Q213893,Q185221|fill=#69999f|title=[[West Coast (Malaysia)|West Coast]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q185944,Q189701,Q191346|fill=#71b37b|title=[[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q183032|fill=#d09440|title=[[Johor|South]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q179029,Q214504|fill=#867ea9|title=[[Sabah]]}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|wikidata=Q170462|fill=#4f93c0|title=[[Sarawak]]}} {{Regionlist | region1name=[[West Coast (Malaysia)|West Coast]] | region1color=#69999f | region1items=[[Perlis]], [[Kedah]], [[Penang]], [[Perak]], [[Selangor]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Putrajaya]], [[Negeri Sembilan]], [[Malacca (state)|Malacca]] | region1description=The more developed region, offering the modern capital, [[Kuala Lumpur]], UNESCO World Heritage cities with colonial flare and the [[Langkawi]] archipelago. Perlis Kedah and Perak are the gateways to [[Thailand]] overland. | region2name=[[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] | region2color=#71b37b | region2items=[[Kelantan]], [[Pahang]], [[Terengganu]] | region2description=The more traditional Muslim region, home to ''[[Taman Negara]]'' (National Park), numerous unspoilt islands and the [[Jungle Railway]], which winds through the rural hinterlands. Kelantan is the gateway to [[Thailand]] overland. | region3name=[[Johor]] | region3color=#d09440 | region3items= | region3description=Comprising just one state, two coastlines, endless palm oil plantations and the gateway to [[Singapore]] via a causeway or bridge. }} ===East Malaysia=== {{Regionlist | region1name=[[Sabah]] | region1color=#867ea9 | region1items= | region1description=Superb scuba diving in [[Sipadan]] island plus muck diving at [[Mabul]], nature reserves, the federal enclave of [[Labuan]] and the mighty [[Mount Kinabalu]]. | region2name=[[Sarawak]] | region2color=#4f93c0 | region2items= | region2description=The southern state of East Malaysia (Borneo). Home to traditional longhouses, lush jungles and national parks in contrast to the state capital, [[Kuching]]. It is the gateway to [[Brunei]] and [[Indonesia]] overland. }} == Cities == [[File:PetronasKLCC.jpg|thumb|The iconic Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur]] <!-- Only cities of primary importance to tourists here, maximum 9 --> * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuala Lumpur]]|wikidata=Q1865}} — the multi-cultural national capital, home of the Petronas Twin Towers * {{marker|type=city|name=[[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]]|wikidata=Q61092}} — the capital of [[Penang]] and Malaysia's second largest city, famed for its colonial-era architecture, multi-cultural populace, food and arts scene * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Malacca]]|wikidata=Q61089}} — the historical city of Malaysia with colonial-style architecture * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ipoh]]|wikidata=Q271619}} — the capital of [[Perak]], with a historic colonial old town and tin mining area * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Johor Bahru]]|wikidata=Q231318}} — capital of [[Johor]] and Malaysia's third largest city * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuantan]]|wikidata=Q817578}} — capital of [[Pahang]] and commercial centre of the East Coast * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kota Kinabalu]]|wikidata=Q137271}} — close to tropical islands, lush rain forest and Mount Kinabalu * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuching]]|wikidata=Q220445}} — capital of [[Sarawak]], and largest city in East Malaysia * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Miri]]|wikidata=Q986803}} — resort city of Sarawak located near the border of Brunei and gateway to [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], [[Gunung Mulu National Park]] <!-- Only cities of primary importance to tourists here, maximum 9 --> ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Cameron Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1028741}} — famous for its tea plantations * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Perhentian Islands]]|wikidata=Q2070782}} (''Pulau Perhentian'') — glittering jewels off the East Coast still undiscovered by mass tourism * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Taman Negara]]|wikidata=Q728141}} — a large area of rainforest national park spanning [[Kelantan]], [[Pahang]] and [[Terengganu]] * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Kinabalu National Park]]|wikidata=Q60967}} — home of Mount Kinabalu * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Langkawi]]|wikidata=Q273303}} — an archipelago of 99 islands known for its beaches, rainforest, mountains, mangrove estuaries and unique nature. It's also a duty-free island * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sipadan]]|wikidata=Q1412482}} (''Pulau Sipadan'') — one of the best dive spots in the world * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Redang]]|wikidata=Q1897123}} (''Pulau Redang'') — popular island destination for scuba divers * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Tioman]]|wikidata=Q771765}} (''Pulau Tioman'') — once nominated one of the most beautiful islands in the world * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Fraser's Hill]]|wikidata=Q3086678}} — a time warp to the colonial era == Understand == {{quickbar|location=LocationMalaysia.png}} Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become a rich nation in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix: there is high-tech infrastructure and things generally work well and more or less on schedule, but prices remain more reasonable than, say, [[Singapore]]. The demographics between the rich and poor can also be quite apparent: for example, a high rise luxury condominium building built right across the street from old, rundown shop lots or flats. However, you will not find extreme rural poverty or gigantic urban slums as in other countries in Southeast Asia. In terms of attractions, peninsular (West) Malaysia contains islands with gorgeous beaches and a fraction of visitors found in [[Thailand]]'s most popular beaches, mountain retreats surrounded by tea plantations, interesting historical cities, World-famous food, and the highly modern, multi-cultural capital of [[Kuala Lumpur]]. East Malaysia contains lush jungles with diverse native population and wildlife, as well as stunning natural attractions such as giant caves, beautiful mountains and fantastic diving sites. Notably, however, Malaysia is not as popular among backpackers as other Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand, [[Cambodia]] and [[Vietnam]], partly due to the relatively higher costs, and partly due to the more religious and conservative, albeit generally tolerant, culture. It also lacks the ancient Hindu and/or Buddhist temples and temple complexes of its neighbors, though it does have some large ones built since the 19th century. === History === [[File:Melaka-Dutch-Square-2164.jpg|thumb|The Dutch Square in Malacca]] Before the rise of the European colonial powers, the Malay Peninsula and the [[Malay Archipelago|Malay archipelago]] were home to empires such as the Srivijaya (whose capital was near modern [[Palembang]], [[Sumatra]], but which included the entire Malay Peninsula and lands further north at its greatest extent), the Majapahit (centred in [[Java]], now part of Indonesia, but believed by most scholars to have included the entire Malay Peninsula and most of coastal Borneo among its vassal states) and the [[Malacca]] Sultanate. The Srivijaya and Majapahit empires saw the spread of Hinduism to the region, and to this day, despite the fact that Malays are Muslims, many Hindu legends and traditions survive in traditional Malay culture. Mass conversion to Islam only occurred after the arrival of Arab traders during the Malacca Sultanate. [[File:Fort Cornwallis Eck.JPG|thumb|Fort Cornwallis in [[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]], [[Penang]] marked the site where the British colonisation of Malaya began in 1786.]] During the 16th century the Portuguese established the first European colony in Southeast Asia by defeating the Malacca Sultanate. The Portuguese were religiously intolerant and cruel, so the Sultan of Johor assisted the Dutch in defeating them, and the Netherlands took control of the city. The British also established their first colony on the Malay peninsula in [[Penang]] when it was ceded by the Sultan of Kedah in 1786. Finally, the area was divided into Dutch and British spheres of influence with the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824. With this treaty, the Dutch agreed to cede Malacca to the British and in return, the British ceded all their colonies on Sumatra to the Dutch. The line of division roughly corresponds to what is today the border between Malaysia and [[Indonesia]]. Before World War II, the Malay Peninsula was governed by the British as the Federated Malay States (Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang), which were governed as a single entity, the Unfederated Malay States (Johor, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan), which were each governed as separate protectorates, and the Straits Settlements (including Malacca, Penang and Singapore), which were crown colonies. These colonies and protectorates were collectively referred to as "Malaya". British Borneo consisted of the British colony of North Borneo, the Kingdom of Sarawak, which was ruled by a British family known as the "White Rajas", and the British protectorate of Brunei. [[Pacific War|World War II]] was disastrous for the British Malayan Command. The Japanese swept down both coasts of the Malay Peninsula and despite fierce fighting, much of the British military was tied down fighting the Germans in Europe and those that remained in Malaya simply could not cope with the Japanese onslaught. The British military equipment left to defend Malaya was outdated and no match for the modern technology used by the Japanese, and the only two British battleships based in the region, the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, were sunk by Japanese bombers off the East Coast of Malaya. By 31 January 1942, the British had been pushed all the way back to Singapore, which fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. The situation was no different on Borneo, which fell to the Japanese on 1 April 1942 after months of fierce fighting. The Japanese occupation was brutal, and many, particularly the ethnic Chinese, suffered and perished during the occupation. Among the most notorious atrocities committed by the Japanese were the Sandakan Death Marches, with only 6 out of 2,345 prisoners surviving the war. After World War II, the Federated Malay States, Unfederated Malay States and the Straits Settlements of Malacca and Penang were federated to form a single British colony known as the Malayan Union, with Singapore being split off to form a separate colony. In the Malayan Union, the sultans of the various states ceded all their powers except those in religious affairs to the British crown. However, widespread opposition to the Malayan Union led the British to reconsider their position, and in 1948, the Malayan Union was replaced by the Federation of Malaya, in which the executive positions of the sultans were restored. In Borneo, the White Rajas ceded Sarawak to the British crown in 1946, making it a crown colony of the United Kingdom. [[File:Dataran Merdeka (18359791323).jpg|thumb|Malaysian flag flying in ''Dataran Merdeka'', Kuala Lumpur]] On 31 August 1957, Malaya gained independence from the British. At midnight, the Union Jack was lowered, and the Malayan flag raised in its place at what is today ''Dataran Merdeka'' (Independence Square) in [[Kuala Lumpur]]. The crowd, led by the first Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, then proceeded to chant "''Merdeka''" seven times. On 16 September 1963, Malaysia was formed through the merging of Malaya with the British colonies of North Borneo (now known as Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore, with Brunei deciding not to join. The first several years of the country's history were marred by the Confrontation (''Konfrontasi'') — actually a series of acts of aggression by Indonesia that ultimately ended in her defeat and a formal peace that has held ever since — and claims to Sabah from the Philippines. On 9 August 1965 Singapore was officially expelled from the federation after several bloody racial riots as Singapore's majority Chinese population and the People's Action Party, led by Lee Kuan Yew (later the long-ruling Prime Minister of Singapore), were seen as a threat to Malay dominance. There were further racial riots in 1969, which led to the forced resignation of Tunku Abdul Rahman; his replacement by Tun Abdul Razak; changes in the Malaysian Constitution that sought to prevent the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) from ever being defeated in a future national election; and the start of the New Economic Policy, which sought to aggressively promote the economic interests of the generally poorer Malay community (and also the non-Malay indigenous peoples of East Malaysia) over those of the generally less poor Chinese community (with the poorest major ethnic group, the Indians, and also to a very large extent the Orang Asli [aboriginal people] in the Peninsula mostly ignored in the process). In 1975, boat people from across the South China Sea in [[Vietnam]] started coming, and Malaysia became one of the most important places of first refuge for Indochinese refugees, but in general, only those of the Muslim Champa minority were invited to stay permanently. Later, during the period of tremendous economic development under the long premiership of Mahathir Mohammed, a large number of immigrant workers were invited from [[Bangladesh]], [[Indonesia]], [[India]], and several other countries in the area, and even more immigrated illegally. This further increased the diversity of the population, and quite a number of the workers were reported in local newspapers to have intermarried with local women, but it also led to social strife as many Malaysian men resented the competition, and while the economy depended on immigrant workers to do jobs most Malaysians were no longer willing to do, now that their standard of living was higher, most Malaysians also did not want to permanently absorb a large and potentially almost limitless number of poor people from the much more populous countries in the region. Some immigrants were expelled and even caned for immigration violations, but the issue has never been really resolved. Things came to a head in 2015 when allegations of corruption by then-prime minister Najib Razak surfaced in connection with 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was originally set up to promote economic development by attracting foreign investment. The allegations led to the ''Bersih'' (Malay for "clean") rally in which protesters unsuccessfully called for Najib to step down. However, widespread discontent arising from the 1MDB corruption scandal continued to simmer, eventually leading to a shock first-ever electoral defeat for the incumbent BN coalition in the 2018 general election. === Politics === Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy consisting of 13 states and 3 federal territories, nominally headed by the king (''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'', lit. Paramount Ruler), whose position rotates among the rulers of the 9 royal states of Malaysia every five years, giving Malaysia a unique political system of rotational monarchy. The current king, Tuanku Abdullah from Pahang, was sworn into office on 31 January 2019 and his term ends on 31 January 2024. In practice, the king is only the nominal head of state, while the prime minister is the one who wields the most authority in government. Malaysia's government is largely based on the British Westminster system, consisting of a bicameral national parliament. The lower house, known as the ''Dewan Rakyat'' (Hall of the People) is elected directly by the people. The upper house, known as the ''Dewan Negara'' (National Hall), consists of 26 members elected by the state governments, with each state having 2 representatives, while the remaining members are appointed by the king. The head of government is the prime minister, who is the party leader of the winning party in the lower house. At the state level, each of the states also has its own unicameral ''Dewan Undangan Negeri'' (State Legislative Assembly), with the head of the state government being the ''Menteri Besar'' (First Minister, often translated as "Chief Minister" in English-language media) in the royal states, and the ''Ketua Menteri'' (Chief Minister) in the non-royal states. === Geography === Malaysia comprises two geographic regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, which are separated by the South China Sea. '''Peninsular Malaysia''' (''Semenanjung Malaysia'') occupies all of the Malay Peninsula between [[Thailand]] and [[Singapore]], and is also known as West Malaysia (''Malaysia Barat'') or the slightly archaic [[Malaya]] (''Tanah Melayu''). It's home to the bulk of Malaysia's population, the capital and the largest city [[Kuala Lumpur]], and generally more economically developed. Peninsular Malaysia consists of plains on both the East and West Coasts, separated from each other by a mountain range known as the ''Banjaran Titiwangsa'', with the West Coast being more densely populated and generally more well-developed than the East Coast. Separated some 800&nbsp;km to the east of Peninsular Malaysia is '''East Malaysia''' (''Malaysia Timur''). East Malaysia occupies the northern third of the island of [[Borneo]], shared with [[Indonesia]] and tiny [[Brunei]]. Much of the development on East Malaysia is centred around the cities of [[Kuching]], [[Miri]] and [[Kota Kinabalu]]. Outside of the major cities and smaller towns are impenetrable jungle where head hunters once roamed and coastal plains rising to mountains. East Malaysia is rich in natural resources and is very much Malaysia's hinterland for industry and tourism, though those who make the trip will find it to be a world-class ecotourism destination. ===People=== Malaysia is a multicultural society. While Malays (a branch of the [[Austronesian]] group) make up a 52% majority, 27% of Malaysians are Chinese (who are especially visible in the cities), 9% are Indians, 12% are members of aboriginal peoples (often called ''Orang Asli'', Malay for "Original People"), and there is a miscellaneous grouping of 1.5% "others", including Thai communities in northern border states and the Portuguese clan in Malacca. The majority of the population (including virtually all Malays, as well as a significant minority of Indians) adhere to [[Islam]], the official religion, and there are substantial minorities who practice [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]], Taoism, [[Hinduism]], [[Sikhism]] and Animism, which is allowed under constitution subject to the supremacy of Islam — for example, it is illegal to proselytize other religions to Muslims. ===Culture=== Malaysia shares many cultural similarities with its neighbours, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore due to their common history. As the first great kingdoms to emerge in the region were Hindu kingdoms with much influence from India, Malay culture has substantial Indian influences. This is most visible in Malay cuisine with its relatively heavy use of curries, albeit using local instead of Indian spices, meaning that Malay curries often have a unique local flavour that is different from their Indian counterparts. Malaysia's minorities also continue to maintain their own distinct cultures, with the Chinese and Indian communities continuing to preserve the traditions brought from their ancestral homelands. In particular, Malaysia's ethnic Chinese community is considered to have preserved Chinese culture and language the best among all the overseas Chinese communities of the world. Moreover, as Malaysia was unaffected by the Cultural Revolution, the ethnic Chinese community of Malaysia has preserved many elements of traditional Chinese culture that have been lost in mainland China. ===Holidays=== {{ramadandates}}One of the significant characteristics of Malaysian culture is its celebration of various festivals and events. The year is filled with colourful, exhilarating and exciting activities. Some are religious and solemn but others are vibrant, joyous events. One interesting feature of the main festivals here is the 'open house' custom. This is when Malaysians celebrating the festival invite friends and family to come by their homes for some traditional delicacies and fellowship. Multicultural Malaysia celebrates a vast range of festivals, but the ones to look out for nationwide are Islamic holidays, most notably the fasting month of '''Ramadan'''. During its 29 or 30 days, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to sunset. Not all Muslims follow the tradition, or sustain the full period of Ramadan fasting, but most do make a very serious effort. Pregnant, breast feeding or menstruating women are not expected to fast, nor are the elderly, the infirm, or travellers. People get up early before sunrise for a meal (''sahur''), and take off early to get back home in time to break fast (''buka puasa'') at sunset. At the end of the month is the festival of '''Eid ul-Fitr''', known locally as '''Hari Raya Puasa''' or '''Aidilfitri''', when many locals take one to two weeks off to 'balik kampung' or return to their home towns to meet family and friends. Accordingly, this is one of the many times in a year when major cities like Kuala Lumpur have virtually no traffic congestion. Another important festival is the Muslim festival of '''Eid ul-Adha''', known locally as '''Hari Raya Haji''' or '''Aidiladha'''. It is during this festival that Muslims perform the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. In local mosques, cows and goats are donated by the faithful and sacrificed, after which the meat is distributed to all. Family reunions are also celebrated during other main festivals when locals usually put on traditional costumes and finery as these festivals are an integral feature of Malaysian society. During the month of Ramadan, non-Muslims are expected to be considerate of those fasting. Non-Muslims, as well as Muslims travelling (''musafir''), are exempt from fasting but it is polite to refrain from eating or drinking in public. Public school systems also require non-Muslims to refrain from eating in front of those who are fasting. Many restaurants close during the day and those that stay open maintain a low profile. Business travellers will notice that things move rather more slowly than usual. The upside for foreign travellers are the Ramadan bazaars in every city and town, bustling with activity and bursting at the seams with great food. Hotels and restaurants also pull out all stops to put on massive spreads of food for fast-breaking feasts. During the month of Ramadan, meals at the end of fasts are usually considered grand feasts. Worldwide fast-food chain McDonald's is known for holding several all-you-can-eat Ramadan feasts during the month. {{CNYdates}} Other major holidays include '''Chinese New Year''' (around January/February), '''Deepavali''' or '''Diwali''', the Hindu festival of lights (around October/November), the Buddhist holiday of '''Wesak''' (around May/June), and '''Christmas''' (25 December). During Chinese New Year, George Town and Ipoh become the major cities as many local Chinese working and living in KL originated from there. However this situation is changing gradually, as more and more people are making Kuala Lumpur their home town. While visiting during such festivals, travellers will be able to experience many wonderful celebrations, but the downside is many ethnic shops/eateries will be closed. The best option is to visit during the period just after the first two days of the major festival (Hari Raya/Chinese New Year), when shops will open, and the festive mood has still not died down. Another major celebration is '''Deepavali''', celebrated by the Malaysian Hindus as the festival of light originating from classical India and one of the main cultural celebrations. In Malaysia, locals practice this tradition by wearing new clothes and receiving token gifts of money. This practice has been adapted by all Malaysians regardless of their religion. They distribute red packets or ''ang pow'' during Chinese New Year, green packets or 'duit raya' for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and multi-coloured packets during Deepavali. Some uniquely Malaysian festivals of note include the '''Harvest Festival''' at the end of May each year and the ''''Pesta Gawai'''' in early June, both thanksgiving celebrations held in [[East Malaysia]]. '''Thaipusam''' is a Hindu festival that falls in January or February and is one of the must-see events. The largest procession in the country takes place at Batu Caves, Selangor. Male devotees carry decorated altars or ''kavadi'' up a flight of 272 steps towards the temple, all this while also having religious spears and hooks pierced through external surfaces of their bodies. The ability is attributed to divine intervention and religious fervour. Female devotees join the procession carrying pots of milk on their head instead. === Climate === The '''climate''' in Malaysia is equatorial. The north-east monsoon (October to February) deluges Borneo and the East Coast of the Peninsula in rain and often causes flooding, while the West Coast (particularly Langkawi and Penang) escapes unscathed. The milder south-west monsoon (April to October) reverses the pattern. The southern and central parts of Peninsular Malaysia, including perennially soggy Kuala Lumpur, are exposed to both but even during the rainy season, the showers tend to be intense but brief. Malaysia is close to the equator, so warm weather is guaranteed. Temperatures generally range from 32°C (90°F) at noon to about 26°C (79°F) at midnight. But like most Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia's sun-shining days are interrupted by monsoon season every year, and night temperatures can hit a low of about 23°C (73°F) on rainy days. Temperatures tend to be cooler in the highlands, with the likes of [[Genting Highlands]], [[Cameron Highlands]] and [[Fraser's Hill]] having temperatures ranging from about 17°C (63°F) at night to about 25°C (77°F) in the day. Mount Kinabalu is known to have temperatures falling below 10°C (50°F). == Talk == {{seealso|Malay phrasebook}} The national-level official language of Malaysia is '''[[Malay phrasebook|Malay]]''' (officially ''Bahasa Malaysia'', sometimes also known as ''Bahasa Melayu'') and '''English''' is also the co-official language of the state of [[Sarawak]]. The [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]] language, spoken across the border in Indonesia, is similar to Malay, and speakers of both languages can generally understand each other. The main differences are in the loan words: Malay borrowed more from English, while Indonesian borrowed more from Dutch. Some parts of Malaysia near the Thai border, most notably [[Kelantan]], have dialects of Malay which are nearly incomprehensible to speakers of standard Malay, though most people in these areas will be able to converse in standard Malay if needed. '''English''' is compulsory in all schools and widely spoken in the larger cities, among the well-educated upper class, as well as around the main tourist attractions, although in rural areas a little Malay will come in handy. There is also a local dialect of English spoken among Malaysians in urban areas, not inappropriately known as '''Manglish''', which has its own simplified grammar and a vocabulary that is mostly English but includes borrowings from Malay and several other locally-spoken languages; it takes a bit of getting used to if you intend to join in the conversation on local topics. Almost all Malaysians will not pronounce the letter, "h", so "three" becomes "tree". Malaysians will almost always try to speak 'standardized English' (British) when approached by Western travellers. In general, police stations and government offices have English-speaking staff on duty. [[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]] is taught to those who attend Islamic religious schools, and many clerics as well as other very observant Muslims have a functional command of Arabic. However, it is not widely spoken, though the Malay language does have a large number of loan words from Arabic. You also might notice some examples of Malay written with Arabic letters. This is called Jawi, and it is still used for religious publications and inscriptions, especially in more conservative states like [[Kelantan]], although the Latin alphabet is much more commonly used throughout the country. The Chinese community in Malaysia speaks a wide variety of Chinese dialects including [[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]], [[Teochew phrasebook|Teochew]], [[Hakka phrasebook|Hakka]], [[Hainanese phrasebook|Hainanese]], [[Fuzhou dialect phrasebook|Hokchiu]] and [[Minnan phrasebook|Hokkien]]. [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]] is taught in Chinese schools while Cantonese is commonly heard in the mass media due to the popularity of TVB serials from Hong Kong among the Chinese community, so many are conversant in both, regardless of their native dialect. Malaysian cities with large ethnic Chinese populations will often have a dialect serving as a lingua franca among that community: in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh, this is Cantonese; in Penang and Klang, Hokkien; and in Kota Kinabalu, Hakka. The most commonly spoken Indian language is [[Tamil phrasebook|Tamil]]; others include [[Malayalam phrasebook|Malayalam]], [[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]] and [[Telugu phrasebook|Telugu]]. In the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia bordering Thailand, there are various ethnic Thai communities, known locally as the ''Orang Siam'', who speak various dialects of [[Thai phrasebook|Thai]]. [[Malacca]] in the south is also home to a Portuguese community which speaks a [[Portuguese phrasebook|Portuguese]] based creole. The remote forest areas of Peninsular Malaysia are also home to various tribal people known as the ''Orang Asli'', who speak various indigenous languages such as Semelai, Temuan and many others. In East Malaysia several indigenous languages are also spoken, especially [[Iban phrasebook|Iban]] and Kadazan. Films and television programmes are usually shown in their original language with Malay subtitles, although some children's programmes are dubbed into Malay. == Get in == ===Immigration formalities=== {{VisaRestriction|Entry '''will be refused''' to citizens of [[Israel]] with an Israeli passport unless holding a letter of approval from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs. Additionally citizens of Israel require an onward ticket and will be asked to purchase one or be '''refused entry'''. Malaysia is no longer concerned about other nationals' passports that show entry stamps and/or visas from Israel.}} [[File:Visa policy of Malaysia.svg|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Malaysia, with countries in green, brown and light brown having visa-free access; and countries in blue having E-Visa]] Most nationalities can enter Malaysia without a visa and can reside in Malaysia for 14 to 90 days, depending on their nationality. Refer to the '''[http://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/requirement-for-foreigner Ministry of Foreign Affairs]''' for current information regarding visa requirements and stay periods. The East Malaysian states of [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]] each maintains its own immigration system and separate controls: even Malaysians from other states require a passport or MyKad on arrival. {{infobox|Fingerprinting at Immigration|Malaysian Immigration authorities '''fingerprint''' visitors on arrival and departure. These fingerprints may well find their way to other country's authorities or other non-state agencies.}} Those who wish to enter Malaysia for purposes other than for a Social or Business visit still require a visa for any period (except for US citizens who enter for the purpose of studying) but [http://www.studymalaysia.com/education/art_apply.php?id=immigration see here for "loopholes"]. Nationals of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Serbia, and Sri Lanka need a visa but can apply for an '''e-visa''', which is valid for 3 months for a stay of up to 30 days. You'll have to print out the visa once it's issued and bring proof of sufficient funds, a return ticket, and proof of accommodation when you enter the country. '''Overstaying''' a visa will result in a US$10, €7.50 or RM30 fine per day. However it's fairly simple to avoid overstaying a visa by doing a "visa run" to a neighbouring country overland or via a cheap flight. Malaysia may impose '''caning''' as a punishment for overstaying a visa. If you are not a Malaysian citizen, '''ensure that your passport is stamped on entry''', or you would be considered to have entered illegally otherwise (and Malaysian immigration officials don't always give entry stamps unprompted). Fines on the order of RM3,000 will be imposed when you try to leave without the entry stamp in your passport. Also '''ensure that your passport is stamped when you leave''', or you would be considered to have left illegally otherwise, which could cause problems should you wish to visit Malaysia again in the future. ====Transit Visas==== Even though citizens of Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka normally require a visa, they can transit the same airport for up to 120 hours provided they arrive and depart on the same airline, land at Sepang, [[Kota Kinabalu]], [[Kuching]], [[Penang]] or [[Senai]] and present a genuine air ticket. ===By plane=== [[File:KLIA MTB&Tower.jpg|thumb|[[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]] in [[Sepang]], [[Selangor]].]] National carrier '''[https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ Malaysia Airlines]''' (MAS) has extensive coverage within Asia, as well as intercontinental flights to Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and regularly ranks high in airline quality assessments. Low-cost carrier '''AirAsia''' and its sister company, '''AirAsia X''', now connects an ever-expanding set of countries including [[Australia]], [[China]], [[Cambodia]], [[Hong Kong]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Laos]], [[Macau]], [[New Zealand]], the [[Philippines]], [[Singapore]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Thailand]], [[Myanmar]] and [[Vietnam]]. Emirates Airlines also flies from most cities to [[Kuala Lumpur]] via [[Dubai]], and flights to [[Perth]], [[Australia]], make a brief stop in [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|KLIA]]. * {{listing | name=AirAsia | alt= | url=http://www.airasia.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 3 8775-4000, 1 300 88 9933 (in country only)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Malaysia Airlines | alt= | url=http://www.malaysiaairlines.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 3 7846-3000, 1-300-88-3000 (in country only)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Emirates Airlines | alt= | url=http://www.emirates.com/my/english/index.aspx | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 36 207 4999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} Most international flights land at '''[[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]] [http://www.klia.com.my (KLIA)]''' ({{IATA|KUL}}). KLIA's predecessor, the '''Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport''' ({{IATA|SZB}}) in Subang near [[Kuala Lumpur]] handles chartered and turboprop aircraft for regional operators '''[http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ Firefly]''' and '''[https://www.malindoair.com/ Malindo Air]''', which operate some international flights to the neighbouring countries. See the [[Kuala Lumpur#get in|Kuala Lumpur '''Get in''' section]] for detailed airport information. Other airports which have significant numbers of flights to regional destinations are [[Kota Kinabalu]] (Sabah), [[Penang]], [[Kuching]] (Sarawak), [[Langkawi]] and [[Johor Bahru]]. === By train === * '''To/from Singapore:''' There's a shuttle train service which runs seven times each way during the morning and evening periods from Woodlands Train Station (in the north of [[Singapore]]) to JB sentral in [[Johor Bahru]], costing MYR5 from the Malaysian side and SGD5 on the Singapore side. Conventional intercity trains then connect [[Johor Bahru]] with [[Gemas]] (where you can transfer to a train to [[Kuala Lumpur]]) and Tumpat, near [[Kota Bharu]]. They don't always match up to the shuttle times, so be prepared for long waiting times or get a backup plan by bus should you miss the shuttle. Early morning trains to Singapore and late evening trains to Malaysia are usually packed on the weekdays and the traffic flow reverses on the weekends. Booking online at the [http://www.ktmb.com.my KTMB website] may reserve a precious seat without hassle. When travelling from Singapore into Malaysia, both Singaporean and Malaysian immigration checks are conducted at Woodlands Train Station before boarding the train for Malaysia. In the reverse direction, Malaysian immigration checks are conducted at JB Sentral before boarding, while Singaporean immigration checks are conducted on arrival in Woodlands. * '''To/from Thailand:''' Since December 2016, trains to and from Thailand now start and terminate at the border at [[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]] where Thai and Malaysian immigration formalities are all conveniently done in the station, and you can transfer between Malaysian and Thai trains. There are two Padang Besar stations; one in Thailand and one in Malaysia; be sure to get off the train only at the Padang Besar station in Malaysia, as that is where both Thai and Malaysian immigration checks are conducted, and where transfers between the Malaysian and Thai trains take place. There is also a less used eastern route from [[Hat Yai]] to Thai border town [[Sungai Kolok]], but there are no through trains to the nearby Malaysian station at Wakaf Bahru (near [[Kota Bharu]]). === By bus === Long-distances buses/coaches into Malaysia run from Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Please see the relevant city pages for more details. * '''[[Brunei]]''' - there are buses to [[Miri]] and [[Kota Kinabalu]], leaving from the waterfront in downtown [[Bandar Seri Begawan]]. There are also buses to [[Limbang]]. * '''[[Indonesia]]''' - direct buses operate between [[Pontianak]] in [[West Kalimantan]] and [[Kuching]] in [[Sarawak]]. * '''[[Singapore]]''' - a multitude of bus companies operate direct routes from Singapore to various destinations in [[Peninsular Malaysia]], including [[Malacca]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Penang]], [[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] cities and even [[Petaling Jaya]] and [[Subang Jaya]]. Frequent buses make the short run between Singapore and [[Johor Bahru]], and you can save a few bucks by changing at JB's Larkin terminal to a cheap domestic bus instead of taking a more expensive direct bus. * '''[[Thailand]]''' - several companies operate services from [[Kuala Lumpur]] and other cities in Malaysia to [[Hat Yai]] in [[South (Thailand)|southern Thailand]], where direct connections are available to [[Bangkok]] and many other Thai destinations. === By taxi=== Special cross-border taxis operate between Singapore and Johor Bahru. See [[Johor_Bahru#By_taxi]] for details. === By car=== [[File:Danok Sadao Border Crossing2.jpg|thumb|Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in [[Kedah]], on the border with [[Thailand]].]] Land crossings are possible from [[South (Thailand)|southern Thailand]] and Singapore into [[Peninsular Malaysia]], as well as from Brunei and [[Kalimantan]] (the Indonesian side of Borneo) into [[Sarawak]]. There is no official crossing into Indonesia from [[Sabah]] even though they share a land border. An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is required. See the respective city or state pages for more detailed information. * '''[[Brunei]]''' - the main crossings are at '''Sungai Tujoh''' on the [[Miri]], [[Sarawak]], to [[Bandar Seri Begawan]] (Brunei) road, and the '''Kuala Lurah-Tedungan''' checkpoint which is used for traffic travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and [[Limbang]] in [[Sarawak]]. You can also access the [[Temburong]] district of Brunei by road from [[Limbang]] via the Pandaruan (Puni on the Brunei side) checkpoint and [[Lawas]] via Trusan (Labu on the Brunei side). * '''[[Indonesia]]''' - the main crossing is at the '''Tebedu-Entikong''' checkpoint on the main [[Kuching]]-[[Pontianak]] road. The other two official crossings are the '''Biawak-Aruk''' and '''Lubok Antu- Nanga Badau''' border crossings. All three crossings are between the Malaysian state of [[Sarawak]] and the Indonesian province of [[West Kalimantan]]. There are also several unofficial crossings that are used by locals, but as a foreigner, you are advised not to use them as that is considered to be illegal entry. * '''[[Singapore]]''' - the two crossings are the '''Causeway''' which links [[Johor Bahru]] with '''Woodlands''' in Singapore, and the Malaysia-Singapore '''Second Link''' which links [[Iskandar Puteri]] with Tuas in Singapore. See [[Johor Baru#Get in|Johor Bahru '''Get in''' section]] and [[Singapore#Get in|Singapore '''Get in''' section]] for more details. Generally speaking, the Second Link is less congested than the Causeway, and is more convenient for those who wish to drive up the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, but a lot less convenient for people who just want to visit Johor Bahru. * '''[[Thailand]]''' - international checkpoints (from west to east, with the Thai towns in brackets) are at '''[[Wang Kelian]]''' ([[Satun]]) and '''[[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]]''' ([[Padang Besar (Thailand)|Padang Besar]]) in [[Perlis]], '''[[Bukit Kayu Hitam]]''' ([[Sadao]]) and '''Kota Putra''' (Banprokob) in [[Kedah]], '''Pengkalan Hulu''' (Betong) in [[Perak]], and '''Bukit Bunga''' (Buketa) and '''[[Rantau Panjang]]''' ([[Sungai Kolok]]) in [[Kelantan]]. Thai immigration has long been known to demand a bribe of RM2/20 baht per person to stamp you in or out, though there have been some crackdowns on this. === By boat === [[File:Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal.jpg|thumb|Ferry terminal in [[Iskandar Puteri]], [[Johor]].]] Ferries connect various points in [[Peninsular Malaysia]] with [[Sumatra]] in Indonesia and [[South (Thailand)|southern Thailand]], [[Sarawak]] with Brunei, and [[Sabah]] with [[East Kalimantan]] in Indonesia and [[Mindanao]] in the Philippines. Luxury cruises also run from Singapore and sometimes [[Phuket]] (Thailand) to Malaysia. * '''[[Brunei]]''' - ferries daily between the Muara Ferry Terminal in Brunei and [[Labuan]] island and Lawas in [[Sarawak]]. Speedboats, mostly in the morning, also run between Bandar Seri Begawan jetty and Limbang, [[Sarawak]]. * '''[[Indonesia]]''' - the main jumping-off points from Indonesia are the [[Riau Islands]] of [[Batam]], [[Bintan]] and [[Karimun]]; [[Dumai]], [[Medan]] and [[Pekanbaru]] on the [[Sumatra]] mainland as well as [[Nunukan]] in [[East Kalimantan]]. Ferries link [[Batam]] with Batu Pahat, [[Iskandar Puteri]] and [[Johor Bahru]]; [[Bintan]] with [[Johor Bahru]]; [[Karimun]] with Batu Pahat and Kukup in [[Johor]]; Dumai with [[Malacca]], Muar in [[Johor]], Port Dickson (in [[Negeri Sembilan]]) and [[Port Klang]], the port for [[Selangor]]; Pekanbaru with [[Malacca]]. Daily ferries also link Nunukan with Tawau in [[Sabah]]. There are also minor crossings like between Bengkalis in [[Riau]] and Batu Pahat; [[Sumatra]] and [[Malacca]] and Muar in [[Johor]]; and Tanjung Balai Asahan in [[North Sumatra]] with [[Port Klang]], the port for [[Selangor]]. * '''[[Singapore]]''' - daily passenger boats run between Changi Point and [[Pengerang]], between Tanah Merah and Sebana Cove Resort, as well as Tanah Merah and [[Desaru]], all in [[Johor]]. See the [[Singapore#Get in|Singapore '''Get in''' section]] for details. * '''[[Thailand]]''' - four ferries daily (reduced to three during Ramadan) between Tammalang at [[Satun]] and Kuah on [[Langkawi]], Malaysia. Vehicle ferries operate between Ban Taba near [[Tak Bai]] in [[Narathiwat_(province)|Narathiwat province]] and Pengkalan Kubur in [[Kelantan]], Malaysia, while passenger boats run between Ban Buketa in [[Narathiwat_(province)|Narathiwat province]] and Bukit Bunga in [[Kelantan]]. === On foot === It is possible to enter Malaysia from [[Thailand]] by foot at [[Wang Kelian]] and [[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]] (both in [[Perlis]]), [[Bukit Kayu Hitam]] ([[Kedah]]), Pengkalan Hulu ([[Perak]]) and [[Rantau Panjang]] ([[Kelantan]]). From [[Singapore]], it is possible to cross into Malaysia by foot using the Causeway, but be prepared for a very long walk as Malaysian immigration is now located 2km inland from the border. Unlike the previous customs and immigration complex, the current one was not set up to handle pedestrian traffic, meaning that there are no pedestrian footpaths on the Malaysian side, and you have to walk on the road with among vehicular traffic to get to customs and immigration. Crossing the Second Link on foot is not allowed; not that there would be any practical way to continue your journey on either side even if you did. == Get around == Immigration controls are in place for travel between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, as well as between the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Malaysian citizens need to present their ID cards, while foreign citizens are required to present their passports in order to travel. === By plane === Largely thanks to budget carrier '''[http://www.airasia.com AirAsia]''', Malaysia is crisscrossed by a web of affordable flights with advertised "promotional" prices starting at RM9 for flights booked well in advance. Flying is the only practical option for traveling between peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, as well as reaching some of the more remote outposts of Borneo. State carrier '''[http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/ Malaysia Airlines]''' also has competitive fares which now offers equal or even lower priced tickets if booked in advance through the internet, with sustaining class of hospitality. And their offshoot '''[http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ Firefly]''' has a handy network radiating out of Penang previously, has also began operating from the Subang (Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah) airport. In [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]], '''[http://www.maswings.com.my MASWings]''', operates turboprop services linking interior communities, including those in the [[Kelabit Highlands]], with coastal cities. MASWings took over the rural air services network from FlyAsian Express on 1 October 2007, which in turn took the service over from Malaysia Airlines 14 months before that. === By train === [[File:Sabah State Railway Passanger Car Interior.jpg|thumb|Inside a passenger car of the Sabah State Railway]] State operator [http://www.ktmb.com.my '''Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad''' (KTMB)] provides relatively inexpensive and generally reliable services around [[Peninsular Malaysia]] (but not [[Sabah]]/[[Sarawak]] in [[Borneo]]). The main western line connects [[Butterworth]], [[Ipoh]], [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Johor Bahru]], while the eastern line runs through [[Gua Musang]] and the [[Taman Negara]] to [[Kota Bharu]], near the Thai border and the [[Perhentian Islands]]. The pride of KTMB's fleet is the '''ETS''' (Electric Train Service) from [[Padang Besar (Malaysia)|Padang Besar]] to [[Gemas]], with a branch line to [[Butterworth]] (with transfers to/from [[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]] by ferry) from [[Bukit Mertajam]], running modern air-conditioned trains daily at 140&nbsp;km/h. There is no longer ETS service from Padang Besar to Butterworth; the route is served by '''KTM Komuter''' trains instead, which while also electrified are designed for commuter rather than long-distance travel. The rest of the network, though, is mostly single-track, with slow diesel locos and all too frequent breakdowns and delays. In May, 2016 KTMB ceased all sleeper trains on the western line, following the electrification of the track to Gemas. An air conditioned 2nd class only, diesel shuttle train now connects the section from Gemas to JB Sentral. Electrification and double tracking of the Gemas to [[Johor Bahru]] section is expected to be completed by October 2022. The '''[[Jungle Railway]]''' is the apt description for the eastern line between [[Tumpat]] (close to the Thai border) and [[Gemas]], including stops at [[Gua Musang]], [[Kuala Lipis]], [[Jerantut]] (for [[Taman Negara]]) and Wakaf Bahru (for [[Kota Bharu]] and the [[Perhentian Islands]]). The original "Jungle Train" is the slow daytime service which stops at every station (every 15-20min or so). It's 3rd class only, meaning no air-con and no reservations, and some stops may be lengthy as it's a single line and all other trains have priority - hence the "Jungle Train" waits in side loops along the way so that oncoming or overtaking trains can pass. Some find it to be a fascinating and stunningly scenic ride; others feel there's not much to see when you're in the jungle. The eastern line also has one night express train (for which reservations are possible and recommended) going in each direction. In addition to air-con seats, these trains have '''Superior Night''' (ADNS) sleeper cars, which have upper and lower berths along each side, each bunk having a solid partition at each end and a side curtain for privacy. The carriages shake and rattle quite a bit but are comfortable and clean. These trains have windows for both top and bottom bunks, unlike on Thai sleeper trains. A third line, known as the '''[https://www.mrl.com.my/en/ East Coast Rail Link]''' is under construction between [[Port Klang]] and [[Kota Bharu]], with plans for it to pass through [[Kuantan]] and [[Kuala Terengganu]] along the way. It is scheduled to be completed in 2027. Tickets can be booked and even printed online at KTMB's site. Enquiries and reservations can be made by phone at KTMB's call centres, {{Phone|+60 3 2267-1200}} (Malaysia) or, {{Phone|+65 6222-5165}} (Singapore). In East Malaysia, the only railway line is run by [https://railway.sabah.gov.my/ '''Jabatan Kereta Api Negeri Sabah''' (JKNS)] (Web-site in Malay only), running from Tanjung Aru near [[Kota Kinabalu]] to the town of [[Tenom]]. Malaysia's sole luxury train is the '''[https://www.belmond.com/trains/asia/eastern-and-oriental-express/ Eastern & Oriental Express]''', which travels from [[Singapore]] to [[Bangkok]], with stops in [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Butterworth]]. === By car === Malaysia has an excellent highway network, culminating in the '''North-South Expressway''' along the West Coast from [[Johor Bahru]] at the border with [[Singapore]] all the way to [[Bukit Kayu Hitam]] in [[Kedah]] at the border with [[Thailand]]. There is also the '''East Coast Expressway''', crossing Peninsular Malaysia coast-to-coast from [[Kuala Lumpur]] to [[Kuantan]] before heading up north towards [[Kuala Terengganu]]. Gasoline or locally known as Petrol is slightly cheaper than market prices at RM1.90/litre (Ron 95) (in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak). Tolls are payable on expressways, but these are priced at varying degrees, ranging from expensive to reasonable: driving the length of the country (734&nbsp;km) from the Thai border to Singapore costs RM108 (~US$25). While you can drive from Singapore to Thailand within a day on the West Coast, the highway system is considerably less developed on the East Coast, and even less so in Sabah and Sarawak, so be sure to factor in additional travel time if travelling in those areas. Toll prices for highways and causeways inside major cities, especially Kuala Lumpur, are priced exorbitantly, ranging from RM4.00 to RM7.00 for each exit. For those thinking of using GPS (Garmin, Papago, Galactio and Mio-Polnav), the Malaysia maps can be downloaded for free from http://www.malfreemaps.com/index.php Garmin user lucky enough to have another choice from http://www.malsingmaps.com/portal/. Both party maps is contributed by the amazing non-profit group of people who share a common passion to make a gps maps of Malaysia. While driving quality and habits in Malaysia are better than in most of the rest of Southeast Asia, they are not necessarily great, especially compared to what visitors from most Western countries are used to at home. Traffic in Malaysia drives on the left, a legacy left by the British. Beware reckless motorcyclists, especially at night, and especially if you are a pedestrian: locals typically disregard a red light for left turns, putting pedestrians at risk. As a motorist, at traffic lights, motorcyclists will accumulate in front of you - let them drive away first to avoid accidents. Care is needed when driving in larger cities, such as Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and George Town. Problems include apparently suicidal motorcyclists, congested traffic lanes throughout the day, and bewildering roads especially in the older parts of the city where planning was virtually nonexistent by the then British colonial occupiers. Out of town, however, cars and motorcycles are the best and sometimes the only way to explore the country. Some of the more rural areas have motorcycles and scooters to rent for as little as RM25/day, a great way to explore the local area or larger islands like Langkawi. As expected, most rental agencies will require a valid drivers licence to be presented upon rental. Fuel levels are often compared before and after rental, and the vehicle is also checked for damage, so ensure everything is documented, and request a refund of any excess fuel if possible. The bigger car rental companies like Hertz and Avis may also require you to have a valid credit card where a deposit will be authorised but not deducted from (unless there is damage to the car). === By taxi === [[File:Taxi in Penang 02.JPG|thumb|Taxi in Penang]] Taxis are available in all cities and larger towns, although in smaller places you may have to call one (ask any shopkeeper or consult the yellow-pages). You will generally need to negotiate the fare in advance, although prepaid coupon taxis are usually available at airports. RM5 should suffice for a short cross-town trip, while RM100 is enough to hire a taxi for a full day. In Kuala Lumpur, the budget taxis are usually coloured Red and White (City taxi - these taxis are not allowed to travel out of the city e.g. to another state) or Yellow. Taxis are usually small saloons such as Proton Wira and run on NGV (Natural Gas). The Blue taxis are larger saloons or MPVs (Multi Purpose Vehicles) and more luxurious. These cost typically 25-30% more than the budget taxis & are normally available at taxi stands all over Kuala Lumpur including the major malls & hotels. The Red & White taxis can be hailed off the roads & are metered. Ensure that the taxi driver is a Malaysian (all drivers must have a taxi permit &amp license with their photo on it) before you board, as unscrupulous taxi owners have been known to rent their taxi out to unlicensed stand-ins. All legal taxi drivers must be Malaysian citizens or permanent residents as the Malaysian government does not issue work visas to foreigners to drive taxis. Additionally, beware of unlicensed taxis ''(taxi sapu)'' at the airports. They can literally take you for a ride. There will be touts at the airports offering travellers their taxi service, even pretending to be legitimate. As unbelievable as it may sound, some have been known to rob first time visitors hundreds of ringgit for a single trip into the city, charging 100 times more than the correct fare. At the airports '''always''' get your taxi from the authorised operators' booths set up in the airport itself & '''never''' from anyone that solicits directly. They will always claim to be legitimate but are rarely licensed and may be unsafe. The taxi operator booths can provide you with receipts. Another tip is to book your taxis in advance. All good hotels' concierge will be able to assist you with this. If travelling in an unlicensed taxi you may not be covered by your travel insurance should that taxi be involved in a mishap. The most popular ride hailing app is '''Grab'''. On Grab, you can pay with cash—drivers have change. === By bus === {{infobox|Report Bad Drivers|Bus drivers (especially on more "rural" routes) sometimes drive carelessly, speed like maniacs, overtake on blind corners, etc. The vast majority of journeys are problem-free. However, some horrific accidents attributed to reckless driving have led to a crackdown and a nationwide hotline, and an SMS number for reporting these drivers/vehicles has been set up. This number is conveniently pasted on the back of every single large vehicle in the country.}} [[File:Higer-RapidPenang.JPG|thumb|Public bus in Penang]] The cheapest way to travel in Malaysia is by bus. All towns of any size have a bus terminal offering connections to other parts of the country. There are many companies of varying degrees of dependability, but two of the largest and more reliable are '''[http://transnasional.com.my Transnasional]''' and '''[http://www.plusliner.com.my/ NICE/Plusliner]'''. 24-seater "luxury" buses are recommended for long-distance travel. If travelling on holidays or even over the weekend, it is advisable to reserve your seats in advance. Many bus companies allow for you to book online directly through their website. However, some only allow online booking for individuals with Malaysian credit cards, which is not really convenient for international visitors. Luckily, most bus operators have banded together into two booking portals and are particularly handy if you have specific destinations but are not sure which bus company to use. Both allow payment with any credit card and require a nominal fee for their service (usually RM1-2). *{{listing | name=Bus Online Ticket |alt=| url=https://www.busonlineticket.com/ | email=sales@busonlineticket.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+603 2027 4626 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2019-05-26| content= }} *{{listing | name=catchthatbus.com | alt=catchthatbus.com | url=http://www.catchthatbus.com | email=sales@catchthatbus.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+603 9212 1818 (MY) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=redbus | alt=redbus | url=http://www.redbus.sg | email=support@redbus.sg | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65-31582888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Easybook | alt=Easibook | url=http://www.easybook.com | email=enquiry@easybook.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 4 332 7718 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-03-27 | content= }} Air conditioning on some buses can be extremely cold so don't forget to bring a good sweater, pants and socks, especially for overnight journeys on luxury buses! ==See== [[File:Penang Malaysia Wat-Chaiya-Mangkalaram-Temple-01.jpg|thumb|Wat Chaiyamangkalaram in [[George Town (Malaysia)|George Town]], [[Penang]].]] [[File:Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation 2012.JPG|thumb|Tea plantations in the [[Cameron Highlands]], [[Pahang]].]] Malaysia is a fascinating country with many faces. It's multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, and its attractions vary from the iconic Petronas Towers in bustling '''[[Kuala Lumpur]]''' to perfect sandy beaches lined with palm trees and dense jungles with orangutangs and tigers. There are various impressive '''national parks'''. Expeditions range from those where you hardly lose sight of the hotel to those where you are fully immersed in the jungle for weeks, with only the guide and yourself. To spot a tiger or wild elephant in its natural habitat you might have to spend more than a few days in the wild, but you'll have no trouble seeing smaller wildlife. '''[[Bako National Park]]''' is the oldest national park in Malaysia and one of the best places to see proboscis monkeys. The vast jungles of '''[[Taman Negara]]''' have become a popular destination for [[ecotourism|ecotourists]], just like the remote but gorgeous '''[[Gunung Mulu National Park]]''', a World Heritage Site famous for its limestone karst formations, stone pinnacles and huge caves. To escape from the muggy tropics, do as the English did and head up to the cool tea plantations of the '''[[Cameron Highlands]]''', the quaint Tudor-style village on '''[[Fraser's Hill]]''' or climb '''[[Mount Kinabalu]]''' in [[Sabah]]. For many people, Malaysia brings pictures of pristine beaches with great diving opportunities to mind - and for good reason. '''[[Sipadan]]''' off the coast of Sabah, and the beautiful '''[[Perhentian]]''' Islands are among the best (and most popular) places. Coastlines in the less industrialized parts of the country, in general, are well worth driving through for their natural beauty and relaxing seaside kampung (villages). Follow the crowds to the postcard perfect sands of the '''[[Langkawi]]''' Islands, where you can have a cocktail on the beach and stay in one of the many resorts. If you're most interested in taking the pulse of a city, don't miss '''[[Kuala Lumpur]]''''s crazy quilt ultra-modern skyline, including the famous Petronas Twin Towers. [[George Town (Malaysia)|'''George Town''']], the capital city of [[Penang]], is known for its great food, colonial architecture, and relatively long-standing and institutionalized Chinese, Peranakan and Indian communities, who share the city with ethnic Malays, Thais and Eurasians. '''[[Ipoh]]''' is a good choice if you enjoy a somewhat slower paced city that features elegant colonial-era buildings from about 100 years ago, and '''[[Malacca]]''' is for those who want to trace the colonial and imperial history of Malaysia several hundred years further back. For a completely different experience, head to '''[[Kota Bharu]]''' to discover a unique conservative Islamic regional culture influenced by [[Thailand]], only a few kilometres away, or visit the diverse cities of [[East Malaysia]], like '''[[Kuching]]''' and '''[[Kota Kinabalu]]'''. Especially when travelling with children, consider visiting one of the country's excellent zoos, such as [[Taiping]] Zoo, [[Kuala Lumpur]]'s Zoo Negara, [[Johor Bahru|Johor]] Zoo and [[Malacca]]'s Zoo. == Do == [[File:Perhentian Beach (106319844).jpg|thumb|A beach on [[Perhentian Islands]], [[Terengganu]].]] [[File:Amphiprion clarkii sipadan.jpg|thumb|A first glance at Sipadan's colourful underwater life]] Malaysia has excellent '''[[scuba diving]]'''. The most popular spots are the islands off the [[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] of peninsular Malaysia ([[Perhentian]], [[Redang]], [[Tioman]] and many more), although the dive season is limited to April to September. However, the most famous dive site &mdash; often ranked among the best in the world &mdash; is [[Sipadan]], off the easternmost tip of [[Sabah|Malaysian Borneo]]. There are many other less well known sites, like [[Layang Layang]]. ===Whitewater Rafting=== You can find tame Grade I to incredibly difficult and dangerous Grade V rapids in Malaysia's many national parks: * Jeram Besu - Grade I-III - [[Pahang]] * [[Telom River]] - Grade V - [[Pahang]] * Kuala Perahu - [[Pahang]] * Lipis River - [[Pahang]] * Anak Jelai River - Grade I-II - [[Pahang]] * Tembeling River - Grade I-II - [[Pahang]] * Sedim River - Grade III-IV - [[Kedah]] * Sungai Selangor - Grade I-III - [[Selangor]] * Kiulu River - Grade II - [[Sabah]] * Padas River - Grade III-IV - Sabah * Sungai Itek (Kampar River) - Grade I-III - [[Perak]] * Sungkai River - Grade I-II - Perak * Singoh River - Grade V - Perak * Endau River - [[Johor]] * Nenggiri River - Grade I-III [[Kelantan]] * [[Kuala Kubu Bahru]], [[Selangor]] ===[[Martial arts]]=== [[File:Men Pencak Silat Match Malaysia vs Vietnam.jpg|thumb|A silat match taking place.]] Malaysia is home to a uniquely Malay style of martial arts known as '''silat'''. Silat tournaments are held between different schools in the country, and the Southeast Asian Games is the premier international tournament in silat, with competitors from the neighbouring countries as well. There is also an equally traditional stylised dance version of silat called ''silat gayung'', which is quite worth seeing if you have the chance. In addition, there are also many kung fu masters among the ethnic Chinese community, and Malaysia is consistently one of the top performers in international wushu competitions. ===Music=== Malaysia is home to a uniquely Malay form of singing called ''dikir barat''. Dikir barat is typically sung by a choir, though there may also be solo parts, and is also either sung ''a capella'', or accompanied only by percussion instruments. Dikir barat competitions are fairly popular among the Malay community, and are frequently broadcast on Malaysian national television. == Buy == ===Money=== {{exchange rates | currency=Malaysian ringgit | currencyCode=RM | date=January 2022 | EUR=4.8 | GBP=5.7 | SGD=3.1 | USD=4.2 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/myr-malaysian-ringgit XE.com] }} The Malaysian currency is the '''Malaysian ringgit''', abbreviated as '''RM''' (ISO code: '''MYR'''). It is divided into 100 '''sen''' (cents). The ringgit used to be referred to as the dollar and you may see the '$' symbol on older notes. There are coins of RM0.05 (silver), RM0.10 (silver), RM0.20 (silver or gold), and RM0.50 (silver or gold) as well as bills of RM1 (blue), RM5 (green), RM10 (red), RM20 (orange), RM50 (green/blue) and RM100 (purple). 5 sen coins are mainly given as change in large establishments or supermarkets whereas peddlers and street vendors might be reluctant to accept them. The Singapore and Brunei dollars are also known as ''ringgit'' in Malay, so when near border areas you might want to check to be sure which currency they are quoting the price in. '''Foreign currencies''' are ''not'' generally accepted, although you might get away with exchanging some US dollars or euros even in more remote areas, but do expect a lot of stares and some persuasion. The major exception is Singapore dollars, which are accepted by KTMB and toll roads, but at a highly unfavorable 1:1 exchange rate (an anomaly dating back to when the ringgit was interchangeable with the Singapore dollar, prior to the 1970s). '''Currency exchange''' counters can easily found in major shopping areas and have a better exchange rate than in banks and airports. Be sure to say the amount you wish to exchange and ask for the 'best quote' as rates displayed on the board are often negotiable, especially for larger amounts. Large foreign banknotes, such as €500, are almost impossible to change for a good rate in some areas, especially in Sabah or Sarawak, where the banks offer a much lower rate comparing to the one you'd get if changing a banknote of smaller amount. Some money exchangers in Kota Kinabalu or Kuching even may refuse your business if you have large foreign banknotes, so the best option is to bring smaller notes unless you are willing to shop around. === Banking === '''ATMs''' are widely available in cities, but do stock up on cash if heading out into the smaller islands or the jungle. '''Credit cards''' can be used in most shops, restaurants and hotels, although '''skimming''' can be a problem in dodgier outlets. For credit card usage, make sure your credit/debit card is chip based as most merchants no longer accept '''magnetic strips''' based cards. Banks in Malaysia do handle international transactions. These ranges from a nominal fee if you are an account holder to a slightly more expensive amount if you are only walking in to use a certain service. International banks such as Citibank & HSBC have their presence in Malaysia, with the latter having branches throughout the country. Local banking giants are Maybank, Public Bank & CIMB Bank, & they are a very good alternative to the earlier mentioned banks, especially in terms of pricing, local knowledge & presence as well as international services available e.g. money transfers. For any enquiries and transactions, get a number, sit down and wait for your turn to be served. (There is no need to queue while you wait in air-conditioned comfort!) Banks are open Monday-Friday from 09:30-16:00 and selected banks are open Saturday 09:30-11:30 except on the first and third Saturdays of each month. In the states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, they are open Sunday-Thursday from 09:30-16:00. Due to fraud risk, many Malaysian ATMs do not allow you to withdraw using foreign debit cards. If your card is rejected, try another ATM. This is unique to Malaysia and is not applicable to Thailand, Singapore, or Indonesia. If you call your bank or even Visa/MasterCard, they are often not aware because the transaction is declined by the Malaysia bank. Make sure to bring cash or other forms of money in case your debit card is rejected. === Costs === Most Western visitors will find Malaysia quite cheap, although it is noticeably more expensive than neighbouring Indonesia. You can live in hostel dorms and feast on hawker food for less than RM50 per day, but you'll wish to double this for comfort, particularly if travelling in more expensive East Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is also generally more expensive than the rest of the country. At the other end of the spectrum, luxury hotels and air fares are comparatively affordable, with even the fanciest 5-star hotels costing less than RM400/night. [[File:Bukit bintang from kl monorail 2009.jpg|thumb|''Bukit Bintang'', a popular shopping area in [[Kuala Lumpur]].]] ===Tipping=== Tipping is not customary in Malaysia. A service charge of 10% is included in total bill in most air conditioned restaurants, but otherwise, you are not expected to pay anything more than what is stated in the bill. Most expensive restaurants, bars and hotels may indicate prices in the form of RM19++ ("plus plus"), meaning that sales tax (6%) and service charge (10%) will be added to the bill. Hotel tax of 5% may also be added to this. === Shopping === [[Kuala Lumpur]] is a shopping mecca for clothes, electronics, watches and computer goods, with very competitive prices by any standard. Local Malaysian brands include Royal Selangor and British India. Traditional Malaysian fabrics (''batik'') are a popular souvenir. The cheapest place to easily buy ethnic souvenirs (especially wood-based) is in [[Kuching]], East Malaysia, and the most expensive place is in the major, posh [[Kuala Lumpur]] shopping centres. In general shops are open 10:30-21:30/22:00 in the large cities. They open and close for business earlier in the smaller towns and rural areas. Some shops may also be closed on certain days, such as in [[Malacca]] where many shops and restaurants close on Tuesday. If you buy too much while shopping in Malaysia (which is quite easy to do), surface postage rates are very reasonable. Excess luggage at the airport is still high but not as high as in many other countries. Check first with your airline. == Eat == {{main|Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei}} The crossroads of Malay, Chinese and [[Indian cuisine]], Malaysia is an excellent place to ''makan'' (eat in Malay). Look out for regional specialities and Nyonya (Peranakan) cuisine, the fusion between Malay and [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese cooking]]. There is even unique Eurasian cooking to be found in the Portuguese Settlement in Malacca, the heartland of the Portuguese Eurasian community. Malaysians are very proud of their cooking and most towns or even villages have their own delicious specialities such as [[Penang]] ''char kway teow'', [[Kajang]] satay, [[Ipoh]] bean sprout chicken, [[Sarawak]] ''laksa'', [[Kelantan]]ese ''nasi dagang'', [[Sabah]]an ''hinava'', and many, many more. Most of them rely on word of mouth for advertising and are frequently located in the most inconvenient, out-of-the-way places so you might want to try asking the locals for their personal recommendations. If you intend to travel around Malaysia trying out the local food, don't be fooled by the names. Sometimes two entirely different dishes from different parts of the country can be known by the same name. For example, ''laksa'' refers to completely different noodle dishes in [[Penang]] and [[Sarawak]]. Generally, you can eat pretty much anywhere in Malaysia. Food outlets are comparatively clean - the only thing you should avoid when you frequent the street or hawker stalls is ice for your drinks, since the blocks of ice used there might not be up to your hygienic standards. In actual restaurants this is not a problem. Also you might want to avoid ordering water from hawker stalls or the ''mamak'' restaurants as you will usually be served unboiled tap water. Cheaper places often do not display prices; most will charge tourists honestly, but check prices before ordering to make sure. Eating habits run the gamut, but most foods are eaten by '''fork and spoon''': push and cut with the fork in the left hand, and eat with the spoon in the right. As eating is a favourite 'pastime' of Malaysians, the majority are adept at using chopsticks, regardless of background. Noodles and Chinese dishes typically come with these, while Malay and Indian food is traditionally eaten by hand, though a fork and spoon are often use to eat Malay and Indian food in restaurants and may be requested if not provided. If eating by hand, '''always use only your right hand''' to handle the food, as Malays and Indians traditionally use their left hand to handle dirty things. When eating with chopsticks at Chinese restaurants, take note of the usual etiquette and most importantly, ''do not'' stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. This is reminiscent of incense sticks burning at the temple and has connotations of wishing death on those around you. If eating in a group, serving dishes are always shared, but you'll get your own bowl of rice and soup. === Where to eat === [[File:Beaufort Sabah KedaiKopi-01.jpg|thumb|The interior of a kedai kopi near the railway station in [[Beaufort (Sabah)|Beaufort, Sabah]]]] The cheapest places to eat are '''hawker stalls''' and '''coffeeshops''', known as ''kedai kopi'' in Malay or ''kopitiam'' in Hokkien. These shops sell, besides coffee, many other types of food and drinks. Particularly popular and tasty are '''''mamak''''' stalls, run by Indian Muslims and serving up localized Indian fare like ''roti canai''. Most hawker stalls stay open till late and some even operate on shifts so you can find the same stall offering different food at different points throughout the day. You can also do take away from any stall, just ask for ''bungkus'' (Malay) or ''ta pao'' (Cantonese). A hawker meal will rarely cost you over RM5. Hygiene standards in Malaysia, while not up to that of neighbouring Singapore or Western countries, is still reasonable and much better than say, China or most of the rest of Southeast Asia. Just be observant, and generally speaking, if a stall is patronised by locals, it should be safe to eat there. One step up on the scale is the '''''kedai makanan''''' or the more Western-style '''''restoran'''''. A type to look out for is the ''nasi kandar'' restaurant (also known as ''nasi campur'' or ''nasi padang''), with a vast range of curries and toppings to ladle on top of your rice. '''Seafood restaurants''' (''makanan laut'') are comparatively pricy but still excellent value by most standards; do check prices before ordering though. Local prawns are gigantic, Chinese-style steamed fish is a treat and crab served with sticky chilli sauce is particularly popular. Last but not least, some less adventurous options. '''Food courts''' in shopping malls are a good way to sample local delicacies in air-conditioned comfort, paying only a small premium over hawker prices. And yes, you can also find McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and the usual suspects plus imitators throughout Malaysia. === Dietary restrictions === [[File:Su Xin Vegetarian Restaurant.jpg|thumb|A vegetarian restaurant in [[Johor Bahru]], [[Johor]].]] Being a Muslim-majority country, finding '''halal''' food in Malaysia is easy, but most Chinese stalls and restaurants, as well as those serving some indigenous ethnic groups of East Malaysia such as the Iban and Kadazan, are ''not'' halal. Ask if in doubt. Meals at Malay restaurants and Western fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut are halal. Restaurants at major hotels are not certified 'Halal' as they serve alcohol as well, but with the exception of Chinese restaurants, they generally don't serve pork. Local Muslims will eat at Western, Chinese and Indian eateries if there is a halal sign on the walls. Most of the restaurants tend to display their halal certification or halal sign on their places. Halal certification is awarded and enforced by a government agency, usually JAKIM. There are ''no'' '''kosher''' establishments in Malaysia, so Jewish visitors will have to bring their own food with them. Kosher grocery stores and restaurants can be found in neighbouring [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]], the [[Philippines]] and [[Vietnam]], so you might want to stop in one of those countries to stock up before entering Malaysia. '''Vegetarianism''' is well-understood by the Chinese and Indian communities (not so by the Muslim Malays and other indigenous minorities) and many restaurants or hawker stalls will be able to come up with something on request (DO state "no meat, no fish, no seafood - ASK for vegetables and/or eggs ONLY"), but don't rely entirely on menu descriptions: innocuous-seeming dishes like "fried vegetables" etc. will often contain pork bits in non-halal Chinese restaurants, shrimp paste (''belacan'', commonly used in Malay and spicy Chinese dishes), fish sauce, etc. Indian restaurants usually have very good vegetarian selections - the ''roti'' (Indian flat bread - any kind; including roti canai, roti naan, capati, tosai) are good choices, and DO insist on being given ''dhal'' (lentil-based curry dip) lest you'll be given a fish curry dip. Purely vegetarian Chinese restaurants (often serving remarkable "mock meat" products made from tofu, gluten etc.) are quite easy to find in big urban areas with a large ethnic Chinese population. Getting vegetarian food in rural areas, especially those near fishing villages or in Muslim/Malay-dominated regions, may be more difficult, but learning some basic Malay vocabulary will go a long way to help you get your message across &mdash; see the [[Malay phrasebook#Eating|Malay phrasebook]]. Upmarket Western restaurants, such as those serving Italian cuisine, will normally have some good vegetarian options. '''Veganism''' is rarely understood in this part of the world and is largely mistaken as a synonym for vegetarianism. The safest bet for a vegan is to patronize a Chinese Buddhist vegetarian restaurant (most Chinese vegetarian restaurants are essentially vegan and operated on Buddhist principles of non-killing and compassion, and thus they abstain from using dairy products, eggs, and the 5 fetid vegetables [onions, garlic, leeks, etc.] discouraged in Mahayana Buddhism). And if you're still feeling uneasy or unsure, do not hesitate to ask. == Drink == [[File:Cheng Ho Tea House.JPG|thumb|A tea house in [[Melaka]].]] Malaysians like both coffee (''kopi'') and tea (''teh''), especially the national drink ''teh tarik'' ("pulled tea"), named after the theatrical 'pulling' motion used to pour it. By default, both will be served hot, sweet and with a dose of condensed milk; request ''teh o'' to skip the milk, ''teh ais'' for iced milky tea, or ''teh o ais'' for iced milkless tea. Drinking with no sugar at all is considered odd, but asking for ''kurang manis'' (less sugar) will ease the pain. However, if you really want no sugar at all, you can try asking for "teh kosong." Another peculiar local favourite is the kopi tongkat ali ginseng, a mixture of coffee, a local aphrodisiacal root, and ginseng served with condensed milk that's touted as an alternative to viagra and red bull combined and is usually advertised with a picture of a bed broken in half. Other popular nonalcoholic options include the chocolate drink Milo and lime juice (''limau''). Freshly made fruit juices are also widely available, as well as a wide range of canned drinks (some familiar, some less so). There is also a local drink comprised of white soya milk and black grass jelly (''cincau'') called ''soya cincau''. It can be ordered at most hawker centres and local roadside cafes (''kedai kopi/kopitiam''). === Alcohol === [[Image:Gawai.JPG|thumb|Tuak is widely consumed during Gawai Dayak festival and Christmas Day.]] Although Malaysia has a Muslim majority, alcohol is available on licensed outlet for the consumption of its non-Muslim citizens (e.g., Chinese, Indigenous Sabahan, Indigenous Sarawakian and Indian) and non-Muslim foreigners. However, some states (notably [[Kelantan]] and [[Terengganu]]) ban the selling of alcohol. With the exception of tax-free islands ([[Labuan]], [[Langkawi]], [[Tioman]]) and duty free shops (for example in [[Johor Bahru]]), prices are comparatively high, with a can of beer costing RM7.50 or more even in supermarkets or 7-Eleven stores. However, in East Malaysia, smuggled liquors are widely available. The legal drinking age in Malaysia is 21. In East Malaysia, particularly [[Sarawak]], ''tuak'' is a common affair for any celebration or festivals such as Gawai Dayak and Christmas Day. ''Tuak'' is made from fermented rice which sometimes sugar, honey or other various condiments are added. It is normally served lukewarm without ice. Visitors can choose from 'strong' flavour of tuak (which is normally being fermented for years), or 'mild' flavour (which sometimes just being prepared a week or even a day before). In [[Sabah]], cheap liquors are very widely available at most supermarkets and mini markets in the state. Other alcoholic drinks such as beer and whisky are also widely available. On the other hand, ''Tuak'' in [[Kelantan]] also can be considered as a liquor since that it contains trace amount of fermented ''nipah'' or sap juice. The alcohol content in Kelantan ''tuak'' can easily reach 50% after 3 days from the time it was extracted. [[File:Tapai peuyeum Pasar Baru.JPG|thumb|Cassava tapai is shown in plastic bags in the foreground]] ''Tapai'' consists of cassava (less often, rice) that is fermented and eaten as a food (though the liquid in the bottom can also be drunk). As it is commonly eaten during Hari Raya Puasa, the major Muslim holiday celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, it is interesting that Islamic legal authorities associated with the Islamist opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) have given Muslims a special dispensation from laws against consuming alcohol, in the case of tapai. == Sleep == Malaysia has ample affordable accommodations in all of its cities and towns, with full range from budget until luxury ones. Hotels and hostels are required to charge a '''tourism tax''' on international visitors: RM10 per room per night, which may not be included in the advertised rates. ===Budget=== Budget hotels and youth [[hostels]] are available in most cities and around most tourist destinations. As with most budget accommodations, some are more reliable than others. Be cautious when selecting budget accommodation to avoid places that house illegal vice activities. Larger cities will have YMCAs that are safe bets. Another noticeable budget hotel chain is [http://www.tunehotels.com/ Tune Hotels,] an affiliate of the budget airline, Air Asia. They are expanding and have hotels at numerous locations throughout the country ===Mid-range=== Mid-range hotels are readily available just about anywhere. Prices of 3-4 star hotels are upwards from RM100 and are generally reliable in terms of quality. ===Splurge=== 5-star hotels, service apartments and resorts are found in larger cities like Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching and also in some coastal towns and areas. Also, almost all islands have upscale resorts and spas for the wealthy traveller. == Learn == Malaysia's universities are generally well-regarded and draw exchange students from near and far. Among Malaysia's universities, the undisputed most prestigious one is the '''[https://www.um.edu.my/ University of Malaya]''' (UM), located in Kuala Lumpur. In addition, several foreign universities have established campuses in Malaysia. == Work == Obtaining a working visa takes some effort. The easiest way to work in Malaysia is probably to work for an overseas company and get posted to Malaysia. The [http://www.imi.gov.my Malaysian Immigration Department website] has basic advice. In order to obtain a work permit, you need to have an offer from your future employer who will have to do the paperwork for you. It's very expensive and comes with many restrictions if a company wants to hire a foreigner and as such next to impossible. As stated above, a feasible way is to get transferred. Finding a job is otherwise unlikely unless you are married to a local and even then it remains difficult. Working days in the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Johor are from Sunday to Thursday, while in most other states, the working days are from Monday to Friday. Weekend holidays are on Saturday and Sunday, while in the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor are on Friday and Saturday. == Stay safe == {{infobox|Emergency numbers|Central emergency number '''999'''}} Though the crime rate is higher than in neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia is generally a safe country for visitors. Crimes towards tourists are usually restricted to bag-snatching, pickpocketing and petty theft. It is important to keep a close eye on valuable items. Theft is more common in crowded places, such as markets and on public transport. Generally, if you avoid deserted areas, get back to your hotel before midnight and use your common sense, you're unlikely to be assaulted. Homosexuality is a crime and gay bars may be raided by police; gay and lesbian tourists should be self-aware and careful. ===Crime=== {{warningbox|Malaysia treats '''drug offences''' ''extremely'' severely. With limited exceptions, the '''death penalty is mandatory''' for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15 g of heroin, 30 g of morphine, 30 g of cocaine, 500 g of cannabis, 200 g of cannabis resin and 1.2 kg of opium, and possession of these quantities is all that is needed for you to be convicted. Even if the mandatory death penalty is not imposed, life imprisonment and mandatory whipping is still expected. Unauthorised consumption can result in up to 10 years' jail, or a heavy fine, or both. You can be charged for unauthorised consumption as long as traces of illicit drugs are found in your system, even if you can prove that they were consumed outside the country and you can be charged for trafficking as long as drugs are found in bags that are in your possession or in your room, even if they aren't yours and regardless of whether you're aware of them - therefore be vigilant of your possessions.|lastedit=permanent}} There have been some reports of [[pickpockets]] and snatch-and-run thieves in some of the major cities like [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Petaling Jaya]] and [[Johor Bahru]]. As a general precaution, never carry your bags on the side facing the road and always walk facing the oncoming traffic. Additionally, walk a few feet deeper away from the roads. Women travellers should take extra precautions at night. Johor Bahru is known for having a relatively higher crime rate compared to the rest of Malaysia, and armed robberies and snatch thefts could happen at night in run-down areas of the city. Travel documents and valuables are best deposited in a hotel safe. In Malaysia, some crimes are punished with caning, known locally as whipping. Being convicted of rape, vandalism, illegal entry, bribery, overstaying your visa, and certain other crimes could get you caned. '''This is no slap on the wrist!''' Strokes from the thick rattan cane are ''very painful'', will take some time to heal and probably leave you with a permanent scar. Credit card fraud is a growing problem in this country, especially if you order in an on-line store during your stay. Use credit cards only in reputable shops. If you are not sure about the reputation of a certain shop or service, there are several services available that can help to identify fraud and scams such as [http://trustedcompany.com Trustedcompany.com] for any online service they want to use. ===Corruption=== While not as bad as the likes of Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia, corruption remains a significant issue in Malaysia. Traffic police have been known to pull over motorists to demand bribes of RM100-200; this tends to happen somewhat more often to those driving Singapore-registered cars (recognisable by the licence plates). Nevertheless, there have been some crackdowns on this, and bribery is punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Anyone who tries to bribe public officials may be arrested on the spot and placed in a lock-up overnight to be charged for the offence in the morning. If this happens on a Friday or on eve of public holidays, you will find yourself spending a few nights in the lock-up as the courts are only open Monday to Friday. Do not let this dissuade you from requesting help — generally Malaysian police are helpful to tourists. Customs and immigration officers are generally fairly clean, and unlike in other mainland Southeast Asian countries, being asked to pay a bribe to get your passport stamped is virtually unheard of, even at land border crossings. (Thai immigration on the other side of the border is another story, though.) Do check your passport before driving off when entering by land from the Singapore border though, as immigration officers have been known to "forget" to stamp people in, and you will be subject to fines of several thousand ringgit for illegal entry when you try to leave Malaysia if your passport was not stamped on entry. The [https://www.sprm.gov.my/ Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission] (MACC, Malay ''Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia/SPRM'') is responsible for investigating corruption throughout the country. A list of MACC branches can be found [https://www.sprm.gov.my/index.php?id=21&page_id=75&articleid=430 here]. ===Traffic safety=== Drunk-driving is a serious offense and breathalyzer tests by the police are common. When on foot, be careful when crossing the street. Vehicles will often ignore pedestrian (zebra) crossings. However, reports of road bullying during accidents are still common, so if you are involved in an accident be very careful when negotiating or dial 999 for help. ===Other=== [[File:KotaKinabalu Sabah Taxi-waiting-for-passengers-01.jpg|thumb|Taxis in [[Kota Kinabalu]], [[Sabah]].]] Many taxis will refuse to use the meter, even though there is an official rate. Most taxis now have a sticker on the rear door informing tourists that haggling is prohibited. Taxi drivers, sensing that you are a tourist, may drive around and take a very long route to reach your destination. If you need a taxi late at night, it is best to use the dial-a-taxi service as there have been incidents in which taxis flagged down during those hours have been fake/unregistered. An unregistered taxi driver might rob or assault you with the help of other assailants. You are also more likely to get a metered taxi by flagging one at a street than at a taxi stand. It is advisable to study maps and compare fares on the internet before visiting the country. Knowing distances between places is helpful when negotiating with taxi drivers. They won't try to fool even a foreigner who demonstrates clearly that he knows the distance from point A to point B is 50 km and not 150 km. Do not accept the first rates for inter-city travels by car offered by hotels, as these could be as much as double normal prices. In this case, negotiate with a taxi driver directly for a better and fair price (for example, a hotel near Balok Beach, not very far from Kuantan, asked 800 RM for a ride to Johor Bahru, while a negotiated price with a taxi driver who could be found in downtown Kuantan came down to a normal 400 RM). But for all this you need to know the exact distance and if possible even the exact itinerary between your departure and arrival point. Public demonstrations are uncommon in Malaysia due to police crackdowns. Should one occur it may be dealt with in a heavy-handed manner, so '''avoid them at all costs'''. Finally, it is generally not allowed for non-Muslims or non-Sunnis to proselytize. In particular, attempting to persuade Muslims to convert out of their religion is illegal, and if you are caught doing this, you will at best be expelled from the country. ===Natural disasters=== Peninsular Malaysia is largely free from [[earthquakes]] as there are no nearby faultlines, though tremors can occasionally be felt in the upper storeys of tall buildings when a major quake occurs in neighbouring Indonesia. East Malaysia, on the other hand, especially the area around Mount Kinabalu, does experience occasional earthquakes (such as the fatal one occurring in 2015). [[Cyclones|Typhoons]] are also exceedingly rare, though one hit the southern part of [[Johor]] in 2001. However, the Nov-Jan monsoon season often results in flooding due to torrential rains, and landslides are known to occur, most notably on the East Coast. [[Tsunamis]] are a rare occurrence, though Penang and a few islands on the north of the West Coast were hit by the infamous tsunami in 2004. == Stay healthy == '''[[Tap water]]''' is drinkable straight off the tap, as it is treated, but even locals boil or filter it first just to be on the safe side. When travelling it is best to stick to bottled water, which is very inexpensive. Ice in drinks might be made from tap water but nowadays, most restaurants and even roadside stalls use the cylindrical variety with a hollow tube down the middle that are mass-produced at ice factories and are safer to consume. Heat exhaustion is rare, but do consume lots of fluids, use a hat and sunscreen and shower often! Peninsular Malaysia is largely [[malaria]]-free, but there is a significant risk in Borneo especially in inland and rural areas. [[Dengue fever]] occurs throughout Malaysia in both urban and rural areas, and can be avoided only by preventing [[mosquito]] bites. The mosquito that transmits dengue feeds throughout the daytime, and is most active at dawn and dusk. If you experience a sudden fever with aches and lethargy, seek medical attention immediately. Aspirin and ibuprofen should not be used until dengue fever has been ruled out. Mosquito repellents (''ubat nyamuk'') are widely available. Be careful with mosquito coils, which can easily start fires: set them on a plate or other non-flammable surface and extinguish them before going to sleep. Haze from burning vegetation in neighbouring Indonesia may come and go without warning from the months of May to August so travellers with respiratory ailments should come prepared. Most public washrooms charge a small fee (generally between RM0.20-RM2.00, usually depending on the standard of the facilities), so keep some loose change to hand. If the condition of the sitting toilets is questionable, use the squatting toilets instead - both are usually available, and some believe that the latter are more hygienic and (if you can get used to them) are just as easy to use as sitting toilets. ===Healthcare=== [[File:Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital.JPG|thumb|Public hospital in [[Kuantan]], [[Pahang]].]] The standard of healthcare in Malaysia is generally high, and Malaysia is rapidly emerging as a popular destination for medical tourism, with treatment costs in general far cheaper than in neighbouring Singapore and Western countries. Almost all Malaysian doctors are able to speak English fluently, while most other medical staff are able to converse in at least basic English. Government healthcare facilities are cheap but good, though they tend to be understaffed and consequently, waiting times are long. Due to the shorter waiting times and sometimes hotel-like levels of comfort, most expatriates and visitors prefer to seek out private medical care. Malaysia's largest private healthcare groups are '''[https://www.parkwaypantai.com/ Parkway Pantai]''', which operates the well-known Gleaneagles and Pantai hospital chains, and '''[http://www.kpjhealth.com.my/ KPJ Healthcare]'''. Private medical costs can be high and having [[travel insurance]] is a very good idea. == Respect == {{infobox|What's in a name?|- Malaysian '''Malay''' names are usually given name + ''bin'' or ''binti'' (son/daughter) + father's name. ''Mohammed bin Abdullah'' would usually be called Mohammed by his friends, and Mr. Mohammed for business. Sometimes, the person's given name appears after the Mohammed or Abdul (example: ''Mohammed Faizal bin Abdul Nasser'') so, in such a case, he would usually be addressed as Mr. Faizal.<br /> - '''Chinese''' place their family name first, so ''Tan Ah Heng'' is Mr Tan for business and Ah Heng to his friends. Many have Western names, so he may also be known as ''John Tan''.<br> - '''Indian''' names are complex, but the south Indian (Tamil) names usually found in Malaysia have two patterns: either given name + ''a/l'' or ''a/p'' (''anak lelaki'' (son of)/''anak perempuan'' (daughter of)) + father's name, or father's initial + given name. Given names are often long and may be abbreviated, so ''Thirumurugan a/l Govindasamy'' may just be addressed as Thiru by his friends and Mr Thiru for business.<br /> - '''Other ethnic minorities''', such as the Iban and Kadazan have their own naming conventions.<br />The foolproof method, therefore, is to ''ask'' how the person would like to be addressed.}} It is advisable to dress respectfully, particularly in rural areas (wearing trousers or a long skirt, not shorts and covering your shoulders is recommended but not essential). In more cosmopolitan cities such as Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Malacca and Ipoh, as well as East Malaysian states (Sabah and Sarawak) attitudes are more liberal. Women are not legally required to wear the hijab, known locally as the ''tudung'', except when entering mosques, where it is required for both Muslims and non-Muslims. As in many countries, it is best not to criticise the government or the Malaysian royal families as a visitor. You may hear Malaysians criticise their own government, but you do not need to take sides; just listen and feel free to talk about your feelings about your own government. The '''bumiputera''' policy (laws granting ethnic Malays special rights not granted to the other races) is a very polarising and sensitive issue, and best avoided as a conversation topic. When entering a home or a place of worship, always take off your shoes (this is often required at hostels too). Also, never eat with your left hand or give a gift with your left hand, and never point with your forefinger (you may use a closed fist with the thumb instead). Do not point with your feet or touch a person's head either. Swastikas are commonly seen in Hindu and Buddhist temples, and are regarded as a religious symbol by these communities. They emphatically do '''not''' represent Nazism or anti-Semitism, so Western visitors should not feel offended when seeing them in the homes of their hosts. As a predominantly Muslim country, Malaysia tends to be conservative about sexuality. Public showing of affection in the more diverse, larger cities is tolerated but might invite unnecessary attention from the public. In more rural areas and in very conservative states like [[Kelantan]] and [[Terengganu]] on the East Coast of the Peninsula it is frowned upon and is best avoided. '''Don't make out in public'''; you'll embarrass yourself and inflame local sensibilities. Big cities like Kuala Lumpur have a fairly active gay scene and gay bashing is rarely heard of. However, same-sex relationships are a taboo subject and "Carnal intercourse against the order of nature" is punished by up to 20 years jail and whipping (men only) under colonial era laws not usually enforced against consenting adult heterosexuals. Different states may also impose '''consecutive''' sharia law punishments of up to 3 years and six lashes against Muslims of all genders. ==Cope== ===Electricity=== Malaysian sockets are designed for the 3-pin rectangular-pronged British plug. Electricity is delivered at 240 V, 50 Hz. ===Newspapers=== Malaysia's main Malay newspapers are '''''[http://www.bharian.com.my/ Berita Harian]''''' and '''''[http://www.utusan.com.my/ Utusan Malaysia]'''''. There are also numerous Chinese newspapers, the most popular ones being the [http://www.chinapress.com.my/ China Press] (中國報), [http://www.enanyang.my/ Nanyang Siang Pau] (南洋商報) and [http://www.sinchew.com.my/ Sin Chew Daily] (星洲日報), as well as several Tamil newspapers. Malaysia's English-language paper of record is the '''[https://www.nst.com.my/ New Straits Times]''', a splinter from the Singaporean Straits Times, which is available at most hotels and newsstands. '''[https://www.thestar.com.my/ The Star]''' is also available. ==Connect== === Internet === Connecting to the internet in Malaysia is easily accessible in most cities and towns. It was one of the first countries in the world to offer 4G connectivity. Broadband Internet is available in most hotels, internet cafes, and some restaurants. Wi-Fi is usually available in hot spots in almost all restaurants and fast-food outlets and shopping malls. Prepaid internet cards are also available to access wireless broadband, in some cafes. Customers usually pay RM1-5 per hour for internet services in cybercafes (depending on which city you're in). Internet connections offered in restaurants and cafes are usually free, and more and more food outlets are offering this. These include all Starbucks and Coffeebean, some McDonald's and Subway, and an increasing number of smaller places. === Telephone numbers === The country code for Malaysia is +60. [[File:Sandakan Sabah Public-Phone-Booths-01.jpg|thumb|Phone booths in Sabah]] '''Landlines''' Malaysian landline telephone numbers have either seven or eight digits. The country is also divided up into areas which have been assigned two or three digit area codes, which have to be dialled when calling from outside the area. The area codes are: * '''03''' - Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor (all are Klang Valley), Pahang (Genting Highlands only) * '''04''' - Kedah, Penang, Perlis * '''05''' - Perak, Pahang (Cameron Highlands only) * '''06''' - Malacca, Johor (Muar district only), Negeri Sembilan * '''07''' - Johor (all districts except for Muar) * '''082''' - Sarawak (Kuching and Samarahan districts) * '''083''' - Sarawak (Sri Aman and Betong districts) * '''084''' - Sarawak (Sarikei, Sibu and west Kapit districts) * '''085''' - Sarawak (Miri and Limbang districts) * '''086''' - Sarawak (Bintulu districts and Belaga) * '''087''' - Sabah (Interior Division), Labuan * '''088''' - Sabah (West Coast and Kudat Division) * '''089''' - Sabah (Sandakan and Tawau Division) * '''09''' - Kelantan, Pahang (all districts except Genting Highlands), Terengganu Area code '''02''' has been assigned for calls made from Malaysia to Singapore. This means there's no need to call Singapore's country code '''65''' when calling from Malaysia. International direct dialing (IDD) calls from landlines to all other countries should use the prefix '''00''' followed by the country code. To call a Malaysian number: * '''From overseas except Singapore''' dial the international access code, the country code for Malaysia, the area code without the "0", and then the phone number. * '''From Singapore''' dial 02, the area code with the "0", and then the phone number. * '''From outside the local area''' dial the full area code, followed by the phone number. There are no exceptions to this rule, except when using a mobile phone. * '''From within the local area''' just dial the phone number without any code. '''Mobile phones''' Malaysia also has four mobile telephone service providers, [http://www.maxis.com.my Maxis], [http://www.digi.com.my DiGi], [http://www.celcom.com.my Celcom], and [http://www.u.com.my U Mobile] which utilise codes '''012, 013, 014, 016, 017, 018, 019.''' Network connection in Malaysia is excellent. Mobile number portability has been implemented in Malaysia, meaning a code like 012 that traditionally belonged to Maxis, can now be a DiGi subscriber. Mobile networks utilize the GSM 900 and 1800 systems. 3G (WCDMA), EDGE & HSPDA networks available in larger towns. International roaming onto these networks is possible if your operator allows it. '''Prepaid SIM cards''' for sale at airports are pretty affordable; a one-week SIM card with a good amount of data might cost about RM20-30 (2019). To call a Malaysian mobile number: * '''From overseas''' dial the international access code, the country code for Malaysia, the mobile telephone provider's code without the "0", and then the telephone number. * '''From within Malaysia''' dial the provider's code with the "0", and then the telephone number. * '''From mobile phone to mobile phone within Malaysia''' dial the provider's code with the "0", and then the telephone number. Although you can drop the provider's code if the two phones share the same provider, you will still get through if the provider's code is dialled. To call from Malaysia to another country: * '''From a landline''' dial the international access code "00" followed by the country code and the phone number. For example, dialing the United States from Malaysia you would dial 001 followed by the US area code and phone number. On the Maxis network, take advantage of 50% IDD rates via IDD132, which doesn't require any registration, just dial "132" prior to the "00". * '''From a mobile phone''' same as from a landline (above). An alternative, and simpler, approach on many mobile phones is to press & hold the zero button to enter a "+" (plus sign) before the country code and phone number. The "+" represents (in any country) the appropriate international access code. On the Maxis network, take advantage of 50% IDD rates via IDD132, which doesn't require any registration, just dial "132" prior to the "00", and do not use the "+" symbol using this method. === Postal services === [[File:Pos Malaysia Arau Post Office.jpg|thumb|Post office in [[Arau]], [[Perlis]].]] Many international courier services like Fedex, DHL and UPS are available in towns and cities but the main postal service provider is [http://www.pos.com.my Pos Malaysia] which reliably provides postal services to most countries in the world. Postage rates in Malaysia are cheap. Much much cheaper than Thailand, Singapore or Vietnam, and surface post is available as well. In addition the mail is reliable and trustworthy. When posting, do not seal the box. This is to allow for inspection in case illegal items are posted this way. A local alternative to the international courier companies mentioned above is the Pos Laju, which provides just as reliable a service but at a fraction of the costs! Non-urgent letters and postcards can be dropped in postboxes inside post offices or red postboxes found outside post offices and along main roads. If there are two slots in a postbox use the one that says "lain lain" for international post. Post offices are open M-Sa 08:00-17:00 except public holidays, although a few in Klang Valley stay open until 22:00. In the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Johor and Terengganu they are closed on Fridays and public holidays. {{isPartOf|Southeast Asia}} {{usablecountry}} {{geo|3|108|zoom=6}} 1p5bhvefu4the775tjv0l2yirpueaqz 0 21177 4501576 4476710 2022-08-15T12:12:21Z SHB2000 2248002 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|St. Mark's Place banner.jpg|pgname=East Village|caption=St. Mark's Place}} [[File:St marks in the bowery.JPG|thumb|300px|St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery]] The '''East Village''', east of the [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Village]] on [[Manhattan]], was traditionally considered part of the [[Manhattan/Lower East Side|Lower East Side]], and constitutes the portion north of Houston St., south of 14th St., and east of [[Broadway (street)|Broadway]]. Although increasingly gentrified, with former crack dens that are now modern apartments so hip you can't afford them, it remains an ethnically diverse area of students, young professionals, immigrants, and older longtime residents. This colorful neighborhood is full of eateries as diverse as its population, and there's always something happening on St. Marks Place, 24/7. East of 1st Av., encompassing the area from Av. A to the East River, is a sub-neighborhood often called '''Alphabet City''' or '''Loisaida''' (Spanglish for "Lower East Side"); Av. C's alternate name is "Loisaida Avenue." Parts of Alphabet City still have a Hispano-Caribbean feel, especially on Avs. D and C, but since most of Alphabet City is similar to the rest of the East Village now (diverse, gentrified, stylish), the separate designations are less used than was the case 2-3 decades ago. The area between Broadway and 3rd Av./Bowery, on the other hand, is sometimes called '''NoHo''', for "North of Houston St." by analogy to [[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]] to its south. ==Understand== ===Early days=== The neighborhood now called the East Village was part of the hunting and gathering lands of local Native American tribes for thousands of years before the white man arrived. What's probably the oldest street in the neighborhood is now called '''Stuyvesant Street''' (with a listing in "See" below). Before it was a path during the time when Peter Stuyvesant, the only governor of New Netherland, owned a farm there (starting in 1651), it was a Native American trail. Stuyvesant continued to live in the area after New Netherland was ceded to the British, and his body was buried at '''St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery''' (q.v.). In the 18th and early 19th centuries, some lovely multi-story buildings were built for wealthy pillars of New York society in the neighborhood. Many such buildings still stand, including the 1804 '''Hamilton Fish House''' at 21 Stuyvesant St. ===Waves of immigration=== [[File:German-lutheran-323-e-6th.jpg|thumb|The Sixth Street Community Synagogue (formerly St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church)]] Following the failure of the 1848 democratic revolution in [[Germany]], thousands of Germans immigrated to New York City and set up shop in what's now the East Village, the Lower East Side and Chinatown, and the entire area was known as Kleindeutschland ("Little Germany") until the early 20th century, when disaster struck. In the incident that caused the worst lost of life in New York of any single disaster prior to 2001, a ship called the General Slocum, which was ferrying Lutheran parishioners including most of the leading local German-American citizens to Long Island for a picnic in 1904, caught fire in the East River, killing over 1,000 people and essentially decapitating the community, many of whose remnants went uptown to [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Yorkville]]. If you look carefully, especially on St Marks Place, you can see relics of those days, including the '''Deutsch-Amerikanische Schützengesellschaft''' (German-American Shooting Club) near 3rd Av. and the '''German''' (now Korean) '''Evangelical Lutheran Church''' just east of 2nd Av., as well as the '''Ottendorfer Library''' on 2nd Av. between St Marks Place and 9th St. — and the '''Sixth Street Community Synagogue''' on 6th St. between 1st and 2nd Avs., which was once the St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church that had rented the ill-fated ship. In the same period, refugees from the Irish Potato Famine arrived in the U.S., and some of them set up shop in the East Village as well, including John McSorley, who is said to have opened '''McSorley's Old Ale House''' in 1854. Starting around the 1880s and continuing apace until the immigration laws were tightened in the 1920s, the neighborhood, as part of the Lower East Side, hosted a large number of Eastern European immigrants, including Polish Catholics, Ukrainian adherents of Eastern Rite Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, and Yiddish-speaking Jews, and also many Italians. Second Avenue on the Lower East Side — as it was then universally known — became synonymous with Yiddish theater, with Jews streaming into the area from other parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and beyond to hear the biggest stars from the U.S., Poland, Romania and other areas with active Yiddish theaters sing musicals in their language. Many of those theaters still exist, though they've been repurposed as movie theaters (as on 12th St. and 2nd Av.), English-language theaters (as in the case of the '''Orpheum Theatre''' on 2nd Av. between 7th and St Marks Place) or for other more prosaic functions. Unfortunately, Yiddish theater died an unnatural death in the Nazi extermination camps, combined with younger generations of American Jews ceasing to speak the language. However, there are still a large number of very active Polish and Ukrainian Christians in the neighborhood, replenished by new immigration in more recent decades, and their churches can be seen, though most of the inexpensive Polish and Ukrainian restaurants and shops that used to be a mainstay have been forced to close their doors one after the other, due to gentrification. ===From bohemia to riches=== [[File:Webster Hall.jpg|thumb|Webster Hall]] Starting in the 1950s, the East Village was a very bohemian neighborhood that bebop saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker (his residence, on Av. B across from Tompkins Square Park, is memorialized with a plaque), Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and many other members of the counterculture called home. It was also, starting in the 1960s, a focus of alternative rock, electronic music, and multimedia and performance art. Sadly, during and since the 1990s, an increasing number of venues for live music were forced to stop the performances or close their doors outright, including the world-famous CBGB; however, there is still quite a lot of live performance in the neighborhood, including at the grand 1880s-vintage '''Webster Hall''', now host to many rock performances; a strip of theaters on E. 4 St. between the Bowery and 2nd Av.; and the '''Bowery Electric''' and other venues on the Bowery. Another important change for the neighborhood was a wave of immigration by Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, starting around the 1960s, which was felt particularly strongly in Alphabet City/Loisaida. Like the rest of the neighborhood, that area of the East Village has gentrified considerably in the last couple of decades, but it still has some Latin feel, especially further east. The neighborhood fell on hard times along with the rest of the city in the 1970s and 80s, when the East Village was a very gritty high-crime area, full of crumbling buildings, empty lots and homeless people, plagued by crack and heroin, and ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. Many abandoned buildings were occupied by squatters, Tompkins Square Park was the site of encampments of homeless people, and empty lots were cleared of rubble and turned into community gardens, some of which still exist, but the crime remained a problem for a long time. The year 1988 marks a turning point for the neighborhood. The police surrounded and attacked the homeless people camped out in Tompkins Square Park, their supporters and some people who were simply watching. Many people in the neighborhood believed this was due to pressure from the first wave of gentrifiers — wealthy people who moved into a poor neighborhood and then found it inconvenient to have to witness the poor conditions that predated their arrival. Fast forward to 2022, and you'll find some homeless people on the street (in fact, a greatly increased number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020), but the neighborhood, like the rest of New York, is way lower in crime — but it is also too expensive for many people to live in. Although quite a lot of relatively high-rise luxury construction has taken place, much of the area is now part of one or another "historic district", thus preserving at least a good chunk of its substantial remaining architectural heritage from the wrecking ball. However, the vaunted edginess of the neighborhood is now mostly a memory, and especially on weekends, the East Village is instead overrun by well-to-do, slow-moving young people, many of whom drink to excess and can't hold their liquor. If you'd like a quieter experience of a neighborhood that for better and worse is no longer very edgy but still has charm, a visit on a weekday and walks on side streets other than St Marks between 2nd and 3rd Avs. may appeal to you more than barhopping on a Saturday night. ==Get in== [[Image:Eastvillage map.png|thumb|630px|East Village Map]] ===By subway=== {{mapshapes|Q7733}} The best [[New York City#By subway|subway]] line for getting into the heart of the East Village is the '''6''' train, which stops at Astor Place, just one short block from St. Marks Place. You can also get out at Bleecker Street for more southerly East Village locations between Houston and 4th Streets. The '''R''' and '''W''' trains run under Broadway along the western edge of the neighborhood, stopping at 8th Street/NYU station near Astor Place. The '''L''' train is a rare crosstown train that runs along 14th Street, the northern edge of the East Village. The '''3rd Avenue''' and especially the '''1st Avenue''' stations can save you some steps if you're headed for more northerly or easterly destinations. The L can also take you to Greenwich Village or Brooklyn's Williamsburg, for a tour of bohemias of the comparatively recent and more distant past. There are also trains that run along the southern edge of the neighborhood, under Houston Street - take the '''B''', '''D''', '''F''', or '''M''' to the Broadway-Lafayette station. The F also runs to the 2nd Avenue station. There are many trains that stop at Union Square, which is just past the northwest corner of the East Village - but it's something of a hike to the center of the neighborhood. Take the '''4''', '''5''', '''6''', '''N''', '''Q''', '''R''', '''W''' or the '''L'''. ===By bus=== Numerous [[New York City#By bus 2|MTA bus]] routes serve the neighborhood. Of particular note, however, are the crosstown buses. The M8 travels east on 8th St., then turns north on Av. A and travels on 10th St. the rest of the way. The M8 travels west on 10th St. and then starting on Av. A, on 9th St. The M14 14th St. crosstown is also notable because after going crosstown on 14th St. from the west side, the M14A bus turns down Av. A, whereas the M14D turns down Av. C and travels down Av. D starting at 10th St. You can also try your luck with the M21 Houston St. crosstown, though it doesn't run very frequently most of the time and like most other crosstown buses in Manhattan, it can also get caught in slow traffic. The 14th St. crosstown also used to get backed up on 14th St., but there are now bus lanes on that street and the M14 is a select bus, for which you must purchase a ticket from a machine at any stop before you board. ===By bicycle=== This is absolutely the best way to catch all of the East Village action. If you are coming from uptown on the West Side, take the West Side Green Path down to 14th Street. Cross east on 12th, or any street with a bike lane that runs east! If you are coming down from the East Side, there is an East Side bike path that is interrupted by the United Nations. Simply cross over to Second Ave. and ride south until you cross 14th St. If you don't have your own bike, one option is the very popular CitiBike bike sharing service ($6/half hour), which has numerous locations throughout the neighborhood. ===By car=== Parking in the East Village can be difficult. If you plan to park on the street, be patient and opportunistic, and take care to observe posted parking regulations and avoid parking in front of houses of worship and funeral homes, lest your car should be ticketed or towed. There are also some parking garages in the neighborhood, if you don't mind paying. ===On foot=== If you are within walking distance of the East Village in decent weather, walking to the neighborhood is the most interesting way to go, and certainly the best way to get around. ===By taxi=== There are usually many taxis in the East Village. It is easiest to flag down a cab on avenues, rather than side streets, but if you are on a side street, look for cabs, anyway, while you walk toward an avenue. Be warned that at peak times and in bad weather, it can be hard to find empty cabs.[[File:Freie Bibliothek and Deutsches Dispensary.jpg|thumb|300px|Ottendorfer Library on the left, with the former dispensary on the right]] ==See== * {{see | name=Alamo | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.72991 | long=-73.99102 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A sculpture at the center of Astor Place. This steel cube actually rotates as you push on any side, though you may need the strength of two or three people for a complete rotation. One of its sister cubes resides on the University of Michigan campus in [[Ann Arbor]], Michigan. This sculpture was removed in 2015 but returned to an enlarged pedestrian area in the fall of 2016. }} * {{see | name=Cooper Union | alt= | url=http://www.cooper.edu | email= | address=Cooper Square | lat=40.72927 | long=-73.99058 | directions=Astor Place and 7th Street | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cooper Union | image=Cooper Union by David Shankbone.jpg | wikidata=Q130981 | content=Until 2014, Cooper Union was the only private, full-scholarship college in the United States dedicated exclusively to preparing students for the professions of art, architecture and engineering. It now charges tuition for regular classes but still gives free extension courses. The college, established in 1859, occupies several buildings, but the most recognizable and famous is the Foundation Building, on the block to the south of Astor Place between the two branches of Cooper Square (one being the southward extension of 3rd Av. and the other, an avenue that connects the Bowery with 4th Av. at Astor Place). The college, the legacy of Peter Cooper, occupies a special place in the history of American education. }} * {{see | name=East River Park | alt= | url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/park_info_pages/park_info.php?propID=M144 | email= | address=Montgomery St. to E. 12 St., FDR Drive | lat=40.7226 | long=-73.9733 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=East River Park | wikidata=Q1962990 | content=Most of this park is on the Lower East Side (and indeed the part of the East Village this far east is often also still called the Lower East Side or Loisaida), but the portion of it in the extreme East Village contains one or two baseball diamonds, some basketball courts, a playground or two and a well-tended path along the river that provides very worthwhile views in good weather. Popular with joggers, cyclists, picnickers, ball players, kids, and people taking a stroll. }} * {{see | name=Grace Church | alt= | url=http://gracechurchnyc.org/ | email= | address=802 Broadway | lat=40.73199 | long=-73.99091 | directions=at 10th St. | phone=+1 212-254-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Grace Church (Manhattan) | wikidata=Q3916756 | content=A lovely neo-[[Gothic]] Episcopal church, seemingly inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle in [[Paris/1st arrondissement|Paris]]. Free guided tours every Sunday at 1PM, or just walk past and look. Of course, there are also masses, and a concert series is given, too. }} * {{see | name=Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space | alt=MoRUS | url=http://www.morusnyc.org/ | email= | address=155 Avenue C | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1310674 | content=A very small museum, that illustrates the history of activism in the neighborhood. Tours of legendary historic neighborhood sites and of community gardens are proposed every Saturday and Sunday at 3PM. |lastedit=2017-09-18}} * {{see | name=Ottendorfer Library | alt= | url=http://www.nypl.org/branch/local/man/ot.cfm | email= | address=135 Second Ave | lat=40.72890 | long=-73.98777 | directions=between St Marks and 9th St | phone=+1 212-674-0947 | tollfree= | hours=M W 10AM-6PM, Tu Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Ottendorfer Public Library and Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital | wikidata=Q7109347 | lastedit=2020-08-28 | content=The oldest continuously existing free lending library in New York, it was designed in 1884 as a "Freie Bibliothek u. Lesehalle" (free library and reading hall) when this neighborhood was part of Kleindeutschland (Little Germany) and now serves as a branch of the New York Public Library. Another part of this lovely red brick building, constructed as a "Deutsches Dispensary," features reliefs of heroes of German culture such as Goethe but stopped functioning as a clinic several years ago. }} * {{see | name=St. Marks Place | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7286 | long=-73.9877 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2142493 | content=The eastward extension of 8th St./Astor Place past 3rd Ave. There are many bars, restaurants, and shops (many with a street vending presence) on the block between 2nd and 3rd Aves. There's always quite a mixture of folk walking up and down the street and within the area not to mention the slew of students from Cooper Union and NYU, which has plenty of dormitories and facilities nearby. Be warned that it can be unpleasantly crowded with slow-moving tipsy people at times, but it is a good place for people-watching. }} * {{see | name=Stuyvesant Street | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7299 | long=-73.9881 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The only street in Manhattan that actually runs due east to the compass. There are several 18th- and early 19th-century buildings along this street, which runs from a bit south of 9th St. and 3rd Ave. to 10th St and 2nd Ave. At the corner of 10th St. and 2nd Ave. is {{marker|type=see|url=https://stmarksbowery.org/|name=St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery|lat=40.73023|long=-73.98709}}, a historic landmark and a very active church today, with an old and lush graveyard to the north, on and near the corner of 11th St. and 2nd Ave. Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of the colony of New Netherland before the British took possession and renamed it New York, is buried in a crypt in the east wall of the church. On the other end of Stuyvesant St., at the triangle between 9th St., Stuyvesant St., and 3rd Ave., a small garden and a compass fountain were constructed a few years ago for beautification and in order to show that Stuyvesant St. does go due east to the compass. }} * {{see | name=Tompkins Square Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=btwn 7th St., 10th St., Avenue A, and Avenue B | lat=40.72623 | long=-73.98185 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tompkins Square Park | wikidata=Q1310674 | content=Not much to see, but a nice park nonetheless and historically significant for its long reputation of political demonstrations and radical thought. The Grateful Dead played their first East Coast show here in 1967, and the first Hare Krishna gathering outside of India took place here in 1965. The park has a curfew — it closes at 1 AM. }} [[File:Cooper Union.jpg|thumb|300px|Foundation Building, Cooper Union]] ==Do== * {{do | name=Anthology Film Archives | alt= | url=http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org | email= | address=32 Second Ave | lat=40.7247 | long=-73.9901 | directions=Subway: F to 2nd Avenue | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Anthology Film Archives | image=Anthology Film Archives.jpg | wikidata=Q572548 | content=A varied program of unique films, both repertory and new, most playing for only one or two screenings. Many of the films shown here can't be seen anywhere else (for better or worse). It also plays host to several film festivals yearly. }} *The {{marker|type=do|name=Public Theater|lat=40.72894|long=-73.99175}} and the adjoining '''[http://www.publictheater.org/ Joe's Pub]''' at 425 Lafayette St, are part of the lifeblood of the East Village. You can see shows, events, art, and Shakespeare, and hear some excellent performers of jazz, world music and so on at Joe's Pub. * {{do | name=Blue Man Group | url=http://www.blueman.com/ | email= | address=Astor Place Theatre, 434 Lafayette St | lat=40.72936 | long=-73.99230 | directions= | phone=+1 212-254-4370 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Russian & Turkish Baths | url=http://www.russianturkishbaths.com/ | email= | address=268 E 10th St | lat=40.72819 | long=-73.98358 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Enjoy a day of self-indulgence with a very authentic Russian feel. Then nosh on bagels and cream cheese, or an authentic Russian meal in the restaurant. Maybe after all that shvitzing (that's Yiddish/New Yorkese for "sweating"): a huge bottle of seltzer, or fresh carrot juice is the thing you'll want most. }} * {{do | name=STOMP at Orpheum Theatre | url=http://www.stomponline.com/ | email= | address=126 2nd Ave | lat=40.72820 | long=-73.98752 | directions=between 7th St and St. Marks | phone=+1 212-477-2477 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Orpheum Theatre, which has hosted STOMP, the well-known show of percussion produced with everyday objects by actors with audience participation, since 1994, used to show the musical Rent in the 1990s, before it was a hit on Broadway. Much earlier, the Orpheum was one of several Yiddish theaters on 2nd Av. in what was then universally known as the Lower East Side. }} ==Buy== [[File:St. Nicholas of Myra Church 2.jpg|thumb|St. Nicholas of Myra Church on the corner of 10th St. and Av. A, a Carpatho-Russian Orthodox church and one of several Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite churches in the neighborhood]] Many souvenirs, articles of clothing, and new and used records are on sale on St. Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avs. in storefronts that open onto the street and indoor stores. ===Food=== * {{buy | name=Sunrise Mart | alt= | url=https://sunrisemart.com/ | email= | address=29 3rd Av | lat=40.72975 | long=-73.98938 | directions=the entrance is on Stuyvesant St., on the 2nd floor - accessible by elevator | phone=+1 212-598-3040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Japanese grocery store extensively patronized by Japanese residents of New York. }} ===Other products=== * {{buy | name=John Varvatos | url=http://www.johnvarvatos.com/ | email= | address=315 Bowery | lat=40.72514 | long=-73.99192 | directions=at Bleecker | phone=+1 212-358-0315 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A rather vivid example of the gentrification of the Bowery, this store is noteworthy for being the former home of CBGB, an underground nightclub that was famous for being the center of the New Wave and hardcore punk scenes in the 1970s and 80s. Today, it's a high-end men's fashion store popular for the many rock stars among its clients. Though the punk crowd is gone, the flyer-covered walls from CBGB have been preserved and rock memorabilia sits beside the store's designer jackets and shoes. }} *{{buy | name=The Shape of Lies | url=http://www.shapeoflies.com/ | email= | address=127 East 7th St | lat=40.72643 | long=-73.98399 | directions=between 1st Ave & Ave A | phone=+1 212-533-5920 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Su | price=$28-300 | content=One of the last live/work artist store fronts in the East Village. Morphing from window art dioramas in the 80s they now showcase only local jewelry designers and artists along with their own museum replica jewelry and paintings. Screen door and original tin ceiling complete the authentic East Village look. }} * {{buy | name=Strand Bookstore | alt= | url=http://www.strandbooks.com | email= | address=828 Broadway | lat=40.73327 | long=-73.9909 | directions=at 12th St | phone=+1 212-473-1452 | tollfree= | hours=M–F noon–8PM, Sa Su 10AM–8PM | price= | wikidata=Q3500024 | lastedit=2021-05-24 | content=One of the foremost used bookstores in New York, reportedly housing over 18 miles of shelf space, all of it crammed to capacity. They also carry new books and offer loads of merchandise, including stationery, book accessories, and branded tote bags and apparel sporting their famous logo. A recent renovation has opened up the space tremendously, though that will be a surprise to any newcomer, who will marvel at the wall-to-wall crowds. }} ==Eat== [[File:East River Park promenade 3.jpg|thumb|280px|Looking north from near 7th St. on the East River Promenade in East River Park]] There are hundreds of eateries in the East Village, which is among the best neighborhoods in Manhattan for sampling a variety of different cuisines and has lots of good values at a wide spectrum of price points. That said, with the rise in real estate prices, there has been a proliferation of upscale restaurants, with several budget restaurants having closed in the last couple of years, and prices have gone up palpably almost everywhere. In this neighborhood, nowadays, a meal that costs $30-65 or so per person before tip is mid-range. The "splurge" category starts no lower than the $70s. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=B&H Dairy | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/BHDairyKosherRestaurant | email= | address=127 2nd Ave | lat=40.7285 | long=-73.988 | directions=Between 7th St and St Marks | phone=+1-212-505-8065 | tollfree= | hours=W–F 8AM–10PM, Tu Su 8AM–9PM, Sa 8AM-11PM, closed M | price=Soups: $5/5.50 per cup/bowl; omelettes: $8-9.50; sandwiches: $2.50-10; specials: $4-14 | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=This unassuming place is one of the few remaining old-time inexpensive restaurants in the neighborhood. It serves kosher dairy and pareve (non-meat but including fish) food. Since the soup costs only 50 cents more for a bowl than for a cup, always order a bowl. Good challah and good honest food - nothing fancy, but a very fair value. You can view the menu as of 2018 at their Facebook page; some prices have gone up, but it'll give you a fair idea of the selection. }} * {{eat | name=Crif Dogs | url=http://www.crifdogs.com/ | email= | address=113 St Marks Pl #2 | lat=40.72711 | long=-73.98374 | directions=between Avenue A and 1st Ave | phone=+1 212-614-2728 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th noon-2AM, F Sa noon-4AM | price= | content=Widely renowned by hot dog lovers for their pork and beef, deep fried frankfurters. Perennial favorites include the Spicy Redneck and any of the bacon-wrapped dogs. }} * {{eat | name=Málà Project | alt= | url=https://www.malaproject.nyc/ | email= | address=122 1st Ave | lat=40.7271 | long=-73.9854 | directions=Between 7th and St Marks | phone=+1-212-353-8880 | tollfree= | hours=M–F noon–9:15PM, Sa Su 11AM–9:15PM | price=Mala dry pot: minimum $12 + tax with 3 ingredients | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=This restaurant specializes in Sichuan dry pot, which is different from hotpot, in that hotpot is a soup that the diner traditionally prepares by being given two kinds of broth and ingredients of their choice to boil in real time, whereas dry pot has some sauce but is not soup-like, is prepared in the kitchen before being brought out to the diner and can be ordered to go without a notable dropoff in quality or freshness. The restaurant also serves appetizers, but the flavorful, aromatic (and if you order it spicy, quite chili-laden) dry pot is what you should order. You must order at least 3 ingredients in your the dry pot, but 4-5 are common for an individual and 7-8 for a couple. Ingredients range from $3-12, but cluster around $4-8, so the price can mount fairly quickly, and tabs of around $24-27 plus tip for an individual and $40 for a couple are common. Tastes vary, but some of the ingredients that stand up well to the powerful sauce and spices are the soup filled beef balls, the lamb, the beef tongue and the lobster balls, and among the better ingredients for enjoying the sauce are the bean curd sheets, noodles and enoki mushrooms. Rice is also available for an extra charge of $1 for white rice and $2 for purple rice. This restaurant has other branches at 41 West 46th St. and 245 East 53rd St. }} *{{eat | name=Mud | url=http://www.onmud.com/ | email= | address=307 E. 9th St. | lat=40.72911 | long=-73.98662 | directions= | phone=+1 212-228-9074 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-midnight | price= | content=A real neighborhood hangout that offers terrific coffee and light meals. }} * {{eat | name=Oh! Taisho | alt= | url= | email= | address=9 St Marks Place | lat=40.7295 | long=-73.9893 | directions=East of 3rd Av and down a short flight of stairs | phone=+1 212-228-5086 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W 6PM-2AM; Th-Sa 6PM-4 AM | price=Yakitori: $1.50-2.50 per portion, $13.50 per set (10 skewers) | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=This restaurant specializes in yakitori - Japanese-style grilled items on skewers. They sell other food items, but in general, it is best to stick to yakitori and similar items, and definitely do not get things like ramen there, because the further away it is from being grilled, the worse it is likely to be. Most of their yakitori is dependably good, and it's definitely a great value. They also sell pretty good sake for about $8 for a large carafe, and the servers are knowledgeable about the sakes. Because the restaurant is cheap and open late, it gets all kinds of freaky, drunk customers, and the aisles and seating are definitely at close quarters. Just consider it an experience and enjoy. }} * {{eat | name=Somtum Der | alt= | url=http://www.somtumdernewyork.com/ | email=somtumder@gmail.com | address=85 Ave A | lat=40.7254 | long=-73.9845 | directions=Between 5th and 6th Sts | phone=+1 212-260-8570 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11:30PM | price=Tum (papaya salad): $11-12; Deep-fried: $9-15; Larb/spicy salad: $11-15; Grilled: $14; Soup: $14-15; Rice & noodle dishes: $13-14; Side dishes: $3-6; Beverages: $3-4 | lastedit=2021-02-19 | content=This is a branch of an Isaan restaurant headquartered in Bangkok. Expect spicy food unless you request for it to be made milder, and also be aware that items marked on the menu as including fermented fish have a very strong rotten-fish taste, which is authentic but may or may not meet with your approval. Among their best items are the ''gaeng om kai'' (Isaan-style chicken soup in a large bowl with cabbage and herbs, though you may want to ask for it with "less salt"), ''sa poak kai tod der'' (Der-styled deep fried chicken thigh), ''moo ping kati sod'' (grilled coconut milk-marinated pork skewers) and ''tum mangsavirat'' (vegetarian papaya salad). The restaurant is mellower at lunch, when the lights are on and Quincy Jones Band albums from the 1960s play on their sound system. At night, the low lights, techno music and crowds of young customers may make you think you should be dancing at a club. The restaurant is more crowded since Michelin gave it a locally-controversial star, but if you are a small party, you are unlikely to have a long wait except perhaps at peak hours on Saturday night. }} * {{eat | name=Tim Ho Wan | alt= | url=https://timhowanusa.com | email= | address=85 4th Ave | lat=40.7313 | long=-73.9901 | directions=at 10th St | phone=+1-212-228-2800 | tollfree= | hours=M–F noon–9PM, Sa Su 11AM–9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-07 | content=This is a branch of a Hong Kong-based dim sum chain. It serves dim sum all day, and it's very popular, so you are best off going close to opening time, or at least for weekday lunch, and figure on the possibility of having a drink at a nearby bar while you wait for them to text you. They do dim sum right, with thin wrappers and excellent ingredients, and it's very tasty. }} * {{eat | name=Ukrainian East Village | url=http://ukrainianeastvillage.com/ | email= | address=140 2nd Ave | lat=40.72883 | long=-73.98709 | directions=in the back of the ground floor of the Ukrainian National Home between St Marks Place and 9th St. | phone=+1 212-614-3283 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th noon-10PM; F-Su noon-midnight | price=The most expensive dish on the menu is trout for $15.95 | content=This big dining room has a pleasant, somewhat faded Old World elegance, with parquet floors and chandeliers, and unlike most other restaurants in New York, it has high ceilings and somewhat of a sense of spaciousness. Tango classes are offered in an adjoining room in back of the restaurant twice a week. }} * {{eat | name=Veniero's | url=http://www.venierospastry.com/ | email= | address=342 E. 11th St | lat=40.72939 | long=-73.98454 | directions=between 1st and 2nd Aves. | phone=+1 212-674-7070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A fun little Italian pastry shop. You can eat in the dining room or purchase items to go at the counter. }} *{{eat | name=Veselka | url=http://www.veselka.com/ | email= | address=144 2nd Ave | lat=40.72897 | long=-73.98706 | directions= | phone=+1 212-228-9682 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=24 hours | price= | content=Half-century-old Ukrainian diner now has a snazzier decor and hipper clientele but still offers traditional Eastern European fare like pierogi, blintzes, and stuffed cabbage. }} ===Mid-range=== [[File:Second Avenue (51250344817).jpg|thumb|View down 2nd Ave from north of 10th St]] * {{eat | name=Cafe Mogador | url=http://www.cafemogador.com/ | email= | address=101 St. Marks Pl | lat=40.72739 | long=-73.98435 | directions=between 1st Av. and Av. A | phone=+1 212-677-2226 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves Moroccan, French, and Middle-Eastern cuisine, all dependably good. The cafe is especially popular for weekend brunch, but a very good breakfast/brunch is available every day of the week. More dishes are on the brunch menu on weekends, but you are likely to wait a half hour or more for weekend brunch during peak hours. }} * {{eat | name=Ippudo NY | url=http://www.ippudony.com/ | email= | address=65 4th Ave | lat=40.73092 | long=-73.99020 | directions=between 9th and 10th Sts. | phone=+1 212-388-0088 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Lunch: M-Sa 11AM - 3:30PM, Su 11AM - 5PM; dinner: M-Th 5-11:30PM, F Sa 5PM-12:30AM, Su 5-10:30PM | price=Lunch - Appetizers: $6-9; Ramen: $14-17; Desserts: $6-10; Dinner - Appetizers: $5-15; Specialties: $9-20; Ramen: $15-17; Special: $10-13; Desserts: $6-10 | content=This is a branch of a ramen-specialist chain that's well-known in Japan. They are best known for tonkotsu ramen, but also make nice spicy ramen. Some of their appetizers are really good and very much worth getting. No reservations, and there could be a long wait; your best bet is to show up, give them your cell phone number, and hang out at a local bar while waiting for them to contact you. }} *{{eat | name=John's of 12th Street | url=http://johnsof12thstreet.com/ | email= | address=302 E. 12th St. | lat=40.73064 | long=-73.98551 | directions=near 2nd Avenue | phone=+1 212-175-9531 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4-11PM | price= | content=This old-school Italian-American red-sauce place has friendly service, ample portions, loads of atmosphere and a century's worth of history. Expect to pay around $40-50/person for a 3-course meal with a glass of wine. Appetizers are often served family-style. }} * {{eat | name=Malai Marke | alt= | url=http://malaimarke.com/ | email=info@malaimarke.com | address=318 E. 6th St | lat=40.72684 | long=-73.98765 | directions=Between 1st and 2nd Aves | phone=+1 212-777-7729 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-3PM, 5-10PM; F-Su 11AM-11PM | price=Small plates: $5.95-11.95; Mains: $11.95-23.95; Breads: $3.75-4.50; Rice specialties: $3.50-7.95; Lunch specials: $11.95 | content=This Indian restaurant has the most complex flavors of any Indian restaurant in the neighborhood, and your food can be spicy, but depending on your taste, you may find everything too sweet. Two main dishes plus bread or rice feeds a couple amply, and one main plus a "small" plate and bread or rice would probably be adequate for a couple with a moderate appetite. }} * {{eat | name=Oda House | alt= | url=http://odahouse.com/ | email=info@odahouse.com | address=76 Avenue B | lat=40.72403 | long=-73.98214 | directions=corner of 5th St. | phone=+1 212-353-3838 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-F 11AM - 11PM; Sa 11AM-midnight | price=Expect to pay about $30/person, not counting drinks or tip, for a sizable meal | content=This restaurant serves Georgian food - not barbecued ribs or grits, but khinkali, pkhali, khachapuri, and other food from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, accompanied by good Georgian wine, if you so choose. The food is generally flavorful and pleasant, but may be oversalted. The place can get crowded on weekends, so if you are sure of when you plan on coming, you might want to get reservations. }} * {{eat | name=Sundaes and Cones | alt= | url=http://sundaescones.com/ | email=mail@sundaescones.com | address=95 E 10th St | lat=40.731003 | long=-73.989408| directions=between 3rd and 4th Ave | phone=+1 212-979-9398 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM - 10:30PM; F Sa 11AM - 11:30PM | price= | content=Expensive but good ice cream shop, with a variety of different flavors to choose from, including many Asian flavors. }} * {{eat | name=Szechuan Mountain House | alt= | url=https://www.szechuanmountainhouse.com/ | email=info@szechuanmountainhouse.com | address=23 St Marks Place | lat=40.7291 | long=-73.9886 | directions=Between 2nd and 3rd Aves | phone=+1-917-388-3866 | tollfree= | hours=11:30AM–10:30PM | price=Expect to pay about $45 for two people and have leftovers. As an individual, expect to pay $30 and have at least 3 meals' worth. Portions are very large | lastedit=2021-04-07 | content=This Sichuan-style restaurant is the Manhattan branch of an establishment that began in Flushing. It's in the former Grand Sichuan St Marks space, accessed by climbing an outdoor staircase to the 2nd floor. They redid the decor to make it much fancier, but the main difference is the food, which is much more refined. Some of it is quite spicy and some of it is not, but either way, the flavors are very well balanced and the ingredients are high-quality. Good service, too. The restaurant is quite small and very popular, so either go for a weekday lunch — better yet, at odd hours (e.g. 3-4PM), or if you go for dinner, come on the later side or show up, give your name and then go somewhere else while you wait for as long as 90 minutes. }} * {{eat | name=Uluh | alt= | url=https://www.uluhny.com/ | email=uluh.ny@gmail.com | address=152 2nd Ave | lat= | long= | directions=between 9th & 10th Sts | phone=+1 917-261-5963 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th: 11:30AM - 10:00PM; F-Sa: 11:30AM - 10:30PM | price= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=Describing themselves as a "modern Chinese restaurant and tea house," they serve a variety of regional Chinese cuisines. Their food is delicious and they are very popular, especially with Chinese people, doing a brisk eat-in business and sometimes having waits of an hour or more for takeout. Standout items include their thin, light scallion pancakes ($7); woodear mushroom salad ($10); Sichuan beef jerky, which is somewhat chewy with a fragrant, spicy, tangy and sweet sauce ($17); steamed chicken with sesame in chili sauce ($15); Nanjing salted duck ($19); and vegetarian dry pot ($36). }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Hearth | url=http://restauranthearth.com/ | email= | address=403 E. 12th St. | lat=40.72999 | long=-73.98315 | directions=corner of 1st Ave | phone=+1 646-602-1300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An upscale American restaurant strongly influenced by Italian cuisine. Hearth is open for dinner only. Expect to pay roughly $80/person, including wine. Reservations recommended. }} * {{eat | name=Huertas | alt= | url=https://www.huertasnyc.com/ | email= | address=107 1st Ave | lat= | long= | directions=between 6th and 7th Sts | phone=+1 212-228-4490 | tollfree= | hours=W - F: 5:30PM - 10PM; Sa: 4PM - 10PM Su: 4PM - 9PM; Closed M - Tu | price=a couple who share a bottle of relatively inexpensive [~$50-55] wine with the meal can expect to pay in the high $100s or possibly over $200 including tip | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=This restaurant specializes in pintxos, the Basque answer to tapas, but their plates range from a couple of bites to substantial dishes. And as you'd expect at a tapas bar, they also have a very good wine selection. A sample [https://www.huertasnyc.com/menu/ food menu] is viewable on their site, but you can expect the menu on whichever evening you go to vary somewhat from this, according to whatever available ingredients were good that day, and there may be some additional dishes. The food is special, with prices to match. If you appreciate smooth liquors, the El Maestro Sierra 20yr Reserva brandy at $20 a shot is extraordinary and worth it. }} ==Drink== [[File:McSorleysOldAleHouseJune242005.jpg|thumb|McSorley's Old Ale House — they were there before you were born]] * {{drink | name=B Bar | url=http://www.bbarandgrill.com | email= | address=40 E 4th St | lat=40.72714 | long=-73.99203 | directions= | phone=+1 212-475-2220 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Restaurant and bar, this place caters mostly to the bar and club crowd. }} * {{drink | name=d.b.a. | url=http://www.drinkgoodstuff.com/ny | email= | address=41 1st Ave | lat=40.72434 | long=-73.98801 | directions=between 2nd and 3rd Sts | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM-4AM daily | price= | content=Has a good selection of beers including many from microbreweries, as well as a bunch of single malt whiskeys, and prices are slightly high for the neighborhood but not outrageous. It can get crazy on Saturday nights, but it's a pleasant, relaxing place on weeknights. }} * {{drink | name=Holiday Cocktail Lounge | alt= | url=http://www.holidaycocktaillounge.nyc/ | email= | address=75 St. Marks Place | lat=40.728 | long=-73.9857 | directions=Between 1st and 2nd Avs, north side of the street | phone=+1 212-777-9637 | tollfree= | hours=4–11PM daily | price= | lastedit=2021-04-07 | content=Old-timers to the neighborhood may remember this as a no-frills bar that had booths with torn upholstery and was presided over by a friendly old Ukrainian bartender/owner. After he died, the bar remained shut and vacant for several years. The new owners had it renovated and somewhat redesigned, but it still has the feel of an old-time room. To afford today's expensive rents and follow the new trends, they now specialize in excellent cocktails and also have a menu of small plates. However, one thing hasn't changed: The bartenders are still personable. }} * {{drink | name=The Immigrant | url=http://theimmigrantnyc.com | email= | address=341 E 9th St | lat=40.72856 | long=-73.98536 | directions=at 1st Ave | phone=+1 212-677-2545 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 5PM-1AM, F Sa 5PM-3AM | price= | content=Wine bar with great list and some microbrews. Cozy, elegant without being pretentious. Great place to meet with friends or bring a date. }} * {{listing | type=drink | name=International Bar | alt= | url=http://www.internationalbarnyc.com/ | email= | address=102 1st Ave | lat=40.72705 | long=-73.98544 | directions=Between 6th and 7th Sts | phone= | tollfree=+1 212-777-1643 | hours=Daily 8AM-4AM | price= | lastedit=2015-12-07 | content=This might be one of the few bars left in the East Village that isn't overrun by frat boys, sorority girls and loud drunken youths from New Jersey. It usually isn't crazy even on weekends. They are not whiskey specialists but have a pretty good and relatively well-priced selection of whiskeys and ryes (though prices have started to creep up, and Sophie's, listed below, is cheaper), among the rest of their drinks. The sound track tends toward country and classic rock, the bartenders are personable and helpful, and the clientele tends to be a quirky, friendly motley crew of various ages. }} * {{drink | name=KGB Bar | url=http://www.kgbbar.com | email= | address=84 E 4th St | lat=40.72658 | long=-73.98981 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A hard-drinking literary bar. }} * {{drink | name=McSorley's Old Ale House | alt= | url=http://mcsorleysoldalehouse.nyc/ | email= | address=15 E 7th St | lat=40.72881 | long=-73.98966 | directions=between 2nd Ave and Cooper Sq | phone=+1 212-473-9148 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-1AM, Su 1PM-1AM | price=Beer (2 half-mugs) $5 | wikidata=Q4276394 | content=The oldest pub in continuous operation in New York, this small Irish pub packs up fast. Sawdust on the floors and dust on the century-old decorations, this place is a favorite with tourists and locals alike. There are only two drinks to choose from: McSorley's light ale or McSorley's dark ale, always served in a pair of half-pint mugs. The ancient chandelier above the bar has turkey wishbones dating from WW1 when a turkey dinner was thrown for the departing soldier and the wishbone was hung up till he returned. Abraham Lincoln drank there and Teddy Roosevelt's signature graces the walls. Boisterous atmosphere and cheap food too! }} * {{drink | name=Otto's Shrunken Head | alt= | url=http://www.ottosshrunkenhead.com/ | email= | address=538 E 14th St | lat=40.729422 | long=-73.978708 | directions=14th and Avenue B | phone=+1 212-228-2240 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=2PM-4AM daily | price=Drinks $5-14 | lastedit=2017-02-06 | content=A fun, boozy reimagining of the once popular post-war American tiki bar. Yeah it's pretty tacky, that's the idea. Grab a sickly sweet Hawaiian-styled cocktail, or just get a basic beer. Sometimes hosts live bands with more of like a Punk/Country/Rockabilly vibe. No cover. }} * {{drink | name=Sophie's | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Sophies-Bar-NYC-226324232989/ | email= | address=507 E 5th St | lat=40.7248 | long=-73.9838 | directions=Between Avs A and B, north side of the street | phone=+1-212-228-5680 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 3PM–4AM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-07 | content=This is one of the few authentic East Village dive bars remaining. Their drinks are probably the least expensive in the neighborhood, and the selection is good. Lots of interesting decor including a large papier mache model of a blimp. Pool table and jukebox in the back. Their sister bar, '''Josie's''', which is a block to the north at 520 E 6th St, tends to be more quiet but is otherwise quite similar. }} * {{drink | name=Vazac's Horseshoe Bar | alt=7B | url= | email= | address=108 Ave B | lat=40.72503 | long=-73.98142 | directions=at 7th St | phone=+1 212-473-8840 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A rock 'n' roll hangout that dates back to Prohibition, 7B has been featured in numerous movies for its classic Manhattan atmosphere. }} ===Performance venues=== * {{drink | name=The Bowery Electric | url=http://www.theboweryelectric.com/ | email=rockout@theboweryelectric.com | address=327 Bowery | lat=40.72570 | long=-73.99168 | directions=at 2nd St | phone=+1 212-228-0228 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Good local music club (the music room is in the basement). There is usually a cover charge of at least $8 to get in, and drinks are marked up (e.g., $9 for Stoli and soda). Good acoustics. You might get lucky and get a seat (if that's what you want to do), but most of the crowd stands for the entire performance. Bring earplugs in case the volume is pumped out louder than you like. }} * {{drink | name=Webster Hall | alt= | url=http://www.websterhall.com | email=info@websterhall.com | address=125 E 11th St | lat=40.7317 | long=-73.9892 | directions=between 3rd and 4th Aves | phone=+1 212-353-1600 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Webster Hall | image=Webster Hall.jpg | wikidata=Q7978928 | lastedit=2020-08-28 | content=This large, beautiful, landmarked dance and event hall with three performance venues dates from 1886. It was closed for renovations starting in 2017 but reopened on April 26, 2019 with a concert by Jay-Z. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Temperance Fountain from south.jpg|thumb|150px|Looking north toward E. 10th St. in Tompkins Square Park, with the Temperance Fountain (which is close to the Av. A side) in the foreground]] * {{sleep | name=The Bowery Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.theboweryhotel.com | email= | address=335 Bowery | lat=40.72602 | long=-73.99151 | directions=between 2nd & 3rd Sts | phone=+1 212-505-9100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $350 | wikidata=Q30681477 | content=Fabulously dark and moody, this newish old-school hotel is cool and charming in a low-key way. Rooms are spacious with plenty of light and dark hardwood floors, and the more expensive ones come with fantastic bathtubs. The bar and lobby are popular hangouts. }} * {{sleep | name=The Standard, East Village | url=http://www.standardhotels.com/east-village | email= | address=25 Cooper Square | lat=40.72788 | long=-73.99076 | directions= | phone=+1 212-475-5700 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Pet-friendly boutique hotel. }} ==Respect== The East Village is a residential neighborhood. Visitors are of course welcome. But please do not block the sidewalk, entrances to residences, or intersections where people may want to cross the street on green or red lights, and do not make a lot of noise outside at 3 in the morning. Remember that local residents have places to get to quickly day and night, and though New York is called the "City That Never Sleeps" (a name that's particularly apt in the East Village), most residents above a certain age do need some shut-eye before 5AM, even on St Marks Place. ==Connect== There is a [http://www.starbucks.com Starbucks] on Astor Place right near the exit from the downtown 6 subway (closes at 11PM), with other East Village locations at 3rd St. and 1st Av. (closes at 7:30PM) and 13th St. and 1st Av. (closes at 8PM). Starbucks gives customers free Wi-Fi, and many people spend hours working or surfing there. [http://www.vanleeuwenicecream.com/ Van Leeuwen] ice cream shop, 48½ E. 7th St. (just east of 2nd Av.), which also serves coffee, et al., provides free Wi-Fi, too. There are also some New York Public Library branches, such as the Ottendorfer Branch (see "See" above) and the Tompkins Square branch on 10th St. between Aves. A and B, where patrons can use the library's terminals to surf the web for 30 minutes, free. ==Go next== *The [[Manhattan/Lower East Side|Lower East Side]], just across Houston St. from the East Village, though perhaps even more crushed with young clubbers, is in many respects a continuation of the East Village, or vice versa. *A bit further south but still at most a moderate-distance walk away (15-30 minutes) for a reasonably able-bodied person is [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Chinatown]]. *To the west is the [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|West Village]]. *To the southwest (Lafayette St. and further west, south of Houston) is [[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]]. *To the north are [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Gramercy Park and Murray Hill]], including the small but vibrant and interesting sub-neighborhood of "Curry Hill." *[[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg, Brooklyn]] is as little as one stop away on the L train, and is an interesting counterpart to the East Village, as a happening neighborhood with excellent eateries and a very active night life. {{routebox | image1=NYCS-bull-trans-4.svg | imagesize1=22px | image1a=NYCS-bull-trans-5.svg | imagesize1a=22px | image1b=NYCS-bull-trans-6.svg | imagesize1b=22px | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Midtown East]] | minorl1=[[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Gramercy Flatiron]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Manhattan/Financial District|Financial District]] | minorr1=[[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]] (6) | image2=NYCS-bull-trans-L.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2='''[[Manhattan/Chelsea|Chelsea]]'''/'''[[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]]''' | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Brooklyn/East|East Brooklyn]] | minorr2=[[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg, Brooklyn]] }} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|40.727500|-73.985833}} {{IsPartOf|Manhattan}} 1l24szbhcaow8v2jfwm5qqjsllunbd8 0 21684 4501786 4488491 2022-08-15T23:37:37Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Nouakchott (Mauritania) banner Minaret.jpg}} {{warningbox|Some governments advise against all non-essential travel to Mauritania and all travel to many parts of Mauritania due to the danger posed by extremist jihadist groups. The remote desert regions along the border with Algeria and especially near the border with Mali are particularly dangerous. The ability of officials to provide consular assistance is extremely limited. |australia=https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/africa/west/pages/mauritania.aspx |canada=http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mauritania |ireland=https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/mauritania/ |nz=https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/mauritania |uk=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mauritania |us=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mauritania-travel-advisory.html |de=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/mauretaniensicherheit/219190 |lastedit=2020-06-01 }} '''[http://www.mauritania.mr/fr/index.php?service=4&id=2 Mauritania]''' ([[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]]: موريتانيا, ''Mūrītānyā'') ([[French phrasebook|French]]: Mauritanie) is a land of desert and ocean. It is of course no wonder that the main attractions for most tourists are the desert in Adrar and Tagant areas (around Atar), and the ocean in Banc d'Arguin (a natural reserve with dunes ending in the sea, full of millions of birds and protected by UNESCO). The Mauritanian Adrar is probably exactly how you've always imagined the [[Sahara]]: endless ''ergs'' (dunes) and ''regs'' (rocky desert) with tabular small mountains, but most tourists stay along the west coast of Mauritania. There are a few beautiful sights far into the interior (rock formations in Aioun, for example). If you decide to travel off the beaten path, leave plenty of time to get around. Mauritania is the least developed and poorest country in [[Maghreb|northwest Africa]], and extremist groups pose a danger to visitors. ==Regions== [[Image:Mauritania Regions map.png|thumb|400px|Map of Mauritania with regions colour-coded]] {{Regionlist | region1name=[[Coastal Mauritania]] | region1color=#B9AF8C | region1items= | region1description=the narrow coastal strip with a crashing Atlantic coastline and the capital city | region2name=[[Sahelian Mauritania]] | region2color=#9AAB61 | region2items= | region2description=semi arid region in the south including the patchily lush Senegal River valley | region3name=[[Saharan Mauritania]] | region3color=#D7D484 | region3items= | region3description=huge northern desert area which is largely very empty }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#B9AF8C|title=[[Coastal Mauritania]]|wikidata=Q14819418}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9AAB61|title=[[Sahelian Mauritania]]|wikidata=Q14231690}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#D7D484|title=[[Saharan Mauritania]]|wikidata=Q14231683}} ==Cities== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Nouakchott]]|wikidata=Q3688}} , the capital of Mauritania. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Atar]]|wikidata=Q735645}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chinguetti]]|wikidata=Q312357}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Nouadhibou]]|wikidata=Q184184}} , large fishing centre and industrial harbour. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Tichit]]|wikidata=Q985527}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Banc d'Arguin National Park]]|wikidata=Q539518}} — a breeding site for many different species of migratory birds, this coastal national park is a [[world heritage site]]. ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationMauritania.png}} Southwestern Mauritania was once home to the Ghana Empire, one of the earliest urbanised civilisations to emerge in western Africa, with its capital at [[Koumbi Saleh]]. Mauritania is an Islamic Republic, but few Mauritanians are extremists, even if the majority of the people in the North are very conservative and quite reserved. However, for people from outside the Maghreb there is a risk of kidnapping, especially in the more remote northern and eastern parts. The southern part of the country is filled with friendly people, and they are very welcoming, if a little unused to tourists. Travelling to Mauritania is becoming easier, with charter flights from France to Atar through the winter. Guides and tourist agencies are quite easy to find. ===Climate=== [[File:Mauritania desert.jpg|thumb|Much of Mauritania is desert]] The climate is characterized by extremes in temperature and by meagre and irregular rainfall. Annual temperature variations are small, although diurnal variations can be extreme. The ''harmattan'', a hot, dry and often dust-laden wind, blows from the Sahara throughout the long dry season and is the prevailing wind, except along the narrow coastal strip, which is influenced by oceanic trade winds. Most rain falls during the short rainy season (''hivernage''), Jul-Sep, and average annual precipitation varies from 500 to 600 millimetres in the far south to less than 100mm in the northern two-thirds of the country. ===People=== Haratin, sometimes referred to as '''Black Moors''', are the largest single ethnic group in Mauritania, constituting 40% of the population, and are descendants of former slaves. About 30% of the population are Bidhan, also called Moors. The rest of the population mostly consists of members of peoples who also live in neighboring Sahelian countries such as Senegal and Mali, including the Fula, Soninke, Bambara and Wolof. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Mauritania.svg|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Mauritania, with countries in green having visa-free access. Countries in grey have visa on arrival privileges.]] ===Entry requirements=== Mauritania has open borders, thus everyone can obtain a visa at the international airport in Nouakchott. Overland travellers can also arrange them in [[Rabat]], where a single entry visa fee is 1,000 [[Morocco#Money|dirham]]. A double entry visa is also available for 1,100 dirham. Two passport-size photos are required, as well as a copy of the information pages of your passport. Visas are available on the same day in the afternoon if applied for in the morning for most nationalities. For most people there are no vaccinations required in Mauritania. Only those coming from yellow fever endemic zones are required to present a vaccination certificate. ===By plane=== '''Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport''' ({{IATA|NKC}}) is the base for [http://www.fly-mauritaniaairways.com/ Mauritanian Airlines], which flies in from [[Bamako]], [[Dakar]], [[Abidjan]] and [[Nouadhibou]]. It also receives flights from [[Algiers]] on [http://www.airalgerie.dz/sessionconfig Air Algérie] and from [[Paris]] on [http://www.airfrance.com/indexCOM.html Air France]. Tunisair has flights from [[Tunis]], Senegal airlines has flights from Dakar, Turkish airlines has flights from [[Istanbul]], Royal Air Maroc has flights from [[Casablanca]], CanaryFly have flights from [[Gran Canaria]]. '''Nouadhibou International Airport''' ({{IATA|NDB}}) receives flights from Gran Canaria with Mauritanian Airlines. ===By train=== No trains run between Mauritania and its neighbours. ===By car=== [[File:Border-Senegal-from-Mauretania.JPG|thumb|Border between Senegal and Mauritania]] Mauritania has open road borders with [[Western Sahara]], [[Mali]] and [[Senegal]]. These borders are open to crossing by private motor vehicle or bicycle but the first two are extremely dangerous. The road from the Western Sahara/[[Morocco]] enters the country near [[Nouadhibou]]. The road is paved all the way to the Moroccan border post in Fort Guerguarat, where one has to traverse about 7 km of twisting, stony, but straightforward pistes to reach the Mauritanian border, where the tarred road begins again. Although the driving is simple, care should be taken not to leave the well-worn pistes between the two border posts, because the area is a mine field. This danger is still present once you reach the tar on the Mauritanian side, and the area is not considered mine-free until you pass the railway line. The crossing formalities are straightforward. Transit visas, valid for 3 days, can no longer be bought at the border, although this may change. There is a bureau de change at the border, and a vehicle insurance office and numerous hopeful guides for making the old desert crossing to the capital. There are numerous pistes running across the Mauritanian border from Mali. These used to be the de facto route between the two countries, however there now exists a new tar road connecting [[Nara]] in Mali to [[Ayoun al Atrous]] in Mauritania. The border formalities in Mali are completed at various buildings around Nara town (local children will lead you to the police or customs for a small present). The Mauritanian formalities are conducted at a string of road-blocks along the border road. An alternative land route which goes direct from Mauritania to [[Timbuktu]], Mali is to travel the road Southeast from [[Néma]], which is at the end of a good tarred road from [[Nouakchott]]. This dirt road continues to [[Bassekounou]] before crossing the border near [[Léré]], Mali, where it improves to a good dirt road to [[Niafunké]] and on to Timbuktu. ===By bus/bush taxi=== *From '''Morocco''': Supratours runs a bus to the border at Guerguerat. It departs from the Dakhla waterfront at 08:00 and arrives at the frontier at 13:00 for 160 dirham, 15:00 from the frontier to Dakhla at 20:30. Access is available by hitching with overlanders from Dakhla (most can be picked up from Camping Moussafir just north of Dakhla) or from the Mauritanian embassy in [[Rabat]], or by paying for passage with Mauritanian traders. These can be found opposite the first police checkpoint north of Dakhla, the going rate is 250-380 dirham (negotiable) the ride should be started rather early and takes most of the day and border crossing is closed overnight. Cars with experienced drivers can be organized from Hotel Sahara (the budget one). This costs around 250 dirham per person. *To '''Morocco''': Cars with drivers can be arranged to cross the minefield from Mauritania to Western Sahara from Hotels in Nouadhibou. *From '''Senegal''': Bush taxis can be taken from Dakar (6,000 [[Senegal#Money|CFA francs]]) and St Louis (2,000 CFA francs) (amongst others) to Rosso, where a ferry makes the trip across the Senegal river, and further bush taxis can be taken to Nouakchott (about 200 ouguiya). Be careful of bush taxis offering deals that seem too good to be true. They may be illegal taxis and could prove to be a dangerous means of transport. There will most likely be a number of drivers waiting. Ask around and find out the going rate. Other crossing points from Senegal include the Diama dam just north of St Louis, public transport also operates on this route. *From '''Mali''': Pickup trucks leave Kayes for Selibaby daily. It is also possible to enter at Nema, and across the southern border at several points. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} [[Image:Eisenerzzug.jpg|thumb|300px|The train snakes through the Mauritanian desert.]] Make sure to have plenty of passport copies for travelling between towns. It’s not uncommon to give away up to 5-10 passport copies a day to police at checkpoints. ===By train=== There is only one train line in Mauritania, linking [[Nouadhibou]], [[Choum]] and [[Zouerat]], but it's a tourist attraction itself. It's used to carry iron ore from the Zouerat mine to Nouadhibou harbour. The train departs daily from Nouadhibou at around 15:00 and arrives in Choum (for Atar) at around 02:00 the next morning. Check departure times on arrival. There is only one passenger carriage, but travel in iron ore hopper is also possible (and advisable, as the passenger car is usually overcrowded and tickets are required). There is also first-class accommodation, seats are limited, but they allow access to a smaller room with bunk beds. Although it does not necessarily ensure more comfort. Ticket price is 300 ouguiya (2018) for second class in the passenger carriage and travel in the hopper is free of charge. Remember to have a scarf to cover your face, as there is a lot of dust. From [[Choum]] it's possible to get to Atar with a bush taxi. The journey could take up to eight hours if the vehicle has a breakdown. ==Talk== {{seealso|Arabic phrasebook}} {{seealso|French phrasebook}} '''[[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]]''' is the official language of Mauritania. The '''Modern Standard dialect''' is the main language of the government, whereas the '''Hassaniya dialect''' is the local vernacular. Hassaniya Arabic contains many loanwords from various Berber languages and differs significantly from Modern Standard Arabic. A few people (approximately 42%) are knowledgeable in [[Arabic phrasebook|Modern Standard Arabic]]. You're more likely to come across someone who knows the dialect in the capital city, [[Nouakchott]]. '''[[French phrasebook|French]]''' is widely spoken, a reminder of the country's colonial heritage. It is taught from the sixth grade in Mauritanian schools and it serves as one of the main lingua francas of the country. It's widely used in everyday business and government. Most websites in Mauritania are either in Arabic or French. If you don't know any Arabic, having some knowledge of French would make your trip smoother. '''English''' is not widely spoken, but its use is gradually increasing, especially among Mauritanian youth. Although the government encourages its citizens to study English, many English-teaching institutions in Mauritania are poorly structured and lack direction. Still, Mauritanians see English as an important skill to have in the job market. Some of the languages spoken by Mauritania's black population in the south are '''Pulaar''', '''[[Wolof phrasebook|Wolof]]''', and '''[[Soninke phrasebook|Soninke]]''' (especially in the Guidimakha region around Selibaby). ==See== [[Image:Chinguetti mosquee.jpg|thumb|Great Friday mosque in [[Chinguetti]].]] The '''Adrar''' massif in the north is full of stunning desert scenery. Take a 4x4 off-piste across rocky terrain and through narrow canyons to explore the lush, hidden oases which have provided water and refuge to traders crossing the Sahara for centuries. The Adrar contains two of the country's magnificent historical cities. '''Chinguetti''' was once a trading centre and centre of Islamic scholarship whose architecture remains unchanged in nearly a millennium. Along with '''Ouadane''' and a few other small towns, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And do not miss the '''world's longest train''' either just for a glimpse or to hop into an iron ore car filled with Mauritanians for the 12-hour journey from the Adrar to the coast. The remains of the Almoravid capital '''Azoughui''', and rock paintings, are draws of the Adrar. [[File:L'ancienne ville de Ouadane.jpg|thumb|Ancient city of Ouadane]] Much of the central coastline is part of '''Parc National du Banc d'Arguin''', home to millions of migrating birds each year. At Nouamgar, you can watch the unique spectacle of local tribesmen communicating with dolphins to round up teams of fish into shallow waters for them to be netted. In the southeast, the oasis city of '''Oualata''' was the southern end of most trans-Sahara trading routes in the 13th & 14th centuries. The city has colourful buildings, many of which feature intricate geometric designs. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also boasts a manuscript museum with examples of ancient scrolls in fine calligraphy. ==Do== * Visiting the '''Hamoni library''' in Chinguetti ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Mauritanian ouguiya | currencyCode=UM | date=January 2022 | USD=35 | EUR=40 | GBP=50 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/mru-mauritanian-ouguiya XE.com] }} ===Money=== The country's currency is the '''Mauritanian ouguiya''', denoted by the symbol "'''UM'''" or "'''أوقية‎‎'''" (ISO code: '''MRU'''). It was revalued in Dec 2017: 10 old UM (ISO: MRO) = 1 new UM (MRU). Mauritania is poorly connected to the international banking system. Many ATMs in Nouakchott now accept international Visa cards at banks such as BNP, Attijari and Societe Generale (the latter also accepts Mastercards) in Nouakchott and [[Nouadhibou]], but otherwise, credit cards are accepted almost nowhere. It is easy to change euros, US dollars and CFA francs in Nouakchott. There are few Mastercard and Visa card ATMs in Nouadhibou. It is illegal to take the local currency out of the country. If you were thinking of keeping some Ouguiyas for your money collection, you might want to reconsider that. ===Shopping=== Souvenirs can be bought at Marché Capital or Marché Sixième in Nouakchott, or at tourist shops in the Adrar. Fabric will be sold in boutiques all over the country, but Kaedi is famous for its tie-dying. In general, the quality of most Mauritanian souvenirs is not as good as one might expect. Typical souvenirs include leather products, pipes, wooden bowls, tea pots and silver jewellery; be careful about the quality of jewellery. Fabric, however, is tie-dyed by hand and can be quite beautiful. Fabric will be sold as a mulafa (veil), usually gauzy and one piece, or as material for a boubou, with two separate pieces for a skirt and top. Fabric is sold anywhere for anything from UM 150-800, depending on the fabric quality and work involved. When buying anything in Mauritania, be sure to [[haggling|bargain]]. Sometimes the starting price will be three times the actual price. Stay friendly, but don't worry about insulting anyone by asking for a lower price. ==Eat== [[Image:Fish market nouakchott mauritania.JPG|thumb|Fisherman's market near [[Nouakchott]].]] There is a decent variety of restaurants in Nouakchott with dishes costing from UM100 to 250. Most restaurants in the capital offer much the same menu - simple pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches and salads. There is a string of restaurants on the road from the Stade Olympique to the French Embassy. Good ones include Pizza Lina, Café Liban and Le Petit Café. The Sahara Café, on the other side of the stadium, is also a good place for pizza, sandwiches or Lebanese dishes, and has some of the best reasonably-priced food in town. Near Marche Capitale, there is a street of sandwich shops that offer near-identical menus, the best of which is the Prince (which taxi drivers know by name). [[File:IMG-20190510-WA0018.jpg|thumb|Tea time at home.]] Outside of Nouakchott, it is possible to find a hamburger in Atar. Otherwise, the choice is local dishes: fish and rice (chebujin) in the south and rice and meat or couscous in the north. Hole-in-the-wall restaurants can be found everywhere and serve meals from UM 20-50. Mechui, or grilled sheep, is also delicious if a little more expensive. Look for carcasses hanging by the side of the road. Some fruit can be found in most regional capitals. Most restaurants outside of Nouakchott do not have very high standards of cleanliness. Since most small restaurants go under within a few years of opening, your best bet in trying to find one in a regional capital is to just ask locals for directions to whatever is nearby. Another alternative, in the absence of a restaurant, is paying a family to prepare food for you, which should be relatively inexpensive (no more than UM 150), even if it takes a while (up to a couple hours to buy the food and prepare it). Bottled water can be bought for UM 20 and is a good idea for anyone not accustomed to Africa. If none of this sounds good, keep in mind that boutiques everywhere sell bread, cakes, biscuits and drinks if nothing else. Tea is usually served after a meal, but it is not included with the meal at restaurants. If you are offered tea in someone's home, it is impolite to leave until at least the second (of three) glasses. The whole process takes about an hour. ==Drink== Despite being an Islamic country there are a few fun bars in the capital. Drinking can be expensive, with a beer costing up to US$6. There is a nightclub inside the French Embassy compound. For the non-French, try the Salamander or the trashy (but open late) Club VIP. Next door to VIP is the Casablanca, a more low-key bar with live music on the weekends. ''It is illegal to import alcohol'' beyond 0.5 litres, which must be declared. ==Sleep== All ranges of accommodation are available, with the highest class hotels available only in Nouakchott and Atar. "Auberges" and Campsites can rent beds/mattresses for as little as UM 150 in the Adrar and Nouadhibou. There is usually at least one hotel in the regional capitals in the rest of the country, although they can be expensive for what you are getting. If possible, make friends with a local and try to get invited to stay with their family. As long as you don't mind sleeping on the ground on a foam mat, sleeping/eating near animals or using a latrine, you will probably end up having a pleasant and memorable stay. ==Learn== *The [http://www.una.mr/ '''University of Nouakchott'''] has very few short term courses of interest to most visitors. ==Stay safe== {{warningbox|Do ''not'' criticise or show any kind of disrespect to Islam. Avoid religious discussions if you can. Mauritanian authorities treat religious offences ''extremely seriously'' and the death penalty is statuatory for proselytisation, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE8B900520121210 expressing secular viewpoints], and [https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/05/17/mauritania-passes-law-mandating-death-penalty-for-blasphemy/ engaging in acts deemed "blasphemous" or "sacrilegious"]. LGBT activities are seen as ''severe offences'' and they are ''punishable by death''. If you fit in this category, it is recommended that you stay out of Mauritania. }} [[File:PNBA 43.JPG|thumb|Fishing boats in Banc d'Arguin National Park]] The area near the Western Sahara is heavily mined and travel through this area is highly inadvisable. Border areas lining Algeria and Mali are notorious for banditry. The single paved road coming from Morocco is especially dangerous, having been the site of Al Qaida kidnappings. If you must travel on this path, it is best to do so in a tight caravan. In other areas, one should avoid flaunting wealth or expensive wares. Daunting though it may seem, a bit of research and common sense will ensure a pleasant trip in Mauritania. Check your embassy or consulate travel advisories carefully. Due to increasing numbers of attacks on Westerners in the past several years, most Western nations advise great caution. Resident expatriates travel between cities by day, in groups and on major routes. ==Stay healthy== For the majority of Westerners, the local [[water]] in any part of the country (including Nouakchott) is not safe to drink. Visitors should drink only bottled water if they don't have access to some type of water purifying or filtration system. The Sahara is a very dry climate. You may become dehydrated quite easily, and not be aware of it. The best rule of thumb is to be sure that you have urinated three times each day, at reasonable intervals. In the hottest part of the year, this might mean drinking several litres of water each day. '''[[Malaria]]''' is endemic in the southern part of the country, and visitors should always use a mosquito net there. Mosquitoes are less common in the dry desert in the north of the country, but exist year-round in the south, if a bit less prevalent during the dry season (December-May). ==Respect== {{ramadandates}} Learn ''Salaam alaykum'' and use it when greeting people. If you are a man, don't try to shake hands with a woman, and vice versa (note that some African women will not have a problem with shaking a man's hand, but it is best to not try to initiate contact, just follow their lead). You can, however, say hello and touch your hand over your heart. Be careful to eat with your right hand, especially outside of Nouakchott where you may not be offered cutlery. Like other places in the Arab world, the left hand is reserved for the toilet. If you're left-handed... try hard. Covering your head isn't required, but it is polite. It may cut down on the ''Madame, ou bien Mademoiselle?'' (Mrs or Miss?) question, but Westerners, especially women, will be the target of unwanted attention and minor harassment everywhere in the country. Many Mauritanians, both male and female, think that a direct gaze is a sexual invitation. There is even a phrase in Hassiniya, ''ayna m'tina'', meaning ''strong eyes'', to describe what many people feel is an aggressive act. This doesn't mean however, that the men have carte blanche to harass. Calling them on their bad behaviour, or pointing it out to the ever present bystanders, can often work. If you give respect, you can demand it also. The Moors respect women who stand up for themselves, even while they push you to see how far they can get. If you are travelling with someone of the opposite sex, avoid touching in public. It's much more common to see two men holding hands than a woman and a man. As far as dress, the more skin you show, the more negative attention you will receive. In Nouakchott, women can wear trousers, but avoid tank tops and to-the-knee skirts. Long skirts are the best choice for women. It is a good idea to cover your arms also. Trousers display the crotch area and thus are also disturbing, especially to people in the countryside who aren't as used to seeing this as the city dwellers. Most people will be very polite, and you will not know what they are thinking. If you are a female, there is no non-sexual reason, ''ever'', to go off in private with a man. If they ask you to step into an office, or back of a shop or anywhere; don't. The men are aware that that is an unreasonable request, and no one would ask you for a private chat if they meant well. If you allow yourself to be alone with a man, for however brief a time, everyone will assume you had sex, and will judge you accordingly. As a weakling, not as dissolute. '''Slavery''' is a sensitive historical and social issue in Mauritania. While there do have laws prohibiting and criminalizing slavery, such practice still persists in the local society, and there are records of government harassment. As a tourist, you are best not to be involved in the situation. If you are a LGBT visitor, ''do not'' try to be open about your sexuality to any Mauritanian as they will act very harshly. Also do not make any acts in public that would imply you are LGBT: Mauritania imposes the death sentence for homosexuality. If you are white, ''Nasrani'', ''Toubac'' and ''Toubab'' refers to you. Children, and sometimes rude adults, will refer to you by this name. ''Nasrani'' means a person from Nazareth. Since Christians follow Christ's teachings, and Christ is from Nazareth, then Christians are all honorary Nazarenes. Beware of people who may try to take advantage of your politeness in order to try to make a sale. Be aware that in market areas, almost everyone who tries to befriend you is trying to sell you something at an inflated price. They will try many tricks to get you to buy items from them (including "giving them to you as a gift"), and a few might even accuse you of not liking Africans if you decline to look at their souvenir shop. If someone is going beyond the normal limits to bother you, it is not impolite to tell them, without question, that you are not interested. If they ask for something that you own, just say that you need it now, and can give it to them in a month or so. ==Connect== There are three operators of GSM networks: [http://www.mattel.mr Mattel] (excellent English website), [http://www.eljawal.mr Mauritel Mobiles] {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} and [http://www.chinguitel.mr/?lang=en Chinguitel]. Prepaid plans are available for three of them. Further Information regarding Coverage and Roaming are available from [http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_mr.shtml GSM-World]. For tours into the desert where no GSM-Network is available satellite phones are a good solution. Service providers include Thuraya, Iridium and Inmarsat. Thuraya tends to be the cheapest and the easiest to use. The equipment is also available for rent. Internet cafés with DSL internet can be found in Nouakchott and [[Nouadhibou]] for 200-300 UM/hour. Slower connections plague "cybercafés" elsewhere in the country, but it's possible to check emails. {{geo|21|-11|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Sahel}} {{outlinecountry}} covtps5zg6ydu4a9idk462gj4dphq8n 4501787 4501786 2022-08-15T23:38:22Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Nouakchott (Mauritania) banner Minaret.jpg}} {{warningbox|Some governments advise against all non-essential travel to Mauritania and all travel to many parts of Mauritania due to the danger posed by extremist jihadist groups. The remote desert regions along the border with Algeria and especially near the border with Mali are particularly dangerous. The ability of officials to provide consular assistance is extremely limited. |australia=https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/africa/west/pages/mauritania.aspx |canada=https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mauritania |ireland=https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/mauritania/ |nz=https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/mauritania |uk=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mauritania |us=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mauritania-travel-advisory.html |de=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/mauretaniensicherheit/219190 |lastedit=2020-06-01 }} '''[http://www.mauritania.mr/fr/index.php?service=4&id=2 Mauritania]''' ([[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]]: موريتانيا, ''Mūrītānyā'') ([[French phrasebook|French]]: Mauritanie) is a land of desert and ocean. It is of course no wonder that the main attractions for most tourists are the desert in Adrar and Tagant areas (around Atar), and the ocean in Banc d'Arguin (a natural reserve with dunes ending in the sea, full of millions of birds and protected by UNESCO). The Mauritanian Adrar is probably exactly how you've always imagined the [[Sahara]]: endless ''ergs'' (dunes) and ''regs'' (rocky desert) with tabular small mountains, but most tourists stay along the west coast of Mauritania. There are a few beautiful sights far into the interior (rock formations in Aioun, for example). If you decide to travel off the beaten path, leave plenty of time to get around. Mauritania is the least developed and poorest country in [[Maghreb|northwest Africa]], and extremist groups pose a danger to visitors. ==Regions== [[Image:Mauritania Regions map.png|thumb|400px|Map of Mauritania with regions colour-coded]] {{Regionlist | region1name=[[Coastal Mauritania]] | region1color=#B9AF8C | region1items= | region1description=the narrow coastal strip with a crashing Atlantic coastline and the capital city | region2name=[[Sahelian Mauritania]] | region2color=#9AAB61 | region2items= | region2description=semi arid region in the south including the patchily lush Senegal River valley | region3name=[[Saharan Mauritania]] | region3color=#D7D484 | region3items= | region3description=huge northern desert area which is largely very empty }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#B9AF8C|title=[[Coastal Mauritania]]|wikidata=Q14819418}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9AAB61|title=[[Sahelian Mauritania]]|wikidata=Q14231690}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#D7D484|title=[[Saharan Mauritania]]|wikidata=Q14231683}} ==Cities== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Nouakchott]]|wikidata=Q3688}} , the capital of Mauritania. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Atar]]|wikidata=Q735645}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chinguetti]]|wikidata=Q312357}} *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Nouadhibou]]|wikidata=Q184184}} , large fishing centre and industrial harbour. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Tichit]]|wikidata=Q985527}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Banc d'Arguin National Park]]|wikidata=Q539518}} — a breeding site for many different species of migratory birds, this coastal national park is a [[world heritage site]]. ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationMauritania.png}} Southwestern Mauritania was once home to the Ghana Empire, one of the earliest urbanised civilisations to emerge in western Africa, with its capital at [[Koumbi Saleh]]. Mauritania is an Islamic Republic, but few Mauritanians are extremists, even if the majority of the people in the North are very conservative and quite reserved. However, for people from outside the Maghreb there is a risk of kidnapping, especially in the more remote northern and eastern parts. The southern part of the country is filled with friendly people, and they are very welcoming, if a little unused to tourists. Travelling to Mauritania is becoming easier, with charter flights from France to Atar through the winter. Guides and tourist agencies are quite easy to find. ===Climate=== [[File:Mauritania desert.jpg|thumb|Much of Mauritania is desert]] The climate is characterized by extremes in temperature and by meagre and irregular rainfall. Annual temperature variations are small, although diurnal variations can be extreme. The ''harmattan'', a hot, dry and often dust-laden wind, blows from the Sahara throughout the long dry season and is the prevailing wind, except along the narrow coastal strip, which is influenced by oceanic trade winds. Most rain falls during the short rainy season (''hivernage''), Jul-Sep, and average annual precipitation varies from 500 to 600 millimetres in the far south to less than 100mm in the northern two-thirds of the country. ===People=== Haratin, sometimes referred to as '''Black Moors''', are the largest single ethnic group in Mauritania, constituting 40% of the population, and are descendants of former slaves. About 30% of the population are Bidhan, also called Moors. The rest of the population mostly consists of members of peoples who also live in neighboring Sahelian countries such as Senegal and Mali, including the Fula, Soninke, Bambara and Wolof. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Mauritania.svg|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Mauritania, with countries in green having visa-free access. Countries in grey have visa on arrival privileges.]] ===Entry requirements=== Mauritania has open borders, thus everyone can obtain a visa at the international airport in Nouakchott. Overland travellers can also arrange them in [[Rabat]], where a single entry visa fee is 1,000 [[Morocco#Money|dirham]]. A double entry visa is also available for 1,100 dirham. Two passport-size photos are required, as well as a copy of the information pages of your passport. Visas are available on the same day in the afternoon if applied for in the morning for most nationalities. For most people there are no vaccinations required in Mauritania. Only those coming from yellow fever endemic zones are required to present a vaccination certificate. ===By plane=== '''Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport''' ({{IATA|NKC}}) is the base for [http://www.fly-mauritaniaairways.com/ Mauritanian Airlines], which flies in from [[Bamako]], [[Dakar]], [[Abidjan]] and [[Nouadhibou]]. It also receives flights from [[Algiers]] on [http://www.airalgerie.dz/sessionconfig Air Algérie] and from [[Paris]] on [http://www.airfrance.com/indexCOM.html Air France]. Tunisair has flights from [[Tunis]], Senegal airlines has flights from Dakar, Turkish airlines has flights from [[Istanbul]], Royal Air Maroc has flights from [[Casablanca]], CanaryFly have flights from [[Gran Canaria]]. '''Nouadhibou International Airport''' ({{IATA|NDB}}) receives flights from Gran Canaria with Mauritanian Airlines. ===By train=== No trains run between Mauritania and its neighbours. ===By car=== [[File:Border-Senegal-from-Mauretania.JPG|thumb|Border between Senegal and Mauritania]] Mauritania has open road borders with [[Western Sahara]], [[Mali]] and [[Senegal]]. These borders are open to crossing by private motor vehicle or bicycle but the first two are extremely dangerous. The road from the Western Sahara/[[Morocco]] enters the country near [[Nouadhibou]]. The road is paved all the way to the Moroccan border post in Fort Guerguarat, where one has to traverse about 7 km of twisting, stony, but straightforward pistes to reach the Mauritanian border, where the tarred road begins again. Although the driving is simple, care should be taken not to leave the well-worn pistes between the two border posts, because the area is a mine field. This danger is still present once you reach the tar on the Mauritanian side, and the area is not considered mine-free until you pass the railway line. The crossing formalities are straightforward. Transit visas, valid for 3 days, can no longer be bought at the border, although this may change. There is a bureau de change at the border, and a vehicle insurance office and numerous hopeful guides for making the old desert crossing to the capital. There are numerous pistes running across the Mauritanian border from Mali. These used to be the de facto route between the two countries, however there now exists a new tar road connecting [[Nara]] in Mali to [[Ayoun al Atrous]] in Mauritania. The border formalities in Mali are completed at various buildings around Nara town (local children will lead you to the police or customs for a small present). The Mauritanian formalities are conducted at a string of road-blocks along the border road. An alternative land route which goes direct from Mauritania to [[Timbuktu]], Mali is to travel the road Southeast from [[Néma]], which is at the end of a good tarred road from [[Nouakchott]]. This dirt road continues to [[Bassekounou]] before crossing the border near [[Léré]], Mali, where it improves to a good dirt road to [[Niafunké]] and on to Timbuktu. ===By bus/bush taxi=== *From '''Morocco''': Supratours runs a bus to the border at Guerguerat. It departs from the Dakhla waterfront at 08:00 and arrives at the frontier at 13:00 for 160 dirham, 15:00 from the frontier to Dakhla at 20:30. Access is available by hitching with overlanders from Dakhla (most can be picked up from Camping Moussafir just north of Dakhla) or from the Mauritanian embassy in [[Rabat]], or by paying for passage with Mauritanian traders. These can be found opposite the first police checkpoint north of Dakhla, the going rate is 250-380 dirham (negotiable) the ride should be started rather early and takes most of the day and border crossing is closed overnight. Cars with experienced drivers can be organized from Hotel Sahara (the budget one). This costs around 250 dirham per person. *To '''Morocco''': Cars with drivers can be arranged to cross the minefield from Mauritania to Western Sahara from Hotels in Nouadhibou. *From '''Senegal''': Bush taxis can be taken from Dakar (6,000 [[Senegal#Money|CFA francs]]) and St Louis (2,000 CFA francs) (amongst others) to Rosso, where a ferry makes the trip across the Senegal river, and further bush taxis can be taken to Nouakchott (about 200 ouguiya). Be careful of bush taxis offering deals that seem too good to be true. They may be illegal taxis and could prove to be a dangerous means of transport. There will most likely be a number of drivers waiting. Ask around and find out the going rate. Other crossing points from Senegal include the Diama dam just north of St Louis, public transport also operates on this route. *From '''Mali''': Pickup trucks leave Kayes for Selibaby daily. It is also possible to enter at Nema, and across the southern border at several points. ==Get around== {{mapframe}} [[Image:Eisenerzzug.jpg|thumb|300px|The train snakes through the Mauritanian desert.]] Make sure to have plenty of passport copies for travelling between towns. It’s not uncommon to give away up to 5-10 passport copies a day to police at checkpoints. ===By train=== There is only one train line in Mauritania, linking [[Nouadhibou]], [[Choum]] and [[Zouerat]], but it's a tourist attraction itself. It's used to carry iron ore from the Zouerat mine to Nouadhibou harbour. The train departs daily from Nouadhibou at around 15:00 and arrives in Choum (for Atar) at around 02:00 the next morning. Check departure times on arrival. There is only one passenger carriage, but travel in iron ore hopper is also possible (and advisable, as the passenger car is usually overcrowded and tickets are required). There is also first-class accommodation, seats are limited, but they allow access to a smaller room with bunk beds. Although it does not necessarily ensure more comfort. Ticket price is 300 ouguiya (2018) for second class in the passenger carriage and travel in the hopper is free of charge. Remember to have a scarf to cover your face, as there is a lot of dust. From [[Choum]] it's possible to get to Atar with a bush taxi. The journey could take up to eight hours if the vehicle has a breakdown. ==Talk== {{seealso|Arabic phrasebook}} {{seealso|French phrasebook}} '''[[Arabic phrasebook|Arabic]]''' is the official language of Mauritania. The '''Modern Standard dialect''' is the main language of the government, whereas the '''Hassaniya dialect''' is the local vernacular. Hassaniya Arabic contains many loanwords from various Berber languages and differs significantly from Modern Standard Arabic. A few people (approximately 42%) are knowledgeable in [[Arabic phrasebook|Modern Standard Arabic]]. You're more likely to come across someone who knows the dialect in the capital city, [[Nouakchott]]. '''[[French phrasebook|French]]''' is widely spoken, a reminder of the country's colonial heritage. It is taught from the sixth grade in Mauritanian schools and it serves as one of the main lingua francas of the country. It's widely used in everyday business and government. Most websites in Mauritania are either in Arabic or French. If you don't know any Arabic, having some knowledge of French would make your trip smoother. '''English''' is not widely spoken, but its use is gradually increasing, especially among Mauritanian youth. Although the government encourages its citizens to study English, many English-teaching institutions in Mauritania are poorly structured and lack direction. Still, Mauritanians see English as an important skill to have in the job market. Some of the languages spoken by Mauritania's black population in the south are '''Pulaar''', '''[[Wolof phrasebook|Wolof]]''', and '''[[Soninke phrasebook|Soninke]]''' (especially in the Guidimakha region around Selibaby). ==See== [[Image:Chinguetti mosquee.jpg|thumb|Great Friday mosque in [[Chinguetti]].]] The '''Adrar''' massif in the north is full of stunning desert scenery. Take a 4x4 off-piste across rocky terrain and through narrow canyons to explore the lush, hidden oases which have provided water and refuge to traders crossing the Sahara for centuries. The Adrar contains two of the country's magnificent historical cities. '''Chinguetti''' was once a trading centre and centre of Islamic scholarship whose architecture remains unchanged in nearly a millennium. Along with '''Ouadane''' and a few other small towns, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And do not miss the '''world's longest train''' either just for a glimpse or to hop into an iron ore car filled with Mauritanians for the 12-hour journey from the Adrar to the coast. The remains of the Almoravid capital '''Azoughui''', and rock paintings, are draws of the Adrar. [[File:L'ancienne ville de Ouadane.jpg|thumb|Ancient city of Ouadane]] Much of the central coastline is part of '''Parc National du Banc d'Arguin''', home to millions of migrating birds each year. At Nouamgar, you can watch the unique spectacle of local tribesmen communicating with dolphins to round up teams of fish into shallow waters for them to be netted. In the southeast, the oasis city of '''Oualata''' was the southern end of most trans-Sahara trading routes in the 13th & 14th centuries. The city has colourful buildings, many of which feature intricate geometric designs. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also boasts a manuscript museum with examples of ancient scrolls in fine calligraphy. ==Do== * Visiting the '''Hamoni library''' in Chinguetti ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Mauritanian ouguiya | currencyCode=UM | date=January 2022 | USD=35 | EUR=40 | GBP=50 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/mru-mauritanian-ouguiya XE.com] }} ===Money=== The country's currency is the '''Mauritanian ouguiya''', denoted by the symbol "'''UM'''" or "'''أوقية‎‎'''" (ISO code: '''MRU'''). It was revalued in Dec 2017: 10 old UM (ISO: MRO) = 1 new UM (MRU). Mauritania is poorly connected to the international banking system. Many ATMs in Nouakchott now accept international Visa cards at banks such as BNP, Attijari and Societe Generale (the latter also accepts Mastercards) in Nouakchott and [[Nouadhibou]], but otherwise, credit cards are accepted almost nowhere. It is easy to change euros, US dollars and CFA francs in Nouakchott. There are few Mastercard and Visa card ATMs in Nouadhibou. It is illegal to take the local currency out of the country. If you were thinking of keeping some Ouguiyas for your money collection, you might want to reconsider that. ===Shopping=== Souvenirs can be bought at Marché Capital or Marché Sixième in Nouakchott, or at tourist shops in the Adrar. Fabric will be sold in boutiques all over the country, but Kaedi is famous for its tie-dying. In general, the quality of most Mauritanian souvenirs is not as good as one might expect. Typical souvenirs include leather products, pipes, wooden bowls, tea pots and silver jewellery; be careful about the quality of jewellery. Fabric, however, is tie-dyed by hand and can be quite beautiful. Fabric will be sold as a mulafa (veil), usually gauzy and one piece, or as material for a boubou, with two separate pieces for a skirt and top. Fabric is sold anywhere for anything from UM 150-800, depending on the fabric quality and work involved. When buying anything in Mauritania, be sure to [[haggling|bargain]]. Sometimes the starting price will be three times the actual price. Stay friendly, but don't worry about insulting anyone by asking for a lower price. ==Eat== [[Image:Fish market nouakchott mauritania.JPG|thumb|Fisherman's market near [[Nouakchott]].]] There is a decent variety of restaurants in Nouakchott with dishes costing from UM100 to 250. Most restaurants in the capital offer much the same menu - simple pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches and salads. There is a string of restaurants on the road from the Stade Olympique to the French Embassy. Good ones include Pizza Lina, Café Liban and Le Petit Café. The Sahara Café, on the other side of the stadium, is also a good place for pizza, sandwiches or Lebanese dishes, and has some of the best reasonably-priced food in town. Near Marche Capitale, there is a street of sandwich shops that offer near-identical menus, the best of which is the Prince (which taxi drivers know by name). [[File:IMG-20190510-WA0018.jpg|thumb|Tea time at home.]] Outside of Nouakchott, it is possible to find a hamburger in Atar. Otherwise, the choice is local dishes: fish and rice (chebujin) in the south and rice and meat or couscous in the north. Hole-in-the-wall restaurants can be found everywhere and serve meals from UM 20-50. Mechui, or grilled sheep, is also delicious if a little more expensive. Look for carcasses hanging by the side of the road. Some fruit can be found in most regional capitals. Most restaurants outside of Nouakchott do not have very high standards of cleanliness. Since most small restaurants go under within a few years of opening, your best bet in trying to find one in a regional capital is to just ask locals for directions to whatever is nearby. Another alternative, in the absence of a restaurant, is paying a family to prepare food for you, which should be relatively inexpensive (no more than UM 150), even if it takes a while (up to a couple hours to buy the food and prepare it). Bottled water can be bought for UM 20 and is a good idea for anyone not accustomed to Africa. If none of this sounds good, keep in mind that boutiques everywhere sell bread, cakes, biscuits and drinks if nothing else. Tea is usually served after a meal, but it is not included with the meal at restaurants. If you are offered tea in someone's home, it is impolite to leave until at least the second (of three) glasses. The whole process takes about an hour. ==Drink== Despite being an Islamic country there are a few fun bars in the capital. Drinking can be expensive, with a beer costing up to US$6. There is a nightclub inside the French Embassy compound. For the non-French, try the Salamander or the trashy (but open late) Club VIP. Next door to VIP is the Casablanca, a more low-key bar with live music on the weekends. ''It is illegal to import alcohol'' beyond 0.5 litres, which must be declared. ==Sleep== All ranges of accommodation are available, with the highest class hotels available only in Nouakchott and Atar. "Auberges" and Campsites can rent beds/mattresses for as little as UM 150 in the Adrar and Nouadhibou. There is usually at least one hotel in the regional capitals in the rest of the country, although they can be expensive for what you are getting. If possible, make friends with a local and try to get invited to stay with their family. As long as you don't mind sleeping on the ground on a foam mat, sleeping/eating near animals or using a latrine, you will probably end up having a pleasant and memorable stay. ==Learn== *The [http://www.una.mr/ '''University of Nouakchott'''] has very few short term courses of interest to most visitors. ==Stay safe== {{warningbox|Do ''not'' criticise or show any kind of disrespect to Islam. Avoid religious discussions if you can. Mauritanian authorities treat religious offences ''extremely seriously'' and the death penalty is statuatory for proselytisation, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE8B900520121210 expressing secular viewpoints], and [https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/05/17/mauritania-passes-law-mandating-death-penalty-for-blasphemy/ engaging in acts deemed "blasphemous" or "sacrilegious"]. LGBT activities are seen as ''severe offences'' and they are ''punishable by death''. If you fit in this category, it is recommended that you stay out of Mauritania. }} [[File:PNBA 43.JPG|thumb|Fishing boats in Banc d'Arguin National Park]] The area near the Western Sahara is heavily mined and travel through this area is highly inadvisable. Border areas lining Algeria and Mali are notorious for banditry. The single paved road coming from Morocco is especially dangerous, having been the site of Al Qaida kidnappings. If you must travel on this path, it is best to do so in a tight caravan. In other areas, one should avoid flaunting wealth or expensive wares. Daunting though it may seem, a bit of research and common sense will ensure a pleasant trip in Mauritania. Check your embassy or consulate travel advisories carefully. Due to increasing numbers of attacks on Westerners in the past several years, most Western nations advise great caution. Resident expatriates travel between cities by day, in groups and on major routes. ==Stay healthy== For the majority of Westerners, the local [[water]] in any part of the country (including Nouakchott) is not safe to drink. Visitors should drink only bottled water if they don't have access to some type of water purifying or filtration system. The Sahara is a very dry climate. You may become dehydrated quite easily, and not be aware of it. The best rule of thumb is to be sure that you have urinated three times each day, at reasonable intervals. In the hottest part of the year, this might mean drinking several litres of water each day. '''[[Malaria]]''' is endemic in the southern part of the country, and visitors should always use a mosquito net there. Mosquitoes are less common in the dry desert in the north of the country, but exist year-round in the south, if a bit less prevalent during the dry season (December-May). ==Respect== {{ramadandates}} Learn ''Salaam alaykum'' and use it when greeting people. If you are a man, don't try to shake hands with a woman, and vice versa (note that some African women will not have a problem with shaking a man's hand, but it is best to not try to initiate contact, just follow their lead). You can, however, say hello and touch your hand over your heart. Be careful to eat with your right hand, especially outside of Nouakchott where you may not be offered cutlery. Like other places in the Arab world, the left hand is reserved for the toilet. If you're left-handed... try hard. Covering your head isn't required, but it is polite. It may cut down on the ''Madame, ou bien Mademoiselle?'' (Mrs or Miss?) question, but Westerners, especially women, will be the target of unwanted attention and minor harassment everywhere in the country. Many Mauritanians, both male and female, think that a direct gaze is a sexual invitation. There is even a phrase in Hassiniya, ''ayna m'tina'', meaning ''strong eyes'', to describe what many people feel is an aggressive act. This doesn't mean however, that the men have carte blanche to harass. Calling them on their bad behaviour, or pointing it out to the ever present bystanders, can often work. If you give respect, you can demand it also. The Moors respect women who stand up for themselves, even while they push you to see how far they can get. If you are travelling with someone of the opposite sex, avoid touching in public. It's much more common to see two men holding hands than a woman and a man. As far as dress, the more skin you show, the more negative attention you will receive. In Nouakchott, women can wear trousers, but avoid tank tops and to-the-knee skirts. Long skirts are the best choice for women. It is a good idea to cover your arms also. Trousers display the crotch area and thus are also disturbing, especially to people in the countryside who aren't as used to seeing this as the city dwellers. Most people will be very polite, and you will not know what they are thinking. If you are a female, there is no non-sexual reason, ''ever'', to go off in private with a man. If they ask you to step into an office, or back of a shop or anywhere; don't. The men are aware that that is an unreasonable request, and no one would ask you for a private chat if they meant well. If you allow yourself to be alone with a man, for however brief a time, everyone will assume you had sex, and will judge you accordingly. As a weakling, not as dissolute. '''Slavery''' is a sensitive historical and social issue in Mauritania. While there do have laws prohibiting and criminalizing slavery, such practice still persists in the local society, and there are records of government harassment. As a tourist, you are best not to be involved in the situation. If you are a LGBT visitor, ''do not'' try to be open about your sexuality to any Mauritanian as they will act very harshly. Also do not make any acts in public that would imply you are LGBT: Mauritania imposes the death sentence for homosexuality. If you are white, ''Nasrani'', ''Toubac'' and ''Toubab'' refers to you. Children, and sometimes rude adults, will refer to you by this name. ''Nasrani'' means a person from Nazareth. Since Christians follow Christ's teachings, and Christ is from Nazareth, then Christians are all honorary Nazarenes. Beware of people who may try to take advantage of your politeness in order to try to make a sale. Be aware that in market areas, almost everyone who tries to befriend you is trying to sell you something at an inflated price. They will try many tricks to get you to buy items from them (including "giving them to you as a gift"), and a few might even accuse you of not liking Africans if you decline to look at their souvenir shop. If someone is going beyond the normal limits to bother you, it is not impolite to tell them, without question, that you are not interested. If they ask for something that you own, just say that you need it now, and can give it to them in a month or so. ==Connect== There are three operators of GSM networks: [http://www.mattel.mr Mattel] (excellent English website), [http://www.eljawal.mr Mauritel Mobiles] {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} and [http://www.chinguitel.mr/?lang=en Chinguitel]. Prepaid plans are available for three of them. Further Information regarding Coverage and Roaming are available from [http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_mr.shtml GSM-World]. For tours into the desert where no GSM-Network is available satellite phones are a good solution. Service providers include Thuraya, Iridium and Inmarsat. Thuraya tends to be the cheapest and the easiest to use. The equipment is also available for rent. Internet cafés with DSL internet can be found in Nouakchott and [[Nouadhibou]] for 200-300 UM/hour. Slower connections plague "cybercafés" elsewhere in the country, but it's possible to check emails. {{geo|21|-11|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Sahel}} {{outlinecountry}} myjv1w695lkvy98x238kpbkn6exkd98 0 22433 4502108 4350502 2022-08-16T10:23:24Z A.Molyavko 2209643 Fixed some typos wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|S-amer africa default banner.jpg}} '''Mindo''' is a small town in the Andean foothills of [[Ecuador]]. Set in beautiful cloud-forest, it attracts birdwatchers first and foremost, but also has attractions for other tourists. ==Understand== Mindo is located to the north west of Quito. This town was founded in 1861 and the current population is around 3000 inhabitants. Mindo is surrounded by the Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest; the forest is home to hundreds of species of birds many of them are in danger of extinction. ==Get in== {{mapframe|-0.0537|-78.7760|zoom=14|layer=W}} ===By bus=== There are bus services from Santo Domingo and [[Quito]]. The bus is $3.10 each way from Quito and it is not possible to buy a roundtrip ticket in Quito, just a one-way. Flor de Valle/Cayambe buses depart from Terminal Terrestre Norte, La Ofelia (look for the Terminal Microregional sign). It no longer departs from Mariscal. It is about a 30- to 40-minute taxi ride from Mariscal to the bus station which is in the north of Quito, or you can take the "Metrobus" bus rapid transit. Flor de Valle (leaving from La Ofelia) bus timetable (March 2016) for buses from Quito to Mindo: *M-F: 08:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 16:00 * Sa: 07:40, 08:20, 09:20, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 16:00 * Su: 07:40, 08:20, 09:20, 14:00 You can purchase tickets from Quito to Mindo in advance through a local travel agency such as Andesconexion for a $10 fee and pay by credit card for about the cost of a $10 round-trip taxi ride from the Mariscal/new town in Quito to Ofelia. Seats on the right hand side of the bus to Mindo are more scenic. If you are going for a day trip, you should buy your return bus ticket immediately upon arrival in Mindo or you are at risk of not being able to return that day. If you are staying more than a day, buy your return trip at least one day in advance or first thing in the morning. There are many more direct buses to and from Quito at weekends than during the week. As well as direct services, buses go fairly regularly from the Flor del Valle station to Los Bancos. Other bus lines are Kennedy, Aloag, and San Pedrito. These do not go into Mindo, but they pull over at the edge of the main road running along the top of the valley. From here it is usually easy to hop in a truck for $0.50-$3 depending on the number of passengers and go downhill into town. Similarly, you can return to Quito by getting a truck to take you up to the main road and catching a bus back. Just ask around in town. If there are no seats left on the returning buses, it is possible to rent a car and a driver from the transportation company across the street and up the block for $40-50. Another way for those travelers is to hire a private professional Tour Guide on a 4WD to and from Quito $100-120, 9 hours service. The tour has different stops on the way from Quito to Mindo: the first stop in Pululahua crater view, Pahuma orchid Reserve, hummingbirds balcony (chance for photos), butterfly farm in Mindo, tarabita (cable car) and optional zip line in Mindo, lunch and possible short stop at the Equator Line on the way back to Quito. ==See== See the birds of Mindo. Mindo is home to over 450 species of birds, a great variety of butterflies, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, making Mindo a paradise for eco-tourism. There are ziplines to fly over the ravines, you can go tubing in the river, and hike in the rainforest with nature guides. ==Do== * '''El Escampadero''' Cultural space with restaurant based on vegetarian and local food. Don´t miss the local art, literature, handcrafts and music events. * '''Birdwatching Tours''' In Mindo, birding tours of the local surrounding and interior cloud forest are available. *'''Bird of Paradise Tours''' offers birding tours to see the Andean Cock of the Rock, the Long Wattle Umbrella Bird and others. You can also do the Lloa-Mindo trek, Rappelling, Canopy and more. tourmindo@gmail.com, +593 2 2 170 045 * At '''[http://www.reservapachijal.com/web/ Reserva Ecologica Pachijal]''', an Eco & Bird Lodge, they offer birding guided tours inside the reserve and excursions to Yanacocha Reserve, Tandayapa Pass & Bellavista Reserve, Birds Sanctuaries of Milpe and Rio Silanche. * '''Tours de Fotografia''' day and night photography tours for professionals or those who are interested in birds and nature. * Visit one of the '''orchid farms'''. * Visit the cascadas (waterfalls): it's a 7-km uphill walk to the entrance or a $1/person ride each way. You get in via a $5 aerial tram (terabita). There are trails to several waterfalls, some closer and some farther, and it would take about 5 hours to see all of them. Be sure to take some drinking water with you, and check with a guide at the resort before using the water-slide or (for the adventurous, but only when the river is at the right height) going over the fall. * Try to entice tropical butterflies to eat banana from your hands at the '''Mindogarden''' butterfly farm. Don't try walking here from Mindo town as it is very far * Travel downriver in an inner tube. This is called a '''regata''' and can be arranged in almost any shop. You can do a short trip (20 min or so) down the river near Mindo or you can go to Rio Blanco, which is a much longer (2 hr) and altogether faster and more furious experience! Ask around for prices, you may be able to bargain as well. * Hire a local guide to take you '''birdwatching'''. On a budget? There are many roads leading out of town that offer splendid birding for free. Walk down the main road to the top of the hill as if to leave town. Follow the signs to '''Cunuco''' - you will have 5-6 km of surefire lifers before the roads ends at a hostel. You can also take the '''Rio Mindo''' (7 km) or '''San Lorenzo''' (2 km) roads - leading out towards the waterfalls. *{{do | name=El Quetzal Chocolate Making Tour | url=http://elquetzaldemindo.com | email= | address=El Quetzal de Mindo, 9 de Octubre | lat= | long= | directions=up the hill from the Parque Central | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mindo Chocolate Makers, Bean to Bar Chocolate making seven days a week at 16:00 (possibly more often: e.g. at 14:00, 16:00, and 18:00.) $5 at El Quetzal de Mindo. Learn about the history of chocolate and how chocolate is made from the fruit of the cacao plant. See cacao plants growing, experience the fermentation process, drying beds, roasting, grinding cocoa nibs, conching, bar molding, pressing cocoa powder and cocoa butter, learn how white chocolate is made. Chocolate samples included in tour. Coffee roasting on site too. Organic gardens tours are free but by appointment only. }} *'''Drink artisan beer made in Mindo.''' Also at El Quetzal you can taste hand-crafted beer for the first time in Mindo. El Quetzal malts their own barley for this unique Ecuadorian beer. Don't miss the chocolate stout made with Mindo Chocolate Makers Chocolate made from the bean at El Quetzal. ==Buy== freshly roasted coffee can also be purchased at the '''Quetzal''' restaurant, they feature coffee from the region. El Quetzal has their own collection of fine Ecuadorian crafts some made in Mindo. There is a T-shirt shop called '''Hyla''' which sells tourist t-shirts and postcards. Street sellers sell some interesting jewelry most days, but more on weekends. A '''Mindo''' '''chocolate''' bar. ==Eat== *{{eat | name=Mishqui Quinde ~ Sweet Hummingbird | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/mishquimindo | email= | address=Av. Quito main street, past the bus station & Hostal Henrry | lat=-0.054458 | long=-78.773128 | directions=Entering Mindo, keep on the main street Quito. If the paved road becomes a dirt road, back up 1/4 block. | phone=+593 98 489 9234 | tollfree= | hours=Most everyday breakfast-dinner, closing at 19:30-ish | price=$5-9 USD | content=Best Quinoa dishes & Sorbet variety, Vegetarian/Vegan Menu & Ecuador Coast Specialties Menu ~ also see https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g609138-d6418941-Reviews-Mishqui_Quinde_Sweet_Hummingbird-Mindo_Pichincha_Province.html. }} *{{eat | name=El Quetzal | url=http://www.elquetzaldemindo.com/ | email= | address=9 de Octubre | lat=-0.0537544| long=-78.7760032 | directions=Across the street from Amigos de La Naturaleza, Mindo, Ecuador | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 08:00-20:00 | price= | content= Serves fresh foods harvested from their own organic gardens. Delicious Ecuadorian dishes and typical American food is also served. There are always freshly made vegetarian options available. Fresh fish, chicken, beef and pork dishes, shrimp, ceviche and arroz con camaron are all on the menu. Delicious desserts include the world's best brownies. Home made ice cream in freshly made waffle cones are delicious! Also, Ecuadorian coffee is roasted on site. Espresso, cappuccino, lattes, mochaccino and cafe pasado are all offered. Coffee roasted on site is available by the pound. Food is carefully prepared and washed in purified water, so you can eat salads, fruits and vegetables here. }} * '''El Chef''' is rather unusual in being essentially a steakhouse. Slightly expensive by local standards, but worth it. * '''Fuera de Babylonia''' is a secluded restaurant/bar/hostel near the center of town with excellent rustic atmosphere, reggae and other good tunes, healthy and delicious food, including a decent vegetarian selection. A bit pricey but worth the relaxing atmosphere. The locale was designed by the owner and his son and reportedly uses over 100 different types of wood from the surrounding area and amazon region. *{{eat | name=Caskaffesu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+593 2 390-0400, +593 9 386-7154 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=mains $5-8 | content=With a fine dining feel, this place is a must, if nothing else, for its brownies made with two kinds of Ecuadorian chocolate. }} *{{eat | name=Cafe Mindo | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Try the Mexican burger, a well cooked beef patty with bacon, guacamole, cheese, tomato and beans. }} ==Drink== There are a few nice bars in Mindo, but these only really get busy at the weekends. *'''Out of Babylon/Fuera de Babylonia''' is a nice place to have a pint or two. If you would like to sip cocktails and have a little dance. *'''Drink Artisan Beer made in Mindo.''' Also at El Quetzal you can taste hand-crafted beer. El Quetzal malts their own barley for this unique Ecuadorian beer. Don't miss the chocolate stout made with Mindo Chocolate Makers Chocolate at El Quetzal. ==Sleep== There is a wide choice of accommodation in Mindo, in fact there are probably more hotel/hostel beds than actual residents in the town. Many of these are close to the main strip. There is a stadium in the village, and most locals don't mind if you plant your tent in there. Of course, you have to leave early in the morning to avoid disturbing their daily activities. {{sleep | name=Hotel Libertad en Mindo | alt=Cabañas de Pino, Woodtown | url=https://www.facebook.com/HotelLibertadMindo | email=libertadenmindo@gmail.com | address=San Vicente II, Las Tangaras y 9 de Octubre | lat=-0.055614 | long=-78.775253 | directions=Vía a Mindo turns slightly to the left and becomes Av. Quito 400 meters Turn right to October 9 300 meters Las Tangaras and October 9. | phone=+593 98 354 0926 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=$25-$40 USD per/por person/a | image | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=There's a pool with hydro-massage jets. A american breakfast, individual bathrooms, TV in most rooms and free WiFi. }} *'''[http://www.elquetzaldemindo.com/ El Quetzal de Mindo]''', Mindo chocolate factory, is located just up the hill from El Parque Central de Mindo across from Amigos de La Naturaleza. Quiet, yet only 1 block from the center of town. Beautiful large rooms, comfortable king and queen size beds, each with its own private bath. Beautiful views overlooking Mindo. Each room has its own unlimited supply of filtered water (reverse osmosis) from the tap.This is one of the few hotels that you will find in Ecuador that uses a hot water heater with a large tank for an uninterrupted supply of luscious hot water. Restaurant on site with organic foods harvested and served daily. $22 per person per night and includes a delicious breakfast and chocolate tour. Chocolate making tour from bean to chocolate bar includes chocolate samples. Contact info@elquetzaldemindo.com, Telephone +593 862-63805 *'''CasKaffeSu,''' at Sixto Bailen a/n and Av. Quito, a half block from the bus terminal, is the newest guesthouse and has a nice restaurant and can make arrangements for a birdwatching guide, hiking, rafting, etc.. info@casfaffesu, caskaffesu@yahoo.com, www.caskaffesu.com, +593 2 3900 400. *'''[https://biohostalmindo.blogspot.com/2019/05/mindo-cloud-forest-by-biohostal.html Mindo Biohostal] ,''' 200 m from the central park, has a restaurant, cafe, bar, and 10 spacious rooms. Each room has a private bathroom and comfortable beds. There are plenty of social areas (and enough space on the first floor to hold a conference), hammocks, a small area upstairs for reading and relaxing, a public computer with internet access, and free wireless internet. Bedrooms are well-lit, well decorated, spacious, and very clean, and have new furniture including beds, tables and a desk. It's off the main road, away from the traffic of the village, but just a couple minutes' walk from the bus station and town park. Right next to a butterfly farm and they can arrange trips or advise on birdwatching, hikes, waterfall visits, etc. Price (usually $15, can be more or less depending on season) includes excellent hearty breakfast plus free coffee, tea and bottled water all day. English, Spanish and German spoken. Parking available. Email biohostalmindo@hotmail.com or call +593 9 936 0801 or +593 2 223 2783. From the bus station, walk toward the park, turn right at the first street (with central park on the left) and walk about 200 m. * {{sleep | name=Casa Divina Mindo Ecuador Cloudforest Retreat | url=http://www.mindocasadivina.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Each room has a private porch with hammock, spacious living quarters and an elegant bathroom with full-size bathtub. Each room can accommodate 1 to 4 guests. Meals in the family style dining room. Short self-guided hikes that offer great lookout points. Birdwatching possible in forest. Tanagers, quetzals, toucans, hummingbirds are at your window making it possible to birdwatch even from bed! }} *'''[https://www.birdingmindo.com/ Cabañas Armonia]''' Stay with the lovely Toapanta family in a beautiful orchid garden surrounded by hummingbirds and tranquility. +593 2 390043, cabanasarmonia@hotmail.com * {{sleep | name=Birdwatcher´s House | alt= | url=https://www.birdwatchershouse.com/ | email=info@birdwatchershouse.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Clean and comfortable rooms with private bathrooms and hot water available 24 hours. Jacuzzi, bird watching tours. A place to relax and enjoy the surrounding aromas of flowers as well as the sounds of singing birds. In the gardens of the Birdwatcher’s House it is possible to see up to 50 different species of birds. The hostel also offers: restaurant service, cafeteria, laundry service and expert bird watching guides. Contact Vinicio Perez via email. }} *{{listing | type=sleep | name=El Descanso | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Hostal-El-Descanso-1522713088011005/ | email=rodny_garrido@hotmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near the stadium | phone=+593 99 482 9587 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$20pp private, $15 shared bathroom | lastedit=2019-08-08 | content=Clean and comfortable rooms, hammocks, kolibris in the garden, excellent breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name= La Casa de Cecilia | url=http://www.lacasadececilia.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= |directions= | phone=+593 99 334 5393 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$6 per person or camping for $3 per person | checkin= | checkout=11:00 |content=Shared showers, hammock deck and communal kitchen overlooking the swimming area on the river. Delicious breakfast for $2.50 and free luggage storage if you are catching a bus after checkout time. None of the rooms are entirely closed off, so it gets quite loud if anybody is having a conversation. }} *{{do | name=El Carmelo de Mindo Lodge | url=https://mindo.com.ec/ | email= | address=Mindo | lat= | long= | directions=Via el Cinto | phone=+593 96 181 4040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$50 | content=Treehouse cabins, some of them equipped with jacuzzi. Also has its own butterfly farm, and 1.5 miles of pathways. Horse back riding. Canopy tours, and 65 acres where you will discover a great profusion of birds, animals and plants. Canopy, tubing and birdwatching are also available. }} *{{sleep | name=Rubby Hostal | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/hostalrubby/ | email=rubbyhostal@yahoo.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=a 5 minute walk from the main road | phone=+593 93 947 6454 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$8 incl breakfast | content=Clean, basic finished wooden rooms and hearty breakfasts. Shared bathrooms are clean and there is also a hammock balcony and water dispenser. The attic room is beautiful and can host up to 7 people. Owner Marcelo is a known bird watching guide, and the will even come to meet you at the bus stop. }} *{{sleep | name=La Roulotte | alt= | url=http://www.hosterialaroulottemindo.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=at km 2 towards Butterfly farm | phone=+593 98 976 4484 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$35/single; $56/double; $89/4pers | content=6 cabins in a nice garden, completed with an excellent restaurant. }} *{{sleep | name=Mindo Lago | alt= | url=https://mindolago.com.ec/ | email= | address=Mindo, Ecuador | lat= | long= | directions=1 kilometer before the centre on the left | phone=+593 2-217-0201 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Beautiful cabanas around a nice lake. Nice people and at night the concert of the frogs with a tour by local guides in the forest around the hotel }} *{{sleep | name=El abrazo de arbol | url=https://www.elabrazodelarbol.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=long dirt road with 3 rivers to cross. Only for 4x4 | phone=+593 99 728 1323 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=You need a 4x4 car. }} * {{sleep | name=El Edén: Treehouse | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/edentreehouse.mindo/ | email= | address=Vía a las Cascadas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+593 98 554 0991 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$10 pp. | content=Cloud forest-centered accommodation. Holding hands, etc. }} * {{sleep | name=Hostal La Tranquilidad | alt= | url=https://hostal-la-tranquilidad.business.site/ | email=baudilio2014@hotmail.com | address=Mindo | lat= | long= | directions=about 200 m from the main road. Coming from uphill, turn right in the street after the bridge (when you see 'Dragonfly at your left hand). Otherwise, ask around, most people know it. | phone=+593 98 542 7450 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout=12:00 | price=$6 double with shared bath | lastedit=2016-03-18 | content=A pretty chill and cheap place not too far from the action in Mindo (then again, Mindo is super small). Very tranquil, except for the neigbours' cocks that start to make noise early in the morning (though most people get up early when visiting Mindo). Includes towels, has wifi and a kitchen available, and has consistent hot water. They do have rooms with private bath available. Price was on a weekday in low-season, prices may vary during the weekend and in high season. }} ==Go next== '''Flor de Valle''''s bus station is right on the main road. Bus times are displayed and tickets can be bought. It is also possible to get buses to Los Bancos and Santo Domingo from the main square. Flor de Valle bus timetable (March 2016) for buses from Mindo to Quito: * M-F: 06:30, 11:00, 13:45, 15:00, 17:00 * Sa: 06:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 * Su: 06:30, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 Mindo is one of the most frequently visited rainforest destinations in Ecuador. It's fantastic birdwatching and high biodiversity, coupled with its close location to Quito means that it's a very popular destination. Alternative rainforest destinations in Ecuador include the Amazon region, the Esmeraldas region and [[San Luis de Pambil]] Hitchhiking to [[Quito]] is very easy from the main road, and may be quicker than taking the bus. {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-0.0333|-78.8000}} {{IsPartOf|Andean_Highlands_(Ecuador)}} 0wdm4wvyxb7y80szdwn4k1kvew0goex 0 22870 4501949 4501462 2022-08-16T07:25:01Z Rosspotter 2274401 add lounges wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|Montreal banner Twilight.jpg|caption=A panoramic view of Montreal from the top of Mount Royal}} {{printDistricts}} '''[https://www.mtl.org/en Montreal]''' ([[French]]: ''Montréal'') is the largest city in the Canadian province of [[Quebec]]. While Quebec City is the capital, Montreal is the cultural and economic centre, and the main entry point to the province. With 1.7 million citizens in the city and 4 million in the urban area, Montreal is Canada's second largest city, and the largest francophone city in the Americas. Still, around 12% of the population speak English as a mother language, and most Francophones are conversant in English to varying degrees of fluency. [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] has a heritage of colonial times. Though a large city, Montreal gives opportunities for [[outdoor life]], and for watching the legendary Montréal Canadiens ice hockey team. ==Districts== ===Central Montreal=== ====Ville-Marie borough==== Neighbourhoods from west to east: {{Regionlist | regionmap=Wikivoyage_Montreal_district_map.png | regionmaptext=Montreal districts map | regionmapsize=440px | region1name=[[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] | region1color=#FC57DA | region1items= | region1description=Skyscrapers, shopping, museums, and the Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] | region2color=#11F5CC | region2items= | region2description=The historic riverfront Old Town and Old Port manages to retain a quaint feel despite being mobbed by hordes of tourists. | region3name=[[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village|Quartier Latin-Le Village]] | region3color=#8783A5 | region3items= | region3description=Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, pubs near UQAM in the Quartier Latin, gay bars and clubs in Le Village, and the working-class neighbourhood of Sainte-Marie. | region4name=[[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] | region4color=#ACC492 | region4items= | region4description=The islands of Île Sainte-Helene and Île Notre-Dame and the Montreal Casino. |regionInteractiveMap=map1|regionmapLat=45.5520|regionmapLong=-73.6953|regionmapZoom=10}} ====Plateau Mont-Royal district==== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Plateau|The Plateau]] | region1color=#E9AFAE | region1items= | region1description=Trendy area north of downtown and east of Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Mile-End|Mile End]] | region2color=#066CF2 | region2items= | region2description=Bagels, restaurants, coffee shops, the Rialto Theatre, and boutiques. }} ===Other Montreal districts and Montreal Island towns=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie|Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie]] | region1color=#DA6D7A | region1items= | region1description=Little Italy and Jean-Talon market. | region2name=[[Montreal/Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce|Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce]] | region2color=#6997A5 | region2items= | region2description=The upscale anglophone enclave of Westmount and the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. | region3name=[[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] | region3color=#AB5D8F | region3items= | region3description=Olympic Park, Botanical Gardens. | region4name=[[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]] | region4color=#73B27B | region4items= | region4description=Multicultural neighbourhood northwest of the mountain. | region5name=[[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]] | region5color=#C86E2A | region5items= | region5description=Upscale francophone neighbourhood. | region6name=[[Montreal/South West|South West]] | region6color=#CC9241 | region6items= | region6description=Including Lachine canal, Atwater Market (a must!), gentrifying St. Henri, and the emerging culinary hot-spot, Petite-Bourgogne. | region7name=[[Montreal/Verdun|Verdun]] | region7color=#4F93C0 | region7items= | region7description=Quiet neighbourhood with emerging cuisine scene and activities along the river. }} ===Elsewhere on the island=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/West Island|West Island]] | region1color=#D5DB76 | region1items= | region1description=the western part of the island of Montreal. It is mainly a residential suburb of the city of Montreal. It is the location of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport and McGill University's MacDonald Campus. The residents are mostly English speakers (or "anglophones"), in contrast to the mostly French speaking residents of the rest of Montreal (excluding Westmount). (About 55% of the population is anglophone, 20% is francophone, and 25% is "other".) | region2name=[[Montreal/North Island|North Island]] | region2color=#B383B3 | region2items= | region2description= | region3name=[[Montreal/East End|East End]] | region3color=#00FF02 | region3items= | region3description=composed of the Montreal boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Anjou, and the City of Montréal-Est }} ==Understand== [[File:Old_Port_of_Montreal_(French-_Vieux-Port_de_Montréal).jpg|thumb|280px|Montreal Old Port]] [[File:Place d'Armes August 2017 02.jpg|alt=|thumb|200x200px|Place d'Armes in Old Montreal]] On an island in the St. Lawrence River at the historically highest navigable point, Montreal has been a strategic location since before the arrival of Europeans in Canada. A thriving Iroquoian town called Hochelaga was on the site of present-day Montreal when explorer Jacques Cartier first visited in 1535. In 1642, the tiny town of Ville-Marie was founded as a Catholic mission by Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. It soon became a centre of the fur trade. After its capture by the English in 1762, Montreal remained (until the 1970s) the most important city in Canada and was briefly capital of the province in the 1840s. Prohibition on sales of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s made Montreal a destination for cross-border fun seekers from nearby New England and New York. The city built up a seedy, yet playful, industry in alcohol, burlesque, and other vices. In the 1960s, an urban renewal drive centred on Expo 67. The World's Fair in Montreal brought a subway system (the métro) and attractive urban parks and is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs. Over 50 million visitors gathered in Montreal during this memorable summer. The 1976 Olympics left a strikingly idiosyncratic stadium and many other urban improvements. The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, though much-lauded as an economic boom, spelled the beginning of the end for Montreal's economic dominance in Canada. Once the transition point between western railways and eastern sea carriers, Montreal watched helplessly as some of this business moved farther west, up the now navigable seaway, to ports in Ontario and on Lake Superior. The Quebec sovereignty movement, which began to pick up steam in the 1960s, further chilled the atmosphere for Canada-wide businesses, many of which moved their headquarters to Toronto. Following an economic depression in the 1980s and 1990s, Montreal became more secure in its place in North America and the world. It remains a centre of culture, arts, computer technology, aerospace, the biotech industry, and media for all of Canada. ===Orientation=== [[File:Montreal WV.png|thumb|200px|right|As the world sees Montreal - Assuming north is up]] [[File:montreal rt.png|thumb|200px|right|As we see ourselves - Assuming north is up]] ''It has been said that Montréal is the only city in the world where the sun "rises in the south"''. Montrealers use an unconventional compass, using the river and the mountain as cardinal points. When you are downtown, the St Lawrence River is “south” and Mount Royal is “north”; making the West Island and the East End correct in both their names and orientations. This tends to confuse visitors because the “East” End is really north and the “South” Shore is east, and the St Lawrence River runs almost north-south at this location. Most local maps use this convention as do the highways around the city. For example, Autoroute 15 north actually runs northwest and Autoroute 40 east runs northeast. To underscore this fact, a Montreal map will show that the "south end" of Victoria Bridge is in fact further north than the "north end". ===Gay Montreal=== Montreal is an extremely inviting destination for gay and lesbian tourists. Canada's contributions to gay rights have become widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions (although [[Toronto]] was the first municipality in Canada to do so). Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec (neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage licence, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence) as it is in the rest of Canada. Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses. The métro station in the Gay Village, Beaudry, is marked with rainbow pillars. '''Montreal's pride celebration''' (last week of July, first week of August) is the second-largest in Canada after [[Toronto]]'s. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Metric | janhigh = -5 | febhigh = -3 | marhigh = 3 | aprhigh = 12 | mayhigh = 19 | junhigh = 24 | julhigh = 26 | aughigh = 25 | sephigh = 21 | octhigh = 13 | novhigh = 6 | dechigh = -1 | janlow = -14 | feblow = -12 | marlow = -7 | aprlow = 1 | maylow = 8 | junlow = 13 | jullow = 16 | auglow = 15 | seplow = 10 | octlow = 4 | novlow = -2 | declow = -9 | janprecip = 77 | febprecip = 63 | marprecip = 69 | aprprecip = 82 | mayprecip = 81 | junprecip = 87 | julprecip = 89 | augprecip = 94 | sepprecip = 83 | octprecip = 91 | novprecip = 96 | decprecip = 87 | description = See the Montreal 7 day forecast at [http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/qc-147_metric_e.html Environment Canada] {{dead link|December 2020}} }} The climate of Montreal is a true humid continental climate with 4 distinct seasons. The city has warm—and occasionally hot & humid—summers, generally mild springs and autumns, and often very cold & snowy winters. Montreal gets over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Precipitation is moderate throughout the year, with around 2 metres of snow per season. ===Visitor information=== * {{listing | name=Centre Infotouriste de Montréal | alt= | url=https://www.quebecoriginal.com/en/listing/tourist-information/offices/centre-infotouriste-de-montreal-1971117 | email=info@bonjourquebec.com | address=1255 rue Peel, bureau 100 | lat= | long= | directions=At rue Sainte-Catherine; metro Peel | phone=+1 514 873-2015 | tollfree=+1-877-266-5687 | fax= | hours=Apr 1-May 7: 09:09-17:00; May 8-Oct 4: 09:00-18:00; Oct 5-Mar 31: 09:00-17:00; Closed: Dec 25 & Jan 1 | price= | lastedit=2015-07-21 | content= }} ==Get in== {{IATA|YMQ}} is used as the metropolitan area airport code for the airport and rail station. ===By plane=== ==== Airport ==== {{marker|type=go|name=Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport|url=https://www.admtl.com/en|lat=45.4581|long=-73.7520}} ({{IATA|YUL}}) ({{phone|+1 514-633-3333}} / {{phone|+1 800-465-1213}} ), also known to locals as Dorval Airport, is west of the city centre on Expressway (''Autoroute'') 20. Travel time to the airport from the city centre can be as much as an hour, depending on traffic. ==== Destinations ==== ===== Direct flights from within [[Canada]] ===== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 4 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 4 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Moncton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 45 minutes * From [[Rouyn-Noranda]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1 hour * From [[Saskatoon]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 1.25 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.5 hours ===== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ===== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 2-2.25 hours * From [[Dallas]] ([[Texas]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York)]] - 1.5 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.75-2 hours ===== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ===== * From [[Mexico City]] ([[Mexico]]) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Saint-Pierre]] ([[France]]) - 3.5 hours. ===== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ===== * From [[Athens]] ([[Greece]]) - 10 hours * From [[Barcelona]] ([[Spain]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 7.50-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 7.75-8 hours * From [[Geneva]] ([[Switzerland]]) - 8.25 hours * From [[Lisbon]] ([[Portugal]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Munich]] (Germany) - 8 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 8.75 hours * From [[Zurich]] (Switzerland) - 8.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ===== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11 hours * From [[Casablanca]] ([[Morocco|Morrocco]]) - 7.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ===== * From [[Doha]] ([[Qatar]]) - 13.25 hours * From [[Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12.25 hours ==== Airlines ==== Canadian airlines operating to YUL in Montreal: * {{listing | name=Air Canada | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-393-3333 | tollfree=+1-888-247-2262 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Some flights from Toronto arrive from Toronto Pearson International Airport and some from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Air Creebec|url=https://www.aircreebec.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-567-6567|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Regional airline operating primarily in [[Northern Ontario]] and [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{listing|name=Air Inuit|alt=|url=http://www.airinuit.com/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-361-2965|fax=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2017-02-03|content=Operates flights from communities in [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights from vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{listing|name=Canadian North|alt=|url=https://canadiannorth.com/|email=contact@canadiannorth.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-267-1247|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline primarily operating flights in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], and flights from that region to a few large cities in Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Pascan Aviation|url=https://www.pascan.com/|email=info@pascan.com|phone=+1-450-443-0500|tollfree=+1-888-313-8777|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=A regional airline operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Labrador]].}} * {{Listing|name=PAL Airlines|url=https://www.palairlines.ca|email=reservations@palairlines.ca|tollfree=+1-800-563-2800|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=One of the largest regional airlines operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Atlantic Canada]], and to [[Ottawa]].}} * {{listing | name=Porter Airlines | alt= | url=https://www.flyporter.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-619-8622 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Operates flights in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[Atlantic Canada]], and some flights from the [[United States of America]]. Ots turboprop plane flights from [[Toronto]] leave from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The airline's jet plane flights and flights by all other airlines almost exclusively leave from Toronto Pearson International Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} Other airlines: * {{Listing|name=Air Saint-Pierre|url=http://airsaintpierre.com|phone=+508-41-00-00|tollfree=+1-877-277-7765|lastedit=2022-04-29|content=Operates flights from [[Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]], two small islands that are a territorial overseas collectivity of [[France]], located just south of Newfoundland.}} The airport is served by all major airlines from the [[United States of America]]. ==== Lounges ==== Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport has the following airport lounges: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@montreal|address=Domestic departures: between Gates 1 and 3; US Transborder departures: between Gates 72 and 73; International departures: near Gate 52|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Air France / KLM Lounge|address=International departures: between Gates 55 and 57|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Desjardins Odyssey Lounge|url=https://www.desjardins.com/ca/personal/goals-life-events/travel/odyssey-lounge/index.jsp|address=International departures: Gate 63|lastedit=2022-08-16}} * {{Listing|name=Montreal National Bank Lounge|address=International departures: near Gate 53|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} ==== Ground transportation ==== ===== Public transit ===== '''[https://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/bus/shuttle/747-yul-montreal-trudeau-airport-downtown-shuttle STM Airport Express bus 747]''' offers service between the airport and Montreal 24 hours a day. A single fare will cost $11 (exact change in coins only when paid in the bus, as of July 2022) and includes unlimited use of the STM bus and metro network for the following 24 hours. There's a machine that takes credit cards inside the arrivals area where you can purchase fares (including a three-day pass for $21.25). To get to the bus stop leave the arrivals area and go to the right. There is an area to line up for the 747 buses. The bus will stop at Lionel-Groulx metro station, and some buses continue to various downtown stops (the bus's marquee will state which). It is possible to go downtown by the cheaper regular '''public transit system'''. Late at night, it is all right, but during peak hours, you will need to complete several transfers with potentially crowded vehicles, so it is really only best to do so only if you are on a very low budget and/or have very light baggage. Between 05:00 and 01:00, take [https://www.stm.info/en STM] bus 204 east (''est'') which leaves from outside arrivals every 30 min to ''Gare Dorval'' (Dorval Train Station). Check that the driver is not going west (''ouest'') as both ways are served from almost the same place, and the sign does not say. You can also use the 209 on weekdays to get to Gare Dorval. Also, be sure to keep the ticket that the driver will give you as it is a transfer which you will need later. From Gare Dorval, use your transfer ticket to catch any one of buses 211, 411, 405, 425, or 485 to Lionel-Groulx metro station. Also make sure it is going east as the same routes go west too. Your transfer will then let you into the metro. Take the Montmorency-bound orange line or the Honoré-Beaugrand-bound green line into downtown on the metro. It costs $3.50 (July 2022), but exact change in coins only must be provided to the first driver. Between 05:00 and 01:00, for the same price ($3.50, exact change in coins only, July 2022), take bus 356 (again, check that the driver is going east, not west) directly into downtown via Sherbrooke. This bus runs relatively close to most downtown hotels. However, if needed, a transfer can be completed to access the rest of the city. See the STM's trip planner or Google Maps for more details. At ''Gare Dorval'' it is also possible to catch the [https://exo.quebec/en/trip-planner/train/vaudreuil%E2%80%93hudson Exo] commuter rail to downtown (Direction Lucien L'Allier), during the day from 06:00 to 20:00 for a single one-way fare of $6, leading to the downtown station of ''Lucien L'Allier'' which is also atop the Lucien L'Allier metro station. ===== Taxi ===== The '''taxi''' fare to and from downtown is a fixed price of $41 (a sticker on the window behind the driver gives the boundaries of the zone where the flat fare applies; if you are going from or to places outside this zone, you will have to pay a metered fare with a minimum rate of $17.45). ==== Ride hailing ==== Ride hailing rides are only permitted by booking the ride on an app, and pick ups are only permitted at Door 6 on the Departures level and Door 20 on the Arrivals level. Ride hailing is available from: * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/airports/yul/|lastedit=2022-08-15|content=}} ==== Train ==== {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-989-2626 | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Offers free shuttle connects the airport with Dorval station, located 2.5 km drove away. Intercity train routes between Montreal and the following terminus stations stop at this station: [[Ottawa]], [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquière]], [[Senneterre]], and [[Toronto]]. }} ==== Car rental ==== The following car rental companies serve the YUL: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1 514-633-1222|tollfree=+1-800-462-5266|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-1902|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-0052|tollfree=+1-800-268-8970|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar|url=https://www.dollarcanada.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-800-4000|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|phone=+1-514-631-4545|tollfree=+1-800-736-8222|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-263-0678|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9030|tollfree=+1-800-227-7368|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Thrifty|url=https://www.thrifty.com|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-847-4389|lastedit=2022-08-15}} ==== Other airports ==== [[Plattsburgh#By plane|'''Plattsburgh International Airport''']] and [[Burlington (Vermont)#By plane|'''Burlington International Airport''']], in the United States, are 1 hr 20 min and 1 hr 50 min away, respectively, by car from Montreal. Adirondack Trailways offers a bus service from Plattsburgh International Airport to Montreal. Greyhound offers a bus service from Burlington International Airport to Montreal. For travellers from the US, these airports may offer a significant cost savings compared to Trudeau but at the added inconvenience of arranging ground transportation between the US and Canada. ===By car=== From [[Toronto]], take Highway 401 east about 5 hr until it becomes Autoroute (Expressway) 20 on the Quebec side of the border. It will then take about an hour to get to downtown. Be alert for frequent speed-limit changes along this road. To reach downtown follow the Centre-Ville signs and take Autoroute 720 (Autoroute 20 continues over the Pont Champlain bridge to the South Shore). {{infobox|Rideshare|Save money with a rideshare. There are daily rides from Toronto to Montreal and back for $30-50, which is cheaper than any other means of transportation between the two cities. A good website for ridesharing in Canada and the USA is [http://craigslist.com Craigslist]. Dedicated rideshare sites include [http://www.liftsurfer.com LiftSurfer] and [http://www.erideshare.com eRideShare] Warning: Advertisement for a van (with a DVD player) that offers rides to Montreal and back every day has drivers that hardly speak any English at all (nor French). The service provider is '''unreliable'''. Service is also very poor.}} From [[Ottawa]], it's about 2 hours east along Highway 417 (which becomes Autoroute 40 in Quebec) to Montreal. From [[Quebec City]], it's about 3 hours west on either Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20. From [[New York City]], take Interstate 87 north through [[Albany (New York)|Albany]] and the eastern half of New York State for about six hours. After the border crossing near [[Plattsburgh]], the freeway becomes Autoroute 15, which leads directly into downtown Montreal over the Pont Champlain, the most beautiful approach to the city. The drive time from Plattsburgh to downtown Montreal is approximately one hour. From [[Boston]], take Interstate 93 to Interstate 89 after you cross into New Hampshire. Follow Interstate 89 north to and through Vermont to the border crossing, where it turns into Highway 133. This secondary road continues to Autoroute 10, which leads directly into downtown Montreal. The whole trip takes about 5 hours. Once you cross the border it is about 1½ hours to Montreal. ===By train=== [[File:Inside the Gare Centrale du CN, CN Central Station.jpg|thumb|Montreal Central Station]] {{marker|type=go|name=Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')|url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/quebec/montreal/station|lat=45.5000|long=-73.5667}} ({{IATA|YMY}}) is at 895 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, one block west of rue University, and is served by the Bonaventure metro (subway) station. {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Operates train routes from Canada's west coast and east coast. }} VIA Rail operates fast and comfortable passenger trains to Montreal along the busy Quebec-Ontario corridor and from destinations in northern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. All fares below are five-day advance booking prices for one-way travel in "Comfort" (coach/economy) class, expect to pay almost 50% more if you book on the day of travel. Check the Via website for "[http://www.viarail.ca/en/deals express deals]", which are posted every Tuesday. Highly discounted tickets are available, typically for long distance train routes or short distance trips at non-peak hours. Express deals on short distance trips (e.g. Montreal-Toronto) are typically offered only for the upcoming weeks, whereas long distance deals (e.g. Winnipeg to Montreal) may be available several weeks in advance. Business Class is available for a premium and includes a meal, alcoholic refreshments, snacks, and free wireless internet in station lounges and on board the train. An ISIC student card can obtain a discount on Via, and on Amtrak in the USA. Bicycles can also be brought aboard as is on certain Corridor trains during the summer months. See [[Rail travel in Canada]] for more information. VIA Rail train routes serving Montreal: * Between [[Quebec City]] and [[Ottawa]] including stops in [[Drummondville]], [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Saint-Lambert]], Montreal, and [[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]]. Multiple trains daily travel the entire route and some additonal trains travel daily between Montreal and Ottawa. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 2 hours (from $35), from Drummonville is 1.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.25-3.5 hours (from $47). * Between Montreal and [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Cornwall (Ontario)|Cornwall]], [[Brockville]], [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Cobourg]], and [[Oshawa]]. Operates 6 trains daily. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.25 hours (from $85) and from Kingston is 2.25-2.5 hours. * Between [[Halifax]] and Montreal on [[The Ocean]] route, including stops in [[Moncton]] and Sainte-Foy (near [[Quebec City|Q]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|ue]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|bec City]]). Operates 3 evenings per week. Travel time to Montreal from Halifax is 22 hours (from $133 coach, $187 upper berth, $245 bedroom)), from Moncton is 17.5 hours (from $110 coach, $162 upper berth, $219 bedroom), and from Sainte-Foy is 3.5 hours. A shuttle between Sainte-Foy and Quebec City's train station is available for The Ocean trains, but must be reserved in advance. The choice of sleeping accommodation varies according to the season. Along with trains between Montreal and Quebec, the Ocean is now almost exclusively operated by modern Renaissance trains that were built for the aborted Channel Tunnel sleeper services between [[Great Britain]] and [[France]]. * Between [[Jonquiere|Jonquière]] (in the [[Saguenay]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[Shawinigan]], [[Saint-Paulin]], [[Saint-Justin]], and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Jonquière is 9 hours (from $55) and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. * Between [[Senneterre]] (in the [[Abitibi-Témiscamingue|Abitibi]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[La Tuque]], Shawinigan, Saint-Paulin, Saint-Justin, and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Seneterre is 11.5 hours (from $81), from La Tuque is 5.5 hours, and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. <!-- commenting out until service is restored:Three evenings a week, the Ocean also pulls the "Chaleur" train as far as [[Matapedia]]. The train divides in the early morning and the Chaleur follows the southern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula as far as [[Gaspé]] (17½ hr, from $106 coach, $165 upper berth, $215 bedroom). However, the service to Gaspe has been suspended with no confirmation of restarting it.--> {{Listing|name=Amtrak|url=https://www.amtrak.com/home|directions=|phone=+1-215-856-7924|tollfree=+1-800-872-7245|lastedit=2022-03-31|content=}} Amtrak's service to Montreal is [https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/amtrak-return-to-service-1.6252614 suspended until 2022] due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Amtrak operated the "Adirondack" service to [[New York City]] (11 hours, from US$61) which departed daily, with connections in Schenectady to (but not from) Chicago (24 hr, US$114) and in New York to Philadelphia (14 hr, US$97) and Washington, DC (16 hr, US$120). The train also passed through much of upstate [[New York (state)|New York]] and hugged Lake Champlain for a large part of the trip. South of Albany, the route followed the Hudson River and passes a number of historic sites. The journey to New York was cheaper but slower than by bus (see below), which takes 7-9 hr, but it made up for it with superior comfort, extra legroom, the ability to walk around the train and visit the cafe car for food and drink at your leisure, and the good view from the train of the Lake Champlain and Hudson River scenery. Train passengers leaving from Boston may take the Regional Service to Penn Station, New York City, and transfer to the Adirondack line to Montreal, but this method requires significant layover times in New York. The train station has no permanent lockers but it's usually possible to keep it guarded by Via Rail for less than a day if travelling with it. There is Wifi and a few power outlets. ===By bus=== Buses arrive and depart from the ''[http://www.gamtl.com/en/Bienvenue/default.aspx Gare d'autocars de Montreal]'' (not to be confused with the ''Gare Centrale'' or central train station) at 1717 Berri Street (adjacent to the Berri-UQAM metro station). Call [tel:+1&#x20;514-842-2281 +1 514-842-2281] for schedules and prices. Intercity operators include: * {{Listing|name=Autobus Galland|url=https://www.galland-bus.com/|phone=+1-450-687-8666|tollfree=+1 877-806-8666|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=Operates bus service in [[Quebec]].}} Operates bus service between Mont-Laurier and Montreal and including stops in [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], [[Mirabel]], and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Mont-Laurier is 4.75-5 hours and from Mont-Tremblant is 2.75-3 hours, and from Saint-Jérôme is 1.25-1.5 hours. Operates several days per week between Mont-Laurier and Montreal. There are additional trips between Mont-Tremblant and Montreal, resulting in daily service along that part of the route. * {{Listing|name=Autobus Maheux|url=https://autobusmaheux.com/|email=service_client@autobusmaheux.com|phone=|tollfree=+1-866-863-6066|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] with some connections to [[Ontario]].}} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** Between [[Rouyn-Noranda]] and Montreal including stops in [[Val-d'Or]], Grand-Remous, Mont-Laurier, [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], and [[Laval]]. Stops between Mont-Laurier and Montreal are drop off only on the way to Montreal and pick up only on the way to Rouyn-Noranda. Travel time to Montreal from Rouyn-Norand is 9-9.5 hours, from Val-d'Or is 7-7.5 hours, and from Grand-Remous is 4.25-4.75. Operates daily. From Rouyn-Noranda there is service to [[North Bay]]. ** Between [[Ottawa]] and Montreal including stops in [[Gatineau]] and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 3.5 hours. Operates daily. *{{Listing|name=Autocars Skyport|url=https://www.skyportinternational.com/|email=reservation@keolis.ca|phone=+1-514-631-1155|tollfree=+1-800-471-1155|price=$95 per adult one-way, $161 per adult round trip, $65.50 per child (2-11 years old) one-way, $111 per child round trip|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=During ski season (December to April), operates a multiple times per day non-stop route between Montreal International Airport and [[Mont-Tremblant]], where it stops at various hotels.}} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-214-849-8100 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-23 | content=Operates bus service across the [[United States of America]]. }} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** From [[New York City]] including stops in [[Albany (New York)|Albany]], [[Saratoga Springs]], and [[Plattsburgh]]. Travel time to Montreal from New York City is 8.25-9.5 hours, from Albany is 5.75-6.25 hours, and from Plattsburgh is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Boston]] including stops in [[Manchester (New Hampshire)|Manchester]], [[Concord (New Hampshire)|Concord]], [[Hanover (New Hampshire)|Hanover]], [[White River Junction]], and [[Burlington (Vermont)|Burlington]]. Travel time to Montreal from Boston is 8.5 hours, from Manchester is 7 hours, from Concord is 6.5 hours, and from Burlington is 3 hours. * {{Listing|name=Intercar|url=http://www.intercar.ca/|email=serviceclient@intercar.ca|phone=+1-418-547-2167|tollfree=+1-800-806-2167|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]].}} **From [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean|Dolbeau]] to Montreal including stops in [[Val-Jalbert]], Alma, and Quebec City. Travel time to Montreal from Dolbeau is 9 hours, from Val-Jalbert is 7.25 hours, from Alma is 6.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.5 hours. Operates several days per week. **From [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquiere]] to Montreal including stops in [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]] and Quebec City. Travel time to Monteal from Jonquiere is 6.75 hours, from Chicoutimi is 6.5 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. **From [[Baie-Comeau]] to Montreal including stops in Forestville, [[Tadoussac]], [[Baie-Sainte-Catherine]], [[Saint-Siméon]], [[La Malbaie]], [[Clermont (Quebec)|Clermont]], [[Saint-Hilarion]], [[Baie-Saint-Paul]], [[Saint-Tite-des-Caps]], [[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]], [[Boischatel]], and [[Quebec City]]. Trips to Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City, and do not include a stop in Montreal. Travel time to Montreal from Baie-Comeau is 11.25 hours, , from Forestville is 9.5 hours, from Saint-Siméon is 7.25 hours, from La Malbaie is 6.25 hours, and from Baie-Saint-Paul is 5.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. ***Several days per week there a same day connection to and from [[Sept-Îles]] involving a transfer in Baie-Comeau. Travel time to Montreal from Sept-Îles is 14.5 hours. * {{Listing|name=Limocar by Transdev|url=https://limocar.ca/|email=sac@limocar.ca|phone=+1-819-562-8899|tollfree=+1-866-692-8899|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes in [[Quebec]].}} Operates the following bus routes to Montreal: ** Between Montreal and [[Granby (Quebec)|Granby]] (1.5 hours if direct, 1.75 hours if transfer required in Bromont). ** Between Montreal and [[Sherbrooke]] with stops in [[Longueuil]], Bromont, and [[Magog]]. Travel time to Montreal from Longueuil is 15 minutes, from Magog is 1.5-1.75 hours, and from Sherbrooke is 2-2.25 hours. Operates multiple times daily. * {{Listing|name=Megasbus|alt=Coach Canada|url=https://ca.megabus.com/|tollfree=+1-866-488-4452|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Service from [[Toronto]] via [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]]. This route does not use the downtown bus terminal, but rather a street stop at 997 Saint-Antoine Ouest, near Metro Bonaventure. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.75-7.25 hours and from Kingston is 3.25-3.75 hours.}} * {{go|name=Orléans Express|alt=|url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-450-640-1477|tollfree=+1-833-449-6444|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] and to [[Ottawa]].}} Bus routes to Montreal: ** From [[Gatineau]] via [[Ottawa]]. Travel time to Montreal from Gatineau is 2.75-3 hours and from Ottawa is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Quebec City]] via [[Drummondville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3-3.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.25 hours. Operates multiple trips daily. Most trips do not stop in Drummondville, but at least one trip per day stops in each direction. ** From Quebec City via [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Drummondville]] and [[Victoriaville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 4.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.5 hours. Operates two days per week. For Victoriaville stop, it is drop off only for trips to Quebec City and pick up only for trips to Montreal. ** From Quebec City via [[Trois-Rivières]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3.75 hours and from Trois-Rivières is 1.75-2 hours. Operates multiple times daily. ** Timed connections in Quebec City enable same day trips to and from [[Rimouski]] via [[Rivière-du-Loup]]. Travel time to Montreal from Rimouski is 6.25-7.75 hours and from Rivière-du-Loup is 4.5-6 hours. ** Timed connections in Quebec City and Rimouski enable same day trips to and from [[Gaspé]], [[Percé]], and Pointe-à-la-Croix. Travel time to Montreal from Gaspé is 13.75 hours, from Percé is 14.5 hours, and from Pointe-à-la-Croix is 9.5 hours. ** [https://www.maritimebus.com/ Maritime Bus] operates buses in [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. Maritime Bus and Orléans Express operate to the following locations: ***[[Rivière-du-Loup]] (as of May 2022, Maritime Bus is not operating here due to Covid-19) ***Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC / [[Campbellton]], NB (2 km taxi ride between these communities) * {{go | name=Tour Express | alt= | url=https://tourexpress.ca/ | email=info@tourexpress.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-228-2303 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-26 | content=Intercity service Montréal-Ottawa and Montréal-Gatineau. Travel time to Montreal from [[Ottawa]] is 2 hours. }} ===By bicycle=== Montreal is an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, accessible only by bridge. Not all bridges are bike accessible; however, several are, including the breathtaking Jacques Cartier bridge. Prominent bike lanes exist throughout the city, most notably along the Lachine Canal, Rue Rachel, boulevard de Maisonneuve, rue Brébeuf, rue Berri, rue Cherrier and along rue Laurier. The Plateau-Mont-Royal is where most of these bike paths are and is the neighbourhood, along with neighbouring Mile-End, where there are the most people who cycle and walk as a means of day to day transport. It has the highest density population wise and the lowest car ownership rate per household. However, bike theft is an issue, especially in the Plateau. Most locals can recall a time when they witnessed bike theft, though the situation is getting better now that the public bike share program, Bixi, has been implemented. It was not uncommon to have somebody offer you a stolen bike for sale on the street. Be equally aware of the peripheral articles of your bicycle; seats, baskets, and wheels can often be easily detached if not properly secured to the bike's frame or locked with a u-lock. ====From Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')==== Upon disembarking the train, go to the baggage claim area and wait there for a baggage attendant to bring your bicycle to you. If you have checked other baggage, claim it at the conveyor belt. The easiest way to exit the station is at the main entrance near the baggage claim through the parking garage onto rue de la Gauchetière. All other exits require you to carry your bike up flights of stairs. At the west side of the station is the entrance to the Underground City and access to Bonaventure metro station on the Orange line. However, there is no elevator access to the metro from the train station, which means that you have to carry your bike and luggage down several flights of stairs. ====From Montreal-Trudeau International Airport==== The [http://www.admtl.com/ airport] is on the western part of the island. From the main terminal, exit onto the main access road and turn right. Wind along the access road until the first major interchange and turn right. You will reach Albert de Niverville Boulevard and be forced to turn left (south) towards the main highway (Autoroute 20). At the end of this Boulevard, turn right on Cardinal Avenue. To your right, you will come to a pedestrian underpass that takes you under the railway tracks and leads to the Dorval Circle, a very busy traffic circle. This looks intimidating, but the traffic lights will allow you to ride safely under Autoroute 20 to Dorval Boulevard ''(Boulevard Dorval)''. Continue south down Dorval Boulevard until the end. Turn left on Lakeshore Drive ''(Chemin Lakeshore)'' towards the city. This road turns into Boulevard St. Joseph. You will eventually come to a bike path to your right that winds along the shores of Lac-Saint Louis (part of the Saint Lawrence river) through the town of Lachine. Continue down this path until you reach the entrance of the Lachine Canal. Cross the canal and continue down the Lachine Canal Bike Path (Piste Cyclable Canal Lachine) and follow the signs to the Old Port (Vieux Port) in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). The Lachine Canal Bike Path can be quite busy on weekends and holidays, so be ready to take your time. It is paved over its entire length. ====From Ontario==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the west must take secondary highways to Dorion, where Autoroute 20, inaccessible to bicycles over most of its length, becomes accessible as it crosses bridges first to Île Perrot (Perrot Island) and then to the Island of Montreal (at Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue). Bicycles should use the sidewalk on these bridges as traffic is usually heavy. From here, cyclists may take Lakeshore Boulevard and the Lachine Canal Bike Path (see Airport section above) to Old Montreal and the downtown core. The Isle-aux-Tourtes Bridge on Autoroute 40 is not accessible by bicycle. ====From the United States==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the South Shore to the south and east of Montreal may access the Island of Montreal a number of ways (see [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/ map]). The surest (but not foolproof) way is using the sidewalk Jacques Cartier Bridge. When it is not closed for repairs, it is open year round and all day. A paved bike path along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River provides the most scenic approach to the bridge. The new (Samuel-de) Champlain Bridge (built in 2019) has [https://www.samueldechamplainbridge.ca/pedestrians-and-cyclists/ an excellent cyclist-and-pedestrian path] that will take you from Brossard to Nun's Island (and from there, give you easy access to the Pointe-Saint-Charles or Verdun neighbourhoods of Montreal). An equally popular route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ from the Saint Lambert Locks (Ecluses Saint-Lambert) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway near the Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria) east of Montreal]. The bike drawbridge may be blocked by the entertaining spectacle of a ship passing through the seaway. From here, cyclists take the Grand Prix racing track (Gilles-Villeneuve circuit) on Île Notre Dame to the Concord Bridge to Montreal. This route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/Default.aspx?tabid=78 closed sometimes for car racing events or construction]. In this case, cyclists can take a circuitous detour down a gravel causeway dividing the seaway and river to the Estacade, an ice boom that crosses the river parallel to the Champlain Bridge to Nun's Island and eventually Montreal. A lesser known crossing involves one at the Sainte Catherine Locks (Ecluses Sainte-Catherine) at Saint-Catherine south of Montreal. These bridges cross the seaway to the same causeway as the Saint Lambert locks. In this case, the road to the Estacade ice boom is paved. The Mercier bridge and Lafontaine Tunnel are definitely inaccessible to bicycles. These can be dangerous, even in a car. There is no bicycle path crossing the Mercier Bridge. ==== In winter ==== The Jacques-Cartier bridge closes in winter, when the society that manages the bridge decides conditions are no longer adequate. The Saint-Lambert Locks south shore link also [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ closes from about November 15th to April 15th]. ==Get around== {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q340|type=geomask}} Montreal has historically been divided into east and west by boulevard Saint-Laurent, with the west side traditionally being Anglophone and the east side traditionally being Francophone. Numbered addresses on streets that cross Saint-Laurent start there and increase in either direction; most addresses are given as "rue ____ Ouest" (west) or "rue ____ Est" (east). Many streets are named after Catholic saints and figures from local history, both well-known and obscure. In Montreal street names, "east" and "west" refer to the direction parallel to the St. Lawrence River, and "north" and "south" refer to the direction perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River. Because the St. Lawrence River runs almost north-south near downtown Montreal, "east", "west", "north", and "south" are actually northeast, southwest, northwest and southeast respectively. Confusingly, most maps displayed in the city have "Montreal north" on top which can be confusing with a satellite navigation that uses pole north. Also, don't try to navigate by looking at the sun! ===On foot=== Walking is a favoured way to get around the densely packed downtown and the narrow streets of Old Montreal, especially during the warmer months. However, beware during winter months, as sidewalks can be icy and extremely hazardous after winter snow and ice storms. Winter boots with good grip are essential for surviving pavements that have not been cleared. Beware also (as much as you can) of thawing ice falling from overhanging balconies and roofs. But you can always take the stairs down to Montreal's famous "Underground City" (''Montréal souterrain''), called [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7317,79977650&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL RÉSO], a network of pedestrian corridors connecting [http://www.stm.info/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm Métro] stations, shopping centres, and office complexes. Jaywalking is widespread and rarely punished. However, drivers will usually not stop or even slow down if a pedestrian steps out in front of them, even at marked crosswalks. At an intersection, however, a pedestrian will have right of passage before turning traffic and most drivers respect this. Despite Montreal drivers' poor reputation for aggressiveness, they generally respect pedestrians. Rue Sainte-Catherine is Montreal's main commercial artery and busiest pedestrian thoroughfare. The "Underground City" and the Green Line (or line 1) of Montreal's Metro is easily accessible from all the major office complexes, shopping malls, department stores, and theatre complexes that line it. Smaller chain stores and restaurants also vie for valuable commercial space. Well-kept historic churches with green space provide quiet oasis and contrast with the giant neon signs of strip clubs. Major hotels can generally be found one or two blocks north and south of Sainte-Catherine in the downtown core. Bars, restaurants, and dance clubs cluster within a block of Sainte-Catherine around Crescent and Bishop, catering to a mostly English-speaking clientele. Rue Saint-Denis, farther east, and the Gay Village between Berri and de Lormier, even more to the east, are mostly French-speaking. McGill College Boulevard in the downtown core from Saine-Catherine offers an open view of Mount Royal to the north and an impressive view of the Place Ville-Marie skyscraper to the south. Keep your head up and beware of following the flow of the crowd on this street: throngs of pedestrians often walk across cross streets against red lights, risking life and limb. Rue Prince-Arthur, east of Saint-Laurent, is for pedestrians only. Another pedestrian-only locale is Montreal's Chinatown, on Rue de la Gauchtière Est between Saint-Urbain and Saint-Laurent. A good trick for navigating downtown Montreal is to remember that streets slope up toward Mount Royal, which is just north of downtown and easy to see from most locations. The districts surrounding downtown Montreal are especially delightful on foot. To the south is [http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/eng/accueila.htm Old Montreal] (Le Vieux-Montréal) (its narrow streets and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries really can make you feel like you're in Old Europe) and the [http://www.oldportofmontreal.com/ Old Port] (Le Vieux-Port), a waterfront strolling park with exhibits and boat tours, is very popular with the locals. To the north, the Golden Square Mile and the McGill University Campus is wedged between Mount Royal and Sherbrooke Street on the southern slope of the mountain. Old Victorian mansions and townhouses can be found along the sloping streets, many now housing McGill University's offices and libraries. Just west of downtown is affluent Westmount, a perfect example of 19th-century English-style homes and gardens (inhabited to a great extent by English-speaking people) climbing the slopes of Mount Royal's western part (the higher you climb, the larger the old mansions). Just east and northeast of downtown are the mostly French-speaking Gay Village (Le Village Gai) and Plateau (Plateau Mont-Royal) districts. Street after street displays turn-of-the-19th-century row duplexes and triplexes, replete with famous Montreal outdoor staircases, overflowing front gardens (or snow-covered gables, depending on the time of year), and tiny shops tucked into every nook and cranny. For people who like to see a culture where it lives, Le Plateau is the place to wander about in. [http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/learn-about-mount-royal/homepage.sn Mount Royal] (Mont-Royal) is also accessible from the urban core on foot. Fit pedestrians can climb Rue Peel to the southern edge of the park. A series of renovated staircases will take you directly to the Chalet near the top of the mountain, with its classic view of the downtown core. A more leisurely climb to the top awaits those on Olmsted Road (6.5&nbsp;km), a wide, gently sloping bike and footpath accessible from the Plateau in Parc Jeanne-Mance (also known as Fletcher's Field). Smaller footpaths serendipitously branch off from this road. A cross-country ski path also winds to the top in the wintertime. Mount Royal's park was designed by Frederick Olmsted, a landscape architect who lived from 1822 to 1903 and was also responsible for the design of Central Park in [[New York City]] and the Emerald Necklace in [[Boston]]. ===By car=== Driving ([http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/ SAAQ]) in Montreal can be a challenge for many North American motorists. Although turning right on a red light is allowed across the rest of Quebec (except at intersections where a sign indicates this is not permitted), right turns on red are strictly prohibited on the island of Montreal. The stop lights at most of downtown intersections are on the opposite side of the intersection, not at the stop line as in some of Europe. The use of road salt to keep roads ice-free during severe winters takes its toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction. Downtown traffic is dense. Street parking can be difficult. Parking meters are in use seven days a week in most districts (M-F 09:00-21:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 13:00-18:00), including statutory holidays. The standard parking ticket cost is $52. Parking tickets may be appealed in court only by the owner of the car that was subject to the infraction, so if a rented car is ticketed, the person who rented may be unable to contest the charge. Car parking downtown is expensive at around $3 an hour at parking meters or $25 per day at commercial parking lots. Parking signs are all in French, and will describe a day and hour (based on 24-hr clock) along with conditions for parking. Many arterial roads prohibit parking on one side during rush hour, and vehicles are subject to $150 fine plus towing costs and other fees. Montreal does not paint curbs red next to fire hydrants, but it is still illegal to park there. {{infobox|Days of the week| lundi — Monday<br> mardi — Tuesday<br> mercredi — Wednesday<br> jeudi — Thursday<br> vendredi — Friday<br> samedi — Saturday<br> dimanche — Sunday}} There are also many private and public parking lots, and their prices vary widely. There may even be $15–20 differences between two parking lots just a few blocks from each other. {{infobox|Sign Language| North — Nord<br> East — Est<br> South — Sud<br> West — Ouest<br> Exit — Sortie<br> Bridge — Pont}} During the winter months, heavy snowfalls are common. In the aftermath of a snowstorm, an intensively-prepared "déneigement" (snow removal) process begins with intimidatingly large snow plows and trucks clearing, chewing up, and transporting away the snow. If you leave your car parked on a street, pay close attention to any orange "no parking" signs that will appear on roads to be cleared. Tow trucks will sound a loud 2-tone horn siren just before clearing. This is an announcement that a street is about to be cleared and that all parked cars will be cited/and or towed if they are not moved. For this reason it's important to be able to check your vehicle at least once daily after a snowfall. It is best to use indoor or underground parking if snow clearing is likely. Many downtown streets are one way, which can complicate getting around. If you see a sign at an intersection that has direction arrows in a green circle, that means those are the only directions you are allowed to turn. Left turns are allowed on a green light provided there are no other signs prohibiting. Visitors should be familiar with the ''flashing green'' light, which indicates a protected left-turn (priority), which is equivalent to a green arrow in other parts of the world. Some signals are green arrows that flash, this is the same meaning. Autoroutes (expressways or freeways) can be challenging for visitors, as most signs are French, but most symbols are the same as in English Canada and the United States. ===By bike=== [[File:Bixi St-Laurent.jpg|300px|thumb|Bixi bike stand]] Cycling is the best way to visit the city, especially its central neighbourhoods like the Plateau Mont-Royal; it is a very popular mode of transportation once the coldest winter weather is over. The city is criss-crossed by 660&nbsp;km of cycle paths, including some which cross the St. Lawrence onto the Island of Montreal. By far the nicest path is the Lachine Canal path that stretches from Lachine, along Lac St-Louis, down to Old Montreal along the canal. You can cross over to the South Shore either on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Île Notre-Dame, or via the Estacade ice bridge from Île des Sœurs. Montreal City Council publish an [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=8957,99693747&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL interactive map] of the cycle route network Even if you are on a bike path, beware of drivers especially if they are turning, as lines of visibility at intersections are not well enforced in the city. Generally Montreal drivers in the central neighbourhoods are used to sharing the road with bikes and so are courteous, there are always a few, usually from outlying neighbourhoods, who give all drivers a bad name. Some downtown bike paths are separated from the road by parked cars, which decreases visibility, both yours and the driver's. The often crowded bike path on rue Rachel one is the worst for this, however the Plateau part of the path will be renovated soon to make it safer and greener. If one is comfortable driving in Montreal, one generally can feel comfortable biking there as well. Montreal pedestrians are known for not waiting for a light to change if there are no cars coming; cyclists are a bit like that too and often treat the many stop signs on residential streets more as yield signs than as stop signs. Wearing a helmet is not required under the law, though, for children especially, it's better to be safe than sorry. The [http://montreal.bixi.com/ Bixi system] is a public bike-share system. Rated the best in the world, it was designed and developed in Montreal and has since been exported to many cities around the world including London, UK and Sydney, Australia. Major credit cards are accepted. The Bixi was conceived for local active transit but is accessible to tourists as well. For a flat $5 fee, you can use Bixi bikes as much as you like for 24 hours provided you don't use a particular bixi bike for more than 30 minutes at a time before returning it to a docking station. After returning the bike to a docking station, you can get another bike (even at the same station) after a 2-minute waiting period. There are over 400 Bixi stations with over 5000 bikes around the city concentrated in the downtown and central neighbourhoods like the Plateau (though it's expanding all the time). The tourist information centre has maps of the stations. Helmets and locks are not provided. You could use your own lock, but there is usually a station not more than a block away on a commercial strip so returning the Bixi to the nearest stand is always the safest and most cost-effective choice. Stations fill up and empty quickly; you may have to bike to the next station to find an empty docking spot. If you have a smartphone, there is an app that shows you real-time the nearest stations, how many bikes are docked, or whether there is a free docking spot available. Skate and bike rental shops are common, particularly in the Old Port and the Plateau. Visit La Maison des Cyclistes (the cyclists' house) at 1251 rue Rachel Est for all info on cycling in Montreal. (See Do for specific bike paths). ==== In winter ==== Montreal, however does a fair job of clearing snow on a select number of bike paths in the city, including de Maisonneuve bike path, Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Rachelle and Clark bike paths. Painted bike lanes, on the other hand are often badly cleared, resulting in dangerous ice build up. The popular Lachine Canal bike path, however, does not have snow removal which makes it very difficult to ride on in winter. The [https://jacquescartierchamplain.ca/traffic-works/pedestrians-and-cyclists/?lang=en Jacques-Cartier bridge] is also closed for most of the winter to cyclists and pedestrians. The de la Concorde bridge bike path, however, is open all year long. There is a growing winter cyclist community in Montreal that can be accessed through the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/velodhiver/10156410675837568 Vélo d'hiver - Montréal Facebook group]. === By public transit === ==== By metro and bus ==== {{infobox|Fanfare for Copland|The sounds produced by electrical equipment when a Montreal Metro train is departing are the first three notes of ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' by Aaron Copland, although this is really just a coincidence.}} [[File:Montrealmetromap.svg|thumb|250px|Map of Metro stations]] [[File:MontrealMetroTires.JPG|thumb|250px|Montreal Metro train at Place-des-Arts station]] {{Listing|name=Société de transport de Montréal|alt=STM|url=https://www.stm.info/en|phone=+1-514 786-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} STM is safe, efficient, and is overall pleasant to use. Tickets have been replaced by cards with magnetic stripe containing one trip, called an ''à la carte'' ticket. These are valid for one trip (including unlimited transfers in the same way for 90 min) on the metro and buses, costing $3.50 each (exact fare in coins is required on the buses but not on the metro) but are also available for less when you purchase two for $6.00 or ten for $27.00 (OPUS card required) either from the metro agent or the automatic fare vending machine in metro stations. Signs and announcements are only in French, though ticket machines are bilingual in French and English. Many metro counter staff are also able to speak English. Montreal metro stations and train cars do not have air conditioning: the Metro can sometimes get uncomfortably hot, in every season. It is, however, still the best transport option in the city. Only certain metro tickets are valid in [[Laval]] and [[Longueuil]]. 10-trip tickets, and weekly and monthly passes, are still not accepted. You may need to buy another ticket for the same price ($3.50). A full listing of all types of tickets and their validity can be found [https://www.stm.info/sites/default/files/pdf/en/tarifs.pdf here.] You must keep your payment card as it is your transfer and your proof of payment (''correspondance''); fare inspectors may give you a large fine if you are unable to show it when they request it. If you are using cash to pay your fare on the bus, it is important to have the exact fare since the driver does not give change; you will receive an ''à la carte ticket'', your proof of payment and your transfer. Pictures and specific instructions can be found [http://stm.info/ here.] Tourist passes offer unlimited travel on the bus and metro for periods of one day ($11) or three days ($21.25) and are well worth it to avoid fumbling for change, checking transfer times and restrictions, and worrying about getting off at the wrong stop and having to repay. There is also an option for unlimited evenings ($5.75), valid between 18:00 and 05:00 the next morning, which can be practical on a night out, since it's cheaper than buying a two-way ticket (which would cost $6). They are available for purchase at all metro stations (pay cash or use Canadian credit or debit cards only). Weekly ($29, valid for one calendar week running Monday through Sunday) and monthly ($94, valid by calendar month) passes are also available; unlike one day and three day passes, weekly and monthly passes must be loaded onto an OPUS card (see below) and are not available in paper ticket form. The OPUS card is a smart card with a chip that contains your fare and transfer information. The OPUS card can be purchased at all metro stations and transit fare points of sale. As of January 2017, the card costs $6. You can find your nearest seller [http://www.stm.info/en/info/fares/points-sale here.] OPUS cards can be refilled at metro stations using the automated machines or at the ticket booth. The STM website offers an online [http://stm.info/English/azimuts/a-index.htm trip-planner service.] Trip planning can also be done using Google Maps. Free bus and [http://metrodemontreal.ca/ Metro system] maps are available from the ticket booth at most metro stations. These are useful to find where you are on the island. At each metro station, directions are not indicated by compass directions, such as westbound or eastbound. Instead, trains go in the direction of a metro line's terminus. The ''green line'' runs from Angrignon in the west to Honoré-Beaugrand in the east. If you were to travel eastbound, for example, you would look for ''Honoré-Beaugrand'' on the platform. If you were to travel westbound, you would look for ''Angrignon''. There are four interchange stations at which commuters can change subway lines without extra charge: Snowdon (blue/orange), Lionel-Groulx (orange/green), Berri-UQAM (green/yellow/orange), and Jean-Talon (orange/blue). Bicycles are permitted aboard metro trains outside of the rush hours such as: 10:00-15:00 and 19:00 to end of service on weekdays and all day Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Bikes are only allowed in the lead car of the train up to a maximum of 6. STM staff may deny bikes aboard the metro for safety reasons such as special events that might generate a high level of ridership. Lists of such events are posted on the STM website and at the entrances to metro. During festival season in Montreal, bikes are seldom allowed at all. Bike riding inside stations or the Underground City is strictly prohibited. ==== By train ==== {{Listing|name=Exo|url=https://exo.quebec/|tollfree=+1-833-255-6396|lastedit=2022-05-24|content=Operates commuter trains in the Montreal area.}} Most trains terminate at Montreal Central Station (Gare Central) and at Lucien-L'Allier (both are accessible from the metro). Commuter trains are handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns. Routes include: * exo1 - Vaudreuil–Hudson between Montreal and [[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] including [[Montreal/West Island|Montreal-Ouest]] and [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]]. Service is available daily, though almost all trips are between Montreal and Vaudreil. The only trips to or from Hudson are from Monday to Friday with morning trip from Hudson and one afternoon trip to Hudson. * exo2 - Saint-Jérôme between Montreal and [[Saint-Jérôme]] including stops in [[Laval]], [[Blainville]], and Mirabel. Service is available daily, though on Saturdays and Sundays, the service only travels between Laval and Saint-Jérôme. Transfers from Montreal's Metro are available at Montreal's Lucien-L'Allier station (weekday rush hours only), Vendôme (weekday rush hours only) station and Parc station (weekdays only), and Laval's De la Concorde station (every day). * Three other exo lines operate, but only Monday to Friday. Commuter train stations are divided into six zones that radiate out from downtown. Stations have automated machines from which you must purchase a ticket appropriate to the zones of the station you are traveling to or from, whichever is farther (for example, a trip from Zone 1 to Zone 3 or vice versa would require a Zone 3 ticket). A pre-purchased ticket card (SOLO) must be validated at the card scanners at the entrance to the platform. In general, reduced fares (for students and seniors) require ID that is not available to travellers, but if you are staying in the area, ask an employee for more details as the rules are complicated, but you can get good savings. There are no ticket machines on the train and ticket inspections are random. Incorrect tickets sometimes go unnoticed because inspectors check only occasionally. However, it is best to avoid taking chances as if the ticket is not valid, the customer can get a fine of $400. The ticket machines should now all be bilingual in English and French. The two downtown stations have staffed ticket booths Monday to Friday, but not in the evenings. Other stations may also have booths but generally only during either the morning or afternoon rush hour. ===By taxi=== * {{Listing|name=Taxi Bonjour Montreal|url=https://bonjour.taxi/en/|phone=+1 514-366-3333|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Champlain|url=https://taxichamplain.com/index-en|phone=+1 514-271-1111|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Co-op Montreal|url=https://www.taxi-coop.com/en|phone=+1 514-725-9885|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Diamond|url=https://taxidiamond.com/en/|phone=+ 514-836-0000|lastedit=2022-07-31}} === By ride hailing === * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/montreal/|lastedit=2022-07-31}} ===Map=== MapArt produces an excellent map in book-form of downtown Montreal and environs, including Vieux Montréal, Mount Royal, the Plateau, and areas as far north as the University of Montreal and as far south as Parc Jean-Drapeau. That form is handy as you can avoid always folding a map of the whole island. Below is a basic map of the primary areas of interest to visitors. [[File:central montreal map.png|right|350px]] ==See== [[File:Marché Bonsecours and Foliage.jpg|thumb|The dome of the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal]] === Architecture === Many notable historical buildings and churches are located in Montreal, the vast majority of which are in [[Montreal/Old City#See|old Montréal]]. Most of these date from the 17th to the 19th century, showcasing the variety of architectural styles seen in these periods. At night, several of the buildings are beautifully illuminated, seemingly glowing from within. A Tourist Welcome Office brochure from bonjour québec lays out a walking map. It is worthwhile to follow the map twice, once during the day, and again at night. * Of the four Roman Catholic Basilicas in Montreal, the '''Notre-Dame Basilica''' (Basilique de Notre-Dame) at Place d'Armes is undoubtedly the most famous church in Montreal. This architectural marvel is known throughout the world for its lavishly decorated and colourful interior. This basilica, splendidly exemplifying the Gothic Revival style, is an extremely popular tourist attraction. * Although rather small and not a basilica, another notable church located in Old Montreal is the '''Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel''' (Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours) near the Bonsecours Market, the first church to be founded in Montreal. It is known for its maritime theme and beautiful frescoes on the inside walls and ceilings. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] houses Saint Joseph's Oratory (Oratoire Saint-Joseph), the largest church in Canada. Stylistically based on elements of the Italian Renaissance, it features the third highest dome in the world, and acts as the highest point in all of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]]. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] is also home to the opulent Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), a National Historic Site of Canada modeled on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Saint Patrick's Basilica (Basilique Saint-Patrick), which was built to serve Montreal's Anglophone Catholic community. * Aside from churches, a main architectural feature of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]] is '''Habitat 67''', located at Cité-du-Havre, near the Old Port (Vieux-Port). The only intact pavilion remaining from Expo’ 67, '''Habitat 67''' is known around the world as an excellent example of post-modern and minimalist architecture. Its conception has had an incalculable impact on later development of modular homes, and is thus well worth checking out. === Landmarks === * [[Montreal/Plateau#See|Le Plateau]] combines scenic residential streets with hip shopping and dining. * '''Vieux-Port''' (Old Port), is located south of rue Saint-Antoine between rue McGill and rue Berri (metro Champ-de-Mars or Place-d'Armes). The Old Port is a large waterfront green space with attractions such as Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal Science Center, the Labyrinth, the Clock Tower, and a large outdoor audio-visual stage which is the site for the Canada Day fireworks. It is a vibrant place to visit during the day and the evening. ☏ +1 514-496-7678, toll-free: +1 800-971-7678, information@oldportofmontreal.com. 6AM-Midnight. * [[Montreal/Downtown#See|Downtown]] Montreal has skyscrapers, the enormous McGill university campus, churches, and museums. Several blocks are connected by the famed 30 km of underground arcades and malls, allowing comfortable walking and shopping when the weather is foul. * [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]], site of the 1967 World Fair, now devoted to green spaces and a large outdoor concert venue. The Gilles-Villeneuve racing circuit, home of the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix. An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also in or around the park. * A few kilometres to the north, [[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve#See|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] offers the '''Olympic Stadium''', the '''Insectarium''', the '''Jardin Botanique''', and the '''Biodôme'''. This diverse range of activities and environments offer something for all ages. When planning a trip, allow four hours to see all four. * A [[Solar eclipses|total solar eclipse]] on Monday 8 April 2024 starts at 15:26 local time and lasts 90 sec. The chances of a clear sky are 30%. The track of totality is northeast from Mexico and Texas to Ohio, straddling the Canada–New England border through Lakes Erie and Ontario, then across Maine, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. === Museums === Montreal contains a wide variety of museums - over 50 in total, both well known and hidden gems. Both types are well worth visiting, and will provide a worthwhile experience. * Featuring dozens of expositions and over 44,000 works spread over 5 enormous pavilions, the '''Montreal Museum of Fine Arts''' (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is the largest museum in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Having many prominent travelling exhibits, it is both the oldest and most visited museum in Canada, and as such, is a wonderful experience. * [[File:"Phonographs and gramophones in the musée des ondes Emile Berliner.jpg".jpg|thumb|Phonographs and gramophones in the permanent exhibit of the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner ]]A hidden gem in the old RCA Victor factory complex in St-Henri, the '''Musée des ondes Emile Berliner''', in [[Montreal/South_West|Saint-Henri]], is a science and history museum dedicated to communicating the heritage of the audio industry in Canada and the world. In line with this, it pays tribute to Emile Berliner, the inventor of the gramophone, and his descendants’ contributions to the evolution of sound recording. Moreover, the museum looks at the roles and noteworthy contributions of Canadian companies in the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the role of Montreal companies and RCA Victor in the creation of satellites and the Canadarm. This makes it a worthwhile experience for those interested in science and technology, as well as Canadian history. * The '''Redpath Museum''' (Musée Redpath), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a fascinating museum of natural history. * The McCord Museum (Musée McCord), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a museum dedicated to exploring Canadian history. ==Do== * {{do | name=Casino de Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.casino-de-montreal.com/ | email= | address=1, avenue du Casino | lat= 45.505375| long= -73.525827 | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= +1 514 392-2746| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=La Ronde | alt=member of the Six Flags family | url=http://www.laronde.com/ | email= | address=22, chemin Macdonald | lat= | long= | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= Discounts are readily available: a Coca-Cola tin is worth an $8 discount on any rides ticket | content= }} ===Cross-country skiing=== During the winter, many parks offer the possibility to do cross-country skiing with groomed paths. *'''Parc regional de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation''' — Ski rental available. * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url=http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ski rental available and usually the best ski conditions. }} *'''Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique''' — No ski rental. ===Ice skating=== *'''Year-round ice-skating''', 1000, rue De La Gauchetière (metro Bonaventure). *'''Free skating''', Lac aux Castors (Beaver Lake), in the Parc Mont-Royal. *'''Free skating''', Connected ponds of Lafontaine Park, in Plateau Mont-Royal. *'''Winter skating''', in the Old Port (Vieux-Port) in front of the Bonsecours Market and many parks. {{infobox|Montreal Island's Grands Parcs|The greater Montreal area offers large parks for year-round outdoor recreation. The most accessible are Parc du Mont Royal and Parc Lafontaine in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] offers the closest beach park, and Parc Maisonneuve, next to the Olympic Sports complex and Botanical Gardens. Further afield, Parc des Rapids and Parc Angrignon are in [[Montreal/Le Sud-Ouest|Le Sud-Ouest]] and Parc René-Lévesque further West, with miles of bike paths and access to river surfing.}} ===Water sports=== *'''River surfing''' — Although the Saint Lawrence River is frozen nearly solid for four to five months out of the year, the waterway has become a magnet for aficionados of this new sport. Unlike their oceanic brethren, river surfers ride the standing waves in fresh waterways. The Saint Lawrence has two main hot spots for the sport: Habitat 67 is close to the bridge between Montreal and Île des Soeurs, the site of the 1967 Expo and the Montreal Casino. (This wave is also known as Expo 67.) The Surf 66 Boardshop at the 1952 rue Cabot offers lessons. *'''Kayaking''' — Just off the shore of the park in Lasalle are the Lachine Rapids. Huge waves, fast water, and loads of fun for kayaks. Lessons are available on site in the huge eddy formed by the peninsula. Annual surf (rodeo) competitions at "Big Joe" (still called "Beneath the Wheel" by old schoolers). Other famous play waves on this set of rapids on the St. Lawrence river are, Istambul and Constantinople, Pyramid, Slice and Dice, Black and Decker, and HMF on the other side of the islands. For those seeking less of an adrenaline rush, there is always the Bunny Wave (La Vague a Guy) upstream near the bike path at Park Rene Lesvesque. Rafting these same rapids is also a fun option. ===Bike=== An interactive map of the cycle path network is available at the [http://www.velo.qc.ca/fr/reseaux_cyclables/index-MTL.lasso Vélo Québec website.] {{dead link|December 2020}} Particularly pleasant places to cycle and skate include: *'''Parc Maisonneuve''' — A large park with smooth paths. *'''Parc Jean-Drapeau''' — Particularly the Île Notre-Dame on the Formula One race track: a fantastic view across the water to downtown Montreal. *'''Lachine Canal''' — Bike paths west of the Old Port. *'''Rivière-des-Prairies''' — You can ride across Montreal Island from west to east along the river on the north of Montreal. Many sites have incredible views. A stop at Perry Island is a must. ===Parks=== *'''Square Saint-Louis''', corner of rue Saint-Denis and rue Prince-Arthur, slightly north of rue Sherbrooke (metro Sherbrooke). A charming little park with majestic trees and a lovely fountain, lined with charming houses on three sides (the Institute of Hotel Techniques of Quebec hotel school is the fourth side). This was the site of the first water reservoir in Montreal. *'''Parc Jean Drapeau''' — The former Expo 67 fairgrounds, Parc Jean Drapeau is spread across two islands (Ile Ste-Helene and Ile Notre Dame) in the Saint Lawrence River. On Sundays in the summer, join thousands of Montrealers revelling in the sunshine and music outdoors at Piknik Électronique. People enjoy riding a bicycle around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race track on Île Notre Dame. La Ronde and the Montreal Biosphere are here. (metro Parc Jean Drapeau) *'''Parc Lafontaine''', from avenue Papineau to avenue du Parc Lafontaine and from rue Rachel to rue Sherbrooke. Ice skating on the lake in the winter, baseball, boules, and outdoor theatre in the summer. (metro Sherbrooke) [[File:Fall colours at Beaver Lake.jpg|alt=|thumb|400x400px|Fall colours at Beaver Lake, Parc du Mont-Royal<br />]] * {{do | name=Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique de Montreal | alt= | url=http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/jardin.htm | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=from rue Sherbrooke to boulevard Rosemont and from boulevard Pie-IX to avenue Viau (metro Pie-IX or Viau) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Jardin Botanique is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and features the First Nations Garden, the Insectarium, the Tree House, and 16 different themed gardens and greenhouses. }} * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url= | email=info@lemontroyal.qc.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-843-8240 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North of avenue des Pins, between avenue du Parc and chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges. This beautiful, immense urban park tops the "mountain" (at {{m|232}}, it's more like a hill) that overlooks all of Montreal and lends the city its name. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, the park is elegant and accessible, and has hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. A broad and gradual 8-km (5-mile) bike and pedestrian path begins at the Monument Georges-Étienne Cartier (on Avenue du Parc, opposite the western end of rue Rachel, where the bike path continues), winding its way around the mountain and culminating at the Belvédère (lookout) and Chalet Mont-Royal, with incredible views of downtown, the St. Lawrence river, and the Eastern Townships. The Belevedere and Chalet are also accessible from downtown by the newly restored staircase, access via the path at the top of rue Peel. Many smaller paths and trails crisscross the park. For lazy visitors, or those with limited mobility, you can enjoy a wonderful view from the mountain by taking bus route 11, which stops at the lookout on Chemin Remembrance, and at Beaver Lake. Every Sunday during the summer, thousands of people get together at the monument on Avenue du Parc to enjoy the big tam-tam jam. }} *'''Parc Jeanne-Mance''', bordered by avenue du Parc, avenue Duluth (with a small extension south as far as avenue des Pins), rue de l'Esplanade and avenue Mont-Royal, directly across from Parc du Mont-Royal. Includes tennis courts, baseball/softball diamonds, a soccer/football pitch, beach volleyball courts, a skating rink in winter. Also a very popular dog-walking venue. * {{do | name=Parc de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 280-6733 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Rue d'Iberville and boulevard Gouin, (metro Henri-Bourassa, Bus 69 east). This regional park is along the Rivière-des-Prairies. Quiet and enjoyable place to bring a lunch and relax for an afternoon. Good starting point for a cycling tour along the river. }} ===Festivals=== Montreal has a bewildering variety of festivals, ranging from one-day ethnic fairs to huge international productions running two weeks or more. They are generally held in the summer and autumn, though increasingly they can be found throughout the year. Here are some of the larger ones: * {{do | name=Just For Laughs Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hahaha.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Comedy festival with three main components: indoor paid shows (usually stand-up, but not always), free street theatre/comedy, and a mini film festival called Comedia. July. }} * {{do | name=Shakespeare-in-the-Park | alt= | url=http://www.repercussiontheatre.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=During the summer in parks around Montreal, Repercussion Theatre puts on outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays free of charge. }} *{{do | name=Festival du Monde Arabe | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= In November, an annual festival celebrating the music and culture of the Arab world takes place in Montreal. Many Arab performers, traditional and modern, take the stage. }} * {{do | name=Festival Mondiale de la bière | alt= | url=http://www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=2018: inside - Palais des congrès de Montréal, 201 Viger Street West (Place-d'Armes métro station); outside - Palais des congrès Esplanade, de la Gauchetière Street between Cheneville and Côté Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June 6-9, 2018: 12:00-23:00 | price= | content=Annually, in early June: Five days of tasting beers, ciders, and other beverages from all over Quebec, Canada and further afield. 2017's event boasted over 529 different beers from 9 countries. There is no admission fee (but you can buy a souvenir sampling mug for about $8) and samples typically sell for 2-8 tickets ($1 a ticket) for a 150-200 ml sample. There are also scheduled musical performances and food kiosks. The festival can get very busy at peak times (Friday and Saturday evening of the event), so it is advisable to arrive early to avoid possible long queues. }} * {{do | name=Montréal en lumière | alt= | url=http://www.montrealenlumiere.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A relatively new wintertime affair, attempting to transplant the city's festival magic to the cold season. Includes three main categories of activities: food and wine, performing arts, and free activities both indoor and outdoor. February. }} * {{do | name=Montreal International Fireworks Competition | alt= | url=http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-397-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In La Ronde amusement park (in Parc Jean-Drapeau). This fantastic festival features full-length fireworks displays, accompanied by orchestral music, by national teams from about a dozen countries around the world. Although the hot seats are inside the La Ronde theme park, the fireworks are visible from pretty much any clear space or rooftop in the centre of the city. Pedestrians can watch from Jacques Cartier Bridge, which is closed from 20:00 on fireworks nights. Another good spot is the promenade west of the Old Port. $35–45 (''seats in La Ronde, free everywhere else''). Saturdays 22:00 from mid-June to late July, and Wednesdays 22:00 from mid-July on. }} * {{do | name=Fete de St-Jean-Baptiste | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= June 24 is Quebec's national holiday (''Fête nationale''). During the evening, a huge show takes place at Maisonneuve park. This is the show to go to hear made-in-Quebec music. Free. Street parties can also be found all over the city. }} * {{do | name=International Festival of Film on Art | alt= | url=http://www.artfifa.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3070809 | content=Devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. A ten-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, and for art and cinema enthusiasts. }} ====Music festivals==== [[File:FIJM 2017 014.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Festival International de Jazz de Montréal]] * {{do | name=Montreal International Jazz Festival | alt=Festival International de Jazz de Montréal | url=http://www.montrealjazzfest.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The world's largest jazz festival, this festival is a major international event, attracting many big name artists. Many streets in downtown Montreal are closed off to traffic for two weeks and several concert stages are set up. There are many free outdoor shows and indoor concerts (paid). Late June - early July. In 2020, the festival will be 25 June through 4 July. }} * {{do | name=POP Montréal International Music Festival | alt= | url=http://www.popmontreal.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 514-842-1919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A massive feast of up-and-coming bands in a variety of popular genres. In early fall, host to more than 80 events, more than 300 artists, a conference, and an arts fair. POP Montreal showcases emerging and innovative artists alongside rising international stars and is committed to encouraging vibrant indie communities. }} * {{do | name=Francofolies | alt= | url=http://www.francofolies.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Les Francos de Montréal | wikidata=Q3850493 | lastedit=2017-08-06 | content=A festival celebrating French music. Similarly to the jazz festival, many free outdoor concerts are offered in a section of downtown that is closed off to traffic for a week. 12 to 20 June 2020. }} * {{do | name=MUTEK | alt= | url=http://www.mutek.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An annual gathering, held in Montreal, during the first week of June. The MUTEK festival showcases emerging forms of electronic music and the latest trends in sound creation. }} * {{do | name=Heavy Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.heavymontreal.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A two-day heavy music festival taking place in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. }} * {{do | name=Osheaga Music and Arts Festival | alt= | url=http://www.osheaga.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Osheaga Festival | wikidata=Q2033298 | content=A three-day indie & alternative rock festival held annually in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 2020 edition will be 31 July-2 August. }} ====Film festivals==== * {{do | name=World Film Festival | alt= | url=http://www.ffm-montreal.org/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Montreal World Film Festival | wikidata=Q326220 | content=The festival is open to all cinema trends. The eclectic aspect of its programming makes the Festival exciting for the growing number of participants from the five continents. Every year, films from more than 70 countries, including well-known and first-time filmmakers, are selected. There are usually free outdoor projections every night. Late August to early September. }} * {{do | name=Fantasia | alt=Asian and fantasy | url=http://www.fantasiafestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=July. }} * {{do | name=Image + Nation | alt=Gay and lesbian | url=http://www.image-nation.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=November/December. }} * {{do | name=Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal | alt=new filmmakers, well-known auteurs, new media | url=http://www.nouveaucinema.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Festival du nouveau cinéma | wikidata=Q3070535 | content=October. }} * {{do | name=Cinémania | alt=French cinema with English subtitles | url=http://www.cinemaniafilmfestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cinemania (film festival) | wikidata=Q2972781 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | alt=documentaries | url=http://www.ridm.qc.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | wikidata=Q3425197 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | alt=Quebec cinema | url=http://www.rvcq.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | wikidata=Q3235139 | content=February. }} ===Sports to watch=== * '''[https://www.nhl.com/canadiens Canadiens]''', Ice hockey, Canada's national winter sport: Bell Centre (''Centre Bell''), 1260 rue De La Gauchetière (metro Lucien-L'Allier or Bonaventure), . One of the greatest institutions in Quebec culture. If you want to see a game, it helps to know someone with tickets, as they generally sell out within minutes of going on sale. They are widely available through unofficial channels and scalpers, but be prepared to shell out as they don't come cheap! You can also get cheaper tickets if you're a resident of the HI youth hostel. You can also stay in front of the hostel and ask a resident to buy a ticket for you if you aren't staying at the hostel! * '''[http://www.montrealalouettes.com Alouettes]''', Football (Canadian Football League), Percival Molson Stadium (''Stade Percival-Molson''), avenue des Pins at University (playoffs: Olympic Stadium), . A dominant team in the last part of the 2000s, but now somewhat less so, the Als have won the Grey Cup three times since being reborn in 1996, including back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. Molson Stadium is an excellent place to see a game; tickets can be hard to come by when the team is doing well. * '''[https://en.cfmontreal.com Club de Foot Montréal]''', Association football (soccer), Saputo Stadium (''Stade Saputo'') at 4750 Sherbrooke street East and Viau in the Olympic Park (metro Viau). Formerly known as '''Montreal Impact''', it is one of the newer teams in Major League Soccer, and the league's third team in Canada, joined MLS in 2012. The previous version of the Impact/CF Montréal was a consistent contender in several different leagues (including three in the last three seasons before the team joined MLS) at the U.S./Canada second level. CFM occasionally use nearby Olympic Stadium for matches that are expected to draw unusually large crowds or if the weather restricts outdoor play. * '''Tennis''' — Montreal hosts an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event (men) every odd-numbered year. In even-numbered years, Montreal hosts a WTA Premier 5 event (women). The tournaments are held at IGA Stadium (''Stade IGA'') in Parc Jarry in the North End. The main stadium is of special historic interest to baseball fans—part of its seating is the former backstop grandstand of the stadium that hosted the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) before they moved to Olympic Stadium. * '''Canadian Grand Prix:''' This [[Formula One]] race is staged at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame, usually in June. ==Learn== ===Language classes=== Montreal is a popular destination for language-immersion programs in French and English. Many schools arrange accommodations — either in dorms or with a family and provide cultural programs with trips around the city and beyond. Prices are usually higher for non-Québécois and higher-still for non-Canadians. Most are in Downtown and the Old City. Intensive, non-resident programs are also offered by the YMCA and Quebec government. ===Universities=== Montreal is home to one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities, '''[https://www.mcgill.ca/ McGill University]'''. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 universities in the world, but not each faculty. It is a university with a huge endowment fund. '''Concordia University''' is the city's other English-language university, the largest east of Toronto, and has over 40,000 students. Though Concordia lacks a medical school and law school, it still has a world class business school and their arts and sciences programs are top tier. Its student population is generally more multicultural than McGill's and the school's origins in and continuing emphasis on adult education make it popular for mature students, since it holds many graduate-level courses at night. Both universities are research focused. The '''Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM)''' and the '''Université de Montréal''' cater mainly to Francophone students. The Université de Montréal is the second largest French-language university in the world, after the Sorbonne in [[Paris]] and is one of the largest research institutions in Canada. The Université de Montréal has two affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal (engineering), and HEC Montréal (business school) that offer undergraduate and graduate studies. '''Université Laval,''' '''Université de [[Sherbrooke]]''' and '''Universté du Québec à [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]]''' also have campuses in the Montreal area. Every university, with the exception of Laval, lends its name to a metro stop to indicate the university's approximate location. For example, the Guy-Concordia subway station, at the intersection of Rue Guy and boulevard de la Maisonneuve ouest, is no more than two minutes away from its namesake university (Concordia). ==Work== As Montreal is in the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration policies, those wishing to work in Montreal will have to go through two processes, once with the Quebec government, then finally with the Canadian government. If you are employed with a foreign company which has a Montreal office, you can seek a transfer. You can also seek a job with a Montreal employer and they can sponsor you for a temporary work visa. If you are a skilled worker (see CIC website) you can immigrate based on your own skills. French language ability is a requirement for most jobs, as businesses are required by provincial law to greet and serve clients in French. Jobs that do not require prior French language ability are mostly IT jobs, and academic jobs at Montreal's two Anglophone universities. The Quebec provincial government provides free French language courses for newly-arrived expatriates and immigrants who speak little to no French, and you are highly advised to sign up for one of these courses as soon as you arrive to aid your integration into society. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows skilled U.S. and Mexican professionals to obtain a Canadian work visa provided they are qualified in certain professions. The [http://www.amcits.com/professions.asp American Consular Services website] provides an up-to-date list of qualifying professions. If you are a U.S. citizen aged 18–30 and a full-time student, you can obtain a Canadian work visa valid for six months through [http://www.bunac.org/usa/workcanada/eligibility.aspx BUNAC]. Students from France, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia can also benefit from BUNAC work programs. As well, if you obtain a degree from a Canadian university, you are eligible to remain in Montreal and work for up to one year. For anyone else, the [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp Immigration Canada (CIC) website] explains a number of ways foreigners can legally work in Canada. Student jobs include babysitting, painting during the summer, and moving furniture in June. McGill and Montreal universities are always in search of research subjects and so are Montreal's many biotech firms. Montreal also has many call centres, which constantly seek to hire new employees and offer flexible working hours. ==Buy== [[File:Montreal DelicesdelErable.JPG|thumb|240px|Maple syrup in Old Montreal.]] Although Montreal's economy has been booming, the city remains remarkably affordable compared to other major cities in Canada and the United States. Shopping in Montreal ranges from eclectic budget stores to high-end fashion, with a wide spectrum in between. ===General=== Rue Ste-Catherine, between rue Guy and boulevard St-Laurent, has many of the big department and chain stores as well as a few major malls. Avenue Mont-Royal has funky consignment and gothic clothing stores from boulevard St-Laurent to rue Saint-Denis and a mixed bag of neighbourhood stores, used record shops, and gentrified boutiques heading east towards avenue Papineau. Rue St-Viateur is one of the city's most interesting streets, with its amazingly varied range of businesses crammed into the short stretch between Boulevard St-Laurent and Avenue du Parc. St-Laurent remains one of the city's prime shopping streets, more or less along its whole length. Just about anything can be found there, with different blocks having different clusters of businesses (Asian groceries and housewares near de La Gauchetière, cheap electronics a little farther up, hip boutiques between Prince-Arthur and Mount Royal, anything and everything Italian between Saint-Zotique and Jean-Talon). Rue Sherbrooke ouest, west of the Autoroute Décarie, has an increasingly interesting concentration of largely food-oriented businesses. Jean-Talon market, near the intersection of Jean-Talon and St-Laurent, has a wide variety of local produce and food products (maple syrup, cheese, etc.) at very good prices. For electronic stuff, the largest chain store is BestBuy. You can also find many smaller ones on Boulevard St-Laurent (between Ontario and Sherbrooke). ===Budget=== * {{buy | name=Village des Valeurs | alt= | url=http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/ | email= | address=2033 Pie IX | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Pie IX | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=They have shops inside and outside of Montreal }} * {{buy | name=Le coffre aux trésors "Chainon" | alt= | url=http://www.lechainon.org/en/ | email= | address=4375 Boulevard St Laurent | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Sherbrooke | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=L'Aubainerie Concept Mode | alt= | url=http://www.aubainerieconceptmode.com/ | email= | address=1490, av du Mont-Royal E | lat= | long= | directions=metro mont royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Friperie St. Laurent | alt= | url= | email= | address=Friperie St. Laurent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-842-3893 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * Some military equipment shops around St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine. For trekking and outdoor, you also have many options * {{buy | name=MEC | alt= | url=http://www.mec.ca/ | email= | address=8989, boulevard de l'Acadie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-788-5878 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mountain Equipment Co-op is a co-operative with staff who know the stores merchandise well. }} * {{buy | name=Altitude Sports | alt= | url=http://www.altitude-sports.com/ | email= | address=4140 Saint-Denis St. | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Mont-Royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=La cordée | alt= | url=http://www.lacordee.com/ | email= | address=rue Ste-Catherine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Kanuk | alt= | url=http://new.kanuk.com/ | email= | address=485 Rachel St E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== Trendier boutiques can be found on rue Saint-Denis, north of rue Sherbrooke and south of avenue Mont-Royal est, and on rue Saint-Laurent (continuing as far north as Bernard). The latter is becoming more upscale, so the range of shopping is highly variable and lower in density as one goes north of Mont-Royal. Rue Sherbrooke has a number of high-end stores (notably Holt Renfrew) and commercial art galleries in a short strip running approximately from McGill University west to rue Guy. Farther west, Sherbrooke intersects with Greene Avenue in Westmount, which has a short, but luxurious retail strip. Avenue Laurier, between St-Laurent and its western end, is one of the city's prime spots for eating and shopping in high style, though there are still a few affordable spots here and there. ===Furniture and antiques=== On boul. St-Laurent, a cluster of high-end home furnishing stores. It starts roughly at the corner of rue Marie-Anne and is very prominent in the block between rue Marie-Anne and avenue Mont-Royal, with sparser, but still interesting stores as far north as rue Saint Viateur. Antique buffs will find interesting stores all over the city, but they'll want to make a special pilgrimage to rue Notre-Dame Ouest, when you head east from avenue Atwater. Rue Amherst, in the Gay Village, also has a significant concentration of antique dealers. ==Eat== [[File:Sign WingsNouilles.JPG|thumb|240px|Wing's Chinese Noodles, Chinatown]] Montreal is a culinary mecca and has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to ''haute cuisine''. The city was ranked 2nd best dining city in North America<!-- By whom?--> after San Francisco and ahead of New York. The large local Jewish population has contributed local specialties including huge smoked meat sandwiches (beef brisket) (Schwartz's is undisputably the most authentic smoked meat restaurant) and small, crusty bagels (the undisputed classic bagel places are St-Viateur's and Fairmount Bagels). Other specialties are "all-dressed" pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers), pizza and spaghetti with smoked meat, and Québécois favourites like split pea soup and poutine. {{infobox|Poutine|[[File:Food Poutine Closeup.JPG|100px|right]] <br> No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine. This unique dish is a plate of french fries drowned in gravy and topped with chewy curds of white cheddar. There are variations on the theme — adding chicken, beef, vegetables, or sausage, or replacing the gravy with tomato sauce (''poutine italienne''). Every Montrealer has their favourite poutine restaurant where it says that you can get "the real stuff", but La Banquise, on the [[Montreal/Plateau#Eat|Plateau]] at 994 rue Rachel est, usually tops the list.}} Many Montreal restaurants are "apportez votre vin" (''bring your own wine''). This may sound like a hassle, but you end up paying much less for wine with dinner if you bring it yourself. There's usually a SAQ (government liquor store) or a ''dépanneur'' (convenience store, with a limited selection of typically inexpensive wine) nearby; ask your waiter where it is. Your waiter will open your wine for you; corkage fees are rare, but don't forget to factor this service into your tip so make sure to ask. If you are driving from the United States, you may find Canadian liquor prices quite frightening. Even the duty-free shops along the border are rarely cheaper than an American liquor store (although these are still cheaper than the SAQ). Visitors can bring in 40oz of hard alcohol, 1.5L of wine, or a 24-pack of beer. Separate bills (''l'addition'' or "facture" in French) are common and you may be asked ''ensemble ou séparément?'' (together or separately?) The standard tip for acceptable restaurant service is 15% and is not included. Never call a waiter "garçon"! Use "monsieur" or "madame". ===Montreal originals=== There are several Montreal original foods: *The Montreal-style bagel, where bagel worshippers flock to '''St-Viateur Bagel''' and '''Fairmount Bagel''', and pontificate about which is better. Both are within blocks of each other in the Plateau Mont-Royal district, on Saint-Viateur and Fairmount streets, respectively. *Montreal-style '''smoked meat''', a type of corned beef, distinct from other forms such as pastrami, is available at many restaurants, but by far the most highly esteemed is that available at '''Schwartz's''' on the Main (Boulevard Saint-Laurent) in the Plateau Mont-Royal district. Traditionally it's served as a sandwich, in heaping portions and slathered with mustard, but you'll also see it as a topping on pizza, poutine, hot dogs, or spaghetti, or even incorporated into Chinese-style egg rolls (a specialty of '''Chenoy's''', a local chain of delis). Other well-known local smoked meat restaurants include '''Main Deli Steak House''' (across the street from Schwartz's) and '''Lesters Deli''' (in Outremont). *Steamé (steamie), a steamed hotdog on steamed bun, with mustard, sauerkraut and onions. Some locations may replace sauerkraut with coleslaw. ===Ethnic restaurants=== As Montreal has a very ethnically diverse population, it has various quality ethnic restaurants. *Indian: The Indian community in Montreal is around Parc metro station where many Indian restaurants can be found. An example is Bombay Mahal. *Portuguese: Around Little Portugal, near the intersection of Saint-Laurent and Rachel. *Persian: An Iranian cafe-resto is Byblos cafe. *Arabic *Haitian *Chinese: Mainly in Chinatown (near Place d'Armes metro), and near the Anglophone universities. *Japanese: A Japanese non-sushi restaurant is Kazu. ===Markets=== To buy your own food or regional products, the public market at Jean-Talon, 7075 avenue Casgrain (metro Jean-Talon or De Castelnau), is the place to go. Open daily 08:00-18:00, the market is especially noteworthy for its selection of produce. Even though they're not strictly part of the market, the many stores lining it on the north and south sides complete it wonderfully with superb selections of cheese, meat, and just about anything edible. The surrounding streets are heavily Italian-flavoured and have excellent grocery stores, butchers, bakeries, and restaurants. Across town, the Atwater Market is also superb, though quite different from (and much smaller than) Jean-Talon. Here, you'll find the city's best butchers, and good selections of cheese, fish, and produce. It is on avenue Atwater, just south of rue Notre-Dame Lionel-Groulx station ===Restaurants=== Montreal claims to have the most restaurants per capita in North America. With delis and bakeries and diners galore, Montreal offers great budget dining. Venues are scattered all over the city, but the largest concentration of restaurants is along boul Saint-Laurent, rue Saint-Denis and ave du Mont-Royal in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. Tasty and cheap ethnic food, lots of Indian buffets, can be found around the [[Montreal/Mile End|Jean-Talon market]]. Two Montreal classics, poutine and the smoked meat sandwich, can make a filling meal for under $10. Pizza by the slice can be had for a toonie ($2), and there's always the option of rolling your own picnic with fresh produce from Atwater Market or Jean-Talon Market. Several kosher restaurants can be found within a few blocks of each other on Queen Mary road not far from the Snowdon Métro station in and boul Décarie near Villa-Maria-des-Neiges in [[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]]. The other greatest concentration of kosher food in along Bernard in [[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]]. Smoked-meat and sausage poutine aside, Montreal is vegetarian-friendly with several veggie and vegan restaurants and veggie options on most menus. Montreal has excellent ice cream parlours, many of which make their own ice cream. There are also restaurants dedicated to desserts. ===Restaurant chains=== Local restaurant chains that travellers might not be familiar with, with various locations throughout the city, include: *{{eat | name=Brasserie La Cage | alt= | url=https://www.cage.ca/en/home | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and grill. Great place to watch Montreal Canadiens hockey games, the atmosphere gets crazy during the NHL playoffs! }} *{{eat | name=Les Trois Brasseurs | alt=The Three Brewers | url=http://les3brasseurs.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Microbrewery with a pub-style menu and a European flair. }} * {{eat | name=Juliette et chocolat | url=http://www.julietteetchocolat.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Specialised in chocolate desserts and famed for its very rich drinking chocolate. }} * {{eat | name=Rockaberry | url=http://www.rockaberry.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Enormous portions of cakes, pies, crumbles and brownies. }} * {{eat | name=Copper Branch | url=http://www.copperbranch.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Vegan chain serving sandwiches, wraps, soups and some desserts. }} ===Alternate=== If you are really on budget, there are a few community restaurants (like [http://www.chicrestopop.com/restaurant-communautaire/ Chicrestopop]) which serve very cheap meals. Usually these locations are reserved for the homeless. If you are staying in Montreal, there are several collective cooking locations where a group of people cook larger portions to freeze and stock for worker's lunch breaks. ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} The legal age to purchase alcohol in Quebec is 18 and the Québécois are now much more rigid in enforcing this age limit. All retail alcohol sales stop at 23:00 and bars and clubs stop serving at 03:00. Quality wine and liquor (but only a small selection of imported beers) can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open until 18:00 Sunday to Wednesdays and 20:00 or 21:00 on other days; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. Beer and a small selection of lower-quality wine are also sold at convenience stores (dépanneurs) and grocery stores. Some supermarkets have partnered with the SAQ to offer a few selection bottles, so if you are caught outside business hours or are in a hurry, places like ''IGA Extra'' and ''Métro'' generally offer a better variety of wine than the local ''dépanneur''. The selection of beer to be found in grocery stores and even the humble corner store have exploded in the last decade in and around greater Montreal. Two micro-breweries in particular are world-class: ''McAuslan'' (brands include St-Ambroise and Griffon) and ''Unibroue'' (Belgian-style ales such as Blanche de Chambly, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, and simpler, more affordable U lagers). ''Boréale'' makes a good, if unspectacular range of brews, while ''Rickard's'' and ''Alexander Keith's'' domestics are gaining popularity among locals. Most stores also sell a few major imports such as Stella Artois, Sapporo, Guinness, Leffe and of course, Heineken. ===Bars=== Montreal has three main strips for bar-hopping. Rue Crescent, in the western part of [[Montreal/Downtown|downtown]], caters mostly to Anglophones and tourists. It tends to be trendy and expensive. On the edge of the bar-heavy [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], Boulevard Saint-Laurent gets extremely busy when McGill and Concordia students are back in town for a new session. Between rue Sherbrooke and avenue des Pins you'll find trendy clubs and bars with more of a Francophone clientele. Farther up St-Laurent, it's relatively downscale and linguistically mixed. Rue Saint-Denis, between rue Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve, is the strip with the strongest Francophone feel. There are also many good bars away from the main strips, like on Avenue Mont-Royal, and even nowadays on Rue Masson et Rue Ontario in the eastern part of town. You should never have to line up to go have a drink, because there's virtually an unlimited choice. Depending on the day of the week, the best events vary. For example, on Tuesday you should go to Les Foufounes Électriques for cheap beer and a unique experience in a Montréal institution. ===Dance clubs=== Dance clubs can be found all over the downtown area, with hotspots on boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Crescent. * {{drink | name=Time Supper Club | alt= | url=http://www.timesupperclub.com/ | email= | address=997 rue St Jacques | lat=45.49717 | long=-73.56468 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The first Supper Club in the city, Time Supper Club starts as a restaurant and slowly turns into a night club. }} *'''Saphir''', 3699 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Goth and punk nights on two floors. *'''La Boom''', 1254 rue Stanley. One of the trendiest club in Montreal. Be well-dressed and have a well-dressed wallet. *'''Cafe Campus''', 57 rue Prince-Arthur est. Best known for its Tuesday night $7 pitchers, retro music, and lack of memories. *'''Club Tokyo''', 3709 St-Laurent. Dress to impress. Offers various rooms with comfortable couches and an outdoor terrasse. Plays a mix of club music/retro/hip hop that will keep you dancing all night long. *'''Muzique''' 3781 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Montreal's new high-end destination, 2 rooms and a rooftop patio overlooking Mount Royal * {{drink | name=La Tulipe | alt= | url= | email= | address=4530 Papineau Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===After-hours clubs=== After-hours clubs, for those who aren't tired out by 03:00, are open to 10:00. They do not, by law, serve alcohol at this time. * {{drink | name=Stereo | alt= | url=http://www.stereo-nightclub.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=858 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mainly plays house music and occasionally trance/techno. Stereo was once voted #5 of the top 10 clubs in the world by Muzik magazine, as it has welcomed several of the top DJs from around the world. The venue is known to have one of the best sound systems in North America. The crowd is mostly gay/lesbian depending on the night, the age ranges between 20-35, and is often at full capacity. A great place to end the night if you're still not tired after 02:00. }} * {{drink | name=Circus | alt= | url=http://www.circusafterhours.com/ | email= | address=915 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Electronica and hip-hop. A luxuriously decorated after-hour in Montreal. Lots of space and hidden corners. The crowd is a bit younger (18-25), and doesn't always pack to full capacity. The venue has welcomed a number of big DJs. }} ===Karaoke=== * {{drink | name=Pang Pang Karaoke Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=1226 rue Mackay | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-938-8886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very comfy rooms in a range of sizes can be hired by the hour. }} * {{drink | name=K-Karaoke | alt= | url= | email= | address=2110 Rue Crescent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-903-7799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large rooms with clean decoration. }} * {{drink | name=K-100 | alt= | url= | email= | address=1231, rue Sainte-Catherine O | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-284-4288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Many rooms. Can be hired by the hour or at a happy hour rate. }} ===Gay and lesbian=== Montreal has as many gay and lesbian bars as San Francisco. Every October on Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the U.S.) hosts the "Black and Blue" circuit party, attracting thousands to enjoy the thrill of harder dance music and hordes of pretty, shirtless men. Most popular gay bars can be found in the city's [[Montreal/Gay Village|Gay Village]], on the eastern stretch of Ste-Catherine and easily accessible by the Beaudry metro, between Amherst and Papineau. '''Unity''', '''Apollon''', and '''Sky''' are the dance club favourites, while Cabaret Mado offers excellent drag performances. There are also pubs, male strippers, restaurants, saunas, and karaoke in the area. The four main stripper bars are '''Stock''', '''Campus''', '''Taboo''', and '''Adonis'''. The most popular sauna is '''Oasis'''. ==Sleep== For the budget traveller, Montreal offers youth hostels with dorms or private rooms and budget bed and breakfasts (sometimes with very skimpy breakfasts). The densest collection of budget hotels are in the [[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village#Sleep|Latin Quarter]], in the streets east of Berri-UQAM metro and the intercity bus station. [[Montreal/Old Montreal#Sleep|Old Montreal]] has a couple of quality hostels, but you'll pay more to be there. Montreal is also the city with the most [[hospitality exchange|Couch Surfing]] members, so it is easy to find a hospitable local host for a few nights. Mid-range options include [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] chain hotels to "gîtes", guest houses that range from a single room in an apartment to elegant historic homes with three to five rooms. Gîtes are usually found in the more residential neighbourhoods like the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. On the upper-end, four and five-star luxury and boutique hotels are mostly concentrated in [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] and [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]]. Montreal is home to four major universities and numerous smaller schools. Students routinely sublet apartments in the summer months. ==Connect== ===Phone=== Montreal has four area codes: the long-standing 514, the newer 438, 450 and 579 for surrounding, off-island areas. The area code must be used for all calls: even if it's the same one you're calling from and even if calling next door. For example, calling a 514 number from within 514, use "[tel:514-123-4567 514-123-4567]". Dialling the same number long-distance would be [tel:1-514-123-4567 1-514-123-4567]. ===Internet=== Photocopy shops often have internet terminals available, as do many cafés and some bookstores. The Bell phone company has installed public internet terminals (cash or credit cards) in McGill and Berri-UQAM metro stations. There are also long-standing cyber/internet cafés (minus the café part) such as ''Battelnet 24'' at many locations in Montreal including one at mezzanine level in the rue Guy entrance of Guy-Concordia metro. Of course, free internet access is the ''best'' kind of internet. The organization [http://zap.coop/ Île Sans Fil] provides free wireless internet in cafés and other locations throughout the city. Look for the sticker outside participating venues. The Eaton Centre downtown offers free wireless access in the food court. Also, the Grande Bibliothèque (Great Library) has many free Internet terminals: you can get a library card (free to Québec residents with proof of address) to use it there. ===Mail=== Red Canada Post mailboxes are found along most main streets. Post offices are often inside pharmacies: look for the Canada Post logo. ==Stay safe== For emergencies call '''9-1-1'''. Although Montreal is Canada's second largest city, it shares Canada's low violent crime rates making it relatively safe. However, property crimes, including car theft, are remarkably high: make sure to lock your doors and keep your valuables with you. Take extra care if you want to visit Montréal-Nord or Saint-Michel. These neighbourhoods are the worst of the city and shootings are not unheard of in these areas. There is, however, little for tourists to do and they are unlikely to enter by accident. Part of Montreal's Sainte-Catherine downtown corridor is arguably the grittiest part of the city, especially east of Place des Arts. There are homeless people panhandling during the summer and fall. Although most of them are polite, there are some that are more aggressive. Avoid individuals wandering on the streets that appear intoxicated. The street is at its most dangerous around 03:00 when closing clubs and bars empty their drunken crowds into the street. You may also come across occasional pockets of street prostitution, especially around strip clubs. In Montreal, [[pickpockets]] are not very common, but keep an eye on things when watching street performances in the Old City or in other crowds. If you are concerned about safety on the metro, use the first metro car where the driver is. Emergency intercoms are on every metro car. Emergency phone booths are on every platform throughout the metro system, which is generally safe. While written instructions are in both English and French, most announcements (usually about delays) are in French only so if you think you heard something in the announcement that may affect you, just try asking a fellow passenger for a translation. The STM offers a "between stops" (''entre deux arrêts'') service that allows women travelling alone at night to get off the bus between two regularly designated stops if the bus driver feels they can stop the bus safely. Pedestrians and bike-riders should be especially careful. Crosswalks are rarely respected. Motorists have a general contempt for pedestrians, especially when they are trying to make a right turn at an intersection. Wasps are a considerable menace during the height of summer. Consider carrying vinegar on your person in case of stings to help neutralize the sting. Otherwise, see below if you are allergic for the nearest hospital. ===Weather=== Montreal is often icy and cold in winter, be careful by dressing appropriately for the conditions and be mindful of ice or snow anytime you are driving or walking. Street clearing of snow is generally effective. Summers are warm to hot and can be quite humid. Being surrounded by rivers adds to this effect. ===Hospital=== The closest hospital to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is the Lakeshore General Hospital at 160 avenue Stillview in Pointe-Claire. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) The Montreal General Hospital is at 1650 avenue Cedar. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-934-1934 +1 514-934-1934]) The McGill University Hospital (Glen site) ([https://muhc.ca/ MUHC]) is at 1001 Decarie Boulevard ([tel:+1-514&#x20;934-1934 +1-514 934-1934]). The [http://jgh.ca/en/home Jewish General Hospital] is at 3755 rue Côte Ste-Catherine. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-340-8222 +1 514-340-8222]) If you do not have Quebec Health Insurance, be prepared to pay by credit card at the door as it does not accept traveller's insurance (but you will be reimbursed when you return home). ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) Several hospitals offer service in French and English. ==Cope== ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | url=http://www.mfa.gov.eg/english/embassies/Egyptian_Consulate_Canada/Pages/default.aspx | email=egypt.consulate@videotron.ca | address=1000 De La Gauchetiere Ouest | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 866-8455 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 866-0835 | hours=09:00-15:30| price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.grconsulatemtl.net | email=info@grconsulatemtl.net | address=1170 Place du Frere Andre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 875-2119 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 875-8781 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | url=http://montreal.mae.ro/ | email=montreal.cg@mae.ro | address=să: 1010 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, bureau 610, etaj 6, H3A 2R7 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 876 1792, +1 514 876 1095 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 876 1797 | hours= | price= | content=General consulate }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/montreal/ | email=usconsulatemtl@state.gov; Montreal-ACS@state.gov | address=1155 rue Saint-Alexandre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 398-9695 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 398-0973 | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Newspapers=== [http://montrealgazette.com/ ''The Gazette''] is the city's English-language daily. If you have some French, hit the [http://www.voir.ca voir.ca] website for good restaurant reviews and an overview of what is happening. ==Respect== {{See also|Quebec#Talk|Quebec#Respect|French phrasebook}} As in the rest of [[Quebec]], language politics and Quebec sovereignty are contentious issues in Montreal. Don't make the assumption that all French Canadians are in favour of Quebec's separation from Canada as many (especially in bilingual Montreal) are against it. If you really want to discuss those topics with locals, be sure you are well-informed. It is still safer to avoid the subject, as it is still a very emotional issue. Use common sense and be respectful. The main language in Montreal, as in the rest of Quebec, is French. Making an attempt to use the language is a great way to show respect for locals, whether or not they can speak English, even if you can manage only a few words with a very strong accent. However, Montreal is considered to be one of the world's most bilingual cities with many residents whose primary language is English, and you will often hear locals code switching between French and English when having a conversation. In case of doubt, you may want to open with a warm "Bonjour!" (''Good day'') and see what language is used in response. Most likely you will be answered in English, if your French accent does not sound local. Don't be offended if you are trying to speak French and locals respond to you in English. Since most Montrealers speak both French and English, they are simply trying to make things easier for you. Many people working in the tourist and service industries are completely bilingual without accents. But don't make jokes about French people (especially since Francophones in Montreal are mostly Québécois with a few Acadiens and Franco-Ontariens, all of whom consider themselves different from the French from France and from one another). Also, do not assume that all Québécois are Francophones. Montreal has a significant English-speaking community with a long history in Quebec and many immigrants whose first language is neither English nor French ("Allophones"). ==Go next== Montreal makes an excellent entryway for visiting other cities and destinations in [[Quebec]] and the northern [[United States of America|United States]]. You will have to pass the border control if you go to the US, and arm yourself with the appropriate visas and papers. Add at least one extra hour for the border control. * The [[Adirondacks]] are a 2½-hour drive to the south. These mountains make up the largest park in the contiguous US and offer outdoor activities like hiking, rafting and skiing. * [[Boston]] is a 5-hour drive to the southeast. * [[Mont Tremblant]] lies less than two hours north in the [[Laurentides]]. * The [[Eastern Townships]] are two to three hours straight east. * The Laurentians and in the Eastern Townships between December and March offer good downhill skiing. There are some very good night-skiing centres such as Ski Bromont and Mont-St-Sauveur. * The [[Monteregie]] townships, a short drive east of Montreal. * [[New York City]] is a 6½-hour drive directly south. * [[Ottawa]] is two hours west by car. * [[Quebec City]], about 3 hours to the north east on Highway 40, is almost but not quite a day trip. You'll want to stay over, anyway. * [[Tadoussac]], about 6 hours away by car, has great whale-watching * [[Toronto]] is more distant, but still a doable 6-hour drive (or a faster 4½-hour train trip). {{routebox | placename=Montreal (intercity rail) | image1=VIA Rail Ocean icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1= | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Sainte-Foy]] | minorr1=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image2=VIA Rail Montreal Quebec icon.png | imagesize2=100 | link2=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Ottawa]] | minorl2=[[Dorval]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Quebec City]] | minorr2=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image3=VIA Rail Toronto Montreal icon.png | imagesize3=100 | link3=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Toronto]] | minorl3=[[Montreal/West Island|Dorval]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 02.png | imagesize4=100 | image4a=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 01.png | imagesize4a=100 | directionl4=&nbsp;N | majorl4=[[Shawinigan]] | minorl4=Anjou | directionr4=S | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=Amtrak Adirondack icon.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[New York City]] | minorr5=[[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] → [[Champlain and Rouses Point|Rouses Point]] }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (regional rail) | image1=Mtl Train CA.png | imagesize1=75 | caption1=AMT Candiac Line | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=Candiac | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=Mtl Train DM.png | imagesize2=75 | caption2=AMT Deux-Montagnes Line | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2=Deux-Montagnes | directionr2=E | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Mtl Train MA.png | imagesize3=75 | caption3=AMT Mascouche Line | directionl3=&nbsp;N | majorl3=Mascouche | minorl3=[[Repentigny]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=Mtl Train SH.png | imagesize4=75 | caption4=AMT Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line | directionl4=W | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Mont-Saint-Hilaire]] | minorr4=[[Longueuil]] | image5=Mtl Train SJ.png | imagesize5=75 | caption5=AMT Saint-Jérôme Line | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=[[Saint-Jérôme]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] | directionr5=S | majorr5=END | minorr5= | image6=Mtl Train VH.png | imagesize6=75 | caption6=AMT Vaudreuil–Hudson Line | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] | minorl6=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=END | minorr6= }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (road) | image1=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | link1=Trans-Canada Highway | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Ottawa]] | minorl1=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] ← [[File:Quebec Autoroute 40.svg|16px|link=]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr1=[[File:Quebec Autoroute 25.svg|16px|link=]] → [[Longueuil]] | image2=Quebec Autoroute 10.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Sherbrooke]] | minorr2=[[Brossard]] | image3=Quebec Autoroute 15.svg | imagesize3=22 | image3a=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | imagesize3a=22 | link3=Trans-Canada Highway | directionl3=N | majorl3=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl3=[[Laval]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Albany (New York)|Albany]] | minorr3='''[[File:Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg|16px|link=]] ENDS''' → [[Brossard]] → Becomes [[File:I-87.svg|18px|link=]] | image4=Quebec Autoroute 20.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] | minorl4=Becomes [[File:Ontario 401.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] | minorr4=[[Brossard]] | image5=Quebec Autoroute 25.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Terrebonne]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] ← (toll bridge) | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px]] | minorr5=[[Longueuil]] | image6=Quebec Autoroute 40.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Ottawa]] | minorl6=Becomes [[File:Ontario 417.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=[[Quebec City]] | minorr6=[[Trois-Rivières]] | image7=Qc117.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=W | majorl7=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl7=[[Laval]] | directionr7=E | majorr7=END | minorr7= | image8=Qc138.svg | imagesize8=22 | directionl8=W | majorl8=[[Malone (New York)|Malone]] | minorl8=becomes [[File:NY-30.svg|18px|link=]] ← [[Huntingdon (Quebec)|Huntingdon]] | directionr8=E | majorr8=[[Quebec City]] | minorr8=[[Trois-Rivières]] }} {{related|UNESCO_Creative_Cities}} {{geo|45.5|-73.6|zoom=11}} {{IsPartOf|Southwestern Quebec}} {{usablecity}} mdz920fjkoanrwnqjd436xd2fyp68rz 4501950 4501949 2022-08-16T07:26:15Z Rosspotter 2274401 add links wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|Montreal banner Twilight.jpg|caption=A panoramic view of Montreal from the top of Mount Royal}} {{printDistricts}} '''[https://www.mtl.org/en Montreal]''' ([[French]]: ''Montréal'') is the largest city in the Canadian province of [[Quebec]]. While Quebec City is the capital, Montreal is the cultural and economic centre, and the main entry point to the province. With 1.7 million citizens in the city and 4 million in the urban area, Montreal is Canada's second largest city, and the largest francophone city in the Americas. Still, around 12% of the population speak English as a mother language, and most Francophones are conversant in English to varying degrees of fluency. [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] has a heritage of colonial times. Though a large city, Montreal gives opportunities for [[outdoor life]], and for watching the legendary Montréal Canadiens ice hockey team. ==Districts== ===Central Montreal=== ====Ville-Marie borough==== Neighbourhoods from west to east: {{Regionlist | regionmap=Wikivoyage_Montreal_district_map.png | regionmaptext=Montreal districts map | regionmapsize=440px | region1name=[[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] | region1color=#FC57DA | region1items= | region1description=Skyscrapers, shopping, museums, and the Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] | region2color=#11F5CC | region2items= | region2description=The historic riverfront Old Town and Old Port manages to retain a quaint feel despite being mobbed by hordes of tourists. | region3name=[[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village|Quartier Latin-Le Village]] | region3color=#8783A5 | region3items= | region3description=Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, pubs near UQAM in the Quartier Latin, gay bars and clubs in Le Village, and the working-class neighbourhood of Sainte-Marie. | region4name=[[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] | region4color=#ACC492 | region4items= | region4description=The islands of Île Sainte-Helene and Île Notre-Dame and the Montreal Casino. |regionInteractiveMap=map1|regionmapLat=45.5520|regionmapLong=-73.6953|regionmapZoom=10}} ====Plateau Mont-Royal district==== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Plateau|The Plateau]] | region1color=#E9AFAE | region1items= | region1description=Trendy area north of downtown and east of Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Mile-End|Mile End]] | region2color=#066CF2 | region2items= | region2description=Bagels, restaurants, coffee shops, the Rialto Theatre, and boutiques. }} ===Other Montreal districts and Montreal Island towns=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie|Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie]] | region1color=#DA6D7A | region1items= | region1description=Little Italy and Jean-Talon market. | region2name=[[Montreal/Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce|Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce]] | region2color=#6997A5 | region2items= | region2description=The upscale anglophone enclave of Westmount and the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. | region3name=[[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] | region3color=#AB5D8F | region3items= | region3description=Olympic Park, Botanical Gardens. | region4name=[[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]] | region4color=#73B27B | region4items= | region4description=Multicultural neighbourhood northwest of the mountain. | region5name=[[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]] | region5color=#C86E2A | region5items= | region5description=Upscale francophone neighbourhood. | region6name=[[Montreal/South West|South West]] | region6color=#CC9241 | region6items= | region6description=Including Lachine canal, Atwater Market (a must!), gentrifying St. Henri, and the emerging culinary hot-spot, Petite-Bourgogne. | region7name=[[Montreal/Verdun|Verdun]] | region7color=#4F93C0 | region7items= | region7description=Quiet neighbourhood with emerging cuisine scene and activities along the river. }} ===Elsewhere on the island=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/West Island|West Island]] | region1color=#D5DB76 | region1items= | region1description=the western part of the island of Montreal. It is mainly a residential suburb of the city of Montreal. It is the location of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport and McGill University's MacDonald Campus. The residents are mostly English speakers (or "anglophones"), in contrast to the mostly French speaking residents of the rest of Montreal (excluding Westmount). (About 55% of the population is anglophone, 20% is francophone, and 25% is "other".) | region2name=[[Montreal/North Island|North Island]] | region2color=#B383B3 | region2items= | region2description= | region3name=[[Montreal/East End|East End]] | region3color=#00FF02 | region3items= | region3description=composed of the Montreal boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Anjou, and the City of Montréal-Est }} ==Understand== [[File:Old_Port_of_Montreal_(French-_Vieux-Port_de_Montréal).jpg|thumb|280px|Montreal Old Port]] [[File:Place d'Armes August 2017 02.jpg|alt=|thumb|200x200px|Place d'Armes in Old Montreal]] On an island in the St. Lawrence River at the historically highest navigable point, Montreal has been a strategic location since before the arrival of Europeans in Canada. A thriving Iroquoian town called Hochelaga was on the site of present-day Montreal when explorer Jacques Cartier first visited in 1535. In 1642, the tiny town of Ville-Marie was founded as a Catholic mission by Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. It soon became a centre of the fur trade. After its capture by the English in 1762, Montreal remained (until the 1970s) the most important city in Canada and was briefly capital of the province in the 1840s. Prohibition on sales of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s made Montreal a destination for cross-border fun seekers from nearby New England and New York. The city built up a seedy, yet playful, industry in alcohol, burlesque, and other vices. In the 1960s, an urban renewal drive centred on Expo 67. The World's Fair in Montreal brought a subway system (the métro) and attractive urban parks and is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs. Over 50 million visitors gathered in Montreal during this memorable summer. The 1976 Olympics left a strikingly idiosyncratic stadium and many other urban improvements. The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, though much-lauded as an economic boom, spelled the beginning of the end for Montreal's economic dominance in Canada. Once the transition point between western railways and eastern sea carriers, Montreal watched helplessly as some of this business moved farther west, up the now navigable seaway, to ports in Ontario and on Lake Superior. The Quebec sovereignty movement, which began to pick up steam in the 1960s, further chilled the atmosphere for Canada-wide businesses, many of which moved their headquarters to Toronto. Following an economic depression in the 1980s and 1990s, Montreal became more secure in its place in North America and the world. It remains a centre of culture, arts, computer technology, aerospace, the biotech industry, and media for all of Canada. ===Orientation=== [[File:Montreal WV.png|thumb|200px|right|As the world sees Montreal - Assuming north is up]] [[File:montreal rt.png|thumb|200px|right|As we see ourselves - Assuming north is up]] ''It has been said that Montréal is the only city in the world where the sun "rises in the south"''. Montrealers use an unconventional compass, using the river and the mountain as cardinal points. When you are downtown, the St Lawrence River is “south” and Mount Royal is “north”; making the West Island and the East End correct in both their names and orientations. This tends to confuse visitors because the “East” End is really north and the “South” Shore is east, and the St Lawrence River runs almost north-south at this location. Most local maps use this convention as do the highways around the city. For example, Autoroute 15 north actually runs northwest and Autoroute 40 east runs northeast. To underscore this fact, a Montreal map will show that the "south end" of Victoria Bridge is in fact further north than the "north end". ===Gay Montreal=== Montreal is an extremely inviting destination for gay and lesbian tourists. Canada's contributions to gay rights have become widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions (although [[Toronto]] was the first municipality in Canada to do so). Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec (neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage licence, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence) as it is in the rest of Canada. Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses. The métro station in the Gay Village, Beaudry, is marked with rainbow pillars. '''Montreal's pride celebration''' (last week of July, first week of August) is the second-largest in Canada after [[Toronto]]'s. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Metric | janhigh = -5 | febhigh = -3 | marhigh = 3 | aprhigh = 12 | mayhigh = 19 | junhigh = 24 | julhigh = 26 | aughigh = 25 | sephigh = 21 | octhigh = 13 | novhigh = 6 | dechigh = -1 | janlow = -14 | feblow = -12 | marlow = -7 | aprlow = 1 | maylow = 8 | junlow = 13 | jullow = 16 | auglow = 15 | seplow = 10 | octlow = 4 | novlow = -2 | declow = -9 | janprecip = 77 | febprecip = 63 | marprecip = 69 | aprprecip = 82 | mayprecip = 81 | junprecip = 87 | julprecip = 89 | augprecip = 94 | sepprecip = 83 | octprecip = 91 | novprecip = 96 | decprecip = 87 | description = See the Montreal 7 day forecast at [http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/qc-147_metric_e.html Environment Canada] {{dead link|December 2020}} }} The climate of Montreal is a true humid continental climate with 4 distinct seasons. The city has warm—and occasionally hot & humid—summers, generally mild springs and autumns, and often very cold & snowy winters. Montreal gets over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Precipitation is moderate throughout the year, with around 2 metres of snow per season. ===Visitor information=== * {{listing | name=Centre Infotouriste de Montréal | alt= | url=https://www.quebecoriginal.com/en/listing/tourist-information/offices/centre-infotouriste-de-montreal-1971117 | email=info@bonjourquebec.com | address=1255 rue Peel, bureau 100 | lat= | long= | directions=At rue Sainte-Catherine; metro Peel | phone=+1 514 873-2015 | tollfree=+1-877-266-5687 | fax= | hours=Apr 1-May 7: 09:09-17:00; May 8-Oct 4: 09:00-18:00; Oct 5-Mar 31: 09:00-17:00; Closed: Dec 25 & Jan 1 | price= | lastedit=2015-07-21 | content= }} ==Get in== {{IATA|YMQ}} is used as the metropolitan area airport code for the airport and rail station. ===By plane=== ==== Airport ==== {{marker|type=go|name=Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport|url=https://www.admtl.com/en|lat=45.4581|long=-73.7520}} ({{IATA|YUL}}) ({{phone|+1 514-633-3333}} / {{phone|+1 800-465-1213}} ), also known to locals as Dorval Airport, is west of the city centre on Expressway (''Autoroute'') 20. Travel time to the airport from the city centre can be as much as an hour, depending on traffic. ==== Destinations ==== ===== Direct flights from within [[Canada]] ===== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 4 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 4 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Moncton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 45 minutes * From [[Rouyn-Noranda]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1 hour * From [[Saskatoon]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 1.25 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.5 hours ===== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ===== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 2-2.25 hours * From [[Dallas]] ([[Texas]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York)]] - 1.5 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.75-2 hours ===== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ===== * From [[Mexico City]] ([[Mexico]]) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Saint-Pierre]] ([[France]]) - 3.5 hours. ===== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ===== * From [[Athens]] ([[Greece]]) - 10 hours * From [[Barcelona]] ([[Spain]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 7.50-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 7.75-8 hours * From [[Geneva]] ([[Switzerland]]) - 8.25 hours * From [[Lisbon]] ([[Portugal]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Munich]] (Germany) - 8 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 8.75 hours * From [[Zurich]] (Switzerland) - 8.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ===== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11 hours * From [[Casablanca]] ([[Morocco|Morrocco]]) - 7.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ===== * From [[Doha]] ([[Qatar]]) - 13.25 hours * From [[Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12.25 hours ==== Airlines ==== Canadian airlines operating to YUL in Montreal: * {{listing | name=Air Canada | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-393-3333 | tollfree=+1-888-247-2262 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Some flights from Toronto arrive from Toronto Pearson International Airport and some from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Air Creebec|url=https://www.aircreebec.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-567-6567|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Regional airline operating primarily in [[Northern Ontario]] and [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{listing|name=Air Inuit|alt=|url=http://www.airinuit.com/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-361-2965|fax=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2017-02-03|content=Operates flights from communities in [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights from vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{listing|name=Canadian North|alt=|url=https://canadiannorth.com/|email=contact@canadiannorth.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-267-1247|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline primarily operating flights in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], and flights from that region to a few large cities in Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Pascan Aviation|url=https://www.pascan.com/|email=info@pascan.com|phone=+1-450-443-0500|tollfree=+1-888-313-8777|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=A regional airline operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Labrador]].}} * {{Listing|name=PAL Airlines|url=https://www.palairlines.ca|email=reservations@palairlines.ca|tollfree=+1-800-563-2800|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=One of the largest regional airlines operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Atlantic Canada]], and to [[Ottawa]].}} * {{listing | name=Porter Airlines | alt= | url=https://www.flyporter.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-619-8622 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Operates flights in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[Atlantic Canada]], and some flights from the [[United States of America]]. Ots turboprop plane flights from [[Toronto]] leave from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The airline's jet plane flights and flights by all other airlines almost exclusively leave from Toronto Pearson International Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} Other airlines: * {{Listing|name=Air Saint-Pierre|url=http://airsaintpierre.com|phone=+508-41-00-00|tollfree=+1-877-277-7765|lastedit=2022-04-29|content=Operates flights from [[Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]], two small islands that are a territorial overseas collectivity of [[France]], located just south of Newfoundland.}} The airport is served by all major airlines from the [[United States of America]]. ==== Lounges ==== Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport has the following airport lounges: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@montreal|address=Domestic departures: between Gates 1 and 3; US Transborder departures: between Gates 72 and 73; International departures: near Gate 52|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Air France / KLM Lounge|url=https://wwws.airfrance.us/information/prepare/salons/yul|address=International departures: between Gates 55 and 57|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Desjardins Odyssey Lounge|url=https://www.desjardins.com/ca/personal/goals-life-events/travel/odyssey-lounge/index.jsp|address=International departures: Gate 63|lastedit=2022-08-16}} * {{Listing|name=Montreal National Bank Lounge|url=https://www.nbc.ca/personal/mastercard-credit-cards/lounge.html|address=International departures: near Gate 53|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} ==== Ground transportation ==== ===== Public transit ===== '''[https://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/bus/shuttle/747-yul-montreal-trudeau-airport-downtown-shuttle STM Airport Express bus 747]''' offers service between the airport and Montreal 24 hours a day. A single fare will cost $11 (exact change in coins only when paid in the bus, as of July 2022) and includes unlimited use of the STM bus and metro network for the following 24 hours. There's a machine that takes credit cards inside the arrivals area where you can purchase fares (including a three-day pass for $21.25). To get to the bus stop leave the arrivals area and go to the right. There is an area to line up for the 747 buses. The bus will stop at Lionel-Groulx metro station, and some buses continue to various downtown stops (the bus's marquee will state which). It is possible to go downtown by the cheaper regular '''public transit system'''. Late at night, it is all right, but during peak hours, you will need to complete several transfers with potentially crowded vehicles, so it is really only best to do so only if you are on a very low budget and/or have very light baggage. Between 05:00 and 01:00, take [https://www.stm.info/en STM] bus 204 east (''est'') which leaves from outside arrivals every 30 min to ''Gare Dorval'' (Dorval Train Station). Check that the driver is not going west (''ouest'') as both ways are served from almost the same place, and the sign does not say. You can also use the 209 on weekdays to get to Gare Dorval. Also, be sure to keep the ticket that the driver will give you as it is a transfer which you will need later. From Gare Dorval, use your transfer ticket to catch any one of buses 211, 411, 405, 425, or 485 to Lionel-Groulx metro station. Also make sure it is going east as the same routes go west too. Your transfer will then let you into the metro. Take the Montmorency-bound orange line or the Honoré-Beaugrand-bound green line into downtown on the metro. It costs $3.50 (July 2022), but exact change in coins only must be provided to the first driver. Between 05:00 and 01:00, for the same price ($3.50, exact change in coins only, July 2022), take bus 356 (again, check that the driver is going east, not west) directly into downtown via Sherbrooke. This bus runs relatively close to most downtown hotels. However, if needed, a transfer can be completed to access the rest of the city. See the STM's trip planner or Google Maps for more details. At ''Gare Dorval'' it is also possible to catch the [https://exo.quebec/en/trip-planner/train/vaudreuil%E2%80%93hudson Exo] commuter rail to downtown (Direction Lucien L'Allier), during the day from 06:00 to 20:00 for a single one-way fare of $6, leading to the downtown station of ''Lucien L'Allier'' which is also atop the Lucien L'Allier metro station. ===== Taxi ===== The '''taxi''' fare to and from downtown is a fixed price of $41 (a sticker on the window behind the driver gives the boundaries of the zone where the flat fare applies; if you are going from or to places outside this zone, you will have to pay a metered fare with a minimum rate of $17.45). ==== Ride hailing ==== Ride hailing rides are only permitted by booking the ride on an app, and pick ups are only permitted at Door 6 on the Departures level and Door 20 on the Arrivals level. Ride hailing is available from: * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/airports/yul/|lastedit=2022-08-15|content=}} ==== Train ==== {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-989-2626 | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Offers free shuttle connects the airport with Dorval station, located 2.5 km drove away. Intercity train routes between Montreal and the following terminus stations stop at this station: [[Ottawa]], [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquière]], [[Senneterre]], and [[Toronto]]. }} ==== Car rental ==== The following car rental companies serve the YUL: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1 514-633-1222|tollfree=+1-800-462-5266|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-1902|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-0052|tollfree=+1-800-268-8970|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar|url=https://www.dollarcanada.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-800-4000|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|phone=+1-514-631-4545|tollfree=+1-800-736-8222|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-263-0678|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9030|tollfree=+1-800-227-7368|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Thrifty|url=https://www.thrifty.com|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-847-4389|lastedit=2022-08-15}} ==== Other airports ==== [[Plattsburgh#By plane|'''Plattsburgh International Airport''']] and [[Burlington (Vermont)#By plane|'''Burlington International Airport''']], in the United States, are 1 hr 20 min and 1 hr 50 min away, respectively, by car from Montreal. Adirondack Trailways offers a bus service from Plattsburgh International Airport to Montreal. Greyhound offers a bus service from Burlington International Airport to Montreal. For travellers from the US, these airports may offer a significant cost savings compared to Trudeau but at the added inconvenience of arranging ground transportation between the US and Canada. ===By car=== From [[Toronto]], take Highway 401 east about 5 hr until it becomes Autoroute (Expressway) 20 on the Quebec side of the border. It will then take about an hour to get to downtown. Be alert for frequent speed-limit changes along this road. To reach downtown follow the Centre-Ville signs and take Autoroute 720 (Autoroute 20 continues over the Pont Champlain bridge to the South Shore). {{infobox|Rideshare|Save money with a rideshare. There are daily rides from Toronto to Montreal and back for $30-50, which is cheaper than any other means of transportation between the two cities. A good website for ridesharing in Canada and the USA is [http://craigslist.com Craigslist]. Dedicated rideshare sites include [http://www.liftsurfer.com LiftSurfer] and [http://www.erideshare.com eRideShare] Warning: Advertisement for a van (with a DVD player) that offers rides to Montreal and back every day has drivers that hardly speak any English at all (nor French). The service provider is '''unreliable'''. Service is also very poor.}} From [[Ottawa]], it's about 2 hours east along Highway 417 (which becomes Autoroute 40 in Quebec) to Montreal. From [[Quebec City]], it's about 3 hours west on either Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20. From [[New York City]], take Interstate 87 north through [[Albany (New York)|Albany]] and the eastern half of New York State for about six hours. After the border crossing near [[Plattsburgh]], the freeway becomes Autoroute 15, which leads directly into downtown Montreal over the Pont Champlain, the most beautiful approach to the city. The drive time from Plattsburgh to downtown Montreal is approximately one hour. From [[Boston]], take Interstate 93 to Interstate 89 after you cross into New Hampshire. Follow Interstate 89 north to and through Vermont to the border crossing, where it turns into Highway 133. This secondary road continues to Autoroute 10, which leads directly into downtown Montreal. The whole trip takes about 5 hours. Once you cross the border it is about 1½ hours to Montreal. ===By train=== [[File:Inside the Gare Centrale du CN, CN Central Station.jpg|thumb|Montreal Central Station]] {{marker|type=go|name=Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')|url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/quebec/montreal/station|lat=45.5000|long=-73.5667}} ({{IATA|YMY}}) is at 895 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, one block west of rue University, and is served by the Bonaventure metro (subway) station. {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Operates train routes from Canada's west coast and east coast. }} VIA Rail operates fast and comfortable passenger trains to Montreal along the busy Quebec-Ontario corridor and from destinations in northern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. All fares below are five-day advance booking prices for one-way travel in "Comfort" (coach/economy) class, expect to pay almost 50% more if you book on the day of travel. Check the Via website for "[http://www.viarail.ca/en/deals express deals]", which are posted every Tuesday. Highly discounted tickets are available, typically for long distance train routes or short distance trips at non-peak hours. Express deals on short distance trips (e.g. Montreal-Toronto) are typically offered only for the upcoming weeks, whereas long distance deals (e.g. Winnipeg to Montreal) may be available several weeks in advance. Business Class is available for a premium and includes a meal, alcoholic refreshments, snacks, and free wireless internet in station lounges and on board the train. An ISIC student card can obtain a discount on Via, and on Amtrak in the USA. Bicycles can also be brought aboard as is on certain Corridor trains during the summer months. See [[Rail travel in Canada]] for more information. VIA Rail train routes serving Montreal: * Between [[Quebec City]] and [[Ottawa]] including stops in [[Drummondville]], [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Saint-Lambert]], Montreal, and [[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]]. Multiple trains daily travel the entire route and some additonal trains travel daily between Montreal and Ottawa. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 2 hours (from $35), from Drummonville is 1.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.25-3.5 hours (from $47). * Between Montreal and [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Cornwall (Ontario)|Cornwall]], [[Brockville]], [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Cobourg]], and [[Oshawa]]. Operates 6 trains daily. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.25 hours (from $85) and from Kingston is 2.25-2.5 hours. * Between [[Halifax]] and Montreal on [[The Ocean]] route, including stops in [[Moncton]] and Sainte-Foy (near [[Quebec City|Q]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|ue]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|bec City]]). Operates 3 evenings per week. Travel time to Montreal from Halifax is 22 hours (from $133 coach, $187 upper berth, $245 bedroom)), from Moncton is 17.5 hours (from $110 coach, $162 upper berth, $219 bedroom), and from Sainte-Foy is 3.5 hours. A shuttle between Sainte-Foy and Quebec City's train station is available for The Ocean trains, but must be reserved in advance. The choice of sleeping accommodation varies according to the season. Along with trains between Montreal and Quebec, the Ocean is now almost exclusively operated by modern Renaissance trains that were built for the aborted Channel Tunnel sleeper services between [[Great Britain]] and [[France]]. * Between [[Jonquiere|Jonquière]] (in the [[Saguenay]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[Shawinigan]], [[Saint-Paulin]], [[Saint-Justin]], and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Jonquière is 9 hours (from $55) and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. * Between [[Senneterre]] (in the [[Abitibi-Témiscamingue|Abitibi]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[La Tuque]], Shawinigan, Saint-Paulin, Saint-Justin, and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Seneterre is 11.5 hours (from $81), from La Tuque is 5.5 hours, and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. <!-- commenting out until service is restored:Three evenings a week, the Ocean also pulls the "Chaleur" train as far as [[Matapedia]]. The train divides in the early morning and the Chaleur follows the southern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula as far as [[Gaspé]] (17½ hr, from $106 coach, $165 upper berth, $215 bedroom). However, the service to Gaspe has been suspended with no confirmation of restarting it.--> {{Listing|name=Amtrak|url=https://www.amtrak.com/home|directions=|phone=+1-215-856-7924|tollfree=+1-800-872-7245|lastedit=2022-03-31|content=}} Amtrak's service to Montreal is [https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/amtrak-return-to-service-1.6252614 suspended until 2022] due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Amtrak operated the "Adirondack" service to [[New York City]] (11 hours, from US$61) which departed daily, with connections in Schenectady to (but not from) Chicago (24 hr, US$114) and in New York to Philadelphia (14 hr, US$97) and Washington, DC (16 hr, US$120). The train also passed through much of upstate [[New York (state)|New York]] and hugged Lake Champlain for a large part of the trip. South of Albany, the route followed the Hudson River and passes a number of historic sites. The journey to New York was cheaper but slower than by bus (see below), which takes 7-9 hr, but it made up for it with superior comfort, extra legroom, the ability to walk around the train and visit the cafe car for food and drink at your leisure, and the good view from the train of the Lake Champlain and Hudson River scenery. Train passengers leaving from Boston may take the Regional Service to Penn Station, New York City, and transfer to the Adirondack line to Montreal, but this method requires significant layover times in New York. The train station has no permanent lockers but it's usually possible to keep it guarded by Via Rail for less than a day if travelling with it. There is Wifi and a few power outlets. ===By bus=== Buses arrive and depart from the ''[http://www.gamtl.com/en/Bienvenue/default.aspx Gare d'autocars de Montreal]'' (not to be confused with the ''Gare Centrale'' or central train station) at 1717 Berri Street (adjacent to the Berri-UQAM metro station). Call [tel:+1&#x20;514-842-2281 +1 514-842-2281] for schedules and prices. Intercity operators include: * {{Listing|name=Autobus Galland|url=https://www.galland-bus.com/|phone=+1-450-687-8666|tollfree=+1 877-806-8666|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=Operates bus service in [[Quebec]].}} Operates bus service between Mont-Laurier and Montreal and including stops in [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], [[Mirabel]], and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Mont-Laurier is 4.75-5 hours and from Mont-Tremblant is 2.75-3 hours, and from Saint-Jérôme is 1.25-1.5 hours. Operates several days per week between Mont-Laurier and Montreal. There are additional trips between Mont-Tremblant and Montreal, resulting in daily service along that part of the route. * {{Listing|name=Autobus Maheux|url=https://autobusmaheux.com/|email=service_client@autobusmaheux.com|phone=|tollfree=+1-866-863-6066|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] with some connections to [[Ontario]].}} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** Between [[Rouyn-Noranda]] and Montreal including stops in [[Val-d'Or]], Grand-Remous, Mont-Laurier, [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], and [[Laval]]. Stops between Mont-Laurier and Montreal are drop off only on the way to Montreal and pick up only on the way to Rouyn-Noranda. Travel time to Montreal from Rouyn-Norand is 9-9.5 hours, from Val-d'Or is 7-7.5 hours, and from Grand-Remous is 4.25-4.75. Operates daily. From Rouyn-Noranda there is service to [[North Bay]]. ** Between [[Ottawa]] and Montreal including stops in [[Gatineau]] and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 3.5 hours. Operates daily. *{{Listing|name=Autocars Skyport|url=https://www.skyportinternational.com/|email=reservation@keolis.ca|phone=+1-514-631-1155|tollfree=+1-800-471-1155|price=$95 per adult one-way, $161 per adult round trip, $65.50 per child (2-11 years old) one-way, $111 per child round trip|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=During ski season (December to April), operates a multiple times per day non-stop route between Montreal International Airport and [[Mont-Tremblant]], where it stops at various hotels.}} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-214-849-8100 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-23 | content=Operates bus service across the [[United States of America]]. }} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** From [[New York City]] including stops in [[Albany (New York)|Albany]], [[Saratoga Springs]], and [[Plattsburgh]]. Travel time to Montreal from New York City is 8.25-9.5 hours, from Albany is 5.75-6.25 hours, and from Plattsburgh is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Boston]] including stops in [[Manchester (New Hampshire)|Manchester]], [[Concord (New Hampshire)|Concord]], [[Hanover (New Hampshire)|Hanover]], [[White River Junction]], and [[Burlington (Vermont)|Burlington]]. Travel time to Montreal from Boston is 8.5 hours, from Manchester is 7 hours, from Concord is 6.5 hours, and from Burlington is 3 hours. * {{Listing|name=Intercar|url=http://www.intercar.ca/|email=serviceclient@intercar.ca|phone=+1-418-547-2167|tollfree=+1-800-806-2167|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]].}} **From [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean|Dolbeau]] to Montreal including stops in [[Val-Jalbert]], Alma, and Quebec City. Travel time to Montreal from Dolbeau is 9 hours, from Val-Jalbert is 7.25 hours, from Alma is 6.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.5 hours. Operates several days per week. **From [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquiere]] to Montreal including stops in [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]] and Quebec City. Travel time to Monteal from Jonquiere is 6.75 hours, from Chicoutimi is 6.5 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. **From [[Baie-Comeau]] to Montreal including stops in Forestville, [[Tadoussac]], [[Baie-Sainte-Catherine]], [[Saint-Siméon]], [[La Malbaie]], [[Clermont (Quebec)|Clermont]], [[Saint-Hilarion]], [[Baie-Saint-Paul]], [[Saint-Tite-des-Caps]], [[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]], [[Boischatel]], and [[Quebec City]]. Trips to Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City, and do not include a stop in Montreal. Travel time to Montreal from Baie-Comeau is 11.25 hours, , from Forestville is 9.5 hours, from Saint-Siméon is 7.25 hours, from La Malbaie is 6.25 hours, and from Baie-Saint-Paul is 5.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. ***Several days per week there a same day connection to and from [[Sept-Îles]] involving a transfer in Baie-Comeau. Travel time to Montreal from Sept-Îles is 14.5 hours. * {{Listing|name=Limocar by Transdev|url=https://limocar.ca/|email=sac@limocar.ca|phone=+1-819-562-8899|tollfree=+1-866-692-8899|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes in [[Quebec]].}} Operates the following bus routes to Montreal: ** Between Montreal and [[Granby (Quebec)|Granby]] (1.5 hours if direct, 1.75 hours if transfer required in Bromont). ** Between Montreal and [[Sherbrooke]] with stops in [[Longueuil]], Bromont, and [[Magog]]. Travel time to Montreal from Longueuil is 15 minutes, from Magog is 1.5-1.75 hours, and from Sherbrooke is 2-2.25 hours. Operates multiple times daily. * {{Listing|name=Megasbus|alt=Coach Canada|url=https://ca.megabus.com/|tollfree=+1-866-488-4452|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Service from [[Toronto]] via [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]]. This route does not use the downtown bus terminal, but rather a street stop at 997 Saint-Antoine Ouest, near Metro Bonaventure. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.75-7.25 hours and from Kingston is 3.25-3.75 hours.}} * {{go|name=Orléans Express|alt=|url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-450-640-1477|tollfree=+1-833-449-6444|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] and to [[Ottawa]].}} Bus routes to Montreal: ** From [[Gatineau]] via [[Ottawa]]. Travel time to Montreal from Gatineau is 2.75-3 hours and from Ottawa is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Quebec City]] via [[Drummondville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3-3.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.25 hours. Operates multiple trips daily. Most trips do not stop in Drummondville, but at least one trip per day stops in each direction. ** From Quebec City via [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Drummondville]] and [[Victoriaville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 4.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.5 hours. Operates two days per week. For Victoriaville stop, it is drop off only for trips to Quebec City and pick up only for trips to Montreal. ** From Quebec City via [[Trois-Rivières]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3.75 hours and from Trois-Rivières is 1.75-2 hours. Operates multiple times daily. ** Timed connections in Quebec City enable same day trips to and from [[Rimouski]] via [[Rivière-du-Loup]]. Travel time to Montreal from Rimouski is 6.25-7.75 hours and from Rivière-du-Loup is 4.5-6 hours. ** Timed connections in Quebec City and Rimouski enable same day trips to and from [[Gaspé]], [[Percé]], and Pointe-à-la-Croix. Travel time to Montreal from Gaspé is 13.75 hours, from Percé is 14.5 hours, and from Pointe-à-la-Croix is 9.5 hours. ** [https://www.maritimebus.com/ Maritime Bus] operates buses in [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. Maritime Bus and Orléans Express operate to the following locations: ***[[Rivière-du-Loup]] (as of May 2022, Maritime Bus is not operating here due to Covid-19) ***Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC / [[Campbellton]], NB (2 km taxi ride between these communities) * {{go | name=Tour Express | alt= | url=https://tourexpress.ca/ | email=info@tourexpress.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-228-2303 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-26 | content=Intercity service Montréal-Ottawa and Montréal-Gatineau. Travel time to Montreal from [[Ottawa]] is 2 hours. }} ===By bicycle=== Montreal is an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, accessible only by bridge. Not all bridges are bike accessible; however, several are, including the breathtaking Jacques Cartier bridge. Prominent bike lanes exist throughout the city, most notably along the Lachine Canal, Rue Rachel, boulevard de Maisonneuve, rue Brébeuf, rue Berri, rue Cherrier and along rue Laurier. The Plateau-Mont-Royal is where most of these bike paths are and is the neighbourhood, along with neighbouring Mile-End, where there are the most people who cycle and walk as a means of day to day transport. It has the highest density population wise and the lowest car ownership rate per household. However, bike theft is an issue, especially in the Plateau. Most locals can recall a time when they witnessed bike theft, though the situation is getting better now that the public bike share program, Bixi, has been implemented. It was not uncommon to have somebody offer you a stolen bike for sale on the street. Be equally aware of the peripheral articles of your bicycle; seats, baskets, and wheels can often be easily detached if not properly secured to the bike's frame or locked with a u-lock. ====From Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')==== Upon disembarking the train, go to the baggage claim area and wait there for a baggage attendant to bring your bicycle to you. If you have checked other baggage, claim it at the conveyor belt. The easiest way to exit the station is at the main entrance near the baggage claim through the parking garage onto rue de la Gauchetière. All other exits require you to carry your bike up flights of stairs. At the west side of the station is the entrance to the Underground City and access to Bonaventure metro station on the Orange line. However, there is no elevator access to the metro from the train station, which means that you have to carry your bike and luggage down several flights of stairs. ====From Montreal-Trudeau International Airport==== The [http://www.admtl.com/ airport] is on the western part of the island. From the main terminal, exit onto the main access road and turn right. Wind along the access road until the first major interchange and turn right. You will reach Albert de Niverville Boulevard and be forced to turn left (south) towards the main highway (Autoroute 20). At the end of this Boulevard, turn right on Cardinal Avenue. To your right, you will come to a pedestrian underpass that takes you under the railway tracks and leads to the Dorval Circle, a very busy traffic circle. This looks intimidating, but the traffic lights will allow you to ride safely under Autoroute 20 to Dorval Boulevard ''(Boulevard Dorval)''. Continue south down Dorval Boulevard until the end. Turn left on Lakeshore Drive ''(Chemin Lakeshore)'' towards the city. This road turns into Boulevard St. Joseph. You will eventually come to a bike path to your right that winds along the shores of Lac-Saint Louis (part of the Saint Lawrence river) through the town of Lachine. Continue down this path until you reach the entrance of the Lachine Canal. Cross the canal and continue down the Lachine Canal Bike Path (Piste Cyclable Canal Lachine) and follow the signs to the Old Port (Vieux Port) in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). The Lachine Canal Bike Path can be quite busy on weekends and holidays, so be ready to take your time. It is paved over its entire length. ====From Ontario==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the west must take secondary highways to Dorion, where Autoroute 20, inaccessible to bicycles over most of its length, becomes accessible as it crosses bridges first to Île Perrot (Perrot Island) and then to the Island of Montreal (at Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue). Bicycles should use the sidewalk on these bridges as traffic is usually heavy. From here, cyclists may take Lakeshore Boulevard and the Lachine Canal Bike Path (see Airport section above) to Old Montreal and the downtown core. The Isle-aux-Tourtes Bridge on Autoroute 40 is not accessible by bicycle. ====From the United States==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the South Shore to the south and east of Montreal may access the Island of Montreal a number of ways (see [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/ map]). The surest (but not foolproof) way is using the sidewalk Jacques Cartier Bridge. When it is not closed for repairs, it is open year round and all day. A paved bike path along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River provides the most scenic approach to the bridge. The new (Samuel-de) Champlain Bridge (built in 2019) has [https://www.samueldechamplainbridge.ca/pedestrians-and-cyclists/ an excellent cyclist-and-pedestrian path] that will take you from Brossard to Nun's Island (and from there, give you easy access to the Pointe-Saint-Charles or Verdun neighbourhoods of Montreal). An equally popular route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ from the Saint Lambert Locks (Ecluses Saint-Lambert) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway near the Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria) east of Montreal]. The bike drawbridge may be blocked by the entertaining spectacle of a ship passing through the seaway. From here, cyclists take the Grand Prix racing track (Gilles-Villeneuve circuit) on Île Notre Dame to the Concord Bridge to Montreal. This route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/Default.aspx?tabid=78 closed sometimes for car racing events or construction]. In this case, cyclists can take a circuitous detour down a gravel causeway dividing the seaway and river to the Estacade, an ice boom that crosses the river parallel to the Champlain Bridge to Nun's Island and eventually Montreal. A lesser known crossing involves one at the Sainte Catherine Locks (Ecluses Sainte-Catherine) at Saint-Catherine south of Montreal. These bridges cross the seaway to the same causeway as the Saint Lambert locks. In this case, the road to the Estacade ice boom is paved. The Mercier bridge and Lafontaine Tunnel are definitely inaccessible to bicycles. These can be dangerous, even in a car. There is no bicycle path crossing the Mercier Bridge. ==== In winter ==== The Jacques-Cartier bridge closes in winter, when the society that manages the bridge decides conditions are no longer adequate. The Saint-Lambert Locks south shore link also [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ closes from about November 15th to April 15th]. ==Get around== {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q340|type=geomask}} Montreal has historically been divided into east and west by boulevard Saint-Laurent, with the west side traditionally being Anglophone and the east side traditionally being Francophone. Numbered addresses on streets that cross Saint-Laurent start there and increase in either direction; most addresses are given as "rue ____ Ouest" (west) or "rue ____ Est" (east). Many streets are named after Catholic saints and figures from local history, both well-known and obscure. In Montreal street names, "east" and "west" refer to the direction parallel to the St. Lawrence River, and "north" and "south" refer to the direction perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River. Because the St. Lawrence River runs almost north-south near downtown Montreal, "east", "west", "north", and "south" are actually northeast, southwest, northwest and southeast respectively. Confusingly, most maps displayed in the city have "Montreal north" on top which can be confusing with a satellite navigation that uses pole north. Also, don't try to navigate by looking at the sun! ===On foot=== Walking is a favoured way to get around the densely packed downtown and the narrow streets of Old Montreal, especially during the warmer months. However, beware during winter months, as sidewalks can be icy and extremely hazardous after winter snow and ice storms. Winter boots with good grip are essential for surviving pavements that have not been cleared. Beware also (as much as you can) of thawing ice falling from overhanging balconies and roofs. But you can always take the stairs down to Montreal's famous "Underground City" (''Montréal souterrain''), called [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7317,79977650&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL RÉSO], a network of pedestrian corridors connecting [http://www.stm.info/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm Métro] stations, shopping centres, and office complexes. Jaywalking is widespread and rarely punished. However, drivers will usually not stop or even slow down if a pedestrian steps out in front of them, even at marked crosswalks. At an intersection, however, a pedestrian will have right of passage before turning traffic and most drivers respect this. Despite Montreal drivers' poor reputation for aggressiveness, they generally respect pedestrians. Rue Sainte-Catherine is Montreal's main commercial artery and busiest pedestrian thoroughfare. The "Underground City" and the Green Line (or line 1) of Montreal's Metro is easily accessible from all the major office complexes, shopping malls, department stores, and theatre complexes that line it. Smaller chain stores and restaurants also vie for valuable commercial space. Well-kept historic churches with green space provide quiet oasis and contrast with the giant neon signs of strip clubs. Major hotels can generally be found one or two blocks north and south of Sainte-Catherine in the downtown core. Bars, restaurants, and dance clubs cluster within a block of Sainte-Catherine around Crescent and Bishop, catering to a mostly English-speaking clientele. Rue Saint-Denis, farther east, and the Gay Village between Berri and de Lormier, even more to the east, are mostly French-speaking. McGill College Boulevard in the downtown core from Saine-Catherine offers an open view of Mount Royal to the north and an impressive view of the Place Ville-Marie skyscraper to the south. Keep your head up and beware of following the flow of the crowd on this street: throngs of pedestrians often walk across cross streets against red lights, risking life and limb. Rue Prince-Arthur, east of Saint-Laurent, is for pedestrians only. Another pedestrian-only locale is Montreal's Chinatown, on Rue de la Gauchtière Est between Saint-Urbain and Saint-Laurent. A good trick for navigating downtown Montreal is to remember that streets slope up toward Mount Royal, which is just north of downtown and easy to see from most locations. The districts surrounding downtown Montreal are especially delightful on foot. To the south is [http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/eng/accueila.htm Old Montreal] (Le Vieux-Montréal) (its narrow streets and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries really can make you feel like you're in Old Europe) and the [http://www.oldportofmontreal.com/ Old Port] (Le Vieux-Port), a waterfront strolling park with exhibits and boat tours, is very popular with the locals. To the north, the Golden Square Mile and the McGill University Campus is wedged between Mount Royal and Sherbrooke Street on the southern slope of the mountain. Old Victorian mansions and townhouses can be found along the sloping streets, many now housing McGill University's offices and libraries. Just west of downtown is affluent Westmount, a perfect example of 19th-century English-style homes and gardens (inhabited to a great extent by English-speaking people) climbing the slopes of Mount Royal's western part (the higher you climb, the larger the old mansions). Just east and northeast of downtown are the mostly French-speaking Gay Village (Le Village Gai) and Plateau (Plateau Mont-Royal) districts. Street after street displays turn-of-the-19th-century row duplexes and triplexes, replete with famous Montreal outdoor staircases, overflowing front gardens (or snow-covered gables, depending on the time of year), and tiny shops tucked into every nook and cranny. For people who like to see a culture where it lives, Le Plateau is the place to wander about in. [http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/learn-about-mount-royal/homepage.sn Mount Royal] (Mont-Royal) is also accessible from the urban core on foot. Fit pedestrians can climb Rue Peel to the southern edge of the park. A series of renovated staircases will take you directly to the Chalet near the top of the mountain, with its classic view of the downtown core. A more leisurely climb to the top awaits those on Olmsted Road (6.5&nbsp;km), a wide, gently sloping bike and footpath accessible from the Plateau in Parc Jeanne-Mance (also known as Fletcher's Field). Smaller footpaths serendipitously branch off from this road. A cross-country ski path also winds to the top in the wintertime. Mount Royal's park was designed by Frederick Olmsted, a landscape architect who lived from 1822 to 1903 and was also responsible for the design of Central Park in [[New York City]] and the Emerald Necklace in [[Boston]]. ===By car=== Driving ([http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/ SAAQ]) in Montreal can be a challenge for many North American motorists. Although turning right on a red light is allowed across the rest of Quebec (except at intersections where a sign indicates this is not permitted), right turns on red are strictly prohibited on the island of Montreal. The stop lights at most of downtown intersections are on the opposite side of the intersection, not at the stop line as in some of Europe. The use of road salt to keep roads ice-free during severe winters takes its toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction. Downtown traffic is dense. Street parking can be difficult. Parking meters are in use seven days a week in most districts (M-F 09:00-21:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 13:00-18:00), including statutory holidays. The standard parking ticket cost is $52. Parking tickets may be appealed in court only by the owner of the car that was subject to the infraction, so if a rented car is ticketed, the person who rented may be unable to contest the charge. Car parking downtown is expensive at around $3 an hour at parking meters or $25 per day at commercial parking lots. Parking signs are all in French, and will describe a day and hour (based on 24-hr clock) along with conditions for parking. Many arterial roads prohibit parking on one side during rush hour, and vehicles are subject to $150 fine plus towing costs and other fees. Montreal does not paint curbs red next to fire hydrants, but it is still illegal to park there. {{infobox|Days of the week| lundi — Monday<br> mardi — Tuesday<br> mercredi — Wednesday<br> jeudi — Thursday<br> vendredi — Friday<br> samedi — Saturday<br> dimanche — Sunday}} There are also many private and public parking lots, and their prices vary widely. There may even be $15–20 differences between two parking lots just a few blocks from each other. {{infobox|Sign Language| North — Nord<br> East — Est<br> South — Sud<br> West — Ouest<br> Exit — Sortie<br> Bridge — Pont}} During the winter months, heavy snowfalls are common. In the aftermath of a snowstorm, an intensively-prepared "déneigement" (snow removal) process begins with intimidatingly large snow plows and trucks clearing, chewing up, and transporting away the snow. If you leave your car parked on a street, pay close attention to any orange "no parking" signs that will appear on roads to be cleared. Tow trucks will sound a loud 2-tone horn siren just before clearing. This is an announcement that a street is about to be cleared and that all parked cars will be cited/and or towed if they are not moved. For this reason it's important to be able to check your vehicle at least once daily after a snowfall. It is best to use indoor or underground parking if snow clearing is likely. Many downtown streets are one way, which can complicate getting around. If you see a sign at an intersection that has direction arrows in a green circle, that means those are the only directions you are allowed to turn. Left turns are allowed on a green light provided there are no other signs prohibiting. Visitors should be familiar with the ''flashing green'' light, which indicates a protected left-turn (priority), which is equivalent to a green arrow in other parts of the world. Some signals are green arrows that flash, this is the same meaning. Autoroutes (expressways or freeways) can be challenging for visitors, as most signs are French, but most symbols are the same as in English Canada and the United States. ===By bike=== [[File:Bixi St-Laurent.jpg|300px|thumb|Bixi bike stand]] Cycling is the best way to visit the city, especially its central neighbourhoods like the Plateau Mont-Royal; it is a very popular mode of transportation once the coldest winter weather is over. The city is criss-crossed by 660&nbsp;km of cycle paths, including some which cross the St. Lawrence onto the Island of Montreal. By far the nicest path is the Lachine Canal path that stretches from Lachine, along Lac St-Louis, down to Old Montreal along the canal. You can cross over to the South Shore either on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Île Notre-Dame, or via the Estacade ice bridge from Île des Sœurs. Montreal City Council publish an [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=8957,99693747&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL interactive map] of the cycle route network Even if you are on a bike path, beware of drivers especially if they are turning, as lines of visibility at intersections are not well enforced in the city. Generally Montreal drivers in the central neighbourhoods are used to sharing the road with bikes and so are courteous, there are always a few, usually from outlying neighbourhoods, who give all drivers a bad name. Some downtown bike paths are separated from the road by parked cars, which decreases visibility, both yours and the driver's. The often crowded bike path on rue Rachel one is the worst for this, however the Plateau part of the path will be renovated soon to make it safer and greener. If one is comfortable driving in Montreal, one generally can feel comfortable biking there as well. Montreal pedestrians are known for not waiting for a light to change if there are no cars coming; cyclists are a bit like that too and often treat the many stop signs on residential streets more as yield signs than as stop signs. Wearing a helmet is not required under the law, though, for children especially, it's better to be safe than sorry. The [http://montreal.bixi.com/ Bixi system] is a public bike-share system. Rated the best in the world, it was designed and developed in Montreal and has since been exported to many cities around the world including London, UK and Sydney, Australia. Major credit cards are accepted. The Bixi was conceived for local active transit but is accessible to tourists as well. For a flat $5 fee, you can use Bixi bikes as much as you like for 24 hours provided you don't use a particular bixi bike for more than 30 minutes at a time before returning it to a docking station. After returning the bike to a docking station, you can get another bike (even at the same station) after a 2-minute waiting period. There are over 400 Bixi stations with over 5000 bikes around the city concentrated in the downtown and central neighbourhoods like the Plateau (though it's expanding all the time). The tourist information centre has maps of the stations. Helmets and locks are not provided. You could use your own lock, but there is usually a station not more than a block away on a commercial strip so returning the Bixi to the nearest stand is always the safest and most cost-effective choice. Stations fill up and empty quickly; you may have to bike to the next station to find an empty docking spot. If you have a smartphone, there is an app that shows you real-time the nearest stations, how many bikes are docked, or whether there is a free docking spot available. Skate and bike rental shops are common, particularly in the Old Port and the Plateau. Visit La Maison des Cyclistes (the cyclists' house) at 1251 rue Rachel Est for all info on cycling in Montreal. (See Do for specific bike paths). ==== In winter ==== Montreal, however does a fair job of clearing snow on a select number of bike paths in the city, including de Maisonneuve bike path, Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Rachelle and Clark bike paths. Painted bike lanes, on the other hand are often badly cleared, resulting in dangerous ice build up. The popular Lachine Canal bike path, however, does not have snow removal which makes it very difficult to ride on in winter. The [https://jacquescartierchamplain.ca/traffic-works/pedestrians-and-cyclists/?lang=en Jacques-Cartier bridge] is also closed for most of the winter to cyclists and pedestrians. The de la Concorde bridge bike path, however, is open all year long. There is a growing winter cyclist community in Montreal that can be accessed through the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/velodhiver/10156410675837568 Vélo d'hiver - Montréal Facebook group]. === By public transit === ==== By metro and bus ==== {{infobox|Fanfare for Copland|The sounds produced by electrical equipment when a Montreal Metro train is departing are the first three notes of ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' by Aaron Copland, although this is really just a coincidence.}} [[File:Montrealmetromap.svg|thumb|250px|Map of Metro stations]] [[File:MontrealMetroTires.JPG|thumb|250px|Montreal Metro train at Place-des-Arts station]] {{Listing|name=Société de transport de Montréal|alt=STM|url=https://www.stm.info/en|phone=+1-514 786-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} STM is safe, efficient, and is overall pleasant to use. Tickets have been replaced by cards with magnetic stripe containing one trip, called an ''à la carte'' ticket. These are valid for one trip (including unlimited transfers in the same way for 90 min) on the metro and buses, costing $3.50 each (exact fare in coins is required on the buses but not on the metro) but are also available for less when you purchase two for $6.00 or ten for $27.00 (OPUS card required) either from the metro agent or the automatic fare vending machine in metro stations. Signs and announcements are only in French, though ticket machines are bilingual in French and English. Many metro counter staff are also able to speak English. Montreal metro stations and train cars do not have air conditioning: the Metro can sometimes get uncomfortably hot, in every season. It is, however, still the best transport option in the city. Only certain metro tickets are valid in [[Laval]] and [[Longueuil]]. 10-trip tickets, and weekly and monthly passes, are still not accepted. You may need to buy another ticket for the same price ($3.50). A full listing of all types of tickets and their validity can be found [https://www.stm.info/sites/default/files/pdf/en/tarifs.pdf here.] You must keep your payment card as it is your transfer and your proof of payment (''correspondance''); fare inspectors may give you a large fine if you are unable to show it when they request it. If you are using cash to pay your fare on the bus, it is important to have the exact fare since the driver does not give change; you will receive an ''à la carte ticket'', your proof of payment and your transfer. Pictures and specific instructions can be found [http://stm.info/ here.] Tourist passes offer unlimited travel on the bus and metro for periods of one day ($11) or three days ($21.25) and are well worth it to avoid fumbling for change, checking transfer times and restrictions, and worrying about getting off at the wrong stop and having to repay. There is also an option for unlimited evenings ($5.75), valid between 18:00 and 05:00 the next morning, which can be practical on a night out, since it's cheaper than buying a two-way ticket (which would cost $6). They are available for purchase at all metro stations (pay cash or use Canadian credit or debit cards only). Weekly ($29, valid for one calendar week running Monday through Sunday) and monthly ($94, valid by calendar month) passes are also available; unlike one day and three day passes, weekly and monthly passes must be loaded onto an OPUS card (see below) and are not available in paper ticket form. The OPUS card is a smart card with a chip that contains your fare and transfer information. The OPUS card can be purchased at all metro stations and transit fare points of sale. As of January 2017, the card costs $6. You can find your nearest seller [http://www.stm.info/en/info/fares/points-sale here.] OPUS cards can be refilled at metro stations using the automated machines or at the ticket booth. The STM website offers an online [http://stm.info/English/azimuts/a-index.htm trip-planner service.] Trip planning can also be done using Google Maps. Free bus and [http://metrodemontreal.ca/ Metro system] maps are available from the ticket booth at most metro stations. These are useful to find where you are on the island. At each metro station, directions are not indicated by compass directions, such as westbound or eastbound. Instead, trains go in the direction of a metro line's terminus. The ''green line'' runs from Angrignon in the west to Honoré-Beaugrand in the east. If you were to travel eastbound, for example, you would look for ''Honoré-Beaugrand'' on the platform. If you were to travel westbound, you would look for ''Angrignon''. There are four interchange stations at which commuters can change subway lines without extra charge: Snowdon (blue/orange), Lionel-Groulx (orange/green), Berri-UQAM (green/yellow/orange), and Jean-Talon (orange/blue). Bicycles are permitted aboard metro trains outside of the rush hours such as: 10:00-15:00 and 19:00 to end of service on weekdays and all day Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Bikes are only allowed in the lead car of the train up to a maximum of 6. STM staff may deny bikes aboard the metro for safety reasons such as special events that might generate a high level of ridership. Lists of such events are posted on the STM website and at the entrances to metro. During festival season in Montreal, bikes are seldom allowed at all. Bike riding inside stations or the Underground City is strictly prohibited. ==== By train ==== {{Listing|name=Exo|url=https://exo.quebec/|tollfree=+1-833-255-6396|lastedit=2022-05-24|content=Operates commuter trains in the Montreal area.}} Most trains terminate at Montreal Central Station (Gare Central) and at Lucien-L'Allier (both are accessible from the metro). Commuter trains are handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns. Routes include: * exo1 - Vaudreuil–Hudson between Montreal and [[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] including [[Montreal/West Island|Montreal-Ouest]] and [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]]. Service is available daily, though almost all trips are between Montreal and Vaudreil. The only trips to or from Hudson are from Monday to Friday with morning trip from Hudson and one afternoon trip to Hudson. * exo2 - Saint-Jérôme between Montreal and [[Saint-Jérôme]] including stops in [[Laval]], [[Blainville]], and Mirabel. Service is available daily, though on Saturdays and Sundays, the service only travels between Laval and Saint-Jérôme. Transfers from Montreal's Metro are available at Montreal's Lucien-L'Allier station (weekday rush hours only), Vendôme (weekday rush hours only) station and Parc station (weekdays only), and Laval's De la Concorde station (every day). * Three other exo lines operate, but only Monday to Friday. Commuter train stations are divided into six zones that radiate out from downtown. Stations have automated machines from which you must purchase a ticket appropriate to the zones of the station you are traveling to or from, whichever is farther (for example, a trip from Zone 1 to Zone 3 or vice versa would require a Zone 3 ticket). A pre-purchased ticket card (SOLO) must be validated at the card scanners at the entrance to the platform. In general, reduced fares (for students and seniors) require ID that is not available to travellers, but if you are staying in the area, ask an employee for more details as the rules are complicated, but you can get good savings. There are no ticket machines on the train and ticket inspections are random. Incorrect tickets sometimes go unnoticed because inspectors check only occasionally. However, it is best to avoid taking chances as if the ticket is not valid, the customer can get a fine of $400. The ticket machines should now all be bilingual in English and French. The two downtown stations have staffed ticket booths Monday to Friday, but not in the evenings. Other stations may also have booths but generally only during either the morning or afternoon rush hour. ===By taxi=== * {{Listing|name=Taxi Bonjour Montreal|url=https://bonjour.taxi/en/|phone=+1 514-366-3333|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Champlain|url=https://taxichamplain.com/index-en|phone=+1 514-271-1111|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Co-op Montreal|url=https://www.taxi-coop.com/en|phone=+1 514-725-9885|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Diamond|url=https://taxidiamond.com/en/|phone=+ 514-836-0000|lastedit=2022-07-31}} === By ride hailing === * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/montreal/|lastedit=2022-07-31}} ===Map=== MapArt produces an excellent map in book-form of downtown Montreal and environs, including Vieux Montréal, Mount Royal, the Plateau, and areas as far north as the University of Montreal and as far south as Parc Jean-Drapeau. That form is handy as you can avoid always folding a map of the whole island. Below is a basic map of the primary areas of interest to visitors. [[File:central montreal map.png|right|350px]] ==See== [[File:Marché Bonsecours and Foliage.jpg|thumb|The dome of the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal]] === Architecture === Many notable historical buildings and churches are located in Montreal, the vast majority of which are in [[Montreal/Old City#See|old Montréal]]. Most of these date from the 17th to the 19th century, showcasing the variety of architectural styles seen in these periods. At night, several of the buildings are beautifully illuminated, seemingly glowing from within. A Tourist Welcome Office brochure from bonjour québec lays out a walking map. It is worthwhile to follow the map twice, once during the day, and again at night. * Of the four Roman Catholic Basilicas in Montreal, the '''Notre-Dame Basilica''' (Basilique de Notre-Dame) at Place d'Armes is undoubtedly the most famous church in Montreal. This architectural marvel is known throughout the world for its lavishly decorated and colourful interior. This basilica, splendidly exemplifying the Gothic Revival style, is an extremely popular tourist attraction. * Although rather small and not a basilica, another notable church located in Old Montreal is the '''Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel''' (Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours) near the Bonsecours Market, the first church to be founded in Montreal. It is known for its maritime theme and beautiful frescoes on the inside walls and ceilings. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] houses Saint Joseph's Oratory (Oratoire Saint-Joseph), the largest church in Canada. Stylistically based on elements of the Italian Renaissance, it features the third highest dome in the world, and acts as the highest point in all of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]]. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] is also home to the opulent Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), a National Historic Site of Canada modeled on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Saint Patrick's Basilica (Basilique Saint-Patrick), which was built to serve Montreal's Anglophone Catholic community. * Aside from churches, a main architectural feature of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]] is '''Habitat 67''', located at Cité-du-Havre, near the Old Port (Vieux-Port). The only intact pavilion remaining from Expo’ 67, '''Habitat 67''' is known around the world as an excellent example of post-modern and minimalist architecture. Its conception has had an incalculable impact on later development of modular homes, and is thus well worth checking out. === Landmarks === * [[Montreal/Plateau#See|Le Plateau]] combines scenic residential streets with hip shopping and dining. * '''Vieux-Port''' (Old Port), is located south of rue Saint-Antoine between rue McGill and rue Berri (metro Champ-de-Mars or Place-d'Armes). The Old Port is a large waterfront green space with attractions such as Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal Science Center, the Labyrinth, the Clock Tower, and a large outdoor audio-visual stage which is the site for the Canada Day fireworks. It is a vibrant place to visit during the day and the evening. ☏ +1 514-496-7678, toll-free: +1 800-971-7678, information@oldportofmontreal.com. 6AM-Midnight. * [[Montreal/Downtown#See|Downtown]] Montreal has skyscrapers, the enormous McGill university campus, churches, and museums. Several blocks are connected by the famed 30 km of underground arcades and malls, allowing comfortable walking and shopping when the weather is foul. * [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]], site of the 1967 World Fair, now devoted to green spaces and a large outdoor concert venue. The Gilles-Villeneuve racing circuit, home of the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix. An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also in or around the park. * A few kilometres to the north, [[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve#See|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] offers the '''Olympic Stadium''', the '''Insectarium''', the '''Jardin Botanique''', and the '''Biodôme'''. This diverse range of activities and environments offer something for all ages. When planning a trip, allow four hours to see all four. * A [[Solar eclipses|total solar eclipse]] on Monday 8 April 2024 starts at 15:26 local time and lasts 90 sec. The chances of a clear sky are 30%. The track of totality is northeast from Mexico and Texas to Ohio, straddling the Canada–New England border through Lakes Erie and Ontario, then across Maine, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. === Museums === Montreal contains a wide variety of museums - over 50 in total, both well known and hidden gems. Both types are well worth visiting, and will provide a worthwhile experience. * Featuring dozens of expositions and over 44,000 works spread over 5 enormous pavilions, the '''Montreal Museum of Fine Arts''' (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is the largest museum in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Having many prominent travelling exhibits, it is both the oldest and most visited museum in Canada, and as such, is a wonderful experience. * [[File:"Phonographs and gramophones in the musée des ondes Emile Berliner.jpg".jpg|thumb|Phonographs and gramophones in the permanent exhibit of the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner ]]A hidden gem in the old RCA Victor factory complex in St-Henri, the '''Musée des ondes Emile Berliner''', in [[Montreal/South_West|Saint-Henri]], is a science and history museum dedicated to communicating the heritage of the audio industry in Canada and the world. In line with this, it pays tribute to Emile Berliner, the inventor of the gramophone, and his descendants’ contributions to the evolution of sound recording. Moreover, the museum looks at the roles and noteworthy contributions of Canadian companies in the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the role of Montreal companies and RCA Victor in the creation of satellites and the Canadarm. This makes it a worthwhile experience for those interested in science and technology, as well as Canadian history. * The '''Redpath Museum''' (Musée Redpath), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a fascinating museum of natural history. * The McCord Museum (Musée McCord), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a museum dedicated to exploring Canadian history. ==Do== * {{do | name=Casino de Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.casino-de-montreal.com/ | email= | address=1, avenue du Casino | lat= 45.505375| long= -73.525827 | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= +1 514 392-2746| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=La Ronde | alt=member of the Six Flags family | url=http://www.laronde.com/ | email= | address=22, chemin Macdonald | lat= | long= | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= Discounts are readily available: a Coca-Cola tin is worth an $8 discount on any rides ticket | content= }} ===Cross-country skiing=== During the winter, many parks offer the possibility to do cross-country skiing with groomed paths. *'''Parc regional de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation''' — Ski rental available. * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url=http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ski rental available and usually the best ski conditions. }} *'''Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique''' — No ski rental. ===Ice skating=== *'''Year-round ice-skating''', 1000, rue De La Gauchetière (metro Bonaventure). *'''Free skating''', Lac aux Castors (Beaver Lake), in the Parc Mont-Royal. *'''Free skating''', Connected ponds of Lafontaine Park, in Plateau Mont-Royal. *'''Winter skating''', in the Old Port (Vieux-Port) in front of the Bonsecours Market and many parks. {{infobox|Montreal Island's Grands Parcs|The greater Montreal area offers large parks for year-round outdoor recreation. The most accessible are Parc du Mont Royal and Parc Lafontaine in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] offers the closest beach park, and Parc Maisonneuve, next to the Olympic Sports complex and Botanical Gardens. Further afield, Parc des Rapids and Parc Angrignon are in [[Montreal/Le Sud-Ouest|Le Sud-Ouest]] and Parc René-Lévesque further West, with miles of bike paths and access to river surfing.}} ===Water sports=== *'''River surfing''' — Although the Saint Lawrence River is frozen nearly solid for four to five months out of the year, the waterway has become a magnet for aficionados of this new sport. Unlike their oceanic brethren, river surfers ride the standing waves in fresh waterways. The Saint Lawrence has two main hot spots for the sport: Habitat 67 is close to the bridge between Montreal and Île des Soeurs, the site of the 1967 Expo and the Montreal Casino. (This wave is also known as Expo 67.) The Surf 66 Boardshop at the 1952 rue Cabot offers lessons. *'''Kayaking''' — Just off the shore of the park in Lasalle are the Lachine Rapids. Huge waves, fast water, and loads of fun for kayaks. Lessons are available on site in the huge eddy formed by the peninsula. Annual surf (rodeo) competitions at "Big Joe" (still called "Beneath the Wheel" by old schoolers). Other famous play waves on this set of rapids on the St. Lawrence river are, Istambul and Constantinople, Pyramid, Slice and Dice, Black and Decker, and HMF on the other side of the islands. For those seeking less of an adrenaline rush, there is always the Bunny Wave (La Vague a Guy) upstream near the bike path at Park Rene Lesvesque. Rafting these same rapids is also a fun option. ===Bike=== An interactive map of the cycle path network is available at the [http://www.velo.qc.ca/fr/reseaux_cyclables/index-MTL.lasso Vélo Québec website.] {{dead link|December 2020}} Particularly pleasant places to cycle and skate include: *'''Parc Maisonneuve''' — A large park with smooth paths. *'''Parc Jean-Drapeau''' — Particularly the Île Notre-Dame on the Formula One race track: a fantastic view across the water to downtown Montreal. *'''Lachine Canal''' — Bike paths west of the Old Port. *'''Rivière-des-Prairies''' — You can ride across Montreal Island from west to east along the river on the north of Montreal. Many sites have incredible views. A stop at Perry Island is a must. ===Parks=== *'''Square Saint-Louis''', corner of rue Saint-Denis and rue Prince-Arthur, slightly north of rue Sherbrooke (metro Sherbrooke). A charming little park with majestic trees and a lovely fountain, lined with charming houses on three sides (the Institute of Hotel Techniques of Quebec hotel school is the fourth side). This was the site of the first water reservoir in Montreal. *'''Parc Jean Drapeau''' — The former Expo 67 fairgrounds, Parc Jean Drapeau is spread across two islands (Ile Ste-Helene and Ile Notre Dame) in the Saint Lawrence River. On Sundays in the summer, join thousands of Montrealers revelling in the sunshine and music outdoors at Piknik Électronique. People enjoy riding a bicycle around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race track on Île Notre Dame. La Ronde and the Montreal Biosphere are here. (metro Parc Jean Drapeau) *'''Parc Lafontaine''', from avenue Papineau to avenue du Parc Lafontaine and from rue Rachel to rue Sherbrooke. Ice skating on the lake in the winter, baseball, boules, and outdoor theatre in the summer. (metro Sherbrooke) [[File:Fall colours at Beaver Lake.jpg|alt=|thumb|400x400px|Fall colours at Beaver Lake, Parc du Mont-Royal<br />]] * {{do | name=Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique de Montreal | alt= | url=http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/jardin.htm | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=from rue Sherbrooke to boulevard Rosemont and from boulevard Pie-IX to avenue Viau (metro Pie-IX or Viau) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Jardin Botanique is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and features the First Nations Garden, the Insectarium, the Tree House, and 16 different themed gardens and greenhouses. }} * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url= | email=info@lemontroyal.qc.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-843-8240 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North of avenue des Pins, between avenue du Parc and chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges. This beautiful, immense urban park tops the "mountain" (at {{m|232}}, it's more like a hill) that overlooks all of Montreal and lends the city its name. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, the park is elegant and accessible, and has hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. A broad and gradual 8-km (5-mile) bike and pedestrian path begins at the Monument Georges-Étienne Cartier (on Avenue du Parc, opposite the western end of rue Rachel, where the bike path continues), winding its way around the mountain and culminating at the Belvédère (lookout) and Chalet Mont-Royal, with incredible views of downtown, the St. Lawrence river, and the Eastern Townships. The Belevedere and Chalet are also accessible from downtown by the newly restored staircase, access via the path at the top of rue Peel. Many smaller paths and trails crisscross the park. For lazy visitors, or those with limited mobility, you can enjoy a wonderful view from the mountain by taking bus route 11, which stops at the lookout on Chemin Remembrance, and at Beaver Lake. Every Sunday during the summer, thousands of people get together at the monument on Avenue du Parc to enjoy the big tam-tam jam. }} *'''Parc Jeanne-Mance''', bordered by avenue du Parc, avenue Duluth (with a small extension south as far as avenue des Pins), rue de l'Esplanade and avenue Mont-Royal, directly across from Parc du Mont-Royal. Includes tennis courts, baseball/softball diamonds, a soccer/football pitch, beach volleyball courts, a skating rink in winter. Also a very popular dog-walking venue. * {{do | name=Parc de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 280-6733 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Rue d'Iberville and boulevard Gouin, (metro Henri-Bourassa, Bus 69 east). This regional park is along the Rivière-des-Prairies. Quiet and enjoyable place to bring a lunch and relax for an afternoon. Good starting point for a cycling tour along the river. }} ===Festivals=== Montreal has a bewildering variety of festivals, ranging from one-day ethnic fairs to huge international productions running two weeks or more. They are generally held in the summer and autumn, though increasingly they can be found throughout the year. Here are some of the larger ones: * {{do | name=Just For Laughs Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hahaha.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Comedy festival with three main components: indoor paid shows (usually stand-up, but not always), free street theatre/comedy, and a mini film festival called Comedia. July. }} * {{do | name=Shakespeare-in-the-Park | alt= | url=http://www.repercussiontheatre.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=During the summer in parks around Montreal, Repercussion Theatre puts on outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays free of charge. }} *{{do | name=Festival du Monde Arabe | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= In November, an annual festival celebrating the music and culture of the Arab world takes place in Montreal. Many Arab performers, traditional and modern, take the stage. }} * {{do | name=Festival Mondiale de la bière | alt= | url=http://www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=2018: inside - Palais des congrès de Montréal, 201 Viger Street West (Place-d'Armes métro station); outside - Palais des congrès Esplanade, de la Gauchetière Street between Cheneville and Côté Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June 6-9, 2018: 12:00-23:00 | price= | content=Annually, in early June: Five days of tasting beers, ciders, and other beverages from all over Quebec, Canada and further afield. 2017's event boasted over 529 different beers from 9 countries. There is no admission fee (but you can buy a souvenir sampling mug for about $8) and samples typically sell for 2-8 tickets ($1 a ticket) for a 150-200 ml sample. There are also scheduled musical performances and food kiosks. The festival can get very busy at peak times (Friday and Saturday evening of the event), so it is advisable to arrive early to avoid possible long queues. }} * {{do | name=Montréal en lumière | alt= | url=http://www.montrealenlumiere.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A relatively new wintertime affair, attempting to transplant the city's festival magic to the cold season. Includes three main categories of activities: food and wine, performing arts, and free activities both indoor and outdoor. February. }} * {{do | name=Montreal International Fireworks Competition | alt= | url=http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-397-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In La Ronde amusement park (in Parc Jean-Drapeau). This fantastic festival features full-length fireworks displays, accompanied by orchestral music, by national teams from about a dozen countries around the world. Although the hot seats are inside the La Ronde theme park, the fireworks are visible from pretty much any clear space or rooftop in the centre of the city. Pedestrians can watch from Jacques Cartier Bridge, which is closed from 20:00 on fireworks nights. Another good spot is the promenade west of the Old Port. $35–45 (''seats in La Ronde, free everywhere else''). Saturdays 22:00 from mid-June to late July, and Wednesdays 22:00 from mid-July on. }} * {{do | name=Fete de St-Jean-Baptiste | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= June 24 is Quebec's national holiday (''Fête nationale''). During the evening, a huge show takes place at Maisonneuve park. This is the show to go to hear made-in-Quebec music. Free. Street parties can also be found all over the city. }} * {{do | name=International Festival of Film on Art | alt= | url=http://www.artfifa.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3070809 | content=Devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. A ten-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, and for art and cinema enthusiasts. }} ====Music festivals==== [[File:FIJM 2017 014.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Festival International de Jazz de Montréal]] * {{do | name=Montreal International Jazz Festival | alt=Festival International de Jazz de Montréal | url=http://www.montrealjazzfest.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The world's largest jazz festival, this festival is a major international event, attracting many big name artists. Many streets in downtown Montreal are closed off to traffic for two weeks and several concert stages are set up. There are many free outdoor shows and indoor concerts (paid). Late June - early July. In 2020, the festival will be 25 June through 4 July. }} * {{do | name=POP Montréal International Music Festival | alt= | url=http://www.popmontreal.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 514-842-1919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A massive feast of up-and-coming bands in a variety of popular genres. In early fall, host to more than 80 events, more than 300 artists, a conference, and an arts fair. POP Montreal showcases emerging and innovative artists alongside rising international stars and is committed to encouraging vibrant indie communities. }} * {{do | name=Francofolies | alt= | url=http://www.francofolies.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Les Francos de Montréal | wikidata=Q3850493 | lastedit=2017-08-06 | content=A festival celebrating French music. Similarly to the jazz festival, many free outdoor concerts are offered in a section of downtown that is closed off to traffic for a week. 12 to 20 June 2020. }} * {{do | name=MUTEK | alt= | url=http://www.mutek.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An annual gathering, held in Montreal, during the first week of June. The MUTEK festival showcases emerging forms of electronic music and the latest trends in sound creation. }} * {{do | name=Heavy Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.heavymontreal.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A two-day heavy music festival taking place in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. }} * {{do | name=Osheaga Music and Arts Festival | alt= | url=http://www.osheaga.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Osheaga Festival | wikidata=Q2033298 | content=A three-day indie & alternative rock festival held annually in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 2020 edition will be 31 July-2 August. }} ====Film festivals==== * {{do | name=World Film Festival | alt= | url=http://www.ffm-montreal.org/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Montreal World Film Festival | wikidata=Q326220 | content=The festival is open to all cinema trends. The eclectic aspect of its programming makes the Festival exciting for the growing number of participants from the five continents. Every year, films from more than 70 countries, including well-known and first-time filmmakers, are selected. There are usually free outdoor projections every night. Late August to early September. }} * {{do | name=Fantasia | alt=Asian and fantasy | url=http://www.fantasiafestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=July. }} * {{do | name=Image + Nation | alt=Gay and lesbian | url=http://www.image-nation.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=November/December. }} * {{do | name=Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal | alt=new filmmakers, well-known auteurs, new media | url=http://www.nouveaucinema.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Festival du nouveau cinéma | wikidata=Q3070535 | content=October. }} * {{do | name=Cinémania | alt=French cinema with English subtitles | url=http://www.cinemaniafilmfestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cinemania (film festival) | wikidata=Q2972781 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | alt=documentaries | url=http://www.ridm.qc.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | wikidata=Q3425197 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | alt=Quebec cinema | url=http://www.rvcq.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | wikidata=Q3235139 | content=February. }} ===Sports to watch=== * '''[https://www.nhl.com/canadiens Canadiens]''', Ice hockey, Canada's national winter sport: Bell Centre (''Centre Bell''), 1260 rue De La Gauchetière (metro Lucien-L'Allier or Bonaventure), . One of the greatest institutions in Quebec culture. If you want to see a game, it helps to know someone with tickets, as they generally sell out within minutes of going on sale. They are widely available through unofficial channels and scalpers, but be prepared to shell out as they don't come cheap! You can also get cheaper tickets if you're a resident of the HI youth hostel. You can also stay in front of the hostel and ask a resident to buy a ticket for you if you aren't staying at the hostel! * '''[http://www.montrealalouettes.com Alouettes]''', Football (Canadian Football League), Percival Molson Stadium (''Stade Percival-Molson''), avenue des Pins at University (playoffs: Olympic Stadium), . A dominant team in the last part of the 2000s, but now somewhat less so, the Als have won the Grey Cup three times since being reborn in 1996, including back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. Molson Stadium is an excellent place to see a game; tickets can be hard to come by when the team is doing well. * '''[https://en.cfmontreal.com Club de Foot Montréal]''', Association football (soccer), Saputo Stadium (''Stade Saputo'') at 4750 Sherbrooke street East and Viau in the Olympic Park (metro Viau). Formerly known as '''Montreal Impact''', it is one of the newer teams in Major League Soccer, and the league's third team in Canada, joined MLS in 2012. The previous version of the Impact/CF Montréal was a consistent contender in several different leagues (including three in the last three seasons before the team joined MLS) at the U.S./Canada second level. CFM occasionally use nearby Olympic Stadium for matches that are expected to draw unusually large crowds or if the weather restricts outdoor play. * '''Tennis''' — Montreal hosts an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event (men) every odd-numbered year. In even-numbered years, Montreal hosts a WTA Premier 5 event (women). The tournaments are held at IGA Stadium (''Stade IGA'') in Parc Jarry in the North End. The main stadium is of special historic interest to baseball fans—part of its seating is the former backstop grandstand of the stadium that hosted the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) before they moved to Olympic Stadium. * '''Canadian Grand Prix:''' This [[Formula One]] race is staged at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame, usually in June. ==Learn== ===Language classes=== Montreal is a popular destination for language-immersion programs in French and English. Many schools arrange accommodations — either in dorms or with a family and provide cultural programs with trips around the city and beyond. Prices are usually higher for non-Québécois and higher-still for non-Canadians. Most are in Downtown and the Old City. Intensive, non-resident programs are also offered by the YMCA and Quebec government. ===Universities=== Montreal is home to one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities, '''[https://www.mcgill.ca/ McGill University]'''. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 universities in the world, but not each faculty. It is a university with a huge endowment fund. '''Concordia University''' is the city's other English-language university, the largest east of Toronto, and has over 40,000 students. Though Concordia lacks a medical school and law school, it still has a world class business school and their arts and sciences programs are top tier. Its student population is generally more multicultural than McGill's and the school's origins in and continuing emphasis on adult education make it popular for mature students, since it holds many graduate-level courses at night. Both universities are research focused. The '''Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM)''' and the '''Université de Montréal''' cater mainly to Francophone students. The Université de Montréal is the second largest French-language university in the world, after the Sorbonne in [[Paris]] and is one of the largest research institutions in Canada. The Université de Montréal has two affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal (engineering), and HEC Montréal (business school) that offer undergraduate and graduate studies. '''Université Laval,''' '''Université de [[Sherbrooke]]''' and '''Universté du Québec à [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]]''' also have campuses in the Montreal area. Every university, with the exception of Laval, lends its name to a metro stop to indicate the university's approximate location. For example, the Guy-Concordia subway station, at the intersection of Rue Guy and boulevard de la Maisonneuve ouest, is no more than two minutes away from its namesake university (Concordia). ==Work== As Montreal is in the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration policies, those wishing to work in Montreal will have to go through two processes, once with the Quebec government, then finally with the Canadian government. If you are employed with a foreign company which has a Montreal office, you can seek a transfer. You can also seek a job with a Montreal employer and they can sponsor you for a temporary work visa. If you are a skilled worker (see CIC website) you can immigrate based on your own skills. French language ability is a requirement for most jobs, as businesses are required by provincial law to greet and serve clients in French. Jobs that do not require prior French language ability are mostly IT jobs, and academic jobs at Montreal's two Anglophone universities. The Quebec provincial government provides free French language courses for newly-arrived expatriates and immigrants who speak little to no French, and you are highly advised to sign up for one of these courses as soon as you arrive to aid your integration into society. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows skilled U.S. and Mexican professionals to obtain a Canadian work visa provided they are qualified in certain professions. The [http://www.amcits.com/professions.asp American Consular Services website] provides an up-to-date list of qualifying professions. If you are a U.S. citizen aged 18–30 and a full-time student, you can obtain a Canadian work visa valid for six months through [http://www.bunac.org/usa/workcanada/eligibility.aspx BUNAC]. Students from France, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia can also benefit from BUNAC work programs. As well, if you obtain a degree from a Canadian university, you are eligible to remain in Montreal and work for up to one year. For anyone else, the [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp Immigration Canada (CIC) website] explains a number of ways foreigners can legally work in Canada. Student jobs include babysitting, painting during the summer, and moving furniture in June. McGill and Montreal universities are always in search of research subjects and so are Montreal's many biotech firms. Montreal also has many call centres, which constantly seek to hire new employees and offer flexible working hours. ==Buy== [[File:Montreal DelicesdelErable.JPG|thumb|240px|Maple syrup in Old Montreal.]] Although Montreal's economy has been booming, the city remains remarkably affordable compared to other major cities in Canada and the United States. Shopping in Montreal ranges from eclectic budget stores to high-end fashion, with a wide spectrum in between. ===General=== Rue Ste-Catherine, between rue Guy and boulevard St-Laurent, has many of the big department and chain stores as well as a few major malls. Avenue Mont-Royal has funky consignment and gothic clothing stores from boulevard St-Laurent to rue Saint-Denis and a mixed bag of neighbourhood stores, used record shops, and gentrified boutiques heading east towards avenue Papineau. Rue St-Viateur is one of the city's most interesting streets, with its amazingly varied range of businesses crammed into the short stretch between Boulevard St-Laurent and Avenue du Parc. St-Laurent remains one of the city's prime shopping streets, more or less along its whole length. Just about anything can be found there, with different blocks having different clusters of businesses (Asian groceries and housewares near de La Gauchetière, cheap electronics a little farther up, hip boutiques between Prince-Arthur and Mount Royal, anything and everything Italian between Saint-Zotique and Jean-Talon). Rue Sherbrooke ouest, west of the Autoroute Décarie, has an increasingly interesting concentration of largely food-oriented businesses. Jean-Talon market, near the intersection of Jean-Talon and St-Laurent, has a wide variety of local produce and food products (maple syrup, cheese, etc.) at very good prices. For electronic stuff, the largest chain store is BestBuy. You can also find many smaller ones on Boulevard St-Laurent (between Ontario and Sherbrooke). ===Budget=== * {{buy | name=Village des Valeurs | alt= | url=http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/ | email= | address=2033 Pie IX | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Pie IX | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=They have shops inside and outside of Montreal }} * {{buy | name=Le coffre aux trésors "Chainon" | alt= | url=http://www.lechainon.org/en/ | email= | address=4375 Boulevard St Laurent | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Sherbrooke | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=L'Aubainerie Concept Mode | alt= | url=http://www.aubainerieconceptmode.com/ | email= | address=1490, av du Mont-Royal E | lat= | long= | directions=metro mont royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Friperie St. Laurent | alt= | url= | email= | address=Friperie St. Laurent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-842-3893 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * Some military equipment shops around St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine. For trekking and outdoor, you also have many options * {{buy | name=MEC | alt= | url=http://www.mec.ca/ | email= | address=8989, boulevard de l'Acadie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-788-5878 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mountain Equipment Co-op is a co-operative with staff who know the stores merchandise well. }} * {{buy | name=Altitude Sports | alt= | url=http://www.altitude-sports.com/ | email= | address=4140 Saint-Denis St. | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Mont-Royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=La cordée | alt= | url=http://www.lacordee.com/ | email= | address=rue Ste-Catherine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Kanuk | alt= | url=http://new.kanuk.com/ | email= | address=485 Rachel St E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== Trendier boutiques can be found on rue Saint-Denis, north of rue Sherbrooke and south of avenue Mont-Royal est, and on rue Saint-Laurent (continuing as far north as Bernard). The latter is becoming more upscale, so the range of shopping is highly variable and lower in density as one goes north of Mont-Royal. Rue Sherbrooke has a number of high-end stores (notably Holt Renfrew) and commercial art galleries in a short strip running approximately from McGill University west to rue Guy. Farther west, Sherbrooke intersects with Greene Avenue in Westmount, which has a short, but luxurious retail strip. Avenue Laurier, between St-Laurent and its western end, is one of the city's prime spots for eating and shopping in high style, though there are still a few affordable spots here and there. ===Furniture and antiques=== On boul. St-Laurent, a cluster of high-end home furnishing stores. It starts roughly at the corner of rue Marie-Anne and is very prominent in the block between rue Marie-Anne and avenue Mont-Royal, with sparser, but still interesting stores as far north as rue Saint Viateur. Antique buffs will find interesting stores all over the city, but they'll want to make a special pilgrimage to rue Notre-Dame Ouest, when you head east from avenue Atwater. Rue Amherst, in the Gay Village, also has a significant concentration of antique dealers. ==Eat== [[File:Sign WingsNouilles.JPG|thumb|240px|Wing's Chinese Noodles, Chinatown]] Montreal is a culinary mecca and has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to ''haute cuisine''. The city was ranked 2nd best dining city in North America<!-- By whom?--> after San Francisco and ahead of New York. The large local Jewish population has contributed local specialties including huge smoked meat sandwiches (beef brisket) (Schwartz's is undisputably the most authentic smoked meat restaurant) and small, crusty bagels (the undisputed classic bagel places are St-Viateur's and Fairmount Bagels). Other specialties are "all-dressed" pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers), pizza and spaghetti with smoked meat, and Québécois favourites like split pea soup and poutine. {{infobox|Poutine|[[File:Food Poutine Closeup.JPG|100px|right]] <br> No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine. This unique dish is a plate of french fries drowned in gravy and topped with chewy curds of white cheddar. There are variations on the theme — adding chicken, beef, vegetables, or sausage, or replacing the gravy with tomato sauce (''poutine italienne''). Every Montrealer has their favourite poutine restaurant where it says that you can get "the real stuff", but La Banquise, on the [[Montreal/Plateau#Eat|Plateau]] at 994 rue Rachel est, usually tops the list.}} Many Montreal restaurants are "apportez votre vin" (''bring your own wine''). This may sound like a hassle, but you end up paying much less for wine with dinner if you bring it yourself. There's usually a SAQ (government liquor store) or a ''dépanneur'' (convenience store, with a limited selection of typically inexpensive wine) nearby; ask your waiter where it is. Your waiter will open your wine for you; corkage fees are rare, but don't forget to factor this service into your tip so make sure to ask. If you are driving from the United States, you may find Canadian liquor prices quite frightening. Even the duty-free shops along the border are rarely cheaper than an American liquor store (although these are still cheaper than the SAQ). Visitors can bring in 40oz of hard alcohol, 1.5L of wine, or a 24-pack of beer. Separate bills (''l'addition'' or "facture" in French) are common and you may be asked ''ensemble ou séparément?'' (together or separately?) The standard tip for acceptable restaurant service is 15% and is not included. Never call a waiter "garçon"! Use "monsieur" or "madame". ===Montreal originals=== There are several Montreal original foods: *The Montreal-style bagel, where bagel worshippers flock to '''St-Viateur Bagel''' and '''Fairmount Bagel''', and pontificate about which is better. Both are within blocks of each other in the Plateau Mont-Royal district, on Saint-Viateur and Fairmount streets, respectively. *Montreal-style '''smoked meat''', a type of corned beef, distinct from other forms such as pastrami, is available at many restaurants, but by far the most highly esteemed is that available at '''Schwartz's''' on the Main (Boulevard Saint-Laurent) in the Plateau Mont-Royal district. Traditionally it's served as a sandwich, in heaping portions and slathered with mustard, but you'll also see it as a topping on pizza, poutine, hot dogs, or spaghetti, or even incorporated into Chinese-style egg rolls (a specialty of '''Chenoy's''', a local chain of delis). Other well-known local smoked meat restaurants include '''Main Deli Steak House''' (across the street from Schwartz's) and '''Lesters Deli''' (in Outremont). *Steamé (steamie), a steamed hotdog on steamed bun, with mustard, sauerkraut and onions. Some locations may replace sauerkraut with coleslaw. ===Ethnic restaurants=== As Montreal has a very ethnically diverse population, it has various quality ethnic restaurants. *Indian: The Indian community in Montreal is around Parc metro station where many Indian restaurants can be found. An example is Bombay Mahal. *Portuguese: Around Little Portugal, near the intersection of Saint-Laurent and Rachel. *Persian: An Iranian cafe-resto is Byblos cafe. *Arabic *Haitian *Chinese: Mainly in Chinatown (near Place d'Armes metro), and near the Anglophone universities. *Japanese: A Japanese non-sushi restaurant is Kazu. ===Markets=== To buy your own food or regional products, the public market at Jean-Talon, 7075 avenue Casgrain (metro Jean-Talon or De Castelnau), is the place to go. Open daily 08:00-18:00, the market is especially noteworthy for its selection of produce. Even though they're not strictly part of the market, the many stores lining it on the north and south sides complete it wonderfully with superb selections of cheese, meat, and just about anything edible. The surrounding streets are heavily Italian-flavoured and have excellent grocery stores, butchers, bakeries, and restaurants. Across town, the Atwater Market is also superb, though quite different from (and much smaller than) Jean-Talon. Here, you'll find the city's best butchers, and good selections of cheese, fish, and produce. It is on avenue Atwater, just south of rue Notre-Dame Lionel-Groulx station ===Restaurants=== Montreal claims to have the most restaurants per capita in North America. With delis and bakeries and diners galore, Montreal offers great budget dining. Venues are scattered all over the city, but the largest concentration of restaurants is along boul Saint-Laurent, rue Saint-Denis and ave du Mont-Royal in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. Tasty and cheap ethnic food, lots of Indian buffets, can be found around the [[Montreal/Mile End|Jean-Talon market]]. Two Montreal classics, poutine and the smoked meat sandwich, can make a filling meal for under $10. Pizza by the slice can be had for a toonie ($2), and there's always the option of rolling your own picnic with fresh produce from Atwater Market or Jean-Talon Market. Several kosher restaurants can be found within a few blocks of each other on Queen Mary road not far from the Snowdon Métro station in and boul Décarie near Villa-Maria-des-Neiges in [[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]]. The other greatest concentration of kosher food in along Bernard in [[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]]. Smoked-meat and sausage poutine aside, Montreal is vegetarian-friendly with several veggie and vegan restaurants and veggie options on most menus. Montreal has excellent ice cream parlours, many of which make their own ice cream. There are also restaurants dedicated to desserts. ===Restaurant chains=== Local restaurant chains that travellers might not be familiar with, with various locations throughout the city, include: *{{eat | name=Brasserie La Cage | alt= | url=https://www.cage.ca/en/home | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and grill. Great place to watch Montreal Canadiens hockey games, the atmosphere gets crazy during the NHL playoffs! }} *{{eat | name=Les Trois Brasseurs | alt=The Three Brewers | url=http://les3brasseurs.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Microbrewery with a pub-style menu and a European flair. }} * {{eat | name=Juliette et chocolat | url=http://www.julietteetchocolat.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Specialised in chocolate desserts and famed for its very rich drinking chocolate. }} * {{eat | name=Rockaberry | url=http://www.rockaberry.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Enormous portions of cakes, pies, crumbles and brownies. }} * {{eat | name=Copper Branch | url=http://www.copperbranch.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Vegan chain serving sandwiches, wraps, soups and some desserts. }} ===Alternate=== If you are really on budget, there are a few community restaurants (like [http://www.chicrestopop.com/restaurant-communautaire/ Chicrestopop]) which serve very cheap meals. Usually these locations are reserved for the homeless. If you are staying in Montreal, there are several collective cooking locations where a group of people cook larger portions to freeze and stock for worker's lunch breaks. ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} The legal age to purchase alcohol in Quebec is 18 and the Québécois are now much more rigid in enforcing this age limit. All retail alcohol sales stop at 23:00 and bars and clubs stop serving at 03:00. Quality wine and liquor (but only a small selection of imported beers) can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open until 18:00 Sunday to Wednesdays and 20:00 or 21:00 on other days; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. Beer and a small selection of lower-quality wine are also sold at convenience stores (dépanneurs) and grocery stores. Some supermarkets have partnered with the SAQ to offer a few selection bottles, so if you are caught outside business hours or are in a hurry, places like ''IGA Extra'' and ''Métro'' generally offer a better variety of wine than the local ''dépanneur''. The selection of beer to be found in grocery stores and even the humble corner store have exploded in the last decade in and around greater Montreal. Two micro-breweries in particular are world-class: ''McAuslan'' (brands include St-Ambroise and Griffon) and ''Unibroue'' (Belgian-style ales such as Blanche de Chambly, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, and simpler, more affordable U lagers). ''Boréale'' makes a good, if unspectacular range of brews, while ''Rickard's'' and ''Alexander Keith's'' domestics are gaining popularity among locals. Most stores also sell a few major imports such as Stella Artois, Sapporo, Guinness, Leffe and of course, Heineken. ===Bars=== Montreal has three main strips for bar-hopping. Rue Crescent, in the western part of [[Montreal/Downtown|downtown]], caters mostly to Anglophones and tourists. It tends to be trendy and expensive. On the edge of the bar-heavy [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], Boulevard Saint-Laurent gets extremely busy when McGill and Concordia students are back in town for a new session. Between rue Sherbrooke and avenue des Pins you'll find trendy clubs and bars with more of a Francophone clientele. Farther up St-Laurent, it's relatively downscale and linguistically mixed. Rue Saint-Denis, between rue Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve, is the strip with the strongest Francophone feel. There are also many good bars away from the main strips, like on Avenue Mont-Royal, and even nowadays on Rue Masson et Rue Ontario in the eastern part of town. You should never have to line up to go have a drink, because there's virtually an unlimited choice. Depending on the day of the week, the best events vary. For example, on Tuesday you should go to Les Foufounes Électriques for cheap beer and a unique experience in a Montréal institution. ===Dance clubs=== Dance clubs can be found all over the downtown area, with hotspots on boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Crescent. * {{drink | name=Time Supper Club | alt= | url=http://www.timesupperclub.com/ | email= | address=997 rue St Jacques | lat=45.49717 | long=-73.56468 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The first Supper Club in the city, Time Supper Club starts as a restaurant and slowly turns into a night club. }} *'''Saphir''', 3699 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Goth and punk nights on two floors. *'''La Boom''', 1254 rue Stanley. One of the trendiest club in Montreal. Be well-dressed and have a well-dressed wallet. *'''Cafe Campus''', 57 rue Prince-Arthur est. Best known for its Tuesday night $7 pitchers, retro music, and lack of memories. *'''Club Tokyo''', 3709 St-Laurent. Dress to impress. Offers various rooms with comfortable couches and an outdoor terrasse. Plays a mix of club music/retro/hip hop that will keep you dancing all night long. *'''Muzique''' 3781 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Montreal's new high-end destination, 2 rooms and a rooftop patio overlooking Mount Royal * {{drink | name=La Tulipe | alt= | url= | email= | address=4530 Papineau Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===After-hours clubs=== After-hours clubs, for those who aren't tired out by 03:00, are open to 10:00. They do not, by law, serve alcohol at this time. * {{drink | name=Stereo | alt= | url=http://www.stereo-nightclub.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=858 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mainly plays house music and occasionally trance/techno. Stereo was once voted #5 of the top 10 clubs in the world by Muzik magazine, as it has welcomed several of the top DJs from around the world. The venue is known to have one of the best sound systems in North America. The crowd is mostly gay/lesbian depending on the night, the age ranges between 20-35, and is often at full capacity. A great place to end the night if you're still not tired after 02:00. }} * {{drink | name=Circus | alt= | url=http://www.circusafterhours.com/ | email= | address=915 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Electronica and hip-hop. A luxuriously decorated after-hour in Montreal. Lots of space and hidden corners. The crowd is a bit younger (18-25), and doesn't always pack to full capacity. The venue has welcomed a number of big DJs. }} ===Karaoke=== * {{drink | name=Pang Pang Karaoke Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=1226 rue Mackay | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-938-8886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very comfy rooms in a range of sizes can be hired by the hour. }} * {{drink | name=K-Karaoke | alt= | url= | email= | address=2110 Rue Crescent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-903-7799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large rooms with clean decoration. }} * {{drink | name=K-100 | alt= | url= | email= | address=1231, rue Sainte-Catherine O | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-284-4288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Many rooms. Can be hired by the hour or at a happy hour rate. }} ===Gay and lesbian=== Montreal has as many gay and lesbian bars as San Francisco. Every October on Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the U.S.) hosts the "Black and Blue" circuit party, attracting thousands to enjoy the thrill of harder dance music and hordes of pretty, shirtless men. Most popular gay bars can be found in the city's [[Montreal/Gay Village|Gay Village]], on the eastern stretch of Ste-Catherine and easily accessible by the Beaudry metro, between Amherst and Papineau. '''Unity''', '''Apollon''', and '''Sky''' are the dance club favourites, while Cabaret Mado offers excellent drag performances. There are also pubs, male strippers, restaurants, saunas, and karaoke in the area. The four main stripper bars are '''Stock''', '''Campus''', '''Taboo''', and '''Adonis'''. The most popular sauna is '''Oasis'''. ==Sleep== For the budget traveller, Montreal offers youth hostels with dorms or private rooms and budget bed and breakfasts (sometimes with very skimpy breakfasts). The densest collection of budget hotels are in the [[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village#Sleep|Latin Quarter]], in the streets east of Berri-UQAM metro and the intercity bus station. [[Montreal/Old Montreal#Sleep|Old Montreal]] has a couple of quality hostels, but you'll pay more to be there. Montreal is also the city with the most [[hospitality exchange|Couch Surfing]] members, so it is easy to find a hospitable local host for a few nights. Mid-range options include [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] chain hotels to "gîtes", guest houses that range from a single room in an apartment to elegant historic homes with three to five rooms. Gîtes are usually found in the more residential neighbourhoods like the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. On the upper-end, four and five-star luxury and boutique hotels are mostly concentrated in [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] and [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]]. Montreal is home to four major universities and numerous smaller schools. Students routinely sublet apartments in the summer months. ==Connect== ===Phone=== Montreal has four area codes: the long-standing 514, the newer 438, 450 and 579 for surrounding, off-island areas. The area code must be used for all calls: even if it's the same one you're calling from and even if calling next door. For example, calling a 514 number from within 514, use "[tel:514-123-4567 514-123-4567]". Dialling the same number long-distance would be [tel:1-514-123-4567 1-514-123-4567]. ===Internet=== Photocopy shops often have internet terminals available, as do many cafés and some bookstores. The Bell phone company has installed public internet terminals (cash or credit cards) in McGill and Berri-UQAM metro stations. There are also long-standing cyber/internet cafés (minus the café part) such as ''Battelnet 24'' at many locations in Montreal including one at mezzanine level in the rue Guy entrance of Guy-Concordia metro. Of course, free internet access is the ''best'' kind of internet. The organization [http://zap.coop/ Île Sans Fil] provides free wireless internet in cafés and other locations throughout the city. Look for the sticker outside participating venues. The Eaton Centre downtown offers free wireless access in the food court. Also, the Grande Bibliothèque (Great Library) has many free Internet terminals: you can get a library card (free to Québec residents with proof of address) to use it there. ===Mail=== Red Canada Post mailboxes are found along most main streets. Post offices are often inside pharmacies: look for the Canada Post logo. ==Stay safe== For emergencies call '''9-1-1'''. Although Montreal is Canada's second largest city, it shares Canada's low violent crime rates making it relatively safe. However, property crimes, including car theft, are remarkably high: make sure to lock your doors and keep your valuables with you. Take extra care if you want to visit Montréal-Nord or Saint-Michel. These neighbourhoods are the worst of the city and shootings are not unheard of in these areas. There is, however, little for tourists to do and they are unlikely to enter by accident. Part of Montreal's Sainte-Catherine downtown corridor is arguably the grittiest part of the city, especially east of Place des Arts. There are homeless people panhandling during the summer and fall. Although most of them are polite, there are some that are more aggressive. Avoid individuals wandering on the streets that appear intoxicated. The street is at its most dangerous around 03:00 when closing clubs and bars empty their drunken crowds into the street. You may also come across occasional pockets of street prostitution, especially around strip clubs. In Montreal, [[pickpockets]] are not very common, but keep an eye on things when watching street performances in the Old City or in other crowds. If you are concerned about safety on the metro, use the first metro car where the driver is. Emergency intercoms are on every metro car. Emergency phone booths are on every platform throughout the metro system, which is generally safe. While written instructions are in both English and French, most announcements (usually about delays) are in French only so if you think you heard something in the announcement that may affect you, just try asking a fellow passenger for a translation. The STM offers a "between stops" (''entre deux arrêts'') service that allows women travelling alone at night to get off the bus between two regularly designated stops if the bus driver feels they can stop the bus safely. Pedestrians and bike-riders should be especially careful. Crosswalks are rarely respected. Motorists have a general contempt for pedestrians, especially when they are trying to make a right turn at an intersection. Wasps are a considerable menace during the height of summer. Consider carrying vinegar on your person in case of stings to help neutralize the sting. Otherwise, see below if you are allergic for the nearest hospital. ===Weather=== Montreal is often icy and cold in winter, be careful by dressing appropriately for the conditions and be mindful of ice or snow anytime you are driving or walking. Street clearing of snow is generally effective. Summers are warm to hot and can be quite humid. Being surrounded by rivers adds to this effect. ===Hospital=== The closest hospital to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is the Lakeshore General Hospital at 160 avenue Stillview in Pointe-Claire. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) The Montreal General Hospital is at 1650 avenue Cedar. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-934-1934 +1 514-934-1934]) The McGill University Hospital (Glen site) ([https://muhc.ca/ MUHC]) is at 1001 Decarie Boulevard ([tel:+1-514&#x20;934-1934 +1-514 934-1934]). The [http://jgh.ca/en/home Jewish General Hospital] is at 3755 rue Côte Ste-Catherine. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-340-8222 +1 514-340-8222]) If you do not have Quebec Health Insurance, be prepared to pay by credit card at the door as it does not accept traveller's insurance (but you will be reimbursed when you return home). ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) Several hospitals offer service in French and English. ==Cope== ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | url=http://www.mfa.gov.eg/english/embassies/Egyptian_Consulate_Canada/Pages/default.aspx | email=egypt.consulate@videotron.ca | address=1000 De La Gauchetiere Ouest | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 866-8455 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 866-0835 | hours=09:00-15:30| price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.grconsulatemtl.net | email=info@grconsulatemtl.net | address=1170 Place du Frere Andre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 875-2119 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 875-8781 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | url=http://montreal.mae.ro/ | email=montreal.cg@mae.ro | address=să: 1010 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, bureau 610, etaj 6, H3A 2R7 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 876 1792, +1 514 876 1095 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 876 1797 | hours= | price= | content=General consulate }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/montreal/ | email=usconsulatemtl@state.gov; Montreal-ACS@state.gov | address=1155 rue Saint-Alexandre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 398-9695 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 398-0973 | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Newspapers=== [http://montrealgazette.com/ ''The Gazette''] is the city's English-language daily. If you have some French, hit the [http://www.voir.ca voir.ca] website for good restaurant reviews and an overview of what is happening. ==Respect== {{See also|Quebec#Talk|Quebec#Respect|French phrasebook}} As in the rest of [[Quebec]], language politics and Quebec sovereignty are contentious issues in Montreal. Don't make the assumption that all French Canadians are in favour of Quebec's separation from Canada as many (especially in bilingual Montreal) are against it. If you really want to discuss those topics with locals, be sure you are well-informed. It is still safer to avoid the subject, as it is still a very emotional issue. Use common sense and be respectful. The main language in Montreal, as in the rest of Quebec, is French. Making an attempt to use the language is a great way to show respect for locals, whether or not they can speak English, even if you can manage only a few words with a very strong accent. However, Montreal is considered to be one of the world's most bilingual cities with many residents whose primary language is English, and you will often hear locals code switching between French and English when having a conversation. In case of doubt, you may want to open with a warm "Bonjour!" (''Good day'') and see what language is used in response. Most likely you will be answered in English, if your French accent does not sound local. Don't be offended if you are trying to speak French and locals respond to you in English. Since most Montrealers speak both French and English, they are simply trying to make things easier for you. Many people working in the tourist and service industries are completely bilingual without accents. But don't make jokes about French people (especially since Francophones in Montreal are mostly Québécois with a few Acadiens and Franco-Ontariens, all of whom consider themselves different from the French from France and from one another). Also, do not assume that all Québécois are Francophones. Montreal has a significant English-speaking community with a long history in Quebec and many immigrants whose first language is neither English nor French ("Allophones"). ==Go next== Montreal makes an excellent entryway for visiting other cities and destinations in [[Quebec]] and the northern [[United States of America|United States]]. You will have to pass the border control if you go to the US, and arm yourself with the appropriate visas and papers. Add at least one extra hour for the border control. * The [[Adirondacks]] are a 2½-hour drive to the south. These mountains make up the largest park in the contiguous US and offer outdoor activities like hiking, rafting and skiing. * [[Boston]] is a 5-hour drive to the southeast. * [[Mont Tremblant]] lies less than two hours north in the [[Laurentides]]. * The [[Eastern Townships]] are two to three hours straight east. * The Laurentians and in the Eastern Townships between December and March offer good downhill skiing. There are some very good night-skiing centres such as Ski Bromont and Mont-St-Sauveur. * The [[Monteregie]] townships, a short drive east of Montreal. * [[New York City]] is a 6½-hour drive directly south. * [[Ottawa]] is two hours west by car. * [[Quebec City]], about 3 hours to the north east on Highway 40, is almost but not quite a day trip. You'll want to stay over, anyway. * [[Tadoussac]], about 6 hours away by car, has great whale-watching * [[Toronto]] is more distant, but still a doable 6-hour drive (or a faster 4½-hour train trip). {{routebox | placename=Montreal (intercity rail) | image1=VIA Rail Ocean icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1= | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Sainte-Foy]] | minorr1=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image2=VIA Rail Montreal Quebec icon.png | imagesize2=100 | link2=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Ottawa]] | minorl2=[[Dorval]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Quebec City]] | minorr2=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image3=VIA Rail Toronto Montreal icon.png | imagesize3=100 | link3=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Toronto]] | minorl3=[[Montreal/West Island|Dorval]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 02.png | imagesize4=100 | image4a=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 01.png | imagesize4a=100 | directionl4=&nbsp;N | majorl4=[[Shawinigan]] | minorl4=Anjou | directionr4=S | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=Amtrak Adirondack icon.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[New York City]] | minorr5=[[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] → [[Champlain and Rouses Point|Rouses Point]] }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (regional rail) | image1=Mtl Train CA.png | imagesize1=75 | caption1=AMT Candiac Line | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=Candiac | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=Mtl Train DM.png | imagesize2=75 | caption2=AMT Deux-Montagnes Line | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2=Deux-Montagnes | directionr2=E | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Mtl Train MA.png | imagesize3=75 | caption3=AMT Mascouche Line | directionl3=&nbsp;N | majorl3=Mascouche | minorl3=[[Repentigny]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=Mtl Train SH.png | imagesize4=75 | caption4=AMT Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line | directionl4=W | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Mont-Saint-Hilaire]] | minorr4=[[Longueuil]] | image5=Mtl Train SJ.png | imagesize5=75 | caption5=AMT Saint-Jérôme Line | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=[[Saint-Jérôme]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] | directionr5=S | majorr5=END | minorr5= | image6=Mtl Train VH.png | imagesize6=75 | caption6=AMT Vaudreuil–Hudson Line | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] | minorl6=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=END | minorr6= }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (road) | image1=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | link1=Trans-Canada Highway | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Ottawa]] | minorl1=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] ← [[File:Quebec Autoroute 40.svg|16px|link=]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr1=[[File:Quebec Autoroute 25.svg|16px|link=]] → [[Longueuil]] | image2=Quebec Autoroute 10.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Sherbrooke]] | minorr2=[[Brossard]] | image3=Quebec Autoroute 15.svg | imagesize3=22 | image3a=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | imagesize3a=22 | link3=Trans-Canada Highway | directionl3=N | majorl3=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl3=[[Laval]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Albany (New York)|Albany]] | minorr3='''[[File:Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg|16px|link=]] ENDS''' → [[Brossard]] → Becomes [[File:I-87.svg|18px|link=]] | image4=Quebec Autoroute 20.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] | minorl4=Becomes [[File:Ontario 401.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] | minorr4=[[Brossard]] | image5=Quebec Autoroute 25.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Terrebonne]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] ← (toll bridge) | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px]] | minorr5=[[Longueuil]] | image6=Quebec Autoroute 40.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Ottawa]] | minorl6=Becomes [[File:Ontario 417.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=[[Quebec City]] | minorr6=[[Trois-Rivières]] | image7=Qc117.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=W | majorl7=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl7=[[Laval]] | directionr7=E | majorr7=END | minorr7= | image8=Qc138.svg | imagesize8=22 | directionl8=W | majorl8=[[Malone (New York)|Malone]] | minorl8=becomes [[File:NY-30.svg|18px|link=]] ← [[Huntingdon (Quebec)|Huntingdon]] | directionr8=E | majorr8=[[Quebec City]] | minorr8=[[Trois-Rivières]] }} {{related|UNESCO_Creative_Cities}} {{geo|45.5|-73.6|zoom=11}} {{IsPartOf|Southwestern Quebec}} {{usablecity}} 4ocj076p13r9owzg8cjpftvzs9682oy 4501951 4501950 2022-08-16T07:26:51Z Rosspotter 2274401 amend name wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|Montreal banner Twilight.jpg|caption=A panoramic view of Montreal from the top of Mount Royal}} {{printDistricts}} '''[https://www.mtl.org/en Montreal]''' ([[French]]: ''Montréal'') is the largest city in the Canadian province of [[Quebec]]. While Quebec City is the capital, Montreal is the cultural and economic centre, and the main entry point to the province. With 1.7 million citizens in the city and 4 million in the urban area, Montreal is Canada's second largest city, and the largest francophone city in the Americas. Still, around 12% of the population speak English as a mother language, and most Francophones are conversant in English to varying degrees of fluency. [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] has a heritage of colonial times. Though a large city, Montreal gives opportunities for [[outdoor life]], and for watching the legendary Montréal Canadiens ice hockey team. ==Districts== ===Central Montreal=== ====Ville-Marie borough==== Neighbourhoods from west to east: {{Regionlist | regionmap=Wikivoyage_Montreal_district_map.png | regionmaptext=Montreal districts map | regionmapsize=440px | region1name=[[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] | region1color=#FC57DA | region1items= | region1description=Skyscrapers, shopping, museums, and the Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] | region2color=#11F5CC | region2items= | region2description=The historic riverfront Old Town and Old Port manages to retain a quaint feel despite being mobbed by hordes of tourists. | region3name=[[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village|Quartier Latin-Le Village]] | region3color=#8783A5 | region3items= | region3description=Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, pubs near UQAM in the Quartier Latin, gay bars and clubs in Le Village, and the working-class neighbourhood of Sainte-Marie. | region4name=[[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] | region4color=#ACC492 | region4items= | region4description=The islands of Île Sainte-Helene and Île Notre-Dame and the Montreal Casino. |regionInteractiveMap=map1|regionmapLat=45.5520|regionmapLong=-73.6953|regionmapZoom=10}} ====Plateau Mont-Royal district==== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Plateau|The Plateau]] | region1color=#E9AFAE | region1items= | region1description=Trendy area north of downtown and east of Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Mile-End|Mile End]] | region2color=#066CF2 | region2items= | region2description=Bagels, restaurants, coffee shops, the Rialto Theatre, and boutiques. }} ===Other Montreal districts and Montreal Island towns=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie|Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie]] | region1color=#DA6D7A | region1items= | region1description=Little Italy and Jean-Talon market. | region2name=[[Montreal/Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce|Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce]] | region2color=#6997A5 | region2items= | region2description=The upscale anglophone enclave of Westmount and the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. | region3name=[[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] | region3color=#AB5D8F | region3items= | region3description=Olympic Park, Botanical Gardens. | region4name=[[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]] | region4color=#73B27B | region4items= | region4description=Multicultural neighbourhood northwest of the mountain. | region5name=[[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]] | region5color=#C86E2A | region5items= | region5description=Upscale francophone neighbourhood. | region6name=[[Montreal/South West|South West]] | region6color=#CC9241 | region6items= | region6description=Including Lachine canal, Atwater Market (a must!), gentrifying St. Henri, and the emerging culinary hot-spot, Petite-Bourgogne. | region7name=[[Montreal/Verdun|Verdun]] | region7color=#4F93C0 | region7items= | region7description=Quiet neighbourhood with emerging cuisine scene and activities along the river. }} ===Elsewhere on the island=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/West Island|West Island]] | region1color=#D5DB76 | region1items= | region1description=the western part of the island of Montreal. It is mainly a residential suburb of the city of Montreal. It is the location of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport and McGill University's MacDonald Campus. The residents are mostly English speakers (or "anglophones"), in contrast to the mostly French speaking residents of the rest of Montreal (excluding Westmount). (About 55% of the population is anglophone, 20% is francophone, and 25% is "other".) | region2name=[[Montreal/North Island|North Island]] | region2color=#B383B3 | region2items= | region2description= | region3name=[[Montreal/East End|East End]] | region3color=#00FF02 | region3items= | region3description=composed of the Montreal boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Anjou, and the City of Montréal-Est }} ==Understand== [[File:Old_Port_of_Montreal_(French-_Vieux-Port_de_Montréal).jpg|thumb|280px|Montreal Old Port]] [[File:Place d'Armes August 2017 02.jpg|alt=|thumb|200x200px|Place d'Armes in Old Montreal]] On an island in the St. Lawrence River at the historically highest navigable point, Montreal has been a strategic location since before the arrival of Europeans in Canada. A thriving Iroquoian town called Hochelaga was on the site of present-day Montreal when explorer Jacques Cartier first visited in 1535. In 1642, the tiny town of Ville-Marie was founded as a Catholic mission by Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. It soon became a centre of the fur trade. After its capture by the English in 1762, Montreal remained (until the 1970s) the most important city in Canada and was briefly capital of the province in the 1840s. Prohibition on sales of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s made Montreal a destination for cross-border fun seekers from nearby New England and New York. The city built up a seedy, yet playful, industry in alcohol, burlesque, and other vices. In the 1960s, an urban renewal drive centred on Expo 67. The World's Fair in Montreal brought a subway system (the métro) and attractive urban parks and is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs. Over 50 million visitors gathered in Montreal during this memorable summer. The 1976 Olympics left a strikingly idiosyncratic stadium and many other urban improvements. The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, though much-lauded as an economic boom, spelled the beginning of the end for Montreal's economic dominance in Canada. Once the transition point between western railways and eastern sea carriers, Montreal watched helplessly as some of this business moved farther west, up the now navigable seaway, to ports in Ontario and on Lake Superior. The Quebec sovereignty movement, which began to pick up steam in the 1960s, further chilled the atmosphere for Canada-wide businesses, many of which moved their headquarters to Toronto. Following an economic depression in the 1980s and 1990s, Montreal became more secure in its place in North America and the world. It remains a centre of culture, arts, computer technology, aerospace, the biotech industry, and media for all of Canada. ===Orientation=== [[File:Montreal WV.png|thumb|200px|right|As the world sees Montreal - Assuming north is up]] [[File:montreal rt.png|thumb|200px|right|As we see ourselves - Assuming north is up]] ''It has been said that Montréal is the only city in the world where the sun "rises in the south"''. Montrealers use an unconventional compass, using the river and the mountain as cardinal points. When you are downtown, the St Lawrence River is “south” and Mount Royal is “north”; making the West Island and the East End correct in both their names and orientations. This tends to confuse visitors because the “East” End is really north and the “South” Shore is east, and the St Lawrence River runs almost north-south at this location. Most local maps use this convention as do the highways around the city. For example, Autoroute 15 north actually runs northwest and Autoroute 40 east runs northeast. To underscore this fact, a Montreal map will show that the "south end" of Victoria Bridge is in fact further north than the "north end". ===Gay Montreal=== Montreal is an extremely inviting destination for gay and lesbian tourists. Canada's contributions to gay rights have become widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions (although [[Toronto]] was the first municipality in Canada to do so). Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec (neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage licence, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence) as it is in the rest of Canada. Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses. The métro station in the Gay Village, Beaudry, is marked with rainbow pillars. '''Montreal's pride celebration''' (last week of July, first week of August) is the second-largest in Canada after [[Toronto]]'s. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Metric | janhigh = -5 | febhigh = -3 | marhigh = 3 | aprhigh = 12 | mayhigh = 19 | junhigh = 24 | julhigh = 26 | aughigh = 25 | sephigh = 21 | octhigh = 13 | novhigh = 6 | dechigh = -1 | janlow = -14 | feblow = -12 | marlow = -7 | aprlow = 1 | maylow = 8 | junlow = 13 | jullow = 16 | auglow = 15 | seplow = 10 | octlow = 4 | novlow = -2 | declow = -9 | janprecip = 77 | febprecip = 63 | marprecip = 69 | aprprecip = 82 | mayprecip = 81 | junprecip = 87 | julprecip = 89 | augprecip = 94 | sepprecip = 83 | octprecip = 91 | novprecip = 96 | decprecip = 87 | description = See the Montreal 7 day forecast at [http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/qc-147_metric_e.html Environment Canada] {{dead link|December 2020}} }} The climate of Montreal is a true humid continental climate with 4 distinct seasons. The city has warm—and occasionally hot & humid—summers, generally mild springs and autumns, and often very cold & snowy winters. Montreal gets over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Precipitation is moderate throughout the year, with around 2 metres of snow per season. ===Visitor information=== * {{listing | name=Centre Infotouriste de Montréal | alt= | url=https://www.quebecoriginal.com/en/listing/tourist-information/offices/centre-infotouriste-de-montreal-1971117 | email=info@bonjourquebec.com | address=1255 rue Peel, bureau 100 | lat= | long= | directions=At rue Sainte-Catherine; metro Peel | phone=+1 514 873-2015 | tollfree=+1-877-266-5687 | fax= | hours=Apr 1-May 7: 09:09-17:00; May 8-Oct 4: 09:00-18:00; Oct 5-Mar 31: 09:00-17:00; Closed: Dec 25 & Jan 1 | price= | lastedit=2015-07-21 | content= }} ==Get in== {{IATA|YMQ}} is used as the metropolitan area airport code for the airport and rail station. ===By plane=== ==== Airport ==== {{marker|type=go|name=Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport|url=https://www.admtl.com/en|lat=45.4581|long=-73.7520}} ({{IATA|YUL}}) ({{phone|+1 514-633-3333}} / {{phone|+1 800-465-1213}} ), also known to locals as Dorval Airport, is west of the city centre on Expressway (''Autoroute'') 20. Travel time to the airport from the city centre can be as much as an hour, depending on traffic. ==== Destinations ==== ===== Direct flights from within [[Canada]] ===== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 4 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 4 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Moncton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 45 minutes * From [[Rouyn-Noranda]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1 hour * From [[Saskatoon]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 1.25 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.5 hours ===== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ===== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 2-2.25 hours * From [[Dallas]] ([[Texas]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York)]] - 1.5 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.75-2 hours ===== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ===== * From [[Mexico City]] ([[Mexico]]) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Saint-Pierre]] ([[France]]) - 3.5 hours. ===== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ===== * From [[Athens]] ([[Greece]]) - 10 hours * From [[Barcelona]] ([[Spain]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 7.50-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 7.75-8 hours * From [[Geneva]] ([[Switzerland]]) - 8.25 hours * From [[Lisbon]] ([[Portugal]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Munich]] (Germany) - 8 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 8.75 hours * From [[Zurich]] (Switzerland) - 8.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ===== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11 hours * From [[Casablanca]] ([[Morocco|Morrocco]]) - 7.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ===== * From [[Doha]] ([[Qatar]]) - 13.25 hours * From [[Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12.25 hours ==== Airlines ==== Canadian airlines operating to YUL in Montreal: * {{listing | name=Air Canada | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-393-3333 | tollfree=+1-888-247-2262 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Some flights from Toronto arrive from Toronto Pearson International Airport and some from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Air Creebec|url=https://www.aircreebec.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-567-6567|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Regional airline operating primarily in [[Northern Ontario]] and [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{listing|name=Air Inuit|alt=|url=http://www.airinuit.com/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-361-2965|fax=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2017-02-03|content=Operates flights from communities in [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights from vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{listing|name=Canadian North|alt=|url=https://canadiannorth.com/|email=contact@canadiannorth.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-267-1247|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline primarily operating flights in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], and flights from that region to a few large cities in Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Pascan Aviation|url=https://www.pascan.com/|email=info@pascan.com|phone=+1-450-443-0500|tollfree=+1-888-313-8777|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=A regional airline operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Labrador]].}} * {{Listing|name=PAL Airlines|url=https://www.palairlines.ca|email=reservations@palairlines.ca|tollfree=+1-800-563-2800|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=One of the largest regional airlines operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Atlantic Canada]], and to [[Ottawa]].}} * {{listing | name=Porter Airlines | alt= | url=https://www.flyporter.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-619-8622 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Operates flights in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[Atlantic Canada]], and some flights from the [[United States of America]]. Ots turboprop plane flights from [[Toronto]] leave from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The airline's jet plane flights and flights by all other airlines almost exclusively leave from Toronto Pearson International Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} Other airlines: * {{Listing|name=Air Saint-Pierre|url=http://airsaintpierre.com|phone=+508-41-00-00|tollfree=+1-877-277-7765|lastedit=2022-04-29|content=Operates flights from [[Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]], two small islands that are a territorial overseas collectivity of [[France]], located just south of Newfoundland.}} The airport is served by all major airlines from the [[United States of America]]. ==== Lounges ==== Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport has the following airport lounges: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge|url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@montreal|address=Domestic departures: between Gates 1 and 3; US Transborder departures: between Gates 72 and 73; International departures: near Gate 52|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Air France / KLM Lounge|url=https://wwws.airfrance.us/information/prepare/salons/yul|address=International departures: between Gates 55 and 57|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Desjardins Odyssey Lounge|url=https://www.desjardins.com/ca/personal/goals-life-events/travel/odyssey-lounge/index.jsp|address=International departures: Gate 63|lastedit=2022-08-16}} * {{Listing|name=Montreal National Bank Lounge|url=https://www.nbc.ca/personal/mastercard-credit-cards/lounge.html|address=International departures: near Gate 53|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} ==== Ground transportation ==== ===== Public transit ===== '''[https://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/bus/shuttle/747-yul-montreal-trudeau-airport-downtown-shuttle STM Airport Express bus 747]''' offers service between the airport and Montreal 24 hours a day. A single fare will cost $11 (exact change in coins only when paid in the bus, as of July 2022) and includes unlimited use of the STM bus and metro network for the following 24 hours. There's a machine that takes credit cards inside the arrivals area where you can purchase fares (including a three-day pass for $21.25). To get to the bus stop leave the arrivals area and go to the right. There is an area to line up for the 747 buses. The bus will stop at Lionel-Groulx metro station, and some buses continue to various downtown stops (the bus's marquee will state which). It is possible to go downtown by the cheaper regular '''public transit system'''. Late at night, it is all right, but during peak hours, you will need to complete several transfers with potentially crowded vehicles, so it is really only best to do so only if you are on a very low budget and/or have very light baggage. Between 05:00 and 01:00, take [https://www.stm.info/en STM] bus 204 east (''est'') which leaves from outside arrivals every 30 min to ''Gare Dorval'' (Dorval Train Station). Check that the driver is not going west (''ouest'') as both ways are served from almost the same place, and the sign does not say. You can also use the 209 on weekdays to get to Gare Dorval. Also, be sure to keep the ticket that the driver will give you as it is a transfer which you will need later. From Gare Dorval, use your transfer ticket to catch any one of buses 211, 411, 405, 425, or 485 to Lionel-Groulx metro station. Also make sure it is going east as the same routes go west too. Your transfer will then let you into the metro. Take the Montmorency-bound orange line or the Honoré-Beaugrand-bound green line into downtown on the metro. It costs $3.50 (July 2022), but exact change in coins only must be provided to the first driver. Between 05:00 and 01:00, for the same price ($3.50, exact change in coins only, July 2022), take bus 356 (again, check that the driver is going east, not west) directly into downtown via Sherbrooke. This bus runs relatively close to most downtown hotels. However, if needed, a transfer can be completed to access the rest of the city. See the STM's trip planner or Google Maps for more details. At ''Gare Dorval'' it is also possible to catch the [https://exo.quebec/en/trip-planner/train/vaudreuil%E2%80%93hudson Exo] commuter rail to downtown (Direction Lucien L'Allier), during the day from 06:00 to 20:00 for a single one-way fare of $6, leading to the downtown station of ''Lucien L'Allier'' which is also atop the Lucien L'Allier metro station. ===== Taxi ===== The '''taxi''' fare to and from downtown is a fixed price of $41 (a sticker on the window behind the driver gives the boundaries of the zone where the flat fare applies; if you are going from or to places outside this zone, you will have to pay a metered fare with a minimum rate of $17.45). ==== Ride hailing ==== Ride hailing rides are only permitted by booking the ride on an app, and pick ups are only permitted at Door 6 on the Departures level and Door 20 on the Arrivals level. Ride hailing is available from: * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/airports/yul/|lastedit=2022-08-15|content=}} ==== Train ==== {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-989-2626 | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Offers free shuttle connects the airport with Dorval station, located 2.5 km drove away. Intercity train routes between Montreal and the following terminus stations stop at this station: [[Ottawa]], [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquière]], [[Senneterre]], and [[Toronto]]. }} ==== Car rental ==== The following car rental companies serve the YUL: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1 514-633-1222|tollfree=+1-800-462-5266|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-1902|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-0052|tollfree=+1-800-268-8970|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar|url=https://www.dollarcanada.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-800-4000|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|phone=+1-514-631-4545|tollfree=+1-800-736-8222|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-263-0678|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9030|tollfree=+1-800-227-7368|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Thrifty|url=https://www.thrifty.com|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-847-4389|lastedit=2022-08-15}} ==== Other airports ==== [[Plattsburgh#By plane|'''Plattsburgh International Airport''']] and [[Burlington (Vermont)#By plane|'''Burlington International Airport''']], in the United States, are 1 hr 20 min and 1 hr 50 min away, respectively, by car from Montreal. Adirondack Trailways offers a bus service from Plattsburgh International Airport to Montreal. Greyhound offers a bus service from Burlington International Airport to Montreal. For travellers from the US, these airports may offer a significant cost savings compared to Trudeau but at the added inconvenience of arranging ground transportation between the US and Canada. ===By car=== From [[Toronto]], take Highway 401 east about 5 hr until it becomes Autoroute (Expressway) 20 on the Quebec side of the border. It will then take about an hour to get to downtown. Be alert for frequent speed-limit changes along this road. To reach downtown follow the Centre-Ville signs and take Autoroute 720 (Autoroute 20 continues over the Pont Champlain bridge to the South Shore). {{infobox|Rideshare|Save money with a rideshare. There are daily rides from Toronto to Montreal and back for $30-50, which is cheaper than any other means of transportation between the two cities. A good website for ridesharing in Canada and the USA is [http://craigslist.com Craigslist]. Dedicated rideshare sites include [http://www.liftsurfer.com LiftSurfer] and [http://www.erideshare.com eRideShare] Warning: Advertisement for a van (with a DVD player) that offers rides to Montreal and back every day has drivers that hardly speak any English at all (nor French). The service provider is '''unreliable'''. Service is also very poor.}} From [[Ottawa]], it's about 2 hours east along Highway 417 (which becomes Autoroute 40 in Quebec) to Montreal. From [[Quebec City]], it's about 3 hours west on either Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20. From [[New York City]], take Interstate 87 north through [[Albany (New York)|Albany]] and the eastern half of New York State for about six hours. After the border crossing near [[Plattsburgh]], the freeway becomes Autoroute 15, which leads directly into downtown Montreal over the Pont Champlain, the most beautiful approach to the city. The drive time from Plattsburgh to downtown Montreal is approximately one hour. From [[Boston]], take Interstate 93 to Interstate 89 after you cross into New Hampshire. Follow Interstate 89 north to and through Vermont to the border crossing, where it turns into Highway 133. This secondary road continues to Autoroute 10, which leads directly into downtown Montreal. The whole trip takes about 5 hours. Once you cross the border it is about 1½ hours to Montreal. ===By train=== [[File:Inside the Gare Centrale du CN, CN Central Station.jpg|thumb|Montreal Central Station]] {{marker|type=go|name=Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')|url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/quebec/montreal/station|lat=45.5000|long=-73.5667}} ({{IATA|YMY}}) is at 895 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, one block west of rue University, and is served by the Bonaventure metro (subway) station. {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Operates train routes from Canada's west coast and east coast. }} VIA Rail operates fast and comfortable passenger trains to Montreal along the busy Quebec-Ontario corridor and from destinations in northern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. All fares below are five-day advance booking prices for one-way travel in "Comfort" (coach/economy) class, expect to pay almost 50% more if you book on the day of travel. Check the Via website for "[http://www.viarail.ca/en/deals express deals]", which are posted every Tuesday. Highly discounted tickets are available, typically for long distance train routes or short distance trips at non-peak hours. Express deals on short distance trips (e.g. Montreal-Toronto) are typically offered only for the upcoming weeks, whereas long distance deals (e.g. Winnipeg to Montreal) may be available several weeks in advance. Business Class is available for a premium and includes a meal, alcoholic refreshments, snacks, and free wireless internet in station lounges and on board the train. An ISIC student card can obtain a discount on Via, and on Amtrak in the USA. Bicycles can also be brought aboard as is on certain Corridor trains during the summer months. See [[Rail travel in Canada]] for more information. VIA Rail train routes serving Montreal: * Between [[Quebec City]] and [[Ottawa]] including stops in [[Drummondville]], [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Saint-Lambert]], Montreal, and [[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]]. Multiple trains daily travel the entire route and some additonal trains travel daily between Montreal and Ottawa. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 2 hours (from $35), from Drummonville is 1.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.25-3.5 hours (from $47). * Between Montreal and [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Cornwall (Ontario)|Cornwall]], [[Brockville]], [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Cobourg]], and [[Oshawa]]. Operates 6 trains daily. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.25 hours (from $85) and from Kingston is 2.25-2.5 hours. * Between [[Halifax]] and Montreal on [[The Ocean]] route, including stops in [[Moncton]] and Sainte-Foy (near [[Quebec City|Q]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|ue]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|bec City]]). Operates 3 evenings per week. Travel time to Montreal from Halifax is 22 hours (from $133 coach, $187 upper berth, $245 bedroom)), from Moncton is 17.5 hours (from $110 coach, $162 upper berth, $219 bedroom), and from Sainte-Foy is 3.5 hours. A shuttle between Sainte-Foy and Quebec City's train station is available for The Ocean trains, but must be reserved in advance. The choice of sleeping accommodation varies according to the season. Along with trains between Montreal and Quebec, the Ocean is now almost exclusively operated by modern Renaissance trains that were built for the aborted Channel Tunnel sleeper services between [[Great Britain]] and [[France]]. * Between [[Jonquiere|Jonquière]] (in the [[Saguenay]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[Shawinigan]], [[Saint-Paulin]], [[Saint-Justin]], and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Jonquière is 9 hours (from $55) and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. * Between [[Senneterre]] (in the [[Abitibi-Témiscamingue|Abitibi]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[La Tuque]], Shawinigan, Saint-Paulin, Saint-Justin, and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Seneterre is 11.5 hours (from $81), from La Tuque is 5.5 hours, and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. <!-- commenting out until service is restored:Three evenings a week, the Ocean also pulls the "Chaleur" train as far as [[Matapedia]]. The train divides in the early morning and the Chaleur follows the southern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula as far as [[Gaspé]] (17½ hr, from $106 coach, $165 upper berth, $215 bedroom). However, the service to Gaspe has been suspended with no confirmation of restarting it.--> {{Listing|name=Amtrak|url=https://www.amtrak.com/home|directions=|phone=+1-215-856-7924|tollfree=+1-800-872-7245|lastedit=2022-03-31|content=}} Amtrak's service to Montreal is [https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/amtrak-return-to-service-1.6252614 suspended until 2022] due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Amtrak operated the "Adirondack" service to [[New York City]] (11 hours, from US$61) which departed daily, with connections in Schenectady to (but not from) Chicago (24 hr, US$114) and in New York to Philadelphia (14 hr, US$97) and Washington, DC (16 hr, US$120). The train also passed through much of upstate [[New York (state)|New York]] and hugged Lake Champlain for a large part of the trip. South of Albany, the route followed the Hudson River and passes a number of historic sites. The journey to New York was cheaper but slower than by bus (see below), which takes 7-9 hr, but it made up for it with superior comfort, extra legroom, the ability to walk around the train and visit the cafe car for food and drink at your leisure, and the good view from the train of the Lake Champlain and Hudson River scenery. Train passengers leaving from Boston may take the Regional Service to Penn Station, New York City, and transfer to the Adirondack line to Montreal, but this method requires significant layover times in New York. The train station has no permanent lockers but it's usually possible to keep it guarded by Via Rail for less than a day if travelling with it. There is Wifi and a few power outlets. ===By bus=== Buses arrive and depart from the ''[http://www.gamtl.com/en/Bienvenue/default.aspx Gare d'autocars de Montreal]'' (not to be confused with the ''Gare Centrale'' or central train station) at 1717 Berri Street (adjacent to the Berri-UQAM metro station). Call [tel:+1&#x20;514-842-2281 +1 514-842-2281] for schedules and prices. Intercity operators include: * {{Listing|name=Autobus Galland|url=https://www.galland-bus.com/|phone=+1-450-687-8666|tollfree=+1 877-806-8666|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=Operates bus service in [[Quebec]].}} Operates bus service between Mont-Laurier and Montreal and including stops in [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], [[Mirabel]], and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Mont-Laurier is 4.75-5 hours and from Mont-Tremblant is 2.75-3 hours, and from Saint-Jérôme is 1.25-1.5 hours. Operates several days per week between Mont-Laurier and Montreal. There are additional trips between Mont-Tremblant and Montreal, resulting in daily service along that part of the route. * {{Listing|name=Autobus Maheux|url=https://autobusmaheux.com/|email=service_client@autobusmaheux.com|phone=|tollfree=+1-866-863-6066|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] with some connections to [[Ontario]].}} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** Between [[Rouyn-Noranda]] and Montreal including stops in [[Val-d'Or]], Grand-Remous, Mont-Laurier, [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], and [[Laval]]. Stops between Mont-Laurier and Montreal are drop off only on the way to Montreal and pick up only on the way to Rouyn-Noranda. Travel time to Montreal from Rouyn-Norand is 9-9.5 hours, from Val-d'Or is 7-7.5 hours, and from Grand-Remous is 4.25-4.75. Operates daily. From Rouyn-Noranda there is service to [[North Bay]]. ** Between [[Ottawa]] and Montreal including stops in [[Gatineau]] and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 3.5 hours. Operates daily. *{{Listing|name=Autocars Skyport|url=https://www.skyportinternational.com/|email=reservation@keolis.ca|phone=+1-514-631-1155|tollfree=+1-800-471-1155|price=$95 per adult one-way, $161 per adult round trip, $65.50 per child (2-11 years old) one-way, $111 per child round trip|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=During ski season (December to April), operates a multiple times per day non-stop route between Montreal International Airport and [[Mont-Tremblant]], where it stops at various hotels.}} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-214-849-8100 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-23 | content=Operates bus service across the [[United States of America]]. }} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** From [[New York City]] including stops in [[Albany (New York)|Albany]], [[Saratoga Springs]], and [[Plattsburgh]]. Travel time to Montreal from New York City is 8.25-9.5 hours, from Albany is 5.75-6.25 hours, and from Plattsburgh is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Boston]] including stops in [[Manchester (New Hampshire)|Manchester]], [[Concord (New Hampshire)|Concord]], [[Hanover (New Hampshire)|Hanover]], [[White River Junction]], and [[Burlington (Vermont)|Burlington]]. Travel time to Montreal from Boston is 8.5 hours, from Manchester is 7 hours, from Concord is 6.5 hours, and from Burlington is 3 hours. * {{Listing|name=Intercar|url=http://www.intercar.ca/|email=serviceclient@intercar.ca|phone=+1-418-547-2167|tollfree=+1-800-806-2167|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]].}} **From [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean|Dolbeau]] to Montreal including stops in [[Val-Jalbert]], Alma, and Quebec City. Travel time to Montreal from Dolbeau is 9 hours, from Val-Jalbert is 7.25 hours, from Alma is 6.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.5 hours. Operates several days per week. **From [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquiere]] to Montreal including stops in [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]] and Quebec City. Travel time to Monteal from Jonquiere is 6.75 hours, from Chicoutimi is 6.5 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. **From [[Baie-Comeau]] to Montreal including stops in Forestville, [[Tadoussac]], [[Baie-Sainte-Catherine]], [[Saint-Siméon]], [[La Malbaie]], [[Clermont (Quebec)|Clermont]], [[Saint-Hilarion]], [[Baie-Saint-Paul]], [[Saint-Tite-des-Caps]], [[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]], [[Boischatel]], and [[Quebec City]]. Trips to Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City, and do not include a stop in Montreal. Travel time to Montreal from Baie-Comeau is 11.25 hours, , from Forestville is 9.5 hours, from Saint-Siméon is 7.25 hours, from La Malbaie is 6.25 hours, and from Baie-Saint-Paul is 5.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. ***Several days per week there a same day connection to and from [[Sept-Îles]] involving a transfer in Baie-Comeau. Travel time to Montreal from Sept-Îles is 14.5 hours. * {{Listing|name=Limocar by Transdev|url=https://limocar.ca/|email=sac@limocar.ca|phone=+1-819-562-8899|tollfree=+1-866-692-8899|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes in [[Quebec]].}} Operates the following bus routes to Montreal: ** Between Montreal and [[Granby (Quebec)|Granby]] (1.5 hours if direct, 1.75 hours if transfer required in Bromont). ** Between Montreal and [[Sherbrooke]] with stops in [[Longueuil]], Bromont, and [[Magog]]. Travel time to Montreal from Longueuil is 15 minutes, from Magog is 1.5-1.75 hours, and from Sherbrooke is 2-2.25 hours. Operates multiple times daily. * {{Listing|name=Megasbus|alt=Coach Canada|url=https://ca.megabus.com/|tollfree=+1-866-488-4452|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Service from [[Toronto]] via [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]]. This route does not use the downtown bus terminal, but rather a street stop at 997 Saint-Antoine Ouest, near Metro Bonaventure. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.75-7.25 hours and from Kingston is 3.25-3.75 hours.}} * {{go|name=Orléans Express|alt=|url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-450-640-1477|tollfree=+1-833-449-6444|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] and to [[Ottawa]].}} Bus routes to Montreal: ** From [[Gatineau]] via [[Ottawa]]. Travel time to Montreal from Gatineau is 2.75-3 hours and from Ottawa is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Quebec City]] via [[Drummondville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3-3.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.25 hours. Operates multiple trips daily. Most trips do not stop in Drummondville, but at least one trip per day stops in each direction. ** From Quebec City via [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Drummondville]] and [[Victoriaville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 4.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.5 hours. Operates two days per week. For Victoriaville stop, it is drop off only for trips to Quebec City and pick up only for trips to Montreal. ** From Quebec City via [[Trois-Rivières]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3.75 hours and from Trois-Rivières is 1.75-2 hours. Operates multiple times daily. ** Timed connections in Quebec City enable same day trips to and from [[Rimouski]] via [[Rivière-du-Loup]]. Travel time to Montreal from Rimouski is 6.25-7.75 hours and from Rivière-du-Loup is 4.5-6 hours. ** Timed connections in Quebec City and Rimouski enable same day trips to and from [[Gaspé]], [[Percé]], and Pointe-à-la-Croix. Travel time to Montreal from Gaspé is 13.75 hours, from Percé is 14.5 hours, and from Pointe-à-la-Croix is 9.5 hours. ** [https://www.maritimebus.com/ Maritime Bus] operates buses in [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. Maritime Bus and Orléans Express operate to the following locations: ***[[Rivière-du-Loup]] (as of May 2022, Maritime Bus is not operating here due to Covid-19) ***Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC / [[Campbellton]], NB (2 km taxi ride between these communities) * {{go | name=Tour Express | alt= | url=https://tourexpress.ca/ | email=info@tourexpress.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-228-2303 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-26 | content=Intercity service Montréal-Ottawa and Montréal-Gatineau. Travel time to Montreal from [[Ottawa]] is 2 hours. }} ===By bicycle=== Montreal is an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, accessible only by bridge. Not all bridges are bike accessible; however, several are, including the breathtaking Jacques Cartier bridge. Prominent bike lanes exist throughout the city, most notably along the Lachine Canal, Rue Rachel, boulevard de Maisonneuve, rue Brébeuf, rue Berri, rue Cherrier and along rue Laurier. The Plateau-Mont-Royal is where most of these bike paths are and is the neighbourhood, along with neighbouring Mile-End, where there are the most people who cycle and walk as a means of day to day transport. It has the highest density population wise and the lowest car ownership rate per household. However, bike theft is an issue, especially in the Plateau. Most locals can recall a time when they witnessed bike theft, though the situation is getting better now that the public bike share program, Bixi, has been implemented. It was not uncommon to have somebody offer you a stolen bike for sale on the street. Be equally aware of the peripheral articles of your bicycle; seats, baskets, and wheels can often be easily detached if not properly secured to the bike's frame or locked with a u-lock. ====From Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')==== Upon disembarking the train, go to the baggage claim area and wait there for a baggage attendant to bring your bicycle to you. If you have checked other baggage, claim it at the conveyor belt. The easiest way to exit the station is at the main entrance near the baggage claim through the parking garage onto rue de la Gauchetière. All other exits require you to carry your bike up flights of stairs. At the west side of the station is the entrance to the Underground City and access to Bonaventure metro station on the Orange line. However, there is no elevator access to the metro from the train station, which means that you have to carry your bike and luggage down several flights of stairs. ====From Montreal-Trudeau International Airport==== The [http://www.admtl.com/ airport] is on the western part of the island. From the main terminal, exit onto the main access road and turn right. Wind along the access road until the first major interchange and turn right. You will reach Albert de Niverville Boulevard and be forced to turn left (south) towards the main highway (Autoroute 20). At the end of this Boulevard, turn right on Cardinal Avenue. To your right, you will come to a pedestrian underpass that takes you under the railway tracks and leads to the Dorval Circle, a very busy traffic circle. This looks intimidating, but the traffic lights will allow you to ride safely under Autoroute 20 to Dorval Boulevard ''(Boulevard Dorval)''. Continue south down Dorval Boulevard until the end. Turn left on Lakeshore Drive ''(Chemin Lakeshore)'' towards the city. This road turns into Boulevard St. Joseph. You will eventually come to a bike path to your right that winds along the shores of Lac-Saint Louis (part of the Saint Lawrence river) through the town of Lachine. Continue down this path until you reach the entrance of the Lachine Canal. Cross the canal and continue down the Lachine Canal Bike Path (Piste Cyclable Canal Lachine) and follow the signs to the Old Port (Vieux Port) in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). The Lachine Canal Bike Path can be quite busy on weekends and holidays, so be ready to take your time. It is paved over its entire length. ====From Ontario==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the west must take secondary highways to Dorion, where Autoroute 20, inaccessible to bicycles over most of its length, becomes accessible as it crosses bridges first to Île Perrot (Perrot Island) and then to the Island of Montreal (at Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue). Bicycles should use the sidewalk on these bridges as traffic is usually heavy. From here, cyclists may take Lakeshore Boulevard and the Lachine Canal Bike Path (see Airport section above) to Old Montreal and the downtown core. The Isle-aux-Tourtes Bridge on Autoroute 40 is not accessible by bicycle. ====From the United States==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the South Shore to the south and east of Montreal may access the Island of Montreal a number of ways (see [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/ map]). The surest (but not foolproof) way is using the sidewalk Jacques Cartier Bridge. When it is not closed for repairs, it is open year round and all day. A paved bike path along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River provides the most scenic approach to the bridge. The new (Samuel-de) Champlain Bridge (built in 2019) has [https://www.samueldechamplainbridge.ca/pedestrians-and-cyclists/ an excellent cyclist-and-pedestrian path] that will take you from Brossard to Nun's Island (and from there, give you easy access to the Pointe-Saint-Charles or Verdun neighbourhoods of Montreal). An equally popular route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ from the Saint Lambert Locks (Ecluses Saint-Lambert) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway near the Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria) east of Montreal]. The bike drawbridge may be blocked by the entertaining spectacle of a ship passing through the seaway. From here, cyclists take the Grand Prix racing track (Gilles-Villeneuve circuit) on Île Notre Dame to the Concord Bridge to Montreal. This route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/Default.aspx?tabid=78 closed sometimes for car racing events or construction]. In this case, cyclists can take a circuitous detour down a gravel causeway dividing the seaway and river to the Estacade, an ice boom that crosses the river parallel to the Champlain Bridge to Nun's Island and eventually Montreal. A lesser known crossing involves one at the Sainte Catherine Locks (Ecluses Sainte-Catherine) at Saint-Catherine south of Montreal. These bridges cross the seaway to the same causeway as the Saint Lambert locks. In this case, the road to the Estacade ice boom is paved. The Mercier bridge and Lafontaine Tunnel are definitely inaccessible to bicycles. These can be dangerous, even in a car. There is no bicycle path crossing the Mercier Bridge. ==== In winter ==== The Jacques-Cartier bridge closes in winter, when the society that manages the bridge decides conditions are no longer adequate. The Saint-Lambert Locks south shore link also [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ closes from about November 15th to April 15th]. ==Get around== {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q340|type=geomask}} Montreal has historically been divided into east and west by boulevard Saint-Laurent, with the west side traditionally being Anglophone and the east side traditionally being Francophone. Numbered addresses on streets that cross Saint-Laurent start there and increase in either direction; most addresses are given as "rue ____ Ouest" (west) or "rue ____ Est" (east). Many streets are named after Catholic saints and figures from local history, both well-known and obscure. In Montreal street names, "east" and "west" refer to the direction parallel to the St. Lawrence River, and "north" and "south" refer to the direction perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River. Because the St. Lawrence River runs almost north-south near downtown Montreal, "east", "west", "north", and "south" are actually northeast, southwest, northwest and southeast respectively. Confusingly, most maps displayed in the city have "Montreal north" on top which can be confusing with a satellite navigation that uses pole north. Also, don't try to navigate by looking at the sun! ===On foot=== Walking is a favoured way to get around the densely packed downtown and the narrow streets of Old Montreal, especially during the warmer months. However, beware during winter months, as sidewalks can be icy and extremely hazardous after winter snow and ice storms. Winter boots with good grip are essential for surviving pavements that have not been cleared. Beware also (as much as you can) of thawing ice falling from overhanging balconies and roofs. But you can always take the stairs down to Montreal's famous "Underground City" (''Montréal souterrain''), called [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7317,79977650&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL RÉSO], a network of pedestrian corridors connecting [http://www.stm.info/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm Métro] stations, shopping centres, and office complexes. Jaywalking is widespread and rarely punished. However, drivers will usually not stop or even slow down if a pedestrian steps out in front of them, even at marked crosswalks. At an intersection, however, a pedestrian will have right of passage before turning traffic and most drivers respect this. Despite Montreal drivers' poor reputation for aggressiveness, they generally respect pedestrians. Rue Sainte-Catherine is Montreal's main commercial artery and busiest pedestrian thoroughfare. The "Underground City" and the Green Line (or line 1) of Montreal's Metro is easily accessible from all the major office complexes, shopping malls, department stores, and theatre complexes that line it. Smaller chain stores and restaurants also vie for valuable commercial space. Well-kept historic churches with green space provide quiet oasis and contrast with the giant neon signs of strip clubs. Major hotels can generally be found one or two blocks north and south of Sainte-Catherine in the downtown core. Bars, restaurants, and dance clubs cluster within a block of Sainte-Catherine around Crescent and Bishop, catering to a mostly English-speaking clientele. Rue Saint-Denis, farther east, and the Gay Village between Berri and de Lormier, even more to the east, are mostly French-speaking. McGill College Boulevard in the downtown core from Saine-Catherine offers an open view of Mount Royal to the north and an impressive view of the Place Ville-Marie skyscraper to the south. Keep your head up and beware of following the flow of the crowd on this street: throngs of pedestrians often walk across cross streets against red lights, risking life and limb. Rue Prince-Arthur, east of Saint-Laurent, is for pedestrians only. Another pedestrian-only locale is Montreal's Chinatown, on Rue de la Gauchtière Est between Saint-Urbain and Saint-Laurent. A good trick for navigating downtown Montreal is to remember that streets slope up toward Mount Royal, which is just north of downtown and easy to see from most locations. The districts surrounding downtown Montreal are especially delightful on foot. To the south is [http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/eng/accueila.htm Old Montreal] (Le Vieux-Montréal) (its narrow streets and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries really can make you feel like you're in Old Europe) and the [http://www.oldportofmontreal.com/ Old Port] (Le Vieux-Port), a waterfront strolling park with exhibits and boat tours, is very popular with the locals. To the north, the Golden Square Mile and the McGill University Campus is wedged between Mount Royal and Sherbrooke Street on the southern slope of the mountain. Old Victorian mansions and townhouses can be found along the sloping streets, many now housing McGill University's offices and libraries. Just west of downtown is affluent Westmount, a perfect example of 19th-century English-style homes and gardens (inhabited to a great extent by English-speaking people) climbing the slopes of Mount Royal's western part (the higher you climb, the larger the old mansions). Just east and northeast of downtown are the mostly French-speaking Gay Village (Le Village Gai) and Plateau (Plateau Mont-Royal) districts. Street after street displays turn-of-the-19th-century row duplexes and triplexes, replete with famous Montreal outdoor staircases, overflowing front gardens (or snow-covered gables, depending on the time of year), and tiny shops tucked into every nook and cranny. For people who like to see a culture where it lives, Le Plateau is the place to wander about in. [http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/learn-about-mount-royal/homepage.sn Mount Royal] (Mont-Royal) is also accessible from the urban core on foot. Fit pedestrians can climb Rue Peel to the southern edge of the park. A series of renovated staircases will take you directly to the Chalet near the top of the mountain, with its classic view of the downtown core. A more leisurely climb to the top awaits those on Olmsted Road (6.5&nbsp;km), a wide, gently sloping bike and footpath accessible from the Plateau in Parc Jeanne-Mance (also known as Fletcher's Field). Smaller footpaths serendipitously branch off from this road. A cross-country ski path also winds to the top in the wintertime. Mount Royal's park was designed by Frederick Olmsted, a landscape architect who lived from 1822 to 1903 and was also responsible for the design of Central Park in [[New York City]] and the Emerald Necklace in [[Boston]]. ===By car=== Driving ([http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/ SAAQ]) in Montreal can be a challenge for many North American motorists. Although turning right on a red light is allowed across the rest of Quebec (except at intersections where a sign indicates this is not permitted), right turns on red are strictly prohibited on the island of Montreal. The stop lights at most of downtown intersections are on the opposite side of the intersection, not at the stop line as in some of Europe. The use of road salt to keep roads ice-free during severe winters takes its toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction. Downtown traffic is dense. Street parking can be difficult. Parking meters are in use seven days a week in most districts (M-F 09:00-21:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 13:00-18:00), including statutory holidays. The standard parking ticket cost is $52. Parking tickets may be appealed in court only by the owner of the car that was subject to the infraction, so if a rented car is ticketed, the person who rented may be unable to contest the charge. Car parking downtown is expensive at around $3 an hour at parking meters or $25 per day at commercial parking lots. Parking signs are all in French, and will describe a day and hour (based on 24-hr clock) along with conditions for parking. Many arterial roads prohibit parking on one side during rush hour, and vehicles are subject to $150 fine plus towing costs and other fees. Montreal does not paint curbs red next to fire hydrants, but it is still illegal to park there. {{infobox|Days of the week| lundi — Monday<br> mardi — Tuesday<br> mercredi — Wednesday<br> jeudi — Thursday<br> vendredi — Friday<br> samedi — Saturday<br> dimanche — Sunday}} There are also many private and public parking lots, and their prices vary widely. There may even be $15–20 differences between two parking lots just a few blocks from each other. {{infobox|Sign Language| North — Nord<br> East — Est<br> South — Sud<br> West — Ouest<br> Exit — Sortie<br> Bridge — Pont}} During the winter months, heavy snowfalls are common. In the aftermath of a snowstorm, an intensively-prepared "déneigement" (snow removal) process begins with intimidatingly large snow plows and trucks clearing, chewing up, and transporting away the snow. If you leave your car parked on a street, pay close attention to any orange "no parking" signs that will appear on roads to be cleared. Tow trucks will sound a loud 2-tone horn siren just before clearing. This is an announcement that a street is about to be cleared and that all parked cars will be cited/and or towed if they are not moved. For this reason it's important to be able to check your vehicle at least once daily after a snowfall. It is best to use indoor or underground parking if snow clearing is likely. Many downtown streets are one way, which can complicate getting around. If you see a sign at an intersection that has direction arrows in a green circle, that means those are the only directions you are allowed to turn. Left turns are allowed on a green light provided there are no other signs prohibiting. Visitors should be familiar with the ''flashing green'' light, which indicates a protected left-turn (priority), which is equivalent to a green arrow in other parts of the world. Some signals are green arrows that flash, this is the same meaning. Autoroutes (expressways or freeways) can be challenging for visitors, as most signs are French, but most symbols are the same as in English Canada and the United States. ===By bike=== [[File:Bixi St-Laurent.jpg|300px|thumb|Bixi bike stand]] Cycling is the best way to visit the city, especially its central neighbourhoods like the Plateau Mont-Royal; it is a very popular mode of transportation once the coldest winter weather is over. The city is criss-crossed by 660&nbsp;km of cycle paths, including some which cross the St. Lawrence onto the Island of Montreal. By far the nicest path is the Lachine Canal path that stretches from Lachine, along Lac St-Louis, down to Old Montreal along the canal. You can cross over to the South Shore either on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Île Notre-Dame, or via the Estacade ice bridge from Île des Sœurs. Montreal City Council publish an [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=8957,99693747&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL interactive map] of the cycle route network Even if you are on a bike path, beware of drivers especially if they are turning, as lines of visibility at intersections are not well enforced in the city. Generally Montreal drivers in the central neighbourhoods are used to sharing the road with bikes and so are courteous, there are always a few, usually from outlying neighbourhoods, who give all drivers a bad name. Some downtown bike paths are separated from the road by parked cars, which decreases visibility, both yours and the driver's. The often crowded bike path on rue Rachel one is the worst for this, however the Plateau part of the path will be renovated soon to make it safer and greener. If one is comfortable driving in Montreal, one generally can feel comfortable biking there as well. Montreal pedestrians are known for not waiting for a light to change if there are no cars coming; cyclists are a bit like that too and often treat the many stop signs on residential streets more as yield signs than as stop signs. Wearing a helmet is not required under the law, though, for children especially, it's better to be safe than sorry. The [http://montreal.bixi.com/ Bixi system] is a public bike-share system. Rated the best in the world, it was designed and developed in Montreal and has since been exported to many cities around the world including London, UK and Sydney, Australia. Major credit cards are accepted. The Bixi was conceived for local active transit but is accessible to tourists as well. For a flat $5 fee, you can use Bixi bikes as much as you like for 24 hours provided you don't use a particular bixi bike for more than 30 minutes at a time before returning it to a docking station. After returning the bike to a docking station, you can get another bike (even at the same station) after a 2-minute waiting period. There are over 400 Bixi stations with over 5000 bikes around the city concentrated in the downtown and central neighbourhoods like the Plateau (though it's expanding all the time). The tourist information centre has maps of the stations. Helmets and locks are not provided. You could use your own lock, but there is usually a station not more than a block away on a commercial strip so returning the Bixi to the nearest stand is always the safest and most cost-effective choice. Stations fill up and empty quickly; you may have to bike to the next station to find an empty docking spot. If you have a smartphone, there is an app that shows you real-time the nearest stations, how many bikes are docked, or whether there is a free docking spot available. Skate and bike rental shops are common, particularly in the Old Port and the Plateau. Visit La Maison des Cyclistes (the cyclists' house) at 1251 rue Rachel Est for all info on cycling in Montreal. (See Do for specific bike paths). ==== In winter ==== Montreal, however does a fair job of clearing snow on a select number of bike paths in the city, including de Maisonneuve bike path, Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Rachelle and Clark bike paths. Painted bike lanes, on the other hand are often badly cleared, resulting in dangerous ice build up. The popular Lachine Canal bike path, however, does not have snow removal which makes it very difficult to ride on in winter. The [https://jacquescartierchamplain.ca/traffic-works/pedestrians-and-cyclists/?lang=en Jacques-Cartier bridge] is also closed for most of the winter to cyclists and pedestrians. The de la Concorde bridge bike path, however, is open all year long. There is a growing winter cyclist community in Montreal that can be accessed through the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/velodhiver/10156410675837568 Vélo d'hiver - Montréal Facebook group]. === By public transit === ==== By metro and bus ==== {{infobox|Fanfare for Copland|The sounds produced by electrical equipment when a Montreal Metro train is departing are the first three notes of ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' by Aaron Copland, although this is really just a coincidence.}} [[File:Montrealmetromap.svg|thumb|250px|Map of Metro stations]] [[File:MontrealMetroTires.JPG|thumb|250px|Montreal Metro train at Place-des-Arts station]] {{Listing|name=Société de transport de Montréal|alt=STM|url=https://www.stm.info/en|phone=+1-514 786-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} STM is safe, efficient, and is overall pleasant to use. Tickets have been replaced by cards with magnetic stripe containing one trip, called an ''à la carte'' ticket. These are valid for one trip (including unlimited transfers in the same way for 90 min) on the metro and buses, costing $3.50 each (exact fare in coins is required on the buses but not on the metro) but are also available for less when you purchase two for $6.00 or ten for $27.00 (OPUS card required) either from the metro agent or the automatic fare vending machine in metro stations. Signs and announcements are only in French, though ticket machines are bilingual in French and English. Many metro counter staff are also able to speak English. Montreal metro stations and train cars do not have air conditioning: the Metro can sometimes get uncomfortably hot, in every season. It is, however, still the best transport option in the city. Only certain metro tickets are valid in [[Laval]] and [[Longueuil]]. 10-trip tickets, and weekly and monthly passes, are still not accepted. You may need to buy another ticket for the same price ($3.50). A full listing of all types of tickets and their validity can be found [https://www.stm.info/sites/default/files/pdf/en/tarifs.pdf here.] You must keep your payment card as it is your transfer and your proof of payment (''correspondance''); fare inspectors may give you a large fine if you are unable to show it when they request it. If you are using cash to pay your fare on the bus, it is important to have the exact fare since the driver does not give change; you will receive an ''à la carte ticket'', your proof of payment and your transfer. Pictures and specific instructions can be found [http://stm.info/ here.] Tourist passes offer unlimited travel on the bus and metro for periods of one day ($11) or three days ($21.25) and are well worth it to avoid fumbling for change, checking transfer times and restrictions, and worrying about getting off at the wrong stop and having to repay. There is also an option for unlimited evenings ($5.75), valid between 18:00 and 05:00 the next morning, which can be practical on a night out, since it's cheaper than buying a two-way ticket (which would cost $6). They are available for purchase at all metro stations (pay cash or use Canadian credit or debit cards only). Weekly ($29, valid for one calendar week running Monday through Sunday) and monthly ($94, valid by calendar month) passes are also available; unlike one day and three day passes, weekly and monthly passes must be loaded onto an OPUS card (see below) and are not available in paper ticket form. The OPUS card is a smart card with a chip that contains your fare and transfer information. The OPUS card can be purchased at all metro stations and transit fare points of sale. As of January 2017, the card costs $6. You can find your nearest seller [http://www.stm.info/en/info/fares/points-sale here.] OPUS cards can be refilled at metro stations using the automated machines or at the ticket booth. The STM website offers an online [http://stm.info/English/azimuts/a-index.htm trip-planner service.] Trip planning can also be done using Google Maps. Free bus and [http://metrodemontreal.ca/ Metro system] maps are available from the ticket booth at most metro stations. These are useful to find where you are on the island. At each metro station, directions are not indicated by compass directions, such as westbound or eastbound. Instead, trains go in the direction of a metro line's terminus. The ''green line'' runs from Angrignon in the west to Honoré-Beaugrand in the east. If you were to travel eastbound, for example, you would look for ''Honoré-Beaugrand'' on the platform. If you were to travel westbound, you would look for ''Angrignon''. There are four interchange stations at which commuters can change subway lines without extra charge: Snowdon (blue/orange), Lionel-Groulx (orange/green), Berri-UQAM (green/yellow/orange), and Jean-Talon (orange/blue). Bicycles are permitted aboard metro trains outside of the rush hours such as: 10:00-15:00 and 19:00 to end of service on weekdays and all day Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Bikes are only allowed in the lead car of the train up to a maximum of 6. STM staff may deny bikes aboard the metro for safety reasons such as special events that might generate a high level of ridership. Lists of such events are posted on the STM website and at the entrances to metro. During festival season in Montreal, bikes are seldom allowed at all. Bike riding inside stations or the Underground City is strictly prohibited. ==== By train ==== {{Listing|name=Exo|url=https://exo.quebec/|tollfree=+1-833-255-6396|lastedit=2022-05-24|content=Operates commuter trains in the Montreal area.}} Most trains terminate at Montreal Central Station (Gare Central) and at Lucien-L'Allier (both are accessible from the metro). Commuter trains are handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns. Routes include: * exo1 - Vaudreuil–Hudson between Montreal and [[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] including [[Montreal/West Island|Montreal-Ouest]] and [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]]. Service is available daily, though almost all trips are between Montreal and Vaudreil. The only trips to or from Hudson are from Monday to Friday with morning trip from Hudson and one afternoon trip to Hudson. * exo2 - Saint-Jérôme between Montreal and [[Saint-Jérôme]] including stops in [[Laval]], [[Blainville]], and Mirabel. Service is available daily, though on Saturdays and Sundays, the service only travels between Laval and Saint-Jérôme. Transfers from Montreal's Metro are available at Montreal's Lucien-L'Allier station (weekday rush hours only), Vendôme (weekday rush hours only) station and Parc station (weekdays only), and Laval's De la Concorde station (every day). * Three other exo lines operate, but only Monday to Friday. Commuter train stations are divided into six zones that radiate out from downtown. Stations have automated machines from which you must purchase a ticket appropriate to the zones of the station you are traveling to or from, whichever is farther (for example, a trip from Zone 1 to Zone 3 or vice versa would require a Zone 3 ticket). A pre-purchased ticket card (SOLO) must be validated at the card scanners at the entrance to the platform. In general, reduced fares (for students and seniors) require ID that is not available to travellers, but if you are staying in the area, ask an employee for more details as the rules are complicated, but you can get good savings. There are no ticket machines on the train and ticket inspections are random. Incorrect tickets sometimes go unnoticed because inspectors check only occasionally. However, it is best to avoid taking chances as if the ticket is not valid, the customer can get a fine of $400. The ticket machines should now all be bilingual in English and French. The two downtown stations have staffed ticket booths Monday to Friday, but not in the evenings. Other stations may also have booths but generally only during either the morning or afternoon rush hour. ===By taxi=== * {{Listing|name=Taxi Bonjour Montreal|url=https://bonjour.taxi/en/|phone=+1 514-366-3333|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Champlain|url=https://taxichamplain.com/index-en|phone=+1 514-271-1111|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Co-op Montreal|url=https://www.taxi-coop.com/en|phone=+1 514-725-9885|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Diamond|url=https://taxidiamond.com/en/|phone=+ 514-836-0000|lastedit=2022-07-31}} === By ride hailing === * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/montreal/|lastedit=2022-07-31}} ===Map=== MapArt produces an excellent map in book-form of downtown Montreal and environs, including Vieux Montréal, Mount Royal, the Plateau, and areas as far north as the University of Montreal and as far south as Parc Jean-Drapeau. That form is handy as you can avoid always folding a map of the whole island. Below is a basic map of the primary areas of interest to visitors. [[File:central montreal map.png|right|350px]] ==See== [[File:Marché Bonsecours and Foliage.jpg|thumb|The dome of the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal]] === Architecture === Many notable historical buildings and churches are located in Montreal, the vast majority of which are in [[Montreal/Old City#See|old Montréal]]. Most of these date from the 17th to the 19th century, showcasing the variety of architectural styles seen in these periods. At night, several of the buildings are beautifully illuminated, seemingly glowing from within. A Tourist Welcome Office brochure from bonjour québec lays out a walking map. It is worthwhile to follow the map twice, once during the day, and again at night. * Of the four Roman Catholic Basilicas in Montreal, the '''Notre-Dame Basilica''' (Basilique de Notre-Dame) at Place d'Armes is undoubtedly the most famous church in Montreal. This architectural marvel is known throughout the world for its lavishly decorated and colourful interior. This basilica, splendidly exemplifying the Gothic Revival style, is an extremely popular tourist attraction. * Although rather small and not a basilica, another notable church located in Old Montreal is the '''Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel''' (Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours) near the Bonsecours Market, the first church to be founded in Montreal. It is known for its maritime theme and beautiful frescoes on the inside walls and ceilings. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] houses Saint Joseph's Oratory (Oratoire Saint-Joseph), the largest church in Canada. Stylistically based on elements of the Italian Renaissance, it features the third highest dome in the world, and acts as the highest point in all of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]]. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] is also home to the opulent Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), a National Historic Site of Canada modeled on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Saint Patrick's Basilica (Basilique Saint-Patrick), which was built to serve Montreal's Anglophone Catholic community. * Aside from churches, a main architectural feature of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]] is '''Habitat 67''', located at Cité-du-Havre, near the Old Port (Vieux-Port). The only intact pavilion remaining from Expo’ 67, '''Habitat 67''' is known around the world as an excellent example of post-modern and minimalist architecture. Its conception has had an incalculable impact on later development of modular homes, and is thus well worth checking out. === Landmarks === * [[Montreal/Plateau#See|Le Plateau]] combines scenic residential streets with hip shopping and dining. * '''Vieux-Port''' (Old Port), is located south of rue Saint-Antoine between rue McGill and rue Berri (metro Champ-de-Mars or Place-d'Armes). The Old Port is a large waterfront green space with attractions such as Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal Science Center, the Labyrinth, the Clock Tower, and a large outdoor audio-visual stage which is the site for the Canada Day fireworks. It is a vibrant place to visit during the day and the evening. ☏ +1 514-496-7678, toll-free: +1 800-971-7678, information@oldportofmontreal.com. 6AM-Midnight. * [[Montreal/Downtown#See|Downtown]] Montreal has skyscrapers, the enormous McGill university campus, churches, and museums. Several blocks are connected by the famed 30 km of underground arcades and malls, allowing comfortable walking and shopping when the weather is foul. * [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]], site of the 1967 World Fair, now devoted to green spaces and a large outdoor concert venue. The Gilles-Villeneuve racing circuit, home of the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix. An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also in or around the park. * A few kilometres to the north, [[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve#See|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] offers the '''Olympic Stadium''', the '''Insectarium''', the '''Jardin Botanique''', and the '''Biodôme'''. This diverse range of activities and environments offer something for all ages. When planning a trip, allow four hours to see all four. * A [[Solar eclipses|total solar eclipse]] on Monday 8 April 2024 starts at 15:26 local time and lasts 90 sec. The chances of a clear sky are 30%. The track of totality is northeast from Mexico and Texas to Ohio, straddling the Canada–New England border through Lakes Erie and Ontario, then across Maine, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. === Museums === Montreal contains a wide variety of museums - over 50 in total, both well known and hidden gems. Both types are well worth visiting, and will provide a worthwhile experience. * Featuring dozens of expositions and over 44,000 works spread over 5 enormous pavilions, the '''Montreal Museum of Fine Arts''' (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is the largest museum in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Having many prominent travelling exhibits, it is both the oldest and most visited museum in Canada, and as such, is a wonderful experience. * [[File:"Phonographs and gramophones in the musée des ondes Emile Berliner.jpg".jpg|thumb|Phonographs and gramophones in the permanent exhibit of the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner ]]A hidden gem in the old RCA Victor factory complex in St-Henri, the '''Musée des ondes Emile Berliner''', in [[Montreal/South_West|Saint-Henri]], is a science and history museum dedicated to communicating the heritage of the audio industry in Canada and the world. In line with this, it pays tribute to Emile Berliner, the inventor of the gramophone, and his descendants’ contributions to the evolution of sound recording. Moreover, the museum looks at the roles and noteworthy contributions of Canadian companies in the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the role of Montreal companies and RCA Victor in the creation of satellites and the Canadarm. This makes it a worthwhile experience for those interested in science and technology, as well as Canadian history. * The '''Redpath Museum''' (Musée Redpath), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a fascinating museum of natural history. * The McCord Museum (Musée McCord), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a museum dedicated to exploring Canadian history. ==Do== * {{do | name=Casino de Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.casino-de-montreal.com/ | email= | address=1, avenue du Casino | lat= 45.505375| long= -73.525827 | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= +1 514 392-2746| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=La Ronde | alt=member of the Six Flags family | url=http://www.laronde.com/ | email= | address=22, chemin Macdonald | lat= | long= | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= Discounts are readily available: a Coca-Cola tin is worth an $8 discount on any rides ticket | content= }} ===Cross-country skiing=== During the winter, many parks offer the possibility to do cross-country skiing with groomed paths. *'''Parc regional de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation''' — Ski rental available. * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url=http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ski rental available and usually the best ski conditions. }} *'''Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique''' — No ski rental. ===Ice skating=== *'''Year-round ice-skating''', 1000, rue De La Gauchetière (metro Bonaventure). *'''Free skating''', Lac aux Castors (Beaver Lake), in the Parc Mont-Royal. *'''Free skating''', Connected ponds of Lafontaine Park, in Plateau Mont-Royal. *'''Winter skating''', in the Old Port (Vieux-Port) in front of the Bonsecours Market and many parks. {{infobox|Montreal Island's Grands Parcs|The greater Montreal area offers large parks for year-round outdoor recreation. The most accessible are Parc du Mont Royal and Parc Lafontaine in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] offers the closest beach park, and Parc Maisonneuve, next to the Olympic Sports complex and Botanical Gardens. Further afield, Parc des Rapids and Parc Angrignon are in [[Montreal/Le Sud-Ouest|Le Sud-Ouest]] and Parc René-Lévesque further West, with miles of bike paths and access to river surfing.}} ===Water sports=== *'''River surfing''' — Although the Saint Lawrence River is frozen nearly solid for four to five months out of the year, the waterway has become a magnet for aficionados of this new sport. Unlike their oceanic brethren, river surfers ride the standing waves in fresh waterways. The Saint Lawrence has two main hot spots for the sport: Habitat 67 is close to the bridge between Montreal and Île des Soeurs, the site of the 1967 Expo and the Montreal Casino. (This wave is also known as Expo 67.) The Surf 66 Boardshop at the 1952 rue Cabot offers lessons. *'''Kayaking''' — Just off the shore of the park in Lasalle are the Lachine Rapids. Huge waves, fast water, and loads of fun for kayaks. Lessons are available on site in the huge eddy formed by the peninsula. Annual surf (rodeo) competitions at "Big Joe" (still called "Beneath the Wheel" by old schoolers). Other famous play waves on this set of rapids on the St. Lawrence river are, Istambul and Constantinople, Pyramid, Slice and Dice, Black and Decker, and HMF on the other side of the islands. For those seeking less of an adrenaline rush, there is always the Bunny Wave (La Vague a Guy) upstream near the bike path at Park Rene Lesvesque. Rafting these same rapids is also a fun option. ===Bike=== An interactive map of the cycle path network is available at the [http://www.velo.qc.ca/fr/reseaux_cyclables/index-MTL.lasso Vélo Québec website.] {{dead link|December 2020}} Particularly pleasant places to cycle and skate include: *'''Parc Maisonneuve''' — A large park with smooth paths. *'''Parc Jean-Drapeau''' — Particularly the Île Notre-Dame on the Formula One race track: a fantastic view across the water to downtown Montreal. *'''Lachine Canal''' — Bike paths west of the Old Port. *'''Rivière-des-Prairies''' — You can ride across Montreal Island from west to east along the river on the north of Montreal. Many sites have incredible views. A stop at Perry Island is a must. ===Parks=== *'''Square Saint-Louis''', corner of rue Saint-Denis and rue Prince-Arthur, slightly north of rue Sherbrooke (metro Sherbrooke). A charming little park with majestic trees and a lovely fountain, lined with charming houses on three sides (the Institute of Hotel Techniques of Quebec hotel school is the fourth side). This was the site of the first water reservoir in Montreal. *'''Parc Jean Drapeau''' — The former Expo 67 fairgrounds, Parc Jean Drapeau is spread across two islands (Ile Ste-Helene and Ile Notre Dame) in the Saint Lawrence River. On Sundays in the summer, join thousands of Montrealers revelling in the sunshine and music outdoors at Piknik Électronique. People enjoy riding a bicycle around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race track on Île Notre Dame. La Ronde and the Montreal Biosphere are here. (metro Parc Jean Drapeau) *'''Parc Lafontaine''', from avenue Papineau to avenue du Parc Lafontaine and from rue Rachel to rue Sherbrooke. Ice skating on the lake in the winter, baseball, boules, and outdoor theatre in the summer. (metro Sherbrooke) [[File:Fall colours at Beaver Lake.jpg|alt=|thumb|400x400px|Fall colours at Beaver Lake, Parc du Mont-Royal<br />]] * {{do | name=Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique de Montreal | alt= | url=http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/jardin.htm | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=from rue Sherbrooke to boulevard Rosemont and from boulevard Pie-IX to avenue Viau (metro Pie-IX or Viau) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Jardin Botanique is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and features the First Nations Garden, the Insectarium, the Tree House, and 16 different themed gardens and greenhouses. }} * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url= | email=info@lemontroyal.qc.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-843-8240 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North of avenue des Pins, between avenue du Parc and chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges. This beautiful, immense urban park tops the "mountain" (at {{m|232}}, it's more like a hill) that overlooks all of Montreal and lends the city its name. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, the park is elegant and accessible, and has hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. A broad and gradual 8-km (5-mile) bike and pedestrian path begins at the Monument Georges-Étienne Cartier (on Avenue du Parc, opposite the western end of rue Rachel, where the bike path continues), winding its way around the mountain and culminating at the Belvédère (lookout) and Chalet Mont-Royal, with incredible views of downtown, the St. Lawrence river, and the Eastern Townships. The Belevedere and Chalet are also accessible from downtown by the newly restored staircase, access via the path at the top of rue Peel. Many smaller paths and trails crisscross the park. For lazy visitors, or those with limited mobility, you can enjoy a wonderful view from the mountain by taking bus route 11, which stops at the lookout on Chemin Remembrance, and at Beaver Lake. Every Sunday during the summer, thousands of people get together at the monument on Avenue du Parc to enjoy the big tam-tam jam. }} *'''Parc Jeanne-Mance''', bordered by avenue du Parc, avenue Duluth (with a small extension south as far as avenue des Pins), rue de l'Esplanade and avenue Mont-Royal, directly across from Parc du Mont-Royal. Includes tennis courts, baseball/softball diamonds, a soccer/football pitch, beach volleyball courts, a skating rink in winter. Also a very popular dog-walking venue. * {{do | name=Parc de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 280-6733 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Rue d'Iberville and boulevard Gouin, (metro Henri-Bourassa, Bus 69 east). This regional park is along the Rivière-des-Prairies. Quiet and enjoyable place to bring a lunch and relax for an afternoon. Good starting point for a cycling tour along the river. }} ===Festivals=== Montreal has a bewildering variety of festivals, ranging from one-day ethnic fairs to huge international productions running two weeks or more. They are generally held in the summer and autumn, though increasingly they can be found throughout the year. Here are some of the larger ones: * {{do | name=Just For Laughs Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hahaha.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Comedy festival with three main components: indoor paid shows (usually stand-up, but not always), free street theatre/comedy, and a mini film festival called Comedia. July. }} * {{do | name=Shakespeare-in-the-Park | alt= | url=http://www.repercussiontheatre.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=During the summer in parks around Montreal, Repercussion Theatre puts on outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays free of charge. }} *{{do | name=Festival du Monde Arabe | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= In November, an annual festival celebrating the music and culture of the Arab world takes place in Montreal. Many Arab performers, traditional and modern, take the stage. }} * {{do | name=Festival Mondiale de la bière | alt= | url=http://www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=2018: inside - Palais des congrès de Montréal, 201 Viger Street West (Place-d'Armes métro station); outside - Palais des congrès Esplanade, de la Gauchetière Street between Cheneville and Côté Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June 6-9, 2018: 12:00-23:00 | price= | content=Annually, in early June: Five days of tasting beers, ciders, and other beverages from all over Quebec, Canada and further afield. 2017's event boasted over 529 different beers from 9 countries. There is no admission fee (but you can buy a souvenir sampling mug for about $8) and samples typically sell for 2-8 tickets ($1 a ticket) for a 150-200 ml sample. There are also scheduled musical performances and food kiosks. The festival can get very busy at peak times (Friday and Saturday evening of the event), so it is advisable to arrive early to avoid possible long queues. }} * {{do | name=Montréal en lumière | alt= | url=http://www.montrealenlumiere.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A relatively new wintertime affair, attempting to transplant the city's festival magic to the cold season. Includes three main categories of activities: food and wine, performing arts, and free activities both indoor and outdoor. February. }} * {{do | name=Montreal International Fireworks Competition | alt= | url=http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-397-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In La Ronde amusement park (in Parc Jean-Drapeau). This fantastic festival features full-length fireworks displays, accompanied by orchestral music, by national teams from about a dozen countries around the world. Although the hot seats are inside the La Ronde theme park, the fireworks are visible from pretty much any clear space or rooftop in the centre of the city. Pedestrians can watch from Jacques Cartier Bridge, which is closed from 20:00 on fireworks nights. Another good spot is the promenade west of the Old Port. $35–45 (''seats in La Ronde, free everywhere else''). Saturdays 22:00 from mid-June to late July, and Wednesdays 22:00 from mid-July on. }} * {{do | name=Fete de St-Jean-Baptiste | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= June 24 is Quebec's national holiday (''Fête nationale''). During the evening, a huge show takes place at Maisonneuve park. This is the show to go to hear made-in-Quebec music. Free. Street parties can also be found all over the city. }} * {{do | name=International Festival of Film on Art | alt= | url=http://www.artfifa.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3070809 | content=Devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. A ten-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, and for art and cinema enthusiasts. }} ====Music festivals==== [[File:FIJM 2017 014.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Festival International de Jazz de Montréal]] * {{do | name=Montreal International Jazz Festival | alt=Festival International de Jazz de Montréal | url=http://www.montrealjazzfest.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The world's largest jazz festival, this festival is a major international event, attracting many big name artists. Many streets in downtown Montreal are closed off to traffic for two weeks and several concert stages are set up. There are many free outdoor shows and indoor concerts (paid). Late June - early July. In 2020, the festival will be 25 June through 4 July. }} * {{do | name=POP Montréal International Music Festival | alt= | url=http://www.popmontreal.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 514-842-1919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A massive feast of up-and-coming bands in a variety of popular genres. In early fall, host to more than 80 events, more than 300 artists, a conference, and an arts fair. POP Montreal showcases emerging and innovative artists alongside rising international stars and is committed to encouraging vibrant indie communities. }} * {{do | name=Francofolies | alt= | url=http://www.francofolies.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Les Francos de Montréal | wikidata=Q3850493 | lastedit=2017-08-06 | content=A festival celebrating French music. Similarly to the jazz festival, many free outdoor concerts are offered in a section of downtown that is closed off to traffic for a week. 12 to 20 June 2020. }} * {{do | name=MUTEK | alt= | url=http://www.mutek.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An annual gathering, held in Montreal, during the first week of June. The MUTEK festival showcases emerging forms of electronic music and the latest trends in sound creation. }} * {{do | name=Heavy Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.heavymontreal.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A two-day heavy music festival taking place in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. }} * {{do | name=Osheaga Music and Arts Festival | alt= | url=http://www.osheaga.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Osheaga Festival | wikidata=Q2033298 | content=A three-day indie & alternative rock festival held annually in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 2020 edition will be 31 July-2 August. }} ====Film festivals==== * {{do | name=World Film Festival | alt= | url=http://www.ffm-montreal.org/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Montreal World Film Festival | wikidata=Q326220 | content=The festival is open to all cinema trends. The eclectic aspect of its programming makes the Festival exciting for the growing number of participants from the five continents. Every year, films from more than 70 countries, including well-known and first-time filmmakers, are selected. There are usually free outdoor projections every night. Late August to early September. }} * {{do | name=Fantasia | alt=Asian and fantasy | url=http://www.fantasiafestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=July. }} * {{do | name=Image + Nation | alt=Gay and lesbian | url=http://www.image-nation.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=November/December. }} * {{do | name=Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal | alt=new filmmakers, well-known auteurs, new media | url=http://www.nouveaucinema.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Festival du nouveau cinéma | wikidata=Q3070535 | content=October. }} * {{do | name=Cinémania | alt=French cinema with English subtitles | url=http://www.cinemaniafilmfestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cinemania (film festival) | wikidata=Q2972781 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | alt=documentaries | url=http://www.ridm.qc.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | wikidata=Q3425197 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | alt=Quebec cinema | url=http://www.rvcq.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | wikidata=Q3235139 | content=February. }} ===Sports to watch=== * '''[https://www.nhl.com/canadiens Canadiens]''', Ice hockey, Canada's national winter sport: Bell Centre (''Centre Bell''), 1260 rue De La Gauchetière (metro Lucien-L'Allier or Bonaventure), . One of the greatest institutions in Quebec culture. If you want to see a game, it helps to know someone with tickets, as they generally sell out within minutes of going on sale. They are widely available through unofficial channels and scalpers, but be prepared to shell out as they don't come cheap! You can also get cheaper tickets if you're a resident of the HI youth hostel. You can also stay in front of the hostel and ask a resident to buy a ticket for you if you aren't staying at the hostel! * '''[http://www.montrealalouettes.com Alouettes]''', Football (Canadian Football League), Percival Molson Stadium (''Stade Percival-Molson''), avenue des Pins at University (playoffs: Olympic Stadium), . A dominant team in the last part of the 2000s, but now somewhat less so, the Als have won the Grey Cup three times since being reborn in 1996, including back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. Molson Stadium is an excellent place to see a game; tickets can be hard to come by when the team is doing well. * '''[https://en.cfmontreal.com Club de Foot Montréal]''', Association football (soccer), Saputo Stadium (''Stade Saputo'') at 4750 Sherbrooke street East and Viau in the Olympic Park (metro Viau). Formerly known as '''Montreal Impact''', it is one of the newer teams in Major League Soccer, and the league's third team in Canada, joined MLS in 2012. The previous version of the Impact/CF Montréal was a consistent contender in several different leagues (including three in the last three seasons before the team joined MLS) at the U.S./Canada second level. CFM occasionally use nearby Olympic Stadium for matches that are expected to draw unusually large crowds or if the weather restricts outdoor play. * '''Tennis''' — Montreal hosts an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event (men) every odd-numbered year. In even-numbered years, Montreal hosts a WTA Premier 5 event (women). The tournaments are held at IGA Stadium (''Stade IGA'') in Parc Jarry in the North End. The main stadium is of special historic interest to baseball fans—part of its seating is the former backstop grandstand of the stadium that hosted the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) before they moved to Olympic Stadium. * '''Canadian Grand Prix:''' This [[Formula One]] race is staged at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame, usually in June. ==Learn== ===Language classes=== Montreal is a popular destination for language-immersion programs in French and English. Many schools arrange accommodations — either in dorms or with a family and provide cultural programs with trips around the city and beyond. Prices are usually higher for non-Québécois and higher-still for non-Canadians. Most are in Downtown and the Old City. Intensive, non-resident programs are also offered by the YMCA and Quebec government. ===Universities=== Montreal is home to one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities, '''[https://www.mcgill.ca/ McGill University]'''. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 universities in the world, but not each faculty. It is a university with a huge endowment fund. '''Concordia University''' is the city's other English-language university, the largest east of Toronto, and has over 40,000 students. Though Concordia lacks a medical school and law school, it still has a world class business school and their arts and sciences programs are top tier. Its student population is generally more multicultural than McGill's and the school's origins in and continuing emphasis on adult education make it popular for mature students, since it holds many graduate-level courses at night. Both universities are research focused. The '''Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM)''' and the '''Université de Montréal''' cater mainly to Francophone students. The Université de Montréal is the second largest French-language university in the world, after the Sorbonne in [[Paris]] and is one of the largest research institutions in Canada. The Université de Montréal has two affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal (engineering), and HEC Montréal (business school) that offer undergraduate and graduate studies. '''Université Laval,''' '''Université de [[Sherbrooke]]''' and '''Universté du Québec à [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]]''' also have campuses in the Montreal area. Every university, with the exception of Laval, lends its name to a metro stop to indicate the university's approximate location. For example, the Guy-Concordia subway station, at the intersection of Rue Guy and boulevard de la Maisonneuve ouest, is no more than two minutes away from its namesake university (Concordia). ==Work== As Montreal is in the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration policies, those wishing to work in Montreal will have to go through two processes, once with the Quebec government, then finally with the Canadian government. If you are employed with a foreign company which has a Montreal office, you can seek a transfer. You can also seek a job with a Montreal employer and they can sponsor you for a temporary work visa. If you are a skilled worker (see CIC website) you can immigrate based on your own skills. French language ability is a requirement for most jobs, as businesses are required by provincial law to greet and serve clients in French. Jobs that do not require prior French language ability are mostly IT jobs, and academic jobs at Montreal's two Anglophone universities. The Quebec provincial government provides free French language courses for newly-arrived expatriates and immigrants who speak little to no French, and you are highly advised to sign up for one of these courses as soon as you arrive to aid your integration into society. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows skilled U.S. and Mexican professionals to obtain a Canadian work visa provided they are qualified in certain professions. The [http://www.amcits.com/professions.asp American Consular Services website] provides an up-to-date list of qualifying professions. If you are a U.S. citizen aged 18–30 and a full-time student, you can obtain a Canadian work visa valid for six months through [http://www.bunac.org/usa/workcanada/eligibility.aspx BUNAC]. Students from France, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia can also benefit from BUNAC work programs. As well, if you obtain a degree from a Canadian university, you are eligible to remain in Montreal and work for up to one year. For anyone else, the [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp Immigration Canada (CIC) website] explains a number of ways foreigners can legally work in Canada. Student jobs include babysitting, painting during the summer, and moving furniture in June. McGill and Montreal universities are always in search of research subjects and so are Montreal's many biotech firms. Montreal also has many call centres, which constantly seek to hire new employees and offer flexible working hours. ==Buy== [[File:Montreal DelicesdelErable.JPG|thumb|240px|Maple syrup in Old Montreal.]] Although Montreal's economy has been booming, the city remains remarkably affordable compared to other major cities in Canada and the United States. Shopping in Montreal ranges from eclectic budget stores to high-end fashion, with a wide spectrum in between. ===General=== Rue Ste-Catherine, between rue Guy and boulevard St-Laurent, has many of the big department and chain stores as well as a few major malls. Avenue Mont-Royal has funky consignment and gothic clothing stores from boulevard St-Laurent to rue Saint-Denis and a mixed bag of neighbourhood stores, used record shops, and gentrified boutiques heading east towards avenue Papineau. Rue St-Viateur is one of the city's most interesting streets, with its amazingly varied range of businesses crammed into the short stretch between Boulevard St-Laurent and Avenue du Parc. St-Laurent remains one of the city's prime shopping streets, more or less along its whole length. Just about anything can be found there, with different blocks having different clusters of businesses (Asian groceries and housewares near de La Gauchetière, cheap electronics a little farther up, hip boutiques between Prince-Arthur and Mount Royal, anything and everything Italian between Saint-Zotique and Jean-Talon). Rue Sherbrooke ouest, west of the Autoroute Décarie, has an increasingly interesting concentration of largely food-oriented businesses. Jean-Talon market, near the intersection of Jean-Talon and St-Laurent, has a wide variety of local produce and food products (maple syrup, cheese, etc.) at very good prices. For electronic stuff, the largest chain store is BestBuy. You can also find many smaller ones on Boulevard St-Laurent (between Ontario and Sherbrooke). ===Budget=== * {{buy | name=Village des Valeurs | alt= | url=http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/ | email= | address=2033 Pie IX | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Pie IX | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=They have shops inside and outside of Montreal }} * {{buy | name=Le coffre aux trésors "Chainon" | alt= | url=http://www.lechainon.org/en/ | email= | address=4375 Boulevard St Laurent | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Sherbrooke | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=L'Aubainerie Concept Mode | alt= | url=http://www.aubainerieconceptmode.com/ | email= | address=1490, av du Mont-Royal E | lat= | long= | directions=metro mont royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Friperie St. Laurent | alt= | url= | email= | address=Friperie St. Laurent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-842-3893 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * Some military equipment shops around St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine. For trekking and outdoor, you also have many options * {{buy | name=MEC | alt= | url=http://www.mec.ca/ | email= | address=8989, boulevard de l'Acadie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-788-5878 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mountain Equipment Co-op is a co-operative with staff who know the stores merchandise well. }} * {{buy | name=Altitude Sports | alt= | url=http://www.altitude-sports.com/ | email= | address=4140 Saint-Denis St. | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Mont-Royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=La cordée | alt= | url=http://www.lacordee.com/ | email= | address=rue Ste-Catherine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Kanuk | alt= | url=http://new.kanuk.com/ | email= | address=485 Rachel St E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== Trendier boutiques can be found on rue Saint-Denis, north of rue Sherbrooke and south of avenue Mont-Royal est, and on rue Saint-Laurent (continuing as far north as Bernard). The latter is becoming more upscale, so the range of shopping is highly variable and lower in density as one goes north of Mont-Royal. Rue Sherbrooke has a number of high-end stores (notably Holt Renfrew) and commercial art galleries in a short strip running approximately from McGill University west to rue Guy. Farther west, Sherbrooke intersects with Greene Avenue in Westmount, which has a short, but luxurious retail strip. Avenue Laurier, between St-Laurent and its western end, is one of the city's prime spots for eating and shopping in high style, though there are still a few affordable spots here and there. ===Furniture and antiques=== On boul. St-Laurent, a cluster of high-end home furnishing stores. It starts roughly at the corner of rue Marie-Anne and is very prominent in the block between rue Marie-Anne and avenue Mont-Royal, with sparser, but still interesting stores as far north as rue Saint Viateur. Antique buffs will find interesting stores all over the city, but they'll want to make a special pilgrimage to rue Notre-Dame Ouest, when you head east from avenue Atwater. Rue Amherst, in the Gay Village, also has a significant concentration of antique dealers. ==Eat== [[File:Sign WingsNouilles.JPG|thumb|240px|Wing's Chinese Noodles, Chinatown]] Montreal is a culinary mecca and has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to ''haute cuisine''. The city was ranked 2nd best dining city in North America<!-- By whom?--> after San Francisco and ahead of New York. The large local Jewish population has contributed local specialties including huge smoked meat sandwiches (beef brisket) (Schwartz's is undisputably the most authentic smoked meat restaurant) and small, crusty bagels (the undisputed classic bagel places are St-Viateur's and Fairmount Bagels). Other specialties are "all-dressed" pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers), pizza and spaghetti with smoked meat, and Québécois favourites like split pea soup and poutine. {{infobox|Poutine|[[File:Food Poutine Closeup.JPG|100px|right]] <br> No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine. This unique dish is a plate of french fries drowned in gravy and topped with chewy curds of white cheddar. There are variations on the theme — adding chicken, beef, vegetables, or sausage, or replacing the gravy with tomato sauce (''poutine italienne''). Every Montrealer has their favourite poutine restaurant where it says that you can get "the real stuff", but La Banquise, on the [[Montreal/Plateau#Eat|Plateau]] at 994 rue Rachel est, usually tops the list.}} Many Montreal restaurants are "apportez votre vin" (''bring your own wine''). This may sound like a hassle, but you end up paying much less for wine with dinner if you bring it yourself. There's usually a SAQ (government liquor store) or a ''dépanneur'' (convenience store, with a limited selection of typically inexpensive wine) nearby; ask your waiter where it is. Your waiter will open your wine for you; corkage fees are rare, but don't forget to factor this service into your tip so make sure to ask. If you are driving from the United States, you may find Canadian liquor prices quite frightening. Even the duty-free shops along the border are rarely cheaper than an American liquor store (although these are still cheaper than the SAQ). Visitors can bring in 40oz of hard alcohol, 1.5L of wine, or a 24-pack of beer. Separate bills (''l'addition'' or "facture" in French) are common and you may be asked ''ensemble ou séparément?'' (together or separately?) The standard tip for acceptable restaurant service is 15% and is not included. Never call a waiter "garçon"! Use "monsieur" or "madame". ===Montreal originals=== There are several Montreal original foods: *The Montreal-style bagel, where bagel worshippers flock to '''St-Viateur Bagel''' and '''Fairmount Bagel''', and pontificate about which is better. Both are within blocks of each other in the Plateau Mont-Royal district, on Saint-Viateur and Fairmount streets, respectively. *Montreal-style '''smoked meat''', a type of corned beef, distinct from other forms such as pastrami, is available at many restaurants, but by far the most highly esteemed is that available at '''Schwartz's''' on the Main (Boulevard Saint-Laurent) in the Plateau Mont-Royal district. Traditionally it's served as a sandwich, in heaping portions and slathered with mustard, but you'll also see it as a topping on pizza, poutine, hot dogs, or spaghetti, or even incorporated into Chinese-style egg rolls (a specialty of '''Chenoy's''', a local chain of delis). Other well-known local smoked meat restaurants include '''Main Deli Steak House''' (across the street from Schwartz's) and '''Lesters Deli''' (in Outremont). *Steamé (steamie), a steamed hotdog on steamed bun, with mustard, sauerkraut and onions. Some locations may replace sauerkraut with coleslaw. ===Ethnic restaurants=== As Montreal has a very ethnically diverse population, it has various quality ethnic restaurants. *Indian: The Indian community in Montreal is around Parc metro station where many Indian restaurants can be found. An example is Bombay Mahal. *Portuguese: Around Little Portugal, near the intersection of Saint-Laurent and Rachel. *Persian: An Iranian cafe-resto is Byblos cafe. *Arabic *Haitian *Chinese: Mainly in Chinatown (near Place d'Armes metro), and near the Anglophone universities. *Japanese: A Japanese non-sushi restaurant is Kazu. ===Markets=== To buy your own food or regional products, the public market at Jean-Talon, 7075 avenue Casgrain (metro Jean-Talon or De Castelnau), is the place to go. Open daily 08:00-18:00, the market is especially noteworthy for its selection of produce. Even though they're not strictly part of the market, the many stores lining it on the north and south sides complete it wonderfully with superb selections of cheese, meat, and just about anything edible. The surrounding streets are heavily Italian-flavoured and have excellent grocery stores, butchers, bakeries, and restaurants. Across town, the Atwater Market is also superb, though quite different from (and much smaller than) Jean-Talon. Here, you'll find the city's best butchers, and good selections of cheese, fish, and produce. It is on avenue Atwater, just south of rue Notre-Dame Lionel-Groulx station ===Restaurants=== Montreal claims to have the most restaurants per capita in North America. With delis and bakeries and diners galore, Montreal offers great budget dining. Venues are scattered all over the city, but the largest concentration of restaurants is along boul Saint-Laurent, rue Saint-Denis and ave du Mont-Royal in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. Tasty and cheap ethnic food, lots of Indian buffets, can be found around the [[Montreal/Mile End|Jean-Talon market]]. Two Montreal classics, poutine and the smoked meat sandwich, can make a filling meal for under $10. Pizza by the slice can be had for a toonie ($2), and there's always the option of rolling your own picnic with fresh produce from Atwater Market or Jean-Talon Market. Several kosher restaurants can be found within a few blocks of each other on Queen Mary road not far from the Snowdon Métro station in and boul Décarie near Villa-Maria-des-Neiges in [[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]]. The other greatest concentration of kosher food in along Bernard in [[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]]. Smoked-meat and sausage poutine aside, Montreal is vegetarian-friendly with several veggie and vegan restaurants and veggie options on most menus. Montreal has excellent ice cream parlours, many of which make their own ice cream. There are also restaurants dedicated to desserts. ===Restaurant chains=== Local restaurant chains that travellers might not be familiar with, with various locations throughout the city, include: *{{eat | name=Brasserie La Cage | alt= | url=https://www.cage.ca/en/home | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and grill. Great place to watch Montreal Canadiens hockey games, the atmosphere gets crazy during the NHL playoffs! }} *{{eat | name=Les Trois Brasseurs | alt=The Three Brewers | url=http://les3brasseurs.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Microbrewery with a pub-style menu and a European flair. }} * {{eat | name=Juliette et chocolat | url=http://www.julietteetchocolat.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Specialised in chocolate desserts and famed for its very rich drinking chocolate. }} * {{eat | name=Rockaberry | url=http://www.rockaberry.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Enormous portions of cakes, pies, crumbles and brownies. }} * {{eat | name=Copper Branch | url=http://www.copperbranch.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Vegan chain serving sandwiches, wraps, soups and some desserts. }} ===Alternate=== If you are really on budget, there are a few community restaurants (like [http://www.chicrestopop.com/restaurant-communautaire/ Chicrestopop]) which serve very cheap meals. Usually these locations are reserved for the homeless. If you are staying in Montreal, there are several collective cooking locations where a group of people cook larger portions to freeze and stock for worker's lunch breaks. ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} The legal age to purchase alcohol in Quebec is 18 and the Québécois are now much more rigid in enforcing this age limit. All retail alcohol sales stop at 23:00 and bars and clubs stop serving at 03:00. Quality wine and liquor (but only a small selection of imported beers) can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open until 18:00 Sunday to Wednesdays and 20:00 or 21:00 on other days; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. Beer and a small selection of lower-quality wine are also sold at convenience stores (dépanneurs) and grocery stores. Some supermarkets have partnered with the SAQ to offer a few selection bottles, so if you are caught outside business hours or are in a hurry, places like ''IGA Extra'' and ''Métro'' generally offer a better variety of wine than the local ''dépanneur''. The selection of beer to be found in grocery stores and even the humble corner store have exploded in the last decade in and around greater Montreal. Two micro-breweries in particular are world-class: ''McAuslan'' (brands include St-Ambroise and Griffon) and ''Unibroue'' (Belgian-style ales such as Blanche de Chambly, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, and simpler, more affordable U lagers). ''Boréale'' makes a good, if unspectacular range of brews, while ''Rickard's'' and ''Alexander Keith's'' domestics are gaining popularity among locals. Most stores also sell a few major imports such as Stella Artois, Sapporo, Guinness, Leffe and of course, Heineken. ===Bars=== Montreal has three main strips for bar-hopping. Rue Crescent, in the western part of [[Montreal/Downtown|downtown]], caters mostly to Anglophones and tourists. It tends to be trendy and expensive. On the edge of the bar-heavy [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], Boulevard Saint-Laurent gets extremely busy when McGill and Concordia students are back in town for a new session. Between rue Sherbrooke and avenue des Pins you'll find trendy clubs and bars with more of a Francophone clientele. Farther up St-Laurent, it's relatively downscale and linguistically mixed. Rue Saint-Denis, between rue Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve, is the strip with the strongest Francophone feel. There are also many good bars away from the main strips, like on Avenue Mont-Royal, and even nowadays on Rue Masson et Rue Ontario in the eastern part of town. You should never have to line up to go have a drink, because there's virtually an unlimited choice. Depending on the day of the week, the best events vary. For example, on Tuesday you should go to Les Foufounes Électriques for cheap beer and a unique experience in a Montréal institution. ===Dance clubs=== Dance clubs can be found all over the downtown area, with hotspots on boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Crescent. * {{drink | name=Time Supper Club | alt= | url=http://www.timesupperclub.com/ | email= | address=997 rue St Jacques | lat=45.49717 | long=-73.56468 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The first Supper Club in the city, Time Supper Club starts as a restaurant and slowly turns into a night club. }} *'''Saphir''', 3699 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Goth and punk nights on two floors. *'''La Boom''', 1254 rue Stanley. One of the trendiest club in Montreal. Be well-dressed and have a well-dressed wallet. *'''Cafe Campus''', 57 rue Prince-Arthur est. Best known for its Tuesday night $7 pitchers, retro music, and lack of memories. *'''Club Tokyo''', 3709 St-Laurent. Dress to impress. Offers various rooms with comfortable couches and an outdoor terrasse. Plays a mix of club music/retro/hip hop that will keep you dancing all night long. *'''Muzique''' 3781 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Montreal's new high-end destination, 2 rooms and a rooftop patio overlooking Mount Royal * {{drink | name=La Tulipe | alt= | url= | email= | address=4530 Papineau Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===After-hours clubs=== After-hours clubs, for those who aren't tired out by 03:00, are open to 10:00. They do not, by law, serve alcohol at this time. * {{drink | name=Stereo | alt= | url=http://www.stereo-nightclub.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=858 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mainly plays house music and occasionally trance/techno. Stereo was once voted #5 of the top 10 clubs in the world by Muzik magazine, as it has welcomed several of the top DJs from around the world. The venue is known to have one of the best sound systems in North America. The crowd is mostly gay/lesbian depending on the night, the age ranges between 20-35, and is often at full capacity. A great place to end the night if you're still not tired after 02:00. }} * {{drink | name=Circus | alt= | url=http://www.circusafterhours.com/ | email= | address=915 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Electronica and hip-hop. A luxuriously decorated after-hour in Montreal. Lots of space and hidden corners. The crowd is a bit younger (18-25), and doesn't always pack to full capacity. The venue has welcomed a number of big DJs. }} ===Karaoke=== * {{drink | name=Pang Pang Karaoke Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=1226 rue Mackay | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-938-8886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very comfy rooms in a range of sizes can be hired by the hour. }} * {{drink | name=K-Karaoke | alt= | url= | email= | address=2110 Rue Crescent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-903-7799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large rooms with clean decoration. }} * {{drink | name=K-100 | alt= | url= | email= | address=1231, rue Sainte-Catherine O | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-284-4288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Many rooms. Can be hired by the hour or at a happy hour rate. }} ===Gay and lesbian=== Montreal has as many gay and lesbian bars as San Francisco. Every October on Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the U.S.) hosts the "Black and Blue" circuit party, attracting thousands to enjoy the thrill of harder dance music and hordes of pretty, shirtless men. Most popular gay bars can be found in the city's [[Montreal/Gay Village|Gay Village]], on the eastern stretch of Ste-Catherine and easily accessible by the Beaudry metro, between Amherst and Papineau. '''Unity''', '''Apollon''', and '''Sky''' are the dance club favourites, while Cabaret Mado offers excellent drag performances. There are also pubs, male strippers, restaurants, saunas, and karaoke in the area. The four main stripper bars are '''Stock''', '''Campus''', '''Taboo''', and '''Adonis'''. The most popular sauna is '''Oasis'''. ==Sleep== For the budget traveller, Montreal offers youth hostels with dorms or private rooms and budget bed and breakfasts (sometimes with very skimpy breakfasts). The densest collection of budget hotels are in the [[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village#Sleep|Latin Quarter]], in the streets east of Berri-UQAM metro and the intercity bus station. [[Montreal/Old Montreal#Sleep|Old Montreal]] has a couple of quality hostels, but you'll pay more to be there. Montreal is also the city with the most [[hospitality exchange|Couch Surfing]] members, so it is easy to find a hospitable local host for a few nights. Mid-range options include [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] chain hotels to "gîtes", guest houses that range from a single room in an apartment to elegant historic homes with three to five rooms. Gîtes are usually found in the more residential neighbourhoods like the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. On the upper-end, four and five-star luxury and boutique hotels are mostly concentrated in [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] and [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]]. Montreal is home to four major universities and numerous smaller schools. Students routinely sublet apartments in the summer months. ==Connect== ===Phone=== Montreal has four area codes: the long-standing 514, the newer 438, 450 and 579 for surrounding, off-island areas. The area code must be used for all calls: even if it's the same one you're calling from and even if calling next door. For example, calling a 514 number from within 514, use "[tel:514-123-4567 514-123-4567]". Dialling the same number long-distance would be [tel:1-514-123-4567 1-514-123-4567]. ===Internet=== Photocopy shops often have internet terminals available, as do many cafés and some bookstores. The Bell phone company has installed public internet terminals (cash or credit cards) in McGill and Berri-UQAM metro stations. There are also long-standing cyber/internet cafés (minus the café part) such as ''Battelnet 24'' at many locations in Montreal including one at mezzanine level in the rue Guy entrance of Guy-Concordia metro. Of course, free internet access is the ''best'' kind of internet. The organization [http://zap.coop/ Île Sans Fil] provides free wireless internet in cafés and other locations throughout the city. Look for the sticker outside participating venues. The Eaton Centre downtown offers free wireless access in the food court. Also, the Grande Bibliothèque (Great Library) has many free Internet terminals: you can get a library card (free to Québec residents with proof of address) to use it there. ===Mail=== Red Canada Post mailboxes are found along most main streets. Post offices are often inside pharmacies: look for the Canada Post logo. ==Stay safe== For emergencies call '''9-1-1'''. Although Montreal is Canada's second largest city, it shares Canada's low violent crime rates making it relatively safe. However, property crimes, including car theft, are remarkably high: make sure to lock your doors and keep your valuables with you. Take extra care if you want to visit Montréal-Nord or Saint-Michel. These neighbourhoods are the worst of the city and shootings are not unheard of in these areas. There is, however, little for tourists to do and they are unlikely to enter by accident. Part of Montreal's Sainte-Catherine downtown corridor is arguably the grittiest part of the city, especially east of Place des Arts. There are homeless people panhandling during the summer and fall. Although most of them are polite, there are some that are more aggressive. Avoid individuals wandering on the streets that appear intoxicated. The street is at its most dangerous around 03:00 when closing clubs and bars empty their drunken crowds into the street. You may also come across occasional pockets of street prostitution, especially around strip clubs. In Montreal, [[pickpockets]] are not very common, but keep an eye on things when watching street performances in the Old City or in other crowds. If you are concerned about safety on the metro, use the first metro car where the driver is. Emergency intercoms are on every metro car. Emergency phone booths are on every platform throughout the metro system, which is generally safe. While written instructions are in both English and French, most announcements (usually about delays) are in French only so if you think you heard something in the announcement that may affect you, just try asking a fellow passenger for a translation. The STM offers a "between stops" (''entre deux arrêts'') service that allows women travelling alone at night to get off the bus between two regularly designated stops if the bus driver feels they can stop the bus safely. Pedestrians and bike-riders should be especially careful. Crosswalks are rarely respected. Motorists have a general contempt for pedestrians, especially when they are trying to make a right turn at an intersection. Wasps are a considerable menace during the height of summer. Consider carrying vinegar on your person in case of stings to help neutralize the sting. Otherwise, see below if you are allergic for the nearest hospital. ===Weather=== Montreal is often icy and cold in winter, be careful by dressing appropriately for the conditions and be mindful of ice or snow anytime you are driving or walking. Street clearing of snow is generally effective. Summers are warm to hot and can be quite humid. Being surrounded by rivers adds to this effect. ===Hospital=== The closest hospital to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is the Lakeshore General Hospital at 160 avenue Stillview in Pointe-Claire. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) The Montreal General Hospital is at 1650 avenue Cedar. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-934-1934 +1 514-934-1934]) The McGill University Hospital (Glen site) ([https://muhc.ca/ MUHC]) is at 1001 Decarie Boulevard ([tel:+1-514&#x20;934-1934 +1-514 934-1934]). The [http://jgh.ca/en/home Jewish General Hospital] is at 3755 rue Côte Ste-Catherine. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-340-8222 +1 514-340-8222]) If you do not have Quebec Health Insurance, be prepared to pay by credit card at the door as it does not accept traveller's insurance (but you will be reimbursed when you return home). ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) Several hospitals offer service in French and English. ==Cope== ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | url=http://www.mfa.gov.eg/english/embassies/Egyptian_Consulate_Canada/Pages/default.aspx | email=egypt.consulate@videotron.ca | address=1000 De La Gauchetiere Ouest | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 866-8455 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 866-0835 | hours=09:00-15:30| price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.grconsulatemtl.net | email=info@grconsulatemtl.net | address=1170 Place du Frere Andre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 875-2119 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 875-8781 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | url=http://montreal.mae.ro/ | email=montreal.cg@mae.ro | address=să: 1010 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, bureau 610, etaj 6, H3A 2R7 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 876 1792, +1 514 876 1095 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 876 1797 | hours= | price= | content=General consulate }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/montreal/ | email=usconsulatemtl@state.gov; Montreal-ACS@state.gov | address=1155 rue Saint-Alexandre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 398-9695 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 398-0973 | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Newspapers=== [http://montrealgazette.com/ ''The Gazette''] is the city's English-language daily. If you have some French, hit the [http://www.voir.ca voir.ca] website for good restaurant reviews and an overview of what is happening. ==Respect== {{See also|Quebec#Talk|Quebec#Respect|French phrasebook}} As in the rest of [[Quebec]], language politics and Quebec sovereignty are contentious issues in Montreal. Don't make the assumption that all French Canadians are in favour of Quebec's separation from Canada as many (especially in bilingual Montreal) are against it. If you really want to discuss those topics with locals, be sure you are well-informed. It is still safer to avoid the subject, as it is still a very emotional issue. Use common sense and be respectful. The main language in Montreal, as in the rest of Quebec, is French. Making an attempt to use the language is a great way to show respect for locals, whether or not they can speak English, even if you can manage only a few words with a very strong accent. However, Montreal is considered to be one of the world's most bilingual cities with many residents whose primary language is English, and you will often hear locals code switching between French and English when having a conversation. In case of doubt, you may want to open with a warm "Bonjour!" (''Good day'') and see what language is used in response. Most likely you will be answered in English, if your French accent does not sound local. Don't be offended if you are trying to speak French and locals respond to you in English. Since most Montrealers speak both French and English, they are simply trying to make things easier for you. Many people working in the tourist and service industries are completely bilingual without accents. But don't make jokes about French people (especially since Francophones in Montreal are mostly Québécois with a few Acadiens and Franco-Ontariens, all of whom consider themselves different from the French from France and from one another). Also, do not assume that all Québécois are Francophones. Montreal has a significant English-speaking community with a long history in Quebec and many immigrants whose first language is neither English nor French ("Allophones"). ==Go next== Montreal makes an excellent entryway for visiting other cities and destinations in [[Quebec]] and the northern [[United States of America|United States]]. You will have to pass the border control if you go to the US, and arm yourself with the appropriate visas and papers. Add at least one extra hour for the border control. * The [[Adirondacks]] are a 2½-hour drive to the south. These mountains make up the largest park in the contiguous US and offer outdoor activities like hiking, rafting and skiing. * [[Boston]] is a 5-hour drive to the southeast. * [[Mont Tremblant]] lies less than two hours north in the [[Laurentides]]. * The [[Eastern Townships]] are two to three hours straight east. * The Laurentians and in the Eastern Townships between December and March offer good downhill skiing. There are some very good night-skiing centres such as Ski Bromont and Mont-St-Sauveur. * The [[Monteregie]] townships, a short drive east of Montreal. * [[New York City]] is a 6½-hour drive directly south. * [[Ottawa]] is two hours west by car. * [[Quebec City]], about 3 hours to the north east on Highway 40, is almost but not quite a day trip. You'll want to stay over, anyway. * [[Tadoussac]], about 6 hours away by car, has great whale-watching * [[Toronto]] is more distant, but still a doable 6-hour drive (or a faster 4½-hour train trip). {{routebox | placename=Montreal (intercity rail) | image1=VIA Rail Ocean icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1= | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Sainte-Foy]] | minorr1=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image2=VIA Rail Montreal Quebec icon.png | imagesize2=100 | link2=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Ottawa]] | minorl2=[[Dorval]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Quebec City]] | minorr2=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image3=VIA Rail Toronto Montreal icon.png | imagesize3=100 | link3=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Toronto]] | minorl3=[[Montreal/West Island|Dorval]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 02.png | imagesize4=100 | image4a=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 01.png | imagesize4a=100 | directionl4=&nbsp;N | majorl4=[[Shawinigan]] | minorl4=Anjou | directionr4=S | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=Amtrak Adirondack icon.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[New York City]] | minorr5=[[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] → [[Champlain and Rouses Point|Rouses Point]] }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (regional rail) | image1=Mtl Train CA.png | imagesize1=75 | caption1=AMT Candiac Line | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=Candiac | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=Mtl Train DM.png | imagesize2=75 | caption2=AMT Deux-Montagnes Line | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2=Deux-Montagnes | directionr2=E | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Mtl Train MA.png | imagesize3=75 | caption3=AMT Mascouche Line | directionl3=&nbsp;N | majorl3=Mascouche | minorl3=[[Repentigny]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=Mtl Train SH.png | imagesize4=75 | caption4=AMT Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line | directionl4=W | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Mont-Saint-Hilaire]] | minorr4=[[Longueuil]] | image5=Mtl Train SJ.png | imagesize5=75 | caption5=AMT Saint-Jérôme Line | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=[[Saint-Jérôme]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] | directionr5=S | majorr5=END | minorr5= | image6=Mtl Train VH.png | imagesize6=75 | caption6=AMT Vaudreuil–Hudson Line | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] | minorl6=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=END | minorr6= }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (road) | image1=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | link1=Trans-Canada Highway | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Ottawa]] | minorl1=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] ← [[File:Quebec Autoroute 40.svg|16px|link=]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr1=[[File:Quebec Autoroute 25.svg|16px|link=]] → [[Longueuil]] | image2=Quebec Autoroute 10.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Sherbrooke]] | minorr2=[[Brossard]] | image3=Quebec Autoroute 15.svg | imagesize3=22 | image3a=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | imagesize3a=22 | link3=Trans-Canada Highway | directionl3=N | majorl3=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl3=[[Laval]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Albany (New York)|Albany]] | minorr3='''[[File:Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg|16px|link=]] ENDS''' → [[Brossard]] → Becomes [[File:I-87.svg|18px|link=]] | image4=Quebec Autoroute 20.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] | minorl4=Becomes [[File:Ontario 401.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] | minorr4=[[Brossard]] | image5=Quebec Autoroute 25.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Terrebonne]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] ← (toll bridge) | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px]] | minorr5=[[Longueuil]] | image6=Quebec Autoroute 40.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Ottawa]] | minorl6=Becomes [[File:Ontario 417.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=[[Quebec City]] | minorr6=[[Trois-Rivières]] | image7=Qc117.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=W | majorl7=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl7=[[Laval]] | directionr7=E | majorr7=END | minorr7= | image8=Qc138.svg | imagesize8=22 | directionl8=W | majorl8=[[Malone (New York)|Malone]] | minorl8=becomes [[File:NY-30.svg|18px|link=]] ← [[Huntingdon (Quebec)|Huntingdon]] | directionr8=E | majorr8=[[Quebec City]] | minorr8=[[Trois-Rivières]] }} {{related|UNESCO_Creative_Cities}} {{geo|45.5|-73.6|zoom=11}} {{IsPartOf|Southwestern Quebec}} {{usablecity}} mxi2n5o1e5a6so70t90ez714omwyrea 4501969 4501951 2022-08-16T07:56:41Z Rosspotter 2274401 add info wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|Montreal banner Twilight.jpg|caption=A panoramic view of Montreal from the top of Mount Royal}} {{printDistricts}} '''[https://www.mtl.org/en Montreal]''' ([[French]]: ''Montréal'') is the largest city in the Canadian province of [[Quebec]]. While Quebec City is the capital, Montreal is the cultural and economic centre, and the main entry point to the province. With 1.7 million citizens in the city and 4 million in the urban area, Montreal is Canada's second largest city, and the largest francophone city in the Americas. Still, around 12% of the population speak English as a mother language, and most Francophones are conversant in English to varying degrees of fluency. [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] has a heritage of colonial times. Though a large city, Montreal gives opportunities for [[outdoor life]], and for watching the legendary Montréal Canadiens ice hockey team. ==Districts== ===Central Montreal=== ====Ville-Marie borough==== Neighbourhoods from west to east: {{Regionlist | regionmap=Wikivoyage_Montreal_district_map.png | regionmaptext=Montreal districts map | regionmapsize=440px | region1name=[[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] | region1color=#FC57DA | region1items= | region1description=Skyscrapers, shopping, museums, and the Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] | region2color=#11F5CC | region2items= | region2description=The historic riverfront Old Town and Old Port manages to retain a quaint feel despite being mobbed by hordes of tourists. | region3name=[[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village|Quartier Latin-Le Village]] | region3color=#8783A5 | region3items= | region3description=Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, pubs near UQAM in the Quartier Latin, gay bars and clubs in Le Village, and the working-class neighbourhood of Sainte-Marie. | region4name=[[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] | region4color=#ACC492 | region4items= | region4description=The islands of Île Sainte-Helene and Île Notre-Dame and the Montreal Casino. |regionInteractiveMap=map1|regionmapLat=45.5520|regionmapLong=-73.6953|regionmapZoom=10}} ====Plateau Mont-Royal district==== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Plateau|The Plateau]] | region1color=#E9AFAE | region1items= | region1description=Trendy area north of downtown and east of Parc du Mont-Royal. | region2name=[[Montreal/Mile-End|Mile End]] | region2color=#066CF2 | region2items= | region2description=Bagels, restaurants, coffee shops, the Rialto Theatre, and boutiques. }} ===Other Montreal districts and Montreal Island towns=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie|Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie]] | region1color=#DA6D7A | region1items= | region1description=Little Italy and Jean-Talon market. | region2name=[[Montreal/Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce|Westmount–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce]] | region2color=#6997A5 | region2items= | region2description=The upscale anglophone enclave of Westmount and the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. | region3name=[[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] | region3color=#AB5D8F | region3items= | region3description=Olympic Park, Botanical Gardens. | region4name=[[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]] | region4color=#73B27B | region4items= | region4description=Multicultural neighbourhood northwest of the mountain. | region5name=[[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]] | region5color=#C86E2A | region5items= | region5description=Upscale francophone neighbourhood. | region6name=[[Montreal/South West|South West]] | region6color=#CC9241 | region6items= | region6description=Including Lachine canal, Atwater Market (a must!), gentrifying St. Henri, and the emerging culinary hot-spot, Petite-Bourgogne. | region7name=[[Montreal/Verdun|Verdun]] | region7color=#4F93C0 | region7items= | region7description=Quiet neighbourhood with emerging cuisine scene and activities along the river. }} ===Elsewhere on the island=== {{Regionlist | regionmap= | regionmaptext= | regionmapsize= | region1name=[[Montreal/West Island|West Island]] | region1color=#D5DB76 | region1items= | region1description=the western part of the island of Montreal. It is mainly a residential suburb of the city of Montreal. It is the location of Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport and McGill University's MacDonald Campus. The residents are mostly English speakers (or "anglophones"), in contrast to the mostly French speaking residents of the rest of Montreal (excluding Westmount). (About 55% of the population is anglophone, 20% is francophone, and 25% is "other".) | region2name=[[Montreal/North Island|North Island]] | region2color=#B383B3 | region2items= | region2description= | region3name=[[Montreal/East End|East End]] | region3color=#00FF02 | region3items= | region3description=composed of the Montreal boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Anjou, and the City of Montréal-Est }} ==Understand== [[File:Old_Port_of_Montreal_(French-_Vieux-Port_de_Montréal).jpg|thumb|280px|Montreal Old Port]] [[File:Place d'Armes August 2017 02.jpg|alt=|thumb|200x200px|Place d'Armes in Old Montreal]] On an island in the St. Lawrence River at the historically highest navigable point, Montreal has been a strategic location since before the arrival of Europeans in Canada. A thriving Iroquoian town called Hochelaga was on the site of present-day Montreal when explorer Jacques Cartier first visited in 1535. In 1642, the tiny town of Ville-Marie was founded as a Catholic mission by Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. It soon became a centre of the fur trade. After its capture by the English in 1762, Montreal remained (until the 1970s) the most important city in Canada and was briefly capital of the province in the 1840s. Prohibition on sales of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s made Montreal a destination for cross-border fun seekers from nearby New England and New York. The city built up a seedy, yet playful, industry in alcohol, burlesque, and other vices. In the 1960s, an urban renewal drive centred on Expo 67. The World's Fair in Montreal brought a subway system (the métro) and attractive urban parks and is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs. Over 50 million visitors gathered in Montreal during this memorable summer. The 1976 Olympics left a strikingly idiosyncratic stadium and many other urban improvements. The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, though much-lauded as an economic boom, spelled the beginning of the end for Montreal's economic dominance in Canada. Once the transition point between western railways and eastern sea carriers, Montreal watched helplessly as some of this business moved farther west, up the now navigable seaway, to ports in Ontario and on Lake Superior. The Quebec sovereignty movement, which began to pick up steam in the 1960s, further chilled the atmosphere for Canada-wide businesses, many of which moved their headquarters to Toronto. Following an economic depression in the 1980s and 1990s, Montreal became more secure in its place in North America and the world. It remains a centre of culture, arts, computer technology, aerospace, the biotech industry, and media for all of Canada. ===Orientation=== [[File:Montreal WV.png|thumb|200px|right|As the world sees Montreal - Assuming north is up]] [[File:montreal rt.png|thumb|200px|right|As we see ourselves - Assuming north is up]] ''It has been said that Montréal is the only city in the world where the sun "rises in the south"''. Montrealers use an unconventional compass, using the river and the mountain as cardinal points. When you are downtown, the St Lawrence River is “south” and Mount Royal is “north”; making the West Island and the East End correct in both their names and orientations. This tends to confuse visitors because the “East” End is really north and the “South” Shore is east, and the St Lawrence River runs almost north-south at this location. Most local maps use this convention as do the highways around the city. For example, Autoroute 15 north actually runs northwest and Autoroute 40 east runs northeast. To underscore this fact, a Montreal map will show that the "south end" of Victoria Bridge is in fact further north than the "north end". ===Gay Montreal=== Montreal is an extremely inviting destination for gay and lesbian tourists. Canada's contributions to gay rights have become widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions (although [[Toronto]] was the first municipality in Canada to do so). Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec (neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage licence, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence) as it is in the rest of Canada. Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses. The métro station in the Gay Village, Beaudry, is marked with rainbow pillars. '''Montreal's pride celebration''' (last week of July, first week of August) is the second-largest in Canada after [[Toronto]]'s. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Metric | janhigh = -5 | febhigh = -3 | marhigh = 3 | aprhigh = 12 | mayhigh = 19 | junhigh = 24 | julhigh = 26 | aughigh = 25 | sephigh = 21 | octhigh = 13 | novhigh = 6 | dechigh = -1 | janlow = -14 | feblow = -12 | marlow = -7 | aprlow = 1 | maylow = 8 | junlow = 13 | jullow = 16 | auglow = 15 | seplow = 10 | octlow = 4 | novlow = -2 | declow = -9 | janprecip = 77 | febprecip = 63 | marprecip = 69 | aprprecip = 82 | mayprecip = 81 | junprecip = 87 | julprecip = 89 | augprecip = 94 | sepprecip = 83 | octprecip = 91 | novprecip = 96 | decprecip = 87 | description = See the Montreal 7 day forecast at [http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/qc-147_metric_e.html Environment Canada] {{dead link|December 2020}} }} The climate of Montreal is a true humid continental climate with 4 distinct seasons. The city has warm—and occasionally hot & humid—summers, generally mild springs and autumns, and often very cold & snowy winters. Montreal gets over 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Precipitation is moderate throughout the year, with around 2 metres of snow per season. ===Visitor information=== * {{listing | name=Centre Infotouriste de Montréal | alt= | url=https://www.quebecoriginal.com/en/listing/tourist-information/offices/centre-infotouriste-de-montreal-1971117 | email=info@bonjourquebec.com | address=1255 rue Peel, bureau 100 | lat= | long= | directions=At rue Sainte-Catherine; metro Peel | phone=+1 514 873-2015 | tollfree=+1-877-266-5687 | fax= | hours=Apr 1-May 7: 09:09-17:00; May 8-Oct 4: 09:00-18:00; Oct 5-Mar 31: 09:00-17:00; Closed: Dec 25 & Jan 1 | price= | lastedit=2015-07-21 | content= }} ==Get in== {{IATA|YMQ}} is used as the metropolitan area airport code for the airport and rail station. ===By plane=== ==== Airport ==== {{marker|type=go|name=Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport|url=https://www.admtl.com/en|lat=45.4581|long=-73.7520}} ({{IATA|YUL}}) ({{phone|+1 514-633-3333}} / {{phone|+1 800-465-1213}} ), also known to locals as Dorval Airport, is west of the city centre on Expressway (''Autoroute'') 20. Travel time to the airport from the city centre can be as much as an hour, depending on traffic. The airport has a single terminal. ==== Departures ==== There is a border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight. ==== Arrivals ==== International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require clearing passport control and customs at the airport. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. ==== Destinations ==== ===== Direct flights from within [[Canada]] ===== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 4 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 4 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Moncton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 45 minutes * From [[Rouyn-Noranda]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1 hour * From [[Saskatoon]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 1.25 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.5 hours ===== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ===== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 2-2.25 hours * From [[Dallas]] ([[Texas]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York)]] - 1.5 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4.75 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.75-2 hours ===== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ===== * From [[Mexico City]] ([[Mexico]]) - 5.25-5.5 hours * From [[Saint-Pierre]] ([[France]]) - 3.5 hours. ===== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ===== * From [[Athens]] ([[Greece]]) - 10 hours * From [[Barcelona]] ([[Spain]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 7.50-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 7.75-8 hours * From [[Geneva]] ([[Switzerland]]) - 8.25 hours * From [[Lisbon]] ([[Portugal]]) - 7.25 hours * From [[Munich]] (Germany) - 8 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 8.75 hours * From [[Zurich]] (Switzerland) - 8.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ===== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11 hours * From [[Casablanca]] ([[Morocco|Morrocco]]) - 7.25 hours ===== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ===== * From [[Doha]] ([[Qatar]]) - 13.25 hours * From [[Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12.25 hours ==== Airlines ==== Canadian airlines operating to YUL in Montreal: * {{listing | name=Air Canada | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-393-3333 | tollfree=+1-888-247-2262 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Some flights from Toronto arrive from Toronto Pearson International Airport and some from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Air Creebec|url=https://www.aircreebec.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-567-6567|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Regional airline operating primarily in [[Northern Ontario]] and [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{listing|name=Air Inuit|alt=|url=http://www.airinuit.com/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-361-2965|fax=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2017-02-03|content=Operates flights from communities in [[Northern Quebec]].}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights from vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{listing|name=Canadian North|alt=|url=https://canadiannorth.com/|email=contact@canadiannorth.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-267-1247|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline primarily operating flights in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], and flights from that region to a few large cities in Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Pascan Aviation|url=https://www.pascan.com/|email=info@pascan.com|phone=+1-450-443-0500|tollfree=+1-888-313-8777|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=A regional airline operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Labrador]].}} * {{Listing|name=PAL Airlines|url=https://www.palairlines.ca|email=reservations@palairlines.ca|tollfree=+1-800-563-2800|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=One of the largest regional airlines operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Atlantic Canada]], and to [[Ottawa]].}} * {{listing | name=Porter Airlines | alt= | url=https://www.flyporter.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-619-8622 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Operates flights in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[Atlantic Canada]], and some flights from the [[United States of America]]. Ots turboprop plane flights from [[Toronto]] leave from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The airline's jet plane flights and flights by all other airlines almost exclusively leave from Toronto Pearson International Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} Other airlines: * {{Listing|name=Air Saint-Pierre|url=http://airsaintpierre.com|phone=+508-41-00-00|tollfree=+1-877-277-7765|lastedit=2022-04-29|content=Operates flights from [[Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]], two small islands that are a territorial overseas collectivity of [[France]], located just south of Newfoundland.}} The airport is served by all major airlines from the [[United States of America]]. ==== Lounges ==== Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport has the following airport lounges: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge|url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@montreal|address=Domestic departures: between Gates 1 and 3; US Transborder departures: between Gates 72 and 73; International departures: near Gate 52|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Air France / KLM Lounge|url=https://wwws.airfrance.us/information/prepare/salons/yul|address=International departures: between Gates 55 and 57|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} * {{Listing|name=Desjardins Odyssey Lounge|url=https://www.desjardins.com/ca/personal/goals-life-events/travel/odyssey-lounge/index.jsp|address=International departures: Gate 63|lastedit=2022-08-16}} * {{Listing|name=Montreal National Bank Lounge|url=https://www.nbc.ca/personal/mastercard-credit-cards/lounge.html|address=International departures: near Gate 53|lastedit=2022-08-16|content=}} ==== Ground transportation ==== ===== Public transit ===== '''[https://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/bus/shuttle/747-yul-montreal-trudeau-airport-downtown-shuttle STM Airport Express bus 747]''' offers service between the airport and Montreal 24 hours a day. A single fare will cost $11 (exact change in coins only when paid in the bus, as of July 2022) and includes unlimited use of the STM bus and metro network for the following 24 hours. There's a machine that takes credit cards inside the arrivals area where you can purchase fares (including a three-day pass for $21.25). To get to the bus stop leave the arrivals area and go to the right. There is an area to line up for the 747 buses. The bus will stop at Lionel-Groulx metro station, and some buses continue to various downtown stops (the bus's marquee will state which). It is possible to go downtown by the cheaper regular '''public transit system'''. Late at night, it is all right, but during peak hours, you will need to complete several transfers with potentially crowded vehicles, so it is really only best to do so only if you are on a very low budget and/or have very light baggage. Between 05:00 and 01:00, take [https://www.stm.info/en STM] bus 204 east (''est'') which leaves from outside arrivals every 30 min to ''Gare Dorval'' (Dorval Train Station). Check that the driver is not going west (''ouest'') as both ways are served from almost the same place, and the sign does not say. You can also use the 209 on weekdays to get to Gare Dorval. Also, be sure to keep the ticket that the driver will give you as it is a transfer which you will need later. From Gare Dorval, use your transfer ticket to catch any one of buses 211, 411, 405, 425, or 485 to Lionel-Groulx metro station. Also make sure it is going east as the same routes go west too. Your transfer will then let you into the metro. Take the Montmorency-bound orange line or the Honoré-Beaugrand-bound green line into downtown on the metro. It costs $3.50 (July 2022), but exact change in coins only must be provided to the first driver. Between 05:00 and 01:00, for the same price ($3.50, exact change in coins only, July 2022), take bus 356 (again, check that the driver is going east, not west) directly into downtown via Sherbrooke. This bus runs relatively close to most downtown hotels. However, if needed, a transfer can be completed to access the rest of the city. See the STM's trip planner or Google Maps for more details. At ''Gare Dorval'' it is also possible to catch the [https://exo.quebec/en/trip-planner/train/vaudreuil%E2%80%93hudson Exo] commuter rail to downtown (Direction Lucien L'Allier), during the day from 06:00 to 20:00 for a single one-way fare of $6, leading to the downtown station of ''Lucien L'Allier'' which is also atop the Lucien L'Allier metro station. ===== Taxi ===== The '''taxi''' fare to and from downtown is a fixed price of $41 (a sticker on the window behind the driver gives the boundaries of the zone where the flat fare applies; if you are going from or to places outside this zone, you will have to pay a metered fare with a minimum rate of $17.45). ==== Ride hailing ==== Ride hailing rides are only permitted by booking the ride on an app, and pick ups are only permitted at Door 6 on the Departures level and Door 20 on the Arrivals level. Ride hailing is available from: * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/airports/yul/|lastedit=2022-08-15|content=}} ==== Train ==== {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-989-2626 | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Offers free shuttle connects the airport with Dorval station, located 2.5 km drove away. Intercity train routes between Montreal and the following terminus stations stop at this station: [[Ottawa]], [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquière]], [[Senneterre]], and [[Toronto]]. }} ==== Car rental ==== The following car rental companies serve the YUL: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1 514-633-1222|tollfree=+1-800-462-5266|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-1902|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-0052|tollfree=+1-800-268-8970|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar|url=https://www.dollarcanada.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-800-4000|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|phone=+1-514-631-4545|tollfree=+1-800-736-8222|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-263-0678|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1 514-636-9030|tollfree=+1-800-227-7368|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{Listing|name=Thrifty|url=https://www.thrifty.com|phone=+1 514-636-9530|tollfree=+1-800-847-4389|lastedit=2022-08-15}} ==== Other airports ==== [[Plattsburgh#By plane|'''Plattsburgh International Airport''']] and [[Burlington (Vermont)#By plane|'''Burlington International Airport''']], in the United States, are 1 hr 20 min and 1 hr 50 min away, respectively, by car from Montreal. Adirondack Trailways offers a bus service from Plattsburgh International Airport to Montreal. Greyhound offers a bus service from Burlington International Airport to Montreal. For travellers from the US, these airports may offer a significant cost savings compared to Trudeau but at the added inconvenience of arranging ground transportation between the US and Canada. ===By car=== From [[Toronto]], take Highway 401 east about 5 hr until it becomes Autoroute (Expressway) 20 on the Quebec side of the border. It will then take about an hour to get to downtown. Be alert for frequent speed-limit changes along this road. To reach downtown follow the Centre-Ville signs and take Autoroute 720 (Autoroute 20 continues over the Pont Champlain bridge to the South Shore). {{infobox|Rideshare|Save money with a rideshare. There are daily rides from Toronto to Montreal and back for $30-50, which is cheaper than any other means of transportation between the two cities. A good website for ridesharing in Canada and the USA is [http://craigslist.com Craigslist]. Dedicated rideshare sites include [http://www.liftsurfer.com LiftSurfer] and [http://www.erideshare.com eRideShare] Warning: Advertisement for a van (with a DVD player) that offers rides to Montreal and back every day has drivers that hardly speak any English at all (nor French). The service provider is '''unreliable'''. Service is also very poor.}} From [[Ottawa]], it's about 2 hours east along Highway 417 (which becomes Autoroute 40 in Quebec) to Montreal. From [[Quebec City]], it's about 3 hours west on either Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20. From [[New York City]], take Interstate 87 north through [[Albany (New York)|Albany]] and the eastern half of New York State for about six hours. After the border crossing near [[Plattsburgh]], the freeway becomes Autoroute 15, which leads directly into downtown Montreal over the Pont Champlain, the most beautiful approach to the city. The drive time from Plattsburgh to downtown Montreal is approximately one hour. From [[Boston]], take Interstate 93 to Interstate 89 after you cross into New Hampshire. Follow Interstate 89 north to and through Vermont to the border crossing, where it turns into Highway 133. This secondary road continues to Autoroute 10, which leads directly into downtown Montreal. The whole trip takes about 5 hours. Once you cross the border it is about 1½ hours to Montreal. ===By train=== [[File:Inside the Gare Centrale du CN, CN Central Station.jpg|thumb|Montreal Central Station]] {{marker|type=go|name=Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')|url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/quebec/montreal/station|lat=45.5000|long=-73.5667}} ({{IATA|YMY}}) is at 895 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, one block west of rue University, and is served by the Bonaventure metro (subway) station. {{listing | name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-31 | content=Operates train routes from Canada's west coast and east coast. }} VIA Rail operates fast and comfortable passenger trains to Montreal along the busy Quebec-Ontario corridor and from destinations in northern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. All fares below are five-day advance booking prices for one-way travel in "Comfort" (coach/economy) class, expect to pay almost 50% more if you book on the day of travel. Check the Via website for "[http://www.viarail.ca/en/deals express deals]", which are posted every Tuesday. Highly discounted tickets are available, typically for long distance train routes or short distance trips at non-peak hours. Express deals on short distance trips (e.g. Montreal-Toronto) are typically offered only for the upcoming weeks, whereas long distance deals (e.g. Winnipeg to Montreal) may be available several weeks in advance. Business Class is available for a premium and includes a meal, alcoholic refreshments, snacks, and free wireless internet in station lounges and on board the train. An ISIC student card can obtain a discount on Via, and on Amtrak in the USA. Bicycles can also be brought aboard as is on certain Corridor trains during the summer months. See [[Rail travel in Canada]] for more information. VIA Rail train routes serving Montreal: * Between [[Quebec City]] and [[Ottawa]] including stops in [[Drummondville]], [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Saint-Lambert]], Montreal, and [[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]]. Multiple trains daily travel the entire route and some additonal trains travel daily between Montreal and Ottawa. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 2 hours (from $35), from Drummonville is 1.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.25-3.5 hours (from $47). * Between Montreal and [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Cornwall (Ontario)|Cornwall]], [[Brockville]], [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Cobourg]], and [[Oshawa]]. Operates 6 trains daily. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.25 hours (from $85) and from Kingston is 2.25-2.5 hours. * Between [[Halifax]] and Montreal on [[The Ocean]] route, including stops in [[Moncton]] and Sainte-Foy (near [[Quebec City|Q]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|ue]]<nowiki/>[[Quebec City|bec City]]). Operates 3 evenings per week. Travel time to Montreal from Halifax is 22 hours (from $133 coach, $187 upper berth, $245 bedroom)), from Moncton is 17.5 hours (from $110 coach, $162 upper berth, $219 bedroom), and from Sainte-Foy is 3.5 hours. A shuttle between Sainte-Foy and Quebec City's train station is available for The Ocean trains, but must be reserved in advance. The choice of sleeping accommodation varies according to the season. Along with trains between Montreal and Quebec, the Ocean is now almost exclusively operated by modern Renaissance trains that were built for the aborted Channel Tunnel sleeper services between [[Great Britain]] and [[France]]. * Between [[Jonquiere|Jonquière]] (in the [[Saguenay]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[Shawinigan]], [[Saint-Paulin]], [[Saint-Justin]], and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Jonquière is 9 hours (from $55) and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. * Between [[Senneterre]] (in the [[Abitibi-Témiscamingue|Abitibi]] region) and Montreal including stops in [[La Tuque]], Shawinigan, Saint-Paulin, Saint-Justin, and Joliette. Travel time to Montreal from Seneterre is 11.5 hours (from $81), from La Tuque is 5.5 hours, and from Shawinigan is 2.5 hours. Operates one day per week. Route operates as a wilderness service: a request stop may be made at any point along the route for those who want to hike and kayak in the remoter regions of Quebec that the train passes through. <!-- commenting out until service is restored:Three evenings a week, the Ocean also pulls the "Chaleur" train as far as [[Matapedia]]. The train divides in the early morning and the Chaleur follows the southern shore of the Gaspé Peninsula as far as [[Gaspé]] (17½ hr, from $106 coach, $165 upper berth, $215 bedroom). However, the service to Gaspe has been suspended with no confirmation of restarting it.--> {{Listing|name=Amtrak|url=https://www.amtrak.com/home|directions=|phone=+1-215-856-7924|tollfree=+1-800-872-7245|lastedit=2022-03-31|content=}} Amtrak's service to Montreal is [https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/amtrak-return-to-service-1.6252614 suspended until 2022] due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Amtrak operated the "Adirondack" service to [[New York City]] (11 hours, from US$61) which departed daily, with connections in Schenectady to (but not from) Chicago (24 hr, US$114) and in New York to Philadelphia (14 hr, US$97) and Washington, DC (16 hr, US$120). The train also passed through much of upstate [[New York (state)|New York]] and hugged Lake Champlain for a large part of the trip. South of Albany, the route followed the Hudson River and passes a number of historic sites. The journey to New York was cheaper but slower than by bus (see below), which takes 7-9 hr, but it made up for it with superior comfort, extra legroom, the ability to walk around the train and visit the cafe car for food and drink at your leisure, and the good view from the train of the Lake Champlain and Hudson River scenery. Train passengers leaving from Boston may take the Regional Service to Penn Station, New York City, and transfer to the Adirondack line to Montreal, but this method requires significant layover times in New York. The train station has no permanent lockers but it's usually possible to keep it guarded by Via Rail for less than a day if travelling with it. There is Wifi and a few power outlets. ===By bus=== Buses arrive and depart from the ''[http://www.gamtl.com/en/Bienvenue/default.aspx Gare d'autocars de Montreal]'' (not to be confused with the ''Gare Centrale'' or central train station) at 1717 Berri Street (adjacent to the Berri-UQAM metro station). Call [tel:+1&#x20;514-842-2281 +1 514-842-2281] for schedules and prices. Intercity operators include: * {{Listing|name=Autobus Galland|url=https://www.galland-bus.com/|phone=+1-450-687-8666|tollfree=+1 877-806-8666|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=Operates bus service in [[Quebec]].}} Operates bus service between Mont-Laurier and Montreal and including stops in [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], [[Mirabel]], and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Mont-Laurier is 4.75-5 hours and from Mont-Tremblant is 2.75-3 hours, and from Saint-Jérôme is 1.25-1.5 hours. Operates several days per week between Mont-Laurier and Montreal. There are additional trips between Mont-Tremblant and Montreal, resulting in daily service along that part of the route. * {{Listing|name=Autobus Maheux|url=https://autobusmaheux.com/|email=service_client@autobusmaheux.com|phone=|tollfree=+1-866-863-6066|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] with some connections to [[Ontario]].}} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** Between [[Rouyn-Noranda]] and Montreal including stops in [[Val-d'Or]], Grand-Remous, Mont-Laurier, [[Mont-Tremblant]], [[Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts]], [[Saint-Jérôme]], and [[Laval]]. Stops between Mont-Laurier and Montreal are drop off only on the way to Montreal and pick up only on the way to Rouyn-Noranda. Travel time to Montreal from Rouyn-Norand is 9-9.5 hours, from Val-d'Or is 7-7.5 hours, and from Grand-Remous is 4.25-4.75. Operates daily. From Rouyn-Noranda there is service to [[North Bay]]. ** Between [[Ottawa]] and Montreal including stops in [[Gatineau]] and [[Laval]]. Travel time to Montreal from Ottawa is 3.5 hours. Operates daily. *{{Listing|name=Autocars Skyport|url=https://www.skyportinternational.com/|email=reservation@keolis.ca|phone=+1-514-631-1155|tollfree=+1-800-471-1155|price=$95 per adult one-way, $161 per adult round trip, $65.50 per child (2-11 years old) one-way, $111 per child round trip|lastedit=2022-05-19|content=During ski season (December to April), operates a multiple times per day non-stop route between Montreal International Airport and [[Mont-Tremblant]], where it stops at various hotels.}} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-214-849-8100 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-23 | content=Operates bus service across the [[United States of America]]. }} Operates the following routes to Montreal: ** From [[New York City]] including stops in [[Albany (New York)|Albany]], [[Saratoga Springs]], and [[Plattsburgh]]. Travel time to Montreal from New York City is 8.25-9.5 hours, from Albany is 5.75-6.25 hours, and from Plattsburgh is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Boston]] including stops in [[Manchester (New Hampshire)|Manchester]], [[Concord (New Hampshire)|Concord]], [[Hanover (New Hampshire)|Hanover]], [[White River Junction]], and [[Burlington (Vermont)|Burlington]]. Travel time to Montreal from Boston is 8.5 hours, from Manchester is 7 hours, from Concord is 6.5 hours, and from Burlington is 3 hours. * {{Listing|name=Intercar|url=http://www.intercar.ca/|email=serviceclient@intercar.ca|phone=+1-418-547-2167|tollfree=+1-800-806-2167|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]].}} **From [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean|Dolbeau]] to Montreal including stops in [[Val-Jalbert]], Alma, and Quebec City. Travel time to Montreal from Dolbeau is 9 hours, from Val-Jalbert is 7.25 hours, from Alma is 6.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 3.5 hours. Operates several days per week. **From [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Jonquiere]] to Montreal including stops in [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]] and Quebec City. Travel time to Monteal from Jonquiere is 6.75 hours, from Chicoutimi is 6.5 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. **From [[Baie-Comeau]] to Montreal including stops in Forestville, [[Tadoussac]], [[Baie-Sainte-Catherine]], [[Saint-Siméon]], [[La Malbaie]], [[Clermont (Quebec)|Clermont]], [[Saint-Hilarion]], [[Baie-Saint-Paul]], [[Saint-Tite-des-Caps]], [[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]], [[Boischatel]], and [[Quebec City]]. Trips to Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City, and do not include a stop in Montreal. Travel time to Montreal from Baie-Comeau is 11.25 hours, , from Forestville is 9.5 hours, from Saint-Siméon is 7.25 hours, from La Malbaie is 6.25 hours, and from Baie-Saint-Paul is 5.25 hours, and from Quebec City is 4 hours. Operates daily. ***Several days per week there a same day connection to and from [[Sept-Îles]] involving a transfer in Baie-Comeau. Travel time to Montreal from Sept-Îles is 14.5 hours. * {{Listing|name=Limocar by Transdev|url=https://limocar.ca/|email=sac@limocar.ca|phone=+1-819-562-8899|tollfree=+1-866-692-8899|lastedit=2022-05-01|content=Operates bus routes in [[Quebec]].}} Operates the following bus routes to Montreal: ** Between Montreal and [[Granby (Quebec)|Granby]] (1.5 hours if direct, 1.75 hours if transfer required in Bromont). ** Between Montreal and [[Sherbrooke]] with stops in [[Longueuil]], Bromont, and [[Magog]]. Travel time to Montreal from Longueuil is 15 minutes, from Magog is 1.5-1.75 hours, and from Sherbrooke is 2-2.25 hours. Operates multiple times daily. * {{Listing|name=Megasbus|alt=Coach Canada|url=https://ca.megabus.com/|tollfree=+1-866-488-4452|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Service from [[Toronto]] via [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]]. This route does not use the downtown bus terminal, but rather a street stop at 997 Saint-Antoine Ouest, near Metro Bonaventure. Travel time to Montreal from Toronto is 5.75-7.25 hours and from Kingston is 3.25-3.75 hours.}} * {{go|name=Orléans Express|alt=|url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-450-640-1477|tollfree=+1-833-449-6444|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] and to [[Ottawa]].}} Bus routes to Montreal: ** From [[Gatineau]] via [[Ottawa]]. Travel time to Montreal from Gatineau is 2.75-3 hours and from Ottawa is 2.25-2.5 hours. ** From [[Quebec City]] via [[Drummondville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3-3.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.25 hours. Operates multiple trips daily. Most trips do not stop in Drummondville, but at least one trip per day stops in each direction. ** From Quebec City via [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Drummondville]] and [[Victoriaville]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 4.25 hours and from Drummondville is 1.5 hours. Operates two days per week. For Victoriaville stop, it is drop off only for trips to Quebec City and pick up only for trips to Montreal. ** From Quebec City via [[Trois-Rivières]]. Travel time to Montreal from Quebec City is 3.75 hours and from Trois-Rivières is 1.75-2 hours. Operates multiple times daily. ** Timed connections in Quebec City enable same day trips to and from [[Rimouski]] via [[Rivière-du-Loup]]. Travel time to Montreal from Rimouski is 6.25-7.75 hours and from Rivière-du-Loup is 4.5-6 hours. ** Timed connections in Quebec City and Rimouski enable same day trips to and from [[Gaspé]], [[Percé]], and Pointe-à-la-Croix. Travel time to Montreal from Gaspé is 13.75 hours, from Percé is 14.5 hours, and from Pointe-à-la-Croix is 9.5 hours. ** [https://www.maritimebus.com/ Maritime Bus] operates buses in [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. Maritime Bus and Orléans Express operate to the following locations: ***[[Rivière-du-Loup]] (as of May 2022, Maritime Bus is not operating here due to Covid-19) ***Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC / [[Campbellton]], NB (2 km taxi ride between these communities) * {{go | name=Tour Express | alt= | url=https://tourexpress.ca/ | email=info@tourexpress.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-228-2303 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-26 | content=Intercity service Montréal-Ottawa and Montréal-Gatineau. Travel time to Montreal from [[Ottawa]] is 2 hours. }} ===By bicycle=== Montreal is an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, accessible only by bridge. Not all bridges are bike accessible; however, several are, including the breathtaking Jacques Cartier bridge. Prominent bike lanes exist throughout the city, most notably along the Lachine Canal, Rue Rachel, boulevard de Maisonneuve, rue Brébeuf, rue Berri, rue Cherrier and along rue Laurier. The Plateau-Mont-Royal is where most of these bike paths are and is the neighbourhood, along with neighbouring Mile-End, where there are the most people who cycle and walk as a means of day to day transport. It has the highest density population wise and the lowest car ownership rate per household. However, bike theft is an issue, especially in the Plateau. Most locals can recall a time when they witnessed bike theft, though the situation is getting better now that the public bike share program, Bixi, has been implemented. It was not uncommon to have somebody offer you a stolen bike for sale on the street. Be equally aware of the peripheral articles of your bicycle; seats, baskets, and wheels can often be easily detached if not properly secured to the bike's frame or locked with a u-lock. ====From Montreal Central Station (''Gare Centrale'')==== Upon disembarking the train, go to the baggage claim area and wait there for a baggage attendant to bring your bicycle to you. If you have checked other baggage, claim it at the conveyor belt. The easiest way to exit the station is at the main entrance near the baggage claim through the parking garage onto rue de la Gauchetière. All other exits require you to carry your bike up flights of stairs. At the west side of the station is the entrance to the Underground City and access to Bonaventure metro station on the Orange line. However, there is no elevator access to the metro from the train station, which means that you have to carry your bike and luggage down several flights of stairs. ====From Montreal-Trudeau International Airport==== The [http://www.admtl.com/ airport] is on the western part of the island. From the main terminal, exit onto the main access road and turn right. Wind along the access road until the first major interchange and turn right. You will reach Albert de Niverville Boulevard and be forced to turn left (south) towards the main highway (Autoroute 20). At the end of this Boulevard, turn right on Cardinal Avenue. To your right, you will come to a pedestrian underpass that takes you under the railway tracks and leads to the Dorval Circle, a very busy traffic circle. This looks intimidating, but the traffic lights will allow you to ride safely under Autoroute 20 to Dorval Boulevard ''(Boulevard Dorval)''. Continue south down Dorval Boulevard until the end. Turn left on Lakeshore Drive ''(Chemin Lakeshore)'' towards the city. This road turns into Boulevard St. Joseph. You will eventually come to a bike path to your right that winds along the shores of Lac-Saint Louis (part of the Saint Lawrence river) through the town of Lachine. Continue down this path until you reach the entrance of the Lachine Canal. Cross the canal and continue down the Lachine Canal Bike Path (Piste Cyclable Canal Lachine) and follow the signs to the Old Port (Vieux Port) in Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). The Lachine Canal Bike Path can be quite busy on weekends and holidays, so be ready to take your time. It is paved over its entire length. ====From Ontario==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the west must take secondary highways to Dorion, where Autoroute 20, inaccessible to bicycles over most of its length, becomes accessible as it crosses bridges first to Île Perrot (Perrot Island) and then to the Island of Montreal (at Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue). Bicycles should use the sidewalk on these bridges as traffic is usually heavy. From here, cyclists may take Lakeshore Boulevard and the Lachine Canal Bike Path (see Airport section above) to Old Montreal and the downtown core. The Isle-aux-Tourtes Bridge on Autoroute 40 is not accessible by bicycle. ====From the United States==== Cyclists approaching Montreal from the South Shore to the south and east of Montreal may access the Island of Montreal a number of ways (see [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/ map]). The surest (but not foolproof) way is using the sidewalk Jacques Cartier Bridge. When it is not closed for repairs, it is open year round and all day. A paved bike path along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River provides the most scenic approach to the bridge. The new (Samuel-de) Champlain Bridge (built in 2019) has [https://www.samueldechamplainbridge.ca/pedestrians-and-cyclists/ an excellent cyclist-and-pedestrian path] that will take you from Brossard to Nun's Island (and from there, give you easy access to the Pointe-Saint-Charles or Verdun neighbourhoods of Montreal). An equally popular route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ from the Saint Lambert Locks (Ecluses Saint-Lambert) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway near the Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria) east of Montreal]. The bike drawbridge may be blocked by the entertaining spectacle of a ship passing through the seaway. From here, cyclists take the Grand Prix racing track (Gilles-Villeneuve circuit) on Île Notre Dame to the Concord Bridge to Montreal. This route is [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/Default.aspx?tabid=78 closed sometimes for car racing events or construction]. In this case, cyclists can take a circuitous detour down a gravel causeway dividing the seaway and river to the Estacade, an ice boom that crosses the river parallel to the Champlain Bridge to Nun's Island and eventually Montreal. A lesser known crossing involves one at the Sainte Catherine Locks (Ecluses Sainte-Catherine) at Saint-Catherine south of Montreal. These bridges cross the seaway to the same causeway as the Saint Lambert locks. In this case, the road to the Estacade ice boom is paved. The Mercier bridge and Lafontaine Tunnel are definitely inaccessible to bicycles. These can be dangerous, even in a car. There is no bicycle path crossing the Mercier Bridge. ==== In winter ==== The Jacques-Cartier bridge closes in winter, when the society that manages the bridge decides conditions are no longer adequate. The Saint-Lambert Locks south shore link also [http://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/south-shore-bike-link-route-verte-montreal/ closes from about November 15th to April 15th]. ==Get around== {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q340|type=geomask}} Montreal has historically been divided into east and west by boulevard Saint-Laurent, with the west side traditionally being Anglophone and the east side traditionally being Francophone. Numbered addresses on streets that cross Saint-Laurent start there and increase in either direction; most addresses are given as "rue ____ Ouest" (west) or "rue ____ Est" (east). Many streets are named after Catholic saints and figures from local history, both well-known and obscure. In Montreal street names, "east" and "west" refer to the direction parallel to the St. Lawrence River, and "north" and "south" refer to the direction perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River. Because the St. Lawrence River runs almost north-south near downtown Montreal, "east", "west", "north", and "south" are actually northeast, southwest, northwest and southeast respectively. Confusingly, most maps displayed in the city have "Montreal north" on top which can be confusing with a satellite navigation that uses pole north. Also, don't try to navigate by looking at the sun! ===On foot=== Walking is a favoured way to get around the densely packed downtown and the narrow streets of Old Montreal, especially during the warmer months. However, beware during winter months, as sidewalks can be icy and extremely hazardous after winter snow and ice storms. Winter boots with good grip are essential for surviving pavements that have not been cleared. Beware also (as much as you can) of thawing ice falling from overhanging balconies and roofs. But you can always take the stairs down to Montreal's famous "Underground City" (''Montréal souterrain''), called [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=7317,79977650&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL RÉSO], a network of pedestrian corridors connecting [http://www.stm.info/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm Métro] stations, shopping centres, and office complexes. Jaywalking is widespread and rarely punished. However, drivers will usually not stop or even slow down if a pedestrian steps out in front of them, even at marked crosswalks. At an intersection, however, a pedestrian will have right of passage before turning traffic and most drivers respect this. Despite Montreal drivers' poor reputation for aggressiveness, they generally respect pedestrians. Rue Sainte-Catherine is Montreal's main commercial artery and busiest pedestrian thoroughfare. The "Underground City" and the Green Line (or line 1) of Montreal's Metro is easily accessible from all the major office complexes, shopping malls, department stores, and theatre complexes that line it. Smaller chain stores and restaurants also vie for valuable commercial space. Well-kept historic churches with green space provide quiet oasis and contrast with the giant neon signs of strip clubs. Major hotels can generally be found one or two blocks north and south of Sainte-Catherine in the downtown core. Bars, restaurants, and dance clubs cluster within a block of Sainte-Catherine around Crescent and Bishop, catering to a mostly English-speaking clientele. Rue Saint-Denis, farther east, and the Gay Village between Berri and de Lormier, even more to the east, are mostly French-speaking. McGill College Boulevard in the downtown core from Saine-Catherine offers an open view of Mount Royal to the north and an impressive view of the Place Ville-Marie skyscraper to the south. Keep your head up and beware of following the flow of the crowd on this street: throngs of pedestrians often walk across cross streets against red lights, risking life and limb. Rue Prince-Arthur, east of Saint-Laurent, is for pedestrians only. Another pedestrian-only locale is Montreal's Chinatown, on Rue de la Gauchtière Est between Saint-Urbain and Saint-Laurent. A good trick for navigating downtown Montreal is to remember that streets slope up toward Mount Royal, which is just north of downtown and easy to see from most locations. The districts surrounding downtown Montreal are especially delightful on foot. To the south is [http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/eng/accueila.htm Old Montreal] (Le Vieux-Montréal) (its narrow streets and buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries really can make you feel like you're in Old Europe) and the [http://www.oldportofmontreal.com/ Old Port] (Le Vieux-Port), a waterfront strolling park with exhibits and boat tours, is very popular with the locals. To the north, the Golden Square Mile and the McGill University Campus is wedged between Mount Royal and Sherbrooke Street on the southern slope of the mountain. Old Victorian mansions and townhouses can be found along the sloping streets, many now housing McGill University's offices and libraries. Just west of downtown is affluent Westmount, a perfect example of 19th-century English-style homes and gardens (inhabited to a great extent by English-speaking people) climbing the slopes of Mount Royal's western part (the higher you climb, the larger the old mansions). Just east and northeast of downtown are the mostly French-speaking Gay Village (Le Village Gai) and Plateau (Plateau Mont-Royal) districts. Street after street displays turn-of-the-19th-century row duplexes and triplexes, replete with famous Montreal outdoor staircases, overflowing front gardens (or snow-covered gables, depending on the time of year), and tiny shops tucked into every nook and cranny. For people who like to see a culture where it lives, Le Plateau is the place to wander about in. [http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/en/learn-about-mount-royal/homepage.sn Mount Royal] (Mont-Royal) is also accessible from the urban core on foot. Fit pedestrians can climb Rue Peel to the southern edge of the park. A series of renovated staircases will take you directly to the Chalet near the top of the mountain, with its classic view of the downtown core. A more leisurely climb to the top awaits those on Olmsted Road (6.5&nbsp;km), a wide, gently sloping bike and footpath accessible from the Plateau in Parc Jeanne-Mance (also known as Fletcher's Field). Smaller footpaths serendipitously branch off from this road. A cross-country ski path also winds to the top in the wintertime. Mount Royal's park was designed by Frederick Olmsted, a landscape architect who lived from 1822 to 1903 and was also responsible for the design of Central Park in [[New York City]] and the Emerald Necklace in [[Boston]]. ===By car=== Driving ([http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/ SAAQ]) in Montreal can be a challenge for many North American motorists. Although turning right on a red light is allowed across the rest of Quebec (except at intersections where a sign indicates this is not permitted), right turns on red are strictly prohibited on the island of Montreal. The stop lights at most of downtown intersections are on the opposite side of the intersection, not at the stop line as in some of Europe. The use of road salt to keep roads ice-free during severe winters takes its toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction. Downtown traffic is dense. Street parking can be difficult. Parking meters are in use seven days a week in most districts (M-F 09:00-21:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 13:00-18:00), including statutory holidays. The standard parking ticket cost is $52. Parking tickets may be appealed in court only by the owner of the car that was subject to the infraction, so if a rented car is ticketed, the person who rented may be unable to contest the charge. Car parking downtown is expensive at around $3 an hour at parking meters or $25 per day at commercial parking lots. Parking signs are all in French, and will describe a day and hour (based on 24-hr clock) along with conditions for parking. Many arterial roads prohibit parking on one side during rush hour, and vehicles are subject to $150 fine plus towing costs and other fees. Montreal does not paint curbs red next to fire hydrants, but it is still illegal to park there. {{infobox|Days of the week| lundi — Monday<br> mardi — Tuesday<br> mercredi — Wednesday<br> jeudi — Thursday<br> vendredi — Friday<br> samedi — Saturday<br> dimanche — Sunday}} There are also many private and public parking lots, and their prices vary widely. There may even be $15–20 differences between two parking lots just a few blocks from each other. {{infobox|Sign Language| North — Nord<br> East — Est<br> South — Sud<br> West — Ouest<br> Exit — Sortie<br> Bridge — Pont}} During the winter months, heavy snowfalls are common. In the aftermath of a snowstorm, an intensively-prepared "déneigement" (snow removal) process begins with intimidatingly large snow plows and trucks clearing, chewing up, and transporting away the snow. If you leave your car parked on a street, pay close attention to any orange "no parking" signs that will appear on roads to be cleared. Tow trucks will sound a loud 2-tone horn siren just before clearing. This is an announcement that a street is about to be cleared and that all parked cars will be cited/and or towed if they are not moved. For this reason it's important to be able to check your vehicle at least once daily after a snowfall. It is best to use indoor or underground parking if snow clearing is likely. Many downtown streets are one way, which can complicate getting around. If you see a sign at an intersection that has direction arrows in a green circle, that means those are the only directions you are allowed to turn. Left turns are allowed on a green light provided there are no other signs prohibiting. Visitors should be familiar with the ''flashing green'' light, which indicates a protected left-turn (priority), which is equivalent to a green arrow in other parts of the world. Some signals are green arrows that flash, this is the same meaning. Autoroutes (expressways or freeways) can be challenging for visitors, as most signs are French, but most symbols are the same as in English Canada and the United States. ===By bike=== [[File:Bixi St-Laurent.jpg|300px|thumb|Bixi bike stand]] Cycling is the best way to visit the city, especially its central neighbourhoods like the Plateau Mont-Royal; it is a very popular mode of transportation once the coldest winter weather is over. The city is criss-crossed by 660&nbsp;km of cycle paths, including some which cross the St. Lawrence onto the Island of Montreal. By far the nicest path is the Lachine Canal path that stretches from Lachine, along Lac St-Louis, down to Old Montreal along the canal. You can cross over to the South Shore either on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Île Notre-Dame, or via the Estacade ice bridge from Île des Sœurs. Montreal City Council publish an [http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=8957,99693747&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL interactive map] of the cycle route network Even if you are on a bike path, beware of drivers especially if they are turning, as lines of visibility at intersections are not well enforced in the city. Generally Montreal drivers in the central neighbourhoods are used to sharing the road with bikes and so are courteous, there are always a few, usually from outlying neighbourhoods, who give all drivers a bad name. Some downtown bike paths are separated from the road by parked cars, which decreases visibility, both yours and the driver's. The often crowded bike path on rue Rachel one is the worst for this, however the Plateau part of the path will be renovated soon to make it safer and greener. If one is comfortable driving in Montreal, one generally can feel comfortable biking there as well. Montreal pedestrians are known for not waiting for a light to change if there are no cars coming; cyclists are a bit like that too and often treat the many stop signs on residential streets more as yield signs than as stop signs. Wearing a helmet is not required under the law, though, for children especially, it's better to be safe than sorry. The [http://montreal.bixi.com/ Bixi system] is a public bike-share system. Rated the best in the world, it was designed and developed in Montreal and has since been exported to many cities around the world including London, UK and Sydney, Australia. Major credit cards are accepted. The Bixi was conceived for local active transit but is accessible to tourists as well. For a flat $5 fee, you can use Bixi bikes as much as you like for 24 hours provided you don't use a particular bixi bike for more than 30 minutes at a time before returning it to a docking station. After returning the bike to a docking station, you can get another bike (even at the same station) after a 2-minute waiting period. There are over 400 Bixi stations with over 5000 bikes around the city concentrated in the downtown and central neighbourhoods like the Plateau (though it's expanding all the time). The tourist information centre has maps of the stations. Helmets and locks are not provided. You could use your own lock, but there is usually a station not more than a block away on a commercial strip so returning the Bixi to the nearest stand is always the safest and most cost-effective choice. Stations fill up and empty quickly; you may have to bike to the next station to find an empty docking spot. If you have a smartphone, there is an app that shows you real-time the nearest stations, how many bikes are docked, or whether there is a free docking spot available. Skate and bike rental shops are common, particularly in the Old Port and the Plateau. Visit La Maison des Cyclistes (the cyclists' house) at 1251 rue Rachel Est for all info on cycling in Montreal. (See Do for specific bike paths). ==== In winter ==== Montreal, however does a fair job of clearing snow on a select number of bike paths in the city, including de Maisonneuve bike path, Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Rachelle and Clark bike paths. Painted bike lanes, on the other hand are often badly cleared, resulting in dangerous ice build up. The popular Lachine Canal bike path, however, does not have snow removal which makes it very difficult to ride on in winter. The [https://jacquescartierchamplain.ca/traffic-works/pedestrians-and-cyclists/?lang=en Jacques-Cartier bridge] is also closed for most of the winter to cyclists and pedestrians. The de la Concorde bridge bike path, however, is open all year long. There is a growing winter cyclist community in Montreal that can be accessed through the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/velodhiver/10156410675837568 Vélo d'hiver - Montréal Facebook group]. === By public transit === ==== By metro and bus ==== {{infobox|Fanfare for Copland|The sounds produced by electrical equipment when a Montreal Metro train is departing are the first three notes of ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' by Aaron Copland, although this is really just a coincidence.}} [[File:Montrealmetromap.svg|thumb|250px|Map of Metro stations]] [[File:MontrealMetroTires.JPG|thumb|250px|Montreal Metro train at Place-des-Arts station]] {{Listing|name=Société de transport de Montréal|alt=STM|url=https://www.stm.info/en|phone=+1-514 786-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} STM is safe, efficient, and is overall pleasant to use. Tickets have been replaced by cards with magnetic stripe containing one trip, called an ''à la carte'' ticket. These are valid for one trip (including unlimited transfers in the same way for 90 min) on the metro and buses, costing $3.50 each (exact fare in coins is required on the buses but not on the metro) but are also available for less when you purchase two for $6.00 or ten for $27.00 (OPUS card required) either from the metro agent or the automatic fare vending machine in metro stations. Signs and announcements are only in French, though ticket machines are bilingual in French and English. Many metro counter staff are also able to speak English. Montreal metro stations and train cars do not have air conditioning: the Metro can sometimes get uncomfortably hot, in every season. It is, however, still the best transport option in the city. Only certain metro tickets are valid in [[Laval]] and [[Longueuil]]. 10-trip tickets, and weekly and monthly passes, are still not accepted. You may need to buy another ticket for the same price ($3.50). A full listing of all types of tickets and their validity can be found [https://www.stm.info/sites/default/files/pdf/en/tarifs.pdf here.] You must keep your payment card as it is your transfer and your proof of payment (''correspondance''); fare inspectors may give you a large fine if you are unable to show it when they request it. If you are using cash to pay your fare on the bus, it is important to have the exact fare since the driver does not give change; you will receive an ''à la carte ticket'', your proof of payment and your transfer. Pictures and specific instructions can be found [http://stm.info/ here.] Tourist passes offer unlimited travel on the bus and metro for periods of one day ($11) or three days ($21.25) and are well worth it to avoid fumbling for change, checking transfer times and restrictions, and worrying about getting off at the wrong stop and having to repay. There is also an option for unlimited evenings ($5.75), valid between 18:00 and 05:00 the next morning, which can be practical on a night out, since it's cheaper than buying a two-way ticket (which would cost $6). They are available for purchase at all metro stations (pay cash or use Canadian credit or debit cards only). Weekly ($29, valid for one calendar week running Monday through Sunday) and monthly ($94, valid by calendar month) passes are also available; unlike one day and three day passes, weekly and monthly passes must be loaded onto an OPUS card (see below) and are not available in paper ticket form. The OPUS card is a smart card with a chip that contains your fare and transfer information. The OPUS card can be purchased at all metro stations and transit fare points of sale. As of January 2017, the card costs $6. You can find your nearest seller [http://www.stm.info/en/info/fares/points-sale here.] OPUS cards can be refilled at metro stations using the automated machines or at the ticket booth. The STM website offers an online [http://stm.info/English/azimuts/a-index.htm trip-planner service.] Trip planning can also be done using Google Maps. Free bus and [http://metrodemontreal.ca/ Metro system] maps are available from the ticket booth at most metro stations. These are useful to find where you are on the island. At each metro station, directions are not indicated by compass directions, such as westbound or eastbound. Instead, trains go in the direction of a metro line's terminus. The ''green line'' runs from Angrignon in the west to Honoré-Beaugrand in the east. If you were to travel eastbound, for example, you would look for ''Honoré-Beaugrand'' on the platform. If you were to travel westbound, you would look for ''Angrignon''. There are four interchange stations at which commuters can change subway lines without extra charge: Snowdon (blue/orange), Lionel-Groulx (orange/green), Berri-UQAM (green/yellow/orange), and Jean-Talon (orange/blue). Bicycles are permitted aboard metro trains outside of the rush hours such as: 10:00-15:00 and 19:00 to end of service on weekdays and all day Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Bikes are only allowed in the lead car of the train up to a maximum of 6. STM staff may deny bikes aboard the metro for safety reasons such as special events that might generate a high level of ridership. Lists of such events are posted on the STM website and at the entrances to metro. During festival season in Montreal, bikes are seldom allowed at all. Bike riding inside stations or the Underground City is strictly prohibited. ==== By train ==== {{Listing|name=Exo|url=https://exo.quebec/|tollfree=+1-833-255-6396|lastedit=2022-05-24|content=Operates commuter trains in the Montreal area.}} Most trains terminate at Montreal Central Station (Gare Central) and at Lucien-L'Allier (both are accessible from the metro). Commuter trains are handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns. Routes include: * exo1 - Vaudreuil–Hudson between Montreal and [[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] including [[Montreal/West Island|Montreal-Ouest]] and [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]]. Service is available daily, though almost all trips are between Montreal and Vaudreil. The only trips to or from Hudson are from Monday to Friday with morning trip from Hudson and one afternoon trip to Hudson. * exo2 - Saint-Jérôme between Montreal and [[Saint-Jérôme]] including stops in [[Laval]], [[Blainville]], and Mirabel. Service is available daily, though on Saturdays and Sundays, the service only travels between Laval and Saint-Jérôme. Transfers from Montreal's Metro are available at Montreal's Lucien-L'Allier station (weekday rush hours only), Vendôme (weekday rush hours only) station and Parc station (weekdays only), and Laval's De la Concorde station (every day). * Three other exo lines operate, but only Monday to Friday. Commuter train stations are divided into six zones that radiate out from downtown. Stations have automated machines from which you must purchase a ticket appropriate to the zones of the station you are traveling to or from, whichever is farther (for example, a trip from Zone 1 to Zone 3 or vice versa would require a Zone 3 ticket). A pre-purchased ticket card (SOLO) must be validated at the card scanners at the entrance to the platform. In general, reduced fares (for students and seniors) require ID that is not available to travellers, but if you are staying in the area, ask an employee for more details as the rules are complicated, but you can get good savings. There are no ticket machines on the train and ticket inspections are random. Incorrect tickets sometimes go unnoticed because inspectors check only occasionally. However, it is best to avoid taking chances as if the ticket is not valid, the customer can get a fine of $400. The ticket machines should now all be bilingual in English and French. The two downtown stations have staffed ticket booths Monday to Friday, but not in the evenings. Other stations may also have booths but generally only during either the morning or afternoon rush hour. ===By taxi=== * {{Listing|name=Taxi Bonjour Montreal|url=https://bonjour.taxi/en/|phone=+1 514-366-3333|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Champlain|url=https://taxichamplain.com/index-en|phone=+1 514-271-1111|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Co-op Montreal|url=https://www.taxi-coop.com/en|phone=+1 514-725-9885|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Taxi Diamond|url=https://taxidiamond.com/en/|phone=+ 514-836-0000|lastedit=2022-07-31}} === By ride hailing === * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/montreal/|lastedit=2022-07-31}} ===Map=== MapArt produces an excellent map in book-form of downtown Montreal and environs, including Vieux Montréal, Mount Royal, the Plateau, and areas as far north as the University of Montreal and as far south as Parc Jean-Drapeau. That form is handy as you can avoid always folding a map of the whole island. Below is a basic map of the primary areas of interest to visitors. [[File:central montreal map.png|right|350px]] ==See== [[File:Marché Bonsecours and Foliage.jpg|thumb|The dome of the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal]] === Architecture === Many notable historical buildings and churches are located in Montreal, the vast majority of which are in [[Montreal/Old City#See|old Montréal]]. Most of these date from the 17th to the 19th century, showcasing the variety of architectural styles seen in these periods. At night, several of the buildings are beautifully illuminated, seemingly glowing from within. A Tourist Welcome Office brochure from bonjour québec lays out a walking map. It is worthwhile to follow the map twice, once during the day, and again at night. * Of the four Roman Catholic Basilicas in Montreal, the '''Notre-Dame Basilica''' (Basilique de Notre-Dame) at Place d'Armes is undoubtedly the most famous church in Montreal. This architectural marvel is known throughout the world for its lavishly decorated and colourful interior. This basilica, splendidly exemplifying the Gothic Revival style, is an extremely popular tourist attraction. * Although rather small and not a basilica, another notable church located in Old Montreal is the '''Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel''' (Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours) near the Bonsecours Market, the first church to be founded in Montreal. It is known for its maritime theme and beautiful frescoes on the inside walls and ceilings. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] houses Saint Joseph's Oratory (Oratoire Saint-Joseph), the largest church in Canada. Stylistically based on elements of the Italian Renaissance, it features the third highest dome in the world, and acts as the highest point in all of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]]. * [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown Montreal]] is also home to the opulent Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), a National Historic Site of Canada modeled on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Saint Patrick's Basilica (Basilique Saint-Patrick), which was built to serve Montreal's Anglophone Catholic community. * Aside from churches, a main architectural feature of [[Montreal/Downtown|Montreal]] is '''Habitat 67''', located at Cité-du-Havre, near the Old Port (Vieux-Port). The only intact pavilion remaining from Expo’ 67, '''Habitat 67''' is known around the world as an excellent example of post-modern and minimalist architecture. Its conception has had an incalculable impact on later development of modular homes, and is thus well worth checking out. === Landmarks === * [[Montreal/Plateau#See|Le Plateau]] combines scenic residential streets with hip shopping and dining. * '''Vieux-Port''' (Old Port), is located south of rue Saint-Antoine between rue McGill and rue Berri (metro Champ-de-Mars or Place-d'Armes). The Old Port is a large waterfront green space with attractions such as Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal Science Center, the Labyrinth, the Clock Tower, and a large outdoor audio-visual stage which is the site for the Canada Day fireworks. It is a vibrant place to visit during the day and the evening. ☏ +1 514-496-7678, toll-free: +1 800-971-7678, information@oldportofmontreal.com. 6AM-Midnight. * [[Montreal/Downtown#See|Downtown]] Montreal has skyscrapers, the enormous McGill university campus, churches, and museums. Several blocks are connected by the famed 30 km of underground arcades and malls, allowing comfortable walking and shopping when the weather is foul. * [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]], site of the 1967 World Fair, now devoted to green spaces and a large outdoor concert venue. The Gilles-Villeneuve racing circuit, home of the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix. An artificial beach, a huge outdoor pool complex, and the Montreal Casino are also in or around the park. * A few kilometres to the north, [[Montreal/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve#See|Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]] offers the '''Olympic Stadium''', the '''Insectarium''', the '''Jardin Botanique''', and the '''Biodôme'''. This diverse range of activities and environments offer something for all ages. When planning a trip, allow four hours to see all four. * A [[Solar eclipses|total solar eclipse]] on Monday 8 April 2024 starts at 15:26 local time and lasts 90 sec. The chances of a clear sky are 30%. The track of totality is northeast from Mexico and Texas to Ohio, straddling the Canada–New England border through Lakes Erie and Ontario, then across Maine, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. === Museums === Montreal contains a wide variety of museums - over 50 in total, both well known and hidden gems. Both types are well worth visiting, and will provide a worthwhile experience. * Featuring dozens of expositions and over 44,000 works spread over 5 enormous pavilions, the '''Montreal Museum of Fine Arts''' (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is the largest museum in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Having many prominent travelling exhibits, it is both the oldest and most visited museum in Canada, and as such, is a wonderful experience. * [[File:"Phonographs and gramophones in the musée des ondes Emile Berliner.jpg".jpg|thumb|Phonographs and gramophones in the permanent exhibit of the Musée des ondes Emile Berliner ]]A hidden gem in the old RCA Victor factory complex in St-Henri, the '''Musée des ondes Emile Berliner''', in [[Montreal/South_West|Saint-Henri]], is a science and history museum dedicated to communicating the heritage of the audio industry in Canada and the world. In line with this, it pays tribute to Emile Berliner, the inventor of the gramophone, and his descendants’ contributions to the evolution of sound recording. Moreover, the museum looks at the roles and noteworthy contributions of Canadian companies in the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the role of Montreal companies and RCA Victor in the creation of satellites and the Canadarm. This makes it a worthwhile experience for those interested in science and technology, as well as Canadian history. * The '''Redpath Museum''' (Musée Redpath), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a fascinating museum of natural history. * The McCord Museum (Musée McCord), in [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]], is a museum dedicated to exploring Canadian history. ==Do== * {{do | name=Casino de Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.casino-de-montreal.com/ | email= | address=1, avenue du Casino | lat= 45.505375| long= -73.525827 | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= +1 514 392-2746| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=La Ronde | alt=member of the Six Flags family | url=http://www.laronde.com/ | email= | address=22, chemin Macdonald | lat= | long= | directions=metro Jean-Drapeau | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= Discounts are readily available: a Coca-Cola tin is worth an $8 discount on any rides ticket | content= }} ===Cross-country skiing=== During the winter, many parks offer the possibility to do cross-country skiing with groomed paths. *'''Parc regional de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation''' — Ski rental available. * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url=http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ski rental available and usually the best ski conditions. }} *'''Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique''' — No ski rental. ===Ice skating=== *'''Year-round ice-skating''', 1000, rue De La Gauchetière (metro Bonaventure). *'''Free skating''', Lac aux Castors (Beaver Lake), in the Parc Mont-Royal. *'''Free skating''', Connected ponds of Lafontaine Park, in Plateau Mont-Royal. *'''Winter skating''', in the Old Port (Vieux-Port) in front of the Bonsecours Market and many parks. {{infobox|Montreal Island's Grands Parcs|The greater Montreal area offers large parks for year-round outdoor recreation. The most accessible are Parc du Mont Royal and Parc Lafontaine in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] offers the closest beach park, and Parc Maisonneuve, next to the Olympic Sports complex and Botanical Gardens. Further afield, Parc des Rapids and Parc Angrignon are in [[Montreal/Le Sud-Ouest|Le Sud-Ouest]] and Parc René-Lévesque further West, with miles of bike paths and access to river surfing.}} ===Water sports=== *'''River surfing''' — Although the Saint Lawrence River is frozen nearly solid for four to five months out of the year, the waterway has become a magnet for aficionados of this new sport. Unlike their oceanic brethren, river surfers ride the standing waves in fresh waterways. The Saint Lawrence has two main hot spots for the sport: Habitat 67 is close to the bridge between Montreal and Île des Soeurs, the site of the 1967 Expo and the Montreal Casino. (This wave is also known as Expo 67.) The Surf 66 Boardshop at the 1952 rue Cabot offers lessons. *'''Kayaking''' — Just off the shore of the park in Lasalle are the Lachine Rapids. Huge waves, fast water, and loads of fun for kayaks. Lessons are available on site in the huge eddy formed by the peninsula. Annual surf (rodeo) competitions at "Big Joe" (still called "Beneath the Wheel" by old schoolers). Other famous play waves on this set of rapids on the St. Lawrence river are, Istambul and Constantinople, Pyramid, Slice and Dice, Black and Decker, and HMF on the other side of the islands. For those seeking less of an adrenaline rush, there is always the Bunny Wave (La Vague a Guy) upstream near the bike path at Park Rene Lesvesque. Rafting these same rapids is also a fun option. ===Bike=== An interactive map of the cycle path network is available at the [http://www.velo.qc.ca/fr/reseaux_cyclables/index-MTL.lasso Vélo Québec website.] {{dead link|December 2020}} Particularly pleasant places to cycle and skate include: *'''Parc Maisonneuve''' — A large park with smooth paths. *'''Parc Jean-Drapeau''' — Particularly the Île Notre-Dame on the Formula One race track: a fantastic view across the water to downtown Montreal. *'''Lachine Canal''' — Bike paths west of the Old Port. *'''Rivière-des-Prairies''' — You can ride across Montreal Island from west to east along the river on the north of Montreal. Many sites have incredible views. A stop at Perry Island is a must. ===Parks=== *'''Square Saint-Louis''', corner of rue Saint-Denis and rue Prince-Arthur, slightly north of rue Sherbrooke (metro Sherbrooke). A charming little park with majestic trees and a lovely fountain, lined with charming houses on three sides (the Institute of Hotel Techniques of Quebec hotel school is the fourth side). This was the site of the first water reservoir in Montreal. *'''Parc Jean Drapeau''' — The former Expo 67 fairgrounds, Parc Jean Drapeau is spread across two islands (Ile Ste-Helene and Ile Notre Dame) in the Saint Lawrence River. On Sundays in the summer, join thousands of Montrealers revelling in the sunshine and music outdoors at Piknik Électronique. People enjoy riding a bicycle around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race track on Île Notre Dame. La Ronde and the Montreal Biosphere are here. (metro Parc Jean Drapeau) *'''Parc Lafontaine''', from avenue Papineau to avenue du Parc Lafontaine and from rue Rachel to rue Sherbrooke. Ice skating on the lake in the winter, baseball, boules, and outdoor theatre in the summer. (metro Sherbrooke) [[File:Fall colours at Beaver Lake.jpg|alt=|thumb|400x400px|Fall colours at Beaver Lake, Parc du Mont-Royal<br />]] * {{do | name=Parc Maisonneuve and Jardin Botanique de Montreal | alt= | url=http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/jardin.htm | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=from rue Sherbrooke to boulevard Rosemont and from boulevard Pie-IX to avenue Viau (metro Pie-IX or Viau) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Jardin Botanique is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and features the First Nations Garden, the Insectarium, the Tree House, and 16 different themed gardens and greenhouses. }} * {{do | name=Parc du Mont-Royal | alt= | url= | email=info@lemontroyal.qc.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-843-8240 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=North of avenue des Pins, between avenue du Parc and chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges. This beautiful, immense urban park tops the "mountain" (at {{m|232}}, it's more like a hill) that overlooks all of Montreal and lends the city its name. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, the park is elegant and accessible, and has hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. A broad and gradual 8-km (5-mile) bike and pedestrian path begins at the Monument Georges-Étienne Cartier (on Avenue du Parc, opposite the western end of rue Rachel, where the bike path continues), winding its way around the mountain and culminating at the Belvédère (lookout) and Chalet Mont-Royal, with incredible views of downtown, the St. Lawrence river, and the Eastern Townships. The Belevedere and Chalet are also accessible from downtown by the newly restored staircase, access via the path at the top of rue Peel. Many smaller paths and trails crisscross the park. For lazy visitors, or those with limited mobility, you can enjoy a wonderful view from the mountain by taking bus route 11, which stops at the lookout on Chemin Remembrance, and at Beaver Lake. Every Sunday during the summer, thousands of people get together at the monument on Avenue du Parc to enjoy the big tam-tam jam. }} *'''Parc Jeanne-Mance''', bordered by avenue du Parc, avenue Duluth (with a small extension south as far as avenue des Pins), rue de l'Esplanade and avenue Mont-Royal, directly across from Parc du Mont-Royal. Includes tennis courts, baseball/softball diamonds, a soccer/football pitch, beach volleyball courts, a skating rink in winter. Also a very popular dog-walking venue. * {{do | name=Parc de l'Ile-de-la-Visitation | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 280-6733 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Rue d'Iberville and boulevard Gouin, (metro Henri-Bourassa, Bus 69 east). This regional park is along the Rivière-des-Prairies. Quiet and enjoyable place to bring a lunch and relax for an afternoon. Good starting point for a cycling tour along the river. }} ===Festivals=== Montreal has a bewildering variety of festivals, ranging from one-day ethnic fairs to huge international productions running two weeks or more. They are generally held in the summer and autumn, though increasingly they can be found throughout the year. Here are some of the larger ones: * {{do | name=Just For Laughs Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hahaha.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Comedy festival with three main components: indoor paid shows (usually stand-up, but not always), free street theatre/comedy, and a mini film festival called Comedia. July. }} * {{do | name=Shakespeare-in-the-Park | alt= | url=http://www.repercussiontheatre.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=During the summer in parks around Montreal, Repercussion Theatre puts on outdoor performances of Shakespeare plays free of charge. }} *{{do | name=Festival du Monde Arabe | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= In November, an annual festival celebrating the music and culture of the Arab world takes place in Montreal. Many Arab performers, traditional and modern, take the stage. }} * {{do | name=Festival Mondiale de la bière | alt= | url=http://www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=2018: inside - Palais des congrès de Montréal, 201 Viger Street West (Place-d'Armes métro station); outside - Palais des congrès Esplanade, de la Gauchetière Street between Cheneville and Côté Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June 6-9, 2018: 12:00-23:00 | price= | content=Annually, in early June: Five days of tasting beers, ciders, and other beverages from all over Quebec, Canada and further afield. 2017's event boasted over 529 different beers from 9 countries. There is no admission fee (but you can buy a souvenir sampling mug for about $8) and samples typically sell for 2-8 tickets ($1 a ticket) for a 150-200 ml sample. There are also scheduled musical performances and food kiosks. The festival can get very busy at peak times (Friday and Saturday evening of the event), so it is advisable to arrive early to avoid possible long queues. }} * {{do | name=Montréal en lumière | alt= | url=http://www.montrealenlumiere.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A relatively new wintertime affair, attempting to transplant the city's festival magic to the cold season. Includes three main categories of activities: food and wine, performing arts, and free activities both indoor and outdoor. February. }} * {{do | name=Montreal International Fireworks Competition | alt= | url=http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-397-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In La Ronde amusement park (in Parc Jean-Drapeau). This fantastic festival features full-length fireworks displays, accompanied by orchestral music, by national teams from about a dozen countries around the world. Although the hot seats are inside the La Ronde theme park, the fireworks are visible from pretty much any clear space or rooftop in the centre of the city. Pedestrians can watch from Jacques Cartier Bridge, which is closed from 20:00 on fireworks nights. Another good spot is the promenade west of the Old Port. $35–45 (''seats in La Ronde, free everywhere else''). Saturdays 22:00 from mid-June to late July, and Wednesdays 22:00 from mid-July on. }} * {{do | name=Fete de St-Jean-Baptiste | url=| email= | address= | lat=| long= | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= June 24 is Quebec's national holiday (''Fête nationale''). During the evening, a huge show takes place at Maisonneuve park. This is the show to go to hear made-in-Quebec music. Free. Street parties can also be found all over the city. }} * {{do | name=International Festival of Film on Art | alt= | url=http://www.artfifa.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3070809 | content=Devoted to the promotion and presentation of the finest productions on art and media art. A ten-day competitive festival, it is the most important annual event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a focal point for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, and for art and cinema enthusiasts. }} ====Music festivals==== [[File:FIJM 2017 014.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Festival International de Jazz de Montréal]] * {{do | name=Montreal International Jazz Festival | alt=Festival International de Jazz de Montréal | url=http://www.montrealjazzfest.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The world's largest jazz festival, this festival is a major international event, attracting many big name artists. Many streets in downtown Montreal are closed off to traffic for two weeks and several concert stages are set up. There are many free outdoor shows and indoor concerts (paid). Late June - early July. In 2020, the festival will be 25 June through 4 July. }} * {{do | name=POP Montréal International Music Festival | alt= | url=http://www.popmontreal.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 514-842-1919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A massive feast of up-and-coming bands in a variety of popular genres. In early fall, host to more than 80 events, more than 300 artists, a conference, and an arts fair. POP Montreal showcases emerging and innovative artists alongside rising international stars and is committed to encouraging vibrant indie communities. }} * {{do | name=Francofolies | alt= | url=http://www.francofolies.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Les Francos de Montréal | wikidata=Q3850493 | lastedit=2017-08-06 | content=A festival celebrating French music. Similarly to the jazz festival, many free outdoor concerts are offered in a section of downtown that is closed off to traffic for a week. 12 to 20 June 2020. }} * {{do | name=MUTEK | alt= | url=http://www.mutek.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An annual gathering, held in Montreal, during the first week of June. The MUTEK festival showcases emerging forms of electronic music and the latest trends in sound creation. }} * {{do | name=Heavy Montréal | alt= | url=http://www.heavymontreal.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A two-day heavy music festival taking place in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. }} * {{do | name=Osheaga Music and Arts Festival | alt= | url=http://www.osheaga.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Osheaga Festival | wikidata=Q2033298 | content=A three-day indie & alternative rock festival held annually in [[Montreal/Parc Jean-Drapeau|Parc Jean-Drapeau]] on Île Sainte-Hélène. The 2020 edition will be 31 July-2 August. }} ====Film festivals==== * {{do | name=World Film Festival | alt= | url=http://www.ffm-montreal.org/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Montreal World Film Festival | wikidata=Q326220 | content=The festival is open to all cinema trends. The eclectic aspect of its programming makes the Festival exciting for the growing number of participants from the five continents. Every year, films from more than 70 countries, including well-known and first-time filmmakers, are selected. There are usually free outdoor projections every night. Late August to early September. }} * {{do | name=Fantasia | alt=Asian and fantasy | url=http://www.fantasiafestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=July. }} * {{do | name=Image + Nation | alt=Gay and lesbian | url=http://www.image-nation.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=November/December. }} * {{do | name=Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal | alt=new filmmakers, well-known auteurs, new media | url=http://www.nouveaucinema.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Festival du nouveau cinéma | wikidata=Q3070535 | content=October. }} * {{do | name=Cinémania | alt=French cinema with English subtitles | url=http://www.cinemaniafilmfestival.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cinemania (film festival) | wikidata=Q2972781 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | alt=documentaries | url=http://www.ridm.qc.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal | wikidata=Q3425197 | content=November. }} * {{do | name=Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | alt=Quebec cinema | url=http://www.rvcq.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois | wikidata=Q3235139 | content=February. }} ===Sports to watch=== * '''[https://www.nhl.com/canadiens Canadiens]''', Ice hockey, Canada's national winter sport: Bell Centre (''Centre Bell''), 1260 rue De La Gauchetière (metro Lucien-L'Allier or Bonaventure), . One of the greatest institutions in Quebec culture. If you want to see a game, it helps to know someone with tickets, as they generally sell out within minutes of going on sale. They are widely available through unofficial channels and scalpers, but be prepared to shell out as they don't come cheap! You can also get cheaper tickets if you're a resident of the HI youth hostel. You can also stay in front of the hostel and ask a resident to buy a ticket for you if you aren't staying at the hostel! * '''[http://www.montrealalouettes.com Alouettes]''', Football (Canadian Football League), Percival Molson Stadium (''Stade Percival-Molson''), avenue des Pins at University (playoffs: Olympic Stadium), . A dominant team in the last part of the 2000s, but now somewhat less so, the Als have won the Grey Cup three times since being reborn in 1996, including back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. Molson Stadium is an excellent place to see a game; tickets can be hard to come by when the team is doing well. * '''[https://en.cfmontreal.com Club de Foot Montréal]''', Association football (soccer), Saputo Stadium (''Stade Saputo'') at 4750 Sherbrooke street East and Viau in the Olympic Park (metro Viau). Formerly known as '''Montreal Impact''', it is one of the newer teams in Major League Soccer, and the league's third team in Canada, joined MLS in 2012. The previous version of the Impact/CF Montréal was a consistent contender in several different leagues (including three in the last three seasons before the team joined MLS) at the U.S./Canada second level. CFM occasionally use nearby Olympic Stadium for matches that are expected to draw unusually large crowds or if the weather restricts outdoor play. * '''Tennis''' — Montreal hosts an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event (men) every odd-numbered year. In even-numbered years, Montreal hosts a WTA Premier 5 event (women). The tournaments are held at IGA Stadium (''Stade IGA'') in Parc Jarry in the North End. The main stadium is of special historic interest to baseball fans—part of its seating is the former backstop grandstand of the stadium that hosted the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) before they moved to Olympic Stadium. * '''Canadian Grand Prix:''' This [[Formula One]] race is staged at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame, usually in June. ==Learn== ===Language classes=== Montreal is a popular destination for language-immersion programs in French and English. Many schools arrange accommodations — either in dorms or with a family and provide cultural programs with trips around the city and beyond. Prices are usually higher for non-Québécois and higher-still for non-Canadians. Most are in Downtown and the Old City. Intensive, non-resident programs are also offered by the YMCA and Quebec government. ===Universities=== Montreal is home to one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities, '''[https://www.mcgill.ca/ McGill University]'''. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top 20 universities in the world, but not each faculty. It is a university with a huge endowment fund. '''Concordia University''' is the city's other English-language university, the largest east of Toronto, and has over 40,000 students. Though Concordia lacks a medical school and law school, it still has a world class business school and their arts and sciences programs are top tier. Its student population is generally more multicultural than McGill's and the school's origins in and continuing emphasis on adult education make it popular for mature students, since it holds many graduate-level courses at night. Both universities are research focused. The '''Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM)''' and the '''Université de Montréal''' cater mainly to Francophone students. The Université de Montréal is the second largest French-language university in the world, after the Sorbonne in [[Paris]] and is one of the largest research institutions in Canada. The Université de Montréal has two affiliated schools, Polytechnique Montréal (engineering), and HEC Montréal (business school) that offer undergraduate and graduate studies. '''Université Laval,''' '''Université de [[Sherbrooke]]''' and '''Universté du Québec à [[Chicoutimi-Jonquière|Chicoutimi]]''' also have campuses in the Montreal area. Every university, with the exception of Laval, lends its name to a metro stop to indicate the university's approximate location. For example, the Guy-Concordia subway station, at the intersection of Rue Guy and boulevard de la Maisonneuve ouest, is no more than two minutes away from its namesake university (Concordia). ==Work== As Montreal is in the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration policies, those wishing to work in Montreal will have to go through two processes, once with the Quebec government, then finally with the Canadian government. If you are employed with a foreign company which has a Montreal office, you can seek a transfer. You can also seek a job with a Montreal employer and they can sponsor you for a temporary work visa. If you are a skilled worker (see CIC website) you can immigrate based on your own skills. French language ability is a requirement for most jobs, as businesses are required by provincial law to greet and serve clients in French. Jobs that do not require prior French language ability are mostly IT jobs, and academic jobs at Montreal's two Anglophone universities. The Quebec provincial government provides free French language courses for newly-arrived expatriates and immigrants who speak little to no French, and you are highly advised to sign up for one of these courses as soon as you arrive to aid your integration into society. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows skilled U.S. and Mexican professionals to obtain a Canadian work visa provided they are qualified in certain professions. The [http://www.amcits.com/professions.asp American Consular Services website] provides an up-to-date list of qualifying professions. If you are a U.S. citizen aged 18–30 and a full-time student, you can obtain a Canadian work visa valid for six months through [http://www.bunac.org/usa/workcanada/eligibility.aspx BUNAC]. Students from France, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia can also benefit from BUNAC work programs. As well, if you obtain a degree from a Canadian university, you are eligible to remain in Montreal and work for up to one year. For anyone else, the [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp Immigration Canada (CIC) website] explains a number of ways foreigners can legally work in Canada. Student jobs include babysitting, painting during the summer, and moving furniture in June. McGill and Montreal universities are always in search of research subjects and so are Montreal's many biotech firms. Montreal also has many call centres, which constantly seek to hire new employees and offer flexible working hours. ==Buy== [[File:Montreal DelicesdelErable.JPG|thumb|240px|Maple syrup in Old Montreal.]] Although Montreal's economy has been booming, the city remains remarkably affordable compared to other major cities in Canada and the United States. Shopping in Montreal ranges from eclectic budget stores to high-end fashion, with a wide spectrum in between. ===General=== Rue Ste-Catherine, between rue Guy and boulevard St-Laurent, has many of the big department and chain stores as well as a few major malls. Avenue Mont-Royal has funky consignment and gothic clothing stores from boulevard St-Laurent to rue Saint-Denis and a mixed bag of neighbourhood stores, used record shops, and gentrified boutiques heading east towards avenue Papineau. Rue St-Viateur is one of the city's most interesting streets, with its amazingly varied range of businesses crammed into the short stretch between Boulevard St-Laurent and Avenue du Parc. St-Laurent remains one of the city's prime shopping streets, more or less along its whole length. Just about anything can be found there, with different blocks having different clusters of businesses (Asian groceries and housewares near de La Gauchetière, cheap electronics a little farther up, hip boutiques between Prince-Arthur and Mount Royal, anything and everything Italian between Saint-Zotique and Jean-Talon). Rue Sherbrooke ouest, west of the Autoroute Décarie, has an increasingly interesting concentration of largely food-oriented businesses. Jean-Talon market, near the intersection of Jean-Talon and St-Laurent, has a wide variety of local produce and food products (maple syrup, cheese, etc.) at very good prices. For electronic stuff, the largest chain store is BestBuy. You can also find many smaller ones on Boulevard St-Laurent (between Ontario and Sherbrooke). ===Budget=== * {{buy | name=Village des Valeurs | alt= | url=http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/ | email= | address=2033 Pie IX | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Pie IX | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=They have shops inside and outside of Montreal }} * {{buy | name=Le coffre aux trésors "Chainon" | alt= | url=http://www.lechainon.org/en/ | email= | address=4375 Boulevard St Laurent | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Sherbrooke | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=L'Aubainerie Concept Mode | alt= | url=http://www.aubainerieconceptmode.com/ | email= | address=1490, av du Mont-Royal E | lat= | long= | directions=metro mont royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Friperie St. Laurent | alt= | url= | email= | address=Friperie St. Laurent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-842-3893 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * Some military equipment shops around St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine. For trekking and outdoor, you also have many options * {{buy | name=MEC | alt= | url=http://www.mec.ca/ | email= | address=8989, boulevard de l'Acadie | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-788-5878 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mountain Equipment Co-op is a co-operative with staff who know the stores merchandise well. }} * {{buy | name=Altitude Sports | alt= | url=http://www.altitude-sports.com/ | email= | address=4140 Saint-Denis St. | lat= | long= | directions=Métro Mont-Royal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=La cordée | alt= | url=http://www.lacordee.com/ | email= | address=rue Ste-Catherine | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Kanuk | alt= | url=http://new.kanuk.com/ | email= | address=485 Rachel St E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Splurge=== Trendier boutiques can be found on rue Saint-Denis, north of rue Sherbrooke and south of avenue Mont-Royal est, and on rue Saint-Laurent (continuing as far north as Bernard). The latter is becoming more upscale, so the range of shopping is highly variable and lower in density as one goes north of Mont-Royal. Rue Sherbrooke has a number of high-end stores (notably Holt Renfrew) and commercial art galleries in a short strip running approximately from McGill University west to rue Guy. Farther west, Sherbrooke intersects with Greene Avenue in Westmount, which has a short, but luxurious retail strip. Avenue Laurier, between St-Laurent and its western end, is one of the city's prime spots for eating and shopping in high style, though there are still a few affordable spots here and there. ===Furniture and antiques=== On boul. St-Laurent, a cluster of high-end home furnishing stores. It starts roughly at the corner of rue Marie-Anne and is very prominent in the block between rue Marie-Anne and avenue Mont-Royal, with sparser, but still interesting stores as far north as rue Saint Viateur. Antique buffs will find interesting stores all over the city, but they'll want to make a special pilgrimage to rue Notre-Dame Ouest, when you head east from avenue Atwater. Rue Amherst, in the Gay Village, also has a significant concentration of antique dealers. ==Eat== [[File:Sign WingsNouilles.JPG|thumb|240px|Wing's Chinese Noodles, Chinatown]] Montreal is a culinary mecca and has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to ''haute cuisine''. The city was ranked 2nd best dining city in North America<!-- By whom?--> after San Francisco and ahead of New York. The large local Jewish population has contributed local specialties including huge smoked meat sandwiches (beef brisket) (Schwartz's is undisputably the most authentic smoked meat restaurant) and small, crusty bagels (the undisputed classic bagel places are St-Viateur's and Fairmount Bagels). Other specialties are "all-dressed" pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers), pizza and spaghetti with smoked meat, and Québécois favourites like split pea soup and poutine. {{infobox|Poutine|[[File:Food Poutine Closeup.JPG|100px|right]] <br> No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine. This unique dish is a plate of french fries drowned in gravy and topped with chewy curds of white cheddar. There are variations on the theme — adding chicken, beef, vegetables, or sausage, or replacing the gravy with tomato sauce (''poutine italienne''). Every Montrealer has their favourite poutine restaurant where it says that you can get "the real stuff", but La Banquise, on the [[Montreal/Plateau#Eat|Plateau]] at 994 rue Rachel est, usually tops the list.}} Many Montreal restaurants are "apportez votre vin" (''bring your own wine''). This may sound like a hassle, but you end up paying much less for wine with dinner if you bring it yourself. There's usually a SAQ (government liquor store) or a ''dépanneur'' (convenience store, with a limited selection of typically inexpensive wine) nearby; ask your waiter where it is. Your waiter will open your wine for you; corkage fees are rare, but don't forget to factor this service into your tip so make sure to ask. If you are driving from the United States, you may find Canadian liquor prices quite frightening. Even the duty-free shops along the border are rarely cheaper than an American liquor store (although these are still cheaper than the SAQ). Visitors can bring in 40oz of hard alcohol, 1.5L of wine, or a 24-pack of beer. Separate bills (''l'addition'' or "facture" in French) are common and you may be asked ''ensemble ou séparément?'' (together or separately?) The standard tip for acceptable restaurant service is 15% and is not included. Never call a waiter "garçon"! Use "monsieur" or "madame". ===Montreal originals=== There are several Montreal original foods: *The Montreal-style bagel, where bagel worshippers flock to '''St-Viateur Bagel''' and '''Fairmount Bagel''', and pontificate about which is better. Both are within blocks of each other in the Plateau Mont-Royal district, on Saint-Viateur and Fairmount streets, respectively. *Montreal-style '''smoked meat''', a type of corned beef, distinct from other forms such as pastrami, is available at many restaurants, but by far the most highly esteemed is that available at '''Schwartz's''' on the Main (Boulevard Saint-Laurent) in the Plateau Mont-Royal district. Traditionally it's served as a sandwich, in heaping portions and slathered with mustard, but you'll also see it as a topping on pizza, poutine, hot dogs, or spaghetti, or even incorporated into Chinese-style egg rolls (a specialty of '''Chenoy's''', a local chain of delis). Other well-known local smoked meat restaurants include '''Main Deli Steak House''' (across the street from Schwartz's) and '''Lesters Deli''' (in Outremont). *Steamé (steamie), a steamed hotdog on steamed bun, with mustard, sauerkraut and onions. Some locations may replace sauerkraut with coleslaw. ===Ethnic restaurants=== As Montreal has a very ethnically diverse population, it has various quality ethnic restaurants. *Indian: The Indian community in Montreal is around Parc metro station where many Indian restaurants can be found. An example is Bombay Mahal. *Portuguese: Around Little Portugal, near the intersection of Saint-Laurent and Rachel. *Persian: An Iranian cafe-resto is Byblos cafe. *Arabic *Haitian *Chinese: Mainly in Chinatown (near Place d'Armes metro), and near the Anglophone universities. *Japanese: A Japanese non-sushi restaurant is Kazu. ===Markets=== To buy your own food or regional products, the public market at Jean-Talon, 7075 avenue Casgrain (metro Jean-Talon or De Castelnau), is the place to go. Open daily 08:00-18:00, the market is especially noteworthy for its selection of produce. Even though they're not strictly part of the market, the many stores lining it on the north and south sides complete it wonderfully with superb selections of cheese, meat, and just about anything edible. The surrounding streets are heavily Italian-flavoured and have excellent grocery stores, butchers, bakeries, and restaurants. Across town, the Atwater Market is also superb, though quite different from (and much smaller than) Jean-Talon. Here, you'll find the city's best butchers, and good selections of cheese, fish, and produce. It is on avenue Atwater, just south of rue Notre-Dame Lionel-Groulx station ===Restaurants=== Montreal claims to have the most restaurants per capita in North America. With delis and bakeries and diners galore, Montreal offers great budget dining. Venues are scattered all over the city, but the largest concentration of restaurants is along boul Saint-Laurent, rue Saint-Denis and ave du Mont-Royal in the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. Tasty and cheap ethnic food, lots of Indian buffets, can be found around the [[Montreal/Mile End|Jean-Talon market]]. Two Montreal classics, poutine and the smoked meat sandwich, can make a filling meal for under $10. Pizza by the slice can be had for a toonie ($2), and there's always the option of rolling your own picnic with fresh produce from Atwater Market or Jean-Talon Market. Several kosher restaurants can be found within a few blocks of each other on Queen Mary road not far from the Snowdon Métro station in and boul Décarie near Villa-Maria-des-Neiges in [[Montreal/Côte-des-Neiges|Côte-des-Neiges]]. The other greatest concentration of kosher food in along Bernard in [[Montreal/Outremont|Outremont]]. Smoked-meat and sausage poutine aside, Montreal is vegetarian-friendly with several veggie and vegan restaurants and veggie options on most menus. Montreal has excellent ice cream parlours, many of which make their own ice cream. There are also restaurants dedicated to desserts. ===Restaurant chains=== Local restaurant chains that travellers might not be familiar with, with various locations throughout the city, include: *{{eat | name=Brasserie La Cage | alt= | url=https://www.cage.ca/en/home | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports bar and grill. Great place to watch Montreal Canadiens hockey games, the atmosphere gets crazy during the NHL playoffs! }} *{{eat | name=Les Trois Brasseurs | alt=The Three Brewers | url=http://les3brasseurs.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Microbrewery with a pub-style menu and a European flair. }} * {{eat | name=Juliette et chocolat | url=http://www.julietteetchocolat.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Specialised in chocolate desserts and famed for its very rich drinking chocolate. }} * {{eat | name=Rockaberry | url=http://www.rockaberry.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Enormous portions of cakes, pies, crumbles and brownies. }} * {{eat | name=Copper Branch | url=http://www.copperbranch.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Vegan chain serving sandwiches, wraps, soups and some desserts. }} ===Alternate=== If you are really on budget, there are a few community restaurants (like [http://www.chicrestopop.com/restaurant-communautaire/ Chicrestopop]) which serve very cheap meals. Usually these locations are reserved for the homeless. If you are staying in Montreal, there are several collective cooking locations where a group of people cook larger portions to freeze and stock for worker's lunch breaks. ==Drink== {{movetodistrict}} The legal age to purchase alcohol in Quebec is 18 and the Québécois are now much more rigid in enforcing this age limit. All retail alcohol sales stop at 23:00 and bars and clubs stop serving at 03:00. Quality wine and liquor (but only a small selection of imported beers) can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open until 18:00 Sunday to Wednesdays and 20:00 or 21:00 on other days; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11:00 to 22:00. Beer and a small selection of lower-quality wine are also sold at convenience stores (dépanneurs) and grocery stores. Some supermarkets have partnered with the SAQ to offer a few selection bottles, so if you are caught outside business hours or are in a hurry, places like ''IGA Extra'' and ''Métro'' generally offer a better variety of wine than the local ''dépanneur''. The selection of beer to be found in grocery stores and even the humble corner store have exploded in the last decade in and around greater Montreal. Two micro-breweries in particular are world-class: ''McAuslan'' (brands include St-Ambroise and Griffon) and ''Unibroue'' (Belgian-style ales such as Blanche de Chambly, Maudite, La Fin du Monde, and simpler, more affordable U lagers). ''Boréale'' makes a good, if unspectacular range of brews, while ''Rickard's'' and ''Alexander Keith's'' domestics are gaining popularity among locals. Most stores also sell a few major imports such as Stella Artois, Sapporo, Guinness, Leffe and of course, Heineken. ===Bars=== Montreal has three main strips for bar-hopping. Rue Crescent, in the western part of [[Montreal/Downtown|downtown]], caters mostly to Anglophones and tourists. It tends to be trendy and expensive. On the edge of the bar-heavy [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]], Boulevard Saint-Laurent gets extremely busy when McGill and Concordia students are back in town for a new session. Between rue Sherbrooke and avenue des Pins you'll find trendy clubs and bars with more of a Francophone clientele. Farther up St-Laurent, it's relatively downscale and linguistically mixed. Rue Saint-Denis, between rue Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve, is the strip with the strongest Francophone feel. There are also many good bars away from the main strips, like on Avenue Mont-Royal, and even nowadays on Rue Masson et Rue Ontario in the eastern part of town. You should never have to line up to go have a drink, because there's virtually an unlimited choice. Depending on the day of the week, the best events vary. For example, on Tuesday you should go to Les Foufounes Électriques for cheap beer and a unique experience in a Montréal institution. ===Dance clubs=== Dance clubs can be found all over the downtown area, with hotspots on boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Crescent. * {{drink | name=Time Supper Club | alt= | url=http://www.timesupperclub.com/ | email= | address=997 rue St Jacques | lat=45.49717 | long=-73.56468 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The first Supper Club in the city, Time Supper Club starts as a restaurant and slowly turns into a night club. }} *'''Saphir''', 3699 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Goth and punk nights on two floors. *'''La Boom''', 1254 rue Stanley. One of the trendiest club in Montreal. Be well-dressed and have a well-dressed wallet. *'''Cafe Campus''', 57 rue Prince-Arthur est. Best known for its Tuesday night $7 pitchers, retro music, and lack of memories. *'''Club Tokyo''', 3709 St-Laurent. Dress to impress. Offers various rooms with comfortable couches and an outdoor terrasse. Plays a mix of club music/retro/hip hop that will keep you dancing all night long. *'''Muzique''' 3781 Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Montreal's new high-end destination, 2 rooms and a rooftop patio overlooking Mount Royal * {{drink | name=La Tulipe | alt= | url= | email= | address=4530 Papineau Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===After-hours clubs=== After-hours clubs, for those who aren't tired out by 03:00, are open to 10:00. They do not, by law, serve alcohol at this time. * {{drink | name=Stereo | alt= | url=http://www.stereo-nightclub.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=858 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mainly plays house music and occasionally trance/techno. Stereo was once voted #5 of the top 10 clubs in the world by Muzik magazine, as it has welcomed several of the top DJs from around the world. The venue is known to have one of the best sound systems in North America. The crowd is mostly gay/lesbian depending on the night, the age ranges between 20-35, and is often at full capacity. A great place to end the night if you're still not tired after 02:00. }} * {{drink | name=Circus | alt= | url=http://www.circusafterhours.com/ | email= | address=915 rue Sainte-Catherine est | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Electronica and hip-hop. A luxuriously decorated after-hour in Montreal. Lots of space and hidden corners. The crowd is a bit younger (18-25), and doesn't always pack to full capacity. The venue has welcomed a number of big DJs. }} ===Karaoke=== * {{drink | name=Pang Pang Karaoke Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=1226 rue Mackay | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-938-8886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very comfy rooms in a range of sizes can be hired by the hour. }} * {{drink | name=K-Karaoke | alt= | url= | email= | address=2110 Rue Crescent | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-903-7799 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large rooms with clean decoration. }} * {{drink | name=K-100 | alt= | url= | email= | address=1231, rue Sainte-Catherine O | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514-284-4288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Many rooms. Can be hired by the hour or at a happy hour rate. }} ===Gay and lesbian=== Montreal has as many gay and lesbian bars as San Francisco. Every October on Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the U.S.) hosts the "Black and Blue" circuit party, attracting thousands to enjoy the thrill of harder dance music and hordes of pretty, shirtless men. Most popular gay bars can be found in the city's [[Montreal/Gay Village|Gay Village]], on the eastern stretch of Ste-Catherine and easily accessible by the Beaudry metro, between Amherst and Papineau. '''Unity''', '''Apollon''', and '''Sky''' are the dance club favourites, while Cabaret Mado offers excellent drag performances. There are also pubs, male strippers, restaurants, saunas, and karaoke in the area. The four main stripper bars are '''Stock''', '''Campus''', '''Taboo''', and '''Adonis'''. The most popular sauna is '''Oasis'''. ==Sleep== For the budget traveller, Montreal offers youth hostels with dorms or private rooms and budget bed and breakfasts (sometimes with very skimpy breakfasts). The densest collection of budget hotels are in the [[Montreal/Quartier Latin-Le Village#Sleep|Latin Quarter]], in the streets east of Berri-UQAM metro and the intercity bus station. [[Montreal/Old Montreal#Sleep|Old Montreal]] has a couple of quality hostels, but you'll pay more to be there. Montreal is also the city with the most [[hospitality exchange|Couch Surfing]] members, so it is easy to find a hospitable local host for a few nights. Mid-range options include [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]] chain hotels to "gîtes", guest houses that range from a single room in an apartment to elegant historic homes with three to five rooms. Gîtes are usually found in the more residential neighbourhoods like the [[Montreal/Plateau|Plateau]]. On the upper-end, four and five-star luxury and boutique hotels are mostly concentrated in [[Montreal/Old Montreal|Old Montreal]] and [[Montreal/Downtown|Downtown]]. Montreal is home to four major universities and numerous smaller schools. Students routinely sublet apartments in the summer months. ==Connect== ===Phone=== Montreal has four area codes: the long-standing 514, the newer 438, 450 and 579 for surrounding, off-island areas. The area code must be used for all calls: even if it's the same one you're calling from and even if calling next door. For example, calling a 514 number from within 514, use "[tel:514-123-4567 514-123-4567]". Dialling the same number long-distance would be [tel:1-514-123-4567 1-514-123-4567]. ===Internet=== Photocopy shops often have internet terminals available, as do many cafés and some bookstores. The Bell phone company has installed public internet terminals (cash or credit cards) in McGill and Berri-UQAM metro stations. There are also long-standing cyber/internet cafés (minus the café part) such as ''Battelnet 24'' at many locations in Montreal including one at mezzanine level in the rue Guy entrance of Guy-Concordia metro. Of course, free internet access is the ''best'' kind of internet. The organization [http://zap.coop/ Île Sans Fil] provides free wireless internet in cafés and other locations throughout the city. Look for the sticker outside participating venues. The Eaton Centre downtown offers free wireless access in the food court. Also, the Grande Bibliothèque (Great Library) has many free Internet terminals: you can get a library card (free to Québec residents with proof of address) to use it there. ===Mail=== Red Canada Post mailboxes are found along most main streets. Post offices are often inside pharmacies: look for the Canada Post logo. ==Stay safe== For emergencies call '''9-1-1'''. Although Montreal is Canada's second largest city, it shares Canada's low violent crime rates making it relatively safe. However, property crimes, including car theft, are remarkably high: make sure to lock your doors and keep your valuables with you. Take extra care if you want to visit Montréal-Nord or Saint-Michel. These neighbourhoods are the worst of the city and shootings are not unheard of in these areas. There is, however, little for tourists to do and they are unlikely to enter by accident. Part of Montreal's Sainte-Catherine downtown corridor is arguably the grittiest part of the city, especially east of Place des Arts. There are homeless people panhandling during the summer and fall. Although most of them are polite, there are some that are more aggressive. Avoid individuals wandering on the streets that appear intoxicated. The street is at its most dangerous around 03:00 when closing clubs and bars empty their drunken crowds into the street. You may also come across occasional pockets of street prostitution, especially around strip clubs. In Montreal, [[pickpockets]] are not very common, but keep an eye on things when watching street performances in the Old City or in other crowds. If you are concerned about safety on the metro, use the first metro car where the driver is. Emergency intercoms are on every metro car. Emergency phone booths are on every platform throughout the metro system, which is generally safe. While written instructions are in both English and French, most announcements (usually about delays) are in French only so if you think you heard something in the announcement that may affect you, just try asking a fellow passenger for a translation. The STM offers a "between stops" (''entre deux arrêts'') service that allows women travelling alone at night to get off the bus between two regularly designated stops if the bus driver feels they can stop the bus safely. Pedestrians and bike-riders should be especially careful. Crosswalks are rarely respected. Motorists have a general contempt for pedestrians, especially when they are trying to make a right turn at an intersection. Wasps are a considerable menace during the height of summer. Consider carrying vinegar on your person in case of stings to help neutralize the sting. Otherwise, see below if you are allergic for the nearest hospital. ===Weather=== Montreal is often icy and cold in winter, be careful by dressing appropriately for the conditions and be mindful of ice or snow anytime you are driving or walking. Street clearing of snow is generally effective. Summers are warm to hot and can be quite humid. Being surrounded by rivers adds to this effect. ===Hospital=== The closest hospital to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is the Lakeshore General Hospital at 160 avenue Stillview in Pointe-Claire. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) The Montreal General Hospital is at 1650 avenue Cedar. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-934-1934 +1 514-934-1934]) The McGill University Hospital (Glen site) ([https://muhc.ca/ MUHC]) is at 1001 Decarie Boulevard ([tel:+1-514&#x20;934-1934 +1-514 934-1934]). The [http://jgh.ca/en/home Jewish General Hospital] is at 3755 rue Côte Ste-Catherine. ([tel:+1&#x20;514-340-8222 +1 514-340-8222]) If you do not have Quebec Health Insurance, be prepared to pay by credit card at the door as it does not accept traveller's insurance (but you will be reimbursed when you return home). ([tel:+1&#x20;514-630-2225 +1 514-630-2225]) Several hospitals offer service in French and English. ==Cope== ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | url=http://www.mfa.gov.eg/english/embassies/Egyptian_Consulate_Canada/Pages/default.aspx | email=egypt.consulate@videotron.ca | address=1000 De La Gauchetiere Ouest | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 866-8455 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 866-0835 | hours=09:00-15:30| price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.grconsulatemtl.net | email=info@grconsulatemtl.net | address=1170 Place du Frere Andre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 875-2119 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 875-8781 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | url=http://montreal.mae.ro/ | email=montreal.cg@mae.ro | address=să: 1010 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, bureau 610, etaj 6, H3A 2R7 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 876 1792, +1 514 876 1095 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 876 1797 | hours= | price= | content=General consulate }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/montreal/ | email=usconsulatemtl@state.gov; Montreal-ACS@state.gov | address=1155 rue Saint-Alexandre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 514 398-9695 | tollfree= | fax=+1 514 398-0973 | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Newspapers=== [http://montrealgazette.com/ ''The Gazette''] is the city's English-language daily. If you have some French, hit the [http://www.voir.ca voir.ca] website for good restaurant reviews and an overview of what is happening. ==Respect== {{See also|Quebec#Talk|Quebec#Respect|French phrasebook}} As in the rest of [[Quebec]], language politics and Quebec sovereignty are contentious issues in Montreal. Don't make the assumption that all French Canadians are in favour of Quebec's separation from Canada as many (especially in bilingual Montreal) are against it. If you really want to discuss those topics with locals, be sure you are well-informed. It is still safer to avoid the subject, as it is still a very emotional issue. Use common sense and be respectful. The main language in Montreal, as in the rest of Quebec, is French. Making an attempt to use the language is a great way to show respect for locals, whether or not they can speak English, even if you can manage only a few words with a very strong accent. However, Montreal is considered to be one of the world's most bilingual cities with many residents whose primary language is English, and you will often hear locals code switching between French and English when having a conversation. In case of doubt, you may want to open with a warm "Bonjour!" (''Good day'') and see what language is used in response. Most likely you will be answered in English, if your French accent does not sound local. Don't be offended if you are trying to speak French and locals respond to you in English. Since most Montrealers speak both French and English, they are simply trying to make things easier for you. Many people working in the tourist and service industries are completely bilingual without accents. But don't make jokes about French people (especially since Francophones in Montreal are mostly Québécois with a few Acadiens and Franco-Ontariens, all of whom consider themselves different from the French from France and from one another). Also, do not assume that all Québécois are Francophones. Montreal has a significant English-speaking community with a long history in Quebec and many immigrants whose first language is neither English nor French ("Allophones"). ==Go next== Montreal makes an excellent entryway for visiting other cities and destinations in [[Quebec]] and the northern [[United States of America|United States]]. You will have to pass the border control if you go to the US, and arm yourself with the appropriate visas and papers. Add at least one extra hour for the border control. * The [[Adirondacks]] are a 2½-hour drive to the south. These mountains make up the largest park in the contiguous US and offer outdoor activities like hiking, rafting and skiing. * [[Boston]] is a 5-hour drive to the southeast. * [[Mont Tremblant]] lies less than two hours north in the [[Laurentides]]. * The [[Eastern Townships]] are two to three hours straight east. * The Laurentians and in the Eastern Townships between December and March offer good downhill skiing. There are some very good night-skiing centres such as Ski Bromont and Mont-St-Sauveur. * The [[Monteregie]] townships, a short drive east of Montreal. * [[New York City]] is a 6½-hour drive directly south. * [[Ottawa]] is two hours west by car. * [[Quebec City]], about 3 hours to the north east on Highway 40, is almost but not quite a day trip. You'll want to stay over, anyway. * [[Tadoussac]], about 6 hours away by car, has great whale-watching * [[Toronto]] is more distant, but still a doable 6-hour drive (or a faster 4½-hour train trip). {{routebox | placename=Montreal (intercity rail) | image1=VIA Rail Ocean icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1= | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Sainte-Foy]] | minorr1=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image2=VIA Rail Montreal Quebec icon.png | imagesize2=100 | link2=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Ottawa]] | minorl2=[[Dorval]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Quebec City]] | minorr2=[[Saint-Lambert]] | image3=VIA Rail Toronto Montreal icon.png | imagesize3=100 | link3=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Toronto]] | minorl3=[[Montreal/West Island|Dorval]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 02.png | imagesize4=100 | image4a=VIA Rail Montreal Senneterre icon 01.png | imagesize4a=100 | directionl4=&nbsp;N | majorl4=[[Shawinigan]] | minorl4=Anjou | directionr4=S | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=Amtrak Adirondack icon.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[New York City]] | minorr5=[[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] → [[Champlain and Rouses Point|Rouses Point]] }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (regional rail) | image1=Mtl Train CA.png | imagesize1=75 | caption1=AMT Candiac Line | directionl1=W | majorl1=END | minorl1=Candiac | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=Mtl Train DM.png | imagesize2=75 | caption2=AMT Deux-Montagnes Line | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2=Deux-Montagnes | directionr2=E | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Mtl Train MA.png | imagesize3=75 | caption3=AMT Mascouche Line | directionl3=&nbsp;N | majorl3=Mascouche | minorl3=[[Repentigny]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=Mtl Train SH.png | imagesize4=75 | caption4=AMT Mont-Saint-Hilaire Line | directionl4=W | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Mont-Saint-Hilaire]] | minorr4=[[Longueuil]] | image5=Mtl Train SJ.png | imagesize5=75 | caption5=AMT Saint-Jérôme Line | directionl5=&nbsp;N | majorl5=[[Saint-Jérôme]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] | directionr5=S | majorr5=END | minorr5= | image6=Mtl Train VH.png | imagesize6=75 | caption6=AMT Vaudreuil–Hudson Line | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Hudson (Quebec)|Hudson]] | minorl6=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=END | minorr6= }} {{routebox | placename=Montreal (road) | image1=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | link1=Trans-Canada Highway | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Ottawa]] | minorl1=[[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] ← [[File:Quebec Autoroute 40.svg|16px|link=]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr1=[[File:Quebec Autoroute 25.svg|16px|link=]] → [[Longueuil]] | image2=Quebec Autoroute 10.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Sherbrooke]] | minorr2=[[Brossard]] | image3=Quebec Autoroute 15.svg | imagesize3=22 | image3a=Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg | imagesize3a=22 | link3=Trans-Canada Highway | directionl3=N | majorl3=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl3=[[Laval]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Albany (New York)|Albany]] | minorr3='''[[File:Trans-Canada Highway Quebec.svg|16px|link=]] ENDS''' → [[Brossard]] → Becomes [[File:I-87.svg|18px|link=]] | image4=Quebec Autoroute 20.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] | minorl4=Becomes [[File:Ontario 401.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] | minorr4=[[Brossard]] | image5=Quebec Autoroute 25.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Terrebonne]] | minorl5=[[Laval]] ← (toll bridge) | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Quebec City|Quebec City (Lévis)]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|16px]] | minorr5=[[Longueuil]] | image6=Quebec Autoroute 40.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Ottawa]] | minorl6=Becomes [[File:Ontario 417.svg|16px]] ← [[Vaudreuil-Dorion]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=[[Quebec City]] | minorr6=[[Trois-Rivières]] | image7=Qc117.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=W | majorl7=[[Mont-Tremblant]] | minorl7=[[Laval]] | directionr7=E | majorr7=END | minorr7= | image8=Qc138.svg | imagesize8=22 | directionl8=W | majorl8=[[Malone (New York)|Malone]] | minorl8=becomes [[File:NY-30.svg|18px|link=]] ← [[Huntingdon (Quebec)|Huntingdon]] | directionr8=E | majorr8=[[Quebec City]] | minorr8=[[Trois-Rivières]] }} {{related|UNESCO_Creative_Cities}} {{geo|45.5|-73.6|zoom=11}} {{IsPartOf|Southwestern Quebec}} {{usablecity}} 4evnwp5p5ktl4ivl1hqvrinf60jvivy 0 23200 4502101 4479843 2022-08-16T10:14:39Z Graham87 41792 /* Go next */ grammar wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mount Isa Mines 7-1.jpg}} '''[http://www.mountisa.qld.gov.au/ Mount Isa]''' is a mining city in the north-west of the [[Australia|Australian]] state of [[Queensland]], situated some 900&nbsp;km west of [[Townsville]] and some 1900&nbsp;km north-west of the capital [[Brisbane]]. Population 22,000. Geology is the key drawcard to Mount Isa, best represented in the World Heritage [[Riversleigh]] Fossil Field located near the city (250&nbsp;km! - "near" for Queensland....). ==Understand== Mount Isa is the birthplace of two Australian sporting greats: Greg Norman (golf) and Pat Rafter (tennis). Mount Isa City municipality covers an area of over 43,310 square kilometres, making it geographically the second largest city in the world to [[Kalgoorlie-Boulder]], [[Western Australia]]. ==Get in== ===By train=== Mount Isa is served by '''[https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/railexperiences/ourtrains/theinlander The Inlander]''' passenger train which travels overnight between [[Townsville]] (via [[Charters Towers]]) twice weekly (977&nbsp;km). The air-conditioned train offers twinette, roomette, triple bunk and coach accommodation, and has a club car for movies and food. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-20.726198|139.491689|zoom=|height=|width=|layer=|staticmap=|align=|name=}} There is car hire with the Budget and Avis in the city centre, or they will meet bookings at the airport. ==See== '''[http://www.isarodeo.com.au The Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo]''' is the biggest and richest event Rodeo Event in the Southern Hemisphere. During Rodeo Week, Mount Isa's population swells almost three-fold with travelers coming from all over Australia and overseas to witness the thrills, the excitement, the raw power and courage that is rodeo. It's where city meets country, east meets west, man meets beast. With a packed program of rodeo events - saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding, rope & tie, steer wrestling and team roping, wild horse racing, ladies barrel racing and ladies breakaway roping. Every year it all seems to get bigger better and more fun! * {{see | name=Riversleigh Fossils Centre | alt= | url=http://www.mietv.com.au/Outback-at-Isa/Riversleigh-Fossil-Centre.aspx | email=riversleigh@mountisa.qld.gov.au | address= | lat=-20.726678 | long=139.499337 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4749 1555, 1300 659 660 (local rate call) | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 4743 6296 | hours= | price= | content=Conveniently displaying the results of excavation at the World Heritage site }} * {{see | name=Outback at Isa | alt= | url=http://www.outbackatisa.com.au/ | email= | address=19 Marian St | lat=-20.726823 | long=139.498903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=8:30AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-04 | content=Large complex including museum exhibits, the Hard Times Mine, the Riversleigh Fossil Centre, and tours. }} * {{see | name=City Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.723605 | long=139.498363 | directions=north off the highway just east of the shopping district - easy to spot | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-04 | content=Hill offering views of the mine towering over Mount Isa like the tower of Mordor. }} * {{see | name=Underground Hospital | alt= | url=http://www.undergroundhospital.com/ | email= | address=Joan St, Mornington | lat=-20.730971 | long=139.495292 | directions= | phone=+61 407 514 918 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-2PM April-September | price=$15 | lastedit=2015-07-03 | content=A hospital built underground in case of Japanese air raids. }} [[File:Mount Isa, Queensland - Underground hospital.jpg|thumb|Underground hospital]] ==Do== '''[http://www.outbackatisa.com.au/ Hard Times Mine tour]''' Experience the history of Mount Isa's long and illustrious mining history in this purpose built mine. Guided by current and former miners from the Mount Isa mines, machinery demonstrations, old stories and hands on experience can all be experienced in a real underground environment. An amazing and unforgettable experience for locals and tourists alike. ==Buy== ==Eat== Mount Isa, for a city of its size, is a considerable dining experience for the hearty traveller and local. Selections such as Indian, Italian, Chinese, German and French are all represented, either in the CBD or on the major roads. As well as this, all the major fast-food giants such as McDonalds, KFC, Eagle Boys, Red Rooster, Pizza Hut and Subway all have outlets in the Copper City. * {{eat | name=Abyssinia Cafe Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.townviewmotel.com.au/index.php?pageid=3806 | email= | address= | lat=-20.726171 | long=139.508025 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4743-3328 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=103 Marian Street. The Abyssinia Cafe is a Licensed Restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian Cuisine as well as standard Australian meals and Indian food. For the last 20 years, Almaz Taye (Leila) Cashmore has owned and operated the cafe building up a broad reputation for excellent food. The Cafe has been featured on '''SBS for Ethiopian Cuisine''' }} * {{eat | name=The Isa Hotel | alt= | url=http://isahotel.com.au/ | email=re.reception@hgroup.com.au | address=13 Miles Street | lat=-20.7264 | long=139.4913 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4749-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Isa Hotel hosts the very popular Rodeo Bar & Grill. The ample menu focuses on the beef and barramundi found in the region while providing many alternative dishes to suit almost everybody. Bookings are recommended from Friday and Saturday nights. }} ==Drink== Drinking aplenty in the Isa. [http://www.theirishclub.com.au/ The Irish Club], [http://www.buffs.com.au/ Buffs Club], The Overlander Hotel, The Isa and the [http://www.redearth-hotel.com.au/ Red Earth Hotel] and many others are make up the great selection of watering holes in the city. Many outlets have meals, happy hours and special promotions going all the time. ==Sleep== Mount Isa offers a range of accommodation options to suit everyone's budget. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Travellers Haven Backpacker Hostel | alt= | url=http://www.travellershaven.com.au/ | email= | address=75 Spence Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 7 4743 0313 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A relaxed, family-run hostel only 10 minutes walk from the city centre. The Haven offers free pick-up and drop-off from the bus and train station, cooking and laundry facilities, air conditioning, swimming pool, internet and off-street parking. Dorms from $25. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Townview Motel in Mount Isa | alt= | url=http://www.townviewmotel.com.au/ | email= | address=103 Marian St (Barkly Highway) | lat=-20.726171 | long=139.508025 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4743-3328 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=4-star accommodation with 24 rooms that include Budget, Standard and 2 Bedroom Spa Suites. Most rooms include cooking facilities. There is also a 3 bedroom house for longer stays. The Abyssinia Cafe Restaurant is on site which serves traditional Ethiopean Cuisine as well as standard Australian meals and Indian food. }} * {{sleep | name=Red Earth Hotel and ISA Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.redearth-hotel.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-20.726299 | long=139.490814 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-04 | content=Pub/hotel complex in the centre of town. The Red Earth section is more upmarket, with nice rooms and balconies over the street. The restaurant is highly-rated by Mount Isa standards. }} ==Go next== The roads into and out of Mount Isa are generally of good quality and passable for all vehicles. Care should be taken if travelling during the wet season as many of these roads can become flooded and impassable. Never try to cross covered causeways even if no signage or barricades are erected at the site. Purpose built signs are placed along the Barkly Highway to Townsville to indicate which roads are passable during flood times. Alternatively, asking locals of possible road conditions can give surprising accuracy. *Flights can be booked with Airnorth, Qantas, Rex and Skytrans to various locations around the Queensland and Northern Territory (depending on carrier) *Train services are run twice per week to Townsville and other towns along the Barkly Highway with the Inlander *Bus services between Mount Isa and surrounding areas are run by [http://www.greyhound.com.au/ Greyhound Australia] General distances * West to [[Tennant Creek]] (660 km) * North to the gulf towns of [[Normanton]](500 km) and [[Karumba]] (570 km) * East to [[Cloncurry]] (120 km) and [[Townsville]] (900 km). {{routebox2 |temp1={{AUR|A2}} |directionl1=W |minorl1=becomes [[File:AUHWY66.png|23px]] ← [[Camooweal]] |majorl1=[[Stuart Highway|{{AUR|A87}}]] near [[Tennant Creek]] |directionr1=SE |minorr1=[[Cloncurry]] |majorr1=[[Longreach]] |temp2={{AUR|A6}} |directionl2=W |majorl2=END |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Cloncurry]] |majorr2=[[Townsville]] |temp3=[[File:AUROUTE83.png|23px|link=National Route 83]] |directionl3=SW |minorl3=[[Boulia]] |majorl3=[[Birdsville]] |directionr3=NE |minorr3=[[Cloncurry]] |majorr3=[[Normanton]] }} {{usablecity}} {{isPartOf|Outback Queensland}} {{geo|-20.73|139.5}} 36n2qreu1wom6qtyz92xmykualiuzpf 4502102 4502101 2022-08-16T10:17:01Z SHB2000 2248002 /* See */ Updated listing for Riversleigh Fossils Centre - link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mount Isa Mines 7-1.jpg}} '''[http://www.mountisa.qld.gov.au/ Mount Isa]''' is a mining city in the north-west of the [[Australia|Australian]] state of [[Queensland]], situated some 900&nbsp;km west of [[Townsville]] and some 1900&nbsp;km north-west of the capital [[Brisbane]]. Population 22,000. Geology is the key drawcard to Mount Isa, best represented in the World Heritage [[Riversleigh]] Fossil Field located near the city (250&nbsp;km! - "near" for Queensland....). ==Understand== Mount Isa is the birthplace of two Australian sporting greats: Greg Norman (golf) and Pat Rafter (tennis). Mount Isa City municipality covers an area of over 43,310 square kilometres, making it geographically the second largest city in the world to [[Kalgoorlie-Boulder]], [[Western Australia]]. ==Get in== ===By train=== Mount Isa is served by '''[https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/railexperiences/ourtrains/theinlander The Inlander]''' passenger train which travels overnight between [[Townsville]] (via [[Charters Towers]]) twice weekly (977&nbsp;km). The air-conditioned train offers twinette, roomette, triple bunk and coach accommodation, and has a club car for movies and food. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-20.726198|139.491689|zoom=|height=|width=|layer=|staticmap=|align=|name=}} There is car hire with the Budget and Avis in the city centre, or they will meet bookings at the airport. ==See== '''[http://www.isarodeo.com.au The Mount Isa Rotary Rodeo]''' is the biggest and richest event Rodeo Event in the Southern Hemisphere. During Rodeo Week, Mount Isa's population swells almost three-fold with travelers coming from all over Australia and overseas to witness the thrills, the excitement, the raw power and courage that is rodeo. It's where city meets country, east meets west, man meets beast. With a packed program of rodeo events - saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding, rope & tie, steer wrestling and team roping, wild horse racing, ladies barrel racing and ladies breakaway roping. Every year it all seems to get bigger better and more fun! * {{see | name=Riversleigh Fossils Centre | alt= | url=http://www.mietv.com.au/Outback-at-Isa/Riversleigh-Fossil-Centre.aspx | email=riversleigh@mountisa.qld.gov.au | address= | lat=-20.726678 | long=139.499337 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4749 1555, 1300 659 660 (local rate call) | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 4743 6296 | hours= | price= | content=Conveniently displaying the results of excavation at the [[Riversleigh]] World Heritage site. }} * {{see | name=Outback at Isa | alt= | url=http://www.outbackatisa.com.au/ | email= | address=19 Marian St | lat=-20.726823 | long=139.498903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=8:30AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-04 | content=Large complex including museum exhibits, the Hard Times Mine, the Riversleigh Fossil Centre, and tours. }} * {{see | name=City Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.723605 | long=139.498363 | directions=north off the highway just east of the shopping district - easy to spot | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-04 | content=Hill offering views of the mine towering over Mount Isa like the tower of Mordor. }} * {{see | name=Underground Hospital | alt= | url=http://www.undergroundhospital.com/ | email= | address=Joan St, Mornington | lat=-20.730971 | long=139.495292 | directions= | phone=+61 407 514 918 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-2PM April-September | price=$15 | lastedit=2015-07-03 | content=A hospital built underground in case of Japanese air raids. }} [[File:Mount Isa, Queensland - Underground hospital.jpg|thumb|Underground hospital]] ==Do== '''[http://www.outbackatisa.com.au/ Hard Times Mine tour]''' Experience the history of Mount Isa's long and illustrious mining history in this purpose built mine. Guided by current and former miners from the Mount Isa mines, machinery demonstrations, old stories and hands on experience can all be experienced in a real underground environment. An amazing and unforgettable experience for locals and tourists alike. ==Buy== ==Eat== Mount Isa, for a city of its size, is a considerable dining experience for the hearty traveller and local. Selections such as Indian, Italian, Chinese, German and French are all represented, either in the CBD or on the major roads. As well as this, all the major fast-food giants such as McDonalds, KFC, Eagle Boys, Red Rooster, Pizza Hut and Subway all have outlets in the Copper City. * {{eat | name=Abyssinia Cafe Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.townviewmotel.com.au/index.php?pageid=3806 | email= | address= | lat=-20.726171 | long=139.508025 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4743-3328 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=103 Marian Street. The Abyssinia Cafe is a Licensed Restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian Cuisine as well as standard Australian meals and Indian food. For the last 20 years, Almaz Taye (Leila) Cashmore has owned and operated the cafe building up a broad reputation for excellent food. The Cafe has been featured on '''SBS for Ethiopian Cuisine''' }} * {{eat | name=The Isa Hotel | alt= | url=http://isahotel.com.au/ | email=re.reception@hgroup.com.au | address=13 Miles Street | lat=-20.7264 | long=139.4913 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4749-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Isa Hotel hosts the very popular Rodeo Bar & Grill. The ample menu focuses on the beef and barramundi found in the region while providing many alternative dishes to suit almost everybody. Bookings are recommended from Friday and Saturday nights. }} ==Drink== Drinking aplenty in the Isa. [http://www.theirishclub.com.au/ The Irish Club], [http://www.buffs.com.au/ Buffs Club], The Overlander Hotel, The Isa and the [http://www.redearth-hotel.com.au/ Red Earth Hotel] and many others are make up the great selection of watering holes in the city. Many outlets have meals, happy hours and special promotions going all the time. ==Sleep== Mount Isa offers a range of accommodation options to suit everyone's budget. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Travellers Haven Backpacker Hostel | alt= | url=http://www.travellershaven.com.au/ | email= | address=75 Spence Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 7 4743 0313 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A relaxed, family-run hostel only 10 minutes walk from the city centre. The Haven offers free pick-up and drop-off from the bus and train station, cooking and laundry facilities, air conditioning, swimming pool, internet and off-street parking. Dorms from $25. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Townview Motel in Mount Isa | alt= | url=http://www.townviewmotel.com.au/ | email= | address=103 Marian St (Barkly Highway) | lat=-20.726171 | long=139.508025 | directions= | phone=+61 7 4743-3328 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=4-star accommodation with 24 rooms that include Budget, Standard and 2 Bedroom Spa Suites. Most rooms include cooking facilities. There is also a 3 bedroom house for longer stays. The Abyssinia Cafe Restaurant is on site which serves traditional Ethiopean Cuisine as well as standard Australian meals and Indian food. }} * {{sleep | name=Red Earth Hotel and ISA Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.redearth-hotel.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-20.726299 | long=139.490814 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-04 | content=Pub/hotel complex in the centre of town. The Red Earth section is more upmarket, with nice rooms and balconies over the street. The restaurant is highly-rated by Mount Isa standards. }} ==Go next== The roads into and out of Mount Isa are generally of good quality and passable for all vehicles. Care should be taken if travelling during the wet season as many of these roads can become flooded and impassable. Never try to cross covered causeways even if no signage or barricades are erected at the site. Purpose built signs are placed along the Barkly Highway to Townsville to indicate which roads are passable during flood times. Alternatively, asking locals of possible road conditions can give surprising accuracy. *Flights can be booked with Airnorth, Qantas, Rex and Skytrans to various locations around the Queensland and Northern Territory (depending on carrier) *Train services are run twice per week to Townsville and other towns along the Barkly Highway with the Inlander *Bus services between Mount Isa and surrounding areas are run by [http://www.greyhound.com.au/ Greyhound Australia] General distances * West to [[Tennant Creek]] (660 km) * North to the gulf towns of [[Normanton]](500 km) and [[Karumba]] (570 km) * East to [[Cloncurry]] (120 km) and [[Townsville]] (900 km). {{routebox2 |temp1={{AUR|A2}} |directionl1=W |minorl1=becomes [[File:AUHWY66.png|23px]] ← [[Camooweal]] |majorl1=[[Stuart Highway|{{AUR|A87}}]] near [[Tennant Creek]] |directionr1=SE |minorr1=[[Cloncurry]] |majorr1=[[Longreach]] |temp2={{AUR|A6}} |directionl2=W |majorl2=END |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Cloncurry]] |majorr2=[[Townsville]] |temp3=[[File:AUROUTE83.png|23px|link=National Route 83]] |directionl3=SW |minorl3=[[Boulia]] |majorl3=[[Birdsville]] |directionr3=NE |minorr3=[[Cloncurry]] |majorr3=[[Normanton]] }} {{usablecity}} {{isPartOf|Outback Queensland}} {{geo|-20.73|139.5}} 27u4l6ehd9nv3fdhj6fn1xfxptee0zi 0 23254 4501586 4501557 2022-08-15T13:15:32Z Ibaman 195012 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/114.122.135.141|114.122.135.141]] ([[User talk:114.122.135.141|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Gunung Rinjani banner.jpg|otbp=yes}} '''[http://rinjaninationalpark.com Mount Rinjani]''' (''Gunung Rinjani'') is an active [[volcano]] and a national park in [[Lombok]] and one of the largest mountains in [[Indonesia]]. On a clear day you can see breathtaking views from the summit. The trek to the summit usually takes about three days and highlights include the crater lake Segara Anak, and the natural hot springs there. ==Understand== [[Image:Gunung Rinjani from Gili Air 1.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Mount Rinjani looms large over Lombok]] At 3,726 m, Rinjani is the second highest volcano in Indonesia, second only to [[Kerinci Seblat National Park|Mount Kerinci]] on [[Sumatra]], and it dominates the landscape of the relatively small island of Lombok. Within its huge 50 km² caldera sits the crater lake Segara Anak (''Child of the Sea''). Eruptions within the caldera have formed a new small cone called appropriately enough, Gunung Barujari (''New-finger Mountain''). The mountain and its satellites form the '''Mount Rinjani National Park''' (officially [http://www.dephut.go.id/INFORMASI/TN%20INDO-ENGLISH/rinjani_NP.htm Taman Nasional Gunung Rinjani]) with 41,000 hectares within the park boundaries and a further 66,000 hectares of protected forest outside. In 2008, the Indonesian government proposed to UNESCO that Mount Rinjani be one of the world's official geoparks. If this was approved by UNESCO, Mount Rinjani would become the first such geological park in Indonesia. As a place for tourism, Mount Rinjani is famous among European hikers. Foreign hikers are most prevalent except during school holidays, when domestic hikers predominate. About 90,000 tourists visited Mount Rinjani every year, but when Gunung Barujari erupted, the tourists were evacuated and as of late November 2016, only a fifth of the usual number are visiting. ===History=== [[Image:Rinjani 1994.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Rinjani doing its stuff in 1995]] This is a very active volcano. The oldest recorded historical eruption was in 1847. Previous to that this was a very remote region indeed, hence the lack of records. However, in approximately 1257 the volcano erupted so violently that its shape changed to what it looks like today and the event is believed to have contributed to the onset of the Little Ice Age. This was a [[Volcanoes#Measurement_scale|VEI-6 or 7]] event. There was a spate of activity from 1994 to 1995 which resulted in the further growth of the crater cone Gunung Baru, since renamed Gunung Barujari (''New-finger Mountain''). There were more eruptions in early 2009 which caused the hiking routes to the crater to be closed for several months. Then in 2010 both Gunung Barujari and Rinjani itself had eruptions, with ash rising to an altitude of 5.5 km (18,000 ft) and drifting 150 km NW. These eruptions did not directly threaten villagers, but access to some sections of the mountain was officially closed or restricted at some times. After these events, the next lot of major activity occurred in November 2015. These 2015 eruptions forced closure of Ngurah Rai airport in Bali, and disrupted international flights in and out of Bali. ===Landscape=== The lower and mid levels of the mountain are quite heavily forested. Above the tree line though the slopes are barren and rugged scree slopes and volcanic rock. The views of the crater lake are quite breath-taking from the caldera rim, as is the sunrise. From the absolute peak you can see [[Bali]] to the west and [[Sumbawa]] to the east. ===Flora and fauna=== The lower and middle elevation slopes are densely forested with typical tropical species. Fig trees are especially apparent. Casuarina forest (''cemara'') takes over higher up and eventually these give way to an alpine flora above the treeline. Lombok is east of the Wallacean Line and some [[Australia]]n bird species are therefore apparent. These include a lot of ''sulphur crested cockatoos'' and ''green hanging parrots''. Bird life is generally not easy to observe here though due to the density of the forest. The familiar ''long-tailed grey macaque'' (the ''Bali temple monkey'') is common right up to the crater rim. Also the rare ''ebony leaf monkey'' inhabit these forests. ''Rusa deer'' and ''muntjacs'' are more often heard than seen. ===Climate=== Rinjani is best climbed during the April–November dry season. It is possible to climb during the rainy season as well but treks are often cancelled at short notice if the rain is heavy. It gets cool indeed on the mountain above 2,000 m and nears freezing at the summit. Warm clothing is an absolute must. ==Get in== Most visitors arrive via the village of [[Senaru]] (600 m), on the northern side of the mountain and thus closer to the main resort areas of the west coast including [[Senggigi]]. The other possible entry point is '''Sembalun Lawang''' (1,150 m), on the eastern side, which is closer to the summit. Porters are available in Sembalun. They carry 15-20 kg per porter, charging domestic tourists Rp 200,000/day, though foreign tourists pay more. Porters hike faster than the tourists and wait for them to catch up at a pre-arranged meeting place. * {{listing | name=Arfatourindo Transport | alt= | url= | email=arfatourindo@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-03-10 | content=Serves transports to Senaru or Sembalun Lawang from which you can do trekking. It can drive you from any places in Lombok. The owner is knowledgeable for Lombok island and speaks English and German. }} ==Fees and permits== Entry to the park costs Rp 150,000 per person. This fee is split up as follows: 13% to the national park authority, 62% to the Rinjani ecotourism trekking program and 25% for trek route maintenance etc. An online system has been implemented for permits and registration, with payments done through banks. Permits will be given only for a maximum of 200 climbers per day. Purchase your permit far in advance of your planned arrival time. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|-8.405|116.414|zoom=13}} Within the park the only way to get around is to '''hike'''. Porters can be arranged to carry your supplies. Officially you're not allowed to trek up the mountain alone, but it can still be done with some paperwork, see the [[#Do|do section]] for this. ==See== * {{see | name=Segara Anak | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The crater lake of Mount Rinjani. Segara Anak translates to "Child of the Sea", as the lake water has the same colour as the sea. The water is heated by the volcano keeping the temperature just above +22°C and releasing gas bubbles into the water. The lake used to be depicted on the Rp 10,000 banknote. }} * {{see | name=Aik Kalak hot springs | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=at the crater rim | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Three hot springs, that are of spiritual significance. According to local belief, bathing in one of them will slow ageing and rejuvenate you — give it a try! Also, a mixture of their water and coconut oil is used as a traditional medicine against many diseases. }} * {{see | name=The Mulang Pakelem | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An annual Hindu event, held before the rainy season at the crater lake featuring hundreds of Hindu pilgrims in white clothing. The event is to celebrate the Balinese invasion of the island in the 18th century. }} * {{see | name=Gua Susu | alt=Susu Cave | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the mountain's famous caves (the others are Gua Payung and Gua Manik), this one is filled with hot steam and a popular place for meditation. }} * {{see | name=Sendanggile Waterfall | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-03 | content=At the foot of Mount Rinjani, featuring great views. }} ==Do== ===Climbing Mount Rinjani=== ====The basics==== At 3,726 m, Rinjani is the second highest volcano in Indonesia after Sumatra's Gunung Kerinci. It is very climbable by visitors with a high level of physical fitness. Critical is to understand and respect this great mountain: visitors have died here through failing to follow sensible procedures and make all necessary preparations. Few actually make the very strenuous effort required to reach the actual summit but instead stop at the crater rim (approx 2,700 m) where the views of the crater lake are mind blowing. To make the extra 1,000 m ascent to the very top requires a considerably higher level of fitness, not to mention strength of spirit and sense of adventure. Typically, a trek to the crater rim involves two days and one night on the mountain. The longer ascent to the summit can be done with just one night's camping but is often part of a longer trek of three to four days and two or three nights. [[Image:Rinjani NP Entrance.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Don't try to go it alone]] [[File:Rinjani Summit.jpg|thumb|250px|View from the summit of Gunung Rinjani]] An organised trek is by far the easiest, safest and most popular option but it is also quite possible to make all of your own arrangements and just hire a guide and equipment from one of the trekking centres on the mountain. Rinjani Park regulations stipulate the use of a certified guide so the people at the center at the start of the hike are not happy to let you climb Rinjani without. With a lot of patience and explanations you can sign a paper which says that you are responsible for yourself and not the organisation. You will still pay the entrance fee, but it is by far the cheapest option to walk by yourself. The mountains Licensed Guide Association (HPI) issues certification to the Rinjani guides and porters but it should be understood that the certification standards and required training are no where near as rigorous as would be expected in many other countries. Serious accidents including fatalities do occur on Rinjani treks when led by these accredited guides. Proper sturdy climbing or hiking boots are an absolute necessity as is a substantial waterproof, windproof jacket, and a head lamp. If you are going to the top, use of poles (walking sticks) for getting through the scree (loose rock) at the top are also highly recommended. By 2,000 m, you will feel like you are not in the tropics any more as rising wet, hot air loses its temperature and may fall as rain. If inappropriate clothing becomes wet, difficulties will set in as air temperatures towards the summit are as low as 4°C, often with a significant extra wind chill factor. You must prepare accordingly. ====Guides and trekking providers==== At times it seems that everyone in Lombok is a trekking guide for Mount Rinjani, especially on the main tourist strip in Senggigi. Take most of what you are told with a pinch of salt and you will find the most experienced and reputable guides at the main trekking centres at Senaru and Sembalun Lawang. It does happen that tourists who are highly experienced hikers or climbers may find themselves far better prepared and skilled for mountain conditions than the local guides. Codes of conduct have been developed for the local trekking support community that include climbing safety, environmental awareness and responsible use. Some of the guides and trekking organisations are better than others at respecting these agreements and guidelines. It is also a good idea to check independently for any volcanic alerts that may have been issued for Mount Rinjani. Many visitors have found it is preferable to avoid package deals purchased away from Senaru, and instead negotiate either with one of the four trekking providers listed below or with the guides themselves to ensure that they are competent. If there is a problem, you can then find a different guide company in Senaru or Sembalun. To help you judge the experience, abilities and equipment provision of a potential guide and support team it may assist to consider the following: {{infobox|Use of booking services for Rinjani treks|The use of booking services and travel agents for the booking and pre-payment of Mount Rinjani treks should be approached with considerable caution. One active booking agent uses names and logos that mimic established and legitimate providers and utilises multiple misleading and deceptive websites to redirect bookings and pre-payments to their own booking services. The inadvertent use of an unscrupulous booking service may lead to your booking and any pre-payments being redirected to an alternative provider. This may result in the non-fulfilment of arrangements for pre-booked accommodation, transfers and mountain treks. It is recommended to either use one of the providers listed in this article or to make arrangements directly with a provider after arriving in Lombok.}} * preparation for rain squalls such as waterproof covers for equipment and supplies, personal raincoats or emergency ponchos * ensure that all trek participants are provided with clothing suitable to the conditions and provided with a thermally protective layer such as polypropylene * first aid equipment and training including treatment for exposure, provision of supplies such as emergency splints for fractures and space blankets * provision of a trowel or fold-away shovel for burying human waste and the provision of toilet paper * if the guide team are cooking or handling food are they going to wash and clean their hands, all plates and utensils using detergent or soap * ensure that the guides and porters understand how to pitch their supplied tents and can demonstrate that the tents are complete and can be pitched using adequate pegs and with the fly sheets secured away from the tent so that moisture does not seep in even if it is windy and raining. * provision of a route map detailing emergency assembly points and demonstrate a capacity to communicate a position to a rescue party * that an emergency management plan is in place in case of accident or other emergency during the climb * availability of a working mobile phone for emergency calls and provision of SIM cards that have sufficient credit to deal with communications in an emergency * availability of a serviceable VHF hand held radio with two fully charged batteries and a capacity to use it in case of emergency. * availability of a satellite phone in serviceable condition, in service, with active network reception and supplied with a fully charged battery Guide fees are generally negotiable. Only the Rp 150,000/person/day park entrance fee is set by the park authority. A sensible package price range would be: * 2-day, 1-night trek to the crater rim only: Rp 1,500,000-2,000,000 per person. *3-day, 1-night trek to summit, lake and hot springs: Rp 2,500,000-Rp 3,500,000 * 4-day, 3-night trek to summit,Lake&hot springs: Rp 3,500,000-4,000,000. These trekking fees will vary though according to how busy the guides are, how many people are in your party and if a commission is due to a referring person or agency. Some guide companies will charge as little as Rp 900,000 per person for a 2-night trek in the off-season, but it is important to check they are properly experienced, equipped and provisioned. Ensure your trek price is all-inclusive of any extra charges for transportation, provisions, porter fees and the park entrance fees. The following all offer organised treks with accommodation, transport to the mountain, return to your accommodation and can also help with hiring a private guide if required: * [https://www.rinjanisamalas.net Rinjani Samalas Tour & Trekking]Mount Rinjani hiking Tour guide from Senaru village. tel:+6282341446551 mailto:rinjanisamalas@gmail.com * {{do | name=Dedy Adventure | alt= | url=https://rinjanitrip.com/ | email=info@rinjanitrip.com | address=sembalun village,East Lombok-Indonesia | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62340876767 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Offer Rinjani Trekking package for beginner climbers and experienced climbers.headed by Dedy,Trekking organizer based in sembalun village. Experienced Rinjani trekking guide since 2008. }} *{{do | name=Mr. Adi Rinjani | url=http://www.mradirinjani.com | email=mradirinjani@gmail.com | address=Senaru, Lombok| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 852-3806-6401 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Adi is a guide himself and will help you organize and book your trip to Mount Rinjani. Besides all kinds of tracking packages, also transport and accommodation can be arranged. Treks can be booked as private tours or within a public but small group. Prices for 2019 can be seen on the website. Upon request, you will get a reply within 24 hours. |alt=|lastedit=2019-07-07}} * {{do | name= Dhyns Rinjani Hiking | url=http://www.dhynsrinjani.com | email=dhynsrinjani@gmail.com | address=Jalan Pariwisata Senaru, bayan, Nusa Tenggara Barat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 81238076623 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Offering tour packages to Mount Rinjani, from 2 days to 5 days program, with a great services and reasonable prices, and professional guide and porters. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Full Rinjani | alt= | url=https://www.fullrinjani.com/ | email=full123expedition@gmail.com | address=Jl Pariwiasta Senaru, Bayan | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 87864356690 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Offers a Rinjani trekking package. They tout their team as experienced, professional, friendly and caring about the environment and provide high-quality camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, pillows, camping chairs and a toilet tent) and tasty food. }} * {{do | name=Hajar Trekking | url=http://rinjanitrekkingplanner.com | email=info@rinjanitrekkingplanner.com | address=Dusun Tumpang Sari Desa Senaru, Bayan | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 81916014731 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Local trekking company in Senaru village concerning with an affordable trekking tour package service. }} * {{do | name=Herman Trekker | alt= | url=http://hermantrekker.com/ | email=hermantrekkerrinjani@gmail.com | address=Jalan Pariwisata, Senaru | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+6281918429666 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-06-05 | content=Headed by Herman, who used to work as a barman and is familiar with western culture and accommodation. Team of experienced guides for Mt. Rinjani. The team speaks good English and is polite and accommodating. Herman has a high respect for the environment and practices sustainable trekking activities. }} * {{do | name=John’s Adventures | url=http://www.lombok-rinjanitrek.com | email=rinjani_master@yahoo.com | address=Jl Senaru, Senaru | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 817 5788018 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Established agency with full range of trekking packages. John has been guiding climbers and arranging treks up Rinjani for over 20 years. Comfortable base at Senaru with a cafe, pickups are available from hotels and the airport. }} * {{do | name=Jou Trekking |url=http://www.joutrekking.com |email=joutrekking@gmail.com | address=Jl Pariwiasta senaru, Bayan | lat= |long= | directions= | phone=+6285338627708 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Provides packages to mount Rinjani. Guide & porters and good quality of trekking equipment. }} * {{do | name=Evsi Rinjani | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/lenkrinjanilombok/ | email=infotrekrinjani@gmail.com | address=Jl Pariwiasta, Senaru village | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+6281915987599 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Provides trekking packages to Mount Rinjani can be sharing package (join group) and private trek tour by sembalun gate or senaru gate trekking start. }} * {{do | name=Lhuna Adventure| ulr=http://www.lhuna-adventure.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info.adventure25@gmail.com | | address=Jln Pariwiasta Senaru Bayan | lat= | long= | derictions= | Phone=+6281339020882 | tollfree = | fax= | hours= | Price= | content= Rinjani trekking team (trekking guide and great trekking porter). Touts its "great service" during the trek, transport and hotel. }} * {{do | name=Lombok Rinjani Trek Organisation | url=http://www.lombokrinjanitrek.org/ | email= | address=Hotel Lombok Raya, Mataram | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 370 641124, +62 813 53443445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Official partnership between the national park authority and local communities with support from NZ AID. Full range of trekking packages. City office in Mataram and one at each of the two trek departure points. }} *{{do | name=Rinjani Footprint | url=http://www.rinjanifootprint.com | email=rinjani.fp@gmail.com | address=Jl Wisata Alam Kerandangan | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 813 5344 3445 (hotline) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Professionally run expeditions under the management of an experienced operator. All trek teams work to prescribed standards including; direct first hand experience at the destination, respect for the environment, social and cultural sensitivities.). }} * {{do | name=Rinjani Fun Trekking | url=http://www.rinjanifun.com | email=rinjanifun@gmail.com | address=Jl Pariwiasta, Senaru village | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+6281999195335 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Reliable Mount Rinjani trekking organizer established by experienced local guides. }} * {{do | name=Rinjani Trekking Club | alt= | url=http://www.info2lombok.com/ | email=rinjaniclub@gmail.com | address=Jl. Raya Senggigi Km 08, Senggigi | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 370 693202 | tollfree= | fax=+62 370 693202 | hours=24hr | price= | content=Responsible, knowledgeable and run by Ronie, the wel - established RTC is the best of the many outfits along senggigi's main strip howking Rinjani Treks. There is wide choice of guided hikes available; all include entrance fees, three meals a day, camping equipment. whatsApp +628175730415}} * {{do | name=Trekking Mount Rinjani Organizer | url=https://www.hikingrinjani.com | email=info@trekkingrinjani.com | address=Jalan cendrawasih No 8 Cakranegara, Nusa Tenggara Barat | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 817 369010 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tour packages offering the ascent of Mount Rinjani, 2 days 1 night, 3 days 2 nights, 4 days 3 nights, 5 days 4 nights and 6 days 5 nights. }} ==Ascent routes== Serious trekkers should explore the options of staying on the mountain for 3 nights or more with a planned trek that takes in the crater rim, down to the lake shore, the absolute summit and more. Such treks normally start in either Senaru or Sambulan Lawang however in the last couple of years some other routes have opened including the Benang Stokel, Timbanuh and Torean routes. ===The Senaru ascent route=== [[File:Segara Anak.jpg|thumb|250px|View of Segara Anak from the crater rim]] This is by far the most used route as it allows the (relatively) less strenuous trek to the crater rim only. You start at an elevation of 600 m in Senaru village, normally in the late morning or early afternoon and make the 6 hour ascent to the crater rim before dark. The route passes through POSII at 1,500 m, breaches the treeline at 2,000 m (POSIII) and then it is a bit of slog up gravel paths to the camp site just below the crater rim at 2,600 m. Wake before dawn to make the 20 to 30 minute final climb to the crater rim to enjoy sunrise and the iconic view across Segara Anak to Gunung Baru. If that has not sapped all of your energy you can then make a very precarious descent down to shores of the crater lake and bath in the hot waters. You need some confidence to do this as it is a steep descent of over 600 m using handrails and ropes. And then it is back to Senaru the way you came. There is an option to go on to Plawangan II where you overnight again before making the ascent to the absolute summit. This is not especially recommended from the Senaru side though. If you want to get to the top, the climb to Plawangan II is best made from Sambulan Lawang. ===The Sembalun Lawang ascent route=== [[File:Rinjani Summit Sunrise.jpg|thumb|250px|Sunrise over the climbers at the summit of Gunung Rinjani]] Starting in the morning from the Rinjani Trek Centre in the village, the climb to Plawangan II at 2,638 m will take about 8 hr via POSI (1,300 m), POSII (1,500 m) and POSIII (1,800 m). Overnight at the campsite here and go for the summit starting at 3AM the next day. You need to be well rested as this is a stiff task - the final climb is nearly 1,100 m on difficult ground. ===The Benang Stokel route=== Departs from the village of Aik Berik in Central Lombok and is about 27km east of Mataram or a little less than an hour’s drive. Locally Benang Stokel is well known for its 2 waterfalls, the Benang Kelambu waterfall and Benang Stokel waterfall. Treks normally depart from this waterfall location. The ascent up to the crater rim takes around 6 hours. From there a descent to the crater lake requires a further 3 hours. This track offers lots of variety and includes the Tiara Dewi Anjani waterfall. This is an route suitable for experienced trekkers. ===Other activities=== {{infobox|Guides for waterfall trips|Please use caution in accepting the services of some of the local guides. Payment fees to ''guide'' visitors to the first waterfalls may be demanded by local ''tout'' and ''guides''. At times these activities can be quite aggressive and demanding. This behavior is most certainly not officially sanctioned and a guide is not required to visit the primary waterfall site. You do not ''have'' to climb to the summit of Mount Rinjani to enjoy the splendors of the national park. Indeed unless you really think that you are physically capable it would be foolhardy to even try. You will find plenty of guides in either Senaru or Sembalun Lawang to suggest lower level treks through beautiful valleys. * At Sembalun Lawang, there are several popular walks which will take you into remote villages famous for weaving. The Rinjani Information Centre in the main village will be able to help you with these. * At [[Senaru]] take your time to explore the local villages. There are several nice waterfalls in this area all of which are reached via fairly gentle hikes. Access to the primary waterfall is by way of an established pathway and steps. The fixed price entrance fee is posted at the ticket booth at the top of the steps leading down to the waterfall site. A reputable and suitably experienced guide is recommended to walk to the second waterfall and is essential for the third which has a requirement for suitable climbing skills and equipment. Many of the individuals that lurk near the entrance above the steps to waterfall site and nearby are opportunists with little or no guiding skills. These self proclaimed ''guides'' and their associates often demand a ''guide'' ''payment'' from visitors or guides who take people into Senaru from other areas such as Senggigi or the Tanjung area. If unsuccessful in gaining direct payment from a visitor they often demand it of the driver or guide who brought the visitor to the site. The extraction of this payment may be done in a manner that is not immediately apparent to the visitor. Some of the accompanying guides and drivers may explain this to the visitor, others may not. If a serious dispute develops with the local self proclaimed ''guides'' then explain to them that you will leave the site and travel to an alternative location.}} There are other activities centred around the park including eco-walks and tree planting treks. A day trip around the Senaru and Bayan region can provide a mix of nature and culture. Some providers can organise visits to the traditional village in Senaru, a walk through the rice paddies, and a short walk to the two waterfalls of Senaru with a refreshing dousing in the falling water at the bottom. It's also possible to visit the old mosque in Bayan, or to have a look at the production of handicrafts in and around Bayan. The food market in Ancak might appeal to some people who would like to try some typical local food.<br> All those things may be done independently, or with a guide from one of the trekking providers. This can offer some good alternative activities for those who are unable to make an ascent for any reason, including the standard seasonal closure of the ascent routes. Choose the provider for a mountain ascent carefully to ensure they do actually have an understanding of the local environment and an informed and genuine commitment to environmental sustainability practice. One long term Rinjani trek provider, Rinjani Trekking Club, has attempted to shift the focus of activities upon the mountain to one of environmental respect and sustainability. Programs such as carrying out rubbish and maintaining clean camp sites and trails is a stated objective of the more eco-sustainable trek providers. It is important to ensure that if a trek marketed as ''eco-friendly'' is taken that the trekking ''guides'' do indeed ''thoroughly'' conform to their own stated objectives and policies during the trek. ==Eat== If you are trekking outside of an organised group, you should carry in all necessary food for your trek. Fresh fruit and high energy foods are especially appropriate. If you are planning to make the ascent to the absolute summit try to carry a special food item with you for celebrating your achievement of reaching the top. If you don't bring food and drink with you, be prepared to pay 5 times the normal price to vendors. Trekking packages usually include food which is carried and prepared by the porters. There are simple restaurants at the lodges in [[Senaru]] and Sembalun Lawang. ==Drink== If you are trekking independently, stock up with some liquids at Senaru or Sembalun Lawang. A flask of hot tea or coffee is very appropriate. There are a lot of fresh springs on both routes and these determine the positioning of the campsites. You therefore do not need to carry large quantities of water with you. The springs can run a little dry sometimes but all guides should know the status of each spring beforehand. ==Sleep== ===Lodging=== There is no lodging in the park itself, but some simple places to stay can be found at [[Senaru]] & Sembalun Lawang. [[Tanjung]] on the nearby northwest coast has several more upmarket offerings, and both it and the [[Gili Islands]] are reasonably close to Mount Rinjani. Many visitors choose to stay in the [[Senggigi]] region and travel north to Mount Rinjani by road. ===Accommodation for the Senaru route=== Please see the [[Senaru#sleep|sleep section]] at [[Senaru]] for details ===Accommodation for the Sembalun Lawang route=== * {{sleep | name=Lembah Rinjani Homestay | url=http://lembahrinjani.googlepages.com/ | email=lembahrinjani@gmail.com | address=Sembalun Lawang village | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 852 39841709 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 175,000 | checkin= | checkout= | content=10 double rooms all with cold water showers. Has a decent restaurant attached. }} ===Camping=== Camping is possible at designated rest shelter areas on the ascent routes, and at the crater rim. ==Stay safe== {{seealso|Volcanoes#Stay safe}} This is a very active volcano. Always be aware of the current assessment of eruptive activity. Sources worth keeping an eye on include local media and The Smithsonian Institute's weekly '''[http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/ Volcanic Activity Report]'''. Do not take the word of a trek organiser as gospel on safety issues. It is recommended that you come to Senaru the day before you begin '''[http://www.rinjanitrekkingplanner.com/ trekking Rinjani]''' , so you can have a proper rest and so you don’t need to wake up very early to get started. Most guides offer free accommodation in a local hotel for the night before the trek, plus you can get a light breakfast in the next morning – also included for free. Rinjani is high enough that [[altitude sickness]] is a concern. Be aware of the symptoms and treatment. It is also very cold up on the summit (4–5°C), so warm, windproof clothes are a must as are appropriate hiking boots and a head lamp. The sun can be very strong during the day and severe [[sunburn]] is a risk — you're on a high mountain and just a few degrees south of the Equator. Make sure that your guide is carrying a radio with him and that it is fully charged and working. A test call to the trek centre is advisable. The trek centre has a satellite telephone and it can be used by visitors – ask to see the chart of charges. ==Go next== * Back to [[Senggigi]], [[Tanjung]] or [[Kuta (Lombok)|Kuta]] for some well earned rest on the beach. * Cross to the [[Gili Islands]] for a chill out and views of the huge mountain you just climbed. {{geo|-8.4167|116.4667}} {{IsPartOf|North Lombok}} {{guidepark}} e0mmj40hsjrr2rqrbsixdx9w7p5leij 0 23443 4501621 4500228 2022-08-15T14:32:30Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Black & Yellow Top Taxi */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are inside city limits (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being India's largest city and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha empire in the 18th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhtrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpaty(the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Bombay beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Bagdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], [http://www.vodafone.in Vodafone], [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], [http://www.relianceinfo.com/Infocomm/ Reliance], and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire Wi-Fi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * Ambernath ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} coai491y3z5svkuuvsh65us8igw9htj 4501624 4501621 2022-08-15T14:35:26Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Black & Yellow Top Taxi */ the city limits of Mumbai also include the suburbs. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are within downtown Mumbai (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being India's largest city and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha empire in the 18th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhtrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpaty(the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Bombay beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Bagdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], [http://www.vodafone.in Vodafone], [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], [http://www.relianceinfo.com/Infocomm/ Reliance], and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire Wi-Fi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * Ambernath ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} mg9tocnca8mw9n2y30k0tpq2m07tq13 4501627 4501624 2022-08-15T15:09:20Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Talk */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are within downtown Mumbai (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being one of India's largest cities and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha empire in the 18th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhtrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpaty(the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Bombay beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Bagdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], [http://www.vodafone.in Vodafone], [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], [http://www.relianceinfo.com/Infocomm/ Reliance], and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire Wi-Fi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * Ambernath ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} na402iwaspocysrdrc2ly0lofhqsqlg 4501628 4501627 2022-08-15T15:14:37Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are within downtown Mumbai (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being one of India's largest cities and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal Hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpatty (the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Mumbai beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Baghdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], [http://www.vodafone.in Vodafone], [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], [http://www.relianceinfo.com/Infocomm/ Reliance], and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire Wi-Fi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * Ambernath ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} obcnsph8gqjt0l8fvqfov1gdg25v01r 4501669 4501628 2022-08-15T18:01:09Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Mobile phones */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are within downtown Mumbai (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being one of India's largest cities and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal Hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpatty (the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Mumbai beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Baghdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], Vodafone Idea (Vi), [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], Reliance Jio, and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire Wi-Fi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * Ambernath ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} qrh3dmhy4nuc8b50ke6dlgxltkl3293 4501673 4501669 2022-08-15T18:08:46Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* WiFi */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are within downtown Mumbai (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being one of India's largest cities and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal Hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpatty (the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Mumbai beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Baghdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], Vodafone Idea (Vi), [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], Reliance Jio, and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire WiFi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone Idea. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * Ambernath ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} 1jr87wfnr47vnt94kpx655einwu2qaz 4501686 4501673 2022-08-15T18:32:23Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Go next */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mumbai banner Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.jpg|dotm=yes}} {{redirect|Bombay}} {{printDistricts}} '''Mumbai''' ([[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]: मुंबई, [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]: मुम्बई) ([http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/ state tourism office]), a cosmopolitan metropolis, earlier known as '''Bombay''', is the largest city in [[India]] and the capital of the state [[Maharashtra]]. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven islands on the [[Konkan]] coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form ''Greater Bombay''. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 21 million (2011), making it one of the world's most populous cities. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of ''[[Bollywood]]'' within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population and the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. ==Districts== {{mapshapes|Q3273422}} <!-- Local --> {{mapshapes|Q3530568}} <!-- Monorail --> {{mapshapes|Q646414}} <!-- Metro --> {{Regionlist | regionmap=Mumbai travel map.svg | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]] | region1color=#4F93C0 | region1items=Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, Tardeo | region1description= The oldest areas of Mumbai, and is considered the heart of this commercial capital of India. The richest neighbourhoods in the country are here, which command among the highest property rates in the world. Real estate prices in South Mumbai are comparable to those in Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of city’s museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants and the Gateway of India. | region2name=[[Mumbai/South Central|South Central Mumbai]] | region2color=#71B37B | region2items=Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar | region2description=Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this area has been revamped into a white-collar office location. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli sea face, and the temple to what people consider the city's guardian deity. As you move north, it changes into a nice middle-class locality. | region3name=[[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] | region3color=#D56D76 | region3items=Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, Mahim | region3description=Primarily an upper middle-class area, except for Dharavi, which contains [[Asia| Asia's]] second largest slum. This area developed immediately after India's independence, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition. | region4name=[[Mumbai/Western Suburbs|West Mumbai]] | region4color=#AC5C91 | region4items=Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova | region4description=Is home to those who want to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has few beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. This is also where the city's domestic and international airports are. | region5name=[[Mumbai/Central Suburbs|East Mumbai (Central Suburbs)]] | region5color=#B383B3 | region5items=Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund, Powai, Thane, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Kalyan | region5description=This is a middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community. Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable[citation needed] from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese. | region6name=[[Mumbai/Harbour suburbs|Harbour Suburbs]] | region6color=#D5DC76 | region6items=Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, Trombay | region6description=Before the development of [[Navi Mumbai]] as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai. | region7name=[[Mumbai/Northwest|North Mumbai]] | region7color=#B5D29F | region7items=Manori, Jogeshwari, Borivali, Gorai, Dahisar | region7description=Has some beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Contains the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest heritage sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut temples dating from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Gorai. The pagoda is claimed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India in 2009. It is in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. Essel world, India's largest amusement park is also found on the Gorai island, beside the global vipassana pagoda. }} {{infobox|Western and Central, East and West|A visitor to Mumbai's suburbs will quickly learn that the suburbs are divided into "Western" and "Central". You will also hear of a "West" side and an "East" side. Here is a quick explanation for the confused. * The Western and Central suburbs are named after the local railway lines that serve the respective areas. The Western and Central Railways are rail lines that serve the western and central parts of ''India''. Both have their headquarters in Mumbai. The Harbour Line is a feeder line that connects the harbour areas to the Central and Western lines. It also provides connectivity to the Northeastern suburbs of Mumbai and onwards to [[Navi Mumbai]]. Most of these areas do not lie anywhere close to an harbour. * Almost all localities in Mumbai have a "West" side and an "East" side. "West" means west of the railway line and "East" means east of the railway line. For example, Mulund (West) means that the area is to the west of the Mulund railway station. In addresses, West and East are abbreviated, i.e. Mulund(W) and Mulund(E).}} Mumbai is a city built in successive waves of migrations. The neighbourhoods acquired their character from the communities that settled there first. These neighbourhoods are too numerous to list and there is no commonly accepted way to group these neighbourhoods into larger districts. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed. ==Understand== [[File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img14 Elephanta Caves.jpg|thumb|240px|Carvings at the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]]] Mumbai is a bustling, diverse metropolis with a flair of its own. The entrepreneurial spirit and pulsing pace of life provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. ===Name=== There has been much debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say the current name of the city Mumbai is the original name; and is an eponym derived from "Mumba", the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and "Aai", meaning "mother" in Marathi. Others claim Bombay was an anglicised version of Bom Bahia, a name given by the Portuguese to mean "Beautiful Bay" and later made popular by the British as the name of the Bombay state. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. Although Bombay and Mumbai are both used, people who explicitly use "Bombay" are generally non-Marathi speakers whereas "Mumbai" proponents primarily speak Marathi. In the West, Mumbai has become more commonly accepted in order to avoid controversy. The city is also fondly called आमची मुंबई ("our Mumbai"). ===History=== Though the seven islands that now make up the city have a long recorded history like any other place in India, their journey to form the city of Mumbai really started in 1498, when the Portuguese took them over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts, and churches (including the strange looking Portuguese Church that stands to this day). However, they could not make much of their possession and the seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He wasn't very interested in the islands either, and he leased them to the British East India Company for £10 a year in 1668. The East India Company built the docks, the trading posts, and the fort that would form the nerve centre of the city. They also started off the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands, an activity which went on until the 1960s. The port attracted industries, and the entrepreneurial communities like the Parsis, Gujaratis, and Marwaris (from Rajasthan) migrated and set up trading companies and factories in the late 19th century. Industries attracted migrant labor from different parts of the country. The successive waves of migration shaped the character of the city and its neighborhoods. The city that owes its existence to the efforts of the British was also the birthplace of the Indian National Congress, which played an overwhelmingly important role in the independence movement. The city whose mills were built by industrialists from across the country is the capital of Maharashtra state, which was carved on linguistic lines for [[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]] speakers. In the 1980s, high labour costs and unrest forced the closure of many textile mills and the city went into a decline from which it started recovering only in the late 1990s. The high population put a strain on the infrastructure. The rail and road network underwent a steady improvement over the 1990s, but because of the magnitude of the task, the roads seemed to be perennially under construction. Mumbai has now reinvented itself as a hub for the service industry. In January 1993, in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Mosque in [[Ayodhya]], a wave of riots swept the city, with over 1,000 people killed, the vast majority of whom were Muslims. Relations between the city's various ethnic groups have been tense ever since, with several terrorist outrages (see [[#Stay safe]]) adding fuel to the fire. ===Culture and attitudes=== Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city in India. In comparison with the rest of the country, the city is quite liberal. With a regular influx of immigrants from rest of India, the citizens, popularly known as 'Mumbaikers', have shown remarkable tolerance towards other cultures, making it a true cultural melting pot. However this tolerance has sometimes bowed under external pressures. Between the 60s and 80s, there was resentment about the non-Marathi speakers taking away jobs. The 1991 and 1993 riots between Hindus and Muslims did affect this spirit; however, the city managed to recover from these, once again proudly highlighting true 'spirit of Mumbai'. ===Climate=== {{Climate|maxprecip=900 | units = Metric | janhigh = 31 | febhigh = 31 | marhigh = 33 | aprhigh = 33 | mayhigh = 33 | junhigh = 32 | julhigh = 30 | aughigh = 29 | sephigh = 30 | octhigh = 33 | novhigh = 33 | dechigh = 32 | janlow = 16 | feblow = 17 | marlow = 21 | aprlow = 24 | maylow = 26 | junlow = 26 | jullow = 25 | auglow = 25 | seplow = 24 | octlow = 23 | novlow = 21 | declow = 18 | janprecip = 1 | febprecip = 2 | marprecip = 0 | aprprecip = 1 | mayprecip = 13 | junprecip = 574 | julprecip = 868 | augprecip = 553 | sepprecip = 356 | octprecip = 78 | novprecip = 15 | decprecip = 3 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o = | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = source [http://www.imdmumbai.gov.in/ Indian Meteorological Department] }} Mumbai has three main seasons — summer, monsoon, and winter (milder summer). The best time to visit is during the winter between October and February. Humidity is also less during the winter, when the climate is pleasant; the minimum temperature is 17°C and the maximum is 30-31°C. Summer is from March to May, with highs in the low to mid 30s (roughly 80-90°F). It is hot and humid during this time. June to September is the monsoon season when the city is lashed by heavy rains. The city gets flooded two or three times and normal life gets disrupted during this season. Climate is humid pretty much throughout the year because the city rests on the coast. ==Get in== ===By plane === Mumbai has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities around the world, including, New York, London, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur to name a few. If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from London, and there are many frequent flights available. All domestic sectors are linked to Mumbai, making it the second busiest hub in the country next to Delhi. [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 114 Airport international terminal interior.jpg|thumb| Interior of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (International Terminal)]] Mumbai's {{marker|type=go|name=[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]|lat=19.099748|long=72.874990}} ({{IATA|BOM}}) is one of India's busiest airports and one of the main international gateways to the country. Many international airlines such as [https://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en Aeroflot], [http://www.airchina.com/index.shtml Air China], [https://www.airfrance.com/indexCom_en.html Air France], [https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/?type=e All Nippon Airways], [https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ British Airways], [https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US.html Cathay Pacific], [https://www.delta.com/ Delta], [https://www.elal.com/en/USA/Pages/default.aspx El Al], [https://www.emirates.com/English/ Emirates], [https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/us Ethiopian Airlines], [https://www.flydubai.com/en/ flydubai], [https://www.klm.com/ KLM Royal Dutch], [https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html Korean Air], [https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/us/en.html Malaysia Airlines], [https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage Lufthansa], [https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html Qatar Airways], [https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home#/book/bookflight Singapore Airlines], [https://www.swiss.com/us/en Swiss International Air Lines], [http://www.thaiair.com/ Thai Airways], [https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Turkish Airlines], [https://www.united.com/en/us United], and [https://www.virginatlantic.com/us/en Virgin Atlantic] fly into Mumbai. Low-cost carriers such as [http://www.airasia.com Air Asia] also fly to the city. ===By boat === Many travel organizations offer cruises from Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai to Mumbai. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the vicinity of the city and the [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. ===By train === : ''Wikivoyage has a guide to [[Rail travel in India]]'' {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at 3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane.}} Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The Central line serves connectivity to [[Southern India]], [[Eastern India]], and parts of North India. The key stations are {{marker|type=listing|name=Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, CST [CSTM] (formerly Victoria Terminus, known just as VT)|lat=18.9407 | long=72.8355}}, {{marker|type=listing|name=Dadar Terminus [DR] (for Central Line) and [DDR] (for Western Line)|lat=19.0187 | long=72.8433}}, and {{marker|type=listing|name=Lokmanya Tilak Terminus [LTT] (formerly called Kurla Terminus)| lat=19.0699 | long=72.8917}}. The Western line connects to the [[Western India|Western states]] of [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and some parts of North India. The main termini are {{marker|type=listing|name=Mumbai Central [BCT]|lat=18.9700 | long=72.8194}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Bandra Terminus [BDTS]|lat=19.0645 | long=72.8411}}. The [http://www.konkanrailway.com Konkan Railway] (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from [[Goa]] and [[Mangalore]], coastal resort areas to the South. The Dadar Terminus is the destination for the line. For trains to other Indian cities, the main reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings and tariffs on train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, visit [http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Indian railway's website]. To travel unlimited on the Mumbai you can use[https://www.irctchelp.in/2018/12/mumbai-local-train-tourist-ticket-pass.html Mumbai Local Tourist Ticket] provided by the Indian Railways. The [http://www.the-maharajas.com/ Maharajas' Express] is a luxury train that will take you to Delhi. ===By car=== National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest of India. The comfortable airconditioned blue cabs are available to Pune and Ahmednagar-Nashik from opposite Asiad Bus Termina in Dadar and Lakhamsi Nappoo Rd near Dadar east railway station respectively. Distances from various cities to Mumbai are: * '''From other states''': [[Ahmedabad]] ({{km|524}}, 10 hr), [[Bangalore]] ({{km|982}}), [[Chennai]] ({{km|1334}}), [[Kochi]] ({{km|1427}}), [[Goa]] ({{km|583}}, 11 hr), [[Hyderabad]] ({{km|711}}, 14 hr), [[Mangalore]] ({{km|892}}), [[New Delhi]] ({{km|1402}}) * '''From Maharashtra State''': [[Amravati]] ({{km|669}}), [[Ahmednagar]] ({{km|254}}), [[Nagpur]] ({{km|824}}), [[Pune]] ({{km|151}}, 2½-3 hr) ===By bus=== Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India. * '''Asiad Bus Service''' The bus terminal, popularly known as 'Asiad Bus Terminal' on Ambedkar Rd in Dadar east is another hub from where buses travel to Pune at regular frequency of 15 minutes to 1 hour. Buses vary in comfort from ordinary to luxury with airconditioning. Other routes available are Mumbai - Satara, Mumbai - Nasik. The easiest way to reach the terminal is to cross over using pedestrian foot bridge to Dadar East from the Dadar Terminus and walk straight all the way (less than 5 mins) to Ambedkar Rd. * '''Private Buses''' There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like [[Udaipur]], [[Ajmer]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Vadodara]], [[Surat]], [[Indore]], [[Nashik]], [[Aurangabad]], [[Hyderabad]], [[Belgaum]], [[Hubli]], [[Bangalore]], [[Mangalore]], [[Trichur]] and [[Goa]]. For [[Pune]], buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market, Dadar T.T., Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points. Some of the reliable private operators are - National,Neeta, Sharma, VRL, Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels. * {{listing | name=ST Buses | alt= MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2307 4272 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2307 6622 (Mumbai Central), +91 22 2422 9905 (Parel), +91 22 2413 6835 (Dadar) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Operates services to Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well as other State Transport buses. Quality varies. }} ==Get around== Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace due to the lack of parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally poor road conditions, especially in the monsoon. However, do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not used to Indian roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending. Feel real adventure in a vehicle that feels like it might fall apart at a speed over {{convert|30|km/h}} with a driver who thinks he's Schumacher. For travelling using public transport, you can download the m-Indicator app for [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobond.mindicator Android] and [https://apps.apple.com/in/app/m-indicator/id593278253 iPhone]. It contains useful information about bus and train routes, which can help you plan your commute. * '''TMT''' (Thane Municipal Transport) operates services in the [[Thane]] city and areas around it. * The '''MSRTC''' (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), commonly known as ST, operates services from selected points in the city to the extended suburbs. From Dadar, services to Navi Mumbai and Panvel and from Borivali to Thane being the most prominent. Numerous other important routes are also covered in the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) by the MSRTC. * '''NMMT''' (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) operates services in Navi Mumbai Area, and a few points around. They also have services from Mulund in Greater Mumbai. * '''KDMT''' (Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport) operates in the Kalyan-Dombivali Area with a few connections to Navi Mumbai. Another option is to book bus tickets online from [http://www.redbus.in/ Redbus] or [https://www.myticketbuddy.com myticketbuddy], both of which have a choice of a number of large private bus operators all over India. ===By taxi=== ====Black & Yellow Top Taxi ==== Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Most taxis in Mumbai are small-medium sized Fiat cars (non air-conditioned), painted black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). The legal maximum limit on the number of passengers in a taxi is 4, excluding the driver. You can hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty, and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times. All taxis should have electronic meters which are somewhat tamper-proof. If you encounter a mechanical meter post that date, you can put up a complaint to the closest traffic police cop. Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the nearest cop usually does the trick. If you have extra pieces of luggage, the boot (trunk) of the taxi will not provide sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there. Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the carrier. Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one on the street. This will not be a problem if you are within downtown Mumbai (i.e. [[Mumbai/North Central|North Central Mumbai]] and below). If you are in the suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is four — three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow taxis will not even have them installed, though expect them in the branded ones. ====Blue & White Top Taxi ==== The Blue and White (B/W) Taxis are premium public Taxis which are the air-conditioned version of the Black and Yellow (B/Y) Taxis. All the rules of the B/Y taxis apply to the B/W taxis too, except that the B/W taxis are air-conditioned. Moreover the fare of the B/W taxis is 20% higher than the B/Y taxis. This is the premium expected for the air-conditioned, which is really helpful for tourists and travellers who are not accustomed to the heat and pollution of Mumbai. Moreover, all the B/W taxis ply with electronic meters, unlike the B/Y taxis. Since the fare of the B/W is at a premium, the common folks usually do not prefer to travel by the B/W taxis, and is primarily used by tourists or business travelers. For the lack of demand, the lack of supply is also expected. The taxis ply frequently, but are not easily available on all locations. You can always expect them to be available at tourist hot-spots like railway stations, airports, premium hotels, top tourist spots, etc. If you are not travelling through either of the above locations, and you need the air-conditioned comfort, but do not want to go look for a taxi, it is suggested that you move to the next section. ====Private taxis==== If you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis '''it's best to travel by branded cab services''' that operate at government-approved tariffs. These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You can get them at 30–60 minutes notice, they are clean, air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters, punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes before scheduled departure. There is a 25% night surcharge (midnight-5AM). Some can be booked online. Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around railway stations and airports where they can more easily find suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading. '''Transportation network taxis''' Mumbai is also served by various transportation network organisations. A lot of tourists and locals alike use services like Uber and Ola Cabs to commute in and around Mumbai. Make sure to read the tariffs in these before you pay. While most of these services do accept cash, a lot of them can also be linked to online wallet services like Paytm; as such, overcharging is rarely a risk. ==== Tourist traps ==== One of the common scams is to charge the night fare rate during daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying. In some cards, the night fare is red in color and the daytime fare is black in color. The night charges are only applicable if you board the vehicle during the night hours (midnight to 5 AM). If you had boarded the vehicle before midnight, and your journey is finishing after midnight, you are not liable to pay night charges. Similarly, if you board the vehicle before 5 AM and you finish after 5 AM, you are liable to pay night charges. Sometimes, auto-rickshaw drivers charge the taxi fare and even show you a tariff card which is used for taxi fare computation. You can download m-indicator app which is available in Play Store and iTunes App Store. This app carries latest taxi fares, auto fares, bus services details and local train time table. ===By auto-rickshaw=== Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are not issued licenses in the downtown areas. Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the flag-down reading as 1.00 (on a mechanical meter). If the number is higher, insist that the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is ₹21. The meter remains at 1.00 for the first {{km|1.6}} and every 0.10 movement indicates approx 200 m (i.e. 1.50 for every {{km|0.2}}). Every auto driver is supposed to carry a valid RTO approved meter tariff card. You can check this tariff card before paying. The meter also keeps ticking if you are waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police. All of this applies to mechanical meters, not digital meters. Newer digital meters have started becoming common from 2012 onwards, and they show the exact fare, so there is no need to convert via the tariff card. Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions. Pregnant ladies are most ''strongly advised'' not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances. ===By bus=== The [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]] around Mumbai is fast developing into a major conurbation. If you need to get to the surrounding cities of [[Thane]], [[Navi Mumbai]] or [[Kalyan]], bus services are available. '''[http://www.bestundertaking.com Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport]''' (known as '''BEST''') provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayandar areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all over the city. There is usually a crowd and queue. You have to get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped", "Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from the front. Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however. Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area traversed and the state of the roads. {{infobox|What connects ''Electric supply'' and Transport?|BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course, it runs buses that run on diesel & CNG, not electricity. The company is still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central Mumbai.}} Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series. Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. BEST has introduced the "Daily Pass" (Cost ₹50, valid on all BEST non-AC buses; Cost ₹60, valid on all BEST buses, including Air-conditioned bus routes). BEST has launched its app "[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas]" for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses. You can also purchase BEST bus tickets and passes using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app for Android. ===By train=== [[File:Mumbai Metropolitan Railway Schematic Map (simplified).svg|thumb|250px|Schematic map of Mumbai's suburban railway routes]] [[File:Rapid transit map of Mumbai.jpg|thumb|400x400px|Topological map of Mumbai's public transport system]] ====Suburban rail network==== Most people travel in Mumbai using the ''Suburban Rail Network'' commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network, with three lines — the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the Harbour Line. *Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels from Churchgate to Dahanu Road via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Western line provides North-South connectivity. *The Central Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), aka VT Victoria Terminus to [[Kalyan]] via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and [[Thane]], with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara. The interchange point between the Western Line and the Central Line is Dadar. *The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri. The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and Andheri. Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap. However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better. There would always be queues and it would be advisable to buy coupon booklets. Coupon booklets punching machines are available at all stations and the best thing is you will not have to stand in a huge line to buy a booklet. Another option is to buy a Smart card for Railways. It helps you maintain balance like any a gift card with an option to refill it once it goes below the limit. Smart card outlets to buy tickets are available on all stations. They are touch screen based and you can simply follow the instructions to buy a ticket for the right path. If you are a tourist, you can buy a 'Tourist Ticket'. It costs ₹275 and you can travel in first class compartments of all the three lines during the entire day. Ensure the location of the first class compartment before the train arrives. You may ask fellow passengers or the vendors at the various food stalls. An easier way to spot the location of the First class compartment is to check the station walls painted with red and yellow slant stripes. Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or otherwise). Rush hour is 8:30–10:30AM towards CST and Churchgate and 5:30PM–8:30PM in the opposite direction. If you are traveling during rush hour, don't stand near railway track as you will get swamped by frantic. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car before the car comes to a full stop. If you stand any chance of getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by. Last, but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the experienced locals. There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are designated by green and yellow slant stripes, spot these stripes on the station walls and you'll know where the ladies compartment is. These are generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty except for you. From 11:15PM-6:30PM the ladies compartment towards the northern end is open to general public. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but sometimes they won't. Use your judgment. ====Mumbai Metro==== The Mumbai Metro connects the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs. Line 1 runs from Versova to Ghatkopar with interchange options available at Andheri (Western Line) And Ghatkopar (Central Line) Railway Station. The travel time is 20 minutes. You can purchase Mumbai Metro tickets from your smartphone using the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ridlr ridlr] app. ====Mumbai Monorail==== Mumbai has India's first monorail, it has one line and eighteen stations throughout the city. The fare is between ₹5 and ₹11 depends on your destination station. ===By ferry=== These are a few intra-city ferry services: * '''Gateway of India to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]''' Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is only way to get to [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]]. * '''Gorai (Borivali) to Gorai Beach''' Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld. * '''Marve Jetty (Malad) to Manori Jetty''' Cheap ferry (by BEST) connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement Park). * '''Versova (Andheri) to Madh Jetty''' Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve. ===By car=== Travel agents and hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the city. Driving in Mumbai can be difficult, because of poor driver discipline, but chauffeur driven services are very reasonable. These can be arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin. Car rental agencies also have services in Mumbai. ==Talk== Mumbai is India's melting pot — a confluence of people from various parts of India, but dominant are people from the west, then north, and followed by the south. '''[[Marathi phrasebook|Marathi]]''' is the state and city official language used by State Government agencies, municipal authorities, and the local police, and also the first language of most locals. However, being one of India's largest cities and main commercial centre, Mumbai is now also home to migrants from other parts of India who do not speak Marathi. A local variant of '''[[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]]''', with strong Bollywood influence, called Bambaiya Hindi serves as the "lingua franca" and although almost everyone can understand standard Hindi, you may get an interesting reply from some. Most educated locals will be well versed in Marathi, Hindi and English. English is widely used in the corporate world and in banking and trading. At most places, you will be able to get by with Hindi and English, as most people you will encounter can communicate in broken English at the very least. However expect to hear more regional languages including [[Gujarati]]. ==See== {{infobox|The game of names|The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens, and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales. After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed. Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute" (formerly Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute) is still VJTI. For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names. Multiple places are named after Nehru, Shivaji, or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. Few important names changes to remember are: * 'Victoria Terminus' is now 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus' * 'Jacob Circle' is now 'Saat Rasta' or 'Sant Gaadge Maharaj Chowk' * 'King's Circle' is now 'Maheshwari Udyyan' * 'Kurla Terminus' is now 'Lokmanya Tilak Terminus' }} There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in [[Mumbai/South|South Mumbai]]. By Indian standards, Mumbai is a young city and much of the land comprising the city did not exist until it was claimed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore, a pleasant surprise to find rock cut caves such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali within city limits. ===Colonial buildings=== [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 40 Bombay High Court.jpg|thumb|Bombay High Court, a Victorian Gothic building]] The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George, which lies at the southern extremity of the city. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. To get the best [South Mumbai] experience, stroll around the wide streets of the area right from Churchgate to Colaba. These areas are all beautifully planned and have wide and clean pavements unlike the rest of the city. Famous monuments to be seen in this area are the Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) building, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The famous Taj Mahal Hotel is opposite the Gateway of India. The Mumbai University buildings and the High Court are also excellent examples of colonial architecture in the city. There are a lot of other modern structures to look at in this area. The area known as Marine Drive (right from Chowpatty beach to NCPA) is home to a large number of buildings built in the Art Deco style. Mumbai is second only to Miami in the number of Art Deco buildings. some famous buildings in this style are the Eros and Regal cinemas. The Art Deco and Gothic buildings were added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] in 2018. ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Nehru Centre 11.jpg|250px|right|thumb|alt=Nehru Centre|Nehru Science Centre]] Some of the India's most famous museums and art galleries are found here. The Kala Ghoda area in South Mumbai teems with them, particularly the [http://www.csmvs.in/ Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya] (Prince of Wales Museum), and the [http://ngmaindia.gov.in/ngma_mumbai.asp National Gallery of Modern Art]. Once again, most of them are concentrated in South Mumbai. Also worth planning a visit is Jehangir Art Gallery, also at Kala Ghoda, displays changing exhibits by notable artists. The plaza next to the gallery also regularly displays exhibits of various artists. In Nehru Complex in Worli is Nehru Centre Art Gallery at Worli is a gallery dedicated to young and promising talent along with established artists. Also within the complex is a permanent exposition, Discovery of India, which attempts to cover every aspect of artistic, intellectual and philosophical attainment of India through ages. The exposition spreads across 14 galleries and reflects true identity of the country. On the other end of the complex, Nehru Science Centre - which has a separate entrance from Mahalaxmi race course road, has a permanent exhibition on 'interactive and exciting' science related exhibits highlighting science principles in fun yet educational way. ===Beaches=== Mumbai isn't known for beaches because they have immensely filthy water! Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. But they aren't that great and the water off Mumbai's coast is extraordinarily dirty. The relatively better ones are in the [[Mumbai/Northwest|Northwest Mumbai]] area. However, they are a great place to see how the locals spend their Sunday evenings, with various food and game stalls. There are other beaches to be found such as the Girgaon Chowpatty (the cleanest one) in South Mumbai, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Aksa Beach in Malad. The currents don't seem strong, but particularly in the rains, lots of people die from drowning, so avoid getting in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of advice to women: Mumbai beaches are not the kind you can wear swimsuits to, particularly two-pieces. [[File:Faluda at Juhu Beach, Mumbai.jpg|thumbnail|Faludha stall at Juhu beach, Mumbai]] ===Zoos, parks and gardens=== Mumbai has a justified reputation as a concrete jungle, but there are some nice pockets of greenery within the city. It is also one of the rare metropolises to have an entire national park within its borders. (Borivali national park also known as [http://www.borivlinationalpark.com/ Sanjay Gandhi National Park]). You will not visit Mumbai for them, but if you are already here, they make a nice escape from the din and bustle. It also houses the ancient Kanheri Caves crafted out of rocky cliffs, which dates back 2,400 years. The city zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is in Byculla and is a colonial relic which is surprisingly well-preserved. The animals may look rather emaciated, but the sheer diversity of trees on this lush zoo is worth a trip. Some city parks are very well-maintained and combine history as well. The "Hanging Gardens" on Malabar Hill offers stunning vistas of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens, there is another park which is known as Kamla Nehru Park, famous for the striking shoe-shaped structure which has been filmed in various Bollywood movies Further in South Mumbai, the Mumbai Port Trust Garden, is another hidden gem. This is set off a small side street off the Colaba Causeway {{km|2–3}} south of the main section. Attractive views of the port, the naval yards and sunset. In central Mumbai, there are the Five Gardens. Mainly used by walkers in the morning, it is a mess in the evenings. But the gardens encircle some historic, art deco residences. ===Markets and crowds=== Mumbai is probably worth visiting just for its street markets, the hustle of vendors, and the madness of the crowds. Good places are Bandra, Khar and Andheri. If you came to Mumbai and didn't give visit to the highly dense and crowded markets, it means you didn't meet the real Mumbai. Hawkers and street shoppers don't ask for any legal permission and then set their stalls at the places where they see maximum footfall. From electronics items to fresh food, you can get everything at railway platforms, subway and mains streets. ===Modern buildings and malls=== Once the British left, the zeal to wipe away the traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the enthusiasm to build a new city that matched the grandeur of the British-era buildings. Now, while the shabbiness of the socialist era is thankfully being replaced by architecture with an eye on aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are coming up are indistinguishable from those anywhere else in the world. Still, they are worth a look, especially if you want to have a look at India's success story. Skyscrapers exceeding 60 stories now dominate the skyline. For long, Inorbit Mall was the only mall offering a lot of variety for shoppers. Palladium, built within the High Street Phoenix, broke the monopoly of Inorbit Mall. From state of the art interiors to international brands, the Palladium has everything. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad also has lots of foreign brands and is one of the biggest malls in the suburbs. Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan are two of the largest malls in Mumbai. In the central suburbs, they are quite popular in the city. Powai is a modern central Mumbai suburb with European looks. Powai houses the Indian Institute of Technology and is built around fabulous lake. Most of the construction is in a township format and is privately built. It houses twenty top of the line restaurants, two large convenience stores, a handful of coffee shops and entertainment areas. Initially built as an upmarket self-contained township, Powai has now grown into a business process outsourcing hub in Mumbai. The township reflects both characteristics; you will often find families shopping and twenty somethings hanging out in tables next to each other. ===Religious places=== Mumbai has temples, mosques, churches, Parsi agiaries, and even a few synagogues reflecting the diversity of its citizens. While these are naturally of interest if you are a believer, some, like the Portuguese church at Dadar are worth visiting just for their unique architecture. Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai is very famous. It is in Dadar and you can easily get a taxi to go to the temple from the Dadar railway station. The city also boasts of Jewish places of worship predominantly in the area called Byculla, but also in South Mumbai. In this area the three prominent Jewish groups of Mumbai lived. They were Baghdadi Jews, Bene Israelis and the locals who had converted over a period of time and lived in the hinterland. There are two very beautiful Hare Krishna (ISKCON) temples that are significant tourist attractions. One is in Hare Krishna land, Juhu, Andheri and the other in South Mumbai, near Gandhi's house. Both have Govinda's pure vegetarian restaurants at the premises. Most tourists appreciate the peaceful experience in the temple. The Islamic Research Foundation of Zakir Naik is in South Central Mumbai near Dongri. Is popular with people of all faiths. It hosts a vast library of books from all world religions and is a great place to hangout and know about Islamic culture. Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most visited places in Mumbai. The Dargah Sharief is built on a tiny islet 500 metres from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. People from different religion and places visit this places. More than 80,000 people visit dargah every week. One notable monument in the northwest suburbs of Mumbai is the [http://www.globalpagoda.org Global Vipassana Pagoda], Gorai, Mumbai. It is a meditation centre that can seat 8,000 people. Vipassana literally means mediation, and the centre runs 10-day meditation courses and 1 day mega courses on Sundays. The courses are free of cost but you would have to register for them in advance on their website. ==Do== There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find opportunities for water sports like [http://www.drishtiadventures.com/ H2O] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in [http://www.bpgc-golf.com/home.htm Chembur] in the Harbour suburbs. Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organised theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy [[Indian classical music]] and dance. While not a patch on the ''Sabhas'' of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs. Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, and Slipknot. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges. Western classical music performances are rarer. However most classical music performances along with other art forms are regularly performed at [http://www.ncpamumbai.com/ NCPA] and [http://ncpamumbai.com/venue/tata-theatre Tata Theatre], both next to the narrow strip at Nariman Point. * '''Sanjay Gandhi National Park''' (previously named Borivili National Park), or go for Flamingo watching in Chembur (check with Bombay Natural History Society for further info). * '''Chowpati Jayenge Bhel Puri Khayenge'''; as it says in the lyrics of one of the Bollywood movie song, go to beaches (specially in the evenings) and enjoy local favourite 'Bhel Puri' while the sun sets in the Arabian sea. * '''Take a harbour cruise'''; cruises from Gateway of India leave every 30 min daily except during the monsoon season (Jun-Sep). * '''Dabba wallahs''' are a group of couriers in Mumbai who move two million household lunchboxes every day in a complicated system of delivery. * '''Enjoy theatre & performances'''; Mumbai offers unlimited opportunities to theatre lovers and there are regular shows in theatres across the city. Check newspapers on latest shows as well as performances at prominent halls such as Prithvi Theatre, NCPA, Tata Theatre. * '''Experience Bollywood'''; plan a trip to Film City in Goregaon and enjoy the first hand experience of Bollywood shooting * '''Get crowded''', and try catching suburban trains at peak times. You are warned though. * {{do | name=Join for heritage walks | alt= | url=http://www.bombayheritagewalks.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=organised by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organised on the third Sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 2 hours. Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged. }} * '''Poonawallas Breeders Multimillion'''; on the last Sunday of February, the glitterati of Mumbai dress up for the Ascot of Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. With High Tea, amazing hats, and hundreds of ordinary punters staking their little all on the outside chance, this is the event to attend in Mumbai so try to cage a ticket if you happen to visit around then. * '''Pub Hopping''', The number and variety of Pubs in the city allow for an enthralling Pub Hopping opportunity. * '''Taj private yacht'''; if you can afford it, rent the Taj's private yacht (has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour. * '''Take A Dip at Water World''' * '''Take a morning walk on Juhu beach''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 52 Dharavi near Mahim Junction.jpg|thumb|Mumbai slums]] * '''Temples'''; there are so many religious places around in the city (both old and new) that one can plan a day long itinerary on that. Start with Mahalkshmi Temple, Banganga Temple, Siddhi Vinayak, Afghan Church, Mahim Church, Haji Ali... the list will get really long. * '''Visit Essel World''' * '''Visit museums and art galleries''' [[File:Mumbai 03-2016 46 evening at Marine Drive.jpg|thumb|Marine Drive]] * '''Walk along Marine Drive'''; also known as ''Queen's Necklace'', this beachside promenade is worth a ride. A walk can be planned from Girgaon Chowpati (Girgaon beach) all the way up to Nariman Point. Be careful and avoid this area during heavy rains. * '''Watch a Movie'''; you are in the land of Bollywood. Expect whistles and clapping by crowd in admiration of their celebrities on the screen, except at multiplexes as this occurs at single-screen movie theatres. Most of the cinema halls run both 'popular and new' Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies and some even screen ones in regional languages. Some of the popular Hollywood screening cinema halls in South Mumbai are Eros opposite Churchgate, Metro on M.G.Road, Regal in Colaba, Sterling next to CST Station, and New Excelsior in Fort. With the rise of malls and multiplexes, the nearest cinema is unlikely to be more than a stone's throw away, even in the suburbs. Check out newspaper listing to get the list of latest screenings. * '''Watch Cricket for Free'''; cricket has a national games stature in India, and Mumbaiites revere that every day of the year. Azad Maidan (Azad ground) near C.S.T. Railway station, ground opposite to Ruia College in Matunga and Shivaji Park in Dadar west are some of the best places to witness the cricket fever for free. You may be even lucky to witness ongoing game of cricket on some of the empty streets of Mumbai. ===Festivals=== While many religious festivals are celebrated by people in Mumbai, a few of these are essentially public and social occasions, where the traveller can participate. ==== Organised festivals and events ==== * {{do | name=Banganga Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(Jan) The musical festival is organised by Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) annually at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill. }} * {{do | name=Elephanta Festival | alt= | url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=(March) Organised by Maharashtra Tourism, the festival of music and dance at [[Elephanta Island|Elephanta Caves]] has in the past festivals have seen performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar, and Ananda Shankar and traditional Koli dances as well as traditional food. 7PM-10PM (Ferries start at 4PM) }} * {{do | name=Kala Ghoda Festival | alt= | url=http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of Jan or first week of Feb annually in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai. }} * '''Mumbai Festival''' (Jan) Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theater, sports, fashion, food, and shopping. * '''Mumbai Wine Fest''' (Feb) Wine connoisseurs of the city gather to sample wines, enjoy the culinary delights while soaking in the cultural extravaganza put up at Kala Ghoda. ====Religious festivals==== *'''Christmas''' (Dec) This is characterised by midnight (nowadays held around 8-9PM on Christmas Eve due to restrictions on loud speakers) masses in churches and is usually followed by a number of private parties all across the city. * '''Diwali''' (Oct/Nov) Festival of Lights. Start of New Year and opening of new accounts. Worshiping of Goddess Laxmi. Participate in the fireworks and view the bright lights. * '''Ganesh Chaturthi''' (Aug/Sep) is one of Mumbai's most important and colorful festivals. During the 10 day celebration, Lord Ganesh is worshiped in millions of homes. See the colourful processions and participate in them, the biggest of which is on the last day of the celebrations where the largest idol is brought to Chowpatty for immersion in the wee-small hours of the morning and can vary depending on the crowd and pace of travel from Lal Bagh to the beach. The Lalbaug, Parel, Matunga and Dadar areas represent some of the best large scale decorations. On the last day of the festival, processions are carried out to bid bye to the loved deity in the sea. These presentations are colourful and carry a celebration fever. The best places to watch them are Girgaon and Dadar chowpati (beach) or the main roads such as Ambedkar road from where the processions are carried out. * '''Janmashtami''' (Jul/Aug) Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna. Earthen pots full of curd are strung high up across the streets. Young men stand on top of one another to form a human pyramid and attempt to break the pots. * '''Mt. Mary's Feast''' (Sep) The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Mount is celebrated with great solemnity at St. Mary's Church, Bandra. A week long Bandra fair is held during this time attracting huge crowds. * '''Navratri''' (Sep/Oct) is a 10 day festival, where nine of the nights are spent in worship and entire Mumbai swings to the rhythm of Garba and Raas dances of Gujarati community. * '''Ramadan-Eid''' Muslim festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Marked by feasting at many places. Non-Muslims can also join in. ===Sports=== Mumbai inherits the cricket fever justifiably and has 3 of the finest Crickets stadiums namely Brabourne Stadium (Churchgate), Wankhede Stadium (Marine Lines) and D.Y.Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai). Several of international cricket matches and domestic championships such as IPL have been played in these stadiums. Watch out for upcoming cricket stadium to join the cricket frenzy crowd. Apart from these, Ruia College, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Marine Lines are some of the places where live cricket action can be seen for free. Alternatively if you are a football fan, you may want to visit Cooperage Football ground (Colaba) for a local league match. For swimming enthusiasists, Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool (Dadar W) is the place to visit. For horse racing, head straight to Mahalakshmi Race Course (Mahalakshmi). Powai hosts some of the finest Golf fields. For others there are many sport activities including Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton which can be practised at various clubs. Gyms are plenty and can be easily found. ==Learn== <!-- If there are opportunities for travellers to study in this city -- from language to cooking classes up to full university courses -- add that here. Please favour variety. Not every yoga institute has to be listed here. Try to add other activities that a traveler might find interesting to learn. --> {{seeDistricts}} * '''Cricket''' - As cricket is like religion in India, many youngsters travel to Mumbai from different corners of India to get professional training in Cricket academies and educational institutes. * '''Film & TV production''' - The craze of Bollywood attracts many people to try their luck in Mumbai. The city hosts many big film production houses and studios. Most of the big film producers and directors belong to this city and they have opened several training institutions to attract new talent. * '''Indian classical music''' - The origins of Indian classical music are found in Vedas and the metropolitan city, Mumbai has been continuing the tradition. Most of the die- hard Indian classical music lovers operate training classes to pass on their talent to young generation. * '''Indian cooking''' - Mumbai is real heaven for food lovers as one can get variety of food here. Food lovers not only love tasting variety of food but they also serve food to others by preserving their cooking talent. Many professional and amateur cook lovers offer free as well as paid classes to passionate learners. * '''Yoga''' - Being highly busy city in India, the Mumbai people try to revive their life by taking part in different Yoga activities. In their rush schedule, Mumbaikars try to spend some time doing Yoga as they know role of these activities in their life. ==Work== Nariman Point and Fort are the commercial hubs of the city and the most sought-after destinations. There is a significant expatriate population working in the banks and financial services industries. Bandra-Kurla region is up-coming, but remains less desirable. The advertising industry is a prominent industry in Mumbai. Many of the top advertising companies such as Lintas, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, Contract, and Trikaya Grey have their offices in the city. A good idea to make quick money is to work part-time in a BPO or a call centre most of which are concentrated at Mindspace, Malad(W) and Hiranandani Gardens (Powai). Only suitable for English speakers. Foreigners can also earn a quick buck as extras in Bollywood films. Bring a book as there is a lot of time spent sitting around, so it's not something to do for the money. Normally you won't have to look for them as they will be asking tourists near Leopold's or your hotel manager may ask you when you book in. ==Buy== Visa, Master cards and Indian RuPay cards are widely accepted in the city shops. Many shopping establishments also accept American Express, Diners and host of other cards. However, some of the small shops or family-run shops may not accept these cards and some handy cash can be of help here. ATMs are widely available and many debit cards accepted as well. If you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you may not need to carry too much of cash. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Many stores and websites have started accepting payments using mobile wallets and Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Some of the popular payment apps are Paytm, Google Pay (formerly known as Tez), PhonePe, BHIM and Amazon Pay. In general, costs in Mumbai are higher than the rest of India, though they are still much lower by Western standards. {{seeDistricts}} The shopping experience in the city is a study in contrasts. At the lower end of the spectrum are street vendors. Existing at the borderline of legality, entire streets have been given over to these hawkers and in many places it is impossible to walk on the footpaths, because they have blocked the way. On the other hand, these vendors often give you a great bargain though you will have to haggle a lot and be careful about what to buy. There's nothing like taking a local along to shop for you. Some famous shopping streets are: * {{buy | image= | name=Bhuleshwar Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Kika St, Bhuleshwar | lat= | long= | directions=From [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Charni Road Railway Station take first road to south "Babasaheb Jaykar Marg" approximately {{km|1.3}} East | phone= | hours= | price= | content=for fruits and vegetables }} * {{buy | name=Chor bazaar | alt=Thief Market | url= | email= | address=Bhandarwada Ln | lat=18.960319 | long=72.827079 | directions= Get down at the [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Grant Road station on the Western Line. The market is on the east side of the station - | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Chor Bazar which literally translates to "Thief Market" is a colloquial term used to refer a place selling stolen items. It consists of number of interconnecting by-lanes with street vendors hawking a wide variety of items from antiques to shoes to car accessories etc. The place can be quite a surprise for the number and type of items on sale. A great place to spot bargains, and bargaining is a must. Shop with a keen eye: look out for fakes or second hand items that are shoddily repaired and can be passed out for a quick buck. Don’t carry too many items like money / jewellery / watches on you when visit the market. Keep it to bare essentials and keep an eye on your belongings. There is a very good chance that you may get robbed since locals are apt at spotting first time shoppers. }} * {{buy | name=Colaba Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lala Nigam Rd | lat=18.91766 | long=72.82829| directions=It is very close to the Gateway of India about {{km|1}} south | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=is filled with tourists and locals. It is a place where you will be able to find many authentic Indian souvenirs, antiques, carpets and chandeliers. But foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. }} * {{buy | image=Crawford Market.png | name=Crawford Market | alt=Marathi: क्रॉफर्ड मार्केट, officially Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market, Marathi: महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले मंडई | url= | email= | address=Central Line? Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area | lat=18.947414 | long=72.83471 | directions= It is within 10 minutes walking distancenorth from the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. - West of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. | phone=| hours= | price= | content=Earlier it was the major wholesale trading market for fruits & vegetables. Now it houses shops selling imported items such as food, cosmetics, household and gift items. The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, in Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The friezes on the outside entrance depicting Indian farmers, and the stone fountains inside, were designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The market covers an area of 22,471 m², of which 5,515 m² is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight brighten up the marketplace. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Dadar (W) Flower Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gurunanak Marg? Tulsi Pipe Road, | lat=19.02052 | long=72.84310 | directions=Opposite Dadar Train Station | phone= | hours=early morning | price= | content=Visit early morning to see colourful and wholesale flower market in action }} * '''Family-run shops''', Or one could do shopping at family-run shops, where the items are behind the counter and one has to ask the salesperson to get items from the list. The traditional way to buy sarees or jewellery is to go to a shop where you sit on a bedspread laid out on the floor and the salespeople bring out their wares one-by-one until you make a decision. Shops like Bharat Kshetra in Dadar have scaled this model up to such an extent that they have a two-storied complex where you can do the same. * {{buy | name=Fashion Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fort district, Mahatma Gandhi Rd? | lat=18.93626 | long=72.83097 | directions=from [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Chruchgate Station start walking towards Flora Fountain make a left turn and its a block down | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Popular place buy cheap clothes. Bargaining/haggling skills are a must. Offer to pay 1/4 of the asking price or less and then work upwards. }} * {{buy | image= | name=Mangaldas Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=Janjikar St | lat=18.94816 | long=72.83241| directions=From Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus approximately {{km|0.5}} NW | phone= | hours= closed on Sundays? | price= | content= for silk and cloth }} * '''Shopping Malls''', Mumbai has been experiencing a boom in malls in the past few years. You can combine your shopping, dining out, and watching movies all in one place. * {{buy | image=Batata Vada.jpg | name=Zaveri Bazaar | alt=Marathi: झवेरी बाजार | url= | email= | address=Bhuleshwar Road, | lat=18.951808 | long=72.830697| directions=Just north of Crawford Market, - [[Image:Mumbai Suburban Railway Logo.svg|18px]]: Marine Lines station approximately {{km|1.0}} West | phone= | hours= | price= | content=Best known jewellery Market, all at one place. }} ===What to buy=== * '''Antiques & second hand items''', Visit Chor Bazar for the best options and bargains * '''Burlingtons''', in the Taj is a tailor specializing in Indian outfits. Buy some material and get some clothes made up by a tailor. It's an incredibly cheap way to get quality made-to-measure clothes. Usually only takes a couple of days. * '''Carpets, rugs and shawls''' * '''Cotton clothes''', Mumbai is great place to buy quality and cheaper cotton clothes. Amongst many notable shops and brands, Cottonworld is a place to look out for. * '''Dhoop''', (translates into Sunshine or Incense) A quaint, stylist store where you can find really interesting quality crafts and home accessories. On the corner of Union Park, Near Olive, Off Carter Road in Bandra. * '''Indian musical instruments''', Indian music has its own set of musical instruments such as Tabla, Harmonium, straight Flute that it relies upon. These can be brought at various music shops scattered across the city. Some well known shops are L.M.Furtado, Ghaisas & Bros. * '''Khadi clothing''', Khadi is an authentic Indian variety of home spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi advocated the use of khadi as a form of satyagraha against the use of foreign goods and a form of rural self-employment for India during the pre-independence days. Check out the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan at 286, DN Road, Near the Mumbai GPO & Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is run by the [http://kgvs.org.in/ Khadi Gramudyog Vikas Samiti] which is an umbrella organization started by the Mahatma himself which today has evolved into a government registered unit promoting the use of khadi. A good place to buy souvenirs including khadi Indian flags. These are similar in type to the ones used during the freedom struggle. It also houses other forms of fabrics like pure cotton wool, and silk. Some of the items make use of natural straw. Also offer a collection of handmade paper products. * '''Kurties and tunics'''', a must have in India. Linkin Laado has a wide range of classy kurties, fushion ethnic wear and exquisite dress materials in most sought after pure fabrics such as muls, cottons, maheshwari and chanderi silk in hand block prints and intrinsic chikankari work. The shop is at Link Square Mall, Shop No. F5, Opposite KFC, Above Croma, Linking Road, Bandra West. * '''Leather jackets''', go to the main road in Dharavi. You can fit yourself with a leather jacket (they stitch it for you) of leather you pick. Usually takes just one day to get it. * '''Luxury retail''', Mumbai has witnessed a massive boom in luxury retail. All the brands you can buy in any other major city are available there. * '''Pashmina''', cheap stuff is everywhere and decent shawls in every hue can be purchased at various markups in any hotel arcade. High-quality items in unusual colors and unique designs require more searching. The "pashminas" sold on Colaba Causeway are not anywhere close to pashmina. * '''Sarees''', the best place to buy them is Dadar (both east and west). The place is buzzing 12 months a year. On Sundays the crowd can be maddening for outsiders. Good shops to buy Sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, Roop Sangam. On N C Kelkar Road and Ranade Road you can buy almost everything a woman needs. Bargain hard. * '''Traditional clothing & handicrafts''', State government operated emporiums such as those for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir. sell state specific items of clothing and handicrafts. These are in places around South Mumbai or the shopping arcades of Five Star Hotels. There is also a Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Emporium near the Gateway of India beside the Tendulkar's restaurant. The items on display include embroidered clothing, carvings, paintings, sculptures etc. and are reasonably priced. Amongst the private labels, [http://www.fabindia.com/index.asp Fabindia] is a must visit for its variety of kurtas [tunics], salwars, pyjamas, churidars & dupattas. They also offer bedspreads, cushion covers, decorative pillows, quilts, table linens, home furniture etc. Just like the government owned emporiums, Fabindia operates on a cottage industries model where products are hand crafted by artisans and sourced from villages across India. Good quality, smart colours, trendy designs but prices are a bit on the high side. Shops are found across Mumbai. ===Bookshops=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai has large number of organised bookshops. However it also has number of streetside second hand book shops or displays that give opportunity to come across rare collections. Many of these roadside book shops can be prominently found, among many, near Flora Fountain, Maheshwari Udyyan (former King's Circle) and Dadar west market. If you are somewhere in the western suburbs (santacruz,juhu etc.) Granth on juhu road could be a good bet to find the book you are looking for. The Crossword chain of book shops has an outlet in most malls around the city, as well as the main store in Kemp's Corner. ===Tourist traps=== In a place without clearly displayed price tags (and sometimes even in places with), you will get charged about 3-4 times as much as a local if you seem like a tourist. Take a local with you if you're going to local markets to haggle. Haggling is much louder and ruder in India than elsewhere. Don't be afraid to haggle things down to 1/4 of the asking price. And most importantly remember that almost all stores that sell carpets, jewelry, handicrafts, etc. pay huge amounts of commission (25% up to even 50%!) to the cab drivers, hence avoid tourist taxis, cabs, etc. Another thing to remember is not to haggle just for the fun of it. The shopkeepers may take offence if you don't buy an item after they have agreed to your price. One of the places that you can trust is The World Trade Centre (in Cuffe Parade, near Hotel Taj President). Besides being the only World Trade Centre in Mumbai, this place has an amazing range of exquisite carpets, handicrafts, shawls, etc. with reputed government approved stores and state emporiums too. Ask for receipts everywhere, including bars, and check what you have been charged for. Don't ever accept a guide offer or escort of somebody from the street: You will certainly get conned. If some place (including taxis, restaurants, shops, etc.) claims it doesn't have change (this is highly unlikely), insist they get change from a neighbouring shop. ===Groceries=== In addition to the local grocery stores which can be found on most of the streets, there are new additions to the city in the form of new big and small supermarkets and hypermarkets where you can get all the food items you need. Some of them are [https://www.bigbazaar.com/ Big Bazaar], [http://hypercityindia.com/ Hypercity], DMart, Spinach Local, Apna Bazaar. If you are looking for exotic fruits and vegetables then try [http://www.naturesbasket.co.in/ Natures Basket]. ==Eat== [[File:The Mumbai Thali.jpg|thumbnail|The Mumbai lunch consists of white rice, vegetable fries, dhal fries, onion, yoghurt and pooris. ]] {{movetodistrict}} The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. You can find cuisine from the Middle East, Western Europe, North America and China easily. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Since March 2015, beef is banned in Maharashtra, and therefore in Mumbai. Therefore, it is uncommon to find beef served in restaurants. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages. Don't leave Mumbai without trying: * Alphonso Mangoes during summer season * As many different kinds of chaat (Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji etc.) as your stomach can handle * Bread Maska (Bread & Butter) from an Irani Cafe * Goan seafood * Maharashtrian,Gujrati,Managlorean special and Kerala Thali * Indian Chinese * Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah's in Crawford market) * Kebab rolls, Pattis, Keema ** Particularly late-night at Bade Miyaan's behind the Taj near Colaba Causeway (also if the lights are off in order to avoid bribing the cops, do still try and approach it as it is likely to still be serving) * Kingfisher Blue beer (not common in eateries, but only most "wine shops" (liquor stores) * South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant * Vada pav (the Indian veg burger): known to be the dish of Mumbai ===Speciality restaurants=== Popular search engines to find easily restaurants include [http://www.justdial.com Justdial], [http://www.asklaila.com/Mumbai/ AskLaila] and [http://www.dizylocal.com/mumbai DizyLocal]. The search engines shall provide the address, contact details, and user ratings (if available) of the specific eatery (if name is provided), or list of eatery catering to the specialty (e.g. Seafood, Pubs, Chinese Food, etc.) depending on the location suggested (e.g. Worli, Bandra, South Mumbai, etc.). * ''' Seafood''', Apurva (Fort right off Horniman Circle). If you want to eat some authentic Indian (Konkan) sea food you must visit the Bharat Excellensea. It is next to the Horniman Circle and the Reserve Bank of India. It is becoming pretty expensive. In the slightly higher price range, Trishna (at Kala Ghoda in Fort) and Mahesh Lunch Home (also in Fort) are very popular among both locals and tourists. North-Western *'''Peshawari''', Andheri, (''at Maratha Sheraton''). Its sister restaurant Bukhara in Delhi has been recognised as the best Indian restaurant around the world. Try tandoori jhinga, the kebab platter, sikandari raan (leg of lamb), and mangoes and ice cream (only during summers), Kebab Corner (Hotel Intercontinental), Copper Chimney (Worli) Khyber (Kala Ghoda), and Kareem's Malad Link Road in Malad W. ==== International Cuisine ==== * ''' Chinese''', India Jones, (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Mainland China (Saki Naka), Ling's Pavilion (Colaba), Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel), Great Wall (Renaissance), Spices (JW Marriott), China Gate (Bandra), China White (Bandra). Bandra offers a range of Chinese Restaurants. Royal China at VT (behind Sterling Cinema serves some of the best DimSum the city has to offer). The new CG83 at Kemps corner is brilliant and the signature restaurant of Nelson Wang. Also new is Henry Thams. The food is brilliant as are the prices, however the bar is much more popular than the restaurant. * ''' Combination Oriental''', India Jones (''Hilton Towers Mumbai''), Pan Asian (at Maratha Sheraton), Seijo, and Soul Dish (Bandra), Joss (Kala Ghoda) has some of the best East Asian food in the country and at moderate prices (compared to hotels). San Qi at the Four Seasons (Worli) combines East Asian and South Asian cuisine quite well. * ''' Italian''', Shatranj Nepoli (''Bandra, Union Park''), Little Italy (Juhu next to Maneckji Cooper school), Don Giovanni's (Juhu, opposite JW Marriott), Mezzo Mezzo (at the JW Marriott), Vetro (at The Oberoi, Mumbai), Celini (at the Grand Hyatt), Mangi Ferra (Juhu), Taxi(Colaba), Spaghetti Kitchen (Phoenix Mills, Parel). * ''' Japanese''', Wasabi by Morimoto (''Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba'') is Mumbai's best and most expensive restaurant, but Japanese food is on the menus of most Pan Asian restaurants like Tiffin (The Oberoi, Mumbai), Pan Asian (Maratha Sheraton), India Jones (Hilton Towers Mumbai), and Spices (JW Marriott), Origami (Atria Mall Worli). Also Japengo Cafe at CR2 Mall in Nariman Point serves up some sushi. Tetsuma, adjacent to Prive (probably best nightclub in town) serves an average sushi but other dishes are worth a try. Best to go there for a cocktail and a few starters. 'Tian cafe' at Juhu is also a good place for sushi. *'''Lebanese Food''', Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, the only restaurant in the city serving Lebanese food. Alcohol is not served. * '''Parsi''', Their ancestors originating from Iran, the Parsis are a special community of people that one would associate Mumbai with. Parsi food is based on ancient Persian cooking. Go to Brittania at Ballard Estate or Jimmy Boy close to Horniman Circle. * '''Sushi''', Sushi Café (Santa Cruz West). A cosy little place. The decor, including the furniture, is all-white. You get chunks of white rice rolled with fresh fish and vegetables. They also do home delivery all over Mumbai. Sushi Café, Shop No. 1, Ground Floor, Sainara Building, corner of North Avenue and Linking Road, Santa Cruz (West), Tel: 98336-50503, www.sushicafemumbai.com. ===International brands === * {{eat | name=California Pizza Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 North Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East). }} * '''Chili's''', Central Avenue Road, Powai, Ventura Building, Hiranandani Business Park. * '''Cinnabon''', (''next to Basilico''), Pali Naka, Bandra (West). * '''Ruby Tuesday''', shop No. 20, 2nd Floor, Inorbit mall, Malad (West) or at Shop No. 31, CR 2 Mall, Nariman Point, Mumbai OR Nirmal Lifestyle, Lbs Marg, Mulund West. * '''Starbucks Coffee''', Behind Taj Hotel, Near Gateway of India. * '''T.G.I.F''', Palladium mall,Phoenix High Street,Lower Parel or Infiniti Mall,New Link Road,Oshiwara,Andheri(West). ==== Regional Indian ==== * '''Bengali''', Oh! Calcutta at Tardeo * {{eat | name=Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leopold-Cafe/112207345458725 | email= | address= | lat=18.914195 | long=72.824131 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Leopold Cafe | wikidata=Q153072 | content=Leopold and Cafe Mondegar (both near Regal Cinema, Colaba) are great places to while away time, eat cheap, and get a beer. Mocha (chain) is popular with the younger crowd. Deliciae, the dessert cafe which has some of the best desserts in town, next to Olive Restaurant in Khar. }} * '''Fusion''', Zenzi (Waterfield Road, Bandra), Out of the Blue ( Pali Hill, Bandra). * '''General Indian''', Sheetal Bukhara, Great Punjab (both in Bandra). More in Bandra. * '''Goan, Coastal''', Goa Portuguesa (Mahim) near Hinduja Hospital. New and a must try is Casa Soul Fry (opposite Bombay University in town) which serves up Goan Cuisine. * '''Goan Cuisine''', Casa Soul Fry opposite to Bombay University in town * '''Gujarati Thalis''', Chetana at Kala Ghoda, Thacker's at Marine Drive, and Rajdhani (multiple locations) * '''Kashmiri''', Poush at Andheri * '''Lounge''', Olive (Bandra), Rain (Juhu), Indigo. * '''Mumbai Street Food''', To experience the tastes and flavors of typical Mumbai chaat, and yet not expose oneself to the dangers of unhygienic street food, check out Vitthal's Restaurant on one of the lanes opposite Sterling Cinema (C.S.T.), but make sure you have a strong stomach. Vithal Bhelwalla (not the Vithal restaurant which is copycat) near VT station (behind Macdonald's) is a safe option. * '''Punjabi''', Himalaya Restaurant in Sion(E), Preetam's Dhaba at Dadar(E) and Urban Tadka at Mulund * '''Speciality Deli''', Indigo Deli (Colaba), Gourmet Shoppe (The Oberoi Shopping Arcade), Moshe's (Cuffe Parade), Cafe Basilico. * '''South Indian''', Dakshin (Maratha Sheraton) and Woodlands (Juhu) * '''24X7 Coffee Shops''', Trattoria (Taj President), Frangipani (Hilton Towers Mumbai), Vista (Taj Land's End, Bandra), Hornby's Pavilion (ITC Grand Central), Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott), basically all the big hotels have one. More coffee shops in Bandra. * '''Vegetarian''', Swati Snacks (Tardeo, opposite Bhatia Hospital) a gem of a restaurant, it does not take bookings and the waiting during peak meal times is usually 45 minutes every day of the week! Little Italy on Juhu Tara Road (Jugu), Andheri West opp. Fame Adlabs multiplex, Malad (above croma), New Yorkers on Marine Drive Opp chowpatty; Creame Center on Linking Road, Bandra near Shopper's Stop and also on Marine Drive opp chowpatty; Statua at Nariman point opp. Maker Chambers. Relish (Hotel Samrat — Churchgate). Excellent vegetarian cuisine from around the world. ===Street food stalls=== [[File:Mumbai-vada.jpg|thumbnail|Batata Vadas are a favorite of the Mumbai street food stalls]] Songs have been written about Mumbai's street food and you will find that the hype is justified. You will find them at every street corner, but they are concentrated in beaches and around railway stations. * '''Bhelpuri stalls''', Selling what in the rest of India would be called ''chaat''. In Mumbai itself, the term chaat is rarely used. * '''Bhurji''', Either Egg bhurji or Paneer bhurji, a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil. Eaten on the side with some pav. Try the Maker Chamber area (near Crossroads 2, Nariman Point). * '''Chinese food stalls''', You'll find them at many places, but they are particularly concentrated near Dadar railway station. They all have a typical Indian twist added to it, which is why it is frequently called "Indian Chinese". Although it is great tasting, the hygiene of these places leaves a lot to be desired. * '''Rolls''', Essentially different meat and cheese grilled and served with some Roti and spice, these are cheap and cheerful for anyone with a stomach that can handle it. They are known to be spicy so always ask them to make it mild. Try Ayubs (Kala Ghoda), Bade Miyan (behind Taj and near Colaba Causeway), Khao Gulli (Food Lane, near Mahim Hindu Gymkhana), or Kareems (Bandra). All are particularly busy after a night of heavy drinking. * '''Sandwich stands''', Uniquely developed in Mumbai, you won't find anything like it anywhere else in India or the world. * '''Vada pav stands''', Fried potato stuffed in yeasty bread. Developed to provide nourishment to mill-workers in Mumbai's burgeoning mills. Now they are found everywhere, particularly in the railway stations. This is a Mumbai specialty. In Vile Parle (West), try the one off S.V Road near Irla across from Goklibai School. One of the most popular ones are opposite Mithibai College which is about 15 mins walk from Vile Parle Station. Also try the one outside Grant Road Station and Churchgate Station. '''Tip''': cheap and tasty food stalls are concentrated around the city's colleges. Street stall food in India is fantastic, and very cheap. However, do consider well what you are putting in your mouth. Almost certainly the water used is non-potable, street vendors don't seem to understand much about hygiene or hand-washing, and food safety standards are low, with flies buzzing over everything. Even locals steer clear of street food during the monsoons, when diseases run rampant. If the stall seems very clean, and if it clearly states that it is using Aquaguard or mineral water, go for it. ===Authentic Marathi cuisine=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mumbai, being home to large ethnic Marathi community, has its share of notable restaurants that offer authentic Marathi cuisine. Most offer both snacks and regular dining. Some of the snacks to check out are Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Uppit (or Upma), Shira, Alu Wadi, Thalipith, Zunka Bhakari,ghavane (neer dosa) and many more. Two notable appetisers are Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi which are best enjoyed during hot summers. People say that many of these authentic Marathi restaurants are finding it difficult to survive competitions with other modern or fast food typed restaurants, but you will find Gajali, Malvan Kinara, Sindhudurg and many more have retained their own charm and clientele. ===Udupi restaurants=== {{SeeDistricts}} Mangalorians(and udupi) forms the highest tourist populations of Mumbai,and both the cities have almost same culture and architecture. "Udupi" restaurants (or "hotels") are everywhere. They bear the name of the town of [[Udupi]] in Karnataka, but do not be misled into thinking that they specialise in the cuisine of Udupi. They serve pretty much everything, and that is their specialty. Usually strictly vegetarian, these restaurants were opened by migrants from the district of [[Dakshina Kannada]] in [[Karnataka]] (of which Udupi is a part), to satisfy the palates of other migrants from the district. Over time, they gained popularity as places to have [[Southern India|South Indian]] food. As the tastes of their customers evolved, so to did their menus, so much that now you can find Mughlai, Indian Chinese, Bhelpuri, and other chaats in addition to South Indian stuff. Amazingly, some places serve imitations of pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches too! They are fast food joints and sit-down restaurants combined. The reason to visit them is not to experience fine gourmet dining, but to have cheap, passably tasty and fairly hygienic food. There is no easy way to identify an Udupi restaurant; they are not a chain of restaurants and they may not have "Udupi" in their name, so you will have to ask. Matunga(Central line) has the best south Indian fare in Mumbai. There are few restaurants which could well be heritage sites as they are more than 50 years old and still retain their old world charm(and furniture). ===Irani cafes=== {{SeeDistricts}} Irani cafe's are Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes have a unique lazy atmosphere, display of day-to-day accessories including toothpastes behind the cashier, soaps and what nots(specially targeted at bachelor crowds) and furniture. Most of these cafes were at the corner of the road or building and were chosen spots by commuters to spend time. It was quite a usual sight to find people spending hours reading newspaper over a cup of tea for hours in these places. Sadly the new restaurants and fast food culture has almost removed these cafes from the maps, though few notables like '''Kyani & Co.''' and '''Olympia''' remain. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omelette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread). Don't miss the Mawa Cake at Merwan & Co, a bustling Irani cafe next to Grant Road station and be there before 9AM when the delicious cakes tend to run out. ===Thalis=== If you order a thali (translated as "plate"), you get a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat. The waiters serve them at your table. Of course, you find many varieties of them, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There is the South Indian thali. The "North Indian" thali translates to Mughlai or Punjabi. Do try Gujarati or Rajasthani thalis if you can find them. They are sinfully filling and tasty. Rajdhani (At Crawford Market) serves up thalis in the Rajasthani style while Aram (near Mahim Church, Mahim), Ramanayak Udipi (At Matunga Station, east) serves up thalis in South Indian style and Shree Thakker Bhojanalaya (off Kalbadevi Road) do filling and fabulous Gujarati thalis. ===Fast food chains=== Western fast food chains like McDonalds, Subway, Pizza hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken etc. have many outlets all over the city. But if you are a weary Westerner looking for the taste of the familiar, be warned that all of them have rather heavily Indianised their menus, so you will find the stuff there as exotic as you found Bambaiyya food. There are chains serving Indian food such as [https://jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King] whose menu includes vada and lassi. [http://www.barista.co.in Barista], [http://www.cafecoffeeday.com Cafe Coffee Day], and [http://www.smokinjoespizza.com/ Smokin' Joe's] are all Indian chains, although they don't serve Indian food. While Barista and Cafe Coffee Day, as their names suggest, serve coffee and pastries, Smokin' Joe's serves decent pizzas and is headquartered in Carmichael Rd, Mumbai. International coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Aromas have outlets in Mumbai. Naturals is a chain of ice cream stores that serves up tasty and unconventional flavours of ice creams. Try their tender coconut or the coffee walnut ice creams. Its main branch is in Juhu in the Western suburbs (hence the tagline - 'Ice cream of Juhu Scheme'), but it has franchises at many places including Marine Drive, Bandra, Nepean sea road, etc. Naturals is also famous for its seasonal "Sitaphal" or Custard Apple Ice-cream. Baskins-Robbins is an international ice cream chain having its presence throughout the city. Also there are a number of shops in malls amongst other places which serve Italian Gelato icecream. Try the sumptuous creamy crepes and omelets at Crepe Station, Bandra. Its owned by a famous Bollywood actor, Dino Morea. ===What to eat=== Asking a local for suggestions is a fun way to try new things. Here are a few suggestions: [[File:Curry - Indian cuisine.jpg|thumb|250px|Indian Cuisine]] * '''Bhel Puri''' & '''sev puri''', A classic Mumbai concoction, bhel-puri (or bhel for short) comprises mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys. You can specify whether you want it spicy or bland and the vendor will make it for you. It is quite tasty and again ought to be had off the streets to get the real flavour. Most people like to flock to Juhu beach to try this out. * '''Hapus (Alphonso) mangoes''', A must try, if you happen to be in Mumbai in the summers. * '''Indian-Chinese''', Nothing like regular Chinese. For a typical Bambaiyya flavour, try the '''Chinese Bhelpuri!'''. * '''Mewad ice cream''', If you happen to be in Mumbai, it is recommended you avoid ice creams from the famous and expensive parlors and try out the cheap Mewad ice cream stalls. They are a lovely treat at their price and provide a lot of options. The vendors are found everywhere across the streets, but avoid those who appear unhygienic. * '''Pani Puri''', The vendor hands you a plate. Next he takes a puri (it looks like a golf ball, but brown in colour), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars. These jars contain water, one tangy on a tamarind base and the other spicy on a mint base. He tops it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. You pick it with your hand and pop the whole thing into your mouth. To avoid stomach problems only buy from vendors using packaged water. * '''Pav Bhaji''', Part of the street food culture, this is mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav. Widely available. * '''Vada Pav''', the vada is a mashed potato patty. Pav is a kind of bread that has its roots in Mumbai. (The word comes from the Portuguese word "pão", for bread). The potato patty is sandwiched in the bread. Liberal helpings of three kinds of chutneys are added to the sandwich to make a tasty snack. It is widely available on the streets and generally costs around ₹6 a piece. If you feel uncomfortable with the hygiene of a particular stall, avoid it. In that case eating at, [http://www.jumboking.co.in/ Jumbo King Vada Pav] outlets, found almost at all train stations in the city, is a hygienic and safer option. * '''Variations of world cuisine''' such as Tandoori Chicken Pizzas, the Bombay Masala Pizza or McAloo Tikki burgers. ===Tipping=== Tipping is not expected, but would be appreciated. However, if a place includes service charges on the bill, you don't need to leave an extra tip. Note the difference between service tax and service charges. Service tax goes to Government and not to the staff. ==Drink== ===Pubs & bars === {{seeDistricts}} {{infobox|Drinking & driving|Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered as a serious offence in India. In the event of an accident the law deals with drink-drive offenders with severity. The punishment is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months. The driving license is suspended for at least six months.}} A police crackdown (June 2012) on many popular bar and clubs is underway, so be cautious when visiting lower to mid range bars. Mumbai is one of the most liberal cities in India when it comes to attitudes to alcohol. Bars exist at virtually every street corner and many of them advertise themselves as "family" bars and restaurants, which indicates that they are primarily restaurants where one can also have a drink. Other places are primarily bars, some of them might be sleazy. In South Mumbai and in the Western suburbs, you are likely to find many places where foreigners hang out. Mumbai is much more accepting of women drinking than the rest of India. A woman ordering a drink is unlikely to raise eyebrows even in mid-range bars, though if you are alone, you might need to look out for your safety. Nightlife in Mumbai spans the gamut from performances at five star hotels to discos. Dance bars which involve young, fully clothed women dancing mostly to Hindi film and pop music, have been shut down by the government for "corrupting the morals" of those who frequent those places. While the state high court has ruled that the crackdown was illegal, it will be a while before they open again as there are some technicalities involved to be sorted out. In Mumbai, alcohol is much more easily available than many cities in India. === LGBT options=== There is already a lively late night, if somewhat subterranean, scene for gays, as well as social and political networks. However, you need to do your homework before arriving, as LGBT gathering spaces and organizations are not published or available at local newsstands. However, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) the only magazine catering to the community, after 7 years of running was closed and relaunched in 2009. Much of Mumbai's LGBT scene is coordinated using social networking sites and groups. Use extreme caution; robberies, hustlers, and even police entrapment are not unheard of. === Coffee shops=== There many coffee shops in and around Mumbai. Try the '''[http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/ Cafe Coffee Day]''' and '''[http://www.barista.co.in Barista]''' chains. Also, three Starbucks stores were opened in Mumbai in late 2012, and more are likely to follow. These are the best around town and also serve some pretty neat coffee for cheap. There's the '''Cafe Mocha''' chain of coffee shops which also serve fruit flavoured hookas — South Asian smoking pipes. If a small coffee and cookies place is what you are looking for, try '''Theobroma''', it has an outlet at Cusrow Baug in Colaba. Those looking for a more native form of coffee can try the filter coffee, a milky coffee with origins from South India, from any Udupi restaurant. ==Sleep== [[File:Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night.jpg|thumb|250px|Taj Mahal Hotel at night]] {{seeDistricts}} It is very difficult to find good budget hotels in Mumbai. If you are a tourist or a business traveller, you may have to stay in South Mumbai, which is where both the business district and the touristy areas are. Lack of space means that even the cheapest hotel charges stratospheric tariffs. The state of public transport and traffic means that it is not really a good choice to stay anywhere else. In any case, things aren't much better if you are looking for hotels close to the airport. You should be looking at the [[Mumbai/Western Suburbs#Sleep|Western Suburbs]] in that case. There are many guest houses at Colaba, where you find most of budget foreign travellers stay. Other budget hotels are found near railway stations, such as Dadar or Santa cruz, but most of them are absolute dumps. One safe and economical place to stay in Mumbai is the YMCA. Reasonably priced accommodations are available at the Colaba, Bombay Central, Andheri, and CBD Belapur Branches. One inexpensive alternative is to live with a local family as a paying guest. A list of available families can be obtained from the Government of India tourist office (+91 22 2220 7433) opposite Churchgate train station. On the other hand, if money is of no object, you can stay at the Taj in Colaba (the oldest in India), the Leela Kempinski, the ITC Grand Maratha, or the JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre. Hotel listings are in the district pages. ===Camping=== Whether you want to hang around with your close friends, spend some time with your family or wan to get away from concrete jungle, you an find plethora of places nearby Mumbai. Camping can be done safely on spots such as: * '''Kaas Lake''' - on the Kaas Plateau (known for its flowers) * '''[[Lonavala]]''' - hill station in Pune District ** '''Rajmachi''' - near Lonavala and two famous forts ** '''Tungarli Lake''' - near Lonavala ** '''Valvan Lake''' - site of Valvan Dam in Lonavala * '''Mahableshwar''' - the source of the Krishna River (Satara District) * '''[[Matheran]]''' - hill station (Raigad District) * '''[[Panchgani]]''' - small city (Satara District) * '''Kashid & Phansad''' - location of Phansad Bird Sanctuary ==Connect== === Landlines === The area code for Mumbai is "22" (prefix "+91", if you are calling from outside India). Phone numbers are eight digits long, but on occasion you will find a seven digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from seven to eight digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephone. Just prefix a "2" to the number and it should work just fine. === Pay phones === Phone booths can be found all over the city. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop.) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. === Mobile phones === Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are The [http://www.mumbai.mtnl.net.in MTNL], Vodafone Idea (Vi), [http://www.airtelworld.com/ Airtel], [http://dolphin.mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ Dolphin], Reliance Jio, and [http://www.tataindicom.com/ Tata Indicom]. It might be a good idea to buy a cell phone and use one of those prepaid plans to get yourself connected while you are in the city. All mobile numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a "9", "8" or "7". Do not dial the city prefix for mobile numbers. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" before you dial it. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification. === Cybercafes === Cybercafes are found on virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. They have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, also data security could be an issue. As a precaution, change your password after you use it at a cybercafe or do private/incognito browsing. === WiFi === Finding WiFi will be difficult in many parts of Mumbai, however, nearly all railway stations have been upgraded with 'RailWire' WiFi powered by Google that lets you browse for 45 mins at 5-10 Mbps speeds. RailWire WiFi requires you to authenticate with your mobile number and OTP. WiFi is also available at most hotels and restaurants. Airport WiFi is provided by Vodafone Idea. === Postal & courier services === * '''[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/ Indian Postal service]''' * '''Private courier companies''' **'''[http://www.dhl.co.in/publish/in/en.high.html DHL]''' ** '''[http://www.ups.com/content/in/en/index.jsx UPS]''', ** '''[http://www.tnt.com/express/en_in/site/home.html TNT]''', [http://www.dtdc.biz/ DTDC] etc. The Indian Postal service's head office is housed at GPO, a magnificent colonial architecture on its own; next to the C.S.T. railway station. The other main branch office can be found at Dadar (E) on Ambedkar Rd. ==Stay safe== Unlike other parts of the country, especially Delhi where rape is prevalent, crime is rare, except for possibly common crime like pickpocketing. Violent crime in Mumbai is more or less like any other large Indian city. It is best to err on the side of safety and act according to your local environment. Here are a few basic safety tips: * Keep your money and credit cards safe at all times. Always carry some cash as many places won't take cards. * Do not openly display ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes in public. The available currency notes are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2,000 and the available coins for tender are ₹1, ₹2, ₹5 and ₹10. Beware of someone giving you currency notes of any other denomination (though it is very unlikely; as they would have to be exchanged with the Reserve Bank of India; the central bank of India). The Indian government demonetised the old ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes in November 2016. *Travelling in Mumbai is generally safe at any time of the day or night. The risks primarily run if you are not aware of the fares and fare calculations (only applicable to non-electronic and non-prepaid meters). If you travel alone, especially in night, then always see the meter by yourself and then pay the fare. If you are alone, sit in front so that you can see the meter. * There have been cases where Kaali-Peeli (Black-Yellow) Taxi drivers con people, mostly tourists, by taking longer routes, charging extra for luggage, tampering with the meter and fooling the passenger by exchanging ₹500 with a ₹100 note within fraction of seconds and making the passenger believe that he/she has handed over a ₹100 note. Thus, in order to avoid getting fooled, prefer app based taxi services like Ola and Uber for commuting. * Beware of pickpockets on buses and trains. Do not put your wallet or other valuables in outside pockets of your bag, such that someone may be able to slip it out without your noticing. * Also beware of mobile, chain, or bag snatchers who operate in densely populated places, such as railway stations, busy roads, and traffic signals. * Women traveling by train, especially on off-peak routes should travel in the second class where at least a few co-passengers are also found. * Women (especially Westerners) should avoid crowded places, you might well get groped. Cases of men pinching or touching women are common in crowded public places, including nicer nightspots. Create a scene if this does happen to you, there will be enough people around that will come to your defence. In general, in Mumbai, if you are ever worried about your safety, make a loud scene. It is an extremely crowded city, and somebody is always around and willing to help. * Women should never ever take lifts from strangers. Western women tourists should note that if they visit a disco or pub in Mumbai or India, don't take lifts or even get too friendly with strangers. You will almost certainly get conned, if not worse. Many Indian men presume that if you're foreign you must be easy. * Don't ever let an auto or taxi you are traveling in pick up any more people, or pull over before your final destination. * Police can sometimes be almost as shady as criminals in Mumbai. At night, women should ensure if they are ever stopped by police, there needs to be a female police officer present or they are well within their rights in demanding the presence of a woman cop. * Think twice about eating food that has not been thoroughly heated. This may be especially true if you're eating street food. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=100 (Mumbai Police Control Room), 1090 (Police Infoline), +91 22 22026636 (D. G. Control)| tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mumbai Police | alt= | url=http://www.mumbaipolice.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22625020 (Mumbai Police Head Quarter), +91 22 28854643 (North Control), +91 22 25233588 (East Control), +91 22 26457900 (West Control), +91 22 23089855 (South Div.), +91 22 23750909 (Central Div) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Traffic Police | alt= | url=http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22 24937746 (Traffic Control), +91 22 30403040 (Traffic Helpline) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ====Railways==== * {{listing | name=Churchgate | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22017420 }} * {{listing | name=C.S.T | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22622685 }} * {{listing | name=Central Rly. C.S.T. | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 22620173 }} * {{listing | name=Western Rly. Central | alt= | url= | email= | phone=+91 22 23070197 }} ==== Airport ==== * {{listing | name=Santacruz Airport | phone=+91 22 26156600 }} * {{listing | name=Sahar Terminal (NIPTC) | phone=+91 22 26829000 }} * {{listing | name=Air India Enquiry | phone=+91 22 22796666 }} ==== Air Ambulance==== * {{listing | name=Domestic/International | url=http://www.vibha.info/ | phone=+91 9821150889 }} * {{listing | name=Fire Station | phone=101, +91 22 23076111,+91 22 23086181,+91 22 2306112,+91 22 2306113 }} * {{listing | name=Coast Guard | phone=+91 22 24376133, +91 22 24371932 }} ==Stay healthy== * '''Food''' As elsewhere in India, be careful with what you eat. Outside of major tourist hotels and restaurants, stay away from raw leafy vegetables, egg-based dressings like mayonnaise and minced meat are particularly risky. In short, stick to boiled, baked, fried, or peeled goods. * '''Water''' Opinions on tap water vary, but most visitors choose to stick to the bottled stuff. Large bottles of water can be purchased at a very low cost. When buying water from street vendors, make sure the lid is sealed: there have been cases of bottles being filled with tap water and sold as new. * '''Fitness''' Numerous fitness centers exist throughout the city. Many exercise facilities and spas offer 24-hour memberships for visitors, and are a popular way to unwind after a long day of touring in Mumbai. * '''Smog''' can reach unhealthful levels, especially during the dry season. This, coupled with the summer heat and humidity can make spending time outdoors quite unpleasant. ==Cope== === Maps === * '''City Map''', Eicher has an excellent city-map of Mumbai with detailed listings. Familiarise yourself with it before you begin, or alternatively trace your route on it. * '''BEST Route Map''', Thanks to the density of bus routes in the city, the map is quite hard to decipher. Although bus routes are listed in the itinerary, you may have to find out about a few others if you plan to mix/match the order of the sights. People are very helpful in general. Check the BEST Route Finder for detailed information on the routes. The map is available at news stands. You can also download the [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dimts.best.bestapplication BEST Prawas] app on Android. ===Newspapers=== Local newspapers can be handy and reliable sources for day to day updates about the city. The city has number of newspapers and other publication that list local happenings. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Times of India]'' has a supplement called ''Bombay Times''. There are also other papers like ''[http://www.asianage.com The Asian Age]'', ''[http://www.dnaindia.com DNA]'', ''[http://indianexpress.com/ Indian Express]'', ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com Hindustan Times]'' and ''[http://www.freepressjournal.in Free Press Journal]''. For the business updates, check ''[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com Economic Times]''. There are three very good local city tabloids called ''[http://www.mid-day.com Mid-Day]'', ''[http://www.mumbaimirror.com Mumbai Mirror]'', and ''Afternoon''. These papers are city focused and cover a lot of gossip, local news, and have plenty of entertainment listings. One could refer to these papers for any specific activity. In addition, ''Time Out'' now has an excellent Mumbai edition each month which can be picked up on street bookshops. It is a little more eclectic than the others listed here. All of these papers have information on arts, dance, eating out, food festivals, events, exhibitions, lectures, movies, theatre listings, concerts, seminars, and workshops. There are also many local newspapers in regional languages such as ''[http://www.loksatta.com Lok Satta]'' (Marathi), ''[http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com Maharashtra Times]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.saamna.com Saamna]'' (Marathi), ''[http://www.navakal.com Navakal]'' (Marathi), ''Janmabhoomi'' (Gujarati), ''[http://www.bombaysamachar.com Mumbai Samachar]'' (Gujarati) and ''[http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com Navbharat Times]'' (Hindi) which cater to local and regional interests and tastes. ===Radio=== There are 12 radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band. Mumbai also has access to commercial radio providers such as Sirius and XM. ===Animal hospital=== *{{listing | name=Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals | alt=Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Parel | phone=+91 22 24135285-24135434-24137518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Diagnostic centre=== List of Major Diagnostic, health care and Polyclinics: * {{listing | name=Soningra Polyclinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=B - Helal Bldg, Dr. Mascarenhas Rd, Mazgaon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23715963, +91 22 2749662 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Since 1984, catering the nation since last 25 years effectively and efficiently. }} * {{listing | name=Super Religare Laboratories Limited | alt=formerly Ranbaxy SRL | url=http://srldiagnostic.co.in | email= | address=Plot 113, St 145 MIDC Andheri (E) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 28237333, +91 22 30811111-99 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-04-13| content=Largest clinical reference laboratory network in India and in South East Asia. }} * {{listing | name=Wellspring | alt= | url=http://www.wellspring.in/ | email= | address=Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Near A to Z Industrial Estate, Off Worli Naka, Lower Parel(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another premier diagnostic laboratory owned by the Piramal group. Along with the above they have other centers as well throughout the city. }} ===24 hour chemist=== *{{listing | name=Parel Chemist | url= | email= | address=Opp. Wadia Maternity Hospital, Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 4131299, +91 22 24129751 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Mumbai Medico | url= | email= | address=Bhatia Hospital, Tardeo | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23086641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Foreign missions=== {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url= | email= | address=36 Maker Chambers VI, 220 Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 66692000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name= Argentina | url=http://cgmum.cancilleria.gov.ar | email= | address=Chander Mukhi Building, 10th Floor "A", Nariman Point | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2287 1381 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=115 Next To Governor's Gate, Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2363 3777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.belgium.be/india/ | email= | address=TCG Financial Centre, 7th floor, C-53, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) - Mumbai 400051 | lat=19.06442 | long=72.86498| directions=From Kurla station {{km|2.5}} West | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | alt= | url=http://mumbai.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=Units 113 & 114, Free Press House, 11F, Free Press Journal Marg,Nariman Point | lat=18.92374 | long=72.82379 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2283 4467, +91 22 2283 4469, +91 9820686143 (Mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url= | email= | address=Fort House, 6F, 221 Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6749 4444 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6749 4454 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://mumbai.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email=chinaconsul_mum_in@mfa.gov.cn | address=9F, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Nariman Point | lat=18.92339 | long=72.82347 | directions= | phone=+91 22 5632 4303-4-5 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 56324302 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url= | email= | address=5 G, Marcopia, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Cumballa Hill, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 8456| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=15, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=+91 22 2285 3750-52| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name= Egypt | url= | email= | address=Bhagwanlal Indrajit Rd, Teen Batti, Malabar Hill, | lat=| long=| directions= | phone=| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.consulfrance-bombay.org/ | email= | address=Hoechst House, 7F, Nariman Point | lat=18.92609 | long=72.81976 | directions=next to National Centre of the Performing Arts (N.C.P.A.) | phone=+91 22 6669 4000 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 66694066 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Visa and Consular Department| url=http://www.mumbai.diplo.de/ | email= | address=Arcadia Bldg, Ground Floor, Nariman Point | lat=18.92498 | long=72.82072 | directions= | phone=+91 22 2280 7385 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2284 2184 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany Consulate General| alt=Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Generalkonsulat | url=http://www.india.diplo.de/Vertretung/indien/en/05__Mumbai/Mumbai.html | email= | address=Hoechst House, 10th Floor, 193 Backbay Reclamation (Vinay K Shah Marg), Nariman Point, | lat=18.92530 | long=72.82116 | directions=| phone=+91 22 2283 2422 | fax=+91 22 2202 5493| hours=M-F 9AM-midnight | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email=jertony@yahoo.com | address=Baharestan, 30/A, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 660 7852 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6606446 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/mumbai/en/default.aspx | email=kjrimumb@bom3.vsnl.net.in | address=19 Altamount Rd, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 1678, +91 22 2353 0940, +91 22 2353 0900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consmumbai.esteri.it | email= | address=Kanchanjunga 1F, 72 G.Deshmukh Marg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 23804071 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2387 4074 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iran}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iran | alt= | url=https://www.iranianvisa.com/iranian-consulate-in-mumbai-india/ | email= | address=47, 1st Floor, Swapna Lok, Nepeansea Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6688 7070 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name= Israel | url=http://embassies.gov.il/mumbai | email= | address=Marathon Futurex 1301, A Wing N M Joshi Marg,, Lower Parel, NM Joshi Marg, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 6160 0507 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | url=http://ind-mumbai.mofa.go.kr/english/as/ind-mumbai/main/index.jsp | email= | address=Kanchanjunga Bldg., 9th floor, 72 Peddar Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2388 6743| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=Vaswani Mansions, Flat No. 1 & 2, 120, Dinsha Vachha Rd| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +91 22-2287 1897 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.mumbai.in.emb-japan.go.jp/en/index.html | email= | address=1 M. L. Dahanukar Marg, Cumballa Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2351 7101 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2351 7120 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/mumbai | email= | address=4-B, 4F, Notan Plaza, Turner Rd, Bandra(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2645 5751, +91 22 2645 5752 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=Maker Tower “F”, 4F, Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22156001, +91 22 2215 6002, +91 22 2215 6003 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2215 6006 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://www.mfa.gov.sg/mumbai/ | email= | address=152, 14F, Maker Chambers IV 222, Jamnalal Bajaj Rd, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 22043205-22043209 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2285 5812 (For visa matters only) or +91 22 2204 3203 (For non-visa matters) | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=General, 1F, Dalamal House Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2281 0808 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22810808 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=7 Jolly Maker, Apartment #1 Cuffe Parade, Colaba | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2218 3021 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 22180986 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email= | address=Maker Chambers IV Second Floor, 222 Jamnalal Bajaj Road, Nariman Point | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 56502222, +91 98 2000 0343 (Emergency Duty Officer) | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 6650 2324 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|the United States}} {{listing | type=listing | name=United States | alt= | url=https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/mumbai/ | email=MumbaiACS@state.gov | address=Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Rd | lat=19.06534 | long=72.86811 | directions=from Kurla station {{km|2.2}} West | phone=+91 22 2363 3611 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2363 0350 | hours= | price= | image=Department of state.svg | phoneextra=U.S. citizens 24-hr emergencies +91 22 2363 3611 ext 0 | content=- Established in 1838. Former the consulate functioned from Wankaner House, later renamed Lincoln House, at Breach Candy in south Mumbai since 1950. (The consular residence was Washington House on Altamount Road). The building, declared as a heritage site, is an erstwhile palace of Maharaja Vakaner. The palace was handed over to the U.S. consulate by the Maharaja to raise funds to pay off his taxes, after India became independent. In 2002, the consulate shifted its office to northern suburbs owing to security reasons. }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://india-consulate.org.vn/ | email= | address=B-603, Oberoi Chambers, New Link Rd, Andheri(W) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 22 2673 6688 | tollfree= | fax=+91 22 2673 6633 | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ==Go next== * [[Ambarnath]] ({{km|55}} NE - take a train to here) &mdash; See the Lord Shiva Temple (16th century) * [[Chiplun]] ({{km|290}} S, on Konkan railway route between Khed & Ratnagiri Stns) &mdash; Here are the Chiveli Vagheshwari Temple and the Pandavas Caves * [[Ratnagiri]] ({{km|300}} S, 6-7 hr journey in train from Mumbai, same comfortable using a (A/c & Non A/c) bus) &mdash; Ratnadurga Sea Fort, Thebaw Pagoda Palace * [[Rajapur]] (directions={{km|350}} S, 8.5 hr) &mdash; Visit the Yeshwantgad, an island fortification * '''[[Thane (district)|Thane District]]''' &mdash; to the north of Mumbai; has beaches and mountains ** [[Badlapur]] ({{km|50}} NE - to get in is by Local Trains (EMU), hourly) &mdash; Fort, Water Park ** [[Dombivli]] ({{km|30}} NE; 40 min in a fast train from CST to reach 'Kopar Stn.', by bus ~1 hr 30 min) ** [[Kalyan]] ({{km|60}} NE; by train towards Karjat or Kasara would reach Kalyan in around 45-55&nbsp;min) - Visit the Fort ** '''[[Navi Mumbai]]''' &mdash; also called New Bombay; go here to the see ''Belapur Fort ruins'' ** [[Thane|Thane City]] (N {{km|40}}) &mdash; also called ''Lake City'' due to the 30 lakes in and around the city * '''[[Raigad]]''' &mdash; district of Maharashtra lies just south of Mumbai. It is famous for its beaches and forts. You can get there by road or by ferry from Mumbai. The important ferry routes are: ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Mora ([[Uran]]). ** Ferry Wharf, Mazagaon, Rewas (near [[Mandwa]]). These are in budget range. ** Gateway of India, Rewas. Fast boats and Catamarans operated by private operators. Service approximately every two hours, suspended during the monsoon season, i.e. May-Oct. From Rewas, take a bus or car to [[Alibag]]. * '''Hill Stations''' &mdash; following are some of the hill stations that can be weekend gateways from Mumbai: ** [[Matheran]] ({{km|102}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; can be reached both by road and by train. For train option, take a suburban train to Neral and take hour long toy train to reach Matheran top. Alternatively it can be climbed ** [[Lonavala]] ({{km|111.5}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; best reached by road. Suburban trains do not ply to Lonavala, and may need to exchange train at Karjat or take en route long distance train ** [[Khandala]] ({{km|101}}, 1.5 hr) &mdash; check Lonavala ** [[Dapoli]]| ({{km|200}} S - by bus) -is a popular hill station also beaches, historical temples, caves and forts scattered around **[[Mahabaleshwar]] ({{km|242}}, 7 hr) &mdash; best reached by road *Lots of nearby destinations can be reached by short flights: [[Goa]], [[Ahmedabad]], [[Karachi]] and [[Rajkot]], to name a few. {{routebox | image1=NH48-IN.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vadodara]] | minorl1=[[Surat]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Pune]] | minorr1= [[Navi Mumbai]] }} {{isPartOf|Konkan}} {{geo|19.0318|72.8487|zoom=11}} {{usablecity}} goplh9fp7p6rgmgf0ke3si47h3sm6s1 0 23685 4501885 4499979 2022-08-16T05:12:54Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mena-asia_default_banner.jpg}} '''Nagaon''' is a city in [[Assam]], [[India]]. ==Understand== Nagaon (previously Nowgong, Assamese: নগাঁও) is a city in Nagaon district in the Indian state of Assam. It is 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of [[Guwahati]]. It is the fifth largest city of Assam with a population of close to 150,000. ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== Mahamrityunjay Mandir, 18 km from Nagaon town, is famous for being world's tallest Shivlinga (phallus sculpture dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva), at 126 feet tall. It is situated in Narkasur path, Puranigodan, Nagaon district. ==Do== ==Buy== * '''Natun Bazar''', Nagaon * '''Stadium Market''', Nagaon ==Eat== * '''Kolong''', In front of Circuit House, Nagaon. * '''Mint Leaf''', Christianpatty, Nagaon. * '''Nampong''', Near Nowgong Polytechnic, Nagaon * '''7t9 Restaurant''', Near NRL Petrol Pump ==Drink== * '''7t9 Bar''', Near NRL Petrol Pump, Nagaon ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Prashaanti Tourist Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 3672-236446 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-08-28 | content=The lodge is operated by Department of Tourism and Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== *'''[[Bordua]]''' Than is 18 km away and is known for the Hindu saint, Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev. * '''[[Jorhat]]''' *'''[[Kaziranga National Park]]''', a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage Site, is about 72 km away from Nagaon. The one-horned rhinoceros is the main attraction of the national park, and you can see other animals like tigers, birds, elephants, sambar, barking deer and a variety of avian species in the park. * '''[[Sibsagar]]''' * '''[[Tezpur]]''' {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|26.34637|92.68404}} 8r6bn5wrz6iuqxu0fsv7zaa8g7z3mu0 0 24243 4501868 4494170 2022-08-16T04:40:50Z 103.95.110.191 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Newcastle_NSW_Banner.jpeg|pgname=Newcastle}} '''[http://www.visitnewcastle.com.au Newcastle]''' is a city at the mouth of the Hunter River, approximately 150 km north of [[Sydney]] in the [[Hunter]] region of [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. The city is the focal point for the diverse Hunter region that encompasses beaches and mountains, restaurants and wineries. ==Understand== Newcastle is a great place for surfers, wine buffs, bush walkers, and anyone interested in Australian history. The second largest city in the state of NSW and sixth largest in Australia, Newcastle city had a population of 153,000 and the suburban area of over 500,000. Similar to its [[Newcastle_upon_Tyne|English namesake]], Newcastle was an important centre for the coal mining and iron ore industries. Newcastle is Australia's oldest sea port, and the second most important in the country in terms of overall tonnage, and significant for coal exports. Many Novocastrians take an avid interest in sports, as participants, spectators or both. The local NRL Rugby League team, the Newcastle Knights are widely followed. Newcastle also hosts soccer, baseball, ice hockey, netball and various other sporting teams. Hunter New England Health and the University of Newcastle are the city's primary employers. To the north is Stockton Beach with miles and miles of uninhabited beaches that stretch up to Nelson Bay. Stockton Beach can be seen from Fort Scratchley, which was Newcastle's maritime defence during the world wars. Travel westward to the wineries and taste some of Australia's best wines. Barrington Tops National Park in the north west has beautiful fresh water rivers and rain forests, a good place to spot a platypus. * {{listing | name=Newcastle Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url= | email=tourism@ncc.nsw.gov.au | address=Honeysuckle Wharf | lat=-32.924920 | long=151.771260 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 5948 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-3PM | price= | content= }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-32.927|151.761|zoom=13|width=500}} [[File:Newcastle Interchange Oscar Train.jpg|thumb|NSW Trainlink Intercity Train at Newcastle Interchange]] ===By car=== The Newcastle area is at least two hours drive north from the centre of [[Sydney]] on the Pacific Highway and Pacific Motorway (A1/M1). This stretch of road is a major commuter route for traffic from the [[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]] and North Shore so travel time increases significantly in the peaks to and from Sydney. The Pacific Motorway is on the western side of Lake Macquarie. To travel up the eastern side of Lake Macquarie (through Swansea) then take the "Charlestown" exit. This route is more scenic, more hilly, and less congested (though it takes a few minutes longer). If you follow this route you will eventually come to the "Charlestown Bypass" at Bennett's Green which you can take if you wish to head north-west (towards Lambton). Otherwise veer right to keep following the Pacific Highway until you reach Charlestown and then follow the signs to the city. Traffic during holiday periods and long weekends is also affected, with heavy northbound traffic at the beginning of the period as Sydneysiders flee the city for the weekend, and heavy southbound traffic as they return. ===By train=== Sydney's Central, Strathfield, Epping and Hornsby stations have [http://transportnsw.info regular trains] to {{marker|type=listing|name=Newcastle Interchange|lat=-32.9239716|long=151.7589071}} via the [[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]]. Travelling time varies between 2 to 3 hours. This line uses the Opal card (the same as in Sydney) and trips from Sydney are quite comfortable and cheap at $8.30 peak and $5.81 off-peak. This trip is included in the $2.70 fare cap on Sundays. You can also use your contact-less credit card to at the Opal gates if you don't have an Opal Card. Trains terminate at Newcastle Interchange, where you can transfer to Light Rail to go to the city centre or beach. There is also a train service from Newcastle Interchange to various Hunter towns such as [[Maitland_(New_South_Wales)|Maitland]]. Check the Sydney Trains website for trackwork along the ''Central Coast & Newcastle Line''; when these occur, buses replace trains between stations and can add an hour to the trip. Several [http://nswtrainlink.info/ NSW Trainlink regional] services pass through Newcastle's {{marker|type=listing|name=Broadmeadow Station|lat=-32.9231657|long=151.7347476}} (approximately 5&nbsp;km from the CBD) daily from Sydney and the Central Coast to the south and from the [[Northern Rivers]] and [[New England (New South Wales)|New England]]. These trains are more expensive than intercity services and tickets must be booked in advance, but they are somewhat more comfortable and are also faster. Occasionally NSW Trainlink discount tickets offer discounts, and $1 fares for kids, so it may be worthwhile checking their fares. ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Busways | url=http://www.busways.com.au | email=infoline@busways.com.au | address=36-38 Stroud Street, Bulahdelah | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4997 4788 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 8AM-5PM | price= | content=Operates services that run to Newcastle from [[Taree]] and to Newcastle from Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens, north of Port Stephens. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | url=http://www.greyhound.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =1300 473 946 (local rate call) | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 4638 2178 | hours=M-F 8AM-6PM, Sa Su 8AM-4PM | price= | content=Newcastle from Sydney direct twice daily, Newcastle from Brisbane three times daily with many stops along the Pacific Highway. }} * {{listing | name=Port Stephens Coaches | url=http://www.pscoaches.com.au | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4982 2940 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Provides daily services from Port Stephens and Williamtown airport to Newcastle Railway Station. }} ===By plane=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Newcastle Airport (Williamtown) | alt={{IATA|NTL}} | url=http://www.newcastleairport.com.au | email= | address= | lat=-32.803905 | long=151.839551 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17570 | content=[http://www.jetstar.com.au Jetstar] has direct connections to [[Brisbane]], [[Gold Coast]] and [[Melbourne]]. [http://www.virginaustralia.com Virgin Australia] connects [[Brisbane]] and [[Melbourne]]. [http://www.qantas.com.au QantasLink] flies to [[Brisbane]]. [http://www.rex.com.au/ Rex] flies to [[Sydney]] and Sydney and [[Ballina_(New_South_Wales)|Ballina]]. }} Flying may not be the fastest way to travel such a short distance as Sydney to Newcastle, especially since there are only a handful of flights every day, and the airport is not particularly central to Newcastle. However, the flight is particularly scenic, especially on a fine day, as there are stunning views of the northern beaches between Sydney and Newcastle. It can be well worth finding an excuse to fly if the cost is not an issue. If flying into [[Sydney Airport]], then take the train to Sydney Central station, and then change for the next train to Newcastle. The entire journey will be around 2.5 hours. ==Get around== [[File:StocktonFerry1.JPG|thumbnail|The ferry to Stockton]] [[File:NewcastleLightRailCivicOpenDay.jpg|thumbnail|Tram at Civic]] The city centre is fairly walkable. Light rail and [http://www.transportnsw.info/ public buses] are the best way to get around Newcastle city. The Sydney '''Opal card''' is used here, and used in exactly the same way. The shopping centres, John Hunter Hospital and the university are served by several bus lines. Google Maps works for transit in Newcastle, as do [http://www.transportnsw.info/en/travelling-with-us/keep-updated/apps.page several 3rd party smartphone apps] that Transport NSW recommend. There are taxis available, although you will likely need to call for one. Hamilton station has a taxi rank which often has a few taxis waiting for the Sydney train. Uber has some drivers here, and GoCatch has just a handful. Newcastle Taxi Co-operative can be reached under 131008. There is a single ferry service between {{marker|type=listing|name=Queens Wharf|lat=-32.925295|long=151.780402}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Stockton Wharf|lat=-32.919754|long=151.782510}}, costing $2.40 each way, also using Opal cards. Riding a bicycle is possible, and infrastructure is slowly being built, but takes some time to discover. Select areas around Wickham, Islington, and along Honeysuckle Drive have some infrastructure, quiet streets, a gentle terrain along waterways that can be quite pleasant to ride through. Other areas which have some infrastructure are around Adamstown and Kotara Shopping Centre. It is possible to ride to and in the surroundings of the John Hunter Hospital, University of Newcastle but these are up significant gradients. Even so, much riding will occur on roads shared with motor vehicles. === Car hire === * {{listing | name=Europcar | url=http://www.europcar.com.au/ | email= | address=66 Hannell St, Wickham | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4940 0053 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Closest rental outlet to city centre and also has an outlet at the airport. }} * {{listing | name=Budget | url=http://www.budget.com.au/default.aspx | email= | address=107 Tudor St, Hamilton | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4927 6375 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bit further out from the CBD (not far from the Broadmeadow Train Station) and also has an airport outlet. }} * {{listing | name=Thrifty Car Rental | url=http://www.thrifty.com.au/ | email=reservations@thrifty.com.au | address=272 Pacific Hwy, Charlestown | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4942 2266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Newcastle Car & Truck Rental | url=http://www.newcastlerental.com | email= | address=851 Hunter Street, Hamilton | lat= | long= | directions=Cnr Hunter & Selma Streets | phone = +61 2 4940 0377 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=All sorts of vehicles to hire for all sorts of uses }} ==See== [[File:Newcastle CBD from Nobbys Head.JPG|thumb|400px|Newcastle CBD from Nobbys Head]] ===Landmarks=== * {{see | name=Christ Church Cathedral | alt= | url= | email= | address=52 Church Street | lat=-32.928580 | long=151.780129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10 | wikidata=Q5108773| wikipedia=Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle | content=See Newcastle's Cathedral. Tour the inside and climb the tower, with a guided map. }} * {{see | name=Heritage architecture | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In and around the city. Notable buildings in the CBD area include the courthouse (top of Bolton St), former Customs House, Newcastle Railway Station, and Post Office (cnr of Hunter St and Bolton St). }} * {{see | name=Nobbys Head | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.919627 | long=151.798592 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7045612| wikipedia=Nobbys Head | content=Nobbys Island is connected to the mainland by a pier built using convict labour (completed in 1846). The pier is accessible to pedestrians, and is flanked by Nobbys Beach. It provides an excellent vantage point to take in views of the harbour and Stockton Beach across the water. }} ===Museums and art galleries=== * {{see | name=Newcastle Museum | alt= | url=http://www.newcastlemuseum.com.au | email= | address=Workshop Way | lat=-32.926109 | long=151.772381 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4974 1400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-5PM | price=Free | content=Opened in 2011, this museum is spread across three historic railway workshop buildings with permanent exhibitions on local history, the BHP steelworks and coal mining, and interactive science. }} * {{see | name=Fort Scratchley | alt= | url=http://www.fortscratchley.com.au | email= | address=Nobbys Rd | lat=-32.926163 | long=151.791113 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4974 5005 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata=Q5472006| wikipedia=Fort Scratchley | content=A historic site which now houses a military museum. The fort defended Newcastle in 1942 when a Japanese submarine surfaced shelling the city. Fort Scratchley has been refurbished and is open to the public, great views to the north and over the city are a highlight as is the history. Just east of the fort is Newcastle ocean baths a great place to swim and meet some local characters. }} * {{see | name=The Lock Up Cultural Centre | alt= | url=http://www.thelockup.org.au/ | email= | address=90 Hunter St | lat=-32.927526 | long=151.783814 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4925 2265 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W Th 10AM-4PM, F-Su 10AM-5PM | price=Gold coin entry | content=Incoporates a police museum and the John Paynter Gallery, which hosts resident artists all year round. }} * {{see | name=The Maritime Centre | alt=Newcastle Maritime Museum | url=https://mgnsw.org.au/organisations/newcastle-maritime-centre/ | email=info@maritimecentrenewcastle.org.au | address=3 Honeysuckle Dr | lat=-32.924762 | long=151.771055 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 2588 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-4PM | price=$10 | content=The museum reveals the history of Newcastle's port from shipwrecks and rescues to pirates. }} * {{see | name=Newcastle Art Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.nag.org.au/ | email=artgallery@ncc.nsw.gov.au | address=1 Laman St | lat=-32.929498 | long=151.772772 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4974 5100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-5PM | price=Free | content=Well worth a visit. The gallery houses a high quality collection of works by Australian artists, and stages its own and travelling exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Miss Porter's House | alt= | url=http://missportershousenewcastlenta.wordpress.com | email=mph@nationaltrust.com.au | address=434 King Street | lat=-32.927802 | long= 151.764729 | directions= | phone=+61 249 270202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM-4PM second Sunday of each month | price=Adults $8; Concession $6 | lastedit=2015-12-17 | content=Built by the Porters in 1909, the family lived in this freestanding Edwardian terrace until 1997, when they left it to the National Trust with all its contents intact. It is now a living snapshot of pre-1950s life in Newcastle. Miss Porter’s House is a living home, offering you today, a rare and privileged visit into other lives and other times. Built in 1909 by Herbert Porter, the terrace was home to the Porter family until 1997. The property was left to the National Trust by Miss Hazel Porter with its contents intact, providing today’s visitors with a vivid experience of the twentieth century inner-city life in Newcastle. Miss Porter’s House is filled with 1909-1940 furnishings and personal items which tell the story of the family over more than a century.}} ===Parks and gardens=== * {{see | name=The foreshore | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.925242 | long=151.788343 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large grassed open spaces on the old goods marshalling yards at the eastern end with playground equipment for children. Bars, cafes and restaurants overlooking the harbour starting from Queens Wharf where live music can be listened to on the outdoor area over the water (Hunter River)but very little grassed areas. }} * {{see | name=King Edward Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.933954 | long=151.779706 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great place for a picnic or a BBQ. Nice views of the ocean. }} * {{see | name=Mount Sugarloaf lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=West Wallsend | lat=-32.890425 | long=151.54003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Suburbs=== * {{see | name=Adamstown | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.939167 | long=151.725556 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Adamstown, New South Wales | wikidata=Q1040092 | content=Commercial hub of Newcastle and contains a number of locally-owned business properties. }} * {{see | name=Kotara | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.932 | long=151.685 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kotara, New South Wales | wikidata=Q6433876 | content=Well known for its family traditions and suburban atmopshere, Kotara designs itself as a garden suburb and is one of Newcastle's most popular retail destinations. Just west of Kotara is the heritage-listed Tickhole Tunnel, a double-track railway tunnel that still carries intercity commuter services in two bound directions. }} ==Do== [[File:Newcastle-above.jpg|400px|thumb|The old station, customs house and beaches]] * {{do | name=ANZAC Walk | alt= | url= | email= | address=43 High St, The Hill | lat=-32.936829 | long=151.776863 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=free | content=A short bridge connecting Strzelecki lookout with Bar Beach along the ridgeline, honouring the ANZACs who fought in World War I. }} * {{do | name=Hunter Wetlands Centre | alt= | url=http://www.wetlands.org.au | email= | address=Wallsend Rd, Sandgate | lat=-32.876224 | long=151.695565 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4951 6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-5PM | price= | content=A regenerated 45-hectare wetlands area adjacent to Hexham Swamp. There are walking trails, a bicycle trail, a canoe trail, picnic and barbecue facilities, and a visitors' centre. }} * {{do | name=See some live music | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The '''[http://www.newcastlepost.com.au/sec_te.html TE Guide]''' provides weekly entertainment listings and appears in Wednesday's ''Post'' free newspaper and Thursday's ''Newcastle Herald'' in print and online. The online version is not always kept up to date, so it is best to get hold of a print copy. Alternatively, look for '''Uturn''' streetpress, which is widely distributed to shops and libraries around town. }} * {{do | name=Blackbutt Reserve | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.933566 | long=151.693230 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A 182-ha reserve in suburban Newcastle. A natural bushland area which is full of native animals, picnic areas, wildlife exhibits, bushwalking trails, children's playgrounds. Don't miss the flying fox colony on the Rainforest trail. Main entrance is off Carnley Avenue, Kotara. Other entrances - Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights (on bus route) & Richley Reserve off Freyburg Street, New Lambton. On foot from Kotara train station, enter by the small trailhead opposite Grinsell Ave. on Carnley Ave., and stay to the right in the trail system to reach the info booth and animal displays at the Carnley Avenue entrance. }} * {{do | name=Fernleigh Track | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.938177 | long=151.715996 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A 15.5-km long cycling, walking and running trail that starts in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown and ends in the [[Lake Macquarie]] suburb of Belmont. It follows the remains of a railway line that used to run from Adamstown to Belmont down the coast. }} * {{do | name=Newcastle Regional Library | alt= | url=http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Library/Home | email= | address=Laman Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-22 | content=A large local library which also hosts exhibitions. This library is a stunning war memorial in a unique setting and style. Note also the curious bikestands outside the front steps. The Local Studies Library on the second floor will answer most questions about Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. A small library well done. }} [[File:Water fountain in Newcastle, New South Wales.jpg|thumb|Water fountain]] * {{do | name=Bar Beach | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.945 | long=151.762 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Regarded by many as the best of a range of beaches that ring the city. Surfing and kite-surfing available. }} * {{do | name=Nobbys Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.923 | long=151.795 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-22 | content=One of the safer beaches to swim at, fairly close to the city and Newcastle train station. }} [[File:Aerial of Newcastle Harbour.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Newcastle Harbour]] * {{do | name=Newcastle Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.932 | long=151.786 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-12-03 | content=Another good beach next the city centre. }} ===Ocean baths=== [[File:Newcastle ANZAC Walk.JPG|thumb|The ANZAC Walk]] No visit to Newcastle during the warmer months would be complete without taking a dip in the ocean baths. On sunny days you can sunbathe on the Grandstand on the Fort side of the baths. The baths are also open during the winter, for the more adventurous. The Newcastle baths are home to the "Newcastle Pirates", a winter swimming club not unlike the Icebergs or Polar Bears of other places. * {{do | name=Newcastle Ocean Baths | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.930 | long=151.791 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Close to the city centre, these historic baths were opened in 1922. }} * {{do | name=Merewether Ocean Baths | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.951860 | long=151.755647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=The ''largest'' ocean baths complex in the southern hemisphere. }} * {{do | name=The Bogey Hole | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.935404 | long=151.781691 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Carved out of the rock by convicts, this ocean pool at the bottom of King Edward Park is a great place for a relaxing dip. }} ===Festivals and events=== * {{do | name=Mattara Festival | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/MattaraFestivalNewcastle/ | email= | address=Wallsend Park | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A festival held each year during the Labour Day long weekend in late September/early October. The Mattara festival formerly included the '''Mattara Hillclimb''', a car race held in scenic [http://www.mgcarclub.com.au/KEP.htm King Edward Park]. The festival features family entertainment and market stalls. }} * {{do | name=This Is Not Art Festival | url=http://www.thisisnotart.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Held in the same long weekend each year, and showcases the talents of young and emerging artists, writers, media makers and electronic musicians from around Australia. }} * {{do | name=Surfest | alt= | url=http://www.surfest.com | email=info@surfest.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Australia's largest surfing contest and festival held at Merewether Beach. The event is held annually over 12 days in late February. }} * {{do | name=Carols by Candlelight | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Held each December in many of Newcastle's parks. }} * {{do | name=Cultural Stomp | url= | email= | address=Civic Park | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A one-day celebration of the region's cultural diversity. Forums, panels, music, art, films, spoken word. }} * {{do | name=Newcastle 500 | url=http://www.supercars.com/newcastle/ | email= | address=Newcastle East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Price TBC | content=Newcastle's inaugural round of the V8 Supercars series, held on a street circuit in the East End of the city. Late November. }} ==Learn== The {{marker|type=listing|name=University of Newcastle|url=http://www.newcastle.edu.au|lat=-32.892970|long=151.704092}} is one of the major regional universities in New South Wales. Its academic program is quite broad and includes many liberal arts courses. Their undergraduate medicine degree is very highly regarded. ==Buy== * For locally made clothing with a quirky, hip look, try {{buy | name=High Tea with Mrs Woo | alt= | url= | email= | address=74 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat=-32.929735 | long=151.773174 | directions= | phone=+61 4926 4883 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Darby Street is also a good place to browse in the boutiques, although the options here aren't cheap. }} * Retro and second-hand clothing: Newcastle has a range of interesting {{buy | name=second-hand stores | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Some stores are priced very competitively when compared with their Sydney counterparts. }} * {{buy | name=Patsan Dance Music Specialist | alt= | url= | email= | address=301 Hunter Street | lat=-32.926925 | long=151.775291 | directions= | phone=+61 4925 3996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Newcastle City Farmers Market | alt= | url=http://www.newcastlecityfarmersmarket.com.au/ | email= | address=Newcastle Showground, Brown Road, Broadmeadow | lat=-32.919097 | long=151.737350 | directions=close to Broadmeadow Train Station | phone=+61 2 4930 5156 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Most Sundays 8AM-1PM | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hunter Street Markets | alt= | url=http://www.organicfoodmarkets.com.au/ | email= | address=Hunter Street Mall | lat=-32.927298 | long=151.780784 | directions= | phone=+61 2 9999 2226 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Every Th-Sa 9AM-3PM. Also runs whenever a cruise ship is in town. }} ==Eat== Most of the city's restaurants and cafés can be found along three main eatery strips: '''Honeysuckle Drive''' in Honeysuckle, '''Darby Street''' in Cooks Hill and '''Beaumont Street''' in Hamilton. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Asa-Don | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asa-Don-Japanese-Take-Away/284152304933788 | email= | address=179 King Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 1035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Civic Lunch Delights | url= | email= | address=389 Hunter Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 4241 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Darby Street Take Away | url= | email= | address=98 Darby St Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 4929 3406 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A real value-for-money greasy spoon/sandwich bar. The "international burgers" ($6.50) are recommended. }} * {{eat | name=Hooi's Recipe | url= | email= | address=Shop 1 55 Joslin Street Kotara | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 249523333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent place for Malaysian, Chinese and Thai food. Price is reasonable and good service too. There's a noodle special ($9.50) for dinner on Sunday till Thurs. A place that is highly recommended. }} * {{eat | name=House of Peking | url= | email= | address=Hotel Jesmond, Jesmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent value for Yum Cha (lunch and dinner, typically $10-15/head). }} * {{eat | name=Pide Fez | url= | email= | address=126 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 4394 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ====Cafés==== There are numerous options along Beaumont St in Hamilton and Darby St in Cooks Hill. At '''Three Monkeys''' (Darby St Cooks Hill) coffee can be ordered by the bowl. * {{eat | name=Euro Patisserie | alt= | url= | email= | address=68 Orchardtown Rd, New Lambton | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4957 7188 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Deservedly popular for their award-winning cakes and pastries. }} * {{eat | name=Goldbergs | url= | email= | address=137 Darby St, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A busy Darby St stalwart, offers large meals and a good location for people-watching. }} * {{eat | name=Long Bench Café | url= | email= | address=Darby St, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Open until late. }} * {{eat | name=Suspension Espresso | alt= | url=http://www.suspensionespresso.com/ | email= | address=3 Beaumont Street, Islington | lat=-32.917317 | long=151.749134 | directions=turn right out of Hamilton Station and walk about 2 minutes down Beaumont Street | phone=+61 2 4962 2717 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 6AM-5PM | price=Coffees $4, mains from $10 | lastedit=2015-12-30 | content=Very good coffee near Hamilton Station. Great for waiting for the train back to Sydney. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Door Cafe | url=http://www.blue-door.com.au/ | email= | address=364 Hunter Street | lat=-32.92718 | long= 151.77304 | directions=Just off Wheeler Place | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Takeaway 6AM-3PM, dine in 7AM-2:30PM | price=$15-25 per food item, <$10 for drinks | content=In the heart of the Civic precinct. Serves fresh, simple dishes and of course, coffee. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Benjamas | url= | email= | address=100 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat=-32.930607 | long=151.772190 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4926 1229 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Thai cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Bocados | alt= | url=http://www.bocados.com.au | email= | address=25 King Street | lat=-32.929093 | long=151.783645 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4925 2801 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Spanish cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Delucas Pizza | alt= | url= | email= | address=159B Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat=-32.932066 | long=151.771113 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian classics. }} * {{eat | name=Oma's Kitchen | alt= | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omas-Kitchen/456227981062237 | email= | address=16 Watt Street | lat=-32.927871 | long=151.784417 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4927 5151 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $25 for mains | content=Bavarian German style cafe, with authentic dishes such as Bavarian sausages, pork knuckle and lebekaese at somewhat high prices. Real German beer available. }} * {{eat | name=Moor | alt= | url= | email=moor.newcastle.east@gmail.com | address=33 Hunter Street, Newcastle East | lat=-32.9282 | long=151.7850 | directions= | phone=+61 402 37096 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-18 | content=North African and Spanish dishes. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Bacchus | url=http://www.bacchusnewcastle.com.au/ | email= | address=141 King Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4927 1332 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Restaurant Mason | url=http://www.restaurantmason.com | email=restaurantmason@gmail.com | address=3/35 Hunter Street| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4926 3470 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sprout Dining | url=http://www.sproutcatering.com.au | email=info@sproutcatering.com.au | address=2 Honeysuckle Drive, Honeysuckle | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4023 3565 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Subo | url=http://www.subo.com.au | email=subo@live.com.au | address=551D Hunter Street, Newcastle West | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4023 4048 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ===Coffee=== * {{drink | name=Dark Horse Espresso | url= | email= | address=20-24 Greenway Street, Wickham | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 449 540 463 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Funky little cafe connected to a furniture shop in an industrial area, serving Campos coffee. }} * {{drink | name=Glee Coffee Roasters | url=http://www.gleecoffee.com.au/#/roasteryespresso-bars/newcastle | email= | address=155 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 432 034 703 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=One Penny Black | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Penny-Black-Espresso-Bar/144805218888240 | email=onepennyblack@live.com.au | address=Corner Hunter and Morgan Streets | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 421 506 651 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 7AM-5PM, Sa Su 7AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Sprocket Roasters | url=http://www.sprocketroasters.com.au/ | email=info@sprocketroasters.com.au | address=68 Hunter St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4009 1237 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4023 3907 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Suspension Espresso | url= | email= | address=3 Beaumont Street, Islington | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4962 2717 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Bars and clubs=== * {{drink | name=Queens Wharf Brewery | alt= | url=http://www.qwb.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-32.925735 | long=151.780978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=On the foreshore. A popular spot for a drink. The pub sells its own beers and has harbour views. During the day and M and Tu nights the atmosphere is relaxed, whilst W-Su evenings can get very busy. There's also entertainment (generally DJs, top 40 cover bands, R&B soloists) on W-Su evenings. There is a large outdoor (beer garden style) area on a jetty over the river - great way to relax on a sunny day. }} * {{drink | name=Silo Lounge Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.925177 | long=151.771692 | directions=in the Honeysuckle development on the harbour | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A drawcard is the selection of Belgian beers available. }} * {{drink | name=Northern Star Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=112 Beaumont St, Hamilton | lat=-32.922765 | long=151.746931 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4961 1087 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An Irish pub in the middle of Hamilton's restaurant strip. The Northern Star regularly functions as a music venue - check the blackboard out the front to find out what's on. }} * {{drink | name=Kent Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.thekenthotel.com.au/ | email= | address=59 Beaumont Street, Hamilton | lat=-32.921044 | long=151.747706 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4961 3303 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A busy pub on Hamilton's restaurant strip. Check out the popular trivia night (each Wednesday, starts at 7:30PM). }} * {{drink | name=Beach Hotel | alt= | url=http://thebeachhotel.com.au/ | email= | address=Fredrick Street, Merewether | lat=-32.948974 | long=151.755512 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A Newcastle institution. The place to be on Sunday night is sitting on the front deck overlooking Merewether Beach at sunset with a locally brewed Bluetounge Beer. }} * {{drink | name=Gateway Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=Maitland Rd, Islington | lat=-32.91565 | long=151.748877 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The local establishment frequented by Newcastle's gay & lesbian community. The venue features a rotating mix of local and Sydney DJs, special events, drag shows and feature performers, featuring a nightclub (Club G), main bar and bistro. }} *{{drink | name=Cambridge Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.yourcambridge.com | email= | address=789 Hunter St, Newcastle West | lat=-32.924885 | long=151.757819 | directions= | phone=+61 2 49622459 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Newcastle's premier live venue plays host to the best national and international touring bands. Enjoy cheap drinks and great music while meeting friendly locals. }} *{{drink | name=The Clarendon Hotel | alt= | url=http://clarendonhotel.com.au | email= | address=347 Hunter St | lat=-32.927067 | long=151.773232 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4907 6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Voted best pub style accommodation in Australia in 2009, this venue is a great place to have a drink or a meal at their restaurant that offers good food at reasonable prices. They also host the Sundae Fundaze event several times a year with a number of world class dance music acts. }} *{{drink | name=MJ Finnegans Irish Pub | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cnr. Darby and King street | lat=-32.927691 | long=151.774498 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the most popular night spots on Friday and Saturday nights. Not really an Irish pub anymore. }} * {{drink | name=Prince of Merewether Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.theprinceofmerewether.com.au | email= | address=1 Morgan Street, Merewether | lat=-32.93900 | long=151.75435 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4963 1722 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-11-07 | content=Modern bar and club popular with locals of Newcastle's beach suburb. Causal atmosphere and bistro food available. }} ==Sleep== As the largest town in the Hunter, Newcastle has a wide range of accommodation options. Parking campers overnight at the beaches is prohibited, but still occurs to a certain extent. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Backpackers Newcastle | alt= | url=http://www.backpackersnewcastle.com.au/ | email=info@backpackersnewcastle.com.au | address=42 & 44 Denison St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4 96 93 436 | tollfree=1800 33 34 36 (domestic) | fax=+61 2 4 94 08 7 26 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ibis budget | alt= | url= | email= | address=3-5 Thomas Street, Wallsend | lat=-32.926 | long=151.763 | directions=cnr Link and Lake Roads | phone=+61 2 49 500 244 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 49 500 524 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Twin room or double room: $59 per night | content=A reasonable option if driving - a little far out from the city centre, but convenient to the freeway. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Newcastle | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/3236/index.en.shtml | email=H3236@accor.com | address=700 Hunter Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4925 2266 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4925 3377 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=$99-149 a night | content=Close to the heart of the Newcastle CBD, the hotel is an easy stroll to the Regional Museum, art galleries, Civic Theatre, Civic Playhouse, Newcastle's popular Honeysuckle and Queens Wharf harbour foreshore and retail precinct. }} * {{sleep | name=Reign Inn Newcastle | url=https://www.reigninn.com/ | email= | address=309 Maitland Road Mayfield | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$94 | checkin= | checkout= | content=With family, twin share and double rooms, plus cable TV, in-room Internet connectivity, direct dial phone, clock radio, coffee- and tea-making facilities. }} * {{sleep | name=Blackbutt Hotel | alt= | url=https://blackbutthotel.com.au/ | email=enquiries@blackbutthotel.com.au | address=80 Orchardtown Rd, New Lambton NSW 2305 | lat=-32.93457 | long=151.70762 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4957 3454 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=AUD135 | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Clean and quiet motel rooms above a pub, close to Blackbutt Reserve. Rooms only sleep 2, you will need to book multiple rooms for a family. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=The Clarendon Hotel | url=http://www.clarendonhotel.com.au/ | email=info@clarendonhotel.com.au | address=347 Hunter Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 49270966 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4925 3900 | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=4½-star boutique hotel centrally located in Newcastle's CBD. Serves excellent meals and many boutique beers. Has one of the few genuine beer gardens in the CBD at the rear where with live music Fri and Sat evenings. }} *{{sleep | name=Novotel Newcastle Beach | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/8771/index.en.shtml | email= | address=5 King Street | lat=-32.929 | long=151.784 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4032 3700 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Novotel Newcastle Beach hotel is almost on Newcastle beach, and a short walking distance into town. }} * {{sleep | name=Rydges Newcastle | alt= | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/ | email=crowneplaza.newcastle@ichotelsgroup.com | address=Corner of Merewether Sreet & Wharf Road | lat=-32.924983 | long=151.773507 | directions= | phone=+61 2 49075000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 49075055 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $300 | content=Good quality hotel on Honeysuckle drive. A 15-minute walk to the CBD. }} * {{sleep | name=Boulevard on Beaumont | url=http://www.boulevardonbeaumont.com.au | email=reservations@boulevardonbeaumont.com.au | address=131 Beaumont Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4940 0088 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4940 0092 | hours= | price= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Noah's on the Beach | url= | email= | address=Cnr Shortland Esplanade and Zaara St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=About $200 for a double | checkin= | checkout= | content= Close to the CBD, views over Newcastle Beach. }} ==Cope== Good walking shoes are required for the CBD as many streets are steep slopes. Use the walkways or footbridges to get to and from the CBD and the Foreshore. Make sure you note the Historic Markers in the CBD as they make sense of the magic that is Newcastle. ==Go next== * [[Sydney]] - Australia's most cosmopolitan city is easily reached by train. * [[Hunter Valley]] - Australia's oldest wine-producing region; the town of [[Cessnock]], adjacent to the Lower Hunter wine region (including the [[Pokolbin]] district) is 50 minutes drive from the Newcastle CBD. * [[Port Stephens (New South Wales)|Port Stephens]] - featuring [[Nelson Bay]], a 45 minute drive north and famous for its holiday lifestyle and beaches, and for whale and dolphin watching. * [[Barrington Tops National Park]] - a protected area which contains World Heritage listed wilderness, to the north of the Hunter Valley. * [[Myall Lakes National Park]] - for camping and water activities. {{routebox2 |name=Newcastle |temp1={{AUR|M1}} |directionl1=SSW |minorl1=[[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]] |majorl1=[[Sydney]] |directionr1=NNE |minorr1=[[Myall Lakes National Park]] |majorr1=[[Port Macquarie]] |temp2={{AUR|M15}} |directionl2=NW |minorl2=[[Singleton]] |majorl2=[[Tamworth (New South Wales)|Tamworth]] |directionr2=SE |majorr2=END |temp3={{AUR|A43}} |directionl3=NW |minorl3=[[Maitland (New South Wales)|Maitland]] |majorl3=[[Branxton]] |directionr3=S |minorr3=[[Lake Macquarie]] |majorr3=[[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]] |temp4={{AUR|B53}} |directionl4=SW |minorl4=[[Toronto (New South Wales)|Toronto]] |majorl4=[[Morisset]] |directionr4=NE |majorr4=END |temp5={{AUR|B63}} |directionl5=SW |majorl5=END |directionr5=NE |majorr5=[[Port Stephens (New South Wales)|Port Stephens]] }} {{isPartOf|Hunter}} {{geo|-32.916|151.766}} {{Guidecity}} 3em9ax55az2qxjx0bafp5tezmym4sr4 4501871 4501868 2022-08-16T04:49:52Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/103.95.110.191|103.95.110.191]] ([[User talk:103.95.110.191|talk]]) to last version by [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Newcastle_NSW_Banner.jpeg|pgname=Newcastle}} '''[http://www.visitnewcastle.com.au Newcastle]''' is a city at the mouth of the Hunter River, approximately 150 km north of [[Sydney]] in the [[Hunter]] region of [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. The city is the focal point for the diverse Hunter region that encompasses beaches and mountains, restaurants and wineries. ==Understand== Newcastle is a great place for surfers, wine buffs, bush walkers, and anyone interested in Australian history. The second largest city in the state of NSW and sixth largest in Australia, Newcastle city had a population of 153,000 and the suburban area of over 500,000. Similar to its [[Newcastle_upon_Tyne|English namesake]], Newcastle was an important centre for the coal mining and iron ore industries. Newcastle is Australia's oldest sea port, and the second most important in the country in terms of overall tonnage, and significant for coal exports. Many Novocastrians take an avid interest in sports, as participants, spectators or both. The local NRL Rugby League team, the Newcastle Knights are widely followed. Newcastle also hosts soccer, baseball, ice hockey, netball and various other sporting teams. Hunter New England Health and the University of Newcastle are the city's primary employers. To the north is Stockton Beach with miles and miles of uninhabited beaches that stretch up to Nelson Bay. Stockton Beach can be seen from Fort Scratchley, which was Newcastle's maritime defence during the world wars. Travel westward to the wineries and taste some of Australia's best wines. Barrington Tops National Park in the north west has beautiful fresh water rivers and rain forests, a good place to spot a platypus. * {{listing | name=Newcastle Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url= | email=tourism@ncc.nsw.gov.au | address=Honeysuckle Wharf | lat=-32.924920 | long=151.771260 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 5948 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-3PM | price= | content= }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-32.927|151.761|zoom=13|width=500}} [[File:Newcastle Interchange Oscar Train.jpg|thumb|NSW Trainlink Intercity Train at Newcastle Interchange]] ===By car=== The Newcastle area is at least two hours drive north from the centre of [[Sydney]] on the Pacific Highway and Pacific Motorway (A1/M1). This stretch of road is a major commuter route for traffic from the [[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]] and North Shore so travel time increases significantly in the peaks to and from Sydney. The Pacific Motorway is on the western side of Lake Macquarie. To travel up the eastern side of Lake Macquarie (through Swansea) then take the "Charlestown" exit. This route is more scenic, more hilly, and less congested (though it takes a few minutes longer). If you follow this route you will eventually come to the "Charlestown Bypass" at Bennett's Green which you can take if you wish to head north-west (towards Lambton). Otherwise veer right to keep following the Pacific Highway until you reach Charlestown and then follow the signs to the city. Traffic during holiday periods and long weekends is also affected, with heavy northbound traffic at the beginning of the period as Sydneysiders flee the city for the weekend, and heavy southbound traffic as they return. ===By train=== Sydney's Central, Strathfield, Epping and Hornsby stations have [http://transportnsw.info regular trains] to {{marker|type=listing|name=Newcastle Interchange|lat=-32.9239716|long=151.7589071}} via the [[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]]. Travelling time varies between 2 to 3 hours. This line uses the Opal card (the same as in Sydney) and trips from Sydney are quite comfortable and cheap at $8.30 peak and $5.81 off-peak. This trip is included in the $2.70 fare cap on Sundays. You can also use your contact-less credit card to at the Opal gates if you don't have an Opal Card. Trains terminate at Newcastle Interchange, where you can transfer to Light Rail to go to the city centre or beach. There is also a train service from Newcastle Interchange to various Hunter towns such as [[Maitland_(New_South_Wales)|Maitland]]. Check the Sydney Trains website for trackwork along the ''Central Coast & Newcastle Line''; when these occur, buses replace trains between stations and can add an hour to the trip. Several [http://nswtrainlink.info/ NSW Trainlink regional] services pass through Newcastle's {{marker|type=listing|name=Broadmeadow Station|lat=-32.9231657|long=151.7347476}} (approximately 5&nbsp;km from the CBD) daily from Sydney and the Central Coast to the south and from the [[Northern Rivers]] and [[New England (New South Wales)|New England]]. These trains are more expensive than intercity services and tickets must be booked in advance, but they are somewhat more comfortable and are also faster. Occasionally NSW Trainlink discount tickets offer discounts, and $1 fares for kids, so it may be worthwhile checking their fares. ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Busways | url=http://www.busways.com.au | email=infoline@busways.com.au | address=36-38 Stroud Street, Bulahdelah | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4997 4788 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 8AM-5PM | price= | content=Operates services that run to Newcastle from [[Taree]] and to Newcastle from Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens, north of Port Stephens. }} * {{listing | name=Greyhound | url=http://www.greyhound.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =1300 473 946 (local rate call) | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 4638 2178 | hours=M-F 8AM-6PM, Sa Su 8AM-4PM | price= | content=Newcastle from Sydney direct twice daily, Newcastle from Brisbane three times daily with many stops along the Pacific Highway. }} * {{listing | name=Port Stephens Coaches | url=http://www.pscoaches.com.au | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4982 2940 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Provides daily services from Port Stephens and Williamtown airport to Newcastle Railway Station. }} ===By plane=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Newcastle Airport (Williamtown) | alt={{IATA|NTL}} | url=http://www.newcastleairport.com.au | email= | address= | lat=-32.803905 | long=151.839551 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17570 | content=[http://www.jetstar.com.au Jetstar] has direct connections to [[Brisbane]], [[Gold Coast]] and [[Melbourne]]. [http://www.virginaustralia.com Virgin Australia] connects [[Brisbane]] and [[Melbourne]]. [http://www.qantas.com.au QantasLink] flies to [[Brisbane]]. [http://www.rex.com.au/ Rex] flies to [[Sydney]] and Sydney and [[Ballina_(New_South_Wales)|Ballina]]. }} Flying may not be the fastest way to travel such a short distance as Sydney to Newcastle, especially since there are only a handful of flights every day, and the airport is not particularly central to Newcastle. However, the flight is particularly scenic, especially on a fine day, as there are stunning views of the northern beaches between Sydney and Newcastle. It can be well worth finding an excuse to fly if the cost is not an issue. If flying into [[Sydney Airport]], then take the train to Sydney Central station, and then change for the next train to Newcastle. The entire journey will be around 2.5 hours. ==Get around== [[File:StocktonFerry1.JPG|thumbnail|The ferry to Stockton]] [[File:NewcastleLightRailCivicOpenDay.jpg|thumbnail|Tram at Civic]] The city centre is fairly walkable. Light rail and [http://www.transportnsw.info/ public buses] are the best way to get around Newcastle city. The Sydney '''Opal card''' is used here, and used in exactly the same way. The shopping centres, John Hunter Hospital and the university are served by several bus lines. Google Maps works for transit in Newcastle, as do [http://www.transportnsw.info/en/travelling-with-us/keep-updated/apps.page several 3rd party smartphone apps] that Transport NSW recommend. There are taxis available, although you will likely need to call for one. Hamilton station has a taxi rank which often has a few taxis waiting for the Sydney train. Uber has some drivers here, and GoCatch has just a handful. Newcastle Taxi Co-operative can be reached under 131008. There is a single ferry service between {{marker|type=listing|name=Queens Wharf|lat=-32.925295|long=151.780402}} and {{marker|type=listing|name=Stockton Wharf|lat=-32.919754|long=151.782510}}, costing $2.40 each way, also using Opal cards. Riding a bicycle is possible, and infrastructure is slowly being built, but takes some time to discover. Select areas around Wickham, Islington, and along Honeysuckle Drive have some infrastructure, quiet streets, a gentle terrain along waterways that can be quite pleasant to ride through. Other areas which have some infrastructure are around Adamstown and Kotara Shopping Centre. It is possible to ride to and in the surroundings of the John Hunter Hospital, University of Newcastle but these are up significant gradients. Even so, much riding will occur on roads shared with motor vehicles. === Car hire === * {{listing | name=Europcar | url=http://www.europcar.com.au/ | email= | address=66 Hannell St, Wickham | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4940 0053 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Closest rental outlet to city centre and also has an outlet at the airport. }} * {{listing | name=Budget | url=http://www.budget.com.au/default.aspx | email= | address=107 Tudor St, Hamilton | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4927 6375 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bit further out from the CBD (not far from the Broadmeadow Train Station) and also has an airport outlet. }} * {{listing | name=Thrifty Car Rental | url=http://www.thrifty.com.au/ | email=reservations@thrifty.com.au | address=272 Pacific Hwy, Charlestown | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4942 2266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{listing | name=Newcastle Car & Truck Rental | url=http://www.newcastlerental.com | email= | address=851 Hunter Street, Hamilton | lat= | long= | directions=Cnr Hunter & Selma Streets | phone = +61 2 4940 0377 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=All sorts of vehicles to hire for all sorts of uses }} ==See== [[File:Newcastle CBD from Nobbys Head.JPG|thumb|400px|Newcastle CBD from Nobbys Head]] ===Landmarks=== * {{see | name=Christ Church Cathedral | alt= | url= | email= | address=52 Church Street | lat=-32.928580 | long=151.780129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10 | wikidata=Q5108773| wikipedia=Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle | content=See Newcastle's Cathedral. Tour the inside and climb the tower, with a guided map. }} * {{see | name=Heritage architecture | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In and around the city. Notable buildings in the CBD area include the courthouse (top of Bolton St), former Customs House, Newcastle Railway Station, and Post Office (cnr of Hunter St and Bolton St). }} * {{see | name=Nobbys Head | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.919627 | long=151.798592 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7045612| wikipedia=Nobbys Head | content=Nobbys Island is connected to the mainland by a pier built using convict labour (completed in 1846). The pier is accessible to pedestrians, and is flanked by Nobbys Beach. It provides an excellent vantage point to take in views of the harbour and Stockton Beach across the water. }} ===Museums and art galleries=== * {{see | name=Newcastle Museum | alt= | url=http://www.newcastlemuseum.com.au | email= | address=Workshop Way | lat=-32.926109 | long=151.772381 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4974 1400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-5PM | price=Free | content=Opened in 2011, this museum is spread across three historic railway workshop buildings with permanent exhibitions on local history, the BHP steelworks and coal mining, and interactive science. }} * {{see | name=Fort Scratchley | alt= | url=http://www.fortscratchley.com.au | email= | address=Nobbys Rd | lat=-32.926163 | long=151.791113 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4974 5005 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata=Q5472006| wikipedia=Fort Scratchley | content=A historic site which now houses a military museum. The fort defended Newcastle in 1942 when a Japanese submarine surfaced shelling the city. Fort Scratchley has been refurbished and is open to the public, great views to the north and over the city are a highlight as is the history. Just east of the fort is Newcastle ocean baths a great place to swim and meet some local characters. }} * {{see | name=The Lock Up Cultural Centre | alt= | url=http://www.thelockup.org.au/ | email= | address=90 Hunter St | lat=-32.927526 | long=151.783814 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4925 2265 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W Th 10AM-4PM, F-Su 10AM-5PM | price=Gold coin entry | content=Incoporates a police museum and the John Paynter Gallery, which hosts resident artists all year round. }} * {{see | name=The Maritime Centre | alt=Newcastle Maritime Museum | url=https://mgnsw.org.au/organisations/newcastle-maritime-centre/ | email=info@maritimecentrenewcastle.org.au | address=3 Honeysuckle Dr | lat=-32.924762 | long=151.771055 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 2588 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-4PM | price=$10 | content=The museum reveals the history of Newcastle's port from shipwrecks and rescues to pirates. }} * {{see | name=Newcastle Art Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.nag.org.au/ | email=artgallery@ncc.nsw.gov.au | address=1 Laman St | lat=-32.929498 | long=151.772772 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4974 5100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-5PM | price=Free | content=Well worth a visit. The gallery houses a high quality collection of works by Australian artists, and stages its own and travelling exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Miss Porter's House | alt= | url=http://missportershousenewcastlenta.wordpress.com | email=mph@nationaltrust.com.au | address=434 King Street | lat=-32.927802 | long= 151.764729 | directions= | phone=+61 249 270202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM-4PM second Sunday of each month | price=Adults $8; Concession $6 | lastedit=2015-12-17 | content=Built by the Porters in 1909, the family lived in this freestanding Edwardian terrace until 1997, when they left it to the National Trust with all its contents intact. It is now a living snapshot of pre-1950s life in Newcastle. Miss Porter’s House is a living home, offering you today, a rare and privileged visit into other lives and other times. Built in 1909 by Herbert Porter, the terrace was home to the Porter family until 1997. The property was left to the National Trust by Miss Hazel Porter with its contents intact, providing today’s visitors with a vivid experience of the twentieth century inner-city life in Newcastle. Miss Porter’s House is filled with 1909-1940 furnishings and personal items which tell the story of the family over more than a century.}} ===Parks and gardens=== * {{see | name=The foreshore | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.925242 | long=151.788343 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large grassed open spaces on the old goods marshalling yards at the eastern end with playground equipment for children. Bars, cafes and restaurants overlooking the harbour starting from Queens Wharf where live music can be listened to on the outdoor area over the water (Hunter River)but very little grassed areas. }} * {{see | name=King Edward Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.933954 | long=151.779706 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great place for a picnic or a BBQ. Nice views of the ocean. }} * {{see | name=Mount Sugarloaf lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=West Wallsend | lat=-32.890425 | long=151.54003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Suburbs=== * {{see | name=Kotara | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.932 | long=151.685 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kotara, New South Wales | wikidata=Q6433876 | content=Well known for its family traditions and suburban atmopshere, Kotara designs itself as a garden suburb and is one of Newcastle's most popular retail destinations. Just west of Kotara is the heritage-listed Tickhole Tunnel, a double-track railway tunnel that still carries intercity commuter services in two bound directions. }} ==Do== [[File:Newcastle-above.jpg|400px|thumb|The old station, customs house and beaches]] * {{do | name=ANZAC Walk | alt= | url= | email= | address=43 High St, The Hill | lat=-32.936829 | long=151.776863 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=free | content=A short bridge connecting Strzelecki lookout with Bar Beach along the ridgeline, honouring the ANZACs who fought in World War I. }} * {{do | name=Hunter Wetlands Centre | alt= | url=http://www.wetlands.org.au | email= | address=Wallsend Rd, Sandgate | lat=-32.876224 | long=151.695565 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4951 6466 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-5PM | price= | content=A regenerated 45-hectare wetlands area adjacent to Hexham Swamp. There are walking trails, a bicycle trail, a canoe trail, picnic and barbecue facilities, and a visitors' centre. }} * {{do | name=See some live music | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The '''[http://www.newcastlepost.com.au/sec_te.html TE Guide]''' provides weekly entertainment listings and appears in Wednesday's ''Post'' free newspaper and Thursday's ''Newcastle Herald'' in print and online. The online version is not always kept up to date, so it is best to get hold of a print copy. Alternatively, look for '''Uturn''' streetpress, which is widely distributed to shops and libraries around town. }} * {{do | name=Blackbutt Reserve | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.933566 | long=151.693230 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A 182-ha reserve in suburban Newcastle. A natural bushland area which is full of native animals, picnic areas, wildlife exhibits, bushwalking trails, children's playgrounds. Don't miss the flying fox colony on the Rainforest trail. Main entrance is off Carnley Avenue, Kotara. Other entrances - Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights (on bus route) & Richley Reserve off Freyburg Street, New Lambton. On foot from Kotara train station, enter by the small trailhead opposite Grinsell Ave. on Carnley Ave., and stay to the right in the trail system to reach the info booth and animal displays at the Carnley Avenue entrance. }} * {{do | name=Fernleigh Track | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.938177 | long=151.715996 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A 15.5-km long cycling, walking and running trail that starts in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown and ends in the [[Lake Macquarie]] suburb of Belmont. It follows the remains of a railway line that used to run from Adamstown to Belmont down the coast. }} * {{do | name=Newcastle Regional Library | alt= | url=http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Library/Home | email= | address=Laman Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-22 | content=A large local library which also hosts exhibitions. This library is a stunning war memorial in a unique setting and style. Note also the curious bikestands outside the front steps. The Local Studies Library on the second floor will answer most questions about Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. A small library well done. }} [[File:Water fountain in Newcastle, New South Wales.jpg|thumb|Water fountain]] * {{do | name=Bar Beach | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.945 | long=151.762 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Regarded by many as the best of a range of beaches that ring the city. Surfing and kite-surfing available. }} * {{do | name=Nobbys Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.923 | long=151.795 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-22 | content=One of the safer beaches to swim at, fairly close to the city and Newcastle train station. }} [[File:Aerial of Newcastle Harbour.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Newcastle Harbour]] * {{do | name=Newcastle Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.932 | long=151.786 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-12-03 | content=Another good beach next the city centre. }} ===Ocean baths=== [[File:Newcastle ANZAC Walk.JPG|thumb|The ANZAC Walk]] No visit to Newcastle during the warmer months would be complete without taking a dip in the ocean baths. On sunny days you can sunbathe on the Grandstand on the Fort side of the baths. The baths are also open during the winter, for the more adventurous. The Newcastle baths are home to the "Newcastle Pirates", a winter swimming club not unlike the Icebergs or Polar Bears of other places. * {{do | name=Newcastle Ocean Baths | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.930 | long=151.791 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Close to the city centre, these historic baths were opened in 1922. }} * {{do | name=Merewether Ocean Baths | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.951860 | long=151.755647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=The ''largest'' ocean baths complex in the southern hemisphere. }} * {{do | name=The Bogey Hole | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.935404 | long=151.781691 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Carved out of the rock by convicts, this ocean pool at the bottom of King Edward Park is a great place for a relaxing dip. }} ===Festivals and events=== * {{do | name=Mattara Festival | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/MattaraFestivalNewcastle/ | email= | address=Wallsend Park | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A festival held each year during the Labour Day long weekend in late September/early October. The Mattara festival formerly included the '''Mattara Hillclimb''', a car race held in scenic [http://www.mgcarclub.com.au/KEP.htm King Edward Park]. The festival features family entertainment and market stalls. }} * {{do | name=This Is Not Art Festival | url=http://www.thisisnotart.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Held in the same long weekend each year, and showcases the talents of young and emerging artists, writers, media makers and electronic musicians from around Australia. }} * {{do | name=Surfest | alt= | url=http://www.surfest.com | email=info@surfest.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Australia's largest surfing contest and festival held at Merewether Beach. The event is held annually over 12 days in late February. }} * {{do | name=Carols by Candlelight | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Held each December in many of Newcastle's parks. }} * {{do | name=Cultural Stomp | url= | email= | address=Civic Park | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A one-day celebration of the region's cultural diversity. Forums, panels, music, art, films, spoken word. }} * {{do | name=Newcastle 500 | url=http://www.supercars.com/newcastle/ | email= | address=Newcastle East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Price TBC | content=Newcastle's inaugural round of the V8 Supercars series, held on a street circuit in the East End of the city. Late November. }} ==Learn== The {{marker|type=listing|name=University of Newcastle|url=http://www.newcastle.edu.au|lat=-32.892970|long=151.704092}} is one of the major regional universities in New South Wales. Its academic program is quite broad and includes many liberal arts courses. Their undergraduate medicine degree is very highly regarded. ==Buy== * For locally made clothing with a quirky, hip look, try {{buy | name=High Tea with Mrs Woo | alt= | url= | email= | address=74 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat=-32.929735 | long=151.773174 | directions= | phone=+61 4926 4883 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Darby Street is also a good place to browse in the boutiques, although the options here aren't cheap. }} * Retro and second-hand clothing: Newcastle has a range of interesting {{buy | name=second-hand stores | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Some stores are priced very competitively when compared with their Sydney counterparts. }} * {{buy | name=Patsan Dance Music Specialist | alt= | url= | email= | address=301 Hunter Street | lat=-32.926925 | long=151.775291 | directions= | phone=+61 4925 3996 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Newcastle City Farmers Market | alt= | url=http://www.newcastlecityfarmersmarket.com.au/ | email= | address=Newcastle Showground, Brown Road, Broadmeadow | lat=-32.919097 | long=151.737350 | directions=close to Broadmeadow Train Station | phone=+61 2 4930 5156 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Most Sundays 8AM-1PM | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Hunter Street Markets | alt= | url=http://www.organicfoodmarkets.com.au/ | email= | address=Hunter Street Mall | lat=-32.927298 | long=151.780784 | directions= | phone=+61 2 9999 2226 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Every Th-Sa 9AM-3PM. Also runs whenever a cruise ship is in town. }} ==Eat== Most of the city's restaurants and cafés can be found along three main eatery strips: '''Honeysuckle Drive''' in Honeysuckle, '''Darby Street''' in Cooks Hill and '''Beaumont Street''' in Hamilton. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Asa-Don | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asa-Don-Japanese-Take-Away/284152304933788 | email= | address=179 King Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 1035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Civic Lunch Delights | url= | email= | address=389 Hunter Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 4241 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Darby Street Take Away | url= | email= | address=98 Darby St Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 4929 3406 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A real value-for-money greasy spoon/sandwich bar. The "international burgers" ($6.50) are recommended. }} * {{eat | name=Hooi's Recipe | url= | email= | address=Shop 1 55 Joslin Street Kotara | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 249523333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent place for Malaysian, Chinese and Thai food. Price is reasonable and good service too. There's a noodle special ($9.50) for dinner on Sunday till Thurs. A place that is highly recommended. }} * {{eat | name=House of Peking | url= | email= | address=Hotel Jesmond, Jesmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent value for Yum Cha (lunch and dinner, typically $10-15/head). }} * {{eat | name=Pide Fez | url= | email= | address=126 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 4394 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ====Cafés==== There are numerous options along Beaumont St in Hamilton and Darby St in Cooks Hill. At '''Three Monkeys''' (Darby St Cooks Hill) coffee can be ordered by the bowl. * {{eat | name=Euro Patisserie | alt= | url= | email= | address=68 Orchardtown Rd, New Lambton | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4957 7188 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Deservedly popular for their award-winning cakes and pastries. }} * {{eat | name=Goldbergs | url= | email= | address=137 Darby St, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A busy Darby St stalwart, offers large meals and a good location for people-watching. }} * {{eat | name=Long Bench Café | url= | email= | address=Darby St, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Open until late. }} * {{eat | name=Suspension Espresso | alt= | url=http://www.suspensionespresso.com/ | email= | address=3 Beaumont Street, Islington | lat=-32.917317 | long=151.749134 | directions=turn right out of Hamilton Station and walk about 2 minutes down Beaumont Street | phone=+61 2 4962 2717 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 6AM-5PM | price=Coffees $4, mains from $10 | lastedit=2015-12-30 | content=Very good coffee near Hamilton Station. Great for waiting for the train back to Sydney. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Door Cafe | url=http://www.blue-door.com.au/ | email= | address=364 Hunter Street | lat=-32.92718 | long= 151.77304 | directions=Just off Wheeler Place | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Takeaway 6AM-3PM, dine in 7AM-2:30PM | price=$15-25 per food item, <$10 for drinks | content=In the heart of the Civic precinct. Serves fresh, simple dishes and of course, coffee. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Benjamas | url= | email= | address=100 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat=-32.930607 | long=151.772190 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4926 1229 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Thai cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Bocados | alt= | url=http://www.bocados.com.au | email= | address=25 King Street | lat=-32.929093 | long=151.783645 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4925 2801 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Spanish cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Delucas Pizza | alt= | url= | email= | address=159B Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat=-32.932066 | long=151.771113 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4929 3555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian classics. }} * {{eat | name=Oma's Kitchen | alt= | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omas-Kitchen/456227981062237 | email= | address=16 Watt Street | lat=-32.927871 | long=151.784417 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4927 5151 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $25 for mains | content=Bavarian German style cafe, with authentic dishes such as Bavarian sausages, pork knuckle and lebekaese at somewhat high prices. Real German beer available. }} * {{eat | name=Moor | alt= | url= | email=moor.newcastle.east@gmail.com | address=33 Hunter Street, Newcastle East | lat=-32.9282 | long=151.7850 | directions= | phone=+61 402 37096 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-18 | content=North African and Spanish dishes. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Bacchus | url=http://www.bacchusnewcastle.com.au/ | email= | address=141 King Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4927 1332 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Restaurant Mason | url=http://www.restaurantmason.com | email=restaurantmason@gmail.com | address=3/35 Hunter Street| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4926 3470 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sprout Dining | url=http://www.sproutcatering.com.au | email=info@sproutcatering.com.au | address=2 Honeysuckle Drive, Honeysuckle | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4023 3565 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Subo | url=http://www.subo.com.au | email=subo@live.com.au | address=551D Hunter Street, Newcastle West | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4023 4048 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ===Coffee=== * {{drink | name=Dark Horse Espresso | url= | email= | address=20-24 Greenway Street, Wickham | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 449 540 463 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Funky little cafe connected to a furniture shop in an industrial area, serving Campos coffee. }} * {{drink | name=Glee Coffee Roasters | url=http://www.gleecoffee.com.au/#/roasteryespresso-bars/newcastle | email= | address=155 Darby Street, Cooks Hill | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 432 034 703 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=One Penny Black | url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Penny-Black-Espresso-Bar/144805218888240 | email=onepennyblack@live.com.au | address=Corner Hunter and Morgan Streets | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 421 506 651 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 7AM-5PM, Sa Su 7AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Sprocket Roasters | url=http://www.sprocketroasters.com.au/ | email=info@sprocketroasters.com.au | address=68 Hunter St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4009 1237 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4023 3907 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Suspension Espresso | url= | email= | address=3 Beaumont Street, Islington | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4962 2717 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Bars and clubs=== * {{drink | name=Queens Wharf Brewery | alt= | url=http://www.qwb.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-32.925735 | long=151.780978 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=On the foreshore. A popular spot for a drink. The pub sells its own beers and has harbour views. During the day and M and Tu nights the atmosphere is relaxed, whilst W-Su evenings can get very busy. There's also entertainment (generally DJs, top 40 cover bands, R&B soloists) on W-Su evenings. There is a large outdoor (beer garden style) area on a jetty over the river - great way to relax on a sunny day. }} * {{drink | name=Silo Lounge Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-32.925177 | long=151.771692 | directions=in the Honeysuckle development on the harbour | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A drawcard is the selection of Belgian beers available. }} * {{drink | name=Northern Star Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=112 Beaumont St, Hamilton | lat=-32.922765 | long=151.746931 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4961 1087 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An Irish pub in the middle of Hamilton's restaurant strip. The Northern Star regularly functions as a music venue - check the blackboard out the front to find out what's on. }} * {{drink | name=Kent Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.thekenthotel.com.au/ | email= | address=59 Beaumont Street, Hamilton | lat=-32.921044 | long=151.747706 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4961 3303 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A busy pub on Hamilton's restaurant strip. Check out the popular trivia night (each Wednesday, starts at 7:30PM). }} * {{drink | name=Beach Hotel | alt= | url=http://thebeachhotel.com.au/ | email= | address=Fredrick Street, Merewether | lat=-32.948974 | long=151.755512 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A Newcastle institution. The place to be on Sunday night is sitting on the front deck overlooking Merewether Beach at sunset with a locally brewed Bluetounge Beer. }} * {{drink | name=Gateway Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=Maitland Rd, Islington | lat=-32.91565 | long=151.748877 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The local establishment frequented by Newcastle's gay & lesbian community. The venue features a rotating mix of local and Sydney DJs, special events, drag shows and feature performers, featuring a nightclub (Club G), main bar and bistro. }} *{{drink | name=Cambridge Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.yourcambridge.com | email= | address=789 Hunter St, Newcastle West | lat=-32.924885 | long=151.757819 | directions= | phone=+61 2 49622459 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Newcastle's premier live venue plays host to the best national and international touring bands. Enjoy cheap drinks and great music while meeting friendly locals. }} *{{drink | name=The Clarendon Hotel | alt= | url=http://clarendonhotel.com.au | email= | address=347 Hunter St | lat=-32.927067 | long=151.773232 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4907 6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Voted best pub style accommodation in Australia in 2009, this venue is a great place to have a drink or a meal at their restaurant that offers good food at reasonable prices. They also host the Sundae Fundaze event several times a year with a number of world class dance music acts. }} *{{drink | name=MJ Finnegans Irish Pub | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cnr. Darby and King street | lat=-32.927691 | long=151.774498 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the most popular night spots on Friday and Saturday nights. Not really an Irish pub anymore. }} * {{drink | name=Prince of Merewether Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.theprinceofmerewether.com.au | email= | address=1 Morgan Street, Merewether | lat=-32.93900 | long=151.75435 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4963 1722 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-11-07 | content=Modern bar and club popular with locals of Newcastle's beach suburb. Causal atmosphere and bistro food available. }} ==Sleep== As the largest town in the Hunter, Newcastle has a wide range of accommodation options. Parking campers overnight at the beaches is prohibited, but still occurs to a certain extent. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Backpackers Newcastle | alt= | url=http://www.backpackersnewcastle.com.au/ | email=info@backpackersnewcastle.com.au | address=42 & 44 Denison St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4 96 93 436 | tollfree=1800 33 34 36 (domestic) | fax=+61 2 4 94 08 7 26 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ibis budget | alt= | url= | email= | address=3-5 Thomas Street, Wallsend | lat=-32.926 | long=151.763 | directions=cnr Link and Lake Roads | phone=+61 2 49 500 244 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 49 500 524 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Twin room or double room: $59 per night | content=A reasonable option if driving - a little far out from the city centre, but convenient to the freeway. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Newcastle | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/3236/index.en.shtml | email=H3236@accor.com | address=700 Hunter Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 2 4925 2266 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4925 3377 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=$99-149 a night | content=Close to the heart of the Newcastle CBD, the hotel is an easy stroll to the Regional Museum, art galleries, Civic Theatre, Civic Playhouse, Newcastle's popular Honeysuckle and Queens Wharf harbour foreshore and retail precinct. }} * {{sleep | name=Reign Inn Newcastle | url=https://www.reigninn.com/ | email= | address=309 Maitland Road Mayfield | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$94 | checkin= | checkout= | content=With family, twin share and double rooms, plus cable TV, in-room Internet connectivity, direct dial phone, clock radio, coffee- and tea-making facilities. }} * {{sleep | name=Blackbutt Hotel | alt= | url=https://blackbutthotel.com.au/ | email=enquiries@blackbutthotel.com.au | address=80 Orchardtown Rd, New Lambton NSW 2305 | lat=-32.93457 | long=151.70762 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4957 3454 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=AUD135 | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Clean and quiet motel rooms above a pub, close to Blackbutt Reserve. Rooms only sleep 2, you will need to book multiple rooms for a family. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=The Clarendon Hotel | url=http://www.clarendonhotel.com.au/ | email=info@clarendonhotel.com.au | address=347 Hunter Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 49270966 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4925 3900 | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=4½-star boutique hotel centrally located in Newcastle's CBD. Serves excellent meals and many boutique beers. Has one of the few genuine beer gardens in the CBD at the rear where with live music Fri and Sat evenings. }} *{{sleep | name=Novotel Newcastle Beach | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/8771/index.en.shtml | email= | address=5 King Street | lat=-32.929 | long=151.784 | directions= | phone=+61 2 4032 3700 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Novotel Newcastle Beach hotel is almost on Newcastle beach, and a short walking distance into town. }} * {{sleep | name=Rydges Newcastle | alt= | url=http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/ | email=crowneplaza.newcastle@ichotelsgroup.com | address=Corner of Merewether Sreet & Wharf Road | lat=-32.924983 | long=151.773507 | directions= | phone=+61 2 49075000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 49075055 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $300 | content=Good quality hotel on Honeysuckle drive. A 15-minute walk to the CBD. }} * {{sleep | name=Boulevard on Beaumont | url=http://www.boulevardonbeaumont.com.au | email=reservations@boulevardonbeaumont.com.au | address=131 Beaumont Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 2 4940 0088 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 4940 0092 | hours= | price= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Noah's on the Beach | url= | email= | address=Cnr Shortland Esplanade and Zaara St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=About $200 for a double | checkin= | checkout= | content= Close to the CBD, views over Newcastle Beach. }} ==Cope== Good walking shoes are required for the CBD as many streets are steep slopes. Use the walkways or footbridges to get to and from the CBD and the Foreshore. Make sure you note the Historic Markers in the CBD as they make sense of the magic that is Newcastle. ==Go next== * [[Sydney]] - Australia's most cosmopolitan city is easily reached by train. * [[Hunter Valley]] - Australia's oldest wine-producing region; the town of [[Cessnock]], adjacent to the Lower Hunter wine region (including the [[Pokolbin]] district) is 50 minutes drive from the Newcastle CBD. * [[Port Stephens (New South Wales)|Port Stephens]] - featuring [[Nelson Bay]], a 45 minute drive north and famous for its holiday lifestyle and beaches, and for whale and dolphin watching. * [[Barrington Tops National Park]] - a protected area which contains World Heritage listed wilderness, to the north of the Hunter Valley. * [[Myall Lakes National Park]] - for camping and water activities. {{routebox2 |name=Newcastle |temp1={{AUR|M1}} |directionl1=SSW |minorl1=[[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]] |majorl1=[[Sydney]] |directionr1=NNE |minorr1=[[Myall Lakes National Park]] |majorr1=[[Port Macquarie]] |temp2={{AUR|M15}} |directionl2=NW |minorl2=[[Singleton]] |majorl2=[[Tamworth (New South Wales)|Tamworth]] |directionr2=SE |majorr2=END |temp3={{AUR|A43}} |directionl3=NW |minorl3=[[Maitland (New South Wales)|Maitland]] |majorl3=[[Branxton]] |directionr3=S |minorr3=[[Lake Macquarie]] |majorr3=[[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]] |temp4={{AUR|B53}} |directionl4=SW |minorl4=[[Toronto (New South Wales)|Toronto]] |majorl4=[[Morisset]] |directionr4=NE |majorr4=END |temp5={{AUR|B63}} |directionl5=SW |majorl5=END |directionr5=NE |majorr5=[[Port Stephens (New South Wales)|Port Stephens]] }} {{isPartOf|Hunter}} {{geo|-32.916|151.766}} {{Guidecity}} r2fo9e6bjjc0cmmvm6357n4ba406ak9 0 24261 4501707 4435358 2022-08-15T19:06:54Z MuzikMachine 2162786 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''New Denver''' is a village of about 500 people (2011) in the [[West Kootenays]] of [[British Columbia]] on the east shore of Slocan Lake. It hosted an internment camp for people with ancestry in enemy nations during World War II; some attractions in the town relate to that time. ==Understand== [[File:Looking South over Cabins on Bigalow Bay beach 2010 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Bigalow Bay ]] New Denver was founded as a mining town in 1892, and briefly known as Eldorado City before being renamed after Denver, Colorado. During World War II, New Denver became a Japanese Canadian internment camp. Not long after the outbreak of hostilities and Japan's attack on Canadian troops in Hong Kong in December 1941, men of Japanese descent between the ages of 18 to 45 were sent to labour camps in the Interior of British Columbia or farther into Eastern Canada. Also, approximately 1,500 women, children, and elderly men were sent to the "Orchard", a small section of New Denver set up to house them. New Denver's Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre is dedicated to the history of the 27,000 Japanese Canadians who were interned by the Canadian government and is a National Historic Site. In the 1950s, children of Freedomites, a Doukhobor extremist group, were removed from their parents and sent to residential school in New Denver. The Freedomites refused to send their children to school because of their religious beliefs. ==Get in== The only really practical way of getting to New Denver (and most other places in the [[West Kootenays]]) is by private vehicle of some kind. There is very limited public transit in the region and only one major airport, which is in [[Castlegar]]. === By car === It's about a 2-hour drive south of [[Revelstoke]] which includes a free ferry ride across Arrow Lake (Columbia River) between Shelter Bay on the north shore and Galena Bay on the south. Take Hwy 23 south to the ferry and on to [[Nakusp]] where it's Hwy 6 to New Denver. === By bus === * {{Listing|name=BC Transit (West Kootenay Transit System)|url=https://bctransit.com/west-kootenay/home|tollfree=+1-855-993-3100|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=On Wednesdays there is a bus that travels between Nakusp and Slocan City with a stop in New Denver. From Slocan City, there are several trips a day from Monday to Saturday that travel to Nelson. Also offers Health Connections trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays between [[Nakusp]] and [[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] with stops in New Denver and Slocan City. Health Connections trips are open to everyone to ride, but must be reserved in advance and trips to medical appointments receive priority.}} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|49.9903|-117.3744|zoom=13}} Since New Denver is a small village, there is no need to drive anywhere. Park your vehicle somewhere and wander around. The village is divided by Carpenter Creek with most of the business district on the north side and some of the parks and gardens on the south. Other than adding to your pleasant walk, this shouldn't be a problem. * {{Go | name= Slocan Lake Boat Tours | alt= | url= http://tourboatslocanlake.blogspot.ca | email=sales@kootenayexperience.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Slocan Lake Boat Taxi will drop you off at a remote beach on Slocan Lake for the day or overnight: Bannock Point, Wragge Beach or other remote beaches. Rates depend on destination from $20 per person, or $75 per hour. }} ==See== [[File:Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, New Denver, BC.jpg|thumb|Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre]] * {{see | name=Kohan Reflection Garden | alt= | url=https://kohanreflectiongarden.ca/ | email= | address=1st Ave | lat=49.98523 | long=-117.37701 | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7765 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Commemorates the many Canadians of Japanese descent who were interned in the area during World War II. }} * {{see | name=Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre | alt= | url=http://www.newdenver.ca/nikkei/ | email= nikkei@newdenver.ca | address=306 Josephine St | lat=49.98657 | long=-117.37518 | directions= | phone= +1 250-358-7288 | tollfree= | hours=May to September: Daily 10AM-5PM | price=$9/adult, $7/student or senior, $20/family | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= A National Historic Site dedicated to telling the story of over 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly relocated during World War II on the site of “The Orchard” internment camp. The centre contains original buildings, period artifacts, interpretive displays, and the Heiwa Teien Peace Garden, designed by the renowned Japanese Canadian gardener, Tomomichi (Roy) Sumi. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Hills Garlic Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hillsgarlicfest.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=$5, children under 12 free | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Held the first Sunday after the Labour Day Weekend. It features live music, lots of garlic-related stuff to buy as well as food. You could probably spend most of the day wandering around. Several thousand people converge on the Festival each year. }} * {{Go | name= Slocan Lake Boat Tours | alt= | url= http://tourboatslocanlake.blogspot.ca | email=sales@kootenayexperience.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Two tours each lasting about two hours. The northern tour departs New Denver and follows the shoreline to Bigelow Bay on the north side of New Denver and then out to the Molly Hughes Mine, across the lake to the Valhalla Park looking for Osprey nests, the waterfall at Wee Sandy Creek and then Sharp Creek flowing from the New Denver Glacier. The southern tour departs New Denver and heads across to the Valhalla Park and the CPR Barge and pictographs, looking for Osprey and then across the lake to Bannock Point with beautiful steep cliffs and an awesome picnic spot. The return journey follows the remote shoreline until reaching Silverton and then Nelson. }} ==Buy== ==Eat and drink== * {{eat | name=The Apple Tree Sandwich Shop | alt= | url= | email= | address= 210 6th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-2691 | tollfree= | hours= M-F 7AM-3:30PM, Sa 11AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=Sandwiches, soup, bakery. }} * {{eat | name=Sanderella | alt= | url= | email= | address=302 6th Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7702 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Cafe and art studio with handmade gifts, souvenirs and jewellery. Fresh sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Nuru Coffee Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=513 6 Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa 8AM-4PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Valhalla Inn | alt= | url=http://www.valhallainn.biz | email=info@valhallainn.biz | address=509 Slocan Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250 358-2228 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $109 | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=On-site restaurant and bar. Free Wi-Fi, a coffee maker and a work desk is in each guest room. Non-smoking rooms are available. Free parking }} * {{sleep | name=Glacier View Cabins | alt= | url=http://glacierviewcabins.blogspot.ca | email= | address=Corner of 8th Ave and Hwy 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-551-6940 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=All of the cabins are equipped with a full kitchen including all pots, pans and cutlery. }} * {{sleep | name=The Domes | alt= | url=https://www.thedomes.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@thedomes.ca | address=620 6th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7242 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Dome cottage from $115 per night (1 or 2 persons), dome cottage with loft: from $135 per night (1 or 2 persons; extra adult $20; extra child $15) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Eco-friendly cottages in the village of New Denver a short walk from Slocan Lake. }} * {{sleep | name=Centennial Park and Campground | alt= | url=http://newdenver.ca/campground-2/general-campground-information/ | email= campground@newdenver.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-2361 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$25-30 per site | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=All reservations must be for a minimum of 3 nights. Open May 1st to September 30th. }} * {{sleep | name=Sweet Dreams Guesthouse | alt= | url=http://newdenverbc.com | email=sweetdreams@newdenverbc.com | address= 702 Eldorado Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250 358-2415 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$95 tax included | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content= }} *'''[http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/rosebery/ Rosebery Provincial Park]''' - 5 km north of New Denver and 40 km south of [[Nakusp]] on Hwy 6. There are also several B&Bs in New Denver and several cabins on Bigelow Bay. ==Connect== ==Go next== The '''Galena Trail''' follows Carpenter Creek from New Denver to Three Forks (where Hwy 31A passes the road to [[Sandon]]. The trail is mostly on an old railbed and can be hiked or biked. One interesting option is to leave your bikes locked up at Three Forks, start hiking from New Denver and ride the bikes back to town on the highway. The ride will be mostly downhill and the 10 km will go by very quickly. The old mining town of '''Sandon''', about 15 minutes east of town on Hwy 31A. '''Idaho Peak''', accessed from Sandon, is the site of an old fire lookout with great views out over Slocan Lake and the Valhallas. The Forest Service Road to the peak starts in Sandon. The road is steep and a bit rough in places, but it seems most people can drive there in regular 2wd cars. In the right season, alpine flowers are well worth the visit. {{routebox | image1=BC-6.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vernon (British Columbia)|Vernon]] / [[Revelstoke]] via [[File:BC-23.svg|16px|link=]] | minorl1=[[Nakusp]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] | minorr1=[[Castlegar]] via [[File:BC-3A.svg|16px|link=]] | image2=BC-31A.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Ainsworth Hot Springs-Balfour]] via [[File:BC-31.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr2=[[Kaslo]] }} {{IsPartOf|West Kootenays}} {{Usablecity}} {{geo|49.9917|-117.371}} p2d4al8r3uihjorddgoxam4yqpt2hs5 4501708 4501707 2022-08-15T19:13:39Z MuzikMachine 2162786 /* Go next */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''New Denver''' is a village of about 500 people (2011) in the [[West Kootenays]] of [[British Columbia]] on the east shore of Slocan Lake. It hosted an internment camp for people with ancestry in enemy nations during World War II; some attractions in the town relate to that time. ==Understand== [[File:Looking South over Cabins on Bigalow Bay beach 2010 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Bigalow Bay ]] New Denver was founded as a mining town in 1892, and briefly known as Eldorado City before being renamed after Denver, Colorado. During World War II, New Denver became a Japanese Canadian internment camp. Not long after the outbreak of hostilities and Japan's attack on Canadian troops in Hong Kong in December 1941, men of Japanese descent between the ages of 18 to 45 were sent to labour camps in the Interior of British Columbia or farther into Eastern Canada. Also, approximately 1,500 women, children, and elderly men were sent to the "Orchard", a small section of New Denver set up to house them. New Denver's Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre is dedicated to the history of the 27,000 Japanese Canadians who were interned by the Canadian government and is a National Historic Site. In the 1950s, children of Freedomites, a Doukhobor extremist group, were removed from their parents and sent to residential school in New Denver. The Freedomites refused to send their children to school because of their religious beliefs. ==Get in== The only really practical way of getting to New Denver (and most other places in the [[West Kootenays]]) is by private vehicle of some kind. There is very limited public transit in the region and only one major airport, which is in [[Castlegar]]. === By car === It's about a 2-hour drive south of [[Revelstoke]] which includes a free ferry ride across Arrow Lake (Columbia River) between Shelter Bay on the north shore and Galena Bay on the south. Take Hwy 23 south to the ferry and on to [[Nakusp]] where it's Hwy 6 to New Denver. === By bus === * {{Listing|name=BC Transit (West Kootenay Transit System)|url=https://bctransit.com/west-kootenay/home|tollfree=+1-855-993-3100|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=On Wednesdays there is a bus that travels between Nakusp and Slocan City with a stop in New Denver. From Slocan City, there are several trips a day from Monday to Saturday that travel to Nelson. Also offers Health Connections trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays between [[Nakusp]] and [[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] with stops in New Denver and Slocan City. Health Connections trips are open to everyone to ride, but must be reserved in advance and trips to medical appointments receive priority.}} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|49.9903|-117.3744|zoom=13}} Since New Denver is a small village, there is no need to drive anywhere. Park your vehicle somewhere and wander around. The village is divided by Carpenter Creek with most of the business district on the north side and some of the parks and gardens on the south. Other than adding to your pleasant walk, this shouldn't be a problem. * {{Go | name= Slocan Lake Boat Tours | alt= | url= http://tourboatslocanlake.blogspot.ca | email=sales@kootenayexperience.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Slocan Lake Boat Taxi will drop you off at a remote beach on Slocan Lake for the day or overnight: Bannock Point, Wragge Beach or other remote beaches. Rates depend on destination from $20 per person, or $75 per hour. }} ==See== [[File:Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, New Denver, BC.jpg|thumb|Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre]] * {{see | name=Kohan Reflection Garden | alt= | url=https://kohanreflectiongarden.ca/ | email= | address=1st Ave | lat=49.98523 | long=-117.37701 | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7765 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Commemorates the many Canadians of Japanese descent who were interned in the area during World War II. }} * {{see | name=Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre | alt= | url=http://www.newdenver.ca/nikkei/ | email= nikkei@newdenver.ca | address=306 Josephine St | lat=49.98657 | long=-117.37518 | directions= | phone= +1 250-358-7288 | tollfree= | hours=May to September: Daily 10AM-5PM | price=$9/adult, $7/student or senior, $20/family | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= A National Historic Site dedicated to telling the story of over 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly relocated during World War II on the site of “The Orchard” internment camp. The centre contains original buildings, period artifacts, interpretive displays, and the Heiwa Teien Peace Garden, designed by the renowned Japanese Canadian gardener, Tomomichi (Roy) Sumi. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Hills Garlic Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hillsgarlicfest.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=$5, children under 12 free | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Held the first Sunday after the Labour Day Weekend. It features live music, lots of garlic-related stuff to buy as well as food. You could probably spend most of the day wandering around. Several thousand people converge on the Festival each year. }} * {{Go | name= Slocan Lake Boat Tours | alt= | url= http://tourboatslocanlake.blogspot.ca | email=sales@kootenayexperience.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Two tours each lasting about two hours. The northern tour departs New Denver and follows the shoreline to Bigelow Bay on the north side of New Denver and then out to the Molly Hughes Mine, across the lake to the Valhalla Park looking for Osprey nests, the waterfall at Wee Sandy Creek and then Sharp Creek flowing from the New Denver Glacier. The southern tour departs New Denver and heads across to the Valhalla Park and the CPR Barge and pictographs, looking for Osprey and then across the lake to Bannock Point with beautiful steep cliffs and an awesome picnic spot. The return journey follows the remote shoreline until reaching Silverton and then Nelson. }} ==Buy== ==Eat and drink== * {{eat | name=The Apple Tree Sandwich Shop | alt= | url= | email= | address= 210 6th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-2691 | tollfree= | hours= M-F 7AM-3:30PM, Sa 11AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=Sandwiches, soup, bakery. }} * {{eat | name=Sanderella | alt= | url= | email= | address=302 6th Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7702 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Cafe and art studio with handmade gifts, souvenirs and jewellery. Fresh sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Nuru Coffee Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=513 6 Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa 8AM-4PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Valhalla Inn | alt= | url=http://www.valhallainn.biz | email=info@valhallainn.biz | address=509 Slocan Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250 358-2228 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $109 | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=On-site restaurant and bar. Free Wi-Fi, a coffee maker and a work desk is in each guest room. Non-smoking rooms are available. Free parking }} * {{sleep | name=Glacier View Cabins | alt= | url=http://glacierviewcabins.blogspot.ca | email= | address=Corner of 8th Ave and Hwy 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-551-6940 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=All of the cabins are equipped with a full kitchen including all pots, pans and cutlery. }} * {{sleep | name=The Domes | alt= | url=https://www.thedomes.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@thedomes.ca | address=620 6th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7242 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Dome cottage from $115 per night (1 or 2 persons), dome cottage with loft: from $135 per night (1 or 2 persons; extra adult $20; extra child $15) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Eco-friendly cottages in the village of New Denver a short walk from Slocan Lake. }} * {{sleep | name=Centennial Park and Campground | alt= | url=http://newdenver.ca/campground-2/general-campground-information/ | email= campground@newdenver.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-2361 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$25-30 per site | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=All reservations must be for a minimum of 3 nights. Open May 1st to September 30th. }} * {{sleep | name=Sweet Dreams Guesthouse | alt= | url=http://newdenverbc.com | email=sweetdreams@newdenverbc.com | address= 702 Eldorado Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250 358-2415 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$95 tax included | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content= }} *'''[http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/rosebery/ Rosebery Provincial Park]''' - 5 km north of New Denver and 40 km south of [[Nakusp]] on Hwy 6. There are also several B&Bs in New Denver and several cabins on Bigelow Bay. ==Connect== ==Go next== * {{listing | name=Sandon | alt= | url=http://www.sandoninthekootenays.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=15 km E of New Denver on Hwy 31A | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7416445 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Ghost town that was once a silver rush mining town. Also features about 20 heritage Brill trolleybuses once used in Vancouver and Calgary. }} * '''Galena Trail''' – follows Carpenter Creek from New Denver to Three Forks (where Hwy 31A passes the road to Sandon. The trail is mostly on an old railbed and can be hiked or biked. One interesting option is to leave your bikes locked up at Three Forks, start hiking from New Denver and ride the bikes back to town on the highway. The ride will be mostly downhill and the 10 km will go by very quickly. * '''Idaho Peak''' – accessed from Sandon, is the site of an old fire lookout with great views out over Slocan Lake and the Valhallas. The Forest Service Road to the peak starts in Sandon. The road is steep and a bit rough in places, but it seems most people can drive there in regular 2wd cars. In the right season, alpine flowers are well worth the visit. {{routebox | image1=BC-6.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vernon (British Columbia)|Vernon]] / [[Revelstoke]] via [[File:BC-23.svg|16px|link=]] | minorl1=[[Nakusp]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] | minorr1=[[Castlegar]] via [[File:BC-3A.svg|16px|link=]] | image2=BC-31A.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Ainsworth Hot Springs-Balfour]] via [[File:BC-31.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr2=[[Kaslo]] }} {{IsPartOf|West Kootenays}} {{Usablecity}} {{geo|49.9917|-117.371}} kldx6xyy69cgiubdfpyqe2491qlxe9d 4501709 4501708 2022-08-15T19:14:14Z MuzikMachine 2162786 Updated headings. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''New Denver''' is a village of about 500 people (2011) in the [[West Kootenays]] of [[British Columbia]] on the east shore of Slocan Lake. It hosted an internment camp for people with ancestry in enemy nations during World War II; some attractions in the town relate to that time. ==Understand== [[File:Looking South over Cabins on Bigalow Bay beach 2010 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Bigalow Bay ]] New Denver was founded as a mining town in 1892, and briefly known as Eldorado City before being renamed after Denver, Colorado. During World War II, New Denver became a Japanese Canadian internment camp. Not long after the outbreak of hostilities and Japan's attack on Canadian troops in Hong Kong in December 1941, men of Japanese descent between the ages of 18 to 45 were sent to labour camps in the Interior of British Columbia or farther into Eastern Canada. Also, approximately 1,500 women, children, and elderly men were sent to the "Orchard", a small section of New Denver set up to house them. New Denver's Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre is dedicated to the history of the 27,000 Japanese Canadians who were interned by the Canadian government and is a National Historic Site. In the 1950s, children of Freedomites, a Doukhobor extremist group, were removed from their parents and sent to residential school in New Denver. The Freedomites refused to send their children to school because of their religious beliefs. ==Get in== The only really practical way of getting to New Denver (and most other places in the [[West Kootenays]]) is by private vehicle of some kind. There is very limited public transit in the region and only one major airport, which is in [[Castlegar]]. === By car === It's about a 2-hour drive south of [[Revelstoke]] which includes a free ferry ride across Arrow Lake (Columbia River) between Shelter Bay on the north shore and Galena Bay on the south. Take Hwy 23 south to the ferry and on to [[Nakusp]] where it's Hwy 6 to New Denver. === By bus === * {{Listing|name=BC Transit (West Kootenay Transit System)|url=https://bctransit.com/west-kootenay/home|tollfree=+1-855-993-3100|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=On Wednesdays there is a bus that travels between Nakusp and Slocan City with a stop in New Denver. From Slocan City, there are several trips a day from Monday to Saturday that travel to Nelson. Also offers Health Connections trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays between [[Nakusp]] and [[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] with stops in New Denver and Slocan City. Health Connections trips are open to everyone to ride, but must be reserved in advance and trips to medical appointments receive priority.}} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|49.9903|-117.3744|zoom=13}} Since New Denver is a small village, there is no need to drive anywhere. Park your vehicle somewhere and wander around. The village is divided by Carpenter Creek with most of the business district on the north side and some of the parks and gardens on the south. Other than adding to your pleasant walk, this shouldn't be a problem. * {{Go | name= Slocan Lake Boat Tours | alt= | url= http://tourboatslocanlake.blogspot.ca | email=sales@kootenayexperience.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Slocan Lake Boat Taxi will drop you off at a remote beach on Slocan Lake for the day or overnight: Bannock Point, Wragge Beach or other remote beaches. Rates depend on destination from $20 per person, or $75 per hour. }} ==See== [[File:Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, New Denver, BC.jpg|thumb|Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre]] * {{see | name=Kohan Reflection Garden | alt= | url=https://kohanreflectiongarden.ca/ | email= | address=1st Ave | lat=49.98523 | long=-117.37701 | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7765 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Commemorates the many Canadians of Japanese descent who were interned in the area during World War II. }} * {{see | name=Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre | alt= | url=http://www.newdenver.ca/nikkei/ | email= nikkei@newdenver.ca | address=306 Josephine St | lat=49.98657 | long=-117.37518 | directions= | phone= +1 250-358-7288 | tollfree= | hours=May to September: Daily 10AM-5PM | price=$9/adult, $7/student or senior, $20/family | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= A National Historic Site dedicated to telling the story of over 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly relocated during World War II on the site of “The Orchard” internment camp. The centre contains original buildings, period artifacts, interpretive displays, and the Heiwa Teien Peace Garden, designed by the renowned Japanese Canadian gardener, Tomomichi (Roy) Sumi. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Hills Garlic Festival | alt= | url=http://www.hillsgarlicfest.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=$5, children under 12 free | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Held the first Sunday after the Labour Day Weekend. It features live music, lots of garlic-related stuff to buy as well as food. You could probably spend most of the day wandering around. Several thousand people converge on the Festival each year. }} * {{Go | name= Slocan Lake Boat Tours | alt= | url= http://tourboatslocanlake.blogspot.ca | email=sales@kootenayexperience.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Two tours each lasting about two hours. The northern tour departs New Denver and follows the shoreline to Bigelow Bay on the north side of New Denver and then out to the Molly Hughes Mine, across the lake to the Valhalla Park looking for Osprey nests, the waterfall at Wee Sandy Creek and then Sharp Creek flowing from the New Denver Glacier. The southern tour departs New Denver and heads across to the Valhalla Park and the CPR Barge and pictographs, looking for Osprey and then across the lake to Bannock Point with beautiful steep cliffs and an awesome picnic spot. The return journey follows the remote shoreline until reaching Silverton and then Nelson. }} ==Buy== ==Eat and drink== * {{eat | name=The Apple Tree Sandwich Shop | alt= | url= | email= | address= 210 6th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-2691 | tollfree= | hours= M-F 7AM-3:30PM, Sa 11AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=Sandwiches, soup, bakery. }} * {{eat | name=Sanderella | alt= | url= | email= | address=302 6th Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7702 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Cafe and art studio with handmade gifts, souvenirs and jewellery. Fresh sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Nuru Coffee Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=513 6 Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa 8AM-4PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Valhalla Inn | alt= | url=http://www.valhallainn.biz | email=info@valhallainn.biz | address=509 Slocan Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250 358-2228 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $109 | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=On-site restaurant and bar. Free Wi-Fi, a coffee maker and a work desk is in each guest room. Non-smoking rooms are available. Free parking }} * {{sleep | name=Glacier View Cabins | alt= | url=http://glacierviewcabins.blogspot.ca | email= | address=Corner of 8th Ave and Hwy 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-551-6940 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-28 | content=All of the cabins are equipped with a full kitchen including all pots, pans and cutlery. }} * {{sleep | name=The Domes | alt= | url=https://www.thedomes.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@thedomes.ca | address=620 6th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-7242 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= Dome cottage from $115 per night (1 or 2 persons), dome cottage with loft: from $135 per night (1 or 2 persons; extra adult $20; extra child $15) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=Eco-friendly cottages in the village of New Denver a short walk from Slocan Lake. }} * {{sleep | name=Centennial Park and Campground | alt= | url=http://newdenver.ca/campground-2/general-campground-information/ | email= campground@newdenver.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-358-2361 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$25-30 per site | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content=All reservations must be for a minimum of 3 nights. Open May 1st to September 30th. }} * {{sleep | name=Sweet Dreams Guesthouse | alt= | url=http://newdenverbc.com | email=sweetdreams@newdenverbc.com | address= 702 Eldorado Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250 358-2415 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$95 tax included | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-29 | content= }} *'''[http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/rosebery/ Rosebery Provincial Park]''' - 5 km north of New Denver and 40 km south of [[Nakusp]] on Hwy 6. There are also several B&Bs in New Denver and several cabins on Bigelow Bay. ==Connect== ==Nearby== * {{listing | name=Sandon | alt= | url=http://www.sandoninthekootenays.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=15 km E of New Denver on Hwy 31A | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7416445 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Ghost town that was once a silver rush mining town. Also features about 20 heritage Brill trolleybuses once used in Vancouver and Calgary. }} * '''Galena Trail''' – follows Carpenter Creek from New Denver to Three Forks (where Hwy 31A passes the road to Sandon. The trail is mostly on an old railbed and can be hiked or biked. One interesting option is to leave your bikes locked up at Three Forks, start hiking from New Denver and ride the bikes back to town on the highway. The ride will be mostly downhill and the 10 km will go by very quickly. * '''Idaho Peak''' – accessed from Sandon, is the site of an old fire lookout with great views out over Slocan Lake and the Valhallas. The Forest Service Road to the peak starts in Sandon. The road is steep and a bit rough in places, but it seems most people can drive there in regular 2wd cars. In the right season, alpine flowers are well worth the visit. ==Go next== {{routebox | image1=BC-6.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Vernon (British Columbia)|Vernon]] / [[Revelstoke]] via [[File:BC-23.svg|16px|link=]] | minorl1=[[Nakusp]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] | minorr1=[[Castlegar]] via [[File:BC-3A.svg|16px|link=]] | image2=BC-31A.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Ainsworth Hot Springs-Balfour]] via [[File:BC-31.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr2=[[Kaslo]] }} {{IsPartOf|West Kootenays}} {{Usablecity}} {{geo|49.9917|-117.371}} m1adlf2fvqi2mnu54dooz8ngpwpapnw 0 24468 4501575 4500905 2022-08-15T12:04:49Z Graham87 41792 /* Stay safe */ copyedit wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Manhattan Wikivoyage Banner.jpg|caption=Manhattan skyline}} <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> {{printDistricts}} {{COVID-19 box|New York State requires facial coverings when traveling on public transportation (such as airplanes, trains, buses, taxis and rideshares), at airports, bus stations and train stations. In New York City this includes all subways and buses, the PATH train, LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. New York City recommends indoor masking at all public indoor spaces; individual establishments may require them (for example, '''Broadway theatres''' have a mask mandate until the end of June). Be sure to check for any requirements in advance. In addition, Mayor Eric Adams has declared a state of emergency due to the monkeypox outbreak.|lastedit=2022-05-20}} One of the world's greatest cities, '''[https://www.nycgo.com/ New York]''' (known as "The Big Apple", "NYC," and often called "New York City") is a global center for media, entertainment, art, fashion, research, finance, and trade. The bustling, cosmopolitan heart of the 4th largest metropolis in the world and by far the most populous city in the United States, New York has long been a key entry point and a defining city for the nation. From the [[Statue of Liberty]] in the harbor to the Empire State Building towering over the Manhattan skyline, from the tunnels of the subway to the riches of Wall Street, from the bright signs of Times Square to the naturalistic beauty of [[Central Park]], and from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York's landmarks are quintessential American landmarks. The city's neighborhoods and streets are so iconic they have become ingrained into the American consciousness. Here the power, wealth and culture of the United States is on full display in one of the largest and most iconic skylines in the world, in the food and music to be found around every corner, and in the diverse population of immigrants who come from every corner of the globe to take part in what this city has to offer. Lying at the mouth of the Hudson River in the southernmost part of the [[New York (state)|state of the same name]] and at the center of the [[Mid-Atlantic]] region, New York City has a population of approximately 8.3&nbsp;million people. The [[Metro New York|New York Metropolitan Area]], which spans lower [[New York (state)|New York]], northern [[New Jersey]], and southwestern [[Connecticut]], has a population of 18.9&nbsp;million, making it the largest metropolitan area in the U.S.<br clear="all"/> See also Wikivoyage's topic articles for New York City: [[New York City with children]], and [[LGBT New York City]]. ==Boroughs== New York City consists of five '''boroughs''', which are five separate counties. Each borough has a unique culture and could be a large city in its own right. Within each borough individual '''neighborhoods''', some only a few blocks in size, have personalities lauded in music and film. Where you live, work, and play in New York says something to New Yorkers about who you are. <span id="Districts">The five New York boroughs are:</span> {{Regionlist |regionmap=New York City District Map.png |regiontext= |regionmapsize=400px |region1name=[[Manhattan]] |region1color=#b569b5 |region1items= New York County |region1description= The famous island between the Hudson and East Rivers where most of the skyscrapers are, with many diverse and unique neighborhoods. Manhattan is home to the Empire State Building in [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown]], [[Manhattan/Central Park|Central Park]], [[Manhattan/Theater District|Times Square]], [[Manhattan/Financial District|Wall Street]], [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Harlem]], and the trendy neighborhoods of [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] and [[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]]. It is also home to One World Trade Center in [[Manhattan/Lower Manhattan|Lower Manhattan]], which is the largest skyscraper in the western hemisphere as of 2021. |region2name=[[Brooklyn]] |region2color=#67b7b7 |region2items= Kings County |region2description= The most populous borough, and formerly a separate city, south and east of Manhattan across the East River. Known for artists, music venues, beaches, and [[Brooklyn/Coney Island and Brighton Beach|Coney Island]]. |region3name=[[Queens]] |region3color=#459745 |region3items= Queens County |region3description= U-shaped and located to the east of Manhattan, across the East River, and north, east, and south of Brooklyn. Queens is the home of the city's two international airports, the New York Mets professional baseball team, the United States Open Tennis Center, and New York City's second-largest Chinatown (in [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing]]). With over 170 languages spoken, Queens is the most ethnically diverse region in the United States, and one of the most diverse in the world. |region4name=The [[Bronx]] |region4color=#a4a460 |region4items= Bronx County |region4description= North of Manhattan Island, the Bronx is home to the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Gardens, and the city's beloved New York Yankees professional baseball team. |region5name=[[Staten Island]] |region5color=#c9815e |region5items= Richmond County |region5description= A large island in New York Harbor, south of Manhattan and just across the narrow Kill Van Kull from New Jersey. The borough has the unfortunate nickname of ''The Forgotten Borough'', due to the fact that it lacks a subway connection and has a weaker political influence compared to the other boroughs. Unlike the rest of New York City, much of Staten Island has a somewhat suburban or even rural character. }} [[File:Empire State Building From Rooftop 2019-10-05 19-11.jpg|thumb|The famous Empire State Building at 350 Fifth Avenue]] ==Understand== [[Image:Richard Rabinowitz Winter 2006 305.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Central Park is pretty at any time of the year.]] New York City is a major global center of international finance, politics, communications, film, music, fashion, and culture, and is among the world's most important and influential cities. It is home to many world-class museums, art galleries, and theaters. Many of the world's largest corporations have their headquarters here. The headquarters of the United Nations is in New York and most countries have a consulate here. This city's influence on the world and all its inhabitants is hard to overstate, as decisions made within its boundaries often have impacts and ramifications around the globe. Immigrants (and their descendants) from over 180 countries live here, making it one of, if not the most cosmopolitan city in the world. Travelers are attracted to New York City for its culture, energy and cosmopolitanism. ===History=== The first human settlers are believed to have arrived in the area at around 7000 BCE, though this settlement was later abandoned. A subsequent wave of settlers, known as the Lenape people, would then arrive at around 1000 BCE. Although they have been largely wiped out from the area since the days of European settlement, many of the thoroughfares used by them, such as [[Broadway (street)|Broadway]], continue to be in use to this day. The first Europeans to settle in the area were the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] in 1609, who named the colony New Amsterdam ([[Dutch phrasebook|Dutch]]: ''Nieuw Amsterdam''). The colony was conquered by the [[United Kingdom|British]] in 1664, who re-named the colony New York. Columbia University, the most prestigious in the city, and one of the most prestigious in the United States, was founded during the British colonial period in 1754. For much of the War of Independence, New York City remained a British stronghold. The British only withdrew from the city in 1783, allowing George Washington's troops to march in and claim it for the United States of America. New York City became the first capital of the United States of America in 1789, though this status was short-lived as the capital was transferred to [[Philadelphia]] only a year later. Nevertheless, during that period, the first United States Congress was convened at what is now Federal Hall on Wall Street, and George Washington was also inaugurated as the first President of the United States on the steps of Federal Hall. The Supreme Court of the United States was first convened at the now-demolished Royal Exchange Building, which was adjacent to Federal Hall. ===Orientation=== The borough of Manhattan is a long, narrow island nestled in a natural harbor. It is separated from The Bronx on the north east by the Harlem River (actually a tidal strait); from Queens and Brooklyn to the east and south by the East River (also a tidal strait); and from the State of New Jersey to the west and north by the Hudson River. Staten Island lies to the south west, across Upper New York Bay. In Manhattan, the terms “uptown” and “north” mean northeast, while “downtown” and “south” mean to the southwest. To avoid confusion, simply use “uptown” and “downtown.” Street numbers continue from Manhattan into the Bronx, and the street numbers rise as one moves farther uptown (however, in the Bronx, there is no simple numerical grid, so there may be 7 blocks between 167 St. and 170 St., for example). Avenues run north and south. In Brooklyn, street numbers rise as one moves south. Queens streets are laid out in a perpendicular grid – street numbers rise as one moves toward the east, and avenues run east and west. Staten Island's grid system is small and insignificant, only covering one neighborhood. The term “the city” may refer either to New York City as a whole, or to the borough of Manhattan alone, depending on the context. The other boroughs - Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens - are sometimes referred to as the "outer boroughs.” ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Imperial | janhigh = 38 | febhigh = 41 | marhigh = 50 | aprhigh = 61 | mayhigh = 71 | junhigh = 79 | julhigh = 84 | aughigh = 82 | sephigh = 75 | octhigh = 64 | novhigh = 53 | dechigh = 43 | janlow = 26 | feblow = 28 | marlow = 35 | aprlow = 44 | maylow = 54 | junlow = 63 | jullow = 69 | auglow = 68 | seplow = 60 | octlow = 50 | novlow = 41 | declow = 32 | janprecip = 4.1 | febprecip = 3.1 | marprecip = 4.4 | aprprecip = 4.3 | mayprecip = 4.7 | junprecip = 3.8 | julprecip = 4.6 | augprecip = 4.2 | sepprecip = 4.2 | octprecip = 3.8 | novprecip = 4.4 | decprecip = 3.9 | janh2o = | febh2o = | marh2o = | aprh2o = | mayh2o = | junh2o = | julh2o =b | augh2o = | seph2o = | octh2o = | novh2o = | dech2o = | description = {{forecastNOAA|New York|40.7142|-74.0059}} }} New York City has a humid continental climate and experiences all four seasons, with hot and humid summers (Jun-Sept), cool and dry autumns (Sept-Dec), cold winters (Dec-Mar), and wet springs (Mar-Jun). Average highs for January are around 38°F (3°C) and average highs for July are about 84°F (29°C). However, temperatures in the winter can go down to as low as 0°F (-18°C) and in the summer, temperatures can go as high as 100°F (38°C) or slightly higher. The temperature in any season is quite variable and it is not unusual to have a sunny 60°F (16°C) day in January followed by a snowy 25°F (-3°C) day. New York can also be prone to snowstorms and nor'easters (large storms similar to a tropical storm), which can dump as much as 2 feet (60&nbsp;cm) of snow in 24–48 hours. Although snowstorms are a regular occurrence during the winter months, the snow rarely lies more than a few days before it partially melts. Major snowstorms can happen as early as Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and as late as the second week in April, though this is not the norm. Tropical storms can also hit New York City in the summer and early fall, and with climate change occurring apace, they can bring truly torrential rains. ===People=== The diverse population runs the gamut from some of America's wealthiest celebrities and socialites to homeless people. New York's population, formed by millions of immigrants, has been diverse since the city's founding by the Dutch, and successive waves of immigration from virtually every nation in the world make New York a giant social experiment in cross-cultural harmony. The city's ethnic heritage illuminates different neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. Manhattan's Chinatown remains a vibrant center of New York City's Chinese community, though the very large Chinese community in Flushing, Queens, has rivaled if not eclipsed it in importance, and three other Chinatowns have formed in New York City: the Brooklyn Chinatown in Sunset Park; the Elmhurst Chinatown in Queens; and the Avenue U Chinatown in the Homecrest section of Brooklyn. Traces of the Lower East Side's once-thriving Jewish community still exist amid the gentrified neighborhood's trendy restaurants and bars, but there are Chasidic communities in Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Harlem has been gentrifying and diversifying and remains a center of African-American culture in New York. East (Spanish) Harlem, though also significantly gentrified, still justifies its reputation as a large Hispanic neighborhood. Little known to most tourists are the large Dominican neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights in upper Manhattan. Brooklyn's Greenpoint is famous for its formerly large and vibrant Polish community, of which only a bit remains, and the Flatbush section - once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers - is today a huge and thriving Caribbean and West Indian section. Queens and Brooklyn are known for being home to many of New York's immigrant groups, which since 1990 have included large numbers of Russians, Uzbeks, Chinese, Irish, French, Filipinos, Yugoslavians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Japanese, Koreans, Thais, Africans, Arabs (from throughout the Middle East and northern Africa), Mexicans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Brazilians, Colombians and Jamaicans. Queens is the single most diverse area on Earth, having the most languages and ethnic groups living in one place. ===Economy=== New York City is home to 46 of the Fortune 500 companies. Its gross metropolitan product of $1.7 trillion is the largest of any American city and represents roughly 9% of the American economy. If it were a nation, the city would have the 16th-highest GDP in the world. New York is the national center for several industries. It is the home of the three largest U.S. stock exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX) and many banking and investment firms. Though these companies have traditionally been located in the area around Wall Street in the Financial District, many have offices in other parts of the city, such as Midtown. New York is the hub of the country's publishing, fashion, accounting, advertising, media, legal, theater, and art industries. The city boasts several top-tier hospitals and medical schools, which train more physicians than those in any other city in the world. ==Talk== English is the primary language spoken by most New Yorkers, although it is common to hear other languages from around the world. There are many [[Spanish phrasebook|Spanish]]-speaking neighborhoods with large Latino populations, and it is possible, albeit somewhat difficult, for a non-English-speaking tourist to get by in New York speaking only Spanish. Many establishments in the main commercial and tourist areas have Spanish-speaking staff on duty. Many municipal government services in New York City are also available in Chinese ([[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]] & [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin]]) and Spanish, and most federal and state government services are available in the latter as well. [[Yiddish phrasebook|Yiddish]] is widely spoken among Chasidic Jews. Cantonese is the main language among New York City's Chinese community, though a significant minority are immigrants from [[Fuzhou]] and hence speak the [[Fuzhou dialect phrasebook|Fuzhou dialect]]. Traditionally, English in New York City was spoken with distinctive accents, which differed according to ethnicity, neighborhood and social class (compare the Queens accent of Donald Trump with the Brooklyn accent of Bernie Sanders, both New Yorkers, as an example). Some of these accents are notable for being among the few non-rhotic American accents. You may still encounter the traditional accents when talking to older working-class New Yorkers, though they are gradually dying out in favor of a more nearly general American accent. Due to its large Ashkenazi Jewish population, many Yiddish terms have also made their way into local English slang. You may also hear the New York dialect of '''African-American Vernacular English''' (AAVE) being spoken among African-Americans, and a distinctive dialect known as '''New York Latino English''', with noticeable influences from Puerto Rican and Dominican Spanish, is spoken by many Latinos. ==Get in== ===By plane=== New York City ({{IATA|NYC}} for [[Metropolitan Area Airport Codes|all airports]]) is well connected by air with flights from almost every corner of the world. Three large airports, and several small ones, serve the region. John F. Kennedy International Airport ({{IATA|JFK}}) and Newark Liberty International Airport ({{IATA|EWR}}) are large international airports, while LaGuardia Airport ({{IATA|LGA}}) is a busy domestic airport. All three airports are run by [https://www.panynj.gov/port-authority/en/index.html The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]. Inter-airport transfers: * '''Bus/subway''' - Connections between airports using the bus/subway/PATH trains are the cheapest option, but will require many transfers. Set aside a ''minimum'' of 2 hours for travel time. * [https://www.goairlinkshuttle.com/ Go Airlink Shuttle] - Shared van service to or from most of Manhattan. * '''Shared ride van services''' - Some companies as [https://www.etsairportshuttle.com/ ETS Airport Shuttle] and [http://www.allcountyexpress.com/ All County Express] run very infrequent shared ride van service between airports. * '''Taxis''' - the fastest option when changing airports. A taxi between JFK and LGA will cost about $25–29 and should take 30 minutes. A taxi between LGA and EWR will cost about $78 + tolls and should take 60–75 minutes. A taxi between JFK and EWR will cost about $85 + tolls and should take 60–75 minutes. [[File:AirTrain JFK passes TWA Flt Ctr jeh.JPG|thumb|right|AirTrain JFK passes by the iconic TWA Flight Center, the Eero-Saarinen-designed head house of Terminal 5 at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]]] ====John F. Kennedy International Airport==== {{Main|John F. Kennedy International Airport}} {{listing | type=go | name=[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|JFK}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.639722 | long=-73.778889 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=John F. Kennedy International Airport | image=JFKNewYorkTerm4 1.jpg | wikidata=Q8685 | lastedit=2018-09-10 | content=New York's main airport and a major hub for American, Delta, and JetBlue, as well as other domestic and international airlines. If you are arriving into New York by plane from overseas, it is likely that JFK will be your point of entry. }} If you arrive at this airport from overseas, be prepared to wait in line at Customs & Border Protection, often over an hour if you are not a permanent resident of the United States. As cellphones are not allowed in waiting lines, you may want to bring a book or other non-digital entertainment. If you are departing from this airport, beware that it's a huge and '''congested''' airport with six terminals. Make sure you know what terminal you're leaving from before you get to the airport, and it's recommended that you arrive 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international ones, to check in and pass through security without a huge increase in blood pressure and/or a last minute dash worthy of the Olympics, but without any of the medals. If you're going to Manhattan, you can get there by '''taxi''' for a flat fare of $52, '''bus plus subway''' for $2.75, or the '''AirTrain'''—a 24h people mover system that takes passengers to the nearby '''Jamaica''' subway and rail stations for $8 (AirTrain + subway card). From Jamaica you can take the NYC subway lines E, J or Z further into [[Brooklyn]], [[Queens]] and the island of [[Manhattan]], with travel time being between 50 and 60 minutes to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. A faster option is the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train to Penn Station taking 35 minutes and costing $4-8 from Jamaica Station. [[File:2015-04-09 06 37 03 Digital train time table at the Newark Liberty International Airport Train Station, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|The advantage of arriving at [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] is the direct access to a railway station served by fast trains not only to New York City but also to the whole northeast corridor of the United States]] ====Newark Liberty International Airport==== {{Main|Newark Liberty International Airport}} {{listing | type=go | name=[[Newark Liberty International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|EWR}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6925 | long=-74.1686 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Newark Liberty International Airport | image=Newark Liberty International Airport from the Air.jpg | wikidata=Q466786 | lastedit=2018-09-10 | content=In the state of [[New Jersey]], west of Manhattan, serves as New York's second major international airport, New Jersey's primary airport, and a major hub for United Airlines. It is also the starting point of the world's longest nonstop commercial flight; the flight from Newark to Singapore on Singapore Airlines that takes a whopping 19 hours to cover a distance of 9,521 miles (15,323 km) }} You can get into New York City by '''taxi''' for $50-70. Other taxi companies that run cabs to different destinations are also available from the airport. For a cheaper option, take the '''train''': the NJ Transit commuter rail to Penn Station takes about 30 minutes and costs $15.25 each way. [http://mybusnow.njtransit.com/bustime/wireless/html/selectdirection.jsp?route=62 'New Jersey Transit Bus #62 and other NJT Buses] - The most inexpensive option, New Jersey Transit #62 bus runs from in front of the airport terminals to Newark Penn Station (one-way fare $1.60; exact change only; 25min). From there, you may take a PATH subway train ($2.75) either to World Trade Center station in lower Manhattan (25min), or, to Journal Square, where you can transfer to the Journal Square-33rd St train across the platform, which runs to the following stops along 6th Ave: Christopher St in Greenwich Village, 9th St, 14th St, 23rd St, and 33rd St. Plan on 90 minutes including waiting times. The #62 Bus operates 24/7 between Elizabeth and Newark Penn Station, including holidays. Service generally runs every 10-15 minutes weekdays, 15-20 minutes Saturdays, and 20-30 minutes Sundays, with overnight service every 30 minutes. The '''[https://www.newarkairport.com/to-from-airport/air-train AirTrain Newark]''' is easily accessed from the airport terminals via elevator/escalators and runs 24 hours to Newark Airport Rail Station, 10min away, however, there's a $7.75 fee when exiting/entering to the Newark Airport Station (the $7.75 fee is included in the $15.25 NJ Transit train ticket). From here you can take a NJ Transit train (30min ride, every 15-30min) to New York Penn Station (34th St & 8th Ave in Manhattan) or Amtrak train to other destinations along the east coast. Amtrak also runs trains to Manhattan, but they cost $20-30. ''NJ Transit tickets are not valid on Amtrak trains.'' '''NJ Transit trains stop at both Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station, so if your destination is Manhattan, stay on till you reach New York Penn Station.''' Newark Airport's station along the Northeast Corridor gives it a major advantage over JFK and LGA, as long-distance '''Amtrak''' trains going as far south as [[Virginia]], as far north as [[Massachusetts]], and as far west as [[Harrisburg]] also stop at the station. [[File:LaGuardia Airport.JPG|thumb|right|[[LaGuardia Airport]] in [[Queens]] was built as a seaplane harbor and the Marine Air Terminal still stands, serving Delta (land-bound) flights]] ====LaGuardia Airport==== {{Main|LaGuardia Airport}} {{go | name=[[LaGuardia Airport]] | alt={{IATA|LGA}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.77725 | long=-73.872611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=LaGuardia Airport | image=LaGuardiaairport.jpg | wikidata=Q319654 | content=The smallest of the New York Metropolitan Area's three major airports, but also the closest to Midtown Manhattan. Almost all direct flights from LGA are to destinations within 1,500 miles. Most flights are domestic; however, there are international flights to Canada, Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda. The [[Art Deco]] ''Marine Air Terminal'', used by Spirit Airlines, as well as JetBlue for their flights to Boston, is one of the oldest airport terminals that is still in use in the world. It has long been considered dingy and one of the worst major airports to fly out of, but that has changed with the opening of the new Terminal B in 2021, and the new Terminal C in 2022. }} ====Long Island MacArthur Airport==== * '''[http://www.macarthurairport.com/ Long Island MacArthur Airport]''' (Islip Airport) ({{IATA|ISP}}) is 45 miles east of midtown Manhattan in Ronkonkoma in the Town of [[Islip]] on Long Island. The airport is served by Southwest Airlines, a major discount carrier in the US. To travel between the city and ISP: ** '''A shuttle bus''' (10 minutes, $5) operates between ISP and the Ronkonkoma Long Island Railroad station. From there, you can take a train to Penn Station in Manhattan. (1.5 hours, $12.75 off-peak hours or $17.50 peak hours). The Long Island Railroad offers a [http://web.mta.info/lirr/getaways/ discount package for MacArthur Airport travelers]. ** '''[https://reservations.hamptonjitney.com/ Hampton Jitney]''' operates bus services from Ronkonkoma to Manhattan costing $25; the bus stop is a short cab ride away from ISP. ** ''' [https://sct-bus.org/schedules/s57.pdf S57 bus]''' operates to/from the airport to Ronkonkoma for $1.50. However, it isn't coordinated with the trains like the shuttle. ====Westchester County Airport==== * '''[https://airport.westchestergov.com/ Westchester County Airport]''' ({{IATA|HPN}}) is 25 miles northeast of midtown Manhattan near the town of [[White Plains]] and is served by American, Cape Air, Delta, JetBlue, and United, mostly for flights on the East Coast. To travel between the city and HPN: ** '''[https://transportation.westchestergov.com/timetables-and-maps Bee-Line Bus #12]''' (fare $2.75; {{phone|+1-914-813-7777}} for details) operates service to the White Plains Metro-North station. From there, you can take a Metro-North train ($9.75 off-peak and $12.75 peak) to any of various points in the Bronx, or 125th St/Park Ave and Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. Trains run roughly every half hour for most of the day and take approximately 40 minutes to an hour. ====Stewart International Airport==== * '''[https://www.swfny.com/ Stewart International Airport]''' ({{IATA|SWF}}) is 75 miles north of midtown Manhattan, near [[Newburgh (New York)|Newburgh]]. It mainly serves flights to/from Florida. To travel between the city and SWF: ** A [https://leprechaunlines.com/stewart-newburgh-beacon-shuttle/ shuttle bus] ($1, 40 minutes, Mon-Fri only) connects SWF with the Beacon Metro-North Railroad Station. From there, you can take a train into Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan ($17.50 off-peak, $23 peak, approximately 90 minutes). ** [https://web.coachusa.com/info/shortline/ss.stewartairportexpress.asp?nt=1 Shortline] operates bus service ($20, 90 minutes) between the airport and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. Buses are timed based on arrivals and departures of Norwegian Airlines flights. ====Trenton-Mercer Airport==== * '''[http://www.mercercounty.org/departments/transportation-and-infrastructure/trenton-mercer-airport Trenton-Mercer Airport]''' ({{IATA|TTN}}) is 63 miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan and offers limited commercial service on Frontier Airlines. Passengers flying into Trenton can reach Manhattan by taking a taxi to the Trenton train station and then taking the Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line or Amtrak to Penn Station. * '''[https://www.panynj.gov/airports/en/teterboro.html Teterboro Airport]''' ({{IATA|TEB}}) is the most popular choice for general aviation and business jet travelers out of New York City. Air taxi and air charter companies such as [http://www.privatejetsteterboro.com/ Private Jets Teterboro]. [https://theearlyairway.com/ The Early Air Way], [https://monarchairgroup.com/ Monarch Air Group], [https://www.mercuryjets.com/ Mercury Jets] and [http://www.jscharter.com/ Jetset Charter] fly a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstream's down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals. ===By train=== ====Amtrak==== {{seealso|Rail travel in the United States}} [[File:NYC Penn Station 7th Avenue Entrance 2013.jpg|thumb|The entrance to Penn Station, which is the main intercity hub in New York City]] [https://www.amtrak.com/ Amtrak], {{phone|+1-800-USA-RAIL}}, operates from {{marker|type=go|name=New York Penn Station|url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/nyp|lat=40.750552|long=-73.993465}} ({{IATA|NYP}}), directly under '''Madison Square Garden,''' between 31st and 33rd St between 7th & 8th Aves. Popular trains leaving during rush hours can fill up quickly; it is a good idea to make reservations [https://www.amtrak.com/ online], or via phone, and pick up your ticket using a credit card or your confirmation number at one of the electronic kiosks throughout the station. On some of the non-business routes, for example New York to Montreal, Amtrak actually takes more time and costs more money than taking the bus or renting a car. Check and compare schedules and prices before booking. Amtrak's [https://www.amtrak.com/acela-express-train Acela] train provides regular 150 mph (240 km/h) intercity service between major points along the east coast such as [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Boston]], [[Baltimore]], [[Philadelphia]], [[New Haven]], and [[Providence]]. The [https://www.amtrak.com/northeast-regional-train Northeast Regional] provides the same service only marginally slower for much lower prices (although the Acela has a slightly nicer interior). Amtrak services are also available to points along the East Coast down to [[Florida]], across the [[South (United States of America)|southeast]] to [[New Orleans]], to points between New York and [[Chicago]], including [[Pittsburgh]] and [[Cleveland]], to New York state including [[Albany (New York)|Albany]], [[Rochester (New York)|Rochester]], [[Buffalo]] and [[Niagara Falls (New York)|Niagara Falls]], and to [[Toronto]] and [[Montreal]] in [[Canada]]. Service to [[California]] takes 3 days and requires a change of train in Chicago. Amtrak's [https://www.amtrak.com/station-lounges ClubAcela Lounge], near the big security desk in Penn Station, offers complimentary drinks, wi-fi access, newspapers and magazines, and clean bathrooms. Access to the club is granted to travelers with sleeper tickets, First Class Acela tickets, or Amtrak GuestRewards SelectPlus membership. ====Commuter rail==== New York City is served by three commuter railroads: [[File:Image-Grand central Station Outside Night 2.jpg|thumb|The more spectacular Grand Central Terminal at night. This station is the terminating point for all Metro-North service]] *'''[http://www.mta.info/lirr Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)]''' operates between '''New York Penn Station''' or {{Marker|type=go|name=Atlantic Terminal|wikidata=|lat=40.6846|long=-73.9770|url=http://web.mta.info/lirr/AlternateRoute/AtlanticTerminal.htm}} in Brooklyn and [[Long Island]] with New York City stops at Jamaica Station. The LIRR also serves Atlantic Terminal station in Brooklyn. LIRR tickets can be purchased online or inside stations prior to boarding the train. Tickets are also available for purchase on the train but are significantly more expensive. The cost of the ticket varies based on the distance of the ride. *'''[http://www.mta.info/mnr Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North)]''' operates between {{Marker|type=go|name=Grand Central Terminal|wikidata=|lat=40.752813|long=-73.977215|url=https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/}} and points north and east of the city all the way to [[Connecticut]]. Trains also stop at the Harlem station on 125th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan. The New Haven line serves cities along the coast with branch lines to [[Danbury]] and Waterbury. The Hudson Line serves points along the Hudson River like Tarrytown, Croton-Harmon, Peekskill, and Cold Spring, and terminating at [[Poughkeepsie]]. The Harlem Line serves Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties to White Plains, Brewster, and Southeast, the station that provides shuttle service to Wassaic. At New Haven, passengers may transfer to Amtrak or to the ''Shore Line East'' providing local service between New Haven and New London, Connecticut. Metro North tickets can be purchased online or inside stations prior to boarding the train. Tickets are also available for purchase on the train but are significantly more expensive. The cost of the ticket varies based on the distance of the ride. *'''[https://www.njtransit.com/ New Jersey Transit]''' operates between '''New York Penn Station''' or {{Marker|type=go|name=Hoboken Terminal|wikidata=|lat=40.7349|long=-74.0291|url=https://www.nywaterway.com/hobokennjtransitterminalterminal.aspx}} in [[Hoboken|Hoboken, New Jersey]] and points in [[New Jersey]]. It is the only commuter railroad in New York City that isn't owned by the MTA. The Northeast Corridor line goes to [[Princeton]] and [[Trenton]]. Services are also available for points along the Jersey Coast via the North Jersey Coast Line, and to north-central suburbs like Summit, Peapack-Gladstone, or Morristown via the Morris & Essex Line, which is divided into the Morristown Line and Gladstone Branch. It also services the town of Montclair via the Montclair-Boonton line. With a transfer in {{Go| name = Secaucus Junction| url = https://www.njtransit.com/station/secaucus-junction-station| lat = 40.7616 | long = -74.075}} or a PATH or ferry connection in Hoboken, to points north of the city (in New Jersey and New York State west of the Hudson), via the Pascack Valley and Bergen/Main/Port Jervis lines. The Raritan Valley Line serves some western suburbs, and is accessed via a PATH connection in {{Go| name = Newark Penn Station| url = https://www.amtrak.com/stations/nwk | lat = 40.7346999 | long = -74.1645518}}, which is in [[Newark|Newark, New Jersey]]. Connecting service is available from Trenton to [[Philadelphia]] via SEPTA or to [[Camden (New Jersey)]] via RiverLINE. Connecting service to Newark Liberty International Airport is available from some Northeast corridor trains. NJ Transit tickets can be purchased online or inside stations prior to boarding the train. Tickets are also available for purchase on the train but are significantly more expensive. The cost of the ticket varies based on the distance of the ride. ====PATH==== [http://www.panynj.gov/path/index.html PATH] (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) is a subway system connecting New York City to [[Hoboken]], [[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]], and various points on the [[New Jersey]] shore of the Hudson River. Two lines pass under the Hudson and enter the city, one terminating near the World Trade Center site downtown, the other at 33rd Street in midtown (see [http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html map]). The PATH station at 33rd Street is not connected to, nor part of Penn Station. PATH costs $2.75 per ride. An RFID-type stored value card called ''[http://www.panynj.gov/path/smartlink.html Smartlink]'' affords PATH users discounts: $21 for 10 trips; $42 for 20 trips; $84 for 40 trips. However, the card itself must be purchased ($5, $24 including 10 trips). The PATH system accepts the MTA system's [http://web.mta.info/metrocard/where_accept.htm Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard] (but not Unlimited Ride MetroCard). For the visitor traveling from New Jersey daily, it is more convenient and possibly cheaper to purchase the MetroCard to travel on both the PATH and the MTA systems. However, there is no free MetroCard transfer between PATH and MTA subways/buses. ===By bus=== {{seealso|Long-distance bus travel in the United States}} Some buses offer wi-fi, outlets and even business-class style luxury. Buses serve New Jersey, New York suburbs west of the Hudson River, and all cities along the east coast of the U.S. * {{go | name=Port Authority Bus Terminal | alt= | url=https://www.panynj.gov/bus-terminals/en/port-authority.html | email= | address=625 8th Ave | lat=40.75694 | long=-73.990456 | directions=Along 8th Ave between 40th & 42nd Sts, near [[Times Square]] | phone=+1-212 564-8484 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours a day | price= | content=A large number of bus routes end at this terminal. }} ====Intercity public bus companies operating to/from New York City==== * {{listing | name=Coach USA Shortline | alt= | url=https://www.coachusa.com/shortline/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coach USA also operates the Shortline as a commuter bus from Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan Counties, NY; Bergen County, NJ; and Pike County, PA to Midtown, Downtown, the East Side, and Wall Street in Manhattan, and over longer distances from Monticello, Binghamton, Ithaca, Owego, Elmira, Corning, Alfred, etc. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Fox Bus Lines | alt= | url=https://www.gotobus.com/fox-bus-inc-/ | email= | address=(bus stops) 152 E Broadway and 6th Ave btwn 31st & 32nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Goes north to Schenectady and Albany, NY and south to Philadelphia. }} * {{listing | type=go | | name=Trailways | alt= | url=https://trailways.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 716 855-7533 | tollfree=+1-800-776-7548 | fax= | content=Largest intra-state bus operator serving [[New York (state)]]. }} * {{listing | name=Hampton Jitney | alt= | url=http://www.hamptonjitney.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 631-283-4600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Goes to various places in eastern Long Island from stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Ocean Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.oceanbus.com/ | email= | address=3 Allen St; 3 Bowery St (Corner of Bowery & Division); and 194 Canal St (Btwn Mott & Mulberry St) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-917-622-7696 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from Buffalo via Liverpool (near Syracuse) and Rochester. }} * {{listing | name=Academy Bus | alt= | url=https://www.academybus.com/Commuters/Commuters.aspx | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 201-420-7000 | tollfree=+1-800-442-7272 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates commuter services from New York to Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey. [https://www.academybus.com/Casinos/Schedules.aspx Casino Express] service to/from Atlantic City and Mohegan Sun. }} * {{listing | name=Coach USA | alt= | url=https://www.coachusa.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The parent company of [https://us.megabus.com/ Megabus] offers commuter routes, university express, airport shuttles and casino shuttles from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to New Jersey. }} * {{listing | name=DeCamp | alt= | url=http://www.Decamp.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 973-783-7500 | toll free=+1-800-631-1281 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Commuter buses between NY Port Authority Bus Terminal and Nutley, Caldwell, Bloomfield, Montclair, Roseland, Kearney and Orange in northern New Jersey }} * {{listing | name=Lakeland Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.lakelandbus.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 973-366-0600 | toll free= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Commuter buses between NY Port Authority Bus Terminal and northern New Jersey }} * {{listing | name=Martz Bus | alt=Martz Trailways | url=https://martzbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 570-821-3838 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Martz offers commuter & intercity routes between New York City, Hackettstown, Panther Valley Mall, Atlantic City, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Stroudsburg, Poconos. }} * {{listing | name=New Jersey Transit | alt= | url=https://www.njtransit.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 973-275-5555| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service between destinations in New Jersey and Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Ave & 42nd St. }} * {{listing | name=Susquehannas Trailways | alt= | url=https://susquehannabus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travels across Pennsylvania from Williamsport PA to Elmira NY; Harrisburg PA; Lock Haven University and Hazelton in several directions on multiple routes. Another route travels between Sunbury and Lehighton. From Hazelton and from Lehighton the routes diverge to New York and another to Philadelphia. }} * {{listing | name=Lucky Star | alt= | url=https://www.luckystarbus.com/ | email= | address=(office) 145 Canal St | lat= | long= | directions=Canal & Bowey in Chinatown Manhattan | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=6AM-11PM and at 2AM | price= | content=Runs from Boston to their Chinatown office at least hourly 6AM-11PM and at 2AM. Wi-Fi provided on some buses. }} * {{listing | name=BestBus | alt= | url=https://www.bestbus.com/ | email= | address=(Bus stop) 314 W 31st St | lat= | long= | directions=Btwn 8th and 9th Ave on the south side of the post office near Madison Square Garden and Penn Station | phone=+1-202 332-2691 | tollfree=+1-888-888-3269 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Service to Union Station and Dupont Circle in Washington DC; Silver Spring in Maryland; Manassas, Vienna, and Springfield in Virginia; and summer weekend service to Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach in Delaware. Buses offer free Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, and free water. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Focus Travel Bus | alt= | url=https://www.gotobus.com/focus-travel-inc/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-202 216-9222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from [[Philadelphia]]. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=NY Tiger | alt= | url=http://www.nytiger.com/ | email= | address=(office) 59 Canal St | lat= | long= | directions=Corner of Canal & Orchard St in Chinatown Manhattan | phone=+1-212 625-9928, +1-917-299-5567, +1-757-717-1677 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Daily bus services from New York to Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton and Salisbury. There's a "[http://www.nylion.com/ NY Lion Bus]" that runs the same route from the same station and can be affiliated. }} * {{listing | name=Eagle-Pandora | alt= | url=https://www.gotobus.com/pandora-bus/bus-routes/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from many major cities on the East Coast. }} * {{listing | name=Tripper Bus | alt= | url=https://www.tripperbus.com | email= | address=(Bus stop) 254 W 31st St | lat=40.750179 | long=73.994257 | directions=NE corner of 31 St between 7th and 8th Ave, (outside of the Penn Station) closer to 8th Ave, the opposite side of Brother Jimmy’s BBQ. | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-826-3874 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travels to Bethesda, Maryland (4681 Willow Ln at the corner of Wisconsin Ave., opposite side of Panera Bread, the same side of Bethesda’s Farm Women’s Market.) and the Rosslyn Metrorail station in Arlington, Virginia (1901 N Moore St @ city bus stop at Moore & 19th Ave N ). Power outlets on board. Select a Tripper Elite bus and receive luxury amenities and comfort including wider leather captain’s chair reclined seating offering more leg room. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Vamoose | alt= | url=https://www.vamoosebus.com/ | email= | address=(Bus stop) NE corner of W 30th St & 7th Ave across from Bravo Pizza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-695-6766 or +1-301-718-0036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Travels between New York; Bethesda, MD; Arlington, VA; & Lorton, VA. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Washington Deluxe | alt= | url=https://www.washny.com | email= | address=(bus stop) Pig n' Whistle Pub @ 202 W 36th St (btwn 7th & 8th Ave); Chinatown @ 72 Allen St (Btwn Grand & Broome St); Brooklyn @ 40 Empire Blvd (Btwn Flatbush & Washington Ave, in front of Popeye's) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-287-6932 | hours= | price= | content=Service from Washington DC. Wi-Fi. From Washington D.C. ($21) some to Brooklyn. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Jet Bus | alt= | url=https://thejet.coach/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=| fax= | hours= | price= | content=Luxury bus service with motion-canceling technology that eliminates 90% of bumps and vibration. Service to/from Washington DC. }} * {{listing | name=C & J | alt= | url=https://www.ridecj.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from Boston, as well as smaller cities in New England such as Tewksbury, MA; Portsmouth, NH; and Ogunquit, ME }} * {{listing | name=Concord Coach Lines | alt= | url=https://concordcoachlines.com/ | email= | address=(bus stop) 373 E 42nd St | lat= | long= | directions=Transit bus stop (Rt M42 & X21) on E 42nd St between 1st & 2nd Ave, next to Tudor City Place Overpass (bridge). | phone=+1 603 228-3300 | tollfree=+1-800-639-3317 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Express bus to Portland, ME on one route and to Concord, NH via Nashua on another. }} * {{go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/new-york-ny | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-30 | content=Connects Richmond to New York through Baltimore, Rockville & Washington DC and goes to New York from Boston. They also connect New York to Atlanta through Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro and Greenville. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Go Buses | alt= | url=https://www.gobuses.com/ | email= | address=(bus stop) W 30th St btwn 9th & 10 Ave, opposite 450 W 30th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-855-888-7160 | hours= | price= | content=Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Providence, Hartford and/or New Haven to NYC on multiple route combinations. Washington DC & Alexandria to NYC and Vienna/Fairfax and Manassas to NYC. Mt Holly to NYC. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Greyhound Lines | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | content=Offers connections from across North America (45 states & 2 Canadian provinces) to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue & 42nd Street. Wi-Fi, electrical outlets and the works on some buses. }} * {{listing | name=Megabus | alt= | url=https://us.megabus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Frequent service from Newark, DE; Georgia (Athens & Atlanta); Massachusetts (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth); Hartford, CT; North Carolina; New Jersey; (upstate) New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania; Columbia, SC; Burlington, VT; Virginia, Washington D.C.; Chicago, IL and Toronto. Most buses arrive on the west side of 7th Avenue just south of 28th Street (''nearest subway station is 28th Street on the {{NYCS|1}} line'') and depart from the south side of 34th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, across the street from the Javits Center (''nearest subway station is 34th Street—Hudson Yards on the {{NYCS|7}} line''). Services to Binghamton, New Brunswick, Princeton and Atlantic City arrive and depart at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue & 42nd Street. They can also be in different locations from the above, depending on destination, so check with their website. Wi-Fi and electrical outlets available on each bus. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Our Bus | alt= | url=https://ourbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-844-800-6828 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from Boston, [[Washington DC]] and to/from multiple cities in [[New York State|upstate New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Virginia]], and [[Pennsylvania]]. Various stops in NYC. }} * {{listing | name=Peter Pan | alt= | url=https://peterpanbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates between cities in the Northeast U.S. (in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Philadelphia, PA; Albany, NY; New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington, DC) and the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue & 42nd Street. }} * {{listing | name=Akai LLC| alt= | url=https://akaillc.com/ | email= | address=Pandora Bus Station @ 19 Allen St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 205 585-3888, +1 678-908-1588 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Goes from New York towards several cities in Alabama and Georgia via Baltimore MD; Richmond VA: Charlotte NC; Greenville SC and Atlanta GA. }} * {{listing | name=Pandora Bus | alt=Eagle Bus | url=https://www.gotobus.com/pandora-bus/ | email= | address=19 Allen St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Connects New York to towards Atlanta, Augusta GA, Savvanah GA, Orlando FL, Columbia SC and points in between via Raleigh NC on multiple routes. }} * {{go | name=Panda NY Bus | alt= | url=https://www.pandanybus.com/ | email= | address=(bus station) 19 Allen St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 917 420-5989 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Connects New York to Richmond via Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. From Richmond their buses continue towards Huntsville, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville and points in between on multiple routes. They also have another route to Buffalo through Binghampton, Syracuse and Rochester in upstate New York. They also have another stop location at 127 E Broadway. }} * {{listing | name=Starline Express | alt= | url=http://www.starlinebus.com/ | email= | address=(bus station) 95 Canal St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-646-859-2288 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Connecting New York to Tampa via Battleboro, Brunswick, Charleston, Fayetteville, Florence, Hardeeville, Jacksonville, Lumberton, Manning, Savannah, Wilson, Summerville, Rocky Mount, Orlando, St.George, Roanoke Rapids and Weldon. }} ===By bus (OLD - need to delete)=== {{seealso|Long-distance bus travel in the United States}} Some buses offer wi-fi, outlets and even business-class style luxury. Buses serve New Jersey, New York suburbs west of the Hudson River, and all cities along the east coast of the U.S. Many, but not all, bus companies operated from the: * {{go | name=Port Authority Bus Terminal | alt= | url=https://www.panynj.gov/bus-terminals/en/port-authority.html | email= | address=625 8th Ave | lat=40.75694 | long=-73.990456 | directions=Along 8th Ave between 40th & 42nd Sts, near [[Times Square]] | phone=+1-212 564-8484 | tollfree= | hours=Open 24 hours a day | price= | content= }} ====Intercity public bus companies operating to/from New York City==== * {{listing | name=Coach USA Shortline | alt= | url=https://www.coachusa.com/shortline/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coach USA also operates the Shortline as a commuter bus from Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan Counties, NY; Bergen County, NJ; and Pike County, PA to Midtown, Downtown, the East Side, and Wall Street in Manhattan, and over longer distances from Monticello, Binghamton, Ithaca, Owego, Elmira, Corning, Alfred, etc. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Fox Bus Lines | alt= | url=https://www.gotobus.com/fox-bus-inc-/ | email= | address=(bus stops) 152 E Broadway and 6th Ave btwn 31st & 32nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Goes north to Schenectady and Albany, NY and south to Philadelphia. }} * {{listing | type=go | | name=Trailways | alt= | url=https://trailways.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 716 855-7533 | tollfree=+1-800-776-7548 | fax= | content=Largest intra-state bus operator serving [[New York (state)]]. }} * {{listing | name=Hampton Jitney | alt= | url=http://www.hamptonjitney.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 631-283-4600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Goes to various places in eastern Long Island from stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Ocean Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.oceanbus.com/ | email= | address=3 Allen St; 3 Bowery St (Corner of Bowery & Division); and 194 Canal St (Btwn Mott & Mulberry St) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-917-622-7696 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from Buffalo via Liverpool (near Syracuse) and Rochester. }} * {{listing | name=Academy Bus | alt= | url=https://www.academybus.com/Commuters/Commuters.aspx | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 201-420-7000 | tollfree=+1-800-442-7272 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates commuter services from New York to Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey. [https://www.academybus.com/Casinos/Schedules.aspx Casino Express] service to/from Atlantic City and Mohegan Sun. }} * {{listing | name=Coach USA | alt= | url=https://www.coachusa.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The parent company of [https://us.megabus.com/ Megabus] offers commuter routes, university express, airport shuttles and casino shuttles from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to New Jersey. }} * {{listing | name=DeCamp | alt= | url=http://www.Decamp.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 973-783-7500 | toll free=+1-800-631-1281 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Commuter buses between NY Port Authority Bus Terminal and Nutley, Caldwell, Bloomfield, Montclair, Roseland, Kearney and Orange in northern New Jersey }} * {{listing | name=Lakeland Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.lakelandbus.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 973-366-0600 | toll free= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Commuter buses between NY Port Authority Bus Terminal and northern New Jersey }} * {{listing | name=Martz Bus | alt=Martz Trailways | url=https://martzbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 570-821-3838 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Martz offers commuter & intercity routes between New York City, Hackettstown, Panther Valley Mall, Atlantic City, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Stroudsburg, Poconos. }} * {{listing | name=New Jersey Transit | alt= | url=https://www.njtransit.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 973-275-5555| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service between destinations in New Jersey and Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Ave & 42nd St. }} * {{listing | name=Susquehannas Trailways | alt= | url=https://susquehannabus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travels across Pennsylvania from Williamsport PA to Elmira NY; Harrisburg PA; Lock Haven University and Hazelton in several directions on multiple routes. Another route travels between Sunbury and Lehighton. From Hazelton and from Lehighton the routes diverge to New York and another to Philadelphia. }} * {{listing | name=Lucky Star | alt= | url=https://www.luckystarbus.com/ | email= | address=(office) 145 Canal St | lat= | long= | directions=Canal & Bowey in Chinatown Manhattan | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=6AM-11PM and at 2AM | price= | content=Runs from Boston to their Chinatown office at least hourly 6AM-11PM and at 2AM. Wi-Fi provided on some buses. }} * {{listing | name=BestBus | alt= | url=https://www.bestbus.com/ | email= | address=(Bus stop) 314 W 31st St | lat= | long= | directions=Btwn 8th and 9th Ave on the south side of the post office near Madison Square Garden and Penn Station | phone=+1-202 332-2691 | tollfree=+1-888-888-3269 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Service to Union Station and Dupont Circle in Washington DC; Silver Spring in Maryland; Manassas, Vienna, and Springfield in Virginia; and summer weekend service to Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach in Delaware. Buses offer free Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, and free water. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Focus Travel Bus | alt= | url=https://www.gotobus.com/focus-travel-inc/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-202 216-9222 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from [[Philadelphia]]. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=NY Tiger | alt= | url=http://www.nytiger.com/ | email= | address=(office) 59 Canal St | lat= | long= | directions=Corner of Canal & Orchard St in Chinatown Manhattan | phone=+1-212 625-9928, +1-917-299-5567, +1-757-717-1677 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Daily bus services from New York to Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton and Salisbury. There's a "[http://www.nylion.com/ NY Lion Bus]" that runs the same route from the same station and can be affiliated. }} * {{listing | name=Eagle-Pandora | alt= | url=https://www.gotobus.com/pandora-bus/bus-routes/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from many major cities on the East Coast. }} * {{listing | name=Tripper Bus | alt= | url=https://www.tripperbus.com | email= | address=(Bus stop) 254 W 31st St | lat=40.750179 | long=73.994257 | directions=NE corner of 31 St between 7th and 8th Ave, (outside of the Penn Station) closer to 8th Ave, the opposite side of Brother Jimmy’s BBQ. | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-826-3874 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travels to Bethesda, Maryland (4681 Willow Ln at the corner of Wisconsin Ave., opposite side of Panera Bread, the same side of Bethesda’s Farm Women’s Market.) and the Rosslyn Metrorail station in Arlington, Virginia (1901 N Moore St @ city bus stop at Moore & 19th Ave N ). Power outlets on board. Select a Tripper Elite bus and receive luxury amenities and comfort including wider leather captain’s chair reclined seating offering more leg room. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Vamoose | alt= | url=https://www.vamoosebus.com/ | email= | address=(Bus stop) NE corner of W 30th St & 7th Ave across from Bravo Pizza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-695-6766 or +1-301-718-0036 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Travels between New York; Bethesda, MD; Arlington, VA; & Lorton, VA. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Washington Deluxe | alt= | url=https://www.washny.com | email= | address=(bus stop) Pig n' Whistle Pub @ 202 W 36th St (btwn 7th & 8th Ave); Chinatown @ 72 Allen St (Btwn Grand & Broome St); Brooklyn @ 40 Empire Blvd (Btwn Flatbush & Washington Ave, in front of Popeye's) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-287-6932 | hours= | price= | content=Service from Washington DC. Wi-Fi. From Washington D.C. ($21) some to Brooklyn. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Jet Bus | alt= | url=https://thejet.coach/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=| fax= | hours= | price= | content=Luxury bus service with motion-canceling technology that eliminates 90% of bumps and vibration. Service to/from Washington DC. }} * {{listing | name=C & J | alt= | url=https://www.ridecj.com/ | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from Boston, as well as smaller cities in New England such as Tewksbury, MA; Portsmouth, NH; and Ogunquit, ME }} * {{listing | name=Concord Coach Lines | alt= | url=https://concordcoachlines.com/ | email= | address=(bus stop) 373 E 42nd St | lat= | long= | directions=Transit bus stop (Rt M42 & X21) on E 42nd St between 1st & 2nd Ave, next to Tudor City Place Overpass (bridge). | phone=+1 603 228-3300 | tollfree=+1-800-639-3317 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Express bus to Portland, ME on one route and to Concord, NH via Nashua on another. }} * {{go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/new-york-ny | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-07-30 | content=Connects Richmond to New York through Baltimore, Rockville & Washington DC and goes to New York from Boston. They also connect New York to Atlanta through Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro and Greenville. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Go Buses | alt= | url=https://www.gobuses.com/ | email= | address=(bus stop) W 30th St btwn 9th & 10 Ave, opposite 450 W 30th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-855-888-7160 | hours= | price= | content=Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Providence, Hartford and/or New Haven to NYC on multiple route combinations. Washington DC & Alexandria to NYC and Vienna/Fairfax and Manassas to NYC. Mt Holly to NYC. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Greyhound Lines | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address=Port Authority Bus Terminal @ 625 8th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | content=Offers connections from across North America (45 states & 2 Canadian provinces) to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue & 42nd Street. Wi-Fi, electrical outlets and the works on some buses. }} * {{listing | name=Megabus | alt= | url=https://us.megabus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Frequent service from Newark, DE; Georgia (Athens & Atlanta); Massachusetts (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth); Hartford, CT; North Carolina; New Jersey; (upstate) New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania; Columbia, SC; Burlington, VT; Virginia, Washington D.C.; Chicago, IL and Toronto. Most buses arrive on the west side of 7th Avenue just south of 28th Street (''nearest subway station is 28th Street on the {{NYCS|1}} line'') and depart from the south side of 34th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, across the street from the Javits Center (''nearest subway station is 34th Street—Hudson Yards on the {{NYCS|7}} line''). Services to Binghamton, New Brunswick, Princeton and Atlantic City arrive and depart at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue & 42nd Street. They can also be in different locations from the above, depending on destination, so check with their website. Wi-Fi and electrical outlets available on each bus. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Our Bus | alt= | url=https://ourbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-844-800-6828 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from Boston, [[Washington DC]] and to/from multiple cities in [[New York State|upstate New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Virginia]], and [[Pennsylvania]]. Various stops in NYC. }} * {{listing | name=Peter Pan | alt= | url=https://peterpanbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates between cities in the Northeast U.S. (in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Philadelphia, PA; Albany, NY; New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington, DC) and the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue & 42nd Street. }} * {{listing | name=Akai LLC| alt= | url=https://akaillc.com/ | email= | address=Pandora Bus Station @ 19 Allen St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 205 585-3888, +1 678-908-1588 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Goes from New York towards several cities in Alabama and Georgia via Baltimore MD; Richmond VA: Charlotte NC; Greenville SC and Atlanta GA. }} * {{listing | name=Pandora Bus | alt=Eagle Bus | url=https://www.gotobus.com/pandora-bus/ | email= | address=19 Allen St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Connects New York to towards Atlanta, Augusta GA, Savvanah GA, Orlando FL, Columbia SC and points in between via Raleigh NC on multiple routes. }} * {{go | name=Panda NY Bus | alt= | url=https://www.pandanybus.com/ | email= | address=(bus station) 19 Allen St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 917 420-5989 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Connects New York to Richmond via Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. From Richmond their buses continue towards Huntsville, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville and points in between on multiple routes. They also have another route to Buffalo through Binghampton, Syracuse and Rochester in upstate New York. They also have another stop location at 127 E Broadway. }} * {{listing | name=Starline Express | alt= | url=http://www.starlinebus.com/ | email= | address=(bus station) 95 Canal St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-646-859-2288 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Connecting New York to Tampa via Battleboro, Brunswick, Charleston, Fayetteville, Florence, Hardeeville, Jacksonville, Lumberton, Manning, Savannah, Wilson, Summerville, Rocky Mount, Orlando, St.George, Roanoke Rapids and Weldon. }} ===By boat=== New York City has always been one of the world's most important passenger sea ports, and arriving by ocean liner or cruise ship still remains an extraordinary and stylish method of arrival. In addition to passenger service from the Cunard Line, many cruise ships start or end their voyages in New York City. *'''[http://www.cunard.com/Ships/Queen-Mary-2/ The Cunard Line]''' operates regularly scheduled passenger service between the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and [[Southampton]], [[United Kingdom]] as well as [[Hamburg]], [[Germany]] aboard the '''RMS Queen Mary 2''', the grandest, largest ocean liner ever built. The trip takes 6–7 days and costs $800–6,000 depending on the cabin and season. *More mundane arrivals can be had from New Jersey via '''NY Waterway''' and '''SeaStreak''', two fast ferry services. ===By car=== While most people would advise against entering New York City by car (see the "Get around" section below), it is accessible by a number of highways: From New Jersey there are three Hudson River crossings: The George Washington Bridge (on I-95, US 1 and US 9) in [[Fort Lee]] drops you off in [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Upper Manhattan]], the Lincoln Tunnel (on NJ Route 495) in [[Weehawken]] will bring you to [[Manhattan/Theater District|Midtown Manhattan]], and the Holland Tunnel (on I-78) in [[Jersey City]] leaves you in [[Manhattan/TriBeCa|lower Manhattan]]. Depending on where you are heading to in New York City and the time of day, you'll want to take advantage of the different crossings, but if you have the time and are looking for the most scenic of the three, take the George Washington Bridge's upper level for spectacular views of New York City; Hudson County, New Jersey; and the Hudson River. If you are heading to Staten Island, Queens or Brooklyn you can also take the Goethals Bridge (on I-278) in [[Elizabeth]]; the highway cuts across Staten Island and continues over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn. The other routes into Staten Island from NJ are the Outerbridge Crossing in [[Perth Amboy]], which puts you in Tottenville near the southern tip of the island, and the [[Bayonne (New Jersey)|Bayonne]] Bridge, which leaves you in extreme northern Staten Island. From Upstate New York, you can take one of several highways into the Bronx, including the New York State Thruway, which becomes the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx (both roads are I-87). The Connecticut Turnpike/New England Thruway (I-95) and the Merritt Parkway/Hutchinson River Parkway are good routes from [[Connecticut]] and areas of [[Westchester County]] near the Long Island Sound. From [[Long Island]] you can take the Long Island Expressway (I-495) or the Northern State Parkway/Grand Central Parkway for access to Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The Southern State and Belt Parkways are useful for Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. ==Get around== {{infobox|"Left luggage"|Because of security concerns, there are very few left luggage, storage lockers, or coat-check service at ''any'' New York train station. This includes Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal; however the Amtrak checked and left luggage point at Penn Station is still operating, but only for ticketed passengers. There are left luggage services in the Arrivals area of Terminals 1 and 4 at '''JFK Airport'''. The left luggage office in Terminal 4 is open 24 hours. There is also a luggage storage at Building 4 of JFK, which will require photo ID. '''Schwartz Travel & Storage''', with three locations in Midtown Manhattan close to Penn Station is one of several left luggage services; the price per day is $7-10 per bag. Most left luggage services will only accept cash but a few of them include a lounge where users can watch TV and use the Wi-Fi services. Some hotels will store luggage for customers who have checked out of the hotel.|}} ===On foot=== For shorter distances, there is no better way of getting around New York than hitting the sidewalk. If you use the subway or buses, you will almost certainly need to walk to and from stations or stops. In all areas of New York a traveler is likely to visit, all streets have wide, smoothly-paved sidewalks. For long distances, walking is also fine and a great way to see the city. ===Public transit – buses and subways=== [[File:NYC Subway Car R179 board number 3216.jpg|thumb|NYC Subway Car Interior]] [[File:NYC Subway car R160 8822.jpg|thumb|NYC Subway car exterior.]] [[Image:Metro Card.JPG|thumb|250px|right|MetroCard]] [[File:New York City Subway (9073523546).jpg|thumb|right|The New York City Subway is the fastest and most convenient way to get around the city. However, it can get really, really crowded, especially during rush hour.]] '''[https://omny.info/how-omny-works OMNY]''' allows passengers at all subway stations and on all MTA buses to pay by "tapping" their credit card or smart device that accepts Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Fitbit Pay. If you tap in with a physical card the first time, to transfer, you can not use that card on a mobile wallet for the second tap: you must still use the physical card. OMNY uses a large reader module with an LCD display mounted to the front of the turnstiles. If you take 12 paid OMNY trips with the same device or card starting Monday, you’ll automatically ride free for the rest of the week through Sunday. '''MetroCard''' is a pre-paid debit card for transit fares that will be phased out by 2024. MetroCards, which cost $1, can be bought online, at station booths, and at vending machines in subway stations. The vending machines in the stations accept credit cards; however, MetroCard vending machines will require that you type in your 5-digit zip code, or your regular PIN on international cards. You can add either value or time (i.e. unlimited trips) to your Metrocard at vending machines in stations. Unlimited Ride MetroCards may not be used in rapid succession at the same subway station or on the same bus route. MetroCards generally expire 1 year after purchase; the expiration date is printed on the back of the card at the upper left. The PATH rapid transit rail system between New York and New Jersey has a separate fare structure. PATH accepts payment by MetroCard, but no free transfers are available to or from MTA subways or buses. JFK AirTrain also accepts MetroCard, but again there are no free transfers are available. Metro-North Commuter Railroad, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), New Jersey Transit (NJT), and Amtrak trains do not accept MetroCards, but Westchester Bee Line Buses, Roosevelt Island Tram, and NICE Bus (Nassau Inter-County Express) do [http://web.mta.info/metrocard/where_accept.htm accept] them. OMNY is accepted on all subway stations and MTA-operated buses as well as Metro-North and LIRR; however it will ''not'' work on NJ Transit as NJT will be using a different fare payment system. ====[https://new.mta.info/fares Fares]==== Up to three children 44 inches (112 cm) tall and under ride for free on subways and local buses when accompanied by a fare paying adult. MetroCards generally expire 1 year after purchase; the expiration date is printed on the back of the card at the upper left. [[File:NYC Subway Car R179 board number 3216.jpg|thumb|NYC Subway Car Interior]] [[File:NYC Subway car R160 8822.jpg|thumb|NYC Subway car exterior.]] A $1 fee is charged for each MetroCard purchased at station booths and vending machines. This fee does not apply when buying a card from neighborhood merchants, who may insist to be paid cash only (even if they otherwise accept credit cards with displayed logos), and if so, buy a lowest available [http://web.mta.info/nyct/fare/FaresatAGlance.htm pre-valued] $11.00 card that may be later refilled at MetroCard vending machine with credit card. However, expired MetroCards can be exchanged at station booths and vending machines free of charge, and the remaining balance will also be transferred to the new card. Most vending machines accept cash, but only return up to $9 in change. Debit and credit cards are accepted at vending machines; international card users need to input '99999' on the keypad when the ZIP code is requested. However, staffed station booths only accept cash, and no $50 bill if buying less than $30 or $100 bill if buying less than $70. *'''Single Ride MetroCard''' – costs $3 and is good for one use. It allows no free transfers between the subway and bus, and it is only valid for two hours after purchase. *'''Pay-Per-Ride (Regular) MetroCards''' – are available in amounts from $5.50 to $80. Each local bus or subway trip deducts $2.75 from your card; each express buses trip deducts $6.75. Usage of the PATH system deducts $2.75, and usage of JFK AirTrain deducts $5. You can add more money to your MetroCard at a later time. The amount you should add is (''number of rides'' &times; $2.75). Regular MetroCard is the best option if you are spending a few days in New York and plan to use the subway or bus fewer than 12 times. :Additionally, a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard allows for one '''free transfer''' during a two hour window immediately following a paid fare: :*From subway to local bus :*From local bus to subway :*From local bus to local bus (but not to any bus on the same route as the first) :*From express bus to subway :*From express bus to local bus :*From express bus to express bus (but not to any bus on the same route as the first) :A Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard may be used to pay for up to four fares at one time at a subway turnstile or bus. :You can transfer from subway to subway as often as you like, provided that you do not exit the subway system by leaving through a turnstile or gate. Many subway connections are possible in this way, by using in-station connections between the various lines. Indeed, the Guinness Book of World Records tracks the fastest times of groups that have tried to ride every single New York City subway train line on one fare - some have spent over 24 consecutive hours riding in the subway! Just remember that if you leave the subway and re-enter, you will be charged a second fare. :Additionally, if you board a local bus and pay the $2.75 fare with a MetroCard, you can transfer to an express bus for the reduced price of $4.00 (instead of the standard $6.75 express bus fare). *'''Unlimited Ride MetroCards''' – are available in 7-day ($33) and 30-day ($127). They are valid from the time you first use them until midnight of the 7th and 30th day, respectively. Do the math; these cards may work out to be cheaper if you plan on using public transport frequently during your stay. For example, the 7-day pass is worth it if you take at least 12 rides. It works out to roughly two trips every day for a week, so those who commute round-trip within the city every day for one week can benefit from this. Unlimited Ride MetroCards may not be used in rapid succession at the same subway station or on the same bus route. Once used, 18 minutes must elapse before it can be used at the same station (or on the same bus route). This is to prevent a group of people from sharing a single Unlimited Ride MetroCard. Hence, each member of the group will require their own Unlimited Ride MetroCard. Unlimited Ride MetroCards are NOT valid on express buses, JFK AirTrain, or PATH trains to New Jersey. If you are arriving at JFK Airport and take the AirTrain, the machines at the station do not sell Unlimited Ride cards. You should pay for the AirTrain ($5) and buy an unlimited card at the subway station. *'''7-Day Express Bus Plus''' – costs $62 and allows unlimited use of not just local buses and subways, but also express buses. If you are staying in Staten Island, Queens, or Westchester county and plan to commute to the city during your visit, this pass may be advantageous to you. *Also available are two passes good only for unlimited use of the ''JFK AirTrain'': a 30-day unlimited AirTrain pass for $40, and a 10-trip pass for $25. You can also get discounted tickets to certain events by showing your MetroCard when purchasing tickets. Current promotions are listed on [http://www.mta.info/metrocard/tourism/mc_promotions.htm the MetroCard website] ====OMNY==== OMNY only supports full-fare and pay-per-ride options and has free at OMNY-enabled subway stations and bus routes. There will be additional fare options to be available in the future. ===By subway=== [[Image:NYC subway-4D.svg|thumb|550px|Map of the New York City Subway and Staten Island Railway]] Despite a reputation for being dirty, the subway, which operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week, is the fastest and best way to travel around four boroughs of the city. Unfortunately for people who live there, it hasn't reached Staten Island, which is instead served by a [[#By the Staten Island Railway|separate railway]]. Fares are $2.75 (unless you use Single Ride MetroCard, which is $3), regardless of distance traveled. The much-feared subway crimes of the 1970s and 1980s are for the most part a thing of the past, and it is usually completely safe. Just remember to use common sense when traveling late at night alone. Try to use heavily-traveled stations, remain visible to other people, and don't display items of value publicly. While violent crime is rare, petty crime - especially theft of iPhones and other expensive electronics - is very frequent, so be aware when using your phone on the train. * '''Overhead signage next to each track indicates the trains that stop at that particular track and the direction they are heading'''. In addition, the trains themselves are marked by signage that indicates their route. Subway stations are ventilated to the street, so they can be quite cold in the winter. In summertime, the stations can be much warmer than the outside temperature. The trains themselves are air-conditioned and usually quite comfortable, but keep the temperature of stations in mind when planning your trip. * '''Some stations, especially local-only ones, have entrances which provide access to trains headed in one direction, not both'''. Read the signage outside the entrance to know which direction the train heads toward. If it heads in the opposite direction of where you need to go, enter across the street. * '''Wait for riders to disembark before getting on the train'''. Exiting passengers will push past you if you are in their way when the train opens its doors. Like New Yorkers. * Some trains are '''express''', meaning that they skip local stations to provide faster service. Wherever there is an express train, there is also a '''local''' train that makes all stops. '''Local and express trains often use different tracks, so be sure to board the correct train.''' For example, the 2 and 3 are the express trains for the Broadway–7th Avenue Line between 96th Street and Chambers Street in Manhattan, while the 1 runs local alongside them. Some express trains run local or do not run at all late at night, and '''there are some lines in which there is an express train only during rush hours, in one direction.''' These trains either use a diamond-shaped icon instead of a circle-shaped one or are the Z train. * During weekends and late nights, '''certain trains do not operate or operate on a limited schedule or route, many express trains make local stops, and some subway entrances are closed'''. Detailed information is available on [http://www.mta.info the MTA website]. Additionally, maintenance work is usually concentrated on weekends and overnight. Notices of maintenance are posted at stations and on [http://travel.mtanyct.info/serviceadvisory/ the MTA website], so check online to avoid unpleasant surprises. Remember, if you do feel confused, ask for help. Construction-related service changes confuse many New Yorkers, so the best person to ask is a subway employee. The entire subway system is massive and interconnected, so do not fear — there will almost always be another way to get to your destination without spending hours on the train. * '''A free subway map can be [http://web.mta.info/maps/submap.html found online], or obtained at staffed station booths'''. Station agents can also assist you with directions, although agents may not always be easy to find. Free bus system maps for each borough, which are also available on the MTA website and from most bus drivers and some subway station booths, double as fairly good street maps that show the exact location of every subway station. Additionally, for convenience, subway maps are displayed in every station and on every train. Some stations also have touchscreen information panels that feature route planners. * If you accidentally skip your destination, '''don't panic'''. Get off at the next station and ''do not go out onto the street'' to try to get to the opposite platform. Doing so will not count as a transfer and you will be charged for the MetroCard swipe. Instead, navigate underground to get to the other platform, following the signs. As mentioned above, some stations do not have passage between the platforms; in this case, ask a subway employee which station ahead does let you cross over, wait for the next train there, then cross over. Tell them which station you are trying to get to, because they may suggest a different subway line that can get you there faster; since you are coming back, it does not matter which line you take if you transfer back to your original line. * '''If you don't feel completely safe, such as if you are traveling very late at night, look for the black-and-white striped bar mounted on the wall or hanging from the ceiling of the station which marks the location of the conductor's car''', and board there. Generally, every car will be equally safe, but you may feel better with another pair of eyes nearby. ====Route overview==== '''Every subway route is identified by either a letter or a number, not by a color like in [[Boston]] or [[Washington, D.C.]]''' Therefore, if you ask where the "green line" is, a New Yorker will look at you like you're insane, since the green line is really three different lines. The only reason why some lines are the same color is because in Manhattan, they use the same set of tracks as the other lines colored in that specific color. '''It may be possible for trains from one line to be diverted to a platform normally intended for another line, especially during weekends and other periods of maintenance work.''' * The Seventh Avenue Line ({{rint|nycs|1}}{{rint|nycs|2}}{{rint|nycs|3}}) serves Broadway above 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue below 42nd Street, and is useful to get to the West Village, Chelsea, and Tribeca neighborhoods as well as the Staten Island or Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty ferries (1 to South Ferry station) and Columbia University (1 to 116th Street station). In Manhattan, '''the 1 train is local, while the 2 and 3 trains are express.''' Late nights, all routes may run local. * The Lexington Avenue Line trains ({{rint|nycs|4}}{{rint|nycs|5}}{{rint|nycs|6}}{{rint|nycs|6d}}) were essentially the only trains on the East Side above 23 Street until the construction of the Q Second Avenue Subway (see below). Useful to get to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (4, 5, or 6 to 86th Street station or 6 to 77th Street station), Guggenheim Museum (4, 5, or 6 to 86th Street station), and other East Side museums. Also useful to get to the Statue of Liberty (4 or 5 to Bowling Green station), Chinatown (6 to Canal Street station), and the Stock Exchange (4 or 5 to Wall Street station). The 4 also runs uptown through Spanish Harlem to 161 Street–Yankee Stadium and other destinations in the Bronx. In Manhattan, '''the 4 and 5 trains are express, and the 6 train is local.''' * The Flushing Line ({{rint|nycs|7}}{{rint|nycs|7d}}), dubbed the "International Express", runs crosstown along 42nd Street (making a good late-night alternative to the upstairs Shuttle – see below) and out to Queens, making stops in Filipino, South Asian, Hispanic, and Chinese/Korean neighborhoods, as well as to Citi Field and the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center near Flushing. A 2015 one-stop extension lengthened the terminus to the new Hudson Yards neighborhood on the West Side. '''The 7 train is local, as it is the only route that operates on that line'''; however, it does offer express service during rush hours, toward Manhattan in the morning and toward Flushing in the afternoon. * The Eighth Avenue Line ({{rint|nycs|a}}{{rint|nycs|c}}{{rint|nycs|e}}) serves Eighth Avenue/Central Park West between 14th and 116th Streets, then St. Nicholas Av., Broadway, and Ft. Washington Av. starting at 125th St. in [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Harlem]]. Between 50th and 59th streets, the E branches off to Queens, and the B and D trains join the A and C trains for the journey uptown along Central Park West (the B and C make local stops). This section is useful to get to the Museum of Natural History (B or C to 81st Street station), and the Cloisters Museum (A to 190th Street station). Take an uptown E train or Rockaway-bound downtown A train for access to JFK Airport. In Manhattan, except late nights, '''the A train is express, while the C and E trains are local.''' However, the E is the fastest express train in Queens, very useful for access to Jamaica and JFK if you are coming from Midtown. * The Sixth Avenue Line ({{rint|nycs|b}}{{rint|nycs|d}}{{rint|nycs|f}}{{rint|nycs|fd}}{{rint|nycs|m}}) runs on 6th Avenue from West 4th Street to 47th–50th Streets, and is useful for accessing the New York Public Library Main Branch (42nd Street station), Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and St. Patrick's Cathedral (47th–50th Sts. station). In Manhattan, '''the D is express, the B is local above 59th St., and the F and M trains are local.''' **Going downtown below West 4th Street, these trains go on their own separate ways. The D goes down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn to Coney Island. The F goes to Coney Island on its own route. The B goes express in Brooklyn and ends at Brighton Beach alongside the Q train, which also goes to Coney Island. The M goes east alongside the Nassau Street line (see below), but then branches again up Myrtle Avenue to Middle Village in Queens. **Going uptown, the B and D trains branch west and join the A and C trains (see above). They branch again toward the Bronx after 145th Street (which is the way to get to the 161 St–Yankee Stadium stop). The M train branches east and joins the E along 53rd street for the Museum of Modern Art (5 Av/53 St station), then heads off to Queens. The F train makes one more 6th Avenue stop at 57th Street before turning east to become an express train in Queens, making a stop at [[Manhattan/Roosevelt Island#Roosevelt Island|Roosevelt Island]] and joining the E, M, and R trains. * The Nassau Street Line ({{rint|nycs|j}}{{rint|nycs|z}}) starts in Broad Street, goes along Nassau Street in Lower Manhattan, before making stops along Fulton Street Brooklyn and terminating in the Jamaica area of Queens. It's useful if you are transferring from a train that doesn't serve Lower Manhattan, but also if you are going to part Queens or Brooklyn. '''The J train is local, and the Z train is a skip-stop train that only operates during rush hour.''' * The Broadway Line ({{rint|nycs|n}}{{rint|nycs|q}}{{rint|nycs|r}}{{rint|nycs|w}}) runs down Broadway below 42nd Street and on Seventh Avenue and 59th Street above Times Square. The Broadway Line trains are useful for accessing Chinatown (Canal St), SoHo/NoHo (Prince St), NYU area (8th St), Union Square (14th St), the Empire State Building (34th St), Times Square (42nd St), Carnegie Hall (57th St–7th Av station), Central Park (57th St–7th Av and 5th Av/59th St stations) and the southern end of the Upper East Side (5th Av/59th St and Lexington Av/59th St stations). The Q train goes further uptown through the Upper East Side via the new Second Avenue Line, while the N and W trains head out to [[Queens/Long Island City and Astoria|Astoria, Queens]]. The R also goes up past Astoria to [[Queens/Jackson Heights|Jackson Heights]] and beyond, and is joined by the W down through the [[Manhattan/Financial District|Financial District]] and South Ferry (Whitehall St). Like the D and F trains, the N and Q trains also provide service to Coney Island via their own separate routes: The N goes solo, and the Q runs alongside the B (see above). In Manhattan, '''the N and Q trains are express and the R and W trains are local. However, the W train only operates on weekdays.''' The N usually runs local late nights, and sometimes the Q does, too. * The Canarsie Line ({{rint|nycs|l}}) also runs crosstown along 14th Street in Manhattan, then through [[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg]] and Bushwick and eventually to Canarsie in Brooklyn. '''The L train is local, as it is the only route that operates on that line.''' * The Crosstown Line ({{rint|nycs|g}}) runs along most of Western Brooklyn and into Long Island City in Queens. At no point on its route does it stop in Manhattan. '''The G train is local, as it is the only route that operates on that line.''' * There are three Shuttles ([[File:NYCS-bull-trans-S.svg|20px]]) throughout the system. The 42nd Street Shuttle connects Times Square on the West Side with Grand Central Terminal on the East Side. The Franklin Avenue Shuttle in Brooklyn makes four stops – at Fulton Street (transfer to C), Park Place, Botanical Gardens (transfer to 2, 3, 4, and 5), and Prospect Park (transfer to B and Q). The Rockaway Park Shuttle connects with the A train at Broad Channel before branching off toward Beach–116th Street on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. ===By PATH=== The '''[http://www.panynj.gov/path/ PATH]''' can be used to travel within Manhattan, from 33rd St along 6th Ave to Christopher Street. It covers a small territory, but in theory, you can use it if you have to travel its exact route. Unlimited Ride Metrocards cannot be used on the PATH. PATH also accepts the SmartLink Card (similar to the MetroCard, but the SmartLink Card cannot be used on the subway). The PATH train can be a great way to get around lower Midtown along 6th Avenue. Like the subway, PATH operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. PATH trains usually arrive every 5–10 minutes (based on the time of day), but overnight, they may only come every 35 minutes. ===By the Staten Island Railway=== The '''[http://new.mta.info/sir Staten Island Railway]''', true to its name, is a railway line that serves Staten Island. It is owned and operated by the MTA. It is free '''except''' at the Tompkinsville and St. George stations. There, the price is the same as the subway ($2.75), and is payable by MetroCard (free transfers from MTA buses work, just as is the case with subways). SIR departure times from the terminal at St. George are usually coordinated with those of the [[#By ferry|Staten Island Ferry]]. The SIR consists of one line that travels along the East Shore of Staten Island, ending at Tottenville. A full timetable with other information can be found [http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/sircur.pdf here]. ===By commuter rail=== Commuter rail lines are mostly used for traveling between the city and its suburbs, owing to the vast existence of the Subway; however, they can be used for intracity transit as well. A handful of destinations are closer to commuter rail stops but far from the subway. MetroCards are ''not'' accepted on commuter rail; separate single or period tickets ''must'' be bought. When purchasing commuter railroad tickets, it is advantageous to purchase them online or in railroad stations prior to boarding. While tickets are available for sale on trains, there is an on-board surcharge that makes them significantly more expensive. The '''[http://www.mta.info/lirr/ Long Island Rail Road]''', often called the '''LIRR''' runs from Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, Atlantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn, and has limited rush hour service to Long Island City, Queens. The Port Washington Branch goes to [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Northeast Queens]] which, aside from Flushing and Citi Field, is not served by the subway system. The Main Line, which contains most of the branches to the different parts of Long Island, goes to [[Queens/Jamaica|Southeastern Queens]], including Jamaica, Laurelton, and Rosedale. The Atlantic Branch, which ends in [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]], goes to [[Brooklyn/East|East New York]] and [[Brooklyn/Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush|Bedford-Stuyvesant]], both in [[Brooklyn]]. This branch is not accessible from Manhattan, however. The LIRR is also the fastest way to get from JFK to Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens, and also runs to many popular getaways in [[Long Island]], such as Long Beach, Port Jefferson, and Montauk. The LIRR has a somewhat deserved reputation for poor on-time performance, however this is more of a problem in the farther eastern reaches of the railroad and not so much a problem in New York City and its immediate suburbs. The '''[http://www.mta.info/mnr/ Metro-North Railroad]''' provides services from Grand Central Terminal. Trains go to the Bronx and the northern suburbs of the city. The Hudson Line covers several parts of the Western Bronx, while the Harlem Line goes through the Central Bronx — an area with no subway service. It is the best way to get to Arthur Avenue and the New York Botanic Gardens. The Hudson and Harlem Lines are also your gateway to [[Westchester County]] and beyond, with the Hudson Line running all the way to [[Poughkeepsie]]. The New Haven Line runs to [[Connecticut]], terminating, logically enough, in [[New Haven]]. However, the other commuter railroad, '''NJ Transit Rail Operations''' only operates between Penn Station or places like [[Newark]] and [[Hoboken]] (both in New Jersey) to other points in [[New Jersey]]. Hence the name, NJ Transit. ===By bus=== Even in Manhattan, with its dense subway network, buses can often be the best way of making a crosstown (i.e. east-west) journey — for example, crossing Central Park to go from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Museum of Natural History. And outside peak hours, a ride by bus from the tip of Lower Manhattan at Battery Park to Midtown is a good and cheap way of taking in the sights. ====Bus basics==== * Bus lines are identified by letters followed by numbers. The letters indicate the borough in which the line mostly operates (M=Manhattan; Bx=Bronx; B=Brooklyn; Q=Queens; S=Staten Island). Collectively, the letters and numbers make up the route (examples: M31, Bx9, M15). Signage at each bus stop indicates which buses stop there. Signage on the front of each bus indicates the route and destination of the bus. Bus maps for each borough can be found at the [https://new.mta.info/maps/bus MTA website]. * Express buses travel between Manhattan and the outer boroughs, usually to areas where the subway doesn't operate (such as eastern Queens, the eastern Bronx, southeast Brooklyn, and Staten Island). They cost $6.75 but offer comfortable cloth seats and Wi-Fi, and are less crowded than the subway and local buses. Most express buses are identified by the borough they connect to Manhattan. Therefore, express buses to and from the Bronx would be labeled BxM (<u>Bx</u> for the <u>B</u>ron<u>x</u>, <u>M</u> for <u>M</u>anhattan; BxM11, BxM18), to and from Brooklyn BM (BM1, BM2), to and from Queens QM (QM1, QM2), and to and from Staten Island SIM (SIM1, SIM2). A few Brooklyn and Queens express buses are labeled with X (X27, X64). Express buses have a slightly different appearance than normal buses, with only one entrance/exit in the front of the bus. * The times posted on bus stops are often very unreliable, and may have nothing to do with the times the buses actually arrive. You can check the positions of the buses and their distance from a given stop online using [http://bustime.mta.info/ MTA Bus Time]. Each stop also has a QR code, with a link to that stop's entry. * At night, there is a much longer wait time between buses. If you anticipate riding the bus at night, plan an alternate route, probably via [[#By subway|subway]] or [[#By taxi|taxi]]. * When boarding a bus with a MetroCard, insert the card vertically, with the pin hole down, the black stripe to the right, and the word "MetroCard" facing towards you, into the card slot in the top of the fare box next to the driver. You should be able to read the word "MetroCard" from bottom to top when inserting the card in this manner. The fare box will swallow the card, read it, and return it to you. This is different from the procedure to enter the subway described in [[#Subway Basics|Subway Basics]]. * Bus fareboxes also accept coins. However, they will not accept pennies, half dollar (50-cent) coins, or bills. As a safety precaution, drivers do not handle money. Change is not given, so exact fares must be paid. If you pay with coins and require a free transfer, you will have to ask the driver for one after you have paid. * Certain buses contain a small orange and purple card in the window that says "Limited." These limited buses do not make all local bus stops, stopping only at major cross streets. They are similar to express buses in some ways, but only cost the standard $2.75 to ride. If a Limited bus skips your stop, you can wait for a local bus which will arrive soon. On some avenues served by multiple bus routes, some buses may operate Limited on the entire avenue or at least until they branch off. For example, with the M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5, the M2 and M5 provide limited-stop service on 5th Ave & Madison Ave during the day.[[File:Ticketing Machines for Select Bus Service.jpg|thumb|Select Bus Service fares are paid before boarding at ticket machines at bus stops]] *'''[http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/ Select Bus Service (SBS)]''' routes also make limited stops and cost the standard $2.75 fare. These include the M14A, M14D, M15, M23, M34, M34A, M79, and M86 in Manhattan, the M60 in Manhattan and Queens, and several more routes in the outer boroughs. SBS routes can be identified by a special blue wrap around the lower half of the bus. ''However, these buses operate on a very different payment system''. To board these SBS buses, '''fares must be paid before boarding''' using machines on the sidewalk at a special SBS bus stop, which is typically quite close to the local bus stop. Follow the instructions at the machine to pay. Once the fare has been paid, a receipt will be printed; '''''take it and keep it with you'''''. If you have an unlimited (daily, weekly, monthly) metro card, you can use it to get a ticket at no cost. Once the bus arrives, you can enter through any door, but if you paid with cash, remember to use the front door if you need to ask the driver for a transfer. Fare inspectors will occasionally check for your fare receipt as proof of payment; show it to them if they ask. If you don't have a valid receipt, you will be forced to pay a fine of up to $100, so it is wise to always pay the fare. However, if you cannot buy the ticket successfully, such as due to a malfunctioning machine, note the machine number and report the problem to the bus driver near the front door at once. If the SBS skips your stop, wait at a local bus stop for a local bus. *'''Transfers''' bus-to-bus, bus-to-subway, subway-to-bus transfers are automatic with metrocard payments within two hours of a swipe (i.e., within two hours of entering the subway or boarding a bus). If paying with coins on a bus, ask the driver for a bus-to-bus transfer (a single use metrocard). Transfers to and from the subway to a bus are not available if you pay cash or use a single use metrocard. ===By taxi=== * '''Yellow Cabs''' cruise in most of Manhattan and are available at dispatcher lines at airports, but are harder to find in the other four boroughs. Real NYC taxis are yellow, have a metal seal on the hood ("medallion"), a light with a taxi number on the roof, a meter for billing, stickers on the windshield for various licenses, special taxi license plates, and a divider inside the car. The fares are $2.50 plus a $0.50 state tax to start, plus $0.40 for each 1/5 mile traveled. There is a night surcharge from 8PM to 6AM of $0.50 and a rush hour surcharge of $1 from 4PM-8PM M-F. In addition, as in the rest of the United States, tipping your taxi driver is expected in New York. For more information, see [[United States of America#Tipping|Tipping in the United States]]. Info on fares, flat fares, group rides and rules are [http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/taxicab_rate.shtml online]. All yellow cabs accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express for payment. In the unlikely event that the card reader is broken, the driver will let you know before you get into the taxi. To hail a taxi, stand visibly near the street (but away from moving traffic) with one arm raised over your head. The medallion numbers on the roof of the taxi will indicate the status of the taxi: ** If the medallion number is unlit, then the taxi is already occupied or otherwise unavailable. ** If the medallion number is lit, then the taxi is available for hire. [[File:51st St 3rd Av td 36.jpg|thumb|A borough taxi, which can be identified by its light green color.]] * '''Borough Taxis''' were introduced in 2013 to address the shortage of yellow cabs outside Manhattan. Unlike yellow cabs, they are light green and have no medallions on the hood. These cabs are barred from picking up passengers in Manhattan south of West 110th St or East 96th St and may not enter the airport dispatcher lines. They can, however, pick up passengers in northern Manhattan and the other boroughs, and can drop off passengers anywhere. Fares and rules are otherwise identical to yellow cabs. * '''Livery or Black Cars''', known as car services or livery cabs, may only be called by phone, and are flat rate rather than metered. In most areas, they are not allowed to cruise the street or airports for fares, although sometimes they will do so anyway. Ask for the fare while on the phone. Their license plates will say either "Livery" or "TLC" on the bottom. *'''Ride Hailing Smartphone App Services,''' such as [[Ride hailing services|Uber, Lyft and Via]] are extremely popular. Many drivers of black livery cars also use them to secure passengers when their own dispatchers are idle, so it's often possible to get a car from them in under ten minutes even in outer neighborhoods. Beware that most such services use variable-rate (aka "surge") pricing, and even small local increases in demand such as a concert letting out can trigger a 1.5x to 3x fare increase: always provide a destination address when hailing a car via an app, and examine the estimated fare carefully! Using these apps requires a smartphone with a working data connection (potentially expensive if you are roaming on an international account), and a credit card which you have entered into the app: you cannot pay the fare in cash. In some areas, livery cabs can be flagged on the street. Though this is not legal (the driver, not you, could get into trouble), it is useful in upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs and is accepted practice, though this has mostly been replaced by the Borough Taxis and ride hailing apps. The minimum fare in these cabs is about $7, and it is advisable to negotiate the fare before you get inside (again, tipping your driver is expected). Since yellow cabs are hard to come by in the outer boroughs, these cars are particularly useful for getting to the airport (your hotel can arrange one, or look up car services in the Yellow Pages). ====Taxi basics==== *All licensed taxis (yellow for in Manhattan and Green for outside of Manhattan) and sedan limousines are authorized to take 3 passengers in the backseat and 1 in the front seat for a total of 4. However, some of the newer minivan and SUV yellow cabs can seat more passengers and may take more than four passengers (even though the licensed limit is posted in the cab). Larger than sedan limousines can be reserved, also useful for airport trips with lots of luggage, by calling any of the dozens of companies in the yellow pages. *Licensed taxis apply surcharges (in addition to the metered fare) depending on the time of day. From 6AM–4PM, the surcharge is $0.50; from 4PM–8PM, the surcharge is $1.50; from 8PM–6AM the surcharge is $1. For all cabs, you must pay tolls for bridges, tunnels and highways. Be careful of being overcharged by drivers for toll crossings—on some bridges and tunnels (like the Queens-Midtown Tunnel) rates are not posted in plain view. So, a crossing which actually cost the cab driver $4 is easily passed onto the unsuspecting passenger as a $5 charge. Outside the city, other than flat fare destinations (such as JFK Airport)and Newark Airport), meter rates are doubled (when going to Westchester or Nassau County). Tipping your driver is expected. The customary amount is 15% of the total fare, or more if you need to transport luggage or are going to a remote area of the city (where the cab driver will have a difficult time getting a return passenger). If you chose to use the credit card machine that is found in most taxis (it doubles as a TV screen, the default tip will be 20% or 25% but you can adjust this if you resist feeling pressured and punch in the desired amount. *Be wary of unlicensed cars (known derisively as "gypsy cabs") cruising for passengers, especially near the airports or in areas not well served by yellow cabs. While drivers may claim to offer you a cheaper rate than an actual taxi, your chances of actually getting this rate (not to mention getting to your destination safely and quickly) are slim. If you're willing to negotiate and know what you're doing, you might be okay, but you're better off asking an airport staffer for help finding a cab or cabstand. Major airports have taxi information cards for passengers. Always settle on a price before getting into the car. *There are also van and shuttle services in different parts of the city. You will have to ask where it is going and how much it costs. Usually, you will see people lining up and a van will appear and they will board. There are services between Chinatown and Queens (you won’t have to make any transfers if it goes where you need to go!), and also there are separate services in Brooklyn, and Queens. Many of these services are branded as "Dollar Vans" (actually costing $2.00), and follow major bus routes along major avenues in these boroughs and will drop you off and pick up at any corner along the avenue. Some are legal while most aren't and usually compete with each other for customers and may cut some other van drivers off. This is an accepted practice in these boroughs and at times are faster than MTA buses. The illegal vans may not have insurance so you ride at your own risk. Most drivers of these vans have heavy West Indian accents. Some may seem sketchy but for the most part are people just trying to make a living. They usually are helpful with directions. It is rare that incidents occur with them. *While there are pedicabs in New York, they are generally used more for entertainment than for transit and are priced accordingly. They are rare to nonexistent outside of midtown Manhattan. Fares are usually posted on the vehicle.<!-- Needs updating? --> *One may have heard of the NYPD using undercover taxis in policing. Despite concerns, these undercover taxis '''do not''' engage in taxi business. ===By ferry=== [[File:Staten_Island_Ferry_(New_York).jpg|thumb|Staten Island Ferry]] [[File:NYC_Ferry_Vessel_Curiosity_(H-301).jpg|thumb|NYC Ferry]] *The '''[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/statfery.shtml Staten Island Ferry]''', runs from Battery Park in southern Manhattan to [[Staten Island]]. The ferry carries passengers and bicycles only, runs every 15-20 minutes during rush hours and every 30 minutes at most other times, and is free (so don't be fooled by con artists trying to sell "advance tickets"). Not only does the ferry provide a means of transport, but it offers an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor on its way. '''Even if you don't want to visit Staten Island, taking this trip is highly recommended. It is very popular with tourists.''' Ride on the starboard side of the ferry (right side facing the front) from Manhattan and the port side from Staten Island for the best views (to the west). If you want to take good photographs, try to get on the ferry as soon as the gates open and walk briskly to an open window (few windows are open to the air and will populate quickly). The Manhattan-to-Staten Island route passes slightly closer to the Statue of Liberty than the return route. For security reasons, all passengers must exit the ferry upon reaching the terminal. Passengers intending to make an immediate return trip must exit the ferry, walk through the terminal to the waiting area, then board the next departing ferry. While the Staten Island Ferry also used to carry vehicular traffic, it no longer has since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks for security reasons. *'''[https://www.ferry.nyc/ NYC Ferry]''' operates a network of ferries primarily along the East River connecting Manhattan with [[Queens]], [[Brooklyn]], [[The Bronx]] and [[Staten Island]]. There is also one route along the Hudson River connecting Midtown West with Staten Island. These ferries cost the same as a bus or subway at $2.75 per ride (30 day passes are also available), with free transfers between ferries for 90 minutes. Tickets are available for purchase from vending machines or through the NYC Ferry app. There is an extra $1 surcharge to bring a bike. Children under the height of 44 inches ride for free when accompanied by an adult. *'''[http://www.nywaterway.com/ New York Waterway]''', operates ferries that connect the city with the [[New Jersey]] Hudson River Waterfront. One-way fares vary in price depending on the route. For example, the ferries from Hoboken, Lincoln Harbor and Port Imperial to Midtown cost $9.00 each way, with an additional surcharge for carrying a bike. Reduced fares are offered for children and seniors. ===By car=== {{quote|No one in New York drove; there was too much traffic.|author=Philip J. Fry, ''Futurama''}} [[File:Brooklyn Bridge NY.jpg|thumb|320px|Brooklyn Bridge]] A word of advice about driving in New York City: '''don't.''' A car is inadvisable — street parking is practically nonexistent near crowded areas and tourist attractions, and garage parking rates range from very expensive to plain extortion. Traffic is almost always congested, parking rules are confusing, and many drivers are infamously aggressive. Public transportation options are many, and are quicker, cheaper and more pleasant. That's why many New Yorkers, particularly in Manhattan, don't own cars. If you think of staying in a suburb and commuting to the city by car, better to do as the locals do. Drive to one of the commuter rail stations (see above) or ferry docks. Parking fees at the station, fare, and MetroCard combined are usually much cheaper than parking downtown. Many stations have secure parking areas, however it’s wise to investigate beforehand. Some suburban stations limit their parking to local residents, with enforcement by license plate camera and aggressive ticketing of unregistered vehicles. In Staten Island, parking near the ferry terminal and using the ferry will save you money and time. If you do choose to drive, a smartphone with GPS support and a mapping application with turn-by-turn directions and live traffic conditions support (such as Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze) is invaluable: New York's eternal cycle of road, bridge and tunnel maintenance, not to mention the daily changes created by accidents, festivals and police activity mean that a published paper map may be catastrophically inaccurate, even if it's been published comparatively recently. Note that many rental cars may not have a USB power port and even those that do will not provide a charge cable: bringing your own car power adaptor is a must if you're renting. In Queens, numbers identify not only avenues and streets, but also roads, places, crescents, and lanes, all of which might be near each other. Read the entire street sign. Outer borough highways are confusing and often narrowed to one lane, the potholes could trap an elephant, the signs are sometimes misleading, exits which should appear do not, and signs directing a highway approach drag you through miles of colorful neighborhood (in the wrong direction) before finally letting you onto the highway with a stop sign and a hand's width of merge space. Traffic in New York City roughly follows a hierarchy of precedence, which it is unwise to challenge. Fire engines, ambulances, and police cruisers are given priority, followed by other public service vehicles such as buses, road crews, and sanitation trucks. Beneath them are taxi cabs and delivery trucks. Below ''those'' are other cars. Driving a car with out-of-state license plates (save for perhaps Connecticut or New Jersey) will instantly mark you as an outsider, sometimes resulting in other drivers being more aggressive around you than they would with a local. Suffice it to say, driving in New York is not for the timid or emotionally fragile. However, driving can be an exciting adventure, particularly on the parkways, with their numerous twists and turns. (Just watch out for other drivers, as noted above.) Also, since buses don't serve some of the parkways, driving or taking a taxi might be a workable option for those. Nonetheless, try to use bicycles or walk on the pedestrian trails near those parkways, where they exist; trails are less harrowing and you'd probably enjoy the scenery better. ====Car rental==== The major car rental agencies have offices at all three airports as well as throughout the city. Smaller agencies are also well represented. Be warned that car rentals in New York are generally more expensive than elsewhere in the United States, especially on weekends, when the locals rent cars to get out of the city. Rentals may require a deposit of up to $500 if you do not have a credit card. New York state law caps rental car collision damage waiver at $9 per day ($15 per day for premium cars), which is quite a bit less than in most other states. At that price, it's not a bad idea to add it to your rental, even if you have another source of coverage. (For more on rental car insurance in New York, check out the New York Attorney General's page on the subject. http://www.ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/car-rental-tip-sheet) Unlike most other states in the U.S., New York state law requires rental companies to rent to anyone at least 18 years of age, but there are hefty fees for those under 25. Car-sharing services like Zipcar and Hertz 24/7 are very well represented. ====Gas stations==== Gas stations can be found along main streets in the outer boroughs, but are sparse in Manhattan where only a handful exist around the perimeter of the island and in neighborhoods north of Central Park. Avoid filling your gas tank on highways within city limits—these charge a lot more compared to neighborhood gas stations. ====Points of entry==== There are several points of entry/exit into the city from the New Jersey side: the Lincoln Tunnel (midtown/41st Street), the Holland Tunnel (downtown/Canal Street), and the George Washington Bridge (way uptown/178th Street) — all are accessible from the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95). I-78 east will also feed directly into the Holland Tunnel (US-1/9 is also a popular route). I-80 east will terminate at an I-95 junction, the north route of which will lead directly to the George Washington Bridge. The bridge is also directly accessible from US-46 east. With all of these options, many commuters choose to listen to 24 hour traffic reports on AM stations 880 (every ten minutes on the 8s) and 1010 (every ten minutes on the 1s) to find the least congested route at that time. Weekend traffic delays can easily exceed 60 minutes at some of the tunnels, so plan accordingly! The Midtown Tunnel under the East River is convenient for Long Island travelers, as it becomes the Long Island Expressway. The Queensborough Bridge (aka The 59th Street Bridge) also crosses the East River into Queens, is toll-free, and lands near the mouth of the Midtown Tunnel but requires some automotive manipulation to get onto a highway. Other routes head north and east out of the Bronx, including Interstates 87 (north to Albany) and 95 (northeast to Boston) and the Henry Hudson Parkway, which is along the Hudson River. ====Toll charges==== When [http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/tolls.html entering New York from New Jersey], as well as when driving across bridges and tunnels [http://web.mta.info/bandt/traffic/btmain.html within New York City], you will incur tolls of up to $15, and associated traffic delays. ====Rush hour traffic==== Traveling at off-hours makes sense to avoid rush hour traffic, but highways and roads are still generally packed any time of day. The Cross Bronx Expressway, which is part of I-95 and leads to the George Washington Bridge, is almost always choked with traffic. The Long Island Expressway has heavy eastbound traffic between the morning and evening rushes. The Holland and Lincoln Tunnels are 10-minute waits on a good day. The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) is notorious, and an accident on the Verazzano Bridge without shoulders can cause a backup all the way through the northern part of Staten Island into New Jersey. It is a good idea to check radio traffic reports, especially before crossing a bridge or tunnel. Three different stations have reports every 10 minutes around the clock: 880 AM (on the 8's), 1010 AM (on the 1's), and 1130 AM (on the 5's). Driving cross-town (east-west) in Manhattan during rush hours is especially troublesome because the traffic lights are optimized to move traffic along the north-south roads. Your best bet is to avoid driving in Midtown Manhattan (between the 30s and 50s) whenever possible. If you do drive in Midtown Manhattan crosstown on weekdays, consider using "Thru Streets"—these streets restrict turns onto major avenues at certain intersections and may reduce delays. They are indicated with purple and white signs at intersections. ====Traveling with a commercial vehicle==== If you are traveling with a commercial vehicle (defined as any vehicle designed to transport property with two axles and six tires, or three or more axles) remember that commercial traffic is prohibited on many roadways throughout the city. Commercial traffic is permitted only on roadways designated as Through and Local Truck Routes. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/commvehicle.shtml Commercial traffic] is prohibited on all multiple-lane roadways designated as "parkways" (such as the Grand Central Parkway, Cross-Island Parkway, or Henry Hudson Parkway) with frequent low bridges. Unfortunately, the majority of fast-moving roadways are designated as parkways in New York City. Commercial traffic is also prohibited on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Drive in Manhattan. Before traveling anywhere in New York City with a commercial vehicle, refer to [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2011_truck_route_map.pdf the New York City Truck Route Map]. ====Garage parking==== Parking in garages or outdoor lots is usually very expensive, costing as much as $40 per day in Manhattan, although cheap or free lot parking is available at some times at certain locations. Street parking can be free or much cheaper than garage or lot parking, but can be extremely hard to come by. In Manhattan, self-park (or "park-and-lock") is extremely rare. The overwhelming majority of parking facilities in Manhattan have mandatory valet parking, so you must set aside a few dollars for tips, and anticipate the time it will take for a valet to retrieve your vehicle. Self-park garages in Manhattan near major tourist attractions include the Battery Parking Garage in Lower Manhattan, Manhattan Plaza Parking in Midtown Manhattan, and the public parking garage underneath the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the case of parallel parking on the street, "bumping" cars in front of and behind of you to get into and out of a parking spot (known to some as "Braille Parking") is common. If you choose to park on the street, don't be surprised if you find a few new scratches and scrapes on your bumper. As a general rule, hotels in New York do not supply garage parking. The few that do will charge you handsomely for the privilege. There are several websites and mobile apps that can help you find and book parking, including: [http://www.parkme.com/new-york-city-parking ParkMe.com], [http://spothero.com/nyc SpotHero], [http://www.primospot.com PrimoSpot.com], [http://www.parkfast.com ParkFast.com], [http://www.parkwhiz.com/p/new-york-parking/ ParkWhiz.com], [http://nyc.bestparking.com/ BestParking.com], [http://en.parkopedia.com Parkopedia.com], [http://www.iconparking.com/ IconParking.com], [http://www.parkfast.com/ ParkFast.com], [http://nycparkingauthority.com/ NYC Parking Authority], and [https://www.parkingpanda.com/nyc-parking Parking Panda]. ====Street parking - rules and penalties for violation==== *Check all parking signs carefully. Parking meters demand constant feeding, and are hungry late into the night in some areas. In some parts of Midtown Manhattan, there are pay-and-display meters which are only in effect from 6PM to midnight on weekdays and all day on weekends. In these areas, parking is prohibited during the workday, except for commercial trucks. It is a good idea to keep a roll of quarters in your car, as not all meters accept credit cards. Parking is permitted at broken or missing meters for the time posted on the signs. Parking is illegal at ALL bus stops and within {{ft|15}} of fire hydrants. Yellow lines on the curb have no legal meaning in NYC, so they cannot be relied upon to tell you if you are parked far enough from a hydrant. That said, in most areas the seams in the sidewalk are roughly five feet apart, so leaving at least three "squares" of sidewalk between the hydrant and your bumper is a smart move. Many motorists simply pay garage fees to avoid the anxiety of finding a parking spot and the risks of expensive parking tickets. *New York has "alternate side of the street" [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/alternate-side-parking.shtml parking rules], which may require street parkers to move their cars at different times of the day (such as early morning, or overnight in a few business districts) so that street sweepers can clean the roads. Alternate side rules are suspended on many obscure holidays, while parking meters and other weekday restrictions are only suspended on a few major holidays (not even on all Federal holidays). The current state of parking enforcement can always be found on the "NYC 311" service: dial 311 on any phone, visit [https://www1.nyc.gov/311/ their website] or install the 311 application on your smartphone. *Trying to leave a car parked illegally for very long will often end with a $150 fine, and a vehicle illegally parked in an overcrowded place is very likely to be towed away and face a $300 fine. The New York Police Department operates [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/towed_vehicles/towed_vehicles.shtml the tow pounds]. ====Important rules while driving==== *The speed limit throughout the city is 25 mph (as of November 7, 2014). *Unlike other places in the United States, '''right turns on red are illegal''', except where otherwise posted. While some entrances to New York City have signs alerting motorists that it is illegal to turn on red, other drivers from out of town may not know this rule. *As in the rest of New York State, talking on a cell-phone (without a hands-free device) or texting while driving is illegal. Even if you do have a hands-free device, minimize your talking and prioritize driving. *There are red light cameras at 100 intersections in New York City. A camera will take a picture if you run a red light and a fine disputable on the web will be issued in 30 days. However, since the camera does not identify who is driving the vehicle, no points will be issued against your drivers' license. *Some bus lanes have video cameras. A camera will take a video if you drive illegally in the bus lane other than to turn right and a fine disputable on the web will be issued in 30 days. *If there is an emergency vehicle trying to get through with its siren blaring, pull over to the side and move forward as necessary. On many one-way streets (avenues in particular), the middle lane is designated as the "FIRE LANE" so that motorists can pull over to either side lane. *Some avenues and many streets have only one-way traffic. Thankfully, one-way streets generally alternate direction, so if your destination is down a one-way street going in the wrong direction, go another block and double-back. A handy mnemonic is "Evens go East," meaning that, for the most part, streets (in Manhattan) with even numbers will head east, and vice-versa. The best gauge to determine a one way street's direction is to check the direction parked cars face. *Be wary of your surroundings when you park your car. While NYC is a safe city for its size, it's not necessarily safe for your car as well. Make it as unworthy to steal as possible. ===By bicycle=== [[File:German cycle lecture Mall CP jeh.JPG|thumb|Cyclotouring group stopping for a lecture in Central Park]] Using a [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bicyclists.shtml bicycle in New York City] is common among New Yorkers and tourists alike. Bike paths can be found in every borough of the city, in three forms: bike lanes (road lanes specifically for bicycles), shared lanes (lanes shared between cars and bicycles), and greenways (roads solely designated to bicycles and pedestrians). Greenways are highly recommended for those wishing to go on a recreational journey. The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway circles (almost) the whole of Manhattan, and protected bikeways exist on some major avenues. However, most destinations will require some street biking. A map of bike paths in New York City can be found [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikemaps.shtml here]. Bike shops give out free maps provided by the City. They show bike routes and shops, and indicate the ones that offer rentals. The city has a bike share program called '''[http://citibikenyc.com/ CitiBike]'''. The program has over 750 stations in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. A map can be found [https://account.citibikenyc.com/map here]. To access a bike install the app. You can also visit one of the locations and pay for a pass. A single ride costs $3.81 to unlock plus $0.18 per minute. Return your bike to a station (remember to place it securely in a dock–you will be further fined if the light on the dock does not turn green). CitiBike is good for short trips to a known destination and '''not''' recommended for using a bike for a prolonged period of time. Cycling in Manhattan can often be quicker than taking the subway or a taxi, but it isn't for the fainthearted. The borough's tumultuous traffic makes biking difficult. Aggressive cab drivers, jaywalking pedestrians, potholes and debris on the roads create a cycling experience that might just as well have been taken from Dante's ''Inferno''. If you do venture into the concrete jungle on a bike, make sure you wear a helmet and have sufficient experience in urban cycling. Cycling in Brooklyn and The Bronx can be more rewarding, or not, depending on the neighborhood. There are few bike paths in Queens; however, the roads are bike-friendly for the most part. Cycling is '''not''' recommended in Staten Island. Access is difficult, with the main way to get in being the Staten Island Ferry. There are only a handful of bike paths on the entire island, mostly on the south shore. This is unfortunate, as Staten Island has beautiful displays of nature in some of its parks, most of which are accessible only on foot or by bicycle. If you are looking for scenery, by all means, take your bike with you on the ferry, but do not rely on it for transportation on the street. ==See== <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York City is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> Like most of the great world cities, New York has an abundance of great attractions—so many, that it would be impossible to list them all here. What follows is but a sampling of the most high-profile attractions in New York City; more detailed info can be found in the district pages. A general word of advice on sightseeing in New York: Tourists often spend their entire vacation in New York standing in line (or as New Yorkers say, "on line"). This is often unnecessary; there are usually alternatives. For example, one can choose to avoid the Empire State Building during the day (it is open, and much quieter, late, until 2AM), skip the Statue of Liberty in favor of the Staten Island Ferry, and stay away from the Guggenheim on Monday (it is one of the only museums open that day). Also, there is no reason to stand in line for a Broadway show if you already have a ticket with an assigned seat. If you prefer, get a drink nearby and come back closer to curtain time, when you can walk right in. The lines for bus tours can be absurd because tourists all seem to have exactly the same itinerary - which is get on a bus in the morning in Times Square, get off for the Statue of Liberty, and finish on the East Side in the afternoon. Why not go downtown in the morning, and save Midtown for the afternoon? You will thank yourself for avoiding the crowds. Also, understand that buses are the slowest way to go crosstown in Midtown Manhattan during peak hours, and taxis are not much better. You are often better off on foot. Additionally, New York rush hour (especially in Manhattan) puts much of the city in gridlock––all subway lines and roads will be much busier from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. A number of multi-attraction schemes give reduced prices and line-skipping privileges. * {{see | name=Explorer Pass | alt= | url=https://www.smartdestinations.com/new-york-attractions-and-tours/_d_Nyc-p1.html | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Allows you to choose 7, 5 or 3 top attractions to visit. Cardholders have 30 days to use the card after visiting the first attraction. Attractions to choose from include Top of the Rock Observation, Rockefeller Center Tour, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NBC Studio Tour, movie tours, cruises, and more. Also included with the card are shopping, dining, and additional attraction discounts. }} * {{see | name=New York CityPASS | alt= | url=http://www.citypass.com/new-york | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$132 adult, $108 child ages 6–17 |lastedit=2019-07-25| content=Grants admission to 6 New York attractions within 9 days of first use for a much reduced rate. The attractions are the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art & same-day admission to The Cloisters, the American Museum of Natural History, Top of the Rock or the Guggenheim Museum, Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry or Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum or the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. }} * {{see | name=New York Pass | alt= | url=http://www.newyorkpass.com/ | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices are given as adult price/child (ages 4-12) price. 1 day: $134/$99; 2 day: $199/$159; 3 day: $274/$199; 4 day: $299/$224; 5 day: $339/$244; 7 day: $379/$259; 10 day: $469/$299 |lastedit=2019-07-25| content=Grants access to over 50 top attractions with line skipping privileges. Passes are available for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 days. Remember, you must obtain a ticket in each attraction. You can visit as many attractions as you want in the time period - the more attractions you visit, the more you save. Also includes a free 140 page guide book, but is much better to organize your visits previously, via internet. }} ''See also the district pages for detailed information about attractions. Detail is gradually being moved from this page to the district pages.'' ===Landmarks=== [[Image:Statueofliberty nps.jpg|thumb|Statue of Liberty]] Naturally, [[Manhattan]] possesses the lion's share of the landmarks that have saturated American popular culture. Starting in the [[Manhattan/Financial District|Financial District]], perhaps the most famous of these landmarks is easy to spot - the '''[http://www.nps.gov/stli/ Statue of Liberty]''', a symbol of the nation standing atop a small island in the harbor, and perhaps also the most difficult attraction to access in terms of crowds and the long lines to see it. Nearby '''Ellis Island''' preserves the site where millions of immigrants completed their journey to America. Within the Financial District itself, '''Wall Street''' acts as the heart of big business being the home of the '''New York Stock Exchange''', although the narrow street also holds some historical attractions, namely '''Federal Hall''', where George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. Furthermore, there is a large statue of a bull that tourists often take pictures with. Nearby, the National September 11 Memorial at the '''World Trade Center Site''' commemorates the victims of that fateful day. Connecting the Financial District to [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]], the '''Brooklyn Bridge''' offers fantastic views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines. Moving north to [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown]], Manhattan's other major business district, you'll find some of New York's most famous landmarks. The '''Empire State Building''' looms over Midtown, with the nearby '''Chrysler Building''' also dominating the landscape. Nearby is the headquarters of '''United Nations''' overlooking the East River and '''Grand Central Terminal''', one of the busiest train stations in the world. Also nearby is the main branch of the '''New York Public Library''', a beautiful building famous for its magnificent reading rooms and the lion statues outside the front door; and '''Rockefeller Plaza''', home to NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, and (during the winter) the famous Christmas Tree and Skating Rink. Still in the Midtown area but just to the west, in the [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]], is the tourist center of New York: '''Times Square''', filled with bright, flashing video screens and LED signs running 24 hours a day. Just to the north is '''[[Manhattan/Central Park|Central Park]]''', with its lawns, trees and lakes popular for recreation and concerts. ===Museums and galleries=== <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York City is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> New York has some of the finest museums in the world. All the public museums (notably including the Metropolitan Museum and the American Museum of Natural History), which are run by the city, accept donations for an entrance fee, but private museums (especially the Museum of Modern Art) can be very expensive. In addition to the major museums, hundreds of small galleries are spread throughout the city, notably in neighborhoods like Chelsea and Williamsburg. Many galleries and museums in New York close on Mondays, so be sure to check hours before visiting. The following is just a list of highlights; see district pages for more listings. ====Arts and culture==== New York City is home to some of the finest art museums in the country, and in [[Manhattan]], you'll find the grandest of them all. The '''Metropolitan Museum of Art''' in [[Manhattan/Central Park|Central Park]] has vast holdings that represent a series of collections, each of which ranks in its category among the finest in the world. Within this single building you'll find perhaps the world's finest collection of American artwork, period rooms, thousands of European paintings including Rembrandts and Vermeers, the greatest collection of Egyptian art outside Cairo, one of the world's finest Islamic art collections, Asian art, European sculpture, medieval and Renaissance art, and antiquities from around the ancient world. As if all that wasn't enough, the Metropolitan also operates '''The Cloisters''' in Fort Tryon Park in [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Upper Manhattan]], which houses a collection of medieval art and incorporates elements from five medieval French cloisters and other monastic sites in southern France in its renowned gardens. Near the Metropolitan, in the [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Upper East Side]], is the '''Guggenheim Museum'''. Although more famed for its architecture than the collection it hosts, the spiraling galleries are ideal for exhibiting art works. The nearby '''Frick Collection''' houses a smaller though well-regarded collection of paintings by the old masters. In [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown]], the '''Museum of Modern Art''' (MoMA), holds the most comprehensive collection of modern art in the world, and is so large as to require multiple visits to see all of the works on display, which include Van Gogh's Starry Night and Picasso's Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, as well as an extensive industrial design collection. Midtown is also home to the '''Paley Center for Media''', a museum dedicated to television and radio, including a massive database of old shows. The '''Whitney Museum of American Art''', with a collection of contemporary American art, can be found in the Meatpacking District. In [[Brooklyn]]'s [[Brooklyn/Prospect Park|Prospect Park]], the '''Brooklyn Museum of Art''' is the city's second largest art museum with excellent collections of Egyptian art, Assyrian reliefs, 19th-century American art, and art from Africa and Oceania, among other things. [[Queens/Long Island City|Long Island City]] in [[Queens]] is home to a number of art museums, including the '''PS1 Contemporary Art Center''', an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art, and the '''Museum of the Moving Image''', which showcases movies and the televisual arts. ====Science and technology==== [[Image:Hayden planetarium at night.jpg|thumb|300px|The night is illuminated by the Rose Center for Earth and Space, home of the astronomy wing at the American Museum of Natural History.]] In New York City, no museum holds a sway over children like the '''American Museum of Natural History''' in Manhattan's [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]]. Containing the Hayden Planetarium, incredible astronomy exhibits, animal dioramas, many rare and beautiful gems and mineral specimens, anthropology halls, and one of the largest collections of dinosaur skeletons in the world, this place offers plenty of stunning sights. Near Times Square in the [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]], the '''Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum''' takes up a pier on the Hudson River, with the aircraft carrier ''Intrepid'' docked here and holding some incredible air and space craft, including a former British Airways Concorde. Over in the [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing]] district of Queens, on the grounds of the former World's Fair, is the '''New York Hall of Science''', which incorporates the Great Hall of the fair and now full of hands-on exhibits for kids to enjoy. Another standout museum is the '''New York Transit Museum''' in an abandoned subway station in [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]]. The old subway cars are a real treat and the museum is ''a must'' if you're in New York with kids (and well-worth it even if you're not). Until the mid-20th century, New York was a predominantly industrial city. While most factories have been torn down, some neighborhoods, such as SoHo and the Meatpacking District, remain as a heritage of manufacturing. See [[American Industry Tour#Day 4: Metropolitan New York|the American Industry Tour]]. ===Neighborhoods=== Like all great cities, New York is made up of distinct neighborhoods, each of which has its own flavor. Many of the neighborhoods are popular with visitors, and all are best experienced on foot. See individual borough pages ([[Manhattan]], [[Brooklyn]], [[Queens]], [[Bronx]], and [[Staten Island]]) for a comprehensive listing of neighborhoods. ===Parks=== <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York City is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> Though the image many people have of New York is endless skyscrapers and packed sidewalks, the city also boasts numerous lovely parks, ranging from small squares to the 850-acre '''Central Park'''. There are worthwhile parks in every borough, more than enough to keep any visitor busy. These include '''Fort Tryon Park''' in Upper Manhattan, which boasts grand views of the New Jersey Palisades, the grand '''Pelham Bay Park''' in The Bronx, the popular '''Prospect Park''' in Brooklyn, the famous '''Flushing Meadows Park''' in Corona, Queens, site of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, and the wondrous '''Greenbelt''' in Staten Island, a collection of beautiful parks and protected forests unlike any other park in the city. New York City is also home to portions of the '''[[Gateway National Recreation Area]]'''. Almost any park is a great spot to rest, read, or just relax and watch the people streaming past. To find out more about New York City parks, go to the [http://www.nycgovparks.org/ New York City Department of Parks & Recreation website] and the guide pages for each borough. Except for special events, all NYC parks are closed 1AM–6AM. The exception to this rule is parks affiliated with schools, which are closed for the entire time the sun is down. ==Do== ===Entertainment=== ====Theater and performing arts==== New York boasts an enormous amount and variety of theatrical performances. Most of these are concentrated in Manhattan, particularly the [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]] around Times Square, where you'll find the major musicals and big-name dramatic works of Broadway. These are the most popular with visitors, with tickets for some shows running to $130 a seat, though discounters make cheaper seats available. And if you're in town in early June (and willing to spend a lot of money), it's possible to purchase tickets to the Tony Awards, Broadway's biggest award ceremony and the culmination of the theatrical season in the city. However, you can also find "Off-Broadway" shows (and even the dirt cheap and very small "Off-Off-Broadway" shows) throughout Manhattan that play to smaller audiences and are far less expensive. [http://www.playbill.com Playbill.com] is a good resource for current and upcoming Broadway and Off-Broadway info and listings. See the [[Manhattan#Performing arts|Manhattan]] page for more detailed info on theater offerings. Some of New York's (and the world's) most high-profile music and dance halls include the '''Brooklyn Academy of Music''' in [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]], '''Carnegie Hall''' — the premier venue for classical music in the United States — in Manhattan's Theater District, '''Radio City Music Hall''' — home of the Rockettes — in [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown]], and '''Lincoln Center''' in the [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]], home to the prestigious Chamber Music Society, the Metropolitan Opera ("the Met"), the New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic. There are also numerous small companies putting on more idiosyncratic shows every night of the week. ====Film and television==== New York is one of the world's greatest film cities, home to a huge number of theaters playing independent and repertory programs. Many major US studio releases open earlier in New York than elsewhere (especially in the autumn) and can be found at the major cineplexes (AMC, United Artists, etc.) around the city. As with everything else in New York, movies are quite popular, and even relatively obscure films at unappealing times of the day can still be sold out. It's best to get tickets in advance whenever possible. As many films premiere in New York, you can often catch a moderated discussion with the director or cast after the show. Sometimes even repertory films will have post-screening discussions or parties. Check listings for details. In addition to the many commercial multiplexes throughout the city, some of the more intriguing New York film options include the several theaters in [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] and the [[Manhattan/East Village|East Village]] which play independent and foreign releases, many of which are screened only in New York. The '''Film Society at Lincoln Center''' in the [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]] puts on a terrific repertory program and shows a wide variety of experimental and foreign films, and also hosts the prestigious New York Film Festival in October. Another major film festival is the '''[[Manhattan/TriBeCa|Tribeca]] Film Festival''', held each May and a prominent event in New York's film calendar. The '''Museum of the Moving Image''' in [[Queens/Long Island City|Long Island City]] in Queens puts on a terrific screening program, with films showing continuously throughout the day, while '''MoMa''' in [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown Manhattan]] puts on a terrific repertory program (and compared to other New York movie theaters, tickets to films at MoMA are a steal). Virtually every major national television network has studios in Manhattan, particularly the Midtown area, and many well-known programs are open to viewers. '''Rockefeller Center''' is home to NBC Studios and its flagship shows, including ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''Today'', and is open for tours. '''Lincoln Square''' boasts programming produced for ABC, such as ''The View'' and ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'', at the network's West 66th Street facility. More examples of popular programs you can see in person can be found on the [[Manhattan#Television|Manhattan]] page. ====Parades==== New York City hosts many parades, street festivals and outdoor pageants. The following are the most famous: *'''New York's Village Halloween Parade'''. Each Halloween (October 31) at 7PM. This parade and street pageant attracts 2 million spectators and 50,000 costumed participants along Sixth Avenue between Spring Street and 21st Street. Anyone in a costume is welcome to march; those wishing to should show up between 6PM-9PM at Spring Street and 6th Avenue. *'''Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade'''. The morning of each Thanksgiving on Central Park West, this parade attracts many spectators and is broadcast on nationwide television. *'''St. Patrick's Day Parade'''. The largest St. Paddy's parade in the world! Route is up 5th Ave from 44th Street to 86th Street and lasts from 11AM to about 2:30. Celebrations in pubs citywide happen the rest of the day and night until the green beer runs out. *''' Labor Day (aka West Indian Day Parade or New York Caribbean Carnival)'''. [[File:West Indian Day Parade 2008.jpg|thumb|300px|West Indian Day Parade-goers in front of the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway.]]The Labor Day Carnival, or West Indian Carnival, is an annual celebration held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Its main event is the West Indian-American Day Parade, which attracts between one and three million spectators, who watch the parade on its route along Eastern Parkway. ===Sports=== A number of professional and collegiate teams play in the New York metropolitan area. *The '''New York Yankees''' play [[Baseball in the United States|Major League Baseball]] at '''Yankee Stadium''' in the Bronx (East 161st Street and River Avenue. Subway: 4, B, D to 161st Street-Yankee Stadium). One of the most storied and lucrative sports franchises in the world, the Yankees have won 27 World Series championships in all. *'''Citi Field''' in Flushing Meadows (126th Street and Roosevelt Avenue. Subway: 7 to Mets-Willets Point) is home to the '''New York Mets''', who also play in Major League Baseball. *In addition to its many concerts and the annual Westminster Dog Show, '''Madison Square Garden''' hosts the '''New York Knicks''' of the NBA and '''New York Rangers''' of the NHL, plus annual postseason college basketball for the Big East Conference and the National Invitation Tournament. It had been home to the New York Liberty of the WNBA through the 2017 season, but that team now shares Barclays Center with the Brooklyn Nets. (Pennsylvania Plaza. Subway: 1, 2, 3, A, C, E to 34th Street-Penn Station) *Long based in New Jersey, the '''Brooklyn Nets''' basketball team moved to the new '''Barclays Center''' in Brooklyn (Vanderbilt Yards. Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q, R to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center) in 2012. The aforementioned '''New York Liberty''', now owned by the Nets' owner, moved to Barclays Center in 2021 (delayed from 2020 by COVID-19). * Other NHL teams are the '''New York Islanders''' and '''New Jersey Devils'''. The Islanders now play at '''UBS Arena''' in Elmont, just outside Queens and a little less than 20 miles east of Midtown (LIRR: Elmont, eastbound only until late 2022, with free shuttle buses to/from Queens Village provided for westbound travelers), which opened in November 2021. Notably, the arena is next to the Belmont Park horse racing track. The Devils skate at the '''Prudential Center''' in Newark, New Jersey, 12 miles west of midtown. *Two National Football League teams play at '''MetLife Stadium''' in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 10 miles northwest of midtown Manhattan. The '''New York Giants''' in the National Football Conference have won four Super Bowls, while the '''New York Jets''' of the American Football Conference have won one. * {{do | name=Brooklyn Cyclones | alt= | url=http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Play Minor League Baseball (South Atlantic League- North Division) at '''Maimonides Park''' (Subway: D, F, Fd, N, Q at Coney Island–Stilwell Avenue). They are an owned and opereated High-A affiliate of the Mets, one of the surviving Short Season A teams that moved to full-season play in 2021. }} *2022 Brings the addition of the '''Staten Island FerryHawks''', of the MLB Partner Atlantic League. They take over for the former Staten Island Yankees. * The Knicks and Nets both field teams in the NBA G League, the official minor league of the NBA, with both playing in the suburbs. The '''Westchester Knicks''' play at Westchester County Center in [[White Plains]], while the '''Long Island Nets''' play at the Nassau Coliseum, the former home of the Islanders in Uniondale (a bit more than 25 miles east of Midtown). *There are three top-level soccer franchises, two men's and one women's, in the Tri-State area. The '''New York Red Bulls''' (Major League Soccer) play home matches at '''Red Bull Arena''' in Harrison, New Jersey, 11 miles from midtown Manhattan. '''New York City FC''' (partially owned by the Yankees) became the Tri-State's second MLS team in 2015; they are playing in Yankee Stadium until they can build a new stadium of their own. '''NJ/NY Gotham FC''', a member of the National Women's Soccer League, has shared Red Bull Arena with the Red Bulls since 2020. * Maimonides Park also hosts '''Rugby United New York''', which began play in Major League Rugby (rugby union) in 2019. * NCAA Division I athletic programs around New York City include the following: ** '''St. John's Red Storm''' (St. John's University) in Jamaica, Queens. Higher-profile men's basketball games are often played at the Garden. ** '''Seton Hall Pirates''' (Seton Hall University) in South Orange, New Jersey (20 miles west of midtown). Men's basketball games are played at the Prudential Center. ** '''Rutgers Scarlet Knights''' (the main campus of Rutgers University) in New Brunswick and Piscataway, New Jersey, with most of the athletic facilities in the latter (40 miles southwest of midtown). ** '''Army Black Knights''' (United States Military Academy) in West Point, New York (50 miles north of midtown). ** '''Columbia Lions''' (Columbia University) in Morningside Heights, Manhattan. ** '''Fordham Rams''' (Fordham University) in Fordham, Bronx. ** '''Manhattan Jaspers''' (Manhattan College) in Riverdale, Bronx. ** '''LIU Sharks''' (Long Island University), with some sports (most notably basketball) in Downtown Brooklyn and others (most notably football) in the Nassau County community of Brookville (25 miles east of midtown). The Sharks started play in the 2019–20 school year following the university's decision to merge the sports teams of its two main campuses. ** '''St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers''' (St. Francis College) in Brooklyn Heights. ** '''Wagner Seahawks''' (Wagner College) in Grymes Hill, Staten Island. ** '''Iona Gaels''' (Iona College) in New Rochelle, New York (20 miles northeast of midtown). ** '''NJIT Highlanders''' (New Jersey Institute of Technology) in Newark, New Jersey (9 miles west of midtown). A few men's basketball games are played at the Prudential Center. ** '''Saint Peter's Peacocks''' (Saint Peter's University) in Jersey City, New Jersey (9 miles southwest of midtown). ** '''Stony Brook Seawolves''' (Stony Brook University) in Stony Brook in Suffolk County (55 miles east of midtown). *The '''USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center''' in Flushing Meadows (Corona Park. Subway: 7 to Mets-Willets Point) is the site of the '''US Open tennis tournament''', held yearly in late August and early September. *Part of horse racing's Triple Crown, the '''Belmont Stakes''' are run in June at '''Belmont Park''' (LIRR: Belmont Park when track is open) in nearby Elmont, 20 miles east of midtown Manhattan and also next to the new UBS Arena. (The exact timing is five weeks after the Kentucky Derby, a race that is always held on the first Saturday of May.) ==Learn== Unsurprisingly, New York City, the largest city in the United States, is home to many colleges and universities. Among these universities, '''[http://www.columbia.edu Columbia University]''' and '''[http://www.nyu.edu/ New York University] (NYU)''' are undoubtedly the most prestigious (but also the most expensive). Another notable university is '''[http://www.rockefeller.edu/ Rockefeller University]''', at which several significant biomedical discoveries were made, though unlike the other two, it does not have undergraduate programs and only admits graduate students. And the city also has its very own system of public colleges, '''City University of New York''', with every borough represented among its numerous branches. ==Buy== <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York City is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> New York City has a reputation for being one of the world's most expensive cities, and it can be, particularly when it comes to accommodation. That being said, there are ways to limit the damage; food is available from many halal food trucks for $7-10, which will get you rice with meat, vegetables and a soft drink, and you can still find inexpensive pizza slices at many of the hole-in-the-wall pizzerias throughout the city. Supermarkets and convenience stores generally also sell basic items at reasonable prices (by Western standards). New York's public bathroom infrastructure is lacking, so buying an item at a facility with a bathroom is generally advisable if you are far from your accommodation. New York is the fashion capital of the United States, and is a major shopping destination for people around the world. The city boasts an unmatched range of department stores, boutiques, and specialty shops. Some neighborhoods boast more shopping options than most other American cities and have become famous as consumer destinations. Anything you could possibly want to buy can be found in New York, including clothing, cameras, computers and accessories, music, musical instruments, electronic equipment, art supplies, sporting goods, and all kinds of foodstuffs and kitchen appliances. See the '''borough pages''' and '''district sub-pages''' for listings of some of the more important stores and major business districts, of which there are several. New York state has a sales tax exemption on all clothing items that cost less than $100. The popular place to begin is Manhattan, most notably Fifth Avenue in [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown Manhattan]], where the iconic flagship stores of many major department stores such as [http://www.saksfifthavenue.com Saks Fifth Avenue] and [http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/ Bergdorf Goodman] are located. Other notable department stores in Manhattan include the world-famous [http://l.macys.com/new-york-ny Macy's] at Herald Square, [https://www.bloomingdales.com/ Bloomingdale's] on 59th Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenues, and [https://www.nordstrom.com/ Nordstrom] on Broadway at 57th Street. Of course, for dirt-cheap knockoffs, the various Chinatowns in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn respectively are the place to go. New York City is not known for budget shopping, but during major sales, such as the Black Friday sale after Thanksgiving, prices of some out-of-season items have been known to be slashed by as much as 50%, meaning that it is possible to find good deals for genuine luxury brand-name items if you are there at the right time. Savvy New Yorkers shop after Christmas and especially after New Year's. ===Buying art=== Anyone can freely create, display, and sell art, including paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, DVDs, and CDs, based on freedom of speech rights. Thousands of artists earn their livings on New York's streets and parks. Common places to find street artists selling their work are SoHo, the Financial District and near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. ===Outlets=== New York City has a number of retail outlet locations, offering substantial discounts and the opportunity to purchase ends-of-line and factory seconds. ===Convenience stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets=== Basic food, drinks, snacks, medicine, and toiletries can be found at decent prices at the ubiquitous '''[http://www.duanereade.com/ Duane Reade]''' (owned by Walgreens), '''CVS''', and '''Rite Aid''' stores. For a more authentically New York experience, stop by one of the thousands of bodegas/delis/groceries. Although some of these stores have a somewhat ramshackle appearance, they are reliable though often not the cheapest places to purchase groceries, water, flowers, coffee, and cooked food, typically 24/7. There are several local and regional chains of supermarkets represented all over the city, including '''Associated''', '''C-Town''', '''D'Agostino's''', '''Foodtown''', '''Gristedes''' and '''Key Food''', and '''Fairway''' and '''West Side Market''' have a few locations. There are also chains such as '''Hong Kong Supermarket''' and '''H-Mart''', which cater primarily to Chinese and Korean customers, respectively. National chains selling food include '''Trader Joe's''', '''Whole Foods Market''', '''Costco''' (mostly in bulk) and '''Target'''. ===Shopping in airports=== Most shops in New York-area airports are chain outlets, the same as can be found in most large airports in the world, so it's pretty difficult to feel the spirit of the fashion capital if you only have 2 hours waiting for a connecting flight. At JFK, JetBlue Airways' new Terminal 5 is populated with modern, cutting-edge restaurants and shops, but terminals 4 and 8 are also relatively good places for retail and duty-free shopping. ===Street vendors=== In New York City it is common for street vendors to set up tables on the sidewalk, close to the curb, and sell items. They are required to obtain a permit to perform this activity, but it is legal. Purchasing from these vendors is generally legitimate, although buying brand name goods from them (particularly expensive clothing and movies) is generally ill-advised unless you want cheap imitation products. It is considered safe to buy less expensive goods from these vendors, but most will not accept payment by credit card, so you will have to bring cash. Be particularly wary of any street vendor that does not sell from a table (especially vendors who approach you with their merchandise in a briefcase), as these goods are almost certainly cheap imitation products. ==Eat== <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York City is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> New York has, as you might expect of the Big Apple, all the eating options covered and you can find almost every type of food available and every cuisine of the world represented. There are literally tens of thousands of restaurants, ranging from dingy cheap pizza-by-the-slice joints to $500-a-plate ''prix fixe'' sushi. Thousands of delis, bodegas, and grocery stores dot every corner of the city and do it yourself meals are easy and cheap to find. [[Street food]] comes in various tastes, ranging from the ubiquitous New York hot dog vendors to the many middle eastern carts at street corners in Midtown. [[Fast food in North America| Fast food]] is as plentiful and as diverse as you can imagine. Fruit stalls appear at many intersections from spring to fall with ready-to-eat strawberries, bananas, apples, etc. available at very low cost. Vegetarian and vegan options abound throughout the city. ===Don't leave without trying=== ====New York pizza==== [[File:NewYorkSlice.jpg|thumb|300px|A slice of the real deal]] A peculiarly New York thing, a true New York pizza is a plain cheese pizza with a very thin crust (sometimes chewy, sometimes crisp), and an artery-hardening sheen of grease on top. From just about any pizzeria, you can get a whole pie with a variety of toppings available, or a "dollar slice" if you just want a piece of plain cheese pizza. The "dollar slice" cost $1 at the start of the 21st century, but prices have risen, and it may cost anywhere between $1.50 and $4 before sales tax, depending on the place and any toppings you want. Just fold in half lengthwise, grab a lot of napkins, and eat – the quintessential meal on the go in New York. Dollar-slice places can be found all over the city, and include the many different variations of "Ray's Pizza", all of which claim to be the original thing. However, perhaps the most respected of the corner joints is the wildly popular '''Joe's''' in [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]]. But while pizza in New York is generally considered a fast food, the most respected pizzerias in the city are those that act like sit-down restaurants, and some of them serve whole pies only, no slices. Except for DiFara's, all the following pizzerias use a classic New York style of coal-fired, rather than gas-fired ovens, which allows them to bake their pizza for a very short time at very high temperatures, producing a unique style of crispy, slightly charred crust that makes their output quite different from the average corner slice shop. Every New Yorker has their own personal favorite, but several routinely make it to the top of the list. '''Lombardi's''' in [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Little Italy]] is regarded as the oldest pizzeria in town and continues to draw in big crowds of tourists, but '''Patsy's''' in [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|East Harlem]] has long been regarded by connoisseurs as serving perhaps the purest example of plain New York-style coal-oven pizza (don't order any toppings, though). [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] is the center of pizza on Manhattan, home to not only Joe's but also the classic '''John's''' and the popular '''Arturo's'''. In Brooklyn, '''Grimaldi's''' in [[Brooklyn/Downtown|DUMBO]] is hugely popular with lines that go down the street, while '''Totonno's''' on [[Brooklyn/Coney Island and Brighton Beach|Coney Island]] and '''Di Fara's''' in [[Brooklyn/Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush|Midwood]] remain mainstays with the locals. There are also excellent brick-oven establishments serving Neapolitan or other styles of pizza that are not classic New York but well worth having. ====New York hot dog==== Nothing represents New York [[street food]] like the almighty hot dog. Affectionately called "dirty water dogs" by the locals, a New York hot dog is typically all-beef, served in a plain bun, and topped with mustard, ketchup, relish, or any combination of the three. You can get one from pushcarts on seemingly every street corner and park in the city. Just wrap the dog in a paper napkin and walk along the sidewalk trying not to let the toppings slip and slide all over your hands. And of course, both ballparks make sure to keep their fans' hot dog needs satisfied. However, there are a few places that go a step beyond the typical dirty water dog, with better cooked dogs and a much greater variety of toppings available. Many hot dog enthusiasts make the pilgrimage to the original hot dog stand, '''Nathan's''' on [[Brooklyn/Coney Island and Brighton Beach|Coney Island]], although locals generally view it as a tourist trap. In Manhattan, '''Papaya King''' (on the [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Upper East Side]]) and '''Gray's Papaya''' (on the [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]]) are favorites, so-named because they also serve tropical drinks with their frankfurters. In addition to their sandwiches, '''Katz's''' on the [[Manhattan/Lower East Side|Lower East Side]] is also reputed for an excellent deli dog. In the [[Manhattan/East Village|East Village]], '''Crif Dogs''' draws people in for their deep-fried, beef-and-pork (and often bacon-wrapped!) dogs. '''Dominick's''' food truck commands a fiercely loyal crowd, who flock to a quiet side of [[Queens/Forest Park|Queens]] to get a taste. People looking for a good bratwurst should try the '''Hallo Berlin''' cart on 54th and Fifth in [[Manhattan/Midtown|Midtown]], while Chicago purists should head to the '''Shake Shack''' in [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Madison Square Park]]. ====New York bagel==== There is no bagel like the New York bagel anywhere else in the world. Bagels are a doughnut-shaped round of boiled dough that is then baked until it has a distinctive, chewy, sweet interior and a leathery outer crust. They arrived from the Old World with Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and have become utterly New York in character. You can get bagels anywhere in the city, but for the best bagels you may have to trek away from the main tourist sites. The key point, though, is get them when they are hot (and that does not mean reheated in the microwave). Some places actively discourage toasting; try them fresh out of the oven. Good bagel shops will offer a variety of cream cheese spreads and sandwich stuffings, like lox, salmon, tofu spreads, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Many bagel shops are extremely generous with their cream cheese; locals will order "just a schmear" to get a more reasonable amount. On Manhattan, many people swear by '''Ess'a Bagel''' in [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Midtown]], with their giant bagels and huge variety of toppings, although bagel purists respect '''Murray's''' in [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] and [[Manhattan/Chelsea|Chelsea]] for their refusal to allow toasting. Other places in Manhattan which command fiercely loyal followings are '''Brooklyn Bagel''', also in Chelsea, and '''Absolute Bagels''' on the [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]]. In Brooklyn, '''Bagel Hole''' in [[Brooklyn/Prospect Park|Park Slope]] is a no-frills place with smaller bagels, and is often ranked as one of the top bagels in the city, while over in a quiet section of [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Queens]], '''Bagel Oasis''' is regularly considered among the very best. ====New York pastrami sandwich==== [[File:Katz's Deli - Lunch.jpg|thumb|300px|Corned beef piled high on rye: a Reuben at Katz's]] Another delicacy brought over by Jewish immigrants, pastrami sandwiches are another specialty of New York City. A "Reuben", a grilled sandwich piled high with corned beef, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and sauerkraut between two slices of rye bread, is always a good choice. A good deli sandwich doesn't come cheap: be prepared to spend upwards of $20 for a good sandwich, due to the fact that these meats are prepared using natural methods now outmoded by artificial flavorings and mass production. Many delis also serve other Jewish specialties, such as matzo ball soup. If you want pastrami, your best bet is '''Katz's Delicatessen''', an institution on the [[Manhattan/Lower East Side|Lower East Side]] that's been serving up excellent sandwiches for over a century. '''2nd Ave Deli''' in [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Murray Hill]] is a famous kosher deli that's a real throwback to the Jewish delis of old. And if you find yourself over in [[Brooklyn/East|East Brooklyn]], '''Mill Basin Deli''' is known for some of the best pastrami in Brooklyn. ====New York desserts==== Another New York claim to fame is the '''New York cheesecake''', which relies upon heavy cream, cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks to add a richness and a smooth consistency. It was made famous by '''Junior's''', which still commands a loyal crowd with two locations in Midtown, although the original is in [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]]. Other favorites are '''Eileen's''' in [[Manhattan/Chinatown|NoLiTa]], '''Lady M''' and '''Two Little Red Hens''' in the [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Upper East Side]] and '''S&S''' in the [[Bronx]] (whose cheesecake is also sold at Zabar's on the [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]]). Another dessert of New York origin is the '''egg cream''', also often referred to as a "chocolate egg cream", a blend of chocolate syrup, milk, and seltzer water (note the curious absence of either egg or cream). Though not often on the menu at many diners, many will still prepare one for you if you ask for one. You can also find them in surprising places, like the tiny Ray's Candy Store in the [[Manhattan/East Village|East Village]]. ===Restaurants=== Maybe it's the size of New Yorkers' tiny kitchens, or perhaps it's the enormous melting-pot immigrant populations, but either way, this city excels at every kind of restaurant. There are fancy famous-chef restaurants, all ethnic cuisines and fusion/updates of ethnic cuisines (second-generation immigrants tweaking their family tradition), plus all the fashionable spots, casual bistros, lounges for drinking and noshing and more. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that virtually every type of cuisine is available in New York. And in some neighborhoods you'll find many national and regional styles represented. However, certain neighborhoods, particularly those in [[Queens]], really shine in terms of the sheer variety available to visitors. Where Manhattan's high rents often result in expensive restaurants and sometimes watered-down, unnaturally sweetened food, Queens' vast array of cuisines are often served primarily to patrons from the country where it originated. Not that Manhattan is completely bereft by any stretch, however: a wide variety of Chinese options can be found in [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Chinatown]] and [[Manhattan/East Village|the East Village]], there's the small [[Manhattan/Midtown#Eat|Koreatown]] with some very good (but not necessarily cheap) restaurants, [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Washington Heights]] is the center for Dominican food, [[Manhattan/East Village|the East Village]] is full of Japanese eateries of various types, and part of [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Murray Hill]] is known as "Curry Hill" for its proliferation of Indian restaurants. But in Queens, [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing]] offers a vast and diverse array of Chinese (including Northeastern, Sichuan, Hunanese, Shanghainese, etc.), Korean, and Indian eateries; [[Queens/Jackson Heights|Jackson Heights]] includes a prominent Indian section among a vast Latin American neighborhood whose eateries span the American continents from Chilean to Mexican and almost everything in between; nearby Elmhurst features various Southeast Asian (for example Vietnamese and Thai, with a couple of Indonesian and Malaysian restaurants thrown in) and Chinese cuisines, [[Queens/Long Island City|Long Island City]] has locally well-known halal restaurants among a very diverse set of good establishments; nearby Astoria is best known for its Mediterranean food; and [[Queens/Forest Park|Rego Park]] has Uzbek dining halls. In Brooklyn, [[Brooklyn/Coney Island and Brighton Beach|Brighton Beach]] is noted for its Russian eateries, while [[Brooklyn/Southwest Brooklyn|Sunset Park]] is home to a third Chinatown as well as plenty of Malaysian and Vietnamese options. Italian options can be found in virtually every neighborhood, although a higher number appear in [[Staten Island]], [[Manhattan/East Village|the East Village]], [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]], heavily Italian parts of Brooklyn like [[Brooklyn/Southwest Brooklyn|Bensonhurst]] and [[Brooklyn/Southwest Brooklyn|Bay Ridge]], and the area around Arthur Avenue in the [[Bronx]]. (Italian restaurants in Manhattan's "Little Italy" are mostly for tourists only, and New Yorkers generally avoid Mulberry St. between Canal and Broome. Likewise, you would be hard pressed to find locals eating in the chain restaurants [including chain pizzerias] around Times Square.) Due to the higher cost of living, you are in general expected to tip more in New York City than in other parts of the U.S. As a general rule, tips should start at 18% of the cost of the meal for adequate service, and may go up to 25% for service that goes above and beyond what is expected. ====Dress codes==== Restaurants with entrees under $35 are unlikely to have any preference about what their customers wear. Of course, like most major cities, New York has some expensive, extremely fashionable restaurants that care about, and enforce, a certain level of dress among their customers - but "jackets only" restaurants are very uncommon nowadays to the point at which the restaurant's reputation would make the fact known. If you're from elsewhere in the US and wish to "pass" as a local within Manhattan, pay attention to your shoes and coat. Most local exclusiveness is pretty understated, but where it exists it's generally to distinguish locals from nightlife commuters from New Jersey and Long Island that supposedly threaten to rob bar-filled neighborhoods of their local color. Therefore, if your style doesn't fit in but is obviously from outside the US, you may find yourself welcomed as graciously as any local, if not more so. ===Vegetarians=== Vegetarians and vegans will find New York to be a paradise with hundreds of vegetarian-only restaurants and good veggie options in even the most expensive places. There are many vegetarian-only restaurants with offerings varying from macrobiotic food to Ayurvedic thalis or Asian Buddhist food. But, more importantly, almost every restaurant at every point on the price scale has vegetarian dishes that are more than an afterthought. Even '''Per Se''', one of the most expensive and sought after restaurants in the city, has a seven course vegetarian tasting menu well worth the expense. DIY vegetarians will have no problem finding fresh vegetables, a wide variety of cheese, bread, and prepared vegetarian foods in New York supermarkets. ===Street food=== [[File:StreetfoodNY.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the many, many food carts in the city]] Nothing differentiates New York more from other American (and European) cities than the astonishing amount of [[street food|food cooked and served on the streets]]. Starting with the thousands of hot dog stands on almost every street corner, the possibilities are endless. People trek to [[Queens/Jackson Heights|Jackson Heights]] in Queens for a nibble of the famous arepas of the '''Arepa Lady'''. Freshly cooked Indian dosas are served up for a pittance at the '''NY Dosas''' stand in [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Washington Square Park]]. The '''Trinipak''' cart on 43rd and Sixth in Midtown serves delicious Trinidadian/Pakistani food. Danny Meyer, the famous restaurateur, runs the burger stand '''Shake Shack''' in [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Madison Square Park]] as well as several other locations throughout the city. The halal offerings in Midtown are legendary ('''Kwik-Meal''' on 45th and Sixth; '''Halal Guys''' on 53rd and Sixth and many others). Most carts serve lunch from about 11AM to 5 or 6PM in the evening and disappear after dark, so look for a cart near you, smell what's cooking, and enjoy a hot and often tasty lunch for a few dollars (a meal costs anywhere from about $2 to $8). Mornings, from about 6AM to 10AM, the streets are dotted with coffee carts that sell coffee, croissants, bagels, and Danish pastries and are good for a cheap breakfast: small coffee and bagel for a dollar or so. From 10AM to 7PM, many vendors sell lunch and dinner choices, including hot dogs, hamburgers, gyros, and halal. Other street vendors sell Italian ices, pretzels, ice cream, and roasted peanuts. Also, look around for the coffee truck (often found in [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Union Square]]), dessert truck, and the Belgian waffle truck that roam around the city. ===Do it yourself=== New York's many markets and grocery stores make preparing your own food interesting and easy. Almost every grocery store, deli, or bodega has a prepared foods section where you can make your own salad (beware, you are charged by the pound!) or buy ready to eat foods such as burritos, tacos, curries and rice, lasagna, pastas, pre-prepared or freshly-made sandwiches, and many other types of foods. Any supermarket will have enough to take away to the park or your hotel room for a low cost meal. '''Whole Foods''' has five New York City locations, all with a variety of foods and a clean place to sit and eat. '''Zabar's''' on the [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]] is very famous, with a huge selection of foodstuffs and expensive foods as well as cooking supplies. There is also a '''Trader Joe's''' at [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Union Square]] and in 6 other locations every borough but the Bronx for cheap but delicious supermarket buys, and '''Western Beef''' supermarkets offer more foods from different ethnicities than average supermarkets. If you have a place to cook, you'll find almost any kind of food in New York though you may have to travel to the outer boroughs for ethnic ingredients. Most supermarkets have Thai, Chinese, and Indian sauces to add flavor to your pot, and many, especially in Upper Manhattan, have the ingredients necessary for a Mexican or Central American meal, but go to [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Chinatown]] for the best Chinese ingredients, Little India in [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Murray Hill]] for Indian ingredients, [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing]] for all things Chinese or Korean, [[Queens/Jackson Heights|Jackson Heights]] for Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and South Asian, [[Brooklyn/Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush|Flatbush and Crown Heights]] for Jamaican, [[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg]] for Kosher, and [[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Greenpoint]] for Polish. Ask around for where you can get your favorite ethnic ingredients and you'll find traveling around in local neighborhoods a rewarding experience. ==Drink== <!-- ATTENTION ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE!! New York City is a huge city, so all individual listings should be in the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. --> '''Last call''' can be as late as 4AM, although many establishments will let you stay beyond that, especially in the outer boroughs. It is not uncommon to be locked in a bar after 4AM so people can keep drinking. Wine and liquor are sold at '''liquor stores''', and are not sold at delis or supermarkets. Beer cannot be bought between 4AM and 8AM on Sunday morning (although if you look hard, you can get around this). As in most American cities, drinking alcoholic beverages on the street is illegal. The law is flouted openly in many areas, but bars will not generally let you take your drink outside. ===Popular nightlife neighborhoods=== The only thing about New York City that changes faster than the subway map or the restaurants is the bar scene. While some established watering holes have been around for decades or centuries, the hot spot of the moment may well have opened last week and could likely close just as quickly. On [[Manhattan#Drink|Manhattan]], '''Greenwich Village''' is probably the best neighborhood to go if you are in town for just a brief period, full of locals of all ages, especially students attending NYU. '''Chelsea''' has lots of clubs and a thriving gay scene, and if you are European and looking for a discothèque, this is where you want to be. The '''Meatpacking District''' holds trendier bars and clubs and some expensive restaurants. The '''Lower East Side''', formerly the dingy alternative to the West Village, has become trendier today, with an influx of hipsters. The '''East Village''' also has lots of bars, as well as a sizeable cluster of Japanese bars. Nearby, '''Alphabet City''', once a dangerous drug-addled hell hole, has since cleaned up and is loaded with bars. '''Murray Hill''' is more hip with the 30-year-old crowd, with many Indian restaurants and plenty of watering holes, including a couple of fireman bars and an all Irish whiskey pub. '''Times Square''' is a very touristy area with a few classy hotel rooftop bars, although very few New Yorkers would be caught dead at these places. In [[Brooklyn#Drink|Brooklyn]], '''Williamsburg''' is the capital of NYC's hipster scene, and many of New York's small music venues are here. '''Bay Ridge''' has one of the highest concentrations of bars in the city in a neighborhood that has been generally Irish/Italian and does not have the hipster/yuppie scene common in New York. '''Park Slope''', however, is the yuppie capital of New York and you are more likely to find a tea house serving soy milk than a bar here. There is some low-key nightlife, although this has been on the decline. A number of lesbian bars are in this area. [[Queens#Drink|Queens]] is home to '''Woodside''', an Irish neighborhood great for happy hour and drinking festivities before a Mets baseball game. '''Astoria''' is home to Queens' Bohemian Hall Beer Garden, which covers an entire city block, is walled and filled with trees, indoor and outdoor tables and a cool crowd, and serves great Czech and German beer. And on [[Staten Island#Drink|Staten Island]], '''St. George''' has a few bars located south of the ferry terminal, with good live music. ===Jazz=== NYC has a pretty confident claim to be the world capital of jazz. It exerts a brain drain influence on the rest of the country's most talented jazz musicians, and the live music scene is simply thriving. This goes for all styles of jazz, (except pre-swing trad jazz, which safely belongs to [[New Orleans]]): Latin, modern, fusion, experimental, bebop, hard bop, you name it. '''The Blue Note''' in [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] is probably the most famous extant jazz club in the world, with nightly headliners and cover charges to match. The '''Village Vanguard''' is a legendary hole-in-the-wall (also in Greenwich Village), having played host to most of the greats going back to 1935. Other top (i.e., famous—there are fabulous lesser-known places to hear jazz throughout the city) clubs include '''Birdland''' in the [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]] and the '''Cotton Club''' in [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Harlem]]. If the high cover charges in this expensive city are giving you the blues, look at '''Smalls''' and '''Fat Cat''', which are within a block of each other in Greenwich Village and keep the covers as low as possible, so that musicians can actually afford to come! ===Salsa=== Would it be too provocative to declare New York the home of salsa? Possibly, but there's a reason to consider it. Salsa originated in [[Cuba]], but its second home was New York (especially the [[Bronx]]), where it truly exploded and developed into a global phenomenon, driven by innovations from Cuban and later Puerto Rican immigrants. Latin dance, particularly salsa (danced on the two) and other Afro-Caribbean varieties, remains enormously popular, although it's now centered more on a semi-professional ballroom-dancing crowd rather than Latino communities. The '''Copacabana''' near [[Manhattan/Theater District|Times Square]] dates back to 1940, and is probably the city's best known Latin dance club. Other well known options include '''Club Cache''' also near Times Square, the very Dominican '''El Morocco''' in [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Spanish Harlem]], and '''Iguana''' in [[Manhattan/Theater District|west Midtown]]. Many venues in the city hold a salsa night once a week, so poke around the city papers for event listings. ==Sleep== ===Hotels=== New York has some of the most expensive accommodations in the world. Expect to pay $100–$200 for a budget room with shared bath, $250–$350 for a mid-range hotel with a decent room and a restaurant and/or room service; and much higher in a high end hotel. Most accommodations below $200 in Manhattan are a small room with space only for a bed, a TV, perhaps a sink, and little else. Cheaper accommodations may have communal bathrooms (although many will have a sink in the room). Be warned that the quality of hotels varies significantly and, in many cheap hotels away from the center such as along the West Side Highway or in the outer reaches of Queens, you may share the premises with hourly customers! As New York is a popular destination throughout the year, it is necessary to make reservations well in advance. If you plan to be in the city during the height of the tourist season, booking months in advance would be wise. ===Hostels=== Expect to pay up to $50 for a hostel. There are several hostels in Manhattan including two [http://www.jazzhostels.com Jazz Hostels] (located at 36 West 106th Street and 184 Eleventh Avenue) and one official [[Hostelling International]] hostel (located at 891 Amsterdam Avenue--between 102nd and 103rd Streets--in Manhattan), there are many places that call themselves "hostel" and offer accommodations below $100 a night. Some cater exclusively to students. You are strongly advised to make reservations months in advance. ===Taxes=== Room rates are typically quoted excluding taxes, so expect your actual bill to be materially higher than the quoted rate. Taxes include New York State and New York City sales tax (8.875%), a New York City Hotel Occupancy Tax (varies but, for rooms above $40, $2 + 5.875%), and a surcharge of $1.50. For a $100 per night room, expect to pay $117.75, after taxes are taken into account. ===Alternatives to Manhattan accommodations=== You don't have to stay in Manhattan. There are many hotels just outside Manhattan in [[Queens/Long Island City|Long Island City]], [[Queens]], [[Brooklyn]] and [[New Jersey]] that are cheaper than hotels in Manhattan. Also, due to the high accommodation prices and insider knowledge of the locals, you may want to consider a [[hospitality exchange]]. ===Off-season=== Lower accommodation prices are also generally available in January and February, the end of August, and on Sunday nights. ==Connect== Find free wireless wifi & hotspot across the city online at [http://www.openwifinyc.com/ openwifinyc], [http://www.nycwireless.net/ NYC Wireless], and [http://www.wififreespot.com/ WiFi Free Spot]. Wireless is available in city parks and quite a few public libraries. The Apple store has dozens of computers set up and doesn't seem to mind that many people use them for free internet access, but they can be pretty busy at times. Easy Internet Cafe and FedEx Office are just some of the internet cafes which offer broadband internet at reasonable prices. Finding a store with an open power outlet may be difficult so be sure your device is fully charged and its battery is working properly. Public phones are less and less common, but there are now some free phone charging stations on the street if you are running out of power. Remember to include the 1 and area code when dialing from any phone in New York City - including private "land line" phones in buildings - as 11-digit dialing is always in effect, even when dialing locally. However, you don't need to dial 1 from a cell phone. ==Stay safe== New York was through 2019 statistically the safest large city in the United States, and its crime rate per person was lower than the national average and the crime rate of many small towns, but 2020 saw a frightening jump in shootings, people being pushed onto the subway tracks and bias crimes, with those against people who are or look Asian increasing at the greatest rate, and the violence continued in 2021 and into 2022. That said, the spike still leaves the city much safer than it used to be in the 1980s and 90s. You can be assured of a high police presence in Times Square, public transportation hubs and other major crowded places. Despite a sharp rise in subway crimes, some of them sensational, rates are still way below the levels in the 1980s, and it is generally safe to travel around at night in the subway as long as you use common sense and keep a moderate level of vigilance. The most common crime against tourists (not including being overcharged!) is bag snatching. Never let go of your handbag (putting other bags down is OK, as long as you guard them carefully), especially in the subway but also when eating at a restaurant. Take special care if you are sitting outdoors or in a crowded self-service restaurant. Leave your passport and other valuables that you don't need to carry in a hotel safe or hidden in your suitcase. Don't flaunt a wad of money if you can help it; if you want to be safer, count your money in your room before you go out and take only what you think you may need. Unless you have protective outer wear, consider not wearing expensive jewelry, and hide valuables like cameras when you're not using them. While muggings are rare, they do happen. Take a tip from seasoned New Yorkers and always try to be aware of who's walking near you in all directions (especially behind you), at all times. Always be aware of your surroundings, especially if you find yourself on a lightly traveled or poorly lit street. Certain neighborhoods that are off the tourist path should be avoided in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Riverside Park and Central Park can be dangerous at night. If you go to an evening outdoor concert at one of the parks, follow the crowd out of the park before heading toward your destination. Airport-style security is common at buildings, museums and tourist attractions, even the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. Generally you can expect to have your bags checked (either manually by a security guard or through an x-ray machine) and walk through a metal detector. Unlike their counterparts at JFK and LaGuardia, security screenings at building entrances are surprisingly quick and efficient - and you can even leave your shoes on! If you think you've inadvertently wandered into a dangerous area, hop into a cab, if available, or into the nearest subway station and go elsewhere. If a subway platform is deserted, stay within sight of the station agent if possible. New York has its share of odd people: talkative pan-handlers, lonely people just wanting a chat, religious preachers, people with psychological disorders, etc. If you prefer not to speak with someone who approaches you for a chat, do what most New Yorkers do: completely ignore them or say "Sorry, gotta go" while continuing to walk at a brisk pace. Watch out for cyclists and even motorcyclists riding, sometimes at high speeds, on the sidewalk or the wrong way on one-way streets. This has become a constant in some neighborhoods. Also, you will notice that New Yorkers routinely jaywalk, but don't do it yourself unless you have good sight lines and can do so safely. Despite the stereotypes, many New Yorkers are nice people and don't mind giving out directions (time allowing), so don't be afraid to ask! If you ever get into trouble, approach the nearest police officer. You'll find them to be friendly, polite, and very helpful. ==Cope== {{cautionbox|boldtext=Cautions about firearms|New York City has some of the nation's strictest gun laws, and handgun permits issued elsewhere — including New York State licenses — are not honored within the five boroughs of the city. Some popular venues have a "No guns" sign posted outside, leading people to falsely assume such weapons are prohibited only in certain places. In fact, they're just as illegal outside these venues as inside. Attempting to leave weapons with security guards or police prior to entry will likely lead to very serious criminal charges. Don't bring a gun to New York City, even if you're just passing through by air (LaGuardia and JFK) or by car.}} ===Language=== English is the primary language spoken by most New Yorkers, although in many communities, it is common to hear other languages that are widely understood within the neighborhood. By far, the most common non-English language is Spanish, as about one in four residents speak Spanish, especially in several neighborhoods in the Bronx, Bushwick, Corona, Jackson Heights, Washington Heights, East Harlem and West Harlem. There are also several neighborhoods, especially [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Chinatown]] that have a high concentration of Chinese immigrants who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, or Fuzhounese. You can expect to hear Russian spoken on the streets in parts of South Brooklyn, and Yiddish or Hebrew in other parts. In some of these neighborhoods, some locals may not speak very good English, but store owners and those who would deal frequently with tourists or visitors will generally speak English. Most municipal government services in New York City are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. The upside to this linguistic confusion is that, while you can find a restaurant or other establishment for nearly every culture somewhere in Manhattan, catering to English-speaking tourists, more adventurous travelers may be able to find a more authentic experience for less money among an ethnic community somewhere in the outer boroughs. ===Water=== The quality of tap [[water]] in New York City is considered to be among the best in the world (unless you are in an old building with outdated plumbing). There is generally no good reason to drink bottled water in preference to New York City tap water. Lower-end restaurants will simply place glasses of ice water on your table (and refill them constantly, for free). At nicer restaurants you will be asked “what kind of water” you want. Asking for tap water is completely acceptable in any restaurant; your other choices are “bottled” (non-carbonated water, such as Fiji or Evian) or “sparkling” (which almost always means Pellegrino). === Toilets === Public restrooms are few and far between in New York City, and it got worse when the subway system closed their restrooms during the pandemic. The parks department maintains [https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/bathrooms a list of "comfort stations" in their parks], and the [https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bryant-park one at Bryant Park] in Manhattan is even something of a tourist attraction. Public libraries also have free restrooms. There are a small number of self-cleaning, coin-operated toilets in the city, which require quarters (25¢) and are always wheelchair-accessible. Large stores and sit-down restaurants usually have restrooms for paying customers. Otherwise, look for a church or police station that's open and ask if you can use the restroom. ===Information=== * {{listing | name=Citizen Service Center | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=311 (lines open 24/7) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= New York City's official non-emergency help line, available in 171 languages for questions (parade hours and routes, parking restrictions, transport problems) and complaints (litter, noise pollution, access). }} ===Babysitting=== * {{listing | name=Baby Sitters' Guild | alt= | url=http://www.babysittersguild.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-682-0227 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bookings 9AM–9PM daily, cash payments only. For stressed and busy parents visiting New York, round-the-clock baby-sitting is available short- or long-term from $20 per hour (4-hour minimum) and cab fare (approx. $10). Multilingual sitters are also available. }} ===Smoking=== Smoking in public places is highly restricted. It is prohibited in indoor sections of bars, restaurants, subway stations and trains (all transit system property), public parks, public beaches, pedestrian malls, both indoor and outdoor stadiums and sports arenas, and many other public places. If you light up in any of these places, you are subject to a summons and fine, ejection, and/or indignant reactions from residents. There do remain a small number of legal cigar bars that are exempt, as are the outside areas of sidewalk cafes and the like, but these are very much the exception. If you need to smoke while eating or drinking, be prepared to take a break and join the rest of the smokers outside, whatever the weather; many establishments have large space heaters. There is also some vaping on the streets of New York. ====Cannabis/marijuana and other drugs==== '''Cannabis and marijuana are legal in New York''' for those 21 or older. Adults may possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana or up to 24 grams of cannabis concentrate and consume it anywhere tobacco smoking is permitted —— it is the only jurisdiction in the USA where public marijuana smoking is legal. You will smell it walking down the street with some frequency. Regulated retail sales are not scheduled to begin until the latter part of 2022, but New Yorkers are embracing legal weed with typical impatience and irreverence, and cannabis sales occur openly in every tourist-dominated area of the city, including Times Square and most Manhattan & Brooklyn parks. Because NYC law only prohibits driving under the influence of cannabis and possession thereof by minors/children, you'll be hard-pressed to find a cop who'll lift a finger to stop open cannabis sales (they have bigger fish to fry), though unfortunately the way a dealer is treated by police often depends on skin color. Purchase cannabis at your own risk, but only the dealer commits a crime. '''Purchasing hard drugs in New York City is dangerous.''' Penalties for possession are draconian, including long prison sentences, and legal representation is expensive. Fake hard drugs and hard drugs laced with poisonous fentanyl are common. ===Consulates=== New York City is home to diplomatic missions from virtually every country on Earth due to the presence of the United Nations. Most countries have consulates here that double as the permanent mission to the United Nations, even if a country may otherwise not have diplomatic relations with the United States. {{Embassy|left=<br> * {{flag|Albania}} {{listing | name=Albania | alt= | url=http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/usa/en/new-york-consulate | email= | address=320 E 79th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-255-7381 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-20 | content= }} * {{flag|Algeria}} {{listing | name=Algeria | alt= | url=https://www.algeria-cgny.org/ | email= | address=15 E 47th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-486-6931 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-20 | content= }} * {{flag|Andorra}} {{listing | name=Andorra |alt=| url= | email= | address=27F, Two United Nations Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-750-8064 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-750-6630 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2019-12-26| content=The actual Andorran embassy rather than a consulate. }} * {{flag|Angola}} {{listing | name=Angola | alt= | url=https://www.algeria-cgny.org/ | email= | address=336 E 45th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-223-3588 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-20 | content= }} * {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}} {{listing | name=Antigua and Barbuda | alt= | url=https://www.abconsulate.nyc/ | email= | address=305 E 47th St #6a | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212-541-4117 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-20 | content= }} * {{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name=Argentina | url=http://cnyor.mrecic.gov.ar/en | email=cnyor@mrecic.gov.ar | address=12 W 56 St | lat= | long= | directions=btwn 5th and 6th Aves | phone=+1-212-603-0400 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-541-7746 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Armenia}} {{listing | name=Armenia | alt= | url=https://usa.mfa.am/en/ | email= | address=119 E 36th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-686-9079 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-20 | content= }} * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url=http://www.newyork.usa.embassy.gov.au/nycg/home.html | email= | address=150 E 42nd St 34F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-351-6500 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-351-6501 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria | url=http://www.bmeia.gv.at/newyorkgk | email=info@austria-ny.org | address=31 East 69th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +1-212-933-5140 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Bahamas}} {{listing | name=Bahamas | url=https://www.bahamasny.com/ | email=Consulate@bahamasny.com | address= 231 E 46th St |lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +1-212-421-6420 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-F 9:30AM-3:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Bahrain}} {{listing | name=Bahrain | url=https://www.mofa.gov.bh/Default.aspx?tabid=3378&language=en-US | address= 866 2nd Ave 14th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +1-212-223-6200| tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-F 9:30AM-5:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Bangladesh | alt= | url=https://www.bdcgny.org/ | email=Contact@bdcgny.org | address=34-18 Northern Blvd., Long Island City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-599-6767 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-682-9211 | hours= | price= | emergency contact number=+1-646-645-7242 | content= }} * {{flag|Barbados}} {{listing | name=Barbados | alt= | url=https://www.foreign.gov.bb/consulates-general/ | email=newyork@foreign.gov.bb | address=820 2nd Ave, 5th Fl | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-551-4325 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belarus}} {{listing | name=Belarus | url= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=| price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://www.diplomatie.be/newyork | email=NewYork@diplobel.fed.be | address=1065 Avenue of the Americas, 22F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +1-212 586-5110 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-582-9657 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | url=http://novayork.itamaraty.gov.br/ | email=consulado@brazilny.org | address=1185 Avenue of the Americas, 21F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-917-777-7777 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-827-0225 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | alt= | url=http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/united_states-etats_unis/new_york.aspx?lang=eng | email=CNGNYG@international.gc.ca | address=1251 Avenue of the Americas | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-596-1628 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-596-1790 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | alt= | url=http://newyork.china-consulate.org/eng/ | email= | address=520 12th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-244-9456 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Colombia}} {{listing | name=Colombia | url=http://nuevayork.consulado.gov.co/ | email= | address=10 East 46th St | lat= | long= | directions=between 5th and Madison Aves | phone=+1-212-798-9000 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212 972-1725 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark | alt= | url=http://usa.um.dk/en/about-us/consulate-general-of-denmark---new-york/ | email=nycgkl@um.dk | address=One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 885 Second Ave, 18F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-223-4545 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-754-1904 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Dominican Republic}} {{listing | name=Dominican Republic | alt= | url=https://www.consuladord-ny.net/ | email=cdmny@verizon.net | address=1501 Broadway Suite 410 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-768-2480 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-768-2677 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt |alt=| url=http://www.mfa.gov.eg/english/embassies/Egyptian_Consulate_Newyork/Pages/default.aspx | email= | address=1110 2nd Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-759-7120 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-308-7643 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2019-07-17| content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland | url=http://www.finland.org/public/default.aspx?nodeid=41005&contentlan=2&culture=en-US | email=consulate.nyc@formin.fi | address=866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 250 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-750 4400 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-750 4418 | hours=M-F 8:45AM–1PM and 2-4:45PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | alt= | url=http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/spip.php?rubrique7 | email= | address=934 5th Ave | lat=40.7739 | long=-73.9656 | directions=btwn 74th and 75th Sts | phone=+1-212-606-3600 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-606-3620 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Consulate general of France in New York | wikidata=Q2995343 | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url=http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/03__Consulates/New__York/00/__Home.html | email= | address=871 United Nations Plaza | lat= | long= | directions=First Ave btwn 48th and 49th Sts | phone=+1-212-610-9700 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-940-0402 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North+America/USA/GeneralConsulateNewYork/en-US/ | email=nycons@greekembassy.org | address=69 E 79th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-988-5500 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-734-8492 | hours= | price= | content= }} |right=<br> *{{flag|Hungary}} {{listing | name=Hungary |alt=| url=https://newyork.mfa.gov.hu/ | email=hucons.nyf@mfa.gov.hu, | address=223 East 52nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-752-0669, +1-212-752-0661 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-755-5986 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2021-01-18| content= }} * {{flag|India}} {{listing | name=India |alt=| url=https://indiainnewyork.gov.in | email= | address=3 E 64th St | lat= | long= | directions=between 5th and Madison Aves | phone=+1-212-774-0600 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-861-3788 | hours= | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2019-07-17| content= }} * {{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/newyork/en/default.aspx | email=information.newyork@kemlu.go.id | address=5 East 68th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-879-0600 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-570-6206 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ireland}} {{listing | name=Ireland | url=http://web.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=40066 | email= | address=345 Park Ave, 17F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-319-2555 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-980-9475 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Israel | url=http://www.israelfm.org | email=info@newyork.mfa.gov.il | address=800 2nd Ave | lat= | long= | directions=between 42nd and 43rd Sts | phone=+1-212-499-5300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.consnewyork.esteri.it | email=info.newyork@esteri.it | address=690 Park Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-737-9100 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-249-4945 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.ny.us.emb-japan.go.jp | email= | address=299 Park Ave, 18F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-371-8222 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-319-6357 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Kenya}} {{listing | name=Kenya | alt= | url=https://kenyaembassydc.org/contact-us-1/ | email=newyorkconsulate@kenyaembassy.com | address=866 UN Plaza, Ste 4016 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-421-4741 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-486-1985 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mauritius}} {{listing | name=Mauritius | url=https://mauritius-newyork.govmu.org/Pages/index.aspx | email= | address=211 East 43rd St, 22nd Floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-949-0190 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-697-3829 | hours=9:30AM–5:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico | url=http://www.consulmexny.org | email= | address=27 E 39th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-217-6400 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-545-8197 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/united-states/about-us/consulate-general-in-new-york | email=nyc@minbuza.nl | address=666 3rd Ave, 19th floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-646-557-2200 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-370-1954 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway | alt= | url=https://www.norway.no/en/usa/norway-usa/new-york/ | email=cg.newyork@mfa.no | address=825 3rd Ave, 38th floor | lat=40.755876 | long=-73.970210 | directions= | phone=+1-646-430-7500 | tollfree= | fax=+1-646-430-7599 | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q49167127 | content= }} * {{flag|the Philippines}} {{listing | name=Philippines | url=http://www.pcgny.net/ | email= | address=556 5th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-764-1330 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-764-6010 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal | alt= | url=https://novaiorque.consuladoportugal.mne.gov.pt/pt/ | email=consulado.newyork@mne.pt | address=866 2nd Ave, 8th Fl | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-646-845-0042 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | url=http://newyork.mae.ro/ | email=newyork@mae.ro | address= 200 East, 38th Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 682 9122 | tollfree= | fax=+1 212 972 8463 | hours= | price= | content=General consulate }} * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | address=866 2nd Ave, 5th Fl | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-752-2740 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|South Africa}} {{listing | name=South Africa | url=http://www.southafrica-newyork.net/consulate/ | email=consulate.ny@foreign.gov.za | address=333 E 38th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-213-4880 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-213-0102 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | alt= | url=http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/NUEVAYORK/ | email=cog.nuevayork@maec.es | address=150 E 58th St, 30-31F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-355-4080 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-644-3751 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden | url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/sv-SE/Ambassader/New-York/ | email=newyork@consulateofsweden.org | address=445 Park Ave, 21st floor | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-888-3000 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-888-3125 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland | url=http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/nameri/vusa/cgny.html | email=nyc.vertretung@eda.admin.ch | address=633 3rd Ave, 30F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-599-5700 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-599-4266 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Taiwan}} {{listing | name=Taiwan | alt=Taipei Economic and Cultural Office | url=http://www.roc-taiwan.org/usnyc_en/index.html | email=consular@tecony.org | address=1 E 42nd St, 4F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-486-0088 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-421-7866 | hours= | price= | content=Office has same function as an official consulate. }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey | url=http://newyork.bk.mfa.gov.tr/default.aspx | email=consulate.newyork@mfa.gov.tr | address=821 United Nations Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-646-430-6560 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-983-1293 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ukraine}} {{listing | name=Ukraine | alt= | url=http://ny.mfa.gov.ua/en | email=gc_usn@mfa.gov.ua | address=240 East, 49th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-371-6965 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-371-5547 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/ny/ | email= | address=845 3rd Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-745-0200 | tollfree= | fax=+1-212-754-3062 | hours= | price= | content=Access only available with an appointment, which can be booked on the phone, M-F 9AM-4PM. }} * {{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | alt= | url=https://newyork.uae-embassy.org/ | email=newyorkcon@mofa.gov.ae | address=535 5th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-212-419-7670 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Access only available with an appointment, M-F 9AM-4PM. }} }} ==Go next== Locals would ask why you ever want to leave, but New York is a great jumping-off point to other locations in the [[Metro New York|metro area]] (including [[New Jersey]] and [[Connecticut]]) or anywhere in the [[Boston]]-[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] Megalopolis corridor. ===New Jersey=== Despite being a constant target of mockery and jokes from New York, the densely-populated Garden State has plenty of great attractions to offer nearby: * '''Hudson Waterfront''' — The portion of New Jersey that directly faces Manhattan along the Hudson River. The region is traversed by the {{convert|18.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} '''Hudson River Waterfront Walkway''' that runs, albeit discontinuously, from the George Washington Bridge down to the city of Bayonne and offers clear views of the Manhattan skyline. ** '''[[Jersey City]]''' — Directly across the Hudson River from the Financial District is New Jersey's second largest city. Jersey City is a diverse city with lots of multicultural shops and restaurants, and it is often referred to as New York’s "sixth borough". It can be reached from Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel, the PATH trains (the bi-state subway), or the many ferries that zip passengers across the Hudson River. ** '''[[Hoboken]]''' — Directly across the Hudson River from the West Village and Chelsea is the alleged birthplace of baseball (most erroneously believe that the birthplace is Cooperstown, NY) and actual birthplace of Frank Sinatra. Hoboken is a small city in area with a great assortment of prewar buildings and conspicuous lack of many corporate establishments. The piers have great views of Manhattan, a large selection of bars, restaurants, and clubs, and are a good place to walk around. Hoboken can be reached from Manhattan by the PATH train or by bus from Port Authority as well as by NY Waterway ferries. ** '''[[Fort Lee]]''' — Occupying the western end of the George Washington Bridge, Fort Lee is home to the site of the eponymous Revolutionary War fort, as well as a high concentration of Korean and Japanese restaurants that spill deep into the neighboring towns. Fort Lee is easily reached by walking, biking, or taking a bus/jitney across the George Washington Bridge from the adjacent bus terminal on the Manhattan side of the bridge. * '''[[Jersey Shore]]''' — The Jersey Shore starts just a few miles south of New York City. It stretches for almost {{mi|130}}, and along it are private and public beaches. There are numerous activities along the Jersey Shore. [[Sandy Hook]], part of the National Gateway Area and home to one of the few nude beaches around New York, Gunnison Beach, can be easily accessed using the SeaStreak ferry from Manhattan. The service operates during the beach season and goes directly to the Hook. A convenient train ride on the NJ Transit trains from Penn Station will get you to several more of the towns on the Jersey Shore, including [[Asbury Park]], [[Manasquan]] and [[Point Pleasant Beach]]. Buses from Port Authority also take passengers to other spots along the Jersey Shore not served by train from New York, such as [[Seaside Heights]]. ** '''[[Atlantic City|Atlantic City]]''', '''[[Wildwood (New Jersey)|Wildwood]]''', and '''[[Cape May]]''' at the southern edge of New Jersey are home to beaches, casinos in Atlantic City, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. Just a 2-hour drive from New York, and plenty of buses also operate to Atlantic City from Port Authority. * '''Six Flags Great Adventure''' in [[Jackson Township (New Jersey)|Jackson]] — An 80-minute drive from Manhattan sits the largest regional theme park in the world. Six Flags Great Adventure features 12 monster roller coasters and is next to the Wild Safari (one of the largest drive-through safaris in the world). Kingda Ka is the tallest rollercoaster in the world, stretching taller than the Statue of Liberty, and the attached drop tower is also the tallest of its kind as well. There is also Six Flags Hurricane Harbor right next door (the largest water park in the Northeast). New Jersey Transit provides bus service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan when the park is open (May–October). * '''[[Princeton]]''' — Also an easy train ride on New Jersey Transit, Princeton offers a quiet, tree-lined town, good for strolling or for visiting the Princeton University campus. Take the Northeast Corridor line to Princeton Junction, then transfer to the shuttle train (known locally as the "Dinky") to ride directly into campus. * '''[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]]''' — Although most tourists only come here to arrive or depart in the city’s international airport, Newark is also home to Branch Brook Park, which contains one of the largest collections of cherry trees in the nation and makes for a great day trip during cherry blossom season in the spring, and the Ironbound, a district full of Portuguese, Brazilian, and Spanish restaurants and cuisine. Newark is a major transport hub in the New York area, with NJ Transit and PATH trains frequently operating to/from Midtown and Lower Manhattan. ===New York State=== * '''[[Long Island]]''' — When you travel to NYC in the summer, a great idea is to check out Long Island. With its beautiful long white sand beaches you can have it all: the big city and the summer holiday. Many New Yorkers do that every Friday, Saturday and Sunday if it is hot. Take the Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station to [[Long Beach (New York)|Long Beach]] ($9.00 off-peak or $12.50 peak), and from there go south to the beach itself. Another option is to take a long day trip on the Hampton Jitney from various stops in NYC to the East End, where Long Island wine country is on the [[North Fork]] and [[The Hamptons]] are on the South Fork. * '''[[Fire Island]]''' — an all-pedestrian summer-resort island off the coast of Long Island. Fire Island is home to many vacation communities on the western part of the island (Ocean Beach being the most populous, with the most restaurants and bars that make an excellent day trip). The eastern part of the island is home to the largely gay communities of Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines. Western Fire Island is reachable by ferry from Bay Shore on Long Island. Bay Shore is about an hour's train ride on the Long Island Rail Road from Manhattan, and the ferry ride from Bay Shore is another 30 minutes. Ferries to Ocean Beach from Bay Shore run about once every hour during the summer. Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines are reachable by ferry from Sayville. The easternmost community, Davis Park, is reachable by ferry from Patchogue. * '''The [[Palisades]]''' — On the western bank of the Hudson River, there are cliffs that rise sharply. These cliffs are known as the majestic Palisades. They range from 300 to 500 feet. They start in the northern portion of Jersey City and stretch all the way to Nyack, New York. There are numerous viewpoints, trails and campsites along the Palisades. The Palisades can be easily reached from Manhattan via the George Washington Bridge. Palisade Interstate Park and Parkway start north of the bridge. * '''[[Westchester County]]''' and the '''[[Hudson Valley]]''' — Home to the country's only government-operated theme park - [[Rye (New York)|Rye]] Playland - as well as beautiful neighborhoods. There are pretty communities along the Long Island Sound and inland, and the Hudson Valley (which extends north of Westchester) is truly beautiful; the train route (Metro North Hudson Line to [[Poughkeepsie]] or Amtrak to [[Albany (New York)|Albany]]) along the Hudson River is one of the loveliest in the country. Westchester County starts just north of the NYC borough of the Bronx. * '''[[Adirondacks|The Adirondacks]]''' are the largest state park in the United States, and are only a 3- to 4-hour drive away on I-87. The area is home to mountains, small villages, and winter sports. * Western New York is the land of the '''[[Finger Lakes|Finger Lakes]]''', '''[[Niagara Falls]]''', '''[[Thousand Islands|Thousand Islands]]''', and nice towns. Up to an 8-hour drive on the Thruway. * '''Woodbury Commons''', in [[Orange County (New York)|Orange County]] — This is one of the largest outlet chains in the Northeast, with over 200 stores. Take exit 16 ([[Central Valley-Harriman|Harriman]]) on I-87. If you don't have a car, there are several bus alternatives from Manhattan like Gray Line New York, Hampton Luxury Liner and Manhattan Transfer tours. ===New England=== * '''[[New Haven]], [[Connecticut]]''' — {{convert|75|mi}} away, New Haven is a 1-hour-45-minute ride from Grand Central Terminal via Metro North Railroad, and home to Yale University. Megabus, Greyhound and Amtrak also provide transportation. * '''[[Cape Cod]]''' is a 5-hour drive from New York north on I-95. Cape Cod is home to nice towns, restaurants, beaches, shopping, and entertainment. Also accessible by Peter Pan Bus Lines. * '''[[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]''' — Beantown, home to the Freedom Trail, incredible seafood, Harvard University in nearby [[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]], and the Boston Red Sox (who are the most hated sports team of most New Yorkers), is 4 hours north on I-95 ($15–20 one way by bus on Greyhound, Peter Pan, Bolt Bus or Mega Bus), with a bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal every hour around the clock or $60–80 one way on Amtrak from Penn Station. * The rest of '''[[New England]]''' has a lot to offer, including national parks, beaches, mountains and skiing. ===Elsewhere=== * '''[[Philadelphia]]''' — The birthplace of American independence and the nation's first capital is 1 hour 20 minutes away by Amtrak, very feasible for a day trip or side trip from New York City. A cheaper but somewhat slower method of getting there is to either take the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line to Trenton and change for SEPTA or take a bus from Midtown or Chinatown. * '''[[Washington, D.C.]]''' is the capital of the United States and a four-hour train ride on the Acela Express. The National Mall, the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial are just a few of the numerous attractions that D.C. has to offer. * There are more beaches to check out in '''[[Delaware]]''' and '''[[Maryland]]''', such as '''[[Ocean City (Maryland)|Ocean City]]''' and '''[[Rehoboth Beach]]''' * '''[[Montreal]]''' is a 7-hour drive away, plus time to go through the checkpoint at the border. Also accessible by plane, Greyhound and Trailways. ''For routeboxes with commuter rail trains, see [[Manhattan#Go next|Manhattan]] or other borough articles.'' {{routebox | placename=New York City (by long-distance train) | image1=Amtrak Acela Express icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=SW | majorl1=[[Washington, D.C.]] | minorl1=[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]] | directionr1=NE | majorr1=[[Boston]] | minorr1=[[Stamford (Connecticut)|Stamford]] | image2=Amtrak Adirondack icon.png | imagesize2=75 | image2a=Amtrak Empire Service icon.png | imagesize2a=75 | image2b=Amtrak Maple Leaf icon.png | imagesize2b=75 | directionl2=N | majorl2=Albany ([[Rensselaer (New York)|Rensselaer]]) | minorl2=[[Yonkers]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Amtrak Cardinal icon.png | imagesize3=100 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl3=[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=END | minorr3= | image4=Amtrak Crescent icon.png | imagesize4=65 | image4a=Amtrak Palmetto icon.png | imagesize4a=65 | image4b=Amtrak Silver Meteor icon.png | imagesize4b=65 | image4c=Amtrak Silver Star icon.png | imagesize4c=65 | directionl4=N | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr4=[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]] | image5=Amtrak Keystone Service icon.png | imagesize5=75 | image5a=Amtrak Pennsylvanian icon.png | imagesize5a=75 | directionl5=W | majorl5=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl5=[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]] | directionr5=E | majorr5=END | minorr5= | image6=Amtrak Lake Shore Limited icon.png | imagesize6=100 | directionl6=N | majorl6=Albany ([[Rensselaer (New York)|Rensselaer]]) | minorl6=[[Croton-on-Hudson]] | directionr6=S | majorr6=END | minorr6= | image7=Amtrak Northeast Regional.png | imagesize7=100 | directionl7=SW | majorl7=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl7=[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]] | directionr7=NE | majorr7=[[New Haven]] | minorr7=[[New Rochelle]] | image8=Amtrak Vermonter icon.png | imagesize8=100 | directionl8=SW | majorl8=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl8=[[Newark (New Jersey)|Newark]] | directionr8=NE | majorr8=[[New Haven]] | minorr8=[[Stamford (Connecticut)|Stamford]] | image9=Amtrak Maple Leaf icon.png | imagesize9=100 | directionl9=SE | majorl9=END | minorl9= | directionr9=NW | majorr9=[[Toronto]] | minorr9=[[Yonkers]] → [[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] | image10=Amtrak Adirondack icon.png | imagesize10=100 | directionl10=S | majorl10=END | minorl10= | directionr10=N | majorr10=[[Montreal]] | minorr10=[[Yonkers]] → [[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] }} {{routebox | placename=New York City (by car) | image1=I-78.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Allentown]] | minorl1=[[Jersey City]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=I-87.svg | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Albany (New York)|Albany]] | minorl2=[[Yonkers]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=I-95.svg | imagesize3=22 | image3a=US 1.svg | imagesize3a=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=[[New Haven]] | minorl3=[[New Rochelle]] | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr3=[[Fort Lee]] | image4=I-278.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Linden (New Jersey)|Linden]] | minorl4='''[[Elizabeth]]''' | directionr4=E | majorr4=Merges into [[Image:I-95.svg|18px]] N | minorr4= | image6=I-495.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Weehawken]] | minorl6=Becomes [[File:Ellipse sign 495.svg|18px]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=[[Riverhead (town, New York)|Riverhead]] | minorr6=[[Plainview (New York)|Plainview]] | image7=US 9.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=N | majorl7=[[Albany (New York)|Albany]] | minorl7=[[Yonkers]] | directionr7=S | majorr7=[[Cape May]] | minorr7=[[Fort Lee]] | image8=Hutchinson River Pkwy Shield.svg | imagesize8=22 | directionl8=N | majorl8=[[New Haven]] | minorl8=[[Mount Vernon (New York)|Mount Vernon]] | directionr8=S | majorr8=END | minorr8= }} {{related|New York City with children}} {{geo|40.719|-74.002|zoom=11}} {{guidecity}} {{isPartOf|Downstate New York}} nxcd67mnqcajocwrm20570bjub60cir 0 24858 4501879 4499978 2022-08-16T05:04:46Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Dima Hasao Banner.JPG}} '''Dima Hasao''' is a rural area in the [[Central Assam and Barak Valley|central]] region of [[Assam]], [[India]]. ==Regions== The northern area of the hills is less rugged, with rice cultivation in the many river valleys. The southern area is more scenic. ==Cities== [[File:Rock cut temple, Maibang.jpg|200px|thumb|A rock cut temple at Maibang]] [[File:Stone inscription in Maibang.jpg|200px|thumb|Stone inscription at Maibang]] '''[[Haflong]]''', the district centre, is in the southern part of the hills. Spilling down from a hilltop, it provides wonderful views of the nearby Borail Mountains. There is also a district museum with some interesting exhibits. The market provides many agricultural products brought in from the countryside, and should certainly be visited. Near the market is a shop selling hand-woven fabrics which is wonderful for picking up inexpensive and lovely souvenirs. '''Maibang''' is an ancient capital of the Dimasa people. The Stone House near the river is the only intact relic of the kingdom there, though other artifacts have been discovered during construction and are on display. '''Langting''' is a commercial centre. There is an evening market that is busy and fascinating. ==Other destinations== '''Jatinga''', near Haflong, is famous for the "bird mystery." Under certain climate conditions, huge numbers of migrating birds run up against the nearby mountain range and come to rest near the village. ==Understand== [[File:A stone alter.JPG|200px|thumb|A stone altar at Khobak village]] Because of its isolation and lack of amenities, a trip to the district, while rewarding, is somewhat adventurous. That said, the Hills are a place of breath-taking beauty. The Dimasa people have a long history in the hills, which were the heartland of their ancient kingdom. The region also has villages of Zemi Naga, Hrangkhol, Hmar, Kuki, and Biate tribal people. Each group has unique traditions and a proud culture. While the isolation of the region has helped preserve these traditions, it also means a lack of development. ==Talk== Indigenous languages of the various tribal groups are most common. In the towns, many speak Hindi, Assamese, or English as a second language. ==Get in== There is daily commercial bus service from [[Guwahati]] and [[Shillong]]. The area can be reached by train from Guwahati, with a transfer in Lumding. A scenic local train to Silchar has stops in Langting and Haflong Hill. ==Get around== Three-wheeled taxis are ubiquitous in the towns: always make sure of your destination and fare before getting in. Inter-town transport is available in buses and "Sumos," large jeeps that often carry ten or more passengers in a quite crowded cab. ==See== Go to the very top of the hill in Haflong for a marvelous view of the Borail Range to the west of the town. Wander down from there into the market to see what might be available. Go to the Circuit House for a view of the Jatinga River. East of the main road is Haflong Lake. ==Do== Hiking through the countryside would prove a treat for nature lovers. It would be unwise to do this without a local guide. ==Eat== ==Drink== The Dimasa are proud of their traditional ''dju'', a rice beer. ==Sleep== Many hotels and guest houses are available in Haflong and other towns of Dima Hasao. ==Stay safe== There has been a history of inter-tribal violence in the area. There are also a number of violent liberation groups. Obviously, it is good to check a knowledgeable travel agent for local conditions. Because of the violence, there is a heavy police and paramilitary presence in parts of the area. It is probably unwise to travel in the region without a local guide. ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|25.18|93.03}} opp77fsj8xcgqtjiefem2zrv4qphj2i 4501881 4501879 2022-08-16T05:08:24Z Sbb1413 2217354 Re-skeletoned the article as per [[WV:Rural area article template]]. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Dima Hasao Banner.JPG}} '''Dima Hasao''' is a rural area in the [[Central Assam and Barak Valley|central]] region of [[Assam]], [[India]]. ==Understand== [[File:Rock cut temple, Maibang.jpg|200px|thumb|A rock cut temple at Maibang]] [[File:Stone inscription in Maibang.jpg|200px|thumb|Stone inscription at Maibang]] [[File:A stone alter.JPG|200px|thumb|A stone altar at Khobak village]] Because of its isolation and lack of amenities, a trip to the district, while rewarding, is somewhat adventurous. That said, the Hills are a place of breathtaking beauty. The Dimasa people have a long history in the hills, which were the heartland of their ancient kingdom. The region also has villages of Zemi Naga, Hrangkhol, Hmar, Kuki, and Biate tribal people. Each group has unique traditions and proud culture. While the isolation of the region has helped preserve these traditions, it also means a lack of development. The northern area of the hills is less rugged, with rice cultivation in the many river valleys. The southern area is more scenic. ===Towns=== * '''Haflong''', the district centre, is in the southern part of the hills. Spilling down from a hilltop, it provides wonderful views of the nearby Borail Mountains. There is also a district museum with some interesting exhibits. The market provides many agricultural products brought in from the countryside, and should certainly be visited. Near the market is a shop selling hand-woven fabrics which is wonderful for picking up inexpensive and lovely souvenirs. * '''Jatinga''', near Haflong, is famous for the "bird mystery." Under certain climate conditions, huge numbers of migrating birds run up against the nearby mountain range and come to rest near the village. * '''Langting''' is a commercial centre. There is an evening market that is busy and fascinating. * '''Maibang''' is an ancient capital of the Dimasa people. The Stone House near the river is the only intact relic of the kingdom there, though other artefacts have been discovered during construction and are on display. ==Talk== Indigenous languages of the various tribal groups are most common. In the towns, many speak Hindi, Assamese, or English as a second language. ==Get in== There is daily commercial bus service from [[Guwahati]] and [[Shillong]]. There are regular train services from the nearby Northeast Indian hubs of [[Guwahati]], [[Silchar]] and [[Agartala]]. The area can be reached by train from Guwahati, with a transfer in Lumding. A scenic local train to Silchar has stops in Langting and Haflong Hill. ==Get around== Three-wheeled taxis are ubiquitous in the towns: always make sure of your destination and fare before getting in. Inter-town transport is available in buses and "Sumos," large jeeps that often carry ten or more passengers in a quite crowded cab. ==See== Go to the very top of the hill in Haflong for a marvellous view of the Borail Range to the west of the town. Wander down from there into the market to see what might be available. Go to the Circuit House for a view of the Jatinga River. East of the main road is Haflong Lake. ==Do== Hiking through the countryside would prove a treat for nature lovers. It would be unwise to do this without a local guide. ==Eat== ==Drink== The Dimasa are proud of their traditional ''dju'', a rice beer. ==Sleep== Many hotels and guest houses are available in Haflong and other towns of Dima Hasao. ==Stay safe== There has been a history of inter-tribal violence in the area. There are also a number of violent liberation groups. Obviously, it is good to check a knowledgeable travel agent for local conditions. Because of the violence, there is a heavy police and paramilitary presence in parts of the area. It is probably unwise to travel in the region without a local guide. ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|25.18|93.03}} ipeqznwfbie46uwie5lbe84q1z45uk6 4501883 4501881 2022-08-16T05:12:08Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Dima Hasao Banner.JPG}} '''Dima Hasao''' is a rural area in the [[Central Assam and Barak Valley|central]] region of [[Assam]], [[India]]. ==Understand== [[File:Rock cut temple, Maibang.jpg|200px|thumb|A rock cut temple at Maibang]] [[File:Stone inscription in Maibang.jpg|200px|thumb|Stone inscription at Maibang]] [[File:A stone alter.JPG|200px|thumb|A stone altar at Khobak village]] Because of its isolation and lack of amenities, a trip to the district, while rewarding, is somewhat adventurous. That said, the Hills are a place of breathtaking beauty. The Dimasa people have a long history in the hills, which were the heartland of their ancient kingdom. The region also has villages of Zemi Naga, Hrangkhol, Hmar, Kuki, and Biate tribal people. Each group has unique traditions and proud culture. While the isolation of the region has helped preserve these traditions, it also means a lack of development. The northern area of the hills is less rugged, with rice cultivation in the many river valleys. The southern area is more scenic. ===Towns=== * '''Haflong''' &mdash; Spilling down from a hilltop, it provides wonderful views of the nearby Borail Mountains. There is also a district museum with some interesting exhibits. The market provides many agricultural products brought in from the countryside, and should certainly be visited. Near the market is a shop selling hand-woven fabrics which is wonderful for picking up inexpensive and lovely souvenirs. * '''Jatinga''' &mdash; The nearby village of Jatinga is popularly known as the place where multiple species of birds mysteriously "commit suicide", peaking at the end of the monsoon. Ornithologists have since found that the birds don't commit suicide but are killed by becoming disoriented during the dark, foggy and windy night sky. The birds are attracted to the lights of the cities and are hit with bamboo poles by villagers believing that spirits from the sky are terrorising them. Despite this, the suicide myth is still popularly believed. * '''Langting''' &mdash; A commercial centre. There is an evening market that is busy and fascinating. * '''Maibang''' &mdash; An ancient capital of the Dimasa people. The Stone House near the river is the only intact relic of the kingdom there, though other artefacts have been discovered during construction and are on display. ==Talk== Indigenous languages of the various tribal groups are most common. In the towns, many speak Hindi, Assamese, or English as a second language. ==Get in== There is a daily commercial bus service from [[Guwahati]] and [[Shillong]]. There are regular train services from the nearby Northeast Indian hubs of [[Guwahati]], [[Silchar]] and [[Agartala]]. The area can be reached by train from Guwahati, with a transfer in Lumding. A scenic local train to Silchar has stops in Langting and Haflong Hill. ==Get around== Three-wheeled taxis are ubiquitous in the towns: always make sure of your destination and fare before getting in. Inter-town transport is available in buses and "Sumos," large jeeps that often carry ten or more passengers in a quite crowded cab. ==See== [[File:Haflong_Lake.jpg|thumb|Haflong lake]] Go to the very top of the hill in Haflong for a marvellous view of the Borail Range to the west of the town. Wander down from there into the market to see what might be available. Go to the Circuit House for a view of the Jatinga River. * {{listing | type=see | name=Haflong Lake | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Haflong Lake | wikidata=Q18125408 | lastedit=2019-02-13 | content=Nestled in the forests and mountains, the lake is particularly beautiful after the rainy season. }} ==Do== Hiking through the countryside would prove a treat for nature lovers. It would be unwise to do this without a local guide. * {{listing | type=do | name=Chavang Kut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-02-14 | content=The Kuki ethnic group in Haflong celebrate Chavang Kut, the rice harvest festival, on the 1st of November every year wearing traditional attire and performing vivid dances. }} ==Eat== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Hangover Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=Circuit House, Haflong East | lat=25.1635 | long=93.0203 | directions= | phone=+91 91017 76006 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-02-13 | content=Mixed Indian cuisine. Better non-veg options than veg. }} ==Drink== The Dimasa are proud of their traditional ''dju'', a rice beer. ==Sleep== Many hotels and guest houses are available in Haflong and other towns of Dima Hasao. * {{sleep | name=The Landmark Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.thelandmarkhotels.in/haflong/ | email= | address=Member’s Council Hostel Road East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 3673 239 009 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₹2,500-4,500 per night depending on the quality of the room | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-13 | content=Complimentary breakfast. Many rooms have views of the lake. }} * {{sleep | name=Haflong Hotel | url=| email= | address= Hagjer Nagar | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Nathao Lodge | url=| email= | address= Dibarai | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Stay safe== There has been a history of inter-tribal violence in the area. There are also a number of violent liberation groups. Obviously, it is good to check a knowledgeable travel agent for local conditions. Because of the violence, there is a heavy police and paramilitary presence in parts of the area. It is probably unwise to travel in the region without a local guide. ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|25.18|93.03}} 3bjnxgtl84btz4oon0pyztczvwmssb9 0 24947 4501917 4500379 2022-08-16T06:40:34Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Talk */ no back-to-back images of the same state please. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner NE India Shillong.jpg}} '''North-Eastern India''' consists of seven small states that are surrounded by [[Bhutan]], [[China]] and [[Myanmar]], and almost cut off from the rest of [[India]] by [[Bangladesh]]. As the cultures of the seven states that make up the region are similar, they are often collectively referred to as the 'Seven Sister States.' ==States== {{Regionlist | regionmap=NortheastIndia.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Arunachal Pradesh]] | region1color=#acc2a6 | region1description=An ethnically diverse state, home to several tribal groups and a large Tibetan Buddhist following. Administered by India but also claimed by [[China]] (as South Tibet). | region2name=[[Assam]] | region2color=#cfcf94 | region2description=Known worldwide for Assam tea and being the first site for oil production in Asia. Also home to some [[Indian national parks and wildlife sanctuaries|national parks]], some of which are designated as World Heritage Sites. | region3name=[[Manipur]] | region3color=#db813a | region3description=Credited for introducing the sport of polo to Europeans, Manipur is known as the "Jewel of India", with its capital city as the "Flower on Lofty Heights". The state's also got the world's only floating national park. | region4name=[[Meghalaya]] | region4color=#c9bd79 | region4description=Known for having a capital that is often dubbed as the "Scotland of the East" and amazing, jubilant scenery. The state is one of the few Christian-majority states in India. | region5name=[[Mizoram]] | region5color=#4ed084 | region5description=One of the most geographically isolated states in India, as well as being home to several tribes who have their roots in [[Southeast Asia]]. The state is one of the few Christian-majority states in India. | region6name=[[Nagaland]] | region6color=#b69eb3 | region6description=Home to 16 major tribes, the state has the distinction of being one of the few Christian-majority states in India. | region7name=[[Tripura]] | region7color=#c1e25c | region7description=One of the most isolated states in India and most populous states in the region. Many of the state's residents are ethnic Bengalis who fled from [[Bangladesh]] during the second Indo-Pakistani war. }} [[Sikkim]] is often considered part of North-Eastern India because of its cultural similarity with the above states, but it has been categorised under [[Eastern India]] because of its geography. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#acc2a6|title=[[Arunachal Pradesh]]|wikidata=Q1162}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cfcf94|title=[[Assam]]|wikidata=Q1164}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#db813a|title=[[Manipur]]|wikidata=Q1193}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c9bd79|title=[[Meghalaya]]|wikidata=Q1195}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#4ed084|title=[[Mizoram]]|wikidata=Q1502}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b69eb3|title=[[Nagaland]]|wikidata=Q1599}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c1e25c|title=[[Tripura]]|wikidata=Q1363}} ==Cities== Here are nine of the most notable cities. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Agartala]] | lat=23.8337 |long=91.2828 |wikidata=Q170454}} &mdash; capital of [[Tripura]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Aizawl]] | lat=23.73333 |long=92.71666 | image=Solomon%27s_Temple%2C_Aizawl%2C_Mizoram%2C_India.jpg |wikidata=Q192379}} &mdash; capital and largest city in Mizoram * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of [[Assam]] with more than two thousand years of history * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Imphal]] | lat=24.8167 |long=93.9500 |wikidata=Q208097}} &mdash; capital of [[Manipur]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Itanagar]] | lat=27.1000 |long=93.6167 |wikidata=Q41128}} &mdash; capital of [[Arunachal Pradesh]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Kohima]] | lat=25.6667 |long=94.1167 |wikidata=Q234056}} &mdash; capital of [[Nagaland]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Matabari]] | lat=23.50313 |long=91.50392 |wikidata=Q14924979}} &mdash; located near Udaipur, Tripura this town is home to the Tripureswari Mandir * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Shillong]] | lat=25.57444|long=91.87888 |wikidata=Q207752}} &mdash; capital of [[Meghalaya]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tuensang]] | lat=26.2833 |long=94.8333 |wikidata=Q2571393}} &mdash; a district and town in Nagaland with a great view of Mount Saramati ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Intangki National Park | lat=25.54594 | long=93.55093 | image= }} (Ntangki National Park), [[Nagaland]] &mdash; a wildlife park located in the Perren district. Home to several endangered species as well as other mammals and birds. Among them are the golden langur, white-breasted kingfisher, python and sloth bear * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.6667 |long=93.3500 |wikidata=Q192764}}, [[Assam]] &mdash; one of the oldest national parks in India with the largest habitat for Indian single-horned rhinos * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Namdapha National Park | lat=27.45963 | long=96.54146 | image= }}, [[Arunachal Pradesh]] &mdash; (rain forest area) third largest national park in India with a large diversity of mammals and birds and for being home to the northernmost rain forest in the world * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 |wikidata=Q2989157}}, [[Assam]] &mdash; a national park located in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Nokrek National Park | lat=25.44307 | long=90.44552 | image= }} (Nokrek Biosphere Reserve), [[Meghalaya]] &mdash; a small population of red pandas reside in this park. It is habitat for the Asian elephant, species of cats and primates. It is also an important area for birds. ''Rongbang Dare Water Fall'' and ''Nokrek Peak'' are located in this park with tall, thick forest * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Clouded Leopard National Park | lat=23.6691 | long=91.3193 | image=Screenshot 20210317-123131 Instagram.jpg }} , [[Tripura]] &mdash; a small population of clouded leopards reside in this park. It is also home to four species of primate monkey. This national park is located within the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. It also has a zoological park and a botanical garden among other educational and recreational facilities. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Bison National Park | lat=23.2796 | long=91.4010 | image= }} (Rajbari National Park), [[Tripura]] &mdash; a significant population of bisons (''gaur''), deers and golden langurs reside in this park. It is located within the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary and houses numerous floral and faunal varieties. Other animals like wild boars and leopards could also be seen here. The park is also a haven for birds species. ==Understand== With the possible exception of [[Assam]], which is famous worldwide for its [[tea]], this is the least-known region of India. Most of these states are populated by hill tribes, who have fought long insurgency battles with the central government. However, this has been on the wane in recent times, and now it is rare for outbreaks of violence to occur. (See [[#Stay safe|&sect; Stay safe]].) This area of the country is different demographically from the rest of India, which is partly shown by the nature of its religious diversity. While the great majority of Tripurans are Hindus and most Assamese are Hindus or Muslims, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland are overwhelmingly Christian, Manipur is almost equally divided between Hindus and Christians, and Arunachal Pradesh has a very slight plurality of Christians, with Hindus in nearly equal numbers and the indigenous Donyi-Polo religion, which combines shamanism and Animism, close behind. There is also a Buddhist presence, especially in places like [[Tawang]] that are close to the borders of [[Tibet]] and [[Bhutan]]. Tibetan cultural influence extends far beyond the population of practicing Buddhists, for example by influencing local foods in some parts of the North East. Given the unique cultural and social landscape, it helps a visitor to avoid patronizing questions about race, citizenry, or even food. Remember, these are seven diverse states with highly diverse legacies. Geographically, again, Assam is a state apart, as it is centred around the valley of the broad Brahmaputra, whereas all the other states in this region are at least partly hilly, with some featuring tall snow-capped mountains. [[File:Gopinath Temple - Ningthoukhong, Manipur (India).jpg|thumb|Gopinath (Krishna) temple in [[Ningthoukhong]], [[Manipur]]]] ==Talk== [[File:Gohpur railway station sign.jpg|thumb|A trilingual sign at Gohpur railway station, [[Assam]]]] This region of India has about 220 languages from multiple language families. English and Hindi are not generally understood. Among the native languages from the region, the Indian Constitution recognises [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]], Bodo and [[Meitei phrasebook|Meitei]] ([[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]]) in the 8th schedule. Below is a list of the official languages of each state which will help your trip planning to some extent: * [[Arunachal Pradesh]] — [[Hindi]], English * [[Assam]] - [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]], [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] (in the Barak Valley), Bodo (in Bodoland) * [[Manipur]] - [[Manipuri phrasebook|Meitei]] (Manipuri), English * [[Meghalaya]] - Khasi, Garo, English * [[Mizoram]] - Mizo, English * [[Nagaland]] - English * [[Tripura]] - [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]], Kokborok ==Get in== The north-east is not exactly the easiest place to enter, especially for Indian citizens. '''You must have a permit to visit almost all states.''' [[Tripura]] and [[Assam]] are the only two states that don't require travel permits. If you're a citizen of [[India]], you need an '''Inner Line Permit''' (ILP) to enter [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Mizoram]], [[Manipur]] and [[Nagaland]]. Foreigners need a '''Protected Area Permit''' (PAP) to enter the state of [[Arunachal Pradesh]]. In accordance with Indian law, all foreign visitors are required to register with the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) within 24 hours of arrival in [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]] or [[Nagaland]]. ===By plane=== [[File:Imphal airport.jpg|thumb|Imphal International Airport, [[Imphal]], [[Manipur]]]] [[Assam]] (Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, [[Guwahati]]), [[Manipur]] ([[Imphal]] International Airport), [[Nagaland]] ([[Dimapur]] Airport) and [[Tripura]] ([[Agartala]] Airport) have direct flights from other parts of India ([[Delhi]] and/or [[Kolkata]]). There are two other major airports serving upper regions of Assam and neighbouring areas - [[Dibrugarh]] Airport and [[Silchar]] Airport. A new airport is under construction in [[Arunachal Pradesh]]. There are helicopter services to [[Naharlagun]] (14 km from [[Itanagar]], Arunachal Pradesh) and [[Aizawl]] ([[Mizoram]]). ===By train=== There are good train connections from most of the major Indian cities to Assam. Incidentally, Assam is the only state in region with rail lines (barring Nagaland with one station-Dimapur). The important stations in Assam are Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Lumding, [[Tinsukia]] and Dibrugarh. The fastest train from Delhi is Guwahati-bound Rajdhani Express (28 hrs) followed by North-East Express (32 hrs) and Dibrugarh-bound Brahmaputra Mail (42 hrs), while the fastest train from Kolkata (Howrah) is Saraighat Express. The train track in Assam is not electrified and is a single lane, so delays are the norm. There are narrow gauge trains to Arunachal Pradesh and [[Barak Valley]] area but they are very much prone to cancellation and delays and are not at all comfortable. Improving the rail connections in North East India is a priority for the Central Government of India, and rail extensions are under construction. ===By road=== All the states have good network of roads in urban areas. There are regular long journey buses from [[West Bengal]] to many north-eastern states. Self-driving is not a good idea as all roads pass through heavy forest reserves and areas infested by insurgents. ==Get around== [[File:Shillong City, Maghalaya.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Shillong]], [[Meghalaya]]]] ==See== ==Do== [[File:KANTHI WATER FALL.jpg|thumb|Kanthi Waterfall, Karbi Anglong district, [[Assam]]]] * {{do | name=Greener Pastures | alt= | url=https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9435 747471 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An eco-tourism company that promotes travel, conservation and sustainability in Northeast India. They provide tours that deal with tribal cultural exchange, wildlife viewing, extreme adventure sports, river cruises, history learning and tea stays. }} ===National parks=== {{see also|Indian national parks and wildlife sanctuaries}} * '''Kaziranga National Park'''. Famous for its one-horned rhino found nowhere else in the world. Elephant rides in the park make for a thrilling experience. Has accommodation cottages and restaurants. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} North-East India is famous for its delicious and ethnic delicacies. The cuisine includes world famous vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. The North-East has earned accolades for the various dishes prepared from local herbs and spices. Apart from local dishes, it is also equipped with restaurants and hotels serving conventional Indian foods (both North Indian and South Indian). So eating is no problem for tourists. ==Drink== If you are over the age of 25, you can drink alcohol in India. In North Eastern India, there are many refreshing alcoholic beverages that you can drink. Look for aphung (a rice-beer) in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and zutho (a type of wine) in Mizoram You can find many of these in local markets. ==Connect== NE India is completely connected with the rest of the world with excellent communication facilities with all the major telecommunication companies like Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi), Airtel and BSNL. ==Stay safe== In the past, the region gained a bad reputation due to separatism, tribal and sectarian violence, and militant activities. Since then, many of these activities have simmered down as many rebel groups have made peace with the Indian government, and the region is safe for travel. In terms of personal safety, most travellers, including solo female travellers, will not face any major problems walking around the streets at night. A women-run market, the Ima Market (AKA Ima Keithel) in [[Imphal]], [[Manipur]], is the most suitable example. [[File:Imphal, Manipur (62).jpeg|thumb|300px|One of the three major building complexes of the Ima Keithel, the world's only women run market, in [[Imphal]]]] Driving in the North East is remarkably safer and more reliable than in other areas of the country. Drivers will not impatiently honk at you and most visitors can expect to cross roads with ease. ==Respect== The North East has a plethora of distinctive languages and cultures that set it apart from the rest of India. Hospitality is a cornerstone of many of the cultures here, and many locals will go out of their way to make a visitor feel welcomed. For instance, it's not uncommon for a local to help someone out if they're in need of transportation or anything else. You may, however, be expected to give it back one way or the other. The people from the North East have East Asian or Southeast Asian rather than more typical South Asian features. On occasion, this has caused some North Easterners to be teased and subjected to discrimination in other parts of India. So be prepared, and don't be surprised. Although they may be casually used in other parts of India, terms such as "'''Chinki'''", "'''Chinese'''", "'''Nepali'''", "'''Chowmein'''", and "'''Momo'''" are seen as racial slurs for the North East. In places like '''[[Mizoram]]''', religious institutions play an influential role in society; respect that while you're there. === Sensitive Issues === The Northeast is one of the most politically active regions in all of India. For this reason, politics here are complex – very, very complex, much more so than any other region in India. The various tribes found in the state are fiercely keen on promoting their cultural distinctions from the rest of [[India]]. During the second Indo-Pakistani war, millions of Bengalis immigrated to the North East and this ''greatly affected'' the ethnic balance in the region. In states such as '''[[Tripura]]''', the number of ethnic Bengalis outnumber the tribal population. Although things have calmed down, some Northeasterners regard Bengalis as "outsiders" who have no business being in their state and feel that by allowing them in, they would be outnumbered and put at a disadvantage. This is one of the many reasons why you need a permit to visit states in the Northeast. In states like '''[[Assam]]''', antipathy against Bengalis runs very high. The North East is an often overlooked part of India. Although much work has gone into integrating the region into the rest of the country, many Northeasterners have faced social problems (e.g. racism and discrimination) in other parts of India, and many of the more well-aware Indians regard this as an incredibly embarrassing issue. ==Go next== * [[Bangladesh]] — There is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]]. Two BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with TRTC (Tripura Road Transport Corporation) vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at Ashuganj in Bangladesh during the journey. * [[Bhutan]] * [[Eastern India]] — North-Eastern India's western neighbour is culturally rich and perhaps the most welcoming to outsiders. It is also the mineral storehouse of India, having the country's largest and richest mines. {{outlineregion}} {{IsPartOf|India}} {{geo|25.69|93.31|zoom=8}} nnzn71afcf9833jqkzytv43livt7lp5 4501918 4501917 2022-08-16T06:40:54Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Understand */ why at the bottom? wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner NE India Shillong.jpg}} '''North-Eastern India''' consists of seven small states that are surrounded by [[Bhutan]], [[China]] and [[Myanmar]], and almost cut off from the rest of [[India]] by [[Bangladesh]]. As the cultures of the seven states that make up the region are similar, they are often collectively referred to as the 'Seven Sister States.' ==States== {{Regionlist | regionmap=NortheastIndia.png | regionInteractiveMap=map1 | region1name=[[Arunachal Pradesh]] | region1color=#acc2a6 | region1description=An ethnically diverse state, home to several tribal groups and a large Tibetan Buddhist following. Administered by India but also claimed by [[China]] (as South Tibet). | region2name=[[Assam]] | region2color=#cfcf94 | region2description=Known worldwide for Assam tea and being the first site for oil production in Asia. Also home to some [[Indian national parks and wildlife sanctuaries|national parks]], some of which are designated as World Heritage Sites. | region3name=[[Manipur]] | region3color=#db813a | region3description=Credited for introducing the sport of polo to Europeans, Manipur is known as the "Jewel of India", with its capital city as the "Flower on Lofty Heights". The state's also got the world's only floating national park. | region4name=[[Meghalaya]] | region4color=#c9bd79 | region4description=Known for having a capital that is often dubbed as the "Scotland of the East" and amazing, jubilant scenery. The state is one of the few Christian-majority states in India. | region5name=[[Mizoram]] | region5color=#4ed084 | region5description=One of the most geographically isolated states in India, as well as being home to several tribes who have their roots in [[Southeast Asia]]. The state is one of the few Christian-majority states in India. | region6name=[[Nagaland]] | region6color=#b69eb3 | region6description=Home to 16 major tribes, the state has the distinction of being one of the few Christian-majority states in India. | region7name=[[Tripura]] | region7color=#c1e25c | region7description=One of the most isolated states in India and most populous states in the region. Many of the state's residents are ethnic Bengalis who fled from [[Bangladesh]] during the second Indo-Pakistani war. }} [[Sikkim]] is often considered part of North-Eastern India because of its cultural similarity with the above states, but it has been categorised under [[Eastern India]] because of its geography. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#acc2a6|title=[[Arunachal Pradesh]]|wikidata=Q1162}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cfcf94|title=[[Assam]]|wikidata=Q1164}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#db813a|title=[[Manipur]]|wikidata=Q1193}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c9bd79|title=[[Meghalaya]]|wikidata=Q1195}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#4ed084|title=[[Mizoram]]|wikidata=Q1502}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b69eb3|title=[[Nagaland]]|wikidata=Q1599}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c1e25c|title=[[Tripura]]|wikidata=Q1363}} ==Cities== Here are nine of the most notable cities. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Agartala]] | lat=23.8337 |long=91.2828 |wikidata=Q170454}} &mdash; capital of [[Tripura]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Aizawl]] | lat=23.73333 |long=92.71666 | image=Solomon%27s_Temple%2C_Aizawl%2C_Mizoram%2C_India.jpg |wikidata=Q192379}} &mdash; capital and largest city in Mizoram * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of [[Assam]] with more than two thousand years of history * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Imphal]] | lat=24.8167 |long=93.9500 |wikidata=Q208097}} &mdash; capital of [[Manipur]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Itanagar]] | lat=27.1000 |long=93.6167 |wikidata=Q41128}} &mdash; capital of [[Arunachal Pradesh]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Kohima]] | lat=25.6667 |long=94.1167 |wikidata=Q234056}} &mdash; capital of [[Nagaland]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Matabari]] | lat=23.50313 |long=91.50392 |wikidata=Q14924979}} &mdash; located near Udaipur, Tripura this town is home to the Tripureswari Mandir * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Shillong]] | lat=25.57444|long=91.87888 |wikidata=Q207752}} &mdash; capital of [[Meghalaya]] * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tuensang]] | lat=26.2833 |long=94.8333 |wikidata=Q2571393}} &mdash; a district and town in Nagaland with a great view of Mount Saramati ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Intangki National Park | lat=25.54594 | long=93.55093 | image= }} (Ntangki National Park), [[Nagaland]] &mdash; a wildlife park located in the Perren district. Home to several endangered species as well as other mammals and birds. Among them are the golden langur, white-breasted kingfisher, python and sloth bear * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.6667 |long=93.3500 |wikidata=Q192764}}, [[Assam]] &mdash; one of the oldest national parks in India with the largest habitat for Indian single-horned rhinos * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Namdapha National Park | lat=27.45963 | long=96.54146 | image= }}, [[Arunachal Pradesh]] &mdash; (rain forest area) third largest national park in India with a large diversity of mammals and birds and for being home to the northernmost rain forest in the world * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 |wikidata=Q2989157}}, [[Assam]] &mdash; a national park located in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Nokrek National Park | lat=25.44307 | long=90.44552 | image= }} (Nokrek Biosphere Reserve), [[Meghalaya]] &mdash; a small population of red pandas reside in this park. It is habitat for the Asian elephant, species of cats and primates. It is also an important area for birds. ''Rongbang Dare Water Fall'' and ''Nokrek Peak'' are located in this park with tall, thick forest * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Clouded Leopard National Park | lat=23.6691 | long=91.3193 | image=Screenshot 20210317-123131 Instagram.jpg }} , [[Tripura]] &mdash; a small population of clouded leopards reside in this park. It is also home to four species of primate monkey. This national park is located within the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. It also has a zoological park and a botanical garden among other educational and recreational facilities. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Bison National Park | lat=23.2796 | long=91.4010 | image= }} (Rajbari National Park), [[Tripura]] &mdash; a significant population of bisons (''gaur''), deers and golden langurs reside in this park. It is located within the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary and houses numerous floral and faunal varieties. Other animals like wild boars and leopards could also be seen here. The park is also a haven for birds species. ==Understand== [[File:Gopinath Temple - Ningthoukhong, Manipur (India).jpg|thumb|Gopinath (Krishna) temple in [[Ningthoukhong]], [[Manipur]]]] With the possible exception of [[Assam]], which is famous worldwide for its [[tea]], this is the least-known region of India. Most of these states are populated by hill tribes, who have fought long insurgency battles with the central government. However, this has been on the wane in recent times, and now it is rare for outbreaks of violence to occur. (See [[#Stay safe|&sect; Stay safe]].) This area of the country is different demographically from the rest of India, which is partly shown by the nature of its religious diversity. While the great majority of Tripurans are Hindus and most Assamese are Hindus or Muslims, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland are overwhelmingly Christian, Manipur is almost equally divided between Hindus and Christians, and Arunachal Pradesh has a very slight plurality of Christians, with Hindus in nearly equal numbers and the indigenous Donyi-Polo religion, which combines shamanism and Animism, close behind. There is also a Buddhist presence, especially in places like [[Tawang]] that are close to the borders of [[Tibet]] and [[Bhutan]]. Tibetan cultural influence extends far beyond the population of practicing Buddhists, for example by influencing local foods in some parts of the North East. Given the unique cultural and social landscape, it helps a visitor to avoid patronizing questions about race, citizenry, or even food. Remember, these are seven diverse states with highly diverse legacies. Geographically, again, Assam is a state apart, as it is centred around the valley of the broad Brahmaputra, whereas all the other states in this region are at least partly hilly, with some featuring tall snow-capped mountains. ==Talk== [[File:Gohpur railway station sign.jpg|thumb|A trilingual sign at Gohpur railway station, [[Assam]]]] This region of India has about 220 languages from multiple language families. English and Hindi are not generally understood. Among the native languages from the region, the Indian Constitution recognises [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]], Bodo and [[Meitei phrasebook|Meitei]] ([[Manipuri phrasebook|Manipuri]]) in the 8th schedule. Below is a list of the official languages of each state which will help your trip planning to some extent: * [[Arunachal Pradesh]] — [[Hindi]], English * [[Assam]] - [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]], [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]] (in the Barak Valley), Bodo (in Bodoland) * [[Manipur]] - [[Manipuri phrasebook|Meitei]] (Manipuri), English * [[Meghalaya]] - Khasi, Garo, English * [[Mizoram]] - Mizo, English * [[Nagaland]] - English * [[Tripura]] - [[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]], Kokborok ==Get in== The north-east is not exactly the easiest place to enter, especially for Indian citizens. '''You must have a permit to visit almost all states.''' [[Tripura]] and [[Assam]] are the only two states that don't require travel permits. If you're a citizen of [[India]], you need an '''Inner Line Permit''' (ILP) to enter [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Mizoram]], [[Manipur]] and [[Nagaland]]. Foreigners need a '''Protected Area Permit''' (PAP) to enter the state of [[Arunachal Pradesh]]. In accordance with Indian law, all foreign visitors are required to register with the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) within 24 hours of arrival in [[Manipur]], [[Mizoram]] or [[Nagaland]]. ===By plane=== [[File:Imphal airport.jpg|thumb|Imphal International Airport, [[Imphal]], [[Manipur]]]] [[Assam]] (Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, [[Guwahati]]), [[Manipur]] ([[Imphal]] International Airport), [[Nagaland]] ([[Dimapur]] Airport) and [[Tripura]] ([[Agartala]] Airport) have direct flights from other parts of India ([[Delhi]] and/or [[Kolkata]]). There are two other major airports serving upper regions of Assam and neighbouring areas - [[Dibrugarh]] Airport and [[Silchar]] Airport. A new airport is under construction in [[Arunachal Pradesh]]. There are helicopter services to [[Naharlagun]] (14 km from [[Itanagar]], Arunachal Pradesh) and [[Aizawl]] ([[Mizoram]]). ===By train=== There are good train connections from most of the major Indian cities to Assam. Incidentally, Assam is the only state in region with rail lines (barring Nagaland with one station-Dimapur). The important stations in Assam are Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Lumding, [[Tinsukia]] and Dibrugarh. The fastest train from Delhi is Guwahati-bound Rajdhani Express (28 hrs) followed by North-East Express (32 hrs) and Dibrugarh-bound Brahmaputra Mail (42 hrs), while the fastest train from Kolkata (Howrah) is Saraighat Express. The train track in Assam is not electrified and is a single lane, so delays are the norm. There are narrow gauge trains to Arunachal Pradesh and [[Barak Valley]] area but they are very much prone to cancellation and delays and are not at all comfortable. Improving the rail connections in North East India is a priority for the Central Government of India, and rail extensions are under construction. ===By road=== All the states have good network of roads in urban areas. There are regular long journey buses from [[West Bengal]] to many north-eastern states. Self-driving is not a good idea as all roads pass through heavy forest reserves and areas infested by insurgents. ==Get around== [[File:Shillong City, Maghalaya.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Shillong]], [[Meghalaya]]]] ==See== ==Do== [[File:KANTHI WATER FALL.jpg|thumb|Kanthi Waterfall, Karbi Anglong district, [[Assam]]]] * {{do | name=Greener Pastures | alt= | url=https://greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+91 9435 747471 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An eco-tourism company that promotes travel, conservation and sustainability in Northeast India. They provide tours that deal with tribal cultural exchange, wildlife viewing, extreme adventure sports, river cruises, history learning and tea stays. }} ===National parks=== {{see also|Indian national parks and wildlife sanctuaries}} * '''Kaziranga National Park'''. Famous for its one-horned rhino found nowhere else in the world. Elephant rides in the park make for a thrilling experience. Has accommodation cottages and restaurants. ==Eat== {{see also|South Asian cuisine}} North-East India is famous for its delicious and ethnic delicacies. The cuisine includes world famous vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. The North-East has earned accolades for the various dishes prepared from local herbs and spices. Apart from local dishes, it is also equipped with restaurants and hotels serving conventional Indian foods (both North Indian and South Indian). So eating is no problem for tourists. ==Drink== If you are over the age of 25, you can drink alcohol in India. In North Eastern India, there are many refreshing alcoholic beverages that you can drink. Look for aphung (a rice-beer) in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and zutho (a type of wine) in Mizoram You can find many of these in local markets. ==Connect== NE India is completely connected with the rest of the world with excellent communication facilities with all the major telecommunication companies like Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi), Airtel and BSNL. ==Stay safe== In the past, the region gained a bad reputation due to separatism, tribal and sectarian violence, and militant activities. Since then, many of these activities have simmered down as many rebel groups have made peace with the Indian government, and the region is safe for travel. In terms of personal safety, most travellers, including solo female travellers, will not face any major problems walking around the streets at night. A women-run market, the Ima Market (AKA Ima Keithel) in [[Imphal]], [[Manipur]], is the most suitable example. [[File:Imphal, Manipur (62).jpeg|thumb|300px|One of the three major building complexes of the Ima Keithel, the world's only women run market, in [[Imphal]]]] Driving in the North East is remarkably safer and more reliable than in other areas of the country. Drivers will not impatiently honk at you and most visitors can expect to cross roads with ease. ==Respect== The North East has a plethora of distinctive languages and cultures that set it apart from the rest of India. Hospitality is a cornerstone of many of the cultures here, and many locals will go out of their way to make a visitor feel welcomed. For instance, it's not uncommon for a local to help someone out if they're in need of transportation or anything else. You may, however, be expected to give it back one way or the other. The people from the North East have East Asian or Southeast Asian rather than more typical South Asian features. On occasion, this has caused some North Easterners to be teased and subjected to discrimination in other parts of India. So be prepared, and don't be surprised. Although they may be casually used in other parts of India, terms such as "'''Chinki'''", "'''Chinese'''", "'''Nepali'''", "'''Chowmein'''", and "'''Momo'''" are seen as racial slurs for the North East. In places like '''[[Mizoram]]''', religious institutions play an influential role in society; respect that while you're there. === Sensitive Issues === The Northeast is one of the most politically active regions in all of India. For this reason, politics here are complex – very, very complex, much more so than any other region in India. The various tribes found in the state are fiercely keen on promoting their cultural distinctions from the rest of [[India]]. During the second Indo-Pakistani war, millions of Bengalis immigrated to the North East and this ''greatly affected'' the ethnic balance in the region. In states such as '''[[Tripura]]''', the number of ethnic Bengalis outnumber the tribal population. Although things have calmed down, some Northeasterners regard Bengalis as "outsiders" who have no business being in their state and feel that by allowing them in, they would be outnumbered and put at a disadvantage. This is one of the many reasons why you need a permit to visit states in the Northeast. In states like '''[[Assam]]''', antipathy against Bengalis runs very high. The North East is an often overlooked part of India. Although much work has gone into integrating the region into the rest of the country, many Northeasterners have faced social problems (e.g. racism and discrimination) in other parts of India, and many of the more well-aware Indians regard this as an incredibly embarrassing issue. ==Go next== * [[Bangladesh]] — There is a regular bus service between [[Dhaka]] and [[Agartala]]. Two BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with TRTC (Tripura Road Transport Corporation) vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of 600 Bangladeshi takas. There is only one halt at Ashuganj in Bangladesh during the journey. * [[Bhutan]] * [[Eastern India]] — North-Eastern India's western neighbour is culturally rich and perhaps the most welcoming to outsiders. It is also the mineral storehouse of India, having the country's largest and richest mines. {{outlineregion}} {{IsPartOf|India}} {{geo|25.69|93.31|zoom=8}} quno7xwlu5gsbdemu7hbjkv8ge1qk0v 0 25220 4501943 4475099 2022-08-16T07:17:58Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Get around */ city static maps should be in the relevant city article, not the region article wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|West Vancouver banner ambleside beach2.jpg|pgname=North Shore}} [[File:Tugboat in front of North Vancouver.jpg|thumb|300px|Grouse Mountain in Vancouver's North Shore]] The '''North Shore''' (of Burrard Inlet) is a local regional grouping of northern suburban areas of [[Vancouver]] where dense urban meets dramatic tall mountains. The mountains provide attractions like the '''Grouse Mountain''' ski resort. At the west end of the North Shore is '''Horseshoe Bay''', ferry terminal to the [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] and Vancouver Island. ==Understand== [[File:Vancouver area map.png|thumb|300px|The North Shore encompasses West Vancouver and North Vancouver in this area map]] The first European settlers started to arrive in the North Shore in the 1860s, attracted by the logging potential of its old growth forests. The lumber, in turn, was attractive to ship builders and a ship building industry was born that would be important to the region for decades. The settlement grew and by 1891 the residents had organized and incorporated the '''District of North Vancouver''', which covered the entire region from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. "North Vancouver" was chosen as the name so potential real estate investors would better know where their land was. Most of the early settlement and industry focused on what is now considered Lower and Central Lonsdale. Property owners in this area felt they could do better if they separated from the District, so the '''City of North Vancouver''' was incorporated in 1907, taking with it the municipal hall, the ferry connections to [[Vancouver]] and most of the business and industry in the North Shore. Meanwhile, people living west of the Capilano River were becoming anxious that the increasing industry in the North Shore would affect them. This led to the incorporation of the '''District of West Vancouver''' in 1912 to preserve the residential nature of the area. Although all of this happened more than 100 years ago and the borders of the three municipalities are invisible to anyone except local politicians and municipal government employees, the structure of government and the interests that were important in their creation continue to shape the community. West Vancouver has the wealthiest people and the most expensive real estate in the country, a dwindling stock old rental high rise buildings along the waterfront and Park Royal, a successful and growing shopping center featuring many of the world's luxury brands, on land that it leases from the Squamish First Nation. Its separation from the other two municipalities is more obvious due to the coincidence of the Capilano River with most of the boundary between it and the District of North Vancouver. There is also the fact that, as with most wealthy enclaves, the residential property tax rate is 40% lower than other municipalities in the region. The boundary between the City and District of North Vancouver has no correlation to any feature of the local geography. It exists only because it demarcated the extent of the lands owned in 1907 by the developers that got the provincial government to create a municipality dedicated to getting their properties developed for sale while avoiding the burden of maintaining roads and bridges to homesteaders in the district. True to its roots, the city has always been more development-friendly. Its 12-km² footprint is the urban core of North Vancouver and the hub for many of the commercial and non-profit activities that serve all of North Vancouver and is connected by a 12-minute Seabus ride to downtown Vancouver. Over 80% of the population lives in high rise or multi-family developments and approximately half of the 50,000 residents are renters. The 160 km² of the district entirely surrounds the city and much higher proportion of its 90,000 residents live in single family homes. This is changing as the District Council has been pursuing a policy of densification around 'town centers' in addition to an urban core, which is for practical purposes the city. Its commercial base is of a similar size to the city but spread out more across the community. Industrial activity is also split relatively evenly with the district likely to grow as a major federal government funded ship building program gets underway on the grounds of Seaspan, one of its major waterfront employers. The North Shore is distinguished by its world class recreation and tourist attractions made possible by mountains that are the iconic background to most pictures of the City of Vancouver. Early recreational enthusiasts from Vancouver and elsewhere would brave ferry rides and long treks up the local mountains to go skiing or hiking. Over the years, parks were set aside, trails cut and ski areas built to make it more accessible. The ski areas became Olympic venues for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The mountain trails are cherished and convenient escape routes for city dwellers into nature in addition to being home to world-class mountain biking and trail running events. The year round gondola service at Grouse Mountain provides thousands of fitness devotees a ride back down after exhausting themselves running or walking up the 2.9 km length and 800 meter elevation of the 'Grouse Grind'. Every North Shore mountain has a peak that invites hiking and climbing. Each valley in-between has a recreational opportunity in the lake or river that will be protected by a park created to make it available for the enjoyment of residents and tourists alike. The most accessible and visitor friendly of these is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Much of the terrain across the North Shore is challenging and can be dangerous, which has resulted in a very active local Search & Rescue organization. The owners of the Capilano Suspension Bridge have taken the historical necessity of spanning the deepest and most dangerous of the North Shore river canyons with a long suspension bridge and turned it into a world class tourism destination and a safe way for the first time visitor to view the spectacular scenery while at the same time getting an introduction to the region and its history. While it is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists it remains a very attractive place to live for people that value the natural recreation and lifestyle options it offers. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Lions Bay]]|wikidata=Q43465}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[North Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q1001626}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[West Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q991329}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Bowen Island]]|wikidata=Q895413}} ==Get in== Most people will enter the North Shore from [[Vancouver]] by road or through the Translink system. {{infobox|Lions Gate Bridge|The Lions Gate Bridge is a Vancouver landmark linking the city with the North Shore across Burrard Inlet. Similar in style to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, it was built in 1937-38 in large part to help develop land owned by the Guinness family (of beer fame) in West Vancouver. Although the family sold their land in the 1950s, a link remains in the decorative lighting they donated for the bridge in 1986. The bridge is three lanes with sidewalks on either side for walking or cycling. The centre lane is controlled by traffic signals, so it alternates direction depending on the traffic conditions. The bridge is best avoided during rush hour (if you're in a car, at least) but otherwise provides a more scenic entrance (or exit) to the North Shore than the larger Second Narrows Bridge.}} ===By car=== If you're coming from [[Vancouver]], you enter the North Shore by either '''Highway 1''' (Trans Canada Highway) across the '''Second Narrows Bridge''' into North Vancouver or by '''Highway 99''' across the '''Lion's Gate Bridge''' into West Vancouver. Visitors travelling '''south on Highway 99''' from [[Squamish]] or [[Whistler]] will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay. ===By public transit=== The '''[https://www.translink.bc.ca TransLink]''' bus system connects both North and West Vancouver with the rest of the TransLink system in Vancouver and its surrounding suburbs. Going to the North Shore means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from [[Vancouver]], [[Burnaby]] or [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] will cost {{translink|2}} and a ticket to/from [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]] will cost {{translink|3}}. TransLink also provides a ferry option to get to the North Shore, called the '''SeaBus'''. This is a passenger only ferry that goes from '''Waterfront Station''' in Downtown Vancouver to '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Vancouver. A ticket or transfer used on a bus or the Skytrain is also accepted on the Seabus. The '''SeaBus''' runs every 15 minutes until 6:45PM M-F and 10AM - 6:15PM on Saturdays. It runs every half hour at all other times. The SeaBus operates from about 6AM to 1:20AM, with shorter hours on Sunday. A schedule is available on the TransLink's website. ===By boat=== '''[https://www.bcferries.bc.ca BC Ferries]''' has a ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) with three routes servicing it, including one from [[Nanaimo]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. The ferry terminal has a road that connects directly to Highway 1 and Translink bus connections as well (routes 250, 257, 259 and C12). ==Get around== It is convenient to get around the North Shore by driving or taking the bus. There is also a variety of hiking and biking trails. The bus service is mostly aimed at getting people downtown so travelling from one part of the North Shore to another may involve a transfer. However, it is possible to reach many of the attractions by bus. There is excellent service between the SeaBus and many of the attractions on the North Shore, such as the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge or the Grouse Mountain Skyride. Parking is quite plentiful and usually free on the North Shore. The City of North Vancouver has talked about installing meters around Lonsdale Avenue, but so far nothing has been done. ===By road=== Two provincial highways -- Hwy #1 and Hwy #99 -- cross the North Shore and provide main thoroughfares for getting around it. Hwy 1, or the '''Upper Levels Highway''', runs east-west from the Second Narrows Bridge in North Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. '''Hwy 99''' runs north-south through West Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay to the Lions Gate Bridge. Another major street that runs east-west, roughly parallel to the waterfront, is the combination of '''Marine Drive - 3rd St - Cotton Rd - Main Street''' (roughly one street but different names in different spots). '''Lonsdale Avenue''' runs north-south through middle of the City of North Vancouver, while '''Capilano Road''' and '''Taylor Way''' provide access from the northern parts of the cities to the Lions Gate Bridge. Many shops, restaurants and businesses are located along Marine Drive and Lonsdale Avenue. ===By public transit=== The North Shore bus system is built around the three hubs of '''Park Royal''' in West Van, '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Van and '''Phibbs Exchange''' in North Van. Buses run between each of these hubs and out to the various attractions and parts of the region (e.g., Grouse Mountain, Horseshoe Bay, Deep Cove, etc.). Park Royal and Lonsdale Quay have buses that connect with [[Vancouver/CBD-Yaletown|downtown Vancouver]] while Phibbs Exchange has buses that connect with [[Vancouver]] and [[Burnaby]]. Travel within the North Shore on the bus system is considered one zone and costs $2.50. Taking the bus outside of the North Shore will be two or three zone travel and will cost more ($3.75 or $5, depending on the destination), unless it is a weekday after 6:30PM or a weekend/holiday (when all zones are $2.50). If you are a student (in some cases a valid student ID will be requested) then the fare for one zone is $2.50. If it is after 6PM or a weekend/holiday then the fare will be $1.75 regardless of zones crossed. West Vancouver has '''Blue Buses''' with a distinctive appearance, but they take the same transfers and fares that the other Translink buses in Greater Vancouver do. ===By bike=== For those who want a good workout (there are a lot of hills), there are many designated bike routes on the North Shore. Generally, they are well signed and on quieter streets, but do not always have bike lanes marked on the pavement. A map is available from the Translink website. ===Villages in the North Shore=== [[File:North Vancouver from canada place.JPG|thumb|The waterfront of Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver]] It is common to see references to areas like Deep Cove and Horseshoe Bay when books, websites, locals, etc., talk about the North Shore. These areas are like village centers within the city, but are not big enough to be districts. They include: * '''[http://www.deepcovebc.com/ Deep Cove]''' is nestled below Mount Seymour next to Indian Arm and is a great area to relax and enjoy the scenery. Very busy on the weekends in summer, it has a number of small shops, restaurants, parks, canoe/kayak rentals and hiking. Or you can grab some takeaways, sit on the grass and watch everyone play around you. Deep Cove is reached by taking the Dollarton Highway exit from Hwy 1 (first exit after crossing the Second Narrows Bridge) and following it until it ends or by bus #212 or #211. * '''Lynn Valley''' lies north of Highway 1 near Lynn Creek and is focused on Lynn Valley Road (exit 19 on Hwy 1 or by bus #228, #229, #210 or #255). It includes shops and restaurants plus two regional parks with hiking and swimming opportunities. It is also home to the North Vancouver archives and boasts a new Library and plaza designed to give the community a central meeting place. * '''Lower Lonsdale''' refers to the lower portion of Lonsdale Ave and the waterfront around '''Lonsdale Quay'''. Parts of it were previously used for industry and ship building, but it is now being converted to condo towers, shops and restaurants. Lower Lonsdale can be reached by heading south on Lonsdale Ave from Hwy 1 (exit 18) or on the SeaBus (and many other bus routes) via Lonsdale Quay. * '''Edgemont Village''' is a two block strip of small shops and restaurants in the District of North Vancouver. To drive there, head north from the Westview exit on Highway 1 (exit 17), turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at Edgemont Rd. Alternatively, head north on Capilano Road and turn right onto Ridgewood. Bus service is provided by the #232 from Lonsdale or the #246. * '''[http://www.amblesidevillage.ca/ Ambleside Village]''' is in West Vancouver across the harbor from Stanley Park. It has many shops and restaurants, plus a park and beach. To get to Ambleside from the Lions Gate Bridge, take Marine Drive west and drive past Park Royal Shopping Center. From Highway 1, take the 15th Street exit. Further west along Marine Drive is '''[http://www.dundaravevillage.ca/ Dundarave]''', another village along the waterfront. Like Ambleside, it has shop and restaurants (although on a smaller scale), and there is a park with a small beach and pier that provides views across the harbor to Stanley Park and UBC. * '''Horseshoe Bay''' is a small village with a picturesque setting amongst the mountains that line Howe Sound. It also marks the end of Highway 1 and the start of the Sea-to-Sky highway, as well as having a BC Ferries terminal, so it provides both transportation and sightseeing opportunities. There are a small number of shops and restaurants and a couple of parks. A live web cam view [http://www.westvancouver.com/webcams/hbaycam/] of the bay shows all the marine traffic and BC Ferries ships as they travel in and out of the area. ==See== [[File:Lynn canyon bridge.jpg|thumb|Lynn Canyon suspension bridge]] * See (or take a walk) on the '''Capilano Suspension Bridge''' (fee) or '''Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge''' (free) in [[North Vancouver]] * Look up at tall trees or gaze out at Point Atkinson Lighthouse at '''Lighthouse Park''' in [[West Vancouver]] * Wander around the market, learn about [[North Vancouver|North Vancouver's]] shipbuilding history or take in the view at '''Lonsdale Quay''' * Visit one of the many local '''parks and gardens''' ==Do== [[Image:Grouse_Mountain_Gondola.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The Grouse Mountain Skyride in action]] * Ride the Skyride to the top of '''Grouse Mountain''' to see the city laid out below you. Or take part in one of the many activities like zip line, skiing, skating and hiking. * Rent a canoe or kayak in '''Deep Cove''' and paddle around. * '''Hike''', there's no shortage of options. For something close, choices range from paved and flat West Vancouver Seawall to the outdoor stairmaster of the Grouse Grind. The more adventurous can head to the provincial parks or [[Lions Bay]] to hike the mountains. * The North Shore is world famous amongst mountain bikers as one of the best places to '''mountain bike'''. More information is available from the [http://nsmba.ca/ North Shore Mountain Bike Association]. ==Eat== If you're looking to buy your own food, there are plenty of grocery stores (Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Superstore, IGA) scattered across the North Shore. There are also a number of smaller stores that sell produce (Kin's Market is one chain), as does the market at Lonsdale Quay. The North Shore has a large number of restaurants serving a variety of tastes. Generally, if you drive along Marine Drive or Lonsdale Avenue you won't have a problem finding a restaurant. A selection of restaurants is below. *{{eat | name=Osaka Supermarket | url=http://www.tntsupermarket.com | email= | address=Park Royal Mall South | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=If you are looking for fresh food & grocery, it's a great place to shop! Lots of fresh selection for daily needs, great price & even live seafood! The hot food & sushi section is amazing! }} ==Drink== Nightlife options on the North Shore are limited. Clubbing is pretty much non-existent (you have to go to [[Vancouver]] to find night clubs), but there are a number of good neighbourhood pubs. Coffee, of course, is as ubiquious here as it is in Vancouver. ==Stay safe== When hiking in the mountains here, do not go beyond your abilities or provisions. Stay on well marked trails and leave plenty of time to get back to the trailhead before night fall which happens quite quickly in the dense forest. Many hikers have to get rescued every weekend from the trails in the summer. Most of these are unnecessary rescues where tourists were completely unprepared and got lost on the trails. There are a lot of black bears around in the summer. Be Bear aware when hiking around the North Shore areas. ==Go next== Northward on '''Hwy 99''' takes you through the [[Sea to Sky]] region, which offers varied outdoor activities including hiking, swimming, rock climbing and camping. It also takes you to the resort area of [[Whistler]], with its nightlife, fine dining and a wide variety of activities that will keep you busy regardless of what season it is. [[Vancouver Island]] is a 1 hr 35 minute ferry ride away via '''BC Ferries''' and the '''Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal'''. Arriving in [[Nanaimo]], you can head down island to [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]], the capital of British Columbia, or across the island to [[Tofino]], where you can go whale-watching, surf and storm-watch. The [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] is another getaway destination, with the same mountains and water scenery but a slower pace. It is accessed by a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{geo|49.357|-123.169|zoom=12}} 53atpfr5f5qr2mkit70pgqh1ywve2nf 4502024 4501943 2022-08-16T08:41:29Z 193.200.133.206 wikitext text/x-wiki 4502025 4502024 2022-08-16T08:42:25Z 193.200.133.206 wikitext text/x-wiki 4502028 4502025 2022-08-16T08:45:28Z SHB2000 2248002 null edit wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|West Vancouver banner ambleside beach2.jpg|pgname=North Shore}} [[File:Tugboat in front of North Vancouver.jpg|thumb|300px|Grouse Mountain in Vancouver's North Shore]] The '''North Shore''' (of Burrard Inlet) is a local regional grouping of northern suburban areas of [[Vancouver]] where dense urban meets dramatic tall mountains. The mountains provide attractions like the '''Grouse Mountain''' ski resort. At the west end of the North Shore is '''Horseshoe Bay''', ferry terminal to the [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] and Vancouver Island. ==Understand== [[File:Vancouver area map.png|thumb|300px|The North Shore encompasses West Vancouver and North Vancouver in this area map]] The first European settlers started to arrive in the North Shore in the 1860s, attracted by the logging potential of its old growth forests. The lumber, in turn, was attractive to ship builders and a ship building industry was born that would be important to the region for decades. The settlement grew and by 1891 the residents had organized and incorporated the '''District of North Vancouver''', which covered the entire region from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. "North Vancouver" was chosen as the name so potential real estate investors would better know where their land was. Most of the early settlement and industry focused on what is now considered Lower and Central Lonsdale. Property owners in this area felt they could do better if they separated from the District, so the '''City of North Vancouver''' was incorporated in 1907, taking with it the municipal hall, the ferry connections to [[Vancouver]] and most of the business and industry in the North Shore. Meanwhile, people living west of the Capilano River were becoming anxious that the increasing industry in the North Shore would affect them. This led to the incorporation of the '''District of West Vancouver''' in 1912 to preserve the residential nature of the area. Although all of this happened more than 100 years ago and the borders of the three municipalities are invisible to anyone except local politicians and municipal government employees, the structure of government and the interests that were important in their creation continue to shape the community. West Vancouver has the wealthiest people and the most expensive real estate in the country, a dwindling stock old rental high rise buildings along the waterfront and Park Royal, a successful and growing shopping center featuring many of the world's luxury brands, on land that it leases from the Squamish First Nation. Its separation from the other two municipalities is more obvious due to the coincidence of the Capilano River with most of the boundary between it and the District of North Vancouver. There is also the fact that, as with most wealthy enclaves, the residential property tax rate is 40% lower than other municipalities in the region. The boundary between the City and District of North Vancouver has no correlation to any feature of the local geography. It exists only because it demarcated the extent of the lands owned in 1907 by the developers that got the provincial government to create a municipality dedicated to getting their properties developed for sale while avoiding the burden of maintaining roads and bridges to homesteaders in the district. True to its roots, the city has always been more development-friendly. Its 12-km² footprint is the urban core of North Vancouver and the hub for many of the commercial and non-profit activities that serve all of North Vancouver and is connected by a 12-minute Seabus ride to downtown Vancouver. Over 80% of the population lives in high rise or multi-family developments and approximately half of the 50,000 residents are renters. The 160 km² of the district entirely surrounds the city and much higher proportion of its 90,000 residents live in single family homes. This is changing as the District Council has been pursuing a policy of densification around 'town centers' in addition to an urban core, which is for practical purposes the city. Its commercial base is of a similar size to the city but spread out more across the community. Industrial activity is also split relatively evenly with the district likely to grow as a major federal government funded ship building program gets underway on the grounds of Seaspan, one of its major waterfront employers. The North Shore is distinguished by its world class recreation and tourist attractions made possible by mountains that are the iconic background to most pictures of the City of Vancouver. Early recreational enthusiasts from Vancouver and elsewhere would brave ferry rides and long treks up the local mountains to go skiing or hiking. Over the years, parks were set aside, trails cut and ski areas built to make it more accessible. The ski areas became Olympic venues for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The mountain trails are cherished and convenient escape routes for city dwellers into nature in addition to being home to world-class mountain biking and trail running events. The year round gondola service at Grouse Mountain provides thousands of fitness devotees a ride back down after exhausting themselves running or walking up the 2.9 km length and 800 meter elevation of the 'Grouse Grind'. Every North Shore mountain has a peak that invites hiking and climbing. Each valley in-between has a recreational opportunity in the lake or river that will be protected by a park created to make it available for the enjoyment of residents and tourists alike. The most accessible and visitor friendly of these is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Much of the terrain across the North Shore is challenging and can be dangerous, which has resulted in a very active local Search & Rescue organization. The owners of the Capilano Suspension Bridge have taken the historical necessity of spanning the deepest and most dangerous of the North Shore river canyons with a long suspension bridge and turned it into a world class tourism destination and a safe way for the first time visitor to view the spectacular scenery while at the same time getting an introduction to the region and its history. While it is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists it remains a very attractive place to live for people that value the natural recreation and lifestyle options it offers. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Lions Bay]]|wikidata=Q43465}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[North Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q1001626}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[West Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q991329}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Bowen Island]]|wikidata=Q895413}} ==Get in== Most people will enter the North Shore from [[Vancouver]] by road or through the Translink system. {{infobox|Lions Gate Bridge|The Lions Gate Bridge is a Vancouver landmark linking the city with the North Shore across Burrard Inlet. Similar in style to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, it was built in 1937-38 in large part to help develop land owned by the Guinness family (of beer fame) in West Vancouver. Although the family sold their land in the 1950s, a link remains in the decorative lighting they donated for the bridge in 1986. The bridge is three lanes with sidewalks on either side for walking or cycling. The centre lane is controlled by traffic signals, so it alternates direction depending on the traffic conditions. The bridge is best avoided during rush hour (if you're in a car, at least) but otherwise provides a more scenic entrance (or exit) to the North Shore than the larger Second Narrows Bridge.}} ===By car=== If you're coming from [[Vancouver]], you enter the North Shore by either '''Highway 1''' (Trans Canada Highway) across the '''Second Narrows Bridge''' into North Vancouver or by '''Highway 99''' across the '''Lion's Gate Bridge''' into West Vancouver. Visitors travelling '''south on Highway 99''' from [[Squamish]] or [[Whistler]] will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay. ===By public transit=== The '''[https://www.translink.bc.ca TransLink]''' bus system connects both North and West Vancouver with the rest of the TransLink system in Vancouver and its surrounding suburbs. Going to the North Shore means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from [[Vancouver]], [[Burnaby]] or [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] will cost {{translink|2}} and a ticket to/from [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]] will cost {{translink|3}}. TransLink also provides a ferry option to get to the North Shore, called the '''SeaBus'''. This is a passenger only ferry that goes from '''Waterfront Station''' in Downtown Vancouver to '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Vancouver. A ticket or transfer used on a bus or the Skytrain is also accepted on the Seabus. The '''SeaBus''' runs every 15 minutes until 6:45PM M-F and 10AM - 6:15PM on Saturdays. It runs every half hour at all other times. The SeaBus operates from about 6AM to 1:20AM, with shorter hours on Sunday. A schedule is available on the TransLink's website. ===By boat=== '''[https://www.bcferries.bc.ca BC Ferries]''' has a ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) with three routes servicing it, including one from [[Nanaimo]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. The ferry terminal has a road that connects directly to Highway 1 and Translink bus connections as well (routes 250, 257, 259 and C12). ==Get around== It is convenient to get around the North Shore by driving or taking the bus. There is also a variety of hiking and biking trails. The bus service is mostly aimed at getting people downtown so travelling from one part of the North Shore to another may involve a transfer. However, it is possible to reach many of the attractions by bus. There is excellent service between the SeaBus and many of the attractions on the North Shore, such as the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge or the Grouse Mountain Skyride. Parking is quite plentiful and usually free on the North Shore. The City of North Vancouver has talked about installing meters around Lonsdale Avenue, but so far nothing has been done. ===By road=== Two provincial highways -- Hwy #1 and Hwy #99 -- cross the North Shore and provide main thoroughfares for getting around it. Hwy 1, or the '''Upper Levels Highway''', runs east-west from the Second Narrows Bridge in North Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. '''Hwy 99''' runs north-south through West Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay to the Lions Gate Bridge. Another major street that runs east-west, roughly parallel to the waterfront, is the combination of '''Marine Drive - 3rd St - Cotton Rd - Main Street''' (roughly one street but different names in different spots). '''Lonsdale Avenue''' runs north-south through middle of the City of North Vancouver, while '''Capilano Road''' and '''Taylor Way''' provide access from the northern parts of the cities to the Lions Gate Bridge. Many shops, restaurants and businesses are located along Marine Drive and Lonsdale Avenue. ===By public transit=== The North Shore bus system is built around the three hubs of '''Park Royal''' in West Van, '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Van and '''Phibbs Exchange''' in North Van. Buses run between each of these hubs and out to the various attractions and parts of the region (e.g., Grouse Mountain, Horseshoe Bay, Deep Cove, etc.). Park Royal and Lonsdale Quay have buses that connect with [[Vancouver/CBD-Yaletown|downtown Vancouver]] while Phibbs Exchange has buses that connect with [[Vancouver]] and [[Burnaby]]. Travel within the North Shore on the bus system is considered one zone and costs $2.50. Taking the bus outside of the North Shore will be two or three zone travel and will cost more ($3.75 or $5, depending on the destination), unless it is a weekday after 6:30PM or a weekend/holiday (when all zones are $2.50). If you are a student (in some cases a valid student ID will be requested) then the fare for one zone is $2.50. If it is after 6PM or a weekend/holiday then the fare will be $1.75 regardless of zones crossed. West Vancouver has '''Blue Buses''' with a distinctive appearance, but they take the same transfers and fares that the other Translink buses in Greater Vancouver do. ===By bike=== For those who want a good workout (there are a lot of hills), there are many designated bike routes on the North Shore. Generally, they are well signed and on quieter streets, but do not always have bike lanes marked on the pavement. A map is available from the Translink website. ===Villages in the North Shore=== [[File:North Vancouver from canada place.JPG|thumb|The waterfront of Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver]] It is common to see references to areas like Deep Cove and Horseshoe Bay when books, websites, locals, etc., talk about the North Shore. These areas are like village centers within the city, but are not big enough to be districts. They include: * '''[http://www.deepcovebc.com/ Deep Cove]''' is nestled below Mount Seymour next to Indian Arm and is a great area to relax and enjoy the scenery. Very busy on the weekends in summer, it has a number of small shops, restaurants, parks, canoe/kayak rentals and hiking. Or you can grab some takeaways, sit on the grass and watch everyone play around you. Deep Cove is reached by taking the Dollarton Highway exit from Hwy 1 (first exit after crossing the Second Narrows Bridge) and following it until it ends or by bus #212 or #211. * '''Lynn Valley''' lies north of Highway 1 near Lynn Creek and is focused on Lynn Valley Road (exit 19 on Hwy 1 or by bus #228, #229, #210 or #255). It includes shops and restaurants plus two regional parks with hiking and swimming opportunities. It is also home to the North Vancouver archives and boasts a new Library and plaza designed to give the community a central meeting place. * '''Lower Lonsdale''' refers to the lower portion of Lonsdale Ave and the waterfront around '''Lonsdale Quay'''. Parts of it were previously used for industry and ship building, but it is now being converted to condo towers, shops and restaurants. Lower Lonsdale can be reached by heading south on Lonsdale Ave from Hwy 1 (exit 18) or on the SeaBus (and many other bus routes) via Lonsdale Quay. * '''Edgemont Village''' is a two block strip of small shops and restaurants in the District of North Vancouver. To drive there, head north from the Westview exit on Highway 1 (exit 17), turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at Edgemont Rd. Alternatively, head north on Capilano Road and turn right onto Ridgewood. Bus service is provided by the #232 from Lonsdale or the #246. * '''[http://www.amblesidevillage.ca/ Ambleside Village]''' is in West Vancouver across the harbor from Stanley Park. It has many shops and restaurants, plus a park and beach. To get to Ambleside from the Lions Gate Bridge, take Marine Drive west and drive past Park Royal Shopping Center. From Highway 1, take the 15th Street exit. Further west along Marine Drive is '''[http://www.dundaravevillage.ca/ Dundarave]''', another village along the waterfront. Like Ambleside, it has shop and restaurants (although on a smaller scale), and there is a park with a small beach and pier that provides views across the harbor to Stanley Park and UBC. * '''Horseshoe Bay''' is a small village with a picturesque setting amongst the mountains that line Howe Sound. It also marks the end of Highway 1 and the start of the Sea-to-Sky highway, as well as having a BC Ferries terminal, so it provides both transportation and sightseeing opportunities. There are a small number of shops and restaurants and a couple of parks. A live web cam view [http://www.westvancouver.com/webcams/hbaycam/] of the bay shows all the marine traffic and BC Ferries ships as they travel in and out of the area. ==See== [[File:Lynn canyon bridge.jpg|thumb|Lynn Canyon suspension bridge]] * See (or take a walk) on the '''Capilano Suspension Bridge''' (fee) or '''Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge''' (free) in [[North Vancouver]] * Look up at tall trees or gaze out at Point Atkinson Lighthouse at '''Lighthouse Park''' in [[West Vancouver]] * Wander around the market, learn about [[North Vancouver|North Vancouver's]] shipbuilding history or take in the view at '''Lonsdale Quay''' * Visit one of the many local '''parks and gardens''' ==Do== [[Image:Grouse_Mountain_Gondola.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The Grouse Mountain Skyride in action]] * Ride the Skyride to the top of '''Grouse Mountain''' to see the city laid out below you. Or take part in one of the many activities like zip line, skiing, skating and hiking. * Rent a canoe or kayak in '''Deep Cove''' and paddle around. * '''Hike''', there's no shortage of options. For something close, choices range from paved and flat West Vancouver Seawall to the outdoor stairmaster of the Grouse Grind. The more adventurous can head to the provincial parks or [[Lions Bay]] to hike the mountains. * The North Shore is world famous amongst mountain bikers as one of the best places to '''mountain bike'''. More information is available from the [http://nsmba.ca/ North Shore Mountain Bike Association]. ==Eat== If you're looking to buy your own food, there are plenty of grocery stores (Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Superstore, IGA) scattered across the North Shore. There are also a number of smaller stores that sell produce (Kin's Market is one chain), as does the market at Lonsdale Quay. The North Shore has a large number of restaurants serving a variety of tastes. Generally, if you drive along Marine Drive or Lonsdale Avenue you won't have a problem finding a restaurant. A selection of restaurants is below. *{{eat | name=Osaka Supermarket | url=http://www.tntsupermarket.com | email= | address=Park Royal Mall South | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=If you are looking for fresh food & grocery, it's a great place to shop! Lots of fresh selection for daily needs, great price & even live seafood! The hot food & sushi section is amazing! }} ==Drink== Nightlife options on the North Shore are limited. Clubbing is pretty much non-existent (you have to go to [[Vancouver]] to find night clubs), but there are a number of good neighbourhood pubs. Coffee, of course, is as ubiquious here as it is in Vancouver. ==Stay safe== When hiking in the mountains here, do not go beyond your abilities or provisions. Stay on well marked trails and leave plenty of time to get back to the trailhead before night fall which happens quite quickly in the dense forest. Many hikers have to get rescued every weekend from the trails in the summer. Most of these are unnecessary rescues where tourists were completely unprepared and got lost on the trails. There are a lot of black bears around in the summer. Be Bear aware when hiking around the North Shore areas. ==Go next== Northward on '''Hwy 99''' takes you through the [[Sea to Sky]] region, which offers varied outdoor activities including hiking, swimming, rock climbing and camping. It also takes you to the resort area of [[Whistler]], with its nightlife, fine dining and a wide variety of activities that will keep you busy regardless of what season it is. [[Vancouver Island]] is a 1 hr 35 minute ferry ride away via '''BC Ferries''' and the '''Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal'''. Arriving in [[Nanaimo]], you can head down island to [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]], the capital of British Columbia, or across the island to [[Tofino]], where you can go whale-watching, surf and storm-watch. The [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] is another getaway destination, with the same mountains and water scenery but a slower pace. It is accessed by a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{geo|49.357|-123.169|zoom=12}} pebgie946vyur5cbgcf4fkqh09vsbqy 4502040 4502028 2022-08-16T09:00:07Z 182.186.0.247 wikitext text/x-wiki 4502041 4502040 2022-08-16T09:00:30Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/182.186.0.247|182.186.0.247]] ([[User talk:182.186.0.247|talk]]) to last version by [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|West Vancouver banner ambleside beach2.jpg|pgname=North Shore}} [[File:Tugboat in front of North Vancouver.jpg|thumb|300px|Grouse Mountain in Vancouver's North Shore]] The '''North Shore''' (of Burrard Inlet) is a local regional grouping of northern suburban areas of [[Vancouver]] where dense urban meets dramatic tall mountains. The mountains provide attractions like the '''Grouse Mountain''' ski resort. At the west end of the North Shore is '''Horseshoe Bay''', ferry terminal to the [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] and Vancouver Island. ==Understand== [[File:Vancouver area map.png|thumb|300px|The North Shore encompasses West Vancouver and North Vancouver in this area map]] The first European settlers started to arrive in the North Shore in the 1860s, attracted by the logging potential of its old growth forests. The lumber, in turn, was attractive to ship builders and a ship building industry was born that would be important to the region for decades. The settlement grew and by 1891 the residents had organized and incorporated the '''District of North Vancouver''', which covered the entire region from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. "North Vancouver" was chosen as the name so potential real estate investors would better know where their land was. Most of the early settlement and industry focused on what is now considered Lower and Central Lonsdale. Property owners in this area felt they could do better if they separated from the District, so the '''City of North Vancouver''' was incorporated in 1907, taking with it the municipal hall, the ferry connections to [[Vancouver]] and most of the business and industry in the North Shore. Meanwhile, people living west of the Capilano River were becoming anxious that the increasing industry in the North Shore would affect them. This led to the incorporation of the '''District of West Vancouver''' in 1912 to preserve the residential nature of the area. Although all of this happened more than 100 years ago and the borders of the three municipalities are invisible to anyone except local politicians and municipal government employees, the structure of government and the interests that were important in their creation continue to shape the community. West Vancouver has the wealthiest people and the most expensive real estate in the country, a dwindling stock old rental high rise buildings along the waterfront and Park Royal, a successful and growing shopping center featuring many of the world's luxury brands, on land that it leases from the Squamish First Nation. Its separation from the other two municipalities is more obvious due to the coincidence of the Capilano River with most of the boundary between it and the District of North Vancouver. There is also the fact that, as with most wealthy enclaves, the residential property tax rate is 40% lower than other municipalities in the region. The boundary between the City and District of North Vancouver has no correlation to any feature of the local geography. It exists only because it demarcated the extent of the lands owned in 1907 by the developers that got the provincial government to create a municipality dedicated to getting their properties developed for sale while avoiding the burden of maintaining roads and bridges to homesteaders in the district. True to its roots, the city has always been more development-friendly. Its 12-km² footprint is the urban core of North Vancouver and the hub for many of the commercial and non-profit activities that serve all of North Vancouver and is connected by a 12-minute Seabus ride to downtown Vancouver. Over 80% of the population lives in high rise or multi-family developments and approximately half of the 50,000 residents are renters. The 160 km² of the district entirely surrounds the city and much higher proportion of its 90,000 residents live in single family homes. This is changing as the District Council has been pursuing a policy of densification around 'town centers' in addition to an urban core, which is for practical purposes the city. Its commercial base is of a similar size to the city but spread out more across the community. Industrial activity is also split relatively evenly with the district likely to grow as a major federal government funded ship building program gets underway on the grounds of Seaspan, one of its major waterfront employers. The North Shore is distinguished by its world class recreation and tourist attractions made possible by mountains that are the iconic background to most pictures of the City of Vancouver. Early recreational enthusiasts from Vancouver and elsewhere would brave ferry rides and long treks up the local mountains to go skiing or hiking. Over the years, parks were set aside, trails cut and ski areas built to make it more accessible. The ski areas became Olympic venues for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The mountain trails are cherished and convenient escape routes for city dwellers into nature in addition to being home to world-class mountain biking and trail running events. The year round gondola service at Grouse Mountain provides thousands of fitness devotees a ride back down after exhausting themselves running or walking up the 2.9 km length and 800 meter elevation of the 'Grouse Grind'. Every North Shore mountain has a peak that invites hiking and climbing. Each valley in-between has a recreational opportunity in the lake or river that will be protected by a park created to make it available for the enjoyment of residents and tourists alike. The most accessible and visitor friendly of these is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Much of the terrain across the North Shore is challenging and can be dangerous, which has resulted in a very active local Search & Rescue organization. The owners of the Capilano Suspension Bridge have taken the historical necessity of spanning the deepest and most dangerous of the North Shore river canyons with a long suspension bridge and turned it into a world class tourism destination and a safe way for the first time visitor to view the spectacular scenery while at the same time getting an introduction to the region and its history. While it is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists it remains a very attractive place to live for people that value the natural recreation and lifestyle options it offers. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Lions Bay]]|wikidata=Q43465}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[North Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q1001626}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[West Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q991329}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Bowen Island]]|wikidata=Q895413}} ==Get in== Most people will enter the North Shore from [[Vancouver]] by road or through the Translink system. {{infobox|Lions Gate Bridge|The Lions Gate Bridge is a Vancouver landmark linking the city with the North Shore across Burrard Inlet. Similar in style to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, it was built in 1937-38 in large part to help develop land owned by the Guinness family (of beer fame) in West Vancouver. Although the family sold their land in the 1950s, a link remains in the decorative lighting they donated for the bridge in 1986. The bridge is three lanes with sidewalks on either side for walking or cycling. The centre lane is controlled by traffic signals, so it alternates direction depending on the traffic conditions. The bridge is best avoided during rush hour (if you're in a car, at least) but otherwise provides a more scenic entrance (or exit) to the North Shore than the larger Second Narrows Bridge.}} ===By car=== If you're coming from [[Vancouver]], you enter the North Shore by either '''Highway 1''' (Trans Canada Highway) across the '''Second Narrows Bridge''' into North Vancouver or by '''Highway 99''' across the '''Lion's Gate Bridge''' into West Vancouver. Visitors travelling '''south on Highway 99''' from [[Squamish]] or [[Whistler]] will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay. ===By public transit=== The '''[https://www.translink.bc.ca TransLink]''' bus system connects both North and West Vancouver with the rest of the TransLink system in Vancouver and its surrounding suburbs. Going to the North Shore means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from [[Vancouver]], [[Burnaby]] or [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] will cost {{translink|2}} and a ticket to/from [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]] will cost {{translink|3}}. TransLink also provides a ferry option to get to the North Shore, called the '''SeaBus'''. This is a passenger only ferry that goes from '''Waterfront Station''' in Downtown Vancouver to '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Vancouver. A ticket or transfer used on a bus or the Skytrain is also accepted on the Seabus. The '''SeaBus''' runs every 15 minutes until 6:45PM M-F and 10AM - 6:15PM on Saturdays. It runs every half hour at all other times. The SeaBus operates from about 6AM to 1:20AM, with shorter hours on Sunday. A schedule is available on the TransLink's website. ===By boat=== '''[https://www.bcferries.bc.ca BC Ferries]''' has a ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) with three routes servicing it, including one from [[Nanaimo]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. The ferry terminal has a road that connects directly to Highway 1 and Translink bus connections as well (routes 250, 257, 259 and C12). ==Get around== It is convenient to get around the North Shore by driving or taking the bus. There is also a variety of hiking and biking trails. The bus service is mostly aimed at getting people downtown so travelling from one part of the North Shore to another may involve a transfer. However, it is possible to reach many of the attractions by bus. There is excellent service between the SeaBus and many of the attractions on the North Shore, such as the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge or the Grouse Mountain Skyride. Parking is quite plentiful and usually free on the North Shore. The City of North Vancouver has talked about installing meters around Lonsdale Avenue, but so far nothing has been done. ===By road=== Two provincial highways -- Hwy #1 and Hwy #99 -- cross the North Shore and provide main thoroughfares for getting around it. Hwy 1, or the '''Upper Levels Highway''', runs east-west from the Second Narrows Bridge in North Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. '''Hwy 99''' runs north-south through West Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay to the Lions Gate Bridge. Another major street that runs east-west, roughly parallel to the waterfront, is the combination of '''Marine Drive - 3rd St - Cotton Rd - Main Street''' (roughly one street but different names in different spots). '''Lonsdale Avenue''' runs north-south through middle of the City of North Vancouver, while '''Capilano Road''' and '''Taylor Way''' provide access from the northern parts of the cities to the Lions Gate Bridge. Many shops, restaurants and businesses are located along Marine Drive and Lonsdale Avenue. ===By public transit=== The North Shore bus system is built around the three hubs of '''Park Royal''' in West Van, '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Van and '''Phibbs Exchange''' in North Van. Buses run between each of these hubs and out to the various attractions and parts of the region (e.g., Grouse Mountain, Horseshoe Bay, Deep Cove, etc.). Park Royal and Lonsdale Quay have buses that connect with [[Vancouver/CBD-Yaletown|downtown Vancouver]] while Phibbs Exchange has buses that connect with [[Vancouver]] and [[Burnaby]]. Travel within the North Shore on the bus system is considered one zone and costs $2.50. Taking the bus outside of the North Shore will be two or three zone travel and will cost more ($3.75 or $5, depending on the destination), unless it is a weekday after 6:30PM or a weekend/holiday (when all zones are $2.50). If you are a student (in some cases a valid student ID will be requested) then the fare for one zone is $2.50. If it is after 6PM or a weekend/holiday then the fare will be $1.75 regardless of zones crossed. West Vancouver has '''Blue Buses''' with a distinctive appearance, but they take the same transfers and fares that the other Translink buses in Greater Vancouver do. ===By bike=== For those who want a good workout (there are a lot of hills), there are many designated bike routes on the North Shore. Generally, they are well signed and on quieter streets, but do not always have bike lanes marked on the pavement. A map is available from the Translink website. ===Villages in the North Shore=== [[File:North Vancouver from canada place.JPG|thumb|The waterfront of Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver]] It is common to see references to areas like Deep Cove and Horseshoe Bay when books, websites, locals, etc., talk about the North Shore. These areas are like village centers within the city, but are not big enough to be districts. They include: * '''[http://www.deepcovebc.com/ Deep Cove]''' is nestled below Mount Seymour next to Indian Arm and is a great area to relax and enjoy the scenery. Very busy on the weekends in summer, it has a number of small shops, restaurants, parks, canoe/kayak rentals and hiking. Or you can grab some takeaways, sit on the grass and watch everyone play around you. Deep Cove is reached by taking the Dollarton Highway exit from Hwy 1 (first exit after crossing the Second Narrows Bridge) and following it until it ends or by bus #212 or #211. * '''Lynn Valley''' lies north of Highway 1 near Lynn Creek and is focused on Lynn Valley Road (exit 19 on Hwy 1 or by bus #228, #229, #210 or #255). It includes shops and restaurants plus two regional parks with hiking and swimming opportunities. It is also home to the North Vancouver archives and boasts a new Library and plaza designed to give the community a central meeting place. * '''Lower Lonsdale''' refers to the lower portion of Lonsdale Ave and the waterfront around '''Lonsdale Quay'''. Parts of it were previously used for industry and ship building, but it is now being converted to condo towers, shops and restaurants. Lower Lonsdale can be reached by heading south on Lonsdale Ave from Hwy 1 (exit 18) or on the SeaBus (and many other bus routes) via Lonsdale Quay. * '''Edgemont Village''' is a two block strip of small shops and restaurants in the District of North Vancouver. To drive there, head north from the Westview exit on Highway 1 (exit 17), turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at Edgemont Rd. Alternatively, head north on Capilano Road and turn right onto Ridgewood. Bus service is provided by the #232 from Lonsdale or the #246. * '''[http://www.amblesidevillage.ca/ Ambleside Village]''' is in West Vancouver across the harbor from Stanley Park. It has many shops and restaurants, plus a park and beach. To get to Ambleside from the Lions Gate Bridge, take Marine Drive west and drive past Park Royal Shopping Center. From Highway 1, take the 15th Street exit. Further west along Marine Drive is '''[http://www.dundaravevillage.ca/ Dundarave]''', another village along the waterfront. Like Ambleside, it has shop and restaurants (although on a smaller scale), and there is a park with a small beach and pier that provides views across the harbor to Stanley Park and UBC. * '''Horseshoe Bay''' is a small village with a picturesque setting amongst the mountains that line Howe Sound. It also marks the end of Highway 1 and the start of the Sea-to-Sky highway, as well as having a BC Ferries terminal, so it provides both transportation and sightseeing opportunities. There are a small number of shops and restaurants and a couple of parks. A live web cam view [http://www.westvancouver.com/webcams/hbaycam/] of the bay shows all the marine traffic and BC Ferries ships as they travel in and out of the area. ==See== [[File:Lynn canyon bridge.jpg|thumb|Lynn Canyon suspension bridge]] * See (or take a walk) on the '''Capilano Suspension Bridge''' (fee) or '''Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge''' (free) in [[North Vancouver]] * Look up at tall trees or gaze out at Point Atkinson Lighthouse at '''Lighthouse Park''' in [[West Vancouver]] * Wander around the market, learn about [[North Vancouver|North Vancouver's]] shipbuilding history or take in the view at '''Lonsdale Quay''' * Visit one of the many local '''parks and gardens''' ==Do== [[Image:Grouse_Mountain_Gondola.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The Grouse Mountain Skyride in action]] * Ride the Skyride to the top of '''Grouse Mountain''' to see the city laid out below you. Or take part in one of the many activities like zip line, skiing, skating and hiking. * Rent a canoe or kayak in '''Deep Cove''' and paddle around. * '''Hike''', there's no shortage of options. For something close, choices range from paved and flat West Vancouver Seawall to the outdoor stairmaster of the Grouse Grind. The more adventurous can head to the provincial parks or [[Lions Bay]] to hike the mountains. * The North Shore is world famous amongst mountain bikers as one of the best places to '''mountain bike'''. More information is available from the [http://nsmba.ca/ North Shore Mountain Bike Association]. ==Eat== If you're looking to buy your own food, there are plenty of grocery stores (Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Superstore, IGA) scattered across the North Shore. There are also a number of smaller stores that sell produce (Kin's Market is one chain), as does the market at Lonsdale Quay. The North Shore has a large number of restaurants serving a variety of tastes. Generally, if you drive along Marine Drive or Lonsdale Avenue you won't have a problem finding a restaurant. A selection of restaurants is below. *{{eat | name=Osaka Supermarket | url=http://www.tntsupermarket.com | email= | address=Park Royal Mall South | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=If you are looking for fresh food & grocery, it's a great place to shop! Lots of fresh selection for daily needs, great price & even live seafood! The hot food & sushi section is amazing! }} ==Drink== Nightlife options on the North Shore are limited. Clubbing is pretty much non-existent (you have to go to [[Vancouver]] to find night clubs), but there are a number of good neighbourhood pubs. Coffee, of course, is as ubiquious here as it is in Vancouver. ==Stay safe== When hiking in the mountains here, do not go beyond your abilities or provisions. Stay on well marked trails and leave plenty of time to get back to the trailhead before night fall which happens quite quickly in the dense forest. Many hikers have to get rescued every weekend from the trails in the summer. Most of these are unnecessary rescues where tourists were completely unprepared and got lost on the trails. There are a lot of black bears around in the summer. Be Bear aware when hiking around the North Shore areas. ==Go next== Northward on '''Hwy 99''' takes you through the [[Sea to Sky]] region, which offers varied outdoor activities including hiking, swimming, rock climbing and camping. It also takes you to the resort area of [[Whistler]], with its nightlife, fine dining and a wide variety of activities that will keep you busy regardless of what season it is. [[Vancouver Island]] is a 1 hr 35 minute ferry ride away via '''BC Ferries''' and the '''Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal'''. Arriving in [[Nanaimo]], you can head down island to [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]], the capital of British Columbia, or across the island to [[Tofino]], where you can go whale-watching, surf and storm-watch. The [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] is another getaway destination, with the same mountains and water scenery but a slower pace. It is accessed by a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{geo|49.357|-123.169|zoom=12}} pebgie946vyur5cbgcf4fkqh09vsbqy 4502042 4502041 2022-08-16T09:00:48Z SHB2000 2248002 Protected "[[North Shore (British Columbia)]]": Excessive vandalism ([Edit=Allow only autoconfirmed users] (expires 09:00, 30 August 2022 (UTC)) [Move=Allow only autoconfirmed users] (expires 09:00, 30 August 2022 (UTC))) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|West Vancouver banner ambleside beach2.jpg|pgname=North Shore}} [[File:Tugboat in front of North Vancouver.jpg|thumb|300px|Grouse Mountain in Vancouver's North Shore]] The '''North Shore''' (of Burrard Inlet) is a local regional grouping of northern suburban areas of [[Vancouver]] where dense urban meets dramatic tall mountains. The mountains provide attractions like the '''Grouse Mountain''' ski resort. At the west end of the North Shore is '''Horseshoe Bay''', ferry terminal to the [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] and Vancouver Island. ==Understand== [[File:Vancouver area map.png|thumb|300px|The North Shore encompasses West Vancouver and North Vancouver in this area map]] The first European settlers started to arrive in the North Shore in the 1860s, attracted by the logging potential of its old growth forests. The lumber, in turn, was attractive to ship builders and a ship building industry was born that would be important to the region for decades. The settlement grew and by 1891 the residents had organized and incorporated the '''District of North Vancouver''', which covered the entire region from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. "North Vancouver" was chosen as the name so potential real estate investors would better know where their land was. Most of the early settlement and industry focused on what is now considered Lower and Central Lonsdale. Property owners in this area felt they could do better if they separated from the District, so the '''City of North Vancouver''' was incorporated in 1907, taking with it the municipal hall, the ferry connections to [[Vancouver]] and most of the business and industry in the North Shore. Meanwhile, people living west of the Capilano River were becoming anxious that the increasing industry in the North Shore would affect them. This led to the incorporation of the '''District of West Vancouver''' in 1912 to preserve the residential nature of the area. Although all of this happened more than 100 years ago and the borders of the three municipalities are invisible to anyone except local politicians and municipal government employees, the structure of government and the interests that were important in their creation continue to shape the community. West Vancouver has the wealthiest people and the most expensive real estate in the country, a dwindling stock old rental high rise buildings along the waterfront and Park Royal, a successful and growing shopping center featuring many of the world's luxury brands, on land that it leases from the Squamish First Nation. Its separation from the other two municipalities is more obvious due to the coincidence of the Capilano River with most of the boundary between it and the District of North Vancouver. There is also the fact that, as with most wealthy enclaves, the residential property tax rate is 40% lower than other municipalities in the region. The boundary between the City and District of North Vancouver has no correlation to any feature of the local geography. It exists only because it demarcated the extent of the lands owned in 1907 by the developers that got the provincial government to create a municipality dedicated to getting their properties developed for sale while avoiding the burden of maintaining roads and bridges to homesteaders in the district. True to its roots, the city has always been more development-friendly. Its 12-km² footprint is the urban core of North Vancouver and the hub for many of the commercial and non-profit activities that serve all of North Vancouver and is connected by a 12-minute Seabus ride to downtown Vancouver. Over 80% of the population lives in high rise or multi-family developments and approximately half of the 50,000 residents are renters. The 160 km² of the district entirely surrounds the city and much higher proportion of its 90,000 residents live in single family homes. This is changing as the District Council has been pursuing a policy of densification around 'town centers' in addition to an urban core, which is for practical purposes the city. Its commercial base is of a similar size to the city but spread out more across the community. Industrial activity is also split relatively evenly with the district likely to grow as a major federal government funded ship building program gets underway on the grounds of Seaspan, one of its major waterfront employers. The North Shore is distinguished by its world class recreation and tourist attractions made possible by mountains that are the iconic background to most pictures of the City of Vancouver. Early recreational enthusiasts from Vancouver and elsewhere would brave ferry rides and long treks up the local mountains to go skiing or hiking. Over the years, parks were set aside, trails cut and ski areas built to make it more accessible. The ski areas became Olympic venues for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The mountain trails are cherished and convenient escape routes for city dwellers into nature in addition to being home to world-class mountain biking and trail running events. The year round gondola service at Grouse Mountain provides thousands of fitness devotees a ride back down after exhausting themselves running or walking up the 2.9 km length and 800 meter elevation of the 'Grouse Grind'. Every North Shore mountain has a peak that invites hiking and climbing. Each valley in-between has a recreational opportunity in the lake or river that will be protected by a park created to make it available for the enjoyment of residents and tourists alike. The most accessible and visitor friendly of these is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Much of the terrain across the North Shore is challenging and can be dangerous, which has resulted in a very active local Search & Rescue organization. The owners of the Capilano Suspension Bridge have taken the historical necessity of spanning the deepest and most dangerous of the North Shore river canyons with a long suspension bridge and turned it into a world class tourism destination and a safe way for the first time visitor to view the spectacular scenery while at the same time getting an introduction to the region and its history. While it is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists it remains a very attractive place to live for people that value the natural recreation and lifestyle options it offers. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Lions Bay]]|wikidata=Q43465}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[North Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q1001626}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[West Vancouver]]|wikidata=Q991329}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Bowen Island]]|wikidata=Q895413}} ==Get in== Most people will enter the North Shore from [[Vancouver]] by road or through the Translink system. {{infobox|Lions Gate Bridge|The Lions Gate Bridge is a Vancouver landmark linking the city with the North Shore across Burrard Inlet. Similar in style to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, it was built in 1937-38 in large part to help develop land owned by the Guinness family (of beer fame) in West Vancouver. Although the family sold their land in the 1950s, a link remains in the decorative lighting they donated for the bridge in 1986. The bridge is three lanes with sidewalks on either side for walking or cycling. The centre lane is controlled by traffic signals, so it alternates direction depending on the traffic conditions. The bridge is best avoided during rush hour (if you're in a car, at least) but otherwise provides a more scenic entrance (or exit) to the North Shore than the larger Second Narrows Bridge.}} ===By car=== If you're coming from [[Vancouver]], you enter the North Shore by either '''Highway 1''' (Trans Canada Highway) across the '''Second Narrows Bridge''' into North Vancouver or by '''Highway 99''' across the '''Lion's Gate Bridge''' into West Vancouver. Visitors travelling '''south on Highway 99''' from [[Squamish]] or [[Whistler]] will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay. ===By public transit=== The '''[https://www.translink.bc.ca TransLink]''' bus system connects both North and West Vancouver with the rest of the TransLink system in Vancouver and its surrounding suburbs. Going to the North Shore means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from [[Vancouver]], [[Burnaby]] or [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] will cost {{translink|2}} and a ticket to/from [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]] will cost {{translink|3}}. TransLink also provides a ferry option to get to the North Shore, called the '''SeaBus'''. This is a passenger only ferry that goes from '''Waterfront Station''' in Downtown Vancouver to '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Vancouver. A ticket or transfer used on a bus or the Skytrain is also accepted on the Seabus. The '''SeaBus''' runs every 15 minutes until 6:45PM M-F and 10AM - 6:15PM on Saturdays. It runs every half hour at all other times. The SeaBus operates from about 6AM to 1:20AM, with shorter hours on Sunday. A schedule is available on the TransLink's website. ===By boat=== '''[https://www.bcferries.bc.ca BC Ferries]''' has a ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) with three routes servicing it, including one from [[Nanaimo]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. The ferry terminal has a road that connects directly to Highway 1 and Translink bus connections as well (routes 250, 257, 259 and C12). ==Get around== It is convenient to get around the North Shore by driving or taking the bus. There is also a variety of hiking and biking trails. The bus service is mostly aimed at getting people downtown so travelling from one part of the North Shore to another may involve a transfer. However, it is possible to reach many of the attractions by bus. There is excellent service between the SeaBus and many of the attractions on the North Shore, such as the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge or the Grouse Mountain Skyride. Parking is quite plentiful and usually free on the North Shore. The City of North Vancouver has talked about installing meters around Lonsdale Avenue, but so far nothing has been done. ===By road=== Two provincial highways -- Hwy #1 and Hwy #99 -- cross the North Shore and provide main thoroughfares for getting around it. Hwy 1, or the '''Upper Levels Highway''', runs east-west from the Second Narrows Bridge in North Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. '''Hwy 99''' runs north-south through West Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay to the Lions Gate Bridge. Another major street that runs east-west, roughly parallel to the waterfront, is the combination of '''Marine Drive - 3rd St - Cotton Rd - Main Street''' (roughly one street but different names in different spots). '''Lonsdale Avenue''' runs north-south through middle of the City of North Vancouver, while '''Capilano Road''' and '''Taylor Way''' provide access from the northern parts of the cities to the Lions Gate Bridge. Many shops, restaurants and businesses are located along Marine Drive and Lonsdale Avenue. ===By public transit=== The North Shore bus system is built around the three hubs of '''Park Royal''' in West Van, '''Lonsdale Quay''' in North Van and '''Phibbs Exchange''' in North Van. Buses run between each of these hubs and out to the various attractions and parts of the region (e.g., Grouse Mountain, Horseshoe Bay, Deep Cove, etc.). Park Royal and Lonsdale Quay have buses that connect with [[Vancouver/CBD-Yaletown|downtown Vancouver]] while Phibbs Exchange has buses that connect with [[Vancouver]] and [[Burnaby]]. Travel within the North Shore on the bus system is considered one zone and costs $2.50. Taking the bus outside of the North Shore will be two or three zone travel and will cost more ($3.75 or $5, depending on the destination), unless it is a weekday after 6:30PM or a weekend/holiday (when all zones are $2.50). If you are a student (in some cases a valid student ID will be requested) then the fare for one zone is $2.50. If it is after 6PM or a weekend/holiday then the fare will be $1.75 regardless of zones crossed. West Vancouver has '''Blue Buses''' with a distinctive appearance, but they take the same transfers and fares that the other Translink buses in Greater Vancouver do. ===By bike=== For those who want a good workout (there are a lot of hills), there are many designated bike routes on the North Shore. Generally, they are well signed and on quieter streets, but do not always have bike lanes marked on the pavement. A map is available from the Translink website. ===Villages in the North Shore=== [[File:North Vancouver from canada place.JPG|thumb|The waterfront of Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver]] It is common to see references to areas like Deep Cove and Horseshoe Bay when books, websites, locals, etc., talk about the North Shore. These areas are like village centers within the city, but are not big enough to be districts. They include: * '''[http://www.deepcovebc.com/ Deep Cove]''' is nestled below Mount Seymour next to Indian Arm and is a great area to relax and enjoy the scenery. Very busy on the weekends in summer, it has a number of small shops, restaurants, parks, canoe/kayak rentals and hiking. Or you can grab some takeaways, sit on the grass and watch everyone play around you. Deep Cove is reached by taking the Dollarton Highway exit from Hwy 1 (first exit after crossing the Second Narrows Bridge) and following it until it ends or by bus #212 or #211. * '''Lynn Valley''' lies north of Highway 1 near Lynn Creek and is focused on Lynn Valley Road (exit 19 on Hwy 1 or by bus #228, #229, #210 or #255). It includes shops and restaurants plus two regional parks with hiking and swimming opportunities. It is also home to the North Vancouver archives and boasts a new Library and plaza designed to give the community a central meeting place. * '''Lower Lonsdale''' refers to the lower portion of Lonsdale Ave and the waterfront around '''Lonsdale Quay'''. Parts of it were previously used for industry and ship building, but it is now being converted to condo towers, shops and restaurants. Lower Lonsdale can be reached by heading south on Lonsdale Ave from Hwy 1 (exit 18) or on the SeaBus (and many other bus routes) via Lonsdale Quay. * '''Edgemont Village''' is a two block strip of small shops and restaurants in the District of North Vancouver. To drive there, head north from the Westview exit on Highway 1 (exit 17), turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at Edgemont Rd. Alternatively, head north on Capilano Road and turn right onto Ridgewood. Bus service is provided by the #232 from Lonsdale or the #246. * '''[http://www.amblesidevillage.ca/ Ambleside Village]''' is in West Vancouver across the harbor from Stanley Park. It has many shops and restaurants, plus a park and beach. To get to Ambleside from the Lions Gate Bridge, take Marine Drive west and drive past Park Royal Shopping Center. From Highway 1, take the 15th Street exit. Further west along Marine Drive is '''[http://www.dundaravevillage.ca/ Dundarave]''', another village along the waterfront. Like Ambleside, it has shop and restaurants (although on a smaller scale), and there is a park with a small beach and pier that provides views across the harbor to Stanley Park and UBC. * '''Horseshoe Bay''' is a small village with a picturesque setting amongst the mountains that line Howe Sound. It also marks the end of Highway 1 and the start of the Sea-to-Sky highway, as well as having a BC Ferries terminal, so it provides both transportation and sightseeing opportunities. There are a small number of shops and restaurants and a couple of parks. A live web cam view [http://www.westvancouver.com/webcams/hbaycam/] of the bay shows all the marine traffic and BC Ferries ships as they travel in and out of the area. ==See== [[File:Lynn canyon bridge.jpg|thumb|Lynn Canyon suspension bridge]] * See (or take a walk) on the '''Capilano Suspension Bridge''' (fee) or '''Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge''' (free) in [[North Vancouver]] * Look up at tall trees or gaze out at Point Atkinson Lighthouse at '''Lighthouse Park''' in [[West Vancouver]] * Wander around the market, learn about [[North Vancouver|North Vancouver's]] shipbuilding history or take in the view at '''Lonsdale Quay''' * Visit one of the many local '''parks and gardens''' ==Do== [[Image:Grouse_Mountain_Gondola.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The Grouse Mountain Skyride in action]] * Ride the Skyride to the top of '''Grouse Mountain''' to see the city laid out below you. Or take part in one of the many activities like zip line, skiing, skating and hiking. * Rent a canoe or kayak in '''Deep Cove''' and paddle around. * '''Hike''', there's no shortage of options. For something close, choices range from paved and flat West Vancouver Seawall to the outdoor stairmaster of the Grouse Grind. The more adventurous can head to the provincial parks or [[Lions Bay]] to hike the mountains. * The North Shore is world famous amongst mountain bikers as one of the best places to '''mountain bike'''. More information is available from the [http://nsmba.ca/ North Shore Mountain Bike Association]. ==Eat== If you're looking to buy your own food, there are plenty of grocery stores (Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Superstore, IGA) scattered across the North Shore. There are also a number of smaller stores that sell produce (Kin's Market is one chain), as does the market at Lonsdale Quay. The North Shore has a large number of restaurants serving a variety of tastes. Generally, if you drive along Marine Drive or Lonsdale Avenue you won't have a problem finding a restaurant. A selection of restaurants is below. *{{eat | name=Osaka Supermarket | url=http://www.tntsupermarket.com | email= | address=Park Royal Mall South | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=If you are looking for fresh food & grocery, it's a great place to shop! Lots of fresh selection for daily needs, great price & even live seafood! The hot food & sushi section is amazing! }} ==Drink== Nightlife options on the North Shore are limited. Clubbing is pretty much non-existent (you have to go to [[Vancouver]] to find night clubs), but there are a number of good neighbourhood pubs. Coffee, of course, is as ubiquious here as it is in Vancouver. ==Stay safe== When hiking in the mountains here, do not go beyond your abilities or provisions. Stay on well marked trails and leave plenty of time to get back to the trailhead before night fall which happens quite quickly in the dense forest. Many hikers have to get rescued every weekend from the trails in the summer. Most of these are unnecessary rescues where tourists were completely unprepared and got lost on the trails. There are a lot of black bears around in the summer. Be Bear aware when hiking around the North Shore areas. ==Go next== Northward on '''Hwy 99''' takes you through the [[Sea to Sky]] region, which offers varied outdoor activities including hiking, swimming, rock climbing and camping. It also takes you to the resort area of [[Whistler]], with its nightlife, fine dining and a wide variety of activities that will keep you busy regardless of what season it is. [[Vancouver Island]] is a 1 hr 35 minute ferry ride away via '''BC Ferries''' and the '''Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal'''. Arriving in [[Nanaimo]], you can head down island to [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]], the capital of British Columbia, or across the island to [[Tofino]], where you can go whale-watching, surf and storm-watch. The [[Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)|Sunshine Coast]] is another getaway destination, with the same mountains and water scenery but a slower pace. It is accessed by a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{geo|49.357|-123.169|zoom=12}} pebgie946vyur5cbgcf4fkqh09vsbqy 0 25409 4502105 4481832 2022-08-16T10:21:06Z 194.32.122.38 /* Shopping malls */ Updated listing for Mega Novosibirsk - IKEA leaves Russia in 2022 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Novosibirsk banner Wooden house with snow .jpg}} [[File:Novosibirsk Downtown.jpg|thumb|400px|Novosibirsk city view]] '''[http://english.novo-sibirsk.ru/ Novosibirsk]''' ([[Russian phrasebook|Russian]]: Новосиби́рск ''nuh-vuh-see-BEERSK'') is a city in [[Novosibirsk Oblast]], [[Siberia]], [[Russia]]. Its main interest for visitors is as a stop-off on the Trans-Siberian Railway, two days from Moscow. ==Understand== The course of the Trans-Siberian Railway was dictated by where it was possible to span the great rivers of Siberia, and this altered as engineering techniques advanced. To cross the mighty River Ob, they eventually chose the village of Krivoshchekovskaya, founded in 1696. A new town grew up, at first called '''Novonikolayevsk''' (Новониколаевск), in honour both of Saint Nicholas and of the reigning Tsar Nicholas II. At the time of the bridge's opening in 1897, Novonikolayevsk's population was 7800; by 1907, when the population exceeded 47,000, it was granted town status with full rights for self-government. In the 1950s, the Soviet Government directed that a centre for scientific research be built in what was now Novosibirsk, and in 1957, the multi-facility scientific research complex of '''Akademgorodok''' was constructed about 30 km south of the city centre. The city expanded rapidly, reaching a population of one million in 1962. {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =-12.1 | febhigh =-9.7 | marhigh =-1.9 | aprhigh =8.1 | mayhigh =18.8 | junhigh =23.4 | julhigh =25.4 | aughigh =22.8 | sephigh =16.0 | octhigh =7.6 | novhigh =-3.5 | dechigh =-9.9 | janlow =-20.9 | feblow =-19.5 | marlow =-12.8 | aprlow =-2.4 | maylow =5.6 | junlow =11.2 | jullow =13.8 | auglow =11.2 | seplow =5.6 | octlow =-0.4 | novlow =-10.3 | declow =-18.3 | janprecip =26 | febprecip =15 | marprecip =17 | aprprecip =28 | mayprecip =34 | junprecip =50 | julprecip =72 | augprecip =49 | sepprecip =42 | octprecip =46 | novprecip =38 | decprecip =31 | description =Source:[[:w:Novosibirsk#Climate]] }} Novosibirsk is a typical Soviet-era city, laid out on a grid pattern with medium-rise slabby blocks. It's far from beautiful but there's plenty to see to occupy a day or two here. People seldom speak English, but as the Trans-Siberian tourist industry has built up they've become used to foreigners and are generally helpful. '''The climate is Siberian.''' Summers in Novosibirsk are typically warm, but sometimes cool and rainy. Winters are cruel, with temperatures routinely dropping to -20° C and sometimes down to -40° - your life is at risk if you're not properly prepared for such conditions. ==Get in== ===By plane=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Tolmachevo Airport | alt={{IATA|OVB}} also known as Novosibirsk International Airport | url=http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/ | email= | address= | lat=55.0125 | long=82.650556 | directions=is 16km from the city centre | phone=+7 383 216-98-41 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tolmachevo Airport | wikidata=Q1328849 | content=The airport serves over 4 million passengers per year. There are regular flights to many major Russian cities including [[Moscow]], [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Khabarovsk]], [[Vladivostok]], [[Krasnodar]], [[Omsk]], [[Ulan-Ude]], [[Samara]], [[Ufa]], and [[Yekaterinburg]] as well as international flights to [[Dushanbe]], [[Istanbul]], [[Baku]], [[Prague]], [[Yerevan]], [[Beijing]], [[Almaty]], [[Osh]], [[Bishkek]], and [[Dubai]]. }} To travel between the airport and the city: * [http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/transport/how/bus/111/ Bus #111] ({{RUB|35}}) operates between the airport and the main train station "Novosibirsk-Glavny" (Новосибирск-Главный) and Avtovokzal (Автовокзал), the bus terminal (30 minutes). * [http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/transport/how/taxi/312/ Minibus #312] operates between the airport and the main train station. * [http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/transport/how/bus/112/ Bus #112] ({{RUB|30}}) operates between the airport and shopping mall "Mega" (IKEA). * A taxi takes around 30 minutes and should cost {{RUB|500}} if negotiated in advance. ===By train=== [[Image:Novosibirsk Glavny Station 07-2016 img1.jpg|thumb|200px|The main train station]] {{seealso|Trans-Siberian Railway}} All Trans-Siberian trains stop at Novosibirsk Vokzal-Glavny Station. You can take this train as far as [[Moscow]], [[Beijing]], [[Ulaan Baator]], or [[Vladivostok]]. Additionally, there are regional trains from most nearby cities. Timetables and fares can be searched for on the [http://pass.rzd.ru/ RZD website]. See [[Russia#By train]] for general advice on travelling in Russia by train. The main station, {{marker|type=go|name=Novosibirsk-Glavny|lat=55.035501|long=82.896441}} (Новосибирск-Главный) is on Ulitsa Shamshurina, metro station '''Garina Mikhailovskogo''' (Гарина Михайловского) is nearby. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|55.0319|82.9217|zoom=12|layer=W}} {{mapshapes|Q272558}} ===On foot=== The city centre is fairly compact and a walk from the railway station to Lenin's square takes around 20 minutes. ===By public transport=== [[Image:Novosibirsk metro.png|thumb|400px|The Novosibirsk metro system]] Public transport includes a [http://www.nsk-metro.ru/ Metro system] in the city centre as well as buses, trams, marshrutkas and trolleybuses. A ride on intra-city public transport costs {{RUB|35}} or less. [[Image:Новосибирск_карта_трамвайных_маршрутов_Openstreetmap_2018-12.svg|thumb|The Novosibirsk tram map (2018)]] Be careful: The trolleybus line at main street has a terminus called ”Airport", but this is the station for the disused airport, not OVB. ==See== [[Image:Nikolaj Chapel.jpg|thumb|250px|Novosibirsk's Nikolai Chapel]] ===Museums=== * {{listing | type=see | name=Novosibirsk Museum of Regional Studies | alt=State Museum of Local History and Nature, Museum of History and Ethnography, Новосибиркий Государственный Краеведческий Музей | url=http://youmuseum.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyi Prospekt 23 | lat=55.028783 | long=82.9181163 | directions=Metro: Ploschad Lenina | phone=+7 8(383)227-15-43 | tollfree= | hours=We & Fr 10:00-18:00, Th 12:00-20:00, Sa & Su 13:00-18:00, closed Mo & Tu | price={{RUB|200}} | wikidata=Q4325462 | lastedit=2019-09-18 | content=History of Novosibirsk and Siberia and its peoples from Mammoth-hunting days through Russian colonisation, the coming of the railway, communism, and today. Audioguide via izi.travel app. Temporary exhibitions on the top floor. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Novosibirsk State Art Museum | alt=Новосибирский государственный художественный музей | url=https://www.nsartmuseum.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyi Prospekt 5 | lat=55.021725 | long=82.9191553 | directions=short walk S from Lenin Sq | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-F 10:00-18:00, Sa Su 12:00-20:00, closed M | price={{RUB|120}}, concessions {{RUB|60}} | wikidata=Q4325466 | lastedit=2017-09-19 | content=Extensive permanent collection, the Roerichs being especially striking, plus exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Novosibirsk Zoo | alt=Новосибирский зоопарк | url=http://www.zoonovosib.ru/ | email= | address= | lat=55.0566 | long=82.8879 | directions= | phone=+7 383 220-97-79 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:00-21:00 | price=Adults: {{RUB|300}}; Children/Students: {{RUB|150}} | wikipedia=Novosibirsk Zoo | wikidata=Q4325472 | content=With 10,000 animals, it is one of the largest zoos in Russia. | lastedit=2019-09-18 }} * {{see | name=USSR Museum | alt=Музей СССР | url=https://m.vk.com/museum.ussr | email= | address= 1st Mochishchenskoye Highway, 1/6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 923 177-88-88 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:00-19:00 | price=Adult 500 руб, children 350 руб; veterans, citizens of retirement age, students, large families, citizens with disabilities 350 руб| wikidata= | lastedit=2021-10-27 | content= Portraits of USSR leaders and photographs of film actors, cameras and radios, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, everyday things, postcards, medals, badges and stamps. }} ===Monuments & churches=== * As in every Russian city, there are multiple monuments to heroes of the Great Patriotic War (World War II), including an eternal flame guarded at special ceremonies by youths with replica Kalashnikovs. * In front of the Opera & Ballet House, Lenin's Square is adorned by a big grey statue of Lenin. His cloak billows out behind like Marilyn Monroe's skirt, as if to show where the Metro passes beneath. * The exact geographical centre of the former Soviet Union just south of Lenin Square is marked by the Chapel of Saint Nicholas. It was built in 1915 to commemorate 300 years of Romanov rule, destroyed in 1930 and rebuilt in 1993. The Chapel is tiny, sitting on a traffic island like a clock-tower, yet regular services are held within. * A little further S, past the Art Museum, is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 1A Krasnyi Prospekt. Big as it is, you won't see it until you're upon it, as it's somewhat set back from the street. * 1 km north of Lenin Sq is Ascension Cathedral, at the corner of Sovietskaya & Gogolya. ===Akademgorodok=== A visit to Akademgorodok, built in the 1950s as an area for academics but suffering from neglect in the post-Soviet years, is still pleasant as a day trip. This formerly elite institution is about 30 km south of the city and features several museums and nice, tree-lined streets. While you're in the area, you might also visit one of several nice beaches on the Ob Sea, the large body of water created by a dam on the Ob River. Also south of the city, about 2&nbsp;km north of Akademgorodok, is the open-air West Siberian Rail Museum. There are about 90 historical trains and rail carriages. * {{see | name=Monument to the laboratory mouse | alt=Памятник лабораторной мыши | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.848675 | long=83.10655 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monument to the laboratory mouse | image=| wikidata=Q16684555 | lastedit=2018-06-10 | content=Bronze statue by local artist Andrey Kharkevich in the park in front of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, erected on 1 July 2013, coinciding with the 120th anniversary of the founding of the city. It commemorates the sacrifices of mice in genetic research to understand biological and physiological mechanisms for the development of new drugs and curing of diseases. The sculpture depicts a laboratory mouse wearing a pince-nez on the tip of its nose, sitting on a granite pedestal. The mouse holds knitting needles in its paws, as if it is knitting a DNA double helix. Viewers will immediately notice that the helix is wound left, whereas DNA is taught in schools to wind right. This is done intentionally to indicate the DNA helix knitted by the mouse is the still poorly understood Z-DNA, as opposed to the wider known B-DNA taught in biology classes. }} * {{see | name=West Siberian Rail Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.8684 | long=83.0766 | directions=south of the city, about 2 km north of Akademgorodok, is the open-air West Siberian Rail Museum. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price={{RUB|250}} | wikipedia=Museum for Railway Technology Novosibirsk | image=Novosibirsk Train Museum.jpg | wikidata=Q4325476 | lastedit=2019-09-19 | content= }} ==Do== [[File:Russia-novosibirsk-lake.JPG|thumb|250px|Tanning at the beach in spring]] [[File:Novosibirsk KrasnyPr Opera Theatre 07-2016.jpg|thumbnail|Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre]] * {{listing | type=do | name=Opera House | alt=Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater | url=https://novat.nsk.ru/en/ | email=office@novat.nsk.ru | address= | lat=55.030371 | long=82.924516 | directions=In the city centre | phone=+7 (383) 222-60-40 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=NovosibirskTheaterSide.jpg | wikidata=Q2706278 | content=Many of the performances are famous works and it is interesting to see the Siberian interpretations. Recommended to purchase tickets in advance. }} * Since there is plenty of snow in Siberia during the winter, going skiing or ice skating could be a lot of fun in Novosibirsk. There are a lot of ice arenas in the city. Some of them are free of charge, but those don't usually rent skates. The ones that rent skates may be not free of charge. One of the centrally located stadiums is "Spartak". ==Buy== There are a lot of malls, shops, boutiques and stores in Novosibirsk. They offer a lot of goods from all round the world and you can have a great time while shopping. However, be careful when buying anything there: always check what you buy, before you pay. Sometimes the goods you buy may be produced not by a brand company but by another that has a licence for producing products under the same name. Sometimes the quality of these goods doesn't correspond to the quality of the original brand. This may be especially applied to the European brands. For example, the same scents may have a different aroma in Novosibirsk and somewhere in Europe. It doesn't mean that the goods are of bad quality and you shouldn't shop. But be careful if you want to purchase anything. You could have a lot of fun if you go to markets like Central Market ("Центральный рынок") or "Baraholka". There you'll see people from around the world selling stuff that is not a known brand but it may have a good quality. Be careful there as well, as you may run into pocket pickers. You may even find some local food there and try some specials. There are a lot of different markets in the city but the most famous are Central Market and Baroholka. You may buy nothing there but what you see, you'll see nowhere in the world. It resembles an Asian market with only difference it's in the Russian way. ===Shopping malls=== * {{buy | name=Aura Planeta Mall | alt=Торгово-развлекательный центр Аура Новосибирск | url=https://aura.planeta-mall.ru/ | email= | address=Voyennaya ul., 5 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-30-40 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mega Novosibirsk | alt= | url=https://mega.ru/novosibirsk/ | email= | address=ул. Ватутина, 107 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 298-90-30 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Royal Park | alt=ТРК Ройял Парк | url=https://www.royalpark.su/ | email= | address=Krasnyy pr., 101 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-04-04 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== There are many good dining options and many local chain restaurants. Lenin Square is a popular place to eat. Italian food, sushi, and Russian food are all very popular. Many cafes offer lunch specials on weekdays. * {{eat | name=Beerman | url=https://beerman.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Friendly beer restaurants with several locations in the city: Beerman&Grill (1 Vokzalnaya Av., Novosibirsk Hotel), Beerman&Pelmeni (7 Kamenskaya St., Hilton Hotel), Beerman&Pizza (7 Karla Marksa Sq.) Great food and in-house beer. }} * {{eat | name=Pechki-Lavochki | alt=Печки-Лавочки | url= | email= | address=Ulitsa Frunze, 238 | lat= | long= | directions=in Sibirskiy Moll | phone=+7 383 335 80 38 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains: {{RUB|450}} | content=Rustic "Traktir"-type restaurants with typical Russian cuisine — grilled and/or smoked beef and pork, sausages. Several kinds of fish dishes. Wide selection of hot and cold appetizers, and hearty soups like Solyanka and Borscht. }} * {{eat | name=Fish Rice | alt=Рыба Рис | url=https://www.riba-ris.ru/ | email= | address=Ulitsa Lenina, 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 328 15 33 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-28 | content=A popular Japanese restaurant where you can get your sushi and kimchee fix, as well as tea. }} * {{eat | name=Drovamuka Restaurant | alt= | url=https://drovamuka.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyy Prospekt, 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 227 08 05 | tollfree= | hours=daily 11ː00-00ː00 | price= | lastedit=2021-01-28 | content=Pizza and pasta and red wine at this Italian/Russian restaurant. }} ==Drink== ===Bars=== * {{drink | name=Rock City | alt= | url=http://www.rockcity.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyy Prospekt, 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 227 01 08 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 17ː00-00ː00, Sa-Su 12ː00-02ː00 or later | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=People's Grill & Bar | alt= | url=http://peoplesbar.ru/ | email= | address=Ulitsa Vokzal'naya Magistral', 16 | lat= | long= | directions=Down a stairway opposite St. Nicholas Chapel | phone=+7 383 222-62-15 | tollfree= | hours=12:00-02:00 | price= | content=Celebrity hangout. Serves burgers, wraps, pasta, pizza, sushi, fajitas and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Pub 501 | alt= | url=http://vk.com/pub501 | email= | address=ul. Lenina, 20 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 218-09-39 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices are higher than most places. | content=Serves great food as well as drinks. }} ===Cafes=== The Russian café chain Coffee House (Кофе Хауз) has several locations in Novosibirsk, but the food is considered to be subpar and overpriced. * {{drink | name=Travelers Coffee | alt= | url=https://travelers-coffee.com/points/russia#22.0 | email= | address=Several locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good selection of tea and coffee. English menu is available. Some light snacks such as sandwiches, wraps, and cheesecakes, muffins and cookies. Free WiFi and plug sockets for your laptop. Very good service. }} * {{drink | name=Kardamon | alt= | url=http://www.kardamon.ru/ | email= | address=ул. Чаплыгина (Chaplygina) 39 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An alternatively looking tea room with nice travellers' atmosphere. Tea for {{RUB|100}}, light meals for {{RUB|100-150}}. }} ==Sleep== With the exception of some high-end hotels, all hotels and hostels offer free WiFi and many have computer terminals. Almost all accept credit cards. Hotels and hostels will usually provide a visa invitation and registration for an additional fee. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Khostel Gor'kogo 85 | alt= | url=http://gorkogo85.ru/ | email= | address=Ulitsa Maksima Gor'kogo, 85 | lat= | long= | directions=City center near the Opera House; across the road from Rechnoy Vokzal metro station | phone=+7 913 910-94-04 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Dorm bed: {{RUB|350-700}} | content=A modern hostel with excellent security. Could be some communication issues if trying to speak in English and bad smells from the men's bathroom. }} * {{sleep | name=FunKey Hostel | url=http://funhostel.ru/ | email= | address=Frunze st. 5/2 | lat= | long= | directions=5 minutes walk from Lenina Square | phone=+7 (383) 263-65-03| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Dorm bed: {{RUB|500-700}} | checkin= | checkout= | content=Very spacious and beautiful hostel. Each room is issued in individual style. Spacious drawing room, kitchen. Staff are very friendly. }} * {{sleep | name=Zokol Hostel | alt= | url=https://zokol-hostel.navse360.ru/ | email= | address=Shchetinkina st. 34 | lat= | long= | directions=2 minutes walk from the main street, Lenina St; 10 minute walk from the train station | phone=+7 383 223-36-11 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Dorm bed: {{RUB|500-900}} | content=Very comfortable rooms, more akin to a hotel, with single beds and a nice communal kitchen/living area. The staff speaks excellent English and are extremely friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Azimut Hotel Siberia | alt= | url=https://azimuthotels.com/ru/novosibirsk/azimut-hotel-siberia | email= | address=Lenina Street #21 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 223-12-15 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout=exactly 24h after check-in | price=From {{RUB|1600}} | content=In a concrete tower. Breakfast buffet. Sauna. }} * {{sleep | name=Centralnaya / Tsentralnaya Hotel | url= | email= | address=Lenina street 3 | lat= | long= | directions=On the street opposite the opera/ballet house. | phone=+7 383 222-72-94, +7 383 222-36-38 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From {{RUB|1200}}; shared bathroom | checkin=anytime(?) | checkout=exactly 24 hr after check-in | content=TV, fridge, and sink in the room. Grim, shabby Soviet-era accommodations for the hardy, budget-conscious. Not recommended for families. }} * {{sleep | name=Metelitsa Hotel | alt= | url=http://eng.metelitsa54.ru/ | email= | address=Dobrolyubova, 195 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 285-30-00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From {{RUB|2500}}, breakfast included | content=Restaurant serves European, Russian and Japanese cuisine. }} * {{sleep | name=Park Inn by Radisson |alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-novosibirsk | email=info.novosibirsk@parkinn.com | address=Ulitsa Dmitriya Shamshurina 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-08-80 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From {{RUB|3200}} |lastedit=2020-09-21| content= }} * {{sleep | name=River Park | alt= | url=http://riverpark.ru/?lang=en | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=Single: {{RUB|2800}}; Double: {{RUB|4000}} | checkin= | checkout= | content=Formerly known as the '''Ob Hotel''', on the bank of the Ob River, is situated close to the Metro just southeast of the city centre. After being gutted by fire in the 1990s, it has been refurbished, with reasonably clean rooms, a business centre, and a nice Russian restaurant on the first floor. No English-language television or air conditioners, but there are plenty of rooms with private bathrooms. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Novosibirsk | url=http://www.hilton.ru/hotels/doubletree-by-hilton-novosibirsk/ | email= | address=Kamenskaya ul., 7/1 | lat=55.026374 | long=82.928614 | directions= | phone=+7 383 223-01-00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 4-star hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Novosibirsk Marriott Hotel | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ovbmc-novosibirsk-marriott-hotel/ | email= | address=Ordzhonikidze Street 31 | lat=55.031552 | long=82.923490 | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-03-00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Internet=== Many cafes and restaurants offer either free or paid WiFi. There is also WiFi available in the main train station, public libraries, shopping malls, cinemas, universities and other establishments. Internet cafes and computer clubs are also commonly found. ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url= | email=info@nowosibirsk.diplo.de | address=Krasny Prospekt, 28 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 (383) 231-00-52, +7 (383) 231-00-20 | tollfree= | fax=+7 (383) 231-00-55 | hours=M-Th 08:30-16:00; F 08:30-15:00 | price= | content= }} ===Visa centers=== * {{flag|Bulgaria}} {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{flag|Denmark}} {{flag|Greece}} {{flag|Iceland}} {{flag|Malta}} {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Malta, and Spain | alt=EU Visa Center | url= | email= | address=Sibirskaya street, 57 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 (383) 209-0379 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url= | email= | address=Lenina street, 52 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 (383) 238-0723 | tollfree= | fax=+7 (383) 238-0723 | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00 | price= | content= }} ==Stay safe== While it's better to stay away from some run-down areas the overall situation is not bad. Pervomayskiy rayon and far-off neighbourhoods of Leninskiy and Kirovskiy rayons should be avoided at any time. The safest place is the centre (nearby Lenin Square). ==Go next== Omsk and Tomsk are reachable by train within a day. For Kazakhstan, the train will involve a zig-zag via Petropavlovsk, but there's a regular bus direct to Astana. {{routebox | image1=Trans-Siberian Railway icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Yekaterinburg]] | minorl1=[[Omsk]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Irkutsk]] | minorr1=[[Krasnoyarsk]] }} {{geo|55.0167|82.9333}} {{isPartOf|Novosibirsk Oblast}} {{usablecity}} 9pnixnpl7o1wdq62fcb1xbvei1z9wuy 4502109 4502105 2022-08-16T10:24:26Z SHB2000 2248002 redundant wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Novosibirsk banner Wooden house with snow .jpg}} [[File:Novosibirsk Downtown.jpg|thumb|400px|Novosibirsk city view]] '''[http://english.novo-sibirsk.ru/ Novosibirsk]''' ([[Russian phrasebook|Russian]]: Новосиби́рск ''nuh-vuh-see-BEERSK'') is a city in [[Novosibirsk Oblast]], [[Siberia]]. Its main interest for visitors is as a stop-off on the Trans-Siberian Railway, two days from Moscow. ==Understand== The course of the Trans-Siberian Railway was dictated by where it was possible to span the great rivers of Siberia, and this altered as engineering techniques advanced. To cross the mighty River Ob, they eventually chose the village of Krivoshchekovskaya, founded in 1696. A new town grew up, at first called '''Novonikolayevsk''' (Новониколаевск), in honour both of Saint Nicholas and of the reigning Tsar Nicholas II. At the time of the bridge's opening in 1897, Novonikolayevsk's population was 7800; by 1907, when the population exceeded 47,000, it was granted town status with full rights for self-government. In the 1950s, the Soviet Government directed that a centre for scientific research be built in what was now Novosibirsk, and in 1957, the multi-facility scientific research complex of '''Akademgorodok''' was constructed about 30 km south of the city centre. The city expanded rapidly, reaching a population of one million in 1962. {{Climate| units = Metric | janhigh =-12.1 | febhigh =-9.7 | marhigh =-1.9 | aprhigh =8.1 | mayhigh =18.8 | junhigh =23.4 | julhigh =25.4 | aughigh =22.8 | sephigh =16.0 | octhigh =7.6 | novhigh =-3.5 | dechigh =-9.9 | janlow =-20.9 | feblow =-19.5 | marlow =-12.8 | aprlow =-2.4 | maylow =5.6 | junlow =11.2 | jullow =13.8 | auglow =11.2 | seplow =5.6 | octlow =-0.4 | novlow =-10.3 | declow =-18.3 | janprecip =26 | febprecip =15 | marprecip =17 | aprprecip =28 | mayprecip =34 | junprecip =50 | julprecip =72 | augprecip =49 | sepprecip =42 | octprecip =46 | novprecip =38 | decprecip =31 | description =Source:[[:w:Novosibirsk#Climate]] }} Novosibirsk is a typical Soviet-era city, laid out on a grid pattern with medium-rise slabby blocks. It's far from beautiful but there's plenty to see to occupy a day or two here. People seldom speak English, but as the Trans-Siberian tourist industry has built up they've become used to foreigners and are generally helpful. '''The climate is Siberian.''' Summers in Novosibirsk are typically warm, but sometimes cool and rainy. Winters are cruel, with temperatures routinely dropping to -20° C and sometimes down to -40° - your life is at risk if you're not properly prepared for such conditions. ==Get in== ===By plane=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Tolmachevo Airport | alt={{IATA|OVB}} also known as Novosibirsk International Airport | url=http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/ | email= | address= | lat=55.0125 | long=82.650556 | directions=is 16km from the city centre | phone=+7 383 216-98-41 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tolmachevo Airport | wikidata=Q1328849 | content=The airport serves over 4 million passengers per year. There are regular flights to many major Russian cities including [[Moscow]], [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Khabarovsk]], [[Vladivostok]], [[Krasnodar]], [[Omsk]], [[Ulan-Ude]], [[Samara]], [[Ufa]], and [[Yekaterinburg]] as well as international flights to [[Dushanbe]], [[Istanbul]], [[Baku]], [[Prague]], [[Yerevan]], [[Beijing]], [[Almaty]], [[Osh]], [[Bishkek]], and [[Dubai]]. }} To travel between the airport and the city: * [http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/transport/how/bus/111/ Bus #111] ({{RUB|35}}) operates between the airport and the main train station "Novosibirsk-Glavny" (Новосибирск-Главный) and Avtovokzal (Автовокзал), the bus terminal (30 minutes). * [http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/transport/how/taxi/312/ Minibus #312] operates between the airport and the main train station. * [http://eng.tolmachevo.ru/transport/how/bus/112/ Bus #112] ({{RUB|30}}) operates between the airport and shopping mall "Mega" (IKEA). * A taxi takes around 30 minutes and should cost {{RUB|500}} if negotiated in advance. ===By train=== [[Image:Novosibirsk Glavny Station 07-2016 img1.jpg|thumb|200px|The main train station]] {{seealso|Trans-Siberian Railway}} All Trans-Siberian trains stop at Novosibirsk Vokzal-Glavny Station. You can take this train as far as [[Moscow]], [[Beijing]], [[Ulaan Baator]], or [[Vladivostok]]. Additionally, there are regional trains from most nearby cities. Timetables and fares can be searched for on the [http://pass.rzd.ru/ RZD website]. See [[Russia#By train]] for general advice on travelling in Russia by train. The main station, {{marker|type=go|name=Novosibirsk-Glavny|lat=55.035501|long=82.896441}} (Новосибирск-Главный) is on Ulitsa Shamshurina, metro station '''Garina Mikhailovskogo''' (Гарина Михайловского) is nearby. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|55.0319|82.9217|zoom=12|layer=W}} {{mapshapes|Q272558}} ===On foot=== The city centre is fairly compact and a walk from the railway station to Lenin's square takes around 20 minutes. ===By public transport=== [[Image:Novosibirsk metro.png|thumb|400px|The Novosibirsk metro system]] Public transport includes a [http://www.nsk-metro.ru/ Metro system] in the city centre as well as buses, trams, marshrutkas and trolleybuses. A ride on intra-city public transport costs {{RUB|35}} or less. [[Image:Новосибирск_карта_трамвайных_маршрутов_Openstreetmap_2018-12.svg|thumb|The Novosibirsk tram map (2018)]] Be careful: The trolleybus line at main street has a terminus called ”Airport", but this is the station for the disused airport, not OVB. ==See== [[Image:Nikolaj Chapel.jpg|thumb|250px|Novosibirsk's Nikolai Chapel]] ===Museums=== * {{listing | type=see | name=Novosibirsk Museum of Regional Studies | alt=State Museum of Local History and Nature, Museum of History and Ethnography, Новосибиркий Государственный Краеведческий Музей | url=http://youmuseum.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyi Prospekt 23 | lat=55.028783 | long=82.9181163 | directions=Metro: Ploschad Lenina | phone=+7 8(383)227-15-43 | tollfree= | hours=We & Fr 10:00-18:00, Th 12:00-20:00, Sa & Su 13:00-18:00, closed Mo & Tu | price={{RUB|200}} | wikidata=Q4325462 | lastedit=2019-09-18 | content=History of Novosibirsk and Siberia and its peoples from Mammoth-hunting days through Russian colonisation, the coming of the railway, communism, and today. Audioguide via izi.travel app. Temporary exhibitions on the top floor. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Novosibirsk State Art Museum | alt=Новосибирский государственный художественный музей | url=https://www.nsartmuseum.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyi Prospekt 5 | lat=55.021725 | long=82.9191553 | directions=short walk S from Lenin Sq | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-F 10:00-18:00, Sa Su 12:00-20:00, closed M | price={{RUB|120}}, concessions {{RUB|60}} | wikidata=Q4325466 | lastedit=2017-09-19 | content=Extensive permanent collection, the Roerichs being especially striking, plus exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Novosibirsk Zoo | alt=Новосибирский зоопарк | url=http://www.zoonovosib.ru/ | email= | address= | lat=55.0566 | long=82.8879 | directions= | phone=+7 383 220-97-79 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:00-21:00 | price=Adults: {{RUB|300}}; Children/Students: {{RUB|150}} | wikipedia=Novosibirsk Zoo | wikidata=Q4325472 | content=With 10,000 animals, it is one of the largest zoos in Russia. | lastedit=2019-09-18 }} * {{see | name=USSR Museum | alt=Музей СССР | url=https://m.vk.com/museum.ussr | email= | address= 1st Mochishchenskoye Highway, 1/6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 923 177-88-88 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:00-19:00 | price=Adult 500 руб, children 350 руб; veterans, citizens of retirement age, students, large families, citizens with disabilities 350 руб| wikidata= | lastedit=2021-10-27 | content= Portraits of USSR leaders and photographs of film actors, cameras and radios, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, everyday things, postcards, medals, badges and stamps. }} ===Monuments & churches=== * As in every Russian city, there are multiple monuments to heroes of the Great Patriotic War (World War II), including an eternal flame guarded at special ceremonies by youths with replica Kalashnikovs. * In front of the Opera & Ballet House, Lenin's Square is adorned by a big grey statue of Lenin. His cloak billows out behind like Marilyn Monroe's skirt, as if to show where the Metro passes beneath. * The exact geographical centre of the former Soviet Union just south of Lenin Square is marked by the Chapel of Saint Nicholas. It was built in 1915 to commemorate 300 years of Romanov rule, destroyed in 1930 and rebuilt in 1993. The Chapel is tiny, sitting on a traffic island like a clock-tower, yet regular services are held within. * A little further S, past the Art Museum, is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 1A Krasnyi Prospekt. Big as it is, you won't see it until you're upon it, as it's somewhat set back from the street. * 1 km north of Lenin Sq is Ascension Cathedral, at the corner of Sovietskaya & Gogolya. ===Akademgorodok=== A visit to Akademgorodok, built in the 1950s as an area for academics but suffering from neglect in the post-Soviet years, is still pleasant as a day trip. This formerly elite institution is about 30 km south of the city and features several museums and nice, tree-lined streets. While you're in the area, you might also visit one of several nice beaches on the Ob Sea, the large body of water created by a dam on the Ob River. Also south of the city, about 2&nbsp;km north of Akademgorodok, is the open-air West Siberian Rail Museum. There are about 90 historical trains and rail carriages. * {{see | name=Monument to the laboratory mouse | alt=Памятник лабораторной мыши | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.848675 | long=83.10655 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monument to the laboratory mouse | image=| wikidata=Q16684555 | lastedit=2018-06-10 | content=Bronze statue by local artist Andrey Kharkevich in the park in front of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, erected on 1 July 2013, coinciding with the 120th anniversary of the founding of the city. It commemorates the sacrifices of mice in genetic research to understand biological and physiological mechanisms for the development of new drugs and curing of diseases. The sculpture depicts a laboratory mouse wearing a pince-nez on the tip of its nose, sitting on a granite pedestal. The mouse holds knitting needles in its paws, as if it is knitting a DNA double helix. Viewers will immediately notice that the helix is wound left, whereas DNA is taught in schools to wind right. This is done intentionally to indicate the DNA helix knitted by the mouse is the still poorly understood Z-DNA, as opposed to the wider known B-DNA taught in biology classes. }} * {{see | name=West Siberian Rail Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.8684 | long=83.0766 | directions=south of the city, about 2 km north of Akademgorodok, is the open-air West Siberian Rail Museum. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price={{RUB|250}} | wikipedia=Museum for Railway Technology Novosibirsk | image=Novosibirsk Train Museum.jpg | wikidata=Q4325476 | lastedit=2019-09-19 | content= }} ==Do== [[File:Russia-novosibirsk-lake.JPG|thumb|250px|Tanning at the beach in spring]] [[File:Novosibirsk KrasnyPr Opera Theatre 07-2016.jpg|thumbnail|Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre]] * {{listing | type=do | name=Opera House | alt=Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater | url=https://novat.nsk.ru/en/ | email=office@novat.nsk.ru | address= | lat=55.030371 | long=82.924516 | directions=In the city centre | phone=+7 (383) 222-60-40 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=NovosibirskTheaterSide.jpg | wikidata=Q2706278 | content=Many of the performances are famous works and it is interesting to see the Siberian interpretations. Recommended to purchase tickets in advance. }} * Since there is plenty of snow in Siberia during the winter, going skiing or ice skating could be a lot of fun in Novosibirsk. There are a lot of ice arenas in the city. Some of them are free of charge, but those don't usually rent skates. The ones that rent skates may be not free of charge. One of the centrally located stadiums is "Spartak". ==Buy== There are a lot of malls, shops, boutiques and stores in Novosibirsk. They offer a lot of goods from all round the world and you can have a great time while shopping. However, be careful when buying anything there: always check what you buy, before you pay. Sometimes the goods you buy may be produced not by a brand company but by another that has a licence for producing products under the same name. Sometimes the quality of these goods doesn't correspond to the quality of the original brand. This may be especially applied to the European brands. For example, the same scents may have a different aroma in Novosibirsk and somewhere in Europe. It doesn't mean that the goods are of bad quality and you shouldn't shop. But be careful if you want to purchase anything. You could have a lot of fun if you go to markets like Central Market ("Центральный рынок") or "Baraholka". There you'll see people from around the world selling stuff that is not a known brand but it may have a good quality. Be careful there as well, as you may run into pocket pickers. You may even find some local food there and try some specials. There are a lot of different markets in the city but the most famous are Central Market and Baroholka. You may buy nothing there but what you see, you'll see nowhere in the world. It resembles an Asian market with only difference it's in the Russian way. ===Shopping malls=== * {{buy | name=Aura Planeta Mall | alt=Торгово-развлекательный центр Аура Новосибирск | url=https://aura.planeta-mall.ru/ | email= | address=Voyennaya ul., 5 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-30-40 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Mega Novosibirsk | alt= | url=https://mega.ru/novosibirsk/ | email= | address=ул. Ватутина, 107 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 298-90-30 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Royal Park | alt=ТРК Ройял Парк | url=https://www.royalpark.su/ | email= | address=Krasnyy pr., 101 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-04-04 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== There are many good dining options and many local chain restaurants. Lenin Square is a popular place to eat. Italian food, sushi, and Russian food are all very popular. Many cafes offer lunch specials on weekdays. * {{eat | name=Beerman | url=https://beerman.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Friendly beer restaurants with several locations in the city: Beerman&Grill (1 Vokzalnaya Av., Novosibirsk Hotel), Beerman&Pelmeni (7 Kamenskaya St., Hilton Hotel), Beerman&Pizza (7 Karla Marksa Sq.) Great food and in-house beer. }} * {{eat | name=Pechki-Lavochki | alt=Печки-Лавочки | url= | email= | address=Ulitsa Frunze, 238 | lat= | long= | directions=in Sibirskiy Moll | phone=+7 383 335 80 38 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains: {{RUB|450}} | content=Rustic "Traktir"-type restaurants with typical Russian cuisine — grilled and/or smoked beef and pork, sausages. Several kinds of fish dishes. Wide selection of hot and cold appetizers, and hearty soups like Solyanka and Borscht. }} * {{eat | name=Fish Rice | alt=Рыба Рис | url=https://www.riba-ris.ru/ | email= | address=Ulitsa Lenina, 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 328 15 33 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-28 | content=A popular Japanese restaurant where you can get your sushi and kimchee fix, as well as tea. }} * {{eat | name=Drovamuka Restaurant | alt= | url=https://drovamuka.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyy Prospekt, 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 227 08 05 | tollfree= | hours=daily 11ː00-00ː00 | price= | lastedit=2021-01-28 | content=Pizza and pasta and red wine at this Italian/Russian restaurant. }} ==Drink== ===Bars=== * {{drink | name=Rock City | alt= | url=http://www.rockcity.ru/ | email= | address=Krasnyy Prospekt, 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 227 01 08 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 17ː00-00ː00, Sa-Su 12ː00-02ː00 or later | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=People's Grill & Bar | alt= | url=http://peoplesbar.ru/ | email= | address=Ulitsa Vokzal'naya Magistral', 16 | lat= | long= | directions=Down a stairway opposite St. Nicholas Chapel | phone=+7 383 222-62-15 | tollfree= | hours=12:00-02:00 | price= | content=Celebrity hangout. Serves burgers, wraps, pasta, pizza, sushi, fajitas and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Pub 501 | alt= | url=http://vk.com/pub501 | email= | address=ul. Lenina, 20 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 218-09-39 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Prices are higher than most places. | content=Serves great food as well as drinks. }} ===Cafes=== The Russian café chain Coffee House (Кофе Хауз) has several locations in Novosibirsk, but the food is considered to be subpar and overpriced. * {{drink | name=Travelers Coffee | alt= | url=https://travelers-coffee.com/points/russia#22.0 | email= | address=Several locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good selection of tea and coffee. English menu is available. Some light snacks such as sandwiches, wraps, and cheesecakes, muffins and cookies. Free WiFi and plug sockets for your laptop. Very good service. }} * {{drink | name=Kardamon | alt= | url=http://www.kardamon.ru/ | email= | address=ул. Чаплыгина (Chaplygina) 39 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An alternatively looking tea room with nice travellers' atmosphere. Tea for {{RUB|100}}, light meals for {{RUB|100-150}}. }} ==Sleep== With the exception of some high-end hotels, all hotels and hostels offer free WiFi and many have computer terminals. Almost all accept credit cards. Hotels and hostels will usually provide a visa invitation and registration for an additional fee. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Khostel Gor'kogo 85 | alt= | url=http://gorkogo85.ru/ | email= | address=Ulitsa Maksima Gor'kogo, 85 | lat= | long= | directions=City center near the Opera House; across the road from Rechnoy Vokzal metro station | phone=+7 913 910-94-04 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Dorm bed: {{RUB|350-700}} | content=A modern hostel with excellent security. Could be some communication issues if trying to speak in English and bad smells from the men's bathroom. }} * {{sleep | name=FunKey Hostel | url=http://funhostel.ru/ | email= | address=Frunze st. 5/2 | lat= | long= | directions=5 minutes walk from Lenina Square | phone=+7 (383) 263-65-03| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Dorm bed: {{RUB|500-700}} | checkin= | checkout= | content=Very spacious and beautiful hostel. Each room is issued in individual style. Spacious drawing room, kitchen. Staff are very friendly. }} * {{sleep | name=Zokol Hostel | alt= | url=https://zokol-hostel.navse360.ru/ | email= | address=Shchetinkina st. 34 | lat= | long= | directions=2 minutes walk from the main street, Lenina St; 10 minute walk from the train station | phone=+7 383 223-36-11 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Dorm bed: {{RUB|500-900}} | content=Very comfortable rooms, more akin to a hotel, with single beds and a nice communal kitchen/living area. The staff speaks excellent English and are extremely friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Azimut Hotel Siberia | alt= | url=https://azimuthotels.com/ru/novosibirsk/azimut-hotel-siberia | email= | address=Lenina Street #21 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 223-12-15 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout=exactly 24h after check-in | price=From {{RUB|1600}} | content=In a concrete tower. Breakfast buffet. Sauna. }} * {{sleep | name=Centralnaya / Tsentralnaya Hotel | url= | email= | address=Lenina street 3 | lat= | long= | directions=On the street opposite the opera/ballet house. | phone=+7 383 222-72-94, +7 383 222-36-38 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From {{RUB|1200}}; shared bathroom | checkin=anytime(?) | checkout=exactly 24 hr after check-in | content=TV, fridge, and sink in the room. Grim, shabby Soviet-era accommodations for the hardy, budget-conscious. Not recommended for families. }} * {{sleep | name=Metelitsa Hotel | alt= | url=http://eng.metelitsa54.ru/ | email= | address=Dobrolyubova, 195 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 285-30-00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From {{RUB|2500}}, breakfast included | content=Restaurant serves European, Russian and Japanese cuisine. }} * {{sleep | name=Park Inn by Radisson |alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-novosibirsk | email=info.novosibirsk@parkinn.com | address=Ulitsa Dmitriya Shamshurina 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-08-80 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From {{RUB|3200}} |lastedit=2020-09-21| content= }} * {{sleep | name=River Park | alt= | url=http://riverpark.ru/?lang=en | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=Single: {{RUB|2800}}; Double: {{RUB|4000}} | checkin= | checkout= | content=Formerly known as the '''Ob Hotel''', on the bank of the Ob River, is situated close to the Metro just southeast of the city centre. After being gutted by fire in the 1990s, it has been refurbished, with reasonably clean rooms, a business centre, and a nice Russian restaurant on the first floor. No English-language television or air conditioners, but there are plenty of rooms with private bathrooms. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Novosibirsk | url=http://www.hilton.ru/hotels/doubletree-by-hilton-novosibirsk/ | email= | address=Kamenskaya ul., 7/1 | lat=55.026374 | long=82.928614 | directions= | phone=+7 383 223-01-00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 4-star hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Novosibirsk Marriott Hotel | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ovbmc-novosibirsk-marriott-hotel/ | email= | address=Ordzhonikidze Street 31 | lat=55.031552 | long=82.923490 | directions= | phone=+7 383 230-03-00 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ==Connect== ===Internet=== Many cafes and restaurants offer either free or paid WiFi. There is also WiFi available in the main train station, public libraries, shopping malls, cinemas, universities and other establishments. Internet cafes and computer clubs are also commonly found. ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url= | email=info@nowosibirsk.diplo.de | address=Krasny Prospekt, 28 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 (383) 231-00-52, +7 (383) 231-00-20 | tollfree= | fax=+7 (383) 231-00-55 | hours=M-Th 08:30-16:00; F 08:30-15:00 | price= | content= }} ===Visa centers=== * {{flag|Bulgaria}} {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{flag|Denmark}} {{flag|Greece}} {{flag|Iceland}} {{flag|Malta}} {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Malta, and Spain | alt=EU Visa Center | url= | email= | address=Sibirskaya street, 57 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 (383) 209-0379 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url= | email= | address=Lenina street, 52 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+7 (383) 238-0723 | tollfree= | fax=+7 (383) 238-0723 | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00 | price= | content= }} ==Stay safe== While it's better to stay away from some run-down areas the overall situation is not bad. Pervomayskiy rayon and far-off neighbourhoods of Leninskiy and Kirovskiy rayons should be avoided at any time. The safest place is the centre (nearby Lenin Square). ==Go next== Omsk and Tomsk are reachable by train within a day. For Kazakhstan, the train will involve a zig-zag via Petropavlovsk, but there's a regular bus direct to Astana. {{routebox | image1=Trans-Siberian Railway icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Yekaterinburg]] | minorl1=[[Omsk]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Irkutsk]] | minorr1=[[Krasnoyarsk]] }} {{geo|55.0167|82.9333}} {{isPartOf|Novosibirsk Oblast}} {{usablecity}} 9bp1xbw6ydv1tgn0svveea9agii648f 0 26258 4501717 4494246 2022-08-15T19:57:39Z 2620:22:4000:105:3FFE:457A:28DE:372D /* Museums */ Updated listing for Carleton University Art Gallery wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Ottawa Panorama Cropped.jpg|caption=Ottawa Skyline|dotm=yes}} '''[http://ottawa.ca Ottawa]''' is [[Canada]]'s capital. With over a million citizens, it is Canada's fourth-largest city, and Ontario's second-largest city. Across the Ottawa River is [[Gatineau]], [[Quebec]]. While most Ottawans are English-speaking, 15% are native French speakers, making Ottawa Canada's largest Francophone city outside of [[Quebec]]. Visitors come to Ottawa to see Parliament Hill, as well as Canada's national museums. ==Understand== [[Image:Parliament hill flag.jpg|thumb|350px|The Peace Tower, Parliament Hill]] ===History=== Ottawa started as a humble lumber town called '''Bytown'''; it was named after Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers who oversaw the construction of the [[Rideau Canal]], now a UNESCO World Heritage site, much of which was done by hand, between 1826 and 1832. The Rideau Canal is also the worlds largest skating rink. Lumber mills were built along the Ottawa River in the mid-nineteenth century and those brought employment and wealth to the growing population. The centre of action then, as now, was the Byward Market. While it is still the centre of the city's nightlife, it has changed appreciably from the rough and tumble early days of brothels and taverns. In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada. The choice was controversial, partly because it sidestepped the rivalry between [[Toronto]] and [[Montreal]] (then, as now, Canada's largest cities), and partly because the new capital was still a tiny outpost in the middle of nothing much — an American newspaper famously commented that it was impregnable, as any invaders would get lost in the woods looking for it. Unlike [[Canberra]] in Australia or [[Washington, D.C.]] in the United States or any other federation state, Ottawa is not part of a special federal district. There is an official [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]] containing Ottawa, [[Gatineau]], Quebec across the Ottawa river, and surrounding areas in both provinces. However that matters only for federal programs like the NCC (National Capital Commission); the two cities have separate municipal governments and are parts of different provinces. Each has its own Wikivoyage article. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, the telephone was demonstrated to the Canadian public for the first time here and the city was electrified. The first electric streetcar service was started in 1891. A menu from 1892 states that, "the first instance in the entire world of an entire meal being cooked by Electricity" was in Ottawa. Today, the major economic sectors are the public service, travel and tourism and the high-tech industry, which has earned the city the name "Silicon Valley North". Ottawa has remained a green city and is situated at the confluence of three rivers (Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau) and of the Rideau Canal. Many residents make regular use of Ottawa's parks and green spaces, bikeways and cross country ski trails. Many national attractions are located in Ottawa: Parliament Hill, the National Library and Archives, the National Gallery, and the Museums of History, Contemporary Photography, Nature, War, and Science & Technology. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Metric | janhigh = -6 | febhigh = -4 | marhigh = 2 | aprhigh = 11 | mayhigh = 18 | junhigh = 23 | julhigh = 26 | aughigh = 24 | sephigh = 19 | octhigh = 12 | novhigh = 5 | dechigh = -3 | janlow = -15 | feblow = -13 | marlow = -7 | aprlow = 1 | maylow = 7 | junlow = 12 | jullow = 15 | auglow = 13 | seplow = 9 | octlow = 3 | novlow = -3 | declow = -11 | janprecip = 65 | febprecip = 58 | marprecip = 64 | aprprecip = 72 | mayprecip = 81 | junprecip = 91 | julprecip = 89 | augprecip = 88 | sepprecip = 87 | octprecip = 79 | novprecip = 77 | decprecip = 74 | description = See the Ottawa 7-day forecast at [https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/on-118_metric_e.html Environment Canada] }} Ottawa has a humid continental or hemiboreal climate, featuring four distinct seasons, including warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation, falling mostly as snow in winter and as rain in the rest of year, is plentiful year-round. The city is neither particularly sunny or cloudy, though spring and summer are sunnier than autumn and winter. Most people who visit Ottawa come during the summer, which lasts from the beginning of June to early September, when the days are longest and when the average high is around 25 °C (77 °F). During heatwaves, which can occur from May to September, temperatures can rise above 30 °C (86 °F), although there are also cooler and often rainier periods. Autumn (fall) sets in during September and lasts until early-to-mid November. It features cooling temperatures, with mostly mild and occasionally warm days in September and pleasantly cool days in October and early November. The season is known for its bright colours and vibrant foliage. Similar to most other Canadian cities, winters in Ottawa are long and cold with short days. There is an average of 225 cm of snowfall per winter, which usually begins falling in late October, with the ground typically being blanketed in a layer of snow from late November to the end of March, while the last of the snow falls in April. Temperatures in the winter months average between -7 and -10 °C (14 and 19 °F), although there are short thawing periods where they can rise to above 0 °C (32 °F) in addition to brief cold snaps where they can drop to below -20 °C (-4° F). Most bodies of water in and around the city freeze over during the winter, notably the [[Rideau Canal]], which transforms into world's largest skating rink. Spring begins in April and lasts until the end of May, featuring progressively warmer temperatures and many blossoms. It can sometimes be prone to swings in conditions (such as snow in April and brief episodes of summer-like conditions in the second half of May); however, the weather is generally pleasant. ===Visitor information=== In addition to the Capital Information Kiosk, the tourist office's eager helpers can be found in public places, ready to answer questions in French or English. You can identify them by their blue uniforms with white question marks ("?"). * {{listing | name=Capital Information Kiosk | alt= | url=http://www.ottawatourism.ca | email=cik-kic@pch.gc.ca | address=90 Wellington Street | lat=45.42332 | long=-75.69808 | directions=opposite Parliament Hill | phone=+1 613-239-5000 | tollfree=+1-844-878-8333 | hours=10AM-5PM daily | price= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Excellent first stop for all kinds of tourist information, in friendly and fluent English and French. }} ==Get in== ===By plane=== ==== Main airport ==== * {{go | name=Macdonald-Cartier International Airport | alt={{IATA|YOW}} | url=https://yow.ca/ | email=comments@yow.ca | address=1000 Airport Parkway Private | lat=45.3225 | long=-75.6672 | directions=roughly 10.2 km south of downtown | phone=+1-613-248-2000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport | image=Ottawa Airport.jpg | wikidata=Q1319833 | lastedit=2022-05-26 | content=Ottawa's main airport offers regular flights to major Canadian (and many American) cities. The airport's US Customs Pre-clearance facilities allow for seamless domestic and international transfers through a number of major US airports. }} ==== Airport amenities ==== ATMs and a currency exchange booth are available in the arrivals hall (lower level). There is one International Currency Exchange (ICE) branded ATM near the baggage carrousels which charges higher transaction fees and offers poor exchange rates and one Royal Bank ATM near the washrooms with lower transaction fees and better exchange rates. There is a 24 hour baggage storage facility (Pars 2000) in the arrivals hall. Luggage can be stored for $5 per day or $8 overnight. There is also an information booth in the arrivals hall. There are a number of restaurants and a few bars inside the departures area. ==== Destinations ==== Direct flights to Ottawa within Canada include from [[Calgary]] (3.75 hours), from [[Edmonton]] (3.75 hours), from [[Halifax]] (1.75 hours), from [[Iqaluit]] (3.25 hours), from [[Montreal]] (45 minutes), from [[Toronto]] (1 hour), and from [[Vancouver]] (4.5 hours). Direct flights to Ottawa from the [[United States of America]] include from [[New York City]] (1.5-1.75 hours) and [[Washington, D.C.]] (1.5-1.75 hours) Services to Ottawa from outside North America, however, are limited to a daily flight from [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow]] and a daily flight from [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]] with Air Canada, plus seasonal service from [[London Gatwick]], which has been suspended due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. While Air France-KLM does not serve Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, it provides a shuttle bus connection for passengers booked between Ottawa Train Station ({{IATA|XDS}}) and [[Montreal#Get in|Montreal Trudeau International Airport]] ({{IATA|YUL}}). This trip takes about two hours. Via Rail trains bound for Montreal also connect to Montreal Trudeau International Airport via a free shuttle bus from the nearby Dorval station. ==== Airlines ==== Canadian airlines operating to Ottawa: * {{listing | name=Air Canada | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-393-3333 | tollfree=+1-888-247-2262 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Some flights between Toronto and Montreal involve Toronto Pearson International Airport and some involve Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{listing|name=Canadian North|alt=|url=https://canadiannorth.com/|email=contact@canadiannorth.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-267-1247|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline primarily operating flights in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], and flights traveling between that region and a few large cities in Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=PAL Airlines|url=https://www.palairlines.ca|email=reservations@palairlines.ca|tollfree=+1-800-563-2800|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=One of the largest regional airlines operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Atlantic Canada]], and to Ottawa.}} * {{listing | name=Porter Airlines | alt= | url=https://www.flyporter.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-619-8622 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Operates flights in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[Atlantic Canada]], and some flights to the [[United States of America]]. For flights departing from or arriving in [[Toronto]], the airline's turboprop plane flights land at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The airline's jet plane flights and flights by all other airlines almost exclusively land at Toronto Pearson International Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Swoop|url=https://help.flyswoop.com/|phone=+1-587-441-1001|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ====Ground transportation from airport to downtown==== :* '''Public transit''' - To reach downtown via public transit, take [http://www.octranspo.com/routes?rte=97 bus 97] (the only bus at the airport, outside arrivals at pole #12) to Hurdman Station. At Hurdman, transfer to the O-Train Confederation Line (west to Tunney's Pasture) to the downtown stations Lyon, Parliament or Rideau (west to east). To get to the Ottawa Train Station, take bus 97 to Hurdman Station and transfer to the O-Train Confederation Line (east to Blair) to Tremblay Station, the next O-Train stop, which is next door to the train station. The bus fare is $3.50 which gives you 1½ hours of unlimited bus travel or $10.50 for an all-day pass. If you don't have a [[Presto card]], exact change is required; remember to ask the bus driver for a transfer to use as proof of payment for fare inspectors. :* '''Taxi''' - A taxi to downtown hotels should cost between $25 and $35, while a taxi to nearby hotels should not cost more than $10. Uber and Lyft serve the airport and a ride to downtown hotels should cost between $20 and $25. :* '''Car rental''' - Most of the major international car rental agencies have a presence in the parking garage across from the airport terminal. ==== Other airport ==== * {{marker|type=go|name=Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport|wikidata=Q3912736}} ({{IATA|YRO}}) is closer to downtown but does not have regular service; it is open to [[general aviation]] only. ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Autobus Gatineau | alt= | url=http://www.autobusgatineau.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-880-0439 | hours= | price= | lastedit=15 June 2020 | content=Operates a weekday bus service from smaller regional centres in the [[Outaouais]] region of West [[Quebec]] (to the north of Ottawa). The route travels between Ottawa and Grand-Remous including stops in [[Gatineau]], [[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]], Kazabazua, Gracefield, and Maniwaki. Travel time to Ottawa from Wakefield is 50-60 minutes and from Grand-Remous is 2.75-3 hours. }} In Grand-Remous, there is service under the Autobus Maheux brand from [[Montreal]], [[Rouyn-Noranda]], and [[Val-d'Or]]. * {{listing | name=Autobus Maheux | alt= | url=https://autobusmaheux.com/ | email=service_client@autobusmaheux.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-863-6066 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] with some connections to [[Ontario]]. }} Operates a bus route between [[Montreal]] and Ottawa including stops in [[Laval]] and [[Gatineau]]. Travel time to Ottawa from Montreal is 3.5 hours. * {{go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus-routes/bus-ottawa-on-toronto-on | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-07 | content=Operates bus route to Ottawa from [[Toronto]] (4.75 hours). One bus daily (Th-Mo) leaves Ottawa's Byward Market at 4PM, arriving Toronto Harbourfront at 8:50PM, $33/adult. }} * {{go | name=Megabus | alt= | url=https://ca.megabus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-488-4452 | hours= | price=Toronto from $52 (5 hours 10 min), Kingston from $32 (2 hours) | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Ottawa-Kingston-Toronto, twice daily Th-Su, leaving Toronto at 10:30AM and 5PM. Departures from Ottawa (OCTranspo St Laurent) at 10:30AM and 4:30PM. }} *{{go|name=Rider Express|alt=|url=https://riderexpress.ca|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-833-583-3636|hours=|price=|lastedit=2021-03-19|content=Offers service to Ottawa from [[Toronto]] via [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]]. Travel time to Ottawa from Toronto is 5.25 hours and from Kingston is 2 hours.}} *{{go | name=Ontario Northland | alt= | url=https://www.ontarionorthland.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Buses depart from Ottawa VIA station (see below) | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-461-8558 | hours= | price= | lastedit=15 June 2020 | content=Connects Ottawa to a number of smaller regional centres in [[Northern Ontario]]. }} **Operates a route between Ottawa and [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]] including stops in [[Kanata]], [[Arnprior]], [[Renfrew]], [[Pembroke (Ontario)|Pembroke]], [[Petawawa]], [[Mattawa]], and [[North Bay]]. Travel time to Ottawa from Arnprior is 6 hours, from Pembroke is 4.75 hours, and from Petawawa is 4 hours, from North Bay is 1.5 hours, and from Sudbury is 7 hours. Connections are available from [[Winnipeg]] (1 day 8.5 hours) with transfers in [[Thunder Bay]], [[Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario)|Sault Sainte Marie]], and Sudbury. Connections are available from [[Toronto]] with a transfer in either North Bay or Sudbury. *{{go | name=Orléans Express | alt= | url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-450-640-1477 | tollfree=+1-833-449-6444 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-06 | content=Operates bus routes primarily in [[Quebec]]. A bus route operates to Ottawa from [[Montreal]] (2.25-2.5 hours). }} * {{go | name=Tour Express | alt= | url=https://tourexpress.ca/ | email=info@tourexpress.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-228-2303 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-26 | content=Intercity service Montréal-Ottawa and Montréal-Gatineau. Travel time to Ottawa from Montreal is 2 hours. }} ===By train=== {{Seealso|Rail travel in Canada}} {{Infobox|Walking downtown from Ottawa station |It is possible to get downtown from the main train station on foot, although it requires a bit of navigation. This path should not be taken alone after dark and may be flooded after periods of intense rain or snow melting. Have a street map with you so you can locate yourself once you have reached [[:wikipedia:Strathcona Park (Ottawa)|Strathcona Park]]. The station to Strathcona Park takes about half an hour (2½&nbsp;km). Another half hour from the park to downtown. A map is [http://stepwhere.com/maps/route/Pedestrain-route-from-Ottawa-train-station-to-downtown available online]. #On exiting the station, walk along the west (left-hand) arm of the vehicle loop and across the Transitway bridge. (This needs updating with the new O-Train line replacing the Transitway) #Before reaching Tremblay Road, take the bike path to your left going west. #The path will take you along the bus lanes and will pass over Riverside Drive. #You will merge with a path coming up from Riverside Drive; continue walking west, away from the street. #Shortly after that, you will come to a fork; go right (north) and continue until you see a pedestrian bridge on your left. #Take the pedestrian bridge over the Rideau River. #Immediately after the pedestrian bridge, turn right towards the north. #Take the paved bike path, go under the highway bridge and keep following the Rideau River northward for about 1&nbsp;km. #Once you reach the end of the path, you are in Strathcona Park. #Use a street map or an on-line map service to find your way from Strathcona Park to your downtown destination; at the north end of the park is Laurier Avenue, a major east-west street; parallel to it and several blocks north is Rideau Street. }} * {{go | name=Ottawa station | alt={{IATA|XDS}} | url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/ottawa/station | email= | address=200 Tremblay Road | lat=45.41632 | long=-75.65166 | directions=4 km east of downtown | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours=Daily 5:30AM to 11:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Ottawa station | wikidata=Q3095844 | content=Passenger train service is run by '''[https://viarail.ca/ VIA Rail Canada]''' and the main train station in Ottawa is less than ten minutes from downtown by car, taxi or O-Train. The station has a lounge for Business class ticket holders and a small cafe offering coffee, pastries, and light meals. }} :To reach downtown from the station, passengers can take the light rail (Tunney's Pasture direction) from Tremblay O-Train Station, next door to Ottawa Station. The trip should take about 10 minutes. Tremblay Station has O-Train ticket vending machines which accept cash and credit cards. Taxis are also available and should cost about $10-15 for a trip downtown. There is a phone kiosk offering car rentals. Routes operating to Ottawa station: :* Between Ottawa and [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Smiths Falls]], Brockville, Kingston, [[Napanee]], Bellevile, Cobourg, [[Port Hope]], and [[Oshawa]]. Numerous trains per day. Travel time to Ottawa from Kingston is 2.25-2.5 hours and from Toronto is 4.75-5 hours. :* Between [[Quebec City]] and Ottawa including stops in [[Drummondville]], [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Saint-Lambert]], [[Montreal]], and [[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]]. Multiple trains per day travel the entire route and some additional trains travel between Montreal and Ottawa. Travel time to Ottawa from Quebec City is 6 hours, from Drummondville is 3.75-4 hours, and from Montreal is 2-2.25 hours. * {{listing | type=go | name=Fallowfield station | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/fallowfield | email= | address=3347 Fallowfield Road | lat=45.29928 | long=-75.73661| directions=southwest of downtown | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | fax= | hours=Daily 5:30AM to 11:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Fallowfield station (Ontario) | image= | wikidata=Q3096415 | content=Ottawa also has a secondary station (Fallowfield station) in the western suburb of Barrhaven, convenient for Nepean and Kanata points. All trains to Toronto stop at Fallowfield; two of the six weekday trains to Montreal originate or terminate at Fallowfield.}} :Fallowfield Station is around 10 kilometers to the west of Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, making it the closest railway station to the airport. The airport is accessible by taxi or car in around 15 minutes. By comparison, OC Transpo buses departing from the adjacent Fallowfield bus station head north to downtown before looping back south to the airport and generally take more than an hour. ::It is also possible to cycle from Fallowfield to the airport (over relatively flat terrain) in about 33 minutes. The route begins by heading south to Fallowfield Road, turning left and eventually crossing Woodroffe Avenue. Then turn left again and follow the path which bends to the right in front of the Via train tracks. The trail continues along the tracks and through a wooded area to Prince of Wales Drive and Black Rapids Lockstation on the Rideau River. ::From there, turn left and cautiously ride up Prince of Wales Drive north to Hunt Club Road and turn right. Be especially careful at the intersection and on the bridge, as traffic moves quite quickly and it is not particularly friendly for cyclists. Continue down Hunt Club, turn right in front of the Days Inn by Wyndham and finally ride down Paul Benoit Drive through the employee parking lot to the lower level arrivals area. ===By boat=== [[Image:Canal Rideau Boat.JPG|thumb|240px|Sailing up the Rideau Canal]] The Ottawa River is navigable to Ottawa from Montréal, but is blocked to the west by rapids in Ottawa-Hull. There are no ferry services to Ottawa. However, there is a tourist-oriented water taxi that runs between Ottawa and Hull for about $6 one way. The city is also accessible via the [[Rideau Canal]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], which runs from the St. Lawrence River at [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] to the Ottawa River at Ottawa where it empties via a series of locks. It is possible to dock at Dow's Lake Pavilion and at points along the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River near downtown. ===By car=== By car, Ottawa is about a 4½-hour trip from Toronto via the 401 and 416 highways. Highway 7 is shorter ({{km|405}} vs. {{km|450}}) but this more scenic route through [[Peterborough (Ontario)|Peterborough]] is two lanes almost all the way, saving you no time. Montreal is 2-3 hours away via Highway 417, the [[Trans-Canada Highway]]. From the [[United States|American]] border at [[Prescott (Ontario)|Prescott]]-[[Ogdensburg]], it is 45 minutes to Ottawa's western suburbs (at the opposite end of Highway 416). Interstate 81 is 60 km (40 miles) further upriver in the [[Thousand Islands]]. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|45.42803|-75.68354|zoom=12}} {{Mapshape}} <!--{{mapshapes|Q2422359}}--> ===Public transit=== [[Image:Ottawa Public Transit Map.png|right|thumb|500px|Ottawa rapid transit map.]] '''[http://octranspo.com/ OC Transpo]''' operates the city's bus service and the O-Train, a light rail system consisting of two lines. The Confederation Line (Line 1, red in maps), which began service in 2019, runs west-east with an underground segment through the city centre. The Trillium Line (Line 2, green) runs from the south. The lines meet at Bayview station. (Note: The Trillium Line is closed at least until at least 2023 due to construction. In the meantime, it is being replaced by the [https://www.octranspo.com/en/news/article/line-2-closing-for-o-train-expansion/ Line 2 bus].) The bus rapid transit system, called the ''Transitway'', has service as frequent as 1 to 2 minutes at rush hour. The O-Train Confederation Line runs east-west under the downtown area served by Lyon, Parliament, Rideau and uOttawa O-Train stations. If you are going to the Byward Market, get off at Rideau O-Train Station. To go north-south, take bus route 6 or 7 along Bank Street from either Parliament or Rideau O-Train stations. OC Transpo has a [https://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/schedules-maps webpage] to look up schedules and maps for all the O-Train and bus routes mentioned above. It also has a Customer Service Centre on the 3rd floor of the Rideau Centre, above the corner of Rideau Street and Colonel By Drive in downtown Ottawa. There are others at major bus stations: Lincoln Fields in the west end, Place d'Orleans and St. Laurent in the east. ====Fares==== As of October 1, 2019, the cash [http://www.octranspo.com/tickets-and-passes fare] for regular routes is $3.60 for adults and youth (13-64), $2.70 for seniors (65+), $1.85 for children (6-12). (Fares are 5 cents cheaper if paying by Presto card.) [https://www.octranspo.com/en/fares/reduced-fares/senior/ Seniors] can ride the OC Transpo system free on Wednesdays and Sundays (except Para Transpo). Children 5 and under always ride for free. Payment is by exact change or the Presto card. If you pay cash, get a transfer to act as proof of payment for fare inspection. Your fare allows you to ride any buses and the O-Train for roughly 1½ hours, longer at night. Stop-overs and return trips are permitted. A day pass ($10.50) is good for buses and the O-Train. On weekends and holidays, up to two adults and four children (age 11 and under) can share a day pass. Buy the pass from the bus driver using exact cash or Presto card. (If you're using the card to pay for a day pass, you must ask the driver before tapping the card to the reader, or it will deduct a normal fare instead). Day passes are also available from ticket vending machines at O-Train stations and at customer service centres. O-Train stations (except Bayview station) have ticket vending machines that issue a single-ride ticket. The O-Train ticket acts as a transfer which expires 90 minutes after purchase. You can buy a [[Presto card]] for $6 (non-refundable) plus a minimum $10 balance at a Customer Service Centre, kiosks at O-Train stations, at selected Loblaws grocery stores or Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies, by phone ({{phone|+1-877-378-6123}}) or [http://www.octranspo.com/tickets-and-passes/presto online] (for delivery in Canada only). Have a Customer Service Centre add the birth date to a Presto card for a senior or a child to qualify for fare discounts. The Presto card is also valid in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. Presto card readers are available on buses at the front door (and also at the rear door of long, articulated buses) and on O-Train platforms. Paying the fare by tapping the Presto card on the reader will also record a 1½ hour transfer period on the card. Tap your Presto card every time you board a vehicle. Upon the first tap, the Presto machine will momentarily display the fare deducted and the Presto balance remaining. When you tap within the transfer period, the Presto machine will display the minutes left in the transfer period. ====Service to Gatineau==== On weekdays (excluding holidays), OC Transpo bus 15 connects Lyon O-Train Station to [[Gatineau]], Quebec terminating in front of the Canadian Museum of History (stop: Laurier / Élisabeth-Bruyère); it uses OC Transpo fare media, including Presto, even when boarding in Gatineau. Many [[Gatineau]] buses (marked "STO" - [http://www.sto.ca/?L=en Société de transport de l'Outaouais]) come into Ottawa, run along Wellington Street and pass by the Byward Market. They can be caught near Lyon, Parliament and Rideau O-Train stations. The colour schemes for the two transit systems are different, red and white for OC Transpo but blue and white for STO. OC Transpo and STO accept each other's [http://www.octranspo.com/tickets-and-passes/transfers_to_and_from_sto transfers] including O-Train tickets. STO accepts an OC Transpo transfer recorded on a Presto card; however, STO will not accept Presto to pay the fare on its own buses. STO accepts the OC Transpo day pass but not as a group pass. ===By taxi=== Taxis are easy to find downtown; elsewhere, phone for a cab. All taxis should have a meter and the base charge is $2.45, and overall rates are quite high compared to most other North American cities. A ride from downtown to the airport will be costly, running between $25 and $35 for a trip that will take less than a half-hour outside of peak traffic periods. Cabs will not take credit cards for fares below $10. Most cab drivers know Ottawa well, but have clear instructions if you're going anywhere in the suburbs as many developments in the outskirts are relatively new. Ottawa cabs aren't supposed to pick up customers off the street on the Quebec side; the converse applies to Quebec cabs in Ottawa. You may phone a Quebec cab if you are in Ottawa and vice versa. * {{Listing|name=BlueLine Taxi|url=https://www.bluelinetaxi.com/|phone=+1 613-238-1111|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Capital Taxi|url=https://capitaltaxi.com|phone=+1 613-744-3333|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Executive Cabs|url=http://www.executivecabsottawa.com/|phone=+1 613-799-3353|lastedit=2022-07-31}} === By ride hailing === * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/ottawa-on|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/ottawa/|lastedit=2022-07-31}} ===By car=== Parking at most attractions is convenient, though on-street parking in downtown areas is at a premium (more expensive than most other cities in North America). If you are driving to downtown on the weekend, parking is free in the garage at the World Exchange Plaza. There are entrances to the garage on Metcalfe Street and on Queen Street. A map is useful if you are going to be driving around downtown as many of the streets are one-way. Drivers in Ottawa are rated as some of the worst in Canada, often failing to signal for lane changes or making illegal turns into far lanes rather than the closest lane. Most major car rental companies have several offices in Ottawa with all of them represented downtown and at the airport. Driving while talking on your cell phone is illegal in Ontario unless you use a hands-free system. ===On foot=== Ottawa is a great city to explore on foot, though in winter you need good clothes and warm boots to consider it. With pedestrian-friendly streets and the density of attractions, a car is expensive and unnecessary for the most part. An excellent place to start any tour of Ottawa is the Capital Information Kiosk, at 90 Wellington Street, directly across from the Parliament buildings. They have maps and brochures for most tourist attractions in Ottawa, many of which are within walking distance. Popular pedestrian areas, especially during spring and summer months, are the various streets in the Byward Market. Sparks Street, running through downtown parallel to the Parliament Buildings, is a popular pedestrian area during the day and night, particularly in the spring and summer months. Guided walking tours are available with '''[http://ottawawalkingtours.com Ottawa Walking Tours]''', which include some history and other tidbits of trivia not commonly known. Especially popular is the '''[http://hauntedwalk.com Haunted Walk of Ottawa]''' that provides a variety of walking tours focusing on the city's darker and more offbeat past. Ottawa is a city with a truly continental climate. In winter, exposed skin can freeze in minutes or less, so layer up on the clothing and protect yourself by wearing a hat (toque or hunters cap), gloves and boots. Despite being slightly closer to the North Pole than the equator, summer temperature and humidity can be oppressively high, so bring water if you're doing any amount of walking or cycling. If you are on the public pathways near the canal or the river, there are drinking fountains to refill your bottles. Also, don't forget the mosquito repellent. If you happen to be in Ottawa around early June, make sure you check the website of [http://www.janeswalkottawa.ca/background/about-janes-walk Jane's Walk Ottawa], an annual festival of free neighbourhood walking tours organised by volunteers. Jane's Walk is a pedestrian-focused event that improves urban literacy by offering insights into local history, planning, design, and civic engagement through the simple act of walking and observing. They are a lot of fun and you will hear stories that you won't find in any guide book. ===By bicycle=== Bicycling is one of the best ways to see Ottawa up close. You can cover a lot of ground, stop anywhere to sight-see, and enjoy the ambiance of the city. The downtown is very well-served by protected cycling infrastructure, and paths run along the canal and the rivers, including into Gatineau on the Quebec side. In the summer, the downtown bike corridor on Laurier Ave counts 70,000 bike rides a month. The bike routes along the canal see around 350,000 bike rides a year. Again, you may want to start immediately opposite Parliament Hill to pick up a [https://ottawa.ca/en/parking-roads-and-travel/cycling/routes-and-maps map of the area] (in the World Exchange Plaza's NCC booth in the main hallway) or find a bicycle rental. Cycling to the attractions around downtown Ottawa is a great way to get around, but don't ignore the Gatineau side of the river. The city has several attractions along the river including the Museum of History and if you want to really stretch your legs, Gatineau Park has many great cycling paths; the Champlain Look Out has a wonderful view over the Ottawa Valley. ====Rentals==== There are usually a few options for renting bicycles downtown, including: * {{listing | type=buy | name=Rentabike | alt= | url=http://www.rentabike.ca | email=rentabike11@outlook.com | address=2 Rideau St | lat=45.424688 | long=-75.693688 | directions=Located across from the hotel Château Laurier, below the Plaza Bridge and next to the Rideau Canal | phone=+1-613-241-4140 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-01 | content=Well-equipped bike rental service. From this central location, pathways along the Rideau Canal are suitable for cycling south or north. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Bike Dump | alt= | url=http://bikedump.com | email= | address=407 Catherine St | lat=45.406812 | long=-75.698937 | directions=Catherine at Percy Street. 3 blocks west of Ottawa Central Station bus terminal | phone=+1-613-231-2317 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-01 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=RightBike/Cycle Salvation | alt= | url=https://rightbike.org | email=rightbike@causewayworkcentre.org | address=473 Bronson Avenue| lat=45.407687 | long=-75.703312 | directions=Bronson south of Gladstone Ave | phone=+1-613-722-4440 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-01 | content= }} You can also get a bicycle for shorter time periods via [http://velogo.ca/ VeloGo] bike sharing system. About 20 bike stations are to be found mainly in downtown Ottawa and a bit further south along the canal and Dow's Lake. There are also several across the Ottawa River in Gatineau. Velogo is designed for short trips; find pricing on their website. ====Capital Pathway==== The city is criss-crossed by over 170&nbsp;km of multi-use bike paths, shared with pedestrians and in-line skaters. Dogs on leash are allowed along many of the paths, but only if the owner is on foot. Many paths are unlit at night, so careful that you don't ride into a leash between the dog and its owner. The maximum speed on the pathways is 20 km/h (13 mph). The [http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/cycling National Capital Commission] closes 50&nbsp;km of roadways to cars every Sunday during the summer from Victoria Day (late May) to Labour Day (early September) allowing for cycling, in-line skating and walking on these roadways. Maps of the Capital Pathway are available, including the ''[https://ottawa.ca/en/parking-roads-and-travel/cycling/routes-and-maps Official Cycling Map for Ottawa-Gatineau]'' and the simplified ''[https://hansonthebike.com/ottawa-cycling-maps/ Ottawa Multi Use Pathway Pocket Map]'' created by a local cycling blogger. For more route suggestions, check out these local cycling blogs: * http://gobiking.ca/ * https://ottawavelooutaouais.com/ OC Transpo has bicycle racks on the front of many buses (seasonally). You can load your bike on the rack and then ride the bus for the normal passenger fare. The O-Train will take bikes as well, in the forwardmost car. The City of Ottawa has bike repair stations in public spaces along paths and across from City Hall, at libraries and community centres. The stations consist of a pump and the most important tools, connected to a base with steel cables. Long time advocacy group [http://bikeottawa.ca/ Bike Ottawa] (since 1984) also maintains an extensive website with [https://maps.bikeottawa.ca/ a set of interactive bicycle route maps] that rate all bicycle routes through Ottawa and [[Gatineau]] on a 1-4 scale, with 1 being child-friendly and 4 being very stressful. They also make available information on infrastructure progress. [http://bikeottawa.ca/index.php/about-cfsc/contact-us Contact them] also with questions about routes, concerns and popular destinations. Although it is a volunteer-run organisation, they are usually fairly fast in responding. [https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottbike #ottbike] is the commonly used hashtag on social media. ==See== === Parliament Hill === [[File:Centre Block - Parliament Hill.jpg|thumb|Parliament Hill, Canada's house of democracy]] [[Image:Ottawa war memorial.jpg|thumb|The National War Memorial near Parliament Hill]] The primary attraction for most visitors is {{see | name=Parliament Hill | alt= | url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/Visit/default/en_CA | email= | address= | lat=45.42415 | long=-75.69908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Parliament Hill | wikidata=Q1589289 | content= }} Parliament Hill is in the middle of downtown Ottawa, overlooking the Ottawa River. Not only is the building a fine example of the Gothic revival style, it makes an excellent starting point to visit all other points of interest in the area. * The '''Changing of the Guard''' takes place daily on the lawns of Parliament at 9AM from late June to late August. The Governor General's Foot Guards can also be seen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at Rideau Hall. Tours of the building are available daily with multiple tours (in English and French) available at staggered times throughout the day. If you have a group of greater than 10 people, you must make a reservation in advance by reserving online or by calling the reservations office at +1 613-996-0896. The admission is free, but you need tickets (one for the House of Commons at West Block, one for the Senate at the Senate of Canada Building) which you get at the office. The office opens at 9am, but because of the interest in the summer, you should stand in line at least at 8:30am or even earlier. It can take an hour or more until you reach the desk and get your tickets. Masks are required for either tour. * The Centre Block closed for renovation in early 2019, and is expected to remain closed for a decade. * Tour guides take you through the House of Commons Chamber or the Senate Chamber and explain the history, roles and architecture of the respective buildings. Each tours lasts about 45 mins and free same-day tickets can be picked up at the Visitor Welcome Centre on the Hill by the West Block. * If there are no more tickets available, or you have to wait for your time, a fine self-guided walking tour around the grounds of Parliament Hill will keep you busy. Free booklets are available at the visitors' centre. * One of the nicer, unexpected views, looking from the bottom up, can be accessed at the back of the Parliament Buildings—that vantage point also provides a river view of the Canadian Museum of History, across the river in downtown Gatineau (the former city of Hull). * Behind the Parliament Buildings at sunset is a sight to remember. You can walk by the Rideau Canal locks (at the east corner) and visit the Bytown Museum at the level of the canal. * The locks separate Parliament Hill from the '''Chateau Laurier''', a [[Grand old hotels|former railway hotel]] (see below). * {{see | name=Mosaika Parliament Hill Sound & Light Show | alt= | url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/sound-light-show.html | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Developed by the National Capital Commission, the Sound & Light Show is a 30-minute film about Canada projected on the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings. Bleacher seating is available and no reservations or tickets are required. There is one show nightly until September at 9:30PM. }} === Museums === There are many national museums and galleries in Ottawa and neighbouring [[Gatineau]]. All museums in Ottawa have free admission on Canada Day, July 1, although they are generally very crowded then. * {{see | name=Bank of Canada Currency Museum | alt= | url=http://www.bankofcanadamuseum.ca | email=museum@bankofcanada.ca | address=30 Bank St | lat=45.42068 | long=-75.70283 | directions= | phone=+1 613-782-8914 | tollfree= | hours=Th-M 10AM-5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Currency Museum (Canada) | wikidata=Q4306227 | lastedit=2022-05-25 | content=A collection of historic and current currencies from Canada and around the world, history of Bank of Canada and the application of interest rate in the society and economy. }} * {{see | name=Bytown Museum | alt= | url=http://bytownmuseum.com | email= | address=1 Canal Ln | lat=45.42582 | long=-75.69765 | directions=at the Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and Chateau Laurier | phone=+1 613-234-4570 | tollfree= | hours=Victoria Day weekend-Thanksgiving Day: F-W 10AM-5PM, Th 10AM-9PM. Rest of year: Tu-Su 11AM-4PM | price=$5 adults, $4 seniors/students/youth, $2 children 5-12 | wikipedia=Bytown Museum | wikidata=Q5004646 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A small museum at the foot of Parliament Hill with a focus on Ottawa's early history. Temporary closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{see | name=Canada Agriculture and Food Museum | alt= | url=http://agriculture.technomuses.ca | email= | address=861 Prince of Wales Dr | lat=45.38728 | long=-75.70937 | directions= | phone=+1 613-991-3044 | tollfree=+1-866-442-4416 | fax= | hours=Exhibitions: 9AM-5PM daily late Feb-late Nov. Animal barns: 9AM-5PM daily all year | price=$7 adults, $6 students/seniors, $4 children 3-14, $16 families (2 adults and 3 children), free for children under 3. Seniors free on Tuesday. Admission to animal barns is by donation during time of year when the exhibitions are closed | wikidata=Q4212098| wikipedia=Canada Agriculture and Food Museum | lastedit=2021-07-04 | content=A working animal farm in the city. You can visit animal barns, see various demonstrations and exhibitions, and ride on a horse-drawn wagon. The museum also has a playground and picnic area. It is very popular with young children and a welcome change of pace for kids who have seen enough history after visiting some of the other sights. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canada Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/casm | email= | address=11 Aviation Parkway | lat=45.45896 | long=-75.64392 | directions=at Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport | phone=+1 613-993-2010, +1 613-990-7530 (TTY) | tollfree=+1-800-463-2038 | fax=+1 613-993-3655 | hours=10AM to 5PM, daily, closed Tuesdays | price=$15, student/seniors $13, Youth (ages 3-17) $10 | wikipedia=Canada Aviation and Space Museum | wikidata=Q1031932 | lastedit=2021-07-04 | content=Former RCAF base with civilian and military aircraft ranging from pre-World War I to modern, including 1920s-1940s bush planes, war planes from both World Wars and the Cold War, surviving components of the 1950s' Avro Arrow interceptor and Space Shuttle Endeavor's Canadarm, a Canadian-built robotic arm. Guided tours, boutique. }} * {{see | name=Canadian Museum of Nature | alt= | url=http://nature.ca | email= | address=240 McLeod St. K2P2R1 | lat=45.41278 | long=-75.68863 | directions= | phone=+1 613-566-4700 | tollfree=+1-800-263-4433 | hours=W F-Su 10AM-4PM; Th 10AM-7PM. Open on some holiday Mondays | price=$17 adult (general admission), $15 senior/student, $13 child (3-12) | wikipedia=Canadian Museum of Nature | wikidata=Q1032232 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Galleries of fossils, mammals, birds and geology among others. Free admission Thursdays after 4PM and all day Canada Day (July 1st). }} * {{see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=http://warmuseum.ca | email= | address=1 Vimy Place | lat=45.41699 | long=-75.71738 | directions= | phone=+1 819-776-7000 | tollfree=+1-800-555-5621 | fax= | hours=Sept–June: M–W F–Su 9:30AM–5PM, Th 9:30AM–8PM. June–Sept: M–W F–Su 9:30AM–6PM, Th 9:30AM–8PM | price=$12 for adults. A joint War Museum and Museum of History ticket $18 (good for one entry into each museum in a three-day period). Free on Th after 6PM, and on November 11 | wikidata=Q1032442| wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | content=The museum presents Canada's involvement in armed conflict beginning with battles between the French and British, through to the World Wars, Korea, and the country's current involvement in NATO and UN operations. }} * {{see | name=Carleton University Art Gallery | alt= | url=http://cuag.ca/ | email= | address=St. Patrick's Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive | lat=45.3875 | long=-75.6983 | directions= | phone=+1 613-520-5611 | tollfree= | hours=Closed until further notice due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] | price=free | lastedit=2021-07-04 | content=Online content available. }} * {{see | name=Cumberland Heritage Village Museum | alt= | url=https://ottawa.ca/en/arts-heritage-and-events/museums-and-historic-sites/cumberland-heritage-village-museum | address=2940 Ch. Old Montréal Rd | lat=45.5177 | long=-75.3913 | directions=about 25 km east of downtown Ottawa, bus 221 to stop: Old Montréal / Ad. 2907 | phone= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cumberland, Ontario | lastedit=2021-09-21 | content=A museum village featuring buildings from the early 20th century including a railway station. }} * {{see | name=Diefenbunker - Canada's Cold War Museum | alt= | url=http://diefenbunker.ca | email= | address=3911 Carp Rd, Carp | lat=45.35136 | long=-76.04796 | directions=from Ottawa, take Hwy 417 west to exit 144, then go north on Carp Rd, watch for the sign on the left side of the road | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-409-1965 | fax= | hours=Self-guided tours 11AM-4PM daily | price=$14 adults, $13 seniors, $10 students , $8 youth 6-18, $40 families (2 adults plus 3 youth), free for children 5 and under | wikidata=Q5010827| wikipedia=CFS Carp | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Built to protect the government from nuclear attack, this once-secret bunker is now a museum and National Historic Site of Canada. "Diefenbunker" is a play on "Diefenbaker", the Canadian prime minister in the 1950s who authorized the construction of the facility. In addition to preserving and promoting Canada's Cold War history, the museum offers a variety of visitor programs and services. You can learn, play or shop as you discover the bunker's secrets and relive the experience of the Cold War. Guided tours by reservation only. If you do not have access to a vehicle and are willing to do a 50 minute bus ride plus pay a $30 taxi, you can # take the OcTranpo #95 or #97; # Transfer to the #93 at Lincoln Fields; # Get off at the Legget / Ad. 515 stop; # Walk 3 minutes to Brookstreet Hotel; # Take a taxi to the Diefenbunker. }} [[File:Gallerie nationale et Cathédrale d'Ottawa, Ottawa, ON..JPG|thumb|National Gallery of Canada (left) and Ottawa Cathedral]] * {{see | name=Laurier House National Historic Site | alt= | url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/laurier | email=Laurier-House@pc.gc.ca | address=335 Laurier Ave. | lat=45.4277 | long=-75.6779 | directions= | phone=+1 613-992-8142 | tollfree=+1-888-773-8888 | fax= | hours=May 1-Jun 30: Th-M 10AM-5PM | price=Adult $3.90, senior (65+) $3.40, youth (17 and under) free | wikipedia=Laurier House | image=Laurier House.jpg | wikidata=Q284595 | lastedit=2018-04-28 | content=1878 house that is the former residence of two Canadian prime ministers: Sir Wilfrid Laurier (for whom the house is named) and William Lyon Mackenzie King. }} * {{see | name=National Gallery | alt= | url=http://national.gallery.ca | email= | address=380 Sussex Dr | lat=45.42946 | long=-75.69863 | directions= | phone=+1 613-990-1985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free admission Th after 5PM | wikidata=Q1068063| wikipedia=National Gallery of Canada | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Photography, traditional and modern art from Canadian and international artists. Housed inside a glass building with a giant spider structure on the outside. }} [[Image:Jacques Plante's Goalie Mask.jpg|right|thumb|240px|Jacques Plante's Goalie Mask on display in the Science and Technology Museum]] * {{see | name=Science and Technology Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/scitech/index.php | email= | address= | lat=45.4033 | long=-75.6203 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 9AM-5PM | price=Adult $17, youth (3-17) $11, senior (60+) or student $13 | wikipedia=Canada Science and Technology Museum | image=CMST-Entrance.jpg | wikidata=Q1163464 | lastedit=2017-11-20 | content=Several displays are popular with children, including massive locomotives inside the building and electricity demonstrations. Re-opened on November 17, 2017, after years of renovations because of a mould problem, this museum is even more family-friendly than it was before its forced closure. }} === Professional sports === * {{see | name=Ottawa 67's | alt= | url=http://ottawa67s.com/ | email= | address=TD Place Arena, 1015 Bank St | lat=45.398886 |long=-75.684122 | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-6767 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ontario Hockey League (OHL) }} * {{see | name=Atlético Ottawa | alt= | url=https://atleticoottawa.canpl.ca | email= | address=TD Place Stadium, 1015 Bank St | lat=45.398178 |long=-75.68365 |directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Replacing the city's former Ottawa Fury FC is this club owned by Spanish soccer giants Atlético Madrid. Unlike Fury FC, which played at the second level of US soccer (the USL Championship), Atlético Ottawa will play in the domestic Canadian Premier League. | wikipedia=Atlético Ottawa | wikidata=Q84127265 }} * {{see | name=Ottawa Harlequins | alt= | url=http://rugbyottawa.com | email= | address=Twin Elm Rugby Park | lat=45.2037 | long=-75.7954 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Twin Elm Rugby Park | wikidata=Q7858151 | content=Rugby Canada Super League }} * {{see | name=Ottawa RedBlacks | alt= | url=http://ottawaredblacks.com |email=fan@ottawaredblacks.com | address=TD Place Stadium, 1015 Bank St | lat=45.398178 |long=-75.68365 |directions= | phone=+1 613-232-6767 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Canadian Football League (CFL) }} * {{see | name=Ottawa Senators | alt= | url=http://www.nhl.com/senators | email= | address=Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Dr, [[Kanata]] | lat=45.296944 |long= -75.927222 | directions= | phone=+1 613-599-0250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=National Hockey League (NHL) }} === Parks === Ottawa has dozens of neighbourhood parks and other parcels of green space in the urban core. * {{see | name=Confederation Park | alt= | url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/confederation-park | address=Elgin St | lat=45.4221 | long=-75.6925 | directions=at Albert St, west of the Rideau Canal | phone= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Confederation Park | lastedit=2021-09-21 | content=Downtown park, designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, featuring a fountain, totem pole, statues. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Nepean Point | alt= | url=http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths-and-parkways/nepean-point | email= | address=Alexandra Bridge | lat=45.4300009 | long=-75.7033669 | directions=behind the National Gallery | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 8AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia=Nepean Point | wikidata=Q6994604 | lastedit=2020-02-27 | content=A quiet place to watch the sun set, or to take photos of Parliament Hill, the National Gallery, the Museum of History, and the Royal Canadian Mint from angles that don't usually end up in the tourist brochures. Nepean Point is also home to a statue of Samuel de Champlain, and the Astrolabe Theatre (one of the better places to watch the fireworks from on July 1). However, the point is not accessible if you're in a wheelchair. }} * {{see | name=Strathcona Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=25 Range Rd | lat=45.4275 | long=-75.6726 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Strathcona Park (Ottawa) | wikidata=Q4345268 | lastedit=2017-02-28 | content=Strathcona Park is at the eastern end of the Sandy Hill neighbourhood, and is the centrepiece of "Embassy Row". Be sure to see the Lord Strathcona Fountain at the park's north end, and Stephen Brathwaite's play structure (which looks like a ruined building in miniature) in the middle of the park. }} * {{see | name=Commissioners Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.3983 | long=-75.7031 | directions=at Preston Street & Queen Elizabeth Drive near Carling O-Train station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5152787| wikipedia=Commissioners Park (Ottawa) | lastedit=2017-09-23 | content=Located adjacent to Dows Lake, where you can rent boats, it features the Festival of Tulips in May. In summer, there are a number of flower beds with flowers arranged by colour in attractive patterns. }} * {{see | name=Hartwell's Lockstation | alt= | url=http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h09-10-hartwells.html | email= | address= | lat=45.3844 | long=-75.7002 | directions=west side of Carleton University, 400 m from Carleton O-Train station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-09-19 | content=Pictoresque lock station within a park along the Rideau Canal. One could walk across the locks and continue north to Dows Lake near Carling O-Train station, or northwest to the Canada Agriculture Museum. }} === Other attractions === * {{see | name=Rideau Hall | alt= | url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=94 | email= | address=1 Sussex Dr | lat=45.44431 | long=-75.68548 | directions= | phone=+1 613-991-4422 | tollfree=+1-866-842-4422 | fax= | hours=Residence tour (without reservations): Apr 30-Jun 26: Sa Su 10AM-4PM, Jun 27-Sep 5: 10AM-4PM daily (unguided open-house tours available Jul-Aug), Sep 6-Oct 30: Sa Su noon-4PM. Advance reservations required for tours at any time from Nov-Apr, and weekdays May-Jun and Sep-6-Oct 30. Grounds tour: 8AM-1 hour before sunset daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q2151874| wikipedia=Rideau Hall | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=The official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her representative the Governor General of Canada. The grounds and the residence are open to the public for tours. Reservations are recommended during low season (September 1 - April 30). }} * {{see | name=Royal Canadian Mint | alt= | url=http://mint.ca/store/mint/about-the-mint/visit-the-mint-1200026 | email= | address=320 Sussex Drive | lat=45.4315 | long=-75.69921 | directions=a five-minute walk north of the National Gallery | phone=+1 613-993-8990 | tollfree=+1-800-276-7714 | hours=9AM-6PM (Tours are temporarily closed due to COVID-19) | price=Price varies depending on day of the week and age of person, group discount rates available | wikipedia=Royal Canadian Mint | wikidata=Q1647539 | lastedit=2022-05-13 | content=Canada's commemorative and collectable coinage is minted here (circulation coinage is minted in Winnipeg), as were the medals for the 2010 Olympics. Tours are available, and there is no charge if you only want to visit the boutique. }} * {{see | name=Supreme Court of Canada | alt= | url=http://www.scc-csc.ca/vis/index-eng.aspx | email= | address= | lat=45.42193 | long=-75.70535 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q196615| wikipedia=Supreme Court of Canada | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Canada's highest court and the best example in Ottawa of Art Deco architecture. Its marble Grand Entrance Hall is particularly impressive. The visit includes a tour in the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada hearing room. The visits last about 30 minutes and are provided by law students hired at the Court. The Court is a 5-minute walk from Parliament. Tours are offered in French on the half hour and in English on the hour. No reservations are needed between May 1 and August 30. Visitor reservations are required between September 1 to April 30. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=24 Sussex | alt= | url= | email= | address=24 Sussex Drive | lat=45.444348 | long=-75.693934 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=24 Sussex Drive | wikidata=Q217304 | lastedit=2019-04-12 | content=The official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada. While you cannot enter the building, you can look through the fence from the outside. }} ==Do== There are walking tours to introduce you to the capital area. * [http://www.ottawawalkingtours.com Ottawa Walking Tours] offers historical guided walks of Ottawa's downtown core with special stops at areas of historical significance. Tours acquaint guests with the history of the city and allow visitors to learn more about Ottawa’s history, architecture and colourful political characters. Tours are offered year-round and reservations are required. For more information, call +1 613-799-1774. * The [http://hauntedwalk.com Haunted Walk of Ottawa] offers tours focusing on Ottawa's infamous haunts and darker history. Hear tales of hauntings at some of Ottawa's most well known locations, including the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Bytown Museum and the Ottawa Jail Hostel. Cloaked guides lead guests through the city streets by lantern light-the perfect atmosphere for a good ghost story. Tours run year-round, rain or shine. Reservations are strongly recommended. For more information, call {{phone|+1 613-232-0344}}. If you enjoy the outdoors, especially if you are a cyclist, you should definitely visit [[Gatineau Park]] just across the river from Ottawa. Bicycles can be rented during the summer months at [http://www.rentabike.ca/ Rentabike], 2 Rideau St (under Rideau St on the east side of the canal). Ottawa and the surrounding area boasts over 170&nbsp;km of public paved trails on which you can [[running|run]], bike, walk or rollerblade. If you are looking for a place to start, head to the nearest waterway: paved trails line both sides of the Ottawa River, the Rideau Canal, and the Rideau River. The [http://www.tctrail.ca Trans Canada Trail] enters Ottawa through the outskirt communities of Carleton Place and Stittsville, then joins up with the Ottawa River at Brittania Bay (near Carling Avenue at Bayshore Drive). It follows the river 13 km east to Parliament Hill, then crosses over to the Quebec side, extending into and beyond Gatineau Park. [[File:RideauSkating.jpg|thumb|Skating on the Rideau canal]] * {{do | name=Rideau Skateway | alt= | url=http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/rideau-canal-skateway | email= | address= | lat=45.42415 | long=-75.69304 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=free, skates can be rented. | content=In winter, go skating on the largest outdoor skating rink in the world, the Rideau canal. Skates can be rented, and refreshments purchased, from vendors right on the ice. This is also a great place to enjoy a "beaver tail" (a sweet pastry). }} * {{do | name=Skiing | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's trail system serves as an excellent cross-country ski trail system, as do the nearly 200&nbsp;km of groomed ski trails in Gatineau Park. Downhill skiing is available across the river in three near-by sites: Camp Fortune (180 m vertical), Edelweiss (200 m vertical) and Mont Cascades (165 m vertical). }} * {{do | name=Yoga on the Hill | alt= | url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/yoga-parliament-hill | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=W noon | price=free | content=During the summer months, a free weekly yoga class is offered on Parliament Hill most Wednesdays beginning at noon. The class is very popular—sometimes attracting more than a thousand people—so it's recommended to arrive a bit early to claim a spot on the grass. Yoga mat recommended but optional; bring your own. }} * {{do | name=Maple Syrup | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In early spring (typically March), when the daytime temperatures are above freezing and night temperatures are below freezing, consider visiting a sugarbush for fresh maple syrup. There are many to choose from in the region if you have a car to drive out of the city. }} ** {{do | name=Vanier Museopark Sugar Shack | alt= | url=https://museoparc.ca/vanier-sugar-shack/ | email=info@museoparc.ca | address=200- 300, avenue des Pères Blancs, Vanier | lat=45.443858 | long=-75.661771 | directions= | phone=+1 613-842-9871 | tollfree= | hours=Sa Su 9AM-2PM, March and April only | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content=The Vanier Museopark's "Sugar Shack" offers the sugarbush experience without needing to leave the city. Reservations can be made at the website. The building was damaged by fire in late-August 2020; the owners plan to re-build. }} * {{do | name=Doors Open Ottawa | alt= | url=http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-heritage-and-culture/museums-and-historic-sites/doors-open-ottawa | email=doorsopen@ottawa.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Doors Open Ottawa, the second-largest Doors Open architectural event in North America, takes place during the first weekend in June. Over 100 buildings (many of which are normally closed to the public, such as embassies, official residences, museum storage buildings, and city infrastructure facilities) open their doors to the public, offering free admission to part or all of the premises. Most participating buildings also allow photography. While the event takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10AM to 4PM, not all buildings are open both days. The 2022 event will be a hybrid of virtual and in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. }} *{{do | name=Pirate Adventures | url=http://www.pirateadventures.ca | email= | address=588 hog's back road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 613-859-5199 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June-Oct | price= | content=Join the swashbuckling crew of Pirate Adventures for an interactive theatre and cruise along the Rideau Canal at Mooney's Bay. Pirate costumes, face paint and new pirate names for all as the captain and his crew hunt for sunken treasure whilst fending of mischievous pirates! }} ===Annual festivals=== [[File:Tulip Festival - from c. 1950-65 (33586178923).jpg|thumb|Tulip Festival 1950-65]] * '''The Tulip Festival''' is held in Ottawa every year in the month of May. The next [https://tulipfestival.ca Tulip Festival] will take place between Friday, May 13 and Monday, May 23 2022. [[File:Kettle Winterlude Ottawa 2007.jpg|thumb|Winterlude ice sculpture]] * '''[https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/winterlude Winterlude]''' takes place in Ottawa every year during the first three weekends of February. You can skate on the Ottawa Canal, the longest skating rink in the world, or participate in building ice sculptures in the Crystal Garden. ===Day trips to Quebec=== {{anchor|Day trips to Québec}} Since Ottawa is located on the provincial border, daytrips to neighbouring [[Quebec]] can be made easily. *'''[[Gatineau]]''' - Right across the Ottawa River. The '''Canadian Museum of History''' is worth a visit. The nightlife in the Old Hull neighbourhood is often considered superior to Ottawa's, with a handful of loud clubs but also a decent offering of artistic cafés with good local live music. * [[Gatineau Park]] is directly north from Hull; the Camp Fortune and Edelweiss ski areas are also north of the city, near [[Chelsea (Quebec)|Chelsea]] and [[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]] respectively. '''[[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]]''' is a picturesque artist town on the side of the Gatineau River. Rich with cultural offerings and beautiful natural surroundings (especially in autumn). * Buckingham is downriver from Gatineau in the east, as one of the more accessible venues for rural maple sugar shack camps. * {{do | name=Aventure Laflèche | alt= | url=http://aventurelafleche.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 819 457-4033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A superb destination for outdoor activities in the Gatineau Hills year-round. A community-owned non-profit company that offers beautiful nature trails, tours of the historical Laflèche caves, and the province's largest aerial park for the adventurous (includes several ziplines). Calling ahead for reservations is strongly recommended. }} * {{do | name=Eco-Odyssée | alt= | url=http://www.eco-odyssee.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 819-459-2551 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another great option for nature lovers close to Wakefield. A water maze that's great for learning about the local marsh environments. }} * {{do | name=Great Canadian Bungee | alt= | url=http://bungee.ca | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=For the adventure-inclined. }} ===Shows=== Ottawa has many movie theatres to choose from, but there are also a few that specialize in "foreign" films (i.e., not American), early releases, old returning films and specialty films. The [http://mayfairtheatre.ca/ '''Mayfair Theatre'''] is at 1074 Bank St. near Sunnyside. In addition, the [http://www.cfi-icf.ca '''Canadian Film Institute'''] screens films at several venues for the specialist film crowd. Ottawa has lots of '''live theatre entertainment'''. That includes the National Arts Centre in [https://nac-cna.ca/en/discover/theatre English] and [https://nac-cna.ca/fr/discover/theatre French], the [http://gctc.ca/ Great Canadian Theatre Company] and the [http://ottawalittletheatre.com/ Ottawa Little Theatre]. <!-- [https://twitter.com/taraplayersott Tara Players] (Irish theatre) appears to no longer be updating their listings, is it still running? --> * {{do | name=The National Arts Centre | alt= | url=http://nac-cna.ca/splash.htm | email= | address=1 Elgin St | lat=45.4193759 | long=-75.6936562 | directions= | phone=+1 613-947-7000 | tollfree=+1-866-850-ARTS | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2945952| wikipedia=National Arts Centre | content=Also provides a major venue for dance and orchestral performance. }} * {{do | name=The Great Canadian Theatre Company | alt=GCTC | url=http://www.gctc.ca/ | email=info@gctc.ca | address=1233 Wellington St W | lat=45.39980 | long=-75.73175 | directions=corner of Holland | phone=+1 613-236-5196 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5598928| wikipedia=Great Canadian Theatre Company | content= }} * {{do | name=Ottawa Little Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.ottawalittletheatre.com/ | email= info@ottawalittletheatre.com | address=400 King Edward Ave | lat=45.4281724 | long=-75.6879524 | directions=one block south of Rideau | phone=+1 613-233-8948 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7109211| wikipedia=Ottawa Little Theatre | content= }} '''Jazz and blues''' lovers can find what they are looking for in these Ottawa music calendars: [http://ottawajazzscene.ca/upcoming-shows jazz shows] {{dead link|December 2020}} and [http://ottawa-blues-jazz.ncf.ca/MonthsCalendar.html blues-jazz calendar]. Venues include Vineyards in the Byward Market, GigSpace near Little Italy, and the Options Jazz Lounge in the Brookstreet Hotel (in Kanata). Many other venues offer jazz weekly or occasionally; see this [http://ottawajazzscene.ca/ottawa-jazz-clubs club list] {{dead link|December 2020}}. Find Blues at the Rainbow in the Byward Market and Irene's Pub in the Glebe. For '''Folk music''', see the [https://sites.google.com/site/ofmelistings/ Ottawa Folk Music Events] listings. Ottawa is host to over 60 festivals and events per year, including: * {{do | name=Ottawa Jazz Festival | alt= | url=http://ottawajazzfestival.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In late June. }} * {{do | name=Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival | alt= | url=http://chamberfest.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In summer, one of the largest in the world. }} * {{do | name=Bluesfest | alt= | url=http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also in summer: The largest blues festival in Canada. It also features rock, pop and world music, and attracts visitors from Atlantic Canada and New England. }} * {{do | name=The Fringe Festival | alt= | url=http://ottawafringe.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Another summer offering with theatre performances. }} * {{do | name=Winterlude | alt= | url=https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/winterlude/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Winter fun featuring ice carving and snow sculptures. }} * {{do | name=The Tulip Festival | alt= | url=http://tulipfestival.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A spring bonanza of flowering bulbs, given annually by the Dutch government, and a concert series featuring well-known Canadian rock and other popular music groups. }} * {{do | name=Ferrari Festival | alt= | url=http://fcaottawa.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=In June, on Preston Street. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Canada Day | alt= | url=https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/canada-day/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-01-02 | content=Celebrate Canada's birthday in Ottawa on July 1. While the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings is being renovated, the official spot to gather on Canada Day is Major's Hill Park. }} * {{do | name=Capital Pride | alt= | url=https://capitalpride.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-01-02 | content=Ottawa's annual LGBT pride festival, taking place at Somerset Village (Bank & Somerset), the core of Ottawa's LGBT community. }} * {{do | name=The Ottawa International Animation Festival | alt= | url=http://animationfestival.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-01-02 | content=One of the largest animation festivals in the world, the OIAF is held in September. }} ==Learn== The two best known universities in the city are '''[http://carleton.ca Carleton University]''' and the bilingual '''[http://uottawa.ca University of Ottawa]'''. Bilingual '''[http://ustpaul.ca St. Paul's University]''' is a Catholic university with ties to the University of Ottawa, offering various degrees in theology and social sciences. '''[http://collegedominicain.ca/ Dominican University College]''' is a Dominican university where theology and philosophy can be studied at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, also in English or French. There is also '''[http://algonquincollege.com Algonquin College]''' and the francophone '''[http://lacitec.on.ca Cité Collégiale]'''. * {{listing | type=learn | name=Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology | alt= | wikidata=Q2983704 | wikipedia=Algonquin College | url=http://www.algonquincollege.com/ | email= | address=1385 Woodroffe Avenue | lat=45.3875706 | long=-75.7310343 | directions=take the transitway to Baseline Station, and walk across Woodroffe Ave. Route 88 is a popular way of getting here | phone=+1 613-727-4723 | tollfree= | fax= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=Carleton University | alt= | wikidata=Q1041737 | wikipedia=Carleton University | url=http://carleton.ca/ | email= | address=1125 Colonel By Drive | lat=45.3875706 | long=-75.7310343 | directions=the OTrain "Trillium" line stops on-campus at Carleton Station, or take bus routes 10 or 7 | phone=+1 613-520-2600 | tollfree= | fax= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=Dominican University College | alt=Dominican College of Philosophy and Theology | wikidata=Q5290853 | wikipedia=Dominican University College | url=http://www.dominicanu.ca/ | email= | address=96 Empress Ave | lat=45.4113622 | long=-75.7108991 | directions=just north of Chinatown | phone=+1 613-233-5696 | tollfree= | fax= | lastedit= | content=A Roman Catholic college of philosophy and theology, affiliated with Carleton University since 2012. }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=La Cité collégiale | alt= | wikidata=Q3207459 | wikipedia=La Cité collégiale | url=http://www.collegelacite.ca/ | email= | address=801 Aviation Parkway | lat=45.4315965 | long=-75.6357865 | directions= | phone=+1 613-742-2483 | tollfree=+1-800-267-2483 | fax= | lastedit= | content=The largest French-language college in Ontario. }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=Saint Paul University | alt= | wikidata=Q3551486 | wikipedia=Saint Paul University | url=http://ustpaul.ca/ | email= | address=223 Main Street | lat=45.4080779 | long=-75.6789219 | directions=OC Transpo Route 5 | phone=+1 613-236-1393 | tollfree=+1-800-637-6859 | fax= | lastedit= | content=A bilingual Catholic Pontifical university, federated with the University of Ottawa. }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=University of Ottawa | alt=uOttawa | url=http://www.uottawa.ca/ | email= | address=Tabaret Hall, 75 Laurier Avene East | lat=45.3875706 | long=-75.7310343 | directions=the O-Train has stops on campus at uOttawa Station | phone=+1 613-562-5700 | tollfree=+1-877-868-8292 | fax=+1 613-562-5323 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=University of Ottawa | wikidata=Q627969 | lastedit=2020-02-27 | content= }} ==Work== The Federal Government is the region's largest employer with the high-tech sector firmly in second place. Unless you are a Canadian resident, you will need a work visa to work in Ottawa, and some Federal Government jobs require Canadian citizenship. Most Federal Government jobs require applicants to be bilingual in English and French. ==Buy== [[Image:Market Byward.JPG|thumb|240px|ByWard Market]] *{{listing | type=buy | name=ByWard Market | alt= | url=http://byward-market.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.4275621 | long=-75.692691 | directions=downtown, east of the Canal and Sussex Drive, north of Rideau | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=ByWard Market | wikidata=Q3289783 | content=Among other things, this is a farmer's market; in summer, stalls selling fresh produce and flowers line the streets, and maple syrup bought at the farmer's market costs half the price of the same bottle sold at souvenir shops elsewhere in the Byward Market or anywhere else in the city. It is also a craft and tourist market with a range of shops and the city's busiest entertainment district with restaurants, pubs, bars and many street performers. Interesting to see it first during the day (when it's a shopping destination) and then in the evening (when it's a nightlife destination). }} * {{buy | name=Sparks Street | alt= | url=http://sparkslive.com | email= | address= | lat=45.42072 | long=-75.70279 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4430680| wikipedia=Sparks Street | content=A pleasant pedestrian street one block off Parliament Hill; a common tourist thoroughfare for seeing the sights. Along this street you'll find the majority of the tourist shops selling postcards, magnets, and maple syrup. The Astrolabe Gallery, located on this street, is a treasure trove of antique maps and vintage posters. There are several outdoor cafés and restaurants to choose from. }} * {{buy | name=Westboro Village | alt= | url=http://westborovillage.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.39198 | long=-75.75417 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4479824| wikipedia=Westboro, Ottawa | content=A stretch along Richmond Road in the "near west" of Ottawa from Golden east to Tweedsmuir has become a popular tourism and shopping zone with several outdoor stores (clothing and equipment), restaurants and coffee shops. Notable shops include the [http://mec.ca/ Mountain Equipment Coop], lululemon, Starbucks, Bridgehead (fair trade coffee), Kitchenalia, a chocolatier and several others. }} *{{buy | name=Bank Street Promenade | alt= | url=http://www.bankstreet.ca | email= | address= | lat=45.41675 | long=-75.69755 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Great mix of stores ranging from chain restaurants to specialty shops. District extends from Wellington St to Gladstone Ave. }} * {{buy | name=Wellington West | alt= | url=http://wellingtonwest.ca/ | email= | address= | lat=45.39980 | long=-75.73185 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wellington West is the commercial district of Hintonburg and Wellington Village, located in the west end between Little Italy and Westboro. It is home to independent businesses in Ottawa, such as boutiques, restaurants and food shops, and local art galleries, as well as the Parkdale Market. Notable shops include Hintonburger, Suzy Q Doughnuts, Elmdale Tavern and several others. }} Larger '''shopping malls''' include the [https://www.cfshops.com/rideau-centre.html Rideau Centre] (downtown), [http://stlaurent-centre.com/ St. Laurent Shopping Centre] (East Central), [http://placedorleans.com/ Place D'Orleans] (East End), the [https://www.bayshoreshoppingcentre.com Bayshore Shopping Centre] and [http://carlingwood.com/ Carlingwood Mall] (West End). The last Saturday in May, Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood hosts the annual '''Great Glebe Garage Sale'''. Hundreds of residents set up tables in their garages or on their lawns and sell used goods ranging from household knick-knacks to electronics to clothing. Businesses in the area also hold sidewalk sales, and vendors sell artwork, baking, and refreshments. Driving and parking during the sale itself is unnecessary and nearly impossible. Arrive on foot or park and walk into the neighbourhood. For parking, and for the best deals (especially on larger items like furniture), arrive early. The event is bustling by 8AM but continues well into the afternoon. Vendors are encouraged to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Ottawa Food Bank. ==Eat== Ethnic foods from around the world are available at a wide variety of restaurants and street vendors throughout the city. The Byward Market area has a wide selection of different cuisines; the Chinatown area is along Somerset West (#2 bus from downtown) between Bronson Ave. and Preston St; Little Italy runs along the length of Preston Street, from Carling Avenue to Albert Street (#2 to Somerset & Preston or #3 along Preston). [[Image:Food Beavertail.jpg|thumb|240px|Ottawa's claim to culinary fame: a beavertail with sugar and cinnamon]] * {{eat | name=BeaverTails | alt= | url=http://beavertails.com/ | email=ottawabywardmarket@beavertails.com | address=69 George Street | lat=45.4279043 | long=-75.6942454 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-1230 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 10AM-8PM, Th 10AM-11PM, F Sa 10AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=Try the tasty BeaverTail, a fried-dough pastry associated with Ottawa, although a number of places claim to have created it. It's available in sweet and savoury versions, topped with cinnamon, sugar, icing sugar, etc. In the winter, many places will offer it on the canal. During the summer, the only places downtown to offer it are in the Byward Market on George St., and a small counter in a corner of the Canadian Museum of History. There are a variety of toppings and the taste of the beaver tail stands out more with the classic sugar & cinnamon. However, the locals' favourite is the ''Killaloe Sunrise'', a topping of cinnamon sugar and lemon juice. }} Try a poutine from Smoke's Poutinerie, or a shawarma from one of the many around the city. Local favourites include '''Shawarma Palace''' and '''3 Brothers'''. '''Coffee shops''' are found throughout the city, and include dozens of two specialty chains '''Second Cup''' and '''Starbucks''', in addition to the mainstream '''Tim Horton's''' (seemingly planted at every intersection). '''[http://bridgehead.ca Bridgehead]''' is a fair trade coffee house and can be found at a half dozen or so locations. Try their small double shot lattes, which are significantly better than their competitors'. There are several coffee houses in Little Italy, on Preston Street. One of the most popular, [http://www.pasticceria.ca/ Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana] (200 Preston Street, +1 613-594-5303), also houses an award-winning pastry shop. Bar Robo on Somerset St under the Chinatown arch offers locally-roasted coffee during the day, along with fresh croissants and donuts. ===Budget=== Ottawa has a lot of ''shawarma'' (kebab and fixings in pita bread) restaurants and most of them will serve up a great shawarma for around $5. Their busy times are typically weekdays at lunch-hour, and on weekends after the bars close. The Byward Market and Elgin St. have several restaurants to choose from. Shawarma Palace, on Rideau St and in several suburban locations, are another popular choice. The usual range of diners, bagel shops and fast food restaurants can be found in shopping areas throughout the city. You will also find "chip wagons" or "chip trucks" parked in various locations around the city at lunch time. Most of them serve hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage-in-a-bun, pogos (corn dogs - deep fried, breaded hot dogs on a stick), chips (French fries) and poutine (French fries covered with cheddar cheese curd and gravy - very popular in Quebec and eastern Ontario). You can find the occasional truck that sells Caribbean roti, fish and chips, Canadian "Chinese" food, or other foods. One popular bagel shop is [https://www.kettlemansbagels.ca/ Kettleman's Bagel Co.], which has three locations in Ottawa, the original being at 912 Bank St (near Lansdowne Park), and serves Montreal-style bagels. At lunch time, Di Rienzo and La Bottega Nicastro will sell you a good $5 sandwich; opinion is split among locals as to which is better, but they're both very good. If you're in town for a few days, try them both. * {{eat | name=Ahora Mexican Cuisine | alt= | url=http://www.ahora.ca/ | email= | address=307 Dalhousie Street | lat=45.4294006 | long=-75.6934767 | directions=between York and Clarence | phone=+1 613-562-2081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11:30AM to 10PM | price= | content=A good little Mexican canteen. It serves up mains, zippy margaritas, and drinks imported from Mexico. }} *{{eat | name=Bobby's Table | alt= | url= | email= | address=255 Montreal Road | lat=45.4359934 | long=-75.6608581 | directions= | phone=+1 613-740-9333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-F 6AM-3PM, Sa Su 7AM-3PM | price= | lastedit= | content=Smoked meat sandwiches on rye bread and old-fashioned baked cheesecake are Bobby's specialties. The smoked meat is Montreal-style done well, and the cheesecake is worth going out of your way for (unless you have a coconut allergy). You can get a generous lunch for $20 and be served in either French or English. }} *{{eat | name=La Bottega Nicastro | alt= | url= | email= | address=64 George Street | lat=45.4268587 | long=-75.6940211 | directions=ByWard Market | phone=+1 613-789-7575 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 9AM-6PM, Th F 9AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-5PM, | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=A fantastic little Italian specialty market, Nicastro's is a contender for the city's best $5 sandwiches, featuring amazing bread (esp. the focaccia) usually baked on the premises. The sit-down lunch kitchen is also well worth a visit. }} *{{eat | name=Di Rienzo | alt= | url=http://dirienzo.ca/ | email= | address=111 Beech Street | lat=45.4000144 | long=-75.7142663 | directions=at Champagne St. | phone=+1 613-729-4037 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-321-8689 | hours=M-F 7:30AM-9PM, Sa Su 8AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=This little deli tucked away in Little Italy, a secret known to many locals, is famous for the best and freshest deli sandwiches in the city for $5 (taxes included). During the week the lineup can stretch outside the packed little store, but they are arguably the fastest sandwich makers anywhere so don't worry about a long wait. There is also another newer location run by the family at Meadowlands Drive and Fisher Avenue. }} *{{eat | name=Elgin Street Diner | alt= | url=http://www.elginstreetdiner.com/ | email= | address=374 Elgin Street | lat=45.4149116 | long=-75.6899814 | directions= just north of Gladstone | phone=+1 613-237-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Always open | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= A popular 24-hour diner. One of its specialties is the ESD (Elgin Street Diner) Poutine (though true Quebecers should probably abstain). Generally, poutine is French fries, served with cheese curds and gravy on top; they have several versions including the addition of caramelized onions and bacon, Montreal smoked meat, Philly steak, a four cheese blend or Chili. The substitution of mashed potatoes fried with onions and seasoning (called their home fries), or onion rings instead of regular French fries is also an option. Expect the adventure to set you back $6–8 depending on toppings. The diner's hamburgers/cheeseburgers are significantly better than typical fast food fare, and breakfast is served 24/7 365 days a year with no exception. }} * {{eat | name=Rangoon | alt= | url=http://www.rangoonrestaurant.ca | email=info@rangoonrestaurant.ca | address=114 Gloucester Street | lat=45.418822 | long=-75.6983374 | directions=near O'Connor | phone=+1 613-680-8821 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-Th 11AM-9PM; F 11AM-10PM; Sa 4-10PM | price= | content=A one-of-a-kind family-run Burmese restaurant with cheap lunch specials where you can get an appetizer, main course and a drink for about $10! Try the fish noodle soup (mohingha), chicken curry or eggplant curry. A real hidden gem. }} *{{eat | name=Shanghai Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=651 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4118313 | long=-75.7074215 | directions= a few doors east of Bronson | phone=+1 613-233-4001 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-F 4:30-10PM, Sa 4:30PM-2AM, Sunday 4:30-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= A local favourite since 1971, when it was the only Chinese place in the area that is now Chinatown; it is still run by the same family. It boasts drag-queen karaoke on Saturday nights, frequent vernissages for Ottawa's up-and-coming artists, and some of the best Asian cuisine in town. }} * '''[https://www.facebook.com/ottawawarehouse/ Warehouse]''' in the heart of Byward Market is popular among students. Great meals including a burger, fries and tap water, are served for just $5. Only drinks are a bit on the expensive side with around $6. Busy every day of the week, especially after 8PM when it is mostly a bar. * For the best non-traditional Canadian eats, head down Somerset St West near Bronson to the heart of Chinatown. Here you have a choice of places for Vietnamese, Thai, Cantonese, etc. Vietamese soup-houses, '''Pho Bo Ga''' and '''Pho Bo Ga La''', are well-rated. The '''Yangtze Restaurant''' and '''Chu Shing Restaurant''' (across the street from it) are large box Chinese restaurants popular with Ottawa's Chinese clientele. The '''Jadeland Restaurant''' is a small popular Chinese restaurant set in a converted house and has been well reviewed for its tasty dishes and low prices. Another good source for ethnic foods is the stretch on Rideau between King Edward and the bridge to Vanier. You can find Middle Eastern, African and Asian food here. **{{eat | name=Pho Bo Ga 2 | alt= | url=http://www.phoboga2ottawa.com/ | email= | address=843 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4090184 | long=-75.7146149 | directions=near Rochester | phone=+1 613-234-7089 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Pho Bo Ga L.A. | alt= | url= | email= | address=784 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4097074 | long=-75.7120057 | directions=between Lebreton and Booth | phone=+1 613-230-2931 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-10:30PM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Yangtze | alt= | url=http://www.yangtze.ca/ | email= | address=700 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4109353 | long=-75.708942 | directions=just west of the Imperial Arch that spans Somerset | phone=+1 613-236-0555 | tollfree= | fax= +1 613-236-6825 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Oriental Chu Shing Restaurant | alt= | url=http://orientalchushing.com/ | email= | address=691 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4111303 | long=-75.7087285 | directions=just west of the Imperial Arch that spans Somerset | phone=+1 613-233-8818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Jadeland | alt= | url=http://www.jadeland.com/ | email= | address=625 Somerset Street West | lat=45.412135 | long=-75.7066954 | directions=near Percy Street, east of the core Chinatown | phone=+1 613-233-0204 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa 11AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} * For Indian, there is '''Rose's Cafe''' (in the Byward Market and one on Gladstone), but also try '''Curries''' (Gloucester and O'Connor, between Bank and Elgin near the business district). For a somewhat higher-end buffet experience, yet authentic, try [http://hostindia.ca/ ''Host India''] on Montreal Rd. For Indian food from Kerala state, try [http://coconutlagoon.ca/ ''Coconut Lagoon''] on St. Laurent Blvd. (in the same price range as Host India), ranked #1 on Food Network's "10 Popular Indian Restaurants in Canada". **{{eat | name=Rose's Café Also | alt= | url= | email= | address=349 Dalhousie Street | lat=45.4282479 | long=-75.6925647 | directions= ByWard Market | phone=+1 613-241-8535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content= }} **{{eat | name=India Curry House | alt= | url= | email= | address=114 Gloucester Street | lat=45.4186563 | long=-75.6963419 | directions= Gloucester and O'Connor, between Bank and Elgin near the business district | phone=+1 613-598-6970 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Host India | alt= | url=http://hostindia.ca/ | email= | address=622 Montreal Road | lat=45.4419593 | long=-75.6422116 | directions= two blocks west of the Montfort Hospital | phone=+1 613-746-4678 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Coconut Lagoon | alt= | url=https://coconutlagoon.ca/ | email=info@coconutlagoon.ca | address=853 St. Laurent Boulevard | lat=45.433582 | long=-75.641589 | directions=just north of McArthur | phone=+1 613-742-4444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-15 | content=Coconut Lagoon serves Kerala cuisine, subtly different from other South Indian styles (although people kept asking for Butter Chicken so it's on the menu as well). The restaurant's executive chef and owner Joe Thottungal took the silver medal at the Canadian Culinary Championships in 2017, and the gold medal at the Gold Medal Plates Culinary Competition 2016. There are vegan-friendly dishes on the menu. The restaurant is re-opening in August 2022. }} *{{listing | type=eat | name=Zak's Diner | alt= | url=http://zaksdiner.com/ | email=bywardmarket@zaksdiner.com | address=14 Byward Market Square | lat=45.4283814 | long=-75.6957837 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-2401 | tollfree= | hours=Always open | price= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=The best milk-shakes are found at Zak's, a 24-hour diner in the Byward Market. They're really good, made with ice-cream, and for the $6.99 they cost you get a large glass full plus the shaker with what didn't fit in the glass. Other dishes are quite good, with a "more calories for your money" attitude (as illustrated by the massive amount of milkshake served), which is nicely honest about fast food; however it may seem a bit expensive as the burgers start at $14.49 and if you add on the paid extras you can easily get in excess of $19. Late on week-end nights (2-3AM), it's packed as people go for their after-bar poutine. There are two additional locations on Elgin Street and in Kanata. }} ===Mid-range=== Major restaurant areas can be found on Elgin Street, on Bank Street in Centretown, on Bank Street in the Glebe, in Westboro and in the Byward Market, with entrees ranging from $12–25. Similar restaurants can be found in major suburban shopping areas too. * {{eat | name=The Empire Grill | alt= | url=http://empiregrill.com/ | email= | address=47 Clarence Street | lat=45.4289057 | long=-75.6938691 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-1343 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$30 main courses | content=Has a great patio in the summer and delicious food year-round. Expect to pay more than $25 for an entree. }} * {{eat | name=Johnny Farina's | alt= | url=http://johnnyfarina.com/ | email= | address=216 Elgin Street | lat=45.41841 | long=-75.69116 | directions= | phone=+1 613-565-5155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian food }} * {{eat | name=Santé Restaurant | alt= | url=http://santerestaurant.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=45 Rideau St | lat=45.42576 | long=-75.69314 | directions=at the corner of Rideau and Sussex, across from the Rideau Centre, | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Santé is a cosmopolitan yet casual. It’s a delicate line to walk, but Santé Restaurant does it with panache - offering exotic Asian Fusion and Thai cuisine in a comfortably elegant setting. }} * {{eat | name=Vineyards | alt= | url=http://vineyards.ca/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=45.42809 | long=-75.69232 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In the Byward Market. An excellent restaurant with the widest selection of world beers and wines in Ottawa. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=The Works | alt= | url=http://worksburger.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hard to argue that these are not the best burgers around. The selection is top notch and toppings are bountiful. Also served are delicious onion rings, milk shakes and cold beer, all in a funky industrial decor. Choose your burger from the traditional beef, elk, vegetarian, or other options. Expect to pay $20 or more for a burger with sides, and not to regret it. They're becoming an Ontario-wide chain, but Ottawa is where the Works started, and where they have their largest market penetration (seven locations as of January 2017). There are three locations where tourists in Ottawa might stumble across them; these are the ones listed below. }} ** {{eat | name=The Works - The Glebe | address=580 Bank Street | lat=45.4078486 | long=-75.6924601 | directions=just south of Highway 417 | phone=+1 613-235-0406 | hours=Su-W 11AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM }} ** {{eat | name=The Works - Manor Park | address=363 St Laurent Boulevard | lat=45.448907 | long=-75.6524254 | directions=corner of Hemlock | phone=+1 613-748-0406 | hours=11AM-10PM }} ** {{eat | name=The Works - Westboro Village | address=326 Richmond Road | lat=45.3927746 | long=-75.7518549 | directions=corner of Churchill | phone=+1 613-564-0406 | hours=Su-W 11AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM }} * {{eat | name=Malone's Lakeside Bar & Grill | alt= | url=http://www.malonesgrill.ca/ | address=1001 Queen Elizabeth Dr | lat=45.3962 | long=-75.7057 | directions=at the Dows Lake Pavilion | phone=+1 613-232-1001 | hours= | price=Moderately priced | lastedit=2017-09-19 | content=Seating overlooking beautiful Dows Lake; lunch specials offered. }} * {{eat | name=Taqueria La Bonita | alt= | url=http://www.labonita.ca/ | email= | address=1128 Cadboro Rd | lat=45.4310625 | long=-75.6235052 | directions=just off Ogilvie, near the Gloucester Centre | phone=+1 613-695-7373 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 11AM-9PM, Th-Sa 11AM-10PM | price=$20-40 plus alcohol | lastedit=2017-11-12 | content=If you're looking for Mexican cuisine (not Tex-Mex or Cal-Mex) in Ottawa, they're worth the drive out of downtown. La Bonita is a small restaurant - while you don't need to make reservations, they're recommended during busy hours. }} ===Splurge=== Ottawa has excellent options for fine dining if you feel like spending a bit extra. Budget $150 for a three-course dinner for two, including wine and gratuity. * {{eat | name=Beckta | alt= | url=http://beckta.com/main.php | email= | address=226 Nepean Street | lat=45.41646 | long=-75.69920 | directions=downtown Ottawa | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent modern restaurant with a variety of tastes centred on locally available foods. Also features an extensive wine list. }} * {{eat | name=E18hteen | alt= | url=http://restaurant18.com/ | email= | address=18 York Street | lat=45.4274276 | long=-75.694119 | directions=in the Byward Market | phone=+1 613-244-1188 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An upscale, modern restaurant and bar located in a renovated 19th century heritage building. It is ''the'' place to see and be seen. }} * {{eat | name=Merlot | alt= | url=http://merlotottawa.com | email= | address=100 Kent Street | lat=45.4197923 | long=-75.7035098 | directions=At the Marriott Hotel | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Merlot has received glowing reviews for its cuisine and is Ottawa's only revolving restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Signatures | alt= | url=http://lcbottawa.com/English/signatures/index.cfm | email= | address= 453 Laurier Ave. East | lat=45.42891 | long=-75.67475 | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-2499 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 5:30–10PM | price= | content=At Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute is a French restaurant with a five-diamond rating from CAA/AAA that is considered among the very best in the city. }} * {{eat | name=The Wellington Gastropub | alt= | url=http://www.thewellingtongastropub.com/ | email= | address=1325 Wellington Street West | lat=45.3988578 | long=-75.7391451 | directions=Westboro | phone=+1 613-729-1315 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Weekdays 11:30AM-2PM and 5:30-9:30PM, F 11:30AM-2PM and 5:30-10PM, Sa 5:30-10PM | price=Three-course table d'hôte $35 at lunch or $53 at supper, plus alcohol and gratituty | lastedit=2017-01-14 | content=A small second-floor walk-up in Westboro, the Wellington Gastropub changes its menu daily and has over a dozen craft and microbrewery beers on tap. }} * {{eat | name=Gitanes | alt= | url=https://www.gitanes.co/ | email= | address=361 Elgin Street | lat=45.41536 | long=-75.68787 | directions=Centretown | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=French-inspired restaurant that uses local ingredients. Great wines and creative cocktails. Gitanes also has sister restaurant across the street, Gitanes Burger, with amazing burgers. }} ===Vegetarian and vegan=== * {{eat | name=CafeMyHouse | alt= | url=http://www.cafemyhouse.com | email= | address=1729 Bank St | lat=45.37395 | long=-75.66493 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At offers vegan friendly cuisine and is located within 10 minutes of the airport and of the train station. The restaurant specializes in brunch and lunch options, and average around $15 a meal. }} * {{eat | name=Govinda's Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.ottawa.iskcon.ca/homepage/buffet2.htm | email= | address=212 Somerset St. E | lat=45.42247 | long=-75.67898 | directions=just E of King Edward, off the University of Ottawa campus | phone=+1 613-565-6544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 5–8PM, Su yoga festival 5–8PM | price=$5-7 per person | lastedit=2016-05-11 | content=offers a simple vegan buffet. The best cheap eats in town. Operated by ISCKON (Hare Krishna movement). }} * {{eat | name=The Green Door | alt= | url=http://www.thegreendoor.ca/ | email=info@thegreendoor.ca | address=198 Main St | lat=45.40837 | long=-75.67778 | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-9597 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-234-6771 | hours=Tu–Su 11AM–9PM | price= | content=At offers a vegetarian and vegan buffet and is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Ottawa. It offers private and communal tables. }} * {{eat | name=Pure Kitchen Ottawa | alt= | url=https://www.purekitchenottawa.com/ | email= | address=357 Richmond Road | lat=45.39182 | long=-75.75480 | directions= | phone=+1 613-680-5500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-11-14 | content=Hip restaurant serving vegetarian and vegan food. Wraps, burgers, rice bowls, salads. Bar offers juice, beer, wine. Reservations only for parties of 6 or more. Second location in Centretown at 340 Elgin Street. }} * {{eat | name=So Good Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.sogoodfood.com/ | email= | address=717 Somerset Street West | lat=45.41072 | long=-75.70779 | directions=2 blocks West of Bronson | phone=+1 613-223-0138 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10 | lastedit=2016-05-11 | content=Has a separate vegetarian menu (dishes are also vegan unless stated) and there are many choices. Try anything "Wu Se" (peanut sauce). }} ==Drink== The most popular bar areas are in the Byward Market, along Wellington Street in Westboro, along both Elgin Street and Bank Street between Somerset and Gladstone in the Centretown area, and further south on Bank. There are pubs and bars scattered throughout the city as well. You can also take a small trip over the Ottawa river to [[Gatineau]]. Bars on Ottawa side close at 2AM, though the province of Quebec has a last call of 3AM, an exception is made in Gatineau where bars also close at 2AM. Quebec has a lower minimum age to purchase alcohol (18, vs. 19 in Ontario) and sells beer in corner stores. Ottawa police often set up checkpoints near the bridges to catch drunk drivers returning from Quebec after closing time. Smoking (both traditional and e-cigarettes, also called "vaping") of tobacco or cannabis is not permitted in Ontario or Quebec restaurants and bars, or on the patios of bars in Ottawa. ===Bars and nightclubs=== *{{drink | name=Barrymores Music Hall | alt=Barrymore's | url= | email= | address=323 Bank Street | lat=45.4144462 | long=-75.6973873 | directions=south of Somerset | phone=+1 613-695-8488 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=An old converted movie theatre, their 80s night is the place to be in Ottawa on Sundays. They also have a 90s night on Thursdays and live concerts on most other nights }} * {{drink | name=Club 292 | alt= | url= | email= | address=292 Elgin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{drink | name=Dominion Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.tavern.ca/ | email= | address=33 York Street | lat=45.4280088 | long=-75.696029 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-7706 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM; Su 11AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Simple beers and some pool: picture your friend's basement apartment, even serving 40s of beer (a 40-ounce glass). }} * {{drink | name=E18hteen | alt= | url= | email= | address=18 York St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=See their listing in the "Eat" section. }} * '''Foundation''' York St. in the alley behind E18hteen. Restaurant during the week that is open for lunch and dinner. Excellent food and one of the only restaurants in Ottawa to serve fondue. On Friday and Saturday nights it transforms into an upperclass nightclub. Dress to impress, no logos or running shoes, and be prepared to spend a few bucks on drinks. *{{drink | name=The Lookout Bar | alt= | url=http://www.thelookoutbar.com/ | email= | address=41 York Street | lat=45.4282499 | long=-75.694432 | directions=ByWard Market | phone=+1 613-789-1624 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su M 2-10PM, Tu-Sa 2PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=They have a very popular "bois night" on Thursday that attracts lots of people. Friday and Saturday are mostly lesbian nights. }} *{{drink | name=Options Jazz Lounge at Brookstreet | alt= | url=http://www.brookstreethotel.com/eat/options-jazz-lounge/ | email=info@brookstreet.com | address=525 Legget Drive | lat=45.3480777 | long=-75.9201257 | directions=in the Brookstreet Hotel | phone=+1 613-271-1800 | tollfree=+1-888-826-2220 | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-1AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Located off the main lobby of the Brookstreet Hotel. A relaxing and sophisticated lounge. }} * {{drink | name=The Standard Luxury Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.thestandardtavern.com/ | email=info@thestandardtavern.com | address=360 Elgin St | lat=45.4153372 | long=-75.6905466 | directions=three blocks north of the Canadian Museum of Nature | phone=+1 613-232-6274 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-232-9265 | hours=M-F 4PM-2AM, Sa Su 10AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=A restaurant during the day, pumping club/lounge at night. The Standard is popular Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with a different style of music each night. Friday is excellent old-school and modern hip-hop/R&B while Saturday is a little of everything. Excellent beer tap selection and daily drink specials. }} ===Pubs=== There are lots of Irish-/British-style pubs across the city. *{{drink | name=The Black Thorn | alt= | url=http://www.theblackthorn.ca/ | email= | address=15 Clarence Street | lat=45.4283741 | long=-75.6956532 | directions=at Tin House Court | phone=+1 613-241-0712 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Closed for renovations | price= | lastedit=2017-05-24 | content=Upscale, great food, huge patio with good views. }} * {{drink | name=Chez Lucien | alt= | url=http://chezlucien.ca/ | email= | address=137 Murray St | lat=45.4305044 | long=-75.6942259 | directions=corner Dalhousie | phone=+1 613-241-3533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-2PM, daily except Christmas and Boxing Day | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=one of the few pleasant, non-faux-Irish pubs downtown (a favourite along with the Manx). Serves good pub fare (including excellent fries), can get busy especially after work. A good selection of microbrew beers. }} * {{drink | name=Clocktower Brewhouse | alt= | url=http://clocktower.ca/ | email= | hours= | price= | content=A microbrewery with five locations throughout the city. Excellent beer at a good price with a very tasty and well priced menu. }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Byward Market | email=info.clarence@clocktower.ca | address=89 Clarence Street | lat= 45.4293242 | long=-75.6937817 | directions=between Dalhousie and Parent | phone=+1 613-241-8783 | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Elgin | alt= | url= | email=info.elgin@clocktower.ca | address=200 Elgin Street | lat=45.4193869 | long=-75.6924375 | directions=near Lisgar, across from City Hall | phone=+1 613-724-4561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-midnight, Sa Su 10AM-midnight | price= | content= }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Glebe | alt= | url= | email=info.bank@clocktower.ca | address=575 Bank Street | lat=45.4078432 | long=-75.6911339 | directions=the north end of The Glebe, just south of Highway 417 | phone=+1 613-233-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM | price= | content=The original Clocktower Brewhouse, this is the location with the clock tower and the brew house. }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower New Edinburgh | email=info.mackay@clocktower.ca | address=422 MacKay Street | lat= 45.4390938 | long=-75.678742 | directions=corner of Beechwood | phone=+1 613-742-3169 | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Westboro | email=info.westboro@clocktower.ca | address=418 Richmond Road | lat= 45.3900487 | long=-75.7595557 | directions=corner of Berkley | phone=+1 613-680-5983 | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM }} *{{drink | name=D'Arcy McGee's | alt= | url=http://darcymcgees.com/ | email= | address=44 Sparks Street | lat=45.4233357 | long=-75.6980817 | directions=at Elgin | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Beautiful architecture with impressive food selection }} *{{drink | name=Irish Village Group | alt=Heart & Crown, Peter Devine's | url=http://www.heartandcrown.pub/byward/ | email= | address=67 Clarence Street | lat=45.4155917 | long=-75.6903577 | directions=at Parent Ave. | phone=+1 613-562-0674 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-2AM, Sa Su 9AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Ottawa's largest pub complex, including the eponymous Irish Village (loud, lots of live music) and The Heart and Crown. The fish and chips has a generous serving of fish. }} *{{drink | name=The Lieutenant's Pump | alt= | url=http://www.lieutenantspump.ca/ | email= | address=361 Elgin Street | lat=45.4155917 | long=-75.6903577 | directions=corner of Waverly | phone=+1 613-238-2949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:30AM-2AM; Sa Su 8:30AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=British pub with a good variety of food selections and inexpensive draught. }} * {{drink | name=The Manx | alt= | url= | email= | address=370 Elgin street | lat=45.41498 | long=-75.68822 | directions= | phone=+1 613-231-2070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Great microbrews, wide Scotch selection, bohemian/hipster feel. }} *{{drink | name=Minglewoods | alt= | url= | email= | address=14 Waller Street | lat=45.42728 | long=-75.68902 | directions=The corner of Waller St and Rideau St | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great place to drink for cheap! Pitchers of domestic and premium beers are priced under $11 so if you're on a budget this is the place to go. It is close to the University of Ottawa so many students frequent Minglewoods between or after class. There is a good selection of pub fare, also for reasonable prices. On the weekend there is a packed dance floor on the second level. }} *{{drink | name=Patty Boland's Irish Pub & Eatery | alt= | url=http://pattybolands.com/ | email= | address=101 Clarence Street | lat=45.4293921 | long=-75.6947346 | directions=between Parent and Dalhousie | phone=+1 613-789-7822 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=Feels like an old tavern, but big. Friday and Saturday nights Patty's has live music so expect to pay cover, and mandatory coat check in the winter. During the musician breaks there is a dance floor with Top 40 music. }} * {{drink | name=Pub Italia | alt= | url=http://pubitalia.ca/ | email= | address=434 1/2 Preston Street | lat= 45.3994805 | long=-75.7090009 | directions=near Dow's Lake and the Experimental Farm | phone=+1 613-232-2326 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-Sa 11AM–1AM; Su noon-midnight | price= | content=An Irish/Italian pub with hundreds of bottled beers listed in its "Beer Bible", especially Belgian. Decent pizza and pastas, but other places in Little Italy have better; you're going here for the beer, not the food. Intimate faux Medieval/Gothic décor; a bit strange, but the patio is very nice. }} * {{drink | name=Quinns Ale House | alt=Quinn's | url=http://www.quinnsalehouse.com/ | email= | address=1070 Bank Street | lat=45.3947133 | long=-75.686012 | directions=Beside the Mayfair Theatre | phone=+1 613-523-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=A small but cozy sports bar and pub located next to the Mayfair Theatre. Expect good pub fare, a nice ambiance and good selection of beers. }} ==Sleep== ===Budget=== * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Barefoot Hostel | alt= | url=http://barefoothostel.com | email=bfh@barefoothostel.com | address=455 Cumberland St | lat=45.42686 | long=-75.68646 | directions=a block south of Rideau St. | phone=+1 613-237-0336 | tollfree= | checkin=before 10PM | checkout= | price=$30-$42 | lastedit=2019-04-20 | content=A clean, modern 16-bed hostel located downtown. Female-only since September 2016. Included for use is a mini-kitchen (no stove), back patio with lounge chairs, common room with a huge HDTV, computer (with internet), free WiFi, plush bed linens, lockers and three shared bathrooms. Rates start at $30 per night per person and you can book online. The check-in desk is at The Swiss Hotel, around the corner at 89 Daly Ave. Make sure to check their website or Twitter page for promotions. }} * {{sleep | name=Ottawa Backpackers Inn | alt= | url=http://ottawahostel.com | email=info@ottawahostel.com | address=203 York Street | lat=45.43042 | long=-75.68804 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-3402 | tollfree=+1-888-394-0334 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$25/night for regular dorm beds, more for semi-private and private rooms | content=Part of Backpackers Hostels Canada, includes kitchen, free wireless internet and free coffee/tea. In a converted house into hostel, in the market block. The staff and the atmosphere are very friendly. Allergy warning: they have a cat }} * {{sleep | name=Ottawa Jail Hostel | url=http://hihostels.ca/ottawa | email= | address=75 Nicholas Street | lat=45.42498 | long=-75.68876 | directions=across the street from the Rideau Centre | phone = +1 613-235-2595 | tollfree=+1-866-299-1478 | fax=+1 613-235-9202 | hours= | price=$29/dorm for HI members, $34 for non. Single cells $38/40. Double rooms $93/$103 | checkin= | checkout= | content=A member of Hostelling International, this hostel is in the old Ottawa Jail; the bedrooms are old jail cells. Most rooms have shared washrooms. It's close to the Byward Market and downtown. Tours available. Breakfast of coffee, tea, bagels, fruit included. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Albert at Bay Suite Hotel | alt= | url=http://albertatbay.com/ | email= | address=435 Albert Street | lat=45.41716 | long=-75.70718 | directions=corner of Bay St. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=This downtown hotel is within easy walking distance of the main attractions, shops and restaurants. The hotel is a converted apartment building where you'll find large one- and-two bedrooms suites. Rates range from $119/night to $229/night. }} *{{sleep | name=Auberge King Edward Bed and Breakfast | url=http://kingedwardottawa.com | email= | address=525 King Edward Avenue | lat=45.42564 | long=-75.68297 | directions=downtown beside the University of Ottawa and a 5-minute walk from the Rideau Canal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$105–135 (plus taxes) | checkin= | checkout= | content=Well-preserved Victorian architecture packed with character. Free parking and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Australis Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.bbcanada.com/1463.html | email= | address=89 Goulburn Avenue | lat=45.426068 | long=-75.674433 | directions= | phone=+1 (613) 235-8461 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=1PM/flexible | checkout=11AM | price=$109-129 | lastedit=2016-05-11 | content=Run by an Australian expat, this 2-room B&B gets praise for fresh-cooked breakfast. It is about 1 km east of Byward Market, 2 km east of Parliament Hill. Free Wifi. Limited parking available, ask. }} *{{sleep | name=Avalon Bed and Breakfast | url=http://www.avalonbedandbreakfast.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=539 Besserer St | lat=45.43247 | long=-75.67507 | directions=Near Rideau and Charlotte | phone=+1 613-241-6403 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$95-145 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | content=A well-reviewed downtown Ottawa bed-and-breakfast. Turn of the century home with modern decor. A 15-minute walk to the Byward Market. Free parking and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Best Western Victoria Park Suites | alt= | url= | email= | address=377 O'Connor Street | lat=45.41291 | long=-75.69110 | directions=near Elgin Street, downtown near the Museum of Nature | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=$100 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ByWard Blue Inn | alt= | url=http://bywardblueinn.ca | email= | address=157 Clarence Street | lat=45.43007 | long=-75.69087 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-620-8810 | fax= | price=$150-200, parking $8-15/day | checkin= | checkout= | content=A B&B hotel in the picturesque Byward Market with refrigerators, microwaves, private balconies. }} * {{sleep | name=Cartier Place Suite Hotel | alt= | url=http://suitedreams.com | email= | address=180 Cooper Street | lat=45.41884 | long=-75.68965 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Features unique pet friendly downtown suite lodging accommodations minutes from Parliament Hill. Discover unique studios, one or two bedrooms, and VIP suites with Jacuzzis, close to tourist attractions. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn Ottawa West | alt=Kanata | url=http://www.comfortinnkanata.com | email=cn270@whg.com | address=222 Hearst Way | lat=45.31533 | long=-75.89337 | directions=20 min from Downtown, Highway #417, Exit 138 Eagleson Road | phone=+1 613-592-2200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-591-9600 | checkin=11AM | checkout=3PM | price= | content=Offers guests free breakfast, free parking, and free internet. }} * {{sleep | name=Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa East | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yowoe-courtyard-ottawa-east/ | email= | address=200 Coventry Rd | lat=45.42040 | long=-75.65613 | directions=off of Hwy 417 | phone=+1 613-741-9862 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Complimentary high speed internet access & complimentary parking. 395 guest rooms, each with wet bar. Indoor pool, whirlpool, 24-hour exercise room, 24-hour business centre and The Market is also open 24 hours. Bistro and meeting facilities on-site. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.novotelottawa.com/home/novotelottawahotels.shtm | email=novotelottawa@novotelottawa.com | address=33 Nicholas Street | lat=45.42594 | long=-75.68967 | directions=located across the street from the east side of the Rideau Centre on Nicholas Street | phone=+1 (613) 230-3033 | tollfree=+1-855-677-3033 | fax=+1 (613) 760-4765 | checkin= | checkout= | price=$188/night | content=Modern hotel with an emphasis on energy conservation. Modern restaurant and banquet facilities. This location has free internet kiosks in the main lobby open to the public. }} *{{sleep | name=Sheraton Ottawa Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sheratonottawa.com | email= | address=150 Albert St | lat=45.42083 | long=-75.69791 | directions=Downtown | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $109 | content=Sheraton Ottawa Hotel is located in the heart of downtown - steps from Parliament Hill, the National Gallery, and other major attractions. Each room features the signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed, and the Link@Sheraton lobby connectivity hub offers complimentary internet and PC workstation use. }} *{{sleep | name=Shirley Samantha's Bed & Breakfast | url=http://www.ottawabnb.com/shirley_en.php {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=28 Carlotta Avenue | lat=45.43008 | long=-75.66738 | directions=From Hwy. 417 take Exit 117 Vanier Parkway; north on Vanier Parkway to McArthur Avenue, left on McArthur to Marguerite Avenue, left on Marguerite. Then right on Carlotta Avenue. | phone = +1 613-745-2105 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$70-120 per night | checkin=as arranged | checkout=11AM | content=On a quiet residential street, within walking distance from downtown and half a block from the Rideau River cycling/walking path. Two queen-bedded rooms, one with ensuite, the other with private bath. Centrally air conditioned, complimentary parking, snacks and WiFi. Delicious breakfasts featuring home baking. }} *{{sleep | name=Swiss Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.swisshotel.ca | email= | address=89 Daly Avenue | lat=45.42697 | long=-75.68631 | directions=Located Downtown Ottawa, at the corner of Daly and Cumberland. | phone=+1 613-237-0335 | tollfree=+1-888-663-0000 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$117-228/night depending on room quality and timing | content=A charming, cozy, 22-room hotel located in the heart of Ottawa. The Inn was built in 1872 from limestone in a 19th-century Vernacular Classical Revival. Swiss Hotel offers traditional Swiss hospitality with modern comfort. Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, rooms are equipped with iPads. Optional healthy buffet breakfast is offered daily with Bircher-Muesli and fresh ground Swiss espresso. }} * {{sleep | name=University of Ottawa | alt= | url=http://www.uottawa.ca/housing/short-term | email= | address=90 University Private | lat=45.42247 | long=-75.68442 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rideau double room $130; 90U suite with bath $120; dorm with shared bath, $40 | checkin= | checkout= | content=From May to August, university housing is offered as hotel-like guest rooms in one of its newer housing complexes. }} * {{sleep | name=Delta Ottawa City Centre | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yowdm-delta-hotels-ottawa-city-centre/ | email= | address=101 Lyon Street North | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-237-3600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3.00 | checkout=12.00 | price= | lastedit=2017-10-17 | content=Sleek 1967 modernist hotel tower on the quieter west side of the city centre, within walking distance of most major sites, and with good access to public transport. Rate includes wireless Internet access. Underground parking available on-site at an additional cost of $22/day. }} ===Splurge=== [[Image:Parliament Hill and Château Laurier.jpg|thumb|300px|Chateau Laurier (left) and Parliament Hill overlooking the Ottawa River]] * {{sleep | name=Andaz Ottawa | alt= | url=https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/canada/andaz-ottawa-byward-market/yowaz | email= | address=325 Dalhousie Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-321-1234 | tollfree= | checkin=noon | checkout=10AM | price=$150 | lastedit=2018-07-26 | content=Owned by Hyatt, extremely well located, otherwise unremarkable. }} * {{sleep | name=Arc | alt= | url=http://arcthehotel.com/ | email= | address=Slater Street | lat=45.42059 | long=-75.69652 | directions=near Parliament Hill | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= A trendy boutique hotel with prices to match its style. }} * {{sleep | name=The Brookstreet | alt= | url=http://brookstreet.ca/ | email= | address= | lat=45.34800 | long=-75.91772 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=In [[Kanata]] is a newer luxury hotel and resort popular with technology companies and visiting sports teams. Facilities include a full-service spa with 11 treatment rooms, a championship golf course (The Marshes), a European PGA-approved short course (Marchwood), a four-diamond restaurant (Perspectives) and a fitness studio with whirlpools, steam rooms and indoor and outdoor pools. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Fairmont Chateau Laurier | alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/laurier-ottawa/ | email= | address= | lat=45.42562 | long=-75.69516 | directions=just east of Parliament Hill | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=The city's [[grand old hotels|grand old hotel]]: its oldest and most famous luxury hotel as well as one of its landmarks. Rooms facing west overlook the Rideau Canal locks and have stellar views of the Parliament buildings. This hotel once housed the offices of CBC Radio in Ottawa and the studio of well-known portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh. Several framed Karsh photographs are hung in the hotel lounge. His (and his wife's) home suite is now available for guests and displays a small sampling of framed prints on the walls. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Lord Elgin | alt= | url=http://lordelginhotel.ca/ | email=reservations@lordelgin.ca | address=100 Elgin Street | lat=45.42134 | long=-75.69375 | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-3333 | tollfree=+1-800-267-4298 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2019-05-12 | content=Centrally located on Elgin Street across from the National Arts Centre, a stone's throw from Parliament Hill, and one of Ottawa's two classic hotels (the other being the Chateau Laurier). While it has "splurge" rates, most rooms are reasonably priced. Good value, and a Starbucks off the lobby. }} * {{sleep | name=The Ottawa Marriott Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yowmc-ottawa-marriott-hotel | email= | address=100 Kent St | lat=45.41979 | long=-75.70353 | directions=near Parliament Hill | phone=+1 613-238-1122 | tollfree=+1-800-853-8463 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $154 | content=The Ottawa Marriott Hotel is in downtown Ottawa one block from the Parliament Buildings and steps away from museums and shopping. This Ottawa hotel includes a revolving restaurant, Kids’ Zone, an indoor pool, sauna and fitness centre. }} *{{sleep | name=The Westin Ottawa | alt= | url=http://www.thewestinottawa.com/ | email=ottawa@westin.com | address=11 Colonel By Dr | lat=45.42489 | long=-75.69253 | directions=near Parliament Hill | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-716-8101 | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $159 | content=This hotel is also connected to the Rideau Centre and the Ottawa Convention Centre by a walkway. It is steps from Parliament Hill and the Byward market and each of the 496 rooms features the ten-layer Heavenly Bed. }} * {{sleep | name=reStays | alt= | url=https://www.restays.com/ | email=hello@restays.com | address=101 Queen St | lat=45.42203 | long=-75.69771 | directions= | phone=+1 613 688 6200 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=noon | price=From $210 | lastedit=2022-06-03 | content=Boutique hotel. Has a great view of the Parliament Hill. }} ==Connect== The area codes for Ottawa are '''613''' and the overlay code '''343'''. Hull<!-- but not Gatineau, a suburb --> ('''819''', overlaid with '''873''') has the full Ottawa local calling area. Ten-digit dialling (area code+local number) is required for all local calls. Most coffee shops, hotels, and public library branches have free wi-fi Internet access, although the speeds may be slower than you're accustomed to. There are internet cafes throughout the city. ==Stay safe== Ottawa is a very safe place to live and visit, so if you use common sense it is at least as safe as any other city. There are many tourists in the city, especially in summer months, and there are very few incidents of robbery or assault. There have been incidents on buses and at transit stations of violence and swarmings/robberies, even during daytime hours. OC Transpo has hired new constables and placed plainclothes security and cameras on select buses and trains to counter the problem. Use common sense, especially when riding at night, every transit station has multiple emergency call boxes. After dark, take extra care in areas near downtown such as Lowertown East, and also Hintonburg, Vanier, Bayshore, Ledbury, Heatherington, Caldwell and South Keys. These neighbourhoods are known to have gang presence and drug problems. (Ledbury, Heatherington, and South Keys have nothing in the way of tourist draws, anyway.) The section of Rideau Street between Sussex Drive and King Edward Avenue is infamous for homeless people and panhandlers (they'll thank you and wish you a good day, even when you don't give), though this rarely causes problems for anyone. Ottawa is generally very safe, but like any other city it has bad apples. Ottawa is the fourth coldest capital city by annual average temperature, but it has the second coldest January, only topped by Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Add to that nearly 3 m (10') of snow per average winter and throw in an ice storm from time to time, winter can be a challenge but locals do a great job of handling it particularly with recreation. Summers are (normally) short, warm and at times hot and humid. Humidity in the summer can make the heat feel unbearable, while humidity in the winter, coupled with wind chills, can make the cold feel very brutal. Dress for the weather and don't forget to cover your head and ears with a warm hat. Ottawa is not a very fashion-minded city, but in winter, everyone throws in the towel. {{Seealso|Cold weather}} ==Cope== The emergency telephone number for police, fire, and ambulance is 9-1-1. All pay phones at O-Train stations have buttons that you can use to make a free call to the Distress Centre of Ottawa, or you can call 613-238-3311 if you're anywhere in Ottawa. They'll help with any mental health concerns. Service is provided in English and French. ===Embassies and High Commissions=== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" ! [[Diplomatic missions]] ! list&nbsp; |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=240 Argyle Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Albania}} {{listing | name=Albania | url=http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/canada | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 302 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-3053 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-0804 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Algeria}} {{listing | name=Algeria | url= | email= | address=500 Wilbrod St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing |name=Argentina |url=http://www.ecana.mrecic.gob.ar/en |email=ecana@mrecic.gov.ar |address=81 Metcalfe St |phone=+1 613-236-2361 |fax=+1 613-235-2659 |hours=M-F 9AM-5PM |content= }} *{{flag|Armenia}} {{listing | name=Armenia | url=http://www.canada.mfa.am/en/ | email= | address=7 Delaware Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-3710 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-234-3444 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url=http://ahc-ottawa.org | email= | address=50 O'Connor St, Ste 710 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0841 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-4376 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria | url=http://bmeia.gv.at/index.php?id=67004&L=1 | email= | address=445 Wilbrod St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-1444 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-3431 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Azerbaijan}} {{listing | name=Azerbaijan | url=http://azembassy.ca | email= | address=275 Slater St, Ste 904 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-288-0497 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-230-8089 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|The Bahamas}} {{listing | name=Bahamas | url= | email= | address=99 Bank St., Ste 415 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh | alt= | url=http://www.bdhcottawa.ca | email=mission.ottawa@mofa.gov.bd | address=Suite 1100, 350 Sparks St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0138 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-567-3213 | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Barbados}} {{listing | name=Barbados | url= | email= | address=55 Metcalfe St., Ste 470 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belarus}} {{listing | name=Belarus | alt= | url=http://canada.mfa.gov.by/en/embassy/ | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 600 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-9994 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-8500 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.be/ottawa | email= | address=360 Albert St, Ste 820 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-7267 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-7882 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bolivia}} {{listing | name=Bolivia | alt= | url=https://bolivianembassy.ca/embajada/ubicacion/ | email= | address=130 Albert St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-5730 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-8237 | hours=M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} {{listing | name=Bosnia and Herzegovina | alt= | url=http://www.ambasadabih.ca/index.php/ca/ | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 805 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0028 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-1139 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | url= | email= | address=450 Wilbrod St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brunei}} {{listing | name=Brunei | url= | email= | address=395 Laurier Ave. East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bulgaria}} {{listing | name=Bulgaria | alt= | url=http://www.mfa.bg/embassies/canada/setlang/en | email= | address=325 Stewart St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-3215 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-3524 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Burkina Faso}} {{listing | name=Burkina Faso | url= | email= | address=48 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Cameroon}} {{listing | name=Cameroon | url= | email= | address=170 Clemow Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Chad}} {{listing | name=Chad | url= | email= | address=350 Sparks St., Ste 802 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Chile}} {{listing |name=Chile |url=http://www.chileabroad.gov.cl/canada/en/ |email=echile.canada@minrel.gov.cl |address=Suite 1413, 50 O'Connor St |phone=+1 613-235-4402 |fax=+1 613-235-1176 |hours-M-F 9AM-1PM and 2PM-5:30PM |content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://ca.china-embassy.org | email=chinaemb_ca@mfa.gov.cn | address=515 St. Patrick St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 613-789-3434-791-0511 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-1911 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Colombia}} {{listing |name=Colombia |url=http://ottawa.consulado.gov.co |email=cottawa@cancilleria.gov.co |address=Suite 1002, 260 Albert St |phone=+1 613-230-3760 |content= }} *{{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Democratic Republic of the Congo | url= | email= | address=18 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Republic of the Congo | url= | email= | address=322 Waverley St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Costa Rica}} {{listing |name=Costa Rica |url=http://www.costaricaembassy.com |email=embcr@costaricaembassy.com |address=Suite 701, 350 Sparks St |phone=+1 613-562-2855 |fax=+1 613-562-2582 |content= }} *{{flag|Croatia}} {{listing | name=Croatia | url=http://ca.mfa.hr | email= | address=229 Chapel St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-562-7820 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-7821 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Cuba}} {{listing | name=Cuba | url=http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/canada/embassy-cuba-canada | email=embacuba@embacubacanada.net | address=388 Main St | phone=+1 613-563-0141 | fax=+1 613-563-0068 | hours=Tu-F 9AM-1PM | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., Ste 1002 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url=http://mzv.cz/ottawa | email= | address=251 Cooper St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-562-3875 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-3878 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark | url=http://canada.um.dk | email= | address=47 Clarence St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-562-1811 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-1812 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Dominican Republic}} {{listing | name=Dominican Republic | alt= | url=http://dominicanembassycanada.gob.do/index.php/en/contact | email=info@drembassy.org | address=130 Albert Street, Suite 1605 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613 569-9893 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613 569-8673 | hours=M-F 9:15AM-3:30PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Ecuador}} {{listing |name=Ecuador |url=http://www.embassyecuador.ca/english/ |email=embassy@embassyecuador.ca |address=Suite 230, 99 Bank St |phone=+1 613-563-8206 |fax=+1 613-563-8206 |content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | alt= | url= | email=egyptemb@sympatico.ca | address=454 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-4931 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-234-9347 | hours=9AM-4PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | name=El Salvador | url= | email= | address=209 Kent St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Estonia}} {{listing | name=Estonia | alt= | url=https://ottawa.mfa.ee/ | email=embassy.ottawa@mfa.ee | address=260 Dalhousie St, Suite 210 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-4222 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-9555 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Ethiopia}} {{listing | name=Ethiopia | url= | email= | address=275 Slater St., Ste 1501 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland | url=http://www.finland.ca | email=embassy@finland.ca | address=55 Metcalfe St, Ste 850 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-288-2233 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-288-2244 | hours=M-Th 9AM-noon, 1PM-3PM; F 9AM-11:30AM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://ambafrance-ca.org | email= | address=42 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-1795 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-3735 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Gabon}} {{listing | name=Gabon | url= | email= | address=2283 St. Laurent Blvd., Ste 103 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Georgia (country)}} {{listing | name=Georgia | url= | email= | address=240 Albert St., Ste 940 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url=http://ottawa.diplo.de | email= | address=1 Waverley St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-1101 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-594-9330 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ghana}} {{listing | name=Ghana | url= | email= | address=1 Clemow Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://greekembassy.ca | email= | address=80 MacLaren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-6271, +1 613-238-6273 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-238-5676 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Guatemala}} {{listing | name=Guatemala | url= | email= | address=130 Albert St., Ste 1010 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Guinea}} {{listing | name=Guinea | url= | email= | address=483 Wilbrod St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Guyana}} {{listing | name=Guyana | url=http://guyanamissionottawa.org | email= | address=151 Slater St, Ste 309 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-7240, +1 613-235-7249 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-235-1447 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Haiti}} {{listing | name=Haiti | url= | email= | address=85 Albert St., Ste 1110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Honduras}} {{listing | name=Honduras | url= | email= | address=130 Albert St., Ste 805 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Hungary}} {{listing | name=Hungary | url=http://www.kormany.hu/en/ministry-of-foreign-affairs-and-trade/missions | email= | address=299 Waverley St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-230-2717 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-230-7560 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iceland}} {{listing | name=Iceland | alt= | url=https://www.government.is/diplomatic-missions/embassy-of-iceland-in-ottawa/ | email=ottawa@mfa.is | address=360 Albert St, Suite 710 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-482-1944 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-482-1945 | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|India}} {{listing |name=India |url=http://www.hciottawa.ca/home.php |email=hicomindia@hciottawa.ca |address=10 Springfield Rd |phone=+1 613-744-3752 |fax=+1 613-744-0913 |content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/ottawa/en/default.aspx | email= | address=55 Parkdale Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-724-1100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-15 | content= }} *{{flag|Iraq}} {{listing | name=Iraq | url= | email= | address=189 Laurier Ave. East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ireland}} {{listing | name=Ireland | url=http://dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=5454 | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 1105 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-6281 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-5835 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Israel | url= | email= | address=50 O'Connor St., Ste 1005 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.ambottawa.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Ottawa/en/ | email= | address=275 Slater St, 21F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-2401 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-1484 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ivory Coast}} {{listing | name=Ivory Coast | url= | email= | address=9 Marlborough Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Jamaica}} {{listing | name=Jamaica | url=http://jhcottawa.ca | email= | address=151 Slater St, Ste 1000 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-9311 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-0611 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/ | email= | address=255 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-8541 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Jordan}} {{listing | name=Jordan | url= | email= | address=100 Bronson Ave., Ste 701 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kazakhstan}} {{listing | name=Kazakhstan | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., Ste 701 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kenya}} {{listing | name=Kenya | url= | email= | address=415 Laurier Ave. East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kosovo}} {{listing | name=Kosovo | url= | email= | address=200 Elgin St., Ste 501 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=333 Sussex Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Latvia}} {{listing | name=Latvia | url=http://mfa.gov.lv/ottawa | email= | address=350 Sparks St, Ste 1200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-6014 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-238-7044 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Lebanon}} {{listing | name=Lebanon | url= | email= | address=640 Lyon St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Lesotho}} {{listing | name=Lesotho | url= | email= | address=130 Albert St., Ste 1820 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Libya}} {{listing | name=Libya | url= | email= | address=170 Ave. Laurier West, Ste 710 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania | url=http://ca.mfa.lt | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St, Ste 1600 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-567-5458 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-567-5315 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Madagascar}} {{listing | name=Madagascar | url= | email= | address=3 Raymond St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url= | email= | address=60 Boteler St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Mali}} {{listing | name=Mali | url= | email= | address=50 Goulburn Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Mauritius}} {{listing | name=Mauritius | alt= | url= | email= | address=2918 Southmore Dr E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-737-7322 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-737-0690 | hours= | price= | content=Honorary consul. The Mauritius embassy in [[Washington, D.C.]] covers Canada. }} *{{flag|Mexico}} {{listing |name=Mexico |url=http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada-eng/ |email=info@sre.gob.mx |address=Suite 1000, 45 O'Connor St |phone=+1 613-235-8988 |fax=+1 613-235-9123 |hours=M-F 9AM-5PM |content= }} *{{flag|Moldova}} {{listing | name=Moldova | url= | email= | address=275 Slater St., Ste 801 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Mongolia}} {{listing | name=Mongolia | url= | email= | address=132 Stanley Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Morocco}} {{listing | name=Morocco | alt= | url=https://www.embassy-worldwide.com/embassy/embassy-of-the-kingdom-of-morocco-in-ottawa-canada/ | email= | address=38 Range Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-7391 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Myanmar}} {{listing | name=Myanmar | url= | email= | address=336 Island Park Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Nepal}} {{listing | name=Nepal | alt= | url=https://ca.nepalembassy.gov.np/ | email=eonottawa@mofa.gov.np | address=408 Queen Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-680-5513 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-422-5149 | hours=March 15 – November 14: M-F 9AM-5PM, November 15 – March 14: M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/canada | email= | address=350 Albert St, Ste 2020 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-237-5030 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-237-6471 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|New Zealand}} {{listing | name=New Zealand | url=http://nzembassy.com/canada | email= | address=99 Bank St, Ste 727 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-5991 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-238-5707 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Nicaragua}} {{listing | name=Nicaragua | url= | email= | address=104 Black Maple Private | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Nigeria}} {{listing | name=Nigeria | alt= | url=http://nigeriahcottawa.com | email= | address=295 Metcalfe St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0521, +1 613-236-0523 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-0529 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|North Macedonia}} {{listing | name=North Macedonia | url=http://www3.sympatico.ca/emb.macedonia.ottawa/ | email=ottawa@mfa.gov.mk | address=130 Albert St, Ste 1006 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-3882 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-1852 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Norway}} {{listing |name=Norway |url=http://www.emb-norway.ca |email=emb.ottawa@mfa.no |address=Suite 1300, 150 Metcalfe St |phone=+1 613-238-6571 |fax=+1 613-238-2765 |hours=M-F 9AM-3PM |content= }} *{{flag|Pakistan}} {{listing |name=Pakistan |url=http://www.pakmission.ca |email=parepottawa@rogers.com |address=10 Range Rd |phone=+1 613-238-7881 |fax=+1 613-238-7296 |content= }} *{{flag|Panama}} {{listing |name=Panama |url=http://www.embassyofpanama.ca |address=Suite 300, 130 Albert St |phone=+1 613-236-7177 |content= }} *{{flag|Paraguay}} {{listing | name=Paraguay | alt= | url=http://www.mre.gov.py/Sitios/Home/Index/embapar-canada/EN | email=embassy@embassyofparaguay.ca | address=161 Slater St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-557-1283 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-567-1005 | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Peru}} {{listing |name=Peru |url=http://www.embassyofperu.ca |address=Suite 1901, 130 Albert St |phone=+1 613-232-3062 |content= }} *{{flag|Philippines}} {{listing | name=Philippines | alt= | url=https://ottawape.dfa.gov.ph/ | email= | address=30 Murray Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-1121 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-4165 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Poland}} {{listing | name=Poland | url= | email= | address=443 Daly Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal | alt= | url=https://www.otava.embaixadaportugal.mne.pt/en/ | email=sconsular.ottawa@mne.pt | address=645 Island Park Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-729-0883 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-729-4236 | hours=M-F 9AM-1PM, admission by appointment only (email for appointment) | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Qatar}} {{listing | name=Qatar | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., 8th and 12th floors | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | alt= | url=http://ottawa.mae.ro | email=ottawa@mae.ro | address=655 Rideau St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-3709, +1 613-789-5345 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-4365 | hours=M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-4PM | price= | content=Embassy. }} *{{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia | url=http://rusembassy.ca | email= | address=285 Charlotte St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-4341, +1 613-236-1413 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-6342 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Rwanda}} {{listing | name=Rwanda | url= | email= | address=294 Albert St., Ste 404 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} {{listing | name=Saint Kitts and Nevis | url= | email= | address=421 Besserer St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saint Lucia}} {{listing | name=Saint Lucia | alt= | url=http://stluciaconsulate.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-203-8400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content=Saint Lucian consular service is provided from their office in [[Toronto]]. }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=201 Sussex Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Senegal}} {{listing | name=Senegal | url= | email= | address=57 Marlborough Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Serbia}} {{listing | name=Serbia | url= | email= | address=21 Blackburn Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Slovakia}} {{listing | name=Slovakia | url= | email= | address=50 Rideau Terr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Slovenia}} {{listing | name=Slovenia | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., Ste 2200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Africa}} {{listing | name=South Africa | url=http://southafrica-canada.ca | email= | address=15 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-744-0330 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-741-1639 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | alt= | url=http://can-ottawa.mofa.go.kr/english/am/can-ottawa/main/index.jsp | email= | address=150 Boteler St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-244-5010 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M–F 9AM-noon, 1-5PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | url=http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/OTTAWA/en/pages/inicio.aspx | email= | address=74 Stanley Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-747-2252 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-744-1224 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{listing |name=Sri Lanka |url=http://www.srilankahcottawa.org |email=slhcit@rogers.com |address=Suite 1204, 333 Laurier Ave |phone=+1 613-233-8449 |fax=+1 613-238-8448 |hours=M-F 9AM-4:45PM }} *{{flag|Sudan}} {{listing | name=Sudan | url= | email= | address=354 Stewart St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Sweden}} {{listing |name=Sweden |url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/Embassies/Ottawa/ |email=sweden.ottawa@gov.se |address=377 Dalhousie St |phone=+1 613-244-8200 |fax=+1 613-241-2277 |hours=M-F 9AM-noon |content= }} *{{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland | url=https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/canada/en/home/representations/embassy-in-ottawa.html | email= | address=5 Marlborough Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-1837 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-563-1394 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Syria}} {{listing | name=Syria | url=http://www.syrianembassy.ca/ | email= | address=46 Cartier St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-569-5556 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Tanzania}} {{listing | name=Tanzania | url= | email= | address=50 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=180 Island Park Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Togo}} {{listing | name=Togo | url= | email= | address=12 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} {{listing | name=Trinidad and Tobago | alt= | url=https://foreign.gov.tt/missions-consuls/tt-missions-abroad/diplomatic-missions/high-commission-ottawa-canada/ | email= | address=200 First Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-2418 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-232-4349 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Tunisia}} {{listing | name=Tunisia | url= | email= | address=515 O'Connor St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey | url=http://ottava.be.mfa.gov.tr | email= | address=197 Wurtemburg St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-4044, +1 613-789-3440 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-3442 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Uganda}} {{listing | name=Uganda | url= | email= | address=350 Sparks St., Ste 1210 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ukraine}} {{listing | name=Ukraine | url=http://mfa.gov.ua/canada | email= | address=310 Somerset St W | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-230-2961 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-230-2400 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=125 Boteler St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | url=http://ukincanada.fco.gov.uk | email= | address=80 Elgin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-237-1530 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-237-7980 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/ | email=OttawaACS@state.gov | address=490 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-5335 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-688-3082 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Uruguay}} {{listing |name=Uruguay |url=http://www.embassyofuruguay.ca |email=embassy@embassyofuruguay.ca |address=Suite 901, 350 Sparks St |phone=+1 613-234-2727 |fax=+1 613-234-2727 |content= }} *{{flag|Venezuela}}{{listing |name=Venezuela |url=http://www.misionvenezuela.org/V2/ |address=32 Range Rd |phone=+1 613-235-5151 |content= }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing |name=Vietnam |url=http://vietem-ca.com |address=55 MacKay St |phone=+1 613-236-0772 |fax=+1 613-236-2704 |hours=M-F 9:30AM-5PM |content= }} *{{flag|Yemen}} {{listing | name=Yemen | url= | email= | address=54 Chamberlain Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Zambia}} {{listing |name=Zambia |url=http://www.zambiahighcommission.ca |email=zhc.ottawa@bellnet.ca |address=151 Slater St |phone=+1 613-232-4400 |content= }} *{{flag|Zimbabwe}} {{listing | name=Zimbabwe | alt= | url=http://www.zimembassyottawa.com | email=zimottawa@zimfa.gov.zw | address=332 Somerset St W | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-421-2824 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-422-7403 | hours=M-Th 9AM-4PM, F 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The Embassy of Zimbabwe in Ottawa. }} |} ==Go next== Just across the river from Ottawa is the city of [[Gatineau]], which has the stunning Canadian Museum of History and some mighty good restaurants too. It is the centre of the [[Outaouais]] region which includes the lovely village of [[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]], and [[Gatineau Park]] with its high cliffs and deep, clear lakes. A little further west is the [[Pontiac_(Quebec)|Pontiac]] where you will find small rural towns and rafting expeditions. There is a bus service from Ottawa and Gatineau to the Pontiac. You can cycle from Quyon to Pembroke on 72 km of railway bed turned into a bike trail. Stop by the Shawville Fair in late August/early September. To the south and east of Ottawa is a large flat rural area consisting mostly of small commuter towns, agricultural villages, and the occasional woodland. This lowland stretches all the way to Montreal (roughly 165 km to the east) and the United States border (just shy of a hundred kilometres to the south). The [[Rideau Canal]] runs through it. Among the many scenic towns are [[Merrickville]], which has a good claim to the name "Canada's prettiest village," and [[Perth (Ontario)|Perth]] with its mills and heritage buildings. Going west beyond [[Kanata]], the village of [[Carp]] (about 40 minutes away, in West Carleton, officially part of Ottawa) houses the surreal Cold War "Central Emergency Government Headquarters" (the Diefenbunker), now a museum and listed under "Museums" above. Beyond that is the [[Ottawa Valley]] region, towns and farms, then the Madawaska Highlands wilderness area starting about 90&nbsp;km from Ottawa. In that area is [[Calabogie]], a ski resort in winter and lake resort in summer. A little further on is another wilderness recreation area, [[Algonquin Provincial Park]]. Beyond the Ottawa region lie other Canadian cities, such as: * [[Montreal]], the largest city in Quebec and the largest French-speaking city in the Western Hemisphere, is 200&nbsp;km east. * [[Toronto]], Canada's largest city, is about 500&nbsp;km to the southwest. * [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]], about 200&nbsp;km to the southwest, on the way to Toronto. A university town with historic limestone buildings. If you're interested in a ''very'' different destination, Ottawa is one of the very few cities south of the 60th parallel that has regular scheduled air service - and the only one with year-round direct air service - to [[Iqaluit]], the capital of [[Nunavut]]. {{routebox | image1=VIA Rail Toronto Ottawa icon.png | imagesize1=100 | link1=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Toronto]] | minorl1=[[Smiths Falls]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=VIA Rail Montreal Quebec icon.png | imagesize2=100 | link2=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Montreal]] | minorr2=[[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]] | image3=Ontario 417.svg | imagesize3=20 | image3a=TCH-blank.svg | imagesize3a=20 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[North Bay]] | minorl3=[[Kanata]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Montreal]] | minorr3=[[Russell (Ontario)|Russell]] | link3=Trans-Canada Highway | image4=Ontario 7.svg | imagesize4=20 | image4a=TCH-blank.svg | imagesize4a=20 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Peterborough (Ontario)|Peterborough]] | minorl4=[[Carleton Place]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=Ontario 416.svg | imagesize5=20 | directionl5=N | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Prescott (Ontario)|Prescott]] / [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] via [[File:Ontario 401.svg|16px]] | minorr5=[[Merrickville|Kemptville]] | image6=Quebec Autoroute 5.svg | imagesize6=20 | directionl6=N | majorl6=[[Montreal]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 50.svg|16px|link=]] | minorl6='''[[Gatineau]]''' | directionr6=S | majorr6=ENDS at Macdonald-Cartier Bridge | minorr6= }} {{isPartOf|Ottawa-Rideau}} {{geo|45.44|-75.6946}} {{guidecity}} {{related|Gatineau}} nlks4y275oj0jh0qxx3ughqr1k8ycxb 4501718 4501717 2022-08-15T19:58:12Z 2620:22:4000:105:3FFE:457A:28DE:372D /* Museums */ Updated listing for Carleton University Art Gallery wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Ottawa Panorama Cropped.jpg|caption=Ottawa Skyline|dotm=yes}} '''[http://ottawa.ca Ottawa]''' is [[Canada]]'s capital. With over a million citizens, it is Canada's fourth-largest city, and Ontario's second-largest city. Across the Ottawa River is [[Gatineau]], [[Quebec]]. While most Ottawans are English-speaking, 15% are native French speakers, making Ottawa Canada's largest Francophone city outside of [[Quebec]]. Visitors come to Ottawa to see Parliament Hill, as well as Canada's national museums. ==Understand== [[Image:Parliament hill flag.jpg|thumb|350px|The Peace Tower, Parliament Hill]] ===History=== Ottawa started as a humble lumber town called '''Bytown'''; it was named after Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers who oversaw the construction of the [[Rideau Canal]], now a UNESCO World Heritage site, much of which was done by hand, between 1826 and 1832. The Rideau Canal is also the worlds largest skating rink. Lumber mills were built along the Ottawa River in the mid-nineteenth century and those brought employment and wealth to the growing population. The centre of action then, as now, was the Byward Market. While it is still the centre of the city's nightlife, it has changed appreciably from the rough and tumble early days of brothels and taverns. In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada. The choice was controversial, partly because it sidestepped the rivalry between [[Toronto]] and [[Montreal]] (then, as now, Canada's largest cities), and partly because the new capital was still a tiny outpost in the middle of nothing much — an American newspaper famously commented that it was impregnable, as any invaders would get lost in the woods looking for it. Unlike [[Canberra]] in Australia or [[Washington, D.C.]] in the United States or any other federation state, Ottawa is not part of a special federal district. There is an official [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]] containing Ottawa, [[Gatineau]], Quebec across the Ottawa river, and surrounding areas in both provinces. However that matters only for federal programs like the NCC (National Capital Commission); the two cities have separate municipal governments and are parts of different provinces. Each has its own Wikivoyage article. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, the telephone was demonstrated to the Canadian public for the first time here and the city was electrified. The first electric streetcar service was started in 1891. A menu from 1892 states that, "the first instance in the entire world of an entire meal being cooked by Electricity" was in Ottawa. Today, the major economic sectors are the public service, travel and tourism and the high-tech industry, which has earned the city the name "Silicon Valley North". Ottawa has remained a green city and is situated at the confluence of three rivers (Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau) and of the Rideau Canal. Many residents make regular use of Ottawa's parks and green spaces, bikeways and cross country ski trails. Many national attractions are located in Ottawa: Parliament Hill, the National Library and Archives, the National Gallery, and the Museums of History, Contemporary Photography, Nature, War, and Science & Technology. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Metric | janhigh = -6 | febhigh = -4 | marhigh = 2 | aprhigh = 11 | mayhigh = 18 | junhigh = 23 | julhigh = 26 | aughigh = 24 | sephigh = 19 | octhigh = 12 | novhigh = 5 | dechigh = -3 | janlow = -15 | feblow = -13 | marlow = -7 | aprlow = 1 | maylow = 7 | junlow = 12 | jullow = 15 | auglow = 13 | seplow = 9 | octlow = 3 | novlow = -3 | declow = -11 | janprecip = 65 | febprecip = 58 | marprecip = 64 | aprprecip = 72 | mayprecip = 81 | junprecip = 91 | julprecip = 89 | augprecip = 88 | sepprecip = 87 | octprecip = 79 | novprecip = 77 | decprecip = 74 | description = See the Ottawa 7-day forecast at [https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/on-118_metric_e.html Environment Canada] }} Ottawa has a humid continental or hemiboreal climate, featuring four distinct seasons, including warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation, falling mostly as snow in winter and as rain in the rest of year, is plentiful year-round. The city is neither particularly sunny or cloudy, though spring and summer are sunnier than autumn and winter. Most people who visit Ottawa come during the summer, which lasts from the beginning of June to early September, when the days are longest and when the average high is around 25 °C (77 °F). During heatwaves, which can occur from May to September, temperatures can rise above 30 °C (86 °F), although there are also cooler and often rainier periods. Autumn (fall) sets in during September and lasts until early-to-mid November. It features cooling temperatures, with mostly mild and occasionally warm days in September and pleasantly cool days in October and early November. The season is known for its bright colours and vibrant foliage. Similar to most other Canadian cities, winters in Ottawa are long and cold with short days. There is an average of 225 cm of snowfall per winter, which usually begins falling in late October, with the ground typically being blanketed in a layer of snow from late November to the end of March, while the last of the snow falls in April. Temperatures in the winter months average between -7 and -10 °C (14 and 19 °F), although there are short thawing periods where they can rise to above 0 °C (32 °F) in addition to brief cold snaps where they can drop to below -20 °C (-4° F). Most bodies of water in and around the city freeze over during the winter, notably the [[Rideau Canal]], which transforms into world's largest skating rink. Spring begins in April and lasts until the end of May, featuring progressively warmer temperatures and many blossoms. It can sometimes be prone to swings in conditions (such as snow in April and brief episodes of summer-like conditions in the second half of May); however, the weather is generally pleasant. ===Visitor information=== In addition to the Capital Information Kiosk, the tourist office's eager helpers can be found in public places, ready to answer questions in French or English. You can identify them by their blue uniforms with white question marks ("?"). * {{listing | name=Capital Information Kiosk | alt= | url=http://www.ottawatourism.ca | email=cik-kic@pch.gc.ca | address=90 Wellington Street | lat=45.42332 | long=-75.69808 | directions=opposite Parliament Hill | phone=+1 613-239-5000 | tollfree=+1-844-878-8333 | hours=10AM-5PM daily | price= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Excellent first stop for all kinds of tourist information, in friendly and fluent English and French. }} ==Get in== ===By plane=== ==== Main airport ==== * {{go | name=Macdonald-Cartier International Airport | alt={{IATA|YOW}} | url=https://yow.ca/ | email=comments@yow.ca | address=1000 Airport Parkway Private | lat=45.3225 | long=-75.6672 | directions=roughly 10.2 km south of downtown | phone=+1-613-248-2000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport | image=Ottawa Airport.jpg | wikidata=Q1319833 | lastedit=2022-05-26 | content=Ottawa's main airport offers regular flights to major Canadian (and many American) cities. The airport's US Customs Pre-clearance facilities allow for seamless domestic and international transfers through a number of major US airports. }} ==== Airport amenities ==== ATMs and a currency exchange booth are available in the arrivals hall (lower level). There is one International Currency Exchange (ICE) branded ATM near the baggage carrousels which charges higher transaction fees and offers poor exchange rates and one Royal Bank ATM near the washrooms with lower transaction fees and better exchange rates. There is a 24 hour baggage storage facility (Pars 2000) in the arrivals hall. Luggage can be stored for $5 per day or $8 overnight. There is also an information booth in the arrivals hall. There are a number of restaurants and a few bars inside the departures area. ==== Destinations ==== Direct flights to Ottawa within Canada include from [[Calgary]] (3.75 hours), from [[Edmonton]] (3.75 hours), from [[Halifax]] (1.75 hours), from [[Iqaluit]] (3.25 hours), from [[Montreal]] (45 minutes), from [[Toronto]] (1 hour), and from [[Vancouver]] (4.5 hours). Direct flights to Ottawa from the [[United States of America]] include from [[New York City]] (1.5-1.75 hours) and [[Washington, D.C.]] (1.5-1.75 hours) Services to Ottawa from outside North America, however, are limited to a daily flight from [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow]] and a daily flight from [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]] with Air Canada, plus seasonal service from [[London Gatwick]], which has been suspended due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. While Air France-KLM does not serve Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, it provides a shuttle bus connection for passengers booked between Ottawa Train Station ({{IATA|XDS}}) and [[Montreal#Get in|Montreal Trudeau International Airport]] ({{IATA|YUL}}). This trip takes about two hours. Via Rail trains bound for Montreal also connect to Montreal Trudeau International Airport via a free shuttle bus from the nearby Dorval station. ==== Airlines ==== Canadian airlines operating to Ottawa: * {{listing | name=Air Canada | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-393-3333 | tollfree=+1-888-247-2262 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. Some flights between Toronto and Montreal involve Toronto Pearson International Airport and some involve Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{listing|name=Canadian North|alt=|url=https://canadiannorth.com/|email=contact@canadiannorth.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-267-1247|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline primarily operating flights in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], and flights traveling between that region and a few large cities in Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=PAL Airlines|url=https://www.palairlines.ca|email=reservations@palairlines.ca|tollfree=+1-800-563-2800|lastedit=2022-04-27|content=One of the largest regional airlines operating in [[Quebec]] and [[Atlantic Canada]], and to Ottawa.}} * {{listing | name=Porter Airlines | alt= | url=https://www.flyporter.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-619-8622 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Operates flights in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], [[Atlantic Canada]], and some flights to the [[United States of America]]. For flights departing from or arriving in [[Toronto]], the airline's turboprop plane flights land at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The airline's jet plane flights and flights by all other airlines almost exclusively land at Toronto Pearson International Airport. }} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Swoop|url=https://help.flyswoop.com/|phone=+1-587-441-1001|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ====Ground transportation from airport to downtown==== :* '''Public transit''' - To reach downtown via public transit, take [http://www.octranspo.com/routes?rte=97 bus 97] (the only bus at the airport, outside arrivals at pole #12) to Hurdman Station. At Hurdman, transfer to the O-Train Confederation Line (west to Tunney's Pasture) to the downtown stations Lyon, Parliament or Rideau (west to east). To get to the Ottawa Train Station, take bus 97 to Hurdman Station and transfer to the O-Train Confederation Line (east to Blair) to Tremblay Station, the next O-Train stop, which is next door to the train station. The bus fare is $3.50 which gives you 1½ hours of unlimited bus travel or $10.50 for an all-day pass. If you don't have a [[Presto card]], exact change is required; remember to ask the bus driver for a transfer to use as proof of payment for fare inspectors. :* '''Taxi''' - A taxi to downtown hotels should cost between $25 and $35, while a taxi to nearby hotels should not cost more than $10. Uber and Lyft serve the airport and a ride to downtown hotels should cost between $20 and $25. :* '''Car rental''' - Most of the major international car rental agencies have a presence in the parking garage across from the airport terminal. ==== Other airport ==== * {{marker|type=go|name=Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport|wikidata=Q3912736}} ({{IATA|YRO}}) is closer to downtown but does not have regular service; it is open to [[general aviation]] only. ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Autobus Gatineau | alt= | url=http://www.autobusgatineau.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-880-0439 | hours= | price= | lastedit=15 June 2020 | content=Operates a weekday bus service from smaller regional centres in the [[Outaouais]] region of West [[Quebec]] (to the north of Ottawa). The route travels between Ottawa and Grand-Remous including stops in [[Gatineau]], [[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]], Kazabazua, Gracefield, and Maniwaki. Travel time to Ottawa from Wakefield is 50-60 minutes and from Grand-Remous is 2.75-3 hours. }} In Grand-Remous, there is service under the Autobus Maheux brand from [[Montreal]], [[Rouyn-Noranda]], and [[Val-d'Or]]. * {{listing | name=Autobus Maheux | alt= | url=https://autobusmaheux.com/ | email=service_client@autobusmaheux.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-863-6066 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=Operates bus routes within [[Quebec]] with some connections to [[Ontario]]. }} Operates a bus route between [[Montreal]] and Ottawa including stops in [[Laval]] and [[Gatineau]]. Travel time to Ottawa from Montreal is 3.5 hours. * {{go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus-routes/bus-ottawa-on-toronto-on | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-07 | content=Operates bus route to Ottawa from [[Toronto]] (4.75 hours). One bus daily (Th-Mo) leaves Ottawa's Byward Market at 4PM, arriving Toronto Harbourfront at 8:50PM, $33/adult. }} * {{go | name=Megabus | alt= | url=https://ca.megabus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-488-4452 | hours= | price=Toronto from $52 (5 hours 10 min), Kingston from $32 (2 hours) | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Ottawa-Kingston-Toronto, twice daily Th-Su, leaving Toronto at 10:30AM and 5PM. Departures from Ottawa (OCTranspo St Laurent) at 10:30AM and 4:30PM. }} *{{go|name=Rider Express|alt=|url=https://riderexpress.ca|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-833-583-3636|hours=|price=|lastedit=2021-03-19|content=Offers service to Ottawa from [[Toronto]] via [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]]. Travel time to Ottawa from Toronto is 5.25 hours and from Kingston is 2 hours.}} *{{go | name=Ontario Northland | alt= | url=https://www.ontarionorthland.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Buses depart from Ottawa VIA station (see below) | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-461-8558 | hours= | price= | lastedit=15 June 2020 | content=Connects Ottawa to a number of smaller regional centres in [[Northern Ontario]]. }} **Operates a route between Ottawa and [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]] including stops in [[Kanata]], [[Arnprior]], [[Renfrew]], [[Pembroke (Ontario)|Pembroke]], [[Petawawa]], [[Mattawa]], and [[North Bay]]. Travel time to Ottawa from Arnprior is 6 hours, from Pembroke is 4.75 hours, and from Petawawa is 4 hours, from North Bay is 1.5 hours, and from Sudbury is 7 hours. Connections are available from [[Winnipeg]] (1 day 8.5 hours) with transfers in [[Thunder Bay]], [[Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario)|Sault Sainte Marie]], and Sudbury. Connections are available from [[Toronto]] with a transfer in either North Bay or Sudbury. *{{go | name=Orléans Express | alt= | url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-450-640-1477 | tollfree=+1-833-449-6444 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-06 | content=Operates bus routes primarily in [[Quebec]]. A bus route operates to Ottawa from [[Montreal]] (2.25-2.5 hours). }} * {{go | name=Tour Express | alt= | url=https://tourexpress.ca/ | email=info@tourexpress.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-514-228-2303 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-26 | content=Intercity service Montréal-Ottawa and Montréal-Gatineau. Travel time to Ottawa from Montreal is 2 hours. }} ===By train=== {{Seealso|Rail travel in Canada}} {{Infobox|Walking downtown from Ottawa station |It is possible to get downtown from the main train station on foot, although it requires a bit of navigation. This path should not be taken alone after dark and may be flooded after periods of intense rain or snow melting. Have a street map with you so you can locate yourself once you have reached [[:wikipedia:Strathcona Park (Ottawa)|Strathcona Park]]. The station to Strathcona Park takes about half an hour (2½&nbsp;km). Another half hour from the park to downtown. A map is [http://stepwhere.com/maps/route/Pedestrain-route-from-Ottawa-train-station-to-downtown available online]. #On exiting the station, walk along the west (left-hand) arm of the vehicle loop and across the Transitway bridge. (This needs updating with the new O-Train line replacing the Transitway) #Before reaching Tremblay Road, take the bike path to your left going west. #The path will take you along the bus lanes and will pass over Riverside Drive. #You will merge with a path coming up from Riverside Drive; continue walking west, away from the street. #Shortly after that, you will come to a fork; go right (north) and continue until you see a pedestrian bridge on your left. #Take the pedestrian bridge over the Rideau River. #Immediately after the pedestrian bridge, turn right towards the north. #Take the paved bike path, go under the highway bridge and keep following the Rideau River northward for about 1&nbsp;km. #Once you reach the end of the path, you are in Strathcona Park. #Use a street map or an on-line map service to find your way from Strathcona Park to your downtown destination; at the north end of the park is Laurier Avenue, a major east-west street; parallel to it and several blocks north is Rideau Street. }} * {{go | name=Ottawa station | alt={{IATA|XDS}} | url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/ottawa/station | email= | address=200 Tremblay Road | lat=45.41632 | long=-75.65166 | directions=4 km east of downtown | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | hours=Daily 5:30AM to 11:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Ottawa station | wikidata=Q3095844 | content=Passenger train service is run by '''[https://viarail.ca/ VIA Rail Canada]''' and the main train station in Ottawa is less than ten minutes from downtown by car, taxi or O-Train. The station has a lounge for Business class ticket holders and a small cafe offering coffee, pastries, and light meals. }} :To reach downtown from the station, passengers can take the light rail (Tunney's Pasture direction) from Tremblay O-Train Station, next door to Ottawa Station. The trip should take about 10 minutes. Tremblay Station has O-Train ticket vending machines which accept cash and credit cards. Taxis are also available and should cost about $10-15 for a trip downtown. There is a phone kiosk offering car rentals. Routes operating to Ottawa station: :* Between Ottawa and [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Smiths Falls]], Brockville, Kingston, [[Napanee]], Bellevile, Cobourg, [[Port Hope]], and [[Oshawa]]. Numerous trains per day. Travel time to Ottawa from Kingston is 2.25-2.5 hours and from Toronto is 4.75-5 hours. :* Between [[Quebec City]] and Ottawa including stops in [[Drummondville]], [[Saint-Hyacinthe]], [[Saint-Lambert]], [[Montreal]], and [[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]]. Multiple trains per day travel the entire route and some additional trains travel between Montreal and Ottawa. Travel time to Ottawa from Quebec City is 6 hours, from Drummondville is 3.75-4 hours, and from Montreal is 2-2.25 hours. * {{listing | type=go | name=Fallowfield station | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/ontario/fallowfield | email= | address=3347 Fallowfield Road | lat=45.29928 | long=-75.73661| directions=southwest of downtown | phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245 | fax= | hours=Daily 5:30AM to 11:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Fallowfield station (Ontario) | image= | wikidata=Q3096415 | content=Ottawa also has a secondary station (Fallowfield station) in the western suburb of Barrhaven, convenient for Nepean and Kanata points. All trains to Toronto stop at Fallowfield; two of the six weekday trains to Montreal originate or terminate at Fallowfield.}} :Fallowfield Station is around 10 kilometers to the west of Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, making it the closest railway station to the airport. The airport is accessible by taxi or car in around 15 minutes. By comparison, OC Transpo buses departing from the adjacent Fallowfield bus station head north to downtown before looping back south to the airport and generally take more than an hour. ::It is also possible to cycle from Fallowfield to the airport (over relatively flat terrain) in about 33 minutes. The route begins by heading south to Fallowfield Road, turning left and eventually crossing Woodroffe Avenue. Then turn left again and follow the path which bends to the right in front of the Via train tracks. The trail continues along the tracks and through a wooded area to Prince of Wales Drive and Black Rapids Lockstation on the Rideau River. ::From there, turn left and cautiously ride up Prince of Wales Drive north to Hunt Club Road and turn right. Be especially careful at the intersection and on the bridge, as traffic moves quite quickly and it is not particularly friendly for cyclists. Continue down Hunt Club, turn right in front of the Days Inn by Wyndham and finally ride down Paul Benoit Drive through the employee parking lot to the lower level arrivals area. ===By boat=== [[Image:Canal Rideau Boat.JPG|thumb|240px|Sailing up the Rideau Canal]] The Ottawa River is navigable to Ottawa from Montréal, but is blocked to the west by rapids in Ottawa-Hull. There are no ferry services to Ottawa. However, there is a tourist-oriented water taxi that runs between Ottawa and Hull for about $6 one way. The city is also accessible via the [[Rideau Canal]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], which runs from the St. Lawrence River at [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] to the Ottawa River at Ottawa where it empties via a series of locks. It is possible to dock at Dow's Lake Pavilion and at points along the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River near downtown. ===By car=== By car, Ottawa is about a 4½-hour trip from Toronto via the 401 and 416 highways. Highway 7 is shorter ({{km|405}} vs. {{km|450}}) but this more scenic route through [[Peterborough (Ontario)|Peterborough]] is two lanes almost all the way, saving you no time. Montreal is 2-3 hours away via Highway 417, the [[Trans-Canada Highway]]. From the [[United States|American]] border at [[Prescott (Ontario)|Prescott]]-[[Ogdensburg]], it is 45 minutes to Ottawa's western suburbs (at the opposite end of Highway 416). Interstate 81 is 60 km (40 miles) further upriver in the [[Thousand Islands]]. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|45.42803|-75.68354|zoom=12}} {{Mapshape}} <!--{{mapshapes|Q2422359}}--> ===Public transit=== [[Image:Ottawa Public Transit Map.png|right|thumb|500px|Ottawa rapid transit map.]] '''[http://octranspo.com/ OC Transpo]''' operates the city's bus service and the O-Train, a light rail system consisting of two lines. The Confederation Line (Line 1, red in maps), which began service in 2019, runs west-east with an underground segment through the city centre. The Trillium Line (Line 2, green) runs from the south. The lines meet at Bayview station. (Note: The Trillium Line is closed at least until at least 2023 due to construction. In the meantime, it is being replaced by the [https://www.octranspo.com/en/news/article/line-2-closing-for-o-train-expansion/ Line 2 bus].) The bus rapid transit system, called the ''Transitway'', has service as frequent as 1 to 2 minutes at rush hour. The O-Train Confederation Line runs east-west under the downtown area served by Lyon, Parliament, Rideau and uOttawa O-Train stations. If you are going to the Byward Market, get off at Rideau O-Train Station. To go north-south, take bus route 6 or 7 along Bank Street from either Parliament or Rideau O-Train stations. OC Transpo has a [https://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/schedules-maps webpage] to look up schedules and maps for all the O-Train and bus routes mentioned above. It also has a Customer Service Centre on the 3rd floor of the Rideau Centre, above the corner of Rideau Street and Colonel By Drive in downtown Ottawa. There are others at major bus stations: Lincoln Fields in the west end, Place d'Orleans and St. Laurent in the east. ====Fares==== As of October 1, 2019, the cash [http://www.octranspo.com/tickets-and-passes fare] for regular routes is $3.60 for adults and youth (13-64), $2.70 for seniors (65+), $1.85 for children (6-12). (Fares are 5 cents cheaper if paying by Presto card.) [https://www.octranspo.com/en/fares/reduced-fares/senior/ Seniors] can ride the OC Transpo system free on Wednesdays and Sundays (except Para Transpo). Children 5 and under always ride for free. Payment is by exact change or the Presto card. If you pay cash, get a transfer to act as proof of payment for fare inspection. Your fare allows you to ride any buses and the O-Train for roughly 1½ hours, longer at night. Stop-overs and return trips are permitted. A day pass ($10.50) is good for buses and the O-Train. On weekends and holidays, up to two adults and four children (age 11 and under) can share a day pass. Buy the pass from the bus driver using exact cash or Presto card. (If you're using the card to pay for a day pass, you must ask the driver before tapping the card to the reader, or it will deduct a normal fare instead). Day passes are also available from ticket vending machines at O-Train stations and at customer service centres. O-Train stations (except Bayview station) have ticket vending machines that issue a single-ride ticket. The O-Train ticket acts as a transfer which expires 90 minutes after purchase. You can buy a [[Presto card]] for $6 (non-refundable) plus a minimum $10 balance at a Customer Service Centre, kiosks at O-Train stations, at selected Loblaws grocery stores or Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies, by phone ({{phone|+1-877-378-6123}}) or [http://www.octranspo.com/tickets-and-passes/presto online] (for delivery in Canada only). Have a Customer Service Centre add the birth date to a Presto card for a senior or a child to qualify for fare discounts. The Presto card is also valid in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. Presto card readers are available on buses at the front door (and also at the rear door of long, articulated buses) and on O-Train platforms. Paying the fare by tapping the Presto card on the reader will also record a 1½ hour transfer period on the card. Tap your Presto card every time you board a vehicle. Upon the first tap, the Presto machine will momentarily display the fare deducted and the Presto balance remaining. When you tap within the transfer period, the Presto machine will display the minutes left in the transfer period. ====Service to Gatineau==== On weekdays (excluding holidays), OC Transpo bus 15 connects Lyon O-Train Station to [[Gatineau]], Quebec terminating in front of the Canadian Museum of History (stop: Laurier / Élisabeth-Bruyère); it uses OC Transpo fare media, including Presto, even when boarding in Gatineau. Many [[Gatineau]] buses (marked "STO" - [http://www.sto.ca/?L=en Société de transport de l'Outaouais]) come into Ottawa, run along Wellington Street and pass by the Byward Market. They can be caught near Lyon, Parliament and Rideau O-Train stations. The colour schemes for the two transit systems are different, red and white for OC Transpo but blue and white for STO. OC Transpo and STO accept each other's [http://www.octranspo.com/tickets-and-passes/transfers_to_and_from_sto transfers] including O-Train tickets. STO accepts an OC Transpo transfer recorded on a Presto card; however, STO will not accept Presto to pay the fare on its own buses. STO accepts the OC Transpo day pass but not as a group pass. ===By taxi=== Taxis are easy to find downtown; elsewhere, phone for a cab. All taxis should have a meter and the base charge is $2.45, and overall rates are quite high compared to most other North American cities. A ride from downtown to the airport will be costly, running between $25 and $35 for a trip that will take less than a half-hour outside of peak traffic periods. Cabs will not take credit cards for fares below $10. Most cab drivers know Ottawa well, but have clear instructions if you're going anywhere in the suburbs as many developments in the outskirts are relatively new. Ottawa cabs aren't supposed to pick up customers off the street on the Quebec side; the converse applies to Quebec cabs in Ottawa. You may phone a Quebec cab if you are in Ottawa and vice versa. * {{Listing|name=BlueLine Taxi|url=https://www.bluelinetaxi.com/|phone=+1 613-238-1111|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Capital Taxi|url=https://capitaltaxi.com|phone=+1 613-744-3333|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Executive Cabs|url=http://www.executivecabsottawa.com/|phone=+1 613-799-3353|lastedit=2022-07-31}} === By ride hailing === * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/ottawa-on|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/ottawa/|lastedit=2022-07-31}} ===By car=== Parking at most attractions is convenient, though on-street parking in downtown areas is at a premium (more expensive than most other cities in North America). If you are driving to downtown on the weekend, parking is free in the garage at the World Exchange Plaza. There are entrances to the garage on Metcalfe Street and on Queen Street. A map is useful if you are going to be driving around downtown as many of the streets are one-way. Drivers in Ottawa are rated as some of the worst in Canada, often failing to signal for lane changes or making illegal turns into far lanes rather than the closest lane. Most major car rental companies have several offices in Ottawa with all of them represented downtown and at the airport. Driving while talking on your cell phone is illegal in Ontario unless you use a hands-free system. ===On foot=== Ottawa is a great city to explore on foot, though in winter you need good clothes and warm boots to consider it. With pedestrian-friendly streets and the density of attractions, a car is expensive and unnecessary for the most part. An excellent place to start any tour of Ottawa is the Capital Information Kiosk, at 90 Wellington Street, directly across from the Parliament buildings. They have maps and brochures for most tourist attractions in Ottawa, many of which are within walking distance. Popular pedestrian areas, especially during spring and summer months, are the various streets in the Byward Market. Sparks Street, running through downtown parallel to the Parliament Buildings, is a popular pedestrian area during the day and night, particularly in the spring and summer months. Guided walking tours are available with '''[http://ottawawalkingtours.com Ottawa Walking Tours]''', which include some history and other tidbits of trivia not commonly known. Especially popular is the '''[http://hauntedwalk.com Haunted Walk of Ottawa]''' that provides a variety of walking tours focusing on the city's darker and more offbeat past. Ottawa is a city with a truly continental climate. In winter, exposed skin can freeze in minutes or less, so layer up on the clothing and protect yourself by wearing a hat (toque or hunters cap), gloves and boots. Despite being slightly closer to the North Pole than the equator, summer temperature and humidity can be oppressively high, so bring water if you're doing any amount of walking or cycling. If you are on the public pathways near the canal or the river, there are drinking fountains to refill your bottles. Also, don't forget the mosquito repellent. If you happen to be in Ottawa around early June, make sure you check the website of [http://www.janeswalkottawa.ca/background/about-janes-walk Jane's Walk Ottawa], an annual festival of free neighbourhood walking tours organised by volunteers. Jane's Walk is a pedestrian-focused event that improves urban literacy by offering insights into local history, planning, design, and civic engagement through the simple act of walking and observing. They are a lot of fun and you will hear stories that you won't find in any guide book. ===By bicycle=== Bicycling is one of the best ways to see Ottawa up close. You can cover a lot of ground, stop anywhere to sight-see, and enjoy the ambiance of the city. The downtown is very well-served by protected cycling infrastructure, and paths run along the canal and the rivers, including into Gatineau on the Quebec side. In the summer, the downtown bike corridor on Laurier Ave counts 70,000 bike rides a month. The bike routes along the canal see around 350,000 bike rides a year. Again, you may want to start immediately opposite Parliament Hill to pick up a [https://ottawa.ca/en/parking-roads-and-travel/cycling/routes-and-maps map of the area] (in the World Exchange Plaza's NCC booth in the main hallway) or find a bicycle rental. Cycling to the attractions around downtown Ottawa is a great way to get around, but don't ignore the Gatineau side of the river. The city has several attractions along the river including the Museum of History and if you want to really stretch your legs, Gatineau Park has many great cycling paths; the Champlain Look Out has a wonderful view over the Ottawa Valley. ====Rentals==== There are usually a few options for renting bicycles downtown, including: * {{listing | type=buy | name=Rentabike | alt= | url=http://www.rentabike.ca | email=rentabike11@outlook.com | address=2 Rideau St | lat=45.424688 | long=-75.693688 | directions=Located across from the hotel Château Laurier, below the Plaza Bridge and next to the Rideau Canal | phone=+1-613-241-4140 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-01 | content=Well-equipped bike rental service. From this central location, pathways along the Rideau Canal are suitable for cycling south or north. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Bike Dump | alt= | url=http://bikedump.com | email= | address=407 Catherine St | lat=45.406812 | long=-75.698937 | directions=Catherine at Percy Street. 3 blocks west of Ottawa Central Station bus terminal | phone=+1-613-231-2317 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-01 | content= }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=RightBike/Cycle Salvation | alt= | url=https://rightbike.org | email=rightbike@causewayworkcentre.org | address=473 Bronson Avenue| lat=45.407687 | long=-75.703312 | directions=Bronson south of Gladstone Ave | phone=+1-613-722-4440 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-01 | content= }} You can also get a bicycle for shorter time periods via [http://velogo.ca/ VeloGo] bike sharing system. About 20 bike stations are to be found mainly in downtown Ottawa and a bit further south along the canal and Dow's Lake. There are also several across the Ottawa River in Gatineau. Velogo is designed for short trips; find pricing on their website. ====Capital Pathway==== The city is criss-crossed by over 170&nbsp;km of multi-use bike paths, shared with pedestrians and in-line skaters. Dogs on leash are allowed along many of the paths, but only if the owner is on foot. Many paths are unlit at night, so careful that you don't ride into a leash between the dog and its owner. The maximum speed on the pathways is 20 km/h (13 mph). The [http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/cycling National Capital Commission] closes 50&nbsp;km of roadways to cars every Sunday during the summer from Victoria Day (late May) to Labour Day (early September) allowing for cycling, in-line skating and walking on these roadways. Maps of the Capital Pathway are available, including the ''[https://ottawa.ca/en/parking-roads-and-travel/cycling/routes-and-maps Official Cycling Map for Ottawa-Gatineau]'' and the simplified ''[https://hansonthebike.com/ottawa-cycling-maps/ Ottawa Multi Use Pathway Pocket Map]'' created by a local cycling blogger. For more route suggestions, check out these local cycling blogs: * http://gobiking.ca/ * https://ottawavelooutaouais.com/ OC Transpo has bicycle racks on the front of many buses (seasonally). You can load your bike on the rack and then ride the bus for the normal passenger fare. The O-Train will take bikes as well, in the forwardmost car. The City of Ottawa has bike repair stations in public spaces along paths and across from City Hall, at libraries and community centres. The stations consist of a pump and the most important tools, connected to a base with steel cables. Long time advocacy group [http://bikeottawa.ca/ Bike Ottawa] (since 1984) also maintains an extensive website with [https://maps.bikeottawa.ca/ a set of interactive bicycle route maps] that rate all bicycle routes through Ottawa and [[Gatineau]] on a 1-4 scale, with 1 being child-friendly and 4 being very stressful. They also make available information on infrastructure progress. [http://bikeottawa.ca/index.php/about-cfsc/contact-us Contact them] also with questions about routes, concerns and popular destinations. Although it is a volunteer-run organisation, they are usually fairly fast in responding. [https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottbike #ottbike] is the commonly used hashtag on social media. ==See== === Parliament Hill === [[File:Centre Block - Parliament Hill.jpg|thumb|Parliament Hill, Canada's house of democracy]] [[Image:Ottawa war memorial.jpg|thumb|The National War Memorial near Parliament Hill]] The primary attraction for most visitors is {{see | name=Parliament Hill | alt= | url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/Visit/default/en_CA | email= | address= | lat=45.42415 | long=-75.69908 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Parliament Hill | wikidata=Q1589289 | content= }} Parliament Hill is in the middle of downtown Ottawa, overlooking the Ottawa River. Not only is the building a fine example of the Gothic revival style, it makes an excellent starting point to visit all other points of interest in the area. * The '''Changing of the Guard''' takes place daily on the lawns of Parliament at 9AM from late June to late August. The Governor General's Foot Guards can also be seen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at Rideau Hall. Tours of the building are available daily with multiple tours (in English and French) available at staggered times throughout the day. If you have a group of greater than 10 people, you must make a reservation in advance by reserving online or by calling the reservations office at +1 613-996-0896. The admission is free, but you need tickets (one for the House of Commons at West Block, one for the Senate at the Senate of Canada Building) which you get at the office. The office opens at 9am, but because of the interest in the summer, you should stand in line at least at 8:30am or even earlier. It can take an hour or more until you reach the desk and get your tickets. Masks are required for either tour. * The Centre Block closed for renovation in early 2019, and is expected to remain closed for a decade. * Tour guides take you through the House of Commons Chamber or the Senate Chamber and explain the history, roles and architecture of the respective buildings. Each tours lasts about 45 mins and free same-day tickets can be picked up at the Visitor Welcome Centre on the Hill by the West Block. * If there are no more tickets available, or you have to wait for your time, a fine self-guided walking tour around the grounds of Parliament Hill will keep you busy. Free booklets are available at the visitors' centre. * One of the nicer, unexpected views, looking from the bottom up, can be accessed at the back of the Parliament Buildings—that vantage point also provides a river view of the Canadian Museum of History, across the river in downtown Gatineau (the former city of Hull). * Behind the Parliament Buildings at sunset is a sight to remember. You can walk by the Rideau Canal locks (at the east corner) and visit the Bytown Museum at the level of the canal. * The locks separate Parliament Hill from the '''Chateau Laurier''', a [[Grand old hotels|former railway hotel]] (see below). * {{see | name=Mosaika Parliament Hill Sound & Light Show | alt= | url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/sound-light-show.html | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Developed by the National Capital Commission, the Sound & Light Show is a 30-minute film about Canada projected on the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings. Bleacher seating is available and no reservations or tickets are required. There is one show nightly until September at 9:30PM. }} === Museums === There are many national museums and galleries in Ottawa and neighbouring [[Gatineau]]. All museums in Ottawa have free admission on Canada Day, July 1, although they are generally very crowded then. * {{see | name=Bank of Canada Currency Museum | alt= | url=http://www.bankofcanadamuseum.ca | email=museum@bankofcanada.ca | address=30 Bank St | lat=45.42068 | long=-75.70283 | directions= | phone=+1 613-782-8914 | tollfree= | hours=Th-M 10AM-5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Currency Museum (Canada) | wikidata=Q4306227 | lastedit=2022-05-25 | content=A collection of historic and current currencies from Canada and around the world, history of Bank of Canada and the application of interest rate in the society and economy. }} * {{see | name=Bytown Museum | alt= | url=http://bytownmuseum.com | email= | address=1 Canal Ln | lat=45.42582 | long=-75.69765 | directions=at the Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and Chateau Laurier | phone=+1 613-234-4570 | tollfree= | hours=Victoria Day weekend-Thanksgiving Day: F-W 10AM-5PM, Th 10AM-9PM. Rest of year: Tu-Su 11AM-4PM | price=$5 adults, $4 seniors/students/youth, $2 children 5-12 | wikipedia=Bytown Museum | wikidata=Q5004646 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A small museum at the foot of Parliament Hill with a focus on Ottawa's early history. Temporary closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{see | name=Canada Agriculture and Food Museum | alt= | url=http://agriculture.technomuses.ca | email= | address=861 Prince of Wales Dr | lat=45.38728 | long=-75.70937 | directions= | phone=+1 613-991-3044 | tollfree=+1-866-442-4416 | fax= | hours=Exhibitions: 9AM-5PM daily late Feb-late Nov. Animal barns: 9AM-5PM daily all year | price=$7 adults, $6 students/seniors, $4 children 3-14, $16 families (2 adults and 3 children), free for children under 3. Seniors free on Tuesday. Admission to animal barns is by donation during time of year when the exhibitions are closed | wikidata=Q4212098| wikipedia=Canada Agriculture and Food Museum | lastedit=2021-07-04 | content=A working animal farm in the city. You can visit animal barns, see various demonstrations and exhibitions, and ride on a horse-drawn wagon. The museum also has a playground and picnic area. It is very popular with young children and a welcome change of pace for kids who have seen enough history after visiting some of the other sights. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canada Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/casm | email= | address=11 Aviation Parkway | lat=45.45896 | long=-75.64392 | directions=at Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport | phone=+1 613-993-2010, +1 613-990-7530 (TTY) | tollfree=+1-800-463-2038 | fax=+1 613-993-3655 | hours=10AM to 5PM, daily, closed Tuesdays | price=$15, student/seniors $13, Youth (ages 3-17) $10 | wikipedia=Canada Aviation and Space Museum | wikidata=Q1031932 | lastedit=2021-07-04 | content=Former RCAF base with civilian and military aircraft ranging from pre-World War I to modern, including 1920s-1940s bush planes, war planes from both World Wars and the Cold War, surviving components of the 1950s' Avro Arrow interceptor and Space Shuttle Endeavor's Canadarm, a Canadian-built robotic arm. Guided tours, boutique. }} * {{see | name=Canadian Museum of Nature | alt= | url=http://nature.ca | email= | address=240 McLeod St. K2P2R1 | lat=45.41278 | long=-75.68863 | directions= | phone=+1 613-566-4700 | tollfree=+1-800-263-4433 | hours=W F-Su 10AM-4PM; Th 10AM-7PM. Open on some holiday Mondays | price=$17 adult (general admission), $15 senior/student, $13 child (3-12) | wikipedia=Canadian Museum of Nature | wikidata=Q1032232 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Galleries of fossils, mammals, birds and geology among others. Free admission Thursdays after 4PM and all day Canada Day (July 1st). }} * {{see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=http://warmuseum.ca | email= | address=1 Vimy Place | lat=45.41699 | long=-75.71738 | directions= | phone=+1 819-776-7000 | tollfree=+1-800-555-5621 | fax= | hours=Sept–June: M–W F–Su 9:30AM–5PM, Th 9:30AM–8PM. June–Sept: M–W F–Su 9:30AM–6PM, Th 9:30AM–8PM | price=$12 for adults. A joint War Museum and Museum of History ticket $18 (good for one entry into each museum in a three-day period). Free on Th after 6PM, and on November 11 | wikidata=Q1032442| wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | content=The museum presents Canada's involvement in armed conflict beginning with battles between the French and British, through to the World Wars, Korea, and the country's current involvement in NATO and UN operations. }} * {{see | name=Carleton University Art Gallery | alt= | url=http://cuag.ca/ | email= | address=St. Patrick's Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive | lat=45.3875 | long=-75.6983 | directions= | phone=+1 613-520-5611 | tollfree= | hours=Closed until further notice due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] | price=free | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Online content available. }} * {{see | name=Cumberland Heritage Village Museum | alt= | url=https://ottawa.ca/en/arts-heritage-and-events/museums-and-historic-sites/cumberland-heritage-village-museum | address=2940 Ch. Old Montréal Rd | lat=45.5177 | long=-75.3913 | directions=about 25 km east of downtown Ottawa, bus 221 to stop: Old Montréal / Ad. 2907 | phone= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cumberland, Ontario | lastedit=2021-09-21 | content=A museum village featuring buildings from the early 20th century including a railway station. }} * {{see | name=Diefenbunker - Canada's Cold War Museum | alt= | url=http://diefenbunker.ca | email= | address=3911 Carp Rd, Carp | lat=45.35136 | long=-76.04796 | directions=from Ottawa, take Hwy 417 west to exit 144, then go north on Carp Rd, watch for the sign on the left side of the road | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-409-1965 | fax= | hours=Self-guided tours 11AM-4PM daily | price=$14 adults, $13 seniors, $10 students , $8 youth 6-18, $40 families (2 adults plus 3 youth), free for children 5 and under | wikidata=Q5010827| wikipedia=CFS Carp | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Built to protect the government from nuclear attack, this once-secret bunker is now a museum and National Historic Site of Canada. "Diefenbunker" is a play on "Diefenbaker", the Canadian prime minister in the 1950s who authorized the construction of the facility. In addition to preserving and promoting Canada's Cold War history, the museum offers a variety of visitor programs and services. You can learn, play or shop as you discover the bunker's secrets and relive the experience of the Cold War. Guided tours by reservation only. If you do not have access to a vehicle and are willing to do a 50 minute bus ride plus pay a $30 taxi, you can # take the OcTranpo #95 or #97; # Transfer to the #93 at Lincoln Fields; # Get off at the Legget / Ad. 515 stop; # Walk 3 minutes to Brookstreet Hotel; # Take a taxi to the Diefenbunker. }} [[File:Gallerie nationale et Cathédrale d'Ottawa, Ottawa, ON..JPG|thumb|National Gallery of Canada (left) and Ottawa Cathedral]] * {{see | name=Laurier House National Historic Site | alt= | url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/laurier | email=Laurier-House@pc.gc.ca | address=335 Laurier Ave. | lat=45.4277 | long=-75.6779 | directions= | phone=+1 613-992-8142 | tollfree=+1-888-773-8888 | fax= | hours=May 1-Jun 30: Th-M 10AM-5PM | price=Adult $3.90, senior (65+) $3.40, youth (17 and under) free | wikipedia=Laurier House | image=Laurier House.jpg | wikidata=Q284595 | lastedit=2018-04-28 | content=1878 house that is the former residence of two Canadian prime ministers: Sir Wilfrid Laurier (for whom the house is named) and William Lyon Mackenzie King. }} * {{see | name=National Gallery | alt= | url=http://national.gallery.ca | email= | address=380 Sussex Dr | lat=45.42946 | long=-75.69863 | directions= | phone=+1 613-990-1985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free admission Th after 5PM | wikidata=Q1068063| wikipedia=National Gallery of Canada | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Photography, traditional and modern art from Canadian and international artists. Housed inside a glass building with a giant spider structure on the outside. }} [[Image:Jacques Plante's Goalie Mask.jpg|right|thumb|240px|Jacques Plante's Goalie Mask on display in the Science and Technology Museum]] * {{see | name=Science and Technology Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/scitech/index.php | email= | address= | lat=45.4033 | long=-75.6203 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 9AM-5PM | price=Adult $17, youth (3-17) $11, senior (60+) or student $13 | wikipedia=Canada Science and Technology Museum | image=CMST-Entrance.jpg | wikidata=Q1163464 | lastedit=2017-11-20 | content=Several displays are popular with children, including massive locomotives inside the building and electricity demonstrations. Re-opened on November 17, 2017, after years of renovations because of a mould problem, this museum is even more family-friendly than it was before its forced closure. }} === Professional sports === * {{see | name=Ottawa 67's | alt= | url=http://ottawa67s.com/ | email= | address=TD Place Arena, 1015 Bank St | lat=45.398886 |long=-75.684122 | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-6767 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ontario Hockey League (OHL) }} * {{see | name=Atlético Ottawa | alt= | url=https://atleticoottawa.canpl.ca | email= | address=TD Place Stadium, 1015 Bank St | lat=45.398178 |long=-75.68365 |directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Replacing the city's former Ottawa Fury FC is this club owned by Spanish soccer giants Atlético Madrid. Unlike Fury FC, which played at the second level of US soccer (the USL Championship), Atlético Ottawa will play in the domestic Canadian Premier League. | wikipedia=Atlético Ottawa | wikidata=Q84127265 }} * {{see | name=Ottawa Harlequins | alt= | url=http://rugbyottawa.com | email= | address=Twin Elm Rugby Park | lat=45.2037 | long=-75.7954 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Twin Elm Rugby Park | wikidata=Q7858151 | content=Rugby Canada Super League }} * {{see | name=Ottawa RedBlacks | alt= | url=http://ottawaredblacks.com |email=fan@ottawaredblacks.com | address=TD Place Stadium, 1015 Bank St | lat=45.398178 |long=-75.68365 |directions= | phone=+1 613-232-6767 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Canadian Football League (CFL) }} * {{see | name=Ottawa Senators | alt= | url=http://www.nhl.com/senators | email= | address=Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Dr, [[Kanata]] | lat=45.296944 |long= -75.927222 | directions= | phone=+1 613-599-0250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=National Hockey League (NHL) }} === Parks === Ottawa has dozens of neighbourhood parks and other parcels of green space in the urban core. * {{see | name=Confederation Park | alt= | url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/confederation-park | address=Elgin St | lat=45.4221 | long=-75.6925 | directions=at Albert St, west of the Rideau Canal | phone= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Confederation Park | lastedit=2021-09-21 | content=Downtown park, designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, featuring a fountain, totem pole, statues. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Nepean Point | alt= | url=http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths-and-parkways/nepean-point | email= | address=Alexandra Bridge | lat=45.4300009 | long=-75.7033669 | directions=behind the National Gallery | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 8AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia=Nepean Point | wikidata=Q6994604 | lastedit=2020-02-27 | content=A quiet place to watch the sun set, or to take photos of Parliament Hill, the National Gallery, the Museum of History, and the Royal Canadian Mint from angles that don't usually end up in the tourist brochures. Nepean Point is also home to a statue of Samuel de Champlain, and the Astrolabe Theatre (one of the better places to watch the fireworks from on July 1). However, the point is not accessible if you're in a wheelchair. }} * {{see | name=Strathcona Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=25 Range Rd | lat=45.4275 | long=-75.6726 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Strathcona Park (Ottawa) | wikidata=Q4345268 | lastedit=2017-02-28 | content=Strathcona Park is at the eastern end of the Sandy Hill neighbourhood, and is the centrepiece of "Embassy Row". Be sure to see the Lord Strathcona Fountain at the park's north end, and Stephen Brathwaite's play structure (which looks like a ruined building in miniature) in the middle of the park. }} * {{see | name=Commissioners Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.3983 | long=-75.7031 | directions=at Preston Street & Queen Elizabeth Drive near Carling O-Train station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5152787| wikipedia=Commissioners Park (Ottawa) | lastedit=2017-09-23 | content=Located adjacent to Dows Lake, where you can rent boats, it features the Festival of Tulips in May. In summer, there are a number of flower beds with flowers arranged by colour in attractive patterns. }} * {{see | name=Hartwell's Lockstation | alt= | url=http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h09-10-hartwells.html | email= | address= | lat=45.3844 | long=-75.7002 | directions=west side of Carleton University, 400 m from Carleton O-Train station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-09-19 | content=Pictoresque lock station within a park along the Rideau Canal. One could walk across the locks and continue north to Dows Lake near Carling O-Train station, or northwest to the Canada Agriculture Museum. }} === Other attractions === * {{see | name=Rideau Hall | alt= | url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=94 | email= | address=1 Sussex Dr | lat=45.44431 | long=-75.68548 | directions= | phone=+1 613-991-4422 | tollfree=+1-866-842-4422 | fax= | hours=Residence tour (without reservations): Apr 30-Jun 26: Sa Su 10AM-4PM, Jun 27-Sep 5: 10AM-4PM daily (unguided open-house tours available Jul-Aug), Sep 6-Oct 30: Sa Su noon-4PM. Advance reservations required for tours at any time from Nov-Apr, and weekdays May-Jun and Sep-6-Oct 30. Grounds tour: 8AM-1 hour before sunset daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q2151874| wikipedia=Rideau Hall | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=The official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her representative the Governor General of Canada. The grounds and the residence are open to the public for tours. Reservations are recommended during low season (September 1 - April 30). }} * {{see | name=Royal Canadian Mint | alt= | url=http://mint.ca/store/mint/about-the-mint/visit-the-mint-1200026 | email= | address=320 Sussex Drive | lat=45.4315 | long=-75.69921 | directions=a five-minute walk north of the National Gallery | phone=+1 613-993-8990 | tollfree=+1-800-276-7714 | hours=9AM-6PM (Tours are temporarily closed due to COVID-19) | price=Price varies depending on day of the week and age of person, group discount rates available | wikipedia=Royal Canadian Mint | wikidata=Q1647539 | lastedit=2022-05-13 | content=Canada's commemorative and collectable coinage is minted here (circulation coinage is minted in Winnipeg), as were the medals for the 2010 Olympics. Tours are available, and there is no charge if you only want to visit the boutique. }} * {{see | name=Supreme Court of Canada | alt= | url=http://www.scc-csc.ca/vis/index-eng.aspx | email= | address= | lat=45.42193 | long=-75.70535 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q196615| wikipedia=Supreme Court of Canada | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Canada's highest court and the best example in Ottawa of Art Deco architecture. Its marble Grand Entrance Hall is particularly impressive. The visit includes a tour in the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada hearing room. The visits last about 30 minutes and are provided by law students hired at the Court. The Court is a 5-minute walk from Parliament. Tours are offered in French on the half hour and in English on the hour. No reservations are needed between May 1 and August 30. Visitor reservations are required between September 1 to April 30. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=24 Sussex | alt= | url= | email= | address=24 Sussex Drive | lat=45.444348 | long=-75.693934 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=24 Sussex Drive | wikidata=Q217304 | lastedit=2019-04-12 | content=The official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada. While you cannot enter the building, you can look through the fence from the outside. }} ==Do== There are walking tours to introduce you to the capital area. * [http://www.ottawawalkingtours.com Ottawa Walking Tours] offers historical guided walks of Ottawa's downtown core with special stops at areas of historical significance. Tours acquaint guests with the history of the city and allow visitors to learn more about Ottawa’s history, architecture and colourful political characters. Tours are offered year-round and reservations are required. For more information, call +1 613-799-1774. * The [http://hauntedwalk.com Haunted Walk of Ottawa] offers tours focusing on Ottawa's infamous haunts and darker history. Hear tales of hauntings at some of Ottawa's most well known locations, including the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Bytown Museum and the Ottawa Jail Hostel. Cloaked guides lead guests through the city streets by lantern light-the perfect atmosphere for a good ghost story. Tours run year-round, rain or shine. Reservations are strongly recommended. For more information, call {{phone|+1 613-232-0344}}. If you enjoy the outdoors, especially if you are a cyclist, you should definitely visit [[Gatineau Park]] just across the river from Ottawa. Bicycles can be rented during the summer months at [http://www.rentabike.ca/ Rentabike], 2 Rideau St (under Rideau St on the east side of the canal). Ottawa and the surrounding area boasts over 170&nbsp;km of public paved trails on which you can [[running|run]], bike, walk or rollerblade. If you are looking for a place to start, head to the nearest waterway: paved trails line both sides of the Ottawa River, the Rideau Canal, and the Rideau River. The [http://www.tctrail.ca Trans Canada Trail] enters Ottawa through the outskirt communities of Carleton Place and Stittsville, then joins up with the Ottawa River at Brittania Bay (near Carling Avenue at Bayshore Drive). It follows the river 13 km east to Parliament Hill, then crosses over to the Quebec side, extending into and beyond Gatineau Park. [[File:RideauSkating.jpg|thumb|Skating on the Rideau canal]] * {{do | name=Rideau Skateway | alt= | url=http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/rideau-canal-skateway | email= | address= | lat=45.42415 | long=-75.69304 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=free, skates can be rented. | content=In winter, go skating on the largest outdoor skating rink in the world, the Rideau canal. Skates can be rented, and refreshments purchased, from vendors right on the ice. This is also a great place to enjoy a "beaver tail" (a sweet pastry). }} * {{do | name=Skiing | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's trail system serves as an excellent cross-country ski trail system, as do the nearly 200&nbsp;km of groomed ski trails in Gatineau Park. Downhill skiing is available across the river in three near-by sites: Camp Fortune (180 m vertical), Edelweiss (200 m vertical) and Mont Cascades (165 m vertical). }} * {{do | name=Yoga on the Hill | alt= | url=https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/yoga-parliament-hill | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=W noon | price=free | content=During the summer months, a free weekly yoga class is offered on Parliament Hill most Wednesdays beginning at noon. The class is very popular—sometimes attracting more than a thousand people—so it's recommended to arrive a bit early to claim a spot on the grass. Yoga mat recommended but optional; bring your own. }} * {{do | name=Maple Syrup | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In early spring (typically March), when the daytime temperatures are above freezing and night temperatures are below freezing, consider visiting a sugarbush for fresh maple syrup. There are many to choose from in the region if you have a car to drive out of the city. }} ** {{do | name=Vanier Museopark Sugar Shack | alt= | url=https://museoparc.ca/vanier-sugar-shack/ | email=info@museoparc.ca | address=200- 300, avenue des Pères Blancs, Vanier | lat=45.443858 | long=-75.661771 | directions= | phone=+1 613-842-9871 | tollfree= | hours=Sa Su 9AM-2PM, March and April only | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content=The Vanier Museopark's "Sugar Shack" offers the sugarbush experience without needing to leave the city. Reservations can be made at the website. The building was damaged by fire in late-August 2020; the owners plan to re-build. }} * {{do | name=Doors Open Ottawa | alt= | url=http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-heritage-and-culture/museums-and-historic-sites/doors-open-ottawa | email=doorsopen@ottawa.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Doors Open Ottawa, the second-largest Doors Open architectural event in North America, takes place during the first weekend in June. Over 100 buildings (many of which are normally closed to the public, such as embassies, official residences, museum storage buildings, and city infrastructure facilities) open their doors to the public, offering free admission to part or all of the premises. Most participating buildings also allow photography. While the event takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10AM to 4PM, not all buildings are open both days. The 2022 event will be a hybrid of virtual and in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. }} *{{do | name=Pirate Adventures | url=http://www.pirateadventures.ca | email= | address=588 hog's back road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 613-859-5199 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June-Oct | price= | content=Join the swashbuckling crew of Pirate Adventures for an interactive theatre and cruise along the Rideau Canal at Mooney's Bay. Pirate costumes, face paint and new pirate names for all as the captain and his crew hunt for sunken treasure whilst fending of mischievous pirates! }} ===Annual festivals=== [[File:Tulip Festival - from c. 1950-65 (33586178923).jpg|thumb|Tulip Festival 1950-65]] * '''The Tulip Festival''' is held in Ottawa every year in the month of May. The next [https://tulipfestival.ca Tulip Festival] will take place between Friday, May 13 and Monday, May 23 2022. [[File:Kettle Winterlude Ottawa 2007.jpg|thumb|Winterlude ice sculpture]] * '''[https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/winterlude Winterlude]''' takes place in Ottawa every year during the first three weekends of February. You can skate on the Ottawa Canal, the longest skating rink in the world, or participate in building ice sculptures in the Crystal Garden. ===Day trips to Quebec=== {{anchor|Day trips to Québec}} Since Ottawa is located on the provincial border, daytrips to neighbouring [[Quebec]] can be made easily. *'''[[Gatineau]]''' - Right across the Ottawa River. The '''Canadian Museum of History''' is worth a visit. The nightlife in the Old Hull neighbourhood is often considered superior to Ottawa's, with a handful of loud clubs but also a decent offering of artistic cafés with good local live music. * [[Gatineau Park]] is directly north from Hull; the Camp Fortune and Edelweiss ski areas are also north of the city, near [[Chelsea (Quebec)|Chelsea]] and [[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]] respectively. '''[[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]]''' is a picturesque artist town on the side of the Gatineau River. Rich with cultural offerings and beautiful natural surroundings (especially in autumn). * Buckingham is downriver from Gatineau in the east, as one of the more accessible venues for rural maple sugar shack camps. * {{do | name=Aventure Laflèche | alt= | url=http://aventurelafleche.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 819 457-4033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A superb destination for outdoor activities in the Gatineau Hills year-round. A community-owned non-profit company that offers beautiful nature trails, tours of the historical Laflèche caves, and the province's largest aerial park for the adventurous (includes several ziplines). Calling ahead for reservations is strongly recommended. }} * {{do | name=Eco-Odyssée | alt= | url=http://www.eco-odyssee.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +1 819-459-2551 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another great option for nature lovers close to Wakefield. A water maze that's great for learning about the local marsh environments. }} * {{do | name=Great Canadian Bungee | alt= | url=http://bungee.ca | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=For the adventure-inclined. }} ===Shows=== Ottawa has many movie theatres to choose from, but there are also a few that specialize in "foreign" films (i.e., not American), early releases, old returning films and specialty films. The [http://mayfairtheatre.ca/ '''Mayfair Theatre'''] is at 1074 Bank St. near Sunnyside. In addition, the [http://www.cfi-icf.ca '''Canadian Film Institute'''] screens films at several venues for the specialist film crowd. Ottawa has lots of '''live theatre entertainment'''. That includes the National Arts Centre in [https://nac-cna.ca/en/discover/theatre English] and [https://nac-cna.ca/fr/discover/theatre French], the [http://gctc.ca/ Great Canadian Theatre Company] and the [http://ottawalittletheatre.com/ Ottawa Little Theatre]. <!-- [https://twitter.com/taraplayersott Tara Players] (Irish theatre) appears to no longer be updating their listings, is it still running? --> * {{do | name=The National Arts Centre | alt= | url=http://nac-cna.ca/splash.htm | email= | address=1 Elgin St | lat=45.4193759 | long=-75.6936562 | directions= | phone=+1 613-947-7000 | tollfree=+1-866-850-ARTS | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2945952| wikipedia=National Arts Centre | content=Also provides a major venue for dance and orchestral performance. }} * {{do | name=The Great Canadian Theatre Company | alt=GCTC | url=http://www.gctc.ca/ | email=info@gctc.ca | address=1233 Wellington St W | lat=45.39980 | long=-75.73175 | directions=corner of Holland | phone=+1 613-236-5196 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5598928| wikipedia=Great Canadian Theatre Company | content= }} * {{do | name=Ottawa Little Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.ottawalittletheatre.com/ | email= info@ottawalittletheatre.com | address=400 King Edward Ave | lat=45.4281724 | long=-75.6879524 | directions=one block south of Rideau | phone=+1 613-233-8948 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7109211| wikipedia=Ottawa Little Theatre | content= }} '''Jazz and blues''' lovers can find what they are looking for in these Ottawa music calendars: [http://ottawajazzscene.ca/upcoming-shows jazz shows] {{dead link|December 2020}} and [http://ottawa-blues-jazz.ncf.ca/MonthsCalendar.html blues-jazz calendar]. Venues include Vineyards in the Byward Market, GigSpace near Little Italy, and the Options Jazz Lounge in the Brookstreet Hotel (in Kanata). Many other venues offer jazz weekly or occasionally; see this [http://ottawajazzscene.ca/ottawa-jazz-clubs club list] {{dead link|December 2020}}. Find Blues at the Rainbow in the Byward Market and Irene's Pub in the Glebe. For '''Folk music''', see the [https://sites.google.com/site/ofmelistings/ Ottawa Folk Music Events] listings. Ottawa is host to over 60 festivals and events per year, including: * {{do | name=Ottawa Jazz Festival | alt= | url=http://ottawajazzfestival.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In late June. }} * {{do | name=Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival | alt= | url=http://chamberfest.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In summer, one of the largest in the world. }} * {{do | name=Bluesfest | alt= | url=http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also in summer: The largest blues festival in Canada. It also features rock, pop and world music, and attracts visitors from Atlantic Canada and New England. }} * {{do | name=The Fringe Festival | alt= | url=http://ottawafringe.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Another summer offering with theatre performances. }} * {{do | name=Winterlude | alt= | url=https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/winterlude/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Winter fun featuring ice carving and snow sculptures. }} * {{do | name=The Tulip Festival | alt= | url=http://tulipfestival.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A spring bonanza of flowering bulbs, given annually by the Dutch government, and a concert series featuring well-known Canadian rock and other popular music groups. }} * {{do | name=Ferrari Festival | alt= | url=http://fcaottawa.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=In June, on Preston Street. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Canada Day | alt= | url=https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/canada-day/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-01-02 | content=Celebrate Canada's birthday in Ottawa on July 1. While the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings is being renovated, the official spot to gather on Canada Day is Major's Hill Park. }} * {{do | name=Capital Pride | alt= | url=https://capitalpride.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-01-02 | content=Ottawa's annual LGBT pride festival, taking place at Somerset Village (Bank & Somerset), the core of Ottawa's LGBT community. }} * {{do | name=The Ottawa International Animation Festival | alt= | url=http://animationfestival.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-01-02 | content=One of the largest animation festivals in the world, the OIAF is held in September. }} ==Learn== The two best known universities in the city are '''[http://carleton.ca Carleton University]''' and the bilingual '''[http://uottawa.ca University of Ottawa]'''. Bilingual '''[http://ustpaul.ca St. Paul's University]''' is a Catholic university with ties to the University of Ottawa, offering various degrees in theology and social sciences. '''[http://collegedominicain.ca/ Dominican University College]''' is a Dominican university where theology and philosophy can be studied at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, also in English or French. There is also '''[http://algonquincollege.com Algonquin College]''' and the francophone '''[http://lacitec.on.ca Cité Collégiale]'''. * {{listing | type=learn | name=Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology | alt= | wikidata=Q2983704 | wikipedia=Algonquin College | url=http://www.algonquincollege.com/ | email= | address=1385 Woodroffe Avenue | lat=45.3875706 | long=-75.7310343 | directions=take the transitway to Baseline Station, and walk across Woodroffe Ave. Route 88 is a popular way of getting here | phone=+1 613-727-4723 | tollfree= | fax= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=Carleton University | alt= | wikidata=Q1041737 | wikipedia=Carleton University | url=http://carleton.ca/ | email= | address=1125 Colonel By Drive | lat=45.3875706 | long=-75.7310343 | directions=the OTrain "Trillium" line stops on-campus at Carleton Station, or take bus routes 10 or 7 | phone=+1 613-520-2600 | tollfree= | fax= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=Dominican University College | alt=Dominican College of Philosophy and Theology | wikidata=Q5290853 | wikipedia=Dominican University College | url=http://www.dominicanu.ca/ | email= | address=96 Empress Ave | lat=45.4113622 | long=-75.7108991 | directions=just north of Chinatown | phone=+1 613-233-5696 | tollfree= | fax= | lastedit= | content=A Roman Catholic college of philosophy and theology, affiliated with Carleton University since 2012. }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=La Cité collégiale | alt= | wikidata=Q3207459 | wikipedia=La Cité collégiale | url=http://www.collegelacite.ca/ | email= | address=801 Aviation Parkway | lat=45.4315965 | long=-75.6357865 | directions= | phone=+1 613-742-2483 | tollfree=+1-800-267-2483 | fax= | lastedit= | content=The largest French-language college in Ontario. }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=Saint Paul University | alt= | wikidata=Q3551486 | wikipedia=Saint Paul University | url=http://ustpaul.ca/ | email= | address=223 Main Street | lat=45.4080779 | long=-75.6789219 | directions=OC Transpo Route 5 | phone=+1 613-236-1393 | tollfree=+1-800-637-6859 | fax= | lastedit= | content=A bilingual Catholic Pontifical university, federated with the University of Ottawa. }} * {{listing | type=learn | name=University of Ottawa | alt=uOttawa | url=http://www.uottawa.ca/ | email= | address=Tabaret Hall, 75 Laurier Avene East | lat=45.3875706 | long=-75.7310343 | directions=the O-Train has stops on campus at uOttawa Station | phone=+1 613-562-5700 | tollfree=+1-877-868-8292 | fax=+1 613-562-5323 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=University of Ottawa | wikidata=Q627969 | lastedit=2020-02-27 | content= }} ==Work== The Federal Government is the region's largest employer with the high-tech sector firmly in second place. Unless you are a Canadian resident, you will need a work visa to work in Ottawa, and some Federal Government jobs require Canadian citizenship. Most Federal Government jobs require applicants to be bilingual in English and French. ==Buy== [[Image:Market Byward.JPG|thumb|240px|ByWard Market]] *{{listing | type=buy | name=ByWard Market | alt= | url=http://byward-market.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.4275621 | long=-75.692691 | directions=downtown, east of the Canal and Sussex Drive, north of Rideau | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=ByWard Market | wikidata=Q3289783 | content=Among other things, this is a farmer's market; in summer, stalls selling fresh produce and flowers line the streets, and maple syrup bought at the farmer's market costs half the price of the same bottle sold at souvenir shops elsewhere in the Byward Market or anywhere else in the city. It is also a craft and tourist market with a range of shops and the city's busiest entertainment district with restaurants, pubs, bars and many street performers. Interesting to see it first during the day (when it's a shopping destination) and then in the evening (when it's a nightlife destination). }} * {{buy | name=Sparks Street | alt= | url=http://sparkslive.com | email= | address= | lat=45.42072 | long=-75.70279 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4430680| wikipedia=Sparks Street | content=A pleasant pedestrian street one block off Parliament Hill; a common tourist thoroughfare for seeing the sights. Along this street you'll find the majority of the tourist shops selling postcards, magnets, and maple syrup. The Astrolabe Gallery, located on this street, is a treasure trove of antique maps and vintage posters. There are several outdoor cafés and restaurants to choose from. }} * {{buy | name=Westboro Village | alt= | url=http://westborovillage.com/ | email= | address= | lat=45.39198 | long=-75.75417 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4479824| wikipedia=Westboro, Ottawa | content=A stretch along Richmond Road in the "near west" of Ottawa from Golden east to Tweedsmuir has become a popular tourism and shopping zone with several outdoor stores (clothing and equipment), restaurants and coffee shops. Notable shops include the [http://mec.ca/ Mountain Equipment Coop], lululemon, Starbucks, Bridgehead (fair trade coffee), Kitchenalia, a chocolatier and several others. }} *{{buy | name=Bank Street Promenade | alt= | url=http://www.bankstreet.ca | email= | address= | lat=45.41675 | long=-75.69755 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Great mix of stores ranging from chain restaurants to specialty shops. District extends from Wellington St to Gladstone Ave. }} * {{buy | name=Wellington West | alt= | url=http://wellingtonwest.ca/ | email= | address= | lat=45.39980 | long=-75.73185 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wellington West is the commercial district of Hintonburg and Wellington Village, located in the west end between Little Italy and Westboro. It is home to independent businesses in Ottawa, such as boutiques, restaurants and food shops, and local art galleries, as well as the Parkdale Market. Notable shops include Hintonburger, Suzy Q Doughnuts, Elmdale Tavern and several others. }} Larger '''shopping malls''' include the [https://www.cfshops.com/rideau-centre.html Rideau Centre] (downtown), [http://stlaurent-centre.com/ St. Laurent Shopping Centre] (East Central), [http://placedorleans.com/ Place D'Orleans] (East End), the [https://www.bayshoreshoppingcentre.com Bayshore Shopping Centre] and [http://carlingwood.com/ Carlingwood Mall] (West End). The last Saturday in May, Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood hosts the annual '''Great Glebe Garage Sale'''. Hundreds of residents set up tables in their garages or on their lawns and sell used goods ranging from household knick-knacks to electronics to clothing. Businesses in the area also hold sidewalk sales, and vendors sell artwork, baking, and refreshments. Driving and parking during the sale itself is unnecessary and nearly impossible. Arrive on foot or park and walk into the neighbourhood. For parking, and for the best deals (especially on larger items like furniture), arrive early. The event is bustling by 8AM but continues well into the afternoon. Vendors are encouraged to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Ottawa Food Bank. ==Eat== Ethnic foods from around the world are available at a wide variety of restaurants and street vendors throughout the city. The Byward Market area has a wide selection of different cuisines; the Chinatown area is along Somerset West (#2 bus from downtown) between Bronson Ave. and Preston St; Little Italy runs along the length of Preston Street, from Carling Avenue to Albert Street (#2 to Somerset & Preston or #3 along Preston). [[Image:Food Beavertail.jpg|thumb|240px|Ottawa's claim to culinary fame: a beavertail with sugar and cinnamon]] * {{eat | name=BeaverTails | alt= | url=http://beavertails.com/ | email=ottawabywardmarket@beavertails.com | address=69 George Street | lat=45.4279043 | long=-75.6942454 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-1230 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 10AM-8PM, Th 10AM-11PM, F Sa 10AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=Try the tasty BeaverTail, a fried-dough pastry associated with Ottawa, although a number of places claim to have created it. It's available in sweet and savoury versions, topped with cinnamon, sugar, icing sugar, etc. In the winter, many places will offer it on the canal. During the summer, the only places downtown to offer it are in the Byward Market on George St., and a small counter in a corner of the Canadian Museum of History. There are a variety of toppings and the taste of the beaver tail stands out more with the classic sugar & cinnamon. However, the locals' favourite is the ''Killaloe Sunrise'', a topping of cinnamon sugar and lemon juice. }} Try a poutine from Smoke's Poutinerie, or a shawarma from one of the many around the city. Local favourites include '''Shawarma Palace''' and '''3 Brothers'''. '''Coffee shops''' are found throughout the city, and include dozens of two specialty chains '''Second Cup''' and '''Starbucks''', in addition to the mainstream '''Tim Horton's''' (seemingly planted at every intersection). '''[http://bridgehead.ca Bridgehead]''' is a fair trade coffee house and can be found at a half dozen or so locations. Try their small double shot lattes, which are significantly better than their competitors'. There are several coffee houses in Little Italy, on Preston Street. One of the most popular, [http://www.pasticceria.ca/ Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana] (200 Preston Street, +1 613-594-5303), also houses an award-winning pastry shop. Bar Robo on Somerset St under the Chinatown arch offers locally-roasted coffee during the day, along with fresh croissants and donuts. ===Budget=== Ottawa has a lot of ''shawarma'' (kebab and fixings in pita bread) restaurants and most of them will serve up a great shawarma for around $5. Their busy times are typically weekdays at lunch-hour, and on weekends after the bars close. The Byward Market and Elgin St. have several restaurants to choose from. Shawarma Palace, on Rideau St and in several suburban locations, are another popular choice. The usual range of diners, bagel shops and fast food restaurants can be found in shopping areas throughout the city. You will also find "chip wagons" or "chip trucks" parked in various locations around the city at lunch time. Most of them serve hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage-in-a-bun, pogos (corn dogs - deep fried, breaded hot dogs on a stick), chips (French fries) and poutine (French fries covered with cheddar cheese curd and gravy - very popular in Quebec and eastern Ontario). You can find the occasional truck that sells Caribbean roti, fish and chips, Canadian "Chinese" food, or other foods. One popular bagel shop is [https://www.kettlemansbagels.ca/ Kettleman's Bagel Co.], which has three locations in Ottawa, the original being at 912 Bank St (near Lansdowne Park), and serves Montreal-style bagels. At lunch time, Di Rienzo and La Bottega Nicastro will sell you a good $5 sandwich; opinion is split among locals as to which is better, but they're both very good. If you're in town for a few days, try them both. * {{eat | name=Ahora Mexican Cuisine | alt= | url=http://www.ahora.ca/ | email= | address=307 Dalhousie Street | lat=45.4294006 | long=-75.6934767 | directions=between York and Clarence | phone=+1 613-562-2081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 11:30AM to 10PM | price= | content=A good little Mexican canteen. It serves up mains, zippy margaritas, and drinks imported from Mexico. }} *{{eat | name=Bobby's Table | alt= | url= | email= | address=255 Montreal Road | lat=45.4359934 | long=-75.6608581 | directions= | phone=+1 613-740-9333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-F 6AM-3PM, Sa Su 7AM-3PM | price= | lastedit= | content=Smoked meat sandwiches on rye bread and old-fashioned baked cheesecake are Bobby's specialties. The smoked meat is Montreal-style done well, and the cheesecake is worth going out of your way for (unless you have a coconut allergy). You can get a generous lunch for $20 and be served in either French or English. }} *{{eat | name=La Bottega Nicastro | alt= | url= | email= | address=64 George Street | lat=45.4268587 | long=-75.6940211 | directions=ByWard Market | phone=+1 613-789-7575 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 9AM-6PM, Th F 9AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-5PM, | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=A fantastic little Italian specialty market, Nicastro's is a contender for the city's best $5 sandwiches, featuring amazing bread (esp. the focaccia) usually baked on the premises. The sit-down lunch kitchen is also well worth a visit. }} *{{eat | name=Di Rienzo | alt= | url=http://dirienzo.ca/ | email= | address=111 Beech Street | lat=45.4000144 | long=-75.7142663 | directions=at Champagne St. | phone=+1 613-729-4037 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-321-8689 | hours=M-F 7:30AM-9PM, Sa Su 8AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=This little deli tucked away in Little Italy, a secret known to many locals, is famous for the best and freshest deli sandwiches in the city for $5 (taxes included). During the week the lineup can stretch outside the packed little store, but they are arguably the fastest sandwich makers anywhere so don't worry about a long wait. There is also another newer location run by the family at Meadowlands Drive and Fisher Avenue. }} *{{eat | name=Elgin Street Diner | alt= | url=http://www.elginstreetdiner.com/ | email= | address=374 Elgin Street | lat=45.4149116 | long=-75.6899814 | directions= just north of Gladstone | phone=+1 613-237-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Always open | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= A popular 24-hour diner. One of its specialties is the ESD (Elgin Street Diner) Poutine (though true Quebecers should probably abstain). Generally, poutine is French fries, served with cheese curds and gravy on top; they have several versions including the addition of caramelized onions and bacon, Montreal smoked meat, Philly steak, a four cheese blend or Chili. The substitution of mashed potatoes fried with onions and seasoning (called their home fries), or onion rings instead of regular French fries is also an option. Expect the adventure to set you back $6–8 depending on toppings. The diner's hamburgers/cheeseburgers are significantly better than typical fast food fare, and breakfast is served 24/7 365 days a year with no exception. }} * {{eat | name=Rangoon | alt= | url=http://www.rangoonrestaurant.ca | email=info@rangoonrestaurant.ca | address=114 Gloucester Street | lat=45.418822 | long=-75.6983374 | directions=near O'Connor | phone=+1 613-680-8821 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-Th 11AM-9PM; F 11AM-10PM; Sa 4-10PM | price= | content=A one-of-a-kind family-run Burmese restaurant with cheap lunch specials where you can get an appetizer, main course and a drink for about $10! Try the fish noodle soup (mohingha), chicken curry or eggplant curry. A real hidden gem. }} *{{eat | name=Shanghai Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=651 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4118313 | long=-75.7074215 | directions= a few doors east of Bronson | phone=+1 613-233-4001 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-F 4:30-10PM, Sa 4:30PM-2AM, Sunday 4:30-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= A local favourite since 1971, when it was the only Chinese place in the area that is now Chinatown; it is still run by the same family. It boasts drag-queen karaoke on Saturday nights, frequent vernissages for Ottawa's up-and-coming artists, and some of the best Asian cuisine in town. }} * '''[https://www.facebook.com/ottawawarehouse/ Warehouse]''' in the heart of Byward Market is popular among students. Great meals including a burger, fries and tap water, are served for just $5. Only drinks are a bit on the expensive side with around $6. Busy every day of the week, especially after 8PM when it is mostly a bar. * For the best non-traditional Canadian eats, head down Somerset St West near Bronson to the heart of Chinatown. Here you have a choice of places for Vietnamese, Thai, Cantonese, etc. Vietamese soup-houses, '''Pho Bo Ga''' and '''Pho Bo Ga La''', are well-rated. The '''Yangtze Restaurant''' and '''Chu Shing Restaurant''' (across the street from it) are large box Chinese restaurants popular with Ottawa's Chinese clientele. The '''Jadeland Restaurant''' is a small popular Chinese restaurant set in a converted house and has been well reviewed for its tasty dishes and low prices. Another good source for ethnic foods is the stretch on Rideau between King Edward and the bridge to Vanier. You can find Middle Eastern, African and Asian food here. **{{eat | name=Pho Bo Ga 2 | alt= | url=http://www.phoboga2ottawa.com/ | email= | address=843 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4090184 | long=-75.7146149 | directions=near Rochester | phone=+1 613-234-7089 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Pho Bo Ga L.A. | alt= | url= | email= | address=784 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4097074 | long=-75.7120057 | directions=between Lebreton and Booth | phone=+1 613-230-2931 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM-10:30PM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Yangtze | alt= | url=http://www.yangtze.ca/ | email= | address=700 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4109353 | long=-75.708942 | directions=just west of the Imperial Arch that spans Somerset | phone=+1 613-236-0555 | tollfree= | fax= +1 613-236-6825 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Oriental Chu Shing Restaurant | alt= | url=http://orientalchushing.com/ | email= | address=691 Somerset Street West | lat=45.4111303 | long=-75.7087285 | directions=just west of the Imperial Arch that spans Somerset | phone=+1 613-233-8818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Jadeland | alt= | url=http://www.jadeland.com/ | email= | address=625 Somerset Street West | lat=45.412135 | long=-75.7066954 | directions=near Percy Street, east of the core Chinatown | phone=+1 613-233-0204 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-11PM, F Sa 11AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} * For Indian, there is '''Rose's Cafe''' (in the Byward Market and one on Gladstone), but also try '''Curries''' (Gloucester and O'Connor, between Bank and Elgin near the business district). For a somewhat higher-end buffet experience, yet authentic, try [http://hostindia.ca/ ''Host India''] on Montreal Rd. For Indian food from Kerala state, try [http://coconutlagoon.ca/ ''Coconut Lagoon''] on St. Laurent Blvd. (in the same price range as Host India), ranked #1 on Food Network's "10 Popular Indian Restaurants in Canada". **{{eat | name=Rose's Café Also | alt= | url= | email= | address=349 Dalhousie Street | lat=45.4282479 | long=-75.6925647 | directions= ByWard Market | phone=+1 613-241-8535 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content= }} **{{eat | name=India Curry House | alt= | url= | email= | address=114 Gloucester Street | lat=45.4186563 | long=-75.6963419 | directions= Gloucester and O'Connor, between Bank and Elgin near the business district | phone=+1 613-598-6970 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Host India | alt= | url=http://hostindia.ca/ | email= | address=622 Montreal Road | lat=45.4419593 | long=-75.6422116 | directions= two blocks west of the Montfort Hospital | phone=+1 613-746-4678 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content= }} **{{eat | name=Coconut Lagoon | alt= | url=https://coconutlagoon.ca/ | email=info@coconutlagoon.ca | address=853 St. Laurent Boulevard | lat=45.433582 | long=-75.641589 | directions=just north of McArthur | phone=+1 613-742-4444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-15 | content=Coconut Lagoon serves Kerala cuisine, subtly different from other South Indian styles (although people kept asking for Butter Chicken so it's on the menu as well). The restaurant's executive chef and owner Joe Thottungal took the silver medal at the Canadian Culinary Championships in 2017, and the gold medal at the Gold Medal Plates Culinary Competition 2016. There are vegan-friendly dishes on the menu. The restaurant is re-opening in August 2022. }} *{{listing | type=eat | name=Zak's Diner | alt= | url=http://zaksdiner.com/ | email=bywardmarket@zaksdiner.com | address=14 Byward Market Square | lat=45.4283814 | long=-75.6957837 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-2401 | tollfree= | hours=Always open | price= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=The best milk-shakes are found at Zak's, a 24-hour diner in the Byward Market. They're really good, made with ice-cream, and for the $6.99 they cost you get a large glass full plus the shaker with what didn't fit in the glass. Other dishes are quite good, with a "more calories for your money" attitude (as illustrated by the massive amount of milkshake served), which is nicely honest about fast food; however it may seem a bit expensive as the burgers start at $14.49 and if you add on the paid extras you can easily get in excess of $19. Late on week-end nights (2-3AM), it's packed as people go for their after-bar poutine. There are two additional locations on Elgin Street and in Kanata. }} ===Mid-range=== Major restaurant areas can be found on Elgin Street, on Bank Street in Centretown, on Bank Street in the Glebe, in Westboro and in the Byward Market, with entrees ranging from $12–25. Similar restaurants can be found in major suburban shopping areas too. * {{eat | name=The Empire Grill | alt= | url=http://empiregrill.com/ | email= | address=47 Clarence Street | lat=45.4289057 | long=-75.6938691 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-1343 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$30 main courses | content=Has a great patio in the summer and delicious food year-round. Expect to pay more than $25 for an entree. }} * {{eat | name=Johnny Farina's | alt= | url=http://johnnyfarina.com/ | email= | address=216 Elgin Street | lat=45.41841 | long=-75.69116 | directions= | phone=+1 613-565-5155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian food }} * {{eat | name=Santé Restaurant | alt= | url=http://santerestaurant.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=45 Rideau St | lat=45.42576 | long=-75.69314 | directions=at the corner of Rideau and Sussex, across from the Rideau Centre, | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Santé is a cosmopolitan yet casual. It’s a delicate line to walk, but Santé Restaurant does it with panache - offering exotic Asian Fusion and Thai cuisine in a comfortably elegant setting. }} * {{eat | name=Vineyards | alt= | url=http://vineyards.ca/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=45.42809 | long=-75.69232 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In the Byward Market. An excellent restaurant with the widest selection of world beers and wines in Ottawa. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=The Works | alt= | url=http://worksburger.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Hard to argue that these are not the best burgers around. The selection is top notch and toppings are bountiful. Also served are delicious onion rings, milk shakes and cold beer, all in a funky industrial decor. Choose your burger from the traditional beef, elk, vegetarian, or other options. Expect to pay $20 or more for a burger with sides, and not to regret it. They're becoming an Ontario-wide chain, but Ottawa is where the Works started, and where they have their largest market penetration (seven locations as of January 2017). There are three locations where tourists in Ottawa might stumble across them; these are the ones listed below. }} ** {{eat | name=The Works - The Glebe | address=580 Bank Street | lat=45.4078486 | long=-75.6924601 | directions=just south of Highway 417 | phone=+1 613-235-0406 | hours=Su-W 11AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM }} ** {{eat | name=The Works - Manor Park | address=363 St Laurent Boulevard | lat=45.448907 | long=-75.6524254 | directions=corner of Hemlock | phone=+1 613-748-0406 | hours=11AM-10PM }} ** {{eat | name=The Works - Westboro Village | address=326 Richmond Road | lat=45.3927746 | long=-75.7518549 | directions=corner of Churchill | phone=+1 613-564-0406 | hours=Su-W 11AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM }} * {{eat | name=Malone's Lakeside Bar & Grill | alt= | url=http://www.malonesgrill.ca/ | address=1001 Queen Elizabeth Dr | lat=45.3962 | long=-75.7057 | directions=at the Dows Lake Pavilion | phone=+1 613-232-1001 | hours= | price=Moderately priced | lastedit=2017-09-19 | content=Seating overlooking beautiful Dows Lake; lunch specials offered. }} * {{eat | name=Taqueria La Bonita | alt= | url=http://www.labonita.ca/ | email= | address=1128 Cadboro Rd | lat=45.4310625 | long=-75.6235052 | directions=just off Ogilvie, near the Gloucester Centre | phone=+1 613-695-7373 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 11AM-9PM, Th-Sa 11AM-10PM | price=$20-40 plus alcohol | lastedit=2017-11-12 | content=If you're looking for Mexican cuisine (not Tex-Mex or Cal-Mex) in Ottawa, they're worth the drive out of downtown. La Bonita is a small restaurant - while you don't need to make reservations, they're recommended during busy hours. }} ===Splurge=== Ottawa has excellent options for fine dining if you feel like spending a bit extra. Budget $150 for a three-course dinner for two, including wine and gratuity. * {{eat | name=Beckta | alt= | url=http://beckta.com/main.php | email= | address=226 Nepean Street | lat=45.41646 | long=-75.69920 | directions=downtown Ottawa | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent modern restaurant with a variety of tastes centred on locally available foods. Also features an extensive wine list. }} * {{eat | name=E18hteen | alt= | url=http://restaurant18.com/ | email= | address=18 York Street | lat=45.4274276 | long=-75.694119 | directions=in the Byward Market | phone=+1 613-244-1188 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An upscale, modern restaurant and bar located in a renovated 19th century heritage building. It is ''the'' place to see and be seen. }} * {{eat | name=Merlot | alt= | url=http://merlotottawa.com | email= | address=100 Kent Street | lat=45.4197923 | long=-75.7035098 | directions=At the Marriott Hotel | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Merlot has received glowing reviews for its cuisine and is Ottawa's only revolving restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Signatures | alt= | url=http://lcbottawa.com/English/signatures/index.cfm | email= | address= 453 Laurier Ave. East | lat=45.42891 | long=-75.67475 | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-2499 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 5:30–10PM | price= | content=At Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute is a French restaurant with a five-diamond rating from CAA/AAA that is considered among the very best in the city. }} * {{eat | name=The Wellington Gastropub | alt= | url=http://www.thewellingtongastropub.com/ | email= | address=1325 Wellington Street West | lat=45.3988578 | long=-75.7391451 | directions=Westboro | phone=+1 613-729-1315 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Weekdays 11:30AM-2PM and 5:30-9:30PM, F 11:30AM-2PM and 5:30-10PM, Sa 5:30-10PM | price=Three-course table d'hôte $35 at lunch or $53 at supper, plus alcohol and gratituty | lastedit=2017-01-14 | content=A small second-floor walk-up in Westboro, the Wellington Gastropub changes its menu daily and has over a dozen craft and microbrewery beers on tap. }} * {{eat | name=Gitanes | alt= | url=https://www.gitanes.co/ | email= | address=361 Elgin Street | lat=45.41536 | long=-75.68787 | directions=Centretown | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=French-inspired restaurant that uses local ingredients. Great wines and creative cocktails. Gitanes also has sister restaurant across the street, Gitanes Burger, with amazing burgers. }} ===Vegetarian and vegan=== * {{eat | name=CafeMyHouse | alt= | url=http://www.cafemyhouse.com | email= | address=1729 Bank St | lat=45.37395 | long=-75.66493 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At offers vegan friendly cuisine and is located within 10 minutes of the airport and of the train station. The restaurant specializes in brunch and lunch options, and average around $15 a meal. }} * {{eat | name=Govinda's Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.ottawa.iskcon.ca/homepage/buffet2.htm | email= | address=212 Somerset St. E | lat=45.42247 | long=-75.67898 | directions=just E of King Edward, off the University of Ottawa campus | phone=+1 613-565-6544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 5–8PM, Su yoga festival 5–8PM | price=$5-7 per person | lastedit=2016-05-11 | content=offers a simple vegan buffet. The best cheap eats in town. Operated by ISCKON (Hare Krishna movement). }} * {{eat | name=The Green Door | alt= | url=http://www.thegreendoor.ca/ | email=info@thegreendoor.ca | address=198 Main St | lat=45.40837 | long=-75.67778 | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-9597 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-234-6771 | hours=Tu–Su 11AM–9PM | price= | content=At offers a vegetarian and vegan buffet and is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Ottawa. It offers private and communal tables. }} * {{eat | name=Pure Kitchen Ottawa | alt= | url=https://www.purekitchenottawa.com/ | email= | address=357 Richmond Road | lat=45.39182 | long=-75.75480 | directions= | phone=+1 613-680-5500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-11-14 | content=Hip restaurant serving vegetarian and vegan food. Wraps, burgers, rice bowls, salads. Bar offers juice, beer, wine. Reservations only for parties of 6 or more. Second location in Centretown at 340 Elgin Street. }} * {{eat | name=So Good Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.sogoodfood.com/ | email= | address=717 Somerset Street West | lat=45.41072 | long=-75.70779 | directions=2 blocks West of Bronson | phone=+1 613-223-0138 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10 | lastedit=2016-05-11 | content=Has a separate vegetarian menu (dishes are also vegan unless stated) and there are many choices. Try anything "Wu Se" (peanut sauce). }} ==Drink== The most popular bar areas are in the Byward Market, along Wellington Street in Westboro, along both Elgin Street and Bank Street between Somerset and Gladstone in the Centretown area, and further south on Bank. There are pubs and bars scattered throughout the city as well. You can also take a small trip over the Ottawa river to [[Gatineau]]. Bars on Ottawa side close at 2AM, though the province of Quebec has a last call of 3AM, an exception is made in Gatineau where bars also close at 2AM. Quebec has a lower minimum age to purchase alcohol (18, vs. 19 in Ontario) and sells beer in corner stores. Ottawa police often set up checkpoints near the bridges to catch drunk drivers returning from Quebec after closing time. Smoking (both traditional and e-cigarettes, also called "vaping") of tobacco or cannabis is not permitted in Ontario or Quebec restaurants and bars, or on the patios of bars in Ottawa. ===Bars and nightclubs=== *{{drink | name=Barrymores Music Hall | alt=Barrymore's | url= | email= | address=323 Bank Street | lat=45.4144462 | long=-75.6973873 | directions=south of Somerset | phone=+1 613-695-8488 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=An old converted movie theatre, their 80s night is the place to be in Ottawa on Sundays. They also have a 90s night on Thursdays and live concerts on most other nights }} * {{drink | name=Club 292 | alt= | url= | email= | address=292 Elgin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{drink | name=Dominion Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.tavern.ca/ | email= | address=33 York Street | lat=45.4280088 | long=-75.696029 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-7706 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-2AM; Su 11AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Simple beers and some pool: picture your friend's basement apartment, even serving 40s of beer (a 40-ounce glass). }} * {{drink | name=E18hteen | alt= | url= | email= | address=18 York St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=See their listing in the "Eat" section. }} * '''Foundation''' York St. in the alley behind E18hteen. Restaurant during the week that is open for lunch and dinner. Excellent food and one of the only restaurants in Ottawa to serve fondue. On Friday and Saturday nights it transforms into an upperclass nightclub. Dress to impress, no logos or running shoes, and be prepared to spend a few bucks on drinks. *{{drink | name=The Lookout Bar | alt= | url=http://www.thelookoutbar.com/ | email= | address=41 York Street | lat=45.4282499 | long=-75.694432 | directions=ByWard Market | phone=+1 613-789-1624 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su M 2-10PM, Tu-Sa 2PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=They have a very popular "bois night" on Thursday that attracts lots of people. Friday and Saturday are mostly lesbian nights. }} *{{drink | name=Options Jazz Lounge at Brookstreet | alt= | url=http://www.brookstreethotel.com/eat/options-jazz-lounge/ | email=info@brookstreet.com | address=525 Legget Drive | lat=45.3480777 | long=-75.9201257 | directions=in the Brookstreet Hotel | phone=+1 613-271-1800 | tollfree=+1-888-826-2220 | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-1AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Located off the main lobby of the Brookstreet Hotel. A relaxing and sophisticated lounge. }} * {{drink | name=The Standard Luxury Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.thestandardtavern.com/ | email=info@thestandardtavern.com | address=360 Elgin St | lat=45.4153372 | long=-75.6905466 | directions=three blocks north of the Canadian Museum of Nature | phone=+1 613-232-6274 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-232-9265 | hours=M-F 4PM-2AM, Sa Su 10AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=A restaurant during the day, pumping club/lounge at night. The Standard is popular Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with a different style of music each night. Friday is excellent old-school and modern hip-hop/R&B while Saturday is a little of everything. Excellent beer tap selection and daily drink specials. }} ===Pubs=== There are lots of Irish-/British-style pubs across the city. *{{drink | name=The Black Thorn | alt= | url=http://www.theblackthorn.ca/ | email= | address=15 Clarence Street | lat=45.4283741 | long=-75.6956532 | directions=at Tin House Court | phone=+1 613-241-0712 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Closed for renovations | price= | lastedit=2017-05-24 | content=Upscale, great food, huge patio with good views. }} * {{drink | name=Chez Lucien | alt= | url=http://chezlucien.ca/ | email= | address=137 Murray St | lat=45.4305044 | long=-75.6942259 | directions=corner Dalhousie | phone=+1 613-241-3533 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-2PM, daily except Christmas and Boxing Day | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=one of the few pleasant, non-faux-Irish pubs downtown (a favourite along with the Manx). Serves good pub fare (including excellent fries), can get busy especially after work. A good selection of microbrew beers. }} * {{drink | name=Clocktower Brewhouse | alt= | url=http://clocktower.ca/ | email= | hours= | price= | content=A microbrewery with five locations throughout the city. Excellent beer at a good price with a very tasty and well priced menu. }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Byward Market | email=info.clarence@clocktower.ca | address=89 Clarence Street | lat= 45.4293242 | long=-75.6937817 | directions=between Dalhousie and Parent | phone=+1 613-241-8783 | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Elgin | alt= | url= | email=info.elgin@clocktower.ca | address=200 Elgin Street | lat=45.4193869 | long=-75.6924375 | directions=near Lisgar, across from City Hall | phone=+1 613-724-4561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-midnight, Sa Su 10AM-midnight | price= | content= }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Glebe | alt= | url= | email=info.bank@clocktower.ca | address=575 Bank Street | lat=45.4078432 | long=-75.6911339 | directions=the north end of The Glebe, just south of Highway 417 | phone=+1 613-233-7849 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM | price= | content=The original Clocktower Brewhouse, this is the location with the clock tower and the brew house. }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower New Edinburgh | email=info.mackay@clocktower.ca | address=422 MacKay Street | lat= 45.4390938 | long=-75.678742 | directions=corner of Beechwood | phone=+1 613-742-3169 | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM }} ** {{drink | name=Clocktower Westboro | email=info.westboro@clocktower.ca | address=418 Richmond Road | lat= 45.3900487 | long=-75.7595557 | directions=corner of Berkley | phone=+1 613-680-5983 | hours=M-F 11:30AM-midnight; Sa 10:30AM-midnight; Su 10:30AM-11:45PM }} *{{drink | name=D'Arcy McGee's | alt= | url=http://darcymcgees.com/ | email= | address=44 Sparks Street | lat=45.4233357 | long=-75.6980817 | directions=at Elgin | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Beautiful architecture with impressive food selection }} *{{drink | name=Irish Village Group | alt=Heart & Crown, Peter Devine's | url=http://www.heartandcrown.pub/byward/ | email= | address=67 Clarence Street | lat=45.4155917 | long=-75.6903577 | directions=at Parent Ave. | phone=+1 613-562-0674 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-2AM, Sa Su 9AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=Ottawa's largest pub complex, including the eponymous Irish Village (loud, lots of live music) and The Heart and Crown. The fish and chips has a generous serving of fish. }} *{{drink | name=The Lieutenant's Pump | alt= | url=http://www.lieutenantspump.ca/ | email= | address=361 Elgin Street | lat=45.4155917 | long=-75.6903577 | directions=corner of Waverly | phone=+1 613-238-2949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:30AM-2AM; Sa Su 8:30AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-01-16 | content=British pub with a good variety of food selections and inexpensive draught. }} * {{drink | name=The Manx | alt= | url= | email= | address=370 Elgin street | lat=45.41498 | long=-75.68822 | directions= | phone=+1 613-231-2070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Great microbrews, wide Scotch selection, bohemian/hipster feel. }} *{{drink | name=Minglewoods | alt= | url= | email= | address=14 Waller Street | lat=45.42728 | long=-75.68902 | directions=The corner of Waller St and Rideau St | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great place to drink for cheap! Pitchers of domestic and premium beers are priced under $11 so if you're on a budget this is the place to go. It is close to the University of Ottawa so many students frequent Minglewoods between or after class. There is a good selection of pub fare, also for reasonable prices. On the weekend there is a packed dance floor on the second level. }} *{{drink | name=Patty Boland's Irish Pub & Eatery | alt= | url=http://pattybolands.com/ | email= | address=101 Clarence Street | lat=45.4293921 | long=-75.6947346 | directions=between Parent and Dalhousie | phone=+1 613-789-7822 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=Feels like an old tavern, but big. Friday and Saturday nights Patty's has live music so expect to pay cover, and mandatory coat check in the winter. During the musician breaks there is a dance floor with Top 40 music. }} * {{drink | name=Pub Italia | alt= | url=http://pubitalia.ca/ | email= | address=434 1/2 Preston Street | lat= 45.3994805 | long=-75.7090009 | directions=near Dow's Lake and the Experimental Farm | phone=+1 613-232-2326 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-Sa 11AM–1AM; Su noon-midnight | price= | content=An Irish/Italian pub with hundreds of bottled beers listed in its "Beer Bible", especially Belgian. Decent pizza and pastas, but other places in Little Italy have better; you're going here for the beer, not the food. Intimate faux Medieval/Gothic décor; a bit strange, but the patio is very nice. }} * {{drink | name=Quinns Ale House | alt=Quinn's | url=http://www.quinnsalehouse.com/ | email= | address=1070 Bank Street | lat=45.3947133 | long=-75.686012 | directions=Beside the Mayfair Theatre | phone=+1 613-523-2200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-03 | content=A small but cozy sports bar and pub located next to the Mayfair Theatre. Expect good pub fare, a nice ambiance and good selection of beers. }} ==Sleep== ===Budget=== * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Barefoot Hostel | alt= | url=http://barefoothostel.com | email=bfh@barefoothostel.com | address=455 Cumberland St | lat=45.42686 | long=-75.68646 | directions=a block south of Rideau St. | phone=+1 613-237-0336 | tollfree= | checkin=before 10PM | checkout= | price=$30-$42 | lastedit=2019-04-20 | content=A clean, modern 16-bed hostel located downtown. Female-only since September 2016. Included for use is a mini-kitchen (no stove), back patio with lounge chairs, common room with a huge HDTV, computer (with internet), free WiFi, plush bed linens, lockers and three shared bathrooms. Rates start at $30 per night per person and you can book online. The check-in desk is at The Swiss Hotel, around the corner at 89 Daly Ave. Make sure to check their website or Twitter page for promotions. }} * {{sleep | name=Ottawa Backpackers Inn | alt= | url=http://ottawahostel.com | email=info@ottawahostel.com | address=203 York Street | lat=45.43042 | long=-75.68804 | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-3402 | tollfree=+1-888-394-0334 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$25/night for regular dorm beds, more for semi-private and private rooms | content=Part of Backpackers Hostels Canada, includes kitchen, free wireless internet and free coffee/tea. In a converted house into hostel, in the market block. The staff and the atmosphere are very friendly. Allergy warning: they have a cat }} * {{sleep | name=Ottawa Jail Hostel | url=http://hihostels.ca/ottawa | email= | address=75 Nicholas Street | lat=45.42498 | long=-75.68876 | directions=across the street from the Rideau Centre | phone = +1 613-235-2595 | tollfree=+1-866-299-1478 | fax=+1 613-235-9202 | hours= | price=$29/dorm for HI members, $34 for non. Single cells $38/40. Double rooms $93/$103 | checkin= | checkout= | content=A member of Hostelling International, this hostel is in the old Ottawa Jail; the bedrooms are old jail cells. Most rooms have shared washrooms. It's close to the Byward Market and downtown. Tours available. Breakfast of coffee, tea, bagels, fruit included. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Albert at Bay Suite Hotel | alt= | url=http://albertatbay.com/ | email= | address=435 Albert Street | lat=45.41716 | long=-75.70718 | directions=corner of Bay St. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=This downtown hotel is within easy walking distance of the main attractions, shops and restaurants. The hotel is a converted apartment building where you'll find large one- and-two bedrooms suites. Rates range from $119/night to $229/night. }} *{{sleep | name=Auberge King Edward Bed and Breakfast | url=http://kingedwardottawa.com | email= | address=525 King Edward Avenue | lat=45.42564 | long=-75.68297 | directions=downtown beside the University of Ottawa and a 5-minute walk from the Rideau Canal | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$105–135 (plus taxes) | checkin= | checkout= | content=Well-preserved Victorian architecture packed with character. Free parking and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Australis Guest House | alt= | url=http://www.bbcanada.com/1463.html | email= | address=89 Goulburn Avenue | lat=45.426068 | long=-75.674433 | directions= | phone=+1 (613) 235-8461 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=1PM/flexible | checkout=11AM | price=$109-129 | lastedit=2016-05-11 | content=Run by an Australian expat, this 2-room B&B gets praise for fresh-cooked breakfast. It is about 1 km east of Byward Market, 2 km east of Parliament Hill. Free Wifi. Limited parking available, ask. }} *{{sleep | name=Avalon Bed and Breakfast | url=http://www.avalonbedandbreakfast.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=539 Besserer St | lat=45.43247 | long=-75.67507 | directions=Near Rideau and Charlotte | phone=+1 613-241-6403 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$95-145 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | content=A well-reviewed downtown Ottawa bed-and-breakfast. Turn of the century home with modern decor. A 15-minute walk to the Byward Market. Free parking and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Best Western Victoria Park Suites | alt= | url= | email= | address=377 O'Connor Street | lat=45.41291 | long=-75.69110 | directions=near Elgin Street, downtown near the Museum of Nature | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=$100 | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=ByWard Blue Inn | alt= | url=http://bywardblueinn.ca | email= | address=157 Clarence Street | lat=45.43007 | long=-75.69087 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-620-8810 | fax= | price=$150-200, parking $8-15/day | checkin= | checkout= | content=A B&B hotel in the picturesque Byward Market with refrigerators, microwaves, private balconies. }} * {{sleep | name=Cartier Place Suite Hotel | alt= | url=http://suitedreams.com | email= | address=180 Cooper Street | lat=45.41884 | long=-75.68965 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Features unique pet friendly downtown suite lodging accommodations minutes from Parliament Hill. Discover unique studios, one or two bedrooms, and VIP suites with Jacuzzis, close to tourist attractions. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Inn Ottawa West | alt=Kanata | url=http://www.comfortinnkanata.com | email=cn270@whg.com | address=222 Hearst Way | lat=45.31533 | long=-75.89337 | directions=20 min from Downtown, Highway #417, Exit 138 Eagleson Road | phone=+1 613-592-2200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-591-9600 | checkin=11AM | checkout=3PM | price= | content=Offers guests free breakfast, free parking, and free internet. }} * {{sleep | name=Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa East | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yowoe-courtyard-ottawa-east/ | email= | address=200 Coventry Rd | lat=45.42040 | long=-75.65613 | directions=off of Hwy 417 | phone=+1 613-741-9862 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Complimentary high speed internet access & complimentary parking. 395 guest rooms, each with wet bar. Indoor pool, whirlpool, 24-hour exercise room, 24-hour business centre and The Market is also open 24 hours. Bistro and meeting facilities on-site. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.novotelottawa.com/home/novotelottawahotels.shtm | email=novotelottawa@novotelottawa.com | address=33 Nicholas Street | lat=45.42594 | long=-75.68967 | directions=located across the street from the east side of the Rideau Centre on Nicholas Street | phone=+1 (613) 230-3033 | tollfree=+1-855-677-3033 | fax=+1 (613) 760-4765 | checkin= | checkout= | price=$188/night | content=Modern hotel with an emphasis on energy conservation. Modern restaurant and banquet facilities. This location has free internet kiosks in the main lobby open to the public. }} *{{sleep | name=Sheraton Ottawa Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sheratonottawa.com | email= | address=150 Albert St | lat=45.42083 | long=-75.69791 | directions=Downtown | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $109 | content=Sheraton Ottawa Hotel is located in the heart of downtown - steps from Parliament Hill, the National Gallery, and other major attractions. Each room features the signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed, and the Link@Sheraton lobby connectivity hub offers complimentary internet and PC workstation use. }} *{{sleep | name=Shirley Samantha's Bed & Breakfast | url=http://www.ottawabnb.com/shirley_en.php {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=28 Carlotta Avenue | lat=45.43008 | long=-75.66738 | directions=From Hwy. 417 take Exit 117 Vanier Parkway; north on Vanier Parkway to McArthur Avenue, left on McArthur to Marguerite Avenue, left on Marguerite. Then right on Carlotta Avenue. | phone = +1 613-745-2105 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$70-120 per night | checkin=as arranged | checkout=11AM | content=On a quiet residential street, within walking distance from downtown and half a block from the Rideau River cycling/walking path. Two queen-bedded rooms, one with ensuite, the other with private bath. Centrally air conditioned, complimentary parking, snacks and WiFi. Delicious breakfasts featuring home baking. }} *{{sleep | name=Swiss Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.swisshotel.ca | email= | address=89 Daly Avenue | lat=45.42697 | long=-75.68631 | directions=Located Downtown Ottawa, at the corner of Daly and Cumberland. | phone=+1 613-237-0335 | tollfree=+1-888-663-0000 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$117-228/night depending on room quality and timing | content=A charming, cozy, 22-room hotel located in the heart of Ottawa. The Inn was built in 1872 from limestone in a 19th-century Vernacular Classical Revival. Swiss Hotel offers traditional Swiss hospitality with modern comfort. Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, rooms are equipped with iPads. Optional healthy buffet breakfast is offered daily with Bircher-Muesli and fresh ground Swiss espresso. }} * {{sleep | name=University of Ottawa | alt= | url=http://www.uottawa.ca/housing/short-term | email= | address=90 University Private | lat=45.42247 | long=-75.68442 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rideau double room $130; 90U suite with bath $120; dorm with shared bath, $40 | checkin= | checkout= | content=From May to August, university housing is offered as hotel-like guest rooms in one of its newer housing complexes. }} * {{sleep | name=Delta Ottawa City Centre | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yowdm-delta-hotels-ottawa-city-centre/ | email= | address=101 Lyon Street North | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-237-3600 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3.00 | checkout=12.00 | price= | lastedit=2017-10-17 | content=Sleek 1967 modernist hotel tower on the quieter west side of the city centre, within walking distance of most major sites, and with good access to public transport. Rate includes wireless Internet access. Underground parking available on-site at an additional cost of $22/day. }} ===Splurge=== [[Image:Parliament Hill and Château Laurier.jpg|thumb|300px|Chateau Laurier (left) and Parliament Hill overlooking the Ottawa River]] * {{sleep | name=Andaz Ottawa | alt= | url=https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/canada/andaz-ottawa-byward-market/yowaz | email= | address=325 Dalhousie Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-321-1234 | tollfree= | checkin=noon | checkout=10AM | price=$150 | lastedit=2018-07-26 | content=Owned by Hyatt, extremely well located, otherwise unremarkable. }} * {{sleep | name=Arc | alt= | url=http://arcthehotel.com/ | email= | address=Slater Street | lat=45.42059 | long=-75.69652 | directions=near Parliament Hill | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= A trendy boutique hotel with prices to match its style. }} * {{sleep | name=The Brookstreet | alt= | url=http://brookstreet.ca/ | email= | address= | lat=45.34800 | long=-75.91772 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=In [[Kanata]] is a newer luxury hotel and resort popular with technology companies and visiting sports teams. Facilities include a full-service spa with 11 treatment rooms, a championship golf course (The Marshes), a European PGA-approved short course (Marchwood), a four-diamond restaurant (Perspectives) and a fitness studio with whirlpools, steam rooms and indoor and outdoor pools. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Fairmont Chateau Laurier | alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/laurier-ottawa/ | email= | address= | lat=45.42562 | long=-75.69516 | directions=just east of Parliament Hill | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=The city's [[grand old hotels|grand old hotel]]: its oldest and most famous luxury hotel as well as one of its landmarks. Rooms facing west overlook the Rideau Canal locks and have stellar views of the Parliament buildings. This hotel once housed the offices of CBC Radio in Ottawa and the studio of well-known portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh. Several framed Karsh photographs are hung in the hotel lounge. His (and his wife's) home suite is now available for guests and displays a small sampling of framed prints on the walls. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Lord Elgin | alt= | url=http://lordelginhotel.ca/ | email=reservations@lordelgin.ca | address=100 Elgin Street | lat=45.42134 | long=-75.69375 | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-3333 | tollfree=+1-800-267-4298 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2019-05-12 | content=Centrally located on Elgin Street across from the National Arts Centre, a stone's throw from Parliament Hill, and one of Ottawa's two classic hotels (the other being the Chateau Laurier). While it has "splurge" rates, most rooms are reasonably priced. Good value, and a Starbucks off the lobby. }} * {{sleep | name=The Ottawa Marriott Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yowmc-ottawa-marriott-hotel | email= | address=100 Kent St | lat=45.41979 | long=-75.70353 | directions=near Parliament Hill | phone=+1 613-238-1122 | tollfree=+1-800-853-8463 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $154 | content=The Ottawa Marriott Hotel is in downtown Ottawa one block from the Parliament Buildings and steps away from museums and shopping. This Ottawa hotel includes a revolving restaurant, Kids’ Zone, an indoor pool, sauna and fitness centre. }} *{{sleep | name=The Westin Ottawa | alt= | url=http://www.thewestinottawa.com/ | email=ottawa@westin.com | address=11 Colonel By Dr | lat=45.42489 | long=-75.69253 | directions=near Parliament Hill | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-716-8101 | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $159 | content=This hotel is also connected to the Rideau Centre and the Ottawa Convention Centre by a walkway. It is steps from Parliament Hill and the Byward market and each of the 496 rooms features the ten-layer Heavenly Bed. }} * {{sleep | name=reStays | alt= | url=https://www.restays.com/ | email=hello@restays.com | address=101 Queen St | lat=45.42203 | long=-75.69771 | directions= | phone=+1 613 688 6200 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=noon | price=From $210 | lastedit=2022-06-03 | content=Boutique hotel. Has a great view of the Parliament Hill. }} ==Connect== The area codes for Ottawa are '''613''' and the overlay code '''343'''. Hull<!-- but not Gatineau, a suburb --> ('''819''', overlaid with '''873''') has the full Ottawa local calling area. Ten-digit dialling (area code+local number) is required for all local calls. Most coffee shops, hotels, and public library branches have free wi-fi Internet access, although the speeds may be slower than you're accustomed to. There are internet cafes throughout the city. ==Stay safe== Ottawa is a very safe place to live and visit, so if you use common sense it is at least as safe as any other city. There are many tourists in the city, especially in summer months, and there are very few incidents of robbery or assault. There have been incidents on buses and at transit stations of violence and swarmings/robberies, even during daytime hours. OC Transpo has hired new constables and placed plainclothes security and cameras on select buses and trains to counter the problem. Use common sense, especially when riding at night, every transit station has multiple emergency call boxes. After dark, take extra care in areas near downtown such as Lowertown East, and also Hintonburg, Vanier, Bayshore, Ledbury, Heatherington, Caldwell and South Keys. These neighbourhoods are known to have gang presence and drug problems. (Ledbury, Heatherington, and South Keys have nothing in the way of tourist draws, anyway.) The section of Rideau Street between Sussex Drive and King Edward Avenue is infamous for homeless people and panhandlers (they'll thank you and wish you a good day, even when you don't give), though this rarely causes problems for anyone. Ottawa is generally very safe, but like any other city it has bad apples. Ottawa is the fourth coldest capital city by annual average temperature, but it has the second coldest January, only topped by Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Add to that nearly 3 m (10') of snow per average winter and throw in an ice storm from time to time, winter can be a challenge but locals do a great job of handling it particularly with recreation. Summers are (normally) short, warm and at times hot and humid. Humidity in the summer can make the heat feel unbearable, while humidity in the winter, coupled with wind chills, can make the cold feel very brutal. Dress for the weather and don't forget to cover your head and ears with a warm hat. Ottawa is not a very fashion-minded city, but in winter, everyone throws in the towel. {{Seealso|Cold weather}} ==Cope== The emergency telephone number for police, fire, and ambulance is 9-1-1. All pay phones at O-Train stations have buttons that you can use to make a free call to the Distress Centre of Ottawa, or you can call 613-238-3311 if you're anywhere in Ottawa. They'll help with any mental health concerns. Service is provided in English and French. ===Embassies and High Commissions=== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" ! [[Diplomatic missions]] ! list&nbsp; |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | *{{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name= Afghanistan | url= | email= | address=240 Argyle Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Albania}} {{listing | name=Albania | url=http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/canada | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 302 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-3053 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-0804 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Algeria}} {{listing | name=Algeria | url= | email= | address=500 Wilbrod St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Argentina}} {{listing |name=Argentina |url=http://www.ecana.mrecic.gob.ar/en |email=ecana@mrecic.gov.ar |address=81 Metcalfe St |phone=+1 613-236-2361 |fax=+1 613-235-2659 |hours=M-F 9AM-5PM |content= }} *{{flag|Armenia}} {{listing | name=Armenia | url=http://www.canada.mfa.am/en/ | email= | address=7 Delaware Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-3710 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-234-3444 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url=http://ahc-ottawa.org | email= | address=50 O'Connor St, Ste 710 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0841 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-4376 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria | url=http://bmeia.gv.at/index.php?id=67004&L=1 | email= | address=445 Wilbrod St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-1444 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-3431 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Azerbaijan}} {{listing | name=Azerbaijan | url=http://azembassy.ca | email= | address=275 Slater St, Ste 904 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-288-0497 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-230-8089 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|The Bahamas}} {{listing | name=Bahamas | url= | email= | address=99 Bank St., Ste 415 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh | alt= | url=http://www.bdhcottawa.ca | email=mission.ottawa@mofa.gov.bd | address=Suite 1100, 350 Sparks St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0138 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-567-3213 | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Barbados}} {{listing | name=Barbados | url= | email= | address=55 Metcalfe St., Ste 470 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belarus}} {{listing | name=Belarus | alt= | url=http://canada.mfa.gov.by/en/embassy/ | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 600 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-9994 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-8500 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://diplomatie.be/ottawa | email= | address=360 Albert St, Ste 820 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-7267 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-7882 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bolivia}} {{listing | name=Bolivia | alt= | url=https://bolivianembassy.ca/embajada/ubicacion/ | email= | address=130 Albert St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-5730 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-8237 | hours=M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} {{listing | name=Bosnia and Herzegovina | alt= | url=http://www.ambasadabih.ca/index.php/ca/ | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 805 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0028 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-1139 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | url= | email= | address=450 Wilbrod St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Brunei}} {{listing | name=Brunei | url= | email= | address=395 Laurier Ave. East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Bulgaria}} {{listing | name=Bulgaria | alt= | url=http://www.mfa.bg/embassies/canada/setlang/en | email= | address=325 Stewart St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-3215 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-3524 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Burkina Faso}} {{listing | name=Burkina Faso | url= | email= | address=48 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Cameroon}} {{listing | name=Cameroon | url= | email= | address=170 Clemow Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Chad}} {{listing | name=Chad | url= | email= | address=350 Sparks St., Ste 802 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Chile}} {{listing |name=Chile |url=http://www.chileabroad.gov.cl/canada/en/ |email=echile.canada@minrel.gov.cl |address=Suite 1413, 50 O'Connor St |phone=+1 613-235-4402 |fax=+1 613-235-1176 |hours-M-F 9AM-1PM and 2PM-5:30PM |content= }} *{{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://ca.china-embassy.org | email=chinaemb_ca@mfa.gov.cn | address=515 St. Patrick St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+1 613-789-3434-791-0511 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-1911 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Colombia}} {{listing |name=Colombia |url=http://ottawa.consulado.gov.co |email=cottawa@cancilleria.gov.co |address=Suite 1002, 260 Albert St |phone=+1 613-230-3760 |content= }} *{{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Democratic Republic of the Congo | url= | email= | address=18 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Republic of the Congo | url= | email= | address=322 Waverley St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Costa Rica}} {{listing |name=Costa Rica |url=http://www.costaricaembassy.com |email=embcr@costaricaembassy.com |address=Suite 701, 350 Sparks St |phone=+1 613-562-2855 |fax=+1 613-562-2582 |content= }} *{{flag|Croatia}} {{listing | name=Croatia | url=http://ca.mfa.hr | email= | address=229 Chapel St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-562-7820 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-7821 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Cuba}} {{listing | name=Cuba | url=http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/canada/embassy-cuba-canada | email=embacuba@embacubacanada.net | address=388 Main St | phone=+1 613-563-0141 | fax=+1 613-563-0068 | hours=Tu-F 9AM-1PM | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., Ste 1002 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | url=http://mzv.cz/ottawa | email= | address=251 Cooper St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-562-3875 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-3878 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark | url=http://canada.um.dk | email= | address=47 Clarence St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-562-1811 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-1812 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Dominican Republic}} {{listing | name=Dominican Republic | alt= | url=http://dominicanembassycanada.gob.do/index.php/en/contact | email=info@drembassy.org | address=130 Albert Street, Suite 1605 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613 569-9893 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613 569-8673 | hours=M-F 9:15AM-3:30PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Ecuador}} {{listing |name=Ecuador |url=http://www.embassyecuador.ca/english/ |email=embassy@embassyecuador.ca |address=Suite 230, 99 Bank St |phone=+1 613-563-8206 |fax=+1 613-563-8206 |content= }} *{{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | alt= | url= | email=egyptemb@sympatico.ca | address=454 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-4931 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-234-9347 | hours=9AM-4PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | name=El Salvador | url= | email= | address=209 Kent St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Estonia}} {{listing | name=Estonia | alt= | url=https://ottawa.mfa.ee/ | email=embassy.ottawa@mfa.ee | address=260 Dalhousie St, Suite 210 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-4222 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-9555 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Ethiopia}} {{listing | name=Ethiopia | url= | email= | address=275 Slater St., Ste 1501 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland | url=http://www.finland.ca | email=embassy@finland.ca | address=55 Metcalfe St, Ste 850 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-288-2233 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-288-2244 | hours=M-Th 9AM-noon, 1PM-3PM; F 9AM-11:30AM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://ambafrance-ca.org | email= | address=42 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-1795 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-562-3735 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Gabon}} {{listing | name=Gabon | url= | email= | address=2283 St. Laurent Blvd., Ste 103 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Georgia (country)}} {{listing | name=Georgia | url= | email= | address=240 Albert St., Ste 940 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url=http://ottawa.diplo.de | email= | address=1 Waverley St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-1101 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-594-9330 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ghana}} {{listing | name=Ghana | url= | email= | address=1 Clemow Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://greekembassy.ca | email= | address=80 MacLaren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-6271, +1 613-238-6273 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-238-5676 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Guatemala}} {{listing | name=Guatemala | url= | email= | address=130 Albert St., Ste 1010 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Guinea}} {{listing | name=Guinea | url= | email= | address=483 Wilbrod St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Guyana}} {{listing | name=Guyana | url=http://guyanamissionottawa.org | email= | address=151 Slater St, Ste 309 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-7240, +1 613-235-7249 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-235-1447 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Haiti}} {{listing | name=Haiti | url= | email= | address=85 Albert St., Ste 1110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Honduras}} {{listing | name=Honduras | url= | email= | address=130 Albert St., Ste 805 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Hungary}} {{listing | name=Hungary | url=http://www.kormany.hu/en/ministry-of-foreign-affairs-and-trade/missions | email= | address=299 Waverley St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-230-2717 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-230-7560 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Iceland}} {{listing | name=Iceland | alt= | url=https://www.government.is/diplomatic-missions/embassy-of-iceland-in-ottawa/ | email=ottawa@mfa.is | address=360 Albert St, Suite 710 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-482-1944 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-482-1945 | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|India}} {{listing |name=India |url=http://www.hciottawa.ca/home.php |email=hicomindia@hciottawa.ca |address=10 Springfield Rd |phone=+1 613-744-3752 |fax=+1 613-744-0913 |content= }} *{{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | alt= | url=https://www.kemlu.go.id/ottawa/en/default.aspx | email= | address=55 Parkdale Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-724-1100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-15 | content= }} *{{flag|Iraq}} {{listing | name=Iraq | url= | email= | address=189 Laurier Ave. East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ireland}} {{listing | name=Ireland | url=http://dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=5454 | email= | address=130 Albert St, Ste 1105 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-6281 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-5835 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Israel | url= | email= | address=50 O'Connor St., Ste 1005 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://www.ambottawa.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Ottawa/en/ | email= | address=275 Slater St, 21F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-2401 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-1484 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ivory Coast}} {{listing | name=Ivory Coast | url= | email= | address=9 Marlborough Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Jamaica}} {{listing | name=Jamaica | url=http://jhcottawa.ca | email= | address=151 Slater St, Ste 1000 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-9311 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-0611 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/ | email= | address=255 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-241-8541 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Jordan}} {{listing | name=Jordan | url= | email= | address=100 Bronson Ave., Ste 701 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kazakhstan}} {{listing | name=Kazakhstan | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., Ste 701 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kenya}} {{listing | name=Kenya | url= | email= | address=415 Laurier Ave. East | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kosovo}} {{listing | name=Kosovo | url= | email= | address=200 Elgin St., Ste 501 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url= | email= | address=333 Sussex Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Latvia}} {{listing | name=Latvia | url=http://mfa.gov.lv/ottawa | email= | address=350 Sparks St, Ste 1200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-6014 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-238-7044 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Lebanon}} {{listing | name=Lebanon | url= | email= | address=640 Lyon St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Lesotho}} {{listing | name=Lesotho | url= | email= | address=130 Albert St., Ste 1820 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Libya}} {{listing | name=Libya | url= | email= | address=170 Ave. Laurier West, Ste 710 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania | url=http://ca.mfa.lt | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St, Ste 1600 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-567-5458 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-567-5315 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Madagascar}} {{listing | name=Madagascar | url= | email= | address=3 Raymond St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url= | email= | address=60 Boteler St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Mali}} {{listing | name=Mali | url= | email= | address=50 Goulburn Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Mauritius}} {{listing | name=Mauritius | alt= | url= | email= | address=2918 Southmore Dr E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-737-7322 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-737-0690 | hours= | price= | content=Honorary consul. The Mauritius embassy in [[Washington, D.C.]] covers Canada. }} *{{flag|Mexico}} {{listing |name=Mexico |url=http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada-eng/ |email=info@sre.gob.mx |address=Suite 1000, 45 O'Connor St |phone=+1 613-235-8988 |fax=+1 613-235-9123 |hours=M-F 9AM-5PM |content= }} *{{flag|Moldova}} {{listing | name=Moldova | url= | email= | address=275 Slater St., Ste 801 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Mongolia}} {{listing | name=Mongolia | url= | email= | address=132 Stanley Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Morocco}} {{listing | name=Morocco | alt= | url=https://www.embassy-worldwide.com/embassy/embassy-of-the-kingdom-of-morocco-in-ottawa-canada/ | email= | address=38 Range Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-7391 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Myanmar}} {{listing | name=Myanmar | url= | email= | address=336 Island Park Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Nepal}} {{listing | name=Nepal | alt= | url=https://ca.nepalembassy.gov.np/ | email=eonottawa@mofa.gov.np | address=408 Queen Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-680-5513 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-422-5149 | hours=March 15 – November 14: M-F 9AM-5PM, November 15 – March 14: M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2020-08-27 | content= }} *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/canada | email= | address=350 Albert St, Ste 2020 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-237-5030 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-237-6471 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|New Zealand}} {{listing | name=New Zealand | url=http://nzembassy.com/canada | email= | address=99 Bank St, Ste 727 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-5991 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-238-5707 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Nicaragua}} {{listing | name=Nicaragua | url= | email= | address=104 Black Maple Private | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Nigeria}} {{listing | name=Nigeria | alt= | url=http://nigeriahcottawa.com | email= | address=295 Metcalfe St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-236-0521, +1 613-236-0523 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-0529 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|North Macedonia}} {{listing | name=North Macedonia | url=http://www3.sympatico.ca/emb.macedonia.ottawa/ | email=ottawa@mfa.gov.mk | address=130 Albert St, Ste 1006 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-234-3882 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-1852 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Norway}} {{listing |name=Norway |url=http://www.emb-norway.ca |email=emb.ottawa@mfa.no |address=Suite 1300, 150 Metcalfe St |phone=+1 613-238-6571 |fax=+1 613-238-2765 |hours=M-F 9AM-3PM |content= }} *{{flag|Pakistan}} {{listing |name=Pakistan |url=http://www.pakmission.ca |email=parepottawa@rogers.com |address=10 Range Rd |phone=+1 613-238-7881 |fax=+1 613-238-7296 |content= }} *{{flag|Panama}} {{listing |name=Panama |url=http://www.embassyofpanama.ca |address=Suite 300, 130 Albert St |phone=+1 613-236-7177 |content= }} *{{flag|Paraguay}} {{listing | name=Paraguay | alt= | url=http://www.mre.gov.py/Sitios/Home/Index/embapar-canada/EN | email=embassy@embassyofparaguay.ca | address=161 Slater St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-557-1283 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-567-1005 | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Peru}} {{listing |name=Peru |url=http://www.embassyofperu.ca |address=Suite 1901, 130 Albert St |phone=+1 613-232-3062 |content= }} *{{flag|Philippines}} {{listing | name=Philippines | alt= | url=https://ottawape.dfa.gov.ph/ | email= | address=30 Murray Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-233-1121 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-233-4165 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Poland}} {{listing | name=Poland | url= | email= | address=443 Daly Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal | alt= | url=https://www.otava.embaixadaportugal.mne.pt/en/ | email=sconsular.ottawa@mne.pt | address=645 Island Park Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-729-0883 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-729-4236 | hours=M-F 9AM-1PM, admission by appointment only (email for appointment) | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content= }} *{{flag|Qatar}} {{listing | name=Qatar | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., 8th and 12th floors | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | alt= | url=http://ottawa.mae.ro | email=ottawa@mae.ro | address=655 Rideau St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-3709, +1 613-789-5345 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-4365 | hours=M-F 9AM-1PM, 2-4PM | price= | content=Embassy. }} *{{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia | url=http://rusembassy.ca | email= | address=285 Charlotte St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-4341, +1 613-236-1413 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-236-6342 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Rwanda}} {{listing | name=Rwanda | url= | email= | address=294 Albert St., Ste 404 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} {{listing | name=Saint Kitts and Nevis | url= | email= | address=421 Besserer St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Saint Lucia}} {{listing | name=Saint Lucia | alt= | url=http://stluciaconsulate.ca/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-203-8400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-06-16 | content=Saint Lucian consular service is provided from their office in [[Toronto]]. }} *{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url= | email= | address=201 Sussex Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Senegal}} {{listing | name=Senegal | url= | email= | address=57 Marlborough Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Serbia}} {{listing | name=Serbia | url= | email= | address=21 Blackburn Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Slovakia}} {{listing | name=Slovakia | url= | email= | address=50 Rideau Terr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Slovenia}} {{listing | name=Slovenia | url= | email= | address=150 Metcalfe St., Ste 2200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Africa}} {{listing | name=South Africa | url=http://southafrica-canada.ca | email= | address=15 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-744-0330 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-741-1639 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=South Korea | alt= | url=http://can-ottawa.mofa.go.kr/english/am/can-ottawa/main/index.jsp | email= | address=150 Boteler St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-244-5010 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M–F 9AM-noon, 1-5PM | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | url=http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/OTTAWA/en/pages/inicio.aspx | email= | address=74 Stanley Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-747-2252 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-744-1224 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{listing |name=Sri Lanka |url=http://www.srilankahcottawa.org |email=slhcit@rogers.com |address=Suite 1204, 333 Laurier Ave |phone=+1 613-233-8449 |fax=+1 613-238-8448 |hours=M-F 9AM-4:45PM }} *{{flag|Sudan}} {{listing | name=Sudan | url= | email= | address=354 Stewart St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Sweden}} {{listing |name=Sweden |url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/Embassies/Ottawa/ |email=sweden.ottawa@gov.se |address=377 Dalhousie St |phone=+1 613-244-8200 |fax=+1 613-241-2277 |hours=M-F 9AM-noon |content= }} *{{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland | url=https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/canada/en/home/representations/embassy-in-ottawa.html | email= | address=5 Marlborough Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-235-1837 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-563-1394 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Syria}} {{listing | name=Syria | url=http://www.syrianembassy.ca/ | email= | address=46 Cartier St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-569-5556 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Tanzania}} {{listing | name=Tanzania | url= | email= | address=50 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url= | email= | address=180 Island Park Dr. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Togo}} {{listing | name=Togo | url= | email= | address=12 Range Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} {{listing | name=Trinidad and Tobago | alt= | url=https://foreign.gov.tt/missions-consuls/tt-missions-abroad/diplomatic-missions/high-commission-ottawa-canada/ | email= | address=200 First Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-232-2418 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-232-4349 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Tunisia}} {{listing | name=Tunisia | url= | email= | address=515 O'Connor St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey | url=http://ottava.be.mfa.gov.tr | email= | address=197 Wurtemburg St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-789-4044, +1 613-789-3440 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-789-3442 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Uganda}} {{listing | name=Uganda | url= | email= | address=350 Sparks St., Ste 1210 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Ukraine}} {{listing | name=Ukraine | url=http://mfa.gov.ua/canada | email= | address=310 Somerset St W | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-230-2961 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-230-2400 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url= | email= | address=125 Boteler St. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | url=http://ukincanada.fco.gov.uk | email= | address=80 Elgin St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-237-1530 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-237-7980 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://ca.usembassy.gov/ | email=OttawaACS@state.gov | address=490 Sussex Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-238-5335 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-688-3082 | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Uruguay}} {{listing |name=Uruguay |url=http://www.embassyofuruguay.ca |email=embassy@embassyofuruguay.ca |address=Suite 901, 350 Sparks St |phone=+1 613-234-2727 |fax=+1 613-234-2727 |content= }} *{{flag|Venezuela}}{{listing |name=Venezuela |url=http://www.misionvenezuela.org/V2/ |address=32 Range Rd |phone=+1 613-235-5151 |content= }} *{{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing |name=Vietnam |url=http://vietem-ca.com |address=55 MacKay St |phone=+1 613-236-0772 |fax=+1 613-236-2704 |hours=M-F 9:30AM-5PM |content= }} *{{flag|Yemen}} {{listing | name=Yemen | url= | email= | address=54 Chamberlain Ave. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Zambia}} {{listing |name=Zambia |url=http://www.zambiahighcommission.ca |email=zhc.ottawa@bellnet.ca |address=151 Slater St |phone=+1 613-232-4400 |content= }} *{{flag|Zimbabwe}} {{listing | name=Zimbabwe | alt= | url=http://www.zimembassyottawa.com | email=zimottawa@zimfa.gov.zw | address=332 Somerset St W | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-421-2824 | tollfree= | fax=+1 613-422-7403 | hours=M-Th 9AM-4PM, F 9AM-1PM | price= | content=The Embassy of Zimbabwe in Ottawa. }} |} ==Go next== Just across the river from Ottawa is the city of [[Gatineau]], which has the stunning Canadian Museum of History and some mighty good restaurants too. It is the centre of the [[Outaouais]] region which includes the lovely village of [[Wakefield (Quebec)|Wakefield]], and [[Gatineau Park]] with its high cliffs and deep, clear lakes. A little further west is the [[Pontiac_(Quebec)|Pontiac]] where you will find small rural towns and rafting expeditions. There is a bus service from Ottawa and Gatineau to the Pontiac. You can cycle from Quyon to Pembroke on 72 km of railway bed turned into a bike trail. Stop by the Shawville Fair in late August/early September. To the south and east of Ottawa is a large flat rural area consisting mostly of small commuter towns, agricultural villages, and the occasional woodland. This lowland stretches all the way to Montreal (roughly 165 km to the east) and the United States border (just shy of a hundred kilometres to the south). The [[Rideau Canal]] runs through it. Among the many scenic towns are [[Merrickville]], which has a good claim to the name "Canada's prettiest village," and [[Perth (Ontario)|Perth]] with its mills and heritage buildings. Going west beyond [[Kanata]], the village of [[Carp]] (about 40 minutes away, in West Carleton, officially part of Ottawa) houses the surreal Cold War "Central Emergency Government Headquarters" (the Diefenbunker), now a museum and listed under "Museums" above. Beyond that is the [[Ottawa Valley]] region, towns and farms, then the Madawaska Highlands wilderness area starting about 90&nbsp;km from Ottawa. In that area is [[Calabogie]], a ski resort in winter and lake resort in summer. A little further on is another wilderness recreation area, [[Algonquin Provincial Park]]. Beyond the Ottawa region lie other Canadian cities, such as: * [[Montreal]], the largest city in Quebec and the largest French-speaking city in the Western Hemisphere, is 200&nbsp;km east. * [[Toronto]], Canada's largest city, is about 500&nbsp;km to the southwest. * [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]], about 200&nbsp;km to the southwest, on the way to Toronto. A university town with historic limestone buildings. If you're interested in a ''very'' different destination, Ottawa is one of the very few cities south of the 60th parallel that has regular scheduled air service - and the only one with year-round direct air service - to [[Iqaluit]], the capital of [[Nunavut]]. {{routebox | image1=VIA Rail Toronto Ottawa icon.png | imagesize1=100 | link1=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Toronto]] | minorl1=[[Smiths Falls]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=VIA Rail Montreal Quebec icon.png | imagesize2=100 | link2=Windsor-Quebec corridor | directionl2=W | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Montreal]] | minorr2=[[Alexandria (Ontario)|Alexandria]] | image3=Ontario 417.svg | imagesize3=20 | image3a=TCH-blank.svg | imagesize3a=20 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[North Bay]] | minorl3=[[Kanata]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Montreal]] | minorr3=[[Russell (Ontario)|Russell]] | link3=Trans-Canada Highway | image4=Ontario 7.svg | imagesize4=20 | image4a=TCH-blank.svg | imagesize4a=20 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Peterborough (Ontario)|Peterborough]] | minorl4=[[Carleton Place]] | directionr4=E | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=Ontario 416.svg | imagesize5=20 | directionl5=N | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Prescott (Ontario)|Prescott]] / [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] via [[File:Ontario 401.svg|16px]] | minorr5=[[Merrickville|Kemptville]] | image6=Quebec Autoroute 5.svg | imagesize6=20 | directionl6=N | majorl6=[[Montreal]] via [[File:Quebec Autoroute 50.svg|16px|link=]] | minorl6='''[[Gatineau]]''' | directionr6=S | majorr6=ENDS at Macdonald-Cartier Bridge | minorr6= }} {{isPartOf|Ottawa-Rideau}} {{geo|45.44|-75.6946}} {{guidecity}} {{related|Gatineau}} e1e8uh45hvsc1vuoqlgj6sksp434sj5 0 26486 4501790 4500308 2022-08-15T23:53:33Z BrianM0000 2272790 /* Climate */ fix layout wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [https://visitpahrump.com/ '''Pahrump'''] is a unincorporated town in [[Southern Nevada]] about 60 miles (100 km) west of Las Vegas, near the Nevada-California border. It is a commuter town for Las Vegas. Its population in 2019 was 29,000, and it is the tenth largest city in [[Nevada]]. ==Understand== ===History=== Pahrump was first inhabited by the Southern Paiute. It was slowly inhabited by European settlers in the late 19th century. They reportedly chose the name for Pahrump after the original Southern Paiute name Pah-Rimpi, or "Water Rock," so named because of the abundant artesian wells in the valley. Because of the artesian wells, the new inhabitants of Pahrump Valley began large ranch-style holdings, mostly over 1,000 acres (4 km²) in size. On the ranches, alfalfa and cotton were grown, and livestock were raised. Since the late 1970s, Pahrump has had steady growth, increasing from about 2,000 residents in 1980 to 22,000 in 2017. Pahrump is an archetypal example of an exurb. Almost all significant agriculture has ended in the valley, and the surface aquifers have been drained over the years. ===Climate=== {{climate | align = right | units = imperial | janhigh = 58 | febhigh = 62 | marhigh = 69 | aprhigh = 76 | mayhigh = 85 | junhigh = 95 | julhigh = 101 | aughigh = 99 | sephigh = 93 | octhigh = 81 | novhigh = 67 | dechigh = 57 | janlow = 30 | feblow = 34 | marlow = 40 | aprlow = 46 | maylow = 55 | junlow = 63 | jullow = 70 | auglow = 67 | seplow = 59 | octlow = 47 | novlow = 36 | declow = 29 | janprecip = 0.7 | febprecip = 0.9 | marprecip = 0.6 | aprprecip = 0.3 | mayprecip = 0.2 | junprecip = 0.1 | julprecip = 0.4 | augprecip = 0.4 | sepprecip = 0.3 | octprecip = 0.3 | novprecip = 0.4 | decprecip = 0.6 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Pahrump|36.2615|-116.0561}} &#160;&#160; Data from [http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/normals NOAA (1981-2010)] }} Summers in Pahrump are generally hot and dry, with occasional pushes of monsoonal moisture beginning in early July. Being at a similar elevation to Las Vegas, daytime highs in summer average within a few degrees of Las Vegas. Record highs are similar between the two cities as well. A typical day during June through August brings temperatures around {{F|100}}, and occasionally {{F|110}}. Nighttime temperatures, however, are noticeably cooler. This is due to the lack of an urban heat island in Pahrump, allowing for intense radiative cooling after sundown. As a result, summer nights are pleasantly warm, bottoming out in the mid-60s or 70s (F). Pahrump's location in a valley leads to large diurnal temperature ranges, typically {{F|30}} but occasionally {{F|40}}. By late August and early September, the sweltering summer heat noticeably tempers down. September is the gateway to fall, which brings very pleasant weather. October highs are generally 80 °F and nighttime temperatures in the 50s. Like other locations in the Mojave desert, winters are typically mild, with occasional pushes of cold air from the north. Daytime highs average from the mid-50s and 60s, but low temperatures hover around freezing for most nights between December to February. Spring brings pleasantly warm temperatures and cool evenings. Like other locations in the Mojave desert, this is the windiest time of year. Snowfall is rare in Pahrump, but there is generally at least one snow day per year. ==Get in== ===By car=== From Las Vegas head west to Nevada State Route 160, known as Blue Diamond Road within the Las Vegas area, with the remainder referred to as the Pahrump Valley Highway. ===By bus=== '''[http://www.greyhound.com Greyhound]''' has a daily bus service from [[Los Angeles]], taking just over eight hours. ===By plane=== The nearest airport with regularly scheduled flights is in Las Vegas, '''[[Harry Reid International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|LAS}}), approximately {{mi|60}} (about an hour drive) east of Pahrump. A private airport, Calvada Meadows Airport, also serves Pahrump, however, aircraft must request permission before landing at this small airport. ==Get around== {{mapframe|36.208611|-116.011944|zoom=12}} {{mapshape}} Pahrump Valley Transportation is the only public transportation in Pahrump. It runs by appointment, and offers transport to some destinations in Las Vegas. Pahrump has taxi service operating 24 hours a day. ==See== There are several parks, wineries, at least one museum, and a community pool. Events throughout the year are held in the town parks, including free movies in the park, Pow Wows, craft fairs and seasonal festivals. ===Parks and outdoors=== * {{see | name=Petrack Park | alt= | url=http://www.pahrumpnv.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Petrack-Park-2 | email= | address=150 NV-160 | lat=36.220949 | long=-115.9946 | directions=corner of NV-160 and E. Basin Avenue | phone=+1 775-727-5107 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-18 | content=The largest park in Pahrump that includes the community pool, tennis courts, basket ball court, a multi-use field with horse facilities, a community center adjacent, a playground with slides, swings, etc., a large parking lot and public bathrooms. }} * {{see | name=Pahrump Community Pool | alt= | url=https://www.pahrumpnv.org/178/Community-Swimming-Pool | email= | address=150 NV-160 | lat=36.219968 | long=-115.995413 | directions= | phone=+1 775-727-5107 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=May-Sept: 7AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2017-10-06 | content= }} ===Wineries=== * {{see | name=Pahrump Valley Winery | alt= | url=http://www.pahrumpwinery.com/ | email= | address=3810 Winery Rd | lat=36.191538 | long=-115.944901 | directions= | phone=+1 775 751-7800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-02 | content= }} * {{see | name=Sanders Family Winery | alt= | url=http://www.sanderswinery.com/ | email= | address=3780 E Kellogg Rd | lat=36.118146 | long=-115.943944 | directions= | phone=+1 775 727-1776 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-02 | content= }} ===Museums=== * {{see | name=Pahrump Valley Museum | alt= | url=http://pahrumpvalleymuseum.org/ | email= | address=401 E Basin Ave | lat=36.218949 | long=-116.007526 | directions= | phone=+1 775 751-1970 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-02 | content= }} ==Do== <!-- Note: Do not list brothels. See the Wikivoyage Sex Tourism policy for details --> * {{do | name=Front Sight | alt= | url=http://www.frontsight.com/ | email= | address=1 Front Sight Road | lat=36.031288 | long=-115.884390 | directions= | phone =+1 702 897-9107 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Learn to handle any firearm like a professional. }} * {{do | name=Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club | alt= | url=http://www.springmountainmotorsports.com/ | email=info@racespringmountain.com | address=4767 S Highway 160 | lat=36.171736 | long=-115.912056 | directions= | phone=+1 775 727-6363 | tollfree=+1-800-391-6891 | hours=M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa Su 8AM-̩4PM (office closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata=Q7580640 | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content= }} ===Gambling=== {{infobox|If you win...|Chances are if you win it big in Pahrump and you are a foreigner you will get dinged by the '''IRS 30% withholding tax'''. That $10,000 slot winning can dwindle quite quickly if that is taken off the top. Not to worry though you can reclaim your gambling winnings tax through a 1042-S form. You should get this from the casino, and don't lose it: it is your starting ticket to getting your gambling winnings back.}} Opportunities to gamble are plentiful in Pahrump. It is state law that '''all gamblers must be at least 21 years of age.''' Even if you are at least 21 years old, you are required to bring to the casino a valid ID that shows your current age or complete date of birth (e.g. driver's license, passport) as proof of your age. Photocopies of valid IDs are usually not considered valid. In-house security makes rounds of inspections to check compliance. If you are under age or without a valid ID to prove your age and found in the gambling premises, hotel staff will ask you to leave, and could ask the metro police to issue you a citation. Moreover, underage gamblers cannot collect any jackpot; such bets are void and the casino will at best return your wager before asking you to leave the premises. There is a curfew for anyone under the age of 18 and police are comfortable transporting violators to a juvenile center. * {{do | name=Lakeside Casino | alt= | url=https://www.lakesidecasinopahrump.com/ | email= | address=5870 Homestead Rd | lat=36.133667 | long=-115.959804 | directions= | phone=+1 775 751-7770 | tollfree=+1 188 558-5253 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-06 | content= }} * {{do | name=Gold Town | alt= | url=https://www.gtowncasino.com/ | email= | address=771 S Frontage Rd | lat=36.209197 | long=-115.983299 | directions= | phone=+1 775 751-7777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-06 | content= }} * {{do | name=Pahrump Nugget | alt= | url=https://www.pahrumpnugget.com/ | email= | address=681 South Highway 160 | lat=36.210762 | long=-115.984232 | directions= | phone=+1 866 751-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-06 | content= }} * {{do | name=Saddle West Hotel and Casino | alt= | url=http://www.saddlewest.com/ | email= | address=1220 Nevada 160 | lat=36.201625 | long=-115.977272 | directions= | phone=+1 800 433-3987 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-06 | content= }} * {{do | name=Irene's Casino | alt= | url=http://places.singleplatform.com/irenes-casino/menu | email= | address=820 East St | lat=36.207933 | long=-115.992157 | directions= | phone=+1 775-727-5211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-06 | content=A small, budget casino. }} ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Red Apple Fireworks | alt= | url=https://www.redapplefireworks.com/pahrump-nevada-store/ | email= | address=3640 NV-160 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 775-727-7200 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2020-09-29 | content= }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Mom's Diner | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Diner/Moms-Diner-102843966420209/ | email= | address=1240 State St #100 | lat=36.218447 | long=-115.990471 | directions= | phone=+1 775-751-9929 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-31 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Chatthai Bistro | alt= | url= http://www.chatthaibistro.com/ | email= | address=421 S Frontage Rd #1 | lat=36.2138 | long=-115.9906 | directions= | phone=+1 775-537-7227 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 11am-9pm, Closed Monday | price= | lastedit=2018-04-18 | content=Cozy Thai restaurant with some creative dishes and a good peanut sauce. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== Pahrump has hotel-casinos, hotels and RV parks to accommodate most travelers. * {{sleep | name=Best Western Pahrump Oasis | alt= | url=https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-details.29078.html | email= | address=1101 NV-160 | lat=36.204035 | long=-115.977404 | directions= | phone=+1 775-727-5100 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-10-23 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Wine Ridge RV Resort & Cottages | alt= | url=http://wineridgervresort.com/ | email= | address=3800 Winery Rd. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 775-751-7805 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-17 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express & Suites Pahrump | alt= | url= | email= | address=861 S Highway 160 | lat=36.207835 | long=-115.981406 | directions= | phone=+1 775 727-9100 | tollfree=+1 877 859-5095 | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | lastedit=2018-01-02 | content= }} ==Go next== * [[Las Vegas]] * [[Death Valley National Park]] {{routebox | image1=Nevada 160.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=NW | majorl1=Ends at [[Beatty|N]] [[File:US 95.svg|18px]] [[Las Vegas|S]] | minorl1= | directionr1=SE | majorr1=END | minorr1='''[[Las Vegas]]''' | image2=Nevada 372.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Death Valley National Park|Death Valley N.P.]] | minorl2=[[Shoshone (California)|Shoshone]] ← Becomes [[File:California 178.svg|18px]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=END | minorr2= }} {{geo|36.208611|-116.011944}} {{IsPartOf|Southern Nevada}} {{usablecity}} i3w0jx7eo8y0680somyog7sxaqrlcsj 0 26510 4501853 4487496 2022-08-16T03:27:13Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Dudipat WV Panorama.jpg}} {{warningbox| Many foreign governments advise against travel to Pakistan. Protests can take place throughout Pakistan with little warning and can turn violent quickly. You should avoid demonstrations, large crowds of people and public events. During holy periods/religious holidays, there is an increased potential for targeted attacks. The threat of terrorism, kidnap and sectarian violence is high throughout the country, including large cities like Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. Foreigners may be directly targeted. Densely populated areas such as markets, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, airports, and public transport are potential targets. |us=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Pakistan.html |canada=https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/pakistan |ie=https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/pakistan/ |de=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/pakistansicherheit/204974 |australia=https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/asia/south/pages/pakistan.aspx |nz=https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/pakistan |uk=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan | lastedit=2021-07-11 }} [[File:Islamabad.jpg|thumb|Islamabad at night]] The Islamic Republic of [http://www.tourism.gov.pk '''Pakistan'''] (Urdu: پاکستان) is a country at the crossroads of [[Western Asia|Western]], [[Central Asia|Central]], [[South Asia|South]] and [[East Asia]]. Conceived as a separate homeland for [[Islam|Muslims]] in South Asia, the country's tourism industry had its heyday during the 1960s thanks to the [[Istanbul to New Delhi over land|Hippie Trail]]. Unfortunately, the country has been in a state of flux since the 1970s, with many countries declaring it unsafe to visit. Despite this, Pakistan continues to attract tourists due to its unique, diverse cultures and landscapes. The history buff can rejoice at the vast number of ruins from ancient civilisations, such as Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa and Taxila; The architecture lover can feast their eyes at Mughal-era architecture; The adventurous traveller can try their luck at scaling the vast number of mountain peaks, including [[K2]]. ==Regions== Pakistan is a federal republic consisting of four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The government of Pakistan also exercises ''de facto'' jurisdiction over two parts of the disputed Kashmir region: Azad Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan (formerly Northern Areas). {{Regionlist | regionmap=Pakistan map.png | regionmaptext=Map of Pakistan | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Gilgit-Baltistan]] | region1color=#B383B3 | region1items= | region1description=Part of the disputed territory of Kashmir, it is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, brimming with dramatically fantastic landscapes and can easily compete with Nepal for trekking opportunities. | region2name=[[Northwest Pakistan]] | region2color=#69999F | region2items=Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | region2description=Primarily Pashtun, the region is very rugged and mountainous but the people are very hospitable. Northern Pakhtunkhwa is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas of the country. The region includes the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). | region3name=[[Azad Kashmir]] | region3color=#B5D29F | region3description=Part of the disputed territory of Kashmir, it is sometimes referred to as "Heaven on Earth" because of its scenic landscape. | region4name=[[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]] | region4color=#71B37B | region4description=The most populous and agriculturally fertile region in the country, and home to many historical shrines and mosques. | region5name=[[Sindh]] | region5color=#4F93C0 | region5description=In the most industrialised region in the country, most visitors head for Karachi or the ancient ruins of Mohenjo-daro, but Sindh is also known for its distinct culture which is influenced by Sufism. | region6name=[[Balochistan]] | region6color=#D56D76 | region6description=The largest and most remote province, its lack of infrastructure and a low-level insurgency can make for rough travelling. It is, however, home to the world's second largest juniper forest, beautiful natural beaches, and regions which are famous for their delicious fruit. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#B383B3|title=[[Gilgit-Baltistan]]|wikidata=Q200697}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#69999F|title=[[Northwest Pakistan]]|wikidata=Q183314,Q208270}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#B5D29F|title=[[Azad Kashmir]]|wikidata=Q200130}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#71B37B|title=[[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]]|wikidata=Q4478}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#4F93C0|title=[[Sindh]]|wikidata=Q37211}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#D56D76|title=[[Balochistan]]|wikidata=Q163239}} ==Cities== {{mapframe}} <!-- Cities lists are limited to 9 items. The capital is listed first, followed by the others in alphabetical order. Please first discuss proposed changes on this page's talk page. --> Nine of Pakistan's most notable cities follow. Other cities are listed in the article for their region. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Islamabad]]|wikidata=Q1362}} – the federal capital, a relatively new planned city with a much more "laid back" feel than the other cities * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Faisalabad]]|wikidata=Q173985}} – a major city in Punjab, famous for its textile industry * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Karachi]]|wikidata=Q8660}} – the financial capital and the largest city of the country, it's an industrial port city and the provincial capital of Sindh * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Lahore]]|wikidata=Q11739}} – city of the Mughals, it's a bustling and very historical city in the Punjab that shouldn't be missed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Multan]]|wikidata=Q185453}} – the City of Saints, famous for blue pottery, ornamental glasswork, and Khussa – a type of shoes * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Muzaffarabad]]|wikidata=Q461307}} – capital of Azad Kashmir and a very picturesque city * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Peshawar]]|wikidata=Q1113311}} – capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the gateway to [[Khyber Pass]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Quetta]]|wikidata=Q185458}} – capital city of Balochistan * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sialkot]]|wikidata=Q643883}} – the city of sports goods, famous for its exports industry, and one of the oldest cities in the region <br clear="right" /> ==Other destinations== [[File:Moenjodaro(a) by Usman Ghani.jpg|thumb|Mohenjo-daro]] * {{marker|name=[[Karakoram Highway]]|wikidata=Q217099}} &ndash; part of the historic [[Silk Road]] and the main artery running north to [[China]] * {{marker|name=[[Murree]]|wikidata=Q1020224}} &ndash; a popular Himalayan hill station one hours drive from Islamabad * {{marker|name=[[Khewra Salt Mine]]|wikidata=Q2504719}} &ndash; the second largest salt mine of the world. Nearly two hours drive from Islamabad towards south via the motorway * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} &ndash; archaeological site from the Indus Valley Civilisation, about 2000 BCE * {{marker|name=[[Taxila]]|wikidata=Q156093}} &ndash; archaeological site for the Gandharan period (1st millennium BCE and 1st CE) * {{marker|name=[[Changa Manga]]|wikidata=Q5071705}}- is a planted forest locating in 12,423 acres. * {{marker|name=[[Nankana Sahib]]|wikidata=Q2353077}}- birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of [[Sikhism]]. See also [[Sacred sites of the Indian sub-continent]] and the [[UNESCO_World_Heritage_List#Pakistan|UNESCO World Heritage listings for Pakistan]]. <br clear="right" /> ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationPakistan.png}} Pakistan is the world's 33rd largest country by size. With a population exceeding 207.2 million people, it is the fifth most populous country in the world. ===History=== {{see also|Mughal Empire|British Raj}} <!-- Areas encompassing present-day Pakistan, was once hosting world's earliest sophisticated society of Indus Valley Civilisation.--> The history of Pakistan can be traced back to the earliest ancient human civilisations in South Asia. The earliest evidence of farming in South Asia is from 7,000 BCE in [[Mehrgarh]]. Mehrgarh in present-day Balochistan was a small farming village and centre of agriculture in South Asia during New Stone Age period which lasted until its abandonment around 2600 BCE due to climate change and was succeeded by [[Indus Valley Civilization]], a civilization in the early stages of development growing along one of the major rivers of Asia, the Indus. By 3300 BCE, the IVC extended throughout much of what is modern-day Pakistan. It became one of the great civilisations of the ancient world along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. This Bronze Age civilisation with its remarkably sophisticated civil engineering and urban planning become most advanced civilisation of its time which had well-planned towns and well-laid roads, as recorded in its major city of [[Mohenjo-daro]] which today is an archaeological site of immense historical significance. The Indus Valley Civilization declined and disintegrated around 1900 BCE, possibly due to drought and geological disturbances. Most historians believe that the Vedic people were migrants who encountered this civilization in decline and perhaps hastened that decline. The Vedic people eventually occupied most of North India, laid the foundations of Hinduism and flourished in the ancient city of what is today known as [[Taxila]]. After the defeat of the first [[Persian Empire]], Achaemenid, which ruled much of modern Pakistan, Alexander the Great, the [[Ancient Greece|Hellenistic]] King of Macedon, invaded the region of Pakistan and conquered much of the Punjab region for his Macedonian empire. [[File:Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.jpg|thumb|Shalimar Gardens, a Mughal garden in Lahore]] Prior to the late 18th century, Pakistan was the main Islamic stronghold in the [[Mughal Empire]], which at its peak covered the great majority of the Indian subcontinent. The area that now makes up Pakistan kept its status as one of the main cultural and political hubs of South Asia for over 300 years. From the late 18th century until 1947, Pakistan was part of the British Empire, and one can still see the signs of Pakistan's colonial past in most places. The name ''Pakistan'' was used officially after the partition of (British) India into the two nation-states of India and Pakistan in 1947. However, the word ''Pakistan'' was first used by Choudhry Rahmat Ali back in 1933 in his declaration, ''Now or Never'' – calling for its separation from the Empire. Afterwards, British-ruled India was divided into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (with two sections, West and East) and India. Later, East Pakistan seceded and became the separate nation of [[Bangladesh]], as a result of an extremely brutal war which also involved India. A dispute over [[Kashmir]] is still ongoing between India and Pakistan and has resulted in three wars and many skirmishes, acts of terrorism and an insurgency and counter-insurgency in [[Jammu and Kashmir|the part of Kashmir controlled by India and claimed by Pakistan]]. Right after its independence Pakistan was a peaceful, tolerant, progressive and prosperous country and a magnet for international travelers. By the late 1960s Pakistan's tourism industry was flourishing and the country became a hotspot for many young Western travelers and the hippie types. In the absence of political and ethnic violence and terrorism Pakistan showed the image of a cosmopolitan, orderly country but by the 1980s the reputation of Pakistan had changed drastically, and today it is a very different place from what it used to be. Today Pakistan is populated mostly by people whose ancestors originated from various other places — including Arabs from after the Islamic expeditions, Persians from Bukhara and Samarkand, Turks from Central Asia — and the native Sindhus whose ancestors converted to Islam. Ethnic groups such as Punjabis, Sindhis, Seraikis, Pashtuns, Mohajirs and Balochs all have different native languages, cultures and histories. ===Geography=== {{infobox|Kashmir dispute|India and Pakistan have a bitter and long-standing dispute over Kashmir; each government claims territory that is under the control of the other. They have fought wars over this three times since independence in 1947. Wikivoyage, however, deals ''only'' with the current situation on the ground; our maps show and our text describes that situation without taking sides in the dispute. If you can go there with a Pakistani visa today then we treat it as being in Pakistan, and if you need an Indian visa, we treat it as being in India. This is the most important distinction for travellers. Most of the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir ([[Azad Kashmir]] and [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]) is safer than most of the rest of Pakistan, but travellers should check current conditions before visiting Kashmir and be wary of areas close to the Line of Control (the de facto border). Both governments consider these areas highly sensitive, keep large military forces in them, and restrict travel to them.}} Pakistan is strategically located astride the ancient trade routes of the [[Khyber Pass|Khyber]] and [[Bolan Pass|Bolan]] passes to [[Central Asia]]. Another pass, which now has the [[Karakoram Highway]] through it, leads to Western China. All these passes, and some ports in Pakistan, formed part of the ancient [[Silk Road]] which linked Asia and Europe. Located along the Arabian Sea, Pakistan is surrounded by [[Afghanistan]] to the northwest, [[Iran]] to the southwest, [[India]] to the east, and [[China]] to the northeast. Pakistan has its own unique character but also has many commonalities with neighbouring nations, especially [[Afghanistan]] and [[India]]. Pakistan is one of those few countries in the world that has every kind of geological structure. It has the sea, desert (Sindh & Punjab), green mountains (North West Province), dry mountains (Balochistan), mountains covered with snow, rivers, rich land to cultivate (Punjab & Sindh), water resources, waterfalls, and forests. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan contain the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the Karakoram, and the Hindu Kush. Pakistan's highest point is K2, which, at 8,611 metres, is the second highest peak in the world. The Punjab province is a flat, alluvial plain whose rivers eventually join the Indus River and flow south to the Arabian Sea. Sindh lies between the Thar Desert and the Rann of Kutch to the east, and the Kirthar range to the west. The Balochistan Plateau is arid and surrounded by dry mountains. Pakistan experiences frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe, especially in the north and the west. ===Climate=== Mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north. Flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August). Fertile and sub humid heat in the Punjab region. The climate varies from tropical to temperate, with arid conditions in the coastal south. There is a monsoon season with frequent flooding due to heavy rainfall, and a dry season with significantly less rainfall or none at all. There are four distinct seasons: a cool, dry winter from December through February; a hot, dry spring from March through May; the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September; and the retreating monsoon period of October and November. Rainfall varies greatly from year to year, and patterns of alternate flooding and drought are common. ===Politics=== [[File:Pakistan flag.jpg|thumb|The flag of Pakistan]] Pakistan is theoretically a democratic, parliamentary federal republic modelled on the British Westminster system, with Islam as the state religion. The President, indirectly elected, is the Head of State, but his position is primarily ceremonial. The Prime Minister and his cabinet run the government. The Parliament is bicameral. The National Assembly, the lower house, is directly elected by universal adult franchise, while the Senate is the upper house and indirectly elected. The National Assembly is the more powerful of the two, primarily because a majority in the National Assembly is required to form a government and pass budgets. Pakistan has a lot of political parties, and no party is able to secure a majority in the National Assembly, leading to unstable governments, short-lived political alliances and raucous politics. Pakistan has a strong and independent judiciary and a free press. However, political instability has resulted in (or some would say, has been partially caused by) a high degree of military control in Pakistan. Most of the prime ministers have been influenced by the chief of the Pakistani army in major decisions related to foreign policy, and there have been periods of outright military dictatorship in the past. Pakistan is also a ''Federal'' Republic, divided into provinces. Each of these has its own legislature, with a government run by a chief minister and a cabinet. Street demonstrations and political agitations occur, as they do in any democracy. There is also occasional low-level violence, but a visitor has a vanishingly small chance of getting caught in that. Terrorism is a bigger problem, though. It can occur anywhere, and some parts of the country are too dangerous to visit because of the great risks in those areas (see "Stay safe"). ===Culture=== {{Ramadan}} Pakistan, being home to numerous ethnic groups is a culturally diverse nation that emphasizes both on local culture and traditions along with the traditional Islamic values. The culture is greatly influenced by Northern India, Afghanistan and Iran. ===Women=== Legally women and men have equal rights under the law in Pakistan, however society is largely patriarchal and women are particularly mistreated in rural areas, where their access to education and employment remains limited. Nevertheless, women have played a prominent role in the development of the country in government, education, services, health as well as the military. Benazir Bhutto was the first female premier of Pakistan, and the first democratically elected female leader of a Muslim country and women have served in many other prominent areas in politics. The Pakistan Air Force has also started to employ female fighter pilots. ===Holidays=== {|class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;width:100%" ! Event||Date||About |- | '''Kashmir Solidarity Day''' |February 5 |Protest against Indian administration of Jammu and Kashmir. It has been observed each year in Pakistan as a day of protest against Indian control of part of Kashmir. The purpose of Kashmir Solidarity day as per Pakistani view, is to provide sympathetic and political support to the Kashmiri separatists who they believe are struggling for freedom from Indian rule. Nonviolent rallies and public marches are held across the country. |- | '''Pakistan Day''' |23 March |Commemorates the Lahore Resolution of 1940, and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic. It is a major holiday and significant day for Pakistanis, other being the Independence Day on 14 August. Republic Day parade by the armed forces is a common celebration for the event. The celebrations regarding the holiday include a full military and civilian parade in the capital, Islamabad. These are presided over by the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan and are held early in the morning. After the parade, the President confers national awards and medals at the Presidency. Wreaths are also laid at the mausoleums of Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Many military and civilians parades and celebrations also held at national level across the country, mostly in major cities, and are worth to witness. |- | '''Labour Day''' |1 May |An annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers and to commemorate the social and economic achievements of workers. Nonviolent rallies and protest demonstration held in major cities. |- | '''Independence Day''' |14 August |biggest National holiday to commemorate independence from the British Raj, forming the new nation of Pakistan. Usual celebratory events this day include flag-raising ceremonies, parades, cultural events, and the playing of patriotic songs. As the month of August begins, special stalls and shops are set up across the country for the sale of national flags, buntings, banners and posters, pictures of national heroes, and other celebratory items. Vehicles, private buildings, homes, and streets are decorated with the national flag and buntings. Streets and houses are decorated with candles, oil lamps and pennants, national flag as well as firework shows occur as a part of celebration. A change of guard takes place at national monuments. |- | '''Iqbal Day''' |9 November | Birthday of national poet Muhammad Iqbal. |- | '''Birthday of Quaid-e-Azam''' |25 December | birthday of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. |- | '''Ashura''' |Muharram 9 and 10 |Marks the end of the Shia mourning for the martyred Imam Hussein ibn Ali. Primarily Shia'a people gather across the country to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Seminars, rallies, mourning processions (Matmi Jaloos), Majalis, etc. are organized on this day. |- | '''Eid-ul-Fitr''' |Shawwal 1 |the largest celebration of the year, celebrated by all Muslims after the holy and fasting month of Ramadan to mark the end of Ramadan, starting on the first day of the month of Shawwal. Food is the highlight and if you're lucky you'll be invited into a private home to party and feast. Businesses close for at least a couple of days if not a week. (The official holidays are theoretically two days: the first and second day of the month of Shawwal. Anyhow, practically it includes the 30th day of Ramadan and may include the third day of Shawwal if it touches the weekend. Therefore, usually all offices are closed for 3 to 7 days.) |- | '''Eid-ul-Adha''' |10 Zilhajj | the festival of sacrifice, commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. Animals are slaughtered and meat or food is distributed among the poor. Families join together for large feasts and parties. |- | '''Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi''' |Rabi`-ul-Awwal 12 |Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. |- |} ==Get in== ===Visas=== {{VisaRestriction|Entry '''will be refused''' to citizens of [[Israel]] with an Israeli passport. However, other passports containing Israeli stamps or visas are not problematic for entry. Citizens of [[India]] are '''rarely granted''' Pakistani visas. However, they may apply for permits to visit certain areas, which are normally easier to obtain. }} [[File:Visa policy of Pakistan.svg|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Pakistan, with countries in lawn green having business visa on arrival; and countries in turquoise having business or group tourist visa on arrival]] As of late May 2019, the long-awaited [https://visa.nadra.gov.pk/ e-visa system] has been opened up for citizens of 191 countries. Unclear yet as to whether this is for both airports and land borders. Citizens of 24 "Tourist Friendly Countries" (TFC) are eligible for one month visas on arrival if they travel through a [http://www.tourism.gov.pk/travel_guide.html designated/authorised tour operator] {{dead link|December 2020}} who will assume responsibility for them while in the country. Any extensions of this type of visa must also be done through the tour operator. They include: [[Austria]], [[Belgium]], [[Canada]], [[China]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Iceland]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Malaysia]], [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]], [[Portugal]], [[Singapore]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Thailand]], [[UK]] and [[USA]]. Nationals of most other countries, and those not wanting to travel with a tour operator and group, need to apply in advance for a visa, which are usually issued for 30–90 days depending on nationality and where you apply. Double-entries are sometimes given, but be clear and persistent that you need this when applying. Visas for Pakistan are usually easier to obtain in your home country as the missions around the world have been given more authority to issue visas without checking with Islamabad, which should help in getting applications turned around quicker. A handful of countries are issued visas on arrival: [[Iceland]] and [[Maldives]] for 3 months, [[Hong Kong]], [[Nepal]] and [[Samoa]] for 1 month, while [[Tonga]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]] nationals can stay for an unlimited amount of time. Citizens of certain countries can obtain '''business visas''' on arrival at major airports (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta or Karachi) if their local host company either obtain an approval from the immigration authorities or arrange an invitation letter duly recommended by the concerned trade organizations in Pakistan. A recommendation letter issued by the Chamber of Commerce & Industry is also acceptable. '''People of Pakistani origin''' living overseas are granted 5 year multiple entry visas (along with their spouses), valid for single stays of up to 1 year. Visas aren't required at all if they are holding a Pakistan Origin Card (POC) or a National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP). [[File:Wagah border ceremony3.jpg|thumb|Border ceremony at the border with India in Wagah]] '''Nationals of [[Israel]] are not allowed entry''' as Israel is not recognised as a nation by Pakistan (and most other Muslim countries), but there is no restriction on Jews holding passports from other nations. Despite much on-line information to the contrary, Israeli stamps and visas would usually pose no problems for entry into Pakistan, though you may be subject to more stringent questioning by immigration officers. And while under normal circumstances visas can not be obtained by Israeli passport holders, there have been exceptions in which nationals of Israel have been admitted to Pakistan after obtaining an NOC from the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad beforehand, which they then submitted along with an application for a Pakistani visa. Nationals of Afghanistan are refused entry if their passports or tickets show evidence of transit or boarding in India. The Pakistan Consulate in [[Istanbul]] does not issue visas unless you are a resident of [[Turkey]], although it may be possible in [[Ankara]]. The consulate in [[Zahedan]] in [[Iran]] no longer issues visas, head for the embassy in [[Tehran]]. As of January 2018, applications for tourist visas in Delhi are refused to everyone, regardless of the nationality. As of May 2019, the Embassy of Pakistan in Bishkek will sometimes grant visas to non-Kyrgyz citizens. The paperwork is extensive but turnaround is fast, 2–3 days in practice. ===By plane=== [[File:PIA rendezvous-edit.jpg|thumb|A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 737 at Skardu Airport]] [[Karachi]], [[Lahore]], and [[Islamabad]] are the main gateways to Pakistan by air. Eight other international airports are in [[Quetta]], [[Gawadar]], [[Peshawar]], [[Sialkot]], [[Multan]], [[Rahim Yar Khan]], [[Faisalabad]] and [[Dera Ghazi Khan]]. Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad all served by many international airliners and have direct connections from Europe, North America, Middle East and Southeast Asia. Pakistan's national carrier Pakistan International Airlines provides good connectivity within the country as well to major hubs around the world. PIA was once one of the most reputable airlines in the world, but is now suffering due to bad governance. It is still the largest airline of the country and serves the most destinations, both local and international. PIA has direct connections with Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Birmingham, Barcelona, Bangkok, Beijing, Copenhagen, Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kabul, Istanbul, Kuwait, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, London, Oslo, Paris, Riyadh. Sharjah, Singapore, Manchester, Medinah, Mumbai, Milan, Muscat, New York, Riyadh, Tokyo, Toronto-Pearson, and Zahedan. British Airways has a direct service from London to Islamabad and Lahore, while Virgin Atlantic has services from London and Manchester to Islamabad and from London to Lahore. Most flights and airlines originate from Gulf countries, where most of the overseas Pakistan work, and those flights are often reasonably priced. Other than flag career PIA, private airlines such as Airblue and Shaheen Airlines also operate flights from numerous Arab destinations. ===By train=== [[File:Samjautha Express.JPG|thumb|Samjautha Express]] Pakistan has train links with India and Iran, though none of these trains are the quickest and most practical way to enter Pakistan. Should speed be a priority it is better to take the bus, or if you are really in a hurry, to fly, however the trains are sights in their own right. '''From [[India]]:''' * ''The Samjhauta Express'' runs on Tuesdays and Fridays between [[Delhi]] and [[Lahore]] via the [[Attari]]/[[Wagah]] border crossing. This is the most common option chosen by travellers, however, after terrorist attacks on the train, which caused many casualties and strained relationships between the two neighbours, it is strongly advised that you take taxis or buses to and from the border instead. * ''The Thar Express'' runs from [[Bhagat ki Kothi]] in the Indian state of [[Rajasthan]] to [[Karachi]] in Pakistan's Sindh province. This route restarted in February 2006 after 40 years out of service, but is '''not''' open to foreign tourists. '''From [[Iran]]''': There is only one link, from [[Zahedan]] to [[Quetta]]. This link was suspended around 2014 for passengers. Local media reported that reinstatement was due as of September 2018 but no train on this route appears on timetables from Pakistan or Iran, and there are no reports of passengers crossing - it would be unwise to rely on such a service existing for now. ===By car=== From ancient times people have been travelling through Pakistan using the [[Grand Trunk Road]] and the [[Silk Road]] that run through Pakistan and into the [[South Asia|Indian subcontinent]]. It's a rewarding but time consuming way to see this part of the world. New highways have been developed and the country is due for an expansion in its highway network. A world-class motorway connects the cities of [[Peshawar]], [[Islamabad]], [[Lahore]], [[Multan]] and [[Faisalabad]] but drivers' behaviour is still poor and capriciously policed. '''From [[China]]:''' Pakistan is connected to [[China]] by the [[Karakoram Highway]], a modern feat of engineering that traverses a remarkably scenic route through the Karakoram and Himalayan mountains. Plans are in place for this highway to be expanded from its current width of 10 m to 30 m as a result of the increase in trade traffic due to Gwader port opening. '''From [[Afghanistan]]:''' * The [[Khyber Pass]] connects [[Peshawar]] to [[Jalalabad]] and [[Kabul]]. This was considered closed to foreign tourists for many years, but since 2017 it is theoretically open and there have been some reports of successful crossings from Afghanistan to Pakistan. An armed escort and a permit to travel through the tribal regions are both required between [[Peshawar]] and the border (or vice versa). Onward travel (on the Afghanistan side) from the border to [[Kabul]] is of extremely questionable and oft-varying safety, check the current situation locally. * The [[Bolan Pass]] connects [[Quetta]] to [[Kandahar]] and is considered '''very dangerous'''. This route is '''not''' open to foreign tourists, and is only open to locals and aid workers. ===By bus=== '''From India''': While there is international service running from [[Delhi]] to [[Lahore]] it is just as fast, much more flexible, and much cheaper to take the journey by stringing together local transport and crossing the border on foot. As of October 2009, the bus was Rs&nbsp;1,500. The journey details can be found here: [http://dtc.nic.in/lahorebus.htm dtc.nic.in/lahorebus] {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} . You cannot buy the ticket on the spot, rather you will need to show up a few days before at Delhi Gate with photocopies of your Pakistani and Indian visas. The bus leaves at 06:00 but you will need to be at Delhi Gate at 04:00 to check in. '''From China''': You can take a bus from [[Kashgar]] over the [[Karakoram Highway]] to Pakistan. '''From Iran''': Via the [[Mijva]] border in [[Iran]] which is half an hours drive from [[Zahedan]]. The Pakistani border town is called [[Taftan]] and has facilities of immigration, customs, hotels, etc. Paramilitary police are likely to make foreigners ride in the bed of one of their pickups from Taftan to Quetta rather than taking a bus at this time. There is an overnight stop in Dalbandin. ==Get around== Getting around Pakistan has become ''much'' easier with the completion of some motorways, and an increase in private airlines. Whilst the cities are well covered, roads in rural areas are not, with many minor roads missing - Google Maps in particular has a worrying habit of marking dried up river beds as minor roads, so if you're exploring out in the sticks, it's a good idea to use Google Earth to double check your route. ===By plane=== [[File:Pakistan Airports & Seaports.png|thumbnail|Airports ]] [http://www.piac.com.pk '''Pakistan International Airlines'''] (PIA) serves numerous domestic destinations and is the only airline to serve the three airports in the north of interest to trekkers or climbers: [[Chitral]], [[Gilgit]], and [[Skardu]]. There are usually two flights from Islamabad to these cities daily, but they are often cancelled due to bad weather, and often over-booked &mdash; show up early to guarantee a seat. Other domestic carriers include '''[https://www.sereneair.com SereneAir]''' and '''[http://www.airblue.com Airblue]'''. ===By train=== [[File:Pakistan Railways Network Map.png|thumb|Pakistan Railways Network Map]] [http://www.pakrail.com/ '''Pakistan Railways'''] provides passenger rail service. The stations tend not to have their timetables in English, but sales agents can usually explain everything to you. There are several different classes of fares depending on amenities. Air-Conditioned Sleeper class is the most expensive class, where the fares are almost at par with airfares. Bedding is included with the fare and this air-conditioned coach is present only on popular routes between Karachi to Lahore. The sleeper berths are extremely wide and spacious and the coaches are carpeted. ===By bus=== [[File:Pakistan Nationalhighways.PNG|thumbnail|Highway network]] A large portion of travel between cities in Pakistan is carried out by bus. Travel by bus is often the cheapest and most convenient alternative. The Daewoo company runs a regular bus service between several major cities, with air-conditioned buses and seats booked one day ahead. While rather inexpensive, they are still almost five times as expensive as the cheap and uncomplicated rides offered by minibuses or larger buses between the major bus stations of the cities. On the regular bus services, fares are often (though not always) paid directly on the bus, there is no air-conditioning, and sometimes very little knee space, but you get where you are going all the same. You'll also probably benefit from kind interest and friendly conversation on many rides. Buses leave almost incessantly from the major bus stations for all the major cities, and many smaller locations, so booking ahead is neither possible nor necessary on the simpler buses. When travelling between major cities, smaller buses are to be preferred over the larger ones, as the larger ones tend to pick up passengers along the way and, therefore, travel more slowly. The situation is similar for local transport. While the organization of local transport may look a little different between cities, there is usually an active bus service running throughout each city, with varying levels of government control. You can purchase bus tickets online with the [https://www.bookkaru.com/ Bookkaru] booking engine. Major bus companies operating intercity buses in Pakistan are [https://faisalmovers.com/ Faisal Movers], [http://www.skyways.pk/ Skyways], [http://www.niaziexpress.com.pk/ Niazi Express] and [https://www.kohistanexpress.com/ Kohistan Express]. ==Talk== {{Seealso|Urdu phrasebook}} At the federal level, '''[[Urdu phrasebook|Urdu]]''' and '''English''' are the official languages of Pakistan. Urdu serves as the national language of Pakistan and as a ''lingua franca''. It is the first language only for a tenth of the population. '''[[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]]''' is native language of roughly 40% of the population and is the most widely spoken language throughout the country. The variant of Punjabi used in Pakistan uses the Shahmukhi alphabet, a variant of the same script used to write Urdu. Other languages spoken throughout the country are [[Pothohari phrasebook|Pothohari]], [[Sindhi phrasebook|Sindhi]], [[Pashto phrasebook|Pashto]], [[Balochi phrasebook|Balochi]], [[Saraiki phrasebook|Saraiki]], [[Shina phrasebook|Shina]], [[Burushaski phrasebook|Burushaski]], [[Khowar phrasebook|Khowar]], [[Wakhi phrasebook|Wakhi]], [[Hindko phrasebook|Hindko]], and so on. Fluency in English varies vastly depending on education levels, occupation, age and region. English is widely spoken among affluent sectors of the population in major cities and around most tourist places, as well as in most police stations and government offices. [[image:Pakistan ethnic map.svg |thumb |right |300px | Languages and ethnic groups of Pakistan]] ==See== [[File:Dudiptsar_Lake.jpg|thumb|Dudiptsar Lake, Kaghan Valley, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan]] [[File:Rakaposhi_Nagar.jpg|thumb|Rakaposhi Nagar]] [[File:KachuraUpper1075.JPG|thumb|Kachura Lake]] Pakistan's attractions range from the ruins of civilisations such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Taxila, to the Himalayan hill stations, which attract visitors not only from across the country but also from all over the world who are interested in winter sports and natural beauty. Pakistan is home to several mountain peaks over 7,000 m, especially K2 and is a hotspot for adventurers and mountaineers. Along with natural beauty, the northern part of the country also offer ancient architecture such as old fortresses. The Hunza and Chitral valley are home to small pre-Islamic Animist Kalasha communities claiming descent from Alexander the Great, while the romance of the historic Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is timeless and legendary. Punjab province has the site of Alexander's battle on the Jhelum River and the historic city of Lahore. Lahore is Pakistan's cultural capital, with many examples of Mughal architecture such as Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, the Tomb of Jahangir and the Lahore Fort. The cultural and physical diversity of Pakistan should have advanced it into a tourist hot spot for foreigners, but numbers have diminished in this century due to security fears and low standards of service and cleanliness. Post-independence Pakistan retained its heritage by constructing various sites to commemorate its independence by blending various styles and influences from the past. ===World Heritage Sites=== Pakistan has six major cultural sites that are categorised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include: *Archaeological ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization at [[Moenjodaro]]. *1st Century Buddhist Ruins at Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol. *The ruins of [[Taxila]] from the Gandhara Civilization *The Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens in [[Lahore]]. *Historic Monuments of the ancient city of Thatta. *The ancient fort of Rohtas. ===Natural attractions === Pakistan is a profound blend of landscapes varying from plains to deserts, forests, hills, and plateaus ranging from the coastal areas of the Arabian Sea in the south to the mountains of the Karakoram range in the north. Pakistan's northern areas especially [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] and [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Northern side of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] are full of natural beauty and include parts of the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram Range, and the Himalayas. This area has some of the world's highest mountain includes such famous peaks as K2 (Mount Godwin Austen, at 8,611 m, the second highest mountain in the world). Five peaks over 8,000 m, many over 7,000 m, and the largest glaciers outside the polar region. More than one-half of the summits are over 4,500 m, and more than fifty peaks reach above 6,500 mPakistan's administered Azad Kashmir is rich in natural beauty. Its snow-covered peaks, forests, rivers, streams, valleys, velvet green plateaus and climate varying from Arctic to tropical, join together to make it an excellent tourist attraction. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is known as the tourist hotspot for adventurers and explorers. The province has a varied landscape ranging from rugged mountains, valleys, hills and dense agricultural farms. Pakistan has some 29 national parks. === Cultural and historical attractions=== Popular monuments in Pakistan are: *Pakistan Monument *Minar-e-Pakistan *Quaid-e-Azam Residency *Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal *Mazar-e-Quaid ===Museums and galleries=== In Pakistan, there's a museum from archaeological and historical to biographical, from heritage to military, from natural history to transport—nearly every big city has a museum worth visiting. The highest concentrations of these museums are found in the largest cities, but none compare to Lahore, home to Lahore Museum. Karachi also has an array of some good museums, including the National Museum of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan Museum & Art Gallery, MagnifiScience Centre, PAF Museum and Pakistan Maritime Museum. For those looking out for a transport museum, Pakistan Railways Heritage Museum in Islamabad is a major attraction. ==Do== [[File:Jeeps Northern Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Driving through Northern Pakistan]] Pakistan is a world class destination for trekking and hiking. Gilgit-Baltistan is a "mountain paradise" for mountaineers, trekkers, and tourists. The region has some of the world's highest mountains, including five peaks over 8,000m, many over 7,000m, and the largest glaciers outside the polar region. Horse riding is also very affordable. Cycling opportunities abound. For water-based activities fans, Karachi is the only place in the country to head for. From snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, fishing, and even cruise dining. You can also shop to your heart's content, in massive range of markets and bazaars without worrying about your budget, as a survey found Karachi as the world's most cheapest city. ==Buy== ===Money=== {{exchange rates | currency=Pakistani rupee | currencyCode=Rs&nbsp; | date=January 2022 | USD=175 | EUR=200 | GBP=240 | INR=2.4 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/pkr-pakistani-rupee XE.com] |AUD=121|CAD=126|NZD=112|JPY=1.58|CNY=25}} The national currency of Pakistan is the rupee, denoted as '''Rs''' (ISO code '''PKR'''). Coins are issued in 1, 2, 5 and 10 rupee denominations. Banknotes come in Rs&nbsp;10 (green), 20 (orange green), 50 (purple), 100 (red), 500 (deep green), 1,000 (dark blue), and 5,000 (mustard) values. The rupee is subdivided into 100 paise (singular: paisa). "5 rupees 75 paise" would normally be written as Rs&nbsp;"5.75". It is always good to have a number of small bills on hand, as merchants and drivers sometimes have no change. A useful technique is to keep small note (10-100) in your wallet or in a pocket, and to keep larger notes separate. Then, it will not be obvious how much money you have. Many small merchants will claim that they don't have change for a Rs 500 or 1,000 note. This is often a lie so that they are not stuck with a large note. It is best not to buy unless you have exact change. The coins in circulation are Rs 1, 2, 5 and 10. Coins are useful for buying tea, for beggars, and for giving exact change for an bus fare or auto-rickshaw. '''ATMs''' exist in most areas and accept major cards such as American Express, MasterCard and Visa. ===Changing money=== It's usually best to get your foreign currency converted to rupees before you make purchases (of course that's only applicable if you're planning to buy with cash not a credit card). A number of licensed currency exchange companies operate, and a passport might be required as an identification document but this requirement is often ignored. Currency exchange shop can easily found in major shopping areas. Be sure to say the amount you wish to exchange and ask for the 'best quote' as rates displayed on the board are often negotiable, especially for larger amounts. Most large department stores and souvenir shops, and all upmarket restaurants and hotels accept major credit cards such as American Express, MasterCard and Visa cards. Some small shops will want to pass on their 2-3% merchant charge to you. In many cities and towns, credit cards are accepted at retail chain stores and other restaurants and stores. Small businesses and family-run stores almost never accept credit cards, so it is useful to keep a moderate amount of cash on hand. Rates for exchanging rupees overseas are often poor, although places with significant Pakistani populations (e.g. Dubai) can give decent rates. Try to get rid of any spare rupees before you leave the country. Most ATMs will dispense up to 50,000 in each transaction. HBL, MCB Bank, National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank, all are the biggest bank in Pakistan and have the most ATMs. They accepts most of the international cards at a nominal charge. International banks like Standard Chartered have a significant presence in major Pakistan cities. It is always worthwhile to have bank cards or credit cards from at least two different providers to ensure that you have a backup available in case one card is suspended by your bank or simply does not work work at a particular ATM. ===Counting=== Pakistanis commonly use '''lakh''' and '''crore''' for 100,000 and 10,000,000 respectively. Though these terms come from Sanskrit, they have been adopted so deeply into Pakistani English that most people are not aware that they are not standard in other English dialects. You may also find non-standard, although standard in Pakistan, placement of commas while writing numerals. One crore rupees would be written as 1,00,00,000, so first time you place a comma after three numerals, then after every two numerals. This format may puzzle you till you start thinking in terms of lakhs and crores, after which it will seem natural. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Number !! English Format !! Pakistani Format |- | 100 || Hundred || Sau |- | 1000 || Thousand || Hazaar |- | 1,00,000 || Hundred Thousand || One Lakh |- | 10,00,000 || Million || Ten Lakh |- | 1,00,00,000 || Ten Million || One Crore |} ===Shopping=== [[File:Traditional Bazar (Market) of Dargai Malakand KPK Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Traditional market]] Pakistan, and particularly Karachi, features in surveys as one of the cheapest places in the world to shop. It has a wide range of markets and bazaars and things to buy without worrying about blowing your budget: *'''Textiles and Garments''' such as garments, bed linen, shirts, T-shirts are cheaply available in shops including Chen One, Bonanza, Ideas (Gul Ahmed), [http://www.thecambridgeshop.com Cambridge Shop]. Many world renowned brands such as Adidas, Levis, Slazenger, HangTen, Wal-Mart etc. get their products prepared from [[Faisalabad]] which has one of the largest textile industries in the world. You can get a pair of Levis jeans (or many other good brand) at reasonable prices ranging between Rs&nbsp;1,400-2,500. * '''Leather goods''', such as shoes, jackets and bags are also a speciality of Pakistan. Go to Sputnik, Shoe Planet, Servis, Metro, Gap shoes, Lotus, Step-in, Jaybees for best quality shoes at low prices. *'''Sports goods''' such as cricket bats, balls, kits, footballs, sports wear and almost anything related to sports you can imagine. You will not find such high quality equipment at such low cost anywhere else. [[Sialkot]] produces 90% of the world’s sports goods and is the largest provider of sports equipment to FIFA for the World cup. *'''Musical instruments''' are produced economically and to high quality in Pakistan. Acoustic guitars cost as little as Rs&nbsp;2,000. *'''Surgical instruments''' *'''Computer accessories''' *'''Chinese goods''' especially electronics & cameras which are re-exported from Pakistan and are cheaper than other parts of the world. *'''Carpets and rugs''' Pakistan has a long [[Carpets#Indian_subcontinent|history]] of carpet production and makes many today for both domestic and export markets. *'''Wood carvings''' such as decorative wooden plates, bowls, artwork, furniture and miscellaneous items. *'''Jewellery''' such as necklaces, bracelets etc. are very inexpensive in Pakistan. *'''Gems and handicrafts''': (Ajrak from [[Sindh]], Blue pottery from [[Multan]], pottery from [[Karachi]]), '''glassware, brassware, marble products, crystal works and antiques'''. Also '''pashmina, rugs, wool-shawls''' or '''wraps''', which can cost anywhere between US$15 and US$700. Remember to [[haggle]]. *'''Books''' There are Urdu Bazars in every big city in Pakistan. *'''Souvenirs''' such as decorative items from Sea Shells. *'''Food stuffs''' local products, including Swat honey, biscuits and locally made chocolate are of good quality and inexpensive. Go to shops such as Dmart, Makro, Metro, Hyperstar. *'''Home accessories''' *'''Kitchen Utensils''' and '''Cutlery''' *'''Art''' lovers should get in touch with a local to take them around. There are many art galleries in [[Karachi]], [[Lahore]], [[Islamabad]] that are worth visiting and each will offer a completely different range of artwork, style and pricing. All should be visited if you are an art lover. In general shops are open 09:00-23:00 in the large cities. They open and close for business earlier in the smaller towns and rural areas. ===Bargaining=== In Pakistan, you are '''''expected'' to negotiate the price''' with street hawkers but not in department stores. If not, you risk overpaying many times, which can be okay if you think that it is cheaper than at home. In most of the big cities, retail chain stores are popping up where the shopping experience is essentially identical to similar stores in the West. Although you will pay a little more at these stores, you can be confident that what you are getting is not a cheap knockoff. The harder you [[bargaining|bargain]], the more you save money. A few tries later, you will realise that it is fun. Often, the more time you spend in a store, the better deals you will get. It is worth spending time getting to know the owner, asking questions, and getting him to show you other products (if you are interested). Once the owner feels that he is making a sufficient profit from you, he will often give you additional goods at a rate close to his cost, rather than the common "foreigner rate". You will get better prices and service by buying many items in one store than by bargaining in multiple stores individually. If you see local people buying in a store, probably. you can get the real Pakistani prices. Ask someone around you quietly, "How much would you pay for this?" ===Costs=== Most visitors will find Pakistan quite cheap, although it is noticeably more expensive than neighbouring Afghanistan. Karachi is also generally more expensive than the rest of the country. At the other end of the spectrum, luxury hotels and air fares are comparatively affordable, with even the fanciest 5-star hotels costing less than Rs&nbsp;20,000/night. '''Tipping''' is considered a good practice in Pakistan. Hotel porters, taxi drivers, delivery men will appreciate a small tip if you have been provided with exemplary service. ==Eat== [[File:Chapli Kebab.jpg|thumb|Chapli Kababs is one of the popular barbecue meals in Pakistan]] [[File:Chicken Tikka.jpg|thumb|Chicken Tikka is a popular dish]] {{seealso|Middle Eastern cuisine|South Asian cuisine}} Pakistani cuisine is a refined blend of various regional cooking traditions of South Asia. Pakistani cuisine is known for its richness, having aromatic and sometimes spicy flavors, and some dishes often contain liberal amounts of oil which contributes to a richer, fuller mouthfeel and flavour. Food in Pakistan is a blend of Mughal, Afghan, Central Asian and Persian influences. There is a good chance that you'd have tasted it in your country, as Indian food and Pakistan food often served together in a restaurant. Cuisine in Pakistan varies greatly from region to region. The "Pakistani food" served by many so-called Pakistani or Indian restaurants in the Western hemisphere is inspired by specifically Mughlai cuisine, a style developed by the royal kitchens of the historical Mughal Empire, and the regional cuisine of the Punjab, although degree of authenticity in relation to actual Mughlai or Punjabi cooking is sometimes variable at best and dubious at worst. Within Pakistan, cuisine varies greatly from region to region, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. Food from the eastern provinces of Punjab and Sindh and Mughlai cuisine are similar to the cuisines of Northern India and can be highly seasoned and spicy with vegetarian options, which is characteristic of the flavours of the South Asian region. Food in other parts of Pakistan, particularly Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, involves the use of mild aromatic spices with more meat and more oil, similar to the cuisines of neighbouring Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. Due to Muslim beliefs, pork is a banned item in Pakistan and is neither consumed nor sold. Pakistani main course foods which mostly consist of curry dishes are eaten with either flatbread — also called wheat bread — or rice. Salad is generally taken as a side dish with the main course, rather than as an appetizer beforehand. Assorted fresh fruit or sometimes desserts are consumed at the end of a meal. Meat plays a much more dominant role in Pakistani food compared to other South Asian cuisines. According to a 2003 report, an average Pakistani consumed three times more meat than an average Indian. Of all the meats, the most popular are goat or mutton, beef and chicken, particularly for kebab dishes or the classic beef shank dish nihari. Seafood is generally not consumed in large amounts. Food tends range from mild to spicy depending on where you are and who your cook is. So state your preference before beginning to eat. In general, most of the food that you find in the high end hotels is also available in the markets (but European-style food is generally reserved for the former). Pakistani food has a well-deserved reputation for being hot, owing to the Pakistani penchant for the liberal use of a variety of spices, and potent fresh green chilis or red chili powder that will bring tears to the eyes of the uninitiated. The degree of spiciness varies widely throughout the country: Punjab food is famously fiery, while Northern Areas cuisine is quite mild in taste. To enjoy the local food, start slowly. Don't try everything at once. After a few weeks, you can get accustomed to spicy food. If you would like to order your dish not spicy, simply say so. Most visitors are tempted to try at least some of the spicy concoctions, and most discover that the sting is worth the trouble. ===Cuisine=== Cuisine in Pakistan varies greatly from region to region. Culinary art in Pakistan comprises a mix of Iranian, Afghan, Indian, and Central Asian influences that reflect the country's history as well as the variation of cooking practices from across the country. Urban centres of the country offer an amalgamation of recipes from all parts of the country, while food with specific local ingredients and tastes is available in rural areas and villages. Besides the main dishes of salan, with or without meat and cooked with vegetables or lentils, there are a number of provincial specialities such as karahi, biryani, and tikka, in various forms and flavours, eaten alongside a variety of breads such as naan, chapati, and roti. Pakistani cuisine is a blend of cooking traditions from different regions of the Indian subcontinent, originating from the royal kitchens of sixteenth-century Mughal emperors. It has similarities to North Indian cuisine, although Pakistan has a greater variety of meat dishes and tends to use oil as opposed to ghee. Pakistani cooking uses large quantities of spices, herbs and seasoning. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, red chilli and garam masala are used in most dishes, and home cooking regularly includes curry. Chapati, a thin flat bread made from wheat, is a staple food, served with curry, meat, vegetables and lentils. Rice is also common; it is served plain or fried with spices and is also used in sweet dishes. ===Varieties of bread=== Pakistan is wheat growing land, so you have Pakistani breads (known as roti), including chapatti (unleavened bread), paratha (pan-fried layered roti), naan (cooked in a clay tandoori oven), puri (deep-fried and puffed up bread), and many more. A typical meal consists of one or more gravy dishes along with rotis, to be eaten by breaking off a piece of roti, dipping it in the gravy and eating them together. Most of the Pakistani heartland survives on naan, roti, rice, and lentils (dal), which are prepared in several different ways and made spicy to taste. Served on the side, you will usually find spiced yogurt (raita) and either fresh chutney or a tiny piece of exceedingly pungent pickle (achar), a very acquired taste for most visitors — try mixing it with curry, not eating it plain. Pakistanis eat breads made of wheat flour as a staple part of their daily diet. Pakistan has a wide variety of breads, often prepared in a traditional clay oven called a tandoor. The tandoori style of cooking is common throughout rural and urban Pakistan and has strong roots in neighboring Iran and Afghanistan as well. [[File:Peshawari Roti, Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Peshwari naan freshly prepared in a tandoor in [[Karachi]]]] The types of flatbread (collectively referred to as Naan) are: * Naan - A soft and thick flat bread that often requires special clay ovens (tandoor) and cannot be properly made on home stoves. Typically leavened with yeast and mainly made with white flour. Some varieties like the Roghani and Peshwari may also be sprinkled with sesame seeds. Naans are seldom, if ever, made at home since they require tandoor based cooking and require prep work. Numerous varieties of plain as well as stuffed naans are available throughout Pakistan and each region or city can have their own specialty. Naan is a versatile bread and is eaten with almost anything. For instance, 'saada naan' or 'plain naan' are often served with Sri-Paya (Cow's head and totters) or Nihari (slow cooked beef stew) for breakfast in many parts of the country. It is recognized by its larger, white exterior. *Roti - These are extremely popular all over Pakistan. Tandoori rotis are baked in a clay oven called tandoor and are consumed with just about anything. In rural Pakistan, many houses have their own tandoors while the ones without use a communal one. In urban Pakistan, bread shops or "nanbai"/"tandoor" shops are fairly common and supply fresh, tandoor baked breads to household customers as well. A homemade bread that doesn't have as much flavor as naan. It is a cheap alternative that is ready in minutes. * Chapatti - A homemade bread, much thinner then naan and usually made out of unrefined flour, and which is ready in minutes. Most common bread made in urban homes where a tandoor is not available. Chapatis are cooked over a flat or slightly convex dark colored pan known as 'tava'. Chapatis are made of whole wheat flour and are thin and unleavened. Tortillas are probably the most common analogous to chapatis, though chapatis are slightly thick. A variant, known as 'romali roti' (lit: handkerchief bread) is very thin and very large in size. * Paratha - An extremely oily version of the ''roti''. Usually excellent if you're going out to eat, but beware of health concerns; often it is literally dripping with oil because it is meant to be part of a rich meal. Paratha is more declicious if you cook it in pure oil like "desi ghee". A flat, layered bread made with ghee and generally cooked on a 'tava'. However, a 'tandoor' based version is also common in rural areas. Parathas are very similar to pastry dough. Parathas most likely originated in the Punjab where a heavy breakfast of parathas with freshly churned butter and buttermilk was commonly used by the farmers to prepare themselves for the hard day of work ahead. However, parathas are now a common breakfast element across the country. Along with the plain layered version, many stuffed versions such as 'Aloo ka Paratha' (Potato Stuffed Parathas), 'Mooli ka Paratha' (Radish stuffed parathas) and 'Qeemah stuffed paratha' (Ground meat stuffed paratha) are popular. * Sheer Mal - This is a slightly sweetened, lightly oiled bread that has waffle-like squares punched in it. It is often considered the most desirable bread and is a delicacy to most people. Often paired with nihari. Another breakfast version of sheermal is very much like the Italian Panettone (albeit in a flat naan-like shape) with added dried fruits and candy. It is a festive bread prepared with milk ('sheer') and butter with added candied fruits. Sheermal is often a vital part of food served in marriages, along with taftan. It is often sweetened and is particularly enjoyed by the kids. * Taftan - Much like the 'sheer mal' but with a puffed-up ring around it. This is a leavened flour bread with saffron and small amount of cardamom powder baked in a tandoor. The Taftan made in Pakistan is slightly sweeter and richer than the one made in neighboring Iran. *Kulcha - This is a type of naan usually eaten with chickpeas and potatoes and mostly popular in urban centres of Punjab. *Roghani Naan - (lit. Buttered Naan) It is a preferred variety of Naan sprinkled with white sesame seeds and cooked with a small amount of oil. *Puri - This is a breakfast bread made of white flour and fried. Typically eaten with sweet semolina halwa and/or gravy (made out of chickpeas and potatoes). Puri is a fairly urban concept in Pakistan and puris are not part of rural cuisine anywhere in Pakistan. However, Halwa Puri has now become a favored weekend or holiday breakfast in urban Pakistan where it is sometimes sold in shift carts or in specialty breakfast shops. As you might have noticed, 'Naan' is usually used to pick up liquid and soft foods like shorba in curries and beans. Forks and knives not commonly used during meals in Pakistan (unless someone is eating rice or is dining out). Attempting to cut a naan with a knife may elicit some amusement around you. Watching others may help. There are too many shorbas, or sauces/soups, to enumerate. ===Vegetarian dishes=== Popular and commons veg dishes are: * Daal - Yellow (made of yellow/red lentils) or brown (slightly sour) lentil "soup". Usually not very spiced. Common to all economic classes. * X + ''ki sabzi'' - A vegetarian mixture with 'X' as the main ingredient. Other dishes include Aloo gobi, Baingan, Karela, Bhindi and Saag === Pulses/lentil dishes=== Various kinds of pulses, or legumes, make up an important part of the Pakistani dishes. While lentils (called daal), and chick peas (called channa) are popular ingredients in homestyle cooking, they are traditionally considered to be an inexpensive food sources. Because of this reason, they are typically not served to guests who are invited for dinner or during special occasions. Combining meat with lentils and pulses, whether in simple preparations or in elaborate dishes such as haleem, is also a distinctively Pakistani touch not commonly seen in neighbouring India where a substantial number of its population are vegetarians. * Haleem - Thick stew-like mix of tiny chunks of meat or chicken, lentils and wheat grains. ===Rice dishes=== [[File:Sindhi_Biryani.JPG|thumb|Sindhi Biryani: the most popular dish in [[Karachi]] ]] Pakistan is a major consumer of rice. Basmati is the most popular type of rice consumed in Pakistan. Rice dishes are very popular throughout Pakistan. The rice dishes are sometimes eaten mixed with other dishes. The most simple dish of Pakistani cuisine is Plain cooked rice (Chawal) eaten with Dal (Lentil). Khichdi is Plain cooked rice cooked with Dal. The Karhi chawal is Plain cooked rice eaten with Karhi. Biryani is a very popular dish in Pakistan, is cooked with pieces of beef, lamb, chicken, fish or shrimp. and has many varieties such as Lahori and Sindhi biryani. Tahiri, which is also a form of vegetarian biryani, is also popular. All of the main dishes (except those made with rice) are eaten alongside bread. To eat, a small fragment of bread is torn off with the right hand and used to scoop and hold small portions of the main dish. Pickles made out of mangoes, carrots, lemon, etc. are also commonly used to further spice up the food. Biryani smells more nice from the saffron and other seasonings added. In the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, feasts using mountains of spiced rice combined with pieces of slowly roasted lamb are often served for guests of honour. These kind of pulaos often contain dried fruit, nuts, and whole spices such as cloves, saffron and cardamom. Such rice dishes have their origins in Central Asia and the Middle East. Dishes made with rice include many varieties of pulao: *Murgh pulao - Chicken and stock added. Creates a brown rice. *Yakhni pulao - Meat and stock added. Creates a brown rice. *Matar pulao - Pulao made with peas. *Maash pulao - A sweet and sour pulao baked with mung beans, apricots and bulghur (a kind of roughly milled cracked wheat). Exclusively vegetarian. *Khichdi *Zarda *Biryani (Most Popular) ===Meat dishes=== [[File:Pakistani Food Beef Kabobs.jpg|thumb|Seekh Kababs ]] Meat plays a much more dominant role in Pakistani cuisine compared to the other South Asian cuisines and is a major ingredient in most of the Pakistani dishes. The meat dishes in Pakistan include: bovine, ovine, poultry and seafood dishes. The meat is usually cut in 3 cm cubes and cooked as stew. The minced meat is used for Kebabs, Qeema and other meat dishes. Of all the meats, the most popular are goat or mutton, beef and chicken and is particularly sought after as the meat of choice for kebab dishes or the classic beef shank dish nihari. The meat dishes are also cooked with pulses, legumes and rice. Tandoori chicken, prepared in a clay oven called a tandoor, is probably the best-known Pakistani dish originated in Pakistani Punjab. The variety is endless, but here are a few examples: *Roasted Chicken (whole) - A whole chicken roasted locally known as 'charga' locally. *Aloo Gosht (Potatoes and Meat) - Chunks of potato and goat meat in gravy. Levels of spice vary. One example of a generic dish that includes most things + Gosht(meat). *Nihari- Beef simmered for several hours. A delicacy often eaten with ''Nan'', ''Sheer Mal'', or ''Taftan''. Few people will have this available without spice. Eat with lemon, fried onion and caution: it is one of the spiciest curries. Thick gravy made from local spices. Is made with both chicken and beef. Is oily and spicy. Available mostly everywhere. *Paye - or 'Siri Paye' is a stew of goat/beef/mutton bones (typically hooves, skull) and bone marrow. Extremely nutritious and generally eaten for breakfast with naan. Very, very wet salan, often served in a bowl or similar dish. Eat by dipping pieces of naan in it, maybe finishing with a spoon. Can be hard to eat. *Korma is a classic dish of Mughlai origin made of either chicken or mutton, typically eaten with nan or bread and is very popular in Pakistan. ====Barbecue and kebabs==== Meat and grilled meat has played an important part in Pakistan region for centuries. Sajji is a Baluchi dish from Western Pakistan, made of lamb with spices, that has also become popular all over the country. Another Balochi meat dish involves building a large outdoor fire and slowly cooking chickens. The chickens are placed on skewers which are staked into the ground in close proximity to the fire, so that the radiant heat slowly cooks the prepared chickens. Kebabs are a staple item in Pakistani cuisine today, and one can find countless varieties of kebabs all over the country. Each region has its own varieties of kebabs but some like the Seekh kebab, Chicken Tikka, and Shami kebab are especially popular varieties throughout the country. Generally, kebabs from Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tend to be identical to the Afghan style of barbecue, with salt and coriander being the only seasoning used. Regional kebab recipes from Karachi and the wider Sindh region is famous for its spicy kebabs, often marinated in a mixture of spices, lemon juice and yogurt. Barbecued food is also extremely popular in some cities of Punjab such as Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot. Pakistani cuisine is rich with different kebabs. Meat including beef, chicken, lamb and fish is used in kababs. Some popular kebabs are: *Chicken Tikka - Barbequed chicken with a spicy exterior. Looks like a huge, red chicken leg and thigh. For all meat lovers. Is available most anywhere. *Seekh Kebab - A long skewer of minced beef mixed with herbs and seasonings. *Shami Kebab - A round patty of seasoned beef and lentils, softer than seekh kababs. *Chapli Kebab - A spicy round kabab that is a specialty of Peshawar. *Chicken Kabab - A popular kabab that is found both with bone and without. *Lamb Kabab - The all lamb meat kabab is usually served as cubes. *Bihari kebab - Skewer of beef mixed with herbs and seasoning. *Tikka kebab - A kebab made of beef, lamb or chicken, cut into cubes, marinated with a yogurt blend and grilled on coals. *Boti kebab - A kebab made from fillet of meat. Sometimes marinated with green papaya to help tenderize the meat. *Shawarma - It is usually a kebab or lamb strips in a naan with chutney and salad. *Shashlik - Grilled baby lamb chops (usually from the leg), typically marinated Other dishes include Chargha, Dhaga kabab, Gola kebab, Reshmi kebab and Sajji. ===Desserts=== [[File:Falooda big.jpg|thumb|Falooda]] Popular desserts include Peshawari ice cream, Sheer Khurma, Kulfi, Falooda, Kheer, Rasmalai, Phirni, Zarda, Shahi Tukray and Rabri. Sweetmeats are consumed on various festive occasions in Pakistan. Some of the most popular are gulab jamun, barfi, ras malai, kalakand, jalebi, and panjiri. Pakistani desserts also include a long list of halvah such as Multani, sohan halvah, and hubshee halvah. Kheer made of roasted seviyaan (vermicelli) instead of rice is popular during Eid ul-Fitr. Gajraila is a sweet made from grated carrots, boiled in milk, sugar, green cardamom, and topped with nuts and dried fruit and is very popular in the country during winter season. * Enjoy a variety; ice cream can be found in an abundance of flavours such as the traditional pistachio flavoured Kulfi; * Falooda is tasty rosewater dessert and is a popular summer drink throughout the country. Traditional ice-cream known as 'kulfi' mixed with vermicelli, pistachio nuts and flavored with rose-water. Most ice-cream shops have their own versions. * Shirini or Mithai: is the generic name for a variety of sweet treats in Pakistan. The sweets are extremely popular in Pakistan and called different things depending on where you go. '''Eat small chunks at a time''', eating large pieces can be rude and will generally be too sweet. * Kulfi is a very traditional made ice-cream mixed with cream and different types of nuts. * If you want to go to some ice-cream parlours, there are some good western ice-cream parlours in Lahore like "Polka Parlor" "Jamin Java" "Hot Spot". For traditional ice creams, the 'Chaman' ice cream parlour across town is quite popular. * Halwa is a sweet dessert. Halwa comes in different styles such as made of eggs, carrots, flour or dry fruits. The halwas are made from semolina, ghee and sugar, garnished with dried fruits and nuts. Carrot halwa (called gaajar ka halwa) is also popular, as is halva made from tender bottle gourds and split chickpeas. Karachi halva is a speciality dessert from Karachi, * Firni or Kheer is similar to vanilla custard though prepared in a different style. the Sohan Halwa is also famous in the country. Equally famous is Habshi halwa, a dark brown milk-based halwa. *Gulab jamun — a cheese-based dessert. It is often eaten at festivals or major celebrations such as marriages, on happy occasions and Muslim celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr. Apart from local restaurants, international fast food chains have also popped up throughout Pakistan. They include, KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, Nandos, Mr.Cod, Papa Johns, Dominoes etc. There are more European chains than North American. ===Snacks (Pakistani fast food)=== Pakistani snacks comprise food items in Pakistan that are quick to prepare, spicy, usually fried, and eaten in the evening or morning with tea or with any one of the meals as a side-dish. A given snack may be part of a local culture, and its preparation and/or popularity can vary from place to place. These snacks are often prepared and sold by hawkers on footpaths, bazaars, railway stations and other such places, although they may also be served at restaurants. Some typical snacks are dahi bhala, chaat, chana masala, Bun kebab, pakora, and papar. Others include katchauri, pakoras-either neem pakoras or besan (chickpea) pakoras,gol gappay, samosas—vegetable or beef, bhail puri or daal seu and egg rolls. Nuts, such as pistachios and pine nuts, are also often eaten at home. These snacks often smaller than a regular meal, generally eaten between meals. ===Other=== *'''Pakistani Chinese cuisine''' **Chicken Manchurian is the most popular dish with pieces of stir fried chicken served in a red ketchup based sauce. It is normally served with Egg or chicken fried rice. Basmati is the most common form of rice used. **Chinese soup - Chicken corn soup and hot and sour soup are ubiquitous in restaurants, homes and on TV. these are served with staples such as vinegar (sirka) and chili pepper. **Noodles - Chicken chowmein and Chopsuey are popular. Their method of cooking employs hearty use of soy sauce, ajino moto, vinegar and chilli sauce with vegetables, boneless chicken and/or Keema (minced meat). Oil concentrations are higher than normal Chinese noodles. ===Pakistani condiments=== [[File:Chutneykarnataka.jpg|thumbnail|Variety of Chutneys ]] Popular condiments used in Pakistani cuisine: * Chutneys **onion chutney **tomato chutney **cilantro (coriander leaves) chutney **mint chutney **tamarind chutney (Imli chutney) **mango (keri) chutney (made from unripe, green mangos) **lime chutney (made from whole, unripe limes) **garlic chutney made from fresh garlic, coconut and groundnut * Achars (pickle) **mango achar **lemon achar **carrot achar **cauliflower achar **green chilli achar **garlic achar **gongura achar **Hyderabadi pickle [[File:Raita with cucumber and mint.jpg|thumbnail|Raita with cucumber and mint]] * Sauces **Raita — a cucumber yogurt dip ===Etiquette=== {{infobox|Tipping|Tipping is expected everywhere in Pakistan, especially restaurants. Tip 5-10% at sit-down places.}} In Pakistan eating with your hand (instead of cutlery like forks and spoons) is very common. There's one basic rule of etiquette to observe, particularly in non-urban Pakistan: use only your right hand. Wash your hands well before and after eating, of course. For breads for all types, the basic technique is to hold down the item with your forefinger and use your middle-finger and thumb to tear off pieces. The pieces can then be dipped in sauce or used to pick up bits before you stuff them in your mouth. Unlike India, a spoon is commonly used in Pakistan for eating rice dishes. ==Drink== Tap water is unsafe for drinking. However, some establishments have water filters/purifiers installed, making it safe to drink. Ask for bottled water, and make sure that the cap's seal has not been broken. Some unscrupulous vendors reuse old bottles and fill them with tap water. Bottled water brands like Aquafina (by PepsiCo) and Nestle are widely available and costs Rs&nbsp;80 for a 1.5 litre bottle. Ask for bottled water wherever possible, and avoid anything cold that might have water (ice) in it. In semi-urban or rural areas, it may be advisable to ask for boiled water. Try a local limca cola, which makes a "pop" sound when opened. Pakola, Pakistan's premier soft drink brand, is available in many unusual flavours. Try a Lassi, a classic yoghurt drink served either plain or sweet and sometimes flavoured or even fused with fresh fruit. Rooh-Afza, a red-coloured, sweet, herbal drink. Sugar Cane Juice — which is extracted by mechanical force — is best when served fresh. You might also love the Falouda and Gola Ganda, which include various kinds of syrups in crushed ice. * [[File:Making Lassi (White Beer) in Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Making Lassi]]Tea (or ''chai'' as it is referred to in Pakistan) is popular throughout the country. **Both black and green tea (Sabz chai or qahvah) are common and are traditionally drunk with cardamom and lots of sugar. Lemon is optional but recommended with green tea. **Kashmiri chai (Pink Tea), a traditional tea beverage from Kashmir, is a milky tea with pistachios, almonds and nuts added to give additional flavour. This tea is very popular during weddings, special occasions and in the cold season. * Coffee is also available in all cities. In the warmer southern region, sweet drinks are readily available throughout the day. Look for street vendors that have fruits (real or decorations) hanging from their roofs. Also, some milk/yogurt shops serve ''lassi''. Ask for ''meethi lassi'' for a sweet yogurt drink and you can also get a salty lassi which tastes good and is similar to the Arabic ''Laban'' if you are having "bhindi" in food or some other rich dish. There is also a sweet drink called Mango Lassi which is very rich and thick, made with yogurt, mango pulp, and pieces of mango. Alcohol (both imported and local) is available to non-Muslim foreigners at off licenses and bars in most top end hotels. The local alcoholic beer is manufactured by Murree Brewery (who also produce non-alcoholic beverages including juices). It is prohibited for Muslims to buy, possess or consume alcohol in Pakistan. There is a huge black market across the country and the police tend to turn a blind eye to what is going on in private. In Karachi and other parts of Sindh, the alcohol can be purchased from designated liquor shops. If you are a foreigner and looking for alcohol, you can contact the customer service department at Murree Brewery for assistance by telephone at. +92 051-5567041-7. ===Tea varieties=== [[File:Kashmiri Chai.JPG|thumb|Kashmiri chai]] Pakistanis drink a great deal of tea, which is locally called chai in most Pakistani languages and everywhere you can get tea from one variety or another. Both black with milk and green teas are popular and are popular in different parts of Pakistan. It is one of the most consumed beverages in Pakistani cuisine. Different regions throughout the country have their own different flavours and varieties, giving Pakistani tea culture a diverse blend. *In Karachi, the strong presence of Muhajir cuisine has allowed the Masala chai version to be very popular. *Doodh Pati Chai is thick and milky. It is made by cooking tea leaves with milk and sugar and sometimes cardamom for fragrance. Extremely sweet, this is a local variation of a builder's tea. It is more preferred in Punjab. *"Sabz chai" and "kahwah", respectively. Kahwah is often served after every meal in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Pashtun belt of Balochistan and with saffron and nuts in Kashmir. *Sulaimani chai is black tea served with lemon. *Kashmiri chai or "noon chai", a pink, milky tea with pistachios and cardamom, is consumed primarily at special occasions, weddings, and during the winter when it is sold in many kiosks. *In northern Pakistan (Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan), salty buttered Tibetan style tea is consumed. Biscuits are often enjoyed with tea. ===Beverages=== Besides tea, there are other drinks that may be included as part of the Pakistani cuisine. All of them are non-alcoholic as the consumption of alcohol is prohibited by Islam. During the 20th century, drinks such as coffee and soft drinks have also become popular in Pakistan. It is very common to have soft drinks nowadays with Pakistani meals. *Lassi - Milk with yoghurt, with an either sweet or salty taste. Lassi is a traditional drink in the Punjab region *Gola ganda - Different types of flavours over crushed ice *Sugarcane juice (Ganney ka ras) — In summer, you can get fresh sugarcane juice in many places and even a lot of fresh fruit juice varieties. Be careful as fresh juice may contain many germs besides unhygienic ice. The juice vendors do not always clean their equipment properly and do not wash the fruits either. *Lemonade (Nimbu pani) *Sherbet (A syrup mixed in water) *Sikanjabeen - Lemonade (Mint is also added) *Almond sherbet *Sherbet-e-Sandal - Drink made with the essence of sandal wood *Kashmiri chai/Gulabi chai - a milky tea known for its pink colour, with an either sweet or salty taste *Sathu - Famous drink from Punjab *Thaadal - A sweet drink from Sindh *Sardai - Mixture of different nuts and kishmish. *Sattu - famous drink in lahore === Alcohol=== Drinking alcohol is generally frowned upon. Murree Brewery is the only reputable maker of Pakistan's beer brand which is widely available throughout Pakistan. Karachi is very lax towards alcohol with wine shops where one can get any brand of liquor. ==Sleep== [[File:Under the night sky.jpg|thumb|Night in Murree]] Pakistan, as a middle income country with a sizeable middle class and a significant domestic tourism industry, has a decent range of hotels covering all price ranges. International tourists are often disappointed by the cleanliness of Pakistani hotels - bedding is often clean but bathrooms can be a bit grungy. Pakistan is facing a significant slump in international tourist numbers; in the northern areas in particular you'll often find yourself the only guest. '''Budget''' The cheapest hotels are usually found around busy transport hubs like bus and train stations. Don't be fooled by an impressive lobby - ask to see the room and check the beds, toilets, lights, etc, before checking in. Hot water and air conditioning will be luxuries in this class. '''Mid range''' covers a wide spectrum of hotels - often listed in your guide book or on-line. All mid-range places will have a/c and hot water - although check if they have a working generator - air conditioning isn't of much use without electricity! Always check the room before handing over any money - ask for a no smoking room away from the street - and [[haggle]] to get a better rate. PTDC (government run) hotels fall in to the mid range section and warrant a special mention - often these places are the oldest hotel in town, in an excellent location, but the facilities will be showing their age. They are still a good option however, and discounts can be negotiated. Mid range prices are Rs2,000 - 6,000 per night. '''Top end''' covers the [http://www.serenahotels.com/ Serenas], [http://www.pchotels.com.pk Pearl Continentals] {{dead link|December 2020}} and [http://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/pakistan.hotels/ Marriotts]. The Serena hotels are almost always excellent, whilst the Pearl Continental hotels are more patchy (e.g. the one in [[Rawalpindi]] is a bit grungy whilst the one in [[Muzaffarabad]] is very nice. At top-end places, security is very visible with small armies of security guards stationed around the perimeter. Prices are from Rs&nbsp;6,000, with the big city luxury hotels charging at least Rs&nbsp;10,000 a night. '''[http://www.paklinks.com/gs/culture-literature-and-linguistics/70484-rest-houses-to-visit-in-pakistan.html Government rest houses]''' are mentioned in numerous guide books and are located in rural and mountainous areas for local civil servants to use on their travels, with many built pre-independence and exuding a quaint English charm. Previously the adventurous tourist could book these places for the night for Rs1,000 or so, and have a lovely time. But the tourist slump means that the forestry departments who run these places don't bother any more - phones will go unanswered - tourist information offices won't have any details etc, so count yourself lucky if you manage to arrange to stay in a Government rest house. '''Solo female travellers''' are at a disadvantage when it comes to hotels. All budget and many mid-range places will be the sole reserve of men, in particular in the cities - and hotel owners may be uncomfortable with the idea of an unaccompanied women staying at their hotel. Hence you may be forced to stay at the upper-mid range and top end places - which will eat through your budget that much quicker. In some places the term "hotel" is reserved for simpler establishments, with "guest house" referring to medium-sized establishments where the standard is typically higher. Restaurants are also called "hotels", creating a fun potential for confusion. ==Stay safe== {{warningbox|The security situation in Pakistan has improved considerably, but some Western governments still advise against travel to all or part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, the city of Peshawar and districts south of the city, all or part of Balochistan Province, the Karakorum Highway and areas within 10-50 km of the borders, and caution against non-essential travel to some other areas, including the city of Karachi. Areas bordering Afghanistan (and in particular, the former FATA) has a high threat of terrorist attack against places that are frequented by foreigners, are more dangerous than other destinations, and are generally considered to be unsafe for travel. |us=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/pakistan-travel-advisory.html |australia=http://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/asia/south/pages/pakistan.aspx |canada=https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/pakistan |ie=https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/pakistan/ |nz=https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/pakistan |uk=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan |lastedit=28-05-2021 }} In an emergency, call the police by '''15''' from any landline phone. To get an ambulance, dial '''115''' and '''1122''' from any landline or mobile phone. ===Terrorism=== Pakistan has endured several bomb attacks over the last few years against security forces and so called ''western institutions'' (e.g. the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad), and has seen the public assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto upon her return from exile. These attacks have decreased significantly since 2014 due to successful military operations against terrorists. For the ordinary traveller, Pakistan has a tradition of hospitality that has been subverted by perceptions of 'Western' unfairness. Social protests tend to turn violent and political demonstrations are always sensitive. Before travelling you should check with your embassy about off-limits areas, the latest political and military developments and keep an close eye on current issues with independent news sources. Stay away from military convoys as they are a potential target for suicide bombing. Similarly, going near military or intelligence facilities can be dangerous. Carrying firearms can land you in police custody, except if you get a special permit from a relevant authority. ===Sensitive areas=== The line of control between [[Azad Kashmir]] and the Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir]] is off-limits for foreign tourists, though domestic tourists can visit Azad Kashmir without any restriction, but should keep their identity cards with them. The former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in [[Northwest Pakistan]] and all regions near the sensitive Afghan border '''should not be visited at any time''' by foreign tourists, as the Pakistan government has '''little to no authority''' in these areas and '''cannot aid you in an emergency'''. If you do have reason to visit, seek expert guidance, including that of your embassy, who can advise you on the special permissions required. [[File:8 Kalam Valley, Swat.jpg|thumb|Swat Valley landscape]] [[Balochistan]] is considered dangerous and not fit for travellers due to increased kidnappings of foreigners. The rules regarding '''sensitive areas''' and '''No Objection Certificates''' (NOCs), ''Note Verbal''s and other permissions and paperwork some in officialdom deem necessary for your to travel around the country are ever-changing. The most notorious NOC regulation is for foreigners to enter Kashmir, with the intention being so the security services can keep track (i.e. follow) foreigners to make sure they don't visit places they shouldn't. Outside Kashmir diplomats are the primary user of NOCs and theoretically the normal tourist should be exempt. However those in officialdom can view all foreigners with suspicion and demand an NOC when you step of a plane or out of a bus. NOCs need to be applied for through the Ministry of Interior, however if you are travelling on a non-diplomatic passport you should be fine - but its good to be aware of this nonetheless. Be aware of '''sensitive areas'''. You may see road signs in English saying 'no foreigners allowed beyond this point', for example on the road to Kahuta near Islamabad. If you see and need to pass one of these signs, at the very least stop at the nearest police station and see if they will let you pass (speaking Urdu is an advantage here), or turn back and find another route. Typically, restricted areas are those with nuclear or military installations nearby. Kahuta, southeast of Islamabad, and the Sakesar hill station near the Amb temples in the Salt Range are two restricted areas the visitor may stumble across. Getting caught in a restricted area will mean a lot of wasted time, embarrassment and arrest. ===Dangerous drivers=== African countries typically top the list of road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles, but few countries in Asia are able to beat Pakistan's score in 2010 of 383. Pakistan has a high number of fatal traffic collisions and the World Health Organization estimated 30,131 deaths on its roads in 2010. Drivers are reckless and scoff at laws and what would be common courtesies in other countries. Their philosophy of "might is right" often leads to horrendous crashes between trucks and trucks & buses. ===Sexuality=== Prostitution has no legal recognition in Pakistan. Homosexuals should be very cautious in Pakistan, because, as in most Muslim countries, homosexuality remains a crime in Pakistan and punishments can be severe. Under Section 377 of the Pakistan Penal Code, whoever voluntarily has "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than two years nor more than ten years, and shall also be liable for a fine. Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section. Arrests are not common for homosexuality, as evidenced by a vibrant gay nightlife existing in many metropolitan areas. ==Stay healthy== Visitors are strongly advised to refrain from drinking '''[[tap water]]'''; many Pakistani locals themselves drink boiled or purified water. Take every precaution to drink only boiled, filtered or bottled water. Tap water is known to contain many impurities. Ice is usually made from regular tap-water, and may be even harder to avoid. Fresh milk from the carrier should be boiled and cooled before consumption. Non-pasteurized dairy can spread tuberculosis, which might be the cause of those hacking coughs you hear on the street. Nestle Milk Pack, Haleeb Milk, Olpers, and others are trusted brands and are available at most grocery stores. Take precautions against both '''[[dengue fever]]''' and '''[[malaria]]''', which are both spread by [[mosquitoes]]. The first and most effective way is to avoid getting bitten, but if you plan to stay in a place where malaria is common, you will need to take prophylactic medicines such as ''Proguanil'', doxycycline, or mefloquine. The risk of getting malaria decreases with higher altitudes and is usually negligible above 2500m. No prophylaxis or cure is available for dengue fever. It is prevalent during summer, especially during the monsoon (July to September) and can be fatal. It is caused by mosquitoes that bite during the day and the most widespread outbreaks of dengue are expected in Punjab province. In the summer it gets very hot, so stay hydrated. Temperatures may rise to 50°C in June and July. But, as soon as monsoon rains set in during Aug-Sept months, it cools to around 30°C - but with high levels of humidity. Do not eat food that has been lying out for some time, as high temperatures speed up deterioration. Avoid posh but unfrequented restaurants. Some Pakistani dishes can be very spicy! Always notify your host, cook or waiter if you cannot tolerate very spicy food. ==Respect== [[File:Shalwar kameez Colours.jpg|thumb|Shalwar kameez colours]] Despite sharp political differences, Pakistan and India share a common culture; some (emphasis on "some") of the various respect tips found in the [[India#Respect|India]] article will come in handy during your visit. The culture has a strong tradition of hospitality. Guests are often treated extremely well. Pakistanis pride themselves on their tradition of hospitality to guests (''mehmanawazi'' in Urdu). Nonetheless, Pakistan does not see many foreigners and there is some insularity as well; consequently foreigners may be occasionally regarded with suspicion and attract stares. But in general, Pakistanis are warm, friendly and generous individuals with a strong interest in foreigners and other cultures. Thanks to the traditionally close and friendly diplomatic relationship between [[China]] and Pakistan, Chinese may found themselves being exceptionally welcomed by Pakistanis. === Religion and rituals === * Although Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, most Pakistanis have liberal, open-minded attitudes towards Islam. Secular points of view are not uncommon, and there are no strict dress-codes in effect. * '''Discussion about religion should always remain respectful and positive''' — A number of Pakistanis are strongly religious, and negative talk about religion can very easily elicit some strong responses. * If at all possible, try not to schedule meetings during Ramadan. The workday is shortened, and since Muslims fast, they will not be able to offer you tea, which is a sign of hospitality. Meetings are also not scheduled during prayers. Also refer to [[travelling during Ramadan]] if you must do so. * Remember to remove your shoes when entering a religious building. There are dedicated areas where your footwear may be stored for a small fee in shrines while in mosques, there may be racks to store the shoes but where they're not available, you can leave them where others do. Women aren't generally allowed to visit mosques in Pakistan so they shouldn't, except some exceptions, but where they do, they must wear very modest clothes (long skirts and shawls to cover the body as well as sleeves and legs), and cover their heads with a headscarf or such like. Men should also wear modest clothes, not shorts as it is considered rude. Mosques are sometimes off-limits to non-Muslims so it is always better to inquire with someone at the mosque before entering. === Etiquette=== * Pakistanis, by and large, are neutral communicators. Although Pakistanis try to be respectful and courteous in social situations, words are often taken at face value. It's important to be explicitly clear and upfront about what you intend to say as euphemisms, idiomatic language, and the like may be misunderstood. * Direct personal questions (based on your personal life, salary, education, and lifestyle) are commonly asked. To Pakistanis, it's not considered impolite, but rather it's a way to get to know someone fully. In some cases, you may find others giving you advice on whatever it is you're doing, either warranted or unwarranted. Don't feel annoyed or irritated by this as Pakistanis don't intend to patronise or pull you down in any way. If you feel the question was too personal, simply give an indirect answer and move along. * Family values are highly revered by many Pakistanis, and respect for the elderly is immense. Passing unwarranted comments about someone's family life won't win you friends or praise, and similarly, it's not considered good form to criticise someone much older than you. * As in all countries in [[South Asia]], you will often be showered with tea, sweets, snacks, and gifts when entering someone's home. Do not refuse any of these as it is likely to offend your hosts. * You'll often be encouraged by your hosts to take second helpings ad infinitum. If so, take it as a form of respect as it may leave a good impression on your hosts. Cleaning your plate will invite more to be served, while leaving too much may be a sign you didn't care for it. Aim for leaving just a little, announcing you're full, and heavily praising the food. * Never show up to someone's home empty handed. You don't have to provide an incredibly expensive gift, but a simple gift such as sweets will leave a good impression on your hosts. * Use your right hand for eating, shaking hands and giving or receiving everything (including money), and reserve your left hand for handling shoes and assisting in toilet duties. * People of opposite sex do not shake hands when they greet each other. It is sometimes usual among men to put the left hand on your chest (heart) when shaking hands. In urban Pakistan and in some other parts of the country, men and women usually lower their head and lift their hand to their forehead to make the "adab" gesture when greeting each other. Men should ''never'' shake hands with or touch a woman they don't know very well. * Business and operations tend to move slowly, and will often be preceded by chit-chat, family meetings, and the like. Keep your calm, as showing frustration and/or rushing to the point can be seen as rude, and even humorous. * Pakistan people generally dress conservatively, although in metropolitan cities more liberal attire can be seen. It is advisable for women to wear long skirts or trousers in public. It is not mandatory for women to wear ''hijab'' or ''abaya''. Pakistani women wear the traditional ''shalwar kameez''. In the big cities, women wearing jeans and khakis is not an unusual sight, especially in casual settings, shopping malls and around picnic spots. Dress codes for men are more lax, though shorts are uncommon. Females dressing immodestly may attract unwanted attention from men. * Do not take photographs of people without their consent. As in all Muslim-majority countries, people place a high value on personal privacy. Also, taking photographs in non-tourist areas may be met with suspicion. * It is considered rude to introduce yourself to strangers; it is generally advisable to ask some mutual acquaintance to introduce you. Strangers will speak with each other in the "formal" register of Urdu, and using the familiar register will be seen as very rude. When being introduced to elders or strangers while seated it is customary to get up as a sign of respect and It is advisable to ask a person how they wish to be addressed. * Pakistanis will consider themselves obliged to go out of their way to fulfill a guest's request and will insist very strongly that it is no inconvenience to do so, even if it is not true. This of course means that there is a reciprocal obligation on you as a guest. * It is customary to put up a token friendly argument with your host or any other member of the group when paying bills at restaurant or while making purchases. The etiquette for this is somewhat complicated. ** In a business lunch or dinner, it is usually clear upfront who is supposed to pay, and there is no need to fight. But if you are someone's personal guest and they take you out to a restaurant, you should offer to pay anyway, and you should insist a lot. Sometimes these fights get a little funny, with each side trying to snatch the bill away from the other, all the time laughing politely. If you don't have experience in these things, chances are, you will lose the chance the first time, but in that case, make sure that you pay the next time. (and try to make sure that there is a next time.) Unless the bill amount is very large do not offer to share it, and only as a second resort after they have refused to let you pay it all. ** The same rule applies when you are making a purchase. If you are purchasing something for yourself, your hosts might still offer to pay for it if the amount is not very high, and sometimes, even if it is. In this situation, unless the amount is very low, you should never lose the fight. Even if by chance you lose the fight to pay the shopkeeper, it is customary to practically thrust (in a nice way, of course) the money into your host's hands. ** These rules do not apply if the host has made it clear beforehand that it is his or her treat, especially for some specific occasion. === Things to avoid === Pakistanis will understand that you are not fully aware of what's considered appropriate/inappropriate in their country, and they will usually be tolerant of your blunders. This said, you should avoid doing the following during your stay in the country. ==== Politics ==== * '''Avoid being overly enthusiastic about [[India]]'''. The two countries have had a hostile, strained, often violent history, which has culminated in millions of deaths and refugees. Attempting to compliment or say anything that could be perceived as positive about India can evoke a strong response from some Pakistanis. Don't be afraid to inquire about the Indo-Pakistani relationship, but bear in mind that it can result in a very heated, often emotional, conversation. * Be cautious when discussing '''politics'''. Pakistan is a politically troubled country. Social protests tend to turn violent and political demonstrations are almost always sensitive. As a visitor, you'll note how ardently political the Pakistanis are, and you may be exposed to a breadth of political opinions both publicly and privately. This said though, you could immediately be seen as uninformed if you do not follow Pakistani news closely. Don't hesitate to engage in political discussions, but it's worth mentioning that being a visitor puts you in a delicate position. * Be cautious when discussing the '''Pakistani military'''. The military is highly venerated in the country, and criticising anything about it may be met with dismay by some. * '''Kashmir''' is a particularly sensitive subject which many Pakistanis have strong views about. The issue of converting Gilgit-Baltistan into a full-fledged province is a particularly touchy subject and this has, in the past, often evoked strong responses. Inquiries into the Kashmir conflict can be met with fierce, passionate, or even hostile debates depending on your views. Some Pakistanis may voice their support for certain Kashmiri militant groups (particularly Jaish-e-Mohammed) and may react with dismay if you call them terrorist organisations. * Although the insurgency movement in '''[[Balochistan]]''' has simmered down, some, if not all of the inhabitants of the region, advocate for separation from Pakistan. ==Connect== The '''country code''' for Pakistan is +92 if you are calling from outside the country. Phone numbers are seven digits long with two digit city code in larger districts, and six digits long with three digit city code in smaller districts, for a total of nine digits as a standard nationwide (except for [[Azad Kashmir]]). All mobile numbers, however, are seven digits long and begin with a four digit network code "03XX", where XX indicates the cellular provider. Thus Pakistani mobile numbers are linked to one particular cellular provider, NOT one particular city as in North America. Therefore the city prefix should not be dialled in addition to the cellular prefix. As in many countries, omit the initial zero when dialling a city or cell code from outside Pakistan and prefix the '92' country code after dialling your country's international access code. Thus Telenor cell number 765 4321 dialled from the USA/Canada would be 011 92 345 765 4321 and Peshawar landline 234-5678 dialled from France or the UK would be 00 92 91 234-5678. The international access code for outgoing calls from Pakistan is 00. [http://www.ptcl.com.pk '''PTCL'''] offers landline and wireless phone services. '''Public Call Offices''' can be found all over the country. You will find a PCO in nearly 50% of the general stores where there is usually someone who operates the phone and fax. Fees will be charged according to the time spent, and you will pay when you have finished your call. ===Cell phone=== {| class="wikitable" style="float:right;" ! Calling from !! Price !! Syntax !! Example |- | Same city || Local || align=right| ''number'' || align=right| 123-4567 |- | Different city || STD || align=right| '''0'''-''area code''-''number'' || align=right| 051 123-4567 |- | Overseas || ISD || align=right| '''+92'''-''area code''-''number'' || align=right| +92 51 123-4567 |} Major providers of mobile phone service (GSM) are: * '''[http://www.jazz.com.pk Jazz]''' * '''[http://www.telenor.com.pk Telenor]''' * '''[http://www.ufone.com Ufone]''' * '''[http://www.waridtel.com Warid]''' * '''[http://www.zong.com.pk Zong - China Mobile]''' One very convenient feature is that all Pakistani cellular operators use the GSM platform, so that cellular handsets nationwide are freely interchangeable between providers. Cell phones were considered as a status symbol a few years ago but, since 2002, the telecommunications industry has experienced a bit of a boom. These days you can hardly find a single person in the country without a personal cell phone. There are various service providers offering a huge variety of plans. Among them are Jazz, Warid Telecom, Telenor, Ufone & Zong (China Mobile). It's not a bad idea to buy a cell phone and use a prepaid plan to get yourself connected while you are in the country. The mobile phones and the prepaid plans are very cheap; you can usually get a new cheap cell phone just for Rs&nbsp;2,000 and a prepaid connection for Rs&nbsp;150-400. Due to security threats, in order to purchase a SIM card you will need to provide formal identification such as visas, resident permits and residing address in Pakistan along with a written declaration that you will not use the provided phone number for any illegal activity. Starting March 2015, possession of an unverified SIM will be considered a serious and punishable crime. ===Internet=== '''Cybercafes''' can be found on virtually every street corner and the rates are as low as Rs&nbsp;40-50 per hour. They usually don't have a very fast operating system so don't be too impatient. They usually use 17 inch monitors with Windows XP or Windows 7 usually installed. Most of the cafes have a decent speed internet connection. Internet Access can be obtained easily on notebook computers with the help of GPRS enabled mobile connections, supported by almost all of the five mobile operators. '''Jazz''' provides 3G and 4G based connection in urban areas of the country, '''Telenor''''s also provides services in 3G to most of the urban parts of country. The standard price of GPRS/EDGE usage is Rs&nbsp;10-18 per MB of data transferred but '''Zong''' offers Rs&nbsp;15/h. If you wish to download much more, you may want to use unlimited packages, provided only by all networks. '''World Call''' and [http://www.ufone.com/mobpro_mobileinternet.aspx '''Ufone'''] also offers USB Modem. 3G and 4G based connections are also available from all the mobile service providers. Wateen, WiTribe, and Qubee are WiMax internet providers. National telecommunication company PTCL offers a USB EVo device for very fast internet connections. There are '''Wi-Fi hotspots''' all over Pakistan, in hotels, malls, and cafes/restaurants. The first time 5G was ever tested was in Pakistan. 5G service will be commercially available in the country after November, 2022. {{geo|30|71|zoom=6}} {{isPartOf|South Asia}} {{outlinecountry}} 1tssifb5l5ifewreqoqcnwwybt53lho 0 27501 4501716 4501477 2022-08-15T19:51:24Z 184.188.110.131 /* Drink */ Updated listing for Honor Amongst Thieves wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Downtown Phoenix banner.jpg|caption=Phoenix skyline}} {{otheruses|Phoenix}} '''[http://www.visitphoenix.com/ Phoenix]''' is the capital of the state of [[Arizona]], the most populous city in the American [[Southwest (United States of America)|Southwest]], and the sixth largest city in the [[United States]]. Warm and sunny winter weather have ensured a thriving tourism industry, and the city has become the region's primary political, cultural, economic, and transportation center. Phoenix is ''extremely'' hot and dry in the summertime, so '''always have sunscreen with you!''' ==Understand== Why would anybody want to start a city in the middle of a desert? The answer is, surprisingly, agriculture. The Salt and Verde Rivers of central Arizona were exploited for large-scale agriculture by Native Americans as early as the 11th century. The area that now encompasses Phoenix was a center of the Hohokam culture, which built large canal systems and a network of towns and villages, whose remains may be viewed in the city to this day. White settlers discovered the remnants of the Hohokam culture in the 19th century. The city's name reflects its history as a city "reborn from the ashes" of the previous settlement. European-American settlement of the area commenced in the 1860s, and the city was founded in 1871. In 1911 the completion of the first of several large reservoirs in the mountains north and east of Phoenix insured its success as a center for irrigation-based agriculture. Many tens of thousands of acres were planted in citrus and cotton and other crops, and for many years, intensive, year-round irrigated agriculture formed the basis of the economy. The area is being revived, and trendy hotels, bars, shops and restaurants are making it a place to be again. Its hot, dry climate had enticed many Easterners and Midwesterners to relocate to Phoenix. High-tech industry began to flourish after World War II, and since that time the growth of Phoenix has been explosive. As a result, a population of just over 100,000 in 1950 has grown to over 1.5 million in 2014 (with almost 4.5 million in the metro area). At an elevation of {{ft|1100}}, it is in the biologically unique Sonoran Desert. Over time it has merged with the neighboring cities of [[Scottsdale (Arizona)|Scottsdale]], [[Tempe]], [[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]], [[Peoria (Arizona)|Peoria]], [[Chandler (Arizona)|Chandler]], and [[Gilbert]] to form the [[Greater Phoenix|Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area]]. Exurbs such as [[Apache Junction]], [[Fountain Hills]], [[Queen Creek]], and [[Sun City (Arizona)|Sun City]] are becoming part of this metropolitan area as well. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Imperial | janhigh = 65 | febhigh = 69 | marhigh = 74 | aprhigh = 83 | mayhigh = 92 | junhigh = 102 | julhigh = 104 | aughigh = 102 | sephigh = 97 | octhigh = 86 | novhigh = 73 | dechigh = 65 | janlow = 43 | feblow = 47 | marlow = 51 | aprlow = 58 | maylow = 66 | junlow = 75 | jullow = 81 | auglow = 80 | seplow = 75 | octlow = 63 | novlow = 50 | declow = 44 | janprecip = 0.8 | febprecip = 0.8 | marprecip = 1.1 | aprprecip = 0.3 | mayprecip = 0.2 | junprecip = 0.1 | julprecip = 1.0 | augprecip = 0.9 | sepprecip = 0.8 | octprecip = 0.8 | novprecip = 0.7 | decprecip = 0.9 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Phoenix|33.45|-112.07}} }} Phoenix has an arid climate with long, hot summers and very mild winters. It has the highest average temperature of any metropolitan area in the [[United States of America|States]]. The weather varies enormously from one season to the next. While it's not as cold as in the northern states during the winter, it does freeze sometimes, and temperatures in the 30s°F (that's around or slightly above 0°C) are not unheard of, with even a slight dusting of snow every few years. In the summer, very hot and dry heat is the norm. On the hottest days, it has reached 122°F (50°C) (record high on June 26, 1990). Monsoon rains with flooding, lightning, sometimes with haboob's (dust storms rolling in from the desert) occur regularly from July to September during the late afternoon and evening, occasionally overnight also. In some neighborhoods, cicadas make loud sounds (100 decibels). ==Talk== English is the dominant language in Phoenix. However, [[Spanish]] is very widely spoken in Phoenix like much of the [[Southwest (United States of America)|Southwest]] with a large Hispanic population. Spanish is a language often used for day-to-day discourse in many places, although English is the language of preference, especially when dealing with businesses and government. ==Get in== {{mapframe|zoom=10|33.509|-112.074}} {{mapshape}} ===By plane=== {{listing | type=go | name=[[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHX}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.434167 | long=-112.011667 | directions= | phone=+1 602-275-4958 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | image=Sky Harbor - 2008-08-29 - Control Tower.jpg | wikidata=Q912916 | content=It is the main air gateway to Arizona. It is at the southeast end of [[Phoenix/Downtown|Downtown]]. It is a hub for [https://www.aa.com/ American Airlines] and [http://www.southwest.com Southwest Airlines]. There are only two terminals: 3 and 4. Terminal 1 was demolished in 1991 and Terminal 2 in 2020; the terminals were not renumbered. }} *'''Terminal 3''': Air Canada, Alaska, Boutique Air, Contour Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Spirit, Sun Country, United. *'''Terminal 4''': Aeroméxico, American, British Airways, Condor, Southwest, Volaris, WestJet. * To get to/from the airport: ** [http://www.valleymetro.org Valley Metro] #13 goes west to S 75th Ave along S Buckeye (via Greyhound depot) from Terminal 2. ** The free PHX skytrain goes from Terminal 3/4 to 44th & Washington St Station where you can catch the #1 (west to the downtown Central Station or east to Priest & Washington in Tempe); #44 bus (north to the Desert Ridge Marriott Resort in Deer Valley along N 44th St & Tatum); or the light rail (east to Tempe & Mesa or west to Midtown and northern Phoenix along Central Ave). ====Alternative airports==== * {{marker|type=go|name=Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport|url=http://www.gatewayairport.com/ |lat=33.3071 | long=-111.6691}} ({{IATA|AZA}}) {{phone|+1 480-988-7600}} is east of Phoenix, in neighboring [[Mesa]]. It is served by [http://www.allegiantair.com/aaIndex.php Allegiant Air], [https://www.flyflair.com/ Flair], Swoop, Sun Country and Westjet. Swoop and WestJet fly from Canada. Allegiant Air flies from all over the United States. This is a smaller airport, but is being redeveloped into a major regional airport. * {{listing | type=go | name=Phoenix Deer Valley Airport | alt={{IATA|DVT}} | url=http://www.deervalleyairport.com | email= | address= | lat=33.688333 | long=-112.0825 | directions=15 mi (24 km) north of downtown | phone=+1 623 869-0975 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Phoenix Deer Valley Airport | wikidata=Q2088517 | content=The busiest general aviation airport in the U.S. The FBO [http://www.cutteraviation.com/locations/dvt.aspx?id=174 Cutter Aviation] provides aviation fuel and a variety of guest services. }} ==== Private aviation ==== There are more than 20 airports within 50 nautical miles of Phoenix. The [https://deervalleyairport.com/ '''Deer Valley Airport'''] is the busiest private airport in Arizona and one of the most important business jet hubs west of the Mississippi. Air charter companies including [https://valleyjet.com/ '''Valley Jet'''] and [http://www.phoenixjetcharter.com '''Phoenix Jet Charter'''] offer access to private planes based at any of the airports in the Phoenix-area, with planes ranging from luxury jets to cost-effective single & twin engine planes. Other private aviation airports include: * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/airport|name=Scottsdale Airport|alt={{IATA|SCF}}; {{FAA LID|SDL}}|address=around {{mi|20}} north in Scottsdale via US 51|content=It's one of the busiest single-runway airports in the United States, and Signature Flight Support and Ross Aviation operate the two private terminals.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.glendaleaz.com/live/amenities/airport___municipal|name=Glendale Municipal Airport|alt={{FAA LID|GEU}}|email=|address=just west of the AZ-101 Loop and south of W Northern Ave, around {{mi|7}} west of Glendale’s central business district in Maricopa County, AZ|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-03-04|content=Categorized as a general aviation reliever airport and able to accommodate most size aircraft.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=http://www.goodyearairport.com|name=Phoenix Goodyear Airport|alt={{IATA|GYR}}, formerly known as ''Goodyear Municipal Airport''|address=to the southwest in Goodyear, just south of I-10 and just west of the Agua Fria River|content=The airport is not served by any airlines, and is home to several aircraft maintenance and commercial pilot training companies. Lux Air operates the airport's only FBO.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.falconfieldairport.com/|name=Falcon Field|alt={{IATA|MSC}}; {{FAA LID|FFZ}}|address=due east of Phoenix off the Red Mountain Freeway in Maricopa County, just {{mi|6}} northeast of Mesa, who owns and operates the airport|content=Falcon Field is home to the CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, the world's largest flight school, and Boeing operates an AH-64 Apache helicopter factory adjacent to the airport.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.chandleraz.gov/business/chandler-municipal-airport|name=Chandler Municipal Airport|alt={{FAA LID|CHD}}|address=just under {{mi|30}} southeast of Phoenix via I-10S and AZ-202 Loop E (Santan Freeway) in Chandler|content=There are no airlines operating at CHD, and it is one of the 50 busiest general aviation airports in the United States, even though its runway limits operations to smaller aircraft and light business jets.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.buckeyeaz.gov/residents/buckeye-municipal-airport|name=Buckeye Municipal Airport|alt={{IATA|BXK}}|address={{mi|38}} west of Phoenix via I-10 E in the city of Buckeye |content=There are no commercial services at this airport, which is categorized by the FAA as a general aviation facility.}} ===By train=== [[Amtrak]] passenger train service to Phoenix has been discontinued, making it the largest city without Amtrak service in the US. The nearest station is {{mi|35}} south of Phoenix in the town of Maricopa and is connected to Phoenix, Tempe and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by an [http://texaseagle.com/thruway.php Amtrak Thruway shuttle bus] (operated by Stagecoach Express) or by taxi. Maricopa is served by the '''[http://www.amtrak.com/routes/sunset-limited-train Sunset Limited]''' which runs three times a week between [[New Orleans]] and [[Los Angeles]]. Additionally, Amtrak's '''[http://www.texaseagle.com/ Texas Eagle]''' service between San Antonio and Chicago incorporates the Sunset Limited to provide a direct connection to Los Angeles with the same stops as the Sunset Limited between San Antonio and Los Angeles. Both trains stop in Benson, [[Tucson]], Maricopa and [[Yuma]]. Alternatives: disembark at [[Flagstaff]] instead and take a Greyhound bus into Phoenix from there or disembark in Tucson and take a Greyhound bus into Phoenix; the Greyhound station in Tucson is about 5-6 blocks west of the Amtrak depot. The '''[http://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train Southwest Chief]''' runs through [[Flagstaff#By train|Flagstaff]] on its way between [[Chicago]] and [[Los Angeles]] with stops in [[Winslow (Arizona)|Winslow]], [[Flagstaff#By train|Flagstaff]], [[Williams (Arizona)| Williams]] and [[Kingman]]. For much of its route, the Southwest Chief follows historic [[Route 66]], and offers an interesting perspective of the historic road and its surroundings. ===By car=== There are 3 main routes that enter through Phoenix: * Interstate 17 (I-17) &ndash; running north from Phoenix to [[Flagstaff]]. * Interstate 10 (I-10) &ndash; running east-west across Arizona, from [[Tucson]] and [[New Mexico]] to the south, to [[California]] top the west. * US 60 &ndash; running (generally) east-west across Arizona, from [[Globe (Arizona)|Globe]] and [[New Mexico]] from the east (also known as the Superstition Freeway), to [[Wickenburg]] to the northwest (known as the Phoenix-Wickenburg Highway). ===By bus=== Long distance bus lines and van shuttles serve Phoenix from [[Los Angeles]], Las Vegas, [[El Paso]], Tucson, Sedona, Flagstaff, Yuma & Nogales in the U.S. and from [[Nogales (Sonora)|Nogales]], [[Hermosillo]], [[Puerto Peñasco]] and [[Culiacán]] in [[Mexico]]. Each company has a stop or its own bus station in different parts of town that are far from each other. The bus stations and stops in the neighborhoods northwest of the I-17/I-10 junction, northwest of the downtown core, are in rough neighborhoods. * {{go | name=Groome Transportation | alt=formerly Arizona Shuttle | url=https://groometransportation.com/arizona/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-888-2749 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=Regularly scheduled shuttle service from Phoenix Sky Harbor (Airport) to [[Tucson]], [[Prescott]], [[Sedona]] & [[Flagstaff]]. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express | alt= | url=http://www.eplalimo.com/ | email= | address=(Bus depot) 1015 N 7th St | lat=33.45923 | long=-112.06501 | directions=between E Roosevelt & E Portland St along the east side of 7th St. | phone=+1 602-254-4101 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=It's the only one in or near downtown. Travels along I-10 between [[Los Angeles]] & [[El Paso]] on one route and up to Las Vegas on another route. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/phoenix-tempe-az | email= | address=(bus stop) 44th St Sky Train Station by airport | lat= | long= | directions=at the 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station, the bus will board at the west end of the bus loading zone (which is on the north side of the 44th Street Station), ''not'' at the light rail station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-20 | content=They also have additional stops in North Phoenix at a Jacksons/Shell at 21001 N Tatum Blvd (N Tatum/E Deer Valley); E University/Rural in [[Tempe#By bus|Tempe]], W Myrtle/N 59th Ave in [[Glendale_(Arizona)|Glendale]], and at a Walgreens at 1620 N 59th Ave (N 59th Ave & W McDowell Rd) in the west of town. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Greyhound Lines, Autobus Americanos & Cruceros USA | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address=(Bus depot) 2115 E Buckeye | lat=33.43629 | long=-112.03563 | directions=SW corner of S 24th St & Buckeye Rd, west of the airport terminals & next to the freeway. Valley Metro #13 bus passes by the Greyhound Terminal on its way to/from the airport terminals; there is also a terminal on 2647 W Glendale Ave, NW of the I-17/W Glendale interchange and another in [[Mesa#By bus|Mesa]] | phone=+1 602-389-4200 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Greyhound travels primarily on Interstate 10 (Los Angles-Phoenix-Tuscon-El Paso); I-17 (Phoenix-Sedona-Flagstaff). Some of its schedules continue east on I-40 towards Oklahoma City whiles others go west towards Las Vegas from Flagstaff; AZ-85/I-8 (Phoenix-Gila Bend-[[Yuma]]-[[San Diego]]). Passengers transfer to other buses in [[Los Angeles#By bus|Los Angeles]], [[El Paso#By bus|El Paso]], [[Flagstaff#By bus|Flagstaff]], [[Oklahoma City#By bus|Oklahoma City]], [[Las Vegas#By bus|Las Vegas]], [[San Diego#By bus|San Diego]] and/or San Bernardino to get to other cities in the U.S. and in Nogales, Calexico/[[Mexicali#By bus|Mexicali]] and El Paso/[[Ciudad Juarez#By bus|Cd Juarez]] to get to other cities in Mexico. Prices vary by destination. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Hoang Express | alt= | url=http://www.xedohoang.com/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=(Bus stop) Lams Supermarket @ 6740 W Indian School Rd | lat=33.49596 | long=-112.20436 | directions=NW of the intersection of N 67th Ave & W Indian School Rd | phone=+1 714-839-3500, +1 408 729-7885 | tollfree=+1 888 834-9336 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-17 | content=Travels between Southern California (San Diego, El Monte, Los Angeles, Westminster) and Arizona (Phoenix, Chandler and Tempe). }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Transportes Baldomero Corral (TBC) | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.107448495991788.8990.107441725992465&type=3 | email= | address=(Bus stop) 3106 W Thomas Rd | lat=33.4811 | long=-112.1259 | directions= | phone=+1 602-258-2445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Service from [[Hermosillo]] via [[Tucson]] and [[Nogales (Sonora)|Nogales]]. }} * {{go | name=TAP Royal | alt= | url= | email= | address=(Bus depot) 2707 W McDowell Rd | lat=33.46565 | long=-112.1175 | directions=SW corner of W McDowell Rd & N 27th Ave | phone=+1 602-272-3030 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-04 | content=They offer bus service between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales in U.S. and from Nogales to Guadalajara, along Fed Hwy 15 through multiple cities in Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco in Mexico. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Transportes Express | alt= | url=http://www.transportes-express.com/english/ | email= | address=(Office) 131 N 28th Ave | lat=33.4653 | long=-112.1193 | directions=south of N 28th Ave & W McDowell St, behind Rulis Polarizados Window Tint shop | phone=+1 602-442-6670 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Runs van shuttles to Phoenix from Nogales via Tucson; Calexico; San Luis and Yuma; Puerto Peñasco or Caborca through Lukeville/Sonoyta; and Douglas/Agua Prieta on separate routes. }} * {{go | name=Transportes Nenas | alt= | url=https://www.nenasshuttles.com/ | email= | address=(Shuttle Depot) 3521 W McDowell St | lat=33.46566 | long=-112.13555 | directions=next to La Reyna Bakery along W McDowell between N 35th & 36th | phone=+1 602-442-6802 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Runs van shuttles between Phoenix and Rocky Point in [[Puerto Peñasco]] via Lukeville and Sonoyta. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=TUFESA | alt= | url=http://www.tufesa.com.mx | email= | address=(Bus depot) 1614 N 27th Ave | lat=33.46624 | long=-112.11753 | directions=NW corner of W McDowell Rd & N 27th Ave | phone=+1 602-415-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Offers bus service between (Southern) California, Arizona and Nevada in the U.S. and along the Hwy 15 corridor in Sonora and Sinaloa in Mexico. There's also a taxi stand at the Tufesa bus station for onward local travel. }} ==Get around== Phoenix is a very car-centered city. If you plan to stay or visit any of the cities on the periphery of the metro area, a car will likely be required. However, if you plan to stick to the Tempe-Downtown Phoenix area, the Light Rail is a viable option, with an all-day adult pass costing {{USD|4}}. So if you are in the [[United states without a car|United states without a car,]] consider that. There are also rental scooters with drop-off points at almost every block in the city center. Taxis are typically fairly easy to find in proximity to major light rail stops and in popular areas, and will run you from {{USD|10-15}} for a fairly local trip to well over {{USD|100}} for a ride to a distant suburb. ===By e-scooter=== The fastest and most comfortable way to get around downtown, especially in summer months when temperatures soar, is by e-scooter. The most popular rental company is Lime, their scooters are easily recognizable by their green and black colour scheme. There are over 1000 scooters in the downtown area, which can be rented and dropped off in any of 400 stations. Rental fees start at {{USD|1}} for short rides so they are very competitive with bus fares. Look out for promotions and special deals, which often include a number of free rides. To rent a scooter, you'll need a smartphone and the rental company's software on it, that can be downloaded free of charge. You will also need a credit card to pay for the service. Unlike in most European cities, e-scooters in Phoenix do not follow a free floating model but must be rented from any of the stations and also parked in a station to end the ride. If you don't park the scooter properly, you risk getting billed continuously. Scooters are restricted to roads and cycle roads, it is '''prohibited''' to scoot on sidewalks ({{USD|250}} fine if caught). When leaving the downtown area, scooters will slow down to 4 km/h and eventually stop completely, so keep an eye on the map. Scooting is also prohibited on university premises. ===By car=== {{infobox|Renting a car like a local|The new Car Rental Facility for the Phoenix Airport is just west of the airport. National polls have shown that Phoenix is the 4th most expensive city in terms of surcharges in the nation. Car rental companies are required to add 29% (that's twenty-nine percent!) to your bill to pay for this state-of-the-art building. Take a cab or public transit to a local office of a car rental company. Do not tell them you are flying in. That way you are a "local rental" and do not have to pay some of the surcharges that are automatic if you rent at the car rental building at the airport. The surcharges finance everything from the local jails to the new [[American football|Cardinals]] Stadium. The cab will likely be $25, but the surcharges for a $499 weekly rental will take your bill upwards of $650 and more. If you're doing a tour of the Southwest, consider flying into Las Vegas and renting your car there &mdash; the taxes are much lower and doing a one-way drop off to Phoenix is generally not a problem.|}} Surface roads are usually easy to navigate. The area's roads are designed around a grid system, where most roads are numbered based on their distance from the city center. Addresses also conform to the numbering of the roads around them. Nearly all streets run with the compass directions, and there's a major thoroughfare at every mile in each direction. Central Ave divides east from west while Washington St divides north from south. The numbered roads go north and south, parallel to Central Ave, with "avenues" west of Central and "streets" east of Central Ave such as 7th Ave going parallel on the west side of Central Ave while 7th St parallels along the east. The named roads go across east and west and can be "roads", "avenues" or "streets". This also applies to the extended metro area, though addresses in places like Tempe and Mesa have their own numbering system and are not based on downtown Phoenix. There is an extensive network of freeways, most built since 1987 and some more recent. Heavy construction on some segments and interchanges continues. Check construction schedules and closures in the local media. Drinking and driving laws are very heavily enforced in Phoenix, especially in Scottsdale and Tempe. Harsh DUI laws & police traps ensure you will most likely be pulled over during peak bar hours 11PM-2:30AM. Mandatory jail time and extremely heavy fines make drinking and driving a very unwise decision in Maricopa County. * '''Car rental''' is the most convenient form of transportation for visitors, with local companies offering better prices but national chains offering more convenience vis-a-vis return policies and times. * '''Car hire''' Unlike most cities, in Phoenix you can get a sedan, SUV or even a limo to pick you up for about the same price as a cab. **'''ride-sharing (Uber/Lyft),''' is very popular. Waymo (self-driving vehicles) are available in the Chandler/Mesa/Tempe Gilbert area (100 sq mi area), though need to enroll to use. ===By public transit=== * '''[http://www.valleymetro.org/ Valley Metro]'''. Extensive metropolitan bus system, and light rail line. The light rail line runs from north-central Phoenix, along the Central Ave. corridor, through downtown, past the airport, and to Tempe and Mesa. One-ride or all day passes may be purchased at varying prices depending on service and location. ** A single ride on a non-express bus or the light rail is $2. ** 1-day passes are $4 from machines, but $6 on board buses. ** The DASH is a free bus that runs M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM between downtown and the state capitol stopping at various government buildings such as city hall. ==See== [[File:Desert Botanical Gardens.jpg|thumb|250px|Desert Botanical Gardens]] *The cultural, governmental, and business center of the city is '''Copper Square''', which is striving to become one of the southwest's most distinctive urban centers. Copper Square was built around the original Phoenix historic town site. Its boundaries extend from Fillmore to south of Jackson Street, 7th Street to 3rd Avenue. Revitalization plans in the area are expected to cost more than $4 billion and aim to increase artistic, cultural and entertainment activity. The presence of two state universities (Arizona State University and University of Arizona) and a new convention center are also significantly changing the physical and economic shape of the Phoenix downtown area. *Downtown and Central Phoenix are home to several '''historic neighborhoods'''. These range from turn of the century Victorian to mid-century modern architecture. Some of the more well-known districts include Coronado, Encanto-Palmcroft, FQ Story, Willo and Woodlea. The historic homes in these districts are private residences and not normally open to the public, but the neighborhoods are very pleasant to walk around. Some districts hold annual home tours when several houses in a neighborhood are open to the public, all covered by one ticket usually costing about $10. For example the FQ Story home tour is normally held shortly before Christmas. *'''Roosevelt Historic District'''. This area has retooled itself from a run-down, drug-infested area to the epicenter of the Central Phoenix art scene. This emerging neighborhood has become home to artist live/work spaces, gallery spaces and studio spaces. Since 1994 the monthly First Friday's (first Friday each month) artwalk (7th St to 3rd Ave) has grown to become the largest monthly artwalk in the U.S. Increasing interest in this area has prompted Rooselvelt Row to becoming more pedestrian-friendly and is supportive of small local independent businesses that give Downtown Phoenix character. *'''Scottsdale Old Town.''' Scottsdale Rd & Indian School. Restaurants and art galleries. Thursday evening art walk 7-9p. ===Parks and outdoors=== *{{see | name=Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve | alt= | url=http://www.asu.edu/clas/shesc/dvrac/ | email= | address=3711 W Deer Valley Rd | directions= | lat=33.6772429 | long=-112.1527 | phone=+1 623-582-8007 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 8AM-2PM | price=$9 adults, $8.10 seniors and students, $5 children (ages 7-12), free age 6 and under, free ASU sutudents | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=features a museum and visitor center dedicated to the preservation of historic petroglyphs and pictographs at the base of Hedgpeth Hills. A must see for geologists and archaeologists. }} * {{see | name=Desert Botanical Garden | alt= | url=http://www.dbg.org | email= | address=1201 N Galvin Pkwy | directions=in Papago Park, near the Phoenix Zoo | lat=33.46123 | long=-111.94522 | phone=+1 480-941-1225 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=7AM-8PM | price=$25 adult, $15 youth, free age 3 and under | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=50 acres of exhibits showcasing desert plants, with an emphasis on plant life of the Sonoran Desert and arid lands around the world. It includes many examples of ethnobotany, or how plants are used to survive in the desert. As a consequence of the many plants in this area there are also many desert animals such as lizards, birds, and occasional roadrunners. }} * {{see | name=Ro Ho En Japanese Friendship Garden | alt= | url=http://www.japanesefriendshipgarden.org/ | email= | address=1125 N 3rd Ave | directions= | lat=33.46099 | long=-112.07603 | phone=+1 602-256-3204 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-3PM; Summer (June-August): Tu-Su 8AM-noon, F-Su 5PM-7:30PM | price=$10 adult; $8 senior; $7 youth, student, military; free age 6 and under | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Japanese-style garden with koi pond and tea house. Closed in the summer due to heat. }} * {{see | name=Phoenix Zoo | alt= | url=https://www.phoenixzoo.org/ | email= | address=455 N Galvin Pkwy | directions= | lat=33.4513 | long=-111.9471 | phone=+1 602-286-3800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June-August 7AM-1PM; September-October 9AM-5PM | price=$29.95 adult, $19.95 child | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content= }} ===Museums=== [[File:Heard wts.jpg|thumb|250px|Heard Museum Courtyard]] * {{see | name=Arizona Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.azscience.org | email= | address=600 E Washington St | lat=33.448861 | long=-112.066557 | directions= | phone=+1 602-716-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:30AM-4PM | price=General admission: adult $20, child (3-17) $15; planetarium adult $9, child $8 | lastedit=2021-10-16 | wikidata=Q4791396 | content=This center features 350 permanent hands-on exhibits and regularly hosts nationally acclaimed traveling exhibits. Also features a 5-story IMAX theater and planetarium. }} *'''[https://www.phxtrolley.org/ Phoenix Trolley Museum]''' * {{see | name=Heard Museum | alt= | url=http://www.heard.org | email= | address=2301 N Central Ave | lat=33.4716 | long=-112.0721 | directions=Between E Monte Vista Rd & E Hoover Ave | phone=+1 602-252-8848 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM to 5PM, Su 11AM-5PM | price=$15 adults, $13.50 seniors 62+, $7.50 children 6-12, free for children under 6 and American Indians | content=World famous museum celebrating Native American cultures and arts, especially those of Arizona and New Mexico. Be sure to check out the amazing collection of Hopi Kachina dolls. }} * {{see | name=Phoenix Art Museum | url=http://www.phxart.org | email= | address=1625 N Central Ave | lat=33.466254 | long=-112.073222 | directions= | phone=+1 602-257-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-5PM (Th until 9PM) | price=Free on the first Friday evening of every month | content=16,000 artworks with an emphasis on American, Asian, Latin American, and modern and contemporary. }} * {{see | name=Arizona State Capitol Museum | alt=Arizona Capitol Museum | url=http://www.azlibrary.gov/azcm | email= | address=1700 W Washington St | lat=33.4482 | long=-112.0970 | directions= | phone=+1 602-926-3620 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM; Sept-May: Sa 10AM-2PM | price=Free | lastedit=2016-09-15 | content=The Arizona Capitol Museum uses a balance of technology, hands-on activities, historical artifacts, and public programs to help visitors learn about and interact with the government of the 48th state. }}[[File:Musical Instrument Museum 2, Phoenix AZ.JPG|thumb|Musical Instrument Museum]] * {{see | name=The Gallery at City Hall | alt= | url=https://www.phoenix.gov/arts/the-gallery-@-city-hall | email= | address=200 West Washington St | lat=33.448611 | long=-112.077335 | directions=Corner of 2nd Ave and Washington St | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-2PM | price=Free | lastedit=2016-09-22 | content=Small, free art gallery on 1st floor of Phoenix City Hall with some of the over 1000 pieces of art on display from the city of Phoenix Municipal Art Collection which began in 1915. }} *{{see | name=Musical Instrument Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mim.org/ | email= | address=4725 E Mayo Blvd | lat=33.667574 | long=-111.978475 | directions=Near AZ-51 and AZ-101 intersection | phone=+1 480-478-6000 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-5PM, daily | price=Adults $20, Teens (13-19) $15, Children (4-12) $10 | wikidata=Q1946710 | lastedit=2021-02-10 | content=Has many exhibits where you can see and hear the history of music from around the world. There's also a room for kids of all ages to try out instruments. }} * {{see | name=Phoenix Police Museum | alt= | url=http://phoenixpolicemuseum.org/ | email= | address=200 W Jefferson St | lat=33.44751 | long=-112.07602 | directions=NE corner of 2nd Ave and Jefferson | phone=+1 602-534-7278 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-3PM | price=free | lastedit=2016-09-22 | content=On the first floor of the historic city hall, it gives the history of the Phoenix Police Department in historic and modern context. Starts with a rock with shackles, which was the original jail. Even has the police department's first helicopter. There's a small exhibit dedicated to Miranda and Miranda rights and a memorial for 9/11. }} * {{see | name=Children's Museum of Phoenix | alt= | url=http://www.ChildrensMuseumOfPhoenix.org | email= | address=215 N 7th St | lat=33.45042 | long=-112.06453 | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-0501 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 9AM-4PM | price,=$12, seniors $12, children up to 12 months old free | lastedit=2018-04-18 | content=Third best children's museum in the country. }} * {{see | name=Hall Of Flame Fire Museum | alt=National Firefighting Hall of Heroes | url=http://www.hallofflame.org/ | email= | address=6101 E Van Buren St | lat=33.4474 | long=-111.953 | directions= | phone=+1 602-275-FIRE | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM | price=$7 adult, $6 concession, $2 child, children under 3 are free | wikidata=Q14680373 | lastedit=2018-05-27 | content=Almost an acre of fire history exhibits, with over 90 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display, dating from 1725 to 1969. }} ===Historical=== * {{see | name=Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park | alt= | url=http://www.pueblogrande.org/ | email= | address=(Museum Bldg) 4619 E Washington St | lat=33.4457 | long=-111.9847 | directions=Museum Bldg at opposite side of parking lot from the entrance at Washington St. Park entrance between S 44th St & SR-143 | phone=+1 602-495-0901 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 9AM-4:45PM, Su 1PM-4:45PM | price=Adults (18-54) $6, seniors (55+) $5, children (6-17) $3, children (under 6): Free | lastedit=2016-09-14 | content=The U.S.'s only city-operated archaeological site, preserving a 1500-year-old Hohokam ruin in the shadow of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This ruin is one of only two Hohokam mounds remaining in the metro Phoenix area (the other being the underdeveloped Mesa Grande ruins). The museum and site is comparable to the more famous (and more remote) [[Casa Grande Ruins National Monument]], but the visible ruins are not as large. }} * {{see | name=Orpheum Theatre | url=http://phoenix.gov/STAGES/orpheum.html | email= | address=203 W Adams St | lat=33.448958 | long=-112.076865 | directions= | phone=+1 602-262-6225 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Be sure to take a walk around this amazing piece of historic architecture set in downtown Phoenix. Built in 1929 in the Spanish Baroque style, this building feature intricate murals and moldings. }} * {{see | name=USS Arizona Memorial at the Arizona State Capitol | url=http://www.azleg.gov | email= | address=1700 W Washington | lat=33.447784 | long=-112.094638 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Pay your respects to the victims of Pearl Harbor at the Arizona State Capitol's memorial to the USS Arizona. One of the two 19,585-lb (8880-kg) anchors of the Arizona is displayed. }} *{{see | name=Pioneer Living History Village | alt= | url=https://www.pioneeraz.org/ | email= | address=3901 W Pioneer Rd | lat=33.81914 | long=-112.14955 | directions=Take I-17 North of Phoenix to Exit 225 Pioneer Rd. PLHV is just W of the interstate | phone=+1 623 465-1052 | tollfree= | hours= | price=$7, $6 seniors (60+), $5 students (Ages 6-18), children under 5 free | wikidata=Q14680667 | content=A historically accurate recreation of an 1800s frontier town between Phoenix and [[Anthem]]. Over 30 buildings provide a living example of what frontier life was like then. }} * {{see | name=Arizona Biltmore Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/ | email= | address= | lat=33.52349 | long=-112.02329 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=24th St and Camelback Rd. Visit this legendary Phoenix landmark built in 1921 and has hosted famous guests such as Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, and the President of the United States when he is in town. }} * {{see | name=Wrigley Mansion | alt= | url=http://www.wrigleymansion.com/tour-wrigley-mansion/ | email= | address=2501 E Telawa Trl | lat=33.312174 | long=-112.13361 | directions=bus 70 from downtown | phone=+1 602-955-4079 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tours Tu-Su | price=Regular tours $15, lunch tours $30-45, Tuesday tours are free | wikidata=Q8038334| wikipedia=Wrigley_Mansion | lastedit=2016-09-22 | content=Take a tour of the amazing architecture and grounds of this historic mansion built by the famous chewing gum magnate. }} * {{see | name=Tovrea Castle | alt= | url=http://www.tovreacastletours.com | email= | address=5025 E Van Buren St | lat=33.45094 | long=-111.97315 | directions=eastern Phoenix, near airport | phone=+1 602-256-3221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Hours vary by season; reservations required | price=Tours are $15 | wikidata=Q7829500| wikipedia=Tovrea_Castle | lastedit=2016-09-14 | content=Tovrea Castle is a historic structure and landmark, which is particularly visible to drivers on Arizona State Route 202. It was intended as a centerpiece for a resort, but was used as a private residence for the Tovrea family, who owned the Phoenix Stockyards which once were adjacent to the property. The rococo style building was constructed in a unique three-tier fashion which has resemblance to a traditional multilayered wedding cake. The castle is now part of the Phoenix parks system and is designated as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride. The park shows over 5,000 cacti in over 100 varieties, all maintained by volunteers of the Tovrea Carraro Society. There's only 1-2 tours on weekend mornings, so they can sell out months in advance. }} * {{see | name=Rosson House Museum | alt= | url=http://heritagesquarephx.org/visit/the-rosson-house/ | email= | address=113 N 6th St | lat=33.45021 | long=-112.06597 | directions=Heritage and Science Park | phone=+1 602-262-5070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price=$9 adult, $8 concession, $4 child | lastedit=2016-09-24 | content=A fully-restored 1895 Queen Anne Victorian house museum which interprets the history of Phoenix. The only way to enter the house is through an hour-long tour which runs hourly. }} ==Do== Winter visitors to the area will generally be looking for outdoor events. The area has many resorts with the relevant amenities, such as golf courses and the requisite pools and other activities on site. In the summer, due to the extreme heat, virtually everyone tries to avoid being outside more than necessary. *{{listing | type=do | name=Castles N' Coasters | alt= | url=http://www.castlesncoasters.com | email= | address=9445 North Metro Parkway East | lat=33.5733 | long=-112.1184 | directions=Near I-17 and Dunlap, just southeast of Metrocenter Mall. Easily visible from the interstate. | phone=+1 602-997-7575 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Largest amusement park in town, and the only one with roller coasters and other thrill rides. Also has four mini-golf courses and a two-story arcade. }} *{{do | name=Enchanted Island Amusement Park | alt= | url=http://www.enchantedisland.com/ | email= | address= | lat=33.4738 | long=-112.0887 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q29096592 | content=Great rides for children pre-k - 5th grade. Train that circles the park. Canoe rental. }} *{{do | name=Cityscape | alt= | url=http://www.cityscapephoenix.com/ | email= | address=One East Washington | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-947-7772 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mixed use urban project which includes retail, shopping and entertainment such as a pub, comedy club, bowling alley and various restaurants. From late November through early January there is a holiday ice skating rink called Cityskate which has an admission fee ($12 to $15 which includes skate rental), nightly lightshows from 7 to 10PM and a 36 foot tall Christmas tree. }} *{{do | name=FilmBar | alt= | url=http://www.thefilmbarphx.com/ | email= | address=815 n 2nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-595-9187 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 5PM-midnight; F 5PM-2AM; Sa 1PM-2AM; Su 1PM-midnight | price=$8 | content=A microcinema (70 seats) and lounge for those aged 21 and older showing mostly independent and foreign movies for $8 per ticket. The bar (no entrance fee) has 30 craft beers and 15 wines available. Tickets available online or at the bar. It was named the Best Neighborhood Bar in Downtown Phoenix for 2012. }} * {{do | name=Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market | alt= | url=http://foodconnect.org/phxmarket/ | email= | address=721 North Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Sa 8AM-noon; Th 5PM-9PM | price= | content=Farmers market open year round offering fresh produce, prepared food and food trucks. }} * {{do | name=The Nash | alt= | url=http://www.thenash.org/ | email= | address=110 E. Roosevelt St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-795-0464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venue which hosts live jazz music a few nights every week. Check website for exact event schedule and cost (cover varies from $5 to $15). BYOB-corkage fee of $5 for bottle of wine and $1 for bottle of beer. Listed as Best Jazz Joint in 2013 by the ''Phoenix New Times''. }} * {{do | name=Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Rides | url=http://bkpk.me/floating-over-the-arizona-desert-with-rainbow-ryders/ | email= | address=5601 Eagle Rock Ave NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-771-0776 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Scenic hot air balloon rides daily in Phoenix and Scottsdale. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Grand Spa |alt=| url=https://www.arizonagrandresort.com/spa/ | email= | address=8000 S Arizona Grand Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-431-6484 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-8PM | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content=A wide variety of spa treatments including a salon, relaxing body treatments, hydrating facials, & “just for kids” treatments. }} ===Outdoor recreation=== [[File:Camelback Mountain wts.jpg|thumb|300px|The view from Camelback Mountain]] *{{do | name=Camelback Mountain | alt= | url=https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/camelback-mountain | email= | address= | lat=33.52151 | long=-111.97386 | directions=E McDonald Dr at Tatum Blvd | phone=+1 602-256-3220 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5025875 | content=The most recognizable landmark of the area, Camelback Mountain rises to {{ft|2704}} at its summit. It sits between Phoenix to the south and Paradise Valley to the North. The lower areas of the mountain contain some of the most exclusive residences in the Valley, with the upper sections now part of a park. There are very challenging and difficult hiking trails to the summit that are not recommended for any but experienced hikers. As well, parking near the mountain is extremely limited. The mountain consists of red rock, and is in the general shape of a camel's silhouette. A rock formation on the mountain is known as Praying Monk. The park also contains Echo Canyon. }} *{{do | name=Piestewa Peak | alt= | url=http://phoenix.gov/parks/phxmtns.html | email= | address=2701 E Squaw Peak Ln or 2421 E Northern Ave | lat=33.54767 | long=-112.02109 | directions= | phone=+1 602-262-7901 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=5AM-10PM (Dreamy Draw Park), 11PM (Phoenix Mountains Park) | price= |lastedit=2021-10-16| content=In the middle of Phoenix lies '''Phoenix Mountains Park'''. The park offers a strenuous one to two hour hike to the top of Piestewa Peak, offering fantastic 360° views of the city and its surrounding environment. There are several alternative hiking trails (trail 304, 202, 8A) besides the very popular peak trail. The other well-known mountain in the area (Camelback Mountain being the most well known). The peak was known as "Squaw Peak" before being renamed in honor of Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa who was the first Native American woman killed in combat in the U.S. military in 2003. Due to the name change, visitors will find references to the peak under both names (for instance, the road leading to the park on the south side of the mountain still has the prior name). This mountain, whose summit rises to {{ft|2608}}, is much more accessible to visitors than is Camelback Mountain (come early on weekends during winter months for parking). There are picnic areas on the south side of the mountain (Phoenix Mountains Park entrance on Squaw Peak Ln) and the north side (Dreamy Draw Park, entrance via Northern Ave, but it is closed until 2023 for redevelopment). Especially during the hot summer months (up to 110-115°F/43°C in the afternoon), use caution and bring lots of water and a hat. There is no shade and parts of the trail can be quite steep and rocky. The park also has several picnic areas. }} *{{do | name=North Mountain | alt= | url=http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/north/index.html | email= | address=7th St north of Peoria Ave | lat=33.58904 | long=-112.06518 | directions=entrance on 7th St, north of Peoria Ave and south of Thunderbird Rd | phone=+1 602-262-7901 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=5AM to 7PM | price=free | content=Picnic areas, hiking trails, excellent view of the city from above. An oasis of desert inside the city limits. }}Good available parking. Easier hike than Piestawa Peak or Camelback Mountain. * {{do | name=South Mountain Park | alt= | url=http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south/index.html | email= | address= | lat=33.34506 | long=-112.05872 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=South Mountain Park and Preserve is the largest municipal park in the United States. With more than 16,000 acres, it has 51 miles of trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking. By driving up the scenic Summit Road to Dobbins Lookout, you will be treated to spectacular views of metropolitan Phoenix area. }} * {{do | name=Ben Avery Shooting Facility | alt= | url=http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/ben_avery.shtml | email= | address=4044 W Black Canyon Blvd | lat=33.80381 | long=-112.14482 | directions=take I-17 North to Exit 224 Carefree Hwy (AZ 74); the facility is on the N side of the road just after the interstate | phone=+1 623 582-8313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$7 adult all-day pass, 18 and under free | content=The largest outdoor shooting facility in the country. The favorable weather provides excellent year-round conditions for shooting. Eye protection is required; ear protection is recommended. }} * {{do | name=Oasis Water Park |alt=| url=https://www.arizonagrandresort.com/oasis-water-park/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Hours vary by season | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content= }} ===Golf=== * {{do | name=Arizona Grand Golf Course | alt= | url=https://www.arizonagrandgolf.com/ | email= | address=8000 S Arizona Grand Pkwy | lat=33.37151 | long=-111.97329 | directions= | phone=+1 602-431-6480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content=Awarded the Four-Star Award by ''Golf Digest'', Arizona Grand Golf Course is one of the most challenging golf courses in the Phoenix area and blends desert target golf with traditional links. }} *{{do | name=Arizona Biltmore Golf Course | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.51907 | long=-112.02165 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Performing arts=== * {{do | name=Phoenix Symphony | alt= | url=http://www.phoenixsymphony.org | email= | address=455 N 3rd St | lat=33.44893 | long=-112.07059 | directions= | phone=+1 602-495-1999 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's classical and pops orchestra, presenting a 25-week season of concerts. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Opera | url=http://www.azopera.com | email= | address=4600 N 12th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-266-7464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Presenting a season of five grand opera productions, with emphasis on Verdi, Puccini, and Mozart. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Theatre Company | alt= | url=http://www.arizonatheatre.org | email= | address= | lat=33.45086 | long=-112.07076 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Professional theater in downtown Phoenix's Herberger theater complex. }} * {{do | name=Mesa Arts Center | url=http://www.mesaartscenter.com | email= | address=1 E Main St; [[Mesa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-644-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Contemporary art displays and studios. Home of the [http://www.swshakespeare.org/ Southwest Shakespeare Company] and the Mesa Symphony Orchestra. }} *{{do | name=Phoenix Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.phoenixtheatre.com | email= | address=100 E McDowell Ave | lat=33.46661 | long=-112.07286 | directions=Corner of McDowell and Central Ave | phone=+1 602-889-5286 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM - 5PM | price=$62 | content=Professional theatre in an intimate setting. New Works Festival in July. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Carnival of Illusion | alt= | url=https://www.carnivalofillusion.com | email=thrills@carnivalofillusion.com | address=2400 E Missouri Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-359-7469 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-05-01 | content=The Carnival of Illusion Parlour Show presents national quality magic in an intimate setting at the Historic Arizona Biltmore Resort and is limited to 125 guests. The hosts are the National Recipients for Excellence in Magic and have performed as house entertainers at the world's top resorts, for Fortune 100 CEOs, to the 200 Most Powerful Women in America. }} ===Sports=== Tickets to professional sports events are expensive, but there are still $12.50 seats at the Diamondbacks games, not available until 2 hours before the game. Definitely not the best seats, but worth visiting the downtown Phoenix ballpark. Spring Training Cactus League is a great way to see baseball players. Very relaxed and inexpensive. Games are in different locations in Mesa, Peoria, and Phoenix. The Cardinals stadium is worth a visit, as it looks like a giant spaceship by the side of the freeway. [[File:Chase Field.jpg|thumb|250px|Arizona Diamondbacks' swimming pool]] * {{do | name=Arizona Diamondbacks | alt= | url=http://www.azdiamondbacks.com | email= | address=7th St and Jefferson | lat=33.44548 | long=-112.06681 | directions= | phone=+1 602-514-8400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=You can get really decent tickets for $12.50 | content=Take in a [[Baseball in the United States|baseball]] game at the unique Chase Field (often called "The BOB", from its former name of Bank One Ballpark). It has a capacity of 49,033, with a retractable roof, air conditioning, and a swimming pool available for rental. }} * {{do | name=Phoenix Suns | alt= | url=http://www.nba.com/suns | email= | address=201 E Jefferson St | lat=33.44596 | long=-112.07117 | directions=Take light rail to 3rd Street/Washington or 3rd Street/Jefferson station | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-4NBA-TIX | fax= | hours= | price=Tickets start at $25 | content=Very popular NBA team featuring players such as Chris Paul and Devin Booker. The Suns play at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, which is near a light rail station. }} * The '''[http://www.azcardinals.com/ Arizona Cardinals]''' of the [[American football|NFL]] and the '''[https://www.nhl.com/coyotes Arizona Coyotes]''' of the NHL, play in neighboring [[Glendale (Arizona)#Do|Glendale]]. * {{do | name=Phoenix Mercury | url=https://mercury.wnba.com/ | email= | address=201 E Jefferson St | lat= | long= | directions=see "Phoenix Suns" listing for location detail | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very popular WNBA team. Shares Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix with the Suns. }} * {{do | name=Cactus League Spring Training Baseball | url=http://cactusleague.com | email= | address=Phoenix and Surrounding Cities | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annually February - March the Phoenix Metropolitan Area hosts 15 Major League Baseball teams for their spring training activities and exhibition games. A great way to spend the afternoon on a beautiful Arizona Spring day. }} * {{do | name=Arizona State Sun Devils | url=https://thesundevils.com | email=sundeviltickets@asu.edu | address=Sun Devil Stadium, 500 E Veterans Way, Tempe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-727-0000 | tollfree=+1 888-786-3857 | fax= | hours= M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content=The teams representing Arizona State University, competing in the Pac-12 Conference alongside other major universities throughout the western third of the country. Most of the athletic facilities are on campus, with the best-known being Sun Devil Stadium (football) and Desert Financial Arena (basketball). However, the baseball team plays in Phoenix proper at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Tickets are often more affordable than those for professional sports. }} * {{do | name=Grand Canyon Antelopes | alt= | url=https://gculopes.com | email= | address=GCU Arena, 330 W Camelback Rd | lat=33.51014 | long=-112.12894 | directions= | phone=+1 602-639-8979 | tollfree=+1-877-552-7362 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The teams representing Grand Canyon University, competing in the Western Athletic Conference. The Antelopes, who don't have a football team, have now completed a transition to NCAA Division I sports. As with ASU, most of GCU's athletic facilities are on campus. In the last few years, the GCU student section, known as the Havocs, has developed a reputation as one of the loudest and most energetic in American college sports. }} ===Events=== * {{do | name=Phoenix Festival of the Arts | alt= | url=http://phoenixfestivalofthearts.org/ | email= | address=Margaret T. Hance Park, 1202 N. 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free admission | content=A 3-day festival in December held at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix that features local artists and exhibitors selling art, a community mural, food trucks, performances on 2 stages and a beer and wine garden. }} * {{do | name=Real, Wild and Woody Beer Festival | alt= | url=http://realwildandwoody.com/ | email= | address=Phoenix Convention Center (South Building), 33 South 3rd Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-05-15 | content=Annual one-day beer festival in late July hosted by Arizona Craft Brewers Guild in downtown Phoenix with more than 50 local brewers offering local and unusual beers. The admission fee ($60 for 2019) includes attendance to the event, 20 beer sampling tickets and food samples. An event for those aged 21 and older. }} * {{do | name=First Fridays Artwalk | alt= | url=https://artlinkphoenix.com/first-fridays/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Roosevelt between Central Avenue and Seventh Street | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=On the first Friday of every month, hundreds of local art galleries, venues, and shops open up free to the public. This local tradition has been going strong since 1994 and has become the largest art walk in the United States. A great place to see and be seen. ''(Parking at Burton Barr library for First Friday is forbidden, and parking is difficult to obtain nearby. Consider taking the light rail.)'' }} * {{do | name=Phoenix Film Festival | alt= | url=http://www.phoenixfilmfestival.com | email= | address=7000 E Mayo Blvd, Scottsdale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Phoenix Film Festival | wikidata=Q7186873 | content=The celebration takes place annually (April) in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The festival began as a showcase for feature films made for under $1 million and short films made for under $50,000, however, it is quickly climbing its way into elite status in the film circuit due to its first class treatment of filmmakers. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Matsuri | url=http://www.azmatsuri.org | email= | address=Heritage and Science Park at 7th St/Monroe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual festival each spring in downtown Phoenix celebrating Japanese culture. Martial arts, taiko drumming, bonsai, cosplay, food, fashion, music, and more. }} * {{do | name= Rock n'Roll Arizona Marathon | url=https://www.runrocknroll.com/arizona| email= | address=Rural and Rio Solado Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions=202 Fwy [E], Priest Exit[S], Rio Solado [W], Parking [2 mi] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | wikidata=Q2160541 | lastedit=2019-05-15 | hours=7:45AM marathon start, 8:15AM half-marathon start | price= | content=Annual moving mass of humanity for the Rock N'Roll half-marathon, and marathon in mid-January. Bands at every mile. Big party in the evening of the marathon. Starts in Phoenix (Washington St/7th Ave) and weaves through Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe to finish in the ASU athletic center. Pretty flat course, reasonable crowd support. Expo in Phoenix Convention Center, Monroe/3rd St. }} * {{do | name=Ford Ironman Arizona | url=http://www.ironmanarizona.com | email= | address=Tempe Beach Park, Rio Solado Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Swim (2.4 mi), bike (112 mi), run (26.2 mi): the same as Ironman in Kona Hawaii. Entry ($425 limited to 1,500) impossible to get unless sponsored by a charity, contestant in previous year, or part of race crew. }} * {{do | name=Fiesta Bowl | url=http://www.fiestabowl.com | email= | address=State Farm Stadium, Glendale, 99th Ave/Maryland | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the 4 big college football bowls. Played at the $430m State Farm Stadium (looks like a giant spaceship with a retractable playing field). Parade on Saturday before bowl at 11AM start at Central Ave/Bethany Home in Phoenix is always quite spectacular and free. }} * {{do | name=Phoenix Open | url= | email= | address=TPC Scottsdale, Bell Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Loop 101 Fwy (Pima Road), Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd [E] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-dark | price= | content=Phoenix Open Golf tournament in Feb draws a lot of big-name players. Big party atmosphere at the 16th hole. Lots of happenings in the evening at the Birds Nest. }} * {{do | name=Avondale World Fest | alt=Civic Center Amphitheater | url= | email= | address=11465 W Civic Center Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 478-3050 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual cultural festival taking place in September. }} * {{do | name=Carnival of Illusion | alt=Magic, Mystery & Oooh La La | url=https://www.carnivalofillusion.com/ | email= | address=2400 E. Missouri Ave. | lat=33.5239 | long=-112.0226 | directions=Arizona Biltmore Resort | phone=+1 480-359-7469 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F Sa at 4:30PM and 7:30PM | price= | lastedit=2018-07-30 | content=National recipients for "Excellence in Magic" Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyed present a Vaudeville-inspired illusion show. Carnival of Illusion is the longest running Arizona theater show in history. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Arizona State University | url=http://www.asu.edu | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In the eastern suburb of [[Tempe]], with three branch campuses around the Phoenix metro area, ASU is one of the largest public universities in the U.S. and is noted for its engineering, business, music, and creative writing programs. }} * {{listing | name=Maricopa Community Colleges | url=http://www.maricopa.edu | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Largest system of community colleges in the United States, with 10 campuses in the metro Maricopa County area; numerous community and adult education programs. }} * {{listing | name=Phoenix School of Law | url=http://www.phoenixlaw.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Law school with relatively open admissions policy. }} * {{listing | name=Thunderbird School of Global Management | url=http://www.thunderbird.edu | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=World famous for being the first and oldest graduate school specializing in international management and global business. Ranked #1 in the world in its field. }} ==Buy== Time-honored souvenirs from Phoenix are '''scorpion bolo ties''' and '''saguaro-cactus salt and pepper shakers'''. Look for them at various gift shops in Terminal 3 and 4 of Sky Harbor International Airport. These gift shops are also known to stock the ever-popular Cactus Candy and a wide variety of hot sauces. * {{buy | name=Bookmans Entertainment Exchange | alt= | url=http://bookmans.com/stores/phoenix/ | email= | address=8034 N 19th Ave | lat=33.55425 | long=-112.10108 | directions= | phone=+1 602-433-0255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=This Tucson-based used bookstore chain also carries used CDs, DVDs, video games, etc. There is an electric vehicle charging station and free Wi-Fi, and pets are welcome in the store. }} * {{buy | name=Hidden Track Bottle Shop | alt= | url=http://www.hiddentrackbottleshop.com/ | email= | address=111 West Monroe Street, Suite 120 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-566-7932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa noon-7PM | price= | lastedit=2015-08-07 | content=Boutique wine store in downtown Phoenix that offer wine (tasted and selected by owners), beer, chocolate, pasta and snacks. Occasional wine tastings and delivery (for a fee) of wine is available. One block from the Van Buren St light rail station and free covered parking (garage entrance on the west side of the building). }} * {{buy | name=The Shops at Norterra | alt= | url=http://www.norterrashopping.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A major retail power center is on I-17 on the north side of Happy Valley Rd. Anchor stores include a Harkins 14-screen cinema, Best Buy, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Many smaller retailers and casual dining restaurants are also in the shopping center. }} *{{buy | name=Town & Country Shopping Center | alt= | url=http://www.townandcountryshops.com/ | email= | address=20th St and Camelback Rd | lat=33.5076423 | long=-112.0390838 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=To the west of Biltmore Fashion Square is a mall that has been revamped and in conjunction with the Colonnade, Camelback Center serve as a bustling shopping area for the Camelback corridor. With many shopping and dinning options for both deep pockets and value seekers, nearby hotels, condos, and apartments the area has become an uptown destination or at least the beginning of your night. }} * {{buy | name=Biltmore Fashion Park | alt= | url=http://www.shopbiltmore.com/ | email= | address=24th St and Camelback Rd | lat=33.5108735 | long=-112.0301306 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Includes many high-end tenants such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Ralph Lauren, Cartier, and Escada; and many highly-acclaimed eateries. }} * {{buy | name=Arizona Hiking Shack | alt= | url=http://hikingshack.com | email= | address=3244 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018 | lat=33.4809309 | long=-112.0131554 | directions= | phone=+1 602-944-7723 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Long-running store with clothing, supplies and gear for hiking, camping, climbing and other outdoor activities. }} *Desert Ridge, 21001 N Tatum Blvd (North of 101 freeway). Large open shopping area with Target, Kohls and other large department stores and many restaurants, (Thirsty Lion, Flower Child, Barrio Queen, The Keg, Mimi's Cafe, Macaroni Grill just a few) === Groceries and other basics === The major supermarket chains in Phoenix are Fry's (which is owned by Kroger), Safeway, WinCo, Albertsons, and Bashas'. In addition the nation's largest discount store chain, Walmart, has several stores in Phoenix most of which are also open 24 hours and some WinCo and Fry's stores in Phoenix are also open 24 hours as well. In addition many specialty and organic supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Trader Joe's can also be found throughout the area. ==Eat== ===Budget=== *For cheap eats, look out for many 24-hour Mexican food places such as '''Filiberto's''', '''Raliberto's''' and other restaurants offer a burrito the size of your forearm for less than $4. *{{eat | name=Chicago Hamburger Company | url=http://chicagohamburger.com/ | email= | address=3749 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-4137 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10:30AM-8PM | price= | content="Home of the Original Windy City Slider" is the restaurant's slogan, and the small burgers (along with larger fare) are found here. A Chicago themed sandwich shop offering hot dogs, sandwiches and even Frito Pie (according to the menu, a former manager from Texas added it to the menu and they've left it on). This place is more what you would expect of a traditional burger joint than Delux Burger (listed below). Delux is when you want something more formal, Chicago Hamburger Company is when you want to grab a traditional burger shop-lunch. }} * {{eat | name=Chino Bandido | url=http://www.chinobandido.com | email= | address=15414 N. 19th Ave, Suite K | lat= | long= | directions=on 19th Ave, just North of Greenway | phone=+1 602-375-3639 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-9PM | price=$5-10 | content=Strange and wonderful fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisine. It can take a little bit of work to understand how to order, so using the online interactive menu ahead of time is useful for first-timers. Ask for a sample spoon if you're not sure about a flavor combination. }} * {{eat | name=Fry Bread House | url= | email= | address=1003 E Indian School Rd | lat=33.494415 | long=-112.060629 | directions= | phone=+1 602-351-2345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10AM-7PM, F Sa 10AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Since 1992 this Tohono O'odham-owned and -operated restaurant has served authentic Native American cuisine, based on family recipes that the restaurant owner learned as a child. Specializes in frybread in all its varieties. Features an all-Native American staff. }} *{{eat | name=Green Restaurant | url=http://greenvegetarian.com/ | email= | address=2022 N 7th St | lat=33.470154 | long=-112.065417 | directions= | phone=+1 602-258-1870 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Reputed vegan restaurant. PETA named the secret BBQ Chicken sandwich as the best faux chicken sandwich in the USA. }} *{{eat | name=Matt's Big Breakfast | url=http://www.mattsbigbreakfast.com | email= | address=825 N 1st St | lat=33.457456 | long=-112.072303 | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-1074 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 6:30AM-2:30PM | price= | content=Very popular breakfast restaurant in downtown Phoenix. }} * {{eat | name=Modern Tortilla | alt= | url=http://moderntortilla.com/ | email=Info@moderntortilla.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-526-5493 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-11-23 | content=Food truck which turns up at various random events and locations (a calendar is posted on their website). Street tacos, burritos, quesadillas: a mix of southwest culinary roots with classical training. }} *{{eat | name=Tee Pee Mexican Food | url=http://www.teepeemexicanfood.com/ | email= | address=4144 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-956-0178 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 11AM-9PM | price= | content=Neighborhood Mexican food restaurant featuring fairly standard Arizona Mexican food fare at reasonable prices. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Aioli Gourmet Burgers | alt= | url=https://www.aioliburger.com/ | email=ViviannaD@aioliburger.com | address=10652 N 32nd Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-971-5555 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-8PM F Sa 11AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2019-07-03 | content=Food truck and restaurant serving gourmet burgers. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Oakwood Fire Pizza | alt= | url=https://oakwoodfirepizza.com/ | email=viviannad@oakwoodfirepizza.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-526-5493 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2020-07-27 | content=Authentic pizza. Food truck services. }} *Salad And Go, several locations Bethany Home & 7th St, Dunlap & 7th St. Inexpensive fresh salads and wraps, highly recommended (excellent caprese salad). ===Mid-range=== * Phoenix has experienced an explosion of eateries since 2018. Uptown on 7th St between Missouri and Glendale Ave. Camelback between 24th St and 44th St. Tatum Blvd between Shea and Greenway. Some notables: Buck and Rider, 4225 E Camelback; Chelseas Kitchen, 5040 N 40th St; Hillstone, 2650 E Camelback; North Italia, 4925 N 40th St; The Yard, 5640 N 7th St; Luci's 7100 N 12th St (breakfast/lunch); Snooze, 2045 E Camelback (Town and Country; breakfast/lunch); Pizzeria Bianco, 4743 N 20th St (Town and Country); Sicilian Butcher, 15530 N Tatum Blvd. *{{eat | name=Aunt Chilada's Squaw Peak | alt= | url=http://www.auntchiladas.com | email= | address=7330 N. Dreamy Draw Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-944-1286 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-1AM | price=$8-15 | content=A historic family-run Mexican restaurant that's a popular local hangout. Large patios and beautiful traditional decor, as well as a Palapa bar and Bocce court. Excellent chips and salsa. Band every Friday night, Sunday open mic night. Breakfast on weekends. }} * {{eat | name=Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.cherryblossom-az.com/ | email= | address=914 E Camelback Rd | lat=33.509829 | long=-112.060984 | directions= | phone=+1 602-248-9090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=An interesting fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisine. One of the only places in the valley to offer an authentic Japanese beer, Calpico, a creamy beer with Japanese calpico brand drink mixed with lager beer. }} *{{eat | name=Delux Burger | url=http://www.deluxburger.com/ | email= | address=3146 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions=in Safeway center on NW corner of 32nd St and Camelback Rd | phone=+1 602-522-2288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-2AM | price= | content=An upscale burger location, also known for its mini-shopping cart baskets of fries and a wide selection of micro-brews on tap. Has an interesting variety of salads as well as the sandwich fare. A good place when you want to have informal food but not in a totally informal setting. }} *{{eat | name=The Duce | url=http://theducephx.com/ | email= | address=525 South Central Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-866-3823 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large warehouse with vintage design that contains a restaurant (food served from 1965 streamline trailer), soda fountain, bar, ice cream shop, boxing ring and clothing shop. }} * {{eat | name=Garcia's Las Avenidas | alt= | url=http://garciasaz.com/| email= | address=2212 N 35th Ave | lat=33.472510 | long=-112.134834 | directions=near intersection of 35th Ave & Encanto Blvd | phone=+1 602-272-5584 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Founded in 1957, about a half-mile north of the original location that was just south of McDowell Rd. on 35th Ave. A chain was later spawned from the restaurant, but this location remained outside the chain and under family control. Arguably, along with Macayo's, served to define what was expected of Phoenix area Mexican food. }} *{{eat | name=L'amore | url=http://lamoreitalianrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=3159 E Lincoln Dr | lat= | long= | directions=in the shopping complex on the SE corner of 32nd St & Lincoln Dr | phone=+1 602-381-3159 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-10PM, Sa 4PM-10PM | price= | content=Local Italian restaurant on the border of Phoenix and Paradise Valley, features fresh seafood and home made pasta. }} *{{eat | name=La Grande Orange Grocery | url=http://www.lagrandeorangegrocery.com/ | email= | address=4410 N 40th St | lat= | long= | directions=SW corner of 40th St & Campbell | phone=+1 602-840-7777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 6:30AM-9PM, F Sa 6:30AM-10PM | price= | content=Popular neighborhood cafe featuring breakfast, sandwiches and grocery items, as well as pizzeria next door. Parking is often difficult in the area, though valet parking is offered as well as curbside service. }} * {{eat | name=Los Dos Molinos | url=http://losdosmolinosphoenix.com/ | email= | address=8646 S Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-243-9113 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sonoran-style dominates Phoenix-area Mexican cookery, but Los Dos celebrates the cuisine of New Mexico -- which means lots of very hot chiles. This long-established and highly regarded restaurant is a must for all true chile-heads. Reservations not accepted. }} *{{eat | name=Majerles Sports Grill | url=http://www.majerles.com/ | email= | address=24 N 2nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-0118 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports grill and lounge owned by former pro basketball player Dan Majerle. }} * {{eat | name=Nobuo at Teeter House | alt= | url=http://www.nobuofukuda.com/ | email= | address=622 E Adams St | lat=33.449594 | long=-112.065667 | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-0600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 11AM-4PM and 5:30PM | price= | content=Highly regarded Japanese restaurant in a renovated historic building in downtown Phoenix. The master chef is a James Beard award winner. Serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. }} *{{eat | name=The Parlor Pizzeria | url=http://www.theparlor.us | email= | address=1916 East Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-248-2480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Neighborhood artisan pizza restaurant, which reused the landmark Salon de Venus beauty salon building when it shut down after 60 years. }} *{{eat | name=Phoenix City Grille | url=http://www.phoenixcitygrille.com/ | email= | address=5816 N 16th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 10AM-9PM | price= | content=Southwestern-themed variations on grill fare is offered by this local restaurant. }} *{{eat | name=Pita Jungle | url=http://www.pitajungle.com/ | email= | address=4340 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions=44th St & Indian School Rd | phone=+1 602-955-7482 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Offers a selection not only of pitas, but also of other Mediterranean inspired meals in a sit down environment. }}Multiple locations (7th St & Missouri, Tatum & Deer Valley Rd). Ask for the tapas menu 4-6PM daily. *{{eat | name=Pizzeria Bianco | alt= | url=http://www.pizzeriabianco.com | email= | address=623 E Adams St | lat=33.449181 | long=-112.065642 | directions=SW Corner Heritage Sq, 7thSt/Monroe | phone=+1 602-258-8300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$ | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Winner of numerous awards. The chef, Chris Bianco, no longer cooks all pies, but is on premises most of the time. Small restaurant, expect lines at popular eating times (F Sa 6:30-8PM). }} *{{eat | name=Postino on Central | url=http://www.postinowinecafe.com | email= | address=5144 N Central Ave | lat=33.512659 | long=-112.074075 | directions= | phone=+1 602-274-5144 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Fun little wine cafe on Central Avenue, just north of Camelback Rd. Good wine selection, but the bruschetta boards are the main attraction. }} *{{eat | name=Texaz Grill | url=http://www.texazgrill.com/ | email= | address=6003 N 16th St | lat= | long= | directions=NE corner of 16th St & Bethany Home Rd | phone=+1 602-248-STAR | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa noon-11PM, Su 4PM-10PM | price= | content=Originally named "Lone Star Steaks" the restaurant changed its name when a national chain moved to town and wanted to sue. Offers reasonably priced steaks and exceptional Texas fare. Specialties are Chicken Fried Steak, choice aged beef and home made desserts. }} *{{eat | name=Thai Lahna | url=http://www.thailahna.com/ | email= | address=3738 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions=38th St Shops Center | phone=+1 602-955-4658 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-9:30PM, F Sa 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-10:30PM, closed Su | price= | content=East Phoenix neighborhood Thai food restaurant. }} *{{eat | name=Wildflower Bread Company | url=http://www.wildflowerbread.com/ | email= | address=4290 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Arcadia Commons Center | phone=+1 602-850-8585 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6AM-9PM, Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 7AM-8PM | price= | content=Arcadia location of restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring a bakery. Lunch menu consists of sandwiches and soups, while pasta is added for dinner. Free wi-fi access and power outlets are available at the location. }} * {{eat | name=Hula's Modern Tiki | alt= | url=http://hulasmoderntiki.com | email= | address=4700 N Central Ave # 122 | lat=33.5058525 | long=-112.0741133 | directions= | phone=+1 602-265-8454 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Great island-inspired food and drinks. }} * {{eat | name=Joyride Taco House | alt= | url=http://joyridetacohouse.com | email= | address=5202 N Central Ave | lat=33.513082 | long=-112.0763008 | directions= | phone=+1 602-274-8226 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Eatery offering elevated Mexican street eats, drinks & patio seating in a hip, colorful setting. }} ===Splurge=== *{{eat | name=The Breadfruit | url=http://www.thebreadfruit.com/ | email= | address=108 E Pierce St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-267-1266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 5PM-10PM, F Sa 5PM-11PM for food (midnight for drinks) | price= | content=Serving Jamaican food for dinner and also has a rum bar. }} * {{eat | name=Durant's | url=http://www.durantsaz.com/ | email= | address=2611 North Central Ave | lat=33.477217 | long=-112.073483 | directions=on east side of Central at Virginia Ave | phone=+1 602-264-5967 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$30-50 | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Classic American "special occasion" restaurant, where the price isn't listed on the menu, and the parking is valet. }} * {{eat | name=El Chorro | alt= | url=http://www.elchorro.com | email= | address=5550 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley | lat= | long= | directions=on Lincoln Drive, just east of Tatum Boulevard | phone=+1 480-948-5170 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 5PM-close; Sunday brunch 9AM-3PM | price=$20-50 | content=At the base of both Camelback and Mummy mountains, this restaurant is well-known to locals for its views of stunning desert scenery and for the historic charm of its buildings. Even if you've just dropping by for drinks on the patio, don't miss trying the complimentary sticky buns. }} *{{eat | name=Fuego Bistro | url=http://fuegobistro.com/ | email= | address=713 E Palo Verde Dr | lat= | long= | directions=1 block S of Bethany Home Rd, 100 yards E of 7th St | phone=+1 602-277-1151 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 11AM-2PM, 5PM-9PM | price= | content=Cozy dining room, patio beneath the stars, and a full service bar. Cuban, Puerto Rican and Latin American dishes such as Pernil Asado, Ropa Vieja and Arroz con Gandules. }} * {{eat | name=Rustler's Rooste | alt= | url=http://www.rustlersrooste.com/ | email= | address=8383 South 48th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-431-6474 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 5PM-10PM, F Sa 5PM-10PM | price=$20-30 | content=A steakhouse adjacent to Arizona Grand Resort, it shares an elevated, picturesque view of the metro-Phoenix area. A gigantic live bull in a pen at the front of the restaurant, a slide to the downstairs seating, cotton candy at the end of the meal, and loud live country western music are part of the ambiance. In addition to common steakhouse fare, local items include Rattlesnake with Prickly Pear Cactus Fries. }} * {{eat | name=The Stockyards Restaurant | url=http://www.stockyardssteakhouse.com | email= | address=5009 E Washington St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-273-7378 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$30-50 | content=Billed as "Arizona's Original Steakhouse", the aptly named restaurant opened for public dinning in 1947. "Steak on the hoof" was visible to visitors as they entered and exited the restaurant, as it was adjacent to the Tovrea families' 200-acre feedlot and packing house, which accommodated more than 300,000 head of cattle each year. While the cattle are now gone, the authentic western cuisine and "refreshments" remain. Includes the 1889 Saloon, which features authentic 19th-century Old West decor and furnishings, and the famous Gold Room. }} *{{eat | name=Tarbell's | url=http://www.tarbells.com/ | email= | address=3213 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-8100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 5PM-10PM, Su 5PM-9PM | price= | content=Chef Mark Tarbell's namesake restaurant, it features Southwestern themed cuisine and local organic ingredients. Per the website, dress is "resort casual" defined as "everything from denim to diamonds." }} * {{eat | name=Quiessance Restaurant | alt= | url=http://qatthefarm.com | email= | address=6106 S 32nd St | lat=33.3907539 | long=-112.0148446 | directions= | phone=+1 602-276-0601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Farm-to-table fresh delicious food. }} * {{eat | name=Richardson's and Rokerji | alt= | url=http://richardsonsnm.com/ | email= | address=6339 N 16th St | lat=33.5303957 | long=-112.0492712 | directions= | phone=+1 602-265 5886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Richardson's serves some of the spiciest New Mexican cuisine in Arizona on copper-topped tables and bars. The Rokerij (pronounced ro-ker-ee) means “smokehouse in Dutch” and features a great selection of steaks, chops, fresh fish and “small plates.” Don’t miss the down stairs bar. Both feature dim-lighting and great service. Reservations for parties of 6 or more suggested. }} === Vegetarian === * '''True Foods,''' Biltmore shopping center (24th/Camelback) and The Quarter (Hayden/Greenway & Scottsdale Rd - N Scottsdale). Good variety of vegetarian options (as well as meat) * '''Flower Child,''' Uptown (Camelback/Central), Desert Ridge (Tatum/101), Arcadia (44th St/Camelback). Similar menu to True Foods, counter service. * '''Original Chop Shop,''' Arcadia (32nd St/Campbell), Scottsdale (Old Town), N Scottsdale (101/Scottsdale Rd), Tempe (Rural/University), Chandler . Fast casual, counter service, good vegetarian options, along with traditional meat protein. * '''Grabbagreen,''' N Phoenix (Bell/Tatum === Phoenix SkyHarbor Airport === * '''Terminal 4,''' great eating options both in pre-security and next to boarding gates. ** '''Deluxe,''' A22, very good burgers ** '''Chelseas kitchen ,''' pre-security, (part of LGO group), fresh menu ** '''La Grande Orange,''' D1 ** '''Matts Big Breakfast,''' ** '''Four Peaks Brewery''' ** '''Lolo's chicken and waffles''', pre-security ** '''Barrio Cafe''' ** '''Cowboy Ciao,''' B22 ** '''Sir Vezas Taco Garage,''' C13 ** '''Los Taquitos,''' C3 ** '''Zinc Brasserie,''' ==Drink== Phoenix as a metropolitan area offers a considerable amount of nightlife, though with the fact that the city is so spread out it can be difficult and dangerous to attempt traversing the city on a big night out. Generally, the nightlife is centered around the sub-cities of the metro area. Within Phoenix, bars tend to cluster within the Midtown or Downtown areas, while in the surrounding areas, Scottsdale offers a lively bar and club scene, Tempe is popular with students given the proximity to the University, and the city centers for Chandler and Glendale both offer some good options if you're in the suburbs. Downtown Mesa lacks any appreciable nightlife given its strong ties to the Mormon church. *{{drink | name=The Lost Leaf | alt= | url=http://www.thelostleaf.org/ | email= | address=914 N. 5th St | lat=33.458207 | long=-112.067780 | directions= | phone=+1 602-258-0014 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar in a renovated bungalow from 1922 that features art and live music nightly with no cover charge. More than 100 different kinds of beer, wine and sake available. }} *{{drink | name=The Rose & Crown | url=http://theroseandcrownaz.com/ | email= | address=628 East Adams St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-256-0223 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=British pub with over 50 local and import beers and English and American food. In 2011 the ''Phoenix New Times'' named it the Best English pub in Phoenix. }} * {{drink | name=Hanny's | alt= | url=http://www.hannys.net/ | email= | address=40 North First Street | lat= | long= | directions=SW corner of Adams and 1st St | phone=+1 602-252-2285 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-1AM, Sa Su 5PM-1AM; bar open daily until 1:30AM | price= | content=Swanky and stylish bar and restaurant in a historic Phoenix building constructed in the 1940s serving food such as pizza, sandwiches and salads and a variety of cocktails. $5 classic martinis served all day }} * {{drink | name=Bar Smith's Rooftop Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=130 E. Washington St | lat=33.448474 | long=-112.071730 | directions= | phone=+1 602-456-1991 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-2PM; F 11AM-2PM, 9:30PM-2AM; Sa 9:30PM-2AM | price= | content=Downtown Phoenix bar and restaurant with Phoenix's only rooftop dance floor that attracts a young crowd. Nightclub is open Wed thru Sat. }} * {{drink | name=Angels Trumpet Ale House | alt= | url=http://www.angelstrumpetalehouse.com/ | email= | address=810 North Second St | lat= | long= | directions=1 block from Roosevelt/Central light rail station | phone=+1 602-252-2630 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Th 3PM-midnight; F Sa 11AM-midnight; Su 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar and restaurant with 31 rotating craft beers on tap serving lunch and dinner. 3,000-foot patio with a diverse menu with snacks, flatbreads and sandwiches. }} * {{drink | name=Crescent Ballroom | alt= | url=http://www.crescentphx.com/ | email= | address=308 N 2nd Ave | lat= | long= | directions=one block west of Van Buren light rail station | phone=+1 602-716-2222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M 11AM-1AM; Th F 11AM-2AM; Sa 5PM-2AM; Su 5PM-1AM | price= | content=A 7000-square-foot lounge, restaurant and music venue in a red brick warehouse built in 1917 which hosts live music every day. Happy hour is Monday-Thursday from 3-6PM and Friday from 11AM-6PM with $2 PBR, $3 wells and $3 local drafts. }} * {{drink | name=Seamus McCaffrey's | alt= | url=http://www.seamusmccaffreys.com/ | email= | address=18 W Monroe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-6081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Great small Irish pub downtown. Same owner of Rosie McCaffrey's up on Camelback. Live Irish rock music. }} * {{drink | name=Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour | alt= | url=http://www.bitterandtwistedaz.com/ | email= | address=1 West Jefferson St | lat=33.446916 | long=-112.074027 | directions=near the 1st Ave & Jefferson and Central & Washington light rail stations | phone=+1 602-340-1924 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 4PM-2AM | price= | content=A cocktail parlor situated in a historic building in downtown Phoenix with an extensive drink menu that also serves food. }} * {{drink | name=Valley Bar | alt= | url=http://www.valleybarphx.com/ | email= | address=130 N Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= in an alley behind the building and 1 block from the Adams light rail station | phone=+1 602-368-3121 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2015-11-03 | content=Basement bar and live music venue in downtown Phoenix that serves food and has a game room with darts, shuffleboard and a pool room. Some events have an admission charge and some events are free, check calendar on website for exact schedule and prices. }} * {{drink | name=Cobra Arcade Bar | alt= | url=http://cobraarcadebar.com/ | email= | address=801 North 2nd Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-595-5873 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 4PM-midnight, Th-Sa 4PM-2AM, Su noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2016-01-28 | content=3300-square-foot Arcade Bar (21 and over) that has 40 vintage arcade games like Ms. Pac Man, Centipede, etc (25 cents a play) that serves beer, wine and cocktails. Happy hour M-F from 4 to 7PM and a live DJ plays Th-Sa nights. }} *{{drink | name=SideBar | url=http://www.sidebarphx.com/ | email= | address=1514 N 7th Ave | lat=33.465362 | long=-112.082929 | directions=SW corner of 7th Ave & McDowell, above the Pei Wei and the Starbucks | phone=+1 602-254-1646 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Great cocktail lounge with a hip, modern feel. Bartenders are pretty knowledgeable, and the beer selection, while all bottled, is pretty good. No food is really served here, but if you're hungry there's a Pei Wei Asian Diner just downstairs that you can grab a bite at. }} *{{drink | name=George and Dragon | url=http://www.georgeanddragonpub.net | email= | address=4240 N Central Ave | lat=33.497749 | long=-112.074094 | directions= | phone=+1 602-241-0018 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=British pub offering traditional British food and imported beer. }} * {{drink | name=Linger Longer Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.lingerlongerlounge.com/ | email= | address=6522 N 16th St Ste 6 | lat=33.531709 | long=-112.048226 | directions= | phone=+1 602-264-4549 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4PM to 2AM daily | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Neighborhood lounge with game room with electronic darts and arcade ball machines. 16 drafts or cocktails on tap and happy hour from 4PM to 7PM on weekdays and all day Sunday with drink and food specials. A takeaway case with beer and wine to go is available. }} *{{drink | name=Rosie McCaffreys Irish Pub | url=http://www.rosiemccaffreys.com/ | email= | address=906 East Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-241-1916 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=Irish pub with daily specials, happy hour everyday (4 to 7PM) and live music Wednesday through Saturday. }} *{{drink | name=Fuego Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=9118 W Van Buren St, Tolleson | lat=33.450634 | long=-112.255996 | directions= | phone=+1 623 478-7300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{drink | name=MercBar | url=http://www.mercbar.com | email= | address=2525 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions=SE corner of 24th St and Camelback | phone=+1 602-508-9449 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A high-end local place with a 'speakeasy' feel to it. It is hidden in the plaza with no sign, but once found it proves to be worth the trouble. Live jazz on Tuesdays. }} *{{drink | name=Postino Wine Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.postinowinecafe.com/ | email= | address=3939 E Campbell Ave | lat=33.512654 | long=-112.1091931 | directions=Campell is halfway between Indian School Rd and Camelback Ave, with the best access via 40th St from either road | phone=+1 602-852-3939 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=A wine cafe in the former Arcadia post office. In addition to wines, the cafe features panninis and salads. The cafe also offers $5 glasses of wine each day until 4PM. }} *{{drink | name=Half Moon Sports Grill | url=http://halfmoonsportsgrill.com/ | email= | address=2121 East Highland Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-977-2700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale sports bar with lots of TVs to watch games. Happy hour M-F (3PM to 7PM). }} * {{drink | name=The Little Woody | alt= | url= | email= | address=4228 E Indian School Rd | lat=33.4943641 | long=-111.9900558 | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-0339 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=A hip place to enjoy libations and games. }} * {{drink | name=The Yard | alt=Culinary Dropout | url=http://culinarydropout.com | email= | address=5640 N 7th St | lat=33.5194586 | long=-112.067522 | directions= | phone=+1 602-680-4040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Don't have room for your own party, bring it here! Spirits flow, games galore, and lots of friends to visit with. }} * {{drink | name=Honor Amongst Thieves | alt= | url=http://honoraz.com | email= | address=5538 N 7th St #100 | lat=33.517759 | long=-112.065483 | directions= | phone=+1 602-313-1001 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 6PM-midnight, F Sa 6PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Craft cocktails and a large whiskey list are offered in this speakeasy style lounge. Permanentely closed after COVID-19 pandemic. }} * {{drink | name=The Whining Pig | alt= | url=http://thewhiningpig.com | email= | address=1612 Bethany Home Rd | lat=33.5239045 | long=-112.0489914 | directions= | phone=+1 602-633-2134 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=3PM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Eclectic neighborhood bar with very limited space and classic table games. }} * {{drink | name=The Grand | alt= | url=http://grandcentralcoffeecompany.com/ | email= | address=718 North Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-795-8552 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week | price= | lastedit=2017-05-07 | content=24 hour coffee shop, bistro and bar that serves food in downtown Phoenix. Live events on some nights such as open mic storytelling and live music. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Western Lodge | alt= | url=https://www.westernlodgephoenixairport.us | email= | address=3725 E Van Buren St | lat=33.450701 | long=-112.000433 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-26 | content=. }} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hostelling International Phoenix | alt=Metcalf House | url=http://www.phxhostel.org | email= | address=1026 N 9th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-9803 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$21 dorms, $35-45 privates. Non-HI members charged an extra nightly $3 fee | content=Office hours 8AM-10AM and 5PM-10PM; 24-hour access once checked in. Wifi available for $1. Closed during July. }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Avondale | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/hilton-garden-inn-phoenix-avondale-PHXAVGI/index.html | email= | address=11460 W Hilton Way, Avondale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 882-3351 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Includes such amenities as an on-site grill, MP3-compatible clock radios, and an outdoor pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites Phoenix-Avondale | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/homewood-suites-by-hilton-phoenix-avondale-PHXADHW/index.html | email= | address=11450 W Hilton Way, Avondale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 882-3315 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Homewood Suites Phoenix North/Happy Valley | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/homewood-suites-by-hilton-phoenix-north-happy-valley-PHXHYHW/index.html | email= | address=2470 W Charlotte Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 580-1800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=All suites have a fully equipped kitchen. Hot breakfast buffet, Welcome Home reception M-Th evenings, free hi-speed internet access, business center, outdoor pool & whirlpool, fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Place Phoenix North | url=https://phoenixnorth.place.hyatt.com/ | email= | address=10838 N 25th Ave | lat= | long= | directions=north of downtown Phoenix | phone=+1 602-997-8800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Premier Inns | url=http://www.ez8motels.com/tolleson-pi.htm | email= | address=8399 W Lynwood St, Tolleson | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 533-4660 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=This hotel features such amenities as a heated pool, continental breakfast, and high speed internet access. }} * {{sleep | name=Sleep Inn Phoenix North | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/arizona/phoenix/sleep-inn-hotels/az140 | email= | address=18235 N 27th Ave | lat= | long= | directions=near Deer Valley Airport | phone=+1 602-504-1200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 602-504-6100 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A North Phoenix hotel. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix West/Avondale | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxsw-courtyard-phoenix-west-avondale/ | email= | address=1650 N. 95th Ln | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 271-7660 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Free hi-speed internet access, business center, meeting/banquet facilities, outdoor pool & whirlpool, fitness center. On-site cafe and cozy lounge area. }} * {{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix Camelback | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxcc-courtyard-phoenix-camelback/ | email= | address=2101 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= in the Town & Country Center at 20th St and Camelback, to the W of Bookstar and behind the restaurants in the W part of the center parking lot | phone=+1 602-955-5200 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | content=Midrange hotel. }} *{{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix Airport | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxca-courtyard-phoenix-airport/ | email= | address=2621 S 47th St | lat=33.423414 | long=-111.980617 | directions= | phone=+1 480-966-4300 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$70-120 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix North | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxmc-courtyard-phoenix-north/ | email= | address=9631 N Black Canyon Hwy | lat=33.574181 | long=-112.116546 | directions= | phone=+1 602-944-7373 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Renovated guest rooms and near Chase Field. }} *{{sleep | name=Drury Inn & Suites Phoenix Happy Valley | url=https://www.druryhotels.com/locations/phoenix-az/drury-inn-and-suites-phoenix-happy-valley | email= | address=2335 W Pinnacle Peak Rd | lat= | long= | directions=I-17 and Pinnacle Peak Rd | phone=+1 623 879-8800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Embassy Suites Biltmore Hotel | url=https://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/embassy-suites-by-hilton-phoenix-biltmore-PHXCBES/index.html | email= | address=2630 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-3992 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Fairfield Inn & Suites Phoenix | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxas-fairfield-inn-and-suites-phoenix/ | email= | address=2520 N Central Ave | lat=33.476050 | long=-112.074437 | directions= | phone=+1 602-716-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=10 minutes or so from Sky Harbor Airport and right in the heart of midtown Phoenix north of the Heard Museum. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Phoenix-Airport North | url=https://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/hampton-inn-phoenix-airport-north-PHXAPHX/index.html | email= | address=601 North 44th St | lat= | long= | directions=off of the 44th Street exit | phone=+1 602-267-0606 | tollfree= | fax=+1 602-267-9767 | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | content=Offers free 24-hour airport shuttle, complimentary breakfast, high speed internet and spacious rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Carlos | alt= | url=http://www.hotelsancarlos.com | email= | address=202 North Central Ave | lat=33.450577 | long=-112.074124 | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-4121 | tollfree=+1-866-253-4121 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-01-03 | content=A boutique hotel that is a historic state landmark and a tourist site. Built in 1928 it is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust of Historic Preservation. It has a heated rooftop pool with sundeck and a Vietnamese restaurant in the hotel. In the middle of downtown Phoenix near a Phoenix light rail station. }} * {{sleep | name=The Legacy Golf Resort | url=https://www.extraholidays.com/phoenix-arizona/legacy-golf-resort.aspx | email= | address=6808 S 32nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-305-5500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=328 oversized condominiums, all with fully equipped kitchens or sleek kitchen-bars and washer/dryers. }} * {{sleep | name=Residence Inn Phoenix Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxra-residence-inn-phoenix-airport/ | email= | address=801 North 44th St | lat=33.4565 | long=-111.9861 | directions= | phone=+1 602-273-9220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | lastedit=2015-04-10 | content=The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Extended stay accommodations include full size kitchens and free internet. Complimentary hot breakfast buffet served daily. }} *{{sleep | name=Residence Inn Phoenix Desert View at Mayo Clinic | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxmh-residence-inn-phoenix-desert-view-at-mayo-clinic/ | email= | address=5665 E Mayo Blvd | lat=33.6634 | long=-111.9584 | directions=next to the Phoenix Mayo Clinic | phone=+1 480-563-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Extended stay hotel in North Phoenix . }} * {{sleep | name=Sheraton Crescent Hotel | url=http://www.sheratoncrescent.com/ | email= | address=2620 W Dunlap Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-943-8200 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=SpringHill Suites Phoenix Downtown | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxdt-springhill-suites-phoenix-downtown | email= | address=802 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-307-9929 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $150 | content=All-suite hotel with microwave, fridge, free wired/wireless internet in every room. Pool, small gym, free breakfast, free airport shuttle. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Downtown | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/phoenix/phxdt/hoteldetail | email= | address=620 N 6th St | lat=33.4550467 | long=-112.0668106 | directions= | phone=+1 602-452-2020 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$292 | lastedit=2020-03-08 | content= }} ===Splurge=== {{infobox|Summer Travel Resort Deals|The major resorts all have $99/night deals (newer resorts will be $25 more) from Memorial Day thru Labor Day. Included perks, such as 2-for-1 in the hotel restaurants, or $50 hotel credit. Many have standard 2 room suites, and water parks. Highly recommended for families. Distance reference from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. *Update 2019:* The $99/night deals are now $129/night. Beware of $35/night resort fees, sometimes included, be sure to ask. * [N 6mi] Hilton Pointe Squaw Peak Resort, 7500 N. 16th St. 2-room suites, lazy river, water slide, multiple pools, access to freeway (51), downtown Phoenix (7 miles). One of the Gosnell properties (also Pointe South Mountain - now AZ Grande - and Pointe Tapitao). Very popular with locals on summer weekends. Take my family at least one time each summer. * [SE 5mi] Arizona Grande Resort - nice water park, two room suites, water slide, multiple pools. * [SE10 mi] Sheraton Wild Horse - big fancy resort on far south side of Phoenix metro area. Water slides, lake, golf. Built in 2005. * [NE10 mi] Hyatt Gainey Ranch - Scottsdale (3 mi), beach, multiple pools, dive-in movies, beautiful grounds. * [N 15mi] Marriott Desert Ridge - water slides, lazy river, multiple pools, Desert Ridge. Built in 2004. * [NE 15mi] Westin Kierland - water slide, lazy river, multiple pools, Kierland Commons (shopping & Shake-Shack). Scottsdale Quarter (restaurants) Built in 2005 * [N 5mi] Phoenician - water slide (long), golf. ($35 resort fee). Built by Charles Keating, 80s S&L crisis. * [N 5mi] Biltmore hotel - water slide, Biltmore (shopping), golf course. ($35 resort fee). Many old Hollywood stars visited, including many recent presidents. A new wing, Terravita, was built some time back, which offered large rooms, free breakfast buffet, and afternoon snacks, free coffee, tea and soda all day. Enjoyed a fun labor day weekend. * [NW10 mi] Hilton Pointe Tapitiao - 10000 N 7th St, 2 room suites, nice pool, good hiking, downtown Phoenix (10 mi).}} * {{sleep | name=Arizona Biltmore | alt= | url=http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/ | email= | address=2400 E Missouri Ave | lat=33.522442 | long=-112.024475 | directions=enter off 24th St at Missouri | phone=+1 602-955-6600 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=noon | price=High end resort pricing | wikidata=Q979133 | content= The resort is between Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain, sitting along the smaller mountains between the two larger peaks. }} * {{sleep | name=Arizona Grand Resort |alt=| url=https://www.arizonagrandresort.com | email= | address=8000 S Arizona Grand Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions=at the base of South Mountain Preserve | phone=+1 877 800 4888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content=Features a championship golf course, a luxury spa, vacation villas, dining at six restaurants and the Oasis Water Park. }} * {{sleep | name=The Clarendon Hotel | url=http://www.goclarendon.com | email= | address=401 W Clarendon Ave | lat=33.4910 | long=-112.0793 | directions= | phone=+1 602-252-7363 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Part of the Midtown Museum District, independent boutique hotel with free international calls and ag pool area. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palomar | alt= | url=http://www.hotelpalomar-phoenix.com/ | email= | address=2 East Jefferson St | lat=33.447443 | long=-112.073267 | directions=1 block from Washington/Central station light rail station | phone=+1 602-253-6633 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$119-340, depending on time of year | content=Boutique hotel at Cityscape shopping and entertainment center with all 242 rooms having city and mountain views. 3rd floor outdoor pool and lounge which is open all year offers views of downtown Phoenix. }} *{{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency Phoenix | url=https://phoenix.regency.hyatt.com/ | email= | address=122 N Second St | lat=33.449824 | long=-112.072025 | directions=across the street from the Convention Center | phone=+1 602-252-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$100-130 | content=Glass elevator to 13th floor popular with locals for views. Rotating restaurant on top floor. }} * {{sleep | name=Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/pointe-hilton-squaw-peak-resort-PHXSPPR/index.html | email= | address=7677 N 16th St | lat= | long= | directions=on 16th St N of Glendale Ave, S of Northern Ave | phone=+1 602-997-2626 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=High resort pricing | content=Major resort close to Piestewa Peak, this was the original Pointe resort built in the Valley. It used to be referred to only as the Pointe. With the addition of other Pointe Hilton resorts (at Tapatio Cliffs to the northwest and the former Pointe South Mountain, now the Arizona Grand Resort) the name was changed to Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak. Then the mountain's name was changed to Piestewa Peak. To locals, both the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak and the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs are known for their waterparks, with multiple pools, cabanas and even a waterslide. }} * {{sleep | name=Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxbd-renaissance-phoenix-downtown-hotel/ | email= | address=50 E Adams St | lat=33.449582 | long=-112.073221 | directions= | phone=+1 602-333-0000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-01-05 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Royal Palms Resort & Spa | alt= | url=http://www.royalpalmshotel.com | email= | address=5200 E Camelback Rd | lat=33.5050377 | long=-111.9710025 | directions=at the base of Camelback Mountain, between the Biltmore area and downtown Scottsdale | phone=+1 602-840-3610 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= 119 rooms in a variety of configurations: casitas, luxury rooms, spa suites, and villas. The resort also features a luxury spa, dining options and meeting & event facilities. }} * {{sleep | name=The Camby | alt= | url=http://thecamby.com | email= | address=2401 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016 | lat=33.508776 | long=-112.031501 | directions=across the street from the upscale Biltmore Fashion Park | phone=+1 602-468-0700 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=The former Ritz Carlton was remade into this sleek, contemporary luxury hotel with southwestern touches and modern technology. Upgraded rooms add mountain views. Room service is available 24/7. }} ==Stay safe== Despite being a nice vacation destination, Phoenix is a major American city and as such does contain a fair amount of violent crime. Some parts of the city (and even a few parts of some of the suburbs) should be avoided at night. Downtown Phoenix is safe during the day, but does have a problem with the homeless/transients, some of whom approach well-dressed office workers and tourists asking for spare change. South Phoenix can be unsafe in some areas. Maryvale, a commercial/residential district on the west side of the city of Phoenix (extending north into Glendale as well), should be avoided at almost all times unless there is a specific reason to go there. Most of the suburban areas are safe during day and night; however, parts of Mesa and Glendale can be dangerous at night. There have been assaults on a few university students in some portions of Tempe, near the main campus of Arizona State University (ASU). The ASU campus is equipped with several emergency call boxes. The Sunnyslope area (north central city of Phoenix) has some homeless and other crime issues but a police station at Peoria and 7th Ave has dramatically reduced crime. The town of Guadalupe (immediately west of Tempe and bounded by Interstate 10 on the west) is unsafe at night, but is an incredibly interesting Hispanic/Native American community to visit during the day. Be warned though that the speed limit suddenly falls from 40mph to 25mph as you enter the town. In every portion of the Phoenix area, just use common sense and be aware of your surroundings. Phoenix also has one of the highest car theft rates in the country, with a car stolen every 7 minutes. In addition, red light running is more common in Phoenix than any other city in the U.S. Use caution at every turn. Speeding, tailgating and aggressive driving are common on the freeways. Be aware of traffic and speed enforcement cameras at most major intersections. Always anticipate someone attempting to beat the amber light before it turns red to avoid being issued a very expensive traffic ticket (usually in the amount of $300 or more). If you see sudden braking, make sure you're going the speed limit. Sometimes, camera vans are set up on the side of the road to snatch speeders, especially in the Northeastern parts of the Valley. ==Cope== ===Newspapers=== * {{listing | name=The Arizona Republic | url=http://www.azcentral.com | email= | address=200 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-444-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city’s main newspaper that is read throughout the city and state. }} * {{listing | name=La Voz | url=http://www.azcentral.com/lavoz | email= | address=200 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-444-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A popular Spanish language newspaper published by ''The Arizona Republic''. }} * {{listing | name=The New Times | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com | email= | address=1201 E Jefferson | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-271-0040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Independent news and information about events, music, food, published under common ownership with New York's ''Village Voice''. }} * {{listing | name=East Valley Tribune | alt=(formerly the Mesa Tribune) | url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/ | email= | address=1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy # 219, Tempe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-874-2863 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=+1 480-TRIBUNE. Freely distributed "voice of the East Valley" with annual ''Best of East Valley'' readers contests and an ''East Valley Guide'' with recommendations for food, drinks, entertainment, shopping and a calendar of local events. }} * {{listing | name=Asian American Times | url=http://www.asiantimes.com | email= | address=668 N 44th St, Ste 343 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent Chinese-American newspaper with articles printed in English and Chinese. }} * {{listing | name=Arizona Business Gazette | url=http://www.azcentral.com/abgnews | email= | address=200 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-444-7304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Arizona business news, published weekly. }} * {{listing | name=Arizona Capitol Times | url=http://www.azcapitoltimes.com | email= | address=1835 W Adams St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-7636 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Reports on Arizona government, politics and legislative news. }} * {{listing | name=The Echo | url=http://www.echomag.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Free biweekly gay and lesbian magazine. }} ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada (Consulate) | url= | email= | address=2415 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ecuador}} {{listing | name=Ecuador (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=645 E Missouri Ste 132 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-535-5567 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Guatemala}} {{listing | name=Guatemala (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=4747 N 7th St, Ste 410 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-200-3660 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Honduras}} {{listing | name=Honduras (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=4040 E McDowell Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-273-0547 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=1990 W Camelback Rd, Ste 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-242-7398 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} Honorary consulates are typically individual representatives of nations who represent the interest of certain business functions, and are not full-fledged national consulates. Their ability to assist you with individual legal or official matters may be limited. * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=4521 E. Quartz Mountain Rd; Paradise Valley | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-502-8510 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium (Honorary) | alt= | url=http://unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-consulates/honorary-consulates/addresses | email=rwinssinger@rwpartners.net | address=2944 N 44th St Ste 250 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-852-3442 | tollfree= | fax=+1 602-852-3878 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-06-24 | content= }} * {{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=1277 E Missouri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-264-9701 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark (Honorary) | alt= | url=http://usa.um.dk/en/about-us/list-of-danish-honorary-consulates-in-the-us/list-of-honorary-consulates-on-the-west-coast/phoenix-scottsdale-arizona/ | email=danishconsulaz@gmail.com | address=14850 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 155, Scottsdale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-694-8882 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-06-24 | content= }} * {{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | name=El Salvador (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=4521 E Charles Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-948-4899 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Estonia}} {{listing | name=Estonia (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=Scottsdale, 7135 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 230 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-229-9791 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2 N Central Ave, Ste 2200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-716-8222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=1007 E Missouri Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-265-4428 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Iceland}} {{listing | name=Iceland (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2999 N 44th St, Ste 640 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-956-8474 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy (Honorary) | url= | email=viceconsolato.az@live.com | address=7509 N 12th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-304-4620 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands (Honorary) | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/united-states/about-us/honorary-consulate-in-phoenix | email=phoenix@nlconsulate.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Peru}} {{listing | name=Peru (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=6242 E Arbor Ave, Ste 118; Mesa | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-834-3907 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=3134 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-2055 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{listing | name=Sri Lanka (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=329 W Cypress St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-1899 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2 North Central Ave, Ste 2200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-364-7450 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2425 E Camelback Rd, Ste 1020 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-515-1029 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===LGBT+ travelers=== The Melrose District on 7th Avenue, between Indian School Rd and Camelback Rd, is a popular location for LGBT+ bars, restaurants, and shops. While many American cities will hold Pride Parades in June, Phoenix holds its Pride Parade in April, due to high summer temperatures. ==Go next== * "Old Town" [[Scottsdale (Arizona)|Scottsdale]] in the northeast Phoenix metropolitan area is the single most tourist friendly area in the valley. * Downtown [[Tempe]] has a lively night life, being a college town. Accessible by light rail. * Many visitors come to [[Peoria_(Arizona)|Peoria]] during the spring to see their favorite professional baseball team in the Cactus League for Spring Training. * [[Mesa]] serves as the location for a Mormon (Latter Day Saints) Temple and is Arizona's third largest city after Tucson. Accessible by light rail. * Small towns [[Cave Creek]] and [[Carefree]] lie just north of the city. * Hiking near Phoenix is popular due to central Arizona's climate and large tracts of public land. Several designated National Forest and BLM wilderness areas are within easy driving distance and offer treks ranging from day hikes to multi-day backpacking trips. South Mountain Park, within the city limits, is a popular destination to experience the Sonoran Desert on foot. * '''Camelback Mountain''' - very popular hike in central Phoenix. Great views from top. Two routes: ** Echo Canyon (West entry - Macdonald/Tatum). Arrive early on weekends for trailhead parking (50 cars), or walk 1/2 mi to satellite parking. 1.25 mi steep hike. ** East entry (Invergorden/Jackrabbit). Park 1/2 mi from trailhead. Easier route 1.5 mi, skirts Phoenician (Keating resort), less developed. * '''Squaw Peak (Piestewa Peak)''' (Lincoln Dr/20th St) - Arrive early on weekends. Good parking close to trailhead. 1.25 mi hike (easier than Camelback Mtn). Great views (just 3 mi from Camelback Mtn). Park of Phoenix Preserve (48th St to 7th Ave), lots of good hiking and mountain biking. Dogs allowed on trail 300 from Squaw Peak parking. * If you would like to see areas outside of the Phoenix metropolitan area, you might want to visit [[Tucson]], [[Las Vegas]], or [[San Diego]]. For cooler weather, head up to I-17 to [[Flagstaff]] or [[Sedona]]. * A good option for a day trip, or longer, out of Phoenix is a drive north to [[Sedona]]. If you have three days or more, head out to Las Vegas via [[Monument Valley]] and the [[Grand Canyon]]. * Montezuma Castle National Monument (cliff dwelling), near [[Camp Verde]], Arizona is on I-17 between Phoenix and [[Flagstaff]] {{routebox | image1=I-10.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Blythe]] | minorl1=[[Avondale (Arizona)|Avondale]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Tucson]] | minorr1=[[Tempe]] | image2=I-17.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Flagstaff]] | minorl2=[[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=US 60.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Quartzsite]] | minorl3=[[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Socorro]] | minorr3=[[Tempe]] | image4=Arizona Loop 101.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Peoria (Arizona)|Peoria]] | minorl4=[[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]] | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Tempe]] | minorr4=[[Scottsdale (Arizona)|Scottsdale]] | image5=Arizona Loop 202.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=W | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=E | majorr5=[[Gilbert]] | minorr5=[[Tempe]] }} {{isPartOf|Greater Phoenix}} {{geo|33.509|-112.074|zoom=10}} {{usablecity}} d9ypj94zfllvoittot74dprsz1ko930 4501719 4501716 2022-08-15T19:58:35Z Ibaman 195012 closed attractions are best removed wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Downtown Phoenix banner.jpg|caption=Phoenix skyline}} {{otheruses|Phoenix}} '''[http://www.visitphoenix.com/ Phoenix]''' is the capital of the state of [[Arizona]], the most populous city in the American [[Southwest (United States of America)|Southwest]], and the sixth largest city in the [[United States]]. Warm and sunny winter weather have ensured a thriving tourism industry, and the city has become the region's primary political, cultural, economic, and transportation center. Phoenix is ''extremely'' hot and dry in the summertime, so '''always have sunscreen with you!''' ==Understand== Why would anybody want to start a city in the middle of a desert? The answer is, surprisingly, agriculture. The Salt and Verde Rivers of central Arizona were exploited for large-scale agriculture by Native Americans as early as the 11th century. The area that now encompasses Phoenix was a center of the Hohokam culture, which built large canal systems and a network of towns and villages, whose remains may be viewed in the city to this day. White settlers discovered the remnants of the Hohokam culture in the 19th century. The city's name reflects its history as a city "reborn from the ashes" of the previous settlement. European-American settlement of the area commenced in the 1860s, and the city was founded in 1871. In 1911 the completion of the first of several large reservoirs in the mountains north and east of Phoenix insured its success as a center for irrigation-based agriculture. Many tens of thousands of acres were planted in citrus and cotton and other crops, and for many years, intensive, year-round irrigated agriculture formed the basis of the economy. The area is being revived, and trendy hotels, bars, shops and restaurants are making it a place to be again. Its hot, dry climate had enticed many Easterners and Midwesterners to relocate to Phoenix. High-tech industry began to flourish after World War II, and since that time the growth of Phoenix has been explosive. As a result, a population of just over 100,000 in 1950 has grown to over 1.5 million in 2014 (with almost 4.5 million in the metro area). At an elevation of {{ft|1100}}, it is in the biologically unique Sonoran Desert. Over time it has merged with the neighboring cities of [[Scottsdale (Arizona)|Scottsdale]], [[Tempe]], [[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]], [[Peoria (Arizona)|Peoria]], [[Chandler (Arizona)|Chandler]], and [[Gilbert]] to form the [[Greater Phoenix|Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area]]. Exurbs such as [[Apache Junction]], [[Fountain Hills]], [[Queen Creek]], and [[Sun City (Arizona)|Sun City]] are becoming part of this metropolitan area as well. ===Climate=== {{Climate| units = Imperial | janhigh = 65 | febhigh = 69 | marhigh = 74 | aprhigh = 83 | mayhigh = 92 | junhigh = 102 | julhigh = 104 | aughigh = 102 | sephigh = 97 | octhigh = 86 | novhigh = 73 | dechigh = 65 | janlow = 43 | feblow = 47 | marlow = 51 | aprlow = 58 | maylow = 66 | junlow = 75 | jullow = 81 | auglow = 80 | seplow = 75 | octlow = 63 | novlow = 50 | declow = 44 | janprecip = 0.8 | febprecip = 0.8 | marprecip = 1.1 | aprprecip = 0.3 | mayprecip = 0.2 | junprecip = 0.1 | julprecip = 1.0 | augprecip = 0.9 | sepprecip = 0.8 | octprecip = 0.8 | novprecip = 0.7 | decprecip = 0.9 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Phoenix|33.45|-112.07}} }} Phoenix has an arid climate with long, hot summers and very mild winters. It has the highest average temperature of any metropolitan area in the [[United States of America|States]]. The weather varies enormously from one season to the next. While it's not as cold as in the northern states during the winter, it does freeze sometimes, and temperatures in the 30s°F (that's around or slightly above 0°C) are not unheard of, with even a slight dusting of snow every few years. In the summer, very hot and dry heat is the norm. On the hottest days, it has reached 122°F (50°C) (record high on June 26, 1990). Monsoon rains with flooding, lightning, sometimes with haboob's (dust storms rolling in from the desert) occur regularly from July to September during the late afternoon and evening, occasionally overnight also. In some neighborhoods, cicadas make loud sounds (100 decibels). ==Talk== English is the dominant language in Phoenix. However, [[Spanish]] is very widely spoken in Phoenix like much of the [[Southwest (United States of America)|Southwest]] with a large Hispanic population. Spanish is a language often used for day-to-day discourse in many places, although English is the language of preference, especially when dealing with businesses and government. ==Get in== {{mapframe|zoom=10|33.509|-112.074}} {{mapshape}} ===By plane=== {{listing | type=go | name=[[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] | alt={{IATA|PHX}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.434167 | long=-112.011667 | directions= | phone=+1 602-275-4958 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | image=Sky Harbor - 2008-08-29 - Control Tower.jpg | wikidata=Q912916 | content=It is the main air gateway to Arizona. It is at the southeast end of [[Phoenix/Downtown|Downtown]]. It is a hub for [https://www.aa.com/ American Airlines] and [http://www.southwest.com Southwest Airlines]. There are only two terminals: 3 and 4. Terminal 1 was demolished in 1991 and Terminal 2 in 2020; the terminals were not renumbered. }} *'''Terminal 3''': Air Canada, Alaska, Boutique Air, Contour Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Spirit, Sun Country, United. *'''Terminal 4''': Aeroméxico, American, British Airways, Condor, Southwest, Volaris, WestJet. * To get to/from the airport: ** [http://www.valleymetro.org Valley Metro] #13 goes west to S 75th Ave along S Buckeye (via Greyhound depot) from Terminal 2. ** The free PHX skytrain goes from Terminal 3/4 to 44th & Washington St Station where you can catch the #1 (west to the downtown Central Station or east to Priest & Washington in Tempe); #44 bus (north to the Desert Ridge Marriott Resort in Deer Valley along N 44th St & Tatum); or the light rail (east to Tempe & Mesa or west to Midtown and northern Phoenix along Central Ave). ====Alternative airports==== * {{marker|type=go|name=Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport|url=http://www.gatewayairport.com/ |lat=33.3071 | long=-111.6691}} ({{IATA|AZA}}) {{phone|+1 480-988-7600}} is east of Phoenix, in neighboring [[Mesa]]. It is served by [http://www.allegiantair.com/aaIndex.php Allegiant Air], [https://www.flyflair.com/ Flair], Swoop, Sun Country and Westjet. Swoop and WestJet fly from Canada. Allegiant Air flies from all over the United States. This is a smaller airport, but is being redeveloped into a major regional airport. * {{listing | type=go | name=Phoenix Deer Valley Airport | alt={{IATA|DVT}} | url=http://www.deervalleyairport.com | email= | address= | lat=33.688333 | long=-112.0825 | directions=15 mi (24 km) north of downtown | phone=+1 623 869-0975 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Phoenix Deer Valley Airport | wikidata=Q2088517 | content=The busiest general aviation airport in the U.S. The FBO [http://www.cutteraviation.com/locations/dvt.aspx?id=174 Cutter Aviation] provides aviation fuel and a variety of guest services. }} ==== Private aviation ==== There are more than 20 airports within 50 nautical miles of Phoenix. The [https://deervalleyairport.com/ '''Deer Valley Airport'''] is the busiest private airport in Arizona and one of the most important business jet hubs west of the Mississippi. Air charter companies including [https://valleyjet.com/ '''Valley Jet'''] and [http://www.phoenixjetcharter.com '''Phoenix Jet Charter'''] offer access to private planes based at any of the airports in the Phoenix-area, with planes ranging from luxury jets to cost-effective single & twin engine planes. Other private aviation airports include: * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/airport|name=Scottsdale Airport|alt={{IATA|SCF}}; {{FAA LID|SDL}}|address=around {{mi|20}} north in Scottsdale via US 51|content=It's one of the busiest single-runway airports in the United States, and Signature Flight Support and Ross Aviation operate the two private terminals.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.glendaleaz.com/live/amenities/airport___municipal|name=Glendale Municipal Airport|alt={{FAA LID|GEU}}|email=|address=just west of the AZ-101 Loop and south of W Northern Ave, around {{mi|7}} west of Glendale’s central business district in Maricopa County, AZ|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikipedia=|wikidata=|image=|lastedit=2019-03-04|content=Categorized as a general aviation reliever airport and able to accommodate most size aircraft.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=http://www.goodyearairport.com|name=Phoenix Goodyear Airport|alt={{IATA|GYR}}, formerly known as ''Goodyear Municipal Airport''|address=to the southwest in Goodyear, just south of I-10 and just west of the Agua Fria River|content=The airport is not served by any airlines, and is home to several aircraft maintenance and commercial pilot training companies. Lux Air operates the airport's only FBO.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.falconfieldairport.com/|name=Falcon Field|alt={{IATA|MSC}}; {{FAA LID|FFZ}}|address=due east of Phoenix off the Red Mountain Freeway in Maricopa County, just {{mi|6}} northeast of Mesa, who owns and operates the airport|content=Falcon Field is home to the CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, the world's largest flight school, and Boeing operates an AH-64 Apache helicopter factory adjacent to the airport.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.chandleraz.gov/business/chandler-municipal-airport|name=Chandler Municipal Airport|alt={{FAA LID|CHD}}|address=just under {{mi|30}} southeast of Phoenix via I-10S and AZ-202 Loop E (Santan Freeway) in Chandler|content=There are no airlines operating at CHD, and it is one of the 50 busiest general aviation airports in the United States, even though its runway limits operations to smaller aircraft and light business jets.}} * {{listing|type=go|url=https://www.buckeyeaz.gov/residents/buckeye-municipal-airport|name=Buckeye Municipal Airport|alt={{IATA|BXK}}|address={{mi|38}} west of Phoenix via I-10 E in the city of Buckeye |content=There are no commercial services at this airport, which is categorized by the FAA as a general aviation facility.}} ===By train=== [[Amtrak]] passenger train service to Phoenix has been discontinued, making it the largest city without Amtrak service in the US. The nearest station is {{mi|35}} south of Phoenix in the town of Maricopa and is connected to Phoenix, Tempe and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by an [http://texaseagle.com/thruway.php Amtrak Thruway shuttle bus] (operated by Stagecoach Express) or by taxi. Maricopa is served by the '''[http://www.amtrak.com/routes/sunset-limited-train Sunset Limited]''' which runs three times a week between [[New Orleans]] and [[Los Angeles]]. Additionally, Amtrak's '''[http://www.texaseagle.com/ Texas Eagle]''' service between San Antonio and Chicago incorporates the Sunset Limited to provide a direct connection to Los Angeles with the same stops as the Sunset Limited between San Antonio and Los Angeles. Both trains stop in Benson, [[Tucson]], Maricopa and [[Yuma]]. Alternatives: disembark at [[Flagstaff]] instead and take a Greyhound bus into Phoenix from there or disembark in Tucson and take a Greyhound bus into Phoenix; the Greyhound station in Tucson is about 5-6 blocks west of the Amtrak depot. The '''[http://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train Southwest Chief]''' runs through [[Flagstaff#By train|Flagstaff]] on its way between [[Chicago]] and [[Los Angeles]] with stops in [[Winslow (Arizona)|Winslow]], [[Flagstaff#By train|Flagstaff]], [[Williams (Arizona)| Williams]] and [[Kingman]]. For much of its route, the Southwest Chief follows historic [[Route 66]], and offers an interesting perspective of the historic road and its surroundings. ===By car=== There are 3 main routes that enter through Phoenix: * Interstate 17 (I-17) &ndash; running north from Phoenix to [[Flagstaff]]. * Interstate 10 (I-10) &ndash; running east-west across Arizona, from [[Tucson]] and [[New Mexico]] to the south, to [[California]] top the west. * US 60 &ndash; running (generally) east-west across Arizona, from [[Globe (Arizona)|Globe]] and [[New Mexico]] from the east (also known as the Superstition Freeway), to [[Wickenburg]] to the northwest (known as the Phoenix-Wickenburg Highway). ===By bus=== Long distance bus lines and van shuttles serve Phoenix from [[Los Angeles]], Las Vegas, [[El Paso]], Tucson, Sedona, Flagstaff, Yuma & Nogales in the U.S. and from [[Nogales (Sonora)|Nogales]], [[Hermosillo]], [[Puerto Peñasco]] and [[Culiacán]] in [[Mexico]]. Each company has a stop or its own bus station in different parts of town that are far from each other. The bus stations and stops in the neighborhoods northwest of the I-17/I-10 junction, northwest of the downtown core, are in rough neighborhoods. * {{go | name=Groome Transportation | alt=formerly Arizona Shuttle | url=https://groometransportation.com/arizona/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-888-2749 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=Regularly scheduled shuttle service from Phoenix Sky Harbor (Airport) to [[Tucson]], [[Prescott]], [[Sedona]] & [[Flagstaff]]. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express | alt= | url=http://www.eplalimo.com/ | email= | address=(Bus depot) 1015 N 7th St | lat=33.45923 | long=-112.06501 | directions=between E Roosevelt & E Portland St along the east side of 7th St. | phone=+1 602-254-4101 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=It's the only one in or near downtown. Travels along I-10 between [[Los Angeles]] & [[El Paso]] on one route and up to Las Vegas on another route. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/phoenix-tempe-az | email= | address=(bus stop) 44th St Sky Train Station by airport | lat= | long= | directions=at the 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station, the bus will board at the west end of the bus loading zone (which is on the north side of the 44th Street Station), ''not'' at the light rail station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-20 | content=They also have additional stops in North Phoenix at a Jacksons/Shell at 21001 N Tatum Blvd (N Tatum/E Deer Valley); E University/Rural in [[Tempe#By bus|Tempe]], W Myrtle/N 59th Ave in [[Glendale_(Arizona)|Glendale]], and at a Walgreens at 1620 N 59th Ave (N 59th Ave & W McDowell Rd) in the west of town. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Greyhound Lines, Autobus Americanos & Cruceros USA | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com | email= | address=(Bus depot) 2115 E Buckeye | lat=33.43629 | long=-112.03563 | directions=SW corner of S 24th St & Buckeye Rd, west of the airport terminals & next to the freeway. Valley Metro #13 bus passes by the Greyhound Terminal on its way to/from the airport terminals; there is also a terminal on 2647 W Glendale Ave, NW of the I-17/W Glendale interchange and another in [[Mesa#By bus|Mesa]] | phone=+1 602-389-4200 | tollfree=+1-800-231-2222 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Greyhound travels primarily on Interstate 10 (Los Angles-Phoenix-Tuscon-El Paso); I-17 (Phoenix-Sedona-Flagstaff). Some of its schedules continue east on I-40 towards Oklahoma City whiles others go west towards Las Vegas from Flagstaff; AZ-85/I-8 (Phoenix-Gila Bend-[[Yuma]]-[[San Diego]]). Passengers transfer to other buses in [[Los Angeles#By bus|Los Angeles]], [[El Paso#By bus|El Paso]], [[Flagstaff#By bus|Flagstaff]], [[Oklahoma City#By bus|Oklahoma City]], [[Las Vegas#By bus|Las Vegas]], [[San Diego#By bus|San Diego]] and/or San Bernardino to get to other cities in the U.S. and in Nogales, Calexico/[[Mexicali#By bus|Mexicali]] and El Paso/[[Ciudad Juarez#By bus|Cd Juarez]] to get to other cities in Mexico. Prices vary by destination. }} *{{listing | type=go | name=Hoang Express | alt= | url=http://www.xedohoang.com/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=(Bus stop) Lams Supermarket @ 6740 W Indian School Rd | lat=33.49596 | long=-112.20436 | directions=NW of the intersection of N 67th Ave & W Indian School Rd | phone=+1 714-839-3500, +1 408 729-7885 | tollfree=+1 888 834-9336 | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-17 | content=Travels between Southern California (San Diego, El Monte, Los Angeles, Westminster) and Arizona (Phoenix, Chandler and Tempe). }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Transportes Baldomero Corral (TBC) | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.107448495991788.8990.107441725992465&type=3 | email= | address=(Bus stop) 3106 W Thomas Rd | lat=33.4811 | long=-112.1259 | directions= | phone=+1 602-258-2445 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Service from [[Hermosillo]] via [[Tucson]] and [[Nogales (Sonora)|Nogales]]. }} * {{go | name=TAP Royal | alt= | url= | email= | address=(Bus depot) 2707 W McDowell Rd | lat=33.46565 | long=-112.1175 | directions=SW corner of W McDowell Rd & N 27th Ave | phone=+1 602-272-3030 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-04 | content=They offer bus service between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales in U.S. and from Nogales to Guadalajara, along Fed Hwy 15 through multiple cities in Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco in Mexico. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Transportes Express | alt= | url=http://www.transportes-express.com/english/ | email= | address=(Office) 131 N 28th Ave | lat=33.4653 | long=-112.1193 | directions=south of N 28th Ave & W McDowell St, behind Rulis Polarizados Window Tint shop | phone=+1 602-442-6670 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Runs van shuttles to Phoenix from Nogales via Tucson; Calexico; San Luis and Yuma; Puerto Peñasco or Caborca through Lukeville/Sonoyta; and Douglas/Agua Prieta on separate routes. }} * {{go | name=Transportes Nenas | alt= | url=https://www.nenasshuttles.com/ | email= | address=(Shuttle Depot) 3521 W McDowell St | lat=33.46566 | long=-112.13555 | directions=next to La Reyna Bakery along W McDowell between N 35th & 36th | phone=+1 602-442-6802 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Runs van shuttles between Phoenix and Rocky Point in [[Puerto Peñasco]] via Lukeville and Sonoyta. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=TUFESA | alt= | url=http://www.tufesa.com.mx | email= | address=(Bus depot) 1614 N 27th Ave | lat=33.46624 | long=-112.11753 | directions=NW corner of W McDowell Rd & N 27th Ave | phone=+1 602-415-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-07 | content=Offers bus service between (Southern) California, Arizona and Nevada in the U.S. and along the Hwy 15 corridor in Sonora and Sinaloa in Mexico. There's also a taxi stand at the Tufesa bus station for onward local travel. }} ==Get around== Phoenix is a very car-centered city. If you plan to stay or visit any of the cities on the periphery of the metro area, a car will likely be required. However, if you plan to stick to the Tempe-Downtown Phoenix area, the Light Rail is a viable option, with an all-day adult pass costing {{USD|4}}. So if you are in the [[United states without a car|United states without a car,]] consider that. There are also rental scooters with drop-off points at almost every block in the city center. Taxis are typically fairly easy to find in proximity to major light rail stops and in popular areas, and will run you from {{USD|10-15}} for a fairly local trip to well over {{USD|100}} for a ride to a distant suburb. ===By e-scooter=== The fastest and most comfortable way to get around downtown, especially in summer months when temperatures soar, is by e-scooter. The most popular rental company is Lime, their scooters are easily recognizable by their green and black colour scheme. There are over 1000 scooters in the downtown area, which can be rented and dropped off in any of 400 stations. Rental fees start at {{USD|1}} for short rides so they are very competitive with bus fares. Look out for promotions and special deals, which often include a number of free rides. To rent a scooter, you'll need a smartphone and the rental company's software on it, that can be downloaded free of charge. You will also need a credit card to pay for the service. Unlike in most European cities, e-scooters in Phoenix do not follow a free floating model but must be rented from any of the stations and also parked in a station to end the ride. If you don't park the scooter properly, you risk getting billed continuously. Scooters are restricted to roads and cycle roads, it is '''prohibited''' to scoot on sidewalks ({{USD|250}} fine if caught). When leaving the downtown area, scooters will slow down to 4 km/h and eventually stop completely, so keep an eye on the map. Scooting is also prohibited on university premises. ===By car=== {{infobox|Renting a car like a local|The new Car Rental Facility for the Phoenix Airport is just west of the airport. National polls have shown that Phoenix is the 4th most expensive city in terms of surcharges in the nation. Car rental companies are required to add 29% (that's twenty-nine percent!) to your bill to pay for this state-of-the-art building. Take a cab or public transit to a local office of a car rental company. Do not tell them you are flying in. That way you are a "local rental" and do not have to pay some of the surcharges that are automatic if you rent at the car rental building at the airport. The surcharges finance everything from the local jails to the new [[American football|Cardinals]] Stadium. The cab will likely be $25, but the surcharges for a $499 weekly rental will take your bill upwards of $650 and more. If you're doing a tour of the Southwest, consider flying into Las Vegas and renting your car there &mdash; the taxes are much lower and doing a one-way drop off to Phoenix is generally not a problem.|}} Surface roads are usually easy to navigate. The area's roads are designed around a grid system, where most roads are numbered based on their distance from the city center. Addresses also conform to the numbering of the roads around them. Nearly all streets run with the compass directions, and there's a major thoroughfare at every mile in each direction. Central Ave divides east from west while Washington St divides north from south. The numbered roads go north and south, parallel to Central Ave, with "avenues" west of Central and "streets" east of Central Ave such as 7th Ave going parallel on the west side of Central Ave while 7th St parallels along the east. The named roads go across east and west and can be "roads", "avenues" or "streets". This also applies to the extended metro area, though addresses in places like Tempe and Mesa have their own numbering system and are not based on downtown Phoenix. There is an extensive network of freeways, most built since 1987 and some more recent. Heavy construction on some segments and interchanges continues. Check construction schedules and closures in the local media. Drinking and driving laws are very heavily enforced in Phoenix, especially in Scottsdale and Tempe. Harsh DUI laws & police traps ensure you will most likely be pulled over during peak bar hours 11PM-2:30AM. Mandatory jail time and extremely heavy fines make drinking and driving a very unwise decision in Maricopa County. * '''Car rental''' is the most convenient form of transportation for visitors, with local companies offering better prices but national chains offering more convenience vis-a-vis return policies and times. * '''Car hire''' Unlike most cities, in Phoenix you can get a sedan, SUV or even a limo to pick you up for about the same price as a cab. **'''ride-sharing (Uber/Lyft),''' is very popular. Waymo (self-driving vehicles) are available in the Chandler/Mesa/Tempe Gilbert area (100 sq mi area), though need to enroll to use. ===By public transit=== * '''[http://www.valleymetro.org/ Valley Metro]'''. Extensive metropolitan bus system, and light rail line. The light rail line runs from north-central Phoenix, along the Central Ave. corridor, through downtown, past the airport, and to Tempe and Mesa. One-ride or all day passes may be purchased at varying prices depending on service and location. ** A single ride on a non-express bus or the light rail is $2. ** 1-day passes are $4 from machines, but $6 on board buses. ** The DASH is a free bus that runs M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM between downtown and the state capitol stopping at various government buildings such as city hall. ==See== [[File:Desert Botanical Gardens.jpg|thumb|250px|Desert Botanical Gardens]] *The cultural, governmental, and business center of the city is '''Copper Square''', which is striving to become one of the southwest's most distinctive urban centers. Copper Square was built around the original Phoenix historic town site. Its boundaries extend from Fillmore to south of Jackson Street, 7th Street to 3rd Avenue. Revitalization plans in the area are expected to cost more than $4 billion and aim to increase artistic, cultural and entertainment activity. The presence of two state universities (Arizona State University and University of Arizona) and a new convention center are also significantly changing the physical and economic shape of the Phoenix downtown area. *Downtown and Central Phoenix are home to several '''historic neighborhoods'''. These range from turn of the century Victorian to mid-century modern architecture. Some of the more well-known districts include Coronado, Encanto-Palmcroft, FQ Story, Willo and Woodlea. The historic homes in these districts are private residences and not normally open to the public, but the neighborhoods are very pleasant to walk around. Some districts hold annual home tours when several houses in a neighborhood are open to the public, all covered by one ticket usually costing about $10. For example the FQ Story home tour is normally held shortly before Christmas. *'''Roosevelt Historic District'''. This area has retooled itself from a run-down, drug-infested area to the epicenter of the Central Phoenix art scene. This emerging neighborhood has become home to artist live/work spaces, gallery spaces and studio spaces. Since 1994 the monthly First Friday's (first Friday each month) artwalk (7th St to 3rd Ave) has grown to become the largest monthly artwalk in the U.S. Increasing interest in this area has prompted Rooselvelt Row to becoming more pedestrian-friendly and is supportive of small local independent businesses that give Downtown Phoenix character. *'''Scottsdale Old Town.''' Scottsdale Rd & Indian School. Restaurants and art galleries. Thursday evening art walk 7-9p. ===Parks and outdoors=== *{{see | name=Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve | alt= | url=http://www.asu.edu/clas/shesc/dvrac/ | email= | address=3711 W Deer Valley Rd | directions= | lat=33.6772429 | long=-112.1527 | phone=+1 623-582-8007 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 8AM-2PM | price=$9 adults, $8.10 seniors and students, $5 children (ages 7-12), free age 6 and under, free ASU sutudents | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=features a museum and visitor center dedicated to the preservation of historic petroglyphs and pictographs at the base of Hedgpeth Hills. A must see for geologists and archaeologists. }} * {{see | name=Desert Botanical Garden | alt= | url=http://www.dbg.org | email= | address=1201 N Galvin Pkwy | directions=in Papago Park, near the Phoenix Zoo | lat=33.46123 | long=-111.94522 | phone=+1 480-941-1225 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=7AM-8PM | price=$25 adult, $15 youth, free age 3 and under | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=50 acres of exhibits showcasing desert plants, with an emphasis on plant life of the Sonoran Desert and arid lands around the world. It includes many examples of ethnobotany, or how plants are used to survive in the desert. As a consequence of the many plants in this area there are also many desert animals such as lizards, birds, and occasional roadrunners. }} * {{see | name=Ro Ho En Japanese Friendship Garden | alt= | url=http://www.japanesefriendshipgarden.org/ | email= | address=1125 N 3rd Ave | directions= | lat=33.46099 | long=-112.07603 | phone=+1 602-256-3204 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-3PM; Summer (June-August): Tu-Su 8AM-noon, F-Su 5PM-7:30PM | price=$10 adult; $8 senior; $7 youth, student, military; free age 6 and under | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Japanese-style garden with koi pond and tea house. Closed in the summer due to heat. }} * {{see | name=Phoenix Zoo | alt= | url=https://www.phoenixzoo.org/ | email= | address=455 N Galvin Pkwy | directions= | lat=33.4513 | long=-111.9471 | phone=+1 602-286-3800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=June-August 7AM-1PM; September-October 9AM-5PM | price=$29.95 adult, $19.95 child | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content= }} ===Museums=== [[File:Heard wts.jpg|thumb|250px|Heard Museum Courtyard]] * {{see | name=Arizona Science Center | alt= | url=http://www.azscience.org | email= | address=600 E Washington St | lat=33.448861 | long=-112.066557 | directions= | phone=+1 602-716-2000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:30AM-4PM | price=General admission: adult $20, child (3-17) $15; planetarium adult $9, child $8 | lastedit=2021-10-16 | wikidata=Q4791396 | content=This center features 350 permanent hands-on exhibits and regularly hosts nationally acclaimed traveling exhibits. Also features a 5-story IMAX theater and planetarium. }} *'''[https://www.phxtrolley.org/ Phoenix Trolley Museum]''' * {{see | name=Heard Museum | alt= | url=http://www.heard.org | email= | address=2301 N Central Ave | lat=33.4716 | long=-112.0721 | directions=Between E Monte Vista Rd & E Hoover Ave | phone=+1 602-252-8848 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM to 5PM, Su 11AM-5PM | price=$15 adults, $13.50 seniors 62+, $7.50 children 6-12, free for children under 6 and American Indians | content=World famous museum celebrating Native American cultures and arts, especially those of Arizona and New Mexico. Be sure to check out the amazing collection of Hopi Kachina dolls. }} * {{see | name=Phoenix Art Museum | url=http://www.phxart.org | email= | address=1625 N Central Ave | lat=33.466254 | long=-112.073222 | directions= | phone=+1 602-257-1222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10AM-5PM (Th until 9PM) | price=Free on the first Friday evening of every month | content=16,000 artworks with an emphasis on American, Asian, Latin American, and modern and contemporary. }} * {{see | name=Arizona State Capitol Museum | alt=Arizona Capitol Museum | url=http://www.azlibrary.gov/azcm | email= | address=1700 W Washington St | lat=33.4482 | long=-112.0970 | directions= | phone=+1 602-926-3620 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM; Sept-May: Sa 10AM-2PM | price=Free | lastedit=2016-09-15 | content=The Arizona Capitol Museum uses a balance of technology, hands-on activities, historical artifacts, and public programs to help visitors learn about and interact with the government of the 48th state. }}[[File:Musical Instrument Museum 2, Phoenix AZ.JPG|thumb|Musical Instrument Museum]] * {{see | name=The Gallery at City Hall | alt= | url=https://www.phoenix.gov/arts/the-gallery-@-city-hall | email= | address=200 West Washington St | lat=33.448611 | long=-112.077335 | directions=Corner of 2nd Ave and Washington St | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-2PM | price=Free | lastedit=2016-09-22 | content=Small, free art gallery on 1st floor of Phoenix City Hall with some of the over 1000 pieces of art on display from the city of Phoenix Municipal Art Collection which began in 1915. }} *{{see | name=Musical Instrument Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mim.org/ | email= | address=4725 E Mayo Blvd | lat=33.667574 | long=-111.978475 | directions=Near AZ-51 and AZ-101 intersection | phone=+1 480-478-6000 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-5PM, daily | price=Adults $20, Teens (13-19) $15, Children (4-12) $10 | wikidata=Q1946710 | lastedit=2021-02-10 | content=Has many exhibits where you can see and hear the history of music from around the world. There's also a room for kids of all ages to try out instruments. }} * {{see | name=Phoenix Police Museum | alt= | url=http://phoenixpolicemuseum.org/ | email= | address=200 W Jefferson St | lat=33.44751 | long=-112.07602 | directions=NE corner of 2nd Ave and Jefferson | phone=+1 602-534-7278 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-3PM | price=free | lastedit=2016-09-22 | content=On the first floor of the historic city hall, it gives the history of the Phoenix Police Department in historic and modern context. Starts with a rock with shackles, which was the original jail. Even has the police department's first helicopter. There's a small exhibit dedicated to Miranda and Miranda rights and a memorial for 9/11. }} * {{see | name=Children's Museum of Phoenix | alt= | url=http://www.ChildrensMuseumOfPhoenix.org | email= | address=215 N 7th St | lat=33.45042 | long=-112.06453 | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-0501 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 9AM-4PM | price,=$12, seniors $12, children up to 12 months old free | lastedit=2018-04-18 | content=Third best children's museum in the country. }} * {{see | name=Hall Of Flame Fire Museum | alt=National Firefighting Hall of Heroes | url=http://www.hallofflame.org/ | email= | address=6101 E Van Buren St | lat=33.4474 | long=-111.953 | directions= | phone=+1 602-275-FIRE | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM | price=$7 adult, $6 concession, $2 child, children under 3 are free | wikidata=Q14680373 | lastedit=2018-05-27 | content=Almost an acre of fire history exhibits, with over 90 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display, dating from 1725 to 1969. }} ===Historical=== * {{see | name=Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park | alt= | url=http://www.pueblogrande.org/ | email= | address=(Museum Bldg) 4619 E Washington St | lat=33.4457 | long=-111.9847 | directions=Museum Bldg at opposite side of parking lot from the entrance at Washington St. Park entrance between S 44th St & SR-143 | phone=+1 602-495-0901 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 9AM-4:45PM, Su 1PM-4:45PM | price=Adults (18-54) $6, seniors (55+) $5, children (6-17) $3, children (under 6): Free | lastedit=2016-09-14 | content=The U.S.'s only city-operated archaeological site, preserving a 1500-year-old Hohokam ruin in the shadow of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This ruin is one of only two Hohokam mounds remaining in the metro Phoenix area (the other being the underdeveloped Mesa Grande ruins). The museum and site is comparable to the more famous (and more remote) [[Casa Grande Ruins National Monument]], but the visible ruins are not as large. }} * {{see | name=Orpheum Theatre | url=http://phoenix.gov/STAGES/orpheum.html | email= | address=203 W Adams St | lat=33.448958 | long=-112.076865 | directions= | phone=+1 602-262-6225 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Be sure to take a walk around this amazing piece of historic architecture set in downtown Phoenix. Built in 1929 in the Spanish Baroque style, this building feature intricate murals and moldings. }} * {{see | name=USS Arizona Memorial at the Arizona State Capitol | url=http://www.azleg.gov | email= | address=1700 W Washington | lat=33.447784 | long=-112.094638 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Pay your respects to the victims of Pearl Harbor at the Arizona State Capitol's memorial to the USS Arizona. One of the two 19,585-lb (8880-kg) anchors of the Arizona is displayed. }} *{{see | name=Pioneer Living History Village | alt= | url=https://www.pioneeraz.org/ | email= | address=3901 W Pioneer Rd | lat=33.81914 | long=-112.14955 | directions=Take I-17 North of Phoenix to Exit 225 Pioneer Rd. PLHV is just W of the interstate | phone=+1 623 465-1052 | tollfree= | hours= | price=$7, $6 seniors (60+), $5 students (Ages 6-18), children under 5 free | wikidata=Q14680667 | content=A historically accurate recreation of an 1800s frontier town between Phoenix and [[Anthem]]. Over 30 buildings provide a living example of what frontier life was like then. }} * {{see | name=Arizona Biltmore Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/ | email= | address= | lat=33.52349 | long=-112.02329 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=24th St and Camelback Rd. Visit this legendary Phoenix landmark built in 1921 and has hosted famous guests such as Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, and the President of the United States when he is in town. }} * {{see | name=Wrigley Mansion | alt= | url=http://www.wrigleymansion.com/tour-wrigley-mansion/ | email= | address=2501 E Telawa Trl | lat=33.312174 | long=-112.13361 | directions=bus 70 from downtown | phone=+1 602-955-4079 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tours Tu-Su | price=Regular tours $15, lunch tours $30-45, Tuesday tours are free | wikidata=Q8038334| wikipedia=Wrigley_Mansion | lastedit=2016-09-22 | content=Take a tour of the amazing architecture and grounds of this historic mansion built by the famous chewing gum magnate. }} * {{see | name=Tovrea Castle | alt= | url=http://www.tovreacastletours.com | email= | address=5025 E Van Buren St | lat=33.45094 | long=-111.97315 | directions=eastern Phoenix, near airport | phone=+1 602-256-3221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Hours vary by season; reservations required | price=Tours are $15 | wikidata=Q7829500| wikipedia=Tovrea_Castle | lastedit=2016-09-14 | content=Tovrea Castle is a historic structure and landmark, which is particularly visible to drivers on Arizona State Route 202. It was intended as a centerpiece for a resort, but was used as a private residence for the Tovrea family, who owned the Phoenix Stockyards which once were adjacent to the property. The rococo style building was constructed in a unique three-tier fashion which has resemblance to a traditional multilayered wedding cake. The castle is now part of the Phoenix parks system and is designated as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride. The park shows over 5,000 cacti in over 100 varieties, all maintained by volunteers of the Tovrea Carraro Society. There's only 1-2 tours on weekend mornings, so they can sell out months in advance. }} * {{see | name=Rosson House Museum | alt= | url=http://heritagesquarephx.org/visit/the-rosson-house/ | email= | address=113 N 6th St | lat=33.45021 | long=-112.06597 | directions=Heritage and Science Park | phone=+1 602-262-5070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM | price=$9 adult, $8 concession, $4 child | lastedit=2016-09-24 | content=A fully-restored 1895 Queen Anne Victorian house museum which interprets the history of Phoenix. The only way to enter the house is through an hour-long tour which runs hourly. }} ==Do== Winter visitors to the area will generally be looking for outdoor events. The area has many resorts with the relevant amenities, such as golf courses and the requisite pools and other activities on site. In the summer, due to the extreme heat, virtually everyone tries to avoid being outside more than necessary. *{{listing | type=do | name=Castles N' Coasters | alt= | url=http://www.castlesncoasters.com | email= | address=9445 North Metro Parkway East | lat=33.5733 | long=-112.1184 | directions=Near I-17 and Dunlap, just southeast of Metrocenter Mall. Easily visible from the interstate. | phone=+1 602-997-7575 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Largest amusement park in town, and the only one with roller coasters and other thrill rides. Also has four mini-golf courses and a two-story arcade. }} *{{do | name=Enchanted Island Amusement Park | alt= | url=http://www.enchantedisland.com/ | email= | address= | lat=33.4738 | long=-112.0887 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q29096592 | content=Great rides for children pre-k - 5th grade. Train that circles the park. Canoe rental. }} *{{do | name=Cityscape | alt= | url=http://www.cityscapephoenix.com/ | email= | address=One East Washington | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-947-7772 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mixed use urban project which includes retail, shopping and entertainment such as a pub, comedy club, bowling alley and various restaurants. From late November through early January there is a holiday ice skating rink called Cityskate which has an admission fee ($12 to $15 which includes skate rental), nightly lightshows from 7 to 10PM and a 36 foot tall Christmas tree. }} *{{do | name=FilmBar | alt= | url=http://www.thefilmbarphx.com/ | email= | address=815 n 2nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-595-9187 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 5PM-midnight; F 5PM-2AM; Sa 1PM-2AM; Su 1PM-midnight | price=$8 | content=A microcinema (70 seats) and lounge for those aged 21 and older showing mostly independent and foreign movies for $8 per ticket. The bar (no entrance fee) has 30 craft beers and 15 wines available. Tickets available online or at the bar. It was named the Best Neighborhood Bar in Downtown Phoenix for 2012. }} * {{do | name=Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market | alt= | url=http://foodconnect.org/phxmarket/ | email= | address=721 North Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Sa 8AM-noon; Th 5PM-9PM | price= | content=Farmers market open year round offering fresh produce, prepared food and food trucks. }} * {{do | name=The Nash | alt= | url=http://www.thenash.org/ | email= | address=110 E. Roosevelt St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-795-0464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venue which hosts live jazz music a few nights every week. Check website for exact event schedule and cost (cover varies from $5 to $15). BYOB-corkage fee of $5 for bottle of wine and $1 for bottle of beer. Listed as Best Jazz Joint in 2013 by the ''Phoenix New Times''. }} * {{do | name=Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Rides | url=http://bkpk.me/floating-over-the-arizona-desert-with-rainbow-ryders/ | email= | address=5601 Eagle Rock Ave NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-877-771-0776 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Scenic hot air balloon rides daily in Phoenix and Scottsdale. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Grand Spa |alt=| url=https://www.arizonagrandresort.com/spa/ | email= | address=8000 S Arizona Grand Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-431-6484 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=9AM-8PM | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content=A wide variety of spa treatments including a salon, relaxing body treatments, hydrating facials, & “just for kids” treatments. }} ===Outdoor recreation=== [[File:Camelback Mountain wts.jpg|thumb|300px|The view from Camelback Mountain]] *{{do | name=Camelback Mountain | alt= | url=https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/camelback-mountain | email= | address= | lat=33.52151 | long=-111.97386 | directions=E McDonald Dr at Tatum Blvd | phone=+1 602-256-3220 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5025875 | content=The most recognizable landmark of the area, Camelback Mountain rises to {{ft|2704}} at its summit. It sits between Phoenix to the south and Paradise Valley to the North. The lower areas of the mountain contain some of the most exclusive residences in the Valley, with the upper sections now part of a park. There are very challenging and difficult hiking trails to the summit that are not recommended for any but experienced hikers. As well, parking near the mountain is extremely limited. The mountain consists of red rock, and is in the general shape of a camel's silhouette. A rock formation on the mountain is known as Praying Monk. The park also contains Echo Canyon. }} *{{do | name=Piestewa Peak | alt= | url=http://phoenix.gov/parks/phxmtns.html | email= | address=2701 E Squaw Peak Ln or 2421 E Northern Ave | lat=33.54767 | long=-112.02109 | directions= | phone=+1 602-262-7901 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=5AM-10PM (Dreamy Draw Park), 11PM (Phoenix Mountains Park) | price= |lastedit=2021-10-16| content=In the middle of Phoenix lies '''Phoenix Mountains Park'''. The park offers a strenuous one to two hour hike to the top of Piestewa Peak, offering fantastic 360° views of the city and its surrounding environment. There are several alternative hiking trails (trail 304, 202, 8A) besides the very popular peak trail. The other well-known mountain in the area (Camelback Mountain being the most well known). The peak was known as "Squaw Peak" before being renamed in honor of Army Spc. Lori Ann Piestewa who was the first Native American woman killed in combat in the U.S. military in 2003. Due to the name change, visitors will find references to the peak under both names (for instance, the road leading to the park on the south side of the mountain still has the prior name). This mountain, whose summit rises to {{ft|2608}}, is much more accessible to visitors than is Camelback Mountain (come early on weekends during winter months for parking). There are picnic areas on the south side of the mountain (Phoenix Mountains Park entrance on Squaw Peak Ln) and the north side (Dreamy Draw Park, entrance via Northern Ave, but it is closed until 2023 for redevelopment). Especially during the hot summer months (up to 110-115°F/43°C in the afternoon), use caution and bring lots of water and a hat. There is no shade and parts of the trail can be quite steep and rocky. The park also has several picnic areas. }} *{{do | name=North Mountain | alt= | url=http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/north/index.html | email= | address=7th St north of Peoria Ave | lat=33.58904 | long=-112.06518 | directions=entrance on 7th St, north of Peoria Ave and south of Thunderbird Rd | phone=+1 602-262-7901 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=5AM to 7PM | price=free | content=Picnic areas, hiking trails, excellent view of the city from above. An oasis of desert inside the city limits. }}Good available parking. Easier hike than Piestawa Peak or Camelback Mountain. * {{do | name=South Mountain Park | alt= | url=http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south/index.html | email= | address= | lat=33.34506 | long=-112.05872 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=South Mountain Park and Preserve is the largest municipal park in the United States. With more than 16,000 acres, it has 51 miles of trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking. By driving up the scenic Summit Road to Dobbins Lookout, you will be treated to spectacular views of metropolitan Phoenix area. }} * {{do | name=Ben Avery Shooting Facility | alt= | url=http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/ben_avery.shtml | email= | address=4044 W Black Canyon Blvd | lat=33.80381 | long=-112.14482 | directions=take I-17 North to Exit 224 Carefree Hwy (AZ 74); the facility is on the N side of the road just after the interstate | phone=+1 623 582-8313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$7 adult all-day pass, 18 and under free | content=The largest outdoor shooting facility in the country. The favorable weather provides excellent year-round conditions for shooting. Eye protection is required; ear protection is recommended. }} * {{do | name=Oasis Water Park |alt=| url=https://www.arizonagrandresort.com/oasis-water-park/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Hours vary by season | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content= }} ===Golf=== * {{do | name=Arizona Grand Golf Course | alt= | url=https://www.arizonagrandgolf.com/ | email= | address=8000 S Arizona Grand Pkwy | lat=33.37151 | long=-111.97329 | directions= | phone=+1 602-431-6480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content=Awarded the Four-Star Award by ''Golf Digest'', Arizona Grand Golf Course is one of the most challenging golf courses in the Phoenix area and blends desert target golf with traditional links. }} *{{do | name=Arizona Biltmore Golf Course | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.51907 | long=-112.02165 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Performing arts=== * {{do | name=Phoenix Symphony | alt= | url=http://www.phoenixsymphony.org | email= | address=455 N 3rd St | lat=33.44893 | long=-112.07059 | directions= | phone=+1 602-495-1999 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's classical and pops orchestra, presenting a 25-week season of concerts. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Opera | url=http://www.azopera.com | email= | address=4600 N 12th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-266-7464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Presenting a season of five grand opera productions, with emphasis on Verdi, Puccini, and Mozart. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Theatre Company | alt= | url=http://www.arizonatheatre.org | email= | address= | lat=33.45086 | long=-112.07076 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Professional theater in downtown Phoenix's Herberger theater complex. }} * {{do | name=Mesa Arts Center | url=http://www.mesaartscenter.com | email= | address=1 E Main St; [[Mesa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-644-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Contemporary art displays and studios. Home of the [http://www.swshakespeare.org/ Southwest Shakespeare Company] and the Mesa Symphony Orchestra. }} *{{do | name=Phoenix Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.phoenixtheatre.com | email= | address=100 E McDowell Ave | lat=33.46661 | long=-112.07286 | directions=Corner of McDowell and Central Ave | phone=+1 602-889-5286 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10AM - 5PM | price=$62 | content=Professional theatre in an intimate setting. New Works Festival in July. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Carnival of Illusion | alt= | url=https://www.carnivalofillusion.com | email=thrills@carnivalofillusion.com | address=2400 E Missouri Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-359-7469 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-05-01 | content=The Carnival of Illusion Parlour Show presents national quality magic in an intimate setting at the Historic Arizona Biltmore Resort and is limited to 125 guests. The hosts are the National Recipients for Excellence in Magic and have performed as house entertainers at the world's top resorts, for Fortune 100 CEOs, to the 200 Most Powerful Women in America. }} ===Sports=== Tickets to professional sports events are expensive, but there are still $12.50 seats at the Diamondbacks games, not available until 2 hours before the game. Definitely not the best seats, but worth visiting the downtown Phoenix ballpark. Spring Training Cactus League is a great way to see baseball players. Very relaxed and inexpensive. Games are in different locations in Mesa, Peoria, and Phoenix. The Cardinals stadium is worth a visit, as it looks like a giant spaceship by the side of the freeway. [[File:Chase Field.jpg|thumb|250px|Arizona Diamondbacks' swimming pool]] * {{do | name=Arizona Diamondbacks | alt= | url=http://www.azdiamondbacks.com | email= | address=7th St and Jefferson | lat=33.44548 | long=-112.06681 | directions= | phone=+1 602-514-8400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=You can get really decent tickets for $12.50 | content=Take in a [[Baseball in the United States|baseball]] game at the unique Chase Field (often called "The BOB", from its former name of Bank One Ballpark). It has a capacity of 49,033, with a retractable roof, air conditioning, and a swimming pool available for rental. }} * {{do | name=Phoenix Suns | alt= | url=http://www.nba.com/suns | email= | address=201 E Jefferson St | lat=33.44596 | long=-112.07117 | directions=Take light rail to 3rd Street/Washington or 3rd Street/Jefferson station | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-4NBA-TIX | fax= | hours= | price=Tickets start at $25 | content=Very popular NBA team featuring players such as Chris Paul and Devin Booker. The Suns play at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, which is near a light rail station. }} * The '''[http://www.azcardinals.com/ Arizona Cardinals]''' of the [[American football|NFL]] and the '''[https://www.nhl.com/coyotes Arizona Coyotes]''' of the NHL, play in neighboring [[Glendale (Arizona)#Do|Glendale]]. * {{do | name=Phoenix Mercury | url=https://mercury.wnba.com/ | email= | address=201 E Jefferson St | lat= | long= | directions=see "Phoenix Suns" listing for location detail | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Very popular WNBA team. Shares Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix with the Suns. }} * {{do | name=Cactus League Spring Training Baseball | url=http://cactusleague.com | email= | address=Phoenix and Surrounding Cities | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annually February - March the Phoenix Metropolitan Area hosts 15 Major League Baseball teams for their spring training activities and exhibition games. A great way to spend the afternoon on a beautiful Arizona Spring day. }} * {{do | name=Arizona State Sun Devils | url=https://thesundevils.com | email=sundeviltickets@asu.edu | address=Sun Devil Stadium, 500 E Veterans Way, Tempe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-727-0000 | tollfree=+1 888-786-3857 | fax= | hours= M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content=The teams representing Arizona State University, competing in the Pac-12 Conference alongside other major universities throughout the western third of the country. Most of the athletic facilities are on campus, with the best-known being Sun Devil Stadium (football) and Desert Financial Arena (basketball). However, the baseball team plays in Phoenix proper at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Tickets are often more affordable than those for professional sports. }} * {{do | name=Grand Canyon Antelopes | alt= | url=https://gculopes.com | email= | address=GCU Arena, 330 W Camelback Rd | lat=33.51014 | long=-112.12894 | directions= | phone=+1 602-639-8979 | tollfree=+1-877-552-7362 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The teams representing Grand Canyon University, competing in the Western Athletic Conference. The Antelopes, who don't have a football team, have now completed a transition to NCAA Division I sports. As with ASU, most of GCU's athletic facilities are on campus. In the last few years, the GCU student section, known as the Havocs, has developed a reputation as one of the loudest and most energetic in American college sports. }} ===Events=== * {{do | name=Phoenix Festival of the Arts | alt= | url=http://phoenixfestivalofthearts.org/ | email= | address=Margaret T. Hance Park, 1202 N. 3rd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free admission | content=A 3-day festival in December held at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix that features local artists and exhibitors selling art, a community mural, food trucks, performances on 2 stages and a beer and wine garden. }} * {{do | name=Real, Wild and Woody Beer Festival | alt= | url=http://realwildandwoody.com/ | email= | address=Phoenix Convention Center (South Building), 33 South 3rd Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-05-15 | content=Annual one-day beer festival in late July hosted by Arizona Craft Brewers Guild in downtown Phoenix with more than 50 local brewers offering local and unusual beers. The admission fee ($60 for 2019) includes attendance to the event, 20 beer sampling tickets and food samples. An event for those aged 21 and older. }} * {{do | name=First Fridays Artwalk | alt= | url=https://artlinkphoenix.com/first-fridays/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Roosevelt between Central Avenue and Seventh Street | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=On the first Friday of every month, hundreds of local art galleries, venues, and shops open up free to the public. This local tradition has been going strong since 1994 and has become the largest art walk in the United States. A great place to see and be seen. ''(Parking at Burton Barr library for First Friday is forbidden, and parking is difficult to obtain nearby. Consider taking the light rail.)'' }} * {{do | name=Phoenix Film Festival | alt= | url=http://www.phoenixfilmfestival.com | email= | address=7000 E Mayo Blvd, Scottsdale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Phoenix Film Festival | wikidata=Q7186873 | content=The celebration takes place annually (April) in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The festival began as a showcase for feature films made for under $1 million and short films made for under $50,000, however, it is quickly climbing its way into elite status in the film circuit due to its first class treatment of filmmakers. }} * {{do | name=Arizona Matsuri | url=http://www.azmatsuri.org | email= | address=Heritage and Science Park at 7th St/Monroe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual festival each spring in downtown Phoenix celebrating Japanese culture. Martial arts, taiko drumming, bonsai, cosplay, food, fashion, music, and more. }} * {{do | name= Rock n'Roll Arizona Marathon | url=https://www.runrocknroll.com/arizona| email= | address=Rural and Rio Solado Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions=202 Fwy [E], Priest Exit[S], Rio Solado [W], Parking [2 mi] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | wikidata=Q2160541 | lastedit=2019-05-15 | hours=7:45AM marathon start, 8:15AM half-marathon start | price= | content=Annual moving mass of humanity for the Rock N'Roll half-marathon, and marathon in mid-January. Bands at every mile. Big party in the evening of the marathon. Starts in Phoenix (Washington St/7th Ave) and weaves through Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe to finish in the ASU athletic center. Pretty flat course, reasonable crowd support. Expo in Phoenix Convention Center, Monroe/3rd St. }} * {{do | name=Ford Ironman Arizona | url=http://www.ironmanarizona.com | email= | address=Tempe Beach Park, Rio Solado Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Swim (2.4 mi), bike (112 mi), run (26.2 mi): the same as Ironman in Kona Hawaii. Entry ($425 limited to 1,500) impossible to get unless sponsored by a charity, contestant in previous year, or part of race crew. }} * {{do | name=Fiesta Bowl | url=http://www.fiestabowl.com | email= | address=State Farm Stadium, Glendale, 99th Ave/Maryland | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the 4 big college football bowls. Played at the $430m State Farm Stadium (looks like a giant spaceship with a retractable playing field). Parade on Saturday before bowl at 11AM start at Central Ave/Bethany Home in Phoenix is always quite spectacular and free. }} * {{do | name=Phoenix Open | url= | email= | address=TPC Scottsdale, Bell Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Loop 101 Fwy (Pima Road), Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd [E] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Noon-dark | price= | content=Phoenix Open Golf tournament in Feb draws a lot of big-name players. Big party atmosphere at the 16th hole. Lots of happenings in the evening at the Birds Nest. }} * {{do | name=Avondale World Fest | alt=Civic Center Amphitheater | url= | email= | address=11465 W Civic Center Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 478-3050 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual cultural festival taking place in September. }} * {{do | name=Carnival of Illusion | alt=Magic, Mystery & Oooh La La | url=https://www.carnivalofillusion.com/ | email= | address=2400 E. Missouri Ave. | lat=33.5239 | long=-112.0226 | directions=Arizona Biltmore Resort | phone=+1 480-359-7469 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F Sa at 4:30PM and 7:30PM | price= | lastedit=2018-07-30 | content=National recipients for "Excellence in Magic" Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyed present a Vaudeville-inspired illusion show. Carnival of Illusion is the longest running Arizona theater show in history. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Arizona State University | url=http://www.asu.edu | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In the eastern suburb of [[Tempe]], with three branch campuses around the Phoenix metro area, ASU is one of the largest public universities in the U.S. and is noted for its engineering, business, music, and creative writing programs. }} * {{listing | name=Maricopa Community Colleges | url=http://www.maricopa.edu | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Largest system of community colleges in the United States, with 10 campuses in the metro Maricopa County area; numerous community and adult education programs. }} * {{listing | name=Phoenix School of Law | url=http://www.phoenixlaw.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Law school with relatively open admissions policy. }} * {{listing | name=Thunderbird School of Global Management | url=http://www.thunderbird.edu | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=World famous for being the first and oldest graduate school specializing in international management and global business. Ranked #1 in the world in its field. }} ==Buy== Time-honored souvenirs from Phoenix are '''scorpion bolo ties''' and '''saguaro-cactus salt and pepper shakers'''. Look for them at various gift shops in Terminal 3 and 4 of Sky Harbor International Airport. These gift shops are also known to stock the ever-popular Cactus Candy and a wide variety of hot sauces. * {{buy | name=Bookmans Entertainment Exchange | alt= | url=http://bookmans.com/stores/phoenix/ | email= | address=8034 N 19th Ave | lat=33.55425 | long=-112.10108 | directions= | phone=+1 602-433-0255 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=This Tucson-based used bookstore chain also carries used CDs, DVDs, video games, etc. There is an electric vehicle charging station and free Wi-Fi, and pets are welcome in the store. }} * {{buy | name=Hidden Track Bottle Shop | alt= | url=http://www.hiddentrackbottleshop.com/ | email= | address=111 West Monroe Street, Suite 120 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-566-7932 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa noon-7PM | price= | lastedit=2015-08-07 | content=Boutique wine store in downtown Phoenix that offer wine (tasted and selected by owners), beer, chocolate, pasta and snacks. Occasional wine tastings and delivery (for a fee) of wine is available. One block from the Van Buren St light rail station and free covered parking (garage entrance on the west side of the building). }} * {{buy | name=The Shops at Norterra | alt= | url=http://www.norterrashopping.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A major retail power center is on I-17 on the north side of Happy Valley Rd. Anchor stores include a Harkins 14-screen cinema, Best Buy, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Many smaller retailers and casual dining restaurants are also in the shopping center. }} *{{buy | name=Town & Country Shopping Center | alt= | url=http://www.townandcountryshops.com/ | email= | address=20th St and Camelback Rd | lat=33.5076423 | long=-112.0390838 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=To the west of Biltmore Fashion Square is a mall that has been revamped and in conjunction with the Colonnade, Camelback Center serve as a bustling shopping area for the Camelback corridor. With many shopping and dinning options for both deep pockets and value seekers, nearby hotels, condos, and apartments the area has become an uptown destination or at least the beginning of your night. }} * {{buy | name=Biltmore Fashion Park | alt= | url=http://www.shopbiltmore.com/ | email= | address=24th St and Camelback Rd | lat=33.5108735 | long=-112.0301306 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Includes many high-end tenants such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Ralph Lauren, Cartier, and Escada; and many highly-acclaimed eateries. }} * {{buy | name=Arizona Hiking Shack | alt= | url=http://hikingshack.com | email= | address=3244 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018 | lat=33.4809309 | long=-112.0131554 | directions= | phone=+1 602-944-7723 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Long-running store with clothing, supplies and gear for hiking, camping, climbing and other outdoor activities. }} *Desert Ridge, 21001 N Tatum Blvd (North of 101 freeway). Large open shopping area with Target, Kohls and other large department stores and many restaurants, (Thirsty Lion, Flower Child, Barrio Queen, The Keg, Mimi's Cafe, Macaroni Grill just a few) === Groceries and other basics === The major supermarket chains in Phoenix are Fry's (which is owned by Kroger), Safeway, WinCo, Albertsons, and Bashas'. In addition the nation's largest discount store chain, Walmart, has several stores in Phoenix most of which are also open 24 hours and some WinCo and Fry's stores in Phoenix are also open 24 hours as well. In addition many specialty and organic supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Trader Joe's can also be found throughout the area. ==Eat== ===Budget=== *For cheap eats, look out for many 24-hour Mexican food places such as '''Filiberto's''', '''Raliberto's''' and other restaurants offer a burrito the size of your forearm for less than $4. *{{eat | name=Chicago Hamburger Company | url=http://chicagohamburger.com/ | email= | address=3749 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-4137 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10:30AM-8PM | price= | content="Home of the Original Windy City Slider" is the restaurant's slogan, and the small burgers (along with larger fare) are found here. A Chicago themed sandwich shop offering hot dogs, sandwiches and even Frito Pie (according to the menu, a former manager from Texas added it to the menu and they've left it on). This place is more what you would expect of a traditional burger joint than Delux Burger (listed below). Delux is when you want something more formal, Chicago Hamburger Company is when you want to grab a traditional burger shop-lunch. }} * {{eat | name=Chino Bandido | url=http://www.chinobandido.com | email= | address=15414 N. 19th Ave, Suite K | lat= | long= | directions=on 19th Ave, just North of Greenway | phone=+1 602-375-3639 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-9PM | price=$5-10 | content=Strange and wonderful fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisine. It can take a little bit of work to understand how to order, so using the online interactive menu ahead of time is useful for first-timers. Ask for a sample spoon if you're not sure about a flavor combination. }} * {{eat | name=Fry Bread House | url= | email= | address=1003 E Indian School Rd | lat=33.494415 | long=-112.060629 | directions= | phone=+1 602-351-2345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10AM-7PM, F Sa 10AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Since 1992 this Tohono O'odham-owned and -operated restaurant has served authentic Native American cuisine, based on family recipes that the restaurant owner learned as a child. Specializes in frybread in all its varieties. Features an all-Native American staff. }} *{{eat | name=Green Restaurant | url=http://greenvegetarian.com/ | email= | address=2022 N 7th St | lat=33.470154 | long=-112.065417 | directions= | phone=+1 602-258-1870 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Reputed vegan restaurant. PETA named the secret BBQ Chicken sandwich as the best faux chicken sandwich in the USA. }} *{{eat | name=Matt's Big Breakfast | url=http://www.mattsbigbreakfast.com | email= | address=825 N 1st St | lat=33.457456 | long=-112.072303 | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-1074 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 6:30AM-2:30PM | price= | content=Very popular breakfast restaurant in downtown Phoenix. }} * {{eat | name=Modern Tortilla | alt= | url=http://moderntortilla.com/ | email=Info@moderntortilla.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-526-5493 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-11-23 | content=Food truck which turns up at various random events and locations (a calendar is posted on their website). Street tacos, burritos, quesadillas: a mix of southwest culinary roots with classical training. }} *{{eat | name=Tee Pee Mexican Food | url=http://www.teepeemexicanfood.com/ | email= | address=4144 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-956-0178 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 11AM-9PM | price= | content=Neighborhood Mexican food restaurant featuring fairly standard Arizona Mexican food fare at reasonable prices. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Aioli Gourmet Burgers | alt= | url=https://www.aioliburger.com/ | email=ViviannaD@aioliburger.com | address=10652 N 32nd Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-971-5555 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-8PM F Sa 11AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2019-07-03 | content=Food truck and restaurant serving gourmet burgers. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Oakwood Fire Pizza | alt= | url=https://oakwoodfirepizza.com/ | email=viviannad@oakwoodfirepizza.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-526-5493 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2020-07-27 | content=Authentic pizza. Food truck services. }} *Salad And Go, several locations Bethany Home & 7th St, Dunlap & 7th St. Inexpensive fresh salads and wraps, highly recommended (excellent caprese salad). ===Mid-range=== * Phoenix has experienced an explosion of eateries since 2018. Uptown on 7th St between Missouri and Glendale Ave. Camelback between 24th St and 44th St. Tatum Blvd between Shea and Greenway. Some notables: Buck and Rider, 4225 E Camelback; Chelseas Kitchen, 5040 N 40th St; Hillstone, 2650 E Camelback; North Italia, 4925 N 40th St; The Yard, 5640 N 7th St; Luci's 7100 N 12th St (breakfast/lunch); Snooze, 2045 E Camelback (Town and Country; breakfast/lunch); Pizzeria Bianco, 4743 N 20th St (Town and Country); Sicilian Butcher, 15530 N Tatum Blvd. *{{eat | name=Aunt Chilada's Squaw Peak | alt= | url=http://www.auntchiladas.com | email= | address=7330 N. Dreamy Draw Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-944-1286 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-1AM | price=$8-15 | content=A historic family-run Mexican restaurant that's a popular local hangout. Large patios and beautiful traditional decor, as well as a Palapa bar and Bocce court. Excellent chips and salsa. Band every Friday night, Sunday open mic night. Breakfast on weekends. }} * {{eat | name=Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.cherryblossom-az.com/ | email= | address=914 E Camelback Rd | lat=33.509829 | long=-112.060984 | directions= | phone=+1 602-248-9090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=An interesting fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisine. One of the only places in the valley to offer an authentic Japanese beer, Calpico, a creamy beer with Japanese calpico brand drink mixed with lager beer. }} *{{eat | name=Delux Burger | url=http://www.deluxburger.com/ | email= | address=3146 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions=in Safeway center on NW corner of 32nd St and Camelback Rd | phone=+1 602-522-2288 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-2AM | price= | content=An upscale burger location, also known for its mini-shopping cart baskets of fries and a wide selection of micro-brews on tap. Has an interesting variety of salads as well as the sandwich fare. A good place when you want to have informal food but not in a totally informal setting. }} *{{eat | name=The Duce | url=http://theducephx.com/ | email= | address=525 South Central Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-866-3823 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Large warehouse with vintage design that contains a restaurant (food served from 1965 streamline trailer), soda fountain, bar, ice cream shop, boxing ring and clothing shop. }} * {{eat | name=Garcia's Las Avenidas | alt= | url=http://garciasaz.com/| email= | address=2212 N 35th Ave | lat=33.472510 | long=-112.134834 | directions=near intersection of 35th Ave & Encanto Blvd | phone=+1 602-272-5584 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Founded in 1957, about a half-mile north of the original location that was just south of McDowell Rd. on 35th Ave. A chain was later spawned from the restaurant, but this location remained outside the chain and under family control. Arguably, along with Macayo's, served to define what was expected of Phoenix area Mexican food. }} *{{eat | name=L'amore | url=http://lamoreitalianrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=3159 E Lincoln Dr | lat= | long= | directions=in the shopping complex on the SE corner of 32nd St & Lincoln Dr | phone=+1 602-381-3159 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-10PM, Sa 4PM-10PM | price= | content=Local Italian restaurant on the border of Phoenix and Paradise Valley, features fresh seafood and home made pasta. }} *{{eat | name=La Grande Orange Grocery | url=http://www.lagrandeorangegrocery.com/ | email= | address=4410 N 40th St | lat= | long= | directions=SW corner of 40th St & Campbell | phone=+1 602-840-7777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 6:30AM-9PM, F Sa 6:30AM-10PM | price= | content=Popular neighborhood cafe featuring breakfast, sandwiches and grocery items, as well as pizzeria next door. Parking is often difficult in the area, though valet parking is offered as well as curbside service. }} * {{eat | name=Los Dos Molinos | url=http://losdosmolinosphoenix.com/ | email= | address=8646 S Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-243-9113 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sonoran-style dominates Phoenix-area Mexican cookery, but Los Dos celebrates the cuisine of New Mexico -- which means lots of very hot chiles. This long-established and highly regarded restaurant is a must for all true chile-heads. Reservations not accepted. }} *{{eat | name=Majerles Sports Grill | url=http://www.majerles.com/ | email= | address=24 N 2nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-0118 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sports grill and lounge owned by former pro basketball player Dan Majerle. }} * {{eat | name=Nobuo at Teeter House | alt= | url=http://www.nobuofukuda.com/ | email= | address=622 E Adams St | lat=33.449594 | long=-112.065667 | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-0600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 11AM-4PM and 5:30PM | price= | content=Highly regarded Japanese restaurant in a renovated historic building in downtown Phoenix. The master chef is a James Beard award winner. Serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. }} *{{eat | name=The Parlor Pizzeria | url=http://www.theparlor.us | email= | address=1916 East Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-248-2480 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Neighborhood artisan pizza restaurant, which reused the landmark Salon de Venus beauty salon building when it shut down after 60 years. }} *{{eat | name=Phoenix City Grille | url=http://www.phoenixcitygrille.com/ | email= | address=5816 N 16th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 10AM-9PM | price= | content=Southwestern-themed variations on grill fare is offered by this local restaurant. }} *{{eat | name=Pita Jungle | url=http://www.pitajungle.com/ | email= | address=4340 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions=44th St & Indian School Rd | phone=+1 602-955-7482 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:30AM-10PM daily | price= | content=Offers a selection not only of pitas, but also of other Mediterranean inspired meals in a sit down environment. }}Multiple locations (7th St & Missouri, Tatum & Deer Valley Rd). Ask for the tapas menu 4-6PM daily. *{{eat | name=Pizzeria Bianco | alt= | url=http://www.pizzeriabianco.com | email= | address=623 E Adams St | lat=33.449181 | long=-112.065642 | directions=SW Corner Heritage Sq, 7thSt/Monroe | phone=+1 602-258-8300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$ | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Winner of numerous awards. The chef, Chris Bianco, no longer cooks all pies, but is on premises most of the time. Small restaurant, expect lines at popular eating times (F Sa 6:30-8PM). }} *{{eat | name=Postino on Central | url=http://www.postinowinecafe.com | email= | address=5144 N Central Ave | lat=33.512659 | long=-112.074075 | directions= | phone=+1 602-274-5144 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Fun little wine cafe on Central Avenue, just north of Camelback Rd. Good wine selection, but the bruschetta boards are the main attraction. }} *{{eat | name=Texaz Grill | url=http://www.texazgrill.com/ | email= | address=6003 N 16th St | lat= | long= | directions=NE corner of 16th St & Bethany Home Rd | phone=+1 602-248-STAR | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa noon-11PM, Su 4PM-10PM | price= | content=Originally named "Lone Star Steaks" the restaurant changed its name when a national chain moved to town and wanted to sue. Offers reasonably priced steaks and exceptional Texas fare. Specialties are Chicken Fried Steak, choice aged beef and home made desserts. }} *{{eat | name=Thai Lahna | url=http://www.thailahna.com/ | email= | address=3738 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions=38th St Shops Center | phone=+1 602-955-4658 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-9:30PM, F Sa 11AM-2:30PM, 5PM-10:30PM, closed Su | price= | content=East Phoenix neighborhood Thai food restaurant. }} *{{eat | name=Wildflower Bread Company | url=http://www.wildflowerbread.com/ | email= | address=4290 E Indian School Rd | lat= | long= | directions=Arcadia Commons Center | phone=+1 602-850-8585 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6AM-9PM, Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 7AM-8PM | price= | content=Arcadia location of restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring a bakery. Lunch menu consists of sandwiches and soups, while pasta is added for dinner. Free wi-fi access and power outlets are available at the location. }} * {{eat | name=Hula's Modern Tiki | alt= | url=http://hulasmoderntiki.com | email= | address=4700 N Central Ave # 122 | lat=33.5058525 | long=-112.0741133 | directions= | phone=+1 602-265-8454 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Great island-inspired food and drinks. }} * {{eat | name=Joyride Taco House | alt= | url=http://joyridetacohouse.com | email= | address=5202 N Central Ave | lat=33.513082 | long=-112.0763008 | directions= | phone=+1 602-274-8226 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Eatery offering elevated Mexican street eats, drinks & patio seating in a hip, colorful setting. }} ===Splurge=== *{{eat | name=The Breadfruit | url=http://www.thebreadfruit.com/ | email= | address=108 E Pierce St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-267-1266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 5PM-10PM, F Sa 5PM-11PM for food (midnight for drinks) | price= | content=Serving Jamaican food for dinner and also has a rum bar. }} * {{eat | name=Durant's | url=http://www.durantsaz.com/ | email= | address=2611 North Central Ave | lat=33.477217 | long=-112.073483 | directions=on east side of Central at Virginia Ave | phone=+1 602-264-5967 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$30-50 | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Classic American "special occasion" restaurant, where the price isn't listed on the menu, and the parking is valet. }} * {{eat | name=El Chorro | alt= | url=http://www.elchorro.com | email= | address=5550 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley | lat= | long= | directions=on Lincoln Drive, just east of Tatum Boulevard | phone=+1 480-948-5170 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 5PM-close; Sunday brunch 9AM-3PM | price=$20-50 | content=At the base of both Camelback and Mummy mountains, this restaurant is well-known to locals for its views of stunning desert scenery and for the historic charm of its buildings. Even if you've just dropping by for drinks on the patio, don't miss trying the complimentary sticky buns. }} *{{eat | name=Fuego Bistro | url=http://fuegobistro.com/ | email= | address=713 E Palo Verde Dr | lat= | long= | directions=1 block S of Bethany Home Rd, 100 yards E of 7th St | phone=+1 602-277-1151 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 11AM-2PM, 5PM-9PM | price= | content=Cozy dining room, patio beneath the stars, and a full service bar. Cuban, Puerto Rican and Latin American dishes such as Pernil Asado, Ropa Vieja and Arroz con Gandules. }} * {{eat | name=Rustler's Rooste | alt= | url=http://www.rustlersrooste.com/ | email= | address=8383 South 48th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-431-6474 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 5PM-10PM, F Sa 5PM-10PM | price=$20-30 | content=A steakhouse adjacent to Arizona Grand Resort, it shares an elevated, picturesque view of the metro-Phoenix area. A gigantic live bull in a pen at the front of the restaurant, a slide to the downstairs seating, cotton candy at the end of the meal, and loud live country western music are part of the ambiance. In addition to common steakhouse fare, local items include Rattlesnake with Prickly Pear Cactus Fries. }} * {{eat | name=The Stockyards Restaurant | url=http://www.stockyardssteakhouse.com | email= | address=5009 E Washington St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-273-7378 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$30-50 | content=Billed as "Arizona's Original Steakhouse", the aptly named restaurant opened for public dinning in 1947. "Steak on the hoof" was visible to visitors as they entered and exited the restaurant, as it was adjacent to the Tovrea families' 200-acre feedlot and packing house, which accommodated more than 300,000 head of cattle each year. While the cattle are now gone, the authentic western cuisine and "refreshments" remain. Includes the 1889 Saloon, which features authentic 19th-century Old West decor and furnishings, and the famous Gold Room. }} *{{eat | name=Tarbell's | url=http://www.tarbells.com/ | email= | address=3213 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-8100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 5PM-10PM, Su 5PM-9PM | price= | content=Chef Mark Tarbell's namesake restaurant, it features Southwestern themed cuisine and local organic ingredients. Per the website, dress is "resort casual" defined as "everything from denim to diamonds." }} * {{eat | name=Quiessance Restaurant | alt= | url=http://qatthefarm.com | email= | address=6106 S 32nd St | lat=33.3907539 | long=-112.0148446 | directions= | phone=+1 602-276-0601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Farm-to-table fresh delicious food. }} * {{eat | name=Richardson's and Rokerji | alt= | url=http://richardsonsnm.com/ | email= | address=6339 N 16th St | lat=33.5303957 | long=-112.0492712 | directions= | phone=+1 602-265 5886 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Richardson's serves some of the spiciest New Mexican cuisine in Arizona on copper-topped tables and bars. The Rokerij (pronounced ro-ker-ee) means “smokehouse in Dutch” and features a great selection of steaks, chops, fresh fish and “small plates.” Don’t miss the down stairs bar. Both feature dim-lighting and great service. Reservations for parties of 6 or more suggested. }} === Vegetarian === * '''True Foods,''' Biltmore shopping center (24th/Camelback) and The Quarter (Hayden/Greenway & Scottsdale Rd - N Scottsdale). Good variety of vegetarian options (as well as meat) * '''Flower Child,''' Uptown (Camelback/Central), Desert Ridge (Tatum/101), Arcadia (44th St/Camelback). Similar menu to True Foods, counter service. * '''Original Chop Shop,''' Arcadia (32nd St/Campbell), Scottsdale (Old Town), N Scottsdale (101/Scottsdale Rd), Tempe (Rural/University), Chandler . Fast casual, counter service, good vegetarian options, along with traditional meat protein. * '''Grabbagreen,''' N Phoenix (Bell/Tatum === Phoenix SkyHarbor Airport === * '''Terminal 4,''' great eating options both in pre-security and next to boarding gates. ** '''Deluxe,''' A22, very good burgers ** '''Chelseas kitchen ,''' pre-security, (part of LGO group), fresh menu ** '''La Grande Orange,''' D1 ** '''Matts Big Breakfast,''' ** '''Four Peaks Brewery''' ** '''Lolo's chicken and waffles''', pre-security ** '''Barrio Cafe''' ** '''Cowboy Ciao,''' B22 ** '''Sir Vezas Taco Garage,''' C13 ** '''Los Taquitos,''' C3 ** '''Zinc Brasserie,''' ==Drink== Phoenix as a metropolitan area offers a considerable amount of nightlife, though with the fact that the city is so spread out it can be difficult and dangerous to attempt traversing the city on a big night out. Generally, the nightlife is centered around the sub-cities of the metro area. Within Phoenix, bars tend to cluster within the Midtown or Downtown areas, while in the surrounding areas, Scottsdale offers a lively bar and club scene, Tempe is popular with students given the proximity to the University, and the city centers for Chandler and Glendale both offer some good options if you're in the suburbs. Downtown Mesa lacks any appreciable nightlife given its strong ties to the Mormon church. *{{drink | name=The Lost Leaf | alt= | url=http://www.thelostleaf.org/ | email= | address=914 N. 5th St | lat=33.458207 | long=-112.067780 | directions= | phone=+1 602-258-0014 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=5PM-2AM | price= | content=Bar in a renovated bungalow from 1922 that features art and live music nightly with no cover charge. More than 100 different kinds of beer, wine and sake available. }} *{{drink | name=The Rose & Crown | url=http://theroseandcrownaz.com/ | email= | address=628 East Adams St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-256-0223 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=British pub with over 50 local and import beers and English and American food. In 2011 the ''Phoenix New Times'' named it the Best English pub in Phoenix. }} * {{drink | name=Hanny's | alt= | url=http://www.hannys.net/ | email= | address=40 North First Street | lat= | long= | directions=SW corner of Adams and 1st St | phone=+1 602-252-2285 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-1AM, Sa Su 5PM-1AM; bar open daily until 1:30AM | price= | content=Swanky and stylish bar and restaurant in a historic Phoenix building constructed in the 1940s serving food such as pizza, sandwiches and salads and a variety of cocktails. $5 classic martinis served all day }} * {{drink | name=Bar Smith's Rooftop Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=130 E. Washington St | lat=33.448474 | long=-112.071730 | directions= | phone=+1 602-456-1991 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-2PM; F 11AM-2PM, 9:30PM-2AM; Sa 9:30PM-2AM | price= | content=Downtown Phoenix bar and restaurant with Phoenix's only rooftop dance floor that attracts a young crowd. Nightclub is open Wed thru Sat. }} * {{drink | name=Angels Trumpet Ale House | alt= | url=http://www.angelstrumpetalehouse.com/ | email= | address=810 North Second St | lat= | long= | directions=1 block from Roosevelt/Central light rail station | phone=+1 602-252-2630 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Th 3PM-midnight; F Sa 11AM-midnight; Su 11AM-11PM | price= | content=Bar and restaurant with 31 rotating craft beers on tap serving lunch and dinner. 3,000-foot patio with a diverse menu with snacks, flatbreads and sandwiches. }} * {{drink | name=Crescent Ballroom | alt= | url=http://www.crescentphx.com/ | email= | address=308 N 2nd Ave | lat= | long= | directions=one block west of Van Buren light rail station | phone=+1 602-716-2222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M 11AM-1AM; Th F 11AM-2AM; Sa 5PM-2AM; Su 5PM-1AM | price= | content=A 7000-square-foot lounge, restaurant and music venue in a red brick warehouse built in 1917 which hosts live music every day. Happy hour is Monday-Thursday from 3-6PM and Friday from 11AM-6PM with $2 PBR, $3 wells and $3 local drafts. }} * {{drink | name=Seamus McCaffrey's | alt= | url=http://www.seamusmccaffreys.com/ | email= | address=18 W Monroe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-6081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Great small Irish pub downtown. Same owner of Rosie McCaffrey's up on Camelback. Live Irish rock music. }} * {{drink | name=Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour | alt= | url=http://www.bitterandtwistedaz.com/ | email= | address=1 West Jefferson St | lat=33.446916 | long=-112.074027 | directions=near the 1st Ave & Jefferson and Central & Washington light rail stations | phone=+1 602-340-1924 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 4PM-2AM | price= | content=A cocktail parlor situated in a historic building in downtown Phoenix with an extensive drink menu that also serves food. }} * {{drink | name=Valley Bar | alt= | url=http://www.valleybarphx.com/ | email= | address=130 N Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= in an alley behind the building and 1 block from the Adams light rail station | phone=+1 602-368-3121 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2015-11-03 | content=Basement bar and live music venue in downtown Phoenix that serves food and has a game room with darts, shuffleboard and a pool room. Some events have an admission charge and some events are free, check calendar on website for exact schedule and prices. }} * {{drink | name=Cobra Arcade Bar | alt= | url=http://cobraarcadebar.com/ | email= | address=801 North 2nd Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-595-5873 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 4PM-midnight, Th-Sa 4PM-2AM, Su noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2016-01-28 | content=3300-square-foot Arcade Bar (21 and over) that has 40 vintage arcade games like Ms. Pac Man, Centipede, etc (25 cents a play) that serves beer, wine and cocktails. Happy hour M-F from 4 to 7PM and a live DJ plays Th-Sa nights. }} *{{drink | name=SideBar | url=http://www.sidebarphx.com/ | email= | address=1514 N 7th Ave | lat=33.465362 | long=-112.082929 | directions=SW corner of 7th Ave & McDowell, above the Pei Wei and the Starbucks | phone=+1 602-254-1646 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Great cocktail lounge with a hip, modern feel. Bartenders are pretty knowledgeable, and the beer selection, while all bottled, is pretty good. No food is really served here, but if you're hungry there's a Pei Wei Asian Diner just downstairs that you can grab a bite at. }} *{{drink | name=George and Dragon | url=http://www.georgeanddragonpub.net | email= | address=4240 N Central Ave | lat=33.497749 | long=-112.074094 | directions= | phone=+1 602-241-0018 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=British pub offering traditional British food and imported beer. }} * {{drink | name=Linger Longer Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.lingerlongerlounge.com/ | email= | address=6522 N 16th St Ste 6 | lat=33.531709 | long=-112.048226 | directions= | phone=+1 602-264-4549 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4PM to 2AM daily | price= | lastedit=2015-05-09 | content=Neighborhood lounge with game room with electronic darts and arcade ball machines. 16 drafts or cocktails on tap and happy hour from 4PM to 7PM on weekdays and all day Sunday with drink and food specials. A takeaway case with beer and wine to go is available. }} *{{drink | name=Rosie McCaffreys Irish Pub | url=http://www.rosiemccaffreys.com/ | email= | address=906 East Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-241-1916 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM to 2AM daily | price= | content=Irish pub with daily specials, happy hour everyday (4 to 7PM) and live music Wednesday through Saturday. }} *{{drink | name=Fuego Bar & Grill | url= | email= | address=9118 W Van Buren St, Tolleson | lat=33.450634 | long=-112.255996 | directions= | phone=+1 623 478-7300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{drink | name=MercBar | url=http://www.mercbar.com | email= | address=2525 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions=SE corner of 24th St and Camelback | phone=+1 602-508-9449 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A high-end local place with a 'speakeasy' feel to it. It is hidden in the plaza with no sign, but once found it proves to be worth the trouble. Live jazz on Tuesdays. }} *{{drink | name=Postino Wine Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.postinowinecafe.com/ | email= | address=3939 E Campbell Ave | lat=33.512654 | long=-112.1091931 | directions=Campell is halfway between Indian School Rd and Camelback Ave, with the best access via 40th St from either road | phone=+1 602-852-3939 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=A wine cafe in the former Arcadia post office. In addition to wines, the cafe features panninis and salads. The cafe also offers $5 glasses of wine each day until 4PM. }} *{{drink | name=Half Moon Sports Grill | url=http://halfmoonsportsgrill.com/ | email= | address=2121 East Highland Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-977-2700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale sports bar with lots of TVs to watch games. Happy hour M-F (3PM to 7PM). }} * {{drink | name=The Little Woody | alt= | url= | email= | address=4228 E Indian School Rd | lat=33.4943641 | long=-111.9900558 | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-0339 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4PM-2AM | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=A hip place to enjoy libations and games. }} * {{drink | name=The Yard | alt=Culinary Dropout | url=http://culinarydropout.com | email= | address=5640 N 7th St | lat=33.5194586 | long=-112.067522 | directions= | phone=+1 602-680-4040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Don't have room for your own party, bring it here! Spirits flow, games galore, and lots of friends to visit with. }} * {{drink | name=The Whining Pig | alt= | url=http://thewhiningpig.com | email= | address=1612 Bethany Home Rd | lat=33.5239045 | long=-112.0489914 | directions= | phone=+1 602-633-2134 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=3PM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=Eclectic neighborhood bar with very limited space and classic table games. }} * {{drink | name=The Grand | alt= | url=http://grandcentralcoffeecompany.com/ | email= | address=718 North Central Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-795-8552 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week | price= | lastedit=2017-05-07 | content=24 hour coffee shop, bistro and bar that serves food in downtown Phoenix. Live events on some nights such as open mic storytelling and live music. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Western Lodge | alt= | url=https://www.westernlodgephoenixairport.us | email= | address=3725 E Van Buren St | lat=33.450701 | long=-112.000433 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-26 | content=. }} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Hostelling International Phoenix | alt=Metcalf House | url=http://www.phxhostel.org | email= | address=1026 N 9th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-9803 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$21 dorms, $35-45 privates. Non-HI members charged an extra nightly $3 fee | content=Office hours 8AM-10AM and 5PM-10PM; 24-hour access once checked in. Wifi available for $1. Closed during July. }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Avondale | url=https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/hilton-garden-inn-phoenix-avondale-PHXAVGI/index.html | email= | address=11460 W Hilton Way, Avondale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 882-3351 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Includes such amenities as an on-site grill, MP3-compatible clock radios, and an outdoor pool. }} *{{sleep | name=Homewood Suites Phoenix-Avondale | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/homewood-suites-by-hilton-phoenix-avondale-PHXADHW/index.html | email= | address=11450 W Hilton Way, Avondale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 882-3315 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Homewood Suites Phoenix North/Happy Valley | alt= | url=https://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/homewood-suites-by-hilton-phoenix-north-happy-valley-PHXHYHW/index.html | email= | address=2470 W Charlotte Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 580-1800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=All suites have a fully equipped kitchen. Hot breakfast buffet, Welcome Home reception M-Th evenings, free hi-speed internet access, business center, outdoor pool & whirlpool, fitness center. }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Place Phoenix North | url=https://phoenixnorth.place.hyatt.com/ | email= | address=10838 N 25th Ave | lat= | long= | directions=north of downtown Phoenix | phone=+1 602-997-8800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Premier Inns | url=http://www.ez8motels.com/tolleson-pi.htm | email= | address=8399 W Lynwood St, Tolleson | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 533-4660 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=This hotel features such amenities as a heated pool, continental breakfast, and high speed internet access. }} * {{sleep | name=Sleep Inn Phoenix North | url=https://www.choicehotels.com/arizona/phoenix/sleep-inn-hotels/az140 | email= | address=18235 N 27th Ave | lat= | long= | directions=near Deer Valley Airport | phone=+1 602-504-1200 | tollfree= | fax=+1 602-504-6100 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A North Phoenix hotel. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix West/Avondale | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxsw-courtyard-phoenix-west-avondale/ | email= | address=1650 N. 95th Ln | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 623 271-7660 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Free hi-speed internet access, business center, meeting/banquet facilities, outdoor pool & whirlpool, fitness center. On-site cafe and cozy lounge area. }} * {{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix Camelback | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxcc-courtyard-phoenix-camelback/ | email= | address=2101 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= in the Town & Country Center at 20th St and Camelback, to the W of Bookstar and behind the restaurants in the W part of the center parking lot | phone=+1 602-955-5200 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | content=Midrange hotel. }} *{{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix Airport | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxca-courtyard-phoenix-airport/ | email= | address=2621 S 47th St | lat=33.423414 | long=-111.980617 | directions= | phone=+1 480-966-4300 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$70-120 | content= }} *{{sleep | name=Courtyard Phoenix North | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxmc-courtyard-phoenix-north/ | email= | address=9631 N Black Canyon Hwy | lat=33.574181 | long=-112.116546 | directions= | phone=+1 602-944-7373 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Renovated guest rooms and near Chase Field. }} *{{sleep | name=Drury Inn & Suites Phoenix Happy Valley | url=https://www.druryhotels.com/locations/phoenix-az/drury-inn-and-suites-phoenix-happy-valley | email= | address=2335 W Pinnacle Peak Rd | lat= | long= | directions=I-17 and Pinnacle Peak Rd | phone=+1 623 879-8800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Embassy Suites Biltmore Hotel | url=https://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/embassy-suites-by-hilton-phoenix-biltmore-PHXCBES/index.html | email= | address=2630 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-3992 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Fairfield Inn & Suites Phoenix | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxas-fairfield-inn-and-suites-phoenix/ | email= | address=2520 N Central Ave | lat=33.476050 | long=-112.074437 | directions= | phone=+1 602-716-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=10 minutes or so from Sky Harbor Airport and right in the heart of midtown Phoenix north of the Heard Museum. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Phoenix-Airport North | url=https://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/hampton-inn-phoenix-airport-north-PHXAPHX/index.html | email= | address=601 North 44th St | lat= | long= | directions=off of the 44th Street exit | phone=+1 602-267-0606 | tollfree= | fax=+1 602-267-9767 | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | content=Offers free 24-hour airport shuttle, complimentary breakfast, high speed internet and spacious rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Carlos | alt= | url=http://www.hotelsancarlos.com | email= | address=202 North Central Ave | lat=33.450577 | long=-112.074124 | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-4121 | tollfree=+1-866-253-4121 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-01-03 | content=A boutique hotel that is a historic state landmark and a tourist site. Built in 1928 it is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust of Historic Preservation. It has a heated rooftop pool with sundeck and a Vietnamese restaurant in the hotel. In the middle of downtown Phoenix near a Phoenix light rail station. }} * {{sleep | name=The Legacy Golf Resort | url=https://www.extraholidays.com/phoenix-arizona/legacy-golf-resort.aspx | email= | address=6808 S 32nd St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-305-5500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=328 oversized condominiums, all with fully equipped kitchens or sleek kitchen-bars and washer/dryers. }} * {{sleep | name=Residence Inn Phoenix Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxra-residence-inn-phoenix-airport/ | email= | address=801 North 44th St | lat=33.4565 | long=-111.9861 | directions= | phone=+1 602-273-9220 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | lastedit=2015-04-10 | content=The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Extended stay accommodations include full size kitchens and free internet. Complimentary hot breakfast buffet served daily. }} *{{sleep | name=Residence Inn Phoenix Desert View at Mayo Clinic | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxmh-residence-inn-phoenix-desert-view-at-mayo-clinic/ | email= | address=5665 E Mayo Blvd | lat=33.6634 | long=-111.9584 | directions=next to the Phoenix Mayo Clinic | phone=+1 480-563-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Extended stay hotel in North Phoenix . }} * {{sleep | name=Sheraton Crescent Hotel | url=http://www.sheratoncrescent.com/ | email= | address=2620 W Dunlap Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-943-8200 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=SpringHill Suites Phoenix Downtown | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxdt-springhill-suites-phoenix-downtown | email= | address=802 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-307-9929 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $150 | content=All-suite hotel with microwave, fridge, free wired/wireless internet in every room. Pool, small gym, free breakfast, free airport shuttle. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Downtown | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/phoenix/phxdt/hoteldetail | email= | address=620 N 6th St | lat=33.4550467 | long=-112.0668106 | directions= | phone=+1 602-452-2020 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$292 | lastedit=2020-03-08 | content= }} ===Splurge=== {{infobox|Summer Travel Resort Deals|The major resorts all have $99/night deals (newer resorts will be $25 more) from Memorial Day thru Labor Day. Included perks, such as 2-for-1 in the hotel restaurants, or $50 hotel credit. Many have standard 2 room suites, and water parks. Highly recommended for families. Distance reference from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. *Update 2019:* The $99/night deals are now $129/night. Beware of $35/night resort fees, sometimes included, be sure to ask. * [N 6mi] Hilton Pointe Squaw Peak Resort, 7500 N. 16th St. 2-room suites, lazy river, water slide, multiple pools, access to freeway (51), downtown Phoenix (7 miles). One of the Gosnell properties (also Pointe South Mountain - now AZ Grande - and Pointe Tapitao). Very popular with locals on summer weekends. Take my family at least one time each summer. * [SE 5mi] Arizona Grande Resort - nice water park, two room suites, water slide, multiple pools. * [SE10 mi] Sheraton Wild Horse - big fancy resort on far south side of Phoenix metro area. Water slides, lake, golf. Built in 2005. * [NE10 mi] Hyatt Gainey Ranch - Scottsdale (3 mi), beach, multiple pools, dive-in movies, beautiful grounds. * [N 15mi] Marriott Desert Ridge - water slides, lazy river, multiple pools, Desert Ridge. Built in 2004. * [NE 15mi] Westin Kierland - water slide, lazy river, multiple pools, Kierland Commons (shopping & Shake-Shack). Scottsdale Quarter (restaurants) Built in 2005 * [N 5mi] Phoenician - water slide (long), golf. ($35 resort fee). Built by Charles Keating, 80s S&L crisis. * [N 5mi] Biltmore hotel - water slide, Biltmore (shopping), golf course. ($35 resort fee). Many old Hollywood stars visited, including many recent presidents. A new wing, Terravita, was built some time back, which offered large rooms, free breakfast buffet, and afternoon snacks, free coffee, tea and soda all day. Enjoyed a fun labor day weekend. * [NW10 mi] Hilton Pointe Tapitiao - 10000 N 7th St, 2 room suites, nice pool, good hiking, downtown Phoenix (10 mi).}} * {{sleep | name=Arizona Biltmore | alt= | url=http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/ | email= | address=2400 E Missouri Ave | lat=33.522442 | long=-112.024475 | directions=enter off 24th St at Missouri | phone=+1 602-955-6600 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=noon | price=High end resort pricing | wikidata=Q979133 | content= The resort is between Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain, sitting along the smaller mountains between the two larger peaks. }} * {{sleep | name=Arizona Grand Resort |alt=| url=https://www.arizonagrandresort.com | email= | address=8000 S Arizona Grand Pkwy | lat= | long= | directions=at the base of South Mountain Preserve | phone=+1 877 800 4888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= |lastedit=2019-05-15| content=Features a championship golf course, a luxury spa, vacation villas, dining at six restaurants and the Oasis Water Park. }} * {{sleep | name=The Clarendon Hotel | url=http://www.goclarendon.com | email= | address=401 W Clarendon Ave | lat=33.4910 | long=-112.0793 | directions= | phone=+1 602-252-7363 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Part of the Midtown Museum District, independent boutique hotel with free international calls and ag pool area. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palomar | alt= | url=http://www.hotelpalomar-phoenix.com/ | email= | address=2 East Jefferson St | lat=33.447443 | long=-112.073267 | directions=1 block from Washington/Central station light rail station | phone=+1 602-253-6633 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$119-340, depending on time of year | content=Boutique hotel at Cityscape shopping and entertainment center with all 242 rooms having city and mountain views. 3rd floor outdoor pool and lounge which is open all year offers views of downtown Phoenix. }} *{{sleep | name=Hyatt Regency Phoenix | url=https://phoenix.regency.hyatt.com/ | email= | address=122 N Second St | lat=33.449824 | long=-112.072025 | directions=across the street from the Convention Center | phone=+1 602-252-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$100-130 | content=Glass elevator to 13th floor popular with locals for views. Rotating restaurant on top floor. }} * {{sleep | name=Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/arizona/pointe-hilton-squaw-peak-resort-PHXSPPR/index.html | email= | address=7677 N 16th St | lat= | long= | directions=on 16th St N of Glendale Ave, S of Northern Ave | phone=+1 602-997-2626 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=High resort pricing | content=Major resort close to Piestewa Peak, this was the original Pointe resort built in the Valley. It used to be referred to only as the Pointe. With the addition of other Pointe Hilton resorts (at Tapatio Cliffs to the northwest and the former Pointe South Mountain, now the Arizona Grand Resort) the name was changed to Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak. Then the mountain's name was changed to Piestewa Peak. To locals, both the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak and the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs are known for their waterparks, with multiple pools, cabanas and even a waterslide. }} * {{sleep | name=Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxbd-renaissance-phoenix-downtown-hotel/ | email= | address=50 E Adams St | lat=33.449582 | long=-112.073221 | directions= | phone=+1 602-333-0000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2016-01-05 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Royal Palms Resort & Spa | alt= | url=http://www.royalpalmshotel.com | email= | address=5200 E Camelback Rd | lat=33.5050377 | long=-111.9710025 | directions=at the base of Camelback Mountain, between the Biltmore area and downtown Scottsdale | phone=+1 602-840-3610 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= 119 rooms in a variety of configurations: casitas, luxury rooms, spa suites, and villas. The resort also features a luxury spa, dining options and meeting & event facilities. }} * {{sleep | name=The Camby | alt= | url=http://thecamby.com | email= | address=2401 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016 | lat=33.508776 | long=-112.031501 | directions=across the street from the upscale Biltmore Fashion Park | phone=+1 602-468-0700 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-01 | content=The former Ritz Carlton was remade into this sleek, contemporary luxury hotel with southwestern touches and modern technology. Upgraded rooms add mountain views. Room service is available 24/7. }} ==Stay safe== Despite being a nice vacation destination, Phoenix is a major American city and as such does contain a fair amount of violent crime. Some parts of the city (and even a few parts of some of the suburbs) should be avoided at night. Downtown Phoenix is safe during the day, but does have a problem with the homeless/transients, some of whom approach well-dressed office workers and tourists asking for spare change. South Phoenix can be unsafe in some areas. Maryvale, a commercial/residential district on the west side of the city of Phoenix (extending north into Glendale as well), should be avoided at almost all times unless there is a specific reason to go there. Most of the suburban areas are safe during day and night; however, parts of Mesa and Glendale can be dangerous at night. There have been assaults on a few university students in some portions of Tempe, near the main campus of Arizona State University (ASU). The ASU campus is equipped with several emergency call boxes. The Sunnyslope area (north central city of Phoenix) has some homeless and other crime issues but a police station at Peoria and 7th Ave has dramatically reduced crime. The town of Guadalupe (immediately west of Tempe and bounded by Interstate 10 on the west) is unsafe at night, but is an incredibly interesting Hispanic/Native American community to visit during the day. Be warned though that the speed limit suddenly falls from 40mph to 25mph as you enter the town. In every portion of the Phoenix area, just use common sense and be aware of your surroundings. Phoenix also has one of the highest car theft rates in the country, with a car stolen every 7 minutes. In addition, red light running is more common in Phoenix than any other city in the U.S. Use caution at every turn. Speeding, tailgating and aggressive driving are common on the freeways. Be aware of traffic and speed enforcement cameras at most major intersections. Always anticipate someone attempting to beat the amber light before it turns red to avoid being issued a very expensive traffic ticket (usually in the amount of $300 or more). If you see sudden braking, make sure you're going the speed limit. Sometimes, camera vans are set up on the side of the road to snatch speeders, especially in the Northeastern parts of the Valley. ==Cope== ===Newspapers=== * {{listing | name=The Arizona Republic | url=http://www.azcentral.com | email= | address=200 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-444-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city’s main newspaper that is read throughout the city and state. }} * {{listing | name=La Voz | url=http://www.azcentral.com/lavoz | email= | address=200 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-444-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A popular Spanish language newspaper published by ''The Arizona Republic''. }} * {{listing | name=The New Times | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com | email= | address=1201 E Jefferson | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-271-0040 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Independent news and information about events, music, food, published under common ownership with New York's ''Village Voice''. }} * {{listing | name=East Valley Tribune | alt=(formerly the Mesa Tribune) | url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/ | email= | address=1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy # 219, Tempe | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-874-2863 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=+1 480-TRIBUNE. Freely distributed "voice of the East Valley" with annual ''Best of East Valley'' readers contests and an ''East Valley Guide'' with recommendations for food, drinks, entertainment, shopping and a calendar of local events. }} * {{listing | name=Asian American Times | url=http://www.asiantimes.com | email= | address=668 N 44th St, Ste 343 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent Chinese-American newspaper with articles printed in English and Chinese. }} * {{listing | name=Arizona Business Gazette | url=http://www.azcentral.com/abgnews | email= | address=200 E Van Buren St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-444-7304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Arizona business news, published weekly. }} * {{listing | name=Arizona Capitol Times | url=http://www.azcapitoltimes.com | email= | address=1835 W Adams St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-253-7636 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Reports on Arizona government, politics and legislative news. }} * {{listing | name=The Echo | url=http://www.echomag.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Free biweekly gay and lesbian magazine. }} ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada (Consulate) | url= | email= | address=2415 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ecuador}} {{listing | name=Ecuador (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=645 E Missouri Ste 132 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-535-5567 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Guatemala}} {{listing | name=Guatemala (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=4747 N 7th St, Ste 410 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-200-3660 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Honduras}} {{listing | name=Honduras (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=4040 E McDowell Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-273-0547 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico (Consulate General) | url= | email= | address=1990 W Camelback Rd, Ste 110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-242-7398 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} Honorary consulates are typically individual representatives of nations who represent the interest of certain business functions, and are not full-fledged national consulates. Their ability to assist you with individual legal or official matters may be limited. * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=4521 E. Quartz Mountain Rd; Paradise Valley | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-502-8510 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium (Honorary) | alt= | url=http://unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-consulates/honorary-consulates/addresses | email=rwinssinger@rwpartners.net | address=2944 N 44th St Ste 250 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-852-3442 | tollfree= | fax=+1 602-852-3878 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-06-24 | content= }} * {{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=1277 E Missouri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-264-9701 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark (Honorary) | alt= | url=http://usa.um.dk/en/about-us/list-of-danish-honorary-consulates-in-the-us/list-of-honorary-consulates-on-the-west-coast/phoenix-scottsdale-arizona/ | email=danishconsulaz@gmail.com | address=14850 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 155, Scottsdale | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-694-8882 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-06-24 | content= }} * {{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | name=El Salvador (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=4521 E Charles Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-948-4899 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Estonia}} {{listing | name=Estonia (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=Scottsdale, 7135 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 230 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-229-9791 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2 N Central Ave, Ste 2200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-716-8222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=1007 E Missouri Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-265-4428 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Iceland}} {{listing | name=Iceland (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2999 N 44th St, Ste 640 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-956-8474 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy (Honorary) | url= | email=viceconsolato.az@live.com | address=7509 N 12th St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-304-4620 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands (Honorary) | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/united-states/about-us/honorary-consulate-in-phoenix | email=phoenix@nlconsulate.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Peru}} {{listing | name=Peru (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=6242 E Arbor Ave, Ste 118; Mesa | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480-834-3907 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=3134 E Camelback Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-955-2055 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{listing | name=Sri Lanka (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=329 W Cypress St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-254-1899 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2 North Central Ave, Ste 2200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-364-7450 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom (Honorary) | url= | email= | address=2425 E Camelback Rd, Ste 1020 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 602-515-1029 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===LGBT+ travelers=== The Melrose District on 7th Avenue, between Indian School Rd and Camelback Rd, is a popular location for LGBT+ bars, restaurants, and shops. While many American cities will hold Pride Parades in June, Phoenix holds its Pride Parade in April, due to high summer temperatures. ==Go next== * "Old Town" [[Scottsdale (Arizona)|Scottsdale]] in the northeast Phoenix metropolitan area is the single most tourist friendly area in the valley. * Downtown [[Tempe]] has a lively night life, being a college town. Accessible by light rail. * Many visitors come to [[Peoria_(Arizona)|Peoria]] during the spring to see their favorite professional baseball team in the Cactus League for Spring Training. * [[Mesa]] serves as the location for a Mormon (Latter Day Saints) Temple and is Arizona's third largest city after Tucson. Accessible by light rail. * Small towns [[Cave Creek]] and [[Carefree]] lie just north of the city. * Hiking near Phoenix is popular due to central Arizona's climate and large tracts of public land. Several designated National Forest and BLM wilderness areas are within easy driving distance and offer treks ranging from day hikes to multi-day backpacking trips. South Mountain Park, within the city limits, is a popular destination to experience the Sonoran Desert on foot. * '''Camelback Mountain''' - very popular hike in central Phoenix. Great views from top. Two routes: ** Echo Canyon (West entry - Macdonald/Tatum). Arrive early on weekends for trailhead parking (50 cars), or walk 1/2 mi to satellite parking. 1.25 mi steep hike. ** East entry (Invergorden/Jackrabbit). Park 1/2 mi from trailhead. Easier route 1.5 mi, skirts Phoenician (Keating resort), less developed. * '''Squaw Peak (Piestewa Peak)''' (Lincoln Dr/20th St) - Arrive early on weekends. Good parking close to trailhead. 1.25 mi hike (easier than Camelback Mtn). Great views (just 3 mi from Camelback Mtn). Park of Phoenix Preserve (48th St to 7th Ave), lots of good hiking and mountain biking. Dogs allowed on trail 300 from Squaw Peak parking. * If you would like to see areas outside of the Phoenix metropolitan area, you might want to visit [[Tucson]], [[Las Vegas]], or [[San Diego]]. For cooler weather, head up to I-17 to [[Flagstaff]] or [[Sedona]]. * A good option for a day trip, or longer, out of Phoenix is a drive north to [[Sedona]]. If you have three days or more, head out to Las Vegas via [[Monument Valley]] and the [[Grand Canyon]]. * Montezuma Castle National Monument (cliff dwelling), near [[Camp Verde]], Arizona is on I-17 between Phoenix and [[Flagstaff]] {{routebox | image1=I-10.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Blythe]] | minorl1=[[Avondale (Arizona)|Avondale]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Tucson]] | minorr1=[[Tempe]] | image2=I-17.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Flagstaff]] | minorl2=[[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=US 60.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Quartzsite]] | minorl3=[[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Socorro]] | minorr3=[[Tempe]] | image4=Arizona Loop 101.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=W | majorl4=[[Peoria (Arizona)|Peoria]] | minorl4=[[Glendale (Arizona)|Glendale]] | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Tempe]] | minorr4=[[Scottsdale (Arizona)|Scottsdale]] | image5=Arizona Loop 202.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=W | majorl5=END | minorl5= | directionr5=E | majorr5=[[Gilbert]] | minorr5=[[Tempe]] }} {{isPartOf|Greater Phoenix}} {{geo|33.509|-112.074|zoom=10}} {{usablecity}} lc4mmtf5fndym26dhqim8uaheyavty8 0 28114 4502107 4390195 2022-08-16T10:22:51Z Graham87 41792 /* See */ better word wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Port_Augusta_Banner.jpg}} '''Port Augusta''', a town of about 20,000 people 300km from [[Adelaide]] at the top of the Spencer Gulf. ==Understand== Dubbed as the "Gateway to the [[Outback]]", in [[South Australia]]. It is also known as the "Crossroads of Australia", being situated on the major east-west highway connecting Perth and Sydney, on the Stuart highway connecting Adelaide and Darwin, on the northeast-southwest highway between Adelaide and Mt. Isa and finally on the road between Sydney and Adelaide without passing through Victoria. It also lies on the routes of both the Indian-Pacific and the Ghan. ==Get in== Most people visit Port Augusta on their way somewhere else. It is about 4 hours up the A1 from [[Adelaide]]. It is at the start of the [[Stuart Highway]] to Darwin, and the [[Eyre Highway]] towards Perth. The [[Across Australia by train|Ghan and the Indian Pacific]] both stop here. It is nicknamed the "crossroads of Australia" as it is where the [[Adelaide]]-[[Darwin]] and [[Sydney]]-[[Perth]] routes meet. Premier Stateliner have a coach terminal, with coaches between [[Adelaide]], [[Whyalla]] and [[Port Lincoln]] stopping here. Greyhound stop here on their trips from [[Adelaide]] toward [[Alice Springs]] and [[Darwin]]. ===By plane=== Regional Express Airlines has flights from [[Adelaide]] and [[Coober Pedy]]. ==Get around== The Gulf (only a few hundred metres wide at this point) divides the west and east of the town with the city centre and the main commercial street on the east side with the majority of the shops, supermarkets and small malls ==See== [[Image:Australia_sa_port_augusta_watertower.jpg|Water Tower Lookout|right|thumb|200px]] * {{see | name=The Wadlata Outback Centre | alt= | url=http://www.wadlata.sa.gov.au/ | email=wadlata@portaugusta.sa.gov.au | address=41 Flinders Terrace | lat=-32.49231 | long=137.76542 | directions= | phone=+61 8 8641 9193 | tollfree= | fax=+61 8 8642 4288 | hours=M-F 9AM-5:30PM, Sa Su 10AM-4PM, Closed Christmas | price=Adults - $18.50, Children - $10.50 | lastedit=2015-11-25 | content=This place is a step up from your average country town museum. It is an interesting exploration of the Aboriginal and European history of outback Australia. Restored railway carriages, interactive exhibits, and several movie productions. Allow at least 90 minutes to experience it. }} * {{see | name=Watertower | alt= Westside Lookout Tower | url=http://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=971&c=34102 | email= | address= Mitchell Terrace / Gold Street Port Augusta West SA 5700| lat=-32.485152 | long=137.752534 | directions= | phone = +61 8 8641 9194 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The old town watertown that has been converted into a lookout and has some great views of the town. Walk the four flights of steps to the top. In the west of town, just over the bridge, turn left and look out for it.| lastedit=2015-11-25 }} * '''Wharf Precinct''' - Port Augusta used to have six commercial jetty wharves, and the main street of town looked down to the wharfs. The finger wharves were replaced by a parallel wharf in the 1950s, and the town's use as a port continued. That view is now unfortunately obscured by a supermarket, and the wharf is no longer a commercial wharf, but a recreational precinct. Just behind Woolies (Woolworths). * {{see | name=Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden | alt= | url=http://www.aalbg.sa.gov.au/ | email=info@aalbg.sa.gov.au | address=Stuart Highway, Port Augusta West SA 5700 | lat=-32.465601 | long= 137.739939| directions= | phone = +61 8 8641 9116 | tollfree= | fax=+61 8 8641 9140 | hours= | price= | content=As you enter the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, the first thing you will observe is that nothing changes. It is just the same low level cover over red sands that you would have experienced during the drive there. After you get over this initial amusement, drive to the visitors centre and spiral out through the gardens, and you will see why this is an award winning and unique place. The various types of plants you have been driving past are classified, with interesting interpetive signage about their uses by the Aboriginal and early Europeans. Displays on how to set up an arid garden too. The gardens are open until sundown, the visitors centre is open until 5pm, and admission is free.| lastedit=2015-11-25 }} * {{see | name=Blanche Harbor | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=At the end of Shack Rd, about 23km from town centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Blanche Harbor, South Australia | content=This areas was once overrun with 4wd tracks, and overgrown with weeds. The area has now been rehabilitated by local residents, and is a great spot for a picnic, or for some birdwatching. Spot the Mulga Parrot, and a few emu and kangaroo. The trip out Shack Rd is interesting in itself, to see all the signs to the houses that line the water. }} While driving over the bridge towards the west, the sign directing you towards the left fork for Perth and Western Australia, and the right fork towards Darwin and the Northern Territory is quite unusual. Each destination is many thousands of kilometres distant. ==Do== * {{do | name=Swim at the foreshore | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Sandy beach at high tide, with a short jetty out into deep water. Good to cool off during the hot Port Augusta summer. Cold water shower and change rooms at the foreshore. There is a current with the tide in the deeper water. }} ==Buy== Being at the ''Crossroads of Australia'', Port Augusta caters for a constant stream of passing traffic. There is a Woolworths, Coles and Big-W, and almost all the services you could need before continuing on to more remote areas. Aboriginal art is available. ==Eat== During the day you have a choice of coffee shops and cafes around the town centre. After dark, the pubs, clubs, roadhouses and fast food are your choices. There is a roadhouse and a Hungry Jacks open 24-hours. The pubs and clubs only serve meals at meal times. * Ian's Western Hotel and Ian's Chicken Hut. ===Restaurant=== * {{eat | name=Golden Pearl Chinese Restaurant Pty Ltd | alt= | url= | email= | address=78 Commercial Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cuisines: Chinese, Malaysian. }} * {{eat | name=Indian Indulgences | alt= | url= | email= | address=54 Victoria Parade | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Standpipe Golf Motor Inn | alt= | url=http://www.standpipe.com.au/ | email=info@standpipe.com.au | address=A1 at cnr of A87 | lat= | long= | directions=1 Daw Street | phone=+61 8 86424033 | tollfree= | fax=+61 8 86410571 | hours= | price= | content=Cuisines: Indian. }} * {{eat | name=Gotta Be Fish | alt= | url= | email= | address=6 Maryatt St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$10+ | lastedit=2015-04-27 | content=Grubby fish and chips shop with some good local fish but at very high prices. }} * {{eat | name=Arid Lands Botanic Garden Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=Stuart Highway | lat= | long= | directions=in the Botanic Garden visitors centre | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-04-27 | content=Well-reviewed cafe. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Hotel Augusta | alt= | url=http://www.augustahotel.com.au/ | email=info@augustahotel.com.au | address=1 Loudon Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Pastoral Hotel Motel | alt= | url=http://www.pastoralhotelmotel.com.au/ | email=gaming@pastoralhotelmotel.com.au | address=17 Stirling Rd | lat=-32.496998 | long=137.769118 | directions= | phone=+61 8 8642 2818 | tollfree= | fax=+61 8 8641 0948 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Situated at the crossroads of Australia, the Pastoral Hotel is the ideal base for your next family holiday or business trip to the Flinders Ranges region. }} * {{sleep | name=Flinders Hotel Motel | alt= | url= | email= | address=39 Commercial Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 8 86422544 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Opened about 1879 as MacKay's Hotel, and the Flinders Family Hotel and in 1930 renamed the Flinders Hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Commonwealth | alt= | url= | email= | address=73 Commercial Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 8 86422844 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Go next== Visit Quorn - a historical Railway Town. Ride the Pichi Richi from March to November. Visit Warren George to see the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, climb Mt Brown or hike on the Hysen Trail to Dutchmen Stern {{routebox | image1=The_Ghan_route_icon.png | imagesize1=100px | directionl1=N | majorl1=[[Alice Springs]] | minorl1=Pimba, Kingoonya, [[Tarcoola]] | directionr1=S | majorr1=[[Adelaide]] | minorr1=[[Port Pirie]] | image2=Indian Pacific_route_icon.png | imagesize2=100px | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Kalgoorlie]] | minorl2=Pimba, Kingoonya, [[Tarcoola]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Adelaide]] | minorr2=[[Port Pirie]] | image3=Australian National Route A87.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; | majorl3=[[Coober Pedy]] | minorl3=[[Woomera]] | directionr3=&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{usablecity}} {{isPartOf|Outback (South Australia)}} {{Geo|-32.4833|137.7667}} 65iuzvf8z07uhq2r065k6fu8wwpe2vf 0 28403 4501832 4484712 2022-08-16T02:49:42Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* By taxi */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Prambanan_banner.jpg|unesco=yes|dotm=yes}} '''Prambanan''' is a complex of ancient [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temples in [[Central Java]], [[Indonesia]]. ==Understand== [[Image:Prambanan LaraJonggrang.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Candi Lara Jonggrang]] Prambanan is a collection of massive Hindu temples (''candi'') built by the '''Mataram Kingdom''', rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty. A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], in almost any other country a magnificent ancient monument on the scale of Prambanan would quickly be designated a national symbol. In Indonesia, though, it is somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring nature of nearby [[Borobudur]]. The two sites are quite different in style with Hindu Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jaggedly sculpted towers in contrast to the vast horizontal bulk of Buddhist Borobudur. ===History=== A temple was first built at the site around 850 CE by Rakai Pikatan and expanded extensively by King Lokapala and Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya, king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built to honour Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva) or Shiva-laya (the Realm of Shiva). According to Shivagrha inscription, a public water project to change the course of a river near Shivagrha Temple was conducted during the construction of the temple. It is therefore slightly later but more or less contemporaneous with [[Borobudur]]. In the 10th century the temple was largely abandoned after the Mataram dynasty moved its court base to East Java. {{infobox|The Legend of the Slender Virgin|After her father King Boko was defeated in battle, the Javanese princess Loro Jonggrang reluctantly agreed to marry his victor Prince Bandung, but only if he built a temple with 1,000 statues before sunrise. With the help of spirits, Bandung had completed 999, when the princess lit a fire to the east of the temple. Fooled into thinking it was dawn, roosters in the neighbouring village crowed and the spirits fled &mdash; and a furious Prince Bandung changed her into stone, the last and most beautiful of the statues.}} Most of the main temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century and the huge complex lay largely forgotten in the jungle. Following the Anglo-Dutch Java War, Java was briefly under British administration from 1811 to 1816. In 1811, a surveyor working for Thomas Stamford Raffles came upon the ruins of Prambanan by chance. The British and Raffles were not in power in Java long enough to really do much about Prambanan and looting became rife, with Dutch residents adorning their gardens with priceless statues and local people taking foundation stones and using them as construction material. Proper restoration began only in 1930 and still continues today. ===Architecture=== There used to be 240 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or been looted leaving just scattered stones. There are three zones: * '''The outer zone''' is a large open space that was once bounded by a large wall (long gone). The function of this space is disputed but was probably either a park or relaxation garden or the site of an ashram for temple priests Brahmins. * '''The middle zone''' consists of four rows of 224 identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Most of these are in ruins but a few have been fully restored. These shrines are called ''Candi Perwara'' (guardian temples). The 224 Pervara temples are arranged in 4 concentric square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52, 60 and 68. There are several theories about the design and use of these shrines. Some believe that each of the four rows represent a level of the Mataram caste system and each was designed to be used by one caste only. Other theories include that these were designed to receive submissive offerings to the king or that they are simply beautifully designed places for meditation. * '''The inner zone''' contains eight main temples and likewise, eight small shrines. This is certainly the holiest of the three zones and is a square elevated platform surrounded by a wall with gates corresponding to each of the four cardinal points. The three main inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper and Shiva the Destroyer. The three main temples are called Trimurti temples. Right in front of these three main temples lies three Vahana temples, which are dedicated to the vehicles (vahana) of each god: Nandi, Garuda, and Hamsa. The two Apit temples located between the rows of Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side. The 4 Kelir temples are small shrines located on 4 cardinal directions right beyond the 4 main gates of inner zone, and four Patok temples, four small shrines located on four corners of inner zone. ===Modern day Prambanan=== Prambanan was designated at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and its global profile as a tourist attraction rose markedly in the 1990s. The main Candi Loro Jonggrang is in a large, well-maintained park making this a pleasant and user-friendly place for visitors. To understand a little of Prambanan and to get around all of the temples, you will need to set aside the best part of a full day. The complex opens at 06:00 so it is no bad thing to stay the night beforehand and get in before the crowds arrive from 09:00. This would also allow a leisurely return to Yogyakarta or Solo in the mid-afternoon taking in some of the other archaeological sites on the Prambanan plain. You will be required to wear a sarong as a sign of respect for the site. The sarong is only necessary for the main complex after which they will take the sarong back so go there first if you find the sarong warm to wear. This is a wet part of Java and a visit outside of the November to March period has the best chance of providing a clear, sunny day. In the wake of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, some parts of Prambanan sustained significant damage. The big temple, Candi Siwa, was 60 percent damaged and subsequently renovated. Renovation of the Candis and the Prambanan site have been finished and were opened at the end of 2014 and as such all temples are open. ===Tourism Information Office=== * {{listing | name=PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur Prambanan Ratu Boko | url=https://borobudurpark.com/en/temple/prambanan-2/ | email=prambanan@borobudurpark.co.id | address=Jalan Raya Yogya - Solo Km 16 | lat=-7.75426 | long=110.49307 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496401 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The official government park authority for Prambanan. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-7.754|110.476|zoom=13}} The nearest major cities are [[Yogyakarta]], 17 km to the south west and [[Solo]] about 40 km to the north east. The main road connecting these two large cities passes right by Prambanan and this makes transport links very straightforward. The nearest actual town to Prambanan is Klaten, about 3 km to the north. ===By plane=== '''Yogyakarta International Airport''' ({{IATA|YIA}}) is well served by domestic flights from [[Jakarta]], [[Bali]], other major domestic destinations and internationally from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. An airport train is available to Yogyakarta which takes 43 minutes, where you can transfer to the KRL to Prambanan. '''Yogyakarta Adisucipto Airport''' ({{IATA|JOG}}) is served by domestic propeller flights. It is 10 kilometres from here to Prambanan. The KRL train from Maguwo Station at Adisutjipto Airport to Prambanan costs Rp8,000 and takes about 8 minutes. A taxi direct from the airport should cost about Rp 50,000 and take about 20 minutes. '''Solo airport''' ({{IATA|SOC}}) is much smaller but has several flights each day from [[Jakarta]] and is also connected internationally from [[Singapore]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. Prambanan is about 90 minutes by bus from Solo airport. ===By bus=== TransJogja, [[Yogyakarta]]'s newest bus service, also serves a direct route to Prambanan. The bus is air-conditioned and comfortable, but sometimes can be overcrowded. Take number 1A from Malioboro street (Rp 3,500 one way). The first one leaves around 06:00, then every 20 minutes. Depending on traffic, the journey normally takes around 30 minutes, but can take an hour when traffic is heavy for only about 20 kilometers drive. From the terminal station, cross the busy road, and turn right. Walk around 500 m to the pedestrian entrance, ignoring any non-signposted vehicle gates. There are regular buses from Yogyakarta's Umbulharjo bus station (30 minutes), as well as a wide variety of tour agency-operated minibuses shuttling directly from Yogyakarta's backpacker haunts. Local buses to/from [[Solo]] are also easy to find (90 minutes). ===By train=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Brambanan Station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.75658 | long=110.49995 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q2467484 | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=The station is a nine-minute walk from the temple complex. The [http://www.krl.co.id/ KRL commuter train] from Yogyakarta and Solo stops here. There are eleven trains from Solo and eleven trains from Yogyakarta every day. A journey from Yogyakarta takes about 30 minutes, and from Solo it takes about an hour. The station's name is not a misspelling; it has been that way since the Dutch colonial era. A one-way trip costs Rp8,000. To ride the train, you can use a refillable '''multi-trip card''' that can be purchased at a ticket counter or vending machine at the station for Rp30,000 (initial balance contains Rp10,000). The multi-trip card is also valid for KRL commuter trains in [[Jakarta]]. '''Electronic money or bank-issued prepaid cards''' are a better alternative, as any credits are also usable for purchases at major retailers and convenience stores, the toll road, parking, and other public transportation (MRT and Transjakarta in Jakarta). Bank Mandiri's e-money or e-toll card, BCA's Flazz, BNI's tap-cash, BRI's BRIZZI, or Bank DKI's JakCard, are obtainable at the respective banks and minimarts such as Alfamart and Indomaret. }} ===By taxi=== A taxi from the center of Yogyakarta costs around Rp60,000. The driver may be prepared to wait free of charge for an hour or so and then take you back for the same price, giving a total cost of Rp120,000. ==Get around== Prambanan can be fairly easily covered on foot. If the midday heat is too much, a '''toy train''' shuttles around the park for Rp 5,000. ==See== [[File:Main shrine of Prambanan temples.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Candi Siva is the tallest temple at Prambanan.]] The main site of modern day Prambanan complex is inside a large, landscaped park. The complex is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00. Try to get there early to beat the heat. Entry costs Indonesians Rp 50,000 and Rp 25,000 for children under 10 years old, while foreigners are charged RP 350,000. Guides can be hired at the ticket office for about Rp 150,000, which is a good idea as it's a complex monument. * {{see|name=Candi Prambanan|alt=Candi Rara Jonggrang|lat=-7.752222|long=110.491667|content=is the largest and most-visited of the temples just to the left of the main entrance. While there were 237 temples built, most have long since crumbled and the main remaining attractions are the six temples of the central court, richly decorated with carved reliefs. Three of them, known as the ''Trimurti'' ("three sacred places"), are particularly important}} ** '''Candi Siva''', dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer, is the largest of the six, rising to a height of {{convert|45|metres|feet}}. There are fine reliefs of the ''Ramayana'' in its forecourt and four chambers with statues. The largest chamber, to the east, contains a statue of Shiva, while the south has the sage Agastya, the west his son Ganesh (the elephant-headed) and the north his wife Durga. Durga is also known as '''Lara Jonggrang''' ("Slender Virgin"), a legendary beautiful princess turned to stone (see box). ** '''Candi Brahma''', to the south, continues the story of the Ramayana and has a statue of Brahma the Creator inside. ** '''Candi Vishnu''', to the north, tells the story of Vishnu's avatar Krishna and has a statue of Vishnu the Preserver inside. ** Opposite the three large temples are three smaller temples originally dedicated to the '''vehicles''' of the gods. Only the statue of '''Nandi''', Shiva's bull, has survived. * {{see|name=Candi Lumbung|lat=-7.7481621|long=110.4930003}} - translating to "rice barn temple", it is similar in appearance to nearby Candi Sewu but smaller in size. The temple is in a quite good condition, and made up of a main temple and 16 smaller ones. * {{see|name=Candi Bubrah|lat=-7.746444|long=110.4929303}} - this temple is believed to be part of the Sewu complex, and was found in ruins in the early 19th century and the name indeed translates to "ruin temple". It's no longer a ruin as the restoration was finished in 2017. Bubrah is the guardian temple of the southern direction and has one main stupa in the middle and several small ones on its roof. [[Image:Sewu_Temple.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Buddhist Candi Sewu]] * {{see | name=Candi Sewu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.743889 | long=110.4925 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2936254 | content=a large Buddhist temple complex meaning "one thousand temples", is one kilometre north of the entrance gate and contains a large central temple surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones. Despite its name, the complex only consists of 249 temples. The size of the renovated and intricately decorated central temple is impressive but the statue niches are all empty. Take note of the Borobudur style stupas. Entrance from the east side only. }} * {{see|name=Prambanan Museum|lat=-7.7493338|long=110.4933843|content=North of Candi Lara Jonggrang is a poorly displayed museum laid out in a series of small houses connected by walkways. Explanations are minimal, but entry is free so you might as well take a look.}} *'''Prambanan Audio Visual''', inside the museum grounds, is the park's term for screenings of a film entitled "Cosmic Harmony", which lambasts the "industrial world" in general (and [[Jakarta]] in particular), and gives a fairly basic explanation of the Prambanan site. Still, it makes for a fairly entertaining half-hour break and Rp 5,000 is not too bad a price to pay for the air-con. The film is available in several languages. ===Around Prambanan=== [[File:Prambanan Plain Map en.svg|thumb|right|300px|The map of temples around Prambanan Plain.]] Other than temples within Prambanan archaeological park (Prambanan, Lumbung, Bubrah and Sewu temples) there are also other less visited and less touristy temples around Prambanan plain. If you interested in ancient Javanese temple architecture, the off the beaten path temples on hill tops or in the middle of the rice paddies through villages might interest you. After your visit to Prambanan, the Prambanan Archaeological park offers the group tour to these outlying temples, especially Ratu Boko. However if you prefer going on your own, rent and riding ''andong'', a type of horse carriage (you must state the destination, for example Plaosan temple, and bargain for the price), or by taxi (if you took one from Yogyakarta earlier that has been waiting for you since there is no taxi around Prambanan area), or by daily rented car if you rent one earlier in Yogyakarta. The entrance of these minor temples are guarded by archaeology bureau authorities. They will hand you a guest book and expect you to fill in your identity: name, origin and your opinion. It is for statistic purpose on visitors' data for each temple. There is no specific ticket rate to enter these temples (except of Ratu Boko), however the temple guard might expect donation, although you are not obliged; Rp 5,000 is sufficient. [[Image:Plaosan Temple Guardian.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Candi Plaosan, near Prambanan]] * {{see|name=Candi Plaosan|lat=-7.740278|long=110.504444|content=This Buddhist temple is about 2 km east of the northern edge of Prambanan park complex and is easily walkable from there. There are two large structures - Plaosan Lor (north) and Plaosan Kidul (south). This complex gives a good insight into the close relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism in 9th-century Java. Buddhist Plaosan was built during the same reign as Candi Loro Jonggrang. The Hindu king at the time had a Buddhist wife. There are some excellent intact reliefs and statues of Boddhisattvas here although most of the statuary was looted long ago.|price = Rp 3,000}} * {{see|name=Candi Sojiwan|lat=-7.760833|long=110.495833|content=A Buddhist temple with architecture similar to Mendut temple near Borobudur. The temple was restored in 2012. The main chamber is empty and the temple is notable for its Jataka fable Buddhist tales carved on panels around its foot. In a village 1.5 km south from Prambanan between Prambanan and Ratu Boko.}} * {{see | name=Kraton Ratu Boko | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.77 | long=110.488889 | directions=take the minor road from Prambanan towards Piyungan and this palace is on your left after about 3 km | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3111557 | content=South of Prambanan. It is a ruined palace or temple of uncertain origin, located on a hilltop 200 metres above the Prambanan plain (which makes for good pictures using a zoom lens). Only some building foundations remain and it's difficult to make any sense of the site. Now incorporated into the Borobudur Park Authority, entry to Ratu Boko is a separately charged US$10. }} * {{see|name=Banyunibo|lat=-7.778031|long=110.49418|content=A 9th-century Buddhist temple|directions=Ask for the information and direction in Ratu Boko park authority. Take the village road southeast from Ratu Boko around 1.5 km.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Candi Barong | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7757 | long=110.4972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-23 | content=Located east of Ratu Boko on neighboring hill top, close to Banyunibo. It is a Hindu temple on stone platform on the hill overlooking the valley. }} * {{see|name=Candi Ijo|lat=-7.783889|long=110.512222|content=located further 4 kilometres southeast from Ratu Boko. The Hindu temple houses a large Linggam and Yoni symbol of Shiva. The temple consists of one main temple with three lesser templed. Because it is on hill top on another hill and quite remote, it is advisable to reach these temples with taxi (from Yogyakarta) or rented car.}} * {{see | name=Candi Kalasan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.766944 | long=110.472778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3517565 | content=This Buddhist temple is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain 3 km west of Prambanan. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta, after 3 km the temple can be seen easily on south (left) side of the road. It is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain. According to Kalasan inscription, it was built to honour Tara, a female boddhisattva. The temple throne is now empty, statue of Tara probably made from bronze and have been looted for scrap metals for centuries, however the carvings of boddhisttvas are interesting. }} * {{see|name=Candi Sari|lat=-7.761525|long=110.474167|content=This Buddhist temple was the vihara (temple and lodging) for Buddhist monks. Several hundreds meters north from the Kalasan temple in a walking distance. Just cross the main road to north side, walk east heading to Prambanan direction, after several hundred metres turn left into small village road and heading north until the temple is visible. The carving of Taras and Boddhisattvas are exquisite. Examine the winged human celestial creature similar to angels on the northern wall. The temple was originally coated by white plaster called 'vajralepa'. The temple was two storeys, with an upper deck made from wooden structure, the remnant of place to hold wooden beams can be seen.}} * {{see|name=Candi Sambisari|lat=-7.7625|long=110.4469|content=This Hindu temple pre-dates Prambanan by about 30 years, was only discovered in 1966, and is remarkably complete. Some archaeologists speculate that it is part of a yet to be discovered, much larger complex which lies hidden under centuries of volcanic ash and earth on the Prambanan Plain. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta. When you reach the village of Sambisari, turn north (right) and follow the small road to the end.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gebang|lat=-7.7514278|long=110.416224|content=A small Hindu temple discovered in 1937 near the Yogyakarta northern ring-road. The temple displays the statue of Ganesha and interesting carvings of faces on the roof section.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gana|lat=-7.7439517|long=110.4961166|content=Rich in statues, bas-reliefs and sculpted stones. Frequent representations of children or dwarfs with raised hands. In the middle of housing complex. Under restoration since 1997.}} * {{see|name=Candi Kedulan|lat=-7.7425856|long=110.4696915|content=Discovered in 1994 by sand diggers, {{convert|4|metres|feet}} deep. Square base of main temple visible. Secondary temples not yet fully excavated.}} [[Image:Ramayana dance performance at Prambanan Temple 2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ramayana Ballet performance at Prambanan]] ==Do== * {{do | name=Ramayana Ballet Prambanan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7520 | long=110.4885 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=The ticket price in 2015 wass between Rp 100,000 to Rp 350,000. | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=An '''open-air theatre''' inside the park, just west of Candi Prambanan right across the Opak river, has '''ballet''' Javanese dance performances of the great Hindu epic '''Ramayana''' on four nights during each full moon between May and October (dry season). The performance involves around 200 artists; dancers and gamelan musicians for about 2 hours, and is performed on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. This performance, set against the starry sky and the lit backdrop of Prambanan with new LED lighting, is quite spell-binding. Enquire at travel agents locally or at your hotel for tickets and times. During the rainy season (November to April) the performance is held in the smaller indoor Trimurti theatre. }} * * {{do | name=Prambanan Jazz Festival | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/prambananjazz/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-11-19 | content=The annual jazz music festival that is usually held around July, where local and international musicians play. }} ==Buy== Hawkers hassle tourists near the entry gate but will generally take the hint after a ''terima kasih'' (thank you) or two. There is a large {{Marker|type=buy|lat=-7.7531 | long=110.4949|name=market}} just outside the gate selling lots of touristy souvenirs. Those shops can be found on your way out from the complex and usually will take you 5-10 minutes to navigate. ==Eat== There are many good value Indonesian [[Indonesia#Places to eat|warungs]] in and around Prambanan. A good tip is to follow the local Indonesian tourists - they always know which has the best food. * {{eat | name=Taman Prambanan Restoran | alt=Pendopo Taman Prambanan | url= | email= | address=Jl. Candi Sewu, Bener, Bugisan | lat=-7.74127 | long=110.49420| directions=close to the entrance gate | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serves typical Javanese dishes at very competitive prices. }} * {{eat | name=Restoran Prambanan | alt=Prambanan restaurant | url= | email= | address=Candi Prambanan, Tlogo | lat=-7.75040 | long=110.49439 | directions=just east from the museum. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Offers rice with various side dishes from Rp 10,000. }} * {{eat | name=Ramayana Resto | alt=Prambanan Garden Resto | url=https://ramayana-resto.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Raya Solo | lat=-7.75246 | long=110.48860 | directions=on the west side of the temple next to Prambanan open air stage. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serving Indonesian food buffet with Rp 75,000 per pax. Usually visited in late afternoon to nightfall for a stop over dinner while waiting for Prambanan Ramayana Ballet performance next door at 19:30. The restaurant is set against the majestic flood-lit Prambanan temple as the background which make a romantic setting for dinner while waiting for the Javanese dance performance. }} ==Drink== Drink hawkers are omnipresent. The museum also has a drinks stand and there are benches scattered throughout the park for a quick break. After a walk around Prambanan in the heat, a glass of fresh local juice or a pitcher of iced Javanese tea goes down very well. ==Sleep== [[File:Candi Prambanan dan Sojiwan dari Ketinggian.jpg|thumb|Morning view<!--assuming the photo was taken at 5:30 AM like the Date parameter in the summary states-->]] There are a few hotels here if you want to spend the night (not such a bad idea if you want to see Prambanan before the crowds arrive and before the heat of the day sets in). However, most visitors take a day trip from [[Yogyakarta]] or [[Solo]]. * {{sleep | name=Candi View Hotel | url=https://business.google.com/website/candi-view-hotel | email= | address=Jalan Candi Sewu, Prambanan | lat=-7.74575 | long=110.49464 | directions= | phone=+62 274 7151222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 160,000 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Simple budget hotel on the main entrance road towards the rear of the complex. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Galuh | alt= | url=http://www.hotelgaluhprambanan.com/ | email=office@hotelgaluhprambanan.com | address=Jl Manisrenggo, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia | lat=-7.74945 | long=110.50086 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496855 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp330,000 | content=Mid-market hotel which is popular with local tour groups. North east of the main complex. Has a swimming pool and two tennis courts. }} * {{sleep | name=Abhayagiri Sumberwatu Heritage Resort | alt= | url=https://www.sumberwatuheritage.com/ | email= | address=Dusun Sumberwatu, Sambirejo, Prambanan 55572 | lat=-7.76876 | long=110.49699 | directions= | phone=+62 274 4469 277, +62 274 4469 266, +62 274 446 9255 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp1,134,000 | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=A resort located on a hill with views of Mount Merapi and Prambanan Temple. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code for Prambanan is the same as [[Solo]] - 0271 * Ambulance: 118. * Police: 110. The nearest police station to Prambanan is 3 km away at Klaten although officials at Prambanan more or less take the role of policemen. ==Go next== * [[Borobudur]], the largest Buddhist monument in the world, is an hour away by car. Travelling other than by car: public transport is available to take you east or west from here * East ** [[Surakarta]] * West ** [[Yogyakarta]] {{geo|-7.752222|110.491667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{guidepark}} k0hqi74zzti733rye3e37ymwvtbwmf4 4501833 4501832 2022-08-16T02:49:55Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Get around */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Prambanan_banner.jpg|unesco=yes|dotm=yes}} '''Prambanan''' is a complex of ancient [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temples in [[Central Java]], [[Indonesia]]. ==Understand== [[Image:Prambanan LaraJonggrang.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Candi Lara Jonggrang]] Prambanan is a collection of massive Hindu temples (''candi'') built by the '''Mataram Kingdom''', rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty. A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], in almost any other country a magnificent ancient monument on the scale of Prambanan would quickly be designated a national symbol. In Indonesia, though, it is somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring nature of nearby [[Borobudur]]. The two sites are quite different in style with Hindu Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jaggedly sculpted towers in contrast to the vast horizontal bulk of Buddhist Borobudur. ===History=== A temple was first built at the site around 850 CE by Rakai Pikatan and expanded extensively by King Lokapala and Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya, king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built to honour Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva) or Shiva-laya (the Realm of Shiva). According to Shivagrha inscription, a public water project to change the course of a river near Shivagrha Temple was conducted during the construction of the temple. It is therefore slightly later but more or less contemporaneous with [[Borobudur]]. In the 10th century the temple was largely abandoned after the Mataram dynasty moved its court base to East Java. {{infobox|The Legend of the Slender Virgin|After her father King Boko was defeated in battle, the Javanese princess Loro Jonggrang reluctantly agreed to marry his victor Prince Bandung, but only if he built a temple with 1,000 statues before sunrise. With the help of spirits, Bandung had completed 999, when the princess lit a fire to the east of the temple. Fooled into thinking it was dawn, roosters in the neighbouring village crowed and the spirits fled &mdash; and a furious Prince Bandung changed her into stone, the last and most beautiful of the statues.}} Most of the main temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century and the huge complex lay largely forgotten in the jungle. Following the Anglo-Dutch Java War, Java was briefly under British administration from 1811 to 1816. In 1811, a surveyor working for Thomas Stamford Raffles came upon the ruins of Prambanan by chance. The British and Raffles were not in power in Java long enough to really do much about Prambanan and looting became rife, with Dutch residents adorning their gardens with priceless statues and local people taking foundation stones and using them as construction material. Proper restoration began only in 1930 and still continues today. ===Architecture=== There used to be 240 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or been looted leaving just scattered stones. There are three zones: * '''The outer zone''' is a large open space that was once bounded by a large wall (long gone). The function of this space is disputed but was probably either a park or relaxation garden or the site of an ashram for temple priests Brahmins. * '''The middle zone''' consists of four rows of 224 identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Most of these are in ruins but a few have been fully restored. These shrines are called ''Candi Perwara'' (guardian temples). The 224 Pervara temples are arranged in 4 concentric square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52, 60 and 68. There are several theories about the design and use of these shrines. Some believe that each of the four rows represent a level of the Mataram caste system and each was designed to be used by one caste only. Other theories include that these were designed to receive submissive offerings to the king or that they are simply beautifully designed places for meditation. * '''The inner zone''' contains eight main temples and likewise, eight small shrines. This is certainly the holiest of the three zones and is a square elevated platform surrounded by a wall with gates corresponding to each of the four cardinal points. The three main inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper and Shiva the Destroyer. The three main temples are called Trimurti temples. Right in front of these three main temples lies three Vahana temples, which are dedicated to the vehicles (vahana) of each god: Nandi, Garuda, and Hamsa. The two Apit temples located between the rows of Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side. The 4 Kelir temples are small shrines located on 4 cardinal directions right beyond the 4 main gates of inner zone, and four Patok temples, four small shrines located on four corners of inner zone. ===Modern day Prambanan=== Prambanan was designated at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and its global profile as a tourist attraction rose markedly in the 1990s. The main Candi Loro Jonggrang is in a large, well-maintained park making this a pleasant and user-friendly place for visitors. To understand a little of Prambanan and to get around all of the temples, you will need to set aside the best part of a full day. The complex opens at 06:00 so it is no bad thing to stay the night beforehand and get in before the crowds arrive from 09:00. This would also allow a leisurely return to Yogyakarta or Solo in the mid-afternoon taking in some of the other archaeological sites on the Prambanan plain. You will be required to wear a sarong as a sign of respect for the site. The sarong is only necessary for the main complex after which they will take the sarong back so go there first if you find the sarong warm to wear. This is a wet part of Java and a visit outside of the November to March period has the best chance of providing a clear, sunny day. In the wake of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, some parts of Prambanan sustained significant damage. The big temple, Candi Siwa, was 60 percent damaged and subsequently renovated. Renovation of the Candis and the Prambanan site have been finished and were opened at the end of 2014 and as such all temples are open. ===Tourism Information Office=== * {{listing | name=PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur Prambanan Ratu Boko | url=https://borobudurpark.com/en/temple/prambanan-2/ | email=prambanan@borobudurpark.co.id | address=Jalan Raya Yogya - Solo Km 16 | lat=-7.75426 | long=110.49307 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496401 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The official government park authority for Prambanan. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-7.754|110.476|zoom=13}} The nearest major cities are [[Yogyakarta]], 17 km to the south west and [[Solo]] about 40 km to the north east. The main road connecting these two large cities passes right by Prambanan and this makes transport links very straightforward. The nearest actual town to Prambanan is Klaten, about 3 km to the north. ===By plane=== '''Yogyakarta International Airport''' ({{IATA|YIA}}) is well served by domestic flights from [[Jakarta]], [[Bali]], other major domestic destinations and internationally from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. An airport train is available to Yogyakarta which takes 43 minutes, where you can transfer to the KRL to Prambanan. '''Yogyakarta Adisucipto Airport''' ({{IATA|JOG}}) is served by domestic propeller flights. It is 10 kilometres from here to Prambanan. The KRL train from Maguwo Station at Adisutjipto Airport to Prambanan costs Rp8,000 and takes about 8 minutes. A taxi direct from the airport should cost about Rp 50,000 and take about 20 minutes. '''Solo airport''' ({{IATA|SOC}}) is much smaller but has several flights each day from [[Jakarta]] and is also connected internationally from [[Singapore]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. Prambanan is about 90 minutes by bus from Solo airport. ===By bus=== TransJogja, [[Yogyakarta]]'s newest bus service, also serves a direct route to Prambanan. The bus is air-conditioned and comfortable, but sometimes can be overcrowded. Take number 1A from Malioboro street (Rp 3,500 one way). The first one leaves around 06:00, then every 20 minutes. Depending on traffic, the journey normally takes around 30 minutes, but can take an hour when traffic is heavy for only about 20 kilometers drive. From the terminal station, cross the busy road, and turn right. Walk around 500 m to the pedestrian entrance, ignoring any non-signposted vehicle gates. There are regular buses from Yogyakarta's Umbulharjo bus station (30 minutes), as well as a wide variety of tour agency-operated minibuses shuttling directly from Yogyakarta's backpacker haunts. Local buses to/from [[Solo]] are also easy to find (90 minutes). ===By train=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Brambanan Station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.75658 | long=110.49995 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q2467484 | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=The station is a nine-minute walk from the temple complex. The [http://www.krl.co.id/ KRL commuter train] from Yogyakarta and Solo stops here. There are eleven trains from Solo and eleven trains from Yogyakarta every day. A journey from Yogyakarta takes about 30 minutes, and from Solo it takes about an hour. The station's name is not a misspelling; it has been that way since the Dutch colonial era. A one-way trip costs Rp8,000. To ride the train, you can use a refillable '''multi-trip card''' that can be purchased at a ticket counter or vending machine at the station for Rp30,000 (initial balance contains Rp10,000). The multi-trip card is also valid for KRL commuter trains in [[Jakarta]]. '''Electronic money or bank-issued prepaid cards''' are a better alternative, as any credits are also usable for purchases at major retailers and convenience stores, the toll road, parking, and other public transportation (MRT and Transjakarta in Jakarta). Bank Mandiri's e-money or e-toll card, BCA's Flazz, BNI's tap-cash, BRI's BRIZZI, or Bank DKI's JakCard, are obtainable at the respective banks and minimarts such as Alfamart and Indomaret. }} ===By taxi=== A taxi from the center of Yogyakarta costs around Rp60,000. The driver may be prepared to wait free of charge for an hour or so and then take you back for the same price, giving a total cost of Rp120,000. ==Get around== Prambanan can be fairly easily covered on foot. If the midday heat is too much, a '''toy train''' shuttles around the park for Rp5,000. ==See== [[File:Main shrine of Prambanan temples.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Candi Siva is the tallest temple at Prambanan.]] The main site of modern day Prambanan complex is inside a large, landscaped park. The complex is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00. Try to get there early to beat the heat. Entry costs Indonesians Rp 50,000 and Rp 25,000 for children under 10 years old, while foreigners are charged RP 350,000. Guides can be hired at the ticket office for about Rp 150,000, which is a good idea as it's a complex monument. * {{see|name=Candi Prambanan|alt=Candi Rara Jonggrang|lat=-7.752222|long=110.491667|content=is the largest and most-visited of the temples just to the left of the main entrance. While there were 237 temples built, most have long since crumbled and the main remaining attractions are the six temples of the central court, richly decorated with carved reliefs. Three of them, known as the ''Trimurti'' ("three sacred places"), are particularly important}} ** '''Candi Siva''', dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer, is the largest of the six, rising to a height of {{convert|45|metres|feet}}. There are fine reliefs of the ''Ramayana'' in its forecourt and four chambers with statues. The largest chamber, to the east, contains a statue of Shiva, while the south has the sage Agastya, the west his son Ganesh (the elephant-headed) and the north his wife Durga. Durga is also known as '''Lara Jonggrang''' ("Slender Virgin"), a legendary beautiful princess turned to stone (see box). ** '''Candi Brahma''', to the south, continues the story of the Ramayana and has a statue of Brahma the Creator inside. ** '''Candi Vishnu''', to the north, tells the story of Vishnu's avatar Krishna and has a statue of Vishnu the Preserver inside. ** Opposite the three large temples are three smaller temples originally dedicated to the '''vehicles''' of the gods. Only the statue of '''Nandi''', Shiva's bull, has survived. * {{see|name=Candi Lumbung|lat=-7.7481621|long=110.4930003}} - translating to "rice barn temple", it is similar in appearance to nearby Candi Sewu but smaller in size. The temple is in a quite good condition, and made up of a main temple and 16 smaller ones. * {{see|name=Candi Bubrah|lat=-7.746444|long=110.4929303}} - this temple is believed to be part of the Sewu complex, and was found in ruins in the early 19th century and the name indeed translates to "ruin temple". It's no longer a ruin as the restoration was finished in 2017. Bubrah is the guardian temple of the southern direction and has one main stupa in the middle and several small ones on its roof. [[Image:Sewu_Temple.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Buddhist Candi Sewu]] * {{see | name=Candi Sewu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.743889 | long=110.4925 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2936254 | content=a large Buddhist temple complex meaning "one thousand temples", is one kilometre north of the entrance gate and contains a large central temple surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones. Despite its name, the complex only consists of 249 temples. The size of the renovated and intricately decorated central temple is impressive but the statue niches are all empty. Take note of the Borobudur style stupas. Entrance from the east side only. }} * {{see|name=Prambanan Museum|lat=-7.7493338|long=110.4933843|content=North of Candi Lara Jonggrang is a poorly displayed museum laid out in a series of small houses connected by walkways. Explanations are minimal, but entry is free so you might as well take a look.}} *'''Prambanan Audio Visual''', inside the museum grounds, is the park's term for screenings of a film entitled "Cosmic Harmony", which lambasts the "industrial world" in general (and [[Jakarta]] in particular), and gives a fairly basic explanation of the Prambanan site. Still, it makes for a fairly entertaining half-hour break and Rp 5,000 is not too bad a price to pay for the air-con. The film is available in several languages. ===Around Prambanan=== [[File:Prambanan Plain Map en.svg|thumb|right|300px|The map of temples around Prambanan Plain.]] Other than temples within Prambanan archaeological park (Prambanan, Lumbung, Bubrah and Sewu temples) there are also other less visited and less touristy temples around Prambanan plain. If you interested in ancient Javanese temple architecture, the off the beaten path temples on hill tops or in the middle of the rice paddies through villages might interest you. After your visit to Prambanan, the Prambanan Archaeological park offers the group tour to these outlying temples, especially Ratu Boko. However if you prefer going on your own, rent and riding ''andong'', a type of horse carriage (you must state the destination, for example Plaosan temple, and bargain for the price), or by taxi (if you took one from Yogyakarta earlier that has been waiting for you since there is no taxi around Prambanan area), or by daily rented car if you rent one earlier in Yogyakarta. The entrance of these minor temples are guarded by archaeology bureau authorities. They will hand you a guest book and expect you to fill in your identity: name, origin and your opinion. It is for statistic purpose on visitors' data for each temple. There is no specific ticket rate to enter these temples (except of Ratu Boko), however the temple guard might expect donation, although you are not obliged; Rp 5,000 is sufficient. [[Image:Plaosan Temple Guardian.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Candi Plaosan, near Prambanan]] * {{see|name=Candi Plaosan|lat=-7.740278|long=110.504444|content=This Buddhist temple is about 2 km east of the northern edge of Prambanan park complex and is easily walkable from there. There are two large structures - Plaosan Lor (north) and Plaosan Kidul (south). This complex gives a good insight into the close relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism in 9th-century Java. Buddhist Plaosan was built during the same reign as Candi Loro Jonggrang. The Hindu king at the time had a Buddhist wife. There are some excellent intact reliefs and statues of Boddhisattvas here although most of the statuary was looted long ago.|price = Rp 3,000}} * {{see|name=Candi Sojiwan|lat=-7.760833|long=110.495833|content=A Buddhist temple with architecture similar to Mendut temple near Borobudur. The temple was restored in 2012. The main chamber is empty and the temple is notable for its Jataka fable Buddhist tales carved on panels around its foot. In a village 1.5 km south from Prambanan between Prambanan and Ratu Boko.}} * {{see | name=Kraton Ratu Boko | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.77 | long=110.488889 | directions=take the minor road from Prambanan towards Piyungan and this palace is on your left after about 3 km | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3111557 | content=South of Prambanan. It is a ruined palace or temple of uncertain origin, located on a hilltop 200 metres above the Prambanan plain (which makes for good pictures using a zoom lens). Only some building foundations remain and it's difficult to make any sense of the site. Now incorporated into the Borobudur Park Authority, entry to Ratu Boko is a separately charged US$10. }} * {{see|name=Banyunibo|lat=-7.778031|long=110.49418|content=A 9th-century Buddhist temple|directions=Ask for the information and direction in Ratu Boko park authority. Take the village road southeast from Ratu Boko around 1.5 km.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Candi Barong | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7757 | long=110.4972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-23 | content=Located east of Ratu Boko on neighboring hill top, close to Banyunibo. It is a Hindu temple on stone platform on the hill overlooking the valley. }} * {{see|name=Candi Ijo|lat=-7.783889|long=110.512222|content=located further 4 kilometres southeast from Ratu Boko. The Hindu temple houses a large Linggam and Yoni symbol of Shiva. The temple consists of one main temple with three lesser templed. Because it is on hill top on another hill and quite remote, it is advisable to reach these temples with taxi (from Yogyakarta) or rented car.}} * {{see | name=Candi Kalasan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.766944 | long=110.472778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3517565 | content=This Buddhist temple is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain 3 km west of Prambanan. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta, after 3 km the temple can be seen easily on south (left) side of the road. It is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain. According to Kalasan inscription, it was built to honour Tara, a female boddhisattva. The temple throne is now empty, statue of Tara probably made from bronze and have been looted for scrap metals for centuries, however the carvings of boddhisttvas are interesting. }} * {{see|name=Candi Sari|lat=-7.761525|long=110.474167|content=This Buddhist temple was the vihara (temple and lodging) for Buddhist monks. Several hundreds meters north from the Kalasan temple in a walking distance. Just cross the main road to north side, walk east heading to Prambanan direction, after several hundred metres turn left into small village road and heading north until the temple is visible. The carving of Taras and Boddhisattvas are exquisite. Examine the winged human celestial creature similar to angels on the northern wall. The temple was originally coated by white plaster called 'vajralepa'. The temple was two storeys, with an upper deck made from wooden structure, the remnant of place to hold wooden beams can be seen.}} * {{see|name=Candi Sambisari|lat=-7.7625|long=110.4469|content=This Hindu temple pre-dates Prambanan by about 30 years, was only discovered in 1966, and is remarkably complete. Some archaeologists speculate that it is part of a yet to be discovered, much larger complex which lies hidden under centuries of volcanic ash and earth on the Prambanan Plain. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta. When you reach the village of Sambisari, turn north (right) and follow the small road to the end.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gebang|lat=-7.7514278|long=110.416224|content=A small Hindu temple discovered in 1937 near the Yogyakarta northern ring-road. The temple displays the statue of Ganesha and interesting carvings of faces on the roof section.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gana|lat=-7.7439517|long=110.4961166|content=Rich in statues, bas-reliefs and sculpted stones. Frequent representations of children or dwarfs with raised hands. In the middle of housing complex. Under restoration since 1997.}} * {{see|name=Candi Kedulan|lat=-7.7425856|long=110.4696915|content=Discovered in 1994 by sand diggers, {{convert|4|metres|feet}} deep. Square base of main temple visible. Secondary temples not yet fully excavated.}} [[Image:Ramayana dance performance at Prambanan Temple 2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ramayana Ballet performance at Prambanan]] ==Do== * {{do | name=Ramayana Ballet Prambanan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7520 | long=110.4885 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=The ticket price in 2015 wass between Rp 100,000 to Rp 350,000. | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=An '''open-air theatre''' inside the park, just west of Candi Prambanan right across the Opak river, has '''ballet''' Javanese dance performances of the great Hindu epic '''Ramayana''' on four nights during each full moon between May and October (dry season). The performance involves around 200 artists; dancers and gamelan musicians for about 2 hours, and is performed on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. This performance, set against the starry sky and the lit backdrop of Prambanan with new LED lighting, is quite spell-binding. Enquire at travel agents locally or at your hotel for tickets and times. During the rainy season (November to April) the performance is held in the smaller indoor Trimurti theatre. }} * * {{do | name=Prambanan Jazz Festival | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/prambananjazz/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-11-19 | content=The annual jazz music festival that is usually held around July, where local and international musicians play. }} ==Buy== Hawkers hassle tourists near the entry gate but will generally take the hint after a ''terima kasih'' (thank you) or two. There is a large {{Marker|type=buy|lat=-7.7531 | long=110.4949|name=market}} just outside the gate selling lots of touristy souvenirs. Those shops can be found on your way out from the complex and usually will take you 5-10 minutes to navigate. ==Eat== There are many good value Indonesian [[Indonesia#Places to eat|warungs]] in and around Prambanan. A good tip is to follow the local Indonesian tourists - they always know which has the best food. * {{eat | name=Taman Prambanan Restoran | alt=Pendopo Taman Prambanan | url= | email= | address=Jl. Candi Sewu, Bener, Bugisan | lat=-7.74127 | long=110.49420| directions=close to the entrance gate | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serves typical Javanese dishes at very competitive prices. }} * {{eat | name=Restoran Prambanan | alt=Prambanan restaurant | url= | email= | address=Candi Prambanan, Tlogo | lat=-7.75040 | long=110.49439 | directions=just east from the museum. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Offers rice with various side dishes from Rp 10,000. }} * {{eat | name=Ramayana Resto | alt=Prambanan Garden Resto | url=https://ramayana-resto.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Raya Solo | lat=-7.75246 | long=110.48860 | directions=on the west side of the temple next to Prambanan open air stage. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serving Indonesian food buffet with Rp 75,000 per pax. Usually visited in late afternoon to nightfall for a stop over dinner while waiting for Prambanan Ramayana Ballet performance next door at 19:30. The restaurant is set against the majestic flood-lit Prambanan temple as the background which make a romantic setting for dinner while waiting for the Javanese dance performance. }} ==Drink== Drink hawkers are omnipresent. The museum also has a drinks stand and there are benches scattered throughout the park for a quick break. After a walk around Prambanan in the heat, a glass of fresh local juice or a pitcher of iced Javanese tea goes down very well. ==Sleep== [[File:Candi Prambanan dan Sojiwan dari Ketinggian.jpg|thumb|Morning view<!--assuming the photo was taken at 5:30 AM like the Date parameter in the summary states-->]] There are a few hotels here if you want to spend the night (not such a bad idea if you want to see Prambanan before the crowds arrive and before the heat of the day sets in). However, most visitors take a day trip from [[Yogyakarta]] or [[Solo]]. * {{sleep | name=Candi View Hotel | url=https://business.google.com/website/candi-view-hotel | email= | address=Jalan Candi Sewu, Prambanan | lat=-7.74575 | long=110.49464 | directions= | phone=+62 274 7151222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 160,000 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Simple budget hotel on the main entrance road towards the rear of the complex. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Galuh | alt= | url=http://www.hotelgaluhprambanan.com/ | email=office@hotelgaluhprambanan.com | address=Jl Manisrenggo, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia | lat=-7.74945 | long=110.50086 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496855 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp330,000 | content=Mid-market hotel which is popular with local tour groups. North east of the main complex. Has a swimming pool and two tennis courts. }} * {{sleep | name=Abhayagiri Sumberwatu Heritage Resort | alt= | url=https://www.sumberwatuheritage.com/ | email= | address=Dusun Sumberwatu, Sambirejo, Prambanan 55572 | lat=-7.76876 | long=110.49699 | directions= | phone=+62 274 4469 277, +62 274 4469 266, +62 274 446 9255 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp1,134,000 | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=A resort located on a hill with views of Mount Merapi and Prambanan Temple. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code for Prambanan is the same as [[Solo]] - 0271 * Ambulance: 118. * Police: 110. The nearest police station to Prambanan is 3 km away at Klaten although officials at Prambanan more or less take the role of policemen. ==Go next== * [[Borobudur]], the largest Buddhist monument in the world, is an hour away by car. Travelling other than by car: public transport is available to take you east or west from here * East ** [[Surakarta]] * West ** [[Yogyakarta]] {{geo|-7.752222|110.491667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{guidepark}} p0nii183uada08x8no9uzp803owe1yj 4501835 4501833 2022-08-16T02:51:20Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Around Prambanan */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Prambanan_banner.jpg|unesco=yes|dotm=yes}} '''Prambanan''' is a complex of ancient [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temples in [[Central Java]], [[Indonesia]]. ==Understand== [[Image:Prambanan LaraJonggrang.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Candi Lara Jonggrang]] Prambanan is a collection of massive Hindu temples (''candi'') built by the '''Mataram Kingdom''', rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty. A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], in almost any other country a magnificent ancient monument on the scale of Prambanan would quickly be designated a national symbol. In Indonesia, though, it is somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring nature of nearby [[Borobudur]]. The two sites are quite different in style with Hindu Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jaggedly sculpted towers in contrast to the vast horizontal bulk of Buddhist Borobudur. ===History=== A temple was first built at the site around 850 CE by Rakai Pikatan and expanded extensively by King Lokapala and Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya, king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built to honour Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva) or Shiva-laya (the Realm of Shiva). According to Shivagrha inscription, a public water project to change the course of a river near Shivagrha Temple was conducted during the construction of the temple. It is therefore slightly later but more or less contemporaneous with [[Borobudur]]. In the 10th century the temple was largely abandoned after the Mataram dynasty moved its court base to East Java. {{infobox|The Legend of the Slender Virgin|After her father King Boko was defeated in battle, the Javanese princess Loro Jonggrang reluctantly agreed to marry his victor Prince Bandung, but only if he built a temple with 1,000 statues before sunrise. With the help of spirits, Bandung had completed 999, when the princess lit a fire to the east of the temple. Fooled into thinking it was dawn, roosters in the neighbouring village crowed and the spirits fled &mdash; and a furious Prince Bandung changed her into stone, the last and most beautiful of the statues.}} Most of the main temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century and the huge complex lay largely forgotten in the jungle. Following the Anglo-Dutch Java War, Java was briefly under British administration from 1811 to 1816. In 1811, a surveyor working for Thomas Stamford Raffles came upon the ruins of Prambanan by chance. The British and Raffles were not in power in Java long enough to really do much about Prambanan and looting became rife, with Dutch residents adorning their gardens with priceless statues and local people taking foundation stones and using them as construction material. Proper restoration began only in 1930 and still continues today. ===Architecture=== There used to be 240 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or been looted leaving just scattered stones. There are three zones: * '''The outer zone''' is a large open space that was once bounded by a large wall (long gone). The function of this space is disputed but was probably either a park or relaxation garden or the site of an ashram for temple priests Brahmins. * '''The middle zone''' consists of four rows of 224 identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Most of these are in ruins but a few have been fully restored. These shrines are called ''Candi Perwara'' (guardian temples). The 224 Pervara temples are arranged in 4 concentric square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52, 60 and 68. There are several theories about the design and use of these shrines. Some believe that each of the four rows represent a level of the Mataram caste system and each was designed to be used by one caste only. Other theories include that these were designed to receive submissive offerings to the king or that they are simply beautifully designed places for meditation. * '''The inner zone''' contains eight main temples and likewise, eight small shrines. This is certainly the holiest of the three zones and is a square elevated platform surrounded by a wall with gates corresponding to each of the four cardinal points. The three main inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper and Shiva the Destroyer. The three main temples are called Trimurti temples. Right in front of these three main temples lies three Vahana temples, which are dedicated to the vehicles (vahana) of each god: Nandi, Garuda, and Hamsa. The two Apit temples located between the rows of Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side. The 4 Kelir temples are small shrines located on 4 cardinal directions right beyond the 4 main gates of inner zone, and four Patok temples, four small shrines located on four corners of inner zone. ===Modern day Prambanan=== Prambanan was designated at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and its global profile as a tourist attraction rose markedly in the 1990s. The main Candi Loro Jonggrang is in a large, well-maintained park making this a pleasant and user-friendly place for visitors. To understand a little of Prambanan and to get around all of the temples, you will need to set aside the best part of a full day. The complex opens at 06:00 so it is no bad thing to stay the night beforehand and get in before the crowds arrive from 09:00. This would also allow a leisurely return to Yogyakarta or Solo in the mid-afternoon taking in some of the other archaeological sites on the Prambanan plain. You will be required to wear a sarong as a sign of respect for the site. The sarong is only necessary for the main complex after which they will take the sarong back so go there first if you find the sarong warm to wear. This is a wet part of Java and a visit outside of the November to March period has the best chance of providing a clear, sunny day. In the wake of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, some parts of Prambanan sustained significant damage. The big temple, Candi Siwa, was 60 percent damaged and subsequently renovated. Renovation of the Candis and the Prambanan site have been finished and were opened at the end of 2014 and as such all temples are open. ===Tourism Information Office=== * {{listing | name=PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur Prambanan Ratu Boko | url=https://borobudurpark.com/en/temple/prambanan-2/ | email=prambanan@borobudurpark.co.id | address=Jalan Raya Yogya - Solo Km 16 | lat=-7.75426 | long=110.49307 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496401 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The official government park authority for Prambanan. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-7.754|110.476|zoom=13}} The nearest major cities are [[Yogyakarta]], 17 km to the south west and [[Solo]] about 40 km to the north east. The main road connecting these two large cities passes right by Prambanan and this makes transport links very straightforward. The nearest actual town to Prambanan is Klaten, about 3 km to the north. ===By plane=== '''Yogyakarta International Airport''' ({{IATA|YIA}}) is well served by domestic flights from [[Jakarta]], [[Bali]], other major domestic destinations and internationally from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. An airport train is available to Yogyakarta which takes 43 minutes, where you can transfer to the KRL to Prambanan. '''Yogyakarta Adisucipto Airport''' ({{IATA|JOG}}) is served by domestic propeller flights. It is 10 kilometres from here to Prambanan. The KRL train from Maguwo Station at Adisutjipto Airport to Prambanan costs Rp8,000 and takes about 8 minutes. A taxi direct from the airport should cost about Rp 50,000 and take about 20 minutes. '''Solo airport''' ({{IATA|SOC}}) is much smaller but has several flights each day from [[Jakarta]] and is also connected internationally from [[Singapore]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. Prambanan is about 90 minutes by bus from Solo airport. ===By bus=== TransJogja, [[Yogyakarta]]'s newest bus service, also serves a direct route to Prambanan. The bus is air-conditioned and comfortable, but sometimes can be overcrowded. Take number 1A from Malioboro street (Rp 3,500 one way). The first one leaves around 06:00, then every 20 minutes. Depending on traffic, the journey normally takes around 30 minutes, but can take an hour when traffic is heavy for only about 20 kilometers drive. From the terminal station, cross the busy road, and turn right. Walk around 500 m to the pedestrian entrance, ignoring any non-signposted vehicle gates. There are regular buses from Yogyakarta's Umbulharjo bus station (30 minutes), as well as a wide variety of tour agency-operated minibuses shuttling directly from Yogyakarta's backpacker haunts. Local buses to/from [[Solo]] are also easy to find (90 minutes). ===By train=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Brambanan Station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.75658 | long=110.49995 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q2467484 | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=The station is a nine-minute walk from the temple complex. The [http://www.krl.co.id/ KRL commuter train] from Yogyakarta and Solo stops here. There are eleven trains from Solo and eleven trains from Yogyakarta every day. A journey from Yogyakarta takes about 30 minutes, and from Solo it takes about an hour. The station's name is not a misspelling; it has been that way since the Dutch colonial era. A one-way trip costs Rp8,000. To ride the train, you can use a refillable '''multi-trip card''' that can be purchased at a ticket counter or vending machine at the station for Rp30,000 (initial balance contains Rp10,000). The multi-trip card is also valid for KRL commuter trains in [[Jakarta]]. '''Electronic money or bank-issued prepaid cards''' are a better alternative, as any credits are also usable for purchases at major retailers and convenience stores, the toll road, parking, and other public transportation (MRT and Transjakarta in Jakarta). Bank Mandiri's e-money or e-toll card, BCA's Flazz, BNI's tap-cash, BRI's BRIZZI, or Bank DKI's JakCard, are obtainable at the respective banks and minimarts such as Alfamart and Indomaret. }} ===By taxi=== A taxi from the center of Yogyakarta costs around Rp60,000. The driver may be prepared to wait free of charge for an hour or so and then take you back for the same price, giving a total cost of Rp120,000. ==Get around== Prambanan can be fairly easily covered on foot. If the midday heat is too much, a '''toy train''' shuttles around the park for Rp5,000. ==See== [[File:Main shrine of Prambanan temples.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Candi Siva is the tallest temple at Prambanan.]] The main site of modern day Prambanan complex is inside a large, landscaped park. The complex is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00. Try to get there early to beat the heat. Entry costs Indonesians Rp 50,000 and Rp 25,000 for children under 10 years old, while foreigners are charged RP 350,000. Guides can be hired at the ticket office for about Rp 150,000, which is a good idea as it's a complex monument. * {{see|name=Candi Prambanan|alt=Candi Rara Jonggrang|lat=-7.752222|long=110.491667|content=is the largest and most-visited of the temples just to the left of the main entrance. While there were 237 temples built, most have long since crumbled and the main remaining attractions are the six temples of the central court, richly decorated with carved reliefs. Three of them, known as the ''Trimurti'' ("three sacred places"), are particularly important}} ** '''Candi Siva''', dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer, is the largest of the six, rising to a height of {{convert|45|metres|feet}}. There are fine reliefs of the ''Ramayana'' in its forecourt and four chambers with statues. The largest chamber, to the east, contains a statue of Shiva, while the south has the sage Agastya, the west his son Ganesh (the elephant-headed) and the north his wife Durga. Durga is also known as '''Lara Jonggrang''' ("Slender Virgin"), a legendary beautiful princess turned to stone (see box). ** '''Candi Brahma''', to the south, continues the story of the Ramayana and has a statue of Brahma the Creator inside. ** '''Candi Vishnu''', to the north, tells the story of Vishnu's avatar Krishna and has a statue of Vishnu the Preserver inside. ** Opposite the three large temples are three smaller temples originally dedicated to the '''vehicles''' of the gods. Only the statue of '''Nandi''', Shiva's bull, has survived. * {{see|name=Candi Lumbung|lat=-7.7481621|long=110.4930003}} - translating to "rice barn temple", it is similar in appearance to nearby Candi Sewu but smaller in size. The temple is in a quite good condition, and made up of a main temple and 16 smaller ones. * {{see|name=Candi Bubrah|lat=-7.746444|long=110.4929303}} - this temple is believed to be part of the Sewu complex, and was found in ruins in the early 19th century and the name indeed translates to "ruin temple". It's no longer a ruin as the restoration was finished in 2017. Bubrah is the guardian temple of the southern direction and has one main stupa in the middle and several small ones on its roof. [[Image:Sewu_Temple.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Buddhist Candi Sewu]] * {{see | name=Candi Sewu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.743889 | long=110.4925 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2936254 | content=a large Buddhist temple complex meaning "one thousand temples", is one kilometre north of the entrance gate and contains a large central temple surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones. Despite its name, the complex only consists of 249 temples. The size of the renovated and intricately decorated central temple is impressive but the statue niches are all empty. Take note of the Borobudur style stupas. Entrance from the east side only. }} * {{see|name=Prambanan Museum|lat=-7.7493338|long=110.4933843|content=North of Candi Lara Jonggrang is a poorly displayed museum laid out in a series of small houses connected by walkways. Explanations are minimal, but entry is free so you might as well take a look.}} *'''Prambanan Audio Visual''', inside the museum grounds, is the park's term for screenings of a film entitled "Cosmic Harmony", which lambasts the "industrial world" in general (and [[Jakarta]] in particular), and gives a fairly basic explanation of the Prambanan site. Still, it makes for a fairly entertaining half-hour break and Rp 5,000 is not too bad a price to pay for the air-con. The film is available in several languages. ===Around Prambanan=== [[File:Prambanan Plain Map en.svg|thumb|right|300px|The map of temples around Prambanan Plain.]] Other than temples within Prambanan archaeological park (Prambanan, Lumbung, Bubrah and Sewu temples) there are also other less visited and less touristy temples around Prambanan plain. If you interested in ancient Javanese temple architecture, the off the beaten path temples on hill tops or in the middle of the rice paddies through villages might interest you. After your visit to Prambanan, the Prambanan Archaeological park offers the group tour to these outlying temples, especially Ratu Boko. However if you prefer going on your own, rent and riding ''andong'', a type of horse carriage (you must state the destination, for example Plaosan temple, and bargain for the price), or by taxi (if you took one from Yogyakarta earlier that has been waiting for you since there is no taxi around Prambanan area), or by daily rented car if you rent one earlier in Yogyakarta. The entrance of these minor temples are guarded by archaeology bureau authorities. They will hand you a guest book and expect you to fill in your identity: name, origin and your opinion. It is for statistic purpose on visitors' data for each temple. There is no specific ticket rate to enter these temples (except of Ratu Boko), however the temple guard might expect donation, although you are not obliged; Rp5,000 is sufficient. [[Image:Plaosan Temple Guardian.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Candi Plaosan, near Prambanan]] * {{see|name=Candi Plaosan|lat=-7.740278|long=110.504444|content=This Buddhist temple is about 2 km east of the northern edge of Prambanan park complex and is easily walkable from there. There are two large structures - Plaosan Lor (north) and Plaosan Kidul (south). This complex gives a good insight into the close relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism in 9th-century Java. Buddhist Plaosan was built during the same reign as Candi Loro Jonggrang. The Hindu king at the time had a Buddhist wife. There are some excellent intact reliefs and statues of Boddhisattvas here although most of the statuary was looted long ago.|price = Rp3,000}} * {{see|name=Candi Sojiwan|lat=-7.760833|long=110.495833|content=A Buddhist temple with architecture similar to Mendut temple near Borobudur. The temple was restored in 2012. The main chamber is empty and the temple is notable for its Jataka fable Buddhist tales carved on panels around its foot. In a village 1.5 km south of Prambanan between Prambanan and Ratu Boko.}} * {{see | name=Kraton Ratu Boko | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.77 | long=110.488889 | directions=take the minor road from Prambanan towards Piyungan and this palace is on your left after about 3 km | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3111557 | content=South of Prambanan. It is a ruined palace or temple of uncertain origin, located on a hilltop 200 metres above the Prambanan plain (which makes for good pictures using a zoom lens). Only some building foundations remain and it's difficult to make any sense of the site. Now incorporated into the Borobudur Park Authority, entry to Ratu Boko is a separately charged US$10. }} * {{see|name=Banyunibo|lat=-7.778031|long=110.49418|content=A 9th-century Buddhist temple|directions=Ask for the information and direction in Ratu Boko park authority. Take the village road southeast from Ratu Boko around 1.5 km.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Candi Barong | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7757 | long=110.4972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-23 | content=Located east of Ratu Boko on the neighboring hilltop, close to Banyunibo. It is a Hindu temple on the stone platform on the hill overlooking the valley. }} * {{see|name=Candi Ijo|lat=-7.783889|long=110.512222|content=located further 4 kilometres southeast from Ratu Boko. The Hindu temple houses a large Linggam and Yoni symbol of Shiva. The temple consists of one main temple with three lesser templed. Because it is on the hilltop of another hill and quite remote, it is advisable to reach these temples by taxi (from Yogyakarta) or rented car.}} * {{see | name=Candi Kalasan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.766944 | long=110.472778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3517565 | content=This Buddhist temple is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain 3 km west of Prambanan. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta, after 3 km the temple can be seen easily on south (left) side of the road. It is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain. According to Kalasan inscription, it was built to honour Tara, a female boddhisattva. The temple throne is now empty, statue of Tara probably made from bronze and have been looted for scrap metals for centuries, however the carvings of boddhisttvas are interesting. }} * {{see|name=Candi Sari|lat=-7.761525|long=110.474167|content=This Buddhist temple was the vihara (temple and lodging) for Buddhist monks. Several hundreds meters north from the Kalasan temple in a walking distance. Just cross the main road to north side, walk east heading to Prambanan direction, after several hundred metres turn left into small village road and heading north until the temple is visible. The carving of Taras and Boddhisattvas are exquisite. Examine the winged human celestial creature similar to angels on the northern wall. The temple was originally coated by white plaster called 'vajralepa'. The temple was two storeys, with an upper deck made from wooden structure, the remnant of place to hold wooden beams can be seen.}} * {{see|name=Candi Sambisari|lat=-7.7625|long=110.4469|content=This Hindu temple pre-dates Prambanan by about 30 years, was only discovered in 1966, and is remarkably complete. Some archaeologists speculate that it is part of a yet to be discovered, much larger complex which lies hidden under centuries of volcanic ash and earth on the Prambanan Plain. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta. When you reach the village of Sambisari, turn north (right) and follow the small road to the end.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gebang|lat=-7.7514278|long=110.416224|content=A small Hindu temple discovered in 1937 near the Yogyakarta northern ring-road. The temple displays the statue of Ganesha and interesting carvings of faces on the roof section.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gana|lat=-7.7439517|long=110.4961166|content=Rich in statues, bas-reliefs and sculpted stones. Frequent representations of children or dwarfs with raised hands. In the middle of housing complex. Under restoration since 1997.}} * {{see|name=Candi Kedulan|lat=-7.7425856|long=110.4696915|content=Discovered in 1994 by sand diggers, {{convert|4|metres|feet}} deep. Square base of main temple visible. Secondary temples not yet fully excavated.}} [[Image:Ramayana dance performance at Prambanan Temple 2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ramayana Ballet performance at Prambanan]] ==Do== * {{do | name=Ramayana Ballet Prambanan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7520 | long=110.4885 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=The ticket price in 2015 wass between Rp 100,000 to Rp 350,000. | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=An '''open-air theatre''' inside the park, just west of Candi Prambanan right across the Opak river, has '''ballet''' Javanese dance performances of the great Hindu epic '''Ramayana''' on four nights during each full moon between May and October (dry season). The performance involves around 200 artists; dancers and gamelan musicians for about 2 hours, and is performed on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. This performance, set against the starry sky and the lit backdrop of Prambanan with new LED lighting, is quite spell-binding. Enquire at travel agents locally or at your hotel for tickets and times. During the rainy season (November to April) the performance is held in the smaller indoor Trimurti theatre. }} * * {{do | name=Prambanan Jazz Festival | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/prambananjazz/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-11-19 | content=The annual jazz music festival that is usually held around July, where local and international musicians play. }} ==Buy== Hawkers hassle tourists near the entry gate but will generally take the hint after a ''terima kasih'' (thank you) or two. There is a large {{Marker|type=buy|lat=-7.7531 | long=110.4949|name=market}} just outside the gate selling lots of touristy souvenirs. Those shops can be found on your way out from the complex and usually will take you 5-10 minutes to navigate. ==Eat== There are many good value Indonesian [[Indonesia#Places to eat|warungs]] in and around Prambanan. A good tip is to follow the local Indonesian tourists - they always know which has the best food. * {{eat | name=Taman Prambanan Restoran | alt=Pendopo Taman Prambanan | url= | email= | address=Jl. Candi Sewu, Bener, Bugisan | lat=-7.74127 | long=110.49420| directions=close to the entrance gate | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serves typical Javanese dishes at very competitive prices. }} * {{eat | name=Restoran Prambanan | alt=Prambanan restaurant | url= | email= | address=Candi Prambanan, Tlogo | lat=-7.75040 | long=110.49439 | directions=just east from the museum. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Offers rice with various side dishes from Rp 10,000. }} * {{eat | name=Ramayana Resto | alt=Prambanan Garden Resto | url=https://ramayana-resto.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Raya Solo | lat=-7.75246 | long=110.48860 | directions=on the west side of the temple next to Prambanan open air stage. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serving Indonesian food buffet with Rp 75,000 per pax. Usually visited in late afternoon to nightfall for a stop over dinner while waiting for Prambanan Ramayana Ballet performance next door at 19:30. The restaurant is set against the majestic flood-lit Prambanan temple as the background which make a romantic setting for dinner while waiting for the Javanese dance performance. }} ==Drink== Drink hawkers are omnipresent. The museum also has a drinks stand and there are benches scattered throughout the park for a quick break. After a walk around Prambanan in the heat, a glass of fresh local juice or a pitcher of iced Javanese tea goes down very well. ==Sleep== [[File:Candi Prambanan dan Sojiwan dari Ketinggian.jpg|thumb|Morning view<!--assuming the photo was taken at 5:30 AM like the Date parameter in the summary states-->]] There are a few hotels here if you want to spend the night (not such a bad idea if you want to see Prambanan before the crowds arrive and before the heat of the day sets in). However, most visitors take a day trip from [[Yogyakarta]] or [[Solo]]. * {{sleep | name=Candi View Hotel | url=https://business.google.com/website/candi-view-hotel | email= | address=Jalan Candi Sewu, Prambanan | lat=-7.74575 | long=110.49464 | directions= | phone=+62 274 7151222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 160,000 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Simple budget hotel on the main entrance road towards the rear of the complex. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Galuh | alt= | url=http://www.hotelgaluhprambanan.com/ | email=office@hotelgaluhprambanan.com | address=Jl Manisrenggo, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia | lat=-7.74945 | long=110.50086 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496855 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp330,000 | content=Mid-market hotel which is popular with local tour groups. North east of the main complex. Has a swimming pool and two tennis courts. }} * {{sleep | name=Abhayagiri Sumberwatu Heritage Resort | alt= | url=https://www.sumberwatuheritage.com/ | email= | address=Dusun Sumberwatu, Sambirejo, Prambanan 55572 | lat=-7.76876 | long=110.49699 | directions= | phone=+62 274 4469 277, +62 274 4469 266, +62 274 446 9255 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp1,134,000 | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=A resort located on a hill with views of Mount Merapi and Prambanan Temple. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code for Prambanan is the same as [[Solo]] - 0271 * Ambulance: 118. * Police: 110. The nearest police station to Prambanan is 3 km away at Klaten although officials at Prambanan more or less take the role of policemen. ==Go next== * [[Borobudur]], the largest Buddhist monument in the world, is an hour away by car. Travelling other than by car: public transport is available to take you east or west from here * East ** [[Surakarta]] * West ** [[Yogyakarta]] {{geo|-7.752222|110.491667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{guidepark}} i7024epgl1p50x7zou2lwshp5jsdob9 4501836 4501835 2022-08-16T02:52:11Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Eat */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Prambanan_banner.jpg|unesco=yes|dotm=yes}} '''Prambanan''' is a complex of ancient [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temples in [[Central Java]], [[Indonesia]]. ==Understand== [[Image:Prambanan LaraJonggrang.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Candi Lara Jonggrang]] Prambanan is a collection of massive Hindu temples (''candi'') built by the '''Mataram Kingdom''', rulers of central Java and defeaters of the Sailendra Dynasty. A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], in almost any other country a magnificent ancient monument on the scale of Prambanan would quickly be designated a national symbol. In Indonesia, though, it is somewhat overshadowed by the even more awe-inspiring nature of nearby [[Borobudur]]. The two sites are quite different in style with Hindu Prambanan being a collection of sharp, jaggedly sculpted towers in contrast to the vast horizontal bulk of Buddhist Borobudur. ===History=== A temple was first built at the site around 850 CE by Rakai Pikatan and expanded extensively by King Lokapala and Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya, king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built to honour Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva) or Shiva-laya (the Realm of Shiva). According to Shivagrha inscription, a public water project to change the course of a river near Shivagrha Temple was conducted during the construction of the temple. It is therefore slightly later but more or less contemporaneous with [[Borobudur]]. In the 10th century the temple was largely abandoned after the Mataram dynasty moved its court base to East Java. {{infobox|The Legend of the Slender Virgin|After her father King Boko was defeated in battle, the Javanese princess Loro Jonggrang reluctantly agreed to marry his victor Prince Bandung, but only if he built a temple with 1,000 statues before sunrise. With the help of spirits, Bandung had completed 999, when the princess lit a fire to the east of the temple. Fooled into thinking it was dawn, roosters in the neighbouring village crowed and the spirits fled &mdash; and a furious Prince Bandung changed her into stone, the last and most beautiful of the statues.}} Most of the main temples collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century and the huge complex lay largely forgotten in the jungle. Following the Anglo-Dutch Java War, Java was briefly under British administration from 1811 to 1816. In 1811, a surveyor working for Thomas Stamford Raffles came upon the ruins of Prambanan by chance. The British and Raffles were not in power in Java long enough to really do much about Prambanan and looting became rife, with Dutch residents adorning their gardens with priceless statues and local people taking foundation stones and using them as construction material. Proper restoration began only in 1930 and still continues today. ===Architecture=== There used to be 240 temples in the complex but many of them have deteriorated or been looted leaving just scattered stones. There are three zones: * '''The outer zone''' is a large open space that was once bounded by a large wall (long gone). The function of this space is disputed but was probably either a park or relaxation garden or the site of an ashram for temple priests Brahmins. * '''The middle zone''' consists of four rows of 224 identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Most of these are in ruins but a few have been fully restored. These shrines are called ''Candi Perwara'' (guardian temples). The 224 Pervara temples are arranged in 4 concentric square rows; numbers of temples from inner row to outer row are: 44, 52, 60 and 68. There are several theories about the design and use of these shrines. Some believe that each of the four rows represent a level of the Mataram caste system and each was designed to be used by one caste only. Other theories include that these were designed to receive submissive offerings to the king or that they are simply beautifully designed places for meditation. * '''The inner zone''' contains eight main temples and likewise, eight small shrines. This is certainly the holiest of the three zones and is a square elevated platform surrounded by a wall with gates corresponding to each of the four cardinal points. The three main inner shrines are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper and Shiva the Destroyer. The three main temples are called Trimurti temples. Right in front of these three main temples lies three Vahana temples, which are dedicated to the vehicles (vahana) of each god: Nandi, Garuda, and Hamsa. The two Apit temples located between the rows of Trimurti and Vahana temples on north and south side. The 4 Kelir temples are small shrines located on 4 cardinal directions right beyond the 4 main gates of inner zone, and four Patok temples, four small shrines located on four corners of inner zone. ===Modern day Prambanan=== Prambanan was designated at a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and its global profile as a tourist attraction rose markedly in the 1990s. The main Candi Loro Jonggrang is in a large, well-maintained park making this a pleasant and user-friendly place for visitors. To understand a little of Prambanan and to get around all of the temples, you will need to set aside the best part of a full day. The complex opens at 06:00 so it is no bad thing to stay the night beforehand and get in before the crowds arrive from 09:00. This would also allow a leisurely return to Yogyakarta or Solo in the mid-afternoon taking in some of the other archaeological sites on the Prambanan plain. You will be required to wear a sarong as a sign of respect for the site. The sarong is only necessary for the main complex after which they will take the sarong back so go there first if you find the sarong warm to wear. This is a wet part of Java and a visit outside of the November to March period has the best chance of providing a clear, sunny day. In the wake of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, some parts of Prambanan sustained significant damage. The big temple, Candi Siwa, was 60 percent damaged and subsequently renovated. Renovation of the Candis and the Prambanan site have been finished and were opened at the end of 2014 and as such all temples are open. ===Tourism Information Office=== * {{listing | name=PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur Prambanan Ratu Boko | url=https://borobudurpark.com/en/temple/prambanan-2/ | email=prambanan@borobudurpark.co.id | address=Jalan Raya Yogya - Solo Km 16 | lat=-7.75426 | long=110.49307 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496401 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The official government park authority for Prambanan. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|-7.754|110.476|zoom=13}} The nearest major cities are [[Yogyakarta]], 17 km to the south west and [[Solo]] about 40 km to the north east. The main road connecting these two large cities passes right by Prambanan and this makes transport links very straightforward. The nearest actual town to Prambanan is Klaten, about 3 km to the north. ===By plane=== '''Yogyakarta International Airport''' ({{IATA|YIA}}) is well served by domestic flights from [[Jakarta]], [[Bali]], other major domestic destinations and internationally from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. An airport train is available to Yogyakarta which takes 43 minutes, where you can transfer to the KRL to Prambanan. '''Yogyakarta Adisucipto Airport''' ({{IATA|JOG}}) is served by domestic propeller flights. It is 10 kilometres from here to Prambanan. The KRL train from Maguwo Station at Adisutjipto Airport to Prambanan costs Rp8,000 and takes about 8 minutes. A taxi direct from the airport should cost about Rp 50,000 and take about 20 minutes. '''Solo airport''' ({{IATA|SOC}}) is much smaller but has several flights each day from [[Jakarta]] and is also connected internationally from [[Singapore]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]]. Prambanan is about 90 minutes by bus from Solo airport. ===By bus=== TransJogja, [[Yogyakarta]]'s newest bus service, also serves a direct route to Prambanan. The bus is air-conditioned and comfortable, but sometimes can be overcrowded. Take number 1A from Malioboro street (Rp 3,500 one way). The first one leaves around 06:00, then every 20 minutes. Depending on traffic, the journey normally takes around 30 minutes, but can take an hour when traffic is heavy for only about 20 kilometers drive. From the terminal station, cross the busy road, and turn right. Walk around 500 m to the pedestrian entrance, ignoring any non-signposted vehicle gates. There are regular buses from Yogyakarta's Umbulharjo bus station (30 minutes), as well as a wide variety of tour agency-operated minibuses shuttling directly from Yogyakarta's backpacker haunts. Local buses to/from [[Solo]] are also easy to find (90 minutes). ===By train=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Brambanan Station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.75658 | long=110.49995 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q2467484 | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=The station is a nine-minute walk from the temple complex. The [http://www.krl.co.id/ KRL commuter train] from Yogyakarta and Solo stops here. There are eleven trains from Solo and eleven trains from Yogyakarta every day. A journey from Yogyakarta takes about 30 minutes, and from Solo it takes about an hour. The station's name is not a misspelling; it has been that way since the Dutch colonial era. A one-way trip costs Rp8,000. To ride the train, you can use a refillable '''multi-trip card''' that can be purchased at a ticket counter or vending machine at the station for Rp30,000 (initial balance contains Rp10,000). The multi-trip card is also valid for KRL commuter trains in [[Jakarta]]. '''Electronic money or bank-issued prepaid cards''' are a better alternative, as any credits are also usable for purchases at major retailers and convenience stores, the toll road, parking, and other public transportation (MRT and Transjakarta in Jakarta). Bank Mandiri's e-money or e-toll card, BCA's Flazz, BNI's tap-cash, BRI's BRIZZI, or Bank DKI's JakCard, are obtainable at the respective banks and minimarts such as Alfamart and Indomaret. }} ===By taxi=== A taxi from the center of Yogyakarta costs around Rp60,000. The driver may be prepared to wait free of charge for an hour or so and then take you back for the same price, giving a total cost of Rp120,000. ==Get around== Prambanan can be fairly easily covered on foot. If the midday heat is too much, a '''toy train''' shuttles around the park for Rp5,000. ==See== [[File:Main shrine of Prambanan temples.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Candi Siva is the tallest temple at Prambanan.]] The main site of modern day Prambanan complex is inside a large, landscaped park. The complex is open daily from 06:00 to 18:00. Try to get there early to beat the heat. Entry costs Indonesians Rp 50,000 and Rp 25,000 for children under 10 years old, while foreigners are charged RP 350,000. Guides can be hired at the ticket office for about Rp 150,000, which is a good idea as it's a complex monument. * {{see|name=Candi Prambanan|alt=Candi Rara Jonggrang|lat=-7.752222|long=110.491667|content=is the largest and most-visited of the temples just to the left of the main entrance. While there were 237 temples built, most have long since crumbled and the main remaining attractions are the six temples of the central court, richly decorated with carved reliefs. Three of them, known as the ''Trimurti'' ("three sacred places"), are particularly important}} ** '''Candi Siva''', dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer, is the largest of the six, rising to a height of {{convert|45|metres|feet}}. There are fine reliefs of the ''Ramayana'' in its forecourt and four chambers with statues. The largest chamber, to the east, contains a statue of Shiva, while the south has the sage Agastya, the west his son Ganesh (the elephant-headed) and the north his wife Durga. Durga is also known as '''Lara Jonggrang''' ("Slender Virgin"), a legendary beautiful princess turned to stone (see box). ** '''Candi Brahma''', to the south, continues the story of the Ramayana and has a statue of Brahma the Creator inside. ** '''Candi Vishnu''', to the north, tells the story of Vishnu's avatar Krishna and has a statue of Vishnu the Preserver inside. ** Opposite the three large temples are three smaller temples originally dedicated to the '''vehicles''' of the gods. Only the statue of '''Nandi''', Shiva's bull, has survived. * {{see|name=Candi Lumbung|lat=-7.7481621|long=110.4930003}} - translating to "rice barn temple", it is similar in appearance to nearby Candi Sewu but smaller in size. The temple is in a quite good condition, and made up of a main temple and 16 smaller ones. * {{see|name=Candi Bubrah|lat=-7.746444|long=110.4929303}} - this temple is believed to be part of the Sewu complex, and was found in ruins in the early 19th century and the name indeed translates to "ruin temple". It's no longer a ruin as the restoration was finished in 2017. Bubrah is the guardian temple of the southern direction and has one main stupa in the middle and several small ones on its roof. [[Image:Sewu_Temple.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Buddhist Candi Sewu]] * {{see | name=Candi Sewu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.743889 | long=110.4925 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2936254 | content=a large Buddhist temple complex meaning "one thousand temples", is one kilometre north of the entrance gate and contains a large central temple surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones. Despite its name, the complex only consists of 249 temples. The size of the renovated and intricately decorated central temple is impressive but the statue niches are all empty. Take note of the Borobudur style stupas. Entrance from the east side only. }} * {{see|name=Prambanan Museum|lat=-7.7493338|long=110.4933843|content=North of Candi Lara Jonggrang is a poorly displayed museum laid out in a series of small houses connected by walkways. Explanations are minimal, but entry is free so you might as well take a look.}} *'''Prambanan Audio Visual''', inside the museum grounds, is the park's term for screenings of a film entitled "Cosmic Harmony", which lambasts the "industrial world" in general (and [[Jakarta]] in particular), and gives a fairly basic explanation of the Prambanan site. Still, it makes for a fairly entertaining half-hour break and Rp 5,000 is not too bad a price to pay for the air-con. The film is available in several languages. ===Around Prambanan=== [[File:Prambanan Plain Map en.svg|thumb|right|300px|The map of temples around Prambanan Plain.]] Other than temples within Prambanan archaeological park (Prambanan, Lumbung, Bubrah and Sewu temples) there are also other less visited and less touristy temples around Prambanan plain. If you interested in ancient Javanese temple architecture, the off the beaten path temples on hill tops or in the middle of the rice paddies through villages might interest you. After your visit to Prambanan, the Prambanan Archaeological park offers the group tour to these outlying temples, especially Ratu Boko. However if you prefer going on your own, rent and riding ''andong'', a type of horse carriage (you must state the destination, for example Plaosan temple, and bargain for the price), or by taxi (if you took one from Yogyakarta earlier that has been waiting for you since there is no taxi around Prambanan area), or by daily rented car if you rent one earlier in Yogyakarta. The entrance of these minor temples are guarded by archaeology bureau authorities. They will hand you a guest book and expect you to fill in your identity: name, origin and your opinion. It is for statistic purpose on visitors' data for each temple. There is no specific ticket rate to enter these temples (except of Ratu Boko), however the temple guard might expect donation, although you are not obliged; Rp5,000 is sufficient. [[Image:Plaosan Temple Guardian.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Candi Plaosan, near Prambanan]] * {{see|name=Candi Plaosan|lat=-7.740278|long=110.504444|content=This Buddhist temple is about 2 km east of the northern edge of Prambanan park complex and is easily walkable from there. There are two large structures - Plaosan Lor (north) and Plaosan Kidul (south). This complex gives a good insight into the close relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism in 9th-century Java. Buddhist Plaosan was built during the same reign as Candi Loro Jonggrang. The Hindu king at the time had a Buddhist wife. There are some excellent intact reliefs and statues of Boddhisattvas here although most of the statuary was looted long ago.|price = Rp3,000}} * {{see|name=Candi Sojiwan|lat=-7.760833|long=110.495833|content=A Buddhist temple with architecture similar to Mendut temple near Borobudur. The temple was restored in 2012. The main chamber is empty and the temple is notable for its Jataka fable Buddhist tales carved on panels around its foot. In a village 1.5 km south of Prambanan between Prambanan and Ratu Boko.}} * {{see | name=Kraton Ratu Boko | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.77 | long=110.488889 | directions=take the minor road from Prambanan towards Piyungan and this palace is on your left after about 3 km | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3111557 | content=South of Prambanan. It is a ruined palace or temple of uncertain origin, located on a hilltop 200 metres above the Prambanan plain (which makes for good pictures using a zoom lens). Only some building foundations remain and it's difficult to make any sense of the site. Now incorporated into the Borobudur Park Authority, entry to Ratu Boko is a separately charged US$10. }} * {{see|name=Banyunibo|lat=-7.778031|long=110.49418|content=A 9th-century Buddhist temple|directions=Ask for the information and direction in Ratu Boko park authority. Take the village road southeast from Ratu Boko around 1.5 km.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Candi Barong | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7757 | long=110.4972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-23 | content=Located east of Ratu Boko on the neighboring hilltop, close to Banyunibo. It is a Hindu temple on the stone platform on the hill overlooking the valley. }} * {{see|name=Candi Ijo|lat=-7.783889|long=110.512222|content=located further 4 kilometres southeast from Ratu Boko. The Hindu temple houses a large Linggam and Yoni symbol of Shiva. The temple consists of one main temple with three lesser templed. Because it is on the hilltop of another hill and quite remote, it is advisable to reach these temples by taxi (from Yogyakarta) or rented car.}} * {{see | name=Candi Kalasan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.766944 | long=110.472778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3517565 | content=This Buddhist temple is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain 3 km west of Prambanan. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta, after 3 km the temple can be seen easily on south (left) side of the road. It is the oldest temple in Prambanan plain. According to Kalasan inscription, it was built to honour Tara, a female boddhisattva. The temple throne is now empty, statue of Tara probably made from bronze and have been looted for scrap metals for centuries, however the carvings of boddhisttvas are interesting. }} * {{see|name=Candi Sari|lat=-7.761525|long=110.474167|content=This Buddhist temple was the vihara (temple and lodging) for Buddhist monks. Several hundreds meters north from the Kalasan temple in a walking distance. Just cross the main road to north side, walk east heading to Prambanan direction, after several hundred metres turn left into small village road and heading north until the temple is visible. The carving of Taras and Boddhisattvas are exquisite. Examine the winged human celestial creature similar to angels on the northern wall. The temple was originally coated by white plaster called 'vajralepa'. The temple was two storeys, with an upper deck made from wooden structure, the remnant of place to hold wooden beams can be seen.}} * {{see|name=Candi Sambisari|lat=-7.7625|long=110.4469|content=This Hindu temple pre-dates Prambanan by about 30 years, was only discovered in 1966, and is remarkably complete. Some archaeologists speculate that it is part of a yet to be discovered, much larger complex which lies hidden under centuries of volcanic ash and earth on the Prambanan Plain. Take the main road from Prambanan heading back towards Yogyakarta. When you reach the village of Sambisari, turn north (right) and follow the small road to the end.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gebang|lat=-7.7514278|long=110.416224|content=A small Hindu temple discovered in 1937 near the Yogyakarta northern ring-road. The temple displays the statue of Ganesha and interesting carvings of faces on the roof section.}} * {{see|name=Candi Gana|lat=-7.7439517|long=110.4961166|content=Rich in statues, bas-reliefs and sculpted stones. Frequent representations of children or dwarfs with raised hands. In the middle of housing complex. Under restoration since 1997.}} * {{see|name=Candi Kedulan|lat=-7.7425856|long=110.4696915|content=Discovered in 1994 by sand diggers, {{convert|4|metres|feet}} deep. Square base of main temple visible. Secondary temples not yet fully excavated.}} [[Image:Ramayana dance performance at Prambanan Temple 2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ramayana Ballet performance at Prambanan]] ==Do== * {{do | name=Ramayana Ballet Prambanan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.7520 | long=110.4885 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=The ticket price in 2015 wass between Rp 100,000 to Rp 350,000. | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=An '''open-air theatre''' inside the park, just west of Candi Prambanan right across the Opak river, has '''ballet''' Javanese dance performances of the great Hindu epic '''Ramayana''' on four nights during each full moon between May and October (dry season). The performance involves around 200 artists; dancers and gamelan musicians for about 2 hours, and is performed on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. This performance, set against the starry sky and the lit backdrop of Prambanan with new LED lighting, is quite spell-binding. Enquire at travel agents locally or at your hotel for tickets and times. During the rainy season (November to April) the performance is held in the smaller indoor Trimurti theatre. }} * * {{do | name=Prambanan Jazz Festival | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/prambananjazz/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-11-19 | content=The annual jazz music festival that is usually held around July, where local and international musicians play. }} ==Buy== Hawkers hassle tourists near the entry gate but will generally take the hint after a ''terima kasih'' (thank you) or two. There is a large {{Marker|type=buy|lat=-7.7531 | long=110.4949|name=market}} just outside the gate selling lots of touristy souvenirs. Those shops can be found on your way out from the complex and usually will take you 5-10 minutes to navigate. ==Eat== There are many good value Indonesian [[Indonesia#Places to eat|warungs]] in and around Prambanan. A good tip is to follow the local Indonesian tourists - they always know which has the best food. * {{eat | name=Taman Prambanan Restoran | alt=Pendopo Taman Prambanan | url= | email= | address=Jl. Candi Sewu, Bener, Bugisan | lat=-7.74127 | long=110.49420| directions=close to the entrance gate | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serves typical Javanese dishes at very competitive prices. }} * {{eat | name=Restoran Prambanan | alt=Prambanan restaurant | url= | email= | address=Candi Prambanan, Tlogo | lat=-7.75040 | long=110.49439 | directions=just east from the museum. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Offers rice with various side dishes from Rp10,000. }} * {{eat | name=Ramayana Resto | alt=Prambanan Garden Resto | url=https://ramayana-resto.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Raya Solo | lat=-7.75246 | long=110.48860 | directions=on the west side of the temple next to the Prambanan open-air stage. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-03-29 | content=Serving Indonesian food buffet with Rp75,000 per pax. Usually visited in late afternoon to nightfall for a stop over dinner while waiting for Prambanan Ramayana Ballet performance next door at 19:30. The restaurant is set against the majestic flood-lit Prambanan temple as the background which make a romantic setting for dinner while waiting for the Javanese dance performance. }} ==Drink== Drink hawkers are omnipresent. The museum also has a drinks stand and there are benches scattered throughout the park for a quick break. After a walk around Prambanan in the heat, a glass of fresh local juice or a pitcher of iced Javanese tea goes down very well. ==Sleep== [[File:Candi Prambanan dan Sojiwan dari Ketinggian.jpg|thumb|Morning view<!--assuming the photo was taken at 5:30 AM like the Date parameter in the summary states-->]] There are a few hotels here if you want to spend the night (not such a bad idea if you want to see Prambanan before the crowds arrive and before the heat of the day sets in). However, most visitors take a day trip from [[Yogyakarta]] or [[Solo]]. * {{sleep | name=Candi View Hotel | url=https://business.google.com/website/candi-view-hotel | email= | address=Jalan Candi Sewu, Prambanan | lat=-7.74575 | long=110.49464 | directions= | phone=+62 274 7151222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 160,000 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Simple budget hotel on the main entrance road towards the rear of the complex. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Galuh | alt= | url=http://www.hotelgaluhprambanan.com/ | email=office@hotelgaluhprambanan.com | address=Jl Manisrenggo, Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia | lat=-7.74945 | long=110.50086 | directions= | phone=+62 274 496855 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp330,000 | content=Mid-market hotel which is popular with local tour groups. North east of the main complex. Has a swimming pool and two tennis courts. }} * {{sleep | name=Abhayagiri Sumberwatu Heritage Resort | alt= | url=https://www.sumberwatuheritage.com/ | email= | address=Dusun Sumberwatu, Sambirejo, Prambanan 55572 | lat=-7.76876 | long=110.49699 | directions= | phone=+62 274 4469 277, +62 274 4469 266, +62 274 446 9255 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp1,134,000 | lastedit=2021-03-07 | content=A resort located on a hill with views of Mount Merapi and Prambanan Temple. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code for Prambanan is the same as [[Solo]] - 0271 * Ambulance: 118. * Police: 110. The nearest police station to Prambanan is 3 km away at Klaten although officials at Prambanan more or less take the role of policemen. ==Go next== * [[Borobudur]], the largest Buddhist monument in the world, is an hour away by car. Travelling other than by car: public transport is available to take you east or west from here * East ** [[Surakarta]] * West ** [[Yogyakarta]] {{geo|-7.752222|110.491667}} {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{guidepark}} sijx6jitjkstmft9yw6tiye2wgosa6t 0 28721 4501925 4468433 2022-08-16T06:49:25Z SHB2000 2248002 the Indian side is not a province wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mena-asia_default_banner.jpg|pgname=Punjab}} [[Image:Punjab in India (disputed hatched).svg|right|thumb|Map of the state of Punjab]] {{disclaimerbox|During the partition, Punjab was divided into two separate regions, and is today a part of both [[Pakistan]] and [[India]]. This article covers the ''Indian'' state of Punjab. For the Pakistani province, see [[Punjab (Pakistan)]]. For a general background on the pre-partition region, see [[Punjab]].}} '''Punjab''' ([[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]]: ਪੰਜਾਬ; IPA: [pəɲdʒaːb]) is a state in Northwestern [[India]], bordering [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir]] to the northeast and north respectively, and [[Chandigarh]], [[Haryana]] and [[Rajasthan]] to the southeast, south and southwest respectively. ==Understand== The name Punjab was introduced by the Mughals in the 17th century CE and is a combination of the Persian words ''panj (five)'' and ''āb (water)'', thus the (land of) five rivers. Punjab is the only state in India where Sikhism is the dominant religion. The holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, is located in [[Amritsar]]. Hinduism is the second largest religion and Hindu temples can be found in almost every city. There are also smaller groups of Muslims, Jains, and Christians. During the partition, Punjab was divided along religious lines. Consequently, the western portion became a part of [[Pakistan]], and the remainder became a part of [[India]]. [[Haryana]] was originally a part of the state, but due to linguistic and religious tensions, Haryana ended up becoming a separate state. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the state experienced a bloody insurgent movement in which extremist Sikh leaders and militants sought to create a Sikh-majority state, ''Khalistan''. The tensions and violence stemming from the insurgent movement culminated in numerous tragic events such as the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the anti-Sikh riots (in which thousands of Sikhs were murdered). Although the insurgent movement has since died down, the horrors of what happened during the insurgency are still fresh in people's minds. ==Talk== The official language of the state is [[Punjabi]]. [[Hindi]] and English are commonly spoken, especially in major cities such as [[Amritsar]], [[Ludhiana]], [[Chandigarh]], [[Patiala]], [[Jalandhar]]. [[Image:Harmandir Sahib in the night.jpg|thumb|Golden Temple]] [[Image:Bathinda fort fromtop.jpg|thumb|Bathinda fort]] [[Image:JaliawalaBagh Amritsar Gun Shots.jpg|thumb|Bagh]] [[Image:Fountain Chowk.jpg|thumb|Bathinda chowk]] ==Regions== {{mapframe}} [[Chandigarh]] is the capital city. Chandigarh is also the capital of the state of [[Haryana]], which used to be a part of Punjab. However, Chandigarh is not under the jurisdiction of either state but is administered by the central government and classified as a union territory. Punjab comprises 5 divisions and 20 administrative districts, which regionally fall into three main parts: * [[Majha]] &mdash; border area with [[Pakistan]]. * [[Doaba]] &mdash; area that lies between the Beas River and the Satluj River. Consists of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts. * [[Malwa]] &mdash; southern part of the state. [[Image:Mohindra College.jpg|thumb|Mohindra College, Patiala]] ==Cities== The nine most notable cities are: {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=OpenHand.JPG | name=[[Chandigarh]] |lat=30.73331|long=76.77942 |wikidata=Q43433}} — India's first planned city. It is also the capital of both Haryana and Punjab {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Goldentemplenight.JPG | name= [[Amritsar]] |lat=31.63398|long=74.87226 |wikidata=Q48403}} — a holy city with the centre of Sikhism, the Golden Temple {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Jalandhar_Bus_Stand.JPG | name= [[Jalandhar]]|lat=31.32602|long=75.57618 |wikidata=Q33377}} — an industrial centre {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Kapurthala]]|lat=31.38000|long=75.38000 |wikidata=Q781354}} — a small town {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Ludhiana]] | lat=30.9089 | long=75.8530 |wikidata=Q200123}} — an industrial city, sometimes called the Manchester of India {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Machhiwara]] | lat=30.9100 | long=76.2000 |wikidata=Q2241537}} — a city in the state of Punjab in India. City for those interested in history, culture and religion {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Mohali]] | lat=30.728 | long=76.714 |wikidata=Q1949069}} — a satellite city of Chandigarh with interesting local temples {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Beas River at Pathankot 6069.jpg | name=[[Pathankot]]|lat=32.26434|long=75.64211 |wikidata=Q1647167}} — municipal corporation in Punjab. Also, capital of the Pathankot district {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Qila_Mubarak.jpg | name=[[Patiala]]|lat=30.34000|long=76.38000 |wikidata=Q208162}} — a city with a rich cultural heritage == Other destinations == * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Harike Wetland | lat=31.17000 | long=75.20000 | image=Eichhornia_crassipes-water_hyacinth.jpg }} &mdash; this has a diversity of wetland animals and plants. It was Harike Pattan Bird Sanctuary and is known for its many species of migratory birds. It is habitat for several endangered species such as the Testudines Turtle and Smooth Indian Otter. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[Amritsar]] has an international airport, the '''[http://aai.aero/allAirports/amritsar_generalinfo.jsp Raja Sansi International Airport]''', which is open 24 hours. ===By train=== Punjab is well connected with other major cities of India: Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur are major junctions of Indian Northern Railways. ==Get around== ===By car=== One of the best ways to get around. You can rent a car, but taxis are cheaper. It is safest to hire an experienced driver. Like most of India, navigating traffic in Punjab can be a hair-raising experience. Taxis usually don't have a problem driving to wherever you want within the district. It is common to see the owner of the car sitting in the back with a driver driving the car. ===By two-wheeler=== The most popular mode of transport. ===By autorickshaw=== An auto rickshaw, or auto or rickshaw or tempo in popular parlance, is a three wheeled vehicle for hire. They typically have no doors or seat belts. Generally yellow or green in colour and have a black or green canopy on the top. An auto rickshaw is generally characterized by a tin/iron body resting on three small wheels, a small cabin for the driver in the front and seating for three in the rear. Hiring an auto often involves bargaining with the driver. ===By bus=== Available in most towns in Punjab. They go all over the country. The bus service has improved considerably in last 2-3 years with introduction of deluxe and air-conditioned buses. Main entry routes are from Delhi via Ambala or via Delhi-Jind-Sangrur or Delhi-Hissar-Bathinda sections. NH44 (formerly NH 1) runs from Delhi to Panipat and on to Ambala. [[Image:Bsf vs ranger.jpg|thumb|Ceremonial drill at the Attari-Wagah border; Indian Border Security Force on right, Pakistani Ranger on left]] ==See== *Jallianwala Bagh, [[Amritsar]] * Golden Temple, [[Amritsar]]. * The Royal Punjabi Palaces and monuments of [[Patiala]]. * Purana Quilla in [[Bathinda]]. * Wagha Border. Between [[Amritsar]], Punjab, India and [[Lahore]], Punjab, Pakistan * Bhakra Nangal Dam across the Sutlej River. [[Bilaspur_(Himachal_Pradesh)]] * Mehdiana Sahib Gurudwara outside Manuke near [[Jagraon]] * The Gurudwaras and historic monuments at Anandpur Sahib. * Hussaini Wala Border, [[Firozpur]]. * [[Chandigarh]], the modern city designed by French architect Le Corbusier. * The Royal Palaces of [[Faridkot]]. * Historic monuments in Fatehgarh Saheb, Chamkaur Saheb and Sirhind, which saw a lot of action during Guru Gobind Singh's time as the 10th Guru of Sikhism. * Historic monuments in Nabha and Sangrur. * Ancient Fort at Bathinda, in [[Bathinda]]. * The Gurudwara Bhabour Sahib, a Sikh place of worship, as well as several other holy places and an Ashram are located at Nangal. * Shahpur Kandi fort and Madhopur headworks near [[Pathankot]]. * Ancient Buddhist and Hindu archeological sites at Sanghol in Fatehgarh Sahib and Dholbaha in Hoshiarpur district respectively. * Indus Valley civilization site at Ropar * Gurdwara Nanaksar and Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib at [[Jagraon]] ===Museums=== * Amritsar, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum * Angol Sikh War Memorial, Ferozeshah * Little Villages. * Govt. Museum Hoshiarpur * Sports Museum, National Institute of Sports, Patiala * Sanghol Museum * Art Gallery at Sheesh Mahal * Qila Mubarak Patiala, Museum of Armoury & Chaneliers * Guru Teg Bahadur Museum [[Image:Autorickshaw.jpg|thumb|Rickshaw]] ==Do== Tourism is principally suited for those interested in culture, ancient civilization, spirituality, and epic history. Punjab has a rich history incorporating Sikhism and Hinduism. Punjab is home to the celebrated Punjabi culture, royal palaces, historic battles, shrines, temples and examples of Sikh Architecture. Some of the smaller country towns are also a must for the person who wants to see the true Punjab, with their traditional homes, monuments, temples, farms, and everyday life. * Visit the Golden Temple. * Visit the Wagah Border. * Visit the little towns. ==Buy== Markets here are a shopper's haven, but only if you're not afraid to haggle and bump elbows in bazaars. Western-style malls and shopping emporia are creeping in on the outskirts, but there's little Indian about these sanitized shopping experiences, or the goods in them. Until a few years back, all shops closed on Sunday; while rules have been relaxed, many districts are still mostly shuttered. '''Punjabi Jutti''' There is a wide variety of juttis (pronounced 'jeut-tii' in Punjabi or 'jeu-tea' in Hindi/Urdu) available for both men and women. They are usually made of fine leather and are delicately embroidered with threads or beads. Juttis are slip-on in style and are characterized by rising high to the Achilles' tendon in the back and covering the toes with a round or M-shaped heavily-embroidered upper shoe and leaving the top of the foot nearly bare. Some of them are hand-made and have been embroidered beautifully. While credit cards are commonly accepted, you can not use them to pay at small street side shops. So you need to keep some cash handy. ATMs are available everywhere, so if you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you don't need to carry too much cash either. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Keep some money in a different currency as well, You will find in some places giving a US$10 note will change how fast things move. Foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away, and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. ==Work== You might be able to find a job in a local call centre or fast food restaurant. In particular, jobs for English-speakers are plentiful in [[Chandigarh]]. ==Eat== While it is widely popular, there is a misconception in some Western countries that Punjabi cuisine is completely curry-based. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes, whose level of spiciness can vary from minimal to very high. Home-cooked and restaurant-made Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly. Restaurant-style cooking uses large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, while home cooking is done with liberal amounts of butter and cream, and concentrates mainly upon masalas (blends of spices). There are also different regional preferences. For example, people in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. The area is well known for the quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as ''mah di dal'' and ''saron da saag''. Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. Due to Sikh and Hindu religious beliefs, beef is a banned item, neither consumed nor sold in Punjab. There are a variety of pulse, bean and/or lentil preparations that one should try. Common preparation generally includes being soaked overnight, or for at least 8 hours, and then gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf). These are then combined with a tangy masala base which could include tomato or dried mango (aamchur powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The typical character of the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape of the vegetable remains intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste. Dollops of cream and butter are sometimes provided for a rich, finishing touch. Garnishing is usually done with shredded coriander leaves and ginger. [[Image:Tandoori Chicken.jpg|thumb|Tandoori chicken|140x140px]] ===Savoury foods=== [[File:Amritsari_Kulcha_served_with_chhole.jpg|thumb|Amritsari Kulcha served with pindi chhole in Chandigarh|174x174px]] Some very popular Punjabi foods should not be missed. These include: * '''Samosas''' - A fried or baked pastry with savory filling. * '''Kulcha with Pindi Chhole''' - Famous in Punjab, especially in Amritsar. Kulcha is a flatbread baked in tandoor oven and served with chickpeas. * '''Murgh Makhani''' - Butter chicken. * '''Chicken tikka''' * '''Shahi paneer''' - Indian cheese * '''Tandoori chicken''' or fish - Meat, traditionally roasted in a tandoor, that has been covered in a yoghurt and spice marinade. * '''Paneer pakora''' - Indian-style cheese fritters * '''Pakoras''' - Fried snacks that come in a variety of flavors and ingredients. Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways such as being baked in a tandoor, dry baked on a tava, shallow fried, or deep fried. The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations. Some that you might be familiar with include seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka. ===Desserts=== Sweet desserts are popular. They are given out on birthdays and other special events. Some popular ones include: * '''Jalabee''' - Wheat batter that is shaped into pretzel or circle form, fried and soaked in syrup. * '''Gulab jamun''' - A prepared milk solids dessert, often mixed with spices, rolled into a ball and fried at low heat. Commonly soaked in a sweet syrup with spices and garnished with nuts or fruit. * '''Kulfi''' - A milk dessert similar to ice cream. * '''Kheer''' - Rice pudding flavoured with spices and often also with nuts. The sheer variety of Punjabi cuisine makes it difficult to create a comprehensive guide. If you see or smell something that seems good, do not hesitate to try it; you are unlikely to be disappointed. ===Fast food chains=== There are fast food restaurants in almost every city. McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, Domino's, KFC and many others can be found. There are also many Indian fast food shops catering to Western-style food. However, you won't find any hamburgers, as no restaurant in Punjab serves beef. ==Drink== Drinks found in Punjab are the same as the ones throughout India, but often have a Punjabi twist to them. * '''Chai''' is an Indian Tea. It is more popular than coffee, and street vendors called "chai wallahs" (sometimes spelled "chaiwalas") are a common sight in many Punjabi neighborhoods. * '''Lassi''' is a traditional North Indian beverage, made by blending yoghurt with water, salt, and spices until frothy. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground, roasted cumin. The Lassi is sometimes made with a little milk and is topped with a thin layer of malai, a clotted cream, also known as Devonshire cream. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment. With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis. * '''Sharbat''' is a popular Middle Eastern and South Asian "juice" that is prepared from fruits or flower petals. It is sweet and served chilled. It can be in concentrate form and eaten with a spoon or mixed with water to create a drink. It was popularised by the Mughal rulers, one of whom sent for frequent loads of ice from the Himalayas to get a cool refreshing drink. * '''Desi Daroo''', also known in different parts of the country under other names. It is made by fermenting the mash of sugar cane pulp in large spherical containers made of terra cotta, and nearly 100% alcohol. However, it is a dangerous drink, mainly because of the risk of alcohol or copper formaldehyde poisoning. * '''Coffee''', also known as Madras filter coffee or kaapi, is a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans and chicory. The most commonly used coffee beans are peaberry (preferred), Arabica, Malabar and robusta grown in the hills of Kerala (Malabar region), Karnataka (Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru) and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris District). * There are many types of '''liquor and beer''' available at most restaurants. Imported brands are also available in some of the higher-class restaurants but the price is much steeper. There are also some liquors and beers available locally that are of very poor quality. These are usually distinguished by the price: you'll get what you pay for. You can expect to pay up to 3 or 5 times the price of local liquors for IMFL. Usually, only a select few imports are available and Johnnie Walker is usually one of them. If you are taking a gift for people who you know drink and won't be offended, then bringing some kind of Scotch whisky is a good idea. ==Cope== Power outages and water shortages happen not just every day, but often several times on the same day, with summers especially bad. Better places have water tanks and generators to alleviate the pain, but keep a flashlight handy at night and do your part by not wasting too much water. * Laundry service is offered in most hotels, even budget accommodations. If you would rather save the money and do it yourself, buckets are found in almost all bathrooms - but perhaps rinse it out well first. * Exercising outdoors is not recommended due to the high level of pollution and swimming in rivers is also not recommended. You'll want to look for a hotel with a gym or a pool (many offer day passes). Alternatively, an evening/morning walk can be taken in the parks. ===Newspapers=== There are many different daily newspapers. The following are in English: * The Tribune - Punjab's oldest newspaper * The Indian Express - National daily published in Chandigarh. * Hindustan Times - National daily published in Chandigarh. * The Times of India - National daily. Sub-Circulatories: The Times Of Chandigarh, The Economic Times , The Business Times * The Pioneer- National daily published in Chandigarh. * Business Line- Business daily newspaper. ==Stay safe== Make sure you pay attention to your surroundings. Pickpocketing is common in some parts. Put your wallet in your front pocket; don't carry a lot of things at one time; don't carry original copies of passports, visas, etc. Try not to use the ₹1000 and ₹500 notes, especially not in smaller shops. Many shops, except the big retails chains, don't accept credit and debit card so have some cash handy. To be on the safe side, avoid being in crowded places and getting stuck in protests or rallies. Try to walk in groups especially at night or in isolated areas. Be wary of the traffic; don't assume; be very careful on the road. Public displays of affection are not usually tolerated, especially non-straight. Bribing the police is not recommended although is a common practice as power, bureaucracy, and corruption are rooted deep in the overall government structure. ==Respect== Local politics are complex - very complex. Although the vast majority of people simply want harmony and peace, some Sikh political parties believe that religion and politics should go hand in hand. There's also a small section of people who believe that Punjab should be a fully autonomous area for Sikhs. Be mindful of this all when having a political conversation - You never know who might be listening or eavesdropping. Approach subjects such as the '''Punjab Insurgency''' and the '''anti-Sikh riots''' with caution and respect. Although the worst of the insurgency has since gone away, a lot of people lost their loved ones during the anti-Sikh riots and constantly express frustration at the government for failing to prosecute those who were personally involved in the incident. '''Jarnail Bhidranwale''' is a controversial person to discuss. In some circles (particularly among radical Sikh groups), people may be offended by the suggestion that he was a terrorist or a separatist. ===Names=== Sikh names follow this pattern: '''given name + religious name + surname'''. For males, the religious name is '''"Singh"''', and for females, the religious name is '''"Kaur"'''. ==Connect== * Prefix +91 If you are calling from outside India, each city has a separate 3-4 digit area code. Phone numbers are seven digits long but on occasion you will find a six digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from six to seven digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephony. Just add a "2" to the old number and it should work just fine, however if that does not work try prefixing "5". All mobile numbers, however are 10 digits long and begin with "9", and should not be dialed with the city prefix. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" or "+91" before you dial it. * Phone booths can be found all over the State. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. * Cell phone coverage in the state is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of prepaid and postpaid plans. Among them are '''[http://www.airtel.in Airtel]''' and '''[http://www.vodafone.in/Vodafone/main.aspx Vodafone Essar]'''. There are many other companies as well, these are just the main ones used. Majority of the networks are GSM so if you have a cell phone you bring with you, chances are it will run on this network. Some companies like '''[http://www.reliancemobileworld.co.in Reliance Mobile]''', '''[http://www.tataindicom.com/ TATA Indicom]''' offer CDMA networks also, but usually they insist that you but the CDMA handset from them only. * Cybercafes are located at virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. Just keep in mind that they have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, so if you find yourself in one of them, don't be surprised if you are stuck with a really small monitor, Windows 98 and IE 5.0. Also data security is an issue. Change your password after you use it at a cybercafe. {{isPartOf|Plains_(India)}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|31.31|75.80|zoom=9}} 8mr8gcht5h9u6ozxuuuaps9vcr263dp 4501927 4501925 2022-08-16T06:50:09Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mena-asia_default_banner.jpg|pgname=Punjab}} [[Image:Punjab in India (disputed hatched).svg|right|thumb|Map of the state of Punjab]] {{disclaimerbox|During the partition, Punjab was divided into two separate regions, and is today a part of both [[Pakistan]] and [[India]]. This article covers the ''Indian'' state of Punjab. For the Pakistani province, see [[Punjab (Pakistan)]]. For a general background on the pre-partition region, see [[Punjab]].}} '''Punjab''' ([[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]]: ਪੰਜਾਬ; IPA: [pəɲdʒaːb]) is a state in Northwestern [[India]], bordering [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir]] to the northeast and north respectively, and [[Chandigarh]], [[Haryana]] and [[Rajasthan]] to the southeast, south and southwest respectively. ==Understand== The name Punjab was introduced by the Mughals in the 17th century CE and is a combination of the Persian words ''panj (five)'' and ''āb (water)'', thus the (land of) five rivers. Punjab is the only state in India where Sikhism is the dominant religion. The holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, is located in [[Amritsar]]. Hinduism is the second largest religion and Hindu temples can be found in almost every city. There are also smaller groups of Muslims, Jains, and Christians. During the partition, Punjab was divided along religious lines. Consequently, the western portion became a part of [[Pakistan]], and the remainder became a part of [[India]]. [[Haryana]] was originally a part of the state, but due to linguistic and religious tensions, Haryana ended up becoming a separate state. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the state experienced a bloody insurgent movement in which extremist Sikh leaders and militants sought to create a Sikh-majority state, ''Khalistan''. The tensions and violence stemming from the insurgent movement culminated in numerous tragic events such as the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the anti-Sikh riots (in which thousands of Sikhs were murdered). Although the insurgent movement has since died down, the horrors of what happened during the insurgency are still fresh in people's minds. ==Talk== The official language of the state is [[Punjabi]]. [[Hindi]] and English are commonly spoken, especially in major cities such as [[Amritsar]], [[Ludhiana]], [[Chandigarh]], [[Patiala]], [[Jalandhar]]. [[Image:Harmandir Sahib in the night.jpg|thumb|Golden Temple]] [[Image:Bathinda fort fromtop.jpg|thumb|Bathinda fort]] [[Image:JaliawalaBagh Amritsar Gun Shots.jpg|thumb|Bagh]] [[Image:Fountain Chowk.jpg|thumb|Bathinda chowk]] ==Regions== {{mapframe}} [[Chandigarh]] is the capital city. Chandigarh is also the capital of the state of [[Haryana]], which used to be a part of Punjab. However, Chandigarh is not under the jurisdiction of either state but is administered by the central government and classified as a union territory. Punjab comprises 5 divisions and 20 administrative districts, which regionally fall into three main parts: * [[Majha]] &mdash; border area with [[Pakistan]]. * [[Doaba]] &mdash; area that lies between the Beas River and the Satluj River. Consists of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts. * [[Malwa]] &mdash; southern part of the state. [[Image:Mohindra College.jpg|thumb|Mohindra College, Patiala]] ==Cities== The nine most notable cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15| image=OpenHand.JPG| name=[[Chandigarh]] |lat=30.73331|long=76.77942|wikidata=Q43433}} — India's first planned city. It is also the capital of both Haryana and Punjab *{{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Goldentemplenight.JPG | name= [[Amritsar]] |lat=31.63398|long=74.87226 |wikidata=Q48403}} — a holy city with the centre of Sikhism, the Golden Temple * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Jalandhar_Bus_Stand.JPG | name= [[Jalandhar]]|lat=31.32602|long=75.57618 |wikidata=Q33377}} — an industrial centre * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Kapurthala]]|lat=31.38000|long=75.38000 |wikidata=Q781354}} — a small town * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Ludhiana]] | lat=30.9089 | long=75.8530 |wikidata=Q200123}} — an industrial city, sometimes called the Manchester of India * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Machhiwara]] | lat=30.9100 | long=76.2000 |wikidata=Q2241537}} — a city in the state of Punjab in India. City for those interested in history, culture and religion * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Mohali]] | lat=30.728 | long=76.714 |wikidata=Q1949069}} — a satellite city of Chandigarh with interesting local temples * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Beas River at Pathankot 6069.jpg | name=[[Pathankot]]|lat=32.26434|long=75.64211 |wikidata=Q1647167}} — municipal corporation in Punjab. Also, capital of the Pathankot district * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Qila_Mubarak.jpg | name=[[Patiala]]|lat=30.34000|long=76.38000 |wikidata=Q208162}} — a city with a rich cultural heritage == Other destinations == * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Harike Wetland | lat=31.17000 | long=75.20000 | image=Eichhornia_crassipes-water_hyacinth.jpg }} &mdash; this has a diversity of wetland animals and plants. It was Harike Pattan Bird Sanctuary and is known for its many species of migratory birds. It is habitat for several endangered species such as the Testudines Turtle and Smooth Indian Otter. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[Amritsar]] has an international airport, the '''[http://aai.aero/allAirports/amritsar_generalinfo.jsp Raja Sansi International Airport]''', which is open 24 hours. ===By train=== Punjab is well connected with other major cities of India: Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur are major junctions of Indian Northern Railways. ==Get around== ===By car=== One of the best ways to get around. You can rent a car, but taxis are cheaper. It is safest to hire an experienced driver. Like most of India, navigating traffic in Punjab can be a hair-raising experience. Taxis usually don't have a problem driving to wherever you want within the district. It is common to see the owner of the car sitting in the back with a driver driving the car. ===By two-wheeler=== The most popular mode of transport. ===By autorickshaw=== An auto rickshaw, or auto or rickshaw or tempo in popular parlance, is a three wheeled vehicle for hire. They typically have no doors or seat belts. Generally yellow or green in colour and have a black or green canopy on the top. An auto rickshaw is generally characterized by a tin/iron body resting on three small wheels, a small cabin for the driver in the front and seating for three in the rear. Hiring an auto often involves bargaining with the driver. ===By bus=== Available in most towns in Punjab. They go all over the country. The bus service has improved considerably in last 2-3 years with introduction of deluxe and air-conditioned buses. Main entry routes are from Delhi via Ambala or via Delhi-Jind-Sangrur or Delhi-Hissar-Bathinda sections. NH44 (formerly NH 1) runs from Delhi to Panipat and on to Ambala. [[Image:Bsf vs ranger.jpg|thumb|Ceremonial drill at the Attari-Wagah border; Indian Border Security Force on right, Pakistani Ranger on left]] ==See== *Jallianwala Bagh, [[Amritsar]] * Golden Temple, [[Amritsar]]. * The Royal Punjabi Palaces and monuments of [[Patiala]]. * Purana Quilla in [[Bathinda]]. * Wagha Border. Between [[Amritsar]], Punjab, India and [[Lahore]], Punjab, Pakistan * Bhakra Nangal Dam across the Sutlej River. [[Bilaspur_(Himachal_Pradesh)]] * Mehdiana Sahib Gurudwara outside Manuke near [[Jagraon]] * The Gurudwaras and historic monuments at Anandpur Sahib. * Hussaini Wala Border, [[Firozpur]]. * [[Chandigarh]], the modern city designed by French architect Le Corbusier. * The Royal Palaces of [[Faridkot]]. * Historic monuments in Fatehgarh Saheb, Chamkaur Saheb and Sirhind, which saw a lot of action during Guru Gobind Singh's time as the 10th Guru of Sikhism. * Historic monuments in Nabha and Sangrur. * Ancient Fort at Bathinda, in [[Bathinda]]. * The Gurudwara Bhabour Sahib, a Sikh place of worship, as well as several other holy places and an Ashram are located at Nangal. * Shahpur Kandi fort and Madhopur headworks near [[Pathankot]]. * Ancient Buddhist and Hindu archeological sites at Sanghol in Fatehgarh Sahib and Dholbaha in Hoshiarpur district respectively. * Indus Valley civilization site at Ropar * Gurdwara Nanaksar and Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib at [[Jagraon]] ===Museums=== * Amritsar, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum * Angol Sikh War Memorial, Ferozeshah * Little Villages. * Govt. Museum Hoshiarpur * Sports Museum, National Institute of Sports, Patiala * Sanghol Museum * Art Gallery at Sheesh Mahal * Qila Mubarak Patiala, Museum of Armoury & Chaneliers * Guru Teg Bahadur Museum [[Image:Autorickshaw.jpg|thumb|Rickshaw]] ==Do== Tourism is principally suited for those interested in culture, ancient civilization, spirituality, and epic history. Punjab has a rich history incorporating Sikhism and Hinduism. Punjab is home to the celebrated Punjabi culture, royal palaces, historic battles, shrines, temples and examples of Sikh Architecture. Some of the smaller country towns are also a must for the person who wants to see the true Punjab, with their traditional homes, monuments, temples, farms, and everyday life. * Visit the Golden Temple. * Visit the Wagah Border. * Visit the little towns. ==Buy== Markets here are a shopper's haven, but only if you're not afraid to haggle and bump elbows in bazaars. Western-style malls and shopping emporia are creeping in on the outskirts, but there's little Indian about these sanitized shopping experiences, or the goods in them. Until a few years back, all shops closed on Sunday; while rules have been relaxed, many districts are still mostly shuttered. '''Punjabi Jutti''' There is a wide variety of juttis (pronounced 'jeut-tii' in Punjabi or 'jeu-tea' in Hindi/Urdu) available for both men and women. They are usually made of fine leather and are delicately embroidered with threads or beads. Juttis are slip-on in style and are characterized by rising high to the Achilles' tendon in the back and covering the toes with a round or M-shaped heavily-embroidered upper shoe and leaving the top of the foot nearly bare. Some of them are hand-made and have been embroidered beautifully. While credit cards are commonly accepted, you can not use them to pay at small street side shops. So you need to keep some cash handy. ATMs are available everywhere, so if you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you don't need to carry too much cash either. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Keep some money in a different currency as well, You will find in some places giving a US$10 note will change how fast things move. Foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away, and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. ==Work== You might be able to find a job in a local call centre or fast food restaurant. In particular, jobs for English-speakers are plentiful in [[Chandigarh]]. ==Eat== While it is widely popular, there is a misconception in some Western countries that Punjabi cuisine is completely curry-based. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes, whose level of spiciness can vary from minimal to very high. Home-cooked and restaurant-made Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly. Restaurant-style cooking uses large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, while home cooking is done with liberal amounts of butter and cream, and concentrates mainly upon masalas (blends of spices). There are also different regional preferences. For example, people in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. The area is well known for the quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as ''mah di dal'' and ''saron da saag''. Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. Due to Sikh and Hindu religious beliefs, beef is a banned item, neither consumed nor sold in Punjab. There are a variety of pulse, bean and/or lentil preparations that one should try. Common preparation generally includes being soaked overnight, or for at least 8 hours, and then gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf). These are then combined with a tangy masala base which could include tomato or dried mango (aamchur powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The typical character of the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape of the vegetable remains intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste. Dollops of cream and butter are sometimes provided for a rich, finishing touch. Garnishing is usually done with shredded coriander leaves and ginger. [[Image:Tandoori Chicken.jpg|thumb|Tandoori chicken|140x140px]] ===Savoury foods=== [[File:Amritsari_Kulcha_served_with_chhole.jpg|thumb|Amritsari Kulcha served with pindi chhole in Chandigarh|174x174px]] Some very popular Punjabi foods should not be missed. These include: * '''Samosas''' - A fried or baked pastry with savory filling. * '''Kulcha with Pindi Chhole''' - Famous in Punjab, especially in Amritsar. Kulcha is a flatbread baked in tandoor oven and served with chickpeas. * '''Murgh Makhani''' - Butter chicken. * '''Chicken tikka''' * '''Shahi paneer''' - Indian cheese * '''Tandoori chicken''' or fish - Meat, traditionally roasted in a tandoor, that has been covered in a yoghurt and spice marinade. * '''Paneer pakora''' - Indian-style cheese fritters * '''Pakoras''' - Fried snacks that come in a variety of flavors and ingredients. Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways such as being baked in a tandoor, dry baked on a tava, shallow fried, or deep fried. The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations. Some that you might be familiar with include seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka. ===Desserts=== Sweet desserts are popular. They are given out on birthdays and other special events. Some popular ones include: * '''Jalabee''' - Wheat batter that is shaped into pretzel or circle form, fried and soaked in syrup. * '''Gulab jamun''' - A prepared milk solids dessert, often mixed with spices, rolled into a ball and fried at low heat. Commonly soaked in a sweet syrup with spices and garnished with nuts or fruit. * '''Kulfi''' - A milk dessert similar to ice cream. * '''Kheer''' - Rice pudding flavoured with spices and often also with nuts. The sheer variety of Punjabi cuisine makes it difficult to create a comprehensive guide. If you see or smell something that seems good, do not hesitate to try it; you are unlikely to be disappointed. ===Fast food chains=== There are fast food restaurants in almost every city. McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, Domino's, KFC and many others can be found. There are also many Indian fast food shops catering to Western-style food. However, you won't find any hamburgers, as no restaurant in Punjab serves beef. ==Drink== Drinks found in Punjab are the same as the ones throughout India, but often have a Punjabi twist to them. * '''Chai''' is an Indian Tea. It is more popular than coffee, and street vendors called "chai wallahs" (sometimes spelled "chaiwalas") are a common sight in many Punjabi neighborhoods. * '''Lassi''' is a traditional North Indian beverage, made by blending yoghurt with water, salt, and spices until frothy. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground, roasted cumin. The Lassi is sometimes made with a little milk and is topped with a thin layer of malai, a clotted cream, also known as Devonshire cream. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment. With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis. * '''Sharbat''' is a popular Middle Eastern and South Asian "juice" that is prepared from fruits or flower petals. It is sweet and served chilled. It can be in concentrate form and eaten with a spoon or mixed with water to create a drink. It was popularised by the Mughal rulers, one of whom sent for frequent loads of ice from the Himalayas to get a cool refreshing drink. * '''Desi Daroo''', also known in different parts of the country under other names. It is made by fermenting the mash of sugar cane pulp in large spherical containers made of terra cotta, and nearly 100% alcohol. However, it is a dangerous drink, mainly because of the risk of alcohol or copper formaldehyde poisoning. * '''Coffee''', also known as Madras filter coffee or kaapi, is a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans and chicory. The most commonly used coffee beans are peaberry (preferred), Arabica, Malabar and robusta grown in the hills of Kerala (Malabar region), Karnataka (Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru) and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris District). * There are many types of '''liquor and beer''' available at most restaurants. Imported brands are also available in some of the higher-class restaurants but the price is much steeper. There are also some liquors and beers available locally that are of very poor quality. These are usually distinguished by the price: you'll get what you pay for. You can expect to pay up to 3 or 5 times the price of local liquors for IMFL. Usually, only a select few imports are available and Johnnie Walker is usually one of them. If you are taking a gift for people who you know drink and won't be offended, then bringing some kind of Scotch whisky is a good idea. ==Cope== Power outages and water shortages happen not just every day, but often several times on the same day, with summers especially bad. Better places have water tanks and generators to alleviate the pain, but keep a flashlight handy at night and do your part by not wasting too much water. * Laundry service is offered in most hotels, even budget accommodations. If you would rather save the money and do it yourself, buckets are found in almost all bathrooms - but perhaps rinse it out well first. * Exercising outdoors is not recommended due to the high level of pollution and swimming in rivers is also not recommended. You'll want to look for a hotel with a gym or a pool (many offer day passes). Alternatively, an evening/morning walk can be taken in the parks. ===Newspapers=== There are many different daily newspapers. The following are in English: * The Tribune - Punjab's oldest newspaper * The Indian Express - National daily published in Chandigarh. * Hindustan Times - National daily published in Chandigarh. * The Times of India - National daily. Sub-Circulatories: The Times Of Chandigarh, The Economic Times , The Business Times * The Pioneer- National daily published in Chandigarh. * Business Line- Business daily newspaper. ==Stay safe== Make sure you pay attention to your surroundings. Pickpocketing is common in some parts. Put your wallet in your front pocket; don't carry a lot of things at one time; don't carry original copies of passports, visas, etc. Try not to use the ₹1000 and ₹500 notes, especially not in smaller shops. Many shops, except the big retails chains, don't accept credit and debit card so have some cash handy. To be on the safe side, avoid being in crowded places and getting stuck in protests or rallies. Try to walk in groups especially at night or in isolated areas. Be wary of the traffic; don't assume; be very careful on the road. Public displays of affection are not usually tolerated, especially non-straight. Bribing the police is not recommended although is a common practice as power, bureaucracy, and corruption are rooted deep in the overall government structure. ==Respect== Local politics are complex - very complex. Although the vast majority of people simply want harmony and peace, some Sikh political parties believe that religion and politics should go hand in hand. There's also a small section of people who believe that Punjab should be a fully autonomous area for Sikhs. Be mindful of this all when having a political conversation - You never know who might be listening or eavesdropping. Approach subjects such as the '''Punjab Insurgency''' and the '''anti-Sikh riots''' with caution and respect. Although the worst of the insurgency has since gone away, a lot of people lost their loved ones during the anti-Sikh riots and constantly express frustration at the government for failing to prosecute those who were personally involved in the incident. '''Jarnail Bhidranwale''' is a controversial person to discuss. In some circles (particularly among radical Sikh groups), people may be offended by the suggestion that he was a terrorist or a separatist. ===Names=== Sikh names follow this pattern: '''given name + religious name + surname'''. For males, the religious name is '''"Singh"''', and for females, the religious name is '''"Kaur"'''. ==Connect== * Prefix +91 If you are calling from outside India, each city has a separate 3-4 digit area code. Phone numbers are seven digits long but on occasion you will find a six digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from six to seven digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephony. Just add a "2" to the old number and it should work just fine, however if that does not work try prefixing "5". All mobile numbers, however are 10 digits long and begin with "9", and should not be dialed with the city prefix. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" or "+91" before you dial it. * Phone booths can be found all over the State. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. * Cell phone coverage in the state is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of prepaid and postpaid plans. Among them are '''[http://www.airtel.in Airtel]''' and '''[http://www.vodafone.in/Vodafone/main.aspx Vodafone Essar]'''. There are many other companies as well, these are just the main ones used. Majority of the networks are GSM so if you have a cell phone you bring with you, chances are it will run on this network. Some companies like '''[http://www.reliancemobileworld.co.in Reliance Mobile]''', '''[http://www.tataindicom.com/ TATA Indicom]''' offer CDMA networks also, but usually they insist that you but the CDMA handset from them only. * Cybercafes are located at virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. Just keep in mind that they have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, so if you find yourself in one of them, don't be surprised if you are stuck with a really small monitor, Windows 98 and IE 5.0. Also data security is an issue. Change your password after you use it at a cybercafe. {{isPartOf|Plains_(India)}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|31.31|75.80|zoom=9}} 7917abhokfmr8w9igyyzfuy2gjytj94 4501928 4501927 2022-08-16T06:50:27Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Mena-asia_default_banner.jpg|pgname=Punjab}} [[Image:Punjab in India (disputed hatched).svg|right|thumb|Map of the state of Punjab]] {{disclaimerbox|During the partition, Punjab was divided into two separate regions, and is today a part of both [[Pakistan]] and [[India]]. This article covers the ''Indian'' state of Punjab. For the Pakistani province, see [[Punjab (Pakistan)]]. For a general background on the pre-partition region, see [[Punjab]].}} '''Punjab''' ([[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]]: ਪੰਜਾਬ; IPA: [pəɲdʒaːb]) is a state in Northwestern [[India]], bordering [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir]] to the northeast and north respectively, and [[Chandigarh]], [[Haryana]] and [[Rajasthan]] to the southeast, south and southwest respectively. ==Understand== The name Punjab was introduced by the Mughals in the 17th century CE and is a combination of the Persian words ''panj (five)'' and ''āb (water)'', thus the (land of) five rivers. Punjab is the only state in India where Sikhism is the dominant religion. The holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, is located in [[Amritsar]]. Hinduism is the second largest religion and Hindu temples can be found in almost every city. There are also smaller groups of Muslims, Jains, and Christians. During the partition, Punjab was divided along religious lines. Consequently, the western portion became a part of [[Pakistan]], and the remainder became a part of [[India]]. [[Haryana]] was originally a part of the state, but due to linguistic and religious tensions, Haryana ended up becoming a separate state. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the state experienced a bloody insurgent movement in which extremist Sikh leaders and militants sought to create a Sikh-majority state, ''Khalistan''. The tensions and violence stemming from the insurgent movement culminated in numerous tragic events such as the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the anti-Sikh riots (in which thousands of Sikhs were murdered). Although the insurgent movement has since died down, the horrors of what happened during the insurgency are still fresh in people's minds. ==Talk== The official language of the state is [[Punjabi]]. [[Hindi]] and English are commonly spoken, especially in major cities such as [[Amritsar]], [[Ludhiana]], [[Chandigarh]], [[Patiala]], [[Jalandhar]]. [[Image:Harmandir Sahib in the night.jpg|thumb|Golden Temple]] [[Image:Bathinda fort fromtop.jpg|thumb|Bathinda fort]] [[Image:JaliawalaBagh Amritsar Gun Shots.jpg|thumb|Bagh]] [[Image:Fountain Chowk.jpg|thumb|Bathinda chowk]] ==Regions== {{mapframe}} [[Chandigarh]] is the capital city. Chandigarh is also the capital of the state of [[Haryana]], which used to be a part of Punjab. However, Chandigarh is not under the jurisdiction of either state but is administered by the central government and classified as a union territory. Punjab comprises 5 divisions and 20 administrative districts, which regionally fall into three main parts: * [[Majha]] &mdash; border area with [[Pakistan]]. * [[Doaba]] &mdash; area that lies between the Beas River and the Satluj River. Consists of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts. * [[Malwa]] &mdash; southern part of the state. [[Image:Mohindra College.jpg|thumb|Mohindra College, Patiala]] ==Cities== The nine most notable cities are: * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15| image=OpenHand.JPG| name=[[Chandigarh]] |lat=30.73331|long=76.77942|wikidata=Q43433}} — India's first planned city. It is also the capital of both Haryana and Punjab *{{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Goldentemplenight.JPG | name= [[Amritsar]] |lat=31.63398|long=74.87226 |wikidata=Q48403}} — a holy city with the centre of Sikhism, the Golden Temple * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Jalandhar_Bus_Stand.JPG | name= [[Jalandhar]]|lat=31.32602|long=75.57618 |wikidata=Q33377}} — an industrial centre * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Kapurthala]]|lat=31.38000|long=75.38000 |wikidata=Q781354}} — a small town * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Ludhiana]] | lat=30.9089 | long=75.8530 |wikidata=Q200123}} — an industrial city, sometimes called the Manchester of India * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Machhiwara]] | lat=30.9100 | long=76.2000 |wikidata=Q2241537}} — a city in the state of Punjab in India. City for those interested in history, culture and religion * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | name=[[Mohali]] | lat=30.728 | long=76.714 |wikidata=Q1949069}} — a satellite city of Chandigarh with interesting local temples * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Beas River at Pathankot 6069.jpg | name=[[Pathankot]]|lat=32.26434|long=75.64211 |wikidata=Q1647167}} — municipal corporation in Punjab. Also, capital of the Pathankot district * {{marker|type=city|zoom=15 | image=Qila_Mubarak.jpg | name=[[Patiala]]|lat=30.34000|long=76.38000 |wikidata=Q208162}} — a city with a rich cultural heritage == Other destinations == * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13| name=Harike Wetland | lat=31.17000 | long=75.20000 | image=Eichhornia_crassipes-water_hyacinth.jpg}} &mdash; this has a diversity of wetland animals and plants. It was Harike Pattan Bird Sanctuary and is known for its many species of migratory birds. It is habitat for several endangered species such as the Testudines Turtle and Smooth Indian Otter. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[Amritsar]] has an international airport, the '''[http://aai.aero/allAirports/amritsar_generalinfo.jsp Raja Sansi International Airport]''', which is open 24 hours. ===By train=== Punjab is well connected with other major cities of India: Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur are major junctions of Indian Northern Railways. ==Get around== ===By car=== One of the best ways to get around. You can rent a car, but taxis are cheaper. It is safest to hire an experienced driver. Like most of India, navigating traffic in Punjab can be a hair-raising experience. Taxis usually don't have a problem driving to wherever you want within the district. It is common to see the owner of the car sitting in the back with a driver driving the car. ===By two-wheeler=== The most popular mode of transport. ===By autorickshaw=== An auto rickshaw, or auto or rickshaw or tempo in popular parlance, is a three wheeled vehicle for hire. They typically have no doors or seat belts. Generally yellow or green in colour and have a black or green canopy on the top. An auto rickshaw is generally characterized by a tin/iron body resting on three small wheels, a small cabin for the driver in the front and seating for three in the rear. Hiring an auto often involves bargaining with the driver. ===By bus=== Available in most towns in Punjab. They go all over the country. The bus service has improved considerably in last 2-3 years with introduction of deluxe and air-conditioned buses. Main entry routes are from Delhi via Ambala or via Delhi-Jind-Sangrur or Delhi-Hissar-Bathinda sections. NH44 (formerly NH 1) runs from Delhi to Panipat and on to Ambala. [[Image:Bsf vs ranger.jpg|thumb|Ceremonial drill at the Attari-Wagah border; Indian Border Security Force on right, Pakistani Ranger on left]] ==See== *Jallianwala Bagh, [[Amritsar]] * Golden Temple, [[Amritsar]]. * The Royal Punjabi Palaces and monuments of [[Patiala]]. * Purana Quilla in [[Bathinda]]. * Wagha Border. Between [[Amritsar]], Punjab, India and [[Lahore]], Punjab, Pakistan * Bhakra Nangal Dam across the Sutlej River. [[Bilaspur_(Himachal_Pradesh)]] * Mehdiana Sahib Gurudwara outside Manuke near [[Jagraon]] * The Gurudwaras and historic monuments at Anandpur Sahib. * Hussaini Wala Border, [[Firozpur]]. * [[Chandigarh]], the modern city designed by French architect Le Corbusier. * The Royal Palaces of [[Faridkot]]. * Historic monuments in Fatehgarh Saheb, Chamkaur Saheb and Sirhind, which saw a lot of action during Guru Gobind Singh's time as the 10th Guru of Sikhism. * Historic monuments in Nabha and Sangrur. * Ancient Fort at Bathinda, in [[Bathinda]]. * The Gurudwara Bhabour Sahib, a Sikh place of worship, as well as several other holy places and an Ashram are located at Nangal. * Shahpur Kandi fort and Madhopur headworks near [[Pathankot]]. * Ancient Buddhist and Hindu archeological sites at Sanghol in Fatehgarh Sahib and Dholbaha in Hoshiarpur district respectively. * Indus Valley civilization site at Ropar * Gurdwara Nanaksar and Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib at [[Jagraon]] ===Museums=== * Amritsar, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum * Angol Sikh War Memorial, Ferozeshah * Little Villages. * Govt. Museum Hoshiarpur * Sports Museum, National Institute of Sports, Patiala * Sanghol Museum * Art Gallery at Sheesh Mahal * Qila Mubarak Patiala, Museum of Armoury & Chaneliers * Guru Teg Bahadur Museum [[Image:Autorickshaw.jpg|thumb|Rickshaw]] ==Do== Tourism is principally suited for those interested in culture, ancient civilization, spirituality, and epic history. Punjab has a rich history incorporating Sikhism and Hinduism. Punjab is home to the celebrated Punjabi culture, royal palaces, historic battles, shrines, temples and examples of Sikh Architecture. Some of the smaller country towns are also a must for the person who wants to see the true Punjab, with their traditional homes, monuments, temples, farms, and everyday life. * Visit the Golden Temple. * Visit the Wagah Border. * Visit the little towns. ==Buy== Markets here are a shopper's haven, but only if you're not afraid to haggle and bump elbows in bazaars. Western-style malls and shopping emporia are creeping in on the outskirts, but there's little Indian about these sanitized shopping experiences, or the goods in them. Until a few years back, all shops closed on Sunday; while rules have been relaxed, many districts are still mostly shuttered. '''Punjabi Jutti''' There is a wide variety of juttis (pronounced 'jeut-tii' in Punjabi or 'jeu-tea' in Hindi/Urdu) available for both men and women. They are usually made of fine leather and are delicately embroidered with threads or beads. Juttis are slip-on in style and are characterized by rising high to the Achilles' tendon in the back and covering the toes with a round or M-shaped heavily-embroidered upper shoe and leaving the top of the foot nearly bare. Some of them are hand-made and have been embroidered beautifully. While credit cards are commonly accepted, you can not use them to pay at small street side shops. So you need to keep some cash handy. ATMs are available everywhere, so if you have an Indian bank account or credit card, you don't need to carry too much cash either. If you are a foreigner, it is a good idea to carry some cash to avoid charges while using your credit or debit card. Keep some money in a different currency as well, You will find in some places giving a US$10 note will change how fast things move. Foreigners will have to be very careful, as all these stores are road-side stalls. What may seem a good price that the person has quoted to you, it will actually be a rip off. Do not settle for anything more than one-fourth the quoted price. If they refuse a price just walk away, and they will call you back quoting a lower price. Normally, the more you buy, the less you will have to pay for each individual item. ==Work== You might be able to find a job in a local call centre or fast food restaurant. In particular, jobs for English-speakers are plentiful in [[Chandigarh]]. ==Eat== While it is widely popular, there is a misconception in some Western countries that Punjabi cuisine is completely curry-based. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes, whose level of spiciness can vary from minimal to very high. Home-cooked and restaurant-made Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly. Restaurant-style cooking uses large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, while home cooking is done with liberal amounts of butter and cream, and concentrates mainly upon masalas (blends of spices). There are also different regional preferences. For example, people in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. The area is well known for the quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as ''mah di dal'' and ''saron da saag''. Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. Due to Sikh and Hindu religious beliefs, beef is a banned item, neither consumed nor sold in Punjab. There are a variety of pulse, bean and/or lentil preparations that one should try. Common preparation generally includes being soaked overnight, or for at least 8 hours, and then gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf). These are then combined with a tangy masala base which could include tomato or dried mango (aamchur powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The typical character of the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape of the vegetable remains intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste. Dollops of cream and butter are sometimes provided for a rich, finishing touch. Garnishing is usually done with shredded coriander leaves and ginger. [[Image:Tandoori Chicken.jpg|thumb|Tandoori chicken|140x140px]] ===Savoury foods=== [[File:Amritsari_Kulcha_served_with_chhole.jpg|thumb|Amritsari Kulcha served with pindi chhole in Chandigarh|174x174px]] Some very popular Punjabi foods should not be missed. These include: * '''Samosas''' - A fried or baked pastry with savory filling. * '''Kulcha with Pindi Chhole''' - Famous in Punjab, especially in Amritsar. Kulcha is a flatbread baked in tandoor oven and served with chickpeas. * '''Murgh Makhani''' - Butter chicken. * '''Chicken tikka''' * '''Shahi paneer''' - Indian cheese * '''Tandoori chicken''' or fish - Meat, traditionally roasted in a tandoor, that has been covered in a yoghurt and spice marinade. * '''Paneer pakora''' - Indian-style cheese fritters * '''Pakoras''' - Fried snacks that come in a variety of flavors and ingredients. Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways such as being baked in a tandoor, dry baked on a tava, shallow fried, or deep fried. The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations. Some that you might be familiar with include seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka. ===Desserts=== Sweet desserts are popular. They are given out on birthdays and other special events. Some popular ones include: * '''Jalabee''' - Wheat batter that is shaped into pretzel or circle form, fried and soaked in syrup. * '''Gulab jamun''' - A prepared milk solids dessert, often mixed with spices, rolled into a ball and fried at low heat. Commonly soaked in a sweet syrup with spices and garnished with nuts or fruit. * '''Kulfi''' - A milk dessert similar to ice cream. * '''Kheer''' - Rice pudding flavoured with spices and often also with nuts. The sheer variety of Punjabi cuisine makes it difficult to create a comprehensive guide. If you see or smell something that seems good, do not hesitate to try it; you are unlikely to be disappointed. ===Fast food chains=== There are fast food restaurants in almost every city. McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, Domino's, KFC and many others can be found. There are also many Indian fast food shops catering to Western-style food. However, you won't find any hamburgers, as no restaurant in Punjab serves beef. ==Drink== Drinks found in Punjab are the same as the ones throughout India, but often have a Punjabi twist to them. * '''Chai''' is an Indian Tea. It is more popular than coffee, and street vendors called "chai wallahs" (sometimes spelled "chaiwalas") are a common sight in many Punjabi neighborhoods. * '''Lassi''' is a traditional North Indian beverage, made by blending yoghurt with water, salt, and spices until frothy. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground, roasted cumin. The Lassi is sometimes made with a little milk and is topped with a thin layer of malai, a clotted cream, also known as Devonshire cream. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment. With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis. * '''Sharbat''' is a popular Middle Eastern and South Asian "juice" that is prepared from fruits or flower petals. It is sweet and served chilled. It can be in concentrate form and eaten with a spoon or mixed with water to create a drink. It was popularised by the Mughal rulers, one of whom sent for frequent loads of ice from the Himalayas to get a cool refreshing drink. * '''Desi Daroo''', also known in different parts of the country under other names. It is made by fermenting the mash of sugar cane pulp in large spherical containers made of terra cotta, and nearly 100% alcohol. However, it is a dangerous drink, mainly because of the risk of alcohol or copper formaldehyde poisoning. * '''Coffee''', also known as Madras filter coffee or kaapi, is a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans and chicory. The most commonly used coffee beans are peaberry (preferred), Arabica, Malabar and robusta grown in the hills of Kerala (Malabar region), Karnataka (Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru) and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris District). * There are many types of '''liquor and beer''' available at most restaurants. Imported brands are also available in some of the higher-class restaurants but the price is much steeper. There are also some liquors and beers available locally that are of very poor quality. These are usually distinguished by the price: you'll get what you pay for. You can expect to pay up to 3 or 5 times the price of local liquors for IMFL. Usually, only a select few imports are available and Johnnie Walker is usually one of them. If you are taking a gift for people who you know drink and won't be offended, then bringing some kind of Scotch whisky is a good idea. ==Cope== Power outages and water shortages happen not just every day, but often several times on the same day, with summers especially bad. Better places have water tanks and generators to alleviate the pain, but keep a flashlight handy at night and do your part by not wasting too much water. * Laundry service is offered in most hotels, even budget accommodations. If you would rather save the money and do it yourself, buckets are found in almost all bathrooms - but perhaps rinse it out well first. * Exercising outdoors is not recommended due to the high level of pollution and swimming in rivers is also not recommended. You'll want to look for a hotel with a gym or a pool (many offer day passes). Alternatively, an evening/morning walk can be taken in the parks. ===Newspapers=== There are many different daily newspapers. The following are in English: * The Tribune - Punjab's oldest newspaper * The Indian Express - National daily published in Chandigarh. * Hindustan Times - National daily published in Chandigarh. * The Times of India - National daily. Sub-Circulatories: The Times Of Chandigarh, The Economic Times , The Business Times * The Pioneer- National daily published in Chandigarh. * Business Line- Business daily newspaper. ==Stay safe== Make sure you pay attention to your surroundings. Pickpocketing is common in some parts. Put your wallet in your front pocket; don't carry a lot of things at one time; don't carry original copies of passports, visas, etc. Try not to use the ₹1000 and ₹500 notes, especially not in smaller shops. Many shops, except the big retails chains, don't accept credit and debit card so have some cash handy. To be on the safe side, avoid being in crowded places and getting stuck in protests or rallies. Try to walk in groups especially at night or in isolated areas. Be wary of the traffic; don't assume; be very careful on the road. Public displays of affection are not usually tolerated, especially non-straight. Bribing the police is not recommended although is a common practice as power, bureaucracy, and corruption are rooted deep in the overall government structure. ==Respect== Local politics are complex - very complex. Although the vast majority of people simply want harmony and peace, some Sikh political parties believe that religion and politics should go hand in hand. There's also a small section of people who believe that Punjab should be a fully autonomous area for Sikhs. Be mindful of this all when having a political conversation - You never know who might be listening or eavesdropping. Approach subjects such as the '''Punjab Insurgency''' and the '''anti-Sikh riots''' with caution and respect. Although the worst of the insurgency has since gone away, a lot of people lost their loved ones during the anti-Sikh riots and constantly express frustration at the government for failing to prosecute those who were personally involved in the incident. '''Jarnail Bhidranwale''' is a controversial person to discuss. In some circles (particularly among radical Sikh groups), people may be offended by the suggestion that he was a terrorist or a separatist. ===Names=== Sikh names follow this pattern: '''given name + religious name + surname'''. For males, the religious name is '''"Singh"''', and for females, the religious name is '''"Kaur"'''. ==Connect== * Prefix +91 If you are calling from outside India, each city has a separate 3-4 digit area code. Phone numbers are seven digits long but on occasion you will find a six digit number listed. That is probably an old listing. They made the changeover from six to seven digits a few years back, when they allowed private service providers to offer telephony. Just add a "2" to the old number and it should work just fine, however if that does not work try prefixing "5". All mobile numbers, however are 10 digits long and begin with "9", and should not be dialed with the city prefix. If you don't get through to a mobile number, try adding a "0" or "+91" before you dial it. * Phone booths can be found all over the State. Though they are coin operated, there is usually someone to run the place. (Typically the phones are attached to a roadside shop) You need to keep putting ₹1 coins into the slot to extend the talk time, so keep a change of ₹1 coins handy with you. The person running the booth will usually have them. If you find a booth marked STD/ISD, you can call internationally or anywhere within the country. Fees will be charged according to the time spent and a meter runs to keep track of your time. You pay when you have finished your call. Often it is difficult to find one that is open early in the morning or late at night. * Cell phone coverage in the state is excellent. There are many service providers offering a wide variety of prepaid and postpaid plans. Among them are '''[http://www.airtel.in Airtel]''' and '''[http://www.vodafone.in/Vodafone/main.aspx Vodafone Essar]'''. There are many other companies as well, these are just the main ones used. Majority of the networks are GSM so if you have a cell phone you bring with you, chances are it will run on this network. Some companies like '''[http://www.reliancemobileworld.co.in Reliance Mobile]''', '''[http://www.tataindicom.com/ TATA Indicom]''' offer CDMA networks also, but usually they insist that you but the CDMA handset from them only. * Cybercafes are located at virtually every street corner and the rates are quite low. Just keep in mind that they have probably not kept pace with advances in hardware or software, so if you find yourself in one of them, don't be surprised if you are stuck with a really small monitor, Windows 98 and IE 5.0. Also data security is an issue. Change your password after you use it at a cybercafe. {{isPartOf|Plains_(India)}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|31.31|75.80|zoom=9}} gfyens4zw4yad12z9lhosu9gx8319lt 0 29380 4501929 4436306 2022-08-16T06:52:06Z SHB2000 2248002 move per talk wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Red Centre banner Uluru Base Walk.jpg}} [[Image:location_redcenter.png|thumb|250px|Red Centre]] The '''Red Centre''' is the colloquial name given to the southern desert region of the [[Northern Territory]] in [[Australia]]. ==Towns== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Alice Springs]]|wikidata=Q17872}} — heart of Australia and hub of the region * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Yulara]]|wikidata=Q18042}} — The town that provides accommodation and services to [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve]]|wikidata=Q14210792}} — a spectacular solitary column towering 40 metres above the Simpson Desert plain * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Charlotte Waters]]|wikidata=Q17929}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[MacDonnell Ranges]]|wikidata=Q1475441}} — following Ross Highway to the east, you will find awesome gorges, gaps and rock formations * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Ewaninga Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q5418919}} — gain insight into an ancient culture as you explore the small, 6-hectare Ewaninga Rock Carvings * Finke Gorge National Park — this ancient landscape includes desert oasis Palm Valley, home to a diverse range of plant species, many of which are rare and unique to the area * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Rainbow Valley]]|wikidata=Q1336276}} — a scenic natural reserve consisting of various formations of sandstones and rocks * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]|wikidata=Q251999}} — home to Australia's most recognisable natural icon. * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Watarrka National Park]]|wikidata=Q1459634}} — home to '''Kings Canyon''', a mighty chasm reaching a depth of 270 metres with some great options for the less energetic to explore * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[West MacDonnell National Park]]|wikidata=Q1645349}} — following Larapinta Drive westwards, it offers easily accessible swimming holes, chasms and gorges, bush walking, camping and four-wheel-driving ==Understand== The Red Centre is the place where you will find the most famous monolith of Australia, [[Uluru]] and it is where the heart of the outback beats. The only town of sizable population is [[Alice Springs]], the remainder of the population being scattered in smaller communities. The oxidized iron in the soil gives the whole area its distinctive and immediately recognizable reddish glow. Here you can connect with the oldest living culture on earth or listen to colourful yarns of the pioneering days at an outback pub. ===Indigenous history=== The Arrernte Aboriginal people have made their home in the Central Australian desert in and around Alice Springs for more than 50,000 years. The Aboriginal name for Alice Springs is Mparntwe. Three major groups Western, Eastern and Central Arrernte people live in Central Australia, their traditional land including the area of Alice Springs and East/West MacDonnell Ranges. They are also referred to as Aranda, Arrarnta, Arunta, and other similar spellings. Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes, and gorges; as a result the Arrernte people set aside 'conservation areas' in which various species are protected. According to the Arrernte traditional stories, in the desert surrounding Alice Springs, the landscape was shaped by caterpillars, wild dogs, travelling boys, two sisters, euros, and other ancestral figures. There are many sites of traditional importance in and around Alice Springs, such as Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill), Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), Atnelkentyarliweke (Anzac Hill), and Alhekulyele (Mt. Gillen). Many Arrernte people also live in communities outside of Alice Springs. ==Talk== English is the most common language spoken in the Red Centre and hundreds of different Aboriginal languages are spoken by the indigenous people. ==Get in== If you travel into an Aboriginal Community, you are not allowed to take alcohol or pornography. There are severe fines if caught. Also, when visiting Arts Centres, do not travel into residential areas (these are well sign-posted). ===By plane=== There is an airport in Alice Springs. Qantas has connecting flights to [[Darwin]], [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]], [[Adelaide]], [[Cairns]] and [[Perth (Western Australia)|Perth]]. There is a flying shuttle to Uluru/Ayers Rock but airport (Ayers Rock (Connellan) Airport) too, so if you're just flying in to see the rock, you don't have to stop off at Alice (although you should!) ===By train=== The Ghan is as infamous as the [[Orient Express]], a long train ride over a large land area, and got even longer in 2004 with an extension right through to [[Darwin]]. Don't expect complete luxury on the Ghan, however. The rolling stock is rather dated, and while adequate, it was purchased used, and has not been highly refurbished. The scenery is nice though. Expect to pay a premium over the airfare. The Ghan is also the only train line into the NT. ===By car=== [[File:LasseterHighway.JPG|250px|thumb|Lasseter Highway between Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Alice Springs]] Alice Springs is 17 hours drive from [[Darwin]], and 18 hours drive from [[Adelaide]]. The [[Stuart Highway]] from Adelaide is well-maintained and goes right through [[Coober Pedy]], an underground town famous also for being the opal capital of the world (and worth stopping off for a visit on the way). It continues through [[Tennant Creek]] and [[Katherine]] all the way up to Darwin. It is worthwhile reading the safety tips for [[Driving in Australia]] and always carrying water and ensuring you know the location and opening hours of your fuel and food stops. Read the rental car conditions carefully. Cars rented locally in Alice Springs usually do not offer unlimited free kilometres. Rental cars hired outside of the Northern Territory may not be able to be driven into it. Driving after dark outside of the city limits may be prohibited. === By bus=== [http://www.greyhound.com.au Greyhound] ply the route to Alice Springs daily from the north and the south. ==Get around== The paved Stuart Highway running from [[Alice Springs]] to [[Adelaide]] crosses the area and is the major artery for local traffic (meaning you can actually cross several vehicles per hour). The A4 Lasseter Highway is also paved, and links the Stuart Highway with Uluru. Consider renting a 4WD to explore areas beyond the A87 Stuart Highway and Uluru. Several destinations can simply not be accessed by conventional vehicles. If you run out of fuel here, you're in big trouble. It is advisable to travel with other vehicles, the more the better. The big rocks are actually a little distance from [[Yulara]]. where the accommodation and facilities are. If you are not with a tour, or didn't bring your car, you will need to decide how best to get to these locations. Hire cars can be expensive, and have limited kilometres; however shuttles to and from the rock are also expensive, so do the maths and see what works best for you. One must also realise that distances in the Red Centre a far and a lot more vast than what most people think. For example, a misconception of distances is when people think that [[Uluru]] is a day trip from Alice Springs, and they can go and come back with plenty of time to spare. But in actual fact, the time between Alice and Uluru is 6 hours itself one way with some speeding as well. ==See== * [[Alice Springs]], an oasis in the middle of nowhere, and the link to the outer world for locals, and the natural choice to start your exploration of the region. Framed by the MacDonnell Ranges and an intense desert landscape, Alice Springs is Australia’s most famous outback town. * [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] Few are ever prepared for a visit to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is Australia's most recognisable natural icon. Standing 348 m high, the monolith has a great cultural significance for the traditional Aboriginal owners, the Anangu people. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is 440 km south-west of Alice Springs near the town of Yulara. A three-day permit to enter the National Park costs $25. A permit to enter the park may or may not be included in a tour you book. Ask your booking agent if your tour fee includes the permit to enter the park. Since 2019, climbing has been banned. [[Image:PlaqueUluru.jpg|250px|thumb|On the top of Uluru]] *{{listing | name=Curtin Springs | alt=Curtin Spring Station | url=http://www.curtinsprings.com/ | email=enquiries@curtinsprings.com | address=Lasseter Highway via Yulara, Northern Territory | lat=-25.315 | long=131.756 | directions=Curtin Springs is 85 km east of the Ayers Rock Resort or 360 km SW of Alice Springs | phone=+61 8 8956 2906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=daily 7AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2018-03-30 | content=Curtin Springs provides a diverse jigsaw of experiences, offering visitors a appreciation of the deeply layered mosaic of landscape, culture, production and environmental features of Central Australia. <br />The Curtin Springs Wayside Inn offers 27 accommodation rooms, campground, bar and restaurant areas. <br />Curtin Springs Paper and Curtin Springs Walks offer up Curtin Springs as a destination for those visitors wishing to experience a closer connection to the intricacies of the landscape.<br />100 km east of Ayers Rock, Curtin Springs offers a perfect base from which to visit the Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon areas. Or stay a while longer and ‘peel back the layers’ by including experiences, tours and hospitality in your travel plans.<br />Curtin Springs Paper - Handmade paper from our native grasses. A truly authentic souvenir of the region. }} *{{see | name=Museum of Central Australia | url= | email= | address=Araluen Cultural Precinct, Corner of Larapinta Drive and Memorial Avenue, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 1120 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The museum acts as an interpretive centre for Central Australia’s natural history. The exhibitions explore the unique features of the region through time and space, following the evolution of the landscape and the creatures that inhabited it. Featured is a replica of a local palaeontologic dig, an ancient waterhole with some surprising mega fauna including a giant freshwater crocodile and the largest bird that ever lived, Dromornis stirtoni, dated at eight million years old. Other exhibits include present day Central Australian mammals, reptiles, insects and meteorite fragments. }} *{{see | name=Alice Springs Desert Park | url=http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/ | email= | address=Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8788 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Entry fees apply | content=In the space of just a few hours, you can discover many of the secrets of the Central Australian deserts at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Hundreds of the species of plants and animals found across Central Australian deserts can be seen, smelt and heard at the Desert Park. You will even have the opportunity to experience desert habitats as they are at night, seeing some of the animals near impossible to see in the wild. }} *{{see | name=Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) | url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/ | email= | address=Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, south-west of Alice Springs | lat= | long= | directions=330 km via the Red Centre Way, 450 km via the Stuart and Lasseter Highways and Luritja Road | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Watarrka National Park, synonymous with its most famous landmark, Kings Canyon, is 450 km south west of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta region of the Northern Territory. The park encompasses the western end of the George Gill Range and is home to a variety of unique native flora and fauna, including over 600 different plant species. }} ===Itineraries=== * [[Red Centre Itinerary]] - This itinerary will lead you through the best of the Red in a few days, however you will need a 4WD, so make a reservation beforehand. Make sure there is a little fridge with your vehicle to keep your supplies fresh. ==Do== *{{do | name=Larapinta Trail | url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/ | email= | address=West MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Larapinta Trail is an exciting long distance walking track through the West MacDonnell National Park in the heart of central Australia. The Trail runs for 223 km along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs to Mt Sonder. The grandeur and timeless beauty of the Ranges are the backdrop and setting for the Trail, which is divided into twelve sections, providing walkers with an opportunity to experience an ancient landscape at their own pace. }} *{{do | name=Simpsons Gap | url= | email= | address=18 km west of Alice Springs, via Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Simpsons Gap, 18 km west of Alice Springs, is one of the best known attractions in the West MacDonnell National Park. A good time to visit is later in the afternoon or early morning when there is a good chance of sighting the rare Black-footed Rock Wallabies. The Ghost Gum walk provides an interesting introduction to the native plants of the region. The short walk to Cassia Hill gives excellent elevated views of the Ranges and the Simpsons Gap area. For something a little different, a sealed bicycle path meanders for 17 km between Simpsons Gap and John Flynn's Grave. Allow around 45 minutes to explore the wonders of this area. }} *{{do | name=Ellery Creek Big Hole | url= | email= | address=Namatjira Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions=90km west of Alice Springs | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=High red cliffs, a large waterhole and a sandy creek fringed by gums make this one of the most popular and picturesque picnicking spots in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Much more than just a popular place for the locals to take a refreshing dip, Ellery Creek Big Hole is also recognised as an internationally significant geological site. A 3-km Dolomite walk provides an opportunity for visitors to explore some of the interesting formations. The West MacDonnell Ranges are the source of the water that has collected in a deep pool. Red River and Ghost Gums shelter the nearby picnic area. Camping is permitted (fees apply). }} *{{do | name=Uluru Camel Tours | alt= | url=http://www.ulurucameltours.com.au/ | email= | address=Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 8 8950 3030 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are views of [[Uluru]] (Ayres Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) providing an inspiring backdrop. Get up close and personal and enjoy a short ride atop one of these gentle giants of the desert, or browse through the museum and display area and pick up a memento of your visit. A wonderful ‘hands on’ experience for young children and families alike. }} ==Eat== [[Alice Springs]] has a large variety of restaurants, cafes and popular fast food chains. ==Drink== There is no drinking alcohol in public places in Alice Springs. You must be on private premises or in the selection of bars and restaurants. ==Stay safe== The Australian Outback, although very beautiful is also very dangerous due to its extreme conditions. Be prepared and plan your trip before you start it. Plan fuel stops and always carry extra fuel as on some highways fuel and towns can be up to 800 km apart. It is advised to carry a satellite phone or HF radio for emergencies if leaving the major roads. Water and food are also very important. If you become stranded in the outback stay calm and stay with your vehicle so emergency services are able to locate you. If you have communication devices use them. Mobile (cellular) phone coverage is limited to the regional centres. *'''Sun protection''' Travellers should always wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and at least an SPF 30 sunscreen when outdoors. You should also be sure to drink plenty of water; a minimum of two litres per day is advised. *'''Dehydration''' Early symptoms include feeling thirsty, excess sweating, headache, dizziness and nausea. If dehydration continues, it can result in seizures, a loss of consciousness and even death. *'''Insects''' The Territory is home to mosquitoes and other biting insects, so a reliable insect repellent, mosquito coils and appropriate clothing will make travelling more comfortable. If camping, keep your tent zipped and tap your shoes out before putting them on. ===On the road=== As with all things in the remote desert, some care should be taken in planning to go out of town. A few of the trips listed are 4WD only and should only be undertaken by experienced 4WD drivers, with proper supplies and equipment. There are a number of tour companies available to help with this. Things to remember: *Either go with a local guide (best) or ensure someone checks over your itinerary & gear. This is a harsh environment! *You'll need a lot more water than you might think, and you may need extra fuel. *It's illegal to drive with uncovered firewood on your roof, so if you need to put it up there put a tarpaulin over it and secure it tightly. *When bush walking, wear long pants and closed-toe shoes; Central Australia is home to some of the most deadliest snakes in the world, but these snakes have very small fangs - a good pair of shoes or long pants will stop them from harming you. *Make sure someone knows you're going out and when to expect you back. *Beware of fire! Make sure your campfire is under control at all times, and put it out completely before you leave. Do not throw your cigarette out the window in this area, for your own safety. Comfort notice: If you are leaving to go out bush and it is not the dead of winter (July), you should bring a flynet. Flynets are fine mesh nets which cover your head. The flies don't bite but they do make a very enthusiastic attempt to get up your nose, in your ears and at your eyes; not being prepared can spoil what would otherwise be a wonderful experience. ==Respect== You may not take alcohol or pornography into Aboriginal Communities, even as a tourist passing through. This applies for the Historical Precinct at Hermannsburg also. Travellers are not permitted into residential parts of the communities. These areas are well sign posted, so keep your eyes open and you will be fine. ==Go next== The Stuart Highway is the '''only <abbr title="paved">sealed</abbr> option'''. Drive North, you will reach the tropical [[Top End]] and [[Darwin]]. To the south, you will enter [[South Australia]], with [[Port Augusta]] at the end of the road. If you have a 4WD, you can cut Northwest directly to the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] on the '''Tanami Track''', a relatively well graded dirt road crossing the Tanami Desert. It is an 800-km drive to Hall's Creek in Western Australia, with very little supplies along the way, and only a single fuel station at the remote Rabbit Flat Roadhouse (which is not open all the time, on top of that), roughly midway between [[Alice Springs]] and Hall's Creek. To the west, you can take the unpaved '''Gunbarrel Highway''' starting at Kata Tjuta, and with a lot of patience and a good 4WD you could drive all the way to [[Perth]] (something like 2500 km away). To the east, the WAA line or the French line are 4WD tracks crossing the Simpson Desert to Birdsville in [[Queensland]], some 500 km east. Be ''extremely'' well prepared if you wish to tackle those routes. * [[Coober Pedy]] — spend the night in an opal mine * [[Darwin]] — The tropical capital city * [[Katherine]] — nature and culture, history and heritage, and gateway to the spectacular Katherine Gorge * [[Tennant Creek]] — Aboriginal culture, gold mining and pastoralism {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Territory}} {{geo|-23.7|133.87|zoom=6}} 303kpj50wsw2t6cmh9alsighzjawp5c 4501935 4501929 2022-08-16T07:13:00Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Do */ dead link, use internal link wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Red Centre banner Uluru Base Walk.jpg}} [[Image:location_redcenter.png|thumb|250px|Red Centre]] The '''Red Centre''' is the colloquial name given to the southern desert region of the [[Northern Territory]] in [[Australia]]. ==Towns== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Alice Springs]]|wikidata=Q17872}} — heart of Australia and hub of the region * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Yulara]]|wikidata=Q18042}} — The town that provides accommodation and services to [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve]]|wikidata=Q14210792}} — a spectacular solitary column towering 40 metres above the Simpson Desert plain * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Charlotte Waters]]|wikidata=Q17929}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[MacDonnell Ranges]]|wikidata=Q1475441}} — following Ross Highway to the east, you will find awesome gorges, gaps and rock formations * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Ewaninga Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q5418919}} — gain insight into an ancient culture as you explore the small, 6-hectare Ewaninga Rock Carvings * Finke Gorge National Park — this ancient landscape includes desert oasis Palm Valley, home to a diverse range of plant species, many of which are rare and unique to the area * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Rainbow Valley]]|wikidata=Q1336276}} — a scenic natural reserve consisting of various formations of sandstones and rocks * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]|wikidata=Q251999}} — home to Australia's most recognisable natural icon. * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Watarrka National Park]]|wikidata=Q1459634}} — home to '''Kings Canyon''', a mighty chasm reaching a depth of 270 metres with some great options for the less energetic to explore * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[West MacDonnell National Park]]|wikidata=Q1645349}} — following Larapinta Drive westwards, it offers easily accessible swimming holes, chasms and gorges, bush walking, camping and four-wheel-driving ==Understand== The Red Centre is the place where you will find the most famous monolith of Australia, [[Uluru]] and it is where the heart of the outback beats. The only town of sizable population is [[Alice Springs]], the remainder of the population being scattered in smaller communities. The oxidized iron in the soil gives the whole area its distinctive and immediately recognizable reddish glow. Here you can connect with the oldest living culture on earth or listen to colourful yarns of the pioneering days at an outback pub. ===Indigenous history=== The Arrernte Aboriginal people have made their home in the Central Australian desert in and around Alice Springs for more than 50,000 years. The Aboriginal name for Alice Springs is Mparntwe. Three major groups Western, Eastern and Central Arrernte people live in Central Australia, their traditional land including the area of Alice Springs and East/West MacDonnell Ranges. They are also referred to as Aranda, Arrarnta, Arunta, and other similar spellings. Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes, and gorges; as a result the Arrernte people set aside 'conservation areas' in which various species are protected. According to the Arrernte traditional stories, in the desert surrounding Alice Springs, the landscape was shaped by caterpillars, wild dogs, travelling boys, two sisters, euros, and other ancestral figures. There are many sites of traditional importance in and around Alice Springs, such as Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill), Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), Atnelkentyarliweke (Anzac Hill), and Alhekulyele (Mt. Gillen). Many Arrernte people also live in communities outside of Alice Springs. ==Talk== English is the most common language spoken in the Red Centre and hundreds of different Aboriginal languages are spoken by the indigenous people. ==Get in== If you travel into an Aboriginal Community, you are not allowed to take alcohol or pornography. There are severe fines if caught. Also, when visiting Arts Centres, do not travel into residential areas (these are well sign-posted). ===By plane=== There is an airport in Alice Springs. Qantas has connecting flights to [[Darwin]], [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]], [[Adelaide]], [[Cairns]] and [[Perth (Western Australia)|Perth]]. There is a flying shuttle to Uluru/Ayers Rock but airport (Ayers Rock (Connellan) Airport) too, so if you're just flying in to see the rock, you don't have to stop off at Alice (although you should!) ===By train=== The Ghan is as infamous as the [[Orient Express]], a long train ride over a large land area, and got even longer in 2004 with an extension right through to [[Darwin]]. Don't expect complete luxury on the Ghan, however. The rolling stock is rather dated, and while adequate, it was purchased used, and has not been highly refurbished. The scenery is nice though. Expect to pay a premium over the airfare. The Ghan is also the only train line into the NT. ===By car=== [[File:LasseterHighway.JPG|250px|thumb|Lasseter Highway between Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Alice Springs]] Alice Springs is 17 hours drive from [[Darwin]], and 18 hours drive from [[Adelaide]]. The [[Stuart Highway]] from Adelaide is well-maintained and goes right through [[Coober Pedy]], an underground town famous also for being the opal capital of the world (and worth stopping off for a visit on the way). It continues through [[Tennant Creek]] and [[Katherine]] all the way up to Darwin. It is worthwhile reading the safety tips for [[Driving in Australia]] and always carrying water and ensuring you know the location and opening hours of your fuel and food stops. Read the rental car conditions carefully. Cars rented locally in Alice Springs usually do not offer unlimited free kilometres. Rental cars hired outside of the Northern Territory may not be able to be driven into it. Driving after dark outside of the city limits may be prohibited. === By bus=== [http://www.greyhound.com.au Greyhound] ply the route to Alice Springs daily from the north and the south. ==Get around== The paved Stuart Highway running from [[Alice Springs]] to [[Adelaide]] crosses the area and is the major artery for local traffic (meaning you can actually cross several vehicles per hour). The A4 Lasseter Highway is also paved, and links the Stuart Highway with Uluru. Consider renting a 4WD to explore areas beyond the A87 Stuart Highway and Uluru. Several destinations can simply not be accessed by conventional vehicles. If you run out of fuel here, you're in big trouble. It is advisable to travel with other vehicles, the more the better. The big rocks are actually a little distance from [[Yulara]]. where the accommodation and facilities are. If you are not with a tour, or didn't bring your car, you will need to decide how best to get to these locations. Hire cars can be expensive, and have limited kilometres; however shuttles to and from the rock are also expensive, so do the maths and see what works best for you. One must also realise that distances in the Red Centre a far and a lot more vast than what most people think. For example, a misconception of distances is when people think that [[Uluru]] is a day trip from Alice Springs, and they can go and come back with plenty of time to spare. But in actual fact, the time between Alice and Uluru is 6 hours itself one way with some speeding as well. ==See== * [[Alice Springs]], an oasis in the middle of nowhere, and the link to the outer world for locals, and the natural choice to start your exploration of the region. Framed by the MacDonnell Ranges and an intense desert landscape, Alice Springs is Australia’s most famous outback town. * [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] Few are ever prepared for a visit to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is Australia's most recognisable natural icon. Standing 348 m high, the monolith has a great cultural significance for the traditional Aboriginal owners, the Anangu people. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is 440 km south-west of Alice Springs near the town of Yulara. A three-day permit to enter the National Park costs $25. A permit to enter the park may or may not be included in a tour you book. Ask your booking agent if your tour fee includes the permit to enter the park. Since 2019, climbing has been banned. [[Image:PlaqueUluru.jpg|250px|thumb|On the top of Uluru]] *{{listing | name=Curtin Springs | alt=Curtin Spring Station | url=http://www.curtinsprings.com/ | email=enquiries@curtinsprings.com | address=Lasseter Highway via Yulara, Northern Territory | lat=-25.315 | long=131.756 | directions=Curtin Springs is 85 km east of the Ayers Rock Resort or 360 km SW of Alice Springs | phone=+61 8 8956 2906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=daily 7AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2018-03-30 | content=Curtin Springs provides a diverse jigsaw of experiences, offering visitors a appreciation of the deeply layered mosaic of landscape, culture, production and environmental features of Central Australia. <br />The Curtin Springs Wayside Inn offers 27 accommodation rooms, campground, bar and restaurant areas. <br />Curtin Springs Paper and Curtin Springs Walks offer up Curtin Springs as a destination for those visitors wishing to experience a closer connection to the intricacies of the landscape.<br />100 km east of Ayers Rock, Curtin Springs offers a perfect base from which to visit the Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon areas. Or stay a while longer and ‘peel back the layers’ by including experiences, tours and hospitality in your travel plans.<br />Curtin Springs Paper - Handmade paper from our native grasses. A truly authentic souvenir of the region. }} *{{see | name=Museum of Central Australia | url= | email= | address=Araluen Cultural Precinct, Corner of Larapinta Drive and Memorial Avenue, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 1120 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The museum acts as an interpretive centre for Central Australia’s natural history. The exhibitions explore the unique features of the region through time and space, following the evolution of the landscape and the creatures that inhabited it. Featured is a replica of a local palaeontologic dig, an ancient waterhole with some surprising mega fauna including a giant freshwater crocodile and the largest bird that ever lived, Dromornis stirtoni, dated at eight million years old. Other exhibits include present day Central Australian mammals, reptiles, insects and meteorite fragments. }} *{{see | name=Alice Springs Desert Park | url=http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/ | email= | address=Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8788 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Entry fees apply | content=In the space of just a few hours, you can discover many of the secrets of the Central Australian deserts at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Hundreds of the species of plants and animals found across Central Australian deserts can be seen, smelt and heard at the Desert Park. You will even have the opportunity to experience desert habitats as they are at night, seeing some of the animals near impossible to see in the wild. }} *{{see | name=Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) | url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/ | email= | address=Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, south-west of Alice Springs | lat= | long= | directions=330 km via the Red Centre Way, 450 km via the Stuart and Lasseter Highways and Luritja Road | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Watarrka National Park, synonymous with its most famous landmark, Kings Canyon, is 450 km south west of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta region of the Northern Territory. The park encompasses the western end of the George Gill Range and is home to a variety of unique native flora and fauna, including over 600 different plant species. }} ===Itineraries=== * [[Red Centre Itinerary]] - This itinerary will lead you through the best of the Red in a few days, however you will need a 4WD, so make a reservation beforehand. Make sure there is a little fridge with your vehicle to keep your supplies fresh. ==Do== *{{do | name=[[Larapinta Trai]]l | url= | email= | address=West MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Larapinta Trail is an exciting long distance walking track through the West MacDonnell National Park in the heart of central Australia. The Trail runs for 223 km along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs to Mt Sonder. The grandeur and timeless beauty of the Ranges are the backdrop and setting for the Trail, which is divided into twelve sections, providing walkers with an opportunity to experience an ancient landscape at their own pace. }} *{{do | name=Simpsons Gap | url= | email= | address=18 km west of Alice Springs, via Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Simpsons Gap, 18 km west of Alice Springs, is one of the best known attractions in the West MacDonnell National Park. A good time to visit is later in the afternoon or early morning when there is a good chance of sighting the rare Black-footed Rock Wallabies. The Ghost Gum walk provides an interesting introduction to the native plants of the region. The short walk to Cassia Hill gives excellent elevated views of the Ranges and the Simpsons Gap area. For something a little different, a sealed bicycle path meanders for 17 km between Simpsons Gap and John Flynn's Grave. Allow around 45 minutes to explore the wonders of this area. }} *{{do | name=Ellery Creek Big Hole | url= | email= | address=Namatjira Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions=90km west of Alice Springs | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=High red cliffs, a large waterhole and a sandy creek fringed by gums make this one of the most popular and picturesque picnicking spots in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Much more than just a popular place for the locals to take a refreshing dip, Ellery Creek Big Hole is also recognised as an internationally significant geological site. A 3-km Dolomite walk provides an opportunity for visitors to explore some of the interesting formations. The West MacDonnell Ranges are the source of the water that has collected in a deep pool. Red River and Ghost Gums shelter the nearby picnic area. Camping is permitted (fees apply). }} *{{do | name=Uluru Camel Tours | alt= | url=http://www.ulurucameltours.com.au/ | email= | address=Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 8 8950 3030 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are views of [[Uluru]] (Ayres Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) providing an inspiring backdrop. Get up close and personal and enjoy a short ride atop one of these gentle giants of the desert, or browse through the museum and display area and pick up a memento of your visit. A wonderful ‘hands on’ experience for young children and families alike. }} ==Eat== [[Alice Springs]] has a large variety of restaurants, cafes and popular fast food chains. ==Drink== There is no drinking alcohol in public places in Alice Springs. You must be on private premises or in the selection of bars and restaurants. ==Stay safe== The Australian Outback, although very beautiful is also very dangerous due to its extreme conditions. Be prepared and plan your trip before you start it. Plan fuel stops and always carry extra fuel as on some highways fuel and towns can be up to 800 km apart. It is advised to carry a satellite phone or HF radio for emergencies if leaving the major roads. Water and food are also very important. If you become stranded in the outback stay calm and stay with your vehicle so emergency services are able to locate you. If you have communication devices use them. Mobile (cellular) phone coverage is limited to the regional centres. *'''Sun protection''' Travellers should always wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and at least an SPF 30 sunscreen when outdoors. You should also be sure to drink plenty of water; a minimum of two litres per day is advised. *'''Dehydration''' Early symptoms include feeling thirsty, excess sweating, headache, dizziness and nausea. If dehydration continues, it can result in seizures, a loss of consciousness and even death. *'''Insects''' The Territory is home to mosquitoes and other biting insects, so a reliable insect repellent, mosquito coils and appropriate clothing will make travelling more comfortable. If camping, keep your tent zipped and tap your shoes out before putting them on. ===On the road=== As with all things in the remote desert, some care should be taken in planning to go out of town. A few of the trips listed are 4WD only and should only be undertaken by experienced 4WD drivers, with proper supplies and equipment. There are a number of tour companies available to help with this. Things to remember: *Either go with a local guide (best) or ensure someone checks over your itinerary & gear. This is a harsh environment! *You'll need a lot more water than you might think, and you may need extra fuel. *It's illegal to drive with uncovered firewood on your roof, so if you need to put it up there put a tarpaulin over it and secure it tightly. *When bush walking, wear long pants and closed-toe shoes; Central Australia is home to some of the most deadliest snakes in the world, but these snakes have very small fangs - a good pair of shoes or long pants will stop them from harming you. *Make sure someone knows you're going out and when to expect you back. *Beware of fire! Make sure your campfire is under control at all times, and put it out completely before you leave. Do not throw your cigarette out the window in this area, for your own safety. Comfort notice: If you are leaving to go out bush and it is not the dead of winter (July), you should bring a flynet. Flynets are fine mesh nets which cover your head. The flies don't bite but they do make a very enthusiastic attempt to get up your nose, in your ears and at your eyes; not being prepared can spoil what would otherwise be a wonderful experience. ==Respect== You may not take alcohol or pornography into Aboriginal Communities, even as a tourist passing through. This applies for the Historical Precinct at Hermannsburg also. Travellers are not permitted into residential parts of the communities. These areas are well sign posted, so keep your eyes open and you will be fine. ==Go next== The Stuart Highway is the '''only <abbr title="paved">sealed</abbr> option'''. Drive North, you will reach the tropical [[Top End]] and [[Darwin]]. To the south, you will enter [[South Australia]], with [[Port Augusta]] at the end of the road. If you have a 4WD, you can cut Northwest directly to the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] on the '''Tanami Track''', a relatively well graded dirt road crossing the Tanami Desert. It is an 800-km drive to Hall's Creek in Western Australia, with very little supplies along the way, and only a single fuel station at the remote Rabbit Flat Roadhouse (which is not open all the time, on top of that), roughly midway between [[Alice Springs]] and Hall's Creek. To the west, you can take the unpaved '''Gunbarrel Highway''' starting at Kata Tjuta, and with a lot of patience and a good 4WD you could drive all the way to [[Perth]] (something like 2500 km away). To the east, the WAA line or the French line are 4WD tracks crossing the Simpson Desert to Birdsville in [[Queensland]], some 500 km east. Be ''extremely'' well prepared if you wish to tackle those routes. * [[Coober Pedy]] — spend the night in an opal mine * [[Darwin]] — The tropical capital city * [[Katherine]] — nature and culture, history and heritage, and gateway to the spectacular Katherine Gorge * [[Tennant Creek]] — Aboriginal culture, gold mining and pastoralism {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Territory}} {{geo|-23.7|133.87|zoom=6}} rnhtht78vlscbyssdk9oxkkecy8dryk 4501938 4501935 2022-08-16T07:15:35Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Do */ Updated listing for [[Larapinta Trail]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Red Centre banner Uluru Base Walk.jpg}} [[Image:location_redcenter.png|thumb|250px|Red Centre]] The '''Red Centre''' is the colloquial name given to the southern desert region of the [[Northern Territory]] in [[Australia]]. ==Towns== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Alice Springs]]|wikidata=Q17872}} — heart of Australia and hub of the region * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Yulara]]|wikidata=Q18042}} — The town that provides accommodation and services to [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve]]|wikidata=Q14210792}} — a spectacular solitary column towering 40 metres above the Simpson Desert plain * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Charlotte Waters]]|wikidata=Q17929}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[MacDonnell Ranges]]|wikidata=Q1475441}} — following Ross Highway to the east, you will find awesome gorges, gaps and rock formations * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Ewaninga Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q5418919}} — gain insight into an ancient culture as you explore the small, 6-hectare Ewaninga Rock Carvings * Finke Gorge National Park — this ancient landscape includes desert oasis Palm Valley, home to a diverse range of plant species, many of which are rare and unique to the area * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Rainbow Valley]]|wikidata=Q1336276}} — a scenic natural reserve consisting of various formations of sandstones and rocks * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]|wikidata=Q251999}} — home to Australia's most recognisable natural icon. * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Watarrka National Park]]|wikidata=Q1459634}} — home to '''Kings Canyon''', a mighty chasm reaching a depth of 270 metres with some great options for the less energetic to explore * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[West MacDonnell National Park]]|wikidata=Q1645349}} — following Larapinta Drive westwards, it offers easily accessible swimming holes, chasms and gorges, bush walking, camping and four-wheel-driving ==Understand== The Red Centre is the place where you will find the most famous monolith of Australia, [[Uluru]] and it is where the heart of the outback beats. The only town of sizable population is [[Alice Springs]], the remainder of the population being scattered in smaller communities. The oxidized iron in the soil gives the whole area its distinctive and immediately recognizable reddish glow. Here you can connect with the oldest living culture on earth or listen to colourful yarns of the pioneering days at an outback pub. ===Indigenous history=== The Arrernte Aboriginal people have made their home in the Central Australian desert in and around Alice Springs for more than 50,000 years. The Aboriginal name for Alice Springs is Mparntwe. Three major groups Western, Eastern and Central Arrernte people live in Central Australia, their traditional land including the area of Alice Springs and East/West MacDonnell Ranges. They are also referred to as Aranda, Arrarnta, Arunta, and other similar spellings. Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes, and gorges; as a result the Arrernte people set aside 'conservation areas' in which various species are protected. According to the Arrernte traditional stories, in the desert surrounding Alice Springs, the landscape was shaped by caterpillars, wild dogs, travelling boys, two sisters, euros, and other ancestral figures. There are many sites of traditional importance in and around Alice Springs, such as Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill), Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), Atnelkentyarliweke (Anzac Hill), and Alhekulyele (Mt. Gillen). Many Arrernte people also live in communities outside of Alice Springs. ==Talk== English is the most common language spoken in the Red Centre and hundreds of different Aboriginal languages are spoken by the indigenous people. ==Get in== If you travel into an Aboriginal Community, you are not allowed to take alcohol or pornography. There are severe fines if caught. Also, when visiting Arts Centres, do not travel into residential areas (these are well sign-posted). ===By plane=== There is an airport in Alice Springs. Qantas has connecting flights to [[Darwin]], [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]], [[Adelaide]], [[Cairns]] and [[Perth (Western Australia)|Perth]]. There is a flying shuttle to Uluru/Ayers Rock but airport (Ayers Rock (Connellan) Airport) too, so if you're just flying in to see the rock, you don't have to stop off at Alice (although you should!) ===By train=== The Ghan is as infamous as the [[Orient Express]], a long train ride over a large land area, and got even longer in 2004 with an extension right through to [[Darwin]]. Don't expect complete luxury on the Ghan, however. The rolling stock is rather dated, and while adequate, it was purchased used, and has not been highly refurbished. The scenery is nice though. Expect to pay a premium over the airfare. The Ghan is also the only train line into the NT. ===By car=== [[File:LasseterHighway.JPG|250px|thumb|Lasseter Highway between Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Alice Springs]] Alice Springs is 17 hours drive from [[Darwin]], and 18 hours drive from [[Adelaide]]. The [[Stuart Highway]] from Adelaide is well-maintained and goes right through [[Coober Pedy]], an underground town famous also for being the opal capital of the world (and worth stopping off for a visit on the way). It continues through [[Tennant Creek]] and [[Katherine]] all the way up to Darwin. It is worthwhile reading the safety tips for [[Driving in Australia]] and always carrying water and ensuring you know the location and opening hours of your fuel and food stops. Read the rental car conditions carefully. Cars rented locally in Alice Springs usually do not offer unlimited free kilometres. Rental cars hired outside of the Northern Territory may not be able to be driven into it. Driving after dark outside of the city limits may be prohibited. === By bus=== [http://www.greyhound.com.au Greyhound] ply the route to Alice Springs daily from the north and the south. ==Get around== The paved Stuart Highway running from [[Alice Springs]] to [[Adelaide]] crosses the area and is the major artery for local traffic (meaning you can actually cross several vehicles per hour). The A4 Lasseter Highway is also paved, and links the Stuart Highway with Uluru. Consider renting a 4WD to explore areas beyond the A87 Stuart Highway and Uluru. Several destinations can simply not be accessed by conventional vehicles. If you run out of fuel here, you're in big trouble. It is advisable to travel with other vehicles, the more the better. The big rocks are actually a little distance from [[Yulara]]. where the accommodation and facilities are. If you are not with a tour, or didn't bring your car, you will need to decide how best to get to these locations. Hire cars can be expensive, and have limited kilometres; however shuttles to and from the rock are also expensive, so do the maths and see what works best for you. One must also realise that distances in the Red Centre a far and a lot more vast than what most people think. For example, a misconception of distances is when people think that [[Uluru]] is a day trip from Alice Springs, and they can go and come back with plenty of time to spare. But in actual fact, the time between Alice and Uluru is 6 hours itself one way with some speeding as well. ==See== * [[Alice Springs]], an oasis in the middle of nowhere, and the link to the outer world for locals, and the natural choice to start your exploration of the region. Framed by the MacDonnell Ranges and an intense desert landscape, Alice Springs is Australia’s most famous outback town. * [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] Few are ever prepared for a visit to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is Australia's most recognisable natural icon. Standing 348 m high, the monolith has a great cultural significance for the traditional Aboriginal owners, the Anangu people. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is 440 km south-west of Alice Springs near the town of Yulara. A three-day permit to enter the National Park costs $25. A permit to enter the park may or may not be included in a tour you book. Ask your booking agent if your tour fee includes the permit to enter the park. Since 2019, climbing has been banned. [[Image:PlaqueUluru.jpg|250px|thumb|On the top of Uluru]] *{{listing | name=Curtin Springs | alt=Curtin Spring Station | url=http://www.curtinsprings.com/ | email=enquiries@curtinsprings.com | address=Lasseter Highway via Yulara, Northern Territory | lat=-25.315 | long=131.756 | directions=Curtin Springs is 85 km east of the Ayers Rock Resort or 360 km SW of Alice Springs | phone=+61 8 8956 2906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=daily 7AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2018-03-30 | content=Curtin Springs provides a diverse jigsaw of experiences, offering visitors a appreciation of the deeply layered mosaic of landscape, culture, production and environmental features of Central Australia. <br />The Curtin Springs Wayside Inn offers 27 accommodation rooms, campground, bar and restaurant areas. <br />Curtin Springs Paper and Curtin Springs Walks offer up Curtin Springs as a destination for those visitors wishing to experience a closer connection to the intricacies of the landscape.<br />100 km east of Ayers Rock, Curtin Springs offers a perfect base from which to visit the Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon areas. Or stay a while longer and ‘peel back the layers’ by including experiences, tours and hospitality in your travel plans.<br />Curtin Springs Paper - Handmade paper from our native grasses. A truly authentic souvenir of the region. }} *{{see | name=Museum of Central Australia | url= | email= | address=Araluen Cultural Precinct, Corner of Larapinta Drive and Memorial Avenue, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 1120 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The museum acts as an interpretive centre for Central Australia’s natural history. The exhibitions explore the unique features of the region through time and space, following the evolution of the landscape and the creatures that inhabited it. Featured is a replica of a local palaeontologic dig, an ancient waterhole with some surprising mega fauna including a giant freshwater crocodile and the largest bird that ever lived, Dromornis stirtoni, dated at eight million years old. Other exhibits include present day Central Australian mammals, reptiles, insects and meteorite fragments. }} *{{see | name=Alice Springs Desert Park | url=http://www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/ | email= | address=Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8788 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Entry fees apply | content=In the space of just a few hours, you can discover many of the secrets of the Central Australian deserts at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Hundreds of the species of plants and animals found across Central Australian deserts can be seen, smelt and heard at the Desert Park. You will even have the opportunity to experience desert habitats as they are at night, seeing some of the animals near impossible to see in the wild. }} *{{see | name=Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) | url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/ | email= | address=Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, south-west of Alice Springs | lat= | long= | directions=330 km via the Red Centre Way, 450 km via the Stuart and Lasseter Highways and Luritja Road | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Watarrka National Park, synonymous with its most famous landmark, Kings Canyon, is 450 km south west of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta region of the Northern Territory. The park encompasses the western end of the George Gill Range and is home to a variety of unique native flora and fauna, including over 600 different plant species. }} ===Itineraries=== * [[Red Centre Itinerary]] - This itinerary will lead you through the best of the Red in a few days, however you will need a 4WD, so make a reservation beforehand. Make sure there is a little fridge with your vehicle to keep your supplies fresh. ==Do== *{{do | name=[[Larapinta Trail]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=West MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The Larapinta Trail is an exciting long distance walking track through the West MacDonnell National Park in the heart of central Australia. The Trail runs for 223 km along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs to Mt Sonder. The grandeur and timeless beauty of the Ranges are the backdrop and setting for the Trail, which is divided into twelve sections, providing walkers with an opportunity to experience an ancient landscape at their own pace. }} *{{do | name=Simpsons Gap | url= | email= | address=18 km west of Alice Springs, via Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone =+61 8 8951 8250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Simpsons Gap, 18 km west of Alice Springs, is one of the best known attractions in the West MacDonnell National Park. A good time to visit is later in the afternoon or early morning when there is a good chance of sighting the rare Black-footed Rock Wallabies. The Ghost Gum walk provides an interesting introduction to the native plants of the region. The short walk to Cassia Hill gives excellent elevated views of the Ranges and the Simpsons Gap area. For something a little different, a sealed bicycle path meanders for 17 km between Simpsons Gap and John Flynn's Grave. Allow around 45 minutes to explore the wonders of this area. }} *{{do | name=Ellery Creek Big Hole | url= | email= | address=Namatjira Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions=90km west of Alice Springs | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=High red cliffs, a large waterhole and a sandy creek fringed by gums make this one of the most popular and picturesque picnicking spots in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Much more than just a popular place for the locals to take a refreshing dip, Ellery Creek Big Hole is also recognised as an internationally significant geological site. A 3-km Dolomite walk provides an opportunity for visitors to explore some of the interesting formations. The West MacDonnell Ranges are the source of the water that has collected in a deep pool. Red River and Ghost Gums shelter the nearby picnic area. Camping is permitted (fees apply). }} *{{do | name=Uluru Camel Tours | alt= | url=http://www.ulurucameltours.com.au/ | email= | address=Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, Northern Territory | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 8 8950 3030 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=There are views of [[Uluru]] (Ayres Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) providing an inspiring backdrop. Get up close and personal and enjoy a short ride atop one of these gentle giants of the desert, or browse through the museum and display area and pick up a memento of your visit. A wonderful ‘hands on’ experience for young children and families alike. }} ==Eat== [[Alice Springs]] has a large variety of restaurants, cafes and popular fast food chains. ==Drink== There is no drinking alcohol in public places in Alice Springs. You must be on private premises or in the selection of bars and restaurants. ==Stay safe== The Australian Outback, although very beautiful is also very dangerous due to its extreme conditions. Be prepared and plan your trip before you start it. Plan fuel stops and always carry extra fuel as on some highways fuel and towns can be up to 800 km apart. It is advised to carry a satellite phone or HF radio for emergencies if leaving the major roads. Water and food are also very important. If you become stranded in the outback stay calm and stay with your vehicle so emergency services are able to locate you. If you have communication devices use them. Mobile (cellular) phone coverage is limited to the regional centres. *'''Sun protection''' Travellers should always wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and at least an SPF 30 sunscreen when outdoors. You should also be sure to drink plenty of water; a minimum of two litres per day is advised. *'''Dehydration''' Early symptoms include feeling thirsty, excess sweating, headache, dizziness and nausea. If dehydration continues, it can result in seizures, a loss of consciousness and even death. *'''Insects''' The Territory is home to mosquitoes and other biting insects, so a reliable insect repellent, mosquito coils and appropriate clothing will make travelling more comfortable. If camping, keep your tent zipped and tap your shoes out before putting them on. ===On the road=== As with all things in the remote desert, some care should be taken in planning to go out of town. A few of the trips listed are 4WD only and should only be undertaken by experienced 4WD drivers, with proper supplies and equipment. There are a number of tour companies available to help with this. Things to remember: *Either go with a local guide (best) or ensure someone checks over your itinerary & gear. This is a harsh environment! *You'll need a lot more water than you might think, and you may need extra fuel. *It's illegal to drive with uncovered firewood on your roof, so if you need to put it up there put a tarpaulin over it and secure it tightly. *When bush walking, wear long pants and closed-toe shoes; Central Australia is home to some of the most deadliest snakes in the world, but these snakes have very small fangs - a good pair of shoes or long pants will stop them from harming you. *Make sure someone knows you're going out and when to expect you back. *Beware of fire! Make sure your campfire is under control at all times, and put it out completely before you leave. Do not throw your cigarette out the window in this area, for your own safety. Comfort notice: If you are leaving to go out bush and it is not the dead of winter (July), you should bring a flynet. Flynets are fine mesh nets which cover your head. The flies don't bite but they do make a very enthusiastic attempt to get up your nose, in your ears and at your eyes; not being prepared can spoil what would otherwise be a wonderful experience. ==Respect== You may not take alcohol or pornography into Aboriginal Communities, even as a tourist passing through. This applies for the Historical Precinct at Hermannsburg also. Travellers are not permitted into residential parts of the communities. These areas are well sign posted, so keep your eyes open and you will be fine. ==Go next== The Stuart Highway is the '''only <abbr title="paved">sealed</abbr> option'''. Drive North, you will reach the tropical [[Top End]] and [[Darwin]]. To the south, you will enter [[South Australia]], with [[Port Augusta]] at the end of the road. If you have a 4WD, you can cut Northwest directly to the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] on the '''Tanami Track''', a relatively well graded dirt road crossing the Tanami Desert. It is an 800-km drive to Hall's Creek in Western Australia, with very little supplies along the way, and only a single fuel station at the remote Rabbit Flat Roadhouse (which is not open all the time, on top of that), roughly midway between [[Alice Springs]] and Hall's Creek. To the west, you can take the unpaved '''Gunbarrel Highway''' starting at Kata Tjuta, and with a lot of patience and a good 4WD you could drive all the way to [[Perth]] (something like 2500 km away). To the east, the WAA line or the French line are 4WD tracks crossing the Simpson Desert to Birdsville in [[Queensland]], some 500 km east. Be ''extremely'' well prepared if you wish to tackle those routes. * [[Coober Pedy]] — spend the night in an opal mine * [[Darwin]] — The tropical capital city * [[Katherine]] — nature and culture, history and heritage, and gateway to the spectacular Katherine Gorge * [[Tennant Creek]] — Aboriginal culture, gold mining and pastoralism {{usableregion}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Territory}} {{geo|-23.7|133.87|zoom=6}} 5vxbptmqqv1ycwxygyk2h37a2yc9hyt 0 31602 4501676 4263614 2022-08-15T18:18:15Z Kondephy 95177 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saranda banner.jpg|unesco=yes}} '''Sarandë''', the gateway to the southern [[Albania]], is a small town of about 33,000 inhabitants, situated on a beautiful horseshoe bay between the mountains and the Ionian Sea. The name Saranda derives from an early Christian monastery dedicated to Agioi Saranta (Forty Saints). In antiquity, Saranda was known as Onchesmus. Located opposite the Greek island of Corfu, Saranda is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and warm sea waters. Saranda typically has over 300 sunny days a year. Due to its location and warm weather Saranda is one of the most attractive tourist towns on the [[Albanian Riviera]], where honeymooners traditionally spend their holidays. Fronting the sea and along the main promenade there are some hotels and restaurants which offer you catering facilities and accommodation. Nearby [[Butrint]] is a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage site. ==Understand== * {{listing | name=Saranda Tourist Info Center | alt=Glass sphere building | url=http://www.sarandaweb.com | email= | address=Shetitorja Naim Frasheri | lat=39.8736 | long=20.0095 | directions=Near the Molo by the beach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=There are two Tourist Info Centers (one yellow-domed building on the boardwalk, another more traditional office near the bus center). Both are excellent resources for bus timetables. An added bonus is that the employees speak good English. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|39.8755|20.0055|zoom=14}} ===By boat=== * {{listing | name=Ferry Port | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.871 | long=20.003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} To the nearby Greek island of [[Corfu]] (New Port). The daily ferryboats are at 10:30; 13:00 and 16:30 (fewer out of season - check with the ticket office at the port). The 10:30 passage is a hydrofoil which takes about 25-45 minutes. The 16:30 is a car ferry. Corfu is one hour ahead of Albania. One way costs €19, return €38. ===By bus=== Buses to/from [[Tirana]] can be travelled with the bus lines, taxi vans or taxis. There are two itineraries: Tirana-Durres-Fieri-Vlora-Dhermi-Saranda or Tirana-Durresi-Fieri-Mallakastra-Tepelena-Gjirokastra-Saranda. If you travel through the Riviera (the first) you should pay more attention as the way is narrow. There is also a Tirana-Sarandë bus line by [http://www.rivierabus.com/ RivieraBus.com]. Their route connects all main Albanian resorts such as Durres, Vlore, Dhermi, Jale, Himara, Borsh and Sarandë. There are lines to/from [[Vlore]] that go through the Riviera or "Bregu" (a line of picturesque, gorgeous Mediterranean beaches and villages; Bregu is the summer hostel of the Prime Minister and President). The line from [[Gjirokaster]] to Tepelene, [[Fier]] and Tirana also passes Sarandë. - From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 minutes by bus or taxi. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. ===By car=== From [[Kosovo]] and [[North Macedonia]] follow this itinerary to reach Saranda: [[Struga]]-Qafe Thana-Librazhd-Elbasani-Rrogozhina-Fier and so on. It is connected with Greece by land: (i) By the border of Qafe Bota with [[Igoumenitsa]]; (ii) By the border of Kakavi with Ioannina The tourists, who come here from [[Greece]], reach the border of Kakavi in two ways: from [[Ioannina]] and Igoumenitsa. From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 min. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. Though Qafe-Bota, the itinerary is Igoumenitsa-Qafe Bote-Sarandë, but the roadway is narrower. ===By air=== The idea of an airport in the village of Viron is of great interest, because it is only 5 km from Saranda. A facility is the urban service offered nowadays. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Ksamil Beach.jpg|thumb|Beautiful and quiet beach at Ksamili]] * {{see | name=Ruins of a 5th-century synagogue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Skënderbeu and Rruga Vangjel Pandi cnr | lat=39.87453 | long=20.0068 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Synagogue | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Ethnographic Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Old Castle of Lekures at "Qafa e Gjashtes" (The Pass of Six) | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=above Saranda | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=There is a nice outdoor restaurant within the castle from which you have panoramic views of Saranda Bay below, the inland mountains, the Butrint Lagoon and the island of Corfu on the Ionian Sea. }} ===Further afield=== [[File:Albania, Dhermi.jpg|thumb|Dhermi a gem of the Albanian Riviera]] * {{see | name=Borsh | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0625 | long=19.856667 | directions=N 35&nbsp;km | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Borsh Albania Burg.JPG | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=a maritime village. }} [[File:Amphitheatre of Butrint 2009.jpg|thumb|Greco-Roman amphitheatre in Butrint]] * {{see | name=Butrint National Park and Archaeological Site | alt= | url=http://akzm.gov.al/?option=com_k2&view=item&id=114%3Anational-park-of-butrinti&Itemid=435&lang=us | email= | address=Butrint, Ksamil | lat=39.746111 | long=20.020278 | directions=Just outside of Ksamil | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q975250 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=This is an [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. Butrint was an ancient city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods. The city was finally abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequent malaria epidemic. - Despite being one of the greatest classical cities of the Mediterranean, Butrint remains largely unknown. The current archaeological site includes an impressive Roman amphitheater, a Byzantine Basilica (the largest in the world after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), a Roman temple with mosaic floor, a beautifully carved lion's gate as well numerous constructions built throughout the periods. Furthermore, what you see is just 15 per cent of what lies beneath. As of summer of 2005, there is an international archaeological team performing excavations at Butrint which can be observed inside the park. 700 lek entry fee (€5). As of September 2014, there are city buses that run to Butrint, via Ksamil, every even hour on the half hour, from 06:30 until 16:30 (06:30, 8:30, 10:30...16:30). The same bus line runs from Butrint to Saranda, via Ksamil, every odd hour on the half hour from 07:30 until 17:30 (07:30, 9:30, 11:30....17:30). Bus price is 100 lek per person and can be picked up at the main Saranda bus station or across the street from Hotel Buntrinti. Butrint visitors should allocate approximately 2 hours to enjoy the site; archaeology fans will probably want closer to 3 hours. }} * {{see | image=Albania, Dhermi.jpg | name=[[Dhërmi]] beach, north of [[Himarë]]| alt= | url= |lat=40.144|long=19.638|directions=N 65&nbsp;km| content= — one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping. }} * {{see | name=Ksamil beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.76667 | long=20 | directions=near Sarandë. The bus from Sarandë serves both Ksamili and Butrint. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Ksamil Beach.jpg | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=This village has a beautiful beach with several small islands you could swim to. Ksamili is now heavily developed, with a large number of partially-completed properties. An extraordinary sight is that some of these new buildings are toppling over; this is believed to be where buildings have gone up without permission, and the police have sabotaged the building by pulling out a couple of upright pillars, leaving the owner to clear up the damage. }} * {{see | name=[[Lukove]] beach|alt= |url= |lat=39.983333|long=19.916667|directions=N 20&nbsp;km |content=&nbsp;- part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches. As of July 2018 the road access to Kakome beach was blocked by closed gates with guards, apparently due to a construction project.}} * {{see | name=Syri i Kalter | alt=The Blue Eye | url= | email= | address=Delvinë District | lat=9.923611 | long=20.192778 | directions=25 min away by driving | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Water spring - a natural phenomenon. The clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a stunning, more than fifty-metre-deep pool. A great place to visit and relax. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Central Park|alt=Friendship Park, Parku Miqesia|url=|email=|address=Rruga Telat Noga & Rruga Onhezmi corner | lat=39.875031|long=20.007385| directions=| phone=|fax=|hours=|price=|content= }} * {{do | name=Sunset at Lekures| alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat= | long= | directions=| content=In the afternoon, when the sun is setting, you should go to Lekures, and watch the sun set, or you could go to the beach and relax with your friends or family while enjoying the beautiful sunset. Something else that you can do, when it’s not a really hot day is to go camping. If it’s not a hot day, camping would be a really good experience and also allow you to have a good time looking at the stars at night, and it would be a change from going to the beach. Another idea is to visit a new beach each day, such as one day “pllakat” the next day “manastiri” and so on.}} * After visiting Ali Pasha Tepelena Castle, you could go to the Pulbardha Beach and enjoy some great food and relax on the sandy beach. ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Myrtaj Shop | alt=Market Vellezerit Myrtaj | url= | email=| address=Rruga Onhezmi | lat=39.875291 | long=20.006988 | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax=| hours= | price=| content=}} * Skenderbeu Cognac * Miniature bunker from alabaster * Albanische Mythologie book * Souvenirs made from sea shells in Ksamil * LLogara honey is a local speciality - it is sold by various merchants on the road. ==Eat== Sarandë is bustling with restaurants, cafes and bars. Fast food places offer a surprisingly cheap and tasty variety of options: €1 will usually get you a good souvlaki (usually pork) or a very nice crepe. Look out for yoghurt flavoured ice cream on the boardwalk, near the tourist info office. The [https://m.facebook.com/pages/Mare-Nostrum-Cusine/317655318368160 Mare Nostrum Cuisine] is a nice restaurant on the sea-front of Saranda, in the center. It has the reputation as one of the best places to eat in Saranda [http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g303165-d4318874-Reviews-Mare_Nostrum_cusine-Saranda_Vlore_County.html]. Great food and service but known to be a little more expensive than other restaurants. Fresh fish is abundant in Saranda and available at most restaurants. Establishments next to the sea and fishing ports provide the freshest fish but generally speaking good seafood can be had all around. ===Ksamil=== There are a few places you can eat in Ksamil. At least 4 restaurants in Ksamil are open year-round, but in the summer there are a lot more options and many are just seconds from the beach. ==Drink== Albanian raki, the local firewater. ==Sleep== ===Hostels=== *{{sleep | name=Hostel "Hasta La Vista" | alt= | url= | email= | address=location: Idriz Alidhima Street In Front of the Football Stadium Sarande | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€10 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=Hostel Hasta La Vista offers Reception 24/7 with 36 air-conditioned accommodations with blackout drapes/curtains. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary reliable high-speed wireless Internet access. Guests can make use of the shared/communal kitchen. Guests have access to shared bathrooms. Bathrooms include showers. Housekeeping is offered daily and hair dryers can be requested. }} *{{sleep |name=Backpackers SR |alt=Tomi's Hostel| url=http://sites.google.com/site/backpackersrthebunker | email=sarandabackpackers@gmail.com| address=Rruga Mithat Hoxha Num 10, Lagja 4 Sarande, 7500 | lat=39.87050 | long=20.00219| directions=*Directions from Bus - From the bus stop walk downhill towards the sea, when you reach the promenade turn right on to Ionianet street and walk to the eucalyptus in the center of the road and turn left and 50 m on the right you will see a yellow and grey building No. 10. At the dark brown door, ring the bell (Tomi), a six-minute walk. *Directions from the Corfu ferry - Exit the customer area, walk up the ramp, turn right and 50 m in front you should see a yellow and grey building with an internet cafe on the ground floor. Look for the dark brown door to the left of the creppe shop. Ring the bell named Tomi. One minute walk.| phone=+355 694345426 |tollfree=| hours= | price=€11|fax=| checkin=9:00-23:00 | checkout=12:00|lastedit=2020-05-26| content=Centrally located in the heart of town, close to everything Saranda has to offer. Bus route 6 min walk, Corfu ferry 1 min, Bus st. to Ksamil/Butrint 1 min, Bus st. to Greece 2 min, beach in front of the hostel, the famous promenade (xhiro) on our doorstep, the farmers market, fresh fruits & vegs 1 min. Open year-round. 14 dorm beds in a new building. Free breakfast. Free wifi. Kitchen. Free Security lockers. Free linen & bedsheets. Free coffee and tea. Roof terrace. Beach BBQ dinners in front of the hostel in the summer. Run by Tomi, a local resident, who is such a nice and helpful guy. He will make you feel right at home by going out of his way to help you out. Knows lots of information about day trips to Butrint and the Blue Eye. }} *{{sleep | name=The Hairy Lemon Hostel | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/HairyLemonHostel/ | email=saranda@hairylemonhostel.com | address=Rruga Mitat Hoxha, 8th floor (lemon logo on door), Koder | lat=39.87117 | long=19.99574 | directions='''Directions:''' A taxi from the port costs €3. Otherwise, with your back to the Port turn left and continue on this coastal road (part tarmac and part dirt track) 1 km till you see a sign on the right: 'Pharmacy' and on the left 'Kasandro Restaurant' at the 'Apollonia Hotel' junction. Ask anyone along the coastal road for 'Apollonia Hotel'. From the map 'Andon Lapa Hotel' to 'Apollonia Hotel' is a 2-3 min walk. Above the 'Pharmacy' in the 10-storey lemon and orange building, look up to the 8th floor to see an Albanian flag hanging from their balcony. Go to the opposite side of this building to find the entrance. You can get a key to the building from the shop near the building entrance. Take the lift to the 8th floor. From the lift go left, and the 'Hairy Lemon' is behind the last door on the left | phone=+355 69 3559317, +355 69 889 9196 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00-23:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=€12 (€14 Jul-Aug) | lastedit=2020-05-26 | content=A small 18-bed hostel run by a great Irish lady. Has hot shower, laundry, free breakfast, 24-hour tea and coffee, internet, comfy bunks and a large balcony with great views of the beach and Corfu. }} * {{sleep | name=The Wallaby Hostel | alt= | url= | email=info@wallabyhostel.com | address=Rruga Pandeli Bocari, 9703 Sarandë | lat=39.877538 | long=20.007146 | directions= | phone=+355 69 333 4588 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00-0:00 | checkout=11:00 | price= | lastedit=2020-07-14 | content=Hostel run by two wacky Australian blokes. Reception's available 24/7 along with sociable staff. Games of beer pong are often had and the owners will take you out for pub crawls. }} ===Apartments=== *{{sleep | name=Holiday Apartments from locals|url= |email=| address=everywhere in and around Sarandë|directions=|phone=|price=|content=There are plenty of private houses, apartments offered by locals especially during the high season period. The accommodation offered ranges from low-budget to highly exclusive locations both for low and reasonably high prices. However, if you are traveling in a group of more than 2 people, it is worth considering. The apartments can usually accommodate up to 10 people and are much cheaper than a hotel. Furthermore, you can usually cook in the apartment and save some money. But make sure to book your accommodation in advance, since most of the apartments get booked out very fast. }} ===Hotels=== * {{sleep | name=Epirus Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=Mitat Hoxha 2 | lat=39.87223 | long=19.99302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=dbl €23 incl. breakfast | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palma | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Mitat Hoxha | lat=39.87004 | long=20.00212 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=sgl from €20 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Porto Eda Hotel |url=http://www.portoeda.com/|email=info@portoeda.com|address=Rruga Jonianet| lat=39.87399| long=20.00828|directions=|phone=+355 69 2063480|fax=+355 85226696 | price=dbl €45|checkin= |checkout=|content=The simple. Mobile: +355 69 7233180}} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Aulona | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Lefter Talo, nr.84 | lat=39.8753 | long=20.0103 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €25 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=Wi-Fi. }} * Hotel Kaonia, Rruga Jonianet, 22? Tel.+355 85 222600 * Hotel Ari, Rruga (street) Jonianet, 20, double from €40 * Villa Kanina, At Rruga Studenti and Rruga Sali Ceka corner +355 69 558 4338, dbl from €25 * {{sleep | name=Hotel New Heaven| alt= | url= | email=| address=Saranda Butrinti Road | lat=39.8693 | long=20.0143| directions=1 km from port| phone= | price=Dbl €30| checkin= | checkout=| content=Twenty rooms with a shower. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Butrinti | alt= | url=https://hotelbutrinti.com/ | email=hotelbutrinti@hotmail.com | address=Rruga Naim Frasheri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355 69 20 57 360 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=This luxury five-star hotel is prohibitively expensive but very pretty. There are 87 rooms in total with many of them having beautiful views of the Ionian Sea. }} * {{sleep | name=Vila Duraku | alt=Hotel Duraku | url=https://viladuraku.albania-al.com/en/ | email= | address=Rruga Naim Frashëri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355 69 204 2156 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=The average cost of stay is 6,700 lek | content=Very comfortable and clean rooms, and the staff is very qualified. Free WiFi and private parking. Pets are not allowed. Languages spoken by the staff include English, Italian and Greek. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel ‘Dea’ | alt= | url= | email=hoteldea@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=1 km from the city center, walk along the road Sarand-Butrinti | phone=+355 69 2724043| fax=| price= | checkin= | checkout=| content=20 rooms, all with views on the sea, 3 large suites, a big swimming pool, bar, restaurant, reception and 24-hour private parking. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== [[File:Gjirokastra.jpg|thumb|Gjirokastër an [[UNESCO]] city]] * [[Albanian Riviera]] * Borsh (N 35&nbsp;km) a maritime village * [[Corfu]] in [[Greece]] is the island of grace and politeness. It lies opposite the coast of Epirus mainland and it is separated from Albania in the north part of it by a narrow strait of 1.5 sea miles. [http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/home Corfu] is the capital of the seven Ionian Islands with an area of 592 km², it is the second largest island of the Ionian Islands, with a beautiful coastline of 217 km. Corfu is also the greenest island of all Greece. The impressive vegetation of the island consist mainly of olive and cypress trees * [[Dhërmi]] one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping. * [[Gjirokastër]] (N {{km|55}})— another [[UNESCO]] city in the south, it is known for its unique Ottoman period architecture. There is a large castle on the hill in the middle of the city. * [[Korce]] (N {{km|245}} via Tepelene several miles from the Greek border) — this city is full of life during the summer when you can find couples and families strolling through the city's main park, Parku Rinia. You can hike to the top of the beautiful mountain Moravia and view the city and its surrounding landscape. * Ksamil — On the edge of the Butrint national park. An absolute gem [[File:PërmetAmFlussVjosai.JPG|thumb|Përmet]] * [[Përmet]] (NE {{km|110}} approximately {{km|30}} from the Greek border.) — Nicknamed “The City of Roses,” Përmet is located in the Vjosa River Valley. The city is known for its clean environment and tradition of wine and raki making. Old Permet is worth a look. Around it: Benjë, and Leusë villages * [[Pogradec]] (NE {{km|280}}) — Overshadowed by its glitzy neighbors on the Macedonian side of the lake, the town of Pogradec has experienced a revival. * [[Tepelene]] (N {{km|80}}) there is a ruined citadel occupying a point 300 m above the Vjosë river * Fir of Hotova National Park (NE {{km|120}} and {{km|15}} north of Permet) * [[Lukove]] part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches * [[Vlorë]] (N {{km|120}}) lively seaside city, nice beaches south of town. Passenger ferries to and from Italy dock here. * [[Vuno]] (N {{km|85}}) a small village a few kilometres north to the town of [[Himarë]] *[[Himarë]] ({{km|53}}) Greek/Albanian town on the seaside of the Albanian Riveria with beautiful beaches and an ancient old town {{geo|39.87556|20.00528}} {{IsPartOf|Coastal Albania}} {{outlinecity}} {{Related|UNESCO_World_Heritage_List}} jubp18i1cv2rsj7w10xd4p907sct2gg 4501690 4501676 2022-08-15T18:34:51Z Ibaman 195012 Directions aready mentions it's north; redundant. Undo revision 4501676 by [[Special:Contributions/Kondephy|Kondephy]] ([[User talk:Kondephy|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saranda banner.jpg|unesco=yes}} '''Sarandë''', the gateway to the southern [[Albania]], is a small town of about 33,000 inhabitants, situated on a beautiful horseshoe bay between the mountains and the Ionian Sea. The name Saranda derives from an early Christian monastery dedicated to Agioi Saranta (Forty Saints). In antiquity, Saranda was known as Onchesmus. Located opposite the Greek island of Corfu, Saranda is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and warm sea waters. Saranda typically has over 300 sunny days a year. Due to its location and warm weather Saranda is one of the most attractive tourist towns on the [[Albanian Riviera]], where honeymooners traditionally spend their holidays. Fronting the sea and along the main promenade there are some hotels and restaurants which offer you catering facilities and accommodation. Nearby [[Butrint]] is a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage site. ==Understand== * {{listing | name=Saranda Tourist Info Center | alt=Glass sphere building | url=http://www.sarandaweb.com | email= | address=Shetitorja Naim Frasheri | lat=39.8736 | long=20.0095 | directions=Near the Molo by the beach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=There are two Tourist Info Centers (one yellow-domed building on the boardwalk, another more traditional office near the bus center). Both are excellent resources for bus timetables. An added bonus is that the employees speak good English. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|39.8755|20.0055|zoom=14}} ===By boat=== * {{listing | name=Ferry Port | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.871 | long=20.003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} To the nearby Greek island of [[Corfu]] (New Port). The daily ferryboats are at 10:30; 13:00 and 16:30 (fewer out of season - check with the ticket office at the port). The 10:30 passage is a hydrofoil which takes about 25-45 minutes. The 16:30 is a car ferry. Corfu is one hour ahead of Albania. One way costs €19, return €38. ===By bus=== Buses to/from [[Tirana]] can be travelled with the bus lines, taxi vans or taxis. There are two itineraries: Tirana-Durres-Fieri-Vlora-Dhermi-Saranda or Tirana-Durresi-Fieri-Mallakastra-Tepelena-Gjirokastra-Saranda. If you travel through the Riviera (the first) you should pay more attention as the way is narrow. There is also a Tirana-Sarandë bus line by [http://www.rivierabus.com/ RivieraBus.com]. Their route connects all main Albanian resorts such as Durres, Vlore, Dhermi, Jale, Himara, Borsh and Sarandë. There are lines to/from [[Vlore]] that go through the Riviera or "Bregu" (a line of picturesque, gorgeous Mediterranean beaches and villages; Bregu is the summer hostel of the Prime Minister and President). The line from [[Gjirokaster]] to Tepelene, [[Fier]] and Tirana also passes Sarandë. - From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 minutes by bus or taxi. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. ===By car=== From [[Kosovo]] and [[North Macedonia]] follow this itinerary to reach Saranda: [[Struga]]-Qafe Thana-Librazhd-Elbasani-Rrogozhina-Fier and so on. It is connected with Greece by land: (i) By the border of Qafe Bota with [[Igoumenitsa]]; (ii) By the border of Kakavi with Ioannina The tourists, who come here from [[Greece]], reach the border of Kakavi in two ways: from [[Ioannina]] and Igoumenitsa. From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 min. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. Though Qafe-Bota, the itinerary is Igoumenitsa-Qafe Bote-Sarandë, but the roadway is narrower. ===By air=== The idea of an airport in the village of Viron is of great interest, because it is only 5 km from Saranda. A facility is the urban service offered nowadays. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Ksamil Beach.jpg|thumb|Beautiful and quiet beach at Ksamili]] * {{see | name=Ruins of a 5th-century synagogue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Skënderbeu and Rruga Vangjel Pandi cnr | lat=39.87453 | long=20.0068 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Synagogue | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Ethnographic Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Old Castle of Lekures at "Qafa e Gjashtes" (The Pass of Six) | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=above Saranda | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=There is a nice outdoor restaurant within the castle from which you have panoramic views of Saranda Bay below, the inland mountains, the Butrint Lagoon and the island of Corfu on the Ionian Sea. }} ===Further afield=== [[File:Albania, Dhermi.jpg|thumb|Dhermi a gem of the Albanian Riviera]] * {{see | name=Borsh | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0625 | long=19.856667 | directions=N 35&nbsp;km | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Borsh Albania Burg.JPG | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=a maritime village. }} [[File:Amphitheatre of Butrint 2009.jpg|thumb|Greco-Roman amphitheatre in Butrint]] * {{see | name=Butrint National Park and Archaeological Site | alt= | url=http://akzm.gov.al/?option=com_k2&view=item&id=114%3Anational-park-of-butrinti&Itemid=435&lang=us | email= | address=Butrint, Ksamil | lat=39.746111 | long=20.020278 | directions=Just outside of Ksamil | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q975250 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=This is an [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. Butrint was an ancient city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods. The city was finally abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequent malaria epidemic. - Despite being one of the greatest classical cities of the Mediterranean, Butrint remains largely unknown. The current archaeological site includes an impressive Roman amphitheater, a Byzantine Basilica (the largest in the world after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), a Roman temple with mosaic floor, a beautifully carved lion's gate as well numerous constructions built throughout the periods. Furthermore, what you see is just 15 per cent of what lies beneath. As of summer of 2005, there is an international archaeological team performing excavations at Butrint which can be observed inside the park. 700 lek entry fee (€5). As of September 2014, there are city buses that run to Butrint, via Ksamil, every even hour on the half hour, from 06:30 until 16:30 (06:30, 8:30, 10:30...16:30). The same bus line runs from Butrint to Saranda, via Ksamil, every odd hour on the half hour from 07:30 until 17:30 (07:30, 9:30, 11:30....17:30). Bus price is 100 lek per person and can be picked up at the main Saranda bus station or across the street from Hotel Buntrinti. Butrint visitors should allocate approximately 2 hours to enjoy the site; archaeology fans will probably want closer to 3 hours. }} * {{see | image=Albania, Dhermi.jpg | name=[[Dhërmi]] beach| alt= | url= |lat=40.144|long=19.638|directions=N 65&nbsp;km| content= — one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping. }} * {{see | name=Ksamil beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.76667 | long=20 | directions=near Sarandë. The bus from Sarandë serves both Ksamili and Butrint. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Ksamil Beach.jpg | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=This village has a beautiful beach with several small islands you could swim to. Ksamili is now heavily developed, with a large number of partially-completed properties. An extraordinary sight is that some of these new buildings are toppling over; this is believed to be where buildings have gone up without permission, and the police have sabotaged the building by pulling out a couple of upright pillars, leaving the owner to clear up the damage. }} * {{see | name=[[Lukove]] beach|alt= |url= |lat=39.983333|long=19.916667|directions=N 20&nbsp;km |content=&nbsp;- part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches. As of July 2018 the road access to Kakome beach was blocked by closed gates with guards, apparently due to a construction project.}} * {{see | name=Syri i Kalter | alt=The Blue Eye | url= | email= | address=Delvinë District | lat=9.923611 | long=20.192778 | directions=25 min away by driving | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Water spring - a natural phenomenon. The clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a stunning, more than fifty-metre-deep pool. A great place to visit and relax. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Central Park|alt=Friendship Park, Parku Miqesia|url=|email=|address=Rruga Telat Noga & Rruga Onhezmi corner | lat=39.875031|long=20.007385| directions=| phone=|fax=|hours=|price=|content= }} * {{do | name=Sunset at Lekures| alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat= | long= | directions=| content=In the afternoon, when the sun is setting, you should go to Lekures, and watch the sun set, or you could go to the beach and relax with your friends or family while enjoying the beautiful sunset. Something else that you can do, when it’s not a really hot day is to go camping. If it’s not a hot day, camping would be a really good experience and also allow you to have a good time looking at the stars at night, and it would be a change from going to the beach. Another idea is to visit a new beach each day, such as one day “pllakat” the next day “manastiri” and so on.}} * After visiting Ali Pasha Tepelena Castle, you could go to the Pulbardha Beach and enjoy some great food and relax on the sandy beach. ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Myrtaj Shop | alt=Market Vellezerit Myrtaj | url= | email=| address=Rruga Onhezmi | lat=39.875291 | long=20.006988 | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax=| hours= | price=| content=}} * Skenderbeu Cognac * Miniature bunker from alabaster * Albanische Mythologie book * Souvenirs made from sea shells in Ksamil * LLogara honey is a local speciality - it is sold by various merchants on the road. ==Eat== Sarandë is bustling with restaurants, cafes and bars. Fast food places offer a surprisingly cheap and tasty variety of options: €1 will usually get you a good souvlaki (usually pork) or a very nice crepe. Look out for yoghurt flavoured ice cream on the boardwalk, near the tourist info office. The [https://m.facebook.com/pages/Mare-Nostrum-Cusine/317655318368160 Mare Nostrum Cuisine] is a nice restaurant on the sea-front of Saranda, in the center. It has the reputation as one of the best places to eat in Saranda [http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g303165-d4318874-Reviews-Mare_Nostrum_cusine-Saranda_Vlore_County.html]. Great food and service but known to be a little more expensive than other restaurants. Fresh fish is abundant in Saranda and available at most restaurants. Establishments next to the sea and fishing ports provide the freshest fish but generally speaking good seafood can be had all around. ===Ksamil=== There are a few places you can eat in Ksamil. At least 4 restaurants in Ksamil are open year-round, but in the summer there are a lot more options and many are just seconds from the beach. ==Drink== Albanian raki, the local firewater. ==Sleep== ===Hostels=== *{{sleep | name=Hostel "Hasta La Vista" | alt= | url= | email= | address=location: Idriz Alidhima Street In Front of the Football Stadium Sarande | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€10 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=Hostel Hasta La Vista offers Reception 24/7 with 36 air-conditioned accommodations with blackout drapes/curtains. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary reliable high-speed wireless Internet access. Guests can make use of the shared/communal kitchen. Guests have access to shared bathrooms. Bathrooms include showers. Housekeeping is offered daily and hair dryers can be requested. }} *{{sleep |name=Backpackers SR |alt=Tomi's Hostel| url=http://sites.google.com/site/backpackersrthebunker | email=sarandabackpackers@gmail.com| address=Rruga Mithat Hoxha Num 10, Lagja 4 Sarande, 7500 | lat=39.87050 | long=20.00219| directions=*Directions from Bus - From the bus stop walk downhill towards the sea, when you reach the promenade turn right on to Ionianet street and walk to the eucalyptus in the center of the road and turn left and 50 m on the right you will see a yellow and grey building No. 10. At the dark brown door, ring the bell (Tomi), a six-minute walk. *Directions from the Corfu ferry - Exit the customer area, walk up the ramp, turn right and 50 m in front you should see a yellow and grey building with an internet cafe on the ground floor. Look for the dark brown door to the left of the creppe shop. Ring the bell named Tomi. One minute walk.| phone=+355 694345426 |tollfree=| hours= | price=€11|fax=| checkin=9:00-23:00 | checkout=12:00|lastedit=2020-05-26| content=Centrally located in the heart of town, close to everything Saranda has to offer. Bus route 6 min walk, Corfu ferry 1 min, Bus st. to Ksamil/Butrint 1 min, Bus st. to Greece 2 min, beach in front of the hostel, the famous promenade (xhiro) on our doorstep, the farmers market, fresh fruits & vegs 1 min. Open year-round. 14 dorm beds in a new building. Free breakfast. Free wifi. Kitchen. Free Security lockers. Free linen & bedsheets. Free coffee and tea. Roof terrace. Beach BBQ dinners in front of the hostel in the summer. Run by Tomi, a local resident, who is such a nice and helpful guy. He will make you feel right at home by going out of his way to help you out. Knows lots of information about day trips to Butrint and the Blue Eye. }} *{{sleep | name=The Hairy Lemon Hostel | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/HairyLemonHostel/ | email=saranda@hairylemonhostel.com | address=Rruga Mitat Hoxha, 8th floor (lemon logo on door), Koder | lat=39.87117 | long=19.99574 | directions='''Directions:''' A taxi from the port costs €3. Otherwise, with your back to the Port turn left and continue on this coastal road (part tarmac and part dirt track) 1 km till you see a sign on the right: 'Pharmacy' and on the left 'Kasandro Restaurant' at the 'Apollonia Hotel' junction. Ask anyone along the coastal road for 'Apollonia Hotel'. From the map 'Andon Lapa Hotel' to 'Apollonia Hotel' is a 2-3 min walk. Above the 'Pharmacy' in the 10-storey lemon and orange building, look up to the 8th floor to see an Albanian flag hanging from their balcony. Go to the opposite side of this building to find the entrance. You can get a key to the building from the shop near the building entrance. Take the lift to the 8th floor. From the lift go left, and the 'Hairy Lemon' is behind the last door on the left | phone=+355 69 3559317, +355 69 889 9196 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00-23:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=€12 (€14 Jul-Aug) | lastedit=2020-05-26 | content=A small 18-bed hostel run by a great Irish lady. Has hot shower, laundry, free breakfast, 24-hour tea and coffee, internet, comfy bunks and a large balcony with great views of the beach and Corfu. }} * {{sleep | name=The Wallaby Hostel | alt= | url= | email=info@wallabyhostel.com | address=Rruga Pandeli Bocari, 9703 Sarandë | lat=39.877538 | long=20.007146 | directions= | phone=+355 69 333 4588 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00-0:00 | checkout=11:00 | price= | lastedit=2020-07-14 | content=Hostel run by two wacky Australian blokes. Reception's available 24/7 along with sociable staff. Games of beer pong are often had and the owners will take you out for pub crawls. }} ===Apartments=== *{{sleep | name=Holiday Apartments from locals|url= |email=| address=everywhere in and around Sarandë|directions=|phone=|price=|content=There are plenty of private houses, apartments offered by locals especially during the high season period. The accommodation offered ranges from low-budget to highly exclusive locations both for low and reasonably high prices. However, if you are traveling in a group of more than 2 people, it is worth considering. The apartments can usually accommodate up to 10 people and are much cheaper than a hotel. Furthermore, you can usually cook in the apartment and save some money. But make sure to book your accommodation in advance, since most of the apartments get booked out very fast. }} ===Hotels=== * {{sleep | name=Epirus Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=Mitat Hoxha 2 | lat=39.87223 | long=19.99302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=dbl €23 incl. breakfast | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palma | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Mitat Hoxha | lat=39.87004 | long=20.00212 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=sgl from €20 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Porto Eda Hotel |url=http://www.portoeda.com/|email=info@portoeda.com|address=Rruga Jonianet| lat=39.87399| long=20.00828|directions=|phone=+355 69 2063480|fax=+355 85226696 | price=dbl €45|checkin= |checkout=|content=The simple. Mobile: +355 69 7233180}} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Aulona | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Lefter Talo, nr.84 | lat=39.8753 | long=20.0103 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €25 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=Wi-Fi. }} * Hotel Kaonia, Rruga Jonianet, 22? Tel.+355 85 222600 * Hotel Ari, Rruga (street) Jonianet, 20, double from €40 * Villa Kanina, At Rruga Studenti and Rruga Sali Ceka corner +355 69 558 4338, dbl from €25 * {{sleep | name=Hotel New Heaven| alt= | url= | email=| address=Saranda Butrinti Road | lat=39.8693 | long=20.0143| directions=1 km from port| phone= | price=Dbl €30| checkin= | checkout=| content=Twenty rooms with a shower. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Butrinti | alt= | url=https://hotelbutrinti.com/ | email=hotelbutrinti@hotmail.com | address=Rruga Naim Frasheri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355 69 20 57 360 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=This luxury five-star hotel is prohibitively expensive but very pretty. There are 87 rooms in total with many of them having beautiful views of the Ionian Sea. }} * {{sleep | name=Vila Duraku | alt=Hotel Duraku | url=https://viladuraku.albania-al.com/en/ | email= | address=Rruga Naim Frashëri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355 69 204 2156 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=The average cost of stay is 6,700 lek | content=Very comfortable and clean rooms, and the staff is very qualified. Free WiFi and private parking. Pets are not allowed. Languages spoken by the staff include English, Italian and Greek. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel ‘Dea’ | alt= | url= | email=hoteldea@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=1 km from the city center, walk along the road Sarand-Butrinti | phone=+355 69 2724043| fax=| price= | checkin= | checkout=| content=20 rooms, all with views on the sea, 3 large suites, a big swimming pool, bar, restaurant, reception and 24-hour private parking. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== [[File:Gjirokastra.jpg|thumb|Gjirokastër an [[UNESCO]] city]] * [[Albanian Riviera]] * Borsh (N 35&nbsp;km) a maritime village * [[Corfu]] in [[Greece]] is the island of grace and politeness. It lies opposite the coast of Epirus mainland and it is separated from Albania in the north part of it by a narrow strait of 1.5 sea miles. [http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/home Corfu] is the capital of the seven Ionian Islands with an area of 592 km², it is the second largest island of the Ionian Islands, with a beautiful coastline of 217 km. Corfu is also the greenest island of all Greece. The impressive vegetation of the island consist mainly of olive and cypress trees * [[Dhërmi]] one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping. * [[Gjirokastër]] (N {{km|55}})— another [[UNESCO]] city in the south, it is known for its unique Ottoman period architecture. There is a large castle on the hill in the middle of the city. * [[Korce]] (N {{km|245}} via Tepelene several miles from the Greek border) — this city is full of life during the summer when you can find couples and families strolling through the city's main park, Parku Rinia. You can hike to the top of the beautiful mountain Moravia and view the city and its surrounding landscape. * Ksamil — On the edge of the Butrint national park. An absolute gem [[File:PërmetAmFlussVjosai.JPG|thumb|Përmet]] * [[Përmet]] (NE {{km|110}} approximately {{km|30}} from the Greek border.) — Nicknamed “The City of Roses,” Përmet is located in the Vjosa River Valley. The city is known for its clean environment and tradition of wine and raki making. Old Permet is worth a look. Around it: Benjë, and Leusë villages * [[Pogradec]] (NE {{km|280}}) — Overshadowed by its glitzy neighbors on the Macedonian side of the lake, the town of Pogradec has experienced a revival. * [[Tepelene]] (N {{km|80}}) there is a ruined citadel occupying a point 300 m above the Vjosë river * Fir of Hotova National Park (NE {{km|120}} and {{km|15}} north of Permet) * [[Lukove]] part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches * [[Vlorë]] (N {{km|120}}) lively seaside city, nice beaches south of town. Passenger ferries to and from Italy dock here. * [[Vuno]] (N {{km|85}}) a small village a few kilometres north to the town of [[Himarë]] *[[Himarë]] ({{km|53}}) Greek/Albanian town on the seaside of the Albanian Riveria with beautiful beaches and an ancient old town {{geo|39.87556|20.00528}} {{IsPartOf|Coastal Albania}} {{outlinecity}} {{Related|UNESCO_World_Heritage_List}} h0fsr98p74p41xonh6yx1nn3kuyh8ex 4501696 4501690 2022-08-15T18:42:45Z Ibaman 195012 /* See */ uniformity wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Saranda banner.jpg|unesco=yes}} '''Sarandë''', the gateway to the southern [[Albania]], is a small town of about 33,000 inhabitants, situated on a beautiful horseshoe bay between the mountains and the Ionian Sea. The name Saranda derives from an early Christian monastery dedicated to Agioi Saranta (Forty Saints). In antiquity, Saranda was known as Onchesmus. Located opposite the Greek island of Corfu, Saranda is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and warm sea waters. Saranda typically has over 300 sunny days a year. Due to its location and warm weather Saranda is one of the most attractive tourist towns on the [[Albanian Riviera]], where honeymooners traditionally spend their holidays. Fronting the sea and along the main promenade there are some hotels and restaurants which offer you catering facilities and accommodation. Nearby [[Butrint]] is a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage site. ==Understand== * {{listing | name=Saranda Tourist Info Center | alt=Glass sphere building | url=http://www.sarandaweb.com | email= | address=Shetitorja Naim Frasheri | lat=39.8736 | long=20.0095 | directions=Near the Molo by the beach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=There are two Tourist Info Centers (one yellow-domed building on the boardwalk, another more traditional office near the bus center). Both are excellent resources for bus timetables. An added bonus is that the employees speak good English. }} ==Get in== {{Mapframe|39.8755|20.0055|zoom=14}} ===By boat=== * {{listing | name=Ferry Port | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.871 | long=20.003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} To the nearby Greek island of [[Corfu]] (New Port). The daily ferryboats are at 10:30; 13:00 and 16:30 (fewer out of season - check with the ticket office at the port). The 10:30 passage is a hydrofoil which takes about 25-45 minutes. The 16:30 is a car ferry. Corfu is one hour ahead of Albania. One way costs €19, return €38. ===By bus=== Buses to/from [[Tirana]] can be travelled with the bus lines, taxi vans or taxis. There are two itineraries: Tirana-Durres-Fieri-Vlora-Dhermi-Saranda or Tirana-Durresi-Fieri-Mallakastra-Tepelena-Gjirokastra-Saranda. If you travel through the Riviera (the first) you should pay more attention as the way is narrow. There is also a Tirana-Sarandë bus line by [http://www.rivierabus.com/ RivieraBus.com]. Their route connects all main Albanian resorts such as Durres, Vlore, Dhermi, Jale, Himara, Borsh and Sarandë. There are lines to/from [[Vlore]] that go through the Riviera or "Bregu" (a line of picturesque, gorgeous Mediterranean beaches and villages; Bregu is the summer hostel of the Prime Minister and President). The line from [[Gjirokaster]] to Tepelene, [[Fier]] and Tirana also passes Sarandë. - From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 minutes by bus or taxi. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. ===By car=== From [[Kosovo]] and [[North Macedonia]] follow this itinerary to reach Saranda: [[Struga]]-Qafe Thana-Librazhd-Elbasani-Rrogozhina-Fier and so on. It is connected with Greece by land: (i) By the border of Qafe Bota with [[Igoumenitsa]]; (ii) By the border of Kakavi with Ioannina The tourists, who come here from [[Greece]], reach the border of Kakavi in two ways: from [[Ioannina]] and Igoumenitsa. From Ioannina to Kakavi takes around 40 min. When you reach Kakavi, you follow this itinerary: Kakavi-Gjirokaster-Jergucat-Qafe e Muzines-Sarandë. Though Qafe-Bota, the itinerary is Igoumenitsa-Qafe Bote-Sarandë, but the roadway is narrower. ===By air=== The idea of an airport in the village of Viron is of great interest, because it is only 5 km from Saranda. A facility is the urban service offered nowadays. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Ksamil Beach.jpg|thumb|Beautiful and quiet beach at Ksamili]] * {{see | name=Ruins of a 5th-century synagogue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Skënderbeu and Rruga Vangjel Pandi cnr | lat=39.87453 | long=20.0068 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Synagogue | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Ethnographic Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{see | name=Old Castle of Lekures at "Qafa e Gjashtes" (The Pass of Six) | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=above Saranda | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=There is a nice outdoor restaurant within the castle from which you have panoramic views of Saranda Bay below, the inland mountains, the Butrint Lagoon and the island of Corfu on the Ionian Sea. }} ===Further afield=== [[File:Albania, Dhermi.jpg|thumb|Dhermi a gem of the Albanian Riviera]] * {{see | name=Borsh | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0625 | long=19.856667 | directions=35&nbsp;km north | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Borsh Albania Burg.JPG | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=a maritime village. }} [[File:Amphitheatre of Butrint 2009.jpg|thumb|Greco-Roman amphitheatre in Butrint]] * {{see | name=Butrint National Park and Archaeological Site | alt= | url=http://akzm.gov.al/?option=com_k2&view=item&id=114%3Anational-park-of-butrinti&Itemid=435&lang=us | email= | address=Butrint, Ksamil | lat=39.746111 | long=20.020278 | directions=just outside of Ksamil | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q975250 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=This is an [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. Butrint was an ancient city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods. The city was finally abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequent malaria epidemic. - Despite being one of the greatest classical cities of the Mediterranean, Butrint remains largely unknown. The current archaeological site includes an impressive Roman amphitheater, a Byzantine Basilica (the largest in the world after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), a Roman temple with mosaic floor, a beautifully carved lion's gate as well numerous constructions built throughout the periods. Furthermore, what you see is just 15 per cent of what lies beneath. As of summer of 2005, there is an international archaeological team performing excavations at Butrint which can be observed inside the park. 700 lek entry fee (€5). As of September 2014, there are city buses that run to Butrint, via Ksamil, every even hour on the half hour, from 06:30 until 16:30 (06:30, 8:30, 10:30...16:30). The same bus line runs from Butrint to Saranda, via Ksamil, every odd hour on the half hour from 07:30 until 17:30 (07:30, 9:30, 11:30....17:30). Bus price is 100 lek per person and can be picked up at the main Saranda bus station or across the street from Hotel Buntrinti. Butrint visitors should allocate approximately 2 hours to enjoy the site; archaeology fans will probably want closer to 3 hours. }} * {{see | image=Albania, Dhermi.jpg | name=[[Dhërmi]] beach| alt= | url= |lat=40.144|long=19.638|directions=65&nbsp;km north| content= — one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping. }} * {{see | name=Ksamil beach | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.76667 | long=20 | directions=near Sarandë. The bus from Sarandë serves both Ksamili and Butrint. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Ksamil Beach.jpg | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=This village has a beautiful beach with several small islands you could swim to. Ksamili is now heavily developed, with a large number of partially-completed properties. An extraordinary sight is that some of these new buildings are toppling over; this is believed to be where buildings have gone up without permission, and the police have sabotaged the building by pulling out a couple of upright pillars, leaving the owner to clear up the damage. }} * {{see | name=[[Lukove]] beach|alt= |url= |lat=39.983333|long=19.916667|directions=20&nbsp;km north |content=&nbsp;- part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches. As of July 2018 the road access to Kakome beach was blocked by closed gates with guards, apparently due to a construction project.}} * {{see | name=Syri i Kalter | alt=The Blue Eye | url= | email= | address=Delvinë District | lat=9.923611 | long=20.192778 | directions=25 min away by driving | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Water spring - a natural phenomenon. The clear blue water of the river bubbles forth from a stunning, more than 50 m-deep pool. A great place to visit and relax. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Central Park|alt=Friendship Park, Parku Miqesia|url=|email=|address=Rruga Telat Noga & Rruga Onhezmi corner | lat=39.875031|long=20.007385| directions=| phone=|fax=|hours=|price=|content= }} * {{do | name=Sunset at Lekures| alt= | url= | email=| address= | lat= | long= | directions=| content=In the afternoon, when the sun is setting, you should go to Lekures, and watch the sun set, or you could go to the beach and relax with your friends or family while enjoying the beautiful sunset. Something else that you can do, when it’s not a really hot day is to go camping. If it’s not a hot day, camping would be a really good experience and also allow you to have a good time looking at the stars at night, and it would be a change from going to the beach. Another idea is to visit a new beach each day, such as one day “pllakat” the next day “manastiri” and so on.}} * After visiting Ali Pasha Tepelena Castle, you could go to the Pulbardha Beach and enjoy some great food and relax on the sandy beach. ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Myrtaj Shop | alt=Market Vellezerit Myrtaj | url= | email=| address=Rruga Onhezmi | lat=39.875291 | long=20.006988 | directions=| phone= | tollfree= | fax=| hours= | price=| content=}} * Skenderbeu Cognac * Miniature bunker from alabaster * Albanische Mythologie book * Souvenirs made from sea shells in Ksamil * LLogara honey is a local speciality - it is sold by various merchants on the road. ==Eat== Sarandë is bustling with restaurants, cafes and bars. Fast food places offer a surprisingly cheap and tasty variety of options: €1 will usually get you a good souvlaki (usually pork) or a very nice crepe. Look out for yoghurt flavoured ice cream on the boardwalk, near the tourist info office. The [https://m.facebook.com/pages/Mare-Nostrum-Cusine/317655318368160 Mare Nostrum Cuisine] is a nice restaurant on the sea-front of Saranda, in the center. It has the reputation as one of the best places to eat in Saranda [http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g303165-d4318874-Reviews-Mare_Nostrum_cusine-Saranda_Vlore_County.html]. Great food and service but known to be a little more expensive than other restaurants. Fresh fish is abundant in Saranda and available at most restaurants. Establishments next to the sea and fishing ports provide the freshest fish but generally speaking good seafood can be had all around. ===Ksamil=== There are a few places you can eat in Ksamil. At least 4 restaurants in Ksamil are open year-round, but in the summer there are a lot more options and many are just seconds from the beach. ==Drink== Albanian raki, the local firewater. ==Sleep== ===Hostels=== *{{sleep | name=Hostel "Hasta La Vista" | alt= | url= | email= | address=location: Idriz Alidhima Street In Front of the Football Stadium Sarande | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€10 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=Hostel Hasta La Vista offers Reception 24/7 with 36 air-conditioned accommodations with blackout drapes/curtains. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary reliable high-speed wireless Internet access. Guests can make use of the shared/communal kitchen. Guests have access to shared bathrooms. Bathrooms include showers. Housekeeping is offered daily and hair dryers can be requested. }} *{{sleep |name=Backpackers SR |alt=Tomi's Hostel| url=http://sites.google.com/site/backpackersrthebunker | email=sarandabackpackers@gmail.com| address=Rruga Mithat Hoxha Num 10, Lagja 4 Sarande, 7500 | lat=39.87050 | long=20.00219| directions=*Directions from Bus - From the bus stop walk downhill towards the sea, when you reach the promenade turn right on to Ionianet street and walk to the eucalyptus in the center of the road and turn left and 50 m on the right you will see a yellow and grey building No. 10. At the dark brown door, ring the bell (Tomi), a six-minute walk. *Directions from the Corfu ferry - Exit the customer area, walk up the ramp, turn right and 50 m in front you should see a yellow and grey building with an internet cafe on the ground floor. Look for the dark brown door to the left of the creppe shop. Ring the bell named Tomi. One minute walk.| phone=+355 694345426 |tollfree=| hours= | price=€11|fax=| checkin=9:00-23:00 | checkout=12:00|lastedit=2020-05-26| content=Centrally located in the heart of town, close to everything Saranda has to offer. Bus route 6 min walk, Corfu ferry 1 min, Bus st. to Ksamil/Butrint 1 min, Bus st. to Greece 2 min, beach in front of the hostel, the famous promenade (xhiro) on our doorstep, the farmers market, fresh fruits & vegs 1 min. Open year-round. 14 dorm beds in a new building. Free breakfast. Free wifi. Kitchen. Free Security lockers. Free linen & bedsheets. Free coffee and tea. Roof terrace. Beach BBQ dinners in front of the hostel in the summer. Run by Tomi, a local resident, who is such a nice and helpful guy. He will make you feel right at home by going out of his way to help you out. Knows lots of information about day trips to Butrint and the Blue Eye. }} *{{sleep | name=The Hairy Lemon Hostel | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/HairyLemonHostel/ | email=saranda@hairylemonhostel.com | address=Rruga Mitat Hoxha, 8th floor (lemon logo on door), Koder | lat=39.87117 | long=19.99574 | directions='''Directions:''' A taxi from the port costs €3. Otherwise, with your back to the Port turn left and continue on this coastal road (part tarmac and part dirt track) 1 km till you see a sign on the right: 'Pharmacy' and on the left 'Kasandro Restaurant' at the 'Apollonia Hotel' junction. Ask anyone along the coastal road for 'Apollonia Hotel'. From the map 'Andon Lapa Hotel' to 'Apollonia Hotel' is a 2-3 min walk. Above the 'Pharmacy' in the 10-storey lemon and orange building, look up to the 8th floor to see an Albanian flag hanging from their balcony. Go to the opposite side of this building to find the entrance. You can get a key to the building from the shop near the building entrance. Take the lift to the 8th floor. From the lift go left, and the 'Hairy Lemon' is behind the last door on the left | phone=+355 69 3559317, +355 69 889 9196 | tollfree= | checkin=12:00-23:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=€12 (€14 Jul-Aug) | lastedit=2020-05-26 | content=A small 18-bed hostel run by a great Irish lady. Has hot shower, laundry, free breakfast, 24-hour tea and coffee, internet, comfy bunks and a large balcony with great views of the beach and Corfu. }} * {{sleep | name=The Wallaby Hostel | alt= | url= | email=info@wallabyhostel.com | address=Rruga Pandeli Bocari, 9703 Sarandë | lat=39.877538 | long=20.007146 | directions= | phone=+355 69 333 4588 | tollfree= | checkin=14:00-0:00 | checkout=11:00 | price= | lastedit=2020-07-14 | content=Hostel run by two wacky Australian blokes. Reception's available 24/7 along with sociable staff. Games of beer pong are often had and the owners will take you out for pub crawls. }} ===Apartments=== *{{sleep | name=Holiday Apartments from locals|url= |email=| address=everywhere in and around Sarandë|directions=|phone=|price=|content=There are plenty of private houses, apartments offered by locals especially during the high season period. The accommodation offered ranges from low-budget to highly exclusive locations both for low and reasonably high prices. However, if you are traveling in a group of more than 2 people, it is worth considering. The apartments can usually accommodate up to 10 people and are much cheaper than a hotel. Furthermore, you can usually cook in the apartment and save some money. But make sure to book your accommodation in advance, since most of the apartments get booked out very fast. }} ===Hotels=== * {{sleep | name=Epirus Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=Mitat Hoxha 2 | lat=39.87223 | long=19.99302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=dbl €23 incl. breakfast | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palma | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Mitat Hoxha | lat=39.87004 | long=20.00212 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=sgl from €20 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Porto Eda Hotel |url=http://www.portoeda.com/|email=info@portoeda.com|address=Rruga Jonianet| lat=39.87399| long=20.00828|directions=|phone=+355 69 2063480|fax=+355 85226696 | price=dbl €45|checkin= |checkout=|content=The simple. Mobile: +355 69 7233180}} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Aulona | alt= | url= | email= | address=Rruga Lefter Talo, nr.84 | lat=39.8753 | long=20.0103 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €25 | lastedit=2021-07-31 | content=Wi-Fi. }} * Hotel Kaonia, Rruga Jonianet, 22? Tel.+355 85 222600 * Hotel Ari, Rruga (street) Jonianet, 20, double from €40 * Villa Kanina, At Rruga Studenti and Rruga Sali Ceka corner +355 69 558 4338, dbl from €25 * {{sleep | name=Hotel New Heaven| alt= | url= | email=| address=Saranda Butrinti Road | lat=39.8693 | long=20.0143| directions=1 km from port| phone= | price=Dbl €30| checkin= | checkout=| content=Twenty rooms with a shower. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Butrinti | alt= | url=https://hotelbutrinti.com/ | email=hotelbutrinti@hotmail.com | address=Rruga Naim Frasheri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355 69 20 57 360 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=This luxury five-star hotel is prohibitively expensive but very pretty. There are 87 rooms in total with many of them having beautiful views of the Ionian Sea. }} * {{sleep | name=Vila Duraku | alt=Hotel Duraku | url=https://viladuraku.albania-al.com/en/ | email= | address=Rruga Naim Frashëri | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+355 69 204 2156 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=The average cost of stay is 6,700 lek | content=Very comfortable and clean rooms, and the staff is very qualified. Free WiFi and private parking. Pets are not allowed. Languages spoken by the staff include English, Italian and Greek. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel ‘Dea’ | alt= | url= | email=hoteldea@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=1 km from the city center, walk along the road Sarand-Butrinti | phone=+355 69 2724043| fax=| price= | checkin= | checkout=| content=20 rooms, all with views on the sea, 3 large suites, a big swimming pool, bar, restaurant, reception and 24-hour private parking. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== [[File:Gjirokastra.jpg|thumb|Gjirokastër an [[UNESCO]] city]] * [[Albanian Riviera]] * Borsh (N 35&nbsp;km) a maritime village * [[Corfu]] in [[Greece]] is the island of grace and politeness. It lies opposite the coast of Epirus mainland and it is separated from Albania in the north part of it by a narrow strait of 1.5 sea miles. [http://www.corfu.gr/web/guest/home Corfu] is the capital of the seven Ionian Islands with an area of 592 km², it is the second largest island of the Ionian Islands, with a beautiful coastline of 217 km. Corfu is also the greenest island of all Greece. The impressive vegetation of the island consist mainly of olive and cypress trees * [[Dhërmi]] one of the finest of the many beaches along the coastal road, perfect for camping. * [[Gjirokastër]] (N {{km|55}})— another [[UNESCO]] city in the south, it is known for its unique Ottoman period architecture. There is a large castle on the hill in the middle of the city. * [[Korce]] (N {{km|245}} via Tepelene several miles from the Greek border) — this city is full of life during the summer when you can find couples and families strolling through the city's main park, Parku Rinia. You can hike to the top of the beautiful mountain Moravia and view the city and its surrounding landscape. * Ksamil — On the edge of the Butrint national park. An absolute gem [[File:PërmetAmFlussVjosai.JPG|thumb|Përmet]] * [[Përmet]] (NE {{km|110}} approximately {{km|30}} from the Greek border.) — Nicknamed “The City of Roses,” Përmet is located in the Vjosa River Valley. The city is known for its clean environment and tradition of wine and raki making. Old Permet is worth a look. Around it: Benjë, and Leusë villages * [[Pogradec]] (NE {{km|280}}) — Overshadowed by its glitzy neighbors on the Macedonian side of the lake, the town of Pogradec has experienced a revival. * [[Tepelene]] (N {{km|80}}) there is a ruined citadel occupying a point 300 m above the Vjosë river * Fir of Hotova National Park (NE {{km|120}} and {{km|15}} north of Permet) * [[Lukove]] part of the Albanian Riviera, here is Kakome, one of the most beautiful Albanian beaches * [[Vlorë]] (N {{km|120}}) lively seaside city, nice beaches south of town. Passenger ferries to and from Italy dock here. * [[Vuno]] (N {{km|85}}) a small village a few kilometres north to the town of [[Himarë]] *[[Himarë]] ({{km|53}}) Greek/Albanian town on the seaside of the Albanian Riveria with beautiful beaches and an ancient old town {{geo|39.87556|20.00528}} {{IsPartOf|Coastal Albania}} {{outlinecity}} {{Related|UNESCO_World_Heritage_List}} dvfriwi58pm2fnjq6usmqimr6wlms7g 0 32117 4501942 4499474 2022-08-16T07:17:50Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Semarang Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Semarang''' is the capital of [[Central Java]] province in [[Indonesia]]. It is a bustling, growing mid-sized city with a population of over 1.5 million. It is more an administrative and business town than a tourist destination. It nevertheless has its own charm, with contrasting modern mid-rises, a significant set of Dutch colonial architecture, Chinatown, and "kampung" all jutting against each other. ==Understand== The city's name is said to derive from the Javanese words "asem" and "arang", which could be translated as "scarce tamarind." ===Orientation=== Semarang lies on the province's northern coast. Semarang's topography is marked by a narrow coastal plain, rising sharply inland. The city sprawls up from the coast, and the higher areas see some of the highest rate of residential development, due to the slightly cooler climate. The sea is slowly reclaiming the coastal lowlands during the monthly ''rob'' or high tides, causing flooding up to more than a kilometer from the coast. ===Climate=== {{Climate| |janhigh = 29 |janlow = 25 |janprecip = 430 |febhigh = 29 |feblow = 25 |febprecip = 360 |marhigh = 30 |marlow = 25 |marprecip = 320 |aprhigh = 31 |aprlow = 26 |aprprecip = 230 |mayhigh = 32 |maylow = 26 |mayprecip = 160 |junhigh = 32 |junlow = 25 |junprecip = 80 |julhigh = 32 |jullow = 24 |julprecip = 80 |aughigh = 32 |auglow = 24 |augprecip = 60 |sephigh = 32 |seplow = 25 |sepprecip = 100 |octhigh = 32 |octlow = 26 |octprecip = 160 |novhigh = 31 |novlow = 26 |novprecip = 220 |dechigh = 30 |declow = 25 |decprecip = 330 |description=Source: [[w:Semarang#Climate|Wikipedia]] }} The coastal location can make the climate uncomfortably hot and humid. It is not unusual for temperatures to be above {{Celsius|32}}. In contrast to many Indonesian cities, Semarang still has a fair amount of greenery. Locals will tell you that areas that used to be (by their standards) "cool" are no longer. The climate is hot and humid, except on the slope - where it is slightly more pleasant - towards Ungaran, so wear light-coloured cotton clothes, such as T-shirts and knee-length trousers for comfort. === Visitor information === In 2007 the government started to promote Semarang as a tourist destination, starting with the ''Semarang Pesona Asia'' (Semarang, Asia's Enchantment) branding. * {{listing | name=Tourist Information Center (TIC) Semarang | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda No 147 | lat=-6.981303 | long=110.412368 | directions=across the street from the City Hall, near Lawang Sewu and Tugu Muda; TransSemarang Koridor I, II, III, IV | phone=+62 24 351-5451 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Has an information counter and some leaflets about Semarang and other parts of Central Java. The Joglosemar bus (going to [[Yogyakarta]] or [[Solo]]) and the Central Java Travel shuttle van (going to [[Jepara]]), depart from here. }} * {{listing | name=Tourist Information Center, (TIC) Achmad Yani Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= The tourist office also has an information counter at the airport. }} ==Talk== [[Javanese phrasebook|Javanese]] is the local language in Semarang, though virtually everyone speaks [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]] as well. As it is still rather off the tourist trail, English is not widely spoken, so learning at least the basics of Indonesian or Javanese before you visit goes a long way. ==Get in== ===By plane=== *{{listing | type=go | name=Achmad Yani International Airport | alt=''Bandar Udara Internasional Ahmad Yani'' {{IATA|SRG}} | url=https://ahmadyani-airport.com/en | email= | address= | lat=-6.96591 | long=110.37535 | directions=close to the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Ahmad Yani International Airport | image=SemarangAirportBuildings.jpg | wikidata=Q1457975 | content=It is well connected with multiple flights each day from hub airports in Jakarta and Surabaya. There are also direct flights from cities in Kalimantan, such as [[Pangkalanbun]], [[Sampit]], [[Pontianak]] and [[Ketapang]] (KalStar), as well as [[Balikpapan]] and [[Banjarmasin]] (Lion Air). Direct connection from other cities includes [[Bandung]] and [[Batam]] (Lion Air), [[Bandar Lampung]] (Aviastar) and [[Bali]] (Garuda, Wings Air). International flights are also available, daily from [[Kuala Lumpur]] (AirAsia) and less frequently from [[Singapore]], (AirAsia, Silk Air). }} For international arrivals, if you need a Visa on Arrival, proceed to the left side of the immigration queue, otherwise, go straight to the immigration counter. ====Buses from the airport==== Line 5 (Koridor V) of the TransSemarang Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system passes through the airport between 05:30 and 18:30 with a headway every 10 minutes. TransSemarang BRT Airport bus runs between 18:00 and 24:00. For the city centre (e.g. Simpang Lima or the City Hall ''Balai Kota''), take the bus towards Tawang railway station and transfer to Line 1 (Koridor I) in Karangayu. Tickets cost Rp4,000 which includes transfers to any of the other lines. Keep your ticket for checking. ====Taxis from the airport==== There is a taxi counter outside arrivals, to the left. Cross over the drop-off lane. Prices are fixed per zone and roughly double the price of normal city taxis because the airport cooperative has a monopoly. A cheaper option is to turn right out of arrivals and walk to where incoming taxis drop off travellers at the departure area, and take one that has just dropped its passengers off. A city taxi to Simpang Lima or the city centre area should cost about Rp70,000. ===By train=== [[File:Locomotive and Teak Table in front of Lawang Sewu building, Semarang.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Old locomotive in front of the Lawang Sewu building]] There are two main railway stations, both on the north coast mainline connecting Jakarta with Surabaya: * {{listing | type=go | name=Tawang Station | alt=Stasiun Tawang or Semarang Tawang in online bookings | url= | email= | address=Jl Taman Tawang No. 1 | lat=-6.964444 | long=110.427778 | directions=TransSemarang Koridor II, III, and IV | phone=+62 24 354-4544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Semarang Tawang railway station | wikidata=Q2836773 | image=Semarang Tawang station outside.jpg |lastedit=2017-10-25| content=Located in the Old Town (''Kota Lama'') area, Tawang is historically significant, being the oldest major railway station in Indonesia that is still operational, having been used since 1867. It mostly serves business and executive class long-distance trains from other major cities. However, some economy trains do stop here, for example, those serving [[Solo]] and [[Purwokerto]]. Be sure to listen for the farewell/welcome song ''Empat Penari'' (the four dancers) also as known as ''Gambang Semarang'', played over the tannoy at the arrival or departure of every train. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Poncol Station | alt=Stasiun Poncol or Semarang Poncol in online bookings | url= | email= | address=Jl Imam Bonjol No. 115 | lat=-6.97317 | long=110.415 | directions=TransSemarang Koridor III and IV | phone=+62 24 354-4496 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Semarang Poncol railway station | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Station Semarang-West (Pontjol) van de Semarang-Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij kort na de opening in 1914 TMnr 10014003.jpg | wikidata=Q2782742 | content=Poncol mainly handles economy class trains serving nearby cities in Central Java, such as [[Tegal]], [[Pekalongan]], or [[Purwokerto]]. However, there are some long distance economy trains serving [[Jakarta]], [[Surabaya]], and [[Malang]]. }} Semarang is well-connected to [[Jakarta]], [[Bandung]] and [[Surabaya]] by train. The economy and executive class train ''Joglosemarkerto'' travels in a loop across Central Java, through [[Yogyakarta]], [[Solo]], Semarang, [[Pekalongan]], [[Tegal]], [[Purwokerto]], and back to Yogyakarta, as well as in the reverse direction. Multiple executive-class trains connect Semarang to [[Jakarta]] (6 hours) and [[Surabaya]] (4 hours) several times a day, with overnight journeys also possible. The ''Harina'' service connects Semarang to [[Bandung]] and Surabaya once a day with executive and economy class coaches. ===By car=== Semarang can be reached by car from both [[Jakarta]] and [[Surabaya]] in around 4-5 hours and from [[Solo]] in less than 2 hours using the Trans-Java toll road. From [[Cilacap]] in the very southwest of Central Java will take seven to eight hours, via Banyumas, [[Wonosobo]] and [[Temanggung]]. At Temanggung you can choose to keep going on the main roads through Secang and Ambarawa, or to cut up over the side of Mount Ungaran to Sumowono and [[Bandungan]] and take advantage of their all-day fruit and vegetable market. ===By bus=== Many bus companies offer daily service from [[Jakarta]], from Pulo Gebang Bus Terminal and Kampung Rambutan Bus Terminal in [[East Jakarta]], Kalideres Bus Terminal and Grogol Bus Terminal in [[West Jakarta]], or from Pasar Jumat Bus Terminal (the successor of Lebak Bulus Bus Terminal) in [[South Jakarta]]. The overnight bus with A/C is also available with good service. You can choose bus operators such as Garuda Mas, [http://www.kramat-djati.com/ Kramat Djati], Laju Prima, [https://www.nu3tara.com/web/ Nusantara], Raya, [https://www.rosalia-indah.co.id Rosalia Indah], and [http://www.safaridharmasakti.com/ Safari Dharma Raya] , which are all well-reputed. Sometimes the bus route is Jakarta to Solo via Semarang. You can choose them too, but make sure to remind the bus driver's assistant (the person who checks your ticket on-board the bus) to wake you up in Semarang. There is an executive-class tourist bus [https://joglosemarbus.com/ Joglosemar], which connects Jogjakarta, Solo, and Semarang (hence the name). It picks up tourists from specific hotels and provides snacks and water for their trip. Pricier than other executive buses, it is more comfortable and provides friendly service. They depart almost hourly. Other companies providing shuttle vans in and out of Semarang include [https://daytrans.co.id DayTrans] (from [[Jogjakarta]], [[Jepara]]), [[Solo]] and [[Cilacap]]), Central Java Travel, [https://www.instagram.com/po.bejeu/?hl=en Bejeu] (from [[Jepara]]), Bintang Raya, Matraman Travel, Mitra Travel and Putra Mandiri. If you want to reserve a bus and travel online, there are some booking portals called '''easybook''', '''redbus''', or '''traveloka'''. This serves bus and travel tickets from cities like [[Bandung]], [[Jakarta]], [[Surabaya]] and [[Yogyakarta]]. ===By boat=== Semarang's Tanjung Emas Port (reachable by TransSemarang Koridor III) is located in the northern part, in an area that unfortunately is often flooded during high tide. It is regularly served by ships mostly to/from destinations in Kalimantan. The state-owned [http://www.pelni.co.id/scheduleresult.php PELNI] has ships going to [[Banjarmasin]] (using ''KM. Egon''), [[Pontianak]] (using ''KM. Lawit''), and [[Kumai]] (using ''KM. Leuser'' and ''KM. Egon''). Another operator with ships also going to Kalimantan is [https://dlu.co.id/ Dharma Lautan Utama (DLU)], which serves [[Pontianak]], [[Ketapang]], [[Kumai]] and [[Sampit]]. There are no regular ships going directly into Semarang from other major cities in Java, except for occasional ships from Jakarta during the ''mudik'' period close to ''Lebaran'' offered an alternative for people going back to their hometowns. Cruise ships occasionally spend a day in port. It has few facilities for passengers, but an informal market of street vendors often assembles outside the secure area. Most passengers take a one-day tour to Borobudur or a city tour of Semarang. ==Get around== {{mapframe|-6.9667|110.4167|zoom=12}} {{mapshape|Q11025}} ===By minibus/bus=== [[File:Trans-semarang.jpg|thumb|right|A blue-grey TransSemarang bus Koridor I passing Jl Pemuda near the Balai Kota]] There are big and medium-sized buses operated by city government-owned company called '''[https://transsemarang.semarangkota.go.id/ TransSemarang]''' buses with designated stops on raised platforms (locally known as ''shelter''). Despite being called a BRT system, the buses do not travel in designated lanes. There are eight routes: * Koridor I: Penggaron-Mangkang * Koridor II: Pudakpayung-Terboyo (Bus terminal) * Koridor III: Pelabuhan (Port)-Akpol * Koridor IV: Cangkiran-Stasiun Tawang (Tawang Station) * Koridor V: Meteseh-Ahmad Yani Airport-PRPP * Koridor VI: Diponegoro University (UNDIP) to Semarang State University (UNNES) * Koridor VII: Terboyo (Bus terminal)-Balai Kota (City Hall) * Koridor VIII: Cangkiran-Gunung Pati-Simpang Lima Most interchanging of buses is done at the ''Balai Kota'' (City Hall) or SMAN 5 shelter on Jl Pemuda. The ticket costs Rp3,500 for adults who use electronic money, Rp4,000 for adults who pay in cash and flat Rp2,000 for students. The ticket is valid for as long as you are travelling, but you cannot break your journey. If you get off one bus and get straight on another, the ticket is valid. Keep your ticket when transferring from one corridor to another so that you won't have to buy a new ticket. Some of the less-frequented shelters do not have officials selling tickets, so you have to buy on board. Every bus also has a conductor. This is by far the most visitor-friendly method of going around by public transport. Central Java provincial government also runs a bus rapid transit route, '''[https://www.instagram.com/brttransjateng/?hl=en TransJateng]''', from Tawang railway station to the bus terminal at Bawen, {{km|36.5}} away on the southern outskirts of the city. Passing through Semarang Old Town, the main post office, town hall, Tugu Muda, Kariadi hospital. It also passes the Watu Gong Buddhist temple and the Sido Muncul ''jamu'' factory. A ticket costs Rp3,500. If you break your journey, you will need to buy another ticket when you get back on. The first bus leaves at 05:00 until 21:00. They run every 15-20 minutes and should do the whole journey in about 90 minutes. There are plenty of minibuses (locally called ''angkot'' or ''daihatsu'') serving other routes. The route is written on the windscreen, and sometimes on the back and side of the vehicle. The route is normally written in the form of 'origin-destination' and sometimes with 'via' information if there is more than one minibus route with the same origin-destination but with a different path in between. For example, the route written as Johar-Sampangan, means it starts in Johar and ends in Sampangan, and vice-versa. Minibus fares are around Rp2,000-3,000. There are two kinds of minibuses, the orange-coloured ones travel longer routes, and the yellow ones travel shorter routes (e.g. from a housing complex to the nearest market or terminal). Ask the conductor or driver before you board about the route and whether it goes where you want to go. This is where you need some rudimentary Indonesian as the person you ask is unlikely to speak English. ===By taxi=== Taxis are safe and comfortable, and reasonably priced (starting price Rp4,000). Make sure you understand the route or ask a friend. Make sure the driver uses the meter ("argo"). If he refuses to use the meter, use another taxi. List of taxi companies: * {{listing | name=Astria | url= | email= | address=Jl Jatisari 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 746-0940 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Blue Bird| url= | email= | address=Jl Brigjen Sudiarto No. 492 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 670-1234| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }}Ordering a Blue Bird in Semarang is now possible through a smartphone app. They also link up with the Go-Jek ride service to offer Go-Bluebird. * {{listing | name=Centris Multipersada | url= | email= | address=Jl Majapahit 583 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 672-3624 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Kosti | url= | email= | address=Jl Pamularsih 15 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 761-3333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Pandu Persada Saranamukti | url= | email= | address=Jl Kaligawe Km 4/46 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 659-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Puri Kencana | url= | email= | address=Jl Rogojembangan Raya 68 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 670-5050 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Online ride-hailing apps=== Using your smartphone, you can now easily hail a GoJek or Grab in Semarang. It is worth investing in a local SIM card with data so you can use the apps. In Semarang, Grab offers Grab Car and Grab Bike, and GoJek offers its full range, including Go-Bluebird, its tie-in with Bluebird Taxis: book a Bluebird using the GoJek app. Because the maps used in the app are not always reliable, drivers tend to call you shortly after they accept the job, to get more precise information. It is helpful to have enough Indonesian language skills to tell them exactly where you are waiting, to be able to describe a useful landmark, and what colour clothes you are wearing. ===On foot=== At first glance, central Semarang seems to have wide pavements. On closer inspection, they turn out to be paved with ceramic wall tiles that are lethally slippery when wet. Trees grow out of them, bus shelters take up nearly the whole width, traders start to encroach. Coupled with the hot and humid climate, walking suddenly seems a lot less attractive. What's more, trying to cross the road is borderline suicidal. Many of the main roads in the central area are one way, which turns them into race tracks. Pedestrian crossings, even with traffic lights, are disregarded. There are footbridges in places, but construction is low quality so watch your step on the stairs, and some have railings missing. The Old Town is the only part of town that can be truly explored on foot. Behind ''Gereja Blenduk'' you will find a fascinating warren of streets between colonial offices and warehouses. You can walk around the open green space of Simpang Lima, but crossing the road to get there is risky. ==See== [[Image:Semarang_sampookong.jpg|300px|thumb|One of the temple buildings in Sam Poo Kong temple complex]] [[File:Teak Table and Chairs in hall of Lawang Sewu, Semarang.jpg|300px|thumb|Side hall of Lawang Sewu]] [[File:Menarasuar.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The old lighthouse in Tanjung Emas harbour]] * {{see | name=Gua Kreo | alt=Kreo Cave | url= | email= | address=Jl Raya Goa Kreo, Kandri, Gunung Pati | lat=-7.0382 | long=110.3510 | directions=Any taxi driver will know the place | phone=+62 852 9179-4931 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=daily 05:00&ndash;18:00 | price= | lastedit=2017-12-03 | content= A modest cave formation surrounded by a man-made lake with a resident band of long-tailed macaques. Can get crowded on the weekend, but you may have it all to yourself on a weekday. Near the cave, there is '''Waduk Jatibarang''' or Jatibarang reservoir with a beautiful sight. }} * {{see | name=Lawang Sewu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda, Sekayu | lat=-6.9840 | long=110.4102 | directions=Right on the Tugu Muda roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-21:00 | price= | wikidata=Q1704755| wikipedia=Lawang Sewu | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Het hoofdkantoor van de Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij in Semarang TMnr 60026221.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-09 | content=Lawang Sewu means 'a thousand doors' in Javanese. It has a lot of them, but probably not that many. Built as the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies railway company in 1907, over time it served various purposes. The Dutch reputedly used the basement as a jail and torture centre. During World War II it was used as the Japanese army's headquarters in Semarang, and further atrocities were committed by the Japanese. The attic, with its twin water towers, was used by the military as a badminton court. Reputed to be haunted. Tour guides are available at the building's entrance. Flashlight tours of the basement, with its interesting system of small pools of water to help keep it cool, are a fun scare. }} * {{see | name=Sam Poo Kong Temple | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Simongan No. 129 | lat=-6.9957 | long=110.3984 | directions= | phone=+62 24 760-5277 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sam Poo Kong | image=Sam Po Kong Temple Semarang Indonesia.jpg | wikidata=Q2128689 | content=The beautiful Sam Poo Kong temple (''Gedung Batu'') was built to honour the Muslim Chinese admiral Cheng Ho of the Ming Dynasty, who visited Semarang in the early 15th century. It was extensively renovated in 2006 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Cheng Ho's visit. In the entry area, there are a couple of stores that sell Chinese art and objects, including giant candles and, of course, there's a place to eat. This complex is one of the major temples for certain Chinese religions, notably Kong Hu Chu (Confucianism), and is replete with a long stone mural depicting major events of Cheng Ho's time here, as well as several different temples, each with its own specific style and architecture. You can burn an envelope in a special prayer oven, or ask a soothsayer to read fortune-telling sticks for you. The temple area is open to visitors if you pay an additional fee, otherwise, you can see much of it from behind a chain - but the mural is behind the temples - but only those seeking to pray may actually enter the temples. }} * {{see | name=Simpang Lima | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.9905 | long=110.4228 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19734075 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=A large square and shopping district at the heart of Semarang. At night, you can eat, drink, or just wander around. Enjoy a ride on the decorated bicycles ("gowes"). On Sunday mornings, this is the venue for Semarang's Car Free Day (actually a couple of hours only), where families gather and enjoy activities such as cycling, roller-blading, playing basketball or simply enjoying the atmosphere while eating in their favorite food stall. }} * {{see | name=Taman Budaya Raden Saleh | alt=Raden Saleh Cultural park | url= | email= | address=Jl Sriwijaya No.29 | lat=-7.002236 | long=110.424296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28725181 | content=A park and cultural centre, with theater and dance performances and the occasional art exhibition in the four buildings in the complex. It used to be the site of Semarang's zoo. Suitable for family recreation or just watching artists practice for their performances. }} * {{see | name=Port of Tanjung Emas | alt=Pelabuhan Tanjung Mas | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.947 | long=110.424 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Port of Tanjung Emas | image=Tanjung Emas Aerial.jpg | wikidata=Q12504181 | content=A busy, important port during Dutch occupation (from 17th century to 1945). Of special interest is the lighthouse built in 1884. }} * {{see | name=Watugong Buddhist Temple | alt=Vihara Buddhagaya Watugong | url= | email= | address=Jl Perintis Kemerdekaan Pudakpayung, Banyumanik | lat=-7.086111 | long=110.408889 | directions=Any taxi driver will know it or take the TransJateng rapid transit bus from the centre of town in the direction of Bawen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28725182 | lastedit=2017-11-10 | content=Popular Buddhist site, featuring the 45m ''Pagoda Avalokitesvara '' with seven tiers, the tallest in Indonesia. Various shrines are relevant to the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions. Development started in the 1950s. }} Before you get into the hilly area named Bukit Sari, you will see on your left '''Taman Tabanas Gombel''' where you can stop by, drink tea and see Semarang from the hill. It's a really beautiful view in the daytime and a very special romantic view during the nighttime. * {{see | name=Semarang Zoo | alt=Kebun binatang Mangkang | url=https://buffelaous.blogspot.com/2020/07/Semarang-Zoo-Bersama-Covi-Vivid.html {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Jl Walisongo Km 16 | lat=-6.97017 | long=110.28853 | directions=across the Mangkang Terminal | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=Rp20,000-30,000 | wikidata=Q19746000 | lastedit=2020-07-30 | content=After several periods of removal and renewal, Semarang Zoo reopened in 2020 with a variety of new animals, a new playground and many other facilities. }} * {{see | name=Grand Mosque of Central Java | alt=Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah | url=http://www.majt.or.id | email= | address= | lat=-6.98386 | long=110.446 | directions=on east side of city | phone=+62 821 3497 0000 | tollfree= | hours=04:00-22:00 daily | price= | wikipedia=Great Mosque of Central Java | image=Masjid Agung Jateng Indonesia4.jpg | wikidata=Q7476510 | lastedit=2020-09-06 | content=If you want to see a big mosque, this will probably not disappoint. Presumably non-Muslims can take the lift up to the top of the minaret for a scenic view of the city too. }} * {{see | name=Kampung Pelangi Kalisari | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Wonosari III, Randusari | lat=-6.98837 | long=110.40837 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-09-06 | content=A multi-colored rainbow village focused on sustainable initiatives. }} * {{see | name=Gedong Songo | alt=Candi Gedong Songo | url= | email= | address=Krajan, Candi, Bandungan | lat=-7.209938 | long=110.341813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=06:00-17:00 | price=1-2$ | wikipedia=Gedong Songo | image=Gedong Songo III, 1211.jpg | wikidata=Q2574009 | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Gedong Songo is a group of Hindu temples. It is variously dated between the 8th and 9th centuries. Built around a 1,270 meters (4,170 ft) hill near Mount Ungaran. }} * {{see | name=Semarang Bridge Fountain | alt=Air Mancur Menari BKB | url= | email= | address=Jembatan Banjir Kanal Barat | lat=-6.981312 | long=110.401938| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Friday to Sunday, 19:30 and 21:00 | price=Free | wikipedia= | image=Semarangbridgefountain1.jpg| wikidata=Q65208592 | lastedit=2022-07-12 | content=Dancing fountain show in the evening. }} ===Around the Old Town=== [[File:Exterior of Blenduk Church, Semarang, 2014-06-18.jpg|300px|thumb|Gereja Blenduk, built in 1753.]] * {{see | name=Old Town | alt=''Kota Lama'', ''Oudstadt'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.968017 | long=110.427877 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q13094398 | content=Northern Semarang has many old Dutch colonial buildings. This was where the old walled city was located. The wall is no longer there, but many of the buildings remain. While there are a number specific points of interest, the whole area is atmospheric and interesting for a wander. Early morning or late afternoon offers the coolest parts of the day and the best light for photography. The rundown nature is part of its charm, but the City Council is making concerted efforts to bring it back to life. The numbers of cafes and restaurants is slowly growing. This helps to give life to the area at night also, and there is a semi-permanent bric-a-brac market that is most active during these cooler hours. During certain high tides, the area is flooded. Tackling it is also part of the government's plan, and the flooding is slowly dropping in terms of number and intensity of incidents. }} * {{see | name=Gereja Blenduk | alt=GPIB Immanuel | url= | email= | address=Jl Letjen Suprapto 32 | lat=-6.9682 | long=110.4274 | directions=The heart of the Old Town | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The name means "domed church". A beautiful Protestant church built in 1753, it is the oldest church in Semarang. It has a baroque organ, a rarity in Indonesia. }} * {{see | name=Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.galerisemarang.com/ | email=galeri_semarang@yahoo.com | address=Jl Taman Srigunting No.5-6 | lat=-6.9675 | long=110.4282 | directions= | phone=+62 24 355-2099 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 355-2199 | hours=Tu-Su 10:00&ndash;16:30 | price= | lastedit=2017-12-02 | content=Modern gallery offering a selection of contemporary art in revolving exhibitions. Strong focus on Asian artists in general and Indonesian artists in particular. }} * {{see | name=Taman Srigunting | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.9682 | long=110.4274 | directions=Right by the ''Gereja Blenduk'' | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A small, shady square nestled by the ''Gereja Blenduk''. Good for a quick sit-down after the exertions of walking around the Old Town, and great for indulging in a bit of the Indonesian national pastime of taking ''selfies''. Expect to be invited to join in photos with other visitors. }} ===Monuments=== [[File:Becak Tugu Muda Semarang Central Java.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tugu Muda with Lawang Sewu in the background]] * {{see | name=Tugu Muda | alt=The Monument to Youth | url= | email= | address=At the western end of Jl Pandaran and Jl Pemuda | lat=-6.984349 | long=110.409321 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5251597 | lastedit=2017-11-08 | content=One of Semarang's landmarks - an obelisk set in the middle of a roundabout. It commemorates the five days of fierce battle (14-19 October 1945) between Indonesian freedom fighters and Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender. }} ===Museums=== * {{see | name=Museum Ronggowarsito | alt= | url=http://museumranggawarsita.id/ | email= | address=Jl. Abdurrahman Saleh No. 1 | lat=-6.985946 | long=110.383871 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7602389 | tollfree= | hours=08:00–14:00, except on Monday | price=Rp 2,000 | wikidata=Q12499640 | content=Javanese culture and art museum. }} * {{see | name=MURI | alt=Museum Rekor Indonesia | url=http://www.muri.org | email= | address=Jl. Setiabudi no.179 Srondol | lat=-7.069111 | long=110.411222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–16:00 | price= | wikidata=Q2469088 | content=Indonesian Record Museum. }} * {{see | name=Mandala Bhakti | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Mgr. Sugiyopranoto | lat=-6.984521 | long=110.409309 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th 08:00–18:00, F 08:00–10:30, Su 08:00–12:00 | price= | wikidata=Q19746470 | content=Military museum. }} * {{see | name=Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa | alt=Indonesian Railway Museum | url=https://heritage.kai.id/page/museum-ambarawa | email=ambarawa@kawisata.id | address=Jl. Stasiun No.1, Panjang Kidul, Ambarawa, Semarang | lat=-7.264437 | long=110.404438 | directions= | phone=+62 813 257 09010 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=2$ | wikipedia=Ambarawa Railway Museum | image=Train at Ambarawa Museum 2010.jpg | wikidata=Q1311742 | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=The museum focuses on the collection of steam locomotives, the remains of the closing of the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) railway line. A regular trip is also provided using an old diesel locomotive and wooden coaches with the ''Rawa Pening'' Lake view. }} ===Traditional markets=== [[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Pasar Djohar TMnr 60052564.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Pasar Johar]] Always interesting. Go early in the morning to see the most activity. They tend to have quietened down by late morning. There are plenty to choose from. Perhaps the pre-eminent one in Semarang is * {{see | name=Pasar Johar | alt=Johar Market | url= | email= | address=Jl K.H. Agus Salim, Kauman Tengah | lat=-6.9713 | long=110.4247 | directions=Just south of the Old Town and at the eastern end of Jl Pemuda. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q12489945 | lastedit=2017-11-14 | content=Built in 1936, and famous for its neo-vernacular design by architect Thomas Karsten. Unfortunately damaged by fire in 2016, but renovation started in late 2017 and will hopefully restore it back to full glory. }} ==Do== * '''Catfish Park''' (Taman Lele). Kecamatan Tugu. Open daily. Facilities: children's playground, cultural and art shows, animal shows. * {{do | name=Marina Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address=North Semarang | lat=-6.143889 | long=105.856111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q12502871 | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=Facilities: swimming pool, children's playground, beach volleyball, water sports. }} * '''Ngaliyan Tirta Indah''', Jalan Raya Ngaliyan Kecamatan Ngaliyan. Facilities: swimming pool, beautiful plantation, flower garden, sports centre. * {{do | name=Taman Puri Maerokoco | alt=Grand Maerakaca | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.9612 | long=110.3879 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7606286 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=Tawangmas PRPP, a Central Java Miniature like Indonesia Miniature of TMII ([[Jakarta/East|East Jakarta]]). Facilities: cultural and art shows, boat, water bike, small train, fishing pond. It also contains Kampoeng Laut, a famous over-the-water restaurant. On the other hand, you also can walk around the mangrove forest there. }} * '''Sodong''', 20 km from Semarang. Orchid cultivation village. ===Reflexology=== After some hard travelling, a long flight, climbing a volcano or just a long walk around town, an easy way to unwind is one of 'reflexology' places offering an hour or two in an easy chair, with vaguely Oriental ambient music tinkling away, while someone squeezes your feet (despite being called reflexology, it is rarely that, but very pleasant nonetheless). All for a very reasonable price. * {{do | name=Cozy Feet | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Kapten Piere Tendean No. 5, Sekayu | lat=-6.9778 | long=110.4155 | directions=The street behind the Novotel. | phone=+62 24 354-9823 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 every day | price= | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=Reflexology and massage. }} * {{do | name=Yu Zu Tang | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Anggrek Raya Blok C No. 20-22, Pekunden | lat=-6.9883 | long=110.4242 | directions=behind the Citraland Mall; leave the mall by the door next to Galael supermarket, turn right and follow the wall of the mall around until you get to Yu Zu Tang | phone=+62 24 841-3036 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 | price=From Rp75,000 for one hour | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=Reflexology and massage. }} ===Events=== * {{do | name=Jateng Fair | url=http://seputarsemarang.com/jateng-fair-2010-prpp-4687 | email= | address=at PRPP Marina | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual showcases of Central Java Promotions and Development. It's held between June and July. }} * {{do | name=Jaran Sampo | url= | email= | address=Tay Kak Sie and Sam Poo Kong Temples | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Attend the biggest ceremony of the Chinese community in Java, featuring a colourful procession and dances of decorated horses and 'liong' (dragon). }} * {{do | name=Dug Der Festival | url= | email= | address=Johar, Kota Lama, Polder Tawang | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual festival, one week before fasting month, or puasa. The name is derived from the sound of ''bedug'' ("Dug" - the sound of a gigantic drum often associated with Islam), and ''meriam bambu'' ("Der" - the sound of the traditional bamboo cannon). At the end of the festival, there's "Ngarak Warak", meaning procession to bring ''Warak'' across the city's main street (normally from the Mayor's office to the Johar Market). The Warak is a mythology animal, part giraffe, part lion, part Chinese dragon, part horse and part bird. It's the icon of the festival. You can buy toys at the festival, normally a warak laying an egg, thus the name "Warak Ngendog". }} * {{do | name=Wayang Wong Ngesti Pandowo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/WAYANG-ORANG-NGESTI-PANDOWO-SEMARANG/107095799314973 | email=wayangorangngestipandowo@yahoo.com | address=Jl. Sriwijaya No. 29 | lat= | long= | directions=inside Taman Budaya Raden Saleh, Ki Narto Sabdho building | phone=+62 81 57784939 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 25,000 | content=A weekly show of Javanese drama in the form of human puppet (''wayang orang'' in Indonesian or ''wayang wong'' in Javanese), with stories from folklore, Mahabarata and Ramayana. There is a show every Saturday night. An excellent chance to get a glimpse of Javanese culture in Semarang }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Sobokarrti | alt= | url=https://sobokartti.wordpress.com/ | email=sobokartti@yahoo.com | address=Jl Dr Cipto 31-33 | lat=-6.97404 | long=110.43438 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7037 3060 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-28 | content=A cultural institution offering presentations and some training of Javanese performing arts: dance, gamelan, wayang kulit. The building was designed by Thomas Karsten, drawing together elements of indigenous Javanese and Dutch tropical colonial styles. }} * {{listing | name=Diponegoro University | alt=Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) | url=https://www.undip.ac.id | email=rektor@undip.ac.id | address= | lat=-7.049 | long=110.438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4200627 | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=State university, and the biggest and oldest university in the city (est. 1956). Faculties of law, economics, medicine, architecture, engineering, fisheries and marine sciences, animal agriculture, humanities, social and political sciences, public health, natural sciences and mathematics, and psychology. Almost 40,000 students in two campuses, Pleburan (downtown) and Tembalang in the southeastern part of the city. Offers six month and one year Indonesian language courses through the Darmasiswa program. }} * {{listing | name=Semarang State University | alt=Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) | url=http://www.unnes.ac.id | email=unnes@mail.unnes.ac.id | address= | lat=-7.048722 | long=110.389639 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7603641 | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=Has over 21,000 students in faculties of education, language and arts, social sciences, mathematics and science, engineering, sport science, economics and law. Opened in 1965. It offers six month and one year courses via the Darmasiswa program: Indonesian language, fine art, handicrafts, traditional music, traditional dance and batik art. }} ==Work== Finding part-time work as a traveller in Indonesia is never easy and will be of questionable legality due to the strict labour laws. You may be in contravention of the terms of your visa. Having said that, there is always demand for native English speakers to share their skills in some formal or informal capacity. Formal requirements for foreign nationals teaching English in Indonesia are very stringent. As a manufacturing centre, especially for the export-oriented furniture industries in Semarang and [[Jepara]], you may hear of opportunities for those with the required technical or sales background, with native English language ability. Be aware that your part-time work may take the place of a full-time job for a competent and experienced Indonesian. ==Buy== <!-- Please DO NOT remove unused listing fields from the standard sequence, that just makes further editing and editing listing details very time-consuming--> [[File:EPSN3106 (11002575065).jpg|300px|thumbnail|Semarang traditional market]] ===Oleh-oleh=== [[File:Bandeng Presto Juwana.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Semarang's famous soft-boned milkfish, hand-carried across the archipelago]] One of the favourites is milkfish, ''bandeng'', pressure-cooked to soften the bones. It goes by the name ''bandeng presto'' or ''bandeng duri lunak''. Also popular are ''lumpia Semarang'' (a spring roll with bamboo-shoot filling), ''wingko babat'' (small grilled patties of glutinous rice and shredded coconut), ''ganjal rel'' (a cake named after the railway sleeper that it resembles in shape and texture) and ''pia Kemuning'' (various kind of filling, but the traditional ones are filled with palm sugar). There is a well-known strip of ''toko oleh-oleh'' stores on Jl Pandanaran. * {{buy | name=Bandeng Juwana Elrina | url=http://www.bandengjuwana.com | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran no.57 | lat=-6.986428 | long=110.413279 | directions= | phone=+62 24 831-1488 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 06:30-22:00, F Sa 06:30-23:00 | price= | content=''Bandeng presto'', ''lumpia Semarang'', ''wingko babat'', ''gandjal rel'' cake and more. Free tasting. }} * {{buy | name=Wingko Babat Cap Kereta Api | alt=Railway Brand | url= | email= | address=Jl Cendrawasih 14 | lat=-6.96804 | long=110.43006 | directions=on the eastern edge of the Old Town | phone=+62 24 354-2064 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-31 | content=This outlet is just on the edge of Semarang's Old Town. In addition to ''wingko'' they have a wide range of other sweet and savoury snack stuffs, and a small selection of souvenirs like fridge magnets. The shop is a much calmer experience than the ''toko oleh-oleh'' of Jl Pandanaran which can be crowded and hot, especially if a coachload of tourists arrives. }} * {{buy | name=Tahu Baxo Ibu Pudji | alt=Tahu Bakso Bu Pudji cabang Pamularsih | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pamularsih Raya No.15, Bongsari | lat=-6.991188 | long=110.397063 | directions= | phone=+62 822 424 75758 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=Tahu bakso is a tofu stuffed with beef or fish dough. It is a delicacy of Ungaran, Semarang (Regency). }} ===Arts and crafts=== There are numerous places around town to buy jewelry, paintings, handicrafts, art and other items that could make great souvenirs, and these places can be found all over town. You can buy batik, antiques and traditional items in ''Pasar Johar'' (Johar Market)). There is plenty of choice. It is also accessible by Angkot (mini-bus). Aside from there, you can also buy high-quality batik at department stores, or at batik specialists like Batik Keris and Danar Hadi, both in the Simpang Lima square area. Semarang also has its own style of batik, which can be found in various stores around town. Club Merby on Jl MT Haryono (Mataram) No 653. * {{buy | name=Andika Art & Crafts Gallery | url= | email= | address=Jl Puri Anjasmoro, Block O-1/5 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 760-6123 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lia Gallery | url= | email= | address=Jl Genade Selatan 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 749-8700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Goedang Art & Antique | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 356-4453 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Gallery Gerbang | url= | email= | address=Jl Dr. Wahidin 56 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 844-7860 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Pandjang Art Shop | url= | email= | address=Jl Widoharjo 31A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-1460 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=La Vogue | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's oldest antique shop. }} ===Shopping malls=== * {{buy | name=Java Supermall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Letjen MT. Haryono No 992 – 994 | lat=-7.006417 | long=110.4325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=09:30–22:00 | price= | wikidata=Q13406509 | lastedit=2020-05-24 | content=The mall has four floors. Fashion tenants include Matahari Department Store, Hammer, Giordano, and Bellagio. It is a comfortable place to hangout with culinary tenants including Starbucks, J.CO Donuts, Pizza Hut, Solaria, Es Teler 77, and Kopi Luwak. There is the Cinemazz cinema at the third floor. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Mall Ciputra | alt=Citraland Mall | url= | email= | address=Jalan Simpang Lima No 1 | lat=-6.9889 | long=110.4238 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=09:30–22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-24 | content=The ground floor has many fashion options, including The Bra House, Andre Valentino, Batik Keris, Hammer, Giordano, Nike, dan Rotelli Shoes. The first floor has more with Planet Surf, Wacoal, Warna Fashion dan Fada Boutique. The second floor has XXI and Citra 21 cinemas. }} * {{buy | name=Paragon City Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Pemuda No 118 | lat=-6.9787 | long=110.4158 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00–22:00 | price= | wikidata=Q19730280 | lastedit=2020-05-24 | content=At the G floor, you can buy beauty products at L'OCCITANE and The Body Shop. Some of the well-known tenants include Adidas, Giordano, Levi’s, Hush Puppies, and Wakai. Food options include BreadTalk, J.CO Donuts, dan Starbucks. }} ===Changing money=== As Semarang is not a tourist city, you won't find a large concentration of money changers. Those listed below are generally reliable, and you can even call ahead to 'lock' a rate first before coming in personally in the next half an hour or so. * {{buy | name=Golden Valasindo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Jend Sudirman 322, Ruko Siliwangi Square Kav 10 | lat= | long= | directions= TransSemarang Corridor I and IV, stop at Pasar Karangayu (Karangayu Market) - on the way from airport to the city centre | phone=+62 24 7663-2631 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Rudo Indovalas Dunia | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Simpang Lima, Gajah Mada Plaza Bl A/9-10 | lat= | long= | directions=TransSemarang Koridor III and IV, stop at Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 844-4111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Supit | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 39C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-2461 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Supit (branch office)| alt= | url= | email= | address=Mal Ciputra Shop Office Bl B/4, Jl Simpang Lima 1 1 | lat= | long= | directions= TransSemarang Corridor III and IV, stop at Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 844-0814 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Valin Internusa| alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Mayjen DI Panjaitan 158-160 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 356-5222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} Banks are open between 08:30-15:00. ==Eat== {{eatpricerange|under Rp50,000|Rp50,000-150,000|over Rp150,000}} Although Semarang's choice of foods is not as large as other cities, you can find Japanese, Italian, Thai, Korean, Indian and more. ===Budget=== There are food stalls all over Semarang. They are popular and cheap, as they are not permanent, and do not have phone numbers and exact addresses. However, they usually open in the same spot and time every day. Hygiene is not a top priority. If you have a sensitive stomach, consider the cook's access to fresh water and toilets, as well as whether the food is cooked fresh or set out in serving dishes. The cheapest of the cheap is ''nasi kucing'' (literally, cat rice) which is very small portions (just enough for a cat to eat, presumably) of rice served with a modest amount of meat and vegetables. Another cheap dish, ''Bakso'' (meatball soup) with offal and cartilage also become a favorite lunch in Semarang such as Bakso Doa Ibu, Bakso Pak Geger, Bakso Pak Ripto, and so on. * {{eat | name=Ayam Goreng Kalasan | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Moh. Suyudi No.4, Miroto | lat=6.982687 | long=110.420438| directions= | phone=+62 816 488 3622 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=Traditional boiled and fried chicken. }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Goreng Mbok Berek | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.384, Gisikdrono | lat=-6.984687 | long=110.385063| directions= | phone=+6224 7606600 | tollfree= | hours=07:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=''Ayam penyet'' (traditional Javanese fried chicken that is smashed in a mortar and pestle so you can enjoy the ''sumsum'' - marrow), served with sambal and ''lalapan'' (raw vegetables). }} *{{eat | name=Ayam Goreng Salim | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pringgading | lat=-6.983063 | long=110.430984 |directions=Food stall on the corner of Jl MT. Haryono (Mataram) and Jl Pringgading. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty fried chicken. }} *{{eat | name=Bakso Kakap Pak Wahid | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Citarum, Bugangan, Mlatibaru | lat=-6.969838 | long=110.437453 | directions= | phone=+62 815 754 63999 | tollfree= | hours=11:30-20:00 | price=Rp20,000 | content=A snapper fishball soup. One of delicacy from Semarang. }} * {{eat | name=Gudeg Koyor Mbak Tum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Peterongan, Wonodri | lat=-7.000938 | long=110.433063 | directions= | phone=+62 812 227 70047 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=A typical Semarang's ''gudeg'' with ''koyor'' (knee-tendon beef). }} * {{eat | name=Gule Kambing Bustaman Pak Sabar | alt= | url= | email= | address=''Kota Lama'' (Old City), Tanjung Mas, North Semarang | lat=-6.967437 | long=110.427437 | directions= | phone=+62 822 209 54443 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=Start from Rp31,000 | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=Gule is a type of Javanese food containing rich, spicy, and succulent curry-like soup. The main ingredient of this dish is goat meat. }} * {{eat | name=Kedai Beringin Indonesia | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Beringin I/9 | lat=-6.97732 | long=110.41394 | directions=On a small residential street heading north off Jl Pierre Tendean behind the Novotel | phone=+62 24 3554292 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-15:00 Javanese menu, 16:00-21:30 Chinese menu | price= | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=frequently visited by office workers at lunchtime for its cheap and good Javanese-style dishes - rice with various soupy dishes (''rawon'', ''asem-asem daun kedondong'', etc), ''nasi campur'', ''gado-gado'' and so on. Various ice-based desserts are also available. Halal. Opens for two sessions a day. The first, at lunchtime, offers the Javanese menu. Opening again in the late afternoon and evening, it offers a more Chinese-style menu. Be aware that there are two Kedai Beringin in town. The other is not so far away, in front of Poncol train station. Bigger, with a wider menu, and offering some dishes with pork. }} * {{eat | name=Kue Lekker Paimo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro, Brumbungan | lat=-6.982188 | long=110.429187 | directions=has been moved from Loyola College High School, just walk 300 m to the east through Jl. Karang Anyar and 200 m to the south through Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro | phone=+62 815 659 5412 | tollfree= | hours=10:00-17:00 | price=Start from Rp2,000 | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=A Javanese crispy flat cake. The Indonesian version of Dutch baby pancakes and French crêpe. There are two types of ''kue lekker'', the sweet and the salty one. }} * {{eat | name=Lumpia Gang Lombok | alt=Loempia Gang Lombok or Loenpia Gang Lombok | url= | email= | address=Gang Lombok, Chinatown | lat=-6.9744 | long=110.4278 | directions=next to Tay Kak Sie temple | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-11-18 | content=The pioneer of Semarang's many lumpia (spring roll) stalls. Started operating before the Second World War. Some of the owners of other lumpia outlets started by working at this place. Uses both dried shrimp and fresh shrimp. Semarang lumpia is known for the use of bamboo shoots, which give them a distinctive taste. }} [[File:Mie Kopyok Semarang.jpg|thumb|''Mie kopyok'', Semarang's specialty noodle dish]] * {{eat | name=Mie Kopyok Pak Dhuwur | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tanjung No. 18A, Pandansari | lat=-6.976313 | long=110.416313 | directions= | phone=+62 856 413 72758 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=Start from Rp15,000 | wikipedia=Mie kopyok | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Mie kopyok is boiled noodles served in garlic soup with slices of fried tofu, rice cake, bean sprouts, and crushed crackers, sprinkled with sliced fresh celery, and fried shallot. }} * {{eat | name=Nasi Ayam Bu Wido | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Melati Selatan, Brumbungan | lat=-6.983313| long=110.422188| directions= | phone=+62 24 3548206 | tollfree= | hours=15:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Nasi Ayam Semarang (Semarang-Javanese Chicken Curry Rice) }} * {{eat | name=Nasi Goreng Babat Hengky | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Puri Anjasmoro Blok K, Tawangsari | lat=-6.970063 | long=110.386938 | directions= | phone=+62 852 250 86676 | tollfree= | hours=17:00-23:00 | price=Start from Rp35,000 | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Nasi goreng babat is a typical Semarang's ''nasi goreng'' with tripe. It is a sweet, spicy, and savoury dish. Also, try ''babat gongso'' (tripe in sweet, spicy, and garlicky sauce). }} * {{eat | name=Nasi Kucing Pak Gik Gajahmada| alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Inspeksi, Gabahan | lat=-6.980562| long=110.421688| directions= | phone=+62 812 303 38807 | tollfree= | hours=21:00-04:00 | price=Start from Rp1,000 | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=Cat portion rice with various side dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Sate Sapi Pak Kempleng 1 | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro No.265, Ungaran | lat=-7.145938 | long=110.406688 | directions= | phone=+62 24 6923314 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-19:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=Ungaran-type beef satay. }} * {{eat | name=Semawis Night Market | alt=Pasar Semawis | url=http://www.gangbaru.com | email= | address=Gang Warung, Chinatown | lat=-6.974438 | long=110.426312 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Night market, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Hawker-style local food. There's also an annual, larger Semawis Market before Chinese New Year. }} * {{eat | name=Simpang Lima | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.990312 | long=110.422938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This square in the heart of Semarang has plenty of stalls offering a variety of local food. Prices are low: a piece of fried chicken, a thigh or a leg, plus a plate of steamed rice for as little as Rp15,000. Some stalls offer ''lesehan'' (sitting on a mat), with or without a low table. Active from early morning until late at night. The best stalls are busy and sell out quickly. You will also find many food stalls under tents (''tenda''), selling a variety of foods from ''Gudeg'' (Jogjakartan pressure-cooked sweet jackfruit meal, usually served dry or wet with coconut milk soup, and you can add in fried chicken, eggs, and other items), ''bubur ayam'' (chicken porridge, a real treat), ''jagung bakar'' (grilled corn), ''pecel'' (Javanese salad in peanut sauce) and many others. Pamper yourself with plenty of good food, yet very cheaply. }} * {{eat | name=Soto Bangkong | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ruko Bangkong Plaza, Jl. Brigjen Katamso No. 1, Peterongan | lat=-6.994563 | long=110.432437 | directions=a kilometre or so to the east of Simpang Lima. Any taxi driver or ride sharing driver will know the location. | phone=+62 24 841-2842 | tollfree= | hours=daily 07:00–22:00 | price= | lastedit=2018-06-21 | content=Clear chicken soup, a local variation of the ''soto ayam'' found across Indonesia. A Semarang institution. }} * {{eat | name=Tahu Gimbal H. Edy | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pandanaran No. 2, Mugassari | lat=-6.991812 | long=110.420187 | directions= | phone=+62 813 294 07509 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-22:00 | price=1-2$ | wikidata=Q12518571 | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Tahu gimbal is a tofu dish with ''gimbal'' (shrimp fritter) and peanut sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Tahu Petis Prasojo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pringgading, Jagalan | lat=-6.983437 | long=110.429063 | directions= | phone=+62 896 085 87317 | tollfree= | hours=15:00-21:30 | price=Start from Rp4,400 | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=''Tahu petis'' is a fried tofu with black coloured shrimp paste sauce called ''petis'' inside, eat them while they're hot with a green chilli named ''cabe rawit'' if you love spicy hot snack. }} * {{eat | name=Warung Makan Asem-Asem Koh Liem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Karang Anyar No.28, Gabahan | lat=-6.981312 | long=110.426812 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3565628 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Offering ''Asem-asem daging'' (beef in a sour clear soup). }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Dyriana Bakery & Cafe | url=https://www.dyriana.com | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran 51A | lat=-6.986197 | long=110.412804 | directions=look for the big oval billboard. | phone=+62 24 831 8531, +62 24 844 5175 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:30-22:00 | price= | content=Freshly baked bread — try "roti pisang" (bread with a small banana inside) —– cakes, and a nice cafe serving local hot food and cold drinks. Air-conditioned. Often has demonstrations of traditional products being made (call first, often around 15:00-17:00). }} * {{eat | name=Elrina Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran 83 | lat=-6.987110 | long=110.415114 | directions= | phone=+62 24 831 0205 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serving different dishes of milkfish with local taste, Chinese and seafood. Air-conditioned. }} * {{eat | name=Gama Ikan Bakar & Seafood | url= | email=info@gamaseafood.com | address=Jl. M.T. Haryono 870A | lat=-6.995669 | long=110.43247 | directions=just south of the well-known Bangkong interchange on Jl MT Haryone, about a kilometre east of Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 845-5005, +62 24 845-5855 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Indonesian seafood, with indoor and outdoor eating areas. }} * {{eat |name=Gelato Matteo|alt=|url=|email= |address=Jl Mataram 914 |lat=-6.9997 |long=110.4329 |directions=near SMP Maria Mediatrix and SMA Sedes |phone=+62 821 366-434-330 |tollfree= |fax= |hours=M-F 10:00-22:00, Sa 10:00-23:00, Su 10:00-20:00 |price= |lastedit=2017-10-25 |content=Real Italian gelato made by a real Italian man. All the favourite flavours plus some specials. Cups, cones and in brioche. Small range of other snacks, and proper Italian coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Ikan Bakar Cianjur | alt=IBC | url=https://www.ibcgroup.co.id/ | email= | address=Jl Letjen Suprapto 19 | lat=-6.96859 | long=110.42704 | directions=Opposite ''Gereja Blenduk'' | phone=+62 (24) 3562333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=Highly dependable Sundanese food with quick service in lovely old Dutch bank building. The name refers to the grilled fish for which it is famous. }} * {{eat |name=Karuna|alt=|url=|email= |address=Jl Depok No. 47|lat=-6.9770 |long=110.4188 | directions= |phone=+62 24 355-3182|tollfree=|fax= |hours=|price= |lastedit=2017-10-25 |content=One of Semarang's only vegetarian restaurants. In the Chinese style, this replicates meat-dishes but with mushrooms, beancurd and tempe. Canteen-style, where you look in the case and point to what you want. On Saturdays it has a fixed-price all you can eat offer, but you have to clear your plate. If not, you will be fined. Has a small selection of wholefoods for sale as well - pulses, dried fruit, nuts. }} * {{eat | name=Mbah Jingkrak | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Taman Beringin No. 3 | lat=-6.97509 | long=110.41467 | directions=In the residential area to the north of Jl Pierre Tendean, behind the Novotel. | phone=+62 24 355-3366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=One of the chain of Javanese restaurants. Choose from a large number of dishes laid out - white or red rice, beancurd and tempe dishes, devil's hair chicken (''pitik rambut setan''), hot and sour steamed chicken (''garang asem''). Staff will spoon portions of those you point to, then the total is added up when you get to the end. '''Bentuman Steak''' shares the same building. }} * {{eat | name=Nglaras Rasa | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl MH Thamrin 124. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 831-9766 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Regular food and buffet. Specialising in catering for large groups, including coach parties. Air-conditioned. }} * {{eat | name=Sate & Gule Kambing 29 | alt=Sate Dua Sembilan | url= | email=sate29@yahoo.com | address=Jl Letjen Soeprapto 29 | lat=-6.96846 | long=110.42773 | directions= right in front of the famous Blenduk Church in the Old Town | phone=+62 24 354-9692 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 09:00-22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-07-24 | content=Anything you like, as long as it is goat. Famous for its goat sate and soup. This is the original restaurant, with original interiors and no air-conditioning. There are two more branches in Semarang - less inspiring interiors, but they do have AC, and a branch in each of [[Yogyakarta]] and [[Jakarta]]. }} * {{eat | name=Toko Oen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 52, Bodjong. | lat=-6.9733 | long=110.4207 | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-1683 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A Semarang institution since Dutch colonial days. Famous for its ice cream, steak and fried rice, and bread and cookies. Still with the atmospheric original decor. Serves pork. }} * {{eat | name=Talisman Rotisserie | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/Talisman-Rotisserie-256956034821366/ | email=talismanrotisserie@gmail.com | address=Jl Teuku Umar No. 18, Gajah Mungkur | lat=-7.0253 | long=110.42 | directions= | phone=+62 815 770-2469 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2017-11-09 | content=It's all about chicken - mostly cooked on a rotisserie, but also soups. Salads and sides, including mashed potatoes. Part of the same group as the Basilia and Massimo restaurants. }} * {{eat | name=Warung Kepala Manyung Bu Fat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ariloka, Krobokan | lat=-6.973437 | long=110.396812 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7618208 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Offering ''mangut ikan manyung'' (ariid catfish in yellow coconut milk-curry soup). }} ===Splurge=== *{{eat | name=The Blue Lotus Coffeehouse | url= | email= | address=Jl Ahmad Yani No.197 | lat=-6.99442 | long=110.43146 | directions=At the ''Bangkong'' intersection, between Panin Bank and CIMB Niaga Bank | phone=+62 812 286-9248 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu&ndash;Su 09:00-21:00 | price= | content=Famous for the freshly home-roasted Indonesian coffee and eight different ways of brewing, but has a great selection of Western food and Japanese cheesecake. Comfy sofas and strong Wi-Fi |alt=|lastedit=2017-10-25}} * {{eat | name=Bowery | alt= | url=http://keppo.in/bowery | email= | address=Jl Achmad Yani 140 | lat=-6.9915 | long=110.4260 | directions= | phone=+62 24 831-0855 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-11-02 | content=Steaks, wine, cocktails, mocktails, generally fine dining. Western and Asian. Black and chrome, atmospheric lighting, Gotham-city vibe. Paired with the more casual dining ''Eastman''. }} * '''Holiday''', Jl Pandanaran 6 Blok 18-20. Expensive Chinese food, including dim sum, often considered the best Chinese restaurant. * {{eat | name=Pesta Keboen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Veteran 29, Lempongsari | lat=-6.996688 | long=110.415312 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Indonesian and Dutch cuisine served in a restored Dutch colonial house furnished with antiques and Dutch East Indies memorabilia. Go there for the ambiance. }} * '''Pringgading Restaurant''', Jalan Pringgading 54. Chinese food with an Indonesian flair. Yum cha on Sunday mornings. Always full, very lively, and chaotic. Service is not outstanding. *{{eat | name=Rinjani View | url=https://www.rinjaniview.com | email= | address=Jl Rinjani No.12 (across the street from Hotel Candi Baru) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 8508541, +62 24 8508543 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-01:00 | price= | content=One-stop entertainment, food, and beverage centre located in the upper town. Rinjani View consists of six outlets: Resto, Lounge, Teraz, Karaoke, The Cafe, and Apartment's View. There's a fabulous view of Semarang City and Java Sea from all six. Serves Western, Chinese, and Indonesian food. WiFi is available. }} * {{eat | name=Seoul Palace | url= | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran 109 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Korean-style restaurant, with delicious barbecue, flavourful soups, and noodle dishes. Does not serve pork. }} * '''Sisingamangaraja Site''', (''known as "S2"''), Jl Sisingamangaraja, (''across the street from the Grand Candi Hotel''). A modern and hip mixed-use complex where people can hang out, drink, eat Japanese, Peranakan, or Western cuisine, or have coffee and desserts. * {{eat | name=Spiegel Bar and Bistro | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/est1895/ | email=hello@spiegelbistro.com | address=Jl Let Jend Suprapto No.34 | lat=-6.9681 | long=110.4284 | directions=In the heart of the Old Town, close to ''Gereja Blenduk'' and ''Taman Srigunting'' | phone=+62 24 358-0049 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 356-9420 | hours=Su-Th 10:00&ndash;00:00, F-Sa 10:00&ndash;late | price= | lastedit=2017-12-03 | content=<p>Thoughtful and atmospheric reworking of an almost derelict heritage building, which was a general store during colonial times. Pizza, burgers, pasta, steak, fish and chips, Caesar salad - the menu is similar to all other Indonesian venues of this kind. A few surprises here and there. It's a bar too, so there is alcohol, but also means smoking is allowed. The building also hosts two related businesses:</p><ul><li>'''Spiegel Home Studio''' &mdash; a rental studio apartment. Sleeps 4. Rp800,000. Room service available from the bistro</li><li>'''Impala.space''' &mdash; co-working space, on the mezzanine above the bistro</li></ul> }} * {{eat | name=The Tavern | alt= | url=http://keppo.in/the_tavern | email=eat@tavern.id | address=No. 1 Jalan Rinjani, Gajah Mungkur | lat=-7.0041 | long=110.4095 | directions= | phone=+62 24 850-3099 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 16:00-00:00, Sa Su 16:00-01:00 | price= | lastedit=2018-07-31 | content=Steaks, burgers, grills, pasta, pizzas. A selection of Indonesian dishes. Beer, wine. Fills up quickly so book or go early. }} * {{eat | name=Trattoria | alt= | url=http://trattoriaasia.com/ | email= | address=The Vee Building, Jl Gajah Mada, Brumbungan | lat=-6.9841 | long=110.4221 | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-8333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2017-11-06 | content=One of the chain of Italian restaurants found across southeast Asia. Dependable and good - pizzas, kinds of pasta, steak. Also serves Japanese sushi and sashimi. Serves wine by the glass. }} * {{eat | name=Xiang Yuen | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Inside Grand Candi Hotel | phone=+62 24 8416 222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Jl Sisingamangaraja No. 16. M-F 06:00-15:00 & 18:30-22:30, Sa-Su p7:00-15:00 & 18:30-22:30. Authentic Cantonese & Szechuanese. Rp 100,000-1,000,000 }} ==Drink== In Semarang, it is not easy to find bars. However, lately a few stylish venues have sprung up, mainly catering to the trendy young population. There are a few bars and cafes around '''Simpang Lima''' (right downtown). After sunset, please avoid small tents selling homemade tea (''teh poci'') as lots of hookers looking for targets, especially rich-looking travelers. ===Bars and clubs=== * {{drink | name=Club 123 | alt= | url=http://www.novotelsemarang.com | email=club123@novotelsemarang.com | address=Jalan Pemuda 123 | lat=-6.97893 | long=110.41453 | directions=at Basement of Novotel Semarang | phone=+62 24 356 3000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=21:00 - 02:00 | price= | content= }} ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Tekodeko Koffiehuis | alt= | url=https://www.instagram.com/tekodeko/?hl=en | email= | address=Kota Lama, Jl. Letjen Suprapto No.44 | lat=-6.967688 | long=110.429563 | directions=located in ''kota lama'' (old town) | phone=+62 24 3544501 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-22:00 | price=Rp10,000-200,000 | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Serve hot and iced coffee. }} ''Wedang'' or ''wedhang'' means hot, soothing drink. You can get them in Simpang Lima, hotels or restaurants in Semarang. One of the most popular variety is STMJ ('''''S'''usu'' '''''T'''elor'' '''''M'''adu'' '''''J'''ahe'', a concoction of milk, egg, honey, and ginger drink). ===Local drinks=== * {{drink | name=Es Cao Gang Lombok | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gg. Lombok, Purwodinatan | lat=-6.974438 | long=110.428062 | directions= | phone=+62 858 656 26789 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=A traditional iced drink with grass jelly and coconut. }} * {{drink | name=Es Kelapa Muda Kartika | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl MT. Haryono 83| lat=-6.979563 | long=110.428938 | directions=near bubakan roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=One of the most delicious young coconut drinks. Daytime only, just get there early because in late afternoon they're most likely sold out already. }} * {{drink | name=Es Panekuk Pak Yono | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tanjung, Sekayu | lat=-6.976062 | long=110.416313 | directions= | phone=+62 812 287 71554 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=Fruit ice cream with pancake and bread. }} * {{drink | name=Es Puter Cong Lik | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kh Ahmad Dahlan No.11 | lat=-6.989187 | long=110.425687 | directions= | phone=+62 24 8443619 | tollfree= | hours=18:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=A traditional ice cream based on coconut milk, with fruits, coconut and jelly. }} * {{drink | name=Jahe Rempah Mbah Jo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Menteri Supeno I No.1, Mugassari | lat=-6.994438 | long=110.418937 | directions= | phone=+62 812 250 5012 | tollfree= | hours=06:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=A traditional ginger drink with spices and herbs. }} * {{drink | name=Jamu Jun Mbak Lina | alt= | url= | email= | address=Pasar Sampangan, Sampangan, Bendan Duwur | lat=-7.017313 | long=110.389313 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Jamu jun is a typical Semarang's ''jamu'' (Indonesian herbal medicine drink). It is made from rice flour and some spices. }} * {{drink | name=Wedang Kacang Kapuran | alt=Kacang Ijo Kapuran | url= | email= | address=Jl. Jagalan Malang No.53, Gabahan | lat=-6.979563 | long=110.428938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=16:00-19:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Offering one of the traditional drink of Semarang, ''wedang kacang tanah'' (hot drink made from peanut). }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Less than Rp250,000|Rp250,000-500,000|More than Rp500,000}} ===Budget=== Go to Jalan Kauman (Near Johar Market - TransSemarang Koridor II or buses to/from Terboyo Terminal) and you'll find a lot of cheap accommodation. They are most likely to be a basic fan room with outside bathroom for the cheapest price level, some naming themselves as ''losmen'' (inns) and others as hotel. Several places offering basic fan room are located near the mosque at the northern end (Masjid Kauman) with rooms going for as cheap as Rp 50,000. Many budget places will not have a western-style shower. Another group of budget accommodation, slightly more upmarket but still affordable hotels, can be found along Jl. Imam Bonjol. With Rp 250,000 or even less you can possibly have an air-conditioned room in these hotels, such as Hotel Bali and Rahayu. TransSemarang Koridor III and buses to/from Terboyo Terminal (except DAMRI) pass by Jl. Imam Bonjol. Both areas are not too far from both train stations (Poncol and Tawang), as well as the seaport (Tanjung Mas). * {{sleep | name=Hostel Imam Bonjol | alt= | url= | email=otnaira@yahoo.com | address=Jl Imam Bonjol 177 B | lat=-6.979836 | long=110.410612 | directions= | phone=+62 853 2528 3959, +62 24 740 39769 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 100,000 single room, Rp 165,000 double room | wikidata=Q111078183 | content=400 m from Tugu Muda, a 10-minute walk to Paragon Mall, 12 minutes to Dp Mall, 20 minutes from Ahmad Yani Airport, 5 minutes from Tawang train station, 2 minutes from the Joglosemar Shuttle bus station. Free WiFi, hot water, free map. They rent bicycles, and can assist with car rental. }} * {{sleep | name=Ibis budget Semarang Tendean | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/8430/index.en.shtml | email=reservation@ibisbudget-semarang-tendean.com | address=Jl. Pierre Tendean No. 21 | lat=-6.978143 | long=110.413734 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7692 888 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=from Rp 258,000 double room | wikidata=Q111138165 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Merbabu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 122-124 | lat=-6.97933 | long=110.41514 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3547491, +62 24 3547492 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 3547491 | checkin= | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp 250,000 | content=Single bed to family room for 4 people. A/C, telephone, TV, indoor bathroom, hot water. Refrigerator for deluxe rooms and above. Strategic location in Jl Pemuda next to Paragon City Mall. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Rahayu | alt= | url=http://hotel-rahayu.blogspot.it/p/kamar-superior-tentang-kami-kami.html | email= | address=Jl. Imam Bonjol No. 35-37 | lat=-6.9708 | long=110.4200 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3542532 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 100,000 for a double | content=Double, triple, and quadruple rooms available, both fan and air-conditioned. Wi-fi available. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Oewa Asia | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kol. Sugiono No. 12 Semarang | lat=6.9691813 | long=110.4223307 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3542547 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From Rp 55,000 | content=A hotel which is slightly derelict, but is unique as it has witnessed Semarang's history from the Dutch colonial era. Located in Semarang's Old Town (Kota Lama) area. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Terboyo Indah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Terboyo Industri Raya No. 30 Semarang | lat=-6.947424 | long=110.468881 | directions= | phone=+62 24 6583751 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 95,000 | content=Located in the northeastern part of Semarang, in the same area as Terboyo Bus Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name= Hotel Elizabeth | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Agung, No. 1 | lat=-7.0081 | long=110.4159 | directions= | phone=+62 24 8413501, +62 24 8413176, +62 24 8319803 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 175,000 | content=Located in the southern, slightly hilly part of Semarang, in the area known as Candi. Close to St. Elizabeth hospital and popular with many guests actually visiting their hospitalized relatives. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Candi Baru Hotel | alt= | url=http://candi-baru-hotel.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl Rinjani 21, Gajamungkur | lat=-7.0025 | long=110.4099 | directions= | phone=+62 24 315 272 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata=Q106281799 | content=Dutch colonial era hotel in Semarang's hilly district. Hosts a branch of Black Canyon Cafe, a Thai café chain, in its front yard. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Dafam | alt= | url=http://www.dafamhotels.com | email=info@dafamsemarang.com | address=Jl Imam Bonjol 188 | lat=-6.979702 | long=110.411987 | directions= | phone=+62 24 355-4111 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 354-5111 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp370,000 | wikidata=Q111138111 | content=Three-star hotel for business and leisure travellers, comfortable accommodation. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Grasia | alt= | url=http://www.hotelgrasia.com/ | email=info@hotelgrasia.com | address=Jl S. Parman 29 | lat=-7.005 | long=110.40944 | directions= | phone=+62 24 844-4777 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 831-7288 | checkin=13:00 | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp475,000 | wikidata=Q111138174 | content=Three-star hotel in Gajahmungkur. Rates include buffet breakfast, pick-up service from/to airport,car wash, unlimited WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Simpang Lima | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6473/index.en.shtml | email=info@hotelibissemarang.com | address=Jl Gajah Mada 172 | lat=-6.986812 | long=110.422691 | directions=near Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 3300-0888 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp370,000 | wikidata=Q111138212 | content=3-star hotel near the hustle and bustle of Simpang Lima. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Muria | alt= | url=http://hotelmuria.blogspot.com | email=muria@indosat.net.id | address=Jl Dr. Cipto 73 | lat=-6.978289 | long=110.434747 | directions= | phone=+62 24 351 3622 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 351 5843 | checkin=13:00 | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp297,000 | content=Two-star hotel near Chinese business area. Caters to family and convention needs, has six meeting rooms, buffet breakfast, pick up service from/to airport, car wash, unlimited WiFi access. }} * {{sleep | name=Quest Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.quest-hotels.com/location/hotel/2-Quest-Semarang | email=SemarangInfo@Quest-Hotels.com | address=Jl Plampitan No.37-39 | lat=-6.9782 | long=110.42327 | directions= | phone=+62 24 352-0808 | tollfree= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp265,000 | wikidata=Q111138190 | content=Near Simpang Lima business district and Chinatown . Ten minutes from the train station. Rooms have cable TV, safe and tea/coffee making facilities and a private balcony. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=New Metro Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.metrohotel.co.id/ | email=info@metrohotel.co.id | address=Jl Haji Agus Salim 2-4 | lat=-6.97102 | long=110.42372 | directions= | phone=+62 24 354 7371 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 351-0863 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= 3-star hotel. Close to Pasar Johar traditional market. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ciputra | alt= | url=http://www.hotelciputra.com/ | email=mailjkt@hotelciputra.com | address=Jl Simpang Lima | lat=-6.9891 | long=110.4237 | directions= | phone=+62 21 566 0640 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp650,000 | content=Managed by Swiss-Belhotel. Overlooking the town square and connected to Semarang's largest shopping mall, Mall Ciputra. }} * {{sleep | name=Grand Candi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.grandcandihotel.com | email= | address=Jl Sisingamangaraja No. 16 | lat=-7.015446 | long=110.419014 | directions= | phone=+62 24 8416 222 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 8412 688 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From Rp600,000 | wikidata=Q111138058 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=In an upscale residential area on the hill, and has several excellent restaurants. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Semarang | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/5506/index.en.shtml | email=reservation@novotelsemarang.com | address=Jl Pemuda No. 123 | lat=-6.97835 | long=110.415207 | directions= | phone=+62 24 356-3000 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 358-4252 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp610,000 | wikidata=Q111138161 | content=Novotel is in the CBD area. }} * {{sleep | name=Horison NJ Semarang | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Mt. Haryono No.32-38, Purwodinatan | lat=-6.968924 | long=110.431373 | directions=Near Bundaran Bubakan | phone=+62 24 3519000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Patra Semarang | alt= | url=https://patra-jasa.com/id/products/hotels-resorts/the-patra-semarang-hotel-convention/ | email=reservation.semarang@patra-jasa.com | address=Jl Sisingamangaraja | lat=-7.012479 | long=110.41994 | directions=from Jl Sisingamangaraja, turn into Jl Ungaran. It leads straight to Patra Jasa Hotel | phone=+62 24 841-4141 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 831-4448 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp565,000 | wikidata=Q111138130 | content=Resort-style hotel is in the hilly area of Candi Baru. }} * {{sleep | name=Santika Premiere Semarang | alt=formerly Graha Santika Hotel | url=http://www.santika.com/indonesia/semarang/hotel-santika-premiere-semarang/ | email=semarang@santika.com | address=Jl Pandanaran No. 116-120 | lat=-6.988832 | long=110.420643 | directions= | phone=+62 24 841-3115, +62 24 841-3121 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 841-3113 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp640,000 | wikidata=Q111138186 | content=Four-star hotel close to the city centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Gumaya Tower Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.gumayatowerhotel.com | email=info@gumayatowerhotel.com | address=Jl Gajah Mada 59-61 | lat=-6.977474 | long=110.420736 | directions= | phone=+62 24 355-1999 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 355-1777 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp760,000 | wikidata=Q111138069 | content=5-star hotel. Houses a few restaurants and a coffee shop. }} ==Stay safe== Semarang is moderatly safe. People are nice to strangers, helpful and friendly. Never touch anyone's head (especially teenagers and older men) as it is considered as "insult" and might invite troubles. In the crowded buses, trains or small cars used as public transportation, "unintended touch" is tolerated. Never look at someone (especially young men) straight in the eyes more than 3 times as it might be considered as "challenging them to fight" (this applies especially in bigger towns/cities). Villagers are more friendly to strangers. Semarang is neither a small city nor huge city if compared to Jakarta. Everyone is urged to observe universal safety rules such as "only walk in the light-bright areas"; do not attempt to deal with hookers or trans-sexual hookers which are usually done under secluded and dark areas; lady travelers are urged not to travel alone after 23:00 especially in an unknown dark neighborhood, sometimes even in residential areas. Only withdraw a moderate amount of money in an open air ATM. When riding the public transportation it is not encouraged to wear jewellery, or gaudy and branded or designer watches. Petty thieves are common, but they do not strike when it isn't obvious. During the night if you must use public transportation, look for those units which have more than a few people riding and do avoid the empty ones. You might want to choose a seat close to the driver. ==Stay healthy== Hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms: *{{listing | name=Kariadi Hospital | alt=Rumah Sakit Umum Pusat Dr. Kariadi | url=http://www.rskariadi.co.id/ | email= | address=Jl Dr. Sutomo No. 16 | lat=-6.99459 | long=110.40775 | directions= | phone=+62 24 413993 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4264984 | lastedit=2017-11-03 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. Panti Wilasa Cipto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Dr.Cipto 50 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 546040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110240243 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. Panti Wilasa Citarum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Citarum No. 98 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 3542224 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110240268 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. St. Elizabeth | alt= | url=https://www.rs-elisabeth.com/ | email=sekretariat@rs-elisabeth.com | address=Jl. Kawi No 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 831 0035 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q106282400 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. Telogorejo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. K.H. Achmad Dahlan | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 446000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110242208 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RSI. Sultan Agung | alt= | url=https://www.rsisultanagung.co.id/ | email= | address=Jl. Kaligawe Km 4 | lat=-6.955813 | long=110.461562 | directions= | phone=+62 24 6580019 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q112869364 | content= }} ==Connect== The dialing code for Semarang is '''024'''. Some hotel lobbies and cafés offer free wifi. Ask your server for the ''password wifi'' (PAHS-wuhrd WIGH-fee). ==Cope== * {{listing | name=Ambulance | phone=118 }} * {{listing | name=Police | phone=110 }} * {{listing | name=Central Java Police HQ | address=Jl Pahlawan 1 | phone=+62 24 831-1382 }} * {{listing | name=Semarang Police HQ | address=Jl Dr Sutomo 19 | lat=-6.992188 | long=110.406063 | directions= | phone=+62 24 844-4444, +62 24 841-8400 }} Police stations: * {{listing | name=Central Semarang | address=Jl Brumbungan Tengah 41 | phone=+62 24 354-5175 }} * {{listing | name=North Semarang | address=Jl Letjen Suprapto 45 | phone=+62 24 692-1275 }} * {{listing | name=South Semarang | address=Jl Sultan Agung 103 | phone=+62 24 831-5123 }} * {{listing | name=West Semarang | address=Jl Ronggolawe Selatan | phone= +62 24 761-0698 }} * {{listing | name=East Semarang | address=Jl Majapahit | phone=+62 24 671-0863 }} ==Go next== '''East''' Overland, all points to [[Surabaya]], taking in: * The important religious sites in [[Demak]] and [[Kudus]] * The batik centre of ''Bakaran'' near [[Pati]] to see the unusual black, cream and indigo batik * [[Rembang]] for its salt fields and ''kawista'' syrup * The Chinese architecture and heritage of [[Lasem]], with its famous batik style * [[Cepu]] for its former glories of the teak industry, and its outrageously OTT hotel * The remnants of the ''Majapahit'' empire in [[Trowulan]] near [[Mojokerto]] By air, to [[Surabaya]] and [[Bali]] '''Southeast''' The main destination in that direction is [[Solo]], a two to three hour drive. On the way you will pass through: * [[Salatiga]], relaxed university hill town located at the foot of Mount Merbabu, and jumping off point to explore ''Lake Rawa Pening'' and go up to the mountain village of [[Kopeng]] * [[Boyolali]], famous for its dairy industry, and the delicious clear soup ''Soto Seger Mbok Giyem''. Also the jumping off point to visit the copper-beating village of [[Cepogo]] and to investigate the pass between the volcanoes of ''Merapi'' and ''Merbabu'' * Once in [[Solo]], keep going further south and east, either up the slope of ''Mount Lawu'' to the magical high temples of ''Sukuh'' and ''Cetho'', and then over into East Java, or towards the fantastic surfing beach of ''Watu Karung'' near [[Pacitan]] '''South''' * Slightly south of Semarang are some smaller hill towns easily reached in a day trip: [[Ungaran]], [[Bandungan]] and [[Ambarawa]] * Keep going further south to [[Magelang]] and [[Yogyakarta]]. It takes 3-4 hours to drive from Semarang to Yogyakarta '''Southwest''' * Go to the [[Dieng Plateau]] through the small towns of [[Temanggung]] and [[Wonosobo]] to see ancient Hindu temples/candi in a former ancient city which lies in the misty plateau * Keep going in that direction and you will eventually get to the resort town of [[Pangandaran]] in [[West Java]] '''West''' All points to [[Jakarta]], including: * [[Kendal]] * [[Pekalongan]], famed for its batik and an easy day trip on the train * [[Cirebon]] * [[Bandung]] '''Northwest''' Direct flights to [[Batam]], [[Singapore]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]] '''North''' Flights and ferries across the Java Sea to various spots in [[Kalimantan]] make Semarang a good jumping off spot to see the ''orangutan''s in [[Tanjung Puting National Park]] near [[Pangkalanbun]] '''Northeast and out to sea''' * [[Jepara]] for its laid back, coastal town vibe, furniture industry and jumping off point to explore ''Mount Muria'' * [[Karimunjawa]] - A marine national park in the small islands north of Semarang {{routebox | placename=Semarang | image1=GreatPostRoad route icon.png | imagesize1=100px | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Anyer]] | minorl1=[[Kendal]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Panarukan]] | minorr1=[[Demak]] | link1=Great Post Road | caption1=The Great Post Road through Java, as constructed in the early 19th century }} {{geo|-6.9667|110.4167}} {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{Guidecity}} jqcegawad2ycq3eal6apuklpm8ofn0r 4501948 4501942 2022-08-16T07:24:52Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Local drinks */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Semarang Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Semarang''' is the capital of [[Central Java]] province in [[Indonesia]]. It is a bustling, growing mid-sized city with a population of over 1.5 million. It is more an administrative and business town than a tourist destination. It nevertheless has its own charm, with contrasting modern mid-rises, a significant set of Dutch colonial architecture, Chinatown, and "kampung" all jutting against each other. ==Understand== The city's name is said to derive from the Javanese words "asem" and "arang", which could be translated as "scarce tamarind." ===Orientation=== Semarang lies on the province's northern coast. Semarang's topography is marked by a narrow coastal plain, rising sharply inland. The city sprawls up from the coast, and the higher areas see some of the highest rate of residential development, due to the slightly cooler climate. The sea is slowly reclaiming the coastal lowlands during the monthly ''rob'' or high tides, causing flooding up to more than a kilometer from the coast. ===Climate=== {{Climate| |janhigh = 29 |janlow = 25 |janprecip = 430 |febhigh = 29 |feblow = 25 |febprecip = 360 |marhigh = 30 |marlow = 25 |marprecip = 320 |aprhigh = 31 |aprlow = 26 |aprprecip = 230 |mayhigh = 32 |maylow = 26 |mayprecip = 160 |junhigh = 32 |junlow = 25 |junprecip = 80 |julhigh = 32 |jullow = 24 |julprecip = 80 |aughigh = 32 |auglow = 24 |augprecip = 60 |sephigh = 32 |seplow = 25 |sepprecip = 100 |octhigh = 32 |octlow = 26 |octprecip = 160 |novhigh = 31 |novlow = 26 |novprecip = 220 |dechigh = 30 |declow = 25 |decprecip = 330 |description=Source: [[w:Semarang#Climate|Wikipedia]] }} The coastal location can make the climate uncomfortably hot and humid. It is not unusual for temperatures to be above {{Celsius|32}}. In contrast to many Indonesian cities, Semarang still has a fair amount of greenery. Locals will tell you that areas that used to be (by their standards) "cool" are no longer. The climate is hot and humid, except on the slope - where it is slightly more pleasant - towards Ungaran, so wear light-coloured cotton clothes, such as T-shirts and knee-length trousers for comfort. === Visitor information === In 2007 the government started to promote Semarang as a tourist destination, starting with the ''Semarang Pesona Asia'' (Semarang, Asia's Enchantment) branding. * {{listing | name=Tourist Information Center (TIC) Semarang | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda No 147 | lat=-6.981303 | long=110.412368 | directions=across the street from the City Hall, near Lawang Sewu and Tugu Muda; TransSemarang Koridor I, II, III, IV | phone=+62 24 351-5451 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Has an information counter and some leaflets about Semarang and other parts of Central Java. The Joglosemar bus (going to [[Yogyakarta]] or [[Solo]]) and the Central Java Travel shuttle van (going to [[Jepara]]), depart from here. }} * {{listing | name=Tourist Information Center, (TIC) Achmad Yani Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= The tourist office also has an information counter at the airport. }} ==Talk== [[Javanese phrasebook|Javanese]] is the local language in Semarang, though virtually everyone speaks [[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]] as well. As it is still rather off the tourist trail, English is not widely spoken, so learning at least the basics of Indonesian or Javanese before you visit goes a long way. ==Get in== ===By plane=== *{{listing | type=go | name=Achmad Yani International Airport | alt=''Bandar Udara Internasional Ahmad Yani'' {{IATA|SRG}} | url=https://ahmadyani-airport.com/en | email= | address= | lat=-6.96591 | long=110.37535 | directions=close to the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Ahmad Yani International Airport | image=SemarangAirportBuildings.jpg | wikidata=Q1457975 | content=It is well connected with multiple flights each day from hub airports in Jakarta and Surabaya. There are also direct flights from cities in Kalimantan, such as [[Pangkalanbun]], [[Sampit]], [[Pontianak]] and [[Ketapang]] (KalStar), as well as [[Balikpapan]] and [[Banjarmasin]] (Lion Air). Direct connection from other cities includes [[Bandung]] and [[Batam]] (Lion Air), [[Bandar Lampung]] (Aviastar) and [[Bali]] (Garuda, Wings Air). International flights are also available, daily from [[Kuala Lumpur]] (AirAsia) and less frequently from [[Singapore]], (AirAsia, Silk Air). }} For international arrivals, if you need a Visa on Arrival, proceed to the left side of the immigration queue, otherwise, go straight to the immigration counter. ====Buses from the airport==== Line 5 (Koridor V) of the TransSemarang Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system passes through the airport between 05:30 and 18:30 with a headway every 10 minutes. TransSemarang BRT Airport bus runs between 18:00 and 24:00. For the city centre (e.g. Simpang Lima or the City Hall ''Balai Kota''), take the bus towards Tawang railway station and transfer to Line 1 (Koridor I) in Karangayu. Tickets cost Rp4,000 which includes transfers to any of the other lines. Keep your ticket for checking. ====Taxis from the airport==== There is a taxi counter outside arrivals, to the left. Cross over the drop-off lane. Prices are fixed per zone and roughly double the price of normal city taxis because the airport cooperative has a monopoly. A cheaper option is to turn right out of arrivals and walk to where incoming taxis drop off travellers at the departure area, and take one that has just dropped its passengers off. A city taxi to Simpang Lima or the city centre area should cost about Rp70,000. ===By train=== [[File:Locomotive and Teak Table in front of Lawang Sewu building, Semarang.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Old locomotive in front of the Lawang Sewu building]] There are two main railway stations, both on the north coast mainline connecting Jakarta with Surabaya: * {{listing | type=go | name=Tawang Station | alt=Stasiun Tawang or Semarang Tawang in online bookings | url= | email= | address=Jl Taman Tawang No. 1 | lat=-6.964444 | long=110.427778 | directions=TransSemarang Koridor II, III, and IV | phone=+62 24 354-4544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Semarang Tawang railway station | wikidata=Q2836773 | image=Semarang Tawang station outside.jpg |lastedit=2017-10-25| content=Located in the Old Town (''Kota Lama'') area, Tawang is historically significant, being the oldest major railway station in Indonesia that is still operational, having been used since 1867. It mostly serves business and executive class long-distance trains from other major cities. However, some economy trains do stop here, for example, those serving [[Solo]] and [[Purwokerto]]. Be sure to listen for the farewell/welcome song ''Empat Penari'' (the four dancers) also as known as ''Gambang Semarang'', played over the tannoy at the arrival or departure of every train. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Poncol Station | alt=Stasiun Poncol or Semarang Poncol in online bookings | url= | email= | address=Jl Imam Bonjol No. 115 | lat=-6.97317 | long=110.415 | directions=TransSemarang Koridor III and IV | phone=+62 24 354-4496 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Semarang Poncol railway station | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Station Semarang-West (Pontjol) van de Semarang-Cheribon Stoomtram Maatschappij kort na de opening in 1914 TMnr 10014003.jpg | wikidata=Q2782742 | content=Poncol mainly handles economy class trains serving nearby cities in Central Java, such as [[Tegal]], [[Pekalongan]], or [[Purwokerto]]. However, there are some long distance economy trains serving [[Jakarta]], [[Surabaya]], and [[Malang]]. }} Semarang is well-connected to [[Jakarta]], [[Bandung]] and [[Surabaya]] by train. The economy and executive class train ''Joglosemarkerto'' travels in a loop across Central Java, through [[Yogyakarta]], [[Solo]], Semarang, [[Pekalongan]], [[Tegal]], [[Purwokerto]], and back to Yogyakarta, as well as in the reverse direction. Multiple executive-class trains connect Semarang to [[Jakarta]] (6 hours) and [[Surabaya]] (4 hours) several times a day, with overnight journeys also possible. The ''Harina'' service connects Semarang to [[Bandung]] and Surabaya once a day with executive and economy class coaches. ===By car=== Semarang can be reached by car from both [[Jakarta]] and [[Surabaya]] in around 4-5 hours and from [[Solo]] in less than 2 hours using the Trans-Java toll road. From [[Cilacap]] in the very southwest of Central Java will take seven to eight hours, via Banyumas, [[Wonosobo]] and [[Temanggung]]. At Temanggung you can choose to keep going on the main roads through Secang and Ambarawa, or to cut up over the side of Mount Ungaran to Sumowono and [[Bandungan]] and take advantage of their all-day fruit and vegetable market. ===By bus=== Many bus companies offer daily service from [[Jakarta]], from Pulo Gebang Bus Terminal and Kampung Rambutan Bus Terminal in [[East Jakarta]], Kalideres Bus Terminal and Grogol Bus Terminal in [[West Jakarta]], or from Pasar Jumat Bus Terminal (the successor of Lebak Bulus Bus Terminal) in [[South Jakarta]]. The overnight bus with A/C is also available with good service. You can choose bus operators such as Garuda Mas, [http://www.kramat-djati.com/ Kramat Djati], Laju Prima, [https://www.nu3tara.com/web/ Nusantara], Raya, [https://www.rosalia-indah.co.id Rosalia Indah], and [http://www.safaridharmasakti.com/ Safari Dharma Raya] , which are all well-reputed. Sometimes the bus route is Jakarta to Solo via Semarang. You can choose them too, but make sure to remind the bus driver's assistant (the person who checks your ticket on-board the bus) to wake you up in Semarang. There is an executive-class tourist bus [https://joglosemarbus.com/ Joglosemar], which connects Jogjakarta, Solo, and Semarang (hence the name). It picks up tourists from specific hotels and provides snacks and water for their trip. Pricier than other executive buses, it is more comfortable and provides friendly service. They depart almost hourly. Other companies providing shuttle vans in and out of Semarang include [https://daytrans.co.id DayTrans] (from [[Jogjakarta]], [[Jepara]]), [[Solo]] and [[Cilacap]]), Central Java Travel, [https://www.instagram.com/po.bejeu/?hl=en Bejeu] (from [[Jepara]]), Bintang Raya, Matraman Travel, Mitra Travel and Putra Mandiri. If you want to reserve a bus and travel online, there are some booking portals called '''easybook''', '''redbus''', or '''traveloka'''. This serves bus and travel tickets from cities like [[Bandung]], [[Jakarta]], [[Surabaya]] and [[Yogyakarta]]. ===By boat=== Semarang's Tanjung Emas Port (reachable by TransSemarang Koridor III) is located in the northern part, in an area that unfortunately is often flooded during high tide. It is regularly served by ships mostly to/from destinations in Kalimantan. The state-owned [http://www.pelni.co.id/scheduleresult.php PELNI] has ships going to [[Banjarmasin]] (using ''KM. Egon''), [[Pontianak]] (using ''KM. Lawit''), and [[Kumai]] (using ''KM. Leuser'' and ''KM. Egon''). Another operator with ships also going to Kalimantan is [https://dlu.co.id/ Dharma Lautan Utama (DLU)], which serves [[Pontianak]], [[Ketapang]], [[Kumai]] and [[Sampit]]. There are no regular ships going directly into Semarang from other major cities in Java, except for occasional ships from Jakarta during the ''mudik'' period close to ''Lebaran'' offered an alternative for people going back to their hometowns. Cruise ships occasionally spend a day in port. It has few facilities for passengers, but an informal market of street vendors often assembles outside the secure area. Most passengers take a one-day tour to Borobudur or a city tour of Semarang. ==Get around== {{mapframe|-6.9667|110.4167|zoom=12}} {{mapshape|Q11025}} ===By minibus/bus=== [[File:Trans-semarang.jpg|thumb|right|A blue-grey TransSemarang bus Koridor I passing Jl Pemuda near the Balai Kota]] There are big and medium-sized buses operated by city government-owned company called '''[https://transsemarang.semarangkota.go.id/ TransSemarang]''' buses with designated stops on raised platforms (locally known as ''shelter''). Despite being called a BRT system, the buses do not travel in designated lanes. There are eight routes: * Koridor I: Penggaron-Mangkang * Koridor II: Pudakpayung-Terboyo (Bus terminal) * Koridor III: Pelabuhan (Port)-Akpol * Koridor IV: Cangkiran-Stasiun Tawang (Tawang Station) * Koridor V: Meteseh-Ahmad Yani Airport-PRPP * Koridor VI: Diponegoro University (UNDIP) to Semarang State University (UNNES) * Koridor VII: Terboyo (Bus terminal)-Balai Kota (City Hall) * Koridor VIII: Cangkiran-Gunung Pati-Simpang Lima Most interchanging of buses is done at the ''Balai Kota'' (City Hall) or SMAN 5 shelter on Jl Pemuda. The ticket costs Rp3,500 for adults who use electronic money, Rp4,000 for adults who pay in cash and flat Rp2,000 for students. The ticket is valid for as long as you are travelling, but you cannot break your journey. If you get off one bus and get straight on another, the ticket is valid. Keep your ticket when transferring from one corridor to another so that you won't have to buy a new ticket. Some of the less-frequented shelters do not have officials selling tickets, so you have to buy on board. Every bus also has a conductor. This is by far the most visitor-friendly method of going around by public transport. Central Java provincial government also runs a bus rapid transit route, '''[https://www.instagram.com/brttransjateng/?hl=en TransJateng]''', from Tawang railway station to the bus terminal at Bawen, {{km|36.5}} away on the southern outskirts of the city. Passing through Semarang Old Town, the main post office, town hall, Tugu Muda, Kariadi hospital. It also passes the Watu Gong Buddhist temple and the Sido Muncul ''jamu'' factory. A ticket costs Rp3,500. If you break your journey, you will need to buy another ticket when you get back on. The first bus leaves at 05:00 until 21:00. They run every 15-20 minutes and should do the whole journey in about 90 minutes. There are plenty of minibuses (locally called ''angkot'' or ''daihatsu'') serving other routes. The route is written on the windscreen, and sometimes on the back and side of the vehicle. The route is normally written in the form of 'origin-destination' and sometimes with 'via' information if there is more than one minibus route with the same origin-destination but with a different path in between. For example, the route written as Johar-Sampangan, means it starts in Johar and ends in Sampangan, and vice-versa. Minibus fares are around Rp2,000-3,000. There are two kinds of minibuses, the orange-coloured ones travel longer routes, and the yellow ones travel shorter routes (e.g. from a housing complex to the nearest market or terminal). Ask the conductor or driver before you board about the route and whether it goes where you want to go. This is where you need some rudimentary Indonesian as the person you ask is unlikely to speak English. ===By taxi=== Taxis are safe and comfortable, and reasonably priced (starting price Rp4,000). Make sure you understand the route or ask a friend. Make sure the driver uses the meter ("argo"). If he refuses to use the meter, use another taxi. List of taxi companies: * {{listing | name=Astria | url= | email= | address=Jl Jatisari 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 746-0940 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Blue Bird| url= | email= | address=Jl Brigjen Sudiarto No. 492 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 670-1234| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }}Ordering a Blue Bird in Semarang is now possible through a smartphone app. They also link up with the Go-Jek ride service to offer Go-Bluebird. * {{listing | name=Centris Multipersada | url= | email= | address=Jl Majapahit 583 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 672-3624 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Kosti | url= | email= | address=Jl Pamularsih 15 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 761-3333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Pandu Persada Saranamukti | url= | email= | address=Jl Kaligawe Km 4/46 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 659-1234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Puri Kencana | url= | email= | address=Jl Rogojembangan Raya 68 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 670-5050 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ===Online ride-hailing apps=== Using your smartphone, you can now easily hail a GoJek or Grab in Semarang. It is worth investing in a local SIM card with data so you can use the apps. In Semarang, Grab offers Grab Car and Grab Bike, and GoJek offers its full range, including Go-Bluebird, its tie-in with Bluebird Taxis: book a Bluebird using the GoJek app. Because the maps used in the app are not always reliable, drivers tend to call you shortly after they accept the job, to get more precise information. It is helpful to have enough Indonesian language skills to tell them exactly where you are waiting, to be able to describe a useful landmark, and what colour clothes you are wearing. ===On foot=== At first glance, central Semarang seems to have wide pavements. On closer inspection, they turn out to be paved with ceramic wall tiles that are lethally slippery when wet. Trees grow out of them, bus shelters take up nearly the whole width, traders start to encroach. Coupled with the hot and humid climate, walking suddenly seems a lot less attractive. What's more, trying to cross the road is borderline suicidal. Many of the main roads in the central area are one way, which turns them into race tracks. Pedestrian crossings, even with traffic lights, are disregarded. There are footbridges in places, but construction is low quality so watch your step on the stairs, and some have railings missing. The Old Town is the only part of town that can be truly explored on foot. Behind ''Gereja Blenduk'' you will find a fascinating warren of streets between colonial offices and warehouses. You can walk around the open green space of Simpang Lima, but crossing the road to get there is risky. ==See== [[Image:Semarang_sampookong.jpg|300px|thumb|One of the temple buildings in Sam Poo Kong temple complex]] [[File:Teak Table and Chairs in hall of Lawang Sewu, Semarang.jpg|300px|thumb|Side hall of Lawang Sewu]] [[File:Menarasuar.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The old lighthouse in Tanjung Emas harbour]] * {{see | name=Gua Kreo | alt=Kreo Cave | url= | email= | address=Jl Raya Goa Kreo, Kandri, Gunung Pati | lat=-7.0382 | long=110.3510 | directions=Any taxi driver will know the place | phone=+62 852 9179-4931 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=daily 05:00&ndash;18:00 | price= | lastedit=2017-12-03 | content= A modest cave formation surrounded by a man-made lake with a resident band of long-tailed macaques. Can get crowded on the weekend, but you may have it all to yourself on a weekday. Near the cave, there is '''Waduk Jatibarang''' or Jatibarang reservoir with a beautiful sight. }} * {{see | name=Lawang Sewu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda, Sekayu | lat=-6.9840 | long=110.4102 | directions=Right on the Tugu Muda roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-21:00 | price= | wikidata=Q1704755| wikipedia=Lawang Sewu | image=COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Het hoofdkantoor van de Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij in Semarang TMnr 60026221.jpg | lastedit=2017-11-09 | content=Lawang Sewu means 'a thousand doors' in Javanese. It has a lot of them, but probably not that many. Built as the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies railway company in 1907, over time it served various purposes. The Dutch reputedly used the basement as a jail and torture centre. During World War II it was used as the Japanese army's headquarters in Semarang, and further atrocities were committed by the Japanese. The attic, with its twin water towers, was used by the military as a badminton court. Reputed to be haunted. Tour guides are available at the building's entrance. Flashlight tours of the basement, with its interesting system of small pools of water to help keep it cool, are a fun scare. }} * {{see | name=Sam Poo Kong Temple | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Simongan No. 129 | lat=-6.9957 | long=110.3984 | directions= | phone=+62 24 760-5277 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sam Poo Kong | image=Sam Po Kong Temple Semarang Indonesia.jpg | wikidata=Q2128689 | content=The beautiful Sam Poo Kong temple (''Gedung Batu'') was built to honour the Muslim Chinese admiral Cheng Ho of the Ming Dynasty, who visited Semarang in the early 15th century. It was extensively renovated in 2006 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Cheng Ho's visit. In the entry area, there are a couple of stores that sell Chinese art and objects, including giant candles and, of course, there's a place to eat. This complex is one of the major temples for certain Chinese religions, notably Kong Hu Chu (Confucianism), and is replete with a long stone mural depicting major events of Cheng Ho's time here, as well as several different temples, each with its own specific style and architecture. You can burn an envelope in a special prayer oven, or ask a soothsayer to read fortune-telling sticks for you. The temple area is open to visitors if you pay an additional fee, otherwise, you can see much of it from behind a chain - but the mural is behind the temples - but only those seeking to pray may actually enter the temples. }} * {{see | name=Simpang Lima | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.9905 | long=110.4228 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19734075 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=A large square and shopping district at the heart of Semarang. At night, you can eat, drink, or just wander around. Enjoy a ride on the decorated bicycles ("gowes"). On Sunday mornings, this is the venue for Semarang's Car Free Day (actually a couple of hours only), where families gather and enjoy activities such as cycling, roller-blading, playing basketball or simply enjoying the atmosphere while eating in their favorite food stall. }} * {{see | name=Taman Budaya Raden Saleh | alt=Raden Saleh Cultural park | url= | email= | address=Jl Sriwijaya No.29 | lat=-7.002236 | long=110.424296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28725181 | content=A park and cultural centre, with theater and dance performances and the occasional art exhibition in the four buildings in the complex. It used to be the site of Semarang's zoo. Suitable for family recreation or just watching artists practice for their performances. }} * {{see | name=Port of Tanjung Emas | alt=Pelabuhan Tanjung Mas | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.947 | long=110.424 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Port of Tanjung Emas | image=Tanjung Emas Aerial.jpg | wikidata=Q12504181 | content=A busy, important port during Dutch occupation (from 17th century to 1945). Of special interest is the lighthouse built in 1884. }} * {{see | name=Watugong Buddhist Temple | alt=Vihara Buddhagaya Watugong | url= | email= | address=Jl Perintis Kemerdekaan Pudakpayung, Banyumanik | lat=-7.086111 | long=110.408889 | directions=Any taxi driver will know it or take the TransJateng rapid transit bus from the centre of town in the direction of Bawen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28725182 | lastedit=2017-11-10 | content=Popular Buddhist site, featuring the 45m ''Pagoda Avalokitesvara '' with seven tiers, the tallest in Indonesia. Various shrines are relevant to the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions. Development started in the 1950s. }} Before you get into the hilly area named Bukit Sari, you will see on your left '''Taman Tabanas Gombel''' where you can stop by, drink tea and see Semarang from the hill. It's a really beautiful view in the daytime and a very special romantic view during the nighttime. * {{see | name=Semarang Zoo | alt=Kebun binatang Mangkang | url=https://buffelaous.blogspot.com/2020/07/Semarang-Zoo-Bersama-Covi-Vivid.html {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Jl Walisongo Km 16 | lat=-6.97017 | long=110.28853 | directions=across the Mangkang Terminal | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=Rp20,000-30,000 | wikidata=Q19746000 | lastedit=2020-07-30 | content=After several periods of removal and renewal, Semarang Zoo reopened in 2020 with a variety of new animals, a new playground and many other facilities. }} * {{see | name=Grand Mosque of Central Java | alt=Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah | url=http://www.majt.or.id | email= | address= | lat=-6.98386 | long=110.446 | directions=on east side of city | phone=+62 821 3497 0000 | tollfree= | hours=04:00-22:00 daily | price= | wikipedia=Great Mosque of Central Java | image=Masjid Agung Jateng Indonesia4.jpg | wikidata=Q7476510 | lastedit=2020-09-06 | content=If you want to see a big mosque, this will probably not disappoint. Presumably non-Muslims can take the lift up to the top of the minaret for a scenic view of the city too. }} * {{see | name=Kampung Pelangi Kalisari | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Wonosari III, Randusari | lat=-6.98837 | long=110.40837 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-09-06 | content=A multi-colored rainbow village focused on sustainable initiatives. }} * {{see | name=Gedong Songo | alt=Candi Gedong Songo | url= | email= | address=Krajan, Candi, Bandungan | lat=-7.209938 | long=110.341813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=06:00-17:00 | price=1-2$ | wikipedia=Gedong Songo | image=Gedong Songo III, 1211.jpg | wikidata=Q2574009 | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Gedong Songo is a group of Hindu temples. It is variously dated between the 8th and 9th centuries. Built around a 1,270 meters (4,170 ft) hill near Mount Ungaran. }} * {{see | name=Semarang Bridge Fountain | alt=Air Mancur Menari BKB | url= | email= | address=Jembatan Banjir Kanal Barat | lat=-6.981312 | long=110.401938| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Friday to Sunday, 19:30 and 21:00 | price=Free | wikipedia= | image=Semarangbridgefountain1.jpg| wikidata=Q65208592 | lastedit=2022-07-12 | content=Dancing fountain show in the evening. }} ===Around the Old Town=== [[File:Exterior of Blenduk Church, Semarang, 2014-06-18.jpg|300px|thumb|Gereja Blenduk, built in 1753.]] * {{see | name=Old Town | alt=''Kota Lama'', ''Oudstadt'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.968017 | long=110.427877 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q13094398 | content=Northern Semarang has many old Dutch colonial buildings. This was where the old walled city was located. The wall is no longer there, but many of the buildings remain. While there are a number specific points of interest, the whole area is atmospheric and interesting for a wander. Early morning or late afternoon offers the coolest parts of the day and the best light for photography. The rundown nature is part of its charm, but the City Council is making concerted efforts to bring it back to life. The numbers of cafes and restaurants is slowly growing. This helps to give life to the area at night also, and there is a semi-permanent bric-a-brac market that is most active during these cooler hours. During certain high tides, the area is flooded. Tackling it is also part of the government's plan, and the flooding is slowly dropping in terms of number and intensity of incidents. }} * {{see | name=Gereja Blenduk | alt=GPIB Immanuel | url= | email= | address=Jl Letjen Suprapto 32 | lat=-6.9682 | long=110.4274 | directions=The heart of the Old Town | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The name means "domed church". A beautiful Protestant church built in 1753, it is the oldest church in Semarang. It has a baroque organ, a rarity in Indonesia. }} * {{see | name=Semarang Contemporary Art Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.galerisemarang.com/ | email=galeri_semarang@yahoo.com | address=Jl Taman Srigunting No.5-6 | lat=-6.9675 | long=110.4282 | directions= | phone=+62 24 355-2099 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 355-2199 | hours=Tu-Su 10:00&ndash;16:30 | price= | lastedit=2017-12-02 | content=Modern gallery offering a selection of contemporary art in revolving exhibitions. Strong focus on Asian artists in general and Indonesian artists in particular. }} * {{see | name=Taman Srigunting | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.9682 | long=110.4274 | directions=Right by the ''Gereja Blenduk'' | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A small, shady square nestled by the ''Gereja Blenduk''. Good for a quick sit-down after the exertions of walking around the Old Town, and great for indulging in a bit of the Indonesian national pastime of taking ''selfies''. Expect to be invited to join in photos with other visitors. }} ===Monuments=== [[File:Becak Tugu Muda Semarang Central Java.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tugu Muda with Lawang Sewu in the background]] * {{see | name=Tugu Muda | alt=The Monument to Youth | url= | email= | address=At the western end of Jl Pandaran and Jl Pemuda | lat=-6.984349 | long=110.409321 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5251597 | lastedit=2017-11-08 | content=One of Semarang's landmarks - an obelisk set in the middle of a roundabout. It commemorates the five days of fierce battle (14-19 October 1945) between Indonesian freedom fighters and Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender. }} ===Museums=== * {{see | name=Museum Ronggowarsito | alt= | url=http://museumranggawarsita.id/ | email= | address=Jl. Abdurrahman Saleh No. 1 | lat=-6.985946 | long=110.383871 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7602389 | tollfree= | hours=08:00–14:00, except on Monday | price=Rp 2,000 | wikidata=Q12499640 | content=Javanese culture and art museum. }} * {{see | name=MURI | alt=Museum Rekor Indonesia | url=http://www.muri.org | email= | address=Jl. Setiabudi no.179 Srondol | lat=-7.069111 | long=110.411222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–16:00 | price= | wikidata=Q2469088 | content=Indonesian Record Museum. }} * {{see | name=Mandala Bhakti | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Mgr. Sugiyopranoto | lat=-6.984521 | long=110.409309 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th 08:00–18:00, F 08:00–10:30, Su 08:00–12:00 | price= | wikidata=Q19746470 | content=Military museum. }} * {{see | name=Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa | alt=Indonesian Railway Museum | url=https://heritage.kai.id/page/museum-ambarawa | email=ambarawa@kawisata.id | address=Jl. Stasiun No.1, Panjang Kidul, Ambarawa, Semarang | lat=-7.264437 | long=110.404438 | directions= | phone=+62 813 257 09010 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=2$ | wikipedia=Ambarawa Railway Museum | image=Train at Ambarawa Museum 2010.jpg | wikidata=Q1311742 | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=The museum focuses on the collection of steam locomotives, the remains of the closing of the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) railway line. A regular trip is also provided using an old diesel locomotive and wooden coaches with the ''Rawa Pening'' Lake view. }} ===Traditional markets=== [[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Pasar Djohar TMnr 60052564.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Pasar Johar]] Always interesting. Go early in the morning to see the most activity. They tend to have quietened down by late morning. There are plenty to choose from. Perhaps the pre-eminent one in Semarang is * {{see | name=Pasar Johar | alt=Johar Market | url= | email= | address=Jl K.H. Agus Salim, Kauman Tengah | lat=-6.9713 | long=110.4247 | directions=Just south of the Old Town and at the eastern end of Jl Pemuda. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q12489945 | lastedit=2017-11-14 | content=Built in 1936, and famous for its neo-vernacular design by architect Thomas Karsten. Unfortunately damaged by fire in 2016, but renovation started in late 2017 and will hopefully restore it back to full glory. }} ==Do== * '''Catfish Park''' (Taman Lele). Kecamatan Tugu. Open daily. Facilities: children's playground, cultural and art shows, animal shows. * {{do | name=Marina Beach | alt= | url= | email= | address=North Semarang | lat=-6.143889 | long=105.856111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q12502871 | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=Facilities: swimming pool, children's playground, beach volleyball, water sports. }} * '''Ngaliyan Tirta Indah''', Jalan Raya Ngaliyan Kecamatan Ngaliyan. Facilities: swimming pool, beautiful plantation, flower garden, sports centre. * {{do | name=Taman Puri Maerokoco | alt=Grand Maerakaca | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.9612 | long=110.3879 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7606286 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2020-05-05 | content=Tawangmas PRPP, a Central Java Miniature like Indonesia Miniature of TMII ([[Jakarta/East|East Jakarta]]). Facilities: cultural and art shows, boat, water bike, small train, fishing pond. It also contains Kampoeng Laut, a famous over-the-water restaurant. On the other hand, you also can walk around the mangrove forest there. }} * '''Sodong''', 20 km from Semarang. Orchid cultivation village. ===Reflexology=== After some hard travelling, a long flight, climbing a volcano or just a long walk around town, an easy way to unwind is one of 'reflexology' places offering an hour or two in an easy chair, with vaguely Oriental ambient music tinkling away, while someone squeezes your feet (despite being called reflexology, it is rarely that, but very pleasant nonetheless). All for a very reasonable price. * {{do | name=Cozy Feet | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Kapten Piere Tendean No. 5, Sekayu | lat=-6.9778 | long=110.4155 | directions=The street behind the Novotel. | phone=+62 24 354-9823 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 every day | price= | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=Reflexology and massage. }} * {{do | name=Yu Zu Tang | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Anggrek Raya Blok C No. 20-22, Pekunden | lat=-6.9883 | long=110.4242 | directions=behind the Citraland Mall; leave the mall by the door next to Galael supermarket, turn right and follow the wall of the mall around until you get to Yu Zu Tang | phone=+62 24 841-3036 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-22:00 | price=From Rp75,000 for one hour | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=Reflexology and massage. }} ===Events=== * {{do | name=Jateng Fair | url=http://seputarsemarang.com/jateng-fair-2010-prpp-4687 | email= | address=at PRPP Marina | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual showcases of Central Java Promotions and Development. It's held between June and July. }} * {{do | name=Jaran Sampo | url= | email= | address=Tay Kak Sie and Sam Poo Kong Temples | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Attend the biggest ceremony of the Chinese community in Java, featuring a colourful procession and dances of decorated horses and 'liong' (dragon). }} * {{do | name=Dug Der Festival | url= | email= | address=Johar, Kota Lama, Polder Tawang | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Annual festival, one week before fasting month, or puasa. The name is derived from the sound of ''bedug'' ("Dug" - the sound of a gigantic drum often associated with Islam), and ''meriam bambu'' ("Der" - the sound of the traditional bamboo cannon). At the end of the festival, there's "Ngarak Warak", meaning procession to bring ''Warak'' across the city's main street (normally from the Mayor's office to the Johar Market). The Warak is a mythology animal, part giraffe, part lion, part Chinese dragon, part horse and part bird. It's the icon of the festival. You can buy toys at the festival, normally a warak laying an egg, thus the name "Warak Ngendog". }} * {{do | name=Wayang Wong Ngesti Pandowo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/WAYANG-ORANG-NGESTI-PANDOWO-SEMARANG/107095799314973 | email=wayangorangngestipandowo@yahoo.com | address=Jl. Sriwijaya No. 29 | lat= | long= | directions=inside Taman Budaya Raden Saleh, Ki Narto Sabdho building | phone=+62 81 57784939 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Rp 25,000 | content=A weekly show of Javanese drama in the form of human puppet (''wayang orang'' in Indonesian or ''wayang wong'' in Javanese), with stories from folklore, Mahabarata and Ramayana. There is a show every Saturday night. An excellent chance to get a glimpse of Javanese culture in Semarang }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Sobokarrti | alt= | url=https://sobokartti.wordpress.com/ | email=sobokartti@yahoo.com | address=Jl Dr Cipto 31-33 | lat=-6.97404 | long=110.43438 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7037 3060 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-28 | content=A cultural institution offering presentations and some training of Javanese performing arts: dance, gamelan, wayang kulit. The building was designed by Thomas Karsten, drawing together elements of indigenous Javanese and Dutch tropical colonial styles. }} * {{listing | name=Diponegoro University | alt=Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) | url=https://www.undip.ac.id | email=rektor@undip.ac.id | address= | lat=-7.049 | long=110.438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4200627 | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=State university, and the biggest and oldest university in the city (est. 1956). Faculties of law, economics, medicine, architecture, engineering, fisheries and marine sciences, animal agriculture, humanities, social and political sciences, public health, natural sciences and mathematics, and psychology. Almost 40,000 students in two campuses, Pleburan (downtown) and Tembalang in the southeastern part of the city. Offers six month and one year Indonesian language courses through the Darmasiswa program. }} * {{listing | name=Semarang State University | alt=Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) | url=http://www.unnes.ac.id | email=unnes@mail.unnes.ac.id | address= | lat=-7.048722 | long=110.389639 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7603641 | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=Has over 21,000 students in faculties of education, language and arts, social sciences, mathematics and science, engineering, sport science, economics and law. Opened in 1965. It offers six month and one year courses via the Darmasiswa program: Indonesian language, fine art, handicrafts, traditional music, traditional dance and batik art. }} ==Work== Finding part-time work as a traveller in Indonesia is never easy and will be of questionable legality due to the strict labour laws. You may be in contravention of the terms of your visa. Having said that, there is always demand for native English speakers to share their skills in some formal or informal capacity. Formal requirements for foreign nationals teaching English in Indonesia are very stringent. As a manufacturing centre, especially for the export-oriented furniture industries in Semarang and [[Jepara]], you may hear of opportunities for those with the required technical or sales background, with native English language ability. Be aware that your part-time work may take the place of a full-time job for a competent and experienced Indonesian. ==Buy== <!-- Please DO NOT remove unused listing fields from the standard sequence, that just makes further editing and editing listing details very time-consuming--> [[File:EPSN3106 (11002575065).jpg|300px|thumbnail|Semarang traditional market]] ===Oleh-oleh=== [[File:Bandeng Presto Juwana.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Semarang's famous soft-boned milkfish, hand-carried across the archipelago]] One of the favourites is milkfish, ''bandeng'', pressure-cooked to soften the bones. It goes by the name ''bandeng presto'' or ''bandeng duri lunak''. Also popular are ''lumpia Semarang'' (a spring roll with bamboo-shoot filling), ''wingko babat'' (small grilled patties of glutinous rice and shredded coconut), ''ganjal rel'' (a cake named after the railway sleeper that it resembles in shape and texture) and ''pia Kemuning'' (various kind of filling, but the traditional ones are filled with palm sugar). There is a well-known strip of ''toko oleh-oleh'' stores on Jl Pandanaran. * {{buy | name=Bandeng Juwana Elrina | url=http://www.bandengjuwana.com | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran no.57 | lat=-6.986428 | long=110.413279 | directions= | phone=+62 24 831-1488 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 06:30-22:00, F Sa 06:30-23:00 | price= | content=''Bandeng presto'', ''lumpia Semarang'', ''wingko babat'', ''gandjal rel'' cake and more. Free tasting. }} * {{buy | name=Wingko Babat Cap Kereta Api | alt=Railway Brand | url= | email= | address=Jl Cendrawasih 14 | lat=-6.96804 | long=110.43006 | directions=on the eastern edge of the Old Town | phone=+62 24 354-2064 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-31 | content=This outlet is just on the edge of Semarang's Old Town. In addition to ''wingko'' they have a wide range of other sweet and savoury snack stuffs, and a small selection of souvenirs like fridge magnets. The shop is a much calmer experience than the ''toko oleh-oleh'' of Jl Pandanaran which can be crowded and hot, especially if a coachload of tourists arrives. }} * {{buy | name=Tahu Baxo Ibu Pudji | alt=Tahu Bakso Bu Pudji cabang Pamularsih | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pamularsih Raya No.15, Bongsari | lat=-6.991188 | long=110.397063 | directions= | phone=+62 822 424 75758 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=Tahu bakso is a tofu stuffed with beef or fish dough. It is a delicacy of Ungaran, Semarang (Regency). }} ===Arts and crafts=== There are numerous places around town to buy jewelry, paintings, handicrafts, art and other items that could make great souvenirs, and these places can be found all over town. You can buy batik, antiques and traditional items in ''Pasar Johar'' (Johar Market)). There is plenty of choice. It is also accessible by Angkot (mini-bus). Aside from there, you can also buy high-quality batik at department stores, or at batik specialists like Batik Keris and Danar Hadi, both in the Simpang Lima square area. Semarang also has its own style of batik, which can be found in various stores around town. Club Merby on Jl MT Haryono (Mataram) No 653. * {{buy | name=Andika Art & Crafts Gallery | url= | email= | address=Jl Puri Anjasmoro, Block O-1/5 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 760-6123 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lia Gallery | url= | email= | address=Jl Genade Selatan 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 749-8700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Goedang Art & Antique | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 37 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 356-4453 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Gallery Gerbang | url= | email= | address=Jl Dr. Wahidin 56 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 844-7860 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Pandjang Art Shop | url= | email= | address=Jl Widoharjo 31A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-1460 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{buy | name=La Vogue | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's oldest antique shop. }} ===Shopping malls=== * {{buy | name=Java Supermall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Letjen MT. Haryono No 992 – 994 | lat=-7.006417 | long=110.4325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=09:30–22:00 | price= | wikidata=Q13406509 | lastedit=2020-05-24 | content=The mall has four floors. Fashion tenants include Matahari Department Store, Hammer, Giordano, and Bellagio. It is a comfortable place to hangout with culinary tenants including Starbucks, J.CO Donuts, Pizza Hut, Solaria, Es Teler 77, and Kopi Luwak. There is the Cinemazz cinema at the third floor. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Mall Ciputra | alt=Citraland Mall | url= | email= | address=Jalan Simpang Lima No 1 | lat=-6.9889 | long=110.4238 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=09:30–22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-24 | content=The ground floor has many fashion options, including The Bra House, Andre Valentino, Batik Keris, Hammer, Giordano, Nike, dan Rotelli Shoes. The first floor has more with Planet Surf, Wacoal, Warna Fashion dan Fada Boutique. The second floor has XXI and Citra 21 cinemas. }} * {{buy | name=Paragon City Mall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Pemuda No 118 | lat=-6.9787 | long=110.4158 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00–22:00 | price= | wikidata=Q19730280 | lastedit=2020-05-24 | content=At the G floor, you can buy beauty products at L'OCCITANE and The Body Shop. Some of the well-known tenants include Adidas, Giordano, Levi’s, Hush Puppies, and Wakai. Food options include BreadTalk, J.CO Donuts, dan Starbucks. }} ===Changing money=== As Semarang is not a tourist city, you won't find a large concentration of money changers. Those listed below are generally reliable, and you can even call ahead to 'lock' a rate first before coming in personally in the next half an hour or so. * {{buy | name=Golden Valasindo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Jend Sudirman 322, Ruko Siliwangi Square Kav 10 | lat= | long= | directions= TransSemarang Corridor I and IV, stop at Pasar Karangayu (Karangayu Market) - on the way from airport to the city centre | phone=+62 24 7663-2631 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Rudo Indovalas Dunia | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Simpang Lima, Gajah Mada Plaza Bl A/9-10 | lat= | long= | directions=TransSemarang Koridor III and IV, stop at Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 844-4111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Supit | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 39C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-2461 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Supit (branch office)| alt= | url= | email= | address=Mal Ciputra Shop Office Bl B/4, Jl Simpang Lima 1 1 | lat= | long= | directions= TransSemarang Corridor III and IV, stop at Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 844-0814 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Valin Internusa| alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Mayjen DI Panjaitan 158-160 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 356-5222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} Banks are open between 08:30-15:00. ==Eat== {{eatpricerange|under Rp50,000|Rp50,000-150,000|over Rp150,000}} Although Semarang's choice of foods is not as large as other cities, you can find Japanese, Italian, Thai, Korean, Indian and more. ===Budget=== There are food stalls all over Semarang. They are popular and cheap, as they are not permanent, and do not have phone numbers and exact addresses. However, they usually open in the same spot and time every day. Hygiene is not a top priority. If you have a sensitive stomach, consider the cook's access to fresh water and toilets, as well as whether the food is cooked fresh or set out in serving dishes. The cheapest of the cheap is ''nasi kucing'' (literally, cat rice) which is very small portions (just enough for a cat to eat, presumably) of rice served with a modest amount of meat and vegetables. Another cheap dish, ''Bakso'' (meatball soup) with offal and cartilage also become a favorite lunch in Semarang such as Bakso Doa Ibu, Bakso Pak Geger, Bakso Pak Ripto, and so on. * {{eat | name=Ayam Goreng Kalasan | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Moh. Suyudi No.4, Miroto | lat=6.982687 | long=110.420438| directions= | phone=+62 816 488 3622 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=Traditional boiled and fried chicken. }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Goreng Mbok Berek | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.384, Gisikdrono | lat=-6.984687 | long=110.385063| directions= | phone=+6224 7606600 | tollfree= | hours=07:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=''Ayam penyet'' (traditional Javanese fried chicken that is smashed in a mortar and pestle so you can enjoy the ''sumsum'' - marrow), served with sambal and ''lalapan'' (raw vegetables). }} *{{eat | name=Ayam Goreng Salim | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pringgading | lat=-6.983063 | long=110.430984 |directions=Food stall on the corner of Jl MT. Haryono (Mataram) and Jl Pringgading. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tasty fried chicken. }} *{{eat | name=Bakso Kakap Pak Wahid | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Citarum, Bugangan, Mlatibaru | lat=-6.969838 | long=110.437453 | directions= | phone=+62 815 754 63999 | tollfree= | hours=11:30-20:00 | price=Rp20,000 | content=A snapper fishball soup. One of delicacy from Semarang. }} * {{eat | name=Gudeg Koyor Mbak Tum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Peterongan, Wonodri | lat=-7.000938 | long=110.433063 | directions= | phone=+62 812 227 70047 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=A typical Semarang's ''gudeg'' with ''koyor'' (knee-tendon beef). }} * {{eat | name=Gule Kambing Bustaman Pak Sabar | alt= | url= | email= | address=''Kota Lama'' (Old City), Tanjung Mas, North Semarang | lat=-6.967437 | long=110.427437 | directions= | phone=+62 822 209 54443 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=Start from Rp31,000 | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=Gule is a type of Javanese food containing rich, spicy, and succulent curry-like soup. The main ingredient of this dish is goat meat. }} * {{eat | name=Kedai Beringin Indonesia | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Beringin I/9 | lat=-6.97732 | long=110.41394 | directions=On a small residential street heading north off Jl Pierre Tendean behind the Novotel | phone=+62 24 3554292 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-15:00 Javanese menu, 16:00-21:30 Chinese menu | price= | lastedit=2017-11-07 | content=frequently visited by office workers at lunchtime for its cheap and good Javanese-style dishes - rice with various soupy dishes (''rawon'', ''asem-asem daun kedondong'', etc), ''nasi campur'', ''gado-gado'' and so on. Various ice-based desserts are also available. Halal. Opens for two sessions a day. The first, at lunchtime, offers the Javanese menu. Opening again in the late afternoon and evening, it offers a more Chinese-style menu. Be aware that there are two Kedai Beringin in town. The other is not so far away, in front of Poncol train station. Bigger, with a wider menu, and offering some dishes with pork. }} * {{eat | name=Kue Lekker Paimo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro, Brumbungan | lat=-6.982188 | long=110.429187 | directions=has been moved from Loyola College High School, just walk 300 m to the east through Jl. Karang Anyar and 200 m to the south through Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro | phone=+62 815 659 5412 | tollfree= | hours=10:00-17:00 | price=Start from Rp2,000 | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=A Javanese crispy flat cake. The Indonesian version of Dutch baby pancakes and French crêpe. There are two types of ''kue lekker'', the sweet and the salty one. }} * {{eat | name=Lumpia Gang Lombok | alt=Loempia Gang Lombok or Loenpia Gang Lombok | url= | email= | address=Gang Lombok, Chinatown | lat=-6.9744 | long=110.4278 | directions=next to Tay Kak Sie temple | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-11-18 | content=The pioneer of Semarang's many lumpia (spring roll) stalls. Started operating before the Second World War. Some of the owners of other lumpia outlets started by working at this place. Uses both dried shrimp and fresh shrimp. Semarang lumpia is known for the use of bamboo shoots, which give them a distinctive taste. }} [[File:Mie Kopyok Semarang.jpg|thumb|''Mie kopyok'', Semarang's specialty noodle dish]] * {{eat | name=Mie Kopyok Pak Dhuwur | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tanjung No. 18A, Pandansari | lat=-6.976313 | long=110.416313 | directions= | phone=+62 856 413 72758 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-16:00 | price=Start from Rp15,000 | wikipedia=Mie kopyok | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Mie kopyok is boiled noodles served in garlic soup with slices of fried tofu, rice cake, bean sprouts, and crushed crackers, sprinkled with sliced fresh celery, and fried shallot. }} * {{eat | name=Nasi Ayam Bu Wido | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Melati Selatan, Brumbungan | lat=-6.983313| long=110.422188| directions= | phone=+62 24 3548206 | tollfree= | hours=15:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Nasi Ayam Semarang (Semarang-Javanese Chicken Curry Rice) }} * {{eat | name=Nasi Goreng Babat Hengky | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Puri Anjasmoro Blok K, Tawangsari | lat=-6.970063 | long=110.386938 | directions= | phone=+62 852 250 86676 | tollfree= | hours=17:00-23:00 | price=Start from Rp35,000 | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Nasi goreng babat is a typical Semarang's ''nasi goreng'' with tripe. It is a sweet, spicy, and savoury dish. Also, try ''babat gongso'' (tripe in sweet, spicy, and garlicky sauce). }} * {{eat | name=Nasi Kucing Pak Gik Gajahmada| alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Inspeksi, Gabahan | lat=-6.980562| long=110.421688| directions= | phone=+62 812 303 38807 | tollfree= | hours=21:00-04:00 | price=Start from Rp1,000 | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=Cat portion rice with various side dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Sate Sapi Pak Kempleng 1 | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Diponegoro No.265, Ungaran | lat=-7.145938 | long=110.406688 | directions= | phone=+62 24 6923314 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-19:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=Ungaran-type beef satay. }} * {{eat | name=Semawis Night Market | alt=Pasar Semawis | url=http://www.gangbaru.com | email= | address=Gang Warung, Chinatown | lat=-6.974438 | long=110.426312 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Night market, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Hawker-style local food. There's also an annual, larger Semawis Market before Chinese New Year. }} * {{eat | name=Simpang Lima | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-6.990312 | long=110.422938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This square in the heart of Semarang has plenty of stalls offering a variety of local food. Prices are low: a piece of fried chicken, a thigh or a leg, plus a plate of steamed rice for as little as Rp15,000. Some stalls offer ''lesehan'' (sitting on a mat), with or without a low table. Active from early morning until late at night. The best stalls are busy and sell out quickly. You will also find many food stalls under tents (''tenda''), selling a variety of foods from ''Gudeg'' (Jogjakartan pressure-cooked sweet jackfruit meal, usually served dry or wet with coconut milk soup, and you can add in fried chicken, eggs, and other items), ''bubur ayam'' (chicken porridge, a real treat), ''jagung bakar'' (grilled corn), ''pecel'' (Javanese salad in peanut sauce) and many others. Pamper yourself with plenty of good food, yet very cheaply. }} * {{eat | name=Soto Bangkong | alt= | url= | email= | address=Ruko Bangkong Plaza, Jl. Brigjen Katamso No. 1, Peterongan | lat=-6.994563 | long=110.432437 | directions=a kilometre or so to the east of Simpang Lima. Any taxi driver or ride sharing driver will know the location. | phone=+62 24 841-2842 | tollfree= | hours=daily 07:00–22:00 | price= | lastedit=2018-06-21 | content=Clear chicken soup, a local variation of the ''soto ayam'' found across Indonesia. A Semarang institution. }} * {{eat | name=Tahu Gimbal H. Edy | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pandanaran No. 2, Mugassari | lat=-6.991812 | long=110.420187 | directions= | phone=+62 813 294 07509 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-22:00 | price=1-2$ | wikidata=Q12518571 | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Tahu gimbal is a tofu dish with ''gimbal'' (shrimp fritter) and peanut sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Tahu Petis Prasojo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Pringgading, Jagalan | lat=-6.983437 | long=110.429063 | directions= | phone=+62 896 085 87317 | tollfree= | hours=15:00-21:30 | price=Start from Rp4,400 | lastedit=2022-07-09 | content=''Tahu petis'' is a fried tofu with black coloured shrimp paste sauce called ''petis'' inside, eat them while they're hot with a green chilli named ''cabe rawit'' if you love spicy hot snack. }} * {{eat | name=Warung Makan Asem-Asem Koh Liem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Karang Anyar No.28, Gabahan | lat=-6.981312 | long=110.426812 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3565628 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Offering ''Asem-asem daging'' (beef in a sour clear soup). }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Dyriana Bakery & Cafe | url=https://www.dyriana.com | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran 51A | lat=-6.986197 | long=110.412804 | directions=look for the big oval billboard. | phone=+62 24 831 8531, +62 24 844 5175 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:30-22:00 | price= | content=Freshly baked bread — try "roti pisang" (bread with a small banana inside) —– cakes, and a nice cafe serving local hot food and cold drinks. Air-conditioned. Often has demonstrations of traditional products being made (call first, often around 15:00-17:00). }} * {{eat | name=Elrina Restaurant | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran 83 | lat=-6.987110 | long=110.415114 | directions= | phone=+62 24 831 0205 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serving different dishes of milkfish with local taste, Chinese and seafood. Air-conditioned. }} * {{eat | name=Gama Ikan Bakar & Seafood | url= | email=info@gamaseafood.com | address=Jl. M.T. Haryono 870A | lat=-6.995669 | long=110.43247 | directions=just south of the well-known Bangkong interchange on Jl MT Haryone, about a kilometre east of Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 845-5005, +62 24 845-5855 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | content=Indonesian seafood, with indoor and outdoor eating areas. }} * {{eat |name=Gelato Matteo|alt=|url=|email= |address=Jl Mataram 914 |lat=-6.9997 |long=110.4329 |directions=near SMP Maria Mediatrix and SMA Sedes |phone=+62 821 366-434-330 |tollfree= |fax= |hours=M-F 10:00-22:00, Sa 10:00-23:00, Su 10:00-20:00 |price= |lastedit=2017-10-25 |content=Real Italian gelato made by a real Italian man. All the favourite flavours plus some specials. Cups, cones and in brioche. Small range of other snacks, and proper Italian coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Ikan Bakar Cianjur | alt=IBC | url=https://www.ibcgroup.co.id/ | email= | address=Jl Letjen Suprapto 19 | lat=-6.96859 | long=110.42704 | directions=Opposite ''Gereja Blenduk'' | phone=+62 (24) 3562333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=Highly dependable Sundanese food with quick service in lovely old Dutch bank building. The name refers to the grilled fish for which it is famous. }} * {{eat |name=Karuna|alt=|url=|email= |address=Jl Depok No. 47|lat=-6.9770 |long=110.4188 | directions= |phone=+62 24 355-3182|tollfree=|fax= |hours=|price= |lastedit=2017-10-25 |content=One of Semarang's only vegetarian restaurants. In the Chinese style, this replicates meat-dishes but with mushrooms, beancurd and tempe. Canteen-style, where you look in the case and point to what you want. On Saturdays it has a fixed-price all you can eat offer, but you have to clear your plate. If not, you will be fined. Has a small selection of wholefoods for sale as well - pulses, dried fruit, nuts. }} * {{eat | name=Mbah Jingkrak | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Taman Beringin No. 3 | lat=-6.97509 | long=110.41467 | directions=In the residential area to the north of Jl Pierre Tendean, behind the Novotel. | phone=+62 24 355-3366 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=One of the chain of Javanese restaurants. Choose from a large number of dishes laid out - white or red rice, beancurd and tempe dishes, devil's hair chicken (''pitik rambut setan''), hot and sour steamed chicken (''garang asem''). Staff will spoon portions of those you point to, then the total is added up when you get to the end. '''Bentuman Steak''' shares the same building. }} * {{eat | name=Nglaras Rasa | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl MH Thamrin 124. | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 831-9766 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Regular food and buffet. Specialising in catering for large groups, including coach parties. Air-conditioned. }} * {{eat | name=Sate & Gule Kambing 29 | alt=Sate Dua Sembilan | url= | email=sate29@yahoo.com | address=Jl Letjen Soeprapto 29 | lat=-6.96846 | long=110.42773 | directions= right in front of the famous Blenduk Church in the Old Town | phone=+62 24 354-9692 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 09:00-22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-07-24 | content=Anything you like, as long as it is goat. Famous for its goat sate and soup. This is the original restaurant, with original interiors and no air-conditioning. There are two more branches in Semarang - less inspiring interiors, but they do have AC, and a branch in each of [[Yogyakarta]] and [[Jakarta]]. }} * {{eat | name=Toko Oen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 52, Bodjong. | lat=-6.9733 | long=110.4207 | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-1683 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A Semarang institution since Dutch colonial days. Famous for its ice cream, steak and fried rice, and bread and cookies. Still with the atmospheric original decor. Serves pork. }} * {{eat | name=Talisman Rotisserie | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/Talisman-Rotisserie-256956034821366/ | email=talismanrotisserie@gmail.com | address=Jl Teuku Umar No. 18, Gajah Mungkur | lat=-7.0253 | long=110.42 | directions= | phone=+62 815 770-2469 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2017-11-09 | content=It's all about chicken - mostly cooked on a rotisserie, but also soups. Salads and sides, including mashed potatoes. Part of the same group as the Basilia and Massimo restaurants. }} * {{eat | name=Warung Kepala Manyung Bu Fat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Ariloka, Krobokan | lat=-6.973437 | long=110.396812 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7618208 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Offering ''mangut ikan manyung'' (ariid catfish in yellow coconut milk-curry soup). }} ===Splurge=== *{{eat | name=The Blue Lotus Coffeehouse | url= | email= | address=Jl Ahmad Yani No.197 | lat=-6.99442 | long=110.43146 | directions=At the ''Bangkong'' intersection, between Panin Bank and CIMB Niaga Bank | phone=+62 812 286-9248 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu&ndash;Su 09:00-21:00 | price= | content=Famous for the freshly home-roasted Indonesian coffee and eight different ways of brewing, but has a great selection of Western food and Japanese cheesecake. Comfy sofas and strong Wi-Fi |alt=|lastedit=2017-10-25}} * {{eat | name=Bowery | alt= | url=http://keppo.in/bowery | email= | address=Jl Achmad Yani 140 | lat=-6.9915 | long=110.4260 | directions= | phone=+62 24 831-0855 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-11-02 | content=Steaks, wine, cocktails, mocktails, generally fine dining. Western and Asian. Black and chrome, atmospheric lighting, Gotham-city vibe. Paired with the more casual dining ''Eastman''. }} * '''Holiday''', Jl Pandanaran 6 Blok 18-20. Expensive Chinese food, including dim sum, often considered the best Chinese restaurant. * {{eat | name=Pesta Keboen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Veteran 29, Lempongsari | lat=-6.996688 | long=110.415312 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Indonesian and Dutch cuisine served in a restored Dutch colonial house furnished with antiques and Dutch East Indies memorabilia. Go there for the ambiance. }} * '''Pringgading Restaurant''', Jalan Pringgading 54. Chinese food with an Indonesian flair. Yum cha on Sunday mornings. Always full, very lively, and chaotic. Service is not outstanding. *{{eat | name=Rinjani View | url=https://www.rinjaniview.com | email= | address=Jl Rinjani No.12 (across the street from Hotel Candi Baru) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 8508541, +62 24 8508543 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-01:00 | price= | content=One-stop entertainment, food, and beverage centre located in the upper town. Rinjani View consists of six outlets: Resto, Lounge, Teraz, Karaoke, The Cafe, and Apartment's View. There's a fabulous view of Semarang City and Java Sea from all six. Serves Western, Chinese, and Indonesian food. WiFi is available. }} * {{eat | name=Seoul Palace | url= | email= | address=Jl Pandanaran 109 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Korean-style restaurant, with delicious barbecue, flavourful soups, and noodle dishes. Does not serve pork. }} * '''Sisingamangaraja Site''', (''known as "S2"''), Jl Sisingamangaraja, (''across the street from the Grand Candi Hotel''). A modern and hip mixed-use complex where people can hang out, drink, eat Japanese, Peranakan, or Western cuisine, or have coffee and desserts. * {{eat | name=Spiegel Bar and Bistro | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/est1895/ | email=hello@spiegelbistro.com | address=Jl Let Jend Suprapto No.34 | lat=-6.9681 | long=110.4284 | directions=In the heart of the Old Town, close to ''Gereja Blenduk'' and ''Taman Srigunting'' | phone=+62 24 358-0049 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 356-9420 | hours=Su-Th 10:00&ndash;00:00, F-Sa 10:00&ndash;late | price= | lastedit=2017-12-03 | content=<p>Thoughtful and atmospheric reworking of an almost derelict heritage building, which was a general store during colonial times. Pizza, burgers, pasta, steak, fish and chips, Caesar salad - the menu is similar to all other Indonesian venues of this kind. A few surprises here and there. It's a bar too, so there is alcohol, but also means smoking is allowed. The building also hosts two related businesses:</p><ul><li>'''Spiegel Home Studio''' &mdash; a rental studio apartment. Sleeps 4. Rp800,000. Room service available from the bistro</li><li>'''Impala.space''' &mdash; co-working space, on the mezzanine above the bistro</li></ul> }} * {{eat | name=The Tavern | alt= | url=http://keppo.in/the_tavern | email=eat@tavern.id | address=No. 1 Jalan Rinjani, Gajah Mungkur | lat=-7.0041 | long=110.4095 | directions= | phone=+62 24 850-3099 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 16:00-00:00, Sa Su 16:00-01:00 | price= | lastedit=2018-07-31 | content=Steaks, burgers, grills, pasta, pizzas. A selection of Indonesian dishes. Beer, wine. Fills up quickly so book or go early. }} * {{eat | name=Trattoria | alt= | url=http://trattoriaasia.com/ | email= | address=The Vee Building, Jl Gajah Mada, Brumbungan | lat=-6.9841 | long=110.4221 | directions= | phone=+62 24 354-8333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2017-11-06 | content=One of the chain of Italian restaurants found across southeast Asia. Dependable and good - pizzas, kinds of pasta, steak. Also serves Japanese sushi and sashimi. Serves wine by the glass. }} * {{eat | name=Xiang Yuen | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Inside Grand Candi Hotel | phone=+62 24 8416 222 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Jl Sisingamangaraja No. 16. M-F 06:00-15:00 & 18:30-22:30, Sa-Su p7:00-15:00 & 18:30-22:30. Authentic Cantonese & Szechuanese. Rp 100,000-1,000,000 }} ==Drink== In Semarang, it is not easy to find bars. However, lately a few stylish venues have sprung up, mainly catering to the trendy young population. There are a few bars and cafes around '''Simpang Lima''' (right downtown). After sunset, please avoid small tents selling homemade tea (''teh poci'') as lots of hookers looking for targets, especially rich-looking travelers. ===Bars and clubs=== * {{drink | name=Club 123 | alt= | url=http://www.novotelsemarang.com | email=club123@novotelsemarang.com | address=Jalan Pemuda 123 | lat=-6.97893 | long=110.41453 | directions=at Basement of Novotel Semarang | phone=+62 24 356 3000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=21:00 - 02:00 | price= | content= }} ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Tekodeko Koffiehuis | alt= | url=https://www.instagram.com/tekodeko/?hl=en | email= | address=Kota Lama, Jl. Letjen Suprapto No.44 | lat=-6.967688 | long=110.429563 | directions=located in ''kota lama'' (old town) | phone=+62 24 3544501 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-22:00 | price=Rp10,000-200,000 | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Serve hot and iced coffee. }} ''Wedang'' or ''wedhang'' means hot, soothing drink. You can get them in Simpang Lima, hotels or restaurants in Semarang. One of the most popular variety is STMJ ('''''S'''usu'' '''''T'''elor'' '''''M'''adu'' '''''J'''ahe'', a concoction of milk, egg, honey, and ginger drink). ===Local drinks=== [[File:Jamu Jun.jpg|thumb|As one of ''kota jamu'' (herbal drink cities), Semarang has its own ''jamu'' called ''Jamu jun'']] * {{drink | name=Es Cao Gang Lombok | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gg. Lombok, Purwodinatan | lat=-6.974438 | long=110.428062 | directions= | phone=+62 858 656 26789 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=A traditional iced drink with grass jelly and coconut. }} * {{drink | name=Es Kelapa Muda Kartika | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl MT. Haryono 83| lat=-6.979563 | long=110.428938 | directions=near bubakan roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=One of the most delicious young coconut drinks. Daytime only, just get there early because in late afternoon they're most likely sold out already. }} * {{drink | name=Es Panekuk Pak Yono | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Tanjung, Sekayu | lat=-6.976062 | long=110.416313 | directions= | phone=+62 812 287 71554 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=Fruit ice cream with pancake and bread. }} * {{drink | name=Es Puter Cong Lik | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kh Ahmad Dahlan No.11 | lat=-6.989187 | long=110.425687 | directions= | phone=+62 24 8443619 | tollfree= | hours=18:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-03 | content=A traditional ice cream based on coconut milk, with fruits, coconut and jelly. }} * {{drink | name=Jahe Rempah Mbah Jo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Menteri Supeno I No.1, Mugassari | lat=-6.994438 | long=110.418937 | directions= | phone=+62 812 250 5012 | tollfree= | hours=06:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=A traditional ginger drink with spices and herbs. }} * {{drink | name=Jamu Jun Mbak Lina | alt= | url= | email= | address=Pasar Sampangan, Sampangan, Bendan Duwur | lat=-7.017313 | long=110.389313 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Jamu jun is a typical Semarang's ''jamu'' (Indonesian herbal medicine drink). It is made from rice flour and some spices. }} * {{drink | name=Wedang Kacang Kapuran | alt=Kacang Ijo Kapuran | url= | email= | address=Jl. Jagalan Malang No.53, Gabahan | lat=-6.979563 | long=110.428938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=16:00-19:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-07-02 | content=Offering one of the traditional drink of Semarang, ''wedang kacang tanah'' (hot drink made from peanut). }} ==Sleep== {{sleeppricerange|Less than Rp250,000|Rp250,000-500,000|More than Rp500,000}} ===Budget=== Go to Jalan Kauman (Near Johar Market - TransSemarang Koridor II or buses to/from Terboyo Terminal) and you'll find a lot of cheap accommodation. They are most likely to be a basic fan room with outside bathroom for the cheapest price level, some naming themselves as ''losmen'' (inns) and others as hotel. Several places offering basic fan room are located near the mosque at the northern end (Masjid Kauman) with rooms going for as cheap as Rp 50,000. Many budget places will not have a western-style shower. Another group of budget accommodation, slightly more upmarket but still affordable hotels, can be found along Jl. Imam Bonjol. With Rp 250,000 or even less you can possibly have an air-conditioned room in these hotels, such as Hotel Bali and Rahayu. TransSemarang Koridor III and buses to/from Terboyo Terminal (except DAMRI) pass by Jl. Imam Bonjol. Both areas are not too far from both train stations (Poncol and Tawang), as well as the seaport (Tanjung Mas). * {{sleep | name=Hostel Imam Bonjol | alt= | url= | email=otnaira@yahoo.com | address=Jl Imam Bonjol 177 B | lat=-6.979836 | long=110.410612 | directions= | phone=+62 853 2528 3959, +62 24 740 39769 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 100,000 single room, Rp 165,000 double room | wikidata=Q111078183 | content=400 m from Tugu Muda, a 10-minute walk to Paragon Mall, 12 minutes to Dp Mall, 20 minutes from Ahmad Yani Airport, 5 minutes from Tawang train station, 2 minutes from the Joglosemar Shuttle bus station. Free WiFi, hot water, free map. They rent bicycles, and can assist with car rental. }} * {{sleep | name=Ibis budget Semarang Tendean | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/8430/index.en.shtml | email=reservation@ibisbudget-semarang-tendean.com | address=Jl. Pierre Tendean No. 21 | lat=-6.978143 | long=110.413734 | directions= | phone=+62 24 7692 888 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=from Rp 258,000 double room | wikidata=Q111138165 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Merbabu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl Pemuda 122-124 | lat=-6.97933 | long=110.41514 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3547491, +62 24 3547492 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 3547491 | checkin= | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp 250,000 | content=Single bed to family room for 4 people. A/C, telephone, TV, indoor bathroom, hot water. Refrigerator for deluxe rooms and above. Strategic location in Jl Pemuda next to Paragon City Mall. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Rahayu | alt= | url=http://hotel-rahayu.blogspot.it/p/kamar-superior-tentang-kami-kami.html | email= | address=Jl. Imam Bonjol No. 35-37 | lat=-6.9708 | long=110.4200 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3542532 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 100,000 for a double | content=Double, triple, and quadruple rooms available, both fan and air-conditioned. Wi-fi available. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Oewa Asia | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Kol. Sugiono No. 12 Semarang | lat=6.9691813 | long=110.4223307 | directions= | phone=+62 24 3542547 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From Rp 55,000 | content=A hotel which is slightly derelict, but is unique as it has witnessed Semarang's history from the Dutch colonial era. Located in Semarang's Old Town (Kota Lama) area. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Terboyo Indah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Terboyo Industri Raya No. 30 Semarang | lat=-6.947424 | long=110.468881 | directions= | phone=+62 24 6583751 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 95,000 | content=Located in the northeastern part of Semarang, in the same area as Terboyo Bus Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name= Hotel Elizabeth | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Sultan Agung, No. 1 | lat=-7.0081 | long=110.4159 | directions= | phone=+62 24 8413501, +62 24 8413176, +62 24 8319803 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp 175,000 | content=Located in the southern, slightly hilly part of Semarang, in the area known as Candi. Close to St. Elizabeth hospital and popular with many guests actually visiting their hospitalized relatives. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Candi Baru Hotel | alt= | url=http://candi-baru-hotel.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl Rinjani 21, Gajamungkur | lat=-7.0025 | long=110.4099 | directions= | phone=+62 24 315 272 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata=Q106281799 | content=Dutch colonial era hotel in Semarang's hilly district. Hosts a branch of Black Canyon Cafe, a Thai café chain, in its front yard. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Dafam | alt= | url=http://www.dafamhotels.com | email=info@dafamsemarang.com | address=Jl Imam Bonjol 188 | lat=-6.979702 | long=110.411987 | directions= | phone=+62 24 355-4111 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 354-5111 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp370,000 | wikidata=Q111138111 | content=Three-star hotel for business and leisure travellers, comfortable accommodation. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Grasia | alt= | url=http://www.hotelgrasia.com/ | email=info@hotelgrasia.com | address=Jl S. Parman 29 | lat=-7.005 | long=110.40944 | directions= | phone=+62 24 844-4777 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 831-7288 | checkin=13:00 | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp475,000 | wikidata=Q111138174 | content=Three-star hotel in Gajahmungkur. Rates include buffet breakfast, pick-up service from/to airport,car wash, unlimited WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ibis Simpang Lima | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/6473/index.en.shtml | email=info@hotelibissemarang.com | address=Jl Gajah Mada 172 | lat=-6.986812 | long=110.422691 | directions=near Simpang Lima | phone=+62 24 3300-0888 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp370,000 | wikidata=Q111138212 | content=3-star hotel near the hustle and bustle of Simpang Lima. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Muria | alt= | url=http://hotelmuria.blogspot.com | email=muria@indosat.net.id | address=Jl Dr. Cipto 73 | lat=-6.978289 | long=110.434747 | directions= | phone=+62 24 351 3622 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 351 5843 | checkin=13:00 | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp297,000 | content=Two-star hotel near Chinese business area. Caters to family and convention needs, has six meeting rooms, buffet breakfast, pick up service from/to airport, car wash, unlimited WiFi access. }} * {{sleep | name=Quest Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.quest-hotels.com/location/hotel/2-Quest-Semarang | email=SemarangInfo@Quest-Hotels.com | address=Jl Plampitan No.37-39 | lat=-6.9782 | long=110.42327 | directions= | phone=+62 24 352-0808 | tollfree= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=13:00 | price=Rp265,000 | wikidata=Q111138190 | content=Near Simpang Lima business district and Chinatown . Ten minutes from the train station. Rooms have cable TV, safe and tea/coffee making facilities and a private balcony. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=New Metro Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.metrohotel.co.id/ | email=info@metrohotel.co.id | address=Jl Haji Agus Salim 2-4 | lat=-6.97102 | long=110.42372 | directions= | phone=+62 24 354 7371 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 351-0863 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= 3-star hotel. Close to Pasar Johar traditional market. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ciputra | alt= | url=http://www.hotelciputra.com/ | email=mailjkt@hotelciputra.com | address=Jl Simpang Lima | lat=-6.9891 | long=110.4237 | directions= | phone=+62 21 566 0640 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp650,000 | content=Managed by Swiss-Belhotel. Overlooking the town square and connected to Semarang's largest shopping mall, Mall Ciputra. }} * {{sleep | name=Grand Candi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.grandcandihotel.com | email= | address=Jl Sisingamangaraja No. 16 | lat=-7.015446 | long=110.419014 | directions= | phone=+62 24 8416 222 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 8412 688 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From Rp600,000 | wikidata=Q111138058 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=In an upscale residential area on the hill, and has several excellent restaurants. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Semarang | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/5506/index.en.shtml | email=reservation@novotelsemarang.com | address=Jl Pemuda No. 123 | lat=-6.97835 | long=110.415207 | directions= | phone=+62 24 356-3000 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 358-4252 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp610,000 | wikidata=Q111138161 | content=Novotel is in the CBD area. }} * {{sleep | name=Horison NJ Semarang | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Mt. Haryono No.32-38, Purwodinatan | lat=-6.968924 | long=110.431373 | directions=Near Bundaran Bubakan | phone=+62 24 3519000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Patra Semarang | alt= | url=https://patra-jasa.com/id/products/hotels-resorts/the-patra-semarang-hotel-convention/ | email=reservation.semarang@patra-jasa.com | address=Jl Sisingamangaraja | lat=-7.012479 | long=110.41994 | directions=from Jl Sisingamangaraja, turn into Jl Ungaran. It leads straight to Patra Jasa Hotel | phone=+62 24 841-4141 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 831-4448 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp565,000 | wikidata=Q111138130 | content=Resort-style hotel is in the hilly area of Candi Baru. }} * {{sleep | name=Santika Premiere Semarang | alt=formerly Graha Santika Hotel | url=http://www.santika.com/indonesia/semarang/hotel-santika-premiere-semarang/ | email=semarang@santika.com | address=Jl Pandanaran No. 116-120 | lat=-6.988832 | long=110.420643 | directions= | phone=+62 24 841-3115, +62 24 841-3121 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 841-3113 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp640,000 | wikidata=Q111138186 | content=Four-star hotel close to the city centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Gumaya Tower Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.gumayatowerhotel.com | email=info@gumayatowerhotel.com | address=Jl Gajah Mada 59-61 | lat=-6.977474 | long=110.420736 | directions= | phone=+62 24 355-1999 | tollfree= | fax=+62 24 355-1777 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rp760,000 | wikidata=Q111138069 | content=5-star hotel. Houses a few restaurants and a coffee shop. }} ==Stay safe== Semarang is moderatly safe. People are nice to strangers, helpful and friendly. Never touch anyone's head (especially teenagers and older men) as it is considered as "insult" and might invite troubles. In the crowded buses, trains or small cars used as public transportation, "unintended touch" is tolerated. Never look at someone (especially young men) straight in the eyes more than 3 times as it might be considered as "challenging them to fight" (this applies especially in bigger towns/cities). Villagers are more friendly to strangers. Semarang is neither a small city nor huge city if compared to Jakarta. Everyone is urged to observe universal safety rules such as "only walk in the light-bright areas"; do not attempt to deal with hookers or trans-sexual hookers which are usually done under secluded and dark areas; lady travelers are urged not to travel alone after 23:00 especially in an unknown dark neighborhood, sometimes even in residential areas. Only withdraw a moderate amount of money in an open air ATM. When riding the public transportation it is not encouraged to wear jewellery, or gaudy and branded or designer watches. Petty thieves are common, but they do not strike when it isn't obvious. During the night if you must use public transportation, look for those units which have more than a few people riding and do avoid the empty ones. You might want to choose a seat close to the driver. ==Stay healthy== Hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms: *{{listing | name=Kariadi Hospital | alt=Rumah Sakit Umum Pusat Dr. Kariadi | url=http://www.rskariadi.co.id/ | email= | address=Jl Dr. Sutomo No. 16 | lat=-6.99459 | long=110.40775 | directions= | phone=+62 24 413993 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4264984 | lastedit=2017-11-03 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. Panti Wilasa Cipto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Dr.Cipto 50 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 546040 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110240243 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. Panti Wilasa Citarum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Citarum No. 98 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 3542224 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110240268 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. St. Elizabeth | alt= | url=https://www.rs-elisabeth.com/ | email=sekretariat@rs-elisabeth.com | address=Jl. Kawi No 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 831 0035 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q106282400 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RS. Telogorejo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. K.H. Achmad Dahlan | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 24 446000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110242208 | content= }} * {{listing | name=RSI. Sultan Agung | alt= | url=https://www.rsisultanagung.co.id/ | email= | address=Jl. Kaligawe Km 4 | lat=-6.955813 | long=110.461562 | directions= | phone=+62 24 6580019 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q112869364 | content= }} ==Connect== The dialing code for Semarang is '''024'''. Some hotel lobbies and cafés offer free wifi. Ask your server for the ''password wifi'' (PAHS-wuhrd WIGH-fee). ==Cope== * {{listing | name=Ambulance | phone=118 }} * {{listing | name=Police | phone=110 }} * {{listing | name=Central Java Police HQ | address=Jl Pahlawan 1 | phone=+62 24 831-1382 }} * {{listing | name=Semarang Police HQ | address=Jl Dr Sutomo 19 | lat=-6.992188 | long=110.406063 | directions= | phone=+62 24 844-4444, +62 24 841-8400 }} Police stations: * {{listing | name=Central Semarang | address=Jl Brumbungan Tengah 41 | phone=+62 24 354-5175 }} * {{listing | name=North Semarang | address=Jl Letjen Suprapto 45 | phone=+62 24 692-1275 }} * {{listing | name=South Semarang | address=Jl Sultan Agung 103 | phone=+62 24 831-5123 }} * {{listing | name=West Semarang | address=Jl Ronggolawe Selatan | phone= +62 24 761-0698 }} * {{listing | name=East Semarang | address=Jl Majapahit | phone=+62 24 671-0863 }} ==Go next== '''East''' Overland, all points to [[Surabaya]], taking in: * The important religious sites in [[Demak]] and [[Kudus]] * The batik centre of ''Bakaran'' near [[Pati]] to see the unusual black, cream and indigo batik * [[Rembang]] for its salt fields and ''kawista'' syrup * The Chinese architecture and heritage of [[Lasem]], with its famous batik style * [[Cepu]] for its former glories of the teak industry, and its outrageously OTT hotel * The remnants of the ''Majapahit'' empire in [[Trowulan]] near [[Mojokerto]] By air, to [[Surabaya]] and [[Bali]] '''Southeast''' The main destination in that direction is [[Solo]], a two to three hour drive. On the way you will pass through: * [[Salatiga]], relaxed university hill town located at the foot of Mount Merbabu, and jumping off point to explore ''Lake Rawa Pening'' and go up to the mountain village of [[Kopeng]] * [[Boyolali]], famous for its dairy industry, and the delicious clear soup ''Soto Seger Mbok Giyem''. Also the jumping off point to visit the copper-beating village of [[Cepogo]] and to investigate the pass between the volcanoes of ''Merapi'' and ''Merbabu'' * Once in [[Solo]], keep going further south and east, either up the slope of ''Mount Lawu'' to the magical high temples of ''Sukuh'' and ''Cetho'', and then over into East Java, or towards the fantastic surfing beach of ''Watu Karung'' near [[Pacitan]] '''South''' * Slightly south of Semarang are some smaller hill towns easily reached in a day trip: [[Ungaran]], [[Bandungan]] and [[Ambarawa]] * Keep going further south to [[Magelang]] and [[Yogyakarta]]. It takes 3-4 hours to drive from Semarang to Yogyakarta '''Southwest''' * Go to the [[Dieng Plateau]] through the small towns of [[Temanggung]] and [[Wonosobo]] to see ancient Hindu temples/candi in a former ancient city which lies in the misty plateau * Keep going in that direction and you will eventually get to the resort town of [[Pangandaran]] in [[West Java]] '''West''' All points to [[Jakarta]], including: * [[Kendal]] * [[Pekalongan]], famed for its batik and an easy day trip on the train * [[Cirebon]] * [[Bandung]] '''Northwest''' Direct flights to [[Batam]], [[Singapore]] and [[Kuala Lumpur]] '''North''' Flights and ferries across the Java Sea to various spots in [[Kalimantan]] make Semarang a good jumping off spot to see the ''orangutan''s in [[Tanjung Puting National Park]] near [[Pangkalanbun]] '''Northeast and out to sea''' * [[Jepara]] for its laid back, coastal town vibe, furniture industry and jumping off point to explore ''Mount Muria'' * [[Karimunjawa]] - A marine national park in the small islands north of Semarang {{routebox | placename=Semarang | image1=GreatPostRoad route icon.png | imagesize1=100px | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Anyer]] | minorl1=[[Kendal]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Panarukan]] | minorr1=[[Demak]] | link1=Great Post Road | caption1=The Great Post Road through Java, as constructed in the early 19th century }} {{geo|-6.9667|110.4167}} {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{Guidecity}} 895gxj5qn7kjnaooemkbpsoxm53vqam 0 32753 4501886 4499981 2022-08-16T05:13:12Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Silchar banner.jpg|caption=Ruins of the Cachari era at Khaspur}} '''Silchar''' is a city in the [[Central Hills and Barak Valley|Barak Valley]] region of [[Assam]], India. ==Understand== ==Get in== Silchar is well connected by rest of the country by rail, road and air. ===By bus === Bus service is available from [[Guwahati]], [[Shillong]], [[Agartala]], [[Imphal]], [[Aizwal]]. === By train=== For trains one have to come to [[Lumding]] from [[Guwahati]] by BG trains and then MG train to Silchar, it take more or less 12 hours. === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Silchar Airport | alt={{IATA|IXS}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=24.913056 | long=92.978611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Silchar Airport | wikidata=Q3629949 | lastedit=2019-05-01 | content=Silchar is connected to [[Kolkata]], [[Guwahati]], [[Agartala]], and [[Imphal]] by air. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe}} ==See== *{{see | name=Bhuban Hills | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{do | name=Khaspur | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Capital of Old Cachari Kingdom. Beautiful place with the ruins of the fort used by the Cachari Kings. }} *{{see | name=Silchar | alt=Polytechnic | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name= Tea Gardens | url= | email= | address=Central Univ. | lat= | long= | directions=(20 Km), NIT , Medical College, Airport, Central Road Market Area etc. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Do== ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Abhahan | url= | email= | address=Premtola | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Book Stall }} *{{buy | name=Ellora Market | url= | email= | address=Near Ellora Hotel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Foreign Goods }} *{{buy | name=Vishal Mega Mart | url= | email= | address=Central Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Luchi&alurdom.jpg|thumbnail|Luchi and Alurdom]] *{{eat | name=Borail View Hotel | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions=Near Red Cross Society | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Hasty Tasty | alt= | url= | email= | address=Club Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves good vegetarian food. }} *{{eat | name=Nahaz | url= | email= | address=U K D Sarani | lat= | long= | directions=Near Women's College | phone = +91 9435072558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM to 9.30 PM | price= | content=Specializes in Thai and Chinese fast Food, The most happening place in Silchar }} *{{eat | name=Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Opp Gandhi Bagh | lat= | long= | directions=Opp Gandhi Bagh | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Shahi | url= | email= | address=Imperial Mall, Club Road| lat= | long= | directions=Near Ellora Super Market | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=Hotel Borail View and Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Guwahati]] * [[Shillong]] * [[Agartala]] * [[Imphal]] {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|24.816666666667|92.8}} 5g0usg15kwrpi4u9ptfq63pzhbxggp4 4501959 4501886 2022-08-16T07:42:16Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Understand */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Silchar banner.jpg|caption=Ruins of the Cachari era at Khaspur}} '''Silchar''' is a city in the [[Central Hills and Barak Valley|Barak Valley]] region of [[Assam]], India. ==Understand== ===Talk=== '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]''' is the main language spoken in Silchar and the rest of the Barak Valley. However, as it is in the state of Assam, [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]] is the state official language that is used in state government offices. In addition, most well-educated locals will also be able to speak [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] and English. ==Get in== Silchar is well connected by rest of the country by rail, road and air. ===By bus === Bus service is available from [[Guwahati]], [[Shillong]], [[Agartala]], [[Imphal]], [[Aizwal]]. === By train=== For trains one have to come to [[Lumding]] from [[Guwahati]] by BG trains and then MG train to Silchar, it take more or less 12 hours. === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Silchar Airport | alt={{IATA|IXS}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=24.913056 | long=92.978611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Silchar Airport | wikidata=Q3629949 | lastedit=2019-05-01 | content=Silchar is connected to [[Kolkata]], [[Guwahati]], [[Agartala]], and [[Imphal]] by air. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe}} ==See== *{{see | name=Bhuban Hills | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{do | name=Khaspur | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Capital of Old Cachari Kingdom. Beautiful place with the ruins of the fort used by the Cachari Kings. }} *{{see | name=Silchar | alt=Polytechnic | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name= Tea Gardens | url= | email= | address=Central Univ. | lat= | long= | directions=(20 Km), NIT , Medical College, Airport, Central Road Market Area etc. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Do== ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Abhahan | url= | email= | address=Premtola | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Book Stall }} *{{buy | name=Ellora Market | url= | email= | address=Near Ellora Hotel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Foreign Goods }} *{{buy | name=Vishal Mega Mart | url= | email= | address=Central Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Luchi&alurdom.jpg|thumbnail|Luchi and Alurdom]] *{{eat | name=Borail View Hotel | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions=Near Red Cross Society | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Hasty Tasty | alt= | url= | email= | address=Club Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves good vegetarian food. }} *{{eat | name=Nahaz | url= | email= | address=U K D Sarani | lat= | long= | directions=Near Women's College | phone = +91 9435072558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM to 9.30 PM | price= | content=Specializes in Thai and Chinese fast Food, The most happening place in Silchar }} *{{eat | name=Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Opp Gandhi Bagh | lat= | long= | directions=Opp Gandhi Bagh | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Shahi | url= | email= | address=Imperial Mall, Club Road| lat= | long= | directions=Near Ellora Super Market | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=Hotel Borail View and Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Guwahati]] * [[Shillong]] * [[Agartala]] * [[Imphal]] {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|24.816666666667|92.8}} lqe99evoswc4h68uibpz2r4xyh5mti7 4501960 4501959 2022-08-16T07:42:50Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Get in */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Silchar banner.jpg|caption=Ruins of the Cachari era at Khaspur}} '''Silchar''' is a city in the [[Central Hills and Barak Valley|Barak Valley]] region of [[Assam]], India. ==Understand== ===Talk=== '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]''' is the main language spoken in Silchar and the rest of the Barak Valley. However, as it is in the state of Assam, [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]] is the state official language that is used in state government offices. In addition, most well-educated locals will also be able to speak [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] and English. ==Get in== === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Silchar Airport | alt={{IATA|IXS}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=24.913056 | long=92.978611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Silchar Airport | wikidata=Q3629949 | lastedit=2019-05-01 | content=Silchar is connected to [[Kolkata]], [[Guwahati]], [[Agartala]] and [[Imphal]] by air. }} ===By bus === Bus service is available from [[Guwahati]], [[Shillong]], [[Agartala]], [[Imphal]], [[Aizwal]]. === By train=== For trains one have to come to [[Lumding]] from [[Guwahati]] by BG trains and then MG train to Silchar, it take more or less 12 hours. ==Get around== {{Mapframe}} ==See== *{{see | name=Bhuban Hills | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{do | name=Khaspur | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Capital of Old Cachari Kingdom. Beautiful place with the ruins of the fort used by the Cachari Kings. }} *{{see | name=Silchar | alt=Polytechnic | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name= Tea Gardens | url= | email= | address=Central Univ. | lat= | long= | directions=(20 Km), NIT , Medical College, Airport, Central Road Market Area etc. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Do== ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Abhahan | url= | email= | address=Premtola | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Book Stall }} *{{buy | name=Ellora Market | url= | email= | address=Near Ellora Hotel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Foreign Goods }} *{{buy | name=Vishal Mega Mart | url= | email= | address=Central Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Luchi&alurdom.jpg|thumbnail|Luchi and Alurdom]] *{{eat | name=Borail View Hotel | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions=Near Red Cross Society | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Hasty Tasty | alt= | url= | email= | address=Club Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves good vegetarian food. }} *{{eat | name=Nahaz | url= | email= | address=U K D Sarani | lat= | long= | directions=Near Women's College | phone = +91 9435072558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM to 9.30 PM | price= | content=Specializes in Thai and Chinese fast Food, The most happening place in Silchar }} *{{eat | name=Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Opp Gandhi Bagh | lat= | long= | directions=Opp Gandhi Bagh | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Shahi | url= | email= | address=Imperial Mall, Club Road| lat= | long= | directions=Near Ellora Super Market | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=Hotel Borail View and Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Guwahati]] * [[Shillong]] * [[Agartala]] * [[Imphal]] {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|24.816666666667|92.8}} j0xx50s4ih0tdpwmujtpeortapdhgvc 4501961 4501960 2022-08-16T07:43:14Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Talk */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Silchar banner.jpg|caption=Ruins of the Cachari era at Khaspur}} '''Silchar''' is a city in the [[Central Hills and Barak Valley|Barak Valley]] region of [[Assam]], India. ==Understand== ==Talk== '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]''' is the main language spoken in Silchar and the rest of the Barak Valley. However, as it is in the state of Assam, [[Assamese phrasebook|Assamese]] is the state official language that is used in state government offices. In addition, most well-educated locals will also be able to speak [[Hindi phrasebook|Hindi]] and English. ==Get in== === By plane === * {{listing | type=go | name=Silchar Airport | alt={{IATA|IXS}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=24.913056 | long=92.978611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Silchar Airport | wikidata=Q3629949 | lastedit=2019-05-01 | content=Silchar is connected to [[Kolkata]], [[Guwahati]], [[Agartala]] and [[Imphal]] by air. }} ===By bus === Bus service is available from [[Guwahati]], [[Shillong]], [[Agartala]], [[Imphal]], [[Aizwal]]. === By train=== For trains one have to come to [[Lumding]] from [[Guwahati]] by BG trains and then MG train to Silchar, it take more or less 12 hours. ==Get around== {{Mapframe}} ==See== *{{see | name=Bhuban Hills | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{do | name=Khaspur | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Capital of Old Cachari Kingdom. Beautiful place with the ruins of the fort used by the Cachari Kings. }} *{{see | name=Silchar | alt=Polytechnic | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{see | name= Tea Gardens | url= | email= | address=Central Univ. | lat= | long= | directions=(20 Km), NIT , Medical College, Airport, Central Road Market Area etc. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Do== ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Abhahan | url= | email= | address=Premtola | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Book Stall }} *{{buy | name=Ellora Market | url= | email= | address=Near Ellora Hotel | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Foreign Goods }} *{{buy | name=Vishal Mega Mart | url= | email= | address=Central Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Luchi&alurdom.jpg|thumbnail|Luchi and Alurdom]] *{{eat | name=Borail View Hotel | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions=Near Red Cross Society | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Hasty Tasty | alt= | url= | email= | address=Club Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves good vegetarian food. }} *{{eat | name=Nahaz | url= | email= | address=U K D Sarani | lat= | long= | directions=Near Women's College | phone = +91 9435072558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1PM to 9.30 PM | price= | content=Specializes in Thai and Chinese fast Food, The most happening place in Silchar }} *{{eat | name=Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Opp Gandhi Bagh | lat= | long= | directions=Opp Gandhi Bagh | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{eat | name=Shahi | url= | email= | address=Imperial Mall, Club Road| lat= | long= | directions=Near Ellora Super Market | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=Hotel Borail View and Riya Palace | url= | email= | address=Park Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Guwahati]] * [[Shillong]] * [[Agartala]] * [[Imphal]] {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|24.816666666667|92.8}} i7ka41zov4obnwb8rxdy2m3109o2h9l 0 32831 4502084 4492934 2022-08-16T09:57:53Z 廣九直通車 1666899 /* Stay safe */ note on drug trafficking death penalty discretion, cf. s. 33B(1)-(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 wikitext text/x-wiki {{COVID-19 box|Singapore allows entry for all travellers. See [[Singapore#Get in|Get in]] for more information. See also: * [https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/ COVID-19 travel information] * [https://www.gov.sg/features/covid-19 Government information page] * [https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19 Ministry of Health]|lastedit=2022-03-30}} {{pagebanner|Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore - 20120704 (banner).jpg|caption=Gardens by the Bay|pgname=Singapore|star=yes|dotm=yes|origin=0.5,0}} {{printDistricts}} '''[http://www.yoursingapore.com/ Singapore]''' (Chinese: 新加坡; Malay: ''Singapura''; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர்) is a city-state in [[Southeast Asia]]. Modern Singapore was founded as a [[United Kingdom|British]] trading colony in 1819, and since independence, it has become one of the world's most prosperous countries and boasts one of the world's busiest ports. Singaporean food is legendary, with bustling hawker centres and 24-hour coffee shops offering affordable food from all parts of Asia. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of an affluent, futuristic and modern city with a medley of different Asian cultures such as the Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate, with tasty food, good shopping and a vibrant nightlife scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region. The country has a partly deserved reputation for its sterile predictability and neutrality. Nevertheless, the "Switzerland of Asia" is for many a welcome respite from the chaos, dirt and poverty of much of the neighbouring Southeast Asian mainland. If you scratch below the squeaky clean surface and get away from the tourist trail you'll soon find more than meets the eye in one of the few city-states in the world. ==Districts== Sometimes referred to as the ''Little Red Dot'' (originally coined as a pejorative by the late former Indonesian president B. J. Habibie) or the ''Lion City'' (a literal translation of the original Sanskrit name), Singapore is a small country on a small island with close to six and a half million people. It is a fairly crowded city and in fact, it is second only to [[Monaco]] as the world's most densely populated country. Unlike many other densely populated countries, Singapore has over 50% of its area covered in greenery and with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves; it is an enchanting '''city in a garden'''. Large self-contained residential towns have mushroomed all over the island, around the clean and modern city centre. The centre of the city is in the south and consists roughly of the Orchard Road shopping area, the Riverside, the new Marina Bay area and also the skyscraper-filled Shenton Way financial district. All of this is known in acronym-loving Singapore as the '''CBD''' (Central Business District). ===Singapore CBD=== {{Mapframe|1.2916|103.8503|zoom=13|show=map1,mask|name=Map of Singapore City Centre. [[:File:Central_Singapore_Districts.png|Static map]]|width=400}} {{Mapshape|type=page|group=map1|wikicommons=Singapore City Centre Districts.map}} <!--{{mapshapes|Q40176}} MRT --> {{mapshapes|Q2231347}} <!-- LRT --> {{Mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q7570434|fill=#FF0000|stroke-width=3|title=[[Southern Ridges Walk]]}} <!-- in order of importance, please do not alphabetise --> {{Regionlist | region1name=[[Singapore/Riverside|Riverside (Civic District)]] | region1color=#dcdc71 | region1description=Singapore's colonial core, with museums, statues and theatres, not to mention restaurants, bars and clubs, centred along the banks of the Singapore River at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. | region2name=[[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Road]] | region2color=#6ca4ca | region2description=Miles and miles of shopping malls in air-conditioned comfort. At the eastern end, the Bras Basah District is an arts and culture project in progress. | region3name=[[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]] | region3color=#d17c82 | region3description=Dominated by the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (hotel, casino, shopping mall, convention centre and museum), the futuristic Gardens by the Bay, and the Marina Barrage. Along with the Singapore Flyer and the Esplanade Theatres, Marina Bay makes up the new iconic skyline of Singapore. | region4name=[[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis and Kampong Glam]] | region4color=#a4c79d | region4description=Bugis and Kampong Glam are Singapore's old Malay district, good for shopping in the day but especially coming to life at night. | region5name=[[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] | region5color=#c5a0c6 | region5description=The area was designated for Chinese settlement by Raffles, and is now a Chinese heritage area popular with tourists. Restored shophouses make for trendy hangouts for locals and expats alike. | region6name=[[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] | region6color=#e8ba37 | region6description=A piece of India to the north of the city core. }} ===Outer Singapore=== {{Mapframe|width=400|zoom=11|show=map2, mask, go|name=Map of Outer Singapore. [[:File:Singapore_Districts.png|Static map]]}} {{Mapshape|type=page|group=map2|wikicommons=Singapore Districts.map}} <!--{{mapshapes|Q40176}} <!-- MRT --> {{mapshapes|Q2231347}} <!-- LRT --> There's more to see outside the main city centre of Singapore, from the HDB (''Housing and Development Board'') heartlands where hawker food is king, to the Singapore Zoo. Or chill out in the parks and beaches of the East Coast and Sentosa. {{Regionlist | region1name=[[Singapore/Sentosa_and_Harbourfront|Sentosa and Harbourfront]] | region1color=#d8b9c3 | region1description=A separate island once a military fort that has been developed into a resort. Sentosa is the closest that Singapore gets to Disneyland, with a dash of gambling and the Universal Studios theme park thrown in. Across the water, there's Mount Faber and the [[Southern Ridges Walk|Southern Ridges]], an urban treetop walk with local monkeys. | region2name=[[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]] | region2color=#5A9088 | region2description=The largely residential eastern part of the island contains Changi Airport, miles and miles of beach and many famous eateries. Also covers Geylang Serai, the true home of Singapore's Malays, and Pulau Ubin, the last remnant of a rustic Singapore. | region3name=[[Singapore/North and West|North and West]] | region3color=#459745 | region3description=The northern and western parts of the island, known as Woodlands and Jurong respectively, form Singapore's residential and industrial hinterlands. The Mandai area is home to the Singapore Zoo, the River Safari and the Night Safari. Sembawang is home to the only natural hot spring on the main island of Singapore. | region4name=[[Singapore/Balestier|Balestier, Newton, Novena and Toa Payoh]] | region4color=#67B7B7 | region4description=Budget accommodations and Burmese temples within striking distance of Central Singapore. Toa Payoh, one of Singapore's first planned neighbourhoods, is an easy way to wander around a local housing estate and experience the town centre design unique to Singapore. }} ===Addresses=== In the centre, Singapore's addressing system is fairly similar to other English-speaking countries (such as 17 Orchard Road), but the new housing developments on the outskirts may appear more intimidating: a typical address might be "Blk 505 Jurong West St 51 #01-186". Here, "Blk 505" is the housing block number (Blk = Block), "Jurong West St 51" is the street name/number, and "#01-186" means floor 1 (ground level) apartment or shop number 186. The first digit of both housing block and street number is the neighbourhood's number (in this case 5), making it easier to narrow down the right location. There are also 6-digit [[w:Postal_codes_in_Singapore|postal codes]], with the last three digits corresponding to exactly one building. For example, "Blk 9 Bedok South Ave 2" is "Singapore 460009". Finally, you will also encounter Malay terms in addresses: the most commonly used are '''Jalan''' (''Jln'') for "Road", '''Lorong''' (''Lor'') for "Lane", '''Bukit''' (''Bt'') for "Hill" and '''Kampong''' (''Kg'') for "Village". Useful tools for hunting down addresses include '''[http://www.streetdirectory.com StreetDirectory.com]''', '''[http://gothere.sg GoThere.sg]''' and '''[http://www.onemap.sg OneMap.sg]'''. The "Blk" and unit number can and should be omitted when entering addresses into these sites: "505 Jurong West St 51" will do. ==Understand== [[File:Skylines of the Central Business District, Singapore at dusk.jpg|thumb|The Singapore CBD skyline]] Singapore is a microcosm of Asia, populated by Chinese, Malays, Indians and a large group of workers and expatriates from all around the globe, in a country that can be crossed in barely an hour. Having celebrated its 50th birthday in 2015, Singapore has more often than not chosen economic practicality over social concerns, encouraging constant reuse and redevelopment of land with huge projects like the [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay Sands]] and [[Singapore/Sentosa|Resorts World Sentosa]] integrated resorts as well as becoming a significant Asian financial hub, but there has also been a growing push-back to preserve local heritage in [[Singapore/Balestier|Balestier]] and elsewhere; just one of the many decisions to balance for the country's future. ===History=== The first mentions of Singapore in written historical records date back to the second and third centuries where a vague reference to its location was found in Greek and Chinese texts, under the names of Sabana and Pu Luo Chung respectively. According to legend, [[Sumatra|Srivijayan]] prince Sang Nila Utama landed on the island in the 13th century and, catching sight of a strange creature that he thought was a lion, decided to found a new city he called ''Singapura'', Sanskrit for '''Lion City'''. Alas, there have never been any lions anywhere near Singapore or elsewhere on Malaya, so the mysterious beast was more probably a tiger or wild boar. More historical records indicate that the island was settled at least two centuries earlier and was known as '''Temasek''', Javanese for "Sea Town", and an important port for the [[Sumatra]]n Srivijaya kingdom. However, Srivijaya fell around 1400 and Temasek, battered by the feuding kingdoms of [[Thailand|Siam]] and the [[Java]]nese Majapahit, fell into obscurity. As Singapura, it then briefly regained importance as a trading centre for the [[Malacca|Melaka]] Sultanate and later, the [[Johor]] Sultanate. However, Portuguese raiders then destroyed the settlement and Singapura faded into obscurity once more. The story of Singapore as we know it today thus began in 1819, when '''Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles''' made a deal with a claimant to the throne of the Sultanate of [[Johor]]: the British would support his claim in exchange for the right to set up a trading post on the island. Though the Dutch initially protested, an Anglo-Dutch treaty was signed in 1824 separating the Malay world into British and Dutch spheres of influence (resulting in the current [[Malaysia]]-[[Indonesia]] and Singapore-Indonesia borders). This treaty ended the conflict. The Dutch renounced their claim to Singapore and ceded their colony in [[Malacca]] to the British, in exchange for the British ceding their colonies on Sumatra to the Dutch. {{quickbar|location=LocationSingapore.png}} Well-placed at the entrance to the Straits of Malacca, straddling the trade routes between China, India, Europe, and Australia, Raffles' master stroke was to declare Singapore a '''free port''', with no duties charged on trade. As traders flocked to escape onerous Dutch taxes, the trading post soon grew into one of Asia's busiest, drawing people from far and wide. Along with [[Penang]] and Malacca, Singapore became one of the '''Straits Settlements''' and a jewel in the British colonial crown. Its economic fortunes received a further boost when palm oil and rubber from other parts of Malaya were processed and shipped out via Singapore. In 1867, the Straits Settlements were split off from [[British Raj|British India]] and made into a directly ruled Crown Colony. When [[Pacific War|World War II]] broke out, '''Fortress Singapore''' was seen as a formidable British base, with massive naval fortifications guarding against assault by sea. However, not only did the fortress lack a fleet - as most ships were tied up defending Britain from the Germans - but the Japanese wisely chose to cross Malaya by bicycle instead. Despite hastily turning their artillery around, this was something the British had not prepared for, and on 15 February 1942, with supplies critically low after less than a week of fighting, Singapore ignominiously surrendered. The colony's erstwhile rulers were packed off to Changi Prison, and tens of thousands of Singaporeans perished in the subsequent brutal occupation. The British returned in 1945, but it was clear that their time was coming to an end. Granted self-rule in 1955, Singapore briefly joined the [[Malaysia]]n Federation in 1963 when the British left, but was expelled in the aftermath of two bloody racial riots in 1964, because the Chinese-majority city was seen as a threat to Malay dominance. Consequently, when the island became independent on 9 August 1965, Singapore became the only country in the history of the modern world to gain independence against its own will. The subsequent 31 years of iron-fisted rule by the late prime minister '''Lee Kuan Yew''' saw Singapore's economy boom, with the country rapidly becoming one of the wealthiest and most developed in Asia despite its lack of natural resources, earning it a place as one of the four '''East Asian Tigers'''. Now led by Lee's son '''Lee Hsien Loong''', the ruling '''People's Action Party''' (PAP) continues to dominate the political scene with 83 out of 93 seats in Parliament in the 2020 general election. Societal restrictions have been loosened up though, with the government trying to shake off its staid image, and it remains to be seen how the delicate balancing act between political control and social freedom will play out. In modern times, Singapore has tried to position itself as a neutral state balancing the interests of major world powers such as the United States and China. This has made Singapore a popular alternative to Switzerland for diplomatically sensitive talks between foreign leaders, such as the meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou in 2015, and the meeting between American president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018. ===People=== Singapore prides itself on being a multi-racial country and has diverse cultures despite its small size. Singaporeans make up two-thirds of the population. The largest group are the Chinese (about 75%), in which the largest subgroups are the Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese speakers, with Mandarin acting as the ''lingua franca'' of the community. Other notable dialect groups among the Chinese include the Hakkas, Hainanese, Foochows and Henghuas. Malays, who are comprised of descendants of Singapore's original inhabitants as well as migrants from present day Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, form about 14% of all Singaporeans. Indians form about 9% of residents. Among the Indians, Tamils form the largest group by far, though there are also significant numbers of speakers of other Indian languages such as Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujarati and Hindi. The remainder are a mix of many other cultures, most notably the Eurasians who are of mixed European and Asian descent, and also the Peranakans or Straits Chinese, who are of mixed Chinese and Malay descent.[[File:Singapore skyline viewed from Gardens by the Bay East - 20120426.jpg|thumb|The Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer]] Singapore has always been an open country and at least a third of its population has arrived from elsewhere. They range from Burmese to Japanese to Thais and many others. There's also a large number of Filipinos, many of them working in the service industry or as domestic helpers. Throngs of happily smiling and chattering Filipinas may be seen in public spaces, one of which is a shopping mall named ''Lucky Plaza'' situated along Orchard Road, on Sundays when they take their only day off. However, a marked increase in migration from China and India has led to some simmering discontent and larger pockets of Mandarin-only speakers. Singapore is religiously diverse with no religious group forming a majority and religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution. [[Buddhism]] is the largest religion with about one-third of the population declaring themselves Buddhist. Other religions which exist in significant numbers include [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]] and Taoism. In addition to the "big five", there are also much smaller numbers of [[Sikhism|Sikhs]], [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrians]], [[Judaism|Jews]], Baha'is and Jains. Some 17% of Singaporeans claim no religious affiliation. ===Climate=== {{Climate|janhigh=30.4|aprprecip=154.8|octlow=24.7|novlow=24.3|declow=24.0|janprecip=234.6|febprecip=112.8|marprecip=170.3|mayprecip=171.2|auglow=25.0|junprecip=130.7|julprecip=154.4|augprecip=148.9|sepprecip=156.5|octprecip=154.6|novprecip=258.5|decprecip=318.6|seplow=24.8|jullow=25.0|febhigh=31.7|octhigh=31.7|marhigh=32.0|aprhigh=32.3|mayhigh=32.2|junhigh=32.0|julhigh=31.3|aughigh=31.4|sephigh=31.4|novhigh=31.1|junlow=25.4|dechigh=30.2|units=Metric|janlow=23.9|feblow=24.3|marlow=24.6|aprlow=25.0|maylow=25.4|description=Source: [[:w:Singapore#Climate]]}} As Singapore is 1.17 degrees north of the Equator, its tropical weather is usually sunny with little in the way of distinct seasons. Rain falls almost daily throughout the year, usually in sudden, heavy showers that rarely last longer than an hour. However, most rainfall occurs during the northeast monsoon (November to January), occasionally featuring lengthy spells of continuous rain. Spectacular thunderstorms can occur throughout the year, any time during the day, so it's wise to carry an umbrella at all times, both as a shade from the sun or cover from the rain. Between May and October, forest fires in neighbouring [[Sumatra]] can also cause dense haze, although this is unpredictable and comes and goes rapidly: check with the [http://www.haze.gov.sg/Home.aspx National Environment Agency] for up-to-date conditions. The temperature averages around: * 30°C (86°F) daytime, 24°C (76°F) at night in December and January. * 32°C (90°F) daytime, 25°C (81°F) at night for the rest of the year. Singapore's lowest temperature ever was 19.4°C, recorded in 1934. The high temperature and humidity, combined with the lack of wind and the fact that temperatures stay high during the night, can take its toll on visitors from colder parts of the world. Bear in mind that spending more than about one hour outdoors can be very exhausting, especially if combined with moderate exercise. Singaporeans themselves shun the heat, and for a good reason. Many live in air-conditioned flats, work in air-conditioned offices, take the air-conditioned metro to air-conditioned shopping malls connected to each other by underground tunnels where they shop, eat, and exercise in air-conditioned fitness clubs, only venturing out early in the morning and at night. Follow their example if you want to avoid discomfort in the searing heat and humidity of Singapore. ===Units of measure=== Singapore is for the most part fully metricated, but two holdovers from the British imperial system are the measure of property sizes, which are still advertised in square feet, and clothing sizes, which are still advertised in inches. ===Politics=== Singapore is a parliamentary republic modelled on the British Westminster system, though unlike the bicameral British parliament, Singapore's parliament is a unicameral legislature made up of 93 popularly-elected members, and a small number of appointed members with limited voting rights. The president serves as Singapore's head of state and is popularly elected every six years, though the constitution requires that presidential candidates have served as a government minister, or as a CEO or chairman of the board of directors in a large company for a significant amount of time before being allowed to stand for election, effectively limiting the number of people who are qualified to be presidential candidates. The current president is Halimah binti Yacob, who was sworn in as Singapore's first female president in September 2017. The president's role is largely ceremonial, with the prime minister wielding the most authority in government. The prime minister is the head of government, and is typically the leader of the party with the most seats in parliament. The current prime minister is Lee Hsien Loong, leader of the People's Action Party (PAP), the only party that has governed since independence. Parliamentary elections are held every five years, depending on circumstances, and are regularly contested by opposition parties. Press control and restrictions on freedom of speech are a contributing factor against making any significant headway in unseating the ruling party. Nevertheless, Singapore's elections are generally free from corruption and electoral fraud. As of the 2020 general election, the only opposition party that has representation in parliament is the Workers' Party (WP). ===Holidays=== [[Image:Singapore CNY Tinsel.JPG|thumb|New Year decorations in Chinatown]] Singapore is a secular city state but due to its multicultural population, Singapore celebrates Chinese, Muslim, Indian, and Christian holidays. {{infobox|''Gong xi fa cai'' Singapore style|There are a few twists to the Singapore way of celebrating Chinese New Year, particularly the '''food''', which bears little resemblance to the steamy hotpots of frigid northern China. The top dish is ''bak kwa'' (肉干), sweet barbecued pork, followed closely by ''yu sheng'' (魚生), a salad of shredded vegetables and raw fish enthusiastically tossed into the air by all present. Favourite desserts are crumbly sweet pineapple tarts and gooey steamed ''nian gao'' (年糕) cakes. Red packets of money (红包 ''ang pow'') are still handed out generously, but unlike in China, in Singapore you only need to start paying up once married.}} The year kicks off with a bang on 1 January and '''New Year''', celebrated in Singapore just as in the West with a fireworks show and parties at every nightspot in town. Particularly famous are the wet and wild '''foam parties''' on the beaches of resort island [[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa]]. {{CNYdates}} Due to the influence of the Chinese majority, the largest event by far is '''Chinese New Year''' (农历新年) or, more politically correctly, '''Lunar New Year''', usually held in late January or early February. While this might seem to be an ideal time to visit, many smaller shops and eateries are closed for 2–3 days during the period, though convenience stores like 7-Eleven, supermarkets, department stores, cinemas, fast-food restaurants and high end restaurants will remain open. The whole festival stretches out for a full 15 days, but the frenzied build-up to the peak occurs just before the night of the new moon, with exhortations of ''gong xi fa cai'' (恭喜发财 "congratulations and prosper"), red tinsel, mandarin oranges and the year's zodiac animal emblazoned everywhere and crowds of shoppers queuing in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]], where there are also extensive street decorations to add spice to the festive mood. The two following days are spent with family, and then life returns to normal ... except for the final burst of '''Chingay''', a colourful parade near the Singapore Flyer, held about ten days later. On the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, the '''Dragon Boat Festival''' (端午节) is celebrated to commemorate a Chinese folk hero. As part of the celebrations, rice dumplings (肉粽 ''bak chang''), which in Singapore are sometimes wrapped in fragrant ''pandan'' leaves instead of the original bamboo leaves, are usually eaten. In addition, dragon boat races are often held at the Singapore River on this day. The seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar — usually August — starts off with a puff of smoke, as "hell money" is burned and food offerings are made to please the spirits of ancestors who are said to return to earth at this time. This is the '''Hungry Ghost Festival''' (中元节), when the living get together to stuff themselves and watch plays and Chinese opera performances. Following soon afterwards, the '''Mid-Autumn Festival''' (中秋节) on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (Sep/Oct) is also a major event, with elaborate lantern decorations &mdash; particularly at Gardens by the Bay and Jurong's [[Singapore/North and West|Chinese Garden]] &mdash; and '''mooncakes''' that are typically filled with lotus paste, nuts, and more consumed merrily. The Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, known locally as '''Deepavali''', is celebrated around October or November and [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] is brightly decorated for the occasion. At around January–February, one may witness the celebration of '''Thaipusam''', a Tamil Hindu festival in which male devotees would carry a ''kavadi'', an elaborate structure which pierces through various parts of his body, and join a procession from the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Little India to the Sri Thandayuthapani Temple in Tank Road. Female devotees usually join the procession carrying pots of milk instead. About one week before Deepavali is '''Thimithi''', the fire-walking festival where one can see male devotees walking on burning coals at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown. {{ramadandates}} The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan with fast-breaking festival '''Hari Raya Puasa''' (Eid-ul-Fitr) is a major occasion in Malay parts of town, particularly Geylang Serai on the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]], which is lit up with extensive decorations during the period. Another festival celebrated by the Malays is Eid-ul-Adha, known locally as '''Hari Raya Haji''', which is the period when Muslims make the trip to Mecca to perform in Hajj. In local mosques, lambs contributed by the faithful are sacrificed and their meat is used to feed the poor. '''Christmas Day''' is also a major festive occasion in Singapore, and Orchard road is extensively lined with street decorations for the occasion. Christian families in Singapore usually celebrate the occasion with the traditional British Christmas dinner, with ham, turkey and a yule log. However, the Eurasian community has its own unique Christmas meal tradition, which incorporates numerous uniquely Eurasian dishes such as devil's curry. Since 2011, at the request of the local rabbi, a menorah has also been installed along Orchard Road alongside the Christmas decorations every December for Hanukkah. The Buddhist '''Vesak Day''', celebrating the birthday of the Buddha Sakyamuni, and '''Good Friday''' round out the list of holidays. A more secular celebration occurs on 9 August, '''National Day''', when fluttering flags fill Singapore and spectacular National Day parades are held to celebrate independence. ===Events=== Singapore holds numerous events each year. Some of its famous festivals and events include the '''Singapore Food Festival''', the '''Singapore Formula One Grand Prix''', the '''Singapore Arts Festival''', the '''Chingay Parade''', the '''World Gourmet Summit''' and '''ZoukOut'''. '''Christmas''' is also widely celebrated in Singapore, a season where the city streets and shopping malls along its famous shopping belt, Orchard Road, are lit up and decorated in vibrant colours. In addition, the '''Singapore Jewel Festival''' attracts numerous tourists every year, and is a display of precious gems, famous jewels and masterpieces from international jewellers and designers. ==Talk== {{See also|Chinese phrasebook|Malay phrasebook|Tamil phrasebook|English language varieties}} {{infobox|Who are the people in your neighbourhood?|The Big 3 &mdash; Chinese, Malays and Indians &mdash; get all the press, but there are plenty of other communities with their own little neighbourhoods (or shopping malls) in Singapore: '''Arabs''': Arab St, of course<br> '''Burmese''': Peninsula Plaza, on North Bridge Rd<br> '''Mainland Chinese''': Waterloo St (Singapore's "new Chinatown")<br> '''Filipinos''': Lucky Plaza, on Orchard Rd<br> '''French''': Serangoon Gardens<br> '''Eurasians''': Katong<br> '''Indonesians''': City Plaza, near Paya Lebar MRT<br> '''Japanese''': Robertson Quay, especially the Great World City shopping mall, plus Cuppage Plaza, opposite the Somerset MRT and Takashimaya along Orchard Rd<br> '''Koreans''': Tanjong Pagar Rd<br> '''Peranakan Chinese''': Katong<br> '''Thais''': Golden Mile Complex, Beach Rd<br> '''Vietnamese''': Joo Chiat Rd|}} [[File:Singapore Danger-Signs-01.jpg|thumb|A sign in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil]] [[Malay phrasebook|Malay]] may be enshrined in the constitution as the "national language", but in practice the most common language is English, spoken by almost every non-elderly Singaporean with varying degrees of fluency. However, the distinctive local patois, '''Singlish''', may be hard to understand at times, as it incorporates slang words and phrases from other languages, including various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Tamil as well as English words whose pronunciation or meaning have been changed. Additionally, it has an odd way of structuring sentences, due to the original speakers being mostly Chinese, resulting in most Singlish sentences having Chinese grammar. Complex consonant clusters are simplified, articles and plurals disappear, verb tenses are replaced by adverbs, questions are altered to fit the Chinese syntax and non-English particles (especially the infamous "lah") appear: {| class="wikitable" |+Examples of Singlish sentences and respective English meanings !Singlish !English |- |''You wan beer or not? -- Dunwan lah, dring five bottle oreddi.'' |Do you want a beer? -- No, thanks; I've already had five bottles. |- |''Later wan go mall lepak abit? -- Ok, steady lah!'' |Do you want to chill at the mall for a while later? -- Ok, good! |- |''He today taiko, kena tekan by his boss, so jialat.'' |He was 'lucky' to be scolded by his boss today, seeming very much in trouble. |} Thanks to nationwide language education campaigns, most younger Singaporeans are, however, capable of speaking what the government calls "good English" (British) when necessary. Moreover, it is common for Singaporeans from more affluent backgrounds to attend university in the United Kingdom or United States. To avoid unintentional offence, it's best to start off with standard English and shift to simplified pidgin only if it becomes evident that the other person cannot follow you. Try to resist the temptation to sprinkle your speech with unnecessary Singlishisms. You'll get a laugh if you do it right, but it sounds patronising if you do it wrong. Some 35% of Singaporeans speak English at home. Singapore's other official languages are [[Chinese phrasebook|Mandarin Chinese]], [[Malay phrasebook|Malay]], and [[Tamil phrasebook|Tamil]], mostly spoken by the Singaporean Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnic groups respectively. Governmental offices are required by law to provide all services in all four official languages. Like English, the Mandarin spoken in Singapore has also evolved into a distinctive creole and often incorporates words from other Chinese dialects, Malay, and English, though all Singaporean Chinese are taught standard Mandarin in school. Various Chinese dialects (mostly [[Minnan phrasebook|Hokkien]], though significant numbers also speak [[Teochew phrasebook|Teochew]] and [[Cantonese phrasebook|Cantonese]]) are also spoken between older ethnic Chinese of the same dialect group, though their use has virtually died out among the younger generation; most people born after 1980 cannot speak them unless they were raised by their grandparents. Other Indian languages, such as [[Punjabi phrasebook|Punjabi]] among the Sikhs, are also spoken. The official Chinese script used in Singapore is the simplified script used in mainland China. As such, all official publications (including local newspapers) and signs are in simplified Chinese, and it is simplified Chinese that is taught in schools. Some of the older generation still prefer traditional script, and the popularity of Hong Kong and Taiwanese pop culture means that younger people may also be familiar with it. ==Get in== {{COVID-19 box|All vaccinated travellers alongside those recovered within 90 days of travel can enter Singapore with any transportation mode without test requirements. It is strongly recommended to upload your vaccination certificate through the [https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard/ SG Arrival Card portal] up to 72 hours before arrival for an expedited immigration process. Unvaccinated travelers ages 13 and above are required to provide a travel insurance with a minimum coverage of $30,000 for COVID-19 medical charges and [[Self-isolation after travel|self-isolate]] for 7 days after arrival at their own accommodation or in a selected hotel. |lastedit=2022-05-06}} [[File:Visa policy of Singapore.png|thumb|450px|Visa policy of Singapore]] ===Entry requirements=== Citizens of [[Australia]], the [[European Union]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[South Korea]], [[Switzerland]] the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States of America|United States]] do not need a [[visa]] for stays of 90 days or less. Citizens of '''most other countries''' can stay without a visa for 30 days or less, so that's the case if your country is not named here. An '''exception''' is in place for citizens of the following countries who have to apply for an advance, '''online visa''': [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Belarus]], [[China]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[India]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Moldova]], [[North Korea]], [[Russia]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], and [[Uzbekistan]]. Citizens of [[Afghanistan]], [[Algeria]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Egypt]], [[Iran]], [[Iraq]], [[Jordan]], [[Kosovo]], [[Lebanon]], [[Libya]], [[Mali]], [[Morocco]], [[Nigeria]], [[Pakistan]], [[Palestine]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Somalia]], [[Sudan]], [[Syria]], [[Tunisia]], and [[Yemen]] have to apply for an '''advance visa''' at a Singaporean embassy or consulate. Nationals of several former Soviet countries (Georgia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the Commonwealth of Independent States) are eligible for '''visa-free transit''' for up to 96 hours if you have an onward plane ticket. Nationals of India are also eligible but with more complicated requirements. No visa is required if you are only changing flights at Changi Airport as long as you don't leave the secure area. All foreigners above the age of 6 are electronically fingerprinted as part of immigration entry and exit procedures. This may be followed by a short interview conducted by the immigration officer. Entry will be denied if any of these procedures are refused. Most citizens of African and South American countries, and travellers who have recently been in a country with yellow fever, require a '''yellow fever vaccination certificate''' for entry into Singapore. Women from countries such as Ukraine may have trouble getting a visa, due to problems with "illegal activity" (presumably prostitution). Males who enter Singapore illegally or who overstay their permits by more than 14 days face a mandatory sentence of three strokes of the cane. {{infobox|Banned in Singapore|There's more to the list than just porn, firearms, and drugs, although not all of these restrictions are enforced in practice. * Littering * Smoking in non-smoking areas * Non-medical chewing gum/ bubble gum (not usually enforced) * Satellite dishes/ tampered radio receivers * Free standing billboards * Handcuffs, even if pink and fuzzy * Feeding pigeons or monkeys * Displaying foreign flags * Malaysian newspapers * Male gay sex (not usually enforced)}} Singapore has '''very strict drug laws''', and '''drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty''', which is also applied to foreigners. Even if you haven't entered Singapore and are merely transiting (i.e. changing flights without the need to clear passport control and customs) while in possession of drugs, you would still be subject to capital punishment. In Singapore, it is an offense even to have any drug metabolites in your system, even if they were consumed outside Singapore, and Customs occasionally does spot urine tests at the airport. In addition, bringing in explosives or firearms without a permit is also a capital offense in Singapore. '''Bring prescriptions for any prescribed medicines''' you may have with you, and '''obtain prior permission''' from the [http://www.hsa.gov.sg/content/hsa/en/Health_Products_Regulation/Consumer_Information/Personal_Import_Regulations/bringing_personal_medication_into_Singapore.html Singapore Health Sciences Authority]''' before bringing in any sedatives (e.g. Valium/diazepam) or strong painkillers (e.g. codeine ingredients)'''. If you can scan and attach all required documents (called for by HSA) to an e-mail note, you ''may'' receive written permission in as little as 10 days, certainly in 3–4 weeks. By regular mail from any great distance, allow a few months. Hippie types may expect a little extra attention from Customs, but getting a shave and a haircut is no longer a condition for entry. Duty free allowances for alcohol are one litre each of wine, beer and spirits, though the 1&nbsp;L of spirits may be replaced with 1&nbsp;L of wine or beer, unless you are entering from Malaysia. Travellers entering from Malaysia are not entitled to any duty free allowance. Alcohol may not be brought in by persons under the age of 18. There is ''no'' duty free allowance for '''cigarettes''': all cigarettes legally sold in Singapore are stamped "SDPC", and smokers caught with unmarked cigarettes may be fined $500 per pack. (In practice, though, bringing in one opened pack is usually tolerated.) If you declare your cigarettes or excess booze at customs, you can opt to pay the tax or let the customs officers keep the cigarettes until your departure. Importing non-medical '''chewing gum''' is illegal, but in practice customs officers would usually not bother with a few sticks for personal consumption. There is no restriction on the amount of money that can be brought in or out of Singapore. However, Singapore customs requires you to declare if you are bringing in or out anything more than $20,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency, and you'll be asked to complete some paperwork. Not declaring exposes to you to arrest, heavy fines and possible imprisonment. '''Pornography''', '''pirated goods''' and publications by the '''Jehovah's Witnesses''' and the '''Unification Church''' may not be imported to Singapore, and all baggage is scanned at land and sea entry points. In theory, all entertainment media including movies and video games must be sent to the Board of Censors for approval before they can be brought into Singapore, but that is rarely if ever enforced for original (non-pirated) goods. Singapore no longer stamps passports for visitors. Instead, you will need to provide your e-mail address to immigration on entry, and your terms of entry will be sent to you electronically. ===By plane=== Singapore is one of Southeast Asia's largest aviation hubs, so unless you're coming from [[Peninsular Malaysia]] or [[Batam]]/[[Bintan]] in Indonesia, the easiest way to enter Singapore is by air. In addition to its flag-carrier, '''[http://www.singaporeair.com Singapore Airlines]''', which is widely regarded as one of the world's best airlines in terms of customer service, Singapore is also home to low-cost carriers such as '''[http://www.jetstar.com Jetstar Asia]''' and '''[http://www.flyscoot.com Scoot]'''. Singapore Airlines' flight to [[Newark Liberty International Airport‎‎|Newark]] (SQ22) is the longest non-stop commercial flight in the world, taking around 18 hours to cover a distance of 16,600 km (10,300 miles). In addition to the locals, every carrier of any size in Asia offers flights to Singapore, with pan-Asian discount carrier '''[http://www.airasia.com AirAsia]''' operating a dense network from Singapore. There are also direct services to Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and even South Africa. Singapore is particularly popular on the "Kangaroo Route" between Australia and Europe, with airlines like '''[https://www.qantas.com Qantas]''' and '''[https://www.britishairways.com British Airways]''' using Singapore as the main stopover point. In addition to the local airports, travellers from Malaysia or Indonesia can consider flying into [[Johor Bahru]] ({{IATA|JHB}}), [[Batam]] ({{IATA|BTH}}) or [[Tanjung Pinang]] ({{IATA|TNJ}}) instead, as flights to those airports are usually cheaper than to Changi or Seletar. The downside is that you'll have to pass through customs and immigration twice, and there are no direct transportation links between those airports and Singapore, meaning that you will have to arrange your own transportation. ====Changi Airport==== : ''Main article: [[Singapore Changi Airport]]'' {{Marker|type=go |lat=1.3573 |long=103.9885 |name= Changi Airport|url=http://www.changiairport.com|image=T3TransitArea.JPG|wikidata=Q32159}} ({{IATA|SIN}}) is the main airport and serves all commercial jet flights. It regularly shows up in "Best Airport" rankings and is big, pleasant, and well-organised, with remarkably fast immigration and baggage distribution. The airport is split into four main terminals (T1, T2, T3 and T4). Taxis are the fastest way to the city, and will cost about $20–30 including a $5 airport surcharge ($3 for off-peak hours). An additional 50% surcharge applies 1-6AM. You can refer to [https://www.taxisingapore.com/taxi-fare/ this site] for additional information on taxi rates and charges. On the MRT, it takes about 45 minutes to town with an easy transfer at Tanah Merah. A standard ticket to City Hall costs $2.30 + $0.10 non-refundable deposit, with trains running from 5:31AM to 11:18PM. ====Seletar Airport==== {{Marker|type=go|name=Seletar Airport|url=http://www.seletarairport.com/|lat=1.416944|long=103.867778 |image=Ramp Over View (4552227620).jpg |wikidata=Q1432865 |wikipedia=Seletar Airport}} ({{IATA|XSP}}) serves all turboprop flights and general aviation. Completed in 1928 and first used for civil aviation in 1930, it was Singapore's first airport. The only airline serving Seletar is Malaysia's '''[https://www.fireflyz.com.my/ Firefly]'''. The only practical means of access to Seletar is taxi, and trips from the airport incur a $3 surcharge. ===By road=== [[Image:JohorBahru Causeway.JPG|thumb|The Causeway, with [[Johor Bahru]] on the other side]] Singapore is linked by two land crossings to Peninsular Malaysia: The {{marker|type=go|name=''Causeway''|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johor%E2%80%93Singapore_Causeway|lat= 1.4526|long=103.7691|image=Singapore-Johor_Causeway.jpg}} is a very popular and thus terminally congested entry point connecting Woodlands in the north of Singapore directly into the heart of [[Johor Bahru]]. Busy at the best of times, the Causeway usually experiences severe congestion on '''Friday evenings''' (towards Malaysia), '''Sunday evenings''' (towards Singapore) and '''around extended holiday periods'''. The Causeway can be crossed by buses, trains, cross-border taxis, privately-owned cars or motorcycles. As of 2022, the easiest mode of transportation within the Causeway is by transit bus; numerous 'Causeway Link', SBS Transit and SMRT buses ply along the Causeway. In addition, there are numerous cross-border express coach buses that link Johor Bahru directly with numerous locations within Singapore; they are offered by the 'Causeway Link', 'Transtar' and 'Singapore-Johor Express (SJE)' buses. A second crossing between Malaysia and Singapore, known as the {{marker|type=go|name=''Second Link''|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia%E2%80%93Singapore_Second_Link|lat= 1.3545|long=103.6281|image=Malaysia-Singapore_Second_Link_Linkedua.jpg}}, was built between Tuas in western Singapore and [[Iskandar Puteri]] in the western part of [[Johor]] state. Much faster and less congested than the Causeway, it is primarily used by the express bus services heading to [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Malacca]]. Bus services across are not as numerous as those which service the Causeway, and only Malaysian "limousine" taxis are allowed to cross it (and typicall charge $100+ for the privilege). '''Driving into Singapore''' with a foreign-registered car is complicated and expensive, involving running a gauntlet of road taxes, insurance coverage, toll transponders and more. In both directions, rental car agencies prohibit their cars from crossing the border or charge extra, so it's advisable to ditch your car on the other side of the border and cross into Singapore by plane or public transport. If you have your own wheels and insist on using them, see the Land Transport Authority's [https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/driving/entering_and_exiting_singapore.html Entering & Exiting Singapore] guide for the administrative details. ===On foot=== Travellers may walk across the Causeway into Singapore from Johor Bahru, but be prepared for a very long walk as Malaysia's customs and immigration complex is now 2 km inland. Unlike the previous checkpoint, the current Malaysian immigration checkpoint was not set up for pedestrians, meaning that there are no pedestrian footpaths on the Malaysian side, and you will have to walk on the road alongside potentially dangerous and fast-moving vehicular traffic. Pedestrians are not allowed on the Second Link, not that there would be anything within walking distance on either side anyway. ===By bus=== '''Direct from Malaysian destinations''' There are buses from [[Kuala Lumpur]] (KL) and many other destinations in Malaysia through the Woodlands Checkpoint and the Second Link at Tuas. There is no central bus terminal and different companies leave from all over the city. Major operators include: * {{listing | name=Aeroline | url=http://www.aeroline.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6258 8800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $47 one-way | content=Luxury buses with meal on-board, power sockets, lounge area etc, to Kuala Lumpur and [[Petaling Jaya]]. Departures from HarbourFront Centre. }} * {{listing | name=First Coach | url=http://www.firstcoach.com.my/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6822 2111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=$33/55 single/return | content=No frills, but the buses have good legroom and use the Second Link. Another selling point is convenient public transport: buses depart from Novena Square (Novena MRT) in Singapore and arrive right next to (KJ 16) Bangsar LRT in Kuala Lumpur. }} * {{listing | name=NiCE | url=http://www.plusliner.com.my | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6256 5755 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Over 20 daily departures from Kuala Lumpur's old railway station. Double-decker NiCE 2 buses (27 seats) RM80, luxury NiCE++ buses (18 seats) RM88. Departures from Copthorne Orchid Hotel on Dunearn Rd. }} * {{listing | name=Transnasional | url=http://www.transnasional.com.my | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+60 2 6294 7034 (Malaysia) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Executive/economy buses RM80/35 | content=Malaysia's largest bus operator, offers direct buses from Singapore through the peninsula. Departures from Lavender St. }} * {{listing | name=Transtar | url=http://www.transtar.com.sg | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6299 9009 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Transtar's sleeper-equipped Solitaire ($63) and leather-seated First Class ($49) coaches offer frills like massaging chairs, onboard attendants, video on demand and even Wi-Fi. More plebeian SuperVIP/Executive buses are $25/39, direct service to [[Malacca]] and [[Genting]] also available. Departures from Golden Mile Complex, Beach Rd (near Lavender MRT). }} Within the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area, numerous other bus operators also depart from the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) bus terminal. Most other operators have banded together in three shared booking portals. Many, but by no means all, use the Golden Mile Complex shopping mall near [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]] as their Singapore terminal. * {{listing | type=listing | name=redbus | alt= | url=http://www.redbus.sg | email=support@redbus.sg | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 3158 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=redBus singapore includes many destinations bus tickets. }} * {{listing | name=Easybook | url=http://www.easybook.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6444 0745 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Six bus companies including major budget operator Konsortium. }} * {{listing | name=Bus Online Ticket | url=http://www.busonlineticket.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another six companies, including major operator Fivestars Express, Hasry Express and AirAsia-affiliated StarMart. }} In general, the more you pay, the faster and more comfortable your trip. More expensive buses leave on time, use the Second Link, and do not stop along the way; while the cheapest buses may not be punctual, use the perpetually congested Causeway and might make more intercity stops. Book early for popular departure times like Friday evenings (heading from Singapore to Malaysia) and Sunday evenings (heading from Malaysia to Singapore), Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, etc., and factor in some extra time for the expected congestion at the border; congestion can be assessed from the traffic cameras on the [https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/driving/traffic_information/traffic-cameras/woodlands.html#trafficCameras OneMotoring website]. An alternative to taking a direct "international bus", would be making the short hop to [[Johor Bahru]] and board domestic Malaysian long-distance express buses to various Malaysian destinations from the [[Johor Bahru|Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal]]. Besides having more optionality, fares are also much lower as you will be paying for a domestic fare in Malaysian ringgit, instead of the identical nominal amount in Singapore dollars. The downside is the time-consuming hassle (at least an additional hour of travelling time) of first getting to Johor Bahru and then getting to Larkin terminal on the outskirts of town. Another downside would also be the lack of domestic bus seats during festive seasons. '''From Johor Bahru to Woodlands, via Johor–Singapore Causeway''' {| class="wikitable" |+ '''Frequent Buses between Johor Bahru and Singapore''' ! Line !! Stops in Singapore !! Stops in JB !! Maximum Fare (from JB to SG) !Maximum Fare (from SG to JB) |- | [https://www.facebook.com/causewaylink/photos/a.10150339533965727/10166616565900727/ Causeway Link CW-1]|| Kranji MRT only || Larkin via JB CIQ Checkpoint || MYR 2.60 |SGD 2.60 |- | [https://www.facebook.com/causewaylink/photos/a.10150339533965727/10166616565900727/ Causeway Link CW-2]|| Queen St only (Bugis MRT) || Larkin via JB CIQ Checkpoint || MYR 4.80 |SGD 4.80 |- |[https://www.facebook.com/causewaylink/photos/a.10150339533965727/10166616565900727/ Causeway Link CW-5] |Newton Circus only (Newton MRT) |Larkin via JB CIQ Checkpoint |MYR 4.60 |SGD 4.60 |- | SBS Transit 170 || Queen St via Bukit Panjang MRT (Downtown MRT line along Bukit Timah Road) and Kranji MRT || Larkin via JB CIQ Checkpoint || identical SGD fare |SGD 2.08 (card) |- | SBS Transit 170X || Kranji MRT only || JB CIQ Checkpoint only || identical SGD fare |SGD 1.05 (card) |- | SBS Transit 160 || Jurong East MRT via Kranji MRT || JB CIQ Checkpoint only || identical SGD fare |SGD 1.88 (card) |- | SMRT 950 || Woodlands MRT via Marsiling MRT|| JB CIQ Checkpoint only || identical SGD fare |SGD 1.25 (card) |- | [https://landtransportguru.net/singapore-johore-express/ Singapore-Johor Express (SJE)]|| Queen St only (Bugis MRT) || Larkin via JB CIQ Checkpoint ||MYR 3.40 |SGD 3.30 |- |[https://www.facebook.com/TranstarTravelSG/posts/pfbid0ArZ6dhkzdK5Z7n21Uc3XdJm8PikLwMPz8sSkcvaKQKaH8Z2yAod99qo6Ht9hnKMsl Transtar TS1] (10x daily) |Changi Airport Terminals 3,1,4 via Expo MRT, Woodlands MRT, Marsiling MRT |JB CIQ Checkpoint only |MYR 13.00 |SGD 11.00 |- |[https://www.facebook.com/TranstarTravelSG/posts/pfbid0777jUC5iEzvFMb3BTQStguMc3gvxThnqTuxo6y9qmp13xu9ESMdFXNSX3cCfLmnfl Transtar TS8] (13-14x daily) |Resorts World Sentosa via Outram Park MRT, Great World MRT, Orchard MRT, Stevens MRT |JB CIQ Checkpoint only |MYR 10.00 |SGD 8.00 |- |[https://landtransportguru.net/busac7/ AC7] |Yishun MRT via Sembawang MRT |JB CIQ Checkpoint only |MYR 6.00 |SGD 2.50 |} '''From Iskandar Puteri to Tuas, via Malaysia–Singapore Second Link''' {| class="wikitable" |+ '''Frequent Buses between Iskandar Puteri and Singapore''' ! Line !! Stops in Singapore !! Stops in Iskandar Puteri !! Maximum Fare (from IP to SG) !Maximum Fare (from SG to IP) |- |[https://www.facebook.com/causewaylink/photos/pcb.10166700042355727/10166700029815727 Causeway Link CW-3] |Jurong East MRT |Perling Mall, Bukit Indah 1, Bukit Indah 2, Horizon Hills via 2nd Link CIQ Checkpoint |MYR 6.00 |SGD 5.00 |- |[https://www.facebook.com/causewaylink/photos/pcb.10166700042355727/10166700029815727 Causeway Link CW-3S] |None (connects with CW3 only at 2nd Link CIQ Checkpoint in Malaysia) |Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Sutera Mall, Nusa Bestari, Bukit Indah 1, Bukit Indah 2 via 2nd Link CIQ Checkpoint |MYR 7.00 |SGD 5.00 |- |[https://www.facebook.com/causewaylink/photos/a.10150339533965727/10166616565900727/ Causeway Link CW-7] |Tuas Link MRT only |Gelang Patah Sentral via 2nd Link CIQ Checkpoint |MYR 4.50 |SGD 4.50 |- |[https://www.facebook.com/TranstarTravelSG/posts/pfbid02SSA7vbBCNA7TteJzLEqaehBXrTseMUaya8PQhSpXtVuP8rCZuZrRXCsyPhtpdq37l Transtar TS6] (6x daily) |The Star Vista (Buona Vista MRT) via One-North MRT, Tuas Link MRT |Gelang Patah Sentral only |MYR 8.00 |SGD 6.00 |} The most common options to get from [[Johor Bahru]] and [[Iskandar Puteri]] are the buses listed in the table. There is a pattern of the bus routes: Singaporean-operated buses (SBS Transit, SMRT, SJE, Transtar) can only stop at one destination in Malaysia, while the Malaysian-operated [http://causewaylink.com.my Causeway Link] buses can only stop at one destination in Singapore. Terminals aside, all buses make two stops at Singapore immigration and at Malaysian immigration. At both immigration points, ''you must disembark with all your luggage'' and pass through passport control and customs, then board the next bus by showing your ticket. Expect a minimum of 30 minutes to clear both checkpoints during non-peak periods, with the expectation of an average clearing time of 1 hour during peak periods, 2 hours at the ends of extended holiday periods. To maximise train travel between downtown Singapore and Johor Bahru, the simplest option would be to take the MRT train within the downtown city area and disembark at Woodlands MRT, and then changing to the SMRT 950 bus to proceed to the Johor Bahru Checkpoint. Alternatively, another option would be to disembark at Kranji MRT, and then changing to the SBS 170X bus to proceed to the Johor Bahru Checkpoint. Another option to avoid congestion of the 170X and 950 bus routes during rush hour, would be to utilise other different SBS or SMRT buses that lead to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint bus stop, then walk 500m along the elevated footbridge to the Woodlands Checkpoint. ===By train=== Once the southern terminus of Malaysia's '''[http://www.ktmb.com.my Keretapi Tanah Melayu]''' (Malayan Railway or KTMB) network, the central Tanjong Pagar railway station has been decommissioned and KTMB trains now terminate at the JB Sentral railway station in [[Johor Bahru]], Malaysia. A shuttle service connects the only remaining Singaporean station in Woodlands, right next to the Causeway, with Johor Bahru Sentral. It is a 5-minute trip, but one-way tickets originating in Singapore will cost $5 while the reverse will cost RM5. From Woodlands, immigration formalities for both countries are carried out before boarding. From Johor Bahru, Malaysian immigration checks are conducted at JB Sentral before boarding, and Singapore immigration checks upon arrival at Woodlands. Taking immigration clearance time into account, the journey from Johor Bahru to Woodlands takes 30-60 minutes, while the reverse direction takes about 30 minutes. Shuttle trains will leave JB Sentral for Woodlands at 05:00, 05:25, 05:55, 06:20, 07:30, 08:40, 09:50, 11:20, 12:50, 14:20, 15:30, 16:40, 17:50, 19:00, 20:10, 21:20, 22:30 and leave Woodlands for JB Sentral at 07:20, 08:30, 09:40, 10:50, 12:20, 13:50, 15:20, 16:30, 17:40, 18:50, 20:00, 21:10, 22:20, 23:30. Gate opens 30 minutes before departure and closes 10 minutes before departure. On weekdays, the early morning departures from JB Sentral and evening departures from Woodlands cater to commuters working in Singapore, and sell out as soon as tickets are released for sale 30 days in advance. On weekends, morning departures from Woodlands and evening departures from JB Sentral are popular among day trippers to Johor Bahru, and sell out a few days before. If tickets are still available on the day of departure, they are sold up to 15 minutes before departure. For JB Sentral-Woodlands, at JB Sentral there are turnstiles installed at the departure gate (Gate A); scan the barcode or QR code on your ticket (can be one stored on a mobile device) to activate the turnstile. For Woodlands-JB Sentral, tickets bought online must be exchanged at the KTMB ticket counter before departure. For trains beyond Johor Bahru, see [[Johor Bahru#By train]] and [[Malaysia#By train]] for details. In addition, Singapore is also the terminus for the '''[https://www.belmond.com/eastern-and-oriental-express/ Eastern & Oriental Express]''', a luxury train that makes the trip from [[Bangkok]] in four days. It is very expensive, costing US$6,358 one-way. The Woodlands Train Checkpoint is unrelated to the Woodlands MRT station. From the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, you can take a bus to the Kranji, Marsiling or Woodlands MRT stations. Fortunately, the bus numbers to each MRT station are clearly signposted. To get to Woodlands Train Checkpoint from the MRT stations, however, you'll have to make sure the bus passes by "Woodlands Train Checkpoint", and not "Woodlands Checkpoint" which is the checkpoint facility for buses and other road vehicles without through access to the train checkpoint. Buses which pass by Woodlands Train Checkpoint include 170 (from Kranji MRT station), 856 (from Woodlands and Marsiling MRT stations), 903 and 911 (from Woodlands MRT station). Although 912 from Woodlands MRT station also passes by the train checkpoint, it does so by a very long route and therefore not recommended. ===By taxi=== [[File:201x Proton Persona (CM) Elegance 1.6 4-door sedan (Johor–Singapore cross border taxi, 01) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Johor-Singapore cross border taxi]] While normal Singaporean taxis are not allowed to cross into Malaysia and vice versa, specially licensed Singaporean taxis permitted to go to Larkin bus terminal (only) can be booked from Johor Taxi Service {{phone|+65 6296 7054}}, $80 one way), while Malaysian taxis, which can go anywhere in Malaysia, can be taken from the taxi terminal at Ban San St ($60 to charter, or $15/person if you share with others). In the reverse direction, towards Singapore, you can take Singaporean taxis from Larkin to any point in central Singapore ($60), while Malaysian taxis can only bring you to Ban San St ([[Malaysia#Money|RM]]120). The main advantage here is that you do not need to lug your stuff (or yourself) through Customs at both ends; you can just sit in the car. Private "limousine" transport services offer point-to-point services from anywhere in Singapore to anywhere in Malaysia, but these exist in a legal grey zone. The standard fare is $100 for Singapore to Johor Bahru for a 5-person Toyota Innova. Operators include [https://sgjbtaxi.sg/ SG-JB Taxi] and [https://www.sgmytaxi.com/ SGMYTAXI]. ===By boat=== Ferries link Singapore with the neighbouring [[Indonesia]]n province of [[Riau Islands]], and the [[Malaysia]]n state of [[Johor]]. Singapore has five ferry terminals which handle international ferries: {{marker|type=go|name=HarbourFront|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HarbourFront_(Singapore)|lat= 1.26394|long=103.82079|image=HarbourFront_Centre_2,_Aug_06.JPG}} (formerly World Trade Centre) near [[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa]], {{marker|type=go|name=Marina Bay Cruise Centre|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay_Cruise_Centre_Singapore|lat= 1.2662|long=103.8604|image=Costa_Victoria_docked_at_MBCCS.JPG}} in [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]], {{marker|type=go|name=Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal|lat= 1.31405|long=103.98872|image=Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal entrance.jpg}} on the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]], as well as {{marker|type=go|name=Changi Point Ferry Terminal|lat= 1.39082|long=103.98757|image=Changi Point Ferry Terminal , Singapore - panoramio.jpg}}, at the eastern extremity of the island. '''Ferry terminal transit:''' *HarbourFront FT: Inside HarbourFront Centre shopping mall (alight at HarbourFront MRT station). *Marina Bay Cruise Centre: Alight at Marina South Pier MRT station and follow the signs to walk to the ferry terminal. Alternatively, take bus No. 400 from Tanjong Pagar MRT station, Exit C. *Tanah Merah FT: Alight at Tanah Merah MRT station and proceed to Exit B. From there, take bus No. 35 or 35M to the ferry terminal. Alternatively, alight at Bedok MRT station and proceed to the adjacent Bedok Bus Interchange, where the two bus services originate from. *Changi Point FT: Take bus No. 2, 29, 59 or 109 to Changi Village Bus Terminal and walk to the ferry terminal located nearby. ====From Indonesia==== '''From [[Batam]]:''' Ferries from [[Batu Ampar]] ([http://batamferryterminal.com Harbour Bay Ferry terminal)], [[Sekupang]] and [[Waterfront City]] ([[Teluk Senimba]]) use '''HarbourFront''' FT, while ferries from [[Nongsapura]] use '''Tanah Merah''' FT. Ferries from Batam Centre use both ferry terminals. Operators at Harbourfront include: * {{listing | name=Indo Falcon | alt= | url=http://www.indofalcon.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +65 6278 3167 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= Hourly ferries to '''Batam Centre''', fewer to '''Waterfront City'''. This company does not operate from Sekupang. Similar fares. }} [[File:Horizon Fast Ferry Business class.jpg|thumb|Batam Ferry]] * {{listing | name=Horizon Fast Ferry | alt= | url=http://horizonfastferry.com.sg | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +65 6276 6711 | tollfree= |fax=| hours= | price= S$32/48 one-way/round-trip, including terminal fees | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-11-01 | content=Operates 16 trips from Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal and Batu Ampar. Fares are similar to the other companies. }} * {{listing | name=Dino/Batam Fast | alt= | url=http://www.batamfast.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6270 0311 (in Harbourfront), +62 778 467793 (in Batam Centre), +62 778 470344 (in Batam Centre), +62 778 325085 (in Sekupang), +62 778 3250856 (in Sekupang), +62 778 381150 (in Waterfront City) | tollfree= | hours= | price=S$19-25 one-way, S$39-50 round-trip including fees (lower prices for late night departures, higher prices for peak times) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Also hourly ferries from '''Harbour Bay Ferry terminal''', fewer ferries from '''Sekupang''' and '''Waterfront City'''. }} * {{listing | name=Majestic Fast Ferry | alt= | url=https://www.majesticfastferry.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=S$49 two-way including fees (depending on departure time) | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Sindo Ferry | alt= | url=https://www.sindoferry.com.sg/ | email=btc@sindoferry.com.sg | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+62 778 465 55 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} At Tanah Merah: * {{listing | name=Batam Fast | alt= | url=http://www.batamfast.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6270 0311 (Singapore), +62 778 761071 (in Nongsa) | tollfree= | hours= | price=S$19-25 one-way, S$39-50 round-trip including fees (lower prices for late night departures, higher prices for peak times) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=May 2019 | content=Ferries to multiple locations on Batam }} * {{listing | name=Majestic Fast Ferry | alt= | url=https://www.majesticfastferry.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=S$19-25 one-way including fees (higher mid-day, lower mornings and evenings) | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Sindo Ferry | alt= | url=https://www.sindoferry.com.sg/ | email=tmft@sindoferry.com.sg | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6331 4122 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} '''From [[Bintan]]:''' All ferries from Bintan use Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. For [[Tanjung Pinang]], there are four or five departures per day from each of the two companies operating the route. About S$30 one-way including taxes and surcharges. * {{listing | name=Majestic Fast Ferry | alt= | url=https://www.majesticfastferry.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=S$31 one-way including fees | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Sindo Ferry | alt= | url=https://www.sindoferry.com.sg/ | email=tmft@sindoferry.com.sg | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=S$27-29 one way including fees (promo and normal fares) | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} For [[Bintan Resorts]] (Bandar Bentan Telani) * {{listing | name=Bintan Resort Ferries | alt= | url=http://www.brf.com.sg | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +65 6542 4369| tollfree= | hours=operates five ferries from Tanah Merah FT on weekdays, increasing to 7 during weekends | price=$34.60/50.20 one-way/return peak period, $26.60/39.20 one-way/return off-peak including taxes and fuel surcharge. | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mozaic | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +65 6542 4369| tollfree= | hours=Runs 14 times per week, only to Bintan Lagoon Resort | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=May 2019 | content= }} '''From [[Karimun]]:''' [[Tanjung Balai]] is served by Sindo Ferry from Harbourfront, with 2 ferries a day at $25/50 one-way/return including taxes and fuel surcharge - but check for current info. ====From Malaysia==== Ferry services to neighboring Malaysia are surprisingly limited. * {{listing | name=Batam Fast | alt= | url=http://www.batamfast.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=June 2022 | content=Scheduled to operate a ferry service from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal in [[Johor]] starting from 7th July 2022. }} * {{listing | name=Changi Point Ferry Terminal | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Changi-Point-Ferry-Terminal/176729579009815 | email= | address=Changi Village, 51 Lorong Bekukong | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6545 2305, +65 6545 1616 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Bumboats shuttle between Changi Point Ferry Terminal at and [[Pengerang]], a village at the southeastern tip of [[Johor]]. Boats ($10 per person, $2 per bicycle one-way) operate 7AM-7PM and leave when they reach the 12-passenger quota. ''As of 2022, this service remains suspended due to COVID.'' }} ====Cruises==== '''[http://www.starcruises.com/ Star Cruises]''' offers multi-day cruises from Singapore to points throughout Southeast Asia, departing from '''HarbourFront Ferry Terminal'''. Itineraries vary widely and change from year to year, but common destinations include [[Malacca]], [[Klang]] (Kuala Lumpur), [[Penang]], [[Langkawi]], [[Redang]] and [[Tioman]] in [[Malaysia]], as well as [[Phuket]], [[Krabi Province|Krabi]], [[Ko Samui]] and [[Bangkok]] in [[Thailand]]. There are also several cruises every year to [[Borneo]] (Malaysia), [[Sihanoukville]] (Cambodia), [[Ho Chi Minh City]] (Vietnam) and even some 10-night long hauls to [[Hong Kong]]. An all-inclusive 2-night cruise may cost as little as $400 per person in the cheapest cabin class if you book early, but there are many surcharges for services. Non-residents may be charged significantly higher rates. Singapore is also a popular stop for round-the-world and major regional cruises including those originating from as far as [[Japan]], [[China]], [[Australia]], [[Europe]] and [[North America]]. Many of those cruises embark/disembark passengers here during all-day or over-night port visits, while others stop for perhaps just a day. Check with cruise companies and sellers for details. Ships use the same two terminals noted above for ferries. ==Get around== [[Image:Central Singapore MRT.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Geographic map of MRT lines in the city centre]] Getting around Singapore is easy: the public transportation system is extremely easy to use and taxis are reasonably priced - when you can get one. Very few visitors rent cars. [https://citymapper.com/singapore?lang=en CityMapper Singapore], Google Maps, and Apple Maps are all capable of figuring out the fastest route by MRT and bus and even estimating taxi fares between any two points. ===Ticketing=== The easiest way to pay for all public transport is to use '''any contactless Visa or Mastercard''', which you can use to tap on and off any trains and buses. All trips can be viewed and statements can be downloaded by creating a [https://simplygo.transitlink.com.sg/FAQs TransitLink SimplyGo] account. However, for foreign-issued contactless bank cards, an additional $0.60 per day is charged for each card, as an administrative fee to offset higher processing costs. '''Mobile phones''' with Apple Pay or Google Pay NFC payments work as well. Alternatively, pick up an '''[http://www.ezlink.com.sg EZ-link]''' or '''[https://www.nets.com.sg/personal/retail-payments/nets-prepaid-card/ NETS Prepaid]''' contactless RFID farecard at any train station or 7-Eleven store: the EZ-link card costs $12 (including $7 stored value) whilst the NETS Prepaid card costs $10 (including $5 stored value), and the card can be "topped up" in increments of $2 or more. These travel cards can be topped up using cash, credit or debit cards at ticketing machines located in train stations, or by cash at convenience stores. If you are leaving Singapore and you have some money on your card, you can go to any TransitLink ticket office for a refund, minus a $5 processing fee. You may see advertisements for '''[https://thesingaporetouristpass.com.sg/type-of-passes/ the Singapore Tourist Pass] (STP)''', which gives you unlimited rides for $10/16/20 for 1/2/3 days respectively, plus some discounts for attractions. However, given that most trips only cost $1.00-2.50, you would need to use the public transport system often during your stay, for the STP to be worthwhile. Single tickets paid in cash can only be purchased for buses, but is costlier than the regular card fare and is therefore not recommended. Furthermore, it is a hassle as it delays everyone else and the driver has to count fare stages to tell you how much you need to pay. In addition, no change is given for the bus and you will need to buy a separate ticket if you intend to transfer to another bus later in your journey. ===By rail=== [[File:Singapore MRT LRT system map Wikivoyage.png|thumb|upright=1.9|MRT and LRT system map]] The '''MRT''' (Mass Rapid Transit) and '''LRT''' (Light Rail Transit) are trains that are the main trunk of Singapore's transit system. They are a cheap and fairly reliable mode of transportation, and the network covers most points of interest for the visitor. While it's easiest to use an EZ-link card or contactless payments (see above), all stations are equipped with ticket machines that dispense single-ride paper tickets. Each ticket can be reused up to 6 times within 30 days, just place it on the reader when buying your next ride. Using any ticket or card is easy, just tap the reader at the ticket gate when entering and exiting paid areas of stations. All lines are seamlessly integrated, even if the lines are operated by different transport companies, so you do not need to buy a new ticket or go through multiple gates to transfer between different operators' lines. The MRT stations are clean and equipped with free toilets. All stations have screen doors, so there is no risk of falling onto the tracks. The North-East Line, Circle Line, Downtown Line LRT and all upcoming lines are operated automatically without a driver, so it is worth walking up to the front of the train to look out of the window and enjoy the view! Eating and drinking is '''prohibited''' in the stations and trains, with offenders being liable for a $500 fine. When using escalators, '''stand on the left''' to allow those in a hurry to pass on the right. ===By bus=== [[File:SMB1495J SMRT Buses MAN NL323F.jpg|thumb|right|SMRT bus]] [[File:SBS6593S on 63M.jpg|thumb|right|SBS Transit bus]] '''Buses''' connect various corners of Singapore, but are slower and harder to use than the MRT. Their main advantage is you get to see the sights rather than a dark underground tunnel, partly if you can snag a front seat on a double-decker. On a long distance bus, frequent stops and slow speeds may mean your journey could take two to three times as long as the same trip via MRT. You can pay cash (coins) in buses, but the fare stage system is quite complex (it's easiest to ask the driver for the price to your destination), you are charged substantially more and there is no provision for getting change. Payment with EZ-Link or NETS Prepaid card is therefore the easiest method: tap your card against the reader at the front entrance of the bus when boarding, and a maximum fare is deducted from the card. When you alight, tap your card again at the exit, and the difference is refunded. Make sure you tap out, or you'll end up paying the maximum fare. Inspectors occasionally prowl buses to check that everybody has paid or tapped, so those who are on tourist day passes should tap before sitting down. Dishonest bus commuters risk getting fined $20 for not paying or underpaying fares (by premature tapping-out) and $50 for improper use of concession cards. Another advantage of EZ-link or NETS Prepaid cards is that you will be able to enjoy distance-based fares and avoid the boarding fee. After midnight ''on Fridays, Saturdays and eve of public holidays'', the '''[http://smrt.com.sg/Journey-with-Us/Buses/Special-Bus-Routes-Information NightRider]''' and [https://www.sbstransit.com.sg/transport/trpt_bus_niteowl.aspx '''Nite Owl'''] bus services are a fairly convenient way of getting around, with 13 lines running every 20 to 30 mins. All services drive past the major nightlife city districts of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Mohamed Sultan and Orchard before splintering off. The fare is between $4.00 to $4.40, the EZ-link card and Nets Flashpay cards are accepted but the Singapore Tourist Pass is not valid on this line. As mentioned earlier, '''[https://gothere.sg Gothere.sg]''' and its associated paid [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gothere-sg/id348131804 iOS app] ($4) will give you options as to which buses will take you from your origin or destination. ===By ride hailing app=== Ride hailing apps have largely supplanted taxis in Singapore. The two biggest players are [https://www.grab.com/sg/ '''Grab'''], which acquired Uber's Singaporean assets in 2018, and [https://www.go-jek.com/sg/ Gojek]. Rides are generally reasonably priced, with most off-peak rides in the city center clocking in around $10, although during busy periods (Friday nights, when it rains, etc) surge fares can be much higher. Most international credit/debit cards are accepted on the app, and cash payments are also possible. Other ride sharing apps include [http://www.rydesharing.com/sg/ Ryde] and [https://tada.global/ Tada]. ===By taxi=== [[File:2016 Hyundai Ioniq (AE) Hybrid liftback, CityCab (2017-11-29).jpg|thumb|right|Citycab Taxi]] [[File:2016 Hyundai i30 (GD3 Series II) Tourer, SilverCab (2017-11-28).jpg|thumb|right|SilverCab Taxi]] '''Taxicabs''' use meters and are reasonably priced and honest. Outside weekday peak hours, trips within the city centre should not cost you more than $10 and even a trip right across the island from Changi to Jurong will not break the $35 mark. If you are in a group of 3 or 4, it's sometimes cheaper and faster to take a taxi than the MRT. ComfortDelgro, the largest operator, has a '''CDG Zig''' [https://www.cdgtaxi.com.sg/ booking app] that lets you order and pay for your taxi rides ridehail-style, including the option of a "ComfortRide" fixed price instead of running the meter, or you can call the unified booking system at {{phone|+65 6-DIAL-CAB}}. Hailing a taxi on the street or at a taxi stand lets you avoid the $2.30-3.30 booking fee though. Taxi pricing is largely identical across all companies at $3.00-3.90 as a flag down rate (depending on the type of vehicle used), which lasts you 1&nbsp;km before increments of $0.22 per 400&nbsp;m (for the first 10&nbsp;km) or $0.22 per 350&nbsp;m (after the first 10&nbsp;km). Watch out for surprises though: there are a myriad of peak hour (25%), late night (50%), central business district ($3), trips from airport or the casinos ($3–5 during peak hours), and Electronic Road Pricing surcharges, which may add a substantial amount to your taxi fare. All such charges are shown on the bottom right-hard corner of the meter, recorded in the printed receipt and explained in tedious detail in a sticker on the window; if you suspect the cabbie is trying to pull a fast one, call the company and ask for an explanation. There is no surcharge for trips ''to'' the airport. While all taxis are equipped to handle (and are required to accept) credit cards, in practice many cabbies do not accept electronic payment. Always ask before getting in. Paying by credit card will incur an additional surcharge of 17%. As usual in Singapore, tips are not expected. In the Central Business District, taxis may pick up passengers only at taxi stands (found outside any shopping mall) or buildings with their own driveways (including virtually all hotels). Outside the centre, you're free to hail taxis on the street or call one to your doorstep. At night spots featuring long queues, such as Clarke Quay, you may on occasion be approached by touts offering a quick flat fare to your destination. This is illegal and very expensive but reasonably safe for you. (Drivers, on the other hand, will probably lose their job if caught.) Some Singapore taxi drivers have very poor geographical knowledge and may expect you to know where they should go, so it may be helpful to bring a map of your destination area or directions on finding where you wish to go. Some cabbies may also ask you which route you want to take; most are satisfied with "whichever way is faster". ===By trishaw=== '''Trishaws''', three-wheeled bicycle taxis, haunt the area around the Singapore River and Chinatown. Geared purely for tourists, they should be avoided for serious travel as locals do not use them. There is little room for bargaining: short journeys cost $10–20 and an hour's sightseeing charter about $50 per person. ===By boat=== [[File:Bumboat, Singapore.jpg|thumb|right|Bumboat]] Tourist-oriented '''bumboats''' cruise the [[Singapore/Riverside|Singapore River]], offering point-to-point rides starting from $3 and cruises with nice views of the CBD skyscraper skyline starting from $13. Bumboats also shuttle passengers from '''Changi Point Ferry Terminal''' to [[Singapore/East Coast#Do|Pulau Ubin]] ($2.50 one-way), a small island off Singapore's northeast coast which is about as close as Singapore gets to unhurried rural living. Ferries to the southern islands of Kusu Island and St John's Island depart from '''Marina South Pier'''. Sister's Islands and Pulau Hantu are also open to the public, though there are no scheduled ferries there; you will need to charter a boat from Marina South Pier and West Coast Pier respectively. ===By car=== [[File:PIEroadsign-Singapore-20060727.jpg|thumb|Going to Kranji Expressway via the Pan Island Expressway? Turn right for "PIE (KJE)". Visiting the Nanyang Technological University or National Institute of Education? Go straight ahead.|alt=Typical road sign along expressways in Singapore]] Car rental is not a popular option for visitors to Singapore, as public transport covers virtually the entire island and it's generally cheaper to take taxis all day than to rent. You will usually be looking at upwards for $100 per day for the smallest vehicle from the major rental companies, although local ones can be cheaper and there are sometimes good weekend prices available. This does not include petrol at around $2/litre or electronic road pricing (ERP) fees, and you'll usually need to pay extra to drive to [[Malaysia]]. If you plan on touring Malaysia by car, it makes much more sense to head across the border to [[Johor Bahru]], where both rentals and petrol are half price, and you have the option of dropping your car off elsewhere in the country. This also avoids the unwelcome extra attention that Singapore licence plates tend to get from thieves and greedy cops. Foreign licences in English or from other ASEAN member countries are valid in Singapore for up to a year from your date of entry, after which you will have to convert your foreign licence to a Singapore version. Other foreign licences must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit (IDP) or an official English translation (usually available from your embassy) to be valid. Singaporeans drive on the left (like their Indonesian, Malaysian & Thai neighbours) and the legal driving age is 18. Roads in Singapore are in excellent condition and driving habits are generally good compared to other countries in the region, with most people following the traffic rules due to stringent enforcement, although road courtesy tends to be sorely lacking and occasionally haphazard driving may be encountered. The speed limit is 90&nbsp;km/h (56 mph) on major expressways (with the exception of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) being 80 km/h (50 mph) ) and typically 50&nbsp;km/h (31 mph) on most medium-sized roads. While signs are usually good, expressways are almost universally referred to ''only'' by acronym, so the Pan Island Expressway is "PIE", the East Coast Parkway is "ECP", etc. Parking is tolerably easy to find but very rarely free, with rates varying depending on time, day of week, and location, from around $3/hour at private CBD carparks to $1/hour at public carparks, usually payable with the CashCard. ERP payments require a stored-value CashCard, which is usually arranged by the rental agency, but it's your responsibility to ensure it has enough value. ERP gantries are activated at different times, usually in the expected direction of most cars. As a rule of thumb, gantries found in roads leading to the CBD are activated during the morning rush hour while gantries found in roads exiting the CBD are activated during the evening rush hour. Passing through an active ERP gantry with insufficient value will mean that an alert is sent to your registered address. You will need to pay an administrative fee in addition to the difference between the remaining amount and the actual charge. You have a limited time to settle this, or the penalty becomes harsher. ''All'' passengers must wear seat belts and using a phone while driving is banned. Drink-driving is not tolerated: the maximum blood alcohol content is 0.08%, with roadblocks set up at night to catch offenders, who are heavily fined and possibly jailed. Even if your blood alcohol level does not exceed the legal limit, you can still be charged with drunk driving if the police are convinced that your ability to control the vehicle has been compromised by the presence of alcohol (e.g., if you are involved in a collision). The police conduct periodic roadblocks and speed cameras are omnipresent. Fines will be sent by mail to you or your rental agency, who will then pass on the cost with a surcharge. If stopped for a traffic offence, don't even ''think'' about trying to bribe your way out; corruption is a more serious offence within Singapore. {{infobox|By thumb|[[Hitchhiking]] is virtually unheard of in Singapore, and given the small size of the country and its cheap, ubiquitous public transport, it's hardly necessary.}} ===By bicycle=== Using bicycles as a substitute for public transportation is possible, but challenging. While the city is small and its landscape is flat, it can be difficult to predict how ridable a route will be without scoping it out first. Buses, taxis, and motorists stopping to drop off or pick up passengers rarely check for cyclists before merging back onto the roadway, which makes certain routes especially treacherous. The ubiquitous road works around Singapore can also make cycling more hazardous when temporary road surfaces are not kept safe for biking, portable traffic barriers make it hard for vehicles to see cyclists, and construction teams directing traffic are unsure of how to deal with cyclists on the roadway. Cycling paths are quite common in suburban areas (heartlands) but uncommon in the city centre. They are marked either with a bicycle symbol or with "PCN" (Park Connector Network). The maximum speed limit for bicycles in cycling paths is 25 km/h; however, in several sections the cycling paths merge with pedestrian paths, reducing the max. speed to 10 km/h, which is also the maximum speed for bikes in pedestrian-only paths. It's also common to have pedestrians using cycleways, so in practice it is often needed to reduce speed even at non-shared cycling paths. An up-to-date map of cycling paths and other important bicycle route information such as road crossing points can be found in [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1d-f3wTmqM3jmT7C1LtTzorsRbGw&ll=1.3510262698731852%2C103.95454422053353&z=14 this Google Map]. Bicycle parking lots, like cycleways, can easily be found in suburban areas, such as near MRT stations, public housing states, large shopping malls and town centres, but aren't that common in the city centre. The only cycling path suitable for sports cycling is the [https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/projects/widening-of-tanah-merah-coast-road-and-proposed-new-road-between-tanah-merah-coast-road-and-aviation-park-road.html Tanah Merah Coast Road cycling lane] around Changi Airport. Since the cycling lane is on-road, it is not subject to the 25 km/h speed limit. Small folding bicycles may be taken on the MRT during certain times of the day, but large bicycles are a no-no. Bicycles may cross the causeway to Malaysia (on motorbike lanes), but are not allowed on expressways. Singapore has an app-based bike sharing system operated by private companies, with [https://www.sgbike.com.sg/ '''SG Bike'''] the biggest player. ===By e-scooter=== Known locally as Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs), e-scooters are legal in Singapore, but they are '''prohibited on roads''' and scooters with handlebars are also prohibited on pedestrian-only paths. In practice, this means they're only usable in the suburbs and not a practical option for tourists. ===On foot=== Singapore is very pedestrian-friendly. In the main business district and on main roadways, pavements and pedestrian crossings are in good shape and plentiful, and by Asian standards drivers are generally careful and willing to give way at marked crossings. Jaywalking is illegal and punished with fines of $25 and up to three months in jail. This is however not commonly enforced unless doing so in front of law enforcement. An unavoidable downside, though, is the tropical '''heat and humidity''', which leaves many visitors sweaty and exhausted, so do as the locals do and bring along a little towel, a bottle of water and even an umbrella to protect against the searing heat. Also, afternoon thunderstorms are fairly common during the monsoon season. It's best to get an early start, pop into air-conditioned shops, cafes and museums to cool off or take shelter from rain, and plan on heading back to the shopping mall or hotel pool before noon. Alternatively, after sundown, evenings can also be comparatively cool. On the upside, the fact that the sun is often covered in clouds and shaded by trees and greenery along roads means that you won't get as easily [[Sunburn and sun protection|sunburnt]] as otherwise at these latitudes. Nevertheless, it is advisable to wear linen or polyester-made clothing which wick away sweat faster, as cotton-made clothing is usually soaked with high amounts of sweat that were a result from the high heat and humidity. A useful tip to combat the tropical weather is to look out for air-conditioned underground pedestrian crossings. These climate-controlled walkways are plentiful and often between shopping malls and high-rise office buildings. In addition, look out for the pedestrian walkways connecting to underground MRT stations. Some stations can have up to 25 different walkways connecting to different entrances/exits in the area, creating an extensive network of walkways around the downtown core that gives one the impression of a city underneath the city. Classic walks in Singapore include walking [[Singapore/Riverside|down the river]] from the Merlion through the Boat and Clarke Quays, walking around the entire perimeter of Marina Bay, trekking along the [[Southern Ridges Walk]] or just strolling around [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]], [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]], [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]] or [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]]. === By autonomous (driverless) vehicle === In 2016, Singapore became the first country in the world to trial on-demand '''driverless taxis''', allowing passengers to book a ride in a self-driving vehicle through the '''Grab''' ride-hailing app by selecting the "robo-car" fleet icon during booking. However, the current trial is limited to the one-north business district in Singapore, so you'll likely need to make a detour to try this out. A tourist-friendly alternative is the [http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/plan-your-visit/tours-and-trails/outdoor-garden-cruiser-tours.html '''AutoRider'''] at the Gardens by the Bay, Asia's first fully operational self-driving vehicle. Tourists can ride the driverless vehicle between Bayfront Plaza and the Flower Dome to see more of the Gardens. On-board commentary is also provided so passengers can learn more about self-driving vehicle technology and the garden surroundings. Visitors need to collect a timeslot coupon from the AutoRider counter at '''Bayfront Plaza''' before purchasing tickets. Tickets ($5 per individual) are sold on a time-allocated basis. ==See== {{infobox|Otterly cute!|[[File:Otters in Singapore.jpg|thumb|An otter family after a swim]] After the Singapore River and its tributaries were cleaned up in the 1990s, '''smooth-coated otters''' have made their way back to Singapore and into the hearts of its residents. Most active at dawn and dusk, they can most frequently be spotted around the [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Kallang River]] (including the Gardens by the Bay) and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, catching fish and squeakily trooping across pathways. Just don't get too close: they have viciously sharp teeth and are protective of their young. [https://www.facebook.com/OtterWatch OtterWatch] on Facebook is a good place to keep up to date on otter sightings.}} Sights in Singapore are covered in more detail under the various districts. Broadly speaking: * ''Beaches and tourist resorts'': Head to one of the three beaches on [[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa]] or its southern islands. Other beaches can be found on the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]]. * ''Culture and cuisine'': See [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] for Chinese treats, [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] for Indian flavours, [[Singapore/East Coast|Geylang Serai]] for a Malay experience or the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]] for delicious seafood, including the famous chilli and black pepper crab. * ''History and museums'': The Bras Basah area east of [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]] and north of the [[Singapore/Riverside|Singapore River]] is Singapore's colonial core, with historical buildings and museums. * ''Nature and wildlife'': Popular tourist attractions '''Singapore Zoo''', '''Night Safari''', '''Jurong Bird Park''' and the '''Botanic Gardens''' are all in the [[Singapore/North and West|North and West]]. For something closer to the city, visit the futuristic '''Gardens by the Bay''' in the [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina]] district, behind the Marina Bay Sands. Finding "real" nature is a little harder, but the '''Bukit Timah Nature Reserve''' (in the same district as the zoo) has more plant species than that in the whole of North America, and is also home to a thriving population of wild monkeys. '''Pulau Ubin''', an island off the [[Singapore/East Coast|Changi Village]] in the east, is a flashback to the rural Singapore of yesteryear. City parks full of locals jogging or doing tai chi can be found everywhere. See [[Botanical tourism in Singapore]] for details on where to see trees and plants. * ''Skyscrapers and shopping'': The heaviest shopping mall concentration is in [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Road]], while skyscrapers are clustered around the [[Singapore/Riverside|Singapore River]], but also check out [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]] and [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]] to see where Singaporeans shop. * ''[[Places of worship in Singapore|Places of worship]]'': Don't miss this aspect of Singapore, where Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism all exist in sizeable numbers. Religious sites can be easily visited and welcome non-followers outside of service times. Particularly worth visiting include: the vast '''Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery''' near [[Singapore/North and West|Ang Mo Kio]]/Bishan, the colourful Hindu '''Sri Mariamman Temple''' in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]], the psychedelic '''Burmese Buddhist Temple''' in [[Singapore/Balestier|Balestier]] and the stately Masjid Sultan in [[Singapore/Bugis|Arab Street]]. ===Itineraries=== * [[Three days in Singapore]] &mdash; A three-day sampler set of food, culture and shopping in Singapore, easily divisible into bite-size chunks. * [[Southern Ridges Walk]] &mdash; An easy scenic 9&nbsp;km stroll through the hills and jungles of southern Singapore. Highlights of the trail include a 36 m high Henderson Waves pedestrian bridge providing a stunning view of the sea beyond the jungle. [[Image:SouthernRidges HendersonWaves.JPG|thumb|Henderson Waves]] ==Do== While you ''can'' find a place to practice nearly any sport in Singapore &mdash; golfing, surfing, scuba diving, even ice skating and snow skiing &mdash; due to the country's small size your options are rather limited and prices are relatively high. For watersports in particular, the busy shipping lanes and sheer population pressure mean that the sea around Singapore is murky, and most locals head up to [[Tioman|Pulau Tioman]], [[Sibu Island]] (Malaysia) or [[Bintan]] (Indonesia) instead. On the upside, there is an abundance of dive shops in Singapore, and they often arrange weekend trips to good dive sites off the East Coast of Malaysia, so they are a good option for accessing some of Malaysia's not-so touristy dive sites. ===Culture=== [[Image:Esplanade theatre.jpg|thumb|Esplanade Theatres by the Bay|315x315px]] On the cultural side of things, Singapore has been trying to shake off its boring, buttoned-down reputation and attract more artists and performances. The star in Singapore's cultural sky is the '''Esplanade''' theatre in [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]], a world-class facility for performing arts and a frequent stage for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Pop culture options are rapidly growing and Singapore's home-grown arts scene is undergoing a second renaissance, with local English-language acts like The Sam Willows and Gentle Bones joining local Chinese pop starlets Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin on the scene. Any bands and DJs touring Asia are also pretty much guaranteed to perform in Singapore. Going to the '''movies''' is a popular Singaporean pastime, but look for "M18" (age 18 and above only) or "R21" ratings (age 21 and above only) if you like your movies with fewer cuts. The big four theatre chains are '''[http://www.cathay.com.sg Cathay]''', '''[https://carnivalcinemas.sg/ Carnival Cinemas]''', '''[http://www.gv.com.sg/ Golden Village]''' and '''[http://www.shaw.sg/ Shaw Brothers]'''. For a taste of Singapore through film, Jack Neo's popular comedies showcase the foibles of Singaporean life, while directors like K. Rajagopal, Boo Jun Feng, and Tan Pin Pin are ushering in a new wave of contemporary film art in Singapore. For [[European classical music|classical music]], Singapore is home to the '''[http://www.sso.org.sg/ Singapore Symphony Orchestra]''', which is mainly based in the Esplanade concert hall, though it does hold free concerts in the Singapore Botanic Gardens every year. The '''[http://www.tangquartet.com/ T'ang Quartet]''' is a highly-acclaimed professional string quartet based in Singapore, and regularly puts on performances of chamber music. For traditional Chinese music, there is the '''[http://www.sco.com.sg/ Singapore Chinese Orchestra]'''. As for more contemporary music, Singapore has both attracted international events to expand here, as well as cultivated its own festivals. '''[https://ultrasingapore.com/ Ultra Singapore]''' is the local edition of the renowned Ultra Music Festival since 2016, bringing in internationally renowned electronic music acts. '''Laneway Singapore''' is the local edition of the [https://lanewayfestival.com/ St Jerome's Laneway Festival] running since 2011, though there has been a hiatus in 2019. '''Baybeats''' is a free annual music festival at the Esplanade since 2002, usually spanning over a weekend and focused on indie musicians, mostly from Singapore and nearby Asian countries. The '''[https://www.gardenbeats.com/ Garden Beats Festival]''' is a ticketed event touted as an "electronic picnic festival" in Fort Canning Park, bringing in international acts while promoting eco-friendly ideas as "the first carbon-neutral music festival in Singapore". [[Jazz|Jazz music]] lovers may also be interested in the '''Singapore International Jazz Festival''' (usually abbreviated as '''Sing Jazz'''), which so far has taken place roughly March-April of the year, and has featured jazz headliners alongside jazz-adjacent musicians. In May or June, don't miss the yearly '''[http://www.sifa.sg/ Singapore International Festival of Arts]''' (formerly the '''Singapore Arts Festival'''), featuring a programme of art exhibitions/performances and artist conversations over several weeks. Following up from that, in August you can catch the annual '''[https://www.nightfestival.sg/ Singapore Night Festival]''' all along the Bras Basah.Bugis district, where numerous artistic/musical events - many of them free - take place at night over two weeks (but concentrated on weekends). A recurring headline event is the projection mapping light show, whereby animation is mapped and projected on the facade of the Singapore National Museum, creating a unique display. Advance tickets for almost any cultural event can be purchased from [http://www.sistic.com.sg/ SISTIC], either on-line or from any of their numerous ticketing outlets, including the Singapore Visitor Centre on [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Rd]]. ===Gambling=== Singapore has two massive casinos, always referred to with the euphemism "integrated resort", which pull in nearly as much revenue as the entirety of Las Vegas. '''Marina Bay Sands''' at [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]] is the larger and swankier of the two, while '''Resorts World Sentosa''' at [[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa]] aims for a more family-friendly experience. While locals (citizens and permanent residents) have to pay $100/day to get in, foreign visitors can enter for free after presenting their passport. Besides the casino, there are other forms of legalised betting which are more accessible to the locals. This includes [[Horse racing|horse racing]], which is run by the '''[http://www.turfclub.com.sg Singapore Turf Club]''' on weekends, as well as football (soccer) betting and several lotteries run by the '''[http://www.singaporepools.com.sg Singapore Pools]'''. '''Mahjong''' is also a popular pastime in Singapore. The version played in Singapore is similar to the Cantonese version, but it also has extra "animal tiles" not present in the original Cantonese version, as well as several scoring differences. However, this remains pretty much a family and friends affair, and there are no (legal) mahjong parlours as the operation of gambling dens is illegal. Gambling in public (e.g. playing poker cards at a park) is illegal and punishable with fine and imprisonment under Singaporean law. ===Golf=== Despite its small size, Singapore has a surprisingly large number of golf courses, but most of the best ones are run by private clubs and open to members and their guests only. The main exceptions are the [http://www.sentosagolf.com/ Sentosa Golf Club], the famously challenging home of the Barclays Singapore Open, and the [http://www.mbgc.com.sg/ Marina Bay Golf Course], the only 18-hole public course. See the [http://www.sga.org.sg/ Singapore Golf Association] for the full list; alternatively, head to the nearby Indonesian islands of [[Batam]] or [[Bintan]] or up north to the Malaysian town of [[Malacca]] for cheaper rounds. === Races === [[Image:1 singapore f1 night race 2012 city skyline.jpg | thumb | 300px | The 2008 F1 races were at night ]] * '''Singapore Grand Prix''' is an on-street [[Formula One]] motor-race held in the streets of Marina Bay in Sept / Oct. * '''[http://www.turfclub.com.sg/ Singapore Turf Club]''' in [[Singapore/North and West|Kranji]] hosts horse races most Fridays, including a number of international cups, and is popular with local gamblers. * '''[http://www.singaporepoloclub.org/ Singapore Polo Club]''' near [[Singapore/Balestier|Balestier]] is also open to the public on competition days. ===Spas=== Singapore has experienced a 'spa boom', and there is now plenty of choice for everything from holistic Ayurveda to green tea hydrotherapy. However, prices aren't as rock-bottom as in neighbours Indonesia and Thailand, and you'll generally be looking at upwards of $50 even for a plain one-hour massage. Premium spas can be found in most 5 star hotels and on [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]], and [[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa]]'s Spa Botanica also has a good reputation. There are also numerous shops offering traditional Chinese massage, which are mostly legitimate, although some sketchier "health centres" do remain. Traditional Asian-style public baths are non-existent. When looking for beauty salons on Orchard Road, try out the ones on the fourth floor of Lucky Plaza. They offer most salon services like manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing and hair services. A favourite of flight crews and repeat tourists due to the lower costs as compared to the sky high prices of other salons along the shopping belt. Shop around for prices, some of the better looking ones actually charge less. ===Swimming=== Forget your tiny hotel pool if you are into competitive or recreational swimming: Singapore is paradise for swimmers with arguably the highest density of public pools in the world. They are all open-air 50&nbsp;m pools (some facilities even feature up to three 50&nbsp;m pools), accessible for an entrance fee of $1–1.50. Some of the visitors don't swim at all. They just come from nearby housing complexes for a few hours to chill out, read and relax in the sun. Most are open daily 8AM-9PM and all feature a small cafe. Just imagine swimming your lanes in the tropical night with lit up palm trees surrounding the pool. The Singapore Sports Council maintains [http://www.myactivesg.com/facilities/swimming-pools a list of pools], most of which are part of a larger sports complex with a gym, tennis courts etc., and are near the MRT station they're named after. Perhaps the best is in Katong (111 Wilkinson Road, on the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]]): after the swim, stroll through the villa neighbourhood directly in front of the pool entrance and have a look at the luxurious, original architecture of the houses that really rich Singaporeans live in. If you get bored with regular swimming pools, head to the '''Jurong East Swimming Complex''' where you get the wave pool, water slides and Jacuzzi at an insanely affordable entrance fee of $1.50 on weekdays and $2 on weekends. For those who feel richer, visit the '''[http://www.wildwildwet.com Wild Wild Wet]''' water theme park or the '''[[Singapore/Sentosa#Resorts World Sentosa|Adventure Cove Waterpark]]''' and get yourself wet with various exciting water slides and tidal wave pools. For those who don't like pools, head out to the beaches. The '''[[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast Park]]''' has a scenic coastline that stretches over 15&nbsp;km. It's a popular getaway spot for Singaporeans to swim, cycle, barbeque and engage in various other sports and recreational activities. '''[[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa island]]''' also has three white, sandy beaches - Siloso Beach, Palawan Beach and Tanjong Beach - each with its own distinct characteristics, and also very popular with locals. ===Water sports=== Canoeing and dragon-boating are popular water-sports in Singapore, and there are many beautiful reservoirs and rivers where one can partake in such physical activity. Check out the MacRitchie Reservoir, Kallang River and Marina Bay for reasonably priced options. Besides these more regular water sports, Singapore also offers water sports fans trendy activities such as cable-Skiing and wave surfing in specially created environments. ===Snow sports=== Being just one degree north of the equator, it is obviously not the best place on earth for skiing, but sunny Singapore still has a permanent indoor snow centre. '''[https://www.snowcity.com.sg/ Snow City]''' offers visitors a chance to experience winter. Visitors can escape from the hot and humid tropical weather to play in snow or even learn to ski and snowboard with certified professional instructors. There are also a couple of options for ice skating in Singapore: '''Kallang Ice World''' at [https://leisurepark.com.sg/ Leisure Park Kallang] and '''[https://www.therink.sg/ The Rink]''' at JCube. There used to be another skating rink in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, but that has since been repurposed. ==Buy== ===Money === {{exchange rates | currency=Singapore dollars | currencyCode=S$ | date=January 2022 | CNY=0.21 | EUR=1.55 | GBP=1.85 | INR=1.80 | MYR=0.33 | USD=1.35 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/sgd-singapore-dollar XE.com] }} The Singaporean currency is the '''Singapore dollar''', denoted by the symbol '''S$''' or '''$''' (ISO code: '''SGD''' ). It is divided into 100 cents, denoted '''¢'''. There are coins of 5¢ (bronze or gold), 10¢ (silver), 20¢ (silver), 50¢ (silver) and $1 (2nd series: gold; 3rd series: silver with gold rim). Notes are in denominations of $2 (purple), $5 (green), $10 (red), $50 (blue), $100 (orange), $1,000 (purple) and $10,000 (gold). The latter two denominations are extremely rare and will be useless outside of luxury boutiques, the casino, and department stores - travellers would be wise to avoid them. You can safely assume that the "$" sign used in the island-nation (and in this guide) refers to Singapore dollars unless it includes other initials (e.g., US$ to stand for U.S. dollars). The [[Brunei]] dollar is pegged at par with the Singapore dollar and the two currencies can be used interchangeably in both countries, so don't be too surprised if you get a Brunei note as change. Along with its Brunei counterpart, the Singaporean $10,000 banknote has the largest intrinsic value of any banknote in current circulation (valued at US$7,400 in 2022), but to reduce money laundering it has not been printed since 2014. '''Currency exchange''' booths can be found in every shopping mall and usually offer better rates, better opening hours, and much faster service than banks. The huge 24-hour operation at Mustafa in [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] accepts almost any currency at very good rates, as do the fiercely competitive small shops at or surrounding the aptly named Change Alley (next to Raffles Place MRT), Lucky Plaza (along the Orchard Road shopping belt) or at People's Park Complex (at the heart of Chinatown). For large amounts, ask for a quote, as it will often get you a better rate than displayed on the board. Rates at the airport are not as good as in the city, and while many department stores accept major foreign currencies, their rates are often terrible. === Goods and Services Tax (GST) === Most retailers and service providers in Singapore are required to levy a 7% GST. Sellers are generally required to include this in the published price except for hotel and restaurant (sit-down dining) prices (see ''Tipping'' and ''Sleep'' sections). ===Payments=== Singapore has adopted cashless payments in a big way and it's entirely possible to never even see paper money for days on end. The one major exception are hawker centres and food courts, which are typically '''cash only'''. '''Credit cards''' are widely accepted at stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. Chip-and-signature is standard (you are unlikely to be asked for a PIN) and contactless terminals are ubiquitous, just ask for "PayWave". The most widely accepted credit cards in Singapore are Visa and MasterCard, and many shops also accept American Express. Discover, JCB and China UnionPay cards are also accepted in some shops that primarily cater to tourists. Although credit card surcharges are not usually allowed in Singapore, many small merchants often disregard this rule and might either impose a minimum transaction amount for cards or offer discounts over the listed price if you pay in cash. Singapore is one of the largest financial centres in the region, so there are numerous banks to choose from. The main local banks are [http://www.dbs.com DBS], [http://www.uob.com.sg UOB] and [http://www.ocbc.com OCBC], whose '''ATMs''' can be found in every shopping mall or MRT station, and all of which let you withdraw money via the Plus/Cirrus networks. Partly due to strong banking secrecy laws and the fact that interest paid on bank deposits is not taxable in Singapore, Singaporean banks are increasingly seen as an alternative to [[Switzerland|Swiss]] banks for the world's richest people to stash their assets. However, for foreigners, opening a bank account in Singapore is ''not possible'' unless you have a long-term residence pass (work, student, etc). There is a confusing plethora of '''mobile payments''' applications. Most are available only to local bank account holders of Singapore, with [https://www.abs.org.sg/consumer-banking/pay-now PayNow] peer-to-peer and business payments particularly popular, but regional providers GrabPay, FavePay and Chinese players (Alipay, WeChat Pay) are also common. EZ-Link transport cards and NETS Prepaid cards are accepted for payment in some convenience stores and fast food chains. Travellers cheques are generally ''not'' accepted by retailers, but can be cashed at certain limited number of exchange booths or banks. ===Tipping=== Tipping is generally ''not'' practised in Singapore. However, it is common for restaurants to levy a 10% service charge before GST, the local Goods and Services Tax. Restaurants often display prices like $19.99++, which means that service charge (10%) and sales tax (7%) are not included and will be added to your bill. When you see NETT, it means it includes all taxes and service charges. Bellhops and hotel porters still expect $2 or so per bag. Tipping is not expected in taxis, who usually return your change to the last 5 cents, or round the fare down by that amount in your favour, if they can't be bothered to dig for change; congestion or Electronic Road Pricing charges are often already included in the final fare. All taxis must advertise a hotline to call if the customer feels dissatisfied. Tipping is prohibited at the airport. Do ''not'' under any circumstances offer a tip to any government employee, especially police officers, as this is regarded as bribery, and would most likely get you arrested and pressed with criminal charges relating to corruption. ===Costs=== Singapore is expensive by Southeast Asian standards, but affordable compared with OECD countries: $50 is a perfectly serviceable daily backpacker budget if you are willing to cut some corners, though you would probably wish to double that for comfort. Food in particular is a steal, with excellent hawker food available for under $5 per meal for a generous serving. Accommodation is a little pricier, but a bed in a hostel can cost less than $30 and a cheap hotel room can go for under $100, while branded business hotels would be in the $200-400 range. At the top end of the market you're probably looking at over $500 a night, with places like Raffles and Capella often pushing $1000. As rough rules of thumb, prices in Singapore are about twice as high as in Malaysia and Thailand and 3-5 times as high as in Indonesia and the Philippines. ===Shopping=== {{infobox|Cheated?|Ripped off by a shop? Call the Singapore Tourism Board's free hotline at 1800 736 2000. The Small Claims Tribunal at 1 Havelock Sq also has a special expedited process for tourists that can solve simple cases within 24 hours.}} [[Image:Interior of Sim Lim Square, Singapore - 20070127-03.jpg|thumb|Sim Lim Square, Singapore's computing and electronics mecca]] Shopping is second only to eating as a national pastime, which means that Singapore has an '''abundance''' of shopping malls, and low taxes and tariffs on imports coupled with huge volume mean that prices are usually very competitive. While you won't find any bazaars with dirt-cheap local handicrafts (in fact, virtually everything sold in Singapore is made elsewhere), goods are generally of reasonably good quality and shopkeepers are generally quite honest due to strong consumer protection laws. Most stores are open daily 10AM-10PM, although smaller operations (particularly those outside shopping malls) close earlier &mdash; 7PM is common &mdash; and perhaps on Sundays as well. Mustafa in [[Singapore/Little India#Buy|Little India]] is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Many stores along the shopping belt of Orchard Road and Scotts Road now offer late night shopping on the last Friday of every month with over 250 retailers staying open until midnight. * '''Antiques''': The second floor of the Tanglin Shopping Centre on [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]] and the shops on South Bridge Rd in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] are good options if looking for the real thing (or high-quality reproductions). * '''Books''': Kinokuniya's main branch at Ngee Ann City in [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]] is Singapore's largest bookstore, with smaller branches at Bugis Junction (a shopping complex directly above Bugis MRT station) and JEM (a shopping complex near Jurong East MRT station). Many second-hand book stores are in Far East Plaza and Bras Basah Complex, where you may attempt to bargain if you are buying a lot. For university textbooks, the bookshops at the National University of Singapore have the best prices on the island, up to 80% off compared to prices in the West. * '''Cameras''': Peninsula Plaza near [[Singapore/Riverside|City Hall]] has Singapore's widest selection of camera shops. However, there are no great bargains to be had, and many camera stores in Singapore (particularly those in Lucky Plaza and Sim Lim Square) have a reputation for fleecing even the most careful tourists. The best way is to know ''exactly'' what you are looking for and then when you arrive, drop by the shops at the airport's transit area and take a look at the price and check with them whether they have any promotions. Then go to the downtown shops and compare prices/packages to see which shop will give you value for money. To be safe, ''always'' check prices and packages for everything you're interested in at large retailers like Courts, Harvey Norman and Best Denki first. Be very careful when shop staff attempt to promote brands or models other than the one you have in mind; a few stores at Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza, and elsewhere are known to use this tactic and sell products at two to four times their actual list prices. Also watch for the bait-and-switches. Inspect the model number and condition of the item, then do not let it out of your sight when you pay. (In Lucky Plaza, the most common scam is doubling the charge without your agreement.) * '''Clothes, high-street''': The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands as well as Ion Orchard, Ngee Ann City (Takashimaya) and Paragon on [[Singapore/Orchard#Buy|Orchard]] have the heaviest concentration of branded boutiques. * '''Clothes, tailored''': Virtually all hotels have a tailor shop attached, and touting tailors are a bit of a nuisance in Chinatown. As elsewhere, you'll get what you pay for and will get poor quality if you don't have the time for multiple fittings or the skill to check what you're getting. Prices vary widely: a local shop using cheap fabrics can do a shirt for $40, while Lee Kuan Yew's favourite tailors [http://www.cyccustomshop.com CYC the Custom Shop] at the Raffles Hotel, will charge at least $120. * '''Clothes, youth''': Most of [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]] is dedicated to the young, hip and cost-conscious. Bugis St (opposite Bugis MRT) is the most popular in the Bugis area, consisting of 3 levels of shops. Some spots of [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]], notably Far East Plaza (not to be confused with Far East Shopping Centre) and the top floor of the Heeren, also target the same market but prices are generally higher. * '''Computers''': [[Singapore/Little India#Buy|Sim Lim Square]] (near Little India) is great for the hardcore geek who really knows what he's after - parts price lists are available on HardwareZone.com and are given out in Sim Lim itself, making price comparison easy. Lesser mortals (namely, those who have failed to do their price-checking homework) stand a risk of getting ripped off when purchasing, but this is generally not a problem with the price lists offered by most shops. Some Singaporeans purchase their electronic gadgets during the quarterly "IT shows" usually held at Suntec City Convention Centre or at the Expo, at which prices on gadgets are sometimes slashed (but often only to Sim Lim levels). Another possibility is to shop at [[Singapore/Riverside#Buy|Funan IT Mall]], the stores of which may be more honest on average (according to some). Do not be attracted by side gifts/sweeteners of thumbdrives, mice and so on; these only tend to hide inflated prices. * '''Consumer electronics''': Singapore used to be known for good prices, but nowadays electronics here are generally more expensive than from US and international online vendors. Funan IT Mall ([[Singapore/Riverside#Buy|Riverside]]) and Mustafa ([[Singapore/Little India#Buy|Little India]]) are good choices. ''Avoid'' the tourist-oriented shops on Orchard Road, particularly the notorious Lucky Plaza, or risk getting ripped off. Also take great care to '''be wary of shops on the 1st and 2nd levels of [[Singapore/Little India#Buy|Sim Lim Square]]''', some of which tend to rip off tourists and locals alike by overcharging by 100% or more, adding on ludicrous charges beyond what was agreed on, swapping items for used ones, leaving out cases and batteries, and a host of other practices that should be (or are) criminal. Please do your research before buying electronics from ''any'' store in Singapore; online research and multi-shop price comparison (and bargaining, occasionally) are essential. Mustafa has fixed, fair prices and is a good option, and so are Challenger and other large fixed-price retailers. For any purchases, remember that Singapore uses 230 V voltage at 50 Hz with a British-style, three-pin plug. * '''Electronic components''': For do-it-yourself people and engineers, a wide variety of electronic components and associated tools can be found at Sim Lim Tower (opposite Sim Lim Square), near [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]]. You can find most common electronic components (such as breadboards, transistors, various ICs, etc.) and bargain prices for larger quantities as well. * '''Ethnic knick-knacks''': [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] has Singapore's heaviest concentration of glow-in-the-dark Merlion soap dispensers and ethnic souvenirs, mostly but not entirely Chinese and nearly all imported from somewhere else. For Malay and Indian stuff, the best places to shop are [[Singapore/East Coast|Geylang Serai]] and [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] respectively. * '''Fabrics''': [[Singapore/Bugis|Arab Street]] and [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] have a good selection of imported and local fabrics like ''batik''. [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] does sell rather reasonable and cheap fabrics, bargaining is allowed so do know your stuff on what fabric to buy. Fabrics in Singapore may not be as cheap as overseas, for most fabrics are imported to Singapore. * '''Fakes''': Unlike most Southeast Asian countries, pirated goods are not openly on sale and importing them to the city-state carries heavy fines due to its strong stance on intellectual property (IP) protection. Fake goods are nevertheless not difficult to find in [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] or [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]]. * '''Food''': Local supermarkets Cold Storage, Prime Mart, Shop 'n' Save and NTUC Fairprice are ubiquitous, but for specialities, Jason's Marketplace in the basement of Raffles City and Tanglin Market Place at Tanglin Mall (both on [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]]) are some of Singapore's best-stocked gourmet supermarkets, with a vast array of imported products. Takashimaya's basement (Orchard) has lots of small quirky shops and makes for a more interesting browse. For a more Singaporean (and much cheaper) shopping experience, seek out any neighbourhood wet market, like [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]]'s Tekka Market. For eating out, most shopping centres offer a range of small snack stands and eateries in their basements, as well as a food court or two. * '''Games''': Video and PC games are widely available in Singapore, but prices may not be cheaper than in the West. Games sold for the local market are generally in English, though some games imported from Hong Kong or Taiwan will be in Chinese. Singapore's region code is NTSC-J (together with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.), which means that games sold may not be compatible with consoles in mainland China, North America, Europe or Australia. During the four times in a year IT Shows, PC, Xbox, Wii, PlayStation games prices may drop at such IT shows, if not the games will be bundled with others (example: buy 2 at $49.90). Search for reputable shops online and avoid Sim Lim Square's first two floors, as always. * '''Hi-fi stereos''': The Adelphi ([[Singapore/Riverside|Riverside]]) has Singapore's best selection of audiophile shops. * '''Marine sports''': Many of the shophouses opposite The Concourse on Beach Rd in [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]] sell fishing and scuba diving gear. * '''Mobile phones''': Very competitively priced in Singapore due to high consumer volume, available throughout the country both used and new. Phones are never SIM locked, so they can be used anywhere, and many shops will allow you to "trade in" an older phone to offset the cost of a new one. Do not purchase phones at Lucky Plaza, because there's a significant risk you'll be almost literally robbed, if tourist reports are anything to go by. [[Image:Peranakan TeaSet.JPG|thumb|Pretty in pink - Peranakan tea set with dragon-phoenix motif]] * '''Peranakan goods''': The ''Peranakan'', or Malay-Chinese, may be fading but their colourful clothing and artwork, especially the distinctive pastel-coloured ceramics, are still widely available. Antiques are expensive, but modern replicas are quite affordable. The largest selection and best prices can be found in [[Singapore/East Coast|Katong]] on the East Coast. * '''Sporting goods''': Queensway Shopping Centre, off Alexandra Rd and rather off the beaten track (take a taxi), seems to consist of nothing but sporting goods shops. You can also find foreigner-sized sporty clothing and shoes here. Do bargain! Expect to get 40-50% off the price from the shops in Orchard for the same items, as the items here are parallel-imported. Velocity in [[Singapore/Balestier|Novena]] is also devoted to sports goods, but is rather more upmarket. Martial arts equipment is surprisingly hard to find, although most of the clothing shops around Pagoda Street in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] sell basic silk taiji/wushu uniforms. If you plan to buy weapons such as swords, you have to apply for a permit from the police (around $10) to get your weaponry out of the country. * '''Tea''': [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]]'s Yue Hwa (2nd floor) is unbeatable for both price and variety, but Time for Tea in Lucky Plaza ([[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]]) is also a good option. English tea is also widely available around Orchard Road. For those who are looking for high-end luxury tea blends, local brand [http://www.twgtea.com/ TWG] has branches throughout the island to cater to this market. * '''Watches''': High-end watches are very competitively priced. Ngee Ann City ([[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]]) has dedicated stores from the likes of Piaget and Cartier, while Millenia Walk ([[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]]) features the Cortina Watch Espace retailing 30 brands from Audemars Piguet to Patek Philippe, as well as several other standalone shops. For purchases of over $100 per day per participating shop, you may be able to get a refund of your 7% GST if departing by air, but the process is a bit of a bureaucratic hassle. At the shop you need to ask for a tax refund cheque. Before checking in at the airport, present this cheque together with the items purchased and your passport at the GST customs counter. Get the receipt stamped there. Then proceed with check-in and go through security. After clearing departure immigration, bring the stamped cheque to the refund counter to cash it in or get the GST back on your credit card. See [https://www.customs.gov.sg/individuals/going-through-customs/departure/tourist-refund-scheme Singapore Customs] for the full scoop. ''No'' GST refund is available if you depart by land or sea. During the annual '''[https://gss.sra.org.sg/ Great Singapore Sale]''' ('''GSS'''), which is usually scheduled from late June to July, many shops reduce prices 50-80% or more. This means that locals go crazy as most of them save up for a whole year just for the sale, and so almost all shopping centres, especially those in the vicinity of Orchard Road, become very crowded on weekends. If you prefer not to shop in crowded malls, it is advisable to take advantage of the sales on weekdays when most locals are at work. === Souvenirs === Even with her young age, Singapore has a wide range of souvenirs available for tourists due to the rich multi-cultural history. While you can find Merlion Keychains, Chocolates, T-shirts & Postcards around [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] & [[Little India, Singapore|Little India]], there are plenty of unique souvenirs that are homegrown labels & represent Singapore. Fashion label [http://www.charleskeith.com/sg/ '''Charles & Keith'''] (started out as Shoe Heaven), has got you covered if you're looking for a pair of perfect shoes & has evolved into handbags & accessories. Grab the mini Singapore sling cocktail set at [http://singaporesling.com.sg/sling-products/ '''Raffles Hotel'''] and [http://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-experience/attractions-and-services/wines-and-spirits-duplex-store.html '''Changi Airport'''] for the true heritage flavour. With their luxurious gold plating technology, [http://www.risis.com/ '''RISIS'''] provides beautiful gifts like gold-plated Orchids and brooches. One of the popular snack souvenirs - Bak Kwa from [http://www.beechenghiang.com.sg/ '''Bee Cheng Hiang'''] (Smoked Barbecue Pork) is a well-loved snack by Chinese tourists, though most locals prefer the version from [http://www.limcheeguan.com.sg/ '''Lim Chee Guan'''], which has extremely long queues lasting several hours over the Chinese New Year period. [[w:Coconut_jam|Kaya]] is a savoury coconut milk, eggs, and sugar, usually spread on toast where locals consume for their breakfast. Depending on the brand, it can taste rich & sweet to having a light pandan flavour. [http://yakun.com/ Ya Kun Kaya] is readily available in their nationwide outlets and [[Singapore Changi Airport|Changi Airport]]. A must-get, Chilli crab & Laksa sauce kits from [http://www.primataste.com.sg/ '''Prima Taste'''] are also saliva-inducing souvenirs available to purchase at supermarkets. These are Halal. Bak Kut Teh (literally translated as Meat Bone Tea) Spices are also a fine choice to bring back a taste of Singapore, and one can choose from ranges like '''A1 Bak Kut Teh''' to celebrity-favourite [http://yahuabakkutteh.com/ '''Outram Park Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh''']. Speaking about Tea, Singapore also has her own luxury tea collection from [https://www.twgtea.com/ '''TWG'''] which offers an impressive selection of over&nbsp;800 teas, specially harvested&nbsp;from all around the world. Local Designers like [https://supermamastore.com/ '''SUPERMAMA'''] have also came up with Singaporean omiyage (contemporary giftware) ranging from porcelain tableware to quirky socks. Most of these souvenirs can be found in their own store outlets, Changi Airport or Singapore Souvenir curator - [https://www.sgstyle.sg '''SG Style'''], who does same-day delivery to your hotel. Independent bookstore [https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/ '''Booksactually'''] in Tiong Bahru has an in-house publishing arm Math Paper Press that publishes works by local authors. [https://cat-socrates.myshopify.com/ '''Cat Socrates'''] is another quirky bookstore that sells Singaporean literature as well as postcards, stationery and trinkets with Singaporean motifs made by local artists. ==Eat== <!-- Please add places to eat to the district pages, not here --> {{main|Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei}} {{eatpricerange|Under $10|$10-30|Over $30}} Singapore is a melting pot of cuisines from around the world, and many Singaporeans are obsessive gourmands who love to ''makan'' ("eat" in Malay). You will find quality Chinese, Malay, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Italian, French, American and other food in this city-state. Eating habits run the gamut, but most foods are eaten by '''fork and spoon''': push and cut with the fork in the left hand, and eat with the spoon in the right. Noodles and Chinese dishes typically come with chopsticks, while Malay and Indian food can be eaten by hand, but nobody will blink an eye if you ask for a fork and spoon instead. If eating by hand, always use your right hand to pick your food, as Malays and Indians traditionally use their left hand to handle dirty things. Take note of the usual [[Chinese cuisine#Etiquette|traditional Chinese etiquette]] when using chopsticks, and most importantly, ''do not'' stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. If eating in a group, serving dishes are always shared, but you'll get your own bowl of rice and soup. It's common to use your own chopsticks to pick up food from communal plates, but serving spoons can be provided on request. When eating at Western restaurants, traditional [[Europe]]an dining etiquette generally applies. Keep an eye out for the '''[http://www.singaporefoodfestival.com/ Singapore Food Festival]''', held every year in July. ===Local delicacies=== Singapore is justly famous for its food, a unique mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western elements. The following is only a brief sampler of the most popular dishes. <gallery widths="180px" heights="120px" perrow="4"> File:Chilli crab-02.jpg|A plate of chilli crab File:Food KatongLaksa.JPG|Laksa, with chilli paste and chopped laksa leaf in a spoon File:LauPaSat Satay.JPG|Satay with peanut sauce, onions and cucumber File:Durian Ice Cream Burger.JPG|An "ice cream burger", durian ice cream wrapped in bread </gallery> ====Peranakan/Nonya cuisine==== {{infobox|Culinary borrowings|Many regional terms and the odd euphemism tend to crop up in notionally English menus. A few of the more common ones: ; ''assam'' : tamarind (Malay) ; ''bee hoon'' : thin rice noodles (Hokkien 米粉) ; ''garoupa'' : grouper, a type of fish (Portuguese) ; ''gonggong'' : a type of conch (Chinese) ; ''hor fun'' : very wide, flat rice noodles (Cantonese 河粉) ; ''kangkung'' : water spinach, an aquatic vegetable (Malay) ; ''kway teow'' : flat rice noodles (Hokkien/Teochew 粿条) ; ''lengkuas'' : blue ginger (Malay) ; ''mee'' : thick egg noodles (Hokkien/Teochew 面) ; ''see hum'': blood cockles (Hokkien 血蚶) ; ''serai'' : lemon grass (Malay) ; ''sotong'' : squid/cuttlefish (Malay) ; ''spare parts'' : animal internal organs, such as liver, heart, gizzard ; ''tang hoon'' : thin, transparent starch noodles (Hokkien 冬粉)}} The most identifiable cuisine in the region is '''Peranakan''' or '''Nonya''' cuisine, born from the mixed Malay and Chinese communities of what were once the British colonies of the Straits Settlements (modern-day Singapore, [[Penang]] and [[Malacca]]). * '''Chilli crab''' is a whole crab ladled with oodles of sticky, tangy chilli sauce. It's spicy at first, but the more you eat, the better it gets. Notoriously difficult to eat, so don't wear a white shirt: just dig in with your hands and ignore the mess. The seafood restaurants of the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]] are famous for this. For a less messy but equally tasty alternative, ask for '''black pepper crab'''. * '''Kaya''' is a jam-like spread made from egg and coconut, an odd-sounding but tasty combination. Served on toast for breakfast, canonically accompanied by runny eggs and strong, sweet coffee (''kopi''). Exists in two distinctive styles; the greenish Nonya version, coloured with pandan leaf, and the brownish Hainanese version. * '''Laksa''', in particular the '''Katong laksa''' or '''laksa lemak''' style, is probably the best-known Singaporean dish: white noodles in a creamy, immensely rich coconut-based curry broth, topped with cockles or shrimp. The common style found in hawker centres is very spicy, although you can ask for less/no chilli to dial down the heat. The Katong style is much less spicy and is generally found only in Katong itself (see the '''[[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]] page'''). Despite sharing the same name, the dish bears almost no resemblance to the varieties found in neighbouring Malaysia. * '''Mee siam''' is rice flour noodles served in a sweet-sour soup (made from tamarind, dried shrimp and fermented beans), bean curd cubes, and hard boiled eggs. Though the Chinese, Malays and Indians all have their own versions, it is the Peranakan version that is most popular with Singaporeans. You will largely find this at Malay stalls. * '''Rojak''' means a mixture of everything in Malay, and there are two very different types. '''Chinese rojak''' is a salad of pineapple, white turnip, cucumber, ''tau pok'' (fried bean curd) with thin tiny slices of ''bunga kantan'' (torch ginger flower buds), tossed in shrimp paste sauce and sugar, then sprinkled with crushed peanuts. '''Indian rojak''' consists of mainly fried fritters made from flour and various pulses with cucumber and tofu, with sweet & spicy sauces. * '''Ice cream''' is just as it is in Western countries. However, in Singapore, there are various local flavours such as durian and red bean which are not available outside the region and are certainly worth a try. To impress the locals, try asking for ice cream in ''roti'' (bread). Besides these dishes, the Peranakans are also known for their ''kueh'' or snacks, which are somewhat different from the Malay versions due to stronger Chinese influences. ====Malay cuisine==== [[Image:MadamKwan NasiLemak.jpg|thumb|''Nasi lemak'' with ''sambal ikan bilis'' (curried dry anchovies), cucumber, chicken curry and an egg]] The Malays were Singapore's original inhabitants and despite now being outnumbered by the Chinese, their distinctive cuisine is popular to this day. Characterised by heavy use of spices, most Malay dishes are curries, stews or dips of one kind or another and '''nasi padang''' restaurants, offering a wide variety of these to ladle onto your rice, are very popular. * '''Mee rebus''' is a dish of egg noodles with spicy, slightly sweet gravy, a slice of hard boiled egg and lime. * '''Mee soto''' is Malay-style chicken soup, with a clear broth, shredded chicken breast and egg noodles. * '''Nasi lemak''' is the definitive Malay breakfast, consisting at its simplest of rice cooked in light coconut milk, some ''ikan bilis'' (anchovies), peanuts, a slice of cucumber and a dab of chilli on the side. A larger ''ikan kuning'' (fried fish) or chicken wing are common accompaniments. More often than not, also combined with a variety of curries and/or ''sambal'' * '''Otah/Otak''' is a type of fish cake made of minced fish (usually mackerel), coconut milk, chilli and various other spices, and grilled in a banana or coconut leaf, usually served to accompany other dishes like nasi lemak. * '''Rendang''', originally from Indonesia and occasionally dubbed "dry curry", is meat stewed for hours on end in a spicy (but rarely fiery) coconut-based curry paste until almost all water is absorbed. Beef ''rendang'' is the most common, although chicken and mutton are spotted sometimes. * '''Sambal''', originally from Javanese cuisine, is the generic term for chilli sauces of many kinds. '''Sambal belacan''' is a common condiment made by mixing chilli with the shrimp paste ''belacan'', while the popular dish '''sambal sotong''' consists of squid (''sotong'') cooked in red chilli sauce. *'''Sambal stingray''', also known as Spicy Banana Leaf Stingray and by the Malay name Ikan bakar (barbecued fish), is a Malaysian/Singaporean seafood dish. Prepared by barbecuing stingray, it is served with sambal paste atop. Sambal stingray can be easily purchased at hawker centres in both Malaysia and Singapore.The sambal paste served with the stingray is made up of spices (sometimes including belachan), Indian walnuts, and shallots. Other ingredients may include garlic, sugar, Chinese parsley, or raw peanuts. The paste is then spread on top of stingray fins,preferably fresh ones. * '''Satay''', originally from Javanese cuisine, are barbecued skewers of meat, typically chicken, mutton or beef. What separates satay from your ordinary kebab are the spices used to season the meat and the slightly spicy peanut-based dipping sauce. The ''Satay Club'' at [[Singapore/Riverside|Lau Pa Sat]] near Raffles Place is one popular location for this delicacy. Malay desserts, especially the sweet pastries and jellies (''kuih'' or ''kueh'') made largely from coconut and palm sugar (''gula melaka''), bear a distinct resemblance to those of [[Thailand]]. But in the sweltering tropical heat, try one of many concoctions made with ice instead: * '''Bubur cha-cha''' consists of cubed yam, sweet potato and sago added into coconut milk soup. This can be served warm or cold. * '''Chendol''' is made with green pea noodles, kidney beans, palm sugar and coconut milk. * '''Durian''' is not exactly a dish, but a local fruit with a distinctive odor you can smell a mile away and a sharp thorny husk. Both smell and taste defy description, but eating garlic ice cream next to an open sewer comes to mind. If you are game enough you should try it, but be warned beforehand &mdash; you will either love it or hate it. The rich creamy yellow flesh is often sold in places like Geylang and Bugis and elsewhere conveniently in pre-packaged packs, for anywhere from $1 for a small fruit all the way up to $18/kg depending on the season and type of durian. This 'king of fruits' is also made into ice cream, cakes, sweets, puddings and other decadent desserts. You're not allowed to carry durians on the MRT and buses and they're banned from many hotels. * '''Ice kachang''' literally means "ice bean" in Malay, a good clue to the two major ingredients: shaved ice and sweet red beans. However, more often than not you'll also get ''gula melaka'' (palm sugar), grass jelly, sweet corn, attap palm seeds and anything else on hand thrown in, and the whole thing is then drizzled with canned evaporated milk or coconut cream and coloured syrups. The end result tastes very interesting &mdash; and refreshing. * '''Kuih''' (or '''kueh''') refer to a plethora of steamed or baked "cakes", mostly made with coconut milk, grated coconut flesh, glutinous rice or tapioca. They are often very colourful and cut into fanciful shapes, but despite their wildly varying appearance tend to taste rather similar. * '''Pisang goreng''' is a batter-dipped and deep-fried banana. ====Chinese cuisine==== <gallery widths="180px" heights="120px" perrow="4"> File:Bak Kut Teh, Singapore.JPG|''Bak kut teh'' with rice and ''you tiao'' fritters File:Chatterbox ChickenRice.JPG|Hainanese chicken rice File:Newton HokkienMee.JPG|Fried Hokkien ''mee'' File:Food PorkRibPrawnMee.JPG|Prawn ''mee'' and pork rib soup </gallery> Chinese food as eaten in Singapore commonly originates from southern [[China]], particularly [[Fujian]], [[Guangdong]] and [[Hainan]]. While "authentic" fare is certainly available, especially in fancier restaurants, the daily fare served in hawker centres has absorbed a number of tropical touches, most notably the fairly heavy use of '''chilli''' and the Malay fermented shrimp paste '''belacan''' as condiments. Noodles can also be served not just in soup (湯 ''tang''), but also "dry" (干 ''gan''), meaning that your noodles will be served tossed with chilli and spices in one bowl, and the soup will come in a separate bowl. * '''Bak chor mee''' (肉脞面) is essentially noodles with minced pork, tossed in a chilli-based sauce with lard, ''ikan bilis'' (fried anchovies), vegetables and mushrooms. Black vinegar may also be added. * '''Bak kut teh''' (肉骨茶), lit. "pork bone tea", is a simple-sounding soup of pork ribs simmered for hours in broth until they're ready to fall off the bone. Singaporeans prefer the light and peppery Teochew style ("white"), but a few shops offer the original dark and aromatic Fujian kind ("black"). ''Bak kut teh'' is typically eaten with white rice, ''mui choy'' (pickled vegetables) and a pot of strong Chinese tea, hence the name &mdash; the broth itself doesn't contain any tea. To impress the locals, order some ''you tiao'' fritters from a nearby stall and cut them up into bite-sized chunks to dip into your soup. * '''Char kway teow''' (炒粿条) is the quintessential Singapore-style fried noodle dish, consisting of several types of noodles in thick brown sauce with strips of fishcake, Chinese sausage, a token veggie or two and either cockles and shrimp. It's cheap ($2–3/serve), filling and has nothing to do with the dish known as "Singapore fried noodles" elsewhere. (And which actually doesn't exist in Singapore.) It is fried with a type of caramelised soy sauce, thus making it somewhat sweeter than the Penang version. * '''Chee cheong fun''' (豬腸粉) is a favourite breakfast consisting of lasagna-type rice noodles rolled up and various types of fried meats including fishballs and fried tofu. The dish is usually topped with a generous amount of sauce. * '''Chwee kway''' (水粿) is a breakfast dish consisting of rice cakes topped with ''chai po'' (salted fermented turnips), usually served with some chilli sauce. * '''Fishball noodles''' (魚丸面) come in many forms, but the noodle variety most often seen is ''mee pok'', which are flat egg noodles. The noodles are tossed in chilli sauce and accompanied by a side bowl of fishballs in soup. * '''Hainanese chicken rice''' (海南鸡饭) is steamed ("white") or roasted ("red") chicken flavoured with soy sauce and sesame oil served on a bed of fragrant rice that has been cooked in chicken broth and flavoured with ginger and garlic. Accompanied by chilli sauce made from crushed fresh chillis, ginger, garlic and thick dark soy sauce as well as some cucumber and a small bowl of chicken broth. Despite its name, only the method of preparing the chicken originated in Hainan, while the method of cooking the rice was actually invented by the Hainanese immigrants in what is today Singapore and Malaysia. * '''Hokkien mee''' (福建面) is a style of soupy fried noodles in light, fragrant stock with prawns and other seafood. Oddly, it bears little resemblance to the Kuala Lumpur dish of the same name, which uses thick noodles in dark soy, or the Penang version, which is served in very spicy prawn soup. * '''Kway chap''' (粿汁) is essentially sheets made of rice flour served in a brown stock, accompanied by a plate of braised pork and pig organs (tongue, ear and intestines). * '''Mala xiangguo''' (麻辣香锅) is a stir-fry of your choice of ingredients with a powerfully spicy and numbing sauce made from chillies and [[Sichuan]] peppercorns. Start with "little spicy" (小辣 ''xiao la'') and work your way up if you dare! * '''Popiah''' (薄饼), or spring rolls, come fresh or fried. They consist of a filling of boiled turnip, fried tofu, pork, shrimp with a slew of condiments, wrapped in a thin crepe smeared with sweet dark soy sauce and eaten like a fajita. They are related to the ''lumpia'' and ''runbing'' of other Chinese communities in Asia. * '''Prawn noodles''' (虾面, ''hae mee'' in Hokkien) is a dark-brown prawn broth served with egg noodles and a giant tiger prawn or two on top. Some stalls serve it with boiled pork ribs as well. The best versions are highly addictive and will leave you slurping up the last MSG-laden (probably from the shrimp heads) drops. * '''Satay bee hoon''' is rice vermicelli (''bee hoon'') served with the same peanut and chilli sauce used for ''satay'', hence the name. Usually cockles, dried squid and pork slices are added. * '''Steamboat''' (火锅), also known as '''hot pot''', is do-it-yourself soup Chinese style. You get a pot of broth bubbling on a tabletop burner, pick meat, fish and veggies to your liking from a menu or buffet table, then cook it to your liking. When finished, add in noodles or ask for rice to fill you up. This usually requires a minimum of two people, and the more the merrier. * '''Tau huay''' (豆花), also known as '''beancurd''', is probably the most common traditional Chinese dessert, a bowl of tofu curds in syrup, served either hot or cold. An innovation that has swept the island is a delicious custard-like version ("soft tau huay") which includes no syrup and is extremely soft despite being solid. * '''Wonton mee''' (云吞面) is thin noodles topped with ''wantan'' dumplings of seasoned minced pork. Unlike the soupy Hong Kong version, it is usually served 'dry' in soy sauce and chilli. * '''Yong tau foo''' (酿豆腐) literally means "stuffed tofu", but it's more exciting than it sounds. The diner selects their favourites from a vast assortment of tofu, fish paste, assorted seafood and vegetables, and they are then sliced into bite-size pieces, cooked briefly in boiling water and then served either in broth as soup or "dry" with the broth in a separate bowl. The dish can be eaten by itself or with any choice of noodles. Essential accompaniments are spicy chili sauce and sweet sauce for dipping. ====Indian cuisine==== The smallest of Singapore's big three ethnic groups, Indians have had proportionally the smallest impact on the local culinary scene, but there is no shortage of Indian food even at many hawker centres. Delicious and authentic Indian food can be had at Little India, including south Indian typical meals such as ''dosa'' (''thosai'') crepes, ''idli'' lentil-rice cakes and ''sambar'' soup, as well as north Indian meals including various curries, ''naan'' bread, ''chapati'', tandoori chicken and more. In addition, however, a number of Indian dishes have been "Singaporeanised" and adopted by the entire population, including: * '''Fish head curry''' is, true to the name, a gigantic curried fish head cooked whole until it's ready to fall apart. Singapore's [[Singapore/Little India#Eat|Little India]] is the place to sample this. There are two styles: the fiery Indian and the milder Chinese kind. * '''Nasi briyani''' is rice cooked in turmeric, which gives the rice an orange colour. Unlike the Hyderabadi original, it's usually rather bland, although specialist shops do turn out more flavourful versions. It is usually served with curry chicken and some Indian crackers. * '''Roti prata''' is the local version of ''paratha'', flat bread tossed in the air like pizza, repeatedly folded like phyllo pastry, rapidly pan-fried, and eaten dipped in curry. Modern-day variations can incorporate unorthodox ingredients like cheese, chocolate and even ice cream, but some canonical versions include ''roti kosong'' (plain), ''roti telur'' (with egg) and ''murtabak'' (layered with chicken, mutton or fish). Vegans beware: unlike Indian ''roti'', roti prata batter is usually made with eggs. * '''Putu mayam''' is a sweet dessert composed of vermicelli-like noodles topped with shredded coconut and orange sugar. <gallery> File:Fish Head Curry at Banana Leaf Apolo.jpg|Fish Head Curry File:Roti Prata Curry Large.JPG|''Roti prata'' (left) and ''roti telur'' (centre) with a side order of chicken curry File:Mutton Biryani, Singapore.jpg|Nasi biryani </gallery> ===Hawker centres=== {{infobox|Social welfare Singapore style|One thing notably absent from Singaporean cheap eateries is any form of napkins or tissues. The solution to the mystery is in Singapore's lack of government welfare: instead, every hawker centre has a resident invalid or two, who make a living by selling tissues ($1 for a few packets).}} [[File:Hawker_Center,_Singapore.jpg|thumb|A typical hawker centre]] The cheapest and most popular places to eat in Singapore are '''hawker centres''', essentially former pushcart vendors directed into giant complexes by government fiat. Prices are low ($3–5 for most dishes), hygiene standards are high (every stall is required to prominently display a hygiene certificate grading it from A to D) and the food can be excellent. Ambience tends to be a little lacking though and there is no air-conditioning either, but a visit to a hawker centre is a must when in Singapore, if you wish to experience authentic local food culture in the heartlands themselves. However, be leery of overzealous pushers-cum-salesmen, especially at the Satay Club in Lau Pa Sat and Newton Food Centre at Newton Circus: the tastiest stalls don't need high-pressure tactics to find customers. Touting for business is illegal, and occasionally a reminder of this can result in people backing off a bit. {{infobox|Cash only|Hawkers and coffeeshops are among the few places you may visit where '''credit cards are not accepted'''. Ask before you order, and be prepared to pay cash or do without.}} Hawker centres are built for volume and ordering from a popular hawker speaking in rapid-fire Singlish can be confusing. First stake out your territory by ''choping'' (reserve) a space by parking a friend at the table, or do what the locals do: place a packet of tissue paper on the table. If ordering from a stall ''not'' marked "self-service", note down the table number so they can deliver. The best places always have queues, so line up, and once asked place your order by stating the dish and portion size you want: "Fishball noodles, four dollars." Expect to get some or all of the following questions: * ''"Have here or take away?"'' Reply "have here" to eat in, or any of "take away", "packet" or ''ta pao'' (打包) to take away. * ''"Container?"'' If doing takeaway, some stalls will offer a choice between a free plastic bag (impractical unless you have a bowl/plate to eat out of) or a styrofoam box (around 20 cents extra). Disposable utensils are always included. * ''"Soup or dry?"'' Many noodle dishes are available either "dry" (干 ''kan''), with broth on the side, or "soup" (汤 ''tang''), mixed with broth. * ''"What noodle?"'' Any self-respecting noodle stall has at least four types on offer, ranging from yellow ''mee'' (thick wheat noodles) to ''bee hoon'' (thin rice vermicelli). Point and choose from the glass cabinet. * ''"Chilli?"'' If you say yes, the often fiery ''sambal'' paste will be mixed in, so it may be safer to opt out and add your chillies by yourself from the sauce on the counter. Once you are finished, drop your tray off in the tray return rack; this being Singapore, you may be fined up to $300 if you don't. Every district in Singapore has its own hawker centres and prices decrease as you move out into the boonies. For tourists, centrally located '''Newton Circus''' near ([[Singapore/Balestier|Newton MRT]] Exit B), '''Gluttons Bay''' (near Esplanade MRT Exit D) and '''Lau Pa Sat''' (near Raffles Place MRT Exit I, the [[Singapore/Riverside|River]]), are the most popular options &mdash; but this does not make them the cheapest or the tastiest, and the demanding gourmand would do well to head to [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] or the heartlands instead. A dizzying array of food stalls with a large South Indian representation can be found in the bustling '''Tekka Centre''' at the edge of [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]]. Many of the best food stalls are in residential districts off the tourist trail and do not advertise in the media, so the best way to find them is to ask locals for their recommendations. Good examples closer to the city centre include '''[[Singapore/East Coast#Eat|Old Airport Road Food Centre]]''' (near Dakota MRT Exit B) and '''Tiong Bahru Market''' (near Tiong Bahru MRT), both of which are sprawling and home to a number of much-loved stalls. ===Coffee shops and bubble tea=== {{infobox|Coffee, see and tea, oh!|Coffee and tea in hawker centres and ''kopitiam'' goes for around a dollar a cup, a steep discount on Starbucks prices, but you'll need to learn the lingo to get what you want. If you order just ''kopi'' (the Malay word for "coffee") or ''teh'' (Hokkien for "tea") in Singapore, it will definitely be served with a heaped spoonful of sugar, and more often than not with a squirt of sweet condensed milk. ''Kopi-C'' or ''teh-C'' substitutes unsweetened evaporated milk, while ''kopi-O'' or ''teh-O'' makes sure it's served with no milk. To get rid of the sugar, you need to ask for it ''kosong'' ("plain"), but if you want a plain black cup of coffee, you need to ask for ''kopi-O kosong''. If you want your drink cold, just add a ''peng'' to the end of the drink name, eg. ''kopi-O-peng'', ''teh-peng'', ''teh-C-peng'', ''Milo-peng'' etc. and it will be served with ice.}} Despite the name, coffee shops or ''kopitiam'' sell much more than coffee &mdash; they are effectively mini-hawker centres with perhaps only half a dozen stalls (one of which will, however, sell coffee and other drinks). The Singaporean equivalent of pubs, this is where folks come for the canonical Singaporean breakfast of ''kopi'' (strong, sugary coffee), some ''kaya'' (egg-coconut jam) toast and runny eggs, and this is also where they come to down a beer or two and chat away in the evenings. English proficiency can sometimes be limited, but most stall owners know enough to communicate the basics, and even if they don't, nearby locals will usually help you out if you ask. Many coffee shops offer ''zi char/cze cha'' (煮炒) for dinner, meaning a menu of local dishes, mostly Chinese-style seafood, served at your table at mid-range prices. The usual Starbucks and other local cafe chains such as Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf can be found in any shopping mall but an iced coffee or tea can set you back $5 or more, whereas a ''teh tarik'' ("pulled" milky tea) or ''kopi'' coffee runs closer to $1 at any hawker centre. While exploring, you're also likely to come across a good number of independent cafes offering gourmet coffee, pastries and cakes, which have mushroomed across the city centre over the last decade. Last but not least, the Taiwanese invention of '''bubble tea''' (aka boba tea, pearl tea) has taken Singapore by storm and every self-respecting shopping mall has numerous outlets hawking variants of sugary, milky tea with chewy tapioca pearls, jazzed up with increasingly inventive ingredients ranging from cream cheese foam to smoky, intense black sugar syrup. [https://royaltgroup.com/our-brands/liho.html Liho] and [https://www.koithe.com/en Koi] are the largest chains. ===Food courts=== [[Image:Kueh tutu seller at a Food Republic food court in Singapore.jpg|thumb|''Food Republic'' retro theme food court, [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]]]] Found in the basement or top floor of nearly every shopping mall, food courts are the air-conditioned version of hawker centres. The variety of food on offer is almost identical, but prices are on average $1–3 higher than prices in hawker centres and coffee shops (depending on the area, it is slightly more expensive in tourist intensive areas) and the quality of food is good but not necessarily value-for-money. ===Fast food=== International fast food chains like McDonald's, Carl's Jr., Burger King, KFC, MOS Burger, Dairy Queen, Orange Julius, Subway etc. are commonly found in various shopping malls. Prices range from $2 for a basic burger to upwards of $5 for a set meal. All restaurants are self-service and clearing your table after your meal is optional. In addition to the usual suspects, look out for these uniquely Singaporean brands: * {{listing | name=Bengawan Solo | alt= | url=http://bengawansolo.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Singapore version of Indonesian cakes, Chinese pastries and everything in between. The name is taken from the name of a famous river in Java. }} * {{listing | name=BreadTalk | url=http://www.breadtalk.com.sg | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This self-proclaimed "designer bread" chain has taken not just Singapore but much of South-East Asia by storm. Everything is jazzily shaped, funkily named (e.g. ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Bacon'') and baked on premises. To the Western palate, almost everything is rather sweet. }} * {{listing | name=Jollibean | url=http://www.jollibean.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fresh soy drinks, beancurd and tasty ''mee chiang kueh'' Chinese pancakes. }} * {{listing | name=Killiney Kopitiam | url=http://www.killiney-kopitiam.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves kaya toast, kopi and ginger tea (with ice or without); waiters at the original Somerset location shout your order towards the back with gusto. }} * {{listing | name=Mr Bean | url=http://www.mrbean.com.sg | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Offers a variety of soya bean drinks, ice-creams and pastries snacks. }} * {{listing | name=Old Chang Kee | url=http://www.oldchangkee.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Famous for their curry puffs, but their range now covers anything and everything deep-fried. Take-away only. }} * {{listing | name=Ya Kun Kaya Toast | url=http://www.yakun.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Serves the classic Singaporean breakfast all day long: kaya toast, runny eggs and strong, sweet coffee (plus some other drinks). Arguably one of the more successful chains with branches as far away as South Korea and Japan. }} ===Restaurants=== {{infobox|Kee-ping up with the Lims|Ever wonder why every other Chinese hawker stall and restaurant in Singapore has a name that ends in ''Kee''? The answer is simple: the character ''kee'' (记) is Chinese for "brand" or "mark", and is used much like the trademark symbol in the West. A name like ''Yan Kee'' thus means "run by the Yan family", and should not be taken as a political statement.}} Singapore offers a wide variety of full-service restaurants as well, catering to every taste and budget. As the majority of Singapore's population is ethnic Chinese, there is an abundance of Chinese restaurants in Singapore, mainly serving southern Chinese (mostly Hokkien, Teochew, or Cantonese) cuisines, though with the large number of expatriates and foreign workers from China these days, cuisine originating from Shanghai and further north is also not hard to find. True local Chinese restaurants generally serve dishes little seen in Chinese restaurants internationally and in Mainland China, due to the combination of their southern Chinese roots and local influences. Depending on where you go and what you order, prices can vary greatly. In ordinary restaurants, prices usually range from $15 ~ $35 per person, while in top-end restaurants in luxury hotels, meals can cost $300 per person when they involve delicacies such as abalone, suckling pig and lobster. As with Chinese restaurants anywhere, food is eaten with chopsticks and served with Chinese tea. Being a maritime city, one common speciality is '''seafood restaurants''', offering Chinese-influenced Singaporean classics like '''chilli crabs'''. These are much more fun to visit in a group, but be careful about what you order: gourmet items like Sri Lankan giant crab can easily push your bill up to hundreds of dollars. Menus typically say "market price", and if you ask they'll quote you the price per 100g, but a big crab can easily top 2kg. The best-known seafood spots are clustered on the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]], but for ambience, the riverside restaurants at [[Singapore/Riverside|Boat Quay and Clarke Quay]] can't be beat. Again, always enquire about the prices when they aren't stated in full, and be wary of touts. Singapore also has its share of good Western restaurants, with British- and American-influenced food being a clear favourite among locals. Most of the more affordable chains can be found in various shopping centres throughout the island, and prices for main courses range from $14 ~ 22. A uniquely Singaporean variant is '''Hainanese Western food''', which traces its origins to the Hainanese migrants who worked as cooks for European employers during the colonial period, and most hawker centres will have a Western stall or two selling dishes like "chicken cutlet" (deep-fried breaded chicken) with baked beans, coleslaw and chips, usually for under $10. French, Italian, Japanese and Korean food is also readily available, though prices tend to be on the expensive side, while Thai and Indonesian restaurants tend to be more affordable. One British import much loved by Singaporeans is '''high tea'''. In the classical form, as served up by finer hotels across the island, this is a light afternoon meal consisting of tea and a wide array of British-style savoury snacks and sweet pastries like finger sandwiches and scones. However, the term is increasingly used for afternoon buffets of any kind, and Chinese ''dim sum'' and various Singaporean dishes are common additions. Prices vary, but you'll usually be looking at $35–80 per head. Many restaurants only serve high tea on weekends, and hours may be very limited: the famous spread at the Raffles Hotel's Tiffin Room, for example, is only available from 3:30-5PM. Singaporeans are big on '''buffets''', especially international buffets offering a wide variety of dishes including Western, Chinese and Japanese as well as some local dishes at a fixed price. Popular chains include '''Sakura''' and '''[http://www.viennabuffet.com/ Vienna]'''. Most hotels also offer lunch and dinner buffets. '''Champagne brunches''' on Sundays are particularly popular, but you can expect to pay over $100 per head and popular spots, like Mezza9 at the Hyatt on [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard]], will require reservations. Some restaurants put small side dishes (usually braised peanuts or prawn crackers) and wet paper towels on the table without asking. You will be charged a dollar or two for them unless you ask to take them away. ====Fine dining==== Singapore has no fewer than 44 [https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/ Michelin]-starred restaurants, ranging from French degustations at 3-star Odette in the National Gallery to the eponymous $5 bowl at Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. The opening of the two casinos in [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]] and [[Singapore/Sentosa|Sentosa]] has led to several of the world's top chefs opening local branches of their restaurants, including Santi, Waku Ghin and Guy Savoy. Prices are generally what you would expect for eating at a fine dining restaurant in the West, with $400+ per person not unheard of for a tasting menu with drinks. ===Dietary restrictions=== Singapore is an easy place to eat for almost everybody. Some Indians and small groups of Chinese Buddhists are '''vegetarian''', so Indian stalls may have a number of veggie options and some hawker centres will have a Chinese vegetarian stall or two, often serving up amazing meat imitations made from gluten. Chinese vegetarian food traditionally does not use eggs or dairy products and is thus almost always '''vegan'''; Indian vegetarian food, however, often employs cheese and other milk products. Be on your guard in ordinary Chinese restaurants though, as even dishes that appear vegetarian on the menu may contain seafood products like oyster sauce or salted fish &mdash; check with the waiter if in doubt. Some restaurants can be found that use "no garlic, no onions". Muslims should look out for '''halal''' certificates issued by MUIS, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. This is found at practically every Malay stall and many Indian Muslim operations too, but more rarely on outlets run by the Chinese, few of whom are Muslims. However, there are a few halal food courts around, which are an excellent choice for safely sampling halal Chinese food. Many Western fast-food chains in Singapore use halal meat: look for a certificate around the ordering area, or ask a manager if in doubt. A few restaurants skimp on the formal certification and simply put up "no pork, no lard" signs; it's your call if this is good enough for you. Kosher-observant Jews, on the other hand, will have a harder time as '''kosher''' food is nearly unknown in Singapore, though there is a single kosher grocery store and restaurant in the '''Maghain Aboth Synagogue''' on Waterloo Street, as well as a kosher branch of Coffee Bean nearby; check with the [http://www.singaporejews.com/ Jewish Welfare Board] for details. '''Coeliac disease''' is relatively unheard of in Singapore, so don't expect to find information on menus about whether dishes contain gluten or not. A few exceptions to this include '''[http://www.cedeledepot.com/ Cedele]''' and '''[http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/ Jones the Grocer]'''. Gluten awareness is spreading in Singapore as well, and many upmarket restaurants will have internationally trained chefs who can cater to your needs. Gluten-free products are available in most '''[http://www.coldstorage.com.sg/ Cold Storage]''' and Marketplace supermarkets, as well as specialist shops such as '''[http://www.mybrp.com.sg/ Brown Rice Paradise]'''. You can also treat yourself to many naturally gluten-free regional specialities, such as '''Hainanese chicken rice''' (be sure to ask for chicken without sauce) and '''Masala dosa'''. ==Drink== <!-- Please add places to drink to the district pages, not here. --> [[Image:ClarkeQuay Purple.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|Clarke Quay by night]] Singapore's nightlife isn't quite a match for [[Bangkok/Patpong|Patpong]], but it's no slouch either. Some clubs have 24 hr licences and few places close before 3AM. Any artists touring Asia are pretty much guaranteed to stop in Singapore, with superclub '''Zouk''' in particular regularly clocking high on lists of the world's best nightclubs. Singapore's nightlife is largely concentrated along the '''three Quays''' &mdash; Boat, Clarke and Robertson &mdash; of the [[Singapore/Riverside|Riverside]], with the clubs of [[Sentosa]] giving party animals even more reason to dance the night away and the casino on [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]] also entering the fray. Fancy cocktail bars cluster near the aptly named '''Club St''' near the [[Singapore/Riverside|CBD]] and '''Keong Saik''' in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]], which is also where you'll find Singapore's gay bars. The legal drinking age is 18, and while this is surprisingly loosely enforced, some clubs have higher age limits. If you are asked for identification, the only acceptable forms of identification are a Singapore-issued identity card or a passport. Friday is generally the biggest night of the week for going out, with Saturday a close second. Sunday is gay night in many bars and clubs, while Wednesday or Thursday is ladies' night, often meaning not just free entrance but free drinks for women. Most clubs are closed on Monday and Tuesday, while bars generally stay open but tend to be very quiet. For a night out Singapore style, gather a group of friends and head for the nearest '''karaoke box''' &mdash; major chains include '''[http://www.partyworldktv.com.sg/ Party World]'''. Room rental ranges from $30/hour and up. Beware that the non-chain, glitzy (or dodgy) looking, neon-covered '''KTV lounges''' may charge much higher rates and the short-skirted hostesses may offer more services than just pouring your drinks. In Singapore, the pronunciation of karaoke follows the Japanese "''karah-oh-kay''" instead of the Western "''carry-oh-key''". ===Alcohol=== [[Image:Singapore Sling.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|The original Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel]] Alcohol is widely available but expensive due to Singapore's heavy sin taxes. On the other hand, tax-free at Changi Airport has some of the best prices in the world. You can bring in up to one litre of liquor and two litres of wine and beer if you arrive from countries other than Malaysia. Careful shopping at major supermarkets will also throw up common basic Australian wine labels for under $20. Public drunkenness is socially frowned upon in Singapore, and misbehaving under the influence of alcohol will certainly not gain you any respect from Singaporean friends. Do not allow any confrontations to escalate into fights, as the police will be called in, and you may face prison and possibly caning. Many Singaporeans, including most but by no means all Muslims, abstain from alcohol entirely. Public drinking is heavily restricted between 10:30PM and 7AM, while additional restrictions exist in [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] and Geylang that prohibit public drinking during weekends and holidays. While most bars, nightclubs and restaurants are exceptions to this rule, this means that supermarkets and liquor stores will not be able to sell alcohol during that period. Prices when drinking out vary. You can enjoy a large bottle of beer of your choice at a coffee shop or hawker centre for less than $6 (and the local colour comes thrown in for free). On the other hand, drinks in any bar, club or fancy restaurant remain pricey, with a basic drink clocking in at $10–15 while fancy cocktails would usually be in the $15–25 range. On the upside, happy hours and two-for-one promotions are common, and the entry price for clubs usually includes several drink tickets. Almost all restaurants in Singapore allow '''bringing your own''' (BYO) wine and cheaper restaurants without a wine menu usually don't even charge corkage, although in these places you'll need to bring your own bottle opener and glasses. Fancier places charge $20–50, although many offer free corkage days on Monday or Tuesday. Tourists flock to the Long Bar in the [[Singapore/Riverside#Drink|Raffles Hotel]] to sample the original '''Singapore Sling''', a sickly sweet pink mix of pineapple juice, gin and more, but locals (almost) never touch the stuff. The tipple of choice in Singapore is the local beer, '''Tiger''', a refreshing if unexciting lager, but a microbrewery boom has led to outlets such as '''Archipelago''' (Boat Quay), '''Brewerkz''' (Riverside Point), '''Paulaner Brauhaus''' (Millenia Walk) and '''Pump Room''' (Clarke Quay) offering interesting alternatives. ===Tobacco=== Tobacco is heavily taxed, and you are not allowed to bring more than '''one opened pack''' (not carton, but a single pack!) of cigarettes into the country. The legal smoking age is 21, and shops selling cigarettes may ask for identification before selling you some. This is particularly strictly enforced on the land borders with [[Malaysia]], where all baggage is regularly X-rayed. Most public places including hawker centres have restrictions on smoking, and it is prohibited in public transport as well. There is a total ban on smoking in all air-conditioned places (including pubs and discos), and strict limitations on where you can smoke outside as well (e.g.,within 5 metres of bus stops and building entrances, parks, covered walkways and shelters, playgrounds and all except the designated sections of hawker centres are off limits). The designated zone should be marked with a yellow outline, and may have a sign reading "smoking zone". The list of places where smoking is prohibited and the (much shorter) list of where it is allowed is published on a [http://www.nea.gov.sg/public-health/smoking government website]. Shisha and e-cigarettes (vaping) are ''illegal'' in Singapore. ===Prostitution=== Prostitution is tolerated in six designated districts, most notably [[Singapore/East Coast#Drink|Geylang]], which &mdash; not coincidentally &mdash; also offers some of the cheapest lodging and best food in the city. While the age of consent in Singapore is 16, a higher minimum age of 18 applies to prostitutes. The industry maintains a low profile (no go-go bars here) and is not a tourist attraction by any stretch of the word. Legally practising commercial sex workers are required to register with the authorities and attend special clinics for regular sexually transmitted disease screening. However, please be prudent and practice safe sex—although most legally practising sex workers will insist on it anyway. Orchard Towers, on [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Road]], continues to live up to its reputation as the "four floor of whores", despite occasional crackdowns by the authorities. Beware that the prostitutes working here are usually ''not'' registered, and the risk of theft and STDs is significantly higher. ==Sleep== {{SeeDistricts}} {{cautionbox|Short-term home or room rentals (of 6 months or less) such as provided by platforms such as Airbnb are '''illegal''' in Singapore. Curiously, advertising rooms or houses on such platforms is not illegal, and therefore don't be surprised to find listings for Singapore on Airbnb. The enforcement of the law has been lenient so far, but immediate action will be taken if there is any complaint by the neighbours. In case this happens, you will not face any adverse consequences other than having to find another place to stay in a hurry, but your host may be subject to legal action.}} {{sleeppricerange|Under $100|$100-300|Over $300}} <!-- Please add places to sleep to the district pages, NOT here --> Accommodation in Singapore is expensive by South-East Asian standards. Particularly in the higher price brackets, demand outstrips supply and during big events like the F1 race or some of the larger conventions it's not uncommon for pretty much everything to sell out. Lower-end hotels and hostels, though, remain affordable and available throughout the year. Unless you're a shopping maven intent on maximizing time in [[Singapore/Orchard#Sleep|Orchard Road]]'s shopping malls, the [[Singapore/Riverside#Sleep|Riverside]] is probably the best place to stay in Singapore. GST and Service charge are generally not included in the advertised rates. Therefore, when considering how much to allocate for accommodation, don't forget to add 17.7% . ===Budget=== <!--Please add places to sleep to the district pages, not here--> [[Hostels|Backpackers' hostels]] can be found primarily in [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]], [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]], [[Singapore/Riverside|Clarke Quay]] and the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]]. Backpacker hostels cost from $12–40 for a dorm bed. There seems to be a bedbug epidemic among many of the very cheapest hostels - read the reviews carefully before booking. Cheap hotels are clustered in the [[Singapore/East Coast|Geylang]], [[Singapore/Balestier|Balestier]] and [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] districts, where they service mostly the type of customer who rents rooms by the hour. Rooms are generally small and not fancy, but are still clean and provide basic facilities such as a bathroom and television. Prices start as low as $15 for a "transit" of a few hours and $40 for a full night's stay. The two major local chains, with hotels throughout the island, are: * {{listing | name=Fragrance Hotel | url=http://www.fragrancehotel.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6345 6116 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chain of 13 hotels and one backpackers' hostel. Rooms from $58, discounts on weekends and for ISIC holders. }} * {{listing | name=Hotel 81 | url=http://www.hotel81.com.sg | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6767 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A chain of over 20 functional hotels with rates starting at $49 for two. }} ===Mid-range=== Much of Singapore's mid-range accommodation is in rather featureless but functional older hotels, with a notable cluster near the western end of the [[Singapore/Riverside|Singapore River]]. There has, however, been a surge of "boutique" hotels in renovated shophouses here and in [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]], these can be pretty good value, with rates starting from $100/night. ===Splurge=== [[Image:Hotel Raffles in Singapore.JPG|thumb|Raffles Hotel]] Singapore has an extensive selection of luxury accommodation, including the famed '''Raffles Hotel'''. You will generally be looking at upwards of $300 per night for a room in a five-star hotel, which is still a pretty good deal by most standards. Hotel rates fluctuate quite a bit: a large conference can double prices, while on weekends in the off-peak season heavy discounts are often available. The largest hotel clusters can be found at [[Singapore/Marina Bay|Marina Bay]] (good for sightseeing) and around [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Road]] (good for shopping). Being spoilt for choice in the lion city as far as luxurious accommodation is concerned is quite an understatement. ===Long-term=== Housing in Singapore is expensive, as the high population density and sheer scarcity of land drives real estate prices through the roof. As a result, you would generally be looking at rentals on par with the likes of [[New York City|New York]] and [[London]]. Apartment hotels in Singapore include '''[http://www.the-ascott.com Ascott]''', which also operates under the '''Somerset''' and '''Citadines''' brands, and the many tentacles of '''[https://www.fareasthospitality.com/ Far East Hospitality]''', which has both regular hotels and serviced apartments. Prices are competitive with hotels but quite expensive compared to apartments. Renting an apartment in Singapore will generally require a working visa. While over 80% of Singaporeans live in government-subsidised '''Housing Development Board''' (HDB) flats, their availability to foreigners is limited, although [http://www.jtc.gov.sg/ JTC's SHiFT] scheme makes some available with monthly rents in the $1,700–2,800 range. Most expats, however, turn to private housing blocks known as '''condos''', where an average three-bedroom apartment will cost you anything from $3,200 per month for an older apartment in the suburbs to $20,000 for a top-of-the-line deluxe one on Orchard Road. Most condos have facilities like pools, gyms, tennis court, car park and 24 hr security. As the supply of studio and one-bedroom apartments is very limited, most people on a budget share an apartment with friends or colleagues, or just sublet a single room. Landed houses, known as '''bungalows''', are incredibly expensive near the city centre (rents are commonly tens of thousands) but can drop if you're willing to settle outside the city centre &mdash; and remember that you can drive across the country in 30 minutes. One or two-month security deposits are standard practice and for monthly rents of under $3,000 you need to pay the agent a commission of 2 weeks per year of lease. Leases are usually for two years, with a "diplomatic clause" that allows you to terminate after 1 year. [http://www.singaporeexpats.com/ Singapore Expats] is the largest real estate agency geared for expats and their free classifieds are a popular choice for hunting for rooms or apartment-mates. You might also want to check the classified ads in the local newspapers. ==Learn== Singapore's universities are generally well-regarded and draw exchange students from near and far. * {{do | name=National University of Singapore (NUS) | url=http://www.nus.edu.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Singapore's oldest university, strong in law, medicine, computing and science. One of the premier universities in Asia. }} * {{do | name=Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | url=http://www.ntu.edu.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The second university in this island state, more geared towards engineering, media and business studies. Host for the Youth Olympics 2010 }} * {{do | name=Singapore Management University (SMU) | url=http://www.smu.edu.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The third, and the only publicly-funded private university in Singapore. Geared towards finance and business. }} * {{do | name=Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) | url=http://www.sutd.edu.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The fourth autonomous university in Singapore, established in collaboration with MIT. Teaches engineering and architecture with a special focus on design. }} * {{do | name=Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) |alt=| url=http://www.unisim.edu.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2017-04-04| content= Previously known as Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) Singapore's private university with a number of international degree courses. The school offers a wide range of first degrees, from the arts to business to technology studies. As of 17 March 2017, SUSS is restructuring to become Singapore's newest autonomous university. }} A number of foreign universities, business schools and specialised institutes have also set up their Asian campuses in Singapore. * {{do | name=SP Jain School of Global Management (SPJ) | url=http://www.spjain.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International campus of the business school in [[Mumbai]]. }} * {{do | name=INSEAD | url=http://campuses.insead.edu/asia/facilities/directions.cfm | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Asian campus of European business school, INSEAD. }} * {{do | name=University of Chicago Booth School of Business | url=http://www.chicagobooth.edu/visit/singapore/index.aspx | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Asian campus of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, offering one of the most expensive MBAs in the world. }} * {{do | name=DigiPen Institute of Technology | url=http://www.digipen.edu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Asian campus of the DigiPen Institute of Technology, [[Redmond (Washington)|Redmond]], [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. }} * {{do | name=ESSEC | url=http://www.essec.edu/en/essec-asia-pacific-en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International campus of the business school in [[Paris]]. }} ===Cooking=== * {{listing | name=at-Sunrice | url=https://www.at-sunrice.com/news-and-events/spiceodyssey/ | email= | address=Fort Canning Park | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6336 3307 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A professional cooking academy that also does day classes for the public. The crowd-pleaser is the "Spice Garden Walk" ($40) at Fort Canning, where a chef introduces you to local herbs and spices and their uses in cuisine and medicine, and then guides you in the fine art of making your own curry paste. Reservations essential. }} * {{listing | name=Cookery Magic | url=http://www.cookerymagic.com/ | email=info@cookerymagic.com | address=179 Haig Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6348 9667 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $65 | content=Cooking classes in an old colonial black-and-white home, with themes varying by day and cuisines from all over the continent. 8 students maximum. }} * {{listing | name=Palate Sensations | url=http://www.palatesensations.com/ | email=info@palatesensations.com | address=1 Westbourne Road #03-05 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6479 9025 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $100 | content=Hands-on cooking classes in both European and Asian styles, held in a colonial black and white bungalow in rural western Singapore. 12 students maximum. }} *{{listing | name=D'Open Kitchen | url=https://www.dopenkitchen.com.sg/ | email=info@dopenkitchen.com | address=Anson Rd, 10 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 82286217 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $80 | content=Cooking team building classes. Market tours, virtual cooking and baking classes. |alt=|wikidata=|lastedit=2021-01-06}} ==Work== As one of the most vibrant economies in South-east Asia, supported by a highly-educated population of locals and expats from every corner of the world and some of the lowest personal and corporate income tax rates in the world, Singapore is a natural choice for multinational companies who wish to have a presence in the region and has many employment opportunities for skilled workers. However, you must have a '''work permit''' (WP) or an '''employment pass''' (EP) to work in Singapore. In practice, receiving either requires that you have a firm job offer and the sponsoring company applies on your behalf. There is also a '''[http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-holiday-programme Working Holiday Programme]''' for recent university graduates who want to live in Singapore for up to 6 months. '''Work permits''' are mostly intended for menial, low-skilled labourers. To be eligible for an '''employment pass''', you will generally need to have a minimum salary of at least $4,500 per month and hold at least a bachelor's degree from a reasonably reputable university. There is also an intermediate known as the '''S pass''', which is usually granted to mid-skilled workers who have been promoted to positions of junior leadership such as a work site supervisor, and would require you to have a minimum salary of at least $2,500 per month as well as your employer's recommendation. '''Employment pass''' and '''S pass''' holders with a monthly salary of at least $6,000 are allowed to bring in their family members on a dependent pass. If your employment is terminated, you will get a social visit pass (a visitors visa with no employment rights) which allows you to stay for 30 days. You can look for another job during this time, but don't overstay your visa, and do not think about working without the right papers; this will result in a short stay in the local prison, with added fines, possibly caning, certain deportation and being banned from re-entering. In addition, your employer will also face hefty fines and imprisonment. For more information, contact the [http://www.mom.gov.sg/ Ministry of Manpower]. Once you have been legally working in Singapore for a few years on an EP/S-Pass, applying for '''permanent residence''' (PR) is fairly straightforward, although these are no longer handed out like candy. If granted &mdash; and the rule of thumb is, the higher your salary, the more likely you are to get it &mdash; you can stay in Singapore indefinitely (as long as you can show some income every 5 years) and can change jobs freely. Work permit holders are generally not eligible to apply for permanent residency. The government is also highly supportive of entrepreneurship in the country, offering a 3-year tax exemption on profit for new companies (for the first S$100,000) and having one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world at 17% a year. Even the company incorporation process is done entirely online these days and can be completed as quickly as within one day. In addition, there are various governmental schemes which allow foreigners to obtain enterpreneur visas or even permanent residency by investing large sums of money in local businesses. ==Stay safe== {{warningbox|Singapore treats '''drug offences''' ''extremely'' severely. The '''''death penalty'' is mandatory''' for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15&nbsp;g of heroin, 30&nbsp;g of morphine, 30&nbsp;g of cocaine, 500&nbsp;g of cannabis, 200&nbsp;g of cannabis resin and 1.2&nbsp;kg of opium, and possession of these quantities is all that is needed for you to be convicted. Unauthorised consumption can result in up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $20,000, or both. You can be charged for unauthorised consumption as long as traces of illicit drugs are found in your system, even if you can prove that they were consumed outside the country, and you can be charged for trafficking as long as drugs are found in bags that are in your possession or in your room, even if they aren't yours and regardless of whether you're aware of them. In case if you are arrested for drug trafficking, try your best to cooperate with law enforcement, as the prosecution may advise the court not to sentence drug traffickers to death penalty should defendants have substantively assisted law enforcement to disrupt drug trafficking. That said, life imprisonment and caning is still expected even if the death penalty is not imposed. If you must bring potentially forbidden medicines, check with the [https://www.hsa.gov.sg/ Singapore Health Sciences Authority] to find out, and (as needed and allowed) '''obtain written permission to bring them'''. This can be done fairly quickly by e-mail, perhaps a few weeks by regular postal mail.|lastedit=permanent}} [[Image:Singapore FineCity.JPG|thumb|upright|Forbidden items in the MRT trains and stations]] Singapore is one of the '''safest major cities in the world''' by virtually any measure. Most people, including single female travellers, will not face any problems walking along the streets alone at night. But as the local police say, "low crime does not mean no crime" &mdash; beware of [[pickpockets]] in crowded areas and don't forget your common sense entirely. The '''[http://www.police.gov.sg/ Singapore Police Force]''' is responsible for law enforcement throughout the country, and you can recognise police officers by their distinctive dark blue uniforms. Most visitors will find the majority of Singaporean police officers to be professional and helpful, and you should report any crimes that you encounter to them as soon as possible. The Singaporean police have broader powers that what you might be used to in Western countries. In particular, while you are entitled to have a lawyer represent you at trial, the police have the right to restrict your access to a lawyer during your interrogation if they believe it could interfere with their investigation. In addition, while you have the right against self-incrimination, you do not have the right to silence and are required to answer the police's questions truthfully unless it contravenes the former. You should always make all statements in your defence during your interrogation, as failure to do so could result in the judge not believing you should you raise them for the first time at your trial. Singapore's '''squeaky cleanliness''' is achieved in part by strict rules against activities that are tolerated in other countries. For example, jay-walking, spitting, littering and drinking and eating on public transport are prohibited. Locals joke about Singapore being a '''fine city''' because heavy fines are levied if you're caught committing an offence. Look around for sign boards detailing the "Don'ts" and the fines associated with these offences and heed them. Avoid ''littering'', as offenders are not only subject to fines, but also to a "Corrective Work Order", in which offenders are made to wear a bright yellow jacket and pick up rubbish in public places. Enforcement is however, sporadic at best and it's not uncommon to see people openly litter, spit, smoke in non-smoking zones, etc. '''Chewing gum''', famously long banned, is now available at pharmacies for medical purposes (e.g., nicotine gum) if you ask for it directly, show your ID and sign the register. While importing gum is still officially an offence, you can usually bring in a few packs for personal consumption without any problem. [[File:K-9 Unit Singapore.jpg|thumb|Police officers from the Singapore Police Force]] For some crimes, most notably '''illegal entry''' and '''overstaying your visa for over 30 or 90 days''', Singapore imposes '''caning''' as a punishment for male offenders. Other offences which have caning as a punishment include vandalism, robbery, molestation and rape. Having sex with a girl under the age of 16 is considered to be rape under Singapore law even if the girl consents to it. Strokes from the thick rattan cane are excruciatingly painful, take weeks to heal and scar for life. Crimes such as murder, kidnapping, unauthorised possession of firearms and drug trafficking are punished with death. Oral and anal sex, long banned under colonial-era sodomy statutes, were legalised for heterosexuals in October 2007. Male '''homosexual contact''', however, remains illegal, with a theoretical punishment of two years in prison and/or caning. Although this law is generally not enforced and there is a fairly vibrant gay community with several gay bars in the Chinatown area, gay people should still expect legalised discrimination and censorious attitudes from locals and government officials. Nevertheless, unprovoked violence against homosexuals is almost unheard of, and you are unlikely to get anything beyond drawing stares and whispers. While not illegal, '''transgender''' people may also be subject to some degree of derision from locals and government officials, though unprovoked violent incidents are almost unheard of. Under Singapore law, transgender people may change their legal gender and use public toilets of their choice only ''after'' undergoing sex reassignment surgery. '''[[Begging]]''' is illegal in Singapore, but you'll occasionally see beggars on the streets. Most are not Singaporean &mdash; even the "monks" dressed in robes, who occasionally pester tourists for donations, are usually bogus. While jaywalking is illegal, it is still a common thing and occurs quite often around the city. Beware though that if a police officer catches you, you might end up with a small fine. Put simply, the roads are designated for cars and the footpaths are for people. Singapore's constitution pledges "freedom of expression", but in practice this right is severely curtailed, as a glance at the neutered domestic press will show. Police will not arrest you for expressing anti-government opinions in casual conversation with your friends, but foreigners in Singapore are not allowed to engage in any sort of political activity, including attending rallies or protests, regardless of the subject. The '''offence of scandalizing the court''' (contempt of court) is broadly defined, with any act or statement that could bring a court or judge into disrepute being liable for prosecution. There have been cases in which foreign journalists and jurists were convicted, so you should also avoid making comments regarding the judiciary. Singapore is virtually immune to '''natural disasters''': there are no fault lines nearby, although slight tremors from Indonesia's earthquakes can sometimes be felt from the upper storeys of buildings. Other landmasses shield it from tsunamis, and the local conditions are not conducive to the formation of typhoons and tornadoes (only one tornado has been recorded in Singapore's history). Flooding in the November–January monsoon season is an occasional hazard, especially in low-lying parts of the East Coast, but any water usually drains off within a day and life continues as normal. ===Bribery=== Singapore is generally considered to be relatively free from corruption in both public and private life. Bribery is a very serious offence penalised with long jail terms together with fines and caning for men. '''Do ''not'', under ''any'' circumstances,''' offer a bribe to a police officer or any other government employee since this will most likely result in your immediate arrest. * {{listing | name=Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau | alt=贪污调查局 | url=https://www.cpib.gov.sg/e-complaint | email=report@cpib.gov.sg | address=2 Lengkok Bahru/247 Whitley Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65-1800-376-0000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1045329 | wikipedia=Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau | lastedit=2020-11-21 | content=The main corruption investigation agency for Singapore which effectively eradicated corruption after its establishment, and has been emulated by other jurisdictions. }} ===Racial and religious discrimination=== Singapore has made great efforts to ensure a peaceful integrated society; making disparaging remarks against '''any''' ethnicity or religion is a crime that carries a prison term. Bloggers have been arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for making racist remarks on their blogs, and religious leaders have also gotten into trouble with the law for insulting other religions in their sermons. The Jehovah's Witnesses sect is banned for locals in Singapore (due to their avoidance of military service) but this does not affect tourists in any way. ===Firearms=== Singapore has very strict firearms laws, and unauthorised possession of firearms is punishable by long jail terms at best, and at worst could even result in the '''death penalty''' for assumed arms trafficking. '''Air-soft guns''' are also prohibited, and possession of them without a licence will land you in jail for '''up to 3 years'''. Licences to purchase and own firearms are generally only granted for sporting purposes (i.e. for target shooting), and would generally require you to be a member of a registered shooting club. Firearms must be stored securely at a shooting range, and bringing one out of the shooting range is generally illegal unless you have received special permission in advance. Visitors who wish to bring firearms in are required to apply for a permit in advance, though in practice these permits are only granted for official shooting competitions. You will also be required to travel under police escort from the port of entry to the shooting range, where you will have to securely store your firearm until you leave the country. ===Emergency numbers=== * {{listing | name=Police | alt=main number for Emergency Services | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Police | alt=emergency SMS | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=71999 (local rate) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Ambulance / Fire | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=995 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Non-emergency ambulance | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=1777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=a $274 charge is paid for a non-emergency ferry to a hospital }} * {{listing | name=Singapore General Hospital | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6222 3322 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Drug & Poison Information Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6423 9119 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Stay healthy== '''[[Tap water]]''' is safe for drinking with very high sanitation standards. The hot and humid climate means that drinking plenty of water is advisable. [[Malaria]] is not an issue, but [[dengue fever]] is endemic to the region, and Singapore experienced a [[Zika virus]] outbreak. Singapore maintains strict mosquito control (leaving standing water around will get you fined), but the government's reach does not extend into the island's nature reserves, so if you're planning on hiking bring along mosquito repellent. ===Medical care=== The standard of medical care in Singapore is '''uniformly excellent''' and Singapore is a popular destination for medical tourism and medical evacuations in the region. Despite the lower prices, standards are usually as good as those in the West at both public and private clinics and hospitals, making this a good place to get your jabs and tabs if heading off into the jungle elsewhere. You'll still want to make sure your insurance is in order before a prolonged hospitalisation and/or major surgery. For minor ailments, head down to the nearest suburban shopping mall or HDB shopping district and look for a '''general practitioner''' (GP), or do a search in SingHealth's comprehensive [https://www.singhealth.com.sg/rhs/Pages/Find-a-GP.aspx Find-a-GP] directory. They usually receive patients without appointment and can prescribe drugs on the spot or refer you to specialists, and the total cost of a consultation, medicine included, rarely exceeds $30. Public polyclinics, while cheaper for locals, are usually more expensive at unsubsidised rates ($50+) and generally have longer waits. All clinics, private or public, are generally only open during business hours Monday-Friday and Saturday mornings. * {{listing|name=RESCU|phone=+65 8779 9441|url=https://www.rescu.sg/|price=Home visit $68-108 depending on time of day| content=If it can't wait until Monday, RESCU offers 24/7 telemedicine consultations and house calls, including basic medications like antibiotics dispensed on the spot.}} For urgent problems, head to a hospital emergency department or call '''995''' for an ambulance. The ambulance is free in the event of a genuine medical emergency, but you will be charged a callout fee and refused transport otherwise. Public hospitals are heavily subsidised by the government for Singapore citizens and permanent residents, but will charge the full rate for visitors. They are legally required to provide emergency medical care regardless of your ability to pay, but you will be billed at a later date. *[Https://www.rafflesmedicalgroup.com/services/hospital/ '''Raffles Hospital'''], [Https://Www.rafflesmedicalgroup.com '''Raffles''' '''Medical''' '''Group'''] (near bugis MRT station). [Tel:&#x20;+65&#x20;6311&#x20;1111 +65 6311 1111]. 585 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188770. Singapore's largest homegrown private healthcare provider. Raffles Medical Group is the only private medical provider in Singapore that owns and operates a fully integrated healthcare organization comprising of a tertiary hospital, a network of family medicine and [Https://www.rafflesmedicalgroup.com/services/dental/ dental clinics], insurance services, Japanese and [https://www.rafflesmedicalgroup.com/services/chinese-medicine/ traditional Chinese medicine clinics], and a consumer healthcare division. [https://www.rafflesmedicalgroup.com/services/accident-emergency/ Raffles Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department] is fully equipped and staffed to manage high-risk injuries and critical medical conditions. *{{listing | name=KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital | url=https://www.kkh.com.sg/ | email= | address=100 Bukit Timah Road | lat= | long= | directions=near Novena MRT station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=A&E operates 24/7 | price= | content=Singapore's oldest dedicated women and children's hospital, well over 1 million Singaporeans were born here. Has a well-regarded 24/7 children's emergency department.}} *{{listing | name=Mount Elizabeth Hospital | alt= | url=http://www.mountelizabeth.com.sg | email= | address=Mount Elizabeth | lat= | long= | directions=near Orchard MRT station | phone=+65 6737 2666 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=A&E operates 24/7 | price=Consultations with specialists start from $100 |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-09-14| content=Singapore's largest private hospital and a popular destination for medical tourists. Also features a special suite that was built for the Sultan of Brunei, but now available to anybody with the means to pay when not in use by the Brunei royal family, with prices starting from an eye-watering $5,043 per night. }} *{{listing | name=Singapore General Hospital | url=http://www.sgh.com.sg | email= | address=College Rd, 1st-3rd Hospital Ave | lat= | long= | directions=next to Outram Park MRT station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Singapore's oldest and largest public hospital.}} *{{listing | name=Tan Tock Seng Hospital | alt= | url=http://www.ttsh.com.sg | email= | address=11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng | lat= | long= | directions=next to Novena MRT station | phone=+65 6256 6011 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-F 8AM-1PM & 2-5PM; Sa 8AM-noon, no appointment needed | price=$80 fee for doctor's consultation, vaccines for $10 plus cost (consultation unnecessary) | content=One of Singapore's largest public hospitals, fully equipped to handle most anything. Specialist departments here include a one-stop '''Travellers' Health & Vaccination Centre''' for immunizations, malaria prophylaxis, pre-trip and post-trip evaluations and general advice. }} *{{listing | name=National University Hospital | alt= | url=https://www.nuh.com.sg/ | email= | address=5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6779 5555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Main teaching hospital for the National University of Singapore medical school, with a good number of specialist clinics. }} Alternatively, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are widespread in Singapore. '''[http://www.euyansang.com/ Eu Yan Sang]''' runs a chain of over 20 clinics, while the '''[http://www.singaporetcm.edu.sg Singapore Chinese Physicians' Association]''' offers a directory of TCM physicians. ===Toilets=== Nearly all shopping centres, hotels, MRT stations, bus interchanges and hawker centres are likely to have clean public toilet facilities available. Some public toilets may charge 10 or 20 cents per entry. If there's no toilet paper in the stall, take a look around, as it's sometimes provided on a shared giant roll outside. Most toilets have bowls, but there is usually one squatting cubicle in every public toilet. Being free, McDonald's toilets are popular and the staff do not make a fuss. ==Respect== {{infobox|What's in a name?|'''Chinese''' place their family name first, so ''Phua Chu Kang'' is Mr. Phua for business and Chu Kang (or just CK) to his friends. Many have Western names, so he may also be known as ''Terry Phua''.<br> '''Malay''' names are given name + ''bin'' or ''binti'' (son/daughter) + father's name. ''Mohammed bin Abdullah'' would usually be called Mr. Mohammed. Sometimes, the person's given name appears after the Mohammed or Abdul (example: ''Mohammed Faizal bin Abdul Nasser'') so, in such a case, he would usually be addressed as Mr. Faizal.<br> '''Indian''' names are complex, but the south Indian (Tamil) names usually found in Singapore have two patterns: either given name + ''s/o'' or ''d/o'' (son of/daughter of) + father's name, or father's initial + given name. Given names are often long and may be abbreviated, so Ramanathan s/o Sellapan may use the name S.R. Nathan and would be addressed as Mr. Nathan. The foolproof method is to ask how the person wants to be addressed.|}} Singaporeans care little about formal politeness. What would be decent behaviour at home, wherever home might be, is unlikely to offend anyone in Singapore. In Singapore, unlike much of southeast Asia, women wearing revealing clothing or men wearing shorts and slippers are perfectly acceptable and only the fanciest bars and restaurants, and some private clubs, try to enforce dress codes. That said, Singaporeans tend to be more socially conservative than Westerners, meaning that public display of affection is still frowned upon: holding hands is fine, but making out in public is considered to be impolite. Toplessness for women is not acceptable anywhere, even on the beach. Most Buddhist and Hindu temples, as well as mosques, require women to be conservatively dressed - no bare shoulders, and no skirts above the knee-cap. The major touristy temples will have shawls and sarongs so visitors can cover up before entering. Many places of worship also require you to remove your shoes before you enter. The local dialect with its heavy Chinese influences may appear brusque or even rude, but saying "You want beer or not?" is in fact ''more'' polite in Chinese than asking if you want beer; after all, the person asking you the question is offering you a choice, not making a demand. Take [[#Eat|dietary restrictions]] into account when inviting Singaporean friends for a meal. Many Indians and some Chinese are vegetarian. Most Malays, being Muslims, eat only ''halal'' food, while most Hindus (and a few Chinese) abstain from beef. If unsure, ask beforehand. Swastikas are commonly seen iThey typically point anti-clockwise, and have dots, compared to the bare clockwise Nazi symbol. As such, Western visitors should not feel offended on seeing a swastika in the homes of their hosts, and many locals will wonder what the fuss is all about. Nazi swastikas will also occasionally be seen as fashion statements, but without an awareness of the ideology. ===Touchy topics=== Sensitive issues in Singapore include immigration, politics, race, religion and LGBT rights. In a country where only 60% of the population are citizens, '''immigration''' is particularly sensitive, and while few Singaporeans are explicitly xenophobic, many resent the influx of "foreign talents" (once the government's term, now heavily loaded with sarcasm) competing for jobs while not integrating into society or having to fulfill obligations like military service. '''Singapore is not China''', and despite being a majority of the population, most ethnic Chinese identify themselves as Singaporeans instead of Chinese nationals, who are commonly referred to as "PRCs" or "Ah Tiong". That said, anti-China sentiment is generally less prevalent in Singapore than in Hong Kong or Taiwan. There is similar tension between Singaporeans of Indian descent and recent Indian immigrants, dubbed "CECA" after an unpopular free trade agreement. Like in many other Asian countries, '''saving face''' is very important in Singaporean culture. You should generally not point out other people's mistakes in order not to cause major embarrassment, and it is considered poor taste to flaunt your wealth in front of your less well-to-do peers. Bragging about your achievements will also in general not be well-received. Singaporeans have a tense relationship with their cultural identity. On the one hand, Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was reportedly proud of being called "the best bloody Englishman east of Suez"; on the other, there is an understandable desire to display a pride for genuinely Singaporean cultural aspects including food. One area in which this tension manifests is the use of Singlish, which is officially discouraged by the government through its "Speak Good English Campaign", but is often employed deliberately by all strata of society as a means to display "Singaporean-ness". Tread lightly in these fields and be respectful. ===Visiting homes=== If invited to somebody's house, always remove your shoes before you enter as most Singaporeans do not wear their shoes at home. Socks are perfectly acceptable though, as long as they are not excessively soiled. Some households may provide slippers in the bathroom, but these are generally not meant to be worn anywhere else. Beware of taboos if bringing gifts. Any products (food or otherwise) involving animals may cause offence and are best avoided, as are white flowers (usually reserved for funerals). Knives and clocks are also symbols of cutting ties and death, respectively, and some Chinese are superstitious about the number four. In Singapore, it is considered rude to open a gift in front of the person who gave it to you. Instead, wait until the person has left and open it in private. Many Singaporean Muslims and some Hindus abstain from alcohol. ===Business=== [[File:Singapore Skyline in the Early Morning.JPG|thumb|Singapore skyline]] Singaporeans are punctual, so show up on time. The standard greeting is a firm handshake. However, conservative Muslims avoid touching the opposite sex, so a man meeting a Malay woman should let her offer her hand first and a woman meeting a Malay man should wait for him to offer his hand. If they opt to place their hand on the heart and bow slightly instead, just follow suit. Singaporeans generally do not hug, especially if it is someone they have just met, and doing so would probably make your host feel awkward, though the other person will probably be too polite to say anything as saving face is a major Asian value. For men, standard business attire is a long-sleeved shirt and a tie, although the tie is often omitted, the shirt's collar button opened instead. Jackets are rarely worn because it is too hot most of the time. Women usually wear Western business attire, but a few prefer Malay-style ''kebaya'' and ''sarong'', Chinese-style ''cheongsam'', or Indian-style ''sari''. Business cards are always exchanged when people meet for business for the first time: hold yours with ''both hands'' by the top corners, so the text faces the recipient, while simultaneously receiving theirs. (This sounds more complicated than it is.) Never give out or receive a business card with only one hand, as it is considered to be very disrespectful. Study the cards you receive and feel free to ask questions; when you are finished, place them on the table in front of you, ''not'' in a shirt pocket or wallet, and do not write on them (some may find it disrespectful). Business gifts are generally frowned on as they smell of bribery. Small talk and bringing up the subject indirectly are neither necessary nor expected. Most meetings get straight down to business. ==Connect== ===By phone=== The international telephone country code for Singapore is '''65'''. There are three main telecommunication providers in Singapore: '''[http://www.singtel.com/ Singtel]''', '''[http://www.starhub.com/ StarHub]''' and '''[http://www.m1.com.sg/ MobileOne (M1)]''' , plus an ever-changing plethora of minor operators piggybacking on the big players' networks, most of which are only accessible to people in Singapore long-term as they will not accept a foreign passport on its own. Phone numbers in Singapore have the format <code>+65 6396 0605</code> where "65" is the country code for Singapore. Due to the small area of Singapore, there are no area codes. Any number starting with <code>8</code> or <code>9</code> is a mobile phone, while numbers starting with <code>6</code> are fixed lines (usually businesses). Toll free numbers start with <code>800</code>, and usually cannot be dialed from outside the country. '''Mobile phones''' are carried by almost everyone in Singapore, including many young children, and coverage is generally excellent throughout the country. Prepaid SIM cards are sold in 7-Eleven convenience stores, phone shops and currency exchange counters, just bring your own phone or buy a cheap used handset in Singapore. You will need to show an international passport or Singapore ID to sign up. Basic plans including 1 GB or of data start from only $4 for 30 days. If you're planning to continue to nearby countries, every carrier has their own options for international roaming, some more affordable than others. Singtel has [https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/mobile/prepaid-plans/hi-dataroam-packs hi!DataRoam] at a relatively high $5/100MB for Malaysia and Australia, and either $10 or $20 per GB in select other countries. M1 pricing starts at $5 for 1 GB for 3 days in Malaysia. Starhub is the roaming-friendliest; their [https://www.starhub.com/personal/mobile/mobile-phones-plans/prepaid-cards/happy-roam.html Happy Roam] policy means that domestic data plans can be used in any of their Happy Roam destinations at no extra cost. Additionally, all of these carriers now have starter packs that include a small allowance of roaming data in Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as certain countries beyond (check with the carrier you're purchasing from). In northern Singapore near Malaysia (e.g. Woodlands, Sungei Buloh, Pulau Ubin), your phone may automatically switch to a Malaysian network, incurring international roaming charges even though you haven't physically left Singapore. Check the operating network (or switch to manual network selection) before you call or browse, disable roaming on your device, or pay a little extra at the beginning for a SIM that includes some roaming allowances. ===By net=== '''Free WiFi''' is standard at paid accommodations, and public WiFi is common but not everywhere. Many, but not all, free public WiFi networks require you to register your phone number and receive a verification text message (SMS) - they do not require a Singapore number, so if your phone has roaming service from another country this might still work. A few networks ask for your phone number or email but do not require you to verify it. For free public WiFi without a complicated sign-in, try local shopping centres (though not all have it) and the Gardens by the Bay. Singapore has a nationwide free '''Wireless@SG''' system, with hotspots at many public locations like MRT stations. The network can be used even without a SIM card, but it does require signing up and downloading the official [https://www.imda.gov.sg/programme-listing/Wireless-At-SG/Wireless-at-SG-for-Consumers Wireless@SGx app]. '''Internet cafes''' charging around $2/hr can be found here and there, but are slowly dying off since almost all locals have broadband Internet access at home, work, and/or school. Head to [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] or [[Singapore/Little India|Little India]] if you need to get on-line, or check out the top floors of many suburban malls, which feature Internet cafes doubling as on-line gaming parlours. Alternatively, [http://www.nlb.gov.sg/ all public libraries] offer cheap Internet access ($0.03/min or $1.80/hr), but you need to jump through registration hoops to get access. '''Internet censorship in Singapore''' is generally fairly minimal, with one notable exception: most major porn sites are blocked. ===By mail=== '''[http://www.singpost.com.sg/ SingPost]''' has offices throughout the island, generally open M-F 8:30AM-5PM, 08:30-13;00 Sa 8:30AM-5PM, closed Sundays. The Changi Airport T2 (transit side) Post Office is open daily 6AM-midnight, while the 1 Killeney Rd branch is open M-F until 9PM and Su 9AM-4PM. Service is fast and reliable. A postcard to anywhere in the world costs 50 cents, and postage labels can also be purchased from the self-service SAM machines found in many MRT stations. Small packets up to 2&nbsp;kg cost $3.50/100 g for airmail, or $1/100 g for surface mail. For larger packages, [http://www.dhl.com.sg/ DHL] may offer competitive rates. ==Cope== ===Electricity=== Singapore uses the British BS 1363 three-pin rectangular socket (230 V/50&nbsp;Hz). Plug adaptors are available at any hardware store. ===Embassies and High Commissions=== Singapore is a good place to obtain regional visas. The [http://www.mfa.gov.sg Ministry of Foreign Affairs] maintains a complete searchable database of diplomatic institutions. {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | * {{flag|Angola}} {{listing | name=Angola | url= | email= | address=9 Temasek Blvd, #44-03 Suntec Tower 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6341 9360 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name=Argentina | url=https://esing.cancilleria.gob.ar/en | email=esing@mrecic.gov.ar | address=7 Temasek Boulevard, #15-03 Suntec Tower One | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6887 9808 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6887 9809 | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | url=http://www.australia.org.sg | email= | address=25 Napier Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6836 4100 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6737 5481 | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria | url=http://www.advantageaustria.org/sg | email= | address=600 N Bridge Rd #24-04 / 05 Parkview Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6396 6350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Barbados}} {{listing | name=Barbados | url= | email= | address=1 Fullerton Rd, #02-01 One Fullerton | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6408 3876 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh | alt= | url=http://www.bdhc.sg/ | email= | address=91, Bencoolen St, #06-01, Sunshine Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6255 0075 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Belarus}} {{listing | name=Belarus | url= | email= | address=50 Raffles Pl, #44-04 Singapore Land Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6323 9345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | url=http://www.diplomatie.be/singapore/ | email= | address=8 Shenton Way, #14-01, Temasek Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6220 7677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Belize}} {{listing | name=Belize | url= | email= | address=101 Cecil Street, #22-01 Tong Eng Building | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6224 4312 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | url=http://cingapura.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=101 Thomson Rd, #09-05 & 10-05 United Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6256 9365 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Brunei}} {{listing | name=Brunei Darussalam | url= | email= | address=325 Tanglin Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6733 9055,+65 6733 0664,+65 6733 2457 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Cambodia}} {{listing | name=Cambodia | url= | email= | address=400 Orchard Rd, #10-03/04 Orchard Towers | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6341 9785 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Cameroon}} {{listing | name=Cameroon | url= | email= | address=63 Robinson Rd, Afro Asia Bldg #02-00 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6222 5555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url=http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/singapore-singapour/index.aspx?lang=eng | email=spore@international.gc.ca | address=One George St, #11-01 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6854 5900 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6854 5930 | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Chile}} {{listing | name=Chile | url= | email= | address=105 Cecil St, #25-00 The Octagon | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6223 8577 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | alt= | url=http://www.chinaembassy.org.sg | email=chinaemb_sg@mfa.gov.cn | address=150 Tanglin Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6418 0252 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6418 0250 | hours= | price= | content=Visa applications are handled by the separate Chinese Visa Application Service Center (see below). | wikidata=}} **{{listing | name=Chinese Visa Application Service Center | alt= | url=https://www.visaforchina.org/SGP_EN/ | email=singaporecentre@visaforchina.org | address=80 Robinson Road, #16-01/02/02A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6713 9380 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6226 0852 | hours= | price= | content=Also handles Hong Kong/Macau visas. | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Colombia}} {{listing | name=Colombia | url= | email= | address=9 Raffles Pl, #58-00 Republic Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6823 1367 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|the Comoros}} {{listing | name=Comoros | url= | email= | address=55 Cairnhill Rd, #06-05 Cairnhill Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6220 1815 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|the Democratic Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Democratic Republic of Congo | url= | email= | address=1 N Bridge Rd, High Street Centre #B1-01 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6339 5449 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Costa Rica}} {{listing | name=Costa Rica | url=http://www.embassycrsg.com/ | email= | address=271 Bukit Timah Rd, #04-08 Balmoral Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6738 0566 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Cote d'Ivoire}} {{listing | name=Côte d'Ivoire | url= | email= | address=1 Maritime Sq, #09-43 World Trade Centre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6278 8666 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus | url= | email= | address=One Raffles Quay, #19-01 N Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6507 8125 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark | url=http://www.singapore.um.dk/ | email=sinamb@um.dk | address=101 Thomson Rd, #13-01/02 United Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6250 3383 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Visa applications are handled by VFS Global (see below). | wikidata=}} **{{listing | name=VFS Global | url=https://www.vfsglobal.com/Denmark/Singapore/ | email=info.dnsin@vfshelpline.com | address=79 Anson Road, #15-02 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6226 0915 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also handles visa applications for Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url= | email= | address=30 Gul Crescent Jurong | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6862 3574 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Timor-Leste}} {{listing | name=East Timor | url=http://timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=142&lang=en#sg | email=timorleste.singapore2010@gmail.com | address=3 Killiney Road, #04-09 Winsland House | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 6318 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6235 9218 | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | url=http://www.mfa.gov.eg/english/embassies/Egyptian_Embassy_Singapore/Pages/default.aspx | email= | address=75 Grange Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 1881 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Estonia}} {{listing | name=Estonia | url= | email= | address=5 Shenton Way, #24-01 UIC Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6387 7777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland | url=http://www.finland.org.sg/Public/Default.aspx | email= | address=101 Thomson Rd, #21-03 United Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6254 4042 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Visa applications are handled by the Danish embassy. | wikidata=}} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=http://www.ambafrance-sg.org | email= | address=101-103 Cluny Park Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6880 7800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Ghana}} {{listing | name=Ghana | url= | email= | address=Lum Chang Holdings Limited, 1 Selegie Rd, #06-02, Paradiz Centre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 627 38888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | url=http://www.singapur.diplo.de/ | email= | address=50 Raffles Pl, #12-00 Singapore Land Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 9817 0414 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url= | email= | address=61B Duxton Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6221 2364 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Hungary}} {{listing | name=Hungary | alt= | url=https://szingapur.mfa.gov.hu/eng | email= | address=250 N Bridge Rd, #29-01 Raffles City Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6883 0882 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Iceland}} {{listing | name=Iceland | alt=Honorary Consulate | url=https://www.government.is/ministries/ministry-for-foreign-affairs/diplomatic-missions/office/?itemid=407da80d-f204-11e7-9423-005056bc530c | email=prakash.pillai@clyde.com.sg | address=12 Marina Boulevard, #30-03 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6544 6500 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6544 6501 | hours= | price= | content=Visa applications are handled by the Danish embassy. | wikidata=}} * {{flag|India}} {{listing | name=India | url=http://www.hcisingapore.gov.in/ | email= | address=31 Grange Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 6777 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Warning: Only issues visas to residents of Singapore. All visa applications are handled by BLS International (see below). | wikidata=}} ** {{listing | type=listing | name=BLS International Services S Pte Ltd — CBD Area | alt= | url=https://www.blsindia.sg/ | email=info@blsindia.sg | address=10 Anson Road, #30-08 International Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 3163 5611, +65 3163 2615 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | type=listing | name=BLS International Services S Pte Ltd — Little India | alt= | url=https://www.blsindia.sg/ | email=info@blsindia.sg | address=10 Jalan Besar, #14-02/04/05 Sim Lim Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 3163 5611, +65 3163 2615 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | url=http://www.kemlu.go.id/ | email= | address=7 Chatsworth Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 7422 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Ireland}} {{listing | name=Ireland | url=http://www.embassyofireland.sg | email= | address=541 Orchard Rd, #08-00 Liat Towers | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6732 3430 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Israel | url=http://singapore.mfa.gov.il | email= | address=24 Stevens Close | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6834 9200, +65 68349212 (24 hr) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | alt= | url=http://www.ambsingapore.esteri.it | email= | address=101 Thomson Rd, #27-02/03 United Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6250 6022,+65 6253 8429 (/4340 consular), +65 90629004 (Emergency) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Jamaica}} {{listing | name=Jamaica | url= | email= | address=Resource Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, #28-00 Shenton Way | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6227 7855 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/ | email= | address=16 Nassim Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 8855 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Kazakhstan}} {{listing | name=Kazakhstan | url= | email= | address=10 Collyer Quay, #13-10/10A Ocean Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6536 6100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|North Korea}} {{listing | name=DPR Korea | url= | email= | address=7500 Beach Rd, #09-320 The Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6440 3498 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=Republic of Korea | alt= | url=http://sgp.mofa.go.kr/english/as/sgp/main/index.jsp | email= | address=47 Scotts Rd, #08-00 Goldbell Towers (chancery), #05-01 Goldbell Towers (consular) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6256 1188 (chancery), +65 6256 1188 (consular) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | alt= | url= | email= | address=The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Ste 3108, 7 Raffles Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6884 7401 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Laos}} {{listing | name=Laos | url= | email= | address=101 Thomson Rd, #10-01 United Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6250 6044, +65 6250 6741 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Lebanon}} {{listing | name=Lebanon | url= | email= | address=3 Temasek Avenue, #31-02, Centennial Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6333 1614 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania | url= | email= | address=151 Chin Swee Rd, #04-02 Manhattan House | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 2153 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg | url= | email= | address=1 Pickering St, #16-01 Great Eastern Centre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6248 2218 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Madagascar}} {{listing | name=Madagascar | url= | email= | address=1003 Technopreneur Centre, #04-01 Bukit Merah Central | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6223 1316 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | * {{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/web/sgp_singapore/home | email= | address=301 Jervois Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 0111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Maldives}} {{listing | name=Maldives | url=http://www.maldiveshighcommission.sg | email= | address=101 Thomson Rd, #30-01A United Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6720 9012 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Mali}} {{listing | name=Mali | url= | email= | address=101 Cecil St, #22-08/09 Tong Eng Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6220 7779 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Malta}} {{listing | name=Malta | url= | email= | address=c/o Sinoda Shipping Agency Pte Ltd, 10 Anson Rd, #15-01/02 International Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6324 2060 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Mauritius}} {{listing | name=Mauritius | url= | email= | address=400 Orchard Rd, #09-01 Orchard Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6734 2412 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico | alt= | url=https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/singapur/ | email= | address=152 Beach Rd, #06-07/08, Gateway E | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6298 2678 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco | url= | email= | address=720 Mountbatten Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6887 4686 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Mongolia}} {{listing | name=Mongolia | url= | email= | address=600 North Bridge Rd, #24-08 Parkview Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6348 0745 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Morocco}} {{listing | name=Morocco | url= | email= | address=300 Beach Rd, #02-01 The Concourse | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6392 9881 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Myanmar}} {{listing | name=Myanmar | url=http://www.myanmarembassy.sg/ | email= | address=15 St Martin's Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6735 0209 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Nepal}} {{listing | name=Nepal | url= | email= | address=1 North Bridge Rd, #18-5 High Street Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6339 9967 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|the Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | alt= | url=https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/your-country-and-the-netherlands/singapore/about-us/netherlands-embassy-in-singapore | email= | address=541 Orchard Rd, #13-01 Liat Towers | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 1155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|New Zealand}} {{listing | name=New Zealand | url=http://www.nzembassy.com/singapore | email=enquiries@nz-high-com.org.sg | address=One George Street, #21-04 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 9966 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6536 8180 | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Nigeria}} {{listing | name=Nigeria | url= | email= | address=350 Orchard Road, #16-09/10 Shaw House | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6732 1723 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway | url=http://www.norway.org.sg/ | email= | address=16 Raffles Quay, #44-01 Hong Leong Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6220 7122 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Visa applications are handled by the Danish embassy. | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Pakistan}} {{listing | name=Pakistan | url=http://www.mofa.gov.pk/singapore | email= | address=1 Scotts Rd, #24-02/04 Shaw Centre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 6988 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Palau}} {{listing | name=Palau | alt=Palau Visitors Authority Representative Office | url= | email= | address=321 Orchard Rd, Orchard Shopping Centre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6732 3239 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Panama}} {{listing | name=Panama | url= | email= | address=16 Raffles Quay, #41-06 Hong Leong Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6221 8677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Papua New Guinea}} {{listing | name=Papua New Guinea | url= | email= | address=146 Robinson Rd, #04-01 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6221 2609 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Peru}} {{listing | name=Peru | alt= | url= | email= | address=390 Orchard Rd, #12-03 Palais Renaissance | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6738 8595 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Philippines}} {{listing | name=Philippines | url=http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/ | email= | address=20 Nassim Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 3977 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Poland}} {{listing | name=Poland | url=http://singapore.mfa.gov.pl | email= | address=435 Orchard Rd #17-02/03, Wisma Atria | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 9478 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal | url= | email= | address=143 Cecil St, #06-02 GB Building | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6224 2256 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Qatar}} {{listing | name=Qatar | url= | email= | address=8 Temasek Blvd, #41-02 Suntec Tower 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6593 9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | alt= | url=http://singapore.mae.ro/en | email=singapore@mae.ro | address=King’s Centre #03 – 04/05, 390 Havelock Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 67355023 | tollfree= | fax=+65 67355021 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-12-03 | content= }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia | url=http://www.singapore.mid.ru/ | email= | address=51 Nassim Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 1832 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Samoa}} {{listing | name=Samoa | url= | email= | address=Asiaciti management Pte Ltd, 3 Raffles Pl, #09-01, Bharat Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6533 2611 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url=http://www.mofa.gov.sa | email= | address=10 Nassim Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6734 5878 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Seychelles}} {{listing | name=Seychelles | url= | email= | address=22 Cavenagh Rd, #01-17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6732 2202 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Slovakia}} {{listing | name=Slovakia | url= | email= | address=200 Cantonment Rd, #09-01 Southpoint | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6236 6111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Slovenia}} {{listing | name=Slovenia | url= | email= | address=50 Raffles Pl, #32-00 Singapore Land Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6239 7522 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|South Africa}} {{listing | name=South Africa | alt= | url=http://www.dirco.gov.za/singapore/ | email= | address=15F Odeon Towers, 331 North Bridge Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6540 1177 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | url= | email= | address=7 Temasek Blvd, #39-01A Suntec Tower 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6333 3035 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{listing | name=Sri Lanka | url=http://www.lanka.com.sg/ | email= | address=#13-07/12 Goldhill Plaza, 51 Newton Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6254 4595-7 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden | url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/Start____7360.aspx | email= | address=111 Somerset Rd, #05-01 Singapore Power Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6415 9720 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Visa applications are handled by the Danish embassy. | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland | url=http://www.eda.admin.ch/singapore | email= | address=1 Swiss Club Link | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6468 5788 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Taiwan}} {{listing | name=Taiwan | alt=Taipei Representative Office in Singapore | url=http://www.roc-taiwan.org/SG | email= | address=460 Alexandra Rd, #23-00 PSA Bldg | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6278 6511 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | alt= | url=http://www.thaiembassy.sg/ | email= | address=370 Orchard Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 2475 (main), +65 6737 2158, +65 6736 2644 (consular) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Tonga}} {{listing | name=Tonga | url= | email= | address=19 Bilai Ln | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6448 6882 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Tunisia}} {{listing | name=Tunisia | url= | email= | address=15 Scotts Rd, #07-00 Thong Teck Building | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6737 7544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey | url=http://singapur.be.mfa.gov.tr/ | email= | address=Shenton Way 10-03, SGX Centre Tower 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6533 3390,+65 6533 3391 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Tuvalu}} {{listing | name=Tuvalu | url= | email= | address=c/o Tuvalu Ship Registry Pte Ltd, 10 Anson Rd, #25-16 International Plaza | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6224 2345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Uganda}} {{listing | name=Uganda | url= | email= | address=Crocodile House, #07-00 No.3, Ubi Ave 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6749 2782 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Ukraine}} {{listing | name=Ukraine | url=http://singapore.mfa.gov.ua/ | email= | address=50 Raffles Pl, #16-05 Singapore Land Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6535 6550 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|the United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | alt= | url=https://sp.mofaic.gov.ae/EN/DiplomaticMissions/Embassies/Singapore/Pages/home.aspx | email= | address=600 North Bridge Rd, #09-01 Parkview Sq | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6238 8206 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | url=http://ukinsingapore.fco.gov.uk/en/ | email=consular.singapore@fco.gov.uk | address=100 Tanglin Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6473 9333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|the United States}} {{listing | name=United States of America | alt= | url=http://sg.usembassy.gov | email=singaporeusembassy@state.gov | address=27 Napier Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6476 9100 | tollfree= | fax=+65 6476 9340 | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Uzbekistan}} {{listing | name=Uzbekistan | alt= | url=http://singapore.mfa.uz/ | email= | address=20 Kramat Ln, #04-01 United House | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6734 3942 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Vanuatu}} {{listing | name=Vanuatu | url= | email= | address=6001 Beach Rd, #21-08 Golden Mile Tower | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6235 6858 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Venezuela}} {{listing | name=Venezuela | url= | email= | address=3 Killiney Rd, #07-03 Winsland House 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6491 1172 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} * {{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | name=Vietnam | alt= | url=https://vietnamembassy-singapore.org/en/ | email=vnemb.sg@mofa.gov.vn | address=10 Leedon Park | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6462 5938, +65 6462 5994 (consular) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Zambia}} {{listing | name=Zambia | url= | email= | address=627A Aljunied Rd, #01-02 BizTech Centre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6744 2689 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata=}} |} ===Hair cuts=== Singaporeans are particular about their hair and there is no shortage of fancy hair salons charging from $20 up for the latest Chinese popstar look. If you are willing to splurge, there is Passion Hair Salon at Palais Renaissance with celebrity hairstylist David Gan (hairstylist of Zhang Ziyi and other famous celebrities) doing the haircut. Le Salon at Ngee Ann City offers haircuts up to $2,000. The middle range hair salons in town or in the heartlands, offer haircuts with hair wash as well as other frills. Chains include Reds Hairdressing, Supercuts, Toni & Guy salons that are all over Singapore. For a more backpacker-friendly price, almost every shopping mall in Singapore has a branch of '''[http://www.ec-house.com.sg/ EC House]''' or one of its many imitators, offering fuss-free 10 min haircuts for $15, although the hairdressers are mostly happy to spend as long as necessary on your hair, within reasonable limits. Most HDB estates have barbershops which charge $5 to $10 for adults and less for students and children. ===Laundry=== Hotels can provide a one-day laundry service (at a price), whereas hostels often have communal self-service washing machines. Full-service laundry and dry cleaning shops can be found in every shopping mall; unfortunately turnaround times are usually upwards of three days unless you opt for express service. Laundromats are few and far between in Singapore so here are the locations of a few in the CBD: * {{listing | name=Systematic Laundromat | url=http://www.laundrynetwork.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6754 0277 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-late | price= | content=Laundry service with 16 outlets around Singapore. $6 for 4&nbsp;kg of laundry, either self-service or returned the next day depending on the outlet. Central branches include Centrepoint Orchard (MRT Somerset) and Robertson Walk (near Gallery Hotel). }} * {{listing | name=Wonder Wash Self-service Laundromat | url=http://www.wonderwash.com.sg/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 9786 2038 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=24 hrs | price= | content=Totally self-service laundromat with no attendants, Various sizes of machines from 8&nbsp;kg to 20&nbsp;kg. Price starts from $4 per 8&nbsp;kg, modern and clean. }} * {{listing | name=Singapore Laundry| url=http://www.singaporelaundry.com/ | email=sales@singaporelaundry.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+65 6844 0554 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=24 hrs | price= | content=Laundry pickup delivery. Free delivery with $35 and above. }} ===Photo processing=== Practically every shopping mall has a photo shop that will print digital pictures and take passport photos. Many pharmacies and supermarkets also have self-service kiosks which print digital photos from CD, SD-card, USB drive, etc. ===Sports=== The '''[https://www.sportsingapore.gov.sg/ Singapore Sports Council]''' runs a chain of affordable sports facilities, often featuring fantastic outdoor 50 m pools (see [[Singapore#Swimming|Swimming]] for a list). Facilities are somewhat sparse but the prices are unbeatable, with e.g. swimming pools charging $1 for entry and access to ClubFITT gyms only $2.50. The main downside is the inconvenient location of most facilities out in the suburbs, although most are close to an MRT station and can be reached within 10-20 min from downtown. The gyms also have a total ban on bringing in any reading material (aimed at students but enforced blindly), although MP3 players are OK. Major private gym chains include '''[http://www.fitnessfirst.com.sg/ Fitness First]''', '''[http://www.goldsgym.com.sg/ Gold's Gym]''' and '''[http://www.truefitness.com.sg/ True Fitness]'''. Facilities are better and locations more central, but the prices are also much higher as non-members have to fork out steep day pass fees (around $40). Some of the '''[http://www.nparks.gov.sg/ parks]''' offer rental of bicycles and inline skates ($3–6/hr, open until 8PM). You can either rent skates, attend a skate class or send the children off to a skate camp at major parks like West Coast and East Coast Park. Especially rewarding for skaters and cyclists is the 10&nbsp;km long stretch along [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast Park]] with a paved track and lots of rental shops, bars and cafes around the McDonald's. There are toilets and showers along the track. Furthermore every park has a couple of fitness stations. ===Television=== Free-to-air digital terrestrial televisions (DTT) are readily available at all sides of Singapore, though most houses and hotels have cable or internet protocol TV that enable them to get more channels. The four official languages of Singapore each gets at least one TV station, and the main news at night for each language is always subtitled to the respective languages. All TV channels are owned by the state-owned Mediacorp, as such news contents, especially from Singapore, generally do not differ much between channels. Due to its proximity to Indonesia and Malaysia, antennas can also receive channels from both countries. Foreign news channels such as the BBC, CNN and CNBC are available with a pay TV subscription. The main pay TV operators in Singapore are [https://www.starhub.com/personal/tvplus/passes.html Starhub TV] and [https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/tv#Ways%20to%20watch%20TV2 Singtel TV]. DTT channels include: *'''CNA''' (formerly Channel NewsAsia), round-the-clock English news channel focusing on stories from Singapore and Asia. *'''Channel 5''', general entertainment in English, with a combination of local programmes and American series. News broadcasts at 9PM daily. Kids entertainment in the 6AM-noon and 3PM-6PM block. *'''Channel 8''', Mandarin general entertainment channel broadcasting locally produced dramas & documentaries, and news at 1PM on weekdays, 6:30PM and 10PM daily. *'''Channel U''', Mandarin channel with more famous Asian dramas. *'''Vasantham''', Tamil general entertainment channel, locally produced dramas and Bollywood or Kollywood movies. News broadcasts at 8:30PM daily. *'''Suria''', Malay general entertainment channel from local productions, Malaysia, and Indonesia. News broadcasts at daily at 8PM. ===Newspapers=== Singapore regularly scrapes the bottom of press freedom rankings, and all local newspapers in Singapore are published by the state-owned Singapore Press Holdings. That being said, they generally do provide reasonably balanced coverage of hard news. The main English-language newspaper is '''[https://www.straitstimes.com The Straits Times]''', which is published every Monday to Saturday, with '''The Sunday Times''' filling in on Sunday. '''[http://www.businesstimes.com.sg Business Times]''' focuses on business and financial news. Papers are also available in Singapore's three other official languages, with '''[http://www.zaobao.com.sg Lianhe Zaobao]''' (联合早报) being the main Chinese newspaper, '''[http://www.beritaharian.sg Berita Harian]''' (or '''Berita Minggu''' on Sunday) being the main Malay newspaper, and '''[http://www.tamilmurasu.com.sg Tamil Murasu]''' (தமிழ் முரசு) being the main Tamil newspaper. ===Weather=== If you are travelling to Singapore, be sure to carry the following: * '''Sun glasses''' - Singapore is usually bright and sunny. * '''Umbrella''' - Be sure to carry an umbrella in your luggage, as there is some precipitation throughout the year. However, the rain usually does not last long. * '''Sun block/sun screen''' - If you plan to go out during the day, it is advisable to apply sun block as it is mostly sunny throughout the year. The ultraviolet index (UVI) is usually very high in the afternoon when it is sunny. Please see [http://www.nea.gov.sg/weather-climate/weather-information/uvindex NEA's website on ultraviolet index] for more information. * '''Shorts/Half Pants''' - Singapore can get real warm. Although air-conditioning is available in all public transports and almost all internal areas, it is advisable to carry some light clothing. Some places of worship may require visitors to dress conservatively. * '''Cotton or dri-fit shirts''' - Wear comfortable shirts that can let the air flow through. * '''Slippers''' - Singaporeans love to wear slippers (called "flip-flops" in the United States, "thongs" in Australia or "jandals" in New Zealand). Be sure to carry a pair, just to blend in. Try sandals if you're not used to flip flops, but beware that in some formal establishments (e.g. catching a show at Esplanade), no flip flops, sandals, or shorts are allowed. * '''Sweater''' - the cinemas', shopping malls' and museums' air conditioning can get cold, though usually this is a welcome relief from the heat. ==Go next== Singapore makes a good base for exploring [[Southeast Asia|South-East Asia]], with nearly all of the region's countries and their main tourist destinations &mdash; including [[Bangkok]], [[Phuket]], [[Angkor Wat]], [[Ho Chi Minh City]] and [[Bali]] &mdash; under 2&nbsp;hr away by plane. Thanks to budget carriers, Singapore is an excellent place for catching cheap flights to China and India. Singapore also has direct flights to many of the smaller cities in [[Malaysia]], [[Indonesia]] and [[Thailand]], which can be convenient points of entry if you wish to skip the ever-present queues and touts at their main airports. For day or weekend trips from Singapore, the following are popular: * [[Batam]] &mdash; The nearest Indonesian island to Singapore, just a short ferry trip away. Mainly industrial and infamous for its vice trade, but has some resorts. * [[Bintan]] &mdash; Indonesian island just 55&nbsp;min away by ferry, offering both high-end resorts and the "real Indonesia" experience. * [[Johor Bahru]] &mdash; Malaysian city just across the Causeway. Just 20&nbsp;min by bus 950 from Woodlands Bus Interchange. Not much to look at, but popular for cheap eating, shopping and Legoland Malaysia. * [[Kuala Lumpur]] &mdash; Malaysia's vibrant capital. 45&nbsp;min by plane, 4&ndash;5&nbsp;hr by bus or overnight by train. * [[Malacca]] &mdash; Once one of the three Straits Settlements, now a sleepy colonial town. 3&ndash;4&nbsp;hr by bus, although it might take a little longer due to border security. * [[Tioman]] &mdash; The nearest of Malaysia's [[East Coast (Malaysia)|East Coast]] paradise islands, reachable by bus & ferry or plane. For those who can afford more time to travel, here are several destinations popular among Singaporeans: * [[Bali]] &mdash; One of Indonesia's biggest tourist draws with its nice beaches and good food. About 2.5&nbsp;hr away by plane. * [[Bangkok]] &mdash; Thailand's capital and considered a food, shopping, and clubbing paradise by many Singaporeans. It is less than 2&nbsp;hr flight away, or 2&nbsp;nights by train, assuming you don't stop off in [[Kuala Lumpur]] or Butterworth (for [[Penang]]). * [[Phuket]] &mdash; One of the largest islands in Thailand, is another popular destination for Singaporeans. It offers a great weekend getaway and is less than 2&nbsp;hr flight away. Relatively cheaper than Singapore, it is a great destination to hang around. * [[Ipoh]] &mdash; The capital of the Malaysian state of Perak, it is famous among Singaporeans for its food. 7&ndash;8&nbsp;hr away by coach, or 1&nbsp;hr by turboprop flight. * [[Langkawi]] &mdash; An island in the Malaysian state of Kedah, just south of the Thai border, famed for endless beaches. Just over an hour by plane. * [[Penang]] &mdash; One of the Straits Settlements, with a rich history and fabulous food. About 12&nbsp;hr away by coach, or 1&nbsp;hr if you choose to fly. Also popular for its medical tourism. {{starcountry}} {{isPartOf|Southeast Asia}} {{geo|1.29|103.82|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{related|Southern Ridges Walk}} {{related|Three days in Singapore}} {{hasDocent|The_dog2}} 80tp73nm67fbllghzb4u17n6gr82ek4 0 33511 4502149 4495018 2022-08-16T11:36:27Z Vidimian 1815 + pic wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Southern Aegean banner Priene.jpg|caption=The Ionic columns of the Temple of Athena in Priene, south of Söke}} At the southwestern reaches of the country, '''Southern Aegean''' (''Güney Ege'') may be [[Turkey]] at its best. Awaiting explorers as they have done for centuries, evocative ancient ruins stand in perfect isolation against a backdrop of mountains clad by pines and wild olives. Old towns adorned by the generous purple of the bougainvillaes rest upon the sandy beaches along the craggy coastline. Offshore, opportunities for [[yachting]] and other [[water sport]]s abound. Inland, soothing hot springs reach out for the ground and form almost magical settings. A hard party is never too far away, and so is rural tranquility. ==Cities== {{mapframe | 37.500 | 28.000 | height=500 | width=550 | zoom=8}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Akyaka]]|wikidata=Q424411}} &mdash; coastal town on the tip of Gulf of Gökova, with beautiful traditional architecture * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Bitez]]|wikidata=Q120641}} — one of the least developed towns along the coast of Bodrum Peninsula, and one of the windiest—windsurfing is the main beach activity here * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Bodrum]]|wikidata=Q172267}} &mdash; trendy resort town featuring a citadel, Roman ruins, and trendy clubs * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Datca|Datça]]|wikidata=Q947051}} &mdash; unspoilt local resort on the Datça Peninsula, nearby Knidos forms the boundary between Aegean and Mediterranean proper * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Didim]]|wikidata=Q958144}} &mdash; resort town with a large population of British expats, centred around the colossal Temple of Apollo of the ancient oracle of '''Didyma''' * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Denizli]]|wikidata=Q170967}} &mdash; relatively big city inland, hub for visiting Pamukkale * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Gumusluk|Gümüşlük]]|wikidata=Q1003169}} &mdash; village on Bodrum Peninsula mainly frequented by bohemians * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Muğla]]|wikidata=Q216912}} — pleasant inland city with a well-preserved old quarter * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Turgutreis]]|wikidata=Q1767162}} — on the peninsula's western tip, this is the second largest town in the Bodrum Peninsula after Bodrum itself * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Yalikavak|Yalıkavak]]|wikidata=Q178447}} &mdash; village on Bodrum Peninsula ==Other destinations== [[Image:TR Pamukkale White Terraces asv2020-02 img16.jpg|thumb|Travetines of Pamukkale]] [[File:Didyma médusa 2009 04 28.jpg|thumb|The Medusa head in Didyma]] * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Aphrodisias]]|wikidata=Q618495}} — one of the best preserved Roman cities in Turkey, much less crowded than some better known sites * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Pamukkale]]|lat=37.9212|long=29.1235|wikidata=Q232734}} &mdash; the white travertines * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Priene, Miletus, and Didyma]]|lat=37.534|long=27.274|wikidata=}} — this trio of [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] ruins near each other is often visited on a combined "PMD" tour from [[Selçuk]]. ==Understand== Essentially a northwestern extension of [[Mediterranean Turkey|Mediterranean coast]], this region has the typical “Turkish blue coast” – with mountains covered by pine forests descending right to the sea level. Historical names for this region include '''Caria'''. ==Get in== * International '''airport''' of the region is located in [[Bodrum]] ({{IATA|BJV}}). Regional flight available to Denizli Çardak Airport ({{IATA|DNZ}}). * '''Ferries''' connect most towns on the coast to the nearest respective islands belonging to the [[Dodecanese]] island group of [[Greece]]. * [[Aydin]] and [[Denizli]] has daily '''train''' services from [[Izmir]]. * A '''motorway''' connect the region with [[Izmir]] in the north. '''D400''' connects [[Fethiye]] with [[Antalya]] in the east through Lycian coast. ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== [[File:Unnamed Road, 48220 Kultak-Milas-Muğla, Turkey - panoramio (6).jpg|thumb|Near Ören on the Bay of Gökova]] ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== * [[Central Aegean]] to the north. * The [[Dodecanese]] to the west. * [[Lycia]] to the south. * The [[Lakes District]] to the east. * [[Central Anatolia]] to the northeast. {{IsPartOf|Aegean Turkey}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|37.02|28.22|zoom=8}} ijpd4c79epajqfhvt2rdqvdj8adrcho 0 34405 4501851 3509544 2022-08-16T03:25:18Z Ground Zero 1423298 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Stratford}} [[File:HighPlainsSilosNearStratfordTexasMarch2009.JPG|thumb|325px|Silos outside of Stratford]] '''Stratford''' is a small town in the northern [[High Plains]] region of [[Texas]]. ==Get in== * '''US 287''', between [[Dumas]] and [[Boise City]], [[Oklahoma]] * '''US 54''', between [[Dalhart]] and [[Guymon]], [[Oklahoma]] * '''Texas Route 15''' connects to [[Gruver]] and [[Spearman]] to the east. ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Stratford, Texas.jpg|thumb|Downtown Stratford]] * {{see | name=Historic residences | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Over 25 of which were built in 1900-1910. }} * {{see | name=Sherman County Courthouse | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=North Third and Fulton | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Built in 1922. }} * {{see | name=Sherman County Depot Museum | url= | email= | address=Main Street | lat= | long= | directions=at US 54 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 2-4PM | price= | content=Housed in the town's original train depot. }} ==Do== ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Acquisitions | alt= | url= | email= | address=201 E Texas Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 806 396-5691 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Antiques and collectibles. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Elk Junction | alt= | url= | email= | address=201 S Poplar St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 806 366-3400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Sunset Motel | alt= | url= | email= | address=716 N Poplar St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 806 366-3625 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Stratford Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=402 Texas Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 806 366-5574 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=La Fiesta Motel | alt= | url= | email= | address=514 E Texas Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 806 396-1159 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} ==Go next== * [[Dalhart]], and the former XIT Ranch. * [[Dumas]], to the south, has better restaurant options. {{routebox | image1=US 54.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=SW | majorl1=[[Tucumcari]] | minorl1=[[Dalhart]] | directionr1=NE | majorr1=[[Guymon]] | minorr1=[[Texhoma]] | image2=US 287.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=[[Lamar (Colorado)|Lamar]] | minorl2=[[Boise City]] | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Amarillo]] | minorr2=[[Dumas]] | image3=Texas 15.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=END | minorl3= | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Woodward]] | minorr3=Jct [[Guymon|N]] [[File:Texas 136.svg|18px]] [[Borger|S]] → [[Perryton]] }} {{geo|36.336111|-102.071389}} {{IsPartOf|High Plains}} {{outlinecity}} c3isb27b06s72k447ggg8byusuv2p0o 0 34756 4501828 4487040 2022-08-16T02:44:38Z SHB2000 2248002 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Svalbard banner.jpg |caption=Svalbard in June | otbp=yes}} [[Image:SvalbardBoatTour.jpg|thumb|boat tour]] '''[http://www.visitsvalbard.com/en/Frontpage Svalbard]''' ([[Russian phrasebook|Russian]]: {{lang|ru|Шпицберген}}, ''Shpitsbergen'' or {{lang|ru|Грумант}}, ''Grumant'') is a group of islands located between the [[Islands of the Arctic Ocean|Arctic Ocean]], Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea. The area is sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the main island with all the settlements. The islands are directly north of [[Norway]], and have been under Norwegian rule since 1920. Svalbard's settlements are the second most northerly permanently-inhabited spots on the planet, after the Canadian military base at [[Alert]]. Svalbard is a unique place because of its nature, the extreme northern location and its legal status as neutral Norwegian territory. There is virtually no infrastructure outside a handful of small settlements. About 60% of the area is covered by glaciers, 30% is barren rock and only 10% is covered by vegetation. Svalbard has midnight sun from late April to late August, while winter darkness (polar night) lasts from late October to February. Seven national parks and 23 nature reserves cover 70% of the islands. Because of the delicate nature and threat from polar bears, movement outside settlements is strictly regulated. Weather is generally cold and above freezing for only a couple of summer months, but relatively mild for such a northern latitude. There is so little precipitation that parts of Svalbard are similar to a desert. ==Towns== {{mapframe|78.764|18.574|zoom=5}}{{mapshape}} [[Image:Topographic map of Svalbard.svg|thumb|350px|Map of Svalbard]] [[Image:Map of Arctic Islands.png|thumb|350px|Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean]] All settlements in Svalbard are located on the main island of '''Spitsbergen''' (or ''Vest-Spitsbergen''). *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Barentsburg]]|lat=78.066667|long=14.216667|wikidata=Q690333}} (Баренцбург) – sole remaining Russian settlement, population 400 *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Sør-Spitsbergen National Park#Hornsund|Hornsund]]|lat=76.95|long=15.766667|wikidata=Q1625885}} – Polish research station, population 10 in winter, around 20–30 in summer. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Longyearbyen]]|lat=78.22|long=15.65|wikidata=Q25923}} – the "capital" and main Norwegian settlement with a population of 2100 *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ny-Ålesund]]|lat=78.925|long=11.922222|wikidata=Q55669}} – the most northerly civilian settlement in the world, population under 100 *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Sveagruva]]|lat=77.9|long=16.730556|wikidata=Q909089}} – population 210 There are also two other abandoned settlements that have their own Wikivoyage articles: [[Sveagruva]] and [[Pyramiden]]. Both of these are very off the beaten path, but there are plans to revitalise the former Russian town of Pyramiden into a tourist destination. The other islands of Svalbard are uninhabited and, as they are all nature reserves, generally inaccessible without special permission. The islands can be divided into two groups: the Spitsbergen group of '''Barentsøya''', '''Edgeøya''', '''Nordaustlandet''' and '''Prins Karls Forland''', and the more remote islands of '''[[Bjørnøya]]''', '''Hopen''', '''Kong Karls Land''' and '''Kvitøya'''. [[File:GrumantSvalbard.jpg|thumb|House in abandoned Grumant mine]] ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Forlandet National Park]]|wikidata=Q1437363}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Indre Wijdefjorden National Park]]|wikidata=Q1661839}} – protects the inner part of Wijdefjorden, Svalbard's longest fjord * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sør-Spitsbergen National Park]]|wikidata=Q1577229}} – Norway's largest national park ==Understand== Svalbard is the northernmost tip of Europe and, a few military bases aside, its settlements are the northernmost permanently-inhabited spots on the planet. Located between the 76° and 81° parallels, they are far more northerly than any part of [[Alaska]] and all but a few of [[northern Canada|Canada's Arctic islands]]. In fact, they would be permanently locked in by ice if not for the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, and it is this comparative warmth that makes them habitable. The islands cover 62,050 km² (smaller than Iceland, about twice the area of Belgium), the largest of which are Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Austfonna glacier on Nordaustlandet is 8,492 km² and the widest glacier in Europe, slightly ahead of [[Vatnajökull]] in Iceland. Austfonna glacier alone covers an area about 3-4 times wider than Luxembourg. Spitsbergen is the fifth-widest island in Europe and covers an area about the size of Switzerland. While Svalbard has never had an indigenous population, the islands are inhabited today by fewer than 3,000 people, nearly all of them in the main settlements of [[Longyearbyen]] and [[Barentsburg]] on Spitsbergen. The islands are governed by ''Sysselmesteren på Svalbard'', literally if slightly awkwardly translated into English as the '''Governor of Svalbard'''; the Governor is appointed by the government of Norway. Sysselmannen administration is responsible for policing, rescue, environmental policy, visas, weapon licences and other public services on the islands. All man-made objects older than 1946 are protected by law and cannot be touched by visitors. For this reason, the area around Longyearbyen, and several other parts of the archipelago, are littered with interesting artifacts including disused [[mining tourism|mining equipment]], bits of rope and shovels. Human graves are often shallow and human remains are in some cases visible on the ground. Remains of animals such as whales and polar bears of any age are also protected. ===History=== The islands were supposedly discovered by [[Vikings and the Old Norse|Viking explorers]] in the 12th century. However the first recorded voyage here was by the Dutch in 1596, landing on the northwest of Spitsbergen. The first permanent settlement was the international whaling base, which was active during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognised in 1920; five years later it took over the territory. However, the Svalbard Treaty gives "absolute equality" to other nations wishing to exploit mineral deposits, and Russia continues to maintain a significant population on the island. Although part of Norway, Svalbard remains a neutral territory. ===Economy=== [[Image:Mine1 Equipment.JPG|thumb|300px|Remains of an abandoned coal mine, [[Longyearbyen]]]] Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gives the 41 signatories equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although American, British, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The settlements on Svalbard were essentially company towns. Barentsburg still exists as such, while Longyearbyen has begun to resemble a 'normal' mainland town. The Norwegian state-owned coal company is responsible, both directly and indirectly, for approximately half of the working hours in Longyearbyen. There is also some trapping of seal, fox, and walrus. Tourism has become increasingly important and now powers the economy of Longyearbyen, changing it significantly. Nonetheless, the place is not often swarming with tourists. The third main industry on Svalbard is scientific research and education. UNIS, the University Centre on Svalbard, offers tertiary and postgraduate courses in Arctic sciences, and many countries also run research stations on the archipelago. ===Geography=== [[Image:SvalbardFromAbove.jpg|thumb|Svalbard from above]] Svalbard is barren, rugged and desolate. Its mountains look like giant, precipitous slag heaps: steeply-piled stacks of rubble, eroded by rain with peaks jutting out at improbable angles. Higher mountains are permanently covered in snow and many valleys are filled with glaciers. There are no trees on the islands and the most common vegetation is a brownish green moss, the colour of dead grass, that sprouts patchily up the mountainsides. However, many Arctic flowers bloom here during summer. ===Climate=== [[Image:Glacier_BlueCrystals.JPG|thumb|300px|Blue ice, Esmarkbreen]] Svalbard literally means "cold edge", an apt name for this northern land. The climate is Arctic, tempered by the warm North Atlantic Current. Summers are cool (July average 6.1°C) and winters are cold (January average -15.8°C), but '''wind chill''' means that it usually feels colder. The North Atlantic Current flows along the west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year. The peak travel season for cruises is during Svalbard's brief summer, from June to August, when it's light and not ''too'' cold outside. The "light winter" period (March-May) is the high season for fly and stay guests, when there is both sunlight and snow. This period is also increasingly popular for winter sports. March is still one of the coldest months with an average of -15°C in Longyearbyen, though temperatures can drop to -40°C. Summer months are just above freezing on average and temperatures occasionally climb to 15°C. Weather is often cloudy but Svalbard is typically a very dry area. Fog is common, with April and May being the least foggy months. Annual precipitation is typically around 200-500 mm making Svalbard one of the driest areas of Europe. Some places in Svalbard get less than 100 mm annually, similar to or less than the driest places in Spain. A few places in Svalbard get 1000 mm annually. Precipitation mostly falls from low clouds and depends on the landscape. Svalbard features the '''[[midnight sun]]''' from 20 April to 23 August. Conversely, the sun stays under the horizon during the '''polar night''' from 26 October to 15 February. In northern mainland Norway there is twilight midday during the polar night, but on Svalbard it is fully dark at least all of December. ===Holidays=== Norwegian and Russian public holidays apply in their respective settlements, but there are a few local festivals of interest: * '''Polar Jazz''', end of January. 4-5 day jazz, blues, and bluegrass festival. * '''Solfestuka''', around 8 March. 'The sun festival week', a celebration of the end of the polar night. * '''[http://www.svalbardblues.com Dark Season Blues]'''. Blues festival at the end of October. An appropriately-themed way to mark the approach of winter. * '''KunstPause Svalbard''', around 14 November. An arts festival timed to match the beginning of the polar night. ==Get in== Getting in is relatively expensive and time-consuming, but less so than other destinations at nearly the same latitude, e.g., in Greenland and Canada. Svalbard has no [[border crossing|border controls]], and citizens of the 41 signatories of the Svalbard treaty (including such unlikely countries as Afghanistan and the Dominican Republic) need no visas or other permits to visit &ndash; or even work &ndash; in Svalbard. However, most scheduled flights to Svalbard depart from [[Norway]], and as Norway considers Svalbard a domestic destination, you'll need to pass through Norwegian immigration first. In the other direction, Norway reserves the right to check the passports of passengers coming from Svalbard. Svalbard is not inside the [[Schengen Agreement|Schengen area]]. People who need a visa to the Schengen area will need a multiple-entry visa to go to Svalbard since returning to mainland Norway counts as entering the Schengen area again. People from the Nordic countries need a passport to Svalbard even if they do not normally need it inside the Nordic countries. Norwegians can for the time being use their Norwegian driver's licence. ===By plane=== '''[[Longyearbyen]]''' has the largest [https://avinor.no/en/airport/svalbard-airport/ airport] on the islands ({{IATA|LYR}}), the only one suitable for passenger flights from outside Svalbard. '''[http://www.flysas.com/ SAS]''' has scheduled flights from [[Oslo]] and [[Tromsø]], '''[http://www.norwegian.com Norwegian]''' from Oslo only. Moreover there are charter flights from various European destinations. SAS considers flights to Longyearbyen from Oslo or Tromsø domestic, so an SAS EuroBonus award ticket from anywhere in Scandinavia to Svalbard costs just 10,000 EuroBonus points in SAS Go, and 20,000 in SAS Plus. This little loophole is well-known by SAS frequent flyers and award availability is quite limited, so book well in advance if planning to use this. SAS flights can also be bought over the Internet either direct from SAS or via certain meta agents. While flights to Svalbard were long rather expensive, fares can be in line with other intra-European flights these days, but early booking and flexibility with dates will help you get the cheapest tickets. ===By boat=== A number of operators offer '''cruises''' around Svalbard in the high season. These are the only practical means of visiting the more far-flung bits of the archipelago like [[Ny-Ålesund]], but they don't come cheap: a typical 3-day cruise starting from [[Longyearbyen]] may cost you from 13000 kr (c. US$1500 / €1300, cheapest cabin, twin sharing). There are also longer cruises, some starting all the way from [[Oslo]], with rates going up to US$9500 for a 12-day trip. There are countless cruise operators, but they all seem to book on the same boats. [http://www.spitsbergentravel.no/ Spitsbergen Travel] runs '''MS Fram''' and the '''MS Nordstjernen''' (1956), formerly Norwegian Hurtigruten ships. Other small ship favorites are the Antarctica Dream, Ocean Adventurer, MV Plancius, Ortelius, Akademik Vavilov, Ioffe and the Polar Pioneer. Most of these vessels have been designed to plow the icy waters of the Antarctica and have comfortable facilities. While none of these can be described as "luxurious", other vessels such as the Le Boreal, Sea Spirit, and Le Diamant are larger and designed to cater to the luxury traveller. Some operators specialize in small ship cruise options and land safaris, such as [http://www.adventure-life.com/cruises/arctic-cruises/ Adventure Life]. If you want a full-fledged cruise ship, [http://www.pocruises.com/cruise-destinations/ny-alesund-cruises/ P&O] usually also calls a few times a year on two-week trips. Passenger services to Svalbard are very limited. In the summer there is a cargo ship service from [[Tromsø]] once a week. The journey takes 2-3 days and prices are generally at least as steep as flights, but this cannot be considered as a usual measure of transport, as passengers are usually not allowed onboard. Very seldomly, cargo ships also operate from [[Murmansk]] to [[Barentsburg]]. There is also the Polish sailing yacht '''[http://www.arktyka.com/sp Eltanin]''', which provides supplies for research stations. It sails once a year from [[Gdynia]] (usually May); however, the journey takes about 3 weeks. ==Get around== Most of Svalbard is protected as national park or nature reserves. There is no infrastructure outside Longyearbyen. Visitors can in general not go around on their own out of Longyearbyen, also for safety reasons. The only "highway" links the Longyearbyen airport to the Mine 7 via Longyearbyen. It is for the most part unsealed and anyway very short. There are paved streets in the settlement of Longyearbyen and many of the local residents tend to have cars. Snowmobiles are common transportation in wintertime. Visitors don't need a car. Travel between islands and settlements can be done by plane or [[helicopter]] any time of year. Boats can be used in summer. MS Polargirl runs a mail service several times a week between Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Pyramiden and passengers are taken on these trips. Many people go with an expectation of seeing a polar bear on a '''boat safari'''. This is possible, but by no means guaranteed. ==Talk== The official language is [[Norwegian phrasebook|Norwegian]]. However, nearly everyone speaks English. In Barentsburg, [[Russian phrasebook|Russian]] and [[Ukrainian phrasebook|Ukrainian]] are spoken. ==See== {{seealso|Eurasian wildlife}} Svalbard's visitors come mostly to experience '''Arctic nature''' at its rawest and most powerful. The islands have untouched glaciers and craggy mountains, but also polar bears, caribou, a peculiar short legged reindeer, polar foxes, whales, seals and walruses. Svalbard is renowned for its variety of birds, including Arctic Terns, Arctic Fulmar and Puffins. Whales can be spotted off the coastlines particularly during late summer. Humpback whales, Orcas, Beluga whales, and Narwhals all frequent the ocean waters near Svalbard. During the short summer, the melting snow in the milder parts of the islands gives place to vast stretches of tundra vegetation, sometimes dotted with delicate flowers. Although it is possible to prepare your own excursion while on Svalbard, the lack of infrastructure, the necessity of carrying (and knowing how to use) a rifle outside the settlements, and the harshness of the environment even during the summer make organized activities with professional guides a necessity for most visitors. Activities can be booked online or in Longyearbyen. [[Longyearbyen]] has a couple of museums and the world's northernmost church. The Soviet-era settlements of [[Barentsburg]], still running fitfully, and '''Pyramiden''', abandoned in the 1990s, make offbeat attractions, being home to (among other things) the world's '''two northernmost Lenin statues'''. Both can be visited by cruise or snowmobile from [[Longyearbyen]]. ==Buy== The currency is the Norwegian krone (kr), and this is also accepted in the Russian settlements. Svalbard is a tax free zone so a number of shops in Longyearbyen display various items for sale at prices well below mainland Norway. {{exchange rates |currency = Norwegian kroner |currencyCodeAfter = kr |date=July 2022 |USD=10 |EUR=10.2 |GBP=10.2 |source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/nok-norwegian-krone XE.com] }} ===Costs=== Svalbard is by most measures '''very expensive''': on Svalbard most things costs even more than mainland Norway. Accommodation in cheap guesthouses costs around 500 kr/night and sit-down meals are closer to 100 kr each, and both can easily be double if you want to stay in a full-service hotel. Guided activities start at about 500 kr per day (e.g., trekking and kayaking) but can go to 1000 kr and above for tours requiring specialist equipment. One way to cut costs significantly is to camp and self-cater, bringing all your supplies from the mainland. There is, however, a full service grocery store in Longyearbyen. Frozen and dry goods are on par with or even a little cheaper than in Norway, while perishable items arrive via air freight and are more expensive. Svalbard's '''duty-free''' status means that alcohol and sports clothing, etc. are much cheaper than on the mainland. ==Eat== Food on Svalbard is expensive for most visitors, as it is anywhere in Norway. Local specialities include seal and reindeer, served at restaurants in [[Longyearbyen]]. Sometimes polar bears are shot (see [[#Stay safe|below]]) and served to tourists. It is generally accepted that they don't taste particularly good, but the novelty value keeps them on the menu. ==Drink== Alcohol is duty-free on Svalbard. If you've arrived from Norway the bars will seem refreshingly cheap but are still equivalent to London prices. In [[Barentsburg]], Russian vodka can be cheap. A popular party trick for glacier cruises is drinks served with '''glacier ice''', purified by natural processes over thousands of years. ==Sleep== A range of accommodation is available only in [[Longyearbyen]], which offers camping, guesthouses and luxury hotels. The camping site is located 300m from the airport and is the only place where camping is permitted in relatively close proximity to Longyearbyen. For travellers looking to bring the cost down it is much cheaper to camp than pay for guesthouses and the camping site is free to use outside season, although the service buildings are locked meaning facilities such as toilets are unavailable. Rules therefore apply to how to deal with urgent toilet purposes, and strict rules are applied to waste disposal. In season the camp site is serviced and facilities available, and it is possible to rent tents. Warm showers cost extra. [[Barentsburg]] and [[Ny-Ålesund]] each has one hotel. ==Learn== * '''[http://www.unis.no The University Centre in Svalbard]''' (UNIS). A private foundation run by four Norwegian universities, offers university-level courses in Arctic biology, geology, geophysics and technology. Several hundred students, half of them exchange students from outside Norway, attend yearly. ==Work== Citizens of Svalbard Treaty signatory countries need no permits to work on Svalbard; you can even set up your own mine if so inclined. In practice, work opportunities are rather more limited, although there is some seasonal tourist industry work available during the summer if you have the requisite skills and language abilities (Norwegian will come in handy). The Governor of Svalbard does, however, have the right to boot you off the island if you cannot support yourself. ==Stay safe== [[Image:Museum PolarBear.JPG|thumb|300px|Polar bear (safely stuffed), [[Longyearbyen]]]] The biggest threat on Svalbard is '''polar bears''' (''isbjørn''), some 500 of which inhabit the main islands at any one time. Seven people have been killed by polar bears since 1973, the most recent in August 2020, so if travelling outside settlements you are required to '''carry a rifle at all times''' to protect yourself. They can be rented for about 150 kr and up per day, but starting 2009, a valid gun license is now required; those without a gun license can apply for [http://sysselmannen.no/en/Shortcuts/Firearms/Renting-firearms/ temporary permission] to rent a rifle: all that is required is to fill out an application form and a certificate of good conduct (i.e. proof of no criminal record) which can be e-mailed to the Svalbard Police Department. Processing may take up to 4 weeks, but has been known to work even on the same day with some luck. However, for most people, it's better to stick to guided tours. Do not underestimate the speed of polar bears (you cannot outrun one). Polar bears can be extremely unpredictable and are far more dangerous than European brown bears. You are not allowed to kill polar bears unless it is an immediate threat to your life. The [[cold weather|harsh Arctic environment]] also poses its own challenges, particularly in winter. Beware of the danger of '''frostbite''' in the face (nose and cheeks), fingers and toes, particularly in low temperatures with wind (such as high speed on snowmobile). Crossing glaciers and rivers can be hazardous and travelling with local guides is strongly recommended. If heading out on your own, informing the Governor of Svalbard about your route and expected duration is highly advisable. For any trips outside central region of Spitsbergen, you ''must'' notify the Governor, and may be required to purchase insurance or put up a large deposit to cover possible rescue costs. Svalbard has virtually no crime, except occasional drunken brawls. ==Stay healthy== Tap water on Svalbard is drinkable, but surface water may contain '''tapeworm eggs''' from fox feces and should be boiled before consumption. There is a pharmacy in [[Longyearbyen]] and you can buy some non-prescription drugs in the supermarket (Svalbardbutikken). Longyearbyen also has a hospital for treating emergencies. As there are no maternity clinics on or near Svalbard, women in late-stage pregnancy are discouraged from visiting. ==Respect== In most of Svalbard's buildings, including some hotels and shops, you are expected to '''take off your shoes''' before entering. In public buildings this will be obvious as a shoe rack covered in dirty walking boots will be prominent at the entrance. Alternatively you may be invited to put on overshoes (effectively plastic bags) over ordinary footwear. ==Connect== GSM/3G phones work in the main towns of Svalbard. The Internet connection in Svalbard is top class because NASA rents bulk capacity on undersea fiber optic cables running at seabed to mainland Norway for its experiments. [[Longyearbyen]] has several public Internet terminals. While mail from Svalbard to mainland Norway and the outside world uses regular Norwegian stamps at regular Norwegian prices, philatelists may be interested in the '''Lokalpost''' system used for intra-Svalbard mail. Stamps, first-day covers and more are available at the post offices in Longyearbyen and [[Barentsburg]], as well as at Longyearbyen's Svalbardbutikken. ==Go next== Svalbard is a popular staging point (at least in relative terms) for launching expeditions to the [[North Pole]]. For more experiences of the Arctic north, you can visit [[Ellesmere Island]] or [[northern Greenland]] - where the world's northernmost land is located. Fairly close to Svalbard is [[Franz Josef Land]], a largely uninhabited group of islands which belongs to Russia. {{isPartOf|Norway}} {{geo|78.0|16.0|zoom=5}} {{guideregion}} eg6poqm0f6mncqm6s9ptowa0phcq464 4501834 4501828 2022-08-16T02:50:20Z SHB2000 2248002 /* By boat */ not a very useful conversion wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Svalbard banner.jpg |caption=Svalbard in June | otbp=yes}} [[Image:SvalbardBoatTour.jpg|thumb|boat tour]] '''[http://www.visitsvalbard.com/en/Frontpage Svalbard]''' ([[Russian phrasebook|Russian]]: {{lang|ru|Шпицберген}}, ''Shpitsbergen'' or {{lang|ru|Грумант}}, ''Grumant'') is a group of islands located between the [[Islands of the Arctic Ocean|Arctic Ocean]], Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea. The area is sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the main island with all the settlements. The islands are directly north of [[Norway]], and have been under Norwegian rule since 1920. Svalbard's settlements are the second most northerly permanently-inhabited spots on the planet, after the Canadian military base at [[Alert]]. Svalbard is a unique place because of its nature, the extreme northern location and its legal status as neutral Norwegian territory. There is virtually no infrastructure outside a handful of small settlements. About 60% of the area is covered by glaciers, 30% is barren rock and only 10% is covered by vegetation. Svalbard has midnight sun from late April to late August, while winter darkness (polar night) lasts from late October to February. Seven national parks and 23 nature reserves cover 70% of the islands. Because of the delicate nature and threat from polar bears, movement outside settlements is strictly regulated. Weather is generally cold and above freezing for only a couple of summer months, but relatively mild for such a northern latitude. There is so little precipitation that parts of Svalbard are similar to a desert. ==Towns== {{mapframe|78.764|18.574|zoom=5}}{{mapshape}} [[Image:Topographic map of Svalbard.svg|thumb|350px|Map of Svalbard]] [[Image:Map of Arctic Islands.png|thumb|350px|Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean]] All settlements in Svalbard are located on the main island of '''Spitsbergen''' (or ''Vest-Spitsbergen''). *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Barentsburg]]|lat=78.066667|long=14.216667|wikidata=Q690333}} (Баренцбург) – sole remaining Russian settlement, population 400 *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Sør-Spitsbergen National Park#Hornsund|Hornsund]]|lat=76.95|long=15.766667|wikidata=Q1625885}} – Polish research station, population 10 in winter, around 20–30 in summer. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Longyearbyen]]|lat=78.22|long=15.65|wikidata=Q25923}} – the "capital" and main Norwegian settlement with a population of 2100 *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Ny-Ålesund]]|lat=78.925|long=11.922222|wikidata=Q55669}} – the most northerly civilian settlement in the world, population under 100 *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Sveagruva]]|lat=77.9|long=16.730556|wikidata=Q909089}} – population 210 There are also two other abandoned settlements that have their own Wikivoyage articles: [[Sveagruva]] and [[Pyramiden]]. Both of these are very off the beaten path, but there are plans to revitalise the former Russian town of Pyramiden into a tourist destination. The other islands of Svalbard are uninhabited and, as they are all nature reserves, generally inaccessible without special permission. The islands can be divided into two groups: the Spitsbergen group of '''Barentsøya''', '''Edgeøya''', '''Nordaustlandet''' and '''Prins Karls Forland''', and the more remote islands of '''[[Bjørnøya]]''', '''Hopen''', '''Kong Karls Land''' and '''Kvitøya'''. [[File:GrumantSvalbard.jpg|thumb|House in abandoned Grumant mine]] ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Forlandet National Park]]|wikidata=Q1437363}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Indre Wijdefjorden National Park]]|wikidata=Q1661839}} – protects the inner part of Wijdefjorden, Svalbard's longest fjord * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sør-Spitsbergen National Park]]|wikidata=Q1577229}} – Norway's largest national park ==Understand== Svalbard is the northernmost tip of Europe and, a few military bases aside, its settlements are the northernmost permanently-inhabited spots on the planet. Located between the 76° and 81° parallels, they are far more northerly than any part of [[Alaska]] and all but a few of [[northern Canada|Canada's Arctic islands]]. In fact, they would be permanently locked in by ice if not for the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, and it is this comparative warmth that makes them habitable. The islands cover 62,050 km² (smaller than Iceland, about twice the area of Belgium), the largest of which are Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Austfonna glacier on Nordaustlandet is 8,492 km² and the widest glacier in Europe, slightly ahead of [[Vatnajökull]] in Iceland. Austfonna glacier alone covers an area about 3-4 times wider than Luxembourg. Spitsbergen is the fifth-widest island in Europe and covers an area about the size of Switzerland. While Svalbard has never had an indigenous population, the islands are inhabited today by fewer than 3,000 people, nearly all of them in the main settlements of [[Longyearbyen]] and [[Barentsburg]] on Spitsbergen. The islands are governed by ''Sysselmesteren på Svalbard'', literally if slightly awkwardly translated into English as the '''Governor of Svalbard'''; the Governor is appointed by the government of Norway. Sysselmannen administration is responsible for policing, rescue, environmental policy, visas, weapon licences and other public services on the islands. All man-made objects older than 1946 are protected by law and cannot be touched by visitors. For this reason, the area around Longyearbyen, and several other parts of the archipelago, are littered with interesting artifacts including disused [[mining tourism|mining equipment]], bits of rope and shovels. Human graves are often shallow and human remains are in some cases visible on the ground. Remains of animals such as whales and polar bears of any age are also protected. ===History=== The islands were supposedly discovered by [[Vikings and the Old Norse|Viking explorers]] in the 12th century. However the first recorded voyage here was by the Dutch in 1596, landing on the northwest of Spitsbergen. The first permanent settlement was the international whaling base, which was active during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognised in 1920; five years later it took over the territory. However, the Svalbard Treaty gives "absolute equality" to other nations wishing to exploit mineral deposits, and Russia continues to maintain a significant population on the island. Although part of Norway, Svalbard remains a neutral territory. ===Economy=== [[Image:Mine1 Equipment.JPG|thumb|300px|Remains of an abandoned coal mine, [[Longyearbyen]]]] Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gives the 41 signatories equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although American, British, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The settlements on Svalbard were essentially company towns. Barentsburg still exists as such, while Longyearbyen has begun to resemble a 'normal' mainland town. The Norwegian state-owned coal company is responsible, both directly and indirectly, for approximately half of the working hours in Longyearbyen. There is also some trapping of seal, fox, and walrus. Tourism has become increasingly important and now powers the economy of Longyearbyen, changing it significantly. Nonetheless, the place is not often swarming with tourists. The third main industry on Svalbard is scientific research and education. UNIS, the University Centre on Svalbard, offers tertiary and postgraduate courses in Arctic sciences, and many countries also run research stations on the archipelago. ===Geography=== [[Image:SvalbardFromAbove.jpg|thumb|Svalbard from above]] Svalbard is barren, rugged and desolate. Its mountains look like giant, precipitous slag heaps: steeply-piled stacks of rubble, eroded by rain with peaks jutting out at improbable angles. Higher mountains are permanently covered in snow and many valleys are filled with glaciers. There are no trees on the islands and the most common vegetation is a brownish green moss, the colour of dead grass, that sprouts patchily up the mountainsides. However, many Arctic flowers bloom here during summer. ===Climate=== [[Image:Glacier_BlueCrystals.JPG|thumb|300px|Blue ice, Esmarkbreen]] Svalbard literally means "cold edge", an apt name for this northern land. The climate is Arctic, tempered by the warm North Atlantic Current. Summers are cool (July average 6.1°C) and winters are cold (January average -15.8°C), but '''wind chill''' means that it usually feels colder. The North Atlantic Current flows along the west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year. The peak travel season for cruises is during Svalbard's brief summer, from June to August, when it's light and not ''too'' cold outside. The "light winter" period (March-May) is the high season for fly and stay guests, when there is both sunlight and snow. This period is also increasingly popular for winter sports. March is still one of the coldest months with an average of -15°C in Longyearbyen, though temperatures can drop to -40°C. Summer months are just above freezing on average and temperatures occasionally climb to 15°C. Weather is often cloudy but Svalbard is typically a very dry area. Fog is common, with April and May being the least foggy months. Annual precipitation is typically around 200-500 mm making Svalbard one of the driest areas of Europe. Some places in Svalbard get less than 100 mm annually, similar to or less than the driest places in Spain. A few places in Svalbard get 1000 mm annually. Precipitation mostly falls from low clouds and depends on the landscape. Svalbard features the '''[[midnight sun]]''' from 20 April to 23 August. Conversely, the sun stays under the horizon during the '''polar night''' from 26 October to 15 February. In northern mainland Norway there is twilight midday during the polar night, but on Svalbard it is fully dark at least all of December. ===Holidays=== Norwegian and Russian public holidays apply in their respective settlements, but there are a few local festivals of interest: * '''Polar Jazz''', end of January. 4-5 day jazz, blues, and bluegrass festival. * '''Solfestuka''', around 8 March. 'The sun festival week', a celebration of the end of the polar night. * '''[http://www.svalbardblues.com Dark Season Blues]'''. Blues festival at the end of October. An appropriately-themed way to mark the approach of winter. * '''KunstPause Svalbard''', around 14 November. An arts festival timed to match the beginning of the polar night. ==Get in== Getting in is relatively expensive and time-consuming, but less so than other destinations at nearly the same latitude, e.g., in Greenland and Canada. Svalbard has no [[border crossing|border controls]], and citizens of the 41 signatories of the Svalbard treaty (including such unlikely countries as Afghanistan and the Dominican Republic) need no visas or other permits to visit &ndash; or even work &ndash; in Svalbard. However, most scheduled flights to Svalbard depart from [[Norway]], and as Norway considers Svalbard a domestic destination, you'll need to pass through Norwegian immigration first. In the other direction, Norway reserves the right to check the passports of passengers coming from Svalbard. Svalbard is not inside the [[Schengen Agreement|Schengen area]]. People who need a visa to the Schengen area will need a multiple-entry visa to go to Svalbard since returning to mainland Norway counts as entering the Schengen area again. People from the Nordic countries need a passport to Svalbard even if they do not normally need it inside the Nordic countries. Norwegians can for the time being use their Norwegian driver's licence. ===By plane=== '''[[Longyearbyen]]''' has the largest [https://avinor.no/en/airport/svalbard-airport/ airport] on the islands ({{IATA|LYR}}), the only one suitable for passenger flights from outside Svalbard. '''[http://www.flysas.com/ SAS]''' has scheduled flights from [[Oslo]] and [[Tromsø]], '''[http://www.norwegian.com Norwegian]''' from Oslo only. Moreover there are charter flights from various European destinations. SAS considers flights to Longyearbyen from Oslo or Tromsø domestic, so an SAS EuroBonus award ticket from anywhere in Scandinavia to Svalbard costs just 10,000 EuroBonus points in SAS Go, and 20,000 in SAS Plus. This little loophole is well-known by SAS frequent flyers and award availability is quite limited, so book well in advance if planning to use this. SAS flights can also be bought over the Internet either direct from SAS or via certain meta agents. While flights to Svalbard were long rather expensive, fares can be in line with other intra-European flights these days, but early booking and flexibility with dates will help you get the cheapest tickets. ===By boat=== A number of operators offer '''cruises''' around Svalbard in the high season. These are the only practical means of visiting the more far-flung bits of the archipelago like [[Ny-Ålesund]], but they don't come cheap: a typical 3-day cruise starting from [[Longyearbyen]] may cost you from 13000 kr (c. €1300, cheapest cabin, twin sharing). There are also longer cruises, some starting all the way from [[Oslo]], with rates going up to US$9500 for a 12-day trip. There are countless cruise operators, but they all seem to book on the same boats. [http://www.spitsbergentravel.no/ Spitsbergen Travel] runs '''MS Fram''' and the '''MS Nordstjernen''' (1956), formerly Norwegian Hurtigruten ships. Other small ship favorites are the Antarctica Dream, Ocean Adventurer, MV Plancius, Ortelius, Akademik Vavilov, Ioffe and the Polar Pioneer. Most of these vessels have been designed to plow the icy waters of the Antarctica and have comfortable facilities. While none of these can be described as "luxurious", other vessels such as the Le Boreal, Sea Spirit, and Le Diamant are larger and designed to cater to the luxury traveller. Some operators specialize in small ship cruise options and land safaris, such as [http://www.adventure-life.com/cruises/arctic-cruises/ Adventure Life]. If you want a full-fledged cruise ship, [http://www.pocruises.com/cruise-destinations/ny-alesund-cruises/ P&O] usually also calls a few times a year on two-week trips. Passenger services to Svalbard are very limited. In the summer there is a cargo ship service from [[Tromsø]] once a week. The journey takes 2-3 days and prices are generally at least as steep as flights, but this cannot be considered as a usual measure of transport, as passengers are usually not allowed onboard. Very seldomly, cargo ships also operate from [[Murmansk]] to [[Barentsburg]]. There is also the Polish sailing yacht '''[http://www.arktyka.com/sp Eltanin]''', which provides supplies for research stations. It sails once a year from [[Gdynia]] (usually May); however, the journey takes about 3 weeks. ==Get around== Most of Svalbard is protected as national park or nature reserves. There is no infrastructure outside Longyearbyen. Visitors can in general not go around on their own out of Longyearbyen, also for safety reasons. The only "highway" links the Longyearbyen airport to the Mine 7 via Longyearbyen. It is for the most part unsealed and anyway very short. There are paved streets in the settlement of Longyearbyen and many of the local residents tend to have cars. Snowmobiles are common transportation in wintertime. Visitors don't need a car. Travel between islands and settlements can be done by plane or [[helicopter]] any time of year. Boats can be used in summer. MS Polargirl runs a mail service several times a week between Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Pyramiden and passengers are taken on these trips. Many people go with an expectation of seeing a polar bear on a '''boat safari'''. This is possible, but by no means guaranteed. ==Talk== The official language is [[Norwegian phrasebook|Norwegian]]. However, nearly everyone speaks English. In Barentsburg, [[Russian phrasebook|Russian]] and [[Ukrainian phrasebook|Ukrainian]] are spoken. ==See== {{seealso|Eurasian wildlife}} Svalbard's visitors come mostly to experience '''Arctic nature''' at its rawest and most powerful. The islands have untouched glaciers and craggy mountains, but also polar bears, caribou, a peculiar short legged reindeer, polar foxes, whales, seals and walruses. Svalbard is renowned for its variety of birds, including Arctic Terns, Arctic Fulmar and Puffins. Whales can be spotted off the coastlines particularly during late summer. Humpback whales, Orcas, Beluga whales, and Narwhals all frequent the ocean waters near Svalbard. During the short summer, the melting snow in the milder parts of the islands gives place to vast stretches of tundra vegetation, sometimes dotted with delicate flowers. Although it is possible to prepare your own excursion while on Svalbard, the lack of infrastructure, the necessity of carrying (and knowing how to use) a rifle outside the settlements, and the harshness of the environment even during the summer make organized activities with professional guides a necessity for most visitors. Activities can be booked online or in Longyearbyen. [[Longyearbyen]] has a couple of museums and the world's northernmost church. The Soviet-era settlements of [[Barentsburg]], still running fitfully, and '''Pyramiden''', abandoned in the 1990s, make offbeat attractions, being home to (among other things) the world's '''two northernmost Lenin statues'''. Both can be visited by cruise or snowmobile from [[Longyearbyen]]. ==Buy== The currency is the Norwegian krone (kr), and this is also accepted in the Russian settlements. Svalbard is a tax free zone so a number of shops in Longyearbyen display various items for sale at prices well below mainland Norway. {{exchange rates |currency = Norwegian kroner |currencyCodeAfter = kr |date=July 2022 |USD=10 |EUR=10.2 |GBP=10.2 |source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/nok-norwegian-krone XE.com] }} ===Costs=== Svalbard is by most measures '''very expensive''': on Svalbard most things costs even more than mainland Norway. Accommodation in cheap guesthouses costs around 500 kr/night and sit-down meals are closer to 100 kr each, and both can easily be double if you want to stay in a full-service hotel. Guided activities start at about 500 kr per day (e.g., trekking and kayaking) but can go to 1000 kr and above for tours requiring specialist equipment. One way to cut costs significantly is to camp and self-cater, bringing all your supplies from the mainland. There is, however, a full service grocery store in Longyearbyen. Frozen and dry goods are on par with or even a little cheaper than in Norway, while perishable items arrive via air freight and are more expensive. Svalbard's '''duty-free''' status means that alcohol and sports clothing, etc. are much cheaper than on the mainland. ==Eat== Food on Svalbard is expensive for most visitors, as it is anywhere in Norway. Local specialities include seal and reindeer, served at restaurants in [[Longyearbyen]]. Sometimes polar bears are shot (see [[#Stay safe|below]]) and served to tourists. It is generally accepted that they don't taste particularly good, but the novelty value keeps them on the menu. ==Drink== Alcohol is duty-free on Svalbard. If you've arrived from Norway the bars will seem refreshingly cheap but are still equivalent to London prices. In [[Barentsburg]], Russian vodka can be cheap. A popular party trick for glacier cruises is drinks served with '''glacier ice''', purified by natural processes over thousands of years. ==Sleep== A range of accommodation is available only in [[Longyearbyen]], which offers camping, guesthouses and luxury hotels. The camping site is located 300m from the airport and is the only place where camping is permitted in relatively close proximity to Longyearbyen. For travellers looking to bring the cost down it is much cheaper to camp than pay for guesthouses and the camping site is free to use outside season, although the service buildings are locked meaning facilities such as toilets are unavailable. Rules therefore apply to how to deal with urgent toilet purposes, and strict rules are applied to waste disposal. In season the camp site is serviced and facilities available, and it is possible to rent tents. Warm showers cost extra. [[Barentsburg]] and [[Ny-Ålesund]] each has one hotel. ==Learn== * '''[http://www.unis.no The University Centre in Svalbard]''' (UNIS). A private foundation run by four Norwegian universities, offers university-level courses in Arctic biology, geology, geophysics and technology. Several hundred students, half of them exchange students from outside Norway, attend yearly. ==Work== Citizens of Svalbard Treaty signatory countries need no permits to work on Svalbard; you can even set up your own mine if so inclined. In practice, work opportunities are rather more limited, although there is some seasonal tourist industry work available during the summer if you have the requisite skills and language abilities (Norwegian will come in handy). The Governor of Svalbard does, however, have the right to boot you off the island if you cannot support yourself. ==Stay safe== [[Image:Museum PolarBear.JPG|thumb|300px|Polar bear (safely stuffed), [[Longyearbyen]]]] The biggest threat on Svalbard is '''polar bears''' (''isbjørn''), some 500 of which inhabit the main islands at any one time. Seven people have been killed by polar bears since 1973, the most recent in August 2020, so if travelling outside settlements you are required to '''carry a rifle at all times''' to protect yourself. They can be rented for about 150 kr and up per day, but starting 2009, a valid gun license is now required; those without a gun license can apply for [http://sysselmannen.no/en/Shortcuts/Firearms/Renting-firearms/ temporary permission] to rent a rifle: all that is required is to fill out an application form and a certificate of good conduct (i.e. proof of no criminal record) which can be e-mailed to the Svalbard Police Department. Processing may take up to 4 weeks, but has been known to work even on the same day with some luck. However, for most people, it's better to stick to guided tours. Do not underestimate the speed of polar bears (you cannot outrun one). Polar bears can be extremely unpredictable and are far more dangerous than European brown bears. You are not allowed to kill polar bears unless it is an immediate threat to your life. The [[cold weather|harsh Arctic environment]] also poses its own challenges, particularly in winter. Beware of the danger of '''frostbite''' in the face (nose and cheeks), fingers and toes, particularly in low temperatures with wind (such as high speed on snowmobile). Crossing glaciers and rivers can be hazardous and travelling with local guides is strongly recommended. If heading out on your own, informing the Governor of Svalbard about your route and expected duration is highly advisable. For any trips outside central region of Spitsbergen, you ''must'' notify the Governor, and may be required to purchase insurance or put up a large deposit to cover possible rescue costs. Svalbard has virtually no crime, except occasional drunken brawls. ==Stay healthy== Tap water on Svalbard is drinkable, but surface water may contain '''tapeworm eggs''' from fox feces and should be boiled before consumption. There is a pharmacy in [[Longyearbyen]] and you can buy some non-prescription drugs in the supermarket (Svalbardbutikken). Longyearbyen also has a hospital for treating emergencies. As there are no maternity clinics on or near Svalbard, women in late-stage pregnancy are discouraged from visiting. ==Respect== In most of Svalbard's buildings, including some hotels and shops, you are expected to '''take off your shoes''' before entering. In public buildings this will be obvious as a shoe rack covered in dirty walking boots will be prominent at the entrance. Alternatively you may be invited to put on overshoes (effectively plastic bags) over ordinary footwear. ==Connect== GSM/3G phones work in the main towns of Svalbard. The Internet connection in Svalbard is top class because NASA rents bulk capacity on undersea fiber optic cables running at seabed to mainland Norway for its experiments. [[Longyearbyen]] has several public Internet terminals. While mail from Svalbard to mainland Norway and the outside world uses regular Norwegian stamps at regular Norwegian prices, philatelists may be interested in the '''Lokalpost''' system used for intra-Svalbard mail. Stamps, first-day covers and more are available at the post offices in Longyearbyen and [[Barentsburg]], as well as at Longyearbyen's Svalbardbutikken. ==Go next== Svalbard is a popular staging point (at least in relative terms) for launching expeditions to the [[North Pole]]. For more experiences of the Arctic north, you can visit [[Ellesmere Island]] or [[northern Greenland]] - where the world's northernmost land is located. Fairly close to Svalbard is [[Franz Josef Land]], a largely uninhabited group of islands which belongs to Russia. {{isPartOf|Norway}} {{geo|78.0|16.0|zoom=5}} {{guideregion}} gl0yxzvwsxau56lab2aqvkgo2o4wndh 0 34960 4501854 4500969 2022-08-16T03:42:00Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner||caption=}} {{warningbox|Many governments advise against '''all''' travel to Syria due to the ongoing civil war. Although most of the country has been reclaimed by the government, the political situation is still unstable, and Idlib province remains a stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra. Terrorist attacks, kidnapping and fighting between rival armies are common. Consular services are generally not available. |australia=https://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/middle-east/Pages/syria.aspx |be=https://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Diensten/Op_reis_in_het_buitenland/reisadviezen/syrie |canada=https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/syria |fr=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/syrie |india=https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/20206/Travel_Advisory_on_Syria |nz=https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/syria |uk=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/syria |us=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/syria-travel-advisory.html |ie=https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/syria/ |hk=https://www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota/note-Syria.htm |de=https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/syriensicherheit/204278 |lastedit=2022-06-09 }} [http://www.syriatourism.org '''Syria'''] (الجمهوريّة العربيّة السّوريّة ''Al-Jumhuriya al-`Arabiya as-Suriya'', the Syrian Arab Republic) is a country in the [[Middle East]]. Rich in history, the capital, [[Damascus]], is the world's oldest continuously inhabited city, and the country has been the site of numerous empires. Since 2011, the country has been torn apart by a brutal civil war. This aside, the country offers numerous attractions and some daring travellers have been able to visit Syria without hesitation. ==Regions== Syria has 14 governorates, but the following conceptual division used to make more sense for travelers: {{Regionlist | regionmap=Map of Syria.png | regionmaptext=Regions of Syria | regionmapsize=350px | region1name=[[Northwestern Syria]] | region1color=#71B37B | region1description=Aleppo, one of the oldest cities in the world, as well as the Dead Cities, 700 abandoned settlements in the northwest of the country | region2name=[[Hauran]] | region2color=#D56D76 | region2description=A volcanic plateau in the southwest of Syria, also includes the capital Damascus and its sphere of influence | region3name=[[Orontes Valley]] | region3color=#B383B3 | region3description=The Orontes Valley, home to the towns of Hama and Homs | region4name=[[Syrian Coast and Mountains]] | region4color=#83A2C0 | region4description=Green and fertile, relatively Christian, somewhat liberal, and dominated by Phoenician and Crusader history. Also serves as the country's main access point to the sea. | region5name=[[Southeastern Desert]] | region5color=#D5DC76 | region5description=A vast sparsely populated desert with the oasis of Palmyra, as well the basin of the Euphrates, which is associated with the Assyrian and Babylonian history <!-- |region6name=[[Rojava]]|region6description=Also known as Syrian Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region in northern Syria.|region6color=#71B37B --> | region7name=[[Golan Heights (Syria)]] | region7color=#505F4F | region7items= | region7description=Occupied by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981, the portion of the Golan Heights that is controlled by Israel is covered in [[Golan Heights]]. A small area of land centered on Quneitra was transferred back to Syria in 1974 and is covered here. }}{{Disclaimerbox|Our coverage of the Golan Heights represents ''de facto'' control and should not be taken as an endorsement of either side in the dispute.<br><br>Although '''[[Rojava]]''''s autonomy is not recognized by any government, Wikivoyage covers it in a separate article. Nothing in this article should be taken as an endorsement of the positions of any side in either dispute.}} ==Cities== *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Damascus]]|wikidata=Q3766}} — the capital claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Aleppo]]|wikidata=Q41183}} — a once-great ancient citadel with great views, much of Aleppo has been destroyed by fighting in the Syrian Civil War. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Deir-az-Zur]]|wikidata=Q239097}} — a desert town on the Euphrates River bank. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Hama]]|wikidata=Q173545}} — known for its famous waterwheels. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Homs]]|wikidata=Q131301}} — an ancient city by the Orontes river, amazing green mountains in Spring. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Latakia]]|wikidata=Q200030}} — a major port city, Saladin's Castle, Fronloq Forests and Al Samra Beach near Kasab. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Tartous]]|wikidata=Q174916}} — a historical port city and historical small island called Arwad. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Raqqa]]|wikidata=Q283368}} — former capital of ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate <!-- *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Al-Qamishli]]|wikidata=Q212757}}- The capital of Rojava. --> ==Other destinations== *{{marker|name=[[Apamea]]|wikidata=Q617550}} — a former Roman city that once housed about half a million people. Apamea was hit by an earthquake in the 12th century and much of it was destroyed but it still boasts a long street lined with columns, some of which have twisted fluting. *{{marker|name=[[Bosra]]|wikidata=Q272680}} — a Roman city in southern Syria close to the Jordan border noted for the use of black basalt stones and its well preserved theatre *{{marker|name=[[Dead Cities]]|wikidata=Q393841}} — a series of towns that once formed part of Antioch. They have long since been abandoned but make an interesting stop for tourists. Al Bara boasts pyramidal tombs and formerly grand archways set on modern farm land. Serjilla is another famous dead city. *{{marker|name=[[Der Mar Musa]]|wikidata=}} — not a tourist site, but an active Christian monastery actively promoting Islamic/Christian dialogue. Welcomes Christians and followers of other religious traditions. It is 80 km north of Damascus. *{{marker|name=[[Krak des Chevaliers]]|wikidata=Q177549}} — the archetypal Crusader castle, magnificently preserved and not to be missed *{{marker|name=[[Palmyra]]|wikidata=Q5747}} — formerly held the once-magnificent ruins of a Roman city, in the middle of the desert. Once considered the main attraction in Syria, the UNESCO-listed heritage site was severely damaged by Daesh extremists in 2015. Restoration and de-mining is underway as of 2019. *{{marker|name=[[Saladin's Castle]]|wikidata=}} — a quiet gem in a valley with pine trees about 37&nbsp;km inland from [[Latakia]] *{{marker|name=[[Salamieh]]|wikidata=}} — Salamieh is an ancient city which was first known during Babylonian times in 3500 BC; contains Shmemis castle, Greek temple of Zeus, the old hammam, the old walls, remains of Roman canals ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationSyria.png}} [[File:Overview of Damascus.jpg|thumb|View of Damascus]] Syria's population has fallen from 21.9 million people in 2009 to 18.3 million in 2017 (UN estimates). About 4½ million are concentrated in the [[Damascus]] governorate. A moderately large country (185,180 km² or 72,150 sq miles), Syria is situated centrally within the [[Middle East]] region and has land borders with [[Turkey]] in the north, with [[Israel]] and [[Lebanon]] in the south, and with [[Iraq]] and [[Jordan]] in the east and south-east respectively. The population of Syria is pre-dominantly Arab (90%), with large minorities of other ethnic groups: Kurds, Armenians, Circassians and Turks. The official language is Arabic, but other tongues that are occasionally understood include Kurdish, Armenian, Turkish, French and English. The Syrian Republic is officially secular. Nonetheless, it is greatly influenced by the majority religion of Islam (80% of the population, split between 64% Sunni Muslim and 16% other Muslim, Alawites and Druze). There is a large Christian minority that amounts to about 10% of the population. The President of Syria is Bashar al-Assad, who replaced his father Hafez al-Assad soon after his death on 10 June 2000. Having studied to become an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) in Damascus and London, Bashar was groomed for the presidency after the 1994 car accident of his elder brother Basil. As a consequence, he joined the army and became colonel in 1999. Bashar's modernising credentials were somewhat boosted by his role in a domestic anti-corruption drive, and he began his rule with a period of increased openness. Bashar's position as head of the Syrian state rests on his presidency of the Baath Party and his command-in-chief of the army. Assad's regime and the Baath Party own or control the vast majority of Syria's media. Criticism of the president and his family is not permitted and the press (both foreign and domestic) is heavily censored for material deemed threatening or embarrassing to the government. A brief period of relative press freedom arose after Bashar became president in 2000 and saw the licensing of the first private publications in almost 40 years. A later crackdown, however, imposed a range of restrictions regarding licensing and content. In a more relaxed manner (perhaps owing more to the fact that these matters are largely beyond possible government control), many Syrians have gained access to foreign television broadcasts (usually via satellite) as well as the three state-run networks. In 2002 the government set out conditions for licensing private, commercial FM radio stations, ruling at the same time, however, that radio stations could not broadcast news or political content. Tourist Information Offices; Damascus: 2323953, Damascus Int'l Airport: 2248473, Aleppo: 2121228, Daraa (Jordanian-Syrian border gate): 239023, Latakia: 216924, Palmyra (Tadmur): 910636, Deir-az-Zur: 358990 ==Get in== {{VisaRestriction|Entry '''will be refused''' to the following: citizens of [[Israel]], people who have visited Israel (e.g. Israeli stamps and visas), and people carrying products made in Israel or with Hebrew labels. Travellers who have visited [[Israel]] in the past may face serious challenges in getting a Syrian visa. }} [[File:Visa policy of Syria.png|thumb|450px|Visa policy of Syria]] ===Entry requirements=== [http://www.syriatourism.org/index.php?module=subjects&func=listpages&subid=155&newlang=eng Visas] are needed for most individual travellers. These are available in 6-month (single/multiple entry), 3-month (single) and 15 day (land borders only) versions. Citizens of Arab countries do not require visa, except unaccompanied Moroccan women below 40 years old. In addition, citizens of [[Malaysia]], [[Turkey]] and [[Iran]] do not require visas. Getting visas in advance is expensive and confusing. Americans are required to apply in advance at the Syrian embassy in Washington DC, even if they live elsewhere, and pay US$131 or €100. Most other travellers, though, can get them anywhere, a popular choice being [[Istanbul]] (Turkey) where they are generally issued within one day for €20 (Canadian citizens) or €30 (EU citizens). A "letter of recommendation" stating that your consulate has "no objection" to your visit to Syria may be required. The visa issued ''must'' have two stamps and a signature, otherwise the visa is considered invalid and you will be turned back at the border. It is necessary to keep the blue arrival form as it must be submitted upon departure. Official policy says that if your country has a Syrian embassy or consulate, you should apply for your visa in advance. Most nationals must apply for a Syrian visa in the country in which they are a citizen. Alternatively a foreign national may apply for a Syrian visa from a Syrian Consulate in a country other than their own if they hold a residency visa valid for at least 6 months for the country in which they are applying. There are very few exceptions to this rule. In practice it is possible to obtain a visa on the border for most nationals. ===By land=== [[File:Syria entry stamp 2009.jpg|thumb|Syrian visa stamps as of 2009]] Almost every national can get a visa at the border, regardless of the fact it is not officially written or recommended. But do not buy a bus ticket that will take you all the way across the border. They will always leave you there because it does take 2-10 hours for US citizens and they will not tell you that in advance at the time of purchasing of the bus ticket. Buy a ticket to the border via minibus/shared taxi (servees) then do the same when you get to the other side. US citizens cost US$16 or €12, while others are more costly, Japanese are US$12-14 or €9-11, Singaporeans are US$33 or €25, Australians/New Zealanders are about US$100 or €75.99, Swiss are US$63 or €47.88. They only take US dollars or euros. You may only receive a 15-day single-entry tourist visa and will have to go through this process if you ever re-enter Syria. When you exit Syria, you will have to buy/pay an exit card for about US$12 or €9.15. If going by land, and you are planning to get a visa on the border, bring US dollars, euros or Syrian pounds. Other foreign currency will not get a good exchange rate and at most crossing there are no facilities for credit/debit cards. Travellers cheques are also not accepted. American citizens need to beware of sanctions on Syria. While travelling and spending money in Syria is permitted, you may not fly with Syrian Arab Airlines, and more importantly, many US banks err on the safe side and ban all business with Syria. Some credit or ATM cards may not work, although many Americans today experience little problems in this regard. Be wary, however, as some travellers have had their bank account access frozen, regardless of whether or not they informed their bank of travel to Syria. Due to the conflict various areas of Syria are not under the control of the Syrian central government. Areas near to Turkey are under control of Kurdish forces and rebel forces. Foreigners will not be allowed to cross at these borders, and Turkey/Syria borders in general are closed now because of the conflict. From the Kurdish Region of Iraq there are people crossing over the river into Syria at a place called Faish Khabour, however the crossing is only for humanitarian workers and any non-aid workers may not be allowed crossing. ===By plane=== [[File:Damascus - International (DAM - OSDI) AN2190526.jpg|thumb|Damascus Airport in 2012]] Syria has two functioning international airports: '''Damascus International Airport''' ({{IATA|DAM}}), 35 km (22 miles) southeast of the capital <!-- , '''Aleppo International Airport''' ({{IATA|ALP}}) just northeast of Aleppo in the north of the country --> and '''Bassel al-Assad International Airport''' ({{IATA|LTK}}), south of Latakia, the main sea port of the country. Due to the ongoing civil war, most airlines have suspended service to these airports. As of 2018, Damascus International Airport is operational, though there are just a dozen of departures daily.<!--according to flightradar24.com--> Upon arrival, a free entry visa can be delivered to almost all travellers if they are being received by a local travel agency. Call the Syrian Embassy in your home country for more information. Syria levies a departure tax (~US$13) at land and sea borders. Airport departure tax is included in the ticket price, and airlines will put a manual stamp on your boarding pass. One of the practical and reasonable ways to enter Syria from Turkey is to take a domestic flight to [[Gaziantep#By plane|Gaziantep]] and then taxi to Aleppo through Oncupinar border-gate in Kilis. The journey takes around 2 hours including custom formalities. The fare is US$60, per car with max 4 and one way. Taxis holding licence can be arranged in Kilis or Gaziantep. Turkcan Turizm, 0348 822 3313 ===By train=== As of 2020, all international trains and most all domestic trains have been suspended indefinitely. Former international routes included the historical ''Toros Express'' from [[Istanbul]] to [[Aleppo]] and an overnight trains from [[Tehran]] to [[Damascus]]. ===By bus=== Buses run from Turkey, with frequent connections from the city of Antakya (Hatay). You can also travel by bus from Jordan & Lebanon. Buses to Damascus run from Beirut. When arriving into Damascus by bus, make sure to move away from the bus terminal to find a taxi to the centre of town. Otherwise, you run the risk of paying several times the going rate, as cars posing as taxis operate next to the terminal. This is normally a two-man operation, with one person trying to distract you, while the driver puts your suitcase into the trunk of the "taxi" and locks it. ===By car=== When travelling from Lebanon, service taxis (taxis that follow a fixed route only, usually from near one bus station to another) are a convenient way to reach Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Aleppo or other Syrian towns. A shared service taxi from Beirut to Damascus will cost about US$17 per person, based on four people sharing the same taxi. If you want a private taxi then you will have to pay for every seat. In most cases it is necessary to buy a Syrian visa before leaving home, often costing about US$130 or less, depending of the country of residency. It's possible, to obtain free entry visa for tourists if being received by a local Travel Agency. It is also possible to arrive by car from Turkey. A private taxi from Gaziantep Airport (Turkey) will cost about US$60. Service taxis run from Dar'a across the Jordanian border to Ramtha; from there microbuses are available to Irbid and Amman -- the stop in Dar'a permits a side trip to [[Bosra]], with UNESCO-recognised Roman theater and ruins. ===By boat=== *The nearest car ferry port is [[Bodrum]] in [[Turkey]]. *Occasional passenger ferries run between [[Latakia]] and [[Limassol]], [[Cyprus]]. This service has come and gone over the years. Confirm that the departure will occur with Varianos Travel before making plans that incorporate this route. [http://www.varianostravel.com/Cruises/ferry_service.htm] *[[Latakia]] and [[Tartous]] serve as ports of call for a number of Mediterranean cruise lines. ==Get around== ===By taxi=== The taxis (usually yellow, and always clearly marked) are an easy way to get around Damascus, Aleppo and other cities. Arabic would be helpful: most taxi drivers do not speak English. All licensed taxis carry meters, and it is best to insist that the driver puts the meter on, and watch that it stays on. Most drivers expect to [[haggle]] prices with foreign travellers rather than use the meter. Private cab services (which advertise prominently at the airport) charge substantially more. However, there is also a bus from Baramkeh station to the airport ===By car=== [[File:Desert Road - Flickr - edbrambley.jpg|thumb|Desert road somewhere in Syria...]] Cars can be rented at various Sixt, Budget and Europcar locations. Cham Tours (formerly Hertz) has an office next to the Cham Palace Hotel, which offers competitive rates starting at about US$50 per day including tax, insurance and unlimited kilometres. Sixt Rent a Car at the Four Seasons Hotel has rates starting from US$40 per day (all inclusive). If you have never driven in Syria before, make sure you take a taxi first in order to get a first-hand idea of what traffic is like. Especially in Damascus and Aleppo, near-constant congestion, a very aggressive driving style, bad roads and highly dubious quality of road signs make driving there an interesting experience, so err on the side of caution when traveling. The only road rule that might come in handy is that, as opposed to most of the rest of the world, in roundabouts, the entering cars have the right of way, and the cars that are already in the roundabout have to wait. Aside from that, it seems that motorists are fairly free to do as they please. If you have an accident in a rental car, you must obtain a police report, no matter how small the damage or how clear it is who is at fault – otherwise, you will be liable for the damage. Police (road police No:115) probably will only be able to speak Arabic, so try to make other drivers help you and/or call your rental agency. Gasoline/petrol (marked as "Super", red stands) costs about double diesel (green stand). If you manage to run out of fuel (try to avoid it), which is quite easy wherever eastern of Damascus-Aleppo highway, or mountains western from it; you can manage to find some local able to sell you few litres from canister, but prices may be high. Usually gas stations are only in bigger towns and major crossroads in the desert, so try to refuel whenever you can. ===By microbus=== The microbuses (locally called ''servees,'' or ''meecro'') are little white vans that carry ten, or so, passengers around cities on set routes. The destinations are written on the front of microbus in Arabic. Usually, the passenger sitting behind the driver deals with the money. You can ask the driver to stop anywhere along his route. Often, microbuses will do longer routes, for example, to surrounding villages around Damascus and Aleppo, or from Homs to Tadmor or Krak des Chevaliers. They are often more uncomfortable and crowded than the larger buses, but cheaper. Especially for shorter distances they have usually more frequent departures than buses. ===By bus or coach=== Air-conditioned coaches are one of the easy ways to make longer hauls around Syria, for example, the trip from Damascus to Palmyra. Coaches are cheap, fast and reliable way to get around the country, however the schedules, when they exist, are not to be trusted. For the busy routes it's best to simply go to the coach station when you want to leave and catch the next coach, you'll have to wait a bit, but most of the time it's less of a chore than finding out when the best coach will be leaving, and then often finding it's late. ===By train=== As of early 2020, rail transport in Syria is limited to a twice daily service between the coastal cities of [[Latakia]] and [[Tartous]] and a commuter service in [[Aleppo]]. All long-distance services that used to connect Damascus, Aleppo, Deir-az-Zur, Al-Hassakeh and Al-Qamishli and many other cities are cancelled indefinitely. Rehabilitation is however under way on some sections and reports have emerged that the Aleppo-Damascus passenger train ''might'' return during 2020. The national operator '''[http://www.cfssyria.sy/ CFS]''' maintains an timetable at their webpage. The summer-only excursion steam train in Damascus, which travels to Al-Zabadani in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and back has resumed operation in 2017. The train is popular with locals trying to escape the summer heat. ===By bicycle=== While travelling by bicycle may not be for everyone, and Syria is by no means a cycle tourist's paradise, there are definite advantages. Syria is a good size for cycling, accommodation is frequent enough that even a budget traveller can get away with "credit card" touring (though in the case of Syria, it might be better to refer to it as fat-wad-of-cash touring). There are sites that one can not get to with public transportation like the Dead Cities and the people are incredibly friendly often inviting a tired cyclist for a break, cup of tea, meal or night's accommodation. The problem of children throwing stones at cyclists or running behind the bicycle begging for candy and pens (such as in parts of Morocco) does not seem to have appeared in Syria. Locals young and old alike will, however, be very curious about your travels and your bicycle and if you stop in a town you can expect a large crowd to gather for friendly banter about where you are from and your trip. Wild camping is quite easy in Syria. Perhaps the biggest challenge is not so much finding a place for your tent but picking a spot where locals will not wander by and try to convince you to come back to their home. Olive groves and other orchards can make a good spot for your tent, except on a rainy day when the mud will make life difficult. Another option is to ask to pitch your tent in a private garden or beside an official post like a police station. It is unlikely you will be refused as long as you can get your message across. A letter in Arabic explaining your trip will help with communication. The standard of driving skills in Syria is extremely low and other road users tend to drive very aggressively. They do seem used to seeing slow moving traffic and normally give plenty of room as they pass. Motorcycles are perhaps the biggest danger as their drivers like to pull up alongside cyclists to chat or fly by your bike for a look at the strange traveller and then perform a U-turn in the middle of the road to go back home. Perhaps the safest option in this case is to stop, talk for a few minutes and then carry on. Finding good maps tends to be another problem. You should bring a map with you as good maps are hard to find in Syria. Free ones are available from the tourist bureaus but they are not very good for cycle touring. Even foreign-produced maps can contain errors or roads that don't exist, making excursions away from the main route a challenge. Asking several locals for the right road is a good idea when you come to a crossroads. Without good maps it can be hard to avoid riding on the main highway, which while safe enough (a good wide shoulder exists on almost all the highways) is not very pleasant due to the smokey trucks and uninteresting scenery. You should think about bringing a water filter or water treatment tablets with you. Bottled water is not always available in the smaller towns. Finding local water is easy. Tall metal water coolers in many town centres dispense free local water and water is always available near mosques. The Syrian word for water is pronounced like the English word “my” (as in “that is my pen”) with a slight ''A'' afterwards and if you ask at any shop or home for water they will happily refill your bottles. ==Talk== [[Arabic]] is the official language. It is always a good idea to know some words ("hello", "thank you" etc.). A surprising number of people speak at least (very) rudimentary English. It would however be worth your while to learn basic numbers in Arabic in order to negotiate taxi fares. Personnel working with foreign tourists (like tourist hotels, restaurants, tour guides, etc.), generally can communicate reasonably well in English. Due to the general lack of ability by the public at large to communicate in English beyond basic phrases, Syria is a great place to force yourself to learn Arabic through immersion, should you wish to improve your Arabic skill. ==See== [[File:KRAK DES CHEVALIERS - GAR - 6-00.jpg|thumb|Krak des Chevaliers]] *Ancient cities such as [[Damascus]], [[Aleppo]], [[Palmyra]], [[Crac des Chevaliers]] and [[Bosra]] including '''Medieval souqs'''. *In [[Hama]] there are the '''Al Aasi Water Wheels''' in a river (نواعير نهر العاصي). *'''Al Hosn Castle''' in [[Homs]]. *'''Qala'at Samaan''' (Basilica of St Simeon Stylites) about 30&nbsp;km (19&nbsp;mi) northwest of Aleppo and the oldest surviving Byzantine church, dating back to the 5th century. This church is popularly known as either Qalaat Semaan (Arabic: ‏قلعة سمعان‎ Qalʿat Simʿān), the 'Fortress of Simeon', or Deir Semaan (Arabic: ‏دير سمعان‎ Dayr Simʿān), the 'Monastery of Simeon' . *[[Tartous]] with its Crusader-era Templar fortress *The '''Yarmouk Valley''' *Endless '''desert and countryside''' in much of the country *'''Mountain ranges''' in the west of the country ==Do== * {{do | name=Take a scenic tour | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel from [[Latakia]] (beach), [[Syrian Coast and Mountains]] (Safita tower, Mashta hikes and cave)<br />Marmarita: Virgin Mary memorial, St George Monastery, [[Crac des Chevaliers]], [[Palmyra]] (ruins), to [[Damascus]] (souq, mosques). }} * {{do | name=Hike | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=in the [[Syrian Coast and Mountains]] region. }} * {{do | name=Geocaching | url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?country_id=193&as=1&ex=0&cFilter=9a79e6ce-3344-409c-bbe9-496530baf758&children=n | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Find geocaches in the area. }} ==Buy== ===Money=== {{exchange rates | currency=Syrian pound | currencyCode=SYP | date=January 2022 | USD=2,500 | EUR=2,850 | GBP=3,400 | source=[https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/ XE.com] }} The unit of currency in Syria is the '''Syrian pound''' or 'lira'. You will see a variety of notations used locally: £S, LS or S£, Arabic: الليرة السورية al-līra as-sūriyya, but Wikivoyage uses the ISO currency code '''SYP''' immediately prefixing the amount in our guides. The pound's subdivision 'piastre' is obsolete. The black market rate for U.S. dollars is volatile. Hard currencies such as U.S. dollars, pounds sterling or euro can ''not'' be bought legally; the only source of foreign currencies available to Syrian businessmen, students and the very many who wish to escape abroad is the black market. The maximum foreign currency amount that can be exported legally is a remarkably generous US$3,000 equivalent per year for each traveller. Any amount in excess of US$3,000 risks confiscation by the authorities and time in jail. There are restrictions on export of Syrian currency of a maximum of SYP2,500 per person. Because of high inflation and political instability, amounts expressed in Syrian pounds in these guides are subject to significant change. Due to international sanctions, some foreign financial institutions have suspended transactions with Syria, including MasterCard and Visa, and bank cards operating under the Cirrus, Maestro and Plus transaction networks. It is nearly impossible to change travellers cheques in Syria. ===Shopping=== An international student card reduces the entry fees to many tourist sites to 10% of the normal price, if you are younger than 26 years. Depending on who is checking your card it is even possible to get the reduction when you are older than 26 or have only an expired card. It is possible to buy an international student card in Syria (around US$15). Ask around discreetly. In the souks (especially the Souk Al Hamidiya in the Old City of Damascus where you can easily "get lost" for a whole morning or afternoon without getting bored), the best buys are the "nargileh" waterpipes, Koran, beautifully lacquered boxes and chess/draughts sets and (particularly in Aleppo) olive soap and traditional sweets. The quality of handicrafts varies widely so when buying lacquered/inlaid boxes, run your hand over the surface to see that it is smooth, check, in particular, the hinges. In the souq [[Haggle|haggling]] is expected. Bargain ruthlessly. Syrian traders who price goods in foreign currencies now face up to 10 years in jail after a decree issued by President Bashar al-Assad ''forbids the use of anything other than the Syrian pound as payment for any type of commercial transaction or cash settlement''. This was because of the increasing "dollarisation" of an economy in ruins after two years of civil war. ==Eat== [[File:Fattoush.JPG|thumb|Fatoush]] ''Falafel'', deep-fried chickpea patties, are available. Another popular vegetarian meal is Foul. Don't let the name put you off. It's actually pronounced “fool” and this fava bean paste – topped off with cumin, paprika and olive oil and served with flatbread, fresh mint and onion – is not only tasty but satisfying and filling. You may also be able to order a salad of Fatoush with your soup. Chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and herbs are mixed together in a dressing and finished off with a sprinkling of fried bread that resembles croutons. Cheese may also be grated on top. ==Drink== Fresh fruit juices are available from street stalls in most towns, such as mixed juice (usually banana, orange juice and a few exotic fruits like pomegranate). Beer is cheap. Syrian wine can be found and Lebanese and French wines are also available in a higher price bracket. Tea is served in a little glass without milk, sweetened with sugar. Add the sugar yourself as the Syrians have a collective sweet tooth and will heap it in. ==Sleep== A double room in a three stars hotel costs about US$50, US$80 for four stars, and can reach US$250 in a five-star hotel. ==Learn== Before the war, Syria was becoming a major destination for studying [[Arabic]], with several language schools operating in [[Damascus]]. ==Work== If you entered the country on a tourist visa, don't try to work and earn money. Foreign workers should always get official approval to work. Despite this, many foreign students supplement their income by teaching and many institutes in Damascus will happily hire foreigners and pay them under the table. ==Stay safe== {{warningbox|Syria has been a '''war zone''' for the last decade. Until the civil war ends, and probably for some time after that, Syria is '''not''' a place to travel to voluntarily — and you will probably not be able to just buy a ticket there anyway. If you're going there on official business, your employer will most likely take care of your transportation and safety and provide up to date information about the places you'll be going to. You may find our [[war zone safety]] article useful, though. The below information concerning safety may or may not apply any longer.|lastedit=2018-03-24}} Travellers should avoid all large gatherings as they may turn violent. Foreign travellers have been targeted by political groups, especially in the south of the country. You could find yourself in trouble if you engage in open criticism of and against the Syrian government or the president. Your best bet is to avoid political conversations altogether just to avoid any possible problems. If you do engage in political discussions with Syrians, be aware that they might face intense questioning by the secret police (''mukhabarat'') if you are overheard. As a general rule, always assume that you are being watched by plain clothes policemen. You will notice that not many uniformed policemen can be seen in the streets, but this is because the police have a wide network of plain clothes officers and informants. Since begging is common in some parts of Syria, particularly outside of tourist attractions, mosques, and churches, it has been known that beggars occasionally demand money and may follow you around until you give. Some have even been known to "attack" some tourists just for money and food. It is advised to wear appropriate Arab clothing and try to blend in. It also better to keep your money in your front pockets and safe with you. Many scams by beggars have also led many foreign tourists to lose quite a bit of money; be aware of these scams. ===Drugs=== Death penalty for drug trafficking or cultivation. ===Women=== Women travelling alone may find that they draw a little too much attention from Syrian men. However, this is generally limited to stares or feeble attempts at making conversation. If it goes beyond that the best approach is to remain polite but be clear that approaches are unwelcome. Be loud and involve bystanders as they will often be very chivalrous and helpful. Women who are arrested under suspicion of immoral behaviour (e.g. being alone in a room with a man who is not the woman’s husband, or being in a residence where drugs or alcohol are being consumed) may be subjected to a virginity test. ===Homosexuality=== Homosexual conduct is illegal under Syrian law, which is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment. ==Stay healthy== Healthcare in Syria is well below Western standards, and basic medication is not always available. Local pharmacies are well stocked with treatments for most common ailments such as stomach bugs and traveller's diarrhoea. Pharmacists often speak a little bit of English. You can ask your hotel to call a doctor if necessary and arrange a visit to your hotel room. The best treatment of all, of course, is to stay healthy in the first place. When eating, pick restaurants that are busy. If you have a treatment, take it with you. Don't expect to find all medicines in Syria. If you have to buy something from a pharmacy, ask for a "foreign" EU or US brand. You will have to pay a premium for that, but at least you will increase the chances to have an actual medicine. Some products come from uncertain origin and are ineffective, according to certain local pharmacists. Generally you can drink '''[[water]]''' from the tap, it is safe, but if you're unsure ask the locals first. This water is free compared to bottled water. ==Respect== [[File:Old Damascus 8.jpg|thumb|Old Damascus as of early 2011]] Syria is a majority Muslim country, with long-established Christian and Jewish minorities, though the Jewish community is down to only a handful of individuals in Damascus, with the vast majority of them having immigrated to [[Israel]]. Historically, the religious groups had lived in harmony, and religion was largely considered a personal matter, to the point that it was considered inappropriate to ask someone about their religion unless you knew them well, though this has changed since the start of the Syrian Civil War. === General etiquette === * '''Syrians are indirect communicators'''. They are tempered by the need to save face and they will avoid saying anything that could be construed as critical, judgmental, or offensive. * '''Direct personal questions are commonly asked'''. To Syrians, it's not considered impolite, but rather it's a way to get to know someone fully. If you feel a question is too personal, simply give an indirect answer and move along. * '''Syrians tend to be affectionate to children'''. In Syria, it's perfectly normal for both men and women to interact with a stranger's child. * '''Syrians tend to speak loudly in groups'''. They also use aggressive body language and raise their voices in conversations; to most visitors, this implies that Syrians are an argumentative bunch, but Syrians tend to use emotions to convey interest in a conversation. What may seem like a shouting match in public may actually be a simple, friendly discussion! === Social customs and breaches === * '''Never beckon a Syrian person directly''', even if they have done something wrong in your opinion. Syrians are quite sensitive to being beckoned directly, and it is considered very rude manners. If you must give feedback, give a mix of both positive and negative feedback. * '''Don't talk someone down for having poor English skills'''. Many Syrians can speak English, usually as a second language. Making condescending statements such as "You speak very good English" is extremely rude. * '''Do not swear in front of women'''. This is applicable to male travellers. It is considered extremely rude. * '''It's common for Syrians to turn up to a place unannounced'''. When this happens, stop what you are doing and attend to your guests. * '''Never show the soles of your feet to others'''. This is considered very disrespectful, unless you are in the company of friends. * '''Don't spit in public or in the direction of others''', even when obviously done without malice. It is extremely rude. === Clothing === Male and female visitors can generally wear whatever attire they would normally wear in their home countries. Contrary to what some Westerners may believe, it is possible for women to wear T-shirts and it is not necessary to wear long-sleeved tops unless visiting a religious site. Head covers are recommended when visiting Muslim religious sites. Dress as you would normally dress in the West to visit Christian religious sites, avoid wearing shorts at churches. Many local women dress in Western attire, especially in Christian neighbourhoods. Shorts are common for both men and women. Be mindful of your environment, outside of areas frequented by tourists it is wise to dress in more modest clothing. Women who wish to attract less attention should wear shirts that reach the elbow, and have no revealing cleavage. T-shirts and jeans are acceptable attire in Damascus. ===Religion=== If you are of European ancestry most Syrians assume that you are a practising Christian. Most Syrians will also be puzzled by a suggestion that you are an atheist, due to the strong influence religion has in Syrian social and cultural life. The coastal areas are much more progressive when dealing with religion and the same applies to areas of Damascus most frequented by Western tourists such as Bab Touma, the Christian Quarter. The further you travel east, the more conservative people are. In order to avoid any protracted philosophical discussions, it is best to avoid identifying as an atheist or non practising Christian. === Things to avoid === '''Politics:''' * '''Approach discussions on Israel with caution'''. Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights is considered illegal by the vast majority of Syrians and many Syrians express negative sentiments against Israel. Unless you have a heart for prolonged discussions, avoid debates on Israel. * '''It is unwise to criticise or speak badly of the Syrian government'''. A comment heard by the wrong person can land you in legal hot water. Those who have fled Syria are more likely to have negative things to say about the Al-Assad government. '''The war:''' * '''Approach discussions on the civil war with caution'''. Millions of Syrians have fled their country and some have lost their loves ones in the war. Offer sympathy when the opportunity arises; Syrians will appreciate the gesture. ==Connect== ===Phone=== The international calling code for Syria is +963. ===Internet=== Syria has easy and cheap internet access. Internet is very common around the cities at internet cafés. The cafés are very friendly but in order to avoid being price gouged it is best to ask a local how much the internet costs per an hour before agreeing to sit down. It is best to avoid political debates regarding the Syrian government, or reading Israeli newspapers or websites on-line. Prices for high-speed access are quite varied. {{geo|34.9000|38.3000|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Middle East}} {{outlinecountry}} 32bvj4y53d7s0gn71jax376bsq8jytq 0 35064 4501804 4478141 2022-08-16T02:05:24Z Loriebuenviaje 2274857 /* Understand */ added external reference wikitext text/x-wiki [https://www.taguig.com.ph '''Taguig'''], a city part of the [[Metro Manila]] sector in the [[Philippines]]. Taguig contains the '''Bonifacio Global City''' (popularly known simply as BGC), [[Metro Manila]]'s second most important business district and a major tourism, shopping, dining and entertainment destination. Other attractions include the '''Manila American Cemetery''' and the affluent neighbourhood of '''McKinley Hill'''.{{pagebanner|Venice Grand Canal Mall banner.jpg}} ==Understand== Taguig's '''Fort Bonifacio Global City''', is a planned neighborhood built on part of a former military base. It was built upon modern concepts of urbanism, including pedestrian-friendliness and mixed use buildings, which together with the cleanness, safety and unusually rigorous traffic enforcement, makes it sort of a "[[Singapore]]"-like city inside Manila. For some people, the area may look sterile, expensive, over-internationalised and lacking Filipino character, while for others, it might offer a welcome respite from the grittiness that characterises most of [[Metro Manila]] outside the air conditioning of a [https://www.zingmall.com/ shopping mall]. It also symbolises the craving for modernity and global thinking which perhaps is also part of Filipino culture. Nonetheless, it is a misconception to think of BGC as a sort of expat or wealthy-only enclave; the area is bustling with locals from all over Metro Manila, working in the area's call centers during the day, and strolling around the '''Bonifacio High Street''' or shopping at the lively '''Market! Market!''' on evenings and weekends. South of BGC, the affluent neighbourhood of '''McKinley Hill''' attempts to replicate the charms of [[Italy]] with two large mixed used (residential and shopping) developments, the '''Tuscany Private Estate''' and '''Venice Grand Canal Mall/The Florence''', which attract crowds of selfie-snapping Manileños, although as of early 2018 the actual shops are still slow to settle there. In between the two neighbourhoods lies the huge and serene '''Manila American Cemetery and Memorial''', the largest [[United States of America|American]] World War II cemetery in the world, which despite being one of [[Metro Manila]]'s top attractions, it is still an oasis of peace in the bustling metropolis. Outside of BGC and McKinley Hill, Taguig is mostly urban sprawl typical of Metro Manila; there is a lot of slums and tenements, interspersed with some residential subdivisions, high-rise condominiums and apartments, industrial parks and shopping malls. ==Get in== {{Mapframe|14.541120|121.050225|zoom=14|height=530|width=350}} ===By taxi or e-hailing=== If you are coming from [[Metro Manila|Manila]]'s '''Ninoy Aquino International Airport''' or from [[Makati]] taking a taxi or hailing a car or taxi to Taguig using the '''Grab''' app would be a convenient and relatively affordable option. If you want to hail a car but do not have a data plan, you can use the Grab kiosks in the airport and several shopping malls in [[Makati]]. Going to Taguig from [[Manila]]'s city center will be more expensive (around {{PHP|250-400}}), and you should be prepared to spend a long time in traffic. ===By train/bus=== The '''PNR Southrail''' passes through the West border of Taguig, which contains the '''Nichols''' and '''FTI''' stations. However, the BGC area is much closer to the '''Ayala''' and '''Guadalupe''' '''MRT-3''' stations. If you want to cut through the traffic of [[Manila]], an option is take the MRT-3 to Ayala or Guadalupe, and then take a taxi/Grab or public transportation to BGC. There are buses to the BGC bus terminal at Ayala Station, right across the Shell gas station near the East exit. There are two routes, the West Route which has stops on the west part of Bonifacio Global City and the East Express which offers a one-way ride to the Market! Market! shopping mall on the eastern portion of the city. ==Get around== If use public transportation try '''[http://www.sakay.ph sakay.ph] {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}}''', it will show you the right type to your destination. ===By bus=== BGC has its own system of comfortable, air-conditioned buses, named '''BGC Bus'''. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, information on the bus route posted online are mostly outdated. Price is {{PHP|13}} for all routes regardless of destination; As of March 2022; there are three active routes West Route and East Express and Central Route. The bus only accept [[Metro Manila]]'s Beep public transportation cards as payment which could be reloaded on MRT stations. ===On foot=== With wide walkways, plenty of shelter and serious traffic enforcement, BGC is perhaps the best place in [[Metro Manila]] to explore by walking. The '''Bonifacio High Street''' pedestrian street leading to the '''Serendra''', the '''Forbestown Road''' leading to the '''Burgos Circle''', and the '''Uptown Parade''' are some places definitely to be explored on foot. ===By taxi or e-hailing=== BGC and McKinley Hill are quite compact areas and nearby each other, so taking a taxi or using Grab to hail a car or taxi in-between these areas shouldn't be expensive. ===By jeepney or tricycle=== While BGCs uses only regular buses for internal transportation, in the rest of Taguig you can find the usual choice of [[jeepney]]s and [[Traysikel|tricycles]]. ==See== ===Bonifacio Global City=== The BGC area, with its modern skyscrapers, exhibits of contemporary architecture, wide walkways, street art, and several mixed used developments containing cafes, restaurants and shops, can be considered as a sight by itself and possibly the most pedestrian-friendly area of [[Metro Manila]]. It is an area that deserves a few hours of exploration, both in the day and in the evening where some areas get more alive. To have panoramic views of the area, go to one of BGC's several rooftop bars and sky lounges. BGC also contains the '''Metrobank Tower''' (part of '''Grand Hyatt Manila'''), which is {{m|318}} high, the tallest building of the [[Philippines]]. [[File:Manila American Cemetery panorama.jpg|thumb|center|500px|Panorama of the Manila American Cemetery]] *{{see | name=Manila American Cemetery and Memorial | url=https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/pacific/manila-american-cemetery | email= | address= | lat=14.541120 | long=121.050225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM except Christmas and New Year | price=free | content=The largest [[United States of America|American]] World War II cemetery in the World, containing 17,206 graves representing U.S. soldiers who died fighting Japanese forces during the [[Pacific War]]. Besides the graves, it contains a chapel, monuments, sculpted gardens and a museum with 25 mosaic maps depicting U.S. battles in the Pacific, making the area well worth a visit. Photo ID is required for entrance. }} * {{see | name=The Mind Museum | alt= | url=https://www.themindmuseum.org/ | email= | address=JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634 | lat=14.552589 | long=121.045807 | directions= | phone=+632 909-6463| tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 9AM-6PM | price={{PHP|150-750}} | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=The top science museum of the Philippines, with stunning architecture and showcasing 5 main galleries with interactive exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Burgos Circle | alt= | url= | email= | address=Burgos Circle, Taguig | lat=14.552727 | long=121.044356 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=A traffic circle and a public park surrounded by skyscrapers and by alfresco restaurants, cafes and bars, described as a "a window to the Parisian lifestyle in the heart of [[Metro Manila|Manila]]". In the center of the circles lies '''"The Trees"''' art installation by Reynato Paz Contreras, and bronze and brass sculpture representing three interlocking trees forming a done. }} [[File:Forbestown Road BGC.jpg|thumb|Forbestown Road in Bonifacio Global City]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Forbestown Road | alt= | url= | email= | address=Forbestown Road, Taguig | lat=14.551363 | long=121.044223 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Linked to the Burgus Circle, Forbestown Road is probably one of Manila's most beautiful and pleasant streets, containing plenty of greenery and mixed used developments with several alfresco restaurants, cafes and bars. }} * '''Bonifacio High Street''' (see [[#Buy]]) * {{see | name=Serendra | alt= | url= | email= | address=McKinley Pkwy, Taguig | lat=14.549342 | long=121.054153 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Serendra| wikidata=Q7453196 | lastedit=2018-05-01 | content=Mixed used development with contemporary decoration and several alfresco cafes and restaurants. It links the Bonifacio High Street to the Market! Market! }} * {{see | name=Uptown Parade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=14.557725 | long=121.054189 | directions=at the crossing between 9th Avenue and 36th Street in Taguig | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-03 | content=Next to the Uptown Mall, a two-floor "dining mall" with several alfresco restaurants and some clubs. }} * {{see | name=The Fort Strip | alt= | url= | email= | address=28th Street Corner 7th Avenue, The Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, 1634 | lat=14.549827 | long=121.048433 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-03 | content=Building containing several restaurants, bars and clubs. }} ===Pinagsama=== The Pinagsama ''barangay'' contains McKinley Hill, a business and upscale residential area just south of BGC (after the Manila American Cemetery). Its main attraction is certainly the Venice Grand Canal mall. * '''Venice Grand Canal''' (see [[#Buy]]) * {{see | name=Tuscany Private Estates | alt= | url=http://megaworldfort.com.ph/projects/tuscany-private-estate/ | email= | address=Upper McKinley Rd, Taguig, 1634 | lat=14.538066 | long=121.051906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-01 | content=It may sound a bit of joke to have a place named "Tuscany" just next to the "Venice Grand Canal" (and the next project in the area is named "Florence"). Regardless, it is a beautiful mixed used development in Neoclassical style, with plenty of options of alfresco restaurants and cafes facing the Upper McKinley Road. }} ===Outside BGC and Pinagsama=== [[File:Simborio facade.jpg|thumb|The Simborio at the cemetery of Saint Anne church]] *{{see | name=Libingan ng mga Bayani | alt=Heroes' Cemetery | url= | email= | address=Bayani Road, Taguig 1630 | lat=14.519629 | long=121.042847 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cemetery for the Filipino soldiers who perished in the World War II, as well as for national heroes and former presidents, including Elpidio Quirino, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos. It contains several monuments, such as the '''Tomb of the Unknown Soldier''' and memorials to Korean and Vietnamese soldiers who died in the Philippines. }} * {{see | name=Saint Anne Parish Church | alt=Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne | url= | email= | address=18 Gen. A Luna St, Sta. Ana, Taguig, 1637 | lat=14.526995 | long=121.073941 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=Church built in Baroque style in 1587. In the old cemetery of the parish lies the '''Simborio''', a dome-shaped funerary chapel build in the 1700s. }} ==Do== BGC may be a superb destination for business, shopping, dining and nightlife, but in terms of cultural options it still lags far behind [[Manila]]. If you enjoy '''contemporary art''', however, you can find street art, art galleries, and open air installations. * {{do | name=BGC Arts Center | alt= | url=https://www.bgcartscenter.org/ | email=info@artsatbgc.org | address=26th Street corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634 | lat=14.547852 | long=121.049704 | directions= | phone=+63 2 796 0189 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-01 | content=One of the few dedicated facilities in BGC for concerts and cultural events. }} * {{do | name=Samsung Hall | alt= | url=http://www.sm-aura.com/hall {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=Indoor theatre and convert venue located at SM Aura Premier (see [[#Buy]]). }} * {{do | name=MO_Space | alt= | url=http://www.mo-space.net/ | email=exhibitions@mo-space.net | address=3rd floor, MOs Design Bldg, B2 9th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street | lat=14.550293 | long=121.051116 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8562748 (ext. 2 or 3) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2018-05-04 | content=Contemporary exhibitions, shows and performances from emerging artists. }} * {{do | name=PABLO | alt= | url=http://pablogalleries.com/ | email=fort@pablogalleries.com | address=C-11 South of Market, 11th Avenue | lat=14.546993 | long=121.051912 | directions= | phone=+632 877-6284 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Sa noon-7PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-04 | content=Good quality contemporary art exhibitions from local and foreign artists. }} * {{do | name=Gondola ride at the Venice Grand Canal | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM | price=M-Th {{PHP|250}}, F-Su {{PHP|350}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-03 | content=Obviously the Venice Grand Canal mall (see [[#Buy]]) isn't [[Venice]], but the price of a gondola ride here is also a small fraction of the "real thing". Plus the atmosphere surrounding the fake canal is lively, especially in the evening. }} ==Buy== ===Bonifacio Global City=== [[File:Bonifacio High Street Entrance.jpg|thumb|Bonifacio High Street]] *{{buy | name=Bonifacio High Street |alt=| url=https://m.facebook.com/CentralSquarePH/ | email= | address=Bonifacio Global City, 5th Ave | lat=14.550949 | long=121.050548 | directions= | phone=+632 856-0523 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-10PM, F Sa 10AM-11PM | price= |lastedit=2019-04-04| content=An open air shopping mall shaped as a vibrant pedestrian street occupying 3 blocks in the heart of BGC, and one of the area's most popular attractions. Besides a variety of shops, bars, restaurants, and a cinema it contains a park which often hosts contemporary art exhibitions and other events. }} **{{buy | name=Fully Booked | url=http://www.fullybookedonline.com/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, B6, Bonifacio High Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+63 2 858 7000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-11PM, longer on weekends | price= | content=Fully Booked's flagship store on Bonifacio High street contains 4 floors of books, magazines, and art supplies. Most books are in English, but there is a small foreign language section. }} * {{buy | name=Market! Market! | alt= | url=http://www.ayalamalls.com | email= | address=McKinley Pkwy | lat=14.549943 | long=121.055265 | directions= | phone=+63 2 886 7519 | tollfree= |fax=| hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Market! Market! | wikidata=Q6770641 | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=If you think that BGC is all about expensive, high-end shopping you will be blown away when you step in the Market! Market!, a large shopping mall that besides regular shops, has also a fair share of "air-conditioned street shopping" with all sorts of bargains and even products of dubious origin. In the external part of the mall, the '''Fiesta Market''' also contains an open air food court and a small amusement park. }} * {{buy | name=SM Aura Premier | alt= | url=http://www.sm-aura.com/ | email= | address=8 McKinley Pkwy | lat=14.546765 | long=121.054575 | directions= | phone=+63 2 815 2872 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM (supermarket and some stores longer) | price= | wikipedia=SM Aura Premier | wikidata=Q7391442 | lastedit=2018-04-30 | content=If the Market! Market! is the shopping mall you wouldn't expect in BGC, the SM Aura is pretty much what you would expect - thin crowds and high-end shopping on its finest, although you can still find some affordable Filipino clothing stores. Even if the expensive shopping does not interest you, the curved L-shaped building it a sight to behold on itself. The '''Samsung Hall''' is also contained here. }} * {{buy | name=Uptown Bonifacio | alt= | url=http://www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com/mall/uptown-bonifacio {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=36th St. cor 9th Avenue lat=14.556591 | long=121.053541 | directions= | phone=+63 917 554 1716 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Uptown Mall | wikidata=Q30638525 | lastedit=2018-04-30 | content=Mall forming a mixed used development with corporate towers, containing a mix of Filipino and international brands. The dancing fountain in the 4th floor is worth checking. }} ===Pinagsama=== * {{buy | name=Venice Grand Canal | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/VeniceGrandCanal/ | email=veniceconcierge@megaworld-lifestyle.com | address=McKinley Hill Garden Villas, Cluster B,, Upper McKinley Rd | lat=14.533572 | long=121.051117 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8462 8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q52789653| wikipedia=Venice Grand Canal, Taguig | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=A shopping mall that is more like a tourist attraction, the Venice Grand Canal mall contains a replica of [[Venice]]'s Grand Canal and a sight to behold, leaving far behind any "Fake Venices" you may have seen in [[Las Vegas]] or [[Macau]]. Besides gondola rides, it contains a small size replica of the Rialto Bridge and hosts free family-oriented performances. Still not many shops around, but the surroundings of the canal are packed with restaurants. }} ==Eat== [[File:Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila.jpg|thumb|Alfresco dining at Burgos Circle in BGC]] BGC and McKinley Hill are gastronomic paradises, with restaurants scattered in the mixed used developments including the '''Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, The Fort Strip, Forbes Town, Uptown Parade''' and '''Tuscany Estate''', in the multiple shopping malls and some sitting by themselves in the streets. While it is true that many restaurants in the area are expensive by Filipino standards, affordable street food can be found at the '''Fiesta Market''', the '''Mercado Centrale''', and at the usual array of Filipino fast food and casual dining chains. ===Bonifacio Global City=== ====Budget==== * {{eat | name=Mercato Centrale | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/mercatocentrale | email=ayessa.mercato@gmail.com | address=25th Street Corner, 7th Ave | lat=14.548085 | long=121.048346 | directions= | phone=+63 917 840 1152 | tollfree= | hours=F-Sa 6PM-3AM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=Street food fair in a small square in BGC open until late yours. Can become quite packed, do don't count on getting a table. }} * {{eat | name=BENCH Cafe | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/BenchCafePH/ | email= | address=B5 Bonifacio High Street | lat=14.550053 | long=121.051504 | directions= | phone=+63 917 702 1133 | tollfree= | hours=Su-M 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=Cafe in the second floor of the Bench flagship store in Bonifacio High Street. Offers Filipino comfort food with a twist and with affordable prices. Don't expect superb service though. Their Halo-Halos are definitely worth trying. }} * {{eat | name=Fiesta Market food court | alt= | url=https://www.ayalamalls.com | email= | address=Market! Market! | lat=14.548768 | long=121.055491 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=The Fiesta Market located in the external area of the Market! Market! shopping mall contains a food court offering a range of street food. }} ====Mid-range==== * {{eat | name=Locavore | alt= | url= | email= | address=Forbes Town Center, Burgos Cir lat=14.550523 | long=121.044699 | directions= | phone=+63 917 574 2017 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 9AM-1AM, F Satl 9AM-2AM, Su 9AM-midnight | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=Contemporary Filipino cuisine at the charming Forbestown Road. Expect queues for dinner. }} * {{eat | name=Abe Serendra | alt= | url=http://ljcrestaurants.com.ph/abe/ | email= | address=Serendra, 11th Ave | lat=14.549493 | long=121.053964 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8856 0526 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-3PM, 5PM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=One of the stars of the Serendra, it offers classic Filipino cuisine in the BGC branch of the Abe restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Conti's Pastry Shop and Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.contis.ph | email= | address=1C-17 Serendra | lat=14.549752 | long=121.054315 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8856 2352 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 8AM-10PM, F Sa 8AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=The BGC branch of the famous Conti's pastry shop, famous for its ''mango bravo'', ''sans rival'' and ensaymada. This branch seems specialised in take-outs so don't expect great service from the sit-in restaurant. }} * '''[http://www.hosseins.com/ Hossein's Persian Kebab]''' Unit 5 & 6 Fort St. Bldg., Fort Bonifacio ({{phone|+63 2 8856 0632}} or {{phone|+63 2-816-11-67}}) in front NBC tent. Serves authentic Indian, Arabian and Persian cuisine. Halal certified. * '''Hossein''' 2nd Level, Serendra, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio Bonifacio Global City ({{phone|+63 2-8856-0632}} or {{phone|+63 2-856-12-78}}). ====Splurge==== * {{eat | name=Las Flores | alt= | url=https://www.bistronomia.ph/ | email= | address=One McKinley Place, 25th Street, BGC | lat=14.548939 | long=121.045417 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8552 2815 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-1AM, F Sa 11AM-2AM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=An authentic Spanish bistro from the popular Andilana group of restaurants in [[Barcelona]], popular for its tapas and paellas. }} ==Drink== [[File:Bars at Bonifacio High Street.jpg|thumb|Bars at Bonifacio High Street]] ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=F1 Hotel |alt=formerly Best Western | url=https://www.f1hotelmanila.com | email= | address=32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+63 2 8928 9888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= |lastedit=2019-03-17| content=F1 Hotel offers superior room, deluxe king, deluxe double, city suite king and executive suite with air-conditioning, high-definition LCD TV and high-speed internet connection. Its facilities and services include Infinity lap pool, rejuvenation center, 24-hour room service and guest services. }} ==Stay safe== BGC is certainly one of safest areas of [[Metro Manila]], thanks to the ostensive presence of security and heavy-handed traffic enforcement. It is not unusual to see people jogging by themselves in the evening, which wouldn't be recommended in most parts of Manila. However, some care is required at traffic junctions, where discretionary turns are allowed and drivers performing a turn often refuse to yield to pedestrians, despite signs to do otherwise. Beware of high-value party drugs and laced drinks in bars. The city's high nightlife has invited illegal drug dealers, so watch out for seedy locations where such drugs are sold. Also, don't just accept a drink from strangers or leave your drink alone. Although BGC and McKinley Hill are quite close to each other, it is better not to walk between the areas as you pass through desolated roads with no people in the streets. Take a taxi or use Grab instead. Outside BGC or McKinley Hill, Taguig is rather a mix of slums and residential communities. Drugs and violent crimes are common, so beware. ==Go next== * [[Makati]] * [[Pasig]] * [[Pateros (Philippines)|Pateros]] * [https://www.zingmall.com/ Zing Mall] {{geo|14.5500|121.0833}} {{isPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{usablecity}} aq9jwzfpu1707fzm5elefu0s1n50d4r 4501806 4501804 2022-08-16T02:10:39Z SHB2000 2248002 Undo revision 4501804 by [[Special:Contributions/Loriebuenviaje|Loriebuenviaje]] ([[User talk:Loriebuenviaje|talk]])[[wv:xl]] wikitext text/x-wiki [https://www.taguig.com.ph '''Taguig'''], a city part of the [[Metro Manila]] sector in the [[Philippines]]. Taguig contains the '''Bonifacio Global City''' (popularly known simply as BGC), [[Metro Manila]]'s second most important business district and a major tourism, shopping, dining and entertainment destination. Other attractions include the '''Manila American Cemetery''' and the affluent neighbourhood of '''McKinley Hill'''.{{pagebanner|Venice Grand Canal Mall banner.jpg}} ==Understand== Taguig's '''Fort Bonifacio Global City''', is a planned neighborhood built on part of a former military base. It was built upon modern concepts of urbanism, including pedestrian-friendliness and mixed use buildings, which together with the cleanness, safety and unusually rigorous traffic enforcement, makes it sort of a "[[Singapore]]"-like city inside Manila. For some people, the area may look sterile, expensive, over-internationalised and lacking Filipino character, while for others, it might offer a welcome respite from the grittiness that characterises most of [[Metro Manila]] outside the air conditioning of a shopping mall. It also symbolises the craving for modernity and global thinking which perhaps is also part of Filipino culture. Nonetheless, it is a misconception to think of BGC as a sort of expat or wealthy-only enclave; the area is bustling with locals from all over Metro Manila, working in the area's call centers during the day, and strolling around the '''Bonifacio High Street''' or shopping at the lively '''Market! Market!''' on evenings and weekends. South of BGC, the affluent neighbourhood of '''McKinley Hill''' attempts to replicate the charms of [[Italy]] with two large mixed used (residential and shopping) developments, the '''Tuscany Private Estate''' and '''Venice Grand Canal Mall/The Florence''', which attract crowds of selfie-snapping Manileños, although as of early 2018 the actual shops are still slow to settle there. In between the two neighbourhoods lies the huge and serene '''Manila American Cemetery and Memorial''', the largest [[United States of America|American]] World War II cemetery in the world, which despite being one of [[Metro Manila]]'s top attractions, it is still an oasis of peace in the bustling metropolis. Outside of BGC and McKinley Hill, Taguig is mostly urban sprawl typical of Metro Manila; there is a lot of slums and tenements, interspersed with some residential subdivisions, high-rise condominiums and apartments, industrial parks and shopping malls. ==Get in== {{Mapframe|14.541120|121.050225|zoom=14|height=530|width=350}} ===By taxi or e-hailing=== If you are coming from [[Metro Manila|Manila]]'s '''Ninoy Aquino International Airport''' or from [[Makati]] taking a taxi or hailing a car or taxi to Taguig using the '''Grab''' app would be a convenient and relatively affordable option. If you want to hail a car but do not have a data plan, you can use the Grab kiosks in the airport and several shopping malls in [[Makati]]. Going to Taguig from [[Manila]]'s city center will be more expensive (around {{PHP|250-400}}), and you should be prepared to spend a long time in traffic. ===By train/bus=== The '''PNR Southrail''' passes through the West border of Taguig, which contains the '''Nichols''' and '''FTI''' stations. However, the BGC area is much closer to the '''Ayala''' and '''Guadalupe''' '''MRT-3''' stations. If you want to cut through the traffic of [[Manila]], an option is take the MRT-3 to Ayala or Guadalupe, and then take a taxi/Grab or public transportation to BGC. There are buses to the BGC bus terminal at Ayala Station, right across the Shell gas station near the East exit. There are two routes, the West Route which has stops on the west part of Bonifacio Global City and the East Express which offers a one-way ride to the Market! Market! shopping mall on the eastern portion of the city. ==Get around== If use public transportation try '''[http://www.sakay.ph sakay.ph] {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}}''', it will show you the right type to your destination. ===By bus=== BGC has its own system of comfortable, air-conditioned buses, named '''BGC Bus'''. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, information on the bus route posted online are mostly outdated. Price is {{PHP|13}} for all routes regardless of destination; As of March 2022; there are three active routes West Route and East Express and Central Route. The bus only accept [[Metro Manila]]'s Beep public transportation cards as payment which could be reloaded on MRT stations. ===On foot=== With wide walkways, plenty of shelter and serious traffic enforcement, BGC is perhaps the best place in [[Metro Manila]] to explore by walking. The '''Bonifacio High Street''' pedestrian street leading to the '''Serendra''', the '''Forbestown Road''' leading to the '''Burgos Circle''', and the '''Uptown Parade''' are some places definitely to be explored on foot. ===By taxi or e-hailing=== BGC and McKinley Hill are quite compact areas and nearby each other, so taking a taxi or using Grab to hail a car or taxi in-between these areas shouldn't be expensive. ===By jeepney or tricycle=== While BGCs uses only regular buses for internal transportation, in the rest of Taguig you can find the usual choice of [[jeepney]]s and [[Traysikel|tricycles]]. ==See== ===Bonifacio Global City=== The BGC area, with its modern skyscrapers, exhibits of contemporary architecture, wide walkways, street art, and several mixed used developments containing cafes, restaurants and shops, can be considered as a sight by itself and possibly the most pedestrian-friendly area of [[Metro Manila]]. It is an area that deserves a few hours of exploration, both in the day and in the evening where some areas get more alive. To have panoramic views of the area, go to one of BGC's several rooftop bars and sky lounges. BGC also contains the '''Metrobank Tower''' (part of '''Grand Hyatt Manila'''), which is {{m|318}} high, the tallest building of the [[Philippines]]. [[File:Manila American Cemetery panorama.jpg|thumb|center|500px|Panorama of the Manila American Cemetery]] *{{see | name=Manila American Cemetery and Memorial | url=https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/pacific/manila-american-cemetery | email= | address= | lat=14.541120 | long=121.050225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM except Christmas and New Year | price=free | content=The largest [[United States of America|American]] World War II cemetery in the World, containing 17,206 graves representing U.S. soldiers who died fighting Japanese forces during the [[Pacific War]]. Besides the graves, it contains a chapel, monuments, sculpted gardens and a museum with 25 mosaic maps depicting U.S. battles in the Pacific, making the area well worth a visit. Photo ID is required for entrance. }} * {{see | name=The Mind Museum | alt= | url=https://www.themindmuseum.org/ | email= | address=JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634 | lat=14.552589 | long=121.045807 | directions= | phone=+632 909-6463| tollfree= | hours=Tu-Su 9AM-6PM | price={{PHP|150-750}} | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=The top science museum of the Philippines, with stunning architecture and showcasing 5 main galleries with interactive exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Burgos Circle | alt= | url= | email= | address=Burgos Circle, Taguig | lat=14.552727 | long=121.044356 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=A traffic circle and a public park surrounded by skyscrapers and by alfresco restaurants, cafes and bars, described as a "a window to the Parisian lifestyle in the heart of [[Metro Manila|Manila]]". In the center of the circles lies '''"The Trees"''' art installation by Reynato Paz Contreras, and bronze and brass sculpture representing three interlocking trees forming a done. }} [[File:Forbestown Road BGC.jpg|thumb|Forbestown Road in Bonifacio Global City]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Forbestown Road | alt= | url= | email= | address=Forbestown Road, Taguig | lat=14.551363 | long=121.044223 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Linked to the Burgus Circle, Forbestown Road is probably one of Manila's most beautiful and pleasant streets, containing plenty of greenery and mixed used developments with several alfresco restaurants, cafes and bars. }} * '''Bonifacio High Street''' (see [[#Buy]]) * {{see | name=Serendra | alt= | url= | email= | address=McKinley Pkwy, Taguig | lat=14.549342 | long=121.054153 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Serendra| wikidata=Q7453196 | lastedit=2018-05-01 | content=Mixed used development with contemporary decoration and several alfresco cafes and restaurants. It links the Bonifacio High Street to the Market! Market! }} * {{see | name=Uptown Parade | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=14.557725 | long=121.054189 | directions=at the crossing between 9th Avenue and 36th Street in Taguig | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-03 | content=Next to the Uptown Mall, a two-floor "dining mall" with several alfresco restaurants and some clubs. }} * {{see | name=The Fort Strip | alt= | url= | email= | address=28th Street Corner 7th Avenue, The Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, 1634 | lat=14.549827 | long=121.048433 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-03 | content=Building containing several restaurants, bars and clubs. }} ===Pinagsama=== The Pinagsama ''barangay'' contains McKinley Hill, a business and upscale residential area just south of BGC (after the Manila American Cemetery). Its main attraction is certainly the Venice Grand Canal mall. * '''Venice Grand Canal''' (see [[#Buy]]) * {{see | name=Tuscany Private Estates | alt= | url=http://megaworldfort.com.ph/projects/tuscany-private-estate/ | email= | address=Upper McKinley Rd, Taguig, 1634 | lat=14.538066 | long=121.051906 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-01 | content=It may sound a bit of joke to have a place named "Tuscany" just next to the "Venice Grand Canal" (and the next project in the area is named "Florence"). Regardless, it is a beautiful mixed used development in Neoclassical style, with plenty of options of alfresco restaurants and cafes facing the Upper McKinley Road. }} ===Outside BGC and Pinagsama=== [[File:Simborio facade.jpg|thumb|The Simborio at the cemetery of Saint Anne church]] *{{see | name=Libingan ng mga Bayani | alt=Heroes' Cemetery | url= | email= | address=Bayani Road, Taguig 1630 | lat=14.519629 | long=121.042847 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cemetery for the Filipino soldiers who perished in the World War II, as well as for national heroes and former presidents, including Elpidio Quirino, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos. It contains several monuments, such as the '''Tomb of the Unknown Soldier''' and memorials to Korean and Vietnamese soldiers who died in the Philippines. }} * {{see | name=Saint Anne Parish Church | alt=Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne | url= | email= | address=18 Gen. A Luna St, Sta. Ana, Taguig, 1637 | lat=14.526995 | long=121.073941 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=Church built in Baroque style in 1587. In the old cemetery of the parish lies the '''Simborio''', a dome-shaped funerary chapel build in the 1700s. }} ==Do== BGC may be a superb destination for business, shopping, dining and nightlife, but in terms of cultural options it still lags far behind [[Manila]]. If you enjoy '''contemporary art''', however, you can find street art, art galleries, and open air installations. * {{do | name=BGC Arts Center | alt= | url=https://www.bgcartscenter.org/ | email=info@artsatbgc.org | address=26th Street corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634 | lat=14.547852 | long=121.049704 | directions= | phone=+63 2 796 0189 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-01 | content=One of the few dedicated facilities in BGC for concerts and cultural events. }} * {{do | name=Samsung Hall | alt= | url=http://www.sm-aura.com/hall {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=Indoor theatre and convert venue located at SM Aura Premier (see [[#Buy]]). }} * {{do | name=MO_Space | alt= | url=http://www.mo-space.net/ | email=exhibitions@mo-space.net | address=3rd floor, MOs Design Bldg, B2 9th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street | lat=14.550293 | long=121.051116 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8562748 (ext. 2 or 3) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2018-05-04 | content=Contemporary exhibitions, shows and performances from emerging artists. }} * {{do | name=PABLO | alt= | url=http://pablogalleries.com/ | email=fort@pablogalleries.com | address=C-11 South of Market, 11th Avenue | lat=14.546993 | long=121.051912 | directions= | phone=+632 877-6284 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Sa noon-7PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-04 | content=Good quality contemporary art exhibitions from local and foreign artists. }} * {{do | name=Gondola ride at the Venice Grand Canal | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM | price=M-Th {{PHP|250}}, F-Su {{PHP|350}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-03 | content=Obviously the Venice Grand Canal mall (see [[#Buy]]) isn't [[Venice]], but the price of a gondola ride here is also a small fraction of the "real thing". Plus the atmosphere surrounding the fake canal is lively, especially in the evening. }} ==Buy== ===Bonifacio Global City=== [[File:Bonifacio High Street Entrance.jpg|thumb|Bonifacio High Street]] *{{buy | name=Bonifacio High Street |alt=| url=https://m.facebook.com/CentralSquarePH/ | email= | address=Bonifacio Global City, 5th Ave | lat=14.550949 | long=121.050548 | directions= | phone=+632 856-0523 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-10PM, F Sa 10AM-11PM | price= |lastedit=2019-04-04| content=An open air shopping mall shaped as a vibrant pedestrian street occupying 3 blocks in the heart of BGC, and one of the area's most popular attractions. Besides a variety of shops, bars, restaurants, and a cinema it contains a park which often hosts contemporary art exhibitions and other events. }} **{{buy | name=Fully Booked | url=http://www.fullybookedonline.com/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, B6, Bonifacio High Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+63 2 858 7000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-11PM, longer on weekends | price= | content=Fully Booked's flagship store on Bonifacio High street contains 4 floors of books, magazines, and art supplies. Most books are in English, but there is a small foreign language section. }} * {{buy | name=Market! Market! | alt= | url=http://www.ayalamalls.com | email= | address=McKinley Pkwy | lat=14.549943 | long=121.055265 | directions= | phone=+63 2 886 7519 | tollfree= |fax=| hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Market! Market! | wikidata=Q6770641 | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=If you think that BGC is all about expensive, high-end shopping you will be blown away when you step in the Market! Market!, a large shopping mall that besides regular shops, has also a fair share of "air-conditioned street shopping" with all sorts of bargains and even products of dubious origin. In the external part of the mall, the '''Fiesta Market''' also contains an open air food court and a small amusement park. }} * {{buy | name=SM Aura Premier | alt= | url=http://www.sm-aura.com/ | email= | address=8 McKinley Pkwy | lat=14.546765 | long=121.054575 | directions= | phone=+63 2 815 2872 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-10PM (supermarket and some stores longer) | price= | wikipedia=SM Aura Premier | wikidata=Q7391442 | lastedit=2018-04-30 | content=If the Market! Market! is the shopping mall you wouldn't expect in BGC, the SM Aura is pretty much what you would expect - thin crowds and high-end shopping on its finest, although you can still find some affordable Filipino clothing stores. Even if the expensive shopping does not interest you, the curved L-shaped building it a sight to behold on itself. The '''Samsung Hall''' is also contained here. }} * {{buy | name=Uptown Bonifacio | alt= | url=http://www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com/mall/uptown-bonifacio {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=36th St. cor 9th Avenue lat=14.556591 | long=121.053541 | directions= | phone=+63 917 554 1716 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Uptown Mall | wikidata=Q30638525 | lastedit=2018-04-30 | content=Mall forming a mixed used development with corporate towers, containing a mix of Filipino and international brands. The dancing fountain in the 4th floor is worth checking. }} ===Pinagsama=== * {{buy | name=Venice Grand Canal | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/VeniceGrandCanal/ | email=veniceconcierge@megaworld-lifestyle.com | address=McKinley Hill Garden Villas, Cluster B,, Upper McKinley Rd | lat=14.533572 | long=121.051117 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8462 8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q52789653| wikipedia=Venice Grand Canal, Taguig | lastedit=2018-04-29 | content=A shopping mall that is more like a tourist attraction, the Venice Grand Canal mall contains a replica of [[Venice]]'s Grand Canal and a sight to behold, leaving far behind any "Fake Venices" you may have seen in [[Las Vegas]] or [[Macau]]. Besides gondola rides, it contains a small size replica of the Rialto Bridge and hosts free family-oriented performances. Still not many shops around, but the surroundings of the canal are packed with restaurants. }} ==Eat== [[File:Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila.jpg|thumb|Alfresco dining at Burgos Circle in BGC]] BGC and McKinley Hill are gastronomic paradises, with restaurants scattered in the mixed used developments including the '''Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, The Fort Strip, Forbes Town, Uptown Parade''' and '''Tuscany Estate''', in the multiple shopping malls and some sitting by themselves in the streets. While it is true that many restaurants in the area are expensive by Filipino standards, affordable street food can be found at the '''Fiesta Market''', the '''Mercado Centrale''', and at the usual array of Filipino fast food and casual dining chains. ===Bonifacio Global City=== ====Budget==== * {{eat | name=Mercato Centrale | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/mercatocentrale | email=ayessa.mercato@gmail.com | address=25th Street Corner, 7th Ave | lat=14.548085 | long=121.048346 | directions= | phone=+63 917 840 1152 | tollfree= | hours=F-Sa 6PM-3AM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=Street food fair in a small square in BGC open until late yours. Can become quite packed, do don't count on getting a table. }} * {{eat | name=BENCH Cafe | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/BenchCafePH/ | email= | address=B5 Bonifacio High Street | lat=14.550053 | long=121.051504 | directions= | phone=+63 917 702 1133 | tollfree= | hours=Su-M 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=Cafe in the second floor of the Bench flagship store in Bonifacio High Street. Offers Filipino comfort food with a twist and with affordable prices. Don't expect superb service though. Their Halo-Halos are definitely worth trying. }} * {{eat | name=Fiesta Market food court | alt= | url=https://www.ayalamalls.com | email= | address=Market! Market! | lat=14.548768 | long=121.055491 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-05 | content=The Fiesta Market located in the external area of the Market! Market! shopping mall contains a food court offering a range of street food. }} ====Mid-range==== * {{eat | name=Locavore | alt= | url= | email= | address=Forbes Town Center, Burgos Cir lat=14.550523 | long=121.044699 | directions= | phone=+63 917 574 2017 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 9AM-1AM, F Satl 9AM-2AM, Su 9AM-midnight | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=Contemporary Filipino cuisine at the charming Forbestown Road. Expect queues for dinner. }} * {{eat | name=Abe Serendra | alt= | url=http://ljcrestaurants.com.ph/abe/ | email= | address=Serendra, 11th Ave | lat=14.549493 | long=121.053964 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8856 0526 | tollfree= | hours=11AM-3PM, 5PM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=One of the stars of the Serendra, it offers classic Filipino cuisine in the BGC branch of the Abe restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Conti's Pastry Shop and Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.contis.ph | email= | address=1C-17 Serendra | lat=14.549752 | long=121.054315 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8856 2352 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 8AM-10PM, F Sa 8AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=The BGC branch of the famous Conti's pastry shop, famous for its ''mango bravo'', ''sans rival'' and ensaymada. This branch seems specialised in take-outs so don't expect great service from the sit-in restaurant. }} * '''[http://www.hosseins.com/ Hossein's Persian Kebab]''' Unit 5 & 6 Fort St. Bldg., Fort Bonifacio ({{phone|+63 2 8856 0632}} or {{phone|+63 2-816-11-67}}) in front NBC tent. Serves authentic Indian, Arabian and Persian cuisine. Halal certified. * '''Hossein''' 2nd Level, Serendra, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio Bonifacio Global City ({{phone|+63 2-8856-0632}} or {{phone|+63 2-856-12-78}}). ====Splurge==== * {{eat | name=Las Flores | alt= | url=https://www.bistronomia.ph/ | email= | address=One McKinley Place, 25th Street, BGC | lat=14.548939 | long=121.045417 | directions= | phone=+63 2 8552 2815 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-1AM, F Sa 11AM-2AM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=An authentic Spanish bistro from the popular Andilana group of restaurants in [[Barcelona]], popular for its tapas and paellas. }} ==Drink== [[File:Bars at Bonifacio High Street.jpg|thumb|Bars at Bonifacio High Street]] ==Sleep== *{{sleep | name=F1 Hotel |alt=formerly Best Western | url=https://www.f1hotelmanila.com | email= | address=32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+63 2 8928 9888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= |lastedit=2019-03-17| content=F1 Hotel offers superior room, deluxe king, deluxe double, city suite king and executive suite with air-conditioning, high-definition LCD TV and high-speed internet connection. Its facilities and services include Infinity lap pool, rejuvenation center, 24-hour room service and guest services. }} ==Stay safe== BGC is certainly one of safest areas of [[Metro Manila]], thanks to the ostensive presence of security and heavy-handed traffic enforcement. It is not unusual to see people jogging by themselves in the evening, which wouldn't be recommended in most parts of Manila. However, some care is required at traffic junctions, where discretionary turns are allowed and drivers performing a turn often refuse to yield to pedestrians, despite signs to do otherwise. Beware of high-value party drugs and laced drinks in bars. The city's high nightlife has invited illegal drug dealers, so watch out for seedy locations where such drugs are sold. Also, don't just accept a drink from strangers or leave your drink alone. Although BGC and McKinley Hill are quite close to each other, it is better not to walk between the areas as you pass through desolated roads with no people in the streets. Take a taxi or use Grab instead. Outside BGC or McKinley Hill, Taguig is rather a mix of slums and residential communities. Drugs and violent crimes are common, so beware. ==Go next== * [[Makati]] * [[Pasig]] * [[Pateros (Philippines)|Pateros]] {{geo|14.5500|121.0833}} {{isPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{usablecity}} an8shym5f5b7oa9dq8w9yinainwgvlo 0 35122 4501653 4500209 2022-08-15T17:32:43Z The dog2 35982 /* Sports */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Formasa Station Banner.jpg}} {{COVID-19 box|Restrictions have been implemented throughout Taiwan due to a surge in COVID cases. Taiwan has '''barred entry to non-resident foreign nationals indefinitely.''' International transit passengers are allowed starting from June 15, 2022, provided they do not leave the secure area of the airport. Those allowed to enter the country are required to '''quarantine for 14 days'''. ''(See [[Taiwan#Get in|Get in]] for more information)''| lastedit=2022-07-20}} {{Cautionbox|Chinese military exercises in the waters around Taiwan have led to flight cancellations and delays, and effectively blockaded all of Taiwan's major seaports.|lastedit=8 August 2022}} '''[https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/ Taiwan]''' (Traditional Chinese: 台灣 or 臺灣, ''Táiwān'') is an island nation off the coast of southeastern mainland [[China]]. The island is officially known as and governed by the '''Republic of China''' (中華民國 ''Zhōnghuá Mínguó'') or '''ROC'''. Shaped roughly like a sweet potato, the nation is home to more than 23 million people and is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Besides its crowded cities, Taiwan is also known for steep mountains and lush forests. Although most of the population is ethnically Chinese, the legacy of Japanese colonial rule still pervades much of Taiwanese life, and there is also indigenous Austronesian culture to explore for the truly intrepid traveler. {{disclaimerbox|While the political status of Taiwan is a controversial and sensitive issue, from a traveler's point of view, Taiwan is under the ''de facto'' control of a different government from mainland China, and in practice operates as a separate country. ''This page does not represent a political endorsement of the claims of either side of the dispute.''}} == Regions == {{Regionlist | regionmap = Taiwan_Regions_Map.png | regionmapsize = 350px | regionmaptext = Map of Taiwan with regions color-coded (Matsu is not included) | region1name=[[Northern Taiwan]] | region1color=#b08eb0 | region1items=[[Hsinchu]], [[Hsinchu County]], [[Keelung]], [[New Taipei]], [[Taipei]], [[Taoyuan]] | region1description=The capital city, main airport and technology hub of the island | region2name=[[Central Taiwan]] | region2color=#efb86e | region2items=[[Changhua County]], [[Miaoli County]], [[Nantou County]] and [[Taichung]] | region2description=Scenic mountains and lakes and major national parks | region3name=[[Eastern Taiwan]] | region3color=#77c283 | region3items=[[Yilan County]], [[Hualien]], [[Hualien County]], [[Taitung County]], [[Taitung]] | region3description=Hualien and Taitung are cut off from the rest of the island by the central mountains; this is a region of great natural beauty, and the main center of indigenous Austronesian culture | region4name=[[Southern Taiwan]] | region4color=#75a4c3 | region4items= [[Chiayi County]], [[Kaohsiung]], [[Pingtung County]], [[Tainan]] and [[Yunlin County]] | region4description=The tropics of Taiwan with beaches and palm trees and the third largest city | region5name=Outlying Islands | region5color=#c9cf7b | region5items=Tiny islands also governed by the Republic of China: [[Kinmen]] and [[Matsu]], just off the coast of mainland China's [[Fujian]] Province, [[Penghu]] in the straits, [[Green Island (Taiwan)|Green Island]] and [[Orchid Island]], east of Taiwan | region5description=Small islands that are popular getaway destinations with the locals. }} <br clear="right" /> {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b08eb0|title=[[Northern Taiwan]]|wikidata=Q249994,Q74054,Q249996,Q244898,Q1867,Q115256}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#efb86e|title=[[Central Taiwan]]|wikidata=Q133865,Q63706,Q82357,Q245023}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#77c283|title=[[Eastern Taiwan]]|wikidata=Q237258,Q249868,Q249904}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#75a4c3|title=[[Southern Taiwan]]|wikidata=Q249995,Q166977,Q181557,Q194989,Q140631,Q153221}} == Cities == {{mapframe|23.76|120.97|zoom=7}} {{mapshape|title=Taiwan High Speed Rail|wikidata=Q706198|type=geoline|stroke=#c35617|stroke-width=4|stroke-opacity=1}} [[File:TWTC ITB, TICC and Taipei 101 20100410 night.jpg|thumb|300px|Taipei at night]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taipei]]|wikidata=Q1867}} (臺北 or 台北) – The seat of government of Taiwan ROC, as well as the center of commerce and culture. Taipei is also home to Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Miaoli]]|lat=24.57|long=120.82}} (苗栗) – The main center of Hakka culture in Taiwan. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hualien]]|wikidata=Q713310}} (花蓮) – Near Taroko Gorge and considered one of the most pleasant of Taiwan's cities. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jiufen]]|wikidata=Q31093}} (九份) – A former gold mining town on the northeast coast visited for its quaint streets and picturesque views. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kaohsiung]]|wikidata=Q181557}} (高雄) – The third-largest city on the island. It has one of the busiest sea ports (the Port of Kaohsiung) in the world and it has the island's second-largest airport, Kaohsiung International Airport. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taichung]]|wikidata=Q245023}} (臺中 or 台中) – The second-largest city on the island. In the center-western region of Taiwan, and famous among the Taiwanese for its pastries such as sun cakes and pineapple cakes. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puli]]|wikidata=Q706544}} (埔里) – At the geographical center of the island, making it a good base for exploring the central mountains and [[Sun Moon Lake]]. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Tainan]]|wikidata=Q140631}} (臺南 or 台南) – The oldest city and former capital of Taiwan. It is famous for its historic buildings, and as the unofficial culinary capital of Taiwan. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taitung]]|lat=22.758333|long=121.144444}} (臺東 or 台東) – On the southeastern coast, a laid back city that is known for beautiful scenery and large Aboriginal population. == Other destinations == [[File:Alishan Forest Staircase2.JPG|thumb|240px|Mountain trail in [[Alishan]]]] People tend to think of Taiwan as a small, crowded island filled mostly with electronic factories, and if you stay in Taipei or along the west coast you might indeed maintain that impression. However, the island is also home to high mountain ranges, great beaches and stunning national parks, many with hot springs. * {{marker|name=[[Alishan]]|wikidata=Q707585}} (阿里山) – Misty forests of giant cypresses and amazing sunrises at the center of the island, reached by a scenic narrow-gauge train * {{marker|name=[[Kenting National Park]]|wikidata=Q707982}} (墾丁國家公園) – At the extreme southern tip of the island, this park is famous for its beaches and lush vegetation. * {{marker|name=[[Shei-pa National Park]]|wikidata=Q707996}} (雪霸國家公園) – A park spanning mountains and rivers in [[Hsinchu County]]—great hiking trails * {{marker|name=[[Sun Moon Lake]]|wikidata=Q716206}} (日月潭) – Nestled at 762 m (2,500&nbsp;ft) in lofty mountains in [[Nantou County]], this lake is famous for its clear sparkling blue water and picturesque mountain backdrop. * {{marker|name=[[Taipingshan]]|wikidata=Q30020365}} (太平山) – A historic logging area and one of Taiwan's most scenic spots. Located in [[Yilan County]]. * {{marker|name=[[Taroko Gorge]]|wikidata=Q707427}} (太魯閣峽谷 ''Tàilǔgé'') – An impressive gorge off the east coast * {{marker|name=[[Yangmingshan National Park]]|wikidata=Q709029}} (陽明山國家公園) – Spanning a mountain range overlooking Taipei * {{marker|name=[[Yushan]]|wikidata=Q500275}} (Jade Mountain/玉山) – At 3,952 m the highest mountain in not just Taiwan, but in the entire eastern ⅔ of East Asia * {{marker|name=[[Lalashan]]|wikidata=}} (拉拉山) – In [[Taoyuan County]], "Lala" means "beauty" in the indigenous Atayal language. Mt. Lala is one of natural protection zones in Taiwan. There are some 500–2,800-year-old "divine" trees including the No. 5 divine tree, which is reputedly even older than Confucius. Lalashan is best known for its peach trees, and peach season (July–August) is the most beautiful time to visit Mt. Lala. == Understand == {{quickbar|location=LocationROC.png}} Taiwan is home to a large number of impressive scenic sites, and Taipei is a cultural center of entertainment and leisure activities. The island is also a center of Chinese-language pop culture with a substantial entertainment industry. Japanese and an increasing number of mainland Chinese enjoy taking short trips to Taiwan and enjoy its neighborly hospitality. Taiwan is home to some well-known international companies such as Acer, MSI, Asus, HTC, and Giant Bicycles, whose technologies are some of the most advanced in the world. === History === {{seealso|Imperial China|Chinese Revolutions|Japanese colonial empire|Pacific War}} Taiwan was first populated 30,000 years ago by an Australo-Melanesian group known as the Negrito. The Negrito were eventually assimilated and displaced 5,000 years ago by Proto-Austronesians who arrived from the east coast of mainland China, predominantly from what is now Fujian province. Due to linguistic diversity on Taiwan, these people have been suggested to be the ancestors of [[Austronesian]] speakers across Southeast Asia, the Pacific and even Madagascar. Recorded history began with the partial colonization of Taiwan by the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and then the Portuguese in the early 17th century. (The old name of Taiwan, ''Formosa'', comes from the Portuguese ''Ilha Formosa'' for "beautiful island".) Han Chinese immigrants arrived in significant numbers with the onset of European trade. The Ming loyalist Koxinga defeated the Dutch garrisons and set up Taiwan as a rump Ming Empire with the hope of reconquering Qing China. His grandson surrendered to the Qing in the late 1600s. Although contact between China and Taiwan dates back thousands of years, it was not until larger numbers of ethnic Han residents arrived during the Qing dynasty that Taiwan was formally integrated into China as part of Hokkien (Fujian) province. It became a separate province in 1887. The years of Han Chinese settlement during the Qing Dynasty were marred by conflict between the Han settlers and the Aboriginal people, between the Minnan and Hakka speakers among the Han settlers, and between the [[Quanzhou]] and [[Zhangzhou]] immigrants among the Minnan speakers. All these resulted in Minnan speakers largely occupying the fertile lowlands along the coast, the Hakkas being forced to occupy the middle elevations in the mountains, and the Aboriginal people being forced to higher elevations in the mountains and the more typhoon-prone east coast. Defeated by the Japanese, the Qing Empire ceded Taiwan to [[Japan]] under the terms of the treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. Japan ruled the island until the end of World War II in 1945, and exerted profound influences on its development. The island's entertainment and pop culture was and still is heavily influenced by that of Japan. Much of the infrastructure built by the Japanese can still be seen on the island, and has been in fact continuously used up to the present day (e.g. railroad crossing gates, administrative buildings, and the old port at Kaohsiung). During [[Pacific War|World War II]], many Taiwanese, both Aboriginal and Han Chinese, served in the Imperial Japanese Army, many of whom have been enshrined in the controversial [[Tokyo/Chiyoda#Yasukini Shrine|Yasukuni Shrine]] in [[Tokyo]]. Like their counterparts in [[Korea]] and other occupied territories, many Taiwanese women were forced to serve as "comfort women" (i.e. sex slaves) in Japanese military brothels. Upon the resumption of Chinese rule, the ''Kuomintang'' (KMT, 國民黨) under Chiang Kai-shek, also known as the Nationalists, was suspicious of many of the locals in Taiwan, due to the fact that many Taiwanese had served in the Japanese military and civil service during World War II. Moreover, as the Japanese had sought to turn Taiwan into a model colony, despite having been discriminated against, many locals had seen their standards of living improve under Japanese rule, and were disillusioned by the corruption and incompetence that plagued the Kuomintang at that time. Tensions between the new Kuomintang government and the locals culminated in the '''228 incident''' on 28th February 1947, when many locals revolted against Chinese rule, and the Kuomintang responded with a brutal crackdown, massacring thousands of people, and purging many of the Japanese-educated intellectuals in the process. Taiwan would also be placed under martial law following the incident, which would only be lifted in 1987. Discussion of the incident was banned under the years of martial law, but was brought back to the fore once again following democratization in the 1990s, and the incident remains a key impetus behind the Taiwan independence movement to this day. [[File:Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in 2002.jpg|thumb|350px|National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall]] In the early 20th century, the Nationalists and Communists fought a major bloody civil war in mainland China. Although the two sides were briefly united against Japan during World War II, they quickly began fighting again after the war was over. Eventually, the Communists were victorious in 1949. The Nationalist government, remnants of their army, and hundreds of thousands of supporters then fled to Taiwan, though they would also retain control of several offshore islands of Fujian. From Taipei, they continued to assert their right as the sole legitimate government of all China. Initially very repressive, the government began to loosen control in its fourth decade under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek's son, Chiang Ching-kuo. Taiwan also experienced rapid economic growth and modernisation under the leadership of Chiang Ching-kuo, becoming one of the world's richest and most modern economies and earning it a place as one of the East Asian Tigers. Today, Taiwan is generally regarded as a modern, developed economy, and still remains a leader in consumer electronics that is home to well-known computer brands such as Acer, Asus, Garmin, Gigabyte and HTC. Democratization began in earnest through the 1980s and 1990s, culminating with the first direct presidential elections in 1996, and the first peaceful transition of power between two political parties in 2000. Taiwanese politics remain dominated by the issue of relations between Taiwan and the [[China|People's Republic of China]], which still claims Taiwan as a "renegade province" and regularly threatens military action if Taiwan attempts to break away from the awkward '''One China''' status quo, whereby both sides agree that there is only one Chinese nation, but disagree on whether that one nation should be governed by the PRC or the ROC. To summarize a ''very'' complex situation, the '''Pan-Blue''' (泛藍) group spearheaded by the KMT supports eventual unification with the mainland when the political climate is right, while the '''Pan-Green''' (泛綠) group led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supports eventual formal independence under the name "Republic of Taiwan". The split extends down to trivial issues like Chinese romanization &mdash; the KMT prefers the mainland's ''Hanyu pinyin'', the DPP prefers a Taiwan-made variant called ''Tongyong pinyin'' &mdash; and political demonstrations and rallies, always turbulent, on occasion even turn violent. In 2014, the '''Sunflower Movement''' was formed in opposition to deepening trade relations between Taiwan and mainland China that were being pursued by the then-KMT government. Although mainland China has been Taiwan's most important trading partner since 2008, many Taiwanese were fearful that deepening economic ties would lead to the Chinese Communist Party using this economic dependence to coerce democratic Taiwan into unifying with mainland China under communist rule. Things came to a head when student protesters stormed the Legislative Yuan on 18 March 2014, forcing the government to abandon ratification of a recently-signed trade deal with mainland China, marking the first time the Taiwanese legislature had been successfully occupied by civilian protesters. The movement is today considered a watershed moment in Taiwanese political history, as it led to the political awakening of much of the formerly apolitical younger generation, galvanized a distinct Taiwanese identity, and united most of the younger generation behind the pro-independence camp. === Government and politics === Taiwan is a presidential republic modelled after the American system of government. The President is popularly elected every four years for up to two terms, and is the head of state. The President has the sole authority to appoint members the executive branch, known as the '''Executive Yuan''', whose leader, known as the Premier, serves as the head of government. The legislative branch is known as the '''Legislative Yuan''', often referred to as the "Parliament", which is elected by the people every four years in parallel with the presidential elections. Taiwan is a vibrant democracy known for its exceptionally dramatic parliamentary sessions, with physical fights between legislators on the floor being a regular occurrence. The other branches of government are the '''Judicial Yuan''', which tops the judiciary branch, the '''Examination Yuan''', which administers civil service examinations, and the '''Control Yuan''', which is responsible for auditing the government's finances. The two main parties in Taiwanese politics are the '''Kuomintang''' (KMT) and the '''Democratic Progressive Party''' (DPP). Generally speaking, the KMT is more socially conservative but economically left-leaning, and favors friendlier ties with China, while the DPP is more socially liberal but economically right-leaning, and favors closer ties with Japan and the United States, as well as taking a tougher stance against China. While the older generation is politically split, the younger generation is overwhelmingly pro-DPP. === People === Taiwan was originally populated by indigenous peoples that spoke various Austronesian languages, which are related to Malay, Tagalog and Indonesian. Today the remaining indigenous peoples make up only about 2% of the population, while the other 98% are considered ethnically Han Chinese. The ethnically Han Chinese are further split into Taiwanese, who make up about 84% of the population and whose ancestors migrated to Taiwan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and mainlanders, who make up about 14% of the population and whose families fled to Taiwan from the mainland after the communist takeover of China in 1949. Among the Taiwanese group, Hoklo (Minnan) speakers form the majority, which is about 70% of the population, while the remaining 14% are largely Hakka speakers. In modern times, Taiwan is also home to immigrants from elsewhere, especially other Asian countries such as Malaysia (most of whom are ethnically Chinese), Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The post-1949 Chinese immigrants come from every province and include many non-Han residents. === Culture === Taiwanese culture is largely based on traditional Chinese culture, particularly that of [[Fujian]] province, because most Taiwanese are Han Chinese whose ancestors migrated to Taiwan from that region. However, in the 20th century, Taiwanese culture diverged from that of mainland China. Substantial Japanese influences can be seen in modern Taiwanese culture because of 50 years of Japanese rule, and this can be seen in its cuisine and in its pop culture. In addition, the Japanese introduced baseball and hot-spring bathing to Taiwan, and these remain popular pastimes for the Taiwanese to this day. As Taiwan was spared from the Cultural Revolution, the Taiwanese have also retained some elements of traditional Chinese culture that have been lost in mainland China. Indigenous Austronesian or "Formosan" culture has greatly suffered under multiple different waves of colonial rule. It is having a resurgence today but many aspects of it have been lost forever which is evident in how the majority of the Formosan languages are extinct or moribund. However, efforts are being made to revive the culture through the introduction of the Aboriginal languages into the school curriculum. Numerous indigenous Taiwanese have had successful careers in the entertainment industry, perhaps the most famous example being the singer Kulilay Amit, better known by her Chinese name Chang Huei-mei, who is of Puyuma ethnicity. === Climate === [[File:Footbridge, Taroko 01.jpg|thumb|240px|Taroko Gorge suspension bridge]] Lowland Taiwan has a marine tropical climate during the summer, with sweltering, humid weather (above 30&nbsp;°C, 86&nbsp;°F) from Jun-Sep. In the winter the weather is influenced by the nearby continent, and in the northern areas the temperature can go as low as 8&nbsp;°C at night. The best time of year to visit is from Oct-Dec, although even then occasional typhoons can spoil the fun. Spring is also nice, although it rains more than during autumn. During the typhoon season, the east coast bears the brunt of the damage as it is facing the Pacific Ocean. In the mountainous regions you will encounter more temperate conditions. Rapid weather change can endanger unprepared visitors, so advice on proper preparation should be obtained before visiting those areas. In fact, it snows every year on Taiwan's highest mountains and occasionally even on mountains like Alishan. === Taiwanese calendar === The ''Minguo'' (民國, ROC) calendar, counting years from the establishment of the ROC (1911), is commonly used in Taiwan. To convert a ''Minguo'' date to A.D., just add 1911. {{CURRENTYEAR}} is Minguo {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}−1911}}. Months and days are according to the standard Gregorian calendar for almost everything except traditional holidays and religious matters, which use the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. === Festivals === {{CNYdates}} As Taiwan is majority Han Chinese, traditional Chinese festivals are celebrated in Taiwan. Among the most notable are: *'''Chinese New Year''' (春節). This is the most important festival for the Taiwanese and many shops and restaurants close on the first three days so it is not an ideal time to visit. However, the days leading up to the festival and the fourth to fifteenth days are ideal for soaking up the atmosphere and listening to Chinese New Year songs. *'''Tomb Sweeping Day''' (Ching Ming Festival, 清明節). This is when many Taiwanese pay respects at their ancestors' graves. *'''Dragon Boat Festival''' (端午節). This festival honors Qu Yuan, a patriotic official from the state of Chu during the Warring States period of Chinese history who committed suicide by jumping into a river when Chu was conquered by Qin. To prevent the fishes from eating his body, villagers threw rice dumplings into the river to feed the fishes and rowed dragon boats with drums being beaten on them to scare away the fishes. Since then, dragon boat racing has been carried out on this day and rice dumplings are also eaten. *'''Hungry Ghost Festival''' (Ghost Month, 中元節). This festival runs throughout the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the gates of hell open during this period and hungry ghosts are allowed to roam freely into our world. In order to appease the ghosts and prevent misfortune, many Taiwanese offer food and burn joss paper for them. In addition, traditional Chinese performances such as Chinese opera and puppet shows are held to appease these wandering spirits. *'''Mid-Autumn Festival''' (Moon Festival, 中秋節). Legend has it that on this day, a woman known as Chang E swallowed some divine pills to prevent her power hungry husband from becoming immortal. Afraid of being killed by her husband, she fled to the moon and it is believed that the moon shines brightest on this day. This is when many lanterns are put up for decoration in various parks and shops, which is quite a beautiful sight. Mooncakes are also eaten on this day so it would be an ideal time to try some. Many Taiwanese have barbecue with family or friends as part of the celebration. === Terrain === [[File:Jiuwanshibaguai.JPG|thumb|Cliffs meet the eastern coast of Taiwan, Hualien County]] Taiwan is largely mountainous with a chain of mountains running from north to south at the center of the island. The west coast is largely plains and unsurprisingly is where most of the population is concentrated, and is where all the larger cities like [[Taichung]] and [[Kaohsiung]] are located. The east coast also has some plains but they are more sparsely populated due to the higher typhoon risk, but is also home to the cities of [[Hualien]] and [[Taitung]] with significant populations. === Sports === Baseball was brought to Taiwan by the Japanese during the colonial period. Its popularity rose greatly when the Taiwanese baseball team finished second in the Japanese national championships. Today, baseball retains a strong following and remains by far the most popular spectator sport in Taiwan. Several Taiwanese players have also gone on to successful careers in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) and Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Taiwanese national team is considered to be one of the strongest in the world. Besides baseball, basketball also has a sizeable following in Taiwan and is quite popular among teenagers. When classes are over, the basketball courts inside schools are not only open to students but also the public. Billiards<!--WHICH VARIANT(S)--> is another popular sport in Taiwan. It's easy to find billiard rooms throughout the country and there are also many championship-winning players in Taiwan, most of whom started training when they were still teens. Other sports which are popular include Taekwondo, table tennis and golf. In international sporting competitions, such as the Olympic Games, Taiwan is called "Chinese Taipei" （中華臺北） for political reasons. == Talk == {{infobox|You say Zhongshan, I say Chungshan...|The romanization of Chinese used in Taiwan is not standardized. Most older place names and personal names are derived from a simplified version of Wade-Giles. The government established Hanyu Pinyin (the same system used in the mainland and the international standard) as the official system in 2009, but most local governments that did not already use the system have not switched over, and highway signs are only being gradually changed from the Tongyong Pinyin system, leading to much inconsistency. Some local governments, such as that of Taipei and Taichung, have already converted their street signs to Hanyu Pinyin and New Taipei is implementing the switch to Hanyu Pinyin. However, there are still street signs posted by city governments next to signs installed by the national government having different romanization conventions, as is the case for Kaohsiung, where Tongyong Pinyin, not Hanyu Pinyin, is the local standard. For example, Zhongshan, Chungshan, Jungshan and Jhongshan can easily refer to the same Chinese name. This article attempts to use the romanizations most commonly used ''in'' Taiwan (on street signs, buses, tourist maps, etc.) People know romanisation as 'Roma-Pinyin' (Luoma-Pinyin).}} Taiwan's official languages are four varieties of Chinese — '''[[Chinese phrasebook - Traditional|Mandarin]]''', '''[[Minnan phrasebook|Taiwanese]]''' (a dialect of Minnan), '''[[Hakka phrasebook|Hakka]]''', and '''[[Fuzhou dialect phrasebook|Matsu dialect]]''' — as well as the '''Aboriginal Austronesian languages''' and '''Taiwan Sign Language'''. Mandarin is the ''lingua franca'', but Taiwanese is the mother tongue of about 70% of the population. In the North where there is a large concentration of so-called "mainlanders" (those whose families came to Taiwan from mainland China in the 1940s as refugees of the Chinese Civil War), most people speak Mandarin as their primary language (although Taiwanese is spoken in abundance), but in the South of the island, Taiwanese is far more common. Hakka is the main language at the middle elevations of the mountainous parts of Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli. Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka are all tonal languages, and are difficult for most foreigners to master. Aboriginal languages can mostly be heard on the East Coast and its offshore islands, as well as at higher elevations in the mountains. The Matsu dialect is a variant of the Fuzhou dialect (also known as ''Hokchiu'' or ''Foochow''), and is almost exclusively concentrated in the [[Matsu]] islands located close to [[Fuzhou]] in mainland China. Chinese is written using '''Chinese characters''' (漢字, ''hànzì'', lit. "Han characters"). Unlike an alphabet that represents individual sounds without any inherent meaning, each Chinese character represents a meaningful syllable: a specific word or part of a word. Although they look impenetrable at first, there is some method to the madness: most characters are composed from base components combined with other characters (often giving clues to both pronunciation and general meaning). The same characters are used in Japan and Korea with usually similar meanings, albeit different pronunciations. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and many overseas Chinese still use the '''traditional characters''', whereas since the 1950s mainland China has used simplified characters, such as <span lang="zh-Hans">龟</span> instead of <span lang="zh-Hant">龜</span>. Cursive forms of Chinese characters, often used for effect in logos, range from "looks familiar if you squint" to "impenetrable scribbles". There are multiple ways of romanizing Mandarin Chinese, but '''pinyin''' (漢語拼音 ''hànyǔ pīnyīn'') is the most useful for a visitor to learn. It's a fairly logical system, although it has a few idiosyncrasies, including using some letters in ways that are different from English (such as ''q'' which is similar to English "ch" and ''x'' which is like English "sh"). (However, people in Taiwan are more familiar with a phonetic alphabet called Zhuyin (注音 ''zhùyīn'', written using Zhuyin as ㄓㄨˋ　ㄧㄣ), commonly known in English as '''bopomofo''' (named after the first four letters, ㄅㄆㄇㄈ), which is used for language education and typing.) All dialects of Chinese are also '''tonal''', meaning each syllable has to be pronounced with the correct tone &mdash; high, rising, falling-rising, falling, or neutral &mdash; to be understood; Mandarin tones are marked in pinyin using diacritics that graphically mimic the tones patterns (as in ''mā'', ''má'', ''mǎ'', ''mà'', and ''ma''). With just a few hours of practice, you can learn to pronounce Mandarin words accurately using pinyin. However, as Chinese has many homophones, pinyin is useful for pronunciation but not practical for communicating meaning; for something like a street address, you need to use Chinese characters. Although Chinese is ''written'' nearly the same across the world, '''spoken Chinese''' has a huge array of '''dialects'''. Verbally, Chinese dialects are as different from each other as English and Dutch, or French and Italian &mdash; related, but not mutually intelligible. Two people who speak different Chinese dialects would read and write the same, but they would pronounce the written text differently, and couldn't carry on a spoken conversation with each other. Although standard Mandarin in Taiwan is nearly identical to standard Mandarin in mainland China (with differences mostly in technical and translated terms invented post-1949), most people in practice speak a distinctly accented version known as Taiwanese Mandarin. For example, Taiwanese Mandarin tends to not differentiate between the "S" and "Sh" or the "f" and "h" sounds in Mandarin. All people schooled after 1945 are generally fluent in Mandarin, though older people from rural areas often have a very thick accent. Mandarin is fairly popular with young people. Some elderly people do not speak Mandarin as they were schooled in Japanese or not at all. Most Taiwanese are very accepting of foreigners and react with curiosity and admiration for trying the local tongue. Generally, most people in Taiwan converse using a combination of Mandarin and Taiwanese by code-switching. The Taiwanese dialect is a variant of Minnan which is similar to the dialect spoken across the Taiwan Strait in [[South Fujian]]. Unlike in South Fujian, Taiwanese Minnan has some loan words from Japanese as a result of 50 years of Japanese colonization. Taiwanese Minnan and [[Xiamen]] Minnan are both mixtures of the [[Zhangzhou]] and [[Quanzhou]] accents, so as a result, Taiwanese Minnan sounds very similar to Xiamen Minnan. There is also dialectal variation in Taiwanese between different parts of the island; the [[Tainan]] dialect is generally considered to be the prestige dialect. All public announcements in the transportation system are made in Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka, with the exception of the [[Matsu]] islands, where announcements are made in Mandarin and the local Matsu dialect. Especially in Taipei, younger people generally speak a basic conversational level of '''English'''. The children often understand more English than their parents, especially with the emphasis on English language education today, and English being a compulsory subject in Taiwanese schools. However, attempts to speak Mandarin or Taiwanese will be met with beaming smiles and encouragement, by and large. Quite a few people, especially in Taipei, are proficient in '''[[Japanese phrasebook|Japanese]]''' due to the high number of Japanese visitors. Staff for tourist attractions such as the Taipei 101, museums, hotels, popular restaurants and airport shops speak Japanese in addition to English, Mandarin and other local languages. In fact, if you are a visitor of East Asian descent who cannot understand Chinese, when a worker realizes this he or she may try speaking to you in Japanese before trying English. There has been an increasing usage of '''[[Korean phrasebook|Korean]]''' by tourism boards due to the large number of Korean people visiting Taiwan. Thus, there are many signs across Taiwan written in Korean. An enthusiasm for Korean-language education due to the influence of Korean pop culture is also gaining momentum. Due to the increasing number of Southeast Asian tourists visiting Taiwan, '''[[Thai phrasebook|Thai]]''', '''[[Vietnamese phrasebook|Vietnamese]]''' and '''[[Indonesian phrasebook|Indonesian]]''' are spoken by some tourist personnel. '''Taiwan Sign Language''' is the language of the deaf community. It has partial mutual intelligibility with Japanese Sign Language and Korean Sign Language, but not with Chinese Sign Language or Hong Kong Sign Language. == Get in == {{COVID-19 box|Taiwan has tightened entry restrictions in response to the spread of COVID-19, in particular the Delta variant of the virus. '''Non-resident foreign nationals are barred from entering or transiting Taiwan indefinitely.''' Valid visas to enter Taiwan have been suspended, and Taiwan is not issuing new visa permits at this time. Those who need to travel to Taiwan because of special circumstances can apply for a special entry permit from Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center and a Taiwanese diplomatic mission. If it is granted, you'll need to [https://hdhq.mohw.gov.tw/ pre-register online], present a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of travel, and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at a designated hotel or quarantine facility. Travelers will be required to bear the costs for the quarantine stay, unless arriving from a country or territory that has been designated as "high risk". <small>For more information, see the websites for the [https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En Taiwan Centers for Disease Control] and [https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-220-5081-c06dc-2.html Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs].</small>| lastedit=2021-06-27}} ===Entry requirements=== [[File:Visa policy of Taiwan.svg|thumb|450px|Visa policy of Taiwan{{legend|#F60501|Taiwan}}{{legend|#20B44A|Visa-free - 90 days}}{{legend|#b5e61d|Visa-free - 30 days}}{{legend|#65D6A5|Visa-free - 14 days}}{{legend|#DCEF9B|Visa on arrival}}{{legend|#9DDEE5|eVisa}}{{legend|#15127D|Exit & Entry Permit on arrival}}{{legend|#ADADAD|Visa required}}]] [[File:ROC entry stamp.JPG|thumb|Entry stamp]] ==== Visas ==== Foreign nationals of the following 44 countries can enter Taiwan '''visa-free''' as a ''visitor'' provided that their passports are valid for at least 6 months upon entry: '''For up to 90 days:''' All 27 '''European Union''' member states, Australia (until 31 December 2021), Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia (until 31 March 2025), Norway, Paraguay, San Marino, Switzerland, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vatican City '''For up to 30 days:''' Belize, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Nauru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore '''For up to 14 days:''' Brunei, Philippines, Thailand (until 31 July 2019 for all three), Russian Federation If citizens of the above countries present an emergency or temporary passport, they will be required to apply for a landing visa on arrival by supplying a passport photo and paying a fee of NT$2,400. Citizens of Japan need only present a passport with at least 3 months' validity (rather than 6 months' validity) upon entry. Citizens of the United States can enter Taiwan on a passport with less than 6 months' validity on the date of arrival by supplying a passport photo and paying a fee of NT$5,600. Citizens of Canada and the United Kingdom can extend their stay for an extra 90 days (i.e. a total stay of up to 180 days) free of charge. More information is available on [http://www.boca.gov.tw/public/Attachment/1121416524871.doc this Bureau of Consular Affairs information sheet]. Holders of valid passports from '''[[Hong Kong]]''' (HKSAR or BN(O)) and '''[[Macau]]''', born in either of these territories, may apply for a 30-day entry permit online (free) or on arrival (NT$300). Holders of these passports born outside these territories may also apply for these permits, if they have been to Taiwan previously as a Hong Kong/Macau resident. (If they last visited Taiwan before 1983 they need to supply the travel document used then or first apply for their travel records from the Immigration Agency.) Hong Kong and Macau residents born outside of these territories and have not been to Taiwan before as a HK/Macau resident must apply for a permit online before traveling to Taiwan (NT$600). Hong Kong and Macau residents who also have another passport (except BN(O) or a Portuguese passport obtained before the handover) must use the other passport (and apply for the correct visa, if required) to enter Taiwan and not their Hong Kong/Macau passport. Macau residents using a Portuguese passport may enter visa-free like other Portuguese passport holders. Residents of '''Mainland [[China]]''' (Chinese passport holders) may visit Taiwan for tourism if they join an approved guided tour. Independent mainland Chinese travelers require a Permit for Proceeding to Taiwan (往来台湾通行证/往來台灣通行證) with an endorsement issued by Chinese authorities, and an Exit and Entry Permit (中華民國臺灣地區入出境許可證) issued by Taiwanese authorities. However, endorsement for personal tourism has been '''suspended''' due to political tensions. Citizens of India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam who have a valid entry visa or permanent resident card issued by a [[Europe#Schengen Agreement|Schengen]] country, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States can obtain a 30-day Visa on Arrival after making an [https://oa1.immigration.gov.tw/nia_southeast/ online application.] All foreigners (except those on government business and certain permanent residents) age 14 and older are electronically fingerprinted and photographed as part of immigration entry procedures. Entry will be denied if these procedures are refused. Detailed information about visas is available at the website of the '''[http://www.boca.gov.tw/mp?mp=2 Bureau of Consular Affairs]'''. Taiwan does not have formal embassies in most of the world's countries (due to the 'One China' policy of mainland China preventing formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan). Instead Taiwan operates a "Taipei Representative Office", "Taipei Economic and Trade Office", or something of a similar name in most major countries, and these act as ''de facto'' embassies and consulates that can issue Taiwanese visas. ====Arrival card==== Tourists are required to fill in an arrival card. You may do it [https://niaspeedy.immigration.gov.tw/webacard/ online] before you arrive to save time. Traditional paper versions are still available at ports of entry. Hong Kong and Macau residents who have an online entry permit are exempt. ====Customs==== Fresh fruit and meat may not be brought into Taiwan, and airport staff may check your bags. If you are carrying anything prohibited, though, they might let you eat it before you go through immigration. === By plane === * '''[[Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport]]''' '''(Taipei)''' (台灣桃園國際機場, formerly ''Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport'' 中正國際機場) ({{IATA|TPE}}) is the primary international airport of Taiwan. Located 40&nbsp;km to the southwest of Taipei, it has good connections to neighbouring countries and North America, and decent connections to Europe and Oceania. The airport has a MRT (metro/subway) connection to [[Taipei]], and direct buses to Taipei, [[Taichung]] and other nearby cities. Alternatively, the MRT train and U-Bus company shuttles reach HSR Taoyuan station (台灣高鐵桃園站) for high-speed train connections to other cities; and to Zhongli (中壢) Station for mainline TRA (Taiwan Railways Administration 台灣鐵路管理局) train and southbound bus connections to [[Tainan]], [[Hsinchu]] (新竹) etc. * [http://www.kia.gov.tw/English/ '''Kaohsiung International Airport'''] (高雄國際機場) ({{IATA|KHH}}) is the largest airport in southern Taiwan, with decent connections to neighbouring countries and domestic destinations. * [http://www.tsa.gov.tw/tsa/en/home.aspx '''Songshan Airport'''] (松山機場) ({{IATA|TSA}}) is a smaller airport in downtown Taipei which serves mostly domestic flights with some flights to China, Tokyo Haneda Airport, and Seoul Gimpo Airport. * '''Taichung Airport''' (台中機場) ({{IATA|RMQ}}) serves domestic and international flights to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and China. * [https://www.tna.gov.tw/en/index.php '''Tainan Airport'''] (臺南機場) ({{IATA|TNN}}) serves domestic routes, as well as international routes to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Japan. * [https://www.hulairport.gov.tw/e_content/about/about01.aspx '''Hualien Airport'''] (花蓮機場) ({{IATA|HUN}}) located on the eastern coast of Taiwan, the airport serves domestic routes, as well as international flights to South Korea as well as charter flights to Cambodia. After a break of almost 60 years, regular cross-Strait flights between Taiwan and mainland China resumed in 2008, and travel times on some popular routes have been reduced significantly as flights no longer have to be routed through Hong Kong airspace. The main Taiwanese carriers are [http://www.evaair.com/ '''EVA Air'''] (長榮航空) and flag carrier [http://www.china-airlines.com/ '''China Airlines'''] (中華航空). While China Airlines used to have a poor safety record, things have improved greatly since 2003, and today, it is just as safe as the major Western European airlines. === By boat === {{COVID-19 box|Due to the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, all ferry services to China have been suspended.|lastedit=2020-02-28}} All scheduled passenger ferry services between Taiwan and Japan have been suspended. [http://www.starcruises.com Star Cruises] operates limited cruise services from [[Keelung]] (基隆) and [[Kaohsiung]] (高雄) to Hong Kong and various Japanese islands, but these are not intended for one-way journeys. ====China to Taiwan via Matsu==== From [[Fuzhou]] (福州), China, there are two daily ferries to the Taiwan-controlled [[Matsu]] (馬祖) islands. Take bus 69 from Fuzhou train station to Wuyilu, then bus 73 to the end station Mawei harbor (馬尾港). The ferry costs RMB350 from China and NT$1,300 from Matsu. The trip takes two hours. You can check the Matsu tourism website for [https://www.matsu-nsa.gov.tw/user/Article.aspx?a=505&l=2 updates on the schedule]. There is a cheaper (NT$650) ferry between Matsu's northern island and the nearest point of mainland China, on the Huangqi peninsula, but because of limitations to immigration facilities, it apparently only accepts Taiwan/ROC citizens as passengers at this time ([https://www.matsu-nsa.gov.tw/user/Article.aspx?a=781&l=1 schedules and fares]). From Matsu, there the ''Taima Star'' ferry runs daily to [[Keelung]] in Taiwan ([http://www.shinhwa.com.tw/index.php Official website] / [https://www.matsu-nsa.gov.tw/user/Article.aspx?a=128&l=2 English information]). NT$1,050 includes a bed, as the trip takes 10 hours. Regular seats are available for NT$630 only when the sleeping cabins are full ([http://www.shinhwa.com.tw/price.htm official fare table]). Schedules can be found at [http://www.shinhwa.com.tw/harbor.php this link]. Bookings can be made at +886 2 2424 6868 or [https://www.matsuebs.com/html/custorder/36 online]. At [[Mawei]] harbor in [[Fuzhou]] there is an opportunity to buy an inclusive ticket all the way to Taipei (臺北) that includes the Fuzhou to Matsu ferry above and a domestic flight from Matsu to Taipei (or Taichung). The price (RMB780) includes transfer between port and airport on Matsu, and a coupon for lunch at the airport while you wait for your connection. The ferry leaves Fuzhou at 09:30. Get to Mawei at 08:00 to buy tickets. ====China to Kinmen==== There are also several ferry services between [[Xiamen]] and [[Quanzhou]] on the mainland and the Taiwan-controlled island of [[Kinmen]] (金門). While foreigners may use the former the latter is only open to Chinese and Taiwanese citizens. Now there also is one weekly ferry from Dongdu Harbor (東渡碼頭) in [[Xiamen]] to Keelung, that leaves on Thursdays at 18:00 starting at less than RMB500, and one to Taichung leaving on Tuesdays. Call 0592-2393128 for information or 0592-6011758 for bookings from China. You can also check [http://www.seat61.com/Taiwan.htm#Ferries_to_Taiwan here] for news. There is apparently no ferry from Kinmen to the main island of Taiwan at this time, though flights may be reasonably priced. ====China to Taiwan direct==== The ''Cosco Star'' runs overnight between [[Keelung]] in northern Taiwan and [[Xiamen]] on the mainland, between Keelung and Daimaiyu Port near [[Taizhou]] on the mainland, and between [[Taichung]] in west-central Taiwan and Xiamen. Each leg of each route only runs on one day of the week (see [http://www.coscotw.com.tw/cht/asp/star-sch.asp here] for departure times of each route and [http://www.cosco.url.tw/hot.html here] for the latest calendar of operations). "Standard" one-way fares start at NT$3,500, but "basic" fares may be available for NT$2,490 ([http://www.coscotw.com.tw/cht/asp/star-tick.asp fare table]). On top of the fare there is an additional NT$300-550 in fuel and port surcharges, which varies depending on the route. There are substantial discounts for seniors (65+) and children (12 and under). The service's Taiwan-facing website is [http://www.coscotw.com.tw/cht/asp/star-main.asp here]. [http://www.taiwancsf.com/default.aspx CSF] operates fast ferries (about 3 hours) from [[Pingtan]] in mainland China to [[Taipei]] and [[Taichung]] in Taiwan. As of February 2019, the Taipei-Pingtan-Taipei route runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and the Pingtan-Taichung-Pingtan route runs on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays ([http://www.taiwancsf.com/Content.aspx?sn=7 full schedule]). Adult fares for non-Taiwan citizens start at NT$3,500 one-way, $6,350 round-trip if purchased in advance ([http://www.taiwancsf.com/Content.aspx?sn=7 fare table]), a couple hundred more if purchased at the pier ([http://www.taiwancsf.com/content.aspx?sn=149 fare table]). Fares are cheaper for Taiwan/ROC citizens ([http://www.taiwancsf.com/content.aspx?sn=158 advance]/[http://www.taiwancsf.com/content.aspx?sn=159 pier]. == Get around == ===''IC Cards''=== [[Taipei]]'s '''[http://www.easycard.com.tw/ EasyCard]''' (悠遊卡 Yōuyóukǎ) and [[Kaohsiung]]'s '''[https://www.i-pass.com.tw/EN/ iPass]''' (一卡通) are the main public transportation smart and electronic payment cards, and replace the need to buy separate tickets for most national, regional and city buses, metro (MRT), as well as train services (TRA) all over Taiwan, and they can be used at retail establishments that display the respective sign, like convenient stores (7eleven, Family Mart), parking lots and some restaurants and shops. Though originally accepted only in their respective cities, the two cards can now be used interchangeably at most (but not all) locations. Besides saving you the hassle of having proper change ready for your ticket, it mostly always gives discount on the chosen journeys. For instance, the price for any train (TRA) is calculated based on the price of a local train and a 10% discount. Thus, you can even take the faster trains with it (but not THSR) like the Tzu-Chiang limited express. The only disadvantage is that you will not have a reserved seat, which however is not an issue except on Saturday morning/noon and Sunday afternoon. The EasyCard also provides discounts on [[Taipei#Get around|Taipei's public transportation network]], and likewise with the iPass on Kaohsiung's network. The EasyCard can be bought at the airport, in any of stations of Taipei MRT and most convenient stores. As of Dec 2019 the price was NT$500, consisting of a non-refundable deposit of NT$100 and NT$400 in electronic cash. If you want to add money onto the card, you can do so in MRT stations (including Kaohsiung MRT), TRA stations, and the common convenient stores. The card can hold amounts up to NT$5,000. Student IC cards with even deeper discounts are also available for purchase, but only upon request at a desk and a recognised student ID like ISIC. Whether the card needs to be tapped only once or twice on city buses (on entry or on exit, see [[#By bus|below]]) depends on which city you are in and sometimes how far you travel. Do not forget to tap twice (on entry '''and''' exit) where it is necessary, especially on regional and national buses outside of cities (and some unstaffed railway stations). Otherwise, your card will be blocked with "incomplete journey" (for all bus companies), and you will have to settle this issue with the responsible bus company. This can be a problem, because bus companies only serve certain regions. When leaving that region, e.g. by train, which is still possible with a (bus) locked card, no-one will be willing to unlock your card, even though also other bus companies are able to do so. Be insistent and with the help of the tourist information center tell them that you cannot go back to fix the problem, or that you tried and they did not solve the issue even though they told you so. Make sure that it is really unlocked (with a different bus company) and do not just trust them &ndash; it seems some cannot operate their machines properly. If you forget to tap the second time, you will only be charged a small initial fee instead of the whole journey, but unless you are at the end of your vacation to Taiwan or possess a second card, you should avoid having your card blocked. That said, most bus drivers and railway staff pay close attention to the tapping, so it is hard to miss. It costs NT$14 to get in and out of the same railway station within an hour, in case you instead decide to take the bus. At the end of your travel, do not put too much money onto your card, because it can only be given back and cashed-out at certain locations, like some THSR stations. In addition to the NT$100 purchase fee, there is a NT$20 fee for returning the card within 3 months. === By train === [[File:THSR 700T train at Taoyuan Station 20070728.jpg|thumb|Taiwan High Speed train]] [[File:TaiwanHighSpeedRail Route en.gif|thumb|Map of Taiwan High Speed Rail; all stations shown are operational]] Taiwan's train system is excellent, with stops in all major cities. Train stations are often in the centers of most cities and towns and serve as a convenient hub for most types of transportation. In addition, the train system allows you to bypass the highways, which can become extremely crowded on weekends and national holidays. The main downside is the lack of cross-island routes between the East Coast and West Coast; for instance, there is no rail line from Taichung to Hualien, so you will have to either drive, fly, or take a major detour via Taipei or Kaohsiung. ====THSR==== The new train backbone is [http://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/?lc=en '''Taiwan High Speed Rail'''] (HSR, 高鐵 ''gāotiě'') , a [[high speed train]] based on Japanese ''Shinkansen'' technology that covers the {{km|345}} route on the West Coast from [[Taipei]] to Zuoying ([[Kaohsiung]]) in 90 min. Other stops on the route are [[Banqiao]], [[Taoyuan]], [[Hsinchu]], [[Taichung]], [[Chiayi]] and [[Tainan]], but many THSR stations have been built a fair distance from the cities they serve (e.g. a taxi from downtown Tainan costs up to NT$400, but there's a free shuttle bus). Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung (Zuoying) stations are connected with metro. Taichung station is built next to a railway station, convenient to transfer to the city center. Hsinchu and Tainan stations are connected to the city center with branch railway lines. Other stations can only be reached by bus. A one way ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung costs NT$1,630 in economy or NT$2,140 in business class, but economy seats have plush seats and ample legroom, so there's little reason to pay extra, though business class passengers are offered a complementary drink and snack. All signage and announcements are in English as well, making navigation a snap. Bookings are accepted online and via phone up to two weeks in advance at +886-2-6626-8000 (English spoken), with payment required only when you pick up the tickets. Credit cards are accepted. Bookings can be easily made by internet, and you can pay online or pay and pick up your tickets at almost every FamilyMart and 7-Eleven. You can also avoid the queues for long distance tickets at major stations by buying your tickets from the automated ticket machines. The English prompts on the automated machines are hard to spot but they are present,usually in the top left corner of the screen. The stations and platforms are wheelchair-friendly and all trains include a wheelchair-accessible car (wider doors, ample space, accessible bathroom). The Official English guide for online reservations distinguishes between "senior or disabled tickets" and "handicap-friendly seats"; while it's possible to buy a ticket for the former online ("correct passenger ID" required), a ticket for the latter has to be reserved by calling the ticketing office on the phone. Early Bird tickets are sold from 28 days before the day, and the discount to is up to 35% off. All high-speed trains consist of two seating classes; '''economy class''' and '''business class'''. Although economy class is already clean and comfortable by international standards, paying extra for business class snags you a slightly wider seat, as well as a complimentary drink and snack. All train announcements are made in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and English. =====Passes===== The Taiwan High Speed Rail issues a '''[https://pass.thsrc.com.tw/oatsb2c/home.do?G=3 THSR Pass]''' for use on the high speed rail trains. These cost NT$2,400 for a regular 3-day pass, or NT$3,200 for a flexible 3-day pass. While a regular 3-day pass must be used in 3 consecutive days, the 3 days in a flexible 3-day pass may be spread out over any 7-day period. The 5-day joint passes allow for unlimited rides on the high speed rail for 2 days within a 5 day period, and unlimited rides on TRA lines within the same 5-day period. These cost NT$2,800 for a standard pass, which does not allow you to ride on Tzu-Chiang trains, and NT$3,600 for an express pass, which allows you to ride on all TRA lines. The THSR passes may only be used by foreigners who are in Taiwan on tourist visas (or visa exemptions), and must be purchased from travel agents overseas ''before'' you arrive in Taiwan. ====TRA==== Mainline trains are run by the separate [http://www.railway.gov.tw/en/index/index.aspx '''Taiwan Railway Administration'''] (TRA, 台鐵) , whose services are generally efficient and reliable. Reserving tickets well in advance is recommended when traveling with the train on weekends, especially for long distance travel. Slower (but more frequent) commuter trains without reserved seating are also available. Train timetables and [http://railway.hinet.net/net_eng.htm online booking] (up to 2 weeks in advance) are available on the TRA website for 24 hours. Booking and payment can be made online. You can also pay for the tickets you reserved at your local train station or post office to actually receive it. You can also buy the tickets of TRA in convenient stores now (you can reserve first and take the tickets in convenient stores). The way to buy tickets is same to high speed rail's. Children under 115&nbsp;cm (45&nbsp;in) height go free, and taller kids shorter than 150&nbsp;cm (59&nbsp;in) and under 12 years of age get half-price tickets. If you get return tickets there is a small discount depending upon travel distance. There are also vending machines at the larger stations. The fastest train is Tzu-Chiang (limited express), and the slowest is Pingkuai (Ordinary/Express). There is often little to choose between prices and destination times for adjacent train classes, but the gap can be quite large between the fastest and the slowest. * '''Tze-Chiang''' (自強 ''zìqiáng''): The fastest (and most expensive). Assigned seating. Non-reserved (standing) tickets are supposedly sold at full price, but the boarding is possible with an Easycard for local train prices. There are '''Taroko Express''' (太魯閣號 ''Tàilǔgé Hào'') and '''Puyuma''' (普悠瑪號 ''Pǔyōumǎ Hào'') runnning from Taipei to Hualien, which only sell reserved tickets. * '''Chu-Kuang''' (莒光 ''júguāng''): Second fastest. Assigned seating. In western Taiwan, it is as slow as a local train; in eastern Taiwan, it is still a fast, convenient train. * '''local train''' (區間 ''qūjiān'') : Short to medium distance commuter train, stops at all stations. No assigned seating. There are a few local-fast train, which don't stop at every station. * '''Express / Ordinary''' (普通 ''pǔtōng''): Stops at all stations, no air conditioning, most inexpensive. No assigned seating. Some Express trains (the light blue ones running on West Trunk Line) are air-conditioned while others (dark blue ones) are not equipped with air conditioners. Only on Saturday morning/noon and Sunday afternoon faster trains are packed, and it might make sense to buy a more expensive reserve-seat ticket, if you do not want to stand for 3 hr, depending on your destination. Otherwise, you can freely use the EasyCard for fast connections without worrying (except for THSR). For travel to nearby cities, you can travel on local commuter trains. These arrive very frequently (about once every ten to fifteen minutes). In addition, "standing tickets" may be purchased on trains with assigned seating that have no available seats. Standing tickets are 80% the original ticket price and may be useful for last-minute travelers. However, you will be required to stand for the duration of your trip if there are no free seats. Station announcements are made in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, and English. A popular holdover from the Japanese colonial era is the '''railway bento''' tradition, known in Taiwan as the '''Taiwan Railway Bento''' (臺鐵便當 ''tái tiě biàn dàng''). These are sold at most major TRA stations, and on board most long distance TRA trains. Both meat and vegetarian options are available, with the pork chop bento being particularly famous and iconic. Some smaller towns that do not have TRA bento stalls at in their stations have privately-owned shops selling bentos near to the railway station, and these often feature some local specialties. The towns of [[Fulong]] and [[Chishang]] are particularly famous for their local versions of the railway bento. =====Passes===== Similar to Japan and South Korea, Taiwan also offers several rail passes to foreign tourists for unlimited train travel within a stipulated period. The '''[https://tip.railway.gov.tw/tra-tip-web/tip/tip003/tip311/view10 TR Pass]''' can be used by foreigners for unlimited travel on TRA lines for a stipulated period of time. The TR Pass can be bought at railway stations in Taiwan. The TR pass also allows you to reserve seats for free on trains that have assigned seating. '''The TR pass is not valid on the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR)''' as those trains are not run by the TRA. {| class="wikitable" |+Ticket types/prices (NT$) |- |colspan="3" style="text-align: center" | '''3 Days''' |colspan="3" style="text-align: center" | '''5 Days''' |- | full price || reduced price || 4-person-group || full price || reduced price || 4-person-group |- | 1800 || 900 || 4200 || 2500 || 1250 || 7000 |} : :Note: The 4-person-group ticket must be used by four people simultaneously. You '''cannot''' take the high-speed rail, since it is not operated by the TRA. Validity has to be for consecutive days. Reduced price applies to children (age 7-12), senior citizens (age 65+) and disabled people. * TR Pass Student: The student version of the TR Pass is significantly cheaper than the general version, though unlike the general version, it is ''not'' valid for use on Tzu-Chiang limited express trains, and also cannot be used to ride in train cars with reserved seating. In order to qualify for this pass, you will need to show your passport and a valid International Student Identity Card (ISIC) Ticket types and prices: * 5-day ticket: NT$599 * 7-day ticket: NT$799 * 10-day ticket: NT$1,098 ===By bus=== Taiwan has an extensive bus network, run mostly by private bus companies. Traveling by bus is generally cheaper than by train, especially for long-distance trips. However, on holidays, travel time may be much longer and tickets are more likely to be sold out. There are two categories: intercity buses (客運) and local buses (公車). Taiwan Tourist Shuttle is a set of distinctly branded bus routes (some intercity, some local) that serve tourist sites, and are generally easier to use than regular routes. The official website offers route maps, timetables and recommended itineraries, but is somewhat confusing to navigate. There is, however, a toll-free number for inquiries. There are also information desks at major transport hubs. [[File:Taipei Bus 1073 stop board.jpg|thumb|Bus stop in Taipei]] Many cities have local buses. They are managed by local governments, therefore information can generally be found on the websites of the respective transportation bureaus. Drivers are usually happy to help, but may not speak English. Route maps at bus stops are mostly in Chinese. For visitors, it may be helpful to have your hotel or accommodation host suggest some routes for you and circle your destination on a map, then show it to the bus driver to make sure you're on the right bus. Announcements are in English, but hopefully the driver will remember to tell you when to get off in case you miss it. Most buses accept either cash (no change) or IC cards (like the EasyCard). Minor cities and towns do not have local buses, but have intercity routes that make frequent stops. These can be found using the method in the previous paragraph. Occasionally a bus driver might stop a bus away from the curb at a bus stop. Sometimes it is due to a vehicle illegally parked at a bus stop. (Taiwanese traffic law and regulation prohibit vehicles from stopping or parking within 10&nbsp;m (33&nbsp;ft) of a bus stop.) However, a bus driver might stop a bus away from the curb just because he or she does not want to wait for overtaking traffic while leaving a bus stop. Therefore, be ''much more careful'' when getting on or off a bus stopped away from a curb, as many motorcycles, motor scooters, and bicycles will definitely be tempted to overtake on the right side of the stopped bus where people get on and off! (As traffic drives on the right side of the road in Taiwan, buses have doors on the right side.) In Taiwan you need to hail the bus you are taking as you see it coming—much like hailing a taxi. The terminal stop of the route is listed on the front of the bus in Chinese and sometimes English, so it is important to make sure the bus you get on is going the right direction. For city buses, sometimes you pay when boarding, sometimes when alighting, sometimes both (whether with cash or an IC card). As you get on the bus there will be an LED sign indicating that, opposite the entrance. Sometimes it's only in Chinese: 上 means on boarding, 下 means on alighting (or just watch other people). In some cities such as Kaohsiung and Taichung, failing to swipe your card correctly will result in a locked card. ====Navigation==== Google Maps is a quick way to find a route to your destination, but is not always reliable, especially for trips with changes and for longer distance (like in the south and southwest). Often it will highly overstate bus travel times, because it will consider each stop while the bus might only stop at every third or fourth. Hence, a trip from Kaohsiung or Pingtung to Kenting will be stated with 3-4 hr, even though it will just take 1 hr. Therefore, it will also often suggesting the wrong connections and transfers. However, it gives a very good indication on the possible route, vehicle number(s), frequency, availability and price of buses and trains. Besides, the ''Bus+'' app (Android/iOS) is quite reliable with schedules. You can find bus numbers on it, and it will list its (live) route. This is much easier than reading the Chinese bus stop signs. In combination with Google Maps route search it is quite handy. Furthermore, http://taiwanbus.tw/ has a likewise good overview, in case the Bus+ app is not that helpful. === By metro === [[File:VAL256 on Taipei MRT Muzha Line 20050320.jpg|thumb|Taipei MRT]] The following areas are served by metro, also known as MRT: * [[Taipei]] and [[New Taipei]] by Taipei Metro * Linkou Plateau, western Taipei and northeastern [[Taoyuan]] City by Taoyuan Metro *[[Taichung]] by Taichung MRT * [[Kaohsiung]] by Kaohsiung MRT It is prohibited to eat, drink or smoke in all metro systems past the fare gates. If multiple journeys are to be made, one can purchase a rechargeable IC card. There are 4 cards: EasyCard (悠遊卡), iPASS (一卡通), icash and HappyCash. For basic MRT transport purposes there is little difference between them. All metro systems are reliable, safe, clean and accessible. Disruptions are rare. The Taipei Metro in particular is widely lauded as one of the world's most reliable and efficient, and is often held up as a gold standard for other Metro systems around the world to emulate. Nearly all stations have toilets, elevators and info desks. There are also special waiting areas that is monitored by security camera for those who are concerned about security late at night. === By taxi === {{infobox|Betel nut beauties (檳榔西施) |The highways of Taiwan are lined with brightly lit booths staffed by attractive, skimpily dressed young women, but they're not plying the world's oldest trade; instead, they're betel nut beauties, who compete for the attention of customers to sell the mildly addictive stimulant '''betel''' (檳榔 ''bīnláng''), consisting of areca nuts and slaked lime wrapped in a betel leaf, not themselves. Betel itself is worth a try and there is a chance you will be offered it in the company of farmers or working-class Taiwanese. Be warned, it stains your teeth blood red. To consume it, bite and spit off the cap at the top of the nut, then chew the rest of the bundle. Only the first mouthful of saliva must be spit and afterwards one can either choose to spit or swallow and enjoy the buzz. One sampling on your trip shouldn't be a problem, but do keep in mind that this little treat is habit-forming and cancer-causing for long-term users. Due to the known health risks, consumption of betel nuts is declining, and betel but beauties are becoming increasingly few and far between.}} Taxis are very common in major Taiwanese cities. You do not need to look for a taxi, they'll be looking for you. The standard yellow taxis scour roads looking for potential riders such as lost foreigners. It is possible but generally unnecessary to phone for a taxi. To hail one, simply place your hand in front of you parallel to the ground. But they'll often stop for you even if you're just waiting to cross the street or for a bus. In less heavily trafficked areas further out from the transit hubs, taxis are always available by calling taxi dispatch centers or using mobile apps. Drivers generally cannot converse in English or read Westernized addresses (except for special Taoyuan airport taxis). Get the hotel staff or a Taiwanese friend write out your destination in Chinese, and also take a business card from the hotel. Show the driver the Chinese writing of where you are going. Taxis are visibly metered (starting point priced at NT$70), and taxi drivers are strictly forbidden from taking tips. A maximum of four people can ride in one cab, and for the price of one. Compared to European or American taxis, those in Taiwan are inexpensive. Although taxi drivers in Taiwan tend to be more honest than in many other countries, not all are trustworthy. An indirect trip might cost you half again as much. A cab driver using night-time rates during the daytime will cost you 30% more (make sure he presses the large button on the left on his meter before 23:00). Avoid the especially overzealous drivers who congregate at the exits of train stations. Also, stand your ground and insist on paying meter price only if any driving on mountain roads is involved. Some drivers like to tack on surcharges or use night-time rates if driving to places like [[Wenshan]] (文山) or [[Wulai]] (烏來). Such attempts to cheat are against the law. From Taoyuan Airport (TPE), buses are a much more economical option but if you want a direct route Taoyuan airport drivers are the best choice. They're quite comfortable and get you to your destination as quick as possible. All the TPE taxi drivers are interlinked by radio so they could be forewarned if there are police. Sometimes, if there are traffic jams and no police around, the driver will drive in the emergency lane. Taxis from TPE to destinations in Tao Yuan, parts of Taipei county and some other destinations are 'allowed' to add an additional 50% to the meter fare. The badge and taxi driver identification are displayed inside and the license number marked on the outside. You must also be wary that the driver turns on his meter, otherwise he might rip you off. In such a case, you aren't obliged to pay; but make sure you can find a police officer to settle the matter. If there are stories of passengers boarding fake taxis and being attacked by the driver, it is best not to be paranoid about it. Drivers may be more worried about passengers attacking them! If you do call a taxi dispatch center, you will be given a taxi number to identify the vehicle when it arrives. Generally, dispatch is extremely rapid and efficient, as the taxis are constantly monitoring dispatch calls from the headquarters using radio while they are on the move. This is also the safest way to take a taxi, especially for women. Taxis are also a flexible although relatively expensive way to travel to nearby cities. They have the advantage over the electric trains in that they run very late at night. Drivers are required to provide a receipt if asked, though you might find them unwilling to do so. Taxi drivers, as elsewhere in Asia, are not keen on exchanging large notes. Try to keep some smaller denomination notes on hand to avoid the hassle of fighting with the driver for change. Taxi drivers are known for their strong political opinions. Many are supporters of the pan-green coalition and Taiwanese independence, spending all day listening to Taiwanese political talk radio. Drivers also have negative connotations as being former prisoners. Be careful about your opinions on sensitive political subjects (including, but not necessarily limited to cross-strait relations); also be careful of describing your destination which may be perceived politically (such as the President's Office or Chiang-Kai-Shek Memorial Hall). Also watch out for drivers who discriminate against other cultures such as taping "No Korean passengers" on their cars. This is sometimes unavoidable as some drivers provoke such discussion. In addition, if you see what looks like blood spewing from the driver's mouth, or him spitting blood onto the street—not to fret–it's merely him chewing betel nut (see box). Keep in mind, however, that betel nuts are a stimulant. Taxi drivers are generally friendly towards foreigners, and a few of them take the opportunity to try their limited English skills. They are most likely to ask you about yourself, and are a patient audience to your attempts at speaking Mandarin. If you are traveling with small children, don't be surprised if they are given candy when you disembark. Women are sometimes warned not to take taxis alone at night. This is not an extreme risk, although there have been incidents where women have been attacked. To be more safe, women can have the hotel or restaurant phone a cab for them (ensuring a licensed driver), have a companion write down the license number of the driver (clearly displayed on the dashboard), or keep a cell phone handy. Do not get in if the driver doesn't have a license with picture clearly displayed in the cab. === By scooter or motorcycle === Scooters with an engine size of 50cc require a license to drive, and should be insured and registered in the owner's name. Foreign nationals with stay less than 30 days do not have an easy way to get a scooter license. Until 2003 it wasn't possible to get a scooter above 150cc. Many of the scooters within cities are only 50cc and incapable of going faster than 80&nbsp;km/h (50&nbsp;mph). The more powerful versions known as ''zhongxing'' (重型, heavy format) scooters are now quite common and can be rented for short-term use, or found for sale used at [http://www.englishintaiwan.com English In Taiwan] if you're going to need it for a while. They are '''not''' allowed on freeways even if they are capable of going faster than 100&nbsp;km/h (62&nbsp;mph) unless used for certain police purposes, but that just means you have to take the scenic route. If you're just learning to drive a scooter on the streets of Taiwan, it would be a good idea to practice a bit on a back road or alley until you have a feel for the scooter. Attempting to do so in the busier cities could easily be fatal. Certainly, things can get pretty hairy on Taiwanese roads and Taipei in particular has narrower more congested roads than many other cities. However if you know what you're doing, it's the perfect way to get around in a city. It should be possible to rent a scooter by the day, week or month, depending on the city in which you're staying. One Taipei motorcycle and scooter rental service with English language service is [http://www.bikefarm.net Bikefarm], which is run by a very friendly and helpful English guy called Jeremy. In Taichung, Foreigner Assistance Services In Taiwan '''[http://www.englishintaiwan.com/foreignerservices/fast.php F.A.S.T]''' offers a rental service for foreign visitors. Otherwise, scooters are generally easy to rent in most major cities, with many such places being near railway or bus stations. Most usually require some form of identification even if, in some cases, it consists of your expired Blockbuster video card! The average price you may expect is NT$400 for 24 hours, this includes one or two helmets. Another option is to rent a motorcycle. Many foreigners swear by their 125cc Wild Wolf (野狼) motorcycles, and a trip around the island on a motorcycle can be a great way to see the island up close. It is to be mentioned that since 2007, scooters and motorcycle over 550cc are allowed to go on expressway providing that they have a red license plate. They are however to be considered as cars, and as such cannot be parked in scooter parking spaces. === By car === [[File:Traffic restored on the 133K~135K section of Provincial Highway 21.jpg|thumb|View of Yushan Scenic Highway]] An international driving license is required for driving in Taiwan and may be used for up to 30 days, after which you'll need to apply for a local permit. Some municipalities may impose additional restrictions, so check ahead with the rental shop. [http://www.vipcar.com.tw/ VIP Rentals] in [[Taipei]] is quite happy to rent cars to foreigners, and will even deliver the car to a given destination. A deposit is often required, and the last day of rental is not pro-rated, but calculated on a per-hour basis at a separate (higher) rate. The numbered highway system is very good in Taiwan. Most traffic signs are in international symbols, but many signs show names of places and streets in Chinese only. All road directional signs are written in both Chinese and English, though the non-standardized Romanization means that English names can vary between road signs, making it rather confusing. The highways are in excellent shape with toll stations around every 30&nbsp;km (19&nbsp;mi). Toll is charged electronically and you pay the rental company when you return the car. Traffic moves on the right in Taiwan. Parking in cities is generally charged. A attendant will put a payment slip under your windscreen wiper, you can pay at convenience stores. While driving may be the best way to get around the countryside, in larger cities like Taipei and Kaohsiung, traffic jams are a problem as is the difficulty of finding a good parking space, especially during the rush hour and traffic tends to get chaotic so you might be better off relying on public transport instead. === By thumb === While Taiwanese themselves don't generally [[Hitchhiking|hitchhike]], foreigners will have it very easy to find a hitch. However, in rural areas people may not recognize the thumb in the air symbol, and you may try pointing your hand to the ground and waving towards you. It is very easy to flag down a car in rural and mountain regions. So, instead of waiting for that one bus a day that goes by, just hitch a ride. Flagging down a car might work on a country lane with little or no public transportation, but doing so on a major road might lead to confusion, with the driver assuming that you are in trouble. A sign, especially one in Chinese, would therefore be of great help. The East coast around Hualien and Taitung enjoys a reputation for being especially good for getting rides. Taiwanese people are very friendly and helpful, so striking up a conversation with someone at a transport café or freeway service station may well see you on your way. === By bicycle === Although Taiwan is known for being a major player in the [[cycling|bicycle]] industry (through companies such as Giant and Merida), bicycles used to be considered an unwanted reminder of less prosperous times. This has changed, and bicycling is again on the rise, both as a tool for commuting and recreation, and support infrastructure is slowly being put into place. Several bike paths have been built, and recreational cycling has become quite popular amongst locals, especially on weekends. However, you should also be aware that local drivers have a well deserved reputation for recklessness. As such, you should exercise extreme caution when cycling outside of designated bicycle lanes and trails. The government has been promoting bicycling as a method of clean recreation. Several designated bicycle paths have been built throughout Taiwan (especially along riverside parks). Additionally, [http://www.formosanfattire.com/trails/ long distance rides], including through the Central Mountain Range, and along the coastline around the main island have become popular. For long distance trips, bicycles can be shipped as is using standard freight service from the Taiwan Railway Administration between larger stations. Non-folding bicycles may also be transported aboard the Taipei and Kaohsiung rapid transit systems if loaded at specific stations, during off peak hours (usually 10:00-16:00 on weekdays, check with your local station personnel to confirm). * [https://www.metro.taipei/cp.aspx?n=F299BF5B3142389A Taipei MRT Route Map], bicycles may be loaded at designated stations * [http://www.krtco.com.tw/en/guide_StipulationsforPassengerswithBicycles.aspx Kaohsiung MRT Bicycle Information] (passengers traveling with non-folding bicycles are assessed a flat rate NT$60 fare irrespective of distance) Giant Bicycles Corporation operates a large network of bicycle retail stores that offer '''rentals''' for as little as NT$100 per day, if requested one week in advance. Generally, the day rate is around NT$300 for a modern bicycle. Also, rented bicycles can be picked up at one station and given back another station. This can be convenient if you want to go down the quiet east coast with a bicycle and back up the busy west coast with the train/bus. A one week finesse bike including bags costs as little as €100. Public shared bicycles are also available for rent at automated kiosks in most Taiwanese cities. Rental fees are usually paid using the rapid transit EasyCard or iPass system. There is YouBike in Taipei, which are available all over the city and even 30&nbsp;km out &ndash; see [[Taipei]] for more details. Additionally, many local police stations provide basic support services for cyclists, such as air pumps, and as a rest stop. === By plane === [[File:UNI Air MD-90-30 (B-17918) at Kaohsiung International Airport.jpg|thumb|Domestic plane, Taiwan]] Domestic air travel in Taiwan is primarily for outlying islands, as Taiwan is fairly compact with a modern and efficient rail network. There are also routes that connect the east and west coasts, since there is a geographical barrier between the two. There are no longer any west coast only routes as [[high speed rail]] has made them redundant. The main carriers are '''[http://www.mandarin-airlines.com/ Mandarin Airlines]''', a subsidiary of China Airlines; and '''[http://www.uniair.com.tw/ UNI Air]''', owned by EVA. There is also Daily Air and Far Eastern Air Transport. Flights are frequent, and it is usually unnecessary to book flights in advance, except during holidays. Fares for domestic flights are not too expensive, and local planes are very good. The domestic airport in Taipei is [http://www.tsa.gov.tw/tsa/en/home.aspx Songshan Airport], which is in the north of the Taipei and easily reached by MRT or taxi. Other domestic airports include those in [[Taitung]], [[Hualien]], [[Makung]] (Penghu/Pescadores), [[Kinmen]], [[Taichung]], [[Nangan]] and [[Beigan]]. Travelers heading to [[Kenting]] can use the direct and frequent bus service from Kaohsiung airport that connect with flights arriving from Taipei. If you want to visit Taiwan's smaller islands, the plane is still the best option, and is the only practical option for traveling to [[Kinmen]] and the easiest method of reaching [[Penghu]] and [[Matsu]]. For travel to Green Island and [[Orchid Island]], the plane from Taitung saves several hours over taking the ferry which is notorious among Taiwanese for its rough ride. ===On foot and navigation=== Taiwan is an excellent place for hiking and trekking, providing many interesting and picturesque trails in its mountainous center, or just northeast of Taipei. For reliable maps and comprehensive trails and map information, consult [https://www.openstreetmap.org/ OpenStreetMap], which is also used by this travel guide, and by many mobile Apps like [http://osmand.net/ OsmAnd] (complex with many add-ons) and [https://maps.me/ MAPS.ME] (easy but limited). == See == Perhaps due to its political ambiguity and lack of global presence, Taiwan has never been a significant destination for Westerners. Nevertheless tourists from [[Japan]] and [[Hong Kong]] have been visiting Taiwan in droves for a long time, and they are being joined by an increasing number of Koreans, Southeast Asians and Westerners. The island is home to many cultural attractions, with an excellent selection right in the capital. Taipei is a bustling and modern metropolis, with ancient yet lively streets, and world-famous landmarks like '''Taipei 101'''. However, it's also home to the '''National Palace Museum''', '''Zhongshan Hall''', '''Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall''' and the beautifully restored '''Bao'an Temple'''. Bao'an is just one of many striking temple complexes worth a visit. For more, try the '''Zushi Temple''' in [[Sanxia]] or the '''Mazu temple''' in [[Makung]]. The large '''Longshan Temple''' in [[Lukang]] and the '''Confucian Temples''' of [[Changhua]] and [[Tainan]] are fine choices too. Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan and therefore full of historic sites, especially colonial buildings, and including the Anping "Tree House" that's being slowly reclaimed by banyan trees. If you're looking for some deeper insights in Taiwan's history and culture, there's a wide range of '''museums''' to be explored, pretty much wherever your go. Taiwan retains its place as a major center of Chinese pop culture. In addition, this state is home to bustling cities with modern, high-tech infrastructure, and good transportation infrastructure means that getting around is easy. For those who have grown weary of the hustle and bustle of cities, Taiwan also offers some very impressive scenery and charming historical villages in its rural areas. === Nature === [[File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge Narrow Gap and Road PB140025.jpg|thumb|200px|Taroko Gorge, Taroko National Park]] Some people think of Taiwan as a grimy, densely populated industrial island full of hard disk factories, and you may well maintain this perception if you only stick to the densely populated West Coast. However, for those who take time to venture to the more sparsely populated East Coast will quickly find that Taiwan is actually home to some stunning landscapes. The [[Taroko Gorge]] (太魯閣) near [[Hualien]] in particular is very impressive, and should not be missed, with a side trip to the rugged shores at ''Shihtiping'' (石梯坪) as a worthwhile detour. '''Hehuan Mountain''' and '''[[Sun Moon Lake]]''' are beautiful natural attractions near [[Nantou]], while the huge and ancient trees in '''[[Lalashan]]''' make for great hikes near [[Taoyuan]]. In fact, most of Taiwan is covered with mountains which offer breathtaking views, so hiking opportunities are very diverse. == Do == * '''Hot Springs''' (溫泉) – Taiwan's geographical location between an oceanic trench and volcanic system makes it an ideal hot springs vacation spot. There are several hot springs destinations throughout the country, including [[Beitou]] (北投), [[Wulai]] (烏來) and [[Yangmingshan]] (陽明山). The culture of bathing in hot springs was introduced by the Japanese during the colonial period, and remains firmly entrenched in the local culture to this day. At traditional establishments segregated by sex, you may be expected to bathe nude. However, many other places, particular those geared for foreigners, are unisex and require a bathing suit. ===Hiking=== Taiwan is an island of huge mountains (more than two hundred peaks over 3,000m) and there are many hiking opportunities. [[Taroko Gorge]] is popular for its incredible scenery, and serious hikers can trek [[Yushan]] or Wuling Sixiu, among many others. Even in [[Taipei]] and [[New Taipei]] there are a variety of trails to suit hikers of any level. Serious trekking is rather complicated due to an advance booking requirement (usually 7 days) and lodging lottery&mdash;see http://np.cpami.gov.tw/. Permits are required for many trails, especially remote or multi-day hikes and some (though not all!) in national parks. Nevertheless, there are also many trails available that do not need an application. They are mostly day hikes, but you can always put together your trip sections as preferred&mdash;consult apps that use [http://www.openstreetmap.org OpenStreetMap], like [http://osmand.net/ OsmAnd] and [https://maps.me/ MAPS.ME]. They have comprehensive and reliable tracks available. ===Shrimping=== Popular locally, and gaining traction with foreign tourists due to YouTube and travel bloggers, is the pastime of indoor shrimp fishing. For an hourly rate (around NT$300/hr), you will be provided with a fishing rod and a seat at an indoor shrimp pool that is regularly stocked with large live Thai prawns. While drinking beer and enjoying the laid back environment, you will be afforded an opportunity to catch dinner with locals. Almost all locales have a few indoor shrimp fishing pools to seek out. Almost all double as restaurants with tables and ovens available for use, allowing you to cook your catch on-site and order additional dishes as needed. ===Events=== * '''[http://www.springscream.com/ Spring Scream]''' (春天吶喊) – A three day outdoor rock concert in [[Kenting]], held every year. In 2011, it will take place on 1–4 April. Tickets are NT$1,400 for all days, all venues; NT$650 for one day, one venue. Kenting's entire area gets swarmed by young people coming to party for 3 days, and Taiwanese TV heavily reports on the latest bikini fashions seen on the spot. Be aware, though, that police presence will be strong, as the festival has a reputation for being rife with illegal drugs. * '''Buddha's Birthday''' (佛祖誕辰) – Colorful but simple ceremonies are held at Buddhist monasteries that generally consist of washing a statue of the Buddha and a vegetarian feast. It is appropriate to make offerings to the monks and nuns at this time, though it is not mandatory. Lunar Calendar 8th day of 4th month. * '''Dragon Boat Festival''' (龍舟賽) – A festival to commemorate the death of the Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan (born 340 BC), who drowned himself in a river out of despair that his beloved country, Chu, was being plundered by a neighboring country as a result of betrayal by his own people. The festival falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month (25 June 2020), and is marked by races of colorful dragon boats at various locations throughout the island. * '''Cherry Blossom Season''' (櫻花季) – Every spring, in [[Yangmingshan]] (陽明山). * '''Mazu Festival''' (媽祖生) – Festival commemorating the traditional birthday of Mazu, a traditional Chinese goddess who is popularly worshipped in Taiwan. The biggest celebration is an eight-day long "inspection tour" of a Mazu statue from the Zhenlan Temple in [[Taichung]] to the Chaotian Temple in [[Southern Taiwan|Beigang]] and back, though many other temples throughout Taiwan's main island and the outlying islands also conduct their own festivities. Lunar Calendar 23rd day of 3rd month. === Traditional pastimes === Generally speaking, traditional Chinese games such as [[Go]] (圍棋 ''wéiqí'') and [[Xiangqi|Chinese chess]] (象棋 ''xiàngqí'') are popular in Taiwan too. Both games are played at the professional level in Taiwan, and there are numerous tournaments that visitors may watch. While gambling is illegal in Taiwan, '''mahjong''' (Mandarin: 麻將 ''májiàng''; Taiwanese: 麻雀 ''moâ-chhiok'') remains popular. The Taiwanese version of the game derives from the Fujianese form, which differs significantly from the better known Cantonese and Japanese versions, most notably because a hand consists of 17 tiles instead of the 14 used in other versions. Mahjong in Taiwan is mostly a family and friends affair, and is usually played at social gatherings in people's houses. Mahjong clubs generally cater to groups of friends or family members looking to play together, though they can often assist in helping you find other players if you show up alone. While playing for money is not allowed at mahjong clubs due to Taiwan's anti-gambling laws, they will often allow you to exchange the points you win for various prizes. === Performing Arts === '''Glove puppet shows''' (布袋戲) originated in Fujian province on mainland China, and were brought to Taiwan by the first Han Chinese immigrants. Nevertheless, they have since been somewhat modernised and taken on some uniquely Taiwanese characteristics. Another traditional Taiwanese type of performance is '''Taiwanese opera''' (歌仔戲), which originated in [[Yilan]] based on traditional Chinese opera styles. == Buy == ===Money=== {{exchange rates | currency=New Taiwan dollars | currencyCode=NT$ | date=January 2022 | CNY=4.3 | EUR=31 | GBP=37 | JPY=24 | USD=28 | source=[http://www.xe.com/currency/twd-taiwan-new-dollar XE.com]}}The currency of Taiwan is the '''New Taiwan dollar''', denoted by the symbol "'''NT$'''" (新臺幣 or 臺幣, ISO code: '''NTD''', but also referred to as TWD). The NT dollar is known locally as NT, ''yuán'' (元 or more formally 圓) when written in Chinese or colloquially in Mandarin as the ''kuài'' (塊). One unit is known colloquially as the ''kho&#x358;'' (箍) in the Taiwanese dialect. One dollar is divided into 100 cents, known as a 分 (''fēn'') in Chinese. 10 cents is formally known as a 角 (''jiǎo''), and colloquially as a 毛 (''máo'') in Chinese. Any '''$''' sign you see in Taiwan or this travel guide for Taiwan generally refers to NTD unless it includes other initials (e.g. US$ for U.S. dollars). Banknotes come in denominations of NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000, while coins come in denominations of NT$½, NT$1, NT$5, NT$10, NT$20 and NT$50. The NT$½ coin is rarely seen or accepted because of its low value, and the price of raw materials used to make the coin is more than the face value of the coin. Taiwanese currency is fully convertible and there are no restrictions on taking currency into or out of the island. Currency exchange is possible internationally, although you will get a much better rate if you wait until you arrive at the airport to exchange currency at the 24-hour window. Most banks in Taipei and Kaohsiung will also exchange money or offer cash advances on credit or debit cards. Should you bring American currency, bring newer bills as the banks and exchange-centers (such as in department stores) will only accept the newer notes (notes from 1996 and 2003 are not accepted at most places, due to a high proportion of forgeries bearing these years). Notes which are torn or damaged will probably not be changed, and old-style small-bust notes are not accepted, including the US$2 bill no matter when it was printed. Taiwan National Bank will take older bank notes and bank notes that are wrinkled or torn for exchange. Department stores will not exchange notes older than 1997. Don't forget to show your passport! ====ATMs==== Taiwan has abundant ATMs to withdraw cash from using the Plus or Cirrus systems. Certain banks' ATMs will even tell you your available balance in your own currency or in NT$. There is a per transaction limit of NT$20,000 for ATM cash withdrawals (HSBC Global Access customers may withdraw NT$30,000 from HSBC ATMs). Post office ATMs will ''not'' accept cards without an EMV chip. However, ATMs are sometimes out of cash, especially in remote (mountain) regions. So, make sure you stock up on cash early enough. 7-Eleven ATMs charge NT$100 per transaction, whilst those in Family Marts do not charge a fee. ====Credit cards==== Most hotels and department stores accept credit cards, generally Visa, MasterCard, and JCB. Diners Club, Discover and American Express cards are seldom accepted. Most restaurants and small stores do not accept cards, and cash is the main form of payment. Because street crime is rare, it is common for people in Taiwan to carry large amounts of cash with them. ===== Mobile Wallets ===== Unlike mainland China, QR code based mobile wallet payments are not quite ubiquitous or essential to the point that a visitor would have a hard time without one. In addition, Taiwan's mobile wallet apps generally require foreigners to register with an ARC, limiting the ability of visitors to use it. However, LINE Pay, one of the most popular, is cross-compatible with its counterparts in Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, meaning that if you already have a LINE Pay account from one of those countries, it can be used with any linked credit or debit card to make payments at stores in Taiwan that take LINE Pay. Your card will be directly charged in NT$; LINE Pay does not automatically convert to your account currency. This can reduce the amount of cash you need to carry around as some shops that otherwise do not take card payments will take LINE Pay and other mobile wallets. ====Banks==== If you are planning on staying in Taiwan for a longer time, you should consider opening a Taiwanese bank account. While many of the large foreign banks such as Citibank and HSBC have branches in Taiwan, they often require huge deposits in order for you to open an account, so you might wish to consider one of the major local banks such as the Bank of Taiwan instead. You will need to bring your passport and UI number in order to open an account. The UI number is the number on the Alien Residence Card for those on long-term visas. For short-term tourists, they can obtain an "UI No. Basic Information Form" for free from the local Immigration Agency office, but this is not accepted by all banks. The larger banks will often have English-speaking staff available to assist foreigners. === Costs === Costs in Taiwan are generally lower than in Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, but higher than in Southeast Asia and mainland China. For a budget traveler on a bare-bones budget, NT$1,000 will get you by for a day, but you'll probably want to double that for comfort. A meal at a street stall may cost NT$50 or less, a meal at a Western fast food restaurant will run you about NT$150 and at the fanciest restaurants, you can expect a bill in excess of NT$1,000. On the high end of the spectrum, hotel rooms at a swanky hotel might cost NT$5,000 or more. Costs diminish significantly the further you go out of the big cities. Taxis are quite reasonable and often have a set fare for common destinations, so ask in advance and haggle if you disagree. === Tipping === Tipping is generally '''not''' practiced in Taiwan. Bellhops in high end hotels and porters at airports are an exception and should be given NT$50 per bag. Also, tipping to show appreciation for exceptional service is not uncommon. Tipping is also not expected in taxis and drivers would usually return your change to the last dollar. In place of tips is a 10% service charge when dining at most full-service restaurants which is automatically added to the bill. ===Shopping=== [[File:Linjiang Street Night Market 20040610.jpg|thumb|A typical night market in Taiwan may sell anything from food to clothing to fortune telling services]] As in many Asian countries, night markets are a staple of Taiwanese entertainment, shopping and eating. Night markets are open-air markets, usually on a street or alleyway, with vendors selling all sorts of wares on every side. In the larger cities you will have a night market every night and in the same place. In smaller cities, they are only open certain nights of the week, and may move to different streets depending on the day of the week. Every city has at least one night market; larger cities like [[Taipei]] may have a dozen or more. Night markets are crowded, so remember to watch out for your wallet! Shops selling the same items tend to congregate in the same part of the city. If you want to buy something, ask someone to take you to one shop and there will probably be shops selling similar things nearby. There are many shopping centers in Taipei where prices are usually fixed and goods are genuine. Otherwise, shopping streets in larger cities like [[Kaohsiung]] and [[Taichung]] can also easily get you what you want. And of course, there is the trendy Ximending (西門町) in Taipei, where you can pretty much find anything associated with the youths, also at fixed prices. Computer chain shops and department stores normally have fixed prices, but at least in department stores you may get a "registered member discount" if you're shopping a lot. Prices at smaller stores and even some hostels are normally cash prices. If you like to use a credit card, the seller normally wants to add anything up to 8% to the price as a "card fee" etc. The fee consists actually of the credit company's commission and also the local sales tax/VAT. If you pay cash, you might not get an official receipt, as then the seller would have to report and pay their taxes in full. If you ask for a receipt or "fa piao" (發票), you will get it but you may need to pay 3-5% more. ===Bargaining=== Whilst [[bargaining]] was OK in the past and expected in night markets as well as smaller stores, nowadays most prices are fixed. Taiwan has become a sophisticated and wealthy country where most Taiwanese, especially from the cities, generally do not request discounts and any such are likely to receive a friendly ''No''. Nevertheless, you will encounter different prices, e.g. cut fruits will cost NT$30 at the Night Market, but NT$80 in tourist areas. However, it is possible to get a discount of NT$20-100 when renting a motorbike/bicycle, searching for accommodation or such, depending on the circumstances and time of day. While you might miss a general bargaining culture and be bewildered by the general bargain inflexibility of Taiwanese, it can on the other hand be calming to know that no one will try to rip you off as it is common in other less-developed Southeast Asian countries. === What to buy === Popular things to buy include: * '''Jade'''. Although it can be hard to know for sure if the item you're buying is real jade or not, some beautiful objects are sold. Most cities have a specific jade market dealing in jade and other precious stones. * '''Computers'''. Taiwan designs and produces a lot of desktops, laptops, and PC peripherals. Travelers might be interested in visiting the large Information Technology Market at Taiwan for the best prices. Desktop computers and components tend to be the same price in Taiwan as in other areas of the world, though peripherals such as cables and adapters tend to be noticeably cheaper. If you're buying domestic, it's best to go to tourist hangouts to buy your stuff as you might be saddled with Chinese documentation otherwise. Also, notebooks are typically only available with a Chinese Bopomofo and English keyboard. * '''Lingzhi''' (靈芝). A type of bracket fungus that is often used as a Chinese herb. It supposedly has many health benefits with an apparent absence of side effects, earning it a high reputation in East Asian countries and making it rather expensive. Taiwanese lingzhi is particularly famous for being of the highest quality. * '''[[Tea]]'''. Taiwan is particularly famous for its oolong tea (烏龍茶) due to the island's predominant Fujianese culture; it is available at many tea shops. Tea tasting in Chinese culture is akin to wine tasting in Western culture and you will find many grades of this same type of tea, with different methods of treating the tea leaves. * '''[[w:Iron egg|Iron eggs]]''' (鐵蛋) irresistible delicacy In order to protect the environment, a government policy rules that plastic bags cannot be given freely at stores in Taiwan, but have to be bought (at a flat rate of NT$1)—bakeries being an exception as the items need to be hygienically wrapped. Re-usable canvas and nylon bags are sold at most supermarkets. == Eat == {{seealso|Chinese cuisine}} {{infobox|Stinky tofu|Undoubtedly the most infamous Taiwanese delicacy, stinky tofu (臭豆腐 ''chòudòufu'') is fermented tofu with a strong odor often likened to rotting garbage. It's usually sold only by outdoor stalls, as the smell would overwhelm most restaurants, but if you can hold your nose long enough to eat it, the taste is quite mild &mdash; but with distinct earthy overtones that many visitors find off-putting. It's most commonly eaten fried, but for extra Fear Factor points, find some ''mala'' hotpot (麻辣鍋) with stinky tofu and gelatinized duck blood.}} [[File:Food_BeefNoodleSoup.JPG|thumb|Taiwanese beef noodle soup]] [[File:Food_AiyuLemonJelly.JPG|thumb|Lemon ''aiyu'' jelly]] Taiwan is a food lover's paradise, and a popular culinary tourism destination for East and Southeast Asian tourists. While not as highly regarded as the food from Hong Kong due to the traditionally high status Cantonese cuisine holds in Chinese culture, Taiwanese food has become more respected. Generally speaking, the foods of Taiwan are derived from '''mainland Chinese cuisines'''. Because most Taiwanese trace their ancestry to [[Fujian]], it comes as no surprise that much of Taiwanese cuisine was derived from the cuisine of Fujian. It is also possible to find [[Szechuan]] (四川) food, [[Hunan]] (湖南) food, [[Dongbei]] (東北) food, [[Guangdong|Cantonese]] (廣東) food and almost every other Chinese cuisine on the island, because many famous chefs from the mainland fled to Taiwan after the communist victory in 1949, and many Nationalist soldiers brought their family recipes with them when retreating from the mainland. That being said, Taiwanese cuisine has absorbed substantial local influences, and significant Japanese influences because of 50 years of Japanese colonial rule, giving it a unique character that distinguishes it from its mainland Chinese counterparts. The Taiwanese are also passionately in love with eggs and seafood. Fruits are another famous part of Taiwanese food. A wide range of fruits can be found at local fruit shops and stations. The subtropical climate allows different fruits to grow nicely. Taiwan also has many of its own '''local specialties'''. A few found island wide include: * '''[[w:Beef noodles|Beef Noodles]]''' (牛肉麵 ''niúròu miàn'') – Noodle soup with chunks of meltingly soft stewed beef and a dash of pickles derived from the cuisines of Sichuan. * '''[[w:Oyster omelette|Oyster omelette]]''' (蚵仔煎 ''ó āh jiān'' – This is the Taiwanese name, as its Chinese name only exists in characters, but not in oral Mandarin), a dish made from eggs, oysters, sweet potato flour and the leaves of a local chrysanthemum, topped with sweet red sauce. The local version in [[Kinmen]] differs quite considerably from the version on the main island, and is closer to the versions served in mainland China's Fujian province. * '''[[w:Aiyu jelly|Aiyu jelly]]''' (愛玉 ''àiyù'') – Made from the seeds of a local fig and usually served on ice &mdash; sweet, cool and refreshing on a hot day * '''Taiwan Sausage''' (香腸 ''xiāngcháng'') – Usually made from pork, it is a modified version of the Cantonese ''laap cheong'' (臘腸) which has been emulsified and is much sweeter in taste. Unlike ''laap cheong'', which is almost always eaten with rice, Taiwanese ''xiangchang'' is usually eaten on its own with some garlic. * '''Taiwanese Orange''' (柳丁 ''liŭdīng'') – A type of citrus fruit which is similar to usual oranges, except that the skin and flesh tend to look more yellowish like lemon. Unlike lemon, it is usually quite sweet. * '''Taiwanese Porridge''' (粥 ''zhōu'' in Mandarin, 糜 ''beh'' in Taiwanese) — Rice porridge cooked with sweet potato eaten all across China but most commonly in Fujian. It is usually eaten with several different dishes or eaten by people with illnesses. * '''[[w:Braised pork rice|Braised pork rice]]''' (滷肉飯 ''lǔ ròu fàn'') – Rice topped with pork belly that has been stewed in dark soy sauce and other spices and chopped into tiny pieces. A classic Taiwanese comfort dish. For a less fatty version, ask for 肉燥飯 (''ròu zào fàn''), which uses minced pork instead. * '''[[w:Taiwan Railway Bento|Railway Bento]]''' (臺鐵便當 ''Tái tiě biàndang'') - A national culinary icon and Taiwanese train tradition, this takeaway dish, based on the Japanese ''ekiben'', is a holdover of the Japanese colonial era, and celebrated in Taiwan. The most popular bento is the braised pork cutlet bento. You can find this dish at major TRA train stations throughout Taiwan (though locals compare the quality of railway bento on a station-by-station basis), but adaptations are sold by various restaurants across Taiwan. Towns famous for their local versions of railway bentos include [[Fulong]], [[Chishang]] and [[Alishan|Fenchihu]]. Most cities and towns in Taiwan are famous for special foods because of the Taiwanese passion for food and influences from many different countries. For example, Ilan (宜蘭) is famous for its mochi (麻吉), a sticky rice snack often flavored with sesame, peanuts or other flavorings. [[Yungho|Yonghe]] (永和), a suburb of Taipei, is famous for its freshly made soy milk (豆漿) and breakfast foods. [[Taichung]] is famous for its sun cakes (太陽餅 ''tàiyáng bǐng''), a kind of sweet stuffed pastry. In [[Chiayi]], it's square cookies, also called cubic pastry (方塊酥), crispy layered cookies cut into squares and sprinkled liberally with sesame seeds. [[Tainan]] is particularly famous among the Taiwanese for its abundance of good food and should be a stop for all gourmands. The most famous dish is arguably the ''coffin bread'' (棺材板). Virtually every city has its own famous specialties; many Taiwanese tourists will visit other cities on the island simply to try the local foods and then return home. Taiwan also has remarkably good '''bakery items'''. Most specialize in sweet Chinese pastries or Western pastries adjusted to local tastes, but look out for ''We Care'' bakeries which also offer Western options such as whole wheat loaves, sour breads and ciabatta. Vegetarians are better catered for in restaurants and variety than in most other countries. Michelin publishes a [https://guide.michelin.com/tw/en/taipei-region/taipei guide] to restaurants in Taipei. That said, it does not cover the whole of Taiwan, and most locals only take the Michelin guide with a pinch of salt. === Places to eat === If you're on a budget, the cheapest food can be found in back-alley noodle shops and night market stalls, where you can get a filling bowl of noodles for around NT$35-70. The Taiwanese love to snack and even many restaurants advertise ''xiaochi'' (小吃), literally "small eats", the Taiwanese equivalent of Cantonese ''dim sum''. There are also the standard '''fast food''' places such as McDonalds (a standard Big Mac Meal costs NT$115), KFC and MOS Burger. In addition there are large numbers of convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart) that sell things like tea eggs, sandwiches, bento boxes (便當盒) and drinks. Night markets are also a good place to try some delicious local Taiwanese fare at attractive prices. Examples would be the Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) in [[Taipei]] and the Ruifeng Night Market (瑞豐夜市) in [[Kaohsiung]], each of which has its own special dishes not to be missed. === Etiquette === As with Chinese cuisine elsewhere, food in Taiwan is generally eaten with chopsticks and served on large plates placed at the center of the table and shared among multiple people. Oftentimes, a serving spoon or pair of chopsticks (公筷 ''gōngkuài'') accompanies the dishes and guests do not use their own chopsticks to transfer food to their plates. The usual traditional Chinese taboos when eating with chopsticks apply in Taiwan as well. For instance, do not stick your chopsticks straight up or into your bowl of rice. This is reminiscent of incense sticks at a temple, and has connotations of wishing death upon those around you. When putting down chopsticks, either place them on the provided porcelain chopstick rest (at fancier restaurants) or rest the chopsticks across the top of your bowl. Also, do not use your chopsticks to spear your food or move bowls and plates. See [[Chinese cuisine#Etiquette|Chinese table etiquette]] for more details. Although there are minor differences between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese etiquette, much of traditional Chinese table manners apply to Taiwan too. === Dietary restrictions === ====Vegetarians==== [[File:Sush Manji.JPG|thumb|The characters 素食 signal the availability of vegetarian food]] All Mahayana Buddhists, which account for the majority of adherents in Taiwan, aspire to be pure '''vegetarian''' in deference to the Buddha's teaching of non-violence and compassion. So, vegetarian restaurants (called ''su-shi'' 素食 ''tsan-ting'' 餐廳 in Mandarin, and often identified with the 卍 symbol, in this context a Buddhist symbol) can be found in abundance all over the island, and they run from cheap buffet style to gourmet and organic. Buffet styled restaurants (called 自助餐, which means "Serve Yourself Restaurant") are common in almost every neighborhood in large cities, and unlike the 'all-you-can-eat' buffets (which charge a set price, usually ranging from NT$250-350 including dessert and coffee/tea), the cost is estimated by the weight of the food on your plate. Rice (there is usually a choice of brown or white) is charged separately, but soup or cold tea is free and you can refill as many times as you like. NT$90-120 will buy you a good sized, nutritious meal. However, if you cannot find a veggie restaurant, don't fret. Taiwanese people are very flexible and most restaurants will be happy to cook you up something to suit your requirements. The following sentences in Mandarin might be helpful: 我吃素 (''Wǒ chī sù'') - I'm vegetarian, 我不吃肉 (''Wǒ bù chī ròu'') - I don't eat meat. However, as Mandarin is a tonal language, you might need to say both, plus practice your acting skills to get yourself understood. Good luck! NB: If a restaurant refuses your order, don't push the issue. The reason will not be an unwillingness to accommodate your request, but because the basic ingredients of their dishes may include chicken broth or pork fat. Taiwanese vegetarianism (素食) isn't simply vegetarianism, for there is a notion of "plainness" to it. In most cases it excludes items such onion, ginger, and garlic. Buddhists and Taoists consider these items "un-plain" because they potentially cause physical excitement, which could hinder the meditative process. Thus, when offering food to a strict vegetarian, be aware that they may not eat food containing onion, ginger, and garlic. Although vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan do not aspire to '''vegan''' principles, almost all non-dessert dishes at Chinese style veggie restaurants will actually be vegan because Taiwanese do not have a tradition of eating dairy products. Ensure that your dish does not contain eggs, however. ====Allergies==== Awareness of '''food allergies''' is limited in Taiwan. If you can speak Chinese, you can ask restaurant staff about whether the food contains common allergens like peanuts or shellfish, and depending on the chef, they may be able to make some adjustments to accommodate you. Don't expect that level of accommodation from night markets stalls though. A serious '''soy''' allergy is basically incompatible with Taiwanese cuisine due to the prevalence of soy sauce as an ingredient, and '''gluten-free''' diets are very difficult to come by due to the very low incidence of celiac disease in Taiwan. '''Dairy''' is not commonly used in traditional Taiwanese cuisine, so avoiding it should be straightforward for lactose-intolerant people. ====Religious diets==== People on religious diets will have a ''hard time'' in Taiwan, and you will need to do some planning in advance. [[Islam|Muslims]] should contact the [http://www.cmainroc.org.tw Chinese Muslim Association] for advice on where to find ''halal'' food, while [[Judaism|Jews]] should contact the [https://www.jewish.tw/ Chabad Taiwan] for information on where to find ''kosher'' food. == Drink == [[File:HeySong beverage vending machine 20120917.jpg|thumb|Drinks vending machine in Taiwan]] As Taiwan is a subtropical island with the south part in the tropics, it cannot hurt to drink a lot, especially during summertime. Drink vending machines can be found virtually everywhere and are filled with all kinds of juices, tea and coffee drinks, soy milk and mineral water. === Alcohol === Taiwan's legal age to consume alcohol is 18 years of age. Minors caught drinking can face fines ranging from NT$10,000-50,000. Traditional alcoholic drinks in Taiwan are very strong. '''Kaoliang''' (高粱酒) from [[Kinmen]] is the most famous alcoholic drink. A distilled grain liquor, it is extremely strong, usually 140 proof or more, and often drunk straight. Taiwan also produces many types of '''Shaoxing''' (紹興酒), rice wine, which are considered by many as being some of the best in the world. While a relatively newcomer to the scene, Taiwanese '''[[whisky]]''' (威士忌) has been making waves in the 21st century, with local whiskey brand [http://www.kavalanwhisky.com/ Kavalan] having emerged from obscurity to win numerous prestigious international awards. Taiwanese people enjoy beer on ice. A wide variety of imported beers are available, but the standard is '''Taiwan Beer''' (台灣啤酒), produced by a former government monopoly. It is brewed with fragrant penglai rice in addition to barley giving it a distinctive flavor. The beer is served cold and recognized as an especially suitable complement to Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine, especially seafood dishes such as sushi and sashimi. Taiwan Beer has won international awards, including the International Monde Selection in 1977 and the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2002. Beer on tap is uncommon in Taiwan, and most places serve beer in bottles. For a special and rare treat, ask for the Taiwan Draft Beer (台灣生啤酒), which comes in a plain green bottle. This has a 2-week expiration, so it can only be found at the breweries (there are a few scattered around Taiwan) or at select stores and restaurants in the vicinity. === Tea and coffee === [[File:TimeForTea BubbleTea.JPG|thumb|Pearl milk tea and pudding milk tea, [[Chiayi]]]] Taiwan's specialty teas are '''High Mountain Oolong''' (高山烏龍, ''Gao-shan wulong''), a fragrant light tea, and '''Tie Guan-yin''' (鐵觀音), a dark, rich brew. Enjoying this tea, served in the traditional way using a very small teapot and tiny cups, is an experience you should not miss. This way of taking tea is called ''lao ren cha'' (老人茶), 'old people's tea', and the name is derived from the fact that only the elderly traditionally had the luxury of time to relax and enjoy tea in this way. Check the small print when visiting a traditional tea house though: in addition to the tea itself, you may be charged a cover (茶水費, literally "tea-water fee") for the elaborate process of preparing it and for any nibbles served on the side. One should also try '''Lei cha''' (擂茶; léi chá) a tasty and nourishing Hakka Chinese tea-based dish consisting of a mix ground tea leaves and rice. Some stores specialize in this product and allows one to grind their own lei cha. As with Chinese teas elsewhere, Chinese teas in Taiwan are always drunk neat, with the use of milk or sugar unknown. However, Taiwan is also the birthplace of pearl milk tea, which uses sugar and milk. '''Pearl milk tea''' (珍珠奶茶 ''zhēnzhū nǎichá''), aka "bubble tea" or "boba tea", is milky tea with chewy balls of tapioca added, drunk through an over-sized straw. Invented in Taiwan in the early 1980s and a huge Asia-wide craze in the 1990s, it's not quite as popular as it once was but can still be found at nearly every coffee or tea shop. Look for a shop where it is freshly made. There are two cafes that maintain rival claims to having invented the drink: '''[https://chunshuitang.com.tw/ Chun Shui Tang]''' (春水堂) in [[Taichung]] and '''[http://www.hanlin-tea.com.tw/ Hanlin Tea Room]''' (翰林茶館) in [[Tainan]]. The '''cafe culture''' has hit Taiwan in a big way, and in addition to an abundance of privately owned cafes, all the major chains, such as Starbucks, have a multitude of branches throughout major towns and cities. === Soft drinks === Taiwan is a great place for fruit drinks. Small fruit-juice bars make them fresh on the spot and are experts at creating fruit-juice cocktails (non-alcoholic, of course). ''zong-he'' (mixed) is usually a sweet and sour combination and ''mu-gwa niou-nai'' (木瓜牛奶) is iced papaya milk. If you don't want ice (though it is safe in Taiwan, even at road side vendors) say, ''chu bing'' (去冰) and no sugar (''wu tang'' (無糖)). '''Soy milk''', or ''doujiang'' (豆漿), is a great treat. Try it hot or cold. Savory soy milk is a traditional Taiwanese breakfast dish. It is somewhat of an acquired taste as vinegar is added to curdle the milk. Both sweet and savory soy milk are often ordered with you-tiao (油條), or deep fried dough crullers. There are a lot of pseudo health drinks in Taiwanese supermarkets and convenience stores. Look out for asparagus juice and lavender milk tea for example. == Sleep == [[File:GrandHotel Fountain.JPG|thumb|250px|The Grand Hotel, Taipei]] ===Types=== * For the budget-minded, there are '''hostels''' in Taipei and most other sizable cities. Some hostels are under table which mean they don't have valid license. * '''Motels''' (汽車旅館) can be easily found in suburbs of major cities. Despite the name, these have little if anything to do with the cheap functional hotels that use the name elsewhere; in Taiwan, motels are intended for '''romantic trysts''' and can be quite extravagant in decor and facilities. Many feature enormous baths with massage jets, separate massage showers, marble tiles, and so forth. Suites come with flat screen TVs and centrally controlled sound systems. During the daytime, most offer "rests" (休息) of a few hours, and indeed check-in times for overnight stays (住宿) can be as late at 22:00. [[Taichung]] is considered the motel-capital of Taiwan. * Taiwanese '''hotels''' range in quality from seedy to very luxurious. Despite the complexities of doing business with both mainland China and Taiwan, most Western hotel chains operate in Taiwan such as Sheraton, Westin and Hyatt. Also, there are plenty of five-star hotels around. Keep in mind, however, that many of the international hotels tend to be outrageously expensive, while comparable and much cheaper accommodation is usually available in the same vicinity. For example, the airport hotel at CKS International charges about three or four times as much as a hotel in Taoyuan which is a half hour cab ride away. Taxi drivers and tourist offices are invaluable resources for finding cheaper hotels. * A uniquely Taiwanese form of accommodation is known as the '''''minsu''''' (民宿), which is similar to Bed and Breakfast accommodation that you usually find in the UK. Although typically cheaper than hotels, the facilities can often be as good as those of some higher end hotels, and many are designed around a specific theme (like fairy tale castle, nature lodge) Accommodation at a minsu typically includes breakfast the next morning, and higher end ones sometimes also give you the option of having a home-cooked style dinner. The downside is that most minsu are either in residential suburbs or in the countryside, meaning that transportation is typically less convenient that at centrally located hotels, and the availability of wi-fi can be a hit or miss. In addition, most minsu advertise in Chinese only. * '''Camping''' does not seem to be an issue in Taiwan and is available in many areas, even in national parks like [[Kenting National Park]]. Although, in [[Taroko Gorge|Taroko Gorge (National Park)]] you will have to pay for the camp ground. In general, a small fees may apply at official camp grounds. Inquire with the local tourist information center where it is possible to camp and where not. Also, be aware there are "poisonous snakes and wasps" signs all over the country. So, make sure you know where you are camping, and how to keep out "unwanted guests". Consult a map like [http://openpoimap.org/?map=hotels&zoom=14&lat=21.93964&lon=120.72386&layers=B00FFTFFFFFFFF OpenStreetMap], which many mobile Apps like [http://osmand.net/ OsmAnd], and [https://maps.me/ MAPS.ME], use, to find existing camp grounds or good locations. ===Remarks=== Nowadays, '''walk-ins''' are often more expensive that online bookings, especially with bigger hotels. It often seems, they cannot even beat their own online prices and you might need to book online instead of paying in cash on-sight&mdash;they will even courteously offer their WiFi for you to do that. Either way, it is advisable that you know what is the actual price online, which gives you a good bargaining ground. Sometimes they will quote a higher price, sometimes they will give you NT$50 less, but often it is just the online price. If you are still in need of a discount, send the ho(s)tel an email or WeChat/Line message quoting the online price. Some will give you 10 % discount on the online price this way, especially for same day short notice bookings. Generally, short notice bookings will give you a better price, since hotels are trying to sell their stock at a bargain price last-minute. However, do not try this for Saturday/Sunday or Holiday/Holiday bookings, this will leave you with bad or no options. Many hotels in Taiwan have both Chinese and Western names, which can differ radically. Find out and bring along the Chinese name (in Chinese characters), as locals will usually not be able to identify the English ones. Hotel beds in Taiwan are generally much harder than in the West because of the old Asian tradition to sleep on a wood board. Modern mattresses can be found in most hotels, but only in the most upscale Western style hotels will you find beds in a real western style. Many accommodations are not staffed 24/7, but they will leave a contact at their door. Often this will be a '''WeChat''' or '''Line''' contact, which are like WhatsApp. Thus, it makes sense to get these apps while traveling in Taiwan. Agoda seems to list more accommodation options than Booking for Taiwan. However, Agoda's way of claiming additional fees and stating dorm bed availability is a little dodgy. It often says "1 person in a dorm" but then "Occupancy: 2 adults". So, better to book each person separately just in case. Also, never choose the option to get charged in you credit card's home currency (€, US$, or so). This will give you a very bad exchange rate. Always select "TWD" as charged currency&mdash;in this case your home bank is indeed your friend. '''Or''' just get the displayed address/GPS, which is always fully displayed, and walk into the hotel. == Learn == Taiwan is home to several good universities, many of which have exchange agreements with various foreign universities, and these are a good way to experience life in Taiwan. The most prestigious university in Taiwan is the '''[https://www.ntu.edu.tw/english/ National Taiwan University]''' (國立臺灣大學). === Mandarin Chinese === Some universities in Taiwan have Chinese Promoting Programs (華語文推廣中心) that offers Chinese lessons to foreigners who wish to live in Taiwan or to learn Mandarin Chinese as their second or foreign language. The romanisation system taught here nowadays is Hanyu Pinyin (漢語拼音), whereas in the past they taught Zhuyin (注音), or BoPoMoFo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). The writing system taught is Traditional Chinese and the form of Mandarin is based on the Beijing dialect but the Taiwanese accent is quite noticeable. === [[Martial arts]] === There are many styles of '''kung fu''' (功夫) taught in Taiwan, largely by masters who came here with the Kuomintang in the late 1940s. Styles include Ba Gua (八卦), Tai Chi (太極), Wing Chun (詠春), Praying Mantis (螳螂), Shway (水) Shiao and various weapons systems. Many of the students are westerners in these classes, which has led to the rise of several [http://www.theallegra.com/ NHB Allegra] schools, and Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Russian Sambo, Japanese Aikido. Some of the more famous teachers will provide you with the paperwork needed to extend a student visa twice. Taekwondo is also extremely popular and is often a mandatory part of school children's physical education. == Work == [[File:Kaohsiung birdseyeview.jpg|thumb|Kaohsiung skyline]] The majority of travelers who work in Taiwan pick up temporary jobs [[teaching English]]. Jobs teaching other languages (mainly European or Japanese) do exist but have a much smaller proportion of the market. '''Job requirements''': In finding employment with a language school, experience, teaching qualifications and references are not required but obviously help. On paper, a big issue is also made about accents, with the North American English accent being heavily favored over British, Australian and South African accents in many language schools' sales marketing. However, in practice, many schools that advertise 'American English' and claim that their teachers are all from Canada or the USA, actually employ teachers from anywhere. Age is a factor, with applicants in their 20s seemingly being preferred. More than anything, appearance is probably the major factor in finding employment with most schools—Do you 'look Western'?—and reliability and turning up on time for work is then the major factor for keeping your job. Therefore, if you look the part, it is very easy to find a school willing to take you on for at least a few days. This 'look Western' point has quite a bearing. Unfortunately, Taiwan is hardly a great promoter of '''equal opportunities'''. In many schools there is a prejudice against teachers applying for jobs who are not of white appearance, seen as the typical Western appearance in Asian countries. This is independent of whether or not the teacher has relevant teaching ability and citizenship of one of the permitted ARC countries. Many parents who send their children to schools to be taught English expect the teacher to look like they are from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and so on, and so the decision on the part of the school managers is mainly about economics. For those affected by this, it's a sad fact of Taiwan that is unlikely to change in the near future. Good employers without such prejudiced requirements do exist, but greater perseverance is needed when looking for them. It is illegal to work without a '''work permit''' and an ARC (or Alien Residency Permit), and legal work requires a university degree and usually a long (over two month) application process. Alternatively, if you have a lot of money, you can obtain an '''investor visa''' by investing a large sum of money in a local business, which allows you to work for that company in a management capacity. However, illegal employment is easy to find with many school managers being willing to pay under the table for short durations. If caught or reported, you risk criminal charges and could be deported. The government tends to waver from being very lax on this issue under one administration to suddenly taking action under the next; but it only takes one disgruntled student to report you and have you fined and deported. Consider your options carefully! The '''rules for getting an ARC''' do change often and each administrative part of Taiwan has its own ways of handling them, so it is best to check the pages of the [http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/index.php website Forumosa] and find out what the experiences of others are in your area. Keep in mind, that you can only get an ARC for English teaching if you are a 'citizen of a native English speaking country'. Taiwan's government defines these countries to be only the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa. Almost all teachers apply for an ARC through their employers only after starting work and it is tied to their ongoing employment with that school. Therefore, if the teacher wishes to leave their employment, they will have to quickly find an alternative employer or lose their ARC and hence be required to leave Taiwan. Also, very few schools will arrange an ARC without at least a year-long contract being signed. Frankly, with all this inflexibility, it's no wonder so many teachers opt for the non-legal route. That and tax evasion. Citizens of Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland and Canada aged 18–30 can apply for a '''working holiday visa'''. For more information, visit the [http://www.boca.gov.tw/lp.asp?ctNode=783&CtUnit=80&BaseDSD=7&mp=2 Bureau of Consular Affairs website]. After living in Taiwan continuously for 5 years, you may apply for '''permanent residency'''. If granted, it allows you to live and work in Taiwan indefinitely without restrictions. A lot of the illegal teaching work that the majority of English teachers partake in is simply through '''private student''' tuition with payment being cash-in-hand. You can find a lot of private students around universities that have a Chinese-teaching department—look for the areas where all the foreign students are and check the noticeboards. Because the majority of adult private students want to practice English conversation, you won't need to have any Chinese ability. However, it is definitely a selling point and, if you do have Chinese-speaking ability, it's worthwhile mentioning that in any advertising of your services. Also, once you have some regular students, remember that in Taiwan, as in most Asian countries, 'connections' or 'guanxi' are very important. If your students like you, they will in all likelihood recommend you to their family and friends. Teaching English in Taiwan can be lucrative, as the '''salaries''' are very high compared to the cost of living, typically ranging NT$500-650 per hour before deductions in most language schools, with anything between NT$500-1,000 per hour being negotiable for private students. In the past few years, the flow of would-be teachers into Taiwan has increased dramatically, resulting in stiffer competition for jobs and a general drop in wages, and this trend may continue. Employers of English teachers are notorious for racial discrimination. White people are much more likely to get better offers than those of other races, regardless of ability. Aside from English-teaching, '''other common kinds of employment''' available for mainly native English-speaking travelers include such tid-bits as small acting parts for TV and film, voice talent (video games, dubbing tracks, etc.), editing and even writing educational materials. Many of these jobs are advertised on billboards in Chinese language-teaching institutes and universities, where there are likely to be many foreign students. If after traveling and living there, you find you are '''serious about working in Taiwan''', the most lucrative employment to be had is if you are employed by a multinational company, perhaps in a high-paying country like the UK, U.S. or Australia, and you are sent across to their office in Taiwan. Many foreigners end up doing the same job as their colleagues who were employed in the Taiwan office, but for perhaps 3 or 4 times their pay. == Stay safe == {{warningbox|'''Taiwan treats drug offenses ''extremely'' severely.''' The '''death penalty is mandatory''' for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15 g of heroin, 30 g of morphine, 30 g of cocaine, 500 g of cannabis, 200 g of cannabis resin and 1.2 kg of opium, and possession of these quantities is all that is needed for you to be convicted. Unauthorized consumption can result in up to 10 years' jail, or a heavy fine, or both. You can be charged for unauthorized consumption as long as traces of illicit drugs are found in your system, even if you can prove that they were consumed outside the country and you can be charged for trafficking as long as drugs are found in bags that are in your possession or in your room, even if they aren't yours and regardless of whether you're aware of them. Therefore, be vigilant of your possessions.}} === Crime === [[File:CKS Airport drugs sign.JPG|thumb|A sign at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport warns arriving travelers that drug trafficking is a capital offense in the country.]] Taiwan is very safe for tourists, even for women walking down the street alone at night. This is not to say, however, that there is no crime, and you should always exercise caution. In crowded areas such as night markets or festivals, for example, [[pickpockets]] are a known problem. However, it is fair to say that the streets of Taiwan are generally very safe and that violent crime and muggings are very rare. In addition, it is also very unusual to see drunks on the street, day or night. Like anywhere else in the world, women should be cautious when taking taxis alone late at night. Although they are generally safe, it's a good idea to arrange to have a friend call you when you get home and to be seen making the arrangements for this by the cab driver. It also helps if a friend sees you being picked up as taxis have visible license numbers. As an additional safety precaution, tell taxi drivers just the street name and section instead of your exact address. [[File:RPO First Police Section Taoyaun Police Station in Taoyuan Station.jpg|thumb|A police station in Taiwan]] Police departments in most jurisdictions have a Foreign Affairs Police unit staffed by English-speaking officers. When reporting a major crime, it is advisable to contact the Foreign Affairs unit in addition to officers at the local precinct. Police stations are marked with a red light above the door and display a sign with the word "Police" clearly printed in English. For more information see the [http://www.npa.gov.tw National Police Agency website ]. Foreign victims of a major crime in Taiwan are also advised to report the matter to their government's representative office in Taipei. Also, remember that you call 110 for police in Taiwan, and 119 for fire department or medical help. Most of the public telephone booths allow you to call 110 or 119 for free. See "Emergency Phone Numbers" section below. Taiwan is home to many triads (Chinese organized crime syndicates), although they almost never target the average person in the street, and most tourists will not encounter them. Many operate human trafficking rings involving the sale of poor women from Southeast Asia into sex slavery that the government has struggled to tackle. They are also often involved in illegal betting and loansharking, so it is best to be prudent and avoid these. ===Military exercises=== [[File:20160225 台東縣政新聞 萬安39號演習25日下午實施 9ebfd80f-d8a3-4444-8eca-58d3473dff15.jpg|thumb|Evacuated streets during Wan-an Exercise.]] The Taiwanese military organizes regular civil-defense exercise, known as Wan-an Exercise (萬安演習). Air raid sirens are activated for 30 minutes during the exercise, and you are required to follow any evacuation orders made by the military and police. *If you are in a building, you should close all windows and doors and turn off lights. *If you are driving, you must '''pull over your vehicle and make a complete stop'''. Vehicles must not enter any motorways, but must leave the motorway and pull over your vehicle in exits. Traffic police will give proper instructions to drivers and regulate traffic flow. *If you are taking a train/metro, you must not enter the train or leave the station, and should follow evacuation orders given by railway staff, the military and the police. Failure to comply with instructions can result in a heavy fine. === Emergency phone numbers === * '''Police''': 110 *'''Fire/Ambulance''': 119 The police and fire/ambulance offer service in English. For those who need Taiwanese governmental assistance in English, [https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/6928/6940/ this website] has a 24-hour toll-free foreigner service hotline at 0800-024-111, which you may call for assistance. === Natural hazards === Taiwan often experiences '''[[Cyclones|typhoons]]''' (颱風) during the summer months and early fall, especially on the East Coast. Heavy monsoon rainfall also occurs during the summer. Hikers and mountaineers should be sure to consult weather reports before heading into the mountains. A major hazard following heavy rainfall in the mountains is falling rocks (土石流) caused by the softening of the earth and there are occasional reports of people being killed or injured by these. Taiwan is also on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means that '''[[earthquakes]]''' are a common occurrence. Most earthquakes are barely noticeable, though the effect may be slightly amplified for those in higher buildings. While the local building codes are extremely strict, general precautions should still be observed during an earthquake, including opening the door to prevent it from being jammed, taking cover and checking for gas leaks afterwards. While most newer buildings have been built according to strict codes that enable them to withstand major earthquakes, some of the older buildings were not constructed to such high standards and therefore are vulnerable to serious damage or collapse in the case of a strong tremor. Taiwan's wild areas are home to a variety of '''poisonous snakes''', including the bamboo viper, Russel's viper, banded krait, coral snake, Chinese cobra, Taiwan habu, and the so-called "hundred pacer" (百步蛇). Precautions against snake bites include making plenty of noise as you hike, wearing long trousers and avoiding overgrown trails. Most snakes are scared of humans, so if you make noise you will give them time to get away. Walking quietly means that you may suddenly startle them around a corner when you appear, and trigger an attack. The Russel's viper, one of the most dangerous snakes in Taiwan, is an exception: it generally prefers to take a stand against threats. === Traffic === Local drivers have a well-deserved reputation for seeming reckless and downright immoral. It is possible (even normal) to obtain a driving license in Taiwan without ever having driven on the roads, and this may be a reason (along with the overcrowded roads) why courteous or defensive driving is definitely not the norm. The guiding principles seem to be that the right of way belongs to the larger vehicle, i.e. trucks have the right-of-way over cars, cars over motorcycles, motorcycles over people, etc. Despite traffic's chaotic appearance, it is viscerally intuitive to yield the right-of-way to a much larger vehicle barreling towards you. It is advisable to use slow and smooth movements over quick or sudden ones. Local drivers regularly cut in front of moving traffic into spaces that seem too small, try to change lanes regardless of the fact their destination is already full, etc. Be aware that during busy traffic (i.e., nearly always) two-lane roads will spontaneously become three-lane, an orange light will be interpreted as 'speed up', and the smallest moment's pause in oncoming traffic will result in ''everybody'' that's waiting trying to turn across it. Drivers routinely enter a junction when their exit is blocked, and are therefore frequently still there long after the lights change, blocking traffic traveling in other directions. Many motorcycle riders also have a tendency to zip through any space, no matter how tiny. Also be aware that motorcycles often travel through areas typically considered pedestrian-only spaces, like the night-markets. If you drive a car or a motorcycle, the obvious rule is that if someone turns in front of you, you should be the one to adapt. To avoid collisions, drivers need to be extremely vigilant for other vehicles creating hazards and always be willing to adjust speed or direction to accommodate. Do not expect drivers to yield way, or respect traffic lights in many areas, especially in central and southern Taiwan. Sounding the horn is the usual way a Taiwanese driver indicates that they do not intend to accommodate a driver trying to encroach on their lane, etc., and does not necessarily imply the anger or criticism, as it does in other countries. One bright side of Taiwan's chaotic traffic is that drivers tend to have an exceptional awareness of the spatial extents of their vehicle and maneuver well, so that even though it continuously looks like somebody is about to drive straight into you, it's relatively rare that they actually do so. Be extra careful when crossing the road, even to the extent of looking both ways on a one-way street. When crossing at a pedestrian crossing at a T-junction or crossroads, be aware that when the little green man lights up and you start crossing, motorists will still try to turn right, with or without a green feeder light. Even on roads where traffic is infrequent and the green light is in your favor, bike riders are still strongly advised to check the opposite lane. ===Homosexuality=== Taiwan is generally a safe destination for gay and lesbian travelers. There are no laws against homosexuality in Taiwan and unprovoked violence against gays and lesbians is almost unheard of. Same-sex marriage was legalised in Taiwan on 24 May 2019, making it the first Asian country to do so. Taiwan is also the first East Asian country to have enacted anti-discrimination laws on the basis of sexual orientation in the areas of education and employment. There is an annual gay pride event called Taiwan Pride. Taipei is home to a vibrant gay scene, and there are also gay bars in some of Taiwan's other cities like Taichung and Kaohsiung. Acceptance among the Taiwanese public tends to be measured, and homosexuality is still considered to be somewhat of a social taboo, particularly by the older generation. Openly displaying your sexual orientation in public is likely to draw stares and whispers from some people. Nevertheless, attitudes are changing and homosexuality tends to be more accepted by the younger people. ===Dogs=== They can be a problem in remote and rural regions, although they are far less numerous than in Thailand and Myanmar. If they get too close to you, picking up a stone or having a big stick is usually a sufficient deterrent. Taiwanese Aboriginals hold dogs in higher regard than Han Chinese do. Many Aboriginal communities have dogs freely running around their communities. == Stay healthy == ===Pollution=== Air pollution can be significant with the highest ratio of scooters per person in the world and a high west coast urban density. You can check air quality real time monitoring [https://airtw.epa.gov.tw/ENG/default.aspx on this page]. For reference the USA standard for fine particles (PM2.5) over 24 hours should be below 35&nbsp;µg/m³. It is a good idea to use a mask that can filter fine particles ([http://aqicn.org/mask/ how to choose a mask]), especially when traveling with the elderly or children. === Water === '''[[Water]]''' quality in Taiwan varies depending on location and time. According to the sole water company of Taiwan, tap water is in general safe to drink. However, it is advised that drinking water be boiled in order to eliminate residual chlorine and bacteria. Taiwan is prone to typhoons and earthquakes, which adversely affects water quality. Some buildings, particularly older ones, may have poorly maintained water towers and/or pipes, resulting in poor quality that is beyond the control of the water company. Depending on the severity, one might either filter the water in addition to boiling or avoid the taps altogether. Alternative options include buying bottled water or going to a "water station" where water is sold through a metered tap. Water from these sources is licensed to be safe for drinking. Bottled water can be bought in 24 hour convenience stores. Water quality in Kaohsiung used to be very poor. As a result, most people today use alternative sources. However, there is little evidence that this is necessary today as the quality has improved drastically. In addition, the mentioned alternative sources today are mostly filtered tap water and do not circumvent the historical source of contamination. === Healthcare === Medicines are available for minor ailments at drug stores. You may also find common drugs requiring a prescription in the west (like asthma inhalers and birth control pills) cheaply available from drug stores without a prescription. Taiwan has both Chinese physicians and Western doctors, both of which are taken equally seriously. However, as a foreigner, the assumption would generally be to direct you to a Western doctor. The quality of the hospitals in Taiwan is excellent and on par with, if not better than those found in the West. Taiwan's healthcare system is considered to be one of the best in the world. Legal residents with a National Health Card can avail themselves of the very convenient and efficient national health service, which covers treatment and medication using both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. However, this service is not available to short term visitors on tourist visas; nor does it cover major hospitalization expenses. Still, hospital visits and medicine in Taiwan tends to be far less expensive than in Western countries. Most Taiwanese doctors are able to communicate in at least basic English, and in fact, many of the top ones have obtained their medical qualifications in the US and are able to speak English fluently. However, you may find the nurses to be more of a challenge. === Hiking === Watch out for mosquito bites when hiking in the mountains. Especially in the summer, the humid and hot weather makes mosquitos very active. Most mosquito bites only cause skin irritation and itching, but in some areas of Taiwan it's possible to contract [[dengue fever]] or Japanese Encephalitis (though they are both rare in Taiwan). Mosquito/insect repellent spray can be found at convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven and FamilyMart) and local pharmacies. If you are bitten by mosquitos, apply a small amount of ointment for irritation relief. == Respect == The Taiwanese are generally a warm and polite people, having been strongly influenced by Confucianism. As Taiwanese culture places a strong emphasis on respect for elders, elderly visitors will find most Taiwanese to be very helpful and accommodating. Naming customs and modes of address are generally the same as in mainland China. See the [[China#Respect|Respect]] section of that article for details. === Culture === [[File:Pagode Kaohsiung amk.jpg|thumb|Pagoda in Kaohsiung]] Taiwan shares several cultural taboos/guidelines with other East Asian nations: * When giving and receiving business cards, always do it using ''both hands'' and with a slight bow of the head. Giving or receiving a business card with only one hand is very disrespectful. * Some Taiwanese are superstitious about anything connected with dying &ndash; unlucky things should never be mentioned. The number 4 (four, pronounced 'si') sounds like the word for death in Mandarin. * Do not write people's names in red. This again has connotations of death. When writing someone's English name, this is not a problem, but avoid writing Chinese names in red. * Do not whistle or ring a bell at night. This is an "invitation to ghosts". * Do not point at cemeteries or graves. This is disrespectful to the dead. * There are numerous taboos dictating that certain objects shouldn't be given to others, often because the word for that object sounds like another unfortunate word: ** Clocks. The phrase "to give a clock" ("song zhong"), in Mandarin, has the same sound as the word "to perform last rites." If you do give someone a clock, the recipient may give you a coin in return to dispel the curse. ** Shoes. Never ever offer shoes as a gift to old people, as it signifies sending them on their way to heaven. This is acceptable only if by mutual arrangement it is nominally sold, where the receiving party gives a small payment of about NT$10. ** Knives or sharp objects, as they are made for or could be used to hurt the person. ** Umbrellas, which in Mandarin sound the same as the word for "break up". Friends should therefore never give friends umbrellas. Instead, friends will euphemistically "rent" each other umbrellas for a tiny amount (NT$1, for example). * The Taiwanese are certainly not puritanical and enjoy a drink, especially the locally brewed Taiwan Beer and Kaoliang. However, Taiwan does not have a culture of heavy drinking like in Northern China and it is rare to see anyone drunk on the streets. While over indulging in alcohol is not a social taboo as such (and some people do so at weddings), it is considered a sign of lack of self-confidence and immaturity, and doing so certainly won't gain you any respect among Taiwanese friends. * You are expected to remove your shoes before entering a house. You will find some slippers to be worn by visitors next to the entrance door. It is likely to be the same ritual for bathrooms and balconies where you will be expected to remove your slippers to wear a pair of plastic sandals (though it is less shocking not to use the sandals by then). * As you will get along with Taiwanese people, you are very likely to receive small presents of any sort, such as drinks, food or little objects. These are a very convenient way to lubricate social relations for Taiwanese people, and are especially common between friends in their 20s. You should reciprocate any such presents with something similar, but it does not need to be immediate or specially tailored to that person (i.e., keep it simple). As a teacher you are not expected to offer anything in return, as long as the relationship stays formal. However, beware of the sometimes overly generous parents who can go as far as offering presents running in the thousands of NT$ and who will then expect you to take special care of their child (understand that their expectations will be considered fair in Taiwanese culture). * You are not expected to tip in hotels, restaurants and taxis, though bellhops may still expect NT$50 or so for carrying your luggage. * Much like the mainland Chinese, "saving face" is also a major value in Taiwanese culture. In general, you should avoid pointing out other people's mistakes in order to avoid causing major embarrassment and if you really have to, call the person to one side and do it in private, and try to do it in a polished manner. * If you should need to use a temple's washroom, bow to any statues of deities you see on the way whether or not you believe in them. While most people will not mind you using the temple's washroom, they expect you to treat their place of worship with respect. If you plan to offer gifts (such as simple fruits) to the statues of deities in the temple, it is expected that you wash the fruits and your hands prior to offering. In addition, upon entering and leaving a temple, do take and avoid stepping directly on the raised threshold: always try to step over it. You should also never point to the status of deities with your index finger; use your thumb or an up-facing open palm instead. * You will often see '''priority seats''' (博愛座) on public transportation in Taiwan. These are reserved for the elderly, disabled people, pregnant women and women carrying young children; do not sit in them unless one of those situations applies to you. * '''Cultural identity''' is a complex and sensitive issue in Taiwan. While most Taiwanese people are ethnically Chinese, many people, especially the youth, seek to distance themselves from China with a distinct Taiwanese identity, and will often emphasize their Japanese colonial heritage instead. === Religion === Most Taiwanese people follow a mix of traditional Chinese folk religions and Buddhism, and it is common to visit temples to offer prayers during important festivals or life events. That said, contemporary Taiwanese society is largely secular in daily life, and religion in general does not play a significant role in people's work or political affiliations. Nevertheless, you are still expected to dress and behave respectfully when visiting temples. As in other Asian countries, swastikas are commonly seen in Buddhist temples as a religious symbol. They emphatically do ''not'' represent Nazism or anti-Semitism. When visiting temples, be sure to enter using the right gate and exit using the left gate (facing inwards). The larger middle gate is traditionally reserved for deities and the Emperor of China. Also be sure to avoid pointing at the statues of deities with your index figure, as it is considered to be very disrespectful. Use your thumb or an up-facing open palm instead. The most popular traditional Chinese deity in Taiwan is Mazu, a Fujianese shamaness who is believed to have ascended to godhood and now protects sailors, as the Fujianese were largely a seafaring people. [[Christianity]] is the dominant religion among the Aboriginal people, with Presbyterianism and Roman Catholicism being the main denominations. There is also a significant Christian minority among the ethnic Chinese. Taiwanese people are generally tolerant of different religions, and people of all faiths can usually practice their religion without any major problems. The Falun Gong religion which is banned in mainland China is allowed in Taiwan, though attitudes towards them from the local Taiwanese people tend to be very mixed. === Politics === Taiwanese society is rather polarized by allegiance between supporters of the two major political blocs informally known as "Pan-Blue Coalition" and "Pan-Green Coalition", although there are large numbers of people who are either centrist or who don't care. To simplify a very complex situation, pan-blue supporters tend to be more favorable toward the idea of reunification or maintaining the status quo with China and pan-green supporters tend to be more favorable toward the idea of establishing a formally independent Taiwan state, among other differences. Although there are some correlations, it is highly unwise to assume anything about a particular person's political beliefs based on what you think you know about their background. Also, this very brief sketch of Taiwanese politics obscures a large amount of complexity. Traditionally, mainlanders, Aboriginal people, Hakka people and people from Kinmen and Matsu tended to be strongly pan-blue, while Taiwanese speakers from Central and Southern Taiwan tended to be strongly pan-green, though this distinction has largely disappeared among the younger generation, who are now overwhelmingly pro-independence. Unless you know your listener well, it is unwise to say anything (either positive or negative) about the current government, about historical figures in Taiwanese history, about Taiwan's international relations, or about relations with mainland China. Some political figures such as Sun Yat-sen (who is also popular in the PRC and with the Chinese government) and Chiang Ching-kuo are generally seen positively, but others (Chiang Kai-shek, Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian in particular) arouse very polarized feelings. Some Taiwanese will get very offended if you imply that Taiwan is part of China. Others will get very offended if you imply that Taiwan is not part of China. Referring to the PRC as "mainland China" (中國大陸 ''zhōngguó dàlù'') rather than simply China will tend not to offend anyone, as the term is generally used to exclude Hong Kong and Macau as well, making it less subjective. Referring to the Republic of China as a whole as "Taiwan Province" will draw a negative reaction from most Taiwanese. "Greater China" may be used in certain business contexts. Keep in mind, however, that there are so many subtleties and complexities here that if you are talking about these things, you've already wandered into a minefield. However, simply referring to the island as "Taiwan" is fine, as that is the name used by the locals, regardless of their political persuasion. Titles such as "Republic of China" are reserved for official matters only. People from Kinmen and Matsu do not identify as Taiwanese and instead identify as Kinmenese/Matsunese or simply Chinese. '''Relations with mainland China''', as well as the '''Hong Kong protests''', are sensitive issues; tread carefully on these topics. Despite the deep mistrust many Taiwanese have of the communist Chinese government, most locals bear little to no animosity towards individual mainland Chinese visitors. As long as you avoid political discussions and behave yourself properly, you should not run into any problems. ===Japanese occupation=== In contrast to other Asian countries, Taiwanese feelings towards the Japanese occupation (1895-1945) are generally positive, though there are exceptions. Some of the older people who lived through the period of Japanese rule often bear a certain degree of nostalgia for that time, although there was strong resistance, and massacres of both Chinese and Aboriginal people were carried out throughout the occupation. Nevertheless, many Taiwanese bear a sense of gratitude towards the Japanese for modernizing Taiwan, and many people who lived through both periods regard Japanese rule more favorably than the subsequent Kuomintang rule under Chiang Kai-shek. Japanese visitors can expect a particularly warm welcome as most Taiwanese admire Japanese culture, and modern Taiwanese culture continues to be heavily influenced by that of Japan. In particular, many shops and tourist attractions are based on a theme of colonial nostalgia. == Connect == ===Internet=== ====''iTaiwan''==== Introduced in the mid-2010s, this is Taiwan's free, convenient and widespread WiFi, and answer to today's mobile-dependent population. ''iTaiwan'' is available all over Taiwan, (according to marketing) in all the 7 biggest cities, but at least all over Taipei, Tainan and Taitung, at all railway/MRT stations (even at the smallest) and most bus stations all over the country, as well as in most tourist information centers. Where it is not available, there exist related WiFis that offer an ''iTaiwan'' login option, or there are other independent but free options like ''.1.Free Wi-Fi'' that require clicking an advertisement to get online. As a foreigner, you have to apply for access at a tourist information center using your passport. The login is the passport number and the password is your birthday in ''YYYYMMDD'' form. At some free WiFi spots, like in railway stations, there is a power and USB plug to charge your electronic devices. ====SIM cards==== If you want an Internet connection to your smartphone, you can purchase a prepaid 4G unlimited data sim card from Chunghwa Telecom at a cost of NT$300 for 3 days, or NT$500 for 7 days (other periods are available as well). Just walk into any official Chunghwa Telecom shop to apply (also at all international airports). They need your passport and identification documents of your country of origin, driving license or identification card. Other providers in the market are Taiwan Mobile, FarEasTone, T-Star, and GT. Their pricing is largely the same for visitor plans as Chunghwa Telecom, however they do offer special promotions on their standard prepaid plans from time to time, and for travelers continuing elsewhere after Taiwan, FarEasTone and GT offer a lineup of reasonably priced "travel SIMs" for travel around Asia, Europe, and North America, while Taiwan Mobile offers flat-rate international data roaming on its standard prepaid SIMs. Importantly, if continuing on to mainland China later, these travel SIMs or Taiwan Mobile's roaming plans do not censor data there as a local SIM would. ====Restaurants, cafés, etc.==== Most in-house eateries, shopping centers, libraries and such have free Wi-Fi for their customers available. ====Gaming cafés==== Not that relevant and widespread anymore, Internet cafés aka gaming cafés. These are often found on the first or second floor of buildings and equipped with very comfortable chairs and large screens. Although people do surf the Internet, most people primarily go there for a smooth experience of online gaming. Each hour of Internet access/game play is cheap, coming in at around NT$20. Some machines in the Internet cafés are coin operated. === Telephone === [[File:Payphones of Taiwan Fixed Network at THSR Taichung Station 20070105.jpg|thumb|Payphones in [[Taichung]]]] The standard prefix for international calls from Taiwan is 002, though some other companies may use alternative prefixes at lower rates. Check with your telecom operator for more details. Calls to mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau require international dialling. The country code for calls to Taiwan is +886. Most payphones work with telephone cards (電話卡) which are available at all convenience stores. Numbers Starting With 0800 are commercial toll-free numbers, just like the 1-800 numbers in North America. '''Mobile phone''' coverage is generally excellent in Taiwan, with the exception of some remote mountainous areas. Among the major providers are Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信), Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大), Far EasTone (遠傳電信) and Taiwan Star Telecom (台灣之星). Taiwan has both 3G (UMTS/W-CDMA 2100) and 4G (LTE) networks and inbound roaming agreements are in place between most international providers and at least one of these four (but check with your operator before departure). The last 2G networks were shut down in July 2017. The internationally popular messaging app Whatsapp is not popular in Taiwan. Most Taiwanese use the Japanese messaging app '''[https://line.me/en/ LINE]''' instead. === Media === Taiwan has a very free and liberal press. Taiwan's main newspapers are the Chinese-language ''[https://www.ltn.com.tw/ Liberty Times]'' (自由時報), ''[https://tw.appledaily.com/ Apple Daily]'' (蘋果日報), ''[https://www.chinatimes.com/ China Times]'' (中國時報) and ''[http://udn.com/ United Daily News]'' (聯合報). The ''[https://money.udn.com Economic Daily News]'' (經濟日報) and ''[https://ctee.com.tw/ Commercial Times]'' (工商時報) focus on financial and business news. The main English-language newspaper is the ''[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/ Taipei Times]''. Two other newspapers in English, ''[http://chinapost.nownews.com The China Post]'' and ''[http://etaiwannews.com/ Taiwan News]'' are no longer available in print but continue to exist online. Other news sources: *[http://focustaiwan.tw/ Central News Agency] *[http://english.rti.org.tw/ RTI] (Radio Taiwan International) *[http://news.cens.com/ the Taiwan Economic News] *[http://taiwantoday.tw/ Taiwan Today] *[http://www.taipeinews.net/ TaipeiNews.net] *[http://www.taiwansun.com/ Taiwan Sun] Free magazines: * ''Lifestyle'' – Info on Taiwan relating to what's on and current trends (bilingual). * ''[http://taiphoon.pristine.net/main-page.htm Taiphoon]'' – A magazine dedicated to promoting peace and environmental awareness in Taiwan (bilingual). * ''[http://www.journeyeast.url.tw/ Journey East]'' – A travel and lifestyle magazine for northern Taiwan (bilingual). Radio: * [http://www.icrt.com.tw ICRT] (short for "International Community Radio Taipei") is an English-language radio station available island-wide on FM 100. The programming consists mostly of popular music. There are news bulletins every hour on the hour 07:00–20:00 M–F and 10:00–18:00 on Sa. ===Printing=== Every 7-Eleven and Familymart has cloud printers available for printing documents and even pictures. But for the latter you might be better off with a professional shop. The instructions are in Chinese or English. Costs: NT$1 per document page, plus NT$1 processing fee. == Cope == ===Electricity=== For electrical sockets, Taiwan uses the same Type A two-pin and Type B three-pin electrical sockets as the United States. Electricity is supplied at 110 V at 60 Hz. === Embassies and foreign missions === ''See [[Taipei#Cope|Cope section]] in [[Taipei]] guide'' {{usablecountry}} {{isPartOf|East Asia}} {{geo|23.76|120.97|zoom=7}} gmlin0uc7tw91x114mkd6q7mdp12kg5 0 35198 4501777 4479072 2022-08-15T22:32:20Z Sir Amugi 2252464 /* Sleep */ Added listing for Sundowner Lodge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tamale Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Tamale''' is [[Ghana]]'s third city (and second largest in area) and the capital of [[Northern Ghana]]. Tamale has been voted three consecutive times by the Ghana Tourist Board as the cleanest city in Ghana and is proud of its well organized road networking in comparison to other cities and regions through Ghana. The city is like a conglomeration of villages where one can find an architectural blend of traditional mud houses and modern buildings. While the majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. Many of these mud block compounds have TV antennae and electricity wires. [[File:Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque.Tamale.jpg|thumb|Ahmadiyya Mosque]] ==Get in== [[File:TamaleGhana2.jpg|thumb|Bolga Road in downtown Tamale]] '''Public bus''' from [[Accra]] or [[Kumasi]] is cheap and safer than the maniac private bus drivers. It takes 11 hours from Accra, leaving around 8AM so make sure you make a bathroom stop on the lunch stop as you might not be able to otherwise. You can also take a direct flight to Tamale from Accra using Fly540Africa. '''Private car''' from any medium sized town with driver is only about GH₵30 a day. * {{go | name=Tamale Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2195432 | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content= }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|9.407500|-0.853333|zoom=13}} Get around town in any of the following based on convenience and cost. # Yellow-Yellow: It's a tricycle with spacious air seats that can take you to your destination. # Taxi: Red and yellow branded saloon cars used for public and private transport. ==See== Good point from which to visit '''Bongo (Moon Landscape)''' Tongo and Congo or if heading to [[Burkina Faso]] (neighboring country). Visit the Paga crocodile pond and all the slave camp near paga. Also visit Sirigu Art Village to learn about all the arts and craft of the northern people of Ghana. '''[[Mole National Park]]''' can be a day trip from Tamale.visit mole to see elephants, warthogs, several types of monkey. The road to Mole is very bad: You will need a 4-wheel drive to Mole Park for your safari and canoeing in to the national park. Near Mole National Park, you can visit the oldest mosque in Ghana, Larabanga. There is also a new eco-village near the park. You can tour the village and also overnight there (homestay). You can book a tour from Tamale township or Tamale Airport. Tours include guide and vehicle. Cost is approximately $130 per day plus fuel. * {{see | name=Ahmadiyya Central Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=9.4100 | long=-0.8419 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content=The main mosque of the '''Ahmadiyya''' movement in Ghana. }} * Ambariya Sunni Community * Masjid Bayaan Institute ==Do== Top up on supplies if you are heading out into the smaller towns or countryside. Chat to the locals, very friendly bunch and you will find the best travel info this way. [[File:TamaleStadium.jpg|thumb|Tamale Sports Stadium, built in 2007 for the African Cup of Nations final tournament]] ==Buy== '''Market on Main Street''' Cobblers, textiles and lots of food. Worth going into for the look of it alone and you may be hassled to 'buy Yam!' especially if you are a woman. '''Cultural Centre''' behind the main street in the grounds of a disused theatre. Oil paintings from GH₵7.50!!, batiks, ornaments, cheap jewelry, goatskin handbags foot pillows, drums..... Wander around a bit and you will find music shops selling tapes of the current Ghanaian charts, worth bringing a few home to remind yourself of the sunny, almost Jamaican style music being played everywhere. ==Eat== It is not recommended that you eat from food stalls on the road as food poisoning is a high risk. In '''Cultural Centre''' behind the theatre there is a great place with air conditioning and a Video Disc player playing Celine Dion songs endlessly. '''Koose''' - a local snack made from deep fried bean flour dough which can be bought just off the main street across from the taxi station. A few western style shops also on the main street. '''Gidipass (now called Crest Restaurant)'''- Is a bar on the main street that also serves good rice dishes and even spring rolls. If you want something more like home they have a dining room in a colonial style. '''Nite Food''' is a neat, nice and well preserved area with both local meals Banku, Fufu, TZ and exotic ones like fried rice with chicken, noodles and many more. It's located along the hospital road directly adjacent Las Hotel and adjacent Total filling station. '''Sparkles Restaurant''' in the Cultural Centre offers a wide variety of dishes and is recommended for its hygienic kitchen and friendly staff. Every Friday evening at 9PM there is a cultural performance to introduce local culture to the visitors. '''Tacarobama''' Restaurant on the main road serves an amazing variety of food, from pizza and chips to local dishes. Their staff are fast and friendly and there is a nice open-air area to relax in. * {{listing | name=De Shalot Eatery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=just by Nyohini roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-07 | content=They sell all kinds of foods. }} ==Drink== '''Gidipass''' bar on Main Street, across and down a little from taxi rank where all the 'whites' and a few locals go. Has a few types of beer and sodas. Also serve good meals. Other small bars located around the main area (taxi rank and market) '''Meet Me There''' Drinking spot is a few km north along the main road towards Bolgatanga (called Bolga Road). Set in a tall canopy of palm and date trees, drinks are at cost or below (meaning GH₵0.25 for a mineral/pop bottle), where as at Gidipass or other tourist centres, they cost GH₵0.60 or more. You can pick up some food from the street, and they'll bring you dishes to eat with and soap to wash with! Don't get too comfortable though. They'll kick you out at 10PM regardless of how much business you're giving them ==Sleep== [[File:Asempa Lodge.jpg|thumb|the Asempa Lodge]] * {{sleep | name=Gariba Lodge | alt= | url= | email=garibalodge@hot-mail.com | address= | lat=9.444484 | long=-0.844542 | directions= | phone=+233 50 372 0087 (+233 071-23371/23041-3 ) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Is a hotel considered to be two stars by the government. }} * {{sleep | name=Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies | alt= | url=http://www.ticcs.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Offers boarding as well as a roof-top cantina/bar. Limited number of air-conditioned rooms available. Rooms generally available when courses are not in session (most of the time). }} * {{sleep | name=Sundowner Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Sundowner Lodge 35 North Kanvilli Residential Area, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== Venture out to the nearby riverine port town of [[Yapei]] {{geo|9.407500|-0.853333}} {{IsPartOf|Volta Basin}} {{usablecity}} eg2g4pox8ggkv39152aibio8ys3kj67 4501778 4501777 2022-08-15T22:33:33Z Sir Amugi 2252464 /* Sleep */ Added listing for Jeyads Lodge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tamale Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Tamale''' is [[Ghana]]'s third city (and second largest in area) and the capital of [[Northern Ghana]]. Tamale has been voted three consecutive times by the Ghana Tourist Board as the cleanest city in Ghana and is proud of its well organized road networking in comparison to other cities and regions through Ghana. The city is like a conglomeration of villages where one can find an architectural blend of traditional mud houses and modern buildings. While the majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. Many of these mud block compounds have TV antennae and electricity wires. [[File:Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque.Tamale.jpg|thumb|Ahmadiyya Mosque]] ==Get in== [[File:TamaleGhana2.jpg|thumb|Bolga Road in downtown Tamale]] '''Public bus''' from [[Accra]] or [[Kumasi]] is cheap and safer than the maniac private bus drivers. It takes 11 hours from Accra, leaving around 8AM so make sure you make a bathroom stop on the lunch stop as you might not be able to otherwise. You can also take a direct flight to Tamale from Accra using Fly540Africa. '''Private car''' from any medium sized town with driver is only about GH₵30 a day. * {{go | name=Tamale Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2195432 | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content= }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|9.407500|-0.853333|zoom=13}} Get around town in any of the following based on convenience and cost. # Yellow-Yellow: It's a tricycle with spacious air seats that can take you to your destination. # Taxi: Red and yellow branded saloon cars used for public and private transport. ==See== Good point from which to visit '''Bongo (Moon Landscape)''' Tongo and Congo or if heading to [[Burkina Faso]] (neighboring country). Visit the Paga crocodile pond and all the slave camp near paga. Also visit Sirigu Art Village to learn about all the arts and craft of the northern people of Ghana. '''[[Mole National Park]]''' can be a day trip from Tamale.visit mole to see elephants, warthogs, several types of monkey. The road to Mole is very bad: You will need a 4-wheel drive to Mole Park for your safari and canoeing in to the national park. Near Mole National Park, you can visit the oldest mosque in Ghana, Larabanga. There is also a new eco-village near the park. You can tour the village and also overnight there (homestay). You can book a tour from Tamale township or Tamale Airport. Tours include guide and vehicle. Cost is approximately $130 per day plus fuel. * {{see | name=Ahmadiyya Central Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=9.4100 | long=-0.8419 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content=The main mosque of the '''Ahmadiyya''' movement in Ghana. }} * Ambariya Sunni Community * Masjid Bayaan Institute ==Do== Top up on supplies if you are heading out into the smaller towns or countryside. Chat to the locals, very friendly bunch and you will find the best travel info this way. [[File:TamaleStadium.jpg|thumb|Tamale Sports Stadium, built in 2007 for the African Cup of Nations final tournament]] ==Buy== '''Market on Main Street''' Cobblers, textiles and lots of food. Worth going into for the look of it alone and you may be hassled to 'buy Yam!' especially if you are a woman. '''Cultural Centre''' behind the main street in the grounds of a disused theatre. Oil paintings from GH₵7.50!!, batiks, ornaments, cheap jewelry, goatskin handbags foot pillows, drums..... Wander around a bit and you will find music shops selling tapes of the current Ghanaian charts, worth bringing a few home to remind yourself of the sunny, almost Jamaican style music being played everywhere. ==Eat== It is not recommended that you eat from food stalls on the road as food poisoning is a high risk. In '''Cultural Centre''' behind the theatre there is a great place with air conditioning and a Video Disc player playing Celine Dion songs endlessly. '''Koose''' - a local snack made from deep fried bean flour dough which can be bought just off the main street across from the taxi station. A few western style shops also on the main street. '''Gidipass (now called Crest Restaurant)'''- Is a bar on the main street that also serves good rice dishes and even spring rolls. If you want something more like home they have a dining room in a colonial style. '''Nite Food''' is a neat, nice and well preserved area with both local meals Banku, Fufu, TZ and exotic ones like fried rice with chicken, noodles and many more. It's located along the hospital road directly adjacent Las Hotel and adjacent Total filling station. '''Sparkles Restaurant''' in the Cultural Centre offers a wide variety of dishes and is recommended for its hygienic kitchen and friendly staff. Every Friday evening at 9PM there is a cultural performance to introduce local culture to the visitors. '''Tacarobama''' Restaurant on the main road serves an amazing variety of food, from pizza and chips to local dishes. Their staff are fast and friendly and there is a nice open-air area to relax in. * {{listing | name=De Shalot Eatery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=just by Nyohini roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-07 | content=They sell all kinds of foods. }} ==Drink== '''Gidipass''' bar on Main Street, across and down a little from taxi rank where all the 'whites' and a few locals go. Has a few types of beer and sodas. Also serve good meals. Other small bars located around the main area (taxi rank and market) '''Meet Me There''' Drinking spot is a few km north along the main road towards Bolgatanga (called Bolga Road). Set in a tall canopy of palm and date trees, drinks are at cost or below (meaning GH₵0.25 for a mineral/pop bottle), where as at Gidipass or other tourist centres, they cost GH₵0.60 or more. You can pick up some food from the street, and they'll bring you dishes to eat with and soap to wash with! Don't get too comfortable though. They'll kick you out at 10PM regardless of how much business you're giving them ==Sleep== [[File:Asempa Lodge.jpg|thumb|the Asempa Lodge]] * {{sleep | name=Gariba Lodge | alt= | url= | email=garibalodge@hot-mail.com | address= | lat=9.444484 | long=-0.844542 | directions= | phone=+233 50 372 0087 (+233 071-23371/23041-3 ) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Is a hotel considered to be two stars by the government. }} * {{sleep | name=Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies | alt= | url=http://www.ticcs.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Offers boarding as well as a roof-top cantina/bar. Limited number of air-conditioned rooms available. Rooms generally available when courses are not in session (most of the time). }} * {{sleep | name=Sundowner Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Sundowner Lodge 35 North Kanvilli Residential Area, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Jeyads Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Salaga Rd, Teshie Nungua Estates, Tamale, Ghana | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== Venture out to the nearby riverine port town of [[Yapei]] {{geo|9.407500|-0.853333}} {{IsPartOf|Volta Basin}} {{usablecity}} g3kn8ndwt4m8ev0jhlgzizfiw1y11fc 4501779 4501778 2022-08-15T22:35:17Z Sir Amugi 2252464 /* Sleep */ Added listing for Ruks Hotel wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tamale Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Tamale''' is [[Ghana]]'s third city (and second largest in area) and the capital of [[Northern Ghana]]. Tamale has been voted three consecutive times by the Ghana Tourist Board as the cleanest city in Ghana and is proud of its well organized road networking in comparison to other cities and regions through Ghana. The city is like a conglomeration of villages where one can find an architectural blend of traditional mud houses and modern buildings. While the majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. Many of these mud block compounds have TV antennae and electricity wires. [[File:Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque.Tamale.jpg|thumb|Ahmadiyya Mosque]] ==Get in== [[File:TamaleGhana2.jpg|thumb|Bolga Road in downtown Tamale]] '''Public bus''' from [[Accra]] or [[Kumasi]] is cheap and safer than the maniac private bus drivers. It takes 11 hours from Accra, leaving around 8AM so make sure you make a bathroom stop on the lunch stop as you might not be able to otherwise. You can also take a direct flight to Tamale from Accra using Fly540Africa. '''Private car''' from any medium sized town with driver is only about GH₵30 a day. * {{go | name=Tamale Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2195432 | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content= }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|9.407500|-0.853333|zoom=13}} Get around town in any of the following based on convenience and cost. # Yellow-Yellow: It's a tricycle with spacious air seats that can take you to your destination. # Taxi: Red and yellow branded saloon cars used for public and private transport. ==See== Good point from which to visit '''Bongo (Moon Landscape)''' Tongo and Congo or if heading to [[Burkina Faso]] (neighboring country). Visit the Paga crocodile pond and all the slave camp near paga. Also visit Sirigu Art Village to learn about all the arts and craft of the northern people of Ghana. '''[[Mole National Park]]''' can be a day trip from Tamale.visit mole to see elephants, warthogs, several types of monkey. The road to Mole is very bad: You will need a 4-wheel drive to Mole Park for your safari and canoeing in to the national park. Near Mole National Park, you can visit the oldest mosque in Ghana, Larabanga. There is also a new eco-village near the park. You can tour the village and also overnight there (homestay). You can book a tour from Tamale township or Tamale Airport. Tours include guide and vehicle. Cost is approximately $130 per day plus fuel. * {{see | name=Ahmadiyya Central Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=9.4100 | long=-0.8419 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content=The main mosque of the '''Ahmadiyya''' movement in Ghana. }} * Ambariya Sunni Community * Masjid Bayaan Institute ==Do== Top up on supplies if you are heading out into the smaller towns or countryside. Chat to the locals, very friendly bunch and you will find the best travel info this way. [[File:TamaleStadium.jpg|thumb|Tamale Sports Stadium, built in 2007 for the African Cup of Nations final tournament]] ==Buy== '''Market on Main Street''' Cobblers, textiles and lots of food. Worth going into for the look of it alone and you may be hassled to 'buy Yam!' especially if you are a woman. '''Cultural Centre''' behind the main street in the grounds of a disused theatre. Oil paintings from GH₵7.50!!, batiks, ornaments, cheap jewelry, goatskin handbags foot pillows, drums..... Wander around a bit and you will find music shops selling tapes of the current Ghanaian charts, worth bringing a few home to remind yourself of the sunny, almost Jamaican style music being played everywhere. ==Eat== It is not recommended that you eat from food stalls on the road as food poisoning is a high risk. In '''Cultural Centre''' behind the theatre there is a great place with air conditioning and a Video Disc player playing Celine Dion songs endlessly. '''Koose''' - a local snack made from deep fried bean flour dough which can be bought just off the main street across from the taxi station. A few western style shops also on the main street. '''Gidipass (now called Crest Restaurant)'''- Is a bar on the main street that also serves good rice dishes and even spring rolls. If you want something more like home they have a dining room in a colonial style. '''Nite Food''' is a neat, nice and well preserved area with both local meals Banku, Fufu, TZ and exotic ones like fried rice with chicken, noodles and many more. It's located along the hospital road directly adjacent Las Hotel and adjacent Total filling station. '''Sparkles Restaurant''' in the Cultural Centre offers a wide variety of dishes and is recommended for its hygienic kitchen and friendly staff. Every Friday evening at 9PM there is a cultural performance to introduce local culture to the visitors. '''Tacarobama''' Restaurant on the main road serves an amazing variety of food, from pizza and chips to local dishes. Their staff are fast and friendly and there is a nice open-air area to relax in. * {{listing | name=De Shalot Eatery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=just by Nyohini roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-07 | content=They sell all kinds of foods. }} ==Drink== '''Gidipass''' bar on Main Street, across and down a little from taxi rank where all the 'whites' and a few locals go. Has a few types of beer and sodas. Also serve good meals. Other small bars located around the main area (taxi rank and market) '''Meet Me There''' Drinking spot is a few km north along the main road towards Bolgatanga (called Bolga Road). Set in a tall canopy of palm and date trees, drinks are at cost or below (meaning GH₵0.25 for a mineral/pop bottle), where as at Gidipass or other tourist centres, they cost GH₵0.60 or more. You can pick up some food from the street, and they'll bring you dishes to eat with and soap to wash with! Don't get too comfortable though. They'll kick you out at 10PM regardless of how much business you're giving them ==Sleep== [[File:Asempa Lodge.jpg|thumb|the Asempa Lodge]] * {{sleep | name=Gariba Lodge | alt= | url= | email=garibalodge@hot-mail.com | address= | lat=9.444484 | long=-0.844542 | directions= | phone=+233 50 372 0087 (+233 071-23371/23041-3 ) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Is a hotel considered to be two stars by the government. }} * {{sleep | name=Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies | alt= | url=http://www.ticcs.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Offers boarding as well as a roof-top cantina/bar. Limited number of air-conditioned rooms available. Rooms generally available when courses are not in session (most of the time). }} * {{sleep | name=Sundowner Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Sundowner Lodge 35 North Kanvilli Residential Area, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Jeyads Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Salaga Rd, Teshie Nungua Estates, Tamale, Ghana | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ruks Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Vitting- Target, Tamale. Near Sabonkudi Mosque Storey Building, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== Venture out to the nearby riverine port town of [[Yapei]] {{geo|9.407500|-0.853333}} {{IsPartOf|Volta Basin}} {{usablecity}} m1yk242t1p4w9ehgsq5bo0xet8b1zun 4501781 4501779 2022-08-15T22:36:55Z Sir Amugi 2252464 /* Sleep */ Added listing for Pioneer Guest Lodge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tamale Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Tamale''' is [[Ghana]]'s third city (and second largest in area) and the capital of [[Northern Ghana]]. Tamale has been voted three consecutive times by the Ghana Tourist Board as the cleanest city in Ghana and is proud of its well organized road networking in comparison to other cities and regions through Ghana. The city is like a conglomeration of villages where one can find an architectural blend of traditional mud houses and modern buildings. While the majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. Many of these mud block compounds have TV antennae and electricity wires. [[File:Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque.Tamale.jpg|thumb|Ahmadiyya Mosque]] ==Get in== [[File:TamaleGhana2.jpg|thumb|Bolga Road in downtown Tamale]] '''Public bus''' from [[Accra]] or [[Kumasi]] is cheap and safer than the maniac private bus drivers. It takes 11 hours from Accra, leaving around 8AM so make sure you make a bathroom stop on the lunch stop as you might not be able to otherwise. You can also take a direct flight to Tamale from Accra using Fly540Africa. '''Private car''' from any medium sized town with driver is only about GH₵30 a day. * {{go | name=Tamale Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2195432 | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content= }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|9.407500|-0.853333|zoom=13}} Get around town in any of the following based on convenience and cost. # Yellow-Yellow: It's a tricycle with spacious air seats that can take you to your destination. # Taxi: Red and yellow branded saloon cars used for public and private transport. ==See== Good point from which to visit '''Bongo (Moon Landscape)''' Tongo and Congo or if heading to [[Burkina Faso]] (neighboring country). Visit the Paga crocodile pond and all the slave camp near paga. Also visit Sirigu Art Village to learn about all the arts and craft of the northern people of Ghana. '''[[Mole National Park]]''' can be a day trip from Tamale.visit mole to see elephants, warthogs, several types of monkey. The road to Mole is very bad: You will need a 4-wheel drive to Mole Park for your safari and canoeing in to the national park. Near Mole National Park, you can visit the oldest mosque in Ghana, Larabanga. There is also a new eco-village near the park. You can tour the village and also overnight there (homestay). You can book a tour from Tamale township or Tamale Airport. Tours include guide and vehicle. Cost is approximately $130 per day plus fuel. * {{see | name=Ahmadiyya Central Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=9.4100 | long=-0.8419 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content=The main mosque of the '''Ahmadiyya''' movement in Ghana. }} * Ambariya Sunni Community * Masjid Bayaan Institute ==Do== Top up on supplies if you are heading out into the smaller towns or countryside. Chat to the locals, very friendly bunch and you will find the best travel info this way. [[File:TamaleStadium.jpg|thumb|Tamale Sports Stadium, built in 2007 for the African Cup of Nations final tournament]] ==Buy== '''Market on Main Street''' Cobblers, textiles and lots of food. Worth going into for the look of it alone and you may be hassled to 'buy Yam!' especially if you are a woman. '''Cultural Centre''' behind the main street in the grounds of a disused theatre. Oil paintings from GH₵7.50!!, batiks, ornaments, cheap jewelry, goatskin handbags foot pillows, drums..... Wander around a bit and you will find music shops selling tapes of the current Ghanaian charts, worth bringing a few home to remind yourself of the sunny, almost Jamaican style music being played everywhere. ==Eat== It is not recommended that you eat from food stalls on the road as food poisoning is a high risk. In '''Cultural Centre''' behind the theatre there is a great place with air conditioning and a Video Disc player playing Celine Dion songs endlessly. '''Koose''' - a local snack made from deep fried bean flour dough which can be bought just off the main street across from the taxi station. A few western style shops also on the main street. '''Gidipass (now called Crest Restaurant)'''- Is a bar on the main street that also serves good rice dishes and even spring rolls. If you want something more like home they have a dining room in a colonial style. '''Nite Food''' is a neat, nice and well preserved area with both local meals Banku, Fufu, TZ and exotic ones like fried rice with chicken, noodles and many more. It's located along the hospital road directly adjacent Las Hotel and adjacent Total filling station. '''Sparkles Restaurant''' in the Cultural Centre offers a wide variety of dishes and is recommended for its hygienic kitchen and friendly staff. Every Friday evening at 9PM there is a cultural performance to introduce local culture to the visitors. '''Tacarobama''' Restaurant on the main road serves an amazing variety of food, from pizza and chips to local dishes. Their staff are fast and friendly and there is a nice open-air area to relax in. * {{listing | name=De Shalot Eatery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=just by Nyohini roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-07 | content=They sell all kinds of foods. }} ==Drink== '''Gidipass''' bar on Main Street, across and down a little from taxi rank where all the 'whites' and a few locals go. Has a few types of beer and sodas. Also serve good meals. Other small bars located around the main area (taxi rank and market) '''Meet Me There''' Drinking spot is a few km north along the main road towards Bolgatanga (called Bolga Road). Set in a tall canopy of palm and date trees, drinks are at cost or below (meaning GH₵0.25 for a mineral/pop bottle), where as at Gidipass or other tourist centres, they cost GH₵0.60 or more. You can pick up some food from the street, and they'll bring you dishes to eat with and soap to wash with! Don't get too comfortable though. They'll kick you out at 10PM regardless of how much business you're giving them ==Sleep== [[File:Asempa Lodge.jpg|thumb|the Asempa Lodge]] * {{sleep | name=Gariba Lodge | alt= | url= | email=garibalodge@hot-mail.com | address= | lat=9.444484 | long=-0.844542 | directions= | phone=+233 50 372 0087 (+233 071-23371/23041-3 ) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Is a hotel considered to be two stars by the government. }} * {{sleep | name=Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies | alt= | url=http://www.ticcs.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Offers boarding as well as a roof-top cantina/bar. Limited number of air-conditioned rooms available. Rooms generally available when courses are not in session (most of the time). }} * {{sleep | name=Sundowner Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Sundowner Lodge 35 North Kanvilli Residential Area, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Jeyads Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Salaga Rd, Teshie Nungua Estates, Tamale, Ghana | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ruks Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Vitting- Target, Tamale. Near Sabonkudi Mosque Storey Building, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Pioneer Guest Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== Venture out to the nearby riverine port town of [[Yapei]] {{geo|9.407500|-0.853333}} {{IsPartOf|Volta Basin}} {{usablecity}} g15hbp344zxepsdcx3t08hjlz74l643 4501782 4501781 2022-08-15T22:37:56Z Sir Amugi 2252464 /* Sleep */ Added listing for Gaana Hotel wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tamale Wikivoyage banner.jpg}} '''Tamale''' is [[Ghana]]'s third city (and second largest in area) and the capital of [[Northern Ghana]]. Tamale has been voted three consecutive times by the Ghana Tourist Board as the cleanest city in Ghana and is proud of its well organized road networking in comparison to other cities and regions through Ghana. The city is like a conglomeration of villages where one can find an architectural blend of traditional mud houses and modern buildings. While the majority of the houses are roofed with corrugated iron sheets, a good number of them are roofed with grass. Many of these mud block compounds have TV antennae and electricity wires. [[File:Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque.Tamale.jpg|thumb|Ahmadiyya Mosque]] ==Get in== [[File:TamaleGhana2.jpg|thumb|Bolga Road in downtown Tamale]] '''Public bus''' from [[Accra]] or [[Kumasi]] is cheap and safer than the maniac private bus drivers. It takes 11 hours from Accra, leaving around 8AM so make sure you make a bathroom stop on the lunch stop as you might not be able to otherwise. You can also take a direct flight to Tamale from Accra using Fly540Africa. '''Private car''' from any medium sized town with driver is only about GH₵30 a day. * {{go | name=Tamale Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2195432 | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content= }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|9.407500|-0.853333|zoom=13}} Get around town in any of the following based on convenience and cost. # Yellow-Yellow: It's a tricycle with spacious air seats that can take you to your destination. # Taxi: Red and yellow branded saloon cars used for public and private transport. ==See== Good point from which to visit '''Bongo (Moon Landscape)''' Tongo and Congo or if heading to [[Burkina Faso]] (neighboring country). Visit the Paga crocodile pond and all the slave camp near paga. Also visit Sirigu Art Village to learn about all the arts and craft of the northern people of Ghana. '''[[Mole National Park]]''' can be a day trip from Tamale.visit mole to see elephants, warthogs, several types of monkey. The road to Mole is very bad: You will need a 4-wheel drive to Mole Park for your safari and canoeing in to the national park. Near Mole National Park, you can visit the oldest mosque in Ghana, Larabanga. There is also a new eco-village near the park. You can tour the village and also overnight there (homestay). You can book a tour from Tamale township or Tamale Airport. Tours include guide and vehicle. Cost is approximately $130 per day plus fuel. * {{see | name=Ahmadiyya Central Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=9.4100 | long=-0.8419 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-06 | content=The main mosque of the '''Ahmadiyya''' movement in Ghana. }} * Ambariya Sunni Community * Masjid Bayaan Institute ==Do== Top up on supplies if you are heading out into the smaller towns or countryside. Chat to the locals, very friendly bunch and you will find the best travel info this way. [[File:TamaleStadium.jpg|thumb|Tamale Sports Stadium, built in 2007 for the African Cup of Nations final tournament]] ==Buy== '''Market on Main Street''' Cobblers, textiles and lots of food. Worth going into for the look of it alone and you may be hassled to 'buy Yam!' especially if you are a woman. '''Cultural Centre''' behind the main street in the grounds of a disused theatre. Oil paintings from GH₵7.50!!, batiks, ornaments, cheap jewelry, goatskin handbags foot pillows, drums..... Wander around a bit and you will find music shops selling tapes of the current Ghanaian charts, worth bringing a few home to remind yourself of the sunny, almost Jamaican style music being played everywhere. ==Eat== It is not recommended that you eat from food stalls on the road as food poisoning is a high risk. In '''Cultural Centre''' behind the theatre there is a great place with air conditioning and a Video Disc player playing Celine Dion songs endlessly. '''Koose''' - a local snack made from deep fried bean flour dough which can be bought just off the main street across from the taxi station. A few western style shops also on the main street. '''Gidipass (now called Crest Restaurant)'''- Is a bar on the main street that also serves good rice dishes and even spring rolls. If you want something more like home they have a dining room in a colonial style. '''Nite Food''' is a neat, nice and well preserved area with both local meals Banku, Fufu, TZ and exotic ones like fried rice with chicken, noodles and many more. It's located along the hospital road directly adjacent Las Hotel and adjacent Total filling station. '''Sparkles Restaurant''' in the Cultural Centre offers a wide variety of dishes and is recommended for its hygienic kitchen and friendly staff. Every Friday evening at 9PM there is a cultural performance to introduce local culture to the visitors. '''Tacarobama''' Restaurant on the main road serves an amazing variety of food, from pizza and chips to local dishes. Their staff are fast and friendly and there is a nice open-air area to relax in. * {{listing | name=De Shalot Eatery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=just by Nyohini roundabout | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-07 | content=They sell all kinds of foods. }} ==Drink== '''Gidipass''' bar on Main Street, across and down a little from taxi rank where all the 'whites' and a few locals go. Has a few types of beer and sodas. Also serve good meals. Other small bars located around the main area (taxi rank and market) '''Meet Me There''' Drinking spot is a few km north along the main road towards Bolgatanga (called Bolga Road). Set in a tall canopy of palm and date trees, drinks are at cost or below (meaning GH₵0.25 for a mineral/pop bottle), where as at Gidipass or other tourist centres, they cost GH₵0.60 or more. You can pick up some food from the street, and they'll bring you dishes to eat with and soap to wash with! Don't get too comfortable though. They'll kick you out at 10PM regardless of how much business you're giving them ==Sleep== [[File:Asempa Lodge.jpg|thumb|the Asempa Lodge]] * {{sleep | name=Gariba Lodge | alt= | url= | email=garibalodge@hot-mail.com | address= | lat=9.444484 | long=-0.844542 | directions= | phone=+233 50 372 0087 (+233 071-23371/23041-3 ) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Is a hotel considered to be two stars by the government. }} * {{sleep | name=Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies | alt= | url=http://www.ticcs.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Offers boarding as well as a roof-top cantina/bar. Limited number of air-conditioned rooms available. Rooms generally available when courses are not in session (most of the time). }} * {{sleep | name=Sundowner Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Sundowner Lodge 35 North Kanvilli Residential Area, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Jeyads Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Salaga Rd, Teshie Nungua Estates, Tamale, Ghana | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ruks Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Vitting- Target, Tamale. Near Sabonkudi Mosque Storey Building, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Pioneer Guest Lodge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Gaana Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Vitting Road, Tamale, Ghana | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content= }} ==Connect== ==Go next== Venture out to the nearby riverine port town of [[Yapei]] {{geo|9.407500|-0.853333}} {{IsPartOf|Volta Basin}} {{usablecity}} 8sqcj4pxpoao6ifuxds4crs631p5ydt 0 36864 4501789 4501478 2022-08-15T23:51:59Z BrianM0000 2272790 /* Climate */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tucson AZ banner.jpg}} [[File:Tucson shab2.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Tucson with the Santa Catalina Mountains]] '''Tucson''' (''TOO-sawn''), also known as the "Old Pueblo", is the second-largest city in the state of [[Arizona]] and the county seat of Pima County in the Sonoran Desert. It is at a higher elevation than nearby Phoenix and is correspondingly cooler. Although with half a million residents it is smaller than the capital city, its cultural life is just as vibrant. ==Understand== Tucson has always been a crossroads. Water was, until the onset of a severe drought in the late 1990s, relatively plentiful in Tucson, in spite of its location in the middle of a desert. This made it an important travel route, an agricultural center, and a communications nexus. Tucson's history is ancient, with evidence of human occupation stretching back 10,000 years. Between 200 CE and 1450 ACE, the Hohokam culture dominated the area – the Pima and Tohono O'Odham peoples that still occupy the area are descendants of the Hohokam. In 1699, Father Eusebio Kino, S.J., established the Mission San Xavier del Bac, southwest of present-day Tucson. Over the next 100 years, other missions were established in the area, but European presence was minimal. It wasn't until 1775 that the Presidio of Tucson was created by Don Hugo O'Connor. At that time, it was the northernmost Spanish outpost in the New World. In 1821, Tucson became part of the new country of Mexico, and in 1853 it became part of the United States as a result of the Gadsden Purchase. In 1863, Arizona became a US territory, and by 1880, its population was around 8,000. In 1912, Arizona became the 48th state to enter the union. Tucson is still a crossroads, with European, Native American, Mexican, and Asian cultures bumping into one another, in sometimes conflicting and sometimes compatible – but always interesting – ways. ===Climate=== {{climate | units = imperial | janhigh = 66 | febhigh = 69 | marhigh = 74 | aprhigh = 82 | mayhigh = 92 | junhigh = 100 | julhigh = 100 | aughigh = 97 | sephigh = 95 | octhigh = 85 | novhigh = 74 | dechigh = 65 | janlow = 40 | feblow = 42 | marlow = 46 | aprlow = 52 | maylow = 61 | junlow = 69 | jullow = 74 | auglow = 73 | seplow = 69 | octlow = 57 | novlow = 46 | declow = 39 | janprecip = 0.9 | febprecip = 0.9 | marprecip = 0.7 | aprprecip = 0.3 | mayprecip = 0.2 | junprecip = 0.2 | julprecip = 2.3 | augprecip = 2.4 | sepprecip = 1.3 | octprecip = 0.9 | novprecip = 0.6 | decprecip = 0.9 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Tucson International Airport|32.1313|-110.9552}} &#160;&#160; Data from [http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/normals NOAA (1981-2010)] }} Tucson has a hot desert climate with a long, hot summer and a mild winter. Fall and spring tend to be sunny and dry. If you're familiar with Phoenix weather, Tucson is slightly cooler and slightly wetter due to elevation and surrounding mountain ranges. Summer has daytime high temperatures between 98 to 102 °F (37 to 39 °C) and low temperatures between 71 to 77 °F (22 to 25 °C). Early summer is dry: low humidity and clear skies. By mid-summer the the monsoons start, bringing higher humidity, cloudy skies, and frequent thunderstorms. The monsoon season officially starts on June 15, but the actual arrival of storms varies from year to year. Storms usually are scattered, with intense rainfall, thunder and lightning in one part of town, and completely storm-free elsewhere, then changing in a few hours. Flash floods are possible. Large areas of the city do not have storm sewers (the street becomes the storm sewer), flooding main throughfares. A few underpasses have "feet of water" scales to discourage motorists from driving through in a rainstorm. (See "Stay safe" section for more information). Winter in Tucson is mild compared to other parts of the U.S. Average daytime highs range between 65 to 70 °F (18 to 21 °C) and lows between 40 and 44 °F (4 and 7 °C). Tucson typically averages three hard freezes per winter season, with temperatures dipping to the mid or low-20s (−7 to −4 °C), but this is typically limited to only a very few nights. Snow is rare but occasionally falls at the lower elevations at the city street level, and is quite common up in the [[Santa Catalina Mountains]]. The sun is intense in Tucson year-round. Those who spend time outdoors need sun protection. And in the summer months, heat stroke is a serious concern for those spending their time outdoors. ===Visitor information=== * {{listing | name=Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau | alt= | url=http://www.visittucson.org/ | email= | address=100 S Church Ave | lat=32.220846 | long=-110.9727 | directions=downtown | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-638-8350 | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su 9AM-4PM | price= | content=Offers a free Official Destination Guide, Golf Guide or Dining Guide. }} ==Get in== {{mapframe|32.202|-110.906|zoom=10}} {{mapshape}} ===By plane=== *{{listing | type=go | name=Tucson International Airport | alt={{IATA|TUS}} | url=http://www.flytucson.com/ | email= | address=7250 S Tucson Blvd | lat=32.120382 | long=-110.937741 | directions= | phone=+1 520-573-8100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tucson International Airport | image=Departure gate B6area LFrederick 1208.jpg | wikidata=Q1433111 |lastedit=2020-04-18| content=Served by a number of airlines. '''Concourse A''': Allegiant, Frontier Airlines, Southwest, Sun Country, United. '''Concourse B''': American Airlines/American Eagle, Alaska Airlines, Delta/Delta Connection. The airport is on the far southern end of the city. A taxi to central Tucson (University of Arizona area) will run about $25-30 and take 25 minutes. Bus services (Rt #11 and 25) to and from the airport is significantly cheaper but will take at least 60 minutes to/from downtown Tucson. Some people fly into [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix Sky Harbor]] and then take a shuttle or rent a car and drive to Tucson (about 2 hours). Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the airport. }} ===By train=== Arriving by train to Tucson is possible as the city is served by '''[http://www.amtrak.com Amtrak]''' via its triweekly [http://www.amtrak.com/sunset-limited-train ''Sunset Limited''] train between [[New Orleans]] and [[Los Angeles]]. This train also conveys [http://www.amtrak.com/texas-eagle-train ''Texas Eagle''] carriages, offering a direct route to and from [[Chicago]]. Eastbound trains arrive around 7:30AM while westbound ones arrive early evening. Notice however that delays are quite common. * {{listing | type=go | name=Tucson railway station | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/tus | email= | address=400 N Toole Ave | lat=32.223135 | long=-110.966796 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tucson station | wikidata=Q7851141 | lastedit=2019-05-05 | content=Located next to downtown, this historic station has both a waiting room and a ticket office. }} ===By car=== * [[File:I-10.svg|20px]] '''Interstate 10''' (I-10) is an east-west cross-continental route, coming from southern [[New Mexico]] to the east and from [[Phoenix]] from the northwest. While I-10 is an east-west route, it runs northwest-southeast between Tucson and Phoenix, then from Phoenix runs west towards [[California]]. * [[File:I-19.svg|20px]] '''Interstate 19''' (I-19) is an intra-state route running south from Tucson, connecting it with [[Nogales (Arizona)|Nogales]], on the border US-Mexico with [[Nogales (Sonora)|Nogales]], [[Sonora]], [[Mexico]]. * [[File:Arizona 77.svg|20px]] '''Arizona State Route 77''' (AZ 77) is a north-south route, the south end starting in Tucson going north through [[Oracle]] and [[Globe]], then concurrent with US 60 from Globe to Show Low, then to [[Holbrook (Arizona)|Holbrook]] and I-40. * [[File:Arizona 86.svg|20px]] '''Arizona State Route 86''' (AZ 86) runs east-west through southern Arizona, it's east end starting in Tucson, passing near Kitt Peak Observatory, through the Tohono O'odham Nation, and ending in the little town of Why at the junction with AZ 85, just north of [[Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument]]. ===By bus=== There are multiple long distance bus lines and van shuttles serving Tucson from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, El Paso, Phoenix, Douglas, Yuma & Nogales in the U.S. and from Nogales, Hermosillo, Puerto Peñasco, Agua Prieta and Culiacán in Mexico. Each company has a stop for their own bus station in different parts of town that are far from each other. * {{go | name=Groome Transportation | alt=formerly Arizona Shuttle Service | url=https://groometransportation.com/arizona/ | email= | address=5350 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.235927 | long=-110.878123 | directions= | phone=+1 520-795-6771 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=Offers shuttle service between Sky Harbor and Tucson. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/bus/tucson-az | email= | address=(bus stop) Univ of Arizona 6th St Garage at 1119 E 6th St | lat= | long= | directions=Bus will board in the covered bus loading zone on the south side of the Sixth Street garage. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-20 | content=They also have an additional "north freeway" stop at the AM/PM Mini Market at 802 W Speedway off of I-10 at Exit #257 }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Greyhound Lines, Autobus Americanos, Cruceros USA | alt= | url=http://www.greyhound.com/ | email= | address=471 W Congress St | lat=32.220647 | long=-110.978094 | directions= | phone=+1 520-792-3475 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travels primarily on Interstate 10 (Los Angeles, Phoenix, Mesa, Casa Grande, Tucson, Benson, Wilcox, El Paso) an on I-8/10 (San Diego, Calexico, Yuma, Tucson and El Paso). Passengers transfer to other buses in [[Phoenix#By_bus|Phoenix]], [[Los Angeles#By bus|Los Angeles]], San Bernardino and [[El Paso#By_bus|El Paso]] to get to additional cities in the U.S. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Premier Shuttle | alt= | url= | email= | address=4207 6th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 520 460-9010 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=Connects Phoenix to Nogales via Tucson. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Sahuaro Shuttle | alt= | url= | email= | address=4202 6th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 520 573-1399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=Connects Tucson to Phoenix in one direction and to Agua Prieta and Hermosillo via Nogales in the other. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Shuttle Sonora | alt= | url= | email= | address=4201 6th Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 520 294-1210 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales and Douglas. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=TAP Royal | alt= | url=http://www.taproyal.com | email= | address=(Office) 910 W Irvington Rd, Suite #110 | lat=32.1637 | long=-110.98332 | directions=Strip mall NE of the I-19/Irvington Rd junction by Fry's. | phone=+1 520 573-7033 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-04 | content=They offer bus service between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales in U.S. and from Nogales to Guadalajara, along Fed Hwy 15 through multiple cities in Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco in Mexico. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=TUFESA Bus Lines | alt= | url=http://www.tufesa.com.mx/home.html | email= | address=5550 S 12th Ave #148 | lat=32.150845 | long=-110.978035 | directions= | phone=+1 520-294-3780 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Bus service along I-10/I-19 between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales and Hermosillo in Mexico }} ==Get around== ===By public transportation=== [[File:Sun Express.jpg|thumb|Sun Tran bus]] [[File:Sun Link Streetcar.jpg|thumb|Sun Link Streetcar]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Sun Tran | alt= | url=http://www.suntran.com/ | email=suntraninfo@tucsonaz.gov | address=3920 N Sun Tran Blvd (main office) | lat=32.27792 | long=-111.00784 | directions= | phone=+1 520-628-1565 (customer service) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6AM-7PM, Sa-Su 8AM-5PM | price=One-way fares (exact change required): $1.50 (adults), $0.50 (concessions), free (children under 5), $2 (express routes); 1-day pass: $3.50; 30-day pass: $42; 30-day economy pass: $15 | wikipedia=Sun Tran | image=Sun Express.jpg | wikidata=Q7638551 | content=An extensive metropolitan bus system, with routes and times listed [http://www.suntran.com/routes.php here]. The buses can accommodate up to two bicycles in the front; only folding bikes are permitted inside the bus. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Sun Link Streetcar | alt= | url=http://www.sunlinkstreetcar.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A streetcar route which extends from the University of Arizona to the downtown area and the Mercado district. It has now been integrated into the Sun Tran public transportation system; the streetcar route map can be downloaded [http://www.sunlinkstreetcar.com/documents/images/Route_Map.jpg here]. It is especially popular in the evenings for making the rounds between University and the night life on 4th Ave. }} ===By car=== I-10 and I-19 are the only freeways in Tucson, which has far fewer miles of freeway than other U.S. cities of its size. Since I-10 and I-19 mostly skirt the west and south sides, all east-west traffic and all east-side traffic is on surface streets. Surface street travel can be slow during the workday, and even slower during rainstorms. Many older streets become completely flooded as they are the original "U-shape" where the entire street width is for rain drainage, instead of the modern typical street pitching down towards curbs. And several main surface streets have "reversible lanes", also dubbed "suicide lanes", where the center turn lane becomes an additional through traffic lane for peak hours. Watch the lane signals for proper usage, or you'll likely find yourself staring at the grill of another vehicle. Traffic direction typically alternates between morning and afternoon. ===By bicycle=== [[File:Tugo Bike Share Tucson, Arizona (28709926857).jpg|thumb|Tugo Bike Share]] Tucson is a bike-friendly community, and has an extensive system of [http://bikeped.pima.gov/Pubs/MetroBikeMap%20082611int4web.pdf bike routes and paths] (but is something you don't want to do in the summer unless you are experienced riding in very hot, dry weather). In late 2017 the city launched [https://tugobikeshare.com/ '''Tugo Bike Share'''], a new public bike-sharing program, with 330 bicycles and 36 rental station scattered around the university district and downtown. Passes are available for one day ($8), one month ($18), or one year ($80), and allow unlimited use of the bikes for 30-minute intervals. Passes can be purchased at docking stations with a credit card, online with a credit or debit card, or with cash at any 7-Eleven, CVS, or Family Dollar stores (requires prior online registration). Bicycle stations with available bikes and docks can be found [https://tugobikeshare.com/system-map/ online] or via the smartphone Cyclefinder app (iOS and Android). ===By taxi=== It is notoriously difficult to get around in Tucson by taxi, as you must usually reserve a cab hours in advance and contend with drivers who are often late, if they show up at all. As an alternative, ride-hailing services [http://www.uber.com/ '''Uber'''] and [http://www.lyft.com/ '''Lyft'''] now both operate in Tucson, and are a decent alternative if you can't get a regular cab within a reasonable time frame. * {{listing | name=Tucson Resort Transportation | alt= | url=http://tucsonairportrides.com/airport-car-services/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@tucsonairportrides.com | address=2495 N Desert Links Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 520-425-1935 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 6AM-8PM, F Sa until bar closing | price=Credit cards accepted | lastedit=2017-10-17 | content=One of the more reputable taxi operators in the Tucson area, with punctual and reliable drivers. Generally it is best to make reservations 1-2 hours in advance. They also offer shuttle service to/from Tucson and Phoenix airports for a [http://tucsonairportrides.com/rates/ flat rate] {{dead link|December 2020}}. }} ==See== ===Historic sights=== [[File:El Tiradito shrine (Tucson, Arizona) 4.JPG|thumb|El Tiradito in Barrio Viejo]] [[File:Ft. Lowell Park, Tucson hospital 1.JPG|thumb|Fort Lowell]] *{{see | name=Barrio Viejo | alt=Barrio Histórico | url= | email= | address=Bounded by I-10, W Cushing St , S 6th Ave, and W 18th St | lat=NA | long=NA | directions=by the Tucson Convention Center | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of Tucson's oldest neighborhoods, much of the barrio was destroyed when the Tucson Convention Center was built. There are many colorful adobe buildings housing shops, galleries, and residences. Best explored on foot. }} **{{see | name=El Tiradito | alt=The Castaway | url= | email= | address=Just south of the intersection of S Main Ave at W Cushing St | lat=32.216078 | long=-110.974628 | directions=Barrio Viejo | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-21| content=El Tiradito is the only shrine to a sinner in North America. In the 1880s, a young man had an affair with his mother-in-law. When caught in the act, his father-in-law shot him and he stumbled from bed and ran out of the house. He dropped dead on this spot, and because he had not confessed his sins, he could not be buried in the church yard. His family and friends interred him where he fell, but remembered him with candles and flowers. People still burn candles and leave offerings today. Best visited at dusk or after dark. | wikipedia=El Tiradito | image=El Tiradito shrine (Tucson, Arizona) 4.JPG | wikidata=Q5352255 }} ** {{see | name=Sosa-Carrillo-Frémont House Museum | alt= | url=http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/welcome-to-the-arizona-history-museum-tucson/ {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email=AHSTucson@azhs.gov | address=151 S Granada Ave | lat=32.219418 | long=-110.974389 | directions= | phone=+1 520-628-5774 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Sa 10AM-4PM | price=Free, donations welcome | wikipedia=Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House | image=Sosa-Carillo-Fremont house from SW 1.JPG | wikidata=Q20858352 | content=A remnant of Tucson's old barrio which survived and is now surrounded by the Tucson Convention Center, this historic adobe house was built in the 1870s. }} *{{see | name=Fort Lowell Museum | alt= | url=http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/welcome-to-the-arizona-history-museum-tucson/ {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=2900 N Craycroft Rd | lat=32.259958 | long=-110.874668 | directions= | phone=+1 520-885-3832 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Sa 10AM-4PM | price=Free, donations welcome | wikipedia=Fort Lowell | image=Ft. Lowell Park, Tucson museum 3.JPG | wikidata=Q5471556 | content=Fort Lowell was a US Army post, active in the late 19th century during the Apache Wars. Most of the adobe structures are now in ruins, but the commanding officers' quarters have been reconstructed and now house a small museum, with exhibits focused on military life on the frontier. The building also has a small gift shop. }} * {{see | name=San Pedro Chapel | alt= | url=http://sanpedrochapel.com/ | email=info@sanpedrochapel.com | address=5230 E Fort Lowell Rd | lat=32.26075 | long=-110.880907 | directions= | phone=+1 520-302-9265 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Pedro Chapel | image=San Pedro Chapel (Tucson) from NE 1.JPG | wikidata=Q7415102 | content=A historic Sonoran-style adobe chapel, built in 1915 and on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately the church is usually only open for special events, but it can be freely appreciated from the outside. }} ===Museums and galleries=== [[File:Boneyard Tucson AZ.jpg|thumb|AMARC, aka the 'Boneyard', with the Santa Catalina Mountains in the background.]] [[File:Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio.jpg|thumb|Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio]] *{{see | name=Pima Air & Space Museum | alt= | url=http://www.pimaair.org/ | email= | address=6000 E Valencia Rd | lat=32.139626 | long=-110.865775 | directions= | phone=+1 520-574-0462 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-5PM (last admission at 4PM); closed Thanksgiving and Christmas | price=$15.50 (adults), $12.25 (Pima County residents), $12.75 (seniors/military), $9 (children 5-12), free (children under 5) | wikipedia=Pima Air & Space Museum | image=Pima Air ^ Space Museum - Tucson, AZ - Flickr - hyku (80).jpg | wikidata=Q3062422 | content=Features over 300 historic aircraft on an 80-acre site with five hangars, two of them devoted to World War II. Veterans and volunteers are often on hand to answer any questions, and there are daily walking tours of the grounds. There is an onsite restaurant. }} **{{see | name=Tram Tour | alt= | url=http://www.pimaair.org/tour-tram | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone=+1 520-574-0462 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Price is in addition to museum admission: $6 (adults), free (children under 6) | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=As the grounds are so large, a tour tram is offered for those who do not wish to walk. The guided tour lasts one hour and covers 1½ miles and more than 150 planes. Departure times vary, so it is best to call ahead or inquire at the entrance. }} ** {{see | name=Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center | alt=AMARC / Boneyard | url=http://www.pimaair.org/tour-boneyard | email= | address= | lat=32.15 | long=-110.833333 | directions= | phone=+1 520-574-0462 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F; times vary so best to call ahead, typically 11 AM and 2 PM | price=$10 | wikipedia=309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group | image=Aerial view of Davis-Monthan AFB AMARG in March 2015.JPG | wikidata=Q224095 | lastedit=2016-04-22 | content=A separate, very interesting tour can be booked to see the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center nearby on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, where more than 4,200 aircraft are stored. As the facility is an active military base, an ID is required (all nationalities welcome). Visitors are not permitted to leave the bus, and non-essential backpacks and camera bags are not permitted (storage is available at the museum). Reservations are required at least 10 business days in advance, in order to receive security clearance for the base, and can be made up to 90 calendar days in advance. }} *{{see | name=Tucson Museum of Art | alt= | url=http://www.tucsonmuseumofart.org/ | email=info@TucsonMuseumofArt.org | address=140 N Main Ave | lat=32.2234 | long=-110.9749 | directions= | phone=+1 520-624-2333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu W 10AM-5PM, Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM | price=$12 (adults), $10 (seniors), $7 (students/children 13-17), free (children under 13); free on 1st Th of month from 5PM-8PM | wikipedia=Tucson Museum of Art | image=Tucson Museum of Art.jpg | wikidata=Q18325616 | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=A museum complex housed in a collection of historic adobe houses, this museum hosts exhibits of regional contemporary art, as well as the Arizona Biennial. Its permanent collection of Latin American and pre-Columbian art is particularly noteworthy. There is a well-stocked shop in the lobby that is open during museum hours. }} *{{see | name=University of Arizona Museum of Art | alt= | url=http://www.artmuseum.arizona.edu/ | email= | address=1031 N Olive Rd | lat=32.235619 | long=-110.955821 | directions=on the U of A campus, by E Speedway | phone=+1 520-621-7567 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W 9AM-5PM, Th 9AM-8PM, F Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM | price=$8 (adults), $6.50 (seniors), free (students) | wikipedia=University of Arizona Museum of Art | wikidata=Q7895060 | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=Houses an extensive of American and European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, with excellent rotating exhibits. A highlight of the collection is the 15th-century Spanish altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo. }} *{{see | name=Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson | alt=MOCA | url=http://www.moca-tucson.org/ | email= | address=265 S Church Ave | lat=32.218043 | long=-110.971791 | directions=across from the Tucson Convention Center | phone=+1 520-624-5019 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Su noon-5PM | price=$8 (adults), $5 (students/seniors), free (veterans, military, children under 17); free on last Su of every month | wikipedia=Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson | image=MOCATucson.jpg | wikidata=Q6940811 | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=Hosts exhibits of regional and national contemporary art. }} *{{see | name=Center for Creative Photography | alt= | url=http://www.creativephotography.org/ | email=info@ccp.arizona.edu | address=1030 Olive Rd | lat=32.235671 | long=-110.956381 | directions=on the U of A campus, by E Speedway | phone=+1 520-621-7968 | tollfree=+1 520-621-9444 | fax= | hours=Tu-F 9AM-4PM, Sa 1PM-4PM | price=Free, donations accepted | wikipedia=Center for Creative Photography | image=Center for Creative Photography entrance.JPG | wikidata=Q2944356 | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=The center was founded by Ansel Adams, and routinely features works of famous (and not-so-famous) photographers. When they have their Ansel Adams collection up it is a must see. }} *{{see | name=Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio | alt= | url=http://www.philabaumglass.com | email=gallery@philabaumglass.com | address=711 S 6th Ave | lat=32.212747 | long=-110.96832 | directions=just south of Downtown | phone=+1 520-884-7404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Winter: Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM; summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day): Tu-Sa 11AM-4PM | price= | image=Philabaum Glass Gallery & Studio.jpg | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=Tom Philabaum built his first glass studio in 1975, and opened the adjacent gallery in 1982. Together they represent one of the most enduring art endeavors of present-day Tucson. Visitors are able to watch the glass blowing process in the studio, and shop the impressive collection of contemporary glass art from artists around the country. }} [[File:DeGrazia Chapel.jpg|thumb|De Grazia Chapel]] [[File:Locomotive 1673 (Tucson, Arizona) 3.JPG|thumb|Southern Arizona Transportation Museum]] *{{see | name=De Grazia Gallery in the Sun Historic District | alt= | url=http://degrazia.org/ | email=cs@degrazia.org | address=6300 N Swan Rd | lat=32.321728 | long=-110.891631 | directions= | phone=+1 520-299-9191 | tollfree=+1-800-545-2185 | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM-4PM; closed 1 Jan, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas | price=$8 (adults), $5 (children 12-18), free (children under 12) | wikipedia=DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Historic District | image=DeGrazia Chapel.jpg | wikidata=Q5243911 | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=A collection of buildings on a 10-acre site, designed and built by well-known Arizona painter Ettore 'Ted' DeGrazia (1909-1982); the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A gallery showcases the artist's work in six permanent collections as well as special rotating exhibits, and a gift shop onsite sells good quality reproductions of some of his work. In early December the grounds also host the annual ''Fiesta de Guadalupe''.<br />The chapel is closed due to fire damage. }} * {{see | name=Southern Arizona Transportation Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tucsonhistoricdepot.org/ | email=ContactUs@TucsonHistoricDepot.org | address=414 N Toole Ave | lat=32.223671 | long=-110.967532 | directions=next to the Amtrak station | phone=+1 520-623-2223 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=T-Th 11AM-3PM, F Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 11AM-3PM, engine with cab visits Sa 10AM-1PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Southern Arizona Transportation Museum | image=Locomotive 1673 (Tucson, Arizona) 3.JPG | wikidata=Q7569633 | content=A small museum devoted to the history of the railroads in southern Arizona, housed in the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. The star attraction is the Southern Pacific Railroad 1673 steam locomotive. Docents and volunteers available to answer questions about the locomotive on Saturdays. For other times, tours can be arranged upon request. }} * {{see | name=Children's Museum Tucson | alt= | url=http://www.childrensmuseumtucson.org/ | email= | address=200 S 6th Ave | lat=32.219214 | long=-110.969146 | directions= | phone=+1 520-792-9985 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-5PM | price=$6 (children 1-18), $8 (adults), $6 (seniors); $2 2nd Sa of the month | content= }} * {{see | name=Arizona History Museum | alt= | url=http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/welcome-to-the-arizona-history-museum-tucson/ {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=949 E 2nd St | lat=32.233218 | long=-110.957377 | directions=University of Arizona Campus | phone=+1 520-628-5774 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 9AM-4PM, F 9AM-8PM, Sa Su 11AM-4PM | price=$8 (adults), $6 (seniors), $5 (students), $4 (children 7-17), free (children under 7) | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=This museum is devoted to the history of Tucson and the surrounding area, with relevant displays. }} * {{see | name=Arizona Historical Society | alt=Downtown History Museum | url=http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/welcome-to-the-arizona-history-museum-tucson/ {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email=AHSTucson@azhs.gov | address=140 N Stone Ave | lat=32.223693 | long=-110.971383 | directions=in the Wells Fargo Bank bldg | phone=+1 520-770-1473 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-F 10AM-4PM | price=$3 (adults), $2 (seniors and youths 12-18) | content=Exhibits detail businesses and homes in early Tucson, including drugstores, police and fire departments, and a barbershop. }} * {{see | name=Old Pascua Museum and Yaqui Cultural Center | alt= | url= | email= | address=856 W Calle Santa Ana | lat=32.24808 | long=-110.985939 | directions=south of Grant Rd and Fairview Ave | phone=+1 520-884-8527, +1 520-990-5949 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 9AM-1PM | price=Free (donations welcome) | content=Museum that features more than 4000 artifacts on display from the old Pasqua tribe, displayed in a home built in 1926 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. }} * {{see | name=Museum of the Horse Soldier | alt= | url=http://museumofthehorsesoldier.com/ | email=r.g.whitleymilitaryhistory@gmail.com | address=6541 E Tanque Verde Rd | lat=32.24703 | long=-110.85246 | directions=Trail Dust Town | phone=+1 520-722-2706 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su 11AM-5PM, M Tu by appt, W-Sa 11AM-7PM | price=$3 (adults), $2 (children 7-18), free (children under 7) | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Has one of the country's largest public collections of items illustrating the history of US cavalry from the 18th to 21st centuries. }} ===Parks and wildlife=== [[File:Buteo regalis -Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tuscon, USA-8g.jpg|thumb|A Ferruginous Hawk at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum]] *{{see | name=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | alt= | url=http://www.desertmuseum.org/ | email= | address=2021 N Kinney Rd | lat=32.244122 | long=-111.167995 | directions= | phone=+1 520-883-2702 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Oct-Feb 8:30AM-5PM, Mar-Sep 7:30AM-5PM | price=$14.50/adult, $5/child (Sep-May); $12/adult, $4/child Jun-Aug | wikipedia=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | image=Buteo regalis -Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tuscon, USA-8g.jpg | wikidata=Q478839 | content=More like Biosphere II than a walled institution, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is part zoo, part natural history museum and part botanical garden all in one Tucson attraction. From tarantulas to black bears, coyotes to scorpions, the museum-zoo is an entrancing and full-contact tribute to the Sonoran desert's wildlife (the wire fences are nearly invisible and the hummingbirds in the buzzing, walk-in aviary seem to think you are the attraction). Give yourself time to soak in the Southwest splendor and if time is all you have, the Museum is also on the fringes of Saguaro National Park, home to the world's largest forests of Saguaro cacti. }} * {{see | name=Colossal Cave Mountain Park | alt= | url=http://colossalcave.com/ | email=info@colossalcave.com | address=16721 E Old Spanish Trail | lat=32.061973 | long=-110.633281 | directions=Vail | phone=+1 520-647-7275 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 8AM-5PM, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas; tours hourly, last tour at 4PM | price=Park: $5 (auto), $1 (bicycle); cave: $16 (adults), $9 (children 5-12) | wikipedia=Colossal Cave (Arizona) | image=Colossal Cave.jpg | wikidata=Q5149110 | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=A "dry" cave with 3½ miles of mapped passageways. The cave was used by pre-Columbian Native Americans, and rediscovered in 1879. Also on park grounds are a cowboy ranch museum, a butterfly garden, horseback trails, and picnic and camping facilities. }} *{{see | name=Tohono Chul Park | alt= | url=http://www.tohonochulpark.org/ | email= | address=7366 N Paseo del Norte | lat=32.339981 | long=-110.980902 | directions= | phone=+1 520-742-6455 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tohono Chul Park | image=Tohono Chul Park 32.jpg | wikidata=Q7813303 | content="Tohono chul" means "desert corner" in the Tohono O'Odham's (desert people's) language, and this haven in the midst of Tucson's burgeoning north side offers a tea room, gift shop, bookstore, and art gallery in the middle of trails and gardens. There are extensive botanical exhibits explaining the native plants, and a wonderful plant-sale area in which to buy them for your own garden. Many kinds of desert birds are frequent visitors. }} *{{listing | type=see | name=Tucson Botanical Gardens | alt= | url=http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/ | email= | address=2150 N Alvernon Way | lat=32.248523 | long=-110.908488 | directions= | phone=+1 520-326-9686 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 8:30am - 4:30pm, Thurs & Fri 8:30am - 8:00pm | price=$15 (Adults), $13 (Students, Seniors 62+, Military), $8 (Children 4-17), $0 (Children under 4 years, members) | wikipedia=Tucson Botanical Gardens | image=Cactus blooms at TBG.jpg | wikidata=Q7851146 | content=This beautiful oasis in the heart of Tucson was the home of Bernice and Rutger Porter. Dating to the 1920s, the earliest buildings on the property were constructed of adobe bricks made right on site. True to the vision of Mrs. Porter, Tucson Botanical Gardens is a place of beauty, inspiration and education about the natural world. }} * {{see | name=Reid Park Zoo | alt= | url=http://reidparkzoo.org/ | email= | address=1030 S Randolph Way | lat=32.209315 | long=-110.920567 | directions= | phone=+1 520-791-4022 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Jun-Aug daily 8AM-3PM, Sep-May 9AM-4PM | price=$9 (adults), $7 (seniors), $5 (children 2-14) | wikipedia=Reid Park Zoo | image=Reid Park Zoo Entrance.JPG | wikidata=Q7309977 | content=Cares for more than 500 animals. The zoo has a state-of-the-art facility for treating cancers with radiation and heat therapy, and treats animal patients from zoos all over the country. }} ===Outside of town=== [[File:Exterior of the Mission Xavier del Bac.jpg|thumb|Mission San Xavier del Bac]] *{{see | name=Mission San Xavier del Bac | alt= | url=http://www.sanxaviermission.org/ | email= | address=1950 W San Xavier Rd | lat=32.107079 | long=-111.007857 | directions=Tohono O'odham San Xavier Indian Reservation, 10 miles S of Tucson | phone=+1 520-294-2624 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mission San Xavier del Bac | image=Mission San Xavier del Bac.jpg | wikidata=Q489984 | content=The "White Dove of the Desert" is a Tucson mission. Pure white and pristine against a hot desert backdrop, and still heady inside its elaborately colored and muraled interior from centuries of supplication, the Mission San Xavier del Bac was finished in 1797 when Arizona was still New Spain. It has been cleaned and restored by professional art conservators who worked with and trained members of the community. }} *{{see | name=Old Tucson Studios | alt= | url=http://www.oldtucson.com/ | email= | address=201 S Kinney Rd | lat=32.218538 | long=-111.13036 | directions= | phone=+1 520-883-0100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Old Tucson Studios | image=Old Tucson Saloon.JPG | wikidata=Q472218 | content=Ever notice that Hollywood's Old West, the backdrop for the gun-slinging and cryptic comments of Hollywood's Western icons – Wayne, Eastwood, Douglas and Newman – has much in common with the Wild West of today's Tombstone and Geronimo? They've all been filmed at the Old Tucson Studios, which were built in 1939 for the making of the William Holden film ''Arizona''. Still an active film, TV and commercial set, it's also a nostalgia-themed park, with main drag shootouts, corseted can-can dancers, educational shows, pre-Prohibition saloons, restaurants, and gift shops. }} ==Talk== Tucson is a very diverse city. English is the most widely spoken language. Many people in the south side are bilingual in English and Spanish. ==Do== ===Performing arts=== * {{do | name=Arizona Theatre Company | alt=Temple of Music and Art | url=http://www.arizonatheatre.org/ | email=info@arizonatheatre.org | address=330 S Scott Ave | lat=32.21782 | long=-110.970057 | directions=downtown | phone=+1 520-622-2823 (box office) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Box office: M-F 10AM-5PM/curtain, Sa Su noon-curtain | price= | wikipedia=Arizona Theatre Company | image=Temple of Music and Art in Tucson, AZ.jpg | wikidata=Q4791451 | lastedit=2017-03-07 | content=Also operating in Phoenix, the company performs six productions a year. Tickets can be purchased [https://arizonatheatre.secure.force.com/ticket online]. }} * {{do | name=Centennial Hall | alt= | url=http://uapresents.org/centennial-hall | email= | address=1020 E University Blvd | lat=32.23125 | long=-110.95543 | directions=University of Arizona | phone=+1 520-621-3341 (ticket office) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Ticket office: Sep-Apr M-F 10AM-6PM, Sa noon-5PM; May-Aug hours vary; open 2 hr before performance | price= | wikipedia=Centennial Hall (Tucson, Arizona) | image=UAperformance.JPG | wikidata=Q14680309 | lastedit=2017-03-07 | content=A venue for classical music, dance, jazz, and musicals. Tickets can be purchased [http://uapresents.org/sale-now online]. }} * {{do | name=Leo Rich Theater | alt= | url=http://leorichtheater.com/ | email= | address=260 S Church Ave | lat=32.21971 | long=-110.97325 | directions=Tucson Convention Center | phone=+1 520-837-4766 (ticket office) | tollfree=+1 800-745-3000 | fax= | hours=Ticket office: M-F 10AM-5:30PM, 2 hr before event | price= | lastedit=2017-03-07 | content=The venue for concerts sponsored by the [http://arizonachambermusic.org/ Arizona Friends of Chamber Music], and Tucson's primary space for ballet, theater, and musicals. Tickets can be purchased [http://www.ticketmaster.com/TCC-Leo-Rich-Theatre-Tucson-tickets-Tucson/venue/205046 online]. }} * {{do | name=Tucson Music Hall | alt= | url=http://tucsonmusichall.org/ | email= | address=260 S Church Ave | lat=32.21989 | long=-110.97448 | directions=Tucson Convention Center | phone=+1 520-837-4766 (ticket office) | tollfree=+1 800-745-3000 | fax= | hours=Ticket office: M-F 10AM-5:30PM, 2 hr before event | price= | image=Tccoutside.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-07 | content=The home of [http://www.tucsonsymphony.org/ Tucson Symphony Orchestra] and the [http://www.azopera.org/ Arizona Opera]. Tickets can be purchased [http://www.ticketmaster.com/Tucson-Music-Hall-tickets-Tucson/venue/205070 online]. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=DesertView Performing Arts Center | alt= | url=https://dvpac.net/ | email= | address=39900 S. Clubhouse Dr | lat=32.514422 | long=-110.903454 | directions= | phone=+1 520 825-2818 (ticket office) | tollfree= | hours=Ticket office:Mon-Fri, but online at https://dvpac.net/ | price=varies | lastedit=2019-03-11 | content=State of the Performing Art Theater located in the heart of SaddleBrooke live performances from Rock and Roll to Musicals and Symphonies. }} * {{do | name=Carnival of Illusion | alt= | url=https://www.carnivalofillusion.com | email=thrills@carnivalofillusion.com | address=160 S Scott Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 480 359-7469 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-05-01 | content=The Carnival of Illusion Parlour Show presents national quality magic in an intimate setting at the Historic Scottish Rite in downtown Tucson, and is limited to 125 guests. The hosts are the National Recipients for Excellence in Magic and have performed as house entertainers at the world's top resorts, for Fortune 100 CEOs, to the 200 Most Powerful Women in America. }} ===Festivals and events=== [[File:Tucson Gem and Mineral Show TM.JPG|thumb|Tucson Gem & Mineral Show]] [[File:TeamRopingTucson.jpg|thumb|Fiesta de los Vaqueros]] [[File:All Souls Procession Tucson AZ.jpg|thumb|All Souls Procession]] *{{do | name=Tucson Gem & Mineral Show | alt= | url=http://www.tgms.org/ | email=tgms@tgms.org | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 520-322-5773 | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-322-6031 | hours=late January - mid February | price= | wikipedia=Tucson Gem & Mineral Show | wikidata=Q7851157 | content=For two weeks every winter, the world meets in Tucson as it becomes a bustling, international marketplace of buyers and sellers at the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase. The "Gem Show" is much more than a single event at one location. Rather, there are thousands of participants and attendees at nearly 50 sites around town. Dozens of shows take place at the same time – in giant white tents, at hotels and resorts and at exhibit halls. There's something for everyone at the many open-to-the-public shows – from gold and diamonds to granite bookends and glass beads – and from fine specimens of dinosaur fossils to opals dug from the Australian Outback. }} * {{do | name=Fiesta de los Vaqueros | alt= | url=http://www.tucsonrodeo.com/ | email=info@tucsonrodeo.com | address=Pima County Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S 6th Ave | lat=32.166694 | long=-110.966519 | directions= | phone=+1 520-741-2233 | tollfree=+1-800-964-5662 | fax= | hours=February | price=$22-60 | image=TeamRopingTucson.jpg | content=An annual week-long rodeo held in mid-February, the highlight of which is the Rodeo Parade. This event marks the start of rodeo season in the US. }} * {{do | name=Wa:k Pow Wow | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/wakpowwow | email=wakpowwow@gmail.com | address=1950 W San Xavier Rd | lat=32.10798 | long=-111.00826 | directions=behind Mission San Xavier del Bac, on the San Xavier Indian Reservation | phone=+1 520-573-4000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=2nd weekend in March; activities begin at 10AM on Sa and extend until 6PM on Su | price=$7 (adults), $5 (children), free (children under 6); $3 for parking | image=Wak Pow Wow 2015.jpg | lastedit=2017-02-11 | content=This annual two-day event showcases traditional dancing from a number of different regional tribes. Booths offer crafts and jewelry for sale, as well as food and beverages. }} * {{do | name=La Frontera Tucson International Mariachi Conference | alt= | url=http://www.tucsonmariachi.org/ | email=timc@lafrontera.org | address=5655 W Valencia Rd | lat=32.13115 | long=-111.08670 | directions=Casino del Sol Resort | phone=+1 520-838-3908 | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-792-0654 | hours=Late April | price= | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=An annual four-day event celebrating mariachi music and folklorico dance. International stars and local students alike give performances. }} * {{do | name=Tucson Modernism Week | alt= | url=https://preservetucson.org/modernism-week/ | email= | address=260 S Church Ave | lat=32.21771 | long=-110.97454 | directions=Tucson Convention Center | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-11-07 | content=October. Annual festival celebrating Tucson's legacy of mid-century modern architecture and design, centered around the mid-century modern convention center and its Garrett Eckbo-designed plaza. Events include a vintage market where numerous vendors sell everything mod, from suits and ties to designer furniture to cool retro gadgets; a car show displaying mostly mid-century cars and trailers; various lectures on architecture; and tours of various mid-century modern homes around Tucson. Prices vary by event; the market and car show are free, but most lectures require tickets. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=All Souls Procession | alt=All Soul's Weekend | url=http://www.allsoulsprocession.org/ | email= | address=Downtown | lat=32.227705 | long=-110.968677 | directions=route begins on N 6th Ave and E 6th St, and ends on W Congress Ave after I-10 | phone= | tollfree= | hours=November | price= | wikipedia=All Soul's Weekend | wikidata=Q19872000 | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=One of the largest festivals in Tucson and based on the Mexican holiday 'Día de los Muertos' ([[Day of the Dead]]), the highlight is a 3-mile parade beginning at dusk. Very colorful, with participants dressing in traditional or creative costumes. Takes place annually on the first Sunday in November. }} * {{do | name=La Fiesta de Guadalupe | alt= | url=http://degrazia.org/events/ | email=cs@degrazia.org | address=6300 N Swan Rd | lat=32.321728 | long=-110.891631 | directions=DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun | phone=+1 520-299-9191 | tollfree=+1-800-545-2185 | fax= | hours=First Sunday in December, 10AM-4PM | price=Free | lastedit=2016-04-13 | content=This annual event celebrates Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and features performances by mariachi bands, folklorico dancers, Yaqui dancers, and Spanish flamenco guitar. Booths sell crafts and souvenirs, as well as southwestern-style food and beverages. }} * {{do | name=Winterhaven Festival of Lights | url=http://www.winterhavenfestival.org/index.html | email= | address= | lat=32.269426 | long=-110.929348 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=December | price= | content=An annual event in the Winterhaven subdivision north of Fort Lowell Road displaying a huge Christmas light festival involving several dozen homes in the subdivision. The festival starts in the middle of December, ending a few days before New Year's Day. The event is very popular, and traffic to the event is always very congested. }} *{{Do|name=Summer Car Shows|alt=|url=|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=Year round. Typically after sunset during summer|price=Usually free.|lastedit=2019-07-05|content=Tucson's dry climate makes it an ideal location for classic car restoration. There are community organized car shows at various locations and times.}} ===Sports and outdoor activities=== [[File:Romero Canyon 2.jpg|thumb|Romero Canyon in Santa Catalina State Park]] [[File:Ocotillo Bloom.jpg|thumb|Ocotillo blooming in Tucson Mountain Park]] * {{do | name=Arizona Wildcats | alt= | url=http://www.arizonawildcats.com/ | email=catsinfo@arizona.edu | address=McKale Center, 1721 E. Enke Dr | lat=32.23030 | long=-110.94595 | directions= | phone=+1 520 621-2287 | tollfree=+1-800-452-2287 | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM–5PM | price= | wikipedia=Arizona Wildcats | wikidata=Q3174614 | content=The city's highest-profile sports teams are those of the University of Arizona, members of the Pac-12 Conference alongside 11 other schools in the western third of the country. While the school fields teams in 21 sports (nine men's and 12 women's), the biggest draws are (as at most major schools) football and men's basketball. The latter is a very tough ticket, considering the Wildcats' consistent regional and national success in that sport for the last 30 or so years. }} * {{do | name=Pusch Ridge Stables | alt= | url=http://www.puschridgestables.com/ | email=vickie@puschridgestables.com | address=13700 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.45574 | long=-110.92609 | directions= | phone=+1 520-825-1664 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 8AM-3PM | price=$65/hr (lessons) | lastedit=2018-01-05 | content=This horse stable offers riding lessons. }} * {{do | name=Roller Derby Scene | alt=Junior, Men and Women Roller Derby | url=http://www.tucsongunslingers.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=1145 E Valencia Rd | lat=32.135338 | long=-110.954343 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The roller derby scene in Tucson is a vibrant one. Tucson Roller Derby, formerly national contenders in the sport, are now a low-scoring team that does not play high level teams but does put on bouts almost every week. Tucson Derby Brats, the first junior roller derby league in the nation, is one of the top junior derby teams in the nation. The Tucson Gunslingers are a men's team that usually plays with the Phoenix men's team. Any one of these teams are a great introduction to the world of roller derby. }} * {{do | name=Catalina State Park | alt= | url=http://www.azstateparks.com/Parks/CATA/index.html | email= | address=11570 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.41779 | long=-110.93048 | directions=10 miles N of downtown | phone=+1 520-628-5798 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 8AM-5PM (visitor center) | price=$7 (vehicle w/1-4 adults), $3 (individual/bicycle) | wikipedia=Catalina State Park | image=Catalina State Park sunset.jpg | wikidata=Q5051277 | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=On the northwestern edge of the Santa Catalina Mountains, this park covers 5,500 acres and has eight multi-use trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, of varying difficulty. Other popular activities include picnicking, wildlife viewing and birdwatching, with over 170 avian species identified in the park. A small shop at the visitor center carries such items as snack, water, sunscreen, maps, and books. }} * {{do | name=Tucson Mountain Park | alt= | url=http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/parks/tmp/index.htm | email= | address=8451 W McCain Loop | lat=32.223548 | long=-111.139469 | directions= | phone=+1 520-877-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Ocotillo Bloom.jpg | hours= | price=Free | content=This minor mountain range to the southwest of the city has an excellent trail network for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. The park has many healthy stands of saguaros. The higher-elevation trails provide beautiful views, and are a popular place to photograph sunsets. }} * {{do|name=Funtasticks Family Fun Park|lat=32.2878|long=-110.9692|url=http://www.funtasticks.com/}} * {{do|name=Golf N'Stuff|lat=32.2478|long=-110.8556|url=http://golfnstuff.com/tucson/info.html}} * {{do | name=Tucson Arena | alt= | url=http://tucsonconventioncenter.com/ | email= | address=260 S Church Ave | lat=32.21771 | long=-110.97500 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7851149| wikipedia=Tucson Convention Center | lastedit=2018-02-22 | content=The venue is part of the Tucson Convention Center, though it isn't Tucson's largest indoor arena (that would be the Arizona Wildcats' McKale Center). It hosts a number of events throughout the year including local events, concerts, Monster Truck shows, and circus performances. It has been the home for the Tucson Roadrunner American Hockey League (AHL) team. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=University of Arizona | alt= | url=http://www.arizona.edu/ | email= | address= | lat=32.232225 | long=-110.951364 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=University of Arizona | wikidata=Q503419 | content=Founded in 1885, the University of Arizona is the state's original land-grant university. Today, it hosts nearly 40,000 students, with nationally pre-eminent programs in astronomy, planetary science, optical sciences, pharmacy, business, fine arts, and basketball. One unusual thing is the [http://cals-cf.calsnet.arizona.edu/arboretum/plantwalk/chart.cfm ''Tree Walk''], a self-guided tour to almost a hundred rare trees on campus. }} ==Buy== [[File:Lucha libre masks.jpg|thumb|Mexican wrestling masks at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet]] ===Gifts=== * {{buy | name=Bahti Indian Arts | alt= | url=http://www.bahti.com/ | email= | address=4330 N Campbell Ave #73 | lat=32.286108 | long=-110.942207 | directions= | phone=+1 520-577-0290 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 8:30AM-4PM | price= | content=Sells regional Native American arts and crafts. }} * {{buy | name=Grey Dog Trading Company | alt= | url=http://www.greydogtrading.com/ | email= | address=4320 N Campbell Ave | lat=32.285654 | long=-110.942233 | directions= | phone=+1 520-881-6888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Specializes in Native American arts and crafts. }} * {{buy | name=Medicine Man Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.medicinemangallery.com/ | email= | address=6872 E Sunrise Dr #150 | lat=32.307545 | long=-110.845689 | directions=Colonia Verde Shopping Center | phone=+1 520-722-7798 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Specializes in western painter Maynard Dixon, but also represents a number of other western and Native American artists. }} * {{buy | name=Old Town Artisans | alt= | url=http://oldtownartisans.com/ | email= | address=201 N Court Ave | lat=32.224256 | long=-110.974296 | directions= | phone=+1 520-623-6024 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Sep-May M-Sa 9:30AM-5:30PM, Su 11AM-5PM; Jun-Aug M-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 11AM-4PM | price= | content=Sells Mexican and Arizona crafts, including jewelry and home decor. }} * {{buy | name=San Xavier Plaza | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=32.106489 | long=-111.007566 | directions=in front of Mission San Xavier del Bac | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A few stalls here sell friendship bowls (beautifully painted ceramic bowls) made by the Tohono O’odham. }} * {{buy | name=Silver Sea Jewelry | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/SilverSeaJewelry/ | email=lizziesilversea@gmail.com | address=330 N 4th Ave | lat=32.225894 | long=-110.965187 | directions= | phone=+1 520-624-9954 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 11AM-7PM, Su M noon-5PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=In business since 1993, the store offers sterling silver jewelry at competitive prices, with interesting little figurines (fantasy, Gothic, Egyptian, skulls) and a variety of gifts. The helpful owner Lizzie can help you find the perfect goodie, including limited supply ''Stardust'' and ''Cake'' label jewelry. }} ===Books=== * {{buy | name=Antigone Books | alt= | url=http://www.antigonebooks.com/ | email=info@antigonebooks.com | address=411 N 4th Ave | lat=32.22675 | long=-110.96576 | directions= | phone=+1 520-792-3715 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 10AM-7PM, F Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-5PM | price= | image=Antigone Books, Fourth Avenue, Tucson (5620719647).jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=The independent bookstore also sells cards and gifts. }} * {{buy | name=Bookmans Entertainment Exchange East | url=http://bookmans.com/stores/east/ | email= | address=6230 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.235201 | long=-110.859414 | directions=original location | phone=+1 520-748-9555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price= | content=Practically a Tucson institution, the original branch opened on Speedway over 30 years ago. Besides used books, they also have used CDs, DVDs, video games, etc. All branches have free Wi-Fi and electric vehicle charging stations, and permit pets in the store. }} ** {{buy | name=Bookmans Entertainment Exchange Midtown | alt= | url=http://bookmans.com/stores/midtown/ | email= | address=3330 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.23564 | long=-110.92220 | directions= | phone=+1 520-325-5767 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content= }} ** {{buy | name=Bookmans Entertainment Exchange Northwest | alt= | url=http://bookmans.com/stores/northwest/ | email= | address=3733 W Ina Rd | lat=32.33604 | long=-111.04419 | directions= | phone=+1 520-579-0303 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content= }} ===Outdoor goods=== * {{buy | name=REI | alt= | url=https://www.rei.com/stores/tucson.html | email= | address=160 W Wetmore Rd | lat=32.28760 | long=-110.97371 | directions=Tucson Mall | phone=+1 520-887-1938 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-8PM, Su 10AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=This branch of the Seattle-based chain carries a good selection of outdoor gear and clothing. They also offer classes and lectures, most of them free, on a range of topics relating to the region and travel in general. }} * {{buy | name=Summit Hut | alt=Speedway Store | url=http://www.summithut.com/ | email=speedway@summithut.com | address=5251 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.23664 | long=-110.88049 | directions= | phone=+1 520-325-1554 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-6:30PM, Su 9AM-5PM | price= | image=Summit Hut Speedway.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-22 | content=Offers great gear and resources for getting outdoors around Tucson. A very local shop with more than 30 years of experience. Go in and ask questions, these guys will take the time to help you out. }} ** {{buy | name=Summit Hut | alt=Oro Valley Store | url=http://www.summithut.com/ | email=orovalley@summithut.com | address=7745 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.34742 | long=-110.97793 | directions=Oracle Crossings Shopping Center, N of Ina | phone=+1 520-888-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-6:30PM, Su 9AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content= }} ===Other=== * {{buy | name=The RumRunner | alt=The Rum Runner | url=http://www.RumRunnerTucson.com | email= | address=3131 E 1st St | lat=32.23553 | long=-110.92561 | directions=just off SE corner of Speedway & Country Club | phone=+1 520 326-0121 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11AM-10PM | price= | content=Wine and spirits shop, with large international selection. Full-service cheese and deli counter, with wine tastings and in-house bistro. }} * {{buy | name=Tanque Verde Swap Meet | url=http://www.tanqueverdeswapmeet.com/ | email= | address=4100 S Palo Verde Rd | lat=32.17485 | long=-110.919324 | directions= | phone=+1 520-294-4252 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Fr 3PM-11PM, Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 7AM-3PM | price= | image=Lucha libre masks.jpg | content=A great place to find all sorts of oddities. }} ===Shopping centers=== [[File:Trail Dust Town, Tucson (8391757250).jpg|thumb|Trail Dust Town]] * {{buy | name=La Encantada Shopping Center | alt= | url=http://www.laencantadashoppingcenter.com/ | email= | address=2905 E Skyline Dr | lat=32.32497 | long=-110.92992 | directions= | phone=+1 520-299-3566 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 10AM-7PM, Th-Sa 10AM-8PM, Su 11AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=La Encantada (shopping center) | image=La Encantada (shopping center).jpg | wikidata=Q6462312 | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Tucson's only luxury shopping center. }} * {{buy | name=Park Place | alt= | url=https://www.parkplacemall.com/en.html | email= | address=5870 E Broadway Blvd | lat=32.21979 | long=-110.86528 | directions= | phone=+1 520-747-7575 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Park Place (Tucson, Arizona) | image=ParkPlace mallentrance.jpg | wikidata=Q7137929 | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=The mall is anchored by Dillard's, Macy's, Old Navy, and Sears, and has a Cinemark movie theater. }} * {{buy | name=Trail Dust Town | alt= | url=http://www.traildusttown.com/ | email=info@traildusttown.com | address=6541 E Tanque Verde Rd | lat=32.24727 | long=-110.85324 | directions= | phone=+1 520-296-4551 | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-298-3614 | hours=Daily 8AM-11PM (courtyard); shop hrs vary | price= | wikipedia=Trail Dust Town | image=Trail Dust Town, Tucson (8391757250).jpg | wikidata=Q7832724 | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=This unusual shopping center is on an unfinished western movie set, and in addition to shops has a number of tourist attractions. These include a 1954 Allan Herschell carousel, a narrow-gauge railroad, and a military museum. }} * {{buy | name=Tucson Mall | alt= | url=https://www.tucsonmall.com/en.html | email= | address=4500 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.28886 | long=-110.97470 | directions= | phone=+1 520-293-7330 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Tucson Mall | image=Tucson Mall.jpg | wikidata=Q14680761 | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Tucson's largest mall has 200 shops and is anchored by Macy's, Dillard's, and Sears. }} ==Eat== [[File:Sonoran Hot Dogs.jpg|thumb|Sonoran hot dogs]] As you can guess, Tucson is a veritable hub of Southwestern and Mexican cuisine. But Tucson is an adventurous town (easily the most liberal metropolitan area in Arizona) and as a result of its diversity, has a vibrant culinary culture. One noteworthy concoction unique to Tucson, [[Phoenix]], and southern Arizona is the '''Sonoran hot dog'''. First developed in [[Hermosillo]], Sonora, it consists of a traditional hot dog wrapped with bacon and then grilled. It is served in a ''bolillo'' (a Mexican roll) with pinto beans, onions, and tomatoes, and topped with mayonnaise, mustard, and jalapeños. The hot dog is traditionally sold from street carts, but several of the longer-established vendors now have sit-down restaurants, with branches scattered around Tucson. ===Budget=== [[File:BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs 2.jpg|thumb|Making Sonoran hot dogs at BK Tacos]] [[File:Eegee's Tucson.jpg|thumb|Eegees]] * {{eat | name=Beyond Bread Central | alt= | url=http://www.beyondbread.com/ | email=campbell@beyondbread.com | address=3026 N Campbell Ave | lat=32.261924 | long=-110.943488 | directions=original location, btw Glenn and Ft Lowell | phone=+1 520-322-9965 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6:30AM-8PM, Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 7AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=Amazing sandwiches on fresh-baked bread, made from ingredients that are as fresh as possible. (In addition to baking bread daily, the restaurant also roasts its turkey and beef on site.) They also have an espresso bar and pastries. A nice place for lunch, but watch out – it's very popular, and you may have to wait in line. Alternately, you can pre-order your meal for pickup [https://beyondbread.alohaorderonline.com/Menus.aspx online]. Average sandwich (hot & cold) costs around $6-6.50, chips included. }} ** {{eat | name=Beyond Bread Northwest | alt= | url= | email=ina@beyondbread.com | address=421 W Ina Rd | lat=32.33641 | long=-110.97612 | directions=SE corner of Ina and Oracle | phone=+1 520-461-1111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6:30AM-8PM, Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 7AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=Online orders for this location can be placed [https://beyondbread.alohaorderonline.com/locations.aspx?SelectSite=3 here]. }} ** {{eat | name=Beyond Bread East | alt= | url= | email=speedway@beyondbread.com | address=6260 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.23526 | long=-110.85864 | directions=Monterey Village Shopping Center | phone=+1 520-747-7477 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6:30AM-8PM, Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 7AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=Online orders for this location can be placed [https://beyondbread.alohaorderonline.com/locations.aspx?SelectSite=1 here]. }} * {{eat | name=Birrieria Guadalajara | alt= | url= | email= | address=304 E 22nd St | lat=32.206683 | long=-110.965231 | directions=SE corner of 22nd St and 4th Ave | phone=+1 520-624-8020 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 7AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=A hole-in-the-wall Mexican diner frequented by the Hispanic workers and Gringos in the know. All the standard Mexican fare, but an unusual emphasis on ''caldos'' or soup. ''Birria'' is shredded beef in its own broth – this place makes the best! }} * {{eat | name=Bison Witches | alt= | url=http://bisonwitchestucson.com/ | email= | address=326 N 4th Ave | lat=32.22565 | long=-110.96537 | directions= | phone=+1 520-740-1541 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-midnight | price=Sandwiches $8-12 | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=Features tons of different sammies that are huge and will fill you up. Bread bowl soups are another popular choice at this deli/bar and is a college student's dream of a chill place to hang out and get in on some great drink specials. Thursdays is a great night for hanging out here. }} * {{eat | name=BK Tacos | alt=BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs | url=http://www.bktacos.com/ | email=bk@gmail.com | address=5118 S 12th Ave | lat=32.15904 | long=-110.97778 | directions=original location | phone=+1 520-295-0105 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 9AM-midnight, F Sa 9AM-2:30AM | price= | image=BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs 2.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-06 | content=Very popular, specializes in Sonoran hot dogs, tacos, and other classic Mexican dishes. }} ** {{eat | name=BK Tacos | alt=BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs | url=http://www.bktacos.com/ | email=bk@gmail.com | address=2680 N 1st Ave | lat=32.25585 | long=-110.96057 | directions=north of the university | phone=+1 520-207-2245 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 9AM-11PM, F Sa 9AM-midnight | price= | image=BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs 1.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-06 | content=A second, newer branch of the very popular restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Char's Thai Restaurant | alt= | url=http://charsthaitucson.com/index.php | email= | address=5039 E 5th St | lat=32.229175 | long=-110.884855 | directions=by Rosemont Blvd | phone=+1 520-795-1715 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-3PM 5PM-9PM, Sa Su 5PM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=It's not always easy to find good Asian restaurants in the desert, but this hole in the wall has to be near the top of anyone's list of favorites. Owned and operated by former residents of Bangkok, the restaurant has a huge selection of tasty curries and noodle dishes. The lunch specials are a great value; takeout available. }} * {{eat | name=East Coast Super Subs | alt= | url=http://eastcoastsupersubs.net/5670 | email= | address=187 N Park Ave | lat=32.223564 | long=-110.956515 | directions= | phone=+1 520-882-4005 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-8PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=For the best subs on the west coast, go to East Coast. An absolute must-eat for the cheesesteak connoisseur. Just as famous as the dozens of legendary subs is the memorabilia collection. Takeout and delivery are available, and can be ordered online. }} * {{eat | name=Eegee's | alt= | url=http://www.eegees.com | email= | address=2510 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.235818 | long=-110.934556 | directions= | phone=+1 520-881-3280 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-10PM, drive-thru closes at 11PM | price= | wikipedia=Eegee's | image=Eegee's Tucson.jpg | wikidata=Q5347035 | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=A Tucson chain of sub shops, you shouldn't leave Tucson without trying this place. Popular for their frozen slushie-snowcone combo (locally referred to simply as ''Eegees''), they have piña colada, strawberry and lemonade flavors year-round and a unique flavor of the month. Eegee's are also known for their fries, which you can order with ranch dressing (''ranch fries''), marinara sauce (''pizza fries'') and fries with chili (''chili cheese fries''). They also offer pretzels, cookies, chips and sub sandwiches. There are a total of 26 branches in the Tucson area. }} [[File:Desserts at the Epic Cafe.jpg|thumb|Desserts at the Epic Cafe]] [[File:El Güero Canelo.jpg|thumb|Sonoran hot dogs, tacos, and quesadilla at El Güero Canelo]] * {{eat | name=Cafe Maggie | alt=Epic Cafe | url=http://www.cafemaggie.com/ | email= | address=745 N 4th Ave | lat=32.231492 | long=-110.965766 | directions=SW corner of 4th Ave and University | phone=+1 520-829-7280 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-11PM | price= | image=Desserts at the Epic Cafe.jpg | lastedit=2017-02-19 | content=An eclectic coffee house with outdoor tables, free Wi-Fi, good organic food, intricately tattooed wait staff, and an independent vibe. Bulletin boards to see what is going on in town. Coffee $1-3; soups, pastries, and sandwiches $3-8. }} * {{eat | name=El Güero Canelo | url=http://www.elguerocanelo.com/ | email= | address=5201 S 12th Ave | lat=32.157617 | long=-110.977214 | directions=the original, S of Irvington | phone=+1 520-295-9005 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su 8:30AM-10PM, M 10AM-10PM, Tu-Th 10AM-11PM, F 8:30AM-midnight, Sa 8AM-midnight | price= | image=Sonoran hot dog.jpg | content=One of Tucson's most famous restaurants, primarily known for their Sonoran hot dogs. Offers a large selection of Mexican dishes. They have some of the best ''carne asada'' in the Southwest! Takeout available at all locations. }} ** {{eat | name=El Güero Canelo | alt= | url= | email= | address=2480 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.25190 | long=-110.97763 | directions= | phone=+1 520-882-8977 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su 8AM-10PM, M 10AM-10PM, Tu-Th 10AM-11PM, F Sa 8AM-midnight | price= | image=El Güero Canelo.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content= }} ** {{eat | name=El Güero Canelo | alt= | url= | email= | address=5802 E 22nd St | lat=32.20649 | long=-110.86821 | directions= | phone=+1 520-790-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su 9AM-10PM, M 9:30AM-10PM, Tu-Th 9:30AM-11PM, F Sa 9AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Guillermo's Double L Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/GuillermosDoubleL/ | email= | address=1830 S 4th Ave | lat=32.199969 | long=-110.965522 | directions=South Tucson | phone=+1 520-792-1585 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=Solid Mexican food, with good atmosphere and prices. }} * {{eat | name=La Indita Restaurant Mexicano | alt= | url=http://lainditarestauranttucson.com/6842 {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=622 N 4th Ave | lat=32.229624 | long=-110.965431 | directions= | phone=+1 520-704-9240 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-8:30PM, Su 9AM-8:30PM | price= | image=La Indita Restaurant.jpg | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=Wonderful food and ambiance, a real gem. Also offers Native American dishes and many vegetarian options. Delivery and takeout can be ordered online. }} * {{eat | name=Mi Nidito | alt= | url=http://www.minidito.net/main.html | email=info@minidito.net | address=1813 S 4th Ave | lat=32.199985 | long=-110.965206 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-5081 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Su 11AM-close | price= | image=Mi Nidito Tacos.jpg | lastedit=2017-02-20 | content=Authentic Mexican food with excellent margaritas. Dinner for two with margaritas is about $30. }} * {{eat | name=El Molinito | alt= | url=http://www.elmolinitos.com/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=5380 W 22nd St | lat=32.206519 | long=-110.877602 | directions=by Craycroft | phone=+1 520-747-9162 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su 9AM-9PM, M-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=A local favorite with great Mexican food, has been in Tucson for at least 20 years and has great service. Known for their frozen margaritas. Try their beans and ''carne asada'' tacos on a soft flour tortilla. Three other branches are on Ina Road, Pantano Road, and Oracle Road. }} * {{eat | name=Pat's Chili Dogs | alt= | url= | email= | address=1202 W Niagara St | lat=32.231839 | long=-110.990059 | directions=between St Mary's Rd and Speedway | phone=+1 520-624-0891 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su noon-9PM, M-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=An old time drive-in (carhop service however does not exist – you must walk up to the order window). Lunchtime is packed with Tucsonans ordering chili and cheese dogs in the state. French fries made from fresh potatoes on site, with lots of hot sauce. }} * {{eat | name=Viva Burrito Co | alt= | url= | email= | address=1372 W St Marys Rd | lat=32.22945 | long=-110.994729 | directions= | phone=+1 520-623-5211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 24 hrs | price= | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=A local fast food chain known for its large, tasty breakfast burritos, as well as tacos and enchiladas. Has a drive-thru. There are a total of six branches in Tucson. }} * {{eat | name=Yoshimatsu Healthy Japanese Eatery | alt= | url=http://www.yoshimatsuaz.com/ | email= | address=2741 N Campbell Ave | lat=32.25674 | long=-110.94415 | directions= | phone=+1 520-320-1574 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM | price= | image=Yoshimatsu Seafood Curry.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-02 | content=Local, homemade Japanese food and a sushi bar in the same building. Great romantic location and a separate vegetarian menu. Takeout available. }} ===Mid-range=== [[File:Cup Cafe.jpg|thumb|Cup Cafe]] [[File:El minuto.jpg|thumb|El Minuto Cafe, one Tucson's oldest Mexican restaurants]] [[File:Mosaic Cafe - Making Tortillas.jpg|thumb|Making tortillas at Teresa's Mosaic Cafe]] * {{eat | name=El Charro Café | alt= | url=http://www.elcharrocafe.com/ | email= | address=311 N Court Ave | lat=32.22573 | long=-110.97451 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-1922 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM-9PM | price= | image=El Charro Restaurant.jpg | content=Opened in 1922, El Charro is the oldest continuously-operated, family-owned Mexican restaurant in the United States. The food is classic Southwestern, with more Sonoran influences than many Tucson restaurants. }} * {{eat | name=Cup Cafe | alt= | url=http://hotelcongress.com/food/ | email= | address=311 E Congress St | lat=32.22227 | long=-110.96691 | directions=in the Hotel Congress | phone=+1 520-798-1618 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 7AM-10PM | price= | image=Cup Cafe.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Unusual, eclectic mix of Indian, Thai, Japanese, American and Mediterranean food, easily the most interesting restaurant in Tucson. You'll find plenty of vegetarian and some vegan options. On a nice day you can sit outside. }} * {{eat | name=Guadalajara Original Grill | alt= | url=http://guadalajaraoriginalgrill.com/ | email= | address=1220 E Prince Rd | lat=32.271717 | long=-110.953198 | directions= | phone=+1 520-323-1022 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-10PM, F Sa 10AM-11PM | price=Mains $12-22 | image=Guadalajara Original Grill Interior.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-25 | content=A popular, fun and entertaining Mexican restaurant featuring live mariachis 7 nights per week, fresh salsa made table-side, and homemade tortillas. A great place to go with friends to enjoy the lively and homey atmosphere. The restaurant runs culinary tour of Mexico, and features dishes from different states of Mexico each month that are fun to try. Dinner time includes roaming mariachi singers. }} * {{eat | name=Guadalajara Fiesta Grill | alt= | url=http://guadgrill.com/guadalajara-fiesta-grill/ | email=info@guadgrill.com | address=750 E Kolb Rd | lat=32.230618 | long=-110.840427 | directions= | phone=+1 520-296-1122 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-10PM, F Sa 10AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content= }} * {{eat | name=El Minuto Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.elminutotucson.com/ | email=info@elminutocafe.com | address=354 S Main Ave | lat=32.2166 | long=-110.974698 | directions= | phone=+1 520-882-4145 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM | price= | image=El minuto.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Authentic Sonoran cuisine in an adobe house in the barrio, open since 1936. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu, but do order the mole if they have it on the day you are there. The ''carne seca'' is superb and the ''chiles rellenos'' are magnificent. Make sure to sample the fresh, made-on-the-premises tortillas. Combine this with a visit to El Tiradito, which is nearby. }} * {{eat | name=North Italia | alt= | url=http://www.northitaliarestaurant.com/locations/la-encantada/ | email= | address=2995 E Skyline Dr | lat=32.325162 | long=-110.928414 | directions=La Encantada Mall | phone=+1 520-299-1600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa 10AM-11PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | image= | lastedit=2017-02-20 | content=Italian in heritage, but extremely experimental. Dishes range from pizzas to pasta to steak, and are normally in the range of $19-$25 (others depend on market prices). }} * {{eat | name=Rosa's Mexican Food Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.tucsonmexicanrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=1750 E Ft Lowell Rd, Ste 164 | lat=32.264518 | long=-110.94579 | directions=by N Campbell Ave | phone=+1 520-325-0362 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-10PM | price= | image=Angie's Specialty at Rosa's Tucson AZ.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Excellent Sonoran-style Mexican food in this family-owned and operated storefront restaurant. Rosa's salsa is consistently voted one of the top three in Tucson by the readers of the Tucson Weekly. The food is heavy on the meat and cheese, with buttery tortillas and delicious refried beans. Main course $7-$10. }} * {{eat | name=Sushi Ten | alt= | url=http://sushiten.webs.com/ | email= | address=4500 E Speedway Blvd, Ste 1 | lat=32.23577 | long=-110.89735 | directions= | phone=+1 520-324-0010 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11AM-9:30, F Sa 11AM-10PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=A popular Japanese sushi house. }} * {{eat | name=Takamatsu | alt= | url=http://takatucson.net/ | email= | address=5532 E Speedway Blvd #1 | lat=32.235821 | long=-110.897319 | directions= | phone=+1 520-512-0800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-9:30PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM | price=Mains $12-$20 | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Takamatsu concentrates on Japanese and Korean dishes where it's common to order sushi. Also, you'll notice that there is habachi-style cooking. }} * {{eat | name=Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.teresamosaiccafe.com/ | email= | address=2456 N Silver Mosaic Dr | lat=32.25152 | long=-111.01516 | directions= | phone=+1 520-624-4512 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-9PM, Su 7:30AM-2PM | price=Mains $9-16 | image=Mosaic Cafe Enchiladas.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-25 | content=This long-established family-owned restaurant serves authentic Sonoran Mexican cuisine, and they make their own tortillas onsite. The albóndigas (Mexican meatballs) are especially recommended. }} * {{eat | name=Vero Amore | alt= | url=http://www.veroamorepizza.com | email=manager@veroamorepizza.com | address=3305 N Swan Rd, Ste 105 | lat=32.261325 | long=-110.892242 | directions= | phone=+1 520-325-4122 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=This is a certified pizzeria that hand-makes their mozzarella, and has the finest ingredients from Italy. Their pizza crust is crispy and chewy, and the prosciutto caprese salad, margarita pizza, and capricciosa pizza are all recommended. }} * {{eat | name=Vivace Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.vivacetucson.com/ | email= | address=6440 N Campbell Ave | lat=32.32406 | long=-110.92729 | directions= | phone=+1 520-795-7221 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11:30AM-9PM, F Sa 11:30AM-10PM | price=Mains $12-20 | image=Pizzeria Vivace Tucson Arizona.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Vivace is an upscale restaurant that focuses on and serves Italian dishes. Casual dress. The establishment is spacious, and the atmosphere is enhanced by flowers at the tables. Table talk requires you to speak up a bit here. Also, you'll notice that there is an open kitchen. }} * {{eat | name=Yamato Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Yamato-Japanese-Restaurant-143320342346509/?ref=page_internal | email= | address=857 E Grant Rd | lat=32.250832 | long=-110.958997 | directions= | phone=+1 520-624-3377 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11AM-2PM, 5PM-9:30PM, Sa 5PM-9:30PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Highly regarded sushi and Japanese. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=The Cadillac Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=47621 E Ballesta Rd Tucson | lat=32.670858 | long=-111.056688 | directions=along highway 79 between Oracle Junction and Florence, AZ | phone=+1 520- 825-9677 | tollfree= | hours=Th F 4-8PM, Sa Su noon-8PM | price=inexpensive | lastedit=2019-03-08 | content=Bar and restaurant on Hwy, very very casual, can hold a crowd.Can be a bit slow, if busy. Known for its inexpensive steaks and burgers. }} ===Splurge=== [[File:Hacienda del Sol Entrance.jpg|thumb|The Grill at Hacienda del Sol]] * {{eat | name=Arizona Inn | url=http://www.arizonainn.com/ | email= | address=2200 E Elm St | lat=32.24252 | long=-110.93974 | directions= | phone=+1 520-325-1541 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Arizona Inn 2.jpg | hours= | price= | content=Serving an American fare, this is a fine dining facility. Expect the average mains to cost in the range of $20 to $30. Architecturally, the restaurant is in an historic structure. The restaurant has a southwestern U.S. style decor. The interior is enhanced by prints and flowers at the tables, and the lighting is set quite dim. This is a white tablecloth restaurant, and the fireplace adds to the atmosphere and mood here. The establishment has several dining rooms. It has a romantic atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar | url=http://www.FlemingsSteakhouse.com/locations/az/tucson | email= | address=6360 N Campbell Ave | lat=32.321737 | long=-110.928888 | directions= | phone=+1 520-529-5017 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fleming's is known for its prime steak and elegant, cherry wood atmosphere. Its wine list features over 100 wines available by the glass. This steakhouse also offers bar menu specials until 7PM. }} * {{eat | name=The Grill at Hacienda del Sol | alt= | url=http://www.haciendadelsol.com/dining/the-grill/ | email=lburns@haciendadelsol.com | address=5601 N Hacienda del Sol Rd | lat=32.307882 | long=-110.914461 | directions= | phone=+1 520-529-3500 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Hacienda del Sol Entrance.jpg | hours=Daily; Su brunch 9:30AM-2PM | price= | lastedit=2016-04-20 | content=Mobil four-star American-style grill featuring (Fall 2004) swordfish, Angus beef, buffalo sirloin, lamb, Scottish salmon, and other mains. Reservations are recommended, and can be made online. }} * {{eat | name=Mr. An's Teppan Steak, Sushi, & Seafood | alt= | url=http://mrantucson.com/ | email= | address=6091 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.316882 | long=-110.976689 | directions= | phone=+1 520-797-0888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 4PM-10PM, F 4PM-11PM, Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2017-02-02 | content= }} ==Drink== Tucson has an active wine community, with many retailers, restaurants and wine bars regularly offering scheduled wine tasting events. Cochise County, southeast of Tucson has many wineries, some of which welcome visitors. The majority of Tucson's nightlife for young and old is in three small areas of the town near the University of Arizona, all within walking distance to each other. The three are: '''4th Avenue''', '''University''', and '''Downtown'''. Tucson nightlife tends to start later than nightlife in other areas of Arizona, such as Phoenix or Scottsdale. Expect bars and clubs to be sparsely populated until approx 10-10:30PM on an average weekend night. 4th Avenue stretches from University ave in the north to downtown Tucson in the south (only about ½ mile long). This stretch of 4th Avenue is the main nightlife strip of Tucson and filled with bars and restaurants of all varieties on each side of the street. The downtown Tucson area just south of 4th Avenue tends caters to a nicer and wealthier crowd and is home to many of Tucson's higher class restaurants and cocktail bars, as well as the famous Club Congress. The University Ave area of Tucson starts on University/Euclid on the west and runs several blocks until it ends into the school. It is approximately a 10-minute walk along University Avenue from the 4th Avenue area. Like 4th Avenue, University contains a strip of bars, stores, and restaurants that cater to a variety of tastes and ages (not just college kids). *{{drink | name=Barrio Brewing Company | alt= | url=http://barriobrewing.co/ | email= | address=800 E 16th St | lat=32.21443 | long=-110.959587 | directions=corner of Toole Ave | phone=+1 520-791-2739 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-W 11AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su 11AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Popular microbrewery near the train tracks that meander through downtown Tucson. Built into a former industrial warehouse, the interior features high ceilings and concrete floors while the long patio outside faces the train tracks and provides a view of the Downtown skyline. $3 pints during happy hour and a good happy hour food menu. }} *{{drink | name=Bison Witches | alt= | url=http://www.bisonwitches.com/ | email= | address=326 N 4th Ave | lat=32.225883 | long=-110.965396 | directions= | phone=+1 520-740-1541 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Kitchen: daily 11AM-midnight; bar: daily 11AM-2AM | price= | image=Bison Witches.jpg | lastedit=2017-02-19 | content=At the heart of Tucson's 4th Avenue historic district, Bison Witches is a funky little bar and restaurant that serves amazing sandwiches, has a large selection of beer and has great margaritas. Bison Witches is always full but the wait for a table is never more than 15 minutes. At night, it can get crowded now that the back patio has been remodeled into an outdoor bar. }} *{{drink | name=Club Congress | alt= | url=http://hotelcongress.com/calendar/category/music/ | email= | address=311 E Congress St | lat=32.22224 | long=-110.96650 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-8848 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Cover charge | image=Club Congress Tucson AZ.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=If you feel like dancing, this is the place to go. It's in the historic Congress Hotel, where you'll find three bars and one dance floor, featuring techno dance beats and live bands. Call ahead to see who's playing. }} *{{drink | name=The HangArt | alt= | url=http://thehangart.org/index.html | email= | address=512 N Echols Ave | lat=32.228606 | long=-110.971168 | directions=between 5th and 6th St | phone=+1 520-477-7410 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=varies | price=Price varies, but cheap | content=Tucson's edgiest live music venue, the HangArt hosts a wide range of performers and musicians almost every night of the week. Anything from punk, folk, indie rock, alternative, hip hop, or electronica and combinations thereof may be available. The HangArt is also a gallery with frequent shows by local visual artists. The main venue is unique, a giant hanger-like storage facility holds the performers and a standing room combined with an outdoor open air seating area further away from the stage. The interior has a large white screen for video art projections which accompany the live music. Truly the most unique and amazing music venue in Tucson. }} *{{drink | name=Kon Tiki | alt= | url=http://www.kontikitucson.com/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email=info@kontikitucson.com | address=4625 E Broadway Blvd | lat=32.222187 | long=-110.893594 | directions= | phone=+1 520-323-7193 | tollfree= | fax= | image=The Giant Tiki.jpg | hours=M-Th 11AM-1AM, F-Sa 10AM-2AM, Su 10AM-midnight | price=$4.50-7.50 | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=A Polynesian-themed bar with fruity, Cruzan-laden concoctions that's been in Tucson since 1963. Don't mind the snake behind the bar, the servers are nice and there is no cover. A reasonable place to drink, as $10 can get you feeling quite good. The Scorpion here is a must--but it is illegal to drink one by yourself, so be sure to arrange for a designated driver. Weekends can be very busy. }} *{{drink | name=Maloney's Tavern | alt= | url=http://maloneystavern.com/ | email= | address=213 N 4th Ave | lat=32.224374 | long=-110.966354 | directions=south end of bldg | phone=+1 520-388-9355 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4PM-2AM | price=No cover charge | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Popular large bar with large flat screen TVs playing sports are everywhere. Good atmosphere, relaxed early, and a party atmosphere later at night. 2-for-1-drinks on Thursday nights, but beware, it can get packed on Thursday and Saturday nights with locals and college kids. }} *{{drink | name=Nimbus Brewing Co. | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nimbus-Brewing-Co/111960968835224 {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=3850 E 44th St, Ste 138 | lat=32.184829 | long=-110.909853 | directions= | phone=+1 520-745-9175 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Nimbus Brewery Tucson AZ.jpg | hours=Su 11AM-9PM, M-Th 11AM-11PM, F 11AM-1AM, Sa 11AM-midnight | price= | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=Popular microbrewery that serves quality food, with a monkey as its mascot. This is the actual brewery which also serves their beer and food in an industrial complex in Tucson. }} * {{drink | name=O'Malley's Bar and Grill | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/omalleyson4th/ | email= | address=247 N 4th Ave | lat=32.224932 | long=-110.965729 | directions= | phone=+1 520-623-8600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-2AM | price=$5 cover on F/Sa nights after 10PM, military free with ID | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=The largest and liveliest bar on 4th Avenue. Pool tables, indoor and outdoor areas, and opens a large dance floor in the back later at night. Live music or DJs on the weekends. Expect a line and a large crowd here after 10PM on Friday and Saturday. Drink specials throughout the week during the day. Attracts both the college and local crowd. }} *{{drink | name=The Surly Wench Pub | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/surlywench/ | email= | address=424 N 4th Ave | lat=32.227079 | long=-110.965458 | directions= | phone=+1 520-882-0009 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 2PM-2AM; serves food until closing | price= | image=Surly Wench Tucson AZ.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=While a popular hangout for the local punk and LGBT crowd everyone is welcome. When bands are playing a $5 dollar cover is often charged. The Wench has two pool tables, an air hockey table and a lot of fun decor to peruse. They also often play B movies on a big screen over the entrance. }} * {{drink | name=The Wreck | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/TheWreckTucson/ | email= | address=213 N 4th Ave | lat=32.224628 | long=-110.966418 | directions=shares a building with Maloney's | phone=+1 520-388-9355 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 4PM-2AM | price=No cover | lastedit=2017-03-01 | content=Tucson's most popular country-western bar, and the only country bar on 4th Avenue. Large dance floor, cheap drinks, and plays a mixture of country and dance songs. Lively crowd and the bartenders dance on the bar coyote ugly style. If you're looking to dance to country music in Tucson, this is your place. Gets very crowded Thursday-Saturday, but never difficult to get a drink or dance. }} ==Sleep== ===Budget=== [[File:Hotel Congress Tucson AZ.jpg|thumb|The historic Hotel Congress]] Some motels on West Miracle Mile Road and south of 3000th block of North Oracle Road tend to be cheaper, run-down motels. Good deals can be found, but one probably wouldn't want to take one's family to these. This area is a legacy of the pre-freeway auto courts, 1937 to 1965, called [http://weeklywire.com/ww/10-13-97/tw_feat.html Miracle Mile]. A number of the old motor lodges remain. If you need a room for $25 this is the place to start looking. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Congress | alt= | url=http://hotelcongress.com/ | email=reservations@hotelcongress.com | address=311 E Congress St | lat=32.222275 | long=-110.9667 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-8848 | tollfree=+1-800-722-8848 | fax=+1 520-792-6366 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia=Hotel Congress | image=Hotel Congress Tucson AZ.jpg | wikidata=Q14680412 | content=This historic hotel was the site of [http://www.hotcong.com/hotel/history.php John Dillinger's arrest] {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}}. The rooms are small, but have a funky, historic feel. }} * {{sleep | name=Econo Lodge | alt= | url=http://econolodgetucsonaz.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=1136 N Stone Ave | lat=32.236896 | long=-110.971399 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-6714 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Pet-friendly hotel near the University of Arizona. }} * {{sleep | name=Roadrunner Hostel & Inn | alt= | url=http://www.roadrunnerhostelinn.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=346 E 12th St | lat=32.219747 | long=-110.964192 | directions= | phone=+1 520-940-7280 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Roadrunner Hostel and Inn.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price=$20/night (beds), $38/night (private rooms) | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Rodeway Inn | alt= | url=http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-tucson-arizona-AZ295 | email= | address=1248 N Stone Ave | lat=32.238282 | long=-110.971405 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-6446 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=39 comfortable rooms to help you get off of the road and get some rest. }} ===Mid-range=== [[File:Starr Pass Golf Suites.jpg|thumb|Starr Pass Golf Suites]] [[File:Westward Look Resort.jpg|thumb|Westward Look Resort]] * {{sleep | name=Comfort Suites Sabino Canyon | alt= | url=http://www.tucsoncs.com/ | email= | address=7007 E Tanque Verde Rd | lat=32.251331 | long=-110.843367 | directions= | phone=+1 520-298-2300 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Renovated and central. }} * {{sleep | name=Courtyard Tucson Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/tusca-courtyard-tucson-airport/ | email= | address=2505 E Executive Dr | lat=32.132985 | long=-110.933961 | directions= | phone=+1 520-573-0000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$109-$189 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Courtyard Tucson Williams Centre | url=https://www.marriott.com/tusce | email= | address=201 S Williams Blvd | lat=32.219917 | long=-110.878842 | directions= | phone=+1 520-745-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$109-149 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Desert Dove Bed & Breakfast | url=http://www.desertdovebb.com | email= | address=11707 E Old Spanish Trail | lat=32.185315 | long=-110.741116 | directions= | phone=+1 520-722-6879 | tollfree=+1-877-722-6879 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rooms:$125-145 | content=A romantic, secluded and scenic bed and breakfast inn, close to Saguaro National Park. }} * {{sleep | name=Desert Trails Bed & Breakfast | alt= | url=http://www.deserttrails.com | email= | address=12851 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.236426 | long=-110.718333 | directions= | phone=+1 520-885-7295 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3-6PM | checkout=11AM | price=$ 140 | image=Desert Trails Bed & Breakfast.jpg | lastedit=2017-03-22 | content=A unique adobe hacienda situated on acreage bordering Saguaro National Park East, ideal for hiking, birding, and wildlife viewing. Horseback riding available; dining and shopping close by. }} * {{sleep | name=Hyatt Place Tucson Airport | alt= | url=https://tucsonairport.place.hyatt.com/ | email= | address=6885 S Tucson Blvd | lat=32.127279 | long=-110.933816 | directions= | phone=+1 520-295-0405 | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-295-9140 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= ½ mile south of the Tucson International Airport and minutes from the Desert Diamond Casino. }} * {{sleep | name=Lodge on the Desert | alt= | url=http://www.lodgeonthedesert.com/ | email= | address=306 N Alvernon Way | lat=32.226098 | long=-110.908797 | directions= | phone=+1 520-320-2000 | tollfree=+1-800-456-5634 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Founded in 1936 as a dude ranch on the edge of town, Lodge on the Desert is now in the heart of the city. However, it still exudes desert style and beauty. The 35 rooms are beautifully appointed with unique Southwestern flair. }} * {{sleep | name=The Riverpark Inn | url=http://www.theriverparkinn.com | email= | address=350 S Freeway | lat=32.216332 | long=-110.980648 | directions= | phone=+1 520-239-2300 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price= | content=Near downtown, the Convention Center and close to the University of Arizona. Terrace Cafe on-site. }} * {{sleep | name=Starr Pass Golf Suites | alt= | url=http://www.shellhospitality.com/hotels/starr_pass_golf_suites/index.html | email= | address=3645 W Starr Pass Blvd | lat=32.208866 | long=-111.0431 | directions= | phone=+1 520-670-0500 | tollfree= | fax= | image=Starr Pass Golf Suites.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=80 spacious casitas and suites with spectacular desert views, many with fireplaces and balconies. }} * {{sleep | name=Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort & Spa | alt= | url=http://www.westwardlook.com | email= | address=245 E Ina Rd | lat=32.342506 | long=-110.965295 | directions= | phone=+1 520-297-1151 | tollfree=+1-800-722-2500 | fax= | image=Westward Look Resort.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A full service resort and spa on an 80-acre oasis. There is on-site horseback riding, hiking, birding, swimming, and gourmet dining. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=The Armory Park Inn | alt= | url=https://www.armoryparkinn.com/ | email=innkeeper@armoryparkinn.com | address=438 South 3rd Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 520-214-7686 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $155 | lastedit=2020-05-19 | content=Newly renovated 7 room inn. }} ===Splurge=== [[File:Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.jpg|thumb|Loews Ventana Canyon Resort]] [[File:Tanque Verde Ranche Patio Entrance.jpg|thumb|Tanque Verde Ranch]] * {{sleep | name=The Arizona Inn | alt= | url=http://www.arizonainn.com/ | email= | address=2200 E Elm St | lat=32.24252 | long=-110.939508 | directions= | phone=+1 520-325-1541 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia=Arizona Inn | image=Arizona Inn.jpg | wikidata=Q20638779 | content=This charming and classic 1930 resort was built by Isabella Greenway, Arizona's first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress (1933-1937). Colorful stucco casitas and suites ramble through meticulously, groomed grounds. The Arizona Inn has won top awards from Zagat and Condé Nast, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. }} * {{sleep | name=Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort | alt= | url=http://www.haciendadelsol.com/ | email=mtrejo@haciendadelsol.com | address=5501 N Hacienda Del Sol Rd | lat=32.3079 | long=-110.9142 | directions= | phone=+1 520-299-1501 | tollfree=+1-800-728-6514 | fax= | image=Hacienda del Sol Lobby.jpg | checkin=after 3PM | checkout=before 11AM | price=$199+ | lastedit=2016-04-20 | content=Has a highly-regarded restaurant onsite, outdoor pool, gym, spa, and bicycle rental available. Pets permitted. }} * {{sleep | name=The Loews Ventana Canyon Resort | alt= | url=http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Ventana-Canyon-Resort | email=ventanareservations@loewshotels.com | address=7000 N Resort Dr | lat=32.327866 | long=-110.850694 | directions=at the foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains | phone=+1 520-299-2020 | tollfree=+1-800-234-5117 | fax=+1 520-299-6832 | image=Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=There are a total of 398 rooms on three floors. There are two pools, five restaurants, a spa, running path, hiking trails, and there are many species of birds right outside your room on the side that looks out to the mountains. There are also two 18-hole golf courses nearby the hotel. There is free access to Sabino Canyon via a van; however, complimentary WiFi to their guests is not offered. Expect average daily rates for their standard rooms to cost $250 per night during the summer and convention seasons. Typically most guests are retirees without grandchildren - younger guests with children tend to stick out like a handful of sore thumbs. }} * {{sleep | name=Tanque Verde Ranch | alt= | url=http://www.tanqueverderanch.com/ | email=dude@tvgr.com | address=14301 E Speedway Blvd | lat=32.241889 | long=-110.683653 | directions= | phone=+1 520-296-6275 | tollfree=+1-800-234-3833 | fax= | image=Tanque Verde Ranche Patio Entrance.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Guests at this dude ranch, founded in 1868, have a choice of getting daily massages or hitting the trail by horse or foot. Located on 640 acres in the foothills of the Rincon mountains east of Tucson, the ranch offers horseback riding, tennis, guided hiking, mountain biking and nature walks, all included in your nightly rate. }} * {{sleep | name=White Stallion Ranch | alt= | url=http://www.wsranch.com/ | email=info@whitestallion.com | address=9251 W Twin Peaks Rd | lat=32.372423 | long=-111.164306 | directions= | phone=+1 520-297-0252 | tollfree=+1-888-977-2624 | fax=+1 520-744-2786 | image=White Stallion Ranch.jpg | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A working cattle ranch with 41 guest rooms and suites and a hacienda. Modern amenities are also available, including a fitness center, sauna, tennis court, and rec center. }} ===Camping=== [[File:Catalina State Park sunset.jpg|thumb|Catalina State Park]] * {{sleep | name=Tucson Mountain Park, Gilbert Ray Campground | alt= | url=http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/camping/index.htm | email= | address=8451 W Mccain Loop | lat=32.220553 | long=-111.14463 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$20/night (RVs), $10/night (tents) | content=Secluded, quiet, county-run RV Park. 30 amp electric only, water and dump station available on the grounds. No reservations taken, honor system payments. Used mostly by out of state snowbirds during the winter, worth looking at to put up adventuresome guests on a budget or those travelers with a desire to see the night sky only a few miles out of Tucson. No showers. Note: rattlesnakes are not uncommon in the park. }} * {{sleep | name=Catalina State Park | alt= | url=http://www.azstateparks.com/Parks/CATA/index.html | email= | address=11570 N Oracle Rd | lat=32.4266 | long=-110.9252 | directions=10 miles N of downtown | phone=+1 520-628-5798 (information), +1 520-586-2283 (reservations) | tollfree= | fax= | image=Catalina State Park Sunset.jpg | checkin=daily 8AM-5PM (ranger station) | checkout= | price=$15-20 (non-electric), $25-30 (electric); $5 reservation fee (nonrefundable) | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=This campground has 120 campsites, all with water, grills, and picnic tables. Flush toilets and hot showers are available. Reservations are required and must be made at last 24 hours in advance; they can be made [https://azstateparks.itinio.com/catalina/ online]. }} * {{sleep | name=Colossal Cave Mountain Park | alt=listed above | url=http://colossalcave.com/camp-picnic/ | email=info@colossalcave.com | address=16721 E Old Spanish Trail | lat=32.061973 | long=-110.633281 | directions=Vail | phone=+1 520-647-7275 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=8AM-5PM | checkout= | price=$5 (car/RV), $12 (horse trailer) | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=Built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the campground has 30 individual sites for tents as well as a few for RVs (no hookups). Most sites have picnic tables and grills, and water and toilets are available. }} ==Stay safe== [[File:Western rattlesnake (3555971128).jpg|thumb|Rattlesnakes are very well-camouflaged]] [[File:Blue Lighting in the Desert 02.jpg|thumb|Monsoon storm in Tucson]] * If you go walking in the desert parks, or on your own, learn desert-safety tips. Take water, always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to get back, and if you have a cell phone, take it with you and have it on. It's disturbingly easy to get lost in the desert. Also, watch for snakes and bugs, as a few are dangerous to your health. When hiking, for example, rattlesnakes are easy to come across. When putting your slippers on in the morning, scorpions can be an unpleasant surprise. * Midtown (specifically the section along Alvernon Road between Grant and Ft. Lowell) and the south section of the city (in the general area between I-10, I-19, and Valencia) are not the safest places to be – but there are no real attractions in these areas anyway. Downtown is heavily occupied until 2AM when the bars close. If you are downtown after 2AM, be cautious. While murder rates are fairly low, they are violent and sometimes random. There is gang activity but for the most part it is directed against rival gangs. There are many homeless people downtown. The center city is heavily populated by the "young and restless", so it may seem a spooky to more conservative travelers due to the dirt and noise the youngsters create. * Tucson has one of the highest rates of vehicle theft in the USA, and there are a few locations in the city you're more likely to have your car/truck stolen at than at any other place in the town, such as the {{marker|type=buy|name=Walmart|lat=32.13671|long=-111.00030}} on 1650 W Valencia Rd and the {{marker|type=buy|name=Park Place mall|lat=32.21907|long=-110.86528}}. Higher vehicle theft rates are due in part to larger pickings of a metro area and in part to the proximity to Mexico, where vehicles can be across the border often before the owners know they are missing. * Parking and towing enforcement ramps up in the University campus area, especially during weekends of home football games. * During the monsoon season (usually in the months of July - September), Tucson does experience flash flooding. Under no circumstances should you attempt to drive across a flooded road that is barricaded. If your vehicle becomes stranded in your attempt to cross the barricaded road: you will be issued a traffic citation by the police under the 1995 "stupid motorist law" (Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-910), fined in the amount of $2000, and ordered to pay for all rescue costs (usually $1500 or more – and that doesn't include the towing expense either). Also, if you knowingly drive a vehicle into a flooded road that is barricaded with a child under the age of 16, you may also be charged with a class-1 misdemeanor charge of child endangerment (Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) § 13-3619 - per each child in the car) in addition to the previously mentioned penalties if your car becomes stranded. ==Stay healthy== [[File:Jumping Cholla - Flickr - treegrow.jpg|thumb|Jumping cholla cactus in Tucson Mountain Park]] * Newcomers to the southwest often hear about a lung infection called Valley Fever (a fungal disease – the proper medical name is ''coccidioidomycosis''). Although it's rare to contract this disease, it should be taken seriously as it is difficult for most doctors to accurately identify it (a blood test called a coccidioidal must be done to accurately diagnose this illness), and it takes weeks for the symptoms to fully develop for an experienced doctor to recognize them. Exposure to very dusty conditions (ATV riding in the desert, construction, getting caught in a sudden dust storm) increases the opportunity to become infected. It is recommended to wear a face mask if you intend to be exposed to dusty conditions, and strongly recommended if you have a lung disease or temporarily suffering from pneumonia. There is no cure for this disease, only long term treatment. For acute symptoms patients may be prescribed an antifungal drug such as ''fluconazole''. * Take precautions for [[sunburn and sun protection|sunburn and heat stroke]]. This cannot be emphasized enough if you plan to make a trek in the desert mountains. It's easy to sunburn and windburn out in the desert, and the UV rays are very strong. It is recommended to use sunscreen with at least a UV protection rating of 30 or higher. Be mindful of the extreme heat when hiking in the mountains during the summer months to avoid suffering from heat exhaustion or possibly dying from heat stroke. * Mosquitoes can be bad after a monsoon (usually in the months of July - September), so consider wearing mosquito repellent with a high concentration of DEET to reduce the risk of acquiring diseases typically transmitted by these annoying insects. * Care should be taken when you decide to ride a motorcycle or ATV in the desert, so you don't get injured by running into or bushing against the "jumping cholla" cacti. Wearing thick protective clothing, helmets, and gloves while riding are an absolute must. These are '''very''' prickly cacti with stems that detach with little or no effort, also the cacti spines are very painful to remove from your skin once contact is made. ==Connect== For visitor information about events and activities taking place in Tucson, check out the city of Tucson's on-line [http://www.visittucson.org/events/calendar/ directory]. There are surprisingly many locations within the city of Tucson that are free Wi-Fi hotspots, so free Internet access shouldn't be viewed as a problem. Most of the hotspots are in coffee shops (such as the [http://www.brueggersaz.com/ Bruegger's Bagel] locations), the local book store ([http://www.bookmans.com/ Bookman's]), and the local [https://www.library.pima.gov/faqs/do-you-have-wifi-and-wireless-printing/ libraries] (no library membership required) throughout the city. ==Cope== For all emergencies you may dial 9-1-1 from any cell (active or inactive cell phone) or land line phone free-of-charge. If using a cell phone be sure to inform the operator of your exact location, as it takes extra time for the operator to attempt to triangulate your location – time is of the essence in emergency situations. When calling 911 for assistance be as calm as possible, and do not panic or use profanity over the phone, as the operator on the phone might consider the call as a prank. For non-emergencies dial the police department at +1 520-791-4444 between 8AM and 10PM (after 10PM, you may dial 9-1-1 for all issues). ===Consulates=== * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canadian Consulate | url= | email= | address=1840 E River Rd, Ste 200 | lat=32.287033 | long=-110.944443 | directions= | phone=+1 520-622-3641 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | name=El Salvadoran Consulate General | url= | email=consuladotucson@rree.gob.sv | address=3127 E 2nd St | lat=32.234475 | long=-110.925605 | directions= | phone=+1 520-318-0410 or +1 520-318-0411 | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-318-0412 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexican Consulate | url=http://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/tucson/ | email=contucmx@mindspring.com | address=553 S Stone Ave | lat=32.214301 | long=-110.96954 | directions= | phone=+1 520-882-5595, +1-877-632-66-78 (Emergencies) | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-882-8959 | hours=M-Th 8AM-5PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Paraguay}} {{listing | name=Paraguayan Consulate | url= | email= | address=3909 E Justin Ln | lat=32.24681 | long=-110.90918 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Costa Rica}} {{listing | name=Costa Rican Honorary Consul | url= | email=costarica@missiontrust.com | address=3567 E Sunrise Dr, Ste 235 | lat=32.3185 | long=-110.914848 | directions= | phone=+1 520-577-5559 or +1 520-529-7068 | tollfree= | fax=+1 520-577-6781 | hours=appointment only | price= | content=Honorary consulates typically represent the business interests of a nation, and do not provide legal or citizen support (such as passport support) to its citizens. }} ===News=== * '''[http://azstarnet.com/news/ Arizona Daily Star]''' is Tucson's largest daily newspaper. * '''[http://www.tucsonweekly.com/ Tucson Weekly]''' lists weekly cultural events and has good restaurant reviews. ==Go next== * Nearby Tucson is '''[[Saguaro National Park]]''', the most dense forest of the iconic cactus of the American West. The park has two unconnected units to the east and west of Tucson. * For cooler weather, you can make a day trip from Tucson up into the '''[[Santa Catalina Mountains]]''' and '''Mt. Lemmon''' (elevation over {{ft|9,000}}, with snow in the winter). The mountains offer a number of hiking trails for all skill levels, as well as opportunities for horse riding, mountain biking, camping, and even downhill skiing. * Further afield is '''[[Phoenix]]''' to the north, if you want "more city" than Tucson, which can be done as a day trip from Tucson, or you can move your base of operations from Tucson to Phoenix. * For more cooler weather, further north from Phoenix along I-17 is '''[[Sedona]]''', '''[[Flagstaff]]''' and '''[[Grand Canyon National Park]]'''. These destinations are a bit of a stretch as day trips from Tucson. * Heading south is Nogales, with named cities on both sides of the US-Mexico border &ndash; '''[[Nogales (Arizona)]]''' and '''[[Nogales (Sonora)]]'''. * Southeast is '''[[Bisbee (Arizona)|Bisbee]]''', which makes for a pleasant day trip. The Copper Queen has great food and historic accommodation. * Along the way to Bisbee is '''[[Tombstone]]''' &ndash; visit the famous old west boom town to see "haunted" theaters, graves of famous outlaws, and reenactments of the famous O.K. Corral shootout. For more serious Old West history, be sure to visit the Cochise County Courthouse museum. A must for any trip to southern Arizona. * North is '''[[Oracle]]''', via Oracle Road (Arizona State Route 77). Along the way is Biosphere 2. Higher, Cooler, wetter, greener. Has Oracle State Park. Bedroom - artist community. Interesting people. Beautiful drive. Several overnight options (from motels to dude ranches) and restaurants. Two lively bars. Wonderful vistas of the north side of the Santa Catalina Mountains and Mt. Lemmon ski slopes. Borders Catalina National Forest (hiking, etc). Access to Arizona Trail. 'Back road to Mt Lemmon' starts in Oracle. Interesting history (Buffalo Bill, Gold Mining, Dude Ranches, et al). Main drag not much to look at but lots of hidden gems. See life in an unusually rich small Arizona town. {{routebox | image1=Amtrak Sunset Limited icon.png | imagesize1=75 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Los Angeles]] | minorl1=[[Yuma]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[San Antonio]] → [[New Orleans]] | minorr1=[[Benson (Arizona)|Benson]] | link1=https://www.amtrak.com/sunset-limited-train | image2=Amtrak Texas Eagle icon.png | imagesize2=75 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Los Angeles]] | minorl2=[[Yuma]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[San Antonio]] → [[Dallas]] → [[St Louis]] → [[Chicago]] | minorr2=[[Benson (Arizona)|Benson]] | link2=https://www.amtrak.com/texas-eagle-train | image3=I-10.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Los Angeles]] ← [[Phoenix]] | minorl3=[[Picacho]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Las Cruces]] → [[El Paso]] | minorr3=[[Benson (Arizona)|Benson]] | image4=I-19.svg | imagesize4=22 | directionl4=N | majorl4=END | minorl4= | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Nogales (Arizona)|Nogales]] | minorr4=[[Green Valley]] → [[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] → becomes [[File:Carretera federal 15.svg|18px]] | image5=Arizona 77.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Globe (Arizona)|Globe]] | minorl5=[[Oracle]] | directionr5=S | majorr5=END | minorr5= }} {{guidecity}} {{isPartOf|South Central Arizona}} {{geo|32.202|-110.906|zoom=11}} b4grz0jwjpvllganjsg5oy7pwitu9a2 0 37824 4501581 4500999 2022-08-15T13:05:36Z Jonte-- 38175 /* Eat */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|disambig=yes|unesco=yes|Venice new banner.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{Style|Now we have [[Venice/Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce]], [[Venice/Castello]] and [[Venice/San Marco]] (and also [[Venice/Lido]] and [[Venice/Murano]]), we should format this main article as a "huge city article". }} '''[http://english.comune.venezia.it Venice]''' ([[Italian phrasebook|Italian]]: ''Venezia''; Venetian: ''Venexia'') is a sanctuary on a lagoon that is virtually the same as it was 600 years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and suffers from overtourism, but the romantic charm remains. It is also known as the birthplace of composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi. Venice and its lagoon are a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. It used to be an independent republic, and remains one of Italy's most important cities, with a quarter million inhabitants. ==Districts== {{mapframe|show=districtmap|name=Map of Venice's six historic ''sestieri'' (districts)}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52423,Q844263|fill=#487db8|title=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52425,Q2118904|fill=#b569b5|title=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52422,Q52435|fill=#6e73e2|title=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52429|fill=#7ad88d|title=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52428,Q1758658|fill=#e7ef5d|title=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52427,Q126327|fill=#de725d|title=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]]}} {{regionlist | region1name=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]] | region1color=#de725d | region1description=Sharpen your elbows and get to stepping. '''St Mark's Basilica''', '''Doge's Palace''', and half a dozen other top sights are crammed in to '''Piazza San Marco'''. If you'd like a good picture (or even a place to sit!) try visiting at dawn, or during the winter months. | region2name=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]] | region2color=#7ad88d | region2description=One of the oldest parts of the city&mdash;and featuring the '''Rialto Bridge'''&mdash;one of it's most visited. Several museums and churches hold dozens of antiquities and artistic masterworks. | region3name=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]] | region3color=#6e73e2 | region3description=Home to the '''Guggenheim''' and '''Gallerie Accademia Venezia''', some of the finest museums in Italy. This area also plays host to many students, so those seeking budget conscious amenities may have more luck here. | region4name=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]] | region4color=#b569b5 | region4description=Several captivating palaces, basilica, and museums all live within the "tail of the fish". On your walk from San Marco, pass by the '''Bridge of Sighs''' to catch a glimpse of a convicts last view. | region5name=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]] | region5color=#487db8 | region5description=A more residential neighborhood, the city's historic '''Jewish ghetto''' is found here as well as the nearby island of '''San Michele Cemetery'''. Receives fewer visitors than neighboring areas, although that's not saying much. | region6name=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] | region6color=#e7ef5d | region6description=Transit oriented Santa Croce is where Venetian visitors will arrive by bus, car or tram. The rail station is just across the Grand Canal in Cannaregio. The park and churches found here are lovely, while the museums cover mostly non-Italian work. }} Many visitors also pay a visit to '''[[Mestre]]''' (mainland Venice) and some of the neighboring islands during their stay. * '''[[Venice/Burano|Burano]]''' &mdash; Popular with artists and known for its many small, brightly painted houses. * '''[[Venice/Murano|Murano]]''' &mdash; Filled with quaint shops and restaurants, Murano is known far and wide for its high quality glass making. * '''[[Venice/Lido|Lido]]''' &mdash; Venice's long skinny beach, Lido offers a respite from more touristy and expensive areas. * '''[[Venice/Torcello|Torcello]]''' &mdash; Sparsely populated and accessible by ''vaporetto'', this island offers a unique window into Venetian life. == Understand == [[File:Venezia Campanile di San Marco 004.JPG|thumb|upright|Bell tower of Saint Mark]] === Orientation === [[Metropolitan Venice]] has nearly a million inhabitants, and includes coastal and inland towns such as [[Bibione]], [[Chioggia]] and [[Eraclea]]. The ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice lies at the coast of northern Italy. It is made up of many islands in the Venetian Lagoon and a stretch of ''terraferma'' (mainland). The comune is divided into six boroughs, the most famous of which (known as ''Venezia Insulare'') comprises the historic city of Venice as well as the islands of Giudecca, [[Venice/Murano|Murano]], [[Burano]], [[Torcello]], [[Mazzorbo]] and [[Sant'Erasmo]]. [[Lido]] and [[Mestre]] are other popular areas of the comune. The historic city is divided into six ''sestieri'' (districts): [[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Castello|Castello]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] and finally [[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]], where the main monuments and sights are. Each sestiere uses separate house numbers, however they are ''not'' allocated in a specific pattern. === History === {{See also|Medieval and Renaissance Italy}} The '''Most Serene Republic of Venice''' dates back to 827, when a Byzantine Duke moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years, it prospered on trade (especially from the [[Silk Road]]) and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the '''Doge'''. Eventually, the Republic of Venice grew into a powerful city-state, and the cradle of [[Medieval and Renaissance Italy|Italian renaissance]]. In the late 15th century, the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s expansion around the Mediterranean, new routes on the high seas shifted commerce to the Atlantic, demoting Venice's political status. The city remains a centre for the arts. One of the significant events in the history of Venice was the opening of the first public opera house in 1637, which allowed members of the general public (those who could afford to pay for the tickets) to enjoy what was once court entertainment reserved for the aristocracy, thus allowing the genre of opera to flourish. Venice was an important destination of the [[Grand Tour]] from the 17th century. In 1797, the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which it never recovered. The city was soon absorbed into [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austria-Hungary]], then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but Venice is still a monument to the glory days of the Renaissance, and historical culture still throbs powerfully in the old Italians' veins. === Climate === {{Weather box | metric first=y | single line=y | Jan high C = 6.6 | Feb high C = 9.6 | Mar high C = 14.5 | Apr high C = 20.1 | May high C = 23.5 | Jun high C = 25.9 | Jul high C = 27.7 | Aug high C = 27.5 | Sep high C = 24.4 | Oct high C = 20.0 | Nov high C = 12.6 | Dec high C = 7.4 | year high C = 17.2 | Jan mean C = 3.3 | Feb mean C = 4.7 | Mar mean C = 8.3 | Apr mean C = 12.0 | May mean C = 17.1 | Jun mean C = 20.5 | Jul mean C = 23.0 | Aug mean C = 22.6 | Sep mean C = 18.9 | Oct mean C = 13.8 | Nov mean C = 7.8 | Dec mean C = 4.0 | year mean C = 13.0 | Jan low C = −0.1 | Feb low C = 0.8 | Mar low C = 5.1 | Apr low C = 9.8 | May low C = 13.7 | Jun low C = 16.1 | Jul low C = 18.3 | Aug low C = 17.7 | Sep low C = 14.3 | Oct low C = 9.6 | Nov low C = 4.0 | Dec low C = 0.6 | year low C = 8.8 | Jan precipitation mm = 47.0 | Feb precipitation mm = 48.3 | Mar precipitation mm = 48.8 | Apr precipitation mm = 70.0 | May precipitation mm = 66.0 | Jun precipitation mm = 78.0 | Jul precipitation mm = 63.9 | Aug precipitation mm = 64.8 | Sep precipitation mm = 72.0 | Oct precipitation mm = 73.5 | Nov precipitation mm = 65.5 | Dec precipitation mm = 50.6 | year precipitation mm = 748.4 | Jan humidity = 81 | Feb humidity = 77 | Mar humidity = 75 | Apr humidity = 75 | May humidity = 73 | Jun humidity = 74 | Jul humidity = 71 | Aug humidity = 72 | Sep humidity = 75 | Oct humidity = 77 | Nov humidity = 79 | Dec humidity = 81 | year humidity = 75.8 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 6.0 | Feb precipitation days = 5.2 | Mar precipitation days = 5.7 | Apr precipitation days = 8.3 | May precipitation days = 8.2 | Jun precipitation days = 8.6 | Jul precipitation days = 5.9 | Aug precipitation days = 6.1 | Sep precipitation days = 5.9 | Oct precipitation days = 6.7 | Nov precipitation days = 5.8 | Dec precipitation days = 5.9 | Jan sun = 80.6 | Feb sun = 107.4 | Mar sun = 142.6 | Apr sun = 174.0 | May sun = 229.4 | Jun sun = 243.0 | Jul sun = 288.3 | Aug sun = 257.3 | Sep sun = 198.0 | Oct sun = 151.9 | Nov sun = 87.0 | Dec sun = 77.5 | year sun = 2037.0 | source 1 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClim2/pdf/(105)Venezia%20Tessera.pdf MeteoAM (sun and humidity 1961–1990) Venezia/Tessera] | source 2 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/viewClino.php?type=File&station=105&name_station=Venezia%20Tessera MeteoAM Tabella CLINO] | date = April 2014 }} Venice has a humid-subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. For those who don't enjoy the heat, July and August may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot and often humid, there are mosquitoes and occasional infestations of flies, and there are a ''lot'' of tourists and large crowds. Mid to late spring and early to mid autumn are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 10-25°C) and the tourist load. Between November and January, you may manage to feel you have Venice all to yourself, an interesting experience. Beware of the weather during the winter months: it can be quite chilly, windy, and damp. Fog is an additional hazard if you are driving in or out, doubly so in the unlikely chance that you will pilot a boat. But if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer. Although Venice has no cars, diesel motors used by boats contribute to less than stellar air quality. '''''Acqua alta''''' (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The lagoon water level occasionally rises above the level of the squares and streets, flooding them. This can happen several times a year, at irregular intervals, usually in the colder months. ''Acqua alta'' usually lasts a few hours and coincides with high tide. You'll see raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when ''acqua alta'' hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound to warn residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italian, tune into news programs since their predictions of the times the flood begins and ends are usually accurate. Normally, the tide rises and falls in six-hour cycles. You can get an ''acqua alta'' map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Mark's Square. This will show you the higher, dry routes and the ones with walkways set up during the various flood alerts. There is a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers, and a noticeboard at the base of the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco that shows a live tide reading and predictions for the next few days. == Get in == {{Mapframe|name=Important transfer points|show=go}} Water plays a crucial role in transportation, as Venice is on a lagoon. Whichever way you arrive the last part of your journey will be on foot from the nearest waterbus/watertaxi jetty. Bear this in mind when choosing your hotel location and route to it, especially if you need to carry or wheel bags along the narrow streets. Do note a lot of the higher priced hotels will offer complementary water boat transfers from the airport. === By plane === The Marco Polo Airport and the Treviso Airport serve the city. If no flight suites you, check flying to nearby '''[[Bologna#By_plane|Bologna]]''' or '''[[Verona#By_plane|Verona]]'''. From both cities trains and buses depart to Venice. ==== Marco Polo Airport ==== {{Listing | type = go | name = Marco Polo Airport | alt = {{IATA|VCE}} | url = http://www.veniceairport.it | email = | address = | lat = 45.50528 | long = 12.35194 | directions = on the mainland near [[Mestre]] (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure) | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | wikipedia= Venice Marco Polo Airport | wikidata = Q849347 | image = Aeroporto di Venezia - vue aerienne.jpg | lastedit = 2019-08-21 | content = This is the closest commercial airport. }} There are direct flights to and from [[Amsterdam Schiphol]], [[Atlanta Airport]], [[Barcelona El Prat]], Basel, Belfast, Berlin, Bilbao, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Brussels, Casablanca, Chisinau, Cologne-Bonn, [[Copenhagen Airport]], Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, [[Frankfurt Airport]], Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Istanbul, Leeds, Le Havre, Lille, Lisbon, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Mars Alam, Marseilles, Metz, Montreal, Moscow, [[Munich Airport]], Mykonos, Nantes, New York. Newcastle, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague Pristina, Riga, Southend, Saint Petersburg, Sharm el-Sheik, Stuttgart, Timisoara, Tirana, Toronto, Toulouse, Tunis, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich as well as domestic flights to and from Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, and Rome. As of April 2022 the airport wifi service is free, with caveats: you get 30 min without registration, and a few hours with registration. This is useful if you need access to online vaccination passports. '''[http://www.atvo.it ATVO]''' operates airport shuttle '''expressbus 35''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' between 04:20 and 23:30 every day and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' between 05:20 to 00:50 every day. The trip on a coach bus with luggage stowed underneath takes about 20 minutes. ATVO ticket price is €8 one-way and €15 return, luggage included. Tickets can be bought at the airport from the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall, at the ATVO ticket counter in the arrival hall (open from 08:00 to 23:45, {{Phone|+39 042 1594672}}) and from the automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the airport on the ATVO departure platform. In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to San Marco Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St. Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre, tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/urban-lines-0 ACTV]''' operates urban '''aerobus 5''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' on weekdays between 04:35 and 00:40 and during weekends between 05:40 and 00:40 and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' on weekdays between 04:08 and 01:10 and during weekends between 04:08 and 01:10. The trip in a city bus takes about 23 minutes. ACTV ticket price for a 75-minute trip with water buses (vaporetti) and land buses starting and/or ending at Marco Polo Airport is €8 one-way and €15 return. One piece of hand luggage is included in the price. If you are willing to walk 1 km to save a few coins, walk to the Triestina Tessera stop and catch the same bus 5 (or some other routes) for €6. If you have a Venezia Unica card (see local transport), you can ride from that stop for €1.50. '''[http://www.alilaguna.it/en Alilaguna]''' operates three '''water bus''' lines from the airport. Such a direct water bus from the airport may be more convenient than taking the bus to the bus station and then changing to the local water bus. To reach the boat jetty, turn left on leaving the terminal and walk 10 minutes along the covered walkway. * '''Blue line (linea blu)''' runs from the airport to the Cruise Terminal (Terminal Crociere) via Murano, Fondamente Nove, Ospedale, Bacini, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zitelle, Zattere, and Giudecca Stucky. Boats leave from the airport every hour from 06:10 to 08:10 and from 20:15 to 00:15 and every 30 minutes between 08:45 and 20:15, boats leave from the Cruise Terminal every 30 minutes from 07:50 to 17:20. The boat trip from the airport to the city center (San Marco) takes about 90 min. This trip is very long and boring, so bring something to do. The trip from the airport to Murano takes 30 min. * '''Orange line (linea arancio)''' connects the airport with Giglio via Madonna dell'Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, San Angelo and Ca' Rezzonico. Boats leave from the airport every 30 mins from 08:00 to 19:00. Boats leaving later in the evening go to Fondamenta Nove or San Marco only. Boats leave from Giglio from every 30 minutes from 6:48 to 19:48, later boats leave from San Marco only. * '''Red line (Linea Rossa)''' goes from the airport to Giudecca Zitelle via Murano Museo, Certosa, Lido, and San Marco. This is a seasonal service and only operates between April and November. Boats leave the airport every hour from 10:30 to 18:30 and San Marco every hour from 9:05 to 19:05. The ticket price from the airport to Lido, Venice, or Cruise Terminal is €15 one way (€8 IMOB smart card) and €27 return. Airport to Murano costs €8 one way (€4 IMOB) and €15 return. There are also tourist tickets which are valid for 24 hours (€30), and for 72 hours (€65). All tickets can be purchased online. The water bus services from the airport are operated by a different company (Alilaguna) than the other public water bus services in Venice, so separate tickets will be required. From the same jetty, you can travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy '''water-taxis''' (30 min) for about €110. ==== Treviso Airport ==== The '''[http://trevisoairport.it/ Treviso Airport]''' ({{IATA|TSF}}), located 25&nbsp;km (16&nbsp;mi) from Venice near [[Treviso]], is relatively smaller but becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for Ryanair, Wizzair, and Transavia budget flights. There are flights to Treviso Airport from Bucharest, Charleroi, Chisinau, Cluj, Dublin, East Midlands, Eindhoven, Iasi, L'viv, Malta, Moscow, Paris Beauvais, Prague, Stockholm, Timisoara and Valencia. There are domestic flights from Alghero, Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme and Palermo. Flights to and from Treviso Airport are operated by [http://www.laudamotion.com/ Lauda], [http://www.pobeda.aero Pobeda], [http://www.ryanair.com Ryanair] +39 895 8958989, [http://www.wizzair.com Wizz Air] +39 895 895 3322. The airport runs over-capacity with seating and facilities, and the security line can sometimes be very long during peak travel times. If you arrive at the airport and the line is moving too slowly, you can purchase local fast track service at '''[https://www.ufirst.com/en/doors/door-015659eb-2683-46ba-82ca-c18d7490b57f/service-d78a5c7d-c641-4072-8622-0b351fcf8db7 UFirst.com]''' for €10. This is official but poorly advertised at the airport. There is no express passport control if departing the Schengen area. '''[http://www.atvo.it/index.php?lingua=en&area=menustandard&idpadre=23&idmenu=36 ATVO]''' operates buses from Venice to Treviso Airport daily at 05:30, 07:10, 10:30, and 18:30 and from Treviso Airport to Venice daily at 07:45, 08:15, 13:10 and 21:20 plus others not connecting to the flights to and from Treviso Airport. Flights arriving earlier or later than scheduled may affect the departure from the airport. If flights are cancelled the bus service will be suspended. The bus has two stops in Mestre, one in Corso del Popolo in front of BNP Bank in the historic center and the other one near the railway station and the journey takes about 55 min. The bus stop in Venice is at Piazzale Roma and the journey takes about 70 min. Ticket prices are €12 one-way and €22 return (valid 7 days) and have to be validated before boarding the bus. Tickets can be bought at Treviso Airport at the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall or at the ATVO ticket office in the arrivals hall, operating from 07:30 to 22:30 ({{Phone|+39 422 315 381}}). In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to Treviso Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St.Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. There is free Wi-Fi on the buses. '''[http://www.barziservice.com/en/services/airport/ Barzi Bus Service]''' offers a bus service via the motorway from the airport to Mestre train station (about 30 min trip) and Venice Tronchetto (about 40 min trip). Ticket prices are €12 one way and €22 return (valid 10 days). Tickets can be bought at their desk in the arrival hall ({{Phone|+39 348 836 71 85}}), or on the bus. Tickets bought on Ryanair flights are ''not'' valid for this service. Barzi Bus brings you to Tronchetto, from there you can take vaporetto line 2 to the city center. If you'd rather avoid the highway traffic and don't have bulky luggage, take the local '''[http://www.mobilitadimarca.it/p/linee-e-orari/servizio-urbano/urbano-treviso Mobilita di Marca bus no. 6]''' for €1.30 (€2.50 if bought on board). It will deposit you at the Treviso train station in about 10 minutes. There are 2-3 departures hourly from the airport between 06:00 to 22:00. Then it's about 30 minutes on Regionale or Regionale Veloce train to Venezia Santa Lucia (also 2-3 departures per hour). The ticket price is €3.40 for the train. ==== San Nicolo Airport ==== The '''San Nicolo Airport''' (ICAO: LIPV, no IATA code) is an airfield directly on the Lido. It handles only small aircraft, as the runway (grass) is about 1&nbsp;km long, and does not have any scheduled flights, but might be of interest to private pilots (arrivals from [[Schengen Agreement]] states only) due to its convenience to the city (it is a short walk to the vaporetto landing). === By train === [[File:Lion of Venice, Piazzetta San Marco.jpg|thumb|300px|A winged lion, the symbol of San Marco]] Venice is well-connected with the domestic train network, [[Rome]] and [[Milan]] are only a few hours away. Also there are some night trains from cities in southern Italy, though since 2012 most services have been canceled. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to [[Trieste]] leave from Venezia Mestre at 10:24, 19:45 and 21:59 and the trip takes about 1 hr 35 min. Regionale Veloce (Fast Regional) trains leave from Santa Lucia station at 09:11, 9:48, 12:09, 13:09, every hour from 14:11 to 18:11, at 19:35, the trip taking about 2 hr 5 min. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to Milan leave Santa Lucia station at 05:20, 06:20, 06:50, 07:50, 08:50, 10:50, 12:50, 13:20, 14:20, 14:50, 15:20, 16:20, 17:20, 18:20 and 19:50, duration of the trip is about 2 hr 35 min. There are Freccia Argento (Silver Arrow) trains to Rome leaving Santa Lucia at 10:25, 13:25, 15:25 and 18:25, via [[Bologna]] and [[Florence]] arriving in Rome 3 hr 50 min later, and an Intercity Night train leaving Santa Lucia at 00:07, arriving in Rome at 06:35 next morning. [http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx Iitalo] offers train services from Santa Lucia to Rome at 07:55, 09:55, 12:55 and 18:55, arriving Romea Ostiense at 11:50, 13:50, 16:50 and 22:50, and at 15:55 arriving at Roma Tiburtina at 19:30. Direct trains to Venice are available from many international destinations, there are [[sleeper trains]] from [[Munich]] and [[Vienna]] operated by ÖBB as part of their [http://www.nightjet.at Nightjet] brand. and also a weekly long-distance night train (four nights) from [[Moscow]] via [[Kyiv]], [[Budapest]] and [[Zagreb]]. There's also a sleeper service from Paris operating under the [https://www.thello.com/en/ Thello] brand. * Nightjet trains to Munich depart Santa Lucia at 21:04 and arrive in Munich at 06:10. The train from Munich leaves at 23:20 to reach Santa Lucia at 08:24. * Trains to Vienna depart at 21:04 and arrive in Vienna at 07:55 next morning. The other way departs Vienna at 21:27, arriving at 08:24 in Santa Lucia. * The Thello sleeper leaves Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:15 and arrives in Santa Lucia at 09:35. The reverse trajectory departs Venice at 19:20, arriving in Paris at 09:37. Also, Venice is the terminus for the luxurious '''[https://www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express Venice Simplon Orient-Express]''', a historical train that still make the overnight journey from [[London]] and Paris in original 1920s coaches. There are departures at least once a week between March and November. As one of the most sumptuous journeys in the world, the trip is expectedly ''very'' expensive, starting at €2,900. Trains from the mainland run through [[Mestre]] on the mainland to the terminus Venezia Santa Lucia railway station on the west side of Venice; make sure you don't get it confused with the two stations on the mainland before the bridge. Many through trains only stop in Mestre, in that case just hop on to one of the very frequent trains to Santa Lucia (ticket €1.25). Also, ACTV has a ticket office at Mestre station, and queues might be shorter here. From the Santa Lucia station district, water buses (''vaporetti'') or water taxis can take you to hotels or other locations on the islands, but walking is usually the best option. * {{go | name=Venezia Santa Lucia railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia | url=https://www.instazione.shop/venezia-santa-lucia | email= | address=Fondamenta Santa Lucia | lat= | long= | directions=Northern edge of Cannaregio district | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q801567 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=The main terminus station located in proper Venice. The strikingly modern building was built in 1934. Stepping out from the station you are immediately met with views of the canals and historic Venice. The station itself has plenty of amenities, including lounges for holders of first-class tickets. There's a left luggage facility next to the track on the north side of the station (to the right when facing the tracks). Price is €6 per piece for the first six hours. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Mestre railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Mestre | url= | email= | address=Piazzale Pietro Favretti | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q520844 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Main station on the mainland, many through trains only call here. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Porto Marghera railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Porto Marghera | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3971261 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Smaller station on the mainland, only local services call here. }} === By car === Distances to Venice: Rome 540 km, Milan 279 km, Padua 60 km, Vicenza 75 km, Udine 125 km Cars arrive on the far western edge of Venice, but remain parked at the entrance to the city (Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, which is Europe's largest car park.) There are no roads past this point, and never were, even before cars. ==== Parking ==== Car parking is very very expensive here (€26/12 hr, €30/24 hr) and the tailbacks can be quite large. Tronchetto is about a 1&nbsp;km from Piazzale Roma, the city's main entry point, but there is an shuttle train service, ''People Mover'', at €1.50. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Parking Tronchetto | alt= | url=http://www.veniceparking.it/find-parking/Venezia%20Tronchetto%20Parking/ | email=info-tronchettopark@interparking.com | address=Isola Nuova del Tronchetto | lat=45.4426 | long=12.3066 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207555 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5285750 | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Has 4,000 parking spaces (including 33 parking spaces for persons with special needs). Parking is open 24 hours throughout the year. Cars must not be higher than 2.10 m. Ticket price is €3 per hour for the first 2 hours, €5 per hour for the next 2 hours and €21 for the whole day. Most credit cards are accepted. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Autorimessa Comunale | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/autorimessa-comunale-city-parking-garage | email= | address=Piazzale Roma, Santa Croce 496 | lat=45.43881 | long=12.31714 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727302 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day of the year | price=€23.40 for cars thinner than 185cm online | content=Offers parking for more than 2000 cars and 300b motor-cycles on 6 floors. Cars must not exceed a height of 2.20 m. The ticket price is €26 for cars under 1.85 m and €29 for cars over 1.85 m. Online bookings at [http://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services?macrofamily=5&family=24 this website] get 10 percent discount. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/28_autocom_map_ita.pdf download a map] on how to reach the Autorimessa. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=S. Andrea Car Park | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/sandrea-car-park-0 | email= | address=Piazzale Roma | lat=45.43792 | long=12.31718 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day all the year round | price= | content=Inside the Autorimessa, accessible from Rio Terà S. Andrea, for short term parking. Cars must not be higher than 2 m. The ticket price is €7 for 2 hours. No advance reservation. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/261_city_park_map_eng.pdf download a map] how to reach the S. Andrea car park. }} '''An alternative''' is to use the car parks on the mainland (terra firma) and catch a train or bus or vaporetto into Venice. Park near the [[Mestre]] railway station, and catch a train to Venezia St Lucia; there are many trains, it is very near (8–10 minutes) and quite cheap (€1.20). Don't bother searching for free parking near Mestre train station - there are no free parking spots near, except on Sunday (free parking is on the other side of the station, in Marghera). Free and safe parkings are also near Mogliano Veneto and Oriago railway stations. Besides, Venezia St Lucia is a good starting point to visit Venice. However drivers going to the Lido can use the car ferry from Tronchetto (vaporetto 17, frequencies vary), right hand lane off the Ponte della Libertà into the city. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Ca' Marcello Car Park | alt= | url=http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/ca-marcello-car-park-0 | email= | address=via Ca' Marcello, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open every day from 06:00 to 24:00 | price= | content=Open air car park for 100 cars near the Mestre railway station. Ticket price €1 for 4 hours, €4 for the whole day (on week-days from 08:00 to 20:00 only). }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Terminal Fusina | alt= | url=http://www.terminalfusina.it/en/parking | email=fusina@terminalfusina.it | address=via Moranzani 79, Fusina | lat=45.42039 | long=12.25505 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5470160 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5479133 | hours= | price= | content=Offers parking for 300 coaches and 15,000 cars. It has direct access from A4 highway and Strada Statale Romea 309. Prices €12 for up to 12 hours, €15 for up to 24 hours (20 per cent discount for online bookings). Terminal Fusina offers 3 boat lines to Venice: }} ** Blue Line (Line Blu) runs from Fusina to Venice Zattere every hour from 08:00 to 19:00, also at 20:00 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:00 and 22:00 from Jun to Sept, travel time 25 minutes, return from Venice Zattere every hour from 08:30 to 19:30, also at 20:30 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:30 and 22:30 from Jun to Sept, ticket price one way €8, return €13 ** Red line (line Rossa) runs from Fusina to Alberoni on Venice Lido in winter M-F at 07:30, every day at 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30 and 17:30. travel time 35 minutes, return M-F 08:15, every day at 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15 and 18:45. Ticket price €7 one-way, €12 return. ** Yellow Line (Line gialla) runs from Zattere to Alberoni at 08:45, 10:45, 12:45, 16:15 and 18:15, return from Alberoni at 09:30, 11:45, 13:45, 17:00 and 19:00, tickets €7 one-way, €12 return. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Punta Sabbioni | alt= | url=http://www.acivenice.com | email=info@acivenice.com | address=Via Fausta, Cavallino Treporti | lat=45.44814 | long=12.42764 | directions= | phone=+39 0415301096 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=ACI operates a large car park for 100 buses and 400 cars at Punta Sabbioni. This is a convenient way to enter Venice from the seaside resorts Lido di Jesolo, Lignano or Bibione. Vaporetto line 12 brings you to Murano, Burano and Torcello, lines 14 and 15 to S. Zaccaria. }} ==== Car rental ==== Most of the major rental car companies have outlets at Piazzale Roma, at the edge of the city. These are on the ground floor of one of the major parking stations. When you are dropping off your car, you need to find street parking and then walk to the rental car outlet and hand in the keys. Do not park in the parking station. There is a vaporetto stop across the road from the parking station. === By bus === For '''bus''' services between Marco Polo airport (VCE) and the Piazzale Roma bus station in Venice, see the By Place section. The {{marker|type=go|name=Piazzale Roma bus station|url=|lat=45.4379|long=12.3189}} is well served by vaporetti and water-taxis ... and of course, you can walk everywhere. From [[Mestre]], you can take a bus to Venezia- Piazzale Roma. the ticket is €1.30 but if you buy it in the bus it will cost €2.50. You can buy bus tickets from specialized ticket kiosks and vending machines, as well as tobacconists and newsstands. All of the city is connected to Venice by bus. === By tram === There is a [http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/tram tram connection] from the mainland to Venice: Line T1 from Favaro to Piazzale Roma. One way/Single Ticket - 75 min €1.50. Ticket booklet - 10 tickets - 75 min €14. You can buy tram tickets from specialized ticket kiosks, vending machines, tobacconists and newsstands, and you can use the same ticket for buses and People Mover. === By boat === [[File:Venezia San Giorgio Maggiore R06.jpg|thumb|360px|View of San Giorgio, in front of Venice]] Ships arrive at the '''[http://www.vtp.it/ Stazione Marittima]''' which is at the west end of the main islands, it is served by vaporetti and water taxis. ''To Piazzale Roma'': take the '''People Mover''' operating every 3 minutes weekdays from 07:10 to 22:50, holidays from 08:10 to 21:50, price €1. ''To Santa Lucia Railway Station'' (distance 1 km): take the ''People Mover'' to Piazzale Roma, then walk or take the water taxi ({{Phone|+39 0412402711}}, {{Phone|+39 041716922}}, {{Phone|+39 0415222303}} or {{Phone|+39 0415229040}}). ''To Venezia Mestre Railway Station'' (distance {{Km|7}}) take a taxi (Radiotaxi: {{Phone|+39 041 5952080}}) or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and the bus line to Mestre. ''To Marco Polo Airport'' (distance {{Km|13}}) take a taxi (40 minutes trip), a water taxi or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and then ACTV bus no 6 or ATVO buses. === Porters === Cooperative Trasbagagli, {{Phone|+39 041 713719}} offers porter services at the following rates: 1 or 2 pieces €25 Venice City, €40 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €50 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €60 Murano. 3 or 4 pieces €35 Venice City, €50 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €60 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €80 Murano, 5 or 6 pieces €45 Venice City, €60 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €70 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €90 Murano. There are porter stations at Ferrovia {{Phone|+39 041 715272}}, Piazzale Roma {{Phone|+39 041 5223590}}, S.Marco Campo della Guerra {{Phone|+39 3478675491}}, S.Marco Calle Vallaresso {{Phone|+39 3465881508}}, S.Marco Bacino Orseolo {{Phone|+39 3282696025}}, S.Marco Sant'Angelo {{Phone|+39 3406382287}}, S.Zaccaria (Danieli) {{Phone|+39 3203385248}}, S.Zaccaria (Jolanda) {{Phone|+39 3495803239}} and Rialto (Imbarcadero Actv Rialto line 1 and 2) {{Phone|+39 3474348898}}. == Get around == Venice, the world's only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes this a particularly pleasant experience. However, walking and standing all day can also be exhausting, so it is best to pace yourself. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice - are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour, provided you don't get lost (a common occurrence). If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous '''vaporetti (water buses)''' and '''water taxis'''. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to use vaporetti than private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, take a gondola ride, although they tend to exist for more scenic purposes, rather than getting people from point A to point B. Be warned that GPS navigation services such as Google Maps are notoriously unreliable in Venice. The density of stone buildings makes it fairly difficult to receive a proper GPS satellite signal. Additionally, Venice's complex network of pathways and public transit is poorly documented, and even entire transit services such as the Orange vaporetti Route are undocumented on Google Maps. You can mitigate some of these navigation issues using the Live View function in Google Maps, which uses your camera to orient yourself relative to businesses and landmarks around you. === By public transport === '''[http://www.actv.it/en ACTV]''' runs the vaporetti and other public transport services in the lagoon and on land. * '''Line 1''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido, passing the Railway Station (Ferrovia), Canal Grande, Rialto, S.Marco and S.Zaccaria and vice versa, leaving Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 05:01 to 06:01 and from 22:21 to 23:41, every 10 minutes from 06:21 to 22:01, leaving Lido every 20 minutes from 04:16 to 05:36 and from 21:46 to 23:06, every 10 minutes from 5:56 to 21:26. Notice that this service can be ''very crowded'' during the day as it passes through many sights along the Grand Canal. * '''Line N''' is a night line, connecting Lido with Canal Grande, Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, Canale and vice versa. Boats leave Lido every 20 minutes from 23:26 to 04:06 and Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 00:09 to 04:49. * '''Line 2''' goes from S.Zaccaria over S.Giorgio, Giudecca, Zattere, Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, S.Marcuola, Rialto, S.Tomà, S.Samuele, Academia and S.Marco. Departure from S.Zaccaria every 20 minutes from 04:59 to 08:39 and from 20:49 to 23:09, every 10 minutes from 08:59 to 20:29. The route can be seen as a "C" running along the Grand Canal and Giudeca Canal, hugging the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro. * '''Line 4.1''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Arsenale, Giardini, S.Elena, S.Pietro di Castello, Bacini, Celestia, Ospedale. Fondamente Nove and Cimiterio and from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove, Orto, Sant’Alvise, Tre Archi, Gugle, Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, S.Marta, Palanca, Redentore and Zitelle. Boats leave Fondamente Nove to Murano (Museo) from 06:14 to 21:34 and from 21:42 to 23:22, from Murano (Museo) to Piazzale Roma from 06:32 to 19:32, from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 19:52 to 21:52 and from Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria from 06:18 to 20:18 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 4.2''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Zitelle, Redentore, Palanca, Sacca Fisola, S.Marta, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, Guglie, Crea, S.Alvise, Orto, Fondamente Nove and Cimitero, and return from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove. Ospedale, Celestia, Bacini, S.Elena, Giardini and Arsenale. Boats depart at San Zaccaria from 06:13 to 20:33, from Piazzale Roma to Fondamente Nove from 06:56 to 20:56, from Fondamente Nove to Murano from 06:23 to 21:23, from Murano (Museo) to San Zaccaria from 06:43 to 20:43, and from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 20:43 to 21:43 and from 22:07 to 23.47 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.1''' runs anti-clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma via S.Pietro, Bacini, Celetstia, Ospedale, Fondamente Nove, Orto, S.Alvise, Tre Archi, Guglie, Riva de Biasio and Ferrovia and from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, Zattere. S.Zaccaria, Giardini and S.Elenea. Boats leave from Lido from 06:20 to 20:20, from Fondamente Nove from 06:24 to 23:04, from Piazzale Roma from 06:08 to 23:48 and from S.Zaccaria from 06:38 to 00:08 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.2''' runs clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma and back to Lido. Boats leave Lido from 5.52 to 20.32 and from 20:42 to 00:22, from S.Zaccaria from 06:06 to 20:46 and from 20:56 to 00:36, from Piattale Roma from 0626 to 21:06 and from 21:16 to 23:16 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 6''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, S.Basilio, Zattere, Giardini and S.Elena. Boats leave Piazzale Roma from 06:19 to 20:29, and Lido from 05:42 to 20:02 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 9''' runs from Burano to Torcello, leaving Burno from 07:05 to 20:35 and Torcello from 06:40 to 20:10 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 10''' runs from Lido to San Marco Giardinetti via S.Elena, Giardini, Arsenale and S.Zaccaria and return from San Marco Giardinetti to Lido via S.Zaccaria. Boats from 18:01 to 20:21 and from San Marco Giardinetti from 17:39 to 20:21 every 10 minutes. * '''Line 12''' runs from Fondamente Nove to Punta Sabbioni via Murano Faro, Mazzorbo, (Torcello), Burano and Treporti and back. Boats leave Fondamente Nove from 07:10 to 19:40 and Punta Sabbioni from 07:56 to 20:26 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 14, 14L, 15''' runs from San Zaccaria Pieta to Punta Sabbioni via Lido and back. Boats leave S.Zaccaria Pietà from 08:15 to 20:15 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 23.45. Boats leave Punta Sabbioni from 08:30 to 17:00 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 00:20 Some boats do not stop at Lido. * '''Line 17''' is the Tronchetto to Lido (S.Nicoló) ferry. Ferry boats leave at Tronchetto at 00:10, 01:40, and from 06:40 to 23:20 every 50 minutes and Lido (S.Nicoló) at 00:55 and from 05:50 to 23:20 every 50 minutes. Additional services for all lines in the early morning. Information for all ACTV services at Hello Venezia {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}, daily 07:30 to 20:00. You can download a [http://www.veneziaunica.it/sites/default/files/redazione/linee_navigazione_ACTV_aprile2014.jpg map of Venice water buses] A '''single ticket''' (''biglietto solo andata'') costs €7.50, permitting the use of public transports for 75 minutes from the moment you validate the ticket including transfers heading in the same direction. If you board a boat without having bought a ticket, you have to buy one from the on-board collector. There are no return tickets. There are '''tourist travel cards''' (''biglietto turistico a tempo'') that cost €20 for 24 hours, €30 for 48 hours, €40 for 72 hours and €60 for 7 days. There are other versions available, including those offering discounts for youth under 29 year of age. [http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/movinginvenice Current rates can be found here]. Something you won't be told easily is that now anyone can purchase the '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/venezia-unica-city-pass-0 Venezia Unica City Pass]''' card (formerly '''IMOB''') - the only difference is that in addition to its €10 cost for residents, foreigners need to pay a €90 extra "transport activation" fee. Unless you are in town for a couple of days and planning never to return, do it. It's a durable plastic card with your (webcam) picture, and once you have it, you are more or less a local - which means access to €1.50 single vaporetto tickets (save even more by recharging the card with 10 at once for €14), half-price discount on Alilaguna services, and even €0.70 traghetto crossings (instead of €2; flash the card to the gondolier). It is valid for 5 years from the month of issue. Register at the Venezia Unica [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services site] and pre-fill the application online, then go to one of the [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/venezia-unica-agencies-and-venezia-unica-ticket-points ACTV offices] (not simply ticket points; probably the easiest location is at Piazzale Roma) and tell the clerk that you have a "contratto precompilato" - they'll pull it up, ask you to sign the privacy disclosures and issue the card on the spot (or you can fill the form at the counter; bear in mind it's in Italian). Moreover, if you happen to have a +39 Italian cell phone number, with it and your new Unica you can [http://www.cittadinanzadigitale.it/node/70 get a free code] for use of the communal WiFi spots. If you lose the card, do not despair: it costs only €10 to get an immediate replacement, and the balance (along with your old photograph) is automatically transferred over. The [http://veniceconnected.com Venice Connected] website of the Comune di Venezia (now integrated into Unica site) makes possible to book online (at least 7 days in advance) most services controlled by the town administration (public transportation, access to the civic museums, access to public restrooms, car park tickets, entrance to the Casinò and access to the municipal WiFi network covering the entire historic centre); the online prices vary according to the projected number of visitors but are always cheaper than the current on-site prices (and cheaper than with a Venice Card). You can also get a '''Venice Card''', which has various options that you can choose when you buy it (public transportation, cultural attractions, toilet access, Alilaguna, etc.) There is a 'Junior' version of the Venice that is available at a slightly reduced rate for those between 5 and 29 years of age. A Venice Card is not recommended for those with less than 3 days in Venice, as most of the top attractions are not included in the Venice Card. If you'll be staying in Venice for a week - get the Venice Card and enjoy travelling from island to island and exploring the various museums and churches it offers access to. Maps are available at the vaporetto stops in the ticket booths. The map is quite reliable, and is free when getting a Venice Card (€2 otherwise) can be [http://www.actv.it/sites/default/files/ultimamappa.pdf viewed] on Internet. Venice Cards can be [http://www.hellovenezia.com/index.php?lang=en reserved on-line] {{dead link|December 2020}} for a considerable discount. There are long lines when taking the Venice Card from the ticket booths. The Venezia St. Lucia ticket booth that offers Venice Cards is the one most on the right when you exit the train station. === By foot === [[File:Target in venice.JPG|thumb|Directions are all over the city]] Otherwise, '''take a walk'''! The city is not that big, and you can walk from one end to the other in a few hours (if you stick to the paths conveniently marked with arrows in the direction of major landmarks). But it would take months for a fit person to discover every path in the city. Make sure to visit some of the smaller alleyways, as they can be very interesting. Along the way you will discover marvelous art, superb architecture and breathtaking urban landscaping. Exploring the city randomly by walking is well worth it but also be prepared to get lost easily! Signs all over the city indicate the direction to the main attractions, "Rialto" and "San Marco", as well as the way back to the train station ("ferrovia") and the bus terminal ("Piazzale Roma"). These signs make it easy to have the "get lost experience" even as a one-day tourist. For a faster and safer walk, you should walk on the right side. Be aware that addresses in Venice are of the form "District Number" (the Venetian word for district is "Sestiere"), not "Street Number". To find a specific place using a map, make sure you know which district it is in. The numbers are assigned at the start of the district and increase as they move farther away from the Grand Canal. === By water taxi === [[File:View of the Grand Canal from Rialto to Ca'Foscari.jpg|thumb|360px|right|Grand Canal from Rialto to SW]] Water taxis (''taxi acquei'') are operated by Coop. San Marco ({{Phone|+39 041 5222303}}), Coop. Veneziana ({{Phone|+39 041 716124}}), Coop. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5221265}} or {{Phone|+39 041 5229538}}), Soc. Narduzzi Solemar ({{Phone|+39 041 5200838}}), Soc. Marco Polo ({{Phone|+39 041 966170}}), Soc. Sotoriva ({{Phone|+39 041 5209586}}), Soc. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5228538}}) and Venezia Taxis ({{Phone|+39 041 723009}}). There are water taxi ranks at Ferrovia (Railway Station) ({{Phone|+39 041716286}}), Piazzale Roma (S.Chiara) ({{Phone|+39 041716922}}), Rialto ({{Phone|+39 041723112}}), Lido ({{Phone|+39 0414222303}}) and at Marco Polo Airport ({{Phone|+39 0415415084}}). In the historic city centre there is a fixed tariff for water taxis of €15 at departure plus €2 per minute on urban routes. There are supplements of €5 for call services and customer pick-up outside the taxi ranks, of €10 for night services between 22:00 and 06:00, of €3 pieces of luggage exceeding 4 pieces and of €5 or €10 for every person exceeding a group of 4. Rates are fixed by a [http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/19521 resolution] of the Venice City Council. A water taxi service for persons with special needs is available at {{Phone|+39 041 2747332}} or directly through the website [http://www.booktaxivenice.com Book Taxi Venice]. === By taxi === 'Normal' taxis can be called from Radio Taxi ({{Phone|+39 041 936137}}). There are taxi ranks at ''Piazzale Roma'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5237774}}) and ''Lido'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5265974}}). === By Traghetto === There are small gondola ferries crossing the Canal Grande at * ''S.Sofia'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:45 to 19:00 * ''Carbon (Rialto)'', 7 to 12.30, week-days only * ''S.Tomá'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:30 to 19:30 * ''San Barnaba'', 07:45 to 12:30, week-days only * ''S.Maria del Giglio'', 09:00 to 18:00 daily * ''Dogana'', 09:00 to 14:00 daily Ticket price €2 one way, €0.70 for Venice residents and IMOB card holders. === By tour === '''[http://www.alilaguna.it Alilaguna Green line (linea verde)]''' Alilaguna, {{Phone|+39 041 5235775}}, operates a 4 hours excursion tour to the island of [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and [[Torcello]] with explanations in English, French, German and Spanish. Departure from imbarcadero San Marco Giardinetti, Minimum 4 participants. Boat starts in Apr, May and Oct at 09:30, 11:00 and 14:30, from Jun to Sept at 09:30, 11:00, 14:30 and 15:30, from Nov to Mar at 11:00 and 14:00. Ticket price €20 (free for holders of Alilaguna 72 hrs pass). == See == {{movetodistrict}} {{infobox|Children's view of Venice|Venice offers plenty for people of all ages to enjoy. See [[Venice with children]] for tips for making your visit with children a bit easier.}} {{Mapframe|45.4332|12.3354|zoom=13}} * {{see | name=Doge's Palace | alt=Palazzo Ducale | url=http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 1 | lat=45.4337 | long=12.3404 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 2715911 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov to Mar 08:30 to 17:30, Apr to Oct 08:30 to 19:00, closed Jan 1 and Dec 25 | price=Adults €20, reduced €14 | wikipedia=Doge's Palace | wikidata=Q189883 | content=Don't miss the guided tour named ''Secret Itinerary'', which will let you discover the part of the palace where the city's administration worked, as well as Casanova's jail and the wonderful five hundred year old roof structure. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Bell tower of St. Mark | alt=Campanile di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/campanile/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.43404 | long=12.33905 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5224064 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 09:30-15:45; Apr-Jun, Oct: 09:00-19:00; Jul-Aug: 09:00-21:00 | price=€8 | wikipedia=St Mark's Campanile | wikidata=Q754194 | content=The current tower dates from 1912; an exact replica of the previous tower which collapsed in 1902. The top of the tower offers great views of Venice and the lagoon. }} * {{see | name=Clock tower | alt=Torre dell'Orologio | url=http://torreorologio.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.4347 | long=12.3389 | directions=vaporetto lines 1-2-5, 1.5.2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5209070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €12, reduced €7 | wikipedia=St Mark's Clocktower | wikidata=Q966625 | content=Having been closed for restoration for many years, the restored astronomical clock is now visible. The fascinating tour of the clock mechanism (and rooftop bell) can only be visited on a guided tour, in English: Mon-Wed at 10:00 and 11:00, on other days at 14:00 and 15:00, in French Mon-Wed at 14:00 and 15:00, advance reservation required online or by phone at +39 041 5209070. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org/home-en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3052 | lat=45.43653 | long=12.32532 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Tomà, near the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | phone=+39 041 5234864 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:30-17:30, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, Easter Sunday | price=Adult €10, concessions €8 | wikipedia=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | wikidata=Q1270723 | content=A masterpiece of Tintoretto, this guild house is an exquisite example of Mannerist art at its best. In order to allow a comfortable admiration of the detailed ceiling, mirrors are offered to the visitors. Cycles of allegories, life and passion of Christ, scenes from the Old and New Testament. }} * {{see | name=Jewish Ghetto of Venice | alt=Ghetto Ebraico di Venezia | url=http://ghetto.it/ | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.4452 | long=12.3263 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=While racial and ethnic neighborhoods had existed prior to the Venetian Ghetto, Venice's ghetto was the first "ghetto" (coming from a Venetian word for the Iron Foundry that was on the site previously) and "ghetto" eventually came to mean any neighborhood that was made up of a single ethnic/racial group. Today, Jewish life is still very active in the ghetto, and elsewhere in Venice, and is home to five synagogues. Visiting on Saturdays or late Fridays (the Jewish Sabbath) will prove very fruitless because all shops, restaurants, and other Jewish places will be closed. }} * {{see | name=Ponte di Rialto | alt=Rialto Bridge | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.43805 | long=12.33592 | directions=connecting sestieri San Polo and San Marco across Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rialto Bridge | wikidata=Q52505 | content=The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years. Today's Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. }} * {{see | name=Zattere | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dorsoduro | lat=45.4295 | long=12.3264 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It's a long and sunny walk along the Giudecca canal, protected during winter time from cold northerly winds for being exposed to south and shielded by buildings. You might find interesting to see how a gondola is made, stopping by the '''Squero''' (Venetian for small ship yard) across the canal near San Trovaso Church. It's one of the few still in business in town. With some luck, you'll see some gondole through various manufacturing steps (note that gondole are not straight to counterbalance the gondoliere push). }} === Churches === [[File:Venezia (201710) jm55888.jpg|thumb|420px|The Basilica of San Marco]] A lot of churches will charge an entry fee. This is true of the ''Basilica di San Marco''. There is a "Chorus Pass" for entry into some churches, but be aware there is a limited selection of churches this applies to. If you plan to visit three churches or more, you are better off buying the churches pass. There is also a combined pass for museums, churches and transportation only available at the tourist information office but it is relatively expensive. *{{see | name=Saint Mark's Basilica | alt=Basilica di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco 328 | lat=45.43453 | long=12.33969 | directions=water lines #1, 52, and 82 will take you from Santa Lucia (the train station) or Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco. Walking is another option but will require a map and lots of time and energy | phone=+39 041 5225205 (procuratorial phone number) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1 Oct-31 Mar: 09:45-16:45; 1 Apr-30 Sep: 09:45-17:00 | price=As of April 2022 there is a small charge for admission to the basilica. Do note there are extra charges for the high altar and the museum. The museum entry is worth paying for as it allows you access to the balcony overlooking the Piazza San Marco; do note that museum access may be difficult if you have mobility issues. | wikidata=Q172988| wikipedia=St Mark's Basilica |lastedit=2021-11-15| content=Saint Mark's Basilica is on the Piazza San Marco and is one of the highlights of a visit to Venice. As with most churches in Italy, you must be dressed appropriately to be allowed in; this means no short skirts or bare shoulders. You are not allowed to carry large bags or rucksacks inside, sometimes even small daypacks may need to be deposited. Storage is available just around the corner from the main entrance (free of charge). Filming and photography is forbidden so be prepared in advance. The visit within the basilica lasts ten minutes. Waiting for entry into the basilica can last up to five or so hours and it may be wise to use a ticket service to reserve your visit (reservation costs €3). Once you have a reservation you can take the group entrance on the left, where you hand in the printout of your reservation. }} * {{see | name=San Giacomo di Rialto | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo | lat=45.43851 | long=12.33547 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Giacomo di Rialto | wikidata=Q922677 | content=This church, built around 421, is possibly the oldest in Venice. It is most recognized for its 15th-century clock above the entrance. It is also recognized for the red pillars and beautiful gold accents around the church. }} * {{see | name=San Giovanni e Paolo | alt=San Zanipolo | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43927 | long=12.34218 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155225| wikipedia=Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice | content=A fine, huge Dominican church with the tombs of many Doges. It shares its piazza with the fine Renaissance façade of the Scuola San Marco and an equestrian statue of the mercenary (condottiere) captain Bartolomeo Colleoni. Look out for the testicles (coglioni in Italian - it's a lousy pun) on his coat of arms! }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | alt=Basilica dei Frai, often just referred to as the Frari | url=https://www.basilicadeifrari.it/en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3072 | lat=45.43679 | long=12.32624 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2728618 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-18:00, Su and holidays 13:00-18:00. Last admission 30 min before closing time | price=Adult €3, reduced €1.50 | wikidata=Q224961| wikipedia=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | content=The big friary church, fine example of Venetian Gothic architecture, with fine monuments and paintings of Titian, Belliniand Donatello, among which the famous 'Assunta' by Titian. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria dei Miracoli | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.43951 | long=12.33927 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q533680| wikipedia=Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice | content=A perfect jewel box church, simple in form but ornamented with fine exterior marble facings. }} * {{see | name=San Simeone Piccolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Santa Croce | lat=45.44040 | long=12.32230 | directions=located opposite the Santa Lucia train station across the Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q185910| wikipedia=San Simeone Piccolo | content=The last church built in Venice. One of the things that it is recognized for is the fact that they celebrate Tridentine Mass on Sundays. It is also recognized for its dome because it is used to make the church look taller than it is and the dome itself is entirely covered with lead sheet. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria della Pietà | alt= | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43410 | long=12.34493 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1559661| wikipedia=Santa Maria della Pietà, Venice | content=A church that used to house an orphanage and hospital in the 18th century, it is known among classical music enthusiasts as the church where the Catholic priest and composer Antonio Vivaldi worked for most of his career. }} * {{see | name=Convento di S.Francesco del Deserto | alt= | url=http://www.isola-sanfrancescodeldeserto.it {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=S.Francesco del Deserto | lat=45.47357 | long=12.41713 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-11:00, 15:00-17:00 | price=By donation | content=Old Franciscan convent in one of the most beautiful islands in the Venice lagoon. }} * {{see | name=S. Francesco della Vigna | alt= | url=http://www.venice-tourism.com/en/places/castello-district/san-francesco-della-vigna | email= | address=Campo San Francesco della Vigna, Castello | lat=45.4381 | long=12.3486 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5206102 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 16:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Francesco della Vigna | image=San Francesco della vigna.jpg | wikidata=Q946542 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuati | alt=S.Maria del Rosario | url= | email= | address=Fondamente Zattere delle Gesuati, Dorsoduro | lat=45.429444 | long=12.327222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230625 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Gesuati | image=Santa Maria del Rosario, Venice.jpg | wikidata=Q1093909 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuiti | alt=S.Maria Assunta | url= | email= | address=Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio | lat=45.443333 | long=12.339167 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286579 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 10:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00, winter 10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00, closed Su afternoon | price= | wikipedia=I Gesuiti, Venice | image=Chiesa dei Gesuiti (Facciata).jpg | wikidata=Q46592 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giobbe | alt= | url=http://www.parrocchiasangiobbe.it | email= | address=Campo San Giobbe, Cannaregio | lat=45.445028 | long=12.320322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giobbe | image=Chiesa di San Giobbe Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q2717507 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni in Bragora | alt= | url=http://www.sgbattistainbragora.it | email= | address=Campo Bandiera e Moro, Castello | lat=45.4344 | long=12.347 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-11:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni in Bragora | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora - Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q521260 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni Crisostomo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo, Cannaregio | lat=45.439167 | long=12.337222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5227155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-12:30, 15:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo.jpg | wikidata=Q915746 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giuliano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Giuliano, San Marco | lat=45.435694 | long=12.338667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Zulian | image=Chiesa San Zulian.jpg | wikidata=Q1251035 | content= }} * {{see | name=Madonna dell'Orto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Madonne dell'Orto, Cannaregio | lat=45.44639 | long=12.33251 | directions= | phone=+39 041 719933 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 09:30-12:00, 16:00-19:00, winter 09:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikidata=Q861436| wikipedia=Madonna dell'Orto | content=With the grave and 10 paintings of ''Tintoretto''. }} * {{see | name=S. Maria del Carmelo | alt=Carmini | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4332 | long=12.3225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Carmini | image=Santa Maria dei Carmini (facade).jpg | wikidata=Q2780025 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria Formosa | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello | lat=45.4369 | long=12.3411 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5234645 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:30, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria Formosa | image=Santa Maria Formosa Facciata e campanile.jpg | wikidata=Q1813687 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria della Salute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo delle Salute, Dorsoduro | lat=45.430833 | long=12.334444 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria della Salute | image=Santa Maria della Salute from Hotel Monaco.jpg | wikidata=Q52531 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Michele in Isola | alt= | url= | email= | address=Isola San Michele | lat=45.4487 | long=12.3469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Michele in Isola | image=Chiesa di S.Michele in Isola, north exposure.jpg | wikidata=Q1449262 | content= }} * {{see | name=Basilica di San Pietro di Castello | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Pietro, Castello | lat=45.43460 | long=12.35957 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q945981| wikipedia=San Pietro di Castello (church) | content=Venice cathedral up to 1807, when the see was transferred to San Marco. }} * {{see | name=SS. Redentore | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fondamente della Croce, Giudecca | lat=45.424992 | long=12.332453 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Il Redentore | image=Chiesa del Redentore (Venice).jpg | wikidata=Q830807 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Salvatore | alt= | url=http://www.chiesasansalvador.it | email= | address=Campo San Salvatore | lat=45.4366 | long=12.3365 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Salvador, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Salvador.jpg | wikidata=Q1028202 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Sebastiano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro | lat=45.432 | long=12.32 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5282487 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Sebastiano, Venice | image=San Sebastiano (Venice) Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q588559 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Stefano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 3825 | lat=45.433178 | long=12.330189 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222362 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santo Stefano, Venice | image=Venezia flickr01.jpg | wikidata=Q974832 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Zaccaria | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Zaccaria | lat=45.434722 | long=12.343333 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5221257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Zaccaria, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Zaccaria Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q794876 | content= }} === Museums === The '''[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE)]''' (call center 848–08.2000) offers two museums passes for the San Marco Museums valid for 3 months at €16 (€8 reduced) granting admission to Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Sale Monumentali della Bibliotheca Marciana, and another museum pass valid for 6 months for €24 (reduced €18) granting admission to the above mentioned museums plus Ca' Rezzonico, Mesue del '700 Veneziano, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Ca' Pesaro, Museo del Vetro Murano, Museo di Merletto Burano and Museo di Storia Naturale. ==== Art museums ==== * {{see | name=Correr Museum | alt=Museo Correr | url=http://correr.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, Ala Napoleonica, San Marco 52 | lat=45.433605 | long=12.337158 | directions=on San Marco Square, vaporetto line 11-2-5, 1-5-2 | phone=+39 041 2405211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov 1 to Mar 31: 10:00-17:00, Apr 1 to Oct 31: 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=€14 (reduced €8), which also includes Doge's Palace | wikipedia=Museo Correr | image=8240 - Venezia - San Marco dal Museo Correr - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 12-Aug-2006.jpg | wikidata=Q1470912 | content=Interesting collection of globes, starting from the 16th century. There is also an only library hall, an archeological museum of Roman antiques and an important picture gallery. The museum offers a tour of Venetian history. Remarkable painting gallery with masterpieces of the 14th to 16th cent from Venice, works of the Venetian sculpture Canova, studies on urban development and social life. At the end of your visit, don't miss the museum art cafe, with their tables on the San Marco Square. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum | alt= | url=http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html | email=info@guggenheim-venice.it | address=Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701 | lat=45.43083 | long=12.33154 | directions=located to the east of the Accademia bridge, on the southern side of the Grand Canal | phone=+39 041 2405411 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206885 | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December. Open on national holidays (including Tuesdays) | price=Adult €15, seniors (over 65 years) €13, students (18 years and under or holders of valid student ID) €9 | wikipedia=Peggy Guggenheim Collection | image=Guggenheim Venedig.jpg | wikidata=Q1049033 | content=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum offers a personal collection of modern art collected by Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an American married to modern artist Max Ernst, and funded a number of his contemporaries. The gallery includes a sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Tanguy, Duchamp, Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Pesaro - International Modern Art Gallery | alt=Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderne | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.44094 | long=12.33163 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 524695 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | image=Ca'Pesaro di Baldassarre Longhena facciata sul Canal Grande.jpg | wikidata=Q3940563 | content=Modern art collection, paintings of the 19th and 20th century. A MUVE museum. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Ca' Pesaro - Museum of Oriental Art | alt=Museo d'arte Orientale di Ca Pesaro | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=capesaro@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.441 | long=12.33146 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 5241173 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Mar 10:00 to 17:00, Apr-Oct: 10 :00-18:00, closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | wikidata=Q756807 | content=Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th century as well as the Marco Polo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits (fabrics, clothes, armours, porcelain). A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en | email= | address=Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050 | lat=45.431334 | long=12.328487 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M 08:15-14:00, Tu-Su 08:15-19:15 (ticket office closes 1 hr before) | price=Adults €12, reduced €2, advanced reservation fee €1.50 | content=Venice's most significant art museum which is also one of Italy's best. Among the most important paintings in the Accademia are: Gentile Bellini: ''Procession on St. Mark’s Square'' (1496) and ''Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of S. Lorenzo'' (1500), Giovanni Bellini: ''Pieta'' (1500), Jacopo Bellini: ''Madonna with Child and Cherubs'' (ca. 1450), Paris Bordenone: ''A fisherman presents the ring of St. Mark to the doge'' (ca. 1535), Vittore Carpaccio: ''Legend of Saint Ursula'' (1490-1498), Cima da Conegliano: ''The Holy Virgin under the Orange Tree'' (ca. 1496), Giorgione (1477-1510): ''The Tempest'' and ''La Vecchia'' ("The Old Woman"), Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506): ''St. George'', Veronese Paolo (1528-1588): ''The Feast in the House of Levi'' (1573), Tintoretto: ''The Miracles of St. Mark'' (1548), and Titian: ''Pietà'' (ca. 1576). }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Grassi | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/ | email= | address=Campo San Samuele, San Marco 3231 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.32794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M W-Su 10:00-19:00. Last admission 1 hr before closing | price=Adults €18, reduced €15 | wikidata=Q907964 | content=Contemporary art museum. Temporary exhibitions from François Pinault's Collection. }} * {{see | name=Punta della Dogana | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/about/sites/punta-della-dogana/ | email= | address=Dorsuduro 2 | lat=45.43080 | long=12.33618 | directions=on the tip between Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal, vaporetto line 1 to Salute | phone=+39 041 2001057 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 10:00 to 19:00, closed Tu and Dec 24 | price=€15, reduced €10 | wikipedia=Punta della Dogana | image=20110724 Venice Santa Maria della Salute 5159.jpg | wikidata=Q2931413 | content=Former customs house, centre for contemporary art, permanent exhibition of works from the François Pinault Collection. Renovation by world renowned architect Tadao Ando. }} * {{see | name=Galleria Giorgio Franchetti Ca' d'Oro | alt=Ca' d'Oro museum | url=http://www.cadoro.org/?lang=en | email= | address=Strada Nuova, Cannaregio 3932 | lat=45.44088 | long=12.33392 | directions=linea 1 to Ca d'Oro | phone=+39 0415200345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 08:15-19:15, M 08:15-14:00, Su 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €6 | content=A collection of paintings and statues in a former palace from the 15th century. One of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Venice, sculptures, bronzes, paintings of Mantegna, Giorgione and Titian, Flemish and Dutch paintings. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Fortuny | alt= | url=http://www.fortuny.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=San Beneto, San Marco 3958 | lat=45.43532 | long=12.33208 | directions=laterale Calle della Mandorla, vaporetti line 1 or 2 to Rialto or S.A°ngelo | phone=+39 041 5200995 | tollfree= | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00, closed Tue and May 1 | price=Adults €12, reduced €10 | wikidata=Q616676 | content=Collection of paintings and lamps. A MUVE museum. }} ==== Science and technology museums ==== * {{see | name=Telecom Italia Future Centre | alt= | url=http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en/futurecentre.html {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=Campo San Salvador, San Marco 4826 | lat=45.4367 | long=12.3361 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 5213272 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=Free | content=Centre dedicated to telecommunication technology. The building complex includes an adjacent church with important works of art, the Refectory (which is a conference hall today), Renaissance cloisters and a small museum focusing on the evolution of the telephone in the last 100 years. }} * {{see | name=Physics Museum Anton Maria Traversi | alt=Museo della Fisica Anton Maria Traversi | url=http://museo.liceofoscarini.it/index_uk.html | email= | address=Liceo Marco Foscarini, Fondamenta Santa Caterina, Cannaregio 4942 | lat=45.44350 | long=12.33671 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca d'oro | phone=+39 041 5224845 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-12:30, and W 14:00-16:00, closed holidays and August | price=Adults €2, reduced €1 | content=More than 200 instruments for educational and practical use, built to facilitate scientific research, conducted by physics teachers since the 19th cent, guided tours led by students. }} * '''Venice Lido Planetarium''' (''Planetario di Venezia Lido''), [[Lido]]. A planetarium. See [[Lido]] for details. * {{see | name=Le Macchine di Leonardo a Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.leonardoavenezia.com/ | email=paolotarchia@tiscali.it | address=Campo San Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2771 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.32546 | directions= | phone=+39 339 7985464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:30 | price=Adults €8, over-65s, children and students €5 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=An exhibition in the '''Chiesa di San Barnaba''' showing around forty models of machines reproduced from Leonardo's codices. Some of the exhibits are interactive and copies of the codices are available for further reading. It was supposed to have ended in 2012, but doesn't appear to be in a hurry to leave - and a good thing too, since the church, an attraction in itself (it's the one under which Indiana Jones finds catacombs in ''The Last Crusade'', by the way), was rarely accessible to visitors before. }} ==== Museums on religion ==== [[File:Chiesa di Ognissanti - Venezia - Affresco della volta del coro.jpg|thumb|420px|Ceiling of the choir of the Baroque Chiesa di Ognissanti]] * {{see | name=Jewish Museum | alt=Museo Ebraico | url=http://www.museoebraico.it/english/home.asp | email=museoebraico@codesscultura.it | address=Cannaregio 2902/b | lat=45.44510 | long=12.32717 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to San Marcuola | phone=+39 041 715 359 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 72 3007 | hours=1 Jun-30 Sep: 10:00-19:00; 1 Oct-31 May: 10:00-18:00. The museum is closed on Saturday (Shabbat), during Jewish festivities, on 25 Dec, 1 Jan and 1 May | price=Entrance to the museum: adults €3, reduced €2. Entrance to the museum and guided tours to synagogues: adults €8.50, reduced €7 | content=Objects related to the social life of the Jewish community, in two synagogues of the 16th century. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Mekhitarist Monastery | alt=Monasterio Mekhitarista | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Lazzaro degli Armeni | lat=45.4123 | long=12.3609 | directions=15.10 hrs at San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5260104 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 15:25 (guided tour only) | price=Adults €6, reduced €4.50 | wikipedia=San_Lazzaro_degli_Armeni | lastedit=2019-08-11 | content=Library with historical manuscripts, collection of works, miniatures and documents of the Armenian history, Monastery Church. Tours in Italian, English, and Armenian. On the small island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. }} * {{see | name=Museo Diocesano | alt= | url=http://www.veneziaupt.org/home_page/museo_diocesano/00000031_Il_Museo_Diocesano._Storia__collezione_e_servizi.html | email= | address=P.te della Canonica, Castello 4312 | lat=45.4345 | long=12.3409 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5229166 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Tu 10:00-17:00 | price=€4.00, reduced €2.50 | image=VeniceSantApolloniaCloister.jpg | wikidata=Q2579358 | content=Religious furniture and objects from now demolished churches and convents, one of the most appealing Romanesque cloisters of Venice. }} ==== Other museums ==== * {{see | name=Mocenigo Palace Museum | alt=Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Centro Studi die Storia del Tessuto e del Costume | url=http://mocenigo.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 1992 | lat=45.44064 | long=12.32987 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 721798 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: 10:00-17:00, Nov-Mar: 10:00-16:00; closed M, Dec 26, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=A collection of clothes dating from the 18th century. Splendid interior. Collection of dresses and accessories, fabrics, books, figurines in various period costumes. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Rezzonico - Museum of 18th Century Venice | alt=Musei del Settecento Veneziano | url=http://carezzonico.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Dorsoduro 3136 | lat=45.43356 | long=12.32655 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca' Rezzonico | phone=+39 041 2410100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00; closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=Museum of the 18th century in Venice - attempts to revive the domestic atmosphere of Venetian nobilities. Furniture, interior decoration, paintings by Guardi, Canaletto, Tiepolo. On the third floor important paintings of the Venetian school. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museovetro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Glass Museum]''' (''Museo del Vetro''). On Murano, the island so typical of its glasswork. A MUVE museum. See [[Murano]] for details. * {{see | name=Natural History Museum | alt=Museo di Storia Naturale | url=http://msn.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Fondaco dei Turchi, Santa Croce 1730 | lat=45.44201 | long=12.32869 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Riva di Biasio | phone=+39 041 2750206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Jun-Oct: 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tu F 09:00-17:00, Sat S 10:00-18:00 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=11 exhibition halls with sections on palaeontology, explorations and nature. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=House of Carlo Goldoni | alt=Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Centro di Studi Teatrali | url=http://carlogoldoni.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=San Polo 2794 | lat=45.43615 | long=12.32826 | directions=vaporetto line q or 2 to S.Tomà | phone=+39 041 2440317 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: Th-Tu 10:00-17:00; Nov-Mar: Th-Tu 10:00-16:00; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 | price=Audlts €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Birthplace of Venice's most famous playwright. Museum, library and theater studies center. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museomerletto.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Lace Museum]''' (''Museo del Merletto''). A MUVE museum. See [[Burano]] for details. * {{see | name=Museo Storico Navale | alt=Naval History Museum | url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/history/museums/Pagine/museostoriconavale.aspx | email= | address=Riva S. Biasio, Castello 2148 | lat=45.43276 | long=12.34996 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Castello | phone=+39 041 2441399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:45-13:30, Sa 08:45-13:00, Su closed | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of relics from the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the Italian navy, and the ancient Arsenale shipyards, miniature models, uniforms and stadarts, collection of sea shells. ''The main building of the Naval Historical Museum (Riva S. Biasio) is closed for renovation works. It's possible to visit the Ships Pavilion in rio della Tana, Castello 2162 (close to the Naval Museum).'' }} * {{see | name=Fondazione Querini Stampalia | alt= | url=http://www.querinistampalia.org/eng/home_page.php | email= | address=Castello 5252 | lat=45.4365 | long=12.3411 | directions=near Camp S.Maria Formosa, vaporetto line 1-5, 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 0412711411 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25 and 26, Jan 1 | price=Adults €10, reduced €8 | content=Residence-museum of the Querini-Stampa family, library, picture gallery, furniture and household objects from the 16th cent onwards, important paintings by Bellini, Palma, Ricci, Tiepolo and Longhi. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Cini | alt= | url=http://www.cini.it | email= | address=San Vio, Dorsoduoro 864 | lat=45.430989 | long=12.329973 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 0415210755 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=upon telephone reservation only | price= | wikipedia=Palazzo Cini | image=CANAL GRANDE - palazzo loredan cini.jpg | wikidata=Q16586218 | content=Residence of Vittorio Cini, collection of 15th and 16th cent paintings from Tuscany and Ferrara, period furniture, silver, ivory and ceramic objects. }} * {{see | name=Byzantine Pictures Museum (Greek Institute) | alt=Museo Dipinti Sacri Bizantini (Istituto Ellenico) | url=http://www.istitutoellenico.org/english/museo/index.html | email= | address=Ponte dei Greci, Castello 3412 | lat=45.43570 | long=12.34447 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5226581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-16:30 | price=Adults €4, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of Greek, Cretan and Venetian icons of the 14th to 18th century. }} * {{see | name=Scala Contarini del Bovolo | alt= | url=https://www.scalacontarinidelbovolo.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Riso o del Bovolo, San Marco 4303 | lat=45.43481 | long=12.33456 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 3096605 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-13:30 and 14:00-18:00 | price=Adults €7, reduced €6 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=A cylindrical tower with a spiralling series of arches, among the most characteristic examples of Venetian architecture at the period of transition from Gothic to Renaissance styles. From the top there are great panoramic views of the city. }} * {{see | name=Music Museum | alt=Museo della Musica | url=https://www.museodellamusica.com/en | email= | address=Chiesa di S.Maurizio, Campo di S.Marizio, San Marco 2603 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.33160 | directions=near Campo Santo Stefano; vaporetto line 1 to S.M-.del Giglio or line 1-2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 2719012 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:00 | price=Free | content=Beautiful church, collection of musical instruments, Venetian Baroque paintings. [https://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ Interpreti Veneziani], the creators of the Music Museum, also offer concerts in the nearby San Vidal church. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Grimani | alt= | url=http://www.palazzogrimani.org | email= | address=Ramo Grimani, Castello 4858 | lat=45.43705 | long=12.34241 | directions=near Campo Sta. Maria Formosa; vaporetto line 1 or 2 Rialto or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5200345 (call centre) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=0, Tu-Su 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=€14.50, EU residents age 18-25 €7.50 | lastedit=2020-03-27 | content=A jewel of Renaissance architecture that was opened as a Venetia civic museum in 2008, collections of paintings, archaeological collection of Greek and Roman artefacts, temporary exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Archaeological Museum | alt=Museo Archaeologico Nazionale | url=https://www.polomusealeveneto.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-archeologico-nazionale-di-venezia | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 52 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.3391 | directions=Vaporetti line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5225978 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-18:00 | price=€4, reduced €2 | content=Collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian artefacts. }} * {{see | name=St.Mark's Basilica Museum | alt=Basilica di San Marco -Museo | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/museo-marciano/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 2708311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:45-16:45 | price=€5.00, reduced €2.50 | content=Visit the famous bronze horses. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di S.Giovanni Evangelista | alt= | url=http://www.scuolasangiovanni.it/index.php?page=26&lang=en | email= | address=San Polo 2454 | lat=45.43837 | long=12.32577 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 ro San Tomà | phone=+39 041 718234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=occasional 09:30-17:00 | price=€5 | content=Monumental staircase by Codussi, splendid San Giovanni Salon, Oratory of the Cross with precious reliquiaries. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Dalmatina di San Giorgio e Trifone | alt= | url= | email= | address=Calle dei Furlani, Castello 3259/A | lat=45.43622 | long=12.34595 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5228828 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:00, Su 10:00-12:30, closed M | price=Adults €4, reduced €2 | wikidata=Q1290662| wikipedia=Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Famous painting cycle by Vittore Carpaccio depicting the lives of St.George, Tryphon and Jerome. }} === Cemeteries === * {{listing | type=see | name=San Michele Cemetery | alt=Cimitero di San Michele | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Michele | lat=45.4486 | long=12.3462 | directions=vaporetto line 4.1-4.2 | phone=+39 041 7292811 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep: 07:30-18:00; Oct-Mar: 07:30-16:30 | price=Free | wikidata=Q3676942 | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Cemetery established following Napoleon Bonaparte's edict of 1804, part of the European circuit of monumental cemeteries. The Russian ballet dancer ''Serge Diaghilew'', the Austrian physicist ''Christan Doppler'', the American poet ''Ezra Pound'', the Russian composer ''Igor Stravinsky'' and the German-Italian composer ''Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari'' are buried in San Michele Cemetery. }} === Monuments === [[File:20110722 Venice 4140.jpg|thumb|420px|Venice and St. Mark's Basilica from the Campanile]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Giovanni Caboto | alt=John Cabot | url= | email= | address=Via Garibaldi 1581 | lat= 45.4319 | long=12.3511 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian explorer of North America who worked for the British (c. 1450-c. 1500). }} * {{see | name=Claudio Monteverdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=S. Maria dei Frari | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tomb, composer (1567-1643) and champion of the early Baroque ''seconda pratica'' and then-new genre of opera. }} * {{see | name=Giuseppe Verdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Composer of operas; Italian nationalist and national hero (1813-1901). }} * {{see | name=Richard Wagner | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=German opera composer (1813-1883). }} * {{see | name=Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Madonna dell' Orto Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter (1578-1594), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Gentile Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter and official portraitist of the Doges (1439-1507), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Giovanni Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Early Venetian oil painter and the most famous of the Bellini brothers (1430-1516), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Caterina Cornaro | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Salvatore Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Queen of Cyprus (1454-1510), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Paolo Veronese | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Sebastiano Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Painter from [[Verona]] whose career was in Venice (1528-1588), tomb. }} == Do == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Vitturi (Venice).jpg|thumb|Palazzo Vitturi]] === Events === * '''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html La Biennale di Venezia]''' is one of the most well-known culture institutions. Two events organised by Biennale are the Art and Architecture International Exhibitions happening alternately (Architecture Biennale in even years, Art Biennale in odd) but other fields are also covered - contemporary theatre, dance, music, cinema ('''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema Venice International Film Festival]'''). Exhibitions take place mostly in two locations: {{marker|type=do|name=Arsenale|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/arsenale|lat=45.43347|long=12.35058}} and {{marker|type=do|name=Giardini|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/giardini-della-biennale|lat=45.42885|long=12.35797}}. They are both worth visiting even when no event is scheduled. Arsenale is the largest pre-industrial production centre in the world, dating back to 13th century, and Giardini is architectural gem filled with national pavilions from different parts of the world, often designed by famous architects, it was a venue for the International Art Exhibition since the 19th century. ** {{event | name=Art Biennale | url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/art | alt=Esposizione internazionale d’arte | year=2022| month= April| date= 23 | endyear= | endmonth= November| enddate=27 | phone=+39 041 5218711 | email=aav@labiennale.org | location= | country= | content=It is held at Arsenale (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Arsenale) and Giardini (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Giardini). The Central Pavillion and the pavilions of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and the pavilion of Venice are located in the Giardini. The Biennale is open every second year from April to November, Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. Admission for 219 was €30 for two days, multiple entries (ID required); €25 one day, single entry to each venue; €20 over 65, €14 students. There are many other exhibitions (collateral events) all over the city, often permitting to visit buildings which normally are not open to the public. Online guides to the exhibits are not substantive. The British Council provides a comprehensive guide to all exhibits available at the British pavilion at the Giardini. The Concordia/Antarctic Exhibition has closed early.}} * {{do | name=Carnival of Venice | alt=Carnevale di Venezia | url=http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q35191| wikipedia=Carnival of Venice | content=Annual festival that is world famous for the carnival masks. }} * {{event | name= Regata Storica| url= http://regatastoricavenezia.it/?lang=en&pg=1&page=1| alt=Historic fleet event | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone=+39 041 2424 | email= vela@velaspa.com | content= Celebrating a historic event from 1489, the regatta displays almost a hundred varieties of Venetian boats from the city's rich past. Large oarships, replicating ancient roman and medieval vessels, are rowed along the Canal Grande, followed by many smaller boats. There are several races, including a master championship for solo sculling in streamlined gondolini, painted in unusual white, pink, etc. colours. There are many excellent photo opportunities for this event. Early September. }} * {{event | name=Vogalonga | url= http://www.vogalonga.com/en/| alt= | year= 2| month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone= +39 041 5210544| email=info@vogalonga.com | content= The yearly equivalent of a marathon run on water. Vogalonga competitors must row 32 km under 3½ hours to receive a certificate of attendance at the finish line, but everybody with a human-powered vessel is welcome to participate (some foreigner teams take up to 10 hours to complete the journey just for the fun of it). The official purpose of the Vogalonga was to protest the sharply increasing use of powerboats in Venice, but the event has gradually grown into a festival since 1974, with up to 5500 racers in 1500 vessels attending by the early 2000s. The racetrack visits different parts of Venice as well as some of the nearby islands. Locals and tourists lining up alongside rios and canals cheer the racers. Visitors wishing to participate should have serious experience in rowing or sculling and practise duely, as the journey is physically demanding (even seasoned oarsmen develop calluses by the finish line). The event is mainly for teams, completing Voga Longa on a single oar is considered a major achievement. Extreme participation (scuba frogmen and surface swimmers) sometimes occurs, but it is not recommended due to water contamination issues. Late May.|fax= +39 041 5200771 }} === Opera and concerts === * {{do | name=La Fenice Theater | alt=Teatro La Fenice | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it/site/index.php?&lingua=eng | email=info@teatrolafenice.org | address=Campo San Fantin, San Marco 1965 | lat=45.43362 | long=12.33368 | directions=300 m west of San Marco square | phone=+39 041 786511 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Tours: adults €10, students up to 26 and seniors over 65 €7, children up to 6 free. Slightly cheaper if purchased as part of a combined ticket with the Doge's palace | wikipedia=La Fenice | image=Teatro La Fenice (Venice) - Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q223942 | content=One of the best opera houses in the world. Info at Bigletteria Hello Venezia Call Center {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}. You can also visit this historic theater with an audioguide (good explanations in several languages). The theater is an identical reconstruction (rebuilt in 2003) of the previous theater building that burned down in 1996. }} * {{do | name=Teatro Malibran | alt= | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it | email= | address=Campo del Malibran, Cannaregio 5873 | lat=45.43896 | long=12.33813 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 2424 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3982047| wikipedia=Teatro Malibran | content= }} * {{do | name= Scuola Grande di S.Teodoro | alt= | url=http://www.imusiciveneziani.com/luoghi.php?slang=en | email= | address=Campo San Salvador | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€40, reduced €30 | content=Opera and concert performances. }} * {{do | name=Ateneo San Basso | alt= | url=http://www.virtuosidivenezia.com/index.php?slang=en | email=info@virtuosidivenezia.com | address=Piazetta del Leoncini, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 52 82 825 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content=Classical concerts. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa San Vidal | alt= | url=http://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ | email=info@interoretiveneziani.com | address=Campo San Vidal, San Marco 2862/B | lat=45.43242 | long=12.32953 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 27770561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €29, reduced €24 | content=Classical concerts by Interpreti Veneziani. They also run the nearby Music Museum in the nearby San Maurizio church. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa della Pietà | alt= | url=http://www.ivirtuosiitaliani.eu/default.asp?iId=GGKIIE | email= | address=Riva degli Schiavoni | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto lines 1, 5.1, 5.2, 4.1, 4,.2 to San Zaccaria | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content= }} * {{do | name=Scuola Grande dei Carmini | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandecarmini.it/ | email=info@scuolagrandecarmini.it | address=Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro 2616-2617 | lat=45.43369 | long=12.32241 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289420 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-17:00 | price=€5 full price; €4 concession | content= }} === Activities on a boat === [[File:Gondola, Venice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Gondola]] * Ride a '''vaporetto''' (water bus) down the Grand Canal right before sunset. The vaporetti are expensive, but the sights are priceless: amazing architecture, soft seaside sunlight, and a fascinating parade of Venetian watercraft. * Take a '''gondola''' if you can afford it: it's expensive, but the ''Gondoliere'' may decrease the price if you ask (but they can also decrease the time...). Make sure you reach an agreement on price and time before you start! A good tip with the Gondolieres is to bargain the price down as low as you can, then say that it's still too much and walk away. Two or three of them will chase after you, one after the other, each offering a lower price than the last. It's possible to knock €20-€30 off the price (even then, be prepared to shell out €80). : Some guidebooks discourage tourists from asking for gondola price reductions. The oarsmen have an informal habit of cutting the most interesting and little-known parts from the journey path for "discount" customers. Reduced rate riders get much less marvel in exchange for a moderate price drop, which may not be worth it. : Gondolier-for-hire business licenses are officially limited to just 430 to 455 rowers in Venice, making the market artificially scarce and inflating prices. Gondola rides are always costly, often in a princely way and that expense should be planned in advance of the visit. If you go as a group it might be cheaper, though the number of people who can be accommodated on a gondola varies, usually up to a maximum of six seated passengers. The "traghetti" holds more, mostly standing, as a pair of gondoliers rows short distances for canal crossing purposes at a number of points along the Grand Canal. : Venetians and especially the gondoliers among them have highly conservative ideas about society: by 900 years of tradition, all gondoliers must be male and most are born locals. In 2015, the highest court in Rome recognized Alex Hai as the "first female gondolier to operate in Venice", after repeated attempts to become officially licensed since 1996. Unable to obtain an official license, Hai began operating as a privage gondolier, also known as ''gondoliers de casada'', and came out as a transgender man in 2017. In August 2010, Giorgia Boscolo became Venice's first fully licensed female gondolier. * If a gondola seems a little pricey, the alternative is to cross the Grand Canal by '''traghetto'''. These only cost €2 to use and are largely gondolas that have seen better days, They are stripped down and used as municipal ferries. In the 1950s there were as many as thirty, but now there are seven points to find them. However some only operate when people are going to and from work. The length of any crossing is just a few minutes. Many visitors enjoy visiting the open air markets near the Rialto Bridge and there is a traghetto station there, at the '''Pescheria''' (fish market) joining the Santa Sophia church along the Strada Nova. You will notice that traghetti passengers tend to '''stand up''', but if you are not comfortable doing so, sitting is possible, if you are careful. * The more adventurous can try the venetian style of rowing through Row Venice or one of the many rowing clubs. === Other === [[File:Venice - Mask gift shop - 3566.jpg|thumb|right|A Mask gift shop near Piazza San Marco]] If you are looking for something to do, you can always '''shop'''. Venice is packed full of little stores in every corner and crevice. The commonest local specialties are Carnival masks, glass, and marbled paper. Price can vary wildly, so it's a good idea to hold off buying until you have a fair idea about the relative value of things. As is the case with most tourist cities, a lot of the "original" and "made in Venice" items are actually made in China. [[Murano]] is an island famous for its glass making. Almost in every shop you will find "original [[Murano]] glass" items. If it was really made in [[Murano]], it would be prohibitively expensive, with prices routinely running into thousands of euros. So if you are looking for cheap souvenirs, real [[Murano]] glass is not the thing to buy! You can also see glass making demonstrations in [[Murano]], but be sure to check that there is a demonstration scheduled for that day. And it is normally not done in winter either. [[File:Cimitero, Venice.jpg|thumb|right|San Michele Cemetery Island, Cimitero stop]] Spend a '''day on the islands''', mainly [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and Torcello. There are boat services to all these islands at scheduled times, including between the islands themselves. Be prepared for long lines and long waits for the boats between islands. The Glass Museum in [[Murano]] and the Lace Museum in [[Burano]] are certainly worth a visit. In [[Burano]] you will find some of the most picturesque streets and houses, with each house sporting a different pastel shade. Its really beautiful. Though there is not much to see in Torcello except for the old church, and the supposed "Throne of Atilla". However, the peace and tranquility of the island is not to be found anywhere else in Venice! Torcello is also home to a very expensive Cipriani restaurant. But just walking around on these islands is a nice enough experience. If you've had enough of the hype and the other tourists, hop off the vaporetto at 'Cimitero', Venice's graveyard for a peaceful walk. There are many famous tombs, and the section dedicated to deceased children is particularly haunting. There is also a free toilet there. While going through Venice, make sure you take in the beauty of it all. '''Walk''' through the alley ways, and take the water taxi to different parts of the island, sometimes at night you can just go sit in an open area and watch locals and tourists passing by. It is wonderful. There are many museums and churches that are around the city that allow tourists to go in a visit. They are many great sights to keep you busy throughout your visit. The “[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Secret Itineraries in '''Doge's Palace''']” worth a visit, take the visitor into the most secret and fascinating rooms in the Palace. It's better to book in advance. Because Venice is now pretty much only inhabited by tourists and people serving the trade, it gets very quiet by 21:00 and there is very little to do in the evening (outside of eating). There are a few exceptions, like some classical music '''concerts,''' which most probably only play Vivaldi. If you would like to have a '''guide''' to show up the highlights of Venice, you can choose between many offers. There are walking or boat tours, focused on shopping or history or for art lovers, and many itineraries. '''Take photos''', using your camera or phone on every corner of Venice will inspire you. And if you have taken good pictures, though you may not be a professional photographer, consider entering the photo competition [http://onedayinvenezia.com "OneDayInVenezia"] running all year round, awarding monthly winners, and dedicated to amateur photographers. The Grand Prize is a week-end in Venice, trip included. Send a '''Postcard''' or even better, an entire '''letter''' dedicated to a loved one (the old "snail mail" one, not the electronic variety)! Venice has a long, celebrated tradition in postal services, paper and written communication in general (including one of the earliest medieval book printing houses). Venice it's also '''Riviera del Brenta''' old canals. The Riviera del Brenta is famous for its extraordinary Palladian villas along the Brenta river, its museums and historical buildings and it is 40 km (25 miles) from Venice. This Riviera and its mainland include 7 small cities: Stra, Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Fossò, Mira, Oriago and Malcontenta. These places are good for '''cycling excursions''' and to see antique Palladian Villas built on the Brenta river. In Stra village, there is the '''famous gardens of Villa Pisani''' and the '''museum of the shoes''' is in Villa Foscarini Rossi. In this last museum you can admire 1,500 models of Italian-made shoes created in local factories for major brands including Fendi, Genny, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Ungaro, Anne Kleyn, Richard Tyles and Vera Wang. In Dolo village you can visit the square, old watermill (XI century) and big open air market. * {{do | name=Teatro San Gallo | alt= | url=http://www.teatrosangallo.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2412002 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Apr: 19:00, May-Oct: 20:00 | price=€39, seniors €35, students €25, children €15 | lastedit=2015-04-10 | content=Half-hour documentary based on the BBC series ''Francesco's Venice'' - an 'amazing film that puts the spectacular beauty of this great city in historical context'. Film in English, audioguides in Italian, Russian and Spanish. }} '''Football:''' [https://www.veneziafc.it/ Venezia FC] were relegated in 2022, so they now play soccer in Serie B, Italy's second tier. Their home ground Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo (capacity 11,000) is on Sant'Elena, connected by streets to the main east island. == Learn == Venice is home to two major (and expanding) public universities, '''[http://www.unive.it/pag/13526/ Università Ca' Foscari Venezia]''' and '''[http://www.iuav.it/ENGLISH/ Università Iuav di Venezia]'''. There are possibly hundreds of smaller schools in the city. Neither university exploits its name for merchandising, and "Università degli Studi di Venezia" sweatshirts for sale at stalls are not only unlicensed, but there is no single university in the city with that name to begin with. == Buy == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Venedig Bücherladen Acqua alta-6216.jpg|thumb|Book store and antiquarian '''Libreria Acqua Alta''']] Venice has always been a city of merchants. Consequently, most of the Venetians working in Venice still own or work at a shop. If the pride of the Republic of Venice was the extreme diversity and quality of goods and services which could be found in Venice, these days, however, mass tourism led Venice to be populated with many shops selling low-quality souvenirs. The local shops are suffering a lot from this situation and it is not easy to identify them within the crowd of shops selling harmful imported goods. Buying from the '''authentic local businesses''' has never been more important as it is essential to the future of the Venetians and guarantees you to get the real thing and to have a much better experience of Venice. It is not easy, though. Thankfully, there is a social enterprise based in Venice, which works closely with the Venetian business owners (shops, restaurants and bars included). They have a certification process where the local artisan shops attest and commit to be selling products both authentic and sustainable as well as to give a 10% discount to the customers carrying a '''[http://veneziaautentica.com/become-friend Venezia Autentica Friends' Pass]''' (buyable online for only {{EUR|10}}). Euronet runs the majority of ATMs within tourist areas, and carry both hefty ATM fees and extortionate exchange rates. To avoid the extortionate exchange rates, you should reject the first currency conversion offered to you, which will allow you to default to your bank's rate. When possible, you should use ATMs provided by actual banks and financial institutions. The Credit Agricole ATM machines are notable because they do not charge ATM fees or offer excessive currency conversion rates for most Visa Debit and Prepaid cards. *{{buy | name=Atelier Marega | url=http://marega.it | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A hand-made mask and costume shop. }} *{{buy | name=Fanny | alt=gloves & accessories | url=http://www.fannygloves.it | email=fannygloves@hotmail.it | address=Calle dei Saoneri, San Polo 2723 | lat= | long= | directions=100m west of Cà Foscari, near Campo San Polo | phone=+39 041 5228266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hundreds of leather gloves in all colours. }} *{{buy | name=Francis Model | alt=leather articles | url= | email=ruggero.dezorzi@libero.it | address=Ruga Rialto, San Polo 773/A | lat= | long= | directions=100m SW of Rialto bridge | phone=+39 041 5212889 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Locally made leather bags. Exceptional craftsmanship. There are reports that some travellers were cheated in this store, by being told that transaction didn't occur while using their credit card, and demanded cash while in fact transaction ''did'' occur properly and thus having made the travellers pay for the same item twice. }} *{{buy | name=Venetia Studium | alt=High end Scarves & Shawls | url=http://venetiastudium.com | email=info@venetiastudium.com | address=Calle Larga XXII Marzo, San Marco 2425 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5236953 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fine velvets and silks of every imaginable color are woven into delicate evening bags, scarves and pillows. The Company Venetia Studium produces in the Island the worldwide famous Fortuny Lamps }} If you've come to Venice thinking that you won't be able to do a bit of designer shopping, think again. Just like in every major Italian city, you get the big fashion brand names. For label clothing shopping, the best area is that around the Piazza San Marco, where you can find Versace, MaxMara, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada (and numerous more) big names. If you want to shop for clothing or accessories, though, you don't necessarily have to shop through the biggest names in fashion - in the Campo Santo Stefano and Calle della Mandola, you can get less famous or local boutiques, but you can find some excellent quality and/or unique items such as clothes, shoes, wallets or handbags. Watch out also for the hand-made paper and the exquisite miniature buildings made by Moro. Watch out for fakes; Moro "signs" his name on the back. Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring [[Murano]] for its famous glass. (See article for details.) Tourist Traps: "Coloured Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" (not the original napolitan one) are not Italian food, no Italian would ever eat them, they are particularly made for tourists. For typical regional Italian food in food shops check the labels to discover where they have been made. Don't miss the '''Rialto''' market on San Polo, the smallest sestiere. The Rialto market is for shoppers. To the east is an area of small shops and restaurants; to the west is the Rialto farmers' market. Shopping is slightly less expensive than in the tourist-filled Piazza San Marco. === Murano Glass === * {{buy | name=L’Isola | alt= | url=https://www.lisola.com/ | email=info@lisola.com | address=Calle de le Botteghe, San Marco 2970 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 523 1973 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Archimede Seguso | alt= | url=http://aseguso.com/en# | email= | address=San Marco 143 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289041 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Venini | alt= | url=http://venini.com/en/ | email=venezia@venini.it | address=Piazzetta Leoncini, San Marco 314 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5224045 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} == Eat == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti WB.jpg|thumb|Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti]] Typical Venetian dishes are: * ''Fegato alla veneziana'', chopped liver, cooked with chopped onions. * ''Sarde in saor'': fried sardines, dipped in fried onion, raisins and pine nuts, spices and vinegar. It has to marinate at least one night. Venice has some wonderful restaurants, featuring the cuisine of the Veneto. However it is widely regarded that the restaurants in Venice serve food of a quality and in quantities much lower than anywhere else in Italy. The pizza in Venice is well known as being the worst in Italy (It is a more southern Italian speciality). For Americans, you can find a place called Quanto Basta pizza that serves an American-style pizza with pepperoni and french fries. Specialties include polenta, made of corn meal; risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce. Diners should however be aware that for every genuinely wonderful restaurant or trattoria, there's another serving rubbish food at inflated prices, especially in the most touristed streets around San Marco. Rule of thumb: if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided. Near the Rialto bridge there's a row of restaurants with tables by the canal, where you can have the quintessential Venice experience of dining by the canal lights. Although they do have waiters outside bugging you, some have pretty acceptable quality for price, which is almost always expensive anyway. One of Venice's trademark foods is cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example, Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttle fish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste. Be careful when the prices are on a weight basis (typically by the "etto", abbreviated "/hg". or 100 g). One dish can easily contain 400g of fish or meat (almost a pound) - coming to 4 times the indicated base price! Restaurants might offer low prices for food on their menus that they advertise outside the entrance, but they will sometimes compensate this by charging high prices for drinks (which is naturally *not* advertised). €5 for 33 cl of beer is not uncommon. Le Bauta, an eatery on Fond del Gaffaro, is a good example. Also, please make sure that you get your change back after payment as sometimes it may be 'forgotten' by the waiters. For fresh fruit (including chilled coconut) watch out for the street market stalls. There is always a boat parked in the canal on campo San Barnaba selling fruit and vegetables into the late hours. To save money at lunch, eat standing up - that's what Venetians themselves do. Every cafe, trattoria, osteria, enoteca or whatever it chooses to call itself is stocked at lunchtime with cicchetti - Venetian tapas, including tramezzini (triangular sandwiches on white bread), bite-sized rolls with various cold cuts, polpette (fried balls of minced fish or meat) and assorted antipasti. Order by pointing at what you want on the glass shelves, and wash the whole thing down with a glass of wine (un' ombra) or a spritz (made with, in order of bitterness and alcohol content, Aperol, Campari or Select). Bear in mind that as soon as you allow yourself to sit at the table and be waited on, instead of ordering and consuming your food at the counter, the prices for the same items go up - you can end up paying double. If you look at the (government-mandated) chart of prices stapled to the wall near the bar, you'll see 2 columns of numbers, accommodating this arrangement. However, sitting is worth it if you plan on staying a while. Some places will also serve free bread and water for seated patrons, but then there is usually also a small charge (€1-3 per person) for "pane e coperto" (bread and cover charge). If self-catering, the Rialto food markets are an absolute must for fruit, vegetables and cheese, but most of all for the huge range of seafood, much of it fresh out of the lagoon and still moving! There are a variety of small stores around the city that sell fruits and vegetables, but tourists will be hard-pressed to find them. Anything else you will find in the one of the few supermarkets in the city. Head to the Dorsoduro area of Venice if you want to save a few euros. It is located on the south side of the city. It has the highest concentration of places where locals, especially students, go to eat. Generally staying away from the main squares will be the cheapest option. If you're willing and able to walk around the town, some back streets offer the best food for the lowest price. Seeing the city from this vantage point is a lot of fun too! === Budget === There are a few '''supermarkets''' in the city, so if you are in the need to save some money, these are an option as they serve a wide array of prepared and semi-prepared food. On the main street from the station to the Rialto bridge there is a Coop and a Billa supermarket. Venetian snacks (cichetti) can be brilliantly inventive, in small "tapas-style" serving sizes. Look for places (especially wine bars) popular with non-tourists, the prices are very reasonable. There are still many small bakery shops and "biavaroli" where you can buy bread, cheese etc., particularly near the Rialto market area. If you want to buy water (Venice has excellent free tap water easily accessible at the numerous fountains located outside throughout the city) it is usually cheapest to get it at the supermarkets: there are Billa or Co-op stores located throughout the city, though supermarkets are often "disguised" in nondescript buildings in Venice for space limitations. ====In various locations==== * {{eat | name=Pizzeria Ae Oche | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A local establishment with several locations in the city. The food is plentiful and the prices reasonable. On Calle del Tintor south of Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, In Santa Croce. Look to spend between €5-10 for a pizza depending on how exotic your selection is. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> === Splurge === === Ice cream === You will find ice cream all over the city, and you will hardly survive a hot summer day without it. Prices are €1.00-1.50 for one scoop, €2.50-3.50 for three scoops. == Drink == {{movetodistrict}} [[Image:Bellini_at_Harry%27s_Bar.jpg|thumb|A classic ''Billini'', as served at Harry's Bar where it was invented.]] Try a '''Spritz''' (with either Campari, Select or Aperol mixed with Prosecco wine and Seltzer), a typical drink loved by all Venetians that's usually drunk while eating ''cicheti''. You can find it in almost every bar in the city. Price is about €5, more in a touristy place. If you try the famous Veneto '''Grappa''' be careful as it is brandy with 30 to 60 per cent alcohol. The '''Bellini''' was invented in Harry's Bar in Venice. It is a mix of white peach juice and Prosecco (the ubiquitous Venetian Champagne-like sparkling wine). Fermented at a low temperature Prosecco develops amylic aromas (fruit drops), though these perhaps mix better with fruit juices than does the more austere Champagne. Classic Bellinis should never be made with Champagne. Although by normal standards expensive, a Bellini in Harry's Bar (€17 for a 1.5 oz drink is obscene) is still much cheaper than on the terraces of similar '5-star' establishments in the city. '''Beer''' in a small pub is about €5 for a pint (birra media). '''Espresso''', the real Italian, is about €1 at the bar, €2 at a table. === Coffee === [[File:Venice - Cafe - 4125.jpg|thumb|right|A cafe in Piazza di San Marco]] Coffee is everywhere in Venice, and both Venetians and the tourists avail themselves of the opportunities, usually by downing a quick dose at the counter (see warning about sit-down prices above). Rule of thumb: the bigger (and shinier) the espresso machine, the better the result. * {{drink | name=E Rosa Salva | alt= | url=http://www.rosasalva.it/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=One of the favorites is the mini-chain "E Rosa Salva", with three locations in the center - on C. Fiubera (from Piazza San Marco, take the underpass in the middle of the arcade, cross the bridge and take second right off C. Fabbri), Merceria S. Salvadore (off the campo of the same name), and right on Campo San Zanipolo (to the right of the church looking from the canal); the last one is a gelateria as well. For your €1 you'll get exactly 2 and a half sips at the bottom of a small cup, with rich crema and no bitterness. Assorted house-made sweets are €1.10. }} * {{listing | type=drink | name=Caffè Florian | alt= | url=http://www.caffeflorian.com | email=servizi@caffeflorian.com | address=Piazza San Marco, 57 | lat=45.43361 | long=12.33822 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205641 | tollfree= | hours=Daily, 9AM-midnight | price= | wikidata=Q960610 | content=On the extravagant side there is Caffè Florian, on Piazza San Marco. It claims to be the oldest coffee house still in operation, established in 1720. The interior is about a century newer, and brings an exclusive setting for a cup of coffee, even if sitting outside overlooking the entire piazza and its surroundings may be a better choice on a nice summer day. The café has its own outdoor orchestra playing an assortment of Italian music. Just sitting down at the table costs €6 per seat (for the orchestra it says on the menu) and the rest on the menu is at least twice the price you would have paid at home. Light lunch or dinner 12:00-15:00, 19.30-22:00, afternoon tea 15:09-18:00, great choice of semifreddo (parfaits) (€14), lemon ice cream with soda (€15), great choice of tea and coffee specialities; espresso €6.50. music charge €6. }} === Nightlife === There are two late-night drinking areas in Venice. Piazza San Marco is not one of them, although it is very pleasant with many people wandering around late. The actual late night scene is in either '''Campo Santa Margherita''', near the University Ca' Foscari in Dorsoduro; or in '''Erbaria''' on the West side of the Rialto Bridge where the main vegetable market is held during the day. Even though there are many fantastic bars in Venice, if you're planning a night time "pub crawl" you should plan a few places to visit in advance, otherwise it's very easy to waste an hour wandering aimlessly in search of a watering hole that's open, especially midweek. Locals in search of nighttime entertainment mostly head over the bridge into Mestre, or hop on the boat to Lido. One exception: F.ta della Misericordia, in Cannaregio (north from the Ghetto over the Ghetto Nuove bridge, turn right), features several bars in succession, anchored by the ''Paradiso Perduto'' (Cannaregio 2640; a restaurant by day, live music on Sundays starting at 21:00), along the canal. In season they are spilling over after dark with youths holding large glasses of rosé, while more of those same youths are cruising (in motor boats) blaring rap songs in Italian from the loudspeakers. The cafes and bars lining the expansive C. Santa Margherita are catering to the students from the nearby university; chill out to reggae sets in ''Caffé Rosso'' (Dorsoduro 2963; it's the one with the red awning that simply says ''Caffe''), or dance (Saturdays only) at ''Round Midnight'' (Dorsoduro 3102). Those looking for LGBT nightlife in Venice will be disappointed. Hop on the train to [[Padua]] instead. * {{drink | name=Bistrot de Venise | alt= | url=http://www.bistrotdevenise.com | email= | address=Calle dei Fabbri, San Marco 4685 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=22:00 until late night | price= | content=Restaurant, cultural and enogastronomical meetings. }} === Pubs === There are two Irish pubs in Venice. One is located along the '''Strada Nova''' in ''Cannaregio''; the other one is the '''Inishark''' just before ''Campo Santa Maria Formosa''. == Sleep == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Civran Venezia.JPG|thumb|The Palazzo Civran and Grand Canal at dusk. This 15th-century building that was substantially altered in the early 17th century now houses the Guardia di Finanza.]] Due to the historic city's constrained area and international popularity hotels are expensive. Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses offer better rates. Real budget solutions (like campings and hostels) can be found in [[Mestre | '''Mestre''']] (mainland Venice) and on the island of '''[[Lido]]'''. Alternative accommodation can be also found on the island of '''[[Murano]]'''. These are worth considering since historic centre is quite well connected with bus and ferries, so staying further from the centre is not such a big problem. In the last few years, holiday or short rentals apartments have increased in number and quality, now you can rent (minimum stay is usually 3 nights) a Palazzo on the Grand Canal as a little flat near Rialto. === Bed and Breakfast === * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Venice Ca' del Pozzo | alt= | url=http://cadelpozzo.it | email= | address= | lat=45.4329955 | long= 12.3320963 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2413875 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2443203 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Completely restructured in 2003, in the characteristic Campo San Maurizio. }} * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Ca'Dor | alt= | url=http://bedandbreakfastvenice.net | email= | address= | lat= 45.4406559 | long= 12.3372800 | directions= | phone=+39 392 3906152 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rooms about 55€ in low-season, 100€ in high season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Venetian style rooms in the centre, 3 minutes from Rialto's Bridge. }} === Budget === In the city of '''Mestre''' just in front of Venice is the A&O Hostel with shared rooms for about 17–23€ per night (July 2022). * {{sleep | name=Ai Do Mori | alt= | url=http://hotelaidomori.com | email= | address=San Marco 658 | lat=45.4351365 | long=12.3392159 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5204817 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5205328 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=As close as it gets to Piazza San Marco, but on the second and third floor, so it still is quiet at nights. Clean and nice rooms, TV, aircon, very friendly staff. }} * {{sleep | name=Alloggi Agli Artisti | alt= | url=http://agli-artisti-venezia.it/ | email= | address=Calle Priuli Cavalletti, Cannaregio 99 | lat=45.44247 | long=12.32122 | directions=150 m away from the main railway station (Santa Lucia) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €50 to €90 for a double room, depending on the season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=Guests can choose between rooms with bathroom en suite (with hairdryer), and rooms with sharing bathroom on the floor (cheaper). }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Antico Fiore | alt= | url=http://anticofiore.com | email= | address=San Marco 3486 | lat=45.4349563 | long=12.3302647 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5227941 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2413879 | price=Rooms from €65 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=An 18th-century building which has been carefully restored. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Gaffaro | alt= | url=http://locandagaffaro.it | email= | address=Dorsoduro 3589 | lat=45.4361719 | long=12.3218600 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2750897 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2750375 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €100 | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In a picturesque court near Piazzale Roma. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Albergo Ateneo | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 1876 | lat=45.4343317 | long= 12.3341439| directions= | phone=+39 041 5200777 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228550 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €60-180 depending on season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=3-star hotel close to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Antico Casin Locanda | alt= | url=http://anticocasin.com | email= | address=Corte Contarina, San Marco 1520/a | lat=45.4334656 | long= 12.3359885 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5207002 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-795122 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= A refined example of contemporary design, located close to Saint Mark's Square. Doubles from €90. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Amadi | alt= | url=http://www.caamadi.it/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Cannaregio 5815 | lat=45.4385951 | long=12.3375372 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5204682 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5206701 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In the old town centre, close to the famous Rialto Bridge. This 13th-century palace was once home to Marco Polo. Décor is keeping with the period, and the rooms are utterly charming. Original wall frescoes from the 1400s adorn the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/offerte-hotel.php?lang=ENG&id_hotel=37&id_offer= | email=info@cabauta.com | address=Castello 6457 | lat=45.4384168 | long= 12.3442353 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415212313 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= Housed in a 15th-century building, this quaint hotel has very spacious rooms with high ceilings and is adorned with stylish furniture and fittings. Has a friendly, multilingual staff who are always eager to assist you in planning tours, booking concert tickets, and making restaurant reservations. Rates from €70 per night. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Della Corte | alt=B&B + apartments | url=http://cadellacorte.com | email=info@cadellacorte.com | address=Corte Surian, Dorsoduro 3560 | lat=45.4363345 | long=12.3219371 | directions=300 m SE of Piazzale Roma | phone=+39 041-715877 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722345 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Junior suite €140 | lastedit= | content=A comfortable B&B in a quiet area. Warm and personal welcome. Breakfast (served in the room) could be improved (by going to pasticceria Tonolo and bringing your own cakes, e.g.). }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Zose | url=http://hotelcazose.com/ | email=info@hotelcazose.com | address=Dorsoduro 193/B (Calle del Bastion) | lat=45.4308 | long=12.3327 | directions=walk west from Salute vaporetto stop | phone=+39 0415226635 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415226624 | hours= | price=Doubles from €90 in season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=A quiet street off S.M. Salute, by the S.M. Giglio ''traghetto'' (when it's operational, 50 cents will get you to S. Marco), within easy walk of either Accademia or the Zattere (no need to brave the hordes of tourists on the #1 line, take the #52 from bus or train station). The helpful staff speaks Italian, English, French and Veneto. 10% discount on rates if paid in cash - ask Walentina, the proprietress. All rooms are named after stars (in the sky, not of movie kind), and all have A/C (indispensable in summer). Buffet breakfast included. }} * {{sleep | name=Continental Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://continentalhotelvenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat=45.4419737 | long=12.3240286 | directions= | phone=+39 041 71 5122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 524 2432 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=Three-star hotel in the Jewish Ghetto. A historic building belonged to a noble family, with 93 bedrooms (€95-194) capable to host any kind of guests. }} <!-- Too many entries * {{sleep | name=Corte 1321 | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo 1321 | lat= | long= | directions=near the Rialto Bridge | phone=+39 041 5224923 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 0997849 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €100 | lastedit= | content=Large spacious rooms with double sink bathrooms ensure a comfortable stay. Lovely courtyard for dining is made memorable with local birds strutting and cooing. }} * {{sleep | name=Domus Ciliota | alt= | url=http://ciliota.it/ | email= | address=Calle delle Muneghe, San Marco 2976 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 5-10 minute walk from San Marco's Square. The hotel has over fifty clean, basic, air-conditioned rooms all with shower and WC. The 24-hr reception is English speaking. There is an area for leaving baggage after you've checked out. Single rooms are €70-85 and doubles are €100-110 including breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel al Sole | alt= | url=http://www.alsolehotels.com/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 134/136 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2440328 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722287 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €80 | content=Hotel is in a noble palace built in the beginning of the 15th century, a short distance from Piazzale Roma. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ala | alt= | url=http://hotelala.it/ | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria dei Gigli, San Marco 2494 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5208333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206390 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €110 | content=Eggs and broiled tomatoes with cheese for breakfast. Rooms were a typical size but clean, comfortable and quiet. They have turndown service at night, a pleasant surprise. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Alla Salute | alt=also known as 'Da Cici' | url=http://www.salutepalace.com/ | email=info@salutepalace.com | address=Fondamenta Ca' Balà, Dorsoduro 222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235404 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5222271 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €50 | content=A 16th-century palazzo, a stone's throw from Piazza San Marco. It has been the house of the famous poet Ezra Pound. Pretty comfortable and quiet budget hotel. Garden for breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel All’Angelo Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelallangelovenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=San Marco 403 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5209299 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2743555 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Run by the same family since 1924 in a 17th-century building close to St Marks Basilica. Comfortable and stylishly decorated rooms with a double somewhere in the region of €150. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Antico Panada | alt= | url=http://hotelpanada.it | email= | address=San Marco 646 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5209088 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5209619 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €145 to €310 | content=Has rooms decorated in an 18th-century Venetian style. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Gottardi | alt= | url=http://www.cagottardi.com/ | email= | address=Cannaregio 2283 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759421 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €120 | content=Antico Palazzo Gottardi stands in Strada Nuova, between two buildings that look down onto the Canal Grande. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Basilea Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelbasileavenice.com/ | email= | address=Rio Marin, Santa Croce 817 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 718477 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 720851 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms are usually €100-160 depending on season | content=Across the Grand Canal from Santa Lucia Train Station. Located in a quiet Calle. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Becher | alt= | url=http://hotelbecher.com | email= | address=San Marco 1857 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5221253 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5212685 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= This 18th-century hotel enhanced by the most modern amenities, charming atmosphere and impeccable service. Single rooms from €70, doubles €110 and triples from €170. }} * {{sleep | name=Belle Arti Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotelbelleartivenice.com/ | email= | address=Dorsoduro 912/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5226230 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5280043 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double €220. Breakfast included for those who book online | content=Elegant three-star hotel. 67 guestrooms divided in double, triple and quadruple with en suite services, bathroom kit and modern services. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Cà D'Oro | alt= | url=http://venicehotelcadoro.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4604 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2411212 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414385 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Singles from €60, doubles from €80 | content=The hotel is in a quiet corner of Cannaregio district, 5 minutes walk from the Rialto Bridge. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Canaletto Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelcanalettovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 5487 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 20 518 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 023 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Along a scenic canal close to St. Mark’s Basilica. Decorated and furnished in the traditional Venetian manner, this hotel offers excellent service and rooms for two that start at around €110. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Continental | alt= | url=http://hotelcontinentalvenice.com | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-715122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5242432 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= Right on the Canal Grande. Single rooms from €93, doubles from €155 and triples from €194 including taxes and breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Commercio e Pellegrino | alt= | url=http://commercioepellegrino.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4551/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207922 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5225016 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €80, doubles from €100 including taxes and breakfast | lastedit= | content=Comfortable hotel in the centre, easy to reach by public transport and 2 minutes on foot to Saint Mark’s Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Doge Venice | alt= | url=http://www.albergodoge.com/ | email= | address=Lista Vecchia dei Bari, Santa Croce 1222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2448752 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5242192 | checkin= | checkout= | price= Double rooms start from €57. Family apartment for three people €97 | content=Three-star accommodation of Venice. It is in the northern part of the city, in front of the train station and presents 10 bedrooms – single, double and twin, some with a shared bathroom - and one apartment. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Firenze Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotel-firenze.com/index_en.html | email=info@hotel‑firenze.com | address=San Marco 1490 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222858 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5202668 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €120 a double/twin | content=On a side street of Piazza San Marco, and offers bright and comfortable rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel il Mercante di Venezia | alt= | url=https://www.ilmercantedivenezia.com/ | email= | address=Calle della Misericordia, Cannaregio 379-381 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759290 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759294 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just off the Lista di Spagna by the Grand Canal, excellent access to the Station (Santa Lucia) and the waterbuses. Delicately appointed rooms from around €145. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Lisbona Venice | alt= | url=http://hotellisbonavenice.com/ | email= | address=San Marco 2153 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286774 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207061 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just in front of Piazza San Marco, three star rooms decorated in the grand Venetian style. Double rooms are usually around €140. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Marconi Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=Riva del Vin, San Paolo 729 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 22 068 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 700 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal and famous Rialto Bridge. It has been a hotel since the 1930 and has a very interesting art deco style, with rooms going for around €150, or for a little more with a canal view. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Montecarlo Venice | alt= | url=https://www.venicehotelmontecarlo.com/en/ | email= | address=Calle degli Specchieri, San Marco 463 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207144 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207789 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €130 a double | content=3-star superior rooms and services one hundred yards from the entrance to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Nazionale Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelnazionalevenice.com/ | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 158 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 716133 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 715318 | checkin= | checkout= | price=€80 for a single and €160 for a family | content=Three-star accommodation with 90 bedrooms divided in single, double, twin, triple and family, 100 metres away from the train station of Santa Lucia. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palazzo Guardi | alt= | url=http://palazzoguardivenice.com | email= | address=Dorsoduro 995 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2960725 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 7241067 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €80 | content=A stone's throw from the Accademia, is this noble Venetian palace, rooms equipped with all comforts. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Giorgio | alt= | url=http://sangiorgiovenice.com | email= | address=Rio Terà della Mandola, San Marco 3781 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5235835 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228072 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €60, doubles from €90, triples from €120 | lastedit= | content=The hotel is between Campo Sant'Angelo and Campo Manin in an antique [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] palace bought by Mariano Fortuny. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Moise Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 2058 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5203755 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5210670 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Starting in the region of €120-140 for a double room | lastedit= | content=3-star hotel behind Piazza San Marco and the Basilica. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Tiepolo | alt= | url=http://hoteltiepolo.com | email= | address=Castello 4510 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5232415 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5208222 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €200 | content=Small and elegant design hotel in the historic centre, a few steps away from Saint Mark's Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Orseolo | alt= | url=http://locandaorseolo.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A 3-minute walk from St. Peter's Square, operated by a multi-lingual Venetian family who offer impeccable concierge service. Room rates are generally €150 to €200. }} * {{sleep | name=Pagan Luxury House | alt= | url=http://www.capagan.com/ | email=info@capagan.com | address=San Marco 3268 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2960584 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5236218 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €120 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=According to their website, there is a €10 per night discount for booking directly with them. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cà Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/ | email= | address=Castello 6457 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5212313 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Few steps from Campo ss. Giovanni e Paolo, one of the most spectacular place of Venice. Double rooms are usually around €100-160 depending on season. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cá Malipiero Venice | alt= | url=http://camalipierovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 4852 | lat= | long= | directions=Santa Maria Formosa district, behind the Ponte dei Sospiri bridge and St Mark’s Square | phone=+39 041 2770939 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5289845 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €110 | content=An historic building of the 16th century with a large selection of elegant single, double rooms and suites, capable to host up to four people and equipped with the best modern services expected by a three-star guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Flora | alt= | url=http://www.hotelflora.it/ | email=info@hotelflora.it | address=San Marzo 2283/A | lat= | long= | directions=behind Saint Mark's Square | phone=+39 041 5205844 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rates start from €120 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Garden, free Wi-Fi, homemade buffet breakfast, fitness centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Novecento Boutique Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.novecento.biz/ | email= | address=San Marco 2683/84 | lat= | long= | directions=Calle del Dose, off Campo San Maurizio, between St. Mark's Square and the Accademia Gallery | phone=+39 041 2413765 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €120 | content=Has 9 rooms featuring original furniture and tapestries from both the Mediterranean and the Far East. }} * {{sleep | name=Palazzo Cendon - Il Piano Nobile | alt= | url=http://www.palazzocendon.it/ | email= | address=Call Cendon, Cannaregio 532 | lat= 45.4447805 | long=12.3224034 | directions=From the train station turn left before Ponte delle Guglie | phone=+39 041 2750606 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€130 | content=Nice small hotel in good area with a few restaurants and bars. }}--> === Splurge === <!--entries with no prices and that look like spamvertising will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Palazzina Grassi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.palazzinag.com/ | email=info@palazzinag.com | address=San Marco 3247 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5284644 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms from €295 | content=First Italian hotel designed by Philippe Starck, the only one in Venice. In the centre, near the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Saint Mark's Square is a short walk away. }} * {{sleep | name=Duodo Palace Hotel | url=http://duodopalacehotel.com/ | email=info@duodopalacehotel.com | address=San Marco 1887 | lat= | long= | directions=In the historic centre | phone=+39 041 5203329 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2415940 | hours= | price=Doubles from €140 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Four-star luxury hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Al Codega | alt= | url=http://hotelalcodega.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Forno Vecchio, San Marco 4435 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413288 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414621 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €200-300 | content=In a picturesque little ‘cortile’ (courtyard), which is a short walk from Piazza San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Carlton Grand Canal | alt= | url=http://carltongrandcanal.com | email= | address=Fondamenta S.Pantalon, Santa Croce 578 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2752200 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2752250 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Room rates start from €120 (depending on the season) | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Dei Dragomanni | alt= | url=http://hoteldragomanni.com | email= | address=Calle del Dose da Ponte, San Marco 2711 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2771300 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2778984 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €155 | content=4-star hotel in an ancient Venetian palazzo. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Giorgione | url=http://hotelgiorgione.com/ | email= | address=Calle Larga dei Proverbi, Cannaregio 4587 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5225810 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | hours= | price=Singles from €105, Doubles from €150 | checkin= | checkout= | content=In the centre, 10 minutes from Piazza San Marco, it was transformed into a hotel at the beginning of the 19th century and has been managed by the same family ever since. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Bauer | alt=Il Palazzo Venezia | url=http://www.bauervenezia.com/en/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email=info@bauervenezia.com | address=San Marco 1459 | lat=45.43295 | long=12.3335603 | directions=In the street from San Marco Square to Ponte dell'Accademia | phone=+39 041 5207022 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €279 to €15,010 | lastedit=2017-03-21 | content=Five-star luxury hotel along the Grand Canal riverside with bars and restaurants }} * {{sleep | name=Corte di Gabriela | alt= | url=http://www.cortedigabriela.com/en/ | email=info@cortedigabriela.com | address=Calle Avvocati, 3836 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235077 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from 270€ per night | lastedit=2018-11-21 | content=Corte di Gabriela is a 4-star boutique hotel in Venice in an elegant nineteenth-century building, overlooking the canals of the San Marco district. It has a few suites, each different from the others. }} == Connect == As of Sept 2021, Venice has 4G from Iliad and TIM, and 5G from Vodafone and Wind Tre. The city has been steadily building out the municipal Wi-Fi network, which now covers almost the entire area around the Grand Canal and some of the larger squares in the center. You can buy guest access at approximately €5 per day at the same unified Venezia Unica site where the transport and museum passes are sold. However if you only need occasional access, it may not be worth buying this as you can get free wifi at most accommodations and at a lot of the museums in Venice. Venice has several internet cafes, but they are much more expensive than the rest of Europe with prices for an hour of access around €6. Wi-Fi is only available at some of them. There's a wonderful pub, Cafe Blue in Dorsoduro, which has free (password-protected) wi-fi. Buy a spritz and a panini and go to town. At the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Campo San Salvatore (San Marco) you can browse for free for one hour, once registered with your ID card. To use an Internet cafe, buy a mobile SIM card or get a contract for an Internet connection. Personal identification is needed by law in Italy. Internet cafes will not let you use computers without a passport or national ID card. Calle Delle Botteghe on San Marco 2970 Venezia is a pretty art gallery type internet cafe with a book shop. It is on the expensive side with €3 for 15 min but you can just go in and play chess with a glass of wine. == Stay safe == Venice is considered a safe city. You have to take the habitual travellers' precautions however. Keep your valuable items (like wallet and passport) close to you because there are pickpockets, especially in more crowded parts of the city. In case of need, you can dial free of charge on any phone '''112''' (no area code needed) to contact Carabinieri or '''113''' (no area code needed) to contact the Police. ==Stay healthy== Venice has begun to install septic tanks in buildings, but much of the city has not yet been upgraded and releases untreated sewage directly into the canals. Avoid bathing yourself, touching the water, immersing feet, etc. in the canals looking for refreshment in hot season. Also, at night there is a risk of falling into the water, as there are many alleys which end in the water but have little or no lighting. In the warmest months, these conditions can sometimes generate foul odors. Choose other times to visit if they might ruin what should be a highly enjoyable stay. Current regulations forbid certain behaviour, including bathing in the canals and walking around in a swimsuit or bare-chested. Violations are subject to fines up to €500. More information available on [https://www.comune.venezia.it/en/content/enjoyrespectvenezia #EnjoyRespectVenezia website]. You can reach the emergency medical service dialing free of charge on any phone '''118''' (no area code needed, conversation will be recorded) to have assistance and an ambulance sent to you. Chemists' shops (Italian: ''Farmacie'') are all around the town. They are open 24 hr a day, 7 days a week on a rotational basis: outside the shop there's always the list of operating ones with time-table, address and phone number. If you need a special drug you might be asked to book it in advance if it's not in common use. Note that the commercial name or brand of your prescription might differ from your country of origin, and make sure that the medication you want is available in the EU. == Respect == The city officials state that it is necessary to enforce rules that preserve the city's urban cleanliness and make sure visitors behave themselves. The following tips will come in handy: * '''Walk on the right side of the street'''; especially on narrower streets, you'll contribute to making your and other’s walk faster, safer, and tidier. Do it always, even if the street is empty. * '''Do not bathe, dive into, or swim in the canals'''; it is not only dangerous and unhealthy, but it is punishable by a fine of up to €350 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not sit down on the ground and eat'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not camp in public areas'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not walk around bare-chested or in swimwear'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €250. == Cope == === Orientation === The unfortunate side-effect of the small alleys which make Venice such a delight to visit is that it is remarkably easy to get lost. Even maps provided by hotels are frequently inaccurate, and the maze-like structure of the city can become very confusing. The tight cluster of little islands that comprise Venice is completely surrounded by the Lagoon, so it is not possible, no matter how lost you become, to leave Venice on foot. Sooner or later you will come upon a piazza that you can locate on your map. One tip: as you cross bridges, note the house numbers before and after. A small change probably means you are on the same island/district and have crossed a "new" canal. A major change means you are now on another island. Most maps clump islands together into their voting districts, there are many more islands than districts. One piece of assistance is to look for directional signs. These will be marked "Per" and then with the name of a prominent location or bridge in the city, complete with an arrow pointing in the relevant direction. Hence, to get to the Rialto bridge, the signs to follow are marked "Per Rialto". Those to St Mark's Square read "Per S Marco", and those to the train station "Per Ferrovia" (there are some others as well). Having oriented yourself to the nearest landmark, direction-finding can thus become (slightly) easier. Remember, though, that the signs to read are the ''official'' ones. Graffiti will occasionally give other directions, frequently incorrect ones. That said, some argue that getting lost in Venice is part of the experience of the city. The number of photogenic canals, hidden restaurants and shops where glass blowing is done almost guarantees that there is no such thing as a "dull neighbourhood". Additionally, the public transport means that it is relatively easy to arrive at the intended destination even after one has emerged from the web of alleys in a totally unexpected place. === Overcrowding === While Venice may not get more tourists than other famous [[Italy|Italian]] destinations as [[Rome]] and [[Florence]], the narrowness of streets and open areas may at times make Venice feel ''uncomfortably'' crowded during (but not only) the peak seasons, at the San Marco ''sestiere'', the surroundings of the Rialto bridge and the streets leading from Venezia Santa Lucia and Piazzale Roma to San Marco. Walking by itself can be difficult, let alone snapping a good photo, using a public lavatory, or sitting at a decent cafe or restaurant. To avoid the worst of the crowds, unless it is winter, try to visit the San Marco and Rialto bridge areas during early morning and late evening. During the late morning and afternoon, stay away as far as possible from this area, for instance walking around west Santa Croce, north Cannaregio, eastern Castello and Giudecca. Alternatively, take day trips to places outside central Venice such as [[Burano]], the [[Lido]], [[Padua]] or [[Vicenza]], or simply take the opportunity to refresh in your hotel. === Useful telephone numbers === * {{listing | name=Police (emergency call) | phone=113 }} * {{listing | name=Carabinieri (emergency call) | phone=112 }} * {{listing | name=First Aid (emergency call) | phone=118 }} * {{listing | name=Venice Hospital | phone=+39 041 5294111 }} * {{listing | name=Medical Service on Duty | phone=+39 041 5294060 }} * {{listing | name=Tourist Information | phone=+39 041 5298700 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service San Marco | phone=+39 041 5200685 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Rialto | phone=+39 041 5224904 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Danieli | phone=+39 041 5222254 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Information | phone=+39 041 2609260 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 2609222 }} * {{listing | name=Railway information | phone=892021 (in country only) }} * {{listing | name=Railway Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 785531 }} === Consulates === Most of the consulates listed here are only honorary consulates, so can only offer limited consular services. If you need any serious help, try visiting [[Milan]], where larger consulates can sometimes be found; however, it will usually be easier to visit the Italian capital, [[Rome#Embassies|Rome]], where most countries' embassies are found. * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia| url=http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locations/missions/Pages/australian-consulate-in-venice-italy.aspx| email=mc@castelbrando.it | address=Via della Libertà, 12 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5093061 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria| url= | email=consolato.austria@zoppas.com | address=Santa Croce, 251 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5240556| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium| url= | email=piero.reis@sgpaa.lu | address=Dorsoduro, 3464 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5242944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic| url=http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/diplomatic_missions/czech_missions_abroad/italy_honorary_consulate_of_the_czech_2.html | email=venice@honorary.mzv.cz | address= Cannaregio, 3821| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2413984| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark| url= | email=covedk@hotmail.com | address=Santa Croce, 466/g | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413984 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland| url= http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=330512&contentlan=2&culture=en-US| email=finland.consulate.venice@gmail.com | address= Rio dei Scudi 2654/A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 347 1245016| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France| url= | email=cfvenise@yahoo.fr | address= Castello, 6140| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5224319| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany| url= | email=venedig@hk-diplo.de | address= Santa Croce, 251| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5237675 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece| url= | email=grcon.ven@mfa.gr | address= Castello 4683/C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5237260| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania| url= | email=info@consolatodilituania.venezia.it | address=Santa Croce, 764 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5241131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg| url= | email=conslux@fastwebnet.it | address=Castello, 5312 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5222047| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malta}} {{listing | name=Malta| url= | email=maltaconsul.venice@gov.mt | address=Piazzale l.da Vinci, 8, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 3969100| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico| url= | email=consuladodemexico.venecia@service.net | address=Santa Marta , Fabbricato, 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2712642| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco| url= | email=consmonaco.venise@tin.it | address= San Polo. 747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223772| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands| url= | email=cons.paesibassi.ve@libero.it | address=San Marco, 2888 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5283416| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway| url= | email=consolato.norvegia.ve@longanesicattani.it | address= Santa Croce, 466/b| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5231345| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal| url= | email=perchidoni@yahoo.it | address= San Marco, 1747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223446| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia| url= | email= | address= San Marco, 4718/a| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 04 12418879| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain| url= | email= | address= San Polo, 2646| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5233254| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden| url= http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/Rome/Contact/Embassy--Consulates/#Venice| email=consolato.svezia.venezia@gmail.com | address= Sestiere Cannaregio 166| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225489 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland| url= https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/italy/en/home/representations/honorary-consulates/consulate-venice.html| email=venezia@honrep.ch | address= Dorsoduro, 810| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5225996| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey| url= | email=consolatoturchia@bassani.it | address=Santa Marta, Fabbricato 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230707 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States| url=https://it.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/milan/consular-agency-venice/ | email=USCitizensVenice@state.gov | address=Venice Marco Polo Airport, Via Galileo Galilei, 30 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5415944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} === Post offices === * Venezia Centro: San Marco. Sottoportico delle Acque 5016 * Venezia 1: Cannaregio, Lista di Spagna 233 * Venezia 3: San Polo, Campo San Polo 2012 * Venezia 4: San Marco, Calle Larga de l'Ascension 1241 * Venezia 5: Castello, Calle Barbaria delle Tole 6674 * Venezia 8: Giudecca, Fondamenta Sant'Eufemia * Venezia 9: Castello, Via Garibaldi 1641 * Venezia 10: Dorsoduro, Zattere Fondamenta al Ponte Longo 1507 * Venezia 11: Sant'Elena, Viale 4 Novembre 23/24 * Venezia 12: Santa Croce, Fondamenta Santa Chiara 411 * Venezia 13: Cannaregio, Calle dele Cooperative snc * Murano: Fondamenta Navagero 48 * Burano: Fondamenta Terranova 162 * Lido di Venezia: Via Doge Domenico Michiel 1 * Malamocco: Campo Chiesa 1 == Go next == [[Metropolitan Venice]] has many interesting destinations far from the Venetian crowds. Around the Venetian lagoon are other smaller islands, which have since been deserted but are worth a visit. There is also the Lido, which is a long narrow island with more modern buildings, hosting a youth hostel and a hotel. * [[Burano]] — Island famous for lace, textiles and colorfully painted houses. * [[Lido]] — The island of tranquility, a beach district 10 minutes by boat from San Marco, and where the Venice movie festival is held. * [[Mestre]] — Town in the mainland, but still a part of Venice. * [[Murano]] — Nearby island famous for its glassware. * [[San Lazzaro]] — Nearby island with Armenian monastery and impressive art collection, some world class pieces. * [[Torcello]] — Nearby island with a 7th-century basilica church and an archeological museum. * Riviera del Brenta &mdash; Palladian villas around Brenta River, 20 minutes from Venice by car, or you can get there via biking tours with a local bike hire shop. * [[Lake Garda]] — An easy day trip by train, it is Italy's largest lake and stunning in scenery. * [[Po Delta]] — Peaceful and scenic marshy area southwest of Venice with bike trails. * [[Eraclea]] — Typical for its pinewood and Laguna del Mort, 55 minutes from Venice by car or by boat. * [[Jesolo]] — Jesolo is one of the most important beaches in Italy, just 45 minutes from Venice by car or by boat (ferry from Treporti to Venice). * [[Padua]] (It. Padova) — 40&nbsp;km west of Venice, home to the Basilica of St. Anthony, the Scrovegni Chapel, and the oldest Botanical Gardens in the world, among others. * [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] — Lovely alpine town, site of 1956 Winter Olympic Games. Great mountain scenery, might be very expensive. A couple of hours of car ride to the north of Venice, more than 3 hours by train and bus. {{Related|Venice with children}} {{Related|Ferries_in_the_Mediterranean}} {{IsPartOf|Metropolitan Venice}} {{Geo|45.4386111|12.3266667|zoom=13}} {{Guidecity}} 3am0v5pd69n2frmopf5fv9v04hh7tpc 4501582 4501581 2022-08-15T13:14:10Z Jonte-- 38175 /* Drink */ rewrote wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|disambig=yes|unesco=yes|Venice new banner.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{Style|Now we have [[Venice/Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce]], [[Venice/Castello]] and [[Venice/San Marco]] (and also [[Venice/Lido]] and [[Venice/Murano]]), we should format this main article as a "huge city article". }} '''[http://english.comune.venezia.it Venice]''' ([[Italian phrasebook|Italian]]: ''Venezia''; Venetian: ''Venexia'') is a sanctuary on a lagoon that is virtually the same as it was 600 years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and suffers from overtourism, but the romantic charm remains. It is also known as the birthplace of composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi. Venice and its lagoon are a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. It used to be an independent republic, and remains one of Italy's most important cities, with a quarter million inhabitants. ==Districts== {{mapframe|show=districtmap|name=Map of Venice's six historic ''sestieri'' (districts)}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52423,Q844263|fill=#487db8|title=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52425,Q2118904|fill=#b569b5|title=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52422,Q52435|fill=#6e73e2|title=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52429|fill=#7ad88d|title=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52428,Q1758658|fill=#e7ef5d|title=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52427,Q126327|fill=#de725d|title=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]]}} {{regionlist | region1name=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]] | region1color=#de725d | region1description=Sharpen your elbows and get to stepping. '''St Mark's Basilica''', '''Doge's Palace''', and half a dozen other top sights are crammed in to '''Piazza San Marco'''. If you'd like a good picture (or even a place to sit!) try visiting at dawn, or during the winter months. | region2name=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]] | region2color=#7ad88d | region2description=One of the oldest parts of the city&mdash;and featuring the '''Rialto Bridge'''&mdash;one of it's most visited. Several museums and churches hold dozens of antiquities and artistic masterworks. | region3name=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]] | region3color=#6e73e2 | region3description=Home to the '''Guggenheim''' and '''Gallerie Accademia Venezia''', some of the finest museums in Italy. This area also plays host to many students, so those seeking budget conscious amenities may have more luck here. | region4name=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]] | region4color=#b569b5 | region4description=Several captivating palaces, basilica, and museums all live within the "tail of the fish". On your walk from San Marco, pass by the '''Bridge of Sighs''' to catch a glimpse of a convicts last view. | region5name=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]] | region5color=#487db8 | region5description=A more residential neighborhood, the city's historic '''Jewish ghetto''' is found here as well as the nearby island of '''San Michele Cemetery'''. Receives fewer visitors than neighboring areas, although that's not saying much. | region6name=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] | region6color=#e7ef5d | region6description=Transit oriented Santa Croce is where Venetian visitors will arrive by bus, car or tram. The rail station is just across the Grand Canal in Cannaregio. The park and churches found here are lovely, while the museums cover mostly non-Italian work. }} Many visitors also pay a visit to '''[[Mestre]]''' (mainland Venice) and some of the neighboring islands during their stay. * '''[[Venice/Burano|Burano]]''' &mdash; Popular with artists and known for its many small, brightly painted houses. * '''[[Venice/Murano|Murano]]''' &mdash; Filled with quaint shops and restaurants, Murano is known far and wide for its high quality glass making. * '''[[Venice/Lido|Lido]]''' &mdash; Venice's long skinny beach, Lido offers a respite from more touristy and expensive areas. * '''[[Venice/Torcello|Torcello]]''' &mdash; Sparsely populated and accessible by ''vaporetto'', this island offers a unique window into Venetian life. == Understand == [[File:Venezia Campanile di San Marco 004.JPG|thumb|upright|Bell tower of Saint Mark]] === Orientation === [[Metropolitan Venice]] has nearly a million inhabitants, and includes coastal and inland towns such as [[Bibione]], [[Chioggia]] and [[Eraclea]]. The ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice lies at the coast of northern Italy. It is made up of many islands in the Venetian Lagoon and a stretch of ''terraferma'' (mainland). The comune is divided into six boroughs, the most famous of which (known as ''Venezia Insulare'') comprises the historic city of Venice as well as the islands of Giudecca, [[Venice/Murano|Murano]], [[Burano]], [[Torcello]], [[Mazzorbo]] and [[Sant'Erasmo]]. [[Lido]] and [[Mestre]] are other popular areas of the comune. The historic city is divided into six ''sestieri'' (districts): [[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Castello|Castello]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] and finally [[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]], where the main monuments and sights are. Each sestiere uses separate house numbers, however they are ''not'' allocated in a specific pattern. === History === {{See also|Medieval and Renaissance Italy}} The '''Most Serene Republic of Venice''' dates back to 827, when a Byzantine Duke moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years, it prospered on trade (especially from the [[Silk Road]]) and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the '''Doge'''. Eventually, the Republic of Venice grew into a powerful city-state, and the cradle of [[Medieval and Renaissance Italy|Italian renaissance]]. In the late 15th century, the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s expansion around the Mediterranean, new routes on the high seas shifted commerce to the Atlantic, demoting Venice's political status. The city remains a centre for the arts. One of the significant events in the history of Venice was the opening of the first public opera house in 1637, which allowed members of the general public (those who could afford to pay for the tickets) to enjoy what was once court entertainment reserved for the aristocracy, thus allowing the genre of opera to flourish. Venice was an important destination of the [[Grand Tour]] from the 17th century. In 1797, the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which it never recovered. The city was soon absorbed into [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austria-Hungary]], then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but Venice is still a monument to the glory days of the Renaissance, and historical culture still throbs powerfully in the old Italians' veins. === Climate === {{Weather box | metric first=y | single line=y | Jan high C = 6.6 | Feb high C = 9.6 | Mar high C = 14.5 | Apr high C = 20.1 | May high C = 23.5 | Jun high C = 25.9 | Jul high C = 27.7 | Aug high C = 27.5 | Sep high C = 24.4 | Oct high C = 20.0 | Nov high C = 12.6 | Dec high C = 7.4 | year high C = 17.2 | Jan mean C = 3.3 | Feb mean C = 4.7 | Mar mean C = 8.3 | Apr mean C = 12.0 | May mean C = 17.1 | Jun mean C = 20.5 | Jul mean C = 23.0 | Aug mean C = 22.6 | Sep mean C = 18.9 | Oct mean C = 13.8 | Nov mean C = 7.8 | Dec mean C = 4.0 | year mean C = 13.0 | Jan low C = −0.1 | Feb low C = 0.8 | Mar low C = 5.1 | Apr low C = 9.8 | May low C = 13.7 | Jun low C = 16.1 | Jul low C = 18.3 | Aug low C = 17.7 | Sep low C = 14.3 | Oct low C = 9.6 | Nov low C = 4.0 | Dec low C = 0.6 | year low C = 8.8 | Jan precipitation mm = 47.0 | Feb precipitation mm = 48.3 | Mar precipitation mm = 48.8 | Apr precipitation mm = 70.0 | May precipitation mm = 66.0 | Jun precipitation mm = 78.0 | Jul precipitation mm = 63.9 | Aug precipitation mm = 64.8 | Sep precipitation mm = 72.0 | Oct precipitation mm = 73.5 | Nov precipitation mm = 65.5 | Dec precipitation mm = 50.6 | year precipitation mm = 748.4 | Jan humidity = 81 | Feb humidity = 77 | Mar humidity = 75 | Apr humidity = 75 | May humidity = 73 | Jun humidity = 74 | Jul humidity = 71 | Aug humidity = 72 | Sep humidity = 75 | Oct humidity = 77 | Nov humidity = 79 | Dec humidity = 81 | year humidity = 75.8 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 6.0 | Feb precipitation days = 5.2 | Mar precipitation days = 5.7 | Apr precipitation days = 8.3 | May precipitation days = 8.2 | Jun precipitation days = 8.6 | Jul precipitation days = 5.9 | Aug precipitation days = 6.1 | Sep precipitation days = 5.9 | Oct precipitation days = 6.7 | Nov precipitation days = 5.8 | Dec precipitation days = 5.9 | Jan sun = 80.6 | Feb sun = 107.4 | Mar sun = 142.6 | Apr sun = 174.0 | May sun = 229.4 | Jun sun = 243.0 | Jul sun = 288.3 | Aug sun = 257.3 | Sep sun = 198.0 | Oct sun = 151.9 | Nov sun = 87.0 | Dec sun = 77.5 | year sun = 2037.0 | source 1 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClim2/pdf/(105)Venezia%20Tessera.pdf MeteoAM (sun and humidity 1961–1990) Venezia/Tessera] | source 2 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/viewClino.php?type=File&station=105&name_station=Venezia%20Tessera MeteoAM Tabella CLINO] | date = April 2014 }} Venice has a humid-subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. For those who don't enjoy the heat, July and August may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot and often humid, there are mosquitoes and occasional infestations of flies, and there are a ''lot'' of tourists and large crowds. Mid to late spring and early to mid autumn are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 10-25°C) and the tourist load. Between November and January, you may manage to feel you have Venice all to yourself, an interesting experience. Beware of the weather during the winter months: it can be quite chilly, windy, and damp. Fog is an additional hazard if you are driving in or out, doubly so in the unlikely chance that you will pilot a boat. But if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer. Although Venice has no cars, diesel motors used by boats contribute to less than stellar air quality. '''''Acqua alta''''' (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The lagoon water level occasionally rises above the level of the squares and streets, flooding them. This can happen several times a year, at irregular intervals, usually in the colder months. ''Acqua alta'' usually lasts a few hours and coincides with high tide. You'll see raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when ''acqua alta'' hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound to warn residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italian, tune into news programs since their predictions of the times the flood begins and ends are usually accurate. Normally, the tide rises and falls in six-hour cycles. You can get an ''acqua alta'' map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Mark's Square. This will show you the higher, dry routes and the ones with walkways set up during the various flood alerts. There is a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers, and a noticeboard at the base of the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco that shows a live tide reading and predictions for the next few days. == Get in == {{Mapframe|name=Important transfer points|show=go}} Water plays a crucial role in transportation, as Venice is on a lagoon. Whichever way you arrive the last part of your journey will be on foot from the nearest waterbus/watertaxi jetty. Bear this in mind when choosing your hotel location and route to it, especially if you need to carry or wheel bags along the narrow streets. Do note a lot of the higher priced hotels will offer complementary water boat transfers from the airport. === By plane === The Marco Polo Airport and the Treviso Airport serve the city. If no flight suites you, check flying to nearby '''[[Bologna#By_plane|Bologna]]''' or '''[[Verona#By_plane|Verona]]'''. From both cities trains and buses depart to Venice. ==== Marco Polo Airport ==== {{Listing | type = go | name = Marco Polo Airport | alt = {{IATA|VCE}} | url = http://www.veniceairport.it | email = | address = | lat = 45.50528 | long = 12.35194 | directions = on the mainland near [[Mestre]] (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure) | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | wikipedia= Venice Marco Polo Airport | wikidata = Q849347 | image = Aeroporto di Venezia - vue aerienne.jpg | lastedit = 2019-08-21 | content = This is the closest commercial airport. }} There are direct flights to and from [[Amsterdam Schiphol]], [[Atlanta Airport]], [[Barcelona El Prat]], Basel, Belfast, Berlin, Bilbao, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Brussels, Casablanca, Chisinau, Cologne-Bonn, [[Copenhagen Airport]], Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, [[Frankfurt Airport]], Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Istanbul, Leeds, Le Havre, Lille, Lisbon, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Mars Alam, Marseilles, Metz, Montreal, Moscow, [[Munich Airport]], Mykonos, Nantes, New York. Newcastle, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague Pristina, Riga, Southend, Saint Petersburg, Sharm el-Sheik, Stuttgart, Timisoara, Tirana, Toronto, Toulouse, Tunis, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich as well as domestic flights to and from Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, and Rome. As of April 2022 the airport wifi service is free, with caveats: you get 30 min without registration, and a few hours with registration. This is useful if you need access to online vaccination passports. '''[http://www.atvo.it ATVO]''' operates airport shuttle '''expressbus 35''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' between 04:20 and 23:30 every day and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' between 05:20 to 00:50 every day. The trip on a coach bus with luggage stowed underneath takes about 20 minutes. ATVO ticket price is €8 one-way and €15 return, luggage included. Tickets can be bought at the airport from the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall, at the ATVO ticket counter in the arrival hall (open from 08:00 to 23:45, {{Phone|+39 042 1594672}}) and from the automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the airport on the ATVO departure platform. In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to San Marco Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St. Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre, tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/urban-lines-0 ACTV]''' operates urban '''aerobus 5''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' on weekdays between 04:35 and 00:40 and during weekends between 05:40 and 00:40 and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' on weekdays between 04:08 and 01:10 and during weekends between 04:08 and 01:10. The trip in a city bus takes about 23 minutes. ACTV ticket price for a 75-minute trip with water buses (vaporetti) and land buses starting and/or ending at Marco Polo Airport is €8 one-way and €15 return. One piece of hand luggage is included in the price. If you are willing to walk 1 km to save a few coins, walk to the Triestina Tessera stop and catch the same bus 5 (or some other routes) for €6. If you have a Venezia Unica card (see local transport), you can ride from that stop for €1.50. '''[http://www.alilaguna.it/en Alilaguna]''' operates three '''water bus''' lines from the airport. Such a direct water bus from the airport may be more convenient than taking the bus to the bus station and then changing to the local water bus. To reach the boat jetty, turn left on leaving the terminal and walk 10 minutes along the covered walkway. * '''Blue line (linea blu)''' runs from the airport to the Cruise Terminal (Terminal Crociere) via Murano, Fondamente Nove, Ospedale, Bacini, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zitelle, Zattere, and Giudecca Stucky. Boats leave from the airport every hour from 06:10 to 08:10 and from 20:15 to 00:15 and every 30 minutes between 08:45 and 20:15, boats leave from the Cruise Terminal every 30 minutes from 07:50 to 17:20. The boat trip from the airport to the city center (San Marco) takes about 90 min. This trip is very long and boring, so bring something to do. The trip from the airport to Murano takes 30 min. * '''Orange line (linea arancio)''' connects the airport with Giglio via Madonna dell'Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, San Angelo and Ca' Rezzonico. Boats leave from the airport every 30 mins from 08:00 to 19:00. Boats leaving later in the evening go to Fondamenta Nove or San Marco only. Boats leave from Giglio from every 30 minutes from 6:48 to 19:48, later boats leave from San Marco only. * '''Red line (Linea Rossa)''' goes from the airport to Giudecca Zitelle via Murano Museo, Certosa, Lido, and San Marco. This is a seasonal service and only operates between April and November. Boats leave the airport every hour from 10:30 to 18:30 and San Marco every hour from 9:05 to 19:05. The ticket price from the airport to Lido, Venice, or Cruise Terminal is €15 one way (€8 IMOB smart card) and €27 return. Airport to Murano costs €8 one way (€4 IMOB) and €15 return. There are also tourist tickets which are valid for 24 hours (€30), and for 72 hours (€65). All tickets can be purchased online. The water bus services from the airport are operated by a different company (Alilaguna) than the other public water bus services in Venice, so separate tickets will be required. From the same jetty, you can travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy '''water-taxis''' (30 min) for about €110. ==== Treviso Airport ==== The '''[http://trevisoairport.it/ Treviso Airport]''' ({{IATA|TSF}}), located 25&nbsp;km (16&nbsp;mi) from Venice near [[Treviso]], is relatively smaller but becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for Ryanair, Wizzair, and Transavia budget flights. There are flights to Treviso Airport from Bucharest, Charleroi, Chisinau, Cluj, Dublin, East Midlands, Eindhoven, Iasi, L'viv, Malta, Moscow, Paris Beauvais, Prague, Stockholm, Timisoara and Valencia. There are domestic flights from Alghero, Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme and Palermo. Flights to and from Treviso Airport are operated by [http://www.laudamotion.com/ Lauda], [http://www.pobeda.aero Pobeda], [http://www.ryanair.com Ryanair] +39 895 8958989, [http://www.wizzair.com Wizz Air] +39 895 895 3322. The airport runs over-capacity with seating and facilities, and the security line can sometimes be very long during peak travel times. If you arrive at the airport and the line is moving too slowly, you can purchase local fast track service at '''[https://www.ufirst.com/en/doors/door-015659eb-2683-46ba-82ca-c18d7490b57f/service-d78a5c7d-c641-4072-8622-0b351fcf8db7 UFirst.com]''' for €10. This is official but poorly advertised at the airport. There is no express passport control if departing the Schengen area. '''[http://www.atvo.it/index.php?lingua=en&area=menustandard&idpadre=23&idmenu=36 ATVO]''' operates buses from Venice to Treviso Airport daily at 05:30, 07:10, 10:30, and 18:30 and from Treviso Airport to Venice daily at 07:45, 08:15, 13:10 and 21:20 plus others not connecting to the flights to and from Treviso Airport. Flights arriving earlier or later than scheduled may affect the departure from the airport. If flights are cancelled the bus service will be suspended. The bus has two stops in Mestre, one in Corso del Popolo in front of BNP Bank in the historic center and the other one near the railway station and the journey takes about 55 min. The bus stop in Venice is at Piazzale Roma and the journey takes about 70 min. Ticket prices are €12 one-way and €22 return (valid 7 days) and have to be validated before boarding the bus. Tickets can be bought at Treviso Airport at the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall or at the ATVO ticket office in the arrivals hall, operating from 07:30 to 22:30 ({{Phone|+39 422 315 381}}). In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to Treviso Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St.Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. There is free Wi-Fi on the buses. '''[http://www.barziservice.com/en/services/airport/ Barzi Bus Service]''' offers a bus service via the motorway from the airport to Mestre train station (about 30 min trip) and Venice Tronchetto (about 40 min trip). Ticket prices are €12 one way and €22 return (valid 10 days). Tickets can be bought at their desk in the arrival hall ({{Phone|+39 348 836 71 85}}), or on the bus. Tickets bought on Ryanair flights are ''not'' valid for this service. Barzi Bus brings you to Tronchetto, from there you can take vaporetto line 2 to the city center. If you'd rather avoid the highway traffic and don't have bulky luggage, take the local '''[http://www.mobilitadimarca.it/p/linee-e-orari/servizio-urbano/urbano-treviso Mobilita di Marca bus no. 6]''' for €1.30 (€2.50 if bought on board). It will deposit you at the Treviso train station in about 10 minutes. There are 2-3 departures hourly from the airport between 06:00 to 22:00. Then it's about 30 minutes on Regionale or Regionale Veloce train to Venezia Santa Lucia (also 2-3 departures per hour). The ticket price is €3.40 for the train. ==== San Nicolo Airport ==== The '''San Nicolo Airport''' (ICAO: LIPV, no IATA code) is an airfield directly on the Lido. It handles only small aircraft, as the runway (grass) is about 1&nbsp;km long, and does not have any scheduled flights, but might be of interest to private pilots (arrivals from [[Schengen Agreement]] states only) due to its convenience to the city (it is a short walk to the vaporetto landing). === By train === [[File:Lion of Venice, Piazzetta San Marco.jpg|thumb|300px|A winged lion, the symbol of San Marco]] Venice is well-connected with the domestic train network, [[Rome]] and [[Milan]] are only a few hours away. Also there are some night trains from cities in southern Italy, though since 2012 most services have been canceled. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to [[Trieste]] leave from Venezia Mestre at 10:24, 19:45 and 21:59 and the trip takes about 1 hr 35 min. Regionale Veloce (Fast Regional) trains leave from Santa Lucia station at 09:11, 9:48, 12:09, 13:09, every hour from 14:11 to 18:11, at 19:35, the trip taking about 2 hr 5 min. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to Milan leave Santa Lucia station at 05:20, 06:20, 06:50, 07:50, 08:50, 10:50, 12:50, 13:20, 14:20, 14:50, 15:20, 16:20, 17:20, 18:20 and 19:50, duration of the trip is about 2 hr 35 min. There are Freccia Argento (Silver Arrow) trains to Rome leaving Santa Lucia at 10:25, 13:25, 15:25 and 18:25, via [[Bologna]] and [[Florence]] arriving in Rome 3 hr 50 min later, and an Intercity Night train leaving Santa Lucia at 00:07, arriving in Rome at 06:35 next morning. [http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx Iitalo] offers train services from Santa Lucia to Rome at 07:55, 09:55, 12:55 and 18:55, arriving Romea Ostiense at 11:50, 13:50, 16:50 and 22:50, and at 15:55 arriving at Roma Tiburtina at 19:30. Direct trains to Venice are available from many international destinations, there are [[sleeper trains]] from [[Munich]] and [[Vienna]] operated by ÖBB as part of their [http://www.nightjet.at Nightjet] brand. and also a weekly long-distance night train (four nights) from [[Moscow]] via [[Kyiv]], [[Budapest]] and [[Zagreb]]. There's also a sleeper service from Paris operating under the [https://www.thello.com/en/ Thello] brand. * Nightjet trains to Munich depart Santa Lucia at 21:04 and arrive in Munich at 06:10. The train from Munich leaves at 23:20 to reach Santa Lucia at 08:24. * Trains to Vienna depart at 21:04 and arrive in Vienna at 07:55 next morning. The other way departs Vienna at 21:27, arriving at 08:24 in Santa Lucia. * The Thello sleeper leaves Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:15 and arrives in Santa Lucia at 09:35. The reverse trajectory departs Venice at 19:20, arriving in Paris at 09:37. Also, Venice is the terminus for the luxurious '''[https://www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express Venice Simplon Orient-Express]''', a historical train that still make the overnight journey from [[London]] and Paris in original 1920s coaches. There are departures at least once a week between March and November. As one of the most sumptuous journeys in the world, the trip is expectedly ''very'' expensive, starting at €2,900. Trains from the mainland run through [[Mestre]] on the mainland to the terminus Venezia Santa Lucia railway station on the west side of Venice; make sure you don't get it confused with the two stations on the mainland before the bridge. Many through trains only stop in Mestre, in that case just hop on to one of the very frequent trains to Santa Lucia (ticket €1.25). Also, ACTV has a ticket office at Mestre station, and queues might be shorter here. From the Santa Lucia station district, water buses (''vaporetti'') or water taxis can take you to hotels or other locations on the islands, but walking is usually the best option. * {{go | name=Venezia Santa Lucia railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia | url=https://www.instazione.shop/venezia-santa-lucia | email= | address=Fondamenta Santa Lucia | lat= | long= | directions=Northern edge of Cannaregio district | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q801567 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=The main terminus station located in proper Venice. The strikingly modern building was built in 1934. Stepping out from the station you are immediately met with views of the canals and historic Venice. The station itself has plenty of amenities, including lounges for holders of first-class tickets. There's a left luggage facility next to the track on the north side of the station (to the right when facing the tracks). Price is €6 per piece for the first six hours. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Mestre railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Mestre | url= | email= | address=Piazzale Pietro Favretti | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q520844 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Main station on the mainland, many through trains only call here. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Porto Marghera railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Porto Marghera | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3971261 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Smaller station on the mainland, only local services call here. }} === By car === Distances to Venice: Rome 540 km, Milan 279 km, Padua 60 km, Vicenza 75 km, Udine 125 km Cars arrive on the far western edge of Venice, but remain parked at the entrance to the city (Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, which is Europe's largest car park.) There are no roads past this point, and never were, even before cars. ==== Parking ==== Car parking is very very expensive here (€26/12 hr, €30/24 hr) and the tailbacks can be quite large. Tronchetto is about a 1&nbsp;km from Piazzale Roma, the city's main entry point, but there is an shuttle train service, ''People Mover'', at €1.50. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Parking Tronchetto | alt= | url=http://www.veniceparking.it/find-parking/Venezia%20Tronchetto%20Parking/ | email=info-tronchettopark@interparking.com | address=Isola Nuova del Tronchetto | lat=45.4426 | long=12.3066 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207555 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5285750 | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Has 4,000 parking spaces (including 33 parking spaces for persons with special needs). Parking is open 24 hours throughout the year. Cars must not be higher than 2.10 m. Ticket price is €3 per hour for the first 2 hours, €5 per hour for the next 2 hours and €21 for the whole day. Most credit cards are accepted. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Autorimessa Comunale | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/autorimessa-comunale-city-parking-garage | email= | address=Piazzale Roma, Santa Croce 496 | lat=45.43881 | long=12.31714 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727302 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day of the year | price=€23.40 for cars thinner than 185cm online | content=Offers parking for more than 2000 cars and 300b motor-cycles on 6 floors. Cars must not exceed a height of 2.20 m. The ticket price is €26 for cars under 1.85 m and €29 for cars over 1.85 m. Online bookings at [http://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services?macrofamily=5&family=24 this website] get 10 percent discount. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/28_autocom_map_ita.pdf download a map] on how to reach the Autorimessa. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=S. Andrea Car Park | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/sandrea-car-park-0 | email= | address=Piazzale Roma | lat=45.43792 | long=12.31718 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day all the year round | price= | content=Inside the Autorimessa, accessible from Rio Terà S. Andrea, for short term parking. Cars must not be higher than 2 m. The ticket price is €7 for 2 hours. No advance reservation. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/261_city_park_map_eng.pdf download a map] how to reach the S. Andrea car park. }} '''An alternative''' is to use the car parks on the mainland (terra firma) and catch a train or bus or vaporetto into Venice. Park near the [[Mestre]] railway station, and catch a train to Venezia St Lucia; there are many trains, it is very near (8–10 minutes) and quite cheap (€1.20). Don't bother searching for free parking near Mestre train station - there are no free parking spots near, except on Sunday (free parking is on the other side of the station, in Marghera). Free and safe parkings are also near Mogliano Veneto and Oriago railway stations. Besides, Venezia St Lucia is a good starting point to visit Venice. However drivers going to the Lido can use the car ferry from Tronchetto (vaporetto 17, frequencies vary), right hand lane off the Ponte della Libertà into the city. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Ca' Marcello Car Park | alt= | url=http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/ca-marcello-car-park-0 | email= | address=via Ca' Marcello, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open every day from 06:00 to 24:00 | price= | content=Open air car park for 100 cars near the Mestre railway station. Ticket price €1 for 4 hours, €4 for the whole day (on week-days from 08:00 to 20:00 only). }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Terminal Fusina | alt= | url=http://www.terminalfusina.it/en/parking | email=fusina@terminalfusina.it | address=via Moranzani 79, Fusina | lat=45.42039 | long=12.25505 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5470160 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5479133 | hours= | price= | content=Offers parking for 300 coaches and 15,000 cars. It has direct access from A4 highway and Strada Statale Romea 309. Prices €12 for up to 12 hours, €15 for up to 24 hours (20 per cent discount for online bookings). Terminal Fusina offers 3 boat lines to Venice: }} ** Blue Line (Line Blu) runs from Fusina to Venice Zattere every hour from 08:00 to 19:00, also at 20:00 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:00 and 22:00 from Jun to Sept, travel time 25 minutes, return from Venice Zattere every hour from 08:30 to 19:30, also at 20:30 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:30 and 22:30 from Jun to Sept, ticket price one way €8, return €13 ** Red line (line Rossa) runs from Fusina to Alberoni on Venice Lido in winter M-F at 07:30, every day at 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30 and 17:30. travel time 35 minutes, return M-F 08:15, every day at 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15 and 18:45. Ticket price €7 one-way, €12 return. ** Yellow Line (Line gialla) runs from Zattere to Alberoni at 08:45, 10:45, 12:45, 16:15 and 18:15, return from Alberoni at 09:30, 11:45, 13:45, 17:00 and 19:00, tickets €7 one-way, €12 return. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Punta Sabbioni | alt= | url=http://www.acivenice.com | email=info@acivenice.com | address=Via Fausta, Cavallino Treporti | lat=45.44814 | long=12.42764 | directions= | phone=+39 0415301096 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=ACI operates a large car park for 100 buses and 400 cars at Punta Sabbioni. This is a convenient way to enter Venice from the seaside resorts Lido di Jesolo, Lignano or Bibione. Vaporetto line 12 brings you to Murano, Burano and Torcello, lines 14 and 15 to S. Zaccaria. }} ==== Car rental ==== Most of the major rental car companies have outlets at Piazzale Roma, at the edge of the city. These are on the ground floor of one of the major parking stations. When you are dropping off your car, you need to find street parking and then walk to the rental car outlet and hand in the keys. Do not park in the parking station. There is a vaporetto stop across the road from the parking station. === By bus === For '''bus''' services between Marco Polo airport (VCE) and the Piazzale Roma bus station in Venice, see the By Place section. The {{marker|type=go|name=Piazzale Roma bus station|url=|lat=45.4379|long=12.3189}} is well served by vaporetti and water-taxis ... and of course, you can walk everywhere. From [[Mestre]], you can take a bus to Venezia- Piazzale Roma. the ticket is €1.30 but if you buy it in the bus it will cost €2.50. You can buy bus tickets from specialized ticket kiosks and vending machines, as well as tobacconists and newsstands. All of the city is connected to Venice by bus. === By tram === There is a [http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/tram tram connection] from the mainland to Venice: Line T1 from Favaro to Piazzale Roma. One way/Single Ticket - 75 min €1.50. Ticket booklet - 10 tickets - 75 min €14. You can buy tram tickets from specialized ticket kiosks, vending machines, tobacconists and newsstands, and you can use the same ticket for buses and People Mover. === By boat === [[File:Venezia San Giorgio Maggiore R06.jpg|thumb|360px|View of San Giorgio, in front of Venice]] Ships arrive at the '''[http://www.vtp.it/ Stazione Marittima]''' which is at the west end of the main islands, it is served by vaporetti and water taxis. ''To Piazzale Roma'': take the '''People Mover''' operating every 3 minutes weekdays from 07:10 to 22:50, holidays from 08:10 to 21:50, price €1. ''To Santa Lucia Railway Station'' (distance 1 km): take the ''People Mover'' to Piazzale Roma, then walk or take the water taxi ({{Phone|+39 0412402711}}, {{Phone|+39 041716922}}, {{Phone|+39 0415222303}} or {{Phone|+39 0415229040}}). ''To Venezia Mestre Railway Station'' (distance {{Km|7}}) take a taxi (Radiotaxi: {{Phone|+39 041 5952080}}) or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and the bus line to Mestre. ''To Marco Polo Airport'' (distance {{Km|13}}) take a taxi (40 minutes trip), a water taxi or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and then ACTV bus no 6 or ATVO buses. === Porters === Cooperative Trasbagagli, {{Phone|+39 041 713719}} offers porter services at the following rates: 1 or 2 pieces €25 Venice City, €40 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €50 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €60 Murano. 3 or 4 pieces €35 Venice City, €50 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €60 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €80 Murano, 5 or 6 pieces €45 Venice City, €60 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €70 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €90 Murano. There are porter stations at Ferrovia {{Phone|+39 041 715272}}, Piazzale Roma {{Phone|+39 041 5223590}}, S.Marco Campo della Guerra {{Phone|+39 3478675491}}, S.Marco Calle Vallaresso {{Phone|+39 3465881508}}, S.Marco Bacino Orseolo {{Phone|+39 3282696025}}, S.Marco Sant'Angelo {{Phone|+39 3406382287}}, S.Zaccaria (Danieli) {{Phone|+39 3203385248}}, S.Zaccaria (Jolanda) {{Phone|+39 3495803239}} and Rialto (Imbarcadero Actv Rialto line 1 and 2) {{Phone|+39 3474348898}}. == Get around == Venice, the world's only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes this a particularly pleasant experience. However, walking and standing all day can also be exhausting, so it is best to pace yourself. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice - are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour, provided you don't get lost (a common occurrence). If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous '''vaporetti (water buses)''' and '''water taxis'''. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to use vaporetti than private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, take a gondola ride, although they tend to exist for more scenic purposes, rather than getting people from point A to point B. Be warned that GPS navigation services such as Google Maps are notoriously unreliable in Venice. The density of stone buildings makes it fairly difficult to receive a proper GPS satellite signal. Additionally, Venice's complex network of pathways and public transit is poorly documented, and even entire transit services such as the Orange vaporetti Route are undocumented on Google Maps. You can mitigate some of these navigation issues using the Live View function in Google Maps, which uses your camera to orient yourself relative to businesses and landmarks around you. === By public transport === '''[http://www.actv.it/en ACTV]''' runs the vaporetti and other public transport services in the lagoon and on land. * '''Line 1''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido, passing the Railway Station (Ferrovia), Canal Grande, Rialto, S.Marco and S.Zaccaria and vice versa, leaving Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 05:01 to 06:01 and from 22:21 to 23:41, every 10 minutes from 06:21 to 22:01, leaving Lido every 20 minutes from 04:16 to 05:36 and from 21:46 to 23:06, every 10 minutes from 5:56 to 21:26. Notice that this service can be ''very crowded'' during the day as it passes through many sights along the Grand Canal. * '''Line N''' is a night line, connecting Lido with Canal Grande, Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, Canale and vice versa. Boats leave Lido every 20 minutes from 23:26 to 04:06 and Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 00:09 to 04:49. * '''Line 2''' goes from S.Zaccaria over S.Giorgio, Giudecca, Zattere, Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, S.Marcuola, Rialto, S.Tomà, S.Samuele, Academia and S.Marco. Departure from S.Zaccaria every 20 minutes from 04:59 to 08:39 and from 20:49 to 23:09, every 10 minutes from 08:59 to 20:29. The route can be seen as a "C" running along the Grand Canal and Giudeca Canal, hugging the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro. * '''Line 4.1''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Arsenale, Giardini, S.Elena, S.Pietro di Castello, Bacini, Celestia, Ospedale. Fondamente Nove and Cimiterio and from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove, Orto, Sant’Alvise, Tre Archi, Gugle, Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, S.Marta, Palanca, Redentore and Zitelle. Boats leave Fondamente Nove to Murano (Museo) from 06:14 to 21:34 and from 21:42 to 23:22, from Murano (Museo) to Piazzale Roma from 06:32 to 19:32, from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 19:52 to 21:52 and from Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria from 06:18 to 20:18 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 4.2''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Zitelle, Redentore, Palanca, Sacca Fisola, S.Marta, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, Guglie, Crea, S.Alvise, Orto, Fondamente Nove and Cimitero, and return from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove. Ospedale, Celestia, Bacini, S.Elena, Giardini and Arsenale. Boats depart at San Zaccaria from 06:13 to 20:33, from Piazzale Roma to Fondamente Nove from 06:56 to 20:56, from Fondamente Nove to Murano from 06:23 to 21:23, from Murano (Museo) to San Zaccaria from 06:43 to 20:43, and from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 20:43 to 21:43 and from 22:07 to 23.47 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.1''' runs anti-clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma via S.Pietro, Bacini, Celetstia, Ospedale, Fondamente Nove, Orto, S.Alvise, Tre Archi, Guglie, Riva de Biasio and Ferrovia and from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, Zattere. S.Zaccaria, Giardini and S.Elenea. Boats leave from Lido from 06:20 to 20:20, from Fondamente Nove from 06:24 to 23:04, from Piazzale Roma from 06:08 to 23:48 and from S.Zaccaria from 06:38 to 00:08 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.2''' runs clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma and back to Lido. Boats leave Lido from 5.52 to 20.32 and from 20:42 to 00:22, from S.Zaccaria from 06:06 to 20:46 and from 20:56 to 00:36, from Piattale Roma from 0626 to 21:06 and from 21:16 to 23:16 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 6''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, S.Basilio, Zattere, Giardini and S.Elena. Boats leave Piazzale Roma from 06:19 to 20:29, and Lido from 05:42 to 20:02 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 9''' runs from Burano to Torcello, leaving Burno from 07:05 to 20:35 and Torcello from 06:40 to 20:10 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 10''' runs from Lido to San Marco Giardinetti via S.Elena, Giardini, Arsenale and S.Zaccaria and return from San Marco Giardinetti to Lido via S.Zaccaria. Boats from 18:01 to 20:21 and from San Marco Giardinetti from 17:39 to 20:21 every 10 minutes. * '''Line 12''' runs from Fondamente Nove to Punta Sabbioni via Murano Faro, Mazzorbo, (Torcello), Burano and Treporti and back. Boats leave Fondamente Nove from 07:10 to 19:40 and Punta Sabbioni from 07:56 to 20:26 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 14, 14L, 15''' runs from San Zaccaria Pieta to Punta Sabbioni via Lido and back. Boats leave S.Zaccaria Pietà from 08:15 to 20:15 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 23.45. Boats leave Punta Sabbioni from 08:30 to 17:00 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 00:20 Some boats do not stop at Lido. * '''Line 17''' is the Tronchetto to Lido (S.Nicoló) ferry. Ferry boats leave at Tronchetto at 00:10, 01:40, and from 06:40 to 23:20 every 50 minutes and Lido (S.Nicoló) at 00:55 and from 05:50 to 23:20 every 50 minutes. Additional services for all lines in the early morning. Information for all ACTV services at Hello Venezia {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}, daily 07:30 to 20:00. You can download a [http://www.veneziaunica.it/sites/default/files/redazione/linee_navigazione_ACTV_aprile2014.jpg map of Venice water buses] A '''single ticket''' (''biglietto solo andata'') costs €7.50, permitting the use of public transports for 75 minutes from the moment you validate the ticket including transfers heading in the same direction. If you board a boat without having bought a ticket, you have to buy one from the on-board collector. There are no return tickets. There are '''tourist travel cards''' (''biglietto turistico a tempo'') that cost €20 for 24 hours, €30 for 48 hours, €40 for 72 hours and €60 for 7 days. There are other versions available, including those offering discounts for youth under 29 year of age. [http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/movinginvenice Current rates can be found here]. Something you won't be told easily is that now anyone can purchase the '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/venezia-unica-city-pass-0 Venezia Unica City Pass]''' card (formerly '''IMOB''') - the only difference is that in addition to its €10 cost for residents, foreigners need to pay a €90 extra "transport activation" fee. Unless you are in town for a couple of days and planning never to return, do it. It's a durable plastic card with your (webcam) picture, and once you have it, you are more or less a local - which means access to €1.50 single vaporetto tickets (save even more by recharging the card with 10 at once for €14), half-price discount on Alilaguna services, and even €0.70 traghetto crossings (instead of €2; flash the card to the gondolier). It is valid for 5 years from the month of issue. Register at the Venezia Unica [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services site] and pre-fill the application online, then go to one of the [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/venezia-unica-agencies-and-venezia-unica-ticket-points ACTV offices] (not simply ticket points; probably the easiest location is at Piazzale Roma) and tell the clerk that you have a "contratto precompilato" - they'll pull it up, ask you to sign the privacy disclosures and issue the card on the spot (or you can fill the form at the counter; bear in mind it's in Italian). Moreover, if you happen to have a +39 Italian cell phone number, with it and your new Unica you can [http://www.cittadinanzadigitale.it/node/70 get a free code] for use of the communal WiFi spots. If you lose the card, do not despair: it costs only €10 to get an immediate replacement, and the balance (along with your old photograph) is automatically transferred over. The [http://veniceconnected.com Venice Connected] website of the Comune di Venezia (now integrated into Unica site) makes possible to book online (at least 7 days in advance) most services controlled by the town administration (public transportation, access to the civic museums, access to public restrooms, car park tickets, entrance to the Casinò and access to the municipal WiFi network covering the entire historic centre); the online prices vary according to the projected number of visitors but are always cheaper than the current on-site prices (and cheaper than with a Venice Card). You can also get a '''Venice Card''', which has various options that you can choose when you buy it (public transportation, cultural attractions, toilet access, Alilaguna, etc.) There is a 'Junior' version of the Venice that is available at a slightly reduced rate for those between 5 and 29 years of age. A Venice Card is not recommended for those with less than 3 days in Venice, as most of the top attractions are not included in the Venice Card. If you'll be staying in Venice for a week - get the Venice Card and enjoy travelling from island to island and exploring the various museums and churches it offers access to. Maps are available at the vaporetto stops in the ticket booths. The map is quite reliable, and is free when getting a Venice Card (€2 otherwise) can be [http://www.actv.it/sites/default/files/ultimamappa.pdf viewed] on Internet. Venice Cards can be [http://www.hellovenezia.com/index.php?lang=en reserved on-line] {{dead link|December 2020}} for a considerable discount. There are long lines when taking the Venice Card from the ticket booths. The Venezia St. Lucia ticket booth that offers Venice Cards is the one most on the right when you exit the train station. === By foot === [[File:Target in venice.JPG|thumb|Directions are all over the city]] Otherwise, '''take a walk'''! The city is not that big, and you can walk from one end to the other in a few hours (if you stick to the paths conveniently marked with arrows in the direction of major landmarks). But it would take months for a fit person to discover every path in the city. Make sure to visit some of the smaller alleyways, as they can be very interesting. Along the way you will discover marvelous art, superb architecture and breathtaking urban landscaping. Exploring the city randomly by walking is well worth it but also be prepared to get lost easily! Signs all over the city indicate the direction to the main attractions, "Rialto" and "San Marco", as well as the way back to the train station ("ferrovia") and the bus terminal ("Piazzale Roma"). These signs make it easy to have the "get lost experience" even as a one-day tourist. For a faster and safer walk, you should walk on the right side. Be aware that addresses in Venice are of the form "District Number" (the Venetian word for district is "Sestiere"), not "Street Number". To find a specific place using a map, make sure you know which district it is in. The numbers are assigned at the start of the district and increase as they move farther away from the Grand Canal. === By water taxi === [[File:View of the Grand Canal from Rialto to Ca'Foscari.jpg|thumb|360px|right|Grand Canal from Rialto to SW]] Water taxis (''taxi acquei'') are operated by Coop. San Marco ({{Phone|+39 041 5222303}}), Coop. Veneziana ({{Phone|+39 041 716124}}), Coop. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5221265}} or {{Phone|+39 041 5229538}}), Soc. Narduzzi Solemar ({{Phone|+39 041 5200838}}), Soc. Marco Polo ({{Phone|+39 041 966170}}), Soc. Sotoriva ({{Phone|+39 041 5209586}}), Soc. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5228538}}) and Venezia Taxis ({{Phone|+39 041 723009}}). There are water taxi ranks at Ferrovia (Railway Station) ({{Phone|+39 041716286}}), Piazzale Roma (S.Chiara) ({{Phone|+39 041716922}}), Rialto ({{Phone|+39 041723112}}), Lido ({{Phone|+39 0414222303}}) and at Marco Polo Airport ({{Phone|+39 0415415084}}). In the historic city centre there is a fixed tariff for water taxis of €15 at departure plus €2 per minute on urban routes. There are supplements of €5 for call services and customer pick-up outside the taxi ranks, of €10 for night services between 22:00 and 06:00, of €3 pieces of luggage exceeding 4 pieces and of €5 or €10 for every person exceeding a group of 4. Rates are fixed by a [http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/19521 resolution] of the Venice City Council. A water taxi service for persons with special needs is available at {{Phone|+39 041 2747332}} or directly through the website [http://www.booktaxivenice.com Book Taxi Venice]. === By taxi === 'Normal' taxis can be called from Radio Taxi ({{Phone|+39 041 936137}}). There are taxi ranks at ''Piazzale Roma'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5237774}}) and ''Lido'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5265974}}). === By Traghetto === There are small gondola ferries crossing the Canal Grande at * ''S.Sofia'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:45 to 19:00 * ''Carbon (Rialto)'', 7 to 12.30, week-days only * ''S.Tomá'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:30 to 19:30 * ''San Barnaba'', 07:45 to 12:30, week-days only * ''S.Maria del Giglio'', 09:00 to 18:00 daily * ''Dogana'', 09:00 to 14:00 daily Ticket price €2 one way, €0.70 for Venice residents and IMOB card holders. === By tour === '''[http://www.alilaguna.it Alilaguna Green line (linea verde)]''' Alilaguna, {{Phone|+39 041 5235775}}, operates a 4 hours excursion tour to the island of [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and [[Torcello]] with explanations in English, French, German and Spanish. Departure from imbarcadero San Marco Giardinetti, Minimum 4 participants. Boat starts in Apr, May and Oct at 09:30, 11:00 and 14:30, from Jun to Sept at 09:30, 11:00, 14:30 and 15:30, from Nov to Mar at 11:00 and 14:00. Ticket price €20 (free for holders of Alilaguna 72 hrs pass). == See == {{movetodistrict}} {{infobox|Children's view of Venice|Venice offers plenty for people of all ages to enjoy. See [[Venice with children]] for tips for making your visit with children a bit easier.}} {{Mapframe|45.4332|12.3354|zoom=13}} * {{see | name=Doge's Palace | alt=Palazzo Ducale | url=http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 1 | lat=45.4337 | long=12.3404 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 2715911 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov to Mar 08:30 to 17:30, Apr to Oct 08:30 to 19:00, closed Jan 1 and Dec 25 | price=Adults €20, reduced €14 | wikipedia=Doge's Palace | wikidata=Q189883 | content=Don't miss the guided tour named ''Secret Itinerary'', which will let you discover the part of the palace where the city's administration worked, as well as Casanova's jail and the wonderful five hundred year old roof structure. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Bell tower of St. Mark | alt=Campanile di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/campanile/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.43404 | long=12.33905 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5224064 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 09:30-15:45; Apr-Jun, Oct: 09:00-19:00; Jul-Aug: 09:00-21:00 | price=€8 | wikipedia=St Mark's Campanile | wikidata=Q754194 | content=The current tower dates from 1912; an exact replica of the previous tower which collapsed in 1902. The top of the tower offers great views of Venice and the lagoon. }} * {{see | name=Clock tower | alt=Torre dell'Orologio | url=http://torreorologio.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.4347 | long=12.3389 | directions=vaporetto lines 1-2-5, 1.5.2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5209070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €12, reduced €7 | wikipedia=St Mark's Clocktower | wikidata=Q966625 | content=Having been closed for restoration for many years, the restored astronomical clock is now visible. The fascinating tour of the clock mechanism (and rooftop bell) can only be visited on a guided tour, in English: Mon-Wed at 10:00 and 11:00, on other days at 14:00 and 15:00, in French Mon-Wed at 14:00 and 15:00, advance reservation required online or by phone at +39 041 5209070. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org/home-en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3052 | lat=45.43653 | long=12.32532 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Tomà, near the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | phone=+39 041 5234864 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:30-17:30, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, Easter Sunday | price=Adult €10, concessions €8 | wikipedia=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | wikidata=Q1270723 | content=A masterpiece of Tintoretto, this guild house is an exquisite example of Mannerist art at its best. In order to allow a comfortable admiration of the detailed ceiling, mirrors are offered to the visitors. Cycles of allegories, life and passion of Christ, scenes from the Old and New Testament. }} * {{see | name=Jewish Ghetto of Venice | alt=Ghetto Ebraico di Venezia | url=http://ghetto.it/ | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.4452 | long=12.3263 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=While racial and ethnic neighborhoods had existed prior to the Venetian Ghetto, Venice's ghetto was the first "ghetto" (coming from a Venetian word for the Iron Foundry that was on the site previously) and "ghetto" eventually came to mean any neighborhood that was made up of a single ethnic/racial group. Today, Jewish life is still very active in the ghetto, and elsewhere in Venice, and is home to five synagogues. Visiting on Saturdays or late Fridays (the Jewish Sabbath) will prove very fruitless because all shops, restaurants, and other Jewish places will be closed. }} * {{see | name=Ponte di Rialto | alt=Rialto Bridge | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.43805 | long=12.33592 | directions=connecting sestieri San Polo and San Marco across Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rialto Bridge | wikidata=Q52505 | content=The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years. Today's Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. }} * {{see | name=Zattere | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dorsoduro | lat=45.4295 | long=12.3264 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It's a long and sunny walk along the Giudecca canal, protected during winter time from cold northerly winds for being exposed to south and shielded by buildings. You might find interesting to see how a gondola is made, stopping by the '''Squero''' (Venetian for small ship yard) across the canal near San Trovaso Church. It's one of the few still in business in town. With some luck, you'll see some gondole through various manufacturing steps (note that gondole are not straight to counterbalance the gondoliere push). }} === Churches === [[File:Venezia (201710) jm55888.jpg|thumb|420px|The Basilica of San Marco]] A lot of churches will charge an entry fee. This is true of the ''Basilica di San Marco''. There is a "Chorus Pass" for entry into some churches, but be aware there is a limited selection of churches this applies to. If you plan to visit three churches or more, you are better off buying the churches pass. There is also a combined pass for museums, churches and transportation only available at the tourist information office but it is relatively expensive. *{{see | name=Saint Mark's Basilica | alt=Basilica di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco 328 | lat=45.43453 | long=12.33969 | directions=water lines #1, 52, and 82 will take you from Santa Lucia (the train station) or Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco. Walking is another option but will require a map and lots of time and energy | phone=+39 041 5225205 (procuratorial phone number) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1 Oct-31 Mar: 09:45-16:45; 1 Apr-30 Sep: 09:45-17:00 | price=As of April 2022 there is a small charge for admission to the basilica. Do note there are extra charges for the high altar and the museum. The museum entry is worth paying for as it allows you access to the balcony overlooking the Piazza San Marco; do note that museum access may be difficult if you have mobility issues. | wikidata=Q172988| wikipedia=St Mark's Basilica |lastedit=2021-11-15| content=Saint Mark's Basilica is on the Piazza San Marco and is one of the highlights of a visit to Venice. As with most churches in Italy, you must be dressed appropriately to be allowed in; this means no short skirts or bare shoulders. You are not allowed to carry large bags or rucksacks inside, sometimes even small daypacks may need to be deposited. Storage is available just around the corner from the main entrance (free of charge). Filming and photography is forbidden so be prepared in advance. The visit within the basilica lasts ten minutes. Waiting for entry into the basilica can last up to five or so hours and it may be wise to use a ticket service to reserve your visit (reservation costs €3). Once you have a reservation you can take the group entrance on the left, where you hand in the printout of your reservation. }} * {{see | name=San Giacomo di Rialto | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo | lat=45.43851 | long=12.33547 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Giacomo di Rialto | wikidata=Q922677 | content=This church, built around 421, is possibly the oldest in Venice. It is most recognized for its 15th-century clock above the entrance. It is also recognized for the red pillars and beautiful gold accents around the church. }} * {{see | name=San Giovanni e Paolo | alt=San Zanipolo | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43927 | long=12.34218 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155225| wikipedia=Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice | content=A fine, huge Dominican church with the tombs of many Doges. It shares its piazza with the fine Renaissance façade of the Scuola San Marco and an equestrian statue of the mercenary (condottiere) captain Bartolomeo Colleoni. Look out for the testicles (coglioni in Italian - it's a lousy pun) on his coat of arms! }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | alt=Basilica dei Frai, often just referred to as the Frari | url=https://www.basilicadeifrari.it/en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3072 | lat=45.43679 | long=12.32624 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2728618 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-18:00, Su and holidays 13:00-18:00. Last admission 30 min before closing time | price=Adult €3, reduced €1.50 | wikidata=Q224961| wikipedia=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | content=The big friary church, fine example of Venetian Gothic architecture, with fine monuments and paintings of Titian, Belliniand Donatello, among which the famous 'Assunta' by Titian. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria dei Miracoli | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.43951 | long=12.33927 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q533680| wikipedia=Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice | content=A perfect jewel box church, simple in form but ornamented with fine exterior marble facings. }} * {{see | name=San Simeone Piccolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Santa Croce | lat=45.44040 | long=12.32230 | directions=located opposite the Santa Lucia train station across the Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q185910| wikipedia=San Simeone Piccolo | content=The last church built in Venice. One of the things that it is recognized for is the fact that they celebrate Tridentine Mass on Sundays. It is also recognized for its dome because it is used to make the church look taller than it is and the dome itself is entirely covered with lead sheet. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria della Pietà | alt= | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43410 | long=12.34493 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1559661| wikipedia=Santa Maria della Pietà, Venice | content=A church that used to house an orphanage and hospital in the 18th century, it is known among classical music enthusiasts as the church where the Catholic priest and composer Antonio Vivaldi worked for most of his career. }} * {{see | name=Convento di S.Francesco del Deserto | alt= | url=http://www.isola-sanfrancescodeldeserto.it {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=S.Francesco del Deserto | lat=45.47357 | long=12.41713 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-11:00, 15:00-17:00 | price=By donation | content=Old Franciscan convent in one of the most beautiful islands in the Venice lagoon. }} * {{see | name=S. Francesco della Vigna | alt= | url=http://www.venice-tourism.com/en/places/castello-district/san-francesco-della-vigna | email= | address=Campo San Francesco della Vigna, Castello | lat=45.4381 | long=12.3486 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5206102 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 16:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Francesco della Vigna | image=San Francesco della vigna.jpg | wikidata=Q946542 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuati | alt=S.Maria del Rosario | url= | email= | address=Fondamente Zattere delle Gesuati, Dorsoduro | lat=45.429444 | long=12.327222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230625 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Gesuati | image=Santa Maria del Rosario, Venice.jpg | wikidata=Q1093909 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuiti | alt=S.Maria Assunta | url= | email= | address=Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio | lat=45.443333 | long=12.339167 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286579 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 10:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00, winter 10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00, closed Su afternoon | price= | wikipedia=I Gesuiti, Venice | image=Chiesa dei Gesuiti (Facciata).jpg | wikidata=Q46592 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giobbe | alt= | url=http://www.parrocchiasangiobbe.it | email= | address=Campo San Giobbe, Cannaregio | lat=45.445028 | long=12.320322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giobbe | image=Chiesa di San Giobbe Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q2717507 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni in Bragora | alt= | url=http://www.sgbattistainbragora.it | email= | address=Campo Bandiera e Moro, Castello | lat=45.4344 | long=12.347 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-11:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni in Bragora | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora - Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q521260 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni Crisostomo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo, Cannaregio | lat=45.439167 | long=12.337222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5227155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-12:30, 15:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo.jpg | wikidata=Q915746 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giuliano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Giuliano, San Marco | lat=45.435694 | long=12.338667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Zulian | image=Chiesa San Zulian.jpg | wikidata=Q1251035 | content= }} * {{see | name=Madonna dell'Orto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Madonne dell'Orto, Cannaregio | lat=45.44639 | long=12.33251 | directions= | phone=+39 041 719933 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 09:30-12:00, 16:00-19:00, winter 09:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikidata=Q861436| wikipedia=Madonna dell'Orto | content=With the grave and 10 paintings of ''Tintoretto''. }} * {{see | name=S. Maria del Carmelo | alt=Carmini | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4332 | long=12.3225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Carmini | image=Santa Maria dei Carmini (facade).jpg | wikidata=Q2780025 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria Formosa | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello | lat=45.4369 | long=12.3411 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5234645 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:30, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria Formosa | image=Santa Maria Formosa Facciata e campanile.jpg | wikidata=Q1813687 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria della Salute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo delle Salute, Dorsoduro | lat=45.430833 | long=12.334444 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria della Salute | image=Santa Maria della Salute from Hotel Monaco.jpg | wikidata=Q52531 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Michele in Isola | alt= | url= | email= | address=Isola San Michele | lat=45.4487 | long=12.3469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Michele in Isola | image=Chiesa di S.Michele in Isola, north exposure.jpg | wikidata=Q1449262 | content= }} * {{see | name=Basilica di San Pietro di Castello | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Pietro, Castello | lat=45.43460 | long=12.35957 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q945981| wikipedia=San Pietro di Castello (church) | content=Venice cathedral up to 1807, when the see was transferred to San Marco. }} * {{see | name=SS. Redentore | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fondamente della Croce, Giudecca | lat=45.424992 | long=12.332453 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Il Redentore | image=Chiesa del Redentore (Venice).jpg | wikidata=Q830807 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Salvatore | alt= | url=http://www.chiesasansalvador.it | email= | address=Campo San Salvatore | lat=45.4366 | long=12.3365 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Salvador, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Salvador.jpg | wikidata=Q1028202 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Sebastiano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro | lat=45.432 | long=12.32 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5282487 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Sebastiano, Venice | image=San Sebastiano (Venice) Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q588559 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Stefano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 3825 | lat=45.433178 | long=12.330189 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222362 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santo Stefano, Venice | image=Venezia flickr01.jpg | wikidata=Q974832 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Zaccaria | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Zaccaria | lat=45.434722 | long=12.343333 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5221257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Zaccaria, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Zaccaria Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q794876 | content= }} === Museums === The '''[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE)]''' (call center 848–08.2000) offers two museums passes for the San Marco Museums valid for 3 months at €16 (€8 reduced) granting admission to Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Sale Monumentali della Bibliotheca Marciana, and another museum pass valid for 6 months for €24 (reduced €18) granting admission to the above mentioned museums plus Ca' Rezzonico, Mesue del '700 Veneziano, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Ca' Pesaro, Museo del Vetro Murano, Museo di Merletto Burano and Museo di Storia Naturale. ==== Art museums ==== * {{see | name=Correr Museum | alt=Museo Correr | url=http://correr.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, Ala Napoleonica, San Marco 52 | lat=45.433605 | long=12.337158 | directions=on San Marco Square, vaporetto line 11-2-5, 1-5-2 | phone=+39 041 2405211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov 1 to Mar 31: 10:00-17:00, Apr 1 to Oct 31: 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=€14 (reduced €8), which also includes Doge's Palace | wikipedia=Museo Correr | image=8240 - Venezia - San Marco dal Museo Correr - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 12-Aug-2006.jpg | wikidata=Q1470912 | content=Interesting collection of globes, starting from the 16th century. There is also an only library hall, an archeological museum of Roman antiques and an important picture gallery. The museum offers a tour of Venetian history. Remarkable painting gallery with masterpieces of the 14th to 16th cent from Venice, works of the Venetian sculpture Canova, studies on urban development and social life. At the end of your visit, don't miss the museum art cafe, with their tables on the San Marco Square. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum | alt= | url=http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html | email=info@guggenheim-venice.it | address=Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701 | lat=45.43083 | long=12.33154 | directions=located to the east of the Accademia bridge, on the southern side of the Grand Canal | phone=+39 041 2405411 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206885 | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December. Open on national holidays (including Tuesdays) | price=Adult €15, seniors (over 65 years) €13, students (18 years and under or holders of valid student ID) €9 | wikipedia=Peggy Guggenheim Collection | image=Guggenheim Venedig.jpg | wikidata=Q1049033 | content=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum offers a personal collection of modern art collected by Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an American married to modern artist Max Ernst, and funded a number of his contemporaries. The gallery includes a sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Tanguy, Duchamp, Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Pesaro - International Modern Art Gallery | alt=Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderne | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.44094 | long=12.33163 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 524695 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | image=Ca'Pesaro di Baldassarre Longhena facciata sul Canal Grande.jpg | wikidata=Q3940563 | content=Modern art collection, paintings of the 19th and 20th century. A MUVE museum. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Ca' Pesaro - Museum of Oriental Art | alt=Museo d'arte Orientale di Ca Pesaro | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=capesaro@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.441 | long=12.33146 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 5241173 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Mar 10:00 to 17:00, Apr-Oct: 10 :00-18:00, closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | wikidata=Q756807 | content=Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th century as well as the Marco Polo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits (fabrics, clothes, armours, porcelain). A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en | email= | address=Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050 | lat=45.431334 | long=12.328487 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M 08:15-14:00, Tu-Su 08:15-19:15 (ticket office closes 1 hr before) | price=Adults €12, reduced €2, advanced reservation fee €1.50 | content=Venice's most significant art museum which is also one of Italy's best. Among the most important paintings in the Accademia are: Gentile Bellini: ''Procession on St. Mark’s Square'' (1496) and ''Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of S. Lorenzo'' (1500), Giovanni Bellini: ''Pieta'' (1500), Jacopo Bellini: ''Madonna with Child and Cherubs'' (ca. 1450), Paris Bordenone: ''A fisherman presents the ring of St. Mark to the doge'' (ca. 1535), Vittore Carpaccio: ''Legend of Saint Ursula'' (1490-1498), Cima da Conegliano: ''The Holy Virgin under the Orange Tree'' (ca. 1496), Giorgione (1477-1510): ''The Tempest'' and ''La Vecchia'' ("The Old Woman"), Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506): ''St. George'', Veronese Paolo (1528-1588): ''The Feast in the House of Levi'' (1573), Tintoretto: ''The Miracles of St. Mark'' (1548), and Titian: ''Pietà'' (ca. 1576). }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Grassi | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/ | email= | address=Campo San Samuele, San Marco 3231 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.32794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M W-Su 10:00-19:00. Last admission 1 hr before closing | price=Adults €18, reduced €15 | wikidata=Q907964 | content=Contemporary art museum. Temporary exhibitions from François Pinault's Collection. }} * {{see | name=Punta della Dogana | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/about/sites/punta-della-dogana/ | email= | address=Dorsuduro 2 | lat=45.43080 | long=12.33618 | directions=on the tip between Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal, vaporetto line 1 to Salute | phone=+39 041 2001057 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 10:00 to 19:00, closed Tu and Dec 24 | price=€15, reduced €10 | wikipedia=Punta della Dogana | image=20110724 Venice Santa Maria della Salute 5159.jpg | wikidata=Q2931413 | content=Former customs house, centre for contemporary art, permanent exhibition of works from the François Pinault Collection. Renovation by world renowned architect Tadao Ando. }} * {{see | name=Galleria Giorgio Franchetti Ca' d'Oro | alt=Ca' d'Oro museum | url=http://www.cadoro.org/?lang=en | email= | address=Strada Nuova, Cannaregio 3932 | lat=45.44088 | long=12.33392 | directions=linea 1 to Ca d'Oro | phone=+39 0415200345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 08:15-19:15, M 08:15-14:00, Su 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €6 | content=A collection of paintings and statues in a former palace from the 15th century. One of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Venice, sculptures, bronzes, paintings of Mantegna, Giorgione and Titian, Flemish and Dutch paintings. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Fortuny | alt= | url=http://www.fortuny.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=San Beneto, San Marco 3958 | lat=45.43532 | long=12.33208 | directions=laterale Calle della Mandorla, vaporetti line 1 or 2 to Rialto or S.A°ngelo | phone=+39 041 5200995 | tollfree= | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00, closed Tue and May 1 | price=Adults €12, reduced €10 | wikidata=Q616676 | content=Collection of paintings and lamps. A MUVE museum. }} ==== Science and technology museums ==== * {{see | name=Telecom Italia Future Centre | alt= | url=http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en/futurecentre.html {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=Campo San Salvador, San Marco 4826 | lat=45.4367 | long=12.3361 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 5213272 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=Free | content=Centre dedicated to telecommunication technology. The building complex includes an adjacent church with important works of art, the Refectory (which is a conference hall today), Renaissance cloisters and a small museum focusing on the evolution of the telephone in the last 100 years. }} * {{see | name=Physics Museum Anton Maria Traversi | alt=Museo della Fisica Anton Maria Traversi | url=http://museo.liceofoscarini.it/index_uk.html | email= | address=Liceo Marco Foscarini, Fondamenta Santa Caterina, Cannaregio 4942 | lat=45.44350 | long=12.33671 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca d'oro | phone=+39 041 5224845 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-12:30, and W 14:00-16:00, closed holidays and August | price=Adults €2, reduced €1 | content=More than 200 instruments for educational and practical use, built to facilitate scientific research, conducted by physics teachers since the 19th cent, guided tours led by students. }} * '''Venice Lido Planetarium''' (''Planetario di Venezia Lido''), [[Lido]]. A planetarium. See [[Lido]] for details. * {{see | name=Le Macchine di Leonardo a Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.leonardoavenezia.com/ | email=paolotarchia@tiscali.it | address=Campo San Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2771 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.32546 | directions= | phone=+39 339 7985464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:30 | price=Adults €8, over-65s, children and students €5 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=An exhibition in the '''Chiesa di San Barnaba''' showing around forty models of machines reproduced from Leonardo's codices. Some of the exhibits are interactive and copies of the codices are available for further reading. It was supposed to have ended in 2012, but doesn't appear to be in a hurry to leave - and a good thing too, since the church, an attraction in itself (it's the one under which Indiana Jones finds catacombs in ''The Last Crusade'', by the way), was rarely accessible to visitors before. }} ==== Museums on religion ==== [[File:Chiesa di Ognissanti - Venezia - Affresco della volta del coro.jpg|thumb|420px|Ceiling of the choir of the Baroque Chiesa di Ognissanti]] * {{see | name=Jewish Museum | alt=Museo Ebraico | url=http://www.museoebraico.it/english/home.asp | email=museoebraico@codesscultura.it | address=Cannaregio 2902/b | lat=45.44510 | long=12.32717 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to San Marcuola | phone=+39 041 715 359 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 72 3007 | hours=1 Jun-30 Sep: 10:00-19:00; 1 Oct-31 May: 10:00-18:00. The museum is closed on Saturday (Shabbat), during Jewish festivities, on 25 Dec, 1 Jan and 1 May | price=Entrance to the museum: adults €3, reduced €2. Entrance to the museum and guided tours to synagogues: adults €8.50, reduced €7 | content=Objects related to the social life of the Jewish community, in two synagogues of the 16th century. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Mekhitarist Monastery | alt=Monasterio Mekhitarista | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Lazzaro degli Armeni | lat=45.4123 | long=12.3609 | directions=15.10 hrs at San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5260104 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 15:25 (guided tour only) | price=Adults €6, reduced €4.50 | wikipedia=San_Lazzaro_degli_Armeni | lastedit=2019-08-11 | content=Library with historical manuscripts, collection of works, miniatures and documents of the Armenian history, Monastery Church. Tours in Italian, English, and Armenian. On the small island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. }} * {{see | name=Museo Diocesano | alt= | url=http://www.veneziaupt.org/home_page/museo_diocesano/00000031_Il_Museo_Diocesano._Storia__collezione_e_servizi.html | email= | address=P.te della Canonica, Castello 4312 | lat=45.4345 | long=12.3409 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5229166 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Tu 10:00-17:00 | price=€4.00, reduced €2.50 | image=VeniceSantApolloniaCloister.jpg | wikidata=Q2579358 | content=Religious furniture and objects from now demolished churches and convents, one of the most appealing Romanesque cloisters of Venice. }} ==== Other museums ==== * {{see | name=Mocenigo Palace Museum | alt=Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Centro Studi die Storia del Tessuto e del Costume | url=http://mocenigo.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 1992 | lat=45.44064 | long=12.32987 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 721798 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: 10:00-17:00, Nov-Mar: 10:00-16:00; closed M, Dec 26, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=A collection of clothes dating from the 18th century. Splendid interior. Collection of dresses and accessories, fabrics, books, figurines in various period costumes. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Rezzonico - Museum of 18th Century Venice | alt=Musei del Settecento Veneziano | url=http://carezzonico.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Dorsoduro 3136 | lat=45.43356 | long=12.32655 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca' Rezzonico | phone=+39 041 2410100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00; closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=Museum of the 18th century in Venice - attempts to revive the domestic atmosphere of Venetian nobilities. Furniture, interior decoration, paintings by Guardi, Canaletto, Tiepolo. On the third floor important paintings of the Venetian school. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museovetro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Glass Museum]''' (''Museo del Vetro''). On Murano, the island so typical of its glasswork. A MUVE museum. See [[Murano]] for details. * {{see | name=Natural History Museum | alt=Museo di Storia Naturale | url=http://msn.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Fondaco dei Turchi, Santa Croce 1730 | lat=45.44201 | long=12.32869 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Riva di Biasio | phone=+39 041 2750206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Jun-Oct: 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tu F 09:00-17:00, Sat S 10:00-18:00 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=11 exhibition halls with sections on palaeontology, explorations and nature. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=House of Carlo Goldoni | alt=Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Centro di Studi Teatrali | url=http://carlogoldoni.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=San Polo 2794 | lat=45.43615 | long=12.32826 | directions=vaporetto line q or 2 to S.Tomà | phone=+39 041 2440317 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: Th-Tu 10:00-17:00; Nov-Mar: Th-Tu 10:00-16:00; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 | price=Audlts €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Birthplace of Venice's most famous playwright. Museum, library and theater studies center. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museomerletto.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Lace Museum]''' (''Museo del Merletto''). A MUVE museum. See [[Burano]] for details. * {{see | name=Museo Storico Navale | alt=Naval History Museum | url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/history/museums/Pagine/museostoriconavale.aspx | email= | address=Riva S. Biasio, Castello 2148 | lat=45.43276 | long=12.34996 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Castello | phone=+39 041 2441399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:45-13:30, Sa 08:45-13:00, Su closed | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of relics from the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the Italian navy, and the ancient Arsenale shipyards, miniature models, uniforms and stadarts, collection of sea shells. ''The main building of the Naval Historical Museum (Riva S. Biasio) is closed for renovation works. It's possible to visit the Ships Pavilion in rio della Tana, Castello 2162 (close to the Naval Museum).'' }} * {{see | name=Fondazione Querini Stampalia | alt= | url=http://www.querinistampalia.org/eng/home_page.php | email= | address=Castello 5252 | lat=45.4365 | long=12.3411 | directions=near Camp S.Maria Formosa, vaporetto line 1-5, 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 0412711411 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25 and 26, Jan 1 | price=Adults €10, reduced €8 | content=Residence-museum of the Querini-Stampa family, library, picture gallery, furniture and household objects from the 16th cent onwards, important paintings by Bellini, Palma, Ricci, Tiepolo and Longhi. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Cini | alt= | url=http://www.cini.it | email= | address=San Vio, Dorsoduoro 864 | lat=45.430989 | long=12.329973 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 0415210755 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=upon telephone reservation only | price= | wikipedia=Palazzo Cini | image=CANAL GRANDE - palazzo loredan cini.jpg | wikidata=Q16586218 | content=Residence of Vittorio Cini, collection of 15th and 16th cent paintings from Tuscany and Ferrara, period furniture, silver, ivory and ceramic objects. }} * {{see | name=Byzantine Pictures Museum (Greek Institute) | alt=Museo Dipinti Sacri Bizantini (Istituto Ellenico) | url=http://www.istitutoellenico.org/english/museo/index.html | email= | address=Ponte dei Greci, Castello 3412 | lat=45.43570 | long=12.34447 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5226581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-16:30 | price=Adults €4, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of Greek, Cretan and Venetian icons of the 14th to 18th century. }} * {{see | name=Scala Contarini del Bovolo | alt= | url=https://www.scalacontarinidelbovolo.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Riso o del Bovolo, San Marco 4303 | lat=45.43481 | long=12.33456 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 3096605 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-13:30 and 14:00-18:00 | price=Adults €7, reduced €6 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=A cylindrical tower with a spiralling series of arches, among the most characteristic examples of Venetian architecture at the period of transition from Gothic to Renaissance styles. From the top there are great panoramic views of the city. }} * {{see | name=Music Museum | alt=Museo della Musica | url=https://www.museodellamusica.com/en | email= | address=Chiesa di S.Maurizio, Campo di S.Marizio, San Marco 2603 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.33160 | directions=near Campo Santo Stefano; vaporetto line 1 to S.M-.del Giglio or line 1-2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 2719012 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:00 | price=Free | content=Beautiful church, collection of musical instruments, Venetian Baroque paintings. [https://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ Interpreti Veneziani], the creators of the Music Museum, also offer concerts in the nearby San Vidal church. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Grimani | alt= | url=http://www.palazzogrimani.org | email= | address=Ramo Grimani, Castello 4858 | lat=45.43705 | long=12.34241 | directions=near Campo Sta. Maria Formosa; vaporetto line 1 or 2 Rialto or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5200345 (call centre) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=0, Tu-Su 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=€14.50, EU residents age 18-25 €7.50 | lastedit=2020-03-27 | content=A jewel of Renaissance architecture that was opened as a Venetia civic museum in 2008, collections of paintings, archaeological collection of Greek and Roman artefacts, temporary exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Archaeological Museum | alt=Museo Archaeologico Nazionale | url=https://www.polomusealeveneto.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-archeologico-nazionale-di-venezia | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 52 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.3391 | directions=Vaporetti line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5225978 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-18:00 | price=€4, reduced €2 | content=Collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian artefacts. }} * {{see | name=St.Mark's Basilica Museum | alt=Basilica di San Marco -Museo | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/museo-marciano/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 2708311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:45-16:45 | price=€5.00, reduced €2.50 | content=Visit the famous bronze horses. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di S.Giovanni Evangelista | alt= | url=http://www.scuolasangiovanni.it/index.php?page=26&lang=en | email= | address=San Polo 2454 | lat=45.43837 | long=12.32577 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 ro San Tomà | phone=+39 041 718234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=occasional 09:30-17:00 | price=€5 | content=Monumental staircase by Codussi, splendid San Giovanni Salon, Oratory of the Cross with precious reliquiaries. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Dalmatina di San Giorgio e Trifone | alt= | url= | email= | address=Calle dei Furlani, Castello 3259/A | lat=45.43622 | long=12.34595 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5228828 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:00, Su 10:00-12:30, closed M | price=Adults €4, reduced €2 | wikidata=Q1290662| wikipedia=Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Famous painting cycle by Vittore Carpaccio depicting the lives of St.George, Tryphon and Jerome. }} === Cemeteries === * {{listing | type=see | name=San Michele Cemetery | alt=Cimitero di San Michele | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Michele | lat=45.4486 | long=12.3462 | directions=vaporetto line 4.1-4.2 | phone=+39 041 7292811 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep: 07:30-18:00; Oct-Mar: 07:30-16:30 | price=Free | wikidata=Q3676942 | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Cemetery established following Napoleon Bonaparte's edict of 1804, part of the European circuit of monumental cemeteries. The Russian ballet dancer ''Serge Diaghilew'', the Austrian physicist ''Christan Doppler'', the American poet ''Ezra Pound'', the Russian composer ''Igor Stravinsky'' and the German-Italian composer ''Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari'' are buried in San Michele Cemetery. }} === Monuments === [[File:20110722 Venice 4140.jpg|thumb|420px|Venice and St. Mark's Basilica from the Campanile]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Giovanni Caboto | alt=John Cabot | url= | email= | address=Via Garibaldi 1581 | lat= 45.4319 | long=12.3511 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian explorer of North America who worked for the British (c. 1450-c. 1500). }} * {{see | name=Claudio Monteverdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=S. Maria dei Frari | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tomb, composer (1567-1643) and champion of the early Baroque ''seconda pratica'' and then-new genre of opera. }} * {{see | name=Giuseppe Verdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Composer of operas; Italian nationalist and national hero (1813-1901). }} * {{see | name=Richard Wagner | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=German opera composer (1813-1883). }} * {{see | name=Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Madonna dell' Orto Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter (1578-1594), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Gentile Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter and official portraitist of the Doges (1439-1507), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Giovanni Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Early Venetian oil painter and the most famous of the Bellini brothers (1430-1516), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Caterina Cornaro | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Salvatore Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Queen of Cyprus (1454-1510), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Paolo Veronese | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Sebastiano Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Painter from [[Verona]] whose career was in Venice (1528-1588), tomb. }} == Do == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Vitturi (Venice).jpg|thumb|Palazzo Vitturi]] === Events === * '''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html La Biennale di Venezia]''' is one of the most well-known culture institutions. Two events organised by Biennale are the Art and Architecture International Exhibitions happening alternately (Architecture Biennale in even years, Art Biennale in odd) but other fields are also covered - contemporary theatre, dance, music, cinema ('''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema Venice International Film Festival]'''). Exhibitions take place mostly in two locations: {{marker|type=do|name=Arsenale|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/arsenale|lat=45.43347|long=12.35058}} and {{marker|type=do|name=Giardini|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/giardini-della-biennale|lat=45.42885|long=12.35797}}. They are both worth visiting even when no event is scheduled. Arsenale is the largest pre-industrial production centre in the world, dating back to 13th century, and Giardini is architectural gem filled with national pavilions from different parts of the world, often designed by famous architects, it was a venue for the International Art Exhibition since the 19th century. ** {{event | name=Art Biennale | url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/art | alt=Esposizione internazionale d’arte | year=2022| month= April| date= 23 | endyear= | endmonth= November| enddate=27 | phone=+39 041 5218711 | email=aav@labiennale.org | location= | country= | content=It is held at Arsenale (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Arsenale) and Giardini (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Giardini). The Central Pavillion and the pavilions of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and the pavilion of Venice are located in the Giardini. The Biennale is open every second year from April to November, Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. Admission for 219 was €30 for two days, multiple entries (ID required); €25 one day, single entry to each venue; €20 over 65, €14 students. There are many other exhibitions (collateral events) all over the city, often permitting to visit buildings which normally are not open to the public. Online guides to the exhibits are not substantive. The British Council provides a comprehensive guide to all exhibits available at the British pavilion at the Giardini. The Concordia/Antarctic Exhibition has closed early.}} * {{do | name=Carnival of Venice | alt=Carnevale di Venezia | url=http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q35191| wikipedia=Carnival of Venice | content=Annual festival that is world famous for the carnival masks. }} * {{event | name= Regata Storica| url= http://regatastoricavenezia.it/?lang=en&pg=1&page=1| alt=Historic fleet event | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone=+39 041 2424 | email= vela@velaspa.com | content= Celebrating a historic event from 1489, the regatta displays almost a hundred varieties of Venetian boats from the city's rich past. Large oarships, replicating ancient roman and medieval vessels, are rowed along the Canal Grande, followed by many smaller boats. There are several races, including a master championship for solo sculling in streamlined gondolini, painted in unusual white, pink, etc. colours. There are many excellent photo opportunities for this event. Early September. }} * {{event | name=Vogalonga | url= http://www.vogalonga.com/en/| alt= | year= 2| month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone= +39 041 5210544| email=info@vogalonga.com | content= The yearly equivalent of a marathon run on water. Vogalonga competitors must row 32 km under 3½ hours to receive a certificate of attendance at the finish line, but everybody with a human-powered vessel is welcome to participate (some foreigner teams take up to 10 hours to complete the journey just for the fun of it). The official purpose of the Vogalonga was to protest the sharply increasing use of powerboats in Venice, but the event has gradually grown into a festival since 1974, with up to 5500 racers in 1500 vessels attending by the early 2000s. The racetrack visits different parts of Venice as well as some of the nearby islands. Locals and tourists lining up alongside rios and canals cheer the racers. Visitors wishing to participate should have serious experience in rowing or sculling and practise duely, as the journey is physically demanding (even seasoned oarsmen develop calluses by the finish line). The event is mainly for teams, completing Voga Longa on a single oar is considered a major achievement. Extreme participation (scuba frogmen and surface swimmers) sometimes occurs, but it is not recommended due to water contamination issues. Late May.|fax= +39 041 5200771 }} === Opera and concerts === * {{do | name=La Fenice Theater | alt=Teatro La Fenice | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it/site/index.php?&lingua=eng | email=info@teatrolafenice.org | address=Campo San Fantin, San Marco 1965 | lat=45.43362 | long=12.33368 | directions=300 m west of San Marco square | phone=+39 041 786511 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Tours: adults €10, students up to 26 and seniors over 65 €7, children up to 6 free. Slightly cheaper if purchased as part of a combined ticket with the Doge's palace | wikipedia=La Fenice | image=Teatro La Fenice (Venice) - Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q223942 | content=One of the best opera houses in the world. Info at Bigletteria Hello Venezia Call Center {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}. You can also visit this historic theater with an audioguide (good explanations in several languages). The theater is an identical reconstruction (rebuilt in 2003) of the previous theater building that burned down in 1996. }} * {{do | name=Teatro Malibran | alt= | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it | email= | address=Campo del Malibran, Cannaregio 5873 | lat=45.43896 | long=12.33813 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 2424 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3982047| wikipedia=Teatro Malibran | content= }} * {{do | name= Scuola Grande di S.Teodoro | alt= | url=http://www.imusiciveneziani.com/luoghi.php?slang=en | email= | address=Campo San Salvador | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€40, reduced €30 | content=Opera and concert performances. }} * {{do | name=Ateneo San Basso | alt= | url=http://www.virtuosidivenezia.com/index.php?slang=en | email=info@virtuosidivenezia.com | address=Piazetta del Leoncini, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 52 82 825 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content=Classical concerts. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa San Vidal | alt= | url=http://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ | email=info@interoretiveneziani.com | address=Campo San Vidal, San Marco 2862/B | lat=45.43242 | long=12.32953 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 27770561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €29, reduced €24 | content=Classical concerts by Interpreti Veneziani. They also run the nearby Music Museum in the nearby San Maurizio church. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa della Pietà | alt= | url=http://www.ivirtuosiitaliani.eu/default.asp?iId=GGKIIE | email= | address=Riva degli Schiavoni | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto lines 1, 5.1, 5.2, 4.1, 4,.2 to San Zaccaria | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content= }} * {{do | name=Scuola Grande dei Carmini | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandecarmini.it/ | email=info@scuolagrandecarmini.it | address=Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro 2616-2617 | lat=45.43369 | long=12.32241 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289420 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-17:00 | price=€5 full price; €4 concession | content= }} === Activities on a boat === [[File:Gondola, Venice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Gondola]] * Ride a '''vaporetto''' (water bus) down the Grand Canal right before sunset. The vaporetti are expensive, but the sights are priceless: amazing architecture, soft seaside sunlight, and a fascinating parade of Venetian watercraft. * Take a '''gondola''' if you can afford it: it's expensive, but the ''Gondoliere'' may decrease the price if you ask (but they can also decrease the time...). Make sure you reach an agreement on price and time before you start! A good tip with the Gondolieres is to bargain the price down as low as you can, then say that it's still too much and walk away. Two or three of them will chase after you, one after the other, each offering a lower price than the last. It's possible to knock €20-€30 off the price (even then, be prepared to shell out €80). : Some guidebooks discourage tourists from asking for gondola price reductions. The oarsmen have an informal habit of cutting the most interesting and little-known parts from the journey path for "discount" customers. Reduced rate riders get much less marvel in exchange for a moderate price drop, which may not be worth it. : Gondolier-for-hire business licenses are officially limited to just 430 to 455 rowers in Venice, making the market artificially scarce and inflating prices. Gondola rides are always costly, often in a princely way and that expense should be planned in advance of the visit. If you go as a group it might be cheaper, though the number of people who can be accommodated on a gondola varies, usually up to a maximum of six seated passengers. The "traghetti" holds more, mostly standing, as a pair of gondoliers rows short distances for canal crossing purposes at a number of points along the Grand Canal. : Venetians and especially the gondoliers among them have highly conservative ideas about society: by 900 years of tradition, all gondoliers must be male and most are born locals. In 2015, the highest court in Rome recognized Alex Hai as the "first female gondolier to operate in Venice", after repeated attempts to become officially licensed since 1996. Unable to obtain an official license, Hai began operating as a privage gondolier, also known as ''gondoliers de casada'', and came out as a transgender man in 2017. In August 2010, Giorgia Boscolo became Venice's first fully licensed female gondolier. * If a gondola seems a little pricey, the alternative is to cross the Grand Canal by '''traghetto'''. These only cost €2 to use and are largely gondolas that have seen better days, They are stripped down and used as municipal ferries. In the 1950s there were as many as thirty, but now there are seven points to find them. However some only operate when people are going to and from work. The length of any crossing is just a few minutes. Many visitors enjoy visiting the open air markets near the Rialto Bridge and there is a traghetto station there, at the '''Pescheria''' (fish market) joining the Santa Sophia church along the Strada Nova. You will notice that traghetti passengers tend to '''stand up''', but if you are not comfortable doing so, sitting is possible, if you are careful. * The more adventurous can try the venetian style of rowing through Row Venice or one of the many rowing clubs. === Other === [[File:Venice - Mask gift shop - 3566.jpg|thumb|right|A Mask gift shop near Piazza San Marco]] If you are looking for something to do, you can always '''shop'''. Venice is packed full of little stores in every corner and crevice. The commonest local specialties are Carnival masks, glass, and marbled paper. Price can vary wildly, so it's a good idea to hold off buying until you have a fair idea about the relative value of things. As is the case with most tourist cities, a lot of the "original" and "made in Venice" items are actually made in China. [[Murano]] is an island famous for its glass making. Almost in every shop you will find "original [[Murano]] glass" items. If it was really made in [[Murano]], it would be prohibitively expensive, with prices routinely running into thousands of euros. So if you are looking for cheap souvenirs, real [[Murano]] glass is not the thing to buy! You can also see glass making demonstrations in [[Murano]], but be sure to check that there is a demonstration scheduled for that day. And it is normally not done in winter either. [[File:Cimitero, Venice.jpg|thumb|right|San Michele Cemetery Island, Cimitero stop]] Spend a '''day on the islands''', mainly [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and Torcello. There are boat services to all these islands at scheduled times, including between the islands themselves. Be prepared for long lines and long waits for the boats between islands. The Glass Museum in [[Murano]] and the Lace Museum in [[Burano]] are certainly worth a visit. In [[Burano]] you will find some of the most picturesque streets and houses, with each house sporting a different pastel shade. Its really beautiful. Though there is not much to see in Torcello except for the old church, and the supposed "Throne of Atilla". However, the peace and tranquility of the island is not to be found anywhere else in Venice! Torcello is also home to a very expensive Cipriani restaurant. But just walking around on these islands is a nice enough experience. If you've had enough of the hype and the other tourists, hop off the vaporetto at 'Cimitero', Venice's graveyard for a peaceful walk. There are many famous tombs, and the section dedicated to deceased children is particularly haunting. There is also a free toilet there. While going through Venice, make sure you take in the beauty of it all. '''Walk''' through the alley ways, and take the water taxi to different parts of the island, sometimes at night you can just go sit in an open area and watch locals and tourists passing by. It is wonderful. There are many museums and churches that are around the city that allow tourists to go in a visit. They are many great sights to keep you busy throughout your visit. The “[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Secret Itineraries in '''Doge's Palace''']” worth a visit, take the visitor into the most secret and fascinating rooms in the Palace. It's better to book in advance. Because Venice is now pretty much only inhabited by tourists and people serving the trade, it gets very quiet by 21:00 and there is very little to do in the evening (outside of eating). There are a few exceptions, like some classical music '''concerts,''' which most probably only play Vivaldi. If you would like to have a '''guide''' to show up the highlights of Venice, you can choose between many offers. There are walking or boat tours, focused on shopping or history or for art lovers, and many itineraries. '''Take photos''', using your camera or phone on every corner of Venice will inspire you. And if you have taken good pictures, though you may not be a professional photographer, consider entering the photo competition [http://onedayinvenezia.com "OneDayInVenezia"] running all year round, awarding monthly winners, and dedicated to amateur photographers. The Grand Prize is a week-end in Venice, trip included. Send a '''Postcard''' or even better, an entire '''letter''' dedicated to a loved one (the old "snail mail" one, not the electronic variety)! Venice has a long, celebrated tradition in postal services, paper and written communication in general (including one of the earliest medieval book printing houses). Venice it's also '''Riviera del Brenta''' old canals. The Riviera del Brenta is famous for its extraordinary Palladian villas along the Brenta river, its museums and historical buildings and it is 40 km (25 miles) from Venice. This Riviera and its mainland include 7 small cities: Stra, Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Fossò, Mira, Oriago and Malcontenta. These places are good for '''cycling excursions''' and to see antique Palladian Villas built on the Brenta river. In Stra village, there is the '''famous gardens of Villa Pisani''' and the '''museum of the shoes''' is in Villa Foscarini Rossi. In this last museum you can admire 1,500 models of Italian-made shoes created in local factories for major brands including Fendi, Genny, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Ungaro, Anne Kleyn, Richard Tyles and Vera Wang. In Dolo village you can visit the square, old watermill (XI century) and big open air market. * {{do | name=Teatro San Gallo | alt= | url=http://www.teatrosangallo.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2412002 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Apr: 19:00, May-Oct: 20:00 | price=€39, seniors €35, students €25, children €15 | lastedit=2015-04-10 | content=Half-hour documentary based on the BBC series ''Francesco's Venice'' - an 'amazing film that puts the spectacular beauty of this great city in historical context'. Film in English, audioguides in Italian, Russian and Spanish. }} '''Football:''' [https://www.veneziafc.it/ Venezia FC] were relegated in 2022, so they now play soccer in Serie B, Italy's second tier. Their home ground Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo (capacity 11,000) is on Sant'Elena, connected by streets to the main east island. == Learn == Venice is home to two major (and expanding) public universities, '''[http://www.unive.it/pag/13526/ Università Ca' Foscari Venezia]''' and '''[http://www.iuav.it/ENGLISH/ Università Iuav di Venezia]'''. There are possibly hundreds of smaller schools in the city. Neither university exploits its name for merchandising, and "Università degli Studi di Venezia" sweatshirts for sale at stalls are not only unlicensed, but there is no single university in the city with that name to begin with. == Buy == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Venedig Bücherladen Acqua alta-6216.jpg|thumb|Book store and antiquarian '''Libreria Acqua Alta''']] Venice has always been a city of merchants. Consequently, most of the Venetians working in Venice still own or work at a shop. If the pride of the Republic of Venice was the extreme diversity and quality of goods and services which could be found in Venice, these days, however, mass tourism led Venice to be populated with many shops selling low-quality souvenirs. The local shops are suffering a lot from this situation and it is not easy to identify them within the crowd of shops selling harmful imported goods. Buying from the '''authentic local businesses''' has never been more important as it is essential to the future of the Venetians and guarantees you to get the real thing and to have a much better experience of Venice. It is not easy, though. Thankfully, there is a social enterprise based in Venice, which works closely with the Venetian business owners (shops, restaurants and bars included). They have a certification process where the local artisan shops attest and commit to be selling products both authentic and sustainable as well as to give a 10% discount to the customers carrying a '''[http://veneziaautentica.com/become-friend Venezia Autentica Friends' Pass]''' (buyable online for only {{EUR|10}}). Euronet runs the majority of ATMs within tourist areas, and carry both hefty ATM fees and extortionate exchange rates. To avoid the extortionate exchange rates, you should reject the first currency conversion offered to you, which will allow you to default to your bank's rate. When possible, you should use ATMs provided by actual banks and financial institutions. The Credit Agricole ATM machines are notable because they do not charge ATM fees or offer excessive currency conversion rates for most Visa Debit and Prepaid cards. *{{buy | name=Atelier Marega | url=http://marega.it | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A hand-made mask and costume shop. }} *{{buy | name=Fanny | alt=gloves & accessories | url=http://www.fannygloves.it | email=fannygloves@hotmail.it | address=Calle dei Saoneri, San Polo 2723 | lat= | long= | directions=100m west of Cà Foscari, near Campo San Polo | phone=+39 041 5228266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hundreds of leather gloves in all colours. }} *{{buy | name=Francis Model | alt=leather articles | url= | email=ruggero.dezorzi@libero.it | address=Ruga Rialto, San Polo 773/A | lat= | long= | directions=100m SW of Rialto bridge | phone=+39 041 5212889 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Locally made leather bags. Exceptional craftsmanship. There are reports that some travellers were cheated in this store, by being told that transaction didn't occur while using their credit card, and demanded cash while in fact transaction ''did'' occur properly and thus having made the travellers pay for the same item twice. }} *{{buy | name=Venetia Studium | alt=High end Scarves & Shawls | url=http://venetiastudium.com | email=info@venetiastudium.com | address=Calle Larga XXII Marzo, San Marco 2425 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5236953 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fine velvets and silks of every imaginable color are woven into delicate evening bags, scarves and pillows. The Company Venetia Studium produces in the Island the worldwide famous Fortuny Lamps }} If you've come to Venice thinking that you won't be able to do a bit of designer shopping, think again. Just like in every major Italian city, you get the big fashion brand names. For label clothing shopping, the best area is that around the Piazza San Marco, where you can find Versace, MaxMara, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada (and numerous more) big names. If you want to shop for clothing or accessories, though, you don't necessarily have to shop through the biggest names in fashion - in the Campo Santo Stefano and Calle della Mandola, you can get less famous or local boutiques, but you can find some excellent quality and/or unique items such as clothes, shoes, wallets or handbags. Watch out also for the hand-made paper and the exquisite miniature buildings made by Moro. Watch out for fakes; Moro "signs" his name on the back. Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring [[Murano]] for its famous glass. (See article for details.) Tourist Traps: "Coloured Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" (not the original napolitan one) are not Italian food, no Italian would ever eat them, they are particularly made for tourists. For typical regional Italian food in food shops check the labels to discover where they have been made. Don't miss the '''Rialto''' market on San Polo, the smallest sestiere. The Rialto market is for shoppers. To the east is an area of small shops and restaurants; to the west is the Rialto farmers' market. Shopping is slightly less expensive than in the tourist-filled Piazza San Marco. === Murano Glass === * {{buy | name=L’Isola | alt= | url=https://www.lisola.com/ | email=info@lisola.com | address=Calle de le Botteghe, San Marco 2970 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 523 1973 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Archimede Seguso | alt= | url=http://aseguso.com/en# | email= | address=San Marco 143 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289041 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Venini | alt= | url=http://venini.com/en/ | email=venezia@venini.it | address=Piazzetta Leoncini, San Marco 314 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5224045 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} == Eat == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti WB.jpg|thumb|Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti]] Typical Venetian dishes are: * ''Fegato alla veneziana'', chopped liver, cooked with chopped onions. * ''Sarde in saor'': fried sardines, dipped in fried onion, raisins and pine nuts, spices and vinegar. It has to marinate at least one night. Venice has some wonderful restaurants, featuring the cuisine of the Veneto. However it is widely regarded that the restaurants in Venice serve food of a quality and in quantities much lower than anywhere else in Italy. The pizza in Venice is well known as being the worst in Italy (It is a more southern Italian speciality). For Americans, you can find a place called Quanto Basta pizza that serves an American-style pizza with pepperoni and french fries. Specialties include polenta, made of corn meal; risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce. Diners should however be aware that for every genuinely wonderful restaurant or trattoria, there's another serving rubbish food at inflated prices, especially in the most touristed streets around San Marco. Rule of thumb: if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided. Near the Rialto bridge there's a row of restaurants with tables by the canal, where you can have the quintessential Venice experience of dining by the canal lights. Although they do have waiters outside bugging you, some have pretty acceptable quality for price, which is almost always expensive anyway. One of Venice's trademark foods is cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example, Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttle fish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste. Be careful when the prices are on a weight basis (typically by the "etto", abbreviated "/hg". or 100 g). One dish can easily contain 400g of fish or meat (almost a pound) - coming to 4 times the indicated base price! Restaurants might offer low prices for food on their menus that they advertise outside the entrance, but they will sometimes compensate this by charging high prices for drinks (which is naturally *not* advertised). €5 for 33 cl of beer is not uncommon. Le Bauta, an eatery on Fond del Gaffaro, is a good example. Also, please make sure that you get your change back after payment as sometimes it may be 'forgotten' by the waiters. For fresh fruit (including chilled coconut) watch out for the street market stalls. There is always a boat parked in the canal on campo San Barnaba selling fruit and vegetables into the late hours. To save money at lunch, eat standing up - that's what Venetians themselves do. Every cafe, trattoria, osteria, enoteca or whatever it chooses to call itself is stocked at lunchtime with cicchetti - Venetian tapas, including tramezzini (triangular sandwiches on white bread), bite-sized rolls with various cold cuts, polpette (fried balls of minced fish or meat) and assorted antipasti. Order by pointing at what you want on the glass shelves, and wash the whole thing down with a glass of wine (un' ombra) or a spritz (made with, in order of bitterness and alcohol content, Aperol, Campari or Select). Bear in mind that as soon as you allow yourself to sit at the table and be waited on, instead of ordering and consuming your food at the counter, the prices for the same items go up - you can end up paying double. If you look at the (government-mandated) chart of prices stapled to the wall near the bar, you'll see 2 columns of numbers, accommodating this arrangement. However, sitting is worth it if you plan on staying a while. Some places will also serve free bread and water for seated patrons, but then there is usually also a small charge (€1-3 per person) for "pane e coperto" (bread and cover charge). If self-catering, the Rialto food markets are an absolute must for fruit, vegetables and cheese, but most of all for the huge range of seafood, much of it fresh out of the lagoon and still moving! There are a variety of small stores around the city that sell fruits and vegetables, but tourists will be hard-pressed to find them. Anything else you will find in the one of the few supermarkets in the city. Head to the Dorsoduro area of Venice if you want to save a few euros. It is located on the south side of the city. It has the highest concentration of places where locals, especially students, go to eat. Generally staying away from the main squares will be the cheapest option. If you're willing and able to walk around the town, some back streets offer the best food for the lowest price. Seeing the city from this vantage point is a lot of fun too! === Budget === There are a few '''supermarkets''' in the city, so if you are in the need to save some money, these are an option as they serve a wide array of prepared and semi-prepared food. On the main street from the station to the Rialto bridge there is a Coop and a Billa supermarket. Venetian snacks (cichetti) can be brilliantly inventive, in small "tapas-style" serving sizes. Look for places (especially wine bars) popular with non-tourists, the prices are very reasonable. There are still many small bakery shops and "biavaroli" where you can buy bread, cheese etc., particularly near the Rialto market area. If you want to buy water (Venice has excellent free tap water easily accessible at the numerous fountains located outside throughout the city) it is usually cheapest to get it at the supermarkets: there are Billa or Co-op stores located throughout the city, though supermarkets are often "disguised" in nondescript buildings in Venice for space limitations. ====In various locations==== * {{eat | name=Pizzeria Ae Oche | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A local establishment with several locations in the city. The food is plentiful and the prices reasonable. On Calle del Tintor south of Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, In Santa Croce. Look to spend between €5-10 for a pizza depending on how exotic your selection is. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> === Splurge === === Ice cream === You will find ice cream all over the city, and you will hardly survive a hot summer day without it. Prices are €1.00-1.50 for one scoop, €2.50-3.50 for three scoops. == Drink == {{movetodistrict}} [[Image:Bellini_at_Harry%27s_Bar.jpg|thumb|A classic ''Billini'', as served at Harry's Bar where it was invented.]] The typical Venetians drink loved by all Venetians is ''Spritz'', which is a mix of liquor and Prosecco with sparkling water to top it off. Aperol Spritz is by far the most common but there are variants with Campari or Select too. Almost all bars in the city serves it with prices range from €5 to €12, depending on how close you are to the main tourist arteries. Spritz are usually paired with ''cicheti'', the Venetian version of tapas. Another famous drink is the '''Bellini''' was invented in Harry's Bar in Venice. It is a mix of white peach juice and Prosecco (the ubiquitous Venetian Champagne-like sparkling wine). Fermented at a low temperature Prosecco develops amylic aromas (fruit drops), though these perhaps mix better with fruit juices than does the more austere Champagne. Classic Bellinis should never be made with Champagne. Although by normal standards expensive, a Bellini in Harry's Bar (€17 for a 1.5 oz drink is obscene) is still much cheaper than on the terraces of similar '5-star' establishments in the city. A small '''Grappa''' is a common way to end meals, but be careful as it is brandy with 30 to 60 per cent alcohol. '''Beer''' in a small pub is about €5 for a pint (birra media). === Coffee === [[File:Venice - Cafe - 4125.jpg|thumb|right|A cafe in Piazza di San Marco.]] Coffee is everywhere in Venice, and both Venetians and the tourists avail themselves of the opportunities, usually by downing a quick dose at the counter (see warning about sit-down prices above). Rule of thumb: the bigger (and shinier) the espresso machine, the better the result. '''Espresso''', the real Italian, is about €1 at the bar, €2 at a table. * {{drink | name=E Rosa Salva | alt= | url=http://www.rosasalva.it/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=One of the favorites is the mini-chain "E Rosa Salva", with three locations in the center - on C. Fiubera (from Piazza San Marco, take the underpass in the middle of the arcade, cross the bridge and take second right off C. Fabbri), Merceria S. Salvadore (off the campo of the same name), and right on Campo San Zanipolo (to the right of the church looking from the canal); the last one is a gelateria as well. For your €1 you'll get exactly 2 and a half sips at the bottom of a small cup, with rich crema and no bitterness. Assorted house-made sweets are €1.10. }} * {{listing | type=drink | name=Caffè Florian | alt= | url=http://www.caffeflorian.com | email=servizi@caffeflorian.com | address=Piazza San Marco, 57 | lat=45.43361 | long=12.33822 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205641 | tollfree= | hours=Daily, 9AM-midnight | price= | wikidata=Q960610 | content=On the extravagant side there is Caffè Florian, on Piazza San Marco. It claims to be the oldest coffee house still in operation, established in 1720. The interior is about a century newer, and brings an exclusive setting for a cup of coffee, even if sitting outside overlooking the entire piazza and its surroundings may be a better choice on a nice summer day. The café has its own outdoor orchestra playing an assortment of Italian music. Just sitting down at the table costs €6 per seat (for the orchestra it says on the menu) and the rest on the menu is at least twice the price you would have paid at home. Light lunch or dinner 12:00-15:00, 19.30-22:00, afternoon tea 15:09-18:00, great choice of semifreddo (parfaits) (€14), lemon ice cream with soda (€15), great choice of tea and coffee specialities; espresso €6.50. music charge €6. }} === Nightlife === There are two late-night drinking areas in Venice. Piazza San Marco is not one of them, although it is very pleasant with many people wandering around late. The actual late night scene is in either '''Campo Santa Margherita''', near the University Ca' Foscari in Dorsoduro; or in '''Erbaria''' on the West side of the Rialto Bridge where the main vegetable market is held during the day. Even though there are many fantastic bars in Venice, if you're planning a night time "pub crawl" you should plan a few places to visit in advance, otherwise it's very easy to waste an hour wandering aimlessly in search of a watering hole that's open, especially midweek. Locals in search of nighttime entertainment mostly head over the bridge into Mestre, or hop on the boat to Lido. One exception: F.ta della Misericordia, in Cannaregio (north from the Ghetto over the Ghetto Nuove bridge, turn right), features several bars in succession, anchored by the ''Paradiso Perduto'' (Cannaregio 2640; a restaurant by day, live music on Sundays starting at 21:00), along the canal. In season they are spilling over after dark with youths holding large glasses of rosé, while more of those same youths are cruising (in motor boats) blaring rap songs in Italian from the loudspeakers. The cafes and bars lining the expansive C. Santa Margherita are catering to the students from the nearby university; chill out to reggae sets in ''Caffé Rosso'' (Dorsoduro 2963; it's the one with the red awning that simply says ''Caffe''), or dance (Saturdays only) at ''Round Midnight'' (Dorsoduro 3102). Those looking for LGBT nightlife in Venice will be disappointed. Hop on the train to [[Padua]] instead. === Pubs === There are two Irish pubs in Venice. One is located along the '''Strada Nova''' in ''Cannaregio''; the other one is the '''Inishark''' just before ''Campo Santa Maria Formosa''. == Sleep == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Civran Venezia.JPG|thumb|The Palazzo Civran and Grand Canal at dusk. This 15th-century building that was substantially altered in the early 17th century now houses the Guardia di Finanza.]] Due to the historic city's constrained area and international popularity hotels are expensive. Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses offer better rates. Real budget solutions (like campings and hostels) can be found in [[Mestre | '''Mestre''']] (mainland Venice) and on the island of '''[[Lido]]'''. Alternative accommodation can be also found on the island of '''[[Murano]]'''. These are worth considering since historic centre is quite well connected with bus and ferries, so staying further from the centre is not such a big problem. In the last few years, holiday or short rentals apartments have increased in number and quality, now you can rent (minimum stay is usually 3 nights) a Palazzo on the Grand Canal as a little flat near Rialto. === Bed and Breakfast === * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Venice Ca' del Pozzo | alt= | url=http://cadelpozzo.it | email= | address= | lat=45.4329955 | long= 12.3320963 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2413875 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2443203 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Completely restructured in 2003, in the characteristic Campo San Maurizio. }} * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Ca'Dor | alt= | url=http://bedandbreakfastvenice.net | email= | address= | lat= 45.4406559 | long= 12.3372800 | directions= | phone=+39 392 3906152 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rooms about 55€ in low-season, 100€ in high season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Venetian style rooms in the centre, 3 minutes from Rialto's Bridge. }} === Budget === In the city of '''Mestre''' just in front of Venice is the A&O Hostel with shared rooms for about 17–23€ per night (July 2022). * {{sleep | name=Ai Do Mori | alt= | url=http://hotelaidomori.com | email= | address=San Marco 658 | lat=45.4351365 | long=12.3392159 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5204817 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5205328 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=As close as it gets to Piazza San Marco, but on the second and third floor, so it still is quiet at nights. Clean and nice rooms, TV, aircon, very friendly staff. }} * {{sleep | name=Alloggi Agli Artisti | alt= | url=http://agli-artisti-venezia.it/ | email= | address=Calle Priuli Cavalletti, Cannaregio 99 | lat=45.44247 | long=12.32122 | directions=150 m away from the main railway station (Santa Lucia) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €50 to €90 for a double room, depending on the season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=Guests can choose between rooms with bathroom en suite (with hairdryer), and rooms with sharing bathroom on the floor (cheaper). }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Antico Fiore | alt= | url=http://anticofiore.com | email= | address=San Marco 3486 | lat=45.4349563 | long=12.3302647 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5227941 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2413879 | price=Rooms from €65 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=An 18th-century building which has been carefully restored. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Gaffaro | alt= | url=http://locandagaffaro.it | email= | address=Dorsoduro 3589 | lat=45.4361719 | long=12.3218600 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2750897 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2750375 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €100 | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In a picturesque court near Piazzale Roma. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Albergo Ateneo | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 1876 | lat=45.4343317 | long= 12.3341439| directions= | phone=+39 041 5200777 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228550 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €60-180 depending on season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=3-star hotel close to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Antico Casin Locanda | alt= | url=http://anticocasin.com | email= | address=Corte Contarina, San Marco 1520/a | lat=45.4334656 | long= 12.3359885 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5207002 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-795122 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= A refined example of contemporary design, located close to Saint Mark's Square. Doubles from €90. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Amadi | alt= | url=http://www.caamadi.it/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Cannaregio 5815 | lat=45.4385951 | long=12.3375372 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5204682 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5206701 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In the old town centre, close to the famous Rialto Bridge. This 13th-century palace was once home to Marco Polo. Décor is keeping with the period, and the rooms are utterly charming. Original wall frescoes from the 1400s adorn the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/offerte-hotel.php?lang=ENG&id_hotel=37&id_offer= | email=info@cabauta.com | address=Castello 6457 | lat=45.4384168 | long= 12.3442353 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415212313 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= Housed in a 15th-century building, this quaint hotel has very spacious rooms with high ceilings and is adorned with stylish furniture and fittings. Has a friendly, multilingual staff who are always eager to assist you in planning tours, booking concert tickets, and making restaurant reservations. Rates from €70 per night. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Della Corte | alt=B&B + apartments | url=http://cadellacorte.com | email=info@cadellacorte.com | address=Corte Surian, Dorsoduro 3560 | lat=45.4363345 | long=12.3219371 | directions=300 m SE of Piazzale Roma | phone=+39 041-715877 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722345 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Junior suite €140 | lastedit= | content=A comfortable B&B in a quiet area. Warm and personal welcome. Breakfast (served in the room) could be improved (by going to pasticceria Tonolo and bringing your own cakes, e.g.). }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Zose | url=http://hotelcazose.com/ | email=info@hotelcazose.com | address=Dorsoduro 193/B (Calle del Bastion) | lat=45.4308 | long=12.3327 | directions=walk west from Salute vaporetto stop | phone=+39 0415226635 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415226624 | hours= | price=Doubles from €90 in season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=A quiet street off S.M. Salute, by the S.M. Giglio ''traghetto'' (when it's operational, 50 cents will get you to S. Marco), within easy walk of either Accademia or the Zattere (no need to brave the hordes of tourists on the #1 line, take the #52 from bus or train station). The helpful staff speaks Italian, English, French and Veneto. 10% discount on rates if paid in cash - ask Walentina, the proprietress. All rooms are named after stars (in the sky, not of movie kind), and all have A/C (indispensable in summer). Buffet breakfast included. }} * {{sleep | name=Continental Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://continentalhotelvenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat=45.4419737 | long=12.3240286 | directions= | phone=+39 041 71 5122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 524 2432 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=Three-star hotel in the Jewish Ghetto. A historic building belonged to a noble family, with 93 bedrooms (€95-194) capable to host any kind of guests. }} <!-- Too many entries * {{sleep | name=Corte 1321 | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo 1321 | lat= | long= | directions=near the Rialto Bridge | phone=+39 041 5224923 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 0997849 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €100 | lastedit= | content=Large spacious rooms with double sink bathrooms ensure a comfortable stay. Lovely courtyard for dining is made memorable with local birds strutting and cooing. }} * {{sleep | name=Domus Ciliota | alt= | url=http://ciliota.it/ | email= | address=Calle delle Muneghe, San Marco 2976 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 5-10 minute walk from San Marco's Square. The hotel has over fifty clean, basic, air-conditioned rooms all with shower and WC. The 24-hr reception is English speaking. There is an area for leaving baggage after you've checked out. Single rooms are €70-85 and doubles are €100-110 including breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel al Sole | alt= | url=http://www.alsolehotels.com/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 134/136 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2440328 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722287 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €80 | content=Hotel is in a noble palace built in the beginning of the 15th century, a short distance from Piazzale Roma. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ala | alt= | url=http://hotelala.it/ | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria dei Gigli, San Marco 2494 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5208333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206390 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €110 | content=Eggs and broiled tomatoes with cheese for breakfast. Rooms were a typical size but clean, comfortable and quiet. They have turndown service at night, a pleasant surprise. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Alla Salute | alt=also known as 'Da Cici' | url=http://www.salutepalace.com/ | email=info@salutepalace.com | address=Fondamenta Ca' Balà, Dorsoduro 222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235404 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5222271 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €50 | content=A 16th-century palazzo, a stone's throw from Piazza San Marco. It has been the house of the famous poet Ezra Pound. Pretty comfortable and quiet budget hotel. Garden for breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel All’Angelo Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelallangelovenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=San Marco 403 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5209299 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2743555 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Run by the same family since 1924 in a 17th-century building close to St Marks Basilica. Comfortable and stylishly decorated rooms with a double somewhere in the region of €150. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Antico Panada | alt= | url=http://hotelpanada.it | email= | address=San Marco 646 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5209088 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5209619 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €145 to €310 | content=Has rooms decorated in an 18th-century Venetian style. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Gottardi | alt= | url=http://www.cagottardi.com/ | email= | address=Cannaregio 2283 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759421 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €120 | content=Antico Palazzo Gottardi stands in Strada Nuova, between two buildings that look down onto the Canal Grande. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Basilea Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelbasileavenice.com/ | email= | address=Rio Marin, Santa Croce 817 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 718477 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 720851 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms are usually €100-160 depending on season | content=Across the Grand Canal from Santa Lucia Train Station. Located in a quiet Calle. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Becher | alt= | url=http://hotelbecher.com | email= | address=San Marco 1857 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5221253 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5212685 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= This 18th-century hotel enhanced by the most modern amenities, charming atmosphere and impeccable service. Single rooms from €70, doubles €110 and triples from €170. }} * {{sleep | name=Belle Arti Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotelbelleartivenice.com/ | email= | address=Dorsoduro 912/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5226230 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5280043 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double €220. Breakfast included for those who book online | content=Elegant three-star hotel. 67 guestrooms divided in double, triple and quadruple with en suite services, bathroom kit and modern services. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Cà D'Oro | alt= | url=http://venicehotelcadoro.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4604 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2411212 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414385 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Singles from €60, doubles from €80 | content=The hotel is in a quiet corner of Cannaregio district, 5 minutes walk from the Rialto Bridge. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Canaletto Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelcanalettovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 5487 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 20 518 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 023 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Along a scenic canal close to St. Mark’s Basilica. Decorated and furnished in the traditional Venetian manner, this hotel offers excellent service and rooms for two that start at around €110. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Continental | alt= | url=http://hotelcontinentalvenice.com | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-715122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5242432 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= Right on the Canal Grande. Single rooms from €93, doubles from €155 and triples from €194 including taxes and breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Commercio e Pellegrino | alt= | url=http://commercioepellegrino.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4551/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207922 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5225016 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €80, doubles from €100 including taxes and breakfast | lastedit= | content=Comfortable hotel in the centre, easy to reach by public transport and 2 minutes on foot to Saint Mark’s Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Doge Venice | alt= | url=http://www.albergodoge.com/ | email= | address=Lista Vecchia dei Bari, Santa Croce 1222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2448752 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5242192 | checkin= | checkout= | price= Double rooms start from €57. Family apartment for three people €97 | content=Three-star accommodation of Venice. It is in the northern part of the city, in front of the train station and presents 10 bedrooms – single, double and twin, some with a shared bathroom - and one apartment. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Firenze Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotel-firenze.com/index_en.html | email=info@hotel‑firenze.com | address=San Marco 1490 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222858 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5202668 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €120 a double/twin | content=On a side street of Piazza San Marco, and offers bright and comfortable rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel il Mercante di Venezia | alt= | url=https://www.ilmercantedivenezia.com/ | email= | address=Calle della Misericordia, Cannaregio 379-381 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759290 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759294 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just off the Lista di Spagna by the Grand Canal, excellent access to the Station (Santa Lucia) and the waterbuses. Delicately appointed rooms from around €145. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Lisbona Venice | alt= | url=http://hotellisbonavenice.com/ | email= | address=San Marco 2153 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286774 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207061 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just in front of Piazza San Marco, three star rooms decorated in the grand Venetian style. Double rooms are usually around €140. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Marconi Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=Riva del Vin, San Paolo 729 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 22 068 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 700 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal and famous Rialto Bridge. It has been a hotel since the 1930 and has a very interesting art deco style, with rooms going for around €150, or for a little more with a canal view. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Montecarlo Venice | alt= | url=https://www.venicehotelmontecarlo.com/en/ | email= | address=Calle degli Specchieri, San Marco 463 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207144 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207789 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €130 a double | content=3-star superior rooms and services one hundred yards from the entrance to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Nazionale Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelnazionalevenice.com/ | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 158 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 716133 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 715318 | checkin= | checkout= | price=€80 for a single and €160 for a family | content=Three-star accommodation with 90 bedrooms divided in single, double, twin, triple and family, 100 metres away from the train station of Santa Lucia. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palazzo Guardi | alt= | url=http://palazzoguardivenice.com | email= | address=Dorsoduro 995 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2960725 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 7241067 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €80 | content=A stone's throw from the Accademia, is this noble Venetian palace, rooms equipped with all comforts. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Giorgio | alt= | url=http://sangiorgiovenice.com | email= | address=Rio Terà della Mandola, San Marco 3781 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5235835 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228072 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €60, doubles from €90, triples from €120 | lastedit= | content=The hotel is between Campo Sant'Angelo and Campo Manin in an antique [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] palace bought by Mariano Fortuny. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Moise Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 2058 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5203755 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5210670 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Starting in the region of €120-140 for a double room | lastedit= | content=3-star hotel behind Piazza San Marco and the Basilica. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Tiepolo | alt= | url=http://hoteltiepolo.com | email= | address=Castello 4510 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5232415 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5208222 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €200 | content=Small and elegant design hotel in the historic centre, a few steps away from Saint Mark's Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Orseolo | alt= | url=http://locandaorseolo.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A 3-minute walk from St. Peter's Square, operated by a multi-lingual Venetian family who offer impeccable concierge service. Room rates are generally €150 to €200. }} * {{sleep | name=Pagan Luxury House | alt= | url=http://www.capagan.com/ | email=info@capagan.com | address=San Marco 3268 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2960584 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5236218 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €120 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=According to their website, there is a €10 per night discount for booking directly with them. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cà Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/ | email= | address=Castello 6457 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5212313 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Few steps from Campo ss. Giovanni e Paolo, one of the most spectacular place of Venice. Double rooms are usually around €100-160 depending on season. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cá Malipiero Venice | alt= | url=http://camalipierovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 4852 | lat= | long= | directions=Santa Maria Formosa district, behind the Ponte dei Sospiri bridge and St Mark’s Square | phone=+39 041 2770939 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5289845 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €110 | content=An historic building of the 16th century with a large selection of elegant single, double rooms and suites, capable to host up to four people and equipped with the best modern services expected by a three-star guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Flora | alt= | url=http://www.hotelflora.it/ | email=info@hotelflora.it | address=San Marzo 2283/A | lat= | long= | directions=behind Saint Mark's Square | phone=+39 041 5205844 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rates start from €120 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Garden, free Wi-Fi, homemade buffet breakfast, fitness centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Novecento Boutique Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.novecento.biz/ | email= | address=San Marco 2683/84 | lat= | long= | directions=Calle del Dose, off Campo San Maurizio, between St. Mark's Square and the Accademia Gallery | phone=+39 041 2413765 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €120 | content=Has 9 rooms featuring original furniture and tapestries from both the Mediterranean and the Far East. }} * {{sleep | name=Palazzo Cendon - Il Piano Nobile | alt= | url=http://www.palazzocendon.it/ | email= | address=Call Cendon, Cannaregio 532 | lat= 45.4447805 | long=12.3224034 | directions=From the train station turn left before Ponte delle Guglie | phone=+39 041 2750606 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€130 | content=Nice small hotel in good area with a few restaurants and bars. }}--> === Splurge === <!--entries with no prices and that look like spamvertising will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Palazzina Grassi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.palazzinag.com/ | email=info@palazzinag.com | address=San Marco 3247 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5284644 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms from €295 | content=First Italian hotel designed by Philippe Starck, the only one in Venice. In the centre, near the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Saint Mark's Square is a short walk away. }} * {{sleep | name=Duodo Palace Hotel | url=http://duodopalacehotel.com/ | email=info@duodopalacehotel.com | address=San Marco 1887 | lat= | long= | directions=In the historic centre | phone=+39 041 5203329 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2415940 | hours= | price=Doubles from €140 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Four-star luxury hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Al Codega | alt= | url=http://hotelalcodega.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Forno Vecchio, San Marco 4435 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413288 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414621 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €200-300 | content=In a picturesque little ‘cortile’ (courtyard), which is a short walk from Piazza San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Carlton Grand Canal | alt= | url=http://carltongrandcanal.com | email= | address=Fondamenta S.Pantalon, Santa Croce 578 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2752200 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2752250 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Room rates start from €120 (depending on the season) | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Dei Dragomanni | alt= | url=http://hoteldragomanni.com | email= | address=Calle del Dose da Ponte, San Marco 2711 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2771300 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2778984 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €155 | content=4-star hotel in an ancient Venetian palazzo. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Giorgione | url=http://hotelgiorgione.com/ | email= | address=Calle Larga dei Proverbi, Cannaregio 4587 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5225810 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | hours= | price=Singles from €105, Doubles from €150 | checkin= | checkout= | content=In the centre, 10 minutes from Piazza San Marco, it was transformed into a hotel at the beginning of the 19th century and has been managed by the same family ever since. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Bauer | alt=Il Palazzo Venezia | url=http://www.bauervenezia.com/en/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email=info@bauervenezia.com | address=San Marco 1459 | lat=45.43295 | long=12.3335603 | directions=In the street from San Marco Square to Ponte dell'Accademia | phone=+39 041 5207022 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €279 to €15,010 | lastedit=2017-03-21 | content=Five-star luxury hotel along the Grand Canal riverside with bars and restaurants }} * {{sleep | name=Corte di Gabriela | alt= | url=http://www.cortedigabriela.com/en/ | email=info@cortedigabriela.com | address=Calle Avvocati, 3836 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235077 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from 270€ per night | lastedit=2018-11-21 | content=Corte di Gabriela is a 4-star boutique hotel in Venice in an elegant nineteenth-century building, overlooking the canals of the San Marco district. It has a few suites, each different from the others. }} == Connect == As of Sept 2021, Venice has 4G from Iliad and TIM, and 5G from Vodafone and Wind Tre. The city has been steadily building out the municipal Wi-Fi network, which now covers almost the entire area around the Grand Canal and some of the larger squares in the center. You can buy guest access at approximately €5 per day at the same unified Venezia Unica site where the transport and museum passes are sold. However if you only need occasional access, it may not be worth buying this as you can get free wifi at most accommodations and at a lot of the museums in Venice. Venice has several internet cafes, but they are much more expensive than the rest of Europe with prices for an hour of access around €6. Wi-Fi is only available at some of them. There's a wonderful pub, Cafe Blue in Dorsoduro, which has free (password-protected) wi-fi. Buy a spritz and a panini and go to town. At the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Campo San Salvatore (San Marco) you can browse for free for one hour, once registered with your ID card. To use an Internet cafe, buy a mobile SIM card or get a contract for an Internet connection. Personal identification is needed by law in Italy. Internet cafes will not let you use computers without a passport or national ID card. Calle Delle Botteghe on San Marco 2970 Venezia is a pretty art gallery type internet cafe with a book shop. It is on the expensive side with €3 for 15 min but you can just go in and play chess with a glass of wine. == Stay safe == Venice is considered a safe city. You have to take the habitual travellers' precautions however. Keep your valuable items (like wallet and passport) close to you because there are pickpockets, especially in more crowded parts of the city. In case of need, you can dial free of charge on any phone '''112''' (no area code needed) to contact Carabinieri or '''113''' (no area code needed) to contact the Police. ==Stay healthy== Venice has begun to install septic tanks in buildings, but much of the city has not yet been upgraded and releases untreated sewage directly into the canals. Avoid bathing yourself, touching the water, immersing feet, etc. in the canals looking for refreshment in hot season. Also, at night there is a risk of falling into the water, as there are many alleys which end in the water but have little or no lighting. In the warmest months, these conditions can sometimes generate foul odors. Choose other times to visit if they might ruin what should be a highly enjoyable stay. Current regulations forbid certain behaviour, including bathing in the canals and walking around in a swimsuit or bare-chested. Violations are subject to fines up to €500. More information available on [https://www.comune.venezia.it/en/content/enjoyrespectvenezia #EnjoyRespectVenezia website]. You can reach the emergency medical service dialing free of charge on any phone '''118''' (no area code needed, conversation will be recorded) to have assistance and an ambulance sent to you. Chemists' shops (Italian: ''Farmacie'') are all around the town. They are open 24 hr a day, 7 days a week on a rotational basis: outside the shop there's always the list of operating ones with time-table, address and phone number. If you need a special drug you might be asked to book it in advance if it's not in common use. Note that the commercial name or brand of your prescription might differ from your country of origin, and make sure that the medication you want is available in the EU. == Respect == The city officials state that it is necessary to enforce rules that preserve the city's urban cleanliness and make sure visitors behave themselves. The following tips will come in handy: * '''Walk on the right side of the street'''; especially on narrower streets, you'll contribute to making your and other’s walk faster, safer, and tidier. Do it always, even if the street is empty. * '''Do not bathe, dive into, or swim in the canals'''; it is not only dangerous and unhealthy, but it is punishable by a fine of up to €350 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not sit down on the ground and eat'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not camp in public areas'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not walk around bare-chested or in swimwear'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €250. == Cope == === Orientation === The unfortunate side-effect of the small alleys which make Venice such a delight to visit is that it is remarkably easy to get lost. Even maps provided by hotels are frequently inaccurate, and the maze-like structure of the city can become very confusing. The tight cluster of little islands that comprise Venice is completely surrounded by the Lagoon, so it is not possible, no matter how lost you become, to leave Venice on foot. Sooner or later you will come upon a piazza that you can locate on your map. One tip: as you cross bridges, note the house numbers before and after. A small change probably means you are on the same island/district and have crossed a "new" canal. A major change means you are now on another island. Most maps clump islands together into their voting districts, there are many more islands than districts. One piece of assistance is to look for directional signs. These will be marked "Per" and then with the name of a prominent location or bridge in the city, complete with an arrow pointing in the relevant direction. Hence, to get to the Rialto bridge, the signs to follow are marked "Per Rialto". Those to St Mark's Square read "Per S Marco", and those to the train station "Per Ferrovia" (there are some others as well). Having oriented yourself to the nearest landmark, direction-finding can thus become (slightly) easier. Remember, though, that the signs to read are the ''official'' ones. Graffiti will occasionally give other directions, frequently incorrect ones. That said, some argue that getting lost in Venice is part of the experience of the city. The number of photogenic canals, hidden restaurants and shops where glass blowing is done almost guarantees that there is no such thing as a "dull neighbourhood". Additionally, the public transport means that it is relatively easy to arrive at the intended destination even after one has emerged from the web of alleys in a totally unexpected place. === Overcrowding === While Venice may not get more tourists than other famous [[Italy|Italian]] destinations as [[Rome]] and [[Florence]], the narrowness of streets and open areas may at times make Venice feel ''uncomfortably'' crowded during (but not only) the peak seasons, at the San Marco ''sestiere'', the surroundings of the Rialto bridge and the streets leading from Venezia Santa Lucia and Piazzale Roma to San Marco. Walking by itself can be difficult, let alone snapping a good photo, using a public lavatory, or sitting at a decent cafe or restaurant. To avoid the worst of the crowds, unless it is winter, try to visit the San Marco and Rialto bridge areas during early morning and late evening. During the late morning and afternoon, stay away as far as possible from this area, for instance walking around west Santa Croce, north Cannaregio, eastern Castello and Giudecca. Alternatively, take day trips to places outside central Venice such as [[Burano]], the [[Lido]], [[Padua]] or [[Vicenza]], or simply take the opportunity to refresh in your hotel. === Useful telephone numbers === * {{listing | name=Police (emergency call) | phone=113 }} * {{listing | name=Carabinieri (emergency call) | phone=112 }} * {{listing | name=First Aid (emergency call) | phone=118 }} * {{listing | name=Venice Hospital | phone=+39 041 5294111 }} * {{listing | name=Medical Service on Duty | phone=+39 041 5294060 }} * {{listing | name=Tourist Information | phone=+39 041 5298700 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service San Marco | phone=+39 041 5200685 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Rialto | phone=+39 041 5224904 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Danieli | phone=+39 041 5222254 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Information | phone=+39 041 2609260 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 2609222 }} * {{listing | name=Railway information | phone=892021 (in country only) }} * {{listing | name=Railway Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 785531 }} === Consulates === Most of the consulates listed here are only honorary consulates, so can only offer limited consular services. If you need any serious help, try visiting [[Milan]], where larger consulates can sometimes be found; however, it will usually be easier to visit the Italian capital, [[Rome#Embassies|Rome]], where most countries' embassies are found. * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia| url=http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locations/missions/Pages/australian-consulate-in-venice-italy.aspx| email=mc@castelbrando.it | address=Via della Libertà, 12 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5093061 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria| url= | email=consolato.austria@zoppas.com | address=Santa Croce, 251 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5240556| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium| url= | email=piero.reis@sgpaa.lu | address=Dorsoduro, 3464 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5242944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic| url=http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/diplomatic_missions/czech_missions_abroad/italy_honorary_consulate_of_the_czech_2.html | email=venice@honorary.mzv.cz | address= Cannaregio, 3821| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2413984| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark| url= | email=covedk@hotmail.com | address=Santa Croce, 466/g | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413984 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland| url= http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=330512&contentlan=2&culture=en-US| email=finland.consulate.venice@gmail.com | address= Rio dei Scudi 2654/A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 347 1245016| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France| url= | email=cfvenise@yahoo.fr | address= Castello, 6140| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5224319| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany| url= | email=venedig@hk-diplo.de | address= Santa Croce, 251| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5237675 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece| url= | email=grcon.ven@mfa.gr | address= Castello 4683/C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5237260| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania| url= | email=info@consolatodilituania.venezia.it | address=Santa Croce, 764 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5241131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg| url= | email=conslux@fastwebnet.it | address=Castello, 5312 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5222047| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malta}} {{listing | name=Malta| url= | email=maltaconsul.venice@gov.mt | address=Piazzale l.da Vinci, 8, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 3969100| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico| url= | email=consuladodemexico.venecia@service.net | address=Santa Marta , Fabbricato, 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2712642| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco| url= | email=consmonaco.venise@tin.it | address= San Polo. 747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223772| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands| url= | email=cons.paesibassi.ve@libero.it | address=San Marco, 2888 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5283416| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway| url= | email=consolato.norvegia.ve@longanesicattani.it | address= Santa Croce, 466/b| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5231345| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal| url= | email=perchidoni@yahoo.it | address= San Marco, 1747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223446| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia| url= | email= | address= San Marco, 4718/a| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 04 12418879| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain| url= | email= | address= San Polo, 2646| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5233254| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden| url= http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/Rome/Contact/Embassy--Consulates/#Venice| email=consolato.svezia.venezia@gmail.com | address= Sestiere Cannaregio 166| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225489 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland| url= https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/italy/en/home/representations/honorary-consulates/consulate-venice.html| email=venezia@honrep.ch | address= Dorsoduro, 810| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5225996| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey| url= | email=consolatoturchia@bassani.it | address=Santa Marta, Fabbricato 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230707 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States| url=https://it.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/milan/consular-agency-venice/ | email=USCitizensVenice@state.gov | address=Venice Marco Polo Airport, Via Galileo Galilei, 30 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5415944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} === Post offices === * Venezia Centro: San Marco. Sottoportico delle Acque 5016 * Venezia 1: Cannaregio, Lista di Spagna 233 * Venezia 3: San Polo, Campo San Polo 2012 * Venezia 4: San Marco, Calle Larga de l'Ascension 1241 * Venezia 5: Castello, Calle Barbaria delle Tole 6674 * Venezia 8: Giudecca, Fondamenta Sant'Eufemia * Venezia 9: Castello, Via Garibaldi 1641 * Venezia 10: Dorsoduro, Zattere Fondamenta al Ponte Longo 1507 * Venezia 11: Sant'Elena, Viale 4 Novembre 23/24 * Venezia 12: Santa Croce, Fondamenta Santa Chiara 411 * Venezia 13: Cannaregio, Calle dele Cooperative snc * Murano: Fondamenta Navagero 48 * Burano: Fondamenta Terranova 162 * Lido di Venezia: Via Doge Domenico Michiel 1 * Malamocco: Campo Chiesa 1 == Go next == [[Metropolitan Venice]] has many interesting destinations far from the Venetian crowds. Around the Venetian lagoon are other smaller islands, which have since been deserted but are worth a visit. There is also the Lido, which is a long narrow island with more modern buildings, hosting a youth hostel and a hotel. * [[Burano]] — Island famous for lace, textiles and colorfully painted houses. * [[Lido]] — The island of tranquility, a beach district 10 minutes by boat from San Marco, and where the Venice movie festival is held. * [[Mestre]] — Town in the mainland, but still a part of Venice. * [[Murano]] — Nearby island famous for its glassware. * [[San Lazzaro]] — Nearby island with Armenian monastery and impressive art collection, some world class pieces. * [[Torcello]] — Nearby island with a 7th-century basilica church and an archeological museum. * Riviera del Brenta &mdash; Palladian villas around Brenta River, 20 minutes from Venice by car, or you can get there via biking tours with a local bike hire shop. * [[Lake Garda]] — An easy day trip by train, it is Italy's largest lake and stunning in scenery. * [[Po Delta]] — Peaceful and scenic marshy area southwest of Venice with bike trails. * [[Eraclea]] — Typical for its pinewood and Laguna del Mort, 55 minutes from Venice by car or by boat. * [[Jesolo]] — Jesolo is one of the most important beaches in Italy, just 45 minutes from Venice by car or by boat (ferry from Treporti to Venice). * [[Padua]] (It. Padova) — 40&nbsp;km west of Venice, home to the Basilica of St. Anthony, the Scrovegni Chapel, and the oldest Botanical Gardens in the world, among others. * [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] — Lovely alpine town, site of 1956 Winter Olympic Games. Great mountain scenery, might be very expensive. A couple of hours of car ride to the north of Venice, more than 3 hours by train and bus. {{Related|Venice with children}} {{Related|Ferries_in_the_Mediterranean}} {{IsPartOf|Metropolitan Venice}} {{Geo|45.4386111|12.3266667|zoom=13}} {{Guidecity}} nsmb88ckvcjhmhz3tv67orpqgeq6ryc 4501583 4501582 2022-08-15T13:15:04Z Jonte-- 38175 /* Drink */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|disambig=yes|unesco=yes|Venice new banner.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{Style|Now we have [[Venice/Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce]], [[Venice/Castello]] and [[Venice/San Marco]] (and also [[Venice/Lido]] and [[Venice/Murano]]), we should format this main article as a "huge city article". }} '''[http://english.comune.venezia.it Venice]''' ([[Italian phrasebook|Italian]]: ''Venezia''; Venetian: ''Venexia'') is a sanctuary on a lagoon that is virtually the same as it was 600 years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and suffers from overtourism, but the romantic charm remains. It is also known as the birthplace of composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi. Venice and its lagoon are a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. It used to be an independent republic, and remains one of Italy's most important cities, with a quarter million inhabitants. ==Districts== {{mapframe|show=districtmap|name=Map of Venice's six historic ''sestieri'' (districts)}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52423,Q844263|fill=#487db8|title=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52425,Q2118904|fill=#b569b5|title=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52422,Q52435|fill=#6e73e2|title=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52429|fill=#7ad88d|title=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52428,Q1758658|fill=#e7ef5d|title=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52427,Q126327|fill=#de725d|title=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]]}} {{regionlist | region1name=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]] | region1color=#de725d | region1description=Sharpen your elbows and get to stepping. '''St Mark's Basilica''', '''Doge's Palace''', and half a dozen other top sights are crammed in to '''Piazza San Marco'''. If you'd like a good picture (or even a place to sit!) try visiting at dawn, or during the winter months. | region2name=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]] | region2color=#7ad88d | region2description=One of the oldest parts of the city&mdash;and featuring the '''Rialto Bridge'''&mdash;one of it's most visited. Several museums and churches hold dozens of antiquities and artistic masterworks. | region3name=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]] | region3color=#6e73e2 | region3description=Home to the '''Guggenheim''' and '''Gallerie Accademia Venezia''', some of the finest museums in Italy. This area also plays host to many students, so those seeking budget conscious amenities may have more luck here. | region4name=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]] | region4color=#b569b5 | region4description=Several captivating palaces, basilica, and museums all live within the "tail of the fish". On your walk from San Marco, pass by the '''Bridge of Sighs''' to catch a glimpse of a convicts last view. | region5name=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]] | region5color=#487db8 | region5description=A more residential neighborhood, the city's historic '''Jewish ghetto''' is found here as well as the nearby island of '''San Michele Cemetery'''. Receives fewer visitors than neighboring areas, although that's not saying much. | region6name=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] | region6color=#e7ef5d | region6description=Transit oriented Santa Croce is where Venetian visitors will arrive by bus, car or tram. The rail station is just across the Grand Canal in Cannaregio. The park and churches found here are lovely, while the museums cover mostly non-Italian work. }} Many visitors also pay a visit to '''[[Mestre]]''' (mainland Venice) and some of the neighboring islands during their stay. * '''[[Venice/Burano|Burano]]''' &mdash; Popular with artists and known for its many small, brightly painted houses. * '''[[Venice/Murano|Murano]]''' &mdash; Filled with quaint shops and restaurants, Murano is known far and wide for its high quality glass making. * '''[[Venice/Lido|Lido]]''' &mdash; Venice's long skinny beach, Lido offers a respite from more touristy and expensive areas. * '''[[Venice/Torcello|Torcello]]''' &mdash; Sparsely populated and accessible by ''vaporetto'', this island offers a unique window into Venetian life. == Understand == [[File:Venezia Campanile di San Marco 004.JPG|thumb|upright|Bell tower of Saint Mark]] === Orientation === [[Metropolitan Venice]] has nearly a million inhabitants, and includes coastal and inland towns such as [[Bibione]], [[Chioggia]] and [[Eraclea]]. The ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice lies at the coast of northern Italy. It is made up of many islands in the Venetian Lagoon and a stretch of ''terraferma'' (mainland). The comune is divided into six boroughs, the most famous of which (known as ''Venezia Insulare'') comprises the historic city of Venice as well as the islands of Giudecca, [[Venice/Murano|Murano]], [[Burano]], [[Torcello]], [[Mazzorbo]] and [[Sant'Erasmo]]. [[Lido]] and [[Mestre]] are other popular areas of the comune. The historic city is divided into six ''sestieri'' (districts): [[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Castello|Castello]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] and finally [[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]], where the main monuments and sights are. Each sestiere uses separate house numbers, however they are ''not'' allocated in a specific pattern. === History === {{See also|Medieval and Renaissance Italy}} The '''Most Serene Republic of Venice''' dates back to 827, when a Byzantine Duke moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years, it prospered on trade (especially from the [[Silk Road]]) and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the '''Doge'''. Eventually, the Republic of Venice grew into a powerful city-state, and the cradle of [[Medieval and Renaissance Italy|Italian renaissance]]. In the late 15th century, the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s expansion around the Mediterranean, new routes on the high seas shifted commerce to the Atlantic, demoting Venice's political status. The city remains a centre for the arts. One of the significant events in the history of Venice was the opening of the first public opera house in 1637, which allowed members of the general public (those who could afford to pay for the tickets) to enjoy what was once court entertainment reserved for the aristocracy, thus allowing the genre of opera to flourish. Venice was an important destination of the [[Grand Tour]] from the 17th century. In 1797, the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which it never recovered. The city was soon absorbed into [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austria-Hungary]], then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but Venice is still a monument to the glory days of the Renaissance, and historical culture still throbs powerfully in the old Italians' veins. === Climate === {{Weather box | metric first=y | single line=y | Jan high C = 6.6 | Feb high C = 9.6 | Mar high C = 14.5 | Apr high C = 20.1 | May high C = 23.5 | Jun high C = 25.9 | Jul high C = 27.7 | Aug high C = 27.5 | Sep high C = 24.4 | Oct high C = 20.0 | Nov high C = 12.6 | Dec high C = 7.4 | year high C = 17.2 | Jan mean C = 3.3 | Feb mean C = 4.7 | Mar mean C = 8.3 | Apr mean C = 12.0 | May mean C = 17.1 | Jun mean C = 20.5 | Jul mean C = 23.0 | Aug mean C = 22.6 | Sep mean C = 18.9 | Oct mean C = 13.8 | Nov mean C = 7.8 | Dec mean C = 4.0 | year mean C = 13.0 | Jan low C = −0.1 | Feb low C = 0.8 | Mar low C = 5.1 | Apr low C = 9.8 | May low C = 13.7 | Jun low C = 16.1 | Jul low C = 18.3 | Aug low C = 17.7 | Sep low C = 14.3 | Oct low C = 9.6 | Nov low C = 4.0 | Dec low C = 0.6 | year low C = 8.8 | Jan precipitation mm = 47.0 | Feb precipitation mm = 48.3 | Mar precipitation mm = 48.8 | Apr precipitation mm = 70.0 | May precipitation mm = 66.0 | Jun precipitation mm = 78.0 | Jul precipitation mm = 63.9 | Aug precipitation mm = 64.8 | Sep precipitation mm = 72.0 | Oct precipitation mm = 73.5 | Nov precipitation mm = 65.5 | Dec precipitation mm = 50.6 | year precipitation mm = 748.4 | Jan humidity = 81 | Feb humidity = 77 | Mar humidity = 75 | Apr humidity = 75 | May humidity = 73 | Jun humidity = 74 | Jul humidity = 71 | Aug humidity = 72 | Sep humidity = 75 | Oct humidity = 77 | Nov humidity = 79 | Dec humidity = 81 | year humidity = 75.8 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 6.0 | Feb precipitation days = 5.2 | Mar precipitation days = 5.7 | Apr precipitation days = 8.3 | May precipitation days = 8.2 | Jun precipitation days = 8.6 | Jul precipitation days = 5.9 | Aug precipitation days = 6.1 | Sep precipitation days = 5.9 | Oct precipitation days = 6.7 | Nov precipitation days = 5.8 | Dec precipitation days = 5.9 | Jan sun = 80.6 | Feb sun = 107.4 | Mar sun = 142.6 | Apr sun = 174.0 | May sun = 229.4 | Jun sun = 243.0 | Jul sun = 288.3 | Aug sun = 257.3 | Sep sun = 198.0 | Oct sun = 151.9 | Nov sun = 87.0 | Dec sun = 77.5 | year sun = 2037.0 | source 1 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClim2/pdf/(105)Venezia%20Tessera.pdf MeteoAM (sun and humidity 1961–1990) Venezia/Tessera] | source 2 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/viewClino.php?type=File&station=105&name_station=Venezia%20Tessera MeteoAM Tabella CLINO] | date = April 2014 }} Venice has a humid-subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. For those who don't enjoy the heat, July and August may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot and often humid, there are mosquitoes and occasional infestations of flies, and there are a ''lot'' of tourists and large crowds. Mid to late spring and early to mid autumn are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 10-25°C) and the tourist load. Between November and January, you may manage to feel you have Venice all to yourself, an interesting experience. Beware of the weather during the winter months: it can be quite chilly, windy, and damp. Fog is an additional hazard if you are driving in or out, doubly so in the unlikely chance that you will pilot a boat. But if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer. Although Venice has no cars, diesel motors used by boats contribute to less than stellar air quality. '''''Acqua alta''''' (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The lagoon water level occasionally rises above the level of the squares and streets, flooding them. This can happen several times a year, at irregular intervals, usually in the colder months. ''Acqua alta'' usually lasts a few hours and coincides with high tide. You'll see raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when ''acqua alta'' hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound to warn residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italian, tune into news programs since their predictions of the times the flood begins and ends are usually accurate. Normally, the tide rises and falls in six-hour cycles. You can get an ''acqua alta'' map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Mark's Square. This will show you the higher, dry routes and the ones with walkways set up during the various flood alerts. There is a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers, and a noticeboard at the base of the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco that shows a live tide reading and predictions for the next few days. == Get in == {{Mapframe|name=Important transfer points|show=go}} Water plays a crucial role in transportation, as Venice is on a lagoon. Whichever way you arrive the last part of your journey will be on foot from the nearest waterbus/watertaxi jetty. Bear this in mind when choosing your hotel location and route to it, especially if you need to carry or wheel bags along the narrow streets. Do note a lot of the higher priced hotels will offer complementary water boat transfers from the airport. === By plane === The Marco Polo Airport and the Treviso Airport serve the city. If no flight suites you, check flying to nearby '''[[Bologna#By_plane|Bologna]]''' or '''[[Verona#By_plane|Verona]]'''. From both cities trains and buses depart to Venice. ==== Marco Polo Airport ==== {{Listing | type = go | name = Marco Polo Airport | alt = {{IATA|VCE}} | url = http://www.veniceairport.it | email = | address = | lat = 45.50528 | long = 12.35194 | directions = on the mainland near [[Mestre]] (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure) | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | wikipedia= Venice Marco Polo Airport | wikidata = Q849347 | image = Aeroporto di Venezia - vue aerienne.jpg | lastedit = 2019-08-21 | content = This is the closest commercial airport. }} There are direct flights to and from [[Amsterdam Schiphol]], [[Atlanta Airport]], [[Barcelona El Prat]], Basel, Belfast, Berlin, Bilbao, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Brussels, Casablanca, Chisinau, Cologne-Bonn, [[Copenhagen Airport]], Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, [[Frankfurt Airport]], Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Istanbul, Leeds, Le Havre, Lille, Lisbon, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Mars Alam, Marseilles, Metz, Montreal, Moscow, [[Munich Airport]], Mykonos, Nantes, New York. Newcastle, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague Pristina, Riga, Southend, Saint Petersburg, Sharm el-Sheik, Stuttgart, Timisoara, Tirana, Toronto, Toulouse, Tunis, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich as well as domestic flights to and from Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, and Rome. As of April 2022 the airport wifi service is free, with caveats: you get 30 min without registration, and a few hours with registration. This is useful if you need access to online vaccination passports. '''[http://www.atvo.it ATVO]''' operates airport shuttle '''expressbus 35''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' between 04:20 and 23:30 every day and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' between 05:20 to 00:50 every day. The trip on a coach bus with luggage stowed underneath takes about 20 minutes. ATVO ticket price is €8 one-way and €15 return, luggage included. Tickets can be bought at the airport from the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall, at the ATVO ticket counter in the arrival hall (open from 08:00 to 23:45, {{Phone|+39 042 1594672}}) and from the automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the airport on the ATVO departure platform. In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to San Marco Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St. Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre, tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/urban-lines-0 ACTV]''' operates urban '''aerobus 5''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' on weekdays between 04:35 and 00:40 and during weekends between 05:40 and 00:40 and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' on weekdays between 04:08 and 01:10 and during weekends between 04:08 and 01:10. The trip in a city bus takes about 23 minutes. ACTV ticket price for a 75-minute trip with water buses (vaporetti) and land buses starting and/or ending at Marco Polo Airport is €8 one-way and €15 return. One piece of hand luggage is included in the price. If you are willing to walk 1 km to save a few coins, walk to the Triestina Tessera stop and catch the same bus 5 (or some other routes) for €6. If you have a Venezia Unica card (see local transport), you can ride from that stop for €1.50. '''[http://www.alilaguna.it/en Alilaguna]''' operates three '''water bus''' lines from the airport. Such a direct water bus from the airport may be more convenient than taking the bus to the bus station and then changing to the local water bus. To reach the boat jetty, turn left on leaving the terminal and walk 10 minutes along the covered walkway. * '''Blue line (linea blu)''' runs from the airport to the Cruise Terminal (Terminal Crociere) via Murano, Fondamente Nove, Ospedale, Bacini, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zitelle, Zattere, and Giudecca Stucky. Boats leave from the airport every hour from 06:10 to 08:10 and from 20:15 to 00:15 and every 30 minutes between 08:45 and 20:15, boats leave from the Cruise Terminal every 30 minutes from 07:50 to 17:20. The boat trip from the airport to the city center (San Marco) takes about 90 min. This trip is very long and boring, so bring something to do. The trip from the airport to Murano takes 30 min. * '''Orange line (linea arancio)''' connects the airport with Giglio via Madonna dell'Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, San Angelo and Ca' Rezzonico. Boats leave from the airport every 30 mins from 08:00 to 19:00. Boats leaving later in the evening go to Fondamenta Nove or San Marco only. Boats leave from Giglio from every 30 minutes from 6:48 to 19:48, later boats leave from San Marco only. * '''Red line (Linea Rossa)''' goes from the airport to Giudecca Zitelle via Murano Museo, Certosa, Lido, and San Marco. This is a seasonal service and only operates between April and November. Boats leave the airport every hour from 10:30 to 18:30 and San Marco every hour from 9:05 to 19:05. The ticket price from the airport to Lido, Venice, or Cruise Terminal is €15 one way (€8 IMOB smart card) and €27 return. Airport to Murano costs €8 one way (€4 IMOB) and €15 return. There are also tourist tickets which are valid for 24 hours (€30), and for 72 hours (€65). All tickets can be purchased online. The water bus services from the airport are operated by a different company (Alilaguna) than the other public water bus services in Venice, so separate tickets will be required. From the same jetty, you can travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy '''water-taxis''' (30 min) for about €110. ==== Treviso Airport ==== The '''[http://trevisoairport.it/ Treviso Airport]''' ({{IATA|TSF}}), located 25&nbsp;km (16&nbsp;mi) from Venice near [[Treviso]], is relatively smaller but becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for Ryanair, Wizzair, and Transavia budget flights. There are flights to Treviso Airport from Bucharest, Charleroi, Chisinau, Cluj, Dublin, East Midlands, Eindhoven, Iasi, L'viv, Malta, Moscow, Paris Beauvais, Prague, Stockholm, Timisoara and Valencia. There are domestic flights from Alghero, Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme and Palermo. Flights to and from Treviso Airport are operated by [http://www.laudamotion.com/ Lauda], [http://www.pobeda.aero Pobeda], [http://www.ryanair.com Ryanair] +39 895 8958989, [http://www.wizzair.com Wizz Air] +39 895 895 3322. The airport runs over-capacity with seating and facilities, and the security line can sometimes be very long during peak travel times. If you arrive at the airport and the line is moving too slowly, you can purchase local fast track service at '''[https://www.ufirst.com/en/doors/door-015659eb-2683-46ba-82ca-c18d7490b57f/service-d78a5c7d-c641-4072-8622-0b351fcf8db7 UFirst.com]''' for €10. This is official but poorly advertised at the airport. There is no express passport control if departing the Schengen area. '''[http://www.atvo.it/index.php?lingua=en&area=menustandard&idpadre=23&idmenu=36 ATVO]''' operates buses from Venice to Treviso Airport daily at 05:30, 07:10, 10:30, and 18:30 and from Treviso Airport to Venice daily at 07:45, 08:15, 13:10 and 21:20 plus others not connecting to the flights to and from Treviso Airport. Flights arriving earlier or later than scheduled may affect the departure from the airport. If flights are cancelled the bus service will be suspended. The bus has two stops in Mestre, one in Corso del Popolo in front of BNP Bank in the historic center and the other one near the railway station and the journey takes about 55 min. The bus stop in Venice is at Piazzale Roma and the journey takes about 70 min. Ticket prices are €12 one-way and €22 return (valid 7 days) and have to be validated before boarding the bus. Tickets can be bought at Treviso Airport at the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall or at the ATVO ticket office in the arrivals hall, operating from 07:30 to 22:30 ({{Phone|+39 422 315 381}}). In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to Treviso Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St.Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. There is free Wi-Fi on the buses. '''[http://www.barziservice.com/en/services/airport/ Barzi Bus Service]''' offers a bus service via the motorway from the airport to Mestre train station (about 30 min trip) and Venice Tronchetto (about 40 min trip). Ticket prices are €12 one way and €22 return (valid 10 days). Tickets can be bought at their desk in the arrival hall ({{Phone|+39 348 836 71 85}}), or on the bus. Tickets bought on Ryanair flights are ''not'' valid for this service. Barzi Bus brings you to Tronchetto, from there you can take vaporetto line 2 to the city center. If you'd rather avoid the highway traffic and don't have bulky luggage, take the local '''[http://www.mobilitadimarca.it/p/linee-e-orari/servizio-urbano/urbano-treviso Mobilita di Marca bus no. 6]''' for €1.30 (€2.50 if bought on board). It will deposit you at the Treviso train station in about 10 minutes. There are 2-3 departures hourly from the airport between 06:00 to 22:00. Then it's about 30 minutes on Regionale or Regionale Veloce train to Venezia Santa Lucia (also 2-3 departures per hour). The ticket price is €3.40 for the train. ==== San Nicolo Airport ==== The '''San Nicolo Airport''' (ICAO: LIPV, no IATA code) is an airfield directly on the Lido. It handles only small aircraft, as the runway (grass) is about 1&nbsp;km long, and does not have any scheduled flights, but might be of interest to private pilots (arrivals from [[Schengen Agreement]] states only) due to its convenience to the city (it is a short walk to the vaporetto landing). === By train === [[File:Lion of Venice, Piazzetta San Marco.jpg|thumb|300px|A winged lion, the symbol of San Marco]] Venice is well-connected with the domestic train network, [[Rome]] and [[Milan]] are only a few hours away. Also there are some night trains from cities in southern Italy, though since 2012 most services have been canceled. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to [[Trieste]] leave from Venezia Mestre at 10:24, 19:45 and 21:59 and the trip takes about 1 hr 35 min. Regionale Veloce (Fast Regional) trains leave from Santa Lucia station at 09:11, 9:48, 12:09, 13:09, every hour from 14:11 to 18:11, at 19:35, the trip taking about 2 hr 5 min. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to Milan leave Santa Lucia station at 05:20, 06:20, 06:50, 07:50, 08:50, 10:50, 12:50, 13:20, 14:20, 14:50, 15:20, 16:20, 17:20, 18:20 and 19:50, duration of the trip is about 2 hr 35 min. There are Freccia Argento (Silver Arrow) trains to Rome leaving Santa Lucia at 10:25, 13:25, 15:25 and 18:25, via [[Bologna]] and [[Florence]] arriving in Rome 3 hr 50 min later, and an Intercity Night train leaving Santa Lucia at 00:07, arriving in Rome at 06:35 next morning. [http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx Iitalo] offers train services from Santa Lucia to Rome at 07:55, 09:55, 12:55 and 18:55, arriving Romea Ostiense at 11:50, 13:50, 16:50 and 22:50, and at 15:55 arriving at Roma Tiburtina at 19:30. Direct trains to Venice are available from many international destinations, there are [[sleeper trains]] from [[Munich]] and [[Vienna]] operated by ÖBB as part of their [http://www.nightjet.at Nightjet] brand. and also a weekly long-distance night train (four nights) from [[Moscow]] via [[Kyiv]], [[Budapest]] and [[Zagreb]]. There's also a sleeper service from Paris operating under the [https://www.thello.com/en/ Thello] brand. * Nightjet trains to Munich depart Santa Lucia at 21:04 and arrive in Munich at 06:10. The train from Munich leaves at 23:20 to reach Santa Lucia at 08:24. * Trains to Vienna depart at 21:04 and arrive in Vienna at 07:55 next morning. The other way departs Vienna at 21:27, arriving at 08:24 in Santa Lucia. * The Thello sleeper leaves Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:15 and arrives in Santa Lucia at 09:35. The reverse trajectory departs Venice at 19:20, arriving in Paris at 09:37. Also, Venice is the terminus for the luxurious '''[https://www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express Venice Simplon Orient-Express]''', a historical train that still make the overnight journey from [[London]] and Paris in original 1920s coaches. There are departures at least once a week between March and November. As one of the most sumptuous journeys in the world, the trip is expectedly ''very'' expensive, starting at €2,900. Trains from the mainland run through [[Mestre]] on the mainland to the terminus Venezia Santa Lucia railway station on the west side of Venice; make sure you don't get it confused with the two stations on the mainland before the bridge. Many through trains only stop in Mestre, in that case just hop on to one of the very frequent trains to Santa Lucia (ticket €1.25). Also, ACTV has a ticket office at Mestre station, and queues might be shorter here. From the Santa Lucia station district, water buses (''vaporetti'') or water taxis can take you to hotels or other locations on the islands, but walking is usually the best option. * {{go | name=Venezia Santa Lucia railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia | url=https://www.instazione.shop/venezia-santa-lucia | email= | address=Fondamenta Santa Lucia | lat= | long= | directions=Northern edge of Cannaregio district | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q801567 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=The main terminus station located in proper Venice. The strikingly modern building was built in 1934. Stepping out from the station you are immediately met with views of the canals and historic Venice. The station itself has plenty of amenities, including lounges for holders of first-class tickets. There's a left luggage facility next to the track on the north side of the station (to the right when facing the tracks). Price is €6 per piece for the first six hours. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Mestre railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Mestre | url= | email= | address=Piazzale Pietro Favretti | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q520844 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Main station on the mainland, many through trains only call here. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Porto Marghera railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Porto Marghera | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3971261 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Smaller station on the mainland, only local services call here. }} === By car === Distances to Venice: Rome 540 km, Milan 279 km, Padua 60 km, Vicenza 75 km, Udine 125 km Cars arrive on the far western edge of Venice, but remain parked at the entrance to the city (Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, which is Europe's largest car park.) There are no roads past this point, and never were, even before cars. ==== Parking ==== Car parking is very very expensive here (€26/12 hr, €30/24 hr) and the tailbacks can be quite large. Tronchetto is about a 1&nbsp;km from Piazzale Roma, the city's main entry point, but there is an shuttle train service, ''People Mover'', at €1.50. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Parking Tronchetto | alt= | url=http://www.veniceparking.it/find-parking/Venezia%20Tronchetto%20Parking/ | email=info-tronchettopark@interparking.com | address=Isola Nuova del Tronchetto | lat=45.4426 | long=12.3066 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207555 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5285750 | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Has 4,000 parking spaces (including 33 parking spaces for persons with special needs). Parking is open 24 hours throughout the year. Cars must not be higher than 2.10 m. Ticket price is €3 per hour for the first 2 hours, €5 per hour for the next 2 hours and €21 for the whole day. Most credit cards are accepted. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Autorimessa Comunale | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/autorimessa-comunale-city-parking-garage | email= | address=Piazzale Roma, Santa Croce 496 | lat=45.43881 | long=12.31714 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727302 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day of the year | price=€23.40 for cars thinner than 185cm online | content=Offers parking for more than 2000 cars and 300b motor-cycles on 6 floors. Cars must not exceed a height of 2.20 m. The ticket price is €26 for cars under 1.85 m and €29 for cars over 1.85 m. Online bookings at [http://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services?macrofamily=5&family=24 this website] get 10 percent discount. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/28_autocom_map_ita.pdf download a map] on how to reach the Autorimessa. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=S. Andrea Car Park | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/sandrea-car-park-0 | email= | address=Piazzale Roma | lat=45.43792 | long=12.31718 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day all the year round | price= | content=Inside the Autorimessa, accessible from Rio Terà S. Andrea, for short term parking. Cars must not be higher than 2 m. The ticket price is €7 for 2 hours. No advance reservation. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/261_city_park_map_eng.pdf download a map] how to reach the S. Andrea car park. }} '''An alternative''' is to use the car parks on the mainland (terra firma) and catch a train or bus or vaporetto into Venice. Park near the [[Mestre]] railway station, and catch a train to Venezia St Lucia; there are many trains, it is very near (8–10 minutes) and quite cheap (€1.20). Don't bother searching for free parking near Mestre train station - there are no free parking spots near, except on Sunday (free parking is on the other side of the station, in Marghera). Free and safe parkings are also near Mogliano Veneto and Oriago railway stations. Besides, Venezia St Lucia is a good starting point to visit Venice. However drivers going to the Lido can use the car ferry from Tronchetto (vaporetto 17, frequencies vary), right hand lane off the Ponte della Libertà into the city. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Ca' Marcello Car Park | alt= | url=http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/ca-marcello-car-park-0 | email= | address=via Ca' Marcello, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open every day from 06:00 to 24:00 | price= | content=Open air car park for 100 cars near the Mestre railway station. Ticket price €1 for 4 hours, €4 for the whole day (on week-days from 08:00 to 20:00 only). }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Terminal Fusina | alt= | url=http://www.terminalfusina.it/en/parking | email=fusina@terminalfusina.it | address=via Moranzani 79, Fusina | lat=45.42039 | long=12.25505 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5470160 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5479133 | hours= | price= | content=Offers parking for 300 coaches and 15,000 cars. It has direct access from A4 highway and Strada Statale Romea 309. Prices €12 for up to 12 hours, €15 for up to 24 hours (20 per cent discount for online bookings). Terminal Fusina offers 3 boat lines to Venice: }} ** Blue Line (Line Blu) runs from Fusina to Venice Zattere every hour from 08:00 to 19:00, also at 20:00 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:00 and 22:00 from Jun to Sept, travel time 25 minutes, return from Venice Zattere every hour from 08:30 to 19:30, also at 20:30 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:30 and 22:30 from Jun to Sept, ticket price one way €8, return €13 ** Red line (line Rossa) runs from Fusina to Alberoni on Venice Lido in winter M-F at 07:30, every day at 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30 and 17:30. travel time 35 minutes, return M-F 08:15, every day at 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15 and 18:45. Ticket price €7 one-way, €12 return. ** Yellow Line (Line gialla) runs from Zattere to Alberoni at 08:45, 10:45, 12:45, 16:15 and 18:15, return from Alberoni at 09:30, 11:45, 13:45, 17:00 and 19:00, tickets €7 one-way, €12 return. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Punta Sabbioni | alt= | url=http://www.acivenice.com | email=info@acivenice.com | address=Via Fausta, Cavallino Treporti | lat=45.44814 | long=12.42764 | directions= | phone=+39 0415301096 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=ACI operates a large car park for 100 buses and 400 cars at Punta Sabbioni. This is a convenient way to enter Venice from the seaside resorts Lido di Jesolo, Lignano or Bibione. Vaporetto line 12 brings you to Murano, Burano and Torcello, lines 14 and 15 to S. Zaccaria. }} ==== Car rental ==== Most of the major rental car companies have outlets at Piazzale Roma, at the edge of the city. These are on the ground floor of one of the major parking stations. When you are dropping off your car, you need to find street parking and then walk to the rental car outlet and hand in the keys. Do not park in the parking station. There is a vaporetto stop across the road from the parking station. === By bus === For '''bus''' services between Marco Polo airport (VCE) and the Piazzale Roma bus station in Venice, see the By Place section. The {{marker|type=go|name=Piazzale Roma bus station|url=|lat=45.4379|long=12.3189}} is well served by vaporetti and water-taxis ... and of course, you can walk everywhere. From [[Mestre]], you can take a bus to Venezia- Piazzale Roma. the ticket is €1.30 but if you buy it in the bus it will cost €2.50. You can buy bus tickets from specialized ticket kiosks and vending machines, as well as tobacconists and newsstands. All of the city is connected to Venice by bus. === By tram === There is a [http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/tram tram connection] from the mainland to Venice: Line T1 from Favaro to Piazzale Roma. One way/Single Ticket - 75 min €1.50. Ticket booklet - 10 tickets - 75 min €14. You can buy tram tickets from specialized ticket kiosks, vending machines, tobacconists and newsstands, and you can use the same ticket for buses and People Mover. === By boat === [[File:Venezia San Giorgio Maggiore R06.jpg|thumb|360px|View of San Giorgio, in front of Venice]] Ships arrive at the '''[http://www.vtp.it/ Stazione Marittima]''' which is at the west end of the main islands, it is served by vaporetti and water taxis. ''To Piazzale Roma'': take the '''People Mover''' operating every 3 minutes weekdays from 07:10 to 22:50, holidays from 08:10 to 21:50, price €1. ''To Santa Lucia Railway Station'' (distance 1 km): take the ''People Mover'' to Piazzale Roma, then walk or take the water taxi ({{Phone|+39 0412402711}}, {{Phone|+39 041716922}}, {{Phone|+39 0415222303}} or {{Phone|+39 0415229040}}). ''To Venezia Mestre Railway Station'' (distance {{Km|7}}) take a taxi (Radiotaxi: {{Phone|+39 041 5952080}}) or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and the bus line to Mestre. ''To Marco Polo Airport'' (distance {{Km|13}}) take a taxi (40 minutes trip), a water taxi or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and then ACTV bus no 6 or ATVO buses. === Porters === Cooperative Trasbagagli, {{Phone|+39 041 713719}} offers porter services at the following rates: 1 or 2 pieces €25 Venice City, €40 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €50 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €60 Murano. 3 or 4 pieces €35 Venice City, €50 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €60 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €80 Murano, 5 or 6 pieces €45 Venice City, €60 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €70 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €90 Murano. There are porter stations at Ferrovia {{Phone|+39 041 715272}}, Piazzale Roma {{Phone|+39 041 5223590}}, S.Marco Campo della Guerra {{Phone|+39 3478675491}}, S.Marco Calle Vallaresso {{Phone|+39 3465881508}}, S.Marco Bacino Orseolo {{Phone|+39 3282696025}}, S.Marco Sant'Angelo {{Phone|+39 3406382287}}, S.Zaccaria (Danieli) {{Phone|+39 3203385248}}, S.Zaccaria (Jolanda) {{Phone|+39 3495803239}} and Rialto (Imbarcadero Actv Rialto line 1 and 2) {{Phone|+39 3474348898}}. == Get around == Venice, the world's only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes this a particularly pleasant experience. However, walking and standing all day can also be exhausting, so it is best to pace yourself. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice - are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour, provided you don't get lost (a common occurrence). If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous '''vaporetti (water buses)''' and '''water taxis'''. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to use vaporetti than private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, take a gondola ride, although they tend to exist for more scenic purposes, rather than getting people from point A to point B. Be warned that GPS navigation services such as Google Maps are notoriously unreliable in Venice. The density of stone buildings makes it fairly difficult to receive a proper GPS satellite signal. Additionally, Venice's complex network of pathways and public transit is poorly documented, and even entire transit services such as the Orange vaporetti Route are undocumented on Google Maps. You can mitigate some of these navigation issues using the Live View function in Google Maps, which uses your camera to orient yourself relative to businesses and landmarks around you. === By public transport === '''[http://www.actv.it/en ACTV]''' runs the vaporetti and other public transport services in the lagoon and on land. * '''Line 1''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido, passing the Railway Station (Ferrovia), Canal Grande, Rialto, S.Marco and S.Zaccaria and vice versa, leaving Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 05:01 to 06:01 and from 22:21 to 23:41, every 10 minutes from 06:21 to 22:01, leaving Lido every 20 minutes from 04:16 to 05:36 and from 21:46 to 23:06, every 10 minutes from 5:56 to 21:26. Notice that this service can be ''very crowded'' during the day as it passes through many sights along the Grand Canal. * '''Line N''' is a night line, connecting Lido with Canal Grande, Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, Canale and vice versa. Boats leave Lido every 20 minutes from 23:26 to 04:06 and Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 00:09 to 04:49. * '''Line 2''' goes from S.Zaccaria over S.Giorgio, Giudecca, Zattere, Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, S.Marcuola, Rialto, S.Tomà, S.Samuele, Academia and S.Marco. Departure from S.Zaccaria every 20 minutes from 04:59 to 08:39 and from 20:49 to 23:09, every 10 minutes from 08:59 to 20:29. The route can be seen as a "C" running along the Grand Canal and Giudeca Canal, hugging the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro. * '''Line 4.1''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Arsenale, Giardini, S.Elena, S.Pietro di Castello, Bacini, Celestia, Ospedale. Fondamente Nove and Cimiterio and from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove, Orto, Sant’Alvise, Tre Archi, Gugle, Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, S.Marta, Palanca, Redentore and Zitelle. Boats leave Fondamente Nove to Murano (Museo) from 06:14 to 21:34 and from 21:42 to 23:22, from Murano (Museo) to Piazzale Roma from 06:32 to 19:32, from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 19:52 to 21:52 and from Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria from 06:18 to 20:18 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 4.2''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Zitelle, Redentore, Palanca, Sacca Fisola, S.Marta, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, Guglie, Crea, S.Alvise, Orto, Fondamente Nove and Cimitero, and return from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove. Ospedale, Celestia, Bacini, S.Elena, Giardini and Arsenale. Boats depart at San Zaccaria from 06:13 to 20:33, from Piazzale Roma to Fondamente Nove from 06:56 to 20:56, from Fondamente Nove to Murano from 06:23 to 21:23, from Murano (Museo) to San Zaccaria from 06:43 to 20:43, and from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 20:43 to 21:43 and from 22:07 to 23.47 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.1''' runs anti-clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma via S.Pietro, Bacini, Celetstia, Ospedale, Fondamente Nove, Orto, S.Alvise, Tre Archi, Guglie, Riva de Biasio and Ferrovia and from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, Zattere. S.Zaccaria, Giardini and S.Elenea. Boats leave from Lido from 06:20 to 20:20, from Fondamente Nove from 06:24 to 23:04, from Piazzale Roma from 06:08 to 23:48 and from S.Zaccaria from 06:38 to 00:08 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.2''' runs clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma and back to Lido. Boats leave Lido from 5.52 to 20.32 and from 20:42 to 00:22, from S.Zaccaria from 06:06 to 20:46 and from 20:56 to 00:36, from Piattale Roma from 0626 to 21:06 and from 21:16 to 23:16 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 6''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, S.Basilio, Zattere, Giardini and S.Elena. Boats leave Piazzale Roma from 06:19 to 20:29, and Lido from 05:42 to 20:02 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 9''' runs from Burano to Torcello, leaving Burno from 07:05 to 20:35 and Torcello from 06:40 to 20:10 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 10''' runs from Lido to San Marco Giardinetti via S.Elena, Giardini, Arsenale and S.Zaccaria and return from San Marco Giardinetti to Lido via S.Zaccaria. Boats from 18:01 to 20:21 and from San Marco Giardinetti from 17:39 to 20:21 every 10 minutes. * '''Line 12''' runs from Fondamente Nove to Punta Sabbioni via Murano Faro, Mazzorbo, (Torcello), Burano and Treporti and back. Boats leave Fondamente Nove from 07:10 to 19:40 and Punta Sabbioni from 07:56 to 20:26 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 14, 14L, 15''' runs from San Zaccaria Pieta to Punta Sabbioni via Lido and back. Boats leave S.Zaccaria Pietà from 08:15 to 20:15 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 23.45. Boats leave Punta Sabbioni from 08:30 to 17:00 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 00:20 Some boats do not stop at Lido. * '''Line 17''' is the Tronchetto to Lido (S.Nicoló) ferry. Ferry boats leave at Tronchetto at 00:10, 01:40, and from 06:40 to 23:20 every 50 minutes and Lido (S.Nicoló) at 00:55 and from 05:50 to 23:20 every 50 minutes. Additional services for all lines in the early morning. Information for all ACTV services at Hello Venezia {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}, daily 07:30 to 20:00. You can download a [http://www.veneziaunica.it/sites/default/files/redazione/linee_navigazione_ACTV_aprile2014.jpg map of Venice water buses] A '''single ticket''' (''biglietto solo andata'') costs €7.50, permitting the use of public transports for 75 minutes from the moment you validate the ticket including transfers heading in the same direction. If you board a boat without having bought a ticket, you have to buy one from the on-board collector. There are no return tickets. There are '''tourist travel cards''' (''biglietto turistico a tempo'') that cost €20 for 24 hours, €30 for 48 hours, €40 for 72 hours and €60 for 7 days. There are other versions available, including those offering discounts for youth under 29 year of age. [http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/movinginvenice Current rates can be found here]. Something you won't be told easily is that now anyone can purchase the '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/venezia-unica-city-pass-0 Venezia Unica City Pass]''' card (formerly '''IMOB''') - the only difference is that in addition to its €10 cost for residents, foreigners need to pay a €90 extra "transport activation" fee. Unless you are in town for a couple of days and planning never to return, do it. It's a durable plastic card with your (webcam) picture, and once you have it, you are more or less a local - which means access to €1.50 single vaporetto tickets (save even more by recharging the card with 10 at once for €14), half-price discount on Alilaguna services, and even €0.70 traghetto crossings (instead of €2; flash the card to the gondolier). It is valid for 5 years from the month of issue. Register at the Venezia Unica [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services site] and pre-fill the application online, then go to one of the [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/venezia-unica-agencies-and-venezia-unica-ticket-points ACTV offices] (not simply ticket points; probably the easiest location is at Piazzale Roma) and tell the clerk that you have a "contratto precompilato" - they'll pull it up, ask you to sign the privacy disclosures and issue the card on the spot (or you can fill the form at the counter; bear in mind it's in Italian). Moreover, if you happen to have a +39 Italian cell phone number, with it and your new Unica you can [http://www.cittadinanzadigitale.it/node/70 get a free code] for use of the communal WiFi spots. If you lose the card, do not despair: it costs only €10 to get an immediate replacement, and the balance (along with your old photograph) is automatically transferred over. The [http://veniceconnected.com Venice Connected] website of the Comune di Venezia (now integrated into Unica site) makes possible to book online (at least 7 days in advance) most services controlled by the town administration (public transportation, access to the civic museums, access to public restrooms, car park tickets, entrance to the Casinò and access to the municipal WiFi network covering the entire historic centre); the online prices vary according to the projected number of visitors but are always cheaper than the current on-site prices (and cheaper than with a Venice Card). You can also get a '''Venice Card''', which has various options that you can choose when you buy it (public transportation, cultural attractions, toilet access, Alilaguna, etc.) There is a 'Junior' version of the Venice that is available at a slightly reduced rate for those between 5 and 29 years of age. A Venice Card is not recommended for those with less than 3 days in Venice, as most of the top attractions are not included in the Venice Card. If you'll be staying in Venice for a week - get the Venice Card and enjoy travelling from island to island and exploring the various museums and churches it offers access to. Maps are available at the vaporetto stops in the ticket booths. The map is quite reliable, and is free when getting a Venice Card (€2 otherwise) can be [http://www.actv.it/sites/default/files/ultimamappa.pdf viewed] on Internet. Venice Cards can be [http://www.hellovenezia.com/index.php?lang=en reserved on-line] {{dead link|December 2020}} for a considerable discount. There are long lines when taking the Venice Card from the ticket booths. The Venezia St. Lucia ticket booth that offers Venice Cards is the one most on the right when you exit the train station. === By foot === [[File:Target in venice.JPG|thumb|Directions are all over the city]] Otherwise, '''take a walk'''! The city is not that big, and you can walk from one end to the other in a few hours (if you stick to the paths conveniently marked with arrows in the direction of major landmarks). But it would take months for a fit person to discover every path in the city. Make sure to visit some of the smaller alleyways, as they can be very interesting. Along the way you will discover marvelous art, superb architecture and breathtaking urban landscaping. Exploring the city randomly by walking is well worth it but also be prepared to get lost easily! Signs all over the city indicate the direction to the main attractions, "Rialto" and "San Marco", as well as the way back to the train station ("ferrovia") and the bus terminal ("Piazzale Roma"). These signs make it easy to have the "get lost experience" even as a one-day tourist. For a faster and safer walk, you should walk on the right side. Be aware that addresses in Venice are of the form "District Number" (the Venetian word for district is "Sestiere"), not "Street Number". To find a specific place using a map, make sure you know which district it is in. The numbers are assigned at the start of the district and increase as they move farther away from the Grand Canal. === By water taxi === [[File:View of the Grand Canal from Rialto to Ca'Foscari.jpg|thumb|360px|right|Grand Canal from Rialto to SW]] Water taxis (''taxi acquei'') are operated by Coop. San Marco ({{Phone|+39 041 5222303}}), Coop. Veneziana ({{Phone|+39 041 716124}}), Coop. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5221265}} or {{Phone|+39 041 5229538}}), Soc. Narduzzi Solemar ({{Phone|+39 041 5200838}}), Soc. Marco Polo ({{Phone|+39 041 966170}}), Soc. Sotoriva ({{Phone|+39 041 5209586}}), Soc. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5228538}}) and Venezia Taxis ({{Phone|+39 041 723009}}). There are water taxi ranks at Ferrovia (Railway Station) ({{Phone|+39 041716286}}), Piazzale Roma (S.Chiara) ({{Phone|+39 041716922}}), Rialto ({{Phone|+39 041723112}}), Lido ({{Phone|+39 0414222303}}) and at Marco Polo Airport ({{Phone|+39 0415415084}}). In the historic city centre there is a fixed tariff for water taxis of €15 at departure plus €2 per minute on urban routes. There are supplements of €5 for call services and customer pick-up outside the taxi ranks, of €10 for night services between 22:00 and 06:00, of €3 pieces of luggage exceeding 4 pieces and of €5 or €10 for every person exceeding a group of 4. Rates are fixed by a [http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/19521 resolution] of the Venice City Council. A water taxi service for persons with special needs is available at {{Phone|+39 041 2747332}} or directly through the website [http://www.booktaxivenice.com Book Taxi Venice]. === By taxi === 'Normal' taxis can be called from Radio Taxi ({{Phone|+39 041 936137}}). There are taxi ranks at ''Piazzale Roma'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5237774}}) and ''Lido'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5265974}}). === By Traghetto === There are small gondola ferries crossing the Canal Grande at * ''S.Sofia'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:45 to 19:00 * ''Carbon (Rialto)'', 7 to 12.30, week-days only * ''S.Tomá'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:30 to 19:30 * ''San Barnaba'', 07:45 to 12:30, week-days only * ''S.Maria del Giglio'', 09:00 to 18:00 daily * ''Dogana'', 09:00 to 14:00 daily Ticket price €2 one way, €0.70 for Venice residents and IMOB card holders. === By tour === '''[http://www.alilaguna.it Alilaguna Green line (linea verde)]''' Alilaguna, {{Phone|+39 041 5235775}}, operates a 4 hours excursion tour to the island of [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and [[Torcello]] with explanations in English, French, German and Spanish. Departure from imbarcadero San Marco Giardinetti, Minimum 4 participants. Boat starts in Apr, May and Oct at 09:30, 11:00 and 14:30, from Jun to Sept at 09:30, 11:00, 14:30 and 15:30, from Nov to Mar at 11:00 and 14:00. Ticket price €20 (free for holders of Alilaguna 72 hrs pass). == See == {{movetodistrict}} {{infobox|Children's view of Venice|Venice offers plenty for people of all ages to enjoy. See [[Venice with children]] for tips for making your visit with children a bit easier.}} {{Mapframe|45.4332|12.3354|zoom=13}} * {{see | name=Doge's Palace | alt=Palazzo Ducale | url=http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 1 | lat=45.4337 | long=12.3404 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 2715911 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov to Mar 08:30 to 17:30, Apr to Oct 08:30 to 19:00, closed Jan 1 and Dec 25 | price=Adults €20, reduced €14 | wikipedia=Doge's Palace | wikidata=Q189883 | content=Don't miss the guided tour named ''Secret Itinerary'', which will let you discover the part of the palace where the city's administration worked, as well as Casanova's jail and the wonderful five hundred year old roof structure. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Bell tower of St. Mark | alt=Campanile di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/campanile/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.43404 | long=12.33905 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5224064 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 09:30-15:45; Apr-Jun, Oct: 09:00-19:00; Jul-Aug: 09:00-21:00 | price=€8 | wikipedia=St Mark's Campanile | wikidata=Q754194 | content=The current tower dates from 1912; an exact replica of the previous tower which collapsed in 1902. The top of the tower offers great views of Venice and the lagoon. }} * {{see | name=Clock tower | alt=Torre dell'Orologio | url=http://torreorologio.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.4347 | long=12.3389 | directions=vaporetto lines 1-2-5, 1.5.2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5209070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €12, reduced €7 | wikipedia=St Mark's Clocktower | wikidata=Q966625 | content=Having been closed for restoration for many years, the restored astronomical clock is now visible. The fascinating tour of the clock mechanism (and rooftop bell) can only be visited on a guided tour, in English: Mon-Wed at 10:00 and 11:00, on other days at 14:00 and 15:00, in French Mon-Wed at 14:00 and 15:00, advance reservation required online or by phone at +39 041 5209070. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org/home-en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3052 | lat=45.43653 | long=12.32532 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Tomà, near the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | phone=+39 041 5234864 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:30-17:30, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, Easter Sunday | price=Adult €10, concessions €8 | wikipedia=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | wikidata=Q1270723 | content=A masterpiece of Tintoretto, this guild house is an exquisite example of Mannerist art at its best. In order to allow a comfortable admiration of the detailed ceiling, mirrors are offered to the visitors. Cycles of allegories, life and passion of Christ, scenes from the Old and New Testament. }} * {{see | name=Jewish Ghetto of Venice | alt=Ghetto Ebraico di Venezia | url=http://ghetto.it/ | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.4452 | long=12.3263 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=While racial and ethnic neighborhoods had existed prior to the Venetian Ghetto, Venice's ghetto was the first "ghetto" (coming from a Venetian word for the Iron Foundry that was on the site previously) and "ghetto" eventually came to mean any neighborhood that was made up of a single ethnic/racial group. Today, Jewish life is still very active in the ghetto, and elsewhere in Venice, and is home to five synagogues. Visiting on Saturdays or late Fridays (the Jewish Sabbath) will prove very fruitless because all shops, restaurants, and other Jewish places will be closed. }} * {{see | name=Ponte di Rialto | alt=Rialto Bridge | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.43805 | long=12.33592 | directions=connecting sestieri San Polo and San Marco across Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rialto Bridge | wikidata=Q52505 | content=The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years. Today's Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. }} * {{see | name=Zattere | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dorsoduro | lat=45.4295 | long=12.3264 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It's a long and sunny walk along the Giudecca canal, protected during winter time from cold northerly winds for being exposed to south and shielded by buildings. You might find interesting to see how a gondola is made, stopping by the '''Squero''' (Venetian for small ship yard) across the canal near San Trovaso Church. It's one of the few still in business in town. With some luck, you'll see some gondole through various manufacturing steps (note that gondole are not straight to counterbalance the gondoliere push). }} === Churches === [[File:Venezia (201710) jm55888.jpg|thumb|420px|The Basilica of San Marco]] A lot of churches will charge an entry fee. This is true of the ''Basilica di San Marco''. There is a "Chorus Pass" for entry into some churches, but be aware there is a limited selection of churches this applies to. If you plan to visit three churches or more, you are better off buying the churches pass. There is also a combined pass for museums, churches and transportation only available at the tourist information office but it is relatively expensive. *{{see | name=Saint Mark's Basilica | alt=Basilica di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco 328 | lat=45.43453 | long=12.33969 | directions=water lines #1, 52, and 82 will take you from Santa Lucia (the train station) or Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco. Walking is another option but will require a map and lots of time and energy | phone=+39 041 5225205 (procuratorial phone number) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1 Oct-31 Mar: 09:45-16:45; 1 Apr-30 Sep: 09:45-17:00 | price=As of April 2022 there is a small charge for admission to the basilica. Do note there are extra charges for the high altar and the museum. The museum entry is worth paying for as it allows you access to the balcony overlooking the Piazza San Marco; do note that museum access may be difficult if you have mobility issues. | wikidata=Q172988| wikipedia=St Mark's Basilica |lastedit=2021-11-15| content=Saint Mark's Basilica is on the Piazza San Marco and is one of the highlights of a visit to Venice. As with most churches in Italy, you must be dressed appropriately to be allowed in; this means no short skirts or bare shoulders. You are not allowed to carry large bags or rucksacks inside, sometimes even small daypacks may need to be deposited. Storage is available just around the corner from the main entrance (free of charge). Filming and photography is forbidden so be prepared in advance. The visit within the basilica lasts ten minutes. Waiting for entry into the basilica can last up to five or so hours and it may be wise to use a ticket service to reserve your visit (reservation costs €3). Once you have a reservation you can take the group entrance on the left, where you hand in the printout of your reservation. }} * {{see | name=San Giacomo di Rialto | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo | lat=45.43851 | long=12.33547 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Giacomo di Rialto | wikidata=Q922677 | content=This church, built around 421, is possibly the oldest in Venice. It is most recognized for its 15th-century clock above the entrance. It is also recognized for the red pillars and beautiful gold accents around the church. }} * {{see | name=San Giovanni e Paolo | alt=San Zanipolo | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43927 | long=12.34218 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155225| wikipedia=Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice | content=A fine, huge Dominican church with the tombs of many Doges. It shares its piazza with the fine Renaissance façade of the Scuola San Marco and an equestrian statue of the mercenary (condottiere) captain Bartolomeo Colleoni. Look out for the testicles (coglioni in Italian - it's a lousy pun) on his coat of arms! }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | alt=Basilica dei Frai, often just referred to as the Frari | url=https://www.basilicadeifrari.it/en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3072 | lat=45.43679 | long=12.32624 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2728618 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-18:00, Su and holidays 13:00-18:00. Last admission 30 min before closing time | price=Adult €3, reduced €1.50 | wikidata=Q224961| wikipedia=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | content=The big friary church, fine example of Venetian Gothic architecture, with fine monuments and paintings of Titian, Belliniand Donatello, among which the famous 'Assunta' by Titian. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria dei Miracoli | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.43951 | long=12.33927 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q533680| wikipedia=Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice | content=A perfect jewel box church, simple in form but ornamented with fine exterior marble facings. }} * {{see | name=San Simeone Piccolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Santa Croce | lat=45.44040 | long=12.32230 | directions=located opposite the Santa Lucia train station across the Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q185910| wikipedia=San Simeone Piccolo | content=The last church built in Venice. One of the things that it is recognized for is the fact that they celebrate Tridentine Mass on Sundays. It is also recognized for its dome because it is used to make the church look taller than it is and the dome itself is entirely covered with lead sheet. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria della Pietà | alt= | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43410 | long=12.34493 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1559661| wikipedia=Santa Maria della Pietà, Venice | content=A church that used to house an orphanage and hospital in the 18th century, it is known among classical music enthusiasts as the church where the Catholic priest and composer Antonio Vivaldi worked for most of his career. }} * {{see | name=Convento di S.Francesco del Deserto | alt= | url=http://www.isola-sanfrancescodeldeserto.it {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=S.Francesco del Deserto | lat=45.47357 | long=12.41713 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-11:00, 15:00-17:00 | price=By donation | content=Old Franciscan convent in one of the most beautiful islands in the Venice lagoon. }} * {{see | name=S. Francesco della Vigna | alt= | url=http://www.venice-tourism.com/en/places/castello-district/san-francesco-della-vigna | email= | address=Campo San Francesco della Vigna, Castello | lat=45.4381 | long=12.3486 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5206102 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 16:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Francesco della Vigna | image=San Francesco della vigna.jpg | wikidata=Q946542 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuati | alt=S.Maria del Rosario | url= | email= | address=Fondamente Zattere delle Gesuati, Dorsoduro | lat=45.429444 | long=12.327222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230625 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Gesuati | image=Santa Maria del Rosario, Venice.jpg | wikidata=Q1093909 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuiti | alt=S.Maria Assunta | url= | email= | address=Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio | lat=45.443333 | long=12.339167 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286579 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 10:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00, winter 10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00, closed Su afternoon | price= | wikipedia=I Gesuiti, Venice | image=Chiesa dei Gesuiti (Facciata).jpg | wikidata=Q46592 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giobbe | alt= | url=http://www.parrocchiasangiobbe.it | email= | address=Campo San Giobbe, Cannaregio | lat=45.445028 | long=12.320322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giobbe | image=Chiesa di San Giobbe Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q2717507 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni in Bragora | alt= | url=http://www.sgbattistainbragora.it | email= | address=Campo Bandiera e Moro, Castello | lat=45.4344 | long=12.347 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-11:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni in Bragora | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora - Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q521260 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni Crisostomo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo, Cannaregio | lat=45.439167 | long=12.337222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5227155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-12:30, 15:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo.jpg | wikidata=Q915746 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giuliano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Giuliano, San Marco | lat=45.435694 | long=12.338667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Zulian | image=Chiesa San Zulian.jpg | wikidata=Q1251035 | content= }} * {{see | name=Madonna dell'Orto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Madonne dell'Orto, Cannaregio | lat=45.44639 | long=12.33251 | directions= | phone=+39 041 719933 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 09:30-12:00, 16:00-19:00, winter 09:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikidata=Q861436| wikipedia=Madonna dell'Orto | content=With the grave and 10 paintings of ''Tintoretto''. }} * {{see | name=S. Maria del Carmelo | alt=Carmini | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4332 | long=12.3225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Carmini | image=Santa Maria dei Carmini (facade).jpg | wikidata=Q2780025 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria Formosa | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello | lat=45.4369 | long=12.3411 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5234645 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:30, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria Formosa | image=Santa Maria Formosa Facciata e campanile.jpg | wikidata=Q1813687 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria della Salute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo delle Salute, Dorsoduro | lat=45.430833 | long=12.334444 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria della Salute | image=Santa Maria della Salute from Hotel Monaco.jpg | wikidata=Q52531 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Michele in Isola | alt= | url= | email= | address=Isola San Michele | lat=45.4487 | long=12.3469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Michele in Isola | image=Chiesa di S.Michele in Isola, north exposure.jpg | wikidata=Q1449262 | content= }} * {{see | name=Basilica di San Pietro di Castello | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Pietro, Castello | lat=45.43460 | long=12.35957 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q945981| wikipedia=San Pietro di Castello (church) | content=Venice cathedral up to 1807, when the see was transferred to San Marco. }} * {{see | name=SS. Redentore | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fondamente della Croce, Giudecca | lat=45.424992 | long=12.332453 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Il Redentore | image=Chiesa del Redentore (Venice).jpg | wikidata=Q830807 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Salvatore | alt= | url=http://www.chiesasansalvador.it | email= | address=Campo San Salvatore | lat=45.4366 | long=12.3365 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Salvador, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Salvador.jpg | wikidata=Q1028202 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Sebastiano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro | lat=45.432 | long=12.32 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5282487 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Sebastiano, Venice | image=San Sebastiano (Venice) Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q588559 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Stefano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 3825 | lat=45.433178 | long=12.330189 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222362 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santo Stefano, Venice | image=Venezia flickr01.jpg | wikidata=Q974832 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Zaccaria | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Zaccaria | lat=45.434722 | long=12.343333 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5221257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Zaccaria, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Zaccaria Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q794876 | content= }} === Museums === The '''[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE)]''' (call center 848–08.2000) offers two museums passes for the San Marco Museums valid for 3 months at €16 (€8 reduced) granting admission to Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Sale Monumentali della Bibliotheca Marciana, and another museum pass valid for 6 months for €24 (reduced €18) granting admission to the above mentioned museums plus Ca' Rezzonico, Mesue del '700 Veneziano, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Ca' Pesaro, Museo del Vetro Murano, Museo di Merletto Burano and Museo di Storia Naturale. ==== Art museums ==== * {{see | name=Correr Museum | alt=Museo Correr | url=http://correr.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, Ala Napoleonica, San Marco 52 | lat=45.433605 | long=12.337158 | directions=on San Marco Square, vaporetto line 11-2-5, 1-5-2 | phone=+39 041 2405211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov 1 to Mar 31: 10:00-17:00, Apr 1 to Oct 31: 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=€14 (reduced €8), which also includes Doge's Palace | wikipedia=Museo Correr | image=8240 - Venezia - San Marco dal Museo Correr - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 12-Aug-2006.jpg | wikidata=Q1470912 | content=Interesting collection of globes, starting from the 16th century. There is also an only library hall, an archeological museum of Roman antiques and an important picture gallery. The museum offers a tour of Venetian history. Remarkable painting gallery with masterpieces of the 14th to 16th cent from Venice, works of the Venetian sculpture Canova, studies on urban development and social life. At the end of your visit, don't miss the museum art cafe, with their tables on the San Marco Square. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum | alt= | url=http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html | email=info@guggenheim-venice.it | address=Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701 | lat=45.43083 | long=12.33154 | directions=located to the east of the Accademia bridge, on the southern side of the Grand Canal | phone=+39 041 2405411 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206885 | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December. Open on national holidays (including Tuesdays) | price=Adult €15, seniors (over 65 years) €13, students (18 years and under or holders of valid student ID) €9 | wikipedia=Peggy Guggenheim Collection | image=Guggenheim Venedig.jpg | wikidata=Q1049033 | content=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum offers a personal collection of modern art collected by Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an American married to modern artist Max Ernst, and funded a number of his contemporaries. The gallery includes a sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Tanguy, Duchamp, Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Pesaro - International Modern Art Gallery | alt=Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderne | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.44094 | long=12.33163 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 524695 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | image=Ca'Pesaro di Baldassarre Longhena facciata sul Canal Grande.jpg | wikidata=Q3940563 | content=Modern art collection, paintings of the 19th and 20th century. A MUVE museum. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Ca' Pesaro - Museum of Oriental Art | alt=Museo d'arte Orientale di Ca Pesaro | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=capesaro@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.441 | long=12.33146 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 5241173 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Mar 10:00 to 17:00, Apr-Oct: 10 :00-18:00, closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | wikidata=Q756807 | content=Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th century as well as the Marco Polo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits (fabrics, clothes, armours, porcelain). A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en | email= | address=Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050 | lat=45.431334 | long=12.328487 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M 08:15-14:00, Tu-Su 08:15-19:15 (ticket office closes 1 hr before) | price=Adults €12, reduced €2, advanced reservation fee €1.50 | content=Venice's most significant art museum which is also one of Italy's best. Among the most important paintings in the Accademia are: Gentile Bellini: ''Procession on St. Mark’s Square'' (1496) and ''Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of S. Lorenzo'' (1500), Giovanni Bellini: ''Pieta'' (1500), Jacopo Bellini: ''Madonna with Child and Cherubs'' (ca. 1450), Paris Bordenone: ''A fisherman presents the ring of St. Mark to the doge'' (ca. 1535), Vittore Carpaccio: ''Legend of Saint Ursula'' (1490-1498), Cima da Conegliano: ''The Holy Virgin under the Orange Tree'' (ca. 1496), Giorgione (1477-1510): ''The Tempest'' and ''La Vecchia'' ("The Old Woman"), Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506): ''St. George'', Veronese Paolo (1528-1588): ''The Feast in the House of Levi'' (1573), Tintoretto: ''The Miracles of St. Mark'' (1548), and Titian: ''Pietà'' (ca. 1576). }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Grassi | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/ | email= | address=Campo San Samuele, San Marco 3231 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.32794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M W-Su 10:00-19:00. Last admission 1 hr before closing | price=Adults €18, reduced €15 | wikidata=Q907964 | content=Contemporary art museum. Temporary exhibitions from François Pinault's Collection. }} * {{see | name=Punta della Dogana | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/about/sites/punta-della-dogana/ | email= | address=Dorsuduro 2 | lat=45.43080 | long=12.33618 | directions=on the tip between Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal, vaporetto line 1 to Salute | phone=+39 041 2001057 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 10:00 to 19:00, closed Tu and Dec 24 | price=€15, reduced €10 | wikipedia=Punta della Dogana | image=20110724 Venice Santa Maria della Salute 5159.jpg | wikidata=Q2931413 | content=Former customs house, centre for contemporary art, permanent exhibition of works from the François Pinault Collection. Renovation by world renowned architect Tadao Ando. }} * {{see | name=Galleria Giorgio Franchetti Ca' d'Oro | alt=Ca' d'Oro museum | url=http://www.cadoro.org/?lang=en | email= | address=Strada Nuova, Cannaregio 3932 | lat=45.44088 | long=12.33392 | directions=linea 1 to Ca d'Oro | phone=+39 0415200345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 08:15-19:15, M 08:15-14:00, Su 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €6 | content=A collection of paintings and statues in a former palace from the 15th century. One of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Venice, sculptures, bronzes, paintings of Mantegna, Giorgione and Titian, Flemish and Dutch paintings. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Fortuny | alt= | url=http://www.fortuny.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=San Beneto, San Marco 3958 | lat=45.43532 | long=12.33208 | directions=laterale Calle della Mandorla, vaporetti line 1 or 2 to Rialto or S.A°ngelo | phone=+39 041 5200995 | tollfree= | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00, closed Tue and May 1 | price=Adults €12, reduced €10 | wikidata=Q616676 | content=Collection of paintings and lamps. A MUVE museum. }} ==== Science and technology museums ==== * {{see | name=Telecom Italia Future Centre | alt= | url=http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en/futurecentre.html {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=Campo San Salvador, San Marco 4826 | lat=45.4367 | long=12.3361 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 5213272 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=Free | content=Centre dedicated to telecommunication technology. The building complex includes an adjacent church with important works of art, the Refectory (which is a conference hall today), Renaissance cloisters and a small museum focusing on the evolution of the telephone in the last 100 years. }} * {{see | name=Physics Museum Anton Maria Traversi | alt=Museo della Fisica Anton Maria Traversi | url=http://museo.liceofoscarini.it/index_uk.html | email= | address=Liceo Marco Foscarini, Fondamenta Santa Caterina, Cannaregio 4942 | lat=45.44350 | long=12.33671 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca d'oro | phone=+39 041 5224845 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-12:30, and W 14:00-16:00, closed holidays and August | price=Adults €2, reduced €1 | content=More than 200 instruments for educational and practical use, built to facilitate scientific research, conducted by physics teachers since the 19th cent, guided tours led by students. }} * '''Venice Lido Planetarium''' (''Planetario di Venezia Lido''), [[Lido]]. A planetarium. See [[Lido]] for details. * {{see | name=Le Macchine di Leonardo a Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.leonardoavenezia.com/ | email=paolotarchia@tiscali.it | address=Campo San Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2771 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.32546 | directions= | phone=+39 339 7985464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:30 | price=Adults €8, over-65s, children and students €5 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=An exhibition in the '''Chiesa di San Barnaba''' showing around forty models of machines reproduced from Leonardo's codices. Some of the exhibits are interactive and copies of the codices are available for further reading. It was supposed to have ended in 2012, but doesn't appear to be in a hurry to leave - and a good thing too, since the church, an attraction in itself (it's the one under which Indiana Jones finds catacombs in ''The Last Crusade'', by the way), was rarely accessible to visitors before. }} ==== Museums on religion ==== [[File:Chiesa di Ognissanti - Venezia - Affresco della volta del coro.jpg|thumb|420px|Ceiling of the choir of the Baroque Chiesa di Ognissanti]] * {{see | name=Jewish Museum | alt=Museo Ebraico | url=http://www.museoebraico.it/english/home.asp | email=museoebraico@codesscultura.it | address=Cannaregio 2902/b | lat=45.44510 | long=12.32717 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to San Marcuola | phone=+39 041 715 359 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 72 3007 | hours=1 Jun-30 Sep: 10:00-19:00; 1 Oct-31 May: 10:00-18:00. The museum is closed on Saturday (Shabbat), during Jewish festivities, on 25 Dec, 1 Jan and 1 May | price=Entrance to the museum: adults €3, reduced €2. Entrance to the museum and guided tours to synagogues: adults €8.50, reduced €7 | content=Objects related to the social life of the Jewish community, in two synagogues of the 16th century. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Mekhitarist Monastery | alt=Monasterio Mekhitarista | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Lazzaro degli Armeni | lat=45.4123 | long=12.3609 | directions=15.10 hrs at San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5260104 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 15:25 (guided tour only) | price=Adults €6, reduced €4.50 | wikipedia=San_Lazzaro_degli_Armeni | lastedit=2019-08-11 | content=Library with historical manuscripts, collection of works, miniatures and documents of the Armenian history, Monastery Church. Tours in Italian, English, and Armenian. On the small island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. }} * {{see | name=Museo Diocesano | alt= | url=http://www.veneziaupt.org/home_page/museo_diocesano/00000031_Il_Museo_Diocesano._Storia__collezione_e_servizi.html | email= | address=P.te della Canonica, Castello 4312 | lat=45.4345 | long=12.3409 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5229166 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Tu 10:00-17:00 | price=€4.00, reduced €2.50 | image=VeniceSantApolloniaCloister.jpg | wikidata=Q2579358 | content=Religious furniture and objects from now demolished churches and convents, one of the most appealing Romanesque cloisters of Venice. }} ==== Other museums ==== * {{see | name=Mocenigo Palace Museum | alt=Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Centro Studi die Storia del Tessuto e del Costume | url=http://mocenigo.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 1992 | lat=45.44064 | long=12.32987 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 721798 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: 10:00-17:00, Nov-Mar: 10:00-16:00; closed M, Dec 26, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=A collection of clothes dating from the 18th century. Splendid interior. Collection of dresses and accessories, fabrics, books, figurines in various period costumes. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Rezzonico - Museum of 18th Century Venice | alt=Musei del Settecento Veneziano | url=http://carezzonico.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Dorsoduro 3136 | lat=45.43356 | long=12.32655 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca' Rezzonico | phone=+39 041 2410100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00; closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=Museum of the 18th century in Venice - attempts to revive the domestic atmosphere of Venetian nobilities. Furniture, interior decoration, paintings by Guardi, Canaletto, Tiepolo. On the third floor important paintings of the Venetian school. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museovetro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Glass Museum]''' (''Museo del Vetro''). On Murano, the island so typical of its glasswork. A MUVE museum. See [[Murano]] for details. * {{see | name=Natural History Museum | alt=Museo di Storia Naturale | url=http://msn.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Fondaco dei Turchi, Santa Croce 1730 | lat=45.44201 | long=12.32869 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Riva di Biasio | phone=+39 041 2750206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Jun-Oct: 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tu F 09:00-17:00, Sat S 10:00-18:00 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=11 exhibition halls with sections on palaeontology, explorations and nature. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=House of Carlo Goldoni | alt=Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Centro di Studi Teatrali | url=http://carlogoldoni.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=San Polo 2794 | lat=45.43615 | long=12.32826 | directions=vaporetto line q or 2 to S.Tomà | phone=+39 041 2440317 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: Th-Tu 10:00-17:00; Nov-Mar: Th-Tu 10:00-16:00; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 | price=Audlts €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Birthplace of Venice's most famous playwright. Museum, library and theater studies center. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museomerletto.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Lace Museum]''' (''Museo del Merletto''). A MUVE museum. See [[Burano]] for details. * {{see | name=Museo Storico Navale | alt=Naval History Museum | url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/history/museums/Pagine/museostoriconavale.aspx | email= | address=Riva S. Biasio, Castello 2148 | lat=45.43276 | long=12.34996 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Castello | phone=+39 041 2441399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:45-13:30, Sa 08:45-13:00, Su closed | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of relics from the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the Italian navy, and the ancient Arsenale shipyards, miniature models, uniforms and stadarts, collection of sea shells. ''The main building of the Naval Historical Museum (Riva S. Biasio) is closed for renovation works. It's possible to visit the Ships Pavilion in rio della Tana, Castello 2162 (close to the Naval Museum).'' }} * {{see | name=Fondazione Querini Stampalia | alt= | url=http://www.querinistampalia.org/eng/home_page.php | email= | address=Castello 5252 | lat=45.4365 | long=12.3411 | directions=near Camp S.Maria Formosa, vaporetto line 1-5, 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 0412711411 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25 and 26, Jan 1 | price=Adults €10, reduced €8 | content=Residence-museum of the Querini-Stampa family, library, picture gallery, furniture and household objects from the 16th cent onwards, important paintings by Bellini, Palma, Ricci, Tiepolo and Longhi. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Cini | alt= | url=http://www.cini.it | email= | address=San Vio, Dorsoduoro 864 | lat=45.430989 | long=12.329973 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 0415210755 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=upon telephone reservation only | price= | wikipedia=Palazzo Cini | image=CANAL GRANDE - palazzo loredan cini.jpg | wikidata=Q16586218 | content=Residence of Vittorio Cini, collection of 15th and 16th cent paintings from Tuscany and Ferrara, period furniture, silver, ivory and ceramic objects. }} * {{see | name=Byzantine Pictures Museum (Greek Institute) | alt=Museo Dipinti Sacri Bizantini (Istituto Ellenico) | url=http://www.istitutoellenico.org/english/museo/index.html | email= | address=Ponte dei Greci, Castello 3412 | lat=45.43570 | long=12.34447 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5226581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-16:30 | price=Adults €4, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of Greek, Cretan and Venetian icons of the 14th to 18th century. }} * {{see | name=Scala Contarini del Bovolo | alt= | url=https://www.scalacontarinidelbovolo.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Riso o del Bovolo, San Marco 4303 | lat=45.43481 | long=12.33456 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 3096605 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-13:30 and 14:00-18:00 | price=Adults €7, reduced €6 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=A cylindrical tower with a spiralling series of arches, among the most characteristic examples of Venetian architecture at the period of transition from Gothic to Renaissance styles. From the top there are great panoramic views of the city. }} * {{see | name=Music Museum | alt=Museo della Musica | url=https://www.museodellamusica.com/en | email= | address=Chiesa di S.Maurizio, Campo di S.Marizio, San Marco 2603 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.33160 | directions=near Campo Santo Stefano; vaporetto line 1 to S.M-.del Giglio or line 1-2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 2719012 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:00 | price=Free | content=Beautiful church, collection of musical instruments, Venetian Baroque paintings. [https://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ Interpreti Veneziani], the creators of the Music Museum, also offer concerts in the nearby San Vidal church. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Grimani | alt= | url=http://www.palazzogrimani.org | email= | address=Ramo Grimani, Castello 4858 | lat=45.43705 | long=12.34241 | directions=near Campo Sta. Maria Formosa; vaporetto line 1 or 2 Rialto or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5200345 (call centre) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=0, Tu-Su 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=€14.50, EU residents age 18-25 €7.50 | lastedit=2020-03-27 | content=A jewel of Renaissance architecture that was opened as a Venetia civic museum in 2008, collections of paintings, archaeological collection of Greek and Roman artefacts, temporary exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Archaeological Museum | alt=Museo Archaeologico Nazionale | url=https://www.polomusealeveneto.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-archeologico-nazionale-di-venezia | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 52 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.3391 | directions=Vaporetti line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5225978 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-18:00 | price=€4, reduced €2 | content=Collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian artefacts. }} * {{see | name=St.Mark's Basilica Museum | alt=Basilica di San Marco -Museo | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/museo-marciano/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 2708311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:45-16:45 | price=€5.00, reduced €2.50 | content=Visit the famous bronze horses. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di S.Giovanni Evangelista | alt= | url=http://www.scuolasangiovanni.it/index.php?page=26&lang=en | email= | address=San Polo 2454 | lat=45.43837 | long=12.32577 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 ro San Tomà | phone=+39 041 718234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=occasional 09:30-17:00 | price=€5 | content=Monumental staircase by Codussi, splendid San Giovanni Salon, Oratory of the Cross with precious reliquiaries. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Dalmatina di San Giorgio e Trifone | alt= | url= | email= | address=Calle dei Furlani, Castello 3259/A | lat=45.43622 | long=12.34595 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5228828 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:00, Su 10:00-12:30, closed M | price=Adults €4, reduced €2 | wikidata=Q1290662| wikipedia=Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Famous painting cycle by Vittore Carpaccio depicting the lives of St.George, Tryphon and Jerome. }} === Cemeteries === * {{listing | type=see | name=San Michele Cemetery | alt=Cimitero di San Michele | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Michele | lat=45.4486 | long=12.3462 | directions=vaporetto line 4.1-4.2 | phone=+39 041 7292811 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep: 07:30-18:00; Oct-Mar: 07:30-16:30 | price=Free | wikidata=Q3676942 | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Cemetery established following Napoleon Bonaparte's edict of 1804, part of the European circuit of monumental cemeteries. The Russian ballet dancer ''Serge Diaghilew'', the Austrian physicist ''Christan Doppler'', the American poet ''Ezra Pound'', the Russian composer ''Igor Stravinsky'' and the German-Italian composer ''Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari'' are buried in San Michele Cemetery. }} === Monuments === [[File:20110722 Venice 4140.jpg|thumb|420px|Venice and St. Mark's Basilica from the Campanile]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Giovanni Caboto | alt=John Cabot | url= | email= | address=Via Garibaldi 1581 | lat= 45.4319 | long=12.3511 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian explorer of North America who worked for the British (c. 1450-c. 1500). }} * {{see | name=Claudio Monteverdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=S. Maria dei Frari | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tomb, composer (1567-1643) and champion of the early Baroque ''seconda pratica'' and then-new genre of opera. }} * {{see | name=Giuseppe Verdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Composer of operas; Italian nationalist and national hero (1813-1901). }} * {{see | name=Richard Wagner | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=German opera composer (1813-1883). }} * {{see | name=Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Madonna dell' Orto Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter (1578-1594), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Gentile Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter and official portraitist of the Doges (1439-1507), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Giovanni Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Early Venetian oil painter and the most famous of the Bellini brothers (1430-1516), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Caterina Cornaro | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Salvatore Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Queen of Cyprus (1454-1510), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Paolo Veronese | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Sebastiano Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Painter from [[Verona]] whose career was in Venice (1528-1588), tomb. }} == Do == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Vitturi (Venice).jpg|thumb|Palazzo Vitturi]] === Events === * '''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html La Biennale di Venezia]''' is one of the most well-known culture institutions. Two events organised by Biennale are the Art and Architecture International Exhibitions happening alternately (Architecture Biennale in even years, Art Biennale in odd) but other fields are also covered - contemporary theatre, dance, music, cinema ('''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema Venice International Film Festival]'''). Exhibitions take place mostly in two locations: {{marker|type=do|name=Arsenale|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/arsenale|lat=45.43347|long=12.35058}} and {{marker|type=do|name=Giardini|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/giardini-della-biennale|lat=45.42885|long=12.35797}}. They are both worth visiting even when no event is scheduled. Arsenale is the largest pre-industrial production centre in the world, dating back to 13th century, and Giardini is architectural gem filled with national pavilions from different parts of the world, often designed by famous architects, it was a venue for the International Art Exhibition since the 19th century. ** {{event | name=Art Biennale | url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/art | alt=Esposizione internazionale d’arte | year=2022| month= April| date= 23 | endyear= | endmonth= November| enddate=27 | phone=+39 041 5218711 | email=aav@labiennale.org | location= | country= | content=It is held at Arsenale (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Arsenale) and Giardini (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Giardini). The Central Pavillion and the pavilions of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and the pavilion of Venice are located in the Giardini. The Biennale is open every second year from April to November, Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. Admission for 219 was €30 for two days, multiple entries (ID required); €25 one day, single entry to each venue; €20 over 65, €14 students. There are many other exhibitions (collateral events) all over the city, often permitting to visit buildings which normally are not open to the public. Online guides to the exhibits are not substantive. The British Council provides a comprehensive guide to all exhibits available at the British pavilion at the Giardini. The Concordia/Antarctic Exhibition has closed early.}} * {{do | name=Carnival of Venice | alt=Carnevale di Venezia | url=http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q35191| wikipedia=Carnival of Venice | content=Annual festival that is world famous for the carnival masks. }} * {{event | name= Regata Storica| url= http://regatastoricavenezia.it/?lang=en&pg=1&page=1| alt=Historic fleet event | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone=+39 041 2424 | email= vela@velaspa.com | content= Celebrating a historic event from 1489, the regatta displays almost a hundred varieties of Venetian boats from the city's rich past. Large oarships, replicating ancient roman and medieval vessels, are rowed along the Canal Grande, followed by many smaller boats. There are several races, including a master championship for solo sculling in streamlined gondolini, painted in unusual white, pink, etc. colours. There are many excellent photo opportunities for this event. Early September. }} * {{event | name=Vogalonga | url= http://www.vogalonga.com/en/| alt= | year= 2| month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone= +39 041 5210544| email=info@vogalonga.com | content= The yearly equivalent of a marathon run on water. Vogalonga competitors must row 32 km under 3½ hours to receive a certificate of attendance at the finish line, but everybody with a human-powered vessel is welcome to participate (some foreigner teams take up to 10 hours to complete the journey just for the fun of it). The official purpose of the Vogalonga was to protest the sharply increasing use of powerboats in Venice, but the event has gradually grown into a festival since 1974, with up to 5500 racers in 1500 vessels attending by the early 2000s. The racetrack visits different parts of Venice as well as some of the nearby islands. Locals and tourists lining up alongside rios and canals cheer the racers. Visitors wishing to participate should have serious experience in rowing or sculling and practise duely, as the journey is physically demanding (even seasoned oarsmen develop calluses by the finish line). The event is mainly for teams, completing Voga Longa on a single oar is considered a major achievement. Extreme participation (scuba frogmen and surface swimmers) sometimes occurs, but it is not recommended due to water contamination issues. Late May.|fax= +39 041 5200771 }} === Opera and concerts === * {{do | name=La Fenice Theater | alt=Teatro La Fenice | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it/site/index.php?&lingua=eng | email=info@teatrolafenice.org | address=Campo San Fantin, San Marco 1965 | lat=45.43362 | long=12.33368 | directions=300 m west of San Marco square | phone=+39 041 786511 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Tours: adults €10, students up to 26 and seniors over 65 €7, children up to 6 free. Slightly cheaper if purchased as part of a combined ticket with the Doge's palace | wikipedia=La Fenice | image=Teatro La Fenice (Venice) - Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q223942 | content=One of the best opera houses in the world. Info at Bigletteria Hello Venezia Call Center {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}. You can also visit this historic theater with an audioguide (good explanations in several languages). The theater is an identical reconstruction (rebuilt in 2003) of the previous theater building that burned down in 1996. }} * {{do | name=Teatro Malibran | alt= | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it | email= | address=Campo del Malibran, Cannaregio 5873 | lat=45.43896 | long=12.33813 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 2424 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3982047| wikipedia=Teatro Malibran | content= }} * {{do | name= Scuola Grande di S.Teodoro | alt= | url=http://www.imusiciveneziani.com/luoghi.php?slang=en | email= | address=Campo San Salvador | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€40, reduced €30 | content=Opera and concert performances. }} * {{do | name=Ateneo San Basso | alt= | url=http://www.virtuosidivenezia.com/index.php?slang=en | email=info@virtuosidivenezia.com | address=Piazetta del Leoncini, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 52 82 825 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content=Classical concerts. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa San Vidal | alt= | url=http://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ | email=info@interoretiveneziani.com | address=Campo San Vidal, San Marco 2862/B | lat=45.43242 | long=12.32953 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 27770561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €29, reduced €24 | content=Classical concerts by Interpreti Veneziani. They also run the nearby Music Museum in the nearby San Maurizio church. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa della Pietà | alt= | url=http://www.ivirtuosiitaliani.eu/default.asp?iId=GGKIIE | email= | address=Riva degli Schiavoni | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto lines 1, 5.1, 5.2, 4.1, 4,.2 to San Zaccaria | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content= }} * {{do | name=Scuola Grande dei Carmini | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandecarmini.it/ | email=info@scuolagrandecarmini.it | address=Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro 2616-2617 | lat=45.43369 | long=12.32241 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289420 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-17:00 | price=€5 full price; €4 concession | content= }} === Activities on a boat === [[File:Gondola, Venice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Gondola]] * Ride a '''vaporetto''' (water bus) down the Grand Canal right before sunset. The vaporetti are expensive, but the sights are priceless: amazing architecture, soft seaside sunlight, and a fascinating parade of Venetian watercraft. * Take a '''gondola''' if you can afford it: it's expensive, but the ''Gondoliere'' may decrease the price if you ask (but they can also decrease the time...). Make sure you reach an agreement on price and time before you start! A good tip with the Gondolieres is to bargain the price down as low as you can, then say that it's still too much and walk away. Two or three of them will chase after you, one after the other, each offering a lower price than the last. It's possible to knock €20-€30 off the price (even then, be prepared to shell out €80). : Some guidebooks discourage tourists from asking for gondola price reductions. The oarsmen have an informal habit of cutting the most interesting and little-known parts from the journey path for "discount" customers. Reduced rate riders get much less marvel in exchange for a moderate price drop, which may not be worth it. : Gondolier-for-hire business licenses are officially limited to just 430 to 455 rowers in Venice, making the market artificially scarce and inflating prices. Gondola rides are always costly, often in a princely way and that expense should be planned in advance of the visit. If you go as a group it might be cheaper, though the number of people who can be accommodated on a gondola varies, usually up to a maximum of six seated passengers. The "traghetti" holds more, mostly standing, as a pair of gondoliers rows short distances for canal crossing purposes at a number of points along the Grand Canal. : Venetians and especially the gondoliers among them have highly conservative ideas about society: by 900 years of tradition, all gondoliers must be male and most are born locals. In 2015, the highest court in Rome recognized Alex Hai as the "first female gondolier to operate in Venice", after repeated attempts to become officially licensed since 1996. Unable to obtain an official license, Hai began operating as a privage gondolier, also known as ''gondoliers de casada'', and came out as a transgender man in 2017. In August 2010, Giorgia Boscolo became Venice's first fully licensed female gondolier. * If a gondola seems a little pricey, the alternative is to cross the Grand Canal by '''traghetto'''. These only cost €2 to use and are largely gondolas that have seen better days, They are stripped down and used as municipal ferries. In the 1950s there were as many as thirty, but now there are seven points to find them. However some only operate when people are going to and from work. The length of any crossing is just a few minutes. Many visitors enjoy visiting the open air markets near the Rialto Bridge and there is a traghetto station there, at the '''Pescheria''' (fish market) joining the Santa Sophia church along the Strada Nova. You will notice that traghetti passengers tend to '''stand up''', but if you are not comfortable doing so, sitting is possible, if you are careful. * The more adventurous can try the venetian style of rowing through Row Venice or one of the many rowing clubs. === Other === [[File:Venice - Mask gift shop - 3566.jpg|thumb|right|A Mask gift shop near Piazza San Marco]] If you are looking for something to do, you can always '''shop'''. Venice is packed full of little stores in every corner and crevice. The commonest local specialties are Carnival masks, glass, and marbled paper. Price can vary wildly, so it's a good idea to hold off buying until you have a fair idea about the relative value of things. As is the case with most tourist cities, a lot of the "original" and "made in Venice" items are actually made in China. [[Murano]] is an island famous for its glass making. Almost in every shop you will find "original [[Murano]] glass" items. If it was really made in [[Murano]], it would be prohibitively expensive, with prices routinely running into thousands of euros. So if you are looking for cheap souvenirs, real [[Murano]] glass is not the thing to buy! You can also see glass making demonstrations in [[Murano]], but be sure to check that there is a demonstration scheduled for that day. And it is normally not done in winter either. [[File:Cimitero, Venice.jpg|thumb|right|San Michele Cemetery Island, Cimitero stop]] Spend a '''day on the islands''', mainly [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and Torcello. There are boat services to all these islands at scheduled times, including between the islands themselves. Be prepared for long lines and long waits for the boats between islands. The Glass Museum in [[Murano]] and the Lace Museum in [[Burano]] are certainly worth a visit. In [[Burano]] you will find some of the most picturesque streets and houses, with each house sporting a different pastel shade. Its really beautiful. Though there is not much to see in Torcello except for the old church, and the supposed "Throne of Atilla". However, the peace and tranquility of the island is not to be found anywhere else in Venice! Torcello is also home to a very expensive Cipriani restaurant. But just walking around on these islands is a nice enough experience. If you've had enough of the hype and the other tourists, hop off the vaporetto at 'Cimitero', Venice's graveyard for a peaceful walk. There are many famous tombs, and the section dedicated to deceased children is particularly haunting. There is also a free toilet there. While going through Venice, make sure you take in the beauty of it all. '''Walk''' through the alley ways, and take the water taxi to different parts of the island, sometimes at night you can just go sit in an open area and watch locals and tourists passing by. It is wonderful. There are many museums and churches that are around the city that allow tourists to go in a visit. They are many great sights to keep you busy throughout your visit. The “[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Secret Itineraries in '''Doge's Palace''']” worth a visit, take the visitor into the most secret and fascinating rooms in the Palace. It's better to book in advance. Because Venice is now pretty much only inhabited by tourists and people serving the trade, it gets very quiet by 21:00 and there is very little to do in the evening (outside of eating). There are a few exceptions, like some classical music '''concerts,''' which most probably only play Vivaldi. If you would like to have a '''guide''' to show up the highlights of Venice, you can choose between many offers. There are walking or boat tours, focused on shopping or history or for art lovers, and many itineraries. '''Take photos''', using your camera or phone on every corner of Venice will inspire you. And if you have taken good pictures, though you may not be a professional photographer, consider entering the photo competition [http://onedayinvenezia.com "OneDayInVenezia"] running all year round, awarding monthly winners, and dedicated to amateur photographers. The Grand Prize is a week-end in Venice, trip included. Send a '''Postcard''' or even better, an entire '''letter''' dedicated to a loved one (the old "snail mail" one, not the electronic variety)! Venice has a long, celebrated tradition in postal services, paper and written communication in general (including one of the earliest medieval book printing houses). Venice it's also '''Riviera del Brenta''' old canals. The Riviera del Brenta is famous for its extraordinary Palladian villas along the Brenta river, its museums and historical buildings and it is 40 km (25 miles) from Venice. This Riviera and its mainland include 7 small cities: Stra, Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Fossò, Mira, Oriago and Malcontenta. These places are good for '''cycling excursions''' and to see antique Palladian Villas built on the Brenta river. In Stra village, there is the '''famous gardens of Villa Pisani''' and the '''museum of the shoes''' is in Villa Foscarini Rossi. In this last museum you can admire 1,500 models of Italian-made shoes created in local factories for major brands including Fendi, Genny, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Ungaro, Anne Kleyn, Richard Tyles and Vera Wang. In Dolo village you can visit the square, old watermill (XI century) and big open air market. * {{do | name=Teatro San Gallo | alt= | url=http://www.teatrosangallo.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2412002 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Apr: 19:00, May-Oct: 20:00 | price=€39, seniors €35, students €25, children €15 | lastedit=2015-04-10 | content=Half-hour documentary based on the BBC series ''Francesco's Venice'' - an 'amazing film that puts the spectacular beauty of this great city in historical context'. Film in English, audioguides in Italian, Russian and Spanish. }} '''Football:''' [https://www.veneziafc.it/ Venezia FC] were relegated in 2022, so they now play soccer in Serie B, Italy's second tier. Their home ground Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo (capacity 11,000) is on Sant'Elena, connected by streets to the main east island. == Learn == Venice is home to two major (and expanding) public universities, '''[http://www.unive.it/pag/13526/ Università Ca' Foscari Venezia]''' and '''[http://www.iuav.it/ENGLISH/ Università Iuav di Venezia]'''. There are possibly hundreds of smaller schools in the city. Neither university exploits its name for merchandising, and "Università degli Studi di Venezia" sweatshirts for sale at stalls are not only unlicensed, but there is no single university in the city with that name to begin with. == Buy == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Venedig Bücherladen Acqua alta-6216.jpg|thumb|Book store and antiquarian '''Libreria Acqua Alta''']] Venice has always been a city of merchants. Consequently, most of the Venetians working in Venice still own or work at a shop. If the pride of the Republic of Venice was the extreme diversity and quality of goods and services which could be found in Venice, these days, however, mass tourism led Venice to be populated with many shops selling low-quality souvenirs. The local shops are suffering a lot from this situation and it is not easy to identify them within the crowd of shops selling harmful imported goods. Buying from the '''authentic local businesses''' has never been more important as it is essential to the future of the Venetians and guarantees you to get the real thing and to have a much better experience of Venice. It is not easy, though. Thankfully, there is a social enterprise based in Venice, which works closely with the Venetian business owners (shops, restaurants and bars included). They have a certification process where the local artisan shops attest and commit to be selling products both authentic and sustainable as well as to give a 10% discount to the customers carrying a '''[http://veneziaautentica.com/become-friend Venezia Autentica Friends' Pass]''' (buyable online for only {{EUR|10}}). Euronet runs the majority of ATMs within tourist areas, and carry both hefty ATM fees and extortionate exchange rates. To avoid the extortionate exchange rates, you should reject the first currency conversion offered to you, which will allow you to default to your bank's rate. When possible, you should use ATMs provided by actual banks and financial institutions. The Credit Agricole ATM machines are notable because they do not charge ATM fees or offer excessive currency conversion rates for most Visa Debit and Prepaid cards. *{{buy | name=Atelier Marega | url=http://marega.it | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A hand-made mask and costume shop. }} *{{buy | name=Fanny | alt=gloves & accessories | url=http://www.fannygloves.it | email=fannygloves@hotmail.it | address=Calle dei Saoneri, San Polo 2723 | lat= | long= | directions=100m west of Cà Foscari, near Campo San Polo | phone=+39 041 5228266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hundreds of leather gloves in all colours. }} *{{buy | name=Francis Model | alt=leather articles | url= | email=ruggero.dezorzi@libero.it | address=Ruga Rialto, San Polo 773/A | lat= | long= | directions=100m SW of Rialto bridge | phone=+39 041 5212889 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Locally made leather bags. Exceptional craftsmanship. There are reports that some travellers were cheated in this store, by being told that transaction didn't occur while using their credit card, and demanded cash while in fact transaction ''did'' occur properly and thus having made the travellers pay for the same item twice. }} *{{buy | name=Venetia Studium | alt=High end Scarves & Shawls | url=http://venetiastudium.com | email=info@venetiastudium.com | address=Calle Larga XXII Marzo, San Marco 2425 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5236953 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fine velvets and silks of every imaginable color are woven into delicate evening bags, scarves and pillows. The Company Venetia Studium produces in the Island the worldwide famous Fortuny Lamps }} If you've come to Venice thinking that you won't be able to do a bit of designer shopping, think again. Just like in every major Italian city, you get the big fashion brand names. For label clothing shopping, the best area is that around the Piazza San Marco, where you can find Versace, MaxMara, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada (and numerous more) big names. If you want to shop for clothing or accessories, though, you don't necessarily have to shop through the biggest names in fashion - in the Campo Santo Stefano and Calle della Mandola, you can get less famous or local boutiques, but you can find some excellent quality and/or unique items such as clothes, shoes, wallets or handbags. Watch out also for the hand-made paper and the exquisite miniature buildings made by Moro. Watch out for fakes; Moro "signs" his name on the back. Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring [[Murano]] for its famous glass. (See article for details.) Tourist Traps: "Coloured Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" (not the original napolitan one) are not Italian food, no Italian would ever eat them, they are particularly made for tourists. For typical regional Italian food in food shops check the labels to discover where they have been made. Don't miss the '''Rialto''' market on San Polo, the smallest sestiere. The Rialto market is for shoppers. To the east is an area of small shops and restaurants; to the west is the Rialto farmers' market. Shopping is slightly less expensive than in the tourist-filled Piazza San Marco. === Murano Glass === * {{buy | name=L’Isola | alt= | url=https://www.lisola.com/ | email=info@lisola.com | address=Calle de le Botteghe, San Marco 2970 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 523 1973 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Archimede Seguso | alt= | url=http://aseguso.com/en# | email= | address=San Marco 143 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289041 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Venini | alt= | url=http://venini.com/en/ | email=venezia@venini.it | address=Piazzetta Leoncini, San Marco 314 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5224045 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} == Eat == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti WB.jpg|thumb|Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti]] Typical Venetian dishes are: * ''Fegato alla veneziana'', chopped liver, cooked with chopped onions. * ''Sarde in saor'': fried sardines, dipped in fried onion, raisins and pine nuts, spices and vinegar. It has to marinate at least one night. Venice has some wonderful restaurants, featuring the cuisine of the Veneto. However it is widely regarded that the restaurants in Venice serve food of a quality and in quantities much lower than anywhere else in Italy. The pizza in Venice is well known as being the worst in Italy (It is a more southern Italian speciality). For Americans, you can find a place called Quanto Basta pizza that serves an American-style pizza with pepperoni and french fries. Specialties include polenta, made of corn meal; risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce. Diners should however be aware that for every genuinely wonderful restaurant or trattoria, there's another serving rubbish food at inflated prices, especially in the most touristed streets around San Marco. Rule of thumb: if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided. Near the Rialto bridge there's a row of restaurants with tables by the canal, where you can have the quintessential Venice experience of dining by the canal lights. Although they do have waiters outside bugging you, some have pretty acceptable quality for price, which is almost always expensive anyway. One of Venice's trademark foods is cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example, Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttle fish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste. Be careful when the prices are on a weight basis (typically by the "etto", abbreviated "/hg". or 100 g). One dish can easily contain 400g of fish or meat (almost a pound) - coming to 4 times the indicated base price! Restaurants might offer low prices for food on their menus that they advertise outside the entrance, but they will sometimes compensate this by charging high prices for drinks (which is naturally *not* advertised). €5 for 33 cl of beer is not uncommon. Le Bauta, an eatery on Fond del Gaffaro, is a good example. Also, please make sure that you get your change back after payment as sometimes it may be 'forgotten' by the waiters. For fresh fruit (including chilled coconut) watch out for the street market stalls. There is always a boat parked in the canal on campo San Barnaba selling fruit and vegetables into the late hours. To save money at lunch, eat standing up - that's what Venetians themselves do. Every cafe, trattoria, osteria, enoteca or whatever it chooses to call itself is stocked at lunchtime with cicchetti - Venetian tapas, including tramezzini (triangular sandwiches on white bread), bite-sized rolls with various cold cuts, polpette (fried balls of minced fish or meat) and assorted antipasti. Order by pointing at what you want on the glass shelves, and wash the whole thing down with a glass of wine (un' ombra) or a spritz (made with, in order of bitterness and alcohol content, Aperol, Campari or Select). Bear in mind that as soon as you allow yourself to sit at the table and be waited on, instead of ordering and consuming your food at the counter, the prices for the same items go up - you can end up paying double. If you look at the (government-mandated) chart of prices stapled to the wall near the bar, you'll see 2 columns of numbers, accommodating this arrangement. However, sitting is worth it if you plan on staying a while. Some places will also serve free bread and water for seated patrons, but then there is usually also a small charge (€1-3 per person) for "pane e coperto" (bread and cover charge). If self-catering, the Rialto food markets are an absolute must for fruit, vegetables and cheese, but most of all for the huge range of seafood, much of it fresh out of the lagoon and still moving! There are a variety of small stores around the city that sell fruits and vegetables, but tourists will be hard-pressed to find them. Anything else you will find in the one of the few supermarkets in the city. Head to the Dorsoduro area of Venice if you want to save a few euros. It is located on the south side of the city. It has the highest concentration of places where locals, especially students, go to eat. Generally staying away from the main squares will be the cheapest option. If you're willing and able to walk around the town, some back streets offer the best food for the lowest price. Seeing the city from this vantage point is a lot of fun too! === Budget === There are a few '''supermarkets''' in the city, so if you are in the need to save some money, these are an option as they serve a wide array of prepared and semi-prepared food. On the main street from the station to the Rialto bridge there is a Coop and a Billa supermarket. Venetian snacks (cichetti) can be brilliantly inventive, in small "tapas-style" serving sizes. Look for places (especially wine bars) popular with non-tourists, the prices are very reasonable. There are still many small bakery shops and "biavaroli" where you can buy bread, cheese etc., particularly near the Rialto market area. If you want to buy water (Venice has excellent free tap water easily accessible at the numerous fountains located outside throughout the city) it is usually cheapest to get it at the supermarkets: there are Billa or Co-op stores located throughout the city, though supermarkets are often "disguised" in nondescript buildings in Venice for space limitations. ====In various locations==== * {{eat | name=Pizzeria Ae Oche | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A local establishment with several locations in the city. The food is plentiful and the prices reasonable. On Calle del Tintor south of Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, In Santa Croce. Look to spend between €5-10 for a pizza depending on how exotic your selection is. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> === Splurge === === Ice cream === You will find ice cream all over the city, and you will hardly survive a hot summer day without it. Prices are €1.00-1.50 for one scoop, €2.50-3.50 for three scoops. == Drink == {{movetodistrict}} [[Image:Bellini_at_Harry%27s_Bar.jpg|thumb|A classic ''Billini'', as served at Harry's Bar where it was invented.]] The typical local drink loved by all Venetians is ''Spritz'', which is a mix of liquor and Prosecco with sparkling water to top it off. Aperol Spritz is by far the most common but there are variants with Campari or Select too. Almost all bars in the city serves it with prices range from €5 to €12, depending on how close you are to the main tourist arteries. Spritz are usually paired with ''cicheti'', the Venetian version of tapas. Another famous drink is the '''Bellini''' was invented in Harry's Bar in Venice. It is a mix of white peach juice and Prosecco (the ubiquitous Venetian Champagne-like sparkling wine). Fermented at a low temperature Prosecco develops amylic aromas (fruit drops), though these perhaps mix better with fruit juices than does the more austere Champagne. Classic Bellinis should never be made with Champagne. Although by normal standards expensive, a Bellini in Harry's Bar (€17 for a 1.5 oz drink is obscene) is still much cheaper than on the terraces of similar '5-star' establishments in the city. A small '''Grappa''' is a common way to end meals, but be careful as it is brandy with 30 to 60 per cent alcohol. '''Beer''' in a small pub is about €5 for a pint (birra media). === Coffee === [[File:Venice - Cafe - 4125.jpg|thumb|right|A cafe in Piazza di San Marco.]] Coffee is everywhere in Venice, and both Venetians and the tourists avail themselves of the opportunities, usually by downing a quick dose at the counter (see warning about sit-down prices above). Rule of thumb: the bigger (and shinier) the espresso machine, the better the result. '''Espresso''', the real Italian, is about €1 at the bar, €2 at a table. * {{drink | name=E Rosa Salva | alt= | url=http://www.rosasalva.it/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=One of the favorites is the mini-chain "E Rosa Salva", with three locations in the center - on C. Fiubera (from Piazza San Marco, take the underpass in the middle of the arcade, cross the bridge and take second right off C. Fabbri), Merceria S. Salvadore (off the campo of the same name), and right on Campo San Zanipolo (to the right of the church looking from the canal); the last one is a gelateria as well. For your €1 you'll get exactly 2 and a half sips at the bottom of a small cup, with rich crema and no bitterness. Assorted house-made sweets are €1.10. }} * {{listing | type=drink | name=Caffè Florian | alt= | url=http://www.caffeflorian.com | email=servizi@caffeflorian.com | address=Piazza San Marco, 57 | lat=45.43361 | long=12.33822 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205641 | tollfree= | hours=Daily, 9AM-midnight | price= | wikidata=Q960610 | content=On the extravagant side there is Caffè Florian, on Piazza San Marco. It claims to be the oldest coffee house still in operation, established in 1720. The interior is about a century newer, and brings an exclusive setting for a cup of coffee, even if sitting outside overlooking the entire piazza and its surroundings may be a better choice on a nice summer day. The café has its own outdoor orchestra playing an assortment of Italian music. Just sitting down at the table costs €6 per seat (for the orchestra it says on the menu) and the rest on the menu is at least twice the price you would have paid at home. Light lunch or dinner 12:00-15:00, 19.30-22:00, afternoon tea 15:09-18:00, great choice of semifreddo (parfaits) (€14), lemon ice cream with soda (€15), great choice of tea and coffee specialities; espresso €6.50. music charge €6. }} === Nightlife === There are two late-night drinking areas in Venice. Piazza San Marco is not one of them, although it is very pleasant with many people wandering around late. The actual late night scene is in either '''Campo Santa Margherita''', near the University Ca' Foscari in Dorsoduro; or in '''Erbaria''' on the West side of the Rialto Bridge where the main vegetable market is held during the day. Even though there are many fantastic bars in Venice, if you're planning a night time "pub crawl" you should plan a few places to visit in advance, otherwise it's very easy to waste an hour wandering aimlessly in search of a watering hole that's open, especially midweek. Locals in search of nighttime entertainment mostly head over the bridge into Mestre, or hop on the boat to Lido. One exception: F.ta della Misericordia, in Cannaregio (north from the Ghetto over the Ghetto Nuove bridge, turn right), features several bars in succession, anchored by the ''Paradiso Perduto'' (Cannaregio 2640; a restaurant by day, live music on Sundays starting at 21:00), along the canal. In season they are spilling over after dark with youths holding large glasses of rosé, while more of those same youths are cruising (in motor boats) blaring rap songs in Italian from the loudspeakers. The cafes and bars lining the expansive C. Santa Margherita are catering to the students from the nearby university; chill out to reggae sets in ''Caffé Rosso'' (Dorsoduro 2963; it's the one with the red awning that simply says ''Caffe''), or dance (Saturdays only) at ''Round Midnight'' (Dorsoduro 3102). Those looking for LGBT nightlife in Venice will be disappointed. Hop on the train to [[Padua]] instead. === Pubs === There are two Irish pubs in Venice. One is located along the '''Strada Nova''' in ''Cannaregio''; the other one is the '''Inishark''' just before ''Campo Santa Maria Formosa''. == Sleep == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Civran Venezia.JPG|thumb|The Palazzo Civran and Grand Canal at dusk. This 15th-century building that was substantially altered in the early 17th century now houses the Guardia di Finanza.]] Due to the historic city's constrained area and international popularity hotels are expensive. Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses offer better rates. Real budget solutions (like campings and hostels) can be found in [[Mestre | '''Mestre''']] (mainland Venice) and on the island of '''[[Lido]]'''. Alternative accommodation can be also found on the island of '''[[Murano]]'''. These are worth considering since historic centre is quite well connected with bus and ferries, so staying further from the centre is not such a big problem. In the last few years, holiday or short rentals apartments have increased in number and quality, now you can rent (minimum stay is usually 3 nights) a Palazzo on the Grand Canal as a little flat near Rialto. === Bed and Breakfast === * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Venice Ca' del Pozzo | alt= | url=http://cadelpozzo.it | email= | address= | lat=45.4329955 | long= 12.3320963 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2413875 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2443203 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Completely restructured in 2003, in the characteristic Campo San Maurizio. }} * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Ca'Dor | alt= | url=http://bedandbreakfastvenice.net | email= | address= | lat= 45.4406559 | long= 12.3372800 | directions= | phone=+39 392 3906152 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rooms about 55€ in low-season, 100€ in high season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Venetian style rooms in the centre, 3 minutes from Rialto's Bridge. }} === Budget === In the city of '''Mestre''' just in front of Venice is the A&O Hostel with shared rooms for about 17–23€ per night (July 2022). * {{sleep | name=Ai Do Mori | alt= | url=http://hotelaidomori.com | email= | address=San Marco 658 | lat=45.4351365 | long=12.3392159 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5204817 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5205328 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=As close as it gets to Piazza San Marco, but on the second and third floor, so it still is quiet at nights. Clean and nice rooms, TV, aircon, very friendly staff. }} * {{sleep | name=Alloggi Agli Artisti | alt= | url=http://agli-artisti-venezia.it/ | email= | address=Calle Priuli Cavalletti, Cannaregio 99 | lat=45.44247 | long=12.32122 | directions=150 m away from the main railway station (Santa Lucia) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €50 to €90 for a double room, depending on the season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=Guests can choose between rooms with bathroom en suite (with hairdryer), and rooms with sharing bathroom on the floor (cheaper). }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Antico Fiore | alt= | url=http://anticofiore.com | email= | address=San Marco 3486 | lat=45.4349563 | long=12.3302647 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5227941 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2413879 | price=Rooms from €65 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=An 18th-century building which has been carefully restored. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Gaffaro | alt= | url=http://locandagaffaro.it | email= | address=Dorsoduro 3589 | lat=45.4361719 | long=12.3218600 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2750897 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2750375 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €100 | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In a picturesque court near Piazzale Roma. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Albergo Ateneo | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 1876 | lat=45.4343317 | long= 12.3341439| directions= | phone=+39 041 5200777 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228550 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €60-180 depending on season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=3-star hotel close to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Antico Casin Locanda | alt= | url=http://anticocasin.com | email= | address=Corte Contarina, San Marco 1520/a | lat=45.4334656 | long= 12.3359885 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5207002 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-795122 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= A refined example of contemporary design, located close to Saint Mark's Square. Doubles from €90. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Amadi | alt= | url=http://www.caamadi.it/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Cannaregio 5815 | lat=45.4385951 | long=12.3375372 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5204682 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5206701 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In the old town centre, close to the famous Rialto Bridge. This 13th-century palace was once home to Marco Polo. Décor is keeping with the period, and the rooms are utterly charming. Original wall frescoes from the 1400s adorn the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/offerte-hotel.php?lang=ENG&id_hotel=37&id_offer= | email=info@cabauta.com | address=Castello 6457 | lat=45.4384168 | long= 12.3442353 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415212313 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= Housed in a 15th-century building, this quaint hotel has very spacious rooms with high ceilings and is adorned with stylish furniture and fittings. Has a friendly, multilingual staff who are always eager to assist you in planning tours, booking concert tickets, and making restaurant reservations. Rates from €70 per night. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Della Corte | alt=B&B + apartments | url=http://cadellacorte.com | email=info@cadellacorte.com | address=Corte Surian, Dorsoduro 3560 | lat=45.4363345 | long=12.3219371 | directions=300 m SE of Piazzale Roma | phone=+39 041-715877 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722345 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Junior suite €140 | lastedit= | content=A comfortable B&B in a quiet area. Warm and personal welcome. Breakfast (served in the room) could be improved (by going to pasticceria Tonolo and bringing your own cakes, e.g.). }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Zose | url=http://hotelcazose.com/ | email=info@hotelcazose.com | address=Dorsoduro 193/B (Calle del Bastion) | lat=45.4308 | long=12.3327 | directions=walk west from Salute vaporetto stop | phone=+39 0415226635 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415226624 | hours= | price=Doubles from €90 in season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=A quiet street off S.M. Salute, by the S.M. Giglio ''traghetto'' (when it's operational, 50 cents will get you to S. Marco), within easy walk of either Accademia or the Zattere (no need to brave the hordes of tourists on the #1 line, take the #52 from bus or train station). The helpful staff speaks Italian, English, French and Veneto. 10% discount on rates if paid in cash - ask Walentina, the proprietress. All rooms are named after stars (in the sky, not of movie kind), and all have A/C (indispensable in summer). Buffet breakfast included. }} * {{sleep | name=Continental Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://continentalhotelvenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat=45.4419737 | long=12.3240286 | directions= | phone=+39 041 71 5122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 524 2432 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=Three-star hotel in the Jewish Ghetto. A historic building belonged to a noble family, with 93 bedrooms (€95-194) capable to host any kind of guests. }} <!-- Too many entries * {{sleep | name=Corte 1321 | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo 1321 | lat= | long= | directions=near the Rialto Bridge | phone=+39 041 5224923 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 0997849 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €100 | lastedit= | content=Large spacious rooms with double sink bathrooms ensure a comfortable stay. Lovely courtyard for dining is made memorable with local birds strutting and cooing. }} * {{sleep | name=Domus Ciliota | alt= | url=http://ciliota.it/ | email= | address=Calle delle Muneghe, San Marco 2976 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 5-10 minute walk from San Marco's Square. The hotel has over fifty clean, basic, air-conditioned rooms all with shower and WC. The 24-hr reception is English speaking. There is an area for leaving baggage after you've checked out. Single rooms are €70-85 and doubles are €100-110 including breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel al Sole | alt= | url=http://www.alsolehotels.com/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 134/136 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2440328 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722287 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €80 | content=Hotel is in a noble palace built in the beginning of the 15th century, a short distance from Piazzale Roma. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ala | alt= | url=http://hotelala.it/ | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria dei Gigli, San Marco 2494 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5208333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206390 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €110 | content=Eggs and broiled tomatoes with cheese for breakfast. Rooms were a typical size but clean, comfortable and quiet. They have turndown service at night, a pleasant surprise. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Alla Salute | alt=also known as 'Da Cici' | url=http://www.salutepalace.com/ | email=info@salutepalace.com | address=Fondamenta Ca' Balà, Dorsoduro 222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235404 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5222271 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €50 | content=A 16th-century palazzo, a stone's throw from Piazza San Marco. It has been the house of the famous poet Ezra Pound. Pretty comfortable and quiet budget hotel. Garden for breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel All’Angelo Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelallangelovenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=San Marco 403 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5209299 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2743555 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Run by the same family since 1924 in a 17th-century building close to St Marks Basilica. Comfortable and stylishly decorated rooms with a double somewhere in the region of €150. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Antico Panada | alt= | url=http://hotelpanada.it | email= | address=San Marco 646 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5209088 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5209619 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €145 to €310 | content=Has rooms decorated in an 18th-century Venetian style. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Gottardi | alt= | url=http://www.cagottardi.com/ | email= | address=Cannaregio 2283 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759421 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €120 | content=Antico Palazzo Gottardi stands in Strada Nuova, between two buildings that look down onto the Canal Grande. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Basilea Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelbasileavenice.com/ | email= | address=Rio Marin, Santa Croce 817 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 718477 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 720851 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms are usually €100-160 depending on season | content=Across the Grand Canal from Santa Lucia Train Station. Located in a quiet Calle. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Becher | alt= | url=http://hotelbecher.com | email= | address=San Marco 1857 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5221253 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5212685 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= This 18th-century hotel enhanced by the most modern amenities, charming atmosphere and impeccable service. Single rooms from €70, doubles €110 and triples from €170. }} * {{sleep | name=Belle Arti Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotelbelleartivenice.com/ | email= | address=Dorsoduro 912/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5226230 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5280043 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double €220. Breakfast included for those who book online | content=Elegant three-star hotel. 67 guestrooms divided in double, triple and quadruple with en suite services, bathroom kit and modern services. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Cà D'Oro | alt= | url=http://venicehotelcadoro.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4604 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2411212 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414385 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Singles from €60, doubles from €80 | content=The hotel is in a quiet corner of Cannaregio district, 5 minutes walk from the Rialto Bridge. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Canaletto Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelcanalettovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 5487 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 20 518 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 023 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Along a scenic canal close to St. Mark’s Basilica. Decorated and furnished in the traditional Venetian manner, this hotel offers excellent service and rooms for two that start at around €110. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Continental | alt= | url=http://hotelcontinentalvenice.com | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-715122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5242432 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= Right on the Canal Grande. Single rooms from €93, doubles from €155 and triples from €194 including taxes and breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Commercio e Pellegrino | alt= | url=http://commercioepellegrino.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4551/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207922 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5225016 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €80, doubles from €100 including taxes and breakfast | lastedit= | content=Comfortable hotel in the centre, easy to reach by public transport and 2 minutes on foot to Saint Mark’s Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Doge Venice | alt= | url=http://www.albergodoge.com/ | email= | address=Lista Vecchia dei Bari, Santa Croce 1222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2448752 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5242192 | checkin= | checkout= | price= Double rooms start from €57. Family apartment for three people €97 | content=Three-star accommodation of Venice. It is in the northern part of the city, in front of the train station and presents 10 bedrooms – single, double and twin, some with a shared bathroom - and one apartment. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Firenze Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotel-firenze.com/index_en.html | email=info@hotel‑firenze.com | address=San Marco 1490 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222858 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5202668 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €120 a double/twin | content=On a side street of Piazza San Marco, and offers bright and comfortable rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel il Mercante di Venezia | alt= | url=https://www.ilmercantedivenezia.com/ | email= | address=Calle della Misericordia, Cannaregio 379-381 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759290 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759294 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just off the Lista di Spagna by the Grand Canal, excellent access to the Station (Santa Lucia) and the waterbuses. Delicately appointed rooms from around €145. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Lisbona Venice | alt= | url=http://hotellisbonavenice.com/ | email= | address=San Marco 2153 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286774 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207061 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just in front of Piazza San Marco, three star rooms decorated in the grand Venetian style. Double rooms are usually around €140. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Marconi Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=Riva del Vin, San Paolo 729 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 22 068 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 700 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal and famous Rialto Bridge. It has been a hotel since the 1930 and has a very interesting art deco style, with rooms going for around €150, or for a little more with a canal view. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Montecarlo Venice | alt= | url=https://www.venicehotelmontecarlo.com/en/ | email= | address=Calle degli Specchieri, San Marco 463 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207144 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207789 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €130 a double | content=3-star superior rooms and services one hundred yards from the entrance to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Nazionale Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelnazionalevenice.com/ | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 158 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 716133 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 715318 | checkin= | checkout= | price=€80 for a single and €160 for a family | content=Three-star accommodation with 90 bedrooms divided in single, double, twin, triple and family, 100 metres away from the train station of Santa Lucia. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palazzo Guardi | alt= | url=http://palazzoguardivenice.com | email= | address=Dorsoduro 995 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2960725 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 7241067 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €80 | content=A stone's throw from the Accademia, is this noble Venetian palace, rooms equipped with all comforts. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Giorgio | alt= | url=http://sangiorgiovenice.com | email= | address=Rio Terà della Mandola, San Marco 3781 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5235835 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228072 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €60, doubles from €90, triples from €120 | lastedit= | content=The hotel is between Campo Sant'Angelo and Campo Manin in an antique [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] palace bought by Mariano Fortuny. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Moise Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 2058 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5203755 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5210670 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Starting in the region of €120-140 for a double room | lastedit= | content=3-star hotel behind Piazza San Marco and the Basilica. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Tiepolo | alt= | url=http://hoteltiepolo.com | email= | address=Castello 4510 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5232415 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5208222 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €200 | content=Small and elegant design hotel in the historic centre, a few steps away from Saint Mark's Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Orseolo | alt= | url=http://locandaorseolo.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A 3-minute walk from St. Peter's Square, operated by a multi-lingual Venetian family who offer impeccable concierge service. Room rates are generally €150 to €200. }} * {{sleep | name=Pagan Luxury House | alt= | url=http://www.capagan.com/ | email=info@capagan.com | address=San Marco 3268 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2960584 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5236218 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €120 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=According to their website, there is a €10 per night discount for booking directly with them. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cà Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/ | email= | address=Castello 6457 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5212313 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Few steps from Campo ss. Giovanni e Paolo, one of the most spectacular place of Venice. Double rooms are usually around €100-160 depending on season. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cá Malipiero Venice | alt= | url=http://camalipierovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 4852 | lat= | long= | directions=Santa Maria Formosa district, behind the Ponte dei Sospiri bridge and St Mark’s Square | phone=+39 041 2770939 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5289845 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €110 | content=An historic building of the 16th century with a large selection of elegant single, double rooms and suites, capable to host up to four people and equipped with the best modern services expected by a three-star guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Flora | alt= | url=http://www.hotelflora.it/ | email=info@hotelflora.it | address=San Marzo 2283/A | lat= | long= | directions=behind Saint Mark's Square | phone=+39 041 5205844 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rates start from €120 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Garden, free Wi-Fi, homemade buffet breakfast, fitness centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Novecento Boutique Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.novecento.biz/ | email= | address=San Marco 2683/84 | lat= | long= | directions=Calle del Dose, off Campo San Maurizio, between St. Mark's Square and the Accademia Gallery | phone=+39 041 2413765 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €120 | content=Has 9 rooms featuring original furniture and tapestries from both the Mediterranean and the Far East. }} * {{sleep | name=Palazzo Cendon - Il Piano Nobile | alt= | url=http://www.palazzocendon.it/ | email= | address=Call Cendon, Cannaregio 532 | lat= 45.4447805 | long=12.3224034 | directions=From the train station turn left before Ponte delle Guglie | phone=+39 041 2750606 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€130 | content=Nice small hotel in good area with a few restaurants and bars. }}--> === Splurge === <!--entries with no prices and that look like spamvertising will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Palazzina Grassi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.palazzinag.com/ | email=info@palazzinag.com | address=San Marco 3247 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5284644 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms from €295 | content=First Italian hotel designed by Philippe Starck, the only one in Venice. In the centre, near the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Saint Mark's Square is a short walk away. }} * {{sleep | name=Duodo Palace Hotel | url=http://duodopalacehotel.com/ | email=info@duodopalacehotel.com | address=San Marco 1887 | lat= | long= | directions=In the historic centre | phone=+39 041 5203329 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2415940 | hours= | price=Doubles from €140 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Four-star luxury hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Al Codega | alt= | url=http://hotelalcodega.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Forno Vecchio, San Marco 4435 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413288 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414621 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €200-300 | content=In a picturesque little ‘cortile’ (courtyard), which is a short walk from Piazza San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Carlton Grand Canal | alt= | url=http://carltongrandcanal.com | email= | address=Fondamenta S.Pantalon, Santa Croce 578 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2752200 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2752250 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Room rates start from €120 (depending on the season) | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Dei Dragomanni | alt= | url=http://hoteldragomanni.com | email= | address=Calle del Dose da Ponte, San Marco 2711 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2771300 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2778984 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €155 | content=4-star hotel in an ancient Venetian palazzo. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Giorgione | url=http://hotelgiorgione.com/ | email= | address=Calle Larga dei Proverbi, Cannaregio 4587 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5225810 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | hours= | price=Singles from €105, Doubles from €150 | checkin= | checkout= | content=In the centre, 10 minutes from Piazza San Marco, it was transformed into a hotel at the beginning of the 19th century and has been managed by the same family ever since. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Bauer | alt=Il Palazzo Venezia | url=http://www.bauervenezia.com/en/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email=info@bauervenezia.com | address=San Marco 1459 | lat=45.43295 | long=12.3335603 | directions=In the street from San Marco Square to Ponte dell'Accademia | phone=+39 041 5207022 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €279 to €15,010 | lastedit=2017-03-21 | content=Five-star luxury hotel along the Grand Canal riverside with bars and restaurants }} * {{sleep | name=Corte di Gabriela | alt= | url=http://www.cortedigabriela.com/en/ | email=info@cortedigabriela.com | address=Calle Avvocati, 3836 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235077 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from 270€ per night | lastedit=2018-11-21 | content=Corte di Gabriela is a 4-star boutique hotel in Venice in an elegant nineteenth-century building, overlooking the canals of the San Marco district. It has a few suites, each different from the others. }} == Connect == As of Sept 2021, Venice has 4G from Iliad and TIM, and 5G from Vodafone and Wind Tre. The city has been steadily building out the municipal Wi-Fi network, which now covers almost the entire area around the Grand Canal and some of the larger squares in the center. You can buy guest access at approximately €5 per day at the same unified Venezia Unica site where the transport and museum passes are sold. However if you only need occasional access, it may not be worth buying this as you can get free wifi at most accommodations and at a lot of the museums in Venice. Venice has several internet cafes, but they are much more expensive than the rest of Europe with prices for an hour of access around €6. Wi-Fi is only available at some of them. There's a wonderful pub, Cafe Blue in Dorsoduro, which has free (password-protected) wi-fi. Buy a spritz and a panini and go to town. At the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Campo San Salvatore (San Marco) you can browse for free for one hour, once registered with your ID card. To use an Internet cafe, buy a mobile SIM card or get a contract for an Internet connection. Personal identification is needed by law in Italy. Internet cafes will not let you use computers without a passport or national ID card. Calle Delle Botteghe on San Marco 2970 Venezia is a pretty art gallery type internet cafe with a book shop. It is on the expensive side with €3 for 15 min but you can just go in and play chess with a glass of wine. == Stay safe == Venice is considered a safe city. You have to take the habitual travellers' precautions however. Keep your valuable items (like wallet and passport) close to you because there are pickpockets, especially in more crowded parts of the city. In case of need, you can dial free of charge on any phone '''112''' (no area code needed) to contact Carabinieri or '''113''' (no area code needed) to contact the Police. ==Stay healthy== Venice has begun to install septic tanks in buildings, but much of the city has not yet been upgraded and releases untreated sewage directly into the canals. Avoid bathing yourself, touching the water, immersing feet, etc. in the canals looking for refreshment in hot season. Also, at night there is a risk of falling into the water, as there are many alleys which end in the water but have little or no lighting. In the warmest months, these conditions can sometimes generate foul odors. Choose other times to visit if they might ruin what should be a highly enjoyable stay. Current regulations forbid certain behaviour, including bathing in the canals and walking around in a swimsuit or bare-chested. Violations are subject to fines up to €500. More information available on [https://www.comune.venezia.it/en/content/enjoyrespectvenezia #EnjoyRespectVenezia website]. You can reach the emergency medical service dialing free of charge on any phone '''118''' (no area code needed, conversation will be recorded) to have assistance and an ambulance sent to you. Chemists' shops (Italian: ''Farmacie'') are all around the town. They are open 24 hr a day, 7 days a week on a rotational basis: outside the shop there's always the list of operating ones with time-table, address and phone number. If you need a special drug you might be asked to book it in advance if it's not in common use. Note that the commercial name or brand of your prescription might differ from your country of origin, and make sure that the medication you want is available in the EU. == Respect == The city officials state that it is necessary to enforce rules that preserve the city's urban cleanliness and make sure visitors behave themselves. The following tips will come in handy: * '''Walk on the right side of the street'''; especially on narrower streets, you'll contribute to making your and other’s walk faster, safer, and tidier. Do it always, even if the street is empty. * '''Do not bathe, dive into, or swim in the canals'''; it is not only dangerous and unhealthy, but it is punishable by a fine of up to €350 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not sit down on the ground and eat'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not camp in public areas'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not walk around bare-chested or in swimwear'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €250. == Cope == === Orientation === The unfortunate side-effect of the small alleys which make Venice such a delight to visit is that it is remarkably easy to get lost. Even maps provided by hotels are frequently inaccurate, and the maze-like structure of the city can become very confusing. The tight cluster of little islands that comprise Venice is completely surrounded by the Lagoon, so it is not possible, no matter how lost you become, to leave Venice on foot. Sooner or later you will come upon a piazza that you can locate on your map. One tip: as you cross bridges, note the house numbers before and after. A small change probably means you are on the same island/district and have crossed a "new" canal. A major change means you are now on another island. Most maps clump islands together into their voting districts, there are many more islands than districts. One piece of assistance is to look for directional signs. These will be marked "Per" and then with the name of a prominent location or bridge in the city, complete with an arrow pointing in the relevant direction. Hence, to get to the Rialto bridge, the signs to follow are marked "Per Rialto". Those to St Mark's Square read "Per S Marco", and those to the train station "Per Ferrovia" (there are some others as well). Having oriented yourself to the nearest landmark, direction-finding can thus become (slightly) easier. Remember, though, that the signs to read are the ''official'' ones. Graffiti will occasionally give other directions, frequently incorrect ones. That said, some argue that getting lost in Venice is part of the experience of the city. The number of photogenic canals, hidden restaurants and shops where glass blowing is done almost guarantees that there is no such thing as a "dull neighbourhood". Additionally, the public transport means that it is relatively easy to arrive at the intended destination even after one has emerged from the web of alleys in a totally unexpected place. === Overcrowding === While Venice may not get more tourists than other famous [[Italy|Italian]] destinations as [[Rome]] and [[Florence]], the narrowness of streets and open areas may at times make Venice feel ''uncomfortably'' crowded during (but not only) the peak seasons, at the San Marco ''sestiere'', the surroundings of the Rialto bridge and the streets leading from Venezia Santa Lucia and Piazzale Roma to San Marco. Walking by itself can be difficult, let alone snapping a good photo, using a public lavatory, or sitting at a decent cafe or restaurant. To avoid the worst of the crowds, unless it is winter, try to visit the San Marco and Rialto bridge areas during early morning and late evening. During the late morning and afternoon, stay away as far as possible from this area, for instance walking around west Santa Croce, north Cannaregio, eastern Castello and Giudecca. Alternatively, take day trips to places outside central Venice such as [[Burano]], the [[Lido]], [[Padua]] or [[Vicenza]], or simply take the opportunity to refresh in your hotel. === Useful telephone numbers === * {{listing | name=Police (emergency call) | phone=113 }} * {{listing | name=Carabinieri (emergency call) | phone=112 }} * {{listing | name=First Aid (emergency call) | phone=118 }} * {{listing | name=Venice Hospital | phone=+39 041 5294111 }} * {{listing | name=Medical Service on Duty | phone=+39 041 5294060 }} * {{listing | name=Tourist Information | phone=+39 041 5298700 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service San Marco | phone=+39 041 5200685 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Rialto | phone=+39 041 5224904 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Danieli | phone=+39 041 5222254 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Information | phone=+39 041 2609260 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 2609222 }} * {{listing | name=Railway information | phone=892021 (in country only) }} * {{listing | name=Railway Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 785531 }} === Consulates === Most of the consulates listed here are only honorary consulates, so can only offer limited consular services. If you need any serious help, try visiting [[Milan]], where larger consulates can sometimes be found; however, it will usually be easier to visit the Italian capital, [[Rome#Embassies|Rome]], where most countries' embassies are found. * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia| url=http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locations/missions/Pages/australian-consulate-in-venice-italy.aspx| email=mc@castelbrando.it | address=Via della Libertà, 12 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5093061 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria| url= | email=consolato.austria@zoppas.com | address=Santa Croce, 251 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5240556| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium| url= | email=piero.reis@sgpaa.lu | address=Dorsoduro, 3464 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5242944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic| url=http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/diplomatic_missions/czech_missions_abroad/italy_honorary_consulate_of_the_czech_2.html | email=venice@honorary.mzv.cz | address= Cannaregio, 3821| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2413984| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark| url= | email=covedk@hotmail.com | address=Santa Croce, 466/g | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413984 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland| url= http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=330512&contentlan=2&culture=en-US| email=finland.consulate.venice@gmail.com | address= Rio dei Scudi 2654/A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 347 1245016| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France| url= | email=cfvenise@yahoo.fr | address= Castello, 6140| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5224319| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany| url= | email=venedig@hk-diplo.de | address= Santa Croce, 251| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5237675 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece| url= | email=grcon.ven@mfa.gr | address= Castello 4683/C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5237260| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania| url= | email=info@consolatodilituania.venezia.it | address=Santa Croce, 764 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5241131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg| url= | email=conslux@fastwebnet.it | address=Castello, 5312 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5222047| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malta}} {{listing | name=Malta| url= | email=maltaconsul.venice@gov.mt | address=Piazzale l.da Vinci, 8, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 3969100| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico| url= | email=consuladodemexico.venecia@service.net | address=Santa Marta , Fabbricato, 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2712642| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco| url= | email=consmonaco.venise@tin.it | address= San Polo. 747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223772| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands| url= | email=cons.paesibassi.ve@libero.it | address=San Marco, 2888 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5283416| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway| url= | email=consolato.norvegia.ve@longanesicattani.it | address= Santa Croce, 466/b| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5231345| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal| url= | email=perchidoni@yahoo.it | address= San Marco, 1747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223446| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia| url= | email= | address= San Marco, 4718/a| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 04 12418879| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain| url= | email= | address= San Polo, 2646| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5233254| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden| url= http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/Rome/Contact/Embassy--Consulates/#Venice| email=consolato.svezia.venezia@gmail.com | address= Sestiere Cannaregio 166| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225489 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland| url= https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/italy/en/home/representations/honorary-consulates/consulate-venice.html| email=venezia@honrep.ch | address= Dorsoduro, 810| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5225996| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey| url= | email=consolatoturchia@bassani.it | address=Santa Marta, Fabbricato 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230707 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States| url=https://it.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/milan/consular-agency-venice/ | email=USCitizensVenice@state.gov | address=Venice Marco Polo Airport, Via Galileo Galilei, 30 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5415944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} === Post offices === * Venezia Centro: San Marco. Sottoportico delle Acque 5016 * Venezia 1: Cannaregio, Lista di Spagna 233 * Venezia 3: San Polo, Campo San Polo 2012 * Venezia 4: San Marco, Calle Larga de l'Ascension 1241 * Venezia 5: Castello, Calle Barbaria delle Tole 6674 * Venezia 8: Giudecca, Fondamenta Sant'Eufemia * Venezia 9: Castello, Via Garibaldi 1641 * Venezia 10: Dorsoduro, Zattere Fondamenta al Ponte Longo 1507 * Venezia 11: Sant'Elena, Viale 4 Novembre 23/24 * Venezia 12: Santa Croce, Fondamenta Santa Chiara 411 * Venezia 13: Cannaregio, Calle dele Cooperative snc * Murano: Fondamenta Navagero 48 * Burano: Fondamenta Terranova 162 * Lido di Venezia: Via Doge Domenico Michiel 1 * Malamocco: Campo Chiesa 1 == Go next == [[Metropolitan Venice]] has many interesting destinations far from the Venetian crowds. Around the Venetian lagoon are other smaller islands, which have since been deserted but are worth a visit. There is also the Lido, which is a long narrow island with more modern buildings, hosting a youth hostel and a hotel. * [[Burano]] — Island famous for lace, textiles and colorfully painted houses. * [[Lido]] — The island of tranquility, a beach district 10 minutes by boat from San Marco, and where the Venice movie festival is held. * [[Mestre]] — Town in the mainland, but still a part of Venice. * [[Murano]] — Nearby island famous for its glassware. * [[San Lazzaro]] — Nearby island with Armenian monastery and impressive art collection, some world class pieces. * [[Torcello]] — Nearby island with a 7th-century basilica church and an archeological museum. * Riviera del Brenta &mdash; Palladian villas around Brenta River, 20 minutes from Venice by car, or you can get there via biking tours with a local bike hire shop. * [[Lake Garda]] — An easy day trip by train, it is Italy's largest lake and stunning in scenery. * [[Po Delta]] — Peaceful and scenic marshy area southwest of Venice with bike trails. * [[Eraclea]] — Typical for its pinewood and Laguna del Mort, 55 minutes from Venice by car or by boat. * [[Jesolo]] — Jesolo is one of the most important beaches in Italy, just 45 minutes from Venice by car or by boat (ferry from Treporti to Venice). * [[Padua]] (It. Padova) — 40&nbsp;km west of Venice, home to the Basilica of St. Anthony, the Scrovegni Chapel, and the oldest Botanical Gardens in the world, among others. * [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] — Lovely alpine town, site of 1956 Winter Olympic Games. Great mountain scenery, might be very expensive. A couple of hours of car ride to the north of Venice, more than 3 hours by train and bus. {{Related|Venice with children}} {{Related|Ferries_in_the_Mediterranean}} {{IsPartOf|Metropolitan Venice}} {{Geo|45.4386111|12.3266667|zoom=13}} {{Guidecity}} cq3qjzft08n05eeo1nn6okg5q8dikq4 4501589 4501583 2022-08-15T13:17:30Z Jonte-- 38175 /* Drink */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Pagebanner|disambig=yes|unesco=yes|Venice new banner.jpg}} {{printDistricts}} {{Style|Now we have [[Venice/Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce]], [[Venice/Castello]] and [[Venice/San Marco]] (and also [[Venice/Lido]] and [[Venice/Murano]]), we should format this main article as a "huge city article". }} '''[http://english.comune.venezia.it Venice]''' ([[Italian phrasebook|Italian]]: ''Venezia''; Venetian: ''Venexia'') is a sanctuary on a lagoon that is virtually the same as it was 600 years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and suffers from overtourism, but the romantic charm remains. It is also known as the birthplace of composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi. Venice and its lagoon are a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. It used to be an independent republic, and remains one of Italy's most important cities, with a quarter million inhabitants. ==Districts== {{mapframe|show=districtmap|name=Map of Venice's six historic ''sestieri'' (districts)}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52423,Q844263|fill=#487db8|title=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52425,Q2118904|fill=#b569b5|title=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52422,Q52435|fill=#6e73e2|title=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52429|fill=#7ad88d|title=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52428,Q1758658|fill=#e7ef5d|title=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]]}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|group=districtmap|wikidata=Q52427,Q126327|fill=#de725d|title=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]]}} {{regionlist | region1name=[[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]] | region1color=#de725d | region1description=Sharpen your elbows and get to stepping. '''St Mark's Basilica''', '''Doge's Palace''', and half a dozen other top sights are crammed in to '''Piazza San Marco'''. If you'd like a good picture (or even a place to sit!) try visiting at dawn, or during the winter months. | region2name=[[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]] | region2color=#7ad88d | region2description=One of the oldest parts of the city&mdash;and featuring the '''Rialto Bridge'''&mdash;one of it's most visited. Several museums and churches hold dozens of antiquities and artistic masterworks. | region3name=[[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]] | region3color=#6e73e2 | region3description=Home to the '''Guggenheim''' and '''Gallerie Accademia Venezia''', some of the finest museums in Italy. This area also plays host to many students, so those seeking budget conscious amenities may have more luck here. | region4name=[[Venice/Castello|Castello]] | region4color=#b569b5 | region4description=Several captivating palaces, basilica, and museums all live within the "tail of the fish". On your walk from San Marco, pass by the '''Bridge of Sighs''' to catch a glimpse of a convicts last view. | region5name=[[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]] | region5color=#487db8 | region5description=A more residential neighborhood, the city's historic '''Jewish ghetto''' is found here as well as the nearby island of '''San Michele Cemetery'''. Receives fewer visitors than neighboring areas, although that's not saying much. | region6name=[[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] | region6color=#e7ef5d | region6description=Transit oriented Santa Croce is where Venetian visitors will arrive by bus, car or tram. The rail station is just across the Grand Canal in Cannaregio. The park and churches found here are lovely, while the museums cover mostly non-Italian work. }} Many visitors also pay a visit to '''[[Mestre]]''' (mainland Venice) and some of the neighboring islands during their stay. * '''[[Venice/Burano|Burano]]''' &mdash; Popular with artists and known for its many small, brightly painted houses. * '''[[Venice/Murano|Murano]]''' &mdash; Filled with quaint shops and restaurants, Murano is known far and wide for its high quality glass making. * '''[[Venice/Lido|Lido]]''' &mdash; Venice's long skinny beach, Lido offers a respite from more touristy and expensive areas. * '''[[Venice/Torcello|Torcello]]''' &mdash; Sparsely populated and accessible by ''vaporetto'', this island offers a unique window into Venetian life. == Understand == [[File:Venezia Campanile di San Marco 004.JPG|thumb|upright|Bell tower of Saint Mark]] === Orientation === [[Metropolitan Venice]] has nearly a million inhabitants, and includes coastal and inland towns such as [[Bibione]], [[Chioggia]] and [[Eraclea]]. The ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice lies at the coast of northern Italy. It is made up of many islands in the Venetian Lagoon and a stretch of ''terraferma'' (mainland). The comune is divided into six boroughs, the most famous of which (known as ''Venezia Insulare'') comprises the historic city of Venice as well as the islands of Giudecca, [[Venice/Murano|Murano]], [[Burano]], [[Torcello]], [[Mazzorbo]] and [[Sant'Erasmo]]. [[Lido]] and [[Mestre]] are other popular areas of the comune. The historic city is divided into six ''sestieri'' (districts): [[Venice/Cannaregio|Cannaregio]], [[Venice/Castello|Castello]], [[Venice/Dorsoduro|Dorsoduro]], [[Venice/San Polo|San Polo]], [[Venice/Santa Croce|Santa Croce]] and finally [[Venice/San Marco|San Marco]], where the main monuments and sights are. Each sestiere uses separate house numbers, however they are ''not'' allocated in a specific pattern. === History === {{See also|Medieval and Renaissance Italy}} The '''Most Serene Republic of Venice''' dates back to 827, when a Byzantine Duke moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years, it prospered on trade (especially from the [[Silk Road]]) and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the '''Doge'''. Eventually, the Republic of Venice grew into a powerful city-state, and the cradle of [[Medieval and Renaissance Italy|Italian renaissance]]. In the late 15th century, the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s expansion around the Mediterranean, new routes on the high seas shifted commerce to the Atlantic, demoting Venice's political status. The city remains a centre for the arts. One of the significant events in the history of Venice was the opening of the first public opera house in 1637, which allowed members of the general public (those who could afford to pay for the tickets) to enjoy what was once court entertainment reserved for the aristocracy, thus allowing the genre of opera to flourish. Venice was an important destination of the [[Grand Tour]] from the 17th century. In 1797, the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which it never recovered. The city was soon absorbed into [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austria-Hungary]], then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but Venice is still a monument to the glory days of the Renaissance, and historical culture still throbs powerfully in the old Italians' veins. === Climate === {{Weather box | metric first=y | single line=y | Jan high C = 6.6 | Feb high C = 9.6 | Mar high C = 14.5 | Apr high C = 20.1 | May high C = 23.5 | Jun high C = 25.9 | Jul high C = 27.7 | Aug high C = 27.5 | Sep high C = 24.4 | Oct high C = 20.0 | Nov high C = 12.6 | Dec high C = 7.4 | year high C = 17.2 | Jan mean C = 3.3 | Feb mean C = 4.7 | Mar mean C = 8.3 | Apr mean C = 12.0 | May mean C = 17.1 | Jun mean C = 20.5 | Jul mean C = 23.0 | Aug mean C = 22.6 | Sep mean C = 18.9 | Oct mean C = 13.8 | Nov mean C = 7.8 | Dec mean C = 4.0 | year mean C = 13.0 | Jan low C = −0.1 | Feb low C = 0.8 | Mar low C = 5.1 | Apr low C = 9.8 | May low C = 13.7 | Jun low C = 16.1 | Jul low C = 18.3 | Aug low C = 17.7 | Sep low C = 14.3 | Oct low C = 9.6 | Nov low C = 4.0 | Dec low C = 0.6 | year low C = 8.8 | Jan precipitation mm = 47.0 | Feb precipitation mm = 48.3 | Mar precipitation mm = 48.8 | Apr precipitation mm = 70.0 | May precipitation mm = 66.0 | Jun precipitation mm = 78.0 | Jul precipitation mm = 63.9 | Aug precipitation mm = 64.8 | Sep precipitation mm = 72.0 | Oct precipitation mm = 73.5 | Nov precipitation mm = 65.5 | Dec precipitation mm = 50.6 | year precipitation mm = 748.4 | Jan humidity = 81 | Feb humidity = 77 | Mar humidity = 75 | Apr humidity = 75 | May humidity = 73 | Jun humidity = 74 | Jul humidity = 71 | Aug humidity = 72 | Sep humidity = 75 | Oct humidity = 77 | Nov humidity = 79 | Dec humidity = 81 | year humidity = 75.8 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 6.0 | Feb precipitation days = 5.2 | Mar precipitation days = 5.7 | Apr precipitation days = 8.3 | May precipitation days = 8.2 | Jun precipitation days = 8.6 | Jul precipitation days = 5.9 | Aug precipitation days = 6.1 | Sep precipitation days = 5.9 | Oct precipitation days = 6.7 | Nov precipitation days = 5.8 | Dec precipitation days = 5.9 | Jan sun = 80.6 | Feb sun = 107.4 | Mar sun = 142.6 | Apr sun = 174.0 | May sun = 229.4 | Jun sun = 243.0 | Jul sun = 288.3 | Aug sun = 257.3 | Sep sun = 198.0 | Oct sun = 151.9 | Nov sun = 87.0 | Dec sun = 77.5 | year sun = 2037.0 | source 1 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/AtlanteClim2/pdf/(105)Venezia%20Tessera.pdf MeteoAM (sun and humidity 1961–1990) Venezia/Tessera] | source 2 = [http://clima.meteoam.it/viewClino.php?type=File&station=105&name_station=Venezia%20Tessera MeteoAM Tabella CLINO] | date = April 2014 }} Venice has a humid-subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. For those who don't enjoy the heat, July and August may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot and often humid, there are mosquitoes and occasional infestations of flies, and there are a ''lot'' of tourists and large crowds. Mid to late spring and early to mid autumn are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 10-25°C) and the tourist load. Between November and January, you may manage to feel you have Venice all to yourself, an interesting experience. Beware of the weather during the winter months: it can be quite chilly, windy, and damp. Fog is an additional hazard if you are driving in or out, doubly so in the unlikely chance that you will pilot a boat. But if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer. Although Venice has no cars, diesel motors used by boats contribute to less than stellar air quality. '''''Acqua alta''''' (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The lagoon water level occasionally rises above the level of the squares and streets, flooding them. This can happen several times a year, at irregular intervals, usually in the colder months. ''Acqua alta'' usually lasts a few hours and coincides with high tide. You'll see raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when ''acqua alta'' hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound to warn residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italian, tune into news programs since their predictions of the times the flood begins and ends are usually accurate. Normally, the tide rises and falls in six-hour cycles. You can get an ''acqua alta'' map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Mark's Square. This will show you the higher, dry routes and the ones with walkways set up during the various flood alerts. There is a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers, and a noticeboard at the base of the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco that shows a live tide reading and predictions for the next few days. == Get in == {{Mapframe|name=Important transfer points|show=go}} Water plays a crucial role in transportation, as Venice is on a lagoon. Whichever way you arrive the last part of your journey will be on foot from the nearest waterbus/watertaxi jetty. Bear this in mind when choosing your hotel location and route to it, especially if you need to carry or wheel bags along the narrow streets. Do note a lot of the higher priced hotels will offer complementary water boat transfers from the airport. === By plane === The Marco Polo Airport and the Treviso Airport serve the city. If no flight suites you, check flying to nearby '''[[Bologna#By_plane|Bologna]]''' or '''[[Verona#By_plane|Verona]]'''. From both cities trains and buses depart to Venice. ==== Marco Polo Airport ==== {{Listing | type = go | name = Marco Polo Airport | alt = {{IATA|VCE}} | url = http://www.veniceairport.it | email = | address = | lat = 45.50528 | long = 12.35194 | directions = on the mainland near [[Mestre]] (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure) | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | wikipedia= Venice Marco Polo Airport | wikidata = Q849347 | image = Aeroporto di Venezia - vue aerienne.jpg | lastedit = 2019-08-21 | content = This is the closest commercial airport. }} There are direct flights to and from [[Amsterdam Schiphol]], [[Atlanta Airport]], [[Barcelona El Prat]], Basel, Belfast, Berlin, Bilbao, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Brussels, Casablanca, Chisinau, Cologne-Bonn, [[Copenhagen Airport]], Doha, Dubai, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, [[Frankfurt Airport]], Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Istanbul, Leeds, Le Havre, Lille, Lisbon, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Mars Alam, Marseilles, Metz, Montreal, Moscow, [[Munich Airport]], Mykonos, Nantes, New York. Newcastle, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague Pristina, Riga, Southend, Saint Petersburg, Sharm el-Sheik, Stuttgart, Timisoara, Tirana, Toronto, Toulouse, Tunis, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich as well as domestic flights to and from Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, and Rome. As of April 2022 the airport wifi service is free, with caveats: you get 30 min without registration, and a few hours with registration. This is useful if you need access to online vaccination passports. '''[http://www.atvo.it ATVO]''' operates airport shuttle '''expressbus 35''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' between 04:20 and 23:30 every day and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' between 05:20 to 00:50 every day. The trip on a coach bus with luggage stowed underneath takes about 20 minutes. ATVO ticket price is €8 one-way and €15 return, luggage included. Tickets can be bought at the airport from the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall, at the ATVO ticket counter in the arrival hall (open from 08:00 to 23:45, {{Phone|+39 042 1594672}}) and from the automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the airport on the ATVO departure platform. In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to San Marco Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St. Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre, tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/urban-lines-0 ACTV]''' operates urban '''aerobus 5''' service from ''Piazzale Roma'' to ''Marco Polo Airport'' on weekdays between 04:35 and 00:40 and during weekends between 05:40 and 00:40 and from ''Marco Polo Airport'' to ''Piazzale Roma'' on weekdays between 04:08 and 01:10 and during weekends between 04:08 and 01:10. The trip in a city bus takes about 23 minutes. ACTV ticket price for a 75-minute trip with water buses (vaporetti) and land buses starting and/or ending at Marco Polo Airport is €8 one-way and €15 return. One piece of hand luggage is included in the price. If you are willing to walk 1 km to save a few coins, walk to the Triestina Tessera stop and catch the same bus 5 (or some other routes) for €6. If you have a Venezia Unica card (see local transport), you can ride from that stop for €1.50. '''[http://www.alilaguna.it/en Alilaguna]''' operates three '''water bus''' lines from the airport. Such a direct water bus from the airport may be more convenient than taking the bus to the bus station and then changing to the local water bus. To reach the boat jetty, turn left on leaving the terminal and walk 10 minutes along the covered walkway. * '''Blue line (linea blu)''' runs from the airport to the Cruise Terminal (Terminal Crociere) via Murano, Fondamente Nove, Ospedale, Bacini, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zitelle, Zattere, and Giudecca Stucky. Boats leave from the airport every hour from 06:10 to 08:10 and from 20:15 to 00:15 and every 30 minutes between 08:45 and 20:15, boats leave from the Cruise Terminal every 30 minutes from 07:50 to 17:20. The boat trip from the airport to the city center (San Marco) takes about 90 min. This trip is very long and boring, so bring something to do. The trip from the airport to Murano takes 30 min. * '''Orange line (linea arancio)''' connects the airport with Giglio via Madonna dell'Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, San Angelo and Ca' Rezzonico. Boats leave from the airport every 30 mins from 08:00 to 19:00. Boats leaving later in the evening go to Fondamenta Nove or San Marco only. Boats leave from Giglio from every 30 minutes from 6:48 to 19:48, later boats leave from San Marco only. * '''Red line (Linea Rossa)''' goes from the airport to Giudecca Zitelle via Murano Museo, Certosa, Lido, and San Marco. This is a seasonal service and only operates between April and November. Boats leave the airport every hour from 10:30 to 18:30 and San Marco every hour from 9:05 to 19:05. The ticket price from the airport to Lido, Venice, or Cruise Terminal is €15 one way (€8 IMOB smart card) and €27 return. Airport to Murano costs €8 one way (€4 IMOB) and €15 return. There are also tourist tickets which are valid for 24 hours (€30), and for 72 hours (€65). All tickets can be purchased online. The water bus services from the airport are operated by a different company (Alilaguna) than the other public water bus services in Venice, so separate tickets will be required. From the same jetty, you can travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy '''water-taxis''' (30 min) for about €110. ==== Treviso Airport ==== The '''[http://trevisoairport.it/ Treviso Airport]''' ({{IATA|TSF}}), located 25&nbsp;km (16&nbsp;mi) from Venice near [[Treviso]], is relatively smaller but becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for Ryanair, Wizzair, and Transavia budget flights. There are flights to Treviso Airport from Bucharest, Charleroi, Chisinau, Cluj, Dublin, East Midlands, Eindhoven, Iasi, L'viv, Malta, Moscow, Paris Beauvais, Prague, Stockholm, Timisoara and Valencia. There are domestic flights from Alghero, Bari, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme and Palermo. Flights to and from Treviso Airport are operated by [http://www.laudamotion.com/ Lauda], [http://www.pobeda.aero Pobeda], [http://www.ryanair.com Ryanair] +39 895 8958989, [http://www.wizzair.com Wizz Air] +39 895 895 3322. The airport runs over-capacity with seating and facilities, and the security line can sometimes be very long during peak travel times. If you arrive at the airport and the line is moving too slowly, you can purchase local fast track service at '''[https://www.ufirst.com/en/doors/door-015659eb-2683-46ba-82ca-c18d7490b57f/service-d78a5c7d-c641-4072-8622-0b351fcf8db7 UFirst.com]''' for €10. This is official but poorly advertised at the airport. There is no express passport control if departing the Schengen area. '''[http://www.atvo.it/index.php?lingua=en&area=menustandard&idpadre=23&idmenu=36 ATVO]''' operates buses from Venice to Treviso Airport daily at 05:30, 07:10, 10:30, and 18:30 and from Treviso Airport to Venice daily at 07:45, 08:15, 13:10 and 21:20 plus others not connecting to the flights to and from Treviso Airport. Flights arriving earlier or later than scheduled may affect the departure from the airport. If flights are cancelled the bus service will be suspended. The bus has two stops in Mestre, one in Corso del Popolo in front of BNP Bank in the historic center and the other one near the railway station and the journey takes about 55 min. The bus stop in Venice is at Piazzale Roma and the journey takes about 70 min. Ticket prices are €12 one-way and €22 return (valid 7 days) and have to be validated before boarding the bus. Tickets can be bought at Treviso Airport at the automatic ATVO ticket machine in the arrivals baggage hall or at the ATVO ticket office in the arrivals hall, operating from 07:30 to 22:30 ({{Phone|+39 422 315 381}}). In Venice, tickets can be bought at the ATVO ticket office in Piazzale Roma, near the Carabinieri station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 671}}), at automatic ATVO ticket machine outside the ticket office, at 'Chiosco di Pluff' newsagent in the center of the square 5 m from the departure point for the buses to Treviso Airport, at Botazzo Tobacconist's in Piazzale Roma, at the Novo Tour Agency in Piazzale Roma and at IEX Change Agency in St.Mark's Square under the Torre dei Mori. In Mestre tickets can be bought at ATVO ticket office in Via Capuccina 183, near the railway station ({{Phone|+39 421 594 673}}), at automatic ticket machine outside the ticket office, at Bar Binario, situated near the ticket office, at ATAV - Associazione Turistica Albergatori Venezia, inside the railway station or at 365 Grandi Biglietterie Agency inside the railway station. There is free Wi-Fi on the buses. '''[http://www.barziservice.com/en/services/airport/ Barzi Bus Service]''' offers a bus service via the motorway from the airport to Mestre train station (about 30 min trip) and Venice Tronchetto (about 40 min trip). Ticket prices are €12 one way and €22 return (valid 10 days). Tickets can be bought at their desk in the arrival hall ({{Phone|+39 348 836 71 85}}), or on the bus. Tickets bought on Ryanair flights are ''not'' valid for this service. Barzi Bus brings you to Tronchetto, from there you can take vaporetto line 2 to the city center. If you'd rather avoid the highway traffic and don't have bulky luggage, take the local '''[http://www.mobilitadimarca.it/p/linee-e-orari/servizio-urbano/urbano-treviso Mobilita di Marca bus no. 6]''' for €1.30 (€2.50 if bought on board). It will deposit you at the Treviso train station in about 10 minutes. There are 2-3 departures hourly from the airport between 06:00 to 22:00. Then it's about 30 minutes on Regionale or Regionale Veloce train to Venezia Santa Lucia (also 2-3 departures per hour). The ticket price is €3.40 for the train. ==== San Nicolo Airport ==== The '''San Nicolo Airport''' (ICAO: LIPV, no IATA code) is an airfield directly on the Lido. It handles only small aircraft, as the runway (grass) is about 1&nbsp;km long, and does not have any scheduled flights, but might be of interest to private pilots (arrivals from [[Schengen Agreement]] states only) due to its convenience to the city (it is a short walk to the vaporetto landing). === By train === [[File:Lion of Venice, Piazzetta San Marco.jpg|thumb|300px|A winged lion, the symbol of San Marco]] Venice is well-connected with the domestic train network, [[Rome]] and [[Milan]] are only a few hours away. Also there are some night trains from cities in southern Italy, though since 2012 most services have been canceled. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to [[Trieste]] leave from Venezia Mestre at 10:24, 19:45 and 21:59 and the trip takes about 1 hr 35 min. Regionale Veloce (Fast Regional) trains leave from Santa Lucia station at 09:11, 9:48, 12:09, 13:09, every hour from 14:11 to 18:11, at 19:35, the trip taking about 2 hr 5 min. Freccia Bianca (White Arrow) trains to Milan leave Santa Lucia station at 05:20, 06:20, 06:50, 07:50, 08:50, 10:50, 12:50, 13:20, 14:20, 14:50, 15:20, 16:20, 17:20, 18:20 and 19:50, duration of the trip is about 2 hr 35 min. There are Freccia Argento (Silver Arrow) trains to Rome leaving Santa Lucia at 10:25, 13:25, 15:25 and 18:25, via [[Bologna]] and [[Florence]] arriving in Rome 3 hr 50 min later, and an Intercity Night train leaving Santa Lucia at 00:07, arriving in Rome at 06:35 next morning. [http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx Iitalo] offers train services from Santa Lucia to Rome at 07:55, 09:55, 12:55 and 18:55, arriving Romea Ostiense at 11:50, 13:50, 16:50 and 22:50, and at 15:55 arriving at Roma Tiburtina at 19:30. Direct trains to Venice are available from many international destinations, there are [[sleeper trains]] from [[Munich]] and [[Vienna]] operated by ÖBB as part of their [http://www.nightjet.at Nightjet] brand. and also a weekly long-distance night train (four nights) from [[Moscow]] via [[Kyiv]], [[Budapest]] and [[Zagreb]]. There's also a sleeper service from Paris operating under the [https://www.thello.com/en/ Thello] brand. * Nightjet trains to Munich depart Santa Lucia at 21:04 and arrive in Munich at 06:10. The train from Munich leaves at 23:20 to reach Santa Lucia at 08:24. * Trains to Vienna depart at 21:04 and arrive in Vienna at 07:55 next morning. The other way departs Vienna at 21:27, arriving at 08:24 in Santa Lucia. * The Thello sleeper leaves Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:15 and arrives in Santa Lucia at 09:35. The reverse trajectory departs Venice at 19:20, arriving in Paris at 09:37. Also, Venice is the terminus for the luxurious '''[https://www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express Venice Simplon Orient-Express]''', a historical train that still make the overnight journey from [[London]] and Paris in original 1920s coaches. There are departures at least once a week between March and November. As one of the most sumptuous journeys in the world, the trip is expectedly ''very'' expensive, starting at €2,900. Trains from the mainland run through [[Mestre]] on the mainland to the terminus Venezia Santa Lucia railway station on the west side of Venice; make sure you don't get it confused with the two stations on the mainland before the bridge. Many through trains only stop in Mestre, in that case just hop on to one of the very frequent trains to Santa Lucia (ticket €1.25). Also, ACTV has a ticket office at Mestre station, and queues might be shorter here. From the Santa Lucia station district, water buses (''vaporetti'') or water taxis can take you to hotels or other locations on the islands, but walking is usually the best option. * {{go | name=Venezia Santa Lucia railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia | url=https://www.instazione.shop/venezia-santa-lucia | email= | address=Fondamenta Santa Lucia | lat= | long= | directions=Northern edge of Cannaregio district | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q801567 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=The main terminus station located in proper Venice. The strikingly modern building was built in 1934. Stepping out from the station you are immediately met with views of the canals and historic Venice. The station itself has plenty of amenities, including lounges for holders of first-class tickets. There's a left luggage facility next to the track on the north side of the station (to the right when facing the tracks). Price is €6 per piece for the first six hours. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Mestre railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Mestre | url= | email= | address=Piazzale Pietro Favretti | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q520844 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Main station on the mainland, many through trains only call here. }} * {{go | name=Venezia Porto Marghera railway station | alt=Stazione di Venezia Porto Marghera | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3971261 | lastedit=2021-03-06 | content=Smaller station on the mainland, only local services call here. }} === By car === Distances to Venice: Rome 540 km, Milan 279 km, Padua 60 km, Vicenza 75 km, Udine 125 km Cars arrive on the far western edge of Venice, but remain parked at the entrance to the city (Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, which is Europe's largest car park.) There are no roads past this point, and never were, even before cars. ==== Parking ==== Car parking is very very expensive here (€26/12 hr, €30/24 hr) and the tailbacks can be quite large. Tronchetto is about a 1&nbsp;km from Piazzale Roma, the city's main entry point, but there is an shuttle train service, ''People Mover'', at €1.50. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Parking Tronchetto | alt= | url=http://www.veniceparking.it/find-parking/Venezia%20Tronchetto%20Parking/ | email=info-tronchettopark@interparking.com | address=Isola Nuova del Tronchetto | lat=45.4426 | long=12.3066 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207555 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5285750 | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Has 4,000 parking spaces (including 33 parking spaces for persons with special needs). Parking is open 24 hours throughout the year. Cars must not be higher than 2.10 m. Ticket price is €3 per hour for the first 2 hours, €5 per hour for the next 2 hours and €21 for the whole day. Most credit cards are accepted. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Autorimessa Comunale | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/autorimessa-comunale-city-parking-garage | email= | address=Piazzale Roma, Santa Croce 496 | lat=45.43881 | long=12.31714 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727302 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day of the year | price=€23.40 for cars thinner than 185cm online | content=Offers parking for more than 2000 cars and 300b motor-cycles on 6 floors. Cars must not exceed a height of 2.20 m. The ticket price is €26 for cars under 1.85 m and €29 for cars over 1.85 m. Online bookings at [http://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services?macrofamily=5&family=24 this website] get 10 percent discount. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/28_autocom_map_ita.pdf download a map] on how to reach the Autorimessa. }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=S. Andrea Car Park | alt= | url=http://avm.avmspa.it/en/content/sandrea-car-park-0 | email= | address=Piazzale Roma | lat=45.43792 | long=12.31718 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2727304 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours every day all the year round | price= | content=Inside the Autorimessa, accessible from Rio Terà S. Andrea, for short term parking. Cars must not be higher than 2 m. The ticket price is €7 for 2 hours. No advance reservation. You can [http://www.avmspa.it/UploadDocs/261_city_park_map_eng.pdf download a map] how to reach the S. Andrea car park. }} '''An alternative''' is to use the car parks on the mainland (terra firma) and catch a train or bus or vaporetto into Venice. Park near the [[Mestre]] railway station, and catch a train to Venezia St Lucia; there are many trains, it is very near (8–10 minutes) and quite cheap (€1.20). Don't bother searching for free parking near Mestre train station - there are no free parking spots near, except on Sunday (free parking is on the other side of the station, in Marghera). Free and safe parkings are also near Mogliano Veneto and Oriago railway stations. Besides, Venezia St Lucia is a good starting point to visit Venice. However drivers going to the Lido can use the car ferry from Tronchetto (vaporetto 17, frequencies vary), right hand lane off the Ponte della Libertà into the city. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Ca' Marcello Car Park | alt= | url=http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/ca-marcello-car-park-0 | email= | address=via Ca' Marcello, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open every day from 06:00 to 24:00 | price= | content=Open air car park for 100 cars near the Mestre railway station. Ticket price €1 for 4 hours, €4 for the whole day (on week-days from 08:00 to 20:00 only). }} * {{Listing | type = go | name=Terminal Fusina | alt= | url=http://www.terminalfusina.it/en/parking | email=fusina@terminalfusina.it | address=via Moranzani 79, Fusina | lat=45.42039 | long=12.25505 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5470160 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5479133 | hours= | price= | content=Offers parking for 300 coaches and 15,000 cars. It has direct access from A4 highway and Strada Statale Romea 309. Prices €12 for up to 12 hours, €15 for up to 24 hours (20 per cent discount for online bookings). Terminal Fusina offers 3 boat lines to Venice: }} ** Blue Line (Line Blu) runs from Fusina to Venice Zattere every hour from 08:00 to 19:00, also at 20:00 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:00 and 22:00 from Jun to Sept, travel time 25 minutes, return from Venice Zattere every hour from 08:30 to 19:30, also at 20:30 from Apr to Oct and during carnival and at 21:30 and 22:30 from Jun to Sept, ticket price one way €8, return €13 ** Red line (line Rossa) runs from Fusina to Alberoni on Venice Lido in winter M-F at 07:30, every day at 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30 and 17:30. travel time 35 minutes, return M-F 08:15, every day at 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15 and 18:45. Ticket price €7 one-way, €12 return. ** Yellow Line (Line gialla) runs from Zattere to Alberoni at 08:45, 10:45, 12:45, 16:15 and 18:15, return from Alberoni at 09:30, 11:45, 13:45, 17:00 and 19:00, tickets €7 one-way, €12 return. * {{Listing | type = go | name=Punta Sabbioni | alt= | url=http://www.acivenice.com | email=info@acivenice.com | address=Via Fausta, Cavallino Treporti | lat=45.44814 | long=12.42764 | directions= | phone=+39 0415301096 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=ACI operates a large car park for 100 buses and 400 cars at Punta Sabbioni. This is a convenient way to enter Venice from the seaside resorts Lido di Jesolo, Lignano or Bibione. Vaporetto line 12 brings you to Murano, Burano and Torcello, lines 14 and 15 to S. Zaccaria. }} ==== Car rental ==== Most of the major rental car companies have outlets at Piazzale Roma, at the edge of the city. These are on the ground floor of one of the major parking stations. When you are dropping off your car, you need to find street parking and then walk to the rental car outlet and hand in the keys. Do not park in the parking station. There is a vaporetto stop across the road from the parking station. === By bus === For '''bus''' services between Marco Polo airport (VCE) and the Piazzale Roma bus station in Venice, see the By Place section. The {{marker|type=go|name=Piazzale Roma bus station|url=|lat=45.4379|long=12.3189}} is well served by vaporetti and water-taxis ... and of course, you can walk everywhere. From [[Mestre]], you can take a bus to Venezia- Piazzale Roma. the ticket is €1.30 but if you buy it in the bus it will cost €2.50. You can buy bus tickets from specialized ticket kiosks and vending machines, as well as tobacconists and newsstands. All of the city is connected to Venice by bus. === By tram === There is a [http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/tram tram connection] from the mainland to Venice: Line T1 from Favaro to Piazzale Roma. One way/Single Ticket - 75 min €1.50. Ticket booklet - 10 tickets - 75 min €14. You can buy tram tickets from specialized ticket kiosks, vending machines, tobacconists and newsstands, and you can use the same ticket for buses and People Mover. === By boat === [[File:Venezia San Giorgio Maggiore R06.jpg|thumb|360px|View of San Giorgio, in front of Venice]] Ships arrive at the '''[http://www.vtp.it/ Stazione Marittima]''' which is at the west end of the main islands, it is served by vaporetti and water taxis. ''To Piazzale Roma'': take the '''People Mover''' operating every 3 minutes weekdays from 07:10 to 22:50, holidays from 08:10 to 21:50, price €1. ''To Santa Lucia Railway Station'' (distance 1 km): take the ''People Mover'' to Piazzale Roma, then walk or take the water taxi ({{Phone|+39 0412402711}}, {{Phone|+39 041716922}}, {{Phone|+39 0415222303}} or {{Phone|+39 0415229040}}). ''To Venezia Mestre Railway Station'' (distance {{Km|7}}) take a taxi (Radiotaxi: {{Phone|+39 041 5952080}}) or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and the bus line to Mestre. ''To Marco Polo Airport'' (distance {{Km|13}}) take a taxi (40 minutes trip), a water taxi or take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma and then ACTV bus no 6 or ATVO buses. === Porters === Cooperative Trasbagagli, {{Phone|+39 041 713719}} offers porter services at the following rates: 1 or 2 pieces €25 Venice City, €40 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €50 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €60 Murano. 3 or 4 pieces €35 Venice City, €50 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €60 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €80 Murano, 5 or 6 pieces €45 Venice City, €60 Giudecca, San Giorgio, Riva 7 Martiri, €70 Lido, S.Elena, Giardini, S.Servolo, S.Clemente, and €90 Murano. There are porter stations at Ferrovia {{Phone|+39 041 715272}}, Piazzale Roma {{Phone|+39 041 5223590}}, S.Marco Campo della Guerra {{Phone|+39 3478675491}}, S.Marco Calle Vallaresso {{Phone|+39 3465881508}}, S.Marco Bacino Orseolo {{Phone|+39 3282696025}}, S.Marco Sant'Angelo {{Phone|+39 3406382287}}, S.Zaccaria (Danieli) {{Phone|+39 3203385248}}, S.Zaccaria (Jolanda) {{Phone|+39 3495803239}} and Rialto (Imbarcadero Actv Rialto line 1 and 2) {{Phone|+39 3474348898}}. == Get around == Venice, the world's only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes this a particularly pleasant experience. However, walking and standing all day can also be exhausting, so it is best to pace yourself. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice - are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour, provided you don't get lost (a common occurrence). If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous '''vaporetti (water buses)''' and '''water taxis'''. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to use vaporetti than private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, take a gondola ride, although they tend to exist for more scenic purposes, rather than getting people from point A to point B. Be warned that GPS navigation services such as Google Maps are notoriously unreliable in Venice. The density of stone buildings makes it fairly difficult to receive a proper GPS satellite signal. Additionally, Venice's complex network of pathways and public transit is poorly documented, and even entire transit services such as the Orange vaporetti Route are undocumented on Google Maps. You can mitigate some of these navigation issues using the Live View function in Google Maps, which uses your camera to orient yourself relative to businesses and landmarks around you. === By public transport === '''[http://www.actv.it/en ACTV]''' runs the vaporetti and other public transport services in the lagoon and on land. * '''Line 1''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido, passing the Railway Station (Ferrovia), Canal Grande, Rialto, S.Marco and S.Zaccaria and vice versa, leaving Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 05:01 to 06:01 and from 22:21 to 23:41, every 10 minutes from 06:21 to 22:01, leaving Lido every 20 minutes from 04:16 to 05:36 and from 21:46 to 23:06, every 10 minutes from 5:56 to 21:26. Notice that this service can be ''very crowded'' during the day as it passes through many sights along the Grand Canal. * '''Line N''' is a night line, connecting Lido with Canal Grande, Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, Canale and vice versa. Boats leave Lido every 20 minutes from 23:26 to 04:06 and Piazzale Roma every 20 minutes from 00:09 to 04:49. * '''Line 2''' goes from S.Zaccaria over S.Giorgio, Giudecca, Zattere, Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, S.Marcuola, Rialto, S.Tomà, S.Samuele, Academia and S.Marco. Departure from S.Zaccaria every 20 minutes from 04:59 to 08:39 and from 20:49 to 23:09, every 10 minutes from 08:59 to 20:29. The route can be seen as a "C" running along the Grand Canal and Giudeca Canal, hugging the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro. * '''Line 4.1''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Arsenale, Giardini, S.Elena, S.Pietro di Castello, Bacini, Celestia, Ospedale. Fondamente Nove and Cimiterio and from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove, Orto, Sant’Alvise, Tre Archi, Gugle, Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, S.Marta, Palanca, Redentore and Zitelle. Boats leave Fondamente Nove to Murano (Museo) from 06:14 to 21:34 and from 21:42 to 23:22, from Murano (Museo) to Piazzale Roma from 06:32 to 19:32, from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 19:52 to 21:52 and from Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria from 06:18 to 20:18 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 4.2''' runs from San Zaccaria (Jolanda) to Murano via Zitelle, Redentore, Palanca, Sacca Fisola, S.Marta, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, Guglie, Crea, S.Alvise, Orto, Fondamente Nove and Cimitero, and return from Murano to San Zaccaria (Jolanda) via Cimitero, Fondamente Nove. Ospedale, Celestia, Bacini, S.Elena, Giardini and Arsenale. Boats depart at San Zaccaria from 06:13 to 20:33, from Piazzale Roma to Fondamente Nove from 06:56 to 20:56, from Fondamente Nove to Murano from 06:23 to 21:23, from Murano (Museo) to San Zaccaria from 06:43 to 20:43, and from Murano (Museo) to Fondamente Nove from 20:43 to 21:43 and from 22:07 to 23.47 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.1''' runs anti-clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma via S.Pietro, Bacini, Celetstia, Ospedale, Fondamente Nove, Orto, S.Alvise, Tre Archi, Guglie, Riva de Biasio and Ferrovia and from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, Zattere. S.Zaccaria, Giardini and S.Elenea. Boats leave from Lido from 06:20 to 20:20, from Fondamente Nove from 06:24 to 23:04, from Piazzale Roma from 06:08 to 23:48 and from S.Zaccaria from 06:38 to 00:08 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 5.2''' runs clockwise from Lido to Piazzale Roma and back to Lido. Boats leave Lido from 5.52 to 20.32 and from 20:42 to 00:22, from S.Zaccaria from 06:06 to 20:46 and from 20:56 to 00:36, from Piattale Roma from 0626 to 21:06 and from 21:16 to 23:16 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 6''' runs from Piazzale Roma to Lido via S.Marta, S.Basilio, Zattere, Giardini and S.Elena. Boats leave Piazzale Roma from 06:19 to 20:29, and Lido from 05:42 to 20:02 every 20 minutes. * '''Line 9''' runs from Burano to Torcello, leaving Burno from 07:05 to 20:35 and Torcello from 06:40 to 20:10 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 10''' runs from Lido to San Marco Giardinetti via S.Elena, Giardini, Arsenale and S.Zaccaria and return from San Marco Giardinetti to Lido via S.Zaccaria. Boats from 18:01 to 20:21 and from San Marco Giardinetti from 17:39 to 20:21 every 10 minutes. * '''Line 12''' runs from Fondamente Nove to Punta Sabbioni via Murano Faro, Mazzorbo, (Torcello), Burano and Treporti and back. Boats leave Fondamente Nove from 07:10 to 19:40 and Punta Sabbioni from 07:56 to 20:26 every 30 minutes. * '''Line 14, 14L, 15''' runs from San Zaccaria Pieta to Punta Sabbioni via Lido and back. Boats leave S.Zaccaria Pietà from 08:15 to 20:15 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 23.45. Boats leave Punta Sabbioni from 08:30 to 17:00 every 30 minutes, later at varying intervals, last boat at 00:20 Some boats do not stop at Lido. * '''Line 17''' is the Tronchetto to Lido (S.Nicoló) ferry. Ferry boats leave at Tronchetto at 00:10, 01:40, and from 06:40 to 23:20 every 50 minutes and Lido (S.Nicoló) at 00:55 and from 05:50 to 23:20 every 50 minutes. Additional services for all lines in the early morning. Information for all ACTV services at Hello Venezia {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}, daily 07:30 to 20:00. You can download a [http://www.veneziaunica.it/sites/default/files/redazione/linee_navigazione_ACTV_aprile2014.jpg map of Venice water buses] A '''single ticket''' (''biglietto solo andata'') costs €7.50, permitting the use of public transports for 75 minutes from the moment you validate the ticket including transfers heading in the same direction. If you board a boat without having bought a ticket, you have to buy one from the on-board collector. There are no return tickets. There are '''tourist travel cards''' (''biglietto turistico a tempo'') that cost €20 for 24 hours, €30 for 48 hours, €40 for 72 hours and €60 for 7 days. There are other versions available, including those offering discounts for youth under 29 year of age. [http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/movinginvenice Current rates can be found here]. Something you won't be told easily is that now anyone can purchase the '''[http://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/venezia-unica-city-pass-0 Venezia Unica City Pass]''' card (formerly '''IMOB''') - the only difference is that in addition to its €10 cost for residents, foreigners need to pay a €90 extra "transport activation" fee. Unless you are in town for a couple of days and planning never to return, do it. It's a durable plastic card with your (webcam) picture, and once you have it, you are more or less a local - which means access to €1.50 single vaporetto tickets (save even more by recharging the card with 10 at once for €14), half-price discount on Alilaguna services, and even €0.70 traghetto crossings (instead of €2; flash the card to the gondolier). It is valid for 5 years from the month of issue. Register at the Venezia Unica [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/e-commerce/services site] and pre-fill the application online, then go to one of the [https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/venezia-unica-agencies-and-venezia-unica-ticket-points ACTV offices] (not simply ticket points; probably the easiest location is at Piazzale Roma) and tell the clerk that you have a "contratto precompilato" - they'll pull it up, ask you to sign the privacy disclosures and issue the card on the spot (or you can fill the form at the counter; bear in mind it's in Italian). Moreover, if you happen to have a +39 Italian cell phone number, with it and your new Unica you can [http://www.cittadinanzadigitale.it/node/70 get a free code] for use of the communal WiFi spots. If you lose the card, do not despair: it costs only €10 to get an immediate replacement, and the balance (along with your old photograph) is automatically transferred over. The [http://veniceconnected.com Venice Connected] website of the Comune di Venezia (now integrated into Unica site) makes possible to book online (at least 7 days in advance) most services controlled by the town administration (public transportation, access to the civic museums, access to public restrooms, car park tickets, entrance to the Casinò and access to the municipal WiFi network covering the entire historic centre); the online prices vary according to the projected number of visitors but are always cheaper than the current on-site prices (and cheaper than with a Venice Card). You can also get a '''Venice Card''', which has various options that you can choose when you buy it (public transportation, cultural attractions, toilet access, Alilaguna, etc.) There is a 'Junior' version of the Venice that is available at a slightly reduced rate for those between 5 and 29 years of age. A Venice Card is not recommended for those with less than 3 days in Venice, as most of the top attractions are not included in the Venice Card. If you'll be staying in Venice for a week - get the Venice Card and enjoy travelling from island to island and exploring the various museums and churches it offers access to. Maps are available at the vaporetto stops in the ticket booths. The map is quite reliable, and is free when getting a Venice Card (€2 otherwise) can be [http://www.actv.it/sites/default/files/ultimamappa.pdf viewed] on Internet. Venice Cards can be [http://www.hellovenezia.com/index.php?lang=en reserved on-line] {{dead link|December 2020}} for a considerable discount. There are long lines when taking the Venice Card from the ticket booths. The Venezia St. Lucia ticket booth that offers Venice Cards is the one most on the right when you exit the train station. === By foot === [[File:Target in venice.JPG|thumb|Directions are all over the city]] Otherwise, '''take a walk'''! The city is not that big, and you can walk from one end to the other in a few hours (if you stick to the paths conveniently marked with arrows in the direction of major landmarks). But it would take months for a fit person to discover every path in the city. Make sure to visit some of the smaller alleyways, as they can be very interesting. Along the way you will discover marvelous art, superb architecture and breathtaking urban landscaping. Exploring the city randomly by walking is well worth it but also be prepared to get lost easily! Signs all over the city indicate the direction to the main attractions, "Rialto" and "San Marco", as well as the way back to the train station ("ferrovia") and the bus terminal ("Piazzale Roma"). These signs make it easy to have the "get lost experience" even as a one-day tourist. For a faster and safer walk, you should walk on the right side. Be aware that addresses in Venice are of the form "District Number" (the Venetian word for district is "Sestiere"), not "Street Number". To find a specific place using a map, make sure you know which district it is in. The numbers are assigned at the start of the district and increase as they move farther away from the Grand Canal. === By water taxi === [[File:View of the Grand Canal from Rialto to Ca'Foscari.jpg|thumb|360px|right|Grand Canal from Rialto to SW]] Water taxis (''taxi acquei'') are operated by Coop. San Marco ({{Phone|+39 041 5222303}}), Coop. Veneziana ({{Phone|+39 041 716124}}), Coop. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5221265}} or {{Phone|+39 041 5229538}}), Soc. Narduzzi Solemar ({{Phone|+39 041 5200838}}), Soc. Marco Polo ({{Phone|+39 041 966170}}), Soc. Sotoriva ({{Phone|+39 041 5209586}}), Soc. Serenissima ({{Phone|+39 041 5228538}}) and Venezia Taxis ({{Phone|+39 041 723009}}). There are water taxi ranks at Ferrovia (Railway Station) ({{Phone|+39 041716286}}), Piazzale Roma (S.Chiara) ({{Phone|+39 041716922}}), Rialto ({{Phone|+39 041723112}}), Lido ({{Phone|+39 0414222303}}) and at Marco Polo Airport ({{Phone|+39 0415415084}}). In the historic city centre there is a fixed tariff for water taxis of €15 at departure plus €2 per minute on urban routes. There are supplements of €5 for call services and customer pick-up outside the taxi ranks, of €10 for night services between 22:00 and 06:00, of €3 pieces of luggage exceeding 4 pieces and of €5 or €10 for every person exceeding a group of 4. Rates are fixed by a [http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/19521 resolution] of the Venice City Council. A water taxi service for persons with special needs is available at {{Phone|+39 041 2747332}} or directly through the website [http://www.booktaxivenice.com Book Taxi Venice]. === By taxi === 'Normal' taxis can be called from Radio Taxi ({{Phone|+39 041 936137}}). There are taxi ranks at ''Piazzale Roma'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5237774}}) and ''Lido'' ({{Phone|+39 041 5265974}}). === By Traghetto === There are small gondola ferries crossing the Canal Grande at * ''S.Sofia'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:45 to 19:00 * ''Carbon (Rialto)'', 7 to 12.30, week-days only * ''S.Tomá'', Mon to Sat 07:30 to 20:00, Sun and holidays 08:30 to 19:30 * ''San Barnaba'', 07:45 to 12:30, week-days only * ''S.Maria del Giglio'', 09:00 to 18:00 daily * ''Dogana'', 09:00 to 14:00 daily Ticket price €2 one way, €0.70 for Venice residents and IMOB card holders. === By tour === '''[http://www.alilaguna.it Alilaguna Green line (linea verde)]''' Alilaguna, {{Phone|+39 041 5235775}}, operates a 4 hours excursion tour to the island of [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and [[Torcello]] with explanations in English, French, German and Spanish. Departure from imbarcadero San Marco Giardinetti, Minimum 4 participants. Boat starts in Apr, May and Oct at 09:30, 11:00 and 14:30, from Jun to Sept at 09:30, 11:00, 14:30 and 15:30, from Nov to Mar at 11:00 and 14:00. Ticket price €20 (free for holders of Alilaguna 72 hrs pass). == See == {{movetodistrict}} {{infobox|Children's view of Venice|Venice offers plenty for people of all ages to enjoy. See [[Venice with children]] for tips for making your visit with children a bit easier.}} {{Mapframe|45.4332|12.3354|zoom=13}} * {{see | name=Doge's Palace | alt=Palazzo Ducale | url=http://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 1 | lat=45.4337 | long=12.3404 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 2715911 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov to Mar 08:30 to 17:30, Apr to Oct 08:30 to 19:00, closed Jan 1 and Dec 25 | price=Adults €20, reduced €14 | wikipedia=Doge's Palace | wikidata=Q189883 | content=Don't miss the guided tour named ''Secret Itinerary'', which will let you discover the part of the palace where the city's administration worked, as well as Casanova's jail and the wonderful five hundred year old roof structure. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Bell tower of St. Mark | alt=Campanile di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/campanile/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.43404 | long=12.33905 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5224064 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 09:30-15:45; Apr-Jun, Oct: 09:00-19:00; Jul-Aug: 09:00-21:00 | price=€8 | wikipedia=St Mark's Campanile | wikidata=Q754194 | content=The current tower dates from 1912; an exact replica of the previous tower which collapsed in 1902. The top of the tower offers great views of Venice and the lagoon. }} * {{see | name=Clock tower | alt=Torre dell'Orologio | url=http://torreorologio.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat=45.4347 | long=12.3389 | directions=vaporetto lines 1-2-5, 1.5.2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5209070 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €12, reduced €7 | wikipedia=St Mark's Clocktower | wikidata=Q966625 | content=Having been closed for restoration for many years, the restored astronomical clock is now visible. The fascinating tour of the clock mechanism (and rooftop bell) can only be visited on a guided tour, in English: Mon-Wed at 10:00 and 11:00, on other days at 14:00 and 15:00, in French Mon-Wed at 14:00 and 15:00, advance reservation required online or by phone at +39 041 5209070. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org/home-en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3052 | lat=45.43653 | long=12.32532 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Tomà, near the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | phone=+39 041 5234864 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:30-17:30, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, Easter Sunday | price=Adult €10, concessions €8 | wikipedia=Scuola Grande di San Rocco | wikidata=Q1270723 | content=A masterpiece of Tintoretto, this guild house is an exquisite example of Mannerist art at its best. In order to allow a comfortable admiration of the detailed ceiling, mirrors are offered to the visitors. Cycles of allegories, life and passion of Christ, scenes from the Old and New Testament. }} * {{see | name=Jewish Ghetto of Venice | alt=Ghetto Ebraico di Venezia | url=http://ghetto.it/ | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.4452 | long=12.3263 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=While racial and ethnic neighborhoods had existed prior to the Venetian Ghetto, Venice's ghetto was the first "ghetto" (coming from a Venetian word for the Iron Foundry that was on the site previously) and "ghetto" eventually came to mean any neighborhood that was made up of a single ethnic/racial group. Today, Jewish life is still very active in the ghetto, and elsewhere in Venice, and is home to five synagogues. Visiting on Saturdays or late Fridays (the Jewish Sabbath) will prove very fruitless because all shops, restaurants, and other Jewish places will be closed. }} * {{see | name=Ponte di Rialto | alt=Rialto Bridge | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.43805 | long=12.33592 | directions=connecting sestieri San Polo and San Marco across Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Rialto Bridge | wikidata=Q52505 | content=The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years. Today's Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. }} * {{see | name=Zattere | alt= | url= | email= | address=Dorsoduro | lat=45.4295 | long=12.3264 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=It's a long and sunny walk along the Giudecca canal, protected during winter time from cold northerly winds for being exposed to south and shielded by buildings. You might find interesting to see how a gondola is made, stopping by the '''Squero''' (Venetian for small ship yard) across the canal near San Trovaso Church. It's one of the few still in business in town. With some luck, you'll see some gondole through various manufacturing steps (note that gondole are not straight to counterbalance the gondoliere push). }} === Churches === [[File:Venezia (201710) jm55888.jpg|thumb|420px|The Basilica of San Marco]] A lot of churches will charge an entry fee. This is true of the ''Basilica di San Marco''. There is a "Chorus Pass" for entry into some churches, but be aware there is a limited selection of churches this applies to. If you plan to visit three churches or more, you are better off buying the churches pass. There is also a combined pass for museums, churches and transportation only available at the tourist information office but it is relatively expensive. *{{see | name=Saint Mark's Basilica | alt=Basilica di San Marco | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco 328 | lat=45.43453 | long=12.33969 | directions=water lines #1, 52, and 82 will take you from Santa Lucia (the train station) or Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco. Walking is another option but will require a map and lots of time and energy | phone=+39 041 5225205 (procuratorial phone number) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=1 Oct-31 Mar: 09:45-16:45; 1 Apr-30 Sep: 09:45-17:00 | price=As of April 2022 there is a small charge for admission to the basilica. Do note there are extra charges for the high altar and the museum. The museum entry is worth paying for as it allows you access to the balcony overlooking the Piazza San Marco; do note that museum access may be difficult if you have mobility issues. | wikidata=Q172988| wikipedia=St Mark's Basilica |lastedit=2021-11-15| content=Saint Mark's Basilica is on the Piazza San Marco and is one of the highlights of a visit to Venice. As with most churches in Italy, you must be dressed appropriately to be allowed in; this means no short skirts or bare shoulders. You are not allowed to carry large bags or rucksacks inside, sometimes even small daypacks may need to be deposited. Storage is available just around the corner from the main entrance (free of charge). Filming and photography is forbidden so be prepared in advance. The visit within the basilica lasts ten minutes. Waiting for entry into the basilica can last up to five or so hours and it may be wise to use a ticket service to reserve your visit (reservation costs €3). Once you have a reservation you can take the group entrance on the left, where you hand in the printout of your reservation. }} * {{see | name=San Giacomo di Rialto | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo | lat=45.43851 | long=12.33547 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Giacomo di Rialto | wikidata=Q922677 | content=This church, built around 421, is possibly the oldest in Venice. It is most recognized for its 15th-century clock above the entrance. It is also recognized for the red pillars and beautiful gold accents around the church. }} * {{see | name=San Giovanni e Paolo | alt=San Zanipolo | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43927 | long=12.34218 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155225| wikipedia=Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice | content=A fine, huge Dominican church with the tombs of many Doges. It shares its piazza with the fine Renaissance façade of the Scuola San Marco and an equestrian statue of the mercenary (condottiere) captain Bartolomeo Colleoni. Look out for the testicles (coglioni in Italian - it's a lousy pun) on his coat of arms! }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | alt=Basilica dei Frai, often just referred to as the Frari | url=https://www.basilicadeifrari.it/en/ | email= | address=San Polo 3072 | lat=45.43679 | long=12.32624 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2728618 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-18:00, Su and holidays 13:00-18:00. Last admission 30 min before closing time | price=Adult €3, reduced €1.50 | wikidata=Q224961| wikipedia=Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | content=The big friary church, fine example of Venetian Gothic architecture, with fine monuments and paintings of Titian, Belliniand Donatello, among which the famous 'Assunta' by Titian. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria dei Miracoli | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cannaregio | lat=45.43951 | long=12.33927 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q533680| wikipedia=Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice | content=A perfect jewel box church, simple in form but ornamented with fine exterior marble facings. }} * {{see | name=San Simeone Piccolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Santa Croce | lat=45.44040 | long=12.32230 | directions=located opposite the Santa Lucia train station across the Canal Grande | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q185910| wikipedia=San Simeone Piccolo | content=The last church built in Venice. One of the things that it is recognized for is the fact that they celebrate Tridentine Mass on Sundays. It is also recognized for its dome because it is used to make the church look taller than it is and the dome itself is entirely covered with lead sheet. }} * {{see | name=Santa Maria della Pietà | alt= | url= | email= | address=Castello | lat=45.43410 | long=12.34493 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1559661| wikipedia=Santa Maria della Pietà, Venice | content=A church that used to house an orphanage and hospital in the 18th century, it is known among classical music enthusiasts as the church where the Catholic priest and composer Antonio Vivaldi worked for most of his career. }} * {{see | name=Convento di S.Francesco del Deserto | alt= | url=http://www.isola-sanfrancescodeldeserto.it {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=S.Francesco del Deserto | lat=45.47357 | long=12.41713 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 09:00-11:00, 15:00-17:00 | price=By donation | content=Old Franciscan convent in one of the most beautiful islands in the Venice lagoon. }} * {{see | name=S. Francesco della Vigna | alt= | url=http://www.venice-tourism.com/en/places/castello-district/san-francesco-della-vigna | email= | address=Campo San Francesco della Vigna, Castello | lat=45.4381 | long=12.3486 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5206102 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 16:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Francesco della Vigna | image=San Francesco della vigna.jpg | wikidata=Q946542 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuati | alt=S.Maria del Rosario | url= | email= | address=Fondamente Zattere delle Gesuati, Dorsoduro | lat=45.429444 | long=12.327222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230625 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Gesuati | image=Santa Maria del Rosario, Venice.jpg | wikidata=Q1093909 | content= }} * {{see | name=Gesuiti | alt=S.Maria Assunta | url= | email= | address=Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio | lat=45.443333 | long=12.339167 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286579 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 10:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00, winter 10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00, closed Su afternoon | price= | wikipedia=I Gesuiti, Venice | image=Chiesa dei Gesuiti (Facciata).jpg | wikidata=Q46592 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giobbe | alt= | url=http://www.parrocchiasangiobbe.it | email= | address=Campo San Giobbe, Cannaregio | lat=45.445028 | long=12.320322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:30-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giobbe | image=Chiesa di San Giobbe Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q2717507 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni in Bragora | alt= | url=http://www.sgbattistainbragora.it | email= | address=Campo Bandiera e Moro, Castello | lat=45.4344 | long=12.347 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205906 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=06:00-11:00, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni in Bragora | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora - Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q521260 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giovanni Crisostomo | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo, Cannaregio | lat=45.439167 | long=12.337222 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5227155 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=07:00-12:30, 15:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo.jpg | wikidata=Q915746 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Giuliano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Giuliano, San Marco | lat=45.435694 | long=12.338667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Zulian | image=Chiesa San Zulian.jpg | wikidata=Q1251035 | content= }} * {{see | name=Madonna dell'Orto | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Madonne dell'Orto, Cannaregio | lat=45.44639 | long=12.33251 | directions= | phone=+39 041 719933 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Summer 09:30-12:00, 16:00-19:00, winter 09:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikidata=Q861436| wikipedia=Madonna dell'Orto | content=With the grave and 10 paintings of ''Tintoretto''. }} * {{see | name=S. Maria del Carmelo | alt=Carmini | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4332 | long=12.3225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Carmini | image=Santa Maria dei Carmini (facade).jpg | wikidata=Q2780025 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria Formosa | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello | lat=45.4369 | long=12.3411 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5234645 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:30, 17:00-19:00 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria Formosa | image=Santa Maria Formosa Facciata e campanile.jpg | wikidata=Q1813687 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Maria della Salute | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo delle Salute, Dorsoduro | lat=45.430833 | long=12.334444 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225558 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:30-12:00, 15:00-17:30 | price= | wikipedia=Santa Maria della Salute | image=Santa Maria della Salute from Hotel Monaco.jpg | wikidata=Q52531 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Michele in Isola | alt= | url= | email= | address=Isola San Michele | lat=45.4487 | long=12.3469 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Michele in Isola | image=Chiesa di S.Michele in Isola, north exposure.jpg | wikidata=Q1449262 | content= }} * {{see | name=Basilica di San Pietro di Castello | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo di San Pietro, Castello | lat=45.43460 | long=12.35957 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q945981| wikipedia=San Pietro di Castello (church) | content=Venice cathedral up to 1807, when the see was transferred to San Marco. }} * {{see | name=SS. Redentore | alt= | url= | email= | address=Fondamente della Croce, Giudecca | lat=45.424992 | long=12.332453 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Il Redentore | image=Chiesa del Redentore (Venice).jpg | wikidata=Q830807 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Salvatore | alt= | url=http://www.chiesasansalvador.it | email= | address=Campo San Salvatore | lat=45.4366 | long=12.3365 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Salvador, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Salvador.jpg | wikidata=Q1028202 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Sebastiano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro | lat=45.432 | long=12.32 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5282487 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=San Sebastiano, Venice | image=San Sebastiano (Venice) Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q588559 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Stefano | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 3825 | lat=45.433178 | long=12.330189 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222362 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santo Stefano, Venice | image=Venezia flickr01.jpg | wikidata=Q974832 | content= }} * {{see | name=S. Zaccaria | alt= | url= | email= | address=Campo San Zaccaria | lat=45.434722 | long=12.343333 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5221257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-12:00, 16:00-18:00 | price= | wikipedia=San Zaccaria, Venice | image=Chiesa di San Zaccaria Venezia.jpg | wikidata=Q794876 | content= }} === Museums === The '''[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE)]''' (call center 848–08.2000) offers two museums passes for the San Marco Museums valid for 3 months at €16 (€8 reduced) granting admission to Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Sale Monumentali della Bibliotheca Marciana, and another museum pass valid for 6 months for €24 (reduced €18) granting admission to the above mentioned museums plus Ca' Rezzonico, Mesue del '700 Veneziano, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Ca' Pesaro, Museo del Vetro Murano, Museo di Merletto Burano and Museo di Storia Naturale. ==== Art museums ==== * {{see | name=Correr Museum | alt=Museo Correr | url=http://correr.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, Ala Napoleonica, San Marco 52 | lat=45.433605 | long=12.337158 | directions=on San Marco Square, vaporetto line 11-2-5, 1-5-2 | phone=+39 041 2405211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov 1 to Mar 31: 10:00-17:00, Apr 1 to Oct 31: 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=€14 (reduced €8), which also includes Doge's Palace | wikipedia=Museo Correr | image=8240 - Venezia - San Marco dal Museo Correr - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 12-Aug-2006.jpg | wikidata=Q1470912 | content=Interesting collection of globes, starting from the 16th century. There is also an only library hall, an archeological museum of Roman antiques and an important picture gallery. The museum offers a tour of Venetian history. Remarkable painting gallery with masterpieces of the 14th to 16th cent from Venice, works of the Venetian sculpture Canova, studies on urban development and social life. At the end of your visit, don't miss the museum art cafe, with their tables on the San Marco Square. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum | alt= | url=http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html | email=info@guggenheim-venice.it | address=Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701 | lat=45.43083 | long=12.33154 | directions=located to the east of the Accademia bridge, on the southern side of the Grand Canal | phone=+39 041 2405411 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206885 | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December. Open on national holidays (including Tuesdays) | price=Adult €15, seniors (over 65 years) €13, students (18 years and under or holders of valid student ID) €9 | wikipedia=Peggy Guggenheim Collection | image=Guggenheim Venedig.jpg | wikidata=Q1049033 | content=The Peggy Guggenheim Museum offers a personal collection of modern art collected by Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an American married to modern artist Max Ernst, and funded a number of his contemporaries. The gallery includes a sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Tanguy, Duchamp, Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Pesaro - International Modern Art Gallery | alt=Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderne | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.44094 | long=12.33163 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 524695 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | image=Ca'Pesaro di Baldassarre Longhena facciata sul Canal Grande.jpg | wikidata=Q3940563 | content=Modern art collection, paintings of the 19th and 20th century. A MUVE museum. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Ca' Pesaro - Museum of Oriental Art | alt=Museo d'arte Orientale di Ca Pesaro | url=http://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=capesaro@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 2076 | lat=45.441 | long=12.33146 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 5241173 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Mar 10:00 to 17:00, Apr-Oct: 10 :00-18:00, closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €14, reduced €11.50 (valid for both museums in the Ca' Pesaro) | wikidata=Q756807 | content=Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th century as well as the Marco Polo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits (fabrics, clothes, armours, porcelain). A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en | email= | address=Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050 | lat=45.431334 | long=12.328487 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M 08:15-14:00, Tu-Su 08:15-19:15 (ticket office closes 1 hr before) | price=Adults €12, reduced €2, advanced reservation fee €1.50 | content=Venice's most significant art museum which is also one of Italy's best. Among the most important paintings in the Accademia are: Gentile Bellini: ''Procession on St. Mark’s Square'' (1496) and ''Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of S. Lorenzo'' (1500), Giovanni Bellini: ''Pieta'' (1500), Jacopo Bellini: ''Madonna with Child and Cherubs'' (ca. 1450), Paris Bordenone: ''A fisherman presents the ring of St. Mark to the doge'' (ca. 1535), Vittore Carpaccio: ''Legend of Saint Ursula'' (1490-1498), Cima da Conegliano: ''The Holy Virgin under the Orange Tree'' (ca. 1496), Giorgione (1477-1510): ''The Tempest'' and ''La Vecchia'' ("The Old Woman"), Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506): ''St. George'', Veronese Paolo (1528-1588): ''The Feast in the House of Levi'' (1573), Tintoretto: ''The Miracles of St. Mark'' (1548), and Titian: ''Pietà'' (ca. 1576). }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Grassi | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/ | email= | address=Campo San Samuele, San Marco 3231 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.32794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M W-Su 10:00-19:00. Last admission 1 hr before closing | price=Adults €18, reduced €15 | wikidata=Q907964 | content=Contemporary art museum. Temporary exhibitions from François Pinault's Collection. }} * {{see | name=Punta della Dogana | alt= | url=http://www.palazzograssi.it/en/about/sites/punta-della-dogana/ | email= | address=Dorsuduro 2 | lat=45.43080 | long=12.33618 | directions=on the tip between Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal, vaporetto line 1 to Salute | phone=+39 041 2001057 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-M 10:00 to 19:00, closed Tu and Dec 24 | price=€15, reduced €10 | wikipedia=Punta della Dogana | image=20110724 Venice Santa Maria della Salute 5159.jpg | wikidata=Q2931413 | content=Former customs house, centre for contemporary art, permanent exhibition of works from the François Pinault Collection. Renovation by world renowned architect Tadao Ando. }} * {{see | name=Galleria Giorgio Franchetti Ca' d'Oro | alt=Ca' d'Oro museum | url=http://www.cadoro.org/?lang=en | email= | address=Strada Nuova, Cannaregio 3932 | lat=45.44088 | long=12.33392 | directions=linea 1 to Ca d'Oro | phone=+39 0415200345 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 08:15-19:15, M 08:15-14:00, Su 10:00-18:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €6 | content=A collection of paintings and statues in a former palace from the 15th century. One of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Venice, sculptures, bronzes, paintings of Mantegna, Giorgione and Titian, Flemish and Dutch paintings. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Palazzo Fortuny | alt= | url=http://www.fortuny.visitmuve.it/en | email= | address=San Beneto, San Marco 3958 | lat=45.43532 | long=12.33208 | directions=laterale Calle della Mandorla, vaporetti line 1 or 2 to Rialto or S.A°ngelo | phone=+39 041 5200995 | tollfree= | hours=W-M 10:00-18:00, closed Tue and May 1 | price=Adults €12, reduced €10 | wikidata=Q616676 | content=Collection of paintings and lamps. A MUVE museum. }} ==== Science and technology museums ==== * {{see | name=Telecom Italia Future Centre | alt= | url=http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en/futurecentre.html {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=Campo San Salvador, San Marco 4826 | lat=45.4367 | long=12.3361 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 5213272 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25, Jan 1 | price=Free | content=Centre dedicated to telecommunication technology. The building complex includes an adjacent church with important works of art, the Refectory (which is a conference hall today), Renaissance cloisters and a small museum focusing on the evolution of the telephone in the last 100 years. }} * {{see | name=Physics Museum Anton Maria Traversi | alt=Museo della Fisica Anton Maria Traversi | url=http://museo.liceofoscarini.it/index_uk.html | email= | address=Liceo Marco Foscarini, Fondamenta Santa Caterina, Cannaregio 4942 | lat=45.44350 | long=12.33671 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca d'oro | phone=+39 041 5224845 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-12:30, and W 14:00-16:00, closed holidays and August | price=Adults €2, reduced €1 | content=More than 200 instruments for educational and practical use, built to facilitate scientific research, conducted by physics teachers since the 19th cent, guided tours led by students. }} * '''Venice Lido Planetarium''' (''Planetario di Venezia Lido''), [[Lido]]. A planetarium. See [[Lido]] for details. * {{see | name=Le Macchine di Leonardo a Venezia | alt= | url=http://www.leonardoavenezia.com/ | email=paolotarchia@tiscali.it | address=Campo San Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2771 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.32546 | directions= | phone=+39 339 7985464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:30 | price=Adults €8, over-65s, children and students €5 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=An exhibition in the '''Chiesa di San Barnaba''' showing around forty models of machines reproduced from Leonardo's codices. Some of the exhibits are interactive and copies of the codices are available for further reading. It was supposed to have ended in 2012, but doesn't appear to be in a hurry to leave - and a good thing too, since the church, an attraction in itself (it's the one under which Indiana Jones finds catacombs in ''The Last Crusade'', by the way), was rarely accessible to visitors before. }} ==== Museums on religion ==== [[File:Chiesa di Ognissanti - Venezia - Affresco della volta del coro.jpg|thumb|420px|Ceiling of the choir of the Baroque Chiesa di Ognissanti]] * {{see | name=Jewish Museum | alt=Museo Ebraico | url=http://www.museoebraico.it/english/home.asp | email=museoebraico@codesscultura.it | address=Cannaregio 2902/b | lat=45.44510 | long=12.32717 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to San Marcuola | phone=+39 041 715 359 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 72 3007 | hours=1 Jun-30 Sep: 10:00-19:00; 1 Oct-31 May: 10:00-18:00. The museum is closed on Saturday (Shabbat), during Jewish festivities, on 25 Dec, 1 Jan and 1 May | price=Entrance to the museum: adults €3, reduced €2. Entrance to the museum and guided tours to synagogues: adults €8.50, reduced €7 | content=Objects related to the social life of the Jewish community, in two synagogues of the 16th century. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Mekhitarist Monastery | alt=Monasterio Mekhitarista | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Lazzaro degli Armeni | lat=45.4123 | long=12.3609 | directions=15.10 hrs at San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5260104 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 15:25 (guided tour only) | price=Adults €6, reduced €4.50 | wikipedia=San_Lazzaro_degli_Armeni | lastedit=2019-08-11 | content=Library with historical manuscripts, collection of works, miniatures and documents of the Armenian history, Monastery Church. Tours in Italian, English, and Armenian. On the small island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. }} * {{see | name=Museo Diocesano | alt= | url=http://www.veneziaupt.org/home_page/museo_diocesano/00000031_Il_Museo_Diocesano._Storia__collezione_e_servizi.html | email= | address=P.te della Canonica, Castello 4312 | lat=45.4345 | long=12.3409 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5229166 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Th-Tu 10:00-17:00 | price=€4.00, reduced €2.50 | image=VeniceSantApolloniaCloister.jpg | wikidata=Q2579358 | content=Religious furniture and objects from now demolished churches and convents, one of the most appealing Romanesque cloisters of Venice. }} ==== Other museums ==== * {{see | name=Mocenigo Palace Museum | alt=Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Centro Studi die Storia del Tessuto e del Costume | url=http://mocenigo.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Santa Croce 1992 | lat=45.44064 | long=12.32987 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to San Stae | phone=+39 041 721798 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: 10:00-17:00, Nov-Mar: 10:00-16:00; closed M, Dec 26, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=A collection of clothes dating from the 18th century. Splendid interior. Collection of dresses and accessories, fabrics, books, figurines in various period costumes. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=Ca' Rezzonico - Museum of 18th Century Venice | alt=Musei del Settecento Veneziano | url=http://carezzonico.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email=info@fmcvenezia.it | address=Dorsoduro 3136 | lat=45.43356 | long=12.32655 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Ca' Rezzonico | phone=+39 041 2410100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: 10:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: 10:00-18:00; closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=Museum of the 18th century in Venice - attempts to revive the domestic atmosphere of Venetian nobilities. Furniture, interior decoration, paintings by Guardi, Canaletto, Tiepolo. On the third floor important paintings of the Venetian school. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museovetro.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Glass Museum]''' (''Museo del Vetro''). On Murano, the island so typical of its glasswork. A MUVE museum. See [[Murano]] for details. * {{see | name=Natural History Museum | alt=Museo di Storia Naturale | url=http://msn.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=Fondaco dei Turchi, Santa Croce 1730 | lat=45.44201 | long=12.32869 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Riva di Biasio | phone=+39 041 2750206 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Jun-Oct: 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tu F 09:00-17:00, Sat S 10:00-18:00 | price=Adults €8, reduced €5.50 | content=11 exhibition halls with sections on palaeontology, explorations and nature. A MUVE museum. }} * {{see | name=House of Carlo Goldoni | alt=Casa di Carlo Goldoni, Centro di Studi Teatrali | url=http://carlogoldoni.visitmuve.it/en/home/ | email= | address=San Polo 2794 | lat=45.43615 | long=12.32826 | directions=vaporetto line q or 2 to S.Tomà | phone=+39 041 2440317 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Oct: Th-Tu 10:00-17:00; Nov-Mar: Th-Tu 10:00-16:00; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 | price=Audlts €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Birthplace of Venice's most famous playwright. Museum, library and theater studies center. A MUVE museum. }} * '''[http://museomerletto.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Lace Museum]''' (''Museo del Merletto''). A MUVE museum. See [[Burano]] for details. * {{see | name=Museo Storico Navale | alt=Naval History Museum | url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/history/museums/Pagine/museostoriconavale.aspx | email= | address=Riva S. Biasio, Castello 2148 | lat=45.43276 | long=12.34996 | directions=vaporetto line 1 to Castello | phone=+39 041 2441399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:45-13:30, Sa 08:45-13:00, Su closed | price=Adults €5, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of relics from the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the Italian navy, and the ancient Arsenale shipyards, miniature models, uniforms and stadarts, collection of sea shells. ''The main building of the Naval Historical Museum (Riva S. Biasio) is closed for renovation works. It's possible to visit the Ships Pavilion in rio della Tana, Castello 2162 (close to the Naval Museum).'' }} * {{see | name=Fondazione Querini Stampalia | alt= | url=http://www.querinistampalia.org/eng/home_page.php | email= | address=Castello 5252 | lat=45.4365 | long=12.3411 | directions=near Camp S.Maria Formosa, vaporetto line 1-5, 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 0412711411 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; closed M, Dec 25 and 26, Jan 1 | price=Adults €10, reduced €8 | content=Residence-museum of the Querini-Stampa family, library, picture gallery, furniture and household objects from the 16th cent onwards, important paintings by Bellini, Palma, Ricci, Tiepolo and Longhi. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Cini | alt= | url=http://www.cini.it | email= | address=San Vio, Dorsoduoro 864 | lat=45.430989 | long=12.329973 | directions=vaporetto line 1 and 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 0415210755 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=upon telephone reservation only | price= | wikipedia=Palazzo Cini | image=CANAL GRANDE - palazzo loredan cini.jpg | wikidata=Q16586218 | content=Residence of Vittorio Cini, collection of 15th and 16th cent paintings from Tuscany and Ferrara, period furniture, silver, ivory and ceramic objects. }} * {{see | name=Byzantine Pictures Museum (Greek Institute) | alt=Museo Dipinti Sacri Bizantini (Istituto Ellenico) | url=http://www.istitutoellenico.org/english/museo/index.html | email= | address=Ponte dei Greci, Castello 3412 | lat=45.43570 | long=12.34447 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to San Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5226581 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-16:30 | price=Adults €4, reduced €3.50 | content=Collection of Greek, Cretan and Venetian icons of the 14th to 18th century. }} * {{see | name=Scala Contarini del Bovolo | alt= | url=https://www.scalacontarinidelbovolo.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Riso o del Bovolo, San Marco 4303 | lat=45.43481 | long=12.33456 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 3096605 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-13:30 and 14:00-18:00 | price=Adults €7, reduced €6 | lastedit=2017-10-25 | content=A cylindrical tower with a spiralling series of arches, among the most characteristic examples of Venetian architecture at the period of transition from Gothic to Renaissance styles. From the top there are great panoramic views of the city. }} * {{see | name=Music Museum | alt=Museo della Musica | url=https://www.museodellamusica.com/en | email= | address=Chiesa di S.Maurizio, Campo di S.Marizio, San Marco 2603 | lat=45.43308 | long=12.33160 | directions=near Campo Santo Stefano; vaporetto line 1 to S.M-.del Giglio or line 1-2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 2719012 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:30-19:00 | price=Free | content=Beautiful church, collection of musical instruments, Venetian Baroque paintings. [https://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ Interpreti Veneziani], the creators of the Music Museum, also offer concerts in the nearby San Vidal church. }} * {{see | name=Palazzo Grimani | alt= | url=http://www.palazzogrimani.org | email= | address=Ramo Grimani, Castello 4858 | lat=45.43705 | long=12.34241 | directions=near Campo Sta. Maria Formosa; vaporetto line 1 or 2 Rialto or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5200345 (call centre) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=0, Tu-Su 10:00-19:00, closed Dec 25, Jan 1, May 1 | price=€14.50, EU residents age 18-25 €7.50 | lastedit=2020-03-27 | content=A jewel of Renaissance architecture that was opened as a Venetia civic museum in 2008, collections of paintings, archaeological collection of Greek and Roman artefacts, temporary exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Archaeological Museum | alt=Museo Archaeologico Nazionale | url=https://www.polomusealeveneto.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-archeologico-nazionale-di-venezia | email= | address=Piazetta San Marco, San Marco 52 | lat=45.4338 | long=12.3391 | directions=Vaporetti line 1 or 2 to San Marco | phone=+39 041 5225978 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-18:00 | price=€4, reduced €2 | content=Collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian artefacts. }} * {{see | name=St.Mark's Basilica Museum | alt=Basilica di San Marco -Museo | url=http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/basilica/museo-marciano/?lang=en | email= | address=Piazza San Marco, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 2708311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:45-16:45 | price=€5.00, reduced €2.50 | content=Visit the famous bronze horses. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Grande di S.Giovanni Evangelista | alt= | url=http://www.scuolasangiovanni.it/index.php?page=26&lang=en | email= | address=San Polo 2454 | lat=45.43837 | long=12.32577 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 ro San Tomà | phone=+39 041 718234 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=occasional 09:30-17:00 | price=€5 | content=Monumental staircase by Codussi, splendid San Giovanni Salon, Oratory of the Cross with precious reliquiaries. }} * {{see | name=Scuola Dalmatina di San Giorgio e Trifone | alt= | url= | email= | address=Calle dei Furlani, Castello 3259/A | lat=45.43622 | long=12.34595 | directions=vaporetto line 1-5 or 1-5-2 to S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 5228828 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:00, Su 10:00-12:30, closed M | price=Adults €4, reduced €2 | wikidata=Q1290662| wikipedia=Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Famous painting cycle by Vittore Carpaccio depicting the lives of St.George, Tryphon and Jerome. }} === Cemeteries === * {{listing | type=see | name=San Michele Cemetery | alt=Cimitero di San Michele | url= | email= | address=Isola di San Michele | lat=45.4486 | long=12.3462 | directions=vaporetto line 4.1-4.2 | phone=+39 041 7292811 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep: 07:30-18:00; Oct-Mar: 07:30-16:30 | price=Free | wikidata=Q3676942 | lastedit=2016-08-16 | content=Cemetery established following Napoleon Bonaparte's edict of 1804, part of the European circuit of monumental cemeteries. The Russian ballet dancer ''Serge Diaghilew'', the Austrian physicist ''Christan Doppler'', the American poet ''Ezra Pound'', the Russian composer ''Igor Stravinsky'' and the German-Italian composer ''Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari'' are buried in San Michele Cemetery. }} === Monuments === [[File:20110722 Venice 4140.jpg|thumb|420px|Venice and St. Mark's Basilica from the Campanile]] * {{listing | type=see | name=Giovanni Caboto | alt=John Cabot | url= | email= | address=Via Garibaldi 1581 | lat= 45.4319 | long=12.3511 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian explorer of North America who worked for the British (c. 1450-c. 1500). }} * {{see | name=Claudio Monteverdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=S. Maria dei Frari | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tomb, composer (1567-1643) and champion of the early Baroque ''seconda pratica'' and then-new genre of opera. }} * {{see | name=Giuseppe Verdi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Composer of operas; Italian nationalist and national hero (1813-1901). }} * {{see | name=Richard Wagner | alt= | url= | email= | address=Giardini pubblici | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=German opera composer (1813-1883). }} * {{see | name=Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Madonna dell' Orto Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter (1578-1594), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Gentile Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Venetian painter and official portraitist of the Doges (1439-1507), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Giovanni Bellini | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Giovanni e Paolo Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Early Venetian oil painter and the most famous of the Bellini brothers (1430-1516), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Caterina Cornaro | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Salvatore Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= |lastedit=2016-08-16| content=Queen of Cyprus (1454-1510), tomb. }} * {{see | name=Paolo Veronese | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Sebastiano Church | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Painter from [[Verona]] whose career was in Venice (1528-1588), tomb. }} == Do == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Vitturi (Venice).jpg|thumb|Palazzo Vitturi]] === Events === * '''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html La Biennale di Venezia]''' is one of the most well-known culture institutions. Two events organised by Biennale are the Art and Architecture International Exhibitions happening alternately (Architecture Biennale in even years, Art Biennale in odd) but other fields are also covered - contemporary theatre, dance, music, cinema ('''[http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema Venice International Film Festival]'''). Exhibitions take place mostly in two locations: {{marker|type=do|name=Arsenale|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/arsenale|lat=45.43347|long=12.35058}} and {{marker|type=do|name=Giardini|url=https://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/giardini-della-biennale|lat=45.42885|long=12.35797}}. They are both worth visiting even when no event is scheduled. Arsenale is the largest pre-industrial production centre in the world, dating back to 13th century, and Giardini is architectural gem filled with national pavilions from different parts of the world, often designed by famous architects, it was a venue for the International Art Exhibition since the 19th century. ** {{event | name=Art Biennale | url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/art | alt=Esposizione internazionale d’arte | year=2022| month= April| date= 23 | endyear= | endmonth= November| enddate=27 | phone=+39 041 5218711 | email=aav@labiennale.org | location= | country= | content=It is held at Arsenale (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Arsenale) and Giardini (vaporetto line 4.1 and 4.2 to Giardini). The Central Pavillion and the pavilions of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brasil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and the pavilion of Venice are located in the Giardini. The Biennale is open every second year from April to November, Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. Admission for 219 was €30 for two days, multiple entries (ID required); €25 one day, single entry to each venue; €20 over 65, €14 students. There are many other exhibitions (collateral events) all over the city, often permitting to visit buildings which normally are not open to the public. Online guides to the exhibits are not substantive. The British Council provides a comprehensive guide to all exhibits available at the British pavilion at the Giardini. The Concordia/Antarctic Exhibition has closed early.}} * {{do | name=Carnival of Venice | alt=Carnevale di Venezia | url=http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q35191| wikipedia=Carnival of Venice | content=Annual festival that is world famous for the carnival masks. }} * {{event | name= Regata Storica| url= http://regatastoricavenezia.it/?lang=en&pg=1&page=1| alt=Historic fleet event | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone=+39 041 2424 | email= vela@velaspa.com | content= Celebrating a historic event from 1489, the regatta displays almost a hundred varieties of Venetian boats from the city's rich past. Large oarships, replicating ancient roman and medieval vessels, are rowed along the Canal Grande, followed by many smaller boats. There are several races, including a master championship for solo sculling in streamlined gondolini, painted in unusual white, pink, etc. colours. There are many excellent photo opportunities for this event. Early September. }} * {{event | name=Vogalonga | url= http://www.vogalonga.com/en/| alt= | year= 2| month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth= | enddate= | location= | country= | phone= +39 041 5210544| email=info@vogalonga.com | content= The yearly equivalent of a marathon run on water. Vogalonga competitors must row 32 km under 3½ hours to receive a certificate of attendance at the finish line, but everybody with a human-powered vessel is welcome to participate (some foreigner teams take up to 10 hours to complete the journey just for the fun of it). The official purpose of the Vogalonga was to protest the sharply increasing use of powerboats in Venice, but the event has gradually grown into a festival since 1974, with up to 5500 racers in 1500 vessels attending by the early 2000s. The racetrack visits different parts of Venice as well as some of the nearby islands. Locals and tourists lining up alongside rios and canals cheer the racers. Visitors wishing to participate should have serious experience in rowing or sculling and practise duely, as the journey is physically demanding (even seasoned oarsmen develop calluses by the finish line). The event is mainly for teams, completing Voga Longa on a single oar is considered a major achievement. Extreme participation (scuba frogmen and surface swimmers) sometimes occurs, but it is not recommended due to water contamination issues. Late May.|fax= +39 041 5200771 }} === Opera and concerts === * {{do | name=La Fenice Theater | alt=Teatro La Fenice | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it/site/index.php?&lingua=eng | email=info@teatrolafenice.org | address=Campo San Fantin, San Marco 1965 | lat=45.43362 | long=12.33368 | directions=300 m west of San Marco square | phone=+39 041 786511 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Tours: adults €10, students up to 26 and seniors over 65 €7, children up to 6 free. Slightly cheaper if purchased as part of a combined ticket with the Doge's palace | wikipedia=La Fenice | image=Teatro La Fenice (Venice) - Facade.jpg | wikidata=Q223942 | content=One of the best opera houses in the world. Info at Bigletteria Hello Venezia Call Center {{Phone|+39 041 2424}}. You can also visit this historic theater with an audioguide (good explanations in several languages). The theater is an identical reconstruction (rebuilt in 2003) of the previous theater building that burned down in 1996. }} * {{do | name=Teatro Malibran | alt= | url=http://www.teatrolafenice.it | email= | address=Campo del Malibran, Cannaregio 5873 | lat=45.43896 | long=12.33813 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Rialto | phone=+39 041 2424 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3982047| wikipedia=Teatro Malibran | content= }} * {{do | name= Scuola Grande di S.Teodoro | alt= | url=http://www.imusiciveneziani.com/luoghi.php?slang=en | email= | address=Campo San Salvador | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€40, reduced €30 | content=Opera and concert performances. }} * {{do | name=Ateneo San Basso | alt= | url=http://www.virtuosidivenezia.com/index.php?slang=en | email=info@virtuosidivenezia.com | address=Piazetta del Leoncini, San Marco | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to San Marco or S.Zaccaria | phone=+39 041 52 82 825 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content=Classical concerts. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa San Vidal | alt= | url=http://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/ | email=info@interoretiveneziani.com | address=Campo San Vidal, San Marco 2862/B | lat=45.43242 | long=12.32953 | directions=vaporetto line 1 or 2 to Accademia | phone=+39 041 27770561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adults €29, reduced €24 | content=Classical concerts by Interpreti Veneziani. They also run the nearby Music Museum in the nearby San Maurizio church. }} * {{do | name=Chiesa della Pietà | alt= | url=http://www.ivirtuosiitaliani.eu/default.asp?iId=GGKIIE | email= | address=Riva degli Schiavoni | lat= | long= | directions=vaporetto lines 1, 5.1, 5.2, 4.1, 4,.2 to San Zaccaria | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25, reduced €20 | content= }} * {{do | name=Scuola Grande dei Carmini | alt= | url=http://www.scuolagrandecarmini.it/ | email=info@scuolagrandecarmini.it | address=Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro 2616-2617 | lat=45.43369 | long=12.32241 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289420 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11:00-17:00 | price=€5 full price; €4 concession | content= }} === Activities on a boat === [[File:Gondola, Venice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Gondola]] * Ride a '''vaporetto''' (water bus) down the Grand Canal right before sunset. The vaporetti are expensive, but the sights are priceless: amazing architecture, soft seaside sunlight, and a fascinating parade of Venetian watercraft. * Take a '''gondola''' if you can afford it: it's expensive, but the ''Gondoliere'' may decrease the price if you ask (but they can also decrease the time...). Make sure you reach an agreement on price and time before you start! A good tip with the Gondolieres is to bargain the price down as low as you can, then say that it's still too much and walk away. Two or three of them will chase after you, one after the other, each offering a lower price than the last. It's possible to knock €20-€30 off the price (even then, be prepared to shell out €80). : Some guidebooks discourage tourists from asking for gondola price reductions. The oarsmen have an informal habit of cutting the most interesting and little-known parts from the journey path for "discount" customers. Reduced rate riders get much less marvel in exchange for a moderate price drop, which may not be worth it. : Gondolier-for-hire business licenses are officially limited to just 430 to 455 rowers in Venice, making the market artificially scarce and inflating prices. Gondola rides are always costly, often in a princely way and that expense should be planned in advance of the visit. If you go as a group it might be cheaper, though the number of people who can be accommodated on a gondola varies, usually up to a maximum of six seated passengers. The "traghetti" holds more, mostly standing, as a pair of gondoliers rows short distances for canal crossing purposes at a number of points along the Grand Canal. : Venetians and especially the gondoliers among them have highly conservative ideas about society: by 900 years of tradition, all gondoliers must be male and most are born locals. In 2015, the highest court in Rome recognized Alex Hai as the "first female gondolier to operate in Venice", after repeated attempts to become officially licensed since 1996. Unable to obtain an official license, Hai began operating as a privage gondolier, also known as ''gondoliers de casada'', and came out as a transgender man in 2017. In August 2010, Giorgia Boscolo became Venice's first fully licensed female gondolier. * If a gondola seems a little pricey, the alternative is to cross the Grand Canal by '''traghetto'''. These only cost €2 to use and are largely gondolas that have seen better days, They are stripped down and used as municipal ferries. In the 1950s there were as many as thirty, but now there are seven points to find them. However some only operate when people are going to and from work. The length of any crossing is just a few minutes. Many visitors enjoy visiting the open air markets near the Rialto Bridge and there is a traghetto station there, at the '''Pescheria''' (fish market) joining the Santa Sophia church along the Strada Nova. You will notice that traghetti passengers tend to '''stand up''', but if you are not comfortable doing so, sitting is possible, if you are careful. * The more adventurous can try the venetian style of rowing through Row Venice or one of the many rowing clubs. === Other === [[File:Venice - Mask gift shop - 3566.jpg|thumb|right|A Mask gift shop near Piazza San Marco]] If you are looking for something to do, you can always '''shop'''. Venice is packed full of little stores in every corner and crevice. The commonest local specialties are Carnival masks, glass, and marbled paper. Price can vary wildly, so it's a good idea to hold off buying until you have a fair idea about the relative value of things. As is the case with most tourist cities, a lot of the "original" and "made in Venice" items are actually made in China. [[Murano]] is an island famous for its glass making. Almost in every shop you will find "original [[Murano]] glass" items. If it was really made in [[Murano]], it would be prohibitively expensive, with prices routinely running into thousands of euros. So if you are looking for cheap souvenirs, real [[Murano]] glass is not the thing to buy! You can also see glass making demonstrations in [[Murano]], but be sure to check that there is a demonstration scheduled for that day. And it is normally not done in winter either. [[File:Cimitero, Venice.jpg|thumb|right|San Michele Cemetery Island, Cimitero stop]] Spend a '''day on the islands''', mainly [[Murano]], [[Burano]] and Torcello. There are boat services to all these islands at scheduled times, including between the islands themselves. Be prepared for long lines and long waits for the boats between islands. The Glass Museum in [[Murano]] and the Lace Museum in [[Burano]] are certainly worth a visit. In [[Burano]] you will find some of the most picturesque streets and houses, with each house sporting a different pastel shade. Its really beautiful. Though there is not much to see in Torcello except for the old church, and the supposed "Throne of Atilla". However, the peace and tranquility of the island is not to be found anywhere else in Venice! Torcello is also home to a very expensive Cipriani restaurant. But just walking around on these islands is a nice enough experience. If you've had enough of the hype and the other tourists, hop off the vaporetto at 'Cimitero', Venice's graveyard for a peaceful walk. There are many famous tombs, and the section dedicated to deceased children is particularly haunting. There is also a free toilet there. While going through Venice, make sure you take in the beauty of it all. '''Walk''' through the alley ways, and take the water taxi to different parts of the island, sometimes at night you can just go sit in an open area and watch locals and tourists passing by. It is wonderful. There are many museums and churches that are around the city that allow tourists to go in a visit. They are many great sights to keep you busy throughout your visit. The “[http://www.visitmuve.it/en/home/ Secret Itineraries in '''Doge's Palace''']” worth a visit, take the visitor into the most secret and fascinating rooms in the Palace. It's better to book in advance. Because Venice is now pretty much only inhabited by tourists and people serving the trade, it gets very quiet by 21:00 and there is very little to do in the evening (outside of eating). There are a few exceptions, like some classical music '''concerts,''' which most probably only play Vivaldi. If you would like to have a '''guide''' to show up the highlights of Venice, you can choose between many offers. There are walking or boat tours, focused on shopping or history or for art lovers, and many itineraries. '''Take photos''', using your camera or phone on every corner of Venice will inspire you. And if you have taken good pictures, though you may not be a professional photographer, consider entering the photo competition [http://onedayinvenezia.com "OneDayInVenezia"] running all year round, awarding monthly winners, and dedicated to amateur photographers. The Grand Prize is a week-end in Venice, trip included. Send a '''Postcard''' or even better, an entire '''letter''' dedicated to a loved one (the old "snail mail" one, not the electronic variety)! Venice has a long, celebrated tradition in postal services, paper and written communication in general (including one of the earliest medieval book printing houses). Venice it's also '''Riviera del Brenta''' old canals. The Riviera del Brenta is famous for its extraordinary Palladian villas along the Brenta river, its museums and historical buildings and it is 40 km (25 miles) from Venice. This Riviera and its mainland include 7 small cities: Stra, Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Fossò, Mira, Oriago and Malcontenta. These places are good for '''cycling excursions''' and to see antique Palladian Villas built on the Brenta river. In Stra village, there is the '''famous gardens of Villa Pisani''' and the '''museum of the shoes''' is in Villa Foscarini Rossi. In this last museum you can admire 1,500 models of Italian-made shoes created in local factories for major brands including Fendi, Genny, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Ungaro, Anne Kleyn, Richard Tyles and Vera Wang. In Dolo village you can visit the square, old watermill (XI century) and big open air market. * {{do | name=Teatro San Gallo | alt= | url=http://www.teatrosangallo.net | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2412002 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Apr: 19:00, May-Oct: 20:00 | price=€39, seniors €35, students €25, children €15 | lastedit=2015-04-10 | content=Half-hour documentary based on the BBC series ''Francesco's Venice'' - an 'amazing film that puts the spectacular beauty of this great city in historical context'. Film in English, audioguides in Italian, Russian and Spanish. }} '''Football:''' [https://www.veneziafc.it/ Venezia FC] were relegated in 2022, so they now play soccer in Serie B, Italy's second tier. Their home ground Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo (capacity 11,000) is on Sant'Elena, connected by streets to the main east island. == Learn == Venice is home to two major (and expanding) public universities, '''[http://www.unive.it/pag/13526/ Università Ca' Foscari Venezia]''' and '''[http://www.iuav.it/ENGLISH/ Università Iuav di Venezia]'''. There are possibly hundreds of smaller schools in the city. Neither university exploits its name for merchandising, and "Università degli Studi di Venezia" sweatshirts for sale at stalls are not only unlicensed, but there is no single university in the city with that name to begin with. == Buy == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Venedig Bücherladen Acqua alta-6216.jpg|thumb|Book store and antiquarian '''Libreria Acqua Alta''']] Venice has always been a city of merchants. Consequently, most of the Venetians working in Venice still own or work at a shop. If the pride of the Republic of Venice was the extreme diversity and quality of goods and services which could be found in Venice, these days, however, mass tourism led Venice to be populated with many shops selling low-quality souvenirs. The local shops are suffering a lot from this situation and it is not easy to identify them within the crowd of shops selling harmful imported goods. Buying from the '''authentic local businesses''' has never been more important as it is essential to the future of the Venetians and guarantees you to get the real thing and to have a much better experience of Venice. It is not easy, though. Thankfully, there is a social enterprise based in Venice, which works closely with the Venetian business owners (shops, restaurants and bars included). They have a certification process where the local artisan shops attest and commit to be selling products both authentic and sustainable as well as to give a 10% discount to the customers carrying a '''[http://veneziaautentica.com/become-friend Venezia Autentica Friends' Pass]''' (buyable online for only {{EUR|10}}). Euronet runs the majority of ATMs within tourist areas, and carry both hefty ATM fees and extortionate exchange rates. To avoid the extortionate exchange rates, you should reject the first currency conversion offered to you, which will allow you to default to your bank's rate. When possible, you should use ATMs provided by actual banks and financial institutions. The Credit Agricole ATM machines are notable because they do not charge ATM fees or offer excessive currency conversion rates for most Visa Debit and Prepaid cards. *{{buy | name=Atelier Marega | url=http://marega.it | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A hand-made mask and costume shop. }} *{{buy | name=Fanny | alt=gloves & accessories | url=http://www.fannygloves.it | email=fannygloves@hotmail.it | address=Calle dei Saoneri, San Polo 2723 | lat= | long= | directions=100m west of Cà Foscari, near Campo San Polo | phone=+39 041 5228266 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Hundreds of leather gloves in all colours. }} *{{buy | name=Francis Model | alt=leather articles | url= | email=ruggero.dezorzi@libero.it | address=Ruga Rialto, San Polo 773/A | lat= | long= | directions=100m SW of Rialto bridge | phone=+39 041 5212889 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Locally made leather bags. Exceptional craftsmanship. There are reports that some travellers were cheated in this store, by being told that transaction didn't occur while using their credit card, and demanded cash while in fact transaction ''did'' occur properly and thus having made the travellers pay for the same item twice. }} *{{buy | name=Venetia Studium | alt=High end Scarves & Shawls | url=http://venetiastudium.com | email=info@venetiastudium.com | address=Calle Larga XXII Marzo, San Marco 2425 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5236953 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fine velvets and silks of every imaginable color are woven into delicate evening bags, scarves and pillows. The Company Venetia Studium produces in the Island the worldwide famous Fortuny Lamps }} If you've come to Venice thinking that you won't be able to do a bit of designer shopping, think again. Just like in every major Italian city, you get the big fashion brand names. For label clothing shopping, the best area is that around the Piazza San Marco, where you can find Versace, MaxMara, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada (and numerous more) big names. If you want to shop for clothing or accessories, though, you don't necessarily have to shop through the biggest names in fashion - in the Campo Santo Stefano and Calle della Mandola, you can get less famous or local boutiques, but you can find some excellent quality and/or unique items such as clothes, shoes, wallets or handbags. Watch out also for the hand-made paper and the exquisite miniature buildings made by Moro. Watch out for fakes; Moro "signs" his name on the back. Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring [[Murano]] for its famous glass. (See article for details.) Tourist Traps: "Coloured Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" (not the original napolitan one) are not Italian food, no Italian would ever eat them, they are particularly made for tourists. For typical regional Italian food in food shops check the labels to discover where they have been made. Don't miss the '''Rialto''' market on San Polo, the smallest sestiere. The Rialto market is for shoppers. To the east is an area of small shops and restaurants; to the west is the Rialto farmers' market. Shopping is slightly less expensive than in the tourist-filled Piazza San Marco. === Murano Glass === * {{buy | name=L’Isola | alt= | url=https://www.lisola.com/ | email=info@lisola.com | address=Calle de le Botteghe, San Marco 2970 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 523 1973 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Archimede Seguso | alt= | url=http://aseguso.com/en# | email= | address=San Marco 143 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5289041 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{buy | name=Venini | alt= | url=http://venini.com/en/ | email=venezia@venini.it | address=Piazzetta Leoncini, San Marco 314 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5224045 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} == Eat == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti WB.jpg|thumb|Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti]] Typical Venetian dishes are: * ''Fegato alla veneziana'', chopped liver, cooked with chopped onions. * ''Sarde in saor'': fried sardines, dipped in fried onion, raisins and pine nuts, spices and vinegar. It has to marinate at least one night. Venice has some wonderful restaurants, featuring the cuisine of the Veneto. However it is widely regarded that the restaurants in Venice serve food of a quality and in quantities much lower than anywhere else in Italy. The pizza in Venice is well known as being the worst in Italy (It is a more southern Italian speciality). For Americans, you can find a place called Quanto Basta pizza that serves an American-style pizza with pepperoni and french fries. Specialties include polenta, made of corn meal; risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce. Diners should however be aware that for every genuinely wonderful restaurant or trattoria, there's another serving rubbish food at inflated prices, especially in the most touristed streets around San Marco. Rule of thumb: if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided. Near the Rialto bridge there's a row of restaurants with tables by the canal, where you can have the quintessential Venice experience of dining by the canal lights. Although they do have waiters outside bugging you, some have pretty acceptable quality for price, which is almost always expensive anyway. One of Venice's trademark foods is cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example, Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttle fish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste. Be careful when the prices are on a weight basis (typically by the "etto", abbreviated "/hg". or 100 g). One dish can easily contain 400g of fish or meat (almost a pound) - coming to 4 times the indicated base price! Restaurants might offer low prices for food on their menus that they advertise outside the entrance, but they will sometimes compensate this by charging high prices for drinks (which is naturally *not* advertised). €5 for 33 cl of beer is not uncommon. Le Bauta, an eatery on Fond del Gaffaro, is a good example. Also, please make sure that you get your change back after payment as sometimes it may be 'forgotten' by the waiters. For fresh fruit (including chilled coconut) watch out for the street market stalls. There is always a boat parked in the canal on campo San Barnaba selling fruit and vegetables into the late hours. To save money at lunch, eat standing up - that's what Venetians themselves do. Every cafe, trattoria, osteria, enoteca or whatever it chooses to call itself is stocked at lunchtime with cicchetti - Venetian tapas, including tramezzini (triangular sandwiches on white bread), bite-sized rolls with various cold cuts, polpette (fried balls of minced fish or meat) and assorted antipasti. Order by pointing at what you want on the glass shelves, and wash the whole thing down with a glass of wine (un' ombra) or a spritz (made with, in order of bitterness and alcohol content, Aperol, Campari or Select). Bear in mind that as soon as you allow yourself to sit at the table and be waited on, instead of ordering and consuming your food at the counter, the prices for the same items go up - you can end up paying double. If you look at the (government-mandated) chart of prices stapled to the wall near the bar, you'll see 2 columns of numbers, accommodating this arrangement. However, sitting is worth it if you plan on staying a while. Some places will also serve free bread and water for seated patrons, but then there is usually also a small charge (€1-3 per person) for "pane e coperto" (bread and cover charge). If self-catering, the Rialto food markets are an absolute must for fruit, vegetables and cheese, but most of all for the huge range of seafood, much of it fresh out of the lagoon and still moving! There are a variety of small stores around the city that sell fruits and vegetables, but tourists will be hard-pressed to find them. Anything else you will find in the one of the few supermarkets in the city. Head to the Dorsoduro area of Venice if you want to save a few euros. It is located on the south side of the city. It has the highest concentration of places where locals, especially students, go to eat. Generally staying away from the main squares will be the cheapest option. If you're willing and able to walk around the town, some back streets offer the best food for the lowest price. Seeing the city from this vantage point is a lot of fun too! === Budget === There are a few '''supermarkets''' in the city, so if you are in the need to save some money, these are an option as they serve a wide array of prepared and semi-prepared food. On the main street from the station to the Rialto bridge there is a Coop and a Billa supermarket. Venetian snacks (cichetti) can be brilliantly inventive, in small "tapas-style" serving sizes. Look for places (especially wine bars) popular with non-tourists, the prices are very reasonable. There are still many small bakery shops and "biavaroli" where you can buy bread, cheese etc., particularly near the Rialto market area. If you want to buy water (Venice has excellent free tap water easily accessible at the numerous fountains located outside throughout the city) it is usually cheapest to get it at the supermarkets: there are Billa or Co-op stores located throughout the city, though supermarkets are often "disguised" in nondescript buildings in Venice for space limitations. ====In various locations==== * {{eat | name=Pizzeria Ae Oche | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A local establishment with several locations in the city. The food is plentiful and the prices reasonable. On Calle del Tintor south of Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, In Santa Croce. Look to spend between €5-10 for a pizza depending on how exotic your selection is. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> === Splurge === === Ice cream === You will find ice cream all over the city, and you will hardly survive a hot summer day without it. Prices are €1.00-1.50 for one scoop, €2.50-3.50 for three scoops. == Drink == [[Image:20120704 170702 venezia 1584.jpg|thumb|Aperol Spritz, a small cicheti and gorgeous Venetian backdrop.]] [[Image:Bellini_at_Harry%27s_Bar.jpg|thumb|A classic ''Billini'', as served at Harry's Bar where it was invented.]] The typical local drink loved by all Venetians is ''Spritz'', which is a mix of liquor and Prosecco with sparkling water to top it off. Aperol Spritz is by far the most common but there are variants with Campari or Select too. Almost all bars in the city serves it with prices range from €5 to €12, depending on how close you are to the main tourist arteries. Spritz are usually paired with ''cicheti'', the Venetian version of tapas. Another famous drink is the '''Bellini''' was invented in Harry's Bar in Venice. It is a mix of white peach juice and Prosecco (the ubiquitous Venetian Champagne-like sparkling wine). Fermented at a low temperature Prosecco develops amylic aromas (fruit drops), though these perhaps mix better with fruit juices than does the more austere Champagne. Classic Bellinis should never be made with Champagne. Although by normal standards expensive, a Bellini in Harry's Bar (€17 for a 1.5 oz drink is obscene) is still much cheaper than on the terraces of similar '5-star' establishments in the city. A small '''Grappa''' is a common way to end meals, but be careful as it is brandy with 30 to 60 per cent alcohol. '''Beer''' in a small pub is about €5 for a pint (birra media). === Coffee === [[File:Venice - Cafe - 4125.jpg|thumb|right|A cafe in Piazza di San Marco.]] Coffee is everywhere in Venice, and both Venetians and the tourists avail themselves of the opportunities, usually by downing a quick dose at the counter (see warning about sit-down prices above). Rule of thumb: the bigger (and shinier) the espresso machine, the better the result. '''Espresso''', the real Italian, is about €1 at the bar, €2 at a table. * {{drink | name=E Rosa Salva | alt= | url=http://www.rosasalva.it/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=One of the favorites is the mini-chain "E Rosa Salva", with three locations in the center - on C. Fiubera (from Piazza San Marco, take the underpass in the middle of the arcade, cross the bridge and take second right off C. Fabbri), Merceria S. Salvadore (off the campo of the same name), and right on Campo San Zanipolo (to the right of the church looking from the canal); the last one is a gelateria as well. For your €1 you'll get exactly 2 and a half sips at the bottom of a small cup, with rich crema and no bitterness. Assorted house-made sweets are €1.10. }} * {{listing | type=drink | name=Caffè Florian | alt= | url=http://www.caffeflorian.com | email=servizi@caffeflorian.com | address=Piazza San Marco, 57 | lat=45.43361 | long=12.33822 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5205641 | tollfree= | hours=Daily, 9AM-midnight | price= | wikidata=Q960610 | content=On the extravagant side there is Caffè Florian, on Piazza San Marco. It claims to be the oldest coffee house still in operation, established in 1720. The interior is about a century newer, and brings an exclusive setting for a cup of coffee, even if sitting outside overlooking the entire piazza and its surroundings may be a better choice on a nice summer day. The café has its own outdoor orchestra playing an assortment of Italian music. Just sitting down at the table costs €6 per seat (for the orchestra it says on the menu) and the rest on the menu is at least twice the price you would have paid at home. Light lunch or dinner 12:00-15:00, 19.30-22:00, afternoon tea 15:09-18:00, great choice of semifreddo (parfaits) (€14), lemon ice cream with soda (€15), great choice of tea and coffee specialities; espresso €6.50. music charge €6. }} === Nightlife === There are two late-night drinking areas in Venice. Piazza San Marco is not one of them, although it is very pleasant with many people wandering around late. The actual late night scene is in either '''Campo Santa Margherita''', near the University Ca' Foscari in Dorsoduro; or in '''Erbaria''' on the West side of the Rialto Bridge where the main vegetable market is held during the day. Even though there are many fantastic bars in Venice, if you're planning a night time "pub crawl" you should plan a few places to visit in advance, otherwise it's very easy to waste an hour wandering aimlessly in search of a watering hole that's open, especially midweek. Locals in search of nighttime entertainment mostly head over the bridge into Mestre, or hop on the boat to Lido. One exception: F.ta della Misericordia, in Cannaregio (north from the Ghetto over the Ghetto Nuove bridge, turn right), features several bars in succession, anchored by the ''Paradiso Perduto'' (Cannaregio 2640; a restaurant by day, live music on Sundays starting at 21:00), along the canal. In season they are spilling over after dark with youths holding large glasses of rosé, while more of those same youths are cruising (in motor boats) blaring rap songs in Italian from the loudspeakers. The cafes and bars lining the expansive C. Santa Margherita are catering to the students from the nearby university; chill out to reggae sets in ''Caffé Rosso'' (Dorsoduro 2963; it's the one with the red awning that simply says ''Caffe''), or dance (Saturdays only) at ''Round Midnight'' (Dorsoduro 3102). Those looking for LGBT nightlife in Venice will be disappointed. Hop on the train to [[Padua]] instead. === Pubs === There are two Irish pubs in Venice. One is located along the '''Strada Nova''' in ''Cannaregio''; the other one is the '''Inishark''' just before ''Campo Santa Maria Formosa''. == Sleep == {{movetodistrict}} [[File:Palazzo Civran Venezia.JPG|thumb|The Palazzo Civran and Grand Canal at dusk. This 15th-century building that was substantially altered in the early 17th century now houses the Guardia di Finanza.]] Due to the historic city's constrained area and international popularity hotels are expensive. Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses offer better rates. Real budget solutions (like campings and hostels) can be found in [[Mestre | '''Mestre''']] (mainland Venice) and on the island of '''[[Lido]]'''. Alternative accommodation can be also found on the island of '''[[Murano]]'''. These are worth considering since historic centre is quite well connected with bus and ferries, so staying further from the centre is not such a big problem. In the last few years, holiday or short rentals apartments have increased in number and quality, now you can rent (minimum stay is usually 3 nights) a Palazzo on the Grand Canal as a little flat near Rialto. === Bed and Breakfast === * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Venice Ca' del Pozzo | alt= | url=http://cadelpozzo.it | email= | address= | lat=45.4329955 | long= 12.3320963 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2413875 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2443203 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Completely restructured in 2003, in the characteristic Campo San Maurizio. }} * {{sleep | name=Bed and Breakfast Ca'Dor | alt= | url=http://bedandbreakfastvenice.net | email= | address= | lat= 45.4406559 | long= 12.3372800 | directions= | phone=+39 392 3906152 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rooms about 55€ in low-season, 100€ in high season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2022-04-01 | content=Venetian style rooms in the centre, 3 minutes from Rialto's Bridge. }} === Budget === In the city of '''Mestre''' just in front of Venice is the A&O Hostel with shared rooms for about 17–23€ per night (July 2022). * {{sleep | name=Ai Do Mori | alt= | url=http://hotelaidomori.com | email= | address=San Marco 658 | lat=45.4351365 | long=12.3392159 | directions= | phone=+39 041 5204817 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5205328 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=As close as it gets to Piazza San Marco, but on the second and third floor, so it still is quiet at nights. Clean and nice rooms, TV, aircon, very friendly staff. }} * {{sleep | name=Alloggi Agli Artisti | alt= | url=http://agli-artisti-venezia.it/ | email= | address=Calle Priuli Cavalletti, Cannaregio 99 | lat=45.44247 | long=12.32122 | directions=150 m away from the main railway station (Santa Lucia) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €50 to €90 for a double room, depending on the season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=Guests can choose between rooms with bathroom en suite (with hairdryer), and rooms with sharing bathroom on the floor (cheaper). }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Antico Fiore | alt= | url=http://anticofiore.com | email= | address=San Marco 3486 | lat=45.4349563 | long=12.3302647 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5227941 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2413879 | price=Rooms from €65 | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=An 18th-century building which has been carefully restored. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Gaffaro | alt= | url=http://locandagaffaro.it | email= | address=Dorsoduro 3589 | lat=45.4361719 | long=12.3218600 | directions= | phone=+39 041-2750897 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-2750375 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €100 | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In a picturesque court near Piazzale Roma. }} === Mid-range === <!-- entries with no prices and that look like spamvertizing will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Albergo Ateneo | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 1876 | lat=45.4343317 | long= 12.3341439| directions= | phone=+39 041 5200777 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228550 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €60-180 depending on season | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=3-star hotel close to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Antico Casin Locanda | alt= | url=http://anticocasin.com | email= | address=Corte Contarina, San Marco 1520/a | lat=45.4334656 | long= 12.3359885 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5207002 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-795122 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= A refined example of contemporary design, located close to Saint Mark's Square. Doubles from €90. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Amadi | alt= | url=http://www.caamadi.it/en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Cannaregio 5815 | lat=45.4385951 | long=12.3375372 | directions= | phone=+39 041-5204682 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5206701 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-01 | content=In the old town centre, close to the famous Rialto Bridge. This 13th-century palace was once home to Marco Polo. Décor is keeping with the period, and the rooms are utterly charming. Original wall frescoes from the 1400s adorn the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/offerte-hotel.php?lang=ENG&id_hotel=37&id_offer= | email=info@cabauta.com | address=Castello 6457 | lat=45.4384168 | long= 12.3442353 | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415212313 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content= Housed in a 15th-century building, this quaint hotel has very spacious rooms with high ceilings and is adorned with stylish furniture and fittings. Has a friendly, multilingual staff who are always eager to assist you in planning tours, booking concert tickets, and making restaurant reservations. Rates from €70 per night. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Della Corte | alt=B&B + apartments | url=http://cadellacorte.com | email=info@cadellacorte.com | address=Corte Surian, Dorsoduro 3560 | lat=45.4363345 | long=12.3219371 | directions=300 m SE of Piazzale Roma | phone=+39 041-715877 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722345 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Junior suite €140 | lastedit= | content=A comfortable B&B in a quiet area. Warm and personal welcome. Breakfast (served in the room) could be improved (by going to pasticceria Tonolo and bringing your own cakes, e.g.). }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Zose | url=http://hotelcazose.com/ | email=info@hotelcazose.com | address=Dorsoduro 193/B (Calle del Bastion) | lat=45.4308 | long=12.3327 | directions=walk west from Salute vaporetto stop | phone=+39 0415226635 | tollfree= | fax=+39 0415226624 | hours= | price=Doubles from €90 in season | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit= | content=A quiet street off S.M. Salute, by the S.M. Giglio ''traghetto'' (when it's operational, 50 cents will get you to S. Marco), within easy walk of either Accademia or the Zattere (no need to brave the hordes of tourists on the #1 line, take the #52 from bus or train station). The helpful staff speaks Italian, English, French and Veneto. 10% discount on rates if paid in cash - ask Walentina, the proprietress. All rooms are named after stars (in the sky, not of movie kind), and all have A/C (indispensable in summer). Buffet breakfast included. }} * {{sleep | name=Continental Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://continentalhotelvenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat=45.4419737 | long=12.3240286 | directions= | phone=+39 041 71 5122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 524 2432 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=Three-star hotel in the Jewish Ghetto. A historic building belonged to a noble family, with 93 bedrooms (€95-194) capable to host any kind of guests. }} <!-- Too many entries * {{sleep | name=Corte 1321 | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Polo 1321 | lat= | long= | directions=near the Rialto Bridge | phone=+39 041 5224923 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 0997849 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €100 | lastedit= | content=Large spacious rooms with double sink bathrooms ensure a comfortable stay. Lovely courtyard for dining is made memorable with local birds strutting and cooing. }} * {{sleep | name=Domus Ciliota | alt= | url=http://ciliota.it/ | email= | address=Calle delle Muneghe, San Marco 2976 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 5-10 minute walk from San Marco's Square. The hotel has over fifty clean, basic, air-conditioned rooms all with shower and WC. The 24-hr reception is English speaking. There is an area for leaving baggage after you've checked out. Single rooms are €70-85 and doubles are €100-110 including breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel al Sole | alt= | url=http://www.alsolehotels.com/ | email= | address=Santa Croce 134/136 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2440328 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-722287 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €80 | content=Hotel is in a noble palace built in the beginning of the 15th century, a short distance from Piazzale Roma. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Ala | alt= | url=http://hotelala.it/ | email= | address=Campo Santa Maria dei Gigli, San Marco 2494 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5208333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5206390 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms from €110 | content=Eggs and broiled tomatoes with cheese for breakfast. Rooms were a typical size but clean, comfortable and quiet. They have turndown service at night, a pleasant surprise. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Alla Salute | alt=also known as 'Da Cici' | url=http://www.salutepalace.com/ | email=info@salutepalace.com | address=Fondamenta Ca' Balà, Dorsoduro 222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235404 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5222271 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from €50 | content=A 16th-century palazzo, a stone's throw from Piazza San Marco. It has been the house of the famous poet Ezra Pound. Pretty comfortable and quiet budget hotel. Garden for breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel All’Angelo Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelallangelovenice.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=San Marco 403 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5209299 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2743555 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Run by the same family since 1924 in a 17th-century building close to St Marks Basilica. Comfortable and stylishly decorated rooms with a double somewhere in the region of €150. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Antico Panada | alt= | url=http://hotelpanada.it | email= | address=San Marco 646 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5209088 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5209619 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €145 to €310 | content=Has rooms decorated in an 18th-century Venetian style. }} * {{sleep | name=Ca' Gottardi | alt= | url=http://www.cagottardi.com/ | email= | address=Cannaregio 2283 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759333 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759421 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €120 | content=Antico Palazzo Gottardi stands in Strada Nuova, between two buildings that look down onto the Canal Grande. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Basilea Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelbasileavenice.com/ | email= | address=Rio Marin, Santa Croce 817 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 718477 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 720851 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double rooms are usually €100-160 depending on season | content=Across the Grand Canal from Santa Lucia Train Station. Located in a quiet Calle. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Becher | alt= | url=http://hotelbecher.com | email= | address=San Marco 1857 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5221253 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5212685 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= This 18th-century hotel enhanced by the most modern amenities, charming atmosphere and impeccable service. Single rooms from €70, doubles €110 and triples from €170. }} * {{sleep | name=Belle Arti Hotel Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotelbelleartivenice.com/ | email= | address=Dorsoduro 912/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5226230 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5280043 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double €220. Breakfast included for those who book online | content=Elegant three-star hotel. 67 guestrooms divided in double, triple and quadruple with en suite services, bathroom kit and modern services. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Cà D'Oro | alt= | url=http://venicehotelcadoro.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4604 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2411212 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414385 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Singles from €60, doubles from €80 | content=The hotel is in a quiet corner of Cannaregio district, 5 minutes walk from the Rialto Bridge. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Canaletto Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelcanalettovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 5487 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 20 518 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 023 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Along a scenic canal close to St. Mark’s Basilica. Decorated and furnished in the traditional Venetian manner, this hotel offers excellent service and rooms for two that start at around €110. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Continental | alt= | url=http://hotelcontinentalvenice.com | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 166 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-715122 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5242432 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= Right on the Canal Grande. Single rooms from €93, doubles from €155 and triples from €194 including taxes and breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Commercio e Pellegrino | alt= | url=http://commercioepellegrino.com | email= | address=Calle delle Rasse, Castello 4551/A | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207922 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5225016 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €80, doubles from €100 including taxes and breakfast | lastedit= | content=Comfortable hotel in the centre, easy to reach by public transport and 2 minutes on foot to Saint Mark’s Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Doge Venice | alt= | url=http://www.albergodoge.com/ | email= | address=Lista Vecchia dei Bari, Santa Croce 1222 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2448752 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5242192 | checkin= | checkout= | price= Double rooms start from €57. Family apartment for three people €97 | content=Three-star accommodation of Venice. It is in the northern part of the city, in front of the train station and presents 10 bedrooms – single, double and twin, some with a shared bathroom - and one apartment. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Firenze Venice | alt= | url=http://www.hotel-firenze.com/index_en.html | email=info@hotel‑firenze.com | address=San Marco 1490 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5222858 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5202668 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €120 a double/twin | content=On a side street of Piazza San Marco, and offers bright and comfortable rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel il Mercante di Venezia | alt= | url=https://www.ilmercantedivenezia.com/ | email= | address=Calle della Misericordia, Cannaregio 379-381 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2759290 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2759294 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just off the Lista di Spagna by the Grand Canal, excellent access to the Station (Santa Lucia) and the waterbuses. Delicately appointed rooms from around €145. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Lisbona Venice | alt= | url=http://hotellisbonavenice.com/ | email= | address=San Marco 2153 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5286774 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207061 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Just in front of Piazza San Marco, three star rooms decorated in the grand Venetian style. Double rooms are usually around €140. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Marconi Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=Riva del Vin, San Paolo 729 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 52 22 068 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 52 29 700 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal and famous Rialto Bridge. It has been a hotel since the 1930 and has a very interesting art deco style, with rooms going for around €150, or for a little more with a canal view. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Montecarlo Venice | alt= | url=https://www.venicehotelmontecarlo.com/en/ | email= | address=Calle degli Specchieri, San Marco 463 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5207144 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5207789 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms start at around €130 a double | content=3-star superior rooms and services one hundred yards from the entrance to Basilica San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Nazionale Venice | alt= | url=http://hotelnazionalevenice.com/ | email= | address=Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 158 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 716133 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 715318 | checkin= | checkout= | price=€80 for a single and €160 for a family | content=Three-star accommodation with 90 bedrooms divided in single, double, twin, triple and family, 100 metres away from the train station of Santa Lucia. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Palazzo Guardi | alt= | url=http://palazzoguardivenice.com | email= | address=Dorsoduro 995 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2960725 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 7241067 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €80 | content=A stone's throw from the Accademia, is this noble Venetian palace, rooms equipped with all comforts. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Giorgio | alt= | url=http://sangiorgiovenice.com | email= | address=Rio Terà della Mandola, San Marco 3781 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5235835 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5228072 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single rooms from €60, doubles from €90, triples from €120 | lastedit= | content=The hotel is between Campo Sant'Angelo and Campo Manin in an antique [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] palace bought by Mariano Fortuny. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel San Moise Venice | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Marco 2058 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5203755 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5210670 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Starting in the region of €120-140 for a double room | lastedit= | content=3-star hotel behind Piazza San Marco and the Basilica. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Tiepolo | alt= | url=http://hoteltiepolo.com | email= | address=Castello 4510 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5232415 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5208222 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Doubles from around €200 | content=Small and elegant design hotel in the historic centre, a few steps away from Saint Mark's Square. }} * {{sleep | name=Locanda Orseolo | alt= | url=http://locandaorseolo.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=A 3-minute walk from St. Peter's Square, operated by a multi-lingual Venetian family who offer impeccable concierge service. Room rates are generally €150 to €200. }} * {{sleep | name=Pagan Luxury House | alt= | url=http://www.capagan.com/ | email=info@capagan.com | address=San Marco 3268 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-2960584 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5236218 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €120 | lastedit=2017-01-15 | content=According to their website, there is a €10 per night discount for booking directly with them. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cà Bauta | alt= | url=http://cabauta.com/ | email= | address=Castello 6457 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413787 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5212313 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Few steps from Campo ss. Giovanni e Paolo, one of the most spectacular place of Venice. Double rooms are usually around €100-160 depending on season. }} * {{sleep | name=Residenza Cá Malipiero Venice | alt= | url=http://camalipierovenice.com/ | email= | address=Castello 4852 | lat= | long= | directions=Santa Maria Formosa district, behind the Ponte dei Sospiri bridge and St Mark’s Square | phone=+39 041 2770939 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 5289845 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €110 | content=An historic building of the 16th century with a large selection of elegant single, double rooms and suites, capable to host up to four people and equipped with the best modern services expected by a three-star guest house. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Flora | alt= | url=http://www.hotelflora.it/ | email=info@hotelflora.it | address=San Marzo 2283/A | lat= | long= | directions=behind Saint Mark's Square | phone=+39 041 5205844 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Rates start from €120 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Garden, free Wi-Fi, homemade buffet breakfast, fitness centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Novecento Boutique Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.novecento.biz/ | email= | address=San Marco 2683/84 | lat= | long= | directions=Calle del Dose, off Campo San Maurizio, between St. Mark's Square and the Accademia Gallery | phone=+39 041 2413765 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rates start from €120 | content=Has 9 rooms featuring original furniture and tapestries from both the Mediterranean and the Far East. }} * {{sleep | name=Palazzo Cendon - Il Piano Nobile | alt= | url=http://www.palazzocendon.it/ | email= | address=Call Cendon, Cannaregio 532 | lat= 45.4447805 | long=12.3224034 | directions=From the train station turn left before Ponte delle Guglie | phone=+39 041 2750606 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=€130 | content=Nice small hotel in good area with a few restaurants and bars. }}--> === Splurge === <!--entries with no prices and that look like spamvertising will be deleted. See [[Talk:Venice#advert entries]] --> * {{sleep | name=Palazzina Grassi Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.palazzinag.com/ | email=info@palazzinag.com | address=San Marco 3247 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5284644 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Rooms from €295 | content=First Italian hotel designed by Philippe Starck, the only one in Venice. In the centre, near the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Saint Mark's Square is a short walk away. }} * {{sleep | name=Duodo Palace Hotel | url=http://duodopalacehotel.com/ | email=info@duodopalacehotel.com | address=San Marco 1887 | lat= | long= | directions=In the historic centre | phone=+39 041 5203329 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2415940 | hours= | price=Doubles from €140 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Four-star luxury hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Al Codega | alt= | url=http://hotelalcodega.com/ | email= | address=Corte del Forno Vecchio, San Marco 4435 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413288 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2414621 | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €200-300 | content=In a picturesque little ‘cortile’ (courtyard), which is a short walk from Piazza San Marco. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Carlton Grand Canal | alt= | url=http://carltongrandcanal.com | email= | address=Fondamenta S.Pantalon, Santa Croce 578 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2752200 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2752250 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Room rates start from €120 (depending on the season) | lastedit= | content=The hotel overlooks the Grand Canal. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Dei Dragomanni | alt= | url=http://hoteldragomanni.com | email= | address=Calle del Dose da Ponte, San Marco 2711 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2771300 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041 2778984 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from €155 | content=4-star hotel in an ancient Venetian palazzo. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Giorgione | url=http://hotelgiorgione.com/ | email= | address=Calle Larga dei Proverbi, Cannaregio 4587 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5225810 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | hours= | price=Singles from €105, Doubles from €150 | checkin= | checkout= | content=In the centre, 10 minutes from Piazza San Marco, it was transformed into a hotel at the beginning of the 19th century and has been managed by the same family ever since. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Bauer | alt=Il Palazzo Venezia | url=http://www.bauervenezia.com/en/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email=info@bauervenezia.com | address=San Marco 1459 | lat=45.43295 | long=12.3335603 | directions=In the street from San Marco Square to Ponte dell'Accademia | phone=+39 041 5207022 | tollfree= | fax=+39 041-5239092 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double from €279 to €15,010 | lastedit=2017-03-21 | content=Five-star luxury hotel along the Grand Canal riverside with bars and restaurants }} * {{sleep | name=Corte di Gabriela | alt= | url=http://www.cortedigabriela.com/en/ | email=info@cortedigabriela.com | address=Calle Avvocati, 3836 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041-5235077 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room from 270€ per night | lastedit=2018-11-21 | content=Corte di Gabriela is a 4-star boutique hotel in Venice in an elegant nineteenth-century building, overlooking the canals of the San Marco district. It has a few suites, each different from the others. }} == Connect == As of Sept 2021, Venice has 4G from Iliad and TIM, and 5G from Vodafone and Wind Tre. The city has been steadily building out the municipal Wi-Fi network, which now covers almost the entire area around the Grand Canal and some of the larger squares in the center. You can buy guest access at approximately €5 per day at the same unified Venezia Unica site where the transport and museum passes are sold. However if you only need occasional access, it may not be worth buying this as you can get free wifi at most accommodations and at a lot of the museums in Venice. Venice has several internet cafes, but they are much more expensive than the rest of Europe with prices for an hour of access around €6. Wi-Fi is only available at some of them. There's a wonderful pub, Cafe Blue in Dorsoduro, which has free (password-protected) wi-fi. Buy a spritz and a panini and go to town. At the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Campo San Salvatore (San Marco) you can browse for free for one hour, once registered with your ID card. To use an Internet cafe, buy a mobile SIM card or get a contract for an Internet connection. Personal identification is needed by law in Italy. Internet cafes will not let you use computers without a passport or national ID card. Calle Delle Botteghe on San Marco 2970 Venezia is a pretty art gallery type internet cafe with a book shop. It is on the expensive side with €3 for 15 min but you can just go in and play chess with a glass of wine. == Stay safe == Venice is considered a safe city. You have to take the habitual travellers' precautions however. Keep your valuable items (like wallet and passport) close to you because there are pickpockets, especially in more crowded parts of the city. In case of need, you can dial free of charge on any phone '''112''' (no area code needed) to contact Carabinieri or '''113''' (no area code needed) to contact the Police. ==Stay healthy== Venice has begun to install septic tanks in buildings, but much of the city has not yet been upgraded and releases untreated sewage directly into the canals. Avoid bathing yourself, touching the water, immersing feet, etc. in the canals looking for refreshment in hot season. Also, at night there is a risk of falling into the water, as there are many alleys which end in the water but have little or no lighting. In the warmest months, these conditions can sometimes generate foul odors. Choose other times to visit if they might ruin what should be a highly enjoyable stay. Current regulations forbid certain behaviour, including bathing in the canals and walking around in a swimsuit or bare-chested. Violations are subject to fines up to €500. More information available on [https://www.comune.venezia.it/en/content/enjoyrespectvenezia #EnjoyRespectVenezia website]. You can reach the emergency medical service dialing free of charge on any phone '''118''' (no area code needed, conversation will be recorded) to have assistance and an ambulance sent to you. Chemists' shops (Italian: ''Farmacie'') are all around the town. They are open 24 hr a day, 7 days a week on a rotational basis: outside the shop there's always the list of operating ones with time-table, address and phone number. If you need a special drug you might be asked to book it in advance if it's not in common use. Note that the commercial name or brand of your prescription might differ from your country of origin, and make sure that the medication you want is available in the EU. == Respect == The city officials state that it is necessary to enforce rules that preserve the city's urban cleanliness and make sure visitors behave themselves. The following tips will come in handy: * '''Walk on the right side of the street'''; especially on narrower streets, you'll contribute to making your and other’s walk faster, safer, and tidier. Do it always, even if the street is empty. * '''Do not bathe, dive into, or swim in the canals'''; it is not only dangerous and unhealthy, but it is punishable by a fine of up to €350 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not sit down on the ground and eat'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not camp in public areas'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €200 and the police can restrict your movement in the area where the offence was committed. * '''Do not walk around bare-chested or in swimwear'''; it is punishable by a fine of up to €250. == Cope == === Orientation === The unfortunate side-effect of the small alleys which make Venice such a delight to visit is that it is remarkably easy to get lost. Even maps provided by hotels are frequently inaccurate, and the maze-like structure of the city can become very confusing. The tight cluster of little islands that comprise Venice is completely surrounded by the Lagoon, so it is not possible, no matter how lost you become, to leave Venice on foot. Sooner or later you will come upon a piazza that you can locate on your map. One tip: as you cross bridges, note the house numbers before and after. A small change probably means you are on the same island/district and have crossed a "new" canal. A major change means you are now on another island. Most maps clump islands together into their voting districts, there are many more islands than districts. One piece of assistance is to look for directional signs. These will be marked "Per" and then with the name of a prominent location or bridge in the city, complete with an arrow pointing in the relevant direction. Hence, to get to the Rialto bridge, the signs to follow are marked "Per Rialto". Those to St Mark's Square read "Per S Marco", and those to the train station "Per Ferrovia" (there are some others as well). Having oriented yourself to the nearest landmark, direction-finding can thus become (slightly) easier. Remember, though, that the signs to read are the ''official'' ones. Graffiti will occasionally give other directions, frequently incorrect ones. That said, some argue that getting lost in Venice is part of the experience of the city. The number of photogenic canals, hidden restaurants and shops where glass blowing is done almost guarantees that there is no such thing as a "dull neighbourhood". Additionally, the public transport means that it is relatively easy to arrive at the intended destination even after one has emerged from the web of alleys in a totally unexpected place. === Overcrowding === While Venice may not get more tourists than other famous [[Italy|Italian]] destinations as [[Rome]] and [[Florence]], the narrowness of streets and open areas may at times make Venice feel ''uncomfortably'' crowded during (but not only) the peak seasons, at the San Marco ''sestiere'', the surroundings of the Rialto bridge and the streets leading from Venezia Santa Lucia and Piazzale Roma to San Marco. Walking by itself can be difficult, let alone snapping a good photo, using a public lavatory, or sitting at a decent cafe or restaurant. To avoid the worst of the crowds, unless it is winter, try to visit the San Marco and Rialto bridge areas during early morning and late evening. During the late morning and afternoon, stay away as far as possible from this area, for instance walking around west Santa Croce, north Cannaregio, eastern Castello and Giudecca. Alternatively, take day trips to places outside central Venice such as [[Burano]], the [[Lido]], [[Padua]] or [[Vicenza]], or simply take the opportunity to refresh in your hotel. === Useful telephone numbers === * {{listing | name=Police (emergency call) | phone=113 }} * {{listing | name=Carabinieri (emergency call) | phone=112 }} * {{listing | name=First Aid (emergency call) | phone=118 }} * {{listing | name=Venice Hospital | phone=+39 041 5294111 }} * {{listing | name=Medical Service on Duty | phone=+39 041 5294060 }} * {{listing | name=Tourist Information | phone=+39 041 5298700 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service San Marco | phone=+39 041 5200685 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Rialto | phone=+39 041 5224904 }} * {{listing | name=Gondola Service Danieli | phone=+39 041 5222254 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Information | phone=+39 041 2609260 }} * {{listing | name=Airport San Marco Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 2609222 }} * {{listing | name=Railway information | phone=892021 (in country only) }} * {{listing | name=Railway Lost and Found Office | phone=+39 041 785531 }} === Consulates === Most of the consulates listed here are only honorary consulates, so can only offer limited consular services. If you need any serious help, try visiting [[Milan]], where larger consulates can sometimes be found; however, it will usually be easier to visit the Italian capital, [[Rome#Embassies|Rome]], where most countries' embassies are found. * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia| url=http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locations/missions/Pages/australian-consulate-in-venice-italy.aspx| email=mc@castelbrando.it | address=Via della Libertà, 12 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5093061 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria| url= | email=consolato.austria@zoppas.com | address=Santa Croce, 251 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5240556| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium| url= | email=piero.reis@sgpaa.lu | address=Dorsoduro, 3464 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5242944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic| url=http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/diplomatic_missions/czech_missions_abroad/italy_honorary_consulate_of_the_czech_2.html | email=venice@honorary.mzv.cz | address= Cannaregio, 3821| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2413984| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark| url= | email=covedk@hotmail.com | address=Santa Croce, 466/g | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 2413984 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland| url= http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=330512&contentlan=2&culture=en-US| email=finland.consulate.venice@gmail.com | address= Rio dei Scudi 2654/A| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 347 1245016| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France| url= | email=cfvenise@yahoo.fr | address= Castello, 6140| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5224319| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany| url= | email=venedig@hk-diplo.de | address= Santa Croce, 251| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5237675 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece| url= | email=grcon.ven@mfa.gr | address= Castello 4683/C| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5237260| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania| url= | email=info@consolatodilituania.venezia.it | address=Santa Croce, 764 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5241131 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg| url= | email=conslux@fastwebnet.it | address=Castello, 5312 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5222047| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malta}} {{listing | name=Malta| url= | email=maltaconsul.venice@gov.mt | address=Piazzale l.da Vinci, 8, Mestre | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 3969100| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico| url= | email=consuladodemexico.venecia@service.net | address=Santa Marta , Fabbricato, 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 2712642| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco| url= | email=consmonaco.venise@tin.it | address= San Polo. 747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223772| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands| url= | email=cons.paesibassi.ve@libero.it | address=San Marco, 2888 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5283416| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway| url= | email=consolato.norvegia.ve@longanesicattani.it | address= Santa Croce, 466/b| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5231345| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal| url= | email=perchidoni@yahoo.it | address= San Marco, 1747| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5223446| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia| url= | email= | address= San Marco, 4718/a| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 04 12418879| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain| url= | email= | address= San Polo, 2646| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5233254| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden| url= http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassies/Rome/Contact/Embassy--Consulates/#Venice| email=consolato.svezia.venezia@gmail.com | address= Sestiere Cannaregio 166| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5225489 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland| url= https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/italy/en/home/representations/honorary-consulates/consulate-venice.html| email=venezia@honrep.ch | address= Dorsoduro, 810| lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5225996| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey| url= | email=consolatoturchia@bassani.it | address=Santa Marta, Fabbricato 17 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+39 041 5230707 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States| url=https://it.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/milan/consular-agency-venice/ | email=USCitizensVenice@state.gov | address=Venice Marco Polo Airport, Via Galileo Galilei, 30 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +39 041 5415944| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} === Post offices === * Venezia Centro: San Marco. Sottoportico delle Acque 5016 * Venezia 1: Cannaregio, Lista di Spagna 233 * Venezia 3: San Polo, Campo San Polo 2012 * Venezia 4: San Marco, Calle Larga de l'Ascension 1241 * Venezia 5: Castello, Calle Barbaria delle Tole 6674 * Venezia 8: Giudecca, Fondamenta Sant'Eufemia * Venezia 9: Castello, Via Garibaldi 1641 * Venezia 10: Dorsoduro, Zattere Fondamenta al Ponte Longo 1507 * Venezia 11: Sant'Elena, Viale 4 Novembre 23/24 * Venezia 12: Santa Croce, Fondamenta Santa Chiara 411 * Venezia 13: Cannaregio, Calle dele Cooperative snc * Murano: Fondamenta Navagero 48 * Burano: Fondamenta Terranova 162 * Lido di Venezia: Via Doge Domenico Michiel 1 * Malamocco: Campo Chiesa 1 == Go next == [[Metropolitan Venice]] has many interesting destinations far from the Venetian crowds. Around the Venetian lagoon are other smaller islands, which have since been deserted but are worth a visit. There is also the Lido, which is a long narrow island with more modern buildings, hosting a youth hostel and a hotel. * [[Burano]] — Island famous for lace, textiles and colorfully painted houses. * [[Lido]] — The island of tranquility, a beach district 10 minutes by boat from San Marco, and where the Venice movie festival is held. * [[Mestre]] — Town in the mainland, but still a part of Venice. * [[Murano]] — Nearby island famous for its glassware. * [[San Lazzaro]] — Nearby island with Armenian monastery and impressive art collection, some world class pieces. * [[Torcello]] — Nearby island with a 7th-century basilica church and an archeological museum. * Riviera del Brenta &mdash; Palladian villas around Brenta River, 20 minutes from Venice by car, or you can get there via biking tours with a local bike hire shop. * [[Lake Garda]] — An easy day trip by train, it is Italy's largest lake and stunning in scenery. * [[Po Delta]] — Peaceful and scenic marshy area southwest of Venice with bike trails. * [[Eraclea]] — Typical for its pinewood and Laguna del Mort, 55 minutes from Venice by car or by boat. * [[Jesolo]] — Jesolo is one of the most important beaches in Italy, just 45 minutes from Venice by car or by boat (ferry from Treporti to Venice). * [[Padua]] (It. Padova) — 40&nbsp;km west of Venice, home to the Basilica of St. Anthony, the Scrovegni Chapel, and the oldest Botanical Gardens in the world, among others. * [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] — Lovely alpine town, site of 1956 Winter Olympic Games. Great mountain scenery, might be very expensive. A couple of hours of car ride to the north of Venice, more than 3 hours by train and bus. {{Related|Venice with children}} {{Related|Ferries_in_the_Mediterranean}} {{IsPartOf|Metropolitan Venice}} {{Geo|45.4386111|12.3266667|zoom=13}} {{Guidecity}} 8fya4cbutikz2iiyfcfpxwhwpw5ydtt 0 38060 4501861 4493804 2022-08-16T04:18:30Z 85.206.104.248 Made it is easier to spot the name in bold wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Vilnius banner.jpg|caption=Town hall square (Rotušės aikštė)|unesco=yes}} '''[http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/ Vilnius]''' is the capital and largest city of [[Lithuania]]. It lies on the bank of the Neris river and has approximately 592,000 inhabitants (2022). Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture in 2009. ==Understand== [[File:Vilnius view to TV tower.jpg|thumb|280px|View from Gediminas Tower to the TV tower in the west]] Inhabited since the Middle Ages, Vilnius has always been a multinational city with Polish, German, Jewish, Russian and Belarusian people making up a substantial share of its population. According to the last census of 2011, the population included 63.2% Lithuanians, 16.5% Poles, 12% Russians, 3.5% Belarusians, and 1.0% Ukrainians. During World War II, 80,000 Jews from Vilnius were murdered by the Nazis and their Lithuanian collaborators at the forest of Paneriai and other nearby places. After the war, most of the urban Polish population (about 65% of population) was resettled to [[Poland]], while during 1950–1970 they were replaced by people from parts of Lithuania, neighbouring parts of [[Belarus]], as well as [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]] and other Soviet republics. * {{listing | name=Vilnius Tourist Information | alt= | url=http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-20 | content=Has 3 offices in the old town and a kiosk in the airport where you can obtain maps and suggestions free of charge. }} ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Vilnius Airport main entrance.jpg|alt=|thumb|Entrance of the airport]] * {{listing | type=go | name=Vilnius International Airport | alt={{IATA|VNO}} | url=http://www.vilnius-airport.lt/en/ | email= | address=Rodunios kelias 10a | lat=54.636944 | long=25.287778 | directions=6 km south of the city center | phone=+370 5 273 9305 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vilnius Airport | image=Vilnius International Airport.jpg | wikidata=Q847711 | content=The largest civil airport in Lithuania. There are flights to most major airports in the northern half of Europe and a few destinations nearby former CIS countries and some regular and charter flights to Mediterranean destinations. Over half of the destinations are served by either budget or charter airlines. A list of airlines can be found [http://www.vno.lt/en/tips-for-passengers/airlines/ here]. }} :'''Getting there/away''' : '''By bus:''' The bus ride to the center takes 15 minutes and buses depart from the airport every 10–15 minutes. Tickets can no longer be purchased from the driver. A ''Vilniečio kortelė'' can be bought for €1.5 at the [http://narvesen.lt/ ''Narvesen''] kiosk next to the arrivals hall within the airport which provides the ability to buy time-based [http://www.vilniusticket.lt/lt/Bilietu_rusys/ tickets]. Also, the tourist-oriented [http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/what-to-see/vilnius-city-card/about/ ''Vilnius City Card''] can be bought at the[http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/vtic/contacts/vilnius-tourist-information-centres/ ''Vilnius Tourist Information Centre''] in the airport. Only one piece of hand luggage the size of a single seat is allowed. For larger luggage, an extra ticket should be bought from the driver (€1). :*[http://stops.lt/vilnius/#bus/1/b-a/2613/map/en '''Bus #1'''] goes from the airport (Lithuanian: ''Oro uostas'') to the central bus/train station (''"Stotis"''). :* [http://stops.lt/vilnius/#bus/2/b-a/2613/map/en '''Bus #2'''] goes from the airport to the bus/train station, passing the football stadium at ''Liepkalnis'' street. :* [http://stops.lt/vilnius/#bus/88/a-b/2613/map/en '''Bus #88'''] goes from the airport to the City Business Centre (''Konstitucijos'' avenue, ''Europa'' square), travelling through the Old Town first. :* [http://stops.lt/vilnius/#nightbus/88n/a-b/2613/map/en '''Night minibus #88N'''] goes half-hourly 23:30–05:30 same route. :* [http://stops.lt/vilnius/#expressbus/3g/b-a/2613/map/en '''Bus#3G'''] goes to the north through the centre (''Lukiškės'' square) and business centre (''Konstitucijos'' avenue), continuing on to the ''Fabijoniškės'' sleeping district in the north, near the beginning of the A2 highway towards [[Riga]] (within the city limits the highway is called ''Ukmergė'' street). The bus number's trailing letter "'''G'''" on a green background stands for "''Greitasis''" which means "Express bus". It stops at all relevant stops in the centre, while skipping some regular stops before and after the centre. : '''By train:''' [http://www.litrail.lt/en/ ''Lietuvos Geležinkeliai''] operates trains from the airport to the main train station for €0.80. Tickets are bought in the train from the conductor or online in advance. The train ride takes 8 minutes, but trains only depart [https://www.traukiniobilietas.lt/portal/routes-schedules 3 times in the morning and 4 times in the afternoon/evening]. For very large luggage (where the total sum of all three dimensions exceeds 200 cm) an additional ticket for €0.22 should be bought. : '''By taxi:''' It may be somewhat cheaper to book a taxi online before arrival or/ by phone once you have arrived rather than using the taxis waiting at the airport. Prices for trips within the city limits should be in the range of €5-30. * '''Uber''' and '''Bolt''' are available for pick-up and drop-off at the airport, the charge to/from the city centre is €6-10 (2022) * {{listing | type=go | name=Kaunas International Airport | alt=IATA|KUN | url=https://www.kaunas-airport.lt | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=100 km west of Vilnius and 14 km northeast of downtown Kaunas | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q847695 | lastedit=2019-05-20 | content=It has fewer flights: the main operator is Ryanair, flying to Alicante, Bologna, Bristol, Burgas, Copenhagen, Cologne, Dublin, Eilat, Girona, Luton, Stansted, Milan Malpensa, Naples, Nuremberg, Paphos, Rhodes, Rimini, Shannon and Tel Aviv. Wizz Air fly to Alesund, Bergen, Eindhoven, Luton, Stavanger and Turku. LOT fly to Warsaw. }} :'''Getting there/away:''' [https://www.ollex.lt/en/express/Kaunas-airport/buy-a-ticket# Ollex minibuses] run from Kaunas Airport direct to Vilnius railway & bus station after each arriving flight, taking 90 mins, fare €10. The pickup point in Vilnius to go out to Kaunas Airport is the Panorama Hotel. Otherwise, take Kaunas City bus 29 which plies once or twice an hour between the airport and Kaunas railway and bus station, both with at least hourly service to Vilnius. ===By train=== [[File:Vilnius railway station 2008.jpg|thumb|Vilnius railway station]] There are two trains between [[Białystok]] in '''Poland''' and [[Kaunas]] on Saturday & Sunday; Friday has just one eastbound train to Kaunas, Monday has one westbound train to Białystok. The schedule means you can leave [[Warsaw]] Centralna around 13:00, change at Białystok for the onward train at 15:40 to reach Kaunas by 21:30 (with a one hour time switch at the border, but no change of gauge or train); and there catch a train to Vilnius arriving 23:00. Westbound, you need to leave Vilnius not much after 06:00 to be on the 10:00 train from Kaunas to reach Białystok for 13:45 and change to reach Warsaw for 17:00. The other weekend train necessitates an overnight stay in Białystok. These trains do not enter Belarus. There are three fast trains a day between Vilnius and [[Minsk]] in '''Belarus''', taking under 3 hours, plus a couple of slow Russian trains taking over four hours. The [http://www.litrail.lt/en Lithuanian railway company] (''Lietuvos Geležinkeliai'') only lists its own trains on this route, check [http://eng.rzd.ru Russian Railways'] English website for the full selection, but note that this only shows direct trains and can't grasp the concept of connections. Those trains from '''Russia''' twice a day connect the exclave of [[Kaliningrad]] to Vilnius (6 hours) then continue to Minsk then fan out to Moscow, St Petersburg and beyond. There's even a direct train to [[Sochi]] and Adler on the Black Sea coast near the border with Georgia. Westerners on any of these routes need a Belarus transit visa as well as their Russian visa. From '''Latvia''', there is no direct train service from [[Riga]] (although this may change once the Rail Baltica project is completed), but there are two trains from [[Daugavpils]] every Saturday and Sunday, with the second train from Daugavpils departing late enough to allow travel from Riga to Vilnius in a single day. Trains shuttle between '''[[Kaunas]]''' and Vilnius hourly, daily 04:30-22:30, taking 1 hr 40 min. Adult fares are about €6. The trains are usually Czech double-deckers. There are five trains a day between Vilnius and '''[[Klaipeda]]''', taking four hours, adult fare about €18. * {{go | name=Vilnius railway station | alt= Vilniaus geležinkelio stotis | url= | email= | address=16 Geležinkelio str | lat=54.670278 | long=25.284444 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q453936 | lastedit=2020-12-27 | content=The station is just south of downtown, next to the bus terminal and a small shopping mall with cafes. }} ===By car=== Motorways serve Vilnius from [[Klaipeda]] via [[Kaunas]] and from [[Panevezys]]. The modern four-lane motorways and main roads are of a very high standard, however, in the winter smaller roads are not cleared. The speed-limit is 130 km/h on the motorways (110 km/h in winter), but 100 km/h on the Vilnius-Kaunas sector, 90 km/h outside towns and 50 km/h in built-up areas. ===By bus=== The bus station is across the street from the main train station. A schedule of all regional buses is posted near the ticket window. '''[http://www.eurolines.lt/en/ Eurolines]''', '''[http://www.ecolines.net/en/ Ecolines]''' and '''[http://luxexpress.eu/en Lux Express]''' operate services between Vilnius and [[Kaunas]], [[Kaliningrad]], [[Riga]], [[Tallinn]], [[Minsk]], [[St. Petersburg]], and [[Warsaw]], with further connections all over Europe. Buses to Warsaw cost about 30€, multiple lines have reduced pricing for students or young people if you book via their own site. Buses depart from Kaunas to Vilnius every 10-15 minutes and cost €6.50 to €7.00. You can find some schedules for regional buses and trains [http://www.118.lt/transporto-tvarkarasciai?actionId=4 here]. ==Get around== {{Mapframe|54.68165|25.28654|zoom=14}} ===On foot=== Although the Old Town is one of the largest in Europe, it can easily be explored on foot. ===By bus or trolleybus=== [https://www.stops.lt/vilnius/ Timetables], [http://www.vilniustransport.lt/images/mrweb_1.pdf maps] and [https://web.trafi.com/lt/vilnius route planner] are available in English. [http://www.vilniustransport.lt/en/ Vilnius Transport] operates buses and trolleybuses in Vilnius. A single ticket for either bus or trolleybus use costs €1, purchased from the driver (cash only). A ticket bought from the driver needs to be stamped by putting it into the tiny red machine near the driver's cabin and pulling the rear part towards you to punch the ticket. If you are planning to use public transportation more than a few times, buying a ''Vilniečio kortelė'' smart card may be a significantly cheaper option. A 24-hour ticket costs €3.48, 72-hour €6.08, 240-hour €11.87, and 30-day €28.96. The ticket must be validated on your first journey by swiping the smart card at the yellow electronic reader on the bus. Seniors older than 70 years are eligible for a 50% discount, while European Union students studying in EU universities are eligible for an 80% discount. An ISIC and/or ID card (or passport) must be provided when prepaying the smart card and in case of ticket control during the trip. For less frequent trips you can top-up your ''Vilniečio kortelė'' card with 30-min and 60-min (€0.64 and €0.93) tickets (students and seniors are eligible for a 50% discount). Validated tickets allow passengers to change buses during the trip. The ''Vilniečio kortelė'' smart card can be purchased from ''Lietuvos spauda'' or ''Narvesen'' kiosks, ''Maxima'' grocery stores, Lithuanian post offices, or at the Customer Service Center (Gedimino pr. 9A) for €1.5. You can prepay this card in these locations and in ''PayPost'' offices. Alternatively the tourist-oriented [http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/vtic/services/vilnius-city-card/about/ ''Vilnius City Card''] includes unlimited use of public transportation for its 72-hr pass (free public transportation are not included in the 24 and 48-hr passes). Beware that trolleybuses and other buses each have their own overlapping but unrelated numbering systems - e.g. trollybus route 3 and bus route 3 are completely different routes. There are several fast bus (not trolleybus) routes called ''Greitasis'' (Express) - buses on these routes stop only at major stops and connect important parts of the city (residential districts - centre - airport and such). They have the route number with a trailing letter "G" on a green background; the schedules and routes are marked in green. Routes and numbers of the regular buses are marked in blue, and those of the trolleybuses are marked in red. ===By taxi=== A regular cab may cost about €5-15 if you need to get from the periphery of the city to the centre, while the shortest trips will cost you ~€4. Somewhat higher priced and higher class taxi companies are [http://www.jazzexpress.lt/paslaugos.php ''Jazzexpress''], [http://www.smarttaxi.lt/ ''Smarttaxi''] {{dead link|December 2020}}, and municipality-owned [https://www.vilnius.lt/lit/Vsi_vilnius_veza_isigijo_30_nauju_automo/75091 ''Vilnius veža''] {{dead link|December 2020}}. Every car is relatively new and equipped with a card reader so you can pay for the trip using your debit or credit card. The easiest way to book a taxi is with the [https://etaksi.lt/ eTAKSI] app for smartphones, a service similar to Uber/Lyft. You can also use [https://bolt.eu/ Bolt] (formerly Taxify), [https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vilnius/ Uber] or [https://taxi.yandex.lt/en_lt/vilnius/tariff/econom/ Yandex.Taxi]. You can also order a taxi on the internet [http://www.etaksi.lt/en/book-taxi-online here]. Ordering a taxi by phone is also an option. Street taxis charge as much as twice the price of taxis called by phone or app. Good practice is to dial the number written on the vehicle you see, tell the dispatcher the address you're at, and you will most likely get the same vehicle for a lower price. All taxi cars must have a yellow license plate starting with the letter ''T'' with an additional 5 numbers and a 'Taxi' sign on the roof. A detailed price list alongside the driver's taxi-operator license must be placed on the panel right in front of the passenger seat next to the driver. When paying for the taxi service it is expected to leave a €0.50-1 tip for the driver. ===By car=== Travelling by car is not advised during rush hours (07:00-09:00 and 16:00-18:30) to and from the city center due to traffic jams. [https://www.parking.lt/uploads/docs/Rinkliavos_zonos_nuo_20130701_LtEur.jpg Parking fees] can vary from €0.30/hr to €2.50/hr in the old town. ====Car rental==== There are several well known foreign car rental companies and several domestic companies in Vilnius. It is advised to book online from an English language website such as [http://www.carent.lt/en Car Rental] or [http://www.neorent.lt/en Neo Rent]. Cheaper options available are: [http://www.jarrautoservisas.lt/car-rent/cars-for-rent JARR autoservisas] {{dead link|December 2020}}, [http://www.drive.lt/automobiliu-nuoma/ Drive.lt]. [http://www.citybee.lt/ City-Bee] operates a car sharing network where you can rent a car by the hour. There is no contract or monthly fee, you pay for the service only when you use the car, and there are no parking expenses when you are not using it. There are 13 pick-up points throughout the city, mostly in the centre and some relevant points in northern districts. ===By bicycle=== In the city centre you often find bike lanes; however, that doesn't mean they are well respected. The only "real" bicycle path leads along the River Neris north to Verkiai Nature park and the "Green lakes". * Daytrip: If you go north to the "Green lakes" and have a decent map you can ride up to the [http://www.europosparkas.lt/index-lt.htm ''"Europos parkas"''] outdoor exhibition of contemporary art, then carry on to the [https://www.facebook.com/TheGeographicalCenterOfEurope Geographical center of Europe]. ====Bicycle trails==== Five reasonable bicycle routes within the city limits and Green Lakes area are presented in the bilingual leaflet [http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Dvir_takai.pdf ''Bicycle Routes in the City of Vilnius'']. Development of bicycle path connections and improvement of the existing network is scheduled to be completed in 2020. New paths to the most remote districts and recreation areas, and densification of the network in the centre is scheduled to be completed around 2027. So far development is fragmentary and carried out in relevant spots "step by step". ====Bicycle rental==== * {{listing | name=Cyclocity Vilnius | url=http://en.cyclocity.lt/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Seasonal subscription: €19.90, 30-day subscription: €3.90, 3-day ticket: €2.90. Service: 1st 30 minutes: free, second 30 minutes: €0.39, 3rd 30 minutes: €1.39, fourth 30 minutes and over: €3.39 | content=A self-service bike rental system that features 36 stations in central locations operating annually during May-September. Every station has at least 9 bike stands. The stations require a Cyclocity Vilnius Card (obtained at Tourist Information Centers), Vilnius Citizen Card (the Vilniečio kortelė - public transport card), or a 3-day ticket card. }} * {{listing | name=Velo-City Vilnius | url=http://www.velovilnius.lt | email=info@velovilnius.lt | address=Pylimo g. 31 | lat=54.67692 | long=25.28020 | directions= | phone=+370 674 12123 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily from 10:00 to 20:00 (April to September)| price=Bike rental €4; first hour, each following: €1, day: €9 | content=Bike rentals, including helmets, locks and lights. Daily bike tour at 11:00 (except Sundays). }} * {{listing | name=Velotakas | url=http://www.velotakas.lt | email= | address=Gedimino av. 26 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 618 45727 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€13/day | content= Free delivery of a bicycle to all hotels in Vilnius city, free helmets and locks. No deposit needed. }} ==See== [[Image:trys kryziai.jpg|thumb|Three Crosses]] [[File:Vilnius Cathedral Exterior 2, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg|thumb|Vilnius Cathedral]] [[Image:VilniusOldhouseWT.jpg|thumb|Old house on Pilies]] [[Image:Vilnius Business center.jpg|thumb|Business center at night]] [[Image:Sunny cemetery in Vilnius1.JPG|thumb|Cemetery of the Sun]] ===Old town=== It is a district which has developed during Middle Ages as a city surrounded by a defensive wall. The urban structure reflects the development from ca. 14th century, the architecture of the buildings is mostly from late Renaissance to Classicism periods. There are 4 rather distinct areas of the Old Town: Castle complex with an old hill fort, Cathedral and newly reconstructed Ducal Palace, these all buildings and a Cathedral square form the very centre of the city; old Town Hall with its vicinity form the centre of the Old Town; ''"Užupis"'', a "subdistrict" separated by the Vilnia River (it reflects in its name, literally a "Place on the Other Side of the River"); and the north-west area featured by Vilnius Street, largely damaged during the World War II. The most attractive part, historically known as a block of artisan guilds, in the beginning of World War II was turned into two Jewish ghettos, commonly known as Vilnius Ghetto. It operated until 24 Sept 1943. In 1994, the Old Town was added to the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. * {{see | name=Gediminas Castle | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.68684 | long=25.29149 | directions=Climb up to it from the Cathedral Square or take the funicular on the other side of the hill, facing the river | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gediminas' Tower | wikidata=Q1497616 | content=The red-brick tower is restored from the Higher Castle erected in the 13th–14th centuries by Dukes of Lithuania. The top of the towers offer the best view of Vilnius. }} ** {{see | name=Upper Castle Museum | url=http://www.lnm.lt/en/exposition-locations/gediminas-castle-tower {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=pilis@lnm.lt | address= |lat=54.68678 | long=25.29067 | directions= | phone=+370 5-2617453 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Adult €2, child €1 | content= }} * {{see | name=Three Crosses Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.6867 | long=25.2975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Three Crosses | image=Three-Crosses-1.jpg | wikidata=Q83238 | content=A monument to seven Franciscan friars that were tortured here by pagans before the conversion of Lithuania to Christianity. Also symbolizes the importance of Christianity to Lithuania. During night time it offers a great view. }} * {{see | name=Vilnius Cathedral | alt= | url=http://www.katedra.lt/ | email= | address=Cathedral Square | lat=54.685889 | long=25.287878 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=7:00-19:30 | price= | wikipedia=Vilnius Cathedral | image=Vilnius - Cathedral 01.jpg | wikidata=Q1281237 | content=The first cathedral was built here in 1251. In 1387 a [[Gothic]]-style cathedral was built. Now it is a classical style cathedral build by the project of Laurynas Gucevicius. The most beautiful part of the Cathedral, the baroque chapel of St. Casimir, was built in 1623–1636. The crypt shows a cross section of Vilnius through the ages, well worth seeing. You can also take a tour through the catacombs under the cathedral. 57-m high belfry. Outside the Cathedral, in the square, look for a particular tile on which there is written a word "Stebuklas" (means "miracle" in Lithuanian). Stand on it, make a wish and turn around three times. Your wish should come true! This tile also marks the end of the Vilnius-Tallinn human chain in the 1989 protest of the Soviet Union. }} *{{see | name=Vilnius University | url=http://www.mb.vu.lt/en/about-library/guided-tour {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=mb@mb.vu.lt | address=Universiteto street.3 | lat=54.682616 | long=25.287183 | directions= | phone=+370 5 268 7103 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-15:00 | price=Adult €5.00, student €1.20 | content= Vilnius University is famous for its library, 13 courtyards of various sizes, astronomical observatory, and the Church of St. John. Guided tour available in Lithuanian, English, Russian and Polish. }} * {{see | name=Literatu Gatve (Street) | url=http://www.literatugatve.lt/ | email= | address=Literatu str. | lat=54.68221 | long=25.29002 | directions=starts near the home No 32 Pilies St | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=24/7 | price= | content=Small artworks, dedications mounted on the walls. Dedications to the literature workers: writers, translators, everyone who has link with Lithuania and is important for Lithuanian or world literature. Artworks crafted in various outdoor-proof techniques: ceramics, sculpture, glass, wallpainting. }} * {{see | name=St. Ann's Church | alt= | url=http://www.onosbaznycia.lt/index.php {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=54.683056 | long=25.293333 | directions=near Uzupis District | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Church of St. Anne, Vilnius | image=Vilnius.Sv.Onos baznycia.Saint Ann's church2.jpg | wikidata=Q937290 | content=One of the most beautiful churches in Vilnius and in Lithuania. Very small in size, but a very beautiful example of Gothic architecture. There is a legend that when during his conquests Napoleon came to Vilnius and saw this church he said he would like to take it on his palm and bring to France. }} ===Užupis District=== Užupis District used to be a largely unrestored area primarily occupied by artists, dreamers, squatters, and drunks; however, the neighborhood is developing with a wealth of small shops and cafes. In 1998, the residents unofficially declared the area to be an independent republic, with its own president, anthem, flag, and constitution. Great to visit on April Fool's day, when mock border guards stamp passports and the entire area erupts into a party. * {{see | name=Angel of Uzupis Statue | url= | email= | address=Uzupio & Malunu gatve |lat=54.68062 | long=25.29516 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Statue of an angel blowing a trumpet. }} ===Churches=== * {{see | name=St. Peter's and Paul's Church | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.694 | long=25.306 | directions=trolley #2 or #20 from the bus/train station | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Vilnius | image=Lithuania Vilnius St.Peter+St.Paul church.jpg | wikidata=Q1283798 | content=Another shockingly beautiful church. Not so special from the outside, but extremely beautiful inside, with all the interior overcrowded with baroque sculptural works. }} * {{see | name=Artillery Bastion of Vilnius Defensive Wall | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= Closed for reconstruction. }} *{{see | name=Belfry of Saint John Church | url= | email= | address=Sv.Jono street.12 | lat=54.68256 | long=25.28859 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= From the top of baroque style belfry, which is the tallest building in the old town, you can see an amazing panorama of the city. }} ===Museums=== * {{see | name=Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights| alt=formerly Museum of Genocide Victims, KGB Museum| url=http://genocid.lt/muziejus | email=muziejus@genocid.lt | address=Aukų g. 2A, LT-01113 | lat=54.687878 | long=25.270592 | directions= | phone=+370 5 249 8156 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 10:00-17:00 | price=Admission €2; 50% discount for pupils, students and seniors. English-speaking guide €15 | wikipedia=Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights| wikidata=Q323860 | lastedit=2015-04-11 | content=Occupies the former KGB headquarters. The bottom bricks of the buildings have the names of those who were believed to be executed inside the building. Visit the former prisoner cells. In 2011, after international criticism, the museum added one room, in a small KGB interrogation cell in the basement, devoted to the genocidal campaign against the Lithuanian Jews during the Nazi occupation. }} * {{see | name=National Museum of Lithuania | alt= | url=http://www.lnm.lt | email= | address=Arsenalo Str. 1 | lat=54.687222 | long=25.289167 | directions= | phone=+370 5-2629426 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00 | price=Adult €2; child €1 | wikipedia=National Museum of Lithuania | image=Vilnius - New Arsenal 01.jpg | wikidata=Q1790447 | content=Biggest and oldest source of national cultural heritage in the country, which systematically collects, stores, displays, and popularises the history of the state. }} * {{see | name=Contemporary Art Center | alt= | url=http://www.cac.lt | email= | address=Vokieciu str. 2 | lat=54.67823 | long=25.28556 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Contemporary Art Centre (Vilnius) | image=Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius1.JPG | wikidata=Q20504412 | content=There are always many extremely interesting modern art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Old Arsenal Building | url=http://www.lnm.lt/en/exposition-locations/old-arsenal.html {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Arsenalo Str. 3 |lat=54.68817 | long=25.29165 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{see | name=Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania | alt=Grand Dukes’ Palace | url=http://www.valdovurumai.lt/en/ | email=info@valdovurumai.lt | address=Katedros a. 4, LT-01143 | lat=54.685851 | long=25.288963 | directions= | phone=+370 5 212 7476 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu–F 11:00–18:00; Sa Su and before national holidays 11:00-16:00. Closed on Mondays and national holidays. Last visitors admitted one hour before museum closing. | price=Adults €2.90; students, seniors €1.45 | wikipedia=Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania | image=Zamek Dolny w Wilnie.jpg | wikidata=Q1284847 | lastedit=2015-04-11 | content=In the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania there are two exhibition tour routes directly related to the historical functions of this residence. The first tour will show the historical and architectural development of the palace by highlighting the ancient ruins still in place, excavated artifacts and by using models and iconographic materials. The second tour route will bring the visitors into the ceremonial halls, which have been reconstructed in such a way as to show the evolution of architectural styles – from the late Gothic to the Renaissance to the early Baroque. }} * {{see | name=Money Museum | alt= | url=http://www.pinigumuziejus.lt/en/ | email= | address=Totoriu g. 2 / 8 | lat=54.68655 | long=25.282551 | directions= | phone=+370 5 268 0334 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=November 1 to March 31: Tu–F 9:00–18:00; Sa 10:00-17:00. April 1 to October 31: Tu–F 10:00–19:00; Sa 11:00-18:00 Closed on Sundays and Mondays | price=Free | lastedit=2018-11-05 | content=Collection of coins and bills around the world. Located at the site of Bank of Lithuania. }} * {{See|name=MO Museum|alt=MO muziejus|url=https://mo.lt/|address=Pylimo g. 17 |lat=54.679551327256824|long=25.277427115452646|hours=Daily 10:00-20:00; Tuesday closed|price=€9 (discounted €4.5)|lastedit=2022-02-07|content=Museum with modern contemporary art and changing exhibitions.}} ===Monuments & statues=== * {{see | name=Frank Zappa Statue | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934313/zappa_lives_on_in_lithuania | email= | address=Kalinausko str. 1 | lat=54.68312 | long=25.27594 | directions=west of Old Town | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Free | content=The first statue in the world for honoring this great musician. Erected in 1995 by the local Frank Zappa fan club. A replica of the statue has been erected in [[Baltimore]]. }} * {{marker|type=see|name="Beresnäki"/Paliepiukai|lat=54.634444|long= 25.429167| image=Paliepiukai. Struvės punktas 1.JPG|url=https://exploretrakaivilnius.lt/en/manors-and-parks/struve-geodesic-arch-points-in-meskonys-and-paliepiukai}} - One of the points of the [[world heritage listed]] [[Struve Geodetic Arc]]. This marker sits in the middle of a field just outside Vilnius. This point is fairly simple, an information sign and a bench, but on the upside you can get right next to it by car. ===Parks & cemeteries=== There is an interesting Jewish cemetery in Šeškinė that includes the grave of Vilna Gaon, a very important rabbi. By the entrance to Vingis park is a war cemetery with Russian, German, Hungarian, Polish and Turkish soldiers from both wars. Oldest cemeteries are ''Rasų'' and ''Bernardinų''. Also ''Saulės kapinės'' (Cemetery of the Sun) in Antakalnis district. ==Do== Throughout the year, there are a variety of cultural, music, cinema, theatre, art, and fashion festivals taking place. [[File:St. Peter and St. Paul's Church 2, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg|thumb|Interior of St. Peter and St. Paul's Church]] ===Spectator sports=== * {{do | name=Lietuvos Rytas Basketball Games | url=http://bc.lrytas.lt/ | email= | address=Ozo str 14 | lat=54.715984 | long=25.278927 | directions=East of Šeškinė district, | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The city's main team is named after one of its sponsors, ''Lietuvos Rytas'' newspaper. It uses Siemens Arena for its home games in European competition, as well as high-demand domestic games, most notably the national derby against Žalgiris of [[Kaunas]]. Other games are held at the adjacent Lietuvos Rytas Basketball Arena. }} * '''Football:''' Vilnius has two teams playing soccer in A Lyga, the country's top tier: [https://fkzalgiris.lt/ FK Žalgiris] and [http://fkriteriai.lt/ FK Riteriai], who relocated from Trakai in 2019. The playing season is March-Nov. ===Music and theater=== * {{do | name=Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre | url=http://www.opera.lt/ | email= | address=A. Vienuolio str 1 | lat=54.6893 | long=25.2784 | directions=Centre, near the Green Bridge (Žaliasis tiltas) | phone=+370 5 262 07 27 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€3-35 | content=Beautiful ornate building. Three or four weekly performances. }} * {{do | name=Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre (OKT) | url=http://www.okt.lt/ | email= | address=Ašmenos str 8 |lat=54.67789 | long=25.28394 | directions=Old Town | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the most original modern theatres in Europe }} * {{do | name=Lithuanian Russian Drama Theatre | url=http://www.rusudrama.lt/ | email= | address=Jono Basanavičiaus str 13 | lat=54.680842 | long=25.273377 | directions=Very close to Old Town | phone=+370 5 262 05 52 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= €5-15 | content=Performances mostly done in Russian language. }} ===Adventure activities=== * {{do | name=Super Segway | url=http://supersegway.lt/ | email= | address=Vilniaus str. 45 | lat=54.68094 | long=25.28148 | directions= | phone=+370 526 20215 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€20 per hour | content=Take a cheap, guided, segway tour around the main attractions of the city. The price is low because of insurance related issues. }} * {{do | name=Go Karts | url=http://www.promosportas.lt/en/fun2go/kartodromas-fun2go-track/ | email= | address=Plytinės Street 27 | lat=54.72745 | long=25.34613 | directions= | phone=+370 699 56704 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=~€10 per 10 minutes | content=Try go karts in one of two tracks: open track at the outskirts of Vilnius or inside track with battery powered karts in Panorama Mall. }} * {{do | name=Hot air balloon Vilnius tour | alt=Hot air balloon Vilnius tour | url=https://hotairballoon.lt/en/ | email=info@hotairballoon.lt | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 690 55500 | tollfree= | hours= | price=from 120 € per person | image=https://mlalrtyopc5c.i.optimole.com/AMQEVjo-A-SQwFth/w:768/h:527/q:75/f:avif/https://hotairballoon.lt/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/vilnius.jpg | content=One of the favorite tourist activities in Lithuania. It's an interesting way of sightseeing. }} ==Learn== * {{listing | name=Vilnius University | alt= | url=http://www.vu.lt/ | email= | address= | lat=54.6825 | long=25.287222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vilnius University | image=VU centrinis iejimas.bibliotekos kiemo pietu puse 2006-08-09.jpg | wikidata=Q658192 | content=Founded in 1579 by King of Poland Stefan Batory, it is one of the oldest universities in [[Europe|Eastern Europe]]. }} * {{listing | name=Vilnius Academy of Arts | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Mykolas Romeris University | alt= | url=http://www.mruni.eu/ | email= | address= | lat=54.734694 | long=25.254222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mykolas Romeris University | image=Mykolas Romeris University.jpg | wikidata=Q1247342 | content= }} * {{listing | name=ISM University of Management and Economics | alt= | url=http://www.ism.lt/ | email=ism@ism.lt | address=Arklių St 18 | lat=54.675278 | long=25.2875 | directions= | phone=+370 5 212 3960 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 212 3961 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=ISM University of Management and Economics | image=ISM University Vilnius.jpg | wikidata=Q1626754 | content=hrd }} * {{listing | name=Vilnius Cooperative College | url=http://www.vkk.lt/en | email= | address=Konstitucijos pr. 11 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Has probably the best location of all the educational institutes in Vilnius as it is in the business center on the northern bank of the river Neris. The college has also very cheap accommodation building 20 m from the college (including guests rooms for visitors) and a good canteen (lunch for less than €3. Open for the public also. Discount for students). }} * [http://www.lingualit.lt/ '''Lingua Lituanica'''] is a language school in the center of Old Town and teaches small group classes and private sessions. Great atmosphere and value. ==Work== The average wage is around €1,590 a month (before taxes). ==Buy== [[Image:VilniusMarketWT.jpg|thumb|Small market in old town opening]] ATMs are very common in Vilnius and most shops accept major credit cards. Vilnius is famous for its '''amber''', '''wool ware''' and '''flax ware'''. Most of these goods can be found in booths and road side stalls along the Pilies st. Also it might be worth visiting smaller souvenir shops like following: *{{buy | name=Ragainė | url=https://www.facebook.com/pg/dangausragaine | adress=Skapo str. 3 | email=info@ragaine.lt | phone=+370 6 271 9210 | content=Baltic crafts and music. | hours=12:00-19:00}} *{{buy | name=LTaste | url=http://www.ltaste.lt/en | adress=Katedros sq. 4 | email=ltaste@ltaste.lt | phone=+370 5 219 0763 | content=Books, collections of food and other kinds of artisan works. | hours=10:00-18:00}} Upscale retailers present in Vilnius include Hugo Boss, Armani, Escada, Dolce & Gabbana, John Richmond, Zara, United Colors of Benetton, H&M and Mango. There are also some young local designer butiques in Stiklių street. Chains of grocery stores and large supermarkets are: [http://www.maxima.lt/apie-imone/parduotuviu-tinklas/ Maxima], [http://www.rimi.lt/parduotuves Rimi], [https://www.barbora.lt Barbora], [http://www.iki.lt/en.php/stores Iki], [http://www.aibe.lt/lt/parduotuves Aibė] and [http://www.norfa.lt/en/stores/ Norfa]. It is even possible to order healthy food products from farmers from all over Lithuania at [https://www.pilnaspuodas.lt '''Pilnas puodas''']. Food products will be delivered to desired adress or to the shop near you. Products are being delived to the major Lithuanian cities like: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Marijampolė and some others. * {{buy | name=Kavos Draugas | alt= | url=https://www.kavosdraugas.lt/ | email=eparduotuve@kavosdraugas.lt | address=Upės g. 9, prekybos centras „VCUP“, III a. | lat=54.7113958 | long=25.2957626 | directions= | phone=+370 699 44844 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=I-VII 10:00 - 22:00 | price=€ | image= | lastedit=2018-09-03 | content=categorized coffee, coffee beans coffee machines, and all accessories for barista shop. }} ===Shopping malls=== *{{buy | name=Akropolis | url=http://akropolis.lt/en/vilnius/ | email=info.vilnius@akropolis.lt | address=Ozo str. 25 | lat=54.71044 | long=25.26306 | directions=Šeškinė district | phone=+370 5 249 2879 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | content=One of the first and still one of the largest shopping centers built after the independence in Lithuania. Has multi-hall cinema center [http://www.forumcinemas.lt/ ''Forum Cinemas''] and ice arena. }} *{{buy | name=Banginis | alt= | url=http://www.banginis.lt/ | email= | address=P. Lukšio St 34 | lat=54.70943 | long=25.300612 | directions=Žirmūnai district, Northern Town (''Šiaurės miestelis'') subdistrict | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=08:00-20:30 | price= | content=The shopping mall name means "Whale". Has the one of the largest stores of the construction, exterior and interior decoration materials, tourism equipment and electronics [http://www.senukai.lt/ Senukai]. There are several other stores that can't be found in the centre, restaurant-tavern of Lithuanian cuisine [http://www.katpedele.lt "Katpėdėlė"], Wine Room ''"Vynoteka"'' (has several ''Vynoteka's'' in Vilnius and other cities) and a grocery store [http://www.iki.lt "Iki"]. }} *{{buy | name=Centro pasažas | address=Gedimino av 16 | directions=Edge of the Old town in front of Kudirka sq. | lat=54.687001 | long=25.279761 | url=http://www.centropasazas.lt/ }} *{{buy | name=Europa | address=Konstitucijos av. 7A | directions=City business centre on a northern bank of Neris river | lat=54.69628 | long=25.276753 | phone=+370 616 95680 | email=info@pceuropa.lt | url=http://www.pceuropa.lt/ | hours=07:00-24:00, some stores have different working hours | content=The name refers to the opening date of 2004 when Lithuania joined EU, the square and all surrounding complex of buildings including the [http://www.europa.lt/ business centre tower] was named after Europe to commemorate this event. }} *{{buy | name=GO9 | address=Gedimino av. 9 | directions=Old town | lat=54.687092 | long=25.28152 | phone=+370 659 94 639 | email=info@go9.lt | url=http://www.go9.lt/ | content=Shopping mall in the heart of Vilnius, home of biggest H&M store in Lithuania. }} *{{buy | name=Helios Centras | address=Didžioji g. 28 | directions=Old town, next to the town hall | lat=54.67928 | long=25.25801 | url=http://www.helios.lt/index.php/musu_objektai/helios_centras_vilnius/21/ }} *{{buy | name=Ozas | url=http://ozas.lt/en | email=info@ozas.lt | address=Ozo str 18 | lat=54.71440 | long=25.27355 | directions=Šeškinė district, next to the [http://www.vandensparkas.lt/en aqua park ''Vichy''] and the biggest sporting and concerts venue in Vilnius [http://siemensarena.lt/en ''Siemens arena'']] | phone=+370 5 210 0150 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 210 0151 | hours=10:00-22:00 | price= | content=One of the biggest shopping malls in Vilnius, variety of different stores and services, including multi-hall cinema center [http://multikino.lt/lt/dabar/ ''Multikino''] {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} and game park for kids [http://www.xplanet.lt ''X-Planet''] {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}}. }} *{{buy | name=Panorama | url=http://panorama.lt/en | email=info@panorama.lt | address=Saltoniškių str 9 |lat=54.699948 | long=25.257575 | directions=Saltoniškės district, west of city business center | phone=+370 5 219 58 11 | hours=10:00-22:00 | content=Panoramic view from the restaurant on the 3rd floor }} *{{buy | name=Parkas Outlet | alt= | url=http://www.parkasoutlet.lt | email=info@parkasoutlet.lt | address=Verkiai St 29 | lat=54.714558 | long=25.297809 | directions=Žirmūnai district, Ogmios Town | phone=+370 655 01137 | tollfree=8 800 29292 (in country only) | fax= | hours=M-Sa 10:00-20:00, Su 10:00-18:00 | price= | content=Shopping mall for discount stores. }} *{{buy | name=VCUP | address=Konstitucijos av 16 | directions=City business centre, by Neris river near the White Bridge | phone=+370 5 273 1515 | url=http://www.vcup.lt/ | hours=Stores 10:00-22:00, restaurants 10:00-24:00 | lat=54.693856 | long=25.276329 | content=Second oldest of such kind of shopping centres in Vilnius, operates since 1974. }} ==Eat== In addition to the restaurants listed below, almost all of the bars in Vilnius serve reasonably priced good quality food. ===Budget=== Maxima, the largest Lithuanian supermarket chain, sells prepared food. ====In the Old Town==== * {{eat | name=Vyno rūselis, kavinė, IĮ Donatana | alt= | url= | email= | address=Labdarių g. 2 | lat=54.6850029 | long=25.2802592 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} * {{eat | name=Kamikadzė Japonų virtuvė | alt= | url= | email= | address=Klaipėdos g. 1 | lat=54.6818365 | long=25.2782593 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=A Japanese restaurant}} * {{eat | name=Hesburger | alt= | url= | email= | address=Vokiečių g. 12 | lat=54.6789016 | long= 25.2840713 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=A fast food chain}} * {{eat | name=Plus Plus Plus | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gedimino pr. 9 | lat=54.6868499 | long=25.2819778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} * {{eat | name=Plus Plus Plus Gastrobaras | alt= | url= | email= | address=Vilniaus g. 39 | lat=54.6822897 | long=25.2798216 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} * {{eat | name=Dėvėti | alt= | url= | email= | address=Lithuania, Sodų g. 3 | lat=54.6739256 | long=25.2844360 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-01 | content=}} ====Near the Old Town==== * {{eat | name=Jammi | url=https://jammi.lt/ | email= | address=Tauro g. 3 | lat=54.6841672 | long=25.2732811 | directions=Several spots across the all city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€2-3 | content=Chain of kebab shops that offers very good value. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Čili Pica | url=http://www.cili.lt/ | email= | address=Didžioji g. 5, Gedmino 23 and 8 other locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Medium pizza (30 cm): €5-9 | content=Chain of restaurants offering pizza, pasta, salads. If you are after a good pica - this is a place to avoid. Better try one of upscale Italian restaurant offering pizzas at the same price. }} * {{eat | name=RadhaRane | url=http://www.radharane.lt/html_en/index_en.html {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Gedimino prospektas 32 |lat=54.68792 | long=25.27419 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€2-4 | content= Especially for vegetarians. Menu has Indian curries, fragrant rice and bread. Also for a smaller bite, they have baked samosas. }} * {{eat | name=Wok to Walk | url=http://woktowalk.com/lt/location/restaurant-in-vilnus/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Vilniaus str. 19 | lat=54.68596 | long=25.27939| directions= | phone=+370 655 91919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€3-5 | content=Wok to Walk franchise in Vilnius, Asian takeout. }} [[Image:Vilnius01.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Rotušės square]] * {{eat | name=Amatininkų užeiga | url=http://www.amatininkai.lt/ | email= | address=Didžioji 19/2 | lat=54.67930 | long=25.28712 | directions=Town Hall square (Rotušės aikštė) | phone=+37052617968 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=until 05:00| price= | content=Lithuanian and international food. }} * {{eat | name=Balti Drambliai (White Elephants) | url=http://www.baltidrambliai.lt | email= | address=Vilniaus str. 41 | lat=54.68167 | long=25.28017 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cozy vegetarian-vegan cafe, world/reggae music, live concerts in the evenings. }} * {{eat | name=Cozy | url=http://www.cozy.lt/ | email= | address=Dominikonų str. 10 |lat=54.68129 | long=25.28511 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Suave but laid-back restaurant upstairs, DJ-bar downstairs, serves hearty modern food with a few vegetarian options. }} * {{eat | name=Fortas (Fort) | url=http://www.fortas.eu/?lang=eng {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=Algirdo g. 17 (they have several restaurants all over Vilnius, including in “Ozas” and “Panorama” shopping malls) | lat=54.67862 | long=25.27044 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Main courses: €5-10 | content=Pub-style food. }} * {{eat | name=Mano Guru (My Guru) | url=http://www.manoguru.lt/ | email= | address=Vilniaus g. 22 | lat=54.6847879 | long=25.2795888 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€15 | content=All of the staff are former drug addicts. Fresh food. No alcohol. Food is mostly vegetarian. }} * {{eat | name=Marceliukės klėtis | url=http://www.marceliukeskletis.lt/ | email= | address=Tuskulėnų g. 35 |lat=54.70269 | long=25.29151 | directions=Southwestern end of Žirmūnai district | phone=+370 5 2725087 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Sa 11:00–midnight, Su M 11:00–23:00 | price=€15 | content=Hearty portions of traditional Lithuanian food. }} *{{eat | name=Vapiano | url= | email= | address=Konstitucijos pr. 7A | lat=54.69630 | long=25.27620 | directions=Europa Shopping Center | phone=+37052383489 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Italian style, fast casual restaurant. Tasty salads, à la carte pastas and pizzas are made in front of the guest. }} * {{eat | name=Zoe's Bar & Grill | url=http://www.zoesbargrill.com/ | email= | address=Odminių str. 3 | lat=54.68541 | long=25.28465 | directions= | phone=+370 5 212 3331 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25 | content=Great Thai food, salads, soups, and cocktails. }} * {{eat | name=Joanos Carinovos smuklė | alt= | url= | email= | address=Belmonto g. | lat= 54.6842547 | long=25.3573468 | directions=Located in Belmontas, reachable by car or a good destination for a bike tour (5 km from the center) | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€ 15–20 | lastedit=2017-08-26 | content=Traditional cuisine; their smoked beer is worth trying. }} ===Splurge=== *{{eat | name=Balzac | url=http://www.balzac.lt/ | email= | address=Saviciaus 7 | lat=54.67916 | long=25.28919 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11:30-23:00, F Sa 12:00-23:00, Su 12:00-21:00 | price=€15 | content=Traditional French cuisine, magnificently executed, great atmosphere. }} *{{eat | name=Belmontas Outdoor Cafe | url=http://www.belmontas.lt/en {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Belmonto str. 17 | lat=54.68457 | long=25.35751 | directions=Belmontas suburb within Pavilniai Regional Park, east of both Old Town and centre. | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€25 | content=A recreation area with folk-themed eateries near an old French mill and beautiful waterfall. Beautiful setting suitable for various events. A 15-minute drive from the center of Vilnius, or a 5-km bike tour. }} *{{eat | name=Bistro 18 | url=http://www.bistro18.lt/ | email= | address=Stiklių str. 18 | lat=54.68081 | long=25.28528 | directions=Old Town | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Main courses: €7-13 | content=Small restaurant and wine bar with good selection of cuisine. }} *{{eat | name=Čagino (Chagin's) | url=http://www.cagin.lt | email= | address=Basanavičiaus str. 11 | lat=54.68037 | long=25.27480 | directions=New Town district | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Main courses: €7-13 | content=Named after the famous Russian architect Nikolai Chagin. Live Russian music played on a guitar. }} *{{eat | name=Da Antonio | url=http://www.antonio.lt/ | email= | address=Vilnius str. 23 | lat=54.68563 | long=25.27932| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€20 | content=Excellent Italian food, more upscale than Čili Pica. }} *{{eat | name=El Gaucho Sano | url=http://www.atrium.lt/en/restoranas.php | email= | address=Pilies str. 10 | lat=54.68381 | long=25.28971 | directions=In Hotel Atrium | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€35 | content=Argentinian-style food (lots of meat) in a spacious restaurant. Good service. }} *{{eat | name=Ida Basar | url=http://www.idabasar.lt/ | email=office@idabasar.lt | address=Subačiaus str. 1 | lat=54.67643 | long=25.28886 | directions=In the guesthouse of the same name, at the southern end of Old Town | phone=+370 5 262 8484 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 262-7834 | hours=12:00-22:00 | price=€30 | content=Specializes in historical meals of Grand Duchy Of Lithuania, has a Culinary Heritage Museum. }} *{{eat | name=La Provence | url=http://www.laprovence.lt/ | email=zemaiciusmukle@takas.lt | address=Vokiečių str. 22 | lat=54.67953 | long=25.28323 | directions= | phone=+370 852616573 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Starters €9; Main courses €18; Extensive wine list from €23. | content=French food. House specials include roebuck with cherry sauce. Popular among French people. }} *{{eat | name=Lokys | url=http://www.lokys.lt/ | email=info@lokys.lt | address=Stiklių str. 8 |lat=54.67993 | long=25.28640 | directions=Old Town, block of artisan guilds | phone= +370 5 2629046 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= €20 | content=Medieval restaurant. Specializes in Lithuanian traditional cuisine and game meals. }} *{{eat | name=Markus ir Ko | url=http://www.markusirko.lt/en.php | email=markusirko@takas.lt | address=M. Antokolskio str. 11 | lat=54.67998 | long=25.28582 | directions=Old Town, block of artisan guilds | phone=+370 5 262 31 85, +370 686 63203 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= €30 | content=Great steaks and live music. }} *{{eat | name=Medininkai | url=http://www.medininkai.lt/25en/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Aušros Vartų str. 8 | lat=54.67570 | long=25.28914 | directions= | phone=+370 600 86491 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= €30 | content=Part of Hotel Europa Royale. 18th century Italian artwork and courtyard. Lithuanian fusion food. }} *{{eat | name=Narutis Hotel - Cellar Restaurant | url=http://www.narutis.com/restaurant-bar.html | email=reservations@narutis.com | address=Pilies str. 24 | lat=54.68245 | long=25.28930 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2122894 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= €30 | content=Eastern European food. Live violin music Th-Sa. }} *{{eat|name=Šventaragio sodas|alt=|url=https://sventaragiosodas.lt|email=info@sventaragiosodas.lt|address=L. Stuokos-Gucevičiaus g. 1, Vilnius 01122|lat=54.685153|long=25.285021|directions=Old Town near Vilnius Cathedral|phone=+3705 208 0805|tollfree=|fax=|hours=M-F 07:00-23:00, Sa Su 07:30-23:00|price=€20 |lastedit=2019-02-15|content=The restaurant cherishes the old Baltic cuisine, adapted to the contemporary taste.}} *{{Eat|name=Vanille Lounge|alt=|url=http://www.vanillelounge.lt|email=info@vanillelounge.lt|address=Vilniaus g. 29|lat=54.684602|long=25.279308|directions=between Old Town and New Town|phone=+370 603 61 532|tollfree=|fax=|hours=IV 19:00 – 02:00, V 19:00 – 06:00 ,VI 19:00 – 06:00|price=18 Euro|lastedit=2019-10-02|content=}} ==Drink== The most popular local beer is '''Švyturys''', meaning lighthouse. Like the other brands, they produce a variety of different styles; "Ekstra" is the familiar lager. The other big brands of beer include Kalnapilis, Tauras, and Utenos, all of whom have some variation on the theme of bog-standard euro-lager in their product range. Many breweries also produce “Tradicinis” (“traditional”), somewhat similar to lager but slightly stronger. Beyond that, Lithuania produces a huge variety of beers, including wheat beer, porter, stout, Belgian dubbel and various ales. If you're a beer enthusiast forget Švyturys and other big brands - try '''Alaus namai''' (The House of Beer) and '''Bambalynė''' (see section Bars). '''Lithuanian vodka''' (Lithuanian ''degtinė'') is of excellent quality. Popular brands of good quality include '''Auksinė''' (“golden”, produced by Stumbras) and '''Gera''' (“good”). Cranberry is also nice. '''Midus''' is a honey liqueur, available in different strengths (under different names) ranging from 30% to 70%. Another popular liqueur is '''Trejos Devynerios''' (Three Nines, written as 999), named after the 27 different herbs used in the mixture. There’s the original, yellow in color, as well as a dark variety called '''Žalios Devynerios''' (Green Nines) and a red one called '''Raudonos Devynerios''' (Red Nines). A couple of other liqueurs are also commonly found on shelves. There are limitations on alcohol sales from 2018. Alcohol is sold at the shops from 10:00 till 20:00 (Monday-Saturday) and 10:00-15:00 on Sundays. Alcohol is not sold at all on September 1 (the first day of school) each year. Persons younger than 20 years old are prohibited by law to purchase, drink or even possess any alcoholic drink. '''Drink carefully''' as most bars will politely ask you to leave if they notice that you appear drunk (staggering, yelling, grabbing strangers). Falling asleep in bars is not tolerated. If you break a glass, many places will expect to be repaid for it on the spot but it's usually a very reasonable price. '''Smoking''' is banned in all public places. However, a number of nightclubs have internal smoke rooms; the ventilation can be of variable quality. If you leave a club to smoke outside, make sure you get stamped and get eye contact from the bouncers so you won't have problems getting back in. It can be a good idea to show the bouncer your cigarette or cigarette packet, before exiting the premises. ===Clubs=== * {{drink | name=BIX | url=http://www.bix.lt/ | email= | address=Etmonų str. 6 | lat=54.67661 | long=25.28693 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tarantino-style bar founded by the Lithuanian rock band of the same name. Live rock/hardcore/metal bands on Friday nights, karaoke on Thursdays, and rock music (all the time) on the dance floor, made in the vault. Nice food and drinks! }} * {{drink | name=Brodvejus | url=http://www.brodvejus.lt/en/ | email= | address=Vokiečių str. / Mėsinių str. 4 |lat=54.67798 | long=25.28481 | directions=Old Town | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Until 05:00 | price=No cover on weekdays. Beer €1.50 | content=Cozy bar/nightclub, playing mostly pop music. Popular among both tourists and locals. Courteous staff. }} * {{drink | name=Havana Social Club | url=http://www.havanasocialclub.lt/ | email=havanasc@gmail.com | address=Šermukšnių str. 4A | lat=54.69044 | long=25.27377 | directions= | phone=+370 8526 10812 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Lindyhop.lt Klubas | url=http://www.lindyhop.lt/ | email=info@lindyhop.lt | address=Kalvarijų str. 294d-16 | lat=54.73479 | long=25.27785 | directions=5 km north of the old town | phone=+37064771111 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 18:00-22:00; Su 20:00-24:90 | price= | content=The coolest and oldest Lindy Hop club in Lithuania. }} * {{drink | name=Salento Disco Club | url=http://www.heliosclub.lt/ | email= | address=Didžioji str. 28 | lat=54.67817 | long=25.28779| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{drink | name=Soho Club |alt=| url=http://www.sohoclub.lt/ | email= | address=Švitrigailos str. 7/16 | lat=54.67875 | long=25.26670| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Opens on Fridays and Saturdays at 22:00 | price=Admission: 22:00 - 01:00 €3, 01:00 - 04:00 €5, 04:00 - 07:00 free |lastedit=2018-02-11| content=Popular with all sections of the LGBT community. }} ===Bars=== * {{drink | name=Alaus namai | url=http://www.alausnamai.lt/ | email= | address=Goštauto str. 8 | lat=54.69369 | long=25.268819 | directions=275 m north-west of the White Bridge | phone=+370 68728930 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Big saloon-type bar with raw beer of smaller Lithuanian beer brands from countryside. }} * {{drink | name=Apuokas | url= | email= | address=Subačiaus str. 6 | lat=54.67644 | long=25.28964 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Heavy metal bar (especially in the underground basement). Friendly metalheads, memorable personnel, great beer and famous ''chenachai'' (Karaitian meat dish). }} * {{drink | name=Artistai | url=http://www.artistai.lt/ | email=info@artistai.lt | address=Kazimiero str. 3 | lat=54.67708 | long=25.28886 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The large popular courtyard is a great place to relax and watch the sunset. Friendly service. Rock music. }} * {{drink | name=Bambalyne | url=http://www.bambalyne.lt/ | email= | address=Stikliu str. 7 | lat=54.68004 | long=25.28651 | directions=Just off Town Hall Square | phone=+370 676 00075 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=sausage platter + a beer €4 | content=Located in a hidden underground cellar, this bar specializes in rare beers and meats from the Lithuanian countryside. Great atmosphere and cheap prices! }} * {{drink | name=Būsi Trečias | url=http://www.busitrecias.lt | email= | address=Totoriu str. 18 | lat=54.68467 | long=25.28238 | directions= | phone=+37052312698 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The first bar/pub, which started to brew its own beer in Vilnius. Beside lager type beer, they brew dark black beer and also make various beer cocktails. Besides its main attraction beer, there are some good food. The food prices are rather low. }} * {{drink | name=Cactus | url=http://www.cactusbar.lt/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@cactusbar.lt | address=Bokšto str. 7 |lat=54.68013 | long=25.29037 | directions= | phone=+370 601 12555 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11:00-02:00, F Sa 11:00-04:00 | price= | content=Vilnius's only tequila bar, tucked away in the alleys of the city. A warm, cozy atmosphere with unbelievably friendly staff, and great food. Play Tequila Checkers on their game board. Free shots of tequila at midnight. Serves exotic dishes such as crocodile, shark, and pheasant }} * {{drink | name=Liverpool Indie/Rock Bar | url=http://www.liverpoolbar.lt/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=bar@liverpool.lt | address=Gynėjų g. 14, Vilnius |lat=54.692092 | long=25.264228 | directions= | phone=+370 604 89227 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Th 16:00-00:00, F Sa 16:00-03:00, Su 16:00-01:00 | price= | content=Liverpool Indie/Rock Bar is a modern, smart musical bar. Implementing and sustaining the development of this style of music. }} * {{drink | name=Pogo | url=https://www.facebook.com/POGObaras?fref=ts | email= | address=Vilniaus str. 12 |lat=54.68624 | long=25.27973 | directions=right in front of Cozy | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Nice decoration and also serves good Italian food for a good price. }} * {{drink | name=Prie Universiteto | url= | email= | address=Universiteto str. | lat=54.68439 | long=25.28619 | directions=Old Town | phone=+370 604 195 67 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Rock/punk rock music, friendly stuff and cheap prices. Best place for students and other not so serious people. }} * {{drink | name=Savas Kampas | url=http://www.savaskampas.lt/ {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=Vokiečių str. 4 | lat=54.67833 | long=25.28523| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Until 04:00 | price= | content=Cozy, friendly and always welcome place. In the summer,there is also a terrace to enjoy warm evenings. }} * {{drink | name=Šnekutis | alt=Šnekutis užupiai | url=http://jususnekutis.lt/en/welcome-to-snekutis/ | email= | address=Polocko gatve, 7a, Užupis | lat=54.68128 | long=25.30189 | directions=Užupio gatve, 400 m above the Angel | phone=+370 650 47054 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=11:00-23:00 daily | price= | lastedit=2016-06-30 | content=Indoor/outdoor dive bar with an exceptional craft/farmhouse beer selection, seats with a view, and traditional Baltic food. Lunch/dinner €3-6, beer €2 for 0.5l draught, €3-6 for 1.75l bottled. Menu in Lithuanian, Byelorussian, English and illustrated. }} ===Cafes=== There are plenty of cafés in Vilnius, including few coffee shop chains: [http://www.coffee-inn.lt/ '''Coffee-Inn'''], [http://www.ajsokoladas.lt '''AJ Šokoladas'''], [http://www.svieziakava.lt/ '''Šviežia Kava'''] which are easy to find anywhere without any guidance. A proper café typically is not just a coffee shop but some sort of a restaurant which features certain café-like interior and has a rather democratic etiquette policy. During day time they often operate like simple eateries, in the evening they turn to the family style or youth restaurants. * {{drink | name=Buga | url=http://kavinebuga.lt/ | email=valeika@pinsita.eu | address=Asanavičiūtė St 17 | lat= | long= | directions=Karoliniškės district, not far from TV tower | phone=+370 5 240-2400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 08:00-23:00, F 08:00-01:00, Sa 09:00-01:00, Su 12:00-22:00 | price=Breakfast (until 10:30) up to €3 | content=Does not use semi-finished products. Hot chicken with chanterelles, hand-made dumplings, fresh kybyns, pizzas, carp steak ''"Ežys"'' ("Hedgehog"). Live music every Friday and sometimes on Saturday. }} * {{drink | name=Chaika | url= | email=info@chaika.lt | address=Totorių St 7 | lat= | long= | directions=Centre, almost the Old Town | phone=+370 648 74702 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10:00-21:00, Sa 12:00-19:00 | price= | content=Universally cozy café; the interior is contemporary but designed in 1970s style. Many authentic items from soviet times cause cheerful memories of childhood for the local visitors. Café’s Russian name, spelt in English manner, in this case is a pun with several layers of meaning visible only for locals – they would tell you a lot. Variety of tea and coffee; of course Soviet times tea served in Soviet times style is available. Has 2 halls, capacity up to 16 people. }} * {{drink | name=Fabai | url=http://www.meniu.lt/fabai | email=fabai.info@gmail.com | address=Ateities St 21A | lat= | long= | directions=Fabijoniškės sleeping district (north of centre), by the main street | phone=+370 5 273-6464 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 11:00-23:00, F 11:00-24:00, Sa 12:00-24:00, Su 12:00-23:00 | price=Day lunch (11:00-14:00) €3-4 | content=Styled like a countryside tavern, has 5 halls: roaster, ballroom, bar, and 2 billiard halls. European and Caucasus cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Fėjų kepyklėlė | alt=Little Bakery Of The Fairies | url=http://www.fejukepyklele.lt/ | email=info@fejukepyklele.lt | address=J. Basanavičius St 37 | lat=54.68148 | long=25.26550 | directions=New Town, on a hill, at the corner with Švitrigaila St | phone=+370 685 25157 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 07:30-19:00, F 07:30-18:00 | price=Fair price | content=Puff pastries, yeast dough buns, snacks, pizza, several kinds of kybyns, cookies, hot and cold drinks, ice cream, milk cocktails. Traditional menu of Lithuanian fairies. Cappuccino is almost the best in town. }} * {{drink | name=Ibrahim | alt=Café Ibrahim Passage | url=http://www.ibrahim.lt/restoranas {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=kavine@ibrahim.lt | address=Kalvarijų St 24A | lat= | long= | directions=Šnipiškės district close to the centre: between the city business centre and Kalvarijos Market, within premises of a small specialized shopping center Ibrahim | phone=+370 5 273-1743, +370 600 76890 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 273-1740 | hours=M-F 08:00-18:00; on weekends only upon request | price=Day lunch around €3; dishes around €1.50-3; festive parties (drinks not included) from €15 | content=Offer some authentic Turkish drinks: ''Ayran'', ''Sahleb'', ''Salgam Suyu'', ''Cola turka'', Turkish tea. Organize parties (up to 60 persons), buffet (up to 80 persons). Terrace, capacity up to 24 people. }} * {{drink | name=Lazdynų žibutė | alt=Hazel Kidneywort | url=http://www.meniu.lt/lazdynu-zibute | email=giedre.vasiliauskiene@yahoo.com | address=Šiltnamių St 38A | lat= | long= | directions=Lower part of ''Lazdynai'' district (Lithuanian for “district of Hazels” where the kidneywort is blooming every spring, hence the name), south of Oslo street, east of Emergency Hospital | phone=+370 5 244-2562 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 244-8832 | hours=Daily 10:00-22:00 | price=Average price €5 | content=Operates since 1969, never was closed. Has 3 halls. TV screen, fireplace, sauna. Day lunch 10:00-16:00. Suitable for seminars, conferences. Most popular speciality - Roast Chicken ''“Žibutė”'' (“Kidneywort”), several Lithuanian “vintage” dishes, such like rolls with mushroom sauce, herring tower “Metropolis”, and ''“Karališkasis tortas”'' (“Royal Cake”) for special occasions. }} * {{drink | name=Mažoji Ragainė | alt=Little Ragnit | url=http://www.mazojiragaine.lt/ | email=ragaine@ktv.lt | address=Įsruties St 22 | lat=54.708391 | long=25.182713 | directions=Pilaitė district: south of Pilatė av., between Pilaitė av. and Vydūnas St. | phone=+370 5 270-7265 (orders) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily: summer season 11:00-23:00, winter season 09:00-21:00 | price=Average price ~€3; family event ~€6, banquet ~€14 per person | content=Café-bar, a division of culinary-confectionery company. Has a confectionery shop next door, also has another shop at Žukausko St 26 in Northern Town (''Šiaurės miestelis''), ''Žirmūnai'' district. Apart from a large variety of cakes and pastries offers ~100 kinds of salads, homemade dumplings with various fillings, cold snacks and hot meals. }} * {{drink | name=Pas Metą | alt=At Metas | url=http://www.meniu.lt/pas-meta | email= | address=Antakalnio St 86 | lat= | long= | directions=Antakalnis district, in the middle between the bus stops “Klinikos” and “Tverečiaus”, by the main street | phone=+370 5 234-1791 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 244-8832 | hours=Daily 11:00-23:00 | price=Second course €3-5; day lunch ~€2 (11:00-16:00), business lunch ~€6 | content=Lithuanian cuisine; fresh juice, Lithuanian beer, also a Belgian beer ''Grimbergen''; take-away food. Has a separate hall (up to 24 people) for the business and family events. }} * {{drink | name=Pilies kepyklėlė | alt=Castle’s Little Bakery | url=http://meniu.delfi.lt/en/pilies-kepyklele {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=pilieskepyklele@gmail.com | address=Pilies St 19 | lat= | long= | directions=Old Town | phone=+370 5 260-8992 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 09:00-23:00 | price=Average price ~€5 | content=Old time ice cream house; converted to a café-bakery, as the new owners had idea to bake the buns and serve them with a milk. During the restoration of the interior were uncovered excellent arches, this alone made the café very popular among locals. Assortment soon has become very rich: different types of cakes, cookies, sweets, curd desserts. The most popular are ''“Trapusis vyšnių pyragas”'' (Brittle Cherry Cake) and a ''“Karališkasis tortas”'' (Royal Cake), coffee of course. Also offer steaks, crepes, soups, salads. Has an outdoor tarrace in summer. }} * {{drink | name=Prie Neries | alt=By Neris River | url=http://meniu.delfi.lt/en/prie-neries {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=kavineprieneries@gmail.com | address=Žvejų St 2 | lat= | long= | directions=Centre, northern bank of Neris river between the Green bridge and Mindaugas bridge | phone=+370 5 272-2102, +370 654 74985 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00; on weekends only upon request | price=Day lunch around €3 | content=Relatively remote location, easily accessible, good view through the large windows. Almost perfect place for business lunch, banquet or a private party for up to 80 people. Has 2 halls (spacious ballroom), sauna, outdoor café. }} * {{drink | name=Sakwa | url=http://www.sakwa.lt/ | email=kavine.sakwa@yahoo.com | address=M. K. Paco St 1/2 | lat=54.693012 | long=25.305356 | directions=Antakalnis district, near St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, next to the parking lot by the roundabout | phone=+370 5 215-4562, +370 687 51101 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10:00-23:00 | price=Day lunch 11:00-15:00 ~€5 | content=Café in the new two-storey building with an attic, retro styled like a suburban house. Lithuanian, Polish and European cuisine. }} * {{drink | name=Vegafé | alt= | url=http://jogosmityba.lt/ | email=info@jogosmityba.lt | address=Two vegetarian cafes: Totorių St 3 (Centre, close to Gediminas av., within premises of Ananda Yoga House and Augustijonų St 2-3/ Savičiaus St 13 (Old Town, close to Town Hall square – west of square towards Bokšto St, within premises of yoga ashram | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 659 77411 (Totorių), +370 659 77072 (Augustijonų) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=At Totorių: M-F 11:00-22:00, Sa Su 12:00-22:00; at Augustijonų: M-Sa 11:00-21:30, closed on Su | price=Soup ~€2, salad and cold snacks ~€4, hot meals €2-7, tea, cacao €1.50-3, fancy sweets €2-4 | content=Vegetarian meals from natural products, adhered principles of ayurvedic food production. Represent lacto-vegetarian nutrition system. No microwave. }} * {{drink | name=Mint Vintu | alt= | url=http://www.mintvinetu.com/en | email=info@mintvinetu.com | address=Šv. Ignoto 16/10, Vilnius, Lithuania | lat=54.68141 | long=25.28495 | directions= | phone=+370 618 20 347 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Daily 11:00-20:00 | price= | lastedit=2015-04-11 | content=Mint Vintu is an independent bookstore, café and Internet hangout place in the heart of Vilnius' old town (the capital of Lithuania) where good people meet. }} ==Sleep== ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Domus Maria | alt= | url=http://domusmaria.com | email=info@domusmaria.com | address=Aušros vartų str. 12 | lat=54.67482 | long=25.29029 | directions= | phone=+370 5 264 48 80 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Single €52, double €62 inc. breakfast | lastedit=2017-06-05 | content=Unique and popular hotel within a monastery. }} * {{sleep | name=Filaretai Youth Hostel | url=http://www.filaretaihostel.lt/ | email=info@filaretaihostel.lt | address=Filaretų gatvė 17 | lat=54.68433 | long=25.30594 | directions=Uzupis District. Take Bus 34 to Filaretai | phone=+370 686 555 89 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= 24 hours| price=Dorm bed €10, single €20, double €30, triple €36, quad €46. | checkin= | checkout= | content=Chilled out place. Laundry service (washing & drying) €4. Filaretai hostel is in the so-called Republic of Užupis, 10 minutes on foot from the heart of Vilnius Old Town. Self-service kitchen, washing machine, free WiFi sitting-room with free computers and TV. }} * {{sleep | name=Hostelgate | url=http://www.hostelgate.lt/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=hostelgate@gmail.com | address=Sv. Mikalojaus gatve 3 |lat=54.67905 | long=25.28319 | directions= | phone=+370 63832818 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Small hostel. Free wi-fi and internet, free tea and coffee, free parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Jimmy Jumps House | url=http://jimmyjumpshouse.com/ | email= | address=Savičiaus gatvė 12 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 231 3847 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Dorm bed: 37LTL | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=JNN Hostel | url=http://www.jnn.lt/ | email= | address=Sv. Stepono g. 11 |lat=54.67379 | long=25.28065 | directions=between the railway station and the old town | phone=+370 5216 0254 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=TV and kitchen. }} * {{sleep | name=Litinterp Guesthouse Vilnius | url=http://www.litinterp.com/ | email=info@filaretaihostel.lt | address=Bernardinu str.7 |lat=54.68351 | long=25.29146 | directions= | phone=+370 85 2123850 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Single €18-25, double €30-36, triple €43. Breakfast included | checkin= | checkout= | lastedit=2017-11-13 | content=In a historic building on one of Old Town’s prettiest streets. Facilities are basic but more than ample, with options for everybody from single guests to families. There's a choice of en suite and shared bathroom facilities, plus all rooms have access to small kitchens. }} * {{sleep | name=Paupio Namai Hostel & Guesthouse | url=http://hostel.paupio.lt/ | email=hostel@paupio.lt | address=Paupio 31a | lat=54.67784 | long=25.30225| directions= | phone=+370 5 2643113 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Pogo Hostel | url=https://m.facebook.com/pogohostel/ | email=hostel@pogo.lt | address=B. Radvilaitė St 3-1 | lat= | long= | directions=In front of Cathedral squere | phone=+370 67079591 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Dorm bed: €11; Double: €30 | checkin=from 14:00 | checkout=12:00 | content=Unique for its interior and cozyness. Unbelievably helpful staff, free coffee, tea. Free wi-fi, internet. Also you will find foosball table, PS2 console and many other activities. It's a good value for the price. }} * {{sleep | name=Vilnius Guesthouse | url=http://vilniusguesthouse.com/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=genutevilnius@hotmail.com | address=S.Staneviciaus 79 |lat=54.72886 | long=25.25666 | directions= | phone=+370 61293597 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Single: €35, double: €45 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Vilnius Guest House is in the city, yet in a quiet area surrounded by a small forest, it offers accommodation with a sauna and billiards. Secure private car parking is available. The rooms at Vilnius are spacious and individually decorated in various colours. Each comes with a TV with cable channels, a wardrobe and a bathroom fitted with a shower. Free Wi-Fi is also provided. Breakfast included. There's a choice of en-suite and shared bathroom facilities }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel E-GuestHouse | alt= | url=http://www.e-guesthouse.eu/?locale=en | email=info@e-guesthouse.lt | address=T. Ševčenkos str. 16, LT-03111 Vilnius | lat=54.676278 | long=25.266076 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2660730 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2335710 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Free parking and WiFi. Sauna free from 20:00-00:00. All rooms are equipped with nocturnal outdoor blinds, 24-hour front desk, Long breakfast. A total of 34 rooms decorated in a modern style. Near the Old Town (Senamiestis in Lithuanian). }} * {{sleep | name=Ambassador Hotel | url=http://www.ambassador.lt/english.htm | email=info@ambassador.lt | address=Gedimino avenue 12 | lat=54.68668 | long=25.28143 | directions= | phone=+370 5261 5450 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Single: €69; Double: €81; Triple: €98 | checkin= | checkout= | content=18-room hotel. Several rooms have baths in addition to showers. Popular restaurant on the first floor. }} * {{sleep | name=Apia Hotel | url=http://www.apia.lt/ | email=apia@apia.lt | address=Sv. Ignoto str 12 |lat=54.68151 | long=25.28475 | directions= | phone=+370 5212 3426 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=12-room hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Comfort Hotel Vilnius | url=http://www.mikotelgroup.com/en/comfort {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=reservation@comfort.lt | address=Gėlių g. 5| lat=54.67465 | long=25.28351 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2338833 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ecotel Vilnius | url=http://www.ecotel.lt/en {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=hotel@ecotel.lt | address=Slucko St. 8 | lat=54.69552 | long=25.28507 | directions= | phone=+370 5 210 27 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Single: €58; Double: €66; Triple: €81 | checkin= | checkout= | content=168-room hotel that occupies a former shoe factory. 10 minute walk to everything. Popular among sports groups as it is right near the stadium. Extra long beds for tall people. }} * {{sleep | name=Embassy Hotel Balatonas | url=http://www.embassyhotel.lt/en/index {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@embassyhotel.lt | address=Latvių st. 38 | lat=54.69461 | long=25.24753 | directions= | phone=+370 5272 2250 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Single: €50; Double: €60. Stay 2 nights and get the third night free | checkin= | checkout= | content=28-room Hungarian-owned hotel near the embassies. Popular among eastern European businessmen. }} * {{sleep | name=Europa Hotels | url=http://www.groupeuropa.com/hotels_europa_stay/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Operates 3 hotels in Vilnius - a 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Algirdas | url=http://algirdashotel.lt/ | email=algirdas@cityhotels.lt | address=Algirdo str. 24 | lat=54.67644 | long=25.27171 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2326650 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From €35 | checkin= | checkout= | content= Scandinavian style hotel in the centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Rudninku vartai | url=http://www.rudninkuvartai.lt/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=Rūdninkų str. 15/46 |lat=54.67568 | long=25.28343 | directions=Old Town | phone=+370 5 2613916 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From €52 | checkin= | checkout= | content=Cosy hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Vilnius Europolis | url=http://www.europolis.lt/ | email=hotel@europolis.lt | address=Švitrigailos g. 11D |lat=54.67531 | long=25.26794 | directions= | phone=+370 52150410 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2150410 | hours= | price=Single from €29; Double from €35; Triple from €47; quad €65 | checkin= | checkout= | content=26-room hotel in Vilnius offering free parking, wireless internet (all rooms), cafe and outdoor summer terrace. }} * {{sleep | name=Mano Liza Guesthouse | url=http://www.hotelinvilnius.lt/?ln=EN_us {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From €81, 50% discounts available. | checkin= | checkout= | content=8-room family-run guesthouse popular with American and Canadian tourists. Nice artwork. }} * {{sleep | name=Old Market Guesthouse | url=http://www.oldmarket.lt/en/ {{dead link|August 2018|December 2020}} | email= | address=Pylimo 57 | lat=54.67355 | long=25.28537 | directions= | phone=+37052404923 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=€52-62 high season, €30-50 winter | checkin= | checkout=10:00 | content=Hostel style bed-and-breakfast within walking distance of the bus and train station in Old Town. In-room breakfast, wireless internet, free parking, and satellite TV are all provided. Old Market also rents flats for short-term stays. Discounts for winter stays. Staff is friendly and helpful. }} * {{sleep | name=Ratonda Centrum Hotels | url= | email=ratonda@centrumhotels.com | address=Gedimino Ave 52/1 |lat=54.68938 | long=25.26553 | directions= | phone=+370 5 212 0670 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From €59 | checkin= | checkout= | content=48-room hotel. Sauna and fitness center. Popular among politicians for its location near parliament. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Tilto | url=http://www.hoteltilto.com | email=info@hoteltilto.com | address=Tilto str. 8 | lat=54.68730 | long=25.28418 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2100021 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Irish-owned hotel in the centre. The 3-storey hotel features 35 fully equipped rooms, a cosy restaurant, and a leisure centre. In 2009 won the most hospitable hotel in Vilnius award. }} * {{sleep | name=Mabre Residence Hotel | url=http://www.mabre.lt/index_en.html {{dead link|August 2020|December 2020}} | email=mabre@mabre.lt | address=Maironio str. 13 |lat=54.68152 | long=25.29201 | directions= | phone=+3705 212 20 87 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=This 41-room hotel occupies a grand neo-Classical Russian Monastery. High walls give it an exclusive feel. Sauna, fitness center, and pool. Wi-fi in rooms. The Steakhouse Hazienda is in the hotel. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Vilnius Centre | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/5209/index.en.shtml | email=H5209@accor.com | address=Gedimino av. 16 | lat=54.68691 | long=25.27986 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2666200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Very popular 159-room hotel opened in 2003. Tall building in the centre, close to Opera House and Cathedral square. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Blu Royal Astorija Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-vilnius-astorija | email=sales.vilnius@radissonblu.com | address=Didzioji 35/2 | lat=54.67745 | long=25.28721 | directions=opposite the town square | phone=+370 5-2120110 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From €149 | content=US President Bush and British Prince Charles have enjoyed the great service offered here. Private saunas are offered in some rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva | alt=formerly Reval Hotel Lietuva | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-vilnius-lietuva | email=info.lietuva.vilnius@radissonblu.com | address=Konstitucijos Av. 20 | lat=54.69519 | long=25.27492 | directions= | phone=+ 370 5272 6272 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=291-room hotel. High-rise building by the river. Popular for conferences. The even-numbered rooms offer great views of old town, also from top-floor 'Skybar'. }} * {{sleep | name=Ramada Vilnius | url=http://www.ramadavilnius.lt/ | email=hotel@ramadavilnius.lt | address=Subačiaus Str. 2 |lat=54.67665 | long=25.28867| directions= | phone=+370 5 2553 355 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From €90 in low season, €110 in high season | checkin= | checkout= | content=55-room hotel. Wi-fi in the lobby but not in the rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Šarūnas Hotel | url=http://www.hotelsarunas.lt/ {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=info@hotelsarunas.lt | address=Raitininkų str. 4 | lat=54.69447 | long=25.29390 | directions=East of city business centre, Šnipiškės district, calm location near Neris river. | phone=+370 5 2724888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=55-room hotel owned by and named after a Vilnius basketball star. Sauna, fitness center, and laundry services. }} * {{sleep | name=Neringa Hotel | url= | email=book@neringahotels.com | address=Gedimino Ave. 23 | lat=54.68794 | long=25.27602 | directions= | phone=+370 5 268 19 10 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=60-room hotel. Foreign magazines, beautiful flowers, sauna, fitness center, wi-fi, pool, bar. Breakfast included. }} * {{sleep | name=Shakespeare Hotel | url=http://www.shakespeare.lt/ | email=info@shakespeare.lt | address=Bernardinu str. 8/8 |lat=54.68355 | long=25.29178 | directions= | phone=+370 52 665 885 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Single: from €105; Double: from €162 | checkin= | checkout= | content=31-room boutique English country-style hotel. Rooms are named after famous writers and books of that writer are inside each room. Nice views of nearby landmarks. Wi-fi included. Breakfast included. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Park Inn by Radisson Vilnius Airport Hotel & Business Centre | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-vilnius-airport-business-center | email=info.vilnius@parkinn.com | address=Oreiviu 32 | lat=54.64691 | long=25.27697 | directions= | phone=+370 52 400055 | tollfree=+370 52 400055 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-02-03 | content=120 contemporary guest rooms. There is the Italian restaurant "Bocca Buona" and a fitness center. }} ==Connect== ===Wi-Fi=== There are abundant free Wi-Fi hotspots all over the city, including Gedimino prospect, Vokiečių street Gatve, Pilles street, Cathedral Square, and Town Hall Square. Free Wi-Fi is also available in some restaurants. ===Internet terminals=== There are not many public internet terminals in Vilnius. The following offer access to a computer: * {{listing | name=Alderada | url= | email= | address=Pylimo str. 21 | lat=54.67871 | long=25.27839 | directions= | phone=+37052649797 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-18:00 | price= | content=VOIP calls, Internet phones, cheap international calls }} * {{listing | name=Omnitel | url= | email= | address=Gedimino prosect 12 | lat=54.68668 | long=25.28148| directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=09:00-18:00 | price= | content= }} *[http://mokymai.penki.lt/Interneto-kavine/ '''Despina'''] {{dead link|December 2020}} (within premises of [http://mokymai.penki.lt/ ''Mokymo centras'' - Teaching Centre] {{dead link|December 2020}} {{listing | name= | url= | email=mokymai@penki.lt | address=Kareivių St 2 | lat= | long= | directions=Žirmūnai district, NE corner at the Kalvarijų/Kareivių crossing; 1st floor | phone=+370 5 266-4520 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 08:30-16:00 (lunch break 12:30-13:30) | price= | content=Cozy place to check your e-mails, chat, talk via Skype, learn and work. }} *[http://www.senora.lt/paslaugos/internetas/ '''Senoji raštinė'''] {{dead link|December 2020}} {{listing | name= | alt=(Old Office) | url= | email=vilnius@senora.lt | address=Pylimo St 54 | lat= | long= | directions=Close to the bus/railway stations at the SW edge of the Old Town, near ''Rūdininkai'' bus stop | phone=+370 683 77680 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 269-1745 | hours=M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-15:00 | price= | content=Shop of stationery and office products and services. Offer internet access as a part of office services: to receive and send e-mail, print, burn a CD or DVD. }} * {{listing | name=Taškas | alt=Dot | url= | email= | address=J. Jasinskis St 1/Dainava St 8 | lat= | long= | directions=Centre, SW of Lukiškės Square, close to the Lukiškės bus stop; entrance from Kudirkos St, 2nd floor | phone=+370 685 24024 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 00:00-24:00 | price= | content=Internet cafe service. }} ===Postal service=== [http://www.post.lt/en '''''Vilniaus centrinis paštas'''''] operates 173 post offices in Vilnius, including the large central post office at Gediminas ave 7. These offices handle all postal services, money orders, and Western Union money transfers. ==Stay safe== Taxis in tourist areas can charge 3 times the normal rate. Vilnius is a relatively safe city; however, crimes do occur. Use typical common sense. Try and walk with confidence and never look lost. Being drunk and acting obviously foreign in the middle of the night is a bad idea. If you have traveled by train to visit a nightclub or other venue, take taxis to and from your venue, and upon return to the railway station remain in the ticket hall, which is patrolled by security guards. ===Dangerous areas=== * The area around the central train station is particularly dodgy and frequented by prostitutes and their clients. * It is recommended not to enter South Vilnius suburbs, including Naujininkai and Kirtimai, especially at night, as well as some parts of Šnipiškės which are located any deeper than its business district. * The 148 train to Moscow is a noted target and many have reported having their baggage stolen. The police are also not very helpful. ==Cope== ===Left luggage=== The coin-operated baggage lockers in the cellar of the railway station are a secure place to store bags and other items. Ensure that nobody is around when you are getting the receipt, because there are thieves who pretend to be station staff. ===Medical help=== * {{listing | name=Baltic-American Clinic | url=http://www.bak.lt/ | email=info@bak.lt | address=Nemenčinė highway 54a | lat= | long= | directions=Turniškės district by the highway to Nemenčinė town | phone=+370 6 985 2655 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=English-speaking. }} * {{listing | name=Clinic Northway | url=http://nmc.lt/en | email= | address=S. Žukausko str 19 | lat= | long= | directions=Nortern Town ''(Šiaurės miestelis)'' district | phone=+370 5 234 2020 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Medical Diagnostic and treatment center | alt= | url=http://www.medcentras.lt/en/ | email=info@medcentras.lt | address=V. Grybo str. 32A | lat= | long= | directions=4 km from city center | phone=+370 698 00 000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{listing | name=Medicina Generalis | alt=Med General Private Clinic | url=http://www.clinic.lt/ | email=medgen@takas.lt | address=Gedimino av. 1A-19 | lat= | long= | directions=Centre; 2nd floor | phone=+370 5 261-3534 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 261-3537 | hours=By appointment M-F 09:00-17:00 | price= | content=English-speaking. Adult and children's health care. }} * {{listing | name=Santariškių klinikos | alt=Santarishkes Clinic | url=http://www.santa.lt/ | email=info@santa.lt | address=Santariškių St 2 | lat= | long= | directions=Santariškės district, northern edge of the city | phone=+370 5 236-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 236-5111 | hours= | price= | content=Hospital complex encompassing the provision of medical care in heart and vascular medicine, transplantology, oncohematology, oncology and surgical oncology, radiology and nuclear medicine, children’s diseases and rehabilitation. }} :* {{listing | name=Vaikų ligoninė | alt=Children‘s Hospital | url=http://www.vaikuligonine.lt/ | email=info@vuvl.lt | address=Santariškių St 7 | lat= | long= | directions=Within Santariškės Clinic complex | phone=+370 5 272-0606 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 272-0283 | hours= | price= | content=Affiliate of Santariškių klinikos. }} ===Embassies=== Many details can also be found here: https://www.embassypages.com/lithuania * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | url=http://lt.china-embassy.org/eng/ | email=chinaemb_lt@mfa.gov.cn | address=Algirdo g. 36 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland | url=http://www.finland.lt| email=sanomat.vil@formin.fi | address=K. Kalinausko g. 24, 2nd floor, LT-03107 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 266 80 10 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 212 24 41 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Georgia}} {{listing | name=Georgia | alt= | url=http://www.lithuania.mfa.gov.ge | email=embassy@georgia.w3.lt | address=D. Poškos g. 13 | lat=54.694401 | long=25.252851 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2736959, +370 5 2127848 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2723623 | hours=M-F 09:00-18:00 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | alt= | url=https://wilna.diplo.de/ | email=info@wilna.diplo.de | address=Z. Sierakausko g. 24 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 210 64 00 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | alt= | url= | email=gremb.vil@mfa.gr | address=Rudninku 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 2610526, +370 5 2610527, +370 6 1384438 (Emergencies) | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2610536 | hours=M-F 09:00-16:00 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://www.lt.emb-japan.go.jp/ | email= | address=M. K. Ciurlionio 82 b | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 2310462 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2310461 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | alt= | url=http://vilnius.mae.ro/en | email=vilnius@mae.ro | address=Gaono 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 2310552 | tollfree= | hours=M, W-Th 9:00-12:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-12-03 | content=Also covers as the embassy of Romania for [[Latvia]]. }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russia | url=http://www.lithuania.mid.ru/ | email=post@rusemb.lt | address=Latvių g. 53 | lat=54.695696 | long=25.241633 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2721763 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2723877 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | url=http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Embajadas/Vilnius/es/home/Paginas/Homevilnius.aspx {{dead link|December 2020}} | email=emb.Vilnius@maec.es | address=Algirdo 4 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 2313961 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2313962 | hours=M-F 09:30-15:30 | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United States}} {{listing | name=United States | url=https://lt.usembassy.gov/ | email=WebEmailVilnius@state.gov; consec@state.gov | address=Akmenų g. 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+370 5 2665500 | tollfree= | fax=+370 5 2665510 | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Go next== ===Nearby=== * {{see | name=European Park | alt= | url=http://www.europosparkas.lt/ | email=hq@europosparkas.lt | address=Joneikiskiu k | lat=54.888352 | long=25.384684 | directions= | phone=+370 5 2377 077 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=10:00-sunset | price=€9 for adults, €7 for students | content=The sculptures, which are the works of sculptors from more than 70 countries worldwide, are exhibited in the open area of 55 ha. Sometimes there is a very bad mosquito problem here, though not in winter time. }} * {{see | name=Verkiai Regional Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Žaliųjų ežerų St 53 | lat=54.78196 | long=25.32961 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the biggest parks in Lithuania, it's almost entirely in Verkiai elderate in the north of the city. One can reach the park by bus #35 or #36. It is known for Verkiai Calvaries, which have been constructed exactly following the plan of Jerusalem, with the distances, water bodies and elevations being very close to the original Way of the Cross. Way of the Cross consists of 22 chapels, 7 wooden and brick gates, and two baroque church ensembles. It is advisable to visit this park for those who likes great panoramic views. }} * [[Trakai]] - A very worthwhile day or half-day trip, home to five peaceful lakes and two castles. Previous capital of Lithuania, now centre of Trakai Historical National Park. Buses leave often from the central bus station, cost a few euros and take about 40 minutes. Trains depart a few times a day. * [[Purnuškės]] - 25 km to the north of Vilnius, is one of the centres of Europe, this one marked by the National Institute of Geography of France in 1989. (It has now somehow moved a little closer.) * [[Kernavė]] - medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. ===Further out=== * [[Kaunas]] - the second largest city, which served as the national capital in the 1920s and 1930s. * [[Klaipėda]] - coastal Lithuania, a sea port. * [[Nida]] - a resort town in Lithuania, located on the Curonian Spit. Curonian Spit is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. * [[Palanga]] - [[Lithuania]]'s prominent SPA resort and summer holiday destination. * [[Hill Of Crosses]] - a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of [[Šiauliai]], in northern Lithuania. * [[Birštonas]] - famous mineral water resort 90 km south west from Vilnius. <!--* [[Minsk]], [[Belarus]] — 3 hours away by train or 30 mins by plane. From Ryanair 4978 to the War in Ukraine, everything in between and their political consequences, flights have stopped, perhaps the trains too, and is it in practice feasible to travel to Belarus at the moment at all? --> <!--* [[Nordic countries]] - take a cheap flight to Scandinavian cities by Norwegian. Seems sort of random,; Latvia and Poland would be much closer if there needs to be international destinations here --> ===By air=== Vilnius has '''ultra-low-cost flights''' to several European countries, to [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Israel]] and [[Armenia]]. (updated May 2022) {{usablecity}} {{geo|54.6833|25.2833}} {{IsPartOf|Dzūkija}} 40dqbo029stup1kbqhvts2ivs0ttm4y 0 38107 4501857 4494987 2022-08-16T04:09:03Z MMKK2 71383 /* Classes of visas */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner Visa.jpg|ftt=yes}} {{infobox|COVID restrictions, Ukrainian conflict, and backlogs|As of mid-2022, some countries are not issuing tourist visas, and/or have halted their visa-on-arrival programs, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Some have also restricted other types of visa. Many also have requirements for testing and/or quarantine. Also among the countries taking in tourists and regular business travellers, staffing levels may still be limited and there is a considerable backlog in processing visa applications. Furthermore, some missions are prioritising applications from Ukrainian refugees as a result of the an ongoing conflict happening there. As such, visa appointments may not be available for up to a year. Check with an [[Diplomatic missions|embassy or consulate]] or a government web site when planning any travel.}} A '''visa''' is a document issued by some countries to visitors from other countries to facilitate – but not guarantee – [[Border crossing|admission at the border]]. It can be a stamp or sticker in your [[passport]], or can simply be an electronic record. It's important for each country you visit or transit to check if you need a visa, for the kind of visit you are intending. Not having the correct visa may see you denied boarding to transportation or denied admission at the border. Many popular travel destinations provide visitors (from most countries) with a short-term tourist visa on arrival, but sometimes countries require you to apply in advance. The conditions and requirements depend on your nationality. A few countries not known for tourism require exit visas separate from entry visas. Some countries routinely deny entry to holders of passports that show evidence of travel to a country that they don't recognize (e.g. Israel). In such cases, it may be advisable to have two passports, if the country issuing your passport allows that. On the other hand lying is often risky. See "[[Visa trouble]]". == Do you need a visa? == Countries require visas from visitors for regulatory, security and economic reasons. It is important to confirm visa requirements with a current and reliable source, such as the [[Diplomatic missions|embassy or consulate]] of the country where you plan to travel. You may need a visa for any countries you '''visit or transit''' on your trip. Visa requirements vary depending on the nationality of your passport, the length of your stay, whether you will leave the airport, the nature of your trip, your point of entry, and the areas you will be visiting. These requirements can also change regularly. While you may be exempt from having to obtain a visa when making a short trip to a particular country for tourism or business, '''long stays''' in any foreign country will almost always require you to obtain some form of visa or permit. As a rule of thumb, the more different (culturally, economically, politically, etc.) your country of citizenship is from the destination country, the more likely it is that you need a visa even for tourism or transit. This is especially the case if the country you plan to visit has a richer economy than the country you hold a passport for. Visa requirements nearly always depend on your nationality, not your residency. If you are a non-citizen where you reside, '''never''' rely on local advice concerning whether you need a visa to visit a nearby foreign country or other popular location abroad. The locals may not need visas, while you may (or vice versa). However, for some combinations of countries, being a legal resident of the Schengen countries (most European countries) or the U.S., for example, can greatly speed up the visa process and make a tourist visa much easier to obtain. Also, be sure you will be allowed back into the country where you are residing. If you are not a citizen of that country, you may need a permanent residence visa or at least a visa that allows multiple entries to be allowed to return. This includes hours-long day trips at border towns. On the other hand, your residency does matter where you go to obtain the visa. ===Visa summaries=== A visa summary, telling what countries you'll probably need a visa for, can be useful at the early stage of planning a trip. For example a long distance overland journey may be simpler to arrange if most of the route passes through countries that you don't need to get a visa for. However these lists are difficult to keep up to date, and as a summary, they may miss some details which apply to your particular situation. We don't have a summary here, but see: * [[:Wikipedia:Category:Visa requirements by nationality|Category:Visa requirements by nationality]] for summaries on Wikipedia. * UK nationals can use the advice of [http://www.fco.gov.uk Foreign and Commonwealth Office], with a complete list of countries around the world. * U.S. citizens can visit a [http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country.html website maintained by US Department of State] for initial indications of a need for visas. * Most nationals can use the [https://www.iatatravelcentre.com IATA Travel Centre] for initial indications on whether a visa is required or not. This is what airlines use to determine whether to let you on the plane. ==In advance or at point of entry?== [[File:Japan Landing Slip, 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Typical free-on-arrival visa from Japan with departure stamp]] Many popular travel destinations provide visitors for tourism with a free short-term visa on arrival stamped into their passport. Others will accept payment and issue a visa on arrival for a fee. Still, others require an application and visa to be in your passport in advance, and prior to boarding any flight. If visas are issued upon entry, this might be at only ''some'' points of entry. For example, in developing countries, major airports might issue visas on arrival, but some land borders may require a visa issued in advance or vice versa. Some countries, particularly those that want to attract tourists, offer an e-visa system. An ''Electronic Travel Authorization'' (ETA or "e-visa") is obtained online and often has a fee. This is much easier than mailing forms, passports, and payment, but usually falls short of the free short-term visa on arrival. Many countries use the e-visa method: Australia, Canada, Kenya, India, Myanmar (Burma), New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United States for example. Not everyone needs an e-visa (such as citizens of USA and Canada visiting each other's countries), while some nationalities and ethnic groups (e.g. Pakistanis entering India) still must use the traditional paper forms where overstaying or security is a concern. Even though these e-visas are usually granted instantly, secondary processing can take many weeks. Always confirm your visa before buying non-refundable tickets. When filling in the passport number, be careful not to confuse ones and I's or zeros and O's. This could result in the application being rejected. Also, if the passport number has any non-English characters, refer to the FAQ page of the e-visa application site or contact the consulate or embassy. == Visa fees == When visa fees are charged they can vary according to your nationality, the number of times you will enter, the length of stay or validity, the purpose of travel and sometimes how and where you apply. If visas are available at the border, it might be significantly cheaper to get one there, rather than acquiring one in advance. Should your own country charge a fee for visitors of your destination, reciprocal visa policy and fee may apply. Sometimes particular nationalities are charged additional visa fees for reasons that are difficult to ascertain, with country groups assigned to particular fee bands. If you are traveling around border regions you can often reduce visa fees by structuring your movements around such fees, taking an open jaw flight into one country and out of its neighbor can avoid multiple entry fees. If taking a quick visit to a neighboring country, keeping your trip to a single day can often avoid fees too. Children are sometimes charged a reduced fee or no fee at all. The maximum age of the child can vary from under 12 up to 18. The embassy or consulate of the country will also tell you how your payment has to be remitted. At the border, it is possible that the visa can only be purchased with cash. Often the cash has to be in the local currency, but some insist on a specific "hard" currency (commonly U.S. dollars). Visa fees are generally charged up front as a cost of the administrative processing of the visa application (though some countries like Japan and South Korea do not charge application fees for certain types of visas, and a few others may waive application fees for students who hold prestigious government scholarships). Simply put, this is the fee that the consulate charges you for them to take the time to look at and consider your application. Once the visa is granted, the fees are never refundable if you decide to go somewhere else or your trip falls through. Being denied does not get you a refund either. Countries may request applicants to go through third-party agencies (e.g. VFS, TLS Contact). In such a case, applicants may have to pay a service fee to the third party in addition to the visa application fees. Likewise, some countries do not charge fees for the visas themselves (e.g. Japan, South Korea) but may require applicants to go through third parties that may charge their own fees. ==Classes of visas== [[File: Tourist visa of the People's Republic of China.jpg|thumb|Chinese tourist visa]] Visas come in many forms, so it is very important to obtain the appropriate visa for what you intend to do. Attempting to enter a country without the correct visa can see you refused entry, deported, or even barred from future reentry. Not all countries offer the same types of visas. Here are some of the most common varieties: '''Tourist visas''' are issued to persons wishing to travel to a country for sightseeing or vacation; most are good for one to three months, though some are for as little as 14 days and some last five or ten years (for periodic visits, usually maximum 1–3 months per visit). Employment is generally not allowed, and you should NOT be carrying documents related to your profession, such as a university degree. Many countries have additional requirements. Many will not allow entry on a one-way ticket; you must show officials a return or onward ticket to be admitted. [[Nepal]] does not much want tourists who only hang around in Kathmandu; they issue only short-term visas, and to renew it for a longer stay you must present a receipt showing you have been [[Trekking in Nepal|trekking]] with a licensed guide agency. Many countries offer a '''visa-on-arrival''', typically issued at the airport. However, this depends on both the destination and what passport you hold. In general, visitors from richer countries are more likely to be offered this. Countries such as [[China]] do not generally offer such visas. [[File: LAX Airport (29458140866).jpg|thumb|Inside the international terminal of [[Los Angeles International Airport]], if you fly across the Pacific and are transiting the U.S. there's a high chance you'll pass through here]] '''Transit visas''' are issued to people passing through the country without a significant stay, normally for anywhere from 24 hours to ten days. Some countries offer '''sterile transit''' through their airports; you are not considered to have entered the country, so you need not go through immigration formalities or have a visa. Others do not permit this; for example, the US has no sterile transit and requires all passengers to go through immigration control, and some to have a visa, even at a refueling stop. This is one reason for [[avoiding travel through the United States]]. '''Business visas''' are issued if one needs to conduct financial transactions in the country, sign contracts, attend training or meetings, and a plethora of activities in connection to one's work or profession back home. Employment in the host country is forbidden. '''Student visas''' are issued to those who wish to undertake a course of study in another country. Proof of admission, enrollment, proficiency in the local language, and evidence of sufficient funds to cover your school fees and living expenses are necessary. In some countries this visa does not allow employment; in others, it does but usually with some restrictions. See [[studying abroad]]. '''Work visas''' are permits allowing one to hold a paid job in the destination country for a period of time. These are notoriously hard to acquire unless special arrangements exist between your home country and the destination country. This is because the primary requirement to be considered for a work visa is that nobody in the employer's local job market is qualified and willing to do the job the employer needs to fill. It might be slightly easier for you to get a working visa if you possess an advanced degree (i.e. MA, MS, Ph.D.) from a reputable school or an undergraduate degree with extensive and substantial related experience. [[Teaching English]] or other languages is also often an exception; various countries want native speakers for that. If the work visa does not automatically allow you to permanently immigrate (i.e. you're a contract worker), the visa will usually be restricted as well to a particular employer and job type. See [[working abroad]]. '''Working holiday visas''' are work visas that allow '''short-term''' jobs to be undertaken to subsidize a vacation. These are based on bilateral arrangements between pairs of countries which allow people from either to work temporarily in the other to fund their travel. Typically they have an age limit (often under 35) and a duration limit (often up to a year). Check with your own government to discover which countries yours has such an arrangement with. [[File: Kaba - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Pilgrimage visas are commonly issued for the yearly [[Hajj]]]] '''Religious pilgrimage visas''', such as visas given for the [[Hajj]], entitle the bearer to visit a religious shrine or site. These are common in most Muslim countries. '''Religious worker/Missionary visas''' permits you to enter the country for the purpose of practicing, maintaining, and advancing your religious beliefs. Only available in countries that have "freedom of religion," or if the official religion of the state is the same as your own. Even countries that otherwise permit or tolerate the practice of your religion may have additional requirements for indigenous peoples, though this may apply to other professions as well, such as anthropologists. Some sort of divinity degree and accreditation is usually required for long-term visas. For countries that have no such visa, entering on a tourist, student, or work (e.g. English teacher) visa can be quite risky. '''Retirement visas''' allows you to reside in a country indefinitely, so long as you abide by the law and don't seek paid employment. A minimum amount of annual retirement income, currency conversion, expenditures and/or bank deposits in the host country may be required. See [[Retiring_abroad#Visas]]. In addition, many countries impose a minimum age of around 55 or so. '''Immigrant visas''' or '''Permanent residence visas''' permit one to resettle in a country. These visas are generally the hardest to obtain, with stringent requirements. Common criteria that have to be fulfilled for obtaining such visas include investing a large sum of money in a local business, living in the country continuously on a work visa for a certain period of time, or being married to somebody from that country. In addition, many countries will require you to have a clean bill of health and no criminal record (minor traffic violations excepted). '''Fiancé visas''' similar to immigrant visas (above), give you a few months to get married in the host country, and then change to a permanent residence visa. If the marriage plans fail, you must exit the country by the expiration date. The U.S. has a lifetime maximum of two fiancé visas without a waiver, and this only applies to the U.S. host (not the fiancé). As the mechanics for long-term and work visas can get complicated, it may be advisable to engage the services of an immigration attorney to properly assess your eligibility for the desired type of visa, and facilitate the necessary paperwork. In some cases the employer will handle this. ==Conditions to get a visa== Some countries require that '''you must have at least 6 months of validity remaining on your passport.''' In some cases, the requirement is six months from your date of entry, rather than the visa application date. In other cases (such as applying for Chinese visas), the six months are counted from your planned departure date ''from'' the country you're visiting (for example: if you are planning a four-month stay your passport should be valid for at least 10 months from your entry in the country). For this and other reasons, a visa application must usually include proof that you intend to leave the country (and that you won't stay longer than allowed): an outbound international airline reservation is usually enough. [[File:Kakola-25988.jpg|thumb|When visiting foreign countries, you're sometimes asked about any criminal history — especially in cases when you need a visa]] Having a [[Traveling with a criminal history|criminal record in your home country]] may be grounds for denial of a visa. It can also be grounds for refusal of entry when traveling without a visa. This is true even for countries with land borders and no visa requirement for tourists such as at the U.S.-Canadian border. To avoid disappointment, it's best to inquire at the nearest embassy or consulate. In some cases, this information might be on the host country's web site. However, it is still best to inquire about your particular situation, as legal matters can be enormously complex--especially in an international context. Differences between American and British English can come into play as well. Do not use generic crime-related words on an application without fully explaining the details. For example, "robbery" could mean anything from stealing something surreptitiously to holding people at gunpoint demanding their belongings. In short, the host country's definition of a certain crime may be totally different from your own. If the crime you committed in your home country is not considered a crime at all in the host country, usually, but not always, it won't be an issue. However, it becomes dicier if the only reason it wouldn't be a crime is in the numerical details (such as different standards for blood-alcohol levels, a person's age, or amount of money involved) It's usually best to apply for a visa in advance should you have a criminal record, as being refused entry at the border or airport is considerably more inconvenient. The host country's criteria for time served may be based on the penalties imposed if the crime was committed in that country. If you have declared your criminal record during the visa application and it is granted, then you are unlikely to be refused admission for that reason at the border crossing. It is also important that you have not violated the terms of any previously-issued visas to you. In other words, you should have not for instance overstayed by even just a single day or worked on a tourist visa. Doing so makes it very difficult to re-apply and be granted another visa. Being in a stable financial and employment situation is strongly advised as it can demonstrate that you have fewer reasons to potentially overstay or violate your visa terms. It is also helpful to show ownership of assets or investments in your home country (especially real estate) if you have them. Hence, be ready to procure financial documents from your bank, certificate of employment, affidavit of support, ownership titles, etc. in advance in case the consulate requests this. If you are applying for a work or immigrant visa, the financial situation of the prospective host or employer or petitioning family member will also be important. ===Third-party agent concerns=== Be '''extremely careful''' with persons or organizations whose services you wish to engage to help you apply for a visa. Some of them claim that they can get you a visa quicker than conventional methods. If a proposition sounds too good to be true it probably is. You will be held liable for whatever fraud or misrepresentation they commit in your application. In addition, if you commit fraud either by yourself or with the help of your agent, you face the following consequences: *ban from re-applying for a visa which can last for the rest of your life or for very long periods (not less than five years) *criminal prosecution and jail time in the country which you committed it in *loss of the money you paid the third-party If you don't have a document to prove your eligibility, it is better to explain its absence than present one that is fraudulent or forged (issuing authorities often have full-time, professionally trained staff assigned to verifying documents). Most agency fraud is related to visas for employment, immigration, or education rather than business matters or a short vacation. That said, there are many legitimate visa processing companies that assist persons who reside far from the embassy, find the matter too complex, or live a busy life. Of course, it's a good idea to check their reputation first. ==Entry without a visa== [[File:2009-09 Grenze DE-NL Dwarsefeld.JPG|thumb|Within the [[Schengen Area]] you can in general come and go as you please. – The only thing telling you you're leaving Germany is this friendly sign welcoming you to the Netherlands]] Some countries permit certain nationalities to enter without a visa, but other conditions may apply for entry and the stay. For example, all nationalities in the [[European Union]] can generally freely travel from one country to another with almost no restrictions. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (or ASEAN) allow visa-free access to each other for business and tourism purposes. The [[United States]] allows certain nationals to enter under the Visa Waiver Program for tourism and business only, provided they fill out an online application prior to their arrival. [[Australia]], [[Canada]] and [[New Zealand]] also have a similar system, in which certain nationals may apply online for an electronic visa without having to make a trip to the embassy. Even when there is no immigration or customs control at the border, such as normally in the Schengen area, you still might not be allowed to enter. Although most people visiting the Schengen area have a Schengen visa, some have a visa or residence permit for an individual country, which may or may not allow free passage to other countries. You might get caught in a random check elsewhere. While crossing borders usually requires a passport, there are some cases where nationally issued photo ID of certain countries is enough for entry into others. This may save you money on a passport or be handy when trying to avoid certain stamps in your passport as Egypt allows German citizens in with a national ID and two separate passport size pictures. Some countries still do not require transit visas for transits of certain lengths, such as [[Saudi Arabia]] (in an airport, 18 hours), [[China]], and the [[United Kingdom]] (only applies to certain visa required nationals). If your destination allows others of your nationality in without a visa, don't automatically assume that you won't need one, especially if you are planning to stay for extended periods (i.e. to work, study or immigrate either temporarily or permanently). In fact, it's a good idea to inquire if you're traveling for '''any''' reason other than being a typical "tourist". This includes visiting family or friends, getting married, speaking or performing to an audience or congregation (even if unpaid), journalism, research, professional photography, etc. Check to make certain of your status before entry. In some cases, you may, in fact, need a visa, in others, you may simply need to bring more documentation to the border. Also, you may need a special visa if you visit remote areas where indigenous people live who are not part of mainstream society (e.g. parts of the [[Amazonia|Amazon Basin]], remote areas of [[Africa]], the [[Andaman and Nicobar]] Islands off the coast of [[India]], etc.) ==Obtaining the visa in advance== Your first stop on your journey to get the valuable visa is the website of the immigration authorities, foreign ministry or embassy (see below) of the country or countries you wish to enter. They will provide the list of documents you need to get and specific procedures you need to undergo for your case. They will also provide instructions on how to apply in case they are not directly represented in your home country. In the case of short-term visas, the following documents are usually needed: *passport (always required; sometimes including additional photocopies of your bio-data page and other previous visas/stamps) *financial documents (e.g. tax returns, bank certificates, bank statements) *employment or school certificates (if applicable) *affidavit of support with sponsor's supporting documents (if applicable) *travel details including flight reservations (however don't purchase the tickets yet unless and until the visa is issued), hotel reservations, invitations and itineraries *bank deposit or payment slip (if instructed to pay in this method) *birth certificate (sometimes not needed, since your passport is based on this) Once you have all the necessary documents, you can start filling out the application forms. However, don't write or mark anything until you have read the entire application. There can be some very fine line choices such as "I'm part of a delegation" or "I'm accompanying a delegation." In some countries, applications are only possible online, while in others, it has to be hand-written or type-written. In the case of the former, you will have to print-out the submitted application form or a barcoded page that accesses such information. Next, you can set an appointment using the website or phone number assigned by the visa-issuing authorities. The country you are applying to will also indicate how you should remit your payment and whether this happens before or during the appointment. A commercial third-party accredited by the embassy/consulate may handle administrative aspects of your visa application (i.e. you could be dealing with them in submitting your application rather than the embassy/consulate itself) but they have no influence over the outcome of your application. The embassy or consulate will tell you if you need to come for further interviews. In many cases however, personal appearance at the application centre is now compulsory, i.e. you cannot ask someone to drop off your application documents for you. This is because many embassies need to collect your biometric identifiers (e.g. fingerprints, take your photograph with their camera) and verify your identity. [[File: Icicles on the Embassy of India.JPG|thumb|Embassy of [[India]] in [[Washington D.C.]]]] To get a visa, you have to deal with an [[Diplomatic missions|embassy or consulate]] of the destination country. Embassies are normally in the national capital city. Consulates are a branch of an embassy, usually far away from the capital. For example, Los Angeles and San Francisco have many consulates, as these are major cities thousands of miles/kilometers away from Washington, DC. Generally, small countries have no need for consulates at all, with the possible exception of a neighboring country having a few consulates to reduce the load on the main embassy, and making it more convenient for its citizens who are just across the border. An "honorary" consulate typically cannot issue visas or assist in legal matters, but will refer you and can sometimes forward visa applications to an embassy or regular consulate (usually in a larger city). They mostly deal in information about tourism and local culture and might consist of nothing more than a room in someone's home. In some cases, only your designated consulate or embassy will process your visa, based on where you live. For example, if you live in a small city in the USA and are visiting Washington, DC, you might not be able to apply for a visa there if the destination country has a consulate closest to your home. This is even more likely to be a problem if you visit an embassy in a third country where you are not a resident (even if it's the closest). For example, Ottawa, Canada, has dozens of embassies and can be less than an hour's drive from upstate New York. However, they may or may not be able to help a U.S. resident. Be sure to contact the embassy ahead of time to avoid a wasted trip. On the other hand, if your travels have already begun, and you want to visit a nearby country which requires a visa, contact the nearest embassy or consulate. There's no guarantee, but they may be able to help. A further complication can occur if you have documents that need to be authenticated by the destination country prior to travel (not common for tourist visas unless getting married). If the documents originate from a different part of the country from where you reside, they may have to be shipped to whichever consulate (or main embassy) that handles their particular region of origin. The most common example of this is a birth certificate issued by another state or province. If the official languages of the host country are different from that of the documents, they may need to be translated. The embassy will have a list of approved translators that you must use. For most countries, begin the visa process at least four weeks prior to your trip for ordinary tourist visas (months for employment visas, unless your case belongs to some quickly processed class). Applying in time will hopefully let you complete all of the necessary work in advance of when you desire to leave. Some countries allow for quicker turnaround times, but this comes with the obvious risk of missing your flight or paying a substantially higher fee. If you cannot visit an embassy or consulate in person, the visa may sometimes be obtained by postal mail or air express document shippers (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.). If this is not allowed or you prefer the added convenience, there are usually visa processing services in your home country which deal directly with the embassy. As much as possible, start the application process at the earliest possible opportunity. Processing of your application can take weeks but some countries may have priority processing available. ==Transit== A transit is when you enter a country for a short period for the purposes of transferring to an onward transport leaving the country again. Working out which rules apply to transit can often be more complex than working out the visitor visa requirements. Some variables include the length of your stay (often measured in hours), and whether you will need to leave the sterile transit area of an airport. Some countries that require visitors to have visas will allow transit without a visa under some conditions but may require a transit visa if these are not satisfied. If the transit entry conditions require you to stay in the sterile area during transit, you have to consider your luggage. Some airlines will not check your luggage through to your destination. This can be because they are a budget airline operating on a point-to-point basis, or even with multiple full-service airlines without the correct affiliations to transfer luggage between them. Countries which don't normally require visas for a sterile air-side transit may require you to procure a visitor or transit visa to collect your bags since you have to pass through the immigration control to enter that country to commence the rest of your journey by checking-in again by yourself. You should consider any visa application fees when comparing travel options. Some airlines that don't normally offer to check luggage through to a final destination when fares are booked per sector online, may do so for the same flights if booked as a connecting flight by a travel agent, or as a codeshare. ==After obtaining your visa== [[File: China- Russian border - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A border crossing point between China and Russia]] First, check to see if all the information printed on the visa sticker is correct (from your name to the type of visa). The usual information printed on the visa is as follows: *name *date of birth *nationality *passport number *validity dates* *number of entries allowed* *type of visa <nowiki>*</nowiki>For validity dates and entries allowed, even if you applied and paid for a longer period, the consul, at their discretion may actually give you a shorter period and fewer entries if they are not fully satisfied that you will potentially comply. It is typical for the first time successful visa applicants to get single entry visas. '''Having a valid visa does not automatically guarantee entry into the country that issued the visa.''' When you land at the host country, immigration officers will check once again to see that you are still eligible for that visa. The reasons and circumstances that gave you the visa in the first place must still exist. If traveling as a tourist or a business visitor, make sure you have a return or onward ticket and contact details of your host (including their '''full''' address). Some countries may also require tourists to bring sufficient cash — [[Thailand]] is a prime example. For another status, have all the documents related to the purpose of your trip in order. Don't bring documents or items a normal traveler won't bring. You may be denied entry and your visa may be canceled if you are unable to demonstrate your eligibility or qualifications for your visa. From the time the visa is issued to the time you leave the host country, you are responsible for complying with all the terms and conditions of your stay. If on a multiple-entry visa with a long validity period, the following constitute grounds to automatically invalidate your visa once these are uncovered: *staying beyond the period given to you *performing an activity not allowed by your visa or immigration status (e.g. work or study on a tourist visa, work more than the maximum number of hours on a student visa) *changing of circumstances that got you the visa in the first place (i.e. they no longer exist) ===Length of stay and validity dates=== Depending on the country, the length of authorized stay may or may not be printed on the visa and instead be given at passport control. In relation, the validity dates may have different meanings depending on the country. In the United States, for example, the validity period is simply the window in which you can travel to that country. It is not connected to the allowed period for which you can stay in the country. This means you can enter on the last day of your visa but still receive and be allowed up to a full 6-month period in which to stay there. The actual deadline for you to exit will be stamped in your passport by passport control officers - make sure you leave on or before this date. In other places such as the United Kingdom and most [[Travelling around the Schengen Area|Schengen]] countries, the last day of your validity period is the deadline for you to exit the country. While the maximum period for you to stay may be printed on the visa, you will either be given that period to stay or until the last day in which your visa is valid - whichever is '''shorter'''. This means while you can enter on the last day, you must also exit on that day. ===Extending stay and changing status=== {{main|Visa run and border run}} If you are looking to extend your stay or change your immigration status, apply at the immigration service center of your host country. However, this is not always possible depending on the rules of the immigration status that you used to enter the country with. For instance, those who entered the US under the Visa Waiver Program are not permitted to change status or extend their stay at all. When it is not allowed to change status in the host country, you must exit first and apply at your home country (make sure you leave before time is up otherwise you will have a difficult time getting that new visa). Other than checking past compliance with immigration history, your application for a different visa is independent of your past visa applications and will be viewed on its own merits. Many foreign citizens who work or live in a country where it is difficult or simply not possible to extend a visa will be familiar with the visa trip. For example, a foreigner working in [[Maputo]], [[Mozambique]] can get a 1-month visa on entry to the country very easily, but extending this is not an option. So the trick for many is to take the short car journey into [[South Africa]] (where many citizens can enter without a visa), do some shopping and then return, picking up a new Mozambique visa on the way. ==Overstaying== If your visa (or entry permission) expires before you leave the country, you have overstayed and could be punished. The best advice is not to do this. Should there be any chance of overstaying your entry permit/visa, you need to contact the immigration service of the host country for advice as soon as possible. Punishment for overstaying varies from nothing to having to 'tip' the immigration official, to fines, banishment, or even imprisonment. Changes can occur at any time with little to no notice. Showing up at the international airport with an airline ticket in hand often will reduce any punishment in comparison to being caught elsewhere. (Especially the inconvenience of being temporarily detained without notice, even if other penalties are the same.) One trick to reduce your chances of overstaying your entry permission is to say you will be staying longer than you really are when you enter the country. Usually, you will fill out a form when entering, saying when you will leave. Add a few days or a week to the exit, but nothing that would put you into a more costly or complex type of visa. If the immigration policy is only to grant entry permission for the actual length of stay, you can gain some time with this, and save a trip to the immigration service. Caution: for air travel, officials may want to see your outbound ticket, which will have the date of departure on it. Should you be unexpectedly hospitalized, or it is impossible to leave the country due to a natural disaster, riots, government overthrow, terrorism, etc., contact your embassy immediately. ==Exit visas== [[File: Saudi passport stamps from the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah- 2013-08-30 13-15.jpg|thumb|Saudi Arabian entry and exit stamps]] [[Russia]], [[Travelling around the Schengen Area|Schengen]] countries, [[Saudi Arabia]] and some other countries have an '''exit visa''' requirement. This should not be confused with the exit visa that some former Soviet republics countries require their citizens to have to validate their passport for international travel - see the [[Passports]] page for more on those. Those who are required to have a visa to enter these countries must also have a visa to leave them. It is not as dire as it seems, however; only certain classes require a Saudi exit visa; Russian tourist, business, and transit visas are entry-exit visas; and so are [[Travelling around the Schengen Area|Schengen]] short-stay and long-stay visas. Countries such as [[Saudi Arabia]] require that foreigners have an exit visa before they can leave. Getting in with a work visa requires a Saudi sponsor and getting out requires the sponsor's signature; this can lead to a variety of problems. Foreign teachers at a university may find they need half a dozen lesser signatures (no overdue library books, no outstanding advances on pay, etc.) before they can get the official signature to get out. At one point in the 1980s one problem &mdash; female domestic employee claims various sorts of abuse by an employer; he says she is lazy and disobedient and refuses to sign exit papers &mdash; became so common that the [[Philippines]] government forbade their citizens to take such jobs in Saudi Arabia. However, if for any reason, your visa or permission to remain expires before you leave, you are normally required to obtain an exit visa. This requirement may be waived under certain conditions. For example, the Russian exit visa requirement may be waived in case of minor delays due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or flight cancellation. If you are required to obtain an exit visa, do so well in advance of your departure. It can take as many as three weeks to obtain one. In any case, upon departure, immigration officials in most countries will check your documentation, and, if the country uses some kind of migration control document (e.g. entry card stapled into passport), they will collect that document. If you lost your passport during your stay, these will probably have to be verified or replaced. ==Foreigner registration== Registration is an additional requirement for the visa process. In some countries, you must register your presence and address where you are staying with the local authorities. This might require filling out a form with the local police or a visit to the immigration offices. In many countries with such a law, local hotels will handle the registration (make sure to ask). In other cases, only those staying outside of tourist accommodations need to register. However, this makes the law much more obscure, so find out beforehand. The registration may be an additional stamp in the passport or a piece of paper with an official stamp. Leaving a country without registration can be a problem. You may well be turned back at the immigration counter and told to go to register, which will probably mean missing your flight. ==See also== *[[Border crossing]] *[[Diplomatic missions]] *[[Passport]] *[[Travelling around the Schengen Area]] *[[Traveling with a criminal history]] *[[Visa summary for EU citizens]] *[[Visa trouble]] {{PartOfTopic|Border crossing}} {{guidetopic}} ctilkqg4m3zkjsiu544f4z4qolyf9ce 4501963 4501857 2022-08-16T07:49:13Z LPfi 79572 /* Classes of visas */ the example looked weird to me, see talk: Carrying your university degree? wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WV banner Visa.jpg|ftt=yes}} {{infobox|COVID restrictions, Ukrainian conflict, and backlogs|As of mid-2022, some countries are not issuing tourist visas, and/or have halted their visa-on-arrival programs, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Some have also restricted other types of visa. Many also have requirements for testing and/or quarantine. Also among the countries taking in tourists and regular business travellers, staffing levels may still be limited and there is a considerable backlog in processing visa applications. Furthermore, some missions are prioritising applications from Ukrainian refugees as a result of the an ongoing conflict happening there. As such, visa appointments may not be available for up to a year. Check with an [[Diplomatic missions|embassy or consulate]] or a government web site when planning any travel.}} A '''visa''' is a document issued by some countries to visitors from other countries to facilitate – but not guarantee – [[Border crossing|admission at the border]]. It can be a stamp or sticker in your [[passport]], or can simply be an electronic record. It's important for each country you visit or transit to check if you need a visa, for the kind of visit you are intending. Not having the correct visa may see you denied boarding to transportation or denied admission at the border. Many popular travel destinations provide visitors (from most countries) with a short-term tourist visa on arrival, but sometimes countries require you to apply in advance. The conditions and requirements depend on your nationality. A few countries not known for tourism require exit visas separate from entry visas. Some countries routinely deny entry to holders of passports that show evidence of travel to a country that they don't recognize (e.g. Israel). In such cases, it may be advisable to have two passports, if the country issuing your passport allows that. On the other hand lying is often risky. See "[[Visa trouble]]". == Do you need a visa? == Countries require visas from visitors for regulatory, security and economic reasons. It is important to confirm visa requirements with a current and reliable source, such as the [[Diplomatic missions|embassy or consulate]] of the country where you plan to travel. You may need a visa for any countries you '''visit or transit''' on your trip. Visa requirements vary depending on the nationality of your passport, the length of your stay, whether you will leave the airport, the nature of your trip, your point of entry, and the areas you will be visiting. These requirements can also change regularly. While you may be exempt from having to obtain a visa when making a short trip to a particular country for tourism or business, '''long stays''' in any foreign country will almost always require you to obtain some form of visa or permit. As a rule of thumb, the more different (culturally, economically, politically, etc.) your country of citizenship is from the destination country, the more likely it is that you need a visa even for tourism or transit. This is especially the case if the country you plan to visit has a richer economy than the country you hold a passport for. Visa requirements nearly always depend on your nationality, not your residency. If you are a non-citizen where you reside, '''never''' rely on local advice concerning whether you need a visa to visit a nearby foreign country or other popular location abroad. The locals may not need visas, while you may (or vice versa). However, for some combinations of countries, being a legal resident of the Schengen countries (most European countries) or the U.S., for example, can greatly speed up the visa process and make a tourist visa much easier to obtain. Also, be sure you will be allowed back into the country where you are residing. If you are not a citizen of that country, you may need a permanent residence visa or at least a visa that allows multiple entries to be allowed to return. This includes hours-long day trips at border towns. On the other hand, your residency does matter where you go to obtain the visa. ===Visa summaries=== A visa summary, telling what countries you'll probably need a visa for, can be useful at the early stage of planning a trip. For example a long distance overland journey may be simpler to arrange if most of the route passes through countries that you don't need to get a visa for. However these lists are difficult to keep up to date, and as a summary, they may miss some details which apply to your particular situation. We don't have a summary here, but see: * [[:Wikipedia:Category:Visa requirements by nationality|Category:Visa requirements by nationality]] for summaries on Wikipedia. * UK nationals can use the advice of [http://www.fco.gov.uk Foreign and Commonwealth Office], with a complete list of countries around the world. * U.S. citizens can visit a [http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country.html website maintained by US Department of State] for initial indications of a need for visas. * Most nationals can use the [https://www.iatatravelcentre.com IATA Travel Centre] for initial indications on whether a visa is required or not. This is what airlines use to determine whether to let you on the plane. ==In advance or at point of entry?== [[File:Japan Landing Slip, 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Typical free-on-arrival visa from Japan with departure stamp]] Many popular travel destinations provide visitors for tourism with a free short-term visa on arrival stamped into their passport. Others will accept payment and issue a visa on arrival for a fee. Still, others require an application and visa to be in your passport in advance, and prior to boarding any flight. If visas are issued upon entry, this might be at only ''some'' points of entry. For example, in developing countries, major airports might issue visas on arrival, but some land borders may require a visa issued in advance or vice versa. Some countries, particularly those that want to attract tourists, offer an e-visa system. An ''Electronic Travel Authorization'' (ETA or "e-visa") is obtained online and often has a fee. This is much easier than mailing forms, passports, and payment, but usually falls short of the free short-term visa on arrival. Many countries use the e-visa method: Australia, Canada, Kenya, India, Myanmar (Burma), New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United States for example. Not everyone needs an e-visa (such as citizens of USA and Canada visiting each other's countries), while some nationalities and ethnic groups (e.g. Pakistanis entering India) still must use the traditional paper forms where overstaying or security is a concern. Even though these e-visas are usually granted instantly, secondary processing can take many weeks. Always confirm your visa before buying non-refundable tickets. When filling in the passport number, be careful not to confuse ones and I's or zeros and O's. This could result in the application being rejected. Also, if the passport number has any non-English characters, refer to the FAQ page of the e-visa application site or contact the consulate or embassy. == Visa fees == When visa fees are charged they can vary according to your nationality, the number of times you will enter, the length of stay or validity, the purpose of travel and sometimes how and where you apply. If visas are available at the border, it might be significantly cheaper to get one there, rather than acquiring one in advance. Should your own country charge a fee for visitors of your destination, reciprocal visa policy and fee may apply. Sometimes particular nationalities are charged additional visa fees for reasons that are difficult to ascertain, with country groups assigned to particular fee bands. If you are traveling around border regions you can often reduce visa fees by structuring your movements around such fees, taking an open jaw flight into one country and out of its neighbor can avoid multiple entry fees. If taking a quick visit to a neighboring country, keeping your trip to a single day can often avoid fees too. Children are sometimes charged a reduced fee or no fee at all. The maximum age of the child can vary from under 12 up to 18. The embassy or consulate of the country will also tell you how your payment has to be remitted. At the border, it is possible that the visa can only be purchased with cash. Often the cash has to be in the local currency, but some insist on a specific "hard" currency (commonly U.S. dollars). Visa fees are generally charged up front as a cost of the administrative processing of the visa application (though some countries like Japan and South Korea do not charge application fees for certain types of visas, and a few others may waive application fees for students who hold prestigious government scholarships). Simply put, this is the fee that the consulate charges you for them to take the time to look at and consider your application. Once the visa is granted, the fees are never refundable if you decide to go somewhere else or your trip falls through. Being denied does not get you a refund either. Countries may request applicants to go through third-party agencies (e.g. VFS, TLS Contact). In such a case, applicants may have to pay a service fee to the third party in addition to the visa application fees. Likewise, some countries do not charge fees for the visas themselves (e.g. Japan, South Korea) but may require applicants to go through third parties that may charge their own fees. ==Classes of visas== [[File: Tourist visa of the People's Republic of China.jpg|thumb|Chinese tourist visa]] Visas come in many forms, so it is very important to obtain the appropriate visa for what you intend to do. Attempting to enter a country without the correct visa can see you refused entry, deported, or even barred from future re-entry. Not all countries offer the same types of visas. Here are some of the most common varieties: '''Tourist visas''' are issued to persons wishing to travel to a country for sightseeing or vacation; most are good for one to three months, though some are for as little as 14 days and some last five or ten years (for periodic visits, usually maximum 1–3 months per visit). Employment is generally not allowed, and you should not be carrying documents related to your profession, such as those you would show a potential employer. Many countries have additional requirements. Many will not allow entry on a one-way ticket; you must show officials a return or onward ticket to be admitted. [[Nepal]] does not much want tourists who only hang around in Kathmandu; they issue only short-term visas, and to renew it for a longer stay you must present a receipt showing you have been [[Trekking in Nepal|trekking]] with a licensed guide agency. Many countries offer a '''visa-on-arrival''', typically issued at the airport. However, this depends on both the destination and what passport you hold. In general, visitors from richer countries are more likely to be offered this. Countries such as [[China]] do not generally offer such visas. [[File: LAX Airport (29458140866).jpg|thumb|Inside the international terminal of [[Los Angeles International Airport]], if you fly across the Pacific and are transiting the U.S. there's a high chance you'll pass through here]] '''Transit visas''' are issued to people passing through the country without a significant stay, normally for anywhere from 24 hours to ten days. Some countries offer '''sterile transit''' through their airports; you are not considered to have entered the country, so you need not go through immigration formalities or have a visa. Others do not permit this; for example, the US has no sterile transit and requires all passengers to go through immigration control, and some to have a visa, even at a refueling stop. This is one reason for [[avoiding travel through the United States]]. '''Business visas''' are issued if one needs to conduct financial transactions in the country, sign contracts, attend training or meetings, and a plethora of activities in connection to one's work or profession back home. Employment in the host country is forbidden. '''Student visas''' are issued to those who wish to undertake a course of study in another country. Proof of admission, enrollment, proficiency in the local language, and evidence of sufficient funds to cover your school fees and living expenses are necessary. In some countries this visa does not allow employment; in others, it does but usually with some restrictions. See [[studying abroad]]. '''Work visas''' are permits allowing one to hold a paid job in the destination country for a period of time. These are notoriously hard to acquire unless special arrangements exist between your home country and the destination country. This is because the primary requirement to be considered for a work visa is that nobody in the employer's local job market is qualified and willing to do the job the employer needs to fill. It might be slightly easier for you to get a working visa if you possess an advanced degree (i.e. MA, MS, Ph.D.) from a reputable school or an undergraduate degree with extensive and substantial related experience. [[Teaching English]] or other languages is also often an exception; various countries want native speakers for that. If the work visa does not automatically allow you to permanently immigrate (i.e. you're a contract worker), the visa will usually be restricted as well to a particular employer and job type. See [[working abroad]]. '''Working holiday visas''' are work visas that allow '''short-term''' jobs to be undertaken to subsidize a vacation. These are based on bilateral arrangements between pairs of countries which allow people from either to work temporarily in the other to fund their travel. Typically they have an age limit (often under 35) and a duration limit (often up to a year). Check with your own government to discover which countries yours has such an arrangement with. [[File: Kaba - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Pilgrimage visas are commonly issued for the yearly [[Hajj]]]] '''Religious pilgrimage visas''', such as visas given for the [[Hajj]], entitle the bearer to visit a religious shrine or site. These are common in most Muslim countries. '''Religious worker/Missionary visas''' permits you to enter the country for the purpose of practicing, maintaining, and advancing your religious beliefs. Only available in countries that have "freedom of religion," or if the official religion of the state is the same as your own. Even countries that otherwise permit or tolerate the practice of your religion may have additional requirements for indigenous peoples, though this may apply to other professions as well, such as anthropologists. Some sort of divinity degree and accreditation is usually required for long-term visas. For countries that have no such visa, entering on a tourist, student, or work (e.g. English teacher) visa can be quite risky. '''Retirement visas''' allows you to reside in a country indefinitely, so long as you abide by the law and don't seek paid employment. A minimum amount of annual retirement income, currency conversion, expenditures and/or bank deposits in the host country may be required. See [[Retiring_abroad#Visas]]. In addition, many countries impose a minimum age of around 55 or so. '''Immigrant visas''' or '''Permanent residence visas''' permit one to resettle in a country. These visas are generally the hardest to obtain, with stringent requirements. Common criteria that have to be fulfilled for obtaining such visas include investing a large sum of money in a local business, living in the country continuously on a work visa for a certain period of time, or being married to somebody from that country. In addition, many countries will require you to have a clean bill of health and no criminal record (minor traffic violations excepted). '''Fiancé visas''' similar to immigrant visas (above), give you a few months to get married in the host country, and then change to a permanent residence visa. If the marriage plans fail, you must exit the country by the expiration date. The U.S. has a lifetime maximum of two fiancé visas without a waiver, and this only applies to the U.S. host (not the fiancé). As the mechanics for long-term and work visas can get complicated, it may be advisable to engage the services of an immigration attorney to properly assess your eligibility for the desired type of visa, and facilitate the necessary paperwork. In some cases the employer will handle this. ==Conditions to get a visa== Some countries require that '''you must have at least 6 months of validity remaining on your passport.''' In some cases, the requirement is six months from your date of entry, rather than the visa application date. In other cases (such as applying for Chinese visas), the six months are counted from your planned departure date ''from'' the country you're visiting (for example: if you are planning a four-month stay your passport should be valid for at least 10 months from your entry in the country). For this and other reasons, a visa application must usually include proof that you intend to leave the country (and that you won't stay longer than allowed): an outbound international airline reservation is usually enough. [[File:Kakola-25988.jpg|thumb|When visiting foreign countries, you're sometimes asked about any criminal history — especially in cases when you need a visa]] Having a [[Traveling with a criminal history|criminal record in your home country]] may be grounds for denial of a visa. It can also be grounds for refusal of entry when traveling without a visa. This is true even for countries with land borders and no visa requirement for tourists such as at the U.S.-Canadian border. To avoid disappointment, it's best to inquire at the nearest embassy or consulate. In some cases, this information might be on the host country's web site. However, it is still best to inquire about your particular situation, as legal matters can be enormously complex--especially in an international context. Differences between American and British English can come into play as well. Do not use generic crime-related words on an application without fully explaining the details. For example, "robbery" could mean anything from stealing something surreptitiously to holding people at gunpoint demanding their belongings. In short, the host country's definition of a certain crime may be totally different from your own. If the crime you committed in your home country is not considered a crime at all in the host country, usually, but not always, it won't be an issue. However, it becomes dicier if the only reason it wouldn't be a crime is in the numerical details (such as different standards for blood-alcohol levels, a person's age, or amount of money involved) It's usually best to apply for a visa in advance should you have a criminal record, as being refused entry at the border or airport is considerably more inconvenient. The host country's criteria for time served may be based on the penalties imposed if the crime was committed in that country. If you have declared your criminal record during the visa application and it is granted, then you are unlikely to be refused admission for that reason at the border crossing. It is also important that you have not violated the terms of any previously-issued visas to you. In other words, you should have not for instance overstayed by even just a single day or worked on a tourist visa. Doing so makes it very difficult to re-apply and be granted another visa. Being in a stable financial and employment situation is strongly advised as it can demonstrate that you have fewer reasons to potentially overstay or violate your visa terms. It is also helpful to show ownership of assets or investments in your home country (especially real estate) if you have them. Hence, be ready to procure financial documents from your bank, certificate of employment, affidavit of support, ownership titles, etc. in advance in case the consulate requests this. If you are applying for a work or immigrant visa, the financial situation of the prospective host or employer or petitioning family member will also be important. ===Third-party agent concerns=== Be '''extremely careful''' with persons or organizations whose services you wish to engage to help you apply for a visa. Some of them claim that they can get you a visa quicker than conventional methods. If a proposition sounds too good to be true it probably is. You will be held liable for whatever fraud or misrepresentation they commit in your application. In addition, if you commit fraud either by yourself or with the help of your agent, you face the following consequences: *ban from re-applying for a visa which can last for the rest of your life or for very long periods (not less than five years) *criminal prosecution and jail time in the country which you committed it in *loss of the money you paid the third-party If you don't have a document to prove your eligibility, it is better to explain its absence than present one that is fraudulent or forged (issuing authorities often have full-time, professionally trained staff assigned to verifying documents). Most agency fraud is related to visas for employment, immigration, or education rather than business matters or a short vacation. That said, there are many legitimate visa processing companies that assist persons who reside far from the embassy, find the matter too complex, or live a busy life. Of course, it's a good idea to check their reputation first. ==Entry without a visa== [[File:2009-09 Grenze DE-NL Dwarsefeld.JPG|thumb|Within the [[Schengen Area]] you can in general come and go as you please. – The only thing telling you you're leaving Germany is this friendly sign welcoming you to the Netherlands]] Some countries permit certain nationalities to enter without a visa, but other conditions may apply for entry and the stay. For example, all nationalities in the [[European Union]] can generally freely travel from one country to another with almost no restrictions. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (or ASEAN) allow visa-free access to each other for business and tourism purposes. The [[United States]] allows certain nationals to enter under the Visa Waiver Program for tourism and business only, provided they fill out an online application prior to their arrival. [[Australia]], [[Canada]] and [[New Zealand]] also have a similar system, in which certain nationals may apply online for an electronic visa without having to make a trip to the embassy. Even when there is no immigration or customs control at the border, such as normally in the Schengen area, you still might not be allowed to enter. Although most people visiting the Schengen area have a Schengen visa, some have a visa or residence permit for an individual country, which may or may not allow free passage to other countries. You might get caught in a random check elsewhere. While crossing borders usually requires a passport, there are some cases where nationally issued photo ID of certain countries is enough for entry into others. This may save you money on a passport or be handy when trying to avoid certain stamps in your passport as Egypt allows German citizens in with a national ID and two separate passport size pictures. Some countries still do not require transit visas for transits of certain lengths, such as [[Saudi Arabia]] (in an airport, 18 hours), [[China]], and the [[United Kingdom]] (only applies to certain visa required nationals). If your destination allows others of your nationality in without a visa, don't automatically assume that you won't need one, especially if you are planning to stay for extended periods (i.e. to work, study or immigrate either temporarily or permanently). In fact, it's a good idea to inquire if you're traveling for '''any''' reason other than being a typical "tourist". This includes visiting family or friends, getting married, speaking or performing to an audience or congregation (even if unpaid), journalism, research, professional photography, etc. Check to make certain of your status before entry. In some cases, you may, in fact, need a visa, in others, you may simply need to bring more documentation to the border. Also, you may need a special visa if you visit remote areas where indigenous people live who are not part of mainstream society (e.g. parts of the [[Amazonia|Amazon Basin]], remote areas of [[Africa]], the [[Andaman and Nicobar]] Islands off the coast of [[India]], etc.) ==Obtaining the visa in advance== Your first stop on your journey to get the valuable visa is the website of the immigration authorities, foreign ministry or embassy (see below) of the country or countries you wish to enter. They will provide the list of documents you need to get and specific procedures you need to undergo for your case. They will also provide instructions on how to apply in case they are not directly represented in your home country. In the case of short-term visas, the following documents are usually needed: *passport (always required; sometimes including additional photocopies of your bio-data page and other previous visas/stamps) *financial documents (e.g. tax returns, bank certificates, bank statements) *employment or school certificates (if applicable) *affidavit of support with sponsor's supporting documents (if applicable) *travel details including flight reservations (however don't purchase the tickets yet unless and until the visa is issued), hotel reservations, invitations and itineraries *bank deposit or payment slip (if instructed to pay in this method) *birth certificate (sometimes not needed, since your passport is based on this) Once you have all the necessary documents, you can start filling out the application forms. However, don't write or mark anything until you have read the entire application. There can be some very fine line choices such as "I'm part of a delegation" or "I'm accompanying a delegation." In some countries, applications are only possible online, while in others, it has to be hand-written or type-written. In the case of the former, you will have to print-out the submitted application form or a barcoded page that accesses such information. Next, you can set an appointment using the website or phone number assigned by the visa-issuing authorities. The country you are applying to will also indicate how you should remit your payment and whether this happens before or during the appointment. A commercial third-party accredited by the embassy/consulate may handle administrative aspects of your visa application (i.e. you could be dealing with them in submitting your application rather than the embassy/consulate itself) but they have no influence over the outcome of your application. The embassy or consulate will tell you if you need to come for further interviews. In many cases however, personal appearance at the application centre is now compulsory, i.e. you cannot ask someone to drop off your application documents for you. This is because many embassies need to collect your biometric identifiers (e.g. fingerprints, take your photograph with their camera) and verify your identity. [[File: Icicles on the Embassy of India.JPG|thumb|Embassy of [[India]] in [[Washington D.C.]]]] To get a visa, you have to deal with an [[Diplomatic missions|embassy or consulate]] of the destination country. Embassies are normally in the national capital city. Consulates are a branch of an embassy, usually far away from the capital. For example, Los Angeles and San Francisco have many consulates, as these are major cities thousands of miles/kilometers away from Washington, DC. Generally, small countries have no need for consulates at all, with the possible exception of a neighboring country having a few consulates to reduce the load on the main embassy, and making it more convenient for its citizens who are just across the border. An "honorary" consulate typically cannot issue visas or assist in legal matters, but will refer you and can sometimes forward visa applications to an embassy or regular consulate (usually in a larger city). They mostly deal in information about tourism and local culture and might consist of nothing more than a room in someone's home. In some cases, only your designated consulate or embassy will process your visa, based on where you live. For example, if you live in a small city in the USA and are visiting Washington, DC, you might not be able to apply for a visa there if the destination country has a consulate closest to your home. This is even more likely to be a problem if you visit an embassy in a third country where you are not a resident (even if it's the closest). For example, Ottawa, Canada, has dozens of embassies and can be less than an hour's drive from upstate New York. However, they may or may not be able to help a U.S. resident. Be sure to contact the embassy ahead of time to avoid a wasted trip. On the other hand, if your travels have already begun, and you want to visit a nearby country which requires a visa, contact the nearest embassy or consulate. There's no guarantee, but they may be able to help. A further complication can occur if you have documents that need to be authenticated by the destination country prior to travel (not common for tourist visas unless getting married). If the documents originate from a different part of the country from where you reside, they may have to be shipped to whichever consulate (or main embassy) that handles their particular region of origin. The most common example of this is a birth certificate issued by another state or province. If the official languages of the host country are different from that of the documents, they may need to be translated. The embassy will have a list of approved translators that you must use. For most countries, begin the visa process at least four weeks prior to your trip for ordinary tourist visas (months for employment visas, unless your case belongs to some quickly processed class). Applying in time will hopefully let you complete all of the necessary work in advance of when you desire to leave. Some countries allow for quicker turnaround times, but this comes with the obvious risk of missing your flight or paying a substantially higher fee. If you cannot visit an embassy or consulate in person, the visa may sometimes be obtained by postal mail or air express document shippers (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.). If this is not allowed or you prefer the added convenience, there are usually visa processing services in your home country which deal directly with the embassy. As much as possible, start the application process at the earliest possible opportunity. Processing of your application can take weeks but some countries may have priority processing available. ==Transit== A transit is when you enter a country for a short period for the purposes of transferring to an onward transport leaving the country again. Working out which rules apply to transit can often be more complex than working out the visitor visa requirements. Some variables include the length of your stay (often measured in hours), and whether you will need to leave the sterile transit area of an airport. Some countries that require visitors to have visas will allow transit without a visa under some conditions but may require a transit visa if these are not satisfied. If the transit entry conditions require you to stay in the sterile area during transit, you have to consider your luggage. Some airlines will not check your luggage through to your destination. This can be because they are a budget airline operating on a point-to-point basis, or even with multiple full-service airlines without the correct affiliations to transfer luggage between them. Countries which don't normally require visas for a sterile air-side transit may require you to procure a visitor or transit visa to collect your bags since you have to pass through the immigration control to enter that country to commence the rest of your journey by checking-in again by yourself. You should consider any visa application fees when comparing travel options. Some airlines that don't normally offer to check luggage through to a final destination when fares are booked per sector online, may do so for the same flights if booked as a connecting flight by a travel agent, or as a codeshare. ==After obtaining your visa== [[File: China- Russian border - panoramio.jpg|thumb|A border crossing point between China and Russia]] First, check to see if all the information printed on the visa sticker is correct (from your name to the type of visa). The usual information printed on the visa is as follows: *name *date of birth *nationality *passport number *validity dates* *number of entries allowed* *type of visa <nowiki>*</nowiki>For validity dates and entries allowed, even if you applied and paid for a longer period, the consul, at their discretion may actually give you a shorter period and fewer entries if they are not fully satisfied that you will potentially comply. It is typical for the first time successful visa applicants to get single entry visas. '''Having a valid visa does not automatically guarantee entry into the country that issued the visa.''' When you land at the host country, immigration officers will check once again to see that you are still eligible for that visa. The reasons and circumstances that gave you the visa in the first place must still exist. If traveling as a tourist or a business visitor, make sure you have a return or onward ticket and contact details of your host (including their '''full''' address). Some countries may also require tourists to bring sufficient cash — [[Thailand]] is a prime example. For another status, have all the documents related to the purpose of your trip in order. Don't bring documents or items a normal traveler won't bring. You may be denied entry and your visa may be canceled if you are unable to demonstrate your eligibility or qualifications for your visa. From the time the visa is issued to the time you leave the host country, you are responsible for complying with all the terms and conditions of your stay. If on a multiple-entry visa with a long validity period, the following constitute grounds to automatically invalidate your visa once these are uncovered: *staying beyond the period given to you *performing an activity not allowed by your visa or immigration status (e.g. work or study on a tourist visa, work more than the maximum number of hours on a student visa) *changing of circumstances that got you the visa in the first place (i.e. they no longer exist) ===Length of stay and validity dates=== Depending on the country, the length of authorized stay may or may not be printed on the visa and instead be given at passport control. In relation, the validity dates may have different meanings depending on the country. In the United States, for example, the validity period is simply the window in which you can travel to that country. It is not connected to the allowed period for which you can stay in the country. This means you can enter on the last day of your visa but still receive and be allowed up to a full 6-month period in which to stay there. The actual deadline for you to exit will be stamped in your passport by passport control officers - make sure you leave on or before this date. In other places such as the United Kingdom and most [[Travelling around the Schengen Area|Schengen]] countries, the last day of your validity period is the deadline for you to exit the country. While the maximum period for you to stay may be printed on the visa, you will either be given that period to stay or until the last day in which your visa is valid - whichever is '''shorter'''. This means while you can enter on the last day, you must also exit on that day. ===Extending stay and changing status=== {{main|Visa run and border run}} If you are looking to extend your stay or change your immigration status, apply at the immigration service center of your host country. However, this is not always possible depending on the rules of the immigration status that you used to enter the country with. For instance, those who entered the US under the Visa Waiver Program are not permitted to change status or extend their stay at all. When it is not allowed to change status in the host country, you must exit first and apply at your home country (make sure you leave before time is up otherwise you will have a difficult time getting that new visa). Other than checking past compliance with immigration history, your application for a different visa is independent of your past visa applications and will be viewed on its own merits. Many foreign citizens who work or live in a country where it is difficult or simply not possible to extend a visa will be familiar with the visa trip. For example, a foreigner working in [[Maputo]], [[Mozambique]] can get a 1-month visa on entry to the country very easily, but extending this is not an option. So the trick for many is to take the short car journey into [[South Africa]] (where many citizens can enter without a visa), do some shopping and then return, picking up a new Mozambique visa on the way. ==Overstaying== If your visa (or entry permission) expires before you leave the country, you have overstayed and could be punished. The best advice is not to do this. Should there be any chance of overstaying your entry permit/visa, you need to contact the immigration service of the host country for advice as soon as possible. Punishment for overstaying varies from nothing to having to 'tip' the immigration official, to fines, banishment, or even imprisonment. Changes can occur at any time with little to no notice. Showing up at the international airport with an airline ticket in hand often will reduce any punishment in comparison to being caught elsewhere. (Especially the inconvenience of being temporarily detained without notice, even if other penalties are the same.) One trick to reduce your chances of overstaying your entry permission is to say you will be staying longer than you really are when you enter the country. Usually, you will fill out a form when entering, saying when you will leave. Add a few days or a week to the exit, but nothing that would put you into a more costly or complex type of visa. If the immigration policy is only to grant entry permission for the actual length of stay, you can gain some time with this, and save a trip to the immigration service. Caution: for air travel, officials may want to see your outbound ticket, which will have the date of departure on it. Should you be unexpectedly hospitalized, or it is impossible to leave the country due to a natural disaster, riots, government overthrow, terrorism, etc., contact your embassy immediately. ==Exit visas== [[File: Saudi passport stamps from the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah- 2013-08-30 13-15.jpg|thumb|Saudi Arabian entry and exit stamps]] [[Russia]], [[Travelling around the Schengen Area|Schengen]] countries, [[Saudi Arabia]] and some other countries have an '''exit visa''' requirement. This should not be confused with the exit visa that some former Soviet republics countries require their citizens to have to validate their passport for international travel - see the [[Passports]] page for more on those. Those who are required to have a visa to enter these countries must also have a visa to leave them. It is not as dire as it seems, however; only certain classes require a Saudi exit visa; Russian tourist, business, and transit visas are entry-exit visas; and so are [[Travelling around the Schengen Area|Schengen]] short-stay and long-stay visas. Countries such as [[Saudi Arabia]] require that foreigners have an exit visa before they can leave. Getting in with a work visa requires a Saudi sponsor and getting out requires the sponsor's signature; this can lead to a variety of problems. Foreign teachers at a university may find they need half a dozen lesser signatures (no overdue library books, no outstanding advances on pay, etc.) before they can get the official signature to get out. At one point in the 1980s one problem &mdash; female domestic employee claims various sorts of abuse by an employer; he says she is lazy and disobedient and refuses to sign exit papers &mdash; became so common that the [[Philippines]] government forbade their citizens to take such jobs in Saudi Arabia. However, if for any reason, your visa or permission to remain expires before you leave, you are normally required to obtain an exit visa. This requirement may be waived under certain conditions. For example, the Russian exit visa requirement may be waived in case of minor delays due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or flight cancellation. If you are required to obtain an exit visa, do so well in advance of your departure. It can take as many as three weeks to obtain one. In any case, upon departure, immigration officials in most countries will check your documentation, and, if the country uses some kind of migration control document (e.g. entry card stapled into passport), they will collect that document. If you lost your passport during your stay, these will probably have to be verified or replaced. ==Foreigner registration== Registration is an additional requirement for the visa process. In some countries, you must register your presence and address where you are staying with the local authorities. This might require filling out a form with the local police or a visit to the immigration offices. In many countries with such a law, local hotels will handle the registration (make sure to ask). In other cases, only those staying outside of tourist accommodations need to register. However, this makes the law much more obscure, so find out beforehand. The registration may be an additional stamp in the passport or a piece of paper with an official stamp. Leaving a country without registration can be a problem. You may well be turned back at the immigration counter and told to go to register, which will probably mean missing your flight. ==See also== *[[Border crossing]] *[[Diplomatic missions]] *[[Passport]] *[[Travelling around the Schengen Area]] *[[Traveling with a criminal history]] *[[Visa summary for EU citizens]] *[[Visa trouble]] {{PartOfTopic|Border crossing}} {{guidetopic}} 9zdvhy6pffoop9ef3pql5gpd11m04gx 0 38198 4501689 4273356 2022-08-15T18:34:15Z BinUnterwegs 2162533 /* Summer */ Updated prices of Voss Gondol wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|caption=}} '''[http://www.visitvoss.no/en/ '''Voss''']''' is a in a municipality in the inner part of [[Hordaland]], between the great fjords of [[Sogn]] and [[Hardanger]]. Voss is known to be the adventure capital of Norway. Voss is also the major winter destination in Hordaland with two ski resorts and long skiing traditions. Voss village is are surrounded by rivers, mountains, fjord and lakes, and there is a wide range of challenges at all levels. A web of valleys converveges at Voss village, locally known as Vossevangen, which is also the centre of the municipality. The village sits at the eastern end of Vangsvatnet lake. Voss village is a station on the Bergen-Oslo railway line little over 1 hour by train or car from [[Bergen]]. Voss village is a transport hub as key roads and the railway intersect. [[File:Vossavangen.jpg|thumb|Voss village]] ==Understand== Voss is the wide interior district in Hordaland county. Even if not directly at one of the great fjords, Voss is still a good base for a visit to fjords of Norway. From Voss the great Sognefjord and the romantic Hardangerfjord in less than 1 hour. Voss village, ''Vossevangen'', sits a lovely lake, ''Vangsvatnet'', and is a key station on the Bergen railway as well as a hub for roads Bergen-Oslo and roads north-south in the fjordland. A web of valleys converge at Voss village and Vangsvatnet is the confluence of several rivers. Below the lake Voss is connected to the inner fjord through a narrow valley. Voss river, ''Vosso'', flows through the narrow valley through Evanger lake and drains into Bolstadfjorden. Vosso is known for its large salmon, average has been over 10 kilogram and records at 30 kg. The unique Vosso salmon is largely extinct. Evanger lake and Bolstadfjorden are narrow and complicated. Voss lake and village is only 50 meters above sea level. Voss is the only notable village in West Norway not situated at a salt water. [[File:Vosso ved Bolstad.JPG|thumb|Road E16 and Bergen railway between Voss and Bergen.]] From Voss the uplands at Myrdal and Finse is only an easy train ride away, areas that are available by train only. From Voss village several valleys stretches into the hinterland: Raundalen (with Bergen railway), towards Granvin and Hardanger, towards Myrkdalen, Vik/Vangsnes (road 13), and Opheim-Stalheim (road E16 to Gudvangen and Flåm). Raundalen valley cuts right east into the bedrock and the Raundal river partly flows through gorges, the road is dead end only the railway continues through a tunnel (Gravhalstunnelen) to Myrdal in Flåm district. The Gravhalstunnel from Raundalen to Myrdal is more than 5 kilometers and was the longest tunnel north of the Alps when completed in 1905. This railway tunnel was an engineering achievement as work began from both sides and workers missed by only 4 centimeters deep in the bedrock. The British army for many years used Raundalen area for winter training. In the area you will also find a wide range of activity providers - including rafting, paragliding, mountain walking and guided excursions. Year-round there is a lot of cultural events, the most famous being The Extreme Sports Week - the world's biggest extreme sports festival. Voss is sheltered by surrounding mountains giving relatively dry and warm summers and relatively cold winters. As Bergen has unstable weather and little snow, many travel from Bergen to Voss for skiing. Voss has a drier and more stable weather, winters are colder and summer warmer. In the Myrkdalen there is often heavy snowfall making the new ski resort there popular. Myrkdalen in 2018 was ranked as the 5th best ski resort in Norway, up from 9th in 2017. Good off-piste options and children's area. Voss has a long history, and have been welcoming international tourists for almost 200 years. Visitors come to experience the magnificent scenery - never-ending vistas of mountains and nearby glaciers and fjords, lakes and fast-flowing whitewater rivers - and to have plenty of active fun year round. ==Get in== [[File:Norway Hordaland - Voss.svg|thumb|Voss within Hordaland]] It is easy to get to Voss by train, bus and car from gateways such as Bergen and Oslo with a number of international arrivals. The town is centrally located in South West Norway, only somewhat more than 1 hour from Bergen, 6 hours from Oslo and ”In the Heart of Fjord Norway”, between the famous fjords [[Sognefjorden]] and Hardangerfjorden. Bergen is the main gateway for both international and national arrivals to this part of Western Norway, for arrivals by plane, bus or boat. If you are on a round trip without a car, there are several destinations in the region that have connections to Voss by public transport. Here are the main gateways: * [[Bergen]] * [[Sognefjord]] area: [[Sogndal]], [[Flåm]]/[[Gudvangen]] and Vik in Sogn * [[Hardanger]] area: [[Ulvik]], Kvanndal, Norheimsund ===By plane=== [http://www.avinor.no/en/airport/bergen Bergen Airport Flesland] is the closest airport to Voss, with non-stop international flights from larger scale European airports such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, London, Stockholm and Reykjavik. Low-cost airlines also operate non-stop flights to Bergen from international airports such as Paris, Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Riga and London. There are also, of course, direct flights from several Norwegian airports, including daily departures from Oslo Airport Gardermoen with SAS and Norwegian airlines. ===By train=== [[File:512. Vossebanen, Fjeldtunnel ved Vaksdal (6934330041).jpg|thumb|The original Bergen-Voss was built in challenging terrain (photo 1890)]] Voss is a central stop on the Bergen Railway between [[Oslo]] and [[Bergen]]. The service to Bergen by train is fairly frequent, with several local trains making the run. The journey from Bergen takes about 75 minutes and costs kr&nbsp;189 for one adult. Timetables available on the [https://www.nsb.no/en/ Norwegian State Railways (NSB)] website. At the time of construction the Bergen-Voss and Voss-Finse-Geilo stretches of railway were engineering achievements. ===By bus=== Busses from Bergen are operated by [http://www.nor-way.no/?lang=en_GB NOR-WAY] and [https://www.skyss.no/ Skyss] and take about 100 minutes. ===By car=== [[File:U Shaped Valley Norway 2009.JPG|thumb|Road 13 from Vik runs across Vik mountain pass.]] [[File:SKJERVSFOSSEN WATERFALLS Road 13, Norway - June 15, 1989.jpg|thumb|Road from Granvin through Skjervet gorge. New road in tunnel.]] Voss is centrally located on the main road network in Western Norway. On Route E16 between [[Oslo]] and [[Bergen]] and on the North/South inland route RV13. * Bergen - Voss: ** Route E16 via Arna and Dale (100 km, 1 hr 20 min) * Oslo - Voss: ** Route E16 via Filefjell (420 km, 7 hr) ** Route 52 via Gol and Hemsedal (400 km, 6 hr 30 min) ** Route 50 via Hol and Aurland (380 km, 6 hr) ** Route 7 via Hardangervidda (400, 6 hr) ** Route 7 via Gol and Geilo (360, 5 hr 30 min) *From Førde and [[Balestrand]]: Road 13 including ferry Dragsvik-Vangsnes. *From Hardanger including Eidfjord: **Road 13 through Granvin **From Granvin lake scenic detour via old road through Skjervet ==Get around== [[File:Voss Gondol Gondola aerial passenger lift (taubane) Bottom station View from cabin Vossavangen Kulturhus Voss railway station Fleischer's Hotel Evangervegen E16 Vangsvatnet Low november afternoon sunset etc Voss Norway 2019-11-20 0540.jpg|thumb|Voss Gondola opened in 2019 and lifts visitors, paragliders and skiers from the railway station to Hanguren summit above the village.]] * Ski lift to Mt Hanguren (return ticket: kr&nbsp;100). The gondola lift to Hanguren has been dismantled. A new lift is expected to open in 2019. * The railway runs east-west through Voss district serving Raundalen valley to the east and Evanger to the west. * Northern part of Voss district (Stalheim, Oppheim and Myrkdalen ski resort) is available by bus and car. ==See== {{Mapframe|60.724|6.551|zoom=10}} * {{see | name=Bordalsgjelet Gorge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.6124 | long=6.4235 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The deep and dramatic Bordalsgjelet Gorge has information boards, viewpoints and benches. When snow and ice does not affect accessibility you can also follow a footpath that leads alongside the gorge. Here you will have excellent views of the fascinating potholes. Remember, however, for your own safety: Keep to the marked footpaths. }} * {{see | name=Stalheim and Stalheimskleiva | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.8385 | long=6.6902 | directions=35 km (22 mi) north of Voss driving on the E16 | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=From the Stalheim.jpg | wikidata=Q1020726 | content=Stalheim is known for the great view down the gorge-like Nærøydalen valley with unusual shapes and tall waterfalls. The best view is from the plateau at Stalheim hotel, though often crowded by busloads of tourists. You may be required to pay for a cup of coffee to be allowed access to the plateau, as it is private ground only accessible through the hotel. Two of the waterfalls are beneath the hotel and not easy to see from there. Stalheimskleiva is one of the steepest roads in Northern Europe, built during 1842-1846. The road has 13 hairpin bends. On either side of the road you can see the Stalheim Waterfall (126 m) and the Sivle Waterfall (142 m). <s>Stalheimskleiva is a one-way road going down.</s> As of May 2021 the road is permanently closed to motor vehicles due to unstable conditions of the fundament. }} * {{see | name=Tvindefossen Waterfall | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.72606 | long=6.48713 | directions=12 km (7 mi) north of Voss driving on the E16 | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A 152-metre waterfall by Tvinde Camping. There is a road/footpath to the top of the falls. Kiosk. This walk combines well with a Car Walk, either to Afdal-Prestølen or Leidal-Hustveit. }} * {{see | name=Skjervet waterfall | alt=Skjervesfossen | url= | email= | address=Skjervesvegen, Granvin | lat=60.5871 | long=6.6381 | directions=When driving between Granvin and Voss in the summer, you can drive the old road Skjervesvegen through Skjervet instead of the tunnel on road 13. | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 h | price=Free | image=SKJERVSFOSSEN WATERFALLS Road 13, Norway - June 15, 1989.jpg | content=It's a steep valley with hairpin bends and waterfall. At the top, you are able to park the car and enjoy the view. Until 2011 the hairpins were part of road 13 and the only road between Voss and Hardanger. Since 2011 a long tunnel bypasses this difficult stretch. The old stretch is part of national tourist route Hardanger. Driving in summer is easy. From Granvin: At the upper end of lake leave the main road between the tunnels. From Voss: Turn left off the main road some 300 meters before the tunnel. Until 1988 Voss and Granvin port were connected by railway through Skjervet, one of the steepest in Norway. Rail tracks have been removed and converted into bicycle and pedestrian road. }} * {{see | name=Swimming pool | alt= | url= | email= | address=Prestegardsmoen | lat=60.62536 | long=6.42081 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Near Voss Camping in Prestegardsmoen there is an outdoor swimming pool with a diving tower plus three water chutes and a paddling pool. Fun for the whole family. Kiosk available for refreshments, ice, chocolate etc. }} [[File:Finnesloftet002.jpg|thumb|Ancient Finnesloftet, a guild hall from 1295 AD.]] * {{see | name=Finnesloftet | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | image=Finnesloftet (2361820859).jpg | wikidata=Q11968945 | lastedit=2021-05-25 | content=Finnesloftet is a medieval wooden building near Voss village, built in year 1295. It is one of the oldest non-religious wooden buildings in Norway and this is one of the few in Western Norway. Norway is the only country with a considerable number of ancient wooden buildings, about a half of these in Telemark and only a small number in Western Norway. Finnesloftet belongs to the Finne farm, presumably a rich property in the middle ages. This building is of the ''loft'' type, a traditional two-storey building for storage, bedrooms and official receptions. During the middle ages and well into the 17th and 18th centuries two-storey houses were uncommon, and two-storey lofts were the most prestigious and elaborate buildings. Finnesloftet is unique among ''loft'' as the first level is a log construction while the second is a ''stave'' construction like stave churches. The upper level of Finnesloftet was presumably used as guild hall and was in the middle ages more prominent in an area with only small single-storey houses. }} ==Do== ===Winter=== [[File:Varde på Finnbunuten med pudderplank.jpg|thumb|Voss is the skiing capital of western Norway]] With '''two ski centres''' and long skiing traditions, Voss is a popular and one of the most established ski destinations in Norway. It is not without reason that World Cup Events are frequently held here. Voss is also one of the most natural snow-reliable ski destinations in Norway. On altogether some 50 kilometers of well prepared alpine slopes, you can ski in varying terrain from nursery slopes to demanding terrain for the most experienced. There are also great possibilities for cross-country skiing in Voss, in close proximity to the ski centres as well as in the wider Voss area. Services and facilities in the two ski centres include: terrain parks, ski schools and ski rentals, children's play areas, food & drink facilities and areas for cross country skiing. * {{do | name=Voss Resort | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.6557 | long=6.4176 | directions=5 kilometres North of town centre | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The Voss Resort is one of the longest established ski centres in Norway and its welcome centre is situated in Bavallen. }} * {{do | name=Voss Fjellandsby - Myrkdalen | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=60.8603 | long=6.4956 | directions=25 kilometres North of town centre | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The area of Myrkdalen where you can find the welcome centre of Voss Fjellandsby - or "Voss Mountain Village" if translated into English. }} * {{do | name=Guided Tours | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=For small and large groups [http://www.vossrafting.no/en/ Voss Rafting Senter] offers a range of guided tours during the winter months, from sunset snow shoes tours, to skiing tours in the hills around Voss. }} ===Summer=== [[File:Bavallen flying site (flystad flygested) by Hanguren mountain Panoramic view towards mountains and valleys in east Lønavatnet etc Paragliders pilots November Snow Low sunlight Voss Norway 2019-11-20 0685.jpg|thumb|Winter paragliding from the ski slopes.]] * {{do | name=Voss Rafting Senter | alt= | url=http://www.vossrafting.no/en/ | email=post@vossrafting.no | address=Nedkvitnesvegen 25 | lat=60.65470 | long=6.44343 | directions= | phone=+47 56 51 05 25 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Activities from kr&nbsp;330 | content=Voss Rafting Senter has a broad spectrum of activities like white-water rafting, sportsrafting, riverboarding, waterfall rappelling, canyoning, obstacle course and wilderness camp for tourists, companies, bachelor parties, societies, schools and friends. All products are related to water sport and based on strict safety procedures and the crew is highly professional in all aspects. Voss Rafting Senter`s motto is to "Guarantee To Wet Your Pants!" under controlled settings. Voss Rafting can offer everything from adventures family rafting to extreme rafting trips in world class. }} * {{do | name=Voss Golf | alt= | url=http://www.vossgolf.no/ | email= | address=Golfparken 3, Skulestadmoen Voss | lat=60.6820 | long=6.4861 | directions= | phone=+47 400 04 490 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-05-27 | content= }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Voss Gondol | alt= | url=https://www.vossgondol.no/en/ | email= | address=Voss railway station | lat=60.629176 | long=6.410751 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=425 NOK (round trip) | image=Voss Gondol Gondola lift (taubane) bottom station Trafikknutepunktet Esso petrol station bensinstasjon Deli deLuca Voss stasjon railway station Fleischer's Hotel Evangervegen E16 Snow Vossavangen Voss Norway 2019-11-20 0507.jpg | content=Gondola lift directly from the railway station to Hanguren summit, fine panorama of Voss district. Very expensive. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Tre Brør Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=Vangsgata 28 | lat=60.6292 | long=6.4187 | directions=on the town square | phone=+47 56 52 99 25 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su–Th 11:00–21:00, F Sa 11:00–01:00 | price=Main course: kr&nbsp;85-185 | content=Great place for lunch, dinner or a drink. Has a comfortable and cosy setting. }} * {{eat | name=Store Ringheim Restaurant | alt= | url=http://storeringheim.no/en/ | email=booking@storeringheim.no | address=Molstervegen 44 | lat=60.6380256 | long=6.4275381999 | directions=Follow Ringheimsvegen from the town center approx 1km, then turn left and follow Molstervegen 400 m | phone=+47 95406135 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Thur - sun 17:00 - 21:00 | price= | lastedit=2015-11-18 | content=Inside a restored old barn at Store Ringheim, offers set menus and an ala carte menu. There is a strict policy to make all food from scratch. Also they strive to find the best local ingredients from local farmers or in the nature. There is also a patio, where the meals can be enjoyed outside, in good weather conditions. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Voss Bryggeri | alt= | url=https://untappd.com/VossBryggeri/beer | email= | address=Kytesvegen 396, 5706 Voss | lat=60.67336 | long=6.50863 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Thursdays 16.00-19.00 Fridays 16.00-19.00. | price= | lastedit=2015-05-26 | content=Brewery with a fairly large selection on tap, but do note the short opening hours. You can buy growlers (large bottles) there too. You must pay a kr 100 for a growler, which is refundable when you return it empty. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Fleischer's Hotel, Evangervegen E16, Voss, Norway 2016-10-25 01.jpg|thumb|Fleischer's hotel sits at Voss railway station. It is a typical wooden hotel from the golden age, built in 1889 in a Swiss chalet style.]] [[File:Mjølfjell turløyper.jpg|thumb|Cross country tracks at Mjøfjell in Raundalen.]] * {{sleep | name=Voss Camping | alt= | url=http://www.vosscamping.no/ | email=post@vosscamping.no | address= | lat=60.62475 | long=6.42213 | directions= | phone=+47 56 51 15 97 | tollfree= | fax= | price=Tent: kr&nbsp;150, Cabin for 2 people: kr&nbsp;600 | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Tvinde Camping | alt= | url=http://www.tvinde.no/ | email=tvinde@tvinde.no | address=Tvinde | lat=60.72561 | long=6.48989 | directions=12 km (7 mi) north of Voss | phone=+47 56 51 69 19 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Voss Hostel | alt=Voss Vandrerhjem | url=http://www.vosshostel.com/ | email=booking@vosshostel.com | address=Evangervegen 68 | lat=60.6255 | long=6.3958 | directions= | phone=+47 56 51 20 17 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Dorm: kr&nbsp;335, Summer dorm: kr&nbsp;235 (sleeping bag needed, shared showers/toilets), Double: kr&nbsp;930, 10% discount with HI membership, rates include bed linen and breakfast | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Fleischer's Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.fleischers.no/en/ | email=hotel@fleischers.no | address=Evangervegen 13 | lat=60.6287 | long=6.4084 | directions=Next to the railwaystation | phone=+47 56 52 05 00 | tollfree= | fax=+47 56520501 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Fleischer's Hotel is an old hotel that in the past has been visited by royalty and nobility as well as the ordinary tourist and traveler. Modern comfort and facilities have been incorporated into the old building in a natural way. All rooms have en suite bathroom, mini-bar, telephone and television. Amenities include a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, solarium, Jacuzzi and sauna, as well as a separate conference section. }} * {{sleep | name=Jarl Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.jarlvoss.no/ | email= | address=Elvegata 9 | lat=60.62930 | long=6.42748 | directions= | phone=+47 56519900 | tollfree= | fax=+47 56519901 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Hotel Jarl is a modern family-run hotel in the centre of Voss - by the river "Vosso". All rooms have bathroom, TV and mini bar. Swimming hall, sauna and solarium. Light and intimate restaurant, lounge and bar. Large car park. Free transport to the railway station and the alpine centre. }} * {{sleep | name=Park Hotel Vossevangen | alt= | url=http://www.parkvoss.no/ | email= | address=Uttrågata 3 | lat=60.62845 | long=6.41382 | directions=located centrally, close to Vangsvatnet | phone=+47 56531000 | tollfree= | fax=+47 56531001 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Park Hotel Vossevangen has 131 rooms, including 15 deluxe rooms and a side wing with multi-bed rooms. All rooms have their own bathroom and toilet. }} ** {{eat | name=Restaurant Elysée | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=International cuisine based on local ingredients, comprehensive wine menu. Excellent food and wine. Choose from the a la carte menu, or order a 3, 4 or 5 course set menu with wine. }} ** {{drink | name=Café Stationen | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A cafe with a distinctive character and good atmosphere all year round. Outside seating during the summer. }} ** {{drink | name=Pianissimo Piano Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A Cosy piano bar is located in the middle of the hotel. Sink down into a comfy chair, relax with a drink from the well stocked bar, and be entertained by evening performers from Monday to Saturday. }} ** {{drink | name=Pentagon Night Club | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=F Sa 22:00–02:00 | price= | content=Pentagon is one of the biggest night spots in Voss. It is busy, with good dance music and a great atmosphere. }} ** {{drink | name=Winecellar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Extensive winecellar. The most comprehensive wine collection in Norway. Wine tasting and wine seminar. }} *{{sleep | name=Gamlahuset | alt= | url=https://www.airbnb.no/rooms/3465124 | email=gamlahuset@gmail.com | address=Kvåle i Raundalen | lat=60.6829 | long=6.6329 | directions= | phone=+47 478 64 107 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Weekend prices from kr&nbsp;1500 and week from kr&nbsp;2500 | lastedit=2016-10-30 | content=Gamlahuset is located at the small farm Kvale in the valley Raundalen at Voss, approximately 17 kilometers east of the centre of Voss. Gamlahuset has two big living rooms, three bedrooms, kitchen, two toilets and a bathroom. There are beds for 8 persons. The house, which is from around year 1800, was renovated in 2007. In several of the rooms the authentic style is kept. The house is 100m². }} * {{sleep | name=Store Ringheim Hotell og Restaurant | alt= | url=http://storeringheim.no/en/ | email=post@storeringheim.no | address=Molstervegen 44 | lat=60.6380256 | long=6.4275381999 | directions=Take Ringheimsvegen from the center for about 1km, then Mølstervegen about 400m | phone=+47 95406135 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=16:00 | checkout=12:00 | price= | lastedit=2015-11-17 | content=Beautiful boutique style hotel in an old restored farm building situated on the hillside 1.2km from Voss center. The place offers a stunning view over nearby farm landscape and distant forests and snow patched mountains. 6 unique rooms with good beds and ensuite bathrooms, flat screen TV, free Wi-Fi, free parking and a choice of complimentary tees and coffes. Daily service of the rooms and a good breakfast with many local, high quality products. }} * {{sleep | name=Voss Mountain Lodge | alt=Mjølfjell Ungdomsherberg | url=https://www.mjolfjell.no/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=East on road 5386 | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | image=Ørneberget station view.jpg | wikidata=Q56407132 | lastedit=2021-05-23 | content=Youth hostel and lodge at the end of the road in Raundalen valley about 35 km from Voss village. Steep path 300 meters from Ørneberget stop on Bergen railway. }} * {{sleep | name=Stalheim Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.stalheim.com/ | email=info@stalheim.com | address= | lat=60.8354 | long=6.6813 | directions= | phone=+47 56 52 01 22 | tollfree= | fax=+47 56 52 00 56 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 124-room family run hotel with long traditions. Standard double room kr. 1500 per night. }} * {{sleep | name=Stalheim Fjord & Fjellhytter | alt= | url=http://www.stalheim.no/ | email=andstalh@online.no | address=Brekkedalen 16-24 | lat=60.839254 | long=6.681216 | directions= | phone=+47 56 51 28 47 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=Cabin: kr&nbsp;4000-6500 (per week during high season) | content= }} ==Go next== Voss is a convenient place to stay while exploring the Hardangerfjord to the south of Voss. As it is located on the Bergensbanen railway, a stay here can also be combined with a day-trip to [[Flåm]] with the Flåm railway (starts on [[Myrdal|Myrdal station]] on Bergensbanen). * Route 13 over the mountain to Vik, and further to [[Balestrand]]. * Other destinations on [[Sognefjord]]: [[Gudvangen|Gudvangen, Flåm and Aurland]] * Romantic [[Hardanger]] * [[Bergen]] * Geilo in [[Hallingdal]] {{routebox | image1=Tabliczka E16.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Edinburgh]] (unconnected) | minorl1=[[Bergen]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Oslo]] | minorr1=[[Stalheim]] → [[Gudvangen]] }} {{IsPartOf|Hordaland}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|60.628|6.419|zoom=13}} j4yc4kl7uy4fsxtg2ijhpjt5dko3vh8 0 38583 4501729 4492813 2022-08-15T20:24:00Z 72.162.68.250 /* International influence */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{COVID-19 box|Domestic travelers that are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are directed to take a COVID test 1-3 days before arriving. Exceptions include travel from [[Maryland]] or [[Virginia]], and those visiting D.C. for less than 24 hours. For the latest information, please visit the [https://washington.org/dc-information/coronavirus-travel-update-washington-dc Travel Status Update page on the D.C. Convention and Visitors Association website]. |lastedit=2022-03-11}} {{pagebanner|Washington, D.C.-banner2.jpg|star=yes|dotm=yes}} {{printDistricts}} [[File:WhiteHouseSouthFacade.JPG|thumb|right|The White House, home of the nation's leader, the President.]] '''[https://washington.org/ Washington, D.C.]''', the capital of the [[United States of America]] and the seat of its three branches of government, has an unparalleled collection of free, public museums, and the lion's share of the nation's most treasured monuments and memorials. The vistas on the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]] between the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, and Lincoln Memorial are iconic throughout the world. The city has really come into its own in the 21st century, with a diversity, confidence, affluence and exuberance that comes as a surprise to first time visitors, who only recognize the city through a political lens. D.C. is a city on the move with a ''joie de vivre'' uncommon among American cities. It has shopping, dining, and nightlife befitting a global metropolis. The city is diverse, cosmopolitan, constantly evolving and international. ==Districts== Virtually all of D.C.'s tourists flock to [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|the Mall]]—a two-mile long, beautiful stretch of parkland that holds many of the city's monuments and '''Smithsonian''' museums—but the city itself is a vibrant metropolis that often has little to do with monuments, politics, or white, neoclassical buildings. The Smithsonian is a "can't miss," but you haven't really been to D.C. until you've been out and about the city. <!--Districts are listed roughly in order of geographic centrality and "touristy-ness." Please discuss changes to the order, or to the districts themselves on the talk page before altering this structure.--> <br clear="all" /> {{Regionlist| regionmap=DC_districts_map_grouped.png | regiontext=Districts by color | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=Downtown and Southwest | region1color=#cfd183 | region1items=[[Washington, D.C./National Mall|The National Mall]], [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]], [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]], [[Washington, D.C./Waterfront|Waterfront]] | region1description=The center of it all: the National Mall, D.C.'s main theater district, Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian museums galore, fine dining, Chinatown, the Capital One Arena, the Convention Center, the central business district, the White House, West Potomac Park, the Kennedy Center, George Washington University, the beautiful Tidal Basin, Nationals Park, Audi Field, and the Wharf. | region2name=North Central | region2color=#e29374 | region2items=[[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]], [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], [[Washington, D.C./Adams Morgan-Columbia Heights‎|Adams Morgan-Columbia Heights]] | region2description=D.C.'s trendiest and most diverse neighborhoods and destination number one for live music and clubbing, as well as loads of restaurants, Howard University, boutique shopping, beautiful embassies, Meridian Hill Park, U Street, and lots of nice hotels. | region3name=Northwest | region3color=#7cb9c9 | region3items=[[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]], [[Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest|Upper Northwest]] | region3description=The prestigious, wealthy side of town, home to the historic village of Georgetown with its energetic nightlife, colonial architecture, Georgetown University, and fine dining; the National Zoo; the massive National Cathedral; bucolic Dumbarton Oaks and Hillwood Estate; the bulk of D.C.'s high-end shopping; more Embassy Row; American University; and several nice dining strips. | region4name=Northeast and Southeast | region4color=#81bd84 | region4items=[[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]], [[Washington, D.C./Near Northeast|Near Northeast]], [[Washington, D.C./Brookland-Petworth-Takoma‎|Brookland-Petworth-Takoma]], [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]] | region4description=Starting at the Capitol Building and Library of Congress, and fanning out past grandiose Union Station and the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, to the less often visited neighborhoods by Gallaudet and Catholic University, historic African-American Anacostia, D.C.'s "Little Vatican" around the National Shrine, the huge National Arboretum, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, offbeat nightlife in the Atlas District, and a handful of other eccentric neighborhoods to explore. | }} <br clear="all" /> ==Understand== ===History=== Washington, D.C., is a city born of politics, by politics, and for politics. It wasn't the first national capital: [[Baltimore]], [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster]], [[York (Pennsylvania)|York]], [[Annapolis]], [[Trenton]], and even [[New York City]] all tried their hand at hosting the national government. For a time, it seemed like [[Philadelphia]] would stake a claim as home to the federal government. However, Congress soured on the "Cradle of Liberty" after disaffected American soldiers, with the tacit sanction of the [[Pennsylvania]] government, chased the legislators out of the city to [[Princeton]]. That incident made clear that the nation's capital would need to be independent from the then-powerful state governments and that the [[South (United States of America)|southern states]] would refuse to accept a northern capital. Three of the nation's founding fathers, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton, agreed in 1790 to a compromise location for a new national capital on largely uninhabited land along the Potomac River in the Mid-Atlantic. This was made famous in the musical Hamilton with the song ''The Room Where It Happened''. The exact location was left up to George Washington, who carved a diamond-shaped federal district out of land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, which happened to be near his plantation at [[Mount Vernon (Virginia)|Mount Vernon]]. The new territory also included two existing settlements: Georgetown, on the Maryland side of the Potomac, and Alexandria, Virginia, at the district's southern tip. {{Infobox|That which we call a District by any other...|Washington, D.C., is known to locals as ''D.C.'' or ''the District'', and it is rare to hear it called anything else. Locals usually use the name ''Washington'' as a metonym for the national government and the political world, rather than the city itself. The full title ''Washington, D.C.'', and the official name, ''District of Columbia'', are rarely used by non-bureaucrats unless the speaker is trying to clearly distinguish the city from [[Washington (state)|Washington state]].}} The French-born architect Pierre L'Enfant was charged with planning a new federal city on the north side of the Potomac, next to Georgetown. L'Enfant's plan, modeled after some of the leading cities in Europe, envisioned large parks and wide streets, including a grand boulevard connecting the "President's House" to the Capitol building. However, L'Enfant was an eccentric and fought bitterly with the commissioners appointed to supervise the capital's construction. President Washington eventually dismissed L'Enfant, but the problems didn't end there. Issues with financing and a lack of skilled craftsmen slowed the construction of the city. The commissioners relied on African slaves lent from nearby plantations to complete construction. The federal government finally moved to the new capital in 1800, which by then had been named Washington in honor of its founder, though he still preferred to call it the "Federal City." British forces invaded the city during the War of 1812, burning and gutting the Capitol Building, Treasury, and White House, although they were all rebuilt shortly thereafter. Things didn't get much better for the new national capital. When he founded the city, President Washington thought that a flourishing trade would help support the capital, but the idea was short-lived. The [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park|Chesapeake & Ohio Canal]] was built in 1831 to bypass the treacherous rapids of the Potomac River and move goods from the western territories along the Ohio River all the way to Georgetown, where they could then be loaded onto ships. However, the canal was unable to compete with the more efficient Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which was completed around the same time as the canal. Alexandria suffered disproportionately, since the government's plans favored the port at Georgetown and all government buildings were, by law, built within the City of Washington. The economic stagnation, combined with fears that the federal government would ban Alexandria's thriving slave trade (and it eventually did), caused Congress to return all the District's land that had been donated by Virginia. The 1846 "retrocession", as it is now known, spoiled the city's fine diamond shape, leaving under federal control only the land that had been donated by Maryland. [[File:Lincoln Memorial.jpg|thumb|320px|Abraham Lincoln presiding over the Mall]] Washington's compromise location on the border of North and South proved precarious during the '''Civil War'''. Caught between Confederate Virginia on one side of the Potomac, and southern sympathizers in surrounding Maryland, President Abraham Lincoln established a network of forts surrounding the capital, which were put to the test in the Battle of Fort Stevens, a minor diversionary attack in July 1864. As the center of war operations for the Union, government workers, soldiers, and runaway slaves flooded into the city. Despite the city's growth, Washington still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. After the war, some members of Congress suggested moving the capital further west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider such a proposal. In 1871, Congress created a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia charged with modernizing the capital. Sewers and gas lines were installed, streets were paved, and the town was transformed into a modern metropolis. However, the high cost of the initiative (and alleged cronyism) ultimately bankrupted the District government and later public works projects could not keep up with the city's growing population. By the early 1900s, L'Enfant's vision of a grand national capital had become marred by slums and randomly placed buildings, including a railroad station on the National Mall. A plan enacted by Congress in 1901 beautified Washington's ceremonial core, re-landscaping the Capitol grounds and the National Mall, clearing slums, and establishing a new city-wide park system, finally developing the city into L'Enfant's intended grand design. The New Deal spending of the 1930s under president Franklin Delano Roosevelt led to the construction of even more federal buildings, memorials, and museums. With the start of World War II, government spending in Washington increased, a trend that has continued over the decades. In 1957, Washington became the first major city to have a majority African-American population and the population of the city exceeded 800,000. The March on Washington and the ''I Have A Dream'' speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 were major events in the civil rights movement. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 1968, riots broke out at the intersection of 14th St and U St and 1,200 buildings were badly damaged or destroyed. Many businesses were forced to close and thousands of jobs were lost permanently. The influx of crack cocaine marred the District in the 1970s and 1980s. Government services and the public school system went into disrepair. The expanding suburbs, with excellent schools and lower crime and tax rates, became more desirable places to live for many. The population of the District fell below 600,000, shrinking the tax base. The arrest of Mayor Marion Barry on drug charges in 1990 also hurt the city's reputation. In 1991, D.C. led the country in homicides and many of the buildings destroyed in the 1968 riots still remained in rubble. Several government agencies, including the Patent and Trade Office, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), moved their offices to the suburbs. A wave of change began in the late 1990s. The construction of the '''Capital One Arena''' and the nearby Metrorail station in 1997 led people to return to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] for the first time in years. Further revitalization efforts in the late 1990s, supported by President Bill Clinton and Mayor Anthony Williams, led to D.C. becoming one of the fastest improving cities in the U.S. and the population again began to climb. ===People=== [[File:Wilsonbldg wts.JPG|thumb|250px|The Wilson Building, seat of the Mayor and City Council]] First time visitors to D.C. will marvel at its impressive diversity. In addition to its longstanding black and white residents, this is arguably the country's most international town, with expats, immigrants and long timers from all around the world, as well as Americans from other regions looking to make it in the nation's capital. According to [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dc/PST045217 census data], the population of D.C. is approximately 705,000 and is 46% black, 38% white-non-hispanic, and 11% Hispanic and 14% are foreign-born. ====African-American heritage==== As a result of its large black population, D.C. has long been a national center of African-American history and culture. Known as the "'''Chocolate City'''" due to its dynamic black heritage, it was the first black-majority city in the country, and until the 1920s (when it was surpassed by [[New York City|New York]]) D.C. was home to the largest black population of any city. The famous U Street in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]] was known as '''Black Broadway''', with native Washingtonian '''Duke Ellington''' performing in the jazz clubs on this street. The District was long an attractive destination for African Americans leaving the [[South (United States of America)|South]], as it was both nearby and viewed as a bastion of tolerance and progressiveness in race relations. It was the home of abolitionist '''Frederick Douglass''' and the first of the formerly-segregated U.S. cities to integrate its public schools in 1954. D.C. is also home to [https://home.howard.edu/ Howard University] in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], one of the nation's most important historically black colleges. The persisting influence of African American culture upon D.C.'s identity is obvious in the popular consciousness, the city's government, local sports, high culture and, above all, the local intellectual and philosophical movements. African Americans have risen to positions of influence rivaled by few other cities, particularly in local government, education, transportation, healthcare and the federal government, giving the city a confident African American middle class particularly in the city's Northeast and neighboring Prince George's County along with other areas such as Arlington and Montgomery County, particularly when compared to nearby cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Also unlike other so-called '''black meccas''', such as Atlanta, D.C.'s black population has been augmented by strong migration from the Caribbean and Africa, which has added a further layer and diversity to the black experience in the region. Compared to other American cities, relatively few residents are home-town natives, rather than transplants from elsewhere. According to data published by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, only 37.3% of D.C. residents were born in D.C. The transient population is overwhelmingly professional, young, white, affluent, and highly educated, drawn to the city for its government-related work and booming economy. This is in stark contrast to the local African-American population, which has deep roots in the community, leading to socioeconomic diversity—from the highly affluent in Northwest D.C. and the suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's to the middle class in Northeast DC, Charles and PG County to those left behind, notably so in Southeast D.C. {{infobox|P Funk on D.C.|''We didn't get our forty acres and a mule,''<br> ''but we did get you CC....''<br> ''A Chocolate City is no dream,''<br> ''it's my piece of the rock and I love you CC.''}} The sometimes uncomfortable blend of the semi-transient professional population and permanent residents is often the source of controversy, especially as D.C. has been experiencing a wave of neighborhood rebuilding and gentrification. Young professionals with tight budgets and distaste for long daily commutes have relocated into longstanding working-class neighborhoods in search of low rent and easy access to city amenities. But while there is inevitably some conflict around neighborhood change, these changes have also created D.C.'s most diverse, culturally vibrant, and exciting neighborhoods—just walk up U St or 18th St in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]] or [[Washington, D.C./Adams_Morgan|Adams Morgan]], and you'll see that it's not a vain hope that the city's various cultures can come together to create something greater. ====International influence==== D.C., and indeed the metro area beyond the city limits, is impressively '''international,''' rivaling New York City in terms of its diversity. In the immediate metro area, a whopping one third of the population is foreign born. The biggest immigrant group is from [[Central America]], mostly from [[El Salvador]]. Latino culture finds its home in the city in [[Washington, D.C./Columbia_Heights|Columbia Heights]]—where you'll find all the various cultures of the city intermingling. After Central Americans, D.C. is also home to a growing number of South Americans, notably Colombians, Venezuelans, Bolivians and Peruvians, who have brought their cuisines with them, especially the increasingly ubiquitous empanadas and Peruvian chicken. D.C. also has a growing, upwardly mobile African immigrant population, notably the large Nigerian and [[Ethiopia]]n communities (the latter being second largest in the world after [[Addis Ababa]]), which has bestowed the city with a love for Ethiopian food, and which finds its urban center in D.C.'s own [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Little Ethiopia]]. Other African migrants tend to congregate in the suburbs, as do Asian immigrants, though their cuisines are readily available across the region. The international culture extends well beyond the immigrant communities, though, to the big foreign professional population, as well as the brain drain of Americans from all around the country looking for work in the international relations and government contracting fields—D.C. is, simply put, the nation's most international town. ===Local politics=== '''Local politics''', and local anger at the relations between the city and the national government, are perhaps the glue that binds all Washingtonians together. The District of Columbia is under the ultimate control of the U.S. Congress. District residents are able to elect a Mayor as well as representatives to the D.C. Council, although Congress retains the right to overturn laws passed by the city. The city lacks representation in Congress since the residents of D.C. are not in one of the states of the union, although they have been granted electoral college votes for presidential elections since 1961. District license plates bear the Revolutionary War slogan "Taxation Without Representation" as a contemporary reference to their lack of voting rights. The District is strongly progressive, having voted overwhelmingly (>70%) for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1964. ===Climate=== {{Climate | units = Imperial | janhigh = 42 | febhigh = 47 | marhigh = 56 | aprhigh = 66 | mayhigh = 75 | junhigh = 84 | julhigh = 88 | aughigh = 86 | sephigh = 79 | octhigh = 68 | novhigh = 57 | dechigh = 47 | janlow = 27 | feblow = 30 | marlow = 37 | aprlow = 46 | maylow = 56 | junlow = 65 | jullow = 70 | auglow = 69 | seplow = 62 | octlow = 50 | novlow = 40 | declow = 32 | janprecip = 3.2 | febprecip = 2.6 | marprecip = 3.6 | aprprecip = 2.7 | mayprecip = 3.8 | junprecip = 3.1 | julprecip = 3.6 | augprecip = 3.4 | sepprecip = 3.8 | octprecip = 3.2 | novprecip = 3.0 | decprecip = 3.0 | description = {{ForecastNOAA|Washington, D.C.|38.895111|-77.036667}} }} D.C.'s climate has an undeservedly bad reputation; there is a popular myth that the city was intentionally built on a '''swamp''' to keep the federal bureaucracy small (by making the place too unpleasant for civil servants to live in). In reality, what is now the National Mall had been mudflats, but there was no swamp, and in the early 1800s, most of the city's land was used to grow tobacco, corn and apples. Indeed, the city's climate is really just a milder version of that in New York and parts of Northeast with short, cool winters and hot, humid but manageable summers The weather is actually quite pleasant during the spring and fall. It's hard to beat '''spring''' in D.C. The northerly subtropical climate results in cool breezes, moderate temperatures, lush growth, flowers, budding trees, and, of course, the '''cherry blossoms'''. The most beautiful time of spring usually falls from April to mid-May. Domestic tourists know this, though, and you can expect the cherry blossom walk around the Tidal Basin to see (pedestrian) traffic jams that put the Beltway to shame, although truly savvy tourists can escape the crowds but still enjoy the cherry blossoms at the National Arboretum in [[Washington, D.C./Near Northeast|Near Northeast]]. '''Fall''' rivals spring for perfect temperatures. It's also a lovely time for a walk in [[#Rock Creek Park|Rock Creek Park]], where the dense forest bursts with multicolored confetti. '''Winter''' is a great time to visit though a mixed bag temperature wise, as museums are nearly empty and theaters are all in season. Winter temperatures are relatively mild, with snow that can range from sporadic to incessant depending on the year. However, it's hot and very humid during the '''summer''', due to the frequent '''humidity''' that can last for up to weeks at a time. On a hot day in D.C. in July or August, you will sweat like a dog, and you'll want to spend as much time indoors as possible. Expect the late afternoon thunderstorm followed by much more pleasant weather right before sunset. Despite this, there are often beautiful clear sky days with low humidity that can make exploring the city a very pleasant experience. It's worth considering the '''political climate''' as well. Before heading to D.C., research which events will coincide with your visit. Major international conferences, political events (elections/inaugurations) or protests often prompt road closures and additional security checks, and also send lodging prices through the roof. There are also several weeks during the year, as well as most of August, when Congress is on recess. During these weeks, there are fewer official visitors, elected officials, and staff members; the Metro becomes less crowded and there are overall fewer people in the city. ===Read=== [[File:Swann St, Dupont Circle.jpg|thumb|250px|Rowhouses in Dupont Circle]] Washingtonians are avid readers, and not just of the news—each Metro car at rush hour is a veritable library. Nonetheless, there is only a little "D.C. literature" to speak of. The handful of notable works focused on D.C. as a city/metro area include: * Dinaw Mengestu's ''The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears'' is set in a gentrifying [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]] during the 1990s, where the protagonist, an Ethiopian refugee, and his other African immigrant friends struggle to find their identities as they're caught between the past and the present, their old and new countries, and their changing neighborhood. * Edward P. Jones' ''Lost In the City'' is a collection of short stories revolving around African-American life in D.C.'s outlying neighborhoods. Jones' intimate writing style has been compared to that of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. *George Pelecanos' ''Sweet Forever''. Pelecanos is one of D.C.'s rarest authors—one who knows the city beyond the politics, in and out, and uses it extensively and effectively as the backdrop for some amazing mysteries. In this one, detective Nick Stefanos investigates a drug-related murder on 1980s [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|U St]], leading him into a maze of basketball, dirty cops, the beginnings of the local crack empire, underground music, a thoroughly corrupt mayor's office, and all-around grit in a dangerous city. The city's culture has always been overshadowed by national politics, and those looking for local flavor will mostly find political works: political chronicles, political histories, political hot air, political historical fiction, and of course political thrillers, including: * Henry Adams' ''Democracy'' is President John Quincy Adams' grandson's satirical send-up of the moral morass that is politics. (Things haven't changed in the 120 years since he wrote it.) Almost certainly President Rutherford B Hayes' least favorite book, this remains a great read two centuries later. * Dan Brown's ''The Lost Symbol'' sold one million copies on the first day it was published, so it's fair to assume that this 2009 book by the author of the ''Da Vinci Code'' could become the most famous D.C. work of fiction of all time. It's a mad chase of arcane conspiracies around D.C.'s [https://scottishrite.org/ Masonic Temple], National Cathedral, Smithsonian, Washington Monument, and every darkest nook and narrowest cranny of the Capitol Building. * John Grisham's ''The Pelican Brief''. Intrigue, corruption, and homicide on the Supreme Court, and some good chases around the capital city in one of Grisham's most famous thrillers. Republicans may get an unfair portrayal, but this is a good page turner. * Ron Suskin's ''Hope in the Unseen'' and ''The One Percent Doctrine'' are both political, but about very different sides of Washington. The former chronicles the experiences of Cedric Jennings from his nightmarish Ballou High School in [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]] to the Ivy League. ''The One Percent Doctrine'', on the other hand, is an inside look at the run up to the Iraq War, predicated on the infamous one-percent doctrine coined in the wake of 9/11 by then-Vice President Dick Cheney. *Gore Vidal's ''Lincoln''. America's legendary master of political historical fiction turns his pen on the Lincoln Oval Office, bringing the administration's central figures to life in a way that no biography could. Vidal is famous for his lack of charity to beloved national figures, but even his sharp pen can't quite tarnish the nation's greatest. * Bob Woodward's ''All the President's Men'' is perhaps the nation's single most famous political chronicle: the story of the investigative journalism that unearthed the Watergate Scandal and led to the impeachment and political demise of President Richard Nixon. Woodward remains a huge influence in Washington, particularly due to his eminently readable insider accounts of the workings of the Bush Administration. ''Bush at War'' and ''Plan of Attack'' stand out. The first is a chronicle of the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent decision to invade [[Afghanistan]], and the second addresses the run-up to the invasion of [[Iraq]]. In addition to the above, a trip to D.C. is a good time to pick up a presidential biography or two. Favorites include: * Arthur Schlesinger's ''A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House'' is the most famous account of the JFK presidency. Biased, certainly, but it's hard to beat an account by a Harvard historian turned special advisor who was there in the Oval Office to see every decision being made. * Stephen Oates' ''Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.'' Martin Luther King isn't closely associated with the city, but this is a great inspirational read to keep in mind on the Mall, thinking of his ''I Have a Dream'' speech. * Lou Cannon's ''Ronald Reagan: the Role of a Lifetime'' is one of the few mature Reagan biographies that is neither a tribute nor an attack, written about his years in office by the inner-circle chronicler who knew him best. * Frank Friedel's ''Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Rendezvous with Destiny''. FDR's presidency was so influential, and just plain long, that it's difficult to find good one-volume biographies—look no further than this definitive work. * Joseph Ellis' ''His Excellency: George Washington''. A Washington biography is an obvious reading choice on a trip to his namesake city, as his story is the story of the founding of both the nation and the capital (and his [[Mount Vernon (Virginia)|estate]] is an easy day trip outside the city). Ellis' account is very travel-friendly—accessible, humanist, and mercifully short. ===Watch=== There is no end to the list of films set in D.C., as the nation's capital provides the essential backdrop to just about every political thriller and practically every alien invasion or other disaster movie set in the U.S. There are a proud few, though, that stand out either for their creation of national myths or for having actually captured something of the real culture of the city. * ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' (Frank Capra, 1939) is the defining American myth of the ability of political idealism to stand up for the people against entrenched political interests and corruption, and, just maybe, to win. Nary a cynic remains tearless through Jimmy Stewart's defining performance. * ''The More the Merrier'' (George Stevens, 1943): A goofy romantic comedy, widely hailed as one of the best of its kind, set in WWII-era D.C., amidst the acute housing shortage faced by war workers, soldiers and other travelers during WWII. * ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (Robert Wise, 1951): This classic black-and-white sci-fi film, in which aliens land on the National Mall to deliver a message about nuclear weapons and peace, holds a special place in Washingtonians' hearts because it involves not only high-powered scientists and military leaders, but also ordinary Washingtonians (one of the main characters is a single mother and a secretary in the Department of Labor). * ''The Exorcist'' (William Friedkin, 1973) is a rare film in that it is both unmistakably Washingtonian and entirely unrelated to politics. It's best remembered for terrifying audiences with a story uncomfortably plausible to those raised in the Catholic Church. Formidable evil forces and equally formidable Jesuits collide in the struggle for the soul of a young girl living in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]], in a tale where the modern humanist world quivers in the face of the ancient and the mystical. * ''All the President's Men'' (Alan J. Pakula, 1976): An unflattering and historically accurate portrayal of the events surrounding the Watergate scandal and the subsequent investigation by ''Washington Post'' journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. * ''No Way Out'' (Roger Donaldson, 1987): Set in the post-Watergate Washington, Kevin Costner plays a Soviet mole at the Pentagon who becomes involved in a political murder and its coverup. The movie features the Pentagon and an exciting scene in the Metrorail system. * ''A Few Good Men'' (Rob Reiner, 1992): A dynamic Navy JAG attorney blends two D.C. professions often overlooked beneath the glow of the Capitol Dome. As LT Daniel Kaffee, Tom Cruise realizes that his Naval service is more than just a resume bullet as he defends two Marines charged with murder. From the Navy Yard to a seedy New York Avenue motel to the leafy streets of gentrified [[Washington, D.C./Adams_Morgan|Adams Morgan]], this film gives Washington, D.C. an honest portrayal. More importantly, the story is a window into the idealism of many young D.C. transplants who move to town in search of a chance to change lives for the better. * ''In the Line of Fire'' (Wolfgang Petersen, 1993): How do you make a D.C. political thriller stand out among all the rest? Simple: Clint Eastwood is the Secret Service agent, and John Malkovich is the psychopathic assassin. If you intend to watch, you should also plan to add the legendary [https://www.ebbitt.com/ Old Ebbitt Grille] in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]] to your dining itinerary. *''The Nine Lives of Marion Barry'' (2009) is an HBO documentary that takes a look at Washington during its boom-and-bust period under the city's most infamous local politician, four-term mayor Marion Barry. The film provides a balanced and unique insight that is necessary to truly understand America's capital, including the areas dismissed by most visitors to the city. === Talk === Due to its diversity and history as a magnet for people from across the country and beyond, it is hard to detect a classic Washington accent compared to other Northeastern cities. The General American accent tends to dominate across the area, however if you look long enough traces of a distinctive D.C. accent abound. Old-timers are known to say ''Warshington'' — inserting what linguists call an “intrusive R.” an influence from the prestige associated with [[London]] accents in the nineteenth century, that also influenced other cities like New York and Boston. To really get at the Washington accent, you’ve got to look at people whose families have lived here for generations, namely black Washingtonians. Older D.C. residents are known for dropping "R"s similar to, but not quite as exaggerated as Bostonians. The accent is believed to be a continuation of the English accent imported by the first colonists. The D.C. sound comes from three main features, vowel centralization, R-lessness, and monophthongization: '''Vowel centralization''': The vowel before an “R” gets pronounced in a different part of the mouth, leading words like “carry” to be pronounced like “curry”; “strawberry” like “strawbury,” “Maryland” like “Muriland.” '''R-lessness''': The R gets dropped in several words, so “party” will be pronounced “pahty,” or “mother” will sound like “mutha.” '''Monophthongization''': This is a fancy way of saying we drop the diphthongs. A diphthong is where a vowel is made up of two sounds — for instance, the vowel in “time” is “ah” and “ee” put together. “Time” becomes “tahm,” “I” becomes “Ah.” Younger residents overwhelmingly prefer General American accents though residents do pepper their speech with a plethora of local lingo, with "DMV" <nowiki>''bama'' and ''siced''</nowiki> (excited/ too much) being particularly popular. Also, young people in D.C. (and nearby Maryland) tend to speak faster than other Americans. ==Get in== ===By plane=== {{see also|Air travel in the United States}} Washington, D.C. ({{IATA|WAS}} for [[Metropolitan Area Airport Codes|all airports]]) is served by three major airports. All three airports offer unlimited free WiFi. {{anchor|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}} '''[https://www.flyreagan.com/dca/reagan-national-airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]''' ({{IATA|DCA}}) is the closest and most convenient airport to D.C., {{mi|3}} south of the city in [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], [[Virginia]], just across the Potomac River. However, there are no customs clearance facilities and therefore it can only serve destinations in the United States or airports in Canada and the Caribbean that allow U.S. customs pre-clearance. Moreover, due to the noise created by planes flying directly over a heavily populated area, the number of non-stop long-haul flights is limited. At Gravelly Point Park, directly north of the runway, you can watch planes takeoff and land, providing some great photo opportunities. DCA has 3 terminals, which are connected by walkways and by shuttle bus: * Terminal A (gates 1-9) - Air Canada, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country * Terminal B (gates 10-34) - Alaska, American, Delta, United * Terminal C (gates 34-45) - American To get to D.C. from the airport: * '''[https://www.wmata.com/ WMATA]''' operates Metrorail service to the airport via the Blue and Yellow lines. The trip to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] takes approximately 15 minutes and costs approximately $3. Hours of operation are generally M-Th 5AM-11:30PM, F 5AM-1AM, Sa 7AM-1AM, and Su 7AM-11PM * '''Uber''' and '''Lyft''' generally cost around $10 to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]. * '''Taxi''' service to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] takes approximately 10 minutes and costs about $15. {{anchor|Washington Dulles International Airport}} [[File:Washington Dulles International Airport at Dusk.jpg|thumb|350px|The distinctive Main Terminal building at Washington-Dulles]] '''[https://flydulles.com/iad/dulles-international-airport Washington Dulles International Airport]''' ({{IATA|IAD}}) is {{convert|26|mi}} west of D.C. in [[Sterling (Virginia)|Sterling]], [[Virginia]] and serves as D.C.'s primary international and intercontinental airport. The main terminal is an architectural masterpiece, with a curved roof that arcs gracefully into air, suspended over a huge open ticketing and check-in area. Unfortunately some functionality was scrapped in pursuit of aesthetics—the layout includes lengthy corridors and long escalators and you will have to take a train between the main building and the concourses, so expect that you will need some extra time to get to the gate. Many carriers serve the airport, which serves as an East Coast hub for United Airlines. If you have extra time in the area, consider taking [https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/route%20pdfs/route_981-983_012415_web.pdf Fairfax Connector Bus #983] to the free [https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center], which includes an unrivaled collection of spacecraft and aircraft, most famously the space shuttle Discovery. The bus departs from the airport every 20 minutes daily, costing $2.00 and taking 12 minutes to reach the museum. To get to D.C. from the airport: * '''[https://www.flydulles.com/iad/silver-line-express-bus-metrorail-station The Silver Line Express Bus]''' operates every 15-20 minutes between the airport and the garage near the Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail Station (Silver Line). The bus journey takes 10 minutes and costs $5. From there, after crossing the pedestrian bridge over the highway to reach the Metrorail station, the journey by Metrorail to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] takes another 45 minutes. A cheaper but slower option to get from the airport to the garage near the Metrorail station is to take [https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/route%20pdfs/route_981-983_012415_web.pdf Fairfax Connector] Bus Routes 981/983 which depart the airport every 20 minutes from 9AM-7PM and every 40 minutes from 6AM-9AM and 7PM-11PM. The bus journey takes 30 minutes and costs $2.00. The Silver Line of the Metrorail is in the process of being extended to the airport, with a possible opening in summer of 2022. * '''[https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/ Metrobus 5A]''' makes stops in [[Herndon]], [[Tysons]], Rosslyn Metrorail Station (Blue and Orange Lines), and L'Enfant Plaza Metrorail Station (Green, Yellow, Blue, and Orange Lines), a few blocks south of the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]]. It generally departs from the airport hourly (though not on the hour), taking 40-50 minutes to the Rosslyn Metrorail Station and 50-60 minutes to the L'Enfant Plaza Metrorail Station. The fare is $7.50 one-way (no change given). The bus stops near Curb 2E outside of the airport terminal. * '''Uber''' and '''Lyft''' cost around $45 and take about 40-60 minutes. The pickup points can be reached by walking up the ramps after exiting the baggage claim area. * '''[https://www.flydulles.com/iad/washington-flyer-taxi-service Washington Flyer Taxi]''' is the exclusive provider of taxis from the airport. A taxi trip to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] costs around $75 and takes about 40-60 minutes. The taxi stand is down the ramp from the baggage claim area. {{anchor|Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport}} '''[https://www.bwiairport.com/ Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]''' ({{IATA|BWI}}) is {{mi|30}} northeast of D.C. and {{mi|10}} south of downtown [[Baltimore]], near [[Glen Burnie]], [[Maryland]]. Compared to IAD and DCA, BWI is the farthest from D.C., but also offers the nicest in-airport experience. To get to D.C. from the airport: * '''[https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/ Metrobus B30]''' operates between the airport and the [[Greenbelt]] Metrorail Station (Green Line) on weekdays only. The fare is $7.50 one-way (no change given) and takes about 40 minutes. From there, the Metrorail to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] takes another 25 minutes. The bus makes 2 stops on the lower level of the airport: outside Terminal A (Southwest Airlines) and Terminal E (the international terminal). * '''[https://mta.maryland.gov/share-bus-overview?service=Commuter%20Bus&route=Route%20201 ICC Bus 201]''' operates hourly service between the airport and [[Gaithersburg]], with a stop at the Shady Grove Metrorail Station (Red Line). The fare is $5 one-way (no change given) and takes about 70 minutes. From there, the Metrorail to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] takes another 35 minutes. The bus makes 2 stops on the lower level of the airport: outside Terminal A (Southwest Airlines) and Terminal E (the international terminal). * '''[https://www.mta.maryland.gov/schedule?type=marc-train MARC]''' commuter-rail train and '''[https://amtrak.com/ Amtrak]''' operate between BWI Rail Station and Union Station on [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]], also stopping at the New Carrolton Metrorail Station (Orange Line). A free "Amtrak/MARC" shuttle bus runs from the airport terminal to the BWI Rail Station every 12 minutes. The journey takes 10 minutes. If you are in a rush, you can can take a taxi for $8–9. MARC service to BWI is available on the "Penn" line and costs $7 one-way. MARC service is infrequent on the weekends; check the online schedules. Amtrak service costs $13-22 and is cheaper if purchased online in advance. * '''Uber''' and '''Lyft''' cost around $60 and take around 45-75 minutes. * '''Taxi''' service to the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] takes around 45-75 minutes and costs around $100. ===By train=== {{seealso|Rail travel in the United States}} [[File:0364-WAS-Union Station1.jpg|thumb|Union Station]] Washington is a major rail hub with [https://www.amtrak.com/ '''Amtrak'''] trains arriving many major cities in eastern and southern USA, particularly along the Northeast Corridor route running from [[Boston]] via [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]] and [[Baltimore]], with some trains continuing south to [[Richmond (Virginia)|Richmond]]. Premium [https://www.amtrak.com/acela-train ''Acela Express''] trains run hourly during peak hours along the route. Slightly slower [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/northeast-regional-train.html ''Northeast Regional''] trains also ply the route, calling at smaller cities and in suburban areas. The overnight ''Northeast Regional'' service from Boston includes sleeping cars, the train departs Boston around 9 PM and arrives early morning in Washington, D.C. All trains stop at '''Union Station''' in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]] (Red Line Metro), a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building. A few lines also stop in adjacent [[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]], [[Virginia]], very close to the King Street stop on the Blue/Yellow Metro lines. The following long-distance trains serve Washington: * [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/capitol-limited-train.html ''Capitol Limited'']: Daily from [[Chicago]] via [[Toledo (Ohio)|Toledo]], [[Cleveland]] and [[Pittsburgh]]. * [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/cardinal-train.html ''Cardinal'']: Thrice-weekly from [[Chicago]] via [[Indianapolis]], [[Cincinnati]] and [[Charlottesville]]. * [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/carolinian-piedmont-train.html ''Carolinian'']: Daily daytime train from [[Charlotte]] via [[Raleigh]] and [[Richmond]]. * [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/crescent-train.html ''Crescent'']: Daily from [[New Orleans]] via [[Birmingham (Alabama)|Birmingham]], [[Atlanta]] and [[Charlotte]]. * [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/silver-service-palmetto-train.html ''Palmetto'', ''Silver Meteor'' and ''Silver Star'']: Daily trains from [[Miami]] via [[Orlando]], [[Savannah]] and [[Raleigh]] or [[Charleston (South Carolina)|Charleston]] and [[Richmond]]. * [https://www.amtrak.com/routes/vermonter-train.html ''Vermonter'']: Daily from [[St. Albans (Vermont)|St. Albans]], [[Vermont]] via Essex Junction (for [[Burlington (Vermont)|Burlington)]], [[Springfield (Massachusetts)|Springfield]] and [[New York City]]. Amtrak's daily 17.5 hour '''[https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train Auto Train]''' is an option for travelers coming from Florida. It offers non-stop service for vehicles along with their occupants between [[Lorton]], Virginia, 20 miles southwest of Washington, and [[Sanford (Florida)]], 23 miles north of [[Orlando]]. The train can accommodate larger recreational vehicles, small boats, and jet skis. '''[https://www.mta.maryland.gov/schedule?type=marc-train Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC)]''' provides weekday service to/from [[Baltimore]]'s Camden Station and daily service to Baltimore Penn Station, via the Camden or the Penn Line, both of which operate from D.C.'s Union Station. Only the Penn Line stops at BWI Airport. MARC also provides service on the Brunswick line towards western [[Maryland]] through the suburbs of [[Silver Spring]], [[Kensington (Maryland)|Kensington]], [[Rockville]], [[Gaithersburg]], and [[Germantown]], on the way out to [[Frederick]] and on to [[Harpers Ferry]], [[West Virginia]] on Monday through Friday. '''[https://www.vre.org/ Virginia Railway Express (VRE)]''' provides weekday rail service between Union Station and points southwest, starting in the [[Virginia]] suburbs of Manassas and [[Fredericksburg (Virginia)|Fredericksburg]]. ===By car=== D.C. is primarily served by the coastal superhighway, '''I-95''' from [[Baltimore]] or [[Richmond (Virginia)|Richmond]]. It does not go into the city itself, dodging the District by running along the eastern portion of '''the Beltway''' (I-495). Coming from the south, '''I-395''' serves as a sort of extension of I-95 going past the Beltway into the city. The original plan was to run I-95 straight through the city towards Baltimore, but locals scuttled the plan, leaving this section's terminus in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]. '''I-495''' is '''the Capital Beltway'''. The Beltway is reviled across the nation for its dangerous traffic patterns and miserable rush hour congestion. Still, the Beltway is often the only practical way to travel between suburbs. Because the Beltway is a circle, the direction of travel is often referred to by which "loop" is being used. The '''Inner Loop''' runs clockwise around the city, and the '''Outer Loop''' runs counter-clockwise around Washington, D.C. Other particularly notable routes include: '''I-270''', which connects '''I-70''' in [[Frederick]] to I-495 in [[Bethesda]]; '''I-66''' starts at the western part of downtown and goes {{mi|75}} west, ending near [[Front Royal]], [[Virginia]]; '''US-50''' traverses D.C. primarily along city roads east–west, heading east toward [[Annapolis]] and [[Ocean City (Maryland)|Ocean City]] (the latter by way of the Bay Bridge), and west across the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge into [[Northern Virginia]] and then all the way cross-country to [[Sacramento]], [[California]]; the '''Baltimore-Washington Pkwy''' (also "B-W Pkwy") starts at I-295 in [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]], crossing Central Maryland, passing near BWI Airport and terminating in Baltimore. Inside the Beltway, I-66 is '''HOV-2''' only (all cars must have at least two passengers) eastbound 6AM-9:30AM and westbound 4PM-6:30PM on weekdays. The HOV-2 restriction applies to the entire highway, not just specific lanes. US-50, US-29, and the George Washington Pkwy are the alternatives. ====Parking==== '''[https://dpw.dc.gov/page/parking-regulations Parking regulations]''' are complicated in D.C. on weekdays. Metered parking is available throughout commercial areas, but meters limited to two hours during the daytime. ''Zoned'' parking is free, but you are limited to parking for two hours in each designated ''zone'' per day, although there is no parking time limit between 10PM and 7AM. Check the signs! Presumably, you could move your car to a different zone every 2 hours during the day and then find a metered spot to ditch your car overnight, but that would not be practical. Weekends and federal holidays are more accommodating to guests as there are less parking restrictions. There are plenty of public parking garages and many hotels have garages but the cost will be $15-30 per day. The huge [https://www.unionstationdc.com/parking Union Station parking lot] ($24/day) in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]] is convenient to many attractions and costs $24/day. If you have a friend in the city, they can go to their local district police station to get you a temporary [https://ddot.dc.gov/page/visitor-parking-pass-program visitor parking permit], good for 15 days. There are garages offering parking for as low as $5 per day near several [https://www.wmata.com/service/parking/ metro stations]. Parking at Metrorail station lots is free on Sundays and federal holidays. Three stations have a ''very limited'' number of multi-day parking spots, up to ten days: Greenbelt, Huntington, and Franconia-Springfield. And if you just don't want to pay for parking at all, head over to a residential area in the suburbs ''outside'' of D.C. near a Metro station to ditch your car, then walk or catch a bus to the station and head into D.C.! However, if you are staying for a while, be aware that enforcement is strict on "abandoned" cars in the outlying counties. ===By bus=== {{seealso|Long-distance bus travel in the United States}} Many bus companies operate service to/from [[New York City]]. Greyhound offers the most options to smaller cities around the [[United States]]. Most bus companies stop at Union Station in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]]; however, you have a lot of bus choices if coming from New York City - there are bus companies that stop at [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]], the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]], [[Bethesda]], [[Maryland]]; and/or [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], [[Virginia]] and these may be much more convenient to your accommodation - check where you are staying before you book a bus. Buses are more crowded on Friday and Sunday evenings since weekend trips are popular among the locals. Most buses have power outlets and WiFi access on board, although the WiFi is not always reliable. Bus companies advertise a 4-4.5 hour journey time to/from New York City but delays are common: * {{listing | name=BestBus | alt= | url=https://www.bestbus.com/ | email= | address=Union Station @ 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-2691 | tollfree=+1-888-888-3269 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from Penn Station in [[New York City]] and, in the summer, weekend service to [[Dewey Beach]] and [[Rehoboth Beach]] in [[Delaware]]; Stops at Union Station and [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]] (Massachusetts Ave NW & 20th on island between CVS Pharmacy & PNC Bank). The buses to/from New York also stop in [[Manassas]] and at the [[Silver Spring]], Vienna, Franconia-Springfield Metrorail stations. Buses offer free Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, and free water. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Flixbus | alt= | url=https://www.flixbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Service to/from major cities along the East Coast of the U.S. from Boston to Atlanta. Stops in D.C. are at New York Ave & 6th St NW in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] or [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]]. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Go Buses | alt=Operated by Academy Bus Lines | url=https://www.gobuses.com/ | email= | address=| lat= | long= | directions=In front of McDonalds | phone=+1 855-888-7160 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from [[New York City]] 5 days per week. Stops at Vienna/Faifax, Manassas, and Tysons Corner in Virginia, and 450 West 30th Street in [[New York City]]. Power outlets. Free water. }} * {{go | name=Greyhound Lines | alt= | url=https://www.greyhound.com/ | email= | address=Union Station @ 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-231-2222 | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from almost every major city in the United States. Stops at Union Station. There are other Greyhound stations in [[Silver Spring]] and [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], with limited service. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Jet Bus | alt= | url=https://thejet.coach/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=| fax= | hours= | price= | content=Luxury bus service with motion-canceling technology that eliminates 90% of bumps and vibration. Stops at 565 13th Street NW in Washington DC and 565 West 33rd Street in [[New York City]]. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Megabus | alt= | url=https://us.megabus.com/ | email= | address=Union Station @ 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877-462-6342 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service between Washington and cities including [[New York City]], [[Baltimore]], [[Boston]], [[Toronto]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Buffalo]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Charlotte]], and [[Atlanta]]. Stops at Union Station. Power outlets. Wheelchair accessible. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Our Bus | alt= | url=https://ourbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 844 800-6828 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from [[New York City]], [[New Jersey]], and [[Dewey Beach]]. Stops at Union Station. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Peter Pan | alt= | url=https://peterpanbus.com/ | email= | address=Union Station @ 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 800-343-9999 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from [[New York City]], with onward connections to several cities in New England. Stops at Union Station. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Tripper Bus | alt= | url=https://www.tripperbus.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877-826-3874 | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from Penn Station in [[New York City]] (254 W 31st St between 7th & 8th Ave). Stops in [[Bethesda]], [[Maryland]] (4681 Willow Ln at Wisconsin Ave across from Panera Bread) and the Rosslyn Metrorail station in [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], [[Virginia]] (1901 N Moore St @ city bus stop at Moore & 19th Ave N ). Power outlets. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Vamoose Bus | alt= | url=https://www.vamoosebus.com/ | email= | address=(bus stop) VRE Lorton Station at 8990 Lorton Station Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 301-718-0036 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from Penn Station area in [[New York City]] (7th Ave & W 30th St). Stops near the Metrorail station in [[Bethesda]], MD (7401 Waverly St @ Waverly & Montgomery Ave, 1 block east of Metrorail Station); the Rosslyn Metrorail station in [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], [[Virginia]] (1801 N Lynn St @ Lynn & 19th St N in front of Cosi Cafe) and the [[Lorton]] VRE Lorton Station (8990 Lorton Station Blvd, in parking lot by pathway to trains). Operates a "Gold Bus" once per day which features large leather seats with plenty of legroom. Power outlets. }} * {{listing | type=go | name=Washington Deluxe | alt= | url=https://www.washny.com/ | email= | address=Union Station @ 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 866-287-6932 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Operates service to/from [[New York City]]. Stops at Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia (1100 S Hayes St, across from California Kitchen and half block south of the Pentagon City Metro Station); [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]] (1610 Connecticut Ave NW @ Connecticut & Q St); and Union Station in D.C. and Penn Station, Times Square, and sometimes Prospect Park in [[New York City]]. Power outlets. }} ==Get around== '''Be prepared to walk until your feet hurt!''' It's no surprise that D.C. has been cited as the fittest city in the country; residents and visitors get a lot of exercise simply getting around the city! Even if you plan on taking public transport or driving, you will often find yourself walking or biking for a large portion of the day. Most of the city's attractions, such as the museums and monuments along the National Mall, are located near each other, which makes driving or taking Metrorail between the sights either impractical or impossible. Therefore, make sure to wear good walking shoes and, especially during the spring and summer, wear comfortable and light clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, apply sunscreen, and carry a bottle of water. During the summer, visit air-conditioned museums during the day, and save the monuments, neighborhood tours, and other outdoor attractions for the cooler early morning and evening hours. ===City layout=== The city is split into four quadrants of unequal size, which radiate out from the [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Building]]: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW). The NW quadrant is by far the largest and SW the smallest. Addresses in the city always include the quadrant abbreviation, e.g., 1000 H Street NE. Take note of the quadrant, otherwise you may find yourself on the exact opposite side of town from your destination! City streets are generally laid out in a grid, with east-west streets primarily named with letters (A–W) and north-south streets named with numbers. The street numbers and letters increase as the distance from the Capitol building increases. The numerous diagonal avenues, many named after states, serve as the city's principal arteries. The grid has a few peculiarities that are a legacy from the city's foundation. The City of Washington originally occupied only a portion of the total area of the District. As a result, outside of what is now often called the "L'Enfant City", streets do not strictly adhere to the grid system. However, you will find that many street names were simply extended where practical and, past the letter "W", for east-west streets, two-syllable street names (e.g., Irving Street, Lamont Street) follow the single-letter streets in alphabetical order, followed by three-syllable street names. There is no "J" St. This is because, until the mid-19th century, the letters "I" and "J" were largely considered interchangeable. Following that same idea, "I" Street is often written as "Eye" Street, to distinguish it from the letter "L" and the numeral "1", and "Q" Street is often written "Que," "Cue," or "Queue." ===By public transportation=== It is usually easier to use public transportation as opposed to driving in traffic and paying expensive parking rates. [https://www.wmata.com/ Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)] operates the city's public transportation system. Information about all modes of local public transportation is available on the tourist-friendly website '''[https://godcgo.com/ goDCgo]'''. =====SmarTrip card and mobile app===== A '''[https://www.wmata.com/fares/smartrip/ SmarTrip debit card]''' ($2 cost), which can be purchased and refilled at any Metrorail station, is used to ride the Metrorail and can also be used on Metrobus, D.C. Circulator, and many suburban bus systems. Buses also accept cash, but the SmarTrip card will save you the hassle of carrying exact change. SmarTrip cards also can be used to pay for [https://www.wmata.com/service/parking/ parking] in Metrorail parking lots. The SmarTrip mobile app can also be used to pay fares. ====By Metrorail==== [[File:Washington Metro diagram sb.svg|thumb|450px]] [[File:WMATA Metro.JPG|thumb|300px|The Metro]] [[File:Woodley Park-Zoo metro escalator.jpg|thumb|When using escalators in the Metro, always stand on the right and walk on the left.]] The '''Metrorail''' is D.C.'s intra-city train system. It is composed of six color-coded rail lines that run primarily underground within the District and above ground in the nearby suburbs. It's clean, safe, user-friendly, and sports a surprisingly elegant and pleasing brutalist aesthetic. Check the [https://www.wmata.com/service/track-work.cfm upcoming track work website] before traveling, since track work, especially on weekends, may result in long delays and station closures. The departure times for the first and last train at each station are available [https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/ online]. Hours of operation are generally M-Th 5AM-12:30AM, F 5AM-1AM, Sa 7AM-1AM, and Su 8AM-midnight. In some areas, up to three different lines may share the same track. Trains may terminate before reaching the end of the line, especially during rush hour. Therefore, be careful to note both the color and final destination indicated on the electronic displays and train cars before boarding. Absolutely no smoking, food or drink is allowed on trains or in stations. Metro employees, police officers, and even fellow riders will ask you to dispose of any food before entering. Violators are subject to fines or even ''arrest'', including a rather outrageous incident from 2000 when a 12-year-old girl was handcuffed for eating french fries. If you are carrying food/beverages, keep them closed and in a bag. Rider etiquette is key to smooth travel in the heavily-used system. Washingtonians are particularly sensitive about escalators: when using them, stand on the right, and leave the left side free for those who want to pass, or you may be admonished. Additionally, try not to obstruct train doors when passengers are leaving the train, keep belongings off of the seats, and fold strollers at all times on the trains and in elevators. ====Metrorail fares==== [https://www.wmata.com/fares/basic.cfm Metrorail fares] depend on the distance traveled and whether the trip starts during a peak or off-peak time period. '''Peak''' fares are in effect Monday thru Friday from 5-9:30AM and from 3-7PM. '''Off-peak''' fares are in effect at all other times. Peak period fares range from $2.00 to $5.00, while off-peak period fares range from $2.00 to $3.85, depending on distance traveled. Up to two children ages four and younger may ride free per paying adult. Seniors can purchase a [https://www.wmata.com/fares/smartrip/senior.cfm Senior SmarTrip Card] from a [https://www.wmata.com/fares/stores.cfm Metrorail office] for $2, which charges the user half the normal peak travel cost on Metrorail and half price on the bus, but the hassle of purchasing the card may not be practical or worthwhile unless staying in the city for quite some time. Riders must swipe their Smartrip card at both the entrance and exit stations. Consequently, travelers cannot share cards, and instead each traveler needs their own card. Posted guides will help you calculate the appropriate fare for your ride, but since the SmarTrip cards are reusable and refillable, it's often easier to not worry about the fare; just refill when you are running low on funds. Flat-rate '''[https://www.wmata.com/fares/farecard-options.cfm Metrorail passes]''', good for an unlimited number of trips for 1 day ($13), 3 days ($28), 7 days ($58), or monthly, are available for purchase at Metrorail stations. However, the passes are rarely a good deal for most tourists; the cost is usually more than you would spend by paying as you go. ====By bus==== D.C.'s bus system is visitor-friendly and includes access to destinations that are hard to reach by Metrorail. ====By Circulator bus==== The tourist-friendly $1.00 '''[https://www.dccirculator.com/ D.C. Circulator]''' buses operate between main attractions and the city's most popular neighborhoods for visitors. It is useful to print the handy [http://www.dccirculator.com/circulator-map-and-information-guide/ route map]. The next arrival time for a bus at any stop can be checked [https://www.nextbus.com/ online]. There are six routes: * '''Dupont Circle - Georgetown - Rosslyn''' "Blue" Line — operates service between the Rosslyn Metrorail Station in [[Virginia]] to [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]] and [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]] Su-Th 7AM-midnight, F-Sa 7AM-2AM. * '''Georgetown - Union Station''' "Yellow" Line — runs between [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]] and Union Station in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]] Su-Th 7AM-9PM, F-Sa 7AM-9PM with additional night hours of 9PM-2AM between Georgetown & McPherson Square Metrorail Station in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]]). * '''Eastern Market - L'Enfant Plaza''' "Navy" Line — runs between Eastern Market in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]], through the Waterfront, stopping at Nationals Park and the Wharf, before terminating at L'Enfant Plaza, just south of the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]]. * '''Woodley Park - Adams Morgan - McPherson Square''' "Green" Line — runs a limited-stop route through the "Liquorridor" between the National Zoo, [[Washington, D.C./Adams_Morgan|Adams Morgan]], [[Washington, D.C./Columbia_Heights|Columbia Heights]], U Street, Logan Circle, and McPherson Square in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]] Su-Th 7AM-midnight, F-Sa 7AM-3:30AM. These neighborhoods are home to some of the best restaurants, shopping, art galleries, local theaters, and nightlife in Washington. * '''Congress Heights - Union Station''' "Yellow" Line — runs from Union Station past Eastern Market in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]] and the Navy Yard to [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]] M-F: 6AM-9PM; Weekends: 7AM-9PM. * '''National Mall Route''' "Red" Line — circumnavigates the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]] including the museums, monuments, and the Tidal Basin, with a stop at Union Station. M-F 7AM-7PM & Sa-Su 9AM-7PM October-March, M-F 7AM-8PM & Sa-Su 9AM-8PM April-September. =====By Metrobus===== '''[https://www.wmata.com/service/bus/ Metrobus]''' operates hundreds of routes throughout the D.C. metro area. Metrobus will take you places hard to reach via Metrorail or the Circulator, and can be a convenient, comfortable way to travel. In addition, some Metrobus lines operate later into the night than Metrorail. WMATA's website publishes [https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/index.cfm maps and timetables] for all routes, as well as [https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps/index.cfm system maps] for its entire network. Most routes cost a flat fare of $2.00 if paying with cash or SmarTrip card, with a free transfer if paying by SmarTrip card. Seniors pay only $1.00 by showing an identification card to the driver and up to two children ages four and younger ride free per paying adult. Every bus stop has a number written on it, which you can enter on the [https://www.wmata.com/schedules/next-arrival/ WMATA Next Bus Arrivals website] or by phone ({{phone|+1 202 637-7000}}) to get an estimate of when the next bus will arrive to that stop. Free iPhone and Android apps that provide live Metrobus data are also available. The following important routes provide reliable and direct service along the city's most well-traveled corridors, running about every 10-20 minutes: * '''S2, S4, S9: 16th St Line''' operates north-south service on 16th St between the [[Silver Spring]] Metrorail Station on the Red Line and [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]. It's the route of choice to reach the Meridian Hill Park, Fitzgerald Tennis Center, and Carter Barron Amphitheater at Rock Creek Park. * '''N2, N4, N6: Massachusetts Ave Line''' runs along Massachusetts Ave between the Friendship Heights Metrorail Station in [[Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest|Friendship Heights]] and Farragut Square in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]] Metro stops. The bus provides an excellent view of the 50+ embassies located along '''Embassy Row'''. It's also a good way to travel from Dupont Circle to the hard-to-reach National Cathedral, as well as to American University. * '''90, 92: U St-Garfield Line''' offers service from the Zoo at Woodley Park through Adams Morgan/18th St, U St, Gallaudet University, and then on to Eastern Market. * '''31, 33, 32, 34, 36: Pennsylvania Avenue-Wisconsin Avenue Line''' operates along Pennsylvania Avenue through Capitol Hill, downtown, Georgetown, and neighborhoods along Wisconsin Avenue. These buses run during late night hours as well and will take you to areas not serviced by Metrorail such as Georgetown, Glover Park, and the National Cathedral. ===By taxi=== There are approximately 6,500 licensed taxicabs in D.C. Unlike ride-hailing services, taxis are able to be hailed from the street. Roof lights on all D.C. cabs have LED text that explicitly state whether or not the cab is available for hire. The largest taxi operators are * {{listing | name=Yellow Cab | alt= | url=https://dcyellowcab.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 544-1212, +1 202 TAXICAB | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=in D.C. }} * {{listing | name=Barwood | alt= | url=https://barwoodtaxi.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 301 984-1900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=in [[Montgomery County (Maryland)|Montgomery County]] }} * {{listing | name=Silver Cab | alt= | url=https://silvercab.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 301 277-6000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=in [[Prince George's County]] }} * {{listing | name=Red Top | alt= | url=https://www.redtopcab.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 703 522-3333 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=In Virginia, is the largest operator in both [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] County and [[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]]. }} Taxicab drivers are required to take passengers anywhere within the D.C.-area. With the exception of rides to and from the airport, it is illegal for cabs to pick up passengers outside the jurisdiction in which they are based. ====Taxi fares==== All cabs are required to accept credit cards and provide receipts on request. Taxi rates for all D.C.-area taxicabs are fixed by the jurisdiction in which they are based and the rate does not change when state lines are crossed. [https://dfhv.dc.gov/page/taxicab-fares Rates for D.C.-based taxicabs] are $3.50 for the first eighth of a mile and 27¢ for each additional eighth of a mile. There is a $1.00 surcharge for additional passengers, regardless of the number of people. There is no rush hour fee, although meters do charge a "wait rate" of 42¢ for each minute the car is stopped in traffic or traveling under 10 mph. [https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-DIR/taxi_reg/taximeterrate.html Rates for cabs based in Montgomery County, Maryland] include a $4.00 initial charge plus a $2.00 per mile distance fee. [https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Transportation/Taxis Rates for cabs based in Virginia] include a $3.00 initial charge plus a $2.16 per mile distance fee. ===By ride-hailing services=== Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are extremely popular in D.C. Base rates are much lower than those of taxis. ===By car=== '''Driving in downtown D.C. is difficult''', particularly during rush hour, where traffic can make it take 10 minutes to drive a couple city blocks. In addition, limited and expensive parking, ruthless enforcement of complicated parking rules, sadistic traffic circles, fines from automated red light cameras and absurd speed traps, potholes, frequent street direction changes, and street closures without warning make driving in D.C. a headache. A [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/dc-drivers-are-the-worst-in-the-country-report-says/2012/08/28/2792ae5e-f137-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_blog.html 2012 report] showed that D.C. drivers were the most prone to accidents of any city in the U.S. Street parking downtown is limited to two hours only (even at meters), so be prepared to park in a private lot or garage, which cost anywhere from $10–25 per day. Avoid driving and parking during rush hour (weekdays, 7AM-10AM and 4PM-7PM), since this is when the majority of the city's traffic congestion, street direction changes, and parking restrictions are in effect. If you do park on the street, pay close attention to traffic signs. Most streets downtown restrict parking during rush hour and visitors often return to the spot where they parked only to find that their vehicle has been ticketed or ''towed''! In the 1950s, local opposition prevented the construction of interstate highways directly through Washington, which would have cut off access to certain neighborhoods and required demolition of historic buildings. The two freeways that feed into the city from Virginia, I-66 and I-395, both terminate quickly. Washington and its innermost suburbs are encircled by the Capital Beltway, I-495, which gave rise to the expression "Inside the Beltway" (which refers to matters only relevant to people in D.C. political circles). Washington has several classic drives: * Pennsylvania Ave from Fourteenth St NW toward the Capitol. * Eastbound Independence Ave from the Lincoln Memorial, from the right lane of which you can continue in a loop around the Tidal Basin. * Rock Creek Pkwy, one of the world's earliest highways, and which was planned as part of an inner beltway, follows Rock Creek through D.C.'s own central park, then traces the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial. This roadway becomes '''''one-way''''' (and terribly confusing) during weekday rush hour (6:45AM–9:30AM southbound only, 3:45PM–6:30PM northbound). * Canal Road heading west from Georgetown's M St, which turns into the leafy Clara Barton Pkwy alongside the C&O Canal, continuing to the Capital Beltway. * Embassy Row, Massachusetts Ave between Scott Circle and Wisconsin Ave. * George Washington Memorial Pkwy, which follows the Potomac on the Virginia side of the river to [[Mount Vernon (Virginia)|Mount Vernon]]. ===By bicycle and scooter=== [[Image:Capital Bikeshare DC (14140614587).jpg|thumb|300px|The Capital Bikeshare system offers a convenient and affordable way to get around. You'll get to know the city better than you would by traveling underground or behind a windshield.]] D.C. is ranked as one of the top cities in the U.S. for bicycling. Many streets, including the iconic Pennsylvania Ave, have dedicated bike lanes and there is plenty of bike parking available. Most of the downtown area is flat, although areas north of downtown are more hilly. The vehicle traffic is slow enough, but helmets are recommended (and required for those under age 16) as drivers in the city are often distracted and do not see cyclists, even when the cyclist is in a protected bike lane. Biking in the street is legal and biking on the sidewalk is legal for non-electric bikes everywhere except downtown. Bicycle maps of the city center are available [https://ddot.dc.gov/page/bicycle-maps at this site]. ====Bike trails==== You may also take advantage of some of the fantastic [http://info.godcgo.com/district-of-columbia-bicycle-map biking trails] in the greater D.C. area: * [https://www.cctrail.org/ Capital Crescent Trail] connects Georgetown to [[Bethesda]] and [[Silver Spring]], Maryland. * [https://metbranchtrail.com/ Metropolitan Branch Trail] connects Union Station to Silver Spring, Maryland. * [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park]] offers a shaded trail from [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown#Do|Georgetown]] to Cumberland, Maryland. passing through the waterfalls at [[Great Falls]], {{mi|15}} up-stream from Georgetown. * [https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/mtvernontrail.htm Mount Vernon Trail] ({{mi|18}}) travels along the western edge of the Potomac River, offering a direct bike connection between downtown D.C., Alexandria, and George Washington's former estate in [[Mount_Vernon_(Virginia)|Mount Vernon]]. * [https://www.novaparks.com/parks/washington-and-old-dominion-railroad-regional-park Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail] ({{mi|45}}) offers a tour of the Virginia suburbs from dense urban Alexandria, through the leafy tech-company suburbs of [[Reston_(Virginia)|Reston]], [[Herndon]], and [[Ashburn_(Virginia)|Ashburn]], into bucolic [[Loudoun_County_(Virginia)|Loudoun County]] and onto [[Leesburg]]. For an ambitious all-day ride, try branching north at Leesburg, crossing the Potomac River on [https://poolesvillemd.gov/things-to-do/local-attractions/whites-ferry/ White's Ferry] (warning! White's Ferry is inactive, as of June 2021, pending resolution of its ownership and legal situation), and riding on the C&O Canal towpath to return to D.C. ====Bicycle and scooter rental==== * '''[https://www.capitalbikeshare.com/ Capital Bikeshare]''', owned by Lyft, operates a bike sharing network that has over 5,000 bicycles available at over 600 bike stations throughout the Washington, D.C. area. This is the second-largest bike sharing network in the country, after that of New York City. Users can take a bike from any station and return it to a different station. A 24-hour pass costs $8 and allows for unlimited rides of 45 minutes each; additional time costs $0.05 cents per minute for classic bikes or $0.10 per minute for e-bikes, payable by using a credit card at the automated kiosks attached to every Capital Bikeshare station. * '''Dockless bikeshare''' offers a convenient alternative to Capital Bikeshare. To find a bike, users may download the [https://transitapp.com/ Transit app], which displays the nearest bike from any provider. Once you have located a bike, you will need to download the app from the bike's provider to unlock the bike. Rates tend to be around $0.25 per minute. When your trip is complete, you can park the bike anywhere on the sidewalk where it is not obstructing the right of way. * '''Dockless electric scooters''' operate similar to dockless bikes, and can also be found on the Transit app. Rates vary by provider, but are typically $1 to start and an additional 15-30 cents per minute. You'll see many others treating them like a toy, and they are indeed a blast to ride, but don't get complacent — they require at least as much responsibility and situational awareness to operate safely as do bicycles. * '''Bike shops''' are plentiful and may be a better option if you plan on using a bike for an extended period. * Lime, Spin, and Bird offer dockless scooter rental. ===By pedicab=== Pedicabs (bicycle rickshaws) are regulated, insured, and licensed and offer tours or pre-arranged rides. Prices per vehicle range from $90-$175/hour. Companies offering services include [https://www.dcpedicab.com/en D.C. Pedicabs], [https://nonpartisanpedicab.com/ Nonpartisan Pedicab], and [https://adventuredctours.com/home Adventure DC Tricycle Tours]. ==See== [[File:National Mall map.png|thumb|500px|The National Mall]] Most of the attractions in D.C. are on the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]], the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]], and [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]]. While there are many maps on display throughout the city, you should print out and carry with you the official [https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/maps.htm National Mall map], which also includes most of the West End and Capitol Hill. For a map that encompasses a larger portion of the city, print out the [http://www.dccirculator.com/circulator-map-and-information-guide/ DC Circulator Route Map (pdf)]. The '''National Mall''' is a unique park, filled with an intense concentration of monuments, memorials, museums, and monumental government buildings instantly recognizable to people all over the world. The '''Washington Monument''', the '''Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool''', the '''Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial''', the '''Vietnam War Memorial''', the '''Korean War Veterans Memorial''', the '''Jefferson Memorial''', the '''National Gallery of Art''', the '''National Air and Space Museum''', the '''National Museum of Natural History''', '''National Museum of American History''', and the '''Holocaust Museum''', are just a few of the top attractions on the National Mall. To walk down the National Mall is to thread the halls of world power in the modern era. Here the world's most powerful politicians and their staffs fill the grand neo-classical buildings of the three branches of US Government, making decisions that reverberate in the remotest corners of the world. The National Mall is larger than it looks, and a walk from one end of the National Mall to the other will take a while and may wear you down a bit. Plan ahead what you want to see and concentrate your activities in one section of the National Mall each day. The [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]], just north of the National Mall, includes many more museums and attractions, including the '''National Portrait Gallery''', the '''American Art Museum''', and the home of an original copy of the Constitution at the '''National Archives'''. The White House, as well as the '''Textile Museum''' and the '''Kennedy Center''', are in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]]. The Capitol Building and the Supreme Court are on [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]]. Another attraction here that shouldn't be missed is the '''Library of Congress''', which has some of the most beautiful architecture that can be seen in the city. The free '''National Zoo''' in [[Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest|Upper Northwest]] is one of the nation's most prestigious zoos, and the '''National Cathedral''' is an awe-inspiring mammoth. [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]] is home to much of '''Embassy Row''', an impressive stretch of some 50 foreign-owned historic and modernist mansions along Massachusetts Ave, as well as several brilliant small museums, such as the '''Phillips Collection''' and the '''Woodrow Wilson House'''. The historic neighborhood of [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]] is the oldest part of the city, full of beautiful old colonial buildings, the 200+ year-old Jesuit campus of Georgetown University that resembles a Harry Potter film set, restaurants along the waterfront, the C&O canal, and the infamous Exorcist steps. By car or bus, you can get to some of the capital's more far-flung and less-frequented attractions, like the '''National Arboretum''' in the [[Washington, D.C./Near_Northeast|Near Northeast]], or the '''Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens''' in eastern [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]]. By taking the Metro red line to Brookland-CUA, you can easily visit the magnificent Catholic '''Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception''', the largest Catholic church in North America. ===Views and panoramas=== D.C.'s famous building height restrictions—no taller than the width of the street the building is on plus 20 feet—have resulted in a skyscraper-less downtown, giving D.C. a distinctly muted feel for what is actually the heart of a huge metropolis. The obvious downside to this law is that it limits the supply of housing and office space and tax revenues and results in very high rents. Since many buildings downtown are of the same height level, many rooftop terraces offer great views. There are several classic spots to get a look out over the city: * '''Kennedy Center Rooftop Terrace''' (free), in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]], or '''Arlington House''' (free), in [[Arlington National Cemetery]], provides a nice skyline somewhat removed from the city, with the Lincoln Memorial prominent in the foreground. * '''Washington Monument''' (free), on the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]], though as a vista point its small, bunker-like ports covered with scratched plastic make it less inspiring than might be expected. * '''Old Post Office Tower''' (free) in the [[Washington, D.C./East End#Q1141542|East End]], the second-tallest structure in downtown D.C., offers great views in all directions. * '''Vue Rooftop Bar at the Hotel Washington''', in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]], just a block from the White House, has a rooftop terrace, bar, and lounge with a view of the White House from above, close enough to make out the Secret Service overwatch. Meals and drinks are pricy. * '''Top of the Gate''' at the Watergate Hotel in the [[Washington, D.C./West End#Q1419538|West End]] is a rooftop bar with great 360-degree views. ==Do== ===Outdoor activities and parks=== [[File:Rock Creek Park map.jpg|thumb|200px|Rock Creek Park map]] D.C. has the highest ratio of parkland to population in the country for a city its size. Many of these parks are crowded with soccer, football, rugby, kickball, baseball, and ultimate frisbee players. The [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]] may be the most famous park, but there are several other large beautiful parks in the city. The 2,000 acre '''[https://www.nps.gov/rocr/index.htm Rock Creek Park]''', a national park, bisects the city north of the Anacostia River. The park is full of deer (who overpopulate, due to lack of predators), squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, birds, and even a few coyotes. The park includes paved biking/running trails that extend from Maryland to the Lincoln Memorial and connecting with the Mount Vernon trail in [[Northern Virginia]]. There are also plenty of hiking trails, picnic spots, a golf course, a variety of Ranger-led/educational programs, and boats can be rented for kayaking ($16-22/hour) and sailing at the [https://boatingindc.com/boathouses/thompson-boat-center/ Thompson Boat Center] on the Potomac River. There are plenty of nice outdoor spaces just beyond the park. South of Massachusetts Ave, you can take a path west out to the beautiful Dumbarton Oaks in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]], and then on to enormous Archibald-Glover Park, where the trails can lead you as far south and west as the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park]] and Palisades Park. Following the main trail along the creek all the way south will take you under the Whitehurst Freeway and down to the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]], where joggers avail themselves of the incredible path right along the Potomac beneath the monuments. '''[https://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm Roosevelt Island]''' is one of those gems just far enough out of the way that it is missed by most tourists. The Teddy Roosevelt Memorial is at the center of the island, which includes a couple fountains and several stone obelisks inscribed with his quotes. The rest of the island is a nice natural park of woods and swamp with a boardwalk in the center of the Potomac, with great views of Georgetown University on the northwest side and of the Kennedy Center on the east. What could be better befitting the "conservationist president" than an island park memorial? To reach the island, walk down the stairs at the Rosslyn side of the Key Bridge—which connects Rosslyn with [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]]—then head east on the trail (the Mount Vernon Trail) to the footbridge to the island. Rosslyn is the nearest Metro stop. By car, you can access the parking lot just north of the Roosevelt Bridge from the northbound lanes of the George Washington Pkwy only. There are several other parks worth visiting, including the '''Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens''' in [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]], the '''National Arboretum''' in [[Washington, D.C./Near_Northeast|Near Northeast]], '''Meridian Hill Park''' in [[Washington, D.C./Columbia_Heights|Columbia Heights]], and the '''C&O Canal Towpath''' in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]]. ===Events=== [https://twitter.com/freeindcblog Free in DC], [https://www.popville.com/ PopVille], [https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/ Washington City Paper], [https://www.washingtonian.com/ Washingtonian], and the [https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/ Going Out Guide by the Washington Post] are websites that will keep you up-to-date on current events in the city. Look for unique events that can only be experienced in the nation's capital - many embassies offer regular events open to the public that showcase their country's music, theatre, and culture, sometimes for a fee. These events are listed on the websites noted above as well as on [https://www.meetup.com/Embassyevents/ this site]. ====Performance Arts==== [[File:NSO at the Kennedy Center.jpg|thumb|270px|The National Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale of Washington at the Kennedy Center]] D.C. has a bustling live music scene, most of which takes place at small and medium sized bars and clubs. More information on these venues is available in the [[Washington, D.C.#Drink|Drink]] section of this article. The '''Kennedy Center''', which is in the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]] and is administered by the Smithsonian, offers a free 1-hour show every day at 6PM on its '''Millennium Stage'''. Shows range from poetry to plays to music to dance and are always top-notch. The '''Washington National Opera''' and '''National Symphony Orchestra''' also both perform here, although these events are rarely free. In the summer, the weekly Jazz in the Garden on Friday evenings on the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]] and the Sunday Drum Circle in Meridian Hill Park in [[Washington, D.C./Columbia Heights|Columbia Heights]] are both free events that are extremely popular with the locals and tourists alike. Major concerts and gatherings are held at the 18,200 seat '''Capital One Arena''' in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]. There are more intimate classical music concerts in various locations. Try the '''[https://www.dumbartonconcerts.org/ Dumbarton Concerts by Candlelight]''' in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]]! =====Theater===== Well-known Broadway shows are generally performed either at the Kennedy Center or at one of 3 theatres in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]: '''Ford's Theatre''', the '''National Theatre''', and the '''Warner Theatre'''. There are also multiple options for seeing top-notch performances of Shakespeare's works; the '''Shakespeare Theatre Company''' performs at both the Lansburgh Theatre and Harman Hall in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]], while smaller performances are held at '''Folger Shakespeare Theatre''' on [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]]. Other great theatre options that generally show lesser-known plays include '''Woolly Mammoth Theatre''' in the East End, the '''Atlas Theatre''' in [[Washington, D.C./Near_Northeast|Near Northeast]], and the '''Studio Theatre''' in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]]. The '''GALA Hispanic Theatre @ The Tivoli Theater''' in [[Washington, D.C./Columbia_Heights|Columbia Heights]] produces works in Spanish and English. Farther afield (but still readily Metro accessible) are '''Round House Theatre''' in [[Bethesda]] and '''Synetic Theater''' in [[Arlington (Virginia)/Crystal City|Crystal City]] (known for its wordless, dance-heavy, and impressively staged Shakespeare renditions). ===Free Outdoor Movies=== During the summer, there is generally a free outdoor movie shown every weekday evening on a large outdoor screen at one of several locations in D.C. There are also similar movie showings in nearby suburbs such as [[National Harbor]], [[Columbia_(Maryland)|Columbia]], [[Bethesda]], [[Frederick]], [[Hagerstown]], and [[Ellicott City]]. It's good to show up as early as possible to stake out a good spot, lay down the picnic blanket, and socialize. People start arriving at 7:00PM and films generally start at sunset, approximately 8:30PM. The movies being shown as well as the days of the week and locations change yearly but are aggregated [http://www.dcoutdoorfilms.com/ on this site]. ===Social Dance=== D.C. has a vibrant social dance scene. The '''Josephine Butler Parks Center''' is a popular spot for swing dancing on Tuesdays. To the northwest, '''Glen Echo Park''', a former amusement park converted into an arts and culture center, hosts social dance events most days of the week, including a popular [https://www.fridaynightdance.com/ contra dance series] on Fridays. ===Festivals=== D.C. is awash in free public events all throughout the year, but especially in the summer. A few highlights include: * {{do | name=A Capitol Fourth | url=https://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4 July | price= | content=The nation's capital is the best place to celebrate Independence Day! Fireworks over the Potomac River, the [https://july4thparade.com/ National Independence Day Parade], and a huge orchestral concert on Capitol Hill all make for a big time celebration. Expect ''enormous'' crowds. }} * {{do | name=Around the World Embassy Tour | alt=Embassy Day | url=https://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/signature-events | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=First two Saturdays of May | price= | content=You can go into most of the embassy buildings, learn about the countries, view presentations and performances, eat food (sometimes free, sometimes for purchase), and buy souvenirs. Expect long lines, especially during peak hours and at larger countries. }} * {{do | name=National Cherry Blossom Festival | url=https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Late March–early April | price= | content=Washington's cherry blossoms do ''not'' necessarily bloom during the festival—the bloom varies every year, depending on the winter weather. When the blossoms are in bloom, which lasts for about a week, Washington is at its prettiest. The traditional cherry blossom promenade is around the Tidal Basin, although you will have to go very early in the morning to avoid the crowds. You will pay top dollar to stay at hotels during cherry blossom season. }} * {{do | name=Blossom Kite Festival | url=https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/event/blossom-kite-festival/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=at the Washington Monument | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Late March | price= | content=The main attraction is of course all the people showing up to fly their kites by the Washington Monument, but there are also a bunch of tent exhibits on topics from things like West Indian kitemaking to U.S. wind power projects. There are several kite flying competitions throughout the day, the most popular being the Rokkaku Kite Battle. }} * {{do | name=Shakespeare Free for All | url=https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/ | email= | address=610 F St NW | lat= | long= | directions=Harman Hall | phone=+1 202 547-1122 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Late Summer | price= | content=Free performances of a different Shakespeare play every year by the renowned Shakespeare Theatre Company in the Harman Center for the Arts. You can get free tickets via the online lottery or same-day tickets available at the door (via queue) in the morning. }} * {{do | name=Smithsonian Folklife Festival | url=https://folklife.si.edu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Late June–around 4 July | price= | content=This annual festival normally has three topics: a country, a region of the U.S., and another subject, which varies from year to year. Previous festivals have featured the country of [[Oman]], the ancient [[Silk Road]], and music in Latino culture. }} ===Annual conventions=== The convention center in [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] hosts several major annual events: * {{do | name=Library of Congress National Book Festival | alt= | url=https://www.loc.gov/events/2019-national-book-festival/about-this-event/ | email= | address=Washington Convention Center | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=One Saturday in early September | price= | wikipedia=National Book Festival | wikidata=Q1792734 | content=Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this festival celebrates books, authors, and reading. Highlights include listening to your favorite author speak, queuing up to have a book signed, taking the kids to visit their beloved PBS Kids characters, and collecting stamps from all the US states and territories in the Pavilion of the States. }} * {{do | name=Otakon | alt= | url=https://www.otakon.com/ | email= | address=Walter E. Washington Convention Center | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Three-day weekend in Jul or Aug (varies) | price=Admission $100 at door; discounts online until a few weeks before the con | wikipedia=Otakon | wikidata=Q3357564 | content=One of the largest and longest-running ''anime'' conventions in the United States. Even if you are not into anime, you'll get to see throngs of Japanese cartoon-inspired costumed attendees (''cosplayers'') take over the Convention Center during the convention. You need to buy an admission badge to enter the convention, but you can just stand on the street and ogle the costumes for free. The best times for this are Thursday evening (a long line often forms for picking up badges) and Saturday, the day when the most people are in costume. }} * [https://www.washingtonautoshow.com/ Washington Auto Show] - late January * [https://travelshows.com/shows/washingtondc/ Washington Travel Show] - late January ===Sporting events=== [[File:Wizards' G-Man.jpg|thumb|200px|G-Man, the Washington Wizards' odd mascot]] ====Football==== The '''[https://commanders.com/ Washington Commanders]''' are one of professional [[American football]]'s most established and storied clubs, boasting five NFL championships. The Commanders play at FedEx Field in [[Largo (Maryland)|Landover]], [[Maryland]]. To get there using public transport, take the Blue Line Metrorail to the Morgan Blvd stop, then walk one mile straight up Morgan Blvd to the stadium. Though easily the city's favorite sports team they are increasingly shunned by younger fans angered at the mismanagement and scandals surrounding the team and controversial owner Daniel Snyder. The '''[https://umterps.com/ Maryland Terrapins]''', representing the main campus of the University of Maryland, also have a large following in the area. The team plays just outside D.C. in [[College Park (Maryland)|College Park]]. ====[[Ice hockey in North America|Hockey]]==== The '''[https://www.nhl.com/capitals/ Washington Capitals]''', under coach Barry Trotz and led by superstar Alexander Ovechkin, won the Stanley Cup in 2018. The team plays at the Capital One Arena, in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]. ====[[Basketball in North America|Basketball]]==== The '''[https://www.nba.com/wizards/ Washington Wizards]''' also play at the Capital One Arena. In the 2010s, led by young talents John Wall then Bradley Beal, the Wizards developed into a fun and competitive if somewhat underdog side. They enjoy a passionate young fanbase and are as of 2022 enjoying something of a renaissance with the addition of fashionable star, Kyle Kuzma and promising talents, Daniel Gafford and Rui Hachimura. However, they have yet to be taken seriously by both the city and the NBA at large. Needless to say, its a distinct improvement from the mediocrity that mired the Wizards during the 2000s when they were constantly drubbed by the LeBron James led Cavaliers and Miami Heat teams. The WNBA '''[https://mystics.wnba.com/ Washington Mystics]''', a women's team owned by the same company as the Wizards and the NHL's Capitals, plays in both the Entertainment and Sports Arena in [[Washington, D.C./Anacostia|Anacostia]] as well as in Capital One Arena. The '''[[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]] Hoyas''' men's basketball team is far and away the most popular college sports team in the city, and the Hoyas often sport a more exciting season than even the Wizards. The team also plays at the Capital One Arena since the crowds for the Hoyas' games are too big for the University to hold. The '''[https://umterps.com/ Maryland Terrapins]''' also have a large following in the area. The team plays just outside D.C. in [[College Park (Maryland)|College Park]]. Three other NCAA Division I teams play in the District, and a fourth plays in the immediate metropolitan area. The District also has the '''[https://gwsports.com/ George Washington Colonials]''' in Foggy Bottom, the '''[https://aueagles.com/ American Eagles]''' in Tenleytown, and the '''[https://hubison.com/ Howard Bison]''' in Shaw. The '''[https://gomason.com/ George Mason Patriots]''' are in [[Fairfax County]], Virginia. ====Baseball==== {{see also| Baseball in North America}} The '''[https://www.mlb.com/nationals Washington Nationals]''', a.k.a. the '''Nats''' play at a picturesque stadium by the [[Washington, D.C./Waterfront|Waterfront]]. In 2019, they won the first championship ever for the franchise, and the city's first World Series championship since the original Washington Senators (now playing in [[Minneapolis]] as the [[Minnesota]] Twins) won in 1924. Previous D.C. baseball teams include the aforementioned first version of the '''Washington Senators''', which played in the city from 1901–1960, and the second Washington Senators, which joined the American League immediately after the original team's departure but themselves moved to the [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]] suburb of [[Arlington (Texas)|Arlington, Texas]] after the 1971 season to become the Texas Rangers. Both suffered from a singular inability to win. The first incarnation was quite successful for its first twenty years, but by WWII they earned the city the slogan "first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." ====Soccer==== Americans often forget that the country has a professional soccer league, but that's not the case in D.C. '''[https://www.dcunited.com/ D.C. United]''' has the most honors of any Major League Soccer team, with 4 MLS Cups (league championships) under its belt out of the league's 24 seasons, as well as successes in international competition in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, where the club has both a CONCACAF championship and a Copa Interamericana. D.C. is a big soccer town, owing to the metropolitan area's very international population and its big Latino communities, as well as to a home-grown affection for soccer in this section of the Mid-Atlantic, and the games are high-energy and well attended. United plays at Audi Field in [[Washington, D.C./Waterfront|Waterfront]]. The '''[https://washingtonspirit.com/ Washington Spirit]''', of the National Women's Soccer League, play at Audi Field and Segra Field in [[Leesburg]]. Speaking of Segra Field, it's also home to '''[https://loudoununitedfc.com Loudoun United FC]''', which plays as the reserve side for D.C. United in the second-level USL Championship. The 2022 season will be LUFC's last in the USLC; in 2023, the team will move to the third-level MLS Next Pro, joining reserve sides of virtually every other MLS team. ====Rugby==== [https://oldglorydc.com/ '''Old Glory'''], of the Eastern Conference of '''Major League Rugby''', play at '''Segra Field''' in Leesburg, Virginia. The ownership team is led by D.C. natives Paul Sheehy and Chris Dunlavey. The team has a strong New Zealand and Polynesian presence among its coaching and playing staff and an expat-heavy fanbase. The season lasts from March to September, with most games on Sunday afternoons. ====Tennis==== The '''[https://www.washingtonkastles.com/ Washington Kastles]''' have won 5 consecutive Mylan World TeamTennis titles. Since the franchise's launch in 2008, the Kastles have featured many stars including Serena & Venus Williams, Leander Paes, Rennae Stubbs, and Victoria Azarenka. With an exciting team format, music between points, no-ad scoring and dramatic overtimes, attending a Kastles game can be a fun experience. ==Learn== D.C. has a long list of highly accredited universities. It's a political town, and the best known institutions are undoubtedly those with the political connections. '''Georgetown University''', '''George Washington University''', and '''American University''' are arguably the best academic options period for those looking to cozy up to the Washington elite and/or launch a public career. They are also excellent bets for international students looking for a politics-oriented exchange program, as their international politics programs are consistently ranked among the world's best, producing world leaders from kings to African finance ministers. D.C. is also home to a number of acclaimed universities with a more specialized focus: '''Gallaudet University''' is the world's only university for the deaf, '''Howard University''' is one of the nation's most esteemed historically black universities, and the prestigious '''National Defense University''' serves the military elite. Other large and well-respected institutions include '''The Catholic University of America''' and graduate-level programs such as the '''Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies'''. The only public university in D.C. is the '''University of the District of Columbia''', which serves mostly local students. D.C. has more '''think tanks''' than anywhere else in the U.S., most of which are located along Massachusetts Ave's "think tank row" in Dupont and Downtown. They host frequent free talks and panels during lunch hour (free food is often included) and happy hour. Topics include a variety of policy issues, some of which are very technical or esoteric and others of which are more generally accessible. Each think tank has a different culture and political orientation, ranging from culturally conservative (e.g. the [https://www.heritage.org/events Heritage Foundation], [http://www.aei.org/events/ American Enterprise Institute]) to libertarian (e.g. [https://www.cato.org/events CATO]) to center-left (e.g. [https://www.brookings.edu/events/ Brookings], [https://www.newamerica.org/events/ New America]) to progressive (e.g. [https://www.americanprogress.org/events/upcoming-events/ Center for American Progress]). Many of the '''book stores''' in D.C. also host frequent free author talks, most notably [https://www.politics-prose.com/events Politics and Prose]. ==Work== Certain career fields find a natural home in D.C. While everyone knows that this is where politicians go, you can also find a fair share of diplomats, lawyers, lobbyists, journalists, defense contractors, and civil servants. Good fields for international visitors to pursue include the various '''NGOs''', national lobbying groups, and for the select few, embassies and consulates. Many ambitious young people come to Washington for internships, and the huge student-aged population peaks in the summer. With so many high-powered career types out to change the world, the need for child care is obvious. '''Nannies''' and '''au pairs''', mostly placed through agencies, provide child care to many of Washington's elite; the city has the highest proportion of in-home childcare in the country. U.S. citizen nannies are especially sought after as government types carefully follow employment law to avoid problems with security clearances or negative publicity. Wages for legal U.S. residents with experience can top $800 per week, room and board included. ==Buy== [[File:Wisconsin Ave, Georgetown.jpg|thumb|260px|Shops in Georgetown]] '''Souvenirs''' are easy to find at stands and stores near the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]] and [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]]. However, these offerings tend to be tacky (shot glasses, magnets, t-shirts, etc.) The gift shops of the Smithsonian museums have unique but more expensive offerings and are great places to buy gifts. '''[https://easternmarket-dc.org/ Eastern Market]''' in [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]] is a favorite Saturday or Sunday afternoon shopping destination for locally produced food and artwork. Even if you're not buying, it's a great time. '''Eclectic boutiques and vintage stores''' abound in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]], [[Washington, D.C./Adams_Morgan|Adams Morgan]], [[Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest|Upper Northwest]], and [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]]. However, prices are high; you are not likely to find many bargains. '''Art galleries''' are plentiful throughout the city and make for great browsing, although the prices are on the high side. '''Specialty book stores''' such as '''Politics & Prose''', '''Kramerbooks''', and '''Second Story Books''' in [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]] carry a nice selection of political humor-themed accessories. Walmart, with a location near Union Station, and Target are the best bets for cheap groceries and household items. ===Clothing and household goods=== [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] has several brand-name clothing stores such as Macy's, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Zara, and Guess, while Marshalls is the best bet for discounts within the city limits, with stores in [[Washington, D.C./Columbia Heights|Columbia Heights]] and [[Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest|Upper Northwest]]. Upscale shopping dominates in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown]], City center and Friendship Heights. Expect boutiques from the all the big name international brands here as well as the odd smaller American designer. More unique and vintage shopping is available in Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights. * [[Leesburg#Buy|Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets]], {{mi|17}} northwest of Dulles Airport and {{mi|40}} northwest of Washington, has the best bargains in the area but is not accessible by public transport. * [[Woodbridge (Virginia)#Q7235071|Potomac Mills Woodbridge]] is a humongous shopping mall that contains over 200 stores. It is a 25 minute [https://omniride.com/service/schedules/pwmd/ bus ride] ($3.45 each way with SmarTrip card, M-Sa only) from the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail Station. * [[National Harbor#Buy|Tanger Outlet Mall National Harbor]] is accessible by MetroBus from the Southern Ave Metrorail Station. * [[Arlington (Virginia)/Crystal City#Q7733481|Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Arlington]], has over 170 generally high-end stores is adjacent to the Pentagon City. * [[Tysons#Q3546388|Tysons Corner Center]] contains over 300 stores and is adjacent to the Tysons Corner Metrorail Station. ==Eat== [[File:Dos pupusas en DC.jpg|thumb|270px|Dos pupusas, por favor]] [[File:Ethiopian cuisine in DC.jpg|thumb|250px|A delicious Ethiopian dinner spread]] Eating out in Washington has improved dramatically since the turn of the century, fully reflecting the diversity of its inhabitants. Old jokes about steakhouses and power dining in the Clinton era are long out of date, as a new generation of chefs, diners and immigrants have revolutionized this city into one of the nations' finest dining destinations. ===Fine dining cuisine=== Most of the '''high end cuisine''' is available in Downtown, the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]], the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]], [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]], [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]], Logan Circle and [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]]—offering dining experiences ranging from steakhouses packed with the who's who to the cutting edge of new American cuisine. As a general rule, expect higher prices in popular tourist haunts like Georgetown, Penn Quarter and Dupont, while more exciting and innovative cuisine can be found to the east in Logan Circle, Adams Morgan and H Street. ===Ethnic food=== D.C.'s international might draws representatives from all corners of the globe, and they all need ex-pat cafes and restaurants to haunt. Notable "ethnic" enclaves include wonderful Ethiopian food in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]] and Chinese food in what remains of D.C.'s disappearing Chinatown. '''Salvadoran cuisine''' such as the '''pupusa''' is common in [[Washington, D.C./Columbia_Heights|Columbia Heights]]. Pupusas are thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, optionally fried pork, refried beans, or all sorts of other things, then topped with a tart cabbage salad and an Italianesque red sauce. '''Ethiopian food''' is a D.C. staple due to the city's large Ethiopian community. Ethiopian food is a wild ride of spicy stewed and sautéed meats and vegetables served atop a plate covered with a spongy bread called '''injera'''. You eat the dishes with your hands, using an extra plate of injera (similar to bread) as your sole "utensil"—rip off a piece of the injera and use it to pick up your food. It's proper in Ethiopia to use only the tips of your fingers in this exercise, and with good reason: you'll have a messy meal otherwise. It's also perfectly proper to feed your date, making this a fun cuisine if you know your date well. The best places to try Ethiopian food are in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], which includes ''Little Ethiopia''. '''Asian food''' has exploded in popularity across D.C. in the last decade thanks to a large immigrant population and a generation of adventurous young chefs and diners. Generally more affordable than other cuisines, it is led by the flavors of Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. Cuisines less well known in other parts of the country such as '''Laotian, Burmese and Filipino''' are in abundance here. Notable staples in the city include Doi Moi in upscale Logan Circle, Bad Saint in Columbia Heights, Daikaya in Chinatown, Donburi and Mandu in Adams Morgan and ChiKo in Dupont Circle. Popular places include Ramen bars and the very enjoyable Korean BBQ places (which sometimes feature Karaoke and offer you the chance to grill your own meats tableside). Cheaper eats are available in the suburbs notably Wheaton, Rockville and Silver Spring in Maryland and, Annandale and the Eden Center in Northern Virginia '''Chinese food''' can still be found in D.C., though with much of the ethnic Chinese community having moved to the suburbs, most of the restaurants in Chinatown are tourist traps. While good to excellent authentic Chinese food remains available in the metropolitan area, these days the best Chinese restaurants are located in the suburbs. Two noteworthy suburban locations for authentic Chinese cuisine (in various regional styles) are [[Rockville]], Maryland and [[Wheaton]], Maryland. Rockville Station is on the Western Branch of the Metro's Red Line and Wheaton Station is on its Eastern Branch. Both stations are about 25 minutes from downtown D.C. The Rockville area is a bit more refined, and the restaurant quality is generally good to excellent. Wheaton is busier than Rockville, with a semi-urban density, and dozens of Chinese and other Asian ethnic restaurants. They tend to be smaller, with modest decor, and the food quality ranges from fantastic to just so-so. Check Washingtonian Magazine's annual [https://www.washingtonian.com/tag/cheap-eats/ "Cheap Eats" article] on the web for reliable ethnic restaurant recommendations throughout the Washington Metropolitan area. ===Local cuisine=== The closest thing to local D.C. cuisine that outsiders will recognize is the '''half-smoke''': smoked half-beef, half-pork sausages. They have a firm "snap" when you bite into one, are served on a hot dog bun, and are often topped with chili. They are commonly sold at food trucks on the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]]. By far the landmark [http://benschilibowl.com/ Ben's Chili Bowl] in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]] is best associated with the halfsmoke, and though locals think of it more as a tourist attraction, it is worth a visit for its historical significance and wall of famed patrons from Oprah to Barack Obama. Less well known, but undeniably classic Washington is '''mumbo sauce''', a sweet, yet spicy red sauce that goes on everything from fried fish to chicken wings. It is best associated with the city's longstanding African American restaurants and has also been adopted by many Caribbean and Chinese takeout places. While all but unknown in gentrified Northwest it is much more common in the city's Northeastern and Southeast neighborhoods. '''[https://www.henryssoulcafe.com/ Harry's Soul Food]''' and '''[https://www.yumscarryoutwashington.com/ Yum’s II Carryout]''' both in Shaw/U Street are both highly lauded restaurants that serve the local African American and Chinese takes on mumbo respectively. True to its [[Mid-Atlantic]] heritage (and strong Maryland influence, local Marylanders will proudly tell you), a visit to D.C. is not complete until you try locally '''steamed crabs''', especially if you want to impress the locals! And though suburban Virginians may complain, only '''Maryland blue crabs''' from the '''[[Chesapeake Bay]]''' will suffice. Head to the '''Maine Avenue Fish Market''' on the Southwest waterfront to sample some of the region's best seafood. During the summer harvest season (May to September), picking crabs or indulging in a crab feast in warm weather ('''old bay seasoning''', of course!) is a popular way to spend the afternoon with family and friends, especially among native Washingtonians. However, offseason, crab may be imported from as far away as the Carolinas or Gulf of Mexico. Steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, sausage and beer are popular side dishes. If steamed crabs sound a bit adventurous, you should at least sample a crab cake (nearby [[Maryland]] does it best after all), or crab bisque. Sadly, gentrification of the city's waterfront and an influx of wealthy transplants threatens the future of the fish market and indeed the city's maritime heritage and many longstanding seafood vendors and purveyors have since migrated to nearby Prince Georges County, Maryland. Many of D.C.'s older restaurants were founded by Greek immigrants in the immediate post-World War II era (such as the parents of author and D.C. native, George Pelecanos) . Often, you will unexpectedly find Greek items on the menus of restaurants that serve American, Italian, Jewish and classic deli fare. Many have survived into the present day and are particularly popular with office workers and students. The [https://greekdelidc.com/ '''Greek Deli'''] in [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle]] is a popular and well-regarded example of the city's unique Greek culinary heritage. ===Kosher dining=== There are only two kosher restaurants in D.C., and they are very casual: [https://charbardc.com/ Char Bar] (meat) near [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]] and Silver Crust (dairy) inside the JCC. However, there are dozens more options for kosher dining in neighboring [[Montgomery County (Maryland)|Montgomery County]], especially in areas with large Jewish populations such as Kemp Hill, Wheaton, Silver Spring, Rockville and Bethesda. Metro accessible kosher restaurants in Montgomery County include: [http://www.theshalomgroup.com/ Max's Kosher Café] (meat) and [https://www.nuthousepizzamenu.com/ Nut House Pizza] (dairy) in [[Wheaton]]; and [https://sienasrestaurant.com/ Siena's Restaurant] (dairy) near the Twinbrook metro station. There are also several kosher restaurants in Montgomery County accessible by car, mostly in [[Rockville]] and Kemp Mill. ==Drink== <!--Individual bar and club listings belong on the appropriate district page--NOT HERE.--> The legal drinking/purchasing age is '''21''' and it is strictly enforced in D.C. Be prepared to have your identification checked, even if you appear to be well over 21. Last call can be as late as 3AM, although many establishments will let you stay beyond that, especially downtown . It is rare but not unknown for nightclubs to stay open beyond 3AM though they may lock you in or stop serving alcohol. As in most American cities, drinking alcoholic beverages on the street is illegal. The law is flouted openly in many areas, especially post pandemic, but bars will not generally let you take your drink off premise. === Popular nightlife neighborhoods === The only thing about Washington that changes faster than the Metro map is the restaurant and bar scene. While some established watering holes have been around for decades, the hot spot or neighborhood of the moment may well have opened last month and moved on by now. Near downtown, '''Dupont''' and '''Logan Circle''' are probably the best neighborhoods to go if you are in town for just a brief period, full of locals of all ages, especially D.C. young professionals. '''U Street''' has lots of clubs and a thriving nightlife scene, and if you are European and looking for a good club, this is where you want to be. The larger '''Shaw''' neighborhood is well gentrified, though attracts a well to do, good-looking African American crowd, particularly at many of the city's, brunch places which often double as nightlife venues as the evening progresses. '''Georgetown''' has classier bars and clubs and some very expensive restaurants, but is shunned by the hip, cool crowd. The nearby '''West End''' has finally broken out of its ''hotel/condoland'' slumber, with some interesting locales close to its border with Dupont Circle. '''Adams Morgan,''' formerly the dingy alternative to Dupont, has become hipper, cooler and trendier today, especially with young residents and visiting cool kids. You'll find many of the city's best bars and new restaurants here. '''Columbia Heights''' also has lots of bars, as well as a sizeable cluster of Asian, African and Hispanic bars and restaurants. Nearby, '''Mount Pleasant''', once a bit on the quiet side is now loaded with bars and cheap eats. '''Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and Van Ness (aka Forest Hills)''' attract a wealthier older crowd, with many decent restaurants and plenty of watering holes, including a couple of bars and pubs. Nearby is upscale '''Tenleytown''', which is surprisingly sedate for a student area but remains popular with middle aged residents. '''Takoma Park''' lives up to its nickname as the [[Berkeley|'Berkeley]] of the East' and is home to many bohemian, alternative haunts, albeit aimed at an increasingly mature crowd. '''Penn Quarter/Chinatown''' is a very touristy area with a plenty of good but pricey restaurants many of which seem to be New York imports, although very few hip locals would be caught dead in this part of town. In Northeast, '''H Stree'''t and '''Petworth''' are the new capital of DC's cool scene, and many of small music venues and cult restaurants here. '''Brookland''' offers a quieter . more relaxed slice of DC life, largely around its neighborhood cafes, restaurants and bars oft overlooked by outsiders and '''NoMa''', is the new yuppie epicenter of Washington, rapidly gentrified and plenty of brunch spots to match, though still somewhat rough around the edges. In Southeast, '''Capitol Hill''' and '''Hill East''', mirror the scene in Woodley Park, with many decent watering holes aimed at a mature, well to do crowd, though Hill East is much more geared towards local residents. Further afield '''Navy Yard''' and '''the Wharf''' are the cities newest neighborhoods, a former warehouse zone turned waterfront condo site, recalling Baltimore's [[Inner Harbor]] with the prices to match. It covers multiple blocks and is controversial for having displaced many fisherman and long term residents on D.C.'s old waterfront. ===Bars and dance clubs=== The downtown nightlife is lacking; many bars in the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]] are tourist traps and the [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]] has relatively few bars despite the student population from GW University. However, bars and dance clubs are plentiful along 18th St in [[Washington, D.C./Adams Morgan|Adams Morgan]], along 14th St and along U St in nearby [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], and in [[Washington, D.C./Near Northeast|Near Northeast]], and [[Washington,_D.C./Waterfront|Waterfront]]. Several hotels in [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]] include very classy popular bars. D.C.'s coolest clubs and bars are to be found along '''U Street''', '''H Street''' and the larger Shaw area. Hipsters, cool kids and the young at heart congregate here from across the D.C. area and beyond. Complementing the above scene, is a more bar focused nightlife scene in '''Adams Morgan/ Columbia Heights''' and '''Logan Circle''' respectively, the former being more hip and alternative and the latter far more upscale. Less fashionable, but slicker are the dance clubs are along '''Connecticut Avenue''' in [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]]. Unlike the house/techno/ hip hop/ underground scene in Shaw and H Street, music genres played at clubs here include more mainstream top 40, R&B, hip hop, and Latin music. Many of these bars and clubs have a stricter door policy and dress code than U Street. Much of the audience at these clubs are suburbanites looking for a night out on the town rather than D.C. locals. U Street and Shaw also have many bars/clubs that cater to a gay crowd. ===Live music clubs=== ====Pop and rock==== There are several 500-1,500 person music venues in [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], [[Washington, D.C./Waterfront|Waterfront]], and [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]] that bring in internationally-known acts. The '''Fillmore Silver Spring''', which also features international acts, is located just outside of the city limits in [[Silver Spring]], and is Metro accessible. ====Jazz and Blues==== Live jazz is very popular in D.C. Jazz legend Duke Ellington frequently played at clubs in Shaw, centered around U St. '''Blues Alley''' in Georgetown is the city's most prestigious jazz club - the interior looks like it is from a Spike Lee movie - straight from the 1920s! There is a weekly blues performance called '''[https://westminsterdc.org/blue-monday-schedule Blue Monday Blues]''' ($10 cash/credit) at Westminster Presbyterian Church in [[Washington, D.C./Waterfront|Waterfront]] and there is a weekly Saturday night jazz/swing band performance at Glen Echo Park in [[Potomac]]. [https://www.takomastation.com/ Takoma Station Tavern] near [[Takoma Park]] has weekly jazz jams as well as regular performances of go-go music, a musical genre related to funk and early hip-hop that originated in D.C. in the 1960's. ==Sleep== [[File:The Willard Hotel.jpg|thumb|270px|The famous Willard Hotel. Notable guests have included many U.S. Presidents, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Martin Luther King.]] <!--Individual hotel listings belong on the appropriate district page--NOT HERE.--> Hotels of all classes and price ranges can be found in many neighborhoods of D.C., as well as in the nearby suburbs. If you are coming by car, be sure to factor the cost of parking, which can be free in hotels outside the city limits but can cost over $35 per day in hotels in the downtown area. The hotel tax in D.C. is 14.5%, while the tax is 13.0% in the nearby suburbs of [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] and [[Bethesda]], and 12.00% in [[Tysons]], [[Reston (Virginia)|Reston]], and most of [[Herndon]]. Hotels in the D.C. area are generally most expensive on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, when business travel reaches its peak, and cheapest on the weekend. The hotels of the [[Washington, D.C./East End|East End]], the business-centric [[Washington, D.C./West End|West End]], and charming [[Washington, D.C./Georgetown|Georgetown]] (which features many boutique choices) are the most popular accommodation options due to their proximity to the tourist attractions and top dining spots. If booking in these areas, be aware that the West End consists mainly of office buildings and is generally dead after dark, and Georgetown is not accessible by Metrorail, although it is easy to travel to/from Georgetown by bus or a ride-hailing service. Better bargains may be had in the nightlife-centered districts of [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]], [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], [[Washington, D.C./Near Northeast|Near Northeast]], and [[Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill|Capitol Hill]], all of which are a short metro or bus ride to, or, when the weather is nice, a nice walk to, the [[Washington, D.C./National Mall|National Mall]]. These areas may actually be preferable because their nightlife options make a late night out more convenient. Moreover, it is easier to find street parking on the weekend. There are also many hotels of all classes located close to metro stations just outside the city limits in [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] and [[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]], [[Bethesda]], and [[Silver Spring]]. If you are flying into or out of Dulles Airport, you may want to look into hotels in the nearby areas of [[Tysons]], [[Reston (Virginia)|Reston]], or [[Herndon]], although the ride to D.C. via public transport can take up to an hour. These hotels are generally much cheaper than hotels in D.C., especially on the weekends. There are also many hostels in D.C. ==Stay safe== The number of reported incidents of certain types of crime, but not all types of crime, within a certain proximity to any street address can be tracked on the [https://dcatlas.dcgis.dc.gov/crimecards/ DC Crime Map]. The police presence in the city is predictably very heavy, especially in tourist areas and near government buildings. In general, the often-traveled areas, like the area around Smithsonian, the monuments, and the Kennedy center, are safe to walk around, even in the evening. The areas east of the Capitol are generally less safe, but visitors can safely see attractions there if they stay aware of their surroundings. ====Homicides==== The number of annual homicides has declined from 479 in 1991, when Washington was known as the "murder capital", to 105 in 2014. As a visitor, you are extremely unlikely to be the victim of a homicide; the vast majority of homicide victims in the U.S. are acquainted with their murderer long before the crime. The majority of homicides occur in the less-traveled parts of the city, like Anacostia and the Northeast and Southeast, especially near public housing projects. ====Muggings and robberies==== Muggings are a problem in the nightlife-centered neighborhoods of [[Washington, D.C./Shaw|Shaw]], [[Washington, D.C./Adams Morgan|Adams Morgan]], [[Washington, D.C./Columbia_Heights|Columbia Heights]], and [[Washington, D.C./Near Northeast|Near Northeast]] and the area around the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station. However, visitors should not avoid these areas—on the contrary, it would be a shame to miss out on them—but visitors should be vigilant. In particular, avoid walking at night on side streets—stick to the well-lit main commercial strips, travel in groups, and maintain a basic level of sobriety. Be extra vigilant with your mobile phones; they are a very popular snatch-and-grab item around the Metro stations and on the trains. ==Stay healthy== For health emergencies, '''[https://www.gwhospital.com/ George Washington University Hospital]''' is on Washington Circle in [[Washington, D.C./West End|Foggy Bottom]], adjacent to the Foggy Bottom Metro station. This is where former Vice President Dick Cheney went in 2004 for his irregular heartbeat, and where the President would go in event of a medical emergency. Other hospitals in the city include '''[http://huhealthcare.com/healthcare/hospital Howard University Hospital]''', '''[https://www.medstargeorgetown.org/ Georgetown University Hospital]''', '''[https://www.medstarwashington.org/ Washington Hospital Center]''', and the '''[https://childrensnational.org/ Children's National Medical Center]'''. * {{listing | name=Farragut Medical & Travel Care | alt= | url=https://www.farragutmedical.com/ | email= | address=815 Connecticut Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 775-8500 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=If you are looking for a quick walk-in clinic }} ==Respect== Most people in Washington have '''left-wing, cosmopolitan, secular and environmentalist values''' by American standards. This spares both domestic and foreign tourists from cultural clashes which might be imminent elsewhere. However, some strict rules of etiquette are almost distinctive in Washington DC. ===On the Metro=== When boarding at the station, let those exiting the train step off onto the platform before boarding, and once aboard move to the center of the car. If you have luggage, move it as far out of the path of others as possible. Certain stations have escalators to cover the distances between platforms — '''walk on the left and stand on the right!''' ===Business=== People in Washington DC are punctual, so show up on time. The standard greeting is a firm handshake. Small talk and bringing up the subject indirectly are neither necessary nor expected. Most meetings get straight down to business. Similarly, salespeople, waiters and other service employees are usually less attentive than their colleagues in other states, to respect customers' privacy, except a short "hello" to entering customers. Customers are supposed to call for attention. ===Dress=== With its highly educated, professional, and political populace, D.C. is a relatively formal and fashion-conscious city. Even in the summer, t-shirts and shorts are in the minority downtown or at bars and restaurants. However, if you just want to enjoy being a tourist, wear what is comfortable and don't worry—you'll be in good company! But if you prefer to blend in, a safe bet anytime of day for men are nice dark jeans and an un-tucked button-up or polo shirt, and perhaps dark sneakers or something a little nicer and more stylish. Women will often blend in better in a nice pair of sandals, boots, or other nice shoes, and maybe skipping the T-shirt and sneakers in the evening. For fine dining or the theater, expect to dress nicely. A good button-up shirt and slacks are a must for any nice restaurant. ==Connect== ===Internet access=== The D.C. government operates a network of free, [https://dcnet.dc.gov/page/public-wi-fi-find-hotspot public WiFi hotspots] across the city. Free WiFi is also available at metro stations, [https://www.dclibrary.org/hours-locations D.C. public libraries], and many local coffee shops, which are also nice places to relax. If you need to use a computer, the libraries have public computer terminals. As in most of the U.S., Internet cafes are a rare phenomenon. ===Telephone=== The telephone area code throughout the District is '''202''', with '''771''' to be introduced in 2022. You will also see a lot of [[Maryland]] ('''301''' and '''240''') and [[Virginia]] ('''703''' and '''571''') area codes. Because the 202 area code has an overlay, you must dial the area code followed by the 7-digit phone number. ==Cope== ===Local laws=== '''Smoking''' is banned within almost all enclosed public spaces, including shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Most restaurants allow smoking in patio seating. If there are no ashtrays, ask for one to double check. Businesses relying principally on tobacco sales are exempt, so smoking is allowed in tobacco shops, cigar bars, and hookah bars. The possession of up to 2 oz. of marijuana is '''legal''', however the sale of marijuana by anyone except licensed dispensaries is '''illegal'''. Anyone must be 21 or older to consume or possess marijuana - it doesn't matter if its for recreational or medicinal reasons and the laws are strictly enforced. Consumption of marijuana in public is illegal and enforced; therefore, you should consume it only in private. It is illegal to smoke/consume marijuana on someone else's private property without their consent. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, so you could still be under scrutiny. DO NOT attempt to bring marijuana out of D.C., even to another jurisdiction where it is legal, or you will be charged under federal law. '''Talking on your phone while driving''' carries a $100 fine, a rule that is ''strictly'' enforced within D.C. Hands-free devices are permitted to be used while driving, but if you get pulled over for another violation while using one, expect a hard line from the police, who are sick of dealing with accidents caused by distracted drivers. ===Security procedures=== When visiting federal buildings and museums, you will pass through metal detectors and have your bags inspected. Some buildings (such as courts, etc.) even ban mobile telephones and recording devices. Security personnel have no sense of humor — if you so much as utter the word "bomb," you will be in for a bad time. You give implied consent for your property and person to be searched when entering a government building or public event such as a concert or sports match. ===Publications=== * '''[https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/ ''Washington Post'']'''. The ''Post'' is both one of the country's preeminent newspapers and a great source of information for what is going on in the city. The Going Out Guide section of its website has listings for virtually every known restaurant, bar, theatrical production, music concert, etc. in the city. * '''[https://dcist.com/ ''DCist'']''' The online "unofficial home page of the District" features coverage of local happenings and issues. * '''[https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/ ''Washington City Paper'']'''. The ''City Paper'', an alternative weekly newspaper distributed on Thursdays, is easy to find around Metro stations and in hotels, and has a listings section in the back that serves as a good, quick reference for what live music, DJ events, theater, gallery openings, etc. will be going on over the weekend (and the following week). The calendar on their website is particularly handy. The cover story can give you a good taste of the sorts of issues actually on the minds of locals—well detached from the culture and priorities of the national politics features in the Post! * '''[https://www.washingtonian.com/ ''Washingtonian'' Magazine]''' highlights events in the city as well as dining recommendations. * '''[https://wheretraveler.com/washington-dc ''Where'' Magazine]'''. "''Where''" is a monthly glossy geared towards tourists, and is a fantastic source of information on upcoming happenings, particularly useful for listing the current exhibitions in the city's museums in a convenient fashion (this information is often overlooked by journals tailored to locals, jaded and spoiled from living in a city full of free museums). ===Embassies=== [[File:Indonesian Embassy to the USA.jpg|thumb|260px|The Indonesian Embassy on Embassy Row]] As the capital of the United States, the D.C. area is home to one of the largest concentration of diplomatic missions in the world, and any country without one will have consular representation one way or another. Most are housed in beautiful old buildings (or impressive modern ones), especially those most prominently located along Embassy Row on Massachusetts Ave through [[Washington, D.C./Dupont Circle|Dupont Circle]] and [[Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest|Woodley Park]]. If you just want to visit one for the heck of it, try ringing the buzzer of one from a small, lesser-known country—they may well let you in and give a little tour! Each May, dozens of embassies open their doors to the public for the [https://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/ '''Passport D.C.''' festival], which showcases the buildings themselves, as well as exhibits, talks, and performances. A number of countries have a (separate) consulate for their consular services such as issuing visas, passports, notary services, etc through a separate entry next to the embassy or in a different location. Check their website or call before going to the embassy. {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" ! [[Diplomatic missions]] ! list&nbsp; |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | * {{flag|Afghanistan}} {{listing | name=Afghanistan | alt= | url=https://www.afghanembassy.us/ | email= | address=(Chancery) 2341 Wyoming Ave NW | lat=38.9172 | long=-77.0522 | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-3770 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Consulate hours 9AM- | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Afghanistan, Washington, D.C. | image=Embassy of Afghanistan.JPG | wikidata=Q5369535 | content=The consulate is at 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite #216 }} ** {{listing | name=Afghan Consular Section | alt= | url=https://www.afghanembassy.us/the-consulate/ | email= | address=2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 216 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-6410 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 483-6488 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-07-07 | content= }} * {{flag|Albania}} {{listing | name=Albania | url=http://www.embassyofalbania.org/ | email= | address=1312 18th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 223-4942 | tollfree=+1 202 628-7342 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Algeria}} {{listing | name=Algeria | url=http://www.algerianembassy.org/ | email= | address=2118 Kalorama Rd NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-2800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Angola}} {{listing | name=Angola | url=https://angola.org/ | email= | address=2100-2108 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 785-1156 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 822-9049 | hours=M & W 9:30AM-1PM drop off documents only; Tu & Th noon-3PM pick up documents only | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}} {{listing | name=Antigua & Barbuda | url=http://embassy.org/embassies/ag.html | email= | address=3216 New Mexico Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 362-5122 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Argentina}} {{listing | name=Argentina | url=https://eeeuu.cancilleria.gob.ar/en | email= | address=1600 New Hampshire Ave NW; Consular at 1811 Q St NW (Sarmiento Building) | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 238-6400 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 332-3171 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Armenia}} {{listing | name=Armenia | url=https://www.mfa.am/hy/ | email= | address=2225 R St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 319-1976 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Australia}} {{listing | name=Australia | alt= | url=https://usa.embassy.gov.au/ | email= | address=1601 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 797-3000 | tollfree=+1 888 239-3501 | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-noon and 2-4PM| price= | content= }} * {{flag|Austria}} {{listing | name=Austria | url=https://www.austria.org/ | email= | address=3524 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 895-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Azerbaijan}} {{listing | name=Azerbaijan | url=https://washington.mfa.gov.az/en | email= | address=2741 34th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 337-5912 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 337-5913 | hours=M W F 10AM-noon; Phone Inquiries M-F 2-5PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Bahamas}} {{listing | name=Bahamas | alt= | url=https://www.bahamasembdc.org/ | email= | address=2220 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 319-2660, +1 202 319-2667 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The [http://consulateofthebahamasdc.com/ consular section] is at 1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 305 }} * {{flag|Bahrain}} {{listing | name=Bahrain | url=https://www.mofa.gov.bh/Default.aspx?tabid=7702&language=en-US | email= | address=3502 International Dr NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 342-0741 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Bangladesh}} {{listing | name=Bangladesh | alt= | url=http://www.bdembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=3510 International Dr NW | lat=38.9417 | long=-77.0678 | directions= | phone=+1 202 342-8372 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, D.C. | image=Bangladeshi Embassy Washington DC 3219.JPG | wikidata=Q4373968 | content= }} * {{flag|Barbados}} {{listing | name=Barbados | url=https://www.facebook.com/BarbadosEmbassy | email= | address=2144 Wyoming Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-9200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Belarus}} {{listing | name=Belarus | alt= | url=https://usa.mfa.gov.by/en/ | email= | address=1619 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat=38.9119 | long=-77.0406 | directions=New Hampshire Ave & Corcoran St, Dupont Circle Metro Station | phone=+1 202 986-1606 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30AM-12:30PM; telephone inquiries 2-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Belarus in Washington, D.C. | image=Embassy of Belarus.jpg | wikidata=Q5369567 | content= }} * {{flag|Belgium}} {{listing | name=Belgium | alt= | url=https://unitedstates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-consulates/embassy | email= | address=3330 Garfield St NW | lat=38.9269 | long=-77.0658 | directions= | phone=+1 202 333-6900, +1 202 352-6428 (Emergencies only) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30AM-12:30PM and 12:30-4PM; Visa applications M-F 9:30AM-noon | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Belgium, Washington, D.C. | image=Embassy of Belgium, Washington, D.C..jpg | wikidata=Q5369570 | content= }} * {{flag|Belize}} {{listing | name=Belize | url=https://www.belizeembassyusa.mfa.gov.bz/ | email= | address=2535 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-9636 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-3:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Benin}} {{listing | name=Benin | alt= | url=https://beninembassy.us/ | email= | address=2124 Kalorama Rd NW | lat=38.9181 | long=-77.0491 | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-6656, +1 202 232-2611 (Consular Section) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Benin in Washington, D.C. | wikidata=Q5369573 | content= }} * {{flag|Bolivia}} {{listing | name=Bolivia | url=https://www.boliviawdc.org/en-us/ | email= | address=1825 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Suite 200C | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-4827, +1 202 232-4828 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 232-8017 | hours= | price= | content=M-F 9AM-3PM }} * {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} {{listing | name=Bosnia and Herzegovina | url=http://www.bhembassy.org/consularinfo.html | email= | address=2109 'E' St NW | lat= | long= | directions=along 'E' St NW between Virginia Ave and 21st St NW, across from the US State Dept. building | phone=+1 202 337-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Botswana}} {{listing | name=Botswana | url=http://botswanaembassy.org/ | email= | address=1531-1533 New Hampshire NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 244-4990 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Brazil}} {{listing | name=Brazil | url=http://washington.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/ | email= | address=3006 Massachusetts Ave NW; Consulate at 1030 15th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 238-2700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8AM-4:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Brunei}} {{listing | name=Brunei | url=http://bruneiembassy.org/ | email= | address=3520 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 237-1838 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Bulgaria}} {{listing | name=Bulgaria | url=http://bulgaria-embassy.org/ | email= | address=1621 22nd St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 387-0174 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Burkina Faso}} {{listing | name=Burkina Faso | url=https://burkina-usa.org/ | email= | address=2340 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-5577 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Burundi}} {{listing | name=Burundi | url=https://burundiembassy-usa.com/index.php/en/ | email= | address=2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Ste 408 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 342-2574 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 9AM-5PM and F 9AM-2PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cambodia}} {{listing | name=Cambodia | url=https://www.embassyofcambodiadc.org/ | email= | address=4530 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 726-7742 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cameroon}} {{listing | name=Cameroon | url=https://www.cameroonembassyusa.org/ | email=washington@international.gc.ca | address=3400 International Dr NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-8790 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Canada}} {{listing | name=Canada | url=https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/us-eu/washington.aspx?lang=eng | email= | address=501 Pennsylvania Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 682-1740 | tollfree=+1 844 880-6519 | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-noon | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cape Verde}} {{listing | name=Cape Verde | url=https://www.embcv-usa.gov.cv/ | email= | address=3415 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 965-6820 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Central African Republic}} {{listing | name=Central African Republic | url=https://www.usrcaembassy.org/ | email= | address=2704 Ontario Rd NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-7800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Chad}} {{listing | name=Chad | url=https://chadembassy.us/ | email= | address=2401 Massachusetts Ave NW| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 652-1312 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Chile}} {{listing | name=Chile | url=http://chile.gob.cl/washington/en/ | email= | address=1736 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 530-4104, +1 202 530-4106, +1 202 530-4107 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-1:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|China}} {{listing | name=China | alt= | url=http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/ | email= | address=(Chancery) 3505 International Pl NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 495-2266, +1 202 337-1956 (visa section) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} **{{listing | type=listing | name=Chinese Visa Section | alt= | url=http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/ | email=visa_us@mfa.gov.cn | address=2201 Wisconsin Ave, Suite #110 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 855-1555 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 588-9760 | hours= | price= | content=Also handles Hong Kong/Macau visas. }} * {{flag|Colombia}} {{listing | name=Colombia | alt= | url=https://www.colombiaemb.org/ | email= | address=1724 Massachusetts Ave NW, 2nd Flr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 517-6500 | tollfree=+1 888 764-3326 | hours=M-F 8AM-2PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Congo (Republic) Chancery | alt= | url=http://www.ambacongo-us.org/Home.aspx | email= | address=1720 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 726-5500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-4:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} {{listing | name=Congo (Democratic Rep) | url=https://www.ambardcusa.org/ | email= | address=1100 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite #725| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-7690 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Costa Rica}} {{listing | name=Costa Rica | url=http://costarica-embassy.org/ | email= | address=2114 S St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-2945 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cote d'Ivoire}} {{listing | name=Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | url=https://ambaciusa.org/ | email= | address=2424 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 797-0300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-1PM and 2-3:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Croatia}} {{listing | name=Croatia | url=https://mvep.gov.hr/us | email= | address=2343 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 588-5899 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Cuba}} {{listing | name=Cuba | url=http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/usa | email= | address=2630 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 797-8518 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Cuban Consulate | alt= | url=http://misiones.minrex.gob.cu/en/usa/consulate-cuba-usa | email= | address=2639 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 797 8515 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-noon | price= | lastedit=2021-01-22 | content= }} * {{flag|Cyprus}} {{listing | name=Cyprus | url=https://cyprusembassy.net/ | email= | address=2211 R St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 462-5772 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Czech Republic}} {{listing | name=Czech Republic | alt= | url=https://www.mzv.cz/washington/ | email= | address=3900 Spring of Freedom St NW | lat=38.9392 | long=-77.0539 | directions= | phone=+1 202 274-9100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C. | image=Czech embassy.JPG | wikidata=Q5369928 | content=Embassy is also accredited to Antigua, Barbuda and Jamaica with residence in Washington DC }} * {{flag|Denmark}} {{listing | name=Denmark | url=https://usa.um.dk/en/about-us/danish-missions/embassy-of-denmark-in-the-us | email= | address=3200 Whitehaven St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-4300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Djibouti}} {{listing | name=Djibouti | url=https://www.djiboutiembassyus.org/ | email= | address=1156 15th St NW Ste 515 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 331-0270 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Dominica}} {{listing | name=Dominica | url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/consularnotification/ConsularNotificationandAccess/Dominica.html | email= | address=3216 New Mexico Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 364-6781 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Dominican Republic}} {{listing | name=Dominican Republic | alt= | url=http://drembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=1715 22nd St NW | lat=38.9131 | long=-77.0483 | directions= | phone=+1 202 660-2263, +1 202 332-6280 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Consular hours M-F 9AM-1PM and 2-3:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Washington, D.C. | image=Embassy of Dominican Republic United States.JPG | wikidata=Q5369929 | content= }} * {{flag|East Timor}} {{listing | name=East Timor | url=http://www.timorlesteembassy.org/ | email= | address=3415 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 965-1515 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ecuador}} {{listing | name=Ecuador | url=http://www.ecuador.org/ | email= | address=2535 15th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-7200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Egypt}} {{listing | name=Egypt | alt= | url=https://www.egyptembassy.net/ | email= | address=3521 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 895-5400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|El Salvador}} {{listing | type=listing | name=El Salvador | alt= | url=https://rree.gob.sv/ | email= | address=1400 16th St NW, Suite #100 | lat=38.9089 | long=-77.0369 | directions=Resources & Conservation Center | phone=+1 202 595-7500 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9:30AM-5:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of El Salvador in Washington, D.C. | image=Resources and Conservation Center, Washington, DC.jpg | wikidata=Q5369674 | content= }} * {{flag|Equatorial Guinea}} {{listing | name=Equatorial Guinea | url=https://www.egembassydc.com/ | email= | address=2020 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 518-5700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Eritrea}} {{listing | name=Eritrea | url=https://us.embassyeritrea.org/ | email= | address=1708 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 319-1991 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Estonia}} {{listing | name=Estonia | url=https://washington.mfa.ee/ | email= | address=2131 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 588-0101 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Eswatini}} {{listing | name=Eswatini (Swaziland) | url=https://www.gov.sz/index.php/departments-sp-336728999?id=453 | email= | address=1712 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 362-6683 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Embassy is also accredited to the United States of America, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile and Venezuela with residence in Washington DC }} * {{flag|Ethiopia}} {{listing | name=Ethiopia | alt= | url=https://ethiopianembassy.org/ | email= | address=3506 International Dr NW | lat=38.9418 | long=-77.0675 | directions= | phone=+1 202 364-1200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington, D.C. | image=EthiopianEmbassyWashingtonDC.jpg | wikidata=Q5369681 | content= }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=European Union | alt= | url=https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-states-america_en | email=delegation-usa-info@eeas.europa.eu | address=2175 K St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 862-9500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Fiji}} {{listing | name=Fiji | url=https://www.fijiembassydc.com/ | email= | address=2233 Wisconsin Ave NW Ste 240 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 337-8320 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Finland}} {{listing | name=Finland | url=https://finlandabroad.fi/web/usa/frontpage | email= | address=3301 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 298-5800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|France}} {{listing | name=France | url=https://franceintheus.org/ | email= | address=4101 Reservoir Rd NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 944-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Gabon}} {{listing | name=Gabon | url=https://www.gabonembassyusa.org/en/ | email= | address=2034 20th St NW Ste 200 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 797-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Gambia}} {{listing | name=Gambia (The) | alt= | url=https://www.gambiaembassydc.us/ | email= | address=2233 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Georgetown Plaza, Suite 240 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 785-1399 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Georgia}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Georgia | alt= | url=https://georgiaembassyusa.org/ | email=washington.emb@mfa.gov.ge | address=1824 R street, NW Washington DC, 20009 | lat=38.912438 | long=-77.042794 | directions= | phone=+1 202 387-2390 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 387-0864 | hours=9AM-6PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Germany}} {{listing | name=Germany | alt= | url=https://www.germany.info/us-en/embassy-consulates/embassy-washington | email= | address=4645 Reservoir Rd NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 298-4000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ghana}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Ghana | alt= | url=https://ghanaembassydc.org/ | email= | address=3512 International Dr NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 686-4520 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Greece}} {{listing | name=Greece | url=http://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/the-embassy | email= | address=2221 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-5800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Grenada}} {{listing | name=Grenada | url=https://grenadaembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=1701 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-2561 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Guatemala}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Guatemala | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/EmbaGuateUSA/ | email= | address=2220 R St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 745-4953 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | type=listing | name=Guatemalan Consulate in Maryland | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/consmarylandgt/ | email= | address=8124 Georgia Ave, Silver Springs MD 20910 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 240 485-5050 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-3PM | price= | lastedit=2020-07-07 | content= }} * {{flag|Guinea}} {{listing | name=Guinea | alt= | url=http://guineaembassyusa.org/en/welcome-to-the-embassy-of-guinea-washington-usa/ | email= | address=2112 Leroy Pl NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 986-4300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Guinea-Bissau}} {{listing | name=Guinea-Bissau | alt= | url=https://www.embassy.org/embassies/gw.html | email= | address=Rue 6 X B Point E, BP 2319 Dakar, Senegal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+221 33 825-9089 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=They don't have an embassy in Washington DC or an ambassador accredited to the U.S. from another embassy of theirs. Most travelers apply for visas in their limited number of diplomatic missions in Europe or in Africa before entering the country. }} * {{flag|Guyana}} {{listing | name=Guyana | url=http://www.guyana.org/ | email= | address=2490 Tracy Place NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-6900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Haiti}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Haiti | alt= | url=https://www.haiti.org/ | email= | address=2311 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-4090 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9:30AM-4:30PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Vatican City}} {{listing | name=Holy See (The) | url=http://nuntiususa.comcastbiz.net/ | email= | address=3339 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 333-7121 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Honduras}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Honduras (Consular Section) | alt= | url=http://hondurasemb.org/ | email= | address=1990 'M' St NW | lat= | long= | directions=NW corner of the building at M & 20th St NW | phone=+1 202 525-4001 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Hungary}} {{listing | name=Hungary | url=http://huembwas.org/ | email= | address=3910 Shoemaker St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 362-6730 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Iceland}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iceland | alt= | url=https://www.government.is/diplomatic-missions/embassy-of-iceland-in-washington-d.c/ | email= | address=2900 'K' St NW Ste 500 | lat= | long= | directions=Same location as the Swedish embassy in the House of Sweden | phone=+1 202 265-6653 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-4PM | price= | content=Embassy is also accredited to Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay with residence in Washington DC. }} * {{flag|India}} {{listing | type=listing | name=India | alt= | url=http://indianembassy.org/ | email= | address=2107 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= All visa applications are handled by Cox & King Global Services LLC (see below): }} ** {{listing | type=listing | name=Cox & King Global Services LLC (CKGS) | alt= | url=https://www.in.ckgs.us/ | email= | address=1250 23rd St NW, Suite #100-50, Washington DC 20037 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 917 444-7911, +1 917 444-7752 | tollfree= | hours=By Appointment only | price= | lastedit=2020-07-07 | content=They accept and process applications for Indian passports, visas, OCI cards, PIO cards and applications for the renunciation of Indian citizenship. }} ** {{listing | name=Consular Wing | alt= | url= | email= | address=2536 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-7000 (Emergencies only) | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-12:30PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-07-07 | content=Other consular matters such as emergency assistance. }} * {{flag|Indonesia}} {{listing | name=Indonesia | url=http://embassyofindonesia.org/ | email= | address=2020 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 775-5200 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 9AM-1PM; F 9AM-noon | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Iran}} {{listing | name=Iranian Interest Section of the Embassy of Pakistan | alt= | url=http://www.daftar.org/eng/ | email= | address=1250 23rd St NW, Suite #200 | lat= | long= | directions=Btwn M & N St Nw. Same location as Mexico's consulate | phone=+1 202 965-4990 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 965-1073 | hours=M-F 8AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2017-09-29 | content=The Interest Section serves as a ''de facto'' Iranian embassy and consulate to the U.S. under the protecting power of the Pakistani Embassy. }} * {{flag|Iraq}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Iraq | alt= | url=http://www.iraqiembassy.us/ | email= | address=(Chancery) 3421 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 742-1600 | tollfree= | fax=+1 202 333-1129 | hours=M-F 10AM-3PM | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Iraq Consular Section| alt= | url=http://www.iraqiembassy.us/page/consular-section-washington-dc | email= | address=1801 'P' St NW| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-7500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-2PM. They stop taking visa applications after noon. | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ireland}} {{listing | name=Ireland | alt= | url=https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/USA/ | email= | address=2234 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat=38.911719 | long=-77.050278 | directions= | phone=+1 202 462-3939 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Ireland, Washington, D.C. | image=Embassy of Ireland in Washington, D.C..jpg | wikidata=Q5369737 | content= }} * {{flag|Israel}} {{listing | name=Israel | url=http://israelemb.org/ | email= | address=3514 International Dr NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 364-5500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Italy}} {{listing | name=Italy | url=http://italyemb.org/ | email= | address=3000 Whitehaven St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 612-4400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Jamaica}} {{listing | name=Jamaica | alt= | url=http://www.embassyofjamaica.org/ | email= | address=1520 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 452-0660 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Japan}} {{listing | name=Japan | url=http://embjapan.org/ | email= | address=2520 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 238-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Jordan}} {{listing | name=Jordan | url=http://jordanembassyus.org/ | email= | address=3504 International Drive NW Lot 6 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 966-2664 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Kazakhstan}} {{listing | name=Kazakhstan | url=http://kazakhembus.com/ | email= | address=1401 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-5488 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Kenya}} {{listing | name=Kenya | url=https://kenyaembassydc.org/ | email= | address=2249 R St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 387-6101 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Kosovo}} {{listing | name=Kosovo | alt= | url=http://www.ambasada-ks.net/us/ | email= | address=2175 'K' St NW, Suite #300 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Kosovo, Washington, D.C. | wikidata=Q5369944 | content= }} * {{flag|Kuwait}} {{listing | name=Kuwait | url=http://www.kuwaitembassy.us/ | email= | address=2940 Tilden St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 966-0702 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9:30AM-5PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}} {{listing | name=Kyrgyzstan | alt= | url=https://mfa.gov.kg/en/dm/-Embassy-of-the-Kyrgyz-Republic-in-the-USA-and-Canada | email= | address=2306 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 449-9822, +1 202 449-9823 (consular section) | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-noon; Telephone inquires 2-5PM | price= | content= }} | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | * {{flag|Laos}} {{listing | name=Laos | url=http://laoembassy.com/ | email= | address=2222 S St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-6417 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Latvia}} {{listing | name=Latvia | url=http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/usa | email= | address=2306 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 328-2840 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lebanon}} {{listing | name=Lebanon | url=http://lebanonembassyus.org/ | email= | address=2560 28th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-6300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lesotho}} {{listing | name=Lesotho | url=http://www.lesothoemb-usa.gov.ls/home/ | email= | address=2511 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 797-5532 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Liberia}} {{listing | name=Liberia | url=http://liberianembassyus.org/ | email= | address=5201 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 723-0437 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Libya}} {{listing | name=Libya | alt= | url=http://www.embassyoflibyadc.org/ | email= | address=1460 Dahlia Street NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 944-9601, +1 202 944-9605 | fax=+1 202 944-9606 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-4:30PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-11-18 | content= }} *{{flag|Liechtenstein}} {{listing | name=Liechtenstein | url=http://liechtenstein.li/en/fl-aussenstelle-washington/fl-aussenstelle-washington-botschaft/fl-aussenstelle-washington-botschaft-koordinaten.htm | email= | address=1300 I St NW Ste 550W | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 216-0460 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Lithuania}} {{listing | name=Lithuania | url=http://usa.mfa.lt/usa/en/ | email= | address=2622 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-5860 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{listing | name=Luxembourg | url=http://washington.mae.lu/en | email= | address=2200 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-4171 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Madagascar}} {{listing | name=Madagascar | url=http://www.madagascar-embassy.org/en/ | email= | address=2374 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 265-5525 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malawi}} {{listing | name=Malawi | url=http://www.malawiembassy-dc.org/ | email= | address=2408 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 721-0270| tollfree= | fax=+1 202 721-0288 | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malaysia}} {{listing | name=Malaysia | url=http://www.kln.gov.my/web/usa_washington/home | email= | address=3516 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 572-9700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mali}} {{listing | name=Mali | url=http://maliembassy.us/ | email= | address=2130 R St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-2249 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Malta}} {{listing | name=Malta | alt= | url=https://foreignandeu.gov.mt/en/Embassies/Me_United_States/Pages/Me_United_States.aspx | email= | address=2017 Connecticut Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 462-3611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Marshall Islands}} {{listing | name=Marshall Islands | url=http://rmiembassyus.org/ | email= | address=2433 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-5414 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mauritania}} {{listing | name=Mauritania | url=https://www.un.int/mauritania/mauritania/visa-forms | email= | address=2129 Leroy Pl NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-5700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mauritius}} {{listing | name=Mauritius | alt= | url=https://mauritius-washington.govmu.org/Pages/index.aspx | email= | address=1709 'N' St Nw | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 244-1491 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mexico}} {{listing | name=Mexico | alt= | url=https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/eua/index.php/en/ | email= | address=(Chancery) 1911 Pennsylvania Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions=Between 19th & 20th St NW | phone=+1 202 728-1600 | tollfree=+1 855 463-6395 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | type=listing | name=Mexico consular section | alt= | url=https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/washington/ | email= | address=1250 23rd St NW, Suite #2 | lat= | long= | directions=Along 23rd St NW between M & N St | phone=+1 202 736-1000 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-6:15PM | price= | lastedit=2020-04-19 | content=They visit the Mexican communities in Maryland, Virginia & West Virginia in their "[https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/washington/index.php/ligavisos/294-3-csr consulados sobre ruedas]" (consulate on wheels) program to provide consular services and answer questions }} * {{flag|the Federated States of Micronesia}} {{listing | name=Micronesia | url=http://fsmembassydc.org/ | email= | address=1725 N St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 223-4383 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Moldova}} {{listing | name=Moldova | url=http://www.sua.mfa.md/about-embassy-en/ | email= | address=2101 S St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 667-1130 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Monaco}} {{listing | name=Monaco | alt= | url=http://monacodc.org/homeusa7.html | email= | address=888 17th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-1530 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 9AM-5PM, F 9AM-2PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-21 | content= }} * {{flag|Mongolia}} {{listing | name=Mongolia | url=http://mongolianembassy.us/ | email= | address=2833 M St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 333-7117 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Montenegro}} {{listing | name=Montenegro | url= | email= | address=1610 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-6108 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Morocco}} {{listing | name=Morocco | url=http://www.embassyofmorocco.us/ | email= | address=1601 21st St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 462-7979 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Mozambique}} {{listing | name=Mozambique | url=http://embamoc-usa.org/ | email= | address=1990 M St NW Ste 570 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 293-7146 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Myanmar}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Myanmar | alt= | url=http://www.mewashingtondc.com/ | email= | address=2300 S St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-9044 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Namibia}} {{listing | name=Namibia | url=http://www.namibianembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=1605 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 986-0540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Nepal}} {{listing | name=Nepal | url=http://nepalembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=2131 Leroy Pl NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 667-4550 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Netherlands}} {{listing | name=Netherlands | url=https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/united-states | email= | address=4200 Linnean Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 244-5300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|New Zealand}} {{listing | name=New Zealand | url=https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/north-america/united-states-of-america/new-zealand-embassy-washington/ | email= | address=37 Observatory Cir | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 328-4800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Nicaragua}} {{listing | name=Nicaragua | url= | email= | address=1627 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-6570 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Niger}} {{listing | name=Niger | alt= | url=http://www.embassyofniger.org/ | email= | address=2204 R St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-4224 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Nigeria}} {{listing | name=Nigeria | url=http://www.nigeriaembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=3519 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 986-8400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} *{{flag|Macedonia}} {{listing | name=North Macedonia |alt=| url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/washington/index.php/en/ | email=washington@mfa.gov.mk | address=2129 Wyoming Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 667-0501, +1 202 667-2104 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= |wikidata=|lastedit=2020-04-19| content= }} *{{flag|Norway}} {{listing | name=Norway | url=http://www.norway.org/ | email= | address=2720 34th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 333-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Oman}} {{listing | name=Oman | url= | email= | address=2535 Belmont Rd NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 387-1980 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Pakistan}} {{listing | name=Pakistan | url=http://www.embassyofpakistanusa.org/ | email= | address=3517 International Court NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 243-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Palau}} {{listing | name=Palau | url=http://palauembassy.com/ | email= | address=1700 Pennsylvania Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 452-6814 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Panama}} {{listing | name=Panama | alt= | url=http://www.embassyofpanama.org/consular-assistance/ | email= | address=2862 McGill Terr NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-1407 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Papua New Guinea}} {{listing | name=Papua New Guinea | url=http://www.pngembassy.org/ | email= | address=1779 Massachusetts Ave NW Ste 805 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 745-3680 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The embassy in Washington DC is also accredited to Canada and Mexico }} * {{flag|Paraguay}} {{listing | name=Paraguay | url=https://www.mre.gov.py/Sitios/Home/Index/embaparusa/ENG | email= | address=(Chancery) 2209 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-6960 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Paraguay Consular Section | url=https://www.mre.gov.py/Sitios/Home/Index/consulpar-washington/ES | email= | address=Two Wisconsin Circle, Office #202; Chevy Chase MD 20815 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 798-7200, +1 202 641-2493 (for emergencies)| tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Peru}} {{listing | name=Peru (Chancery) | alt= | url=https://www.embassyofperu.org/ | email= | address=1700 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 833-9860 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Peru consular section | alt= | url=http://www.consulado.pe/es/Washington/Paginas/Inicio.aspx | email=consulado@conperdc.org | address=1225 23rd St NW | lat= | long= | directions=Along 23rd St between 'M' & 'N' St | phone=+1 202 774-5450, +1 202 230-9992 (for after hours emergencies) | tollfree= | hours=Hours M-F 8:30AM-1PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|the Philippines}} {{listing | name=Philippines (Chancery)| alt= | url=http://philippineembassy-usa.org/ | email= | address= 1600 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 467-9300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Philippines consular section | alt= | url= | email= | address=1617 Massachusetts Ave NW| lat= | long= | directions=Across the street from the Philippines Embassy | phone=+1 202 467-9300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= M-F 8:30AM-3PM to accept documents for processing and 3-4PM to return processed documents | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Poland}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Poland | alt= | url=https://www.gov.pl/web/usa-en/embassy-washington | email= | address=2640 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-3800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Portugal}} {{listing | name=Portugal | url=https://www.washingtondc.embaixadaportugal.mne.pt/pt/ | email= | address=2125 Kalorama Road NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 328-8610 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Qatar}} {{listing | name=Qatar | alt= | url=http://washington.embassy.qa/en/home | email= | address=2555 'M' St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 274-1600, +1 202 320-0803 (for emergencies only) | tollfree=+1-855-836-9255 (from pay phones only) | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Romania}} {{listing | name=Romania | alt= | url=http://washington.mae.ro/en | email=contact@informatiiconsulare.ro | address=1607 23rd St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-2392, +1 202 332-2395, +1 202 332-4858 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 10AM-4PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Russia}} {{listing | name=Russian Federation (Chancery)| alt= | url=http://www.russianembassy.org/ | email= | address= 2650 Wisconsin Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 298-5700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ** {{listing | name=Russian Federation consular section | alt= | url=http://www.russianembassy.org/page/russian-consulates-in-the-u-s#dc | email= | address= 2641 Tunlaw Rd., NW| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-8907 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Hours M-F 9AM-noon | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Rwanda}} {{listing | name=Rwanda | alt= | url=http://rwandaembassy.org/ | email= | address=1875 Connecticut Ave NW, #540 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-2882 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM; Consular Services 10AM-3PM | price= | content=The embassy in Washington DC is also accredited to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. }} * {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} {{listing | name=St. Kitts and Nevis | url=http://embassy.gov.kn/ | email= | address=3216 New Mexico Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions=OECS Building | phone=+1 202 686-2636 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Embassy also serves as a permanent mission to the Organization of American States (OAS) }} * {{flag|Saint Lucia}} {{listing | name=Saint Lucia | url=https://www.embassyofstlucia.org/ | email= | address=1629 'K' ST NW, Suite #1250 | lat= | long= | directions=Davis Building along K St between 16th & 17th St NW | phone=+1 202 364-6792 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}} {{listing | name=Saint Vincent/Grenadines | url=http://wa.embassy.gov.vc/washington/ | email= | address=1627 'K' ST NW, Suite #1202 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 364-6730 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Embassy is also accredited as a non-resident High Commission to Canada }} * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} {{listing | name=Saudi Arabia | url=http://saudiembassy.net/ | email= | address=601 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 342-3800 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Senegal}} {{listing | name=Senegal | url=http://www.ambasenegal-us.org/ | email= | address=2215 'M' St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-0540 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Serbia}} {{listing | name=Serbia | url=http://www.washington.mfa.gov.rs/index.php | email= | address=2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite #410 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-0333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sierra Leone}} {{listing | name=Sierra Leone | alt= | url=http://embassyofsierraleone.net/ | email= | address=1701 19th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-9261 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Office Hours: M-F 9AM-5PM; Consular Hours 10AM-3PM | price= | content=Embassy is also accredited to the United States of America, The Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad Tobago and Venezuela with residence in Washington DC }} * {{flag|Singapore}} {{listing | name=Singapore | url=http://mfa.gov.sg/washington/ | email= | address=3501 International Pl NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 537-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Slovakia}} {{listing | name=Slovakia | url=http://mzv.sk/washington | email= | address=3523 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 237-1054 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Slovenia}} {{listing | name=Slovenia | url=http://www.washington.embassy.si/ | email= | address=2410 California Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 386-6601 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Somalia}} {{listing | name=Somalia | alt= | url=http://www.somaliembassydc.net/ | email= | address=1705 Desales St Nw | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 296-0570 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-09-29 | content= }} * {{flag|Somaliland}} {{listing | name=Somaliland | alt= | url=http://www.somaliland.us/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 301 231-5991 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-09-29 | content=Not internationally recognized as a sovereign state but rather an autonomous region north of Somalia. Therefore this representative office serves as a ''de facto'' consulate for travelers. }} * {{flag|South Africa}} {{listing | name=South Africa | url=http://saembassy.org/ | email= | address=3051 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-4400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th 8AM-5PM, F 8AM-2PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|South Korea}} {{listing | name=Republic of Korea | url=http://usa.mofa.go.kr/english/am/usa/main/ | email= | address=2450 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-5600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-noon | price= | content= }} *{{flag|South Sudan}} {{listing | name=South Sudan | alt= | url=http://www.southsudanembassydc.org/ | email= | address=1015 31st St NW, Suite #300| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 293-7940 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-1PM | price= | lastedit=2017-09-29 | content= }} * {{flag|Spain}} {{listing | name=Spain | url=http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/WASHINGTON/en/Embajada/Pages/inicio.aspx | email= | address=2375 Pennsylvania Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 452-0100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{listing | name=Sri Lanka | alt= | url=http://slembassyusa.org/ | email= | address=3025 Whitehaven St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 483-4025, +1 202 352-0355 (for after hours emergencies) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sudan}} {{listing | name=Sudan | url=http://sudanembassy.org/ | email= | address=2210 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 338-8565 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Suriname}} {{listing | name=Suriname | alt= | url=http://surinameembassy.org/ | email= | address=4201 Connecticut Ave NW Ste 460 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 244-7488 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Sweden}} {{listing | name=Sweden | url=https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/usa-washington/ | email= | address=2900 K St NW | lat= | long= | directions=House of Sweden building | phone=+1 202 467-2600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-5PM; Reception closed noon-1PM. Passports 2PM-4:30PM by appt only | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{listing | name=Switzerland | alt= | url=https://www.eda.admin.ch/washington | email= | address=2900 Cathedral Ave NW | lat=38.9283 | long=-77.0578 | directions= | phone=+1 202 745-7900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C. | image=Embassy of Switzerland, Washington, D.C..jpg | wikidata=Q5369882 | content= }} * {{flag|Syria}} {{listing | name=Syria | alt= | url=http://www.syrianembassyjo.com/ | email= | address=2215 Wyoming Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 232-6313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Due to the ongoing civil war, the embassy in Washington was closed in 2014. The Syrian government has not appointed another government to serve as a protecting power in the U.S. The URL link for this listing is to the Syrian embassy in Amman, Jordan. }} * {{flag|Taiwan}} {{listing | type=listing | name=Taiwan | alt=Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office | url=http://www.roc-taiwan.org/us_en/ | email=usa@mofa.gov.tw | address=4201 Wisconsin Ave | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 895-1800 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States | wikidata=Q15940635 | content=Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States and therefore no embassy, although this representative office acts in much the same way from the traveler's perspective. }} * {{flag|Tajikistan}} {{listing | name=Tajikistan | url=http://tjus.org/ | email= | address=1005 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 223-6090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Tanzania}} {{listing | name=Tanzania | alt= | url=http://tanzaniaembassy-us.org/ | email= | address=1232 22nd St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 939-6125, +1 202-884-1083 (Visa), +1 202 330-2718 (Emergency) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Thailand}} {{listing | name=Thailand | url=http://thaiembdc.org/ | email= | address=1024 Wisconsin Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 944-3600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Togo}} {{listing | name=Togo | url=http://www.togoleseembassy.com/ | email= | address=2208 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 234-4212 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Tonga}} {{listing | name=Tonga (Consulate) | alt= | url=http://www.tongaconsul.com/index.html | email= | address=1350 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 610, Burlingame CA 94010 | lat= | long= | directions=One Bay Plaza Building | phone=+1 650 685-1001| tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-05 | content=Tonga has no resident embassy in Washington, DC, but has a permanent representative to the United Nations in New York who is also accredited as ambassador to the United States. Tonga maintains a Consulate-General in [[San Francisco#Consulates|San Francisco, California]]. }} * {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} {{listing | name=Trinidad and Tobago | url=https://foreign.gov.tt/missions-consuls/tt-missions-abroad/diplomatic-missions/embassy-washington-dc-us/ | email= | address=1708 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 467-6490 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Tunisia}} {{listing | name=Tunisia | url=https://www.tunconsusa.org/ | email= | address=1515 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 862-1850 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkey}} {{listing | name=Turkey | url=http://vasington.be.mfa.gov.tr/Mission | email= | address=2525 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 612-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-6PM | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Turkmenistan}} {{listing | name=Turkmenistan | url=https://usa.tmembassy.gov.tm/en | email= | address=2207 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 588-1500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Uganda}} {{listing | name=Uganda | url=http://ugandaembassy.com/ | email= | address=5911 16th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 726-7100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Ukraine}} {{listing | name=Ukraine | alt= | url=http://usa.mfa.gov.ua/en | email= | address=3350 M St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 349-2963 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} {{listing | name=United Arab Emirates | url=http://uae-embassy.org/ | email= | address=3522 International Ct NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 243-2400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{listing | name=United Kingdom | alt= | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-washington | email= | address=3100 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 588-6500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Uruguay}} {{listing | name=Uruguay | url=http://uruwashi.org/ | email= | address=1913 I St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 331-1313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Uzbekistan}} {{listing | name=Uzbekistan | url=http://uzbekistan.org/ | email= | address=1746 Massachusetts Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 887-5300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Venezuela}} {{listing | name=Venezuela | alt= | url=http://eeuu.embajada.gob.ve/ | email= | address=1099 30th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 342-2214, +1 202 627-1444 (for the consular section) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-01-25 | content=Closed since 2018. }} * {{flag|Vietnam}} {{listing | name=Vietnam | url=http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/ | email= | address=1233 20th St NW Ste 400 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 861-0737 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Yemen}} {{listing | name=Yemen | url=http://yemenembassy.org/ | email= | address=2319 Wyoming Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 965-4760 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{flag|Zambia}} {{listing | name=Zambia | alt= | url= | email= | address=http://www.zambiaembassy.org/ | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= +1 202 234-4009 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9:30AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-04-21 | content= }} * {{flag|Zimbabwe}} {{listing | name=Zimbabwe | url=http://zimbabwe-embassy.us/index.html | email= | address=1608 New Hampshire Ave NW | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 332-7100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} |} ===Baggage storage=== While there are no large, public baggage storage options, websites and mobile apps such as [https://usebounce.com/city/washington-dc Bounce] and [https://luggagehero.com/luggage-storage-guide/washingtondc/ Luggage Hero] offer cheap options for storage. ==Go next== ===Virginia=== [[File:Mount Vernon Estate Mansion 2.JPG|thumb|George Washington's Mount Vernon estate overlooks the Potomac River a short drive south of the District.]] * [[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]] is south of [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], along the Potomac River, and a short metro ride away from DC. Old Town Alexandria features cobblestone streets, nearly 4,000 buildings dating as far back as the 1600s, and shops and good restaurants. The [https://gwmemorial.org/ George Washington Masonic Memorial], dedicated to George Washington, is a must-see. Alexandria also includes [[Mount Vernon (Virginia)|Mount Vernon]], the home of George Washington, the first President of the United States. The mansion overlooks the Potomac River and includes a huge museum dedicated to the life of America's first president. * [[Annandale (Virginia)|Annandale]] and [[Centreville (Virginia)|Centreville]] are the D.C. area's '''Koreatowns''', with some of the best Korean BBQ you'll find anywhere outside [[Seoul]], many of which are open 24 hours per day! * [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] is directly across the Potomac River from D.C. and includes attractions such as the [https://pentagontours.osd.mil/Tours/ Pentagon], [[Arlington National Cemetery]], the [https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/usmcwarmemorial.htm Iwo Jima Memorial], as well as [https://www.simon.com/mall/fashion-centre-at-pentagon-city Fashion Centre at Pentagon City], an indoor shopping mall. Accessible by Metro. * [[Charlottesville]], {{mi|114}} southwest of D.C., is home to the [https://www.virginia.edu/ University of Virginia], as well as Thomas Jefferson's [https://www.monticello.org/ Monticello] estate and vineyard, [https://highland.org/ Ash Lawn-Highland], the former home of President James Monroe. * [[Falls Church]] is home to the largest '''Vietnamese''' community on the East Coast, and the food is magnificent! * [[Fredericksburg (Virginia)|Fredericksburg]], roughly halfway between D.C. and Richmond and accessible via Amtrak, was founded in colonial era as a "port city". The town was heavily contested in the Civil War and has a historic district with galleries, music venues, and fine dining. The downtown area and battlefields have been well preserved due to strong local commitment to historic preservation, providing a unique blend of old and new culture. * [https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/index.htm George Washington Memorial Parkway] is a scenic road that runs along the Virginia side of the Potomac River between Mount Vernon and Great Falls. Two trail networks for running/walking/cycling intersect the parkway: the 18-mile [https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/mtvernontrail.htm Mount Vernon Trail] and the [https://www.nps.gov/pohe/index.htm Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail], which runs between Theodore Roosevelt Island and Mount Vernon. * [[Great Falls (Virginia)|Great Falls]] includes [https://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm Great Falls Park], an 800-acre park along the Potomac River, {{mi|14}} northwest from Washington, DC. The park includes many beautiful hiking trails and the area's largest waterfall. Great Falls also has the area's most beautiful homes and is compared to [[Beverly Hills]]. * [[Hampton Roads]] has the Norfolk Navy Station, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and [[Virginia Beach]], all about a 4-hour drive away. * [[Leesburg]] is a historic city that includes Simon's Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. * [[Manassas]] is a quaint town near [https://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm Manassas National Battlefield Park], which contains two major Civil War battlefields. * [[McLean (Virginia)|McLean]] and [[Tysons]] have beautiful mansions and very large shopping malls. * [https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center], near Dulles International Airport, houses large air and spacecraft including an SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane, a Concorde supersonic jet, and the space shuttle ''Discovery''. Admission is free. Parking is available for $15/vehicle or take the public bus from the airport. * [[Reston (Virginia)|Reston]] offers some nice restaurants, shops, and bars with nightlife. * [[Richmond]], which includes a historic downtown, confederate civil war museums, and Carytown - a walk-able strip of trendy restaurants and shops - is a logical stop if you are heading south. Flixbus, Greyhound, and Megabus operate bus service to Richmond for around $15. Amtrak also serves Richmond. * [[Shenandoah National Park]] is a 2-hour drive west on I-66. * [[Woodbridge (Virginia)|Woodbridge]] is the location of Simon's Potomac Mills, a humungous shopping mall that has the best discounts in the D.C. area. ===Maryland=== * [[Annapolis]] is 32 miles east of Washington DC, along Route 50. It is the Maryland state capital and home to the [https://www.usna.edu/homepage.php Naval Academy]. Its historic district has numerous shops and restaurants along the Chesapeake Bay waterfront. It is a good place to take a boat trip. * [[Baltimore]] is easily accessible using the MARC train ($7, 1 hour). The Penn Line is the only MARC train line that operates on the weekends. If you are only going for the day, the last train back to D.C. is around 9PM; however, Greyhound Bus and ride-hailing services are viable alternatives if you can't make the last train. The [[Baltimore/Inner Harbor|Inner Harbor]] is home to the National Aquarium, the U.S.S. Constellation, and great restaurants. During the spring and summer, Camden Yards is a good place to see a baseball game, and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum is near the ballpark. The [[Baltimore/South Baltimore|South Baltimore]], [[Baltimore/Midtown|Midtown]] and [[Baltimore/Fells Point|Fells Point]] neighborhoods also have many popular bars and restaurants, especially in Little Italy. From spring to fall, you can take a water taxi from the Inner Harbor to historic Fort McHenry. * [[Bethesda]] is accessible using the Red Line Metro and features almost 200 restaurants with food from all over the world. * [[Bowie]] is accessible using the MARC train and is home to the [https://www.milb.com/bowie Bowie Baysox] minor league baseball team. * [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park]] features several hiking trails as well as Great Falls, the most impressive waterfall in the area. The park also offers kayaking and rock climbing. It can be accessed from the Maryland and Virginia sides off of I-495 or via a 13-mile scenic hiker-biker trail from [[Washington (D.C.)/Georgetown|Georgetown]]. * [[College Park (Maryland)|College Park]] is a vibrant college town just outside the D.C. city limits that is home to the main campus of the University of Maryland. * [[Eastern Shore (Maryland)]] is a great place to charter a boat for the day or eat Maryland's famous crabs. * [[Ellicott City]] is {{mi|14}} west of Baltimore and {{mi|29}} north of Washington DC. It is known for its historic district which contains a number of buildings dating back towards the 1800s, in addition to restaurants, boutiques, and antique stores. * [[Frederick]], {{mi|40}} northwest of Washington DC and accessible via the MARC Train, is a charming city, dating back to the mid-18th century. It is a major antique center with many shops, eateries, galleries and antique dealers and there are also several Civil War sites nearby including the [https://www.nps.gov/mono/index.htm Monocacy National Battlefield]. * [[Greenbelt]] includes the [https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/ NASA Goddard Visitor Center], which is a great attraction, especially for kids. * [[Kensington (Maryland)|Kensington]] hosts an amazing annual Christmas light display at its massive Mormon Temple visible from the Beltway, which looks a lot like the Emerald Palace of Wizard of Oz fame. Antique Row is also worth a look. * [[Largo (Maryland)]] includes the [https://www.sixflags.com/america Six Flags America] theme park, featuring roller coasters and a water park. * [[National Harbor]], accessible by MetroBus, includes the Tanger Outlets at National Harbor, the Marriott Gaylord National Convention Center, and the Capital Wheel, a 180-foot ferris wheel. [[File:Glenstone-2018-10-13-courtyard-1.jpg|thumb|The Glenstone contemporary art museum in Potomac is worth visiting for the striking architecture and beautiful landscaping alone.]] * [[Ocean City (Maryland)|Ocean City]] is a 2- to 2.5-hour drive away on US 50, and has entertainment, beaches, shopping, and dining. * [[Potomac]] is home to the Glenstone, a contemporary art museum featuring architecturally strikingly pavilions nestled among beautiful rural landscaping. * [[Silver Spring]] is accessible using the Red Line Metro and features the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre, the Fillmore Silver Spring concert venue, along with plenty of restaurants and retail, and upscale parks. * [[Takoma Park]], a bohemian Victorian suburb, is accessible using the Red Line Metro and has eclectic shops. * [[Wheaton]] is accessible using the Red Line Metro and has some of the best ethnic dining in the entire metro area. ===Bos-Wash Corridor=== * '''[[Philadelphia]]''', the birthplace of American democracy, home to the Liberty Bell and Philly cheesesteaks, and the nation's sixth largest city, is only a short Acela Express ride, or a 2 1/2-hour drive away on Interstate 95. * '''[[New York City]]''', the city that never sleeps, is a four-hour drive away from Washington, D.C., or an Acela Express ride away. Also accessible by Greyhound, Flixbus, or Megabus. * '''[[New Jersey]]''' has a lot of sights such as Six Flags, the [[Jersey Shore]], and [[Atlantic City]], and is a short 3-hour drive from DC. * '''[[Boston]]''' is as little as a 6-hour 40-minute train ride, or a 7-hour drive without traffic (which is unlikely), and offers the Freedom Trail, prestigious universities, and sports teams. ===Elsewhere=== * [[Gettysburg]] is a 2- to 3-hour drive away on 270 and US 15. * [[Harpers Ferry]] is about an hour's drive, just west of [[Frederick]]. * There are other major cities and landmarks near D.C., in [[Ohio]], [[West Virginia]], and [[North Carolina]]. <br /> {{routebox | placename=Washington, D.C. (by long-distance rail) | image1=Amtrak Acela Express icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=SW | majorl1=END | minorl1= | directionr1=NE | majorr1=[[New York City]] | minorr1=[[Linthicum|Baltimore-Washington International Airport]] | image2=Amtrak Capitol Limited icon.png | imagesize2=100 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Pittsburgh]] | minorl2=[[Rockville]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=END | minorr2= | image3=Amtrak Cardinal icon.png | imagesize3=100 | directionl3=W | majorl3=[[Charleston (West Virginia)|Charleston]] | minorl3=[[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]] | directionr3=E | majorr3=[[Philadelphia]] | minorr3='''[[Baltimore]]''' | image4=Amtrak Crescent icon.png | imagesize4=100 | directionl4=N | majorl4=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl4='''[[Baltimore]]''' | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Lynchburg]] | minorr4=[[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]] | image5=Amtrak Northeast Regional.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=SW | majorl5=[[Lynchburg]]/[[Newport News]] | minorl5=[[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]] | directionr5=NE | majorr5=[[Baltimore]] | minorr5=[[New Carrollton]] | image6=Amtrak Palmetto icon.png | imagesize6=75 | image6a=Amtrak Silver Meteor icon.png | imagesize6a=75 | directionl6=N | majorl6=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl6='''[[Baltimore]]''' | directionr6=S | majorr6=[[Fayetteville (North Carolina)|Fayetteville]] | minorr6=[[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]] | image7=Amtrak Silver Star icon.png | imagesize7=100 | directionl7=N | majorl7=[[Philadelphia]] | minorl7='''[[Baltimore]]''' | directionr7=S | majorr7=[[Raleigh]] | minorr7=[[Alexandria (Virginia)|Alexandria]] | image8=Amtrak Vermonter icon.png | imagesize8=100 | directionl8=SW | majorl8=END | minorl8= | directionr8=NE | majorr8=[[Baltimore]] | minorr8=[[New Carrollton]] }} {{routebox | placename=Washington, D.C. (by car) | image1=I-66.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Middletown (Virginia)|Middletown]] | minorl1=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=I-295.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=Becomes [[File:DC-295.svg|18px]] | minorl2= | directionr2=S | majorr2=Ends at [[File:I-95.svg|18px]][[File:I-495.svg|18px]] | minorr2=[[National Harbor]] | image3=I-395.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=END | minorl3= | directionr3=S | majorr3=[[Springfield (Virginia)|Springfield]] | minorr3=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | image4=US 1.svg | imagesize4=22 | link4=U.S. Highway 1 | directionl4=N | majorl4=[[Baltimore]] | minorl4=[[Mount Rainier (Maryland)|Mount Rainier]] | directionr4=S | majorr4=[[Richmond]] | minorr4=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | image5=US 29.svg | imagesize5=22 | directionl5=N | majorl5=[[Ellicott City]] | minorl5=[[Silver Spring]] | directionr5=S | majorr5=[[Charlottesville]] | minorr5=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | image6=US 50.svg | imagesize6=22 | directionl6=W | majorl6=[[Winchester (Virginia)|Winchester]] | minorl6=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | directionr6=E | majorr6=[[Annapolis]] | minorr6=[[New Carrollton]] | image7=DC-295.svg | imagesize7=22 | directionl7=N | majorl7=[[Baltimore]] | minorl7=[[Greenbelt]] ← Becomes [[File:MD Route 295.svg|18px]] | directionr7=S | majorr7=Becomes [[File:I-295.svg|18px]] | minorr7= }} {{routebox | placename=Washington, D.C. (by commuter rail) | image1=MARC Brunswick Icon.png | imagesize1=100 | directionl1=NW | majorl1=[[Martinsburg (West Virginia)|Martinsburg]] | minorl1=[[Silver Spring]] | directionr1=SE | majorr1=END | minorr1= | image2=MARC Camden Icon.png | imagesize2=100 | directionl2=SW | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=NE | majorr2=[[Baltimore]] | minorr2=[[College Park (Maryland)|College Park]] | image3=MARC Penn Icon.png | imagesize3=100 | directionl3=SW | majorl3=END | minorl3= | directionr3=NE | majorr3=[[Baltimore]] | minorr3=[[New Carrollton]] | image4=VRE Fredericksburg Line icon.png | imagesize4=100 | directionl4=SW | majorl4=[[Fredericksburg (Virginia)|Fredericksburg]] | minorl4=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | directionr4=NE | majorr4=END | minorr4= | image5=VRE Manassas Line icon.png | imagesize5=100 | directionl5=W | majorl5=Bristow | minorl5=[[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]] | directionr5=E | majorr5=END | minorr5= }} {{starcity}} {{IsPartOf|Mid-Atlantic}} {{geo|38.90092|-77.02446|zoom=12}} hrdhxqlmn93w0h565nugbmuknh4sf0f 0 39039 4501997 4399044 2022-08-16T08:23:01Z 42.113.74.49 /* Dessert */ Added listing for Saved By The Max wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | West Hollywood Mels drivein banner.jpg | caption=The sign for the famous Mel's Diner.}} '''[http://www.weho.org/ West Hollywood]''' is a city on the [[West Side (Los Angeles County)|West Side]] of [[Los Angeles]], sandwiched between the [[Hollywood]] and [[Los Angeles/Wilshire|Fairfax]] districts of Los Angeles to the east and [[Beverly Hills]] to the west. West Hollywood is home to the famous Sunset Strip, with its nightlife and its rock-music history, many prominent design institutions, and to the largest gay nightlife district in the Los Angeles area. ==Understand== {{mapframe|34.085|-118.367|zoom=13}} {{mapshape}} Sunset Boulevard through West Hollywood is the famous Sunset Strip, with its flashy billboards, nightclubs, and hotels famous for their Hollywood history. However, the main commercial area of West Hollywood lies along Santa Monica Boulevard, with many small shops, restaurants, and the center of the city's gay community. Though well known for its population of gay men, "WeHo" also has large numbers of Russian immigrants and a large Jewish population. In the late 1960s, West Hollywood welcomed music clubs such as the Whiskey A-Go-Go and the Troubadour, venues that eventually became renowned launch pads for many famous musical acts. More music clubs soon followed, establishing West Hollywood as a linchpin of the music industry. The area of Los Angeles immediately adjacent to the southeast of West Hollywood, the [[Los Angeles/Wilshire|Fairfax District]], contains some attractions mistakenly thought to be in West Hollywood (like Canter's Deli); that area is covered in that article. Similarly, the area surrounding the Beverly Center mall and the La Cienga corridor to the north is commonly thought of as West Hollywood although it is mostly in the city of Los Angeles; this area is however included in this article. ==Get in== From I-405 or US 101, take Santa Monica Boulevard about 5 miles (8 km). From I-10, take Fairfax or La Cienega north about two miles. By public transit, West Hollywood is served by many frequent '''[https://www.metro.net/ Metro]''' bus routes. Frequent east-west routes include the 2 on Sunset Blvd, 4 and Metro Rapid 704 on Santa Monica Blvd, 10 on Melrose Ave, 14 on Beverly Blvd, and 16 on 3rd Street. Frequent north-south routes include the 30 along San Vicente Blvd, the 105 and Metro Rapid 705 along La Cienga Blvd, and the 217 and Metro Rapid 780 along Fairfax Ave. ==See== [[File:Case Study House 22 (5901923987).jpg|thumb|300px|Stahl House]] * West Hollywood's main tourist draw is the '''Sunset Strip''', a section of Sunset Boulevard lined with flashy billboards, restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels famous for their Hollywood and rock-and-roll history. Take a walk or cruise along the Strip and see what there is to see. * {{see | name=MAK Center for Art and Architecture | alt= | url=https://makcenter.org/ | email= | address=835 N Kings Rd | lat=34.0863 | long=-118.3722 | directions= | phone=+1-323-651-1510 | tollfree= | hours=W-Su 11AM-6PM, closed M Tu | price=$10, $7 students/seniors, free for children under 12 | wikidata=Q65941079 | lastedit=2016-07-06 | content=Changing exhibitions of experimental contemporary art within the '''Schindler House''', built in 1922 and considered one of the earliest examples of a modernist house, with exposed concrete and glass panels. }} * {{see | name=Pacific Design Center | alt= | url=http://www.pacificdesigncenter.com/ | email= | address=8687 Melrose Ave | lat=34.0828 | long=-118.3823 | directions=Melrose Ave and San Vicente Blvd | phone=+1-310-657-0800 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM; MOCA M-F 11AM-5PM, Sa Su 11AM-6PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q7122426 | lastedit=2016-07-06 | content=A large design complex consisting of three massive interconnected buildings clad in blue, green, and red glass that house dozens of interior design, furniture, and architectural showrooms. The blue structure has often been referred to as the "Blue Whale" for its outsized nature. Also on the campus is a branch of the [http://www.moca.org/visit/pacific-design-center Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)] which hosts changing design exhibitions. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Stahl House | alt=Case Study House #22 | url=http://stahlhouse.com/ | email= | address=1635 Woods Dr | lat=34.10043 | long=-118.37022 | directions= | phone=+1 208-429-1058 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Afternoon tours $60 for 1 person, $35 each for 2 or more persons; evening tours $90 for 1 person, $50 each for 2 or more persons | lastedit=2016-07-17 | content=Even if you don't recognize this place by name, chances are you've seen it in pictures or movies. An iconic example of modernist architecture, this glass and steel house is perched high above the city with breathtaking results. Tours are available, but must be reserved well ahead of time through the website and space is very limited. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Stan Lee House | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A 5,200 sq ft house and home of the late superhero comic book writer Stan Lee, the co-creator of Marvel. One of the most impressive amenities is an indoor professional-grade movie theater. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=LA Pride | alt= | url=http://www.lapride.org | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Taking place every June during Pride Week, this is one of the nation's largest LGBT festivals as well as one of its oldest. The three-day long festival has lots of live music, art, and food, followed up by a massive parade down Santa Monica Boulevard. }} *{{listing | type=do | name=Halloween Carnaval | alt= | url=https://www.visitwesthollywood.com/halloween-carnaval/ | email= | address=Santa Monica Blvd between Doheny Dr and La Cienega Blvd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Oct 31 from 6-11PM | price= | content=The world's largest Halloween festivity draws half a million people with live music and entertainment on multiple stages along Santa Monica Blvd. Entertainment includes bands, DJs, dancers, artists, and painters. It's free, but a parking space is typically $20 (if you can find one). It's an adult event as small children and pets are at risk of being trampled by crowds. }} ===Comedy=== * {{do | name=The Comedy Store | alt= | url=http://hollywood.thecomedystore.com/ | email= | address=8433 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0951 | long=-118.3740 | directions= | phone=+1-323-650-6268 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-07-12 | content=A long-running Sunset Strip venue that's legendary for giving rise to many major comics in the 1970s. Today it still plays host to the occasional famous act as well as emerging talent, with three separate stages. }} * {{do | name=Laugh Factory | alt= | url=http://www.laughfactory.com/clubs/hollywood | email= | address=8001 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0982 | long=-118.36456 | directions= | phone=+1-323-656-1336 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-07-12 | content=A well-known comedy club that regularly features famous stand-up acts, with the occasional surprise celebrity guest. }} * {{do | name=Largo at the Coronet | alt= | url=http://www.largo-la.com/ | email= | address=366 N La Cienega Blvd | lat=34.0777 | long=-118.3763 | directions=at Oakwood Ave | phone=+1-310-855-0350 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A notable music and stand-up comedy venue that plays host to a lot of top-name acts. Since the early 1990s, the Largo club has been the stomping ground for many big name comics and people who went on to have major careers (Tenacious D got their start at the old location). Largo's current location, the historic Coronet Theater, was a major art and experimental movie venue after its opening in the mid-20th century. }} ==Buy== Robertson Blvd. runs through West Hollywood and is a trendy shopping district. It's famous for its many boutiques and for its celebrities and the trailing paparazzi. * {{buy | name=Beverly Center | alt= | url=http://www.beverlycenter.com/ | email= | address=8500 Beverly Center | lat=34.07500 | long=-118.37758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4899491 | content=This shopping center includes 200 stores over 8 different levels. Great view of the city from the top floor of the mall. }} ==Eat== Many of West Hollywood's favorite restaurants line Santa Monica Boulevard. Many of these are as much about "seeing and being seen" as they are about food. ===Budget=== *{{eat | name=Mel's Drive-In | url=http://www.melsdrive-in.com/ | email= | address=8585 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0929 | long=-118.379191 | directions=Sunset at La Cienega | phone=+1-310-854-7201, +1-310-854-7200 (for to-go orders) | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open 24 hours | price= | content=Opened on the Sunset Strip in 1997, Mel's remains happily caught in a time warp; its 1950s drive-in style décor and 24-hour home style cooking mirrors the San Francisco original, which opened way back in the late 1940s and was made famous by filmmaker George Lucas who used the carhop eatery as a centerpiece for his now classic film American Graffiti. The West Hollywood outpost features a 50-seat outdoor patio that is nice for soaking up the sun and people watching. Inside it's tabletop jukeboxes, classic movie photos on the wall, 1950s tune blaring through the stereo and, most important, great diner food; the famous 'Melburger,' chili fries, milk shakes and really just about everything else. It's one of those Los Angeles places locals and tourists flock to. Formerly "Ben Franks" (mentionrd by Frank Zappa, among others), it's long been one of the most famous spots in the city, as far as restaurants go. }} ===Mid-range=== *{{eat | name=The Flowering Tree | url= | email= | address=8253 Santa Monica Blvd | lat=34.090874 | long=-118.369148 | directions=a couple of blocks west of Crescent Heights | phone=+1-323-654-4332 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great vegetarian restaurant popular at lunchtime. Great soups, sandwiches, and veggie tacos, washed down with free cucumber water. }} *{{eat | name=Real Food Daily | url=http://www.realfood.com | email= | address=414 La Cienega Blvd | lat=34.078603 | long=-118.376356 | directions= | phone=+1-310-289-9910 | tollfree= | fax=+1-310-289-9911 | hours=Su-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F Sa 11:30AM-11PM | price= | content=Vegetarians and vegans from the world over swear by Real Food Daily. Watch your favorite health and eco-conscious celebrity seal a deal over a seitan stir fry before darting off in their Mercedes SUV. Branches in Santa Monica and West Hollywood. }} *{{eat | name=Garden of Taxco | url= | email= | address=1113 N Harper Ave | lat=34.090914 | long=-118.36899 | directions=cross street is Santa Monica Boulevard | phone=+1-323-654-1746 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content="Eees not hot, eees spi-i-i-i-cy." You may be surprised that this restaurant doesn't have a menu, until the waiter comes to perform the menu for you. They have beef, chicken, fish, or vegetarian entrees, usually three or four of each. }} *{{eat | name=Hugo's | url=http://www.hugosrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=8401 Santa Monica Blvd | lat=34.090843 | long=-118.373059 | directions= | phone=+1-323-654-4088 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great spot for breakfast or lunch. }} *{{eat | name=The Newsroom Cafe | url= | email= | address=120 N Robertson Blvd | lat=34.07603 | long=-118.383536 | directions=at Beverly Boulevard | phone=+1-310-652-4444 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A great place to refuel when hitting the shops on Robertson Blvd. Eclectic menu features tandoori chicken salad, Maui veggie burger, various smoothies, wheat grass shots and so forth. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Rainbow Bar & Grill | alt= | url=http://www.rainbowbarandgrill.com/ | email= | address=9015 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.090769 | long=-118.388208 | directions=between N Doheny Dr and Hammond St | phone=+1-310-278-4232 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7284581 | content=This vintage lounge offers great appetizers (especially the calamari), pizza, pasta, burgers, and pricier steak and seafood dishes in a hard rock atmosphere. If you like the 1980s L.A. metal scene, there's no better place to spot rock stars (and lesser lights like Ron Jeremy.) A $10 cover charge comes with two drink vouchers. The Roxy is next door. A crowded outdoor smoking patio is available for the real rockers. Lemmy Kilmister, frontman of Motörhead, was a fixture at this bar for many years, and a statue of him can now be found in "Lemmy's Lounge" in the back of the patio area. }} *{{eat | name=Saddle Ranch Chop House | url=http://www.srrestaurants.com/ | email= | address=8371 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.095627 | long=-118.37234 | directions=at La Cienega | phone=+1-323-656-2007 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=8AM-2AM daily | price= | content=Western-style steakhouse features a huge, 'country' bar and even a mechanical bull for those ready for a faux bull-riding adventure. The menu is vast and surprisingly inexpensive. And again, the saloon is a longtime trendy destination along the Sunset Strip for raucous good times. }} *{{eat | name=Sunset Beach | url=http://www.sunsetbeachla.com/ | email= | address=8240 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.097238 | long=-118.36855 | directions=at Roxbury Road | phone=+1-323-654-8100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Housed in a mega space on the Sunset Strip, formerly home to the uncomplicated, Irish watering hole known as Dublin's, the glitzy, beach-themed restaurant and lounge features sunset colored walls, white plastic furniture, a sand pit and many other ocean-related décor. Menu offers modern American cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Knoll | alt= | url=http://www.leparcsuites.com/dining/knoll | email= | address=733 N West Knoll Dr | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-310-855-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-03-28 | content=This intimate bistro serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with entrees that range from truffle grilled cheese to lobster ravioli to herb crusted salmon. }} ===Splurge=== *{{eat | name=Ago | url=http://www.agorestaurant.com | email= | address=8478 Melrose Ave | lat=34.082215 | long=-118.375637 | directions=at La Cienega Boulevard | phone=+1-323-655-6333 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chef Agostino Sciandri – with a Hollywood assist from Robert DeNiro, among others – continues to delight with his chic, Italian trattoria. A sophisticated interior with blond wooden tables, white tablecloths and cozy, rustic décor add an authentic touch. Chops, pasta and fish underscore the menu. House specialties include mixed fried fish, Tuscan-style chicken and Bistecca alia Fiorentina. Allure still thrives since its 1997 debut as evidenced by the crowded bar scene and bustling dining room. }} * {{eat | name=AOC | url=http://www.aocwinebar.com | email= | address=8700 W 3rd St | lat=34.073511 | long=-118.381744 | directions= | phone=+1-323-653-6359 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fantastic food in every way, in an elegant atmosphere. Great cheeses, great wines, great desserts. The dishes look reasonably priced at a glance, but they arrive in tapa-style proportions, and quickly add up, making it a great place to splurge. }} *{{eat | name=Asia De Cuba | url=http://www.mondrianhotel.com/mondrian_hotel_asiadecuba.asp | email= | address=8440 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.094692 | long=-118.374387 | directions=inside the Mondrian Hotel | phone=+1-323-848-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Unashamedly post-modernist, with Latino/east-Asian cuisine and a choice of white-party indoor dining or outdoor seating among the oversized flowerpots. }} *{{eat | name=Koi | url=http://www.koirestaurant.com/ | email= | address=730 N La Cienega Blvd | lat=34.084556 | long=-118.376173 | directions= | phone=+1-310-659-9449 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An indescribably trendy Japanese restaurant, popular with young hot celebs and those who want to be them or at least catch a glimpse. Reservations are recommended, as is dressing the part. }} *{{eat | name=BOA Steakhouse | alt= | url=http://www.innovativedining.com/restaurants/boa | email= | address=8462 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.094514 | long=-118.374915 | directions=at La Cienega | phone=+1-323-650-8383 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Upscale, post-modern steakhouse located inside the Grafton Hotel - smack dab in the middle of the Sunset Strip. Classic steakhouse cooking fills up the menu. }} *{{eat | name=Dan Tana's | url=http://www.dantanasrestaurant.com/ | email= | address=9071 Santa Monica Blvd | lat=34.081762 | long=-118.389091 | directions=at Doheny | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= Daily 5PM-1:30AM | price= | content=Since 1964 this revered, Italian eatery has been packing them in – from Hollywood powerbrokers and cinema stars to anyone that craves exquisite food in one of the coolest hangouts in Los Angeles. The waiters all look to have been there from day one, so a patron knows they're in for a great culinary experience. The tiny bar in front of what is a tiny restaurant is often crammed three deep. It's still a place one could be having a drink next to a movie star or 'someone of note.' Cocktails flow as waiters rush by carrying popular menu items such as linguini, spaghetti carbonara, steamed clams and a 16-oz New York steak dubbed the "Dabney Coleman" (an actor). The joint is always crowded and serves late into the night; a reservation is a must save for heavyweight Hollywood types. Excellent service, red banquettes, a classic atmosphere and delicious food – that's a recipe for success and why Dan Tana's remains a consistent favorite. }} *{{eat | name=Il Sole | url= | email= | address=8741 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.091749 | long=-118.38164 | directions=at N Sherbourne Dr | phone=+1-310-657-1182 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F noon-3PM and 6-11PM, Sa 6-11PM, Su 5:30-10PM | price= | content=Located in the always-bustling Sunset Plaza on the Sunset Strip, Il Sole is an unfussy and cozy Italian eatery that attracts an abundance of celebs and the like (happy to avoid a big crowd), as well as anyone who desires an unpretentious, neighborhood restaurant for good pasta and a glass of wine. Menu highlights include linguine with shrimp in spicy tomato sauce, spinach-ricotta ravioli and wild Mediterranean Sea bass. Reservations highly recommended. }} *{{eat | name=The Ivy | url= | email= | address=113 N Robertson Blvd | lat=34.07571 | long=-118.384043 | directions= | phone=+1-310-274-8303 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 11:30AM-11PM, Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 10:30AM-10AM | price=$31-50 | content=Fantastic food, but known even more for its endlessly famous clientele. The Ivy is a Los Angeles mainstay and is frequented by celebrities. Many a power deal has been made over a bowl of corn chowder. As for the menu, think comfort food, like fried chicken, Cajun prime rib and fish and fresh corn chowder. Request a seat on the famed patio for the best people watching. }} *{{eat | name=Katana | alt= | url=http://www.innovativedining.com/restaurants/katana | email= | address=8439 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.095099 | long=-118.374586 | directions=at La Cienega Blvd | phone=+1-323-650-8585 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Designer Dodd Mitchell's sleek, Japanese-style bar/restaurant on the Sunset Strip mixes Hollywood glitz and inventive cuisine. The sushi bar is crowded. The robata bar is crowded. Women are scantily clad. Men ogle. The outside patio is crowded and the scene is distinctive Hollywood hip. No longer one of the 'buzz-worthy' destinations on the restaurant scene, Katana remains a solid choice for appetizing Japanese fare with an equally stylish clientele and interior design. }} *{{eat | name=Lucques | url=http://www.lucques.com/ | email= | address=8474 Melrose Ave | lat=34.082342 | long=-118.37535 | directions= | phone=+1-323-655-6277 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Excellent, California-style cuisine in an upscale atmosphere, widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the city. }} ===Cafes=== *{{eat | name=Urth Caffé | url=http://www.urthcaffe.com | email= | address=8565 Melrose Ave | lat=34.082131 | long=-118.378947 | directions= | phone=+1-310-659-0628 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Grab a healthy bite to eat at one of three locations and run the chance of spotting a celeb. Great salads, sandwiches, coffee and teas. Very popular, and additional locations can be found in [[Santa Monica]] and [[Beverly Hills]]. }} ===Dessert=== *{{eat | name=Sweet Lady Jane | url=http://www.sweetladyjane.com | email= | address=8360 Melrose Ave | lat=34.083459 | long=-118.372644 | directions= | phone=+1-323-653-7145 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Sa 8:30AM-11:30PM, Su 9:30AM-4:30PM | price= | content=The best dessert place in the entire world, and on the tongue of every Angeleno. If it's your birthday party, your wish is to have the biggest 3-berry cake that your host can afford. But try them all. Coffee as well for those dining in. }} * {{eat | name=Saved By The Max | alt=Saved By The Max | url=https://www.savedbythemax.com/ | email=contact.savedbythemax@gmail.com | address=7100 Santa Monica Blvd #185, West Hollywood, CA 90046 | lat=34.145943 | long=-118.154258 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=9am-5pm | price= | image=https://www.savedbythemax.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-logo150x150.png | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Food Guides. }} ==Drink== [[File:Whisky A Go Go Sunset Strip.jpg|thumb|300px|Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip]] *{{drink | name=Troubadour | url=http://www.troubadour.com/ | email= | address=9081 Santa Monica Blvd | lat=34.0816 | long=-118.3894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One of the clubs in WeHo that also functions as an event venue for local and popular music. The Rolling Stones and Elton John played here before they got big. Small and cozy. Fantastic venue }} *{{drink | name=Whisky a Go Go | url=http://www.whiskyagogo.com/ | email= | address=8901 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0908 | long=-118.3857 | directions= | phone=+1-310-652-4202 x15 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Another club/music venue, one of the more famous ones in Los Angeles. }} * {{drink | name=Barney's Beanery | url=http://www.barneysbeanery.com | email=info@barneysbeanery.com | address=8447 Santa Monica Blvd | lat=34.0908 | long=-118.3747 | directions= | phone=+1-323-654-2287 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A semi-sleazy but popular restaurant and bar, popular with the straight college crowd. }} *{{drink | name=Bar 1200 at Sunset Marquis | url=http://www.sunsetmarquis.com | email= | address=1200 Alta Loma Rd | lat= | long= | directions=inside the Sunset Marquis hotel | phone=+1-310-358-3720 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=8PM-2AM | price= | content=The lounge and outdoor patio provide an ultra-private, laid-back environment, where, on any given night, musicians recording in NightBird studio have been known to sample their latest tracks for Bar 1200 patrons. Exclusive portraits taken by esteemed rock photographers Ross Halfin & Robert Knight featuring Chris Cornell, Roger Daltrey, Chris Robinson, Billy Gibbons, Billy Bob Thornton, Ozzie Osbourne and others grace the walls. }} * {{drink | name=The Viper Room | alt= | url=http://www.viperroom.com/ | email= | address=8852 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0904 | long=-118.3869 | directions= | phone=+1-310-358-1881 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-04-19 | content=This 21+ entertainment venue hosts mainly metal, punk and alternative rock acts. With a capacity of 250 it is a fairly intimate setting given the quality of acts that sometimes perform. The bar is best known for being the site of River Phoenix's tragic death in 1993, and for the Hollywood elite who have been regulars, including former owner Johnny Depp. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Sunset Tower, 8358 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood 2370.jpg|thumb|350px|The Sunset Tower Hotel overlooking the Strip]] * {{sleep | name=Andaz West Hollywood | alt= | url=https://westhollywood.andaz.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html | email= | address=8401 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0953 | long=-118.3734 | directions= | phone=+1-323-656-1234 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=$250+ | wikidata=Q4753642 | lastedit=2020-11-06 | content=One of the trendiest hotels in the greater LA area with amazing views, a rooftop pool, stylish white rooms and an outstanding restaurant. }} *{{sleep | name=Chamberlain West Hollywood Hotel | url=http://www.chamberlainwesthollywood.com/ | email= | address=1000 Westmount Dr | lat=34.0899 | long=-118.3789 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A sophisticated all-suite hotel designed to cater to style-conscious business and leisure travelers, and well-suited for short or extended stays. }} *{{sleep | name=Chateau Marmont | alt= | url=http://www.chateaumarmont.com/ | email= | address=8221 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0982 | long=-118.3684 | directions= | phone=+1-323-656-1010 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$400+ | wikidata=Q741123 | lastedit=2020-11-06 | content=Modeled after an elegant Loire Valley castle, the famed Chateau Marmont is a local landmark with a long Hollywood history, having been the stomping ground for many a celebrity. Carefully restored in 1990, the hotel's 63 generously proportioned suites and bungalows are set amidst lush private gardens and offer stunning, panoramic views of Los Angeles and world class service. }} *{{sleep | name=The Jeremy Hotel | alt=The Jeremy West Hollywood Hotel | url=https://www.jeremyhotel.com/ | email=info@jeremyhotel.com | address=8490 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0942 | long=-118.3767 | directions=on the corner of Sunset and La Cienega | phone=+1-310-424-1600 | tollfree=+1-800-301-0171 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2017-08-14 | content=It features panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills and Downtown Los Angeles. }} *{{sleep | name=Mondrian Los Angeles | url=https://www.morganshotelgroup.com/mondrian/mondrian-los-angeles | email= | address=8440 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0944 | long=-118.3744 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Features Jeffrey Chodorow's Asia de Cuba restaurant, the Seabar, the outdoor Skybar, the Agua Bathhouse, pool and outdoor living room, penthouse suites and meeting and banquet facilities. }} *{{sleep | name=Le Montrose Suite Hotel | url=http://www.lemontrose.com | email= | address=900 Hammond St | lat=34.0878 | long=-118.3874 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Tucked away in a quiet hillside residential neighborhood, just a couple of blocks below the Sunset Strip and a couple of blocks above the Santa Monica Boulevard nightlife district, and an easy walk from either. The rooftop pool is marvelous, the rooms are unique and plush, the service is first class, and you will often see music industry people and some celebrities gracing the premises. }} *{{sleep | name=Le Parc Hotel | url=http://www.leparcsuites.com/ | email= | address=733 N West Knoll Dr | lat=34.0845 | long=-118.3778 | directions= | phone=+1-310-855-8888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Sizable and stylish rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Petit Ermitage | alt= | url=http://www.petitermitage.com/home/ | email=info@petitermitage.com | address=8822 Cynthia St | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-310-854-1114 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2017-05-26 | content=Boutique hotel with a private rooftop, suites, butterfly and hummingbird sanctuary, and saltwater pool. }} *{{sleep | name=The Standard Hollywood | url=http://www.standardhotels.com/hollywood/ | email= | address=8300 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0960 | long=-118.3707 | directions= | phone=+1-323-650-9090 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$160+ | content=Opened in 1998 on the Sunset Strip, this 139-room hotel features a 24-hour restaurant, shag carpeted floor-to-ceiling lobby with nightly DJs and video art, and an offbeat but stylish sensibility. }} *{{sleep | name=Sunset Marquis | alt= | url=http://www.sunsetmarquis.com | email= | address=1200 Alta Loma Rd | lat=34.0922 | long=-118.3774 | directions= | phone=+1-310-657-1333 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata=Q7641311 | lastedit=2020-11-06 | content=A Four-Diamond, all-suite and villa hotel surrounded by five acres of lush gardens which include two pool areas with private cabanas, spa, indoor-outdoor restaurant, Bar 1200, a Presidential accommodation, photo studio, NightBird recording studio and tour bus parking. Hidden in a quiet neighborhood steps from the Strip. }} *{{sleep | name=Sunset Tower Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sunsettowerhotel.com/ | email= | address=8358 W Sunset Blvd | lat=34.0951 | long=-118.3721 | directions= | phone=+1-323-654-7100 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$350 | wikidata=Q7641361 | lastedit=2020-11-06 | content=The Sunset Tower is perched high on the Sunset Strip and is the sight of regular celebrity sightings. Built in 1929, this hotel has been beautifully renovated. Staff is excellent and the rooms feature floor to ceiling windows. Swimming pool has sweeping views of Los Angeles. In the evening, the pool area is converted into an extension of the popular Tower Bar. }} ==Go next== * '''[[Hollywood]]'''. West Hollywood's more famous neighbor to the east. * '''[[Beverly Hills]]'''. West Hollywood's more famous neighbor to the west. {{routebox | image1=California 2.svg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Santa Monica]] | minorl1=[[Beverly Hills]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Los Angeles/Northwest|Northwest L.A.]] | minorr1=[[Hollywood]] | image2=US 66 (historic).svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Santa Monica]] | minorl2=[[Beverly Hills]] | directionr2=E | majorr2=[[Los Angeles/Downtown|Downtown L.A.]] | minorr2=[[Hollywood]] | link2=Route 66 }} {{usablecity}} {{geo|34.085|-118.367|zoom=14}} {{isPartOf|Westside (Los Angeles County)}} 3cw4vvark28gherieq87kzbpmo9bnot 0 40416 4501579 4405109 2022-08-15T12:59:01Z 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040 /* People */ Remove superfluous comma. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Victoria Falls banner.jpg|The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe}} '''[http://www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw Zimbabwe]''' is a landlocked country in [[Southern Africa]]. For those looking to travel in [[Africa]], Zimbabwe is a great starting place. It is rich in fauna (being home to the big five) and flora and has numerous ancient stone cities including the largest in Africa south of the Sahara, [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Its border with [[Zambia]] is formed by the Zambezi River which when in full flood drops as the world's largest curtain of falling water at the mighty [[Victoria Falls]] which is a major tourist attraction. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Zimbabwe regions map v2.png | regionmaptext=Map of Zimbabwe | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Matabeleland]] | region1color=#7cb985 | region1items= | region1description= Forms the western part of the country with [[Bulawayo]], the second largest city, the stunning [[Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)|Victoria Falls]] and [[Hwange National Park]]. | region2name=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]] | region2color=#cacf84 | region2items= | region2description= At the eastern end of Lake Kariba, it is popular for holidays with Zimbabweans due to the many national parks, such as [[Mana Pools National Park]], on the shores of the Zambezi River which provide good opportunities for game viewing. | region3name=[[Mashonaland]] | region3color=#9994af | region3items= | region3description= Includes the capital city, [[Harare]], and surrounding areas, including the northern part of the Midlands Province. | region4name=[[Eastern Highlands]] | region4color=#5a8b84 | region4items= | region4description= The mountainous area of the country tucked up along the eastern border where the countries peak, Moutn Inyangani is located. The main city is [[Mutare]]. | region5name=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]] | region5color=#d1a364 | region5items= | region5description= A mixed area with the southern part of the midlands in the north and the Lowveld in the south. Nature is more of the attraction here, with many national parks and the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#7cb985|title=[[Matabeleland]]|wikidata=Q1266775}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cacf84|title=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]]|wikidata=Q14206735}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9994af|title=[[Mashonaland]]|wikidata=Q1640913}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5a8b84|title=[[Eastern Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1278183}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d1a364|title=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q14210029}} ==Cities== [[Image:Eastgate_Centre,_Harare,_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|Skyline of Harare, Capital of Zimbabwe]] Zimbabwe has 4 large cities and several smaller ones. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harare]]|wikidata=Q3921}} — the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe, Harare is a vibrant city in a larger metropolitan province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bulawayo]]|wikidata=Q193250}} — the second largest city with historic Victorian, Edwardian and midcentury architecture. It is the second city, both by population and economic activity *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chimanimani]]|wikidata=Q1073089}} - Gateway to the Eastern Highlands *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gweru]]|wikidata=Q399316}} - Located in the centre of the country close to the Danangombe ruins. Also the capital of the Midlands Province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} — a lakeshore holiday resort on border with [[Zambia]] *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Masvingo]]|wikidata=Q601142}} — named (meaning "ruins") after the nearby Great Zimbabwe National Monument *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mutare]]|wikidata=Q399322}} - the major city closest to the scenic Eastern Highlands and the Mozambique coast. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Victoria Falls]]|wikidata=Q1393804}} is a popular tourist destination located in the western corner of the country. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world<!-- presumably [[Seven Natural Wonders (CNN)]]? there are many differing lists--> and the spray from waterfall waters a rainforest. [[Image:Lion-hwange.jpg|thumb|Lion resting near a termite mound]] * {{marker|name=[[Gonarezhou National Park]]|wikidata=Q595121}} * {{marker|name=[[Great Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q209217}} - The archaeological remains of an ancient city built of stone (the largest in Southern Africa), that was the capital of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from this city) and Mozambique. The word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone.' * The Eastern Highlands include some of Zimbabwe's most beautiful views. The lush, cloud-hung mountains form the border with [[Mozambique]]. The regional capital is Mutare, and Chimanimani is a village popular with tourists and walkers. * {{marker|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} - The formidable Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe is the result of a large damming project along the Zambezi River. Kariba is a popular tourist destination and affords visitors the opportunity to watch African wildlife in its almost natural environment. It is the biggest source of hydro-electric power for Zimbabwe. If you are travelling with friends or family consider hiring a houseboat for a few days to really experience everything the lake and the wildlife have to offer. * {{marker|name=[[Matobo National Park|Matobo]]|wikidata=Q917429}} (formerly Matopos) - This area southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland boasts exquisite rock formations, as if nature had been playing marbles. Rocks are found balancing in ways that defy logic, a situation created by the eroding winds blowing out the sand between. The rocks are home to the dassie, a small rodent-type animal known more formally as Rock Hyrax, the skins of which are used to make a blanket treasured amongst the local populace. Also present in great numbers are the brightly coloured lizards common to Zimbabwe. The area has two large dams and many smaller ones that become the scene of family picnics, and angling competitions on weekends. A game park is home to herds of sable antelope, an animal not seen further south. The National Park boasts self catering chalets with amazing views as well as camping sights. * Matobo is also the sight of Cecil John Rhodes' grave and some exquisite cave paintings. * {{marker|name=[[Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine]]|wikidata=Q14226092}} * {{marker|name=[[Chinhoyi Caves]]|wikidata=Q782743}} ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationZimbabwe.png}} ===History=== Stone cities were built in many locations in present-day Zimbabwe. The most impressive structures and the best known of these, Great Zimbabwe, were built in the 15th century, but people had been living on the site from about 400 AD. The Khami Ruins just outside Bulawayo are also a wonderful example. The population was overwhelmingly made up of Shona speakers until the 19th century when the Nguni tribe (in 1839-40) of the Ndebele settled in what is now Matabeleland, and then in 1890, the territory came under the control of the British South Africa Company under charter from the British Government. The [[United Kingdom]] annexed the land, then called Southern Rhodesia, from the British South Africa Company in 1923, when the country got its own government and Prime Minister. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favoured whites in power. In 1965, this white supremacist government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black majority. UN sanctions and a guerrilla struggle finally led to free elections and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe became the first democratic leader of Zimbabwe. While initially lauded for his talk of reconciliation and his government's investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, he slowly consolidated power from 1980-1987 as prime minister, and 1987-2017 as president. Starting in 2000, the government expropriated some very productive farms, which were in the hands of white Zimbabweans, as punishment for their support of the main opposition party, the MDC and handed them over to members of corrupt members of Mugabe's ZANU party, many of whom had no interest in farming, resulting in a drastic falloff in local food production. In 2005, he started a program which cleared slums, forcing hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. Rigged elections and human rights abuses led to widespread emigration and international sanctions. Eventually, misrule and sanctions triggered massive, runaway inflation and a third of the population to choose to migrate. Elections were routinely marred by violence, directed by the ruling ZANU-PF party against opposition supporters. Following widespread protests, a power-sharing agreement was signed between President Mugabe and the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008. This briefly stabilized the political situation, but continued inflation led to the withdrawal of the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation in 2009; at the end, 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars would not buy a loaf of bread. The defunct Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by a basket of currencies and ultimately adoption of the US dollar. The coalition government ended with Tsvangirai's 2013 electoral defeat in what was widely held to be a rigged election. By 2016 currency shortages were common, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe directing banks to limit withdrawals to US$20-50/day or US$150/week. In November 2016 another toy currency ("bond notes") was introduced at par with the US dollar. US cash is king, however, and the bond notes often trade at a discount if they're accepted at all. Usability of credit cards is sporadic as businesses have trouble accessing hard currency to pay for imports. Mr. Mugabe remained President until November 2017 when, at the age of 93 with serious questions about his health, he failed in a brazen attempt to continue the family stranglehold on power by sacking the country's vice president as a first step toward installing his wife Grace as a presidential candidate for the 2018 election cycle. This led to an enraged military deposing him; most of the original veterans of the 1980 uprising against Rhodesia turned against Mugabe, with his own ZANU-PF party forcing his resignation by calling a vote in the legislature to impeach him. Mugabe was subsequently replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who he had sacked. Mnangagwa remained President when he was elected in the 2018 general elections which like the 2013 elections were widely criticized for irregularities domestically and internationally. The current government has rolled back some the excesses of Mugabe, and declared the country <nowiki>''</nowiki>open for business", as well as a proposal to re-join the Commonwealth, but his time in office has not been free of strife: in 2019, widespread protests that were held after the government announced a 130% rise in fuel prices were met by violence from the police and military. However, it is not all gloomy: the government has led the continent in its vaccine programme, besting its larger and wealthier peers. ===Climate=== Zimbabwe has an excellent subtropical highland climate that is moderated by altitude. The rainy season is in summer from November to March. Although there are recurring droughts, floods and severe storms are rare. Winter temperatures can drop below 5° Celsius whilst summers can be very hot, they rarely go over 32°C (90°F), with the exception of lower regions of the country such as the Zambezi valley. ===Terrain=== Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld). There is a mountain range in east including the scenic Chimanimani mountains. The Lowveld is found in south eastern corner. '''Elevation extremes''' : ''lowest point:'' junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 meters ''highest point:'' Inyangani 2,592 m === Culture === Owing to Zimbabwe’s ethnic diversity, varied geography, history and history of immigration, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by language ad culture, some regions have distinct practices. Music plays an important part in Zimbabwean identity. Styles like '''sungura''', '''jazz''', gospel, urban grooves and '''Zimdancehall''' are considered genuinely Zimbabwean. Sungura music is the national equivalent of roots music. Zimdancehall, which mixes several national styles with Jamaican dancehall and reggae and has become popular with the youth nationwide. New urban styles include dance music inspired by house music. Additionally, most Zimbabweans are familiar with and fans of Western popular music. ZBC is the country's public broadcaster and somewhat analogous to the BBC in the UK. In addition, Zimbabweans increasingly have access to many other cable or satellite TV channels. Half of households have satellite TV, which is the most important source of information and entertainment for most Zimbabweans, however this trails the internet largely accessed via cell phone and accessible to most of the population, universally so in cities and among young people. === People === [[File:Ene mbira.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu]] Zimbabwe is a mix of different cultures with their own beliefs and ceremonies, including the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings which are made with the finest materials available. Shona music is also deservedly famous. Probably the best-known Shona instrument is the mbira dzavadzimu, sometimes misleadingly called the "thumb piano" by non-Africans but actually meaning "voice of the ancestors". Mbira music contains harmony and can be a kind of shifting kaleidoscope of counterpoint and lively polyrhythms. It is very tuneful, and the mbiras are often accompanied by a rattle called a hosho. Mbira music is central to Shona culture and identity and is traditionally considered a form of worship of the ancestors. The second largest group in the country are the Ndebele people, who are distantly related to the Zulu of South Africa, whose language is mostly intelligible with Zulu and partially so with the Xhosa language of South Africa. Although their numbers have fallen since the end of white minority rule, Zimbabwe still retains a substantial white population, most of whom are of British descent, with notable minorities of Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish and Greek extraction. Other groups include Asians, coloureds (mixed race people) and immigrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Congo and their descendants, the majority of whom have assimilated into Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwe also a has a large diaspora mostly in South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, so don't be surprised if you run into a 'diasporan' with a Western accent and outlook during your visit, as they have become significant investors and visitors within the county's tourism and real estate sectors. In general, Zimbabweans are a warm, easy going, open minded people. Friendship, family and hospitality are highly prized among Zimbos, and both family connections and social interactions are valued highly. To people they have met, or at least know by name, Zimbabweans are usually polite, friendly and sometimes quite generous. Zimbabweans are reputedly one of the most hospitable people in the world and foreigners are usually treated with respect and hospitality. Whereas the roots of Zimbabwean culture are African and proudly so, Zimbabwe is still a nation that is heavily influenced by the United Kingdom, and the middle class often look to London as a source of inspiration, especially given the poor and corrupt leadership in the country. Many Zimbabweans also display an ambivalent attitude to South Africa which increasingly dominates Zimbabwe's economy and whose ruling class is seen as enabling the corrupt Mnagagwa government. Zimbabweans speak English natively and have the highest literacy rate in Africa. That said visitors will receive a very warm welcome if they try to start conversations in Shona or Ndebele. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe has faced an increasing wave of immigration from China, Congo, Malawi and Mozambique as well as an exodus of the many residents to the UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia. ===Economy=== Once Africa's fastest growing economy and one of its most dynamic, with a large and confident middle class, especially by developing country standards, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone a dramatic economic collapse and since 2010 an uneven and sometimes volatile recovery . There had been a few signs of improvement since the formation the Mnagagwa government in 2018, but the Zimbabwean economy remained plagued by high unemployment, deindustrialisation and a growing divide between a well connected and affluent elite and the rest of the population. The new government has claimed Zimbabwe 'is open for business' and though consumer goods are now widely available and certain industries have recovered (real estate, tourism and construction), the country lags behind its neighbors to the south, a far cry from its post independence heyday. A rebound in mineral prices, real estate and tourism and a continent-leading vaccine programme, allowed GDP to rebound by more than 5% in the 2020 according to the World Bank, but Zimbabwe remains a lower middle income country with a corrupt and affluent elite, a stretched middle class and a large unemployed youth population. Gross domestic product is lower than it was in 2000; with subsequent recovery slow and uneven. That said, the country still has decent infrastructure, especially for tourism (though upkeep can be very inconsistent), a large diaspora that invests in and remains committed to improving their home country and recent government efforts that made it easier to invest in tourism and to make it a more friendly and accessible destination '''* 1 January''': New Year's Day * '''21 February ''': National Youth Day or Robert Mugabe Youth Day * '''18 April''': Independence Day * '''1 May''' - Workers Day * '''25 May''' - Africa Day * '''22 December''' - Unity Day * '''25 December''' - Christmas * '''26 December''' - Boxing Day In Zimbabwe, if a holiday falls on Sunday, the next day (Monday) will automatically be observed as public day. Hence, it will be a holiday. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Zimbabwe.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Zimbabwe]] ===Entry requirements=== ====Category A - no visa required==== Passport holders of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (unless otherwise noted): [[Angola]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Aruba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Botswana]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Cyprus]], [[DR Congo]], [[Eswatini]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Hong Kong]] (6 months), [[Jamaica]], [[Kenya]], [[Kiribati]], [[Lesotho]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malaysia]], [[Malawi]], [[Maldives]], [[Malta]], [[Mauritius]], [[Montserrat]], [[Mozambique]] (30 days), [[Namibia]], [[Nauru]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Samoa]], [[Seychelles]], [[Singapore]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Africa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Tonga]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Uganda]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Zambia]]. ====Category B - visa on arrival==== Passport holders of the following are eligible to get a visa on arrival to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (for purpose of tourism) or for up to 30 days (for purpose of business): [[Albania]], [[Algeria]], [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bermuda]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Brunei]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Chile]], [[China]], [[Comoros]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Egypt]], [[El Salvador]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Estonia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Guatemala]], [[Guyana]], [[Haiti]], [[Honduras]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Macao]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mexico]], [[Micronesia]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Palestine]], [[Panama]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[San Marino]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Senegal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Suriname]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Vatican City]] and [[Venezuela]]. Visa fees as of July 2019 at the port of entry for Category B nationals are as follows: US$30 (single entry), US$45 (double entry), US$55 (multiple entry). Cash only. A valid passport, travel itinerary, and return or onward journey ticket must be presented. Note that Canadian citizens are only able to obtain single entry visas on arrival at a cost of US$75, whilst British and Irish citizens pay higher fees for a Zimbabwe visa on arrival (US$55 for single entry and US$70 for double entry). ====Category C - visa before arrival==== Passport holders of other countries must get a visa prior to arrival to Zimbabwe. Category C citizens may apply for a visa (for business, holiday, conferencing or transit) online through the [https://www.evisa.gov.zw/ eVisa system of the Zimbabwe Department of Immigration]. Visa fee can be paid online or on arrival. It takes an average of two working days to obtain an e-Visa, however the period may vary due to a number of factors. The e-Visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. Visas can be obtained at Zimbabwean embassies/consulates. The fees for a visa vary between US$30 and 180 and depend on the applicant's nationality. You might be able to apply for a Zimbabwean visa at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zimbabwean diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy in [http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null Amman] accepts Zimbabwean visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zimbabwean visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zimbabwe require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zimbabwe can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly. ====KAZA universal visa==== Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called [https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/ KAZA Visa]. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula). The fee is US$50 and is available at the following border crossings in Zambia: Livingstone Airport, Lusaka Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border; in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Airport, Harare Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border. Eligible countries are: [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Brunei]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Haiti]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Samoa]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Turkey]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]] and [[Uruguay]]. ===By plane=== [[Image:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|Harare International Airport]] [[Harare]] International Airport has a number of international flights, mainly to other African countries. When coming from Europe, you can fly via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Cairo. From South Africa you can fly with [http://www.flysaa.com South African Airways], [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ Airlink], British Airways, or Air Zimbabwe. Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air fly to Harare from Europe. SAA operates to quite a few European and African airports and has flights from Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls to Johannesburg ([[South Africa]]). Air Botswana has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Gaborone. Air Namibia has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Windhoek. Malawian Airlines has flights from Harare to Lilongwe. British Airways has stopped non-stop flights between Harare and Heathrow. but has have flights from Harare via Johannesburg to Heathrow. Victoria Falls airport has daily service by South African Airways, [http://www.saairlink.co.za South African Airlink] and British Airways to and from Johannesburg. [[Bulawayo]] also has an international airport, with flights from Johannesburg operated by SAA and Air Zimbabwe. For domestic flights inside Zimbabwe, Harare to Victoria Falls there is Air Zimbabwe and Fly Africa. Air Zimbabwe also fly from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Kariba. *Low-cost airline '''Fastjet Zimbabwe''' has one-way domestic fares from US$20, and international fares from US$50. Fastjet fly from Harare to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. There is also low-cost airline '''Fly Africa''' which goes from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, Harare to Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls to Harare. ===By car=== Zimbabwe is accessible by road from the countries that surround it. Contrary to past scenarios, the fuel situation has improved with prices now being quoted in US dollars. As fuel has to be imported from either Mozambique or South Africa, you can expect to pay more per litre than you would in most other Southern African countries. Roads in Zimbabwe vary significantly, from newly tarred and refurbished to completely dilapidated or untarred, and due caution should be taken when driving, especially at night, and in particular, during the holiday season when there are more vehicles on the road. In general major thoroughfares and affluent areas have better roads than poorer or rural regions. Potholes are a common occurrence so always drive with caution. When in doubt always ask for local advice. ===By bus=== Regular deluxe bus services operate from Johannesburg to Harare. A number of buses also travel from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. Greyhound drives to both destinations. Tickets can be obtained directly from Greyhound or through the Computicket website. Several bus companies also operate direct buses from Harare to [[Blantyre]], [[Malawi]] and [[Pretoria]] and [[Johannesburg]] No public transport exists from Victoria Falls directly to Botswana - a taxi to the border will cost around USD40, or some hotels in Vic Falls can arrange transfers. === By train === As of 2018, '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs one international passenger service, a twice-weekly overnight train from [[Francistown]], [[Botswana]] to [[Bulawayo]], and offers services to [[Harare]] and [[Mutare]]. [http://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/ '''Shosholoza Meyl'''] runs a passenger service from [[Johannesburg]] to the border city Musina, from where it's possible to cross into Zimbabwe. Additionally, the private company '''[https://www.rovos.com Rovos Rail]''' runs an luxurious excursion train from [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]] to [[Victoria Falls]] several times per month. Matching the luxury, prices are extravagant with journeys costing thousand of dollars. ==Get around== [[File:Bus-stop.jpg|thumb|Minibus stop]] Between cities, you travel using luxury coaches like Pathfinder and Citilink. You can also get decent buses from RoadPort in Harare to other major cities including those in neighbouring countries like Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe. Minibus taxis are available for intra-city transport, and are relatively inexpensive by European standards. They provide a cheap, though a not necessarily comfortable way of seeing the true Zimbabwe. Hitchhiking is also a viable option, but tourists need to take care with whom they accept lifts from; hijackings and robberies of hitchhikers, especially within Harare, have been on the increase in the last few years. Be sure to bring some money along, as drivers very often expect some sort of fee to be paid up front. The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe seems to have improved considerably since the stabilization of the economy. Roads between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Masvingo and Mutare are all in relatively good condition. The highway between Plumtree and Mutare (passing through Bulawayo and Harare in between) is being resurfaced. Almost no fuel station in Zimbabwe takes credit cards. Also road blocks are common but usually police just want to see your driver's licence and your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Police can fine you if you do not have reflective reflectors on your car, red hazard triangles in your boot, a spare tire, or a fire extinguisher, so be sure to carry those items if you want to avoid a fine. The taxi app in Zimbabwe is called Vaya, but you will need a Zimbabwean phone number to use it. Its exchange rate is fixed at Z$1 to US$1, so you will want to pay in Zimbabwean dollars (RTGS). ===By train=== The more adventurous tourists could travel by train around Zimbabwe. '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs services between most major cities at least three times per week. Many popular routes have been revived such as the Harare-Mutare route, however stock is mostly from the post war era, so don't expect to get to your destination quickly. That said trains are very safe and (in first or business class) a comfortable and relaxing way to see much of the country. The most popular route is the daily overnight train between [[Bulawayo]] and [[Victoria Falls]]. This train passes through ''Hwange National Park'', one of the biggest national parks in Africa, and there are plenty of opportunities to see wild animals along the route. There is an tri-weekly overnight service between Bulawayo and the capital [[Harare]] as well. ==Talk== {{Infobox|Belgravia? Balmoral? Bayswater?|More than any other African country, there are times when Zimbabwe can feel very British to outsiders. American visitors will find phrases like boot, bonnet and treacle particularly puzzling, but English has a long history in the country and cultivated accents remain the standard among the educated elite, be they black or white. Indeed, despite his disdain for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former President Robert Mugabe spoke in a cultivated accent, had a taste for bespoke Savile Row suits and famously proclaimed that he wanted Zimbabwe "to be a nation of gentlemen". Zimbabweans take great pride in their literacy and view English as theirs as much as their own native language. Authors such as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Austen are celebrated. A private school education from the likes of Peterhouse, Arundel or St George's College that leads to either Oxford or Cambridge (and more recently the University of Cape Town) is considered the ultimate ladder to success. And this extends beyond language and education to the food and even the mannerisms of the middle class. Indeed, British expats will feel quite at home in Zimbabwe. “British” events such as car boot sales, village fetes, fun runs and fundraisers — not to mention football, cricket, tennis and rugby — are the norm on the weekends. Many Zimbabweans now have family in the UK and see it as a natural destination to avoid economic malaise at home and xenophobia in nearby South Africa. Harare's leading newspapers have names like the Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette and have long considered themselves the intellectual heavyweights in the region especially over the South Africans, who are considered by Zimbabweans to be brash and uncouth. British visitors will find plenty of familiar place names, including Ascot, Avondale, Belgravia, Dulwich, Derwent, Groombridge, Kensington, Lewisham and Strathaven. Few sights present as quintessentially British a scene as admiring the immaculately trimmed oval at Queens Park in Bulawayo or Harare Sports Club during a test match against one of the Big Three of India, Australia or England. With a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in the UK, increasingly into their second generation, and having notably boosted the fortunes of the country's national football team, the relationship between the two countries lives on.}} Zimbabwe has 16 official languages though in practice English, Shona and Sindebele/Ndebele are by far the most spoken. English, besides being traditionally used for official business, serves as a ''lingua franca'' between Zimbabweans of different ethnicities and will be the most useful for travelling throughout the country, though any attempts to speak the local language will greatly endear you to the locals or at the very least earn you a few laughs. Speakers of non-native languages tend to be few and far in between and are mostly Portuguese by people with roots in Mozambique, Angola or Portugal or French largely spoken by Congolese migrants in parts of Harare and Bulawayo. ==See== [[File:Zambezi-at-Mutsango.JPG|thumb|Elephants crossing Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park]]For many visitors, Zimbabwe as a country has the same appeal as the natural landscapes for which it's famous. . === Urban life === Zim's large cities all bustle with life. The famous capital, [[Harare]], is the one of Africa's most pleasant cities. It's a city of contrasts, there's expensive cosmopolitan boutiques, buzzing nightlife and delicious ethnic cuisine. However, it's the classic, unpolished side of the city that makes it a charming destination. The central colorful neighbourhoods where crazy traffic sounds drown out distant dance tunes, the pleasant street-cafés and garden restaurants, busy outdoor markets and historic colonial architecture. Avondale and Mount Pleasant are pleasant, older neighbourhoods of the city and a good place to indulge in the city vibe of cafés, street markets, and antique markets in a garden suburban setting. The atmosphere is perhaps Harare's biggest attraction, but some of the main sights include the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Human Sciences. Zimbabwe's other cities share the energetic buzz of Harare, but have a distinct character of their own. [[Bulawayo]] is a lively yet laid-back city, characterized by broad avenues and Victorian architecture. It's famous as a 'heritage city' far beyond the borders of Zimbabwe and a perfect starting point for the country's game parks to the north. In the east, [[Mutare]], is well known for its scenic setting and is also a good base for hiking and other outdoor activities in the Eastern Highlands. The city of [[Gweru]] has shaken off its agricultural roots and is increasingly a vibrant university city. Masvingo, hosts classic Victorian architecture and serves as the gateway to exploring the Great Zimbabwe ruins === Nature === #{{see | name=Hwange National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1571380 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, this park boasts more than 100 different animal species and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few great elephants sanctuaries in Africa with over 30,000 elephants. }} #{{see | name=Matobo National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1778838 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also known as Matopos, this small park close to Bulawayo was awarded a UNESCO world heritage status in 2003 for its fascinating natural features and wildlife. }} #{{see | name=Mana Pools National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q693254 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mana Pools National Park, South of the Zambezi river in the North of Zimbabwe, is a UNESCO world heritage site. A remote location, it welcomes happy few safari lovers with an abundance of elephant, hippo, lions, antelope, giraffe and other animals, and over 350 bird species, in stunning landscapes. }} #{{see | name=Great Zimbabwe Ruins | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.27 | long=30.933 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q209217 | lastedit=2021-12-29 | content=In the vicinity of Masvingo, the sixth largest Zimbabwean city, Great Zimbabwe ruins are the remains of one of the greatest African civilizations: the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe dominated the area from present Zimbabwe, East of Botswana and South East of Mozambique in the late Iron Age (between 1100 and 1450 AD). From the impressive granite stone complex that was once built, the ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km2) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km). }} === Sport === Zimbabweans love sport and are justifiably proud of their country's achievements and how they have constantly punched above their weight on the international stage. The main five sports are: Association football, Rugby Union, Cricket, tennis and Golf. All of these sports attract a widespread following, both at matches themselves and on television; and it is very common to find televised coverage of them shown in pubs, hotels and bars. There are popular grounds to all these sports around the country: Rufaro (Harare), Bourbourfields (Bulawayo), National Sports stadium (Harare) and Ascot (Gweru) for football, Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Alexandra (Harare) for cricket, Police Grounds (Harare), Old Hararians (Harare) and Hartsfield (Bulawayo) for rugby, as well as the Royal Harare Golf Club for golf. * '''Football''' means association football or soccer. It is by far the most popular spectator sport, especially with the working class and is very widely played across the country at amateur and professional levels, with the highest competition being the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and the best talent moving on to play in European leagues. Dynamos (nicknamed the Glamour Boys for their dazzling 'carpet soccer' are the toast of middle class Harare), CAPS United (has a more working class fanbase) and Highlanders ( the historic Bulawayo team) are the most supported teams in the country, with a derby between either side the highlight of the season. * '''Rugby''' is invariably rugby union has 15 players per team, and is popular with the middle classes. While the Zimbabwean national team has not been to the World Cup in two decades, they have produced countless world class players many who've gone on to glittering careers abroad. The country's highest domestic team, the Zimbabwe Academy team, plays in South Africa's Currie Cup. Old Georgians and Old Hararians are two of the countries most prestigious clubs, the latter noted for their exciting 'champagne rugby' inspired by the passing French style of play. That said the standard of play is high up to the high school level and high school games are popular and cheap weekend affairs * '''Cricket''' is played only in the summer, and tends to be most popular in the cities. Zimbabwe is a highly competitive, if often underdog side. Visiting tours by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are considered the highlight of the summer sporting season and are well worth a trip to one of the country's fine cricket ovals * Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in '''tennis''', particularly in doubles and at the Davis Cup, often the only African nation in the top tier division. Tennis is often played on hard court though grass courts are present in affluent areas like Borrowdale. Davis Cup games are the most popular and attract enthusiastic crowds. In '''golf''', Zimbabwe forms part of the Sunshine tour with its neighbors, the third most prestigious after the PGA and European tours. The country has produced numerous golfers such as Nick Price and Mark McNulty and plenty of excellent golf courses are found in or near the larger cities * Zimbabwe is also a respected competitor in '''equestrian''' activities, and several major events in the racing calendar are held at various venues. The most prestigious events on the horse racing calendar include the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard both held in Harare in the autumn and winter. == Do == * '''Bungee jumping''' at Victoria Falls. An incredible experience off the Victoria Falls bridge over the mighty Zambezi - 111 metres of pure adrenaline. * Walk with the lions, swim with the elephants, ride a horse. and enjoy other game activities at '''Antelope Park''' near Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo. * An Authentic African Safari. Walking, canoeing or on a game drive in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools with African Bush Camps. * '''Harare International Festival of Arts'''. (HIFA), every year in Harare (end of April) with some extension in Bulawayo. Music, Theater, and other shows sponsored by foreign embassies, it features top international and local artists,and also brings in town a great artcraft market. * '''Diving''': The only site accessible to recreational divers is Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine, a flooded asbestos quarry 120 km by road from Harare. Good visibility and beautiful surroundings. You need technical cave-diving skills to venture into Chinhoyi Caves, 120 km from Harare. The caves are mostly water-filled, and are more than 120 m deep. The full cave system has not yet been explored. No diving infrastructure, this is an expedition where you take everything. * The excellent climate, combined with investments in the golfing infrastructure, has turned the country into a '''golfing haven'''. Fourteen of Zimbabwe's courses are rated in the top 100 best in Africa. Zimbabwe is also a great and cheap location to learn the game and perfect technique. Many resorts and clubs offer classes with rising players. Courses can satisfy the most demanding golfer, while newcomers won't be intimidated, unless they find the beautiful landscapes and stunning vistas distracting to their game. Though Zimbabwe has long punched above its weight in the golf world, the average local has mixed feelings about golf courses, namely due to the huge amounts of water required to maintain them but appreciate the revenue they generate. * The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel guide's advice a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of '''Vumba''' or white-water rafting in the affluents of the Zambezi is an exhilirating experience. ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Zimbabwe dollars (official rates) | currencyCode=ZW$ | date=December 2021 | USD=110 | source=https://www.rbz.co.zw/index.php | EUR=120 | GBP=150 | ZAR=23 }} ===Money=== Since June 2019, the only legal tender in Zimbabwe has been the new “Zimbabwe dollar” (Z$, ISO code ZWL), also known as the "RTGS dollar" or the "Zim dollar". It includes Zimbabwean bond notes, bond coins and mobile money such as Ecocash. New Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were issued in November 2019. The value of the currency is volatile. In January 2022, the [https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/currency/usdzwd street rate] for US dollars was ZW6380 = US$1. Some shops use a [https://zimpricecheck.com/price-updates/official-and-black-market-exchange-rates/# rate] of ZW$160 = US$1 in setting their prices. Most retailers and service providers are trading their products in U.S. dollars or pegging their prices in Zimbabwe dollars using U.S. dollar black market rates. Some retailers and public transport operators are no longer accepting denominations lower than the Zimbabwe dollar coin. Wikivoyage articles generally quote prices in U.S. dollars. There are many ATMs which take Visa and MasterCard. However, you ''will not'' be able to withdraw money from any ATMs, so bring plenty of cash. Try to obtain Zimbabwean dollars before you arrive, otherwise you will have to change your U.S. dollars after you arrive. If bringing U.S. dollars, bring smaller denomination notes, e.g. US$20 and below. Anything larger is unlikely to be accepted. Change will be given in Zimbabwean dollars. Many banks do not have enough bank notes due to a shortage of paper, so will only change U.S. dollars for Ecocash. Registering for Ecocash is recommended. You will need your ID to buy an EcoNet SIM card at EcoNet shops or other small phone shops. You can then register for EcoCash, but you will need to produce your ID again to activate your account. You can then load your account at a bank, and spend money in most shops using your PIN. A growing number of businesses accept Visa and MasterCard in Zimbabwe, however shop workers are often resistant to use them. Be careful what currency your card is charged in, otherwise you may get charged US$10 instead of Z$10! '''Credit cards''' Credit cards are used less commonly than in the USA or Europe. Many businesses in the city accept them and you can expect any major chain - supermarkets, fast food, clothing stores, etc. - to also accept them. The standard 10% tip in restaurant is often expected to be paid in cash, even when you pay the bill by credit card. Bear in mind, tipping is not expected any may only apply to an establishment that does not already add a service charge. If you use a debit or credit card, the checkout operator in places like supermarkets will often require you to present both your card and a form of identification such as a drivers' licence. Present both simultaneously at checkout and with confidence. A lack of confidence will lead to a request for your passport as identification. . PIN cards have become the most common and should be accepted anywhere, as well as magnetic band cards. PINs should be accepted but if not, the shop attendant will ask you to sign the invoice. Contactless credit cards are not commonly accepted as of Nov 2020. '''Traveller's checks''' They are rarely used and may be difficult to exchange, but some banks and exchanges may accept them . Also, Western Union will cash them with proper identification. '''Tipping''' There is no obligation to tip in Zimbabwe although any tip is welcome, given the volatile economy. Some nicer restaurants will add a service charge (10 percent). In these cases tipping is not expected. Sometimes rounding up or telling them to "keep the change" is enough on small checks, deliveries, petrol attendants, etc. Leaving at least a 10% tip is considered kind and polite at restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty parlors, barbers, ushers and car-washes. Tipping bartenders is not customary but will be greatly appreciated. Leaving no tip when feeling unsatisfied is not an uncommon gesture, and will not likely make much of an impression. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. Service fees are included in most upscale hotels and restaurants, usually around 10%. By law it is mandatory that this item is represented in the same text size as the rest of the menu items. ===Costs=== Domestically produced things are very cheap (especially labour-intensive things), and curios are especially well made. However, for a tourist drinking Coke and eating pizza, prices are not that much lower than in South Africa. ==Eat== [[File:Sadza.jpg|thumb|Meat, sadza, greens and sausages]] For a sample of what Zimbabweans eat (in some form, nearly every day), ask for "sadza and stew/relish." The stew part will be familiar, served over a large portion of sadza - a thick ground corn paste (vaguely like polenta and the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) that locals eat at for lunch and supper. It's inexpensive, quite tasty and ''very'' filling. There is a plethora of good Zimbabwean food- "Mbambaira" or sweet potatoes, "chibage" corn on the cob, for example. Fruits indigenous to the country like "masawu" for example. For foreigners, especially from the West, Zimbabwean meat is very tasty, especially the beef, because of animals are raised and fed on a natural diet, mostly of grass. Food options in the cities tend to follow western conventions and British visitors in particular will find themselves right at home as numerous British staples - from pork pies, Cornish pasties and an English breakfast to tea with milk and baked beans- are a hallmark of Zimbabwean cuisine. Fast food is increasingly popular with Nando's and KFC available in most urban areas as well as local brands like Chicken Inn and Wimpy. === Specialities === Specialities worth sampling include '''peri-peri chicken''', a Portuguese/Mozambican influence, '''meat pies''' (which make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch and can be found easily at many supermarkets and bakeries.), '''samosas''' (Indian origin) '''bream''', '''sadza nedovi''' (sadza with vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce), '''boerwors''' (spicy farmer sausages) and '''vetkoeks''' (a delicous fried pastry), both South African in origin as the names suggest. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a cattle rearing country, particularly in the south and west, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) beef. The '''braai''' is a typical Southern African barbeque that crosses all classes and ethnicities, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (steaks, beef short ribs, sausage, chuck and sometimes offal) and a peri peri or other sauce over wood fire grill. Drinks are served and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. As in many countries with a similar meat culture, men tend to dominate the grilling, though women and children are always made to feel welcome. Additionally, the restaurant and coffee-shop scene in Harare and Bulawayo are great by continental standards, with a wide variety of places and cuisines to choose from. ==Drink== A variety of domestic brews are made in Zimbabwe, mainly lagers with a few milk stouts. You may even want to try "Chibuku" a local brew popular among working class men that's based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn). It is generally sold in a 2-litre plastic bottle called a 'skud' or a more popular variety called "Chibuku Super" that comes in a disposable 1.25 litre plastic container and costs US$1. As with all alcohol, it's definitely an acquired taste! A more palatable beer is the pilsner like, Zambezi lager which is very refreshing on a hot day. Quality wines at restaurants and liquor stores tend to be South African or European in origin, though there are a few brands worth sampling, the standout being the Western Cape produced, '''Kumusha Wines''', as well as the more established, Mukuyu. The South African creamy liqueur, Amarula, is a common delight. A common tradition across Southern Africa, is '''the Sundowner''', a light aperitive style cocktail consumed at sunset just before dinner. It is usually fizzy, sparkling or citrus based, similar to a spritz in Europe '''Non-alcoholic drinks''' Like the UK, tea is widely drunk across Zimbabwe, especially at breakfast or during work lunch breaks. Most people drink white tea (hot black tea with milk), and some with sugar or honey. Tanganda is a cheap and common brand popular with working class residents. Finer restaurants, hotels and cafés sell a range of different teas, Earl Grey and Rooibos being popular blends, but by no means the only one. Herbal teas are available in affluent parts of town, and lemon may also be offered as an alternative to milk upon request. Coffee is historically less popular in Zimbabwe but is growing in popularity, and best experienced at the many independent cafes in Harare, Bulawayo or touristy regions like the Eastern Highlands. Alternatively South African chains like Mugg & Bean are increasingly popular with young people. In Zimbabwe, '''Mazowe orange crush''' is highly regarded and has near legendary status. It is a condensed orange concentrate drink of a vivid orange colour, meant to be diluted with water, and is a prized by expats and Zimbabweans alike. Whilst anywhere selling drinks in Zimbabwe is highly likely to have Mazowe, it can be increasingly found at specialty and expat stores in South Africa and the UK. An acquired taste, but worth it, are '''Schweppes lemonade, ginger beer and cream soda''' (not too dissimilar to US Root beer), which are locally produced and popular summertime beverages and can be obtained in large supermarkets. Mineral waters can vary from expensive imported brands, through locally bottled waters, which are of a high standard and much more affordable. When travelling be sure to stock up on bottled water is also available, as clean drinking water may be available in remote parts of the country. ==Sleep== Zimbabwe has a great number of tourist facilities, and offers a variety of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to guest houses, lodges, backpacker hostels and safari camps for all budgets. For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "lodges" in serene and peaceful environments, usually on the fridges of the city or near game reserves, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature. If you are on a safari tour there are tented camps, chalets and camping sites in most of the safari areas. Most places have a '''backpacker hostel''' with prices from US$10 a night. ==Stay safe== Generally, Zimbabwe has a much lower crime rate than its neighbors, and Zimbabweans are well known for their unrivaled hospitality. Most crime that does occur is opportunistic in nature and travelers should take care with their personal belongings and follow local advise. It really is just a matter of common sense- which you should exercise no matter where you are. Shortages of fuel and water can occur in parts of the country, so keep extra supplies with you in case they are unavailable for an extended period. Water and electricity supplies are frequently disrupted, so most homes in the cities are equipped with boreholes, solar power or generators. Whilst many locals will politely inquire about you and your country, remember, most Zimbabweans are still sensitive to foreigners' opinions of their country and its politicians, mostly due to years of negative press. In general, it is wise idea to avoid political discussions or discussions pertaining to opinions of political leaders. ===Police=== Policing in Zimbabwe has improved markedly since the Mugabe era. On the whole, Zimbabwean police officers are professional and polite to tourists, but they are underpaid, which can lead to incidents of corruption or bribery. They are generally less aggressive than law enforcement agencies in many other nearby countries, particularly South Africa; '''however, this does not apply to political demonstrations or other politically motivated investigations, which have elicited very strong responses in the past. Tourists, expats and outsiders are strongly discouraged from attending political rallies or events.''' Bribery can occur at police checkpoints or border control but it is important '''to be firm and politely decline,''' as this behavior is not tolerated by senior authorities and harassment of tourists is considered a serious offence. With local exceptions, such as airports, and national events, such as Independence Day parades, the vast majority of police officers in Zimbabwe do not carry firearms, and the only police officers allowed to carry firearms are those from specialist firearms units. Most officers will only speak English, Shona or Ndebele, though they will attempt to find an interpreter for people who can't understand questioning in English. You have the legal right to silence when arrested and to have an interpreter at the police station. Police officers in Zimbabwe usually wear dark blue uniforms, although some wear tan or khaki uniforms. Front-line police (in uniform) are also generally required to have shoulder numbers. Most police are also required to carry a 'warrant card', and should under reasonable circumstances be willing to produce it, to confirm their authority. Private security guards do not generally have any "police-style" powers at all. There are a small number of non-police officials who have limited enforcement powers relating to specific local areas, or certain activities such as on-street parking or accessing some government buildings. ===Road safety=== Although jaywalking is not an offence in Zimbabwe and common in the larger cities, crossing a road other than at a designated crossing should be taken with care. A number of traffic light crossings have a push button to change the 'man' from red to green. Pedestrians have right of way on zebra crossings, that are identified by white stripes on the road and yellow flashing lights. It is advisable to make eye contact with the driver before stepping into the road. Certain roads, such as the Presidents residence, prohibit pedestrians (and cyclists), this is often marked with signs in clearly visible locations ==Stay healthy== [[File:Bulavayo 22032005.jpg|thumb|Bulawayo]] Do your research about what is available. Take all medications that you need along with you. There are a number of private hospitals in the major cities that are very accessible. '''HIV/AIDS''' infection rate in Zimbabwe is the 5th highest in the world at around 13% infected. Though rates have declined from their peak in the 2000s, you should '''never have unprotected sex'''. If you form a serious relationship, consider both getting an HIV test before taking things further. Malaria is prevalent in lower regions of the country in the summertime, so unless you are going to stay entirely within Harare, Bulawayo or highland regions, anti-malarial drugs are advised. Drugs reduce the severity of the disease but don't prevent infection, so also consider precautions such as: * sleeping under a mosquito net (lightweight travel nets are comparatively cool to use) * using mosquito repellent on the skin or burning mosquito coils * wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, particularly in the evening Bilharzia is present in some lakes. Ask locally before swimming. Snakes are common in the bush, and most bites are on the foot or lower leg. If walking, particularly in long grass, wear proper boots and either long, loose trousers or thick, concertinaed hiking socks. Shake out boots and shoes in the morning, in case you have a guest. These precautions also reduce the chance of scorpion sting. If you do get bitten or stung, ''stay calm''. Try to identify the exact culprit, but get to medical assistance as rapidly as you can without undue exertion. Many bites and stings are non-fatal even if not treated, but it is safer to seek treatment, which is very effective these days. '''[[Tap water]]''', as a source of potable water, in general, should be boiled prior to consumption. Bottled water is also available. ==Respect== * Visitors to Zimbabwe will find Zimbabweans incredibly welcoming, friendly, and hospitable. Many will go out of their way to help you and ensure you have a good time. You can freely approach the locals for advice and you can ask them specific directions to get somewhere. * In smaller towns and villages, especially on the road, if you walk past somebody it is customary to exchange pleasantries. They may also ask you "how are you", or another similar variation, is usually standard. A simple hello or "how are you?" or "have a nice day" will suffice. Learning similar phrases in Shona or Ndebele will go a long way with older and more rural inhabitants as well. * Unlike many other African nations, Zimbabweans tend to be punctual and on time to events, especially for business, however, given the importance of public transportation, it's not uncommon to sometimes be a few minutes late to something. A simple apology or acknowledgement of one's tardiness is generally acceptable however, extreme lateness is considered rude and a waste of the other parties' time * '''Zimbabwe is a''' '''multicultural''' '''country.''' Do not make assumptions based on ethnicity or peoples' appearance. Outward displays of racism, discrimination or sexism, will be met with hostility or even land you in trouble with the law. Surprised comments at the presence of white or Asian Zimbabweans will be seen as incredibly ignorant. * Zimbabwean people are generally '''easy going and have a''' '''live and let live attitude and will respect your privacy and personal space'''. That said it is important to greet and acknowledge others when entering a space. * When shaking hands or handing anything valuable to someone in more rural areas, it is polite to support the right forearm with the left hand (or vice versa), to signify the "weight" of the gift or honour. In practice this often means just touching the forearm, or even gesturing towards it. Outsiders are generally not expected to know local etiquette, a firm polite handshake is good enough, though attempts at such will be well appreciated * '''Discussions about politics are generally avoided by locals'''. Opinions between individuals vary significantly, and while few Zimbabweans miss the volatility of the past few decades, few will voluntarily offer their opinions publicly and visitors are advised to do the same. Most Zimbabwean people of moderate views have grown accustomed to simply avoiding the topic in polite conversation, especially as speaking out against the government could have been considered a criminal offense until very recently. {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|-19|30|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Southern_Africa}} h2g6gulqs4zcbsiibw4uo2cjzzzm2qs 4501587 4501579 2022-08-15T13:15:58Z 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040 /* Specialities */ Fix South African food names. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Victoria Falls banner.jpg|The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe}} '''[http://www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw Zimbabwe]''' is a landlocked country in [[Southern Africa]]. For those looking to travel in [[Africa]], Zimbabwe is a great starting place. It is rich in fauna (being home to the big five) and flora and has numerous ancient stone cities including the largest in Africa south of the Sahara, [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Its border with [[Zambia]] is formed by the Zambezi River which when in full flood drops as the world's largest curtain of falling water at the mighty [[Victoria Falls]] which is a major tourist attraction. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Zimbabwe regions map v2.png | regionmaptext=Map of Zimbabwe | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Matabeleland]] | region1color=#7cb985 | region1items= | region1description= Forms the western part of the country with [[Bulawayo]], the second largest city, the stunning [[Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)|Victoria Falls]] and [[Hwange National Park]]. | region2name=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]] | region2color=#cacf84 | region2items= | region2description= At the eastern end of Lake Kariba, it is popular for holidays with Zimbabweans due to the many national parks, such as [[Mana Pools National Park]], on the shores of the Zambezi River which provide good opportunities for game viewing. | region3name=[[Mashonaland]] | region3color=#9994af | region3items= | region3description= Includes the capital city, [[Harare]], and surrounding areas, including the northern part of the Midlands Province. | region4name=[[Eastern Highlands]] | region4color=#5a8b84 | region4items= | region4description= The mountainous area of the country tucked up along the eastern border where the countries peak, Moutn Inyangani is located. The main city is [[Mutare]]. | region5name=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]] | region5color=#d1a364 | region5items= | region5description= A mixed area with the southern part of the midlands in the north and the Lowveld in the south. Nature is more of the attraction here, with many national parks and the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#7cb985|title=[[Matabeleland]]|wikidata=Q1266775}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cacf84|title=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]]|wikidata=Q14206735}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9994af|title=[[Mashonaland]]|wikidata=Q1640913}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5a8b84|title=[[Eastern Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1278183}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d1a364|title=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q14210029}} ==Cities== [[Image:Eastgate_Centre,_Harare,_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|Skyline of Harare, Capital of Zimbabwe]] Zimbabwe has 4 large cities and several smaller ones. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harare]]|wikidata=Q3921}} — the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe, Harare is a vibrant city in a larger metropolitan province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bulawayo]]|wikidata=Q193250}} — the second largest city with historic Victorian, Edwardian and midcentury architecture. It is the second city, both by population and economic activity *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chimanimani]]|wikidata=Q1073089}} - Gateway to the Eastern Highlands *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gweru]]|wikidata=Q399316}} - Located in the centre of the country close to the Danangombe ruins. Also the capital of the Midlands Province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} — a lakeshore holiday resort on border with [[Zambia]] *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Masvingo]]|wikidata=Q601142}} — named (meaning "ruins") after the nearby Great Zimbabwe National Monument *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mutare]]|wikidata=Q399322}} - the major city closest to the scenic Eastern Highlands and the Mozambique coast. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Victoria Falls]]|wikidata=Q1393804}} is a popular tourist destination located in the western corner of the country. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world<!-- presumably [[Seven Natural Wonders (CNN)]]? there are many differing lists--> and the spray from waterfall waters a rainforest. [[Image:Lion-hwange.jpg|thumb|Lion resting near a termite mound]] * {{marker|name=[[Gonarezhou National Park]]|wikidata=Q595121}} * {{marker|name=[[Great Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q209217}} - The archaeological remains of an ancient city built of stone (the largest in Southern Africa), that was the capital of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from this city) and Mozambique. The word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone.' * The Eastern Highlands include some of Zimbabwe's most beautiful views. The lush, cloud-hung mountains form the border with [[Mozambique]]. The regional capital is Mutare, and Chimanimani is a village popular with tourists and walkers. * {{marker|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} - The formidable Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe is the result of a large damming project along the Zambezi River. Kariba is a popular tourist destination and affords visitors the opportunity to watch African wildlife in its almost natural environment. It is the biggest source of hydro-electric power for Zimbabwe. If you are travelling with friends or family consider hiring a houseboat for a few days to really experience everything the lake and the wildlife have to offer. * {{marker|name=[[Matobo National Park|Matobo]]|wikidata=Q917429}} (formerly Matopos) - This area southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland boasts exquisite rock formations, as if nature had been playing marbles. Rocks are found balancing in ways that defy logic, a situation created by the eroding winds blowing out the sand between. The rocks are home to the dassie, a small rodent-type animal known more formally as Rock Hyrax, the skins of which are used to make a blanket treasured amongst the local populace. Also present in great numbers are the brightly coloured lizards common to Zimbabwe. The area has two large dams and many smaller ones that become the scene of family picnics, and angling competitions on weekends. A game park is home to herds of sable antelope, an animal not seen further south. The National Park boasts self catering chalets with amazing views as well as camping sights. * Matobo is also the sight of Cecil John Rhodes' grave and some exquisite cave paintings. * {{marker|name=[[Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine]]|wikidata=Q14226092}} * {{marker|name=[[Chinhoyi Caves]]|wikidata=Q782743}} ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationZimbabwe.png}} ===History=== Stone cities were built in many locations in present-day Zimbabwe. The most impressive structures and the best known of these, Great Zimbabwe, were built in the 15th century, but people had been living on the site from about 400 AD. The Khami Ruins just outside Bulawayo are also a wonderful example. The population was overwhelmingly made up of Shona speakers until the 19th century when the Nguni tribe (in 1839-40) of the Ndebele settled in what is now Matabeleland, and then in 1890, the territory came under the control of the British South Africa Company under charter from the British Government. The [[United Kingdom]] annexed the land, then called Southern Rhodesia, from the British South Africa Company in 1923, when the country got its own government and Prime Minister. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favoured whites in power. In 1965, this white supremacist government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black majority. UN sanctions and a guerrilla struggle finally led to free elections and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe became the first democratic leader of Zimbabwe. While initially lauded for his talk of reconciliation and his government's investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, he slowly consolidated power from 1980-1987 as prime minister, and 1987-2017 as president. Starting in 2000, the government expropriated some very productive farms, which were in the hands of white Zimbabweans, as punishment for their support of the main opposition party, the MDC and handed them over to members of corrupt members of Mugabe's ZANU party, many of whom had no interest in farming, resulting in a drastic falloff in local food production. In 2005, he started a program which cleared slums, forcing hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. Rigged elections and human rights abuses led to widespread emigration and international sanctions. Eventually, misrule and sanctions triggered massive, runaway inflation and a third of the population to choose to migrate. Elections were routinely marred by violence, directed by the ruling ZANU-PF party against opposition supporters. Following widespread protests, a power-sharing agreement was signed between President Mugabe and the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008. This briefly stabilized the political situation, but continued inflation led to the withdrawal of the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation in 2009; at the end, 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars would not buy a loaf of bread. The defunct Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by a basket of currencies and ultimately adoption of the US dollar. The coalition government ended with Tsvangirai's 2013 electoral defeat in what was widely held to be a rigged election. By 2016 currency shortages were common, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe directing banks to limit withdrawals to US$20-50/day or US$150/week. In November 2016 another toy currency ("bond notes") was introduced at par with the US dollar. US cash is king, however, and the bond notes often trade at a discount if they're accepted at all. Usability of credit cards is sporadic as businesses have trouble accessing hard currency to pay for imports. Mr. Mugabe remained President until November 2017 when, at the age of 93 with serious questions about his health, he failed in a brazen attempt to continue the family stranglehold on power by sacking the country's vice president as a first step toward installing his wife Grace as a presidential candidate for the 2018 election cycle. This led to an enraged military deposing him; most of the original veterans of the 1980 uprising against Rhodesia turned against Mugabe, with his own ZANU-PF party forcing his resignation by calling a vote in the legislature to impeach him. Mugabe was subsequently replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who he had sacked. Mnangagwa remained President when he was elected in the 2018 general elections which like the 2013 elections were widely criticized for irregularities domestically and internationally. The current government has rolled back some the excesses of Mugabe, and declared the country <nowiki>''</nowiki>open for business", as well as a proposal to re-join the Commonwealth, but his time in office has not been free of strife: in 2019, widespread protests that were held after the government announced a 130% rise in fuel prices were met by violence from the police and military. However, it is not all gloomy: the government has led the continent in its vaccine programme, besting its larger and wealthier peers. ===Climate=== Zimbabwe has an excellent subtropical highland climate that is moderated by altitude. The rainy season is in summer from November to March. Although there are recurring droughts, floods and severe storms are rare. Winter temperatures can drop below 5° Celsius whilst summers can be very hot, they rarely go over 32°C (90°F), with the exception of lower regions of the country such as the Zambezi valley. ===Terrain=== Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld). There is a mountain range in east including the scenic Chimanimani mountains. The Lowveld is found in south eastern corner. '''Elevation extremes''' : ''lowest point:'' junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 meters ''highest point:'' Inyangani 2,592 m === Culture === Owing to Zimbabwe’s ethnic diversity, varied geography, history and history of immigration, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by language ad culture, some regions have distinct practices. Music plays an important part in Zimbabwean identity. Styles like '''sungura''', '''jazz''', gospel, urban grooves and '''Zimdancehall''' are considered genuinely Zimbabwean. Sungura music is the national equivalent of roots music. Zimdancehall, which mixes several national styles with Jamaican dancehall and reggae and has become popular with the youth nationwide. New urban styles include dance music inspired by house music. Additionally, most Zimbabweans are familiar with and fans of Western popular music. ZBC is the country's public broadcaster and somewhat analogous to the BBC in the UK. In addition, Zimbabweans increasingly have access to many other cable or satellite TV channels. Half of households have satellite TV, which is the most important source of information and entertainment for most Zimbabweans, however this trails the internet largely accessed via cell phone and accessible to most of the population, universally so in cities and among young people. === People === [[File:Ene mbira.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu]] Zimbabwe is a mix of different cultures with their own beliefs and ceremonies, including the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings which are made with the finest materials available. Shona music is also deservedly famous. Probably the best-known Shona instrument is the mbira dzavadzimu, sometimes misleadingly called the "thumb piano" by non-Africans but actually meaning "voice of the ancestors". Mbira music contains harmony and can be a kind of shifting kaleidoscope of counterpoint and lively polyrhythms. It is very tuneful, and the mbiras are often accompanied by a rattle called a hosho. Mbira music is central to Shona culture and identity and is traditionally considered a form of worship of the ancestors. The second largest group in the country are the Ndebele people, who are distantly related to the Zulu of South Africa, whose language is mostly intelligible with Zulu and partially so with the Xhosa language of South Africa. Although their numbers have fallen since the end of white minority rule, Zimbabwe still retains a substantial white population, most of whom are of British descent, with notable minorities of Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish and Greek extraction. Other groups include Asians, coloureds (mixed race people) and immigrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Congo and their descendants, the majority of whom have assimilated into Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwe also a has a large diaspora mostly in South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, so don't be surprised if you run into a 'diasporan' with a Western accent and outlook during your visit, as they have become significant investors and visitors within the county's tourism and real estate sectors. In general, Zimbabweans are a warm, easy going, open minded people. Friendship, family and hospitality are highly prized among Zimbos, and both family connections and social interactions are valued highly. To people they have met, or at least know by name, Zimbabweans are usually polite, friendly and sometimes quite generous. Zimbabweans are reputedly one of the most hospitable people in the world and foreigners are usually treated with respect and hospitality. Whereas the roots of Zimbabwean culture are African and proudly so, Zimbabwe is still a nation that is heavily influenced by the United Kingdom, and the middle class often look to London as a source of inspiration, especially given the poor and corrupt leadership in the country. Many Zimbabweans also display an ambivalent attitude to South Africa which increasingly dominates Zimbabwe's economy and whose ruling class is seen as enabling the corrupt Mnagagwa government. Zimbabweans speak English natively and have the highest literacy rate in Africa. That said visitors will receive a very warm welcome if they try to start conversations in Shona or Ndebele. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe has faced an increasing wave of immigration from China, Congo, Malawi and Mozambique as well as an exodus of the many residents to the UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia. ===Economy=== Once Africa's fastest growing economy and one of its most dynamic, with a large and confident middle class, especially by developing country standards, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone a dramatic economic collapse and since 2010 an uneven and sometimes volatile recovery . There had been a few signs of improvement since the formation the Mnagagwa government in 2018, but the Zimbabwean economy remained plagued by high unemployment, deindustrialisation and a growing divide between a well connected and affluent elite and the rest of the population. The new government has claimed Zimbabwe 'is open for business' and though consumer goods are now widely available and certain industries have recovered (real estate, tourism and construction), the country lags behind its neighbors to the south, a far cry from its post independence heyday. A rebound in mineral prices, real estate and tourism and a continent-leading vaccine programme, allowed GDP to rebound by more than 5% in the 2020 according to the World Bank, but Zimbabwe remains a lower middle income country with a corrupt and affluent elite, a stretched middle class and a large unemployed youth population. Gross domestic product is lower than it was in 2000; with subsequent recovery slow and uneven. That said, the country still has decent infrastructure, especially for tourism (though upkeep can be very inconsistent), a large diaspora that invests in and remains committed to improving their home country and recent government efforts that made it easier to invest in tourism and to make it a more friendly and accessible destination '''* 1 January''': New Year's Day * '''21 February ''': National Youth Day or Robert Mugabe Youth Day * '''18 April''': Independence Day * '''1 May''' - Workers Day * '''25 May''' - Africa Day * '''22 December''' - Unity Day * '''25 December''' - Christmas * '''26 December''' - Boxing Day In Zimbabwe, if a holiday falls on Sunday, the next day (Monday) will automatically be observed as public day. Hence, it will be a holiday. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Zimbabwe.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Zimbabwe]] ===Entry requirements=== ====Category A - no visa required==== Passport holders of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (unless otherwise noted): [[Angola]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Aruba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Botswana]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Cyprus]], [[DR Congo]], [[Eswatini]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Hong Kong]] (6 months), [[Jamaica]], [[Kenya]], [[Kiribati]], [[Lesotho]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malaysia]], [[Malawi]], [[Maldives]], [[Malta]], [[Mauritius]], [[Montserrat]], [[Mozambique]] (30 days), [[Namibia]], [[Nauru]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Samoa]], [[Seychelles]], [[Singapore]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Africa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Tonga]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Uganda]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Zambia]]. ====Category B - visa on arrival==== Passport holders of the following are eligible to get a visa on arrival to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (for purpose of tourism) or for up to 30 days (for purpose of business): [[Albania]], [[Algeria]], [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bermuda]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Brunei]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Chile]], [[China]], [[Comoros]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Egypt]], [[El Salvador]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Estonia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Guatemala]], [[Guyana]], [[Haiti]], [[Honduras]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Macao]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mexico]], [[Micronesia]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Palestine]], [[Panama]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[San Marino]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Senegal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Suriname]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Vatican City]] and [[Venezuela]]. Visa fees as of July 2019 at the port of entry for Category B nationals are as follows: US$30 (single entry), US$45 (double entry), US$55 (multiple entry). Cash only. A valid passport, travel itinerary, and return or onward journey ticket must be presented. Note that Canadian citizens are only able to obtain single entry visas on arrival at a cost of US$75, whilst British and Irish citizens pay higher fees for a Zimbabwe visa on arrival (US$55 for single entry and US$70 for double entry). ====Category C - visa before arrival==== Passport holders of other countries must get a visa prior to arrival to Zimbabwe. Category C citizens may apply for a visa (for business, holiday, conferencing or transit) online through the [https://www.evisa.gov.zw/ eVisa system of the Zimbabwe Department of Immigration]. Visa fee can be paid online or on arrival. It takes an average of two working days to obtain an e-Visa, however the period may vary due to a number of factors. The e-Visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. Visas can be obtained at Zimbabwean embassies/consulates. The fees for a visa vary between US$30 and 180 and depend on the applicant's nationality. You might be able to apply for a Zimbabwean visa at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zimbabwean diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy in [http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null Amman] accepts Zimbabwean visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zimbabwean visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zimbabwe require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zimbabwe can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly. ====KAZA universal visa==== Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called [https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/ KAZA Visa]. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula). The fee is US$50 and is available at the following border crossings in Zambia: Livingstone Airport, Lusaka Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border; in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Airport, Harare Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border. Eligible countries are: [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Brunei]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Haiti]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Samoa]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Turkey]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]] and [[Uruguay]]. ===By plane=== [[Image:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|Harare International Airport]] [[Harare]] International Airport has a number of international flights, mainly to other African countries. When coming from Europe, you can fly via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Cairo. From South Africa you can fly with [http://www.flysaa.com South African Airways], [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ Airlink], British Airways, or Air Zimbabwe. Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air fly to Harare from Europe. SAA operates to quite a few European and African airports and has flights from Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls to Johannesburg ([[South Africa]]). Air Botswana has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Gaborone. Air Namibia has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Windhoek. Malawian Airlines has flights from Harare to Lilongwe. British Airways has stopped non-stop flights between Harare and Heathrow. but has have flights from Harare via Johannesburg to Heathrow. Victoria Falls airport has daily service by South African Airways, [http://www.saairlink.co.za South African Airlink] and British Airways to and from Johannesburg. [[Bulawayo]] also has an international airport, with flights from Johannesburg operated by SAA and Air Zimbabwe. For domestic flights inside Zimbabwe, Harare to Victoria Falls there is Air Zimbabwe and Fly Africa. Air Zimbabwe also fly from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Kariba. *Low-cost airline '''Fastjet Zimbabwe''' has one-way domestic fares from US$20, and international fares from US$50. Fastjet fly from Harare to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. There is also low-cost airline '''Fly Africa''' which goes from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, Harare to Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls to Harare. ===By car=== Zimbabwe is accessible by road from the countries that surround it. Contrary to past scenarios, the fuel situation has improved with prices now being quoted in US dollars. As fuel has to be imported from either Mozambique or South Africa, you can expect to pay more per litre than you would in most other Southern African countries. Roads in Zimbabwe vary significantly, from newly tarred and refurbished to completely dilapidated or untarred, and due caution should be taken when driving, especially at night, and in particular, during the holiday season when there are more vehicles on the road. In general major thoroughfares and affluent areas have better roads than poorer or rural regions. Potholes are a common occurrence so always drive with caution. When in doubt always ask for local advice. ===By bus=== Regular deluxe bus services operate from Johannesburg to Harare. A number of buses also travel from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. Greyhound drives to both destinations. Tickets can be obtained directly from Greyhound or through the Computicket website. Several bus companies also operate direct buses from Harare to [[Blantyre]], [[Malawi]] and [[Pretoria]] and [[Johannesburg]] No public transport exists from Victoria Falls directly to Botswana - a taxi to the border will cost around USD40, or some hotels in Vic Falls can arrange transfers. === By train === As of 2018, '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs one international passenger service, a twice-weekly overnight train from [[Francistown]], [[Botswana]] to [[Bulawayo]], and offers services to [[Harare]] and [[Mutare]]. [http://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/ '''Shosholoza Meyl'''] runs a passenger service from [[Johannesburg]] to the border city Musina, from where it's possible to cross into Zimbabwe. Additionally, the private company '''[https://www.rovos.com Rovos Rail]''' runs an luxurious excursion train from [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]] to [[Victoria Falls]] several times per month. Matching the luxury, prices are extravagant with journeys costing thousand of dollars. ==Get around== [[File:Bus-stop.jpg|thumb|Minibus stop]] Between cities, you travel using luxury coaches like Pathfinder and Citilink. You can also get decent buses from RoadPort in Harare to other major cities including those in neighbouring countries like Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe. Minibus taxis are available for intra-city transport, and are relatively inexpensive by European standards. They provide a cheap, though a not necessarily comfortable way of seeing the true Zimbabwe. Hitchhiking is also a viable option, but tourists need to take care with whom they accept lifts from; hijackings and robberies of hitchhikers, especially within Harare, have been on the increase in the last few years. Be sure to bring some money along, as drivers very often expect some sort of fee to be paid up front. The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe seems to have improved considerably since the stabilization of the economy. Roads between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Masvingo and Mutare are all in relatively good condition. The highway between Plumtree and Mutare (passing through Bulawayo and Harare in between) is being resurfaced. Almost no fuel station in Zimbabwe takes credit cards. Also road blocks are common but usually police just want to see your driver's licence and your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Police can fine you if you do not have reflective reflectors on your car, red hazard triangles in your boot, a spare tire, or a fire extinguisher, so be sure to carry those items if you want to avoid a fine. The taxi app in Zimbabwe is called Vaya, but you will need a Zimbabwean phone number to use it. Its exchange rate is fixed at Z$1 to US$1, so you will want to pay in Zimbabwean dollars (RTGS). ===By train=== The more adventurous tourists could travel by train around Zimbabwe. '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs services between most major cities at least three times per week. Many popular routes have been revived such as the Harare-Mutare route, however stock is mostly from the post war era, so don't expect to get to your destination quickly. That said trains are very safe and (in first or business class) a comfortable and relaxing way to see much of the country. The most popular route is the daily overnight train between [[Bulawayo]] and [[Victoria Falls]]. This train passes through ''Hwange National Park'', one of the biggest national parks in Africa, and there are plenty of opportunities to see wild animals along the route. There is an tri-weekly overnight service between Bulawayo and the capital [[Harare]] as well. ==Talk== {{Infobox|Belgravia? Balmoral? Bayswater?|More than any other African country, there are times when Zimbabwe can feel very British to outsiders. American visitors will find phrases like boot, bonnet and treacle particularly puzzling, but English has a long history in the country and cultivated accents remain the standard among the educated elite, be they black or white. Indeed, despite his disdain for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former President Robert Mugabe spoke in a cultivated accent, had a taste for bespoke Savile Row suits and famously proclaimed that he wanted Zimbabwe "to be a nation of gentlemen". Zimbabweans take great pride in their literacy and view English as theirs as much as their own native language. Authors such as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Austen are celebrated. A private school education from the likes of Peterhouse, Arundel or St George's College that leads to either Oxford or Cambridge (and more recently the University of Cape Town) is considered the ultimate ladder to success. And this extends beyond language and education to the food and even the mannerisms of the middle class. Indeed, British expats will feel quite at home in Zimbabwe. “British” events such as car boot sales, village fetes, fun runs and fundraisers — not to mention football, cricket, tennis and rugby — are the norm on the weekends. Many Zimbabweans now have family in the UK and see it as a natural destination to avoid economic malaise at home and xenophobia in nearby South Africa. Harare's leading newspapers have names like the Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette and have long considered themselves the intellectual heavyweights in the region especially over the South Africans, who are considered by Zimbabweans to be brash and uncouth. British visitors will find plenty of familiar place names, including Ascot, Avondale, Belgravia, Dulwich, Derwent, Groombridge, Kensington, Lewisham and Strathaven. Few sights present as quintessentially British a scene as admiring the immaculately trimmed oval at Queens Park in Bulawayo or Harare Sports Club during a test match against one of the Big Three of India, Australia or England. With a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in the UK, increasingly into their second generation, and having notably boosted the fortunes of the country's national football team, the relationship between the two countries lives on.}} Zimbabwe has 16 official languages though in practice English, Shona and Sindebele/Ndebele are by far the most spoken. English, besides being traditionally used for official business, serves as a ''lingua franca'' between Zimbabweans of different ethnicities and will be the most useful for travelling throughout the country, though any attempts to speak the local language will greatly endear you to the locals or at the very least earn you a few laughs. Speakers of non-native languages tend to be few and far in between and are mostly Portuguese by people with roots in Mozambique, Angola or Portugal or French largely spoken by Congolese migrants in parts of Harare and Bulawayo. ==See== [[File:Zambezi-at-Mutsango.JPG|thumb|Elephants crossing Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park]]For many visitors, Zimbabwe as a country has the same appeal as the natural landscapes for which it's famous. . === Urban life === Zim's large cities all bustle with life. The famous capital, [[Harare]], is the one of Africa's most pleasant cities. It's a city of contrasts, there's expensive cosmopolitan boutiques, buzzing nightlife and delicious ethnic cuisine. However, it's the classic, unpolished side of the city that makes it a charming destination. The central colorful neighbourhoods where crazy traffic sounds drown out distant dance tunes, the pleasant street-cafés and garden restaurants, busy outdoor markets and historic colonial architecture. Avondale and Mount Pleasant are pleasant, older neighbourhoods of the city and a good place to indulge in the city vibe of cafés, street markets, and antique markets in a garden suburban setting. The atmosphere is perhaps Harare's biggest attraction, but some of the main sights include the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Human Sciences. Zimbabwe's other cities share the energetic buzz of Harare, but have a distinct character of their own. [[Bulawayo]] is a lively yet laid-back city, characterized by broad avenues and Victorian architecture. It's famous as a 'heritage city' far beyond the borders of Zimbabwe and a perfect starting point for the country's game parks to the north. In the east, [[Mutare]], is well known for its scenic setting and is also a good base for hiking and other outdoor activities in the Eastern Highlands. The city of [[Gweru]] has shaken off its agricultural roots and is increasingly a vibrant university city. Masvingo, hosts classic Victorian architecture and serves as the gateway to exploring the Great Zimbabwe ruins === Nature === #{{see | name=Hwange National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1571380 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, this park boasts more than 100 different animal species and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few great elephants sanctuaries in Africa with over 30,000 elephants. }} #{{see | name=Matobo National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1778838 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also known as Matopos, this small park close to Bulawayo was awarded a UNESCO world heritage status in 2003 for its fascinating natural features and wildlife. }} #{{see | name=Mana Pools National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q693254 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mana Pools National Park, South of the Zambezi river in the North of Zimbabwe, is a UNESCO world heritage site. A remote location, it welcomes happy few safari lovers with an abundance of elephant, hippo, lions, antelope, giraffe and other animals, and over 350 bird species, in stunning landscapes. }} #{{see | name=Great Zimbabwe Ruins | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.27 | long=30.933 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q209217 | lastedit=2021-12-29 | content=In the vicinity of Masvingo, the sixth largest Zimbabwean city, Great Zimbabwe ruins are the remains of one of the greatest African civilizations: the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe dominated the area from present Zimbabwe, East of Botswana and South East of Mozambique in the late Iron Age (between 1100 and 1450 AD). From the impressive granite stone complex that was once built, the ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km2) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km). }} === Sport === Zimbabweans love sport and are justifiably proud of their country's achievements and how they have constantly punched above their weight on the international stage. The main five sports are: Association football, Rugby Union, Cricket, tennis and Golf. All of these sports attract a widespread following, both at matches themselves and on television; and it is very common to find televised coverage of them shown in pubs, hotels and bars. There are popular grounds to all these sports around the country: Rufaro (Harare), Bourbourfields (Bulawayo), National Sports stadium (Harare) and Ascot (Gweru) for football, Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Alexandra (Harare) for cricket, Police Grounds (Harare), Old Hararians (Harare) and Hartsfield (Bulawayo) for rugby, as well as the Royal Harare Golf Club for golf. * '''Football''' means association football or soccer. It is by far the most popular spectator sport, especially with the working class and is very widely played across the country at amateur and professional levels, with the highest competition being the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and the best talent moving on to play in European leagues. Dynamos (nicknamed the Glamour Boys for their dazzling 'carpet soccer' are the toast of middle class Harare), CAPS United (has a more working class fanbase) and Highlanders ( the historic Bulawayo team) are the most supported teams in the country, with a derby between either side the highlight of the season. * '''Rugby''' is invariably rugby union has 15 players per team, and is popular with the middle classes. While the Zimbabwean national team has not been to the World Cup in two decades, they have produced countless world class players many who've gone on to glittering careers abroad. The country's highest domestic team, the Zimbabwe Academy team, plays in South Africa's Currie Cup. Old Georgians and Old Hararians are two of the countries most prestigious clubs, the latter noted for their exciting 'champagne rugby' inspired by the passing French style of play. That said the standard of play is high up to the high school level and high school games are popular and cheap weekend affairs * '''Cricket''' is played only in the summer, and tends to be most popular in the cities. Zimbabwe is a highly competitive, if often underdog side. Visiting tours by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are considered the highlight of the summer sporting season and are well worth a trip to one of the country's fine cricket ovals * Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in '''tennis''', particularly in doubles and at the Davis Cup, often the only African nation in the top tier division. Tennis is often played on hard court though grass courts are present in affluent areas like Borrowdale. Davis Cup games are the most popular and attract enthusiastic crowds. In '''golf''', Zimbabwe forms part of the Sunshine tour with its neighbors, the third most prestigious after the PGA and European tours. The country has produced numerous golfers such as Nick Price and Mark McNulty and plenty of excellent golf courses are found in or near the larger cities * Zimbabwe is also a respected competitor in '''equestrian''' activities, and several major events in the racing calendar are held at various venues. The most prestigious events on the horse racing calendar include the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard both held in Harare in the autumn and winter. == Do == * '''Bungee jumping''' at Victoria Falls. An incredible experience off the Victoria Falls bridge over the mighty Zambezi - 111 metres of pure adrenaline. * Walk with the lions, swim with the elephants, ride a horse. and enjoy other game activities at '''Antelope Park''' near Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo. * An Authentic African Safari. Walking, canoeing or on a game drive in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools with African Bush Camps. * '''Harare International Festival of Arts'''. (HIFA), every year in Harare (end of April) with some extension in Bulawayo. Music, Theater, and other shows sponsored by foreign embassies, it features top international and local artists,and also brings in town a great artcraft market. * '''Diving''': The only site accessible to recreational divers is Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine, a flooded asbestos quarry 120 km by road from Harare. Good visibility and beautiful surroundings. You need technical cave-diving skills to venture into Chinhoyi Caves, 120 km from Harare. The caves are mostly water-filled, and are more than 120 m deep. The full cave system has not yet been explored. No diving infrastructure, this is an expedition where you take everything. * The excellent climate, combined with investments in the golfing infrastructure, has turned the country into a '''golfing haven'''. Fourteen of Zimbabwe's courses are rated in the top 100 best in Africa. Zimbabwe is also a great and cheap location to learn the game and perfect technique. Many resorts and clubs offer classes with rising players. Courses can satisfy the most demanding golfer, while newcomers won't be intimidated, unless they find the beautiful landscapes and stunning vistas distracting to their game. Though Zimbabwe has long punched above its weight in the golf world, the average local has mixed feelings about golf courses, namely due to the huge amounts of water required to maintain them but appreciate the revenue they generate. * The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel guide's advice a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of '''Vumba''' or white-water rafting in the affluents of the Zambezi is an exhilirating experience. ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Zimbabwe dollars (official rates) | currencyCode=ZW$ | date=December 2021 | USD=110 | source=https://www.rbz.co.zw/index.php | EUR=120 | GBP=150 | ZAR=23 }} ===Money=== Since June 2019, the only legal tender in Zimbabwe has been the new “Zimbabwe dollar” (Z$, ISO code ZWL), also known as the "RTGS dollar" or the "Zim dollar". It includes Zimbabwean bond notes, bond coins and mobile money such as Ecocash. New Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were issued in November 2019. The value of the currency is volatile. In January 2022, the [https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/currency/usdzwd street rate] for US dollars was ZW6380 = US$1. Some shops use a [https://zimpricecheck.com/price-updates/official-and-black-market-exchange-rates/# rate] of ZW$160 = US$1 in setting their prices. Most retailers and service providers are trading their products in U.S. dollars or pegging their prices in Zimbabwe dollars using U.S. dollar black market rates. Some retailers and public transport operators are no longer accepting denominations lower than the Zimbabwe dollar coin. Wikivoyage articles generally quote prices in U.S. dollars. There are many ATMs which take Visa and MasterCard. However, you ''will not'' be able to withdraw money from any ATMs, so bring plenty of cash. Try to obtain Zimbabwean dollars before you arrive, otherwise you will have to change your U.S. dollars after you arrive. If bringing U.S. dollars, bring smaller denomination notes, e.g. US$20 and below. Anything larger is unlikely to be accepted. Change will be given in Zimbabwean dollars. Many banks do not have enough bank notes due to a shortage of paper, so will only change U.S. dollars for Ecocash. Registering for Ecocash is recommended. You will need your ID to buy an EcoNet SIM card at EcoNet shops or other small phone shops. You can then register for EcoCash, but you will need to produce your ID again to activate your account. You can then load your account at a bank, and spend money in most shops using your PIN. A growing number of businesses accept Visa and MasterCard in Zimbabwe, however shop workers are often resistant to use them. Be careful what currency your card is charged in, otherwise you may get charged US$10 instead of Z$10! '''Credit cards''' Credit cards are used less commonly than in the USA or Europe. Many businesses in the city accept them and you can expect any major chain - supermarkets, fast food, clothing stores, etc. - to also accept them. The standard 10% tip in restaurant is often expected to be paid in cash, even when you pay the bill by credit card. Bear in mind, tipping is not expected any may only apply to an establishment that does not already add a service charge. If you use a debit or credit card, the checkout operator in places like supermarkets will often require you to present both your card and a form of identification such as a drivers' licence. Present both simultaneously at checkout and with confidence. A lack of confidence will lead to a request for your passport as identification. . PIN cards have become the most common and should be accepted anywhere, as well as magnetic band cards. PINs should be accepted but if not, the shop attendant will ask you to sign the invoice. Contactless credit cards are not commonly accepted as of Nov 2020. '''Traveller's checks''' They are rarely used and may be difficult to exchange, but some banks and exchanges may accept them . Also, Western Union will cash them with proper identification. '''Tipping''' There is no obligation to tip in Zimbabwe although any tip is welcome, given the volatile economy. Some nicer restaurants will add a service charge (10 percent). In these cases tipping is not expected. Sometimes rounding up or telling them to "keep the change" is enough on small checks, deliveries, petrol attendants, etc. Leaving at least a 10% tip is considered kind and polite at restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty parlors, barbers, ushers and car-washes. Tipping bartenders is not customary but will be greatly appreciated. Leaving no tip when feeling unsatisfied is not an uncommon gesture, and will not likely make much of an impression. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. Service fees are included in most upscale hotels and restaurants, usually around 10%. By law it is mandatory that this item is represented in the same text size as the rest of the menu items. ===Costs=== Domestically produced things are very cheap (especially labour-intensive things), and curios are especially well made. However, for a tourist drinking Coke and eating pizza, prices are not that much lower than in South Africa. ==Eat== [[File:Sadza.jpg|thumb|Meat, sadza, greens and sausages]] For a sample of what Zimbabweans eat (in some form, nearly every day), ask for "sadza and stew/relish." The stew part will be familiar, served over a large portion of sadza - a thick ground corn paste (vaguely like polenta and the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) that locals eat at for lunch and supper. It's inexpensive, quite tasty and ''very'' filling. There is a plethora of good Zimbabwean food- "Mbambaira" or sweet potatoes, "chibage" corn on the cob, for example. Fruits indigenous to the country like "masawu" for example. For foreigners, especially from the West, Zimbabwean meat is very tasty, especially the beef, because of animals are raised and fed on a natural diet, mostly of grass. Food options in the cities tend to follow western conventions and British visitors in particular will find themselves right at home as numerous British staples - from pork pies, Cornish pasties and an English breakfast to tea with milk and baked beans- are a hallmark of Zimbabwean cuisine. Fast food is increasingly popular with Nando's and KFC available in most urban areas as well as local brands like Chicken Inn and Wimpy. === Specialities === Specialities worth sampling include '''peri-peri chicken''', a Portuguese/Mozambican influence, '''meat pies''' (which make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch and can be found easily at many supermarkets and bakeries.), '''samosas''' (Indian origin) '''bream''', '''sadza nedovi''' (sadza with vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce), '''boerewors''' (spicy farmer sausages) and '''vetkoek''' (a delicous fried pastry), both South African in origin as the names suggest. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a cattle rearing country, particularly in the south and west, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) beef. The '''braai''' is a typical Southern African barbeque that crosses all classes and ethnicities, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (steaks, beef short ribs, sausage, chuck and sometimes offal) and a peri peri or other sauce over wood fire grill. Drinks are served and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. As in many countries with a similar meat culture, men tend to dominate the grilling, though women and children are always made to feel welcome. Additionally, the restaurant and coffee-shop scene in Harare and Bulawayo are great by continental standards, with a wide variety of places and cuisines to choose from. ==Drink== A variety of domestic brews are made in Zimbabwe, mainly lagers with a few milk stouts. You may even want to try "Chibuku" a local brew popular among working class men that's based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn). It is generally sold in a 2-litre plastic bottle called a 'skud' or a more popular variety called "Chibuku Super" that comes in a disposable 1.25 litre plastic container and costs US$1. As with all alcohol, it's definitely an acquired taste! A more palatable beer is the pilsner like, Zambezi lager which is very refreshing on a hot day. Quality wines at restaurants and liquor stores tend to be South African or European in origin, though there are a few brands worth sampling, the standout being the Western Cape produced, '''Kumusha Wines''', as well as the more established, Mukuyu. The South African creamy liqueur, Amarula, is a common delight. A common tradition across Southern Africa, is '''the Sundowner''', a light aperitive style cocktail consumed at sunset just before dinner. It is usually fizzy, sparkling or citrus based, similar to a spritz in Europe '''Non-alcoholic drinks''' Like the UK, tea is widely drunk across Zimbabwe, especially at breakfast or during work lunch breaks. Most people drink white tea (hot black tea with milk), and some with sugar or honey. Tanganda is a cheap and common brand popular with working class residents. Finer restaurants, hotels and cafés sell a range of different teas, Earl Grey and Rooibos being popular blends, but by no means the only one. Herbal teas are available in affluent parts of town, and lemon may also be offered as an alternative to milk upon request. Coffee is historically less popular in Zimbabwe but is growing in popularity, and best experienced at the many independent cafes in Harare, Bulawayo or touristy regions like the Eastern Highlands. Alternatively South African chains like Mugg & Bean are increasingly popular with young people. In Zimbabwe, '''Mazowe orange crush''' is highly regarded and has near legendary status. It is a condensed orange concentrate drink of a vivid orange colour, meant to be diluted with water, and is a prized by expats and Zimbabweans alike. Whilst anywhere selling drinks in Zimbabwe is highly likely to have Mazowe, it can be increasingly found at specialty and expat stores in South Africa and the UK. An acquired taste, but worth it, are '''Schweppes lemonade, ginger beer and cream soda''' (not too dissimilar to US Root beer), which are locally produced and popular summertime beverages and can be obtained in large supermarkets. Mineral waters can vary from expensive imported brands, through locally bottled waters, which are of a high standard and much more affordable. When travelling be sure to stock up on bottled water is also available, as clean drinking water may be available in remote parts of the country. ==Sleep== Zimbabwe has a great number of tourist facilities, and offers a variety of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to guest houses, lodges, backpacker hostels and safari camps for all budgets. For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "lodges" in serene and peaceful environments, usually on the fridges of the city or near game reserves, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature. If you are on a safari tour there are tented camps, chalets and camping sites in most of the safari areas. Most places have a '''backpacker hostel''' with prices from US$10 a night. ==Stay safe== Generally, Zimbabwe has a much lower crime rate than its neighbors, and Zimbabweans are well known for their unrivaled hospitality. Most crime that does occur is opportunistic in nature and travelers should take care with their personal belongings and follow local advise. It really is just a matter of common sense- which you should exercise no matter where you are. Shortages of fuel and water can occur in parts of the country, so keep extra supplies with you in case they are unavailable for an extended period. Water and electricity supplies are frequently disrupted, so most homes in the cities are equipped with boreholes, solar power or generators. Whilst many locals will politely inquire about you and your country, remember, most Zimbabweans are still sensitive to foreigners' opinions of their country and its politicians, mostly due to years of negative press. In general, it is wise idea to avoid political discussions or discussions pertaining to opinions of political leaders. ===Police=== Policing in Zimbabwe has improved markedly since the Mugabe era. On the whole, Zimbabwean police officers are professional and polite to tourists, but they are underpaid, which can lead to incidents of corruption or bribery. They are generally less aggressive than law enforcement agencies in many other nearby countries, particularly South Africa; '''however, this does not apply to political demonstrations or other politically motivated investigations, which have elicited very strong responses in the past. Tourists, expats and outsiders are strongly discouraged from attending political rallies or events.''' Bribery can occur at police checkpoints or border control but it is important '''to be firm and politely decline,''' as this behavior is not tolerated by senior authorities and harassment of tourists is considered a serious offence. With local exceptions, such as airports, and national events, such as Independence Day parades, the vast majority of police officers in Zimbabwe do not carry firearms, and the only police officers allowed to carry firearms are those from specialist firearms units. Most officers will only speak English, Shona or Ndebele, though they will attempt to find an interpreter for people who can't understand questioning in English. You have the legal right to silence when arrested and to have an interpreter at the police station. Police officers in Zimbabwe usually wear dark blue uniforms, although some wear tan or khaki uniforms. Front-line police (in uniform) are also generally required to have shoulder numbers. Most police are also required to carry a 'warrant card', and should under reasonable circumstances be willing to produce it, to confirm their authority. Private security guards do not generally have any "police-style" powers at all. There are a small number of non-police officials who have limited enforcement powers relating to specific local areas, or certain activities such as on-street parking or accessing some government buildings. ===Road safety=== Although jaywalking is not an offence in Zimbabwe and common in the larger cities, crossing a road other than at a designated crossing should be taken with care. A number of traffic light crossings have a push button to change the 'man' from red to green. Pedestrians have right of way on zebra crossings, that are identified by white stripes on the road and yellow flashing lights. It is advisable to make eye contact with the driver before stepping into the road. Certain roads, such as the Presidents residence, prohibit pedestrians (and cyclists), this is often marked with signs in clearly visible locations ==Stay healthy== [[File:Bulavayo 22032005.jpg|thumb|Bulawayo]] Do your research about what is available. Take all medications that you need along with you. There are a number of private hospitals in the major cities that are very accessible. '''HIV/AIDS''' infection rate in Zimbabwe is the 5th highest in the world at around 13% infected. Though rates have declined from their peak in the 2000s, you should '''never have unprotected sex'''. If you form a serious relationship, consider both getting an HIV test before taking things further. Malaria is prevalent in lower regions of the country in the summertime, so unless you are going to stay entirely within Harare, Bulawayo or highland regions, anti-malarial drugs are advised. Drugs reduce the severity of the disease but don't prevent infection, so also consider precautions such as: * sleeping under a mosquito net (lightweight travel nets are comparatively cool to use) * using mosquito repellent on the skin or burning mosquito coils * wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, particularly in the evening Bilharzia is present in some lakes. Ask locally before swimming. Snakes are common in the bush, and most bites are on the foot or lower leg. If walking, particularly in long grass, wear proper boots and either long, loose trousers or thick, concertinaed hiking socks. Shake out boots and shoes in the morning, in case you have a guest. These precautions also reduce the chance of scorpion sting. If you do get bitten or stung, ''stay calm''. Try to identify the exact culprit, but get to medical assistance as rapidly as you can without undue exertion. Many bites and stings are non-fatal even if not treated, but it is safer to seek treatment, which is very effective these days. '''[[Tap water]]''', as a source of potable water, in general, should be boiled prior to consumption. Bottled water is also available. ==Respect== * Visitors to Zimbabwe will find Zimbabweans incredibly welcoming, friendly, and hospitable. Many will go out of their way to help you and ensure you have a good time. You can freely approach the locals for advice and you can ask them specific directions to get somewhere. * In smaller towns and villages, especially on the road, if you walk past somebody it is customary to exchange pleasantries. They may also ask you "how are you", or another similar variation, is usually standard. A simple hello or "how are you?" or "have a nice day" will suffice. Learning similar phrases in Shona or Ndebele will go a long way with older and more rural inhabitants as well. * Unlike many other African nations, Zimbabweans tend to be punctual and on time to events, especially for business, however, given the importance of public transportation, it's not uncommon to sometimes be a few minutes late to something. A simple apology or acknowledgement of one's tardiness is generally acceptable however, extreme lateness is considered rude and a waste of the other parties' time * '''Zimbabwe is a''' '''multicultural''' '''country.''' Do not make assumptions based on ethnicity or peoples' appearance. Outward displays of racism, discrimination or sexism, will be met with hostility or even land you in trouble with the law. Surprised comments at the presence of white or Asian Zimbabweans will be seen as incredibly ignorant. * Zimbabwean people are generally '''easy going and have a''' '''live and let live attitude and will respect your privacy and personal space'''. That said it is important to greet and acknowledge others when entering a space. * When shaking hands or handing anything valuable to someone in more rural areas, it is polite to support the right forearm with the left hand (or vice versa), to signify the "weight" of the gift or honour. In practice this often means just touching the forearm, or even gesturing towards it. Outsiders are generally not expected to know local etiquette, a firm polite handshake is good enough, though attempts at such will be well appreciated * '''Discussions about politics are generally avoided by locals'''. Opinions between individuals vary significantly, and while few Zimbabweans miss the volatility of the past few decades, few will voluntarily offer their opinions publicly and visitors are advised to do the same. Most Zimbabwean people of moderate views have grown accustomed to simply avoiding the topic in polite conversation, especially as speaking out against the government could have been considered a criminal offense until very recently. {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|-19|30|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Southern_Africa}} 8umu22b617uh1iui36ltd6ez38rg14r 4501591 4501587 2022-08-15T13:20:09Z 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040 /* Drink */ Fix Mazoe brand name wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Victoria Falls banner.jpg|The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe}} '''[http://www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw Zimbabwe]''' is a landlocked country in [[Southern Africa]]. For those looking to travel in [[Africa]], Zimbabwe is a great starting place. It is rich in fauna (being home to the big five) and flora and has numerous ancient stone cities including the largest in Africa south of the Sahara, [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Its border with [[Zambia]] is formed by the Zambezi River which when in full flood drops as the world's largest curtain of falling water at the mighty [[Victoria Falls]] which is a major tourist attraction. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Zimbabwe regions map v2.png | regionmaptext=Map of Zimbabwe | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Matabeleland]] | region1color=#7cb985 | region1items= | region1description= Forms the western part of the country with [[Bulawayo]], the second largest city, the stunning [[Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)|Victoria Falls]] and [[Hwange National Park]]. | region2name=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]] | region2color=#cacf84 | region2items= | region2description= At the eastern end of Lake Kariba, it is popular for holidays with Zimbabweans due to the many national parks, such as [[Mana Pools National Park]], on the shores of the Zambezi River which provide good opportunities for game viewing. | region3name=[[Mashonaland]] | region3color=#9994af | region3items= | region3description= Includes the capital city, [[Harare]], and surrounding areas, including the northern part of the Midlands Province. | region4name=[[Eastern Highlands]] | region4color=#5a8b84 | region4items= | region4description= The mountainous area of the country tucked up along the eastern border where the countries peak, Moutn Inyangani is located. The main city is [[Mutare]]. | region5name=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]] | region5color=#d1a364 | region5items= | region5description= A mixed area with the southern part of the midlands in the north and the Lowveld in the south. Nature is more of the attraction here, with many national parks and the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#7cb985|title=[[Matabeleland]]|wikidata=Q1266775}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cacf84|title=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]]|wikidata=Q14206735}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9994af|title=[[Mashonaland]]|wikidata=Q1640913}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5a8b84|title=[[Eastern Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1278183}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d1a364|title=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q14210029}} ==Cities== [[Image:Eastgate_Centre,_Harare,_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|Skyline of Harare, Capital of Zimbabwe]] Zimbabwe has 4 large cities and several smaller ones. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harare]]|wikidata=Q3921}} — the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe, Harare is a vibrant city in a larger metropolitan province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bulawayo]]|wikidata=Q193250}} — the second largest city with historic Victorian, Edwardian and midcentury architecture. It is the second city, both by population and economic activity *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chimanimani]]|wikidata=Q1073089}} - Gateway to the Eastern Highlands *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gweru]]|wikidata=Q399316}} - Located in the centre of the country close to the Danangombe ruins. Also the capital of the Midlands Province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} — a lakeshore holiday resort on border with [[Zambia]] *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Masvingo]]|wikidata=Q601142}} — named (meaning "ruins") after the nearby Great Zimbabwe National Monument *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mutare]]|wikidata=Q399322}} - the major city closest to the scenic Eastern Highlands and the Mozambique coast. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Victoria Falls]]|wikidata=Q1393804}} is a popular tourist destination located in the western corner of the country. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world<!-- presumably [[Seven Natural Wonders (CNN)]]? there are many differing lists--> and the spray from waterfall waters a rainforest. [[Image:Lion-hwange.jpg|thumb|Lion resting near a termite mound]] * {{marker|name=[[Gonarezhou National Park]]|wikidata=Q595121}} * {{marker|name=[[Great Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q209217}} - The archaeological remains of an ancient city built of stone (the largest in Southern Africa), that was the capital of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from this city) and Mozambique. The word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone.' * The Eastern Highlands include some of Zimbabwe's most beautiful views. The lush, cloud-hung mountains form the border with [[Mozambique]]. The regional capital is Mutare, and Chimanimani is a village popular with tourists and walkers. * {{marker|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} - The formidable Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe is the result of a large damming project along the Zambezi River. Kariba is a popular tourist destination and affords visitors the opportunity to watch African wildlife in its almost natural environment. It is the biggest source of hydro-electric power for Zimbabwe. If you are travelling with friends or family consider hiring a houseboat for a few days to really experience everything the lake and the wildlife have to offer. * {{marker|name=[[Matobo National Park|Matobo]]|wikidata=Q917429}} (formerly Matopos) - This area southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland boasts exquisite rock formations, as if nature had been playing marbles. Rocks are found balancing in ways that defy logic, a situation created by the eroding winds blowing out the sand between. The rocks are home to the dassie, a small rodent-type animal known more formally as Rock Hyrax, the skins of which are used to make a blanket treasured amongst the local populace. Also present in great numbers are the brightly coloured lizards common to Zimbabwe. The area has two large dams and many smaller ones that become the scene of family picnics, and angling competitions on weekends. A game park is home to herds of sable antelope, an animal not seen further south. The National Park boasts self catering chalets with amazing views as well as camping sights. * Matobo is also the sight of Cecil John Rhodes' grave and some exquisite cave paintings. * {{marker|name=[[Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine]]|wikidata=Q14226092}} * {{marker|name=[[Chinhoyi Caves]]|wikidata=Q782743}} ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationZimbabwe.png}} ===History=== Stone cities were built in many locations in present-day Zimbabwe. The most impressive structures and the best known of these, Great Zimbabwe, were built in the 15th century, but people had been living on the site from about 400 AD. The Khami Ruins just outside Bulawayo are also a wonderful example. The population was overwhelmingly made up of Shona speakers until the 19th century when the Nguni tribe (in 1839-40) of the Ndebele settled in what is now Matabeleland, and then in 1890, the territory came under the control of the British South Africa Company under charter from the British Government. The [[United Kingdom]] annexed the land, then called Southern Rhodesia, from the British South Africa Company in 1923, when the country got its own government and Prime Minister. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favoured whites in power. In 1965, this white supremacist government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black majority. UN sanctions and a guerrilla struggle finally led to free elections and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe became the first democratic leader of Zimbabwe. While initially lauded for his talk of reconciliation and his government's investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, he slowly consolidated power from 1980-1987 as prime minister, and 1987-2017 as president. Starting in 2000, the government expropriated some very productive farms, which were in the hands of white Zimbabweans, as punishment for their support of the main opposition party, the MDC and handed them over to members of corrupt members of Mugabe's ZANU party, many of whom had no interest in farming, resulting in a drastic falloff in local food production. In 2005, he started a program which cleared slums, forcing hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. Rigged elections and human rights abuses led to widespread emigration and international sanctions. Eventually, misrule and sanctions triggered massive, runaway inflation and a third of the population to choose to migrate. Elections were routinely marred by violence, directed by the ruling ZANU-PF party against opposition supporters. Following widespread protests, a power-sharing agreement was signed between President Mugabe and the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008. This briefly stabilized the political situation, but continued inflation led to the withdrawal of the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation in 2009; at the end, 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars would not buy a loaf of bread. The defunct Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by a basket of currencies and ultimately adoption of the US dollar. The coalition government ended with Tsvangirai's 2013 electoral defeat in what was widely held to be a rigged election. By 2016 currency shortages were common, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe directing banks to limit withdrawals to US$20-50/day or US$150/week. In November 2016 another toy currency ("bond notes") was introduced at par with the US dollar. US cash is king, however, and the bond notes often trade at a discount if they're accepted at all. Usability of credit cards is sporadic as businesses have trouble accessing hard currency to pay for imports. Mr. Mugabe remained President until November 2017 when, at the age of 93 with serious questions about his health, he failed in a brazen attempt to continue the family stranglehold on power by sacking the country's vice president as a first step toward installing his wife Grace as a presidential candidate for the 2018 election cycle. This led to an enraged military deposing him; most of the original veterans of the 1980 uprising against Rhodesia turned against Mugabe, with his own ZANU-PF party forcing his resignation by calling a vote in the legislature to impeach him. Mugabe was subsequently replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who he had sacked. Mnangagwa remained President when he was elected in the 2018 general elections which like the 2013 elections were widely criticized for irregularities domestically and internationally. The current government has rolled back some the excesses of Mugabe, and declared the country <nowiki>''</nowiki>open for business", as well as a proposal to re-join the Commonwealth, but his time in office has not been free of strife: in 2019, widespread protests that were held after the government announced a 130% rise in fuel prices were met by violence from the police and military. However, it is not all gloomy: the government has led the continent in its vaccine programme, besting its larger and wealthier peers. ===Climate=== Zimbabwe has an excellent subtropical highland climate that is moderated by altitude. The rainy season is in summer from November to March. Although there are recurring droughts, floods and severe storms are rare. Winter temperatures can drop below 5° Celsius whilst summers can be very hot, they rarely go over 32°C (90°F), with the exception of lower regions of the country such as the Zambezi valley. ===Terrain=== Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld). There is a mountain range in east including the scenic Chimanimani mountains. The Lowveld is found in south eastern corner. '''Elevation extremes''' : ''lowest point:'' junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 meters ''highest point:'' Inyangani 2,592 m === Culture === Owing to Zimbabwe’s ethnic diversity, varied geography, history and history of immigration, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by language ad culture, some regions have distinct practices. Music plays an important part in Zimbabwean identity. Styles like '''sungura''', '''jazz''', gospel, urban grooves and '''Zimdancehall''' are considered genuinely Zimbabwean. Sungura music is the national equivalent of roots music. Zimdancehall, which mixes several national styles with Jamaican dancehall and reggae and has become popular with the youth nationwide. New urban styles include dance music inspired by house music. Additionally, most Zimbabweans are familiar with and fans of Western popular music. ZBC is the country's public broadcaster and somewhat analogous to the BBC in the UK. In addition, Zimbabweans increasingly have access to many other cable or satellite TV channels. Half of households have satellite TV, which is the most important source of information and entertainment for most Zimbabweans, however this trails the internet largely accessed via cell phone and accessible to most of the population, universally so in cities and among young people. === People === [[File:Ene mbira.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu]] Zimbabwe is a mix of different cultures with their own beliefs and ceremonies, including the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings which are made with the finest materials available. Shona music is also deservedly famous. Probably the best-known Shona instrument is the mbira dzavadzimu, sometimes misleadingly called the "thumb piano" by non-Africans but actually meaning "voice of the ancestors". Mbira music contains harmony and can be a kind of shifting kaleidoscope of counterpoint and lively polyrhythms. It is very tuneful, and the mbiras are often accompanied by a rattle called a hosho. Mbira music is central to Shona culture and identity and is traditionally considered a form of worship of the ancestors. The second largest group in the country are the Ndebele people, who are distantly related to the Zulu of South Africa, whose language is mostly intelligible with Zulu and partially so with the Xhosa language of South Africa. Although their numbers have fallen since the end of white minority rule, Zimbabwe still retains a substantial white population, most of whom are of British descent, with notable minorities of Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish and Greek extraction. Other groups include Asians, coloureds (mixed race people) and immigrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Congo and their descendants, the majority of whom have assimilated into Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwe also a has a large diaspora mostly in South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, so don't be surprised if you run into a 'diasporan' with a Western accent and outlook during your visit, as they have become significant investors and visitors within the county's tourism and real estate sectors. In general, Zimbabweans are a warm, easy going, open minded people. Friendship, family and hospitality are highly prized among Zimbos, and both family connections and social interactions are valued highly. To people they have met, or at least know by name, Zimbabweans are usually polite, friendly and sometimes quite generous. Zimbabweans are reputedly one of the most hospitable people in the world and foreigners are usually treated with respect and hospitality. Whereas the roots of Zimbabwean culture are African and proudly so, Zimbabwe is still a nation that is heavily influenced by the United Kingdom, and the middle class often look to London as a source of inspiration, especially given the poor and corrupt leadership in the country. Many Zimbabweans also display an ambivalent attitude to South Africa which increasingly dominates Zimbabwe's economy and whose ruling class is seen as enabling the corrupt Mnagagwa government. Zimbabweans speak English natively and have the highest literacy rate in Africa. That said visitors will receive a very warm welcome if they try to start conversations in Shona or Ndebele. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe has faced an increasing wave of immigration from China, Congo, Malawi and Mozambique as well as an exodus of the many residents to the UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia. ===Economy=== Once Africa's fastest growing economy and one of its most dynamic, with a large and confident middle class, especially by developing country standards, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone a dramatic economic collapse and since 2010 an uneven and sometimes volatile recovery . There had been a few signs of improvement since the formation the Mnagagwa government in 2018, but the Zimbabwean economy remained plagued by high unemployment, deindustrialisation and a growing divide between a well connected and affluent elite and the rest of the population. The new government has claimed Zimbabwe 'is open for business' and though consumer goods are now widely available and certain industries have recovered (real estate, tourism and construction), the country lags behind its neighbors to the south, a far cry from its post independence heyday. A rebound in mineral prices, real estate and tourism and a continent-leading vaccine programme, allowed GDP to rebound by more than 5% in the 2020 according to the World Bank, but Zimbabwe remains a lower middle income country with a corrupt and affluent elite, a stretched middle class and a large unemployed youth population. Gross domestic product is lower than it was in 2000; with subsequent recovery slow and uneven. That said, the country still has decent infrastructure, especially for tourism (though upkeep can be very inconsistent), a large diaspora that invests in and remains committed to improving their home country and recent government efforts that made it easier to invest in tourism and to make it a more friendly and accessible destination '''* 1 January''': New Year's Day * '''21 February ''': National Youth Day or Robert Mugabe Youth Day * '''18 April''': Independence Day * '''1 May''' - Workers Day * '''25 May''' - Africa Day * '''22 December''' - Unity Day * '''25 December''' - Christmas * '''26 December''' - Boxing Day In Zimbabwe, if a holiday falls on Sunday, the next day (Monday) will automatically be observed as public day. Hence, it will be a holiday. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Zimbabwe.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Zimbabwe]] ===Entry requirements=== ====Category A - no visa required==== Passport holders of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (unless otherwise noted): [[Angola]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Aruba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Botswana]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Cyprus]], [[DR Congo]], [[Eswatini]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Hong Kong]] (6 months), [[Jamaica]], [[Kenya]], [[Kiribati]], [[Lesotho]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malaysia]], [[Malawi]], [[Maldives]], [[Malta]], [[Mauritius]], [[Montserrat]], [[Mozambique]] (30 days), [[Namibia]], [[Nauru]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Samoa]], [[Seychelles]], [[Singapore]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Africa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Tonga]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Uganda]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Zambia]]. ====Category B - visa on arrival==== Passport holders of the following are eligible to get a visa on arrival to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (for purpose of tourism) or for up to 30 days (for purpose of business): [[Albania]], [[Algeria]], [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bermuda]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Brunei]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Chile]], [[China]], [[Comoros]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Egypt]], [[El Salvador]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Estonia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Guatemala]], [[Guyana]], [[Haiti]], [[Honduras]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Macao]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mexico]], [[Micronesia]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Palestine]], [[Panama]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[San Marino]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Senegal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Suriname]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Vatican City]] and [[Venezuela]]. Visa fees as of July 2019 at the port of entry for Category B nationals are as follows: US$30 (single entry), US$45 (double entry), US$55 (multiple entry). Cash only. A valid passport, travel itinerary, and return or onward journey ticket must be presented. Note that Canadian citizens are only able to obtain single entry visas on arrival at a cost of US$75, whilst British and Irish citizens pay higher fees for a Zimbabwe visa on arrival (US$55 for single entry and US$70 for double entry). ====Category C - visa before arrival==== Passport holders of other countries must get a visa prior to arrival to Zimbabwe. Category C citizens may apply for a visa (for business, holiday, conferencing or transit) online through the [https://www.evisa.gov.zw/ eVisa system of the Zimbabwe Department of Immigration]. Visa fee can be paid online or on arrival. It takes an average of two working days to obtain an e-Visa, however the period may vary due to a number of factors. The e-Visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. Visas can be obtained at Zimbabwean embassies/consulates. The fees for a visa vary between US$30 and 180 and depend on the applicant's nationality. You might be able to apply for a Zimbabwean visa at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zimbabwean diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy in [http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null Amman] accepts Zimbabwean visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zimbabwean visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zimbabwe require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zimbabwe can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly. ====KAZA universal visa==== Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called [https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/ KAZA Visa]. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula). The fee is US$50 and is available at the following border crossings in Zambia: Livingstone Airport, Lusaka Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border; in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Airport, Harare Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border. Eligible countries are: [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Brunei]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Haiti]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Samoa]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Turkey]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]] and [[Uruguay]]. ===By plane=== [[Image:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|Harare International Airport]] [[Harare]] International Airport has a number of international flights, mainly to other African countries. When coming from Europe, you can fly via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Cairo. From South Africa you can fly with [http://www.flysaa.com South African Airways], [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ Airlink], British Airways, or Air Zimbabwe. Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air fly to Harare from Europe. SAA operates to quite a few European and African airports and has flights from Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls to Johannesburg ([[South Africa]]). Air Botswana has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Gaborone. Air Namibia has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Windhoek. Malawian Airlines has flights from Harare to Lilongwe. British Airways has stopped non-stop flights between Harare and Heathrow. but has have flights from Harare via Johannesburg to Heathrow. Victoria Falls airport has daily service by South African Airways, [http://www.saairlink.co.za South African Airlink] and British Airways to and from Johannesburg. [[Bulawayo]] also has an international airport, with flights from Johannesburg operated by SAA and Air Zimbabwe. For domestic flights inside Zimbabwe, Harare to Victoria Falls there is Air Zimbabwe and Fly Africa. Air Zimbabwe also fly from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Kariba. *Low-cost airline '''Fastjet Zimbabwe''' has one-way domestic fares from US$20, and international fares from US$50. Fastjet fly from Harare to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. There is also low-cost airline '''Fly Africa''' which goes from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, Harare to Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls to Harare. ===By car=== Zimbabwe is accessible by road from the countries that surround it. Contrary to past scenarios, the fuel situation has improved with prices now being quoted in US dollars. As fuel has to be imported from either Mozambique or South Africa, you can expect to pay more per litre than you would in most other Southern African countries. Roads in Zimbabwe vary significantly, from newly tarred and refurbished to completely dilapidated or untarred, and due caution should be taken when driving, especially at night, and in particular, during the holiday season when there are more vehicles on the road. In general major thoroughfares and affluent areas have better roads than poorer or rural regions. Potholes are a common occurrence so always drive with caution. When in doubt always ask for local advice. ===By bus=== Regular deluxe bus services operate from Johannesburg to Harare. A number of buses also travel from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. Greyhound drives to both destinations. Tickets can be obtained directly from Greyhound or through the Computicket website. Several bus companies also operate direct buses from Harare to [[Blantyre]], [[Malawi]] and [[Pretoria]] and [[Johannesburg]] No public transport exists from Victoria Falls directly to Botswana - a taxi to the border will cost around USD40, or some hotels in Vic Falls can arrange transfers. === By train === As of 2018, '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs one international passenger service, a twice-weekly overnight train from [[Francistown]], [[Botswana]] to [[Bulawayo]], and offers services to [[Harare]] and [[Mutare]]. [http://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/ '''Shosholoza Meyl'''] runs a passenger service from [[Johannesburg]] to the border city Musina, from where it's possible to cross into Zimbabwe. Additionally, the private company '''[https://www.rovos.com Rovos Rail]''' runs an luxurious excursion train from [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]] to [[Victoria Falls]] several times per month. Matching the luxury, prices are extravagant with journeys costing thousand of dollars. ==Get around== [[File:Bus-stop.jpg|thumb|Minibus stop]] Between cities, you travel using luxury coaches like Pathfinder and Citilink. You can also get decent buses from RoadPort in Harare to other major cities including those in neighbouring countries like Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe. Minibus taxis are available for intra-city transport, and are relatively inexpensive by European standards. They provide a cheap, though a not necessarily comfortable way of seeing the true Zimbabwe. Hitchhiking is also a viable option, but tourists need to take care with whom they accept lifts from; hijackings and robberies of hitchhikers, especially within Harare, have been on the increase in the last few years. Be sure to bring some money along, as drivers very often expect some sort of fee to be paid up front. The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe seems to have improved considerably since the stabilization of the economy. Roads between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Masvingo and Mutare are all in relatively good condition. The highway between Plumtree and Mutare (passing through Bulawayo and Harare in between) is being resurfaced. Almost no fuel station in Zimbabwe takes credit cards. Also road blocks are common but usually police just want to see your driver's licence and your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Police can fine you if you do not have reflective reflectors on your car, red hazard triangles in your boot, a spare tire, or a fire extinguisher, so be sure to carry those items if you want to avoid a fine. The taxi app in Zimbabwe is called Vaya, but you will need a Zimbabwean phone number to use it. Its exchange rate is fixed at Z$1 to US$1, so you will want to pay in Zimbabwean dollars (RTGS). ===By train=== The more adventurous tourists could travel by train around Zimbabwe. '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs services between most major cities at least three times per week. Many popular routes have been revived such as the Harare-Mutare route, however stock is mostly from the post war era, so don't expect to get to your destination quickly. That said trains are very safe and (in first or business class) a comfortable and relaxing way to see much of the country. The most popular route is the daily overnight train between [[Bulawayo]] and [[Victoria Falls]]. This train passes through ''Hwange National Park'', one of the biggest national parks in Africa, and there are plenty of opportunities to see wild animals along the route. There is an tri-weekly overnight service between Bulawayo and the capital [[Harare]] as well. ==Talk== {{Infobox|Belgravia? Balmoral? Bayswater?|More than any other African country, there are times when Zimbabwe can feel very British to outsiders. American visitors will find phrases like boot, bonnet and treacle particularly puzzling, but English has a long history in the country and cultivated accents remain the standard among the educated elite, be they black or white. Indeed, despite his disdain for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former President Robert Mugabe spoke in a cultivated accent, had a taste for bespoke Savile Row suits and famously proclaimed that he wanted Zimbabwe "to be a nation of gentlemen". Zimbabweans take great pride in their literacy and view English as theirs as much as their own native language. Authors such as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Austen are celebrated. A private school education from the likes of Peterhouse, Arundel or St George's College that leads to either Oxford or Cambridge (and more recently the University of Cape Town) is considered the ultimate ladder to success. And this extends beyond language and education to the food and even the mannerisms of the middle class. Indeed, British expats will feel quite at home in Zimbabwe. “British” events such as car boot sales, village fetes, fun runs and fundraisers — not to mention football, cricket, tennis and rugby — are the norm on the weekends. Many Zimbabweans now have family in the UK and see it as a natural destination to avoid economic malaise at home and xenophobia in nearby South Africa. Harare's leading newspapers have names like the Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette and have long considered themselves the intellectual heavyweights in the region especially over the South Africans, who are considered by Zimbabweans to be brash and uncouth. British visitors will find plenty of familiar place names, including Ascot, Avondale, Belgravia, Dulwich, Derwent, Groombridge, Kensington, Lewisham and Strathaven. Few sights present as quintessentially British a scene as admiring the immaculately trimmed oval at Queens Park in Bulawayo or Harare Sports Club during a test match against one of the Big Three of India, Australia or England. With a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in the UK, increasingly into their second generation, and having notably boosted the fortunes of the country's national football team, the relationship between the two countries lives on.}} Zimbabwe has 16 official languages though in practice English, Shona and Sindebele/Ndebele are by far the most spoken. English, besides being traditionally used for official business, serves as a ''lingua franca'' between Zimbabweans of different ethnicities and will be the most useful for travelling throughout the country, though any attempts to speak the local language will greatly endear you to the locals or at the very least earn you a few laughs. Speakers of non-native languages tend to be few and far in between and are mostly Portuguese by people with roots in Mozambique, Angola or Portugal or French largely spoken by Congolese migrants in parts of Harare and Bulawayo. ==See== [[File:Zambezi-at-Mutsango.JPG|thumb|Elephants crossing Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park]]For many visitors, Zimbabwe as a country has the same appeal as the natural landscapes for which it's famous. . === Urban life === Zim's large cities all bustle with life. The famous capital, [[Harare]], is the one of Africa's most pleasant cities. It's a city of contrasts, there's expensive cosmopolitan boutiques, buzzing nightlife and delicious ethnic cuisine. However, it's the classic, unpolished side of the city that makes it a charming destination. The central colorful neighbourhoods where crazy traffic sounds drown out distant dance tunes, the pleasant street-cafés and garden restaurants, busy outdoor markets and historic colonial architecture. Avondale and Mount Pleasant are pleasant, older neighbourhoods of the city and a good place to indulge in the city vibe of cafés, street markets, and antique markets in a garden suburban setting. The atmosphere is perhaps Harare's biggest attraction, but some of the main sights include the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Human Sciences. Zimbabwe's other cities share the energetic buzz of Harare, but have a distinct character of their own. [[Bulawayo]] is a lively yet laid-back city, characterized by broad avenues and Victorian architecture. It's famous as a 'heritage city' far beyond the borders of Zimbabwe and a perfect starting point for the country's game parks to the north. In the east, [[Mutare]], is well known for its scenic setting and is also a good base for hiking and other outdoor activities in the Eastern Highlands. The city of [[Gweru]] has shaken off its agricultural roots and is increasingly a vibrant university city. Masvingo, hosts classic Victorian architecture and serves as the gateway to exploring the Great Zimbabwe ruins === Nature === #{{see | name=Hwange National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1571380 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, this park boasts more than 100 different animal species and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few great elephants sanctuaries in Africa with over 30,000 elephants. }} #{{see | name=Matobo National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1778838 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also known as Matopos, this small park close to Bulawayo was awarded a UNESCO world heritage status in 2003 for its fascinating natural features and wildlife. }} #{{see | name=Mana Pools National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q693254 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mana Pools National Park, South of the Zambezi river in the North of Zimbabwe, is a UNESCO world heritage site. A remote location, it welcomes happy few safari lovers with an abundance of elephant, hippo, lions, antelope, giraffe and other animals, and over 350 bird species, in stunning landscapes. }} #{{see | name=Great Zimbabwe Ruins | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.27 | long=30.933 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q209217 | lastedit=2021-12-29 | content=In the vicinity of Masvingo, the sixth largest Zimbabwean city, Great Zimbabwe ruins are the remains of one of the greatest African civilizations: the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe dominated the area from present Zimbabwe, East of Botswana and South East of Mozambique in the late Iron Age (between 1100 and 1450 AD). From the impressive granite stone complex that was once built, the ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km2) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km). }} === Sport === Zimbabweans love sport and are justifiably proud of their country's achievements and how they have constantly punched above their weight on the international stage. The main five sports are: Association football, Rugby Union, Cricket, tennis and Golf. All of these sports attract a widespread following, both at matches themselves and on television; and it is very common to find televised coverage of them shown in pubs, hotels and bars. There are popular grounds to all these sports around the country: Rufaro (Harare), Bourbourfields (Bulawayo), National Sports stadium (Harare) and Ascot (Gweru) for football, Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Alexandra (Harare) for cricket, Police Grounds (Harare), Old Hararians (Harare) and Hartsfield (Bulawayo) for rugby, as well as the Royal Harare Golf Club for golf. * '''Football''' means association football or soccer. It is by far the most popular spectator sport, especially with the working class and is very widely played across the country at amateur and professional levels, with the highest competition being the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and the best talent moving on to play in European leagues. Dynamos (nicknamed the Glamour Boys for their dazzling 'carpet soccer' are the toast of middle class Harare), CAPS United (has a more working class fanbase) and Highlanders ( the historic Bulawayo team) are the most supported teams in the country, with a derby between either side the highlight of the season. * '''Rugby''' is invariably rugby union has 15 players per team, and is popular with the middle classes. While the Zimbabwean national team has not been to the World Cup in two decades, they have produced countless world class players many who've gone on to glittering careers abroad. The country's highest domestic team, the Zimbabwe Academy team, plays in South Africa's Currie Cup. Old Georgians and Old Hararians are two of the countries most prestigious clubs, the latter noted for their exciting 'champagne rugby' inspired by the passing French style of play. That said the standard of play is high up to the high school level and high school games are popular and cheap weekend affairs * '''Cricket''' is played only in the summer, and tends to be most popular in the cities. Zimbabwe is a highly competitive, if often underdog side. Visiting tours by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are considered the highlight of the summer sporting season and are well worth a trip to one of the country's fine cricket ovals * Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in '''tennis''', particularly in doubles and at the Davis Cup, often the only African nation in the top tier division. Tennis is often played on hard court though grass courts are present in affluent areas like Borrowdale. Davis Cup games are the most popular and attract enthusiastic crowds. In '''golf''', Zimbabwe forms part of the Sunshine tour with its neighbors, the third most prestigious after the PGA and European tours. The country has produced numerous golfers such as Nick Price and Mark McNulty and plenty of excellent golf courses are found in or near the larger cities * Zimbabwe is also a respected competitor in '''equestrian''' activities, and several major events in the racing calendar are held at various venues. The most prestigious events on the horse racing calendar include the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard both held in Harare in the autumn and winter. == Do == * '''Bungee jumping''' at Victoria Falls. An incredible experience off the Victoria Falls bridge over the mighty Zambezi - 111 metres of pure adrenaline. * Walk with the lions, swim with the elephants, ride a horse. and enjoy other game activities at '''Antelope Park''' near Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo. * An Authentic African Safari. Walking, canoeing or on a game drive in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools with African Bush Camps. * '''Harare International Festival of Arts'''. (HIFA), every year in Harare (end of April) with some extension in Bulawayo. Music, Theater, and other shows sponsored by foreign embassies, it features top international and local artists,and also brings in town a great artcraft market. * '''Diving''': The only site accessible to recreational divers is Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine, a flooded asbestos quarry 120 km by road from Harare. Good visibility and beautiful surroundings. You need technical cave-diving skills to venture into Chinhoyi Caves, 120 km from Harare. The caves are mostly water-filled, and are more than 120 m deep. The full cave system has not yet been explored. No diving infrastructure, this is an expedition where you take everything. * The excellent climate, combined with investments in the golfing infrastructure, has turned the country into a '''golfing haven'''. Fourteen of Zimbabwe's courses are rated in the top 100 best in Africa. Zimbabwe is also a great and cheap location to learn the game and perfect technique. Many resorts and clubs offer classes with rising players. Courses can satisfy the most demanding golfer, while newcomers won't be intimidated, unless they find the beautiful landscapes and stunning vistas distracting to their game. Though Zimbabwe has long punched above its weight in the golf world, the average local has mixed feelings about golf courses, namely due to the huge amounts of water required to maintain them but appreciate the revenue they generate. * The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel guide's advice a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of '''Vumba''' or white-water rafting in the affluents of the Zambezi is an exhilirating experience. ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Zimbabwe dollars (official rates) | currencyCode=ZW$ | date=December 2021 | USD=110 | source=https://www.rbz.co.zw/index.php | EUR=120 | GBP=150 | ZAR=23 }} ===Money=== Since June 2019, the only legal tender in Zimbabwe has been the new “Zimbabwe dollar” (Z$, ISO code ZWL), also known as the "RTGS dollar" or the "Zim dollar". It includes Zimbabwean bond notes, bond coins and mobile money such as Ecocash. New Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were issued in November 2019. The value of the currency is volatile. In January 2022, the [https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/currency/usdzwd street rate] for US dollars was ZW6380 = US$1. Some shops use a [https://zimpricecheck.com/price-updates/official-and-black-market-exchange-rates/# rate] of ZW$160 = US$1 in setting their prices. Most retailers and service providers are trading their products in U.S. dollars or pegging their prices in Zimbabwe dollars using U.S. dollar black market rates. Some retailers and public transport operators are no longer accepting denominations lower than the Zimbabwe dollar coin. Wikivoyage articles generally quote prices in U.S. dollars. There are many ATMs which take Visa and MasterCard. However, you ''will not'' be able to withdraw money from any ATMs, so bring plenty of cash. Try to obtain Zimbabwean dollars before you arrive, otherwise you will have to change your U.S. dollars after you arrive. If bringing U.S. dollars, bring smaller denomination notes, e.g. US$20 and below. Anything larger is unlikely to be accepted. Change will be given in Zimbabwean dollars. Many banks do not have enough bank notes due to a shortage of paper, so will only change U.S. dollars for Ecocash. Registering for Ecocash is recommended. You will need your ID to buy an EcoNet SIM card at EcoNet shops or other small phone shops. You can then register for EcoCash, but you will need to produce your ID again to activate your account. You can then load your account at a bank, and spend money in most shops using your PIN. A growing number of businesses accept Visa and MasterCard in Zimbabwe, however shop workers are often resistant to use them. Be careful what currency your card is charged in, otherwise you may get charged US$10 instead of Z$10! '''Credit cards''' Credit cards are used less commonly than in the USA or Europe. Many businesses in the city accept them and you can expect any major chain - supermarkets, fast food, clothing stores, etc. - to also accept them. The standard 10% tip in restaurant is often expected to be paid in cash, even when you pay the bill by credit card. Bear in mind, tipping is not expected any may only apply to an establishment that does not already add a service charge. If you use a debit or credit card, the checkout operator in places like supermarkets will often require you to present both your card and a form of identification such as a drivers' licence. Present both simultaneously at checkout and with confidence. A lack of confidence will lead to a request for your passport as identification. . PIN cards have become the most common and should be accepted anywhere, as well as magnetic band cards. PINs should be accepted but if not, the shop attendant will ask you to sign the invoice. Contactless credit cards are not commonly accepted as of Nov 2020. '''Traveller's checks''' They are rarely used and may be difficult to exchange, but some banks and exchanges may accept them . Also, Western Union will cash them with proper identification. '''Tipping''' There is no obligation to tip in Zimbabwe although any tip is welcome, given the volatile economy. Some nicer restaurants will add a service charge (10 percent). In these cases tipping is not expected. Sometimes rounding up or telling them to "keep the change" is enough on small checks, deliveries, petrol attendants, etc. Leaving at least a 10% tip is considered kind and polite at restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty parlors, barbers, ushers and car-washes. Tipping bartenders is not customary but will be greatly appreciated. Leaving no tip when feeling unsatisfied is not an uncommon gesture, and will not likely make much of an impression. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. Service fees are included in most upscale hotels and restaurants, usually around 10%. By law it is mandatory that this item is represented in the same text size as the rest of the menu items. ===Costs=== Domestically produced things are very cheap (especially labour-intensive things), and curios are especially well made. However, for a tourist drinking Coke and eating pizza, prices are not that much lower than in South Africa. ==Eat== [[File:Sadza.jpg|thumb|Meat, sadza, greens and sausages]] For a sample of what Zimbabweans eat (in some form, nearly every day), ask for "sadza and stew/relish." The stew part will be familiar, served over a large portion of sadza - a thick ground corn paste (vaguely like polenta and the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) that locals eat at for lunch and supper. It's inexpensive, quite tasty and ''very'' filling. There is a plethora of good Zimbabwean food- "Mbambaira" or sweet potatoes, "chibage" corn on the cob, for example. Fruits indigenous to the country like "masawu" for example. For foreigners, especially from the West, Zimbabwean meat is very tasty, especially the beef, because of animals are raised and fed on a natural diet, mostly of grass. Food options in the cities tend to follow western conventions and British visitors in particular will find themselves right at home as numerous British staples - from pork pies, Cornish pasties and an English breakfast to tea with milk and baked beans- are a hallmark of Zimbabwean cuisine. Fast food is increasingly popular with Nando's and KFC available in most urban areas as well as local brands like Chicken Inn and Wimpy. === Specialities === Specialities worth sampling include '''peri-peri chicken''', a Portuguese/Mozambican influence, '''meat pies''' (which make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch and can be found easily at many supermarkets and bakeries.), '''samosas''' (Indian origin) '''bream''', '''sadza nedovi''' (sadza with vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce), '''boerewors''' (spicy farmer sausages) and '''vetkoek''' (a delicous fried pastry), both South African in origin as the names suggest. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a cattle rearing country, particularly in the south and west, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) beef. The '''braai''' is a typical Southern African barbeque that crosses all classes and ethnicities, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (steaks, beef short ribs, sausage, chuck and sometimes offal) and a peri peri or other sauce over wood fire grill. Drinks are served and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. As in many countries with a similar meat culture, men tend to dominate the grilling, though women and children are always made to feel welcome. Additionally, the restaurant and coffee-shop scene in Harare and Bulawayo are great by continental standards, with a wide variety of places and cuisines to choose from. ==Drink== A variety of domestic brews are made in Zimbabwe, mainly lagers with a few milk stouts. You may even want to try "Chibuku" a local brew popular among working class men that's based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn). It is generally sold in a 2-litre plastic bottle called a 'skud' or a more popular variety called "Chibuku Super" that comes in a disposable 1.25 litre plastic container and costs US$1. As with all alcohol, it's definitely an acquired taste! A more palatable beer is the pilsner like, Zambezi lager which is very refreshing on a hot day. Quality wines at restaurants and liquor stores tend to be South African or European in origin, though there are a few brands worth sampling, the standout being the Western Cape produced, '''Kumusha Wines''', as well as the more established, Mukuyu. The South African creamy liqueur, Amarula, is a common delight. A common tradition across Southern Africa, is '''the Sundowner''', a light aperitive style cocktail consumed at sunset just before dinner. It is usually fizzy, sparkling or citrus based, similar to a spritz in Europe '''Non-alcoholic drinks''' Like the UK, tea is widely drunk across Zimbabwe, especially at breakfast or during work lunch breaks. Most people drink white tea (hot black tea with milk), and some with sugar or honey. Tanganda is a cheap and common brand popular with working class residents. Finer restaurants, hotels and cafés sell a range of different teas, Earl Grey and Rooibos being popular blends, but by no means the only one. Herbal teas are available in affluent parts of town, and lemon may also be offered as an alternative to milk upon request. Coffee is historically less popular in Zimbabwe but is growing in popularity, and best experienced at the many independent cafes in Harare, Bulawayo or touristy regions like the Eastern Highlands. Alternatively South African chains like Mugg & Bean are increasingly popular with young people. In Zimbabwe, '''Mazoe orange crush''' (pronounced "mazowé", roughly) is highly regarded and has near legendary status. It is a condensed orange concentrate drink of a vivid orange colour, meant to be diluted with water, and is a prized by expats and Zimbabweans alike. Whilst anywhere selling drinks in Zimbabwe is highly likely to have Mazowe, it can be increasingly found at specialty and expat stores in South Africa and the UK. An acquired taste, but worth it, are '''Schweppes lemonade, ginger beer and cream soda''' (not too dissimilar to US Root beer), which are locally produced and popular summertime beverages and can be obtained in large supermarkets. Mineral waters can vary from expensive imported brands, through locally bottled waters, which are of a high standard and much more affordable. When travelling be sure to stock up on bottled water is also available, as clean drinking water may be available in remote parts of the country. ==Sleep== Zimbabwe has a great number of tourist facilities, and offers a variety of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to guest houses, lodges, backpacker hostels and safari camps for all budgets. For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "lodges" in serene and peaceful environments, usually on the fridges of the city or near game reserves, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature. If you are on a safari tour there are tented camps, chalets and camping sites in most of the safari areas. Most places have a '''backpacker hostel''' with prices from US$10 a night. ==Stay safe== Generally, Zimbabwe has a much lower crime rate than its neighbors, and Zimbabweans are well known for their unrivaled hospitality. Most crime that does occur is opportunistic in nature and travelers should take care with their personal belongings and follow local advise. It really is just a matter of common sense- which you should exercise no matter where you are. Shortages of fuel and water can occur in parts of the country, so keep extra supplies with you in case they are unavailable for an extended period. Water and electricity supplies are frequently disrupted, so most homes in the cities are equipped with boreholes, solar power or generators. Whilst many locals will politely inquire about you and your country, remember, most Zimbabweans are still sensitive to foreigners' opinions of their country and its politicians, mostly due to years of negative press. In general, it is wise idea to avoid political discussions or discussions pertaining to opinions of political leaders. ===Police=== Policing in Zimbabwe has improved markedly since the Mugabe era. On the whole, Zimbabwean police officers are professional and polite to tourists, but they are underpaid, which can lead to incidents of corruption or bribery. They are generally less aggressive than law enforcement agencies in many other nearby countries, particularly South Africa; '''however, this does not apply to political demonstrations or other politically motivated investigations, which have elicited very strong responses in the past. Tourists, expats and outsiders are strongly discouraged from attending political rallies or events.''' Bribery can occur at police checkpoints or border control but it is important '''to be firm and politely decline,''' as this behavior is not tolerated by senior authorities and harassment of tourists is considered a serious offence. With local exceptions, such as airports, and national events, such as Independence Day parades, the vast majority of police officers in Zimbabwe do not carry firearms, and the only police officers allowed to carry firearms are those from specialist firearms units. Most officers will only speak English, Shona or Ndebele, though they will attempt to find an interpreter for people who can't understand questioning in English. You have the legal right to silence when arrested and to have an interpreter at the police station. Police officers in Zimbabwe usually wear dark blue uniforms, although some wear tan or khaki uniforms. Front-line police (in uniform) are also generally required to have shoulder numbers. Most police are also required to carry a 'warrant card', and should under reasonable circumstances be willing to produce it, to confirm their authority. Private security guards do not generally have any "police-style" powers at all. There are a small number of non-police officials who have limited enforcement powers relating to specific local areas, or certain activities such as on-street parking or accessing some government buildings. ===Road safety=== Although jaywalking is not an offence in Zimbabwe and common in the larger cities, crossing a road other than at a designated crossing should be taken with care. A number of traffic light crossings have a push button to change the 'man' from red to green. Pedestrians have right of way on zebra crossings, that are identified by white stripes on the road and yellow flashing lights. It is advisable to make eye contact with the driver before stepping into the road. Certain roads, such as the Presidents residence, prohibit pedestrians (and cyclists), this is often marked with signs in clearly visible locations ==Stay healthy== [[File:Bulavayo 22032005.jpg|thumb|Bulawayo]] Do your research about what is available. Take all medications that you need along with you. There are a number of private hospitals in the major cities that are very accessible. '''HIV/AIDS''' infection rate in Zimbabwe is the 5th highest in the world at around 13% infected. Though rates have declined from their peak in the 2000s, you should '''never have unprotected sex'''. If you form a serious relationship, consider both getting an HIV test before taking things further. Malaria is prevalent in lower regions of the country in the summertime, so unless you are going to stay entirely within Harare, Bulawayo or highland regions, anti-malarial drugs are advised. Drugs reduce the severity of the disease but don't prevent infection, so also consider precautions such as: * sleeping under a mosquito net (lightweight travel nets are comparatively cool to use) * using mosquito repellent on the skin or burning mosquito coils * wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, particularly in the evening Bilharzia is present in some lakes. Ask locally before swimming. Snakes are common in the bush, and most bites are on the foot or lower leg. If walking, particularly in long grass, wear proper boots and either long, loose trousers or thick, concertinaed hiking socks. Shake out boots and shoes in the morning, in case you have a guest. These precautions also reduce the chance of scorpion sting. If you do get bitten or stung, ''stay calm''. Try to identify the exact culprit, but get to medical assistance as rapidly as you can without undue exertion. Many bites and stings are non-fatal even if not treated, but it is safer to seek treatment, which is very effective these days. '''[[Tap water]]''', as a source of potable water, in general, should be boiled prior to consumption. Bottled water is also available. ==Respect== * Visitors to Zimbabwe will find Zimbabweans incredibly welcoming, friendly, and hospitable. Many will go out of their way to help you and ensure you have a good time. You can freely approach the locals for advice and you can ask them specific directions to get somewhere. * In smaller towns and villages, especially on the road, if you walk past somebody it is customary to exchange pleasantries. They may also ask you "how are you", or another similar variation, is usually standard. A simple hello or "how are you?" or "have a nice day" will suffice. Learning similar phrases in Shona or Ndebele will go a long way with older and more rural inhabitants as well. * Unlike many other African nations, Zimbabweans tend to be punctual and on time to events, especially for business, however, given the importance of public transportation, it's not uncommon to sometimes be a few minutes late to something. A simple apology or acknowledgement of one's tardiness is generally acceptable however, extreme lateness is considered rude and a waste of the other parties' time * '''Zimbabwe is a''' '''multicultural''' '''country.''' Do not make assumptions based on ethnicity or peoples' appearance. Outward displays of racism, discrimination or sexism, will be met with hostility or even land you in trouble with the law. Surprised comments at the presence of white or Asian Zimbabweans will be seen as incredibly ignorant. * Zimbabwean people are generally '''easy going and have a''' '''live and let live attitude and will respect your privacy and personal space'''. That said it is important to greet and acknowledge others when entering a space. * When shaking hands or handing anything valuable to someone in more rural areas, it is polite to support the right forearm with the left hand (or vice versa), to signify the "weight" of the gift or honour. In practice this often means just touching the forearm, or even gesturing towards it. Outsiders are generally not expected to know local etiquette, a firm polite handshake is good enough, though attempts at such will be well appreciated * '''Discussions about politics are generally avoided by locals'''. Opinions between individuals vary significantly, and while few Zimbabweans miss the volatility of the past few decades, few will voluntarily offer their opinions publicly and visitors are advised to do the same. Most Zimbabwean people of moderate views have grown accustomed to simply avoiding the topic in polite conversation, especially as speaking out against the government could have been considered a criminal offense until very recently. {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|-19|30|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Southern_Africa}} r4cyp6btc29p7tmdwnzfwf4lpnyblog 4501592 4501591 2022-08-15T13:21:49Z 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040 /* Drink */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Victoria Falls banner.jpg|The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe}} '''[http://www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw Zimbabwe]''' is a landlocked country in [[Southern Africa]]. For those looking to travel in [[Africa]], Zimbabwe is a great starting place. It is rich in fauna (being home to the big five) and flora and has numerous ancient stone cities including the largest in Africa south of the Sahara, [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Its border with [[Zambia]] is formed by the Zambezi River which when in full flood drops as the world's largest curtain of falling water at the mighty [[Victoria Falls]] which is a major tourist attraction. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Zimbabwe regions map v2.png | regionmaptext=Map of Zimbabwe | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Matabeleland]] | region1color=#7cb985 | region1items= | region1description= Forms the western part of the country with [[Bulawayo]], the second largest city, the stunning [[Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)|Victoria Falls]] and [[Hwange National Park]]. | region2name=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]] | region2color=#cacf84 | region2items= | region2description= At the eastern end of Lake Kariba, it is popular for holidays with Zimbabweans due to the many national parks, such as [[Mana Pools National Park]], on the shores of the Zambezi River which provide good opportunities for game viewing. | region3name=[[Mashonaland]] | region3color=#9994af | region3items= | region3description= Includes the capital city, [[Harare]], and surrounding areas, including the northern part of the Midlands Province. | region4name=[[Eastern Highlands]] | region4color=#5a8b84 | region4items= | region4description= The mountainous area of the country tucked up along the eastern border where the countries peak, Moutn Inyangani is located. The main city is [[Mutare]]. | region5name=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]] | region5color=#d1a364 | region5items= | region5description= A mixed area with the southern part of the midlands in the north and the Lowveld in the south. Nature is more of the attraction here, with many national parks and the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#7cb985|title=[[Matabeleland]]|wikidata=Q1266775}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cacf84|title=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]]|wikidata=Q14206735}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9994af|title=[[Mashonaland]]|wikidata=Q1640913}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5a8b84|title=[[Eastern Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1278183}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d1a364|title=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q14210029}} ==Cities== [[Image:Eastgate_Centre,_Harare,_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|Skyline of Harare, Capital of Zimbabwe]] Zimbabwe has 4 large cities and several smaller ones. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harare]]|wikidata=Q3921}} — the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe, Harare is a vibrant city in a larger metropolitan province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bulawayo]]|wikidata=Q193250}} — the second largest city with historic Victorian, Edwardian and midcentury architecture. It is the second city, both by population and economic activity *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chimanimani]]|wikidata=Q1073089}} - Gateway to the Eastern Highlands *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gweru]]|wikidata=Q399316}} - Located in the centre of the country close to the Danangombe ruins. Also the capital of the Midlands Province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} — a lakeshore holiday resort on border with [[Zambia]] *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Masvingo]]|wikidata=Q601142}} — named (meaning "ruins") after the nearby Great Zimbabwe National Monument *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mutare]]|wikidata=Q399322}} - the major city closest to the scenic Eastern Highlands and the Mozambique coast. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Victoria Falls]]|wikidata=Q1393804}} is a popular tourist destination located in the western corner of the country. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world<!-- presumably [[Seven Natural Wonders (CNN)]]? there are many differing lists--> and the spray from waterfall waters a rainforest. [[Image:Lion-hwange.jpg|thumb|Lion resting near a termite mound]] * {{marker|name=[[Gonarezhou National Park]]|wikidata=Q595121}} * {{marker|name=[[Great Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q209217}} - The archaeological remains of an ancient city built of stone (the largest in Southern Africa), that was the capital of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from this city) and Mozambique. The word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone.' * The Eastern Highlands include some of Zimbabwe's most beautiful views. The lush, cloud-hung mountains form the border with [[Mozambique]]. The regional capital is Mutare, and Chimanimani is a village popular with tourists and walkers. * {{marker|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} - The formidable Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe is the result of a large damming project along the Zambezi River. Kariba is a popular tourist destination and affords visitors the opportunity to watch African wildlife in its almost natural environment. It is the biggest source of hydro-electric power for Zimbabwe. If you are travelling with friends or family consider hiring a houseboat for a few days to really experience everything the lake and the wildlife have to offer. * {{marker|name=[[Matobo National Park|Matobo]]|wikidata=Q917429}} (formerly Matopos) - This area southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland boasts exquisite rock formations, as if nature had been playing marbles. Rocks are found balancing in ways that defy logic, a situation created by the eroding winds blowing out the sand between. The rocks are home to the dassie, a small rodent-type animal known more formally as Rock Hyrax, the skins of which are used to make a blanket treasured amongst the local populace. Also present in great numbers are the brightly coloured lizards common to Zimbabwe. The area has two large dams and many smaller ones that become the scene of family picnics, and angling competitions on weekends. A game park is home to herds of sable antelope, an animal not seen further south. The National Park boasts self catering chalets with amazing views as well as camping sights. * Matobo is also the sight of Cecil John Rhodes' grave and some exquisite cave paintings. * {{marker|name=[[Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine]]|wikidata=Q14226092}} * {{marker|name=[[Chinhoyi Caves]]|wikidata=Q782743}} ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationZimbabwe.png}} ===History=== Stone cities were built in many locations in present-day Zimbabwe. The most impressive structures and the best known of these, Great Zimbabwe, were built in the 15th century, but people had been living on the site from about 400 AD. The Khami Ruins just outside Bulawayo are also a wonderful example. The population was overwhelmingly made up of Shona speakers until the 19th century when the Nguni tribe (in 1839-40) of the Ndebele settled in what is now Matabeleland, and then in 1890, the territory came under the control of the British South Africa Company under charter from the British Government. The [[United Kingdom]] annexed the land, then called Southern Rhodesia, from the British South Africa Company in 1923, when the country got its own government and Prime Minister. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favoured whites in power. In 1965, this white supremacist government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black majority. UN sanctions and a guerrilla struggle finally led to free elections and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe became the first democratic leader of Zimbabwe. While initially lauded for his talk of reconciliation and his government's investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, he slowly consolidated power from 1980-1987 as prime minister, and 1987-2017 as president. Starting in 2000, the government expropriated some very productive farms, which were in the hands of white Zimbabweans, as punishment for their support of the main opposition party, the MDC and handed them over to members of corrupt members of Mugabe's ZANU party, many of whom had no interest in farming, resulting in a drastic falloff in local food production. In 2005, he started a program which cleared slums, forcing hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. Rigged elections and human rights abuses led to widespread emigration and international sanctions. Eventually, misrule and sanctions triggered massive, runaway inflation and a third of the population to choose to migrate. Elections were routinely marred by violence, directed by the ruling ZANU-PF party against opposition supporters. Following widespread protests, a power-sharing agreement was signed between President Mugabe and the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008. This briefly stabilized the political situation, but continued inflation led to the withdrawal of the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation in 2009; at the end, 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars would not buy a loaf of bread. The defunct Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by a basket of currencies and ultimately adoption of the US dollar. The coalition government ended with Tsvangirai's 2013 electoral defeat in what was widely held to be a rigged election. By 2016 currency shortages were common, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe directing banks to limit withdrawals to US$20-50/day or US$150/week. In November 2016 another toy currency ("bond notes") was introduced at par with the US dollar. US cash is king, however, and the bond notes often trade at a discount if they're accepted at all. Usability of credit cards is sporadic as businesses have trouble accessing hard currency to pay for imports. Mr. Mugabe remained President until November 2017 when, at the age of 93 with serious questions about his health, he failed in a brazen attempt to continue the family stranglehold on power by sacking the country's vice president as a first step toward installing his wife Grace as a presidential candidate for the 2018 election cycle. This led to an enraged military deposing him; most of the original veterans of the 1980 uprising against Rhodesia turned against Mugabe, with his own ZANU-PF party forcing his resignation by calling a vote in the legislature to impeach him. Mugabe was subsequently replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who he had sacked. Mnangagwa remained President when he was elected in the 2018 general elections which like the 2013 elections were widely criticized for irregularities domestically and internationally. The current government has rolled back some the excesses of Mugabe, and declared the country <nowiki>''</nowiki>open for business", as well as a proposal to re-join the Commonwealth, but his time in office has not been free of strife: in 2019, widespread protests that were held after the government announced a 130% rise in fuel prices were met by violence from the police and military. However, it is not all gloomy: the government has led the continent in its vaccine programme, besting its larger and wealthier peers. ===Climate=== Zimbabwe has an excellent subtropical highland climate that is moderated by altitude. The rainy season is in summer from November to March. Although there are recurring droughts, floods and severe storms are rare. Winter temperatures can drop below 5° Celsius whilst summers can be very hot, they rarely go over 32°C (90°F), with the exception of lower regions of the country such as the Zambezi valley. ===Terrain=== Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld). There is a mountain range in east including the scenic Chimanimani mountains. The Lowveld is found in south eastern corner. '''Elevation extremes''' : ''lowest point:'' junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 meters ''highest point:'' Inyangani 2,592 m === Culture === Owing to Zimbabwe’s ethnic diversity, varied geography, history and history of immigration, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by language ad culture, some regions have distinct practices. Music plays an important part in Zimbabwean identity. Styles like '''sungura''', '''jazz''', gospel, urban grooves and '''Zimdancehall''' are considered genuinely Zimbabwean. Sungura music is the national equivalent of roots music. Zimdancehall, which mixes several national styles with Jamaican dancehall and reggae and has become popular with the youth nationwide. New urban styles include dance music inspired by house music. Additionally, most Zimbabweans are familiar with and fans of Western popular music. ZBC is the country's public broadcaster and somewhat analogous to the BBC in the UK. In addition, Zimbabweans increasingly have access to many other cable or satellite TV channels. Half of households have satellite TV, which is the most important source of information and entertainment for most Zimbabweans, however this trails the internet largely accessed via cell phone and accessible to most of the population, universally so in cities and among young people. === People === [[File:Ene mbira.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu]] Zimbabwe is a mix of different cultures with their own beliefs and ceremonies, including the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings which are made with the finest materials available. Shona music is also deservedly famous. Probably the best-known Shona instrument is the mbira dzavadzimu, sometimes misleadingly called the "thumb piano" by non-Africans but actually meaning "voice of the ancestors". Mbira music contains harmony and can be a kind of shifting kaleidoscope of counterpoint and lively polyrhythms. It is very tuneful, and the mbiras are often accompanied by a rattle called a hosho. Mbira music is central to Shona culture and identity and is traditionally considered a form of worship of the ancestors. The second largest group in the country are the Ndebele people, who are distantly related to the Zulu of South Africa, whose language is mostly intelligible with Zulu and partially so with the Xhosa language of South Africa. Although their numbers have fallen since the end of white minority rule, Zimbabwe still retains a substantial white population, most of whom are of British descent, with notable minorities of Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish and Greek extraction. Other groups include Asians, coloureds (mixed race people) and immigrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Congo and their descendants, the majority of whom have assimilated into Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwe also a has a large diaspora mostly in South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, so don't be surprised if you run into a 'diasporan' with a Western accent and outlook during your visit, as they have become significant investors and visitors within the county's tourism and real estate sectors. In general, Zimbabweans are a warm, easy going, open minded people. Friendship, family and hospitality are highly prized among Zimbos, and both family connections and social interactions are valued highly. To people they have met, or at least know by name, Zimbabweans are usually polite, friendly and sometimes quite generous. Zimbabweans are reputedly one of the most hospitable people in the world and foreigners are usually treated with respect and hospitality. Whereas the roots of Zimbabwean culture are African and proudly so, Zimbabwe is still a nation that is heavily influenced by the United Kingdom, and the middle class often look to London as a source of inspiration, especially given the poor and corrupt leadership in the country. Many Zimbabweans also display an ambivalent attitude to South Africa which increasingly dominates Zimbabwe's economy and whose ruling class is seen as enabling the corrupt Mnagagwa government. Zimbabweans speak English natively and have the highest literacy rate in Africa. That said visitors will receive a very warm welcome if they try to start conversations in Shona or Ndebele. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe has faced an increasing wave of immigration from China, Congo, Malawi and Mozambique as well as an exodus of the many residents to the UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia. ===Economy=== Once Africa's fastest growing economy and one of its most dynamic, with a large and confident middle class, especially by developing country standards, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone a dramatic economic collapse and since 2010 an uneven and sometimes volatile recovery . There had been a few signs of improvement since the formation the Mnagagwa government in 2018, but the Zimbabwean economy remained plagued by high unemployment, deindustrialisation and a growing divide between a well connected and affluent elite and the rest of the population. The new government has claimed Zimbabwe 'is open for business' and though consumer goods are now widely available and certain industries have recovered (real estate, tourism and construction), the country lags behind its neighbors to the south, a far cry from its post independence heyday. A rebound in mineral prices, real estate and tourism and a continent-leading vaccine programme, allowed GDP to rebound by more than 5% in the 2020 according to the World Bank, but Zimbabwe remains a lower middle income country with a corrupt and affluent elite, a stretched middle class and a large unemployed youth population. Gross domestic product is lower than it was in 2000; with subsequent recovery slow and uneven. That said, the country still has decent infrastructure, especially for tourism (though upkeep can be very inconsistent), a large diaspora that invests in and remains committed to improving their home country and recent government efforts that made it easier to invest in tourism and to make it a more friendly and accessible destination '''* 1 January''': New Year's Day * '''21 February ''': National Youth Day or Robert Mugabe Youth Day * '''18 April''': Independence Day * '''1 May''' - Workers Day * '''25 May''' - Africa Day * '''22 December''' - Unity Day * '''25 December''' - Christmas * '''26 December''' - Boxing Day In Zimbabwe, if a holiday falls on Sunday, the next day (Monday) will automatically be observed as public day. Hence, it will be a holiday. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Zimbabwe.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Zimbabwe]] ===Entry requirements=== ====Category A - no visa required==== Passport holders of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (unless otherwise noted): [[Angola]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Aruba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Botswana]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Cyprus]], [[DR Congo]], [[Eswatini]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Hong Kong]] (6 months), [[Jamaica]], [[Kenya]], [[Kiribati]], [[Lesotho]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malaysia]], [[Malawi]], [[Maldives]], [[Malta]], [[Mauritius]], [[Montserrat]], [[Mozambique]] (30 days), [[Namibia]], [[Nauru]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Samoa]], [[Seychelles]], [[Singapore]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Africa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Tonga]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Uganda]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Zambia]]. ====Category B - visa on arrival==== Passport holders of the following are eligible to get a visa on arrival to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (for purpose of tourism) or for up to 30 days (for purpose of business): [[Albania]], [[Algeria]], [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bermuda]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Brunei]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Chile]], [[China]], [[Comoros]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Egypt]], [[El Salvador]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Estonia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Guatemala]], [[Guyana]], [[Haiti]], [[Honduras]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Macao]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mexico]], [[Micronesia]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Palestine]], [[Panama]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[San Marino]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Senegal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Suriname]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Vatican City]] and [[Venezuela]]. Visa fees as of July 2019 at the port of entry for Category B nationals are as follows: US$30 (single entry), US$45 (double entry), US$55 (multiple entry). Cash only. A valid passport, travel itinerary, and return or onward journey ticket must be presented. Note that Canadian citizens are only able to obtain single entry visas on arrival at a cost of US$75, whilst British and Irish citizens pay higher fees for a Zimbabwe visa on arrival (US$55 for single entry and US$70 for double entry). ====Category C - visa before arrival==== Passport holders of other countries must get a visa prior to arrival to Zimbabwe. Category C citizens may apply for a visa (for business, holiday, conferencing or transit) online through the [https://www.evisa.gov.zw/ eVisa system of the Zimbabwe Department of Immigration]. Visa fee can be paid online or on arrival. It takes an average of two working days to obtain an e-Visa, however the period may vary due to a number of factors. The e-Visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. Visas can be obtained at Zimbabwean embassies/consulates. The fees for a visa vary between US$30 and 180 and depend on the applicant's nationality. You might be able to apply for a Zimbabwean visa at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zimbabwean diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy in [http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null Amman] accepts Zimbabwean visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zimbabwean visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zimbabwe require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zimbabwe can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly. ====KAZA universal visa==== Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called [https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/ KAZA Visa]. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula). The fee is US$50 and is available at the following border crossings in Zambia: Livingstone Airport, Lusaka Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border; in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Airport, Harare Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border. Eligible countries are: [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Brunei]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Haiti]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Samoa]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Turkey]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]] and [[Uruguay]]. ===By plane=== [[Image:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|Harare International Airport]] [[Harare]] International Airport has a number of international flights, mainly to other African countries. When coming from Europe, you can fly via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Cairo. From South Africa you can fly with [http://www.flysaa.com South African Airways], [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ Airlink], British Airways, or Air Zimbabwe. Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air fly to Harare from Europe. SAA operates to quite a few European and African airports and has flights from Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls to Johannesburg ([[South Africa]]). Air Botswana has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Gaborone. Air Namibia has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Windhoek. Malawian Airlines has flights from Harare to Lilongwe. British Airways has stopped non-stop flights between Harare and Heathrow. but has have flights from Harare via Johannesburg to Heathrow. Victoria Falls airport has daily service by South African Airways, [http://www.saairlink.co.za South African Airlink] and British Airways to and from Johannesburg. [[Bulawayo]] also has an international airport, with flights from Johannesburg operated by SAA and Air Zimbabwe. For domestic flights inside Zimbabwe, Harare to Victoria Falls there is Air Zimbabwe and Fly Africa. Air Zimbabwe also fly from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Kariba. *Low-cost airline '''Fastjet Zimbabwe''' has one-way domestic fares from US$20, and international fares from US$50. Fastjet fly from Harare to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. There is also low-cost airline '''Fly Africa''' which goes from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, Harare to Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls to Harare. ===By car=== Zimbabwe is accessible by road from the countries that surround it. Contrary to past scenarios, the fuel situation has improved with prices now being quoted in US dollars. As fuel has to be imported from either Mozambique or South Africa, you can expect to pay more per litre than you would in most other Southern African countries. Roads in Zimbabwe vary significantly, from newly tarred and refurbished to completely dilapidated or untarred, and due caution should be taken when driving, especially at night, and in particular, during the holiday season when there are more vehicles on the road. In general major thoroughfares and affluent areas have better roads than poorer or rural regions. Potholes are a common occurrence so always drive with caution. When in doubt always ask for local advice. ===By bus=== Regular deluxe bus services operate from Johannesburg to Harare. A number of buses also travel from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. Greyhound drives to both destinations. Tickets can be obtained directly from Greyhound or through the Computicket website. Several bus companies also operate direct buses from Harare to [[Blantyre]], [[Malawi]] and [[Pretoria]] and [[Johannesburg]] No public transport exists from Victoria Falls directly to Botswana - a taxi to the border will cost around USD40, or some hotels in Vic Falls can arrange transfers. === By train === As of 2018, '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs one international passenger service, a twice-weekly overnight train from [[Francistown]], [[Botswana]] to [[Bulawayo]], and offers services to [[Harare]] and [[Mutare]]. [http://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/ '''Shosholoza Meyl'''] runs a passenger service from [[Johannesburg]] to the border city Musina, from where it's possible to cross into Zimbabwe. Additionally, the private company '''[https://www.rovos.com Rovos Rail]''' runs an luxurious excursion train from [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]] to [[Victoria Falls]] several times per month. Matching the luxury, prices are extravagant with journeys costing thousand of dollars. ==Get around== [[File:Bus-stop.jpg|thumb|Minibus stop]] Between cities, you travel using luxury coaches like Pathfinder and Citilink. You can also get decent buses from RoadPort in Harare to other major cities including those in neighbouring countries like Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe. Minibus taxis are available for intra-city transport, and are relatively inexpensive by European standards. They provide a cheap, though a not necessarily comfortable way of seeing the true Zimbabwe. Hitchhiking is also a viable option, but tourists need to take care with whom they accept lifts from; hijackings and robberies of hitchhikers, especially within Harare, have been on the increase in the last few years. Be sure to bring some money along, as drivers very often expect some sort of fee to be paid up front. The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe seems to have improved considerably since the stabilization of the economy. Roads between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Masvingo and Mutare are all in relatively good condition. The highway between Plumtree and Mutare (passing through Bulawayo and Harare in between) is being resurfaced. Almost no fuel station in Zimbabwe takes credit cards. Also road blocks are common but usually police just want to see your driver's licence and your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Police can fine you if you do not have reflective reflectors on your car, red hazard triangles in your boot, a spare tire, or a fire extinguisher, so be sure to carry those items if you want to avoid a fine. The taxi app in Zimbabwe is called Vaya, but you will need a Zimbabwean phone number to use it. Its exchange rate is fixed at Z$1 to US$1, so you will want to pay in Zimbabwean dollars (RTGS). ===By train=== The more adventurous tourists could travel by train around Zimbabwe. '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs services between most major cities at least three times per week. Many popular routes have been revived such as the Harare-Mutare route, however stock is mostly from the post war era, so don't expect to get to your destination quickly. That said trains are very safe and (in first or business class) a comfortable and relaxing way to see much of the country. The most popular route is the daily overnight train between [[Bulawayo]] and [[Victoria Falls]]. This train passes through ''Hwange National Park'', one of the biggest national parks in Africa, and there are plenty of opportunities to see wild animals along the route. There is an tri-weekly overnight service between Bulawayo and the capital [[Harare]] as well. ==Talk== {{Infobox|Belgravia? Balmoral? Bayswater?|More than any other African country, there are times when Zimbabwe can feel very British to outsiders. American visitors will find phrases like boot, bonnet and treacle particularly puzzling, but English has a long history in the country and cultivated accents remain the standard among the educated elite, be they black or white. Indeed, despite his disdain for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former President Robert Mugabe spoke in a cultivated accent, had a taste for bespoke Savile Row suits and famously proclaimed that he wanted Zimbabwe "to be a nation of gentlemen". Zimbabweans take great pride in their literacy and view English as theirs as much as their own native language. Authors such as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Austen are celebrated. A private school education from the likes of Peterhouse, Arundel or St George's College that leads to either Oxford or Cambridge (and more recently the University of Cape Town) is considered the ultimate ladder to success. And this extends beyond language and education to the food and even the mannerisms of the middle class. Indeed, British expats will feel quite at home in Zimbabwe. “British” events such as car boot sales, village fetes, fun runs and fundraisers — not to mention football, cricket, tennis and rugby — are the norm on the weekends. Many Zimbabweans now have family in the UK and see it as a natural destination to avoid economic malaise at home and xenophobia in nearby South Africa. Harare's leading newspapers have names like the Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette and have long considered themselves the intellectual heavyweights in the region especially over the South Africans, who are considered by Zimbabweans to be brash and uncouth. British visitors will find plenty of familiar place names, including Ascot, Avondale, Belgravia, Dulwich, Derwent, Groombridge, Kensington, Lewisham and Strathaven. Few sights present as quintessentially British a scene as admiring the immaculately trimmed oval at Queens Park in Bulawayo or Harare Sports Club during a test match against one of the Big Three of India, Australia or England. With a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in the UK, increasingly into their second generation, and having notably boosted the fortunes of the country's national football team, the relationship between the two countries lives on.}} Zimbabwe has 16 official languages though in practice English, Shona and Sindebele/Ndebele are by far the most spoken. English, besides being traditionally used for official business, serves as a ''lingua franca'' between Zimbabweans of different ethnicities and will be the most useful for travelling throughout the country, though any attempts to speak the local language will greatly endear you to the locals or at the very least earn you a few laughs. Speakers of non-native languages tend to be few and far in between and are mostly Portuguese by people with roots in Mozambique, Angola or Portugal or French largely spoken by Congolese migrants in parts of Harare and Bulawayo. ==See== [[File:Zambezi-at-Mutsango.JPG|thumb|Elephants crossing Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park]]For many visitors, Zimbabwe as a country has the same appeal as the natural landscapes for which it's famous. . === Urban life === Zim's large cities all bustle with life. The famous capital, [[Harare]], is the one of Africa's most pleasant cities. It's a city of contrasts, there's expensive cosmopolitan boutiques, buzzing nightlife and delicious ethnic cuisine. However, it's the classic, unpolished side of the city that makes it a charming destination. The central colorful neighbourhoods where crazy traffic sounds drown out distant dance tunes, the pleasant street-cafés and garden restaurants, busy outdoor markets and historic colonial architecture. Avondale and Mount Pleasant are pleasant, older neighbourhoods of the city and a good place to indulge in the city vibe of cafés, street markets, and antique markets in a garden suburban setting. The atmosphere is perhaps Harare's biggest attraction, but some of the main sights include the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Human Sciences. Zimbabwe's other cities share the energetic buzz of Harare, but have a distinct character of their own. [[Bulawayo]] is a lively yet laid-back city, characterized by broad avenues and Victorian architecture. It's famous as a 'heritage city' far beyond the borders of Zimbabwe and a perfect starting point for the country's game parks to the north. In the east, [[Mutare]], is well known for its scenic setting and is also a good base for hiking and other outdoor activities in the Eastern Highlands. The city of [[Gweru]] has shaken off its agricultural roots and is increasingly a vibrant university city. Masvingo, hosts classic Victorian architecture and serves as the gateway to exploring the Great Zimbabwe ruins === Nature === #{{see | name=Hwange National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1571380 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, this park boasts more than 100 different animal species and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few great elephants sanctuaries in Africa with over 30,000 elephants. }} #{{see | name=Matobo National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1778838 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also known as Matopos, this small park close to Bulawayo was awarded a UNESCO world heritage status in 2003 for its fascinating natural features and wildlife. }} #{{see | name=Mana Pools National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q693254 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mana Pools National Park, South of the Zambezi river in the North of Zimbabwe, is a UNESCO world heritage site. A remote location, it welcomes happy few safari lovers with an abundance of elephant, hippo, lions, antelope, giraffe and other animals, and over 350 bird species, in stunning landscapes. }} #{{see | name=Great Zimbabwe Ruins | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.27 | long=30.933 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q209217 | lastedit=2021-12-29 | content=In the vicinity of Masvingo, the sixth largest Zimbabwean city, Great Zimbabwe ruins are the remains of one of the greatest African civilizations: the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe dominated the area from present Zimbabwe, East of Botswana and South East of Mozambique in the late Iron Age (between 1100 and 1450 AD). From the impressive granite stone complex that was once built, the ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km2) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km). }} === Sport === Zimbabweans love sport and are justifiably proud of their country's achievements and how they have constantly punched above their weight on the international stage. The main five sports are: Association football, Rugby Union, Cricket, tennis and Golf. All of these sports attract a widespread following, both at matches themselves and on television; and it is very common to find televised coverage of them shown in pubs, hotels and bars. There are popular grounds to all these sports around the country: Rufaro (Harare), Bourbourfields (Bulawayo), National Sports stadium (Harare) and Ascot (Gweru) for football, Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Alexandra (Harare) for cricket, Police Grounds (Harare), Old Hararians (Harare) and Hartsfield (Bulawayo) for rugby, as well as the Royal Harare Golf Club for golf. * '''Football''' means association football or soccer. It is by far the most popular spectator sport, especially with the working class and is very widely played across the country at amateur and professional levels, with the highest competition being the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and the best talent moving on to play in European leagues. Dynamos (nicknamed the Glamour Boys for their dazzling 'carpet soccer' are the toast of middle class Harare), CAPS United (has a more working class fanbase) and Highlanders ( the historic Bulawayo team) are the most supported teams in the country, with a derby between either side the highlight of the season. * '''Rugby''' is invariably rugby union has 15 players per team, and is popular with the middle classes. While the Zimbabwean national team has not been to the World Cup in two decades, they have produced countless world class players many who've gone on to glittering careers abroad. The country's highest domestic team, the Zimbabwe Academy team, plays in South Africa's Currie Cup. Old Georgians and Old Hararians are two of the countries most prestigious clubs, the latter noted for their exciting 'champagne rugby' inspired by the passing French style of play. That said the standard of play is high up to the high school level and high school games are popular and cheap weekend affairs * '''Cricket''' is played only in the summer, and tends to be most popular in the cities. Zimbabwe is a highly competitive, if often underdog side. Visiting tours by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are considered the highlight of the summer sporting season and are well worth a trip to one of the country's fine cricket ovals * Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in '''tennis''', particularly in doubles and at the Davis Cup, often the only African nation in the top tier division. Tennis is often played on hard court though grass courts are present in affluent areas like Borrowdale. Davis Cup games are the most popular and attract enthusiastic crowds. In '''golf''', Zimbabwe forms part of the Sunshine tour with its neighbors, the third most prestigious after the PGA and European tours. The country has produced numerous golfers such as Nick Price and Mark McNulty and plenty of excellent golf courses are found in or near the larger cities * Zimbabwe is also a respected competitor in '''equestrian''' activities, and several major events in the racing calendar are held at various venues. The most prestigious events on the horse racing calendar include the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard both held in Harare in the autumn and winter. == Do == * '''Bungee jumping''' at Victoria Falls. An incredible experience off the Victoria Falls bridge over the mighty Zambezi - 111 metres of pure adrenaline. * Walk with the lions, swim with the elephants, ride a horse. and enjoy other game activities at '''Antelope Park''' near Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo. * An Authentic African Safari. Walking, canoeing or on a game drive in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools with African Bush Camps. * '''Harare International Festival of Arts'''. (HIFA), every year in Harare (end of April) with some extension in Bulawayo. Music, Theater, and other shows sponsored by foreign embassies, it features top international and local artists,and also brings in town a great artcraft market. * '''Diving''': The only site accessible to recreational divers is Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine, a flooded asbestos quarry 120 km by road from Harare. Good visibility and beautiful surroundings. You need technical cave-diving skills to venture into Chinhoyi Caves, 120 km from Harare. The caves are mostly water-filled, and are more than 120 m deep. The full cave system has not yet been explored. No diving infrastructure, this is an expedition where you take everything. * The excellent climate, combined with investments in the golfing infrastructure, has turned the country into a '''golfing haven'''. Fourteen of Zimbabwe's courses are rated in the top 100 best in Africa. Zimbabwe is also a great and cheap location to learn the game and perfect technique. Many resorts and clubs offer classes with rising players. Courses can satisfy the most demanding golfer, while newcomers won't be intimidated, unless they find the beautiful landscapes and stunning vistas distracting to their game. Though Zimbabwe has long punched above its weight in the golf world, the average local has mixed feelings about golf courses, namely due to the huge amounts of water required to maintain them but appreciate the revenue they generate. * The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel guide's advice a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of '''Vumba''' or white-water rafting in the affluents of the Zambezi is an exhilirating experience. ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Zimbabwe dollars (official rates) | currencyCode=ZW$ | date=December 2021 | USD=110 | source=https://www.rbz.co.zw/index.php | EUR=120 | GBP=150 | ZAR=23 }} ===Money=== Since June 2019, the only legal tender in Zimbabwe has been the new “Zimbabwe dollar” (Z$, ISO code ZWL), also known as the "RTGS dollar" or the "Zim dollar". It includes Zimbabwean bond notes, bond coins and mobile money such as Ecocash. New Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were issued in November 2019. The value of the currency is volatile. In January 2022, the [https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/currency/usdzwd street rate] for US dollars was ZW6380 = US$1. Some shops use a [https://zimpricecheck.com/price-updates/official-and-black-market-exchange-rates/# rate] of ZW$160 = US$1 in setting their prices. Most retailers and service providers are trading their products in U.S. dollars or pegging their prices in Zimbabwe dollars using U.S. dollar black market rates. Some retailers and public transport operators are no longer accepting denominations lower than the Zimbabwe dollar coin. Wikivoyage articles generally quote prices in U.S. dollars. There are many ATMs which take Visa and MasterCard. However, you ''will not'' be able to withdraw money from any ATMs, so bring plenty of cash. Try to obtain Zimbabwean dollars before you arrive, otherwise you will have to change your U.S. dollars after you arrive. If bringing U.S. dollars, bring smaller denomination notes, e.g. US$20 and below. Anything larger is unlikely to be accepted. Change will be given in Zimbabwean dollars. Many banks do not have enough bank notes due to a shortage of paper, so will only change U.S. dollars for Ecocash. Registering for Ecocash is recommended. You will need your ID to buy an EcoNet SIM card at EcoNet shops or other small phone shops. You can then register for EcoCash, but you will need to produce your ID again to activate your account. You can then load your account at a bank, and spend money in most shops using your PIN. A growing number of businesses accept Visa and MasterCard in Zimbabwe, however shop workers are often resistant to use them. Be careful what currency your card is charged in, otherwise you may get charged US$10 instead of Z$10! '''Credit cards''' Credit cards are used less commonly than in the USA or Europe. Many businesses in the city accept them and you can expect any major chain - supermarkets, fast food, clothing stores, etc. - to also accept them. The standard 10% tip in restaurant is often expected to be paid in cash, even when you pay the bill by credit card. Bear in mind, tipping is not expected any may only apply to an establishment that does not already add a service charge. If you use a debit or credit card, the checkout operator in places like supermarkets will often require you to present both your card and a form of identification such as a drivers' licence. Present both simultaneously at checkout and with confidence. A lack of confidence will lead to a request for your passport as identification. . PIN cards have become the most common and should be accepted anywhere, as well as magnetic band cards. PINs should be accepted but if not, the shop attendant will ask you to sign the invoice. Contactless credit cards are not commonly accepted as of Nov 2020. '''Traveller's checks''' They are rarely used and may be difficult to exchange, but some banks and exchanges may accept them . Also, Western Union will cash them with proper identification. '''Tipping''' There is no obligation to tip in Zimbabwe although any tip is welcome, given the volatile economy. Some nicer restaurants will add a service charge (10 percent). In these cases tipping is not expected. Sometimes rounding up or telling them to "keep the change" is enough on small checks, deliveries, petrol attendants, etc. Leaving at least a 10% tip is considered kind and polite at restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty parlors, barbers, ushers and car-washes. Tipping bartenders is not customary but will be greatly appreciated. Leaving no tip when feeling unsatisfied is not an uncommon gesture, and will not likely make much of an impression. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. Service fees are included in most upscale hotels and restaurants, usually around 10%. By law it is mandatory that this item is represented in the same text size as the rest of the menu items. ===Costs=== Domestically produced things are very cheap (especially labour-intensive things), and curios are especially well made. However, for a tourist drinking Coke and eating pizza, prices are not that much lower than in South Africa. ==Eat== [[File:Sadza.jpg|thumb|Meat, sadza, greens and sausages]] For a sample of what Zimbabweans eat (in some form, nearly every day), ask for "sadza and stew/relish." The stew part will be familiar, served over a large portion of sadza - a thick ground corn paste (vaguely like polenta and the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) that locals eat at for lunch and supper. It's inexpensive, quite tasty and ''very'' filling. There is a plethora of good Zimbabwean food- "Mbambaira" or sweet potatoes, "chibage" corn on the cob, for example. Fruits indigenous to the country like "masawu" for example. For foreigners, especially from the West, Zimbabwean meat is very tasty, especially the beef, because of animals are raised and fed on a natural diet, mostly of grass. Food options in the cities tend to follow western conventions and British visitors in particular will find themselves right at home as numerous British staples - from pork pies, Cornish pasties and an English breakfast to tea with milk and baked beans- are a hallmark of Zimbabwean cuisine. Fast food is increasingly popular with Nando's and KFC available in most urban areas as well as local brands like Chicken Inn and Wimpy. === Specialities === Specialities worth sampling include '''peri-peri chicken''', a Portuguese/Mozambican influence, '''meat pies''' (which make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch and can be found easily at many supermarkets and bakeries.), '''samosas''' (Indian origin) '''bream''', '''sadza nedovi''' (sadza with vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce), '''boerewors''' (spicy farmer sausages) and '''vetkoek''' (a delicous fried pastry), both South African in origin as the names suggest. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a cattle rearing country, particularly in the south and west, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) beef. The '''braai''' is a typical Southern African barbeque that crosses all classes and ethnicities, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (steaks, beef short ribs, sausage, chuck and sometimes offal) and a peri peri or other sauce over wood fire grill. Drinks are served and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. As in many countries with a similar meat culture, men tend to dominate the grilling, though women and children are always made to feel welcome. Additionally, the restaurant and coffee-shop scene in Harare and Bulawayo are great by continental standards, with a wide variety of places and cuisines to choose from. ==Drink== A variety of domestic brews are made in Zimbabwe, mainly lagers with a few milk stouts. You may even want to try "Chibuku" a local brew popular among working class men that's based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn). It is generally sold in a 2-litre plastic bottle called a 'skud' or a more popular variety called "Chibuku Super" that comes in a disposable 1.25 litre plastic container and costs US$1. As with all alcohol, it's definitely an acquired taste! A more palatable beer is the pilsner like, Zambezi lager which is very refreshing on a hot day. Quality wines at restaurants and liquor stores tend to be South African or European in origin, though there are a few brands worth sampling, the standout being the Western Cape produced, '''Kumusha Wines''', as well as the more established, Mukuyu. The South African creamy liqueur, Amarula, is a common delight. A common tradition across Southern Africa, is '''the Sundowner''', a light aperitive style cocktail consumed at sunset just before dinner. It is usually fizzy, sparkling or citrus based, similar to a spritz in Europe '''Non-alcoholic drinks''' Like the UK, tea is widely drunk across Zimbabwe, especially at breakfast or during work lunch breaks. Most people drink white tea (hot black tea with milk), and some with sugar or honey. Tanganda is a cheap and common brand popular with working class residents. Finer restaurants, hotels and cafés sell a range of different teas, Earl Grey and Rooibos being popular blends, but by no means the only one. Herbal teas are available in affluent parts of town, and lemon may also be offered as an alternative to milk upon request. Coffee is historically less popular in Zimbabwe but is growing in popularity, and best experienced at the many independent cafes in Harare, Bulawayo or touristy regions like the Eastern Highlands. Alternatively South African chains like Mugg & Bean are increasingly popular with young people. In Zimbabwe, '''Mazoe orange crush''' (pronounced "mazowie", roughly) is highly regarded and has near legendary status. It is a condensed orange concentrate drink of a vivid orange colour, meant to be diluted with water, and is a prized by expats and Zimbabweans alike. Whilst anywhere selling drinks in Zimbabwe is highly likely to have Mazoe, it can be increasingly found at specialty and expat stores in South Africa and the UK. An acquired taste, but worth it, are '''Schweppes lemonade, ginger beer and cream soda''' (not too dissimilar to US Root beer), which are locally produced and popular summertime beverages and can be obtained in large supermarkets. Mineral waters can vary from expensive imported brands, through locally bottled waters, which are of a high standard and much more affordable. When travelling be sure to stock up on bottled water is also available, as clean drinking water may be available in remote parts of the country. ==Sleep== Zimbabwe has a great number of tourist facilities, and offers a variety of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to guest houses, lodges, backpacker hostels and safari camps for all budgets. For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "lodges" in serene and peaceful environments, usually on the fridges of the city or near game reserves, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature. If you are on a safari tour there are tented camps, chalets and camping sites in most of the safari areas. Most places have a '''backpacker hostel''' with prices from US$10 a night. ==Stay safe== Generally, Zimbabwe has a much lower crime rate than its neighbors, and Zimbabweans are well known for their unrivaled hospitality. Most crime that does occur is opportunistic in nature and travelers should take care with their personal belongings and follow local advise. It really is just a matter of common sense- which you should exercise no matter where you are. Shortages of fuel and water can occur in parts of the country, so keep extra supplies with you in case they are unavailable for an extended period. Water and electricity supplies are frequently disrupted, so most homes in the cities are equipped with boreholes, solar power or generators. Whilst many locals will politely inquire about you and your country, remember, most Zimbabweans are still sensitive to foreigners' opinions of their country and its politicians, mostly due to years of negative press. In general, it is wise idea to avoid political discussions or discussions pertaining to opinions of political leaders. ===Police=== Policing in Zimbabwe has improved markedly since the Mugabe era. On the whole, Zimbabwean police officers are professional and polite to tourists, but they are underpaid, which can lead to incidents of corruption or bribery. They are generally less aggressive than law enforcement agencies in many other nearby countries, particularly South Africa; '''however, this does not apply to political demonstrations or other politically motivated investigations, which have elicited very strong responses in the past. Tourists, expats and outsiders are strongly discouraged from attending political rallies or events.''' Bribery can occur at police checkpoints or border control but it is important '''to be firm and politely decline,''' as this behavior is not tolerated by senior authorities and harassment of tourists is considered a serious offence. With local exceptions, such as airports, and national events, such as Independence Day parades, the vast majority of police officers in Zimbabwe do not carry firearms, and the only police officers allowed to carry firearms are those from specialist firearms units. Most officers will only speak English, Shona or Ndebele, though they will attempt to find an interpreter for people who can't understand questioning in English. You have the legal right to silence when arrested and to have an interpreter at the police station. Police officers in Zimbabwe usually wear dark blue uniforms, although some wear tan or khaki uniforms. Front-line police (in uniform) are also generally required to have shoulder numbers. Most police are also required to carry a 'warrant card', and should under reasonable circumstances be willing to produce it, to confirm their authority. Private security guards do not generally have any "police-style" powers at all. There are a small number of non-police officials who have limited enforcement powers relating to specific local areas, or certain activities such as on-street parking or accessing some government buildings. ===Road safety=== Although jaywalking is not an offence in Zimbabwe and common in the larger cities, crossing a road other than at a designated crossing should be taken with care. A number of traffic light crossings have a push button to change the 'man' from red to green. Pedestrians have right of way on zebra crossings, that are identified by white stripes on the road and yellow flashing lights. It is advisable to make eye contact with the driver before stepping into the road. Certain roads, such as the Presidents residence, prohibit pedestrians (and cyclists), this is often marked with signs in clearly visible locations ==Stay healthy== [[File:Bulavayo 22032005.jpg|thumb|Bulawayo]] Do your research about what is available. Take all medications that you need along with you. There are a number of private hospitals in the major cities that are very accessible. '''HIV/AIDS''' infection rate in Zimbabwe is the 5th highest in the world at around 13% infected. Though rates have declined from their peak in the 2000s, you should '''never have unprotected sex'''. If you form a serious relationship, consider both getting an HIV test before taking things further. Malaria is prevalent in lower regions of the country in the summertime, so unless you are going to stay entirely within Harare, Bulawayo or highland regions, anti-malarial drugs are advised. Drugs reduce the severity of the disease but don't prevent infection, so also consider precautions such as: * sleeping under a mosquito net (lightweight travel nets are comparatively cool to use) * using mosquito repellent on the skin or burning mosquito coils * wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, particularly in the evening Bilharzia is present in some lakes. Ask locally before swimming. Snakes are common in the bush, and most bites are on the foot or lower leg. If walking, particularly in long grass, wear proper boots and either long, loose trousers or thick, concertinaed hiking socks. Shake out boots and shoes in the morning, in case you have a guest. These precautions also reduce the chance of scorpion sting. If you do get bitten or stung, ''stay calm''. Try to identify the exact culprit, but get to medical assistance as rapidly as you can without undue exertion. Many bites and stings are non-fatal even if not treated, but it is safer to seek treatment, which is very effective these days. '''[[Tap water]]''', as a source of potable water, in general, should be boiled prior to consumption. Bottled water is also available. ==Respect== * Visitors to Zimbabwe will find Zimbabweans incredibly welcoming, friendly, and hospitable. Many will go out of their way to help you and ensure you have a good time. You can freely approach the locals for advice and you can ask them specific directions to get somewhere. * In smaller towns and villages, especially on the road, if you walk past somebody it is customary to exchange pleasantries. They may also ask you "how are you", or another similar variation, is usually standard. A simple hello or "how are you?" or "have a nice day" will suffice. Learning similar phrases in Shona or Ndebele will go a long way with older and more rural inhabitants as well. * Unlike many other African nations, Zimbabweans tend to be punctual and on time to events, especially for business, however, given the importance of public transportation, it's not uncommon to sometimes be a few minutes late to something. A simple apology or acknowledgement of one's tardiness is generally acceptable however, extreme lateness is considered rude and a waste of the other parties' time * '''Zimbabwe is a''' '''multicultural''' '''country.''' Do not make assumptions based on ethnicity or peoples' appearance. Outward displays of racism, discrimination or sexism, will be met with hostility or even land you in trouble with the law. Surprised comments at the presence of white or Asian Zimbabweans will be seen as incredibly ignorant. * Zimbabwean people are generally '''easy going and have a''' '''live and let live attitude and will respect your privacy and personal space'''. That said it is important to greet and acknowledge others when entering a space. * When shaking hands or handing anything valuable to someone in more rural areas, it is polite to support the right forearm with the left hand (or vice versa), to signify the "weight" of the gift or honour. In practice this often means just touching the forearm, or even gesturing towards it. Outsiders are generally not expected to know local etiquette, a firm polite handshake is good enough, though attempts at such will be well appreciated * '''Discussions about politics are generally avoided by locals'''. Opinions between individuals vary significantly, and while few Zimbabweans miss the volatility of the past few decades, few will voluntarily offer their opinions publicly and visitors are advised to do the same. Most Zimbabwean people of moderate views have grown accustomed to simply avoiding the topic in polite conversation, especially as speaking out against the government could have been considered a criminal offense until very recently. {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|-19|30|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Southern_Africa}} cvg7v8009gv249v6g2igdlxy7b4kf4j 4501593 4501592 2022-08-15T13:23:14Z 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040 /* Drink */ I'm guessing that's what the sentence was trying to say wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Victoria Falls banner.jpg|The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe}} '''[http://www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw Zimbabwe]''' is a landlocked country in [[Southern Africa]]. For those looking to travel in [[Africa]], Zimbabwe is a great starting place. It is rich in fauna (being home to the big five) and flora and has numerous ancient stone cities including the largest in Africa south of the Sahara, [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Its border with [[Zambia]] is formed by the Zambezi River which when in full flood drops as the world's largest curtain of falling water at the mighty [[Victoria Falls]] which is a major tourist attraction. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Zimbabwe regions map v2.png | regionmaptext=Map of Zimbabwe | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Matabeleland]] | region1color=#7cb985 | region1items= | region1description= Forms the western part of the country with [[Bulawayo]], the second largest city, the stunning [[Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)|Victoria Falls]] and [[Hwange National Park]]. | region2name=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]] | region2color=#cacf84 | region2items= | region2description= At the eastern end of Lake Kariba, it is popular for holidays with Zimbabweans due to the many national parks, such as [[Mana Pools National Park]], on the shores of the Zambezi River which provide good opportunities for game viewing. | region3name=[[Mashonaland]] | region3color=#9994af | region3items= | region3description= Includes the capital city, [[Harare]], and surrounding areas, including the northern part of the Midlands Province. | region4name=[[Eastern Highlands]] | region4color=#5a8b84 | region4items= | region4description= The mountainous area of the country tucked up along the eastern border where the countries peak, Moutn Inyangani is located. The main city is [[Mutare]]. | region5name=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]] | region5color=#d1a364 | region5items= | region5description= A mixed area with the southern part of the midlands in the north and the Lowveld in the south. Nature is more of the attraction here, with many national parks and the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#7cb985|title=[[Matabeleland]]|wikidata=Q1266775}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cacf84|title=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]]|wikidata=Q14206735}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9994af|title=[[Mashonaland]]|wikidata=Q1640913}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5a8b84|title=[[Eastern Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1278183}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d1a364|title=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q14210029}} ==Cities== [[Image:Eastgate_Centre,_Harare,_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|Skyline of Harare, Capital of Zimbabwe]] Zimbabwe has 4 large cities and several smaller ones. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harare]]|wikidata=Q3921}} — the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe, Harare is a vibrant city in a larger metropolitan province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bulawayo]]|wikidata=Q193250}} — the second largest city with historic Victorian, Edwardian and midcentury architecture. It is the second city, both by population and economic activity *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chimanimani]]|wikidata=Q1073089}} - Gateway to the Eastern Highlands *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gweru]]|wikidata=Q399316}} - Located in the centre of the country close to the Danangombe ruins. Also the capital of the Midlands Province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} — a lakeshore holiday resort on border with [[Zambia]] *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Masvingo]]|wikidata=Q601142}} — named (meaning "ruins") after the nearby Great Zimbabwe National Monument *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mutare]]|wikidata=Q399322}} - the major city closest to the scenic Eastern Highlands and the Mozambique coast. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Victoria Falls]]|wikidata=Q1393804}} is a popular tourist destination located in the western corner of the country. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world<!-- presumably [[Seven Natural Wonders (CNN)]]? there are many differing lists--> and the spray from waterfall waters a rainforest. [[Image:Lion-hwange.jpg|thumb|Lion resting near a termite mound]] * {{marker|name=[[Gonarezhou National Park]]|wikidata=Q595121}} * {{marker|name=[[Great Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q209217}} - The archaeological remains of an ancient city built of stone (the largest in Southern Africa), that was the capital of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from this city) and Mozambique. The word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone.' * The Eastern Highlands include some of Zimbabwe's most beautiful views. The lush, cloud-hung mountains form the border with [[Mozambique]]. The regional capital is Mutare, and Chimanimani is a village popular with tourists and walkers. * {{marker|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} - The formidable Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe is the result of a large damming project along the Zambezi River. Kariba is a popular tourist destination and affords visitors the opportunity to watch African wildlife in its almost natural environment. It is the biggest source of hydro-electric power for Zimbabwe. If you are travelling with friends or family consider hiring a houseboat for a few days to really experience everything the lake and the wildlife have to offer. * {{marker|name=[[Matobo National Park|Matobo]]|wikidata=Q917429}} (formerly Matopos) - This area southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland boasts exquisite rock formations, as if nature had been playing marbles. Rocks are found balancing in ways that defy logic, a situation created by the eroding winds blowing out the sand between. The rocks are home to the dassie, a small rodent-type animal known more formally as Rock Hyrax, the skins of which are used to make a blanket treasured amongst the local populace. Also present in great numbers are the brightly coloured lizards common to Zimbabwe. The area has two large dams and many smaller ones that become the scene of family picnics, and angling competitions on weekends. A game park is home to herds of sable antelope, an animal not seen further south. The National Park boasts self catering chalets with amazing views as well as camping sights. * Matobo is also the sight of Cecil John Rhodes' grave and some exquisite cave paintings. * {{marker|name=[[Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine]]|wikidata=Q14226092}} * {{marker|name=[[Chinhoyi Caves]]|wikidata=Q782743}} ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationZimbabwe.png}} ===History=== Stone cities were built in many locations in present-day Zimbabwe. The most impressive structures and the best known of these, Great Zimbabwe, were built in the 15th century, but people had been living on the site from about 400 AD. The Khami Ruins just outside Bulawayo are also a wonderful example. The population was overwhelmingly made up of Shona speakers until the 19th century when the Nguni tribe (in 1839-40) of the Ndebele settled in what is now Matabeleland, and then in 1890, the territory came under the control of the British South Africa Company under charter from the British Government. The [[United Kingdom]] annexed the land, then called Southern Rhodesia, from the British South Africa Company in 1923, when the country got its own government and Prime Minister. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favoured whites in power. In 1965, this white supremacist government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black majority. UN sanctions and a guerrilla struggle finally led to free elections and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe became the first democratic leader of Zimbabwe. While initially lauded for his talk of reconciliation and his government's investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, he slowly consolidated power from 1980-1987 as prime minister, and 1987-2017 as president. Starting in 2000, the government expropriated some very productive farms, which were in the hands of white Zimbabweans, as punishment for their support of the main opposition party, the MDC and handed them over to members of corrupt members of Mugabe's ZANU party, many of whom had no interest in farming, resulting in a drastic falloff in local food production. In 2005, he started a program which cleared slums, forcing hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. Rigged elections and human rights abuses led to widespread emigration and international sanctions. Eventually, misrule and sanctions triggered massive, runaway inflation and a third of the population to choose to migrate. Elections were routinely marred by violence, directed by the ruling ZANU-PF party against opposition supporters. Following widespread protests, a power-sharing agreement was signed between President Mugabe and the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008. This briefly stabilized the political situation, but continued inflation led to the withdrawal of the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation in 2009; at the end, 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars would not buy a loaf of bread. The defunct Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by a basket of currencies and ultimately adoption of the US dollar. The coalition government ended with Tsvangirai's 2013 electoral defeat in what was widely held to be a rigged election. By 2016 currency shortages were common, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe directing banks to limit withdrawals to US$20-50/day or US$150/week. In November 2016 another toy currency ("bond notes") was introduced at par with the US dollar. US cash is king, however, and the bond notes often trade at a discount if they're accepted at all. Usability of credit cards is sporadic as businesses have trouble accessing hard currency to pay for imports. Mr. Mugabe remained President until November 2017 when, at the age of 93 with serious questions about his health, he failed in a brazen attempt to continue the family stranglehold on power by sacking the country's vice president as a first step toward installing his wife Grace as a presidential candidate for the 2018 election cycle. This led to an enraged military deposing him; most of the original veterans of the 1980 uprising against Rhodesia turned against Mugabe, with his own ZANU-PF party forcing his resignation by calling a vote in the legislature to impeach him. Mugabe was subsequently replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who he had sacked. Mnangagwa remained President when he was elected in the 2018 general elections which like the 2013 elections were widely criticized for irregularities domestically and internationally. The current government has rolled back some the excesses of Mugabe, and declared the country <nowiki>''</nowiki>open for business", as well as a proposal to re-join the Commonwealth, but his time in office has not been free of strife: in 2019, widespread protests that were held after the government announced a 130% rise in fuel prices were met by violence from the police and military. However, it is not all gloomy: the government has led the continent in its vaccine programme, besting its larger and wealthier peers. ===Climate=== Zimbabwe has an excellent subtropical highland climate that is moderated by altitude. The rainy season is in summer from November to March. Although there are recurring droughts, floods and severe storms are rare. Winter temperatures can drop below 5° Celsius whilst summers can be very hot, they rarely go over 32°C (90°F), with the exception of lower regions of the country such as the Zambezi valley. ===Terrain=== Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld). There is a mountain range in east including the scenic Chimanimani mountains. The Lowveld is found in south eastern corner. '''Elevation extremes''' : ''lowest point:'' junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 meters ''highest point:'' Inyangani 2,592 m === Culture === Owing to Zimbabwe’s ethnic diversity, varied geography, history and history of immigration, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by language ad culture, some regions have distinct practices. Music plays an important part in Zimbabwean identity. Styles like '''sungura''', '''jazz''', gospel, urban grooves and '''Zimdancehall''' are considered genuinely Zimbabwean. Sungura music is the national equivalent of roots music. Zimdancehall, which mixes several national styles with Jamaican dancehall and reggae and has become popular with the youth nationwide. New urban styles include dance music inspired by house music. Additionally, most Zimbabweans are familiar with and fans of Western popular music. ZBC is the country's public broadcaster and somewhat analogous to the BBC in the UK. In addition, Zimbabweans increasingly have access to many other cable or satellite TV channels. Half of households have satellite TV, which is the most important source of information and entertainment for most Zimbabweans, however this trails the internet largely accessed via cell phone and accessible to most of the population, universally so in cities and among young people. === People === [[File:Ene mbira.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu]] Zimbabwe is a mix of different cultures with their own beliefs and ceremonies, including the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings which are made with the finest materials available. Shona music is also deservedly famous. Probably the best-known Shona instrument is the mbira dzavadzimu, sometimes misleadingly called the "thumb piano" by non-Africans but actually meaning "voice of the ancestors". Mbira music contains harmony and can be a kind of shifting kaleidoscope of counterpoint and lively polyrhythms. It is very tuneful, and the mbiras are often accompanied by a rattle called a hosho. Mbira music is central to Shona culture and identity and is traditionally considered a form of worship of the ancestors. The second largest group in the country are the Ndebele people, who are distantly related to the Zulu of South Africa, whose language is mostly intelligible with Zulu and partially so with the Xhosa language of South Africa. Although their numbers have fallen since the end of white minority rule, Zimbabwe still retains a substantial white population, most of whom are of British descent, with notable minorities of Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish and Greek extraction. Other groups include Asians, coloureds (mixed race people) and immigrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Congo and their descendants, the majority of whom have assimilated into Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwe also a has a large diaspora mostly in South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, so don't be surprised if you run into a 'diasporan' with a Western accent and outlook during your visit, as they have become significant investors and visitors within the county's tourism and real estate sectors. In general, Zimbabweans are a warm, easy going, open minded people. Friendship, family and hospitality are highly prized among Zimbos, and both family connections and social interactions are valued highly. To people they have met, or at least know by name, Zimbabweans are usually polite, friendly and sometimes quite generous. Zimbabweans are reputedly one of the most hospitable people in the world and foreigners are usually treated with respect and hospitality. Whereas the roots of Zimbabwean culture are African and proudly so, Zimbabwe is still a nation that is heavily influenced by the United Kingdom, and the middle class often look to London as a source of inspiration, especially given the poor and corrupt leadership in the country. Many Zimbabweans also display an ambivalent attitude to South Africa which increasingly dominates Zimbabwe's economy and whose ruling class is seen as enabling the corrupt Mnagagwa government. Zimbabweans speak English natively and have the highest literacy rate in Africa. That said visitors will receive a very warm welcome if they try to start conversations in Shona or Ndebele. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe has faced an increasing wave of immigration from China, Congo, Malawi and Mozambique as well as an exodus of the many residents to the UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia. ===Economy=== Once Africa's fastest growing economy and one of its most dynamic, with a large and confident middle class, especially by developing country standards, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone a dramatic economic collapse and since 2010 an uneven and sometimes volatile recovery . There had been a few signs of improvement since the formation the Mnagagwa government in 2018, but the Zimbabwean economy remained plagued by high unemployment, deindustrialisation and a growing divide between a well connected and affluent elite and the rest of the population. The new government has claimed Zimbabwe 'is open for business' and though consumer goods are now widely available and certain industries have recovered (real estate, tourism and construction), the country lags behind its neighbors to the south, a far cry from its post independence heyday. A rebound in mineral prices, real estate and tourism and a continent-leading vaccine programme, allowed GDP to rebound by more than 5% in the 2020 according to the World Bank, but Zimbabwe remains a lower middle income country with a corrupt and affluent elite, a stretched middle class and a large unemployed youth population. Gross domestic product is lower than it was in 2000; with subsequent recovery slow and uneven. That said, the country still has decent infrastructure, especially for tourism (though upkeep can be very inconsistent), a large diaspora that invests in and remains committed to improving their home country and recent government efforts that made it easier to invest in tourism and to make it a more friendly and accessible destination '''* 1 January''': New Year's Day * '''21 February ''': National Youth Day or Robert Mugabe Youth Day * '''18 April''': Independence Day * '''1 May''' - Workers Day * '''25 May''' - Africa Day * '''22 December''' - Unity Day * '''25 December''' - Christmas * '''26 December''' - Boxing Day In Zimbabwe, if a holiday falls on Sunday, the next day (Monday) will automatically be observed as public day. Hence, it will be a holiday. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Zimbabwe.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Zimbabwe]] ===Entry requirements=== ====Category A - no visa required==== Passport holders of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (unless otherwise noted): [[Angola]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Aruba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Botswana]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Cyprus]], [[DR Congo]], [[Eswatini]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Hong Kong]] (6 months), [[Jamaica]], [[Kenya]], [[Kiribati]], [[Lesotho]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malaysia]], [[Malawi]], [[Maldives]], [[Malta]], [[Mauritius]], [[Montserrat]], [[Mozambique]] (30 days), [[Namibia]], [[Nauru]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Samoa]], [[Seychelles]], [[Singapore]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Africa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Tonga]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Uganda]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Zambia]]. ====Category B - visa on arrival==== Passport holders of the following are eligible to get a visa on arrival to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (for purpose of tourism) or for up to 30 days (for purpose of business): [[Albania]], [[Algeria]], [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bermuda]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Brunei]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Chile]], [[China]], [[Comoros]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Egypt]], [[El Salvador]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Estonia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Guatemala]], [[Guyana]], [[Haiti]], [[Honduras]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Macao]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mexico]], [[Micronesia]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Palestine]], [[Panama]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[San Marino]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Senegal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Suriname]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Vatican City]] and [[Venezuela]]. Visa fees as of July 2019 at the port of entry for Category B nationals are as follows: US$30 (single entry), US$45 (double entry), US$55 (multiple entry). Cash only. A valid passport, travel itinerary, and return or onward journey ticket must be presented. Note that Canadian citizens are only able to obtain single entry visas on arrival at a cost of US$75, whilst British and Irish citizens pay higher fees for a Zimbabwe visa on arrival (US$55 for single entry and US$70 for double entry). ====Category C - visa before arrival==== Passport holders of other countries must get a visa prior to arrival to Zimbabwe. Category C citizens may apply for a visa (for business, holiday, conferencing or transit) online through the [https://www.evisa.gov.zw/ eVisa system of the Zimbabwe Department of Immigration]. Visa fee can be paid online or on arrival. It takes an average of two working days to obtain an e-Visa, however the period may vary due to a number of factors. The e-Visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. Visas can be obtained at Zimbabwean embassies/consulates. The fees for a visa vary between US$30 and 180 and depend on the applicant's nationality. You might be able to apply for a Zimbabwean visa at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zimbabwean diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy in [http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null Amman] accepts Zimbabwean visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zimbabwean visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zimbabwe require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zimbabwe can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly. ====KAZA universal visa==== Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called [https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/ KAZA Visa]. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula). The fee is US$50 and is available at the following border crossings in Zambia: Livingstone Airport, Lusaka Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border; in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Airport, Harare Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border. Eligible countries are: [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Brunei]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Haiti]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Samoa]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Turkey]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]] and [[Uruguay]]. ===By plane=== [[Image:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|Harare International Airport]] [[Harare]] International Airport has a number of international flights, mainly to other African countries. When coming from Europe, you can fly via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Cairo. From South Africa you can fly with [http://www.flysaa.com South African Airways], [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ Airlink], British Airways, or Air Zimbabwe. Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air fly to Harare from Europe. SAA operates to quite a few European and African airports and has flights from Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls to Johannesburg ([[South Africa]]). Air Botswana has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Gaborone. Air Namibia has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Windhoek. Malawian Airlines has flights from Harare to Lilongwe. British Airways has stopped non-stop flights between Harare and Heathrow. but has have flights from Harare via Johannesburg to Heathrow. Victoria Falls airport has daily service by South African Airways, [http://www.saairlink.co.za South African Airlink] and British Airways to and from Johannesburg. [[Bulawayo]] also has an international airport, with flights from Johannesburg operated by SAA and Air Zimbabwe. For domestic flights inside Zimbabwe, Harare to Victoria Falls there is Air Zimbabwe and Fly Africa. Air Zimbabwe also fly from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Kariba. *Low-cost airline '''Fastjet Zimbabwe''' has one-way domestic fares from US$20, and international fares from US$50. Fastjet fly from Harare to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. There is also low-cost airline '''Fly Africa''' which goes from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, Harare to Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls to Harare. ===By car=== Zimbabwe is accessible by road from the countries that surround it. Contrary to past scenarios, the fuel situation has improved with prices now being quoted in US dollars. As fuel has to be imported from either Mozambique or South Africa, you can expect to pay more per litre than you would in most other Southern African countries. Roads in Zimbabwe vary significantly, from newly tarred and refurbished to completely dilapidated or untarred, and due caution should be taken when driving, especially at night, and in particular, during the holiday season when there are more vehicles on the road. In general major thoroughfares and affluent areas have better roads than poorer or rural regions. Potholes are a common occurrence so always drive with caution. When in doubt always ask for local advice. ===By bus=== Regular deluxe bus services operate from Johannesburg to Harare. A number of buses also travel from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. Greyhound drives to both destinations. Tickets can be obtained directly from Greyhound or through the Computicket website. Several bus companies also operate direct buses from Harare to [[Blantyre]], [[Malawi]] and [[Pretoria]] and [[Johannesburg]] No public transport exists from Victoria Falls directly to Botswana - a taxi to the border will cost around USD40, or some hotels in Vic Falls can arrange transfers. === By train === As of 2018, '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs one international passenger service, a twice-weekly overnight train from [[Francistown]], [[Botswana]] to [[Bulawayo]], and offers services to [[Harare]] and [[Mutare]]. [http://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/ '''Shosholoza Meyl'''] runs a passenger service from [[Johannesburg]] to the border city Musina, from where it's possible to cross into Zimbabwe. Additionally, the private company '''[https://www.rovos.com Rovos Rail]''' runs an luxurious excursion train from [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]] to [[Victoria Falls]] several times per month. Matching the luxury, prices are extravagant with journeys costing thousand of dollars. ==Get around== [[File:Bus-stop.jpg|thumb|Minibus stop]] Between cities, you travel using luxury coaches like Pathfinder and Citilink. You can also get decent buses from RoadPort in Harare to other major cities including those in neighbouring countries like Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe. Minibus taxis are available for intra-city transport, and are relatively inexpensive by European standards. They provide a cheap, though a not necessarily comfortable way of seeing the true Zimbabwe. Hitchhiking is also a viable option, but tourists need to take care with whom they accept lifts from; hijackings and robberies of hitchhikers, especially within Harare, have been on the increase in the last few years. Be sure to bring some money along, as drivers very often expect some sort of fee to be paid up front. The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe seems to have improved considerably since the stabilization of the economy. Roads between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Masvingo and Mutare are all in relatively good condition. The highway between Plumtree and Mutare (passing through Bulawayo and Harare in between) is being resurfaced. Almost no fuel station in Zimbabwe takes credit cards. Also road blocks are common but usually police just want to see your driver's licence and your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Police can fine you if you do not have reflective reflectors on your car, red hazard triangles in your boot, a spare tire, or a fire extinguisher, so be sure to carry those items if you want to avoid a fine. The taxi app in Zimbabwe is called Vaya, but you will need a Zimbabwean phone number to use it. Its exchange rate is fixed at Z$1 to US$1, so you will want to pay in Zimbabwean dollars (RTGS). ===By train=== The more adventurous tourists could travel by train around Zimbabwe. '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs services between most major cities at least three times per week. Many popular routes have been revived such as the Harare-Mutare route, however stock is mostly from the post war era, so don't expect to get to your destination quickly. That said trains are very safe and (in first or business class) a comfortable and relaxing way to see much of the country. The most popular route is the daily overnight train between [[Bulawayo]] and [[Victoria Falls]]. This train passes through ''Hwange National Park'', one of the biggest national parks in Africa, and there are plenty of opportunities to see wild animals along the route. There is an tri-weekly overnight service between Bulawayo and the capital [[Harare]] as well. ==Talk== {{Infobox|Belgravia? Balmoral? Bayswater?|More than any other African country, there are times when Zimbabwe can feel very British to outsiders. American visitors will find phrases like boot, bonnet and treacle particularly puzzling, but English has a long history in the country and cultivated accents remain the standard among the educated elite, be they black or white. Indeed, despite his disdain for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former President Robert Mugabe spoke in a cultivated accent, had a taste for bespoke Savile Row suits and famously proclaimed that he wanted Zimbabwe "to be a nation of gentlemen". Zimbabweans take great pride in their literacy and view English as theirs as much as their own native language. Authors such as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Austen are celebrated. A private school education from the likes of Peterhouse, Arundel or St George's College that leads to either Oxford or Cambridge (and more recently the University of Cape Town) is considered the ultimate ladder to success. And this extends beyond language and education to the food and even the mannerisms of the middle class. Indeed, British expats will feel quite at home in Zimbabwe. “British” events such as car boot sales, village fetes, fun runs and fundraisers — not to mention football, cricket, tennis and rugby — are the norm on the weekends. Many Zimbabweans now have family in the UK and see it as a natural destination to avoid economic malaise at home and xenophobia in nearby South Africa. Harare's leading newspapers have names like the Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette and have long considered themselves the intellectual heavyweights in the region especially over the South Africans, who are considered by Zimbabweans to be brash and uncouth. British visitors will find plenty of familiar place names, including Ascot, Avondale, Belgravia, Dulwich, Derwent, Groombridge, Kensington, Lewisham and Strathaven. Few sights present as quintessentially British a scene as admiring the immaculately trimmed oval at Queens Park in Bulawayo or Harare Sports Club during a test match against one of the Big Three of India, Australia or England. With a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in the UK, increasingly into their second generation, and having notably boosted the fortunes of the country's national football team, the relationship between the two countries lives on.}} Zimbabwe has 16 official languages though in practice English, Shona and Sindebele/Ndebele are by far the most spoken. English, besides being traditionally used for official business, serves as a ''lingua franca'' between Zimbabweans of different ethnicities and will be the most useful for travelling throughout the country, though any attempts to speak the local language will greatly endear you to the locals or at the very least earn you a few laughs. Speakers of non-native languages tend to be few and far in between and are mostly Portuguese by people with roots in Mozambique, Angola or Portugal or French largely spoken by Congolese migrants in parts of Harare and Bulawayo. ==See== [[File:Zambezi-at-Mutsango.JPG|thumb|Elephants crossing Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park]]For many visitors, Zimbabwe as a country has the same appeal as the natural landscapes for which it's famous. . === Urban life === Zim's large cities all bustle with life. The famous capital, [[Harare]], is the one of Africa's most pleasant cities. It's a city of contrasts, there's expensive cosmopolitan boutiques, buzzing nightlife and delicious ethnic cuisine. However, it's the classic, unpolished side of the city that makes it a charming destination. The central colorful neighbourhoods where crazy traffic sounds drown out distant dance tunes, the pleasant street-cafés and garden restaurants, busy outdoor markets and historic colonial architecture. Avondale and Mount Pleasant are pleasant, older neighbourhoods of the city and a good place to indulge in the city vibe of cafés, street markets, and antique markets in a garden suburban setting. The atmosphere is perhaps Harare's biggest attraction, but some of the main sights include the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Human Sciences. Zimbabwe's other cities share the energetic buzz of Harare, but have a distinct character of their own. [[Bulawayo]] is a lively yet laid-back city, characterized by broad avenues and Victorian architecture. It's famous as a 'heritage city' far beyond the borders of Zimbabwe and a perfect starting point for the country's game parks to the north. In the east, [[Mutare]], is well known for its scenic setting and is also a good base for hiking and other outdoor activities in the Eastern Highlands. The city of [[Gweru]] has shaken off its agricultural roots and is increasingly a vibrant university city. Masvingo, hosts classic Victorian architecture and serves as the gateway to exploring the Great Zimbabwe ruins === Nature === #{{see | name=Hwange National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1571380 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, this park boasts more than 100 different animal species and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few great elephants sanctuaries in Africa with over 30,000 elephants. }} #{{see | name=Matobo National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1778838 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also known as Matopos, this small park close to Bulawayo was awarded a UNESCO world heritage status in 2003 for its fascinating natural features and wildlife. }} #{{see | name=Mana Pools National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q693254 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mana Pools National Park, South of the Zambezi river in the North of Zimbabwe, is a UNESCO world heritage site. A remote location, it welcomes happy few safari lovers with an abundance of elephant, hippo, lions, antelope, giraffe and other animals, and over 350 bird species, in stunning landscapes. }} #{{see | name=Great Zimbabwe Ruins | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.27 | long=30.933 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q209217 | lastedit=2021-12-29 | content=In the vicinity of Masvingo, the sixth largest Zimbabwean city, Great Zimbabwe ruins are the remains of one of the greatest African civilizations: the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe dominated the area from present Zimbabwe, East of Botswana and South East of Mozambique in the late Iron Age (between 1100 and 1450 AD). From the impressive granite stone complex that was once built, the ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km2) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km). }} === Sport === Zimbabweans love sport and are justifiably proud of their country's achievements and how they have constantly punched above their weight on the international stage. The main five sports are: Association football, Rugby Union, Cricket, tennis and Golf. All of these sports attract a widespread following, both at matches themselves and on television; and it is very common to find televised coverage of them shown in pubs, hotels and bars. There are popular grounds to all these sports around the country: Rufaro (Harare), Bourbourfields (Bulawayo), National Sports stadium (Harare) and Ascot (Gweru) for football, Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Alexandra (Harare) for cricket, Police Grounds (Harare), Old Hararians (Harare) and Hartsfield (Bulawayo) for rugby, as well as the Royal Harare Golf Club for golf. * '''Football''' means association football or soccer. It is by far the most popular spectator sport, especially with the working class and is very widely played across the country at amateur and professional levels, with the highest competition being the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and the best talent moving on to play in European leagues. Dynamos (nicknamed the Glamour Boys for their dazzling 'carpet soccer' are the toast of middle class Harare), CAPS United (has a more working class fanbase) and Highlanders ( the historic Bulawayo team) are the most supported teams in the country, with a derby between either side the highlight of the season. * '''Rugby''' is invariably rugby union has 15 players per team, and is popular with the middle classes. While the Zimbabwean national team has not been to the World Cup in two decades, they have produced countless world class players many who've gone on to glittering careers abroad. The country's highest domestic team, the Zimbabwe Academy team, plays in South Africa's Currie Cup. Old Georgians and Old Hararians are two of the countries most prestigious clubs, the latter noted for their exciting 'champagne rugby' inspired by the passing French style of play. That said the standard of play is high up to the high school level and high school games are popular and cheap weekend affairs * '''Cricket''' is played only in the summer, and tends to be most popular in the cities. Zimbabwe is a highly competitive, if often underdog side. Visiting tours by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are considered the highlight of the summer sporting season and are well worth a trip to one of the country's fine cricket ovals * Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in '''tennis''', particularly in doubles and at the Davis Cup, often the only African nation in the top tier division. Tennis is often played on hard court though grass courts are present in affluent areas like Borrowdale. Davis Cup games are the most popular and attract enthusiastic crowds. In '''golf''', Zimbabwe forms part of the Sunshine tour with its neighbors, the third most prestigious after the PGA and European tours. The country has produced numerous golfers such as Nick Price and Mark McNulty and plenty of excellent golf courses are found in or near the larger cities * Zimbabwe is also a respected competitor in '''equestrian''' activities, and several major events in the racing calendar are held at various venues. The most prestigious events on the horse racing calendar include the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard both held in Harare in the autumn and winter. == Do == * '''Bungee jumping''' at Victoria Falls. An incredible experience off the Victoria Falls bridge over the mighty Zambezi - 111 metres of pure adrenaline. * Walk with the lions, swim with the elephants, ride a horse. and enjoy other game activities at '''Antelope Park''' near Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo. * An Authentic African Safari. Walking, canoeing or on a game drive in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools with African Bush Camps. * '''Harare International Festival of Arts'''. (HIFA), every year in Harare (end of April) with some extension in Bulawayo. Music, Theater, and other shows sponsored by foreign embassies, it features top international and local artists,and also brings in town a great artcraft market. * '''Diving''': The only site accessible to recreational divers is Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine, a flooded asbestos quarry 120 km by road from Harare. Good visibility and beautiful surroundings. You need technical cave-diving skills to venture into Chinhoyi Caves, 120 km from Harare. The caves are mostly water-filled, and are more than 120 m deep. The full cave system has not yet been explored. No diving infrastructure, this is an expedition where you take everything. * The excellent climate, combined with investments in the golfing infrastructure, has turned the country into a '''golfing haven'''. Fourteen of Zimbabwe's courses are rated in the top 100 best in Africa. Zimbabwe is also a great and cheap location to learn the game and perfect technique. Many resorts and clubs offer classes with rising players. Courses can satisfy the most demanding golfer, while newcomers won't be intimidated, unless they find the beautiful landscapes and stunning vistas distracting to their game. Though Zimbabwe has long punched above its weight in the golf world, the average local has mixed feelings about golf courses, namely due to the huge amounts of water required to maintain them but appreciate the revenue they generate. * The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel guide's advice a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of '''Vumba''' or white-water rafting in the affluents of the Zambezi is an exhilirating experience. ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Zimbabwe dollars (official rates) | currencyCode=ZW$ | date=December 2021 | USD=110 | source=https://www.rbz.co.zw/index.php | EUR=120 | GBP=150 | ZAR=23 }} ===Money=== Since June 2019, the only legal tender in Zimbabwe has been the new “Zimbabwe dollar” (Z$, ISO code ZWL), also known as the "RTGS dollar" or the "Zim dollar". It includes Zimbabwean bond notes, bond coins and mobile money such as Ecocash. New Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were issued in November 2019. The value of the currency is volatile. In January 2022, the [https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/currency/usdzwd street rate] for US dollars was ZW6380 = US$1. Some shops use a [https://zimpricecheck.com/price-updates/official-and-black-market-exchange-rates/# rate] of ZW$160 = US$1 in setting their prices. Most retailers and service providers are trading their products in U.S. dollars or pegging their prices in Zimbabwe dollars using U.S. dollar black market rates. Some retailers and public transport operators are no longer accepting denominations lower than the Zimbabwe dollar coin. Wikivoyage articles generally quote prices in U.S. dollars. There are many ATMs which take Visa and MasterCard. However, you ''will not'' be able to withdraw money from any ATMs, so bring plenty of cash. Try to obtain Zimbabwean dollars before you arrive, otherwise you will have to change your U.S. dollars after you arrive. If bringing U.S. dollars, bring smaller denomination notes, e.g. US$20 and below. Anything larger is unlikely to be accepted. Change will be given in Zimbabwean dollars. Many banks do not have enough bank notes due to a shortage of paper, so will only change U.S. dollars for Ecocash. Registering for Ecocash is recommended. You will need your ID to buy an EcoNet SIM card at EcoNet shops or other small phone shops. You can then register for EcoCash, but you will need to produce your ID again to activate your account. You can then load your account at a bank, and spend money in most shops using your PIN. A growing number of businesses accept Visa and MasterCard in Zimbabwe, however shop workers are often resistant to use them. Be careful what currency your card is charged in, otherwise you may get charged US$10 instead of Z$10! '''Credit cards''' Credit cards are used less commonly than in the USA or Europe. Many businesses in the city accept them and you can expect any major chain - supermarkets, fast food, clothing stores, etc. - to also accept them. The standard 10% tip in restaurant is often expected to be paid in cash, even when you pay the bill by credit card. Bear in mind, tipping is not expected any may only apply to an establishment that does not already add a service charge. If you use a debit or credit card, the checkout operator in places like supermarkets will often require you to present both your card and a form of identification such as a drivers' licence. Present both simultaneously at checkout and with confidence. A lack of confidence will lead to a request for your passport as identification. . PIN cards have become the most common and should be accepted anywhere, as well as magnetic band cards. PINs should be accepted but if not, the shop attendant will ask you to sign the invoice. Contactless credit cards are not commonly accepted as of Nov 2020. '''Traveller's checks''' They are rarely used and may be difficult to exchange, but some banks and exchanges may accept them . Also, Western Union will cash them with proper identification. '''Tipping''' There is no obligation to tip in Zimbabwe although any tip is welcome, given the volatile economy. Some nicer restaurants will add a service charge (10 percent). In these cases tipping is not expected. Sometimes rounding up or telling them to "keep the change" is enough on small checks, deliveries, petrol attendants, etc. Leaving at least a 10% tip is considered kind and polite at restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty parlors, barbers, ushers and car-washes. Tipping bartenders is not customary but will be greatly appreciated. Leaving no tip when feeling unsatisfied is not an uncommon gesture, and will not likely make much of an impression. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. Service fees are included in most upscale hotels and restaurants, usually around 10%. By law it is mandatory that this item is represented in the same text size as the rest of the menu items. ===Costs=== Domestically produced things are very cheap (especially labour-intensive things), and curios are especially well made. However, for a tourist drinking Coke and eating pizza, prices are not that much lower than in South Africa. ==Eat== [[File:Sadza.jpg|thumb|Meat, sadza, greens and sausages]] For a sample of what Zimbabweans eat (in some form, nearly every day), ask for "sadza and stew/relish." The stew part will be familiar, served over a large portion of sadza - a thick ground corn paste (vaguely like polenta and the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) that locals eat at for lunch and supper. It's inexpensive, quite tasty and ''very'' filling. There is a plethora of good Zimbabwean food- "Mbambaira" or sweet potatoes, "chibage" corn on the cob, for example. Fruits indigenous to the country like "masawu" for example. For foreigners, especially from the West, Zimbabwean meat is very tasty, especially the beef, because of animals are raised and fed on a natural diet, mostly of grass. Food options in the cities tend to follow western conventions and British visitors in particular will find themselves right at home as numerous British staples - from pork pies, Cornish pasties and an English breakfast to tea with milk and baked beans- are a hallmark of Zimbabwean cuisine. Fast food is increasingly popular with Nando's and KFC available in most urban areas as well as local brands like Chicken Inn and Wimpy. === Specialities === Specialities worth sampling include '''peri-peri chicken''', a Portuguese/Mozambican influence, '''meat pies''' (which make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch and can be found easily at many supermarkets and bakeries.), '''samosas''' (Indian origin) '''bream''', '''sadza nedovi''' (sadza with vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce), '''boerewors''' (spicy farmer sausages) and '''vetkoek''' (a delicous fried pastry), both South African in origin as the names suggest. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a cattle rearing country, particularly in the south and west, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) beef. The '''braai''' is a typical Southern African barbeque that crosses all classes and ethnicities, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (steaks, beef short ribs, sausage, chuck and sometimes offal) and a peri peri or other sauce over wood fire grill. Drinks are served and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. As in many countries with a similar meat culture, men tend to dominate the grilling, though women and children are always made to feel welcome. Additionally, the restaurant and coffee-shop scene in Harare and Bulawayo are great by continental standards, with a wide variety of places and cuisines to choose from. ==Drink== A variety of domestic brews are made in Zimbabwe, mainly lagers with a few milk stouts. You may even want to try "Chibuku" a local brew popular among working class men that's based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn). It is generally sold in a 2-litre plastic bottle called a 'skud' or a more popular variety called "Chibuku Super" that comes in a disposable 1.25 litre plastic container and costs US$1. As with all alcohol, it's definitely an acquired taste! A more palatable beer is the pilsner like, Zambezi lager which is very refreshing on a hot day. Quality wines at restaurants and liquor stores tend to be South African or European in origin, though there are a few brands worth sampling, the standout being the Western Cape produced, '''Kumusha Wines''', as well as the more established, Mukuyu. The South African creamy liqueur, Amarula, is a common delight. A common tradition across Southern Africa, is '''the Sundowner''', a light aperitive style cocktail consumed at sunset just before dinner. It is usually fizzy, sparkling or citrus based, similar to a spritz in Europe '''Non-alcoholic drinks''' Like the UK, tea is widely drunk across Zimbabwe, especially at breakfast or during work lunch breaks. Most people drink white tea (hot black tea with milk), and some with sugar or honey. Tanganda is a cheap and common brand popular with working class residents. Finer restaurants, hotels and cafés sell a range of different teas, Earl Grey and Rooibos being popular blends, but by no means the only one. Herbal teas are available in affluent parts of town, and lemon may also be offered as an alternative to milk upon request. Coffee is historically less popular in Zimbabwe but is growing in popularity, and best experienced at the many independent cafes in Harare, Bulawayo or touristy regions like the Eastern Highlands. Alternatively South African chains like Mugg & Bean are increasingly popular with young people. In Zimbabwe, '''Mazoe orange crush''' (pronounced "mazowie", roughly) is highly regarded and has near legendary status. It is a condensed orange concentrate drink of a vivid orange colour, meant to be diluted with water, and is a prized by expats and Zimbabweans alike. Whilst anywhere selling drinks in Zimbabwe is highly likely to have Mazoe, it can be increasingly found at specialty and expat stores in South Africa and the UK. An acquired taste, but worth it, are '''Schweppes lemonade, ginger beer and cream soda''' (not too dissimilar to US Root beer), which are locally produced and popular summertime beverages and can be obtained in large supermarkets. Mineral waters can vary from expensive imported brands, through locally bottled waters, which are of a high standard and much more affordable. When travelling be sure to stock up on bottled water when it is available, as clean drinking water may not be available in remote parts of the country. ==Sleep== Zimbabwe has a great number of tourist facilities, and offers a variety of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to guest houses, lodges, backpacker hostels and safari camps for all budgets. For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "lodges" in serene and peaceful environments, usually on the fridges of the city or near game reserves, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature. If you are on a safari tour there are tented camps, chalets and camping sites in most of the safari areas. Most places have a '''backpacker hostel''' with prices from US$10 a night. ==Stay safe== Generally, Zimbabwe has a much lower crime rate than its neighbors, and Zimbabweans are well known for their unrivaled hospitality. Most crime that does occur is opportunistic in nature and travelers should take care with their personal belongings and follow local advise. It really is just a matter of common sense- which you should exercise no matter where you are. Shortages of fuel and water can occur in parts of the country, so keep extra supplies with you in case they are unavailable for an extended period. Water and electricity supplies are frequently disrupted, so most homes in the cities are equipped with boreholes, solar power or generators. Whilst many locals will politely inquire about you and your country, remember, most Zimbabweans are still sensitive to foreigners' opinions of their country and its politicians, mostly due to years of negative press. In general, it is wise idea to avoid political discussions or discussions pertaining to opinions of political leaders. ===Police=== Policing in Zimbabwe has improved markedly since the Mugabe era. On the whole, Zimbabwean police officers are professional and polite to tourists, but they are underpaid, which can lead to incidents of corruption or bribery. They are generally less aggressive than law enforcement agencies in many other nearby countries, particularly South Africa; '''however, this does not apply to political demonstrations or other politically motivated investigations, which have elicited very strong responses in the past. Tourists, expats and outsiders are strongly discouraged from attending political rallies or events.''' Bribery can occur at police checkpoints or border control but it is important '''to be firm and politely decline,''' as this behavior is not tolerated by senior authorities and harassment of tourists is considered a serious offence. With local exceptions, such as airports, and national events, such as Independence Day parades, the vast majority of police officers in Zimbabwe do not carry firearms, and the only police officers allowed to carry firearms are those from specialist firearms units. Most officers will only speak English, Shona or Ndebele, though they will attempt to find an interpreter for people who can't understand questioning in English. You have the legal right to silence when arrested and to have an interpreter at the police station. Police officers in Zimbabwe usually wear dark blue uniforms, although some wear tan or khaki uniforms. Front-line police (in uniform) are also generally required to have shoulder numbers. Most police are also required to carry a 'warrant card', and should under reasonable circumstances be willing to produce it, to confirm their authority. Private security guards do not generally have any "police-style" powers at all. There are a small number of non-police officials who have limited enforcement powers relating to specific local areas, or certain activities such as on-street parking or accessing some government buildings. ===Road safety=== Although jaywalking is not an offence in Zimbabwe and common in the larger cities, crossing a road other than at a designated crossing should be taken with care. A number of traffic light crossings have a push button to change the 'man' from red to green. Pedestrians have right of way on zebra crossings, that are identified by white stripes on the road and yellow flashing lights. It is advisable to make eye contact with the driver before stepping into the road. Certain roads, such as the Presidents residence, prohibit pedestrians (and cyclists), this is often marked with signs in clearly visible locations ==Stay healthy== [[File:Bulavayo 22032005.jpg|thumb|Bulawayo]] Do your research about what is available. Take all medications that you need along with you. There are a number of private hospitals in the major cities that are very accessible. '''HIV/AIDS''' infection rate in Zimbabwe is the 5th highest in the world at around 13% infected. Though rates have declined from their peak in the 2000s, you should '''never have unprotected sex'''. If you form a serious relationship, consider both getting an HIV test before taking things further. Malaria is prevalent in lower regions of the country in the summertime, so unless you are going to stay entirely within Harare, Bulawayo or highland regions, anti-malarial drugs are advised. Drugs reduce the severity of the disease but don't prevent infection, so also consider precautions such as: * sleeping under a mosquito net (lightweight travel nets are comparatively cool to use) * using mosquito repellent on the skin or burning mosquito coils * wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, particularly in the evening Bilharzia is present in some lakes. Ask locally before swimming. Snakes are common in the bush, and most bites are on the foot or lower leg. If walking, particularly in long grass, wear proper boots and either long, loose trousers or thick, concertinaed hiking socks. Shake out boots and shoes in the morning, in case you have a guest. These precautions also reduce the chance of scorpion sting. If you do get bitten or stung, ''stay calm''. Try to identify the exact culprit, but get to medical assistance as rapidly as you can without undue exertion. Many bites and stings are non-fatal even if not treated, but it is safer to seek treatment, which is very effective these days. '''[[Tap water]]''', as a source of potable water, in general, should be boiled prior to consumption. Bottled water is also available. ==Respect== * Visitors to Zimbabwe will find Zimbabweans incredibly welcoming, friendly, and hospitable. Many will go out of their way to help you and ensure you have a good time. You can freely approach the locals for advice and you can ask them specific directions to get somewhere. * In smaller towns and villages, especially on the road, if you walk past somebody it is customary to exchange pleasantries. They may also ask you "how are you", or another similar variation, is usually standard. A simple hello or "how are you?" or "have a nice day" will suffice. Learning similar phrases in Shona or Ndebele will go a long way with older and more rural inhabitants as well. * Unlike many other African nations, Zimbabweans tend to be punctual and on time to events, especially for business, however, given the importance of public transportation, it's not uncommon to sometimes be a few minutes late to something. A simple apology or acknowledgement of one's tardiness is generally acceptable however, extreme lateness is considered rude and a waste of the other parties' time * '''Zimbabwe is a''' '''multicultural''' '''country.''' Do not make assumptions based on ethnicity or peoples' appearance. Outward displays of racism, discrimination or sexism, will be met with hostility or even land you in trouble with the law. Surprised comments at the presence of white or Asian Zimbabweans will be seen as incredibly ignorant. * Zimbabwean people are generally '''easy going and have a''' '''live and let live attitude and will respect your privacy and personal space'''. That said it is important to greet and acknowledge others when entering a space. * When shaking hands or handing anything valuable to someone in more rural areas, it is polite to support the right forearm with the left hand (or vice versa), to signify the "weight" of the gift or honour. In practice this often means just touching the forearm, or even gesturing towards it. Outsiders are generally not expected to know local etiquette, a firm polite handshake is good enough, though attempts at such will be well appreciated * '''Discussions about politics are generally avoided by locals'''. Opinions between individuals vary significantly, and while few Zimbabweans miss the volatility of the past few decades, few will voluntarily offer their opinions publicly and visitors are advised to do the same. Most Zimbabwean people of moderate views have grown accustomed to simply avoiding the topic in polite conversation, especially as speaking out against the government could have been considered a criminal offense until very recently. {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|-19|30|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Southern_Africa}} 6nmi1zxqdc3qi0ze5fk9pxgmt2i2zca 4501596 4501593 2022-08-15T13:26:46Z 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040 /* Stay safe */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Victoria Falls banner.jpg|The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe}} '''[http://www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw Zimbabwe]''' is a landlocked country in [[Southern Africa]]. For those looking to travel in [[Africa]], Zimbabwe is a great starting place. It is rich in fauna (being home to the big five) and flora and has numerous ancient stone cities including the largest in Africa south of the Sahara, [[Great Zimbabwe]]. Its border with [[Zambia]] is formed by the Zambezi River which when in full flood drops as the world's largest curtain of falling water at the mighty [[Victoria Falls]] which is a major tourist attraction. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Zimbabwe regions map v2.png | regionmaptext=Map of Zimbabwe | regionmapsize=450px | region1name=[[Matabeleland]] | region1color=#7cb985 | region1items= | region1description= Forms the western part of the country with [[Bulawayo]], the second largest city, the stunning [[Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)|Victoria Falls]] and [[Hwange National Park]]. | region2name=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]] | region2color=#cacf84 | region2items= | region2description= At the eastern end of Lake Kariba, it is popular for holidays with Zimbabweans due to the many national parks, such as [[Mana Pools National Park]], on the shores of the Zambezi River which provide good opportunities for game viewing. | region3name=[[Mashonaland]] | region3color=#9994af | region3items= | region3description= Includes the capital city, [[Harare]], and surrounding areas, including the northern part of the Midlands Province. | region4name=[[Eastern Highlands]] | region4color=#5a8b84 | region4items= | region4description= The mountainous area of the country tucked up along the eastern border where the countries peak, Moutn Inyangani is located. The main city is [[Mutare]]. | region5name=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]] | region5color=#d1a364 | region5items= | region5description= A mixed area with the southern part of the midlands in the north and the Lowveld in the south. Nature is more of the attraction here, with many national parks and the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#7cb985|title=[[Matabeleland]]|wikidata=Q1266775}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#cacf84|title=[[Lake Kariba-Lower Zambezi|Lake Kariba and the Lower Zambezi]]|wikidata=Q14206735}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9994af|title=[[Mashonaland]]|wikidata=Q1640913}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5a8b84|title=[[Eastern Highlands]]|wikidata=Q1278183}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d1a364|title=[[Southeastern Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q14210029}} ==Cities== [[Image:Eastgate_Centre,_Harare,_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|Skyline of Harare, Capital of Zimbabwe]] Zimbabwe has 4 large cities and several smaller ones. *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Harare]]|wikidata=Q3921}} — the capital and the largest city in Zimbabwe, Harare is a vibrant city in a larger metropolitan province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Bulawayo]]|wikidata=Q193250}} — the second largest city with historic Victorian, Edwardian and midcentury architecture. It is the second city, both by population and economic activity *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Chimanimani]]|wikidata=Q1073089}} - Gateway to the Eastern Highlands *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Gweru]]|wikidata=Q399316}} - Located in the centre of the country close to the Danangombe ruins. Also the capital of the Midlands Province *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} — a lakeshore holiday resort on border with [[Zambia]] *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Masvingo]]|wikidata=Q601142}} — named (meaning "ruins") after the nearby Great Zimbabwe National Monument *{{marker|type=city|name=[[Mutare]]|wikidata=Q399322}} - the major city closest to the scenic Eastern Highlands and the Mozambique coast. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Victoria Falls]]|wikidata=Q1393804}} is a popular tourist destination located in the western corner of the country. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world<!-- presumably [[Seven Natural Wonders (CNN)]]? there are many differing lists--> and the spray from waterfall waters a rainforest. [[Image:Lion-hwange.jpg|thumb|Lion resting near a termite mound]] * {{marker|name=[[Gonarezhou National Park]]|wikidata=Q595121}} * {{marker|name=[[Great Zimbabwe]]|wikidata=Q209217}} - The archaeological remains of an ancient city built of stone (the largest in Southern Africa), that was the capital of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from this city) and Mozambique. The word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone.' * The Eastern Highlands include some of Zimbabwe's most beautiful views. The lush, cloud-hung mountains form the border with [[Mozambique]]. The regional capital is Mutare, and Chimanimani is a village popular with tourists and walkers. * {{marker|name=[[Kariba]]|wikidata=Q1025799}} - The formidable Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe is the result of a large damming project along the Zambezi River. Kariba is a popular tourist destination and affords visitors the opportunity to watch African wildlife in its almost natural environment. It is the biggest source of hydro-electric power for Zimbabwe. If you are travelling with friends or family consider hiring a houseboat for a few days to really experience everything the lake and the wildlife have to offer. * {{marker|name=[[Matobo National Park|Matobo]]|wikidata=Q917429}} (formerly Matopos) - This area southwest of Bulawayo in Matabeleland boasts exquisite rock formations, as if nature had been playing marbles. Rocks are found balancing in ways that defy logic, a situation created by the eroding winds blowing out the sand between. The rocks are home to the dassie, a small rodent-type animal known more formally as Rock Hyrax, the skins of which are used to make a blanket treasured amongst the local populace. Also present in great numbers are the brightly coloured lizards common to Zimbabwe. The area has two large dams and many smaller ones that become the scene of family picnics, and angling competitions on weekends. A game park is home to herds of sable antelope, an animal not seen further south. The National Park boasts self catering chalets with amazing views as well as camping sights. * Matobo is also the sight of Cecil John Rhodes' grave and some exquisite cave paintings. * {{marker|name=[[Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine]]|wikidata=Q14226092}} * {{marker|name=[[Chinhoyi Caves]]|wikidata=Q782743}} ==Understand== {{quickbar|location=LocationZimbabwe.png}} ===History=== Stone cities were built in many locations in present-day Zimbabwe. The most impressive structures and the best known of these, Great Zimbabwe, were built in the 15th century, but people had been living on the site from about 400 AD. The Khami Ruins just outside Bulawayo are also a wonderful example. The population was overwhelmingly made up of Shona speakers until the 19th century when the Nguni tribe (in 1839-40) of the Ndebele settled in what is now Matabeleland, and then in 1890, the territory came under the control of the British South Africa Company under charter from the British Government. The [[United Kingdom]] annexed the land, then called Southern Rhodesia, from the British South Africa Company in 1923, when the country got its own government and Prime Minister. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favoured whites in power. In 1965, this white supremacist government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for the black majority. UN sanctions and a guerrilla struggle finally led to free elections and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe became the first democratic leader of Zimbabwe. While initially lauded for his talk of reconciliation and his government's investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure, he slowly consolidated power from 1980-1987 as prime minister, and 1987-2017 as president. Starting in 2000, the government expropriated some very productive farms, which were in the hands of white Zimbabweans, as punishment for their support of the main opposition party, the MDC and handed them over to members of corrupt members of Mugabe's ZANU party, many of whom had no interest in farming, resulting in a drastic falloff in local food production. In 2005, he started a program which cleared slums, forcing hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. Rigged elections and human rights abuses led to widespread emigration and international sanctions. Eventually, misrule and sanctions triggered massive, runaway inflation and a third of the population to choose to migrate. Elections were routinely marred by violence, directed by the ruling ZANU-PF party against opposition supporters. Following widespread protests, a power-sharing agreement was signed between President Mugabe and the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2008. This briefly stabilized the political situation, but continued inflation led to the withdrawal of the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation in 2009; at the end, 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars would not buy a loaf of bread. The defunct Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by a basket of currencies and ultimately adoption of the US dollar. The coalition government ended with Tsvangirai's 2013 electoral defeat in what was widely held to be a rigged election. By 2016 currency shortages were common, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe directing banks to limit withdrawals to US$20-50/day or US$150/week. In November 2016 another toy currency ("bond notes") was introduced at par with the US dollar. US cash is king, however, and the bond notes often trade at a discount if they're accepted at all. Usability of credit cards is sporadic as businesses have trouble accessing hard currency to pay for imports. Mr. Mugabe remained President until November 2017 when, at the age of 93 with serious questions about his health, he failed in a brazen attempt to continue the family stranglehold on power by sacking the country's vice president as a first step toward installing his wife Grace as a presidential candidate for the 2018 election cycle. This led to an enraged military deposing him; most of the original veterans of the 1980 uprising against Rhodesia turned against Mugabe, with his own ZANU-PF party forcing his resignation by calling a vote in the legislature to impeach him. Mugabe was subsequently replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the vice president who he had sacked. Mnangagwa remained President when he was elected in the 2018 general elections which like the 2013 elections were widely criticized for irregularities domestically and internationally. The current government has rolled back some the excesses of Mugabe, and declared the country <nowiki>''</nowiki>open for business", as well as a proposal to re-join the Commonwealth, but his time in office has not been free of strife: in 2019, widespread protests that were held after the government announced a 130% rise in fuel prices were met by violence from the police and military. However, it is not all gloomy: the government has led the continent in its vaccine programme, besting its larger and wealthier peers. ===Climate=== Zimbabwe has an excellent subtropical highland climate that is moderated by altitude. The rainy season is in summer from November to March. Although there are recurring droughts, floods and severe storms are rare. Winter temperatures can drop below 5° Celsius whilst summers can be very hot, they rarely go over 32°C (90°F), with the exception of lower regions of the country such as the Zambezi valley. ===Terrain=== Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld). There is a mountain range in east including the scenic Chimanimani mountains. The Lowveld is found in south eastern corner. '''Elevation extremes''' : ''lowest point:'' junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 meters ''highest point:'' Inyangani 2,592 m === Culture === Owing to Zimbabwe’s ethnic diversity, varied geography, history and history of immigration, the country’s culture is rich and diverse. It has several regional variations, and in spite of being mostly unified by language ad culture, some regions have distinct practices. Music plays an important part in Zimbabwean identity. Styles like '''sungura''', '''jazz''', gospel, urban grooves and '''Zimdancehall''' are considered genuinely Zimbabwean. Sungura music is the national equivalent of roots music. Zimdancehall, which mixes several national styles with Jamaican dancehall and reggae and has become popular with the youth nationwide. New urban styles include dance music inspired by house music. Additionally, most Zimbabweans are familiar with and fans of Western popular music. ZBC is the country's public broadcaster and somewhat analogous to the BBC in the UK. In addition, Zimbabweans increasingly have access to many other cable or satellite TV channels. Half of households have satellite TV, which is the most important source of information and entertainment for most Zimbabweans, however this trails the internet largely accessed via cell phone and accessible to most of the population, universally so in cities and among young people. === People === [[File:Ene mbira.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu]] Zimbabwe is a mix of different cultures with their own beliefs and ceremonies, including the Shona, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings which are made with the finest materials available. Shona music is also deservedly famous. Probably the best-known Shona instrument is the mbira dzavadzimu, sometimes misleadingly called the "thumb piano" by non-Africans but actually meaning "voice of the ancestors". Mbira music contains harmony and can be a kind of shifting kaleidoscope of counterpoint and lively polyrhythms. It is very tuneful, and the mbiras are often accompanied by a rattle called a hosho. Mbira music is central to Shona culture and identity and is traditionally considered a form of worship of the ancestors. The second largest group in the country are the Ndebele people, who are distantly related to the Zulu of South Africa, whose language is mostly intelligible with Zulu and partially so with the Xhosa language of South Africa. Although their numbers have fallen since the end of white minority rule, Zimbabwe still retains a substantial white population, most of whom are of British descent, with notable minorities of Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish and Greek extraction. Other groups include Asians, coloureds (mixed race people) and immigrants from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, the Congo and their descendants, the majority of whom have assimilated into Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwe also a has a large diaspora mostly in South Africa, the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland and New Zealand, so don't be surprised if you run into a 'diasporan' with a Western accent and outlook during your visit, as they have become significant investors and visitors within the county's tourism and real estate sectors. In general, Zimbabweans are a warm, easy going, open minded people. Friendship, family and hospitality are highly prized among Zimbos, and both family connections and social interactions are valued highly. To people they have met, or at least know by name, Zimbabweans are usually polite, friendly and sometimes quite generous. Zimbabweans are reputedly one of the most hospitable people in the world and foreigners are usually treated with respect and hospitality. Whereas the roots of Zimbabwean culture are African and proudly so, Zimbabwe is still a nation that is heavily influenced by the United Kingdom, and the middle class often look to London as a source of inspiration, especially given the poor and corrupt leadership in the country. Many Zimbabweans also display an ambivalent attitude to South Africa which increasingly dominates Zimbabwe's economy and whose ruling class is seen as enabling the corrupt Mnagagwa government. Zimbabweans speak English natively and have the highest literacy rate in Africa. That said visitors will receive a very warm welcome if they try to start conversations in Shona or Ndebele. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Zimbabwe has faced an increasing wave of immigration from China, Congo, Malawi and Mozambique as well as an exodus of the many residents to the UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia. ===Economy=== Once Africa's fastest growing economy and one of its most dynamic, with a large and confident middle class, especially by developing country standards, since 2000 Zimbabwe has undergone a dramatic economic collapse and since 2010 an uneven and sometimes volatile recovery . There had been a few signs of improvement since the formation the Mnagagwa government in 2018, but the Zimbabwean economy remained plagued by high unemployment, deindustrialisation and a growing divide between a well connected and affluent elite and the rest of the population. The new government has claimed Zimbabwe 'is open for business' and though consumer goods are now widely available and certain industries have recovered (real estate, tourism and construction), the country lags behind its neighbors to the south, a far cry from its post independence heyday. A rebound in mineral prices, real estate and tourism and a continent-leading vaccine programme, allowed GDP to rebound by more than 5% in the 2020 according to the World Bank, but Zimbabwe remains a lower middle income country with a corrupt and affluent elite, a stretched middle class and a large unemployed youth population. Gross domestic product is lower than it was in 2000; with subsequent recovery slow and uneven. That said, the country still has decent infrastructure, especially for tourism (though upkeep can be very inconsistent), a large diaspora that invests in and remains committed to improving their home country and recent government efforts that made it easier to invest in tourism and to make it a more friendly and accessible destination '''* 1 January''': New Year's Day * '''21 February ''': National Youth Day or Robert Mugabe Youth Day * '''18 April''': Independence Day * '''1 May''' - Workers Day * '''25 May''' - Africa Day * '''22 December''' - Unity Day * '''25 December''' - Christmas * '''26 December''' - Boxing Day In Zimbabwe, if a holiday falls on Sunday, the next day (Monday) will automatically be observed as public day. Hence, it will be a holiday. ==Get in== [[File:Visa policy of Zimbabwe.png|thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Zimbabwe]] ===Entry requirements=== ====Category A - no visa required==== Passport holders of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (unless otherwise noted): [[Angola]], [[Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Aruba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Barbados]], [[Belize]], [[Botswana]], [[Cayman Islands]], [[Cyprus]], [[DR Congo]], [[Eswatini]], [[Fiji]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Hong Kong]] (6 months), [[Jamaica]], [[Kenya]], [[Kiribati]], [[Lesotho]], [[Madagascar]], [[Malaysia]], [[Malawi]], [[Maldives]], [[Malta]], [[Mauritius]], [[Montserrat]], [[Mozambique]] (30 days), [[Namibia]], [[Nauru]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Samoa]], [[Seychelles]], [[Singapore]], [[Solomon Islands]], [[South Africa]], [[Tanzania]], [[Tonga]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Uganda]], [[Vanuatu]] and [[Zambia]]. ====Category B - visa on arrival==== Passport holders of the following are eligible to get a visa on arrival to enter Zimbabwe for up to 3 months (for purpose of tourism) or for up to 30 days (for purpose of business): [[Albania]], [[Algeria]], [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Armenia]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bermuda]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[British Virgin Islands]], [[Brunei]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Chile]], [[China]], [[Comoros]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[Egypt]], [[El Salvador]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Estonia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Guatemala]], [[Guyana]], [[Haiti]], [[Honduras]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Iran]], [[Ireland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Macao]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mexico]], [[Micronesia]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Norway]], [[Palau]], [[Palestine]], [[Panama]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[San Marino]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Senegal]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Suriname]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]], [[Uruguay]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Vatican City]] and [[Venezuela]]. Visa fees as of July 2019 at the port of entry for Category B nationals are as follows: US$30 (single entry), US$45 (double entry), US$55 (multiple entry). Cash only. A valid passport, travel itinerary, and return or onward journey ticket must be presented. Note that Canadian citizens are only able to obtain single entry visas on arrival at a cost of US$75, whilst British and Irish citizens pay higher fees for a Zimbabwe visa on arrival (US$55 for single entry and US$70 for double entry). ====Category C - visa before arrival==== Passport holders of other countries must get a visa prior to arrival to Zimbabwe. Category C citizens may apply for a visa (for business, holiday, conferencing or transit) online through the [https://www.evisa.gov.zw/ eVisa system of the Zimbabwe Department of Immigration]. Visa fee can be paid online or on arrival. It takes an average of two working days to obtain an e-Visa, however the period may vary due to a number of factors. The e-Visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. Visas can be obtained at Zimbabwean embassies/consulates. The fees for a visa vary between US$30 and 180 and depend on the applicant's nationality. You might be able to apply for a Zimbabwean visa at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zimbabwean diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy in [http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null Amman] accepts Zimbabwean visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zimbabwean visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zimbabwe require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zimbabwe can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly. ====KAZA universal visa==== Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called [https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/ KAZA Visa]. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula). The fee is US$50 and is available at the following border crossings in Zambia: Livingstone Airport, Lusaka Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border; in Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Airport, Harare Airport, Kazungula Land Border (border with Botswana) and Victoria Falls Land Border. Eligible countries are: [[Andorra]], [[Argentina]], [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Belarus]], [[Belgium]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Brunei]], [[Burundi]], [[Canada]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Comoros]], [[Croatia]], [[Cuba]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Estonia]], [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Haiti]], [[Hungary]], [[Iceland]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Latvia]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Moldova]], [[Monaco]], [[Netherlands]], [[New Zealand]], [[Norway]], [[Poland]], [[Portugal]], [[Russia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Samoa]], [[Sao Tome and Principe]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]], [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[Turkey]], [[Ukraine]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[United Kingdom]], [[United States]] and [[Uruguay]]. ===By plane=== [[Image:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|Harare International Airport]] [[Harare]] International Airport has a number of international flights, mainly to other African countries. When coming from Europe, you can fly via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Cairo. From South Africa you can fly with [http://www.flysaa.com South African Airways], [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ Airlink], British Airways, or Air Zimbabwe. Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air fly to Harare from Europe. SAA operates to quite a few European and African airports and has flights from Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls to Johannesburg ([[South Africa]]). Air Botswana has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Gaborone. Air Namibia has flights from Harare and Victoria Falls to Windhoek. Malawian Airlines has flights from Harare to Lilongwe. British Airways has stopped non-stop flights between Harare and Heathrow. but has have flights from Harare via Johannesburg to Heathrow. Victoria Falls airport has daily service by South African Airways, [http://www.saairlink.co.za South African Airlink] and British Airways to and from Johannesburg. [[Bulawayo]] also has an international airport, with flights from Johannesburg operated by SAA and Air Zimbabwe. For domestic flights inside Zimbabwe, Harare to Victoria Falls there is Air Zimbabwe and Fly Africa. Air Zimbabwe also fly from Harare to Bulawayo and Harare to Kariba. *Low-cost airline '''Fastjet Zimbabwe''' has one-way domestic fares from US$20, and international fares from US$50. Fastjet fly from Harare to Victoria Falls, Bulawayo. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. There is also low-cost airline '''Fly Africa''' which goes from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, Harare to Johannesburg, and Victoria Falls to Harare. ===By car=== Zimbabwe is accessible by road from the countries that surround it. Contrary to past scenarios, the fuel situation has improved with prices now being quoted in US dollars. As fuel has to be imported from either Mozambique or South Africa, you can expect to pay more per litre than you would in most other Southern African countries. Roads in Zimbabwe vary significantly, from newly tarred and refurbished to completely dilapidated or untarred, and due caution should be taken when driving, especially at night, and in particular, during the holiday season when there are more vehicles on the road. In general major thoroughfares and affluent areas have better roads than poorer or rural regions. Potholes are a common occurrence so always drive with caution. When in doubt always ask for local advice. ===By bus=== Regular deluxe bus services operate from Johannesburg to Harare. A number of buses also travel from Johannesburg to Bulawayo. Greyhound drives to both destinations. Tickets can be obtained directly from Greyhound or through the Computicket website. Several bus companies also operate direct buses from Harare to [[Blantyre]], [[Malawi]] and [[Pretoria]] and [[Johannesburg]] No public transport exists from Victoria Falls directly to Botswana - a taxi to the border will cost around USD40, or some hotels in Vic Falls can arrange transfers. === By train === As of 2018, '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs one international passenger service, a twice-weekly overnight train from [[Francistown]], [[Botswana]] to [[Bulawayo]], and offers services to [[Harare]] and [[Mutare]]. [http://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/ '''Shosholoza Meyl'''] runs a passenger service from [[Johannesburg]] to the border city Musina, from where it's possible to cross into Zimbabwe. Additionally, the private company '''[https://www.rovos.com Rovos Rail]''' runs an luxurious excursion train from [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]] to [[Victoria Falls]] several times per month. Matching the luxury, prices are extravagant with journeys costing thousand of dollars. ==Get around== [[File:Bus-stop.jpg|thumb|Minibus stop]] Between cities, you travel using luxury coaches like Pathfinder and Citilink. You can also get decent buses from RoadPort in Harare to other major cities including those in neighbouring countries like Johannesburg, Lusaka, Lilongwe. Minibus taxis are available for intra-city transport, and are relatively inexpensive by European standards. They provide a cheap, though a not necessarily comfortable way of seeing the true Zimbabwe. Hitchhiking is also a viable option, but tourists need to take care with whom they accept lifts from; hijackings and robberies of hitchhikers, especially within Harare, have been on the increase in the last few years. Be sure to bring some money along, as drivers very often expect some sort of fee to be paid up front. The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe seems to have improved considerably since the stabilization of the economy. Roads between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Masvingo and Mutare are all in relatively good condition. The highway between Plumtree and Mutare (passing through Bulawayo and Harare in between) is being resurfaced. Almost no fuel station in Zimbabwe takes credit cards. Also road blocks are common but usually police just want to see your driver's licence and your Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Police can fine you if you do not have reflective reflectors on your car, red hazard triangles in your boot, a spare tire, or a fire extinguisher, so be sure to carry those items if you want to avoid a fine. The taxi app in Zimbabwe is called Vaya, but you will need a Zimbabwean phone number to use it. Its exchange rate is fixed at Z$1 to US$1, so you will want to pay in Zimbabwean dollars (RTGS). ===By train=== The more adventurous tourists could travel by train around Zimbabwe. '''[http://www.nrz.co.zw National Railways of Zimbabwe]''' runs services between most major cities at least three times per week. Many popular routes have been revived such as the Harare-Mutare route, however stock is mostly from the post war era, so don't expect to get to your destination quickly. That said trains are very safe and (in first or business class) a comfortable and relaxing way to see much of the country. The most popular route is the daily overnight train between [[Bulawayo]] and [[Victoria Falls]]. This train passes through ''Hwange National Park'', one of the biggest national parks in Africa, and there are plenty of opportunities to see wild animals along the route. There is an tri-weekly overnight service between Bulawayo and the capital [[Harare]] as well. ==Talk== {{Infobox|Belgravia? Balmoral? Bayswater?|More than any other African country, there are times when Zimbabwe can feel very British to outsiders. American visitors will find phrases like boot, bonnet and treacle particularly puzzling, but English has a long history in the country and cultivated accents remain the standard among the educated elite, be they black or white. Indeed, despite his disdain for former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, former President Robert Mugabe spoke in a cultivated accent, had a taste for bespoke Savile Row suits and famously proclaimed that he wanted Zimbabwe "to be a nation of gentlemen". Zimbabweans take great pride in their literacy and view English as theirs as much as their own native language. Authors such as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Austen are celebrated. A private school education from the likes of Peterhouse, Arundel or St George's College that leads to either Oxford or Cambridge (and more recently the University of Cape Town) is considered the ultimate ladder to success. And this extends beyond language and education to the food and even the mannerisms of the middle class. Indeed, British expats will feel quite at home in Zimbabwe. “British” events such as car boot sales, village fetes, fun runs and fundraisers — not to mention football, cricket, tennis and rugby — are the norm on the weekends. Many Zimbabweans now have family in the UK and see it as a natural destination to avoid economic malaise at home and xenophobia in nearby South Africa. Harare's leading newspapers have names like the Independent, the Standard and the Financial Gazette and have long considered themselves the intellectual heavyweights in the region especially over the South Africans, who are considered by Zimbabweans to be brash and uncouth. British visitors will find plenty of familiar place names, including Ascot, Avondale, Belgravia, Dulwich, Derwent, Groombridge, Kensington, Lewisham and Strathaven. Few sights present as quintessentially British a scene as admiring the immaculately trimmed oval at Queens Park in Bulawayo or Harare Sports Club during a test match against one of the Big Three of India, Australia or England. With a significant number of Zimbabweans residing in the UK, increasingly into their second generation, and having notably boosted the fortunes of the country's national football team, the relationship between the two countries lives on.}} Zimbabwe has 16 official languages though in practice English, Shona and Sindebele/Ndebele are by far the most spoken. English, besides being traditionally used for official business, serves as a ''lingua franca'' between Zimbabweans of different ethnicities and will be the most useful for travelling throughout the country, though any attempts to speak the local language will greatly endear you to the locals or at the very least earn you a few laughs. Speakers of non-native languages tend to be few and far in between and are mostly Portuguese by people with roots in Mozambique, Angola or Portugal or French largely spoken by Congolese migrants in parts of Harare and Bulawayo. ==See== [[File:Zambezi-at-Mutsango.JPG|thumb|Elephants crossing Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park]]For many visitors, Zimbabwe as a country has the same appeal as the natural landscapes for which it's famous. . === Urban life === Zim's large cities all bustle with life. The famous capital, [[Harare]], is the one of Africa's most pleasant cities. It's a city of contrasts, there's expensive cosmopolitan boutiques, buzzing nightlife and delicious ethnic cuisine. However, it's the classic, unpolished side of the city that makes it a charming destination. The central colorful neighbourhoods where crazy traffic sounds drown out distant dance tunes, the pleasant street-cafés and garden restaurants, busy outdoor markets and historic colonial architecture. Avondale and Mount Pleasant are pleasant, older neighbourhoods of the city and a good place to indulge in the city vibe of cafés, street markets, and antique markets in a garden suburban setting. The atmosphere is perhaps Harare's biggest attraction, but some of the main sights include the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Human Sciences. Zimbabwe's other cities share the energetic buzz of Harare, but have a distinct character of their own. [[Bulawayo]] is a lively yet laid-back city, characterized by broad avenues and Victorian architecture. It's famous as a 'heritage city' far beyond the borders of Zimbabwe and a perfect starting point for the country's game parks to the north. In the east, [[Mutare]], is well known for its scenic setting and is also a good base for hiking and other outdoor activities in the Eastern Highlands. The city of [[Gweru]] has shaken off its agricultural roots and is increasingly a vibrant university city. Masvingo, hosts classic Victorian architecture and serves as the gateway to exploring the Great Zimbabwe ruins === Nature === #{{see | name=Hwange National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1571380 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, this park boasts more than 100 different animal species and over 400 species of birds. It is one of the few great elephants sanctuaries in Africa with over 30,000 elephants. }} #{{see | name=Matobo National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q1778838 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Also known as Matopos, this small park close to Bulawayo was awarded a UNESCO world heritage status in 2003 for its fascinating natural features and wildlife. }} #{{see | name=Mana Pools National Park | url= | email=|wikidata=Q693254 | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Mana Pools National Park, South of the Zambezi river in the North of Zimbabwe, is a UNESCO world heritage site. A remote location, it welcomes happy few safari lovers with an abundance of elephant, hippo, lions, antelope, giraffe and other animals, and over 350 bird species, in stunning landscapes. }} #{{see | name=Great Zimbabwe Ruins | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-20.27 | long=30.933 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q209217 | lastedit=2021-12-29 | content=In the vicinity of Masvingo, the sixth largest Zimbabwean city, Great Zimbabwe ruins are the remains of one of the greatest African civilizations: the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe dominated the area from present Zimbabwe, East of Botswana and South East of Mozambique in the late Iron Age (between 1100 and 1450 AD). From the impressive granite stone complex that was once built, the ruins span 1,800 acres (7 km2) and cover a radius of 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km). }} === Sport === Zimbabweans love sport and are justifiably proud of their country's achievements and how they have constantly punched above their weight on the international stage. The main five sports are: Association football, Rugby Union, Cricket, tennis and Golf. All of these sports attract a widespread following, both at matches themselves and on television; and it is very common to find televised coverage of them shown in pubs, hotels and bars. There are popular grounds to all these sports around the country: Rufaro (Harare), Bourbourfields (Bulawayo), National Sports stadium (Harare) and Ascot (Gweru) for football, Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo) and Alexandra (Harare) for cricket, Police Grounds (Harare), Old Hararians (Harare) and Hartsfield (Bulawayo) for rugby, as well as the Royal Harare Golf Club for golf. * '''Football''' means association football or soccer. It is by far the most popular spectator sport, especially with the working class and is very widely played across the country at amateur and professional levels, with the highest competition being the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and the best talent moving on to play in European leagues. Dynamos (nicknamed the Glamour Boys for their dazzling 'carpet soccer' are the toast of middle class Harare), CAPS United (has a more working class fanbase) and Highlanders ( the historic Bulawayo team) are the most supported teams in the country, with a derby between either side the highlight of the season. * '''Rugby''' is invariably rugby union has 15 players per team, and is popular with the middle classes. While the Zimbabwean national team has not been to the World Cup in two decades, they have produced countless world class players many who've gone on to glittering careers abroad. The country's highest domestic team, the Zimbabwe Academy team, plays in South Africa's Currie Cup. Old Georgians and Old Hararians are two of the countries most prestigious clubs, the latter noted for their exciting 'champagne rugby' inspired by the passing French style of play. That said the standard of play is high up to the high school level and high school games are popular and cheap weekend affairs * '''Cricket''' is played only in the summer, and tends to be most popular in the cities. Zimbabwe is a highly competitive, if often underdog side. Visiting tours by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are considered the highlight of the summer sporting season and are well worth a trip to one of the country's fine cricket ovals * Zimbabwe has punched above its weight in '''tennis''', particularly in doubles and at the Davis Cup, often the only African nation in the top tier division. Tennis is often played on hard court though grass courts are present in affluent areas like Borrowdale. Davis Cup games are the most popular and attract enthusiastic crowds. In '''golf''', Zimbabwe forms part of the Sunshine tour with its neighbors, the third most prestigious after the PGA and European tours. The country has produced numerous golfers such as Nick Price and Mark McNulty and plenty of excellent golf courses are found in or near the larger cities * Zimbabwe is also a respected competitor in '''equestrian''' activities, and several major events in the racing calendar are held at various venues. The most prestigious events on the horse racing calendar include the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard both held in Harare in the autumn and winter. == Do == * '''Bungee jumping''' at Victoria Falls. An incredible experience off the Victoria Falls bridge over the mighty Zambezi - 111 metres of pure adrenaline. * Walk with the lions, swim with the elephants, ride a horse. and enjoy other game activities at '''Antelope Park''' near Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo. * An Authentic African Safari. Walking, canoeing or on a game drive in Hwange National Park or Mana Pools with African Bush Camps. * '''Harare International Festival of Arts'''. (HIFA), every year in Harare (end of April) with some extension in Bulawayo. Music, Theater, and other shows sponsored by foreign embassies, it features top international and local artists,and also brings in town a great artcraft market. * '''Diving''': The only site accessible to recreational divers is Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine, a flooded asbestos quarry 120 km by road from Harare. Good visibility and beautiful surroundings. You need technical cave-diving skills to venture into Chinhoyi Caves, 120 km from Harare. The caves are mostly water-filled, and are more than 120 m deep. The full cave system has not yet been explored. No diving infrastructure, this is an expedition where you take everything. * The excellent climate, combined with investments in the golfing infrastructure, has turned the country into a '''golfing haven'''. Fourteen of Zimbabwe's courses are rated in the top 100 best in Africa. Zimbabwe is also a great and cheap location to learn the game and perfect technique. Many resorts and clubs offer classes with rising players. Courses can satisfy the most demanding golfer, while newcomers won't be intimidated, unless they find the beautiful landscapes and stunning vistas distracting to their game. Though Zimbabwe has long punched above its weight in the golf world, the average local has mixed feelings about golf courses, namely due to the huge amounts of water required to maintain them but appreciate the revenue they generate. * The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel guide's advice a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell safaris and trips to Victoria Falls. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of '''Vumba''' or white-water rafting in the affluents of the Zambezi is an exhilirating experience. ==Buy== {{exchange rates | currency=Zimbabwe dollars (official rates) | currencyCode=ZW$ | date=December 2021 | USD=110 | source=https://www.rbz.co.zw/index.php | EUR=120 | GBP=150 | ZAR=23 }} ===Money=== Since June 2019, the only legal tender in Zimbabwe has been the new “Zimbabwe dollar” (Z$, ISO code ZWL), also known as the "RTGS dollar" or the "Zim dollar". It includes Zimbabwean bond notes, bond coins and mobile money such as Ecocash. New Zimbabwe dollar banknotes were issued in November 2019. The value of the currency is volatile. In January 2022, the [https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/currency/usdzwd street rate] for US dollars was ZW6380 = US$1. Some shops use a [https://zimpricecheck.com/price-updates/official-and-black-market-exchange-rates/# rate] of ZW$160 = US$1 in setting their prices. Most retailers and service providers are trading their products in U.S. dollars or pegging their prices in Zimbabwe dollars using U.S. dollar black market rates. Some retailers and public transport operators are no longer accepting denominations lower than the Zimbabwe dollar coin. Wikivoyage articles generally quote prices in U.S. dollars. There are many ATMs which take Visa and MasterCard. However, you ''will not'' be able to withdraw money from any ATMs, so bring plenty of cash. Try to obtain Zimbabwean dollars before you arrive, otherwise you will have to change your U.S. dollars after you arrive. If bringing U.S. dollars, bring smaller denomination notes, e.g. US$20 and below. Anything larger is unlikely to be accepted. Change will be given in Zimbabwean dollars. Many banks do not have enough bank notes due to a shortage of paper, so will only change U.S. dollars for Ecocash. Registering for Ecocash is recommended. You will need your ID to buy an EcoNet SIM card at EcoNet shops or other small phone shops. You can then register for EcoCash, but you will need to produce your ID again to activate your account. You can then load your account at a bank, and spend money in most shops using your PIN. A growing number of businesses accept Visa and MasterCard in Zimbabwe, however shop workers are often resistant to use them. Be careful what currency your card is charged in, otherwise you may get charged US$10 instead of Z$10! '''Credit cards''' Credit cards are used less commonly than in the USA or Europe. Many businesses in the city accept them and you can expect any major chain - supermarkets, fast food, clothing stores, etc. - to also accept them. The standard 10% tip in restaurant is often expected to be paid in cash, even when you pay the bill by credit card. Bear in mind, tipping is not expected any may only apply to an establishment that does not already add a service charge. If you use a debit or credit card, the checkout operator in places like supermarkets will often require you to present both your card and a form of identification such as a drivers' licence. Present both simultaneously at checkout and with confidence. A lack of confidence will lead to a request for your passport as identification. . PIN cards have become the most common and should be accepted anywhere, as well as magnetic band cards. PINs should be accepted but if not, the shop attendant will ask you to sign the invoice. Contactless credit cards are not commonly accepted as of Nov 2020. '''Traveller's checks''' They are rarely used and may be difficult to exchange, but some banks and exchanges may accept them . Also, Western Union will cash them with proper identification. '''Tipping''' There is no obligation to tip in Zimbabwe although any tip is welcome, given the volatile economy. Some nicer restaurants will add a service charge (10 percent). In these cases tipping is not expected. Sometimes rounding up or telling them to "keep the change" is enough on small checks, deliveries, petrol attendants, etc. Leaving at least a 10% tip is considered kind and polite at restaurants, cafes, hotels, beauty parlors, barbers, ushers and car-washes. Tipping bartenders is not customary but will be greatly appreciated. Leaving no tip when feeling unsatisfied is not an uncommon gesture, and will not likely make much of an impression. Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped. Service fees are included in most upscale hotels and restaurants, usually around 10%. By law it is mandatory that this item is represented in the same text size as the rest of the menu items. ===Costs=== Domestically produced things are very cheap (especially labour-intensive things), and curios are especially well made. However, for a tourist drinking Coke and eating pizza, prices are not that much lower than in South Africa. ==Eat== [[File:Sadza.jpg|thumb|Meat, sadza, greens and sausages]] For a sample of what Zimbabweans eat (in some form, nearly every day), ask for "sadza and stew/relish." The stew part will be familiar, served over a large portion of sadza - a thick ground corn paste (vaguely like polenta and the consistency of thick mashed potatoes) that locals eat at for lunch and supper. It's inexpensive, quite tasty and ''very'' filling. There is a plethora of good Zimbabwean food- "Mbambaira" or sweet potatoes, "chibage" corn on the cob, for example. Fruits indigenous to the country like "masawu" for example. For foreigners, especially from the West, Zimbabwean meat is very tasty, especially the beef, because of animals are raised and fed on a natural diet, mostly of grass. Food options in the cities tend to follow western conventions and British visitors in particular will find themselves right at home as numerous British staples - from pork pies, Cornish pasties and an English breakfast to tea with milk and baked beans- are a hallmark of Zimbabwean cuisine. Fast food is increasingly popular with Nando's and KFC available in most urban areas as well as local brands like Chicken Inn and Wimpy. === Specialities === Specialities worth sampling include '''peri-peri chicken''', a Portuguese/Mozambican influence, '''meat pies''' (which make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch and can be found easily at many supermarkets and bakeries.), '''samosas''' (Indian origin) '''bream''', '''sadza nedovi''' (sadza with vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce), '''boerewors''' (spicy farmer sausages) and '''vetkoek''' (a delicous fried pastry), both South African in origin as the names suggest. Zimbabwe has traditionally been a cattle rearing country, particularly in the south and west, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) beef. The '''braai''' is a typical Southern African barbeque that crosses all classes and ethnicities, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (steaks, beef short ribs, sausage, chuck and sometimes offal) and a peri peri or other sauce over wood fire grill. Drinks are served and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. As in many countries with a similar meat culture, men tend to dominate the grilling, though women and children are always made to feel welcome. Additionally, the restaurant and coffee-shop scene in Harare and Bulawayo are great by continental standards, with a wide variety of places and cuisines to choose from. ==Drink== A variety of domestic brews are made in Zimbabwe, mainly lagers with a few milk stouts. You may even want to try "Chibuku" a local brew popular among working class men that's based on a traditional beer recipe made from sorghum and/or maize (corn). It is generally sold in a 2-litre plastic bottle called a 'skud' or a more popular variety called "Chibuku Super" that comes in a disposable 1.25 litre plastic container and costs US$1. As with all alcohol, it's definitely an acquired taste! A more palatable beer is the pilsner like, Zambezi lager which is very refreshing on a hot day. Quality wines at restaurants and liquor stores tend to be South African or European in origin, though there are a few brands worth sampling, the standout being the Western Cape produced, '''Kumusha Wines''', as well as the more established, Mukuyu. The South African creamy liqueur, Amarula, is a common delight. A common tradition across Southern Africa, is '''the Sundowner''', a light aperitive style cocktail consumed at sunset just before dinner. It is usually fizzy, sparkling or citrus based, similar to a spritz in Europe '''Non-alcoholic drinks''' Like the UK, tea is widely drunk across Zimbabwe, especially at breakfast or during work lunch breaks. Most people drink white tea (hot black tea with milk), and some with sugar or honey. Tanganda is a cheap and common brand popular with working class residents. Finer restaurants, hotels and cafés sell a range of different teas, Earl Grey and Rooibos being popular blends, but by no means the only one. Herbal teas are available in affluent parts of town, and lemon may also be offered as an alternative to milk upon request. Coffee is historically less popular in Zimbabwe but is growing in popularity, and best experienced at the many independent cafes in Harare, Bulawayo or touristy regions like the Eastern Highlands. Alternatively South African chains like Mugg & Bean are increasingly popular with young people. In Zimbabwe, '''Mazoe orange crush''' (pronounced "mazowie", roughly) is highly regarded and has near legendary status. It is a condensed orange concentrate drink of a vivid orange colour, meant to be diluted with water, and is a prized by expats and Zimbabweans alike. Whilst anywhere selling drinks in Zimbabwe is highly likely to have Mazoe, it can be increasingly found at specialty and expat stores in South Africa and the UK. An acquired taste, but worth it, are '''Schweppes lemonade, ginger beer and cream soda''' (not too dissimilar to US Root beer), which are locally produced and popular summertime beverages and can be obtained in large supermarkets. Mineral waters can vary from expensive imported brands, through locally bottled waters, which are of a high standard and much more affordable. When travelling be sure to stock up on bottled water when it is available, as clean drinking water may not be available in remote parts of the country. ==Sleep== Zimbabwe has a great number of tourist facilities, and offers a variety of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to guest houses, lodges, backpacker hostels and safari camps for all budgets. For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "lodges" in serene and peaceful environments, usually on the fridges of the city or near game reserves, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature. If you are on a safari tour there are tented camps, chalets and camping sites in most of the safari areas. Most places have a '''backpacker hostel''' with prices from US$10 a night. ==Stay safe== Generally, Zimbabwe has a much lower crime rate than its neighbors, and Zimbabweans are well known for their unrivaled hospitality. Most crime that does occur is opportunistic in nature and travelers should take care with their personal belongings and follow local advice. It really is just a matter of common sense, which you should exercise no matter where you are. Shortages of fuel and water can occur in parts of the country, so keep extra supplies with you in case they are unavailable for an extended period. Water and electricity supplies are frequently disrupted, so most homes in the cities are equipped with boreholes, solar power or generators. Whilst many locals will politely inquire about you and your country, remember, most Zimbabweans are still sensitive to foreigners' opinions of their country and its politicians, mostly due to years of negative press. In general, it is wise idea to avoid political discussions or discussions pertaining to opinions of political leaders. ===Police=== Policing in Zimbabwe has improved markedly since the Mugabe era. On the whole, Zimbabwean police officers are professional and polite to tourists, but they are underpaid, which can lead to incidents of corruption or bribery. They are generally less aggressive than law enforcement agencies in many other nearby countries, particularly South Africa; '''however, this does not apply to political demonstrations or other politically motivated investigations, which have elicited very strong responses in the past. Tourists, expats and outsiders are strongly discouraged from attending political rallies or events.''' Bribery can occur at police checkpoints or border control but it is important '''to be firm and politely decline,''' as this behavior is not tolerated by senior authorities and harassment of tourists is considered a serious offence. With local exceptions, such as airports, and national events, such as Independence Day parades, the vast majority of police officers in Zimbabwe do not carry firearms, and the only police officers allowed to carry firearms are those from specialist firearms units. Most officers will only speak English, Shona or Ndebele, though they will attempt to find an interpreter for people who can't understand questioning in English. You have the legal right to silence when arrested and to have an interpreter at the police station. Police officers in Zimbabwe usually wear dark blue uniforms, although some wear tan or khaki uniforms. Front-line police (in uniform) are also generally required to have shoulder numbers. Most police are also required to carry a 'warrant card', and should under reasonable circumstances be willing to produce it, to confirm their authority. Private security guards do not generally have any "police-style" powers at all. There are a small number of non-police officials who have limited enforcement powers relating to specific local areas, or certain activities such as on-street parking or accessing some government buildings. ===Road safety=== Although jaywalking is not an offence in Zimbabwe and common in the larger cities, crossing a road other than at a designated crossing should be taken with care. A number of traffic light crossings have a push button to change the 'man' from red to green. Pedestrians have right of way on zebra crossings, that are identified by white stripes on the road and yellow flashing lights. It is advisable to make eye contact with the driver before stepping into the road. Certain roads, such as the President's residence, prohibit pedestrians (and cyclists), this is often marked with signs in clearly visible locations ==Stay healthy== [[File:Bulavayo 22032005.jpg|thumb|Bulawayo]] Do your research about what is available. Take all medications that you need along with you. There are a number of private hospitals in the major cities that are very accessible. '''HIV/AIDS''' infection rate in Zimbabwe is the 5th highest in the world at around 13% infected. Though rates have declined from their peak in the 2000s, you should '''never have unprotected sex'''. If you form a serious relationship, consider both getting an HIV test before taking things further. Malaria is prevalent in lower regions of the country in the summertime, so unless you are going to stay entirely within Harare, Bulawayo or highland regions, anti-malarial drugs are advised. Drugs reduce the severity of the disease but don't prevent infection, so also consider precautions such as: * sleeping under a mosquito net (lightweight travel nets are comparatively cool to use) * using mosquito repellent on the skin or burning mosquito coils * wearing long-sleeved clothing and long trousers, particularly in the evening Bilharzia is present in some lakes. Ask locally before swimming. Snakes are common in the bush, and most bites are on the foot or lower leg. If walking, particularly in long grass, wear proper boots and either long, loose trousers or thick, concertinaed hiking socks. Shake out boots and shoes in the morning, in case you have a guest. These precautions also reduce the chance of scorpion sting. If you do get bitten or stung, ''stay calm''. Try to identify the exact culprit, but get to medical assistance as rapidly as you can without undue exertion. Many bites and stings are non-fatal even if not treated, but it is safer to seek treatment, which is very effective these days. '''[[Tap water]]''', as a source of potable water, in general, should be boiled prior to consumption. Bottled water is also available. ==Respect== * Visitors to Zimbabwe will find Zimbabweans incredibly welcoming, friendly, and hospitable. Many will go out of their way to help you and ensure you have a good time. You can freely approach the locals for advice and you can ask them specific directions to get somewhere. * In smaller towns and villages, especially on the road, if you walk past somebody it is customary to exchange pleasantries. They may also ask you "how are you", or another similar variation, is usually standard. A simple hello or "how are you?" or "have a nice day" will suffice. Learning similar phrases in Shona or Ndebele will go a long way with older and more rural inhabitants as well. * Unlike many other African nations, Zimbabweans tend to be punctual and on time to events, especially for business, however, given the importance of public transportation, it's not uncommon to sometimes be a few minutes late to something. A simple apology or acknowledgement of one's tardiness is generally acceptable however, extreme lateness is considered rude and a waste of the other parties' time * '''Zimbabwe is a''' '''multicultural''' '''country.''' Do not make assumptions based on ethnicity or peoples' appearance. Outward displays of racism, discrimination or sexism, will be met with hostility or even land you in trouble with the law. Surprised comments at the presence of white or Asian Zimbabweans will be seen as incredibly ignorant. * Zimbabwean people are generally '''easy going and have a''' '''live and let live attitude and will respect your privacy and personal space'''. That said it is important to greet and acknowledge others when entering a space. * When shaking hands or handing anything valuable to someone in more rural areas, it is polite to support the right forearm with the left hand (or vice versa), to signify the "weight" of the gift or honour. In practice this often means just touching the forearm, or even gesturing towards it. Outsiders are generally not expected to know local etiquette, a firm polite handshake is good enough, though attempts at such will be well appreciated * '''Discussions about politics are generally avoided by locals'''. Opinions between individuals vary significantly, and while few Zimbabweans miss the volatility of the past few decades, few will voluntarily offer their opinions publicly and visitors are advised to do the same. Most Zimbabwean people of moderate views have grown accustomed to simply avoiding the topic in polite conversation, especially as speaking out against the government could have been considered a criminal offense until very recently. {{outlinecountry}} {{geo|-19|30|zoom=7}} {{isPartOf|Southern_Africa}} jn95eehfsuvmu7mlnxzoyzlsqlj8llr 1 41474 4501735 4258981 2022-08-15T20:44:42Z 204.129.232.195 /* Got a question about the California English dialect. */ new section wikitext text/x-wiki {{Expedition}} == Article statistics for California == Moved to [[Wikivoyage:California Expedition]] ==Hitchhiking== what are the laws for hitchhiking in california. i am trying to go from santa cruz to santa barbara. ==Regions== Before adding any new regions please see http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?PrimaryCat=Regions for a semi-official list of regions within California. Thus far this has proven to be a good breakdown for travel guide use. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 22:17, 16 Jul 2005 (EDT) :Initially, I hated this idea because it wasn't quite how I'd divide the state. But I've come to love it because it divides it along semi-reasonable lines, it's an extremely precise division with well-defined boundaries, and it also avoids us having to work out this hard problem on our own. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 13:45, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::I should actually modify the comment above, since the current map doesn't exactly follow what the CA department of tourism used (Wikivoyage's regional breakdown had a few pre-existing differences): ::* Wikivoyage splits the Central Valley region into the Sacramento Valley region & the San Joaquin Valley region. ::* Wikivoyage includes Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley region instead of the Gold Country region. ::* Wikivoyage combines the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County regions into the Southern California region. ::That said, the current list seems pretty complete, and there should be a discussion if anyone wants to add a new region. Also, I agree with Colin that having a map w/ a clearly-defined set of regions makes it much easier to figure out what goes where. And Colin, if you'd rather change any of the regions around, let me know your thoughts and I'd be happy to modify the map. For the most part I'm happy with the breakdown, although if it was solely up to me I don't think I would have split the Central Valley into two regions, and I would probably have lumped Gold Country into the Sierra Nevada region. However, since Wikivoyage had already split the Central Valley and defined a Gold Country region it didn't seem to hurt to keep them that way. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:00, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) == Counties as Regions - Love and hate == I've been populating the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] by filling all the counties with cities, and then populating the cities with hotel content. I do this because it's easy: there are simple ways of researching which cities are in each county so that we get a complete set of city articles. Yay! Easy way to get complete content! And there's also the possibility that we could eventually automatically generate maps of California showing both counties and also city locations much as Wikipedia has done. But this is also bad because we don't divide California into county divisions -- which is good thing if you've ever seen a map of the counties. Along the Sierra, they tend to be highly elongated west-east along rivers, and encompass parts of the hot valley, the gold country, and the high sierra. They make no sense as divisions generally. Here's what I propose: we have a complete set of counties for now to gain content. And then we link the articles into the Correct System of subdivision. Later we can either delete the county articles or just leave them around as another way of seeing travel. Thoughts? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 16:17, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :My thought is that counties are about as good a region system in California as we can get. Let's take a look at the California county map [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/california_map.html] and make a poke at doing a hierarchy with one layer between state and county. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 16:21, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::Well, some counties are insanely shaped. For example, Kern county starts in the Coastal Range, crosses the heat of the Central Valley (including Bakersfield), crosses the Southern Sierra (including Lake Isabella) and heads out into the desert (including Edwards Air Force Base where the Shuttle lands on the dry lake bed). ::But that said, I think I'm overstating the problems with Counties. Most of the proposed division already lies along county lines. Only Kern will be totally carved. Most others will be carved sensibly like dividing the Central Valley portion of the county from the Sierra portion. So I think this will work out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 18:11, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :::I'm in favor of trying to create regions that have borders corresponding to county borders so long as the resulting regions make sense. Your example of Kern County is a good one -- it just doesn't make sense from a traveler's point of view to have a region that includes coast range, desert and the Sierras. In some cases I'm not exactly sure where the division should be though -- [[Benicia]] is obviously in the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] (it is on the Bay!) but most of Solano County is really more Central Valley, or [[Sacramento Valley]] as Wikivoyage has chosen to call it. :::Having now thought through this problem a bit more as I've been typing, I guess maybe a good rule would be to try and stick to county borders as much as possible (which we already do, I believe) but to remember that there are fuzzy areas and do our best to define those areas (see Kern County & Benicia above). Rather than trying to reinvent things from scratch (which is not what you're proposing if I read it right), why not just find places where the current regional breakdown doesn't seem to work, and then address those specific problems? Your approach of creating county articles and putting city information into those articles, and then feeding the city articles into regional articles where we can sounds good. Over time I imagine that everything else will work itself out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 18:40, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) I guess this is not a live issue any more but even where I live, in Tuolumne County, which is an odd mixture of gold country and mountains, county borders do make some sense. The larger towns, and culture and shopping and such things as visitor bureaus, are in the foothills. They serve the mountain areas, and the roads go from the foothill areas of the counties to the mountain areas. Counties also gain some identity because they are pretty isolated. People who live in Tuolumne County are pretty aware that they live in that county, and actually have occasional feuds (sometimes lawsuits) with neighboring counties like Calaveras and Mariposa. On the negative side, WikiTravel is supposed to be a guide for tourists, and the fact is that tourists are rarely aware of what county they are in. It doesn't help much in the Sierra either, when, as has been pointed out, the county boundaries are a huge mess. Lake Tahoe is a particular mess, with the place carved up into slices and crazy naming, like Placerville being in El Dorado County rather than Placer County. (And many tourists think Nevada County is in Nevada).[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 03:58, 7 September 2006 (EDT) ==Inland Empire== From an anonymous contributor on the [[Talk:Southern California]] page: ''Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are part of Southern California according to all conventions. Riverside County, for instance, is home to a popular travel spot, Palm Springs, which is always considered part of So Cal. Together Riverside and San Bernadino Counties form the Inland Empire, which is part of Southern California, although virtually never used by locals (as in "I'm from the Inland Empire").'' I would tend to agree. Would anyone (Colin?) be opposed to redefining California's top-level regions to lump the Inland Empire into Southern California? We already differ somewhat from the official state of California regional breakdown - what we're calling Southern California the state breaks into Los Angeles County, Orange County & San Diego County - so lumping the Inland Empire in there as well wouldn't hurt and would (I think) make more sense from a traveler's perspective. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 12:40, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) :Fine by me. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:07, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Cool, barring anyone else's objection I'll try and re-jigger the [[:Image:Ca-regions.png|California map]] in the next day or two, and then begin shifting things around in the articles. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:16, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Done. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:38, 11 Nov 2005 (EST) == California Divisions == ''Moved from [[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2]]'': I didn't realize until now that the Cal State divisions place Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast. Wikivoyage currently has them in Southern California. I think the Cal State division is more useful in terms of breaking things more evenly, though as a Northern Californian I think of those counties as being part of the evil megapolis to the south. Your map also puts them in the Central Coast. I'll put them in the Central Coast for now, but I thought I'd just raise those issues in case it worries you. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) : I didn't realize we had anything north of LA County in the SoCal region either. The SoCal region is so huge that I don't think we need to expand it further - Santa Barbara is Southern California in the same sense that Redwood National Park is in Northern California, so putting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast region seems sane enough. :And ''evil'' megalopolis? Were I not still a Northern California boy in spirit I'd sense a shallow-actor-wannabes vs. protesting-pot-smoking-hippies flamewar beginning ;) -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 20:33, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::I'm not sure a hippie is aerodynamic enough to launch, flaming or otherwise. So we'll have to say no to the flamewar, though it did briefly give us hope of solving our hippie problem. ::I'll put Ventura and St. B into the CC, and see how well that sticks. - [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] :::I'm not so crazy about this. I also don't think it makes sense to balance things out by square mileage. I definitely think V and SB are in SoCal, and that Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 23:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::It's not by square milage -- there is actually some travel sense to it. Santa Barbara county is a lot like SLO, and very unlike LA. Ventura County is a bit odd though. We've altered the definitions a bit in the past, and it can certainly be discussed more. But on the whole, the region breakdown that we've agreed on for the past year has been working well. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 23:42, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::As an addendum: I think Santa Cruz in the Central Coast works just as badly as in the Bay Area. If SC moves from the Bay Area, I suspect we're going to have to use Monterey Bay as a region. But then Monterey gets sucked into the Monterey Bay Region. Then what to we call the central California coast? If we still call it Central Coast, well, Monterey is definitely part of the Central Coast too. And there's no other word for the California coast in that section.... Makes you start to wish that people would organize the geographic vocabulary to better serve travel guide writers :-) -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 00:20, 29 June 2006 (EDT) ::::I'm confused here as well - currently [[Southern California]] is defined as the Los Angeles to San Diego area, and Central Coast (seems) to be defined as the area north of LA up to and including the Monterey Bay. Since we have some flexibility to choose where the borders of the Wikivoyage regions are, it seems to make sense to slim down the SoCal region by saying that Santa Barbara and its neighbors are in the Central Coast region. The whole point of having regions is to break a large area into logical units that are easier to deal with - putting Santa Barbara and everything south into a single region doesn't seem to achieve that goal. Is your argument that Santa Barbara can't be considered anything other than SoCal? From a travel standpoint I'd tend to disagree with that, and would agree with Colin that Santa Barbara is more like SLO than LA. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:49, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my mental geography, the borderline between SoCal and the Central Coast is the junction of 1 and 101 right by [[Gaviota State Park]], and between the Bay Area and Central Coast when the freeway ends at Gilroy. But I'll accept that those are highly subjective dividing lines and that I have probably driven the route too many times to make sane decisions about them. I buy the new split. In the larger picture, I think sticking with counties is a good way to save heartache. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 02:18, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my own mind, Ventura County is part of Southern California, and the Central Coast starts after Point Conception, similar to Evan. The Los Padres/Angeles National Forests/Santa Ynez Mountains actually provide a pretty good geographical buffer. I can get on board with the SoCal consensus, or if we split the difference, with Ventura going South and SB going Central. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 22:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::: There are strong arguments for moving the Wikivoyage border for "Southern California" further to the north, but the Southern California region already covers a massive number of cities and sub-regions, and the goal of any regional breakdown is to divide a big thing into more manageable chunks. As such, I still think it makes sense to cut it off north of Malibu, rather than enlarging it and shrinking the already-compact Central Coast region. I'm sympathetic to the idea that Big Sur is a far different place than Ventura, but Ventura (the gateway to the Channel Islands) could clearly go either way, and I think we're better off reducing the scope of what we try to cover as "Southern California". -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:48, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::::OK, color me convinced. We have to draw the line somewhere. As long as we're consistent, count me as a vote for the California page's "as-is" trickling down to SoCal. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 23:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) ===[[Santa Cruz County]] - [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] or [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]]?=== I hate to dredge up old discussions, but I've noticed that Santa Cruz County is currently paired with the Bay Area rather than the Central Coast, which I don't quite agree with. As you might be able to tell from the history, I changed it around, then flipped it back when I figured I'd be opening up a big can of worms without explaining myself. More than a personal preference, putting Santa Cruz with the Bay Area is messing up what otherwise could be a neat division for the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been divided up into the North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay regions - but Santa Cruz doesn't fall into any of those. What's more, the [[Monterey Bay]] sub-region of the Central Coast has to be dragged into the Bay Area as well, since Santa Cruz is part of that region. But no one would consider Monterey Bay part of the Bay Area. I'm not convinced by any of the arguments stated above for putting Santa Cruz into the Bay Area - we're not going to have to make Monterey Bay a region of California just because we put Santa Cruz in it. I think we should move it to the Central Coast, change the CA regions map, and be the happier for it. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 12:23, 13 July 2010 (EDT) : I'd be in favor of this change as it makes both [[Bay Area (California)]] and [[Central Coast]] into more cohesive regions, but as I recall there have been strong feelings in the past for including Santa Cruz as part of the Bay Area so it might be worthwhile letting this discussion stew for a few days before making any change. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 13:06, 13 July 2010 (EDT) :: Well, I've forgotten about this and just rediscovered it. Having let it stew for several months, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and change it, unless someone else would like to pitch in with their thoughts. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 13:54, 11 October 2010 (EDT) :::All I know about the Bay Area I learned from watching ''Star Trek''. I do recall that in ''The Voyage Home'', they placed the Cetatean Institute (played by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in Sausalito so that it was closer to San Francisco. But I don't know anything of Santa Cruz. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:34, 18 October 2010 (EDT) == Cities and Towns == Another issue is reference to cities and towns. In the Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, including Tuolumne County, where I live, there are very few cities. In my county, there is only one city, Sonora. Everything else is a town (or less). I have noticed that in other areas of WikiTravel, such as Scotland, there is considerable reference to towns, but it seems that it is assumed in the California part that everything is a city. Tuolumne County, for example, lists everything as a city, although everything but Sonora is really a town. Obviously, a big problem is determining what is a city. I assume there is some reference for this, other than checking the incorporation records in Sacramento! Craig Will :The word "city" in the United Kingdom has a very specific definition: it means that the place has a "Royal Charter" or something like that. So when they use "town", they're refering to a populated place that doesn't have a charter. The UKians get very uptight if you refer to a town as a city ;-). In the US, we don't have such specific meanings, so we can generally get away with calling everything a city. So for the section header <nowiki>==Cities==</nowiki> in the region text, just leave it as Cities per the [[Project:Region article template]], but in the actual article go ahead and call it a town if you think it appropriate. :And a tip: you can sign your post automatically with your user name and timestamp by typing four tildes like this: <nowiki>-- ~~~~</nowiki> -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:17, 6 September 2006 (EDT) Well, it seems odd to me, because I think that we do have a specific meaning for a city, but I suppose there is also some ambiguity and if nobody is upset with calling everything a city I guess it is OK.[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 16:55, 6 September 2006 (EDT) ==Valleys== To add another twist; I know there are many locals who consider their region to be defined as a "valley" - Imperial Valley, Owens (River) Valley, Central Valley, and of course "The Valley" San Fernando Valley. Usually these are classified in smaller subdivisions than state regions. Just thought I'd mention it.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 14:32, 11 October 2006 (EDT) == Agricultural inspections == From the article: ''"All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations"'' '''Airport''' entrances? Really? I've flown in and out of California several times and never had to go through any inspections. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else either. Maybe this is referring to having your plane inspected if you fly a Cessna in from out of state or something? Any pilots here that can comment? BTW, for the past 3 years or so, I've never seen anyone actually manning the inspection stations on the freeways when I drive in from out of state (usually 10, 15, or 80). [[User:129.42.184.35|129.42.184.35]] :I've seen the stations manned. And you're right about airports -- I can't remember ever being asked about fruits when flying home on a commercial airline. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:44, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :I've seen the highway stations manned most of the times I've been through, on 8, 15 (near Barstow), and 395. But I've never seen it done at the airport. As a private pilot - never flew out of state, but the inspections would be nonexistant since you generally just fly direct to your destination airport or fuel stop.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 23:17, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :: My experience with the highway agricultural stations has been that they're usually only manned when there's some general concern - I was stopped a few years back during some scare over some moth or other, but haven't been stopped again during probably 10-20 trips in the past couple of years. We could probably remove the note about checks in airports, although you do occasionally see dogs in the bag check areas, again usually during times when there's an alert going on. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 23:28, 25 October 2006 (EDT) ==Wildflower Hotline== The following was deleted from the article without comment. It's been there for a while, so it probably deserves a fair hearing before being dropped completely: :''* '''California Wildflower Hotline''', (818) 768-3533, [http://www.theodorepayne.org]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.'' It seems like worthwhile information to me, although something that may be a bit specialized. If it isn't kept in the California article is there a better place for it? -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:55, 7 April 2007 (EDT) I vote for keeping it on the California page, who doesn't love a good Wildflower? &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:16, 7 April 2007 (EDT) : It's springtime, and the flower hotline is back. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 16:26, 15 April 2007 (EDT) == Banner == [[File:Antelope Valley banner.jpg|thumb|California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley]] I added in the banner with the field of poppies because its the state flower so it represents the whole state, the flowers are present in many regions so it doesn't single out one part of the state, and the picture itself is gorgeous. If California ultimately uses a different banner image, could the person who changes it please restore this as the banner for [[Antelope Valley]]? Thanks! [[User:Mcd51|Mcd51]] ([[User talk:Mcd51|talk]]) 02:06, 10 June 2013 (UTC) == Legal hemp == IIRC it was a ballot measure in the November 2016 elections that legalized it. I don't know when it took effect, though. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:38, 1 April 2018 (UTC) : [[:w:Adult Use of Marijuana Act]] says "... leading to recreational cannabis sales in the state beginning January, 2018."--[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 20:36, 1 April 2018 (UTC) == Power outages == Should we add a warning or caution box about the precautionary power outages that have been going on in California? Pinging {{ping|SelfieCity}} for input. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:00, 27 October 2019 (UTC) :I'm not there at the moment, but yes, I think we should. Yesterday, the CalFire website didn't work for me. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:52, 27 October 2019 (UTC) ::Yes, warn about the fires and outages. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:33, 27 October 2019 (UTC) == “Extreme temperatures” == It’s ironic that [[Florida]] has an infobox warning about “extreme temperatures” while California doesn’t seem to have such an infobox, despite its record high temperature being almost 30 Fahrenheit warmer and regularly higher temperatures in summer than the East Coast state. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:10, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :Maybe Florida's summer temperatures are more uniformly high throughout the state? I don't know if that's the case, but certainly within California the most extreme temperatures in one region can be very different from those in another region. A warning on the state article might make sense if a large portion of the state reaches dangerous temperatures regularly, but would make less sense if those dangerous temperatures are limited to a particular subregion. Also, California (or at least the part of it I'm familiar with) tends not to be humid. A dry heat isn't as bad as heat plus humidity. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 20:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::True, and it’s accurate that Florida’s high temperatures are more uniform in summer (not winter), and even the ocean doesn’t have anything like the impact of the Pacific in reducing temperatures. But high temperatures are encountered in large enough portions of the state of California that it could definitely be applied to the statewide article. My experience of Pleasanton, CA, which is considered to be in the northern part of the state, and is about 30 miles from the ocean, is that it receives triple digit heat for a few days every year, and 110+ certainly isn’t unheard of (I have no clue what that is in Celsius - somewhere in the 40s?). The Central Valley is experiencing near triple digit heat now, in May. And the valley receives consistent temperatures throughout its north-south length, as climate data show. That leaves just the coastline and mountains that don’t (usually) receive extreme heat, though a couple years ago San Francisco received triple digit heat, overwhelming local thermometers that weren’t designed to cope with those temperatures. ::While humidity can make the air feel hotter, that’s at least partially subjective (a 90 F, humid, but cloudy Florida day doesn’t feel particularly hot IMHO), and humidity actually moderates the temperature to my understanding. Dry heat can feel more intense if the sun is out, which it usually is in California. My experience is that the “feels like” temperature measurements in Florida are usually exaggerated, and the temperatures often feel cooler than the actual temperature, but that might be just me. ::By the way, not to sound too blunt in my previous comment; I just thought it was worth addressing. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:00, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::My experience is limited, but I think a high temperature in the relatively dry air of the Bay Area feels more comfortable than the same temperature in humid North Carolina or Guangdong. When I was growing up my family lived in [[San Rafael]] with no air conditioning in our house or car—I don't think we would have done the same in central North Carolina, let alone Florida. Overall, are California's summers unusually intense compared to the rest of the US? :::The fact that thermometers in San Francisco aren't designed for temperatures above 100F is an indication that the weather there is ''not'' traditionally very hot. Of course, many parts of the world are seeing record-breaking temperatures in recent years, and that will continue in the future as the earth warms up—but that's not anything special about California. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 23:18, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::::San Rafael is on the Bay, which moderates its climate. As soon as you go a few miles inland, that changes. I’m not claiming that California universally receives hot weather in summer, but I think enough of it does to justify the infobox. I’d argue, however, that a few other articles could do with the same warning &mdash; better safe than sorry. ::::Perhaps your point is that the largest tourist destinations in California don’t receive hot weather often, with which I’d agree. Additionally climate data evidence indicates that warming is much more pronounced in some regions of the world than others (with polar regions the most impacted), so I think we do have to keep pace with varied degrees of climatic change in different regions of the world. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:34, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::::Okay, I'll leave it to your judgement. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:14, 27 May 2020 (UTC) :::Late weighing in here, but here it goes: In terms of Florida temps vs California temps, you mentioned the humidity in Florida being a big difference from California. High heat with high humidity creates a situation in which it is harder for a person to cool off. In low humidity heat, sweat will evaporate off the skin having a cooling effect. In high humidity, the air is already saturated with moisture and the sweat is unable to evaporate leading to reduced cooling. This can lead to people being more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The [[w:Heat Index#Table_of_values|Heat Index]] provides a correlation between heat and humidity and shows why a 90&deg; day in California with 10% humidity is less risky than a 90&deg; day in Florida with 90% humidity. == A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion == The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: * [[commons:File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-01-22T22:01:11.755153 | Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg --> Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:01, 22 January 2021 (UTC) == Why so many 'Other destinations'? == There should only be a maximum of nine; there are currently 17. I would suggest the three state parks without a WV article can be deleted without further comment, but that still leaves five more to whittle down. I'll let people who actually know California decide how to proceed, so off the top of me 'ead that's {{ping|Mx. Granger|SelfieCity|Wrh2}} thoughts? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:10, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Having a decent knowledge of Cal, what significance is Disneyland. After all, the bigger one's in Orlando. Napa Valley is also not too significant. I'm not sure why the Chanel Islands have to be there. But with this, it leaves us with 2. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[w:User:SHB2000|en.wikipedia]])</small> 12:23, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::Pretty sure this is the original Disneyland, i.e. the one watched over by Walt's frozen corpse, and probably one of the most-visited theme parks in the world. Can't comment on the others.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:30, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::It is the second most visited theme park in the world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings], after the one in Florida, which makes it a pretty big deal for California. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 18:27, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::::I think the following destinations should stay on the list for sure: ::::*Disneyland ::::*Lake Tahoe ::::*Napa Valley ::::*Death Valley ::::*At least one redwood/sequoia-related place ::::*Yosemite National Park ::::That makes six, which would leave room for at most three of the remaining destinations. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:46, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::::I haven't been there, but just based on photos, I'd suggest including Joshua Tree National Park. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is lovely but was badly damaged in a fire and needs time to recover. What about Big Sur? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:33, 21 May 2021 (UTC) ::::::Big Sur over Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I think. Big Sur is definitely considered a really important travel destination in California, though if we include CA-1 as an itinerary, that covers it. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:14, 2 June 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}} If we have to reduce the number this is what I would recommend: *Disneyland this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. [keep] *Lake Tahoe a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. [keep] *Napa Valley spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. [keep] *Big Sur can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. [include as CA Route 1 itinerary?] * Diablo Range is the home of California's oak woodlands and traditionally was a key ranching region in the state. It is adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Channel Islands five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Death Valley – a place of legend and a place of trial. [keep] * Joshua Tree - the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right [marginal, IMHO, depends on whether or not the others make nine] *Lassen – witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. [also marginal, probably less important than Joshua Tree] *Redwood National Park – stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. [marginal, either this one or Sequoia/Kings Canyon] *Sequoia/Kings Canyon – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. [probably keep per Redwood National Park] * Yosemite – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. [keep] * Pinnacles – a rugged landscape in the [[Diablo Range]] [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] All other parks listings are unnecessary, as parks are adequately covered in the list above. [[United States National Parks#California]] (create a [[California State Parks]]?) could be a wikilink for enthusiasts. (As that would leave us with seven, we could include two additional ones from this list or include two of the state parks.) <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:20, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :A California State Parks article seems like a good idea to me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:59, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Ikan Kekek|SelfieCity|Antandrus|Mx. Granger|Ground Zero|ThunderingTyphoons!}} One month on, and we still haven't picked on which 9 destinations we're choosing. I just pinged Antandrus since they have local knowledge as well. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small> 13:33, 21 July 2021 (UTC) ::Combining the comments above, how about: ::* Death Valley ::* Disneyland ::* Joshua Tree ::* Lake Tahoe ::* Napa Valley ::* Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ::* Yosemite ::That makes seven; we could also add Big Sur and/or Lassen if desired. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 16:51, 21 July 2021 (UTC) :::Seeing no further comments, I've gone ahead and implemented this. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 12:13, 25 July 2021 (UTC) == Got a question about the California English dialect. ==  Whenever I add the new information about the language, it got reverted and it say it was too encyclopedic. This article never had information available about the dialect called "California English." So, I edited the article to add the introduction details about the new dialect. I wanted the readers of traveling to learn more about the dialect called California English. There are some languages spoken, but disagree that it should be removed. It should not be removed because, the Wikipedia article has that and it will be a good idea to add this information about the local dialect. Can anyone give a reason for that? Thanks already. -- [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 20:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ff2ft46zm1hdbyy07dh3nys5js0vp8x 4501761 4501735 2022-08-15T21:45:38Z Ground Zero 1423298 /* Got a question about the California English dialect. */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Expedition}} == Article statistics for California == Moved to [[Wikivoyage:California Expedition]] ==Hitchhiking== what are the laws for hitchhiking in california. i am trying to go from santa cruz to santa barbara. ==Regions== Before adding any new regions please see http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?PrimaryCat=Regions for a semi-official list of regions within California. Thus far this has proven to be a good breakdown for travel guide use. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 22:17, 16 Jul 2005 (EDT) :Initially, I hated this idea because it wasn't quite how I'd divide the state. But I've come to love it because it divides it along semi-reasonable lines, it's an extremely precise division with well-defined boundaries, and it also avoids us having to work out this hard problem on our own. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 13:45, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::I should actually modify the comment above, since the current map doesn't exactly follow what the CA department of tourism used (Wikivoyage's regional breakdown had a few pre-existing differences): ::* Wikivoyage splits the Central Valley region into the Sacramento Valley region & the San Joaquin Valley region. ::* Wikivoyage includes Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley region instead of the Gold Country region. ::* Wikivoyage combines the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County regions into the Southern California region. ::That said, the current list seems pretty complete, and there should be a discussion if anyone wants to add a new region. Also, I agree with Colin that having a map w/ a clearly-defined set of regions makes it much easier to figure out what goes where. And Colin, if you'd rather change any of the regions around, let me know your thoughts and I'd be happy to modify the map. For the most part I'm happy with the breakdown, although if it was solely up to me I don't think I would have split the Central Valley into two regions, and I would probably have lumped Gold Country into the Sierra Nevada region. However, since Wikivoyage had already split the Central Valley and defined a Gold Country region it didn't seem to hurt to keep them that way. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:00, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) == Counties as Regions - Love and hate == I've been populating the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] by filling all the counties with cities, and then populating the cities with hotel content. I do this because it's easy: there are simple ways of researching which cities are in each county so that we get a complete set of city articles. Yay! Easy way to get complete content! And there's also the possibility that we could eventually automatically generate maps of California showing both counties and also city locations much as Wikipedia has done. But this is also bad because we don't divide California into county divisions -- which is good thing if you've ever seen a map of the counties. Along the Sierra, they tend to be highly elongated west-east along rivers, and encompass parts of the hot valley, the gold country, and the high sierra. They make no sense as divisions generally. Here's what I propose: we have a complete set of counties for now to gain content. And then we link the articles into the Correct System of subdivision. Later we can either delete the county articles or just leave them around as another way of seeing travel. Thoughts? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 16:17, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :My thought is that counties are about as good a region system in California as we can get. Let's take a look at the California county map [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/california_map.html] and make a poke at doing a hierarchy with one layer between state and county. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 16:21, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::Well, some counties are insanely shaped. For example, Kern county starts in the Coastal Range, crosses the heat of the Central Valley (including Bakersfield), crosses the Southern Sierra (including Lake Isabella) and heads out into the desert (including Edwards Air Force Base where the Shuttle lands on the dry lake bed). ::But that said, I think I'm overstating the problems with Counties. Most of the proposed division already lies along county lines. Only Kern will be totally carved. Most others will be carved sensibly like dividing the Central Valley portion of the county from the Sierra portion. So I think this will work out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 18:11, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :::I'm in favor of trying to create regions that have borders corresponding to county borders so long as the resulting regions make sense. Your example of Kern County is a good one -- it just doesn't make sense from a traveler's point of view to have a region that includes coast range, desert and the Sierras. In some cases I'm not exactly sure where the division should be though -- [[Benicia]] is obviously in the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] (it is on the Bay!) but most of Solano County is really more Central Valley, or [[Sacramento Valley]] as Wikivoyage has chosen to call it. :::Having now thought through this problem a bit more as I've been typing, I guess maybe a good rule would be to try and stick to county borders as much as possible (which we already do, I believe) but to remember that there are fuzzy areas and do our best to define those areas (see Kern County & Benicia above). Rather than trying to reinvent things from scratch (which is not what you're proposing if I read it right), why not just find places where the current regional breakdown doesn't seem to work, and then address those specific problems? Your approach of creating county articles and putting city information into those articles, and then feeding the city articles into regional articles where we can sounds good. Over time I imagine that everything else will work itself out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 18:40, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) I guess this is not a live issue any more but even where I live, in Tuolumne County, which is an odd mixture of gold country and mountains, county borders do make some sense. The larger towns, and culture and shopping and such things as visitor bureaus, are in the foothills. They serve the mountain areas, and the roads go from the foothill areas of the counties to the mountain areas. Counties also gain some identity because they are pretty isolated. People who live in Tuolumne County are pretty aware that they live in that county, and actually have occasional feuds (sometimes lawsuits) with neighboring counties like Calaveras and Mariposa. On the negative side, WikiTravel is supposed to be a guide for tourists, and the fact is that tourists are rarely aware of what county they are in. It doesn't help much in the Sierra either, when, as has been pointed out, the county boundaries are a huge mess. Lake Tahoe is a particular mess, with the place carved up into slices and crazy naming, like Placerville being in El Dorado County rather than Placer County. (And many tourists think Nevada County is in Nevada).[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 03:58, 7 September 2006 (EDT) ==Inland Empire== From an anonymous contributor on the [[Talk:Southern California]] page: ''Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are part of Southern California according to all conventions. Riverside County, for instance, is home to a popular travel spot, Palm Springs, which is always considered part of So Cal. Together Riverside and San Bernadino Counties form the Inland Empire, which is part of Southern California, although virtually never used by locals (as in "I'm from the Inland Empire").'' I would tend to agree. Would anyone (Colin?) be opposed to redefining California's top-level regions to lump the Inland Empire into Southern California? We already differ somewhat from the official state of California regional breakdown - what we're calling Southern California the state breaks into Los Angeles County, Orange County & San Diego County - so lumping the Inland Empire in there as well wouldn't hurt and would (I think) make more sense from a traveler's perspective. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 12:40, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) :Fine by me. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:07, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Cool, barring anyone else's objection I'll try and re-jigger the [[:Image:Ca-regions.png|California map]] in the next day or two, and then begin shifting things around in the articles. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:16, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Done. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:38, 11 Nov 2005 (EST) == California Divisions == ''Moved from [[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2]]'': I didn't realize until now that the Cal State divisions place Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast. Wikivoyage currently has them in Southern California. I think the Cal State division is more useful in terms of breaking things more evenly, though as a Northern Californian I think of those counties as being part of the evil megapolis to the south. Your map also puts them in the Central Coast. I'll put them in the Central Coast for now, but I thought I'd just raise those issues in case it worries you. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) : I didn't realize we had anything north of LA County in the SoCal region either. The SoCal region is so huge that I don't think we need to expand it further - Santa Barbara is Southern California in the same sense that Redwood National Park is in Northern California, so putting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast region seems sane enough. :And ''evil'' megalopolis? Were I not still a Northern California boy in spirit I'd sense a shallow-actor-wannabes vs. protesting-pot-smoking-hippies flamewar beginning ;) -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 20:33, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::I'm not sure a hippie is aerodynamic enough to launch, flaming or otherwise. So we'll have to say no to the flamewar, though it did briefly give us hope of solving our hippie problem. ::I'll put Ventura and St. B into the CC, and see how well that sticks. - [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] :::I'm not so crazy about this. I also don't think it makes sense to balance things out by square mileage. I definitely think V and SB are in SoCal, and that Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 23:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::It's not by square milage -- there is actually some travel sense to it. Santa Barbara county is a lot like SLO, and very unlike LA. Ventura County is a bit odd though. We've altered the definitions a bit in the past, and it can certainly be discussed more. But on the whole, the region breakdown that we've agreed on for the past year has been working well. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 23:42, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::As an addendum: I think Santa Cruz in the Central Coast works just as badly as in the Bay Area. If SC moves from the Bay Area, I suspect we're going to have to use Monterey Bay as a region. But then Monterey gets sucked into the Monterey Bay Region. Then what to we call the central California coast? If we still call it Central Coast, well, Monterey is definitely part of the Central Coast too. And there's no other word for the California coast in that section.... Makes you start to wish that people would organize the geographic vocabulary to better serve travel guide writers :-) -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 00:20, 29 June 2006 (EDT) ::::I'm confused here as well - currently [[Southern California]] is defined as the Los Angeles to San Diego area, and Central Coast (seems) to be defined as the area north of LA up to and including the Monterey Bay. Since we have some flexibility to choose where the borders of the Wikivoyage regions are, it seems to make sense to slim down the SoCal region by saying that Santa Barbara and its neighbors are in the Central Coast region. The whole point of having regions is to break a large area into logical units that are easier to deal with - putting Santa Barbara and everything south into a single region doesn't seem to achieve that goal. Is your argument that Santa Barbara can't be considered anything other than SoCal? From a travel standpoint I'd tend to disagree with that, and would agree with Colin that Santa Barbara is more like SLO than LA. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:49, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my mental geography, the borderline between SoCal and the Central Coast is the junction of 1 and 101 right by [[Gaviota State Park]], and between the Bay Area and Central Coast when the freeway ends at Gilroy. But I'll accept that those are highly subjective dividing lines and that I have probably driven the route too many times to make sane decisions about them. I buy the new split. In the larger picture, I think sticking with counties is a good way to save heartache. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 02:18, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my own mind, Ventura County is part of Southern California, and the Central Coast starts after Point Conception, similar to Evan. The Los Padres/Angeles National Forests/Santa Ynez Mountains actually provide a pretty good geographical buffer. I can get on board with the SoCal consensus, or if we split the difference, with Ventura going South and SB going Central. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 22:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::: There are strong arguments for moving the Wikivoyage border for "Southern California" further to the north, but the Southern California region already covers a massive number of cities and sub-regions, and the goal of any regional breakdown is to divide a big thing into more manageable chunks. As such, I still think it makes sense to cut it off north of Malibu, rather than enlarging it and shrinking the already-compact Central Coast region. I'm sympathetic to the idea that Big Sur is a far different place than Ventura, but Ventura (the gateway to the Channel Islands) could clearly go either way, and I think we're better off reducing the scope of what we try to cover as "Southern California". -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:48, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::::OK, color me convinced. We have to draw the line somewhere. As long as we're consistent, count me as a vote for the California page's "as-is" trickling down to SoCal. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 23:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) ===[[Santa Cruz County]] - [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] or [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]]?=== I hate to dredge up old discussions, but I've noticed that Santa Cruz County is currently paired with the Bay Area rather than the Central Coast, which I don't quite agree with. As you might be able to tell from the history, I changed it around, then flipped it back when I figured I'd be opening up a big can of worms without explaining myself. More than a personal preference, putting Santa Cruz with the Bay Area is messing up what otherwise could be a neat division for the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been divided up into the North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay regions - but Santa Cruz doesn't fall into any of those. What's more, the [[Monterey Bay]] sub-region of the Central Coast has to be dragged into the Bay Area as well, since Santa Cruz is part of that region. But no one would consider Monterey Bay part of the Bay Area. I'm not convinced by any of the arguments stated above for putting Santa Cruz into the Bay Area - we're not going to have to make Monterey Bay a region of California just because we put Santa Cruz in it. I think we should move it to the Central Coast, change the CA regions map, and be the happier for it. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 12:23, 13 July 2010 (EDT) : I'd be in favor of this change as it makes both [[Bay Area (California)]] and [[Central Coast]] into more cohesive regions, but as I recall there have been strong feelings in the past for including Santa Cruz as part of the Bay Area so it might be worthwhile letting this discussion stew for a few days before making any change. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 13:06, 13 July 2010 (EDT) :: Well, I've forgotten about this and just rediscovered it. Having let it stew for several months, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and change it, unless someone else would like to pitch in with their thoughts. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 13:54, 11 October 2010 (EDT) :::All I know about the Bay Area I learned from watching ''Star Trek''. I do recall that in ''The Voyage Home'', they placed the Cetatean Institute (played by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in Sausalito so that it was closer to San Francisco. But I don't know anything of Santa Cruz. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:34, 18 October 2010 (EDT) == Cities and Towns == Another issue is reference to cities and towns. In the Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, including Tuolumne County, where I live, there are very few cities. In my county, there is only one city, Sonora. Everything else is a town (or less). I have noticed that in other areas of WikiTravel, such as Scotland, there is considerable reference to towns, but it seems that it is assumed in the California part that everything is a city. Tuolumne County, for example, lists everything as a city, although everything but Sonora is really a town. Obviously, a big problem is determining what is a city. I assume there is some reference for this, other than checking the incorporation records in Sacramento! Craig Will :The word "city" in the United Kingdom has a very specific definition: it means that the place has a "Royal Charter" or something like that. So when they use "town", they're refering to a populated place that doesn't have a charter. The UKians get very uptight if you refer to a town as a city ;-). In the US, we don't have such specific meanings, so we can generally get away with calling everything a city. So for the section header <nowiki>==Cities==</nowiki> in the region text, just leave it as Cities per the [[Project:Region article template]], but in the actual article go ahead and call it a town if you think it appropriate. :And a tip: you can sign your post automatically with your user name and timestamp by typing four tildes like this: <nowiki>-- ~~~~</nowiki> -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:17, 6 September 2006 (EDT) Well, it seems odd to me, because I think that we do have a specific meaning for a city, but I suppose there is also some ambiguity and if nobody is upset with calling everything a city I guess it is OK.[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 16:55, 6 September 2006 (EDT) ==Valleys== To add another twist; I know there are many locals who consider their region to be defined as a "valley" - Imperial Valley, Owens (River) Valley, Central Valley, and of course "The Valley" San Fernando Valley. Usually these are classified in smaller subdivisions than state regions. Just thought I'd mention it.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 14:32, 11 October 2006 (EDT) == Agricultural inspections == From the article: ''"All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations"'' '''Airport''' entrances? Really? I've flown in and out of California several times and never had to go through any inspections. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else either. Maybe this is referring to having your plane inspected if you fly a Cessna in from out of state or something? Any pilots here that can comment? BTW, for the past 3 years or so, I've never seen anyone actually manning the inspection stations on the freeways when I drive in from out of state (usually 10, 15, or 80). [[User:129.42.184.35|129.42.184.35]] :I've seen the stations manned. And you're right about airports -- I can't remember ever being asked about fruits when flying home on a commercial airline. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:44, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :I've seen the highway stations manned most of the times I've been through, on 8, 15 (near Barstow), and 395. But I've never seen it done at the airport. As a private pilot - never flew out of state, but the inspections would be nonexistant since you generally just fly direct to your destination airport or fuel stop.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 23:17, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :: My experience with the highway agricultural stations has been that they're usually only manned when there's some general concern - I was stopped a few years back during some scare over some moth or other, but haven't been stopped again during probably 10-20 trips in the past couple of years. We could probably remove the note about checks in airports, although you do occasionally see dogs in the bag check areas, again usually during times when there's an alert going on. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 23:28, 25 October 2006 (EDT) ==Wildflower Hotline== The following was deleted from the article without comment. It's been there for a while, so it probably deserves a fair hearing before being dropped completely: :''* '''California Wildflower Hotline''', (818) 768-3533, [http://www.theodorepayne.org]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.'' It seems like worthwhile information to me, although something that may be a bit specialized. If it isn't kept in the California article is there a better place for it? -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:55, 7 April 2007 (EDT) I vote for keeping it on the California page, who doesn't love a good Wildflower? &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:16, 7 April 2007 (EDT) : It's springtime, and the flower hotline is back. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 16:26, 15 April 2007 (EDT) == Banner == [[File:Antelope Valley banner.jpg|thumb|California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley]] I added in the banner with the field of poppies because its the state flower so it represents the whole state, the flowers are present in many regions so it doesn't single out one part of the state, and the picture itself is gorgeous. If California ultimately uses a different banner image, could the person who changes it please restore this as the banner for [[Antelope Valley]]? Thanks! [[User:Mcd51|Mcd51]] ([[User talk:Mcd51|talk]]) 02:06, 10 June 2013 (UTC) == Legal hemp == IIRC it was a ballot measure in the November 2016 elections that legalized it. I don't know when it took effect, though. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:38, 1 April 2018 (UTC) : [[:w:Adult Use of Marijuana Act]] says "... leading to recreational cannabis sales in the state beginning January, 2018."--[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 20:36, 1 April 2018 (UTC) == Power outages == Should we add a warning or caution box about the precautionary power outages that have been going on in California? Pinging {{ping|SelfieCity}} for input. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:00, 27 October 2019 (UTC) :I'm not there at the moment, but yes, I think we should. Yesterday, the CalFire website didn't work for me. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:52, 27 October 2019 (UTC) ::Yes, warn about the fires and outages. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:33, 27 October 2019 (UTC) == “Extreme temperatures” == It’s ironic that [[Florida]] has an infobox warning about “extreme temperatures” while California doesn’t seem to have such an infobox, despite its record high temperature being almost 30 Fahrenheit warmer and regularly higher temperatures in summer than the East Coast state. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:10, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :Maybe Florida's summer temperatures are more uniformly high throughout the state? I don't know if that's the case, but certainly within California the most extreme temperatures in one region can be very different from those in another region. A warning on the state article might make sense if a large portion of the state reaches dangerous temperatures regularly, but would make less sense if those dangerous temperatures are limited to a particular subregion. Also, California (or at least the part of it I'm familiar with) tends not to be humid. A dry heat isn't as bad as heat plus humidity. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 20:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::True, and it’s accurate that Florida’s high temperatures are more uniform in summer (not winter), and even the ocean doesn’t have anything like the impact of the Pacific in reducing temperatures. But high temperatures are encountered in large enough portions of the state of California that it could definitely be applied to the statewide article. My experience of Pleasanton, CA, which is considered to be in the northern part of the state, and is about 30 miles from the ocean, is that it receives triple digit heat for a few days every year, and 110+ certainly isn’t unheard of (I have no clue what that is in Celsius - somewhere in the 40s?). The Central Valley is experiencing near triple digit heat now, in May. And the valley receives consistent temperatures throughout its north-south length, as climate data show. That leaves just the coastline and mountains that don’t (usually) receive extreme heat, though a couple years ago San Francisco received triple digit heat, overwhelming local thermometers that weren’t designed to cope with those temperatures. ::While humidity can make the air feel hotter, that’s at least partially subjective (a 90 F, humid, but cloudy Florida day doesn’t feel particularly hot IMHO), and humidity actually moderates the temperature to my understanding. Dry heat can feel more intense if the sun is out, which it usually is in California. My experience is that the “feels like” temperature measurements in Florida are usually exaggerated, and the temperatures often feel cooler than the actual temperature, but that might be just me. ::By the way, not to sound too blunt in my previous comment; I just thought it was worth addressing. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:00, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::My experience is limited, but I think a high temperature in the relatively dry air of the Bay Area feels more comfortable than the same temperature in humid North Carolina or Guangdong. When I was growing up my family lived in [[San Rafael]] with no air conditioning in our house or car—I don't think we would have done the same in central North Carolina, let alone Florida. Overall, are California's summers unusually intense compared to the rest of the US? :::The fact that thermometers in San Francisco aren't designed for temperatures above 100F is an indication that the weather there is ''not'' traditionally very hot. Of course, many parts of the world are seeing record-breaking temperatures in recent years, and that will continue in the future as the earth warms up—but that's not anything special about California. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 23:18, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::::San Rafael is on the Bay, which moderates its climate. As soon as you go a few miles inland, that changes. I’m not claiming that California universally receives hot weather in summer, but I think enough of it does to justify the infobox. I’d argue, however, that a few other articles could do with the same warning &mdash; better safe than sorry. ::::Perhaps your point is that the largest tourist destinations in California don’t receive hot weather often, with which I’d agree. Additionally climate data evidence indicates that warming is much more pronounced in some regions of the world than others (with polar regions the most impacted), so I think we do have to keep pace with varied degrees of climatic change in different regions of the world. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:34, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::::Okay, I'll leave it to your judgement. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:14, 27 May 2020 (UTC) :::Late weighing in here, but here it goes: In terms of Florida temps vs California temps, you mentioned the humidity in Florida being a big difference from California. High heat with high humidity creates a situation in which it is harder for a person to cool off. In low humidity heat, sweat will evaporate off the skin having a cooling effect. In high humidity, the air is already saturated with moisture and the sweat is unable to evaporate leading to reduced cooling. This can lead to people being more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The [[w:Heat Index#Table_of_values|Heat Index]] provides a correlation between heat and humidity and shows why a 90&deg; day in California with 10% humidity is less risky than a 90&deg; day in Florida with 90% humidity. == A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion == The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: * [[commons:File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-01-22T22:01:11.755153 | Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg --> Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:01, 22 January 2021 (UTC) == Why so many 'Other destinations'? == There should only be a maximum of nine; there are currently 17. I would suggest the three state parks without a WV article can be deleted without further comment, but that still leaves five more to whittle down. I'll let people who actually know California decide how to proceed, so off the top of me 'ead that's {{ping|Mx. Granger|SelfieCity|Wrh2}} thoughts? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:10, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Having a decent knowledge of Cal, what significance is Disneyland. After all, the bigger one's in Orlando. Napa Valley is also not too significant. I'm not sure why the Chanel Islands have to be there. But with this, it leaves us with 2. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[w:User:SHB2000|en.wikipedia]])</small> 12:23, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::Pretty sure this is the original Disneyland, i.e. the one watched over by Walt's frozen corpse, and probably one of the most-visited theme parks in the world. Can't comment on the others.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:30, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::It is the second most visited theme park in the world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings], after the one in Florida, which makes it a pretty big deal for California. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 18:27, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::::I think the following destinations should stay on the list for sure: ::::*Disneyland ::::*Lake Tahoe ::::*Napa Valley ::::*Death Valley ::::*At least one redwood/sequoia-related place ::::*Yosemite National Park ::::That makes six, which would leave room for at most three of the remaining destinations. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:46, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::::I haven't been there, but just based on photos, I'd suggest including Joshua Tree National Park. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is lovely but was badly damaged in a fire and needs time to recover. What about Big Sur? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:33, 21 May 2021 (UTC) ::::::Big Sur over Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I think. Big Sur is definitely considered a really important travel destination in California, though if we include CA-1 as an itinerary, that covers it. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:14, 2 June 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}} If we have to reduce the number this is what I would recommend: *Disneyland this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. [keep] *Lake Tahoe a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. [keep] *Napa Valley spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. [keep] *Big Sur can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. [include as CA Route 1 itinerary?] * Diablo Range is the home of California's oak woodlands and traditionally was a key ranching region in the state. It is adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Channel Islands five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Death Valley – a place of legend and a place of trial. [keep] * Joshua Tree - the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right [marginal, IMHO, depends on whether or not the others make nine] *Lassen – witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. [also marginal, probably less important than Joshua Tree] *Redwood National Park – stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. [marginal, either this one or Sequoia/Kings Canyon] *Sequoia/Kings Canyon – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. [probably keep per Redwood National Park] * Yosemite – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. [keep] * Pinnacles – a rugged landscape in the [[Diablo Range]] [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] All other parks listings are unnecessary, as parks are adequately covered in the list above. [[United States National Parks#California]] (create a [[California State Parks]]?) could be a wikilink for enthusiasts. (As that would leave us with seven, we could include two additional ones from this list or include two of the state parks.) <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:20, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :A California State Parks article seems like a good idea to me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:59, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Ikan Kekek|SelfieCity|Antandrus|Mx. Granger|Ground Zero|ThunderingTyphoons!}} One month on, and we still haven't picked on which 9 destinations we're choosing. I just pinged Antandrus since they have local knowledge as well. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small> 13:33, 21 July 2021 (UTC) ::Combining the comments above, how about: ::* Death Valley ::* Disneyland ::* Joshua Tree ::* Lake Tahoe ::* Napa Valley ::* Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ::* Yosemite ::That makes seven; we could also add Big Sur and/or Lassen if desired. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 16:51, 21 July 2021 (UTC) :::Seeing no further comments, I've gone ahead and implemented this. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 12:13, 25 July 2021 (UTC) == Got a question about the California English dialect. ==  Whenever I add the new information about the language, it got reverted and it say it was too encyclopedic. This article never had information available about the dialect called "California English." So, I edited the article to add the introduction details about the new dialect. I wanted the readers of traveling to learn more about the dialect called California English. There are some languages spoken, but disagree that it should be removed. It should not be removed because, the Wikipedia article has that and it will be a good idea to add this information about the local dialect. Can anyone give a reason for that? Thanks already. -- [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 20:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I looked at the last edit. It didn't provide any information of use to travellers. It was very general, and is more suited to Wikipedia. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:45, 15 August 2022 (UTC) id1j8v2k5lxoq8owimpe8qg0b0v44iq 4501783 4501761 2022-08-15T22:44:21Z 204.129.232.195 /* Got a question about the California English dialect. */ Reply wikitext text/x-wiki {{Expedition}} == Article statistics for California == Moved to [[Wikivoyage:California Expedition]] ==Hitchhiking== what are the laws for hitchhiking in california. i am trying to go from santa cruz to santa barbara. ==Regions== Before adding any new regions please see http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?PrimaryCat=Regions for a semi-official list of regions within California. Thus far this has proven to be a good breakdown for travel guide use. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 22:17, 16 Jul 2005 (EDT) :Initially, I hated this idea because it wasn't quite how I'd divide the state. But I've come to love it because it divides it along semi-reasonable lines, it's an extremely precise division with well-defined boundaries, and it also avoids us having to work out this hard problem on our own. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 13:45, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::I should actually modify the comment above, since the current map doesn't exactly follow what the CA department of tourism used (Wikivoyage's regional breakdown had a few pre-existing differences): ::* Wikivoyage splits the Central Valley region into the Sacramento Valley region & the San Joaquin Valley region. ::* Wikivoyage includes Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley region instead of the Gold Country region. ::* Wikivoyage combines the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County regions into the Southern California region. ::That said, the current list seems pretty complete, and there should be a discussion if anyone wants to add a new region. Also, I agree with Colin that having a map w/ a clearly-defined set of regions makes it much easier to figure out what goes where. And Colin, if you'd rather change any of the regions around, let me know your thoughts and I'd be happy to modify the map. For the most part I'm happy with the breakdown, although if it was solely up to me I don't think I would have split the Central Valley into two regions, and I would probably have lumped Gold Country into the Sierra Nevada region. However, since Wikivoyage had already split the Central Valley and defined a Gold Country region it didn't seem to hurt to keep them that way. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:00, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) == Counties as Regions - Love and hate == I've been populating the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] by filling all the counties with cities, and then populating the cities with hotel content. I do this because it's easy: there are simple ways of researching which cities are in each county so that we get a complete set of city articles. Yay! Easy way to get complete content! And there's also the possibility that we could eventually automatically generate maps of California showing both counties and also city locations much as Wikipedia has done. But this is also bad because we don't divide California into county divisions -- which is good thing if you've ever seen a map of the counties. Along the Sierra, they tend to be highly elongated west-east along rivers, and encompass parts of the hot valley, the gold country, and the high sierra. They make no sense as divisions generally. Here's what I propose: we have a complete set of counties for now to gain content. And then we link the articles into the Correct System of subdivision. Later we can either delete the county articles or just leave them around as another way of seeing travel. Thoughts? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 16:17, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :My thought is that counties are about as good a region system in California as we can get. Let's take a look at the California county map [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/california_map.html] and make a poke at doing a hierarchy with one layer between state and county. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 16:21, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::Well, some counties are insanely shaped. For example, Kern county starts in the Coastal Range, crosses the heat of the Central Valley (including Bakersfield), crosses the Southern Sierra (including Lake Isabella) and heads out into the desert (including Edwards Air Force Base where the Shuttle lands on the dry lake bed). ::But that said, I think I'm overstating the problems with Counties. Most of the proposed division already lies along county lines. Only Kern will be totally carved. Most others will be carved sensibly like dividing the Central Valley portion of the county from the Sierra portion. So I think this will work out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 18:11, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :::I'm in favor of trying to create regions that have borders corresponding to county borders so long as the resulting regions make sense. Your example of Kern County is a good one -- it just doesn't make sense from a traveler's point of view to have a region that includes coast range, desert and the Sierras. In some cases I'm not exactly sure where the division should be though -- [[Benicia]] is obviously in the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] (it is on the Bay!) but most of Solano County is really more Central Valley, or [[Sacramento Valley]] as Wikivoyage has chosen to call it. :::Having now thought through this problem a bit more as I've been typing, I guess maybe a good rule would be to try and stick to county borders as much as possible (which we already do, I believe) but to remember that there are fuzzy areas and do our best to define those areas (see Kern County & Benicia above). Rather than trying to reinvent things from scratch (which is not what you're proposing if I read it right), why not just find places where the current regional breakdown doesn't seem to work, and then address those specific problems? Your approach of creating county articles and putting city information into those articles, and then feeding the city articles into regional articles where we can sounds good. Over time I imagine that everything else will work itself out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 18:40, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) I guess this is not a live issue any more but even where I live, in Tuolumne County, which is an odd mixture of gold country and mountains, county borders do make some sense. The larger towns, and culture and shopping and such things as visitor bureaus, are in the foothills. They serve the mountain areas, and the roads go from the foothill areas of the counties to the mountain areas. Counties also gain some identity because they are pretty isolated. People who live in Tuolumne County are pretty aware that they live in that county, and actually have occasional feuds (sometimes lawsuits) with neighboring counties like Calaveras and Mariposa. On the negative side, WikiTravel is supposed to be a guide for tourists, and the fact is that tourists are rarely aware of what county they are in. It doesn't help much in the Sierra either, when, as has been pointed out, the county boundaries are a huge mess. Lake Tahoe is a particular mess, with the place carved up into slices and crazy naming, like Placerville being in El Dorado County rather than Placer County. (And many tourists think Nevada County is in Nevada).[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 03:58, 7 September 2006 (EDT) ==Inland Empire== From an anonymous contributor on the [[Talk:Southern California]] page: ''Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are part of Southern California according to all conventions. Riverside County, for instance, is home to a popular travel spot, Palm Springs, which is always considered part of So Cal. Together Riverside and San Bernadino Counties form the Inland Empire, which is part of Southern California, although virtually never used by locals (as in "I'm from the Inland Empire").'' I would tend to agree. Would anyone (Colin?) be opposed to redefining California's top-level regions to lump the Inland Empire into Southern California? We already differ somewhat from the official state of California regional breakdown - what we're calling Southern California the state breaks into Los Angeles County, Orange County & San Diego County - so lumping the Inland Empire in there as well wouldn't hurt and would (I think) make more sense from a traveler's perspective. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 12:40, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) :Fine by me. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:07, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Cool, barring anyone else's objection I'll try and re-jigger the [[:Image:Ca-regions.png|California map]] in the next day or two, and then begin shifting things around in the articles. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:16, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Done. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:38, 11 Nov 2005 (EST) == California Divisions == ''Moved from [[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2]]'': I didn't realize until now that the Cal State divisions place Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast. Wikivoyage currently has them in Southern California. I think the Cal State division is more useful in terms of breaking things more evenly, though as a Northern Californian I think of those counties as being part of the evil megapolis to the south. Your map also puts them in the Central Coast. I'll put them in the Central Coast for now, but I thought I'd just raise those issues in case it worries you. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) : I didn't realize we had anything north of LA County in the SoCal region either. The SoCal region is so huge that I don't think we need to expand it further - Santa Barbara is Southern California in the same sense that Redwood National Park is in Northern California, so putting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast region seems sane enough. :And ''evil'' megalopolis? Were I not still a Northern California boy in spirit I'd sense a shallow-actor-wannabes vs. protesting-pot-smoking-hippies flamewar beginning ;) -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 20:33, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::I'm not sure a hippie is aerodynamic enough to launch, flaming or otherwise. So we'll have to say no to the flamewar, though it did briefly give us hope of solving our hippie problem. ::I'll put Ventura and St. B into the CC, and see how well that sticks. - [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] :::I'm not so crazy about this. I also don't think it makes sense to balance things out by square mileage. I definitely think V and SB are in SoCal, and that Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 23:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::It's not by square milage -- there is actually some travel sense to it. Santa Barbara county is a lot like SLO, and very unlike LA. Ventura County is a bit odd though. We've altered the definitions a bit in the past, and it can certainly be discussed more. But on the whole, the region breakdown that we've agreed on for the past year has been working well. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 23:42, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::As an addendum: I think Santa Cruz in the Central Coast works just as badly as in the Bay Area. If SC moves from the Bay Area, I suspect we're going to have to use Monterey Bay as a region. But then Monterey gets sucked into the Monterey Bay Region. Then what to we call the central California coast? If we still call it Central Coast, well, Monterey is definitely part of the Central Coast too. And there's no other word for the California coast in that section.... Makes you start to wish that people would organize the geographic vocabulary to better serve travel guide writers :-) -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 00:20, 29 June 2006 (EDT) ::::I'm confused here as well - currently [[Southern California]] is defined as the Los Angeles to San Diego area, and Central Coast (seems) to be defined as the area north of LA up to and including the Monterey Bay. Since we have some flexibility to choose where the borders of the Wikivoyage regions are, it seems to make sense to slim down the SoCal region by saying that Santa Barbara and its neighbors are in the Central Coast region. The whole point of having regions is to break a large area into logical units that are easier to deal with - putting Santa Barbara and everything south into a single region doesn't seem to achieve that goal. Is your argument that Santa Barbara can't be considered anything other than SoCal? From a travel standpoint I'd tend to disagree with that, and would agree with Colin that Santa Barbara is more like SLO than LA. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:49, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my mental geography, the borderline between SoCal and the Central Coast is the junction of 1 and 101 right by [[Gaviota State Park]], and between the Bay Area and Central Coast when the freeway ends at Gilroy. But I'll accept that those are highly subjective dividing lines and that I have probably driven the route too many times to make sane decisions about them. I buy the new split. In the larger picture, I think sticking with counties is a good way to save heartache. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 02:18, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my own mind, Ventura County is part of Southern California, and the Central Coast starts after Point Conception, similar to Evan. The Los Padres/Angeles National Forests/Santa Ynez Mountains actually provide a pretty good geographical buffer. I can get on board with the SoCal consensus, or if we split the difference, with Ventura going South and SB going Central. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 22:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::: There are strong arguments for moving the Wikivoyage border for "Southern California" further to the north, but the Southern California region already covers a massive number of cities and sub-regions, and the goal of any regional breakdown is to divide a big thing into more manageable chunks. As such, I still think it makes sense to cut it off north of Malibu, rather than enlarging it and shrinking the already-compact Central Coast region. I'm sympathetic to the idea that Big Sur is a far different place than Ventura, but Ventura (the gateway to the Channel Islands) could clearly go either way, and I think we're better off reducing the scope of what we try to cover as "Southern California". -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:48, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::::OK, color me convinced. We have to draw the line somewhere. As long as we're consistent, count me as a vote for the California page's "as-is" trickling down to SoCal. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 23:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) ===[[Santa Cruz County]] - [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] or [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]]?=== I hate to dredge up old discussions, but I've noticed that Santa Cruz County is currently paired with the Bay Area rather than the Central Coast, which I don't quite agree with. As you might be able to tell from the history, I changed it around, then flipped it back when I figured I'd be opening up a big can of worms without explaining myself. More than a personal preference, putting Santa Cruz with the Bay Area is messing up what otherwise could be a neat division for the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been divided up into the North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay regions - but Santa Cruz doesn't fall into any of those. What's more, the [[Monterey Bay]] sub-region of the Central Coast has to be dragged into the Bay Area as well, since Santa Cruz is part of that region. But no one would consider Monterey Bay part of the Bay Area. I'm not convinced by any of the arguments stated above for putting Santa Cruz into the Bay Area - we're not going to have to make Monterey Bay a region of California just because we put Santa Cruz in it. I think we should move it to the Central Coast, change the CA regions map, and be the happier for it. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 12:23, 13 July 2010 (EDT) : I'd be in favor of this change as it makes both [[Bay Area (California)]] and [[Central Coast]] into more cohesive regions, but as I recall there have been strong feelings in the past for including Santa Cruz as part of the Bay Area so it might be worthwhile letting this discussion stew for a few days before making any change. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 13:06, 13 July 2010 (EDT) :: Well, I've forgotten about this and just rediscovered it. Having let it stew for several months, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and change it, unless someone else would like to pitch in with their thoughts. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 13:54, 11 October 2010 (EDT) :::All I know about the Bay Area I learned from watching ''Star Trek''. I do recall that in ''The Voyage Home'', they placed the Cetatean Institute (played by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in Sausalito so that it was closer to San Francisco. But I don't know anything of Santa Cruz. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:34, 18 October 2010 (EDT) == Cities and Towns == Another issue is reference to cities and towns. In the Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, including Tuolumne County, where I live, there are very few cities. In my county, there is only one city, Sonora. Everything else is a town (or less). I have noticed that in other areas of WikiTravel, such as Scotland, there is considerable reference to towns, but it seems that it is assumed in the California part that everything is a city. Tuolumne County, for example, lists everything as a city, although everything but Sonora is really a town. Obviously, a big problem is determining what is a city. I assume there is some reference for this, other than checking the incorporation records in Sacramento! Craig Will :The word "city" in the United Kingdom has a very specific definition: it means that the place has a "Royal Charter" or something like that. So when they use "town", they're refering to a populated place that doesn't have a charter. The UKians get very uptight if you refer to a town as a city ;-). In the US, we don't have such specific meanings, so we can generally get away with calling everything a city. So for the section header <nowiki>==Cities==</nowiki> in the region text, just leave it as Cities per the [[Project:Region article template]], but in the actual article go ahead and call it a town if you think it appropriate. :And a tip: you can sign your post automatically with your user name and timestamp by typing four tildes like this: <nowiki>-- ~~~~</nowiki> -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:17, 6 September 2006 (EDT) Well, it seems odd to me, because I think that we do have a specific meaning for a city, but I suppose there is also some ambiguity and if nobody is upset with calling everything a city I guess it is OK.[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 16:55, 6 September 2006 (EDT) ==Valleys== To add another twist; I know there are many locals who consider their region to be defined as a "valley" - Imperial Valley, Owens (River) Valley, Central Valley, and of course "The Valley" San Fernando Valley. Usually these are classified in smaller subdivisions than state regions. Just thought I'd mention it.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 14:32, 11 October 2006 (EDT) == Agricultural inspections == From the article: ''"All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations"'' '''Airport''' entrances? Really? I've flown in and out of California several times and never had to go through any inspections. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else either. Maybe this is referring to having your plane inspected if you fly a Cessna in from out of state or something? Any pilots here that can comment? BTW, for the past 3 years or so, I've never seen anyone actually manning the inspection stations on the freeways when I drive in from out of state (usually 10, 15, or 80). [[User:129.42.184.35|129.42.184.35]] :I've seen the stations manned. And you're right about airports -- I can't remember ever being asked about fruits when flying home on a commercial airline. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:44, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :I've seen the highway stations manned most of the times I've been through, on 8, 15 (near Barstow), and 395. But I've never seen it done at the airport. As a private pilot - never flew out of state, but the inspections would be nonexistant since you generally just fly direct to your destination airport or fuel stop.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 23:17, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :: My experience with the highway agricultural stations has been that they're usually only manned when there's some general concern - I was stopped a few years back during some scare over some moth or other, but haven't been stopped again during probably 10-20 trips in the past couple of years. We could probably remove the note about checks in airports, although you do occasionally see dogs in the bag check areas, again usually during times when there's an alert going on. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 23:28, 25 October 2006 (EDT) ==Wildflower Hotline== The following was deleted from the article without comment. It's been there for a while, so it probably deserves a fair hearing before being dropped completely: :''* '''California Wildflower Hotline''', (818) 768-3533, [http://www.theodorepayne.org]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.'' It seems like worthwhile information to me, although something that may be a bit specialized. If it isn't kept in the California article is there a better place for it? -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:55, 7 April 2007 (EDT) I vote for keeping it on the California page, who doesn't love a good Wildflower? &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:16, 7 April 2007 (EDT) : It's springtime, and the flower hotline is back. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 16:26, 15 April 2007 (EDT) == Banner == [[File:Antelope Valley banner.jpg|thumb|California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley]] I added in the banner with the field of poppies because its the state flower so it represents the whole state, the flowers are present in many regions so it doesn't single out one part of the state, and the picture itself is gorgeous. If California ultimately uses a different banner image, could the person who changes it please restore this as the banner for [[Antelope Valley]]? Thanks! [[User:Mcd51|Mcd51]] ([[User talk:Mcd51|talk]]) 02:06, 10 June 2013 (UTC) == Legal hemp == IIRC it was a ballot measure in the November 2016 elections that legalized it. I don't know when it took effect, though. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:38, 1 April 2018 (UTC) : [[:w:Adult Use of Marijuana Act]] says "... leading to recreational cannabis sales in the state beginning January, 2018."--[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 20:36, 1 April 2018 (UTC) == Power outages == Should we add a warning or caution box about the precautionary power outages that have been going on in California? Pinging {{ping|SelfieCity}} for input. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:00, 27 October 2019 (UTC) :I'm not there at the moment, but yes, I think we should. Yesterday, the CalFire website didn't work for me. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:52, 27 October 2019 (UTC) ::Yes, warn about the fires and outages. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:33, 27 October 2019 (UTC) == “Extreme temperatures” == It’s ironic that [[Florida]] has an infobox warning about “extreme temperatures” while California doesn’t seem to have such an infobox, despite its record high temperature being almost 30 Fahrenheit warmer and regularly higher temperatures in summer than the East Coast state. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:10, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :Maybe Florida's summer temperatures are more uniformly high throughout the state? I don't know if that's the case, but certainly within California the most extreme temperatures in one region can be very different from those in another region. A warning on the state article might make sense if a large portion of the state reaches dangerous temperatures regularly, but would make less sense if those dangerous temperatures are limited to a particular subregion. Also, California (or at least the part of it I'm familiar with) tends not to be humid. A dry heat isn't as bad as heat plus humidity. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 20:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::True, and it’s accurate that Florida’s high temperatures are more uniform in summer (not winter), and even the ocean doesn’t have anything like the impact of the Pacific in reducing temperatures. But high temperatures are encountered in large enough portions of the state of California that it could definitely be applied to the statewide article. My experience of Pleasanton, CA, which is considered to be in the northern part of the state, and is about 30 miles from the ocean, is that it receives triple digit heat for a few days every year, and 110+ certainly isn’t unheard of (I have no clue what that is in Celsius - somewhere in the 40s?). The Central Valley is experiencing near triple digit heat now, in May. And the valley receives consistent temperatures throughout its north-south length, as climate data show. That leaves just the coastline and mountains that don’t (usually) receive extreme heat, though a couple years ago San Francisco received triple digit heat, overwhelming local thermometers that weren’t designed to cope with those temperatures. ::While humidity can make the air feel hotter, that’s at least partially subjective (a 90 F, humid, but cloudy Florida day doesn’t feel particularly hot IMHO), and humidity actually moderates the temperature to my understanding. Dry heat can feel more intense if the sun is out, which it usually is in California. My experience is that the “feels like” temperature measurements in Florida are usually exaggerated, and the temperatures often feel cooler than the actual temperature, but that might be just me. ::By the way, not to sound too blunt in my previous comment; I just thought it was worth addressing. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:00, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::My experience is limited, but I think a high temperature in the relatively dry air of the Bay Area feels more comfortable than the same temperature in humid North Carolina or Guangdong. When I was growing up my family lived in [[San Rafael]] with no air conditioning in our house or car—I don't think we would have done the same in central North Carolina, let alone Florida. Overall, are California's summers unusually intense compared to the rest of the US? :::The fact that thermometers in San Francisco aren't designed for temperatures above 100F is an indication that the weather there is ''not'' traditionally very hot. Of course, many parts of the world are seeing record-breaking temperatures in recent years, and that will continue in the future as the earth warms up—but that's not anything special about California. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 23:18, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::::San Rafael is on the Bay, which moderates its climate. As soon as you go a few miles inland, that changes. I’m not claiming that California universally receives hot weather in summer, but I think enough of it does to justify the infobox. I’d argue, however, that a few other articles could do with the same warning &mdash; better safe than sorry. ::::Perhaps your point is that the largest tourist destinations in California don’t receive hot weather often, with which I’d agree. Additionally climate data evidence indicates that warming is much more pronounced in some regions of the world than others (with polar regions the most impacted), so I think we do have to keep pace with varied degrees of climatic change in different regions of the world. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:34, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::::Okay, I'll leave it to your judgement. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:14, 27 May 2020 (UTC) :::Late weighing in here, but here it goes: In terms of Florida temps vs California temps, you mentioned the humidity in Florida being a big difference from California. High heat with high humidity creates a situation in which it is harder for a person to cool off. In low humidity heat, sweat will evaporate off the skin having a cooling effect. In high humidity, the air is already saturated with moisture and the sweat is unable to evaporate leading to reduced cooling. This can lead to people being more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The [[w:Heat Index#Table_of_values|Heat Index]] provides a correlation between heat and humidity and shows why a 90&deg; day in California with 10% humidity is less risky than a 90&deg; day in Florida with 90% humidity. == A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion == The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: * [[commons:File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-01-22T22:01:11.755153 | Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg --> Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:01, 22 January 2021 (UTC) == Why so many 'Other destinations'? == There should only be a maximum of nine; there are currently 17. I would suggest the three state parks without a WV article can be deleted without further comment, but that still leaves five more to whittle down. I'll let people who actually know California decide how to proceed, so off the top of me 'ead that's {{ping|Mx. Granger|SelfieCity|Wrh2}} thoughts? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:10, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Having a decent knowledge of Cal, what significance is Disneyland. After all, the bigger one's in Orlando. Napa Valley is also not too significant. I'm not sure why the Chanel Islands have to be there. But with this, it leaves us with 2. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[w:User:SHB2000|en.wikipedia]])</small> 12:23, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::Pretty sure this is the original Disneyland, i.e. the one watched over by Walt's frozen corpse, and probably one of the most-visited theme parks in the world. Can't comment on the others.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:30, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::It is the second most visited theme park in the world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings], after the one in Florida, which makes it a pretty big deal for California. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 18:27, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::::I think the following destinations should stay on the list for sure: ::::*Disneyland ::::*Lake Tahoe ::::*Napa Valley ::::*Death Valley ::::*At least one redwood/sequoia-related place ::::*Yosemite National Park ::::That makes six, which would leave room for at most three of the remaining destinations. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:46, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::::I haven't been there, but just based on photos, I'd suggest including Joshua Tree National Park. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is lovely but was badly damaged in a fire and needs time to recover. What about Big Sur? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:33, 21 May 2021 (UTC) ::::::Big Sur over Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I think. Big Sur is definitely considered a really important travel destination in California, though if we include CA-1 as an itinerary, that covers it. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:14, 2 June 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}} If we have to reduce the number this is what I would recommend: *Disneyland this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. [keep] *Lake Tahoe a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. [keep] *Napa Valley spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. [keep] *Big Sur can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. [include as CA Route 1 itinerary?] * Diablo Range is the home of California's oak woodlands and traditionally was a key ranching region in the state. It is adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Channel Islands five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Death Valley – a place of legend and a place of trial. [keep] * Joshua Tree - the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right [marginal, IMHO, depends on whether or not the others make nine] *Lassen – witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. [also marginal, probably less important than Joshua Tree] *Redwood National Park – stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. [marginal, either this one or Sequoia/Kings Canyon] *Sequoia/Kings Canyon – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. [probably keep per Redwood National Park] * Yosemite – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. [keep] * Pinnacles – a rugged landscape in the [[Diablo Range]] [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] All other parks listings are unnecessary, as parks are adequately covered in the list above. [[United States National Parks#California]] (create a [[California State Parks]]?) could be a wikilink for enthusiasts. (As that would leave us with seven, we could include two additional ones from this list or include two of the state parks.) <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:20, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :A California State Parks article seems like a good idea to me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:59, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Ikan Kekek|SelfieCity|Antandrus|Mx. Granger|Ground Zero|ThunderingTyphoons!}} One month on, and we still haven't picked on which 9 destinations we're choosing. I just pinged Antandrus since they have local knowledge as well. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small> 13:33, 21 July 2021 (UTC) ::Combining the comments above, how about: ::* Death Valley ::* Disneyland ::* Joshua Tree ::* Lake Tahoe ::* Napa Valley ::* Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ::* Yosemite ::That makes seven; we could also add Big Sur and/or Lassen if desired. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 16:51, 21 July 2021 (UTC) :::Seeing no further comments, I've gone ahead and implemented this. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 12:13, 25 July 2021 (UTC) == Got a question about the California English dialect. ==  Whenever I add the new information about the language, it got reverted and it say it was too encyclopedic. This article never had information available about the dialect called "California English." So, I edited the article to add the introduction details about the new dialect. I wanted the readers of traveling to learn more about the dialect called California English. There are some languages spoken, but disagree that it should be removed. It should not be removed because, the Wikipedia article has that and it will be a good idea to add this information about the local dialect. Can anyone give a reason for that? Thanks already. -- [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 20:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I looked at the last edit. It didn't provide any information of use to travellers. It was very general, and is more suited to Wikipedia. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:45, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Any additional reasoning? [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 22:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) 6j4pslai7iraed4jaxoze3yjkyjrzhu 4501797 4501783 2022-08-16T01:15:34Z Ibaman 195012 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Expedition}} == Article statistics for California == Moved to [[Wikivoyage:California Expedition]] ==Hitchhiking== what are the laws for hitchhiking in california. i am trying to go from santa cruz to santa barbara. ==Regions== Before adding any new regions please see http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?PrimaryCat=Regions for a semi-official list of regions within California. Thus far this has proven to be a good breakdown for travel guide use. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 22:17, 16 Jul 2005 (EDT) :Initially, I hated this idea because it wasn't quite how I'd divide the state. But I've come to love it because it divides it along semi-reasonable lines, it's an extremely precise division with well-defined boundaries, and it also avoids us having to work out this hard problem on our own. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 13:45, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::I should actually modify the comment above, since the current map doesn't exactly follow what the CA department of tourism used (Wikivoyage's regional breakdown had a few pre-existing differences): ::* Wikivoyage splits the Central Valley region into the Sacramento Valley region & the San Joaquin Valley region. ::* Wikivoyage includes Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley region instead of the Gold Country region. ::* Wikivoyage combines the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County regions into the Southern California region. ::That said, the current list seems pretty complete, and there should be a discussion if anyone wants to add a new region. Also, I agree with Colin that having a map w/ a clearly-defined set of regions makes it much easier to figure out what goes where. And Colin, if you'd rather change any of the regions around, let me know your thoughts and I'd be happy to modify the map. For the most part I'm happy with the breakdown, although if it was solely up to me I don't think I would have split the Central Valley into two regions, and I would probably have lumped Gold Country into the Sierra Nevada region. However, since Wikivoyage had already split the Central Valley and defined a Gold Country region it didn't seem to hurt to keep them that way. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:00, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) == Counties as Regions - Love and hate == I've been populating the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] by filling all the counties with cities, and then populating the cities with hotel content. I do this because it's easy: there are simple ways of researching which cities are in each county so that we get a complete set of city articles. Yay! Easy way to get complete content! And there's also the possibility that we could eventually automatically generate maps of California showing both counties and also city locations much as Wikipedia has done. But this is also bad because we don't divide California into county divisions -- which is good thing if you've ever seen a map of the counties. Along the Sierra, they tend to be highly elongated west-east along rivers, and encompass parts of the hot valley, the gold country, and the high sierra. They make no sense as divisions generally. Here's what I propose: we have a complete set of counties for now to gain content. And then we link the articles into the Correct System of subdivision. Later we can either delete the county articles or just leave them around as another way of seeing travel. Thoughts? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 16:17, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :My thought is that counties are about as good a region system in California as we can get. Let's take a look at the California county map [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/california_map.html] and make a poke at doing a hierarchy with one layer between state and county. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 16:21, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::Well, some counties are insanely shaped. For example, Kern county starts in the Coastal Range, crosses the heat of the Central Valley (including Bakersfield), crosses the Southern Sierra (including Lake Isabella) and heads out into the desert (including Edwards Air Force Base where the Shuttle lands on the dry lake bed). ::But that said, I think I'm overstating the problems with Counties. Most of the proposed division already lies along county lines. Only Kern will be totally carved. Most others will be carved sensibly like dividing the Central Valley portion of the county from the Sierra portion. So I think this will work out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 18:11, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :::I'm in favor of trying to create regions that have borders corresponding to county borders so long as the resulting regions make sense. Your example of Kern County is a good one -- it just doesn't make sense from a traveler's point of view to have a region that includes coast range, desert and the Sierras. In some cases I'm not exactly sure where the division should be though -- [[Benicia]] is obviously in the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] (it is on the Bay!) but most of Solano County is really more Central Valley, or [[Sacramento Valley]] as Wikivoyage has chosen to call it. :::Having now thought through this problem a bit more as I've been typing, I guess maybe a good rule would be to try and stick to county borders as much as possible (which we already do, I believe) but to remember that there are fuzzy areas and do our best to define those areas (see Kern County & Benicia above). Rather than trying to reinvent things from scratch (which is not what you're proposing if I read it right), why not just find places where the current regional breakdown doesn't seem to work, and then address those specific problems? Your approach of creating county articles and putting city information into those articles, and then feeding the city articles into regional articles where we can sounds good. Over time I imagine that everything else will work itself out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 18:40, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) I guess this is not a live issue any more but even where I live, in Tuolumne County, which is an odd mixture of gold country and mountains, county borders do make some sense. The larger towns, and culture and shopping and such things as visitor bureaus, are in the foothills. They serve the mountain areas, and the roads go from the foothill areas of the counties to the mountain areas. Counties also gain some identity because they are pretty isolated. People who live in Tuolumne County are pretty aware that they live in that county, and actually have occasional feuds (sometimes lawsuits) with neighboring counties like Calaveras and Mariposa. On the negative side, WikiTravel is supposed to be a guide for tourists, and the fact is that tourists are rarely aware of what county they are in. It doesn't help much in the Sierra either, when, as has been pointed out, the county boundaries are a huge mess. Lake Tahoe is a particular mess, with the place carved up into slices and crazy naming, like Placerville being in El Dorado County rather than Placer County. (And many tourists think Nevada County is in Nevada).[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 03:58, 7 September 2006 (EDT) ==Inland Empire== From an anonymous contributor on the [[Talk:Southern California]] page: ''Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are part of Southern California according to all conventions. Riverside County, for instance, is home to a popular travel spot, Palm Springs, which is always considered part of So Cal. Together Riverside and San Bernadino Counties form the Inland Empire, which is part of Southern California, although virtually never used by locals (as in "I'm from the Inland Empire").'' I would tend to agree. Would anyone (Colin?) be opposed to redefining California's top-level regions to lump the Inland Empire into Southern California? We already differ somewhat from the official state of California regional breakdown - what we're calling Southern California the state breaks into Los Angeles County, Orange County & San Diego County - so lumping the Inland Empire in there as well wouldn't hurt and would (I think) make more sense from a traveler's perspective. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 12:40, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) :Fine by me. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:07, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Cool, barring anyone else's objection I'll try and re-jigger the [[:Image:Ca-regions.png|California map]] in the next day or two, and then begin shifting things around in the articles. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:16, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Done. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:38, 11 Nov 2005 (EST) == California Divisions == ''Moved from [[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2]]'': I didn't realize until now that the Cal State divisions place Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast. Wikivoyage currently has them in Southern California. I think the Cal State division is more useful in terms of breaking things more evenly, though as a Northern Californian I think of those counties as being part of the evil megapolis to the south. Your map also puts them in the Central Coast. I'll put them in the Central Coast for now, but I thought I'd just raise those issues in case it worries you. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) : I didn't realize we had anything north of LA County in the SoCal region either. The SoCal region is so huge that I don't think we need to expand it further - Santa Barbara is Southern California in the same sense that Redwood National Park is in Northern California, so putting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast region seems sane enough. :And ''evil'' megalopolis? Were I not still a Northern California boy in spirit I'd sense a shallow-actor-wannabes vs. protesting-pot-smoking-hippies flamewar beginning ;) -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 20:33, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::I'm not sure a hippie is aerodynamic enough to launch, flaming or otherwise. So we'll have to say no to the flamewar, though it did briefly give us hope of solving our hippie problem. ::I'll put Ventura and St. B into the CC, and see how well that sticks. - [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] :::I'm not so crazy about this. I also don't think it makes sense to balance things out by square mileage. I definitely think V and SB are in SoCal, and that Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 23:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::It's not by square milage -- there is actually some travel sense to it. Santa Barbara county is a lot like SLO, and very unlike LA. Ventura County is a bit odd though. We've altered the definitions a bit in the past, and it can certainly be discussed more. But on the whole, the region breakdown that we've agreed on for the past year has been working well. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 23:42, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::As an addendum: I think Santa Cruz in the Central Coast works just as badly as in the Bay Area. If SC moves from the Bay Area, I suspect we're going to have to use Monterey Bay as a region. But then Monterey gets sucked into the Monterey Bay Region. Then what to we call the central California coast? If we still call it Central Coast, well, Monterey is definitely part of the Central Coast too. And there's no other word for the California coast in that section.... Makes you start to wish that people would organize the geographic vocabulary to better serve travel guide writers :-) -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 00:20, 29 June 2006 (EDT) ::::I'm confused here as well - currently [[Southern California]] is defined as the Los Angeles to San Diego area, and Central Coast (seems) to be defined as the area north of LA up to and including the Monterey Bay. Since we have some flexibility to choose where the borders of the Wikivoyage regions are, it seems to make sense to slim down the SoCal region by saying that Santa Barbara and its neighbors are in the Central Coast region. The whole point of having regions is to break a large area into logical units that are easier to deal with - putting Santa Barbara and everything south into a single region doesn't seem to achieve that goal. Is your argument that Santa Barbara can't be considered anything other than SoCal? From a travel standpoint I'd tend to disagree with that, and would agree with Colin that Santa Barbara is more like SLO than LA. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:49, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my mental geography, the borderline between SoCal and the Central Coast is the junction of 1 and 101 right by [[Gaviota State Park]], and between the Bay Area and Central Coast when the freeway ends at Gilroy. But I'll accept that those are highly subjective dividing lines and that I have probably driven the route too many times to make sane decisions about them. I buy the new split. In the larger picture, I think sticking with counties is a good way to save heartache. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 02:18, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my own mind, Ventura County is part of Southern California, and the Central Coast starts after Point Conception, similar to Evan. The Los Padres/Angeles National Forests/Santa Ynez Mountains actually provide a pretty good geographical buffer. I can get on board with the SoCal consensus, or if we split the difference, with Ventura going South and SB going Central. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 22:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::: There are strong arguments for moving the Wikivoyage border for "Southern California" further to the north, but the Southern California region already covers a massive number of cities and sub-regions, and the goal of any regional breakdown is to divide a big thing into more manageable chunks. As such, I still think it makes sense to cut it off north of Malibu, rather than enlarging it and shrinking the already-compact Central Coast region. I'm sympathetic to the idea that Big Sur is a far different place than Ventura, but Ventura (the gateway to the Channel Islands) could clearly go either way, and I think we're better off reducing the scope of what we try to cover as "Southern California". -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:48, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::::OK, color me convinced. We have to draw the line somewhere. As long as we're consistent, count me as a vote for the California page's "as-is" trickling down to SoCal. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 23:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) ===[[Santa Cruz County]] - [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] or [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]]?=== I hate to dredge up old discussions, but I've noticed that Santa Cruz County is currently paired with the Bay Area rather than the Central Coast, which I don't quite agree with. As you might be able to tell from the history, I changed it around, then flipped it back when I figured I'd be opening up a big can of worms without explaining myself. More than a personal preference, putting Santa Cruz with the Bay Area is messing up what otherwise could be a neat division for the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been divided up into the North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay regions - but Santa Cruz doesn't fall into any of those. What's more, the [[Monterey Bay]] sub-region of the Central Coast has to be dragged into the Bay Area as well, since Santa Cruz is part of that region. But no one would consider Monterey Bay part of the Bay Area. I'm not convinced by any of the arguments stated above for putting Santa Cruz into the Bay Area - we're not going to have to make Monterey Bay a region of California just because we put Santa Cruz in it. I think we should move it to the Central Coast, change the CA regions map, and be the happier for it. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 12:23, 13 July 2010 (EDT) : I'd be in favor of this change as it makes both [[Bay Area (California)]] and [[Central Coast]] into more cohesive regions, but as I recall there have been strong feelings in the past for including Santa Cruz as part of the Bay Area so it might be worthwhile letting this discussion stew for a few days before making any change. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 13:06, 13 July 2010 (EDT) :: Well, I've forgotten about this and just rediscovered it. Having let it stew for several months, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and change it, unless someone else would like to pitch in with their thoughts. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 13:54, 11 October 2010 (EDT) :::All I know about the Bay Area I learned from watching ''Star Trek''. I do recall that in ''The Voyage Home'', they placed the Cetatean Institute (played by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in Sausalito so that it was closer to San Francisco. But I don't know anything of Santa Cruz. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:34, 18 October 2010 (EDT) == Cities and Towns == Another issue is reference to cities and towns. In the Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, including Tuolumne County, where I live, there are very few cities. In my county, there is only one city, Sonora. Everything else is a town (or less). I have noticed that in other areas of WikiTravel, such as Scotland, there is considerable reference to towns, but it seems that it is assumed in the California part that everything is a city. Tuolumne County, for example, lists everything as a city, although everything but Sonora is really a town. Obviously, a big problem is determining what is a city. I assume there is some reference for this, other than checking the incorporation records in Sacramento! Craig Will :The word "city" in the United Kingdom has a very specific definition: it means that the place has a "Royal Charter" or something like that. So when they use "town", they're refering to a populated place that doesn't have a charter. The UKians get very uptight if you refer to a town as a city ;-). In the US, we don't have such specific meanings, so we can generally get away with calling everything a city. So for the section header <nowiki>==Cities==</nowiki> in the region text, just leave it as Cities per the [[Project:Region article template]], but in the actual article go ahead and call it a town if you think it appropriate. :And a tip: you can sign your post automatically with your user name and timestamp by typing four tildes like this: <nowiki>-- ~~~~</nowiki> -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:17, 6 September 2006 (EDT) Well, it seems odd to me, because I think that we do have a specific meaning for a city, but I suppose there is also some ambiguity and if nobody is upset with calling everything a city I guess it is OK.[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 16:55, 6 September 2006 (EDT) ==Valleys== To add another twist; I know there are many locals who consider their region to be defined as a "valley" - Imperial Valley, Owens (River) Valley, Central Valley, and of course "The Valley" San Fernando Valley. Usually these are classified in smaller subdivisions than state regions. Just thought I'd mention it.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 14:32, 11 October 2006 (EDT) == Agricultural inspections == From the article: ''"All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations"'' '''Airport''' entrances? Really? I've flown in and out of California several times and never had to go through any inspections. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else either. Maybe this is referring to having your plane inspected if you fly a Cessna in from out of state or something? Any pilots here that can comment? BTW, for the past 3 years or so, I've never seen anyone actually manning the inspection stations on the freeways when I drive in from out of state (usually 10, 15, or 80). [[User:129.42.184.35|129.42.184.35]] :I've seen the stations manned. And you're right about airports -- I can't remember ever being asked about fruits when flying home on a commercial airline. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:44, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :I've seen the highway stations manned most of the times I've been through, on 8, 15 (near Barstow), and 395. But I've never seen it done at the airport. As a private pilot - never flew out of state, but the inspections would be nonexistant since you generally just fly direct to your destination airport or fuel stop.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 23:17, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :: My experience with the highway agricultural stations has been that they're usually only manned when there's some general concern - I was stopped a few years back during some scare over some moth or other, but haven't been stopped again during probably 10-20 trips in the past couple of years. We could probably remove the note about checks in airports, although you do occasionally see dogs in the bag check areas, again usually during times when there's an alert going on. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 23:28, 25 October 2006 (EDT) ==Wildflower Hotline== The following was deleted from the article without comment. It's been there for a while, so it probably deserves a fair hearing before being dropped completely: :''* '''California Wildflower Hotline''', (818) 768-3533, [http://www.theodorepayne.org]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.'' It seems like worthwhile information to me, although something that may be a bit specialized. If it isn't kept in the California article is there a better place for it? -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:55, 7 April 2007 (EDT) I vote for keeping it on the California page, who doesn't love a good Wildflower? &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:16, 7 April 2007 (EDT) : It's springtime, and the flower hotline is back. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 16:26, 15 April 2007 (EDT) == Banner == [[File:Antelope Valley banner.jpg|thumb|California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley]] I added in the banner with the field of poppies because its the state flower so it represents the whole state, the flowers are present in many regions so it doesn't single out one part of the state, and the picture itself is gorgeous. If California ultimately uses a different banner image, could the person who changes it please restore this as the banner for [[Antelope Valley]]? Thanks! [[User:Mcd51|Mcd51]] ([[User talk:Mcd51|talk]]) 02:06, 10 June 2013 (UTC) == Legal hemp == IIRC it was a ballot measure in the November 2016 elections that legalized it. I don't know when it took effect, though. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:38, 1 April 2018 (UTC) : [[:w:Adult Use of Marijuana Act]] says "... leading to recreational cannabis sales in the state beginning January, 2018."--[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 20:36, 1 April 2018 (UTC) == Power outages == Should we add a warning or caution box about the precautionary power outages that have been going on in California? Pinging {{ping|SelfieCity}} for input. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:00, 27 October 2019 (UTC) :I'm not there at the moment, but yes, I think we should. Yesterday, the CalFire website didn't work for me. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:52, 27 October 2019 (UTC) ::Yes, warn about the fires and outages. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:33, 27 October 2019 (UTC) == “Extreme temperatures” == It’s ironic that [[Florida]] has an infobox warning about “extreme temperatures” while California doesn’t seem to have such an infobox, despite its record high temperature being almost 30 Fahrenheit warmer and regularly higher temperatures in summer than the East Coast state. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:10, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :Maybe Florida's summer temperatures are more uniformly high throughout the state? I don't know if that's the case, but certainly within California the most extreme temperatures in one region can be very different from those in another region. A warning on the state article might make sense if a large portion of the state reaches dangerous temperatures regularly, but would make less sense if those dangerous temperatures are limited to a particular subregion. Also, California (or at least the part of it I'm familiar with) tends not to be humid. A dry heat isn't as bad as heat plus humidity. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 20:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::True, and it’s accurate that Florida’s high temperatures are more uniform in summer (not winter), and even the ocean doesn’t have anything like the impact of the Pacific in reducing temperatures. But high temperatures are encountered in large enough portions of the state of California that it could definitely be applied to the statewide article. My experience of Pleasanton, CA, which is considered to be in the northern part of the state, and is about 30 miles from the ocean, is that it receives triple digit heat for a few days every year, and 110+ certainly isn’t unheard of (I have no clue what that is in Celsius - somewhere in the 40s?). The Central Valley is experiencing near triple digit heat now, in May. And the valley receives consistent temperatures throughout its north-south length, as climate data show. That leaves just the coastline and mountains that don’t (usually) receive extreme heat, though a couple years ago San Francisco received triple digit heat, overwhelming local thermometers that weren’t designed to cope with those temperatures. ::While humidity can make the air feel hotter, that’s at least partially subjective (a 90 F, humid, but cloudy Florida day doesn’t feel particularly hot IMHO), and humidity actually moderates the temperature to my understanding. Dry heat can feel more intense if the sun is out, which it usually is in California. My experience is that the “feels like” temperature measurements in Florida are usually exaggerated, and the temperatures often feel cooler than the actual temperature, but that might be just me. ::By the way, not to sound too blunt in my previous comment; I just thought it was worth addressing. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:00, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::My experience is limited, but I think a high temperature in the relatively dry air of the Bay Area feels more comfortable than the same temperature in humid North Carolina or Guangdong. When I was growing up my family lived in [[San Rafael]] with no air conditioning in our house or car—I don't think we would have done the same in central North Carolina, let alone Florida. Overall, are California's summers unusually intense compared to the rest of the US? :::The fact that thermometers in San Francisco aren't designed for temperatures above 100F is an indication that the weather there is ''not'' traditionally very hot. Of course, many parts of the world are seeing record-breaking temperatures in recent years, and that will continue in the future as the earth warms up—but that's not anything special about California. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 23:18, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::::San Rafael is on the Bay, which moderates its climate. As soon as you go a few miles inland, that changes. I’m not claiming that California universally receives hot weather in summer, but I think enough of it does to justify the infobox. I’d argue, however, that a few other articles could do with the same warning &mdash; better safe than sorry. ::::Perhaps your point is that the largest tourist destinations in California don’t receive hot weather often, with which I’d agree. Additionally climate data evidence indicates that warming is much more pronounced in some regions of the world than others (with polar regions the most impacted), so I think we do have to keep pace with varied degrees of climatic change in different regions of the world. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:34, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::::Okay, I'll leave it to your judgement. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:14, 27 May 2020 (UTC) :::Late weighing in here, but here it goes: In terms of Florida temps vs California temps, you mentioned the humidity in Florida being a big difference from California. High heat with high humidity creates a situation in which it is harder for a person to cool off. In low humidity heat, sweat will evaporate off the skin having a cooling effect. In high humidity, the air is already saturated with moisture and the sweat is unable to evaporate leading to reduced cooling. This can lead to people being more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The [[w:Heat Index#Table_of_values|Heat Index]] provides a correlation between heat and humidity and shows why a 90&deg; day in California with 10% humidity is less risky than a 90&deg; day in Florida with 90% humidity. == A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion == The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: * [[commons:File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-01-22T22:01:11.755153 | Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg --> Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:01, 22 January 2021 (UTC) == Why so many 'Other destinations'? == There should only be a maximum of nine; there are currently 17. I would suggest the three state parks without a WV article can be deleted without further comment, but that still leaves five more to whittle down. I'll let people who actually know California decide how to proceed, so off the top of me 'ead that's {{ping|Mx. Granger|SelfieCity|Wrh2}} thoughts? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:10, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Having a decent knowledge of Cal, what significance is Disneyland. After all, the bigger one's in Orlando. Napa Valley is also not too significant. I'm not sure why the Chanel Islands have to be there. But with this, it leaves us with 2. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[w:User:SHB2000|en.wikipedia]])</small> 12:23, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::Pretty sure this is the original Disneyland, i.e. the one watched over by Walt's frozen corpse, and probably one of the most-visited theme parks in the world. Can't comment on the others.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:30, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::It is the second most visited theme park in the world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings], after the one in Florida, which makes it a pretty big deal for California. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 18:27, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::::I think the following destinations should stay on the list for sure: ::::*Disneyland ::::*Lake Tahoe ::::*Napa Valley ::::*Death Valley ::::*At least one redwood/sequoia-related place ::::*Yosemite National Park ::::That makes six, which would leave room for at most three of the remaining destinations. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:46, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::::I haven't been there, but just based on photos, I'd suggest including Joshua Tree National Park. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is lovely but was badly damaged in a fire and needs time to recover. What about Big Sur? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:33, 21 May 2021 (UTC) ::::::Big Sur over Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I think. Big Sur is definitely considered a really important travel destination in California, though if we include CA-1 as an itinerary, that covers it. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:14, 2 June 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}} If we have to reduce the number this is what I would recommend: *Disneyland this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. [keep] *Lake Tahoe a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. [keep] *Napa Valley spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. [keep] *Big Sur can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. [include as CA Route 1 itinerary?] * Diablo Range is the home of California's oak woodlands and traditionally was a key ranching region in the state. It is adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Channel Islands five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Death Valley – a place of legend and a place of trial. [keep] * Joshua Tree - the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right [marginal, IMHO, depends on whether or not the others make nine] *Lassen – witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. [also marginal, probably less important than Joshua Tree] *Redwood National Park – stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. [marginal, either this one or Sequoia/Kings Canyon] *Sequoia/Kings Canyon – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. [probably keep per Redwood National Park] * Yosemite – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. [keep] * Pinnacles – a rugged landscape in the [[Diablo Range]] [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] All other parks listings are unnecessary, as parks are adequately covered in the list above. [[United States National Parks#California]] (create a [[California State Parks]]?) could be a wikilink for enthusiasts. (As that would leave us with seven, we could include two additional ones from this list or include two of the state parks.) <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:20, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :A California State Parks article seems like a good idea to me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:59, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Ikan Kekek|SelfieCity|Antandrus|Mx. Granger|Ground Zero|ThunderingTyphoons!}} One month on, and we still haven't picked on which 9 destinations we're choosing. I just pinged Antandrus since they have local knowledge as well. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small> 13:33, 21 July 2021 (UTC) ::Combining the comments above, how about: ::* Death Valley ::* Disneyland ::* Joshua Tree ::* Lake Tahoe ::* Napa Valley ::* Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ::* Yosemite ::That makes seven; we could also add Big Sur and/or Lassen if desired. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 16:51, 21 July 2021 (UTC) :::Seeing no further comments, I've gone ahead and implemented this. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 12:13, 25 July 2021 (UTC) == Got a question about the California English dialect. ==  Whenever I add the new information about the language, it got reverted and it say it was too encyclopedic. This article never had information available about the dialect called "California English." So, I edited the article to add the introduction details about the new dialect. I wanted the readers of traveling to learn more about the dialect called California English. There are some languages spoken, but disagree that it should be removed. It should not be removed because, the Wikipedia article has that and it will be a good idea to add this information about the local dialect. Can anyone give a reason for that? Thanks already. -- [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 20:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I looked at the last edit. It didn't provide any information of use to travellers. It was very general, and is more suited to Wikipedia. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:45, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Any additional reasoning? [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 22:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::: please check out [[WV:Goals and non-goals#Non-goals]] for additional reasoning. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 01:15, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 08sp7q0nizerbnb3iruvz0bili4b0en 4501798 4501797 2022-08-16T01:19:26Z Ibaman 195012 this, too wikitext text/x-wiki {{Expedition}} == Article statistics for California == Moved to [[Wikivoyage:California Expedition]] ==Hitchhiking== what are the laws for hitchhiking in california. i am trying to go from santa cruz to santa barbara. ==Regions== Before adding any new regions please see http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?PrimaryCat=Regions for a semi-official list of regions within California. Thus far this has proven to be a good breakdown for travel guide use. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 22:17, 16 Jul 2005 (EDT) :Initially, I hated this idea because it wasn't quite how I'd divide the state. But I've come to love it because it divides it along semi-reasonable lines, it's an extremely precise division with well-defined boundaries, and it also avoids us having to work out this hard problem on our own. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 13:45, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::I should actually modify the comment above, since the current map doesn't exactly follow what the CA department of tourism used (Wikivoyage's regional breakdown had a few pre-existing differences): ::* Wikivoyage splits the Central Valley region into the Sacramento Valley region & the San Joaquin Valley region. ::* Wikivoyage includes Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley region instead of the Gold Country region. ::* Wikivoyage combines the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County regions into the Southern California region. ::That said, the current list seems pretty complete, and there should be a discussion if anyone wants to add a new region. Also, I agree with Colin that having a map w/ a clearly-defined set of regions makes it much easier to figure out what goes where. And Colin, if you'd rather change any of the regions around, let me know your thoughts and I'd be happy to modify the map. For the most part I'm happy with the breakdown, although if it was solely up to me I don't think I would have split the Central Valley into two regions, and I would probably have lumped Gold Country into the Sierra Nevada region. However, since Wikivoyage had already split the Central Valley and defined a Gold Country region it didn't seem to hurt to keep them that way. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:00, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) == Counties as Regions - Love and hate == I've been populating the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] by filling all the counties with cities, and then populating the cities with hotel content. I do this because it's easy: there are simple ways of researching which cities are in each county so that we get a complete set of city articles. Yay! Easy way to get complete content! And there's also the possibility that we could eventually automatically generate maps of California showing both counties and also city locations much as Wikipedia has done. But this is also bad because we don't divide California into county divisions -- which is good thing if you've ever seen a map of the counties. Along the Sierra, they tend to be highly elongated west-east along rivers, and encompass parts of the hot valley, the gold country, and the high sierra. They make no sense as divisions generally. Here's what I propose: we have a complete set of counties for now to gain content. And then we link the articles into the Correct System of subdivision. Later we can either delete the county articles or just leave them around as another way of seeing travel. Thoughts? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 16:17, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :My thought is that counties are about as good a region system in California as we can get. Let's take a look at the California county map [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/california_map.html] and make a poke at doing a hierarchy with one layer between state and county. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 16:21, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::Well, some counties are insanely shaped. For example, Kern county starts in the Coastal Range, crosses the heat of the Central Valley (including Bakersfield), crosses the Southern Sierra (including Lake Isabella) and heads out into the desert (including Edwards Air Force Base where the Shuttle lands on the dry lake bed). ::But that said, I think I'm overstating the problems with Counties. Most of the proposed division already lies along county lines. Only Kern will be totally carved. Most others will be carved sensibly like dividing the Central Valley portion of the county from the Sierra portion. So I think this will work out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 18:11, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :::I'm in favor of trying to create regions that have borders corresponding to county borders so long as the resulting regions make sense. Your example of Kern County is a good one -- it just doesn't make sense from a traveler's point of view to have a region that includes coast range, desert and the Sierras. In some cases I'm not exactly sure where the division should be though -- [[Benicia]] is obviously in the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] (it is on the Bay!) but most of Solano County is really more Central Valley, or [[Sacramento Valley]] as Wikivoyage has chosen to call it. :::Having now thought through this problem a bit more as I've been typing, I guess maybe a good rule would be to try and stick to county borders as much as possible (which we already do, I believe) but to remember that there are fuzzy areas and do our best to define those areas (see Kern County & Benicia above). Rather than trying to reinvent things from scratch (which is not what you're proposing if I read it right), why not just find places where the current regional breakdown doesn't seem to work, and then address those specific problems? Your approach of creating county articles and putting city information into those articles, and then feeding the city articles into regional articles where we can sounds good. Over time I imagine that everything else will work itself out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 18:40, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) I guess this is not a live issue any more but even where I live, in Tuolumne County, which is an odd mixture of gold country and mountains, county borders do make some sense. The larger towns, and culture and shopping and such things as visitor bureaus, are in the foothills. They serve the mountain areas, and the roads go from the foothill areas of the counties to the mountain areas. Counties also gain some identity because they are pretty isolated. People who live in Tuolumne County are pretty aware that they live in that county, and actually have occasional feuds (sometimes lawsuits) with neighboring counties like Calaveras and Mariposa. On the negative side, WikiTravel is supposed to be a guide for tourists, and the fact is that tourists are rarely aware of what county they are in. It doesn't help much in the Sierra either, when, as has been pointed out, the county boundaries are a huge mess. Lake Tahoe is a particular mess, with the place carved up into slices and crazy naming, like Placerville being in El Dorado County rather than Placer County. (And many tourists think Nevada County is in Nevada).[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 03:58, 7 September 2006 (EDT) ==Inland Empire== From an anonymous contributor on the [[Talk:Southern California]] page: ''Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are part of Southern California according to all conventions. Riverside County, for instance, is home to a popular travel spot, Palm Springs, which is always considered part of So Cal. Together Riverside and San Bernadino Counties form the Inland Empire, which is part of Southern California, although virtually never used by locals (as in "I'm from the Inland Empire").'' I would tend to agree. Would anyone (Colin?) be opposed to redefining California's top-level regions to lump the Inland Empire into Southern California? We already differ somewhat from the official state of California regional breakdown - what we're calling Southern California the state breaks into Los Angeles County, Orange County & San Diego County - so lumping the Inland Empire in there as well wouldn't hurt and would (I think) make more sense from a traveler's perspective. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 12:40, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) :Fine by me. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:07, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Cool, barring anyone else's objection I'll try and re-jigger the [[:Image:Ca-regions.png|California map]] in the next day or two, and then begin shifting things around in the articles. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:16, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Done. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:38, 11 Nov 2005 (EST) == California Divisions == ''Moved from [[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2]]'': I didn't realize until now that the Cal State divisions place Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast. Wikivoyage currently has them in Southern California. I think the Cal State division is more useful in terms of breaking things more evenly, though as a Northern Californian I think of those counties as being part of the evil megapolis to the south. Your map also puts them in the Central Coast. I'll put them in the Central Coast for now, but I thought I'd just raise those issues in case it worries you. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) : I didn't realize we had anything north of LA County in the SoCal region either. The SoCal region is so huge that I don't think we need to expand it further - Santa Barbara is Southern California in the same sense that Redwood National Park is in Northern California, so putting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast region seems sane enough. :And ''evil'' megalopolis? Were I not still a Northern California boy in spirit I'd sense a shallow-actor-wannabes vs. protesting-pot-smoking-hippies flamewar beginning ;) -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 20:33, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::I'm not sure a hippie is aerodynamic enough to launch, flaming or otherwise. So we'll have to say no to the flamewar, though it did briefly give us hope of solving our hippie problem. ::I'll put Ventura and St. B into the CC, and see how well that sticks. - [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] :::I'm not so crazy about this. I also don't think it makes sense to balance things out by square mileage. I definitely think V and SB are in SoCal, and that Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 23:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::It's not by square milage -- there is actually some travel sense to it. Santa Barbara county is a lot like SLO, and very unlike LA. Ventura County is a bit odd though. We've altered the definitions a bit in the past, and it can certainly be discussed more. But on the whole, the region breakdown that we've agreed on for the past year has been working well. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 23:42, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::As an addendum: I think Santa Cruz in the Central Coast works just as badly as in the Bay Area. If SC moves from the Bay Area, I suspect we're going to have to use Monterey Bay as a region. But then Monterey gets sucked into the Monterey Bay Region. Then what to we call the central California coast? If we still call it Central Coast, well, Monterey is definitely part of the Central Coast too. And there's no other word for the California coast in that section.... Makes you start to wish that people would organize the geographic vocabulary to better serve travel guide writers :-) -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 00:20, 29 June 2006 (EDT) ::::I'm confused here as well - currently [[Southern California]] is defined as the Los Angeles to San Diego area, and Central Coast (seems) to be defined as the area north of LA up to and including the Monterey Bay. Since we have some flexibility to choose where the borders of the Wikivoyage regions are, it seems to make sense to slim down the SoCal region by saying that Santa Barbara and its neighbors are in the Central Coast region. The whole point of having regions is to break a large area into logical units that are easier to deal with - putting Santa Barbara and everything south into a single region doesn't seem to achieve that goal. Is your argument that Santa Barbara can't be considered anything other than SoCal? From a travel standpoint I'd tend to disagree with that, and would agree with Colin that Santa Barbara is more like SLO than LA. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:49, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my mental geography, the borderline between SoCal and the Central Coast is the junction of 1 and 101 right by [[Gaviota State Park]], and between the Bay Area and Central Coast when the freeway ends at Gilroy. But I'll accept that those are highly subjective dividing lines and that I have probably driven the route too many times to make sane decisions about them. I buy the new split. In the larger picture, I think sticking with counties is a good way to save heartache. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 02:18, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my own mind, Ventura County is part of Southern California, and the Central Coast starts after Point Conception, similar to Evan. The Los Padres/Angeles National Forests/Santa Ynez Mountains actually provide a pretty good geographical buffer. I can get on board with the SoCal consensus, or if we split the difference, with Ventura going South and SB going Central. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 22:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::: There are strong arguments for moving the Wikivoyage border for "Southern California" further to the north, but the Southern California region already covers a massive number of cities and sub-regions, and the goal of any regional breakdown is to divide a big thing into more manageable chunks. As such, I still think it makes sense to cut it off north of Malibu, rather than enlarging it and shrinking the already-compact Central Coast region. I'm sympathetic to the idea that Big Sur is a far different place than Ventura, but Ventura (the gateway to the Channel Islands) could clearly go either way, and I think we're better off reducing the scope of what we try to cover as "Southern California". -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:48, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::::OK, color me convinced. We have to draw the line somewhere. As long as we're consistent, count me as a vote for the California page's "as-is" trickling down to SoCal. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 23:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) ===[[Santa Cruz County]] - [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] or [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]]?=== I hate to dredge up old discussions, but I've noticed that Santa Cruz County is currently paired with the Bay Area rather than the Central Coast, which I don't quite agree with. As you might be able to tell from the history, I changed it around, then flipped it back when I figured I'd be opening up a big can of worms without explaining myself. More than a personal preference, putting Santa Cruz with the Bay Area is messing up what otherwise could be a neat division for the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been divided up into the North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay regions - but Santa Cruz doesn't fall into any of those. What's more, the [[Monterey Bay]] sub-region of the Central Coast has to be dragged into the Bay Area as well, since Santa Cruz is part of that region. But no one would consider Monterey Bay part of the Bay Area. I'm not convinced by any of the arguments stated above for putting Santa Cruz into the Bay Area - we're not going to have to make Monterey Bay a region of California just because we put Santa Cruz in it. I think we should move it to the Central Coast, change the CA regions map, and be the happier for it. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 12:23, 13 July 2010 (EDT) : I'd be in favor of this change as it makes both [[Bay Area (California)]] and [[Central Coast]] into more cohesive regions, but as I recall there have been strong feelings in the past for including Santa Cruz as part of the Bay Area so it might be worthwhile letting this discussion stew for a few days before making any change. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 13:06, 13 July 2010 (EDT) :: Well, I've forgotten about this and just rediscovered it. Having let it stew for several months, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and change it, unless someone else would like to pitch in with their thoughts. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 13:54, 11 October 2010 (EDT) :::All I know about the Bay Area I learned from watching ''Star Trek''. I do recall that in ''The Voyage Home'', they placed the Cetatean Institute (played by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in Sausalito so that it was closer to San Francisco. But I don't know anything of Santa Cruz. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:34, 18 October 2010 (EDT) == Cities and Towns == Another issue is reference to cities and towns. In the Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, including Tuolumne County, where I live, there are very few cities. In my county, there is only one city, Sonora. Everything else is a town (or less). I have noticed that in other areas of WikiTravel, such as Scotland, there is considerable reference to towns, but it seems that it is assumed in the California part that everything is a city. Tuolumne County, for example, lists everything as a city, although everything but Sonora is really a town. Obviously, a big problem is determining what is a city. I assume there is some reference for this, other than checking the incorporation records in Sacramento! Craig Will :The word "city" in the United Kingdom has a very specific definition: it means that the place has a "Royal Charter" or something like that. So when they use "town", they're refering to a populated place that doesn't have a charter. The UKians get very uptight if you refer to a town as a city ;-). In the US, we don't have such specific meanings, so we can generally get away with calling everything a city. So for the section header <nowiki>==Cities==</nowiki> in the region text, just leave it as Cities per the [[Project:Region article template]], but in the actual article go ahead and call it a town if you think it appropriate. :And a tip: you can sign your post automatically with your user name and timestamp by typing four tildes like this: <nowiki>-- ~~~~</nowiki> -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:17, 6 September 2006 (EDT) Well, it seems odd to me, because I think that we do have a specific meaning for a city, but I suppose there is also some ambiguity and if nobody is upset with calling everything a city I guess it is OK.[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 16:55, 6 September 2006 (EDT) ==Valleys== To add another twist; I know there are many locals who consider their region to be defined as a "valley" - Imperial Valley, Owens (River) Valley, Central Valley, and of course "The Valley" San Fernando Valley. Usually these are classified in smaller subdivisions than state regions. Just thought I'd mention it.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 14:32, 11 October 2006 (EDT) == Agricultural inspections == From the article: ''"All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations"'' '''Airport''' entrances? Really? I've flown in and out of California several times and never had to go through any inspections. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else either. Maybe this is referring to having your plane inspected if you fly a Cessna in from out of state or something? Any pilots here that can comment? BTW, for the past 3 years or so, I've never seen anyone actually manning the inspection stations on the freeways when I drive in from out of state (usually 10, 15, or 80). [[User:129.42.184.35|129.42.184.35]] :I've seen the stations manned. And you're right about airports -- I can't remember ever being asked about fruits when flying home on a commercial airline. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:44, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :I've seen the highway stations manned most of the times I've been through, on 8, 15 (near Barstow), and 395. But I've never seen it done at the airport. As a private pilot - never flew out of state, but the inspections would be nonexistant since you generally just fly direct to your destination airport or fuel stop.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 23:17, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :: My experience with the highway agricultural stations has been that they're usually only manned when there's some general concern - I was stopped a few years back during some scare over some moth or other, but haven't been stopped again during probably 10-20 trips in the past couple of years. We could probably remove the note about checks in airports, although you do occasionally see dogs in the bag check areas, again usually during times when there's an alert going on. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 23:28, 25 October 2006 (EDT) ==Wildflower Hotline== The following was deleted from the article without comment. It's been there for a while, so it probably deserves a fair hearing before being dropped completely: :''* '''California Wildflower Hotline''', (818) 768-3533, [http://www.theodorepayne.org]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.'' It seems like worthwhile information to me, although something that may be a bit specialized. If it isn't kept in the California article is there a better place for it? -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:55, 7 April 2007 (EDT) I vote for keeping it on the California page, who doesn't love a good Wildflower? &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:16, 7 April 2007 (EDT) : It's springtime, and the flower hotline is back. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 16:26, 15 April 2007 (EDT) == Banner == [[File:Antelope Valley banner.jpg|thumb|California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley]] I added in the banner with the field of poppies because its the state flower so it represents the whole state, the flowers are present in many regions so it doesn't single out one part of the state, and the picture itself is gorgeous. If California ultimately uses a different banner image, could the person who changes it please restore this as the banner for [[Antelope Valley]]? Thanks! [[User:Mcd51|Mcd51]] ([[User talk:Mcd51|talk]]) 02:06, 10 June 2013 (UTC) == Legal hemp == IIRC it was a ballot measure in the November 2016 elections that legalized it. I don't know when it took effect, though. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:38, 1 April 2018 (UTC) : [[:w:Adult Use of Marijuana Act]] says "... leading to recreational cannabis sales in the state beginning January, 2018."--[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 20:36, 1 April 2018 (UTC) == Power outages == Should we add a warning or caution box about the precautionary power outages that have been going on in California? Pinging {{ping|SelfieCity}} for input. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:00, 27 October 2019 (UTC) :I'm not there at the moment, but yes, I think we should. Yesterday, the CalFire website didn't work for me. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:52, 27 October 2019 (UTC) ::Yes, warn about the fires and outages. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:33, 27 October 2019 (UTC) == “Extreme temperatures” == It’s ironic that [[Florida]] has an infobox warning about “extreme temperatures” while California doesn’t seem to have such an infobox, despite its record high temperature being almost 30 Fahrenheit warmer and regularly higher temperatures in summer than the East Coast state. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:10, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :Maybe Florida's summer temperatures are more uniformly high throughout the state? I don't know if that's the case, but certainly within California the most extreme temperatures in one region can be very different from those in another region. A warning on the state article might make sense if a large portion of the state reaches dangerous temperatures regularly, but would make less sense if those dangerous temperatures are limited to a particular subregion. Also, California (or at least the part of it I'm familiar with) tends not to be humid. A dry heat isn't as bad as heat plus humidity. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 20:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::True, and it’s accurate that Florida’s high temperatures are more uniform in summer (not winter), and even the ocean doesn’t have anything like the impact of the Pacific in reducing temperatures. But high temperatures are encountered in large enough portions of the state of California that it could definitely be applied to the statewide article. My experience of Pleasanton, CA, which is considered to be in the northern part of the state, and is about 30 miles from the ocean, is that it receives triple digit heat for a few days every year, and 110+ certainly isn’t unheard of (I have no clue what that is in Celsius - somewhere in the 40s?). The Central Valley is experiencing near triple digit heat now, in May. And the valley receives consistent temperatures throughout its north-south length, as climate data show. That leaves just the coastline and mountains that don’t (usually) receive extreme heat, though a couple years ago San Francisco received triple digit heat, overwhelming local thermometers that weren’t designed to cope with those temperatures. ::While humidity can make the air feel hotter, that’s at least partially subjective (a 90 F, humid, but cloudy Florida day doesn’t feel particularly hot IMHO), and humidity actually moderates the temperature to my understanding. Dry heat can feel more intense if the sun is out, which it usually is in California. My experience is that the “feels like” temperature measurements in Florida are usually exaggerated, and the temperatures often feel cooler than the actual temperature, but that might be just me. ::By the way, not to sound too blunt in my previous comment; I just thought it was worth addressing. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:00, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::My experience is limited, but I think a high temperature in the relatively dry air of the Bay Area feels more comfortable than the same temperature in humid North Carolina or Guangdong. When I was growing up my family lived in [[San Rafael]] with no air conditioning in our house or car—I don't think we would have done the same in central North Carolina, let alone Florida. Overall, are California's summers unusually intense compared to the rest of the US? :::The fact that thermometers in San Francisco aren't designed for temperatures above 100F is an indication that the weather there is ''not'' traditionally very hot. Of course, many parts of the world are seeing record-breaking temperatures in recent years, and that will continue in the future as the earth warms up—but that's not anything special about California. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 23:18, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::::San Rafael is on the Bay, which moderates its climate. As soon as you go a few miles inland, that changes. I’m not claiming that California universally receives hot weather in summer, but I think enough of it does to justify the infobox. I’d argue, however, that a few other articles could do with the same warning &mdash; better safe than sorry. ::::Perhaps your point is that the largest tourist destinations in California don’t receive hot weather often, with which I’d agree. Additionally climate data evidence indicates that warming is much more pronounced in some regions of the world than others (with polar regions the most impacted), so I think we do have to keep pace with varied degrees of climatic change in different regions of the world. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:34, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::::Okay, I'll leave it to your judgement. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:14, 27 May 2020 (UTC) :::Late weighing in here, but here it goes: In terms of Florida temps vs California temps, you mentioned the humidity in Florida being a big difference from California. High heat with high humidity creates a situation in which it is harder for a person to cool off. In low humidity heat, sweat will evaporate off the skin having a cooling effect. In high humidity, the air is already saturated with moisture and the sweat is unable to evaporate leading to reduced cooling. This can lead to people being more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The [[w:Heat Index#Table_of_values|Heat Index]] provides a correlation between heat and humidity and shows why a 90&deg; day in California with 10% humidity is less risky than a 90&deg; day in Florida with 90% humidity. == A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion == The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: * [[commons:File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-01-22T22:01:11.755153 | Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg --> Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:01, 22 January 2021 (UTC) == Why so many 'Other destinations'? == There should only be a maximum of nine; there are currently 17. I would suggest the three state parks without a WV article can be deleted without further comment, but that still leaves five more to whittle down. I'll let people who actually know California decide how to proceed, so off the top of me 'ead that's {{ping|Mx. Granger|SelfieCity|Wrh2}} thoughts? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:10, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Having a decent knowledge of Cal, what significance is Disneyland. After all, the bigger one's in Orlando. Napa Valley is also not too significant. I'm not sure why the Chanel Islands have to be there. But with this, it leaves us with 2. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[w:User:SHB2000|en.wikipedia]])</small> 12:23, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::Pretty sure this is the original Disneyland, i.e. the one watched over by Walt's frozen corpse, and probably one of the most-visited theme parks in the world. Can't comment on the others.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:30, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::It is the second most visited theme park in the world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings], after the one in Florida, which makes it a pretty big deal for California. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 18:27, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::::I think the following destinations should stay on the list for sure: ::::*Disneyland ::::*Lake Tahoe ::::*Napa Valley ::::*Death Valley ::::*At least one redwood/sequoia-related place ::::*Yosemite National Park ::::That makes six, which would leave room for at most three of the remaining destinations. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:46, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::::I haven't been there, but just based on photos, I'd suggest including Joshua Tree National Park. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is lovely but was badly damaged in a fire and needs time to recover. What about Big Sur? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:33, 21 May 2021 (UTC) ::::::Big Sur over Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I think. Big Sur is definitely considered a really important travel destination in California, though if we include CA-1 as an itinerary, that covers it. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:14, 2 June 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}} If we have to reduce the number this is what I would recommend: *Disneyland this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. [keep] *Lake Tahoe a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. [keep] *Napa Valley spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. [keep] *Big Sur can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. [include as CA Route 1 itinerary?] * Diablo Range is the home of California's oak woodlands and traditionally was a key ranching region in the state. It is adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Channel Islands five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Death Valley – a place of legend and a place of trial. [keep] * Joshua Tree - the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right [marginal, IMHO, depends on whether or not the others make nine] *Lassen – witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. [also marginal, probably less important than Joshua Tree] *Redwood National Park – stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. [marginal, either this one or Sequoia/Kings Canyon] *Sequoia/Kings Canyon – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. [probably keep per Redwood National Park] * Yosemite – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. [keep] * Pinnacles – a rugged landscape in the [[Diablo Range]] [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] All other parks listings are unnecessary, as parks are adequately covered in the list above. [[United States National Parks#California]] (create a [[California State Parks]]?) could be a wikilink for enthusiasts. (As that would leave us with seven, we could include two additional ones from this list or include two of the state parks.) <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:20, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :A California State Parks article seems like a good idea to me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:59, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Ikan Kekek|SelfieCity|Antandrus|Mx. Granger|Ground Zero|ThunderingTyphoons!}} One month on, and we still haven't picked on which 9 destinations we're choosing. I just pinged Antandrus since they have local knowledge as well. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small> 13:33, 21 July 2021 (UTC) ::Combining the comments above, how about: ::* Death Valley ::* Disneyland ::* Joshua Tree ::* Lake Tahoe ::* Napa Valley ::* Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ::* Yosemite ::That makes seven; we could also add Big Sur and/or Lassen if desired. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 16:51, 21 July 2021 (UTC) :::Seeing no further comments, I've gone ahead and implemented this. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 12:13, 25 July 2021 (UTC) == Got a question about the California English dialect. ==  Whenever I add the new information about the language, it got reverted and it say it was too encyclopedic. This article never had information available about the dialect called "California English." So, I edited the article to add the introduction details about the new dialect. I wanted the readers of traveling to learn more about the dialect called California English. There are some languages spoken, but disagree that it should be removed. It should not be removed because, the Wikipedia article has that and it will be a good idea to add this information about the local dialect. Can anyone give a reason for that? Thanks already. -- [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 20:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I looked at the last edit. It didn't provide any information of use to travellers. It was very general, and is more suited to Wikipedia. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:45, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Any additional reasoning? [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 22:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::: please check out [[WV:Goals and non-goals#Non-goals]] and [[WV:Tone]] for additional reasoning. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 01:15, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 8c63ukioiofgk2q4vvpzf9hvfxldh1f 4501802 4501798 2022-08-16T01:34:44Z Ground Zero 1423298 /* Got a question about the California English dialect. */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Expedition}} == Article statistics for California == Moved to [[Wikivoyage:California Expedition]] ==Hitchhiking== what are the laws for hitchhiking in california. i am trying to go from santa cruz to santa barbara. ==Regions== Before adding any new regions please see http://gocalif.ca.gov/state/tourism/tour_inc_navigation.jsp?PrimaryCat=Regions for a semi-official list of regions within California. Thus far this has proven to be a good breakdown for travel guide use. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 22:17, 16 Jul 2005 (EDT) :Initially, I hated this idea because it wasn't quite how I'd divide the state. But I've come to love it because it divides it along semi-reasonable lines, it's an extremely precise division with well-defined boundaries, and it also avoids us having to work out this hard problem on our own. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 13:45, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::I should actually modify the comment above, since the current map doesn't exactly follow what the CA department of tourism used (Wikivoyage's regional breakdown had a few pre-existing differences): ::* Wikivoyage splits the Central Valley region into the Sacramento Valley region & the San Joaquin Valley region. ::* Wikivoyage includes Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley region instead of the Gold Country region. ::* Wikivoyage combines the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County regions into the Southern California region. ::That said, the current list seems pretty complete, and there should be a discussion if anyone wants to add a new region. Also, I agree with Colin that having a map w/ a clearly-defined set of regions makes it much easier to figure out what goes where. And Colin, if you'd rather change any of the regions around, let me know your thoughts and I'd be happy to modify the map. For the most part I'm happy with the breakdown, although if it was solely up to me I don't think I would have split the Central Valley into two regions, and I would probably have lumped Gold Country into the Sierra Nevada region. However, since Wikivoyage had already split the Central Valley and defined a Gold Country region it didn't seem to hurt to keep them that way. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:00, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT) == Counties as Regions - Love and hate == I've been populating the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] by filling all the counties with cities, and then populating the cities with hotel content. I do this because it's easy: there are simple ways of researching which cities are in each county so that we get a complete set of city articles. Yay! Easy way to get complete content! And there's also the possibility that we could eventually automatically generate maps of California showing both counties and also city locations much as Wikipedia has done. But this is also bad because we don't divide California into county divisions -- which is good thing if you've ever seen a map of the counties. Along the Sierra, they tend to be highly elongated west-east along rivers, and encompass parts of the hot valley, the gold country, and the high sierra. They make no sense as divisions generally. Here's what I propose: we have a complete set of counties for now to gain content. And then we link the articles into the Correct System of subdivision. Later we can either delete the county articles or just leave them around as another way of seeing travel. Thoughts? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 16:17, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :My thought is that counties are about as good a region system in California as we can get. Let's take a look at the California county map [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/california_map.html] and make a poke at doing a hierarchy with one layer between state and county. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 16:21, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) ::Well, some counties are insanely shaped. For example, Kern county starts in the Coastal Range, crosses the heat of the Central Valley (including Bakersfield), crosses the Southern Sierra (including Lake Isabella) and heads out into the desert (including Edwards Air Force Base where the Shuttle lands on the dry lake bed). ::But that said, I think I'm overstating the problems with Counties. Most of the proposed division already lies along county lines. Only Kern will be totally carved. Most others will be carved sensibly like dividing the Central Valley portion of the county from the Sierra portion. So I think this will work out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 18:11, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) :::I'm in favor of trying to create regions that have borders corresponding to county borders so long as the resulting regions make sense. Your example of Kern County is a good one -- it just doesn't make sense from a traveler's point of view to have a region that includes coast range, desert and the Sierras. In some cases I'm not exactly sure where the division should be though -- [[Benicia]] is obviously in the [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]] (it is on the Bay!) but most of Solano County is really more Central Valley, or [[Sacramento Valley]] as Wikivoyage has chosen to call it. :::Having now thought through this problem a bit more as I've been typing, I guess maybe a good rule would be to try and stick to county borders as much as possible (which we already do, I believe) but to remember that there are fuzzy areas and do our best to define those areas (see Kern County & Benicia above). Rather than trying to reinvent things from scratch (which is not what you're proposing if I read it right), why not just find places where the current regional breakdown doesn't seem to work, and then address those specific problems? Your approach of creating county articles and putting city information into those articles, and then feeding the city articles into regional articles where we can sounds good. Over time I imagine that everything else will work itself out. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 18:40, 21 Aug 2005 (EDT) I guess this is not a live issue any more but even where I live, in Tuolumne County, which is an odd mixture of gold country and mountains, county borders do make some sense. The larger towns, and culture and shopping and such things as visitor bureaus, are in the foothills. They serve the mountain areas, and the roads go from the foothill areas of the counties to the mountain areas. Counties also gain some identity because they are pretty isolated. People who live in Tuolumne County are pretty aware that they live in that county, and actually have occasional feuds (sometimes lawsuits) with neighboring counties like Calaveras and Mariposa. On the negative side, WikiTravel is supposed to be a guide for tourists, and the fact is that tourists are rarely aware of what county they are in. It doesn't help much in the Sierra either, when, as has been pointed out, the county boundaries are a huge mess. Lake Tahoe is a particular mess, with the place carved up into slices and crazy naming, like Placerville being in El Dorado County rather than Placer County. (And many tourists think Nevada County is in Nevada).[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 03:58, 7 September 2006 (EDT) ==Inland Empire== From an anonymous contributor on the [[Talk:Southern California]] page: ''Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are part of Southern California according to all conventions. Riverside County, for instance, is home to a popular travel spot, Palm Springs, which is always considered part of So Cal. Together Riverside and San Bernadino Counties form the Inland Empire, which is part of Southern California, although virtually never used by locals (as in "I'm from the Inland Empire").'' I would tend to agree. Would anyone (Colin?) be opposed to redefining California's top-level regions to lump the Inland Empire into Southern California? We already differ somewhat from the official state of California regional breakdown - what we're calling Southern California the state breaks into Los Angeles County, Orange County & San Diego County - so lumping the Inland Empire in there as well wouldn't hurt and would (I think) make more sense from a traveler's perspective. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 12:40, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) :Fine by me. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:07, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Cool, barring anyone else's objection I'll try and re-jigger the [[:Image:Ca-regions.png|California map]] in the next day or two, and then begin shifting things around in the articles. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 14:16, 8 Nov 2005 (EST) ::Done. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:38, 11 Nov 2005 (EST) == California Divisions == ''Moved from [[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2]]'': I didn't realize until now that the Cal State divisions place Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast. Wikivoyage currently has them in Southern California. I think the Cal State division is more useful in terms of breaking things more evenly, though as a Northern Californian I think of those counties as being part of the evil megapolis to the south. Your map also puts them in the Central Coast. I'll put them in the Central Coast for now, but I thought I'd just raise those issues in case it worries you. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) : I didn't realize we had anything north of LA County in the SoCal region either. The SoCal region is so huge that I don't think we need to expand it further - Santa Barbara is Southern California in the same sense that Redwood National Park is in Northern California, so putting Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties into the Central Coast region seems sane enough. :And ''evil'' megalopolis? Were I not still a Northern California boy in spirit I'd sense a shallow-actor-wannabes vs. protesting-pot-smoking-hippies flamewar beginning ;) -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 20:33, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::I'm not sure a hippie is aerodynamic enough to launch, flaming or otherwise. So we'll have to say no to the flamewar, though it did briefly give us hope of solving our hippie problem. ::I'll put Ventura and St. B into the CC, and see how well that sticks. - [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] :::I'm not so crazy about this. I also don't think it makes sense to balance things out by square mileage. I definitely think V and SB are in SoCal, and that Santa Cruz is in the Central Coast area. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 23:19, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::It's not by square milage -- there is actually some travel sense to it. Santa Barbara county is a lot like SLO, and very unlike LA. Ventura County is a bit odd though. We've altered the definitions a bit in the past, and it can certainly be discussed more. But on the whole, the region breakdown that we've agreed on for the past year has been working well. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 23:42, 28 June 2006 (EDT) ::::As an addendum: I think Santa Cruz in the Central Coast works just as badly as in the Bay Area. If SC moves from the Bay Area, I suspect we're going to have to use Monterey Bay as a region. But then Monterey gets sucked into the Monterey Bay Region. Then what to we call the central California coast? If we still call it Central Coast, well, Monterey is definitely part of the Central Coast too. And there's no other word for the California coast in that section.... Makes you start to wish that people would organize the geographic vocabulary to better serve travel guide writers :-) -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 00:20, 29 June 2006 (EDT) ::::I'm confused here as well - currently [[Southern California]] is defined as the Los Angeles to San Diego area, and Central Coast (seems) to be defined as the area north of LA up to and including the Monterey Bay. Since we have some flexibility to choose where the borders of the Wikivoyage regions are, it seems to make sense to slim down the SoCal region by saying that Santa Barbara and its neighbors are in the Central Coast region. The whole point of having regions is to break a large area into logical units that are easier to deal with - putting Santa Barbara and everything south into a single region doesn't seem to achieve that goal. Is your argument that Santa Barbara can't be considered anything other than SoCal? From a travel standpoint I'd tend to disagree with that, and would agree with Colin that Santa Barbara is more like SLO than LA. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 00:49, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my mental geography, the borderline between SoCal and the Central Coast is the junction of 1 and 101 right by [[Gaviota State Park]], and between the Bay Area and Central Coast when the freeway ends at Gilroy. But I'll accept that those are highly subjective dividing lines and that I have probably driven the route too many times to make sane decisions about them. I buy the new split. In the larger picture, I think sticking with counties is a good way to save heartache. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 02:18, 29 June 2006 (EDT) :::::In my own mind, Ventura County is part of Southern California, and the Central Coast starts after Point Conception, similar to Evan. The Los Padres/Angeles National Forests/Santa Ynez Mountains actually provide a pretty good geographical buffer. I can get on board with the SoCal consensus, or if we split the difference, with Ventura going South and SB going Central. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 22:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::: There are strong arguments for moving the Wikivoyage border for "Southern California" further to the north, but the Southern California region already covers a massive number of cities and sub-regions, and the goal of any regional breakdown is to divide a big thing into more manageable chunks. As such, I still think it makes sense to cut it off north of Malibu, rather than enlarging it and shrinking the already-compact Central Coast region. I'm sympathetic to the idea that Big Sur is a far different place than Ventura, but Ventura (the gateway to the Channel Islands) could clearly go either way, and I think we're better off reducing the scope of what we try to cover as "Southern California". -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:48, 18 November 2013 (UTC) :::::::OK, color me convinced. We have to draw the line somewhere. As long as we're consistent, count me as a vote for the California page's "as-is" trickling down to SoCal. -- [[User:MisterCustomer|MisterCustomer]] ([[User Talk:MisterCustomer|talk]]) 23:13, 18 November 2013 (UTC) ===[[Santa Cruz County]] - [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] or [[Bay Area (California)|Bay Area]]?=== I hate to dredge up old discussions, but I've noticed that Santa Cruz County is currently paired with the Bay Area rather than the Central Coast, which I don't quite agree with. As you might be able to tell from the history, I changed it around, then flipped it back when I figured I'd be opening up a big can of worms without explaining myself. More than a personal preference, putting Santa Cruz with the Bay Area is messing up what otherwise could be a neat division for the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been divided up into the North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay regions - but Santa Cruz doesn't fall into any of those. What's more, the [[Monterey Bay]] sub-region of the Central Coast has to be dragged into the Bay Area as well, since Santa Cruz is part of that region. But no one would consider Monterey Bay part of the Bay Area. I'm not convinced by any of the arguments stated above for putting Santa Cruz into the Bay Area - we're not going to have to make Monterey Bay a region of California just because we put Santa Cruz in it. I think we should move it to the Central Coast, change the CA regions map, and be the happier for it. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 12:23, 13 July 2010 (EDT) : I'd be in favor of this change as it makes both [[Bay Area (California)]] and [[Central Coast]] into more cohesive regions, but as I recall there have been strong feelings in the past for including Santa Cruz as part of the Bay Area so it might be worthwhile letting this discussion stew for a few days before making any change. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 13:06, 13 July 2010 (EDT) :: Well, I've forgotten about this and just rediscovered it. Having let it stew for several months, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and change it, unless someone else would like to pitch in with their thoughts. [[User:(WT-en) PerryPlanet|(WT-en) PerryPlanet]] <small>^{[[User talk:PerryPlanet|Talk]]}</small> 13:54, 11 October 2010 (EDT) :::All I know about the Bay Area I learned from watching ''Star Trek''. I do recall that in ''The Voyage Home'', they placed the Cetatean Institute (played by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) in Sausalito so that it was closer to San Francisco. But I don't know anything of Santa Cruz. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:34, 18 October 2010 (EDT) == Cities and Towns == Another issue is reference to cities and towns. In the Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, including Tuolumne County, where I live, there are very few cities. In my county, there is only one city, Sonora. Everything else is a town (or less). I have noticed that in other areas of WikiTravel, such as Scotland, there is considerable reference to towns, but it seems that it is assumed in the California part that everything is a city. Tuolumne County, for example, lists everything as a city, although everything but Sonora is really a town. Obviously, a big problem is determining what is a city. I assume there is some reference for this, other than checking the incorporation records in Sacramento! Craig Will :The word "city" in the United Kingdom has a very specific definition: it means that the place has a "Royal Charter" or something like that. So when they use "town", they're refering to a populated place that doesn't have a charter. The UKians get very uptight if you refer to a town as a city ;-). In the US, we don't have such specific meanings, so we can generally get away with calling everything a city. So for the section header <nowiki>==Cities==</nowiki> in the region text, just leave it as Cities per the [[Project:Region article template]], but in the actual article go ahead and call it a town if you think it appropriate. :And a tip: you can sign your post automatically with your user name and timestamp by typing four tildes like this: <nowiki>-- ~~~~</nowiki> -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 14:17, 6 September 2006 (EDT) Well, it seems odd to me, because I think that we do have a specific meaning for a city, but I suppose there is also some ambiguity and if nobody is upset with calling everything a city I guess it is OK.[[User:(WT-en) CraigWill|(WT-en) CraigWill]] 16:55, 6 September 2006 (EDT) ==Valleys== To add another twist; I know there are many locals who consider their region to be defined as a "valley" - Imperial Valley, Owens (River) Valley, Central Valley, and of course "The Valley" San Fernando Valley. Usually these are classified in smaller subdivisions than state regions. Just thought I'd mention it.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 14:32, 11 October 2006 (EDT) == Agricultural inspections == From the article: ''"All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations"'' '''Airport''' entrances? Really? I've flown in and out of California several times and never had to go through any inspections. I've never heard of it happening to anyone else either. Maybe this is referring to having your plane inspected if you fly a Cessna in from out of state or something? Any pilots here that can comment? BTW, for the past 3 years or so, I've never seen anyone actually manning the inspection stations on the freeways when I drive in from out of state (usually 10, 15, or 80). [[User:129.42.184.35|129.42.184.35]] :I've seen the stations manned. And you're right about airports -- I can't remember ever being asked about fruits when flying home on a commercial airline. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 20:44, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :I've seen the highway stations manned most of the times I've been through, on 8, 15 (near Barstow), and 395. But I've never seen it done at the airport. As a private pilot - never flew out of state, but the inspections would be nonexistant since you generally just fly direct to your destination airport or fuel stop.--[[User:(WT-en) Justfred|(WT-en) justfred]] 23:17, 25 October 2006 (EDT) :: My experience with the highway agricultural stations has been that they're usually only manned when there's some general concern - I was stopped a few years back during some scare over some moth or other, but haven't been stopped again during probably 10-20 trips in the past couple of years. We could probably remove the note about checks in airports, although you do occasionally see dogs in the bag check areas, again usually during times when there's an alert going on. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] 23:28, 25 October 2006 (EDT) ==Wildflower Hotline== The following was deleted from the article without comment. It's been there for a while, so it probably deserves a fair hearing before being dropped completely: :''* '''California Wildflower Hotline''', (818) 768-3533, [http://www.theodorepayne.org]. From March through May, the California Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533 or visit www.theodorepayne.org offers the latest information on the best places to view wildflowers throughout California. The hotline and website are updated every Thursday evening. The hotline covers Southern California and the website covers the entire state. More than 90 wildflower sites are included. The hotline, now in its 25th year, is operated by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc.'' It seems like worthwhile information to me, although something that may be a bit specialized. If it isn't kept in the California article is there a better place for it? -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:55, 7 April 2007 (EDT) I vote for keeping it on the California page, who doesn't love a good Wildflower? &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:16, 7 April 2007 (EDT) : It's springtime, and the flower hotline is back. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 16:26, 15 April 2007 (EDT) == Banner == [[File:Antelope Valley banner.jpg|thumb|California Poppy Preserve in the Antelope Valley]] I added in the banner with the field of poppies because its the state flower so it represents the whole state, the flowers are present in many regions so it doesn't single out one part of the state, and the picture itself is gorgeous. If California ultimately uses a different banner image, could the person who changes it please restore this as the banner for [[Antelope Valley]]? Thanks! [[User:Mcd51|Mcd51]] ([[User talk:Mcd51|talk]]) 02:06, 10 June 2013 (UTC) == Legal hemp == IIRC it was a ballot measure in the November 2016 elections that legalized it. I don't know when it took effect, though. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:38, 1 April 2018 (UTC) : [[:w:Adult Use of Marijuana Act]] says "... leading to recreational cannabis sales in the state beginning January, 2018."--[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 20:36, 1 April 2018 (UTC) == Power outages == Should we add a warning or caution box about the precautionary power outages that have been going on in California? Pinging {{ping|SelfieCity}} for input. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:00, 27 October 2019 (UTC) :I'm not there at the moment, but yes, I think we should. Yesterday, the CalFire website didn't work for me. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:52, 27 October 2019 (UTC) ::Yes, warn about the fires and outages. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:33, 27 October 2019 (UTC) == “Extreme temperatures” == It’s ironic that [[Florida]] has an infobox warning about “extreme temperatures” while California doesn’t seem to have such an infobox, despite its record high temperature being almost 30 Fahrenheit warmer and regularly higher temperatures in summer than the East Coast state. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:10, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :Maybe Florida's summer temperatures are more uniformly high throughout the state? I don't know if that's the case, but certainly within California the most extreme temperatures in one region can be very different from those in another region. A warning on the state article might make sense if a large portion of the state reaches dangerous temperatures regularly, but would make less sense if those dangerous temperatures are limited to a particular subregion. Also, California (or at least the part of it I'm familiar with) tends not to be humid. A dry heat isn't as bad as heat plus humidity. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 20:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::True, and it’s accurate that Florida’s high temperatures are more uniform in summer (not winter), and even the ocean doesn’t have anything like the impact of the Pacific in reducing temperatures. But high temperatures are encountered in large enough portions of the state of California that it could definitely be applied to the statewide article. My experience of Pleasanton, CA, which is considered to be in the northern part of the state, and is about 30 miles from the ocean, is that it receives triple digit heat for a few days every year, and 110+ certainly isn’t unheard of (I have no clue what that is in Celsius - somewhere in the 40s?). The Central Valley is experiencing near triple digit heat now, in May. And the valley receives consistent temperatures throughout its north-south length, as climate data show. That leaves just the coastline and mountains that don’t (usually) receive extreme heat, though a couple years ago San Francisco received triple digit heat, overwhelming local thermometers that weren’t designed to cope with those temperatures. ::While humidity can make the air feel hotter, that’s at least partially subjective (a 90 F, humid, but cloudy Florida day doesn’t feel particularly hot IMHO), and humidity actually moderates the temperature to my understanding. Dry heat can feel more intense if the sun is out, which it usually is in California. My experience is that the “feels like” temperature measurements in Florida are usually exaggerated, and the temperatures often feel cooler than the actual temperature, but that might be just me. ::By the way, not to sound too blunt in my previous comment; I just thought it was worth addressing. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:00, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::My experience is limited, but I think a high temperature in the relatively dry air of the Bay Area feels more comfortable than the same temperature in humid North Carolina or Guangdong. When I was growing up my family lived in [[San Rafael]] with no air conditioning in our house or car—I don't think we would have done the same in central North Carolina, let alone Florida. Overall, are California's summers unusually intense compared to the rest of the US? :::The fact that thermometers in San Francisco aren't designed for temperatures above 100F is an indication that the weather there is ''not'' traditionally very hot. Of course, many parts of the world are seeing record-breaking temperatures in recent years, and that will continue in the future as the earth warms up—but that's not anything special about California. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 23:18, 26 May 2020 (UTC) ::::San Rafael is on the Bay, which moderates its climate. As soon as you go a few miles inland, that changes. I’m not claiming that California universally receives hot weather in summer, but I think enough of it does to justify the infobox. I’d argue, however, that a few other articles could do with the same warning &mdash; better safe than sorry. ::::Perhaps your point is that the largest tourist destinations in California don’t receive hot weather often, with which I’d agree. Additionally climate data evidence indicates that warming is much more pronounced in some regions of the world than others (with polar regions the most impacted), so I think we do have to keep pace with varied degrees of climatic change in different regions of the world. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:34, 26 May 2020 (UTC) :::::Okay, I'll leave it to your judgement. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 01:14, 27 May 2020 (UTC) :::Late weighing in here, but here it goes: In terms of Florida temps vs California temps, you mentioned the humidity in Florida being a big difference from California. High heat with high humidity creates a situation in which it is harder for a person to cool off. In low humidity heat, sweat will evaporate off the skin having a cooling effect. In high humidity, the air is already saturated with moisture and the sweat is unable to evaporate leading to reduced cooling. This can lead to people being more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The [[w:Heat Index#Table_of_values|Heat Index]] provides a correlation between heat and humidity and shows why a 90&deg; day in California with 10% humidity is less risky than a 90&deg; day in Florida with 90% humidity. == A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion == The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: * [[commons:File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-01-22T22:01:11.755153 | Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg --> Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Los Angeles with Mount Baldy.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:01, 22 January 2021 (UTC) == Why so many 'Other destinations'? == There should only be a maximum of nine; there are currently 17. I would suggest the three state parks without a WV article can be deleted without further comment, but that still leaves five more to whittle down. I'll let people who actually know California decide how to proceed, so off the top of me 'ead that's {{ping|Mx. Granger|SelfieCity|Wrh2}} thoughts? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:10, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Having a decent knowledge of Cal, what significance is Disneyland. After all, the bigger one's in Orlando. Napa Valley is also not too significant. I'm not sure why the Chanel Islands have to be there. But with this, it leaves us with 2. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[w:User:SHB2000|en.wikipedia]])</small> 12:23, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::Pretty sure this is the original Disneyland, i.e. the one watched over by Walt's frozen corpse, and probably one of the most-visited theme parks in the world. Can't comment on the others.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:30, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::It is the second most visited theme park in the world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings], after the one in Florida, which makes it a pretty big deal for California. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 18:27, 20 May 2021 (UTC) ::::I think the following destinations should stay on the list for sure: ::::*Disneyland ::::*Lake Tahoe ::::*Napa Valley ::::*Death Valley ::::*At least one redwood/sequoia-related place ::::*Yosemite National Park ::::That makes six, which would leave room for at most three of the remaining destinations. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:46, 20 May 2021 (UTC) :::::I haven't been there, but just based on photos, I'd suggest including Joshua Tree National Park. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is lovely but was badly damaged in a fire and needs time to recover. What about Big Sur? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:33, 21 May 2021 (UTC) ::::::Big Sur over Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I think. Big Sur is definitely considered a really important travel destination in California, though if we include CA-1 as an itinerary, that covers it. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:14, 2 June 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}} If we have to reduce the number this is what I would recommend: *Disneyland this world-famous amusement park opened its doors in 1955 and today draws around 16 million yearly visitors. The California Adventure theme park was added in 2001 and provides attractions inspired by the state's scenery and movie industry. [keep] *Lake Tahoe a deep blue mountain lake, popular for water sports in the summer and skiing in the winter. [keep] *Napa Valley spas, wine tasting, wine tours; the historic heart of [[California Wine Country]]. [keep] *Big Sur can be loosely defined as the stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, and the steep cliffs, rocky coast, churning waves, abundant wildlife, redwoods, and remoteness make it a stunningly beautiful drive. [include as CA Route 1 itinerary?] * Diablo Range is the home of California's oak woodlands and traditionally was a key ranching region in the state. It is adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Channel Islands five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment. [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] *Death Valley – a place of legend and a place of trial. [keep] * Joshua Tree - the Joshua Trees found in the park can be seen in the picture to the right [marginal, IMHO, depends on whether or not the others make nine] *Lassen – witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction. [also marginal, probably less important than Joshua Tree] *Redwood National Park – stand at the base of a coast redwood and even the huckleberry bushes tower over you. [marginal, either this one or Sequoia/Kings Canyon] *Sequoia/Kings Canyon – these twin parks hold monuments to nature's size, beauty, and diversity. [probably keep per Redwood National Park] * Yosemite – one of the first wilderness parks in the United States. [keep] * Pinnacles – a rugged landscape in the [[Diablo Range]] [remove, leave wikilink at lower level] All other parks listings are unnecessary, as parks are adequately covered in the list above. [[United States National Parks#California]] (create a [[California State Parks]]?) could be a wikilink for enthusiasts. (As that would leave us with seven, we could include two additional ones from this list or include two of the state parks.) <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 14:20, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :A California State Parks article seems like a good idea to me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:59, 2 June 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Ikan Kekek|SelfieCity|Antandrus|Mx. Granger|Ground Zero|ThunderingTyphoons!}} One month on, and we still haven't picked on which 9 destinations we're choosing. I just pinged Antandrus since they have local knowledge as well. [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small> 13:33, 21 July 2021 (UTC) ::Combining the comments above, how about: ::* Death Valley ::* Disneyland ::* Joshua Tree ::* Lake Tahoe ::* Napa Valley ::* Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ::* Yosemite ::That makes seven; we could also add Big Sur and/or Lassen if desired. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 16:51, 21 July 2021 (UTC) :::Seeing no further comments, I've gone ahead and implemented this. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 12:13, 25 July 2021 (UTC) == Got a question about the California English dialect. ==  Whenever I add the new information about the language, it got reverted and it say it was too encyclopedic. This article never had information available about the dialect called "California English." So, I edited the article to add the introduction details about the new dialect. I wanted the readers of traveling to learn more about the dialect called California English. There are some languages spoken, but disagree that it should be removed. It should not be removed because, the Wikipedia article has that and it will be a good idea to add this information about the local dialect. Can anyone give a reason for that? Thanks already. -- [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 20:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I looked at the last edit. It didn't provide any information of use to travellers. It was very general, and is more suited to Wikipedia. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:45, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Any additional reasoning? [[Special:Contributions/204.129.232.195|204.129.232.195]] 22:44, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::: please check out [[WV:Goals and non-goals#Non-goals]] and [[WV:Tone]] for additional reasoning. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 01:15, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ::::User:204.129 -- no, that is sufficient reasoning. Please review the links that Ibaman provided. They are useful to understanding what Wikivoyage is about. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 01:34, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 42agcpb463t3g5vvlqskis524g8ne5r 1 43920 4501632 4501553 2022-08-15T15:52:48Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Headingley */ wikitext text/x-wiki ==Clubs== Can you really call the Cockpit a club? HiFi? Whats really a club? [[User:81.105.110.59|81.105.110.59]] 21:08, 13 July 2008 (EDT) ==Visitor Feedback== Leeds is a great city to visit, for a day, a weekend or a week. You can easily explore all the Yorkshire has to offer, based in this shoppers, diners and drinkers mecca... Leeds somehow manages to have the worst cinema this wikivoyager has ever experienced in the Kirkstall Road complex. Filthy and with no information whatsoever about current film showings, the staff give you a good reason to stay at home and rent DVD's online! You are much better off attending Cottage Road Cinema[11] in the centre of Headingley. Plenty to do afterwards as well. The Hyde Park Picture house is another good independent cinema (only 1 screen) with a wide selection of both modern and classic films on show. It retains many of its original features including gas lighting. Sorry youve had such a bad experience, but i grew up in Ilkley (just outside Leeds), and this is the cinema I use most, and i have never had a problem with it. Adding in that comment in the main articel is unprofessional and just adds to the impression that WIKI's are totally useless for serious research into a place. I am removing it as it is obviously POV.[[User:213.48.73.89|213.48.73.89]] 09:13, 25 May 2007 (EDT) :Please understand that ''this'' wiki is not Wikipedia, and we ''welcome'' travelers' POV about the places they visit. What we ask is that they [[Project:Be fair|be fair]]. - [[User:(WT-en) TVerBeek|(WT-en) Todd VerBeek]] 11:12, 25 May 2007 (EDT) ==Questions for potential visitors== Want to come to Leeds but the Wikiguide doesn't tell you something you need to know? Post your question here and a Leeds Wikivoyager will try to answer asap. "Leeds City Guide [106]" links through to a website that hasn't been updated since 2002. What about www.skiddle.com/cities/leeds/ as an alternative? ==Huge city?== I mentioned this on one of the district pages, but as it looks like there is more than one at this point, I'll bring the conversation here. The district idea is really only for Huge Cities, ie [[Mexico City]] and [[New York (city)]]. It's not just a matter of where folks go to work, or what's real close by, etc etc. These places are either destinations in their own right or, maybe, neighborhoods of Leeds. But from the article contents it seems as if it's the first case. Comments from folks in the know? [[User:(WT-en) Maj|(WT-en) Majnoona]] 17:30, 4 May 2006 (EDT) :Maj, Leeds is obviously not as huge as New York or Mexico, but with a population of 715,000 it is quite large. These are neighbourhoods of Leeds rather than distant suburbs, you could walk to them in 20 minutes / 1/2 an hour or so. To me it is arguable whether they actually need articles, but in the past (small towns in [[North Dakota]]), you have expressed the desire to keep articles, whether or not there is much to see there. I moved the article to ''districts'', rather than leave them as separate articles to highlight the fact that they are actually neighbourhoods within a large city, rather than separate communities. Other medium sized cities (such as [[Krakow]]) have many districts. I am not against this changing back to separate articles, but it should be born in mind that they are neighbourhoods, rather than distant suburbs. -- [[User:(WT-en) DanielC|(WT-en) DanielC]] 08:36, 15 May 2006 (EDT) I think Headingley is both. Obviously a part of Leeds, it is effectively a town within a city. I think that some visitors may well visit Headingley in it's own right, visiting student friends, watching live sports or maybe just for the famous night life. I'm sure many people who come to watch sport stay for the evening for a meal and a few drinks or shopping. Chapel Allerton is less of a destination in it's own right, but is a district/suburb of Leeds which is worth going to for a day. By creating a separate article, it makes the main Leeds article more concise. == Travel in leeds == I had some bad experience in leed with taxi's and good one if you just flag a taxi dow they will charge you whatever they can just to go a couple of miles you can pay 10 pounds I use a couple of bad ones who charged me much more than it should have been but the one that i would recomend is Owl Cars 0113 2 28 28 20. Where did the Metro train route diagram go?? == Photos == CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO UPLOAD PICTURES AND EMBED THEM ON THIS PAGE! : [[Project:How to add an image]] &mdash; [[User:(WT-en) Ravikiran r|(WT-en) Ravikiran]] 09:03, 9 November 2006 (EST) Hi, can the person who has been adding pictures (I don't have any of my own/any i have copyright to on the computer i'm using at the minute), possibly add one of City Sq with the fountains/Old Post Office/No1 City Sq (there are some nice ones of Queens' Hotel at night too) and one of the Town Hall if it's not too much trouble? otherwise i should be able to get round to it eventually What happened to the file directory at the top? It currently states West Yorkshire: Leeds. It used to state Europe:UK:England:Yorkshire:West Yorkshire... City Sq & Town Hall pics now added - feel free to move/remove any I just plonked them in. Now I've done you a favour you can help me to update the [[Yorkshire Moors]], [[Yorkshire Dales]], and [[Yorkshire]] articles - all of which supplement the Leeds article... Thanks! Okay, but i don't know as much about them (though obviously living nearby most of my life im not completely in the dark)...i'll just add bits regularly for the next few weeks when i have the time (As have been doing with this article) :) == Getting to guide (now achieved) == what more do i (and others) need to do to have this upgraded from an outline to a guide article? i dont see how there isnt enough information, okay the see:central leeds by area isn't finished yet, but i mean there was a fair amount there to begin with and i've spent ages adding and updating information to it (and some kind individual added pretty pictures!), and im pretty damn sure a visitor could use this guide and have a very productive/fruitful/enjoyable/succesful visit to the city...there is information on transport, accomodation, sights, shopping, safety, eating, nightlife...what more do i need to add/do to make it a "guide"? the manchester one is less detailed but classed as a guide... :You can [[Project:Plunge forward|plunge forward]] and do that, I doubt anyone would challenge that. It looks like at least a Guide article to me. What does need to be done, is some moving of information to the district articles. On a huge city we prefer to have the actual listings in the districts and general information in the main article. This article is getting a little too large and some of the information could be moved. Also if districts need to be added or modified, feel free to do that also. This is your guide as much yours as it is for anyone. Thank you for your contributions. -- [[User:(WT-en) Xltel|(WT-en) Tom Holland (xltel)]] 08:58, 23 November 2006 (EST) ::I wouldn't call Leeds a 'huge' city, a large one, but its under a million. There are district guides for the three major out-of-centre destination districts (Headingley, Chapel Allerton, Roundhay), but do you think it would be apropriate to divide the city centre into district guides - it has distinct quarters but the central area is fairly compact, nothing like Manhattan/central London/Paris etc...and its hard to know where the boundaries are: also where would out of town attractions/attractions in the surrouding area fall? I'll think about it but i'm not exactly sure how i would go about restructuring... ==Getting to Star/Destination of the month== This article is looking pretty amazing now - really indepth. As we work towards 'Star' article status I though a good way would be to use benchmarking. IE look at other Star articles/Articles of the month to see what features/info they have that this one lacks. There was a Metro train diagram on here - anyone know where it went? See comments: http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_Month_candidates#Leeds ==what happened to the images?== they've all gone. i havent updated/edited this page for ages, but i will try over the next few weeks when i have time to make it more concise/logical etc (tho i dont agree that the district articles are a bit 'thin') i dont understand also why so much of the text is being edited out ive looked at the history but i cant seem to view the page where discussion about this goes on - and yes various english cities are near beautiful countryside but no other major city in england is as near to as much beautiful countryside or as close to as many national parks - this is to an extent objective fact! :The images were deleted for being violations of the [[Project:Copyleft|copyleft]] and appeared to have been taken from other websites. -- [[User:(WT-en) Sapphire|(WT-en) Sapphire]] • <small>([[User talk:(WV-en) Sapphire|Talk]])</small> • 06:49, 24 May 2007 (EDT) ::I'm still not entirely sure why so much of the text etc I spent so long over seems to be gradually removed/made worse/grammatically incorrect/use of american spelling/etc. It's quite disheartening to have something you worked so hard on ruined tbh. ==Restaurants== Is anybody who knows these restaurants able to move them to ====Budget====, ====Mid-range==== and ====Splurge====? Many Thanks [[User:62.49.204.235|62.49.204.235]] 09:06, 9 February 2008 (EST) == Voted Best City == If someone thinks it is significant to include that it was voted best city in 2003, then I think its entirely reasonable and informative to say where it was placed in the same survey this year. Personally I think all the surveys are useless, but balance in all things.. --[[User:(WT-en) Inas|(WT-en) Inas]] 18:24, 18 December 2008 (EST) == LBA car parks == Since this section is about getting into Leeds I don't understand the rationale for a table detailing car parks for people catching flights out of Leeds. Any objections to deleting the table? --[[User:Dakinijones|Dakinijones]] ([[User talk:Dakinijones|talk]]) 16:06, 9 February 2013 (UTC) == Districtification - work in progress? == It looks like somebody started to split the article into district articles, but the result is an article sitting on the fence, with most of the city centre left in the article and several very short sections carved out. I do not know much about Leeds, but I tend to think there are two options which one could follow: # Make "Leeds" a region, and then subdivide into the the City of Leeds proper and suburbs (even if forming a part of one municipal body called "Leeds") # Reintegrate description of suburbs and districts into the article. It does not seem there is too much to do outside of the city centre, so the list of pubs and all resulting from the remerge could be trimmed. It is great to know there are places to go for a pint outside of the centre, but if it is the only thing to do there, then it is of little interest to travellers. You thoughts? [[User:PrinceGloria|PrinceGloria]] ([[User talk:PrinceGloria|talk]]) 18:56, 10 June 2013 (UTC) :Given that there are an awful lot of districts of Leeds sitting at outline ''something'' clearly has to be done. But I don't quite know what... [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 17:29, 24 November 2015 (UTC) ::Is there any policy against just having one or two districts (i.e. those that can support an entire article such as [[Headingley]]) with the rest moved back into the main city article? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 19:29, 24 November 2015 (UTC) :::Yes, I believe so. Cities aren't supposed to be incompletely districted. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:04, 25 November 2015 (UTC) ::::That seems unnecessarily inflexible. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:37, 25 November 2015 (UTC) :::::I may have misunderstood your question. Are you suggesting dividing the entire city into two districts? If that [[ttcf|serves the traveller well]], sure, why not? What is your proposal? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:40, 25 November 2015 (UTC) :::::: The first odd thing is that the main article is also the article for the centre of of the city as well as some listing for the whole area. I think before the districts can be sorted out the listings should be checked to see if still valid and coordinates added to see exactly where they are. Headingley could make sense as its own article/district but the other are a little arbitrary. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 10:31, 25 November 2015 (UTC) What I am suggesting is that the district articles which have enough (updated*) content in them be kept separate, while the rest be either re-integrated into the main Leeds article, or removed if their information isn't relevant. So I guess I'm proposing a "semi-districtification" whereby only a couple of districts actually have separate articles. I have to admit, I don't know Leeds well at all, but just looking at the district articles [[Chapel Allerton |Chapel Allerton]], [[Leeds/East Leeds|East Leeds]], [[Leeds/South Leeds|South Leeds]], [[Leeds/West Leeds|West Leeds]] and [[Leeds/Roundhay|Roundhay]] seem to have little in the way of actual attractions (in the 'see' and 'do') sections anyway and are more just lists of local shops and restaurants, much like a local directory. This is in contrast to [[Leeds/Headingley|Headingley]], and [[Leeds/North West|North West]] and [[Leeds/North East Leeds|North East Leeds]], which do seem to have something touristy going for them besides places to eat and drink. <nowiki>*</nowiki>I agree with [[User:Traveler100]] that the listings need to be checked that they are updated. You'll notice many of the Leeds district articles lack proper listings, and one or two even don't have a proper banner contents. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 19:26, 25 November 2015 (UTC) :I thought that was what you were suggesting. I would reiterate that that is against policy. Instead, a better solution would be that if there are several districts which don't have enough of interest to visitors (i.e., not that the work simply hasn't been done to input the relevant information, but they actually lack enough points of interest), some districts could be combined in whatever way best [[ttcf|serves the traveller]]. But deliberately leaving some specific templated listings in the parent city article while moving others to districts is confusing, and therefore a bad practice. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:10, 25 November 2015 (UTC) ::Okay, well I don't see much difference between my proposal and yours if I'm honest, unless you're also suggesting this article's listings be put into a new [[Leeds/City Centre]] article? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:56, 25 November 2015 (UTC) ::: I think we should create a city centre article and move listing there from the main page. Can we also agree that some of the listing can be deleted from the other districts? Thinking in particular the jewellery and cloths shops, which will make some of the districts clear for deletion. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 21:05, 25 November 2015 (UTC) ::::Yep, I am in agreement with all of that. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 23:23, 25 November 2015 (UTC) == The lead == Anyone else feel the leading section is perhaps a little ''too'' promotional? I'm fully aware there's no need to be encyclopaedic on here, but that part just seems a bit too much like a tourism brochure and not a travel guide. Just wanted other opinions before I made any changes -- '''''[[User:SUFCboy|Half]]''''' ''[[User talk:SUFCboy|past]]'' <small>''(formerly SUFCboy)''</small> 18:12, 9 December 2013 (UTC) :Yes, I guess one might want to tone down the wonderfully exciting lingo there and provide some actual information on the city instead. [[User:PrinceGloria|PrinceGloria]] ([[User talk:PrinceGloria|talk]]) 18:40, 9 December 2013 (UTC) :Leeds' lead sounds more like [[New York]] than Old [[Yorkshire]]. So go ahead, Half past. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 19:36, 9 December 2013 (UTC) ::IMO, the info provided is good enough, but we could cut out the superlative rubbishː "famed for its excellent shopping" (I suppose it is called the 'Knightsbridge of the North', but still...); "extremely attractive" (it's Leeds, for God's sake, not Venice) and all this talk of "fantastic", "excellent" and "beautiful". --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 22:56, 9 December 2013 (UTC) :::Thanks all. I've half-rewritten the lead around what was there already, I'm sure somebody could improve on it but I reckon it's sufficient and preferable to the old one. -- '''''[[User:SUFCboy|Half]]''''' ''[[User talk:SUFCboy|past]]'' <small>''(formerly SUFCboy)''</small> 08:22, 10 December 2013 (UTC) ::::I've just realised, 'former SUFC boy', that you may be a little biased when it comes to the topic of Leeds ;-) Am I right? Anyway, nice re-write, much more down-to-earthǃ --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:54, 10 December 2013 (UTC) ::::: Haha, I try to leave any prejudices behind when I'm editing :P Have to say that Leeds is a decent city and suitably different to Sheffield. And thanks! --'''''[[User:SUFCboy|Half]]''''' ''[[User talk:SUFCboy|past]]'' <small>''(formerly SUFCboy)''</small> 14:49, 11 December 2013 (UTC) == Alternative banner for this article? == [[File:Leeds Wikivoyage Banner.png|right|thumb|500px|old banner currently used in this article]] [[File:Leeds banner.jpg|right|thumb|500px|suggested new banner (which is currently used in the parallel article in the Hebrew Wikivoyage)]] In the Hebrew Wikivoyage we are currently using this banner instead of the one which is currently used here. Do you think too that this banner would would better than the existing one? [[User:ויקיג&#39;אנקי|ויקיג&#39;אנקי]] ([[User talk:ויקיג&#39;אנקי|talk]]) 02:15, 5 April 2014 (UTC) :That's a very nice panorama and a very well-composed photo. I think I would favor it over the current banner, which though nice is not actually as interesting to me as the panorama. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:19, 5 April 2014 (UTC) ::Leeds' skyline is so uncharacteristic that it really doesn't work for me. The city is known as the birthplace of modern-style retail, shopping arcades, Marks&Spencer etc., so I believe a shopping arcade is much more Leeds than a anonymous composition of night lights. --[[User:PrinceGloria|PrinceGloria]] ([[User talk:PrinceGloria|talk]]) 18:35, 5 April 2014 (UTC) :::Agree. - [[User:Fabimaru|Fabimaru]] ([[User talk:Fabimaru|talk]]) 18:06, 9 April 2014 (UTC) ::PS. There are apparent compression issues with the night skyline banner, seems like the original pic was in much lower resolution. :::I have a slight preference for the new banner. The last time I passed through Leeds was on an evening train and this reminds me of the view. The original pic is 8,159 × 2,972 pixels. :::Whichever banner is not used here might be used on [[West Yorkshire]]. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:16, 5 April 2014 (UTC) ::::I plunged ahead and went with you suggestion, [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]]. I guess the "new" banner is more anonymous, so it is not really "Leeds", but it sure is representative of the urban nature of West Yorkshire, which incidentally lacked a banner. [[User:PrinceGloria|PrinceGloria]] ([[User talk:PrinceGloria|talk]]) 06:29, 13 April 2014 (UTC) PrinceGloria, you are in a minority opinion on this one, as both me, Ikan Kekek and AlasdairW prefer the new banner being used in the article [[Leeds]], while only you and Fabimaru prefer the old banner being used in this article. In addition, I must also state that although you mentioned above that you believe the new banner is based on a lower resolution picture, in realty, [[:File:Light night over Leeds (Taken by Flickr user 9th October 2013).jpg|the picture which I used to create this banner is actually of a very high resolution (8,159 × 2,972 pixels!)]]. [[User:ויקיג&#39;אנקי|ויקיג&#39;אנקי]] ([[User talk:ויקיג&#39;אנקי|talk]]) 16:24, 13 April 2014 (UTC) :I don't know Leeds or Yorkshire, so I was just reacting to the look of the pagebanners and would give some deference to people who do. Moreover, a 3-2 lead is not necessarily a clear consensus. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:44, 13 April 2014 (UTC) ::I think that is great that the new banner is now on [[West Yorkshire]], and I have only visited Leeds while passing through, so I am happy to defer to those who have spent longer there. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:46, 13 April 2014 (UTC) :::I should say that I'm perfectly happy with this solution and respect the knowledge that went into making it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:54, 14 April 2014 (UTC) == Suggested Description for the Met Hotel == A 4-star hotel and event venue offering 120 bedrooms, 18 event suites and a restaurant on King Street in Leeds. The hotel is a Grade II listed building built in 1898 and Victorian terracotta facade. The cupola on the roof was taken from the demolished 4th White Cloth Hall. [[User:VerbInteractive|VerbInteractive]] ([[User talk:VerbInteractive|talk]]) 13:50, 6 January 2015 (UTC) :Sounds good, don't hesitate and [[plunge forward]] everytime you have a good idea - if somebody will disagree, they can always discuss or propose a better version by means of editing the page. ::He can't, as he's an employee of the owners of the hotel. I'll add the listing --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:18, 6 January 2015 (UTC) == District discussion == Considering that ''all'' districts listed as "outline" on the [[Wikivoyage:England Expedition]] are parts of Leeds and they make up seven of the nine total districts and the fact that the current district map looks ''weird'' (at least to me, who's never been to Leeds), maybe we should try to redefine districts? [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 16:08, 2 March 2016 (UTC) :[[Headingley]], probably the single weirdest part of the map, almost definitely deserves its own article. Other than that, I am broadly in agreement. Perhaps some hefty merging is the order of the day (e.g. into north, south, east and west, with Headingley and the City Centre, as the main tourist areas, kept separate)? There was a discussion about this a few months ago that came to nothing. Let's try and decide what to do and then do it. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:00, 2 March 2016 (UTC) :: Can we go through the all the listing on the main article and districts, weed out the closed or non relevant entries and add coordinates and full address to the others. We can then more effectively reorganise the districts, which really are a mess. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 07:57, 12 March 2016 (UTC) Coming to conclusion that the think to do is merge Headingley into Leeds/North West; and Chapel Allerton and Roundhay into Leeds/North East Leeds. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 18:16, 12 March 2016 (UTC) :I think we should also have a new district map at the end of it all. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 19:57, 12 March 2016 (UTC) ::Yes. Perhaps you are interested into how this map came into being. Some two years ago [[Wikivoyage_talk:Requests_for_maps|I discovered we had a load of cities, including Leeds, that were districtified but had no maps at all]]. I decided to start making them myself as noone else seemed to be interested (and to get some experience in map drawing and the workflow of Inkscape ;)). Other than Prague, I hadn't been to one of these cities myself so I had to look in the district articles for clues and google POIs to get an idea of the size and shape of the districts. ::The current map is probably not too inaccurate but not too beautiful either, and if changes to the districts are made a new map will be necessary anyway. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 21:00, 12 March 2016 (UTC) [[File:Wikivoyage Leeds district map 2 PNG.png|thumbnail|new map?]] ::: So how come I can paint over the boundaries in image edit software but it still shows? Any chance of creating the new one? I was not complaining about the map but the spliut of districts and the fact the content overlaps. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 07:28, 13 March 2016 (UTC) ::::Vector files and stuff exported from vector software may behave in funny ways. I will look into the matter tonight or tomorrow. [[Special:Contributions/213.204.37.227|213.204.37.227]] 11:44, 13 March 2016 (UTC) (Ypsilon who didn't log in on a public network) [[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]], while it's brilliant that you're willing to get on with the job, I don't believe we've achieved any kind of consensus over this except that we all agree the districts have to be changed ''somehow'', and that quite a few irrelevant listings should be deleted. You proposed one solution (at 18:16 last night), and then implemented it a few hours later (9:30-ish this morning), without giving much of an opportunity for review or discussion. Just to clarify, I don't currently have any objection ''per se'' to the merges you're doing, but I also don't feel as though I or others have been given an opportunity to think about or discuss them. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:04, 13 March 2016 (UTC) : Sorry, maybe I was a little hasty. It was just that I was working on the listings and finding duplication on different pages so decided to move all to one place then try and sort it out. If someone comes up with a better definition of districts we can easily move things around. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 12:08, 13 March 2016 (UTC) :: That's alright! It's good that you're being pro-active rather than talking but doing nothing, but yeah I'm looking at the districts today, comparing the old with the new. My understanding of Headingley was that it was quite touristy, but so far I haven't found much evidence of that except that there's quite a lot of accommodation. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 13:15, 13 March 2016 (UTC) So is Woodhouse, North West or Central? --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 17:17, 13 March 2016 (UTC) :It's outside the inner ring road so North West, but only just. Some of the southern parts of Woodhouse are pretty much part of central Leeds, but most of the area is housing and university buildings. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:16, 13 March 2016 (UTC) I think the new districts are pretty much spot-on. The [[Leeds/North West|North West]] seems a tad overstuffed, but that could just be a question of thinning out the listings a little and cutting down the gigantic list of neighbourhoods in the lead to only those that are of interest to travellers. <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User_talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/ThunderingTyphoons!|contribs]]) </small> : So, is the new version of district setup the one that's in the map above? [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 19:42, 13 March 2016 (UTC) :::[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]]: Yep :-) --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:30, 13 March 2016 (UTC) ::What I don't like about the map is that the sectors simply go into the frame and there is no real indication as to which part of the city they actually cover. Compare that to the district boundaries of [[Berlin]] and you get a much clearer picture there. Another probelm with the Leeds map is that there are no bodies of water, major streets or major landmarks shown in the map, which is something we have in (almost) all other district maps. For someone not from Leeds it's really difficult to tell "where you are" with this map.[[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 20:12, 13 March 2016 (UTC) :::Agree completely. The ideal in the long term surely would be to incorporate each district map into the existing dynamic map of a city, but that is probably a couple of years away, so for now we have to try to make the region maps as good as possible, with some roads and local landmarks if possible. Ypsilon's maps are still better than anything I could do, however, so I don't wish to be too critical. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:30, 13 March 2016 (UTC) Assume southern border of central Leeds (for this article purposes) is the river? There are a few sights and bars just south of the river, checking which district to place in. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 12:59, 15 March 2016 (UTC) :Looks about right. Residents seem to use the ring road (A58(M)) for the northern edge and the river for the southern edge. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 13:51, 15 March 2016 (UTC) All the Sleep, Eat and Drink listing that where on the main city page are not in the district pages. The city centre listings in the See section of the main Leeds article needs changing from see listings to text paragraphs. Have not yet done the other attractions section and the Buy and Do sections. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 12:32, 16 March 2016 (UTC) ===Restarting this=== So after a year of dormancy, how about reviving this? There are five outline districts in all of England - all of them in Leeds. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 20:43, 23 March 2017 (UTC) == Traffic lights == I just [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Leeds&type=revision&diff=2954471&oldid=2950096 commented out] a claim about traffic lights that I find to be highly dubious (and furthermore unclearly worded). For one thing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_light our sister project] makes no mention of Leeds on its article on traffic lights. And a very breif glance at google lets me also doubt the claim. If any of you know better, please provide some source (anything, really) put it on the talk page and update the wording accordingly. Thank you. Edited to add: The claim was also made on the Discover nomination page, where I similarly [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage%3ADiscover&type=revision&diff=2954469&oldid=2954386 commented it out] [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 16:42, 9 March 2016 (UTC) :[http://web.archive.org/web/20120212124813/http://www.leeds.gov.uk/page.aspx?pageidentifier=B08840B63BB604C480256E1B00307E07 This webpage], cited on [[W:Park Row, Leeds]] states that Park Row had the first traffic lights ''in Britain'' (rather than the world) in 1928, so my guess is that someone has heard about this and misremembered and augmented it in their mind when writing about it on Wikivoyage. That ought to have been an end to the whole sorry affair, but... :Wikipedia also [[W:Traffic light#History|claims]] that Britain's first electric traffic lights were installed in Piccadilly Circus in 1926, two years earlier than Leeds, and that Wolverhampton also got some in 1927. So it seems that even the lesser claim of "first traffic lights in Britain" is unsupported and almost certainly false, and our references to it should be removed, which I'm going to do now. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:12, 9 March 2016 (UTC) ::Thanks for that. When copying fun facts from articles I assume what's written in our articles is correct (just as readers/users of our articles do). [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 17:37, 9 March 2016 (UTC) :::Yes, I think most of us do. Thanks for spotting this, [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:44, 9 March 2016 (UTC) ::::No problem. My default assumption also is that WV is correct in what it claims, but sometimes I like to double check stuff. In the process I learned that Potsdamer Platz in Berlin only had the "first" traffic light in Europe/Germany/what have you if you tweak the definition a lot... [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 17:59, 9 March 2016 (UTC) == Districts once more == Sooooo.... We gonna do summink 'bout dem districtis? [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 21:14, 26 June 2018 (UTC) == Headingley == is marked on the static map but has no mention in the districts section, nor does it have an article. Should a district be created for Headingley, or should it be removed from the static map? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:41, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :[[Leeds/Headingley]] used to be an article, but it was decided back in the 10s to consolidate Leeds' large but incomplete district list into the current set-up. Probably best to remove it.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 07:04, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::Sure. Will remove it from the map sometime soon. Are there any other changes that need to be done while I'm at it? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 07:07, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :::I mean, you've seen the map. It's pretty basic and could do with more information, but it's up to you as to how much you want to do. Good city maps have roads, railways, parks, rivers... When doing the routeboxes for Leeds, I remember struggling to work out which districts certain roads went through, and eventually realised that some of the boundaries had been drawn following the roads I was routeboxing. But I won't blame you at all if you decide to just remove Headingley, as it can't be easy to map a city you don't know.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 07:55, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::::I must say, the static map is not a very good one. I'm probably biased by saying this, but even the [[Southeastern New South Wales|sixth static map I drew]] looks better than this – honestly, I felt like redoing the map from scratch when I saw this today. I'll start compiling the resources tomorrow and will make a start once I do. The boundaries are a bit vague, but I'll try my best. ::::But before that, I'll try and make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/#map=13/53.7923/-1.5610 geojson.io] and convert that into {{tl|mapmask}}s using Renek78's geojson-mapmask converter. It seems the boundaries follow important highways and freeways so doesn't seem too hard. I'll keep you updated with how the dynamic map goes. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 08:45, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :::::If you need any help with geography, I might be able to advise.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:17, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :::::Also, the airport (somewhere near the top of NW Leeds) would be a useful addition.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:25, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::Just finished tracing out the Central, South, East and NE districts and just about to do NW, so will keep that in mind. I've noticed that some of the listings fall outside the mapmasks, but they seem to be kilometres out. Would that be okay or should I extend the districts out even further? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 09:39, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::: Bigger mapmask, I reckon, unless the listings should really be on one of the other city articles in West Yorkshire. But Leeds is quite a big city, without immediate neighbours to the east or north, so some of the POIs will be far out.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:51, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Yeah I just realised I screwed up all but West and Central. At least, the boundaries for the others aren't so fine-grained. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 10:25, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Redid NE and NW. Now just E and S left. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 10:58, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Finally done the dynamic map – see the result at [[User:SHB2000/Leeds]]. Anything else needed before I transfer the data to Commons? Once I transfer all that to Commons, I'll start the static map. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 12:05, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Linking https://github.com/SHB2000/SHB2000/blob/main/leeds.json if anyone wants the code. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 12:09, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::That looks really good. I think you're using the municipal boundaries as the outer border; do all the POIs fit inside? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 14:34, 12 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::<nowiki>:-)</nowiki>. :::::::::::::Yes, I did use the boundaries from [https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/118362#map=11/53.8065/-1.4564 OpenStreetMap]. Many of the listings are now in the wrong district (but still within Leess) and all but [[Leeds/North_West#Craiglands Hotel|Craiglands Hotel]] in NW Leeds are now within Leeds. I'll transfer this to Commons just in a moment. :::::::::::::But before I start the static map, which roads should be included, and is there a specific colour scheme that's officially used in the UK (e.g. red for freeways, yellow for major arterial roads or something like that) that I should try and follow? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:16, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::And which roads should I include? ::::::::::::::Here's what I think should be marked, at least from side observations from hours of tracing last night ;-) ::::::::::::::* All freeways (i.e. M1, M62, A1(M), and M621) ::::::::::::::* A58 ::::::::::::::* A61 ::::::::::::::* A6120 ::::::::::::::* A63 ::::::::::::::* A660 ::::::::::::::Are there any other important roads that I've missed? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:26, 13 August 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} It sounds like hard work. Those roads, plus the A64 and A65, seem the main ones. I'm not sure how important it is, but the A58 (M) and A64 (M) form an incredibly short motorway in the city centre (so short, they have their own entries on [https://pathetic.org.uk/current/a64m/ Pathetic Motorways]). I wouldn't say there's an official colour scheme as such, but most UK road atlases colour motorways blue, and the main A roads green, following the colour of the road signs (e.g. [[Image:UK-Motorway-M1.svg|40px]], [[Image:UK road A58.svg|40px]]). You probably don't need to worry about them, but secondary A roads are red, B roads are yellow, and very minor roads white. Google Maps used to follow this scheme in the UK too, before imposing their orange and white nonsense on the whole world.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 16:10, 13 August 2022 (UTC) Looking with fresh eyes, on the dynamic map a couple of things have jumped out at me regarding the boundaries. The balance between East and North East seem skewed heavily in favour of East, resulting in the town of Wetherby being sliced in half; perhaps it would be better if the boundary followed the A64 once out of the built-up area (so say from around where that line called ELOR meets the A64 near Scholes). Also, that section of West Leeds from the really narrow bit around Yeadon, up towards Hawksworth, is probably more logically placed in North West Leeds. Feel free to say "it's too late to nitpick, we're doing it as it is", because I realise this has turned from a quick "removing Headingley" tweak to a wholescale "redesigning Leeds" endeavour from your perspective.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 16:36, 13 August 2022 (UTC) Oh, and it turns out that ELOR is the [https://www.elor.uk/ East Leeds Orbital Route], an under-construction dual-carriageway.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 16:48, 13 August 2022 (UTC) :I could do the map again, but the boundaries I drew were deliberately designed based on where the listings were, and the boundaries that the now-removed static map used. I ''could'' do it again, but my 7-day isolation period due to well, [[COVID-19|The Virus]] is nearing to an end so I won't have 3-4 hours of spare time on my hands and I guess it's (sadly) too late to nitpick (apologies for that). :As for the roads, jokingly, A58(M) and A64(M) remind me of the [[Sunshine Coast#Get around|Sunshine Motorway]] in Queensland, except this one's a pathetic motorway not due to distance, but because it looks like [https://goo.gl/maps/dNHKbTEJP1wR1xg97 this], [https://goo.gl/maps/HymBiew62vWJxir26 this], or [https://goo.gl/maps/QzUD5qJUZrYeMvUw7 this] for half its length (that said, there are bits that do look like a motorway like [https://goo.gl/maps/vWY1rmNGxdppYmCc6 this] or [https://goo.gl/maps/ky4RR712CjNSycXo9 this]. So unusual, that it doesn't even have exit numbering like all the other motorways in the state. Back on topic, I can certainly do the A64 and A65 as well. It shouldn't be too hard to do – all I have to do is to simply trace the roads from OSM, and that's about it. I'll start the map this arvo, and I'll let you know how that's coming along. :<small>and btw, thanks for the Pathetic Motorways website :-) An interesting website to look around. I just had a look at some other pathetic motorways and a lot of the motorways seem to be rather unusual.</small> <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 00:40, 14 August 2022 (UTC) ::Fair play, I just thought I'd ask. Well done on getting through self-isolation. I haven't tested positive once in over two years, but can still imagine it's pretty tedious. Hopefully, Pathetic Motorways managed to alleviate some of that tedium 😆 --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:09, 14 August 2022 (UTC) :::Thanks for the kind words :-). My isolation period ends tomorrow, so time to say goodbye to clicking "remove" to all ''The Devonshire Manuscript'' entries a hundred times (see [[:b:Special:History/Wikibooks:Correct typos in one click/16]] for a bit more context). ::: :::Done. I made a start on doing some of the minor roads but decided to get rid of them as it was becoming too crowded. The same reason is why the motorways aren't labeled, but I think this has to be my second or third favourite static map I've made, after [[Southeastern NSW]] and possibly [[Canberra/Civic]]. Turned out a lot better than I thought. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 04:55, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::::Also the airport might not show up. I forgot to add the airport when I first uploaded it, but I've reuploaded a map with the airport. The airport still doesn't show up on Commons though, at least on my end, but it does on both en.voy and it.voy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 10:28, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :::::That's come out well, and the airport shows for me both on WV and Commons. Thanks for the hours of work! --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 15:52, 15 August 2022 (UTC) pvj2g63atduvgf0ccm6gy6zcc5c30ta 1 47338 4501964 4211841 2022-08-16T07:49:16Z LPfi 79572 /* Carrying your university degree? */ new section wikitext text/x-wiki ==Purpose== I don't see any practical utility to this article. Visas are ''very'' country-specific, and some of the info (eg. Saudi supposedly not needing transit visas) is outright incorrect. [[User:(WT-en) Jpatokal|(WT-en) Jpatokal]] 01:37, 4 June 2008 (EDT) I have seen online tools that allow travelers to search for the visa requirements by destination and nationality; Such as here http://www.visahq.com/travel_tools.php ===Current condition=== * The banner at page-end indicates this is just an outline...but no date for that entry. Believe page has developed past that point, e.g., explains why you may need one or more, and consequences of not having such. Don't feel authorized to remove banner. * Definitely agree it should receive frequent fact-checking (an error could cause considerable grief), plus ".gov" or other clean links to dependable sites indicating which nationals need/don't need visas for which types of entry in which countries, e.g., [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html] for U.S. travelers. Regards --[[User:(WT-en) Hennejohn|(WT-en) Hennejohn]] 13:00, 18 July 2011 (EDT) == Visa agencies == [[Special:Contributions/Harrnasmartinas|This user]] has added contact information to a company that does the paperwork for travelers who need a visa to [[Dubai]] against a fee. Saqib has [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Dubai&curid=10092&diff=2558132&oldid=2558129 reverted] it twice, per [[tour]]. But do we have an explicit rule forbidding addition of visa agencies? If we don't, maybe we should: [[Visa#Third-party_agent_concerns]]. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:07, 27 March 2014 (UTC) :We don't need a rule for every little thing. This is simple common sense. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 14:13, 27 March 2014 (UTC) ::My revertion of those edits was per [[Tout]], not [[Tour]]. It was a typo. Plenty of travel agencies provide you with a tourist visa to the Emirates so I don't think we should allow the listings of travel agencies. They fall both under [[tour]] and [[Tour]]. --[[User:Saqib|Saqib]] ([[User talk:Saqib|talk]]) 14:27, 27 March 2014 (UTC) == Guide and FTT? == This article looks pretty good for being at usable status. So, like always: is it perhaps already a guide (possible [[FTT]] candidate) or is there still something important missing? --[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 19:23, 1 August 2018 (UTC) == Processing times == The article says you should, for most countries, "begin the visa process at least four weeks prior to your trip (six weeks for business and employment visas)." I don't know whether Finland is exceptionally slow, but I'd guess six weeks is nowhere enough for employment visas, if there is any special circumstances and you want to be sure to get it processed in time. I asked the Finnish migration authority website to calculate an approximate handling time for "other" work, and the answer was "2–4 months". --[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:45, 11 June 2019 (UTC) :Yeah, I'd say anything beyond the usual duration of tourism visas should get at least ''months'' of preparation... [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 18:11, 11 June 2019 (UTC) == Visa requirements map == {{swept}} Looking up visa requirements of the destination is something every traveller will do, and is one of the top travel-related topics people look at on Wikipedia. But right now, our pages are very text heavy. I stumbled upon [https://visalist.io an online requirements website] via Reddit today and it shows the power of making it interactive and finding the information quickly. Have we considered doing similar type of maps by using suitable plugins? We can utilize the large contributor base to keep it updated. I can foresee that it can be a huge draw for travellers to our site and some of them can be converted to contributors. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:16, 5 May 2019 (UTC) : Wikipedia has maps in their "visa policy of x" articles. I have in the past added those pictures to get in sections. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 23:29, 1 June 2019 (UTC) == Visiting friends == I am surprised to read here that you might not be allowed to visit friends and family on a tourist visa or as visa-exempt. Does this apply to many countries? The example given is Canada, where you as visa-exempt are said to need a letter of invitation from your friend, if you are visiting them rather than being a usual tourist. I couldn't easily find that requirement in [[Canada#Get in]]. Is the information on visiting family and friends actually missing from most articles? I'd happily go visiting friends as visa-free tourist otherwise, and I'd present a letter of invitation when booked accommodation is required to get a visa. If I read the passage here correctly, that might land me in trouble. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:55, 24 May 2021 (UTC) :I don't think so [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 10:35, 24 May 2021 (UTC) : China has a separate visa category for "visiting family", used mainly by overseas Chinese but also sometimes by foreigners who have married Chinese. Coming on a tourist visa does not mean you cannot visit family, but it does mean you don't get the longer stay allowed on a family visa & I think you pay higher fees. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 12:43, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::In some countries you actually need "an invite" for a visa. This can nowadays be worked around by travel agencies, but apparently it used to be that you actually had to genuinely know someone in the country to get the visa. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 12:47, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::From my research, this is not true for Canada, so I have removed that example. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:20, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::: Visiting friend and family as a reason ''to get'' a visa, to get it cheaper or to waive some requirements makes sense, but not being allowed to visit (or lodge with) them without getting a (different) visa is what sounds absurd, or at least surprising. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 14:12, 24 May 2021 (UTC) == Carrying your university degree? == I don't understand that you shouldn't [[Special:Diff/4494987/4501857|be carrying [...] a university degree]] when on a tourist visa. This is about tourist visas and documents related to your profession, but I think the example is odd. I understand that a CV and related documents are suspicious, but I think a single diploma would be quite innocent. Who would employ you based on a university degree diploma alone? I changed it to "such as those you would show a potential employer", do we have a better wording? Or do such diplomas cause real problems, when you carry a fresh one to show it to friends (the only reason I can think of where I'd carry one on a tourist trip). –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:49, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 4bbjht100x4a5qn1s4sgd5qh5b6z55i 4501965 4501964 2022-08-16T07:49:45Z LPfi 79572 /* Carrying your university degree? */ wikitext text/x-wiki ==Purpose== I don't see any practical utility to this article. Visas are ''very'' country-specific, and some of the info (eg. Saudi supposedly not needing transit visas) is outright incorrect. [[User:(WT-en) Jpatokal|(WT-en) Jpatokal]] 01:37, 4 June 2008 (EDT) I have seen online tools that allow travelers to search for the visa requirements by destination and nationality; Such as here http://www.visahq.com/travel_tools.php ===Current condition=== * The banner at page-end indicates this is just an outline...but no date for that entry. Believe page has developed past that point, e.g., explains why you may need one or more, and consequences of not having such. Don't feel authorized to remove banner. * Definitely agree it should receive frequent fact-checking (an error could cause considerable grief), plus ".gov" or other clean links to dependable sites indicating which nationals need/don't need visas for which types of entry in which countries, e.g., [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html] for U.S. travelers. Regards --[[User:(WT-en) Hennejohn|(WT-en) Hennejohn]] 13:00, 18 July 2011 (EDT) == Visa agencies == [[Special:Contributions/Harrnasmartinas|This user]] has added contact information to a company that does the paperwork for travelers who need a visa to [[Dubai]] against a fee. Saqib has [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Dubai&curid=10092&diff=2558132&oldid=2558129 reverted] it twice, per [[tour]]. But do we have an explicit rule forbidding addition of visa agencies? If we don't, maybe we should: [[Visa#Third-party_agent_concerns]]. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:07, 27 March 2014 (UTC) :We don't need a rule for every little thing. This is simple common sense. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 14:13, 27 March 2014 (UTC) ::My revertion of those edits was per [[Tout]], not [[Tour]]. It was a typo. Plenty of travel agencies provide you with a tourist visa to the Emirates so I don't think we should allow the listings of travel agencies. They fall both under [[tour]] and [[Tour]]. --[[User:Saqib|Saqib]] ([[User talk:Saqib|talk]]) 14:27, 27 March 2014 (UTC) == Guide and FTT? == This article looks pretty good for being at usable status. So, like always: is it perhaps already a guide (possible [[FTT]] candidate) or is there still something important missing? --[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 19:23, 1 August 2018 (UTC) == Processing times == The article says you should, for most countries, "begin the visa process at least four weeks prior to your trip (six weeks for business and employment visas)." I don't know whether Finland is exceptionally slow, but I'd guess six weeks is nowhere enough for employment visas, if there is any special circumstances and you want to be sure to get it processed in time. I asked the Finnish migration authority website to calculate an approximate handling time for "other" work, and the answer was "2–4 months". --[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:45, 11 June 2019 (UTC) :Yeah, I'd say anything beyond the usual duration of tourism visas should get at least ''months'' of preparation... [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 18:11, 11 June 2019 (UTC) == Visa requirements map == {{swept}} Looking up visa requirements of the destination is something every traveller will do, and is one of the top travel-related topics people look at on Wikipedia. But right now, our pages are very text heavy. I stumbled upon [https://visalist.io an online requirements website] via Reddit today and it shows the power of making it interactive and finding the information quickly. Have we considered doing similar type of maps by using suitable plugins? We can utilize the large contributor base to keep it updated. I can foresee that it can be a huge draw for travellers to our site and some of them can be converted to contributors. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:16, 5 May 2019 (UTC) : Wikipedia has maps in their "visa policy of x" articles. I have in the past added those pictures to get in sections. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 23:29, 1 June 2019 (UTC) == Visiting friends == I am surprised to read here that you might not be allowed to visit friends and family on a tourist visa or as visa-exempt. Does this apply to many countries? The example given is Canada, where you as visa-exempt are said to need a letter of invitation from your friend, if you are visiting them rather than being a usual tourist. I couldn't easily find that requirement in [[Canada#Get in]]. Is the information on visiting family and friends actually missing from most articles? I'd happily go visiting friends as visa-free tourist otherwise, and I'd present a letter of invitation when booked accommodation is required to get a visa. If I read the passage here correctly, that might land me in trouble. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:55, 24 May 2021 (UTC) :I don't think so [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 10:35, 24 May 2021 (UTC) : China has a separate visa category for "visiting family", used mainly by overseas Chinese but also sometimes by foreigners who have married Chinese. Coming on a tourist visa does not mean you cannot visit family, but it does mean you don't get the longer stay allowed on a family visa & I think you pay higher fees. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 12:43, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::In some countries you actually need "an invite" for a visa. This can nowadays be worked around by travel agencies, but apparently it used to be that you actually had to genuinely know someone in the country to get the visa. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 12:47, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::From my research, this is not true for Canada, so I have removed that example. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:20, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::: Visiting friend and family as a reason ''to get'' a visa, to get it cheaper or to waive some requirements makes sense, but not being allowed to visit (or lodge with) them without getting a (different) visa is what sounds absurd, or at least surprising. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 14:12, 24 May 2021 (UTC) == Carrying your university degree? == I don't understand that you [[Special:Diff/4494987/4501857|shouldn't be carrying [...] a university degree]] when on a tourist visa. This is about tourist visas and documents related to your profession, but I think the example is odd. I understand that a CV and related documents are suspicious, but I think a single diploma would be quite innocent. Who would employ you based on a university degree diploma alone? I changed it to "such as those you would show a potential employer", do we have a better wording? Or do such diplomas cause real problems, when you carry a fresh one to show it to friends (the only reason I can think of where I'd carry one on a tourist trip). –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:49, 16 August 2022 (UTC) sn6wu0tl6r19fyz74aq5j9zwi5n36ea 4501994 4501965 2022-08-16T08:21:58Z Vidimian 1815 /* Carrying your university degree? */ Reply wikitext text/x-wiki ==Purpose== I don't see any practical utility to this article. Visas are ''very'' country-specific, and some of the info (eg. Saudi supposedly not needing transit visas) is outright incorrect. [[User:(WT-en) Jpatokal|(WT-en) Jpatokal]] 01:37, 4 June 2008 (EDT) I have seen online tools that allow travelers to search for the visa requirements by destination and nationality; Such as here http://www.visahq.com/travel_tools.php ===Current condition=== * The banner at page-end indicates this is just an outline...but no date for that entry. Believe page has developed past that point, e.g., explains why you may need one or more, and consequences of not having such. Don't feel authorized to remove banner. * Definitely agree it should receive frequent fact-checking (an error could cause considerable grief), plus ".gov" or other clean links to dependable sites indicating which nationals need/don't need visas for which types of entry in which countries, e.g., [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html] for U.S. travelers. Regards --[[User:(WT-en) Hennejohn|(WT-en) Hennejohn]] 13:00, 18 July 2011 (EDT) == Visa agencies == [[Special:Contributions/Harrnasmartinas|This user]] has added contact information to a company that does the paperwork for travelers who need a visa to [[Dubai]] against a fee. Saqib has [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Dubai&curid=10092&diff=2558132&oldid=2558129 reverted] it twice, per [[tour]]. But do we have an explicit rule forbidding addition of visa agencies? If we don't, maybe we should: [[Visa#Third-party_agent_concerns]]. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:07, 27 March 2014 (UTC) :We don't need a rule for every little thing. This is simple common sense. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 14:13, 27 March 2014 (UTC) ::My revertion of those edits was per [[Tout]], not [[Tour]]. It was a typo. Plenty of travel agencies provide you with a tourist visa to the Emirates so I don't think we should allow the listings of travel agencies. They fall both under [[tour]] and [[Tour]]. --[[User:Saqib|Saqib]] ([[User talk:Saqib|talk]]) 14:27, 27 March 2014 (UTC) == Guide and FTT? == This article looks pretty good for being at usable status. So, like always: is it perhaps already a guide (possible [[FTT]] candidate) or is there still something important missing? --[[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 19:23, 1 August 2018 (UTC) == Processing times == The article says you should, for most countries, "begin the visa process at least four weeks prior to your trip (six weeks for business and employment visas)." I don't know whether Finland is exceptionally slow, but I'd guess six weeks is nowhere enough for employment visas, if there is any special circumstances and you want to be sure to get it processed in time. I asked the Finnish migration authority website to calculate an approximate handling time for "other" work, and the answer was "2–4 months". --[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:45, 11 June 2019 (UTC) :Yeah, I'd say anything beyond the usual duration of tourism visas should get at least ''months'' of preparation... [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 18:11, 11 June 2019 (UTC) == Visa requirements map == {{swept}} Looking up visa requirements of the destination is something every traveller will do, and is one of the top travel-related topics people look at on Wikipedia. But right now, our pages are very text heavy. I stumbled upon [https://visalist.io an online requirements website] via Reddit today and it shows the power of making it interactive and finding the information quickly. Have we considered doing similar type of maps by using suitable plugins? We can utilize the large contributor base to keep it updated. I can foresee that it can be a huge draw for travellers to our site and some of them can be converted to contributors. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:16, 5 May 2019 (UTC) : Wikipedia has maps in their "visa policy of x" articles. I have in the past added those pictures to get in sections. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 23:29, 1 June 2019 (UTC) == Visiting friends == I am surprised to read here that you might not be allowed to visit friends and family on a tourist visa or as visa-exempt. Does this apply to many countries? The example given is Canada, where you as visa-exempt are said to need a letter of invitation from your friend, if you are visiting them rather than being a usual tourist. I couldn't easily find that requirement in [[Canada#Get in]]. Is the information on visiting family and friends actually missing from most articles? I'd happily go visiting friends as visa-free tourist otherwise, and I'd present a letter of invitation when booked accommodation is required to get a visa. If I read the passage here correctly, that might land me in trouble. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:55, 24 May 2021 (UTC) :I don't think so [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 10:35, 24 May 2021 (UTC) : China has a separate visa category for "visiting family", used mainly by overseas Chinese but also sometimes by foreigners who have married Chinese. Coming on a tourist visa does not mean you cannot visit family, but it does mean you don't get the longer stay allowed on a family visa & I think you pay higher fees. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 12:43, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::In some countries you actually need "an invite" for a visa. This can nowadays be worked around by travel agencies, but apparently it used to be that you actually had to genuinely know someone in the country to get the visa. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 12:47, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::From my research, this is not true for Canada, so I have removed that example. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:20, 24 May 2021 (UTC) ::: Visiting friend and family as a reason ''to get'' a visa, to get it cheaper or to waive some requirements makes sense, but not being allowed to visit (or lodge with) them without getting a (different) visa is what sounds absurd, or at least surprising. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 14:12, 24 May 2021 (UTC) == Carrying your university degree? == I don't understand that you [[Special:Diff/4494987/4501857|shouldn't be carrying [...] a university degree]] when on a tourist visa. This is about tourist visas and documents related to your profession, but I think the example is odd. I understand that a CV and related documents are suspicious, but I think a single diploma would be quite innocent. Who would employ you based on a university degree diploma alone? I changed it to "such as those you would show a potential employer", do we have a better wording? Or do such diplomas cause real problems, when you carry a fresh one to show it to friends (the only reason I can think of where I'd carry one on a tourist trip). –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:49, 16 August 2022 (UTC) :I think your edit puts the point across better. :And even if you have the intention to find employment, why would you carry the hardcopy around based on a simple potentiality, and not an electronic scan in a flash drive or instead of simply e-mailing it? [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 08:21, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 0o0jeq1qs4q1vw0qbj0ga2hq7k7siii 4 68782 4501635 4500165 2022-08-15T16:05:57Z Yvwv 100394 /* Trabzon */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=The largest island of Samoa is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs work''' – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep listings seem quite bland description. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) p21fd6oexsxdurnkb1njc0bj8kvmle8 4501636 4501635 2022-08-15T16:07:50Z Yvwv 100394 /* Savaii */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=The largest island of Samoa is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs work''' – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep listings seem quite bland description. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) 9f4f387ixak5cqlvb9jgc9kmbeqb55u 4501809 4501636 2022-08-16T02:22:03Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Savaii */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=The largest island of Samoa is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep listings seem quite bland description. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) qc4l5lzegx2w62fmy3c9uehnyb7hy4s 4501811 4501809 2022-08-16T02:27:24Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Stamford (England) */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=The largest island of Samoa is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep descriptions seem quite bland. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) tgaot5h87trhc4cehxhj244cbubkq9e 4501812 4501811 2022-08-16T02:28:05Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Savaii */ ce; active voice is better than passive voice wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb==Samoa's largest island is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep descriptions seem quite bland. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) d6x9mhct3eb50cdymrzadskjgmvyj2n 4501814 4501812 2022-08-16T02:28:19Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Savaii */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=Samoa's largest island is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep descriptions seem quite bland. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) jeurzl99pth2xn19pixk4g9iwiii5ih 4501830 4501814 2022-08-16T02:47:08Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Seoul/Jongno */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=Samoa's largest island is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep descriptions seem quite bland. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) sw505u0ruyjd6a3gawnxu6ahljr6zqe 4501846 4501830 2022-08-16T03:14:32Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Schedule */ scheduling March 2023 wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support ! align="right" | March 2023 | [[Seoul/Jongno]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Guanajuato]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Australian cuisine]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=Samoa's largest island is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep descriptions seem quite bland. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) 1f5l7u80pdaews1xsdxnjq2n0aqm6yx 4501847 4501846 2022-08-16T03:15:45Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Schedule */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{shortcut|[[Dotm]]<br>[[Otbp]]<br>[[Ftt]]}} Here we determine which articles are featured on the [[Main Page]] as [[Previous Destinations of the month|Destination of the month]] (DotM), [[Previously Off the beaten path|Off the Beaten Path]] (OtBP) and [[Previous Featured travel topics|Featured travel topics]] (FTT). ==Nominate== You can nominate any '''article''' you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "[[Project:What is an article?|What is an article?]]" test is eligible for nomination. However, ''before'' nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines: * The nominated article should have an [[Project:article status|article status]] of '''''guide'' or ''star'''''. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our [[Project:manual of style|manual of style]]. * The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013. ** See [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], and [[Previous Featured travel topics]] to check. * If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again. ** Check the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile|slush pile]]. ** If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry. * The article should be good enough to feature within 12 months; as is, or with edits that can be done before the intended time slot. Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as '''Destination of the Month''', while more obscure destinations should be nominated for '''Off the Beaten Path'''. '''Featured Travel Topic''' includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the [[Wikivoyage:Geographic hierarchy|geographic hierarchy]], as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured. The basic format of a nomination is as follows: <span style=color:green><nowiki>{{FeatureNom</nowiki> <nowiki>| place=Destination</nowiki> <nowiki>| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...</nowiki> <nowiki>| status=Guide</nowiki> <nowiki>| time=March-June</nowiki> <nowiki>| nominatedBy=~~~~</nowiki> <nowiki>| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.</nowiki> <nowiki>| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]</nowiki> <nowiki>}}</nowiki></span> Add a nomination to the ''end'' of the appropriate section. ==Discuss== You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion. <nowiki>===[[Destination]]===</nowiki> <nowiki>Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)</nowiki> <span style=color:green><nowiki>* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~</nowiki></span> Please note that the following are '''not''' considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination: * '''"I don't like it."''' All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count. * '''"Wrong time of year."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later. * '''"Wrong type of place."''' Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later. ==Select== If an article gets several comments in favor and none against for a week or so, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the '''Upcoming''' queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the '''Upcoming''' queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the [[Project:Destination of the Month candidates/Slush pile|Slush pile]]. Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]] to start that discussion. ==Archive== Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the [[Project:Destination of the month candidates/Archive|Archive]]. ==Upcoming== ===Schedule=== The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the '''1st''' of each month, OtBPs on the '''11th''' and travel topics on the '''21st'''. {|border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding="3" style="text-align:center" !Month !DotM !OtBP !FTT |- ! align="right" | August 2022 | <s>[[Newfoundland and Labrador]] </s> | <s>[[Deventer]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support </s> | [[Istanbul to Izmir]] |- ! align="right" | September 2022 | [[Dresden]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Budderoo National Park]] – pending stronger consensus to support | [[Around the World in Eighty Days]] – pending stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | October 2022 | [[Arches National Park]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Savaii]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | November 2022 | [[Singapore/Orchard]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Cooch Behar]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Georgian cuisine]] |- ! align="right" | December 2022 | [[Rome/Vatican]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Gävle]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] – pending fixes (?) |- ! align="right" | January 2023 | [[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Punta Arenas]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Portuguese phrasebook]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | February 2023 | [[Milford Sound]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Jimbaran]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Driving in South Africa]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |- ! align="right" | March 2023 | [[Seoul/Jongno]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Guanajuato]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support | [[Australian cuisine]] – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support |} Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners|banners]] have been made for them, which usually happens 2-3 months before being featured. Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue. ===Next changes=== Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at '''[[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]'''. The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the [[Main Page]] using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page. {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} ===Updating=== On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. #Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the ''Next change'' section above. #Update the [[Main_Page/Photo_credits|Photo credits]] page with the banner's '''original image''', title and attribution. #Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: [[Previous Destinations of the month]], [[Previously Off the beaten path]], or [[Previous Featured travel topics]]. #Remove [[Template:Featurenomination]] from newly featured article. #For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously. #*For former DotMs, add: {{!}}dotm=yes #*For former OtBPs, add: {{!}}otbp=yes #*For former FTTs, add: {{!}}ftt=yes #Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive]]. #Update the '''Next change''' section above by adding the banner from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners|the discussion page]]. View the table in the '''Schedule''' section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination. #In the schedule, use <nowiki><s> and </s></nowiki> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT. #Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive]]. ==Nominations for Destination of the Month== ===[[Rome/Vatican]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Vatican City | blurb=The world's smallest country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and has an impressive art collection. | status=Guide | time=Should be avoided at summer. April includes Easter and good weather. Winter is a good time to avoid crowds. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:39, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=Well-known destination which was [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Rome/Vatican|slushed in 2017]] but has improved a lot since then. One of few relevant destinations for [[Easter travel]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Sãopedro1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close'''. Some formatting fixes needed, but that can be resolved later, and the translation tag? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:41, 20 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''', pending checks on which listed establishments are still in business, as usual. I haven't been voting here for a while because I'm very ambivalent about travel, given its carbon footprint, and we're also still in a pandemic, but I recently reread and did some edits on this article, and I think it's good and covers a destination that will always attract visitors as long as there are human beings and things to see and do there. We have to hope that'll be a long time... [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:45, 20 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''' as Turin is scheduled for May. Can be considered for Christmas 2022 or Easter 2023, as we don't have many destinations with worldwide relevance for these holidays. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:16, 2 November 2021 (UTC) * I have some concern with its categorization (being placed as a "district" of Rome instead of treating it as an official country). Yes I know it's the smallest country in the world, but we don't give the same treatment to Monaco or San Marino which are also tiny countries in Europe. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 03:29, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :*But it really '''is''' a district of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:31, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :The thing is, would you ever visit the Vatican without visiting Rome? San Marino and Monaco are a bit different as they're not fully surrounded by another city on all four corners. OTOH, I was also first confused when I first saw the categorisation too, and I have a feeling most of our readers will too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:35, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::*Any other way of treating the Vatican would be more confusing. Regardless of the political arrangement, it's a neighborhood in Rome, period. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:38, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::: I remain unconvinced. Going by [[WV:GH|geography hierarchy]], it's country -> region -> city -> district. Vatican is small enough that it doesn't need region, city or district. But putting it as a district of Rome (and not even giving it a city status) seems like a large deviation from the hiearchy. I'm marking it as '''not yet''' [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 20:49, 18 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::Have you ever visited the Vatican? It is not its own city. Listen, if tomorrow, my block in Manhattan were declared an independent state, would it suddenly no longer be part of New York City? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::I have not visited Vatican. Vatican is and will remain an independent state. Your block in Manhattan will not. So please don't apply strawman argument here. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 19:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's not a straw man. The Vatican was the small part of Rome that the Pope was allowed to maintain authority over in a concession by newly unified Italy that they made in order to achieve the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. It's hugely important, but it's simply part of Rome, and don't forget that [[the traveller comes first]] on this site, not whether a neighborhood in a particular city is officially treated as an independent country or not. By your standards, we should be using only official districts in our breadcrumb navigation and never including suburbs in any city article - not to mention, always using official names of places - but we do in instances in which that best serves the traveler. Go and visit the Vatican some time and see for yourself how it's just part of Rome. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:27, 24 December 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I agree with Ikan in that I don't see how it's unreasonable, from a practical perspective, to classify the Vatican as part of Rome. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 23:21, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Even have a look at [[San Marino]]. It's a country, but breadcrumbed under Italy. Why? Because you have no choice but to enter thru Italy. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:24, 24 December 2021 (UTC) ::::::::: The geographic hierarchy of Europe is always under discussion at [[Talk:Europe/Hierarchy]]. [[Southwestern Europe]] is a proposed continental section which would include the whole Italian peninsula. We can hopefully settle this issue before the article gets featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:41, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::And what about [[Andorra]]? Other than a few rich guys chartering a helicopter, the rest of us have to go through either Spain or France to get in. Yet it's breadcrumbed under [[Iberia]]. Same for [[Liechtenstein]]. You have to go through either Switzerland or Australia to get there but it's listed under Central Europe. [[Monaco]] has access to water but its land is completely surrounded by [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] in France, yet it's not listed as a district/city of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Going back to Vatican. As AlasdairW pointed out, this looked like a Rome/Vatican district nomination, yet the proposed blurb is pitching it as a country. Add the breadcrumb issue to the mix and this blurred line led to all sorts of confusion. I agree with Yvwv that this should be settled first. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 21:21, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Andorra is a difference case since you can enter through both France and Spain. Monaco as you said, has access to water, but [[San Marino]] is still categorised as a part of Italy given it's surrounded by Italy on every side. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I haven't been to San Marino, but I have visited Monaco, and while it's definitely on the Cote d'Azur, it is at least a city in a somewhat recognizably geographically discrete area (Le Roque and the city down below). If people want to breadcrumb it to [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], that's OK with me. But when you're talking about the Vatican, even ignoring the fact that the article also covers areas not under the control of the Pope, it's just part of Rome, and you can't even stay there, with few exceptions. To me, the argument to breadcrumb Monaco to France is a much stronger argument than treating the Vatican as separate from Rome. For a traveler, it is part of Rome, period. In terms of the other more or less small landlocked countries in Europe that are being discussed, it would make no sense to treat Andorra as part of either France or Spain because it is between the two, and the situation for Liechtenstein is analogous. In terms of selling the Vatican as the world's smallest country somehow confusing people because the article is breadcrumbed to Rome, that seems like a nonexistent problem. It is both a country and part of Rome, and that's one of the things that makes it unique. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:32, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *'''Nearly''' The article is about both the Vatican and the Borgo and Prati districts of Rome. Although this is stated at the top of the article, it maybe could be clearer and the blurb could also be clear that the article we are featuring is Vatican++. All the eat and sleep listings are actually in Rome. This is correctly a district of Rome. There are a few dead links in the article, and few of the listings have recently been updated. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Not a copyvio according to Earwig's. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:22, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Christmas 2022. Easter could be considered, but might be too crowded for visitors who are not devout Catholics. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:19, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Las Vegas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Las Vegas | blurb=''Sin City'', the uncrowned capital of gambling, offers all kinds of entertainment year round. | status=Guide | time=Events are always ongoing. Spring or fall have the best weather. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:18, 1 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Slushed back in 2009, but has improved a lot. Can be featured anytime when we do not have too many North American articles. | DotMImage=[[File:Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), The Strip -- 2012 -- 6232.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Comment:''' Sorry for the lack of geographic diversity, with a fourth DoTM candidate from the American Sun Belt. They all have international appeal to be featured, though. IMO we should run the best and most relevant US article in March 2022, and the next one for fall 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2021 (UTC) :{{re|Yvwv}} we do have around three Australian destinations featured next year + this December, so don't think it's a huge problem. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 04:59, 3 November 2021 (UTC) ::'''Slush?''' No supports or opposes, but this nomination has just been sitting here for months now. I would have normally given my opinion my now, but I'm very undecided on this – on one hand, most of the districts are in good-shape, but none of the districts have {{tl|mapmask}}s which IMO, is key for a good city article (as the outer borders are now undefined). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:43, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::I agree that the maps are a problem. The mess of literal points of interest crowded in the maps on the page in several districts makes the maps nearly indecipherable without zooming in. And then there's the probably more serious problem of the "Las Vegas districts" map in [[Las Vegas]], which does not show the boundaries of 3 districts. The age-old solution when there's a need to focus in on a city's downtown is to put it in an inset. So there should really be two district maps - the one that's already there and a zoomed-out one that shows the boundaries of the larger outlying districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:55, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Alternatively, I'd be happy to support if someone's willing to make an interactive dynamic map using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io], which also gives the benefit of the district articles having mapmasks (using {{u|Renek78}}'s [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ convenient tool]), but I've only visited Las Vegas twice and both times, I only visited the city en route to either Arizona or Utah. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:13, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::I've created a quick & dirty dynamic map and added it to the article. Maybe you have some ideas on how to improve it? "Wikivoyage Districtifier" does not work here because the official administrative boundaries are quite different from what we use so far.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 09:16, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::That map is an improvement, but I still think two maps, one an inset, are the best solution, considering that we want the page to be usable and printable as is, not only for people who have Internet access while they are using the map and are therefore able to look at it on a full page. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:34, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It's certainly an improvement so thank you for making the map {{u|Renek78}} :-). :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} But do we have anyone who can make an inset? If there is no guidance on how to make one (one that's in Wikivoyage-style), or if nobody can make them, then basically we're asking to do something that's impossible. I could do one IRL, but the way I would do it is completely against Wikivoyage style and I don't want to be unilaterally tampering our MoS. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Not sure about other people but I use Wikivoyage within OsmAnd - a navigation app - while travelling. Printable maps wouldn't be a concern for me personally, but there are different user types of course.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 16:45, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Since dynamic maps are being used in that article, the way to make an inset would seem to be to simply increase the zoom level for the inset and make sure its positioning is such that it shows the full extent of the smallest districts. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:23, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Singapore/Orchard]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Singapore/Orchard | blurb=The main shopping street of Singapore is well known for having an extensive range of malls. | status=Guide | time=June-August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=We haven't add many articles from Singapore being featured recently, and this looks a good one. It's been a long time since I've been to Orchard Road, but I cannot see anything missing from when I went there, although I have yet to look in detail. | DotMImage=[[File:Presenting... the real ION (8200217734).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator and cannot see anything missing from when I went there, but if {{u|The dog2}} has any concerns with it, I may change my opinion. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in August. Any specific reason for the timing? In my opinion, we should designate January for destinations which celebrate Chinese/Lunar New Year, in particular places with favourable weather. Is Singapore too rainy during northern winter? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:25, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::Possibly, but would also defer to [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] on that. My experience there was that it rains nearly most afternoons, but I went there during spring. I would prefer June or July for the [[w:Great Singapore Sale]] but around Lunar New Year is also fine with me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 20:29, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::: As most of south, southeast and east Asia get the monsoon rains during northern summer, we tend use these slots for destinations in Europe and North America instead. Singapore seems to be among the exceptions, with more rain in November to January, so for geographic diversity it would make sense to schedule Singapore during northern summer. Is the GSS planned be held as usual in 2022, given the pandemic situation? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC) ::::The southeastern coast of Southeast Asia from southern Thailand all the way down to Singapore have their monsoon season in November-January, which is why the dive sites off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia are closed in those months, because the sea just becomes too choppy. But what you said is true of places like Penang, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, where the dry season is during the northern winter, and in the case of the latter two, also coincides with their winter, meaning the temperatures are not so hot. ::::As for festivals, while you can of course go to Orchard Road for Chinese New Year (and locals still go to Orchard Road for their Chinese New Year shopping), in reality Chinatown is where you should go if you really want to soak up the festive atmosphere. Orchard Road's street decorations are mainly Christmas-themed, and if I'm not wrong, they have in recent years also added a Menorah for Hanukkah at the request of the local rabbi. It is in Chinatown where you can see street decorations with the Chinese New Year theme, and likewise, for Deepavali (Diwali), you go to Little India for that, and for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr), you go to Geylang Serai for that. ::::So if you're talking about an appropriate time to visit Singapore if you specifically want to see Orchard Road at its best, I'd say it would be December, when all the Christmas decorations are up. It is during the monsoon, but all the major shopping malls are linked underground, so it is quite easy to find shelter whenever it rains. And in any case, the rains tend to be brief, though intense, so you can always wait inside one of the shopping centres for the rain to stop before heading out. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:02, 26 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Almost''' I was last in Singapore in 2005, so I can't say if it is up-to-date, but it looks good. Few of the listings have recent dates, and need to be checked, particularly the eat listings. I have checked the budget and mid-range hotels, and found 3 closed (2 temporarily). [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:32, 25 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a more inspiring intro. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:28, 6 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally again for November 2022, as suggested under [[#Newfoundland and Labrador]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:43, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Bangkok/Yaowarat and Phahurat | blurb=The multicultural district and Chinatown in the capital of the largest overseas Chinese community becomes particularly lively for the Chinese New Year. | status=Star | time=Jan 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Here's an article for the Lunar New Year for 2023. The article is a star, so I'd trust that all requirements are met. | DotMImage=[[File:Arch in Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very very close''' Just would be nice if the routebox at the bottom could be fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:25, 27 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Close.''' Need ''get around'' and ''stay safe'' sections. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:16, 27 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} It appears that a #Get around section isn't needed for city districts (see {{u|Ypsilon}}'s comment on [[#Helsinki/West]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:04, 28 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''' Is this DOTM or Otbp, the [[Yaowarat and Phahurat tour]] page makes it seem like an OTBP destination despite being in a large city.[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:32, 23 December 2021 (UTC) *:DoTM – how is this "off the beaten path"? From experience it was definitely one of my highlights when I went to Bangkok and I can't see anything missing here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 23 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Lunar New Year 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Dresden]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Dresden | blurb=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination. | status=Guide | time=Not sure tbh | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=I'm kind of surprised this has yet to be featured, but there's always a start for everything. Can't see anything missing here. | DotMImage=[[File:DD-blick-von-frauenkirche.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' some minor fixes needed but that can be done soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 18 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' Needs a climate graph. The text has a bit of a German accent, and should be proofread by a native English speaker. Just like most of Germany, weather is most pleasant at summer, and the Christmas fair could make the city worth to visit in December. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:42, 18 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October. Could be a bit chilly though, and not sure about festivals or events. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:28, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' I visited Dresden about 15 years ago, and the article looks good. I have done some updates, but it is hard to check all the details at the moment as many places are impacted by current restrictions. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 17:59, 28 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' in September for milder weather. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Gaborone]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gaborone | blurb=Botswana's capital is just a few decades old, already established as the gateway to this friendly county. | status=Guide | time=March-May or Aug-Oct, weather-wise. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have had few African features, and none from Botswana. This article seems to be up to date. | DotMImage=[[File:Three Dikgosi Monument - March 2010.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''', whenever it's halfway reasonable to travel. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:46, 3 January 2022 (UTC) *<s>{{s}}</s> per Ikan. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:28, 14 January 2022 (UTC) ::I did not take the time to fully look at the article earlier, but now I have so I'm going to say it '''needs work'''. Some issues: :::*Understand is ''way'' too short. :::*The "Modern architecture" section has no description nor addresses :::*The same with the other "See" listings :::*The same goes with the other sections ::That's just a start. So until this is fixed, I'm going to oppose a feature. However, in saying that, I'd like to see this being featured one day, perhaps maybe after these have been fixed. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:47, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for September, for good safari weather and Botswana Day on 30 September. Scheduling was made before the comment above, and can always be reconsidered. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:51, 17 January 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Slush?''' The article has unaddressed issues some months past nomination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2022 (UTC) ::Don't know to be fair. I'd love to see an article from Botswana be featured (as outside ZA, Southern Africa has had relatively few features), but at the same time, it needs some work. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:03, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' - the current page banner is dreadful and should be replaced. Was just looking at the page and noticed it was nominated.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Freetown]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Freetown | blurb=Sierra Leone's capital is a fast-developing city with some of Africa's finest beaches. | status=Guide | time=December to April to avoid rain. Possibly March for Film Festival and Ballanta Music Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:58, 2 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=Africa is severely under-featured. This article has been considered for featuring for a while, and has the essentials. | DotMImage=[[File:Freetown street (13992704238).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' – I'd love to see this featured, and I agree that outside South Africa, Africa is severely underrepresented. Some issues tho: ::* There are two national parks on the static map, but there is no mention about them in the article. Maybe I'm nitpicky about this as someone who's into the concepts of metro national parks ::* Many listings are missing contact info. ::* There are no buy listings. ::* Many of the beach listings have just the beach name and coords with nothing else :Otherwise, it looks good to go. Once they're fixed, I'll support. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:32, 2 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Arches National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Arches National Park | blurb=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah. | status=Guide | time=During autumn or spring (northern) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have not have a park article from North America being featured for some time. I went here a few years back and everything here seems up-to-date. | DotMImage=[[File:5028-arches-delicate-arch RJ.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:47, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment''' Is it OTBP or DOTM according to [[w:List of national parks of the United States]] it gets 1.8 millin visitors a year which puts around the top 15 most visited parks in the USA. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:37, 19 March 2022 (UTC) *:I've known this park for a long time and I did eventually get around to visiting it on my last trip to Utah, but I am going to say OtBP. I was even thinking on whether it should be a dotm or otbp for a while, before I finalized my decision on otbp. The US NPS promotes their national parks so much, to the point where most people around the world know the most parks in the US but barely any outside it. If I really had to make a list of US national parks that could make it to dotm, here's what I'd think: *:* Yosemite NP* *:* Yellowstone NP *:* Death Valley NP* *:* Grand Canyon NP *:* Olympic NP *:* Zion NP* *:* Golden Gate NRA *:* Hawaii Volcanoes NP *:* Mount Rushmore NM *:Note that a * means it has already been featured *:These are probably a borderline: *:* Arches NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Everglades NP *:* Glacier NP *:* Great Smokey Mountains NP *:That too is quite a lot for a single country. Also, it's worth noting that visitor numbers don't necessarily correlate with fame – Ulu<u>r</u>u-Kata Tju<u>t</u>a NP in the centre of Australia is pretty much known worldwide, but it does not get as many visitors due to its isolation. As the US gets a lot of domestic tourism, it gets a lot of visitor numbers. *:As another example, that I could give is [[Fiordland National Park]], which is one of New Zealand's finest parks and most international visitors pay a visit to the park. However, as New Zealand only as 5 million inhabitants, the visitor numbers are way lower. Banff or Jasper in Canada would be a similar case, if Canada did not have a land border with the United States and both would qualify for a dotm. *:So ultimately, it should be an otbp. Visitor numbers don't exactly represent how well-known it is, which is what is needed to be a dotm and if we feature this as a dotm, we will then have to feature the other three national parks in Utah as dotms, which then we'll fall into the loophole of featuring every single national park well-known to people from a certain regions as dotms. Let's not fall into that pitfall. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:04, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*I'd say noplace with 1.8 million visitors is "off the beaten path." DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:30, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*:Per the comment at the very top: "Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path" – I don't think Arches NP is well known outside the US. If that's the case, then should we feature [[Acadia National Park]] as a dotm? It received 4,069,098 visitors in 2021, but hardly anyone outside the US (and maybe Canada) knows that park – and it's not well-known. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::*::If a park gets more than 1.5 million visitors its definitely a popular destination and therefore DOTM. Some former Japanese DOTMS like [[Hamamatsu]] and [[Okayama]] aren't known very well outside of Japan but due to their popularity with domestic (and size) they were DOTM rather than OTBP. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 06:21, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*Yes, Acadia definitely should be DotM. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:If we're okay with featuring places that get a lot of domestic tourism, I'd be more than happy to move this up to dotm. I always thought that dotm was only for the most well-known internationally, but I guess it's time to feature more national parks as dotms. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*::Moved. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:39, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::*:::Thanks! [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Could use a more inspiring intro. Otherwise, not much else is needed to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:50, 20 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I agree that the intro could be improved, additionally I wish [[Moab]]'s eat and sleep sections were better considering that this article's eat and sleep section basically say "go to Moab for amenities". The article it self is fine though. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 22:52, 24 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for October. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Milford Sound]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Milford Sound | blurb=One of New Zealand's prime icons, this fiord nestled in the north of Fiordland National Park contains a spectacular combination of mountains, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and marine life. | status=Guide | time=Southern summer | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 28 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=I've recently taken some interest in Fiordland National Park recently and have recently upgraded this to guide. As for dotm/otbp, Milford is an important tourist spot not just in South Island, but NZ as a whole, so it'd be absurd to feature this as otbp and Arches NP as dotm. I'm willing to do any changes if needed. | DotMImage=[[File:Milford Sound 02.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:32, 28 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. The boundary between DoTM and OtBP might need a deeper discussion than we could have for an individual article vote. Absolute number of visitors might be an incomplete measure. Let's say that a city in a high-income, high-population region such as Germany, Virginia or South Korea has around 100,000 citizens, but is no tourist attraction in its own right. We would probably feature it as OtBP, though it is likely to attract many thousands of visitors per year for business, sports, performance events and family occasions. In absolute numbers, more people would visit that city, than a national park or natural landmark which is world famous, but more isolated. The limit has to be subjective. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:54, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *:I agree. To me, it seems absolutely absurd if we were feature to Arches National Park as a dotm and if this as an otbp when Arches NP is only heavily visited because of the large domestic tourism in the US but otherwise relatively unknown outside, while Milford is one of New Zealand's prime tourist destinations but gets fewer visitors because NZ's population is 66 times smaller than that of the US. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:05, 7 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February 2023. / 10:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Lyon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Lyon | blurb=France's third city is famous for its Roman heritage, its cuisine, and its proximity to the mountains. | status=Guide | time=Any. Aug-Oct is harvest season, and has decent weather. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:17, 2 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=France receives more international tourists than any other country, but has had rather few features. This is a lengthy article, though many places need coordinates. [[/Slush pile#Lyon|Slushed in 2010]]. | DotMImage=[[File:FourviereNight.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Very very close''' – I'd love to see this featured. Only thing that's missing is coordinates as you mentioned, which I'll start later this month. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:07, 7 April 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': The districts map needs better color-coordination. It's unusual for an undistricted city to have a districts map, but I think it's fine with a map and good descriptions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:34, 28 June 2022 (UTC) *:{{re|Ikan Kekek}} I'm stuck with the flu at home this week so I'll try and make a better districts map if I can. No promises though, as I'm still a rookie at making static maps (the [[c:User:SHB2000#Static maps|few I've made]] are nowhere near good as our existing maps, but given that few can make these maps, I'll give it a shot), but I'll try my best. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::I hope you get better soon! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Wengen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Wengen | blurb=With steep slopes and reliable snowfall, this picturesque car-free village nestled deep in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is one of the world's top downhill skiing destinations. | status=Guide | time=Winter (Nov-Apr, roughly) | nominatedBy=[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:53, 20 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=Wengen is small, but it's a major tourist destination, so off the beaten path would be a stretch. Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. | DotMImage=[[File:View From Wengen, Bernese Oberland (2521799368).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} :'''Close, but needs some work''': *Why is there only one listing in "[[Wengen#Drink|Drink]]"? There are others mentioned, but they should be in a listing format. *Do the churches pass [[wv:worship]]? If so, they should be in a listing or markered at the bare minimum *The buy section is missing contact details, coordinates and addresses :That's all from me right now. Will do the smaller fixes myself. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:05, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::No personal experience re: the other bars mentioned, alas. The Lutheran Church is picturesque and has great views, so it's worth a mention, but I'd drop the rest. I've cleaned up the Buy section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 05:27, 20 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work.''' A ski resort should have a description of the lift system and spectator events. Could use a climate chart. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:10, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::Wengen is not a standalone ski resort, but just a node in the rather vast Grindelwald-Wengen-Murren-First-Schilthorn ski area: you can ski down ''to'' Wengen, but getting up the slopes requires taking the train or gondola. This is mentioned in passing but I'll try to make this clearer. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 12:50, 20 April 2022 (UTC) ::: Maybe the region should have an article on its own, whether it is called [[Jungfrau Region]] or something else. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:21, 21 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Sucre]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Sucre | blurb=Bolivia's nominal capital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a showcase of indigenous and colonial history. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid the cold. Carnival in February. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have few upcoming features from South America, and we never had a feature from Bolivia (except on The Other Site, back in 2006). The article has the essentials, but could mention more on topics such as the new airport, shopping, and crime. | DotMImage=[[File:Blue Sky, White City - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – a few see listings need descriptions, but that is relatively minor and this article can run as it is if it has to. Would love a feature from Bolivia! --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:32, 1 June 2022 (UTC) ::The "History" section also needs an update, as it doesn't seem to have been updated since the coup that ousted Evo Morales. I just changed one "is" to "was", but that's not enough. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:13, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Seoul/Jongno]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jung | blurb=The northern historic center of Seoul is a showcase of Korean heritage, with four Grand Palaces and several museums. | status=Guide | time=Spring or autumn for weather. November for the Lantern Light Festival (if it is scheduled as usual). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Korea deserves a feature. [[Suwon]] did not make the cut, but this article is hopefully good enough. | DotMImage=[[File:Noandang, Unhyeon Palace 1.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *{{s}} as I mentioned in [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Slush pile#Suwon]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:30, 25 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Madrid]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Madrid | blurb=The capital of Spain, and once its global empire, is a diverse destination with two world-class football clubs, fine dining, and bustling nightlife. | status=Guide | time=Spring and autumn for weather. February for Carnival... though big events happen year around. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:31, 30 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=Spain is one of Europe's most visited countries, but has had very few features. This article was successfully districtified, and there is not much to add. | DotMImage=[[File:Plaza Mayor de Madrid 06.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' There really shouldn't be any see listings in [[Madrid#See]]. Will do a detailed analysis of the article soon. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:19, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Off the Beaten Path== ===[[Gävle]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Gävle | blurb=Joe Hill's hometown is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for Sweden's largest rail museum, and a Christmas market with a giant Yule Goat. | status=Guide | time=Great weather and outdoor events June to August. The notorious Christmas goat is inaugurated in late November, and Gävle is one of few large Swedish cities to usually have snow in December. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 18:50, 8 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Has improved during 2021. While Gävle is decently sized and has many interesting venues, it does not seem heavyweight enough for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Yule goat Gefle Sweden 2009.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' assuming the nature reserves get a description and contact information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:03, 8 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''': If featuring before Christmas, I'd say November, as 11 December is very close to Christmas, and there is little reason to go in January – at least there are no hints on winter activities in the article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 06:52, 9 September 2021 (UTC) :: It is true that we should be a bit prospective. [[Banteay Chhmar]] is not good to go, so we could run Gävle in November. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:30, 9 September 2021 (UTC) ::: Added two ski facilities. Gävle usually gets the first snow in early December, so there will be some chances for winter sport. The ice hockey season will be ongoing, though the horse races close down for winter. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:29, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Close''' I just added an Understand section, that even the smallest articles should have. And that section should have a couple of paragraphs of Gävle. A pic or two towards the end, and in the lead could be added and a few listings need coordinates. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:32, 11 September 2021 (UTC) :: Added history and climate. How extensively should we mention the traditional arson attacks on the goat? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:04, 14 September 2021 (UTC) :::Looking good. Perhaps a few more lines (in its listing or in Understand), given that the goat is mentioned in the blurb, but not more than that. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:14, 20 September 2021 (UTC) *'''Nästan stöd''' per Ypsilon. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:54, 20 September 2021 (UTC) * Shall we run [[Plymouth (Massachusetts)]] for the 400th anniversary of the First Thanksgiving, and put Gävle on hold? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:51, 1 October 2021 (UTC) *:Why not? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 15:02, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::I'm otherwise neutral but I think we're now starting to have too many articles nominated that are to be run during an event or anniversary so I'd prefer Gävle because of that (also it's nice to have a "real winter article" every now and then, we haven't had that many of those). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:54, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :::: Featuring a holiday-related article at the end of the year would be a good concept, be it for Christmas, Gregorian New Year, Chinese New Year, or Thanksgiving. There are just a handful of those destinations ([[Bethlehem]] and [[Rovaniemi]] can be considered), so we can save Gävle for 2022 and run Plymouth in 2021. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC) ::::: Gävle is an underrated summer destination, with Furuvik, white nights, and great outdoors within walking distance. They will stage Atlas Rock on 4 June, and Gefle Metal Festival in July. As a winter resort it is mediocre compared to many other Nordic towns. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:37, 10 October 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled.''' Have added a few summer-related venues. White nights, Midsummer and rock music give a more gratifying experience than the goat and darkness from 3 pm. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:05, 30 October 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', replaced by [[Deventer]], which has stronger support. I would love to see Gävle featured for May, June or July, but these slots tend to get filled by other Nordic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:08, 15 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for Christmas 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:44, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Budderoo National Park]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Budderoo National Park | blurb=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that. | status=Guide | time=Late Mar-Oct except Jul | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 22:55, 21 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=I have always wanted to nominate an Australian rainforest to be an otbp and before yesterday, [[Dorrigo National Park]] was the only guide Australian rainforest park. Unfortunately, that article needs a lot of updates, and I don't think I can do the 600km trip given the current Covid situation, so here's a new article, but up to date and a 150km trip down here can be done easily (can do that in the upcoming few days). Given we usually feature one national park every year and we haven't picked a national park yet, thought this might be a good one. | DotMImage=[[File:Minnamurra Rainforest - panoramio (19).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' I also did make some banners well in advance although it's not locally uploaded ([[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_1.jpg|1]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_2.jpg|2]], [[:File:Budderoo_otbp_banner_3.jpg|3]]), although that's something to decide on later. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:19, 22 October 2021 (UTC) *<s>'''Close.'''</s> Could use a climate graph, and more info on flora and fauna. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 11 November 2021 (UTC) *:{{re|Yvwv}} {{done}}. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:12, 12 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' due to recent additions. '''Scheduled''' provisionally for October/November, following the guideline that a scheduled article should have at least one support vote from someone else than the nominator. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:52, 21 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Punta Arenas]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Punta Arenas | blurb=The capital of Chilean Patagonia is a gateway to Antarctica, and a good place to see penguins. | status=Guide | time=December to March | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:24, 22 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have no upcoming South American articles. This article has improved a lot lately, and is clearly in the OtBP category. | DotMImage=[[File:Punta arenas city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but is this an OtBP?''' It's a good article overall, except that the dead links need to be fixed. However, is it really an OtBP? It's fairly internationally significant, at least from what I know. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 05:38, 23 December 2021 (UTC) :: There is no clear defining line between DoTM and OtBP. Number of visitors per year would be a decent guideline, but I cannot find any statistics for Punta Arenas. While the city has more than 100,000 inhabitants and many hospitality venues, it is fairly isolated, 3,000 kilometres from Santiago. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC) :::Well, we did feature [[Yosemite National Park]] and [[Zion National Park]] as dotms even though they're national parks. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:24, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs a bit of work''', though hopefully not much. 'Get around' is very sparse on details for a city that size, and there are a few too many dead links for my liking. PA is undoubtedly off the beaten path, right at the bottom of Patagonia, and cut off by road from the rest of Chile. I haven't been there, but my father has, as part of the tortuous LATAM airline route to the Falkland Islands (the Santiago to PA stretch alone was like 3½ hours). Most visitors are on their way to somewhere even more remote: Antarctica, rural Patagonia or one of the islands.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:00, 12 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:20, 25 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Cooch Behar]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Cooch Behar | blurb=The capital of the Koch Kingdom and the only planned city in North Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. | status=Guide | time=Nov-Dec for Rash Mela. November to March to avoid the monsoon. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:08, 30 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=With a billion inhabitants, millennia of history and steadily improving infrastructure, India deserves more featured articles. When it comes to DoTM versus OtBP, we have yet to settle on a definition. Cooch Behar has around 100,000 inhabitants, but it has few foreign visitors. | DotMImage=[[File:Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''', there is a need for some guides from India and this guide seems quite good as compared to its previous versions. But there must be a clear-cut definition about DoTM and OtBP. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 18:01, 3 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Cooch Behar is an interesting town that, despite enjoying a long and esteemed history, is generally overlooked by travelers heading to nearby Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Bhutan. [[User:SingyeDzong|SingyeDzong]] ([[User talk:SingyeDzong|talk]]) *Sorry, but I'm going to have to <s>'''oppose'''</s>. <s>It recently got districtified unilaterally with no discussion on the talk page. Since it's been districtified, the only thing we could do now is possibly just work on the districts. However,</s> some of the districts are just an outline with no banners made for them yet. Regarding whether it's a dotm or an otbp, I'd say OtBP. India has so many cities over 100k inhabitants, well more than most other countries. There's some other articles about India at guide status and they could possibly be alternatives. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:22, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :: Discussion is ongoing at [[Talk:Cooch Behar#Districts]]. Hopefully we can settle on a good solution for the geographic hierarchy. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:03, 12 January 2022 (UTC) :::Apologies, didn't realise that discussion. But until [[Cooch Behar]] is reasonably districtified, it can't go on the main page. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::::The districtification issue has been fixed by creating redirects and merging. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 14:34, 12 January 2022 (UTC) ::Even apart from the districts, the formatting isn't great. There's a lot of [[tdf]] violations, a lot of listings with no description or addresses. IMO, this looks more like a usable article rather than a guide article. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:27, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::[[tdf]] issues have been fixed and I am working on the listing issues. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:59, 13 January 2022 (UTC) ::::okay, that's great. I'll be ready to support once you've finished. I do have hopes that this will be featured one day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], template issues have been fixed. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:23, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Okay, good work as always. It's '''very close'''. If I may suggest, creating section headers may be useful separating things like parks, other POIs as it's currently a bit unreadable. I also noticed that there's a lot of places of worship – I'm not sure whether they can all be listed per [[wv:worship]]. If not, then some of them can be listed in the #Cope section. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Okay, I will do it soon! I have some lectures to attend now. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::Sure thing. It's turning out really nicely, so nice work :) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:22, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::Some non-significant places of worship have been removed. Created sub-sections in the see section and minor edits. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Okay, now '''Support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::👍 [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 02:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Nov/Dec 2022 for Rash Mela. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC) ===[[Jimbaran]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Jimbaran | blurb=Known as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row" for its high-end resorts. | status=Guide | time=April to October, weather-wise. Not sure about festivals or events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 07:38, 8 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Indonesia is a large country with no scheduled features. [[Bali]] itself has been featured, but none of the many places on Bali with guide-level articles. We can also consider [[Amed]], [[Bedugul]], [[Candidasa]], [[Denpasar]], [[Kintamani]], [[Lovina]], [[Nusa Dua]], [[Nusa Penida]] or [[Sanur]]. | DotMImage=[[File:Jimbaran Bay.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''' The two maps seem similar and I feel it would be better if there was only one, if dynamic is more up to date we should keep that one [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 08:03, 8 January 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:28, 13 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close'''. I would like to see more information in "get around," such as main roads in the resort, so travelers have a better idea than merely what a phone's GPS would provide. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 14:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC) *:I have added main roads. [[User:Hanif Al Husaini|Hanif Al Husaini]] ([[User talk:Hanif Al Husaini|talk]]) 17:56, 7 February 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. Not the driest season, but decently sunny. / 10:42, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *{{s}} It's quite complete. [[User:M.akbar.raf|M.akbar.raf]] ([[User talk:M.akbar.raf|talk]]) 05:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Trabzon]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Trabzon | blurb=With an ancient Greek heritage, Trabzon was an empire in its own right during the Middle Ages. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer, as climate is cooler than the rest of Turkey. June for Kadirga Festival, or August for Sultan Murat Festival. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:10, 25 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=Turkey is very under-featured. Not sure whether Trabzon would weigh in for DoTM. | DotMImage=[[File:Kustul Monastery Trabzon.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment'''. This is one of the greatest articles of Turkish locations, thanks to the hard work by many of our contributors, first and foremost [[User:NeoRetro]]. However, it needs some '''tidying up''': some of the information pertains to the [[Eastern Karadeniz|region as a whole]], not only to the city, and as for the listed attractions, the article currently works as a semi-[[Wikivoyage:Rural area article template|rural area]], with many sites in the surrounding area lumped in together with those in the city itself, including some which should be moved to the places we have articles for. However, most are visited as day-trips from Trabzon, so I'm not sure how big a problem this presents. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 15:00, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * I’d lean DOTM on this [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 20:45, 25 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' per Vidimian. For dotm/otbp, I'd generally say dotm, but as we have a lot more otbp slots available, I wouldn't mind it being an otbp. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 26 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Comment:''' The article has been improved a lot since nomination and the first votes, and should be re-evaluated. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Savaii]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Savaii | blurb=Samoa's largest island is known for caves, lava fields and waterfalls. | status=Guide | time=May to October to avoid rain. The island has few public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:24, 12 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Pacific Islands. [[Apia]] featured in August 2020, and it has been customary to have at least 24 months between neighbouring featured articles. The article could need a more inspiring intro. | DotMImage=[[File:Savaii Coast (7079031273).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *<s>'''Needs work'''</s> – many of the listings don't have contact details and coords. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:03, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::I'm on it – I'll do this in the next week or two. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:40, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' Coordinates added as above. Please evaluate. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:07, 15 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oops. Forgot to change my vote when I added coords; now that it's been done, I '''support''' featuring this. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:22, 16 August 2022 (UTC) ===[[Longyearbyen]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=The population centre of Svalbard is the northernmost town in the world and a base for exploring the remote Arctic wilderness. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We've have few features of Norway and this one seems like a good article for another Norwegian feature. As to dotm or otbp, Longyearbyen is reasonably well known but not enough for dotm. | DotMImage=[[File:LongyearbyenDowntown.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Very close''' as nominator. Some listings are missing addresses (which I will add in the next few days), but otherwise it has all the essentials needed for a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 17 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Very close.''' As this is a rather unusual destination, the article could use some more trivia. Svalbard itself featured back in 2006, and since then we have had very few Arctic and Antarctic destinations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:08, 17 April 2022 (UTC) :: A preferrable timing would be June/July, with the [[midnight sun]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:56, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::I'd prefer that slot too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:04, 18 April 2022 (UTC) :::: We might have a diversity problem as June is high season for the Nordic countries, and we have both [[E8 through Finland and Norway]] and [[Swedish Empire]] considered for June 2023. Svalbard is administered by Norway and most visitors arrive through Norway, but nature and culture are very different from Norway proper. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 09:16, 20 April 2022 (UTC) :::::I don't think there's a problem with featuring all three at once. The islands are around 700 kilometres from the mainland at the closest, but that's in the far north of Norway and I would more so consider Svalbard as an Arctic destination rather than a Nordic destination. :::::Another possibility is to hold of E8 till 2024, and two years after we feature the nearby Archipelago Trail and do what we do with neighbouring destinations (as the closest points are closer than 80 km apart based on a quick google earth line). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:11, 20 April 2022 (UTC) : '''Comment:''' On the talk page, we have concluded that features on Wikitravel before 2012 should be seen as unofficial, and eligible to feature again on Wikivoyage. However, very few of the OtBP's of that time would make the cut today. [[Svalbard]] is one of few pre-2012 features which deserves its Guide status. Shall we nominate Svalbard itself? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:20, 12 May 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know to be fair. The Svalbard article is overall one of the best region articles we have on the English Wikivoyage, but only one of Svalbard's six national parks have an article. But if Svalbard is run again, it should be featured as dotm, not otbp, as it strikes me as absolutely absurd to feature one of the world's most famous islands as "off the beaten path" (and as it has regular flights from [[Oslo]], it would bring it in line with [[Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park]] which was a dotm). ::That said, I'll start some of the national park articles soon, and five is not many to work on. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:33, 12 May 2022 (UTC) :::Alternatively, we could consider [[Klaksvík]], which is the only guide level article from the [[Faroe Islands]] as there have been zero features from the Faroes before. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:31, 22 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Guanajuato]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Guanajuato | blurb=The "city of Frogs" is capital of the namesake state in Mexico is known for its silver mines and flood tunnels. | status=Guide | time=October to April to avoid rain and heat. October for Day of the Dead, or March for Baile de las Flores. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:40, 13 May 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from Mexico, and few from Latin America. Nominating as OtBP, as it is not among the most famous Mexican destinations. | DotMImage=[[File:View of guanajuato city.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' – this article is one of our best Mexican articles that could be featured as it is. However, the splurge section in Eat has no listings. Are there no splurge restaurants in Guanajuato? Otherwise, a few descriptions are needed for some listings, but otherwise it has all the essentials. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:48, 13 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Klaksvík]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Klaksvík | blurb=Visit the Faroe Islands’ second largest town for some great scenery, a historic and scenic harbour and for its annual summer festival, ''Summarfestivalurin''. | status=Guide | time=July for Summarfestivalurin (as it happens annually during early August.) | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=First up, I'll admit I’m a bit biased given I started this article, but I’ve always wanted to feature this article ever since this became a guide article. We’ve never had a feature of the Faroe Islands, and often it’s forgotten and while I’m aware that we do have several Nordic nominations, this could replace Longyearbyen if we don’t want a back-to-back Norway/Sweden feature. That said, <s>it does need some copyedits,</s> and it could do with a better get in/around section. I tried to add a climate chart, but I couldn’t find any online information for the town's climate, but I’m not sure whether it’s needed given it’s only 40 km from Tórshavn, and there’s not much deviation in weather through the Faroes at all. | DotMImage=[[File:Faroe_Islands,_Borðoy,_Klaksvík_(3).jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Almost''' per my remark. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:29, 12 June 2022 (UTC) ::What copy edits does it need after I made some today? I would have supported, but if you think it's not ready yet, why did you nominate it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:53, 12 June 2022 (UTC) :::I'll admit I only skimmed through the article after you copyedited it, but now that I've had a full re-read, I think it's good to go. I might expand the "get in" section, but we have more than a year to do this, but I think that's all that's needed for a feature. As for why I nominated it now, I nominated it now, I nominated it so we could reserve July/August 2023 for Klaksvik. Anyway, thanks for your copyedits. Looking much better now :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:00, 12 June 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment:''' Klaksvík narrowly meets the limit for creating a standalone article, with one hotel and at least three other venues, but can still be considered a bit too small. We could consider merging the article with [[Borðoy]] (the island) to include some smaller villages, mountains, birdwatching locations, and other points of interest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 08:58, 15 June 2022 (UTC) *:I'm a bit unsure on this one. I think it would make more sense to cover everything else on Borðoy in [[Northern Islands]] or otherwise it makes Borðoy (after renaming) a bit redundant. Maybe we should do something along the lines with [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]], where Torshavn only covers the city, while Streymoy (the rural area article) covers everything outside Torshavn (apologies for omitting the accent; can't get the accent on my keyboard). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:30, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::*The article certainly looks long enough to stand alone, and recall that we previously featured and starred [[Childs]], [[New York (state)|New York]], which has but one inn and one sight (albeit a complex) in "See and Do". That said, there is no Borðoy article; the term redirects to [[Northern Islands]]. So if there's more to say about the island outside of town, we could rename the article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:29, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::*:I think based on the regionalisation of the Faroes, towns that are large enough to have their own article can have so, while everything else gets mentioned in the relevant rural area article, so in this case, everything else in Borðoy would be mentioned in [[Northern Islands]]. But I'm not entirely sure though, but I assume it works that way due to how [[Torshavn]] and [[Streymoy]] are covered. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:34, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Iquitos]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Iquitos | blurb=A metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, with great opportunities for boat safaris. | status=Guide | time=While the dry season (April-Sept) is more comfortable, the wet season (Oct-March) is more appealing for wildlife watching. We are short on features for northern winter, and we usually feature Latin American cities for carnival season. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 01:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't too many South American candidates, and this is a rather unusual city. Though its size, it can be considered off the beaten path for the difficulty to get there. | DotMImage=[[File:Belen Iquitos Peru.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} ===[[Kent (Ohio)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Kent | blurb=An Ohio college town known for its parks and festivals. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer for weather. April/May for remembrance of the Kent State massacre. June/July for festivals. March/April 2024 for total solar eclipse. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:45, 4 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=While the United States have been well-featured, we have had few features from the Midwest, and none yet from Ohio. | DotMImage=[[File:KentOhioPufferbelly.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} : '''Needs a little bit of work''', though hopefully not much. A few points: ::* The "By plane" section violates [[wv:airports]]. While it isn't the blatant kind of violation like what we encountered in the Nigeria Expedition where there'd be seven unrelated airports, there is still no information on how to get from the airports to Kent ::* Some eat and drink listings need more contact details, if it can be found. ::* Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites seems to be outside Kent. If it's covered in another article, should it be removed? :Otherwise, it is mostly looking good, but the "By plane" section needs to be fixed before a feature. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:07, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Stamford (England)]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Stamford | blurb=The United Kingdom's first urban conservation area features hundreds of Georgian buildings. | status=Guide | time=Northern summer. Not sure about public events. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:50, 22 July 2022 (UTC) | comment=We have no current nominees from the Isles. Needs a more inspiring intro, and more pictures. | DotMImage=[[File:River Welland.18.6.05.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' I was actually going to nominate [[Fordingbridge]] sometime soon, but you beat me to nominating something from the British Isles. My only concern with this article is many of the eat, drink, and sleep descriptions seem quite bland. The article should also use the 12-hour clock per [[Talk:United Kingdom]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:09, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ==Nominations for Featured travel topic== ===[[Loop Art Tour]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Loop Art Tour | blurb=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago? | status=Star | time=Apr-Oct (from [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2020-2023#Along_the_Magnificent_Mile|Magnificient Mile's]] and [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2016-2019#Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville's nominations]]) | nominatedBy=[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:32, 29 January 2021 (UTC) | comment=OK, as you probably all know, I don't like having articles sitting around here for longer than necessary (also it looks like some of the already nominated articles from the U.S. will still sit around here into 2022). But there has to be two years or more between articles from the same city, an article from Chicago was featured in April 2020, so the earliest possible slot for a Chicago article will thus be in April 2022. Now all, or almost, all districts from there are at guide or star status and could be run as DotM or OtBP, and as such Chicago together with Washington D.C. and San Francisco and perhaps some other cities, have high quality articles for DotM and OtBP for years to come. But this is not the case when it comes to FTT; other than Peter Southwood's famous diving guides <small>(speaking of which...in northern winter 2021-22 three years will have passed since one of those was featured, so it's time to nominated a new one soon)</small> we don't have any other ''travel topics'' at star status - except for this one. So before a district of Chicago is nominated, I hereby nominate Loop Art Tour for FTT for some month in 2022. As a star article, there shouldn't be anything to complain about when it comes to formatting or language. Though, a month or so before the article is featured we should check online that the artworks are still there. | DotMImage=[[File:Cloud Gate at dawn.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Almost''' The talk page says that one of the sculptures has been removed. It has been 8 years since any real update, and so I think it needs somebody to walk the route to confirm that everything is still there, and there are no new major attractions enroute that need a mention. The main sights should be markers, with wikidata links so the reader can find out more, or use a full page map. For an article on the main page, there should be links to relevant travel topics. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 15:33, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::Nobody needs to walk the route, and we don't have any active Wikivoyagers in Chicago anyway. The status of the sculpture that's been removed can probably be determined by a Google search. If not, then just delete it from the itinerary. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:42, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::I might be wrong, but I think [[user:The dog2]] is in Chicago. If not, you may not need an actual person to walk it, but the internet research should be more involved than you imply, per Alasdair's suggestions. Most readers will likely assume that featured articles have been thoroughly researched, and as recently as possible.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:58, 29 January 2021 (UTC) ::::There's also [[User:SewChicago]], who unlike me is an actual local who was born and raised in Chicago. I'm currently based in Chicago, but I'm still a foreigner. I haven't really been going out recently thanks to the pandemic, but I'd be happy to go around a bit more after I get vaccinated. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. They're currently having a severe shortage of vaccine doses in Illinois, and things are just so disorganised here. It's kind of sad that what is supposed to be the best and greatest country in the history of mankind is bungling the vaccine rollout so badly, in contrast to how organised and competent the rollout has been in my native Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:05, 29 January 2021 (UTC) :::::Since the meat of the article has already been written, it shouldn't matter that you're not a native Chicagoan. But, yeah, any time later in the year that you feel safe to go out, your help would be much appreciated (and much needed, given that by the time this is featured, it'll be 10 years since it was last done). I don't expect to get the vaccine for months yet, but I am lucky enough to not be in a rush and don't envy anyone with a more urgent need. I'm just thankful that most of my older family members have all either had their first jab or have an appointment scheduled.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:20, 29 January 2021 (UTC) {{outdent}}By the way, I noticed that the Buckingham Fountain is missing from the tour. That would add some extra time, but if you want to look at art installations in Chicago, I'd recommend it. I actually prefer it to the Crown Fountain. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 00:39, 30 January 2021 (UTC) ::'''Support'''. I haven't felt motivated to vote on nominations for features during the pandemic, but this is a star article, so I have full confidence that it'll be in great condition by the time it runs. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:22, 30 January 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. It's a star article. Unless it's degarded since starring, it deserves to be a DotM. --[[User:Nricardo|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nricardo|talk]]) 05:20, 10 May 2021 (UTC) * '''Support'''. As a star article there shouldn’t be too much to worry about regarding this one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 18:45, 21 July 2021 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for April/May. The article is good to go, and late April is sufficiently warm in Chicago. [[Ohio State Parks]] is delayed to June/July, as it needs some work, and is more of a summery destination. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::I just noticed that if we schedule this in May, it will overlap with Homer for its last ten days. Is there any objections in switching Homer with Ingolstadt? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ====Freedom of panorama issues==== It seems that Commons does not have many images of the tour due to freedom of panorama, and as such there is barely any image selection to choose from and none of the images in the article work out as a banner to the dimensions of 3:1. We can only feature it if someone finds a photo that can be uploaded locally that works as a banner, or else we might have to slush it due to the lack of banner (which nobody would like to do). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 19 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to lack of images. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:46, 20 March 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]]: It may be the most strangest reasons, but should this be slushed? As far as I'm aware, Wikivoyage needs to comply with US and Californian law as the servers are hosted in California, and the freedom of panorama issue is not going to change anytime soon and so until that is ever resolved, this can never be a featured article unless the law somehow changes. (cc nominator {{ping|Ypsilon}}). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:12, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::There are photos on Commons of the Bean (Cloud Gate) and I have a couple of my own photos of it. The question is whether we can claim editorial use for a main page banner rather than an image in the article next to text describing the artwork - it might be good to mention the specific artwork in the blurb. The BP Bridge has a functional purpose and so may not be affected by US FOP. I can't make a banner at the moment, but I will take a look next week. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 10:50, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::If you have some photos which are not affected by FoP, I guess we don't have to slush it then. However, this is on hold, and will probably only run in November, so there's plenty of time. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Are all of the artworks mentioned in the article copyrighted, if there's a single one that is not we could use a photo of that as banner if such a photo is available. How about the picture the article's banner is cropped from? Or if there's no artwork we could use, we could just use a view along the itinerary that wouldn't include any of the artworks (shouldn't be a problem to find photos as we're talking about central parts of U.S's third largest city?). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:13, 21 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::'''Fixed'''. There are two banners to choose from, showing the BP Bridge which is a functional structure that should be free of FOP concerns. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 14:38, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[German cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=German cuisine | blurb=While Germany is famous for meat dishes with cheese, bread and beer, their cuisine is cosmopolitan with flavours from the whole world. | status=Guide | time=All months have their signature dishes, but Germany is best enjoyed at summer. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 20:48, 21 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Meets the expectations of a cuisine article, with [[Bavarian cuisine]] and [[Franconian cuisine]] as appendices. | DotMImage=[[File:Bratwurst with sauerkraut, potatoes and beer.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' - I myself thought about nominating either this or [[Georgian cuisine]] for 2022. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 14:27, 28 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Unterstütze''' (Support) LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 09:41, 29 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' per nomination. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for mushroom season, just before Oktoberfest and Erntedankfest. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:34, 2 November 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''': I don't have the time or energy to reread this article in its entirety right now (I feel fluish from side effects from a COVID booster I got Thursday afternoon), but I've helped copy-edit this article before and I think it's great. I especially like all the seasons set out by month, because they're so important in Germany. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:59, 14 November 2021 (UTC) : '''On hold''', as [[Georgian cuisine]] is an even better article, and we will have enough German features now. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:01, 15 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for November to December, with Christmas fairs. If we find three food and drink topics to be too much for a year, we can consider rescheduling. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:43, 28 March 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' again to feature in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:50, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Yvwv}} A continuation of the thread in [[#Georgian cuisine]], but should this article still be featured for Oktoberfest, now that we have [[German beer and wine]]? I don't really have much of an opinion on the timing, but if there are other famous times of the year known for food, then we should consider it, though just a suggestion, as I don't know much about German cuisine, and I'd defer to both of you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As said before, the Oktoberfest isn't that much of a culinary event, but mostly suggested for its world fame. This article can feature any time of the year when we do not have too many features about Germany or food. Georgian cuisine got priority since it is even better, and we have had very few features from the Caucasus. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense, and based on your reasoning, I now don't have a problem with featuring it in Oktober. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:49, 3 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Around the World in Eighty Days | blurb=Jules Verne's 1872 novel gave travellers a demanding but possible challenge. 150 years later, circumnavigating the planet in 80 days without flying, is still not easy. | status=Guide | time=The plot in the book begins on 2 October 1872. Sept-Oct 2022 is the 150th anniversary. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:07, 24 September 2021 (UTC) | comment=Non-flight journeys are in vogue again, and this article has most of the essentials. Nominating early to make the anniversary date. | DotMImage=[[File:Verne_Tour_du_Monde.jpg|thumb|180px]] }} * {{s}} LGTM. Would be nice to feature this for its 150th anniversary. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:20, 24 September 2021 (UTC) * '''Comment''' I think the parts about replicating the trip today could be italicized or boldened, like in [[Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation]] or [[On the trail of Kipling's Kim]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:05, 1 October 2021 (UTC) :: Made it the other way around. The summary of the book is italicized. We could add more details about the real-life recreations (at least Nellie Bly's journey) and the movie adaptations. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:26, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''', though not sure about safety considerations. Regardless this looks like an entertaining article to feature on the anniversary. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:29, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *'''Comment''': "In particular, the main transcontinental line no longer passes through Wyoming (which has been left without passenger railroads altogether), instead having been routed further south through Denver, Colorado. This means that you will have to hitchhike on a freight train for the leg between Salt Lake City and Omaha if you want to replicate the route taken by Fogg." Is that possible, safe and legal? Otherwise, I think it's a good article and worth a feature, though the linked [[Freighter travel]] would benefit from having some examples of prices as of November 2021. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[E8 through Finland and Norway]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=From Turku to Tromsø, '''[[E8 through Finland and Norway|European route E8]]''' passes through various types of Finnish and Norwegian landscapes. | status=Guide | time=May to June for the Midnight Sun, or April to August | nominatedBy=<font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:22, 20 October 2021 (UTC) | comment=We don't feature itineraries that much, and this seems a good candidate for sometime next year. | DotMImage=[[File:Skibotndalen, E8.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Comment''': We hopefully have the Archipelago Trail in May–June, and if this is to be featured in (Nordic) summer, to avoid darkness and icy roads, I think it comes too close. Perhaps <s>2022</s> 2023? If for some reason there are problems with the Archipelago Trail this could of course be a backup. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:56, 20 October 2021 (UTC) :: I introduced the guideline that a nomination should be intended to feature within the coming 12 months. This is more a requirement for quality, than for available spots. We should preferrably have a backlog of nominated high-quality articles, so we can afford to choose the most suitable article, with regard to factors such as climate, holidays, public events and safety. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:03, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::: May to June would be a great time to feature, for the [[Midnight Sun]]. That would make us wait until 2023, unless we run E8 instead of the Archipelago Trail. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC) ::::I'd prefer to keep this until 2023, since the Archipelago Trail is more developed than this one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:56, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::::: I agree, but I take the opportunity to ask: what should be done to improve this article, except developing the listed articles, and perhaps doing some more research on the bus and bike options? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:37, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::In my opinion, nothing major needs to be done, at least from what I've noticed (more specific to this article), but maybe an infobox or two would be nice, but we've plenty of guide and star articles without them. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:59, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::::::: For May-June 2023 we can also consider [[Swedish Empire]], during the 500th anniversary of Sweden's independence. That article also has several destinations in Finland. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:52, 16 November 2021 (UTC) :::::::: Yes. This road isn't going to disappear in the near future, it can be featured any year. If we get somebody writing about the Ostrobothnian destinations before that, it'd be a big bonus. I know them only superficially. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 16:39, 16 November 2021 (UTC) * '''Support.''' The article is great overall, though it should be proofread by a native English speaker for better flow in the language. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:39, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ===[[Christianity]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Christianity | blurb=The world's most prolific religion has more than 2 billion followers, and churches and shrines on all continents. | status=Guide | time=Preferably around Christmas or Easter. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:03, 7 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=A fine travel topic to schedule for the holidays. We have had very few religious features. | DotMImage=[[File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support, but hold it''', I feel it might be too close to [[Rome/Vatican]], but when you mean "for the holidays", you mean Christmas, right? Maybe 2023 Easter, but I don't have too much issues with it being featured in December 2022. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:55, 14 November 2021 (UTC) :: We have [[Rome/Vatican]] on hold. [[Jerusalem/Old City]] is a decent candidate. [[Exodus of Moses]] needs work. That will keep us a few Easters forward. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:08, 25 November 2021 (UTC) :::{{re|Yvwv}} if that's the case, then '''support'''. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:40, 2 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' on the basis another religion or religious culture is nominated for FTT by the time this one is featured. [[Judaism]] looks like the likeliest candidate right now but [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Hinduism]] are also all close to guide status and could be considered to increase diversity in our FTT nominations. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:20, 2 January 2022 (UTC) * [[Hajj]] is not yet rated Guide, but it looks close to me. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 16:01, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ===[[Portuguese phrasebook]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Portuguese phrasebook | blurb=Whether you plan to ever visit Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe or Timor-Leste or just learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese, here's a quick guide. | status=Guide | time=Sometime in early 2023, one year after the [[Sinhala phrasebook]] | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=Currently being nominated for star article which should be promoted any day now. It's one of the only phrasebooks where we have audio pronunciations, thanks to the hard work of {{u|Nelson Ricardo 2500}}, and now it's time for that effort to be shown on the main page. | DotMImage=[[File:Hiking sign in Soajo.jpg|thumb|200px]] }} * '''Very very close''' a bit more images would be nice. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:39, 14 November 2021 (UTC) * Thank you for the nomination. I've added a few more images. Given my contributions to this phrasebook, it goes with saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I '''Support''' it for Featured Travel Topic. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 19:00, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *First of all, this looks better than any other phrasebook I've seen on this site, and I especially love that there are speech samples we can listen to for everything, so I definitely '''support'''. I have a couple of marginal comments: (1) There is a remark that Portuguese descends from Galician. To my understanding, modern Galician and Portuguese instead descend from [[w:Galician-Portuguese]]. My other comment is that the thumbnail chart of international phonetics seems too small to be useful to include, even to make the point the caption makes, but I wouldn't try to insist on removing it. Also, perhaps some of the other thumbnails are a little smaller than necessary. I don't know Portuguese, but this seems like it might be a star-level phrasebook. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:54, 14 November 2021 (UTC) *:Thank you, IK. I have clarified re Galician-Portuguese. I have added a note to the caption on the IPA chart that it can be clicked to enlarge, since many casual readers won't know that. (I definitely want to keep the chart in, since the article uses IPA as a supplement to pseudo-phoneticization and sound files.) All images are at default size, which allows users to specify their own desired thumbnail size at [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering]]. I prefer to not override those user preference settings. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 20:29, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::*Thank you. I'm good with your decisions. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 14 November 2021 (UTC) ::{{re|Ikan Kekek}} to "it might be a star-level phrasebook", it's why it's currently nominated for a star ;) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:47, 15 November 2021 (UTC) ::: Northern winter would be good timing, as most Portuguese-speaking countries are tropical, and Portugal itself is among the mildest countries in Europe. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:12, 16 November 2021 (UTC) ::::{{re|Yvwv}} Northern summer works for countries like Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste et cetera, but northern summer is typhoon season in Macau. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:48, 21 November 2021 (UTC) *I just realized, I never offered my '''support''' for featuring this phrasebook. It would be silly for me not to do so, seeing how I support its promotion to star status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:49, 3 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for Dec 2022/Jan 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Nov 2022/Dec 2023. We have some tradition to feature phrasebook at the beginning of the year, but nothing is set in stone. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:04, 27 March 2022 (UTC) ::I guess that works climate-wise too as the storm season in Timor hits more after January. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:11, 27 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Rescheduled''' for Jan/Feb, as customary for phrasebooks, right before carnival season in many Portuguese-speaking countries. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:52, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ===[[Planning your flight]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Planning your flight | blurb=Flying presents the traveller with many choices: airline, flight, cabin class, and sometimes a specific seat. | status=Guide | time=Any. Possibly northern spring, before the global high season for tourist flights. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 03:29, 21 November 2021 (UTC) | comment=With many of the world's flights on hold for nearly two years, this is a good time to feature the basics. We could feature the flight articles one by one. | DotMImage=[[File:ANA 777-300 Taking off from JFK.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Close''' Some brushups needed, but otherwise looks good. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:45, 21 November 2021 (UTC) ===[[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Land Art Trail on Mount Učka | blurb=A mountain at the Adriatic Sea has become an outdoor art gallery. | status=Guide | time=Weather is probably best in May-June or September-October | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:49, 5 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=We have had very few features from the Balkans, and none from Croatia. Outdoor attractions can be more compatible with the pandemic. | DotMImage=[[File:Signpost on Land Art Trail - Invitation.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' LGTM. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally in Oct/Nov 2022. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:31, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Support''' as one of our quirkier and well-planned itinerary articles. I noticed this article some time ago and remember it being well-written and organized. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:15, 2 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Comment''': I didn't feel up to reading all the way through the article, but am I the only one who finds the "Understand" section overly preachy? I did [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359917&oldid=4339917 edit it] somewhat - the use of "man" and male pronouns for humanity is very old-fashioned and kind of jarring, at least for many Americans - but just how much do we need to push an idea of how to experience that trail? My feeling is that we definitely should state what the author's intention is, but we can then let people experience it however they do and go on to practical descriptions and advice on how to get from Point A to Point B, etc. I'll try posting a briefer alternative version of that section on the article's talk page later. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:08, 3 January 2022 (UTC) ::[https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ALand_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4359932&oldid=3293582 Done]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:20, 3 January 2022 (UTC) :::Also, having just recently discussed about images in [[Talk:Canadian national parks]], are the galleries a violation of the image policy? Per [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Montages and galleries]], "should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions). Image galleries should not be used solely as a way to include a large number of different pictures in a destination article". This isn't a destination article, but it is depicting attractions. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say the composite image at the top definitely violates the prohibition against montages and should be removed. Some of the galleries, such as the one that shows two views of the same spiral geograph, are not needed. Most of the rest seem OK to me, since this is not a destination article, as you said, but an itinerary in which it may be necessary to recognize every artwork. The Sentinel picture is problematic per [[WV:Image policy#People in photos]], though. I'm not sure we should do anything about that. "Land Art Trail on Mt. Učka in winter" doesn't need a gallery; one image could do it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:09, 19 March 2022 (UTC) :::::Okay, anyway we have about 7 months left to fix this up so nothing urgent, but we can't feature an article that blatantly violates [[WV:IP]] though. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 28 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::I made a [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4418443&oldid=4416596 few] [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Land_Art_Trail_on_Mt._U%C4%8Dka&type=revision&diff=4416141&oldid=4412415 edits] in the last few days, but we should make decisions about whether it's appropriate for this article to violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]]. I think that the density of images and the galleries still violate those guidelines, and while that might be OK as an exception, featuring this article carries strong risks that readers will believe this is exemplary in that respect and copy it in ordinary destination articles. Are the descriptions of the artworks clear enough that we can reduce the number of images to a more limited selection that excludes some of the works, eliminating the galleries with the possible exception of "Signposts and markings on the Land Art Trail" and creating 3 times more space on the right margin between most images, as we would be likely to do in any other article? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:36, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::Yeah, we should take extra care that featured articles as many new users look up to them to see how they're meant to be formatted and usually think that format is okay. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:23, 28 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::: I'd assume the trail markings are enough to find the artworks, and they seem to be named on the map, so I think the images are needed more for telling the reader what to expect than for use on the trail. For that it is enough to have examples, and perhaps a few that give examples on how you can "use" the artwork. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:00, 29 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It sounds like you guys are agreeable with removing the rest of the galleries and having only single thumbnails; is that correct? If so, let's make the changes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:42, 4 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::Yes, go ahead. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:50, 7 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::I just removed the remainder of the galleries, other than the one with markings and signposts, which might be OK. The article still might violate [[Wikivoyage:Image policy#Minimal use of images]], though. What do you all think? Should we delete half the remaining images? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:18, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::There are still way too many images and I feel very skeptical of featuring an article that's a blatant violation of a simple Wikivoyage policy. Leaving the images may also encourage new editors to well, add a whole slew of galleries because a featured article contained them. Feel free to delete half the remaining images. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:21, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::How is it now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::Looking much better! However, I think the signposts/markings gallery should also go too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 02:25, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::Let's talk about that. From [[Wikivoyage:Image policy]]: "Image galleries are discouraged, and should only be considered for showing multiple examples of a specific topic (for example, in describing flora and fauna or cuisine – but not attractions)." How does that apply to signposts/markings? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:40, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::::::::I thought the reason why we discouraged such galleries was because these chew up data and are slow to load, especially in places with poor reception. The reason why I'm okay with these in cuisine articles is because nobody prints these out, and many will read these articles before they're going to that destination (e.g. if I'm going to say Franconia, I would read [[Franconian cuisine]] before leaving to Franconia, but I wouldn't print it out, nor would I want to read it in Franconia) ::::::::::::::::Also, from experience last Saturday (18 June), just the map in [[Telangana]] took at least 10 seconds to load while I was on the road with poor 4G signal. If that one image took so long to load, then how long do you think it'll take for the gallery to load? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::::::::I was thinking of it as a matter of style, and I see your point. So maybe select 1 or 2 of the best images from that bunch to use as thumbnails, possibly deleting another one in the process. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:24, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Quebec Route 389]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Quebec Route 389 | blurb= | status=Guide | time=<s>I don't know, but I would say sometime during the northern summer months? Will defer to either {{ping|Ground Zero}} who wrote most of the article or {{ping|Veillg1}}, our most active contributor from Quebec.</s> July or August | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:06, 17 December 2021 (UTC) | comment=This article has been one of my "articles for inspiration" in my early days on this site, and it's a pretty detailed article. More recently, I've added a mapline to the article too, one of only a few articles on this site to have one. Cannot see anything missing from here as well. | DotMImage=[[File:Route 389 Baie-Comeau - Manic 5.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:31, 17 December 2021 (UTC) *'''Support''' as a July or August destination. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:13, 21 December 2021 (UTC) * '''Close'''. I think it needs more detail about the route. Why would someone want to visit these places? What makes each place along the route interesting and connects them to each other? However this is well on its way to being an FTT feature. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:25, 2 January 2022 (UTC) :*I agree with this. Very good information, but we need a bit more macro-level context. Is this mainly just a challenge, or is it a really beautiful drive, even if desolate? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Georgian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Georgian cuisine | blurb=The cuisine of Georgia has drawn influences from the Silk Road, and is famous abroad for its quality. | status=Guide | time=August to October is the main harvest season, and has comfortable weather across the country. We could make it customary to run a cuisine article for northern autumn. | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 00:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A near-star article. We have had very few features from the Caucasus. While [[German cuisine]] is nominated, Germany is already well-represented in the schedule. We can save the German food for 2023. | DotMImage=[[File:Mtsvadi.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *Definitely '''support'''! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC) *Ditto. '''მომხრე'''! (Georgian for support). --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''! On a side note, Georgian cuisine is absolutely delicious! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:44, 14 January 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for August. [[German cuisine]] is on hold for another time. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:02, 15 January 2022 (UTC) ::Perfect! [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 03:31, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''', with one caveat. I'd like to see the image galleries designed so they stay on the screen. On smaller screens, the gallery is too wide for the screen and not all the images can be seen. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 22:18, 23 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for November-December as many fruits are in season and the climate is milder. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:51, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ===[[Swedish Empire]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Swedish Empire | blurb=In the 17th century, Sweden encircled the Baltic Sea and had farflung possessions; today, they are yours to explore. | status=Guide | time=Weather is best in northern summer. May/June 2023 would include the 500th anniversary of independent Sweden, and give the customary 24 month cooldown time since a feature from a neighboring destination ([[Stockholm history tour]], featured in May 2021). | nominatedBy=[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:49, 21 January 2022 (UTC) | comment=A history article which both includes a concise historical description, and many relevant destinations with Wikidata links and descriptions. While most of them are in today's Sweden and Finland, some are in less featured regions such as Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and West Africa. | DotMImage=[[File:Gustave Adolphe at Breitenfeld-Johann Walter-f3706497.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Needs some work'''. I did a bit of copy editing, but the entire article is likely to need some edits by native English speakers for some polish before we run it. Also, can we substitute some other word for "withe", which although English is a term I'd never seen before just now? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:17, 21 January 2022 (UTC) *<s> '''Needs work'''</s> per [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan]]. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:00, 22 January 2022 (UTC) ::I had a reread of the article, and I don't think there are that much issues with the tone anymore and therefore, I now '''support''' featuring the article for the 500th anniversary. The 0,0 coord issue also seems to be resolved, and so really, I don't think there's anything that's missing. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:20, 2 May 2022 (UTC) *'''Needs work''' per Ikan. Also Skattkammaren has coords at 0,0 this should be fixed see my message at [[Wikivoyage:Travellers%27_pub#NA_creates_coords_at_0,0]] <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User_talk:Tai123.123|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Tai123.123|contribs]]) </small> : '''Comment:''' The history section has been completely rewritten since the nomination. The timeline and the trivia sections are less prominent. Please reconsider votes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 11:40, 25 February 2022 (UTC) ::I don't know if the phrase I put after a semicolon is too cliched, but I found the previous wording of the blurb awkward. For the record, this was the previous phrasing: "A great power of the 17th century encircled the Baltic Sea, and reached far overseas, with a legacy surviving far outside Sweden's current borders." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:49, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Indira Gandhi International Airport | blurb='''[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]''' is the main airport of India’s capital, New Delhi. Has great connectivity to numerous destinations. The interiors of the airport are stunning. It houses numerous shops and other facilities. | status=Guide | time=March-June for summer season, November-February for festivals and winter. | nominatedBy=[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:13, 27 January 2022 (UTC) | comment= I have visited the airport several times. In the past few days, I have edited it and upgraded it to ''guide'' status. It does have amazing interior designs. This guide now provides a full-view of the airport operations and services. | DotMImage=[[File:Sculpture of hasta mudras at Indira Gandhi International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Support''' as nominator. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:16, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs more work'''. I don't deny you've done good work on this article, but I couldn't help but notice that some of the sentences used in the article don't present the airport in a good light. Case in point, in the "Eat" section, it was mentioned that some of the restaurants "are mediocre at best". I changed it to something better sounding. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 12:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::{{re|Roovinn}} If "mediocre at best" is true, then that's what we should say. [[WV:Be fair]] means "be honest"; it doesn't mean "paint everywhere in a good light".--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:54, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::Fair enough I suppose. [[User:Roovinn|Roovinn]] ([[User talk:Roovinn|talk]]) 13:51, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::I have been to the airport several times, and I have tried to be as honest as possible while contributing to the guide. :) [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:49, 27 January 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], @[[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] what do you think? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 16:58, 27 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::Per [[Wikivoyage:Be fair]], I'd mention it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:10, 28 January 2022 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], what's your opinion on this? [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:52, 29 January 2022 (UTC) :::::::Absolutely. If Wikivoyage recommended restaurants that sucked, I'd be mad. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:54, 12 March 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I have written "but many are mediocre at best" which gives a general conception about '''some''' restaurants. In the listings, I have tried to put the restaurants all with good and positive reviews. I have avoided restaurants that really suck. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 06:16, 14 March 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]], if the restaurants that are listed are good, that needs to be mentioned, for example like this: "Each terminal has plenty of restaurant options before and after security, but many are mediocre at best. However, the ones listed below are good." [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:04, 28 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' - Looks good and up-to-date. The writing is tight, concise and grammatically correct.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:59, 27 January 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' per above. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 21:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC) *'''Support''' The only thing I feel is missing are ways to access the airport from nearby cities like Agra which lack international airports of their own [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 19:49, 29 January 2022 (UTC) *:@[[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]], I'll add it [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:40, 30 January 2022 (UTC) *:: In many cases the Get in of those other cities should handle it. Only if there is something general to say about transport from the airport to other cities, I feel it needs to be in the airport article. That could be a train line or coaches with direct services to cities elsewhere, where the existence of such services and the location of the stations should be in the airport article. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:53, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Working on it! [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:30, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *:::Yeah I meant cities with direct connections, probably could've worded my prior message much better. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 09:39, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *::::Like agra has direct road and rail connection while noida has direct routes via metro [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 09:50, 15 March 2022 (UTC) *'''Support.''' Has the essentials. Could be a feature soon, as India is very under-featured. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:39, 22 March 2022 (UTC) *:Would also be nice to feature an airport article after so long. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:59, 24 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for December 2022/January 2023, avoiding collision with [[Cooch Behar]]. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:01, 27 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. Excellent example of an article that uses brevity to best effect, providing critical information directly to the traveler. This is a well-written article with all the essential details. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:08, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Australian cuisine]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Australian cuisine | blurb=While Australia isn't really known for its cuisine, Australian cuisine is a multicultural cuisine incorporating many Indigenous ingredients and perhaps one of the sweetest cuisines. | status=Guide | time=Jan or Feb 2023 – around the time where there's good produce but anytime during the start of southern summer will also work. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:10, 23 February 2022 (UTC) | comment=As you can probably see, it's a fairly new article having only been created recently. That being said, it does need some work on its beverages section. Additionally I've tried not to add a list of ingredients like in [[American cuisine]], since it looks awfully encyclopedic and I don't think many will read it. That being said, I think the article could also cover a bit about etiquette, which while I can do, I'm not really sure how to explain it. The drinks section could also do better with a bit of work too, especially given Australia's large coffee culture, but can do that soon. Also before it gets lost in my banner collection, [[:File:ACftt banner.jpg|here's]], a banner that I cropped. | DotMImage=[[File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Comment''': I think it needs a lot of work. Most sections don't look complete. The Meat section should mention that nearly all beef (and meat in general) is grass fed, not grain fed like it is in so many other countries of the world. Australia is also renowned internationally for its Black Angus beef and its marbled texture. There should also be a point on how experimental Australians are with meat. To what extent is game and offal eaten, for instance. The Fruit and Vegetable section briefly talks about one type of apple, no other kind of fruit and nothing about veggies. There should at least be a mention of Pink Lady apples and Calypso mangoes. The dietary requirements only touches on kosher, halal, vegetarianism and veganism. I think gluten free and nut allergies also need to be covered as a minimum. Iconic Australia ice creams like Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Drumstick are all missing as are Twisties. Regarding seafood, Australia is known for its southern bluefin tuna and salmon (particularly Tasmania). There is no information on burgers which are more popular than e.g. Mexican-American, and no information on unique Australian twists on burgers like adding beetroot. It will come as a surprise to many foreign visitors the first time they order a burger in Australia. The takeaway section should have a sentence on Chinese takeaway plastic containers/boxes, which is different to the cardboard cartons you may find overseas. There's no mention of the great Australian barbecue nor anything on what kind of food is eaten on Christmas, the most important cultural event and festival of the year. Also missing Australian specific chains like Oporto and Red Rooster (see [[Chinese cuisine]] for comparison) and types of food establishments like the milk bar. I'll stop rambling now but I believe there is still a lot to do. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 13:55, 23 February 2022 (UTC) *'''Not yet''' As the Australian drawbridge has only just been lowered, I think we should wait a year to allow edits as a result of readers using the guide. I agree with DaGizza that there is much to do. Snacks are well covered, but I think there is work to do on meals. Is kangaroo meat farmed, or are wild kangaroo's hunted or culled? Are there standards for the welfare of farm animals? Do Australian hotels serve breakfast? What times do Austrialians usually eat meals - will the restauarant be full of locals or empty at 6:30pm? What kind of food can be found in supermarkets - ready meals, hot food or just raw ingredients? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:21, 23 February 2022 (UTC) * I'd realised I as the nominator forgot to give my vote, but my vote is also '''needs work'''. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:46, 6 March 2022 (UTC) ::My comment as nominator still remains needs work, but I feel skeptical of the "fruit and veg" section or an ingredients section itself. I'm making this judgment based on [[American_cuisine#Ingredients]] which is pretty much a blob of super long user unfriendly text and it's mostly not travel related. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 12 March 2022 (UTC) :::The issue with the American cuisine section is that it lists nearly everything that's eaten by Americans. My suggestions were more towards mentioning varieties of fruit and veg which are unique or originated in Australia. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 06:40, 14 March 2022 (UTC) ::::That makes sense and it is more doable, user friendly and travel related. We could also list some important food festivals too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:58, 14 March 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' provisionally for February/March 2023. The article has improved, and can probably get good enough for next year. / 10:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Needs work'''. The blurb, the intro and the article itself all need work: not a single mention of Mod Oz food (!), and the characterizations as "sweetest" (what?) and "not be the greatest culinary destination" are offputting. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Indigeous ingredients are basically non-existent. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 03:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC) : '''On hold''' due to remaining issues. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:38, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ===[[Rail travel in Japan]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Destination | blurb=With trains over 320 km/h and a network of 27,000 km, rail travel is one of the most efficient ways to get around Japan. | status=Guide | time=March-June 2023 | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) | comment=This is possibly one of our best rail articles we have so far, and also one of our most detailed rail articles. As we have two articles featured from Japan, around 2023 would be the ideal time, around northern spring. With that said, some dead links need to be fixed. | DotMImage=[[File:Hakata-general-train-base.JPG|thumb|300px]] }} *'''Close''' per my comment. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:33, 12 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' Has all the essentials. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 12:41, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Support.''' I last used trains in Japan in October 2005, so I can't comment on all the details, but it looked good and fairly complete. It might have a little more about what the trains are like inside - I was surprised to find that all the seats face forward (except on commuter trains), as the seats are turned around at the terminal stations. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC) * '''Close''' I don't think the joyful train section should be part of the overnight train section as there are many non luxury joyful trains that don't run overnight, I feel this section could also mention other notable joyful trains like the Resort Shirakami or Hello kitty Shinkansen. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:22, 23 March 2022 (UTC) ::Also I wish the regional rail pass section was longer. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 07:24, 23 March 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Tai123.123}} Though I'm not sure whether the joyful trains should even be mentioned though. I don't think any of our other "rail" articles mention tourist trains, as these are more supposed to be articles for getting around Japan by train, but this seems to be an outlier. That said, it is very useful information, so I don't see any reason to remove it, though I don't know much about Japan's train system (or any train system outside of Australia's and Singapore's), so I'd defer to you. On another note, while we're at joyful trains, are these synonymous with [[tourist trains]], or do they have a different meaning? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:16, 2 May 2022 (UTC) ::::Yeah, joyful trains are tourist trains. Perhaps it may be to create a [[Joyful Trains in Japan]] travel topic as they’re very popular with both domestic and international visitors. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC) :::::<small>Preferably [[Joyful trains in Japan]] per [[wv:capitalization]] ;-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 7 May 2022 (UTC)</small> ===[[Driving in South Africa]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Driving in South Africa | blurb=Without a good public transport network and many of South Africa's attractions in rural areas, driving is an excellent way to get around the country. | status=Guide | time=2023 southern winter. | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:03, 17 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=We haven't had a driving article featured for some time and this one seems in good shape to go. I'd expect that by 2023 mid-winter, the damage caused by recent floods would have been cleaned up. | DotMImage=[[File:Speed Camera Sign.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support'''. I think this is a thorough article with detailed but reliable information. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:13, 15 May 2022 (UTC) : '''Scheduled''' for February-March 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 19:40, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::{{ping|Pbsouthwood}} Do you think anything important is missing in this article? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Looks pretty good to me in general. One thing that is missing is what the correct procedure is/should be at mini circles. I think part of the problem with them is that many/most drivers actually don't know what to do and some just assume they have right of way because there is nothing obvious saying that they don't, or because the vehicle ahead did not stop. I approach them as accidents waiting to happen, preferably to someone else. Cheers &bull; &bull; &bull; [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 07:01, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Are mini circles just mini-roundabouts? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:52, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ===[[Istanbul to Izmir]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Istanbul to Izmir | blurb=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to. | status=Guide | time= | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) | comment=From vfd to ftt, this is one of the site's most developed itineraries with geolines. Not sure about timing. The article may need a little bit of copyediting, but that's about it. | DotMImage=[[File:Sazova Park 3.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --09:45, 22 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support'''. I can't think of anything significant omitted from the article. Proofreading for the language used, or other quirks which might have escaped from my pair of eyes would be much appreciated indeed. As for the timing, I'd say the best times to do the route is Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct, but many who actually travel it down do so for the summer holidays, so that gives us a span of more than half a year. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 09:55, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::One thing that I feel I have to mention being omitted is the imperial units in distances. I left them out on purpose, because most distances are in the "directions" parameter of the listings, which lead to them being in paranthesis, and using [[Template:km]] would result in paranthesis within paranthesis. If anyone feels like they should be added though, I would be happy to oblige. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:50, 22 April 2022 (UTC) *I'm happy to '''support''' this itinerary that I helped to rescue from deletion, and the wonderful work Vidimian has done on it. I plan to look through it and probably do more copyediting when I am healthier (I've had COVID since Sunday night, though I've been improving in the last 3 days), but that's not a reason not to support. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:17, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :: The schedule is overloaded with food and drink topics. Could we run this article in November/December instead of [[German cuisine]]? /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:34, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::Of course there are business travellers following this route any time of the year, but for leisure Nov/Dec is too late (I think insofar as possible we've always tried featuring articles during the part of the year the places they are associated with are most suitable to travel). I'd think early boreal spring, for which we usually have had a shortage of suitable articles to feature (particularly in the past), is fine. :::<small>Get well soon, Ikan!</small> [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 14:44, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::Thank you. I was able to walk down a flight of stairs to get mail today, a big milestone. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:13, 22 April 2022 (UTC) ::::: <small>Best wishes.</small> We could run this article in Aug-Sept and Georgian cuisine in Nov-Dec, as many fruits are in season by then, and many parts of Georgia are more pleasant in late autumn than summer. We can save German cuisine for the Oktoberfest in 2023. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:12, 22 April 2022 (UTC) :::::Hey Ikan, firstly, hope you have a speedy recovery. Having been infected with Covid a few weeks ago, I can understand how that feels. To German cuisine, if [[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] thinks that Oktoberfest is a better time to feature Deutsch cuisine, then we may as well hold it for Oktoberfest next year. It would mean we're not featuring Dresden and German cuisine too close to each other. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:16, 23 April 2022 (UTC) ::::::Thank you. I'm sorry you had it. My feeling is that anytime is a good time to feature German cuisine. Oktoberfest is about excessive beer drinking, and a lot of the Müchners I spoke with loathe it for the influx of huge crowds of out-of-control drunk tourists, maybe something like the way we New Yorkers loathe New Year's Eve at Times Square and steer well clear of it, but worse, so I really question whether we would want to time anything German with Oktoberfest except an article about beer. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:49, 23 April 2022 (UTC) :::::::Thanks for your message. re Oktoberfest, I don't know too much about Oktoberfest, so I'd defer to you and Yvwv. My experience in Germany is fairly limited outside a few days in Berlin but if it attracts a swathe of out-of-control drunk tourists, then not sure whether Oktober is a good time to feature it. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:08, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' I'm glad to see that this has very much improved since I nominated it for VFD, one of the best itineraries I've read. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 03:46, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Scheduled''' for August to September. Featuring four itineraries in a row could be seen as a diversity problem. However, they are very different in locations and themes. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 10:48, 23 April 2022 (UTC) * '''Needs work''' though mostly on the supporting destination pages. Main issues: : - out of date, eg the Dardanelles bridge opening has knock on for travel routes which are still playing out; : - some weak destination pages especially eastern routes, we need these for detail of transport, accommodation, POIs etc; : - overlap and duplication, the western route is described on five or six pages. [[Along the Troad Coast]] is a subset of this itinerary and my suggestion is to merge it here. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:37, 6 May 2022 (UTC) ::My thoughts: ::* The Dardanelles Bridge: "By car" has a mention of it, specifically recommends ''not'' using it (together with the reasoning), but without leaving those who decide to give it a go out in the cold. I think the bridge opening has little implication on the "By bus" section as it is (although I am very much open to hear arguments to the contrary, and to develop this and other possibly relevant articles accordingly). ::* The eastern route articles: Would be great to have the articles linked from this one in a better shape (I would be only happy to join in an effort towards that goal but having not visited many of the locations myself, my help would be limited), and the current state of some of them may reduce the actual usability of this one, but a total hindrance thereof? I guess not. And given that the destination articles aren't hierarchically connected with this one (cf. huge cities and the district articles beneath), I think that shouldn't prevent this article from being featured. ::* Overlap in the western route: I assume you mean the "Get in" sections of various articles linked from this one. I think there is no harm in providing the relevant information to someone just driving from Istanbul straight to Gelibolu, Çanakkale or wherever and to another looking for a leisurely multiday drive at where they are most likely to look for that piece of information without clicking back and forth between the articles. ::* Along the Troad Coast: I don't agree with merging, because: ::** The two itineraries are on different levels of scale and prominency: The Troad itinerary covers a much narrower geography in a much greater detail. ::** Troad is an independent itinerary; many who travel it do not set the ends of their trip at Istanbul or Izmir (but many others do). I myself have done that route repeatedly, without setting foot at either city in close succession. One of those was by hitchhiking: I hitched a ride from a couple who were driving from Istanbul to Assos as the final destination, just after (or before, I can't remember) getting a lift from another couple who were from [[Łódź]] (and were horrified by my pronounciation of their hometown's name), coming in from Greece and heading simply anywhere south. ::** It is an alternative side trip to this one. The main route of this nominated itinerary, as described in its map and text, goes down the inland highway, and there is no obligation to stray away from it. The three suggested destinations here in common with the Troad itinerary (Troy, Bozcaada, and Assos) can be easily visited without covering the full length of that route, by branching off the highway and then retracing back (or can be skipped singularly or in combinations just as easily). ::[[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:46, 7 May 2022 (UTC) ::: As what I have in mind needn't affect the nomination, I've started a thread on the Ist-Iz page. Probably simpler to post examples of what I'm thinking. [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 15:10, 24 May 2022 (UTC) ===[[Hamad International Airport]]=== {{FeatureNom | place=Hamad International Airport | blurb=Visiting Qatar for the FIFA world cup? Here's a quick guide on getting around Qatar's prime airport. | status=Guide | time=October 2022 for FIFA world cup | nominatedBy=<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) | comment=I'm no fan of soccer and I know I'm a bit late to nominate this, but after seeing what the Italian Wikivoyage did, I also wanted to nominate [[Doha]] for the FIFA world cup. However, it has already been featured, and otherwise this currently unfeatured article could replace Land Trail on Mount Ucka, which has some MoS issues. [[#Indira Gandhi International Airport|Indira Gandhi International Airport]] should ideally be pushed back further so it's not featured so close to Cooch Behar. As for the article itself, it looks good to me. I last visited Hamad Int'l Airport on transit in 2017 and I cannot see anything missing, but I was only there for two hours. | DotMImage=[[File:Children's play area at Hamad Airport, May 2014.jpg|thumb|300px]] }} * '''Support''' as nominator. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 01:37, 26 June 2022 (UTC) * '''Support''' based on quality, but not ready to re-schedule. There have been concerns about human rights in Qatar, but we have not settled whether those should disqualify an article from featuring. If [[Land Art Trail on Mount Učka]] has issues, we should bring it up in the nomination process. Similar travel topics and destinations should preferrably not feature too close together, so delaying Indira Gandhi makes sense. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 05:48, 28 June 2022 (UTC) :Let's not base our decision on politics here. I can also list human rights abuses by Western countries (the invasion of Iraq, anyone?) if we really want to get into that, and that will disqualify all countries from being listed since all countries have blood on their hands in one way or another. Let's just consider things from a purely practical travel perspective here. That said, I don't know if we should feature airport articles. These are there to help travellers in transit or waiting to fly, but they are not usually destinations in and of themselves. People use airports to get to a place, then go sightseeing elsewhere. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 03:18, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::I don't see that a category of articles should be excluded from a feature, although I definitely understand your argument. Human rights are a difficult issue. If a large number of foreigners are essentially enslaved somewhere, is that an issue for travelers, such that we should hesitate to feature an article? How about when a lot of visitors are treated nastily or worse at border crossings and airports, as in the U.S.? I don't know what standard we should have, but I'm not comfortable with saying that human rights abuses that can affect visitors should never be considered a factor in whether we feature an article or not. At the very least, we should be careful to include clear warnings in the relevant articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:26, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::A further thought, though: Big airports are often used for transit, so we shouldn't assume everyone who goes to this airport is even visiting Qatar, not that there's anything wrong with that. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:28, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::::If there are major issues with the rights of foreign workers then yes, we should mention that. After all, we also want to serve people looking to move abroad to work. I've heard rumors that if a female foreign domestic worker in Dubai gets raped by her boss who is a UAE citizen, she has no legal recourse whatsoever even though it is of course illegal on paper. I don't know if that is just an exaggeration but if it is known that it's true, then yes, things like that should be covered. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:25, 18 July 2022 (UTC) egolg8dhq41t7d3kbx54uzpx2elnb8z 4 69268 4501874 4500881 2022-08-16T05:00:32Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Separate cuisine articles considered harmful */ swept to [[Talk:Food and drink]] wikitext text/x-wiki <div style="text-align:left; background: #f4f7fa; border: 1px solid #abc; padding: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em"> <div style="text-align:center; font-size:300%; line-height: 1; padding: 10px;">'''Welcome to the pub'''</div> {{shortcut|[[WV:Pub]]|[[WV:TP]]}} [[File:QA_icon_clr.svg|right|frameless|150px|link=]] The Travellers' Pub is for general discussion on Wikivoyage, and the place to ask questions when you're confused, lost, afraid, tired, annoyed, thoughtful, or helpful. To start a new topic, click the "Add topic" tab, so that it gets added '''at the bottom''' of the page, and sign your post by appending four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) Before asking a question or making a comment: * Have a look at our [[Wikivoyage:Help|Help]], [[Wikivoyage:FAQ|FAQ]] and [[Wikivoyage:Policies|Policies]] pages. * If you are a '''new user''' and you have any questions about using the website, try the [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge|Arrivals lounge]]. * If you have a '''question or suggestion about a particular article''', use the article's [[Project:using talk pages|talk page]] to keep the discussion associated with that article. * If you'd like to '''draw attention to a comment''' to '''get feedback''' from other Wikivoyagers, try [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment|Requests for comment]]. * If you are '''wanting travel advice on a specific matter''' see the [[Wikivoyage:Tourist office|Tourist Office]]. * If you have an '''issue you need to bring to the attention of an administrator''', try [[Wikivoyage:Vandalism in progress|Vandalism in progress]]. * If you are having a '''problem that you think has to do with the [[mw:|MediaWiki software]]''', please post that on [[phab:|Phabricator]] instead. * If you want to '''celebrate a significant contribution''' to Wikivoyage by yourself or others, hold a party at [[Project:Celebrate a contribution|Celebrate a contribution]]. * Discuss '''issues related to more than one language version''' of Wikivoyage in the [[meta:Wikivoyage/Lounge|Wikivoyage Lounge]] on Meta. * Anything that is '''Nigeria-related''' is now meant to go in the [[Wikivoyage:Nigeria café|Nigeria café]] instead. This includes announcements, initiatives and celebrations as well as issues with certain articles. * Anything that is '''Kosovo or Albania related''' is now meant to go in the [[Wikivoyage:Kosovo and Albania café|Kosovo and Albania café]] instead. This includes announcements, initiatives and celebrations as well as issues with certain articles. '''Pull up a chair and join in the conversation!''' [{{fullurl:Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub|action=edit&section=new}} '''Click here to start a new thread'''] </div> <div style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: left; padding: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" class="nomobile"> [[File:Wikivoyage sysop.svg|right|frameless|150px|link=]] <div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 0px solid #abc;"> Experienced users: '''Please sweep the pub''' <div class="mw-collapsible-content">Keeping the pub clean is a group effort. If we have too many conversations on this page, it gets too noisy and hard to read. If you see an old conversation (i.e. '''a month''' dormant) that could be moved to a [[Project:using talk pages|talk page]], please do so, and add "{{[[Template:Swept|swept]]}}" there, to note that it has been swept in from the pub. Try to place it on the discussion page roughly in chronological order. * A question regarding a destination article should be swept to the article discussion page. * A discussion regarding a policy or the subject of an expedition can be swept to the policy or expedition discussion page. * A simple question asked by a user can be swept to that user's talk page, but consider if the documentation needs a quick update to make it clearer for the next user with the same question. * A pointer to a discussion going on elsewhere, such as a notice of a star nomination or a request to comment on another talk page, can be removed when it is old. Any discussion that occurred in the pub can be swept to where the main discussion took place. Any discussions that do not fall into any of these categories, and are not of any special importance for posterity, should be archived to '''[[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub/Archives]]''' and removed from here. If you are not sure where to put a discussion, let it be—better to spend your efforts on those that you do know where to place.</div> </div></div> {{WikivoyageDoc|collaboration}} <!-- Discussions start here --> __TOC__ __NEWSECTIONLINK__ == "neighbourhood maps" == I've always wondered on how these should be formatted. They're not usually standard in district articles (and in fact, the only one I could find was [[Sydney/City East]]), but I did a small experiment today with [[Canberra/Civic]] with the use of a "neighbourhood map" (or whatever they're called). It did leave me with three questions though, merely because we don't have other examples of such maps and I'd like some answers before I implement more of these maps. # Which section should a map like this go in? For [[Canberra/Civic]], I chose "districts", but [[Sydney/City East]] has it in an "Orientation" section in Understand # Do the duplicate maps pose an issue? # Do these maps help? I guess it helps to sort of know which neighbourhoods are in a certain district, but then you don't ''need'' to know, and it might appear too encyclopedic. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:23, 13 June 2022 (UTC) :I don't have any advice for you or answers to your questions, but I like what you've done. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:26, 13 June 2022 (UTC) :: [[Image policy#Minimal use of images]] and [[WV:Map]]: do we really need to display multiple dynamic maps in one article? It seems redundant and tiresome to me. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 17:30, 13 June 2022 (UTC) ::: Can't we integrate the neighbourhoods into the normal map. Probably opacity should be tweaked for them not to dominate. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:02, 13 June 2022 (UTC) ::::{{re|LPfi}} [[Special:PermaLink/4467260]] is what it would look like if we merged the maps together. As someone with visual impairments, I find the second map (the one with listings) hard to read with all the colours as all the listings look cluttered, making it hard to identify where the POI is located. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 14 June 2022 (UTC) ::::: I lessened the opacity of the districts. Is <s>[[Special:Permalink/4467746|this]]</s> [[Special:Permalink/4467763|this]] still hard to read? It could still be lessened a tad if needed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:56, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::My eyes still prefer the map without the mapmasks, and I think the older map is easier to read for people with visual impairments. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::: OK. I undid the edit. I hope you noticed that I linked the previous version (oops), now fixed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:10, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::I don't think that the neighborhood map ''needs'' to be dynamic, but since dynamic is what we've got/until someone wants to make a static map, I've no objection to it being a dynamic map. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 03:28, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::I might be in the minority, but I actually think a dynamic map is better for all region articles, and not just bottom level region articles, and it brings me to the question; are there any users here who can make a static map? I've tried to make several static maps before, but unfortunately [[Wikivoyage:How to draw static maps]] is either unclear or out-of-date, and the only successful one that I've managed to draw was [[:File:Mungo NP static map.svg]], and that also looks terrible. Anecdotally speaking, the only time where I've found a static map way more helpful was when I was in [[Yosemite National Park]] earlier this year (and T-mobile was not that great in the [[Sierra Nevada]], but I didn't really need the map since it was a second visit to Yosemite). They're often difficult and time consuming to make, and they become hard to modify when change is required. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::::I'm sure they have all of those downsides, but I understand that dynamic maps don't print properly, which is also a problem. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Yes, I can make static maps, although I do not have much experience with this particular kind of map. I've never done it for WV, because it's a lot of work if you want to do it right. I don't really think it's worth the effort: 1) I'd never use a WV map (static nor dynamic) for actual navigation. That's what navigation apps (preferably with offline options) and proper paper maps are for. 2) I've been meaning to update the static map in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] for years now. But it's a raster graphics file, so in order to make clean changes, I'd basically have to re-create the whole map ([[Wikivoyage:How to draw static maps]] has some really bad advice in that regard). Even if it was SVG, I'd probably rather make a new one, because there's only so much you can do in a graphics program compared to something like Qqis. 3) The styles for static city/district and especially country/region maps look like it's still 2007. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Ibaman}} I made a static map but it's togglable. Does it still look a bit redundant? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:25, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ==API Key== On this map it says [https://wikivoyage.toolforge.org/w/poimap2.php?lat=-40.850425&lon=172.447319&zoom=16&layer=W&lang=en&name=Heaphy_Track API key required] when you switch to relief maps. Not sure who to raise this with to see about getting it fixed? [[User:Doc James|<span style="color:#0000f1">'''Travel Doc James'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Doc_James|talk]] · [[Special:Contributions/Doc_James|contribs]] · [[Special:EmailUser/Doc_James|email]]) 17:01, 16 June 2022 (UTC) :Just going by [[phab:T170976|this old phabricator task]], it seems that tool has been depreciated in favour of [[Heaphy_Track#/map/0/10/-40.7681/172.5609|Kartographer]] — are you able to use that instead? [[User:TheresNoTime|TheresNoTime]] ([[User talk:TheresNoTime|talk]]) 20:35, 16 June 2022 (UTC) ::The mapframe in [[Heaphy_Track#Walk]] doesn't appear to show the issue with the relief map layer. It appears that is only an issue with the full page map (from the icon at the top right of most pages. I think that mapframe is Kartographer based, but I don't know about the full page map. (It is worth keeping the full page map as it has some features missing from mapframe as is better for printing.) [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:38, 16 June 2022 (UTC) == Help archiving a talk page == Could someone please help me archive [[Talk:Bulgaria]]? I've already copied the old comments to a subpage and linked the subpage in the main talk, you only have to delete the old discussions. I can't do that because I'm too new and trying to do that triggers the page blanking filter. I want to start a new discussion about regions, and the old stuff on the talk page has made it unwieldy. [[User:Daggerstab|Daggerstab]] ([[User talk:Daggerstab|talk]]) 16:59, 17 June 2022 (UTC) :It's done. [[User:Daggerstab|Daggerstab]] ([[User talk:Daggerstab|talk]]) 17:12, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ::If you want to discuss regions, we should unarchive the previous regions discussion. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 17 June 2022 (UTC) == Article on bridges == I wonder if there are any engineers here who would be able to write an article on famous bridges. Of course, the ones that immediately come to mind are New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, London's Tower Bridge, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but I believe there would be numerous others that could be mentioned in such an article. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 20:12, 20 June 2022 (UTC) == Desktop Improvements update == [[File:Table of contents shown on English Wikipedia 02.webm|thumb]] ; Making this the new default Hello. I wanted to give you an update about the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|Desktop Improvements]] project, which the Wikimedia Foundation Web team has been working on for the past few years. Our work is almost finished! 🎉 We would love to see these improvements become the default for readers and editors across all wikis. <span style="background-color:#fc3;">In the coming weeks, we will begin conversations on more wikis, including yours. 🗓️</span> We will gladly read your suggestions! The goals of the project are to make the interface more welcoming and comfortable for readers and useful for advanced users. The project consists of a series of feature improvements which make it easier to read and learn, navigate within the page, search, switch between languages, use article tabs and the user menu, and more. The improvements are already visible by default for readers and editors on more than 30 wikis, including Wikipedias in [[:fr:|French]], [[:pt:|Portuguese]], and [[:fa:|Persian]]. The changes apply to the [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=vector}} Vector] skin only, although it will always be possible to revert to the previous version on an individual basis. [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=monobook}} Monobook] or [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=timeless}} Timeless] users will not notice any changes. ; The newest features * [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Features/Table of contents|Table of contents]] - our version is easier to reach, gain context of the page, and navigate throughout the page without needing to scroll. It is currently tested across our pilot wikis. It is also available for editors who have opted into the Vector 2022 skin. * [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Features/Page tools|Page tools]] - now, there are two types of links in the sidebar. There are actions and tools for individual pages (like [[Special:RecentChangesLinked|Related changes]]) and links of the wiki-wide nature (like [[Special:RecentChanges|Recent changes]]). We are going to separate these into two intuitive menus. ; How to enable/disable the improvements [[File:Desktop Improvements - how to enable globally.png|thumb|[[Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|{{int:globalpreferences}}]]]] * It is possible to opt-in individually [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|in the appearance tab within the preferences]] by selecting "{{int:skinname-vector-2022}}". Also, it is possible to opt-in on all wikis using the [[Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|global preferences]]. * On wikis where the changes are visible by default for all, logged-in users can always opt-out to the Legacy Vector. There is an easily accessible link in the sidebar of the new Vector. ; Learn more and join our events If you would like to follow the progress of our project, you can [[mw:Special:Newsletter/28/subscribe|subscribe to our newsletter]]. You can read the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|pages of the project]], check [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Frequently_asked_questions|our FAQ]], write on the [[mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|project talk page]], and [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web|join an online meeting with us]]. Thank you! [[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]] ([[User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|talk]]) 16:59, 21 June 2022 (UTC) <!-- Message sent by User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:SGrabarczuk_(WMF)/sandbox/MM/En_fallback&oldid=23430301 --> :Thank you. :Most of our pages use the pagebanner template to display the table of contents rather than the standard method. Will this be impacted by your proposed changes? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:58, 21 June 2022 (UTC) ::At least in the current version they seem to get along quite well. Page banner still works, but there's an additional TOC in the side bar. You can try for yourself by enabling ''Vector (2022)'' in your preferences. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 14:22, 22 June 2022 (UTC) :::Try it out: :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page?useskin=Vector-2022 (still cropping the first image, so we only get half of Australia) :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Random?useskin=Vector-2022 :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Random?useskin=Vector-2022&tableofcontents=0 (with the floating Table of Contents disabled) :::[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:31, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks. That looks fine. ::::Looking at an example page, it does appear that slightly less page width is allocated to the article and more to the left column, but I haven't investigated, and the different appearance may be an improvement. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 20:49, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ; Join us on Tuesday Join an online meeting with the team working on the Desktop Improvements! It will take place on '''28 June 2022 at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20220628T1200 12:00 UTC] and [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20220628T1900 19:00 UTC]''' on Zoom. '''[https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/5304280674 Click here to join]'''. Meeting ID: 5304280674. [https://wikimedia.zoom.us/u/kc2hamfYz9 Dial by your location]. The following events will take place on 12 July and 26 July. The meeting will not be recorded or streamed. Notes will be taken in a [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G4tfss-JBVxyZMxGlOj5MCBhOO-0sLekquFoa2XiQb8/edit# Google Docs file] and copied to [[etherpad:p/web-team-office-hours|Etherpad]]. [[mw:User:OVasileva_(WMF)|Olga Vasileva]] (the Product Manager) will be hosting this meeting. The presentation part will be given in English. At this meeting, both [[foundation:Friendly_space_policy|Friendly space policy]] and the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Code_of_Conduct|Code of Conduct]] for Wikimedia technical spaces apply. Zoom is not subject to the [[foundation:Privacy_policy|WMF Privacy Policy]]. We can answer questions asked in English and [[mw:Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web/28-06-2022|a number of other languages]]. If you would like to ask questions in advance, add them on the [[mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|talk page]] or send them to sgrabarczuk{{@}}wikimedia.org. We hope to see you! [[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]] ([[User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|talk]]) 21:44, 23 June 2022 (UTC) {{tracked|T311771}} :I have just posted a new topic here and immediately had to edit it. See: :https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage%3ATravellers%27_pub&type=revision&diff=4472722&oldid=4472721 [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:22, 25 June 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]],@[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:22, 25 June 2022 (UTC) :::This needs [[User:Whatamidoing (WMF)|work-me]] to file a Phab ticket. Thanks for letting me know. I'm curious: could you see the <nowiki><blockquote> tags in the visual editor while you were typing? Did you paste them in, or type them, or use a keyboard shortcut?</nowiki> [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 05:25, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks for your prompt reply @[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]],believe it or not my memory of this incident is already fuzzy in my memory. I know I originally typed in the ''< blockquote >'' tag, but I may have copy&mpasted it later (I sometimes do that if I have to go investigate somewhere else before posting a half-baked post). ::::I also discovered since, that this version of the software implemented on wiki-voyage (it is different on other wmf-wikis I participate on) has two alternative modes of input (undocumented?): ::::*Visual ::::and ::::*Source ::::I think I was originally put on '''Visual''' by default, but now I am on '''Source''' by default, and I am also seeing a preview pane which was not there before, I think? It would also be great if I could add an edit summary, which I can using the shall-we-call-it-reply software elsewhere. ::::I hope I am making sense in this garbled reply? [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 14:41, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Click on the "Advanced" option above the copyright/licensing statement. Most people don't use a meaningful/custom edit summary in discussions, but you can add one if you want to. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:18, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::::: Edit summaries are very useful also for discussions, especially at busy pages like the pub. It is often the case that some of the threads have gone down some less interesting paths, and I read them only if somebody brings up a new point (mentioned in the edit summary). When there have been new posts in several threads, I might miss some of them, unless the edit summary caught my attention on the watchlist. And the most irritating of all: making an edit to existing posts without telling that in the summary – I scroll down to the end of the thread, find nothing new, check earlier pre-outdent posts, finding nothing there, search for today's date, no match, then click history and diff, to finally find that change of phrasing or whatever, which often didn't add anything of value to what I've already read. Please write "ce" or whatever. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:38, 1 July 2022 (UTC) == Is COVID over? == I was surprised to see this announcement on <nowiki>https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases</nowiki> : <blockquote> As of 20 June 2022, ECDC is discontinuing the data collection and publication of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide. Please refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) data on COVID-19 and the WHO Weekly Epidemiological and Weekly Operational Updates page for the non-EU/EEA countries. ECDC will continue providing weekly updates for EU/EEA Member States and report on an ad-hoc basis about significant events related to COVID-19 globally. ECDC has been collecting data on the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for all countries in the EU/EEA and globally for more than two years. The data collected by ECDC will continue to be available in an archived format.</blockquote>< So it appears that the EU thinks COVID is no longer an issue? [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:06, 25 June 2022 (UTC) :COVID will never be "over", in that it will not stop circulating in our lifetimes, but broadly speaking people's lifestyles will continue to get closer to how they were before the pandemic. Evidently ECDC has decided not to publish this particular set of data anymore, but if I understand correctly, other sources are still publishing substantively the same data for the time being. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 22:07, 25 June 2022 (UTC) : It is definitely not over. Current statistics are available from many sources, none 100% reliable. [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries Worldometers] Probably the most worrisome number is that there are still 18.75 million active cases (diagnosed but not yet either dead or recovered) plus some infected but not diagnosed; those can spread the disease. The US still has about 3.3 million active cases, though that number has been falling. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 03:59, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :: I don't know whether Finland is typical for EU, but here the government more or less gave up on COVID-19 in early spring. They decided that it is spreading too fast to be stopped, that with most of the population triple-vaccinated "few" get a serious disease, and life has to go on. It seems people took them on the word, I think that less than one in ten is using masks. Incidence and death toll have been record high (statistics on cases is unreliable though, as people don't get official tests), but there are only some critical voices. Non-vaccinated have restrictions on passing the border (tests or quarantine required) but vaccinated EU-citizens can come and go as they please, nightclubs etc. are crowded, and big events are taking place like they used to. You can still find masks and tests in any shop, not as in Denmark where that is finished too. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 17:55, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::Yes, in Finland COVID hasn't been the main news topic for several months (partially also due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine). On 1 July they're dropping also the entry restrictions and health controls for people entering from outside the Schengen and in shops I've as of lately seen discounts on home tests and masks being "phased out from our product selection". The Department of Health and Wellbeing (THL) publishes [https://www.thl.fi/episeuranta/tautitapaukset/coronamap.html statistics] showing cases and deaths have dropped remarkably since the spring. So at least for the moment it seems to be over, but one can never know what the situation looks like in the autumn. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 18:33, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::: Confirmed cases per 100,000 per 14 days is still in the hundreds, even though you aren't recommended to take an official test unless you get serious symptoms (as in needing hospital care). In some professions the tests are still taken, I assume. Anyway, the incidence – if counting factual cases – seems to be at least as bad as in the late autumn. 30% of actual tests are positive, when the figure used to be ~1% before the vaccines. There are about 10 persons in intensive care, while the number was about 50 at the worst time. Much better now, but far from over. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:00, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::: The health care centre still recommends mask use. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:03, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::Data collection has ended, but I don't think the EU considers COVID to no longer be an issue. I think we should leave, in current circumstances, the COVID notice on our [[main page]] until the end of the year, pending future updates on its spread. Apart from that notice and international travel information, COVID is barely mentioned on this wiki. I think the current notices in place make sense in our environment. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 13:15, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::Right now, the focus where I am in [[New South Wales]] is mostly the flu (for the record, I've caught it twice within the last 31 days, with the last time just 4 days ago, hence why my editing activity has increased). The only news of COVID that I've really been hearing is either about COVID in China, or about our lockdown last year. However, as some countries still have restrictions on entry, I would say keep the COVID banner on the main page until September, and if September is deemed too early, then we can do another review then. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:51, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::In New South Wales, masking is still compulsory on public transport and the majority of people follow the rule. There is also a 7-day isolation rule if you test positive. I disagree about messaging only being about the flu. Public messaging from the government and media has always been about a dual virus winter here over the past few months (encouraging both vaccinations, etc.). In any case, this wiki is about travel, not just living in one's own city. Travellers started to get affected by Covid-19 from Janaury 2020, not March 2020 when most countries first went into lockdown. International travel will also be the last activity/industry that will fully return to normal so it makes sense to keep the notice for a while longer. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 14:34, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::To me, if the purpose is to help people, it can be removed. I don't think the article has been helpful for at least a year if ever. If the purpose is just to have something there, then it could stay or go. I don't think it's necessary to leave it up until every last country has lifted every restriction. Japan hasn't had any meaningful changes in its policies for 2 years in spite of less severe variants and vaccines, but it is already an outlier and becoming increasingly so. The country articles should still have information about entry which is basically the only information people care about. Leaving it until then end of the summer (September) as suggested seems reasonable though. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] ([[User talk:ChubbyWimbus|talk]]) 14:52, 27 June 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} Most of the world has transitioned to living with the virus. The main exceptions are Japan, China and Taiwan. In the case of China, most of the elderly are unwilling to get vaccinated, and given how Hong Kong's hospitals were overwhelmed (to the point that the mortuaries ran out of space and bodies of COVID victims were piling up in the wards) during their last surge due to the same problem, I don't think China will reopen for the forseeable future. They might want to wait until all these unvaccinated elderly die of other causes before they reopen to foreigners. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :The idea that the pandemic is over is absurd and highly premature. I would strongly suggest for us to wait until at least the end of the year before jumping to conclusions, because it's quite likely that there will be another surge in the fall, and the large number of unvaccinated people around the world are a great source of new strains. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:04, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::I think whether "the pandemic" is over depends a lot on how you define "a pandemic". It's basically a political definition, not a biological one, so reasonable people and organizations can disagree on whether the current state should still be called "a pandemic". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::: Whether it is still a pandemic by some definition is less relevant. Are the restrictions stable enough that they are better handled together with other entry requirements, and in Cope, or in the current boxes? Is the disease different enough (as disease and as a social phenomenon) that it warrants its own article instead of being a bullet in [[Infectuous diseases]]? I think restrictions still vary fast enough that ease of maintenance is important, and then a template is the better solution, and people still see it as different from the flue and tuberculosis. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 20:39, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::The [https://www.medicinenet.com/pandemic/definition.htm definition of "pandemic"] is basically a medical one. If you'd like to say that the definition of "high degree of death" is a political one, that's another question. "The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 627,000 in 2020" per the [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria WHO], yet it's considered endemic to Africa, rather than even epidemic. Why? I think in significant part because those with enough money to stanch the death rate mostly live outside of Africa and prefer to ignore the deaths, plus it doesn't get spread around the world in areas with no types of mosquitoes that are vectors. But saying that the definition of "pandemic" is basically political is odd, because most people hadn't heard the word used at all until 2019-20, or at least not since at least the days when AIDS was out of control in their countries (and again, Africa suffers from less medical care; see the pattern?). [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:48, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::The definition of pandemic varies between sources. Is it an epidemic [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dr8dyuzvTkC&pg=PA179#v=onepage&q&f=false "crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting a large number of people"]? How do you define "affecting", and what constitutes "a large number" of people? Those are both political choices. Is it instead something that happens [https://www.britannica.com/science/pandemic "over a wide geographical area and that is of high prevalence, generally affecting a significant proportion of the world’s population"]? Who decides what constitutes "high" prevalence, and "a significant proportion"? Basically, people make these decisions. They'll decide that these effects are really "affecting" you but these others aren't (e.g., every new version of the common cold), or that the people affected aren't "large" or "significant" enough, or that (as with the malaria decision) the key point is that it happens all the time at a fairly stable rate within each population, rather than being new. (Some definitions say that pandemics must always be a new disease, or at least one that almost nobody has immunological resistance to; others don't.) :::::People – not science – pick which definition to apply (different definitions for different conditions), people decide which effects "count" and whether enough people are affected, and then people decide whether to apply this label. There have been hard-and-fast definitions for some similar concepts in the past, but pandemic is a somewhat flexible concept. ("School epidemic" in some places has been defined as a certain percentage of enrolled students being out of school with the same disease/symptoms. An old friend of mine accidentally set off a measles epidemic in her high school in the 1950s. She caught it somewhere, unwittingly brought it to school, and it turned out that almost none of the students in her school had had measles before. The teachers were mostly fine, but a huge number of students were out sick over the next month.) :::::Here at the English Wikivoyage, though, I think LPfi has good advice. We should consider it from the practical angle rather than the "does the current situation technically match my preferred definition" angle. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:56, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::It seems to me, the most likely way to have fair definitions of medical concepts is to let public health authorities and not politicians define them. In any case, I think that it's fairly clear that COVID-19 remains a serious disease that's affecting travel in various ways, so we shouldn't be in a rush to deemphasize it and should let the crisis play out. Seeing how there's been a surge each Northern Hemisphere fall, I would suggest waiting till we see what happens in January, 2023 (i.e., after any effects of Christmas/New Years travel and get-togethers are clear) before possibly making any decisions about a fundamental change in coverage here. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:14, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::Personally, I think that late January 2023 would be a fine time to discuss it. Christmas travel includes Epiphany in some countries, and if you add two or three weeks after that to find out what happened, then we should have fairly clear information. :::::::Thinking long-term, one possibility is to consider a seasonal cold-and-flu-and-covid page. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:36, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::That could be a good thing in the longer term, if it's not felt to be giving short shrift to other threats like malaria, zika, dengue, Lyme disease and so forth. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:39, 30 June 2022 (UTC) == How to fix a bunch of grey unnecessary markers on the map? == {{mapframe|55.7773|37.6062|zoom=9}} {{Mapshape}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[Moscow/Central-East|Moscow Central-East]]|wikidata=Q1412002|stroke-opacity=0.1}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[Moscow/Zelenograd and New Moscow|Zelenograd and New Moscow]]|wikidata=Q207695,Q462497,Q462589|stroke-opacity=0.1}} {{Mapshapes|Q5499}} <!-- Moscow Metro --> Results as shown on the map, how to fix a bunch of grey unnecessary markers on the map? Can help? thanks. [[User:Yuriy_kosygin|✈ IGOR]] ／ [[User talk:Yuriy_kosygin| ✉ TALK?!]] ^{''．WIKIVOYAGER !''} 17:17, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :@[[User:Yuriy kosygin|Yuriy kosygin]] We've discussed this quite a number of times before. The issue is this data comes from OpenStreetMap and there's no way to remove the unnecessary grey markers unless you completely comment out the transport lines. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::Alas... Wikivoyage is really weak, I'm afraid we'll have to draw the route own. [[User:Yuriy_kosygin|✈ IGOR]] ／ [[User talk:Yuriy_kosygin| ✉ TALK?!]] ^{''．WIKIVOYAGER !''} 15:34, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::There has to be a way to fix this idiocy on OpenStreetMap, but in the meantime, we need to eliminate this crap from our site. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:25, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Could we make the gray actually be 100% transparent? It would still be visible, but perhaps not such a disaster. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:38, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::If I recall correctly, the issue at hand was that we couldn't make the distinction between line elements and point elements. I don't master Lua myself, so I can't make sense of whether this would be a viable workaround for [[Module:Mapshapes]]. @[[User:Andree.sk|Andree.sk]], any words on this? <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 18:22, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::: Mapshapes is just a thin helper to instantiate {{tl|mapshape}}, which is the main culprint. In turn, that one uses the kartographer stuff, which can't be trivially adjusted. But there may be some hacks, I'll try to try something in the coming weeks... -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 20:47, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::The only other solution is to manually trace out the route on geojson.io and then add it to the article (see [[Canberra/Acton]] for an example of how this is done) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::While I don't question this working, it does come with a substantial downside: It's not 'automatically' updated whenever the line changes route (in reality, OSM-contributors update it and we import the dataset they edit). This leaves us with a lot of extra work, which I expect will get out of date quite quickly. Perhaps not for metro's, but definitely for trams or BRT's. Drawing the lines ourselves can work for cities that see regular edits or that have docents capable of editing GeoJSON data (and willing to do so). I strongly prefer making Mapshapes work, even if it's a workaround over manually doing the work ourselves. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 08:30, 1 July 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} At the German Wikivoyage I added a rule to [[MediaWiki:Kartographer.css]] which hides the grey pushpin markers. <syntaxhighlight lang="css"> /* Removing grey pushpin markers on mapframe maps */ img[src$="pin-m+7e7e7e.png"], img[src$="pin-m+7e7e7e@2x.png"] { display: none; } </syntaxhighlight> Unfortunately, I cannot make the edit by myself. But I am sure your admins can do it. --[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]] ([[User talk:RolandUnger|talk]]) 09:24, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :{{ping|Andyrom75}} given you're the only active interface admin here, can you add the three-line code? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:16, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::I checked the positions of the markers, and they are the stops/stations of the public transport lines. However they don't give the name of the stop, but only the name of the line. The name of the line is already displayed by clicking the line. So, with the present marker texts, no new info is available. If the marker info would have the name of the stop it indicates, displaying them could be useful. I tested from which zoom level displaying the markers is not disturbing anymore, and came to zoom level 14-19 may show the markers, below 14 not. And this zoom level dependent conditional showing of the markers should only be done if the markers contain the names of the stops. If it is impossible to have the names of the stops in the markers, markers should never be shown. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:18, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :::While I agree that they could be useful to some extent, the thing is that we can't properly make the distinction between lines, polygons or points/markers in the data that we fetch from OpenStreetMap. At present we also cannot import the names of these stations/halts (I believe this data gets lost between Wikidata and OSM, but I might be wrong). Roland's solution above is just a workaround that hides the marker, but the point itself stays on the map albeit invisible. So long as we can't make the distinction properly, we sadly can't implement these markers in a more useful way either. For that distinction to be made, the Kartographer extension needs additional functionalities, which we've been asking for for several years already. Until we get that, it's either hiding the markers or accepting them as-they-come, the latter of which is a lot less popular. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 12:48, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :@[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], do we have any other admins who can do this? Another option would be using JavaScript, but using CSS is much cleaner... Also, alternatively to 'display: none', we could change opacity to e.g. 0.3, that also looks quite ok. -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 09:31, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::I really don't know. I hope other admins are reading this thread. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::This needs an interface admin to do it and as far as I'm aware, {{ping|Andyrom75}} is the only interface admin who has been active recently. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:38, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say it wouldn't hurt to have at least 2-3 people with those permissions - even if they need guidance for doing technical changes... -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 10:15, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:WOSlinker|WOSlinker]] maybe, then? -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 10:51, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Sorry guys, I've read the conversation just right now. ::::::[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]], I have created [[MediaWiki:Kartographer.css]] as per your code, but not so much time for testing. The gray POI has disappeared; it's enough? Any side effect to be checked? ::::::[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], thanks for pinging me twice. Next time, in case of emergency, leave a message on my it:voy talk page. --[[User:Andyrom75|<span style="color:#BB0000; font-family:Papyrus; font-size:12px">'''Andyrom75'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Andyrom75|talk]]) 16:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It helped, thanks both to you and Roland! :) -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 19:28, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::: There are no side effects. The names of the pushpin images contain their colors, and this particular color is not used elsewhere. Of course, the way proposed is a workaround not a real solution but it is useful. The grey pushpin markers are present up to now, but they are invisible (hidden). --[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]] ([[User talk:RolandUnger|talk]]) 04:23, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]], thanks for your confirmation. --[[User:Andyrom75|<span style="color:#BB0000; font-family:Papyrus; font-size:12px">'''Andyrom75'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Andyrom75|talk]]) 10:00, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: Brilliant work. Thanks to everyone who contributed to finding a workaround.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:52, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Is this something that we should share with other wikis? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:15, 14 July 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} A permanent solution to this problem has been implemented but not published for whatever reason (see https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T292613). --[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 14:14, 16 July 2022 (UTC) == Results of Wiki Loves Folklore 2022 is out! == <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> {{int:please-translate}} [[File:Wiki Loves Folklore Logo.svg|right|150px|frameless]] Hi, Greetings The winners for '''[[c:Commons:Wiki Loves Folklore 2022|Wiki Loves Folklore 2022]]''' is announced! We are happy to share with you winning images for this year's edition. This year saw over 8,584 images represented on commons in over 92 countries. Kindly see images '''[[:c:Commons:Wiki Loves Folklore 2022/Winners|here]]''' Our profound gratitude to all the people who participated and organized local contests and photo walks for this project. We hope to have you contribute to the campaign next year. '''Thank you,''' '''Wiki Loves Folklore International Team''' --[[User:MediaWiki message delivery|MediaWiki message delivery]] ([[User talk:MediaWiki message delivery|talk]]) 16:12, 4 July 2022 (UTC) </div> <!-- Message sent by User:Tiven2240@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Distribution_list/Non-Technical_Village_Pumps_distribution_list&oldid=23454230 --> == Using a separate colour for freeways on static maps == [[File:Greater Brisbane regions map.png|thumb|350px]] Right now, our current Wikivoyage style for static maps is to use red for a main road, while use yellow for secondary roads. While the criteria for what's a main road and what's a secondary road is fairly arbitrary and up to whoever's making the map to decide, I was wondering whether we should consider using a different colour for freeways/motorways? While I'm still new to this static mapmaking business, I personally find such a distinction of what's an ordinary road and what's a freeway useful, and many people often either want to use freeways or try to avoid them. Our dynamic maps already use a different colour for freeways, so why not static? I wanted to make such a distinction when I made a static map for [[Greater Brisbane]] today (on right), but such a change would be against Wikivoyage-style, so I'm asking the community for input; and if we do use a separate colour to distinguish freeways from normal roads, what would it be? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:24, 5 July 2022 (UTC) [[File:Southern Tasmania regions.png|thumb|350px]] :I tried using orange to identify freeways in the map of Southern Tasmania that I just created (on right). Is it obvious that the route coloured orange means a freeway? (I really want answers so I can take note of what I should do differently for my next static map) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:32, 5 July 2022 (UTC) :: What a colour means is never obvious, unless you know something about the destination. The colour could just mean "main highways" or whatever. :: I think that there are many more things that might be interesting for at least some travellers, and most travellers to some destinations. How do we show good cycling routes? Roads with good bus service? Nice pedestrian routes? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 17:14, 5 July 2022 (UTC) :::I don't think any colour schemes are immediately obvious wordwide. For a UK map, I would be tempted to use the same as some OS maps - blue for motorways, red for A roads, brown for B roads and yellow for minor roads, but some UK road atlases use green for A roads as this is the colour used on road signs. Another complication is the use of different colour fills for regions - a yellow road on a yellow background isn't good - spot the roads going to Richmond in Southern Tasmania. :::Is it possible to use slightly different line widths to indicate road importance? We also need to allow for things like long distance walking tracks or off-road cycle routes. As both examples have a lot of sea, they could have a key explaining the colours. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:45, 5 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Agreed. Map making 101: Every map needs a legend (key), and every symbol used in that map (intuitive or not) needs to be explained in that legend. That way you can add whatever is needed. Having a consistent style for static maps is a ''nice to have''; it should not get in the way of making maps ''useful''. ::::The color issue mentioned by AlasdairW is part of of a bigger problem: The different elements used in the map are unbalanced in terms of contrast (color, saturation, brightness) and visual weight (size, thickness). ::::1) The lines used for the roads are too thin in relation to everything else. After enlarging enough to properly see the roads, the text labels are way larger than they need to be. This is a static map: pick one scale and apply it consistently, using an appropriate degree of generalization. ::::2) Visual importance of borders (thickness, color contrast of the white vs. area colors) is too high given that areas already have different colors. Line thickness of borders is also inconsistent in the second map. ::::3) In general, having areas colored that heavily (dark & saturated) creates all kinds of problems for the visibility of makers, line elements and text labels. "Brisbane" in the first map is practically unreadable, for example. In [[:File:Georgia_regions_map2.png]], for example, that is much less of an issue due to different color choices. ::::Unfortunately, the region maps template is basically calling for many of these problems to occur. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 13:41, 6 July 2022 (UTC) [[File:Southern Tasmania regions map.png|thumb|350px]] :::::I've added a key to the Southern Tas static map (on right). How does this look? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 9 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::But unfortunately, I have to agree with El Grafo that our region maps are at the very least, unreadable and awful-looking. If I had to design a static map from the start, this is not the way I would do it, but unfortunately the community is unwilling to accept that, in this very day and age, dynamic maps are far superior to static maps. There are few people who can edit static maps in the first place, and the two only editors (excluding myself) that I'm aware of who have even edited in the past month are {{u|Shaundd}} and {{u|SelfieCity}}. The only reason I'm making these maps is because our policy favours static maps in region articles but otherwise I think we need to revamp the region maps template. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:15, 9 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::I know this is a minor point, but I like the color scheme you are using. It feels just the right amount of trendy/modern/not outdated. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 18:11, 9 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I do like the lighter colours in the color scheme though. From [[Template:StdColor]], T1, T6, T8 and T9 feel a bit too dark (hence what's causing these problems), but a static map does look very nice if the right colors are used. So far, my favorite has to be the map I made for [[Southeastern New South Wales]], and I've been trying to make more maps like that. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:37, 10 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::: Hi {{u|SHB2000}}, I think it's fine if you want to experiment a bit use different colours and distinguish motorways. I did motorways differently for a while on maps I drew but eventually stopped because I felt it was more detail/clutter than benefit and it became another colour that had to integrated with the colour palette (which didn't always work). ::::::::: I also agree with the others above that our standard colours don't always work. I ended up moving away from them so I could get a better contrast between the region colour and the text (improves readability quite a bit). -[[User:Shaundd|Shaundd]] ([[User talk:Shaundd|talk]]) 07:05, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: The problem may be that our regional map template colors were not originally designed to accommodate details like roads. They work fine for plainer regional maps like [[New York (state)]] or [[Massachusetts]]. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 20:34, 15 July 2022 (UTC) == Road signs == There have been some discussions and addition and removal of galleries related to European road signs. As European non-driver it is hard for me to guess what signs are important to explain e.g. for US drivers. As the signs are pictogram-based, many of them are intuitive, but certainly not all. I assume other European editors also don't know what would be optimal, so I think we need others to weight in. There are some galleries in [[Driving in Europe]] and more for individual countries. As the variation is small between continental EU countries, there is little need for duplication per se, but I don't know to what extent one can assume drivers to read both the European article and the ones for individual countries (which have their peculiarities). Do drivers study traffic law or traffic signs before driving in a new country? I assume they are not, at least not to any great degree, but I might be wrong, and that would of course affect what we need to tell. Some of the articles became rather picture-heavy with a few less-established editors doing a lot of editing regarding images. I think we shouldn't apply our minimal-use-of-images policy to hard, as most images in these articles are informative rather than decorations. Some are of course also needed to give a feeling for the driving environment. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:57, 11 July 2022 (UTC) :As a US driver, I think that stop signs and signs for speed limits would be the most immediately necessary. You can't really drive anywhere if you don't know those two. There are others that might be useful (e.g., Yield) but won't turn up as often. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:00, 11 July 2022 (UTC) ::EU driver here. Wikipedia has a great [[:w:Comparison of European road signs]]. Road signs in Europe are indeed pretty consistent and mostly follow the Vienna conventions. I think it would make sense for the individual ''Driving in country X'' articles to mostly rely on (and prominently link to) a central article about that (e.g. [[Driving in Europe]] or the Rules section of [[:w:Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]]), so that the country articles can focus on pointing out where the country diverges from the norm in a way that could cause confusion. ::So for example, [[Driving in Europe]] would tell you that stop signs are always stop sign-shaped, always stop sign-colored and ''almost'' always use the word STOP, whereas [[Driving in Turkey]] might tell you that Turkey is pretty much the only country in Europe where they use local language (DUR) instead of STOP. [[Driving in Ireland]] might feel tempted to point out that the country uses [[:w:Comparison_of_MUTCD-influenced_traffic_signs|MUTCD-style]] warning signs, but that's probably more of a ''nice to know''. Pointing out that they (apparently) use [[:w:Belisha beacon]]s for pedestrian crossings would probably be a good idea, though. [[Driving in the Netherlands]] would probably talk about the relevance of blue vs. yellow curbs for parking rather than re-iterating that the prohibitory signs are round? ::Looking at existing ''Driving in X'' articles, I feel that ::* most of the example pictures in [[Driving_in_France#Traffic rules]] are unnecessary, as they are no different from other European countries and thus redundant to [[Driving in Europe]] (currently not linked). ::* [[Driving in Portugal#Road signs]] contains so many redundant examples that it's difficult to identify the ones that are specific to Portugal. ::* [[Driving in Sweden#Road signs]] and [[Driving in the United Kingdom#Road signs]] are mostly redundant too, but at least they stick to the important ones. ::*I don't know how I feel about the use of miniature versions of road signs in lists in [[Driving in Norway#Rules and regulations]] and [[Driving in Iceland#Rules and regulations]]. ::The other articles listed in [[Driving in Europe#Countries]] loo fine to me. Links to [[Driving in Europe]] are largely missing, though. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 14:49, 12 July 2022 (UTC) :::Australian driver here. Our signage is very similar to US signage, but with four major exceptions: :::* we have give way signs as opposed to yield signs :::* passing cars is called overtaking as passing is only used when you pass cyclists :::* signs that are only used RHS countries are flipped (e.g. roundabout signs) :::* our speed signs is a mix of both US and EU speed signs; we have that white background but use the red circle ([https://goo.gl/maps/uRJbytw9jRVq4SRC9 a sign in the NT for ref]) :::Sometimes we do have our own minor modifications, such as exit signs (cf. [https://goo.gl/maps/nR3uHo2B9Qb75mSp9 US] and [https://goo.gl/maps/JaiaKyXX9qtMvaQGA Aus (specifically Qld)]), but whenever I travel to the US, I've never had an issue with understanding signage. For the record, from my limited experience in NZ, they look very similar to Australian signs but with a few minor differences. :::In Europe, were very different to what I saw in Aus or the US, but thankfully due to standardised signs, I did not have a problem when travelling in different countries (the signs in Norway, albeit different were very similar to the signs in France). However, most EU signs were self-explanatory, so for the most part, comprehending them wasn't a problem. In South and Southeast Asia, they weren't standardised, but they were very similar. ::: Re [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]]'s comment: I understand speed signs (though they're pretty much the same everywhere outside the US, Canada and maybe Liberia), aren't stop signs the same, octagonal sign everywhere? I've yet to see a stop sign that isn't red and octagonal. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:57, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::[[File:Japan_road_sign_330-B.svg|thumb|What's this?]] ::::Most places are using red octagons, frequently even with the English word "STOP", but not quite everywhere. Even in places where the red octagon is common, there may be a few old signs that haven't quite been replaced yet or the occasional variation, like [[:File:Blue stop sign - hawaii - oct 2015.jpg|Hawaii's blue stop signs]]. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 03:56, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::After doing more digging, it seems [[:File:Cuban Stop Sign.svg|Cuba's stop sign]] is also triangular (like Japan's), but if a country uses the standard octagonal sign, wouldn't it simply make more sense to write that in plain text? (e.g. New Zealand's stop sign is exactly the same as in Australia or the United States or something like that) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:07, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::It seems stop signs are among the most standardized signs worldwide, both in areas that use Vienna convention and MUTCD-style signs. I'd go so far to say that they are not worth mentioning (let alone showing) at all unless they actually diverge from that de-facto norm (red and white octagon). <small>Interestingly enough, you can actually find the Cuban design in the [[:w:Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] as an alternative design.</small> [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 08:58, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::The "Cuban design" is (or was) a fairly common alternative. It was being installed in the UK up to 1975, and in Italy to 1990. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:06, 13 July 2022 (UTC) == Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass == :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi all, Community members in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022|2022 Board of Trustees election]] are invited to [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass|propose statements to use in the Election Compass.]] An Election Compass is a tool to help voters select the candidates that best align with their beliefs and views. The community members will propose statements for the candidates to answer using a Lickert scale (agree/neutral/disagree). The candidates’ answers to the statements will be loaded into the Election Compass tool. Voters will use the tool by entering in their answer to the statements (agree/disagree/neutral). The results will show the candidates that best align with the voter’s beliefs and views. Here is the timeline for the Election Compass: July 8 - 20: Community members propose statements for the Election Compass July 21 - 22: Elections Committee reviews statements for clarity and removes off-topic statements July 23 - August 1: Volunteers vote on the statements August 2 - 4: Elections Committee selects the top 15 statements August 5 - 12: candidates align themselves with the statements August 15: The Election Compass opens for voters to use to help guide their voting decision The Elections Committee will select the top 15 statements at the beginning of August. The Elections Committee will oversee the process, supported by the Movement Strategy and Governance team. MSG will check that the questions are clear, there are no duplicates, no typos, and so on. Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee'' [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 13:26, 11 July 2022 (UTC) == Crazy new feature idea -- personal itineraries == What if we had a way for a user (probably a logged-in user) to save individual listings to a custom itinerary? (Not a [[Wikivoyage:Itineraries|Wikivoyage Itinerary]], just in the generic sense of the word.) Or even save individual listings to a Google Map? Some way a user could record places he or she wants to go? [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 20:37, 15 July 2022 (UTC) :Something kinda like this? [[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500/test places]] --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 23:29, 15 July 2022 (UTC) ::Roughly, but see my response to WhatamIdoing well below. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::The way I understand the idea, is it's like a personalised version of an article, that lists only the POIs that the owner is interested in. That is already doable by a manual copy-and-paste, but I assume the idea is for something more high-tech, where the user could just tap or click a button on a listing in [[Prague]], which copies the listing over to [[ThunderingTyphoons!' Prague itinerary]]. ::That seems like a great idea to me, but I don't know how to implement it.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:22, 16 July 2022 (UTC) *{{o}} First of all, there are multiple issues with this proposal. The first and the foremost is that most readers don't have an account and IP users are not allowed to have user pages or user subpages; IPs periodically change over time so if we are going to be the only Wikimedia project that openly allows such, then we're going to have to do some serious janitorial work in deleting these subpages after a few months. Additionally, this is going to require some brand new tools and gadgets that will take a lot of time – really not worth the time and effort. Finally, saving individual listings to Google Maps is against our [[what not to link to]] policy, so no, I oppose this proposal. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::What do you mean, IP users are not allowed to have user pages or subpages? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:32, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::I don't know whether it's a global policy or a policy only on Meta-Wiki and I think Wikipedia too, but as far as I'm aware, both those projects speedily delete IP userpages or IP subpages as IPs aren't permanently assigned to one user. Our policies don't seem to say anything about this, but maybe {{u|WhatamIdoing}} might be able to explain this better. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:41, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::::enwiki allows IP user pages, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:220.101.28.25 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:81.168.80.170 [[User:Twsabin|Twsabin]] ([[User talk:Twsabin|talk]]) 14:39, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::::We do, too. IPs' user pages are never deleted here unless they are spam or vandalism. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:50, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Those seem to be at least a decade old though. I just tried making one and the software wouldn't allow me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:23, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::That's very disconcerting. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 00:07, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I managed to create one, first ensuring I was in an incognito window. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 23:25, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::With respect, SHB2000, I think your objections are ill-considered. Firstly, I didn't say anything about IP user pages or subpages; there may very well be ways to implement this that don't rely on them. Second, while it's true that this would require some development effort, you don't even attempt to make a case that the benefit isn't "worth the time and effort". Yes, it would be a lot of effort, but if the return is great enough, it might still be "worth it". (I'm not making a claim either way, just pointing out that you failed to support yours.) Third, [[what not to link to]] is about things that are better done here on Wikivoyage; if you're claiming it shouldn't be on Wikivoyage in the first place, then [[what not to link to]] doesn't apply. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Okay, so if I wasn't clear enough, here's a longer but briefer explanation. Such a tool would work very similar to the already existing editor, but maintaining such scripts is ''very'' difficult (I do maintain a few of these scripts IRL) and even if this went ahead, there are a few issues: :::* Like the listing editor, users will need to have javascript enabled. Without javascript, it simply won't work. :::* If this tool just copies down all the important pieces of a listing to a separate page, the tool needs to give attribution in the edit summary – otherwise, it's a violation of our copyleft license. :::* This won't work for outline articles that have little to no content :::* Users might be intimidated if they want to edit the listing – I'm guessing only maybe 1 or 2 per cent of our readers will know what Wikidata is (which is one of the main sources we use to get coordinates). :::What more, this exact same thing can be done with [http://geojson.io/#map=10/-34.9602/149.1497 geojson.io]. We have few editors who actively maintain scripts like these, and only a fraction out of the few who can will be willing to spend a lot of time and effort into something that isn't even really worth spending that much time anyway. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:22, 19 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks for explaining further, but I really think you're getting hung up on implementation details that might not even apply for some of the directions we could go with this feature. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 12:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Powers, were you thinking about individual listings (first the museum, then the restaurant, back to the hotel), or about destinations (San Francisco, then Napa Valley, then Yosemite)? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 21:07, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::Individual listings. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) * What's stopping a user from creating a personal itinerary in userspace under current policy? I'm curious as to the need for a change. As for as I'm concerned, I could create an itinerary in userspace based on an OSM map, and surely, it wouldn't be deleted as out of scope? I'd prefer for the above reasons to avoid Google Maps. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 21:22, 18 July 2022 (UTC) *:I already have that: [[User:AlasdairW/Testpage]]. This is currently showing a few places that I stayed in in 2018. At that time it was used to send to friends showing where I would be staying on a trip - they got the dates etc in an email that linked to this page. *:I would support having a policy that explicitly allowed such a page (for signed in users), as they might be more inclined to also update the article pages at the same time. I think that such pages should stick to using our mapframes, although I would be happy with a tool that allowed a list of lat/longs to exported for use with other tools including Google maps, car GPS systems etc. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:54, 18 July 2022 (UTC) *:Well, willingness and ability to edit wiki pages, primarily, as well as the cumbersome need to copy+paste listings. I'm envisioning a one-click kind of "add to personal itinerary" button on each listing. The use case would be a non-editor coming to Wikivoyage to learn about a destination (or several related ones) and assembling a list/map of highlights she wants to be sure to hit on her trip. Can she just write them down somewhere, or copy+paste them to a personal Google map? Sure, but the proposed feature would remove several steps. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 12:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC) == Movement Strategy and Governance News - Issue 7 == <div style = "line-height: 1.2"> <span style="font-size:200%;">'''Movement Strategy and Governance News'''</span><br> <span style="font-size:120%; color:#404040;">'''Issue 7, July-September 2022'''</span><span style="font-size:120%; float:right;">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7|'''Read the full newsletter''']]</span> ---- Welcome to the 7th issue of Movement Strategy and Governance News! The newsletter distributes relevant news and events about the implementation of Wikimedia's [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy/Initiatives|Movement Strategy recommendations]], other relevant topics regarding Movement governance, as well as different projects and activities supported by the Movement Strategy and Governance (MSG) team of the Wikimedia Foundation. The MSG Newsletter is delivered quarterly, while the more frequent [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy/Updates|Movement Strategy Weekly]] will be delivered weekly. Please remember to subscribe [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Global message delivery/Targets/MSG Newsletter Subscription|here]] if you would like to receive future issues of this newsletter. </div><div style="margin-top:3px; padding:10px 10px 10px 20px; background:#fffff; border:2px solid #808080; border-radius:4px; font-size:100%;"> * '''Movement sustainability''': Wikimedia Foundation's annual sustainability report has been published. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A1</tvar>|continue reading]]) * '''Improving user experience''': recent improvements on the desktop interface for Wikimedia projects. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A2|continue reading]]) * '''Safety and inclusion''': updates on the revision process of the Universal Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A3|continue reading]]) * '''Equity in decisionmaking''': reports from Hubs pilots conversations, recent progress from the Movement Charter Drafting Committee, and a new white paper for futures of participation in the Wikimedia movement. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A4|continue reading]]) * '''Stakeholders coordination''': launch of a helpdesk for Affiliates and volunteer communities working on content partnership. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A5|continue reading]]) * '''Leadership development''': updates on leadership projects by Wikimedia movement organizers in Brazil and Cape Verde. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A6|continue reading]]) * '''Internal knowledge management''': launch of a new portal for technical documentation and community resources. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A7|continue reading]]) * '''Innovate in free knowledge''': high-quality audiovisual resources for scientific experiments and a new toolkit to record oral transcripts. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A8|continue reading]]) * '''Evaluate, iterate, and adapt''': results from the Equity Landscape project pilot ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A9|continue reading]]) * '''Other news and updates''': a new forum to discuss Movement Strategy implementation, upcoming Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election, a new podcast to discuss Movement Strategy, and change of personnel for the Foundation's Movement Strategy and Governance team. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A10|continue reading]]) </div><section end="msg-newsletter"/> [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 22:58, 18 July 2022 (UTC) == "PIN codes" == This redirect was created to go to [[Wikivoyage:Postal codes]], but I daresay, most non-<s>Australians</s>Indians have never heard of this term in a postal context and would expect it to link to an article about banking. Please express your opinion at [[Wikivoyage talk:PIN codes]]. Should we create a disambiguation for two terms that are not destinations, or should we delete the redirect? Those seem to me to be the only two reasonable options. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:12, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :PIN-pass, you pay cash or are you PIN-ing, and more, are usual expressions in The Netherlands.--[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 06:17, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::Right, but this is treating "PIN codes" as an <s>Australian</s>Indian postal expression, and I'm saying that's too obscure to non-<s>Australians</s>Indians to be a good redirect. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:14, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :First of all, remember, [[w:WP:CHEAP|redirects are cheap]] – there is really no point in discussing pointless redirects. The first sentence of [[Wikivoyage:Deletion policy#Redirects]] explicitly says "As a general rule, redirect pages should not be deleted. Redirection pages provide alternative page titles for articles and allow search engines to locate articles by their alternative names.". :Secondly, what made you think that this was an Australian term? The page I linked, [[English language varieties#Connect]] explicitly mentioned that it's sometimes redundantly called such in India (whilst redundant, again, redirects are cheap). Did you think that it was an Australian term just because I created it? I honestly had no idea what that meant before my first trip to India (and I'll add that my driver did constantly mention "PIN code", not "PIN"). :Thirdly, this could have really been handled in a much better way. Unless it's something major (e.g. userban nominations, major proposal change or something alike), this should go in [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment]], not in the pub. Perhaps you missed "If you'd like to draw attention to a comment to get feedback from other Wikivoyagers, try [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment|Requests for comment]]."? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:17, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::People pay more attention to the Pub. I thought about also putting the announcement in Requests for comment but got lazy. But confusing redirects aren't cheap. If you really want to fight this, then yes, a nomination will need to be made at [[vfd]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:30, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :::Btw, sorry if anything about this annoys you, and sorry for getting wrong where "PIN code" comes from, but I also felt like you decided to ignore my reply about how confusing redirects are not cheap, so I had to do something in order to generate more discussion, and I don't think there's any important matter of protocol involved in whether notice is given in requests for comment as well as the pub. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:44, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Now there's a Votes for deletion thread, [[Wikivoyage:Votes for deletion#Wikivoyage:PIN codes]]. Feel free to put a notice on Requests for comment if you like. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:21, 20 July 2022 (UTC) == Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election == :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election/Short|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election/Short}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi everyone, The Affiliate Representatives have completed their voting period. The selected 2022 Board of Trustees candidates are: * Tobechukwu Precious Friday ([[:m:User:Tochiprecious|Tochiprecious]]) * Farah Jack Mustaklem ([[:m:User:Fjmustak|Fjmustak]]) * Shani Evenstein Sigalov ([[:m:User:Esh77|Esh77]]) * Kunal Mehta ([[:m:User:Legoktm|Legoktm]]) * Michał Buczyński ([[:m:User:Aegis Maelstrom|Aegis Maelstrom]]) * Mike Peel ([[:m:User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]]) You may see more information about the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Results|Results]] and [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Stats|Statistics]] of this Board election. The Affiliate organizations selected representatives to vote on behalf of the Affiliate organization. The Affiliate Representatives proposed questions for the candidates to answer in mid-June. These answers from candidates and the information provided from the Analysis Committee provided support for the representatives as they made their decision. Please take a moment to appreciate the Affiliate Representatives and Analysis Committee members for taking part in this process and helping to grow the Board of Trustees in capacity and diversity. These hours of volunteer work connect us across understanding and perspective. Thank you for your participation. Thank you to the community members who put themselves forward as candidates for the Board of Trustees. Considering joining the Board of Trustees is no small decision. The time and dedication candidates have shown to this point speaks to their commitment to this movement. Congratulations to those candidates who have been selected. A great amount of appreciation and gratitude for those candidates not selected. Please continue to share your leadership with Wikimedia. What can voters do now? [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Results|Review the results of the Affiliate selection process]]. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election|Read more here about the next steps in the 2022 Board of Trustee election]]. Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee''</translate><br /><section end="announcement-content" /> [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 19:32, 20 July 2022 (UTC) == Another copyvio site == Just as an FYI, I found another copy of Wikivoyage a few days ago: [https://www.travelerandfree.com/ Traveler and Free]. This one is a mirror site, which updates in real time (go ahead and find this very post on their mirror of the Pub!). It's not copyleft-compliant: there's no credit given to WV, and each page has a fraudulent copyright symbol on it. There seems to be real people behind it, as the same site hosts a blog that appears to be original content. On Monday, I sent an email to the address listed on their contact page, and have also notified Wikimedia Legal. Will let you know if there are any developments. [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:35, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Their [https://www.travelerandfree.com/terms_of_service terms of service] reads an absolute joke to me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:48, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::Ah, I didn't spot that, but Legal might be interested. It expressly forbids other sites to mirror it! ::Forgot to mention that it's not just a mirror of en.wikivoyage, but of all the language additions.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:57, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::: Thank you for taking action. We should have a page with best practices for these cases. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:27, 22 July 2022 (UTC) ::::We do, but it's not very instructive - [[Wikivoyage:Non-compliant redistribution]].--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:29, 22 July 2022 (UTC) ::::: Thanks. I had forgotten about it. There is even your example letter on the talk page. That page helps quite a bit, although it could be improved. I added a paragraph on contributions with copyright. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:25, 22 July 2022 (UTC) :::::: {{ping|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Any advances? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:15, 31 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::: I'm afraid not. If other users are interested, I recommend writing your own reports to Wikimedia Legal; they're obviously very busy, but if several Wikivoyagers make some noise about this issue, they're more likely to prioritise our case over other stuff they're doing (I work with lawyers IRL, and that's how they operate).--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 31 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::: What can they do, other than giving some general advice? They cannot be our lawyers and they don't have any copyrights to the content. If we sue, they can probably give contacts to lawyers in the right jurisdictions (seems to be England, as the London address is marked as "HQ"), but that's about it, I think. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 08:38, 1 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::: I sent an e-mail of my own. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:05, 1 August 2022 (UTC) : I sent email as well & cc'd legal. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 14:26, 1 August 2022 (UTC) == alternative-indy culture == Anyone knows of good guide to alternative-indy culture in any Wikivoyage language? --[[User:Zblace|Zblace]] ([[User talk:Zblace|talk]]) 19:59, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Like I said in the Interlingual Lounge, I don't know of any, and that sounds like a travel topic to me, that perhaps you'd like to start, but first, what do you mean by alternative-indy culture and what part of the world would you like to cover? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:16, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] TNX :-) I answered [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage/Lounge&oldid=23557712#alternative-indy_culture? there]: "my plan is to cover clubs (different styles) and socio-cultural centers that are non (or even anti) commercial in Croatia. I have friend who is interested in doing it for Slovenia also. We would appreciate to see something similar done elsewhere." ::@ALL here - I am interested in having this done across different language instances, but I am not aware of differences, so will likely experiment and 'innovate' in Incubator. ::-- [[User:Zblace|Zblace]] ([[User talk:Zblace|talk]]) 06:50, 24 July 2022 (UTC) :::That seems like a possible travel topic, but it seems to me, the full listings should be in articles for the cities where the clubs are. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:08, 24 July 2022 (UTC) == Vote for Election Compass Statements == :''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements|You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki.]]'' :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi all, Volunteers in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022|2022 Board of Trustees election]] are invited to [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass/Statements|vote for statements to use in the Election Compass]]. You can vote for the statements you would like to see included in the Election Compass on Meta-wiki. An Election Compass is a tool to help voters select the candidates that best align with their beliefs and views. The community members will propose statements for the candidates to answer using a Lickert scale (agree/neutral/disagree). The candidates’ answers to the statements will be loaded into the Election Compass tool. Voters will use the tool by entering in their answer to the statements (agree/disagree/neutral). The results will show the candidates that best align with the voter’s beliefs and views. Here is the timeline for the Election Compass: *<s>July 8 - 20: Volunteers propose statements for the Election Compass</s> *<s>July 21 - 22: Elections Committee reviews statements for clarity and removes off-topic statements</s> *July 23 - August 3: Volunteers vote on the statements *August 4: Elections Committee selects the top 15 statements *August 5 - 12: candidates align themselves with the statements *August 16: The Election Compass opens for voters to use to help guide their voting decision The Elections Committee will select the top 15 statements at the beginning of August Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee'' [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 17:26, 26 July 2022 (UTC) == Mapshape problems == At [[Venice#Get around]] the Mapshape does not work very well. The colors of several areas do not show. Clicking the refresh button of the browser makes the colors show for less than a second. The format of those Mapshapes is: *<nowiki>{{Mapshape|type=geoshape|group=map1|wikidata=...|fill=...|title=...}}</nowiki> It is not constant, this morning the shapes that were not there were different from what I see now, some hours later. [[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:03, 27 July 2022 (UTC) :Opening the page '''now''' (10 minutes later) again, and there is no problem. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:17, 27 July 2022 (UTC) ::Opening the page '''now''' (next day) again, and the problem is back. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 01:47, 28 July 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|FredTC}} This issue has been a recurring issue for some time that {{u|LPfi}} and I have noticed. When I made a detailed dynamic map for [[New South Wales]] last November, every single mapshape appeared. Eventually the mapshape for Narrabri Shire disappeared, never to be seen again (even though there was nothing wrong on OSM). A few months later, Tweed Shire and Griffith City Council disappeared, never to be seen again. There have been a few other recent cases too. Here are my suggestions for the time being: :::* For city districts and small regions, manually trace the districts yourself using geojson.io :::* For larger region articles, revert back to using traditional, old static maps. :::Static maps aren't perfect though. The dynamic map in [[Greater Brisbane]] was clearly superior to the static map (that's overly crowded) and some of the colour scheme for regions is basically calling this. I'll need to adjust the colours soon, but in the case for [[Venice]], I think manually tracing out the route using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io] is a much better alternative to using static maps (I'll help you with tracing the route if needed) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 28 July 2022 (UTC) :::: I am not sure this is the same problem. I haven't noticed the mapshapes appearing for a moment, and that also does not make sense for the description of the bug on Phabricator. The bug we discussed earlier meant, if memory serves, that the database lost mapshapes over time, and the problem was cured for that shape only when it was fetched again, which I think is about weeks rather than hours or minutes. Something disappearing soon after loading a page sounds like a Javacript problem (as Javascript is executed after page load and can change the appearance). –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:23, 28 July 2022 (UTC) ::::: I guess we need to open a task in [https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/ Phabricator]. Maybe in a year someone will have a look at it... --[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:44, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Noticed this again on [[Blue River Provincial Park]]. Never before have I been so grateful for the [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ mapmask-geojson converter] you made. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:24, 31 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::And again in [[Tongariro Northern Circuit]]. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:22, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ==New topic: [[Personal electric vehicles]]== [[Personal electric vehicles]] is intended to collect information on electric bicycles, e-scooters and similar equipment. Please contribute. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:51, 27 July 2022 (UTC) :Thank you for starting this article. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 18:27, 1 August 2022 (UTC) == Article out-of-date == I need to update [[Ho Chi Minh City]] article in the next days. I ask for somebody to check my edits there. [[User:Claude van der Grift|Claude van der Grift]] ([[User talk:Claude van der Grift|talk]]) 07:00, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :{{re|Claude van der Grift}} Sure. Will check your edits. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:08, 30 July 2022 (UTC) == Many dynamic maps broken == Dynamic district overview maps which get their boundaries from OpenStreetMap via Wikidata id's are broken all over the site, e.g. [[Paris]] or [[Tokyo]]. This is the error message in the browser console: <code>Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 404 (https://maps.wikimedia.org/geoline?getgeojson=1&ids=Q1083349)</code> The issues with imported OSM elements like boundaries or public transport lines are going on for months, if not 1-2 years already. Really a pity because those dynamic maps could be so useful for the traveller. [[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:22, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :Didn't see the discussion above ("Mapshape problems"). Same thing.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:42, 30 July 2022 (UTC) == Request for participation in discussion of user rights nomination process == This thread: [[Wikivoyage talk:User rights nominations#Bureaucrats must close all user rights nom threads? Why?]] Many such threads have been closed by non-bureaucrat admins, but at least one admin thinks that's wrong, and current language at [[Wikivoyage:User rights nominations]] states that all such threads have to be closed by bureaucrats. I'm not sure when that language was added and propose to change it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:05, 7 August 2022 (UTC) == Name of articles covering multiple destinations == I was looking for how to name a single article when it covers two or more destinations without a local name for the combined entity. I have seen names like [[Gour-Pandua]] (covering two historic towns) and [[Birbhum-Murshidabad]] (covering two administrative divisions, now renamed Central Bengal), but I don't think these names may sound natural outside India. '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 07:43, 11 August 2022 (UTC) :The hyphens look okay to me, although to be clear the article covers two distinct places, rather than one place with a hyphenated name, you might be better using a connective such as "and", e.g. [[Newbury and Thatcham]], [[Windsor and Eton]].--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:07, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ::Agree. If I hadn't read [[Gour-Pandua]], I'd have thought it was the one same place (like [[Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park|Leeuwin-Naturaliste]] or Uluru-Kata Tjuta). "And" works just fine (also see [[Adelaide/Port Adelaide, Enfield, Prospect and Outer Harbor]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden]], [[Buffalo/Allentown and the Delaware District]], or [[Dubai/Suburbs and Hatta]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:38, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::: Sometimes you just drop one of them. [[Turku]] covers most of Turku, a city of 200,000, and Raisio, a neighbouring town of 25,000 with few attractions. If one of the places is minor and less known, there is usually no need to mention it in the article name. You can still have a redirect and a mention in boldface in the lead. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:11, 12 August 2022 (UTC) == Feature suggestion: Time needed for an activity == The idea would be to display, on the page of each destination, an indication of a reasonable or typical duration (or duration range) that a traveller could allocate to a visit. Indeed, it is very useful to have at least a rough idea of how much time a visit one intends to do will take. It seems more appropriate and easier to define such a duration per visit/activity (e.g. for a specific museum) instead of per destination. The travellers could themselves estimate the total time needed for a destination by adding up the times for each visit they intend to do. Difficulty: The time needed ("minimum time") for a visit is very subjective, as well as a possible sufficient time ("maximum time") for a visit. Idea: Make an average over user-input estimated time spent for an activity (how to do it in practice needs be to define). Any other ideas would be very much welcome! [[User:OttoRuth|OttoRuth]] ([[User talk:OttoRuth|talk]]) 15:26, 13 August 2022 (UTC) : Averages are seldom informative, and they rely critically on the population measured – and we don't have access to any measurements at all. Thus this needs to be the editors subjective guess on typical duration. The information is useful, but I think trying to condense it into a range is difficult and might be counterproductive: "The trail is 2 km, and can be walked in half an hour. However, most visitors come for the bird watching tower, and may dwell there for hours." –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 15:38, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ::I think that some hint about "time needed" could be very useful. Google Maps used to provide a note about how long people spent in different places, and I sometimes found it useful. ::I think the best way to handle it is in a text-based description. For example, I was in a small museum for the first time this summer. IMO the "time needed" is about an hour. (I stayed about 30 minutes. Others, especially if they were in a group, might stay longer. I doubt that anyone except the paid staff stay there 3+ hours.) It therefore needs a description like "This three-room museum in the historic Teacher's House is a good way to spend an hour when you're in the neighborhood." ::You'd write something quite different in other cases, such as: ::* "Most people will want to spend the whole day. The museum's café is limited to pre-made cold sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, but you can get a re-entry bracelet at the front door, go out for lunch, and come back to tackle the rest of the building", or ::* "This museum is the perfect place for staying cool on a hot afternoon", or ::* "Devotees of the art might plan a multi-day pilgrimage to take full advantage of everything on offer". ::I think that we will provide more information this way than just writing "____ hours". For example, to go back to the museum I saw: I'm telling you something about the size (it's just three rooms, and it used to be a house. Even if you're super-interested in the subject, it's a small place). I'm telling you something about how long it might take (an hour. You can then think about whether you're quicker or slower than most, and thus decide whether that might be closer to 30 minutes or two hours for you). I'm also telling you that it's not worth a special trip ("when you're in the neighborhood"). "One hour" doesn't covey as much. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:09, 13 August 2022 (UTC) lwsw4qvx0cjcagwf1i5mcj7r7dffu8f 4502049 4501874 2022-08-16T09:17:54Z Zuz (WMF) 2253980 /* Delay of the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election */ new section wikitext text/x-wiki <div style="text-align:left; background: #f4f7fa; border: 1px solid #abc; padding: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em"> <div style="text-align:center; font-size:300%; line-height: 1; padding: 10px;">'''Welcome to the pub'''</div> {{shortcut|[[WV:Pub]]|[[WV:TP]]}} [[File:QA_icon_clr.svg|right|frameless|150px|link=]] The Travellers' Pub is for general discussion on Wikivoyage, and the place to ask questions when you're confused, lost, afraid, tired, annoyed, thoughtful, or helpful. To start a new topic, click the "Add topic" tab, so that it gets added '''at the bottom''' of the page, and sign your post by appending four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) Before asking a question or making a comment: * Have a look at our [[Wikivoyage:Help|Help]], [[Wikivoyage:FAQ|FAQ]] and [[Wikivoyage:Policies|Policies]] pages. * If you are a '''new user''' and you have any questions about using the website, try the [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge|Arrivals lounge]]. * If you have a '''question or suggestion about a particular article''', use the article's [[Project:using talk pages|talk page]] to keep the discussion associated with that article. * If you'd like to '''draw attention to a comment''' to '''get feedback''' from other Wikivoyagers, try [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment|Requests for comment]]. * If you are '''wanting travel advice on a specific matter''' see the [[Wikivoyage:Tourist office|Tourist Office]]. * If you have an '''issue you need to bring to the attention of an administrator''', try [[Wikivoyage:Vandalism in progress|Vandalism in progress]]. * If you are having a '''problem that you think has to do with the [[mw:|MediaWiki software]]''', please post that on [[phab:|Phabricator]] instead. * If you want to '''celebrate a significant contribution''' to Wikivoyage by yourself or others, hold a party at [[Project:Celebrate a contribution|Celebrate a contribution]]. * Discuss '''issues related to more than one language version''' of Wikivoyage in the [[meta:Wikivoyage/Lounge|Wikivoyage Lounge]] on Meta. * Anything that is '''Nigeria-related''' is now meant to go in the [[Wikivoyage:Nigeria café|Nigeria café]] instead. This includes announcements, initiatives and celebrations as well as issues with certain articles. * Anything that is '''Kosovo or Albania related''' is now meant to go in the [[Wikivoyage:Kosovo and Albania café|Kosovo and Albania café]] instead. This includes announcements, initiatives and celebrations as well as issues with certain articles. '''Pull up a chair and join in the conversation!''' [{{fullurl:Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub|action=edit&section=new}} '''Click here to start a new thread'''] </div> <div style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: left; padding: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" class="nomobile"> [[File:Wikivoyage sysop.svg|right|frameless|150px|link=]] <div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 0px solid #abc;"> Experienced users: '''Please sweep the pub''' <div class="mw-collapsible-content">Keeping the pub clean is a group effort. If we have too many conversations on this page, it gets too noisy and hard to read. If you see an old conversation (i.e. '''a month''' dormant) that could be moved to a [[Project:using talk pages|talk page]], please do so, and add "{{[[Template:Swept|swept]]}}" there, to note that it has been swept in from the pub. Try to place it on the discussion page roughly in chronological order. * A question regarding a destination article should be swept to the article discussion page. * A discussion regarding a policy or the subject of an expedition can be swept to the policy or expedition discussion page. * A simple question asked by a user can be swept to that user's talk page, but consider if the documentation needs a quick update to make it clearer for the next user with the same question. * A pointer to a discussion going on elsewhere, such as a notice of a star nomination or a request to comment on another talk page, can be removed when it is old. Any discussion that occurred in the pub can be swept to where the main discussion took place. Any discussions that do not fall into any of these categories, and are not of any special importance for posterity, should be archived to '''[[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub/Archives]]''' and removed from here. If you are not sure where to put a discussion, let it be—better to spend your efforts on those that you do know where to place.</div> </div></div> {{WikivoyageDoc|collaboration}} <!-- Discussions start here --> __TOC__ __NEWSECTIONLINK__ == "neighbourhood maps" == I've always wondered on how these should be formatted. They're not usually standard in district articles (and in fact, the only one I could find was [[Sydney/City East]]), but I did a small experiment today with [[Canberra/Civic]] with the use of a "neighbourhood map" (or whatever they're called). It did leave me with three questions though, merely because we don't have other examples of such maps and I'd like some answers before I implement more of these maps. # Which section should a map like this go in? For [[Canberra/Civic]], I chose "districts", but [[Sydney/City East]] has it in an "Orientation" section in Understand # Do the duplicate maps pose an issue? # Do these maps help? I guess it helps to sort of know which neighbourhoods are in a certain district, but then you don't ''need'' to know, and it might appear too encyclopedic. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:23, 13 June 2022 (UTC) :I don't have any advice for you or answers to your questions, but I like what you've done. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:26, 13 June 2022 (UTC) :: [[Image policy#Minimal use of images]] and [[WV:Map]]: do we really need to display multiple dynamic maps in one article? It seems redundant and tiresome to me. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 17:30, 13 June 2022 (UTC) ::: Can't we integrate the neighbourhoods into the normal map. Probably opacity should be tweaked for them not to dominate. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:02, 13 June 2022 (UTC) ::::{{re|LPfi}} [[Special:PermaLink/4467260]] is what it would look like if we merged the maps together. As someone with visual impairments, I find the second map (the one with listings) hard to read with all the colours as all the listings look cluttered, making it hard to identify where the POI is located. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 14 June 2022 (UTC) ::::: I lessened the opacity of the districts. Is <s>[[Special:Permalink/4467746|this]]</s> [[Special:Permalink/4467763|this]] still hard to read? It could still be lessened a tad if needed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:56, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::My eyes still prefer the map without the mapmasks, and I think the older map is easier to read for people with visual impairments. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::: OK. I undid the edit. I hope you noticed that I linked the previous version (oops), now fixed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:10, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::I don't think that the neighborhood map ''needs'' to be dynamic, but since dynamic is what we've got/until someone wants to make a static map, I've no objection to it being a dynamic map. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 03:28, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::I might be in the minority, but I actually think a dynamic map is better for all region articles, and not just bottom level region articles, and it brings me to the question; are there any users here who can make a static map? I've tried to make several static maps before, but unfortunately [[Wikivoyage:How to draw static maps]] is either unclear or out-of-date, and the only successful one that I've managed to draw was [[:File:Mungo NP static map.svg]], and that also looks terrible. Anecdotally speaking, the only time where I've found a static map way more helpful was when I was in [[Yosemite National Park]] earlier this year (and T-mobile was not that great in the [[Sierra Nevada]], but I didn't really need the map since it was a second visit to Yosemite). They're often difficult and time consuming to make, and they become hard to modify when change is required. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::::I'm sure they have all of those downsides, but I understand that dynamic maps don't print properly, which is also a problem. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Yes, I can make static maps, although I do not have much experience with this particular kind of map. I've never done it for WV, because it's a lot of work if you want to do it right. I don't really think it's worth the effort: 1) I'd never use a WV map (static nor dynamic) for actual navigation. That's what navigation apps (preferably with offline options) and proper paper maps are for. 2) I've been meaning to update the static map in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] for years now. But it's a raster graphics file, so in order to make clean changes, I'd basically have to re-create the whole map ([[Wikivoyage:How to draw static maps]] has some really bad advice in that regard). Even if it was SVG, I'd probably rather make a new one, because there's only so much you can do in a graphics program compared to something like Qqis. 3) The styles for static city/district and especially country/region maps look like it's still 2007. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Ibaman}} I made a static map but it's togglable. Does it still look a bit redundant? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:25, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ==API Key== On this map it says [https://wikivoyage.toolforge.org/w/poimap2.php?lat=-40.850425&lon=172.447319&zoom=16&layer=W&lang=en&name=Heaphy_Track API key required] when you switch to relief maps. Not sure who to raise this with to see about getting it fixed? [[User:Doc James|<span style="color:#0000f1">'''Travel Doc James'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Doc_James|talk]] · [[Special:Contributions/Doc_James|contribs]] · [[Special:EmailUser/Doc_James|email]]) 17:01, 16 June 2022 (UTC) :Just going by [[phab:T170976|this old phabricator task]], it seems that tool has been depreciated in favour of [[Heaphy_Track#/map/0/10/-40.7681/172.5609|Kartographer]] — are you able to use that instead? [[User:TheresNoTime|TheresNoTime]] ([[User talk:TheresNoTime|talk]]) 20:35, 16 June 2022 (UTC) ::The mapframe in [[Heaphy_Track#Walk]] doesn't appear to show the issue with the relief map layer. It appears that is only an issue with the full page map (from the icon at the top right of most pages. I think that mapframe is Kartographer based, but I don't know about the full page map. (It is worth keeping the full page map as it has some features missing from mapframe as is better for printing.) [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:38, 16 June 2022 (UTC) == Help archiving a talk page == Could someone please help me archive [[Talk:Bulgaria]]? I've already copied the old comments to a subpage and linked the subpage in the main talk, you only have to delete the old discussions. I can't do that because I'm too new and trying to do that triggers the page blanking filter. I want to start a new discussion about regions, and the old stuff on the talk page has made it unwieldy. [[User:Daggerstab|Daggerstab]] ([[User talk:Daggerstab|talk]]) 16:59, 17 June 2022 (UTC) :It's done. [[User:Daggerstab|Daggerstab]] ([[User talk:Daggerstab|talk]]) 17:12, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ::If you want to discuss regions, we should unarchive the previous regions discussion. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 17 June 2022 (UTC) == Article on bridges == I wonder if there are any engineers here who would be able to write an article on famous bridges. Of course, the ones that immediately come to mind are New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, London's Tower Bridge, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but I believe there would be numerous others that could be mentioned in such an article. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 20:12, 20 June 2022 (UTC) == Desktop Improvements update == [[File:Table of contents shown on English Wikipedia 02.webm|thumb]] ; Making this the new default Hello. I wanted to give you an update about the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|Desktop Improvements]] project, which the Wikimedia Foundation Web team has been working on for the past few years. Our work is almost finished! 🎉 We would love to see these improvements become the default for readers and editors across all wikis. <span style="background-color:#fc3;">In the coming weeks, we will begin conversations on more wikis, including yours. 🗓️</span> We will gladly read your suggestions! The goals of the project are to make the interface more welcoming and comfortable for readers and useful for advanced users. The project consists of a series of feature improvements which make it easier to read and learn, navigate within the page, search, switch between languages, use article tabs and the user menu, and more. The improvements are already visible by default for readers and editors on more than 30 wikis, including Wikipedias in [[:fr:|French]], [[:pt:|Portuguese]], and [[:fa:|Persian]]. The changes apply to the [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=vector}} Vector] skin only, although it will always be possible to revert to the previous version on an individual basis. [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=monobook}} Monobook] or [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=timeless}} Timeless] users will not notice any changes. ; The newest features * [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Features/Table of contents|Table of contents]] - our version is easier to reach, gain context of the page, and navigate throughout the page without needing to scroll. It is currently tested across our pilot wikis. It is also available for editors who have opted into the Vector 2022 skin. * [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Features/Page tools|Page tools]] - now, there are two types of links in the sidebar. There are actions and tools for individual pages (like [[Special:RecentChangesLinked|Related changes]]) and links of the wiki-wide nature (like [[Special:RecentChanges|Recent changes]]). We are going to separate these into two intuitive menus. ; How to enable/disable the improvements [[File:Desktop Improvements - how to enable globally.png|thumb|[[Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|{{int:globalpreferences}}]]]] * It is possible to opt-in individually [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|in the appearance tab within the preferences]] by selecting "{{int:skinname-vector-2022}}". Also, it is possible to opt-in on all wikis using the [[Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|global preferences]]. * On wikis where the changes are visible by default for all, logged-in users can always opt-out to the Legacy Vector. There is an easily accessible link in the sidebar of the new Vector. ; Learn more and join our events If you would like to follow the progress of our project, you can [[mw:Special:Newsletter/28/subscribe|subscribe to our newsletter]]. You can read the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|pages of the project]], check [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Frequently_asked_questions|our FAQ]], write on the [[mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|project talk page]], and [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web|join an online meeting with us]]. Thank you! [[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]] ([[User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|talk]]) 16:59, 21 June 2022 (UTC) <!-- Message sent by User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:SGrabarczuk_(WMF)/sandbox/MM/En_fallback&oldid=23430301 --> :Thank you. :Most of our pages use the pagebanner template to display the table of contents rather than the standard method. Will this be impacted by your proposed changes? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:58, 21 June 2022 (UTC) ::At least in the current version they seem to get along quite well. Page banner still works, but there's an additional TOC in the side bar. You can try for yourself by enabling ''Vector (2022)'' in your preferences. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 14:22, 22 June 2022 (UTC) :::Try it out: :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page?useskin=Vector-2022 (still cropping the first image, so we only get half of Australia) :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Random?useskin=Vector-2022 :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Random?useskin=Vector-2022&tableofcontents=0 (with the floating Table of Contents disabled) :::[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:31, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks. That looks fine. ::::Looking at an example page, it does appear that slightly less page width is allocated to the article and more to the left column, but I haven't investigated, and the different appearance may be an improvement. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 20:49, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ; Join us on Tuesday Join an online meeting with the team working on the Desktop Improvements! It will take place on '''28 June 2022 at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20220628T1200 12:00 UTC] and [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20220628T1900 19:00 UTC]''' on Zoom. '''[https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/5304280674 Click here to join]'''. Meeting ID: 5304280674. [https://wikimedia.zoom.us/u/kc2hamfYz9 Dial by your location]. The following events will take place on 12 July and 26 July. The meeting will not be recorded or streamed. Notes will be taken in a [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G4tfss-JBVxyZMxGlOj5MCBhOO-0sLekquFoa2XiQb8/edit# Google Docs file] and copied to [[etherpad:p/web-team-office-hours|Etherpad]]. [[mw:User:OVasileva_(WMF)|Olga Vasileva]] (the Product Manager) will be hosting this meeting. The presentation part will be given in English. At this meeting, both [[foundation:Friendly_space_policy|Friendly space policy]] and the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Code_of_Conduct|Code of Conduct]] for Wikimedia technical spaces apply. Zoom is not subject to the [[foundation:Privacy_policy|WMF Privacy Policy]]. We can answer questions asked in English and [[mw:Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web/28-06-2022|a number of other languages]]. If you would like to ask questions in advance, add them on the [[mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|talk page]] or send them to sgrabarczuk{{@}}wikimedia.org. We hope to see you! [[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]] ([[User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|talk]]) 21:44, 23 June 2022 (UTC) {{tracked|T311771}} :I have just posted a new topic here and immediately had to edit it. See: :https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage%3ATravellers%27_pub&type=revision&diff=4472722&oldid=4472721 [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:22, 25 June 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]],@[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:22, 25 June 2022 (UTC) :::This needs [[User:Whatamidoing (WMF)|work-me]] to file a Phab ticket. Thanks for letting me know. I'm curious: could you see the <nowiki><blockquote> tags in the visual editor while you were typing? Did you paste them in, or type them, or use a keyboard shortcut?</nowiki> [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 05:25, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks for your prompt reply @[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]],believe it or not my memory of this incident is already fuzzy in my memory. I know I originally typed in the ''< blockquote >'' tag, but I may have copy&mpasted it later (I sometimes do that if I have to go investigate somewhere else before posting a half-baked post). ::::I also discovered since, that this version of the software implemented on wiki-voyage (it is different on other wmf-wikis I participate on) has two alternative modes of input (undocumented?): ::::*Visual ::::and ::::*Source ::::I think I was originally put on '''Visual''' by default, but now I am on '''Source''' by default, and I am also seeing a preview pane which was not there before, I think? It would also be great if I could add an edit summary, which I can using the shall-we-call-it-reply software elsewhere. ::::I hope I am making sense in this garbled reply? [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 14:41, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Click on the "Advanced" option above the copyright/licensing statement. Most people don't use a meaningful/custom edit summary in discussions, but you can add one if you want to. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:18, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::::: Edit summaries are very useful also for discussions, especially at busy pages like the pub. It is often the case that some of the threads have gone down some less interesting paths, and I read them only if somebody brings up a new point (mentioned in the edit summary). When there have been new posts in several threads, I might miss some of them, unless the edit summary caught my attention on the watchlist. And the most irritating of all: making an edit to existing posts without telling that in the summary – I scroll down to the end of the thread, find nothing new, check earlier pre-outdent posts, finding nothing there, search for today's date, no match, then click history and diff, to finally find that change of phrasing or whatever, which often didn't add anything of value to what I've already read. Please write "ce" or whatever. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:38, 1 July 2022 (UTC) == Is COVID over? == I was surprised to see this announcement on <nowiki>https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases</nowiki> : <blockquote> As of 20 June 2022, ECDC is discontinuing the data collection and publication of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide. Please refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) data on COVID-19 and the WHO Weekly Epidemiological and Weekly Operational Updates page for the non-EU/EEA countries. ECDC will continue providing weekly updates for EU/EEA Member States and report on an ad-hoc basis about significant events related to COVID-19 globally. ECDC has been collecting data on the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for all countries in the EU/EEA and globally for more than two years. The data collected by ECDC will continue to be available in an archived format.</blockquote>< So it appears that the EU thinks COVID is no longer an issue? [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:06, 25 June 2022 (UTC) :COVID will never be "over", in that it will not stop circulating in our lifetimes, but broadly speaking people's lifestyles will continue to get closer to how they were before the pandemic. Evidently ECDC has decided not to publish this particular set of data anymore, but if I understand correctly, other sources are still publishing substantively the same data for the time being. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 22:07, 25 June 2022 (UTC) : It is definitely not over. Current statistics are available from many sources, none 100% reliable. [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries Worldometers] Probably the most worrisome number is that there are still 18.75 million active cases (diagnosed but not yet either dead or recovered) plus some infected but not diagnosed; those can spread the disease. The US still has about 3.3 million active cases, though that number has been falling. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 03:59, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :: I don't know whether Finland is typical for EU, but here the government more or less gave up on COVID-19 in early spring. They decided that it is spreading too fast to be stopped, that with most of the population triple-vaccinated "few" get a serious disease, and life has to go on. It seems people took them on the word, I think that less than one in ten is using masks. Incidence and death toll have been record high (statistics on cases is unreliable though, as people don't get official tests), but there are only some critical voices. Non-vaccinated have restrictions on passing the border (tests or quarantine required) but vaccinated EU-citizens can come and go as they please, nightclubs etc. are crowded, and big events are taking place like they used to. You can still find masks and tests in any shop, not as in Denmark where that is finished too. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 17:55, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::Yes, in Finland COVID hasn't been the main news topic for several months (partially also due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine). On 1 July they're dropping also the entry restrictions and health controls for people entering from outside the Schengen and in shops I've as of lately seen discounts on home tests and masks being "phased out from our product selection". The Department of Health and Wellbeing (THL) publishes [https://www.thl.fi/episeuranta/tautitapaukset/coronamap.html statistics] showing cases and deaths have dropped remarkably since the spring. So at least for the moment it seems to be over, but one can never know what the situation looks like in the autumn. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 18:33, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::: Confirmed cases per 100,000 per 14 days is still in the hundreds, even though you aren't recommended to take an official test unless you get serious symptoms (as in needing hospital care). In some professions the tests are still taken, I assume. Anyway, the incidence – if counting factual cases – seems to be at least as bad as in the late autumn. 30% of actual tests are positive, when the figure used to be ~1% before the vaccines. There are about 10 persons in intensive care, while the number was about 50 at the worst time. Much better now, but far from over. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:00, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::: The health care centre still recommends mask use. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:03, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::Data collection has ended, but I don't think the EU considers COVID to no longer be an issue. I think we should leave, in current circumstances, the COVID notice on our [[main page]] until the end of the year, pending future updates on its spread. Apart from that notice and international travel information, COVID is barely mentioned on this wiki. I think the current notices in place make sense in our environment. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 13:15, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::Right now, the focus where I am in [[New South Wales]] is mostly the flu (for the record, I've caught it twice within the last 31 days, with the last time just 4 days ago, hence why my editing activity has increased). The only news of COVID that I've really been hearing is either about COVID in China, or about our lockdown last year. However, as some countries still have restrictions on entry, I would say keep the COVID banner on the main page until September, and if September is deemed too early, then we can do another review then. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:51, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::In New South Wales, masking is still compulsory on public transport and the majority of people follow the rule. There is also a 7-day isolation rule if you test positive. I disagree about messaging only being about the flu. Public messaging from the government and media has always been about a dual virus winter here over the past few months (encouraging both vaccinations, etc.). In any case, this wiki is about travel, not just living in one's own city. Travellers started to get affected by Covid-19 from Janaury 2020, not March 2020 when most countries first went into lockdown. International travel will also be the last activity/industry that will fully return to normal so it makes sense to keep the notice for a while longer. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 14:34, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::To me, if the purpose is to help people, it can be removed. I don't think the article has been helpful for at least a year if ever. If the purpose is just to have something there, then it could stay or go. I don't think it's necessary to leave it up until every last country has lifted every restriction. Japan hasn't had any meaningful changes in its policies for 2 years in spite of less severe variants and vaccines, but it is already an outlier and becoming increasingly so. The country articles should still have information about entry which is basically the only information people care about. Leaving it until then end of the summer (September) as suggested seems reasonable though. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] ([[User talk:ChubbyWimbus|talk]]) 14:52, 27 June 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} Most of the world has transitioned to living with the virus. The main exceptions are Japan, China and Taiwan. In the case of China, most of the elderly are unwilling to get vaccinated, and given how Hong Kong's hospitals were overwhelmed (to the point that the mortuaries ran out of space and bodies of COVID victims were piling up in the wards) during their last surge due to the same problem, I don't think China will reopen for the forseeable future. They might want to wait until all these unvaccinated elderly die of other causes before they reopen to foreigners. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :The idea that the pandemic is over is absurd and highly premature. I would strongly suggest for us to wait until at least the end of the year before jumping to conclusions, because it's quite likely that there will be another surge in the fall, and the large number of unvaccinated people around the world are a great source of new strains. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:04, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::I think whether "the pandemic" is over depends a lot on how you define "a pandemic". It's basically a political definition, not a biological one, so reasonable people and organizations can disagree on whether the current state should still be called "a pandemic". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::: Whether it is still a pandemic by some definition is less relevant. Are the restrictions stable enough that they are better handled together with other entry requirements, and in Cope, or in the current boxes? Is the disease different enough (as disease and as a social phenomenon) that it warrants its own article instead of being a bullet in [[Infectuous diseases]]? I think restrictions still vary fast enough that ease of maintenance is important, and then a template is the better solution, and people still see it as different from the flue and tuberculosis. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 20:39, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::The [https://www.medicinenet.com/pandemic/definition.htm definition of "pandemic"] is basically a medical one. If you'd like to say that the definition of "high degree of death" is a political one, that's another question. "The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 627,000 in 2020" per the [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria WHO], yet it's considered endemic to Africa, rather than even epidemic. Why? I think in significant part because those with enough money to stanch the death rate mostly live outside of Africa and prefer to ignore the deaths, plus it doesn't get spread around the world in areas with no types of mosquitoes that are vectors. But saying that the definition of "pandemic" is basically political is odd, because most people hadn't heard the word used at all until 2019-20, or at least not since at least the days when AIDS was out of control in their countries (and again, Africa suffers from less medical care; see the pattern?). [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:48, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::The definition of pandemic varies between sources. Is it an epidemic [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dr8dyuzvTkC&pg=PA179#v=onepage&q&f=false "crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting a large number of people"]? How do you define "affecting", and what constitutes "a large number" of people? Those are both political choices. Is it instead something that happens [https://www.britannica.com/science/pandemic "over a wide geographical area and that is of high prevalence, generally affecting a significant proportion of the world’s population"]? Who decides what constitutes "high" prevalence, and "a significant proportion"? Basically, people make these decisions. They'll decide that these effects are really "affecting" you but these others aren't (e.g., every new version of the common cold), or that the people affected aren't "large" or "significant" enough, or that (as with the malaria decision) the key point is that it happens all the time at a fairly stable rate within each population, rather than being new. (Some definitions say that pandemics must always be a new disease, or at least one that almost nobody has immunological resistance to; others don't.) :::::People – not science – pick which definition to apply (different definitions for different conditions), people decide which effects "count" and whether enough people are affected, and then people decide whether to apply this label. There have been hard-and-fast definitions for some similar concepts in the past, but pandemic is a somewhat flexible concept. ("School epidemic" in some places has been defined as a certain percentage of enrolled students being out of school with the same disease/symptoms. An old friend of mine accidentally set off a measles epidemic in her high school in the 1950s. She caught it somewhere, unwittingly brought it to school, and it turned out that almost none of the students in her school had had measles before. The teachers were mostly fine, but a huge number of students were out sick over the next month.) :::::Here at the English Wikivoyage, though, I think LPfi has good advice. We should consider it from the practical angle rather than the "does the current situation technically match my preferred definition" angle. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:56, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::It seems to me, the most likely way to have fair definitions of medical concepts is to let public health authorities and not politicians define them. In any case, I think that it's fairly clear that COVID-19 remains a serious disease that's affecting travel in various ways, so we shouldn't be in a rush to deemphasize it and should let the crisis play out. Seeing how there's been a surge each Northern Hemisphere fall, I would suggest waiting till we see what happens in January, 2023 (i.e., after any effects of Christmas/New Years travel and get-togethers are clear) before possibly making any decisions about a fundamental change in coverage here. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:14, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::Personally, I think that late January 2023 would be a fine time to discuss it. Christmas travel includes Epiphany in some countries, and if you add two or three weeks after that to find out what happened, then we should have fairly clear information. :::::::Thinking long-term, one possibility is to consider a seasonal cold-and-flu-and-covid page. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:36, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::That could be a good thing in the longer term, if it's not felt to be giving short shrift to other threats like malaria, zika, dengue, Lyme disease and so forth. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:39, 30 June 2022 (UTC) == How to fix a bunch of grey unnecessary markers on the map? == {{mapframe|55.7773|37.6062|zoom=9}} {{Mapshape}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[Moscow/Central-East|Moscow Central-East]]|wikidata=Q1412002|stroke-opacity=0.1}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[Moscow/Zelenograd and New Moscow|Zelenograd and New Moscow]]|wikidata=Q207695,Q462497,Q462589|stroke-opacity=0.1}} {{Mapshapes|Q5499}} <!-- Moscow Metro --> Results as shown on the map, how to fix a bunch of grey unnecessary markers on the map? Can help? thanks. [[User:Yuriy_kosygin|✈ IGOR]] ／ [[User talk:Yuriy_kosygin| ✉ TALK?!]] ^{''．WIKIVOYAGER !''} 17:17, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :@[[User:Yuriy kosygin|Yuriy kosygin]] We've discussed this quite a number of times before. The issue is this data comes from OpenStreetMap and there's no way to remove the unnecessary grey markers unless you completely comment out the transport lines. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::Alas... Wikivoyage is really weak, I'm afraid we'll have to draw the route own. [[User:Yuriy_kosygin|✈ IGOR]] ／ [[User talk:Yuriy_kosygin| ✉ TALK?!]] ^{''．WIKIVOYAGER !''} 15:34, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::There has to be a way to fix this idiocy on OpenStreetMap, but in the meantime, we need to eliminate this crap from our site. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:25, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Could we make the gray actually be 100% transparent? It would still be visible, but perhaps not such a disaster. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:38, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::If I recall correctly, the issue at hand was that we couldn't make the distinction between line elements and point elements. I don't master Lua myself, so I can't make sense of whether this would be a viable workaround for [[Module:Mapshapes]]. @[[User:Andree.sk|Andree.sk]], any words on this? <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 18:22, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::: Mapshapes is just a thin helper to instantiate {{tl|mapshape}}, which is the main culprint. In turn, that one uses the kartographer stuff, which can't be trivially adjusted. But there may be some hacks, I'll try to try something in the coming weeks... -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 20:47, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::The only other solution is to manually trace out the route on geojson.io and then add it to the article (see [[Canberra/Acton]] for an example of how this is done) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::While I don't question this working, it does come with a substantial downside: It's not 'automatically' updated whenever the line changes route (in reality, OSM-contributors update it and we import the dataset they edit). This leaves us with a lot of extra work, which I expect will get out of date quite quickly. Perhaps not for metro's, but definitely for trams or BRT's. Drawing the lines ourselves can work for cities that see regular edits or that have docents capable of editing GeoJSON data (and willing to do so). I strongly prefer making Mapshapes work, even if it's a workaround over manually doing the work ourselves. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 08:30, 1 July 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} At the German Wikivoyage I added a rule to [[MediaWiki:Kartographer.css]] which hides the grey pushpin markers. <syntaxhighlight lang="css"> /* Removing grey pushpin markers on mapframe maps */ img[src$="pin-m+7e7e7e.png"], img[src$="pin-m+7e7e7e@2x.png"] { display: none; } </syntaxhighlight> Unfortunately, I cannot make the edit by myself. But I am sure your admins can do it. --[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]] ([[User talk:RolandUnger|talk]]) 09:24, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :{{ping|Andyrom75}} given you're the only active interface admin here, can you add the three-line code? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:16, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::I checked the positions of the markers, and they are the stops/stations of the public transport lines. However they don't give the name of the stop, but only the name of the line. The name of the line is already displayed by clicking the line. So, with the present marker texts, no new info is available. If the marker info would have the name of the stop it indicates, displaying them could be useful. I tested from which zoom level displaying the markers is not disturbing anymore, and came to zoom level 14-19 may show the markers, below 14 not. And this zoom level dependent conditional showing of the markers should only be done if the markers contain the names of the stops. If it is impossible to have the names of the stops in the markers, markers should never be shown. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:18, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :::While I agree that they could be useful to some extent, the thing is that we can't properly make the distinction between lines, polygons or points/markers in the data that we fetch from OpenStreetMap. At present we also cannot import the names of these stations/halts (I believe this data gets lost between Wikidata and OSM, but I might be wrong). Roland's solution above is just a workaround that hides the marker, but the point itself stays on the map albeit invisible. So long as we can't make the distinction properly, we sadly can't implement these markers in a more useful way either. For that distinction to be made, the Kartographer extension needs additional functionalities, which we've been asking for for several years already. Until we get that, it's either hiding the markers or accepting them as-they-come, the latter of which is a lot less popular. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 12:48, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :@[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], do we have any other admins who can do this? Another option would be using JavaScript, but using CSS is much cleaner... Also, alternatively to 'display: none', we could change opacity to e.g. 0.3, that also looks quite ok. -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 09:31, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::I really don't know. I hope other admins are reading this thread. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::This needs an interface admin to do it and as far as I'm aware, {{ping|Andyrom75}} is the only interface admin who has been active recently. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:38, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say it wouldn't hurt to have at least 2-3 people with those permissions - even if they need guidance for doing technical changes... -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 10:15, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:WOSlinker|WOSlinker]] maybe, then? -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 10:51, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Sorry guys, I've read the conversation just right now. ::::::[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]], I have created [[MediaWiki:Kartographer.css]] as per your code, but not so much time for testing. The gray POI has disappeared; it's enough? Any side effect to be checked? ::::::[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], thanks for pinging me twice. Next time, in case of emergency, leave a message on my it:voy talk page. --[[User:Andyrom75|<span style="color:#BB0000; font-family:Papyrus; font-size:12px">'''Andyrom75'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Andyrom75|talk]]) 16:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It helped, thanks both to you and Roland! :) -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 19:28, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::: There are no side effects. The names of the pushpin images contain their colors, and this particular color is not used elsewhere. Of course, the way proposed is a workaround not a real solution but it is useful. The grey pushpin markers are present up to now, but they are invisible (hidden). --[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]] ([[User talk:RolandUnger|talk]]) 04:23, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]], thanks for your confirmation. --[[User:Andyrom75|<span style="color:#BB0000; font-family:Papyrus; font-size:12px">'''Andyrom75'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Andyrom75|talk]]) 10:00, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: Brilliant work. Thanks to everyone who contributed to finding a workaround.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:52, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Is this something that we should share with other wikis? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:15, 14 July 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} A permanent solution to this problem has been implemented but not published for whatever reason (see https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T292613). --[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 14:14, 16 July 2022 (UTC) == Results of Wiki Loves Folklore 2022 is out! == <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> {{int:please-translate}} [[File:Wiki Loves Folklore Logo.svg|right|150px|frameless]] Hi, Greetings The winners for '''[[c:Commons:Wiki Loves Folklore 2022|Wiki Loves Folklore 2022]]''' is announced! We are happy to share with you winning images for this year's edition. This year saw over 8,584 images represented on commons in over 92 countries. Kindly see images '''[[:c:Commons:Wiki Loves Folklore 2022/Winners|here]]''' Our profound gratitude to all the people who participated and organized local contests and photo walks for this project. We hope to have you contribute to the campaign next year. '''Thank you,''' '''Wiki Loves Folklore International Team''' --[[User:MediaWiki message delivery|MediaWiki message delivery]] ([[User talk:MediaWiki message delivery|talk]]) 16:12, 4 July 2022 (UTC) </div> <!-- Message sent by User:Tiven2240@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Distribution_list/Non-Technical_Village_Pumps_distribution_list&oldid=23454230 --> == Using a separate colour for freeways on static maps == [[File:Greater Brisbane regions map.png|thumb|350px]] Right now, our current Wikivoyage style for static maps is to use red for a main road, while use yellow for secondary roads. While the criteria for what's a main road and what's a secondary road is fairly arbitrary and up to whoever's making the map to decide, I was wondering whether we should consider using a different colour for freeways/motorways? While I'm still new to this static mapmaking business, I personally find such a distinction of what's an ordinary road and what's a freeway useful, and many people often either want to use freeways or try to avoid them. Our dynamic maps already use a different colour for freeways, so why not static? I wanted to make such a distinction when I made a static map for [[Greater Brisbane]] today (on right), but such a change would be against Wikivoyage-style, so I'm asking the community for input; and if we do use a separate colour to distinguish freeways from normal roads, what would it be? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:24, 5 July 2022 (UTC) [[File:Southern Tasmania regions.png|thumb|350px]] :I tried using orange to identify freeways in the map of Southern Tasmania that I just created (on right). Is it obvious that the route coloured orange means a freeway? (I really want answers so I can take note of what I should do differently for my next static map) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:32, 5 July 2022 (UTC) :: What a colour means is never obvious, unless you know something about the destination. The colour could just mean "main highways" or whatever. :: I think that there are many more things that might be interesting for at least some travellers, and most travellers to some destinations. How do we show good cycling routes? Roads with good bus service? Nice pedestrian routes? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 17:14, 5 July 2022 (UTC) :::I don't think any colour schemes are immediately obvious wordwide. For a UK map, I would be tempted to use the same as some OS maps - blue for motorways, red for A roads, brown for B roads and yellow for minor roads, but some UK road atlases use green for A roads as this is the colour used on road signs. Another complication is the use of different colour fills for regions - a yellow road on a yellow background isn't good - spot the roads going to Richmond in Southern Tasmania. :::Is it possible to use slightly different line widths to indicate road importance? We also need to allow for things like long distance walking tracks or off-road cycle routes. As both examples have a lot of sea, they could have a key explaining the colours. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:45, 5 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Agreed. Map making 101: Every map needs a legend (key), and every symbol used in that map (intuitive or not) needs to be explained in that legend. That way you can add whatever is needed. Having a consistent style for static maps is a ''nice to have''; it should not get in the way of making maps ''useful''. ::::The color issue mentioned by AlasdairW is part of of a bigger problem: The different elements used in the map are unbalanced in terms of contrast (color, saturation, brightness) and visual weight (size, thickness). ::::1) The lines used for the roads are too thin in relation to everything else. After enlarging enough to properly see the roads, the text labels are way larger than they need to be. This is a static map: pick one scale and apply it consistently, using an appropriate degree of generalization. ::::2) Visual importance of borders (thickness, color contrast of the white vs. area colors) is too high given that areas already have different colors. Line thickness of borders is also inconsistent in the second map. ::::3) In general, having areas colored that heavily (dark & saturated) creates all kinds of problems for the visibility of makers, line elements and text labels. "Brisbane" in the first map is practically unreadable, for example. In [[:File:Georgia_regions_map2.png]], for example, that is much less of an issue due to different color choices. ::::Unfortunately, the region maps template is basically calling for many of these problems to occur. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 13:41, 6 July 2022 (UTC) [[File:Southern Tasmania regions map.png|thumb|350px]] :::::I've added a key to the Southern Tas static map (on right). How does this look? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 9 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::But unfortunately, I have to agree with El Grafo that our region maps are at the very least, unreadable and awful-looking. If I had to design a static map from the start, this is not the way I would do it, but unfortunately the community is unwilling to accept that, in this very day and age, dynamic maps are far superior to static maps. There are few people who can edit static maps in the first place, and the two only editors (excluding myself) that I'm aware of who have even edited in the past month are {{u|Shaundd}} and {{u|SelfieCity}}. The only reason I'm making these maps is because our policy favours static maps in region articles but otherwise I think we need to revamp the region maps template. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:15, 9 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::I know this is a minor point, but I like the color scheme you are using. It feels just the right amount of trendy/modern/not outdated. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 18:11, 9 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I do like the lighter colours in the color scheme though. From [[Template:StdColor]], T1, T6, T8 and T9 feel a bit too dark (hence what's causing these problems), but a static map does look very nice if the right colors are used. So far, my favorite has to be the map I made for [[Southeastern New South Wales]], and I've been trying to make more maps like that. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:37, 10 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::: Hi {{u|SHB2000}}, I think it's fine if you want to experiment a bit use different colours and distinguish motorways. I did motorways differently for a while on maps I drew but eventually stopped because I felt it was more detail/clutter than benefit and it became another colour that had to integrated with the colour palette (which didn't always work). ::::::::: I also agree with the others above that our standard colours don't always work. I ended up moving away from them so I could get a better contrast between the region colour and the text (improves readability quite a bit). -[[User:Shaundd|Shaundd]] ([[User talk:Shaundd|talk]]) 07:05, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: The problem may be that our regional map template colors were not originally designed to accommodate details like roads. They work fine for plainer regional maps like [[New York (state)]] or [[Massachusetts]]. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 20:34, 15 July 2022 (UTC) == Road signs == There have been some discussions and addition and removal of galleries related to European road signs. As European non-driver it is hard for me to guess what signs are important to explain e.g. for US drivers. As the signs are pictogram-based, many of them are intuitive, but certainly not all. I assume other European editors also don't know what would be optimal, so I think we need others to weight in. There are some galleries in [[Driving in Europe]] and more for individual countries. As the variation is small between continental EU countries, there is little need for duplication per se, but I don't know to what extent one can assume drivers to read both the European article and the ones for individual countries (which have their peculiarities). Do drivers study traffic law or traffic signs before driving in a new country? I assume they are not, at least not to any great degree, but I might be wrong, and that would of course affect what we need to tell. Some of the articles became rather picture-heavy with a few less-established editors doing a lot of editing regarding images. I think we shouldn't apply our minimal-use-of-images policy to hard, as most images in these articles are informative rather than decorations. Some are of course also needed to give a feeling for the driving environment. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:57, 11 July 2022 (UTC) :As a US driver, I think that stop signs and signs for speed limits would be the most immediately necessary. You can't really drive anywhere if you don't know those two. There are others that might be useful (e.g., Yield) but won't turn up as often. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:00, 11 July 2022 (UTC) ::EU driver here. Wikipedia has a great [[:w:Comparison of European road signs]]. Road signs in Europe are indeed pretty consistent and mostly follow the Vienna conventions. I think it would make sense for the individual ''Driving in country X'' articles to mostly rely on (and prominently link to) a central article about that (e.g. [[Driving in Europe]] or the Rules section of [[:w:Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]]), so that the country articles can focus on pointing out where the country diverges from the norm in a way that could cause confusion. ::So for example, [[Driving in Europe]] would tell you that stop signs are always stop sign-shaped, always stop sign-colored and ''almost'' always use the word STOP, whereas [[Driving in Turkey]] might tell you that Turkey is pretty much the only country in Europe where they use local language (DUR) instead of STOP. [[Driving in Ireland]] might feel tempted to point out that the country uses [[:w:Comparison_of_MUTCD-influenced_traffic_signs|MUTCD-style]] warning signs, but that's probably more of a ''nice to know''. Pointing out that they (apparently) use [[:w:Belisha beacon]]s for pedestrian crossings would probably be a good idea, though. [[Driving in the Netherlands]] would probably talk about the relevance of blue vs. yellow curbs for parking rather than re-iterating that the prohibitory signs are round? ::Looking at existing ''Driving in X'' articles, I feel that ::* most of the example pictures in [[Driving_in_France#Traffic rules]] are unnecessary, as they are no different from other European countries and thus redundant to [[Driving in Europe]] (currently not linked). ::* [[Driving in Portugal#Road signs]] contains so many redundant examples that it's difficult to identify the ones that are specific to Portugal. ::* [[Driving in Sweden#Road signs]] and [[Driving in the United Kingdom#Road signs]] are mostly redundant too, but at least they stick to the important ones. ::*I don't know how I feel about the use of miniature versions of road signs in lists in [[Driving in Norway#Rules and regulations]] and [[Driving in Iceland#Rules and regulations]]. ::The other articles listed in [[Driving in Europe#Countries]] loo fine to me. Links to [[Driving in Europe]] are largely missing, though. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 14:49, 12 July 2022 (UTC) :::Australian driver here. Our signage is very similar to US signage, but with four major exceptions: :::* we have give way signs as opposed to yield signs :::* passing cars is called overtaking as passing is only used when you pass cyclists :::* signs that are only used RHS countries are flipped (e.g. roundabout signs) :::* our speed signs is a mix of both US and EU speed signs; we have that white background but use the red circle ([https://goo.gl/maps/uRJbytw9jRVq4SRC9 a sign in the NT for ref]) :::Sometimes we do have our own minor modifications, such as exit signs (cf. [https://goo.gl/maps/nR3uHo2B9Qb75mSp9 US] and [https://goo.gl/maps/JaiaKyXX9qtMvaQGA Aus (specifically Qld)]), but whenever I travel to the US, I've never had an issue with understanding signage. For the record, from my limited experience in NZ, they look very similar to Australian signs but with a few minor differences. :::In Europe, were very different to what I saw in Aus or the US, but thankfully due to standardised signs, I did not have a problem when travelling in different countries (the signs in Norway, albeit different were very similar to the signs in France). However, most EU signs were self-explanatory, so for the most part, comprehending them wasn't a problem. In South and Southeast Asia, they weren't standardised, but they were very similar. ::: Re [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]]'s comment: I understand speed signs (though they're pretty much the same everywhere outside the US, Canada and maybe Liberia), aren't stop signs the same, octagonal sign everywhere? I've yet to see a stop sign that isn't red and octagonal. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:57, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::[[File:Japan_road_sign_330-B.svg|thumb|What's this?]] ::::Most places are using red octagons, frequently even with the English word "STOP", but not quite everywhere. Even in places where the red octagon is common, there may be a few old signs that haven't quite been replaced yet or the occasional variation, like [[:File:Blue stop sign - hawaii - oct 2015.jpg|Hawaii's blue stop signs]]. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 03:56, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::After doing more digging, it seems [[:File:Cuban Stop Sign.svg|Cuba's stop sign]] is also triangular (like Japan's), but if a country uses the standard octagonal sign, wouldn't it simply make more sense to write that in plain text? (e.g. New Zealand's stop sign is exactly the same as in Australia or the United States or something like that) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:07, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::It seems stop signs are among the most standardized signs worldwide, both in areas that use Vienna convention and MUTCD-style signs. I'd go so far to say that they are not worth mentioning (let alone showing) at all unless they actually diverge from that de-facto norm (red and white octagon). <small>Interestingly enough, you can actually find the Cuban design in the [[:w:Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] as an alternative design.</small> [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 08:58, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::The "Cuban design" is (or was) a fairly common alternative. It was being installed in the UK up to 1975, and in Italy to 1990. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:06, 13 July 2022 (UTC) == Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass == :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi all, Community members in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022|2022 Board of Trustees election]] are invited to [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass|propose statements to use in the Election Compass.]] An Election Compass is a tool to help voters select the candidates that best align with their beliefs and views. The community members will propose statements for the candidates to answer using a Lickert scale (agree/neutral/disagree). The candidates’ answers to the statements will be loaded into the Election Compass tool. Voters will use the tool by entering in their answer to the statements (agree/disagree/neutral). The results will show the candidates that best align with the voter’s beliefs and views. Here is the timeline for the Election Compass: July 8 - 20: Community members propose statements for the Election Compass July 21 - 22: Elections Committee reviews statements for clarity and removes off-topic statements July 23 - August 1: Volunteers vote on the statements August 2 - 4: Elections Committee selects the top 15 statements August 5 - 12: candidates align themselves with the statements August 15: The Election Compass opens for voters to use to help guide their voting decision The Elections Committee will select the top 15 statements at the beginning of August. The Elections Committee will oversee the process, supported by the Movement Strategy and Governance team. MSG will check that the questions are clear, there are no duplicates, no typos, and so on. Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee'' [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 13:26, 11 July 2022 (UTC) == Crazy new feature idea -- personal itineraries == What if we had a way for a user (probably a logged-in user) to save individual listings to a custom itinerary? (Not a [[Wikivoyage:Itineraries|Wikivoyage Itinerary]], just in the generic sense of the word.) Or even save individual listings to a Google Map? Some way a user could record places he or she wants to go? [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 20:37, 15 July 2022 (UTC) :Something kinda like this? [[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500/test places]] --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 23:29, 15 July 2022 (UTC) ::Roughly, but see my response to WhatamIdoing well below. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::The way I understand the idea, is it's like a personalised version of an article, that lists only the POIs that the owner is interested in. That is already doable by a manual copy-and-paste, but I assume the idea is for something more high-tech, where the user could just tap or click a button on a listing in [[Prague]], which copies the listing over to [[ThunderingTyphoons!' Prague itinerary]]. ::That seems like a great idea to me, but I don't know how to implement it.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:22, 16 July 2022 (UTC) *{{o}} First of all, there are multiple issues with this proposal. The first and the foremost is that most readers don't have an account and IP users are not allowed to have user pages or user subpages; IPs periodically change over time so if we are going to be the only Wikimedia project that openly allows such, then we're going to have to do some serious janitorial work in deleting these subpages after a few months. Additionally, this is going to require some brand new tools and gadgets that will take a lot of time – really not worth the time and effort. Finally, saving individual listings to Google Maps is against our [[what not to link to]] policy, so no, I oppose this proposal. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::What do you mean, IP users are not allowed to have user pages or subpages? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:32, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::I don't know whether it's a global policy or a policy only on Meta-Wiki and I think Wikipedia too, but as far as I'm aware, both those projects speedily delete IP userpages or IP subpages as IPs aren't permanently assigned to one user. Our policies don't seem to say anything about this, but maybe {{u|WhatamIdoing}} might be able to explain this better. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:41, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::::enwiki allows IP user pages, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:220.101.28.25 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:81.168.80.170 [[User:Twsabin|Twsabin]] ([[User talk:Twsabin|talk]]) 14:39, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::::We do, too. IPs' user pages are never deleted here unless they are spam or vandalism. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:50, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Those seem to be at least a decade old though. I just tried making one and the software wouldn't allow me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:23, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::That's very disconcerting. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 00:07, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I managed to create one, first ensuring I was in an incognito window. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 23:25, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::With respect, SHB2000, I think your objections are ill-considered. Firstly, I didn't say anything about IP user pages or subpages; there may very well be ways to implement this that don't rely on them. Second, while it's true that this would require some development effort, you don't even attempt to make a case that the benefit isn't "worth the time and effort". Yes, it would be a lot of effort, but if the return is great enough, it might still be "worth it". (I'm not making a claim either way, just pointing out that you failed to support yours.) Third, [[what not to link to]] is about things that are better done here on Wikivoyage; if you're claiming it shouldn't be on Wikivoyage in the first place, then [[what not to link to]] doesn't apply. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Okay, so if I wasn't clear enough, here's a longer but briefer explanation. Such a tool would work very similar to the already existing editor, but maintaining such scripts is ''very'' difficult (I do maintain a few of these scripts IRL) and even if this went ahead, there are a few issues: :::* Like the listing editor, users will need to have javascript enabled. Without javascript, it simply won't work. :::* If this tool just copies down all the important pieces of a listing to a separate page, the tool needs to give attribution in the edit summary – otherwise, it's a violation of our copyleft license. :::* This won't work for outline articles that have little to no content :::* Users might be intimidated if they want to edit the listing – I'm guessing only maybe 1 or 2 per cent of our readers will know what Wikidata is (which is one of the main sources we use to get coordinates). :::What more, this exact same thing can be done with [http://geojson.io/#map=10/-34.9602/149.1497 geojson.io]. We have few editors who actively maintain scripts like these, and only a fraction out of the few who can will be willing to spend a lot of time and effort into something that isn't even really worth spending that much time anyway. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:22, 19 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks for explaining further, but I really think you're getting hung up on implementation details that might not even apply for some of the directions we could go with this feature. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 12:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Powers, were you thinking about individual listings (first the museum, then the restaurant, back to the hotel), or about destinations (San Francisco, then Napa Valley, then Yosemite)? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 21:07, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::Individual listings. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) * What's stopping a user from creating a personal itinerary in userspace under current policy? I'm curious as to the need for a change. As for as I'm concerned, I could create an itinerary in userspace based on an OSM map, and surely, it wouldn't be deleted as out of scope? I'd prefer for the above reasons to avoid Google Maps. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 21:22, 18 July 2022 (UTC) *:I already have that: [[User:AlasdairW/Testpage]]. This is currently showing a few places that I stayed in in 2018. At that time it was used to send to friends showing where I would be staying on a trip - they got the dates etc in an email that linked to this page. *:I would support having a policy that explicitly allowed such a page (for signed in users), as they might be more inclined to also update the article pages at the same time. I think that such pages should stick to using our mapframes, although I would be happy with a tool that allowed a list of lat/longs to exported for use with other tools including Google maps, car GPS systems etc. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:54, 18 July 2022 (UTC) *:Well, willingness and ability to edit wiki pages, primarily, as well as the cumbersome need to copy+paste listings. I'm envisioning a one-click kind of "add to personal itinerary" button on each listing. The use case would be a non-editor coming to Wikivoyage to learn about a destination (or several related ones) and assembling a list/map of highlights she wants to be sure to hit on her trip. Can she just write them down somewhere, or copy+paste them to a personal Google map? Sure, but the proposed feature would remove several steps. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 12:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC) == Movement Strategy and Governance News - Issue 7 == <div style = "line-height: 1.2"> <span style="font-size:200%;">'''Movement Strategy and Governance News'''</span><br> <span style="font-size:120%; color:#404040;">'''Issue 7, July-September 2022'''</span><span style="font-size:120%; float:right;">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7|'''Read the full newsletter''']]</span> ---- Welcome to the 7th issue of Movement Strategy and Governance News! The newsletter distributes relevant news and events about the implementation of Wikimedia's [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy/Initiatives|Movement Strategy recommendations]], other relevant topics regarding Movement governance, as well as different projects and activities supported by the Movement Strategy and Governance (MSG) team of the Wikimedia Foundation. The MSG Newsletter is delivered quarterly, while the more frequent [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy/Updates|Movement Strategy Weekly]] will be delivered weekly. Please remember to subscribe [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Global message delivery/Targets/MSG Newsletter Subscription|here]] if you would like to receive future issues of this newsletter. </div><div style="margin-top:3px; padding:10px 10px 10px 20px; background:#fffff; border:2px solid #808080; border-radius:4px; font-size:100%;"> * '''Movement sustainability''': Wikimedia Foundation's annual sustainability report has been published. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A1</tvar>|continue reading]]) * '''Improving user experience''': recent improvements on the desktop interface for Wikimedia projects. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A2|continue reading]]) * '''Safety and inclusion''': updates on the revision process of the Universal Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A3|continue reading]]) * '''Equity in decisionmaking''': reports from Hubs pilots conversations, recent progress from the Movement Charter Drafting Committee, and a new white paper for futures of participation in the Wikimedia movement. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A4|continue reading]]) * '''Stakeholders coordination''': launch of a helpdesk for Affiliates and volunteer communities working on content partnership. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A5|continue reading]]) * '''Leadership development''': updates on leadership projects by Wikimedia movement organizers in Brazil and Cape Verde. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A6|continue reading]]) * '''Internal knowledge management''': launch of a new portal for technical documentation and community resources. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A7|continue reading]]) * '''Innovate in free knowledge''': high-quality audiovisual resources for scientific experiments and a new toolkit to record oral transcripts. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A8|continue reading]]) * '''Evaluate, iterate, and adapt''': results from the Equity Landscape project pilot ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A9|continue reading]]) * '''Other news and updates''': a new forum to discuss Movement Strategy implementation, upcoming Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election, a new podcast to discuss Movement Strategy, and change of personnel for the Foundation's Movement Strategy and Governance team. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A10|continue reading]]) </div><section end="msg-newsletter"/> [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 22:58, 18 July 2022 (UTC) == "PIN codes" == This redirect was created to go to [[Wikivoyage:Postal codes]], but I daresay, most non-<s>Australians</s>Indians have never heard of this term in a postal context and would expect it to link to an article about banking. Please express your opinion at [[Wikivoyage talk:PIN codes]]. Should we create a disambiguation for two terms that are not destinations, or should we delete the redirect? Those seem to me to be the only two reasonable options. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:12, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :PIN-pass, you pay cash or are you PIN-ing, and more, are usual expressions in The Netherlands.--[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 06:17, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::Right, but this is treating "PIN codes" as an <s>Australian</s>Indian postal expression, and I'm saying that's too obscure to non-<s>Australians</s>Indians to be a good redirect. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:14, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :First of all, remember, [[w:WP:CHEAP|redirects are cheap]] – there is really no point in discussing pointless redirects. The first sentence of [[Wikivoyage:Deletion policy#Redirects]] explicitly says "As a general rule, redirect pages should not be deleted. Redirection pages provide alternative page titles for articles and allow search engines to locate articles by their alternative names.". :Secondly, what made you think that this was an Australian term? The page I linked, [[English language varieties#Connect]] explicitly mentioned that it's sometimes redundantly called such in India (whilst redundant, again, redirects are cheap). Did you think that it was an Australian term just because I created it? I honestly had no idea what that meant before my first trip to India (and I'll add that my driver did constantly mention "PIN code", not "PIN"). :Thirdly, this could have really been handled in a much better way. Unless it's something major (e.g. userban nominations, major proposal change or something alike), this should go in [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment]], not in the pub. Perhaps you missed "If you'd like to draw attention to a comment to get feedback from other Wikivoyagers, try [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment|Requests for comment]]."? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:17, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::People pay more attention to the Pub. I thought about also putting the announcement in Requests for comment but got lazy. But confusing redirects aren't cheap. If you really want to fight this, then yes, a nomination will need to be made at [[vfd]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:30, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :::Btw, sorry if anything about this annoys you, and sorry for getting wrong where "PIN code" comes from, but I also felt like you decided to ignore my reply about how confusing redirects are not cheap, so I had to do something in order to generate more discussion, and I don't think there's any important matter of protocol involved in whether notice is given in requests for comment as well as the pub. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:44, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Now there's a Votes for deletion thread, [[Wikivoyage:Votes for deletion#Wikivoyage:PIN codes]]. Feel free to put a notice on Requests for comment if you like. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:21, 20 July 2022 (UTC) == Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election == :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election/Short|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election/Short}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi everyone, The Affiliate Representatives have completed their voting period. The selected 2022 Board of Trustees candidates are: * Tobechukwu Precious Friday ([[:m:User:Tochiprecious|Tochiprecious]]) * Farah Jack Mustaklem ([[:m:User:Fjmustak|Fjmustak]]) * Shani Evenstein Sigalov ([[:m:User:Esh77|Esh77]]) * Kunal Mehta ([[:m:User:Legoktm|Legoktm]]) * Michał Buczyński ([[:m:User:Aegis Maelstrom|Aegis Maelstrom]]) * Mike Peel ([[:m:User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]]) You may see more information about the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Results|Results]] and [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Stats|Statistics]] of this Board election. The Affiliate organizations selected representatives to vote on behalf of the Affiliate organization. The Affiliate Representatives proposed questions for the candidates to answer in mid-June. These answers from candidates and the information provided from the Analysis Committee provided support for the representatives as they made their decision. Please take a moment to appreciate the Affiliate Representatives and Analysis Committee members for taking part in this process and helping to grow the Board of Trustees in capacity and diversity. These hours of volunteer work connect us across understanding and perspective. Thank you for your participation. Thank you to the community members who put themselves forward as candidates for the Board of Trustees. Considering joining the Board of Trustees is no small decision. The time and dedication candidates have shown to this point speaks to their commitment to this movement. Congratulations to those candidates who have been selected. A great amount of appreciation and gratitude for those candidates not selected. Please continue to share your leadership with Wikimedia. What can voters do now? [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Results|Review the results of the Affiliate selection process]]. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election|Read more here about the next steps in the 2022 Board of Trustee election]]. Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee''</translate><br /><section end="announcement-content" /> [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 19:32, 20 July 2022 (UTC) == Another copyvio site == Just as an FYI, I found another copy of Wikivoyage a few days ago: [https://www.travelerandfree.com/ Traveler and Free]. This one is a mirror site, which updates in real time (go ahead and find this very post on their mirror of the Pub!). It's not copyleft-compliant: there's no credit given to WV, and each page has a fraudulent copyright symbol on it. There seems to be real people behind it, as the same site hosts a blog that appears to be original content. On Monday, I sent an email to the address listed on their contact page, and have also notified Wikimedia Legal. Will let you know if there are any developments. [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:35, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Their [https://www.travelerandfree.com/terms_of_service terms of service] reads an absolute joke to me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:48, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::Ah, I didn't spot that, but Legal might be interested. It expressly forbids other sites to mirror it! ::Forgot to mention that it's not just a mirror of en.wikivoyage, but of all the language additions.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:57, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::: Thank you for taking action. We should have a page with best practices for these cases. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:27, 22 July 2022 (UTC) ::::We do, but it's not very instructive - [[Wikivoyage:Non-compliant redistribution]].--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:29, 22 July 2022 (UTC) ::::: Thanks. I had forgotten about it. There is even your example letter on the talk page. That page helps quite a bit, although it could be improved. I added a paragraph on contributions with copyright. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:25, 22 July 2022 (UTC) :::::: {{ping|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Any advances? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:15, 31 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::: I'm afraid not. If other users are interested, I recommend writing your own reports to Wikimedia Legal; they're obviously very busy, but if several Wikivoyagers make some noise about this issue, they're more likely to prioritise our case over other stuff they're doing (I work with lawyers IRL, and that's how they operate).--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 31 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::: What can they do, other than giving some general advice? They cannot be our lawyers and they don't have any copyrights to the content. If we sue, they can probably give contacts to lawyers in the right jurisdictions (seems to be England, as the London address is marked as "HQ"), but that's about it, I think. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 08:38, 1 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::: I sent an e-mail of my own. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:05, 1 August 2022 (UTC) : I sent email as well & cc'd legal. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 14:26, 1 August 2022 (UTC) == alternative-indy culture == Anyone knows of good guide to alternative-indy culture in any Wikivoyage language? --[[User:Zblace|Zblace]] ([[User talk:Zblace|talk]]) 19:59, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Like I said in the Interlingual Lounge, I don't know of any, and that sounds like a travel topic to me, that perhaps you'd like to start, but first, what do you mean by alternative-indy culture and what part of the world would you like to cover? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:16, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] TNX :-) I answered [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage/Lounge&oldid=23557712#alternative-indy_culture? there]: "my plan is to cover clubs (different styles) and socio-cultural centers that are non (or even anti) commercial in Croatia. I have friend who is interested in doing it for Slovenia also. We would appreciate to see something similar done elsewhere." ::@ALL here - I am interested in having this done across different language instances, but I am not aware of differences, so will likely experiment and 'innovate' in Incubator. ::-- [[User:Zblace|Zblace]] ([[User talk:Zblace|talk]]) 06:50, 24 July 2022 (UTC) :::That seems like a possible travel topic, but it seems to me, the full listings should be in articles for the cities where the clubs are. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:08, 24 July 2022 (UTC) == Vote for Election Compass Statements == :''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements|You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki.]]'' :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi all, Volunteers in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022|2022 Board of Trustees election]] are invited to [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass/Statements|vote for statements to use in the Election Compass]]. You can vote for the statements you would like to see included in the Election Compass on Meta-wiki. An Election Compass is a tool to help voters select the candidates that best align with their beliefs and views. The community members will propose statements for the candidates to answer using a Lickert scale (agree/neutral/disagree). The candidates’ answers to the statements will be loaded into the Election Compass tool. Voters will use the tool by entering in their answer to the statements (agree/disagree/neutral). The results will show the candidates that best align with the voter’s beliefs and views. Here is the timeline for the Election Compass: *<s>July 8 - 20: Volunteers propose statements for the Election Compass</s> *<s>July 21 - 22: Elections Committee reviews statements for clarity and removes off-topic statements</s> *July 23 - August 3: Volunteers vote on the statements *August 4: Elections Committee selects the top 15 statements *August 5 - 12: candidates align themselves with the statements *August 16: The Election Compass opens for voters to use to help guide their voting decision The Elections Committee will select the top 15 statements at the beginning of August Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee'' [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 17:26, 26 July 2022 (UTC) == Mapshape problems == At [[Venice#Get around]] the Mapshape does not work very well. The colors of several areas do not show. Clicking the refresh button of the browser makes the colors show for less than a second. The format of those Mapshapes is: *<nowiki>{{Mapshape|type=geoshape|group=map1|wikidata=...|fill=...|title=...}}</nowiki> It is not constant, this morning the shapes that were not there were different from what I see now, some hours later. [[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:03, 27 July 2022 (UTC) :Opening the page '''now''' (10 minutes later) again, and there is no problem. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:17, 27 July 2022 (UTC) ::Opening the page '''now''' (next day) again, and the problem is back. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 01:47, 28 July 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|FredTC}} This issue has been a recurring issue for some time that {{u|LPfi}} and I have noticed. When I made a detailed dynamic map for [[New South Wales]] last November, every single mapshape appeared. Eventually the mapshape for Narrabri Shire disappeared, never to be seen again (even though there was nothing wrong on OSM). A few months later, Tweed Shire and Griffith City Council disappeared, never to be seen again. There have been a few other recent cases too. Here are my suggestions for the time being: :::* For city districts and small regions, manually trace the districts yourself using geojson.io :::* For larger region articles, revert back to using traditional, old static maps. :::Static maps aren't perfect though. The dynamic map in [[Greater Brisbane]] was clearly superior to the static map (that's overly crowded) and some of the colour scheme for regions is basically calling this. I'll need to adjust the colours soon, but in the case for [[Venice]], I think manually tracing out the route using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io] is a much better alternative to using static maps (I'll help you with tracing the route if needed) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 28 July 2022 (UTC) :::: I am not sure this is the same problem. I haven't noticed the mapshapes appearing for a moment, and that also does not make sense for the description of the bug on Phabricator. The bug we discussed earlier meant, if memory serves, that the database lost mapshapes over time, and the problem was cured for that shape only when it was fetched again, which I think is about weeks rather than hours or minutes. Something disappearing soon after loading a page sounds like a Javacript problem (as Javascript is executed after page load and can change the appearance). –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:23, 28 July 2022 (UTC) ::::: I guess we need to open a task in [https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/ Phabricator]. Maybe in a year someone will have a look at it... --[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:44, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Noticed this again on [[Blue River Provincial Park]]. Never before have I been so grateful for the [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ mapmask-geojson converter] you made. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:24, 31 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::And again in [[Tongariro Northern Circuit]]. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:22, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ==New topic: [[Personal electric vehicles]]== [[Personal electric vehicles]] is intended to collect information on electric bicycles, e-scooters and similar equipment. Please contribute. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:51, 27 July 2022 (UTC) :Thank you for starting this article. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 18:27, 1 August 2022 (UTC) == Article out-of-date == I need to update [[Ho Chi Minh City]] article in the next days. I ask for somebody to check my edits there. [[User:Claude van der Grift|Claude van der Grift]] ([[User talk:Claude van der Grift|talk]]) 07:00, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :{{re|Claude van der Grift}} Sure. Will check your edits. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:08, 30 July 2022 (UTC) == Many dynamic maps broken == Dynamic district overview maps which get their boundaries from OpenStreetMap via Wikidata id's are broken all over the site, e.g. [[Paris]] or [[Tokyo]]. This is the error message in the browser console: <code>Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 404 (https://maps.wikimedia.org/geoline?getgeojson=1&ids=Q1083349)</code> The issues with imported OSM elements like boundaries or public transport lines are going on for months, if not 1-2 years already. Really a pity because those dynamic maps could be so useful for the traveller. [[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:22, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :Didn't see the discussion above ("Mapshape problems"). Same thing.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:42, 30 July 2022 (UTC) == Request for participation in discussion of user rights nomination process == This thread: [[Wikivoyage talk:User rights nominations#Bureaucrats must close all user rights nom threads? Why?]] Many such threads have been closed by non-bureaucrat admins, but at least one admin thinks that's wrong, and current language at [[Wikivoyage:User rights nominations]] states that all such threads have to be closed by bureaucrats. I'm not sure when that language was added and propose to change it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:05, 7 August 2022 (UTC) == Name of articles covering multiple destinations == I was looking for how to name a single article when it covers two or more destinations without a local name for the combined entity. I have seen names like [[Gour-Pandua]] (covering two historic towns) and [[Birbhum-Murshidabad]] (covering two administrative divisions, now renamed Central Bengal), but I don't think these names may sound natural outside India. '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 07:43, 11 August 2022 (UTC) :The hyphens look okay to me, although to be clear the article covers two distinct places, rather than one place with a hyphenated name, you might be better using a connective such as "and", e.g. [[Newbury and Thatcham]], [[Windsor and Eton]].--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:07, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ::Agree. If I hadn't read [[Gour-Pandua]], I'd have thought it was the one same place (like [[Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park|Leeuwin-Naturaliste]] or Uluru-Kata Tjuta). "And" works just fine (also see [[Adelaide/Port Adelaide, Enfield, Prospect and Outer Harbor]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden]], [[Buffalo/Allentown and the Delaware District]], or [[Dubai/Suburbs and Hatta]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:38, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::: Sometimes you just drop one of them. [[Turku]] covers most of Turku, a city of 200,000, and Raisio, a neighbouring town of 25,000 with few attractions. If one of the places is minor and less known, there is usually no need to mention it in the article name. You can still have a redirect and a mention in boldface in the lead. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:11, 12 August 2022 (UTC) == Feature suggestion: Time needed for an activity == The idea would be to display, on the page of each destination, an indication of a reasonable or typical duration (or duration range) that a traveller could allocate to a visit. Indeed, it is very useful to have at least a rough idea of how much time a visit one intends to do will take. It seems more appropriate and easier to define such a duration per visit/activity (e.g. for a specific museum) instead of per destination. The travellers could themselves estimate the total time needed for a destination by adding up the times for each visit they intend to do. Difficulty: The time needed ("minimum time") for a visit is very subjective, as well as a possible sufficient time ("maximum time") for a visit. Idea: Make an average over user-input estimated time spent for an activity (how to do it in practice needs be to define). Any other ideas would be very much welcome! [[User:OttoRuth|OttoRuth]] ([[User talk:OttoRuth|talk]]) 15:26, 13 August 2022 (UTC) : Averages are seldom informative, and they rely critically on the population measured – and we don't have access to any measurements at all. Thus this needs to be the editors subjective guess on typical duration. The information is useful, but I think trying to condense it into a range is difficult and might be counterproductive: "The trail is 2 km, and can be walked in half an hour. However, most visitors come for the bird watching tower, and may dwell there for hours." –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 15:38, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ::I think that some hint about "time needed" could be very useful. Google Maps used to provide a note about how long people spent in different places, and I sometimes found it useful. ::I think the best way to handle it is in a text-based description. For example, I was in a small museum for the first time this summer. IMO the "time needed" is about an hour. (I stayed about 30 minutes. Others, especially if they were in a group, might stay longer. I doubt that anyone except the paid staff stay there 3+ hours.) It therefore needs a description like "This three-room museum in the historic Teacher's House is a good way to spend an hour when you're in the neighborhood." ::You'd write something quite different in other cases, such as: ::* "Most people will want to spend the whole day. The museum's café is limited to pre-made cold sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, but you can get a re-entry bracelet at the front door, go out for lunch, and come back to tackle the rest of the building", or ::* "This museum is the perfect place for staying cool on a hot afternoon", or ::* "Devotees of the art might plan a multi-day pilgrimage to take full advantage of everything on offer". ::I think that we will provide more information this way than just writing "____ hours". For example, to go back to the museum I saw: I'm telling you something about the size (it's just three rooms, and it used to be a house. Even if you're super-interested in the subject, it's a small place). I'm telling you something about how long it might take (an hour. You can then think about whether you're quicker or slower than most, and thus decide whether that might be closer to 30 minutes or two hours for you). I'm also telling you that it's not worth a special trip ("when you're in the neighborhood"). "One hour" doesn't covey as much. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:09, 13 August 2022 (UTC) == Delay of the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election == Hi all, I am reaching out to you today with an update about the timing of the voting for the Board of Trustees election. As many of you are already aware, this year we are offering an [[metawiki:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass|Election Compass]] to help voters identify the alignment of candidates on some key topics. Several candidates requested an extension of the character limitation on their responses expanding on their positions, and the Elections Committee felt their reasoning was consistent with the goals of a fair and equitable election process. To ensure that the longer statements can be translated in time for the election, the Elections Committee and Board Selection Task Force decided to delay the opening of the Board of Trustees election by one week - a time proposed as ideal by staff working to support the election. Although it is not expected that everyone will want to use the Election Compass to inform their voting decision, the Elections Committee felt it was more appropriate to open the voting period with essential translations for community members across languages to use if they wish to make this important decision. The voting will open on August 23 at 00:00 UTC and close on September 6 at 23:59 UTC. Best regards, On behalf of the Elections Committee [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 09:17, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 634t3k9vf5d39tinxcaxq6plr1fn77z 4502053 4502049 2022-08-16T09:21:09Z Zuz (WMF) 2253980 /* Delay of the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election */ wikitext text/x-wiki <div style="text-align:left; background: #f4f7fa; border: 1px solid #abc; padding: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em"> <div style="text-align:center; font-size:300%; line-height: 1; padding: 10px;">'''Welcome to the pub'''</div> {{shortcut|[[WV:Pub]]|[[WV:TP]]}} [[File:QA_icon_clr.svg|right|frameless|150px|link=]] The Travellers' Pub is for general discussion on Wikivoyage, and the place to ask questions when you're confused, lost, afraid, tired, annoyed, thoughtful, or helpful. To start a new topic, click the "Add topic" tab, so that it gets added '''at the bottom''' of the page, and sign your post by appending four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) Before asking a question or making a comment: * Have a look at our [[Wikivoyage:Help|Help]], [[Wikivoyage:FAQ|FAQ]] and [[Wikivoyage:Policies|Policies]] pages. * If you are a '''new user''' and you have any questions about using the website, try the [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge|Arrivals lounge]]. * If you have a '''question or suggestion about a particular article''', use the article's [[Project:using talk pages|talk page]] to keep the discussion associated with that article. * If you'd like to '''draw attention to a comment''' to '''get feedback''' from other Wikivoyagers, try [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment|Requests for comment]]. * If you are '''wanting travel advice on a specific matter''' see the [[Wikivoyage:Tourist office|Tourist Office]]. * If you have an '''issue you need to bring to the attention of an administrator''', try [[Wikivoyage:Vandalism in progress|Vandalism in progress]]. * If you are having a '''problem that you think has to do with the [[mw:|MediaWiki software]]''', please post that on [[phab:|Phabricator]] instead. * If you want to '''celebrate a significant contribution''' to Wikivoyage by yourself or others, hold a party at [[Project:Celebrate a contribution|Celebrate a contribution]]. * Discuss '''issues related to more than one language version''' of Wikivoyage in the [[meta:Wikivoyage/Lounge|Wikivoyage Lounge]] on Meta. * Anything that is '''Nigeria-related''' is now meant to go in the [[Wikivoyage:Nigeria café|Nigeria café]] instead. This includes announcements, initiatives and celebrations as well as issues with certain articles. * Anything that is '''Kosovo or Albania related''' is now meant to go in the [[Wikivoyage:Kosovo and Albania café|Kosovo and Albania café]] instead. This includes announcements, initiatives and celebrations as well as issues with certain articles. '''Pull up a chair and join in the conversation!''' [{{fullurl:Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub|action=edit&section=new}} '''Click here to start a new thread'''] </div> <div style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: left; padding: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" class="nomobile"> [[File:Wikivoyage sysop.svg|right|frameless|150px|link=]] <div class="toccolours mw-collapsible" style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 0px solid #abc;"> Experienced users: '''Please sweep the pub''' <div class="mw-collapsible-content">Keeping the pub clean is a group effort. If we have too many conversations on this page, it gets too noisy and hard to read. If you see an old conversation (i.e. '''a month''' dormant) that could be moved to a [[Project:using talk pages|talk page]], please do so, and add "{{[[Template:Swept|swept]]}}" there, to note that it has been swept in from the pub. Try to place it on the discussion page roughly in chronological order. * A question regarding a destination article should be swept to the article discussion page. * A discussion regarding a policy or the subject of an expedition can be swept to the policy or expedition discussion page. * A simple question asked by a user can be swept to that user's talk page, but consider if the documentation needs a quick update to make it clearer for the next user with the same question. * A pointer to a discussion going on elsewhere, such as a notice of a star nomination or a request to comment on another talk page, can be removed when it is old. Any discussion that occurred in the pub can be swept to where the main discussion took place. Any discussions that do not fall into any of these categories, and are not of any special importance for posterity, should be archived to '''[[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub/Archives]]''' and removed from here. If you are not sure where to put a discussion, let it be—better to spend your efforts on those that you do know where to place.</div> </div></div> {{WikivoyageDoc|collaboration}} <!-- Discussions start here --> __TOC__ __NEWSECTIONLINK__ == "neighbourhood maps" == I've always wondered on how these should be formatted. They're not usually standard in district articles (and in fact, the only one I could find was [[Sydney/City East]]), but I did a small experiment today with [[Canberra/Civic]] with the use of a "neighbourhood map" (or whatever they're called). It did leave me with three questions though, merely because we don't have other examples of such maps and I'd like some answers before I implement more of these maps. # Which section should a map like this go in? For [[Canberra/Civic]], I chose "districts", but [[Sydney/City East]] has it in an "Orientation" section in Understand # Do the duplicate maps pose an issue? # Do these maps help? I guess it helps to sort of know which neighbourhoods are in a certain district, but then you don't ''need'' to know, and it might appear too encyclopedic. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:23, 13 June 2022 (UTC) :I don't have any advice for you or answers to your questions, but I like what you've done. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:26, 13 June 2022 (UTC) :: [[Image policy#Minimal use of images]] and [[WV:Map]]: do we really need to display multiple dynamic maps in one article? It seems redundant and tiresome to me. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 17:30, 13 June 2022 (UTC) ::: Can't we integrate the neighbourhoods into the normal map. Probably opacity should be tweaked for them not to dominate. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:02, 13 June 2022 (UTC) ::::{{re|LPfi}} [[Special:PermaLink/4467260]] is what it would look like if we merged the maps together. As someone with visual impairments, I find the second map (the one with listings) hard to read with all the colours as all the listings look cluttered, making it hard to identify where the POI is located. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:18, 14 June 2022 (UTC) ::::: I lessened the opacity of the districts. Is <s>[[Special:Permalink/4467746|this]]</s> [[Special:Permalink/4467763|this]] still hard to read? It could still be lessened a tad if needed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:56, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::My eyes still prefer the map without the mapmasks, and I think the older map is easier to read for people with visual impairments. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::: OK. I undid the edit. I hope you noticed that I linked the previous version (oops), now fixed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:10, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::I don't think that the neighborhood map ''needs'' to be dynamic, but since dynamic is what we've got/until someone wants to make a static map, I've no objection to it being a dynamic map. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 03:28, 15 June 2022 (UTC) ::::I might be in the minority, but I actually think a dynamic map is better for all region articles, and not just bottom level region articles, and it brings me to the question; are there any users here who can make a static map? I've tried to make several static maps before, but unfortunately [[Wikivoyage:How to draw static maps]] is either unclear or out-of-date, and the only successful one that I've managed to draw was [[:File:Mungo NP static map.svg]], and that also looks terrible. Anecdotally speaking, the only time where I've found a static map way more helpful was when I was in [[Yosemite National Park]] earlier this year (and T-mobile was not that great in the [[Sierra Nevada]], but I didn't really need the map since it was a second visit to Yosemite). They're often difficult and time consuming to make, and they become hard to modify when change is required. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:44, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::::I'm sure they have all of those downsides, but I understand that dynamic maps don't print properly, which is also a problem. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Yes, I can make static maps, although I do not have much experience with this particular kind of map. I've never done it for WV, because it's a lot of work if you want to do it right. I don't really think it's worth the effort: 1) I'd never use a WV map (static nor dynamic) for actual navigation. That's what navigation apps (preferably with offline options) and proper paper maps are for. 2) I've been meaning to update the static map in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] for years now. But it's a raster graphics file, so in order to make clean changes, I'd basically have to re-create the whole map ([[Wikivoyage:How to draw static maps]] has some really bad advice in that regard). Even if it was SVG, I'd probably rather make a new one, because there's only so much you can do in a graphics program compared to something like Qqis. 3) The styles for static city/district and especially country/region maps look like it's still 2007. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|Ibaman}} I made a static map but it's togglable. Does it still look a bit redundant? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:25, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ==API Key== On this map it says [https://wikivoyage.toolforge.org/w/poimap2.php?lat=-40.850425&lon=172.447319&zoom=16&layer=W&lang=en&name=Heaphy_Track API key required] when you switch to relief maps. Not sure who to raise this with to see about getting it fixed? [[User:Doc James|<span style="color:#0000f1">'''Travel Doc James'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Doc_James|talk]] · [[Special:Contributions/Doc_James|contribs]] · [[Special:EmailUser/Doc_James|email]]) 17:01, 16 June 2022 (UTC) :Just going by [[phab:T170976|this old phabricator task]], it seems that tool has been depreciated in favour of [[Heaphy_Track#/map/0/10/-40.7681/172.5609|Kartographer]] — are you able to use that instead? [[User:TheresNoTime|TheresNoTime]] ([[User talk:TheresNoTime|talk]]) 20:35, 16 June 2022 (UTC) ::The mapframe in [[Heaphy_Track#Walk]] doesn't appear to show the issue with the relief map layer. It appears that is only an issue with the full page map (from the icon at the top right of most pages. I think that mapframe is Kartographer based, but I don't know about the full page map. (It is worth keeping the full page map as it has some features missing from mapframe as is better for printing.) [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:38, 16 June 2022 (UTC) == Help archiving a talk page == Could someone please help me archive [[Talk:Bulgaria]]? I've already copied the old comments to a subpage and linked the subpage in the main talk, you only have to delete the old discussions. I can't do that because I'm too new and trying to do that triggers the page blanking filter. I want to start a new discussion about regions, and the old stuff on the talk page has made it unwieldy. [[User:Daggerstab|Daggerstab]] ([[User talk:Daggerstab|talk]]) 16:59, 17 June 2022 (UTC) :It's done. [[User:Daggerstab|Daggerstab]] ([[User talk:Daggerstab|talk]]) 17:12, 17 June 2022 (UTC) ::If you want to discuss regions, we should unarchive the previous regions discussion. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:54, 17 June 2022 (UTC) == Article on bridges == I wonder if there are any engineers here who would be able to write an article on famous bridges. Of course, the ones that immediately come to mind are New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, London's Tower Bridge, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but I believe there would be numerous others that could be mentioned in such an article. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 20:12, 20 June 2022 (UTC) == Desktop Improvements update == [[File:Table of contents shown on English Wikipedia 02.webm|thumb]] ; Making this the new default Hello. I wanted to give you an update about the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|Desktop Improvements]] project, which the Wikimedia Foundation Web team has been working on for the past few years. Our work is almost finished! 🎉 We would love to see these improvements become the default for readers and editors across all wikis. <span style="background-color:#fc3;">In the coming weeks, we will begin conversations on more wikis, including yours. 🗓️</span> We will gladly read your suggestions! The goals of the project are to make the interface more welcoming and comfortable for readers and useful for advanced users. The project consists of a series of feature improvements which make it easier to read and learn, navigate within the page, search, switch between languages, use article tabs and the user menu, and more. The improvements are already visible by default for readers and editors on more than 30 wikis, including Wikipedias in [[:fr:|French]], [[:pt:|Portuguese]], and [[:fa:|Persian]]. The changes apply to the [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=vector}} Vector] skin only, although it will always be possible to revert to the previous version on an individual basis. [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=monobook}} Monobook] or [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}|useskin=timeless}} Timeless] users will not notice any changes. ; The newest features * [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Features/Table of contents|Table of contents]] - our version is easier to reach, gain context of the page, and navigate throughout the page without needing to scroll. It is currently tested across our pilot wikis. It is also available for editors who have opted into the Vector 2022 skin. * [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Features/Page tools|Page tools]] - now, there are two types of links in the sidebar. There are actions and tools for individual pages (like [[Special:RecentChangesLinked|Related changes]]) and links of the wiki-wide nature (like [[Special:RecentChanges|Recent changes]]). We are going to separate these into two intuitive menus. ; How to enable/disable the improvements [[File:Desktop Improvements - how to enable globally.png|thumb|[[Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|{{int:globalpreferences}}]]]] * It is possible to opt-in individually [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|in the appearance tab within the preferences]] by selecting "{{int:skinname-vector-2022}}". Also, it is possible to opt-in on all wikis using the [[Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-rendering|global preferences]]. * On wikis where the changes are visible by default for all, logged-in users can always opt-out to the Legacy Vector. There is an easily accessible link in the sidebar of the new Vector. ; Learn more and join our events If you would like to follow the progress of our project, you can [[mw:Special:Newsletter/28/subscribe|subscribe to our newsletter]]. You can read the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|pages of the project]], check [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Frequently_asked_questions|our FAQ]], write on the [[mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|project talk page]], and [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web|join an online meeting with us]]. Thank you! [[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]] ([[User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|talk]]) 16:59, 21 June 2022 (UTC) <!-- Message sent by User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:SGrabarczuk_(WMF)/sandbox/MM/En_fallback&oldid=23430301 --> :Thank you. :Most of our pages use the pagebanner template to display the table of contents rather than the standard method. Will this be impacted by your proposed changes? [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 18:58, 21 June 2022 (UTC) ::At least in the current version they seem to get along quite well. Page banner still works, but there's an additional TOC in the side bar. You can try for yourself by enabling ''Vector (2022)'' in your preferences. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 14:22, 22 June 2022 (UTC) :::Try it out: :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page?useskin=Vector-2022 (still cropping the first image, so we only get half of Australia) :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Random?useskin=Vector-2022 :::* https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Random?useskin=Vector-2022&tableofcontents=0 (with the floating Table of Contents disabled) :::[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:31, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks. That looks fine. ::::Looking at an example page, it does appear that slightly less page width is allocated to the article and more to the left column, but I haven't investigated, and the different appearance may be an improvement. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 20:49, 22 June 2022 (UTC) ; Join us on Tuesday Join an online meeting with the team working on the Desktop Improvements! It will take place on '''28 June 2022 at [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20220628T1200 12:00 UTC] and [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20220628T1900 19:00 UTC]''' on Zoom. '''[https://wikimedia.zoom.us/j/5304280674 Click here to join]'''. Meeting ID: 5304280674. [https://wikimedia.zoom.us/u/kc2hamfYz9 Dial by your location]. The following events will take place on 12 July and 26 July. The meeting will not be recorded or streamed. Notes will be taken in a [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G4tfss-JBVxyZMxGlOj5MCBhOO-0sLekquFoa2XiQb8/edit# Google Docs file] and copied to [[etherpad:p/web-team-office-hours|Etherpad]]. [[mw:User:OVasileva_(WMF)|Olga Vasileva]] (the Product Manager) will be hosting this meeting. The presentation part will be given in English. At this meeting, both [[foundation:Friendly_space_policy|Friendly space policy]] and the [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Code_of_Conduct|Code of Conduct]] for Wikimedia technical spaces apply. Zoom is not subject to the [[foundation:Privacy_policy|WMF Privacy Policy]]. We can answer questions asked in English and [[mw:Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web/28-06-2022|a number of other languages]]. If you would like to ask questions in advance, add them on the [[mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements|talk page]] or send them to sgrabarczuk{{@}}wikimedia.org. We hope to see you! [[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]] ([[User talk:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|talk]]) 21:44, 23 June 2022 (UTC) {{tracked|T311771}} :I have just posted a new topic here and immediately had to edit it. See: :https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage%3ATravellers%27_pub&type=revision&diff=4472722&oldid=4472721 [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:22, 25 June 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:SGrabarczuk (WMF)|SGrabarczuk (WMF)]],@[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:22, 25 June 2022 (UTC) :::This needs [[User:Whatamidoing (WMF)|work-me]] to file a Phab ticket. Thanks for letting me know. I'm curious: could you see the <nowiki><blockquote> tags in the visual editor while you were typing? Did you paste them in, or type them, or use a keyboard shortcut?</nowiki> [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 05:25, 26 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks for your prompt reply @[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]],believe it or not my memory of this incident is already fuzzy in my memory. I know I originally typed in the ''< blockquote >'' tag, but I may have copy&mpasted it later (I sometimes do that if I have to go investigate somewhere else before posting a half-baked post). ::::I also discovered since, that this version of the software implemented on wiki-voyage (it is different on other wmf-wikis I participate on) has two alternative modes of input (undocumented?): ::::*Visual ::::and ::::*Source ::::I think I was originally put on '''Visual''' by default, but now I am on '''Source''' by default, and I am also seeing a preview pane which was not there before, I think? It would also be great if I could add an edit summary, which I can using the shall-we-call-it-reply software elsewhere. ::::I hope I am making sense in this garbled reply? [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 14:41, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Click on the "Advanced" option above the copyright/licensing statement. Most people don't use a meaningful/custom edit summary in discussions, but you can add one if you want to. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:18, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::::: Edit summaries are very useful also for discussions, especially at busy pages like the pub. It is often the case that some of the threads have gone down some less interesting paths, and I read them only if somebody brings up a new point (mentioned in the edit summary). When there have been new posts in several threads, I might miss some of them, unless the edit summary caught my attention on the watchlist. And the most irritating of all: making an edit to existing posts without telling that in the summary – I scroll down to the end of the thread, find nothing new, check earlier pre-outdent posts, finding nothing there, search for today's date, no match, then click history and diff, to finally find that change of phrasing or whatever, which often didn't add anything of value to what I've already read. Please write "ce" or whatever. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:38, 1 July 2022 (UTC) == Is COVID over? == I was surprised to see this announcement on <nowiki>https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases</nowiki> : <blockquote> As of 20 June 2022, ECDC is discontinuing the data collection and publication of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide. Please refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) data on COVID-19 and the WHO Weekly Epidemiological and Weekly Operational Updates page for the non-EU/EEA countries. ECDC will continue providing weekly updates for EU/EEA Member States and report on an ad-hoc basis about significant events related to COVID-19 globally. ECDC has been collecting data on the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for all countries in the EU/EEA and globally for more than two years. The data collected by ECDC will continue to be available in an archived format.</blockquote>< So it appears that the EU thinks COVID is no longer an issue? [[User:Ottawahitech|Ottawahitech]] ([[User talk:Ottawahitech|talk]]) 15:06, 25 June 2022 (UTC) :COVID will never be "over", in that it will not stop circulating in our lifetimes, but broadly speaking people's lifestyles will continue to get closer to how they were before the pandemic. Evidently ECDC has decided not to publish this particular set of data anymore, but if I understand correctly, other sources are still publishing substantively the same data for the time being. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 22:07, 25 June 2022 (UTC) : It is definitely not over. Current statistics are available from many sources, none 100% reliable. [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries Worldometers] Probably the most worrisome number is that there are still 18.75 million active cases (diagnosed but not yet either dead or recovered) plus some infected but not diagnosed; those can spread the disease. The US still has about 3.3 million active cases, though that number has been falling. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 03:59, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :: I don't know whether Finland is typical for EU, but here the government more or less gave up on COVID-19 in early spring. They decided that it is spreading too fast to be stopped, that with most of the population triple-vaccinated "few" get a serious disease, and life has to go on. It seems people took them on the word, I think that less than one in ten is using masks. Incidence and death toll have been record high (statistics on cases is unreliable though, as people don't get official tests), but there are only some critical voices. Non-vaccinated have restrictions on passing the border (tests or quarantine required) but vaccinated EU-citizens can come and go as they please, nightclubs etc. are crowded, and big events are taking place like they used to. You can still find masks and tests in any shop, not as in Denmark where that is finished too. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 17:55, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::Yes, in Finland COVID hasn't been the main news topic for several months (partially also due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine). On 1 July they're dropping also the entry restrictions and health controls for people entering from outside the Schengen and in shops I've as of lately seen discounts on home tests and masks being "phased out from our product selection". The Department of Health and Wellbeing (THL) publishes [https://www.thl.fi/episeuranta/tautitapaukset/coronamap.html statistics] showing cases and deaths have dropped remarkably since the spring. So at least for the moment it seems to be over, but one can never know what the situation looks like in the autumn. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 18:33, 26 June 2022 (UTC) :::: Confirmed cases per 100,000 per 14 days is still in the hundreds, even though you aren't recommended to take an official test unless you get serious symptoms (as in needing hospital care). In some professions the tests are still taken, I assume. Anyway, the incidence – if counting factual cases – seems to be at least as bad as in the late autumn. 30% of actual tests are positive, when the figure used to be ~1% before the vaccines. There are about 10 persons in intensive care, while the number was about 50 at the worst time. Much better now, but far from over. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:00, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::: The health care centre still recommends mask use. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:03, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::Data collection has ended, but I don't think the EU considers COVID to no longer be an issue. I think we should leave, in current circumstances, the COVID notice on our [[main page]] until the end of the year, pending future updates on its spread. Apart from that notice and international travel information, COVID is barely mentioned on this wiki. I think the current notices in place make sense in our environment. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 13:15, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::Right now, the focus where I am in [[New South Wales]] is mostly the flu (for the record, I've caught it twice within the last 31 days, with the last time just 4 days ago, hence why my editing activity has increased). The only news of COVID that I've really been hearing is either about COVID in China, or about our lockdown last year. However, as some countries still have restrictions on entry, I would say keep the COVID banner on the main page until September, and if September is deemed too early, then we can do another review then. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:51, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::In New South Wales, masking is still compulsory on public transport and the majority of people follow the rule. There is also a 7-day isolation rule if you test positive. I disagree about messaging only being about the flu. Public messaging from the government and media has always been about a dual virus winter here over the past few months (encouraging both vaccinations, etc.). In any case, this wiki is about travel, not just living in one's own city. Travellers started to get affected by Covid-19 from Janaury 2020, not March 2020 when most countries first went into lockdown. International travel will also be the last activity/industry that will fully return to normal so it makes sense to keep the notice for a while longer. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 14:34, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::::To me, if the purpose is to help people, it can be removed. I don't think the article has been helpful for at least a year if ever. If the purpose is just to have something there, then it could stay or go. I don't think it's necessary to leave it up until every last country has lifted every restriction. Japan hasn't had any meaningful changes in its policies for 2 years in spite of less severe variants and vaccines, but it is already an outlier and becoming increasingly so. The country articles should still have information about entry which is basically the only information people care about. Leaving it until then end of the summer (September) as suggested seems reasonable though. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] ([[User talk:ChubbyWimbus|talk]]) 14:52, 27 June 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} Most of the world has transitioned to living with the virus. The main exceptions are Japan, China and Taiwan. In the case of China, most of the elderly are unwilling to get vaccinated, and given how Hong Kong's hospitals were overwhelmed (to the point that the mortuaries ran out of space and bodies of COVID victims were piling up in the wards) during their last surge due to the same problem, I don't think China will reopen for the forseeable future. They might want to wait until all these unvaccinated elderly die of other causes before they reopen to foreigners. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2022 (UTC) :The idea that the pandemic is over is absurd and highly premature. I would strongly suggest for us to wait until at least the end of the year before jumping to conclusions, because it's quite likely that there will be another surge in the fall, and the large number of unvaccinated people around the world are a great source of new strains. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:04, 27 June 2022 (UTC) ::I think whether "the pandemic" is over depends a lot on how you define "a pandemic". It's basically a political definition, not a biological one, so reasonable people and organizations can disagree on whether the current state should still be called "a pandemic". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:08, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::: Whether it is still a pandemic by some definition is less relevant. Are the restrictions stable enough that they are better handled together with other entry requirements, and in Cope, or in the current boxes? Is the disease different enough (as disease and as a social phenomenon) that it warrants its own article instead of being a bullet in [[Infectuous diseases]]? I think restrictions still vary fast enough that ease of maintenance is important, and then a template is the better solution, and people still see it as different from the flue and tuberculosis. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 20:39, 28 June 2022 (UTC) ::::The [https://www.medicinenet.com/pandemic/definition.htm definition of "pandemic"] is basically a medical one. If you'd like to say that the definition of "high degree of death" is a political one, that's another question. "The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 627,000 in 2020" per the [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria WHO], yet it's considered endemic to Africa, rather than even epidemic. Why? I think in significant part because those with enough money to stanch the death rate mostly live outside of Africa and prefer to ignore the deaths, plus it doesn't get spread around the world in areas with no types of mosquitoes that are vectors. But saying that the definition of "pandemic" is basically political is odd, because most people hadn't heard the word used at all until 2019-20, or at least not since at least the days when AIDS was out of control in their countries (and again, Africa suffers from less medical care; see the pattern?). [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:48, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::The definition of pandemic varies between sources. Is it an epidemic [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dr8dyuzvTkC&pg=PA179#v=onepage&q&f=false "crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting a large number of people"]? How do you define "affecting", and what constitutes "a large number" of people? Those are both political choices. Is it instead something that happens [https://www.britannica.com/science/pandemic "over a wide geographical area and that is of high prevalence, generally affecting a significant proportion of the world’s population"]? Who decides what constitutes "high" prevalence, and "a significant proportion"? Basically, people make these decisions. They'll decide that these effects are really "affecting" you but these others aren't (e.g., every new version of the common cold), or that the people affected aren't "large" or "significant" enough, or that (as with the malaria decision) the key point is that it happens all the time at a fairly stable rate within each population, rather than being new. (Some definitions say that pandemics must always be a new disease, or at least one that almost nobody has immunological resistance to; others don't.) :::::People – not science – pick which definition to apply (different definitions for different conditions), people decide which effects "count" and whether enough people are affected, and then people decide whether to apply this label. There have been hard-and-fast definitions for some similar concepts in the past, but pandemic is a somewhat flexible concept. ("School epidemic" in some places has been defined as a certain percentage of enrolled students being out of school with the same disease/symptoms. An old friend of mine accidentally set off a measles epidemic in her high school in the 1950s. She caught it somewhere, unwittingly brought it to school, and it turned out that almost none of the students in her school had had measles before. The teachers were mostly fine, but a huge number of students were out sick over the next month.) :::::Here at the English Wikivoyage, though, I think LPfi has good advice. We should consider it from the practical angle rather than the "does the current situation technically match my preferred definition" angle. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:56, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::It seems to me, the most likely way to have fair definitions of medical concepts is to let public health authorities and not politicians define them. In any case, I think that it's fairly clear that COVID-19 remains a serious disease that's affecting travel in various ways, so we shouldn't be in a rush to deemphasize it and should let the crisis play out. Seeing how there's been a surge each Northern Hemisphere fall, I would suggest waiting till we see what happens in January, 2023 (i.e., after any effects of Christmas/New Years travel and get-togethers are clear) before possibly making any decisions about a fundamental change in coverage here. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:14, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::Personally, I think that late January 2023 would be a fine time to discuss it. Christmas travel includes Epiphany in some countries, and if you add two or three weeks after that to find out what happened, then we should have fairly clear information. :::::::Thinking long-term, one possibility is to consider a seasonal cold-and-flu-and-covid page. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:36, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::::That could be a good thing in the longer term, if it's not felt to be giving short shrift to other threats like malaria, zika, dengue, Lyme disease and so forth. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:39, 30 June 2022 (UTC) == How to fix a bunch of grey unnecessary markers on the map? == {{mapframe|55.7773|37.6062|zoom=9}} {{Mapshape}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[Moscow/Central-East|Moscow Central-East]]|wikidata=Q1412002|stroke-opacity=0.1}} {{Mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c8aa92|title=[[Moscow/Zelenograd and New Moscow|Zelenograd and New Moscow]]|wikidata=Q207695,Q462497,Q462589|stroke-opacity=0.1}} {{Mapshapes|Q5499}} <!-- Moscow Metro --> Results as shown on the map, how to fix a bunch of grey unnecessary markers on the map? Can help? thanks. [[User:Yuriy_kosygin|✈ IGOR]] ／ [[User talk:Yuriy_kosygin| ✉ TALK?!]] ^{''．WIKIVOYAGER !''} 17:17, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :@[[User:Yuriy kosygin|Yuriy kosygin]] We've discussed this quite a number of times before. The issue is this data comes from OpenStreetMap and there's no way to remove the unnecessary grey markers unless you completely comment out the transport lines. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:31, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::Alas... Wikivoyage is really weak, I'm afraid we'll have to draw the route own. [[User:Yuriy_kosygin|✈ IGOR]] ／ [[User talk:Yuriy_kosygin| ✉ TALK?!]] ^{''．WIKIVOYAGER !''} 15:34, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::There has to be a way to fix this idiocy on OpenStreetMap, but in the meantime, we need to eliminate this crap from our site. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:25, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Could we make the gray actually be 100% transparent? It would still be visible, but perhaps not such a disaster. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:38, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::If I recall correctly, the issue at hand was that we couldn't make the distinction between line elements and point elements. I don't master Lua myself, so I can't make sense of whether this would be a viable workaround for [[Module:Mapshapes]]. @[[User:Andree.sk|Andree.sk]], any words on this? <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 18:22, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::: Mapshapes is just a thin helper to instantiate {{tl|mapshape}}, which is the main culprint. In turn, that one uses the kartographer stuff, which can't be trivially adjusted. But there may be some hacks, I'll try to try something in the coming weeks... -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 20:47, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::The only other solution is to manually trace out the route on geojson.io and then add it to the article (see [[Canberra/Acton]] for an example of how this is done) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:32, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::While I don't question this working, it does come with a substantial downside: It's not 'automatically' updated whenever the line changes route (in reality, OSM-contributors update it and we import the dataset they edit). This leaves us with a lot of extra work, which I expect will get out of date quite quickly. Perhaps not for metro's, but definitely for trams or BRT's. Drawing the lines ourselves can work for cities that see regular edits or that have docents capable of editing GeoJSON data (and willing to do so). I strongly prefer making Mapshapes work, even if it's a workaround over manually doing the work ourselves. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 08:30, 1 July 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} At the German Wikivoyage I added a rule to [[MediaWiki:Kartographer.css]] which hides the grey pushpin markers. <syntaxhighlight lang="css"> /* Removing grey pushpin markers on mapframe maps */ img[src$="pin-m+7e7e7e.png"], img[src$="pin-m+7e7e7e@2x.png"] { display: none; } </syntaxhighlight> Unfortunately, I cannot make the edit by myself. But I am sure your admins can do it. --[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]] ([[User talk:RolandUnger|talk]]) 09:24, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :{{ping|Andyrom75}} given you're the only active interface admin here, can you add the three-line code? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:16, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::I checked the positions of the markers, and they are the stops/stations of the public transport lines. However they don't give the name of the stop, but only the name of the line. The name of the line is already displayed by clicking the line. So, with the present marker texts, no new info is available. If the marker info would have the name of the stop it indicates, displaying them could be useful. I tested from which zoom level displaying the markers is not disturbing anymore, and came to zoom level 14-19 may show the markers, below 14 not. And this zoom level dependent conditional showing of the markers should only be done if the markers contain the names of the stops. If it is impossible to have the names of the stops in the markers, markers should never be shown. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:18, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :::While I agree that they could be useful to some extent, the thing is that we can't properly make the distinction between lines, polygons or points/markers in the data that we fetch from OpenStreetMap. At present we also cannot import the names of these stations/halts (I believe this data gets lost between Wikidata and OSM, but I might be wrong). Roland's solution above is just a workaround that hides the marker, but the point itself stays on the map albeit invisible. So long as we can't make the distinction properly, we sadly can't implement these markers in a more useful way either. For that distinction to be made, the Kartographer extension needs additional functionalities, which we've been asking for for several years already. Until we get that, it's either hiding the markers or accepting them as-they-come, the latter of which is a lot less popular. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 12:48, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :@[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], do we have any other admins who can do this? Another option would be using JavaScript, but using CSS is much cleaner... Also, alternatively to 'display: none', we could change opacity to e.g. 0.3, that also looks quite ok. -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 09:31, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::I really don't know. I hope other admins are reading this thread. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::This needs an interface admin to do it and as far as I'm aware, {{ping|Andyrom75}} is the only interface admin who has been active recently. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:38, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::I'd say it wouldn't hurt to have at least 2-3 people with those permissions - even if they need guidance for doing technical changes... -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 10:15, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::@[[User:WOSlinker|WOSlinker]] maybe, then? -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 10:51, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Sorry guys, I've read the conversation just right now. ::::::[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]], I have created [[MediaWiki:Kartographer.css]] as per your code, but not so much time for testing. The gray POI has disappeared; it's enough? Any side effect to be checked? ::::::[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]], thanks for pinging me twice. Next time, in case of emergency, leave a message on my it:voy talk page. --[[User:Andyrom75|<span style="color:#BB0000; font-family:Papyrus; font-size:12px">'''Andyrom75'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Andyrom75|talk]]) 16:35, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::It helped, thanks both to you and Roland! :) -- [[User_talk:Andree.sk|andree]] 19:28, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::: There are no side effects. The names of the pushpin images contain their colors, and this particular color is not used elsewhere. Of course, the way proposed is a workaround not a real solution but it is useful. The grey pushpin markers are present up to now, but they are invisible (hidden). --[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]] ([[User talk:RolandUnger|talk]]) 04:23, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::[[User:RolandUnger|RolandUnger]], thanks for your confirmation. --[[User:Andyrom75|<span style="color:#BB0000; font-family:Papyrus; font-size:12px">'''Andyrom75'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Andyrom75|talk]]) 10:00, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: Brilliant work. Thanks to everyone who contributed to finding a workaround.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:52, 14 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::Is this something that we should share with other wikis? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:15, 14 July 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} A permanent solution to this problem has been implemented but not published for whatever reason (see https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T292613). --[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 14:14, 16 July 2022 (UTC) == Results of Wiki Loves Folklore 2022 is out! == <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"> {{int:please-translate}} [[File:Wiki Loves Folklore Logo.svg|right|150px|frameless]] Hi, Greetings The winners for '''[[c:Commons:Wiki Loves Folklore 2022|Wiki Loves Folklore 2022]]''' is announced! We are happy to share with you winning images for this year's edition. This year saw over 8,584 images represented on commons in over 92 countries. Kindly see images '''[[:c:Commons:Wiki Loves Folklore 2022/Winners|here]]''' Our profound gratitude to all the people who participated and organized local contests and photo walks for this project. We hope to have you contribute to the campaign next year. '''Thank you,''' '''Wiki Loves Folklore International Team''' --[[User:MediaWiki message delivery|MediaWiki message delivery]] ([[User talk:MediaWiki message delivery|talk]]) 16:12, 4 July 2022 (UTC) </div> <!-- Message sent by User:Tiven2240@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Distribution_list/Non-Technical_Village_Pumps_distribution_list&oldid=23454230 --> == Using a separate colour for freeways on static maps == [[File:Greater Brisbane regions map.png|thumb|350px]] Right now, our current Wikivoyage style for static maps is to use red for a main road, while use yellow for secondary roads. While the criteria for what's a main road and what's a secondary road is fairly arbitrary and up to whoever's making the map to decide, I was wondering whether we should consider using a different colour for freeways/motorways? While I'm still new to this static mapmaking business, I personally find such a distinction of what's an ordinary road and what's a freeway useful, and many people often either want to use freeways or try to avoid them. Our dynamic maps already use a different colour for freeways, so why not static? I wanted to make such a distinction when I made a static map for [[Greater Brisbane]] today (on right), but such a change would be against Wikivoyage-style, so I'm asking the community for input; and if we do use a separate colour to distinguish freeways from normal roads, what would it be? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:24, 5 July 2022 (UTC) [[File:Southern Tasmania regions.png|thumb|350px]] :I tried using orange to identify freeways in the map of Southern Tasmania that I just created (on right). Is it obvious that the route coloured orange means a freeway? (I really want answers so I can take note of what I should do differently for my next static map) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:32, 5 July 2022 (UTC) :: What a colour means is never obvious, unless you know something about the destination. The colour could just mean "main highways" or whatever. :: I think that there are many more things that might be interesting for at least some travellers, and most travellers to some destinations. How do we show good cycling routes? Roads with good bus service? Nice pedestrian routes? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 17:14, 5 July 2022 (UTC) :::I don't think any colour schemes are immediately obvious wordwide. For a UK map, I would be tempted to use the same as some OS maps - blue for motorways, red for A roads, brown for B roads and yellow for minor roads, but some UK road atlases use green for A roads as this is the colour used on road signs. Another complication is the use of different colour fills for regions - a yellow road on a yellow background isn't good - spot the roads going to Richmond in Southern Tasmania. :::Is it possible to use slightly different line widths to indicate road importance? We also need to allow for things like long distance walking tracks or off-road cycle routes. As both examples have a lot of sea, they could have a key explaining the colours. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:45, 5 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Agreed. Map making 101: Every map needs a legend (key), and every symbol used in that map (intuitive or not) needs to be explained in that legend. That way you can add whatever is needed. Having a consistent style for static maps is a ''nice to have''; it should not get in the way of making maps ''useful''. ::::The color issue mentioned by AlasdairW is part of of a bigger problem: The different elements used in the map are unbalanced in terms of contrast (color, saturation, brightness) and visual weight (size, thickness). ::::1) The lines used for the roads are too thin in relation to everything else. After enlarging enough to properly see the roads, the text labels are way larger than they need to be. This is a static map: pick one scale and apply it consistently, using an appropriate degree of generalization. ::::2) Visual importance of borders (thickness, color contrast of the white vs. area colors) is too high given that areas already have different colors. Line thickness of borders is also inconsistent in the second map. ::::3) In general, having areas colored that heavily (dark & saturated) creates all kinds of problems for the visibility of makers, line elements and text labels. "Brisbane" in the first map is practically unreadable, for example. In [[:File:Georgia_regions_map2.png]], for example, that is much less of an issue due to different color choices. ::::Unfortunately, the region maps template is basically calling for many of these problems to occur. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 13:41, 6 July 2022 (UTC) [[File:Southern Tasmania regions map.png|thumb|350px]] :::::I've added a key to the Southern Tas static map (on right). How does this look? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:24, 9 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::But unfortunately, I have to agree with El Grafo that our region maps are at the very least, unreadable and awful-looking. If I had to design a static map from the start, this is not the way I would do it, but unfortunately the community is unwilling to accept that, in this very day and age, dynamic maps are far superior to static maps. There are few people who can edit static maps in the first place, and the two only editors (excluding myself) that I'm aware of who have even edited in the past month are {{u|Shaundd}} and {{u|SelfieCity}}. The only reason I'm making these maps is because our policy favours static maps in region articles but otherwise I think we need to revamp the region maps template. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:15, 9 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::I know this is a minor point, but I like the color scheme you are using. It feels just the right amount of trendy/modern/not outdated. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 18:11, 9 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I do like the lighter colours in the color scheme though. From [[Template:StdColor]], T1, T6, T8 and T9 feel a bit too dark (hence what's causing these problems), but a static map does look very nice if the right colors are used. So far, my favorite has to be the map I made for [[Southeastern New South Wales]], and I've been trying to make more maps like that. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:37, 10 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::: Hi {{u|SHB2000}}, I think it's fine if you want to experiment a bit use different colours and distinguish motorways. I did motorways differently for a while on maps I drew but eventually stopped because I felt it was more detail/clutter than benefit and it became another colour that had to integrated with the colour palette (which didn't always work). ::::::::: I also agree with the others above that our standard colours don't always work. I ended up moving away from them so I could get a better contrast between the region colour and the text (improves readability quite a bit). -[[User:Shaundd|Shaundd]] ([[User talk:Shaundd|talk]]) 07:05, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: The problem may be that our regional map template colors were not originally designed to accommodate details like roads. They work fine for plainer regional maps like [[New York (state)]] or [[Massachusetts]]. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 20:34, 15 July 2022 (UTC) == Road signs == There have been some discussions and addition and removal of galleries related to European road signs. As European non-driver it is hard for me to guess what signs are important to explain e.g. for US drivers. As the signs are pictogram-based, many of them are intuitive, but certainly not all. I assume other European editors also don't know what would be optimal, so I think we need others to weight in. There are some galleries in [[Driving in Europe]] and more for individual countries. As the variation is small between continental EU countries, there is little need for duplication per se, but I don't know to what extent one can assume drivers to read both the European article and the ones for individual countries (which have their peculiarities). Do drivers study traffic law or traffic signs before driving in a new country? I assume they are not, at least not to any great degree, but I might be wrong, and that would of course affect what we need to tell. Some of the articles became rather picture-heavy with a few less-established editors doing a lot of editing regarding images. I think we shouldn't apply our minimal-use-of-images policy to hard, as most images in these articles are informative rather than decorations. Some are of course also needed to give a feeling for the driving environment. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:57, 11 July 2022 (UTC) :As a US driver, I think that stop signs and signs for speed limits would be the most immediately necessary. You can't really drive anywhere if you don't know those two. There are others that might be useful (e.g., Yield) but won't turn up as often. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:00, 11 July 2022 (UTC) ::EU driver here. Wikipedia has a great [[:w:Comparison of European road signs]]. Road signs in Europe are indeed pretty consistent and mostly follow the Vienna conventions. I think it would make sense for the individual ''Driving in country X'' articles to mostly rely on (and prominently link to) a central article about that (e.g. [[Driving in Europe]] or the Rules section of [[:w:Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]]), so that the country articles can focus on pointing out where the country diverges from the norm in a way that could cause confusion. ::So for example, [[Driving in Europe]] would tell you that stop signs are always stop sign-shaped, always stop sign-colored and ''almost'' always use the word STOP, whereas [[Driving in Turkey]] might tell you that Turkey is pretty much the only country in Europe where they use local language (DUR) instead of STOP. [[Driving in Ireland]] might feel tempted to point out that the country uses [[:w:Comparison_of_MUTCD-influenced_traffic_signs|MUTCD-style]] warning signs, but that's probably more of a ''nice to know''. Pointing out that they (apparently) use [[:w:Belisha beacon]]s for pedestrian crossings would probably be a good idea, though. [[Driving in the Netherlands]] would probably talk about the relevance of blue vs. yellow curbs for parking rather than re-iterating that the prohibitory signs are round? ::Looking at existing ''Driving in X'' articles, I feel that ::* most of the example pictures in [[Driving_in_France#Traffic rules]] are unnecessary, as they are no different from other European countries and thus redundant to [[Driving in Europe]] (currently not linked). ::* [[Driving in Portugal#Road signs]] contains so many redundant examples that it's difficult to identify the ones that are specific to Portugal. ::* [[Driving in Sweden#Road signs]] and [[Driving in the United Kingdom#Road signs]] are mostly redundant too, but at least they stick to the important ones. ::*I don't know how I feel about the use of miniature versions of road signs in lists in [[Driving in Norway#Rules and regulations]] and [[Driving in Iceland#Rules and regulations]]. ::The other articles listed in [[Driving in Europe#Countries]] loo fine to me. Links to [[Driving in Europe]] are largely missing, though. [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 14:49, 12 July 2022 (UTC) :::Australian driver here. Our signage is very similar to US signage, but with four major exceptions: :::* we have give way signs as opposed to yield signs :::* passing cars is called overtaking as passing is only used when you pass cyclists :::* signs that are only used RHS countries are flipped (e.g. roundabout signs) :::* our speed signs is a mix of both US and EU speed signs; we have that white background but use the red circle ([https://goo.gl/maps/uRJbytw9jRVq4SRC9 a sign in the NT for ref]) :::Sometimes we do have our own minor modifications, such as exit signs (cf. [https://goo.gl/maps/nR3uHo2B9Qb75mSp9 US] and [https://goo.gl/maps/JaiaKyXX9qtMvaQGA Aus (specifically Qld)]), but whenever I travel to the US, I've never had an issue with understanding signage. For the record, from my limited experience in NZ, they look very similar to Australian signs but with a few minor differences. :::In Europe, were very different to what I saw in Aus or the US, but thankfully due to standardised signs, I did not have a problem when travelling in different countries (the signs in Norway, albeit different were very similar to the signs in France). However, most EU signs were self-explanatory, so for the most part, comprehending them wasn't a problem. In South and Southeast Asia, they weren't standardised, but they were very similar. ::: Re [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]]'s comment: I understand speed signs (though they're pretty much the same everywhere outside the US, Canada and maybe Liberia), aren't stop signs the same, octagonal sign everywhere? I've yet to see a stop sign that isn't red and octagonal. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:57, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::[[File:Japan_road_sign_330-B.svg|thumb|What's this?]] ::::Most places are using red octagons, frequently even with the English word "STOP", but not quite everywhere. Even in places where the red octagon is common, there may be a few old signs that haven't quite been replaced yet or the occasional variation, like [[:File:Blue stop sign - hawaii - oct 2015.jpg|Hawaii's blue stop signs]]. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 03:56, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::After doing more digging, it seems [[:File:Cuban Stop Sign.svg|Cuba's stop sign]] is also triangular (like Japan's), but if a country uses the standard octagonal sign, wouldn't it simply make more sense to write that in plain text? (e.g. New Zealand's stop sign is exactly the same as in Australia or the United States or something like that) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 04:07, 13 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::It seems stop signs are among the most standardized signs worldwide, both in areas that use Vienna convention and MUTCD-style signs. I'd go so far to say that they are not worth mentioning (let alone showing) at all unless they actually diverge from that de-facto norm (red and white octagon). <small>Interestingly enough, you can actually find the Cuban design in the [[:w:Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] as an alternative design.</small> [[User:El Grafo|El Grafo]] ([[User talk:El Grafo|talk]]) 08:58, 13 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::The "Cuban design" is (or was) a fairly common alternative. It was being installed in the UK up to 1975, and in Italy to 1990. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:06, 13 July 2022 (UTC) == Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass == :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Propose statements for the 2022 Election Compass}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi all, Community members in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022|2022 Board of Trustees election]] are invited to [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass|propose statements to use in the Election Compass.]] An Election Compass is a tool to help voters select the candidates that best align with their beliefs and views. The community members will propose statements for the candidates to answer using a Lickert scale (agree/neutral/disagree). The candidates’ answers to the statements will be loaded into the Election Compass tool. Voters will use the tool by entering in their answer to the statements (agree/disagree/neutral). The results will show the candidates that best align with the voter’s beliefs and views. Here is the timeline for the Election Compass: July 8 - 20: Community members propose statements for the Election Compass July 21 - 22: Elections Committee reviews statements for clarity and removes off-topic statements July 23 - August 1: Volunteers vote on the statements August 2 - 4: Elections Committee selects the top 15 statements August 5 - 12: candidates align themselves with the statements August 15: The Election Compass opens for voters to use to help guide their voting decision The Elections Committee will select the top 15 statements at the beginning of August. The Elections Committee will oversee the process, supported by the Movement Strategy and Governance team. MSG will check that the questions are clear, there are no duplicates, no typos, and so on. Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee'' [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 13:26, 11 July 2022 (UTC) == Crazy new feature idea -- personal itineraries == What if we had a way for a user (probably a logged-in user) to save individual listings to a custom itinerary? (Not a [[Wikivoyage:Itineraries|Wikivoyage Itinerary]], just in the generic sense of the word.) Or even save individual listings to a Google Map? Some way a user could record places he or she wants to go? [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 20:37, 15 July 2022 (UTC) :Something kinda like this? [[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500/test places]] --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 23:29, 15 July 2022 (UTC) ::Roughly, but see my response to WhatamIdoing well below. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) ::The way I understand the idea, is it's like a personalised version of an article, that lists only the POIs that the owner is interested in. That is already doable by a manual copy-and-paste, but I assume the idea is for something more high-tech, where the user could just tap or click a button on a listing in [[Prague]], which copies the listing over to [[ThunderingTyphoons!' Prague itinerary]]. ::That seems like a great idea to me, but I don't know how to implement it.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:22, 16 July 2022 (UTC) *{{o}} First of all, there are multiple issues with this proposal. The first and the foremost is that most readers don't have an account and IP users are not allowed to have user pages or user subpages; IPs periodically change over time so if we are going to be the only Wikimedia project that openly allows such, then we're going to have to do some serious janitorial work in deleting these subpages after a few months. Additionally, this is going to require some brand new tools and gadgets that will take a lot of time – really not worth the time and effort. Finally, saving individual listings to Google Maps is against our [[what not to link to]] policy, so no, I oppose this proposal. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:04, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::What do you mean, IP users are not allowed to have user pages or subpages? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:32, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::I don't know whether it's a global policy or a policy only on Meta-Wiki and I think Wikipedia too, but as far as I'm aware, both those projects speedily delete IP userpages or IP subpages as IPs aren't permanently assigned to one user. Our policies don't seem to say anything about this, but maybe {{u|WhatamIdoing}} might be able to explain this better. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:41, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::::enwiki allows IP user pages, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:220.101.28.25 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:81.168.80.170 [[User:Twsabin|Twsabin]] ([[User talk:Twsabin|talk]]) 14:39, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::::We do, too. IPs' user pages are never deleted here unless they are spam or vandalism. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:50, 16 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Those seem to be at least a decade old though. I just tried making one and the software wouldn't allow me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:23, 16 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::That's very disconcerting. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 00:07, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::::I managed to create one, first ensuring I was in an incognito window. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 23:25, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::With respect, SHB2000, I think your objections are ill-considered. Firstly, I didn't say anything about IP user pages or subpages; there may very well be ways to implement this that don't rely on them. Second, while it's true that this would require some development effort, you don't even attempt to make a case that the benefit isn't "worth the time and effort". Yes, it would be a lot of effort, but if the return is great enough, it might still be "worth it". (I'm not making a claim either way, just pointing out that you failed to support yours.) Third, [[what not to link to]] is about things that are better done here on Wikivoyage; if you're claiming it shouldn't be on Wikivoyage in the first place, then [[what not to link to]] doesn't apply. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) :::Okay, so if I wasn't clear enough, here's a longer but briefer explanation. Such a tool would work very similar to the already existing editor, but maintaining such scripts is ''very'' difficult (I do maintain a few of these scripts IRL) and even if this went ahead, there are a few issues: :::* Like the listing editor, users will need to have javascript enabled. Without javascript, it simply won't work. :::* If this tool just copies down all the important pieces of a listing to a separate page, the tool needs to give attribution in the edit summary – otherwise, it's a violation of our copyleft license. :::* This won't work for outline articles that have little to no content :::* Users might be intimidated if they want to edit the listing – I'm guessing only maybe 1 or 2 per cent of our readers will know what Wikidata is (which is one of the main sources we use to get coordinates). :::What more, this exact same thing can be done with [http://geojson.io/#map=10/-34.9602/149.1497 geojson.io]. We have few editors who actively maintain scripts like these, and only a fraction out of the few who can will be willing to spend a lot of time and effort into something that isn't even really worth spending that much time anyway. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:22, 19 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Thanks for explaining further, but I really think you're getting hung up on implementation details that might not even apply for some of the directions we could go with this feature. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 12:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Powers, were you thinking about individual listings (first the museum, then the restaurant, back to the hotel), or about destinations (San Francisco, then Napa Valley, then Yosemite)? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 21:07, 17 July 2022 (UTC) ::Individual listings. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:53, 18 July 2022 (UTC) * What's stopping a user from creating a personal itinerary in userspace under current policy? I'm curious as to the need for a change. As for as I'm concerned, I could create an itinerary in userspace based on an OSM map, and surely, it wouldn't be deleted as out of scope? I'd prefer for the above reasons to avoid Google Maps. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 21:22, 18 July 2022 (UTC) *:I already have that: [[User:AlasdairW/Testpage]]. This is currently showing a few places that I stayed in in 2018. At that time it was used to send to friends showing where I would be staying on a trip - they got the dates etc in an email that linked to this page. *:I would support having a policy that explicitly allowed such a page (for signed in users), as they might be more inclined to also update the article pages at the same time. I think that such pages should stick to using our mapframes, although I would be happy with a tool that allowed a list of lat/longs to exported for use with other tools including Google maps, car GPS systems etc. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:54, 18 July 2022 (UTC) *:Well, willingness and ability to edit wiki pages, primarily, as well as the cumbersome need to copy+paste listings. I'm envisioning a one-click kind of "add to personal itinerary" button on each listing. The use case would be a non-editor coming to Wikivoyage to learn about a destination (or several related ones) and assembling a list/map of highlights she wants to be sure to hit on her trip. Can she just write them down somewhere, or copy+paste them to a personal Google map? Sure, but the proposed feature would remove several steps. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 12:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC) == Movement Strategy and Governance News - Issue 7 == <div style = "line-height: 1.2"> <span style="font-size:200%;">'''Movement Strategy and Governance News'''</span><br> <span style="font-size:120%; color:#404040;">'''Issue 7, July-September 2022'''</span><span style="font-size:120%; float:right;">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7|'''Read the full newsletter''']]</span> ---- Welcome to the 7th issue of Movement Strategy and Governance News! The newsletter distributes relevant news and events about the implementation of Wikimedia's [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy/Initiatives|Movement Strategy recommendations]], other relevant topics regarding Movement governance, as well as different projects and activities supported by the Movement Strategy and Governance (MSG) team of the Wikimedia Foundation. The MSG Newsletter is delivered quarterly, while the more frequent [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy/Updates|Movement Strategy Weekly]] will be delivered weekly. Please remember to subscribe [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Global message delivery/Targets/MSG Newsletter Subscription|here]] if you would like to receive future issues of this newsletter. </div><div style="margin-top:3px; padding:10px 10px 10px 20px; background:#fffff; border:2px solid #808080; border-radius:4px; font-size:100%;"> * '''Movement sustainability''': Wikimedia Foundation's annual sustainability report has been published. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A1</tvar>|continue reading]]) * '''Improving user experience''': recent improvements on the desktop interface for Wikimedia projects. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A2|continue reading]]) * '''Safety and inclusion''': updates on the revision process of the Universal Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A3|continue reading]]) * '''Equity in decisionmaking''': reports from Hubs pilots conversations, recent progress from the Movement Charter Drafting Committee, and a new white paper for futures of participation in the Wikimedia movement. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A4|continue reading]]) * '''Stakeholders coordination''': launch of a helpdesk for Affiliates and volunteer communities working on content partnership. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A5|continue reading]]) * '''Leadership development''': updates on leadership projects by Wikimedia movement organizers in Brazil and Cape Verde. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A6|continue reading]]) * '''Internal knowledge management''': launch of a new portal for technical documentation and community resources. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A7|continue reading]]) * '''Innovate in free knowledge''': high-quality audiovisual resources for scientific experiments and a new toolkit to record oral transcripts. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A8|continue reading]]) * '''Evaluate, iterate, and adapt''': results from the Equity Landscape project pilot ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A9|continue reading]]) * '''Other news and updates''': a new forum to discuss Movement Strategy implementation, upcoming Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election, a new podcast to discuss Movement Strategy, and change of personnel for the Foundation's Movement Strategy and Governance team. ([[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Movement Strategy and Governance/Newsletter/7#A10|continue reading]]) </div><section end="msg-newsletter"/> [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 22:58, 18 July 2022 (UTC) == "PIN codes" == This redirect was created to go to [[Wikivoyage:Postal codes]], but I daresay, most non-<s>Australians</s>Indians have never heard of this term in a postal context and would expect it to link to an article about banking. Please express your opinion at [[Wikivoyage talk:PIN codes]]. Should we create a disambiguation for two terms that are not destinations, or should we delete the redirect? Those seem to me to be the only two reasonable options. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:12, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :PIN-pass, you pay cash or are you PIN-ing, and more, are usual expressions in The Netherlands.--[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 06:17, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::Right, but this is treating "PIN codes" as an <s>Australian</s>Indian postal expression, and I'm saying that's too obscure to non-<s>Australians</s>Indians to be a good redirect. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:14, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :First of all, remember, [[w:WP:CHEAP|redirects are cheap]] – there is really no point in discussing pointless redirects. The first sentence of [[Wikivoyage:Deletion policy#Redirects]] explicitly says "As a general rule, redirect pages should not be deleted. Redirection pages provide alternative page titles for articles and allow search engines to locate articles by their alternative names.". :Secondly, what made you think that this was an Australian term? The page I linked, [[English language varieties#Connect]] explicitly mentioned that it's sometimes redundantly called such in India (whilst redundant, again, redirects are cheap). Did you think that it was an Australian term just because I created it? I honestly had no idea what that meant before my first trip to India (and I'll add that my driver did constantly mention "PIN code", not "PIN"). :Thirdly, this could have really been handled in a much better way. Unless it's something major (e.g. userban nominations, major proposal change or something alike), this should go in [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment]], not in the pub. Perhaps you missed "If you'd like to draw attention to a comment to get feedback from other Wikivoyagers, try [[Wikivoyage:Requests for comment|Requests for comment]]."? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:17, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::People pay more attention to the Pub. I thought about also putting the announcement in Requests for comment but got lazy. But confusing redirects aren't cheap. If you really want to fight this, then yes, a nomination will need to be made at [[vfd]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:30, 20 July 2022 (UTC) :::Btw, sorry if anything about this annoys you, and sorry for getting wrong where "PIN code" comes from, but I also felt like you decided to ignore my reply about how confusing redirects are not cheap, so I had to do something in order to generate more discussion, and I don't think there's any important matter of protocol involved in whether notice is given in requests for comment as well as the pub. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:44, 20 July 2022 (UTC) ::::Now there's a Votes for deletion thread, [[Wikivoyage:Votes for deletion#Wikivoyage:PIN codes]]. Feel free to put a notice on Requests for comment if you like. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:21, 20 July 2022 (UTC) == Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election == :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election/Short|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election/Short}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi everyone, The Affiliate Representatives have completed their voting period. The selected 2022 Board of Trustees candidates are: * Tobechukwu Precious Friday ([[:m:User:Tochiprecious|Tochiprecious]]) * Farah Jack Mustaklem ([[:m:User:Fjmustak|Fjmustak]]) * Shani Evenstein Sigalov ([[:m:User:Esh77|Esh77]]) * Kunal Mehta ([[:m:User:Legoktm|Legoktm]]) * Michał Buczyński ([[:m:User:Aegis Maelstrom|Aegis Maelstrom]]) * Mike Peel ([[:m:User:Mike Peel|Mike Peel]]) You may see more information about the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Results|Results]] and [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Stats|Statistics]] of this Board election. The Affiliate organizations selected representatives to vote on behalf of the Affiliate organization. The Affiliate Representatives proposed questions for the candidates to answer in mid-June. These answers from candidates and the information provided from the Analysis Committee provided support for the representatives as they made their decision. Please take a moment to appreciate the Affiliate Representatives and Analysis Committee members for taking part in this process and helping to grow the Board of Trustees in capacity and diversity. These hours of volunteer work connect us across understanding and perspective. Thank you for your participation. Thank you to the community members who put themselves forward as candidates for the Board of Trustees. Considering joining the Board of Trustees is no small decision. The time and dedication candidates have shown to this point speaks to their commitment to this movement. Congratulations to those candidates who have been selected. A great amount of appreciation and gratitude for those candidates not selected. Please continue to share your leadership with Wikimedia. What can voters do now? [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Results|Review the results of the Affiliate selection process]]. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Announcing the six candidates for the 2022 Board of Trustees election|Read more here about the next steps in the 2022 Board of Trustee election]]. Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee''</translate><br /><section end="announcement-content" /> [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 19:32, 20 July 2022 (UTC) == Another copyvio site == Just as an FYI, I found another copy of Wikivoyage a few days ago: [https://www.travelerandfree.com/ Traveler and Free]. This one is a mirror site, which updates in real time (go ahead and find this very post on their mirror of the Pub!). It's not copyleft-compliant: there's no credit given to WV, and each page has a fraudulent copyright symbol on it. There seems to be real people behind it, as the same site hosts a blog that appears to be original content. On Monday, I sent an email to the address listed on their contact page, and have also notified Wikimedia Legal. Will let you know if there are any developments. [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:35, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Their [https://www.travelerandfree.com/terms_of_service terms of service] reads an absolute joke to me. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:48, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::Ah, I didn't spot that, but Legal might be interested. It expressly forbids other sites to mirror it! ::Forgot to mention that it's not just a mirror of en.wikivoyage, but of all the language additions.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:57, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::: Thank you for taking action. We should have a page with best practices for these cases. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:27, 22 July 2022 (UTC) ::::We do, but it's not very instructive - [[Wikivoyage:Non-compliant redistribution]].--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:29, 22 July 2022 (UTC) ::::: Thanks. I had forgotten about it. There is even your example letter on the talk page. That page helps quite a bit, although it could be improved. I added a paragraph on contributions with copyright. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:25, 22 July 2022 (UTC) :::::: {{ping|ThunderingTyphoons!}} Any advances? –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:15, 31 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::: I'm afraid not. If other users are interested, I recommend writing your own reports to Wikimedia Legal; they're obviously very busy, but if several Wikivoyagers make some noise about this issue, they're more likely to prioritise our case over other stuff they're doing (I work with lawyers IRL, and that's how they operate).--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 20:26, 31 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::: What can they do, other than giving some general advice? They cannot be our lawyers and they don't have any copyrights to the content. If we sue, they can probably give contacts to lawyers in the right jurisdictions (seems to be England, as the London address is marked as "HQ"), but that's about it, I think. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 08:38, 1 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::: I sent an e-mail of my own. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:05, 1 August 2022 (UTC) : I sent email as well & cc'd legal. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 14:26, 1 August 2022 (UTC) == alternative-indy culture == Anyone knows of good guide to alternative-indy culture in any Wikivoyage language? --[[User:Zblace|Zblace]] ([[User talk:Zblace|talk]]) 19:59, 21 July 2022 (UTC) :Like I said in the Interlingual Lounge, I don't know of any, and that sounds like a travel topic to me, that perhaps you'd like to start, but first, what do you mean by alternative-indy culture and what part of the world would you like to cover? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:16, 21 July 2022 (UTC) ::@[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] TNX :-) I answered [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage/Lounge&oldid=23557712#alternative-indy_culture? there]: "my plan is to cover clubs (different styles) and socio-cultural centers that are non (or even anti) commercial in Croatia. I have friend who is interested in doing it for Slovenia also. We would appreciate to see something similar done elsewhere." ::@ALL here - I am interested in having this done across different language instances, but I am not aware of differences, so will likely experiment and 'innovate' in Incubator. ::-- [[User:Zblace|Zblace]] ([[User talk:Zblace|talk]]) 06:50, 24 July 2022 (UTC) :::That seems like a possible travel topic, but it seems to me, the full listings should be in articles for the cities where the clubs are. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:08, 24 July 2022 (UTC) == Vote for Election Compass Statements == :''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements|You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki.]]'' :''<div class="plainlinks">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements|{{int:interlanguage-link-mul}}]] • [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Translate&group=page-{{urlencode:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Vote for Election Compass Statements}}&language=&action=page&filter= {{int:please-translate}}]</div>'' Hi all, Volunteers in the [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022|2022 Board of Trustees election]] are invited to [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass/Statements|vote for statements to use in the Election Compass]]. You can vote for the statements you would like to see included in the Election Compass on Meta-wiki. An Election Compass is a tool to help voters select the candidates that best align with their beliefs and views. The community members will propose statements for the candidates to answer using a Lickert scale (agree/neutral/disagree). The candidates’ answers to the statements will be loaded into the Election Compass tool. Voters will use the tool by entering in their answer to the statements (agree/disagree/neutral). The results will show the candidates that best align with the voter’s beliefs and views. Here is the timeline for the Election Compass: *<s>July 8 - 20: Volunteers propose statements for the Election Compass</s> *<s>July 21 - 22: Elections Committee reviews statements for clarity and removes off-topic statements</s> *July 23 - August 3: Volunteers vote on the statements *August 4: Elections Committee selects the top 15 statements *August 5 - 12: candidates align themselves with the statements *August 16: The Election Compass opens for voters to use to help guide their voting decision The Elections Committee will select the top 15 statements at the beginning of August Best, Movement Strategy and Governance ''This message was sent on behalf of the Board Selection Task Force and the Elections Committee'' [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 17:26, 26 July 2022 (UTC) == Mapshape problems == At [[Venice#Get around]] the Mapshape does not work very well. The colors of several areas do not show. Clicking the refresh button of the browser makes the colors show for less than a second. The format of those Mapshapes is: *<nowiki>{{Mapshape|type=geoshape|group=map1|wikidata=...|fill=...|title=...}}</nowiki> It is not constant, this morning the shapes that were not there were different from what I see now, some hours later. [[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:03, 27 July 2022 (UTC) :Opening the page '''now''' (10 minutes later) again, and there is no problem. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 11:17, 27 July 2022 (UTC) ::Opening the page '''now''' (next day) again, and the problem is back. --[[User:FredTC|FredTC]] ([[User talk:FredTC|talk]]) 01:47, 28 July 2022 (UTC) :::{{re|FredTC}} This issue has been a recurring issue for some time that {{u|LPfi}} and I have noticed. When I made a detailed dynamic map for [[New South Wales]] last November, every single mapshape appeared. Eventually the mapshape for Narrabri Shire disappeared, never to be seen again (even though there was nothing wrong on OSM). A few months later, Tweed Shire and Griffith City Council disappeared, never to be seen again. There have been a few other recent cases too. Here are my suggestions for the time being: :::* For city districts and small regions, manually trace the districts yourself using geojson.io :::* For larger region articles, revert back to using traditional, old static maps. :::Static maps aren't perfect though. The dynamic map in [[Greater Brisbane]] was clearly superior to the static map (that's overly crowded) and some of the colour scheme for regions is basically calling this. I'll need to adjust the colours soon, but in the case for [[Venice]], I think manually tracing out the route using [https://geojson.io/ geojson.io] is a much better alternative to using static maps (I'll help you with tracing the route if needed) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:52, 28 July 2022 (UTC) :::: I am not sure this is the same problem. I haven't noticed the mapshapes appearing for a moment, and that also does not make sense for the description of the bug on Phabricator. The bug we discussed earlier meant, if memory serves, that the database lost mapshapes over time, and the problem was cured for that shape only when it was fetched again, which I think is about weeks rather than hours or minutes. Something disappearing soon after loading a page sounds like a Javacript problem (as Javascript is executed after page load and can change the appearance). –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:23, 28 July 2022 (UTC) ::::: I guess we need to open a task in [https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/ Phabricator]. Maybe in a year someone will have a look at it... --[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:44, 30 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Noticed this again on [[Blue River Provincial Park]]. Never before have I been so grateful for the [https://mapmask-geojson-converter.renek.cc/ mapmask-geojson converter] you made. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 09:24, 31 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::And again in [[Tongariro Northern Circuit]]. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:22, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ==New topic: [[Personal electric vehicles]]== [[Personal electric vehicles]] is intended to collect information on electric bicycles, e-scooters and similar equipment. Please contribute. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 23:51, 27 July 2022 (UTC) :Thank you for starting this article. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 18:27, 1 August 2022 (UTC) == Article out-of-date == I need to update [[Ho Chi Minh City]] article in the next days. I ask for somebody to check my edits there. [[User:Claude van der Grift|Claude van der Grift]] ([[User talk:Claude van der Grift|talk]]) 07:00, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :{{re|Claude van der Grift}} Sure. Will check your edits. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:08, 30 July 2022 (UTC) == Many dynamic maps broken == Dynamic district overview maps which get their boundaries from OpenStreetMap via Wikidata id's are broken all over the site, e.g. [[Paris]] or [[Tokyo]]. This is the error message in the browser console: <code>Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 404 (https://maps.wikimedia.org/geoline?getgeojson=1&ids=Q1083349)</code> The issues with imported OSM elements like boundaries or public transport lines are going on for months, if not 1-2 years already. Really a pity because those dynamic maps could be so useful for the traveller. [[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:22, 30 July 2022 (UTC) :Didn't see the discussion above ("Mapshape problems"). Same thing.--[[User:Renek78|Renek78]] ([[User talk:Renek78|talk]]) 10:42, 30 July 2022 (UTC) == Request for participation in discussion of user rights nomination process == This thread: [[Wikivoyage talk:User rights nominations#Bureaucrats must close all user rights nom threads? Why?]] Many such threads have been closed by non-bureaucrat admins, but at least one admin thinks that's wrong, and current language at [[Wikivoyage:User rights nominations]] states that all such threads have to be closed by bureaucrats. I'm not sure when that language was added and propose to change it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:05, 7 August 2022 (UTC) == Name of articles covering multiple destinations == I was looking for how to name a single article when it covers two or more destinations without a local name for the combined entity. I have seen names like [[Gour-Pandua]] (covering two historic towns) and [[Birbhum-Murshidabad]] (covering two administrative divisions, now renamed Central Bengal), but I don't think these names may sound natural outside India. '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 07:43, 11 August 2022 (UTC) :The hyphens look okay to me, although to be clear the article covers two distinct places, rather than one place with a hyphenated name, you might be better using a connective such as "and", e.g. [[Newbury and Thatcham]], [[Windsor and Eton]].--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:07, 11 August 2022 (UTC) ::Agree. If I hadn't read [[Gour-Pandua]], I'd have thought it was the one same place (like [[Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park|Leeuwin-Naturaliste]] or Uluru-Kata Tjuta). "And" works just fine (also see [[Adelaide/Port Adelaide, Enfield, Prospect and Outer Harbor]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden]], [[Buffalo/Allentown and the Delaware District]], or [[Dubai/Suburbs and Hatta]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 01:38, 12 August 2022 (UTC) ::: Sometimes you just drop one of them. [[Turku]] covers most of Turku, a city of 200,000, and Raisio, a neighbouring town of 25,000 with few attractions. If one of the places is minor and less known, there is usually no need to mention it in the article name. You can still have a redirect and a mention in boldface in the lead. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:11, 12 August 2022 (UTC) == Feature suggestion: Time needed for an activity == The idea would be to display, on the page of each destination, an indication of a reasonable or typical duration (or duration range) that a traveller could allocate to a visit. Indeed, it is very useful to have at least a rough idea of how much time a visit one intends to do will take. It seems more appropriate and easier to define such a duration per visit/activity (e.g. for a specific museum) instead of per destination. The travellers could themselves estimate the total time needed for a destination by adding up the times for each visit they intend to do. Difficulty: The time needed ("minimum time") for a visit is very subjective, as well as a possible sufficient time ("maximum time") for a visit. Idea: Make an average over user-input estimated time spent for an activity (how to do it in practice needs be to define). Any other ideas would be very much welcome! [[User:OttoRuth|OttoRuth]] ([[User talk:OttoRuth|talk]]) 15:26, 13 August 2022 (UTC) : Averages are seldom informative, and they rely critically on the population measured – and we don't have access to any measurements at all. Thus this needs to be the editors subjective guess on typical duration. The information is useful, but I think trying to condense it into a range is difficult and might be counterproductive: "The trail is 2 km, and can be walked in half an hour. However, most visitors come for the bird watching tower, and may dwell there for hours." –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 15:38, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ::I think that some hint about "time needed" could be very useful. Google Maps used to provide a note about how long people spent in different places, and I sometimes found it useful. ::I think the best way to handle it is in a text-based description. For example, I was in a small museum for the first time this summer. IMO the "time needed" is about an hour. (I stayed about 30 minutes. Others, especially if they were in a group, might stay longer. I doubt that anyone except the paid staff stay there 3+ hours.) It therefore needs a description like "This three-room museum in the historic Teacher's House is a good way to spend an hour when you're in the neighborhood." ::You'd write something quite different in other cases, such as: ::* "Most people will want to spend the whole day. The museum's café is limited to pre-made cold sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, but you can get a re-entry bracelet at the front door, go out for lunch, and come back to tackle the rest of the building", or ::* "This museum is the perfect place for staying cool on a hot afternoon", or ::* "Devotees of the art might plan a multi-day pilgrimage to take full advantage of everything on offer". ::I think that we will provide more information this way than just writing "____ hours". For example, to go back to the museum I saw: I'm telling you something about the size (it's just three rooms, and it used to be a house. Even if you're super-interested in the subject, it's a small place). I'm telling you something about how long it might take (an hour. You can then think about whether you're quicker or slower than most, and thus decide whether that might be closer to 30 minutes or two hours for you). I'm also telling you that it's not worth a special trip ("when you're in the neighborhood"). "One hour" doesn't covey as much. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 17:09, 13 August 2022 (UTC) == Delay of the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election == Hi all, I am reaching out to you today with an update about the timing of the voting for the Board of Trustees election. As many of you are already aware, this year we are offering an [[metawiki:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2022/Community_Voting/Election_Compass|Election Compass]] to help voters identify the alignment of candidates on some key topics. Several candidates requested an extension of the character limitation on their responses expanding on their positions, and the Elections Committee felt their reasoning was consistent with the goals of a fair and equitable election process. To ensure that the longer statements can be translated in time for the election, the Elections Committee and Board Selection Task Force decided to delay the opening of the Board of Trustees election by one week - a time proposed as ideal by staff working to support the election. Although it is not expected that everyone will want to use the Election Compass to inform their voting decision, the Elections Committee felt it was more appropriate to open the voting period with essential translations for community members across languages to use if they wish to make this important decision. The voting will open on August 23 at 00:00 UTC and close on September 6 at 23:59 UTC. Please find this message translated in additional languages [[m:Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Announcement/Delay of Board of Trustees election|here]]. Best regards, On behalf of the Elections Committee [[User:Zuz (WMF)|Zuz (WMF)]] ([[User talk:Zuz (WMF)|talk]]) 09:17, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 2ag9du4hv6nhypm52yg3zvqmslglr1j 5 112082 4502122 4498105 2022-08-16T10:46:31Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Inactivity policy */ Reply wikitext text/x-wiki Why was this moved out of the Wikivoyage shared namespace? &ndash; [[User:(WT-shared) Cacahuate|(WT-shared) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-shared) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 20:58, 7 July 2007 (EDT) : The Wikivoyage Shared namespace is deprecated: [http://shared.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Wikivoyage_Shared:Travellers%27_pub#Move_policy_pages_to_main_namespace] [[User:(WT-shared) Jpatokal|(WT-shared) Jpatokal]] 13:06, 8 July 2007 (EDT) ==Local removal of adminship== {{swept}} {{tracked|43851}} ''This discussion should be moved to [[Wikivoyage talk:Bureaucrats]] once that page has been imported from backups'' We began to have a discussion here [[Wikivoyage talk:Script policy#Ad hoc admin rights]] regarding local bureaucrats ability to remove admin and bureaucrat rights. This was something we always had prior to the move to the WMF. We haven't had much need for the ability, really, but it may be helpful in the future with cases like this one, where a bot needs temporary admin rights. I'm actually not sure what the logic behind denying this ability to bureaucrats is. Would restoring removal of adminship rights seem reasonable [[:m:Bureaucrat#Removing access|locally]]? --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 18:53, 28 December 2012 (UTC) *This is more of a "opt-in" thing; by default WMF wikis require stewards to remove admin/crat rights, unless the wiki decides that they would like the ability. (For comparison the English Wikipedia only had this turned on in 2011). As far as removing crat rights by bureaucrats, that also is possible, but you run the risk of significant damage if a bureaucrat's account gets hacked. --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 20:05, 28 December 2012 (UTC) *I '''support''' granting 'crats the right to remove admin bits. I'm fine with needing a steward to remove a 'crat bit, though; seems a good safeguard. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 21:56, 28 December 2012 (UTC) * Agree with LtPowers. • • • [[User:Pbsouthwood|Peter (Southwood)]] [[User talk:Pbsouthwood|^(talk)]]: 04:01, 29 December 2012 (UTC) * '''Support''' local removal of admin bit only, per LtPowers. [[User:This, that and the other|This, that and the other]] ([[User talk:This, that and the other|talk]]) 00:58, 30 December 2012 (UTC) * '''Support''' <span style="color:#339989;">–[[User:Sumone10154|'''<span style="color:#339989;">sumone10154</span>''']]^{([[User talk:Sumone10154|<span style="color:#339989;">talk</span>]])}</span> 20:03, 3 January 2013 (UTC) * '''Support''' --[[User:Rogerhc|Rogerhc]] ([[User talk:Rogerhc|talk]]) 04:34, 9 January 2013 (UTC) '''Requested at [[bugzilla:43851]].''' <span style="color:#339989;">–[[User:Sumone10154|'''<span style="color:#339989;">sumone10154</span>''']]^{([[User talk:Sumone10154|<span style="color:#339989;">talk</span>]])}</span> 04:34, 11 January 2013 (UTC) == RenameUser == Do we have a policy on what (when, etc.) username changes are allowed? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 01:27, 21 February 2013 (UTC) :Yeah, can I change my name to [[User:I'll tell you wycsi]]? [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 01:39, 21 February 2013 (UTC) ::(Tangential comment) Note that this will not change your name across all WMF sites, and if you want to keep your SUL account unified you will need to request a rename at all wikis you have an edit on. --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 03:25, 21 February 2013 (UTC) :::[[Wikivoyage:How to create a user account#Changing your username]] is the closest we have. [[Wikivoyage talk:How to create a user account#Renames]] touched on this, and my suggested practice would be to not rename (and thereby sever) SUL accounts, and request that users look to rename their global account name. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] <small>^{[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 04:16, 21 February 2013 (UTC) ::::Unfortunately, it is not possible to globally rename users (yet); you have to request a rename from bureaucrats on every site you have an account with edits on. If there are no local bureaucrats on a wiki, you can ask a steward for assistance, but they refuse to do renames on a wiki with bureaucrats. --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 04:31, 21 February 2013 (UTC) :::::Ah, I guess [//en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage:How_to_create_a_user_account&diff=2055102&oldid=2054377 I have a short memory]. Thanks for the reminders, folks. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 01:04, 22 February 2013 (UTC) =='''''Process''''' of revoking admin rights== The (obvious?) and complementary section on ''revoking'' admin rights (as opposed to ''nominating'' someone to be granted them) in the "notice" section at [[Wikivoyage:Administrator nominations]] was [http://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Wikivoyage%3AAdministrator_nominations&diff=2157143&oldid=2157136 recently removed]. If that is not the obvious place for a nomination and subsequent discussion of revoking admin rights, where then should it be? Should the procedure be kept secret lest it be abused? -- [[User:Alice/About_Me|<b><font color="#0000DD">A</font><font color="#0066FF">l</font><font color="#0099FF">i</font><font color="#00CCFF">c</font><font color="#00EEFF">e</font></b>]][[Special:Emailuser/Alice|<font color="#FF3333">^✉</font>]] 01:38, 24 February 2013 (UTC) :If you have a problem with a specific admin's status, you should discuss with that admin and others first before initiating any kind of formal unelection procedure. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 18:32, 24 February 2013 (UTC) ::At the moment we're talking about general policy rather than any individual admin qualifying for their status to be revoked, so would you like to add the necessary replacement text to the relevant page - and tell us ::a) where is the right place for a nomination and subsequent discussion of revoking admin rights and ::b) whether the procedure be kept secret lest it be abused? :::I was speaking generally; it may have been clearer if I had said "If, in the future, someone has a problem with a specific admin's status...". If a nomination is deemed necessary, [[Wikivoyage:Administrator nominations]] would be the place for it, but it's not necessary to specify that because the location of the discussion can be explained once the process gets to that point. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 00:55, 25 February 2013 (UTC) ::::So you do think it's best kept a secret amongst ourselves until and unless the need arises? -- [[User:Alice/About_Me|<b><font color="#0000DD">A</font><font color="#0066FF">l</font><font color="#0099FF">i</font><font color="#00CCFF">c</font><font color="#00EEFF">e</font></b>]][[Special:Emailuser/Alice|<font color="#FF3333">^✉</font>]] 01:19, 25 February 2013 (UTC) :::::It's not a secret, but there's no point in making an open invitation, either. Why is this so important to you? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 02:26, 25 February 2013 (UTC) ::::::Because of the way Wikitravel went bad. I see the same incipient megalomaniac/Stalinist tendencies here in some quarters. -- [[User:Alice/About_Me|<b><font color="#0000DD">A</font><font color="#0066FF">l</font><font color="#0099FF">i</font><font color="#00CCFF">c</font><font color="#00EEFF">e</font></b>]][[Special:Emailuser/Alice|<font color="#FF3333">^✉</font>]] 07:18, 25 February 2013 (UTC) :::::::I'll just let that comment speak for itself. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 18:00, 25 February 2013 (UTC) == New bureaucrat == Peter is retired and I think we should look for a new crat to fill his space. Please suggest who should be nominated for the cratship? If I would have to nominate someone, that's [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]]. --[[User:Saqib|Saqib]] ([[User talk:Saqib|talk]]) 18:07, 3 October 2013 (UTC) :Nothing against him, but do we need more crats, especially since renaming will be handled by stewards sometime within the next year? --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 18:29, 3 October 2013 (UTC) ::I could take it or leave it, but Ikan would be a good choice if we do want another crat. [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 18:37, 3 October 2013 (UTC) :::German version have four crats, Spanish have six, French have five, Italian have six, while Dutch have five, why can't we have one more? --[[User:Saqib|Saqib]] ([[User talk:Saqib|talk]]) 18:46, 3 October 2013 (UTC) ::::We actually have 7. [[Special:ListUsers/bureaucrat]]. --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 18:48, 3 October 2013 (UTC) :::::Ops. I thought we've only 2 left. --[[User:Saqib|Saqib]] ([[User talk:Saqib|talk]]) 18:51, 3 October 2013 (UTC) ::::::It sounds like we don't need another bureaucrat, then, but thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm perfectly content to remain a regular admin. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:36, 3 October 2013 (UTC) ::::::: We only have two regular users here who are bureaucrats. I'm not clear there is a role for them apart from sysopping. --[[User:Inas|Inas]] ([[User talk:Inas|talk]]) 23:03, 3 October 2013 (UTC) ::::::::Jani and Evan have 'crat status for historical reasons. Roland, DerFussi, and Hans have it for technical reasons (which may be out of date, come to think of it). I originally applied for 'crat status because Ryan was involved in legal proceedings and Peter was going to be on vacation. Absent those factors, I wouldn't have applied. Considering how little there is for us to do at the moment (applications for account merges have dried up to nothing), I don't think there's much of a need for more. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 23:29, 3 October 2013 (UTC) ===Revisited=== While the workload on bureaucrats is generally very low, I'm going to be traveling extensively later this year, and that will leave only [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] as an active bureaucrat. I think it's important to have more than one person available to handle renames, WT contribution merges, and promote people to admin, so what thoughts do people have about adding a third active bureaucrat? It was suggested above that [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] might be a good option (if he's willing to add a few more buttons), or alternately [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] has been around and active for many years and thus also seems like a good candidate. Thoughts? If there is consensus to add a third, and if someone is willing, then I can start a nomination. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] • ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) • 21:58, 17 May 2014 (UTC) :Thanks for your confidence. I'd prefer to decline, though. Texugo is a great candidate and I think he would have everyone's confidence; he certainly has mine. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:07, 17 May 2014 (UTC) ::I'd be willing to do it. And thanks for the vote of confidence. [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 22:13, 17 May 2014 (UTC) ::: Thanks for the quick responses - I've started a nomination at [[Wikivoyage:Administrator nominations#User:Texugo (for bureaucrat)]]. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 02:04, 18 May 2014 (UTC) == Check Users group == I would like to suggest we have a couple of administrators with [[w:Wikipedia:CheckUser|Check Users]] access. I suspect we have more sock-puppets than we think. In particular I would like to block more Telstra vandal users then we currently have but currently there is the risk of incorrectly hitting and innocent new user. Would like to volunteer myself and {{ping|Ikan Kekek}} who is always active against vandals and disruptors. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 06:49, 25 June 2018 (UTC) :Someone would have to explain to me how to do this. But you know, I think the obvious step is to simply filter out all Telstra users with unregistered email addresses, and I don't understand why no-one with technical knowledge has done this. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:53, 25 June 2018 (UTC) :: I asked about that but could not find anyone who thought it was possible. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 07:03, 25 June 2018 (UTC) ::: Last time we went down this path, we came to the conclusion that for the limited time it was required, that Stewards could do what was required here. I'm not convinced the situation has changed, or that we have a framework ready. --[[User:Inas|Inas]] ([[User talk:Inas|talk]]) 08:59, 26 June 2018 (UTC) :::: With all respect to the current set of stewards, for whatever reason, they can be a fickle lot, the problems need to be voiced with them - as at times they can be unresponsive and choosy. Whereas the checkuser tool with a regular set of admins would, in my opinion be more immediate and helpful to tackle the issue. I would support the tools being given to experienced admins as a potential start. Even in a trial sense, to ascertain the issues from the perspective of being able to ''see'' what is happening. [[User:JarrahTree|JarrahTree]] ([[User talk:JarrahTree|talk]]) 09:24, 26 June 2018 (UTC) ::::: Is creation of CheckUser group a decision of this sites Bureaucrats or of the Stewards? Any process that needs to be initiated? --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 05:43, 27 June 2018 (UTC) ::::::The information is here: [[meta:CheckUser policy#Appointing local Checkusers]]. It looks to me like we would need to nominate two users, have a discussion, and then contact the stewards. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 05:51, 27 June 2018 (UTC) ::::::: Not sure we can get support from 25 contributors but hopefully consensus will be enough. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 08:10, 27 June 2018 (UTC) : Anyone else want to be considered for CheckUser? --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 08:10, 27 June 2018 (UTC) Can we have more info about practice to date, please. At present this function is done for us by Wikimedia stewards, right? How often has WV requested checks by the stewards? For example, how many requests per year over the last 5 years? [[User:Nurg|Nurg]] ([[User talk:Nurg|talk]]) 09:35, 27 June 2018 (UTC) : Not aware of any requests, but maybe other do. Not really what I was looking for. Want to block sockpuppet account when created, not days later when we know what damage has been done. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 11:13, 27 June 2018 (UTC) ::Searching the archive of the [https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Steward_requests/Checkuser requests at Meta], it appears there have been two requests in the 5 and a half years of the English WV. Does that sound about right? ::The question re speed of checking is: will it be done faster by one of the 2 or 3 local checkusers, or will it be done faster by one of the 34 stewards that are available? [[User:Nurg|Nurg]] ([[User talk:Nurg|talk]]) 11:25, 27 June 2018 (UTC) ::: Just tested, response is reasonably quick, but not sure how long they would tolerate multiple requests. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 12:53, 27 June 2018 (UTC) I support the idea, but do not (yet) want to put myself forward. I'm still getting a hang of the admin tools. [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:41, 27 June 2018 (UTC) : When we're making too many requests from the Stewards for them to satisfy, then we should appoint our own. There is no evidence of any delay being caused by this process. No evidence of dramatic damage being caused by Sockpuppets that is out of control. Until then, there is no need. This is a solution looking for a problem. Our processes for when Checkuser would be used are non-existant, and I'm concerned that without this framework, we shouldn't be going here. Also, the argument of 'quicker response' holds no water. The multiple stewards are nearly always available. Once we appoint checkusers of our own, they will no longer assist - as per their rules. I definitely don't support this proposal at this point. There is no need. --[[User:Inas|Inas]] ([[User talk:Inas|talk]]) 23:33, 27 June 2018 (UTC) :: So why does no one else make requests to the steward? It can take a few hours, depending on the timezone you are on but there is a response. To put things into perspective nearly half of new users and a good number of new pages are [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:TelstraMessage&limit=500 Telstra] entries. More than are currently being marked as such. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 16:10, 4 July 2018 (UTC) ::: I think its unrealistic to think that a couple of local checkusers on the local site would result in an improved response time. You'd have to give every active admin checkuser, and I'm certain that's not the intended use of the priv. --[[User:Inas|Inas]] ([[User talk:Inas|talk]]) 05:27, 7 July 2018 (UTC) ::::[[User:Inas]]: Other than "there's no need", which I and others don't agree with, what is your argument against appointing a couple of willing admins as checkusers? What harm could it do? It could clearly do some good for the site, and might be an effective tool against Telstra and the latest "fuerdai" moron. [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:33, 7 July 2018 (UTC) ::::: My arguments are. 1. Once we appoint local, then the stewards would no longer be involved. And this would make us less able to cope with a situation where we actually needed a checkuser, and the relevant admins were travelling, etc. 2. We have no policy around the use of this facility that has been agreed by the community, and acceptable for privacy considerations. 3. We have made no attempt to make use of the existing facility we have for checkuser. Not once. 4. The people arguing in favour are the people who want the authority to do this. This is unhealthy. People arguing in favour should not be putting themselves forward. ::::: So, we end up with a worse response, subject to arbitrary use, without a policy foundation. We shouldn't move forward with this discussion in this quiet admin corner of wikivoyage. We're talking about giving the authority to admins to check the origin IP of accounts on this site without any control on how or when this will be done. This will affect every single user, and the people proposing it should let everyone on the site know that their origin IP (company they are working for, etc) will be used by anonymous admins here without any controls. --[[User:Inas|Inas]] ([[User talk:Inas|talk]]) 09:05, 15 July 2018 (UTC) == Old bureaucrats == Shouldn't there be some kind of procedure, akin to how admin rights are revoked for an inactive account, to strip people who haven't worked here for years of their bureaucrat rights? There is currently one such bureaucrat, [[User:Hansm]], who hasn't made any contributions since [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Hansm 2013]. Doesn't letting them keep "tools which could be dangerous in the wrong hands" pose a security risk? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 09:48, 22 October 2018 (UTC) :Yes. I think we would need to ask a steward to revoke an inactive bureaucrat's status. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:52, 22 October 2018 (UTC) == Inactivity policy == Before we do any of the debureaucratting (if that's a word), I think we should have a policy on what's the time limit for inactive bureaucrats. Unlike inactive admins, inactive bureaucrats pose even more of a security risk – if the account falls into the wrong hands, the compromised account might even have the potential to severely damage the site. From [[Special:Diff/4496900]], {{u|Ikan Kekek}} suggested it could be 1 year, but I think the criteria should be even tighter. Based on Commons' inactive admins policy, I propose that bureaucrats need to: * make at least 10 edits for every 6 months; * make at least two admin actions for every 6 months. If they don't do the following, then it signifies that they really don't need the tools. Their administrator status should however, be unaffected by this. It might seem a bit over the top, but it is a serious security risk. Other thoughts? --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:55, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :I think a year is fine. You might be on travel for several months and there might not be pending admin jobs to pick up if you don't have the time to monitor the wiki actively, so 6 months could mean we have to remove and renominate people who have happened to be busy. Being away longer than that, one should perhaps ask for removal of the flag until one comes back. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 09:39, 8 August 2022 (UTC) ''(originally made on [[Wikivoyage talk:User rights nominations#Bureaucrats must close all user rights nom threads? Why?]] and copied here by ThunderingTyphoons!)'' :: Commons have enough people to choose the most active ones, and here we have people who often are away from home, perhaps where Internet connections are unreliable – also security-wise. I don't think a person who is away for 6 months is unsuitable as bureaucrat. An inactive account is not any more insecure than an active one per se, just that an abandoned account is an unnecessary risk, and that it might not be monitored. Not logging in doesn't prevent you from monitoring your edit history, and not doing administrative actions even less so. Also, other seasoned editors should monitor the logs, so that a compromised account (active or inactive) taking odd administrative action is noticed. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:48, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :: (edit conflit) So why can't such a bureaucrat (or even admin) just ask for their privileges to be suspended for the duration of their trip? Any sysop who did that would surely have the full confidence of other Wikivoyagers when they returned and be quickly restored to the role. If you're going away for months, with no intention of carrying on your sysop role, and possibly no time to even login to WV, that is a security risk. The more responsible thing is surely then to voluntarily give up the role for a limited time, rather than leave without a word for extended periods. And if anyone insisted on keeping the role even when not using it, it would suggest they considered it a status symbol rather than a tool. ::Also, just wondering, are there reasons other than security concerns over potentially-compromised accounts for the number of bureaucrats to be limited? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:49, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :::100 per cent agree with {{u|ThunderingTyphoons!}}. We're less than 1 per cent of the size of Commons; we have eight bureaucrats, but Commons only has seven. Wikidata, a wiki that's also significantly larger than en.voy, only has three. If an account has been inactive for 6 months, then you can safely assume that they're not going to be doing any 'crat duties for a while. This is already evident – within our own 'crat list, per [https://xtools.wmflabs.org/adminstats/en.wikivoyage.org/2021-08-08/2022-08-08?actions=delete|revision-delete|log-delete|restore|re-block|unblock|re-protect|unprotect|rights|merge|import|abusefilter|contentmodel X-tools], only {{u|Ikan Kekek}} has made an admin action, let alone a bureaucrat action. It really just means the other seven are inactive and don't need the tools. :::{{re|ThunderingTyphoons!}} regarding your question, I couldn't find a reason from [[m:Bureaucrat]], but I believe that's the main reason why bureaucrats should be kept to a minimum. That said, I did a bit of digging on other WMF projects and in no other English-language or multilingual project did I find that bureaucrats should be kept to a minimum. In fact, you could even say the same for admins too. But that's a discussion for another day. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:34, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :::: It certainly makes sense for bureaucrats to tell when they are not going to do anything pertaining to that role for months, to alert the other bureaucrats and to let us others know we should ask stewards to do what needs to be done, if all are away. But I don't think we should have stewards remove the flag for somebody being away for a few months. If such announced breaks aren't counted when activity is checked, then that should be told in the policy, and it isn't evident that they shouldn't be. (Another reason to keep bureaucrats few is that the risk of electing somebody unsuitable becomes lower, both because of the raised bar and because of pure probabilities.) –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 11:58, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :::: (On numbers: it isn't about being many enough to handle the load, but the risk that none is available. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:00, 8 August 2022 (UTC)) :::::If none are available (at least for a week or so), then stewards can handle the job. It's the same reason why we don't have any local CUs, and why we probably won't get one anytime in the next decade. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:07, 8 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::Inactivity may be a reason for removal of bureaucrat rights, but I question the criteria. Admin actions are somewhat orthogonal to a bureaucrat's duties, for starters; I'm not clear what the connection is between the two. [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 15:32, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::Btw, I'll be on the road from the 10th-27th and will likely be spending less time on Wikivoyage during much of that period. My feeling is that a year without any edits or activity is simplest to determine, so why don't we start there? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:09, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::: Any edit or action shows that the person is still around and hasn't abandoned the site. Bureaucrat actions shows that the person has time for those duties. I think the former has been the main fear. For the latter, a number of actions per half-year shows very little. They may happen to be around when they are needed one year without being around the next time. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 19:49, 8 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::{{re|LtPowers}} I hope we don't ever have a [[wikipedia:simple:Wikipedia:Requests_for_de-adminship/Lofty_abyss|Lofty abyss]] situation here, but what I've found is that most admins listed in [[Special:ListUsers/sysop]] make one edit every so often and never use their tools. If they don't use the tools, then they don't need them; that's not the main point here though – why I'm more firm about this for bureaucrats is that, if a 'crat doesn't use their admin tools, then they obviously aren't using their bureaucrat tools and if they aren't using their tools, then they don't need it. :::::::{{re|Ikan Kekek|LPfi}} I still think one year is far too long and poses a significant security risk. Remember, bureaucrat accounts do have the capability to essentially destroy the site, and especially in a wiki where there are few admins around at certain times of the day (particularly between 01:00 to 06:00 UTC). Even say, if a bureaucrat goes on a break for exactly six months (and their tools aren't stripped), and comes back a day, makes two edits (and no admin actions) after and then disappears, never to be seen for a while, then essentially they're not using their tools. While this hasn't exactly been happening here, I'm seeing similar activity levels for about half. (Disclaimer: I've been planning propose reducing the admin inactivity policy from 2 years to 1 year, and will do so once we resolve this discussion – this will bias my opinion about how long can bureaucrats be inactive) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:39, 9 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::All actions can be undone. If a bureaucrat goes crazy, stewards can be called upon to desysop and block them and undo all their actions, but right now, that's a theoretical danger. I think 2 years of inactivity for an admin and 1 for a bureaucrat is simple. I wouldn't want to reduce the inactivity period for admins to 1 year, because that creates more work for us. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:58, 9 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::It does create more work for us, but that's why we have bureaucrats ;-) (plus, Commons does it just fine). The reason I haven't put my hand up for bureaucrat yet is because I think I'm still too new to this community, but I'm happy to do so in order to handle with inactive admins. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:02, 9 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::I would support a minimum requirement of one admin action/edit a year. Compared to Commons, Wikivoyage is not as busy so I don't believe we should be as stringent. A 12 month-timeline also allows editors to come back after a break, perhaps from a long overseas trip, which is more likely to happen in a wiki of travel enthusiasts. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 12:51, 9 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::One reason why the admin/bureaucrat activity requirements are becoming very strict on some wikis is because the rules and policies change regularly and users that return after a break may not move with the times. In contrast, policies on Wikivoyage have been fairly stable. Someone who has been on a hiatus since 2017 could come back tomorrow and edit most things as they did back then without much trouble. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 12:56, 9 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::: Nothing magical happens at the 6 months point, nor at the point someone becomes inactive. If an admin or bureaucrat account is compromised today and the admin is leaving for a one-month trip to Antarctica, then the cracker has a month for doing what they will. There is little that can be done in a year that cannot be done in a month. The point with the limits is more that somebody who has been absent a year is likely to be absent for five more years, while I think there are many scenarios where one isn't active for a some months and then comes back. Three months on a trip and then returning to a workplace that has gone crazy. When that's over, you might just want to relax with your family. A whole year off more seldom comes unexpectedly, and stewards probably do not mind to flip the flags twice in those cases. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 12:57, 9 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::::To add to [[User:DaGizza|DaGizza]]'s point: Commons is constantly having to delete files, numerous files every day. That is way different from this site. And they are way behind in important work, with things like Valued Image sets having been broken for years and a refusal to change "Quality images candidates" to "Quality image candidates" because no-one is willing to edit all the links. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:44, 9 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::You said: "if a 'crat doesn't use their admin tools, then they obviously aren't using their bureaucrat tools" but again I don't see the connection here. I don't think that's obvious at all. Can you explain why you think it is? [[User:LtPowers|Powers]] <small>^{([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]])}</small> 19:32, 9 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::::The connection is they aren't using their tools. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 00:53, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::::It seems everyone but myself are in favour of adopting a 1-year limit + 1 admin action for inactive bureaucrats. Any final objections before I add this to the policy page? <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 10:46, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 661j6090t0ph1of7jvbxb4ax1u7e8q0 1 120538 4501904 4472733 2022-08-16T05:44:17Z Ximplesolutions 2274867 /* All You Need To Know About Cloud ERP System */ new section wikitext text/x-wiki {{MediaWiki:Editnotice-1-Main_Page}} Please read '''[[Project:Main Page guidelines|Main Page guidelines]]''' before editing the [[Main Page|Main Page]]. You are welcome to try out changes in the [[Main_Page/Sandbox]]. Our current version of the Main Page was implemented on 2013-03-26. Discussion of prior versions of the Main Page can be found at '''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old]]''' {{infobox |For archived main page discussions see:| * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2020 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2019 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2018 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2017 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2016 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2015 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2014 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2013 Archive]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Jan 2008 to Dec 2009]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Jan 2007 to Dec 2007]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Jan 2006 to Dec 2006]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Dec 2004 to Dec 2005]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Dec 2003 to Nov 2004]]''' }} == New banner for Covid-19 box (2021) == I'm having trouble finding suitable images of masks, as masks themselves aren't very interesting, and so a lot of pictures have people in them, which I don't think we want. Here are three suggestions, but I think we should wait for some more proposals from other people before we start voting. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:29, 5 January 2021 (UTC) <gallery> image:Hand sanitizer banner.jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner A''' (Existing banner) File:Street sign about the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan 05 (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner B''' (Street sign in Azerbaijan) File:Dülmen, Wochenmarkt, Hinweisschild -- 2020 -- 7379 (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner C''' (German sign) File:Маска на голове манекена (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner D''' (PPE for sale in Moscow) File:Surgical masks and hand sanitiser banner.jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner E''' (Anti-A gel) </gallery> :I like the last one best. Thanks. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:36, 5 January 2021 (UTC) :::<small>The "last one" refers to Banner D as the comment was posted before I added Banner E. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 22:21, 5 January 2021 (UTC)</small> :As a multilingual project, we should aim for an image that's as light on text as possible. I prefer [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]]'s proposed banner. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 20:52, 5 January 2021 (UTC) ::That banner is [[:File:Surgical masks and hand sanitiser banner.jpg]]. I don't think it's much lighter in text than the Russian one. I like it 2nd best, but I like the fact that the Russian banner shows how to wear a mask. And please, let's not assume all our readers know how to wear a mask properly or do it all the time. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:09, 5 January 2021 (UTC) :::Actually, this is an English-language project — there are other versions of Wikivoyage that operate in other languages. I chose non-English-language images to keep with the travel theme. I looked at AlasdairW's banner, and it took me a while to find the masks because they are folded and wrapped in plastic. What really shows up there is the hand sanitiser, but I have added it to the list for consideration as "Banner E". [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:24, 5 January 2021 (UTC) Some other ideas I can resize into banners if there us interest. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:53, 5 January 2021 (UTC) <gallery> File:Flu - Flight UA847 (IAD-EZE - 3623734364 - jun09.jpg|thumbnail|Flight File:20200510 popup COVID 19 mask shop, Hoher Markt 5 (02).jpg|thumbnail|mask shop File:Abuja Protester.jpg|thumbnail|protester File:Selbstgenähte Behelfsmasken.jpg|Mask collection File:Taking temperatures before preseason match at Lewes 2020-08-30.jpg|thumbnail|Taking temperatures New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50095447898).jpg|thumbnail |New York Public Library Lions File:Rockefeller Center Prometheus Statue Face Mask COVID19 New York City (50156728272).jpg|thumbnail |Prometheus File:Moai statues will also wear mask to prevent the spread of the Covid-19! (50114685873).jpg|thumbnail |Moai </gallery> :Definitely not the first, with the guy on the left having his nose exposed and the one on the right touching the top of his mask. I'm satisfied with the selection above, though. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:26, 5 January 2021 (UTC) ::"Taking temperatures" is in my opinion the best of these images. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:41, 6 January 2021 (UTC) :If you'd like something more icon-like, then the World Health Organization has released some images, and it might be possible to crop/assemble some of them into a useful banner with plenty of room for text. Here are the files I'd start with: <gallery mode="packed" heights="300"> File:How to wear a non-medical fabric mask safely - Do's.png File:How to a wear medical mask safely - Do's.png File:How children can wear fabric masks.png </gallery> Unfortunately, they're all "bitmap" images rather than vector images, but I suspect that it would be fairly easy to extract a few pieces. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 22:32, 7 January 2021 (UTC) ::I think there is a lot of information in those images, which would be better in the [[COVID-19]] article than in a banner. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:34, 8 January 2021 (UTC) :::I actually really like these. If we took just a row of the circular images illustrating mask usage and hand washing, with no text, and expand the background color to fill, I think that would make a very simple and straightforward image. --[[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] ([[User talk:Bigpeteb|talk]]) 20:07, 8 January 2021 (UTC) :Changing my vote to the NYPL lion with the mask on. Emphatically. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 02:59, 8 January 2021 (UTC) ::I still think that if we're going to change the image, it ought to be the one that shows the temperature gun being used. Diagnosing coronavirus is crucial to containing it, and temperature checks take place at so many buildings now that it's one of the main experiences people associate with COVID-19. When animals start catching coronavirus in large numbers I might change my vote. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:16, 9 January 2021 (UTC) ===Second round=== I was hoping for more input from others before proceeding. But in the interest of moving this along, here are the banners that have attracted support so far. I'm not able to cut-and-paste the WHO images as [[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] suggested. If someone can do that, please add it to this list. {{Ping|SelfieCity|AndreCarrotflower|WhatamIdoing|Ikan Kekek|AlasdairW}} -- Ground Zero (talk) 17:17, 9 January 2021 (UTC). '''Banner D''' (PPE for sale in Moscow) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Маска на голове манекена (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner E''' (Anti-A gel) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Surgical masks and hand sanitiser banner.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner F''' (Taking temperatures) {{banner|direction=leftt|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Taking temperatures before preseason match at Lewes 2020-08-30 (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner G''' (New York Public Library Lions) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner H''' (Moai in masks) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Moai statues will also wear mask to prevent the spread of the Covid-19! (50114685873) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} ====Discussion ==== *My choices in order of preference: '''H D G F E''', then the WHO graphic. Wikivoyage is not the first place readers will be getting COVID19 information from as it has been front-and-centre in the media for 10 months now, so I think we should lean toward a simpler travel-related picture, rather than worrying about trying to educate readers through a banner. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 17:17, 9 January 2021 (UTC). *Seeing these all in a row changes my votes somewhat. D, F, H, G, E. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:16, 9 January 2021 (UTC) * E,F,H,D,G. I looked at creating an image using the WHO posters, and I think it would be a bit of work for this shape of banner. However they crop quite well into a normal pagebanner. I have posted this on [[Talk:COVID-19 pandemic]], but I am not suggesting changing that banner at the moment. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:01, 9 January 2021 (UTC) *G, H, E, current banner, F, WHO graphic, D. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 00:18, 10 January 2021 (UTC) *I like the statues wearing masks so G & H. F is also good as it is something you will experience if you do travel during the pandemic. [[User:DaGizza]] * H then G for me. The others are less interesting to me. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] ([[User talk:ChubbyWimbus|talk]]) 11:24, 10 January 2021 (UTC) * H, F, G, D, E. Incorporate WHO graphics into the article, but they don't work as banners because you'll have text on top of text.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:33, 10 January 2021 (UTC) * F, E, G, D, H. The moai aren’t wearing the masks per CDC guidelines. It’s not covering the chin and barely covering the nose. I maintain that F is by far the most practical of the images. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:40, 10 January 2021 (UTC) ::Its true that the masks aren't covering the chin, but they are giant sone heads, so I don't think image has to be viewed literally. I would agree if we were showing a person wearing a mask incorrectly. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 12:23, 13 January 2021 (UTC) * H and G, in no particular order. It might help to see them with the text overlay, the way they'd appear in the banner. Also, can we '''flip H and G horizontally'''? That would put the focal point of those images on the right, so it doesn't overlap with the text overlay on the left. --[[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] ([[User talk:Bigpeteb|talk]]) 19:59, 11 January 2021 (UTC) ::The text on a main page banner can be at the left, right or in the centre, and there is a width parameter, so the text can be moved to fit the image. See the examples on [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:04, 11 January 2021 (UTC) :::You people keep forcing me to learn new things.... I've added the text overlay. If anyone can make improvements, they are welcome. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 22:03, 11 January 2021 (UTC) * I like H over other choices. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 01:01, 12 January 2021 (UTC) ====Counting the votes==== Here is the tally of the ''first-ranked'' votes according to Dominion Voting Systems Inc.: * H — 4½ votes * G — 2½ votes * D E F — one vote each After allocating the D E F votes according to preferences between G and H: * H — 6½ votes * G — 3½ votes Does anyone else want to vote? <br> Does anyone want to change their vote? <br> Does anyone want to audit the count? <br> [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 12:23, 13 January 2021 (UTC) :I'm happy with either G or H. Also, if you'll let work-me slip into the conversation here for a moment, @[[User:PPelberg (WMF)|PPelberg (WMF)]] has been thinking about how people use votes on wiki and may be very interested in seeing this discussion. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:49, 13 January 2021 (UTC) ::Oh, wow. This is precisely the kind of vote I'm glad to know about...thank you for the ping, @[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]]. I've added a link to this vote to the ticket where we are thinking about how we might add support for voting-style discussions. ''See: [[phab:T259865]].'' [[User:PPelberg (WMF)|PPelberg (WMF)]] ([[User talk:PPelberg (WMF)|talk]]) 00:49, 16 January 2021 (UTC) Seeing no objections or guys wearing furs and horns, I've implemented banner H. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 01:24, 16 January 2021 (UTC) ==Our Main Page, our Facebook page, and the end of COVID== {{swept}} Now that several COVID vaccines have been developed and approved, mass inoculation campaigns are ramping up, and we can begin to envision a future return to normalcy in a more than theoretical way, let's talk about at what point we can remove the COVID-19 banner from our Main Page, the [[Wikivoyage:COVID-19 message|special COVID-19 message]] from our Facebook page, and the warningboxes from individual articles. Obviously now's not the time, but all the same it would be nice if we clarified in advance what needs to happen before we as a community feel comfortable doing those things. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 00:21, 12 March 2021 (UTC) :Yes, indeed. I think we have to keep in mind that Covid-19 will be "over" in industrialized countries that have access to the vaccines long before it will be over in developing countries. We may have to re-write those messages first, and remove them later. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 00:32, 12 March 2021 (UTC) ::I think we should talk about this later, when it's warranted. But it won't be the end of COVID-19, just the end of the pandemic. The disease is likely to continue to be endemic in many places for quite a while. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 12 March 2021 (UTC) ::: I can foresee a situation where the (north hemisphere) summer makes numbers go down in many countries like last year, and that vaccines get the credit although only a moderate percent of the populations have got vaccinated. If so, I think we should have decided on how to react (i.e. the decision should be made in a few months). I suppose we should rewrite the warnings etc. about at that time. In autumn we'll see whether there will be one more wave even in these countries. Before New Year vaccines should have made life go about back to normal in many countries, but not in all the world. Then we need new updates. What they'll be like, we cannot know yet. ::: So I think we can postpone most of the discussion, but we should have decided not to join the first wave of people saying the pandemic is overcome. ::: –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:09, 12 March 2021 (UTC) ::::Even within the industrialised world, the vaccine rollouts are going at very different speeds. It's likely that some countries will be up and running by the summer, but not the majority of even the "rich" ones. So I think we're a fair way off removing the guidance from the Main page, though we may have to update it sooner rather than later.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:17, 12 March 2021 (UTC) :::::Some countries will still maintain the quarantine system (like Australia) until it is fully over. Best to still keep it. [[User:TravelAroundOz|TravelAroundOz]] ([[User talk:TravelAroundOz|talk]]) 03:19, 13 March 2021 (UTC) ::::::[[User:TravelAroundOz|TravelAroundOz]] - But that's exactly why I'm asking the question. What exactly does "fully over" mean? How is it quantified? And if only one country, or only a few countries, are still under quarantine, do we really need a banner on the Main Page or would just a warningbox in the individual country article(s) suffice? The reason why I bring this up now is not because I think the end of the pandemic is imminent in the short term, but because I expect there to be - or rather, because given the enormity of the issue, there rightly ''should be'' - a protracted debate about the specifics of when and how to ease up on the warnings. If ever there were a decision that requires a true community-wide consensus, rather than a "consensus" crafted by one or two interested parties that the rest of the community just goes along with because they don't care either way, this is the one. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 04:28, 13 March 2021 (UTC) ::::::: One criterion is that WHO declares the pandemic to be over. Another is that major airline hubs no more have any special arrangements for the disease. After those are satisfied we can consider whether we still should have general warnings (e.g. for those who still are vulnerable) or just in select destination articles. We should of course reword the warnings earlier. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 08:44, 13 March 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's possible that the WHO might not ever say that COVID-19 is "over". I think they will reclassify it from "pandemic" to something else, perhaps "global epidemic" (which is the label they give to HIV/AIDS). There isn't really a single accepted definition for the start or end of an epidemic. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:10, 13 March 2021 (UTC) == New banner for Covid-19 box (2021) -- for May == {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} We've had the moai banner, which I really like, on the Main Page since the middle of January. Would there be any interest in changing things up up by putting the runner-up New York Pubouc Library lion picture (banner G, above) up for a while? Change on the Main Page is good for keeping things fresh. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 22:43, 28 April 2021 (UTC) :Sure, why not.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 22:51, 28 April 2021 (UTC) ::OK with me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:56, 29 April 2021 (UTC) :::Done. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:59, 5 May 2021 (UTC) == discover == @[[User:SHB2000|shb2000]] @[[User:Ikan Kekek|ikan kekek]] @[[User:SelfieCity|selfie city]], the second discover fact lacks a link which I thought all were supposed to have i think the link should be at "Montepulciano" but I can't edit the main page [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 15:16, 12 September 2021 (UTC) : My mistake, and I just fixed it. Thanks for noticing. BTW the Discoveries aren't edited on the Main Page but in [[Template:Discover]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:22, 12 September 2021 (UTC) ::Oh sorry I didn’t know [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 15:23, 12 September 2021 (UTC) :::The discover bit gets updated from [[Template:Discover]] so the main page doesn't need to be edited every time it's updated, but nominations are added onto [[WV:Discover]]. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 21:42, 12 September 2021 (UTC) == Why is Aotearoa omitted from the map? == Does anyone know how to get NZ back onto the map? I don't think the Kiwis will be happy with them being omitted here... <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 02:45, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :[[File:Screen Shot 2021-09-19 at 12.23.32 AM.png|thumb|Nelson's view on laptop.]]Hmm. My view (on laptop) cuts off everything east of Sri Lanka, including Oz. Do you have Australia on your view of the map? --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 04:23, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::I can see everything up to <s>New Caledonia</s> Vanuatu. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 05:38, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :[[File:Screen Shot 2021-09-19 at 15.38.32.png|thumb|SHB2000's view on laptop.]] :::Here's a view of my screen. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 05:40, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::If I enable "Use Legacy Vector" in Preferences, I get your view. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 08:10, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::Ultimately, the trouble is with [[:File:Bluemarble banner WV.jpg]], which is used by {{tl|mapbanner}} --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 08:14, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::Oh :(. I guess this is just the umpteenth time that NZ has been omitted from a world map. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 08:22, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::::I just noticed that {{u|Ypsilon}} brought the exact same up on [[File talk:Bluemarble banner WV.jpg]]. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 08:23, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::::[[:File:Blue Marble 2002.png]] includes NZ. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 09:56, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::My image cuts off around Rome/west coast of Angola; I wouldn’t think I’m seeing half the map. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:12, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::::::Is it possible for you to upload a screenshot? (so I can visualise) <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:27, 19 September 2021 (UTC) [[File:Screenshot on 19-9-21.jpg|thumb|right]] ::::::::That's... uhm... why is it causing that? Are you using a desktop? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:53, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I’ll check desktop. This is on an ipad. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:03, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::::::Probably why. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:10, 19 September 2021 (UTC) == Wrong link == @[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] @[[User:SelfieCity|SelfieCity]] the text that says off the beaten path on diablo range links to previous dotm not previous otbp [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:03, 20 September 2021 (UTC) :{{done}} <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 14:05, 20 September 2021 (UTC) == Changing Featured Travel Topic == @[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] @[[User:SelfieCity|SelfieCity]] @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] Shouldn't the featured travel topic be updated as it's the 21st [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 00:15, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :{{done}}. I was going to do that in an hour but I realised its not daylight savings yet ;) <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:21, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] I followed the instructions listed [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates#Next changes|here]] but may of missed something, can you check i did it right. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 00:36, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :::Yeah LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:37, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::::Ok thank you [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 00:42, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :::::Okay. Thanks for noting this. Sometimes we aren’t able to do it exactly on the minute. However, the reminders are always helpful! <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 01:07, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:SelfieCity|SelfieCity]] can I have [[Wikivoyage:Template editors|template editor]], so I can edit main page (I think this let’s me edit main page right)? I promise I won’t do anything harmful and the page says I can request it from any admin. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 01:46, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :::::::{{done}} <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:49, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Thank you [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:07, 21 September 2021 (UTC) == New COVID banner == Time to change it? We've had the same banner for a really long time now. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:01, 1 October 2021 (UTC) : Since 5 May? How often should such a banner be changed? Those that don't visit the main page regularly, won't know the image has changed. Those that do, will be alerted that something has changed. Is that an effect we want or an effect we want to avoid? The change of DotMs etc. will still guarantee that the page is "dynamic". –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 05:35, 1 October 2021 (UTC) ::I don't see a reason for changing the banner now it is in place. What picture is used does not matter, in my opinion. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:34, 1 October 2021 (UTC) ::: I think there is merit in keeping the main page fresh by changing the pictures regularly. But what banner would you propose in place of the current one? [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 01:11, 2 October 2021 (UTC) :::: We keep it fresh by changing banners for featured articles. Changing the symbol without offering new content is misleading. Some readers might like the variation, but for others it is frustrating: clicking the main page as usual to read about a destination they see there is a new banner, click on it, and wonder, didn't I read this before? That is just a few seconds lost, so not on the scale where institutions force people to relearn their site, just to keep "fresh", but I wouldn't support a change for change's sake. Do it when there has been a major rewrite – or you find a new banner so astonishing that we just have to use it. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:11, 2 October 2021 (UTC) : Keep the current banner. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 04:01, 3 October 2021 (UTC) ::I'm open to having a new banner. Maybe not now but it can be changed in a few months. We started with sanitiser and currently have a picture demonstrating mask wearing. The next logical step would be a photo from [[:commons:Category:COVID-19 vaccination]]. In most countries, the level of restrictions/quarantine when travelling between countries or regions is tied to your vaccination status so it's relevant. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 23:09, 13 December 2021 (UTC) == Removing COTM link from the main page == I think it would make sense to remove the link to the collaboration of the month from the main page, as it has now been inactive for about a year and a half. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 15:34, 12 December 2021 (UTC) :I agree. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 15:47, 12 December 2021 (UTC) :I agree too. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:59, 12 December 2021 (UTC) ::{{done}} <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 16:01, 12 December 2021 (UTC) :::What's cotm ;-) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:37, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::::COTM = [[Collaboration of the month]], which last had a useful edit in October last year. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:00, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ==New banner December 2021== There seems you be some support for choosing a new Covid-19 banner. I think that DaGizza's point about shifting the message from masking to vaccination makes a lot of sense. Here are some ideas (banner proportions to be adjusted): '''Banner A''' (Current banner: New York Public Library Lions) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner B''' (Injection orange shirt) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination banner B.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner C''' (Vaccination centre Ipswich) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination center in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia banner C2.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner D''' (Vaccination centre Delhi) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination in Delhi banner D.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner E''' (Vaccination centre Gostiny Dvor) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination center in Gostiny Dvor banner E.jpg |title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner F''' (Injection green shirt) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination banner F.jpg |title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} Comments? [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 02:16, 14 December 2021 (UTC) :I oppose any banner directly depicting an injection – these images can be distressing for some viewers and even discourage them from getting vaccinated. I like banner A better than any of the alternatives, honestly. Banner E is my second favorite. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 04:52, 14 December 2021 (UTC) ::A, E, C. I would rather we kept the existing banner. It is very important that we don't have an image which discourages people from getting vaccinated. I don't think any of the new images really give a positive image, and I didn't see any in the commons category which I prefer. Governments have spent large sums on carefully designed public messaging on vaccination, and I don't think we should try. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:32, 14 December 2021 (UTC) :::Focusing on the travel component of COVID-19, masks are more travel relevant than vaccines, which people normally receive near home. I would keep the current banner but a picture of a vaccination center is OK. A vaccine pass at an airport could work. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 02:36, 15 December 2021 (UTC) :Banners C or E for me. I'm tired of seeing A all the time so hence why I even proposed we change that banner back in October. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:50, 16 December 2021 (UTC) == New COVID banner? == Again, this time almost a year from the last change. My preference is a vaccination center or a vaccine passport. [[User:HighwayTyper|HighwayTyper]] ([[User talk:HighwayTyper|talk]]) 19:30, 3 April 2022 (UTC) I proposed two new banners above that I will propose again: [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 00:30, 20 June 2022 (UTC) '''Banner A''' (Current banner: New York Public Library Lions) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner C''' (Vaccination centre Ipswich) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination center in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia banner C2.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner D''' (Vaccination centre Delhi) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination in Delhi banner D.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} :We can switch to Banner C if you like. Banner D is not as good because it's washed out. In addition, it's good to see people wearing masks as well as waiting to get vaccinated. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:53, 20 June 2022 (UTC) ::Funnily enough, I'm in [[Ipswich (Queensland)|Ipswich]], Qld as I write this message (where banner C was taken), but I like C as I just can't stand that comma that shouldn't be there in banner D for some reason. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:24, 20 June 2022 (UTC) :::Banner C looks good.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:32, 20 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Banner C is the best as it most accurately depicts people's interaction with COVID-related travel concerns at the moment. Outside [[China]], which is a case of its own, concerns over "paperwork" phone applications like vaccine passes is the main concern while traveling. Experience from other people I know, as I still haven't traveled internationally since 2020, is that their greatest concern is knowing how to use the vaccine pass or NHS - depending on the country - applications at checkpoints. It's as though this has become another attribute of airport travel, in addition to security and luggage, and COVID may overtime (if vaccine passes remain in place) become an air travel concern like any other. ::::Here in Central Florida, there is a large difference between the level of concern people have when travelling, vs. when not travelling. Probably 70-80% of travelers at airports are wearing masks vs. about 2-5% of those everywhere else. So a picture showing people wearing masks at a vaccine pass checkpoint while travelling is a widely accurate portrayal of concern among the general population. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 12:27, 20 June 2022 (UTC) If there are no objections in the next couple of days, I will make the switch to Banner C. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:40, 25 June 2022 (UTC) ==Quibble with wording ("articles...written by travellers like you")== Many of the edits to such articles were written by inhabitants of the cities, not travellers to them... [[User:AnonMoos|AnonMoos]] ([[User talk:AnonMoos|talk]]) 08:55, 19 June 2022 (UTC) :If anyone else ended up looking for where this blurb is printed: It's on the mobile version of the Main Page. That said, to me, the groups of "Travellers like you" and "Inhabitant of a certain city" are not mutually exclusive. I fail to see an issue here, but feel free to explain your point of view. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 20:56, 19 June 2022 (UTC) :: One could assume that most people reading this site could identify themselves with travellers, also if at home for the moment. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 21:25, 19 June 2022 (UTC) == All You Need To Know About Cloud ERP System == '''[https://www.ximplesolution.com/cloud-erp-system/ Cloud ERP]''' is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that causes sudden spikes in demand for a merchant's cloud stage rather than an on-premises network, permitting organizations to access the internet. ERP software coordinates and automates fundamental monetary and operational business functions and gives a solitary wellspring of data, including stock, request, and supply chain management, and helps with procurement, production, distribution, and satisfaction. Organizations access the software over the internet, so all that is required is a connection and a browser. What Is Cloud ERP Software? Since it's facilitated by the ERP merchant and offered as assistance to businesses, cloud ERP software upholds something similar, or better, functionality to on-premises systems without the greater part of disadvantages, such as upfront permitting charges. In its report, IDC expressed that "interest for cloud-based ERP systems continues to develop due to their capacity to get to and examine enormous measures of data in close to continuous." That implies continuous stock bits of knowledge to outreach groups and liberating finance groups to watch out for cash runway and immediately respond to reviews or other calls for performance data. How Does Cloud ERP Work? Cloud ERP systems work with a combination of innovations connected by fast internet networks. The cloud ERP is generally online and security refreshes are dealt with by the ERP supplier. All your group needs to stress over is signing in and utilizing the ERP and its hidden data. This might prompt a lower cost of proprietorship than more seasoned ERP systems facilitated on organization-claimed servers. Generally speaking, cloud ERPs are available to clients on mobile devices or desktop computers. They incorporate an extensive variety of business applications to keep your business running proficiently with an emphasis on a positive client experience and profitable business results. Cloud-based ERPs offer close to boundless capacity to scale and engage your group to get to any information they need in any place their work takes them, from client deals gatherings to remote worksites to your workspace. The capacity to safely login from any place can't be put into words in the post-COVID business environment, where more workers than at any time in recent memory are telecommuting and other remote locations. Key elements incorporate the capacity to get to client information, deals accounts, monetary data, HR management devices, live operating metrics, and supply chain status, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. A cloud ERP can integrate virtually any computer system your organization requires. Contingent upon your business needs, you can pick between changing sending models with modules and settings optimized for your sort of organization. That can keep your group zeroed in on the right metrics and work process to meet your organization's objectives. Components of Cloud ERP Software All cloud-based ERP software gives center monetary and bookkeeping functionality. From that point, the sorts of modules or applications an organization decide to carry out rely upon its industry and explicit business needs. Accessible cloud ERP modules include: 1. Financials and bookkeeping 2. Human resources management (HCM) or potentially Human resource management software (HRMS) 3. Client relationship management (CRM) 4. Stock management 5. Request management 6. Procurement 7. Supply chain management 8. Project management 9. Material prerequisites planning (MRP) 10. Cloud ERP Concepts It's essential to see a few fundamental concepts related to cloud ERP as we jump further into the subject: Deployment strategy: ERP software can be conveyed on-premises/on confidential hosted servers or purchased in an "as a help" model. Cloud ERP functionality can typically be conveyed all the more rapidly, however, in the two cases, organizations need to carve out opportunities for planning, data migration, customization and configuration, and staff preparation. Cloud-based ERP: Enterprise resource planning software that is hosted offsite, on the ERP merchant's servers, and offered as support through an internet browser. On-premises ERP: Enterprise resource planning software that is introduced locally, on an organization's computers and servers, and overseen by interior or contracted IT staff. The software and its supporting infrastructure are made due, put away, and kept up with in-house. Hosted ERP: An organization or a facilitating supplier deals with the deployment of Cloud ERP software as well as the related framework. Hosted deployment models are often used when businesses look to re-appropriate IT operations. While this arrangement gives some cloud benefits, it's anything but a valid "as a help" model. [[User:Ximplesolutions|Ximplesolutions]] ([[User talk:Ximplesolutions|talk]]) 05:44, 16 August 2022 (UTC) q126dlabvpu2e1kmsch705ssxtop21s 4501911 4501904 2022-08-16T06:18:35Z Pashley 1822 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Ximplesolutions|Ximplesolutions]] ([[User talk:Ximplesolutions|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{MediaWiki:Editnotice-1-Main_Page}} Please read '''[[Project:Main Page guidelines|Main Page guidelines]]''' before editing the [[Main Page|Main Page]]. You are welcome to try out changes in the [[Main_Page/Sandbox]]. Our current version of the Main Page was implemented on 2013-03-26. Discussion of prior versions of the Main Page can be found at '''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old]]''' {{infobox |For archived main page discussions see:| * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2020 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2019 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2018 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2017 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2016 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2015 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2014 Archive]]''' * '''[[Talk:Main Page/2013 Archive]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Jan 2008 to Dec 2009]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Jan 2007 to Dec 2007]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Jan 2006 to Dec 2006]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Dec 2004 to Dec 2005]]''' *'''[[Wikivoyage talk:Main Page Old/Dec 2003 to Nov 2004]]''' }} == New banner for Covid-19 box (2021) == I'm having trouble finding suitable images of masks, as masks themselves aren't very interesting, and so a lot of pictures have people in them, which I don't think we want. Here are three suggestions, but I think we should wait for some more proposals from other people before we start voting. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:29, 5 January 2021 (UTC) <gallery> image:Hand sanitizer banner.jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner A''' (Existing banner) File:Street sign about the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan 05 (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner B''' (Street sign in Azerbaijan) File:Dülmen, Wochenmarkt, Hinweisschild -- 2020 -- 7379 (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner C''' (German sign) File:Маска на голове манекена (cropped).jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner D''' (PPE for sale in Moscow) File:Surgical masks and hand sanitiser banner.jpg|thumbnail|'''Banner E''' (Anti-A gel) </gallery> :I like the last one best. Thanks. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 17:36, 5 January 2021 (UTC) :::<small>The "last one" refers to Banner D as the comment was posted before I added Banner E. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 22:21, 5 January 2021 (UTC)</small> :As a multilingual project, we should aim for an image that's as light on text as possible. I prefer [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]]'s proposed banner. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 20:52, 5 January 2021 (UTC) ::That banner is [[:File:Surgical masks and hand sanitiser banner.jpg]]. I don't think it's much lighter in text than the Russian one. I like it 2nd best, but I like the fact that the Russian banner shows how to wear a mask. And please, let's not assume all our readers know how to wear a mask properly or do it all the time. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:09, 5 January 2021 (UTC) :::Actually, this is an English-language project — there are other versions of Wikivoyage that operate in other languages. I chose non-English-language images to keep with the travel theme. I looked at AlasdairW's banner, and it took me a while to find the masks because they are folded and wrapped in plastic. What really shows up there is the hand sanitiser, but I have added it to the list for consideration as "Banner E". [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:24, 5 January 2021 (UTC) Some other ideas I can resize into banners if there us interest. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 21:53, 5 January 2021 (UTC) <gallery> File:Flu - Flight UA847 (IAD-EZE - 3623734364 - jun09.jpg|thumbnail|Flight File:20200510 popup COVID 19 mask shop, Hoher Markt 5 (02).jpg|thumbnail|mask shop File:Abuja Protester.jpg|thumbnail|protester File:Selbstgenähte Behelfsmasken.jpg|Mask collection File:Taking temperatures before preseason match at Lewes 2020-08-30.jpg|thumbnail|Taking temperatures New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50095447898).jpg|thumbnail |New York Public Library Lions File:Rockefeller Center Prometheus Statue Face Mask COVID19 New York City (50156728272).jpg|thumbnail |Prometheus File:Moai statues will also wear mask to prevent the spread of the Covid-19! (50114685873).jpg|thumbnail |Moai </gallery> :Definitely not the first, with the guy on the left having his nose exposed and the one on the right touching the top of his mask. I'm satisfied with the selection above, though. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:26, 5 January 2021 (UTC) ::"Taking temperatures" is in my opinion the best of these images. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:41, 6 January 2021 (UTC) :If you'd like something more icon-like, then the World Health Organization has released some images, and it might be possible to crop/assemble some of them into a useful banner with plenty of room for text. Here are the files I'd start with: <gallery mode="packed" heights="300"> File:How to wear a non-medical fabric mask safely - Do's.png File:How to a wear medical mask safely - Do's.png File:How children can wear fabric masks.png </gallery> Unfortunately, they're all "bitmap" images rather than vector images, but I suspect that it would be fairly easy to extract a few pieces. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 22:32, 7 January 2021 (UTC) ::I think there is a lot of information in those images, which would be better in the [[COVID-19]] article than in a banner. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 13:34, 8 January 2021 (UTC) :::I actually really like these. If we took just a row of the circular images illustrating mask usage and hand washing, with no text, and expand the background color to fill, I think that would make a very simple and straightforward image. --[[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] ([[User talk:Bigpeteb|talk]]) 20:07, 8 January 2021 (UTC) :Changing my vote to the NYPL lion with the mask on. Emphatically. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 02:59, 8 January 2021 (UTC) ::I still think that if we're going to change the image, it ought to be the one that shows the temperature gun being used. Diagnosing coronavirus is crucial to containing it, and temperature checks take place at so many buildings now that it's one of the main experiences people associate with COVID-19. When animals start catching coronavirus in large numbers I might change my vote. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:16, 9 January 2021 (UTC) ===Second round=== I was hoping for more input from others before proceeding. But in the interest of moving this along, here are the banners that have attracted support so far. I'm not able to cut-and-paste the WHO images as [[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] suggested. If someone can do that, please add it to this list. {{Ping|SelfieCity|AndreCarrotflower|WhatamIdoing|Ikan Kekek|AlasdairW}} -- Ground Zero (talk) 17:17, 9 January 2021 (UTC). '''Banner D''' (PPE for sale in Moscow) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Маска на голове манекена (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner E''' (Anti-A gel) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Surgical masks and hand sanitiser banner.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner F''' (Taking temperatures) {{banner|direction=leftt|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Taking temperatures before preseason match at Lewes 2020-08-30 (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner G''' (New York Public Library Lions) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner H''' (Moai in masks) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=Moai statues will also wear mask to prevent the spread of the Covid-19! (50114685873) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} ====Discussion ==== *My choices in order of preference: '''H D G F E''', then the WHO graphic. Wikivoyage is not the first place readers will be getting COVID19 information from as it has been front-and-centre in the media for 10 months now, so I think we should lean toward a simpler travel-related picture, rather than worrying about trying to educate readers through a banner. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 17:17, 9 January 2021 (UTC). *Seeing these all in a row changes my votes somewhat. D, F, H, G, E. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:16, 9 January 2021 (UTC) * E,F,H,D,G. I looked at creating an image using the WHO posters, and I think it would be a bit of work for this shape of banner. However they crop quite well into a normal pagebanner. I have posted this on [[Talk:COVID-19 pandemic]], but I am not suggesting changing that banner at the moment. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:01, 9 January 2021 (UTC) *G, H, E, current banner, F, WHO graphic, D. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 00:18, 10 January 2021 (UTC) *I like the statues wearing masks so G & H. F is also good as it is something you will experience if you do travel during the pandemic. [[User:DaGizza]] * H then G for me. The others are less interesting to me. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] ([[User talk:ChubbyWimbus|talk]]) 11:24, 10 January 2021 (UTC) * H, F, G, D, E. Incorporate WHO graphics into the article, but they don't work as banners because you'll have text on top of text.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 12:33, 10 January 2021 (UTC) * F, E, G, D, H. The moai aren’t wearing the masks per CDC guidelines. It’s not covering the chin and barely covering the nose. I maintain that F is by far the most practical of the images. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:40, 10 January 2021 (UTC) ::Its true that the masks aren't covering the chin, but they are giant sone heads, so I don't think image has to be viewed literally. I would agree if we were showing a person wearing a mask incorrectly. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 12:23, 13 January 2021 (UTC) * H and G, in no particular order. It might help to see them with the text overlay, the way they'd appear in the banner. Also, can we '''flip H and G horizontally'''? That would put the focal point of those images on the right, so it doesn't overlap with the text overlay on the left. --[[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] ([[User talk:Bigpeteb|talk]]) 19:59, 11 January 2021 (UTC) ::The text on a main page banner can be at the left, right or in the centre, and there is a width parameter, so the text can be moved to fit the image. See the examples on [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners]]. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:04, 11 January 2021 (UTC) :::You people keep forcing me to learn new things.... I've added the text overlay. If anyone can make improvements, they are welcome. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 22:03, 11 January 2021 (UTC) * I like H over other choices. [[User:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: #0000FF;">OhanaUnited</b>]][[User talk:OhanaUnited|<b style="color: green;">^{Talk page}</b>]] 01:01, 12 January 2021 (UTC) ====Counting the votes==== Here is the tally of the ''first-ranked'' votes according to Dominion Voting Systems Inc.: * H — 4½ votes * G — 2½ votes * D E F — one vote each After allocating the D E F votes according to preferences between G and H: * H — 6½ votes * G — 3½ votes Does anyone else want to vote? <br> Does anyone want to change their vote? <br> Does anyone want to audit the count? <br> [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 12:23, 13 January 2021 (UTC) :I'm happy with either G or H. Also, if you'll let work-me slip into the conversation here for a moment, @[[User:PPelberg (WMF)|PPelberg (WMF)]] has been thinking about how people use votes on wiki and may be very interested in seeing this discussion. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:49, 13 January 2021 (UTC) ::Oh, wow. This is precisely the kind of vote I'm glad to know about...thank you for the ping, @[[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]]. I've added a link to this vote to the ticket where we are thinking about how we might add support for voting-style discussions. ''See: [[phab:T259865]].'' [[User:PPelberg (WMF)|PPelberg (WMF)]] ([[User talk:PPelberg (WMF)|talk]]) 00:49, 16 January 2021 (UTC) Seeing no objections or guys wearing furs and horns, I've implemented banner H. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 01:24, 16 January 2021 (UTC) ==Our Main Page, our Facebook page, and the end of COVID== {{swept}} Now that several COVID vaccines have been developed and approved, mass inoculation campaigns are ramping up, and we can begin to envision a future return to normalcy in a more than theoretical way, let's talk about at what point we can remove the COVID-19 banner from our Main Page, the [[Wikivoyage:COVID-19 message|special COVID-19 message]] from our Facebook page, and the warningboxes from individual articles. Obviously now's not the time, but all the same it would be nice if we clarified in advance what needs to happen before we as a community feel comfortable doing those things. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 00:21, 12 March 2021 (UTC) :Yes, indeed. I think we have to keep in mind that Covid-19 will be "over" in industrialized countries that have access to the vaccines long before it will be over in developing countries. We may have to re-write those messages first, and remove them later. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 00:32, 12 March 2021 (UTC) ::I think we should talk about this later, when it's warranted. But it won't be the end of COVID-19, just the end of the pandemic. The disease is likely to continue to be endemic in many places for quite a while. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:44, 12 March 2021 (UTC) ::: I can foresee a situation where the (north hemisphere) summer makes numbers go down in many countries like last year, and that vaccines get the credit although only a moderate percent of the populations have got vaccinated. If so, I think we should have decided on how to react (i.e. the decision should be made in a few months). I suppose we should rewrite the warnings etc. about at that time. In autumn we'll see whether there will be one more wave even in these countries. Before New Year vaccines should have made life go about back to normal in many countries, but not in all the world. Then we need new updates. What they'll be like, we cannot know yet. ::: So I think we can postpone most of the discussion, but we should have decided not to join the first wave of people saying the pandemic is overcome. ::: –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:09, 12 March 2021 (UTC) ::::Even within the industrialised world, the vaccine rollouts are going at very different speeds. It's likely that some countries will be up and running by the summer, but not the majority of even the "rich" ones. So I think we're a fair way off removing the guidance from the Main page, though we may have to update it sooner rather than later.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:17, 12 March 2021 (UTC) :::::Some countries will still maintain the quarantine system (like Australia) until it is fully over. Best to still keep it. [[User:TravelAroundOz|TravelAroundOz]] ([[User talk:TravelAroundOz|talk]]) 03:19, 13 March 2021 (UTC) ::::::[[User:TravelAroundOz|TravelAroundOz]] - But that's exactly why I'm asking the question. What exactly does "fully over" mean? How is it quantified? And if only one country, or only a few countries, are still under quarantine, do we really need a banner on the Main Page or would just a warningbox in the individual country article(s) suffice? The reason why I bring this up now is not because I think the end of the pandemic is imminent in the short term, but because I expect there to be - or rather, because given the enormity of the issue, there rightly ''should be'' - a protracted debate about the specifics of when and how to ease up on the warnings. If ever there were a decision that requires a true community-wide consensus, rather than a "consensus" crafted by one or two interested parties that the rest of the community just goes along with because they don't care either way, this is the one. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 04:28, 13 March 2021 (UTC) ::::::: One criterion is that WHO declares the pandemic to be over. Another is that major airline hubs no more have any special arrangements for the disease. After those are satisfied we can consider whether we still should have general warnings (e.g. for those who still are vulnerable) or just in select destination articles. We should of course reword the warnings earlier. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 08:44, 13 March 2021 (UTC) ::::::::It's possible that the WHO might not ever say that COVID-19 is "over". I think they will reclassify it from "pandemic" to something else, perhaps "global epidemic" (which is the label they give to HIV/AIDS). There isn't really a single accepted definition for the start or end of an epidemic. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:10, 13 March 2021 (UTC) == New banner for Covid-19 box (2021) -- for May == {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} We've had the moai banner, which I really like, on the Main Page since the middle of January. Would there be any interest in changing things up up by putting the runner-up New York Pubouc Library lion picture (banner G, above) up for a while? Change on the Main Page is good for keeping things fresh. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 22:43, 28 April 2021 (UTC) :Sure, why not.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 22:51, 28 April 2021 (UTC) ::OK with me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:56, 29 April 2021 (UTC) :::Done. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:59, 5 May 2021 (UTC) == discover == @[[User:SHB2000|shb2000]] @[[User:Ikan Kekek|ikan kekek]] @[[User:SelfieCity|selfie city]], the second discover fact lacks a link which I thought all were supposed to have i think the link should be at "Montepulciano" but I can't edit the main page [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 15:16, 12 September 2021 (UTC) : My mistake, and I just fixed it. Thanks for noticing. BTW the Discoveries aren't edited on the Main Page but in [[Template:Discover]]. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 15:22, 12 September 2021 (UTC) ::Oh sorry I didn’t know [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 15:23, 12 September 2021 (UTC) :::The discover bit gets updated from [[Template:Discover]] so the main page doesn't need to be edited every time it's updated, but nominations are added onto [[WV:Discover]]. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 21:42, 12 September 2021 (UTC) == Why is Aotearoa omitted from the map? == Does anyone know how to get NZ back onto the map? I don't think the Kiwis will be happy with them being omitted here... <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 02:45, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :[[File:Screen Shot 2021-09-19 at 12.23.32 AM.png|thumb|Nelson's view on laptop.]]Hmm. My view (on laptop) cuts off everything east of Sri Lanka, including Oz. Do you have Australia on your view of the map? --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 04:23, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::I can see everything up to <s>New Caledonia</s> Vanuatu. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 05:38, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :[[File:Screen Shot 2021-09-19 at 15.38.32.png|thumb|SHB2000's view on laptop.]] :::Here's a view of my screen. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 05:40, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::If I enable "Use Legacy Vector" in Preferences, I get your view. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 08:10, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::Ultimately, the trouble is with [[:File:Bluemarble banner WV.jpg]], which is used by {{tl|mapbanner}} --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 08:14, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::Oh :(. I guess this is just the umpteenth time that NZ has been omitted from a world map. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 08:22, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::::I just noticed that {{u|Ypsilon}} brought the exact same up on [[File talk:Bluemarble banner WV.jpg]]. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 08:23, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::::[[:File:Blue Marble 2002.png]] includes NZ. --[[User:Nelson Ricardo 2500|Nelson Ricardo]] ([[User talk:Nelson Ricardo 2500|talk]]) 09:56, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::My image cuts off around Rome/west coast of Angola; I wouldn’t think I’m seeing half the map. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 10:12, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::::::Is it possible for you to upload a screenshot? (so I can visualise) <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:27, 19 September 2021 (UTC) [[File:Screenshot on 19-9-21.jpg|thumb|right]] ::::::::That's... uhm... why is it causing that? Are you using a desktop? <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 10:53, 19 September 2021 (UTC) :::::::::I’ll check desktop. This is on an ipad. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 12:03, 19 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::::::Probably why. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 12:10, 19 September 2021 (UTC) == Wrong link == @[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] @[[User:SelfieCity|SelfieCity]] the text that says off the beaten path on diablo range links to previous dotm not previous otbp [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 14:03, 20 September 2021 (UTC) :{{done}} <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 14:05, 20 September 2021 (UTC) == Changing Featured Travel Topic == @[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] @[[User:SelfieCity|SelfieCity]] @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] Shouldn't the featured travel topic be updated as it's the 21st [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 00:15, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :{{done}}. I was going to do that in an hour but I realised its not daylight savings yet ;) <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:21, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::@[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] I followed the instructions listed [[Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates#Next changes|here]] but may of missed something, can you check i did it right. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 00:36, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :::Yeah LGTM. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 00:37, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::::Ok thank you [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 00:42, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :::::Okay. Thanks for noting this. Sometimes we aren’t able to do it exactly on the minute. However, the reminders are always helpful! <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 01:07, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::@[[User:SelfieCity|SelfieCity]] can I have [[Wikivoyage:Template editors|template editor]], so I can edit main page (I think this let’s me edit main page right)? I promise I won’t do anything harmful and the page says I can request it from any admin. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 01:46, 21 September 2021 (UTC) :::::::{{done}} <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:49, 21 September 2021 (UTC) ::::::::Thank you [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:07, 21 September 2021 (UTC) == New COVID banner == Time to change it? We've had the same banner for a really long time now. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 01:01, 1 October 2021 (UTC) : Since 5 May? How often should such a banner be changed? Those that don't visit the main page regularly, won't know the image has changed. Those that do, will be alerted that something has changed. Is that an effect we want or an effect we want to avoid? The change of DotMs etc. will still guarantee that the page is "dynamic". –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 05:35, 1 October 2021 (UTC) ::I don't see a reason for changing the banner now it is in place. What picture is used does not matter, in my opinion. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 21:34, 1 October 2021 (UTC) ::: I think there is merit in keeping the main page fresh by changing the pictures regularly. But what banner would you propose in place of the current one? [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 01:11, 2 October 2021 (UTC) :::: We keep it fresh by changing banners for featured articles. Changing the symbol without offering new content is misleading. Some readers might like the variation, but for others it is frustrating: clicking the main page as usual to read about a destination they see there is a new banner, click on it, and wonder, didn't I read this before? That is just a few seconds lost, so not on the scale where institutions force people to relearn their site, just to keep "fresh", but I wouldn't support a change for change's sake. Do it when there has been a major rewrite – or you find a new banner so astonishing that we just have to use it. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 07:11, 2 October 2021 (UTC) : Keep the current banner. [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 04:01, 3 October 2021 (UTC) ::I'm open to having a new banner. Maybe not now but it can be changed in a few months. We started with sanitiser and currently have a picture demonstrating mask wearing. The next logical step would be a photo from [[:commons:Category:COVID-19 vaccination]]. In most countries, the level of restrictions/quarantine when travelling between countries or regions is tied to your vaccination status so it's relevant. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 23:09, 13 December 2021 (UTC) == Removing COTM link from the main page == I think it would make sense to remove the link to the collaboration of the month from the main page, as it has now been inactive for about a year and a half. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 15:34, 12 December 2021 (UTC) :I agree. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 15:47, 12 December 2021 (UTC) :I agree too. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:59, 12 December 2021 (UTC) ::{{done}} <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 16:01, 12 December 2021 (UTC) :::What's cotm ;-) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:37, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ::::COTM = [[Collaboration of the month]], which last had a useful edit in October last year. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:00, 16 December 2021 (UTC) ==New banner December 2021== There seems you be some support for choosing a new Covid-19 banner. I think that DaGizza's point about shifting the message from masking to vaccination makes a lot of sense. Here are some ideas (banner proportions to be adjusted): '''Banner A''' (Current banner: New York Public Library Lions) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner B''' (Injection orange shirt) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination banner B.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner C''' (Vaccination centre Ipswich) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination center in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia banner C2.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner D''' (Vaccination centre Delhi) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination in Delhi banner D.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner E''' (Vaccination centre Gostiny Dvor) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination center in Gostiny Dvor banner E.jpg |title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner F''' (Injection green shirt) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination banner F.jpg |title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} Comments? [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 02:16, 14 December 2021 (UTC) :I oppose any banner directly depicting an injection – these images can be distressing for some viewers and even discourage them from getting vaccinated. I like banner A better than any of the alternatives, honestly. Banner E is my second favorite. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 04:52, 14 December 2021 (UTC) ::A, E, C. I would rather we kept the existing banner. It is very important that we don't have an image which discourages people from getting vaccinated. I don't think any of the new images really give a positive image, and I didn't see any in the commons category which I prefer. Governments have spent large sums on carefully designed public messaging on vaccination, and I don't think we should try. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:32, 14 December 2021 (UTC) :::Focusing on the travel component of COVID-19, masks are more travel relevant than vaccines, which people normally receive near home. I would keep the current banner but a picture of a vaccination center is OK. A vaccine pass at an airport could work. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 02:36, 15 December 2021 (UTC) :Banners C or E for me. I'm tired of seeing A all the time so hence why I even proposed we change that banner back in October. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:50, 16 December 2021 (UTC) == New COVID banner? == Again, this time almost a year from the last change. My preference is a vaccination center or a vaccine passport. [[User:HighwayTyper|HighwayTyper]] ([[User talk:HighwayTyper|talk]]) 19:30, 3 April 2022 (UTC) I proposed two new banners above that I will propose again: [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 00:30, 20 June 2022 (UTC) '''Banner A''' (Current banner: New York Public Library Lions) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=New York Public Library Lions Face Masks New York City COVID19 (50096257092) (cropped).jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner C''' (Vaccination centre Ipswich) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination center in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia banner C2.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} '''Banner D''' (Vaccination centre Delhi) {{banner|direction=right|title=COVID-19 pandemic|section=Stay healthy|section-link=Stay healthy|image=COVID-19 vaccination in Delhi banner D.jpg|title=COVID-19 pandemic|width=40%|quote=Should you cancel trips? How can you protect yourself if you're travelling? Read about how the pandemic is affecting travel.}} :We can switch to Banner C if you like. Banner D is not as good because it's washed out. In addition, it's good to see people wearing masks as well as waiting to get vaccinated. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:53, 20 June 2022 (UTC) ::Funnily enough, I'm in [[Ipswich (Queensland)|Ipswich]], Qld as I write this message (where banner C was taken), but I like C as I just can't stand that comma that shouldn't be there in banner D for some reason. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:24, 20 June 2022 (UTC) :::Banner C looks good.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 10:32, 20 June 2022 (UTC) ::::Banner C is the best as it most accurately depicts people's interaction with COVID-related travel concerns at the moment. Outside [[China]], which is a case of its own, concerns over "paperwork" phone applications like vaccine passes is the main concern while traveling. Experience from other people I know, as I still haven't traveled internationally since 2020, is that their greatest concern is knowing how to use the vaccine pass or NHS - depending on the country - applications at checkpoints. It's as though this has become another attribute of airport travel, in addition to security and luggage, and COVID may overtime (if vaccine passes remain in place) become an air travel concern like any other. ::::Here in Central Florida, there is a large difference between the level of concern people have when travelling, vs. when not travelling. Probably 70-80% of travelers at airports are wearing masks vs. about 2-5% of those everywhere else. So a picture showing people wearing masks at a vaccine pass checkpoint while travelling is a widely accurate portrayal of concern among the general population. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 12:27, 20 June 2022 (UTC) If there are no objections in the next couple of days, I will make the switch to Banner C. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 15:40, 25 June 2022 (UTC) ==Quibble with wording ("articles...written by travellers like you")== Many of the edits to such articles were written by inhabitants of the cities, not travellers to them... [[User:AnonMoos|AnonMoos]] ([[User talk:AnonMoos|talk]]) 08:55, 19 June 2022 (UTC) :If anyone else ended up looking for where this blurb is printed: It's on the mobile version of the Main Page. That said, to me, the groups of "Travellers like you" and "Inhabitant of a certain city" are not mutually exclusive. I fail to see an issue here, but feel free to explain your point of view. <br/> -- [[User:Wauteurz|Wauteurz]] ([[User talk:Wauteurz|talk]]) 20:56, 19 June 2022 (UTC) :: One could assume that most people reading this site could identify themselves with travellers, also if at home for the moment. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 21:25, 19 June 2022 (UTC) i76zer1dbm8enborn7msjk5ifojf0nh 1 120867 4501705 3339731 2022-08-15T19:05:25Z 217.117.125.83 wikitext text/x-wiki There is not a South Forest, MS only Forest, MS. {{subst:unsignedIP|2=15:14, 9 February 2013|74.240.53.109}} p0lkv4uyw1vqjs9ihk2fi9x17nz6lax 4501706 4501705 2022-08-15T19:05:35Z 217.117.125.83 wikitext text/x-wiki There is not a South Forest, MS only Forest, MS. <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:74.240.53.109|74.240.53.109]] ([[User_talk:74.240.53.109|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/74.240.53.109|contribs]]) 15:14, 9 February 2013</small> d45vi9kisqbgs18it4ykoqylrhsss5h 4 122663 4501844 4498744 2022-08-16T03:10:16Z SHB2000 2248002 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Destination of the month candidates banner Calendar.png}} {{shortcut|[[dotm banners]]}} Please suggest banners for display on the main page for upcoming features below. Please use banner dimensions of '''1700 x 567''', and keep the blurb text to a reasonable length. The images from which you create the banners should be of high quality, and ideally of equal or greater resolution than the banner (to ensure high resolution). For inspiration, take a look in the banner [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners/Hall_of_Fame|Hall of 'Fame']]. Please upload all banner suggestions [[special:upload|locally]]—to Wikivoyage rather than Commons, and put them in [[:Category:DotM banners]]. If starting a discussion on a suggested feature that has not been discussed yet below, put the discussion at the bottom of the page underneath a new first-level header, such as <code><nowiki>= New York =</nowiki></code> When updating the Main Page banners, please update [[Main Page/Photo credits]] as well. Once in situ, suggested banners and their accompanying discussions will be [[Wikivoyage:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Banners/Archive|archived]]. {{WikivoyageDoc|collaboration}} <br clear="all" /> =[[Gävle]]= Our local contributors may have some pictures of the city, and if so, I'd appreciate the input, since I'm not particularly impressed with the selection I've found on Commons. There were many images available but most of them had fewer than 1700px+ across, though I can't say I've been through all of them. #2 is a crop of the same source image as the current pagebanner (unintentionally). <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:19, 2 October 2021 (UTC) :As the goat is the most famous thing in Gavle I feel 4 is the best. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 05:15, 3 October 2021 (UTC) :: There is a vote plurality to run Plymouth. Gävle is on hold. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 22:22, 10 October 2021 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|title=Gävle|alt-title=Gävle|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Gavle DOTM Banner 1.jpg|width=40%|quote=Gävle is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for its old town and its giant Yule Goat.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Gävle|alt-title=Gävle|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Gavle DOTM Banner 2.jpg|width=40%|quote=Gävle is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for its old town and its giant Yule Goat.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Gävle|alt-title=Gävle|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Gavle DOTM Banner 3.jpg|width=40%|quote=Gävle is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for its old town and its giant Yule Goat.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Gävle|alt-title=Gävle|section=Off the Beaten Path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Gävle goat 2009 DotM banner.jpg|width=40%|quote=Gävle is the gateway to northern Sweden, famous for its old town and its giant Yule Goat.}} * A banner with the infamous goat would be nice, but out of the above my ranking goes 2,3,1. --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 16:40, 2 October 2021 (UTC) * Added a banner with a snow-covered goat. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 17:26, 2 October 2021 (UTC) : AWESOME! 4,2,3,1 now. [[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 18:14, 2 October 2021 (UTC) : 3, 4, 2 and 1 in that order. <font face="BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] <nowiki>|</nowiki> [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></font> 23:15, 2 October 2021 (UTC) *4, 2, 1, 3 for me. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 05:09, 3 October 2021 (UTC) * 4, 1, 2, 3, per the time of year and the text of the blurb. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 11:29, 3 October 2021 (UTC) =[[Budderoo National Park]]= These banners have been sitting for a while, but here they are. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:02, 13 January 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 1.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 2.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 3.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Budderoo National Park|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Budderoo otbp banner 4.jpg|quote=Australia isn't particularly known for its rainforests, but this small national park in the Illawarra south of Sydney may make you reconsider that.}} *4,2,3,1. I like the concept for one but could have a higher quality image [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 05:51, 15 January 2022 (UTC) * 2, 3, 1. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 15:03, 17 January 2022 (UTC) * My favourites are 1, 3 and then distantly 2. The only reason why I'm not a huge fan of 2 is because it's not the main attraction of the park. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 03:03, 18 January 2022 (UTC) * 2, 3, 1. Waterfalls > everything else. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 00:32, 28 January 2022 (UTC) * 2, 3, 1. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 23:19, 30 January 2022 (UTC) :{{ping|Tai123.123|SelfieCity|DaGizza|AlasdairW}} I cropped a fourth one, this one of a particularly important waterfall in the park (and ''not'' of a waterfall that's not particularly popular). Pinging you all as you might have a different opinion. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:44, 31 January 2022 (UTC) ::So as the person who cropped all of them, my favourites are now 4, 1, 3 and then distantly two. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:45, 31 January 2022 (UTC) :::Sure, I'm happy to go with 4 now. The lighting is better too. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 11:19, 31 January 2022 (UTC) ::::Sure, I’ll support banner 4 slightly above banner 2. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:46, 31 January 2022 (UTC) :::::I like 4. I think I would put it equal with 2 - 4 is a better photo, but I like the view of the pool and vegetation in 2. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:02, 31 January 2022 (UTC) *4, 3, 2, 1. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 14:28, 31 January 2022 (UTC) = [[Cooch Behar]] = Coming up in November 2022. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 10:50, 13 February 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=left|title=Cooch Behar|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005 (cropped).jpg|quote=The Cooch Behar Palace is a must-visit attraction in the region. Its parks, gardens and interior designs are breathtaking.}} {{banner|direction=right|title=Cooch Behar|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 006 (cropped).jpg|quote=Once a princely state, this city is now one of the most popular historical cities in West Bengal.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Cooch Behar|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Cooch Behar Palace - Cooch Behar - West Bengal - 005 (cropped2).jpg|quote=Cooch Behar Palace is the main attraction of the city. Every year the Cooch Behar ''Ras Mela'' is hosted which one of the biggest winter carnivals in the region.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Cooch Behar|section=Off the beaten path|section-link=Previously Off the beaten path|image=Madhupur Satra, Cooch Behar (cropped).jpg|quote=The Madhupur Satra in Cooch Behar provides a glimpse to the Assamese culture and a peek towards the aesthetic and spiritual life of Srimanta Sankardev.}} * I was going to say 2, but then I realised the angle was slightly tilted. So therefore, I go 3, 1=2. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:52, 13 February 2022 (UTC) ::My new choice with the fourth one added is now 3, 4, 1 2. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:54, 14 March 2022 (UTC) *3, 2, 1. This is a beautiful sight, but are there other notable sights there could be banners of? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 11:21, 13 February 2022 (UTC) *:Commons doesn't have images about any other significant locations. I had visited one nice temple (Madhupur Dham temple) few weeks ago, I'll look out for the photos. I usually take photos of the landscape whenever I visit beautiful places. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:39, 13 February 2022 (UTC) *:Maybe it's just me, but I like that building. It looks cool and I like that Victorian/Edwardian-Indian architecture (I know it's common to encounter such in former British colonies, they just look cool). It reminds me of Flinders Street in Melbourne (see banner 3 in [[#Melbourne/CBD]]). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:37, 2 March 2022 (UTC) *::It does look good. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 07:12, 14 March 2022 (UTC) * I prefer 3. It seems more beautiful. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 17:36, 13 February 2022 (UTC) *:3, 4, 1, 2 Same as SHB2000. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 08:10, 14 March 2022 (UTC) * 1, 3, 2. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 18:45, 20 February 2022 (UTC) =[[Indira Gandhi International Airport]]= Coming up in December 2022, there are not many high quality images in Commons. I will try to get some pictures myself if I get the chance.[[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 11:33, 1 May 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|title=Indira Gandhi International Airport|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Delhi Airport FTT Banners Wikivoyage 04.jpg|width=43%|quote=The sculptural marvels in Indira Gandhi International Airport including this, the ''Hasta Mudras'' can fill you with a sense of awe.}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Indira Gandhi International Airport|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Delhi Airport FTT Banners Wikivoyage 03.jpg|width=30%|quote=<!--Some text here-->}} * Prefer banner 1. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:02, 1 May 2022 (UTC) :Yes, 1 is good. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 13:04, 1 May 2022 (UTC) *1. 2 seems very low-quality. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:39, 1 May 2022 (UTC) *:I have found another some-what high quality photo. It will put it here in a while. [[User:2006nishan178713|2006nishan178713]]^{[[User talk:2006nishan178713|t@lk]]} 05:15, 2 May 2022 (UTC) * 1 but I have a question. Can we increase the width of the blurb so the title doesn’t take two lines? This might be because I’m on a small screen at the moment but regardless, I think this banner would look better with a wide text area. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 11:06, 15 May 2022 (UTC) =Loop Art Tour= Currently on hold, due to concerns about making a banner, so here are two to fix that. To avoid potential FoP issues with most of the subjects of the tour, I have chosen images of a functional structure mentioned in the article, the BP Bridge, rather than a work of art. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:47, 15 May 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|title=Loop Art Tour|section=Featured Travel Topic|section-link=Previous Destination of the month|image=Loop Art Tour banner BP Bridge.jpg|quote=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago?}} {{banner|direction=left|title=Loop Art Tour|section=Featured Travel Topic|section-link=Previous Destination of the month|image=Loop Art Tour banner BP Bridge from Buckingham.JPG|quote=Did you know that you can see some amazing modern art for free by taking a walk around downtown Chicago?}} *Thanks! 1 is better than 2. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:59, 15 May 2022 (UTC) ::+1 for banner 1. Thanks for making these :-) --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 06:19, 16 May 2022 (UTC) ::: Banner 1 is superior. Would be great to finally see this article ready to feature. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 13:32, 16 May 2022 (UTC) :I far prefer banner 1 to banner 2, but both are good images. Thank you for taking this approach in the creation of DOTM banners. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 13:22, 6 June 2022 (UTC) *Banner 1 easily. [[User:Tai123.123|Tai123.123]] ([[User talk:Tai123.123|talk]]) 02:23, 17 June 2022 (UTC) =[[Istanbul to Izmir]]= {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir MP banner Ferry at Mudanya.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Also due in August, so here is one to start with - others welcome. Banner 1 shows a ferry at Mudanya. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 20:07, 12 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Eceabat ferry.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 2: in keeping with the sea transportation theme, this one shows a ferry ready to depart from Eceabat in Europe to cross the Dardanelles to Çanakkale in Asia, with a prominent Turkish flag. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner 1915 Canakkale Bridge.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 3: another take on the transportation theme, this time featuring the 1915 Çanakkale - Dardanelles Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Temple of Athena in Assos 2.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 4: paying homage to the Hellenistic heritage of the area; pictured are the ruins of the Temple of Athena in Assos. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Pergamon Acropolis 1.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 5: another tribute to the ancient regional history; the Acropolis of Pergamon (Bergama). [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Pergamon Acropolis 2.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 6: another view from the Pergamon Acropolis. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=left|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik waterfront.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 7: from the waterfront of Ayvalık at sunset. The 19th century buildings of stone/brick construction as in the image are quite common in that part of the country. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|title=Istanbul to Izmir|section=Featured travel topics|section-link=Previous Featured travel topics|image=Istanbul to Izmir FTT banner Ayvalik islands.jpg|width=30%|quote=Looking on how getting to and from between Turkey's largest and third largest cities? Here's a quick guide on how to.}} Banner 8: the archipelago off Ayvalık. The convoluted coastline is typical of the area. [[User:Vidimian|Vidimian]] ([[User talk:Vidimian|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) * 7,4,2, but I would be happy with any of the others. Thanks for adding many great banners. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 19:47, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *:5, 7, 4, 2 and then 8 for me. Thank you for making these banners :-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 22:38, 13 July 2022 (UTC) *Very hard choice. I'll go with 7, 6, 8, 4, 5, 3, but I might change my mind later. Thank you for the banners! [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:37, 13 July 2022 (UTC) * 6, 2, 5, 7, 3, 8, 7, 1. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 16:00, 23 July 2022 (UTC) =[[Dresden]]= {{banner|direction=right|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden Banner Frauenkirche.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=left|width=57%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden Banner Zwinger.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Altstadt Semperoper.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} {{banner|direction=left|width=20%|title=Dresden|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Dresden banner Semperoper at night.jpg|quote=The capital of Saxony once suffered catastrophic damage from Allied bombing in 1945, today it stands as a charming, relaxed and in many ways a beautiful city and a relaxing destination}} *Some banners for Dresden, which is due to appear in September. There is a good selection of photos on Commons, so other contributions are welcome. All these show views of the old town, which is what I remember most of visiting Dresden about 15 years ago. Banner 1 shows the Frauenkirche, which was destroyed by the Allies in World War 2 and rebuilt in 1993-2005. Banner 2 shows the Zwinger Palace. Banner 3 shows the Semper Opera House and River Elbe. Banner 4 shows the Semper Opera House at night. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:08, 3 August 2022 (UTC) *I haven't been to Dresden yet, but these are all beautiful! 4 is my favorite, then in a very hard choice between 2 and 3, I prefer 2 slightly. Any one of these banners would be great, and I hope we can find uses for all of them. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:49, 3 August 2022 (UTC) *I've also never been to Dresden before (but would love to some day), but my preferences in order are 4, 3 (I like the aerial shot), 2 and then 1. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 07:42, 4 August 2022 (UTC) * 4, 2, 3, 1. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|Selfie City]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|talk]]) ([[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|contributions]]) 00:58, 7 August 2022 (UTC) * Woah! 2, 4, 1, 3. If I'd had another week in Berlin, I'd have definitely got the train to Dresden on these pics alone.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 13:32, 7 August 2022 (UTC) =[[Arches National Park]]= Make a banner for Arches NP; willing to make more need it be. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 03:10, 16 August 2022 (UTC) {{banner|direction=right|width=20%|title=Arches National Park|section=Destination of the month|section-link=Previous Destinations of the month|image=Arches NP otbp banner.jpg|quote=Containing one of the world's highest concentration of Arches, the park has become one of the state icons of Utah.}} frsht2o8o8w72twqgcagbhh3nk6yc83 0 123745 4502052 4490957 2022-08-16T09:20:58Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* Overweight baggage */ convert wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Airbus A350-941 banner.jpg}} {{ombox|type=custom|image=[[File:BSicon FLUG.svg|link=Flying|30px]]|text=<span style="color:black">This article is part of a series explaining the standard procedures, rules, and other basics of [[Flying|'''travelling by air''']]. Use the arrow below to navigate <br>to the next article:</span> {{center|[[At the airport|'''At the airport →''']]}}}} {{featurenomination|ftt}} [[File:USMC-110227-M-EY704-032.jpg|300px|thumb|Planning flights can be a complicated business, but this guide should help!]] For some people, flying is an opportunity to see the world and to do so in style, soaring above the Earth, but for others the opportunity to sit for hours in close proximity to hundreds of other people is not one that is relished. Whatever your outlook on this form of transportation, it truly is a modern travel phenomenon. On some routes the mere existence of aviation has nearly eliminated all alternative modes of travel, especially [[ocean liners]] and thus some destinations are not practicably reachable any other way. ==Choosing a flight== If you consider to fly, you might have the choice between several routes, flights, and airlines. ===Airports=== {{seealso|Metropolitan Area Airport Codes}} Take a look at all airports within reasonable distance overland. In cities like London, larger airports like [[Heathrow]] and [[Gatwick]] offer more full service (international) carriers, with lounges and airbridges, whilst the newer Luton and [[Stansted]] airports serve short haul budget carriers, with fewer shops and paid lounges, and are further from the city center. Some ticketing systems allow you to search using a code that covers more than one airport. Rail and bus transfer can be practical even for long distances; for instance [[Frankfurt Airport]] has rail connections to most German cities. A well-connected airport can be the best option even for neighboring countries. [[Vienna International Airport]] does not only serve eastern Austria, but also nearby provinces in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. ===Destinations=== It generally pays to double check that the ticket you bought is for a flight going to your actual intended destination, as multiple cities and towns can often share the same name. For instance, San Jose can refer to a city in the United States, a city in Mexico, or the capital city of Costa Rica. There have been even cases of passengers heading for Sydney, Australia mistakenly purchasing a ticket for Sydney, Canada, which is located 17,056 km (10,598 miles) away. Check the [[Airport codes|Airport code]] of your destination as well as departure point and transfers. ===Non-stop, direct, or transit=== {{infobox|Direct vs. non-stop|In the airline world, a '''direct''' flight means that it uses the same flight number, but there may still be a stopover along the way &mdash; this means that you may have to disembark the plane with your cabin baggage and, in countries like the US, even go through immigration. Look for a '''non-stop''' flight if you want to get from point A to point B in one flight.}} If either the departure or the destination airport is a traffic hub, and the destinations aren't on the other side of the world from one another (e.g. London or New York to [[Sydney]]), there is a chance to find a non-stop flight. The alternative is a '''transit route''', where you connect between two or more flights. A non-stop flight is typically the fastest and most convenient route. They might however not be cheaper, or fit your schedule better, e.g., if non-stop flights are infrequent. Transit routes mean you'll stop somewhere en route to your destination. "Connecting" or "transit" flights require that you leave that plane and go to the in-airport gate for another, without claiming your checked luggage. If an airline sells you a ticket requiring that you change planes, it's known as a '''single ticket''' and the connection is almost always '''guaranteed''', meaning that if you miss the connecting flight for any reason beyond your control (late flight arrival, cancellation, etc), they will put you on another flight for free and possibly even give you a meal or hotel voucher while you wait. This applies even when connecting between different airlines, occasionally even different airports, and the connection times are calculated so that it's possible to make the flights. However, some travel agencies, notably [https://www.kiwi.com/en/ Kiwi.com], offer so-called '''self-transfer''' flights, an euphemism for two separate tickets without any kind of guarantee: if you miss the second flight, you may need to buy a new one at high last-minute prices. When planning your itinerary, if you are purchasing separate tickets for each flight, do '''not''' combine flights with too little time between the scheduled arrival of your first flight and the departure of your connecting flight. This is particularly important for intercontinental flights between big and busy airports, where there are a lot of factors that can delay flights and hamper you getting around at the connecting airport. Budget at least 2-3 hours to allow for "normal" delays. If everything goes as planned you'll sit around for an extra hour or two, whereas if you budget too little time and miss your connection you can expect hassle and costs, and you will sit around for a lot longer. ===Time of departure and arrival=== If your flight date is flexible, and neither departure nor destination is in the middle of nowhere, you can often choose between daily flights. A busy route has many flights a day. When booking flights, keep in mind that as far as flight scheduling is concerned, a new day starts at 00:00 (midnight). For instance, if your flight is scheduled to depart at 00:10 on 1st April, you will need to be at the airport by 22:10 31st March to check in. Many travellers have missed flights due to this confusion by turning up to check in at 22:10 on 1st April instead. While a business or weekend traveller might have few choices, a patient traveller can usually find a cheaper flight. As a rule of thumb, Monday mornings, Friday evenings and major holidays and events tend to be overbooked; these times are not only more expensive, but also less pleasant both on board, at the airport, and in airport transfer. Time of departure and arrival affect the availability of airport transfer and amenities. If you depart or arrive in the middle of the night, you might find yourself stranded at either airport for hours, with few stores and restaurants open, if any. If you sleep well on aircraft, or you can afford business class, an overnight flight saves time, as well as the cost of a hotel night. Beware of [[time zones]] and [[jet lag]], though. ===Airlines=== {{seealso|Flying on a budget#Legacy airlines|Flying on a budget#Budget airlines}} While airlines differ in price, quality and reputation, they can be roughly divided into these categories: * A '''legacy carrier''', also called a ''major airline'' or ''full-service carrier'', is an airline where cost and service level is above average even for economy class (though bargains might be found). Passengers can pay extra for business class seats, and some aircraft have a first class. Many of these airlines have a heritage from the days when flying was a luxury. ** A '''flag carrier''' or ''national airline'' is a legacy carrier which is, or used to be, owned by a national government. Some are very old (KLM and Avianca have been in flight since 1919), but struggle to remain competitive today. A flag carrier usually dominates their home airport, where they might have a whole terminal on their own. In certain regions, particularly the Persian Gulf, flag carriers are still owned by or closely aligned with the national government, and arguably the beneficiaries of many open and hidden subsidies. The Gulf carriers in particular have taken to selling themselves as luxury brands. * A '''budget airline''', ''low-cost carrier'', ''startup airline'' or ''no-frills carrier'' offers a minimum of land and in-flight service. Extra fees for booking and check-in service (except when booked online and paid upfront), insurances, baggage, seat selection, meals and even water might in total cost more than the ticket itself. These carriers are usually not part of an airline alliance, and often call at less busy airports, far from the nominal destination. Usually, budget airlines only sell point-to-point tickets, with no responsibility assumed for any missed connections. If you are scheduled to arrive late at night, air transit might be closed for the day, without compensation. When the flight is full of passengers there is possibility that some of the baggage will not fly with the passengers and will arrive later on another flight. * A '''regional airline''' operates on less-travelled routes, usually with smaller aircraft. Some of these are owned by, or associated with, a legacy carrier. Expect prices on such routes to be higher than those between major hubs for the same distance travelled. * A '''charter airline''' lets out planes to a client, such as a [[travel agent]]. While they dominate the [[resorts|resort]] flight market, flights are advertised through the travel agency, so the airline brands are not well known among the public. * '''[[General aviation]]''' includes all kinds of unscheduled civil aviation, such as business jets, and bush planes. They are useful for a VIP in a hurry, or for reaching isolated places. The name of an airline can be deceptive: ''Norwegian'' is not the flag carrier of Norway, but an independent budget airline (albeit a decent one), and ''Hong Kong Airlines'' is not the flag carrier of Hong Kong (that honour goes to ''Cathay Pacific''). ''China Airlines'' is actually the flag carrier of Taiwan and not China (whose flag carrier is the similarly-named ''Air China''). In economy class, the line between legacy and budget airlines is increasingly being blurred, and particularly on flights within the United States and, to a lesser extent, Europe, flying in economy class on a legacy carrier generally provides the same level of no-frills service as a budget carrier, and you will need to fly first or business class to get the full-service experience. An '''[[airline alliances|airline alliance]]''' is a network of airlines, which provides international connections. Alliances frequently use '''codesharing''', where flights booked through one airline are operated by another, with a substantially different aircraft. There are several airline quality ratings (like [http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/ranking.htm Skytrax]) that can help you understand how airlines compare in levels of service, timeliness and comfort. Such ratings are one indicator, but some ratings have come under criticism by air travel insiders, e.g., the Cranky Flyer, or where user comments/ratings disagree with an overall star rating. As for safety and security in particular, the European Union maintains a [https://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/search_en list of airlines] it explicitly bans from its airspace, and while some of those bans are arguably connected to politics, they do give a good indication which airlines might not be up to Western standards of safety. ===Aircraft models=== [[File:777-300ER VS. A320 (2794834062).jpg|thumb|Narrowbody A320 vs widebody B777]] If you have settled for a route, there is usually not much choice between different aircraft models, since aircraft size mainly depends on distance travelled, and traffic volumes. Shorter and quieter routes tend to use ''narrowbody'' aircraft with a single aisle and up to 6 seats abreast; while longer and busier routes tent to use ''widebody'' aircraft with two aisles and 7 to 10 seats abreast. On some relatively short but high density routes, however (such as trans-continental flights in the United States, flights between two airlines/alliance hubs and many flights between major East and Southeast Asian cities), both smaller and larger aircraft can be found. The larger aircraft tend to be more comfortable, with wider seats (even flat ones in business class and above), in-flight entertainment and even meals. Usually taking a larger aircraft isn't more expensive than a smaller one on the same airline, but it isn't always the cheapest option. Today, airlines rarely tout their models, unless it is state-of-the-art, such as the Airbus A350 or the Boeing 787. Though newer planes are generally a bit more comfortable and quieter, few passengers but the enthusiasts will notice the difference between mainstream airliners. There are only two major players in the large commercial aircraft market: Airbus, based in Europe with its A3xx line (A320, A330, A350 and A380), and Boeing, based in the United States with its 7x7 line (737, 747, 777, 787). On "short hops" and "puddle jumpers" you'll find other manufacturers such as ATR, Bombardier and Embraer. In the late 2010s Embraer has been taken over by Boeing and Bombardier sold most of its aviation projects to Airbus and Mitsubishi. Still, planes under the names of those manufacturers as well as defunct companies like McDonnell-Douglas can still be found flying. [[Bush planes]] and other general aviation vehicles are still manufactured by a wider range of companies with Cessna and Gulfstream being some of the most well-known. ==Cost== {{seealso|Flying on a budget}} Obviously, riding first and business class is costly, but even economy tickets on the same route can differ with as much as a factor 5. You could face trade-offs, including * Opportunities for rescheduling or refunding * [[Baggage]] allowances, or major fees for baggage * [[Aircraft seating|Seating]] within a cabin class * Meals, drinks, and service on board * Check-through facilities, or baggage checking to final destination * Flight mileage or point accrual Even legacy carriers may charge for other amenities and services, even if you purchased a ''full price'' economy ticket. Pre-booking these services or amenities on-line where available may be cheaper. Unless an on-line promotion or point-of-sale is based in the European Union or U.S., the advertised price may not include taxes and other surcharges. Those prices may come with surcharges for baggage, meals, and other things. In general "extras" such as seat reservation, meals, luggage, priority boarding and so on are cheaper when booked together with the ticket and more expensive when booked later on or at the gate. ===Finding cheap tickets=== Airlines try to fly full planes, to maximize revenue for each flight; then supply and demand, yield management, and competition take over. The result can be large variations in airfares, depending on flight date, time of booking and payment, and ticket class. * '''Book early.''' As the bargains and cheap fare classes fill up fast, tickets get more expensive over time. Also, '''you have no claim about a special deal until you pay for your ticket(s)'''. The days of ultra-cheap '''last minute''' offers are not entirely over, but they are mostly available through resellers who want to make some money back on their sunk investment of unused contingents and they may only be worth it when bundled with accommodation or other stuff unrelated to the flight itself. If you are flexible enough in your destination and can live with either not flying at all or paying more than you'd hoped, last minute can still net you some bargains sometimes. * '''Holidays''' are times of high demand. Worldwide biggies include late December to early January, and July–August. Watch out for local holidays, such as the Golden Weeks in [[China]] and [[Japan]] or Easter Week (semana santa) in Latin America. Flights on the actual holiday days, such as Christmas Day, are often discounted, as are flights against the peak travel flow, such as flights out of Saudi Arabia during Hajj. * '''Transit flights''' can often be cheaper than a direct route, especially if said direct route is popular. * Monday morning and Friday evening are in high demand by business travellers, and to some degree Sunday evening flights by returning leisure travellers. * '''Budget airlines''' may offer cheap tickets. However, additional fees may increase the final cost. * Consider the cost, time and hassle of airport transfer - [[rail air alliances]] can open up many departure airports at no or low additional cost while budget airlines may force you to take an hour long bus ride into the boondocks to get to their airport. * Negative news about a destination obviously affect the travel price there. While it would be foolish to fly to a war zone and you might wish to judge for yourself whether you want to fly to a place where the human rights record has worsened, bargains may be had for places that received a lot of bad press lately - even if unjustified. There are [[Aggregators|third-party online services]] which compare airfares. Many airlines guarantee the cheapest airfares on their websites, and independent web sites may charge a fee for their services. * To find a low-cost/no-frills flight it can be good to check one of the comparison tools, such as e.g. [http://www.flylowcostairlines.org/low-cost-airlines/ flylowcostairlines.org]. * For international travel, you may get the best deals by booking from an agent at the starting point. But try travel search sites such as Momondo and Vayama to understand costs, flight frequencies, routes, connection times and total times en route. If you are a student, or under 26 or over 65, some travel sites and agents are tailored to offer low fares to you. Use of different flight search sites can produce different results, e.g., some sites charge fees for booking through them. Always try the airline website itself as well. Flight search websites may be cheaper in some cases, but increasingly airlines want to offer the cheapest price for their own tickets on their own website. ===Frequent flyers=== {{seealso|Frequent flyer programmes}} Many airlines offer a '''frequent flyer''' loyalty program, rewarding patrons based on '''segments''', '''points''', '''miles''' or '''flight costs'''. Business and first class passengers may receive bonus miles for each journey. Consider joining a frequent flyer program - especially if you fly a lot. The price is that your data profiled and used for advertisement. Brochures are handed out at the airport, an airline's lounge or an airline's ticket office. Most frequent flyer programs don't charge a fee, but some such as Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Club do, in exchange for a few perks such as dedicated check-in counters and priority boarding. Frequent flyer rewards can include: * '''Free flights''' and '''upgrades'''. You might still have to pay taxes and surcharges. Airlines often limit the number of seats or upgrades which can be obtained through "rewards"... especially on flights on busy routes. * Redemption of free goodies (such as consumer goods and hotel stays) on other non-flight partners. * With many points you can become an '''elite member''', and receive perks such as check-in at the first/business class counter, early boarding, priority in waitlists, complimentary upgrades, and access to '''airport lounges'''. Lounges are also available to holders of some credit cards. Not all fares are eligible to earn miles. You can claim miles for flights up to 12 months after you've taken them, as long as you were a member when the flight was taken, but you need to save boarding pass stubs. It is easier to log-in using your frequent flyer number prior to booking. [http://www.travelgrove.com/ Travelgrove's] is a meta search engine for miles that can be earned for each flight. In cooperation with MileBlaster, extras like credit card bonuses, hotel bonuses, special offers are also available. Results can be ordered by the percentage of the free flight that can be gained by booking the given flight. [[Airline alliances]] might allow transfer of miles between airlines. You might claim points from '''other sources'''; especially '''credit cards'''. Hotel stays, car rentals and even mobile phone bills may also garner you points. ==Reservation and ticketing== [[File:USA visa issued by Shenyang (2012).jpg|thumb|280px|The rather difficult-to-obtain U.S. visa]] {{infobox|Phonetic alphabet - it's useful|When calling an airline or travel agency to make changes, the fastest way to find your ticket is to tell the reservations agent that you will give them your [[:WikiPedia:Passenger Name Record|Passenger Name Record]] (PNR), and spell it out with the [[:WikiPedia:NATO phonetic alphabet|NATO phonetic alphabet]] ('''A'''lpha, '''B'''ravo, '''C'''harlie, '''D'''elta, '''E'''cho, '''F'''oxtrot, '''G'''olf, '''H'''otel, '''I'''ndia, '''J'''uliet, '''K'''ilo, '''L'''ima, '''M'''ike, '''N'''ovember, '''O'''scar, '''P'''apa, '''Q'''uebec, '''R'''omeo, '''S'''ierra, '''T'''ango, '''U'''niform, '''V'''ictor, '''W'''hiskey, '''X'''-ray, '''Y'''ankee, '''Z'''ulu). This is much easier than trying to spell out your last name, and you will gain some instant respect for sounding like a pro.}} Booking a flight the old school way, over the counter or on the phone, is a two-step process. First you make a '''reservation'''. The airline will '''hold''' a seat for you until a given date, typically for a week or so. If you do not pay before the expiration date, the booking is canceled. Reservations can be changed and canceled freely, which is useful if the itinerary is uncertain. You get a six character-long alphanumeric code called the '''passenger name reference''' or '''PNR''' which you quote to purchase the ticket. * A seat reserved will be listed as '''confirmed''' in your reservation, and will not be taken away until the time limit has expired. However, you can't fly yet until you purchase the ticket. You can confirm only a single seat in each direction per ticket. * If a flight is fully booked but you want to try to get on it, you can make a '''waitlisted''' reservation. If the waitlist "clears" (somebody else cancels and you get their seat), the waitlisted reservation becomes confirmed and your previously confirmed seats on other flights are canceled. You can usually waitlist multiple flights, but really cheap nonchangeable tickets may not allow any waitlisting at all. Turning a reservation into an actual ticket, '''issuing''' a ticket, requires payment or redemption with frequent flyer points/miles. Depending on ticket type - some or all of the following restrictions may now apply to your ticket: * '''nonchangeable'''/'''nonrebookable''': you cannot change the flight time and date (without paying a heavy change fee). In cases of rebookable flights, whether there is a rebooking fee or not, you still need to pay for the fare difference. * '''nonendorsable''': you cannot fly another airline if your airline has problems (if your flight is cancelled, this is usually overruled by local legislation) * '''nonrefundable''': you cannot get your money back if you don't fly (in North America the fare might be used as credit for another ticket at a fee; in many other places the entire fare is forfeited) * '''nonreroutable''': you cannot change to another route, even if the destination is the same * '''nontransferable''': you cannot give or sell ticket to somebody else * '''non mileage accruable''': you cannot earn frequent flyer miles on that ticket * '''nonupgradable''': you cannot upgrade to a more premium class using frequent flyer miles The higher ticket class, the fewer of these restrictions apply. Typically, a no-frills economy ticket has all the above restrictions, while a first or business class ticket has fewer although nonrefundable and non-rebookable fares are relatively common. '''Online booking''', either through the carrier's website or a third-party consolidator like Travelocity and Expedia, usually has no option for reservation. Normally, reservation and ticketing happen at once, so the booking service requires upfront payment, through debit/credit card, PayPal or similar service, invoice, or redemption from frequent-flyer miles. Some budget airlines levy a service fee for ticketing done through phone or in-person booking, and some bargains are only offered online. Some carriers, particularly in Europe, may also levy a small charge for credit cards and/or PayPal bookings which does not apply to VISA or MasterCard-branded debit cards. If you are still waitlisted for a flight that you would like to board, or if you would like to take an earlier or later flight than you're booked on, you can try to fly '''standby'''. This means simply showing up at the airport check-in counter and asking to be put on the next flight. If there is plenty of space, you'll be checked in right there. However, if the flight is looking full, you will have to wait until the flight is '''closed''' (typically 30-60 minutes before departure) and the airline can count how many seats it has left. ''Don't count on any special ticket savings if you fly standby and conversely, don't count on flying standby if your ticket is highly restricted.'' If you don't check in by closing time, you will be declared a '''no-show'''. Your seat can now be given to somebody on standby. The result depends on your ticket restrictions and conditions, which can be either total loss of your fare, or on some flexible tickets you can just book onto the next flight. To buy a new ticket for the same day or day after can be very expensive, for example up to $3000 for a transatlantic flight, so make sure not to miss the flight. While a reservation guarantees you a seat, it does not guarantee the fare that was quoted. Hence the fare at the time of reservation may differ from the one given at the time of ticketing. The fare quoted is only guaranteed if you're ready to book right away. Although most flights booked online must be paid for straight away, a few carriers may offer the option to lock-in a reservation done online and fare for up to a week for a small fee which is on top of the total fare Flight restrictions can be draconian &mdash; some companies even ban standby changes &mdash; so you'll have to pay (sometimes dearly) to make any change; some also do not allow refunds. Check your conditions carefully. ===Writing your name=== Many airlines require the name on the ticket to be identical to the name on the passenger's passport or ID, sometimes without slight misspellings. Airlines often charge a lot to change the name. This is particularly strictly enforced for flights departing from U.S. airports, where the TSA inspects all boarding passes and identification documents to ensure that the spelling of names matches exactly. *Only the first name and family name need to be included, not the middle name. *If the first name is not the one used on a daily basis, then the first and the daily used name plus the family name should be included, For example Hugh Laurie should write James Hugh Laurie, since his full name written in the passport is James Hugh Calum Laurie. If there are any doubts, stick to the name as written on the passport (except the middle name). *If you have a double family name, both should be included (with a hyphen replaced by space) *Letters with diacritical marks (such as É or Ä) should be written like in the white machine-readable zone in the passport, which normally means stripping all marks, but can mean that e.g. Ä is written AE. Hyphens should be replaced by space and apostrophes be omitted. If a visa or ESTA is used, all should be written in the same way. *Nicknames should not be used, even if using them on a daily basis. For example Bill Clinton should write William Jefferson Clinton since that is written in the passport. *If you plan a flight when doing a name change, such as at a [[wedding travel|wedding]], the name you use still has to match the one on your passport or ID. If the passport is not replaced before the trip, use the old name. Several [[honeymoon travel|honeymoons]] have been destroyed that way. *Infants should not be booked before birth unless the parents are sure about the gender and name, or are willing to pay the cost of a name change, if that is possible (this must be checked). *You can save yourself the hassle of inputting your name each time you book by creating an account for use on the airline's (or trip consolidator's) website or enrolling in a carrier's frequent flyer programme. When you enrol, you of course need to make sure that the name you supply matches the one stated in your passport. At the same time, you can also provide other relevant details thus saving you time when you book. ===Your ticket=== Most airlines use '''electronic tickets''' ('''e-tickets'''); electronic records of each booking detail. Formerly passengers got a paper ticket, consisting of a booklet of flight coupons. In most cases, an '''itinerary receipt''' with your flight details is prepared and e-mailed or printed for your reference. It contains a unique six-character '''Passenger Name Record''' (PNR), which is used to identify your booking. The itinerary receipt tells the ticket number, baggage allowance, computation of the fare and surcharges, mode of payment, etc. It also comes with the conditions of carriage, including your rights in case something happens to the flights you are booked with. In theory, an e-ticket allows you to just show a valid ID upon check-in. For security reasons, some airports require a print-out of the itinerary receipt as proof of your booking before entering the airport and/or upon check-in. In addition, immigration authorities often require proof of onward or return travel. Always bring a print-out of the itinerary receipt with you. Due to concerns of credit card fraud, when you book a flight over the Internet with a credit card, some carriers require you to '''show the credit card''' used to purchase the tickets at the airport or their ticketing office. If the credit card holder is not part of the travelling party, they need to see the credit card, not the authorized signature of the credit card holder. Failure to do so may lead to re-issue of the ticket with the same (or higher) fare, and refund for the original ticket after many weeks or even months (if refundable; refund fees may apply). In the rare event that you are issued with a paper ticket, you '''must''' present it when checking in for your flight. Look after your ticket; you cannot check in without it. If you lose the ticket, expect a lot of paperwork and/or hassles: you may be required to buy another ticket for the flight and have to apply for a refund later, or pay a re-ticketing fee. Not to mention that some jurisdictions will require you to file a police report. Hence if you're afraid of losing or forgetting your paper ticket, request for an e-ticket whenever possible. When you lose or misplace a print-out of the itinerary receipt, you can always freely and easily print another copy out from your email or request the carrier/travel agent to email it to you again. Your travel plans can be altered without the need to print and deliver a new ticket. If your airline offers online or self-service kiosk check-in, you can use these to print boarding passes, thus saving time at the airport. The major disadvantage is that your flight details are in one specific airline's computers, so other airlines cannot access them. This is not a problem 99% of the time, but can be a major headache if a flight cancellation requires you to switch to a flight with another airline. If this happens, get an "endorsable" paper ticket from the original airline as backup ''before'' heading over to the other airline's counter. Likewise, for complex itineraries involving multiple airlines (like [[round the world flights]]), you should opt for a paper ticket, especially since inter-airline e-ticketing agreements are not that common yet. Not all destinations offered by legacy carriers are e-ticket eligible. But for the destinations that are e-ticket eligible, your airline may levy a surcharge if you choose to purchase a paper ticket. Airlines generally no longer issue paper tickets for most journeys. ==Documents== [[File:Big 1ff8028f0b6fc39ec9c15d73561d6724 ts1312956172.jpg|thumb|240px|An Armenian passport]] You need an '''airline boarding pass''' to board your aircraft...usually just to go airside. You get it by presenting a '''paper ticket''' (if you were issued with one), and a '''photo identification''' (perhaps less for toddlers). If you printed a boarding pass earlier, identification will allow airline staff to validate the pass and check your hand baggage. If you travel to another country, you need a '''passport''' with an expiration date at least six months after the return date. Depending on destination and connection countries, you may also need one or more '''[[visas]]'''. They usually must be obtained before starting travel. Check-in staff may deny you permission to board if you do not have a necessary and proper visa. Check in advance with your agent or airline. Without all necessary documentation, your trip may be at risk. The '''credit card''' used to buy your ticket may also be required for boarding pass verification, so bring that as well. Any authority looking at airline tickets, boarding passes, passports or other identification will examine names carefully. They often require that key papers '''precisely reflect your full name'''. Make sure that whoever books your trip accurately enters each full name on the reservations and tickets. Have '''documentation that all medications belong to you''', e.g., labeled bottles, copy of the doctor's prescription...for some countries, even more. After any international flight route is set, '''consult official sources that describe limitations on carrying medications and medical devices set by the country of your destination and all en route stops'''. In some countries, the consequences for carrying illegal items without permission can be substantial, even severe, e.g., in the Middle East, Singapore, Japan. Some Wikivoyage country and airport articles may help with this. If you bought ''travel insurance'', bring something a copy of the insurer's description of the coverage, the policy number, and how to contact the insurer wherever you are. Share that information with someone at home who would help you use the coverage, or benefit from it. ==Connections== {{seealso|Arriving by plane}} Flying from point A to point B often involves a '''transit''' or a '''connection''' in point C, where you have to disembark, find your connecting flight's gate, and re-board, and maybe pass a [[border crossing|border checkpoint]] at the airport. If both flights are ''on the same ticket'', the airlines are responsible for broken connections and will try to get you on the next flight if you miss your flight. This may also be the case if you fly the same airline or alliance, and you have allowed the required connection time between flights. In 2016, some airlines/alliances were considering an extra baggage fee on connecting flights. To collect the fee, some may require you to exit the secure area of the terminal at the connecting airport, claim your checked baggage, re-check it on your continuing flight, and again go through security check to reach the gate for your next flight. This requires considerable time. Check with the airline regarding any such fee and need for extra time for flights you find interesting. Answers may be cause for you to look for other arrangements. '''If you book separate flights on separate tickets''' (especially on different airlines), '''making the connection is solely your responsibility'''. If you are flying on an airline or fare type that doesn't permit last minute changes, you may lose your fare when one airline's delay makes you late for the next one. Paying a little more for a flexible fare on the final connection may not only avoid this risk, but can also let you catch an earlier flight if you make the connection ahead of schedule. Airlines may consider a connection as tight as 35 minutes to be valid; which might be reasonable if you don't have to clear customs or security checkpoints, and the arrival and departure gates are within the same building. However, you can get unpleasant surprises at unfamiliar airports; gates could be at opposite ends of the terminal, or even in separate terminals. In that case you should have '''at least 90 minutes''' from landing to take-off. Add time for border checkpoints; preferably an hour for each. You can use slack time to eat at the airport, where the food is likely better than what you may (or may not!) get in the air. For that matter, if you at your final destination need to get on a scheduled ground transport (especially one with infrequent departures), you should reserve enough time to get through immigration, customs and baggage delivery if applicable, an extra half hour or so for plane delays, plus possible time for standing in line at a busy ticket counter. On-line travel searchers/arrangers show statistics on how often a given flight arrives on time. Generally, the last flight of the day into a given destination will be delayed more often than earlier flights, as the airlines use that flight to "sweep" travelers whose inbound connecting flights run late. While the statistics alone won't tell you whether ''your'' particular flight is likely to be delayed, but it's still useful data. With separately-booked flights, you are responsible for claiming checked baggage, taking it to the next check-in counter, and checking it for the next flight leg. ====Border checkpoints==== {{seealso|Avoiding travel through the United States|Border crossing|Visas}} With international connecting flights, check to see if the country where you will be making a connection requires a transit visa to go through their airport. Some countries require all passengers to pass through customs and immigration even if they are just transferring between international flights, e.g., the United States, Canada. You may find it easier if you can avoid passing through these destinations, particularly the United States which has the same requirements for a transit visa as for a tourist visa. Others, such as Hong Kong and Australia, require certain nationalities to obtain a visa even if they plan to remain in the sterile area. You are responsible for procuring all the necessary visas before you fly; request them as early as possible. If you book your flights separately or with low-cost carriers, you will need to follow the entry requirements that apply to normal visitors (e.g. tourists and business travellers) from your country of nationality as you need to access landside facilities (e.g. check-in desks). ==Seating== {{seealso|Aircraft seating}} [[File:LufthansaItalia A319 D-AKNH MXP 2010-04-06.jpg|thumb|280px|Standard economy seating]] Comfort is mainly determined by '''cabin class'''. * '''[[First and business class flights|First Class]]''' is at the front of the largest aircraft, with top-level comfort and service. In most of the world, this is an endangered species, but in America, the term is used for what the rest of the world would call business class. * '''[[First and business class flights|Business Class]]''' is near the front. Seating is comfortable, often with seats that convert into beds for longer flights, and meals and drinks are usually included. * '''Premium Economy''' might have more leg-room than Economy Class; usually at exit rows. * '''Economy Class''' (''standard economy'' or ''coach'') makes up the bulk of aircraft seating. Most airlines assign you a seat at booking. In some cases, you can change it. If you check in at the counter with no seat yet assigned, you can ask if a seat is still available. Budget airlines usually have a surcharge for assigned seating. * '''Window''' seats give a view, and better sleeping comfort, but are further from the aisle, and have less floor space. The wall can be cold. * '''Aisle''' seats may have more leg space, and make it easier to get up. Sleeping comfort is worse, though. * '''Middle seats''' have the disadvantages of both aisle and window seats. * Large aircraft have 2-3 outer seats near the windows, with 3-4 (or even 5) between the aisles. * Some seats in each row may have '''entertainment electronics installed underneath'''. These intrude on foot room for those seated behind. [[File:Exit Row seating.jpg|thumbnail|Exit row seats will allow you to extend your legs]] There are also some special seat rows: * '''Exit row''' seats have more legroom and easier access to the aisles; some airlines brand them "Economy Plus". There are some drawbacks: armrests are fixed, and you may need to store baggage overhead. Passengers must be able to help operate the exit in case of an emergency evacuation, so passengers with disabilities, pregnant women and children will not be seated in these rows. Tall passengers might be assigned these seats, but there is no guarantee. Ask at check-in and state the reason you want/need one. * '''Upfront''' seats are the first few rows of an airline's economy class section. Passengers seated here may have the advantage of disembarking first, which is useful for international flights and passengers with tight connections. Be aware that on some aircraft (e.g. ATR 42 and ATR 72 turboprops) the main boarding door is at the rear, so those in upfront seats will be last to disembark. * '''Bulkhead''' seats have no seat in front of them. You may have to store your baggage overhead. They are often reserved for families with small children. You might snag one on check-in or even at the gate, but count on sitting next to a baby. They have the tray table in the armrest. Some bulkhead seats have a bulkhead behind, meaning that the seat cannot be reclined. * Window seats '''near the end''' of the plane may have more elbow room. However, "window seats" in the back row may in fact have no window. In most jet aircraft, seats in the back get more '''noise'''. They increase the chance to survive a crash. Rear-end rows often have no middle seats, and more room to spread out. * Seats in the '''middle''' of the aircraft vibrate less from turbulence, decreasing risk for air sickness. The view from window seats in the middle is obstructed by the wings. * Seats just before the exit row and at the end of a section may not recline. * Seats near toilets may be affected by odors, and have people queuing outside. * Seats near the galleys may be exposed to noise, smells, and lights. * A row of unoccupied seats might be used as a makeshift bed. Watch for such rows as the last passengers are taking seats. The flight attendants are also aware of these rows, and may use them to relocate people. * Aircrafts that normally have three seats in a bloc may have a few rows that have two seats. These are found near exit rows and the rear of the aircraft as well as the upper deck of some carriers' A380 aircraft. Websites with seating details are [http://www.seatexpert.com/ SeatExpert], [http://www.seatguru.com/ SeatGuru], and [http://www.seatmaestro.com/ Seatmaestro]. Sitting in extra legroom seats, upfront seats, and two-seat blocs largely used to be free but carriers have realised that not all economy class seats are created equal, and charge more for the privilege of sitting in such areas. These can be paid using credit cards or frequent flyer points. Expect to be charged on the spot if these premium seats have not been reserved/allocated and you wish to sit on them. However, members of an carrier's frequent flyer programme who belong to the upper tiers or who have a premium credit card (e.g. gold and platinum) associated with that airline may be able to book these seats for no extra cost or a reduced rate. ==Amending trip details and special requests== Sometimes trip plans fall through for whatever reason or you may have additional requests (e.g. seating or meal preferences). If you purchased your ticket from a travel agency or a consolidator website, contact them or visit their website first before getting in touch with the carrier directly. This is especially the case if you purchased your ticket as part of a package (which includes accommodation and other tours). If you purchased your ticket directly from the carrier, you should contact them directly or go to their website to manage your booking. Legacy carriers support special requests on their web sites. Once you have confirmed your flights, be sure to let the carrier or your travel agent know if you have any special requests. Typical examples include: * '''special meals''' (vegetarian, kosher, medical restrictions, allergies, etc.) * '''[[aircraft seating|special seats]]''' (exit row seats for tall people, bulkhead seats for baby bassinets) * '''airport assistance''' (wheelchair or unaccompanied minor) You can check to see what meals to expect on [http://www.airlinemeals.net Airlinemeals.net]. Airlines not providing meals in the price of your ticket can be viewed [http://www.inflightfeed.com here]. With some airlines, you need to remind the crew about your special meals order before the meals are served, to save them from browsing the passenger list and finding you in the cabin (or even finding your special order after serving you regular meals). Travel agencies have a tendency to lose track of the many requests they get, so if it's ''really'' serious it's wise to contact the airline directly and make sure the message has gotten through, and to mention it at check-in. ===Special meal requests=== Special meals are a variation from the standard food offered by the airline. They generally match a variety of dietary or religions requirements, such as [[kosher]], [[Islam|halal]], [[Hinduism|Hindu]], vegetarian, diabetic, Low salt etc. Children's meals are often also available as special meals. Special meals are offered by some airlines, often they can be ordered as part of the online booking process, or subsequently by managing the booking online. Special meals always need to be ordered at least 24, and sometimes up to 72 hours in advance, and the chances of getting one at check-in or when on the plane are slim (although it can never hurt to ask, as occasionally there are special meals on the plane from people who failed to board). Special meals are usually served before other meals, this can be especially useful for children's meals. They can be of higher quality, but can also be lacking in some aspects, for example a vegetarian meal could be a vegan meal such as plain vegetables and rice (rather than that spinach and ricotta pasta they may have been hoping for). Kosher meals (which were among the first special meals to be widely available) have a notoriously shoddy reputation in the US, but again, what you'll get will vary widely by airline and on some carriers you'll automatically get a meal that conforms to certain dietary standards. [[Israel]]i flag carrier '''[https://www.elal.com El Al]''' for one has never served a non-kosher in flight meal in all its existence. Similarly, the carriers of most Muslim-majority countries, including the big three Middle Eastern airlines '''[https://www.emirates.com Emirates]''', '''[https://www.qatarairways.com Qatar Airways]''' and '''[http://www.etihad.com Etihad Airways]''' only serve halal meals on their flights. ==Unaccompanied minors== {{seealso|Travelling with children}} '''Unaccompanied minors''' are children, typically 12 or younger, for whom the airline assumes some duty to care for them. They will disembark last, and will only be handed over to the person identified on a check-in form. If the assigned person does not meet the child from the flight, the airline reserves the right to return the child to the origin immediately at the guardian's cost. Some airlines (mainly budget airlines) will not accept unaccompanied minors, and might require that children 12 or under must be accompanied by a guardian 18-years or over. Online booking and child discounts might be unavailable for these children. Generally a child must be over 5 to be accepted as an unaccompanied minor. Sometimes the minimum age for a connecting flight is 8 years or over. ==Help with complexities== If all the above planning, flight trade-offs and ticket purchasing seems complex (especially for international travel), look for assistance. * You may have '''friends''' with practical experience. Ask them what they've done to plan, choose airlines, make such arrangements, and prepare for your kind of trip. Objectively balance their experiences with your on-line and other research. * Consider using a '''travel agent'''. You ''may'' pay a premium, but it will often be worth avoiding the considerable work and hassle of finding and booking the best, practicable tickets by yourself. And the agent may fully or partly pay for his/her services by finding special savings at sites you cannot access, e.g., he/she has access to air travel brokers and consolidators not usable by the public, at times offering better deals. He/she can also arrange special requests (special diets, baby bassinets, wheelchair assistance, etc.) directly with the airline. If you wish, they can advise you on accommodations, airport transfers and guided tours that may save you money (perhaps as a package) compared to arranging each need separately. As above, the fee (if any) you pay for such services is real but often "built into" better airline fares and flight selections. ==Baggage== {{seealso|Flight baggage}} There are two basic types of flight baggage. '''Checked baggage''', ''check-in baggage'' or ''hold baggage'' is handed to airline staff at check-in, loaded into the hold of the aircraft, and picked up on arrival. '''Cabin baggage''', ''hand baggage'' or ''carry-on baggage'' is carried by passengers in the cabin. ===Baggage limits=== Baggage allowance is stated on your ticket. Weight and size limits differ between airlines and ticket classes; full-service airlines, higher ticket classes and longer flights tend to be more allowing. The airline's website can tell about fees for additional baggage. Cabin baggage is included with the ticket, except for some budget airlines. Usually, one piece of check-in baggage is included in business class ticket, or at an intercontinental flight. Each additional bag has a fee, usually less when paid in advance. Weight limit for international flights and domestic US flights is usually 23 kg (50 lb) per piece, not to exceed 60 inches (152,4 cm) total for length, width and thickness. Within Europe, it is often 20 kg (44 lb), with total size varying by airline. Checked items may be limited by total weight of all checked pieces, rather than each piece. With '''codeshare flights''', baggage allowance may differ from the airline indicated by the flight code, and frequent flyers' increased allowance might not apply. ===Cabin baggage=== [[File:All our luggage.jpg|thumb|280px|Modern cabin baggage: one "personal item" and one cabin suitcase per person]] On most aircraft (except the smallest), each passenger can bring one piece of baggage within '''55×40×20 centimeters''' (9×14×22 inches; exact dimensions vary between airlines). A '''cabin suitcase''' is designed with these dimensions. Though weight is rarely checked, nominal weight limit is sometimes as low as 7 kg. Most airlines also allow a small bag, such as a purse, handbag, or laptop computer bag, and an umbrella but some low-cost carriers may count these against the one hand luggage allowance passengers are entitled to. Passengers can also carry their own outdoor clothing. '''Never put high-value or irreplaceable items in your checked baggage.''' Most travel insurance and airlines will not cover such items when placed in checked baggage. Checked bags do get misplaced/misrouted, or emergencies may happen during flight, and you may need immediate access to something. ====Liquids and dangerous objects==== IATA guidelines apply the 3-1-1 limits to '''all''' international flights. They impose 100&nbsp;ml (3.4&nbsp;oz) limits on '''liquids, gels and pastes''' in cabin baggage, including aerosols, toothpaste, deodorant, drinks and water. Containers must fit in a single clear bag/pouch smaller than 20cm x 20cm or 1 quart. Each container inside must meet the 100ml/3.4oz limit. Exceptions are possible, e.g., for medication or baby care items. [[Duty-free shopping|Duty-free items]] purchased airside ''may'' be allowed on board. In the worst case, en-route terminal changes may force you to re-check through security. Even if sealed in a tamper-proof sack, containers of liquids originally bought "airside" elsewhere may not be allowed through "re-check". Place medications and liquids where they can be easily seen at security check. Ensure that medications are kept in original containers and clearly labeled. Place other liquids in your checked baggage. You may need to demonstrate the harmlessness of any liquid you carry on request by security officials. Expect to discard liquids and gels that don't meet regulations. Bottled water might be bought airside, or refilled in an empty bottle from a bathroom tap. '''Sharp or weapon-like objects''' are prohibited, including pointed scissors, [[knives]], metallic tools, baseball bats, martial arts weapons, as well as "convincing looking" toy weapons. Pack sharp items in your checked bags in ways that don't create risk for baggage inspectors. The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have strict rules regarding bringing in food. All food must be declared to customs and inspected, even if the items are permitted, and failure to do so is punishable by fines and a possible jail sentence. ====[[Equipment]]==== * Headphones with electronic plug adapters. For long flights, some carriers provide them, often for a fee. * The airline's web site should list permitted electronic devices; on board, look in the in-flight magazine to find the "rules". Perhaps even better than all this, treat yourself to a good book... hardcopy or electronic. * A light jacket, vest, wrap or small blanket. * On longer flights, a neck pillow or other kind of pillow, something to pad the small of the back * Slippers * Nicotine gum for smokers * Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones * Sanitizing wipes * Newspaper. Can be used to insulate against the cabin wall. * [[Health kit]] for minor "incidents", e.g., cuts/scratches, stomach upset, slight infections. Baggage with electronic devices is more likely to be inspected; so pack them to be easily seen. In most countries, laptops and tablet computers are scanned separately; you have to remove it from any cabin baggage holding other items. Make sure its batteries are charged at least enough to "boot" it up for a simple demonstration. Airport security may confiscate carry-on items they feel are "suspicious", often without recourse. At that point, you would not be able to put those items in your checked baggage, because by then it would already be waiting to be loaded aboard your aircraft. ===Carry-on only travel=== If you need less baggage, consider taking carry-on only. You don't have to wait to claim baggage, and you might save a baggage fee. Check your ticket for baggage restrictions. However, you can only bring items that pass through airport security. Consider to buy clothes, toiletries and other equipment at the destination. Due to the proliferation of low-cost airlines where the baggage fee sometimes exceeds the ticket price, there are various videos or guides online showing how to fit a week's vacation into a "jacket" and cabin sized backpack. Keep in mind that you may attract more scrutiny trying to pull something like that and checking non pre-booked luggage in at the airport usually costs more than booking it with your flight. A few airlines actually charge for anything beyond the "personal item" of your hand luggage. If you fly with such an airline paying for checked bags is usually better value anyway. ===Alternative baggage delivery=== If you want to travel with carry-on only but also have check-in baggage, you can use [[luggage delivery service]]. Alternatively, you can use a wardrobe management company like [http://www.travelercloset.com The Traveler's Closet] {{dead link|June 2020|December 2020}}. Consider '''shipping baggage as cargo''', also known as unaccompanied baggage. Many airports have companies that will arrange this for you, and aggregators like [http://www.xsbaggage.com/ xsbaggage] can find one for you. Fees can be quite high, and your bags will be shipped separately ...necessarily a few and perhaps several days earlier. Instead of claiming them at your destination airport, you'll have to arrange collection or delivery somewhere else. For international locations, you may need to do customs declarations/claims for them. ===Baggage to be checked=== {{seealso|Packing list}} Checked baggage allows more weight and volume than your hand baggage, and allows restricted items such as knives and liquids. It is however more exposed to theft, weather, and forceful baggage handling. Pressurized containers, explosives, hazardous materials and weapons (or items that ''look'' like weapons) are prohibited, both in cabin and check-in baggage. For the USA, see the TSA's guide to [http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/traveling-special-items Transporting Special Items]. Note also "Carry-on Contents" below. Consider customizing the outside of your checked baggage with tape, colored belts, etc., so you can find it easily at baggage claim...and no one else can claim it "erroneously". If you take as much as you are allowed, purchases on your trip may make your bag(s) overweight on your return trip, requiring extra fees. One alternative might be to donate or discard enough used clothing before returning home to offset your purchases. If you plan a lot of shopping, consider packing a collapsible bag for your return trip. Outbound it should induce little weight and so no fee in you check bag(s); homeward bound it can prevent a piece from becoming overweight. To ensure no weight overage, you might use a bathroom weight scale at home. Later, an accurate handheld scale can be useful; lacking that, ask about a scale at the hotel having just packed for your return. Most airports have baggage carts for rent, but you often need local currency, usually coins. In some countries, you cannot take these carts through security checkpoints. Some airports offer free carts, more often in areas for arriving flights. Most airports and hotels have porters, usually working for tips. Elsewhere, you'll likely be entirely on your own. ====Other concerns==== On small aircraft, you might need to check in standard-dimension hand baggage. Most airlines don't charge for such checking, but it increases risk of theft. With airlines that charge extra fees for all checked bags, baggage costs can become punitive. If in doubt, check in advance with your agent or airline for each leg on your itinerary. Some low cost carriers (e.g. Ryanair) have no free checked baggage allowance and charge per kilo. Large items such as [[sport]] equipment might induce more fees, special baggage check-in, and extra time to be claimed on arrival. ===Overweight baggage=== For checked baggage, every kilo (or centimeter) over the limit may be charged some fixed fee or a percentage of the airfare. '''This can get expensive, especially on budget airlines.''' * Once you place your bag on the scales at check-in, some airlines will not allow you to take out contents; even if they do, it is an embarrassing hassle. * If you were close to the allowed weights outbound, make sure you wear the same (weights of) clothes back home. If you know your bags will be definitely overweight, consult your airline. They may offer baggage upgrades before arrival at the airport for less than excess-baggage fees at the airline counter. Pre-booking excess baggage online can come with discounts. Most airlines have an '''absolute maximum weight limit''' for a single checked item, often 32 kg (70 lb); this is for the health and safety of the baggage handlers loading the aircraft. As an alternative to excess baggage, consider sending your excess items by post or courier. ===Medication=== Have '''documentation that all [[medications]] belong to you'''. Take no more meds than you need on your trip. Keep all in their original containers (over-the-counter and Rx) so that baggage inspectors (especially customs) will have an indicator of what's inside. '''Make sure that no substance is illegal in any country you will visit or transit'''. For some countries, you need government permission to carry the meds within its borders. * Some countries (e.g., Japan) may have unexpected restrictions on basic medications, even at-home over-the-counter items, e.g., anti-histamines. They will be confiscated if discovered. * The '''consequences for unauthorized medications can be severe''', e.g., immediate confiscation, fine, arrest, possible prison. ===How to pack=== Pack as much as possible of check-in baggage contents in resealable plastic bags. They help security inspections and repacking, and protect against rain or being soiled. If you choose to seal them (e.g., if zip-lock bags), "burp" them of excess air; otherwise, at altitude the bags may burst. They are equally useful returning, e.g., to keep soiled items separate from other content. Checked baggage is often tossed about in transit. Fragile items should be carefully packed, or preferably carried in hand baggage. Applying a ''FRAGILE'' sticker to checked baggage is rarely sufficient to change the way baggage handlers care for bags. Place heavy items toward the bottom of bags. Do not mix heavy and fragile items in the same bag. Any content likely to trigger a manual inspection should be placed where it will be quickly seen as the bag is opened. For containers of substantial liquids, choose rugged screw-capped bottles with tops not designed to pop open, even if you must buy them separately and manually fill them at home. Otherwise, use new/unopened bottles of product still sealed. Consider taping any pop-open cap tightly to the rest of the container as well as the opening. Put each bottle in a separate, burped and sealed plastic bag to protect other baggage contents. Even better, if your destination(s) have such products for sale, you can save weight, space and bother by buying them there. Glass containers and other fragile items must be packed well. Put them individually in plastic bags and seal with a knot or their zip-lock. Wrap them in clothes or towels and place them in the middle of your bag between other soft items. The overall bag needs to be tightly packed. '''Never put unprocessed film in checked baggage.''' X-rays destroy unprocessed film. Magnetic tape may be affected by repeated exposure to strong x-rays. ===Preventing and recovering lost baggage=== Place identification on both the outside and inside of your bag. Rugged, well-attached '''baggage tags''' are crucial...with at least name, address, phone. Prefere those that have a flap to cover your identity. * '''Copies of your trip itinerary''' inside and in an outside pocket can be equally useful, including name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, flight number(s) and your itinerary. Airlines or others must have this to locate you or forward your baggage if your tag or the airline tag comes off or baggage gets mis-routed. * If packing a box, put your name, address and phone numbers in big block letters and numbers on at least 2 opposite sides, plus an itinerary sheet inside. Do not use a return address unless you are shipping something as air freight. Checked baggage should have only ONE address. If an airline "loses" bags, it often loses one rather than all, except for major delays and flight cancellations. Distribute clothes and other equipment for everyone in the group between bags, so everyone has something to use until the "lost" bag is found. Delayed baggage coming in on a later flight is far more common than truly "lost" baggage (over 24 hrs.) Take a photo of all your checked baggage for identification; this is useful to cross language barriers. Lost or delayed baggage is more common if you depart from a larger airport than a smaller one. This includes transfers en route; the size of your arrival airport is less important. Non-stop flights decrease the risk of baggage hassles. * As a last resort, airlines can search a worldwide database of the contents of bags that have been misdirected... based on passenger declarations of contents at lost-baggage offices. They do not catalog each item inside a bag, so declare one unique, easily-seen item in your bag to help the airline find it. All the more reason to place copies of your itinerary inside and outside your checked bags. Two ways to reinforce baggage, are: * Tightly applying brightly-colored '''baggage straps'''. Ensure any strap-ends are well-secured/tucked-in so they won't be snagged in handling. The colors will help you find your checked bags. * In major departure airports, you may find a baggage-'''wrapping''' service. For a fee, they will wrap a piece of baggage in multiple layers of plastic sheeting. (Such wrap is not permitted if your baggage will go through U.S. and some other countries' security screening; they must be able to quickly inspect contents manually.) Wrapping occurs before you present the baggage at the airline counter to be checked. Make sure the weight of the wrap doesn't make the item overweight. Also make sure your name tag is clearly visible...preferably outside the wrap. ===Securing your bags=== [[File:Heathrow - suitcase in plastic with lock.jpg|thumb|280px|Plastic wrapping and locks are common, but not highly effective security measures]] A few steps can help deter damage and [[theft]], but can be compromised because items must be ready for security inspections. Airports do electronic and/or manual inspection of bags. At a manual inspection, the bag is opened. If locked by other than approved locks for that country (e.g., by TSA for the U.S.), inspectors must cut or break them (and perhaps the zipper-pulls they're applied to) to get inside. If you check hard-shelled suitcases with "built-in" locks, consult the airline or your travel agen for usability. After manual inspection, bags are re-packed and re-secured by inspectors, with your lock, your baggage strap and/or a plastic tie joining the zipper-pulls. If plastic ties have been applied, you might need a cutting tool. Put it in an outside pocket of the suitcase. Inspectors usually leave a note inside an inspected bag. You may be directed to check one or more bags (that you expect to carry-on) at the ticket counter, aircraft gate or as you step board. Reasons can include: * You have over-packed one or more of them, or have too many. This can involve a major fee. * Part of your journey is on a small plane with limited cabin space. * If one of the last to board, the cabin might run out of space. They announce that those not yet seated must allow large carry-on baggage to be taken to the hold; items will receive special tags. Carry-ons are much more likely to contain valuables, and so are often targeted by thieves. You should lock them after passing the personal security check. If practicable, snugly apply a baggage strap. You'll usually claim "checked carry-ons" at the baggage claim. For smaller aircraft, you may have gate- or ramp-checked your carry-on, and it may well be returned to you as you depart the aircraft. Some travelers take extra precautions with checked bags...some expensive: * To locate their bags at baggage claim, they fasten flashers/beepers to the outside that they can trigger by a device they carry. * Others may place GPS tracking devices inside their baggage that indicate its location...helpful if lost or misrouted. ===Special luggage=== It is usually possible to bring special oversize luggage, in top of your main check-in bag. This can be sports equipment (golf, skis, bicycle etc), musical instrument etc. They should be prebooked, and you should ask before booking your main ticket if they are allowed. Some flights don't allow such luggage. If you travel with expensive sports equipment (SCUBA gear, parachute, etc.), chances are you might be allowed to take them into the aircraft cabin. Chances are higher if your destination is used to that kind of equipment. Taking SCUBA gear to Egypt and a parachute to Dubai should be hassle free, but the other way around, taking it on board might be declined. There is an extra fee, which can be $400 for a long-distance return ticket. Wheel-chairs and baby-strollers are normally allowed without extra cost, but should also be prebooked. ==Clothing== {{seealso|Clothing}} The days of wearing one's "Sunday Best" on a plane are now mostly gone and even business travelers or celebrities will nowadays dress for comforts more than looks. That said, there's no need to be disheveled or forego a shower. Even if you sleep at the airport, there's usually an option to clean yourself. Outside baggage allowance, passengers can wear as much clothes as they prefer, including heavy outdoor clothes... within reasonable limits. Cabin temperature may vary in-flight, especially when flying overnight. Dress in adjustable '''layers'''. * Use a ''soft jacket'' for warmth. * Blankets and pillows are usually offered on long flights, and/or in business class. Other passengers can consider to bring them. * Warm socks/slipper-socks can be useful. Wear your shoes when walking to the toilet, as their floors may be wet, even filthy. Cabin walls and cabin air near exit doors can get cold. If you have a window seat, you'll likely need something to insulate against the wall...even a few sheets of newspaper can help remarkably. If near an exit door, you may need all the clothing layers you can access, especially if you can't get a blanket. It has been said that passengers who fly in a business suit receive better service. While wearing a suit instead of packing it can save baggage space, you risk soiling it. Airplane interiors can be filthy, especially on budget airlines. Consider wearing something in-flight that you can doff soon after disembarking to wash/clean it later. If '''[[business travel|traveling for business]]''', put at least one business outfit in your hand baggage. When leaving a cold region for a warm one, you can leave winter wear at home if air transit is short. Consider leaving winter garments with friends if they take you to the airport and pick you up on return. For travel to a cold region from warm, use layers and carry at least a lined jacket; it may be some time before you get the clothes from your checked baggage. ==Stay safe== {{seealso|Advice for nervous flyers|Flight and health}} While the risk for lethal accidents is very low on commercial airlines, delays and cancellations are frequent. * Check government sources and reliable news sources for '''travel warnings'''. If they show potential for trouble (strikes, political unrest, natural disasters, etc), check with your agent, airline or airport (e.g., website) about your travel. Whether or not you are a U.S. citizen, you may be interested in the U.S. State Department's [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html travel warnings] and those by other relevant governments. Those warnings can affect departures from U.S. or other airports to areas having a warning, ''and'' departures from such locales to your country. * Consider the '''safety record''' of the airline, the aircraft it uses, and airport reputations if flying into smaller airfields or developing countries. Also look for flight segments you've been offered under a ''code-sharing'' arrangement, where you book on a reputable airline but actually fly on a different one for any part of your trip. You may then be flying an airline or aircraft with a poorer or unknown safety record, or that has baggage capacity less than you may need for your trip. Note that airlines from developing countries (such as Air Zimbabwe) can have outstanding safety records, so don't make assumptions. The [[European Union]] bans a bunch of airlines from its airspace. The list is a matter of public record, but the reasons are sometimes arguably political. That said, you may want to follow the EU's lead in not using an airline even if the reason is "political". If you have '''health issues''', consult your doctor and ensure the airline knows about any condition that might be problematic for flying well before the start of the trip – even before you pay for tickets. Airlines can often help you if you have physical limitations or some medical condition. Fifty countries worldwide, including China, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand require that '''insecticides''' (usually residual types) be used on planes. If the airline (e.g., Hawaiian Airlines) does not use residual insecticide, the plane may be sprayed in-flight. If you are sensitive to such chemicals, ask in-advance what is used. ===Insurance=== {{main|Travel insurance}} Travel insurance cost depends on trip cost and duration, age of travelers, level of coverage requested for certain problems, and destination country. ''Airline insurance'' purchased with the ticket will often focus only on the airline's responsibilities, while a quality, overall travel policy will cover most/all risks of your end-to-end trip. You may obtain better rates for a general policy by buying a it through or from an association you belong to, e.g., AAA, AA, AARP. Very-frequent travelers should consider long-term (annual) policies; coverage can be equivalent while costing much less per trip. ''Flight insurance'' (for death or major dismemberment while flying to a single destination) has also become a very poor investment. The probability is extremely low that you or your relatives will receive ''any'' benefit...because flying has become so safe. ==Pre-flight checks== ===Reconfirming your flight=== In general, it is no longer necessary to call the airline to reconfirm flights, as reservation systems are fairly reliable. Check the reservation online, and call the airline only if there are problems. The main exceptions are when you are flying way off the beaten track on an airline that doesn't (or looks like it doesn't!) do computerized reservations, especially when there won't be another flight for a week. Off the beaten track in [[Indonesia]], for example, it's wise to reconfirm not just once but twice &mdash; although you may still get bumped off if a VIP and his harem show up at the last minute. ===Checking your reservation=== Double-check that your itinerary is still correct. Not only can you check that everything is order, but also you can see whether any waitlists have cleared, flight times have changed, your special requests are recorded, etc. Most legacy carriers offer checking through a website, smartphone app, and telephone. Check in good time, as in case of flight cancellation or overbooking, you might be able to catch an earlier flight. If your carrier changes the itinerary. they or your agent will try to contact you, but they may not reach you in time. There are a number of online services for reservation checking; however, you'll have to figure out which reservation system was used to do the booking. This is usually printed at the top of your itinerary, but if all else fails you can always ask the agent. *'''[http://www.virtuallythere.com Abacus/Sabre]''' * '''[http://www.checkmytrip.com Amadeus]''' * '''[http://www.viewtrip.com Apollo/Galileo]''' * Though '''Worldspan''' also offers such information, it is now accessible only to those with a valid Worldspan server installation, and ready to use ID and GDS for sign-on. Budget airline flights often will not show up in these systems. In cases of [[severe weather]] (e.g. blizzard, fog) or recent airport closures, get in touch with your airline before you leave home to see whether your flight is delayed or cancelled. If your flight is cancelled, and you have been put on the waitlist for a future flight, don't come to the airport, until the airline informed you that you can fly on the flight for which you are waitlisted. Check occasionally to learn of any progress. ==Online check-in== {{Seealso|At_the_airport#Check-in}} Most carriers now offer online check-in of some form where passengers can at least initiate the check-in process on an internet-enabled device (e.g. personal computer, smartphone, tablet) before arriving at the airport. The online check-in window opens anytime from 24 hours (especially for flights involving the US) to 30 days (for low cost carriers based in Europe) before departure. Nowadays, online check-in may be the only way to initiate the check-in process for some low-cost carriers (e.g. Ryanair). To begin online check-in, passengers have to log on to their carrier's website or open their carrier's mobile app (which can be downloaded from their device's app store). They will need the booking reference or their username and password for the airline's website (if they booked the flight while logged on using their account) and follow instructions from there. For international flights, passengers may also need to supply details found in their passports. They can select their preferred seats, add extra bags, provide their frequent flyer number for mileage accrual, and purchase other extras (depending on the carrier). At the end of the process, passengers may be given the option to print their boarding card or download it to their phones. For some flights, online check-in may not be possible or come with restrictions even if the airline routinely offers online check-in. This is especially the case if the passenger is flying on a route where staff need to see additional documents (e.g. visa) and perform additional security checks. Even if online check-in is possible and passengers have no bags to drop, the carrier may still require them to proceed to a designated desk at the airport for more checks. If a passenger can't check-in on-line or print/download his/her boarding card for whatever reason, the check-in kiosks at the airport operate in the same way, and issue a boarding card. Once the online check-in portion is complete, passengers with bags can drop them off at a designated airline desk at the airport to continue the process. The specific mechanics of check-in vary per carrier; check your carrier's website before leaving home. ===Other remote check-in methods=== Some carriers also offer check-in at stations outside the airport's premises. The facilities offered are similar to what are found in a [[At the airport#check-in|traditional check-in]] station at the airport but may often come with an additional charge or may only be availed of by passengers travelling via certain means to the airport (e.g. airport train). In increasingly rare cases, some carriers may also offer SMS or telephone check-in whereby a passenger proceeds to a designated desk upon arrival at the airport. ==See also== * [[Travel basics]] {{ombox|type=custom|image=[[File:BSicon FLUG.svg|link=Flying|30px]]|text=<span style="color:black"> Done? Move on to the next section of this guide: [[At the airport|'''At the airport →''']]</span>}} {{PartOfTopic|Flying}} {{guidetopic}} 5bmxdtxngx6ew915ub4m5s4emttotmw 0 123766 4501924 4486012 2022-08-16T06:48:14Z Jpatokal 692 /* Flights */ post-COVID update and restructure wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner | Singapore banner Changi airport.jpg}} [[Image:Changi_airport_terminal_3zz.JPG|300px|thumb|Claiming baggage in T3 is a relaxing task]] {{mapframe|1.3492|103.9852|zoom=14}} {{mapshape}} {{mapshapes|Q40176}} '''[http://www.changiairport.com Singapore Changi Airport]''' ({{IATA|SIN}}), "Changi" or just "the airport" to locals, is the main commercial airport of [[Singapore]]. It is 25 km (16 mi) from the centre of Singapore, on the eastern edge of the island, and has good public transport links to all parts of Singapore. Consistently voted one of the best airports in the world, Changi is quintessentially the hub for flights within [[Southeast Asia]], to where virtually all Southeast Asian airlines fly, and a common stop on the Kangaroo Route between [[Europe]] and [[Australia]]. It is the hub airport of the island nation's flag carrier '''[https://www.singaporeair.com Singapore Airlines]''' alongside its low cost subsidiary '''[https://www.flyscoot.com Scoot]''' and another low cost carrier '''[https://www.jetstar.com/ Jetstar Asia]''', a subsidiary of Australian flag carrier Qantas. ==Understand== Changi airport is on the east coast of Singapore, about 25 km from the downtown area with good rail and road connections. There are no domestic flights due to the small size of Singapore; all flights from Changi are international. (Singapore only has one other civilian airport: Seletar.) Opened in 1981 on reclaimed land to alleviate the ever-increasing air traffic at what was then Paya Lebar Airport closer to the city, Changi is one of the world's busiest, and has been consistently voted in the top three world's best airports. Passengers are made to feel at home while in transit, with more facilities than you'd typically expect at an airport. Air-side gardens and artworks soothe the eyes, a massage parlour and spa relax the muscles, a swimming pool at Terminal 1 helps keep the body fit, while a cinema and giant television screens provide visual entertainment. There are even butterfly gardens and koi carp ponds! The airport's schedules are dominated by Singapore's flag carrier, Singapore Airlines, and its low cost subsidiary, Scoot. Singapore Airlines operates the world's longest nonstop commercial flight from Singapore to [[Newark Liberty Airport]], covering a distance of 15,344 km and taking over 17 hours. All Southeast Asian major airports have at least an international flight to Singapore, while routes to East Asia, Australia, the Indian Subcontinent also see multiple services per day by different airlines. Non-stop flights to many European cities, Africa, and even the USA are also on schedule. In fact, 3 of the top 10 world's busiest routes start from Singapore, namely to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Jakarta in Indonesia, and Bangkok in Thailand. Due to the location of '''JEWEL Changi''' at the centre of the airport property, a shopping mall which opened in 2019, its establishments are also included in this guide. ==Flights== Changi has four terminals, referred to as T1, T2, T3 and T4. The ongoing renovation of Terminal 2 and various COVID disruptions have seen many airlines shifted around, so while the table below offers general guidance, check the [https://www.changiairport.com/en/flights/airlines.html official website] for the current details. Taxi drivers know many of the common airlines, but not necessarily all. Singapore Airlines flights may arrive at either terminal regardless of where they are coming from, so if you have friends picking you up, ask them to check the flight information system via the airport website. {{Regionlist |region1name=Terminal 1: Concourse C & D |region1color=#1c75bc |region1description= Used by most (but not all) oneworld and SkyTeam airlines. |region2name=Terminal 2: Concourse E & F |region2color=#ed1b2f |region2description= Under renovation until 2024, but operating in limited capacity. |region3name=Terminal 3: Concourse A & B |region3color=#1a8c7d |region3description= Main terminal for Singapore Airlines and most other Star Alliance carriers. |region4name=Terminal 4: Concourses G & H |region4color=#822a85 |region4description= Used by many (but not all) low-cost carriers, including AirAsia. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#1c75bc|title=T1|wikidata=Q55721632}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ed1b2f|title=T2|wikidata=Q55721633}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#1a8c7d|title=T3|wikidata=Q21974333}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#822a85|title=T4|wikidata=Q21044469}} [[File:Changi Airport - Terminal 4 - Departure 1.jpg|thumb|300px|Check-in at Terminal 4 involves no human touch in most cases!]] For transit, each concourse has a prominent transfer desk to collect your next boarding pass. Check the TV screen for information about where to retrieve the boarding pass for your flight. If you are arriving on a Singapore Airlines flight and transferring to another Singapore Airlines flight, you can often find your arrival and departure gate information from the onboard entertainment system, or from information screens when you exit the arrival gate. There are '''no boarding calls''' and '''boarding gates close 10 minutes before departure'''. Transferring between terminal is easy, since Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are connected to each other in a horseshoe shape, with the concourses laid out in alphabetical order and gate numbers increasing from the middle of each terminal. So if you start at Gate A21 at the south tip of Terminal 3 and keep walking through concourses B, C, D and E, some 3 km later you'll eventually end up at Gate F60 at the tip of Terminal 2. To spare you the hike, free Skytrain shuttles connect Terminals 1, 2 and 3 together, and the shuttle between T1 and T2 is an attraction in itself since it passes right next to the Jewel waterfall. You can walk or use the Skytrains to transfer without going through immigration. Unlike most other airports, there are no separate zones for departing and arriving passengers in the airside of the main terminals, hence arriving passengers are free to shop and eat if they are not in a hurry to pass through passport control. In addition, unless they have checked luggage, they can clear passport control at any terminal; security checks are done at the gate of the respective flight. Terminal 4 is further south of the airport and has no direct Skytrain link to the other terminals. To transfer to flights at Terminal 4, a free shuttle bus service is provided at Terminal 2. T4 also separates arriving and departing passengers, with centralised security screening after immigration. ==Ground transportation== From the airport there are a number of ways to get into the city. [[File:Changi Airport MRT Station (EWL - Changi Branch) - Exit A.jpg|thumb|300px|Get out to the city with ease by using the MRT.]] ===By train=== Changi Airport is the terminus of the '''East-West line''' of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system. The station sits between Terminals 2 and 3, and is well indicated from Terminal 1. When going to the city, you'll need to change trains at Tanah Merah – exit on the ''left hand side'' door and cross the platform. When going to Simei, Pasir Ris or Tampines, exit on the ''right hand side''. When returning to the airport, cross to the middle platform. If you use the Downtown Line, transfer at the Expo station, just before the airport. It should cost you less than $3 ([[Singapore#Money|Singapore dollars]]) to get anywhere from the airport, for instance the 40-minute ride to City Hall station costs $2.30 (+$0.10 non-refundable deposit). Trains run from 05:31 to 23:18. There are no direct routes between the airport and the '''Woodlands Train Station''', at which you can take a train to Malaysia. A transfer is required at downtown and the overall journey takes at least 1 hour and 30 minutes. ===By shuttle=== A Ground Transport Desk is available in the arrival hall at all terminals and can arrange shuttle bus transfers. The shuttle costs $9 per adult and $6 per child (aged 12 years and below) and will take you to most downtown hotels. '''[http://www.transtar.travel/cross-border-services/ Transtar Travel]''' operates a coach service from Terminals 1 and 4 to [[Johor Bahru]] Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ). Fares are $10 from Changi Airport to Johor Bahru, and RM10 in the reverse direction. Payment is accepted by cash and EZ-Link card. The first bus departs at 8:15AM and the last leaves at 11:15PM. A [http://www.changiairport.com/en/transport/shuttle-services.html?anchor=tanah-merah-shuttle shuttle bus] operates from Terminals 1 and 4 to [https://www.singaporecruise.com.sg/index.php/terminals/scctanah-merah/ Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal], where you can catch ferries to the Indonesian islands of [[Batam]] and [[Bintan]]. Fares are $3 per person, and can be paid either by cash or EZ-Link card. ===By taxi=== There are 2 types of taxis to choose from, depending on how many people are travelling together. * '''Taxi''' (cab) is easiest - simply follow the signs after clearing customs. Meters are always used in Singapore. A trip to the city during the day will be $20–30 including a $5 airport surcharge from 5PM Fridays to midnight Sundays and $3 at other times. An additional 50% surcharge applies 00:01-05:59. By law, a taxi can carry a maximum of 4 passengers. ** {{listing | name=Comfort or Citycab | phone=+65 6552 1111 }} ** {{listing | name=Premier Taxis | phone=+65 6363 6888 }} ** {{listing | name=SMRT | phone=+65 6555 8888 }} ** {{listing | name=Transcab | phone=+65 6555 3333 }} * '''Limousines''' charge a flat $55 or $60 for a party of 4 or 7 respectively, to anywhere in the city. These are a pretty good deal after midnight, as you can skip the queue and avoid the surcharge. The same pricing applies to chartering van-sized [https://maxicab-booking.com/ MaxiCabs], [https://sgmaxi.cab/ SGMaxi Airport Transfer] which are good for large families if you have lots of baggage. ===By rideshare=== Local Uber equivalents Grab and Gojek operate from all terminals at Changi Airport. This is often cheaper than taking a taxi and can be faster too if there's a queue. Head to the designated pickup points and pay attention to the door number, since this is how the drivers will find you in the scrum. ===By bus=== Bus terminals are in the basements of T1, T2 and T3, and at ground level at T4. 6AM-11PM only. Fares are around $2.50, exact fare required (no change given) if you pay cash. Bus number 36 directly goes to the city centre, which takes roughly 50 to 60 minutes travelling on expressways through the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]] to [[Singapore/Riverside|City Hall]] and [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Road]]. It serves all four terminals. ===By car=== The airport is at the terminus of the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). A drive to Downtown takes around 30 to 40 minutes; a drive to Jurong at the western end of the expressway is twice as long. All parking lots except the one for Terminal 1 and Jewel Changi are eligible for long term parking, with parking rates capped at $57.60/24 hours; short term or general parking at all terminals are at a rate of $0.04/minute, starting from 10 minutes after entrance. An open-air parking lot between Terminal 2 and JetQuay terminal offers a cheaper parking rate of $35/24 hours or $0.035/minute. Car rental counters are open 7AM to 11PM. Mainstream brands have their respective kiosks at the arrival level of all terminals except terminal 1. ==Get around== [[File:3 Skytrains between T1 and T2.JPG|thumb|300px|These Skytrains make travel between Terminals 1, 2, and 3 quick and convenient.]] Passengers whose flights depart from Terminals 1, 2, or 3 are free to use most of the facilities within these three terminals (e.g. if your flight departs from Terminal 2, you can head over to Terminal 1 to use the swimming pool there). This is because Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are well-connected to each other by the SkyTrain, an automatic driverless people mover which operates both landside and airside, that operates from 4AM to 1:30AM. When the train is not in operation, you must walk if you wish to remain airside. A walk from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 or vice-versa should take about 30 minutes as you have to pass through Terminal 1. A buggy car that will take you to your boarding gate, very useful if you are in a hurry, is available upon request. If you are landside, a shuttle bus is available between the terminals when the SkyTrain is not in operation. Terminal 4 is located in a separate area from the other 3 terminals, and is not served by the SkyTrain system. Shuttle buses both landside and airside connect Terminal 4 with Terminal 2. If you need to transfer between Terminal 4 and Terminals 1 or 3, you will need to catch the shuttle bus to Terminal 2, and make your way to the other terminals by SkyTrain. ==Wait== ===Landside=== [[File:Jewel Changi Airport Rain Vortex 4.jpg|300px|thumb|HSBC Rain Vortex at the Jewel Changi with the Forest Valley and Canopy Park in the background]] * {{listing | name=Free Singapore Tours | alt= | url=https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/plan-travel/privileges/free-singapore-tour/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 2 booth: Airside between Transit F and Skytrain station. Terminal 3 booth: Airside in front of gates A1-A8, opposite Transit A. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=If you have between 5½ and 24 hours to spare, get out of the airport and see old and new sights of the island nation for free! Register at the airside booth at least 1 hour before tour starts. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Jewel Changi Airport | alt= | url=https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=directly connected to Terminal 1; walk across the link bridge from 2 and 3; from Terminal 4, take the bus to Terminal 2 | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Most shops: Daily 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Jewel Changi Airport | wikidata=Q28419359 | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=A shopping mall with many restaurants and shops, many of which have their only shop in Singapore here. If you would rather bask yourself in natural beauty, head to the ''Canopy Park'' at Level 5 for assorted mazes and walks between flowers, or the ''Shiseido Forest Valley'' to shelter under the trees. The iconic ''HSBC Rain Vortex'' is the world's highest fountain, and at night it becomes the stage for a light and sound show. If you don't want to move landside, you can see the fountain by taking the skytrain between Terminal 3 Concourse B and Terminal 2 Concourse E. }} [[File:Kinetic Rain.jpg|thumb|300px|Kinetic Rain|alt=Kinetic Rain.jpg]] *There are several '''kinetic art''' installations at each terminal. The most significant ones include the '''Kinetic Rain''' at Terminal 1 that displays sequence of rain drops forming shapes as they go up and down, '''A Million Times in Changi''' at Terminal 2 that displays clocks on a giant wall, whose moving hands synchronously create shapes and texts, and '''Daisy''' at Terminal 3, a windmill whose movement corresponds to the movement of travelers within its immediate area. ===Airside=== [[File:Arrival at Changi Airport-1 (16181523131).jpg|300px|thumb|Extensive foliage throughout the airport provides relaxation for passengers in the transit area.]] Even if you are stuck in the airport, there are plenty of ways to kill time as each terminal has a unique design and the airside areas of T1, T2, and T3 are attractions in themselves. T2, arguably the most interesting, has an indoor garden, a music listening area with couches and mood lighting, a computer gaming room, a small cinema (you can bring your luggage trolleys inside and park them at the back), paid massage services and, of course, plenty of duty-free shops. T3 has a butterfly garden and plenty of natural light, but fewer entertainment options. T1 has a swimming pool for $13.91 and Jacuzzi, both open until 23:00. There is an outdoor cactus garden on the roof of T1. You can travel between the main terminals without passing through immigration and, if you have no checked-in luggage to collect, you can clear passport control and customs at any terminal. T4 is smaller than the other three terminals, but has a Peranakan heritage area with exhibits about Peranakan culture and history. *'''Movie theaters''' with several current movies are played in the loop at Terminals 2 and 3. Simply park your trolley and tuck in, for no charge! *An '''Entertainment Deck''' at Terminal 2 invites game players to entertain themselves with XBox Kinect, Playstation and several arcade games. *There is at least one '''TV lounge''' at every terminal, inviting football fans to watch matches live. *Have a little time for art? Create your own woodblock print at the art stations in Terminals 1, 2, and 3. ====Gardens==== Being a tropical country, the airport tries to introduce native flora for travelers who lucked out of visiting Southeast Asian gardens and jungles, or just to unwind themselves. *'''Terminal 1''': ''Cactus Garden'', ''Water Lily Garden'', ''Discovery Garden'', ''Piazza Garden'' *'''Terminal 2''': ''Enchanted Garden'', ''Orchid Garden'', ''Sunflower Garden'' *'''Terminal 3''': ''Butterfly Garden'', ''Crystal Garden'' *'''Terminal 4''': ''Steel In Bloom'' ====Lounges==== *Ground services dnata & SATS have lounges at each terminal. Inquire your airline about which lounge they use. *British Airways, Emirates, Qantas and Qatar Airways have large dedicated lounges for First and Business Class passengers in Terminal 1 with shower facilities, food and drink, Wi-Fi access and internet terminals. *Thai Airways International has a Royal Orchid Lounge in Terminal 1. *Terminals 2 and 3 each have a Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge for First and Business Class passengers, each of which has separate sections exclusively for First Class passengers. If you are flying in economy on a Star Alliance airline and hold a KrisFlyer (Singapore Airline's [[frequent flyer programmes|frequent flyer programme]]) Gold card, or Star Alliance Gold card, you will be redirected to separate, somewhat busier, lounges. *Cathay Pacific has a lounge for First and Business Class passengers in Terminal 4. *Plaza Premium Lounge has a lounge in Terminal 1, and another one jointly run with SATS in Terminal 4. *Local bank DBS operates lounges in Terminals 2 and 3 for their private banking clients. ==Eat and drink== [[File:Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4, food count 1.jpg|thumb|300px|There are at least one food court at all terminals, where you can savour Singaporean delicacies, such as this one at Terminal 4.]] Some of the restaurants, especially in the food courts and the transit area, accept neighbouring and world major currencies; change is always given in Singapore dollars. The food courts and convenience stores are, with few exceptions, open 24 hours. If you have time to go landside, Jewel is absolutely the best place to eat or drink. There are dozens of places to eat, and the garden-like top floor under the giant canopy is particularly impressive. ===Terminal 1=== ====Public==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Staff Canteen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 Car Park 1B | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1: From Departures take lifts 8 or 9 behind row 13 to Level B1. From Arrivals walk past Burger King to exit. Go down the stairs on the left at the end of the passage. | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 06:00-22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Featuring a wide array of local food at local prices, this miniature hawker centre is where the airport staff eat, and it's open to the public. }} ====Transit==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Food Gallery | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=The food court offering diverse Singaporean delicacies. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=The World Is Flat | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=Relax at a bar featuring rotating selection of craft beers on tap and mixtures of cocktails. }} ===Terminal 2=== ====Public==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Staff Canteen | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 2 Level 3M Car Park 3B| lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 2: From departures go past row 12 to Car Park, take lift to level 3 and a flight of stairs to 3M. From Arrivals, go left to the car park, follow signs for lift to the canteen. | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Finding your way here is a bit of an adventure (yes, the canteen is ''inside'' the car park!), but your reward is this miniature hawker centre with around 20 stalls dishing out authentic local food at less than half price of what you'd pay airside. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Swensen's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Arrival Hall Level 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Serves diner-style breakfast and snacks, steaks, pastas and pizzas, and of course, ice cream. }} ====Transit==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Chutney Mary | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Craving the authentic Indian spices? Head here for either a light street snack or a more substantial thali set. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Kaveri Indian Vegetarian | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=One of the few vegetarian friendly restaurants at the airport. Specializes in southern Indian flavors. }} * {{eat | name=Nando's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=10:30AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=The go-to place for its renowned spicy (peri-peri) chicken with various optional salads and side dishes to make it a hearty meal. You can of course, choose the level of spiciness. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Straits Food Village | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=A food court offering assorted dishes from Singapore in a rustic wood atmosphere. Order the food by selecting from the kiosk and pick up your meal from the restaurant when your number is called. }} ===Terminal 3=== [[File:SINT3.JPG|300px|thumb|Terminal 3 Airside Area.]] ====Public==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Kopitiam | alt= | url=http://www.kopitiam.biz/singapore-changi-airport-terminal-3/ | email= | address=Basement 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hr | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-01-21 | content=Food court serving local dishes at reasonable prices (by airport standards). }} ====Transit==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=LeNu Chef Wai's Noodle Bar | alt= | url=https://www.paradisegp.com/brand-lenu-chef-wais-noodle-bar/ | email= | address=Level 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=5AM-2AM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=In mood for something warm and hearty? Head here to savor its noodle with a choice of beef or pork broth, simmered for at least 12 hours resulting in rich flavor and high protein content, or congee with toppings you can select from, including the recommended silk tofu and century egg. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2 Departure Lounge Central | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=6AM-1AM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Enjoy breakfast by morning or steaks, pastas, and pizzas by the afternoon and evening, with recipes tailored by the renowned chef. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Singapore Food Street | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=A 1960s-themed food court offering culinary delights from the island nation. }} ===Terminal 4=== ====Public==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=Food Emporium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2M | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Perhaps the only food court on landside. Prices comparable to outside establishments. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=London Fat Duck | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2M | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=Look for its tender and crispy signature roast duck, either on its own or on rice, noodles and congees. A small selection of dim sums are also offered to those who want just a little snack. }} ====Transit==== * {{listing | type=eat | name=International Food Hall | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2M | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Food court offering diverse range of dishes from all over the world. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Tiger Den | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2 | lat= | long= | directions=next to WH Smith, opposite the row of shops | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=Enjoy Singapore's very own beer, tapped up to a pitcher or bottled. }} * {{listing | type=eat | name=Treasures Yi Dian Xin by Imperial | alt= | url= | email= | address=Level 2 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Set menus $14-20. Dim sums $5-8, Main course $10-15 | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=An extensive selection of dim sums in addition to noodles and congees. Look for its set menu which for a cheaper price makes a complete meal. }} Food options are varied and generally reasonably priced, with some choice picks including the Peranakan-themed '''Soup Restaurant''' (T2 landside), which serves much more than just soup, and '''Sakae Sushi''' (T2 airside). For some local food, try a kaya toast set at '''Ya Kun Kaya Toast''' (T3 landside) or '''Killiney Kopitiam''' (T2 airside). Soft-boiled eggs, coconut jam on toasted bread, and some ''kopi'' (coffee) are nice to eat at any time of the day. There is also a good dim sum restaurant in '''London Fat Duck''' (T4). ==Buy== {{infobox|Get your free money!|Passengers flying Singapore Airlines and transiting in Singapore for less than 24 hours are entitled to a '''$20 voucher''' for buying basically anything at the airport but convenience stores & money exchanges. Simply show your electronic ticket or boarding pass and passport at the iShop@Changi counter at Terminals 2 & 3 to claim.}} {{infobox|Your spare change can go a long way.|If you have spare Singapore dollars or other currencies you wish to dispose of, you can do so at the Travelersbox vending machine for credit at various merchants (such as Starbucks, Facebook, JD.com, Grab, Lazada, Amazon China or Japan, Facebook, Tokopedia) or donate them to charity.}} [[File:Changi airport T1 transit area.jpg|300px|thumb|Plenty of shopping options, be it fashion or food]] ATMs abound, although they mostly only represent Singaporean banks and Citibank is the only international bank. Money changers offer reasonable rates as well, although you pay a small premium compared to the city. Credit card payments are accepted at all establishments. Duty free shops even offer payment in the traveler's home currency or in Singaporean dollars; make sure to check the forex rate of your credit card issuer first. Shops are extremely varied and, if moved to more than 100 countries, would constitute their largest mall! All accept American Express, Visa and MasterCard; most accept Diners Club, JCB and UnionPay. If you're just arriving and need to buy a SIM card for your phone, there are plenty of tourist help-oriented shops that will be happy to sell you one with $50-70 of credit on it (and that's how much it will cost). 1GB of data for a week is only $7 though, so if you're only in Singapore for a short time, the bigger cards are definitely overkill. Instead, head to the money changers - you can buy a $15 SIM card there. You need to present your passport when purchasing SIM cards. * {{buy | name=Discover Singapore | alt= | url= | email= | address=One at each end of all terminals | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 6AM-midnight | price= | content=For your last minute gift ideas on Singaporean memorabilia and icons as souvenirs. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Irvin's | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1: Transit Area near C Gates. Terminal 2: Transit Area Center. Jewel Changi | phone= | tollfree= | hours=7AM to 11PM or sold out | price= | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=One of the new delicacies of Singapore you can effortlessly take home with: bite sized fried fish skin (or cassava or potato chips) coated with salted egg. The fish skin usually sells out by mid afternoon! Whoever tries will be addicted. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Bee Cheng Hiang | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1: Transit Central and near D Gates. Terminal 2: Near E and F gates. Terminal 4: Transit | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Varies between 7AM to 11PM | price=Bakkwas from $15 | lastedit=2019-05-26 | content=Most famous for its ''bak kwa'', a Singaporean delicacy resembling sweet bacon or jerky, cut in various shapes and sizes, freshly BBQed for near-future consumption or vacuum packed for longer shelf life. Also sells meat floss and mini cookies. }} * {{listing | name=Changi Recommends | alt= | url=https://www.changirecommends.com/ | email= | address=All terminals, level 1 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=Sells SIM Cards with humongous internet quotas or alternatively, rent a WiFi that can be shared with multiple devices. Inbound travelers can also benefit from pre-purchase of admission tickets to tourist attractions as well as tourist passes. Departing passengers can purchase rail passes for Japan or rent WiFi for other countries }} ==Connect== There are two ways to connect to the Internet at the airport. One option is Wi-Fi connectivity with the '''WiFi@Changi''' access point that resets every 3 hours. Either login with your phone number and an access code sent by SMS or simply ask for one at the information counter. Don't really count on its speed and reliability though. A much better option is to use the 200 Internet kiosks throughout the airport. You have 20 minutes for each session, although you can always re-login. They are always free of charge. Any local calls made within the departure transit lounge are free. You can use the public payphones or head over to the convenience stores. If you are on the land side, you can rent a smartphone or buy a prepaid card. Passengers that have liquid, aerosols, and gels that are too big to make their way pass the security checkpoint, can take advantage of the '''Speedpost@Changi''' service. Purchase an envelope from the security offices or at the mailbox, drop them in, and wait for them to be delivered within 5 working days to most cities. You must drop them in the mailbox by 30 minutes before departure. If you want to send some last minute '''postcards''', you can buy stamps from the 7-Eleven on the airside of Terminal 1 on the right-hand side of the immigration control, and put the cards in the mail box behind the Aspial store. You can also drop them at Transfer F at Terminal 2 or near the GST Refund Counter at Terminal 3. ==Cope== '''Baggage storage''' can be found at all terminals both landside and airside. Rates range from $5 for loose items to $18 for extra bulky items, per 24 hours. These can come in handy if you wish to stroll the city only for a couple of hours. Although smoking is not allowed at most areas, '''outdoor smoking areas''' are peppered within the terminal (''Terminal 1: near Cactus Garden and Snooze Lounge, near Gates D36 and C16. Terminal 2: Sunflower Garden, opposite gate E5, behind Sunglass Hut. Terminal 3: Opposite gates B10 and A21, next to Harry's Sports Bar, Butterfly Garden. Terminal 4: near gates 4 and 16, Level 2M''). If you'd rather sit, there are chairs throughout the area. '''Charging points''' are also adjacent while a few are even equipped with '''feet massage'''. Although '''prayer rooms''' can be found at all terminals, these are actually catered to Muslims. Should you feel unwell or require medical assistance, the '''Raffles Medical Clinic''' at all terminals will be able to assist you. '''Pharmacies''' from mainstream landside brands such as Guardian and Watson can be found at all Terminals, with generic medicine and vitamins you might need. While all toilets are both child and disabled friendly, there are a couple dedicated for '''baby care''', both at public and transit areas. (''Terminal 1: near gates D36 and C24, behind Kaboom shop, level 3 near Playground and 7-Eleven. Terminal 2: near gate E1, behind Guardian. Terminal 3: Gates A1-A8, A16-A20, A21, B1-B4, between B8 and B9. Terminal 4: Near Gates 4, 7, 10, Baggage Claim.'') Airport maps and signs to some essential facilities are clearly indicated at various points in the terminals, although you can also just grab a free guide book to make your way through the airport. You can also scan your boarding pass at the scanner kiosk to look for which gate your flight is departing from. ==Sleep== ===Airside=== '''Snooze lounges''' for a little nap or lounging while charging your devices can be found at all terminals. Though they are often packed, travelers do come and go quite frequently within the hour. *'''Terminal 1''': Level 3, opposite O'Leary's Sports Bar *'''Terminal 2''': Level 2, opposite Gates E5 and E11 *'''Terminal 3''': Level 2, along the passage behind the shops with a view of the runway. *'''Terminal 4''': Level 2M, opposite International Food Hall For a more substantial sleep on real beds, there are '''transit hotels''' in Terminals 1, 2, and 3. * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Aerotel | alt= | url=https://www.myaerotel.com/en-uk/find/asia-pacific/singapore/singapore/aerotel-singapore | email=hello.sin@myaerotel.com | address=Terminal 1 Level 3 | lat=1.36211 | long=103.99005 | directions= | phone=+65 6808 2388 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $90 per 6-hour increment | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=Rooms of assorted sizes from 1 to 4 people, with either shared or private showers. Also operates a swimming pool and gym (fee applicable for non-hotel guests) . }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=Ambassador Transit Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.harilelahospitality.com | email= | address=Level 3, Terminals 2 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $100 per 6 hour increment (Budget Room in Terminal 2 only $60 per 6 hour increment) | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=Rooms from 1 to 3 people, most with private showers. Also offers lounge and gym facilities (fee applicable for non-hotel guests), in addition to pampering package. }} ===Landside=== [[File:Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Singapore - 20120320.jpg|thumb|300px|Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, the first landside hotel on the airport property]] There are several options available in the neighbouring Changi Village and other parts of eastern Singapore. Sleeping at a budget price is available within the Geylang Area, a 20-minute ride with the MRT to Aljunied or Kallang stations. ====Within Airport==== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Changi Airport | url=http://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/singapore/sincp/hoteldetail | email= | address=75 Airport Blvd #01-01 | lat=1.35861 | long=103.98802 | directions=next to Terminal 3 | phone=+65 6823 5300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $240 per night | checkin= | checkout= | content= Regular winner of "best airport hotel" awards, and also has well soundproofed planespotting rooms with direct runway views from your bed. Lovely palm-lined pool area, gym, spa, bar, two restaurants, pay-per-minute Internet. }} * {{listing | type=sleep | name=YOTELAIR Changi | alt= | url=https://www.yotel.com/en/hotels/yotelair-singapore-changi-airport | email= | address=Jewel Changi Level 4 | lat=1.36045 | long=103.98958 | directions= | phone=+65 6407 7888 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $190 per night | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-06-14 | content=A more affordable option within the airport. Small, windowless rooms but featuring modern design and amenities. A room fit for 4 is also readily available. In-house restaurant with breakfast for extra fee. }} ====Around airport==== * {{sleep | name=Capri by Fraser, Changi City | url=https://singapore.capribyfraser.com/en | email= | address= 3 Changi Business Park Central 1, Changi | lat=1.33421 | long=103.96343 | directions=nearest MRT Station: Expo | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $250 | checkin= | checkout= | content=A larger & more modern hotel than its neighbour, the Park Avenue. Rooms are like suites with a kitchenette. Each room has an iPod dock & DVD player. Airport transfer is free. }} * {{sleep | name=Changi Cove | url=https://changicove.com/ | email= | address=351 Cranwell Road, Changi | lat=1.38885 | long=103.97646 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $240 | checkin= | checkout= | content=There is no MRT station within walking distance, so the only feasible way is by taxi. Rooms are fairly spacious. You'll have your own Nespresso coffee machine, L'Occitane toiletries, and a wall on your room where you can write everything! Complete facilities such as wide restaurants & a swimming pool. }} * {{sleep | name=Park Avenue Changi | url=https://parkavenueintl.com/property/changi/ | email= | address=2 Changi Business Park Avenue 1, Changi | lat=1.33588 | long=103.96330 | directions=nearest MRT Station: Expo | phone=+65 6823 5300 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $170 | checkin= | checkout= | content=171 rooms, including 70 suites with kitchenette. Each room has an iPod dock & flat screen TV. There's an outdoor swimming pool & fitness centre, but no restaurants. }} * {{sleep | name=Village Hotel Changi | url=https://www.villagehotels.asia/en/hotels/village-hotel-changi | email= | address= 1 Netheravon Road, Changi | lat=1.39053 | long=103.98613 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=From $240 | checkin= | checkout= | content=There is no MRT station within walking distance, so the only feasible way is by taxi. Basic rooms but might be a bit less spacious. A wide infinity swimming pool & restaurant. Airport transfer is free. }} ==Stay safe== {{warningbox|Singapore has very strict drug laws, and '''drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty''' — which is also applied to foreigners. '''Even if''' you haven't passed Singapore customs and immigration and are only ''transiting'' while in possession of drugs, you would still be subject to capital punishment. Possession equally applies to prescribed/labeled medications. If you must travel with restricted/controlled medications, see "[[Singapore#Get in]]" for a link to find out what drugs/medications are restricted and to obtain permission for those restricted but permitted. Also note that in Singapore, it is an offence even to have any restricted drug metabolites in your system, even if consumed outside Singapore; Customs occasionally does spot urine tests at the airport! Additionally, bringing in explosives or firearms without a permit is also a capital offence in Singapore.}} By and large, the airport is safe as police frequently patrol by Segways and buggy cars and the building is well-lit throughout the day. The airport practically never sleeps, so even at dawn there will always be a few people at some points in the airport. Passengers sleeping or hanging around in the public areas of the airport for extended periods of time can expect to get questioned by security. You'll be fine as long as you have a departing flight within the next 24 hours or so. ==Nearby== If you arrive early enough (often there are big queues) and have between 5½ and 24 hours to spare, there are '''free city tours''' that take you to either the old or modern sights of the island nation, with frequent departures. Register at a Free Singapore Tours (FST) Registration Booth '''at least one hour before'''. *Terminal 1 - go to Terminal 2 for registration *Terminal 2 - Between Transit F and Skytrain station *Terminal 3 - Opposite Transit A next to Gates A1-A8 On the other hand, if you only have one night in Singapore, you could grab a classic Singaporean late-night supper in '''Geylang''' or '''East Coast Lagoon Food Village''' in the [[Singapore/East Coast|East Coast]]. Or head over to the pubs and clubs in [[Singapore/Riverside|Riverside]] and [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]]. {{IsPartOf|Singapore}} {{usableairport}} {{geo|1.359|103.989}} 62umjto3ykdb4s0inmwia679d7uxwzp 0 125583 4501661 4451523 2022-08-15T17:46:01Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Respect */ bridleways wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths'' ==Stay safe== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} 4rmf81upa2k2g5xr67nkrvcteim91ue 4501663 4501661 2022-08-15T17:48:24Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 Two 'Stay safe' sections? wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} eznr4p140g4547g5dwvd7no1jq050yr 4501664 4501663 2022-08-15T17:49:56Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Respect */ + wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. it may be illegal to ride horses on trails intended for other uses, such as hikers or cyclists. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} gi42hdf7w9yhjr5054q4fturkhhh9av 4501665 4501664 2022-08-15T17:50:45Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Respect */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. it may be illegal to ride horses on trails intended for other uses, such as footpaths or bike paths. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} cn00otann0p663bn7ntcwmo79x6t8fw 4501666 4501665 2022-08-15T17:51:11Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Respect */ bloody sloppy tonight wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. It may be illegal to ride horses on trails intended for other uses, such as footpaths or bike paths. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} 8nepyc8skdyerjmvpaz5rskhg8hys1r 4501677 4501666 2022-08-15T18:19:39Z LPfi 79572 /* Handling */ on reins and sitting wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. The less you need to do to have the horse do what it should, the better. You should hold the reins steadily or avoid using them at all. Having somebody jerk your mouth all the time would make you quite irritate, wouldn't it? Ask for advice if this isn't something you learned ages ago. Also, sit steady (and reasonably relaxed); advanced horse riding is much about using nuances of how you sit to communicate with your horse. If you are jumping around, the horse will think you are an idiot and treat you as one. A horse used to advanced riders may try to figure out what you are telling it – and get quite frustrated. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. It may be illegal to ride horses on trails intended for other uses, such as footpaths or bike paths. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} 05s1gtvlwp7oesxqxxz2ldf5ripu2i6 4501692 4501677 2022-08-15T18:36:11Z LPfi 79572 {{outlinetopic}}, see talk wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ==Equipment== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear ]] ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. The less you need to do to have the horse do what it should, the better. You should hold the reins steadily or avoid using them at all. Having somebody jerk your mouth all the time would make you quite irritate, wouldn't it? Ask for advice if this isn't something you learned ages ago. Also, sit steady (and reasonably relaxed); advanced horse riding is much about using nuances of how you sit to communicate with your horse. If you are jumping around, the horse will think you are an idiot and treat you as one. A horse used to advanced riders may try to figure out what you are telling it – and get quite frustrated. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. It may be illegal to ride horses on trails intended for other uses, such as footpaths or bike paths. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} knlnbcohqqur79f37sxbfhj3g9o806a 4501704 4501692 2022-08-15T18:58:04Z LPfi 79572 added a few section headers, more thought needed wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Horse riding banner.jpg|caption=on the trail in Alberta}} The '''horse''' has had a decisive role in history of mankind. In many parts around the world, horse riding remains the most practical and reliable form of transport. == Understand == Horsemanship is an intricate form of physical exercise, where the gait can vary from a casual walk to competitive steeplechase. [[File:Samurai on horseback.png|200px|thumbnail|Japanese Samurai on horseback, wearing armor and horned helmet, carrying bow and arrows circa 1878]] There are many reasons to ride horses far from home: * '''Costs''': Caring for a horse requires much work, making the nominal price of horse riding lower in a low-income country. * '''Nature''': Many natural sceneries are best seen from horseback. * '''Tradition''': Travellers might want to take part in equestrian tradition in different parts of the world. * '''Comfort''': There are still places in the world that can only be reached on foot or horseback. Many prefer horseback. Horse riding is also an important part of the national identity of some historically nomadic nations, perhaps most notably [[Mongolia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. In these countries, visiting during important traditional festivals will give you are good opportunity to observe the local tradition of equestrianism. ===Horse riding basics=== ===Horse handling basics=== ==Choosing a stable== ==Level of expertise== The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. ==Styles of riding and riding experiences== [[File:People of Tibet51.jpg|250px|thumbnail|A Tibetan riding with traditional gear]] ==Issues on longer horseback journeys== ==Personal equipment== Most horseback riders today use a helmet. Especially for jumping and the terrain a protective vest is often used. Most stables in western countries provide at least helmets, but whether they are any left of your size, and whether their best-before date pasted the last decade is an open question. You should have suitable trousers. Riding breeches (such as jodhpurs) lack seams in the critical areas, which is good for long sessions, and they give good friction as needed. Don't assume there are any spares for you to use. Riding gloves ease rein handling, and may be necessary in cold weather. In cold whether you need appropriate gear all round. The clothes ideally shouldn't make you sweat, but winter riding is a cold experience, and adjusting your clothes on the horseback, especially when trying to keep up in a line, is challenging. Mind you head, as there is limited space in the helmet. ==Horse tack== There are vast regional differences with horse riding equipment (commonly referred to as horse tack). ===Saddle=== Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding), known as a cinch in the Western US, a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs (less for a pony). It should be tight enough to keep the saddle steady, but not too tight. Tighten it a few times before sitting up, very gently the first time. If you are a novice, somebody should check the tightness. It is important that the saddle be comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Check there is no mud blobs or wounds where the saddle is to be put. Put it on a little too much to the front and glide it backwards to its right location (along the fur). Be careful that the saddlecloth (the blanket under the saddle) gets straight. ===Stirrups=== Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. They provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a rider's feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, they could be dragged if the horse runs away. To minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions can be taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth, quite narrow, sole. Next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself. Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup (or "iron") has several design variations which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. ===Halter=== A halter (US) or headcollar (UK and Ireland) (occasionally headstall) consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short (from six to ten feet, two to three meters) for everyday leading and tying, or much longer (up to 25 feet (7.6 m), eight meters) for tasks such as leading packhorses or picketing a horse out to graze. When tying the horse, the rope should be short enough that the horse will not easily step over it (and get trapped). Either the knot or the fastening to the halter, preferably both, should be easy to open if the horse gets scared (it may damage itself trying to get free). When leading the horse, you should keep the rope such that you can easily give some more leeway without losing your end of it, e.g. if the horse gets scared and jumps sideways. Do not wind it around your hand, as you could damage your hand or get dragged if the horse flees in earnest. [[File:Barcoo bridle.JPG|150px|thumbnail|Barcoo (or ringhead) bridle as used across Australia]] ===Bridles=== Bridles usually have a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. English Bridles have a cavesson style noseband and are seen in English riding. Their reins are buckled to one another, and they have little adornment or flashy hardware. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "Split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. A hackamore is a headgear that uses a heavy noseband of some sort, rather than a bit, most often used to train young horses or to go easy on an older horse's mouth. Hackamores are more often seen in western riding. Some related styles of headgear that control a horse with a noseband rather than a bit are known as bitless bridles. ===Reins=== Reins consist of leather straps or rope attached to the outer ends of a bit and extend to the rider's or driver's hands. Reins are the means by which a horse rider or driver communicates directional commands to the horse's head. Pulling on the reins can be used to steer or stop the horse. The sides of a horse's mouth are sensitive, so pulling on the reins pulls the bit, which then pulls the horse's head from side to side, which is how the horse is controlled. '''Horses should never be tied by the reins''': not only do they break easily, but, being attached to a bit in the horse's sensitive mouth, a great deal of pain can be inflicted if a bridled horse sets back against being tied. Be aware that the reins are not like a steering wheel. Ideally you and the horse should communicate such that the horse feels your intentions and acts in accordance. Warn the horse a few seconds before any intended turn, change in speed – or place where the horse may do something silly. E.g. looking in the direction where you are going to turn may make your hips turn enough for the horse to feel it. If you have to ''force'' the horse to do things, you are likely to end up in a losing fight. Probably you have been giving conflicting or confusing signals; try to avoid unnecessary motion, be very clear and repeat your signals instead of prolonging them. ===Bits=== A bit is a device placed in a horse's mouth, kept on a horse's head by means of a headstall. There are many types, each useful for specific types of riding and training. The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars. It is important that the style of bit is appropriate to the horse's needs and is fitted properly for it to function properly and be as comfortable as possible for the horse. ==Stay safe== Riding has some inherent risks as, when mounted, the rider's head may be up to 4 m (13 ft) from the ground, and the horse may travel at a speed of up to 65 km/h (40 mph). The injuries observed range from very minor injuries to fatalities. A good '''riding helmet''' makes up a minimum of safety, and is often required, but experience and training offer the best safety. The most common injury (about 75%) is falling from the horse. Being kicked, trampled, or bitten account for most of the others. === Your level of expertise=== At some locations the stables may expect all customers (at least adult men) to know how to handle a horse. If there is a language barrier you may have difficulties explaining your level of expertise. Especially in that situation, it is good to be as well prepared as possible, to be able to ask for specific advice. Don't overestimate your abilities, especially with an unfamiliar horse, who may also be more used to a different rider. === Choice of location === The overall look of a stable and the way horses are handled may give warning signs about maltreatment of horses or not taking safety seriously. If you are in the position to see the location beforehand, take a good look and discuss anything that looks bad. === Different horses === Be aware of equine sexuality. A stallion may become difficult to manage if he smells a mare in season, or if he sees another stallion as a rival to be driven off. Competition between stallions &mdash; often bluff, but sometimes fighting &mdash; is normal behavior for horses in the wild, and any stallion has the instincts for it. Expert riders can fairly easily manage this, but non-experts should generally ride geldings (castrated male horses) or mares. There are also big differences between individual horses and how the horses at a given location interact. The location providing you with horses and guides should judge your expertise and choose horses accordingly. Some horses are used to beginners and follow in the line without problems, while others suppose you know what you are doing and will give you a more interesting ride. The latter may be dangerous in the hands of a beginner. Even a horse that is gentle while in the line may start fighting or racing if allowed to wander away to the wrong fellow, which means you should follow instructions carefully. Keep the distance, as most horses are uneasy about having somebody too near behind. === Handling === A bite from a horse is serious and a kick can be fatal, but the risk of these is small with a well-trained horse unless you startle or provoke it. Talk calmly and show the horse what you are going to do; avoid doing anything surprising. Also avoid going close behind a horse as this is both the direction in which they can kick most easily and out of their field of view, so most likely to startle them. Having a horse accidentally step on your foot can also cause serious injury. The larger breeds can do more damage, but even a pony is heavy enough to hurt you quite badly. The less you need to do to have the horse do what it should, the better. You should hold the reins steadily or avoid using them at all. Having somebody jerk your mouth all the time would make you quite irritate, wouldn't it? Ask for advice if this isn't something you learned ages ago. Also, sit steady (and reasonably relaxed); advanced horse riding is much about using nuances of how you sit to communicate with your horse. If you are jumping around, the horse will think you are an idiot and treat you as one. A horse used to advanced riders may try to figure out what you are telling it – and get quite frustrated. === Traffic === Horses and motor vehicles don't go well together. When you plan a ride, avoid roads used by motorized vehicles if possible. When you drive, give plenty of space for horses. ===Allergies=== Especially in high-income countries, allergy to horses is prevalent. If you go from horse riding to an indoor event, you should change clothes to avoid carrying allergens. ==Respect== Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected. In most parts of the world, both the horse and the handler carry a social status far above livestock and farmworkers in general. Equine health and welfare is to be taken seriously, by handlers and riders alike. Some countries and areas restrict the riding of horses to certain routes, such as designated equestrian trails called ''bridleways'' or ''bridle paths''. It may be illegal to ride horses on trails intended for other uses, such as footpaths or bike paths. ==See also== * [[Agricultural shows]] * [[Agritourism]] * [[Animal collisions]] * [[Animal ethics]] * [[Gambling]] * [[Horse racing]] * [[Rodeo (event)]] {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Sports}} ff72amzvefq9bc0axcjsymzpjkiem7r 1 125710 4501691 3736451 2022-08-15T18:35:36Z LPfi 79572 new section: /* Usable? */ wikitext text/x-wiki ==Destinations== you can pretty much ride a horse anywhere there is dirt, can we do away with the destinations section and focus on making an otherwise well rounded article? --[[User:Lumpytrout|Lumpytrout]] ([[User talk:Lumpytrout|talk]]) 13:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC) :Fully agree. There is no way to give a list of places where you can ride horses (virtually everywhere), nor are there even "main horseriding destination" to highlight. I have removed the section. [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 13:35, 28 June 2013 (UTC) == Where to put something.... == {{swept}} In trying to find a museum that dealt with horse racing I came across this museum connected with Horses and Equestrianism more generally.. [http://www.horsemuseum.co.uk The Museum Of The Horse at The Newcastle Arms, Tuxford] Naturally it should go in the appropriate destination article, but is there a travel topic where it would also fit? [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 14:59, 19 January 2019 (UTC) : Perhaps [[Horse riding]], if it is good enough to warrant a significant detour. --[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:58, 20 January 2019 (UTC) :: Thanks. Due to the efforts of another contributor, another question arose which was to do with when listing racecourses, how to link the fixture/meetings list. Would it be reasonable to link this in what would otherwise be the hours field (I wanted a wider consensus on this)? [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 12:51, 20 January 2019 (UTC) :::Something like that's been done for businesses with wildly variable hours before. :::It might be useful to add a summary of whatever can be said, like "Most weekends during spring and summer". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:27, 21 January 2019 (UTC) :::: For Plumpton which i added to [[Lewes]] I linked the meetings/fixtures list. [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 13:20, 22 January 2019 (UTC) == Usable? == The article is now said to be usable ("Has at least a good overview of the topic, and some useful material under each heading"). I disagree. Where's the good overview? There is an overview of some equipment, but not on horse riding. Some discussion relevant for Understand (or their own sections), such as choosing a stable, is now in Stay safe. Stay safe should point out the risks to be aware of, but the main discussion on how to find a good stable abroad should be elsewhere. I very much wonder for what audience the article is intended, which is one reason I haven't done much to the article. If the readers need to be told that "stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle", then we should give all the beginner's course. I would hope that we have some horsemen or horsewomen who actually have been riding horses abroad at commercial stables (I haven't). Then we might be able to give advice specifically for travellers, which could be useful also for those who master riding their own horse. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:35, 15 August 2022 (UTC) 6rec6mi54knjb9llb5drd9piy0xfno7 4501694 4501691 2022-08-15T18:40:11Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Usable? */ wikitext text/x-wiki ==Destinations== you can pretty much ride a horse anywhere there is dirt, can we do away with the destinations section and focus on making an otherwise well rounded article? --[[User:Lumpytrout|Lumpytrout]] ([[User talk:Lumpytrout|talk]]) 13:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC) :Fully agree. There is no way to give a list of places where you can ride horses (virtually everywhere), nor are there even "main horseriding destination" to highlight. I have removed the section. [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 13:35, 28 June 2013 (UTC) == Where to put something.... == {{swept}} In trying to find a museum that dealt with horse racing I came across this museum connected with Horses and Equestrianism more generally.. [http://www.horsemuseum.co.uk The Museum Of The Horse at The Newcastle Arms, Tuxford] Naturally it should go in the appropriate destination article, but is there a travel topic where it would also fit? [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 14:59, 19 January 2019 (UTC) : Perhaps [[Horse riding]], if it is good enough to warrant a significant detour. --[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:58, 20 January 2019 (UTC) :: Thanks. Due to the efforts of another contributor, another question arose which was to do with when listing racecourses, how to link the fixture/meetings list. Would it be reasonable to link this in what would otherwise be the hours field (I wanted a wider consensus on this)? [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 12:51, 20 January 2019 (UTC) :::Something like that's been done for businesses with wildly variable hours before. :::It might be useful to add a summary of whatever can be said, like "Most weekends during spring and summer". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:27, 21 January 2019 (UTC) :::: For Plumpton which i added to [[Lewes]] I linked the meetings/fixtures list. [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 13:20, 22 January 2019 (UTC) == Usable? == The article is now said to be usable ("Has at least a good overview of the topic, and some useful material under each heading"). I disagree. Where's the good overview? There is an overview of some equipment, but not on horse riding. Some discussion relevant for Understand (or their own sections), such as choosing a stable, is now in Stay safe. Stay safe should point out the risks to be aware of, but the main discussion on how to find a good stable abroad should be elsewhere. I very much wonder for what audience the article is intended, which is one reason I haven't done much to the article. If the readers need to be told that "stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle", then we should give all the beginner's course. I would hope that we have some horsemen or horsewomen who actually have been riding horses abroad at commercial stables (I haven't). Then we might be able to give advice specifically for travellers, which could be useful also for those who master riding their own horse. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:35, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I agree with you. There's also basically no travel content, i.e. destinations.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:40, 15 August 2022 (UTC) n32gav1u619gp2cspxi396gfkx44p7j 4501712 4501694 2022-08-15T19:26:25Z LPfi 79572 /* Usable? */ destination listings not that important for the focus of this topic as I see it wikitext text/x-wiki ==Destinations== you can pretty much ride a horse anywhere there is dirt, can we do away with the destinations section and focus on making an otherwise well rounded article? --[[User:Lumpytrout|Lumpytrout]] ([[User talk:Lumpytrout|talk]]) 13:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC) :Fully agree. There is no way to give a list of places where you can ride horses (virtually everywhere), nor are there even "main horseriding destination" to highlight. I have removed the section. [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 13:35, 28 June 2013 (UTC) == Where to put something.... == {{swept}} In trying to find a museum that dealt with horse racing I came across this museum connected with Horses and Equestrianism more generally.. [http://www.horsemuseum.co.uk The Museum Of The Horse at The Newcastle Arms, Tuxford] Naturally it should go in the appropriate destination article, but is there a travel topic where it would also fit? [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 14:59, 19 January 2019 (UTC) : Perhaps [[Horse riding]], if it is good enough to warrant a significant detour. --[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 10:58, 20 January 2019 (UTC) :: Thanks. Due to the efforts of another contributor, another question arose which was to do with when listing racecourses, how to link the fixture/meetings list. Would it be reasonable to link this in what would otherwise be the hours field (I wanted a wider consensus on this)? [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 12:51, 20 January 2019 (UTC) :::Something like that's been done for businesses with wildly variable hours before. :::It might be useful to add a summary of whatever can be said, like "Most weekends during spring and summer". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:27, 21 January 2019 (UTC) :::: For Plumpton which i added to [[Lewes]] I linked the meetings/fixtures list. [[User:ShakespeareFan00|ShakespeareFan00]] ([[User talk:ShakespeareFan00|talk]]) 13:20, 22 January 2019 (UTC) == Usable? == The article is now said to be usable ("Has at least a good overview of the topic, and some useful material under each heading"). I disagree. Where's the good overview? There is an overview of some equipment, but not on horse riding. Some discussion relevant for Understand (or their own sections), such as choosing a stable, is now in Stay safe. Stay safe should point out the risks to be aware of, but the main discussion on how to find a good stable abroad should be elsewhere. I very much wonder for what audience the article is intended, which is one reason I haven't done much to the article. If the readers need to be told that "stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle", then we should give all the beginner's course. I would hope that we have some horsemen or horsewomen who actually have been riding horses abroad at commercial stables (I haven't). Then we might be able to give advice specifically for travellers, which could be useful also for those who master riding their own horse. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 18:35, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :I agree with you. There's also basically no travel content, i.e. destinations.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:40, 15 August 2022 (UTC) :: We could list museums, such as the one mentioned above, and famous shows. However, if those dominate, the article shifts focus from riding to watching. :: For riding yourself, I don't think we should list destinations (except if some country with a famous equestrian tradition has few options for foreigners). I know a few stables arranging horseback excursions to the woods less than an hours car drive from here, and I have never felt Finland to be the prime riding destination. I think the travel content would be about the difference between riding at a familiar stable and arranging partaking in a riding trip abroad. :: –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 19:26, 15 August 2022 (UTC) dkmpfz17fidit25ywnw1su6xxf7ggpv 0 127695 4502061 4476830 2022-08-16T09:23:28Z LPfi 79572 /* National parks */ ce wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Northern_Finland_banner_Reindeer_in_Posio.jpg|caption=Reindeer on a highway in Posio, Lapland}} '''Northern Finland''' is the northernmost part of [[Finland]]. Administratively it comprises [[Finnish Lapland]] and the provinces of [[Kainuu]] and Northern Ostrobothnia. This region is very sparsely populated even for Finland – while it covers almost half of the country it has a population slightly larger than the city of Helsinki. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Northern Finland WV png.png | regionmaptext=Northern Finland divided into four regions. | regionmapsize=400px | region1name=[[Finnish Lapland]] | region1color=#9955ff | region1description=Lapland is geographically the largest province in Finland and the most popular destination outside the southern coast. Located mostly north of the Arctic Circle it offers midnight sun, polar nights, skiing, reindeer, [[Sami culture]], really cold winters and of course Santa Claus. | region2name=[[Kainuu and Eastern Oulu region]] | region2color=#800000 | region2description=The eastern part of the former Oulu province borders Russia and could be described as a mixture of Lapland and Karelia. If you've come to Finland to see bears and wolves, this region is a good choice. | region3name=[[Southern Oulu region]] | region3color=#ff0000 | region3description=The southernmost part of Northern Finland is actually located in the centre of Finland. A flat region with its many rivers, it's mostly overlooked by travellers, who often just pass through it. It gives you a good picture of the rural part of the country. | region4name=[[Western Oulu region]] | region4color=#ff2a7f | region4description=Bordering the Bay of Bothnia, the coastal part of Northern Finland comprises some notable cities and towns like [[Oulu]] and [[Raahe]]. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9955ff|title=[[Finnish Lapland]]|wikidata=Q5700}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#800000|title=[[Kainuu and Eastern Oulu region]]|wikidata=Q14924966}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ff0000|title=[[Southern Oulu region]]|wikidata=Q14925033}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ff2a7f|title=[[Western Oulu region]]|wikidata=Q14928166}} ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Oulu]]|wikidata=Q47048}} – The fifth largest city in Finland and by far the biggest city in the region is a known university city and a technology hub. It is compact, yet offers a lot to see and do. The second busiest airport in Finland and an important transportation hub. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Rovaniemi]]|wikidata=Q103717}} – The capital of Finnish Lapland has the famous Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle. It is a university town, one of the most important tourist destinations and the hub for transport in Lapland, with the third busiest airport of Finland and the terminus for most trains to north. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kemi]]|wikidata=Q203619}} – The city of the snow castle and icebreaker cruises. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Tornio]]|wikidata=Q214021}} – Border town and international dual city with the Swedish [[Haparanda]] across the nearly invisible border. There are lot of shops on both sides of the border. An easy way to be able to say you visited Sweden as well. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} – A smaller city in the region of Kainuu, which is known for its forests and marshlands. The city itself has the ruins of an old castle. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|lat=64.125|long=29.517|wikidata=}} – A small wilderness town famous for its bears (not beers) and wolves. International chamber music event in July. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ylivieska]]|wikidata=Q735583}} – A smaller town that got attention as the old wooden church was burned down by an arsonist in 2016. Today a new church is built. One of the Finnish railway hubs. ==Other destinations== [[File:Harrijärvi UK-puisto 01.JPG|thumbnail|Lake Harrijärvi in [[Urho Kekkonen National Park]].]] [[File:Midnight sun from Kiantajärven Leirintä - panoramio.jpg|thumbnail|Lake Kiantajärvi in [[Suomussalmi]] during the midnight sun.]] * {{marker|name=[[Enontekiö|"The arm of Finland"]]|wikidata=Q984861}} offers the highest hills and beautiful scenery. * {{marker|name=[[Nuorgam]]|lat=70.089|long=27.951|wikidata=}} – The northernmost village of the European Union. === National parks === Finland's largest [[Finnish national parks|national parks]] and nature reserves are located in the northern parts of the country. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Urho Kekkonen National Park]]|wikidata=Q1537700}}, – good services near the roads and large backcountry wilderness. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park]]|wikidata=Q1851195}} – even better services, and somewhat closer to Rovaniemi. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Lemmenjoki National Park]]|lat=68.699|long=25.426|wikidata=}} – vast backcountry. Together with the [[Øvre Anárjohka National Park]] in Norway Lemmenjoki forms the largest roadless wilderness area in Europe. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Pyhä-Luosto National Park]]|lat=67.088|long=26.941|wikidata=}} – small but impressive national park with an amethyst mine * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Oulanka National Park]]|lat=66.448|long=29.382|wikidata=}} – hiking route ''Karhunkierros'' is the most popular hiking route in Finland * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Riisitunturi National Park]]|lat=66.227|long=28.471|wikidata=}} * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Bothnian Bay National Park]]|lat=65.665|long=24.259|wikidata=}} – maritime national park in the northernmost corner of the Baltic Sea * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Syöte National Park]]|lat=65.737|long=27.613|wikidata=}} * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Hossa National Park]]|lat=65.480|long=29.320|wikidata=}} – narrow canyon-like lakes and thousands of years old rock paintings * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Rokua National Park]]|lat=64.565|long=26.499|wikidata=}} – tiny national park with impressive post-glacial formations === Ski resorts === Most major ski resorts are here, and Finns who want to ski down a "real" hill usually choose a ski resort in [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] or [[Kainuu]]. * {{marker|name=[[Levi]] |wikidata=Q262837}} – huge winter sports resort and prominent hub of nightlife in Lapland * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]] |wikidata=Q762945}} * {{marker|name=[[Ylläs]] |wikidata=Q1542451}} * {{marker|name=[[Pyhä]] |lat=67.025|long=27.235|wikidata=}} * {{marker|name=[[Syöte]] |lat=65.625|long=27.609|wikidata=}} ==Understand== Northern Finland is mostly a destination for people who want to experience wild nature and various outdoor activities. ==Talk== Most of the area is unilingually Finnish, but in northern [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] Sami languages are also spoken. Most Finns under the age of 50 speak English reasonably well. Near the Norwegian border you may have service in Norwegian due to importance of border trade. Swedish is not widely spoken even near the border as Finnish is a major language in bordering areas in Sweden as well. Ostrobothnian and Laplandic Finnish dialects are famous for their extensive use of intervocalic h. You may find some humor based on it. Particularly recognizable is the Tornio river valley dialect, which is actually considered a separate language (so called ''meän kieli'') in Sweden. Dialects in Kainuu and Eastern Oulu region belong to the Eastern Finnish group and resemble the speech in the Savo-Karjala area. Areas near the borders usually receive some day-tripping visitors so you can usually communicate in Swedish, Norwegian or Russian there. Establishments catering specifically to travellers usually offer service in at least Swedish, Russian and German, and in Rovaniemi, perhaps the most "touristy" destination outside Helsinki, some service and travel information is available even in Romance languages, Chinese or Japanese. ==Get in== There are several daily flights from Helsinki to Oulu and Rovaniemi around the year, and also flights to smaller airports like Kajaani, Kemi-Tornio, Kuusamo, Kittilä and Ivalo. While many people fly via Helsinki, there are also some international flights to Oulu and Rovaniemi, and charter flights from Central Europe and the UK to major ski destinations (mainly Kittilä) in the winter. If you prefer to travel overland (car, bus or train), allow for a whole day or night of travel between southern and northern Finland (the possible exception is the Pendolino bullet train from Helsinki and Tampere to Oulu/Rovaniemi). If you plan to take your car with you from the south but don't feel like driving around 600 km or more, you can take the overnight car train – a place for a car and a sleeping cabin for two persons from Helsinki to Rovaniemi will cost you €200–300 depending on season. Alternatively you can take your time and visit places on way. The main roads from the south are national roads 4 ([[Highway 4 (Finland)|E75]]) and 8 ([[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]]). Cheapest bus tickets from Helsinki to Oulu are about €30 and to Rovaniemi about €40. These are 10+ hour overnight trips. There are road crossings from the three countries Finland shares a land border with – Sweden, Norway and Russia – and a couple of international bus connections. Although the rail network extends to some borders, there are no international passenger trains in this region. Especially, there is no train connection between Finland and Sweden. You can actually buy such a ticket (and it is covered by InterRail), but the "train connection" between Luleå and Kemi is by bus! ==Get around== Generally the only flights are to Helsinki and further away. [http://www.vr.fi VR] trains take you to Oulu and further to Kemi from where the track is divided into one branch going straight north to Kolari and another to Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi. The train line up to Kajaani continues westwards to Oulu. Generally, bus or a car is the most practical way of getting around. When driving, notice that speed limits are often low and roads may be in surprisingly poor condition. The highway 21 (Tornio–Kilpisjärvi) has been notorious for its poor situation. Collisions with elks are rare but often fatal. Collisions with reindeer aren't fatal but common among unaccustomed drivers. [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto] has timetables for the coach lines covering most of the province. Don't expect buses to run every half hour, most villages have coach connection just once or twice a day. Plan your trip well ahead. Of course the taxis are an option but very expensive one. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. If you're fit, have plenty of time and love being outdoors, [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|hiking]] or [[Tour cycling|biking]] between places is also an option (in the summer, that is). In the winter there are snowmobile routes and tracks spanning most of Northern Finland and stretching down to Central Finland and Northern Karelia (see [[Finnish Lapland#By snowmobile|Lapland]] for maps and rules), and [[cross-country skiing]] replaces hiking by foot. The [[Right to access in Scandinavia|Right to access]] allows you to pitch up your tent almost wherever you like outside populated areas and also open wilderness huts offer free shelter to hikers on some routes. ==See== [[File:LumiLinna 2008 4.jpg|thumbnail|Inside Kemi's 2008 snow castle]] [[File:Kajaanin linna.jpg|thumbnail|Ruins of the Kajaani Castle]] The prime reason to come to Northern Finland is to enjoy the nature. You could go hiking or fishing for a week or more, but there are also short trails and natural sights accessible by less outdoory people. * {{marker|name=Kalajoki Beach |lat=64.240|long=23.817|wikidata=Q18659766}} – A sand beach of a few kilometres. A popular holiday destination near [[Kalajoki]]. * {{marker|name=Kukkola rapids|wikidata=Q10549843}}' near [[Tornio]]. * Experience the '''[[midnight sun]]''' in the summer and the polar night as well as '''[[northern lights]]''' in the winter. * See '''Reindeer''' in Lapland and Kainuu * {{marker|name=Saana|wikidata=Q1637507}}, one of the most famous mountain of Finland, in [[Kilpisjärvi]] There are also related human-built attractions: * '''Icebreaker cruise''' on the Bay of Bothnia, from [[Kemi]]. * The biggest '''snow castle''' in the world, built yearly in [[Kemi]]. * {{marker|type=see|name=Ranua Wildlife Park|lat=65.943|long=26.465|wikidata=Q4389973}} – The only polar bears in Finland. And many Finnish species. [[Ranua]]. And several cultural attractions: * The '''wind power plant''' in [[Hailuoto]]. * {{marker|type=see|name=Kajaani Castle|lat=64.229|long=27.732|wikidata=Q2628629}} – ruins of a stone castle built in early 1600s, in [[Kajaani]]. * '''Old towns''' in [[Ii]] and [[Kalajoki]] * '''[[Oulu|Oulu waterfront]]'''. * '''Santa Claus''' in the Santa Claus village at the [[Rovaniemi|Arctic Circle]]. * The '''oldest scuba gear''' in the world in [[Raahe]] * {{marker|type=see|name=Sami museum Siida |lat=68.910|long=27.013|wikidata=Q946264}} – The official Sami culture museum in Finland, in [[Inari]]. Extreme points: * {{marker|type=see|name=The Centre of Finland|lat=64.17929|long=25.80461|wikidata=}} – The official monument for the geographical centre of Finland is in [[Siikalatva]], conveniently located right next to the [[Highway 4 (Finland)|highway E75]] (the actual centre is close enough that we oughtn't worry). If you drive along [[E8 through Finland and Norway|highway E8]], then include islands and take the mean of the extreme latitudes and longiutudes, and you get the centre to be in [[Liminka]] * The '''northernmost point''' of the whole European Union in [[Nuorgam]]. ==Do== [[File:Aurora borealis in Ruka, Finland.jpg|thumbnail|Northern lights in [[Ruka]], [[Kuusamo]].]] * Ski [[Downhill snowsports|downhill]] in one of the many ski resorts in [[Finnish Lapland]] and [[Kainuu]]. * Go [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|hiking]] or [[cross-country skiing]] in one of the many [[Finnish National Parks|national parks, hiking areas and wilderness areas]], or by some of the ski resorts. ** {{marker|name=Three-Country Cairn|lat=69.059|long=20.548|wikidata=}} – The only place where you can visit Finland, Sweden and Norway within seconds. Also the northernmost point of Sweden. Popular destination, reached by an 11-km hike or a boat cruise from [[Kilpisjärvi]]. ** Hike from [[Hetta]] through [[Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park]] to its visitor centre (55 km) ** Hike from Kilpisjärvi to Halti, the highest point in Finland, through the [[Käsivarsi Wilderness Area]]. This is 2×55 km, and mostly above the treeline – not for beginners. ** The Karhunkierros through [[Oulanka National Park]] (80 km) – one of the most popular long hikes in Finland * Go on a husky safari in Lapland. * For golf players: make a border and time zone-crossing hole in one at the Green Zone golf course in [[Tornio]]. * {{marker|name=Kallankarit|lat=64.316|long=23.510|wikidata=Q11869354}} – A small fishermen community that enjoys autonomous status given by king Adolf Frederick of Sweden in 1771. Off [[Kalajoki]]. * If you're good at playing air guitar ([[Oulu]]), gold panning ([[Sodankylä]]), farting ([[Utajärvi]]) or playing soccer in mud or snow ([[Hyrynsalmi]]) you can compete in the yearly world championships of these sports. ===Events=== * Folk music festival in [[Haapavesi]] and chamber music in [[Kuhmo]]. ==Eat== [[File:Rye and Potato rieska - 1.JPG|thumbnail|Ostrobothnia-Lapland style barley (left) and Savo style potato ''rieska''s.]] Nearly iconic Lapland specialty is ''poronkäristys'', the '''sautéed reindeer''', served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. There are lots of other reindeer dishes as well. ''Lapin puikula'' is an almond shaped variety of potato traditionally cultivated in Lapland. It has the European Union Protected Designation of Origin. '''''Leipäjuusto''''', a spotted squeaky cheese, is often served slightly heated and with '''cloudberry''' jam. Dishes made from game (mostly moose) and '''salmon soup''' are also common. '''Smoked lampreys''' are appreciated delicacy on the Tornio river banks. An unleavened white flat bread called '''''rieska''''' is also native to Northern Finland and readily available in most grocery stores. Oulu region's own dish (and an opinion-divider) is '''''rössypottu''''' which is a soup made of potatoes and ''veripalttu'' a sort of blood puddding. In Kainuu region '''''rönttönen''''' is a sweet rye pastry with berry filling, also protected by the European Union Protected Designation of Origin. ==Drink== Oulu and Rovaniemi have plenty of bars and nightlife. State-owned alcohol stores become rarer the more North you go. If you want booze in the high north you often have to order it in advance and then get it from a shop acting as delivery point. ==Stay safe== Violent crime against travelers is rare. When driving on highways, look out for reindeer on the roads and remember that roads might be covered by ice and slippery from October to May. If an accident happens on a more remote road you will likely have to wait long before anyone notices you. If you go hiking in the wilderness be sure that you carry appropriate clothing and other equipment. Remember that in Lapland cell phone coverage isn't as good as in southern Finland (don't be fooled by the mostly good coverage on major roads). If going off the road outside main towns – which you should do – make sure you note the direction. A road or river should be easy to find if you go in the right general direction, but if you panic and go farther instead, you might not find any trace of humans for tens of kilometres. If you loose your company, stay where you are and shout for them, or use a whistle, instead of getting lost in unknown terrain. A printed map and compass should of course be carried on any longer hike or a side trip. In extreme cases the Finnish Border Guard will seek and rescue the lost ones with a helicopter. There is a university hospital in Oulu and regional hospitals in Kajaani, Kemi, and Rovaniemi. ==Go next== *[[Norrbotten County]], the Swedish part of Lapland *[[Northern Norway]] *[[Northwestern Russia]] {{IsPartOf|Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|66.14|27|zoom=6}} iavhuneq8s9ql55v8ow7vigpym1mv8g 4502067 4502061 2022-08-16T09:33:59Z LPfi 79572 /* National parks */ mentioned the wilderness areas wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Northern_Finland_banner_Reindeer_in_Posio.jpg|caption=Reindeer on a highway in Posio, Lapland}} '''Northern Finland''' is the northernmost part of [[Finland]]. Administratively it comprises [[Finnish Lapland]] and the provinces of [[Kainuu]] and Northern Ostrobothnia. This region is very sparsely populated even for Finland – while it covers almost half of the country it has a population slightly larger than the city of Helsinki. ==Regions== {{Regionlist | regionmap=Northern Finland WV png.png | regionmaptext=Northern Finland divided into four regions. | regionmapsize=400px | region1name=[[Finnish Lapland]] | region1color=#9955ff | region1description=Lapland is geographically the largest province in Finland and the most popular destination outside the southern coast. Located mostly north of the Arctic Circle it offers midnight sun, polar nights, skiing, reindeer, [[Sami culture]], really cold winters and of course Santa Claus. | region2name=[[Kainuu and Eastern Oulu region]] | region2color=#800000 | region2description=The eastern part of the former Oulu province borders Russia and could be described as a mixture of Lapland and Karelia. If you've come to Finland to see bears and wolves, this region is a good choice. | region3name=[[Southern Oulu region]] | region3color=#ff0000 | region3description=The southernmost part of Northern Finland is actually located in the centre of Finland. A flat region with its many rivers, it's mostly overlooked by travellers, who often just pass through it. It gives you a good picture of the rural part of the country. | region4name=[[Western Oulu region]] | region4color=#ff2a7f | region4description=Bordering the Bay of Bothnia, the coastal part of Northern Finland comprises some notable cities and towns like [[Oulu]] and [[Raahe]]. }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9955ff|title=[[Finnish Lapland]]|wikidata=Q5700}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#800000|title=[[Kainuu and Eastern Oulu region]]|wikidata=Q14924966}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ff0000|title=[[Southern Oulu region]]|wikidata=Q14925033}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ff2a7f|title=[[Western Oulu region]]|wikidata=Q14928166}} ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Oulu]]|wikidata=Q47048}} – The fifth largest city in Finland and by far the biggest city in the region is a known university city and a technology hub. It is compact, yet offers a lot to see and do. The second busiest airport in Finland and an important transportation hub. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Rovaniemi]]|wikidata=Q103717}} – The capital of Finnish Lapland has the famous Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle. It is a university town, one of the most important tourist destinations and the hub for transport in Lapland, with the third busiest airport of Finland and the terminus for most trains to north. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kemi]]|wikidata=Q203619}} – The city of the snow castle and icebreaker cruises. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Tornio]]|wikidata=Q214021}} – Border town and international dual city with the Swedish [[Haparanda]] across the nearly invisible border. There are lot of shops on both sides of the border. An easy way to be able to say you visited Sweden as well. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} – A smaller city in the region of Kainuu, which is known for its forests and marshlands. The city itself has the ruins of an old castle. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|lat=64.125|long=29.517|wikidata=}} – A small wilderness town famous for its bears (not beers) and wolves. International chamber music event in July. * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ylivieska]]|wikidata=Q735583}} – A smaller town that got attention as the old wooden church was burned down by an arsonist in 2016. Today a new church is built. One of the Finnish railway hubs. ==Other destinations== [[File:Harrijärvi UK-puisto 01.JPG|thumbnail|Lake Harrijärvi in [[Urho Kekkonen National Park]].]] [[File:Midnight sun from Kiantajärven Leirintä - panoramio.jpg|thumbnail|Lake Kiantajärvi in [[Suomussalmi]] during the midnight sun.]] * {{marker|name=[[Enontekiö|"The arm of Finland"]]|wikidata=Q984861}} offers the highest hills and beautiful scenery. * {{marker|name=[[Nuorgam]]|lat=70.089|long=27.951|wikidata=}} – The northernmost village of the European Union. === National parks === Finland's largest [[Finnish national parks|national parks]] and nature reserves are located in the northern parts of the country. Experienced wilderness backpackers may also want to consider the designated [[Finnish national parks#National parks, hiking areas and wilderness areas|wilderness areas of Lapland]]. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Urho Kekkonen National Park]]|wikidata=Q1537700}}, – good services near the roads and large backcountry wilderness. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park]]|wikidata=Q1851195}} – even better services, and somewhat closer to Rovaniemi. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Lemmenjoki National Park]]|lat=68.699|long=25.426|wikidata=}} – vast backcountry. Together with the [[Øvre Anárjohka National Park]] in Norway Lemmenjoki forms the largest roadless wilderness area in Europe. * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Pyhä-Luosto National Park]]|lat=67.088|long=26.941|wikidata=}} – small but impressive national park with an amethyst mine * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Oulanka National Park]]|lat=66.448|long=29.382|wikidata=}} – hiking route ''Karhunkierros'' is the most popular hiking route in Finland * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Riisitunturi National Park]]|lat=66.227|long=28.471|wikidata=}} * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Bothnian Bay National Park]]|lat=65.665|long=24.259|wikidata=}} – maritime national park in the northernmost corner of the Baltic Sea * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Syöte National Park]]|lat=65.737|long=27.613|wikidata=}} * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Hossa National Park]]|lat=65.480|long=29.320|wikidata=}} – narrow canyon-like lakes and thousands of years old rock paintings * {{marker|type=see|name=[[Rokua National Park]]|lat=64.565|long=26.499|wikidata=}} – tiny national park with impressive post-glacial formations === Ski resorts === Most major ski resorts are here, and Finns who want to ski down a "real" hill usually choose a ski resort in [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] or [[Kainuu]]. * {{marker|name=[[Levi]] |wikidata=Q262837}} – huge winter sports resort and prominent hub of nightlife in Lapland * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]] |wikidata=Q762945}} * {{marker|name=[[Ylläs]] |wikidata=Q1542451}} * {{marker|name=[[Pyhä]] |lat=67.025|long=27.235|wikidata=}} * {{marker|name=[[Syöte]] |lat=65.625|long=27.609|wikidata=}} ==Understand== Northern Finland is mostly a destination for people who want to experience wild nature and various outdoor activities. ==Talk== Most of the area is unilingually Finnish, but in northern [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] Sami languages are also spoken. Most Finns under the age of 50 speak English reasonably well. Near the Norwegian border you may have service in Norwegian due to importance of border trade. Swedish is not widely spoken even near the border as Finnish is a major language in bordering areas in Sweden as well. Ostrobothnian and Laplandic Finnish dialects are famous for their extensive use of intervocalic h. You may find some humor based on it. Particularly recognizable is the Tornio river valley dialect, which is actually considered a separate language (so called ''meän kieli'') in Sweden. Dialects in Kainuu and Eastern Oulu region belong to the Eastern Finnish group and resemble the speech in the Savo-Karjala area. Areas near the borders usually receive some day-tripping visitors so you can usually communicate in Swedish, Norwegian or Russian there. Establishments catering specifically to travellers usually offer service in at least Swedish, Russian and German, and in Rovaniemi, perhaps the most "touristy" destination outside Helsinki, some service and travel information is available even in Romance languages, Chinese or Japanese. ==Get in== There are several daily flights from Helsinki to Oulu and Rovaniemi around the year, and also flights to smaller airports like Kajaani, Kemi-Tornio, Kuusamo, Kittilä and Ivalo. While many people fly via Helsinki, there are also some international flights to Oulu and Rovaniemi, and charter flights from Central Europe and the UK to major ski destinations (mainly Kittilä) in the winter. If you prefer to travel overland (car, bus or train), allow for a whole day or night of travel between southern and northern Finland (the possible exception is the Pendolino bullet train from Helsinki and Tampere to Oulu/Rovaniemi). If you plan to take your car with you from the south but don't feel like driving around 600 km or more, you can take the overnight car train – a place for a car and a sleeping cabin for two persons from Helsinki to Rovaniemi will cost you €200–300 depending on season. Alternatively you can take your time and visit places on way. The main roads from the south are national roads 4 ([[Highway 4 (Finland)|E75]]) and 8 ([[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]]). Cheapest bus tickets from Helsinki to Oulu are about €30 and to Rovaniemi about €40. These are 10+ hour overnight trips. There are road crossings from the three countries Finland shares a land border with – Sweden, Norway and Russia – and a couple of international bus connections. Although the rail network extends to some borders, there are no international passenger trains in this region. Especially, there is no train connection between Finland and Sweden. You can actually buy such a ticket (and it is covered by InterRail), but the "train connection" between Luleå and Kemi is by bus! ==Get around== Generally the only flights are to Helsinki and further away. [http://www.vr.fi VR] trains take you to Oulu and further to Kemi from where the track is divided into one branch going straight north to Kolari and another to Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi. The train line up to Kajaani continues westwards to Oulu. Generally, bus or a car is the most practical way of getting around. When driving, notice that speed limits are often low and roads may be in surprisingly poor condition. The highway 21 (Tornio–Kilpisjärvi) has been notorious for its poor situation. Collisions with elks are rare but often fatal. Collisions with reindeer aren't fatal but common among unaccustomed drivers. [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto] has timetables for the coach lines covering most of the province. Don't expect buses to run every half hour, most villages have coach connection just once or twice a day. Plan your trip well ahead. Of course the taxis are an option but very expensive one. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. If you're fit, have plenty of time and love being outdoors, [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|hiking]] or [[Tour cycling|biking]] between places is also an option (in the summer, that is). In the winter there are snowmobile routes and tracks spanning most of Northern Finland and stretching down to Central Finland and Northern Karelia (see [[Finnish Lapland#By snowmobile|Lapland]] for maps and rules), and [[cross-country skiing]] replaces hiking by foot. The [[Right to access in Scandinavia|Right to access]] allows you to pitch up your tent almost wherever you like outside populated areas and also open wilderness huts offer free shelter to hikers on some routes. ==See== [[File:LumiLinna 2008 4.jpg|thumbnail|Inside Kemi's 2008 snow castle]] [[File:Kajaanin linna.jpg|thumbnail|Ruins of the Kajaani Castle]] The prime reason to come to Northern Finland is to enjoy the nature. You could go hiking or fishing for a week or more, but there are also short trails and natural sights accessible by less outdoory people. * {{marker|name=Kalajoki Beach |lat=64.240|long=23.817|wikidata=Q18659766}} – A sand beach of a few kilometres. A popular holiday destination near [[Kalajoki]]. * {{marker|name=Kukkola rapids|wikidata=Q10549843}}' near [[Tornio]]. * Experience the '''[[midnight sun]]''' in the summer and the polar night as well as '''[[northern lights]]''' in the winter. * See '''Reindeer''' in Lapland and Kainuu * {{marker|name=Saana|wikidata=Q1637507}}, one of the most famous mountain of Finland, in [[Kilpisjärvi]] There are also related human-built attractions: * '''Icebreaker cruise''' on the Bay of Bothnia, from [[Kemi]]. * The biggest '''snow castle''' in the world, built yearly in [[Kemi]]. * {{marker|type=see|name=Ranua Wildlife Park|lat=65.943|long=26.465|wikidata=Q4389973}} – The only polar bears in Finland. And many Finnish species. [[Ranua]]. And several cultural attractions: * The '''wind power plant''' in [[Hailuoto]]. * {{marker|type=see|name=Kajaani Castle|lat=64.229|long=27.732|wikidata=Q2628629}} – ruins of a stone castle built in early 1600s, in [[Kajaani]]. * '''Old towns''' in [[Ii]] and [[Kalajoki]] * '''[[Oulu|Oulu waterfront]]'''. * '''Santa Claus''' in the Santa Claus village at the [[Rovaniemi|Arctic Circle]]. * The '''oldest scuba gear''' in the world in [[Raahe]] * {{marker|type=see|name=Sami museum Siida |lat=68.910|long=27.013|wikidata=Q946264}} – The official Sami culture museum in Finland, in [[Inari]]. Extreme points: * {{marker|type=see|name=The Centre of Finland|lat=64.17929|long=25.80461|wikidata=}} – The official monument for the geographical centre of Finland is in [[Siikalatva]], conveniently located right next to the [[Highway 4 (Finland)|highway E75]] (the actual centre is close enough that we oughtn't worry). If you drive along [[E8 through Finland and Norway|highway E8]], then include islands and take the mean of the extreme latitudes and longiutudes, and you get the centre to be in [[Liminka]] * The '''northernmost point''' of the whole European Union in [[Nuorgam]]. ==Do== [[File:Aurora borealis in Ruka, Finland.jpg|thumbnail|Northern lights in [[Ruka]], [[Kuusamo]].]] * Ski [[Downhill snowsports|downhill]] in one of the many ski resorts in [[Finnish Lapland]] and [[Kainuu]]. * Go [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|hiking]] or [[cross-country skiing]] in one of the many [[Finnish National Parks|national parks, hiking areas and wilderness areas]], or by some of the ski resorts. ** {{marker|name=Three-Country Cairn|lat=69.059|long=20.548|wikidata=}} – The only place where you can visit Finland, Sweden and Norway within seconds. Also the northernmost point of Sweden. Popular destination, reached by an 11-km hike or a boat cruise from [[Kilpisjärvi]]. ** Hike from [[Hetta]] through [[Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park]] to its visitor centre (55 km) ** Hike from Kilpisjärvi to Halti, the highest point in Finland, through the [[Käsivarsi Wilderness Area]]. This is 2×55 km, and mostly above the treeline – not for beginners. ** The Karhunkierros through [[Oulanka National Park]] (80 km) – one of the most popular long hikes in Finland * Go on a husky safari in Lapland. * For golf players: make a border and time zone-crossing hole in one at the Green Zone golf course in [[Tornio]]. * {{marker|name=Kallankarit|lat=64.316|long=23.510|wikidata=Q11869354}} – A small fishermen community that enjoys autonomous status given by king Adolf Frederick of Sweden in 1771. Off [[Kalajoki]]. * If you're good at playing air guitar ([[Oulu]]), gold panning ([[Sodankylä]]), farting ([[Utajärvi]]) or playing soccer in mud or snow ([[Hyrynsalmi]]) you can compete in the yearly world championships of these sports. ===Events=== * Folk music festival in [[Haapavesi]] and chamber music in [[Kuhmo]]. ==Eat== [[File:Rye and Potato rieska - 1.JPG|thumbnail|Ostrobothnia-Lapland style barley (left) and Savo style potato ''rieska''s.]] Nearly iconic Lapland specialty is ''poronkäristys'', the '''sautéed reindeer''', served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam. There are lots of other reindeer dishes as well. ''Lapin puikula'' is an almond shaped variety of potato traditionally cultivated in Lapland. It has the European Union Protected Designation of Origin. '''''Leipäjuusto''''', a spotted squeaky cheese, is often served slightly heated and with '''cloudberry''' jam. Dishes made from game (mostly moose) and '''salmon soup''' are also common. '''Smoked lampreys''' are appreciated delicacy on the Tornio river banks. An unleavened white flat bread called '''''rieska''''' is also native to Northern Finland and readily available in most grocery stores. Oulu region's own dish (and an opinion-divider) is '''''rössypottu''''' which is a soup made of potatoes and ''veripalttu'' a sort of blood puddding. In Kainuu region '''''rönttönen''''' is a sweet rye pastry with berry filling, also protected by the European Union Protected Designation of Origin. ==Drink== Oulu and Rovaniemi have plenty of bars and nightlife. State-owned alcohol stores become rarer the more North you go. If you want booze in the high north you often have to order it in advance and then get it from a shop acting as delivery point. ==Stay safe== Violent crime against travelers is rare. When driving on highways, look out for reindeer on the roads and remember that roads might be covered by ice and slippery from October to May. If an accident happens on a more remote road you will likely have to wait long before anyone notices you. If you go hiking in the wilderness be sure that you carry appropriate clothing and other equipment. Remember that in Lapland cell phone coverage isn't as good as in southern Finland (don't be fooled by the mostly good coverage on major roads). If going off the road outside main towns – which you should do – make sure you note the direction. A road or river should be easy to find if you go in the right general direction, but if you panic and go farther instead, you might not find any trace of humans for tens of kilometres. If you loose your company, stay where you are and shout for them, or use a whistle, instead of getting lost in unknown terrain. A printed map and compass should of course be carried on any longer hike or a side trip. In extreme cases the Finnish Border Guard will seek and rescue the lost ones with a helicopter. There is a university hospital in Oulu and regional hospitals in Kajaani, Kemi, and Rovaniemi. ==Go next== *[[Norrbotten County]], the Swedish part of Lapland *[[Northern Norway]] *[[Northwestern Russia]] {{IsPartOf|Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|66.14|27|zoom=6}} 95z75u4u6jjfzpvvwgmfom2vvp5gplh 0 127696 4502091 4477909 2022-08-16T10:08:23Z LPfi 79572 /* See */ removed most See markers, not to obstruct city markers; rewrote on the "runo villages"; ce wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kainuu_banner_Pudasjärvi_swamp.jpg|caption=A swamp in Pudasjärvi, a typical landscape for the region}} [[File:Karhunkierros - Kiutakongas.jpg|thumb|Kiutaköngäs by the Karhunkierros trail.]] '''Kainuu''' is a region in [[Northern Finland]]. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad. ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|wikidata=Q939771}} - bears, wolves and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuusamo]]|wikidata=Q207999}} - town near the Ruka resort * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pudasjärvi]]|wikidata=Q912952}} - transportation hub of some importance ==Municipalities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hyrynsalmi]]|wikidata=Q984934}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Paltamo]]|wikidata=Q985337}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puolanka]]|wikidata=Q860965}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ristijärvi]]|wikidata=Q985326}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sotkamo]]|wikidata=Q738472}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Suomussalmi]]|wikidata=Q214054}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taivalkoski]]|wikidata=Q985456}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Utajärvi]]|wikidata=Q985447}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaala]]|wikidata=Q984936}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]]|wikidata=Q762945}} – the second most popular ski resort in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Vuokatti]] |wikidata=Q1749889}} – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa * {{marker|name=[[Oulanka National Park]] |wikidata=Q127322 |lat=66.373|long=29.339}} – one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the ''Karhunkierros'' * {{marker|name=[[Hiidenportti National Park]] |wikidata=Q2658641}} – impressive gorge and untouched forests * {{marker|name=[[Vaala#Rokua National Park|Rokua National Park]] |wikidata=Q2313367 |lat=64.562|long=26.495}} – compact collection of glacial formations * {{marker|name=[[Posio#Syöte National Park|Syöte National Park]] |wikidata=Q2661377}} – southernmost true fells in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Suomussalmi#Hossa National Park|Hossa National Park]] |wikidata= |lat=65.4786|long=29.3358}} – national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings ==Understand== Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest. ===Climate=== The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs {{Celsius|-46}} has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself). ==Talk== Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border. ==Get in== There are flights from [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki-Vantaa]] to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape. From Russian direction there are {{marker|type=go|name=Vartius border crossing|url=|lat=64.5452|long=29.9855}} from [[Kostomuksha]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Kuusamo border crossing|url=|lat=65.7987|long=30.0993}} (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian [[Karelia]]. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius. The following OnniBus.com route serves the region: * M9 (Turku—Tampere—Jyväskylä—Kuopio—Kajaani) ==Get around== There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland. Trains of national operator [http://www.vr.fi VR] are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at [[Kajaani]], [[Kontiomäki]], and [[Paltamo]]. There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto]. [http://www.onnibus.com Onnibus] offers discount bus service by a few routes. [http://www.kajaaninseudunjoukkoliikenne.fi/ Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne] has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. ===By taxi=== * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä, Taksini * [https://korpitaxi.fi/ Korpitaxi] offers taxi service in Kainuu region * [https://www.otaxi.fi/ Otaxi] offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region ==See== [[File:Church-of-Vuolijoki.jpg|thumb|The greystone church of [[Vuolijoki]].]] You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: ''peura'', not ''poro'' which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia. * {{marker|type=see |name=Hepoköngäs |wikidata=Q1383397 |lat=64.8199 |long=27.8768}} - at 24 m one of Finland's highest waterfalls, in [https://www.nationalparks.fi/hepokongas Hepoköngäs Nature Reserve], [[Puolanka]]; the 600-m trail to the waterfall is accessible by wheelchair. In winter the northern part of the area get the '''heaviest annual snowfall''' in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal. There are also cultural sights: * {{marker|type=see |name=The castle ruins in Kajaani |wikidata=Q2628629|lat=NA|long=NA}} – castle built in the early 1600s * {{marker|type=see |name=Hossa rock paintings |wikidata=Q5478589|lat=NA|long=NA}} – prehistoric paintings on rock * {{marker|type=see |name=Paltamo museum of local history |wikidata=Q60988693|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Puolanka museum of local history |wikidata=Q60977142|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition |wikidata=Q61866946|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate frontier guard museum |wikidata=Q61867128|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate Gate |wikidata=Q89577361|lat=NA|long=NA}} – memorial and exhibition on the ''Battle of Raate Road'' during the Winter War * {{marker|type=see |name=Suomussalmi museum of local history |wikidata=Q61611234|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Kallioniemi estate |wikidata=Q11869486|lat=NA|long=NA}} – childhood home of and museum on the novelist ''Kalle Päätalo'' The {{marker|type=see |name=Kuivajärvi |wikidata=Q56400003 |lat=NA<!--64.6413-->|long=NA<!--30.0582-->}} and {{marker|type=see |name=Hietajärvi |wikidata=Q108122894 |lat=NA|long=NA}} villages in Suomussalmi as well as a the small {{marker|type=see |name=Rimpi village |lat=NA<!--64.5125-->|long=NA<!--129.9327-->|wikidata=Q65243859}} in Kuhmo were important for the Karelianism movement: they are the only villages in modern-day Finland that contributed to the Kalevala, and they were visited by ethnologists and artists developing the image of the genuine historic Finnish culture. The three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built cultural environments. ==Do== [[File:SommeloJamit.jpg|thumb|Jam Session in Sommelo Folk Music Festival 2007, Kuhmo.]] [[File:Skiing (8455770686).jpg|thumb|Cross country skiing trail near Ruka.]] * Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of [[cross country skiing]] tracks. * Fishing * [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|Hiking]]. The 80 km [http://www.outdoors.fi/en/karhunkierros Karhunkierros trail] is legendary. * Camping * Berry picking and mushroom collecting * {{do | name=Wildlife watching | alt=Eläintenkatselu | | content= }} === Festivals === * {{event| name= LankaFest| url=https://www.lankafest.fi | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location= Downtown Puolanka, Kainuu| country= Finland | content= A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music in early July.}} * {{event | name=Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival | alt=Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki | url=https://kuhmofestival.fi | year=2022 | month=July | date=10 | enddate=23 | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kuhmo]] | | content=Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skilfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Kainuu is a very safe region. Outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and possibly [[cold weather]]. ==Go next== If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), [[Karelia|Russian Karelia]] is located east of Kainuu. {{geo|64.5|28|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} 4wb6d1nm1v5mcrbix1get0an4ii5qjo 4502096 4502091 2022-08-16T10:11:19Z LPfi 79572 /* See */ symmetry wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kainuu_banner_Pudasjärvi_swamp.jpg|caption=A swamp in Pudasjärvi, a typical landscape for the region}} [[File:Karhunkierros - Kiutakongas.jpg|thumb|Kiutaköngäs by the Karhunkierros trail.]] '''Kainuu''' is a region in [[Northern Finland]]. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad. ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|wikidata=Q939771}} - bears, wolves and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuusamo]]|wikidata=Q207999}} - town near the Ruka resort * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pudasjärvi]]|wikidata=Q912952}} - transportation hub of some importance ==Municipalities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hyrynsalmi]]|wikidata=Q984934}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Paltamo]]|wikidata=Q985337}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puolanka]]|wikidata=Q860965}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ristijärvi]]|wikidata=Q985326}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sotkamo]]|wikidata=Q738472}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Suomussalmi]]|wikidata=Q214054}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taivalkoski]]|wikidata=Q985456}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Utajärvi]]|wikidata=Q985447}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaala]]|wikidata=Q984936}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]]|wikidata=Q762945}} – the second most popular ski resort in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Vuokatti]] |wikidata=Q1749889}} – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa * {{marker|name=[[Oulanka National Park]] |wikidata=Q127322 |lat=66.373|long=29.339}} – one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the ''Karhunkierros'' * {{marker|name=[[Hiidenportti National Park]] |wikidata=Q2658641}} – impressive gorge and untouched forests * {{marker|name=[[Vaala#Rokua National Park|Rokua National Park]] |wikidata=Q2313367 |lat=64.562|long=26.495}} – compact collection of glacial formations * {{marker|name=[[Posio#Syöte National Park|Syöte National Park]] |wikidata=Q2661377}} – southernmost true fells in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Suomussalmi#Hossa National Park|Hossa National Park]] |wikidata= |lat=65.4786|long=29.3358}} – national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings ==Understand== Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest. ===Climate=== The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs {{Celsius|-46}} has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself). ==Talk== Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border. ==Get in== There are flights from [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki-Vantaa]] to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape. From Russian direction there are {{marker|type=go|name=Vartius border crossing|url=|lat=64.5452|long=29.9855}} from [[Kostomuksha]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Kuusamo border crossing|url=|lat=65.7987|long=30.0993}} (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian [[Karelia]]. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius. The following OnniBus.com route serves the region: * M9 (Turku—Tampere—Jyväskylä—Kuopio—Kajaani) ==Get around== There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland. Trains of national operator [http://www.vr.fi VR] are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at [[Kajaani]], [[Kontiomäki]], and [[Paltamo]]. There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto]. [http://www.onnibus.com Onnibus] offers discount bus service by a few routes. [http://www.kajaaninseudunjoukkoliikenne.fi/ Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne] has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. ===By taxi=== * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä, Taksini * [https://korpitaxi.fi/ Korpitaxi] offers taxi service in Kainuu region * [https://www.otaxi.fi/ Otaxi] offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region ==See== [[File:Church-of-Vuolijoki.jpg|thumb|The greystone church of [[Vuolijoki]].]] You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: ''peura'', not ''poro'' which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia. * {{marker|type=see |name=Hepoköngäs |wikidata=Q1383397 |lat=64.8199 |long=27.8768}} - at 24 m one of Finland's highest waterfalls, in [https://www.nationalparks.fi/hepokongas Hepoköngäs Nature Reserve], [[Puolanka]]; the 600-m trail to the waterfall is accessible by wheelchair. In winter the northern part of the area get the '''heaviest annual snowfall''' in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal. There are also cultural sights: * {{marker|type=see |name=The castle ruins in Kajaani |wikidata=Q2628629|lat=NA|long=NA}} – castle built in the early 1600s * {{marker|type=see |name=Hossa rock paintings |wikidata=Q5478589|lat=NA|long=NA}} – prehistoric paintings on rock * {{marker|type=see |name=Paltamo museum of local history |wikidata=Q60988693|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Puolanka museum of local history |wikidata=Q60977142|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition |wikidata=Q61866946|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate frontier guard museum |wikidata=Q61867128|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate Gate |wikidata=Q89577361|lat=NA|long=NA}} – memorial and exhibition on the ''Battle of Raate Road'' during the Winter War * {{marker|type=see |name=Suomussalmi museum of local history |wikidata=Q61611234|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Kallioniemi estate |wikidata=Q11869486|lat=NA|long=NA}} – childhood home of and museum on the novelist ''Kalle Päätalo'' The {{marker|type=see |name=Kuivajärvi |wikidata=Q56400003 |lat=NA<!--64.6413-->|long=NA<!--30.0582-->}} and {{marker|type=see |name=Hietajärvi |wikidata=Q108122894 |lat=NA|long=NA}} villages in Suomussalmi as well as a the small {{marker|type=see |name=Rimpi |lat=NA<!--64.5125-->|long=NA<!--129.9327-->|wikidata=Q65243859}} village in Kuhmo were important for the Karelianism movement: they are the only villages in modern-day Finland that contributed to the Kalevala, and they were visited by ethnologists and artists developing the image of the genuine historic Finnish culture. The three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built cultural environments. ==Do== [[File:SommeloJamit.jpg|thumb|Jam Session in Sommelo Folk Music Festival 2007, Kuhmo.]] [[File:Skiing (8455770686).jpg|thumb|Cross country skiing trail near Ruka.]] * Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of [[cross country skiing]] tracks. * Fishing * [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|Hiking]]. The 80 km [http://www.outdoors.fi/en/karhunkierros Karhunkierros trail] is legendary. * Camping * Berry picking and mushroom collecting * {{do | name=Wildlife watching | alt=Eläintenkatselu | | content= }} === Festivals === * {{event| name= LankaFest| url=https://www.lankafest.fi | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location= Downtown Puolanka, Kainuu| country= Finland | content= A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music in early July.}} * {{event | name=Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival | alt=Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki | url=https://kuhmofestival.fi | year=2022 | month=July | date=10 | enddate=23 | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kuhmo]] | | content=Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skilfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Kainuu is a very safe region. Outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and possibly [[cold weather]]. ==Go next== If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), [[Karelia|Russian Karelia]] is located east of Kainuu. {{geo|64.5|28|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} ny9bddaoa2xenz17nv8mu9susir397o 4502098 4502096 2022-08-16T10:11:55Z LPfi 79572 /* Stay safe */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kainuu_banner_Pudasjärvi_swamp.jpg|caption=A swamp in Pudasjärvi, a typical landscape for the region}} [[File:Karhunkierros - Kiutakongas.jpg|thumb|Kiutaköngäs by the Karhunkierros trail.]] '''Kainuu''' is a region in [[Northern Finland]]. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad. ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|wikidata=Q939771}} - bears, wolves and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuusamo]]|wikidata=Q207999}} - town near the Ruka resort * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pudasjärvi]]|wikidata=Q912952}} - transportation hub of some importance ==Municipalities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hyrynsalmi]]|wikidata=Q984934}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Paltamo]]|wikidata=Q985337}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puolanka]]|wikidata=Q860965}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ristijärvi]]|wikidata=Q985326}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sotkamo]]|wikidata=Q738472}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Suomussalmi]]|wikidata=Q214054}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taivalkoski]]|wikidata=Q985456}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Utajärvi]]|wikidata=Q985447}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaala]]|wikidata=Q984936}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]]|wikidata=Q762945}} – the second most popular ski resort in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Vuokatti]] |wikidata=Q1749889}} – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa * {{marker|name=[[Oulanka National Park]] |wikidata=Q127322 |lat=66.373|long=29.339}} – one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the ''Karhunkierros'' * {{marker|name=[[Hiidenportti National Park]] |wikidata=Q2658641}} – impressive gorge and untouched forests * {{marker|name=[[Vaala#Rokua National Park|Rokua National Park]] |wikidata=Q2313367 |lat=64.562|long=26.495}} – compact collection of glacial formations * {{marker|name=[[Posio#Syöte National Park|Syöte National Park]] |wikidata=Q2661377}} – southernmost true fells in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Suomussalmi#Hossa National Park|Hossa National Park]] |wikidata= |lat=65.4786|long=29.3358}} – national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings ==Understand== Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest. ===Climate=== The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs {{Celsius|-46}} has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself). ==Talk== Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border. ==Get in== There are flights from [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki-Vantaa]] to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape. From Russian direction there are {{marker|type=go|name=Vartius border crossing|url=|lat=64.5452|long=29.9855}} from [[Kostomuksha]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Kuusamo border crossing|url=|lat=65.7987|long=30.0993}} (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian [[Karelia]]. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius. The following OnniBus.com route serves the region: * M9 (Turku—Tampere—Jyväskylä—Kuopio—Kajaani) ==Get around== There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland. Trains of national operator [http://www.vr.fi VR] are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at [[Kajaani]], [[Kontiomäki]], and [[Paltamo]]. There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto]. [http://www.onnibus.com Onnibus] offers discount bus service by a few routes. [http://www.kajaaninseudunjoukkoliikenne.fi/ Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne] has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. ===By taxi=== * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä, Taksini * [https://korpitaxi.fi/ Korpitaxi] offers taxi service in Kainuu region * [https://www.otaxi.fi/ Otaxi] offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region ==See== [[File:Church-of-Vuolijoki.jpg|thumb|The greystone church of [[Vuolijoki]].]] You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: ''peura'', not ''poro'' which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia. * {{marker|type=see |name=Hepoköngäs |wikidata=Q1383397 |lat=64.8199 |long=27.8768}} - at 24 m one of Finland's highest waterfalls, in [https://www.nationalparks.fi/hepokongas Hepoköngäs Nature Reserve], [[Puolanka]]; the 600-m trail to the waterfall is accessible by wheelchair. In winter the northern part of the area get the '''heaviest annual snowfall''' in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal. There are also cultural sights: * {{marker|type=see |name=The castle ruins in Kajaani |wikidata=Q2628629|lat=NA|long=NA}} – castle built in the early 1600s * {{marker|type=see |name=Hossa rock paintings |wikidata=Q5478589|lat=NA|long=NA}} – prehistoric paintings on rock * {{marker|type=see |name=Paltamo museum of local history |wikidata=Q60988693|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Puolanka museum of local history |wikidata=Q60977142|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition |wikidata=Q61866946|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate frontier guard museum |wikidata=Q61867128|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate Gate |wikidata=Q89577361|lat=NA|long=NA}} – memorial and exhibition on the ''Battle of Raate Road'' during the Winter War * {{marker|type=see |name=Suomussalmi museum of local history |wikidata=Q61611234|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Kallioniemi estate |wikidata=Q11869486|lat=NA|long=NA}} – childhood home of and museum on the novelist ''Kalle Päätalo'' The {{marker|type=see |name=Kuivajärvi |wikidata=Q56400003 |lat=NA<!--64.6413-->|long=NA<!--30.0582-->}} and {{marker|type=see |name=Hietajärvi |wikidata=Q108122894 |lat=NA|long=NA}} villages in Suomussalmi as well as a the small {{marker|type=see |name=Rimpi |lat=NA<!--64.5125-->|long=NA<!--129.9327-->|wikidata=Q65243859}} village in Kuhmo were important for the Karelianism movement: they are the only villages in modern-day Finland that contributed to the Kalevala, and they were visited by ethnologists and artists developing the image of the genuine historic Finnish culture. The three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built cultural environments. ==Do== [[File:SommeloJamit.jpg|thumb|Jam Session in Sommelo Folk Music Festival 2007, Kuhmo.]] [[File:Skiing (8455770686).jpg|thumb|Cross country skiing trail near Ruka.]] * Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of [[cross country skiing]] tracks. * Fishing * [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|Hiking]]. The 80 km [http://www.outdoors.fi/en/karhunkierros Karhunkierros trail] is legendary. * Camping * Berry picking and mushroom collecting * {{do | name=Wildlife watching | alt=Eläintenkatselu | | content= }} === Festivals === * {{event| name= LankaFest| url=https://www.lankafest.fi | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location= Downtown Puolanka, Kainuu| country= Finland | content= A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music in early July.}} * {{event | name=Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival | alt=Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki | url=https://kuhmofestival.fi | year=2022 | month=July | date=10 | enddate=23 | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kuhmo]] | | content=Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skilfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Kainuu is a very safe region. However, outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and possibly [[cold weather]]. ==Go next== If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), [[Karelia|Russian Karelia]] is located east of Kainuu. {{geo|64.5|28|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} qfubm0phjkx0xtip2ek3fpje78vri7b 4502099 4502098 2022-08-16T10:12:38Z LPfi 79572 /* Stay safe */ wording wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kainuu_banner_Pudasjärvi_swamp.jpg|caption=A swamp in Pudasjärvi, a typical landscape for the region}} [[File:Karhunkierros - Kiutakongas.jpg|thumb|Kiutaköngäs by the Karhunkierros trail.]] '''Kainuu''' is a region in [[Northern Finland]]. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad. ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|wikidata=Q939771}} - bears, wolves and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuusamo]]|wikidata=Q207999}} - town near the Ruka resort * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pudasjärvi]]|wikidata=Q912952}} - transportation hub of some importance ==Municipalities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hyrynsalmi]]|wikidata=Q984934}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Paltamo]]|wikidata=Q985337}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puolanka]]|wikidata=Q860965}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ristijärvi]]|wikidata=Q985326}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sotkamo]]|wikidata=Q738472}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Suomussalmi]]|wikidata=Q214054}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taivalkoski]]|wikidata=Q985456}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Utajärvi]]|wikidata=Q985447}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaala]]|wikidata=Q984936}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]]|wikidata=Q762945}} – the second most popular ski resort in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Vuokatti]] |wikidata=Q1749889}} – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa * {{marker|name=[[Oulanka National Park]] |wikidata=Q127322 |lat=66.373|long=29.339}} – one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the ''Karhunkierros'' * {{marker|name=[[Hiidenportti National Park]] |wikidata=Q2658641}} – impressive gorge and untouched forests * {{marker|name=[[Vaala#Rokua National Park|Rokua National Park]] |wikidata=Q2313367 |lat=64.562|long=26.495}} – compact collection of glacial formations * {{marker|name=[[Posio#Syöte National Park|Syöte National Park]] |wikidata=Q2661377}} – southernmost true fells in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Suomussalmi#Hossa National Park|Hossa National Park]] |wikidata= |lat=65.4786|long=29.3358}} – national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings ==Understand== Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest. ===Climate=== The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs {{Celsius|-46}} has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself). ==Talk== Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border. ==Get in== There are flights from [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki-Vantaa]] to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape. From Russian direction there are {{marker|type=go|name=Vartius border crossing|url=|lat=64.5452|long=29.9855}} from [[Kostomuksha]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Kuusamo border crossing|url=|lat=65.7987|long=30.0993}} (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian [[Karelia]]. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius. The following OnniBus.com route serves the region: * M9 (Turku—Tampere—Jyväskylä—Kuopio—Kajaani) ==Get around== There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland. Trains of national operator [http://www.vr.fi VR] are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at [[Kajaani]], [[Kontiomäki]], and [[Paltamo]]. There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto]. [http://www.onnibus.com Onnibus] offers discount bus service by a few routes. [http://www.kajaaninseudunjoukkoliikenne.fi/ Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne] has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. ===By taxi=== * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä, Taksini * [https://korpitaxi.fi/ Korpitaxi] offers taxi service in Kainuu region * [https://www.otaxi.fi/ Otaxi] offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region ==See== [[File:Church-of-Vuolijoki.jpg|thumb|The greystone church of [[Vuolijoki]].]] You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: ''peura'', not ''poro'' which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia. * {{marker|type=see |name=Hepoköngäs |wikidata=Q1383397 |lat=64.8199 |long=27.8768}} - at 24 m one of Finland's highest waterfalls, in [https://www.nationalparks.fi/hepokongas Hepoköngäs Nature Reserve], [[Puolanka]]; the 600-m trail to the waterfall is accessible by wheelchair. In winter the northern part of the area get the '''heaviest annual snowfall''' in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal. There are also cultural sights: * {{marker|type=see |name=The castle ruins in Kajaani |wikidata=Q2628629|lat=NA|long=NA}} – castle built in the early 1600s * {{marker|type=see |name=Hossa rock paintings |wikidata=Q5478589|lat=NA|long=NA}} – prehistoric paintings on rock * {{marker|type=see |name=Paltamo museum of local history |wikidata=Q60988693|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Puolanka museum of local history |wikidata=Q60977142|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition |wikidata=Q61866946|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate frontier guard museum |wikidata=Q61867128|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate Gate |wikidata=Q89577361|lat=NA|long=NA}} – memorial and exhibition on the ''Battle of Raate Road'' during the Winter War * {{marker|type=see |name=Suomussalmi museum of local history |wikidata=Q61611234|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Kallioniemi estate |wikidata=Q11869486|lat=NA|long=NA}} – childhood home of and museum on the novelist ''Kalle Päätalo'' The {{marker|type=see |name=Kuivajärvi |wikidata=Q56400003 |lat=NA<!--64.6413-->|long=NA<!--30.0582-->}} and {{marker|type=see |name=Hietajärvi |wikidata=Q108122894 |lat=NA|long=NA}} villages in Suomussalmi as well as a the small {{marker|type=see |name=Rimpi |lat=NA<!--64.5125-->|long=NA<!--129.9327-->|wikidata=Q65243859}} village in Kuhmo were important for the Karelianism movement: they are the only villages in modern-day Finland that contributed to the Kalevala, and they were visited by ethnologists and artists developing the image of the genuine historic Finnish culture. The three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built cultural environments. ==Do== [[File:SommeloJamit.jpg|thumb|Jam Session in Sommelo Folk Music Festival 2007, Kuhmo.]] [[File:Skiing (8455770686).jpg|thumb|Cross country skiing trail near Ruka.]] * Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of [[cross country skiing]] tracks. * Fishing * [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|Hiking]]. The 80 km [http://www.outdoors.fi/en/karhunkierros Karhunkierros trail] is legendary. * Camping * Berry picking and mushroom collecting * {{do | name=Wildlife watching | alt=Eläintenkatselu | | content= }} === Festivals === * {{event| name= LankaFest| url=https://www.lankafest.fi | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location= Downtown Puolanka, Kainuu| country= Finland | content= A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music in early July.}} * {{event | name=Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival | alt=Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki | url=https://kuhmofestival.fi | year=2022 | month=July | date=10 | enddate=23 | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kuhmo]] | | content=Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skilfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Kainuu is a very safe region. However, outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and [[cold weather]] in season. ==Go next== If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), [[Karelia|Russian Karelia]] is located east of Kainuu. {{geo|64.5|28|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} 74j6yssattyc7ghtdu9kl6ix2q3fyik 4502106 4502099 2022-08-16T10:21:27Z LPfi 79572 /* Get in */ coaches: why only Onnibus? wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kainuu_banner_Pudasjärvi_swamp.jpg|caption=A swamp in Pudasjärvi, a typical landscape for the region}} [[File:Karhunkierros - Kiutakongas.jpg|thumb|Kiutaköngäs by the Karhunkierros trail.]] '''Kainuu''' is a region in [[Northern Finland]]. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad. ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|wikidata=Q939771}} - bears, wolves and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuusamo]]|wikidata=Q207999}} - town near the Ruka resort * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pudasjärvi]]|wikidata=Q912952}} - transportation hub of some importance ==Municipalities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hyrynsalmi]]|wikidata=Q984934}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Paltamo]]|wikidata=Q985337}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puolanka]]|wikidata=Q860965}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ristijärvi]]|wikidata=Q985326}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sotkamo]]|wikidata=Q738472}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Suomussalmi]]|wikidata=Q214054}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taivalkoski]]|wikidata=Q985456}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Utajärvi]]|wikidata=Q985447}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaala]]|wikidata=Q984936}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]]|wikidata=Q762945}} – the second most popular ski resort in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Vuokatti]] |wikidata=Q1749889}} – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa * {{marker|name=[[Oulanka National Park]] |wikidata=Q127322 |lat=66.373|long=29.339}} – one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the ''Karhunkierros'' * {{marker|name=[[Hiidenportti National Park]] |wikidata=Q2658641}} – impressive gorge and untouched forests * {{marker|name=[[Vaala#Rokua National Park|Rokua National Park]] |wikidata=Q2313367 |lat=64.562|long=26.495}} – compact collection of glacial formations * {{marker|name=[[Posio#Syöte National Park|Syöte National Park]] |wikidata=Q2661377}} – southernmost true fells in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Suomussalmi#Hossa National Park|Hossa National Park]] |wikidata= |lat=65.4786|long=29.3358}} – national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings ==Understand== Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest. ===Climate=== The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs {{Celsius|-46}} has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself). ==Talk== Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border. ==Get in== There are flights from [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki-Vantaa]] to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape. From Russian direction there are {{marker|type=go|name=Vartius border crossing|url=|lat=64.5452|long=29.9855}} from [[Kostomuksha]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Kuusamo border crossing|url=|lat=65.7987|long=30.0993}} (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian [[Karelia]]. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius. See [https://www.matkahuolto.fi/en Matkahuolto] for coaches. E.g.: * [http://www.pohjolanmatka.fi Pohjolan Matka] serves a route between Oulu and Joensuu via Kajaani. * [http://www.saagatravel.fi Saaga Travel] serves a route from Oulu to Kajaani via Vaala. * Onnibus M9 drives Turku—Tampere—Jyväskylä—Kuopio—Kajaani ==Get around== There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland. Trains of national operator [http://www.vr.fi VR] are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at [[Kajaani]], [[Kontiomäki]], and [[Paltamo]]. There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto]. [http://www.onnibus.com Onnibus] offers discount bus service by a few routes. [http://www.kajaaninseudunjoukkoliikenne.fi/ Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne] has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. ===By taxi=== * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä, Taksini * [https://korpitaxi.fi/ Korpitaxi] offers taxi service in Kainuu region * [https://www.otaxi.fi/ Otaxi] offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region ==See== [[File:Church-of-Vuolijoki.jpg|thumb|The greystone church of [[Vuolijoki]].]] You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: ''peura'', not ''poro'' which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia. * {{marker|type=see |name=Hepoköngäs |wikidata=Q1383397 |lat=64.8199 |long=27.8768}} - at 24 m one of Finland's highest waterfalls, in [https://www.nationalparks.fi/hepokongas Hepoköngäs Nature Reserve], [[Puolanka]]; the 600-m trail to the waterfall is accessible by wheelchair. In winter the northern part of the area get the '''heaviest annual snowfall''' in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal. There are also cultural sights: * {{marker|type=see |name=The castle ruins in Kajaani |wikidata=Q2628629|lat=NA|long=NA}} – castle built in the early 1600s * {{marker|type=see |name=Hossa rock paintings |wikidata=Q5478589|lat=NA|long=NA}} – prehistoric paintings on rock * {{marker|type=see |name=Paltamo museum of local history |wikidata=Q60988693|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Puolanka museum of local history |wikidata=Q60977142|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition |wikidata=Q61866946|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate frontier guard museum |wikidata=Q61867128|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate Gate |wikidata=Q89577361|lat=NA|long=NA}} – memorial and exhibition on the ''Battle of Raate Road'' during the Winter War * {{marker|type=see |name=Suomussalmi museum of local history |wikidata=Q61611234|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Kallioniemi estate |wikidata=Q11869486|lat=NA|long=NA}} – childhood home of and museum on the novelist ''Kalle Päätalo'' The {{marker|type=see |name=Kuivajärvi |wikidata=Q56400003 |lat=NA<!--64.6413-->|long=NA<!--30.0582-->}} and {{marker|type=see |name=Hietajärvi |wikidata=Q108122894 |lat=NA|long=NA}} villages in Suomussalmi as well as a the small {{marker|type=see |name=Rimpi |lat=NA<!--64.5125-->|long=NA<!--129.9327-->|wikidata=Q65243859}} village in Kuhmo were important for the Karelianism movement: they are the only villages in modern-day Finland that contributed to the Kalevala, and they were visited by ethnologists and artists developing the image of the genuine historic Finnish culture. The three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built cultural environments. ==Do== [[File:SommeloJamit.jpg|thumb|Jam Session in Sommelo Folk Music Festival 2007, Kuhmo.]] [[File:Skiing (8455770686).jpg|thumb|Cross country skiing trail near Ruka.]] * Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of [[cross country skiing]] tracks. * Fishing * [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|Hiking]]. The 80 km [http://www.outdoors.fi/en/karhunkierros Karhunkierros trail] is legendary. * Camping * Berry picking and mushroom collecting * {{do | name=Wildlife watching | alt=Eläintenkatselu | | content= }} === Festivals === * {{event| name= LankaFest| url=https://www.lankafest.fi | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location= Downtown Puolanka, Kainuu| country= Finland | content= A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music in early July.}} * {{event | name=Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival | alt=Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki | url=https://kuhmofestival.fi | year=2022 | month=July | date=10 | enddate=23 | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kuhmo]] | | content=Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skilfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Kainuu is a very safe region. However, outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and [[cold weather]] in season. ==Go next== If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), [[Karelia|Russian Karelia]] is located east of Kainuu. {{geo|64.5|28|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} 5kpl3pbue5dee7uho5rby1h1o2tizsu 4502111 4502106 2022-08-16T10:28:51Z LPfi 79572 /* Get in */ a few more wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Kainuu_banner_Pudasjärvi_swamp.jpg|caption=A swamp in Pudasjärvi, a typical landscape for the region}} [[File:Karhunkierros - Kiutakongas.jpg|thumb|Kiutaköngäs by the Karhunkierros trail.]] '''Kainuu''' is a region in [[Northern Finland]]. For practical purposes, the easternmost parts of Northern Ostrobothnia are also included in this article. Natural landscapes are omnipresent – this is the region where people go to see wildlife of the deep forests. But there are also historical and cultural attractions; the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival draws a big audience from all of Finland and from abroad. ==Cities== * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kajaani]]|wikidata=Q193180}} - by far the largest town around, castle ruins from the 1600s * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuhmo]]|wikidata=Q939771}} - bears, wolves and wolverines. This is where the nature documentaries are filmed * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kuusamo]]|wikidata=Q207999}} - town near the Ruka resort * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Pudasjärvi]]|wikidata=Q912952}} - transportation hub of some importance ==Municipalities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Hyrynsalmi]]|wikidata=Q984934}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Paltamo]]|wikidata=Q985337}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Puolanka]]|wikidata=Q860965}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ristijärvi]]|wikidata=Q985326}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sotkamo]]|wikidata=Q738472}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Suomussalmi]]|wikidata=Q214054}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Taivalkoski]]|wikidata=Q985456}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Utajärvi]]|wikidata=Q985447}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaala]]|wikidata=Q984936}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Ruka]]|wikidata=Q762945}} – the second most popular ski resort in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Vuokatti]] |wikidata=Q1749889}} – internationally renowned ski and sports resort, also popular spa * {{marker|name=[[Oulanka National Park]] |wikidata=Q127322 |lat=66.373|long=29.339}} – one of the most popular national parks and home of the most popular trekking route, the ''Karhunkierros'' * {{marker|name=[[Hiidenportti National Park]] |wikidata=Q2658641}} – impressive gorge and untouched forests * {{marker|name=[[Vaala#Rokua National Park|Rokua National Park]] |wikidata=Q2313367 |lat=64.562|long=26.495}} – compact collection of glacial formations * {{marker|name=[[Posio#Syöte National Park|Syöte National Park]] |wikidata=Q2661377}} – southernmost true fells in Finland * {{marker|name=[[Suomussalmi#Hossa National Park|Hossa National Park]] |wikidata= |lat=65.4786|long=29.3358}} – national park established in 2017 and famous for its prehistoric rock paintings ==Understand== Kainuu and the Eastern Oulu region is a peaceful and natural place with little or no pollution problems. In fact, Kainuu was one of the first regions in Finland to start taking care of the environment and nature and stop consuming natural resources. Nature is omnipresent and outdoor activities in the wilderness are present in the daily life of most people. Even in the largest city Kajaani, you do not have to travel far from the city centre to the forest. ===Climate=== The winters can be harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures; in Kiutaköngäs {{Celsius|-46}} has been recorded (typical winter temperatures are much more moderate, though). For wilderness adventures in winter, use a programme service or an appointed guide (check in advance whether you need any preparations yourself), or be sure you know what you are doing. Day trips along trails are often possible independently also in winter, in good weather (but check forecasts and what to expect from the trail itself). ==Talk== Like in most of Finland, English is widely spoken. Since Kainuu region neighbours Russia, some places also offer service in Russian, at least near the Russian border. ==Get in== There are flights from [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki-Vantaa]] to Kajaani and Kuusamo. The eastern north-south line of the Finnish train network connects Kajaani to southern Finland, and there are also trains from Oulu. Further north, intercity bus is the only mode of transportation if you aren't driving. The Finnish road network is dense and the roads are generally in good shape. From Russian direction there are {{marker|type=go|name=Vartius border crossing|url=|lat=64.5452|long=29.9855}} from [[Kostomuksha]] and {{marker|type=go|name=Kuusamo border crossing|url=|lat=65.7987|long=30.0993}} (Kuusamo-Суоперя) from northernmost Russian [[Karelia]]. There are no passenger trains over the border at Vartius. See [https://www.matkahuolto.fi/en Matkahuolto] for coaches. E.g.: * [http://www.rukataksi.fi Rukan Taksi ja Huoltopalvelu] and Koillismaan Liikenne ({{phone|+358 40-756-9095}}, service possibly only in Finnish) drive from Rovaniemi to Kuusamo. * [http://www.pohjolanmatka.fi Pohjolan Matka] serves a route between Oulu and Joensuu via Kajaani. * [http://www.saagatravel.fi Saaga Travel] serves a route from Oulu to Kajaani via Vaala. * Onnibus M9 drives Turku—Tampere—Jyväskylä—Kuopio—Kajaani ==Get around== There are a couple of daily buses along the major highways. Most towns and municipalities have at least once per day bus connection from Oulu or Kajaani or both of them. During weekdays of school year bus connections are more frequent, but during weekends and summer time services are reduced. If you do not have your own car and need to get to a more remote place, you might need to take a taxi. Long taxi rides aren't uncommon in Northern Finland. Trains of national operator [http://www.vr.fi VR] are possible to use for traveling inside province. There are railway stations (or at least passenger platforms) at [[Kajaani]], [[Kontiomäki]], and [[Paltamo]]. There is a dense bus network covering most of the province, see [http://www.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto]. [http://www.onnibus.com Onnibus] offers discount bus service by a few routes. [http://www.kajaaninseudunjoukkoliikenne.fi/ Kajaanin seudun joukkoliikenne] has public service obligation regional bus route timetable information. [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] includes timetables of trains, long distance buses and local transport of many cities and towns. Other useful route planners are [http://opas.matka.fi Matka.fi] for trains and local buses and [http://reittiopas.matkahuolto.fi Matkahuolto Reittiopas] for regional buses. ===By taxi=== * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Menevä, Taksini * [https://korpitaxi.fi/ Korpitaxi] offers taxi service in Kainuu region * [https://www.otaxi.fi/ Otaxi] offers taxi service in Eastern Oulu region ==See== [[File:Church-of-Vuolijoki.jpg|thumb|The greystone church of [[Vuolijoki]].]] You will see endless forests and bogs, and – if you're lucky – wildlife. Bears, wolves, wolverines, elk (moose), and wild forest reindeer (Finnish: ''peura'', not ''poro'' which is domesticated) all have significant populations in the area. In fact, many nature documentaries have been filmed in the forests of Kuhmo, where population density of wild bears and wolves are high. For western bird watchers, these forests are home to some eastern species not easily spotted elsewhere outside Russia. * {{marker|type=see |name=Hepoköngäs |wikidata=Q1383397 |lat=64.8199 |long=27.8768}} - at 24 m one of Finland's highest waterfalls, in [https://www.nationalparks.fi/hepokongas Hepoköngäs Nature Reserve], [[Puolanka]]; the 600-m trail to the waterfall is accessible by wheelchair. In winter the northern part of the area get the '''heaviest annual snowfall''' in Finland. Snow cover over one meter thick is just normal. There are also cultural sights: * {{marker|type=see |name=The castle ruins in Kajaani |wikidata=Q2628629|lat=NA|long=NA}} – castle built in the early 1600s * {{marker|type=see |name=Hossa rock paintings |wikidata=Q5478589|lat=NA|long=NA}} – prehistoric paintings on rock * {{marker|type=see |name=Paltamo museum of local history |wikidata=Q60988693|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Puolanka museum of local history |wikidata=Q60977142|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Ristijärvi White guard and Lotta sister exhibition |wikidata=Q61866946|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate frontier guard museum |wikidata=Q61867128|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Raate Gate |wikidata=Q89577361|lat=NA|long=NA}} – memorial and exhibition on the ''Battle of Raate Road'' during the Winter War * {{marker|type=see |name=Suomussalmi museum of local history |wikidata=Q61611234|lat=NA|long=NA}} * {{marker|type=see |name=Kallioniemi estate |wikidata=Q11869486|lat=NA|long=NA}} – childhood home of and museum on the novelist ''Kalle Päätalo'' The {{marker|type=see |name=Kuivajärvi |wikidata=Q56400003 |lat=NA<!--64.6413-->|long=NA<!--30.0582-->}} and {{marker|type=see |name=Hietajärvi |wikidata=Q108122894 |lat=NA|long=NA}} villages in Suomussalmi as well as a the small {{marker|type=see |name=Rimpi |lat=NA<!--64.5125-->|long=NA<!--129.9327-->|wikidata=Q65243859}} village in Kuhmo were important for the Karelianism movement: they are the only villages in modern-day Finland that contributed to the Kalevala, and they were visited by ethnologists and artists developing the image of the genuine historic Finnish culture. The three villages are included to the Finnish list of nationally significant built cultural environments. ==Do== [[File:SommeloJamit.jpg|thumb|Jam Session in Sommelo Folk Music Festival 2007, Kuhmo.]] [[File:Skiing (8455770686).jpg|thumb|Cross country skiing trail near Ruka.]] * Skiing – three major ski resorts are located in the region; Vuokatti in Sotkamo, Ruka in Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte in Pudasjärvi. Around these there are also wide networks of [[cross country skiing]] tracks. * Fishing * [[Hiking in the Nordic countries|Hiking]]. The 80 km [http://www.outdoors.fi/en/karhunkierros Karhunkierros trail] is legendary. * Camping * Berry picking and mushroom collecting * {{do | name=Wildlife watching | alt=Eläintenkatselu | | content= }} === Festivals === * {{event| name= LankaFest| url=https://www.lankafest.fi | year= | month= | date= | endyear= | endmonth=| enddate= | location= Downtown Puolanka, Kainuu| country= Finland | content= A music festival focusing on rock and heavy music in early July.}} * {{event | name=Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival | alt=Kuhmon Kamarimusiikki | url=https://kuhmofestival.fi | year=2022 | month=July | date=10 | enddate=23 | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kuhmo]] | | content=Leading chamber musicians transfix the town of Kuhmo every July with a skilfully designed festival programme, inimitable concerts, beautiful surroundings and sunlit nights that open the senses to new and sublime delight. The festival is the biggest chamber music festival in Finland (where most cities have their own), with some 70 concerts and 35.000 tickets sold. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== Kainuu is a very safe region. However, outside cities you should be aware of the implications of long distances and [[cold weather]] in season. ==Go next== If you're coming from the south you'll probably continue all the way to Lapland. If you have a valid visa (or don't need one), [[Karelia|Russian Karelia]] is located east of Kainuu. {{geo|64.5|28|zoom=6}} {{IsPartOf|Northern Finland}} {{outlineregion}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Kainuu|rel=y}} {{RelatedWikipedia|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} {{RelatedCommonsCat|Northern Ostrobothnia|rel=y}} qde5tfmvak2t0tu435kbwwq6t9z3ynt 0 127873 4502153 4291675 2022-08-16T11:58:30Z Graham87 41792 /* Talk */ wikilinks, Acadia makes much more sense here wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Weißensberg, LI - Wildberg v NO, Säntis 01 (cropped).jpg}} <blockquote>"''It has been evident for a long time that, of all members of all the Germanic tribes, the Swabian is the most difficult to understand and the most mysterious. In him the most intense contradictions are found. Often, in one individual, meet both extreme boldness and amazing timidity, rebelliousness and philistinism, winning kindness and resentful standoffishness, skillfulness and awkwardness, firmness and instability, mistrust and friendliness, soaring idealism and grounded realisticism.''"<br /><small>by Fritz Rahn in ''Der schwäbische Mensch und seine Mundart'' (Translation by Matt Carver) </small></blockquote> The '''Swabian (German: ''Schwaben'') cultural region''' is, for most [[Austria]]ns, [[Germany|Germans]], [[Switzerland|Swiss]] and visitors, a very ancient and distinct cultural area, most of which is in [[Baden-Württemberg]], but with a substantial [[Swabia (administrative region of Bavaria)|portion]] also in the western part of [[Bavaria]]. The [[Vorarlberg]] of [[Austria]] and the northern fringe of [[Switzerland]] also used to belong to the Swabian Empire. The whole of [[Liechtenstein]] is within the historical confines of ''Schwaben'' and the Lech River forms its traditional eastern boundary in Germany. ==Understand== [[File:KleinesWalsertalTracht1.jpg|thumb|Traditional costumes often come out of the wardrobe at village festivals]] ==Cities== {{mapframe}} In '''[[Austria]]''': * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Bregenz]]|wikidata=Q1737}} - their ''Vorarlbergisch'' speech and customs separates the inhabitants of this city from the rest of Austria almost effectively as the Rätikon mountain range. Indeed, after the First World War the people of this area had to be diplomatically restrained by the allied powers from continuing to assert their independence from the rest of Austria for fear of a too diminished Austria being too easily subsumed into a greater Germany - a sentiment that proved all too prescient in 1938! [[File:PfarrkircheRankweil1.JPG|thumb|Parish church of [[Rankweil]]]] In the German Customs Area (''deutsches Zollgebiet'') of '''[[Austria]]''': * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kleinwalsertal]]|wikidata=Q689769}} In '''[[Baden-Württemberg]]''': * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Friedrichshafen]]|wikidata=Q4051}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Heidenheim]]|wikidata=Q6869}} an der Brenz * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ravensburg]]|wikidata=Q6832}} [[File:Reutlingen 04 (RaBoe).jpg|thumb|The ''Tübinger Tor'' in [[Reutlingen]]]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Reutlingen]]|wikidata=Q3085}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sigmaringen]]|wikidata=Q82858}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Schwäbisch Gmünd]]|wikidata=}} — its population of around 60,000 makes this town the second largest in the ''Ostalbkreis'' and it's famous for both its silver and gold handicrafts * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Stuttgart]]|wikidata=Q1022}} — nicknamed the ''Schwabenmetropole'' (Swabian metropolitan centre), because of its location in the very heart of Swabia and also because of the Swabian dialect spoken by its native inhabitants. In that dialect, the city's name is ''Schtugert'' or ''Schtuagerd'' * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Tübingen]]|wikidata=Q3806}} [[File:Ulm - Stadtkulisse Ulm mit Donau.jpg|thumb|With a wonderful view over the Danube and, on a clear day, a huge swathe of the Alps, [[Ulm]] Minster is still the tallest church in the world at 161.5&nbsp;m (530&nbsp;ft) and was, for a brief period at the turn of the nineteenth century, the tallest building in the whole world.]] * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ulm]]|wikidata=Q3012}} — the birthplace of theoretician, Albert Einstein In '''[[Bavaria|Bayern]]''': * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Augsburg]]|wikidata=Q2749}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Füssen]]|wikidata=Q262684}} — the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein is nearby * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Harburg]]|wikidata=}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Kempten]]|wikidata=Q3994}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Landsberg am Lech]]|wikidata=Q494299}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Lindau]]|wikidata=Q153969}} — the [[Bavaria]]n port and "island" city on [[Lake Constance]] (the ''Bodensee'') * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Memmingen]]|wikidata=Q14825}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nordlingen]]|wikidata=Q489902}} [[File:Konstanz RoemerTurm.jpg|thumb|Roman fort from c. 300&nbsp;AD in [[Konstanz]] showing the foundations of an eight-cornered tower]] In both '''[[Germany]]''' and '''[[Switzerland]]''': * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Konstanz]]|wikidata=Q3834}} /[[Kreuzlingen]] In '''[[Liechtenstein#Talk|Liechtenstein]]''' * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Vaduz]]|wikidata=Q1844}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Allgäu]]|wikidata=Q169276}} * '''Blaubeuren Abbey''' [[File:Blaubeuren Blautopf.jpg|thumb|the ''Blautopf'' spring]] * The '''''Blautopf''''' (German for blue pot) is a deeply intense blue and probably Germany's most clebrated spring that bubbles up from a depth of more than 21&nbsp;m (69&nbsp;ft) in the limestone to start the river Blau. ==Understand== ==Talk== Swabian (in standard German: ''Schwäbisch'') is just ''one'', albeit a very major one, of the dialects of German spoken in Swabia. However, like folk from [[Yorkshire]] or the [[Acadia]]n parts of the New World, speakers tend to be rather proud of their linguistic heritage - there is even a tiny, almost stillborn version of [http://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/swg/Schw%C3%A4bisch Wikipedia in ''Schwäbisch''] ! If you're interested in Swabian vocabulary and inventions [http://www.schwaebisch-englisch.de/ here's an interesting website]. Swabian also used to be spoken by the Volga Germans in the former Soviet Union, part of the Danube Swabian minorities in [[Hungary]], parts of the former Yugoslavia and [[Romania]]. The dialect ranges from a 'standard' Swabian, spoken in Stuttgart, to a variety of more vigorous, denser forms found in its hinterland. Just by listening quietly, many people can often tell the town or area a person comes from. [[File:Marktplatz, Schwabisch-Gmund 25 April 2009 foto by William Schlemmer.jpg|thumb|The market place in [[Schwäbisch Gmünd]]]] Like [[Glasgow|Glaswegian]] for Britons, Swabian may be difficult to understand for other German speakers, not just because of its distinctive accent and vowel inflections but because it has its very own vocabulary too. For most Germans, a girl is a Mädchen, but when she crosses the Lech she becomes a ''Mädle''. Strawberry jam for most Germans is ''Erdbeermarmelade'' while older Swabians often call this preserve ''Präschtlingsgsälz''. Bizarrely, a readers survey of the largest newspaper in Stuttgart, chose as the most beautiful Swabian word: ''Muggeseggele'' (the fly's balls) ! ==Get in== [[File:Liechtenstein Franz JosefII Revers.JPG|thumb|upright=0.5|[[Liechtenstein]] 10 frank gold coin]] Although this region spreads over several international borders, most travellers will have no bureaucratic hassles, since all the relevant countries are both members of the [[European Union#Passport and visa requirements|Schengen agreement]] on facilitated border formalities and part of the same customs union. Currencies used are the euro (€) and the Swiss/Liechtenstein franc/frank (CHF) ===By plane=== [[File:BallonKathedrale01 edit.jpg|thumb|No smoking in the toilets allowed!]] Stuttgart airport ({{IATA|STR}}), located in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, hosts various airlines including the low cost airline [http://www.tuifly.com TUI] and has direct flight connections with major German and European cities. It won't be difficult to book a flight to Stuttgart from outside Europe connecting through a major hub such as London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulles. Fares usually don't differ much if at all if you choose to fly into Stuttgart from another continent (rather than to [[Frankfurt]], [[Munich]] or [[Berlin]]). ==Get around== ==See== [[File:Blaubeuren Kloster.jpg|thumb|Blaubeuren Abbey]] ==Do== ==Eat== [[File:Schwäbischer Kartoffelsalat mit Maultaschen.JPG|thumb|Swabian potato salad with Maultaschen]] A traditional dish in Swabia is '''''Maultaschen'''''. These are rectangular pasta parcels filled with meat, onions, spinach and various herbs, similar to ravioli but much larger. They can be served "as is" with a little butter or in a broth. Another appetising variant is to slice and fry them in a pan and serve with a seasonal salad. In times of more rigorous religious observance, this was sometimes thought of as a sneaky dish because the diner could plausibly claim that he was abstaining from meat - the offending pork being hidden inside the pasta parcel! [[File:Zwiebelrostbraten mit Spätzle.JPG|thumb|Beef with fried onions and Spätzle]] An almost stereotypically Swabian classic dish is '''''Spätzle''''' - egg based noodles often served with a meat dish. A rule of thumb is to use one egg for every diner and then add an extra egg for luck. Swabians have a reputation for being "Damp Diners (''Nass-Esser'')" . Most dishes are smothered in a sauce or gravy and a lot of dipping, dunking or crumbling into soups goes on. If you're served a soup, you'll always get a slab of bread to dunk in it if there's not a variety of pasta floating in it already. They're not called "''Suppenschwaben''" for nothing! Roast meats are invariably served with plenty of gravy. ==Drink== '''Trollinger''' grapes make wines that are light to ruby red in colour and were introduced by the Romans. These wines are light and fruity with a nose that has hints of redcurrants and wild cherries. They complement cold sausage (Wurst) platters, poultry and local cheeses, and slide down very nicely on their own! ==Sleep== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== * [[Alsace]] {{IsPartOf|Central Europe}} {{geo|48.5|9.5|zoom=8}} {{extraregion}} 3bvlj9twx912fmtrm4gzvbecpsvsyvy 0 131164 4501810 4113987 2022-08-16T02:26:46Z 136.158.7.145 /* See */ Updated listing for Museo ng Katipunan - add more details to the entry wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus | lat=14.60423 | long=121.03179 | directions=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus (inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price= | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, hosted by the local government of San Juan, and operated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Somewhere between a wet and dry market and a shopping mall, the market proper is underground. On street level, there is a Puregold supermarket, fast food restaurants and a Mercury Drug. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} nwvzhc29qkszet19fxs9oultrs0iea0 4501813 4501810 2022-08-16T02:28:05Z 136.158.7.145 /* See */ Updated listing for Museo ng Katipunan - add more details wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60423 | long=121.03179 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, hosted by the local government of San Juan, and operated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Somewhere between a wet and dry market and a shopping mall, the market proper is underground. On street level, there is a Puregold supermarket, fast food restaurants and a Mercury Drug. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} inat6ymgnze7j9atvlnedqkhuppnpdn 4501820 4501813 2022-08-16T02:33:25Z 136.158.7.145 /* Buy */ Updated listing for Agora Public Market - improve text description. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60423 | long=121.03179 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, hosted by the local government of San Juan, and operated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} f7bcvzphomkb8zcu2vzt77z3jwhicom 4501825 4501820 2022-08-16T02:41:40Z GOwvin 2274858 /* See */ Updated listing for Museo ng Katipunan - improve the details of the entry wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60423 | long=121.03179 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} qdehelavop23w8gspfhzrq51ggrszer 4501831 4501825 2022-08-16T02:47:14Z GOwvin 2274858 add entry for Museo El Deposito wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60423 | long=121.03179 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} 5jj3g4m4w4094hto8rr6j2ac0gmjbps 4501837 4501831 2022-08-16T02:57:04Z GOwvin 2274858 Update the correct coordinates of museums. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} co35zb8zk8juhu8c4mxblerk0g6q6lv 4501838 4501837 2022-08-16T02:58:29Z GOwvin 2274858 add wikipedia page for El Deposito museum wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} cp58q5pxd5enwcxp379p2pplokhno5u 4501839 4501838 2022-08-16T03:00:12Z GOwvin 2274858 Re-order the entries, based on proximity of POIs wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} 096cteiueof13kn7q4rdhbhbwv0ojil 4501840 4501839 2022-08-16T03:02:23Z GOwvin 2274858 Add geographic coordinates for Agora Public Market entry. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by walking, but it is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} bkfln8z9zuuzpqc1zhg19u91ivteug6 4501841 4501840 2022-08-16T03:05:05Z GOwvin 2274858 Improve the text for the Get around section. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Formerly Lokal ng Riverside, it was the original headquarters of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} k1d56ca5y3fi0bbgpizte4aye8czqrn 4501860 4501841 2022-08-16T04:17:56Z GOwvin 2274858 improve text description wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=It was the original central office for the church administration of the Iglesia ni Cristo between 1925 and 1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. Viewable from the outside, not open to the public. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} 8xhvat7nwhq9ih2a5wxbhsqxdd1l42o 4501866 4501860 2022-08-16T04:29:31Z 136.158.7.145 /* See */ Updated listing for Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, F. Manalo-San Juan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=It was central office complext for the Iglesia ni Cristo church administration, from 1925 to 1971, until their transfer to Quezon City. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. Viewable from the outside, not open to the public. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} b3pul1hqyk0f8drxz173wd6y0kmerc1 4501875 4501866 2022-08-16T05:01:23Z GOwvin 2274858 /* Buy */ Added listing for Santolan Town Plaza - new entry wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, F. Manalo-San Juan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=It was central office complext for the Iglesia ni Cristo church administration, from 1925 to 1971, until their transfer to Quezon City. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. Viewable from the outside, not open to the public. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} * {{buy | name=Santolan Town Plaza | alt= | url=https://therockwellist.com/directory/santolan-town-plaza | email=inquire@santolantownplaza.com | address=Santolan Road, Little Baguio | lat=14.6043 | long=121.03398 | directions= | phone=+632 8898 1702 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Santolan Town Plaza, is a small, upscale mall in San Juan with a supermarket, cinemas, office spaces, and several dining and service establishments. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} czyuy6w0slebgnj2ighs7z1v2ifgv96 4501939 4501875 2022-08-16T07:16:10Z LPfi 79572 Adjusted revision 4501866 by [[Special:Contributions/136.158.7.145|136.158.7.145]] ([[User talk:136.158.7.145|talk]]): the original grammar better, left date stamp and additions; +wikidata wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{See|name=Museo El Deposito|alt=El Depositio Museum|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/|email=med@nhcp.gov.ph|address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan City|lat=14.60419|long=121.03172|directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex|phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042|lastedit=2022-08-16|wikipedia=Museo El Deposito}} * {{listing | type=see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24931105 | wikipedia=Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, F. Manalo-San Juan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=It was the original central office for the church administration of the Iglesia ni Cristo, between 1925 and 1971 (transfered to Quezon City). The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. Viewable from the outside, not open to the public. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} * {{buy | name=Santolan Town Plaza | alt= | url=https://therockwellist.com/directory/santolan-town-plaza | email=inquire@santolantownplaza.com | address=Santolan Road, Little Baguio | lat=14.6043 | long=121.03398 | directions= | phone=+632 8898 1702 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Santolan Town Plaza, is a small, upscale mall in San Juan with a supermarket, cinemas, office spaces, and several dining and service establishments. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} pqml4k6got03i5kq9uaxhxy5xmcf6xh 4501952 4501939 2022-08-16T07:31:17Z LPfi 79572 /* See */ wikidata; listing format wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q85787142 | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{see |name=Museo El Deposito | alt=El Depositio Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/ | email=med@nhcp.gov.ph | address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus | lat=14.60419 | long=121.03172 |directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex | phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | wikidata=Q85787139 | wikipedia=Museo El Deposito | content=A history museum. }} * {{see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24931105 | wikipedia=Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, F. Manalo-San Juan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=It was the original central office for the church administration of the Iglesia ni Cristo, between 1925 and 1971 (transfered to Quezon City). The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. Viewable from the outside, not open to the public. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} * {{buy | name=Santolan Town Plaza | alt= | url=https://therockwellist.com/directory/santolan-town-plaza | email=inquire@santolantownplaza.com | address=Santolan Road, Little Baguio | lat=14.6043 | long=121.03398 | directions= | phone=+632 8898 1702 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Santolan Town Plaza, is a small, upscale mall in San Juan with a supermarket, cinemas, office spaces, and several dining and service establishments. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} r5jihiqliljnqrvvz6u65psqir3fpo1 4501955 4501952 2022-08-16T07:34:40Z LPfi 79572 /* See */ Iglesia ni Cristo: seems to contradict Wikipedia wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City banner.jpg}} '''[http://www.sanjuancity.gov.ph San Juan]''' is a small city in [[Metro Manila]], surrounded by [[Manila]], [[Mandaluyong]] and [[Quezon City]]. ==Understand== Used to be a large municipality, this little city is sandwiched between the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City. It has a population of about 120,000 as of 2015, and a total land area of {{km2|6}}. San Juan is a young city, only chartered in 2007. It is originally the town of ''San Juan del Monte'', after its patron John the Baptist, and for its hilly terrain, and is the site of one major battle of the [[Philippine Revolution]], the Battle of San Juan del Monte (more known locally as the ''Battle of Pinaglabanan''). ==Get in== ===By bus=== The city proper is served by the '''Quiapo–[[Taytay (Rizal)|Taytay]]''' city bus route between Park N' Ride in [[Manila]] and SM City Taytay. The route plies San Juan's main roads, N. Domingo Street, Pinaglabanan Street, Santolan Road, and Ortigas Avenue. If coming from southern Metro Manila, take a bus plying EDSA and get down at the interchange with Ortigas, near EDSA Shrine and Robinsons Galleria. There, you can transfer to a bus or jeepney towards the city proper. ===By LRT=== * {{listing | type=go | name=J. Ruiz Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=Aurora Boulevard | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=J. Ruiz station | wikidata=Q3547809 | lastedit=2019-12-30 | content=Served by LRT Line 2, it is the only rapid transit station in the city, but is at an impractical location above Aurora Boulevard. It is poorly connected to local public transportation (except for jeepneys plying Aurora Boulevard), and to reach the downtown means a walk through a somewhat seedy area. }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|14.60464|121.03082|zoom=17|height=470|width=470}} The city is small enough to be explored by cycling, and neighborhood districts are walkable. It is also possible to get around by tricycle or jeepney. Jeepneys serve Little Baguio from Greenhills and Agora Market (via Romualdez in Mandaluyong). ==See== * {{listing | type=see | name=Battle of Pinaglabanan Shrine | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Shrine | wikidata=Q7194800 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Opened 1974, it commemorates the Battle of San Juan del Monte during the [[Philippine Revolution]]. Neglected for years, it has been restored. }} * {{see | name=Museo ng Katipunan | alt=Pinaglabanan Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/pinaglabanan-memorial-shrine | email=mkpms@nhcp.gov.ph | address=29 Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus, San Juan | lat=14.60413 | long=121.03130 | directions=(inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine complex) | phone=+63 2 7254 44 70 | tollfree= | hours=M closed, T-Su 8AM-4PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q85787142 | wikipedia=Museo ng Katipunan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A local museum on the history of the Katipunan and the 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain, operated by the local government of San Juan, and supervised by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. }} * {{see |name=Museo El Deposito | alt=El Depositio Museum | url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/museo-el-deposito/ | email=med@nhcp.gov.ph | address=Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine, Pinaglabanan Street, Corazon de Jesus | lat=14.60419 | long=121.03172 |directions=Inside the Pinaglabanan Shrine Complex | phone=+632 7753 5439, +63998 247 0042 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | wikidata=Q85787139 | wikipedia=Museo El Deposito | content=A history museum. }} * {{see | name=Pinaglabanan Church | alt=St. John the Baptist Church | url= | email= | address=Pinaglabanan Street, Pedro Cruz | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Pinaglabanan Church | wikidata=Q17021166 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=A Neo-Romanesque church dating back to 1894. It is declared a National Historical Landmark in 1974. }} * {{see | name=Iglesia ni Cristo, Lokal ng F. Manalo | alt= | url= | email= | address=F. Manalo Street, Santa Lucia | lat=14.59669 | long=121.03256 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24931105 | wikipedia=Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, F. Manalo-San Juan | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=It was the central office for the church administration of the Iglesia ni Cristo 1925–1971. The complex houses numerous [[Art Deco]] buildings, most notably its chapel, designed by the architect Juan Nakpil. Viewable from the outside, not open to the public. }} ==Do== * {{listing | type=do | name=Filoil-Flying V Centre | alt=San Juan Arena | url= | email= | address=Santolan Road | lat= | long= | directions=Get down a bus or jeepney near Fountain International School | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Filoil Flying V Centre | wikidata=Q5449194 | lastedit=2019-02-08 | content=Constructed in 2006 as a major sports venue, this serves as the main venue for Premier Volleyball League (PVL, formerly Shakey's V-League) and UAAP games. This is also used as an alternate venue for PBA games }} ==Buy== *{{listing | type=buy | name=Greenhills Shopping Center | alt= | url=https://www.greenhills.com.ph | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-9PM, F-Sa 10AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia=Greenhills (mixed-use development) | wikidata=Q14081502 | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=Opened in the 1970s, it is a middle class commercial-residential development with over 2000 shops in 6 mall buildings. Greenhills has over 90,000 visitors a day, and also houses ''tiangges'' (flea markets) and a pearl market. }} * {{buy | name=Agora Public Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=N. Domingo Street, Pedro Cruz | lat=14.60526 | long=121.02333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-03-09 | content=The largest public market in the city, with a mixed-use commercial/retail area on the ground level, and the market below. At the street level, there is a supermarket, fast food restaurants and a drug store. }} * {{buy | name=Santolan Town Plaza | alt= | url=https://therockwellist.com/directory/santolan-town-plaza | email=inquire@santolantownplaza.com | address=Santolan Road, Little Baguio | lat=14.6043 | long=121.03398 | directions= | phone=+632 8898 1702 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-22:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Santolan Town Plaza, is a small, upscale mall in San Juan with a supermarket, cinemas, office spaces, and several dining and service establishments. }} ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=The Leaf House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/theleafhouseph/ | email= | address=1500, 45 A Rita | lat=14.60216 | long=121.02603 | directions= | phone=+63 966 329 1118 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1348 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Like staying in a big house. }} * {{sleep | name=Summit Hotel Greenhills | alt= | url=https://www.summithotels.ph/ | email= | address=13 Annapolis | lat=14.60572 | long=121.05556 | directions=part of Annapolis Wilshire Plaza | phone=+63 2 8898 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Hotel tower with a luxury feel that has an indoor pool and restaurant. Breakfast served. }} * {{sleep | name=Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern | alt= | url=https://www.greenhillselanhotelmodern.com/ | email= | address=49 Annapolis | lat=14.60376 | long=121.05096 | directions= | phone=+63 2 7744 7979 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=₱1637 | lastedit=2020-12-13 | content=Pretty cheeky place with concierge and a restaurant and pool. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Metro Manila}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|14.60488|121.02964}} aagk51y7il8380rat8kwqybe4sbuyl1 0 131347 4501610 4486832 2022-08-15T13:56:13Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By train */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|HooghlyWikivoyageBanner.jpg}} [[File:Courtyard - Imambara - Chinsurah - Hooghly - 2013-05-19 7817.JPG|thumb|Courtyard of the Imambara Mosque in Hooghly]] '''Hooghly''' (also known as '''Chinsurah''' or '''Hooghly-Chinsura''' or '''Hugli''' or '''Hugli-Chuchura''') is a city in [[Southeast Bengal]] in [[India]]. It lies on the Hooghly River, 35 km north of [[Kolkata]]. ==Understand== [[File:Bandel Basilica.jpg|thumb|200px|Bandel Church]] Hooghly is in the eastern part of India and is and is spread along the western banks of the Hooghly River. It has a strong historical significance. Despite most people in the city are Hindus, there are several religions with deep roots in the area. Bandel, a neighbourhood of Hooghly, was founded by Portuguese settlers. ==Talk== Like most of [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Hooghly is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. ==Get in== ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport ({{IATA|CCU}}) in [[Kolkata]]. === By train === {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service in Eastern India began on 15 August 1854 on its first run between Howrah Junction railway station to [[Hooghly]] railway station.}} Hooghly is well-connected by suburban train lines in the Howrah-Bardhaman main line. All trains except express trains and galloping local trains have a stop here. The price of a ticket from Howrah to Hooghly is just ₹10 (USD 0.60). * {{go | name=Bandel Junction railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.92362 | long=88.378331 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4854508 | lastedit=2022-07-17 | content=Bandel station is the main station which is connected with Howrah-Bardhaman main line. Bandel is also connected with the Naihati station of Sealdah section. From Bandel station to the Bandel Basilica auto-rickshaws, mini buses and cycle rickshaws are available. }} * {{go | name=Hooghly railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15224988 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content=One of the oldest railway stations in India. }} * {{go | name=Chuchura railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.890191 | long=88.3695 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q31292397 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{go | name=Hooghly Ghat railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24948389 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content=One can take auto-rickshaws from Hooghly Ghat station.}} === By car === Hooghly is connected by the [[Grand Trunk Road]] and the Delhi road. The Delhi road is preferable whenever possible, because the GT Road is consumed by local traffic and it is a daunting task to drive through the pot-holed roads. ===By ferry=== Launch service is available from Naihati Ferry Ghat to Chinsurah Ferry Ghat from 6AM to 10PM. ==Get around== {{mapframe|height=600}} ==See== [[File:Ananta Basudev Temple.jpg|thumb|200px|Ananta Basudeba Temple in Bansberia]] * {{see | name=Ananta Basudeba Temple | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bansberia | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4751442 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Bandel Church | alt=Bandel Basilica, Basilica of the Holy Rosary | url=http://www.ourladyofbandel.org/ | email= | address= | lat=22.918951 | long=88.395192 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2887171 | lastedit=2022-07-16 | content=It is one of the oldest Christian churches in [[West Bengal]], standing as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. It is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Our Lady of the Rosary. The present church and monastery are said to be built in 1660 by Gomez de Soto having the key stone of the old church bearing the date 1599 over the eastern gate of the Monastery. In front of the church stands a ship's mast which was presented by the captain of a vessel which had encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal and allegedly saved by the grace of Virgin Mary. There is the statue of "One lady of Happy Voyage" in the middle of the church. The church has three altars, a small organ and several tomb stones. }} * {{see | name=Dutch Cemetery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.890141 | long=88.391792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q29032413 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{see | name=Hangseshwari Temple | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.964321 | long=88.399811 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5648088 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Hooghly Jail | alt=Hooghly District Correctional Home | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.90528 | long=88.40139 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110907711 | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Founded in 1817 beside the Hooghly River, Hooghly Jail is one of the oldest prison centres of West Bengal. During the British rule, political prisoners were kept there in solitary confinement. }} * {{see | name=Ishwar Gupta Setu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bansberia | lat=22.967363 | long=88.407664 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24938418 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{see | name=Hooghly Imambara | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5897737 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jubilee Bridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.907111 | long=88.404444 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6301813 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{see | name=Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address=Saptagram | lat=22.960417 | long=88.369797 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q56425688 | lastedit=2022-07-14 | content= }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Aqua Marina | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.906 | long=88.3686 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-16 | content= }} ==Buy== Various shopping malls have sprung up in the city, especially after 2000. Compared to foreign markets they are cheap, especially when buying wholesale. [[Bargaining]] is done here without anyone raising their brows. One can buy good handicrafts for souvenirs. ==Eat== ==Drink== One should not expect to find drinking clubs and/or pubs, as this region is conservative. However, there are wine shops in the Kodalia side of the city, adjacent to the West Bengal State Electricity unit. ==Sleep== ==Connect== ==Stay safe== ===Hospitals=== * {{listing | name=Imambara District Hospital | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.89243 | long=88.3994 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-11 | content= }} ==Go next== * [[Chandannagar]] * [[Howrah]] * [[Rural Hooghly]] {{IsPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|22.90689|88.37613|zoom=15}} 3wc3kdrnqwe3zopo9putn0t3i4o2ie5 4501611 4501610 2022-08-15T13:56:50Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* By train */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|HooghlyWikivoyageBanner.jpg}} [[File:Courtyard - Imambara - Chinsurah - Hooghly - 2013-05-19 7817.JPG|thumb|Courtyard of the Imambara Mosque in Hooghly]] '''Hooghly''' (also known as '''Chinsurah''' or '''Hooghly-Chinsura''' or '''Hugli''' or '''Hugli-Chuchura''') is a city in [[Southeast Bengal]] in [[India]]. It lies on the Hooghly River, 35 km north of [[Kolkata]]. ==Understand== [[File:Bandel Basilica.jpg|thumb|200px|Bandel Church]] Hooghly is in the eastern part of India and is and is spread along the western banks of the Hooghly River. It has a strong historical significance. Despite most people in the city are Hindus, there are several religions with deep roots in the area. Bandel, a neighbourhood of Hooghly, was founded by Portuguese settlers. ==Talk== Like most of [[West Bengal]], the native language of the people of Hooghly is '''[[Bengali phrasebook|Bengali]]'''. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother. ==Get in== ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport ({{IATA|CCU}}) in [[Kolkata]]. === By train === {{infobox|Railways in India|The first commercial railway service in Eastern India began on 15 August 1854 on its first run between [[Howrah]] Junction railway station to Hooghly railway station.}} Hooghly is well-connected by suburban train lines in the Howrah-Bardhaman main line. All trains except express trains and galloping local trains have a stop here. The price of a ticket from Howrah to Hooghly is just ₹10 (USD 0.60). * {{go | name=Bandel Junction railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.92362 | long=88.378331 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4854508 | lastedit=2022-07-17 | content=Bandel station is the main station which is connected with Howrah-Bardhaman main line. Bandel is also connected with the Naihati station of Sealdah section. From Bandel station to the Bandel Basilica auto-rickshaws, mini buses and cycle rickshaws are available. }} * {{go | name=Hooghly railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q15224988 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content=One of the oldest railway stations in India. }} * {{go | name=Chuchura railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.890191 | long=88.3695 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q31292397 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{go | name=Hooghly Ghat railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24948389 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content=One can take auto-rickshaws from Hooghly Ghat station.}} === By car === Hooghly is connected by the [[Grand Trunk Road]] and the Delhi road. The Delhi road is preferable whenever possible, because the GT Road is consumed by local traffic and it is a daunting task to drive through the pot-holed roads. ===By ferry=== Launch service is available from Naihati Ferry Ghat to Chinsurah Ferry Ghat from 6AM to 10PM. ==Get around== {{mapframe|height=600}} ==See== [[File:Ananta Basudev Temple.jpg|thumb|200px|Ananta Basudeba Temple in Bansberia]] * {{see | name=Ananta Basudeba Temple | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bansberia | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4751442 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Bandel Church | alt=Bandel Basilica, Basilica of the Holy Rosary | url=http://www.ourladyofbandel.org/ | email= | address= | lat=22.918951 | long=88.395192 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2887171 | lastedit=2022-07-16 | content=It is one of the oldest Christian churches in [[West Bengal]], standing as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. It is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Our Lady of the Rosary. The present church and monastery are said to be built in 1660 by Gomez de Soto having the key stone of the old church bearing the date 1599 over the eastern gate of the Monastery. In front of the church stands a ship's mast which was presented by the captain of a vessel which had encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal and allegedly saved by the grace of Virgin Mary. There is the statue of "One lady of Happy Voyage" in the middle of the church. The church has three altars, a small organ and several tomb stones. }} * {{see | name=Dutch Cemetery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.890141 | long=88.391792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q29032413 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{see | name=Hangseshwari Temple | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.964321 | long=88.399811 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5648088 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Hooghly Jail | alt=Hooghly District Correctional Home | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.90528 | long=88.40139 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q110907711 | lastedit=2022-07-18 | content=Founded in 1817 beside the Hooghly River, Hooghly Jail is one of the oldest prison centres of West Bengal. During the British rule, political prisoners were kept there in solitary confinement. }} * {{see | name=Ishwar Gupta Setu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Bansberia | lat=22.967363 | long=88.407664 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24938418 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{see | name=Hooghly Imambara | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5897737 | lastedit=2020-11-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jubilee Bridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.907111 | long=88.404444 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6301813 | lastedit=2022-07-10 | content= }} * {{see | name=Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque | alt= | url= | email= | address=Saptagram | lat=22.960417 | long=88.369797 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q56425688 | lastedit=2022-07-14 | content= }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Aqua Marina | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.906 | long=88.3686 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-16 | content= }} ==Buy== Various shopping malls have sprung up in the city, especially after 2000. Compared to foreign markets they are cheap, especially when buying wholesale. [[Bargaining]] is done here without anyone raising their brows. One can buy good handicrafts for souvenirs. ==Eat== ==Drink== One should not expect to find drinking clubs and/or pubs, as this region is conservative. However, there are wine shops in the Kodalia side of the city, adjacent to the West Bengal State Electricity unit. ==Sleep== ==Connect== ==Stay safe== ===Hospitals=== * {{listing | name=Imambara District Hospital | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=22.89243 | long=88.3994 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-07-11 | content= }} ==Go next== * [[Chandannagar]] * [[Howrah]] * [[Rural Hooghly]] {{IsPartOf|Greater Kolkata}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|22.90689|88.37613|zoom=15}} rdx5baj5lux6nnbl49i7hcgv33s7lq6 0 131473 4501906 4466741 2022-08-16T05:50:41Z 119.160.116.130 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Moenjodaro WV banner.jpg}} '''Northern Sindh''' is the northern part of the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]]. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Khairpur]]|wikidata=Q1179634}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Larkana]]|wikidata=Q696605}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ranipur]]|wikidata=Q7293069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sukkur]]|wikidata=Q868631}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sehwan]]|wikidata=Q3308397}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nawabshah]]|wikidata=Q1017637}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jacobabad]]|wikidata=Q1017696}} * {{marker|type=village|name=[[Mothparja]]|wikidata=Q111983401}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shikarpur (Sindh)]]|wikidata=Q1250069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darya Khan Marree ]]|wikidata=}} * Dadu ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} — an ancient city not to be missed by history buffs *{{marker|name=Gorakh Hill|Wikidata|=Q5725}} — coolest place in Sindh, ideal for tourists and nature-lovers * ''' Kotdiji Fort''' - Historical place near Khairpur city * '''Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary''' - Near Kotdiji. * '''Faiz Mahal''' -in Khairpur district city, a symbol of love, built by Talpur Mir for his beloved Baali Beghum. * ''' Saadh Belo''' - On the bank of river Indus. * ''' Lab-e-Mehran''' - In Sukkur ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Gorakh Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=94 km north west of Dadu city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An under-development hill station on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh, at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthar Mountains Range. Due to the surroundings, it's a unique adventure point for nature lovers. }} ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sindh}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.25951|68.54919|zoom=8}} bm0lfq5wy1rgs8uvf7kj2vkvat1d22s 4501907 4501906 2022-08-16T05:52:19Z 119.160.116.130 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Moenjodaro WV banner.jpg}} '''Northern Sindh''' is the northern part of the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]]. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Khairpur]]|wikidata=Q1179634}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Larkana]]|wikidata=Q696605}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ranipur]]|wikidata=Q7293069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sukkur]]|wikidata=Q868631}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sehwan]]|wikidata=Q3308397}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nawabshah]]|wikidata=Q1017637}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jacobabad]]|wikidata=Q1017696}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Mothparja]]|wikidata=Q111983401}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shikarpur (Sindh)]]|wikidata=Q1250069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darya Khan Marree ]]|wikidata=}} * Dadu ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} — an ancient city not to be missed by history buffs *{{marker|name=Gorakh Hill|Wikidata|=Q5725}} — coolest place in Sindh, ideal for tourists and nature-lovers * ''' Kotdiji Fort''' - Historical place near Khairpur city * '''Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary''' - Near Kotdiji. * '''Faiz Mahal''' -in Khairpur district city, a symbol of love, built by Talpur Mir for his beloved Baali Beghum. * ''' Saadh Belo''' - On the bank of river Indus. * ''' Lab-e-Mehran''' - In Sukkur ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Gorakh Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=94 km north west of Dadu city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An under-development hill station on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh, at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthar Mountains Range. Due to the surroundings, it's a unique adventure point for nature lovers. }} ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sindh}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.25951|68.54919|zoom=8}} njar8r71ts8urqgapq8zw0jcbxmygvs 4501908 4501907 2022-08-16T05:55:00Z 119.160.116.130 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Moenjodaro WV banner.jpg}} '''Northern Sindh''' is the northern part of the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]]. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Khairpur]]|wikidata=Q1179634}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Larkana]]|wikidata=Q696605}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ranipur]]|wikidata=Q7293069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sukkur]]|wikidata=Q868631}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sehwan]]|wikidata=Q3308397}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nawabshah]]|wikidata=Q1017637}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jacobabad]]|wikidata=Q1017696}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shikarpur (Sindh)]]|wikidata=Q1250069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darya Khan Marree ]]|wikidata=}} * Dadu ==Villages== * {{marker|type=village|name=[[Mothparja]]|wikidata=Q111983401}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} — an ancient city not to be missed by history buffs *{{marker|name=Gorakh Hill|Wikidata|=Q5725}} — coolest place in Sindh, ideal for tourists and nature-lovers * ''' Kotdiji Fort''' - Historical place near Khairpur city * '''Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary''' - Near Kotdiji. * '''Faiz Mahal''' -in Khairpur district city, a symbol of love, built by Talpur Mir for his beloved Baali Beghum. * ''' Saadh Belo''' - On the bank of river Indus. * ''' Lab-e-Mehran''' - In Sukkur ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Gorakh Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=94 km north west of Dadu city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An under-development hill station on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh, at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthar Mountains Range. Due to the surroundings, it's a unique adventure point for nature lovers. }} ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sindh}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.25951|68.54919|zoom=8}} jpa46kebib96mx2rcqqebz6um3vxdd7 4501909 4501908 2022-08-16T05:56:14Z 119.160.116.130 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Moenjodaro WV banner.jpg}} '''Northern Sindh''' is the northern part of the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]]. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Khairpur]]|wikidata=Q1179634}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Larkana]]|wikidata=Q696605}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ranipur]]|wikidata=Q7293069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sukkur]]|wikidata=Q868631}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sehwan]]|wikidata=Q3308397}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nawabshah]]|wikidata=Q1017637}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jacobabad]]|wikidata=Q1017696}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shikarpur (Sindh)]]|wikidata=Q1250069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darya Khan Marree ]]|wikidata=}} * Dadu ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} — an ancient city not to be missed by history buffs *{{marker|name=Gorakh Hill|Wikidata|=Q5725}} — coolest place in Sindh, ideal for tourists and nature-lovers * ''' Kotdiji Fort''' - Historical place near Khairpur city * '''Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary''' - Near Kotdiji. * '''Faiz Mahal''' -in Khairpur district city, a symbol of love, built by Talpur Mir for his beloved Baali Beghum. * ''' Saadh Belo''' - On the bank of river Indus. * ''' Lab-e-Mehran''' - In Sukkur ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Gorakh Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=94 km north west of Dadu city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An under-development hill station on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh, at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthar Mountains Range. Due to the surroundings, it's a unique adventure point for nature lovers. }} ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sindh}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.25951|68.54919|zoom=8}} 914fic26u5acnvrfmdex8l8ddk8d4rm 4501910 4501909 2022-08-16T05:56:45Z 119.160.116.130 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Moenjodaro WV banner.jpg}} '''Northern Sindh''' is the northern part of the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]]. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Mothparja]]|wikidata=Q111983401}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Khairpur]]|wikidata=Q1179634}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Larkana]]|wikidata=Q696605}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ranipur]]|wikidata=Q7293069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sukkur]]|wikidata=Q868631}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sehwan]]|wikidata=Q3308397}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nawabshah]]|wikidata=Q1017637}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jacobabad]]|wikidata=Q1017696}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shikarpur (Sindh)]]|wikidata=Q1250069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darya Khan Marree ]]|wikidata=}} * Dadu ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} — an ancient city not to be missed by history buffs *{{marker|name=Gorakh Hill|Wikidata|=Q5725}} — coolest place in Sindh, ideal for tourists and nature-lovers * ''' Kotdiji Fort''' - Historical place near Khairpur city * '''Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary''' - Near Kotdiji. * '''Faiz Mahal''' -in Khairpur district city, a symbol of love, built by Talpur Mir for his beloved Baali Beghum. * ''' Saadh Belo''' - On the bank of river Indus. * ''' Lab-e-Mehran''' - In Sukkur ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Gorakh Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=94 km north west of Dadu city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An under-development hill station on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh, at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthar Mountains Range. Due to the surroundings, it's a unique adventure point for nature lovers. }} ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sindh}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.25951|68.54919|zoom=8}} 7905mrst0k4raemu4rgnl0y5e6i6sar 4502148 4501910 2022-08-16T11:35:25Z Ibaman 195012 some copyedit wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Moenjodaro WV banner.jpg}} '''Northern Sindh''' is the northern part of the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]]. ==Cities== {{mapframe}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Mothparja]]|wikidata=Q111983401}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Khairpur]]|wikidata=Q1179634}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Larkana]]|wikidata=Q696605}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Ranipur]]|wikidata=Q7293069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sukkur]]|wikidata=Q868631}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Sehwan]]|wikidata=Q3308397}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Nawabshah]]|wikidata=Q1017637}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Jacobabad]]|wikidata=Q1017696}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Shikarpur (Sindh)]]|wikidata=Q1250069}} * {{marker|type=city|name=[[Darya Khan Marree ]]|wikidata=}} ==Other destinations== * {{marker|name=[[Mohenjo-daro]]|wikidata=Q5725}} — an ancient city not to be missed by history buffs *{{marker|name=Gorakh Hill|Wikidata|=Q5725}} — coolest place in Sindh, ideal for tourists and nature-lovers * ''' Kotdiji Fort''' - Historical place near Khairpur city * '''Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary''' - Near Kotdiji. * '''Faiz Mahal''' -in Khairpur district city, a symbol of love, built by Talpur Mir for his beloved Baali Beghum. * ''' Saadh Belo''' - On the bank of river Indus. * ''' Lab-e-Mehran''' - In Sukkur ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Gorakh Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=94 km north west of Dadu city | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=An under-development hill station on one of the highest plateaus of Sindh, at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthar Mountains Range. Due to the surroundings, it's a unique adventure point for nature lovers. }} ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sindh}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo|27.25951|68.54919|zoom=8}} glazilf6wd4ej1h6p56ssc73qynnost 0 132926 4502075 4468205 2022-08-16T09:43:34Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* Descent and approach */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Generic flying banner.jpg|ftt=yes}} Travelling by plane can be a scary experience for people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly if they've not flown before or have experienced a traumatic event. It is not something to be ashamed of: it is no different from the personal fears and dislikes of other things that very many people have. For some, understanding something about how aircraft work and what happens during a flight may help to overcome a fear which is based on the unknown or on not being in control. This article will seek to help you do that and help you to prepare for a trip by air. It is completely normal to be scared of flying, but it’s not as bad as you would think. It should be stated initially and clearly that '''accidents involving aircraft are extremely rare'''. It is this fact that makes the media coverage of such incidents so prevalent. Despite what you may think, '''air travel is the safest form of transportation''' available to the traveller besides [[high-speed rail]]: you are far more likely to be involved in an accident on your way to the airport than you are whilst in the air. Airlines and pilots take safety very seriously — and even if they were minded to cut corners, they are tightly regulated by government agencies to ensure standards. Any pilot will not begin a flight if there is any doubt about the fitness of the aircraft or the weather — as the pilots' saying goes, "takeoff is optional, but landing is compulsory!". ==Understand== {{seealso|Flight and health}} {{quote|I can fly. I am not afraid.|author=''Sällskapsresan'' ("The Charter Trip"), a classic in Swedish cinema}} [[File:Wing lift.png|thumb|A simple diagram showing air passing over an aircraft's wing and the resultant lift.]] An understanding of what causes your plane to fly can assist in allaying anxiety. A plane's wing is shaped to direct more air underneath it than above it, creating an area of low air pressure above the wing; this creates lift, causing an upward force on the wings. When the force of the lift exactly balances the weight of the aircraft, the plane will fly level; if the lift exceeds the weight, it will climb; and if weight exceeds lift, it will descend. Lift generated depends on airspeed: the greater the speed, the greater the airflow over the wings and the greater the lift. So to make an aircraft climb the pilot increases the engine power; to make it descend, they reduces power. If the pilot points the nose down without decreasing the engine power, the aircraft will decrease its climb rate and accelerate. The shape of the wing can be altered using ''flaps'' (on the rear of the wing) and ''slats'' (on the front of the wing), allowing the aircraft to generate more lift while flying at slower speeds, such as at takeoff and landing. These basic principles of physics are what underpin every flight. Unless there is a catastrophic failure of an aircraft's structure (which is extremely rare indeed), a plane cannot 'just fall out of the sky' any more than water can flow uphill. [[File:Airplanetoulmin.JPG|thumb|300px|A diagram on the basic parts of an aircraft and their function.]] Most aircraft, including all airliners (but not helicopters or some military jets), are inherently stable. The forces acting on them - lift, weight, thrust and drag - tend to balance each other out, meaning the plane will fly straight and level unless the pilot does something to alter that. For instance, if the pilot increases power, the aircraft will climb; but eventually, the speed will reduce, meaning lift will reduce, meaning the plane will level off. Even if the pilot let go of the controls altogether, the plane would eventually reach this straight-and-level equilibrium. There are limits beyond which the plane won't correct itself automatically. For instance, if an aircraft flies too slowly or climbs too steeply, the wings will not produce enough lift and the aircraft will enter a ''stall''. Stalls are easily recoverable (the pilot points the nose down and increases the engine speed) and are only deliberately created in testing new aircraft and training new pilots. All modern airliners have automatic systems which alert the pilots to these situations well in advance or stop them from happening altogether. ===A typical flight=== It might also help nervous flyers to understand what happens before and during a typical flight. All of these procedures are standard and extensively understood and practised by all pilots. The following is based on a typical twin-engined jet aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320 (the two most popular commercial aircraft models in service). There may be variations on other aircraft models, but the general sequence of events is the same regardless of aircraft time. A lot of work goes into ensuring that flights are safe well before aircraft take off, and indeed even before the first tickets go on sale. The aviation industry also has a very strong safety culture. The routes taken by commercial flights are typically planned by experts who seek to ensure that the flight is as safe and smooth as is possible. Pilots can amend these routes before take-off and during the flight to further improve the comfort and safety of their passengers. The aviation industry is also highly regulated in the interests of safety. These regulations cover a very wide range of areas, including aircraft maintenance standards, requiring aircraft to carry more fuel than is required (so they can divert to another airport if needed) and making sure that pilots are well-rested. Commercial flights are guided throughout the journey by air traffic controllers on the ground, who ensure aircraft stay on course and remain well separated from each other (usually by several miles). Air traffic controllers also assist pilots with the safest and most comfortable journey from the moment the plane begins taxiing on the runway to the point when it arrives at the gate at which point passengers disembark. A commercial aircraft has at least two people on the flight deck: the captain and the first officer. Longer flights will have an additional pilot so that crew can rest in shifts. Like the captain of a ship, an airline captain has ultimate responsibility for the safety of the aircraft and everyone on board. '''The captain and first officer are ''both'' pilots''', and both are fully capable of flying the plane. They divide responsibilities between the "pilot flying" who operates the main controls, and the "pilot monitoring" who talks on the radio, reads checklists, and performs support duties. They usually swap roles after each flight: the captain might be pilot flying on the crew's first leg, and the first officer would be pilot flying on the next. Due to the way airlines calculate seniority, it's entirely possible for the first officer to be older or more experienced than the captain, particularly if they flew in the military or another airline. The aircraft will have a number of flight attendants, at a minimum one for every 50 seats, who are responsible for safety in the cabin. The chief flight attendant is commonly known as the ''purser''. ====Pre-flight==== [[File:Flight attendants performing a pre-flight safety demonstration on an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet.jpg|thumb|Flight attendants conducting a pre-flight safety demonstration]] Before each flight, the pilots will check on the weather and departure procedures and making sure the aircraft is fit to fly, has enough fuel and isn't overweight. Once the doors are closed, the flight attendants will arm the inflatable evacuation slide on each door so it automatically deploys if the door is opened. Most aircraft can't reverse under their own power, so a tug will push it backwards out of the gate. When the aircraft is clear of the gate, the pilot will be given permission to start the main engines. During pushback, a demonstration will take place to inform passengers of the safety features of the aircraft and their use. This may be given either by the flight attendants or through screening a video. A basic safety demonstration includes the use of the seatbelts, safely stowing luggage, use of the emergency oxygen masks, location and use of life jackets, emergency exit locations, a reminder that the flight is non-smoking, to put electronic devices in flight mode and turn them off for takeoff, and that further safety information can be found on the card in your seat pocket (or printed on the seats) or by asking a flight attendant. If you happen to be sitting in an exit row, you will also receive instructions from the flight attendants on how to operate the exit in case of an emergency evacuation. ====Taxi==== Before an aircraft can take off, it has to ''taxi'' (i.e. move on the ground under its own power) from the airport terminal to the runway. Aircraft always take off into a headwind, as this increases airspeed and so reduces the length of the take-off run, so the plane will taxi to the downwind end of the appropriate runway. Aircraft move slowly on the ground with taxi speeds ranging from {{convert|10-40|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}. The plane may have to stop several times as it gives way (yields) to other taxiing aircraft or gets permission to cross a runway. At small airports, the plane may have to enter the runway and ''backtaxi'' along it to reach the start of the runway. [[File:Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85810 Mishin-1.jpg|thumb|A service vehicle de-icing an aircraft in Russia]] During taxi, the pilots will deploy ''flaps'' and ''slats'' on the aircraft wings; the motors moving the flaps and slats make a distinct whining sound. In freezing temperatures, aircraft will need to be "de-iced" before reaching the runway. The plane will be sprayed with an anti-freeze solution to remove built-up snow and ice, as these can disrupt the airflow over the wings and reduce lift, causing hazards in flight. Once in the air, the engines will provide hot air to prevent ice and snow from re-forming on the wings. ====Take-off==== [[File:Lufthansa, Boeing 747-430, D-ABVC (14395328196).jpg|thumb|A Boeing 747 taking off]] When cleared for take-off, the pilot will taxi the aircraft into position at the start of the runway. It's normal for the pilot to increase engine power to ensure all engines are producing the same amount of power. Finally, the pilot will apply full take-off power; this usually means a rapid acceleration and an increase in engine noise. When the aircraft has reached the correct speed (i.e., when it's travelling fast enough to generate the lift it needs to fly), the pilot will "rotate" the aircraft by raising the nose, and the plane will lift off from the runway. For most jet aircraft, the take-off speed is in the region of 220 to 300&nbsp;km/h (130 to 180&nbsp;mph). The actual speed required for take-off depends on the size and weight of the plane and weather conditions at the airport, but these factors are worked out precisely in advance. There is always enough runway left to complete the takeoff. As the aircraft travels down the runway, you may hear and feel bumps as the aircraft's undercarriage crosses the runway lights or uneven parts of the runway. Such noises are to be expected and are not a cause for alarm. Equally, when the aircraft lifts off there is often a noticeable bump. This is a normal event caused by the hydraulics in the landing gear reaching their maximum extension as the plane leaves the ground. On rare occasions, the pilots may decide to ''reject'' (abort) a takeoff, usually due to a fault with one of the aircraft's systems. Once the aircraft has passed its safety speed (around 150&nbsp;km/h or 90&nbsp;mph), the pilots will generally only reject the takeoff for serious failures, such as an engine fire or failure. If the fault is minor, the pilots generally will continue the takeoff and come back around to land, since stopping at such high speeds within the remaining runway is very hard on the undercarriage and often results in overheating brakes and blown tires. ====Climb==== Once airborne and climbing, the pilot will raise the landing gear, which makes a bumping sound. Since full power is only needed for takeoff, the pilot will reduce power to the aircraft's engines and as a result, the noise in the cabin may decrease. The flaps and slats on the wings will also be retracted. It is also normal for planes to climb steeply and to turn, sometimes sharply, shortly after takeoff. These are standard procedures to turn the plane onto its course as soon as possible and to minimize noise for people living near the airport. Depending on the length of the flight, it may then take 15-20 minutes for the plane to climb to its cruising altitude. The pilot will typically allow the flight attendants to leave their seats once the flaps are retracted, but it is common for the seat-belt light to remain lit for passengers until the plane reaches its cruise altitude. While the climb is often very smooth, occasional jolts (perhaps as the plane climbs through clouds) can still be expected. ====Cruise==== [[File:Airbus A330-343X, China Eastern Airlines JP6806515.jpg|thumb|Typical view during a flight, just sit back and relax]] Modern jet aircraft typically cruise at an altitude between 30,000 and 40,000 feet (9,000 and 12,000 metres), although on short flights (less than 45 minutes) this may be as low as 20,000 feet. As it cruises, the plane rides upon an invisible cushion of air that has been pushed down by the shape of the wing. When there are bumps in this 'cushion' caused by gusts of wind, the plane may jolt slightly as it follows the shape of the air - this is '''turbulence'''. Turbulence may occur in both cloudy and clear skies and is completely normal; aircraft are designed to deal with these bumps and other than fastening your seat belt, there is no action that needs to be taken. Significant turbulence ahead can be detected on the plane's radar, and if it is the pilot will switch the seat belt sign back on. This may mean a very bumpy ride for a few minutes but there is no cause for alarm. If there is really severe turbulence ahead (for instance in thunder clouds) the pilot will normally divert around it. Some turbulence may cause the plane's wings to bend or flex a little: this is a deliberate design feature which actually allows the aircraft to withstand turbulence more effectively, just as a tree bends in the wind. Commercial aircraft don't fly in a straight line between airports. Instead, they fly via a number of ''waypoints'' or ''intersections'', usually along designated ''airways''. Aircraft flying in opposite directions along the same airway are kept apart by flying at alternating altitudes - aircraft in one direction (usually eastbound) fly at odd thousands of feet, while aircraft in the other direction (usually westbound) fly at even thousands of feet. Aircraft flying in the same direction at the same altitude are kept apart by time, typically 5-15 minutes. Air traffic controllers constantly monitor the position of aircraft and can request pilots change their altitude or speed to ensure adequate separation. Modern aircraft are also equipped with ''traffic collision avoidance systems'' (TCAS) that automatically detect another aircraft coming too close and advise evasive action as needed. During cruise, the autopilot uses programmed instructions to fly the plane. The (human) pilots monitor the autopilot and make corrections to it as required, as well as monitor the fuel, weather and other systems on the aircraft. ====Descent and approach==== As the plane approaches its destination, it will begin to descend. The pilot will reduce engine power, sometimes so that the engines are only idling and barely making any noise. The steepness of this descent varies depending upon the airport and the aircraft. The pilot will typically switch the seat belt sign on as the aircraft begins to descend, although flight attendants won't typically be seated until the aircraft is established on the approach to the airport. During the descent, the ''spoilers'' on top of the wings may open slightly; the spoilers decrease lift and act as brakes to prevent the aircraft from going too fast. Aircraft where possible land into the wind, which helps slow the plane down. So depending on the direction from which you approach the airport, the plane may have to make a series of turns to line up with the runway. These are usually carried out at slow speed and can feel quite sharp as a result. If there is congestion at the airport, air traffic control may request the plane to hold (fly a race-track-shaped pattern) to await a slot to land. As the plane begins its approach into the airport, the pilots will deploy the flaps and slats on the wings. The flaps will be deployed in several stages and to a greater extent than at take-off. The pilots will also lower the landing gear. Since the landing gear and flaps create drag, the pilots may have to apply engine power to maintain speed and profile. The approach to land can feel unstable; this is because the air near the ground is often more turbulent than it is at altitude. If there is a crosswind, the pilot may also have to bank and turn the aircraft slightly to keep it on course. In some cases the aircraft will have to land in low cloud or fog, and you may not see the ground until you have almost landed. Most airports have ''instrument approach'' systems to help guide aircraft towards the airport and the runway; most aircraft can safely land with visibility as low as 800&nbsp;m (½&nbsp;mi), and at some major international airports, a landing can be conducted in a suitably-equipped aircraft with visibility as low as 50&nbsp;m (150&nbsp;ft). But again, there are strict rules that pilots must (and do) stick to when landing in bad weather. If the weather is too bad, the pilot may decide to hold and wait for improvement, or divert to another airport where the weather is better. All aircraft must carry at least enough fuel to fly to their destination, hold for up to 30 minutes and then divert to another suitable airport. ====Landing==== [[File:Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777F - A6-EFH - BSL (23345760526).jpg|thumb|Landing. The smoke is from the tyres skidding as they come into contact with the runway.]] Just before the aircraft 'touches down' on the runway, the pilot flying will idle the engines and ''flare'' the aircraft by raising the nose, allowing the main landing gear to touch down first and take the weight of the aircraft before the nose landing gear touches down. The touchdown may be accompanied by a jolt and an audible 'thud' as plane's landing gear touches the ground. If the runway is wet, the pilot often lands deliberately firmly to minimize the risk of skidding. Spoilers on the wings will open to stop the aircraft generating lift and keep it firmly on the runway. To help slow the aircraft down, the pilot will engage ''reverse thrust'': the direction of the engine's output is changed and the engines will power up again, slowing the plane down rather than pushing it forward. At some airports, the aircraft may slow down very sharply. This is simply to ensure it can turn off the runway at the right point, and/or means that there is another aircraft on the approach which needs to land. On occasions, you may experience a ''go-around'', which is when the aircraft takes off again shortly before landing. This occurs when the pilots decide to (or air traffic control orders them to) reject landing because of poor visibility, the aircraft not being in line with the runway or getting blown off course, or a runway obstruction. As a result, you will hear the engines power up once more and feel the engines' thrust to perhaps a greater degree than you did at take-off. The pilot will partially retract the flaps and raise the landing gear to help the aircraft climb. Once at a higher altitude and depending on the circumstances, the aircraft will either be turned around and the landing will be attempted again, or it will be diverted to another airport. Should this happen to you, you should not be alarmed - it is a common procedure and well-practised by pilots. ==What if?== Every year, millions of flights take place without incident. The few serious aircraft accidents that do occur receive a large amount of media attention because they are so rare, along with media outlets' bias towards stories about death and disaster ("if it bleeds, it leads"). All serious accidents are thoroughly investigated by independent government bodies to identify the cause and to prevent similar accidents occurring in the future. [[File:Swiss Saab 2000 Cockpit.jpg|thumb|Pilots are trained to handle all kinds of problems that may arise]] New commercial aircraft are designed and tested to operate in conditions far more severe than those encountered on nearly any actual flight. For example, one test involves filling an aircraft with volunteers and testing whether the entire aircraft can be evacuated within 90 seconds with half the exits blocked and only emergency lighting. Only once the aviation regulator, such as the EASA in the European Union and the FAA in the United States, is completely satisfied the aircraft model is safe will they issue a ''type certificate''. If issues are discovered after the aircraft enters revenue service, the regulator can require changes be made through issuing an ''airworthiness directive''. On rare occasions where serious design flaws are discovered, regulators can suspend an aircraft's type certificate, effectively grounding all aircraft of that model until the issue is fixed and the type certificate reinstated. This happened to the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 in June 1979 (the certificate was reinstated five weeks later) and the Boeing 737 MAX in March 2019 (cleared to fly in the U.S. in November 2020, however still awaiting full certification). Aircraft are maintained to strict and regular schedules. If any essential equipment on an aircraft has even minor problems, the plane is not allowed to take off until it is fixed. However, with all the precautions there is always a chance something may go wrong with the aircraft you are aboard. You should, however, be assured that pilots are trained (and refreshed regularly) on how to respond to common onboard emergencies, and quick reference guides in the cockpit are used to assist in responding to rarer issues. Every commercial aircraft is built with multiple redundancies and 'fail-safes', so in the case of one system failing, the aircraft can continue flying safely on the remaining systems. For example, most commercial aircraft today have two or more engines; if one engine fails, the aircraft can continue to fly safely (albeit with reduced performance) on the remaining engine to a nearby diversion airport. In the very rare case that all engines fail and can't be restarted, the pilots can glide the aircraft to a suitable landing place. The 1983 "Gimli Glider" (Air Canada flight 143; ran out of fuel due to a metric/imperial conversion error) and the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson" (US Airways flight 1549; engines flamed-out after ingesting a flock of geese) both show that it is possible to land after engine failure without fatalities or serious injuries. If any foreseeable conditions arise that might endanger flights, chances are, flights are not even allowed to start or strict rules are put in place to avoid such an occurrence. A particular example of this was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland; volcanic ash has been known in the past to clog jet engines but never once caused any actual crash, even still all flights across Europe were grounded as a precaution. Likewise, when the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone was recalled in October 2016 after faulty batteries caused them to randomly explode, airlines and regulators were quick to ban the phone in any condition aboard aircraft. Even with all the fail-safes and extensive flight training, pilot error is still the number one cause of aircraft accidents worldwide. To reduce the chance of errors, pilots use checklists to ensure they have done essential tasks, as well as using quick reference guides to handle onboard issues and emergencies. Pilots and air traffic controllers must have a good knowledge of the English language, and use standard vocabulary to communicate with each other to ensure there are no misunderstandings. A heavy emphasis in pilot training today is put on the soft skills needed to fly a commercial airliner and to effectively handle onboard emergencies. The 1981 introduction of ''cockpit resource management'' (CRM), as it is known, was a large contributing factor in driving down the number of fatal airliner accidents, and variants of CRM have since been adopted for other modes of transport, firefighting and emergency healthcare. There are extensive measures in place to prevent deliberate acts of sabotage on-board aircraft, such as hijackings and bombings. Metal detectors, X-ray machines and explosive detection dogs are all used to make sure that nothing dangerous can be taken aboard an aircraft. Governments and airlines also have no-fly lists to make sure that dangerous or potentially dangerous passengers cannot buy airline tickets and board an aircraft. Airport and airline staff also take aviation security seriously; all airport police carry firearms (even in countries where regular beat police officers are unarmed) and are not afraid to tackle a person to the ground and drag them away in handcuffs for something as simple as making a joke. [[Israel]]i aviation security is particularly thorough and enjoys a reputation for ruthless efficiency even though some question the means by which it is achieved. As a testament to this, [[Ben Gurion Airport]] is considered one of the safest in the world and flag carrier El Al has not had a successful hijacking since 1968 despite probably more attempts than at any other airline. Unlike most aviation security, the Israeli doctrine places great emphasis on finding the person who has bad intentions rather than the bomb itself. This makes the line of questioning uncomfortable and somewhat intrusive, but it should assuage your concerns about safety and security. Lastly, when an air accident unfortunately happens, they are investigated seriously by investigation agencies like the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the United Kingdom, which will make numerous safety recommendations to prevent similar accidents from happening. Large aircraft have a fire- and crash-proof flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder (collectively known as the black boxes, despite the fact they're painted orange) to provide evidence to investigators even if the pilots are killed, incapacitated, or exercise their right to remain silent. For example, after 2 air accidents involving the ignition of lithium batteries in 2010, lithium batteries and products containing them are then banned from the cargo cabin for safety. ===Statistics=== [[File:ACRO incidents.svg|thumb|The number of aircraft accidents has been on a sustained downward trend for over 20 years.]] Commercial air travel is regarded as one of the safest forms of transport in the world. Every year, 3.8 billion passengers and 55 million tonnes of cargo travel by air around the world and arrive safely at their destinations. In the ten years from 2008 to 2017, there were 1,410 hull loss accidents (i.e. an accident where the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair) worldwide involving fixed-wing aircraft with six or more seats, yet from those accidents, only 8,530 people died. That means on the average flight, you have a 4.5-million-to-one chance of dying, making it the second-rarest event behind winning the lottery. For comparison, an estimated 1.25 million people worldwide die from road accidents ''every year''. Apart from one or two outlier years, both the number of airline accidents and deaths have been on a sustained downward trend since the mid-1990s. In terms of flight stages, final approach and landing is the most common time for an accident to occur, with takeoff and initial climb being the distant second. However, accidents during landing and takeoff are the most survivable – they occur close to airports where the aircraft are already travelling low and slow and emergency services can respond with a moment's notice. {{infobox|Sorry Raymond, Qantas has crashed|The 1988 film ''Rain Man'' may have drawn attention to Qantas's fatality-free safety record, but they forgot to mention that the airline's record only applies to the jet era (i.e. 1958 onwards). The airline had several fatal crashes in its pre-jet days, the last occurring in 1951. Hawaiian Airlines and Finnair also have fatality-free records in the jet era, along with around 40 younger airlines. Of course, an airline's past accident record is not indicative of its future accident record. China Airlines, for example, once had a pretty bad safety reputation in the 1990s leading to a common belief that they crashed every four years but have not had a fatal accident since 2002.}} In the developed world, there is no statistically significant difference in accident rates between different airlines or between aircraft models of a similar era. Airlines from less developed countries generally have poorer accident rates mainly due to poorer regulatory oversight. The [[European Union]] maintains [[w:List of air carriers banned in the European Union|a list of airlines banned from its airspace]], a list which has a very low tolerance of even the appearance of systemic safety issues and which arguably includes a few airlines for nothing but political reasons. ==Coping== This page has been created to provide helpful advice to those people who suffer from a fear of flying. There are many techniques for overcoming a fear of flying and many airlines, pilots, and therapists run courses for this purpose. Here is a selection of ways in which you might alleviate your anxieties. ===Before the flight=== Even before booking your ticket for a flight, it is worth considering how you will feel once on board. Some passengers prefer window seats whilst others prefer one towards the centre of the cabin. On large planes, however, a seat in the middle of a row could mean that you are several metres from a window to peer out of. Generally, the larger the aircraft that you are flying on, the smoother the flight will be, though factors such as storms will make even extremely large aircraft experience turbulence. Some people are nervous flying on propeller-driven aircraft, thinking they are older or more dangerous. Most actually have turboprop engines - essentially a jet engine driving a propeller - and are just as modern and no less safe than jets. They are cheaper to operate on short journeys, although they are slower and often noisier. Once your ticket is booked, it is well worth notifying your airline of your fear, both on the day of your flight and beforehand. Airlines work very hard to make their passengers feel safe and comfortable, and can do much to make you feel better. Family and friends want to help, but often they can do the opposite. They need to know when their advice isn't welcome. Your nervousness should be respected and you shouldn't be pressured in any way. [[File:No drink alcohol 520px.png|thumbnail|Alcohol is a poor way to cope with your anxiety.]] ===Aboard the plane=== If you're sitting next to a stranger, make a judgement call whether or not it's worthwhile to let them know you're a nervous flyer. If they're sensitive, they might make it better; but if not, they could make it much worse (and many strangers would prefer not to talk to their seatmates at all). Once you're aboard, it can be well worth having some form of distraction with you to avoid flying phobia. Many airlines offer in-flight entertainment systems, but books and magazines can also be good to take your mind off things. Sleep too can be a good way to pass the time whilst flying, although you are not advised to take any medication that may make you drowsy or sleepy. It is also ill-advised to counter your fear of flying with a large helping of 'Dutch courage': '''excessive alcohol or drug use normally causes more problems than it solves'''. Additionally, alcohol contributes to dehydration: your body already loses water faster than usual due to factors like dry cabin air and sweating. Resulting dehydration causes discomfort (dry eyes and throat is one example), so it's recommended to drink some water every now and then, and to be moderate with tea, coffee, and alcohol. If your vice is nicotine, note that '''smoking is banned on nearly all commercial flights worldwide'''. E-cigarettes (vaping) are also banned, but nicotine patches or chewing gum is generally allowed. Don't think you can get away with it; there are ultra-sensitive smoke detectors in the cabin and in all lavatories. On longer flights it's important to keep your circulation going: standing up, walking in the aisle, perhaps doing some simple stretching helps. However, walking around increases chances of injury during sudden clear air turbulence. If you have any medical conditions, remember to keep to your regular routine as much as possible. Every year, hundreds of aircraft are needlessly diverted because a nervous passenger has forgotten to take their medications and is now in need of hospitalisation. Try not to keep looking at your watch or a clock while flying. It will make the flight feel longer, especially on long-haul flights. Airlines have '''zero tolerance for unruly or dangerous behaviour''' on their flights. If you refuse to follow crew instructions, consume too much alcohol, smoke onboard, or assault another passenger or a crew member, the captain may decide to divert to a nearby airport and hand you over to local law enforcement. In addition, airlines and regulators may seek civil damages and ban you from flying. In 2021, the US Federal Aviation Administration fined one passenger $82,000 who had to be restrained and off-loaded after threatening to hurt a flight attendant. ====Turbulence==== Turbulence is a completely normal part of flying. It can help to think of your plane as travelling along an invisible 'road' made of air and that the turbulence you feel is pot-holes in this 'road'. Turbulence can sometimes be unexpected and may vary from just a few minutes to throughout the whole flight. It is highly recommended you wear your seatbelt whenever you are seated, even if the fasten seatbelt sign is off, just in case of unexpected turbulence. Injuries and deaths from turbulence are rare, but all have resulted from unrestrained passengers and crew being flung around the cabin during unexpected severe turbulence. Though turbulence is not in any way a threat to an airliner, turbulence feels like a threat to anxious fliers. This is because the amygdala, the part of the brain that releases stress hormones, reacts automatically to downward motion. If we were on a ladder painting the ceiling, lost our balance and began to fall, the amygdala would immediately release stress hormones to force us to shift our focus from painting to falling. In turbulence, stress hormones can be released each time the plane moves downward. As stress hormone levels rise, they cause physical sensations, such as rapid heart rate, breathing rate, tension, and perspiration, that are associated with danger. Thus, though the intellect may well understand that turbulence is not a danger, the emotional and physical state contradict the intellect. If stress hormones rise high enough, what psychological theoretican Peter Fonagy calls psychic equivalence takes place, causing the person to conflate what is imagination with what is perception. Imagination that the plane is "falling out of the sky" can, when stress hormones are high, become all too real to the fearful flier. Some are helped by conceptualizing how the plane is being held in the air as suggested in [http://www.fearofflying.com/free-video/jello-exercise.shtml this video]. ====Noises==== Like any large piece of machinery, an aircraft makes mechanical noises along with 'clunks' and 'thuds'. '''These are entirely normal''' and should be seen as a positive indicator - your plane is functioning correctly! Other sounds that you may hear are whining sounds, whistling sounds and loud banging sounds. Airbus A320 and A330 families of aircraft are well known for producing a "barking dog" sound, especially during engine start-up and taxi. Again, this is completely normal - the noise comes from the power transfer unit (PTU), which equalises pressure between the aircraft's two engine-powered hydraulic systems when one engine isn't running (aircraft engines can only be started one at a time, and some airlines taxi on one engine to save fuel). ====Turning==== To turn an aircraft, the pilot cannot just use the rudder as you would in a boat. They also have to bank it - to raise one wing while lowering the other, making the aircraft turn in the direction of the lowered wing. This should be smooth and gentle, and the angle of bank doesn't normally exceed about 30 degrees. ==Courses== As noted above, airlines, pilots, and psychologists offer programs for people who suffer a fear of flying. Some are listed below: * '''[http://www.airfrance.co.uk/GB/en/common/guidevoyageur/pratique/sante_anti_stress.htm Air France]''' * '''[http://www.anxieties.com Anxieties.com]''' * '''[http://flyingwithconfidence.com/ Flying with Confidence - British Airways]''' * '''[http://www.fearlessflyers.com.au/ Fearless Flyers - QANTAS]''' * '''[http://www.fearofflying.com FearofFlying.com - SOAR, Inc.].''' * '''[http://www.valk.org/ VALK - KLM]''' * '''[http://www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk/ Flying Without Fear - Virgin Atlantic]''' ==See also== * [[Flight and health]] * [[Jet lag]] * [[Travel basics]] {{guidetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Flying}} nuy6ptz5m0v2ckjo131dcw0hcaftp24 0 134301 4501892 4474180 2022-08-16T05:25:41Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Cafe and breakfast */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Obuda 2 banner.jpg|caption=Óbuda, Fő tér (Main Square of Óbuda)|pgname=Óbuda}} '''Óbuda''' (literally ''Old Buda'') is in [[Budapest]]. This article describes the southern part of [https://visitobuda.hu/ District III ''(Óbuda–Békásmegyer)'']. ==Understand== {{Mapframe|47.54|19.044|zoom=16}} {{Mapmask|47.583322,18.9998064|47.5834814,19.0008041|47.5841761,19.0048468|47.5869491,19.0150177|47.5866597,19.0158674|47.5871633,19.0167944|47.5876438,19.01985|47.5881532,19.0260212|47.5872444,19.0323212|47.5869376,19.0344669|47.5819528,19.0353478|47.5806435,19.0366015|47.579959,19.035896|47.567572,19.0380532|47.56649327299147,19.03676389575005|47.555119393746516,19.033695448637012|47.55232441535305,19.03393148303032|47.552382343879174,19.03551935076714|47.5496282,19.0358107|47.5503015,19.0371831|47.5503125,19.0372991|47.549555,19.0475541|47.5495575,19.0481376|47.5482434,19.0482646|47.5457235,19.0473686|47.544855,19.0472535|47.5373972,19.0475865|47.5348062,19.0484717|47.5310534,19.0455107|47.5268691,19.0421552|47.5280104,19.0338089|47.5281244,19.0333062|47.5305536,19.0272647|47.5307538,19.0267619|47.5302346,19.0257022|47.5302984,19.0254275|47.5311277,19.0247829|47.5311986,19.0247329|47.5302874,19.0236766|47.5302261,19.0234936|47.5295909,19.017719|47.5295718,19.017694|47.5325722,19.0173049|47.532714,19.0172675|47.533961,19.0155925|47.534013,19.0155587|47.5365436,19.0148326|47.5369109,19.0145102|47.5389946,19.0119291|47.5390337,19.0118393|47.5401166,19.0069715|47.5402562,19.0064089|47.5417167,19.0083551|47.541764,19.0084507|47.5418968,19.0109798|47.5419495,19.0109775|47.5432768,19.0081748|47.5433183,19.0080787|47.5440625,19.0084091|47.5441483,19.0083625|47.5459014,19.0059032|47.546083,19.0057191|47.5486482,19.0045282|47.548678,19.0045191|47.5506089,19.0044933|47.5506773,19.0044581|47.5530077,19.0012344|47.5530384,19.0012184|47.55403,19.0017059|47.5541001,19.0017279|47.5558203,19.0019228|47.5558962,19.0018892|47.5559274,19.0015346|47.5558506,19.0014119|47.5548633,19.0005428|47.5545803,19.0004373|47.5541384,18.9994693|47.5546034,18.998824|47.5550129,18.9985873|47.5569944,18.9969678|47.5587623,18.9962236|47.5622252,18.9936498|47.564399,18.991054|47.565593,18.989667|47.568202,18.987795|47.569181,18.987092|47.572476,18.981669|47.5732606,18.9802793|47.573825,18.978744|47.5731591,18.9777929|47.5739078,18.9772115|47.57484,18.976838|47.5798608,18.9822879|47.5810371,18.9834912|47.5820588,18.9824111|47.5836719,18.9833526|47.5857341,18.9777865|47.5884901,18.9821668|47.5890291,18.9830234|47.5885118,18.9842045|47.5837556,18.993828|47.585955,18.9969388|47.5835448,18.9997551|stroke-width=0}} <!-- Southern part of District III --> {{mapshape|type=page|wikicommons=Budapest Tram.map}} {{mapshape|type=page|wikicommons=Budapest Metro.map}} Settlements dating from the stone age have been found in Óbuda. The Romans built Aquincum, the capital of Pannonia province here. Hungarians arrived after 900 and it served as an important settlement of major tribal leaders, later kings. Béla IV of Hungary built a new capital after the 1241-42 Mongol invasion in Buda, somewhat south of Óbuda. Óbuda was merged with Buda and Pest on 17 November 1873. The Main Square (''Fő tér'') and the surrounding streets (Laktanya utca, Hídfő utca ''lit. Barrack Street, Bridgehead Street'') with its cube stones, lampposts, remaining neo-classical and eclectic-storied houses faithfully evoke the 18th and 19th century atmosphere of Óbuda. Under cobblestones of the main square is the medieval Chapter district, from 11-14th centuries. The former provost's palace, and Peter and Mary Church stood here, remnants are no longer visible. ==Get in== To Óbuda from the center: * From {{station|Batthyány tér|M2}} by <big>{{rint|budapest|H5}}</big> to {{marker | type=go | name=Szentlélek tér | lat=47.53975 | long=19.04715 | wikidata=Q16508037}}. * From {{station|Göncz Árpád városközpont|M3}} by <big>{{rint|budapest|1}}</big> to {{marker | type=go | name=Szentlélek tér | lat=47.53946 | long=19.04562}}. * From {{station|Nyugati pályaudvar|M3}} by <big>{{rint|budapest|9}}</big> to {{marker | type=go | name=Flórián tér | lat=47.54213 | long=19.04159}}. [https://bkk.hu/apps/docs/terkep/obuda.pdf Public transport map of Óbuda–Békásmegyer]. ==See== ===Historical buildings and statues=== * {{see | image=Szentháromság-szobor a Szentlélek téren.jpg | name=Trinity Statue | alt=Szentháromság-szobor | url= | email= | address=III, Szentlélek tér | lat=47.54046 | long=19.04553 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=The original statue of the Holy Trinity was made from the Zichy family donations, after the 1738–1739 plague. Due to the construction of the Árpád bridge the statue was demolished in 1956. The pieces of it were transported to Kiscell Museum. In 2000 it was restored set up near the old location. The sculpture composition has three columns: Saint Roch, Saint Sebastian and Saint Felix figure, in the guardian stones: Saint Charles of Borromeo, Saint Francis of Xavier and Saint Florian can be seen. The relief shows the Penitent David and the Good Shepherd. The altar-like front part shows Virgin Mary and under of it, Saint Rosalia. }} * {{see | name=Zichy Palace | alt=Zichy-kastély | url= | email= | address=III, Fő tér 1 | lat=47.54123 | long=19.04567 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q683863 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=This is a Baroque palace was built between 1740–1757 for Miklós Zichy. The engineering and construction did János Henrik Jäger, stonemason. The main building of the complex was surrounded by wings. Later, The two wings symmetrically terraced garden houses joined (in 18–19th centuries). A park stood opposite the palace facade. }} * {{see | image=Budapest, Kun Zsigmond Memorial Museum, Fo ter, 4.JPG | name=Dwelling Houses | alt=Lakóházak | url= | email= | address=III, Fő tér | lat=47.54146 | long=19.04454 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Fő tér 5: One-story, eclectic neo-classical house with balcony. Fő tér 4: Classicism ('copf style'), storey, corner house, built around 1780. Harrer Pál utca 2: One-story, eclectic house with courtyard. }} * {{see | image=Budapest Obuda town hall.jpg | name=Town Hall | alt=Városháza | url= | email= | address=III, Fő tér 3 | lat=47.54165 | long=19.04494 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=The old one-story Town Hall was demolished in the early 1900s. Built in 1906 on the site a new representative building. This building is today Óbuda–Bekasmegyer Mayor's Office. }} * {{see | image=Sinbad statue in Óbuda-1.jpg | name=Szindbád Sculpture | alt=Szindbád-szobor | url= | email= | address=III, Fő tér | lat=47.54159 | long=19.04513 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Sculpture by Péter Szanyi about the protagonist of Gyula Krúdy's novel. It was set up in 2013. }} * {{see | image=Esoben.JPG | name=Waiting | alt=Várakozók | url= | email= | address=III, Szindbád tér | lat=47.54170 | long=19.04578 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=The ladies with umbrellas, is a sculpture group by Imre Varga was set up in 1986. }} * {{see | name=Votive Altar | alt=Fogadalmi oltár | url= | email= | address=III, Flórián tér | lat=47.53986 | long=19.04153 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1002383 | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=Statue assembly. The figures of the assembly are Saint Florian (on the left), Charles Borromeo (at the centre) and Philip Neri (on the right). }} * {{see | name=Dwelling Houses | alt=Lakóházak | url= | email= | address=III, Lajos utca | lat=47.53336 | long=19.04092 | directions={{station|Nagyszombat utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Fényes Adolf utca 2: Former tanner house, classicist, built around 1830. Lajos utca 104: One-storey 18th century house with eclectic facade. Lajos utca 102: One-storey, Baroque house with romantic facade, built around 1860. Lajos utca 100: One-storey, classicist house with eclectic facade, built around 1800. }} * {{see | name=Silk Spinner Manufactory | alt=Selyemgombolyító | url= | email= | address=III, Miklós tér 1 | lat=47.54544 | long=19.04501 | directions={{station|Raktár utca|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1286989 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Built around 1785. }} ===Exhibitions=== [[File:Zichy_Palace,_Óbuda_04.JPG|thumb|Zichy Palace]] [[File:Goldberger Textilipari 01.jpg|thumb|Goldberger Textile Industry Collection]] * {{see | name=Kiscell Museum | alt=Kiscelli Múzeum | url=http://www.kiscellimuzeum.hu/ | email=kapcsolat@kiscellimuzeum.hu | address=III, Kiscelli utca 108 | lat=47.53777 | long=19.02838 | directions={{station|Remetehegyi út|165}} | phone=+36 1 388-8560 | tollfree= | hours=Nov–Mar: Tu–Fr 10:00–16:00, Sa–Su 10:00–18:00; Apr–Oct Tu–Su 10:00–18:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|1600}}; senior, student: {{HUF|800}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1110575 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Furniture, chests, signboard, silver, architecture collections, photo gallery, toy, technology, ethnography, poster, ballroom dancing collections, maps, manuscripts and printed matter, textile and flags, glass, ceramic and porcelain, mixed lifestyle collections. A beautiful complex of Baroque style buildings built for Trinitarian monks. The museum exhibits fine arts and items of modern history. Exhibitions on the ground floor reachable by wheelchair. On the ground floor for disabled basin site. }} * {{see | name=Goldberger Textile Industry Collection | alt=Goldberger Textilipari Gyűjtemény | url=http://www.textilmuzeum.hu/ | email=info@obudaimuzeum.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 136-138 | lat=47.53581 | long=19.04334 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-1020 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:00–18:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|1400}}; senior, student: {{HUF|700}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1318859 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Museum for material and spiritual memories of the Hungarian textile and clothing industry. }} * {{see | name=Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism | alt=Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum | url=http://mkvm.hu/en/ | email=mkvm@iif.hu | address=III, Korona tér 1 | lat=47.53860 | long=19.04315 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 375-6249 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:00–18:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|1000}}; senior, student: {{HUF|500}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q16521652 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Commercial posters, trade history photos, approximately 9,000 pieces a large amount of Hungarian coins and bills, menus, menu cards, price lists and program guides, certificates archive materials, a fine art collection related to both the trade and the catering industry. Around Korona tér, neoclassical, eclectic, and baroque residential buildings built in 19th and 20th centuries. }} * {{see | name=Vasarely Museum | alt=Vasarely Múzeum | url=https://vasarely.hu/eng | email=vasarely@szepmuveszeti.hu | address=III, Szentlélek tér 6 | lat=47.54027 | long=19.04648 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 388-7551 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:00–17:45 | price=Adult: {{HUF|800}}; senior, student: {{HUF|400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1402086 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=The museum contains the work of Victor Vasarely, a figure of 'op art'. The works are excellent and are fun to watch. }} * {{see | name=Lajos Kassák Memorial Museum | alt=Kassák Lajos Emlékmúzeum | url=http://www.kassakmuzeum.hu/en/ | email=kassakmuzeum@pim.hu | address=III, Fő tér 1 | lat=47.54104 | long=19.04621 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 368-7021 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:00–17:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|800}}; senior, student: {{HUF|400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1105228 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Preserve the legacy of Hungarian writer, painter and editor Lajos Kassák (1887-1967). }} * {{see | name=Óbuda Museum | alt=Óbudai Múzeum | url=http://www.obudaimuzeum.hu/ | email=titkarsag@obudaimuzeum.hu | address=III, Fő tér 1 | lat=47.54059 | long=19.04590 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-1020 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:00–18:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|800}}; senior, student: {{HUF|400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q21619514 | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=A museum of the local history in the Zichy Palace. Furniture history collection, technology history collection (household and work appliances, office equipment, clocks, entertainment appliances), glass, ceramics and porcelain collection, trades collection, textile collection, numismatics collection, city history, association and party badges, music collection, household collection, stone collection. For disabled the permanent exhibition is accessible. }} * {{see | name=Imre Varga Collection | alt=Varga Imre Gyűjtemény | url=http://budapestgaleria.hu/_/en/imre-varga-collection-information/ | email=varga.gyujtemeny@mail.btm.hu | address=III, Laktanya utca 7 | lat=47.54241 | long=19.04581 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-0274 | tollfree= | hours=Apr–Oct: Tu–Su 10:00–18:00; Nov–Mar: Tu–Su 10:00–16:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|800}}; senior, student: {{HUF|400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=The collection contains the works of the Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga. }} * {{see | image=Gótikus lakóház Budapest Lajos utca 158.JPG | name=Budapest Gallery | alt=Medieval Market, Budapest Galéria, Középkori piactér | url=http://budapestgaleria.hu/_/en/budapest-gallery-information/ | email=info@budapestgaleria.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 158 | lat=47.53736 | long=19.04481 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 388 6784 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:00–18:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|800}}; senior, student: {{HUF|400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=The market emerged in the XII–XIII. century, the Danubian harbor and anchorage with Esztergom highway connecting streets. The line of houses on the south side led to the Clarissans convent. Lajos utca 158 was one of the buildings of the former marketplace, at the beginning of the 18th century it was a beer house. In the 1790s, it was converted into an apartment house. In 19th century, it was extended with additional extensions. At this time, the restoration of the building preserved the most important medieval details. The house is now a contemporary art gallery. }} * {{see | name=Godot Institute of Contemporary Art | alt=Godot Kortárs Művészeti Intézet | url=https://www.gica.hu/ | email=icagodot@gmail.com | address=III, Fényes Adolf utca 21 | lat=47.53519 | long=19.04174 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 70 386-8668 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 14:00–19:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|2500}}; senior, student: {{HUF|1500}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-08 | content=Contemporary art gallery. }} * {{see | name=Artézi Gallery | alt=Artézi Galéria | url=http://artezi.hu/indexan.php | email=gallery@artezi.hu | address=III, Kunigunda útja 18 | lat=47.54886 | long=19.03407 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 20 496-3408 | tollfree= | hours=Only by appointment | price=Free entrance | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-26 | content=Independent contemporary art gallery. }} ===Memories of the Roman Empire=== [[File:Amphitheatre.jpg|thumb|Roman Military Amphitheatre remains in the heart of Óbuda]] * {{see | name=Hercules Villa | alt=Hercules-villa | url=http://www.aquincum.hu/en/a-muzeumrol/budapest-romai-emlekei/hercules-villa/ | email=aquincum@aquincum.hu | address=III, Meggyfa utca 19-21 | lat=47.54902 | long=19.03955 | directions={{station|Óbuda, Bogdáni út|9}} | phone=+36 1 430-1081 | tollfree= | hours=Apr–Oct: W–Su 10:00–18:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|500}}; senior, student: {{HUF|250}} | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1035447 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Exhibition shows the ruins of a villa from the Roman age. }} * {{see | name=Thermae Maiores | alt=Bath Museum, Fürdőmúzeum | url=http://www.aquincum.hu/en/a-muzeumrol/budapest-romai-emlekei/furdo-muzeum/ | email= | address=III, Flórián tér 3-5, underpass | lat=47.54118 | long=19.04119 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 1 430-1081 | tollfree= | hours=Apr–Oct: Tu–Su 10:00–18:00; Nov–Mar: Tu–Su 10:00–16:00 (only when the weather is dry and surfaces are not slippery) | price=Free entrance | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1006584 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Outdoor exhibition shows the remains of the baths of the legionary fortress. }} * {{see | name=Cella Trichora | alt=Ruins of an early Christian chapel, Ókeresztény kápolna romjai | url=http://www.aquincum.hu/en/romaiorokseg/cella-trichora/ | email= | address=III, Hunor utca | lat=47.54719 | long=19.03439 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free to visit | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q859335 | lastedit=2019-03-25 | content=North side of the Raktár street once been one late-Roman Christian cemetery. There was the outskirts of the ancient Christian chapel. A typical cloverleaf-shaped building raised in around 360 CE, in memory of the martyrs and saints. }} * {{see | name=Aquincum Military Amphitheatre | alt=Aquincumi katonai amfiteátrum | url=http://www.aquincum.hu/en/romaiorokseg/katonavarosi-amfiteatrum/ | email= | address=III, Pacsirtamező utca 2-14 | lat=47.53291 | long=19.03901 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Aquincum Military Amphitheatre | wikidata=Q774580 | lastedit=2019-03-25 | content=The military amphitheater located south of former Roman military camp. Around 145 the training ground, rebuilt in stone amphitheater during the reign of emperor Antoninus Pius. The construction work was performed by the Legio II Adiutrix technical corps. The longitudinal axis {{m|131.8}}, cross axis {{m|108.4}} of the outer walls of the stand. The arena size of {{m|89.6}}×{{m|66.1}}. Molded walls of its cabinets were built by fishbone vaults. The walls were huge stone pillar supported. }} * {{see | image=Akvinkum - panoramio.jpg | name=Porta Principalis Dextra | alt=Southern Camp Gate, Déli táborkapu | url=http://www.aquincum.hu/en/romaiorokseg/deli-taborkapu-porta-principalis-dextra/ | email= | address=III, Flórián tér | lat=47.54060 | long=19.03999 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free to visit | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-25 | content=Today's Florian Square was the site of the center of former camp of the Aquincum Legion of II. Adiutrix. Now there is an archeological park with the remains of the camp from 2nd-3rd century CE, Officers flats, tabernas and the camp big baths. }} * {{see | name=Porta Praetoria | alt=Eastern Camp Gate, Keleti táborkapu | url=http://www.aquincum.hu/en/romaiorokseg/keleti-taborkapu-porta-praetoria/ | email= | address=III, Kórház utca 7 | lat=47.54216 | long=19.04383 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free to visit | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1239414 | lastedit=2019-03-25 | content=The gate was built in the second half of the 3rd century. It was the Roman legion camp's main gate looking for Danube river. This was a three-span structure. Both two edges a storey, octagonal tower flanked. The middle passage used for the car traffic, the two extremes made for pedestrians. Across this was accessible the Danube bridge. }} ===Churches=== [[File:Óbuda Synagogue 02.JPG|thumb|Óbuda Synagogue]] * {{see | name=Saint Peter and Paul Parish Roman Catholic Parish Church | alt=Szent Péter és Pál római katolikus plébániatemplom | url=http://peterpalplebania.hu/ | email=obudaplb@gmail.com | address=III, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet tér | lat=47.53864 | long=19.04461 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 368-6424 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q17394252 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Built by Péter Zichy in 1749 in Baroque style. In front of the church there are sculpures of Saint John of Nepomuk and Saint Florian. The Baroque sculptures created by Károly Bebo sculptor in 1753. }} * {{see | name=Óbuda Synagogue | alt=Óbudai zsinagóga | url=http://obudaizsinagoga.hu/ | email=info@obudaizsinagoga.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 163 | lat=47.53701 | long=19.04593 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 30 396-9020 | tollfree= | hours=Not open to visitors | price= | wikipedia=Óbuda Synagogue | wikidata=Q686855 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Budapest's oldest, still existing Jewish temple, and one of the masterpieces of European neoclassical synagogue. The neo-Classical facade decoration of the six Corinthian columns supported by an open portico tympanum closure. It was built in 1820 according to the design of András Landherr. }} * {{see | name=Óbuda Reformed Church | alt=Óbudai református templom | url=http://www.refobuda.hu/ | email=refobuda@enternet.hu | address=III, Kálvin köz 4 | lat=47.53935 | long=19.04180 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} / {{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 368-6410 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q15268560 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=The temple was built in 1786. The front facade of the church, a tower was erected in 1788. The donations of the faithful in 1878 was made a spire with a helmet. The building made with one nave. The remains of the medieval castle can be found at the basement. Óbuda first regal, later in 11–14th centuries was king and queen headquarters. The Royal Castle was a lowland castle, shaped for regular ground, square form, which is bounded by a double walled moat. }} * {{see | name=Óbuda Lutheran Church | alt=Óbudai evangélikus templom | url=https://obudev.hu/ | email=obudev@gmail.com | address=III, Dévai Bíró Mátyás tér 1 | lat=47.53696 | long=19.03942 | directions={{station|Kiscelli utca|9}} / {{station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone=+36 1 388-1773 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q25478448 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Built in 1935. }} * {{see | name=Ruins of Clarisse Church and Nunnery | alt=Klarissza templom és kolostor romjai | url= | email= | address=III, Kiskorona utca | lat=47.53680 | long=19.04260 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Not open to visitors, can be seen from the street | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1471590 | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Since 1334 Clarissa nuns from the monastery stood here. This was one large three-nave church, each ship has a polygonal apse. Queen Elizabeth (Charles Robert's wife) was founded, who was buried here in 1380. Beautifully preserved basement walls can be seen on courtyard of Ilona Andor Music and Arts Elementary School. The complex was destroyed around 1541. The monastery was home of the altar of Queen Elizabeth, which now can be seen in the New York Metropolitan Museum. }} * {{see | name=Holy Blood Roman Catholic Chapel | alt=Szent Vér római katolikus kápolna | url=http://obuda-szent3sag.hu/szentver.htm | email= | address=III, Doberdó út | lat=47.53454 | long=19.03191 | directions={{station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Built in 1822. }} * {{see | name=Saint Donatus Roman Catholic Chapel | alt=Szent Donát római katolikus kápolna | url=http://obuda-szent3sag.hu/sztdonat.htm | email= | address=III, Farkastorki út 58 | lat=47.55432 | long=19.02035 | directions={{station|Verhovina utca|237}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-24 | content=Built in 1781. }} ===Nature=== * {{see | image=Guckler Károly-kilátó az avatása előtt.jpg | name=Károly Guckler Observation Point | alt=Guckler Károly-kilátópont | url=https://parkerdo.hu/turizmus/latnivalok/guckler-karoly-kilatopont/ | email= | address= | lat=47.55552 | long=18.99884 | directions={{km|2}} walk from {{station|Szépvölgyi dűlő|65}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=Nice view from the top of Hármashatár Mountain. }} * {{see | name=Károly Guckler Nature Trail | alt= | url=https://parkerdo.hu/turizmus/latnivalok/guckler-karoly-tanosveny/ | email= | address= | lat=47.54652 | long=19.00570 | directions={{km|1}} walk from {{station|Fenyőgyöngye|65}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content={{km|3.5}} long nature trail shows the wildlife of forest around Budapest. There is also two observation points with good view to Óbuda. }} * {{see | name=Tábor-hegyi Cave | alt=Tábor-hegyi-barlang | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.55015 | long=19.01194 | directions={{station|Erdőalja út 43.|137}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q1326030 | lastedit=2019-11-21 | content=The second longest dolomite cave in the Buda Hills. Specially protected and archaeologically important cave. There is an observation terrace with a nice view to Óbuda. }} * {{see | name=Kőtaraj | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.54505 | long=19.01532 | directions={{station|Máramaros út|137}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-02-10 | content=Crag with nice panorama. }} ==Do== ===Culture=== [[File:HarmashatarFotoThalerTamas.JPG|thumb|View from Hármashatár Mountain]] * {{do | name=Esernyős | alt= | url=https://esernyos.hu/ | email=info@esernyos.hu | address=III, Fő tér 2 | lat=47.54165 | long=19.04540 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 30 883-1953 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–22:00, Sa 10:00–22:00, Su 10:00–15:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1090}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-23 | content=Community space, cafe, lunch and breakfast, art gallery and tourist information. }} * {{do | image=Óbudai társaskör. - Budapest, III. Kiskorona utca 7.jpg | name=Óbudai Társaskör | alt= | url=https://obudaitarsaskor.hu/index.php/en/ | email=info@obudaitarsaskor.hu | address=III, Kiskorona utca 7 | lat=47.53845 | long=19.04281 | directions={{Station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-0288 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=Arts and community center. The building was built for an inn and cafe between 1816 and 1818, in Classical style. }} * {{do | name=Térszínház | alt= | url=https://terszinhaz.hu/ | email=terszinhaz@gmail.com | address=III, Fő tér 1, Zichy Palace yard | lat=47.54090 | long=19.04594 | directions={{Station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 388-4310 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Ticket: {{HUF|1800}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-14 | content=Theatre. }} * {{do | image=Óbudai Művelődési Központ 004.jpg | name=Óbuda Cultural Center | alt=Óbudai Kulturális Központ | url=https://kulturkozpont.hu/haz/obudai-kulturalis-kozpont/ | email=kulturkozpont@kulturkozpont.hu | address=III, San Marco utca 81 | lat=47.54144 | long=19.03401 | directions={{Station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone=+36 1 388 2373 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–20:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=Also here is the San Marco Gallery with art exhibitions. }} ===Leisure=== * {{do | name=Kiscell Park | alt=Kiscelli-parkerdő | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.5356 | long=19.0303 | directions={{station|Remetehegyi út|165}} / {{station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free to visit | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content= }} * {{do | image=Budapest, Táborhegy, 1037 Hungary - panoramio (1).jpg | name=Óbuda Bath | alt=Óbudai strand | url=https://www.obudasport.hu/letesitmenyeink/obudai-strand | email=titkarsag@obudasport.hu | address=III, Laborc utca 2 | lat=47.55154 | long=19.02693 | directions={{Station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 388-9770 | tollfree= | hours=Jun 18–Jul 1, Aug 18–26: M–F 10:00–20:00, Sa–Su 09:00–19:00; Jul 2–Aug 17: M–F 16:00-20:00, Sa–Su 09:00–19:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|1800}}; senior, student: {{HUF|1300}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-08 | content=Open-air pool. }} * {{do | name=Berguson Bike Rental | alt= | url=http://www.obudakerekpar.hu/en | email=kolcsonzes@obudakerekpar.hu | address=III, Laktanya utca 1/b | lat=47.54189 | long=19.04644 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 20 207-3133 | tollfree= | hours=Mar–Oct: M–F 07:00–19:00, Sa Su 09:00–19:00 | price={{HUF|200}} per hour. Deposit of a registered document and deposit of {{HUF|10,000}} is required | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content= }} * {{do | name=Brainmaze | alt= | url=https://brainmaze.hu/ | email=bm@brainmaze.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 121 | lat=47.53505 | long=19.03453 | directions={{Station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone=+36 20 407-0701 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 11:00–22:30 | price={{HUF|2500}}–{{HUF|3000}} per person | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=Escape game. }} * {{do | image=Budapest, Polaris Csillagvizsgáló, 3.jpg | name=Polaris Observatory | alt= | url=https://www.mcse.hu/polaris-csillagvizsgalo/rolunk/ | email=polaris@mcse.hu | address=III, Laborc utca 2/c | lat=47.55302 | long=19.02527 | directions={{Station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 240-7708 | tollfree= | hours=Tu Th Su 20:00–22:30 (only when the sky is clear) | price=Adult: {{HUF|1000}}; senior, student: {{HUF|600}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content= }} ===Sport=== * {{do | image=Aranypatkó lovarda és távvezeték, 2018 Óbuda-Békásmegyer.jpg | name=Aranypatkó Riding Hall | alt= | url=http://aranypatkolovarda.hu/ | email=aranypatkolovarda@gmail.com | address=III, Aranyhegyi út 18 | lat=47.57324 | long=19.03001 | directions={{station|Aranyhegyi lejtő|160}} | phone=+36 70 363-1553 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content= }} * {{do | name=Budapest Garden | alt= | url=https://budapestgarden.com/ | email=info@budapestgarden.com | address=III. Árpád fejedelem útja 125 | lat=47.53160 | long=19.04277 | directions={{Station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-4799 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–23:00, Sa Su 10:00–01:00 | price={{HUF|500}}–{{HUF|1800}} per person. Street workout ground, darts and ping pong are free | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-08-19 | content=Leisure park with various possibilities: bubble soccer, ninja court, trampoline, beach volleyball, artificial grass football field, skate park, street workout ground, soccer, darts, ping pong, badminton. }} * {{do | name=Continental Citygolf Club | alt= | url=http://continentalgolf.hu/ | email=recepcio@continentalgolf.hu | address=III, Perényi út 6 | lat=47.5432 | long=19.0274 | directions={{station|Váradi utca|19}} | phone=+36 30 730-3270 | tollfree= | hours=09:00–17:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Golf course. }} * {{do | name=Folyondár Sport Center | alt= | url=http://sport.folyondar.hu/en/ | email=info@folyondar.hu | address=III, Folyondár utca 15 | lat=47.53405 | long=19.02993 | directions={{station|Mikoviny utca|165}} | phone=+36 1 244-8850 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–22:00, Sa Su 08:00–20:00 | price={{HUF|4000}}–{{HUF|7100}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=Tennis courts and fitness. }} * {{do | name=Glob Royal Billiard Club | alt= | url=http://globroyal.com/ | email=glob.royal.obuda@gmail.com | address=III, Csemete utca 7 | lat=47.52880 | long=19.03822 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-8930 | tollfree= | hours=16:00-00:00 | price=Billiard table {{HUF|1080}} per hour; darts: {{HUF|1080}} per hour | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Billiard club and rock club with live concerts. }} * {{do | name=Óbuda Tennis Club | alt= | url=https://obudaiteniszklub.hu/ | email=tenisz@obudasport.hu | address=III, Laborc utca 2 | lat=47.55230 | long=19.02613 | directions={{Station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 240-5601 | tollfree= | hours= | price={{HUF|2700}}–{{HUF|3000}} per hour | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=Tennis courts. }} * {{do | name=Rozmaring Tennis Club | alt= | url=http://www.teniszpalya.com/ | email=info@teniszpalya.eu | address=III, Árpád fejedelem útja 125 | lat=47.53327 | long=19.04474 | directions={{Station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 240-4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–22:00, Sa Su 08:00–21:00 | price={{HUF|1900}}–{{HUF|2900}} per hour | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-19 | content=Tennis courts. }} * {{do | name=Spider Club | alt= | url=https://www.spiderclub.hu/ | email=info@spiderclub.hu | address=III, Fényes Adolf utca 19-21 | lat=47.53564 | long=19.04182 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 20 519-3234 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 13:00–23:00, Sa Su 10:00–22:00 | price=Adult: {{HUF|1800}}, children: {{HUF|1200}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-19 | content=Climbing hall. }} * {{do | name=Szépvölgyi Tennis Centrum | alt= | url=http://www.szepvolgyi.hu/ | email=tenisz@szepvolgyi.hu | address=III, Virág Benedek utca 39-41 | lat=47.53186 | long=19.01961 | directions={{Station|Szélvész utca|65}} | phone=+36 1 388-1591 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–23:00, Sa 07:00–22:00, Su 07:00–14:00 | price={{HUF|3000}}–{{HUF|4500}} per hour | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-19 | content=Tennis courts. }} ===Events=== [[File:3.onkormcivertanlegi.jpg|thumb|Town Hall and the Main Square]] * {{do | name=Day of Óbuda | alt=Óbuda Napja | url=https://obudanapja.hu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=In May. Three days event with free concerts and fair. }} * {{do | name=Summer in Óbuda | alt=Óbudai Nyár | url=https://obudainyar.hu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=Between Jun 15–Aug 31. Free concerts, film screening and other programs. }} * {{do | name=Festival of Craft Beers in Óbuda | alt=Óbudai Kézműves Sörök Fesztiválja | url=https://obudaisorfesztival.hu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=In September. }} * {{do | name=Picnic in Óbuda | alt=Óbudai Piknik | url=https://obudaipiknik.hu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=In September. }} * {{do | name=Advent in Óbuda | alt=Advent Óbudán | url=https://www.adventobudan.hu/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=In December. Christmas fair and winter outdoor skating. }} ==Buy== In Óbuda: * {{buy | name=Buda Entertainment and Gastro | alt= | url=http://budaeg.com/ | email=info@budaeg.com | address=III, Bécsi út 38-44 | lat=47.52858 | long=19.03719 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 437-8200 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–22:30, Sa Su 08:00–22:30; [http://budaeg.com/agymozi-bed-cinema Buda Bed Cinema]: 11:30–22:00; [https://www.csopa.hu/en/ Center of Scientific Wonders (Csodák Palotája)]: 09:00–19:00; [https://www.facebook.com/dalmichelepizzeria/ D'Al Michele Pizzeria]: M–Sa 11:00–20:00; [http://hummusbar.hu/ Hummus Bar Restaurant]: M–F 11:00–22:00; Sa Su 12:00–22:00; [http://kexcukraszda.hu/ I Love Kex Confectionery]: M–F 08:00–20:00, Sa 10:00–20:00, Su 11:00–18:00 | price=Ticket to the cinema: {{HUF|4500}}; entrance fee to the nightclub: {{HUF|2000}}–{{HUF|5000}}; entrance fee to Csopa: {{HUF|3600}}; average meal in the restaurant: {{HUF|1990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Shopping center. Services: bed cinema, Middle Eastern restaurant, pizzeria, confectionery, indoor playground, bookstore, drugstore. Csopa is Hungary's first unique interactive scientific exhibition, where scientific phenomena become entertaining and physics becomes understandable. }} * {{buy | name=Flórián Square Shopping Mall | alt=Flórián téri Üzletközpont | url=https://piaconline.hu/florian-teri-uzletkozpont/ | email=csapi.ig@csapi.hu | address=III, Flórián tér 6-9 | lat=47.5424 | long=19.0408 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 1 439-3810 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–19:00, Sa 07:00–14:00; [https://prima.hu/ Prima supermarket]: M–F 06:30–20:00, Sa 07:00–18:00, Su 07:00–16:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q61360111 | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Shopping center. Services: supermarket, clothes store, post office, bank, optics, pharmacy, fitness studio. }} * {{buy | name=Kórház Street Market Hall | alt=Kórház utcai Vásárcsarnok | url=https://piaconline.hu/korhaz-utcai-vasarcsarnok/ | email=csapi.ig@csapi.hu | address=III, Kórház utca 37-41 | lat=47.5438 | long=19.0384 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 1 388-8700 | tollfree= | hours=M 07:00–16:00, Tu–F 06:00–18:00, Sa 06:00–14:00; [https://www.facebook.com/%C3%93budai-H%C3%A1zias-%C3%ADzek-konyh%C3%A1ja-770021259691464/ Házias ízek konyhája Food Bar]: M–F 09:00–15:00; [https://www.facebook.com/feriasefetelbar/ Feri a Séf Food Bar]: Tu–F 07:00–15:00, Sa 06:00–13:00; [https://www.facebook.com/Europa7658/ Európa Food Bar]: M–Sa 07:00–14:30 | price=Average meal in the food bar: {{HUF|1300}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Services: grocery store, butcher, bakery, food bar. }} * {{buy | name=RH Delicates | alt= | url=http://www.rhdelicates.hu/rolunk | email=rhdelikatesz@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 57-59 | lat=47.52915 | long=19.03829 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 30 019-7617 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 07:00–18:00, Th F 07:00–19:00, Sa 08:00–13:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-06 | content=Delicatessen. }} * {{buy | name=Príma Pék Delikát | alt= | url=http://primapek.hu/ | email= | address=III, Föld utca 59 | lat=47.54046 | long=19.03375 | directions={{station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone=+36 30 708-7085 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–19:00, Sa 07:00–13:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-01-08 | content=Delicatessen, bakery and cafe. }} * {{buy | name=Teavolution | alt= | url=https://teavolution.eu/ | email=info@teavolution.eu | address=III, Nagyszombat utca 1/c | lat=47.53214 | long=19.04145 | directions={{station|Nagyszombat utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 30 552-1981 | tollfree= | hours=Tu W F 13:00–18:00, Th 14:00–19:00, Sa 11:00–16:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-06 | content=Traditional Japanese tea room and shop. }} In Óbuda Highlands: * {{buy | name=EuroCenter | alt= | url=https://eurocenterobuda.hu/ | email=info@eurocenterobuda.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 154 | lat=47.5465 | long=19.0279 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 437-4600 | tollfree= | hours=07:00–22:00; [https://www.spar.hu/uzletek/interspar-hipermarket-budapest-iii-1032-becsi-ut-154- Interspar Hypermarket]: M–Sa 07:00–22:00, Su 08:30–19:30; [https://eurocenter.mimozink.hu/ MiMozink Cinema]: M–F 13:00–21:45, Sa Su 11:00–21:45; [http://vidamszinpad.hu/ Vidám Színpad Theatre]: M–F 10:00–16:00 | price=Ticket to the cinema: {{HUF|1550}} for adult, {{HUF|1200}} for senior, student; ticket to the theatre: {{HUF|3000}}–{{HUF|4500}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Shopping center. Services: hypermarket, cinema, theatre, pet food, food bar, jewelery shop, drugstore, bank, travel agency, shoe store, cafe, beauty salon, indoor playground, casino, bookstore, post office, clothes store, fitness studio, pharmacy. }} * {{buy | name=Stop Shop | alt= | url=https://www.stop-shop.com/en/hu/budapest-obuda | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 136 | lat=47.5440 | long=19.0287 | directions={{station|Váradi utca|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=[https://www.spar.hu/uzletek/spar-szupermarket-budapest-1032-becsi-ut-136- Spar Supermarket]: M–F 07:00–21:00, Sa 07:00–20:00, Su 08:00–18:00; [https://anytimecafe.hu/ AnyTime Restaurant and Cafe]: M–Th Su 10:00–00:00, F Sa 10:00–02:00; [https://pearlharbor.hu/ Pearl Bowling]: M–Th 11:00–00:00, F Sa 11:00–02:00 | price=Average meal in the restaurant: {{HUF|2690}}, lunch menu in the restaurant: {{HUF|1090}}, bowling: {{HUF|4200}}–{{HUF|6100}} per hour, biliard: {{HUF|2000}} per hour | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Shopping center. Services: supermarket, technical store, clotes store, bowling, bank, bookstore, drugstore, shoe store, pet food. Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{buy | name=Tesco | alt= | url=https://tesco.hu/aruhazak/aruhaz/tesco-becsi-ut-hipermarket/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 258 | lat=47.56291 | long=19.02155 | directions={{station|Kubik utca|160}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 06:00–22:00, Su 07:00–20:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Hypermarket. }} * {{buy | name=Piccante Delicatesse | alt= | url=http://www.piccantedelicatesse.hu/ | email=iroda@piccantedelicatesse.hu | address=III, Szépvölgyi út 63/a | lat=47.53118 | long=19.02437 | directions={{station|Virág Benedek utca|65}} | phone=+36 1 439-0475 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 08:00–19:00, Su 09:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-01-08 | content=Delicatessen, cafe and breakfast. }} ==Eat== {{Eatpricerange | Under {{HUF|1500}} | {{HUF|1500}}–{{HUF|2600}} | Over {{HUF|2600}} }} ===Budget=== [[File:A jó kalmár.JPG|thumb|Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism]] In Óbuda: * {{eat | name=Athor Étkezde | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/AThor-%C3%89tkezde-441234696639933/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 171 | lat=47.53863 | long=19.03227 | directions={{station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–15:00 | price={{HUF|1200}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-05 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Buda Square | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/736488133163134/ | email= | address=III, Lajos utca 48-66 | lat=47.53055 | long=19.03913 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 70 451-9456 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:30–15:00 | price={{HUF|1150}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1150}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Self-service restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Déja Vu Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Deja-Vu-%C3%89tterem-%C3%A9s-K%C3%A1v%C3%A9z%C3%B3-100546278381614/ | email=montevideoetterem@gmail.com | address=III, Montevideo utca 3/b | lat=47.52926 | long=19.03284 | directions={{station|Ürömi utca|29}} / {{station|Kolosy tér|19}} | phone=+36 70 333-3288 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 08:00–15, F 08:00–14:00 | price={{HUF|1090}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1490}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Európa Bistro Kifőzde | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/europabisztrokifozde/ | email=europabisztro@gmail.com | address=III, Pacsirtamező utca 34 | lat=47.53594 | long=19.03967 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} | phone=+36 70 316-4128 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:00–15:00 | price={{HUF|1200}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Flórián Grill and Bistro | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Fl%C3%B3ri%C3%A1n-Grill-Bistro-%C3%A9s-Rendezv%C3%A9nyh%C3%A1z-109686033925242/ | email=info@florianbistro.hu | address=III, Polgár utca 8-10 | lat=47.54130 | long=19.04260 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 20 200-9977 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–15:00, Sa 11:00–15:00 | price={{HUF|1190}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1290}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-12-16 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Galagonya Étkezde | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/galagonyaetkezde/ | email=galagonyaetkezde@gmail.com | address=III, Bokor utca 9 | lat=47.53103 | long=19.03820 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–15:00 | price={{HUF|950}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1300}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-09 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Gastro Bistro | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/gastro.bisztro/ | email=gastro.bisztro@gmail.com | address=III, Lajos utca 106 | lat=47.53374 | long=19.04143 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 20 484-0108 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:00–14:30 | price={{HUF|790}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Krumplis Lángos | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/539479313183397 | email= | address=III, Flórián tér, underpass | lat=47.54149 | long=19.04105 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–19:00, Sa 08:00–14:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-09 | content=Lángos bar. }} * {{eat | name=Menza Óbuda | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/1655265287953173/ | email= | address=III, Fényes Adolf utca 28 | lat=47.53577 | long=19.04146 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–15:00 | price={{HUF|900}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-08 | content=Self-service restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=MyCanteen | alt= | url=https://mycanteen.hu/mycanteen-perc-utca/ | email=info@mycanteen.hu | address=III, Perc utca 6 | lat=47.53636 | long=19.04204 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 30 951-6564 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:00–15:00 | price={{HUF|1200}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1200}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Self-service restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Pepita Étkezde | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Pepita-%C3%89tkezde-1482235108742433/ | email=zoltanbarasits@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 105-107 | lat=47.53390 | long=19.03578 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 70 680-8015 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:00–17:00 | price={{HUF|890}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1100}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Pikáns Ételbár | alt= | url=https://pikansetelbar.hu/ | email=pikansetelbar@gmail.com | address=III, Montevideo utca 2/c | lat=47.52971 | long=19.03027 | directions={{station|Folyondár utca|165}} | phone=+36 1 400-9037 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:30–15:00 | price={{HUF|1100}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1050}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Food bar. }} In Óbuda Highlands: * {{eat | name=Bojtár Büfé | alt= | url=http://bojtarbufe.hu/ | email= | address=III, Bojtár utca 37 | lat=47.56033 | long=19.03112 | directions={{station|Csillaghegyi út / Bojtár utca|118}} | phone=+36 30 330-9911 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 07:00–15:00, F 07:00–14:30 | price=940&nbsp;Ft, hamburger: 410&nbsp;Ft | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Duna Autó | alt= | url=http://etterem.dunaauto.hu/ | email=etterem@dunaauto.hu | address=III, Zay utca 24 | lat=47.55385 | long=19.03314 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 801-4106 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 06:30–15:00 | price={{HUF|1130}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|890}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Self-service restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Menzay Büfé | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Menzaybufe/ | email=freminakft@gmail.com | address=III, Zay utca 3 | lat=47.55256 | long=19.02924 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 70 381-2599 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–14:30 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1050}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Pauza Restaurant and Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/PauzaEtterem/ | email=pauzaetterem@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 271 | lat=47.55240 | long=19.02856 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 999-7600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–16:00 | price={{HUF|1040}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1190}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Food bar. }} ===Mid-range=== [[File:Kéhli vendéglő Budapest Mókus utca 22.JPG|thumb|Kéhli Restaurant]] In Óbuda: * {{eat | name=Falat Bistro | alt= | url=https://falatbistro.hu/ | email=obudaifalat@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 57-61 | lat=47.52929 | long=19.03824 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 388-2530 | tollfree= | hours=11:00–21:00 | price=2100&nbsp;Ft, lunch menu: 1350&nbsp;Ft | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-01-08 | content=Food bar. }} ** {{eat | name=Bécsi Bistro | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/BecsiBisztro/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 57-61 | lat= | long= | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 08:00–18:00, F 08:00–15:00 | price=Hamburger: 850&nbsp;Ft | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Fast food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Gigler Restaurant | alt=Gigler Vendéglő | url=http://giglervendeglo.hu/ | email= | address=III, Föld utca 50/c | lat=47.54017 | long=19.03262 | directions={{station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone=+36 1 368-6078 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 12:00–22:00, Su 12:00–16:00 | price={{HUF|1700}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Grill and Panír | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/GrillandPanir/ | email= | address=III, Kolosy tér 5-7 | lat=47.52780 | long=19.03802 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250 5051 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:00–21:00, Sa Su 12:00–17:00 | price={{HUF|1250}}, hamburger: {{HUF|1280}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Happy Facer | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/HappyFacerObuda/ | email=info@happyfacer.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 103 | lat=47.53353 | long=19.03564 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 20 611-8695 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 10:00–22:00, F Sa 10:00–23:00, Su 12:00–22:00 | price=Hamburger: {{HUF|990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Fast food bar. }} * {{eat | name=MealBox | alt= | url=http://www.mealboxfoodbar.hu/ | email=mealboxkft@gmail.com | address=III, Montevideo utca 9 | lat=47.53012 | long=19.03401 | directions={{station|Ürömi utca|29}} / {{station|Kolosy tér|19}} | phone=+36 30 133-9269 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:30–15:00 | price={{HUF|1790}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Office Bistro | alt= | url=http://officebistro.hu/ | email=info@officebistro.hu | address=III, Szépvölgyi út 15 | lat=47.52789 | long=19.03605 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:30–16:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1250}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Padthai Wokbar | alt= | url=https://www.padthaiwokbar.com/ | email=info@padthaiwokbar.com | address=III, Bécsi út 53 | lat=47.52893 | long=19.03798 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 30 788-1782 | tollfree= | hours=11:00–22:30 | price={{HUF|1970}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Asian food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Pasta Finucci | alt= | url=http://pastafinucci.hu/ | email=pastafinucci@gmail.com | address=III, Szentendrei út 4 | lat=47.54419 | long=19.04188 | directions={{station|Raktár utca|9}} | phone=+36 1 950-0238 | tollfree= | hours=11:00–21:40 | price={{HUF|2040}}, pizza: {{HUF|1790}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Traditional restaurant and pizzeria. }} * {{eat | name=Pinocchio Pizzeria and Caffetteria | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/pinocchiobudapest/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 121 | lat=47.53506 | long=19.03442 | directions={{station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone=+36 20 318-4874 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 11:00–22:00 | price={{HUF|1590}}, pizza: {{HUF|1990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Italian pizzeria and pasta bar. }} * {{eat | name=Pizza Paradicsom | alt= | url=http://www.pizzaparadicsom.hu/ | email=info@pizzaparadicsom.hu | address=III, Vörösvári út 13 | lat=47.54369 | long=19.03701 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone=+36 1 439-1988 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily | price={{HUF|2260}}, pizza: {{HUF|1930}}, hamburger: {{HUF|1720}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Traditional restaurant and pizzeria. }} * {{eat | name=Torkos Büfé | alt= | url=http://torkosbufe.hu/ | email= | address=III, Szél utca 3-5 | lat=47.54376 | long=19.03922 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 1 367-2670 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–15:30 | price={{HUF|1280}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Food bar. }} * {{eat | name=Vidocq Restaurant | alt= | url=http://vidocq.hu/ | email=etterem@vidocq.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 98 | lat=47.53306 | long=19.04078 | directions={{station|Nagyszombat utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 240-3937 | tollfree= | hours=12:00–23:00 | price={{HUF|2220}}, pizza: {{HUF|1680}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1060}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Traditional restaurant and pizzeria with local cuisine. }} In Óbuda Highlands: * {{eat | name=Kisbojtár Restaurant | alt=Kisbojtár Vendéglő | url=https://www.kisbojtarobuda.hu/ | email=kisbojtarobuda@gmail.com | address=III, Bojtár utca 29 | lat=47.56013 | long=19.02880 | directions={{station|Kisbojtár utca|118}} | phone=+36 1 367-5440 | tollfree= | hours=12:00–22:00 | price={{HUF|2300}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|980}} | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Papírtigris | alt= | url=https://papirtigris.com/ | email=info@papirtigris.com | address=III, Bécsi út 170 | lat=47.54842 | long=19.02847 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 631-3522 | tollfree= | hours=10:30–22:00 | price={{HUF|2300}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Traditional restaurant with Asian pasta, wok and sushi. }} ===Splurge=== [[File:Budapest Uj Sipos Halaszkert Fo ter 6,.JPG|thumb|Royal Sipos Restaurant]] In Óbuda: * {{eat | name=Asli | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/aslirestaurantindonesia/ | email= | address=III, Kolosy tér 5 | lat=47.52792 | long=19.03789 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 952-1361 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th Su 12:00–20:00, F Sa 12:00–22:00 | price={{HUF|2400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-06-10 | content=Restaurant with authentic Indonesian cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Harapó Mókus Restaurant | alt=Harapó Mókus Vendéglő | url=http://www.harapomokus.hu/ | email=vendeglo@harapomokus.hu | address=III, Zápor utca 69 | lat=47.54245 | long=19.03532 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone=+36 1 388-6151 | tollfree= | hours=12:00–22:00 | price={{HUF|2590}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1640}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | image=Kéhli vendéglő Budapest Mókus utca 22.JPG | name=Kéhli Restaurant | alt=Kéhli Vendéglő | url=http://kehli.hu/ | email=info@kehli.t-online.hu | address=III, Mókus utca 22 | lat=47.53792 | long=19.04343 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 368-0613 | tollfree= | hours=12:00–00:00 | price={{HUF|2990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Kerék Restaurant | alt=Kerék Vendéglő | url=http://kerekvendeglo.hu/ | email=kerekvendeglo@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 103 | lat=47.53362 | long=19.03585 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 1 250-4261 | tollfree= | hours=12:00–22:00 | price={{HUF|2690}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Okuyama | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/okuyamasanofficial/ | email= | address=III, Kolosy tér 5-6 | lat=47.52794 | long=19.03804 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-8256 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 13:00-21:00 | price={{HUF|3000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Traditional restaurant with Japanese cuisine. }} * {{eat | image=Budapest, Pastrami, III. Nagyszombat utca.JPG | name=Pastrami Restaurant | alt= | url=http://pastrami.hu/ | email=pastrami@pastrami.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 93-99 | lat=47.53234 | long=19.04078 | directions={{station|Nagyszombat utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 430-1731 | tollfree= | hours=08:00–23:00 | price={{HUF|2900}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Traditional restaurant with international cuisine. }} * {{eat | image=Budapest Uj Sipos Halaszkert Fo ter 6,.JPG | name=Royal Sipos Restaurant | alt= | url=https://sipos.royalcampus.hu/ | email=ujsiposroyal@gmail.com | address=III, Fő tér 6 | lat=47.54120 | long=19.04508 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 70 635-0524 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:30–23:00, Sa Su 11:00–23:00 | price={{HUF|2990}} for 120–150 min | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content=Buffet restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Rozmaring Garden Restaurant | alt=Rozmaring Kertvendéglő | url=https://rozmaringkertvendeglo.hu/ | email=info@rozmaringkertvendeglo.hu | address=III, Árpád fejedelem útja 125 | lat=47.53268 | long=19.04465 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 367-1301 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 12:00–23:00, F–Sa 12:00–00:00, Su 12:00–16:00 | price={{HUF|2900}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Semmi Extra | alt= | url=http://semmiextra.hu/ | email=semmiextrakert@semmiextra.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 46 | lat=47.52937 | long=19.03898 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 950-6771 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 09:00–00:00, Sa Su 12:00–00:00 | price={{HUF|2690}}, hamburger: {{HUF|1350}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1200}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Stelázsi Restaurant | alt= | url=http://stelazsietterem.hu/ | email=stelazsi@stelazsietterem.hu | address=III, Nagyszombat utca 3 | lat=47.53244 | long=19.04035 | directions={{station|Nagyszombat utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 631-3624 | tollfree= | hours=10:00–22:00 | price={{HUF|2690}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1660}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | image=Budapest. Sushi Sei restaurant. III. Bécsi út 38-44.JPG | name=Sushi Sei | alt= | url=https://sushisei.hu/en/ | email=info@sushisei.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 58 | lat=47.53014 | long=19.03767 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 30 435-0567 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 12:00–22:00, F–Sa 12:00–23:00 | price={{HUF|3100}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Traditional restaurant with Japanese cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Wasabi | alt= | url=https://www.wasabi.hu/etterem/szepvolgyi | email=wasabi@wasabi.hu | address=III, Szépvölgyi út 15 | lat=47.52784 | long=19.03646 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 430 1056 | tollfree= | hours=11:00-23:00 | price={{HUF|2780}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1590}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Traditional restaurant with Japanese, Koran and Thai cuisine, including sushi and wok. }} In Óbuda Highlands: * {{eat | name=Lashka Pasta Workshop | alt=Lashka Tésztaműhely | url=http://www.lashka.hu/ | email=info@lashka.hu | address=III, Folyondár utca 22-24 | lat=47.53406 | long=19.02793 | directions={{station|Mikoviny utca|165}} | phone=+36 30 265-9688 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 08:00–19:00 | price={{HUF|2850}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content=Traditional restaurant with international pasta specialties. }} * {{eat | name=Dallas Restaurant | alt= | url=http://dallasetterem.hu/ | email=dallasetterem@dallasetterem.hu | address=III, Zay utca 5 | lat=47.55265 | long=19.03017 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 70 779-6520 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 11:00–23:00, F Sa 11:00–00:00 | price={{HUF|2990}}, hamburger: {{HUF|1450}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1190}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Traditional restaurant with local and American cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Hangár Bistro | alt= | url=https://hangarbistro.hu/ | email=info@hangarbistro.hu | address=III, Hármashatárhegyi út 3 | lat=47.55672 | long=18.99737 | directions={{km|2}} walk from {{station|Szépvölgyi dűlő|65}} | phone=+36 70 215-9620 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 11:00–17:00 | price={{HUF|2390}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-26 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} * {{eat | name=Ínyenc Kert | alt= | url=http://inyenckert.hu/ | email=info@inyenckert.hu | address=III, Vörösvári út 131 | lat=47.54944 | long=19.02919 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 30 476-1316 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 11:00–23:00, F Sa 11:00–01:00 | price={{HUF|2550}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1050}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Traditional restaurant with local cuisine. }} ==Drink== ===Cafes and breakfast=== [[File:Standers-by – A sculpture composition in suburban Budapest, Hungary (34201693482).jpg|thumb|Waiting – sculpture group on Szindbád tér]] * {{drink | name=Átjáró Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/%C3%81tj%C3%A1r%C3%B3-K%C3%A1v%C3%A9z%C3%B3-100687608229391/ | email= | address=III, Galagonya utca 5 | lat=47.53118 | long=19.03870 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:30–17:30, Sa 08:00–12:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Cafe Monte | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafemonteobuda/ | email= | address=III, Montevideo utca 9 | lat=47.53006 | long=19.03424 | directions={{station|Ürömi utca|29}} / {{station|Kolosy tér|19}} | phone=+36 30 338 0117 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 08:00–18:00, F 08:00–17:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1150}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Cafe, lunch and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Cafe Padru | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafepadru/ | email=cafepadru@gmail.com | address=III, Szőlő utca 80 | lat=47.54140 | long=19.03742 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–16:30, Sa 08:00–13:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-05 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Cafe Teide | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/134005573330046/ | email= | address=III, Montevideo utca 7 | lat=47.53004 | long=19.03350 | directions={{station|Ürömi utca|29}} / {{station|Kolosy tér|19}} | phone=+36 20 999-1931 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 08:00–18:00, F 08:00–17:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1980}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Cafe, lunch and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Emily and Mazsola | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/emilyesmazsola/ | email=emilymazsola@gmail.com | address=III, Bogdáni út 12 | lat=47.54944 | long=19.04027 | directions={{station|Óbuda, Bogdáni út|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 06:00–17:00, Sa 08:00–17:00, Su 08:00–15:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1100}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-06-10 | content=Cafe, lunch and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Flat White | alt= | url=http://flat-white.hu/ | email=hello@flat-white.hu | address=III, Szépvölgyi út 15 | lat=47.52791 | long=19.03638 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 30 420 8415 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F 08:00–19:00, Sa–Su 08:00–18:00 | price=Average meal: {{HUF|2090}}, lunch menu: {{HUF|1890}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Cafe, lunch and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Habcsók Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/habcsokcafe/ | email=habcsokcafe@gmail.com | address=III, Bokor utca 15-19 | lat=47.53159 | long=19.03811 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 20 585-1050 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 09:00–20:00, Sa 10:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Málna Cafe | alt= | url=https://malnakavehaz.eatbu.com/ | email=malnacsokiteakave@gmail.com | address=III, Bokor utca 6 | lat=47.53149 | long=19.03791 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 30 725-7580 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–18:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|990}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Cafe, lunch and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Pillangó Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/606387129795300/ | email= | address=III, Vörösvári út 37 | lat=47.54562 | long=19.03431 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 10:00–16:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-05 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Plēz Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/plezcafes/ | email= | address=III, Csemete utca 10 | lat=47.52866 | long=19.03804 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 09:00–19:00, Sa Su 10:00–19:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-05-06 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Reggelitt | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/reggelitt/ | email=info@reggelitt.hu | address=III, Szentendrei út 6 | lat=47.54436 | long=19.04192 | directions={{station|Raktár utca|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 06:30–17:00, Sa 09:30–15:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Repülő Seprű | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/repulosepru/ | email= | address=III, Pacsirtamező utca 36 | lat=47.53613 | long=19.03968 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} | phone=+36 70 429-3692 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 12:00–21:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-02-08 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Szendvicsvarázs | alt= | url=https://www.szendvicsvarazs.com/ | email=szendvicsvarazs@gmail.com | address=III, Vörösvári út 1 | lat=47.54257 | long=19.03946 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 20 942-6292 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–15:00 | price=Hamburger: {{HUF|650}} | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Umpa-Lumpa Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/umpalumpakavezo/ | email=info@chocollection.hu | address=III, Selmeci utca 19 | lat=47.53636 | long=19.03598 | directions={{station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone=+36 30 250-1377 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–19:00, Sa 08:00–12:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-09 | content=Cafe and breakfast. }} * {{drink | name=Vasmacska KávéZoo | alt= | url=http://vasmacska-kavezoo.hu/ | email=vasmacska@vasmacska-kavezoo.hu | address=III, Laktanya utca 3 | lat=47.54205 | long=19.04590 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 426-8553 | tollfree= | hours=M Su 11:00–19:00, Tu–Sa 11:00–21:00 | price=Lunch menu: {{HUF|1290}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-23 | content=Cafe, lunch and breakfast. }} ===Cafe and confectionery=== * {{drink | name=Álomsüti | alt= | url=http://alomsuti.hu/ | email=info.alomsuti@gmail.com | address=III, Lajos utca 51. | lat=47.52952 | long=19.03945 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 20 237-7820 | tollfree= | hours=10:00–18:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-01-08 | content=Sugar-free confectionery. }} * {{drink | name=Cake M Shop | alt= | url=https://cakem.hu/ | email=info@cakem.hu | address=III, Lajos utca 93-99 | lat=47.53298 | long=19.04116 | directions={{station|Nagyszombat utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 30 956-6363 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11:00–19:00, Sa 11:00–15:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Cukiságok Műhelye | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cukisagokmuhelye/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 67 | lat=47.53004 | long=19.03813 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 70 257-4789 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:30–16:30, Sa 09:00–12:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Don Bosco Confectionery | alt= | url=http://www.donboscocukraszda.hu/ | email=donboscocukraszda@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 177 | lat=47.53952 | long=19.03154 | directions={{station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone=+36 20 771-6570 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 09:00–19:00, Su 08:30–19:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Gera Confectionery | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/geracukraszda/ | email=geracukraszda@gmail.com | address=III, Ágoston utca 2 | lat=47.54538 | long=19.03206 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone=+36 30 331-8185 | tollfree= | hours=10:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Koch-Danica Confectionery | alt= | url=http://www.cukraszda.net/ | email=kapcsolat@cukraszda.net | address=III, Vörösvári út 41 | lat=47.54581 | long=19.03405 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone=+36 1 242-1731 | tollfree= | hours=May–Sep: 09:00–19:00, Oct–Apr: 09:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content=Confectionery and cafe. Pastries, cake, round cake, sweet biscuit, wedding cake, ice creams, specials, form cakes. }} * {{drink | name=Málna The Pastry Shop | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/malnathepastryshop/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 57-61 | lat=47.52950 | long=19.03847 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 240-0688 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 10:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=French-style confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Mókus Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/mokuskavezo/ | email=mpmoki@gmail.com | address=III, Kerék utca 34 | lat=47.54881 | long=19.04231 | directions={{station|Óbuda, Bogdáni út|9}} | phone=+36 30 351-1581 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 09:00–19:00, Sa–Su 10:00–19:30 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Cafe and ice cream shop. }} * {{drink | name=NoS (No Added Sugar) | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/nosugarcakes/ | email=info@noscakes.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 193 | lat=47.54078 | long=19.03114 | directions={{station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone=+36 20 574-4747 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Fr 12:00–19:00, Sa Su 10:00–16:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Confectionery and cafe without sugar. }} * {{drink | name=Panna | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/114290036687725 | email=office@redwoodholding.hu | address=III, Csemete utca 1 | lat=47.52842 | long=19.03824 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 70 625-9153 | tollfree= | hours=10:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-10 | content=Cafe, Belgian waffles and ice cream. }} * {{drink | name=Süti-lak | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/sutilakobuda/ | email= | address=III, Vörösvári út 9 | lat=47.54331 | long=19.03816 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 20 387-8710 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 07:00–17:00, Sa 07:00–14:00 | price= | lastedit=2020-05-09 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Szeretszvagyigen | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/szeretszvagyigen/ | email=szeretszvagyigen@gmail.com | address=III, Solymár utca 10 | lat=47.54048 | long=19.03666 | directions={{station|Kiscelli utca|9}} | phone=+36 70 272-3404 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–F 11:00–18:00, Sa 10:00–14:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-11-19 | content=Gluten-free, lactose-free and sugar-free confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Tortavár Confectionery | alt= | url=https://tortavar.hu/ | email=tortavar@tortavar.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 231 | lat=47.54677 | long=19.03033 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone=+36 1 244-4524 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa Su 10:00–16:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-07-19 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Tu-Ri Confectionery | alt= | url=http://tu-ricukraszda.hu/ | email=tu-ri@freemail.hu | address=III, Szőlő utca 70 | lat=47.54046 | long=19.03763 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone=+36 1 368-0598 | tollfree= | hours=M W–Su 10:00–18:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} * {{drink | name=Emil Confectionery | alt= | url=http://emilcukraszda.hu/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 314 | lat=47.57243 | long=19.01597 | directions={{station|Bóbita utca|260}} | phone=+36 1 240-7535 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su 10:30–18:30 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-27 | content=Confectionery and cafe. }} ===Pubs=== [[File:Saints Peter and Paul church in Óbuda. Listed 371. Baroque. György Paur, 1749. - Lajos Street, Budapest District III., Hungary.JPG|thumb|Saint Peter and Paul Church]] * {{drink | name=Abszint Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Abszint-B%C3%A1r-%C3%93buda-791544821198229/ | email= | address=III, Ágoston utca 6 | lat=47.54631 | long=19.03135 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} | phone=+36 20 950-2229 | tollfree= | hours=09:00–22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-05-09 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Árkád Pub and Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/ArkadSorozoEsKavezo/ | email= | address=III, Kórház utca 7 | lat=47.54194 | long=19.04357 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1}} | phone=+36 30 977-4201 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 12:00–23:00, F Sa 12:00–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Beer Company Premium Beer Terrace | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/beercoterasz/ | email= | address=III, Árpád fejedelem útja 125 | lat=47.53161 | long=19.04324 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250 4799 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 14:00–23:00, F–Sa 14:00–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Fonódó Poharazó | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/1571954192894098/ | email= | address=III, Bécsi út 88 | lat=47.53245 | long=19.03632 | directions={{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 30 363-0891 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 10:00–23:00, F 10:00–01:00, Sa 16:00–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Gödör Pub | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/G%C3%B6d%C3%B6r-S%C3%B6r%C3%B6z%C5%91-197403936985000/ | email= | address=III, Lajos utca 49/c | lat=47.52926 | long=19.03932 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 09:00–23:00, F Sa 09:00–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-11-19 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Kis Dreher Pub | alt=Kis Dreher Söröző | url=https://www.facebook.com/199647563411181 | email= | address=III, Kórház utca 1 | lat=47.54188 | long=19.04464 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00–22:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Legenda Pub | alt= | url=http://legendasorfozde.hu/ | email=legendasorfozde@gmail.com | address=III, Pacsirtamező utca 28 | lat=47.53536 | long=19.03963 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} | phone=+36 20 955-0794 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 15:00–23:00, F Sa 15:00–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Mint Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/mintkavezo/ | email= | address=III, Miklós utca 1 | lat=47.54244 | long=19.04234 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 10:00–23:00, F 10:00–01:00, Sa 16:00–01:00, Su 16:00–23:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Mirabella Pub | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Mirabella-s%C3%B6r%C3%B6z%C5%91-1529737353940501/ | email=mirabella.becsi@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 231 | lat=47.54714 | long=19.03015 | directions={{station|Bécsi út / Vörösvári út|1}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 09:00–23:00, F Sa 09:00–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-16 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Nívó Drink Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/482133451983869 | email= | address=III, Flórián tér, underpass | lat=47.54072 | long=19.04103 | directions={{station|Flórián tér|1|9}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F 12:00–00:00, Sa Su 14:00–00:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-02-07 | content= }} * {{drink | name=Szőlőfürt Pub | alt=Szőlőfürt Borozó | url=https://www.facebook.com/szolofurt.borozo/ | email= | address=III, Föld utca 51 | lat=47.54058 | long=19.03532 | directions={{station|Szent Margit Kórház|19}} | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:00–21:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-28 | content= }} ===Bars and nightclubs=== * {{drink | name=Kobuci Kert | alt= | url=https://kobuci.hu/en/ | email=kobuci@kobuci.hu | address=III, Fő tér 1, Zichy Palace yard | lat=47.54086 | long=19.04622 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 70 205-7282 | tollfree= | hours=May–Sep: M–F 16:00–04:00, Sa–Su 11:00–04:00 | price=Entrance fee for the concerts: {{HUF|2000}}–{{HUF|3000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-25 | content=Concert venue and beer garden. Pub food, beverages (hundred types), local bands. }} * {{drink | name=Mókus Bistro | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/mokusbisztro/ | email=hello.mokusbisztro@gmail.com | address=III, Mókus utca 1-3 | lat=47.53841 | long=19.04393 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 70 434-9156 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 11:30–23:00, F Sa 11:30–01:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-12-16 | content=Bar with some food. }} * {{drink | name=Pódium Bistro and Club | alt= | url=http://www.podiumbistro.hu/ | email=podium@podiumbistro.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 63 | lat=47.52965 | long=19.03816 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 20 485-8485 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th Su 11:30–00:00, F Sa 11:30–04:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Bar. }} * {{drink | name=Supersonic | alt=Blue Hell and KVLT | url=http://yuk.hu/ | email=info@yuk.hu | address=III, Fényes Adolf utca 28 | lat=47.53590 | long=19.04153 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Tímár utca|H5}} | phone=+36 70 771-6666 | tollfree= | hours=F–Sa 19:00–03:00 | price=Entrance fee: {{HUF|1000}}–{{HUF|3500}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-02-25 | content=Nightclub. }} * {{drink | image=Bécsi út 56. (Symbol Budapest) 02.JPG | name=Symbol | alt= | url=http://www.symbolbudapest.hu/ | email=info@symbolbudapest.hu | address=III, Bécsi út 56 | lat=47.52989 | long=19.03755 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 333-5656 | tollfree= | hours=Oct–Apr: Sa 22:00-05:00 | price=Entrance fee: {{HUF|2000}}–{{HUF|4000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-02 | content=Nightclub. }} ==Sleep== {{Sleeppricerange | Under {{HUF|14,000}} | {{HUF|14,000}}–{{HUF|20,000}} | Over {{HUF|20,000}} }} ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Bécsi Hostel | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/B%C3%A9csi-Sz%C3%A1ll%C3%B3-281217926128381/ | email=budaiszallas@gmail.com | address=III, Bécsi út 122/a | lat=47.53726 | long=19.03131 | directions={{station|Selmeci utca|19}} | phone=+36 20 483-9346 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=11:00 | checkout=10:00 | price=Shared room: {{HUF|5000}} per person | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-09-04 | content=3 shared rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Lajos Rotter Hostel | alt= | url=https://hhkk.hu/en/accommodation/ | email=turistahaz@hhkk.hu | address=III, Hármashatárhegyi út 3 | lat=47.55735 | long=18.99746 | directions={{km|2}} walk from {{station|Szépvölgyi dűlő|65}} | phone=+36 1 919-0108 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=10:00 | price=Shared room: {{HUF|5000}} per person, private room for two persons: {{HUF|13,000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-15 | content=8 private rooms and 6 shared rooms. }} ===Mid-range=== [[File:Budapest, Aquincum Hotel, Arpad fejedelem, 94.JPG|thumb|Aquincum Hotel]] * {{sleep | name=Ági Guesthouse | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/panzio.agi.3 | email=agipanzio-obuda@t-online.hu | address=III, Jablonka út 20 | lat=47.55609 | long=19.01776 | directions={{station|Judit utca|237}} | phone=+36 1 250-3705 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=10:00 | price=Single room: {{HUF|15,800}}, double room: {{HUF|19,000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-23 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Dojo Motel | alt= | url= | email= | address=III, Farkastorki út 21 | lat=47.55040 | long=19.02595 | directions={{station|Táborhegyi út|137}} | phone=+36 30 209-8182 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=10:00 | price=Double room: {{HUF|15,000}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-09-04 | content=5 rooms. }} * {{sleep | name=Green Apartment | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Greenapartman/ | email= | address=III, Váradi utca 26 | lat=47.54363 | long=19.03335 | directions={{station|Óbudai rendelőintézet|1}} / {{station|Váradi utca|19}} | phone=+36 30 966-6159 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=10:00 | price=Apartment for two person: {{HUF|19,157}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-09-04 | content= }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | image=Budapest The Aquincum Hotel, Arpad fejedelem, 94..JPG | name=Aquincum Hotel | alt= | url=https://aquincumhotel.com/ | email=info@aquincumhotel.com | address=III, Árpád fejedelem útja 94 | lat=47.53774 | long=19.04603 | directions={{station|Szentlélek tér|H5}} | phone=+36 1 436-4100 | tollfree= | fax=+36 1 436-4156 | checkin= | checkout= | price=Double room: {{HUF|32,685}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-22 | content=4-star. Free Wifi. Spa and wellness centre. There is special thermal water derived directly from nearby Margaret Island. Services include a swimming pool, two thermal pools, a Finnish sauna, steam baths and Jacuzzi. }} * {{sleep | name=Minimal Style Apartment | alt= | url=http://www.bms-apartment.com/en/ | email=info@bms-apartment.com | address=III, Tímár utca 30 | lat=47.53436 | long=19.03754 | directions={{station|Tímár utca|9}} / {{station|Katinyi mártírok parkja|19}} | phone=+36 30 2101-691 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=10:00 | price=Apartment for two person: {{HUF|29,321}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-09-04 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Óbuda-Újlak Apartment | alt= | url=https://obuda-ujlak-apartman.business.site/ | email= | address=III, Dereglye utca 4 | lat=47.52915 | long=19.04006 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 70 339-7271 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=Double room: {{HUF|22,400}} | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-04-19 | content= }} ==Connect== * {{listing | name=Budapest 3 Post Office | alt= | url= | email=ugyfelszolgalat@posta.hu | address=III, Kiscelli utca 7-9 | lat=47.53885 | long=19.04171 | directions={{station|Kiscelli utca|9}} / {{station|Flórián tér|1}} | phone=+36 1 388-9318 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–19:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-07 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Budapest 30 Post Office | alt= | url= | email=ugyfelszolgalat@posta.hu | address=III, Kolossy tér 5-6 | lat=47.52789 | long=19.03776 | directions={{station|Kolosy tér|19}} / {{station|Szépvölgyi út|H5}} | phone=+36 1 250-8282 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 08:00–19:00 | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2019-03-07 | content= }} {{IsPartOf|Budapest}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|47.542|19.045}} nl2s4s1bxz0ebnaztrxi8hqffvun7ds 0 134600 4501701 4501206 2022-08-15T18:50:55Z MTheiler 2167203 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} [[File:Port de Granville.jpg|thumb|300px|Granville harbour]] '''[http://www.ville-granville.fr/ Granville]''' is a port town on the [[Cotentin Peninsula]] in [[Normandy]]. ==Understand== ===Tourism Office=== * {{see | name=Municipal Tourism Office | alt= | url=http://www.ville-granville.fr/en/office_municipal_tourisme_granville.asp {{dead link|October 2017|December 2020}} | email= | address=4, Cours Jonville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+33 2 33 91 30 03 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The tourism office adjoins the city hall in the centre of town. Its website has information about Granville and the local area. }} ==Get in== There are roads from the regional center [[Cherbourg]] a few miles north and from the provincial capital [[Caen]], somewhat further away to the east. There is also a road south via [[Avranches]] to [[Rennes]] and beyond. Scattered parking is available, including along Cours Jonville just east of the city centre. There are ferries to any of the [[Channel Islands]]. === By train === * {{listing | type=go | name=Gare de Granville | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2485783 | content=Connections from Paris Montparnasse }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|48.8368|-1.5769|zoom=13}} Granville is small enough to walk around. The town centre is at the end of the harbour. The old town stretches west along the promontory with the beach to the north. ==See== * {{see | name=Old town | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on the promontory running west | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Towering over the rest of Granville is the beautiful old town. A cluster of old buildings, the small Musee du Vieux Granville at 2 rue Lecarpentier, and great views from both sides. Well worth wandering through the laneways. }} * {{see | name=Église Notre-Dame-du-Cap-Lihou | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The ancient church of Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou (1441–1796) an imposing granite building of the Romanesque / early Gothic style dominates the heights. | wikidata=Q3580761 }} * {{see | name=Plat Gousset beach | alt= | url=http://www.ville-granville.fr/granvillebalneaire.asp | email= | address=Place du Maréchal Foch | lat= | long= | directions=north side of the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A small beach set up for swimming, including a pontoon. The casino and several restaurants and hotels overlook the beach. }} * {{see | name=Casino de Granville | alt= | url=https://www.casino-granville.com/ | email= | address=Place du Maréchal Foch | lat= | long= | directions=overlooking Plat Gousset beach | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= | wikidata= Q21008461 }} * {{see | name=Musee Christian Dior | alt= | url=http://www.musee-dior-granville.com/ | email= | address=Villa Les Rhumbs | Rue d'Estouteville | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Dior's childhood home (with a beautiful garden) turned into a museum. | wikidata= Q3329113 }} * {{see | name=Musée d'art moderne Richard-Anacréon | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= museum | wikidata= Q3329636 }} * {{see | name=Phare du cap Lihou | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= lighthouse | wikidata= Q3378231 }} * {{see | name=Le Roc des Curiosités| alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= public aquarium and museum | wikidata= Q55984180 }} ==Do== ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== ==Connect== ==Go next== * {{see | name=Les Iles Chausey| alt= | url= | email= | address= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=are a collection of small islands and rocks that can be reached by ferry from Granville | wikidata= Q292600 }} {{IsPartOf|Lower Normandy}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|48.84|-1.6}} p7a6cy82t2xm9pfv5zm14s3s73324ja 4 137427 4501898 4496869 2022-08-16T05:38:03Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* North-Eastern India region */ removed the issues that I have addressed. wikitext text/x-wiki {| width300px style="float:right; margin-left: 1em; border-spacing:5px 5px; background-color:Cornsilk;" |[[File:Flag of India.svg|center|250px]]<categorytree depth=1 mode=categories showcount=on>India</categorytree> |} The '''India Expedition''' is a [[Wikivoyage:Expeditions|Wikivoyage Expedition]] to promote and coordinate collaboration to improve Wikivoyage's articles about [[India]]. Knowledge about places in India is welcome, because some articles are lacking in information. But even without knowing much about the destinations, you can help greatly just by copy editing and fixing format. If you'd like to join the effort, add your signature to the bottom of the page, or just [[plunge forward]]. ==Rationale== India is the world's 2nd-largest country by population, well on the way to becoming the world's most populous, and it's also the world's 7th-largest country by area. Moreover, India is a prime destination for both business and leisure travelers, with a vital, fast growing economy and a wealth of culture, history and wildlife, fantastic regional cuisines and amazing geographic diversity. In addition to all of that, thanks to its strategically advantageous geographic location and proximity to multiple regional & global powers, India is a significant geopolitical power. According to [[:Wikipedia:International_rankings_of_India|Wikipedia]], India also has the 2nd-largest number of English speakers in the world. So our articles about Indian destinations should be a showcase. Instead, the standard of many highly visible articles about Indian destinations is very poor, with incorrect capitalization, spacing, punctuation, grammar and usage; irregular formatting; long lists of random and useless bulleted entries (including lists of "Cities" and "Other destinations" in non-bottom-level region articles that are way longer than the Wikivoyage standard of 9) without sufficient information to be useful to a traveller; touting; and sometimes, even poor comprehensibility. ==Goals== (1) To bring the most visible articles about India up to at least an acceptable standard of Usability, and where possible, Guide status. (2) To bring more articles about Indian destinations up to the level of a strong Guide, suitable for featuring on the front page as [[dotm|Destination of the month or Off the beaten path]] articles. ==Current priorities== *Make sure all the region articles linked from [[India#Regions]] are properly formatted and at an acceptable standard of English, and ideally, at Guide status *Make sure all state-level articles linked from these region articles are properly formatted and at an acceptable standard of English, and at least at Usable status *Improve the quality of the most visible and important city articles that either lack strong Guide-status articles or are huge cities requiring districting *Issues related to the number and quality of coverage of "Other destinations" listed in state-level articles should be methodically dealt with through discussions on state articles' Talk pages and appropriate edits to articles for states, articles about parks, et al. ==Other tasks == {{RegionTasks|region=India}} ==Article status charts== === Article statistics for India=== {{RegionStats/WRA| <!-- Outline Usable Guide Star Unranked Total District --> 9 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 34 | <!-- City --> 803 | 186 | 8 | 0 | 997 | <!-- Airport --> 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | <!-- Park --> 75 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 82 | <!-- Dive --> 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | <!-- Ruralarea--> 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | <!-- Region --> 168 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 186 | <!-- Total --> 1066 | 229 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 1316 | <!-- sleep eat see do check needs only --> 40 | 118 | 31 | 70 | 115 | <!-- has no --> 500 | 621 | 370 | 675 | 258 | <!-- --> region=India| update= 26 January 2022}} ===National and multi-state regional=== {| border=0 |- | style="background:#a5ed57;" width="100px" | Star | style="background:#ccff66;" width="100px" | Guide | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline | style="background:#f18181;" width="100px" | Redlink |} {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- | [[India]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable | This article will attain Guide status when all the cities linked in the "Cities" section, all the destinations linked in "Other destinations" and all six of the regions linked in the "Regions" section are at least Usable. Since the status of the region articles depends in turn on the statuses of state articles and on down, it probably makes most sense to concentrate on the cities and "other destinations" first. '''Cities''' [[Delhi]] is a Guide but needs districting; [[Bangalore]] is Usable; [[Chennai]] is Usable; [[Hyderabad]] is Usable; [[Jaipur]] is a Guide; [[Kochi]] is a Guide; [[Kolkata]] is Usable; [[Mumbai]] is a Guide; [[Varanasi]] is Usable. More detailed comments about the articles for these cities are in the subpages of this page for the states they're in, but since all are at least Usable, they aren't keeping this article from being advanced to Guide. '''Other destinations''' Main temple complex in [[Bodh Gaya]]: [[Bodh Gaya]] is now Usable. [[Ellora]]/[[Ajanta]]: [[Ellora]] is an Outline; Ajanta redirects to [[Aurangabad]], which is Usable. Golden Temple: [[Amritsar]] is Usable. [[Hampi]] has been upgraded to Usable. However, it still needs an editing pass for grammar/spelling/formatting. Temple complexes in [[Khajuraho]]: [[Khajuraho]] is Usable. [[Konark]] is Usable. Meenakshi Temple in [[Madurai]]: [[Madurai]] is Usable. Taj Mahal: [[Agra]] is Usable. So work is most needed on [[Ellora]] to bring it up to at least Usable status. This won't be sufficient to turn [[India]] into a Guide-level article, because the region articles still need to be improved, but it would help a lot. Region articles are covered below: |- | [[Himalayan North]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline | Some sections are empty. |- | [[Plains (India)]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline | This article is much improved, but something should be put in "Stay safe", and perhaps the "Go next" subtitle should be deleted. The text should also be read and edited as appropriate by someone familiar with this part of the country. |- | [[Western India]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable | In decent shape, including a pretty good introduction. |- | [[Southern India]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline | This region of India has a very important history, but [[Southern India#Understand]] needs more explanation and connection with travel and less in the way of long lists like "the Hoysalas, Chalukyas, Gangas, Kadambas, Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras." Some pictures of historic monuments from different periods could help. Compare the efforts at history coverage in [[Germany#History]] and [[Indonesia#History]]. |- | [[Eastern India]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline | While some of the content of this article has been filled in, it's still pretty sparse. The description for Puri needs editing, as it isn't immediately clear to a non-Hindu. There's only 1 "Other destination"; are there more to list? [[Eastern India#Get around]] might merit more content. [[Eastern India#See]] should have an overview of great sights in the entire region, not just Kolkata. "Do," "Drink" and "Stay safe" are entirely empty. |- |[[North-Eastern India]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline |[[North-Eastern India#States]] lacks any 1-liner listing of any state. 3 of the 5 [[North-Eastern India#Other destinations|Other destinations]] are red-linked, though all have Geo. "See" and "Drink" are empty. "Eat" is not very helpful: Some description of local cuisines would be more useful. |- |} ===State-level=== ====Himalayan North region==== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Himachal Pradesh]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline | There are 10 cities in [[Himachal Pradesh#Cities]], so one should be removed, but which one? Some of the descriptions are too long or incorrectly formatted for [[1-liner listings]]. Some of the "Other destinations" are red links. "Understand" is blank. [[Himachal Pradesh#See]] isn't too poorly formatted, but [[Dalhousie]] is a town and the 3 valleys belong in [[Himachal Pradesh#Other destinations]]. What we need in this section is a good paragraph that summarizes the highlights of sights in the state. "Do" is listy and without links to relevant articles. Dishes listed without explanation in "Eat" as specialities of the state need descriptions. '''Districts''' <s>Before we get to discussing districts, there is a problem. Is there more than one city named [[Chamba]]? Because [[Chamba (district)]] describes the town of Chamba as its headquarters, but [[Uttarakhand]] lists Chamba as one of its "Cities," and then again, [[Chamba]] is breadcrumbed to [[Garhwal]], [[Uttarakhand]], but the article starts with the following text: "Chamba is in [[Himachal Pradesh]]." In addition, the regions map of [[Himachal Pradesh]] clearly shows [[Chamba]] as being in the north-western part of the state, near [[Jammu and Kashmir]] and not close at all to [[Uttarakhand]].</s> The problem with Chamba was resolved. See [[Wikivoyage talk:India Expedition#Chamba]]. There is now a problem with [[Uttarakhand]]; see the "Uttarakhand" section of this page, just below this section. As for the districts, there are 12. [[Bilaspur]] has some information but needs a thorough copy edit. [[Chamba (district)]] has a lot of info, but at least some of it was copypasta from WP, complete with footnote numbers. [[Hamirpur]] is a skeleton with only one active link; should it be merged into another district's article? [[Kangra (district)]] is little more than a skeleton, but at least has a nice photo. [[Kinnaur]] is excellent and just needs to have more sections filled in. [[Kullu]] contains some information, but the "See" section needs to be copy edited and edited for clarity in some instances (what is the "ASHWAMEGHYAGNA," which needs not to be all caps?). Other sections need to be filled in. [[Lahaul and Spiti]] actually contains too much information, as some of it should be moved to linked city articles. [[Mandi]] is both short on content and needs thorough copy editing. Does "mediated" mean "meditated" in this difficult-to-rescue "Understand" phrase? "Prasher Lake named after Rishi Prasher who have mediated here located at altitude of 2730 meters". [[Sirmaur (district)]] has neither information nor any active links. [[Shimla (district)]] doesn't have too much info, and also has the entirely correct observation in "See/Itineraries" that "Everything is wrong," because none of those lines contains an itinerary. [[Chail]] and [[Kufri]] are hill stations, so they belong in "Cities." All the red links should probably be deleted. [[Solan (district)]] seems entirely unnecessary, as it merely contains a link to [[Solan]] town. [[Una (district)]] contains a bit of information but needs thorough editing. '''Cities''' There is a separate chart of city article statuses at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Himachal Pradesh]]. Two are former [[dotm|Destinations of the Month]] - [[Shimla]] and [[Dharamsala]] - both still good articles but not above a brushup. No other city's article is close to ready. |- |[[Uttarakhand]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |The most pressing problem is that [[Chamba (Uttarakhand)]] is #3 on the list of "Cities", but the link pointed to [[Chamba (Himachal Pradesh)]], so now, this is the merest Outline. It's a tiny village and it's hard to find out much information about it online, so should it really be on the "Cities" list? <s>The list of [[Uttarakhand#Cities]] is not consistently given 1-liner listings: Many of them are too full of unimportant lists of names of schools and the like, while some have no description at all.</s> The "Understand" section is OK but could say something more about the history or culture of the state. The format of [[Uttarakhand#See]] is not standard for this site, but some of the content there might be good to use in relevant local guides. "Do" is a long bulleted list. Finally, the article has no state map. '''Regions''' Uttarakhand is divided into 2 regions - [[Garhwal]] and [[Kumaon]]. The Garhwal article contains more information, but it is irregular that it has a bunch of "See" listings that are actually in towns with linked articles, all of which are shown (more or less) on a dynamic map. The Kumaon article needs more information, and "Get in" should be restructured for ease in reading. Uttarkhand has 13 districts. It would be more logical to list districts under each of the regions, rather than the [[Uttarakhand]] article, since we are not using District pages. The districts are Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, Dehradun, Garhwal (Pauri Garhwal), Hardwar (Haridwar), Nainital, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar and Uttarkashi. '''Cities''' There is also a separate [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Uttarakhand]] sub-page, where the status of region and city articles can be discussed in more detail. [[Dehradun]] is currently a weak Guide, not yet good enough to nominate for [[dotm|Destination of the Month]], and it would be a good place to feature when ready. [[Rishikesh]] and [[Haridwar]] are also important holy cities for Hindus, and their articles are currently Usable and should be improved to Guide status whenever possible. [[Nainital]] is quite weakly Usable, [[Mussoorie]] more strongly Usable, and the rest of the articles are all Outlines. |- |} ====Plains region==== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Punjab (India)]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline |There are 10 "Cities," with no descriptions (there should be 9 Cities). "Get in" had been mostly general and somewhat encyclopedic info about the country; once content irrelevant to Punjab was deleted, very little remained. "Get around" has more content, not all of it specific to Punjab, but needs to conform to WV subtitle format. "See" is exactly wrong for an article at this level in the hierarchy. The intro to "Do" is relevant to "See," instead, and museums are "See"s and shouldn't be listed by city name in a state-level article. "Buy" is not bad. Punjabi food is wonderful, so it's important for the "Eat" section to be good, but it feels like a wall of text, as there are a lot of unexplained items in lists. The section may be too long, too. For "Drink," perhaps adding bolding to the subject of each bullet might be sufficient to improve readability. '''Regions''' All three "Regions" articles (not counting [[Chandigarh]], which is discussed in "Union Territories" below) are skeletons. Should we eliminate the [[Majha]], [[Doaba]] and [[Malwa]] articles and make [[Punjab (India)]] a bottom-level region with more than 9 (or 10) cities, or should we expand the region articles into something more than repositories of city links plus brief introductions? '''Cities''' There is coverage of the articles listed in [[Punjab (India)#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Punjab]]. The short version is that while [[User:Gobbler]], [[User:Matroc]] and others have helped a lot, all of the articles still need more improvement. The Punjab is a highly visible state, so it should be a rather high priority to make all the articles at least close to Usable, if not better, and [[Amritsar]], which has been downgraded to Usable because of numerous problems is a Guide, should be turned into a genuine Guide article, good enough to nominate for [[dotm|Destination of the Month]]. |- |[[Haryana]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" width="100px" | Outline |The entire article is grossly lacking in content. With 4 "Other destinations," there's room for more if there are others. '''Districts''' The same remarks I made about "Regions" articles for [[Punjab (India)]] apply to Haryana's district articles. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Haryana#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Haryana]]. The short version is that except for [[Gurgaon]], which is a Usable article with moderate problems, all the articles are more or less poor and in many instances, not only lacking in information but also messed up in various ways. |- |[[Uttar Pradesh]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India and home to the Taj Mahal and several very important cities of Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage. For it to be an Outline is embarrassing, and getting it to at least Usable should be a top priority. There are 10 cities in the list. There is only one "Other destination." Several sections are blank, "See" is irregular, "Do" is too brief, "Eat" needs to have names of dishes set off from the rest of the text (for example, by bolding), and "Stay safe" needs updating. The article also lacks a state map. '''Regions''' Same remarks as above. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Uttar Pradesh#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Uttar Pradesh]]. Not a single one is a Guide, and that is bad in a state with cities as important as [[Varanasi]] and especially [[Agra]]. It might not be important to feature the Agra article on the front page, but given that Agra contains the Taj Mahal, which might be the single most famous tourist attraction in India, and that the famous royal city of Fatehpur is also covered in the article, bringing it up to Guide status should be one of the highest priorities for the India Expedition. |- |[[Bihar]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Only 2 unlinked "Other destinations" are listed. "Understand" is solid, but needs a thorough proofread and edit by a native or otherwise very solid English-speaker, as I see a number of mistakes such as noun-verb disagreement in a quick scan. "Talk" and "Get around" are empty. "See" is an egregious long list, including linked city names that are treated as sights. Some of the descriptions of cities should be merged to the "Cities" section. "Do" is just a list. "Eat" and "Drink" look fairly good in a quick once-over. "Stay safe" looks fine. '''Regions''' Most of the region articles are pretty skeletal, except for [[Mithila]] — which has a lot of content but I suspect some of it may be copyvio, and some of it is definitely too encyclopedic. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Bihar#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Bihar]]. Only two of the cities in the list have articles that are even good enough to be Usable — [[Patna]], the capital, whose article is only so-so, and [[Gaya]], which has only two images and no custom pagebanner. |- |[[Madhya Pradesh]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Intro is pretty good. There are 9 "Cities" and 9 "Other destinations", all now with descriptions. "Understand" needs less encyclopedic figures and a bit more context for the history. See should be a paragraph and shouldn't list a national park a second time but can mention it. "Eat" is intriguing but could use some more explanation for non-Indians. "Drink" is one of several blank sections. '''Regions''' All skeletal. I suppose there are too many cities to merge these articles into the state article, so the region articles should be expanded. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Madhya Pradesh#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Madhya Pradesh]]. Of the 9 cities listed, [[Bhopal]],[[Gwalior]], [[Indore]] and [[Jabalpur]] are Usable, though the Indore article lacks a custom pagebanner. |- |} ====Western India region==== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Rajasthan]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |Through the end of "Cities," the article is quite good. However, several of the "Other destinations" are red-linked and only one has any description. "Understand" is too brief and should include some remarks about the state's history as a crossroads of trade, its reputation for jewels and gold, and a bit more about the Rajput kings. The "By bus" section has good information but might benefit from a URL and a telephone number. "See" is a long list and "Do" is an even longer list with no apparent order and formatting problems. The article lacks a state map and needs a few more photos (such a picturesque state needs them!). Tangential, but it's a little strange that there's no Rajasthani phrasebook — anyone know the language and want to start one? '''Regions''' All region (division) articles are pretty skeletal. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Rajasthan#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Rajasthan]]. These articles are generally in much better shape than many other states' city articles, and [[Jaipur]] was [[dotm|Destination of the Month]] for November 2015. They are very interesting destinations, and a bit of good editing could make several more ready for a dotm or otbp nomination soon. |- |[[Gujarat]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |The intro is not as clear or compelling as it could be. The '''regional structure''' is confusing and could use more explanation or perhaps reorganization. The list of Cities is 8; a 9th would be good, but which one? "Other destinations" number 15. "See" has a bunch of templated listings, which is incorrect. "Do" is in much better shape. Gujarati cuisine is delicious, so "Eat" could be expanded, with more photos. Finally, how can we have an article about Gujarat that doesn't mention the intercommunal rioting of 2002? The silence in the article is deafening. "Understand" should include a brief history that, among other things, touches on the rioting, but of course without seeming to make it the subject of the article. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Gujarat#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Gujarat]]. There has been great progress, with most of the listed cities now at Usable status, but every article needs some organizational edits and most could use more information in listings, even if completely listified now; [[Ahmedabad]] needs to have its loads of listings all moved to existing district articles. |- |[[Maharashtra]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |The intro could be more compelling but is not bad. "Cities" list is 9 cities long; "Other destinations" are 7; descriptions in both sections could be tweaked to make it easier for non-Indians to understand some of the descriptions (e.g., "500+ years history, with traces of Nizamshahi, Shahjahan and Peshwas"; "one of the 12 Jyotirlinga in India"). "Get in" is a wall of text, probably with too many specific details, and "Get around" is empty! "See" is 1 long list and 2 shorter ones. "Do" has 2 listings - a short one and a long, overly detailed one. What we need is an overview, but that trekking info belongs in another article. The "Eat" section looks pretty good. The article completely lacks photos and also has no state map. '''Regions''' [[Western Maharashtra]] is barely more than a skeleton and needs a lot more content. [[Marathwada]] has templated listings, which is not standard for a regional article. [[Konkan]] is pretty filled out and subdivided into 5 further districts. However, the 21 templated "See" listings shouldn't be in the article. "See" should be a summary, with details left for destination articles. The [[Vidarbha]] article is useful, but again could use a lot more content. [[Khandesh]] is a red link. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Maharashtra#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Maharashtra]]. To summarize, the [[Mumbai]] article, though a Guide and fairly recent [[dotm|Destination of the Month]], still has a lot of listings that need to be moved to district articles. Improvements have been made to most articles. [[Aurangabad]] and [[Pune]] are Usable and would be great to bring up to Guide level; [[Nashik]] is also Usable, as is [[Kolhapur]], weakly. The rest are Outlines, in need of more information. |- |[[Goa]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |Most of this article is quite good and pretty interesting to read. "See," "Do" and "Buy" are treated like sections in a city article, with a bunch of listings, which is not the normal way a state article treats them and not appropriate in this case, either. "Stay safe" might be easier to read if divided into more subsections. "Go next" should have links added as needed and could use some tweaking. '''Regions''' [[North Goa]] and [[South Goa]], further subdivided into talukas, not all of which have their own articles. [[North Goa]] is pretty informative, and the structure is fine except for the specific "Eat" listing, which should be moved to the local article for whichever town it's in or closest to. [[South Goa]] is more nearly skeletal, but more than that, primarily because of the "Beaches" section under "See" (which I think is fine and appropriate for the state). '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Goa#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Goa]]. 5 cities are linked there, and while it would be good to bring all of them up to Usable status, the really important one, [[Panaji]], is a weak Usable article at this point, and given that it's such a big tourist destination, making it at least more solidly Usable if not a Guide should be a high priority. |- |} ====Southern India region==== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Andhra Pradesh]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline | Some "Cities" lack descriptions; "Other destinations" list is too long. "Get in" and "Get around" are very short, partly because there was a bunch of info about Hyderabad, which is now part of and surrounded by Telangana, though it is the capital of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and will remain so until at most 2024. "See" is a useless unexplained list. "Do" is not about tourist activities and might belong in "Respect" and "Stay safe." "Eat" has some spacing problems. "Drink" also needs work, and what is "ready juice"? '''Regions''' [[Northern Coast]] and [[Rayalaseema]] are skeletal. [[Southern Coast]] is skeletal plus a "See" section which needs a thorough edit, with the specific listings listified and moved to the appropriate locality articles. Guthikonda Bilam is close to Karampudi, but there is no [[Karampudi]] article, and there probably should be, if the cave is such a major attraction. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Andhra Pradesh#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Andhra Pradesh]]. In brief, the condition of all but one of the articles is pretty disastrous, and that's bad because at least [[Nellore]] and [[Kurnool]] are fairly important destinations. The [[Vizag]] article is Usable but still lacks the information needed for it to be truly fully usable, as a fair number of the listings even in that article lack location and/or contact information. So there is a lot of work to do, and anyone who chooses to start on it will be doing readers a good turn. |- |[[Telangana]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Has almost no content — That's the overriding issue, and it's bad for a new state that includes [[Hyderabad]]. "See" is an unhelpful list. Just a very inadequate article right now. No '''regions''' are listed, which at this point is a good thing. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Telangana#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Telangana|India Expedition/Telangana]] (which is now incomplete as more cities have been added to the article). Only [[Hyderabad]] is Usable; the rest are Outlines <s>except for those that are red links and not yet listed in the table</s>. The highest priorities would seem to be (1) bringing the quality of [[Hyderabad]] up to Guide; (2) restructuring as necessary and adding a bit of flesh to the bones of some of the other articles; and (3) making [[Bhadrachalam]] Usable. |- |[[Kerala]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |This article contains a lot of good content and is very promising. We should aim to make it into a good Guide-level article and then nominate it for Destination of the Month. But it does need work. The "Cities" list does not use 1-liner listings<s>, is 1 city too long (10 cities), and is unalphabetized</s>. "Other destinations" number 11 and include hill stations, which would fall under the general category of cities and probably shouldn't be listed here. The "Understand" section is fascinating and has a lot of good content. The "Talk" section may be overly detailed. "Get in" has some footnote-style external links that need to be fixed. "Get around" may be a bit too detailed, too (the list of the main intercity trains, for example, should probably be removed). <s>"See" and "Do" seem too long and have bulletted listings, which they shouldn't at this level</s> "See" and "Do" have had their bulleted listings addressed; this has reduced the categories' length significantly but further reduction may be warranted. "Buy", "Eat", "See", "Do" and the sub-sections of "Culture" have had the worst of their copy-editing issues addressed. A fresh eye is recommend to get them as good as they can be. The "Eat" section has explanations of the names of dishes in italics in parentheses, which is an excellent practice we might do well to use in other articles. It has great content. "Drink" also has excellent content and formatting. "Sleep" is very helpful, but could benefit from some editing for brevity; ditto for the "Stay safe/Emergency assistance" section, including the "Medical Emergency" subsection, and the "Stay healthy/Medical care" section, which also requires more copy editing. '''Tldr version: Very good article but too long.''' '''Regions''' [[Malabar]] contains some information, but the weird formatting of "Do" suggests copypasta and also contains too much information that should be in linked articles and replaced by a summary here. [[Central Kerala]] contains a lot of information but needs a thorough copy edit. [[Central Travancore]] is mostly a skeleton, but with an interesting "Eat" section. [[Northern Travancore]] is skeletal. [[Southern Travancore]] is mostly a skeleton, but with a brief though useful "Eat" section. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Kerala#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Kerala]]. [[Kochi]] is an excellent and previously featured Guide. The top priorities for this project should include making the very lacking [[Kozhikode]] article Usable. Kozhikode, in its alternative name of Calicut, is one of the most famous Indian cities for students of European exploration of Asia, so having a poor-quality unusable article for the city is embarrassing and [[ttcf|ill-serves the traveller]]. Other important tasks would be to make the [[Thiruvananthapuram]] article a Guide and nominate it for a [[Dotm]] feature and improve any of the other articles. Every one of the cities seems worth visiting, and if we make all these articles Usable, we will go a long way toward making the [[Kerala]] article itself a Guide, which would be wonderful. Featuring the entire state as a [[Dotm]] would be really excellent. |- |[[Tamil Nadu]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |There are still too many "Other destinations", though the line with three hill stations was deleted, with [[Ooty]] moved to "Cities". Lacks "Understand" section, "Get around" section. Lacks "See" section! Other sections with content are pretty good. '''Regions''' [[Northern Tamil Nadu]] is fairly skeletal, except that it has a full entry for a temple in [[Malaikodi]]. If it's an important temple, a [[Malaikodi]] article should be created, with the entry moved there and listified. [[Tamil Nadu North Coast]] has a lot of cities but only some are described; empty sections should be filled in, plus some photos. [[Western Tamil Nadu]] is better than many district articles but still fairly empty. [[Central Tamil Nadu]] is better but needs copy editing and has mostly empty sections. [[Southwestern Tamil Nadu]] is pretty skeletal. [[Tamil Nadu South Coast]] has some city descriptions but is otherwise pretty empty. Ditto for [[Far Southern Tamil Nadu]], and [[Northeastern Tamil Nadu]] is the emptiest of all. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Tamil Nadu#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Tamil Nadu]]. None are at Guide level, and deciding whether to district [[Chennai]] and how to better organize the mountain of information in that article should be one of the top priorities of this project, because it's such a large and important city. Next in priority would probably be work on the [[Madurai]] article, because that city is such an important and ancient centre of pilgrimage, and making something out of the "See" section of the [[Tuticorin]] Outline article. |- |[[Karnataka]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Intro could sell the state a little more: What are its biggest draws for visitors? And the article has only one photo! The "Regions" section has descriptions for 3 of 5 regions and is not very colorful in describing any. There are now 9 "Cities," and 2 were taken from "Other destinations," so there's room for 2 more destinations. See [[Talk:Karnataka#"Other destinations" moved from article]] for a whole bunch to choose from. The "Understand" section is OK but could use one or two illustrative pictures. "See" is incorrectly formatted, with listings instead of prose. The rest is not bad, but copy editing is needed. The article also lacks a state map. '''Regions''' Every region of Karnataka is further subdivided into "Districts" or "Regions". All top-level region articles are pretty skeletal, except [[Karavali]], which on a quick inspection looks outstanding and in some ways exemplary, though it could still use further work, including [[1-liner listings]] in the first few sections. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Karnataka#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Karnataka]]. The most pressing issue is what to do with [[Manipal]], which is currently a redirect to the article about [[Udupi]] city. A close second in priority is to bring [[Bangalore]] up to Guide status, given that it's one of the most important cities in India. |- |} . ====Eastern India region==== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Chhattisgarh]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline | Very sparse. Lede is very basic; list of 8 cities has no descriptions; there is no content in "Other destinations", but that's probably because of what's in "See". "Understand" is encyclopedic and not useful to the traveller. Get in/Get around are blank. "See" needs to be turned into readable prose. "Do" is blank. "Eat" has some content, but the names of dishes could be better set off with bolding and described more. "Drink" has two unexplained words. There is no state map. There is no '''Regions''' section, which is the right thing, at least for now. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Chhattisgarh#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Chhattisgarh]]. All are at Outline level and need basic edits for content, copy editing and/or format. Since Chhattisgarh is a lesser-known state, these edits are relatively low-priority, but some of these towns, such as [[Mainpat]], seem like interesting destinations, and [[Raipur]] is a state capital, so it would be nice if the articles for those places could be at least closer to Usable. |- |[[Jharkhand]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Until "Understand," it's very listy, with little explanation, and there are towns listed in "Other destinations." The "Understand" section is good writing, but it should be edited to eliminate archaic terms like "Mohammedan" and other content that is not so relevant all these years after 1949. I think it would be good to excerpt this book more briefly and then add other information. "Get in" lacks any remarks about plane travel. "See" is inadequate. "Do" is empty. "Eat" and "Drink" are not bad. '''Regions''' All three region articles are skeletons. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Jharkhand#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Jharkhand]]. None is better than Usable, and even the Usable articles are a bit questionably usable, for practical purposes. This is a lesser-known state, though, so none of the articles is a top priority. |- |[[Odisha]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |If statuses of state articles were awarded solely based on their own quality, this would probably be rated Usable, but it can't be because one of the '''regions''', [[Eastern Odisha]], has no article (the other region articles are very sparse, too). In general, I'd describe the article as pithy - short, but fairly well-written and to the point. "Regions" have no descriptions; all but one of the cities does, though "the Kashmir of Odisha" is a bit obscure. "Other destinations" have descriptions, but some copy editing is needed. "Understand" is pretty well-written, though it could possibly be expanded and copy edited. "Talk" should have links to phrasebooks but is OK. "Get in" should have bus info, too, but otherwise seems OK. "See" is usable. "Do" should have more content. The rest of the sections are all pretty decent. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Odisha#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Odisha]]. There are two Usable cities: [[Bhubaneswar]] and [[Sambalpur]], both of which need more work but are in much better condition than the rest, which are all Outlines. Of the Outlines, [[Koraput]] is closest to Usable. |- |[[Sikkim]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |This article contains a lot of good information, but some of it is more detailed than the article for the entire state needs and should be moved to '''regional guides''' ([[East Sikkim]] and [[South Sikkim]] contain very little information, though they are both quite a bit more than skeletons, while [[West Sikkim]] and especially [[North Sikkim]] are better) or guides to cities. It also lacks a state map (the map of India showing a tiny bit of red where Sikkim is is no substitute for that). There are several photos in the article now, but more good ones would still be welcome, especially any good ones of monasteries. '''Towns''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Sikkim#Towns]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Sikkim]]. [[Pelling]] is now tenuously Usable but really needs more and more exact directions and Geo for its "See" listings. After that, but [[Gangtok]] and [[Yuksom]] and are closest to Usable, probably in that order, followed by [[Dzongu]]. It would be great to make all four of those articles truly Usable and make any one of them a featurable Guide. [[Ravangla]] is also a really interesting and beautiful destination, but bringing its article up to Usable would take more work, because some sections are blank. |- |[[West Bengal]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |The writing in this article is quite good, but there are aspects of the structure and content that could be improved. First, it lacks a lede. "Regions" have no 1-liner listings nor do 3 of the "Other destinations" (also, two of those are redlinks, so anyone who starts articles about those would be doing a good service). There is no state map. It would be good to subdivide "Get in" and "Get around" into the normal divisions according to method of transportation. "See" is a pithy summary but could have more specifics. "Do", with only two listings, with the first containing an obscure allusion to Nandan film complex whose city is unidentified, still feels short. Surely there are some activities involving physical exercise or viewing some kind of performance or sporting match that one could do in the state. "Eat" is well-written, but should be expanded with specifics because Bengali food is magnificent. The "Stay safe" section is very helpful, though I don't know if the information on where the Maoist insurgency is taking place is still current. '''Regions''' The [[Central Bengal]] article is the most filled-out of all the state's regional articles, but it still could use more 1-liner listings. [[North Bengal]] has an informative "Understand" section but otherwise has a lot of white space. [[Rarh]], [[Southwest Bengal]] and [[Southeast Bengal]] are underdeveloped articles. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[West Bengal#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/West Bengal]]. None are yet Guides, and several are quite interesting as destinations. Making [[Kolkata]] a Guide is, of course, the highest priority among tasks relating to city articles in this state, but [[Darjeeling]] is India's most famous hill station because of its tea, and [[Murshidabad]], not quite Usable yet, has a good enough article to already come across as a compelling place to visit. And that's not all, so read the rest of the discussion at the link. |- |} ====North-Eastern India region==== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Arunachal Pradesh]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline | Lacks a custom pagebanner, state map, or photos. Lede could be more interesting. Since there are no regional divisions, the "Regions" heading has been deleted. There are 10 "Cities," but 3 are red-linked, and few have any description. Both "Other destinations" are red-linked, and one lacks a description. "Understand" section is completely inadequate. "Get in" seems helpful but might do with some kind of subtitling. "Get around" is empty. "See" is really sub-optimal for a state-level article, but part of the reason for that is that some of the referenced towns are just red links. So anyone who wants to start articles for the red links will be doing a good turn. "Do" also needs to be turned into a prose summary, preferably without full listings, if there's another obvious place to put them. "Eat" is pretty good but needs copy editing to eliminate Unnecessary Capitalization. "Drink" is inadequate. "Stay safe" is more or less acceptable. It might be good to put some info in "Go next." '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Arunachal Pradesh#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Arunachal Pradesh]]. All are either Outlines or Redlinks, but [[Tawang]] is off to a promising start and would make a fascinating [[dotm|Off the Beaten Path]], if we ever got that far. In the meantime, Arunachal Pradesh is certainly an off-the-beaten-path frontier land, so the improvement of any article in the state is not a top priority, but making [[Tawang]] Usable and adding more content to the article for the state capital, [[Itanagar]], are secondary priorities for this expedition that would be nice to accomplish. |- |[[Assam]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |I humbly submit that the lede is not bad now. There is excessive detail in the "Regions" list - these should be 1-liner listings. The "Cities" list has an introduction, which is unusual but interesting and not bad, in my opinion. I did move the last section of it to the talk page, though, because it lists a bunch more cities, most of them redlinks (the two not redlinked in that section are in the "Cities" list in the article). The cities in the state with articles should be listed in this section as per [[WV:Avoid long lists]]. "Other destinations" seem way too numerous even though this is a bottom-level regional article, given that quite a few lack articles of their own and those in the "Heritage, Cultural and Others" subsection include a town and several completely undescribed names. "Understand" will require copy editing. Some sections may be too detailed, but it would be really helpful to restore some of the content I moved to the talk page if someone can connect it with Wikivoyage links to cities (or parks, etc.) with notable archaeological or historical sites. "Talk" section is a little long and needs more links to phrasebooks but is OK. "Get in" needs copy editing and has external links that need fixing. "Get around" looks OK, based on a quick skim. "See" and "Do" are wrong in concept and need to be turned into paragraphs giving highlights in prose. "Eat" looks informative and useful. "Drink" is funny: There's no alcohol in Assam? "Stay safe" looks OK but "Cope" has some footnote-style external links, and are all these media in English? '''Regions''' '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Assam#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Assam]]. They're all in poor condition - all Outlines. |- |[[Manipur]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Extremely sparse article. The only sections that are close to sufficient are "Stay safe" and "Regions" (the '''regions''' are described without their own articles, which is appropriate in this case). "Eat" is interesting but doesn't seem complete. "Do" is completely unclear. Lacks a page banner, photos, state map, along with almost everything else. I'm almost tempted to suggest that we make this article an exception and fold in the information in the '''city articles''', except that the article about [[Imphal]] is arguably close to being a weak Usable article by itself. The other city in the state with an article is [[Bishnupur (Manipur)|Bishnupur]], which has a weak Outline article with information only in the "See" section. |- |[[Meghalaya]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |Sparse and has structure/content issues. Lede doesn't explain why you might want to visit. "Districts" section contains only one active link, and the linked article has no real content. I would suggest eliminating that article and all the links in the "Districts" section, and I'm unconvinced we need a "Regions" or "Districts" section at all. Only one of the '''"Cities"''' has an active link - [[Shillong]], which has a very solid Usable article. "Understand" in the [[Meghalaya]] article is a bunch of historical details, and "The British came to Sylhet in 1765" is not a promising start, as [[Sylhet]] is in Bangladesh. I would suggest deleting this section and starting again with some things that it would help travellers to understand. <s>"Get around" is totally wrongheaded.</s> (On a rereading, it doesn't seem that bad but needs updating, some copy editing, and its structure might be changed.) "See" has no 1-liner listings. "Do" is blank. "Eat" is the best section, but "Drink" is empty, as are other sections ("Sleep" had specific listings, albeit incomplete ones, so I deleted the content). |- |[[Mizoram]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |The writing style employed in this guide is very pleasant to read. The lede presents a colorful picture. Two of the '''"Cities"''' have active links, so anyone who wants to write articles about any of the others would be doing a service to potential visitors. Perhaps we should delete the empty "Other destinations" section. "Understand" is very well-written, so the only issue would be how accurate it is, a question I don't know the answer to. "Get in" and "Get around" seem adequate. "See" is the really problematic section: It's way too long, and many of the subsections could serve as good starting points for articles about cities other than Aizawl, and some of the "Champhai" section can be moved to the new [[Champhai]] article. The subsection on Aizawl is mostly just a copypasta of the "Understand" section of the [[Aizawl]] article. Most of "Do" was really "Buy" content, so I separated it into a new "Buy" section, whereupon very little remained to Do. Also, it shouldn't be necessary to mention the names of the main shopping centres in Aizawl here, given that we have an article on the city where they should be listed. "Eat" could benefit from explanations of what jadoh, kikpu and tung-toh are but is otherwise pretty good. "Drink," "Stay safe" and "Go next" are all short but seem adequate. Lacks a state map or pictures. It would also be good to check on whether the prices mentioned in the article are current. There is no '''regions''' section, which is a good thing in this case. |- |[[Nagaland]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |This article's main problem is a lack of information. The best section, though requiring copy editing, is "Eat." Almost the entire "See" section seemed to have been copied and pasted from one or more other sites (see [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Nagaland&diff=2664812&oldid=2474459 here]), and the strange spacing and touting of a resort were tell-tale signs of that, so I deleted that content and now it's virtually empty. There is no '''regions''' section, but there is an unusual top-level "Tribes" section, which is actually a kind of interesting idea but might do with more explanation. The article lacks any images except for a locator map. It's a beautiful state, so choosing a series of illustrative photos will be a pleasant task. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Nagaland#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Nagaland]]. None is close to Usable, though the article for the state capital, [[Kohima]], is closest. Nagaland is a frontier area with a history of civil unrest, so none of the articles is a priority for this project, but it does sound like an interesting and beautiful state. |- |[[Tripura]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |The filled-out sections are written in decent style, but I question this article's Usable status and think it's still an Outline. I moved the "Districts" section, all red links, to the talk page. Only one of the '''"Cities"''' has an article, the capital [[Agartala]], which is not horrible and not too far from Usable. None of the "Other destinations" is described at all. "Understand", "Talk" and "Get in" seem adequate. "Get around" is informational if not quite usable, and an enterprising person could try their hand at subdividing the section. "See" is not organized in a standard way, but unless articles about all the towns mentioned can be started, there may have to be some specific listings (though not of attractions in Agartala) in this state-level article. "Do" is empty. "Eat" and "Drink" are adequate, but "Stay safe" oddly omits information covered in the rest of the article about insurgencies and resulting danger for night travellers. "Go next" has information but could do with some reformatting for greater readability. Also needs a pagebanner, state map and photos. |- |} ===Union Territories (alphabetical order)=== {| border=1 |- ! width=175px | Article ! width=75px | Status ! To do |- |[[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |Pretty nice article that needs updating by someone who has been there since 2011. "See" and "Do" should be turned into good paragraphs, but the bulletted listings for things to buy are probably more helpful than anything using pure prose. The "Caution Note" in "Buy" must be explained: If people are trying to pass counterfeit for criminal reasons, would simply asking them to use valid bills work? If they're not, would it make them angry and hostile? Or are they doing it to entrap tourists on behalf of the local police force? Also, in the "Respect" section, conservative dress for women needs to be elaborated on. Are bikinis OK on the beach? If not, what? And outside the beach, should women wear ankle-length skirts? Knee-length? Should their entire arms be covered? But overall, this is a very good article, and I think we should aim to make it a Guide, but that would require all the listed "Cities" and "Other destinations" to be at least Usable, and some are red links. '''Cities''' There is a discussion of articles linked from [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands#Cities]] at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]. The article for [[Port Blair]] is a good Usable article, and Guide status is clearly on the horizon if we're willing to do some work. |- |[[Chandigarh]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |If this extensive article is improved to Guide status, it could be an interesting [[dotm|Destination of the Month]] because of its unusual modernist architecture. However, it still has pretty far to go before it can be a Guide. More comments at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Punjab]]. |- |[[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline |This regional Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu article is quite sparse, and the two components have been nominated for separately being [[WV:Breadcrumb navigation|breadcrumbed]] to [[Gujarat]], but so far, nothing's been done. [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli]] had really bad formatting problems, but thanks to some excellent cleanup by [[User:Matroc]] and the addition of a dynamic map, it looks much better, though it's still an Outline. The [[Daman (India)|Daman]] city guide is a bit more filled-out; [[Diu]] is better and could be made Usable without too much trouble. If turned into a Guide, [[Diu]] could be an interesting [[dotm|Off the Beaten Path]] feature. |- |National Capital Territory of [[Delhi]] | style="background:#ccff66;" width="100px" | Guide |Delhi is a Union Territory, but of course we treat it as a city and it's one of the most important cities in India. The most pressing issue in regard to [[Delhi]] right now is how to district the city. There's a lot of good content, but it can't all remain in what will become the main article. If you have an opinion about where the district boundaries should be, please discuss it at [[Talk:Delhi]]. |- |[[Jammu and Kashmir]] | style="background:#f8ba87;" | Outline | There are 5 "Other destinations"; some have more than 1 line of description, but only one currently has its own article. [[Jammu and Kashmir#See]] should be a prose summary, not a rather long list of bulletted entries. [[Jammu and Kashmir#Eat]] should be an introduction to Kashmiri cuisine, not a disorderly list of places to eat. In addition, there is room for some more photos of this spectacular state. Finally, the article has no state map. '''Regions''' [[Jammu Division]] has very little content, but [[Kashmir Valley]] has a lot of content and nice photos. '''Cities''' There is a separate chart of city article statuses at [[Wikivoyage:India Expedition/Jammu and Kashmir]]. All the rest of the city articles are Outlines at various stages of development. [[Jammu]] is an important centre of Hindu pilgrimage, so improving that article to Usable should be a fairly high priority. [[Srinagar]] and [[Jammu]] are both close to Usable now, so it would be great to advance both those articles' statuses. |- |[[Ladakh]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |Ladakh is extremely informative, though it could use a thorough copy edit and some reduction of text that could be only in bottom-level articles. [[Leh]] is a strong Usable article, and it would be great to turn it into a Guide and nominate it for [[dotm|Off the Beaten Path]] because it's a unique, beautiful and safe destination. |- |[[Lakshadweep]] | style="background:#fff38e;" width="100px" | Usable |As there are no separate articles for individual islands or towns, this is something of a hybrid between a regional and city article, and needs and has individual listings. Like the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] article, it needs an update from someone who's been there since 2011. It also needs a clearer map, and more pictures would be nice. |- |[[Pondicherry (union territory)]] (Puducherry) | style= | Extra-hierarchical region |This territory is too scattered for it to make sense for it to have its own article, so now it's an extra-hierarchical region. On the other hand, there's the [[Pondicherry]] article that's actually about the city of the same name, which is Usable and in much better shape. It's a nice article through "Get around", but "See" is only partly fleshed out and partly just a list of names, with no further info about most of them. "Do" is looking better. "Buy" gives the reader some ideas but doesn't direct him/her to any particular part of town. "Eat" and "Drink" sections are now alphabetized. "Sleep" sections are now alphabetized, too, but need to be checked for listings that are actually in [[Auroville]] — if any remain — and updated as necessary. The article should be thoroughly [[WV:Geocoding|geocoded]], copy edited with a fine-toothed comb and brought up to Guide level. Pondi city might be a decent Otbp feature if the article were improved sufficiently (which would take a fair amount of work). The [[Auroville]] article is Usable, is an interesting counterpart to this one, and it should probably be improved concurrently with the Pondi article. Its usefulness is actually quite limited, as many establishments are named but with no location, contact information or opening hours mentioned. |- |} ==Expedition members== *[[User:2006nishan178713]] *[[User:AnjanDash]] *[[User:Vamsi Vadlamuri]] *[[User:Ikan Kekek]] *[[User:DaGizza]] *[[User:ArunanB]] *[[User:MayankBangia]] *[[User:ravikiran_r|Ravikiran]] *[[User:Gobbler|Gobbler]] *[[User:Debarunb|Debarunb]] *[[User:Pashley|Pashley]] *[[User:Rsrikanth05|Srikanth]] *[[User:GeneralPericles|GeneralPericles]] *[[User:Csyogi|Yogesh]] *[[User:Celestinesucess|Celestinesucess]] *{{U|Sbb1413}} — mainly Eastern India [[Category:Wikivoyage Expeditions]] 13upbldn8gs99zrt201iir48f8nt4cz 1 137565 4501895 2869533 2022-08-16T05:31:46Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Moved from "Cities" */ Reply wikitext text/x-wiki ==Moved from "Understand"== Moved from "Understand" because (a) we can't have two "History" sections, and there was another one (though not yet so called when it was in the introduction); (b) this contains encyclopedic detail but doesn't have Wikivoyage links that would make it easily usable by travellers. If someone would like to add some of this to the article with useful links that could help travellers find relevant archeological and historical sites, please do. ===History and archaeology=== Assam is also rich in history and archaeology. In the ancient times, the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa under at least three successive dynasties for more than 700 years and in the medieval periods the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahoms for 600 years were strong and sovereign kingdoms; no western powers including the great Mughals could invade and occupy the region till the British had come. Apart from several failed attempts by the north Indian kingdoms in the ancient times, the Mughals attempted invading Assam for 17 times, where only once they could get little success in occupying and controlling a major portion only for a small period of two years. Mughals were defeated and completely thrown out from the Brahmaputra Valley in the 17th century. However, Mughals had maintained control on the western territories (now North Bengal) of the Koch Kingdom and in some parts of the Jayantiya Kingdom (a tributary ruler under the Ahoms) - now in Bangladesh. Due to richness and self-sustained nature of the kingdoms in Assam, the rulers hardly attempted any outward aggression leaving only few instances. During the rule of Barman Dynasty of Kamarupa the king Bhaskarvarman occupied the then Gauda (later Bengal) along with its capital city Karnasuvarna in the 7th century; then a major portion of present eastern Bangladesh was a natural part of Kamarupa. In the 17th century, a plan for reoccupying the lost land of the ancient Kamarupa kingdom and destroying the Nawab of Gauda by the Ahom king Rudra Simha was thwarted after the king's sudden death during his organisation of a large amry of 4 hundred thousand in Guwahati. With such a historic background, Assam possesses hundreds of historic and archaeological sites, where extensive research opportunities and tourism potentials are still left. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:24, 21 September 2014 (UTC) == Moved from "Cities" == This is supposed to be a list of up to 9 cities only. One of these can be included to make the list reach its full complement of 9: [[Golaghat]], [[Nalbari]], [[Mangaldoi]], [[Barpeta]], [[Kokrajhar]], [[Goalpara]], [[Dhubri]] (Dhubury), etc. are other small towns and district head quarters. On the other hand [[Duliajan]], [[Digboi]], [[Namrup]], [[Moran]], [[Bongaigaon]], [[Numaligarh]], [[Jogighopa]], etc. are major industrial towns. Currently, there are around 125 total urban centres in the state, with [[Rangia]] amongst them. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:40, 21 September 2014 (UTC) :Actually, I was wrong about this: [[Assam]] is a bottom-level regional article, so every non-red-linked city should be listed in this article. I'm therefore copying [[Rangia]] back into the "Cities" section. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:59, 3 October 2014 (UTC) ::As of 2022, Assam is no longer a bottom-level region. I have grouped the cities into three regions and I think the "Cities" and "Other destinations" sections should be cleaned up to cover only nine destinations each. @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], what do you think about this? '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 05:31, 16 August 2022 (UTC) == [[Dispur]] red link == [[Dispur]], the capital of Assam, is a red link. Would anyone like to start an article about the city? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:05, 6 October 2015 (UTC) b12fjf3p62k2lcd4vhkeoffmi8624fx 4501896 4501895 2022-08-16T05:32:43Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Dispur red link */ Reply wikitext text/x-wiki ==Moved from "Understand"== Moved from "Understand" because (a) we can't have two "History" sections, and there was another one (though not yet so called when it was in the introduction); (b) this contains encyclopedic detail but doesn't have Wikivoyage links that would make it easily usable by travellers. If someone would like to add some of this to the article with useful links that could help travellers find relevant archeological and historical sites, please do. ===History and archaeology=== Assam is also rich in history and archaeology. In the ancient times, the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa under at least three successive dynasties for more than 700 years and in the medieval periods the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahoms for 600 years were strong and sovereign kingdoms; no western powers including the great Mughals could invade and occupy the region till the British had come. Apart from several failed attempts by the north Indian kingdoms in the ancient times, the Mughals attempted invading Assam for 17 times, where only once they could get little success in occupying and controlling a major portion only for a small period of two years. Mughals were defeated and completely thrown out from the Brahmaputra Valley in the 17th century. However, Mughals had maintained control on the western territories (now North Bengal) of the Koch Kingdom and in some parts of the Jayantiya Kingdom (a tributary ruler under the Ahoms) - now in Bangladesh. Due to richness and self-sustained nature of the kingdoms in Assam, the rulers hardly attempted any outward aggression leaving only few instances. During the rule of Barman Dynasty of Kamarupa the king Bhaskarvarman occupied the then Gauda (later Bengal) along with its capital city Karnasuvarna in the 7th century; then a major portion of present eastern Bangladesh was a natural part of Kamarupa. In the 17th century, a plan for reoccupying the lost land of the ancient Kamarupa kingdom and destroying the Nawab of Gauda by the Ahom king Rudra Simha was thwarted after the king's sudden death during his organisation of a large amry of 4 hundred thousand in Guwahati. With such a historic background, Assam possesses hundreds of historic and archaeological sites, where extensive research opportunities and tourism potentials are still left. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:24, 21 September 2014 (UTC) == Moved from "Cities" == This is supposed to be a list of up to 9 cities only. One of these can be included to make the list reach its full complement of 9: [[Golaghat]], [[Nalbari]], [[Mangaldoi]], [[Barpeta]], [[Kokrajhar]], [[Goalpara]], [[Dhubri]] (Dhubury), etc. are other small towns and district head quarters. On the other hand [[Duliajan]], [[Digboi]], [[Namrup]], [[Moran]], [[Bongaigaon]], [[Numaligarh]], [[Jogighopa]], etc. are major industrial towns. Currently, there are around 125 total urban centres in the state, with [[Rangia]] amongst them. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:40, 21 September 2014 (UTC) :Actually, I was wrong about this: [[Assam]] is a bottom-level regional article, so every non-red-linked city should be listed in this article. I'm therefore copying [[Rangia]] back into the "Cities" section. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:59, 3 October 2014 (UTC) ::As of 2022, Assam is no longer a bottom-level region. I have grouped the cities into three regions and I think the "Cities" and "Other destinations" sections should be cleaned up to cover only nine destinations each. @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], what do you think about this? '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 05:31, 16 August 2022 (UTC) == [[Dispur]] red link == [[Dispur]], the capital of Assam, is a red link. Would anyone like to start an article about the city? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:05, 6 October 2015 (UTC) :It looks like Dispur should not be treated as a separate city, but as a part of [[Guwahati]], like [[New Delhi]] as part of [[Delhi]]. '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 05:32, 16 August 2022 (UTC) 0iha4cxxf83kerlofh7s7yyhnfe4fzn 4501897 4501896 2022-08-16T05:33:47Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Moved from "Cities" */ wikitext text/x-wiki ==Moved from "Understand"== Moved from "Understand" because (a) we can't have two "History" sections, and there was another one (though not yet so called when it was in the introduction); (b) this contains encyclopedic detail but doesn't have Wikivoyage links that would make it easily usable by travellers. If someone would like to add some of this to the article with useful links that could help travellers find relevant archeological and historical sites, please do. ===History and archaeology=== Assam is also rich in history and archaeology. In the ancient times, the Kingdom of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa under at least three successive dynasties for more than 700 years and in the medieval periods the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahoms for 600 years were strong and sovereign kingdoms; no western powers including the great Mughals could invade and occupy the region till the British had come. Apart from several failed attempts by the north Indian kingdoms in the ancient times, the Mughals attempted invading Assam for 17 times, where only once they could get little success in occupying and controlling a major portion only for a small period of two years. Mughals were defeated and completely thrown out from the Brahmaputra Valley in the 17th century. However, Mughals had maintained control on the western territories (now North Bengal) of the Koch Kingdom and in some parts of the Jayantiya Kingdom (a tributary ruler under the Ahoms) - now in Bangladesh. Due to richness and self-sustained nature of the kingdoms in Assam, the rulers hardly attempted any outward aggression leaving only few instances. During the rule of Barman Dynasty of Kamarupa the king Bhaskarvarman occupied the then Gauda (later Bengal) along with its capital city Karnasuvarna in the 7th century; then a major portion of present eastern Bangladesh was a natural part of Kamarupa. In the 17th century, a plan for reoccupying the lost land of the ancient Kamarupa kingdom and destroying the Nawab of Gauda by the Ahom king Rudra Simha was thwarted after the king's sudden death during his organisation of a large amry of 4 hundred thousand in Guwahati. With such a historic background, Assam possesses hundreds of historic and archaeological sites, where extensive research opportunities and tourism potentials are still left. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:24, 21 September 2014 (UTC) == Moved from "Cities" == This is supposed to be a list of up to 9 cities only. One of these can be included to make the list reach its full complement of 9: [[Golaghat]], [[Nalbari]], [[Mangaldoi]], [[Barpeta]], [[Kokrajhar]], [[Goalpara]], [[Dhubri]] (Dhubury), etc. are other small towns and district head quarters. On the other hand [[Duliajan]], [[Digboi]], [[Namrup]], [[Moran]], [[Bongaigaon]], [[Numaligarh]], [[Jogighopa]], etc. are major industrial towns. Currently, there are around 125 total urban centres in the state, with [[Rangia]] amongst them. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:40, 21 September 2014 (UTC) :Actually, I was wrong about this: [[Assam]] is a bottom-level regional article, so every non-red-linked city should be listed in this article. I'm therefore copying [[Rangia]] back into the "Cities" section. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:59, 3 October 2014 (UTC) ::As of 2022, Assam is no longer a bottom-level region. I have grouped the destinations into three regions and by now the "Cities" and "Other destinations" sections should be cleaned up to cover only nine destinations each. @[[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]], what do you think about this? '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 05:31, 16 August 2022 (UTC) == [[Dispur]] red link == [[Dispur]], the capital of Assam, is a red link. Would anyone like to start an article about the city? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:05, 6 October 2015 (UTC) :It looks like Dispur should not be treated as a separate city, but as a part of [[Guwahati]], like [[New Delhi]] as part of [[Delhi]]. '''[[User:Sbb1413|Sbb1413]]''' (he) ([[User talk:Sbb1413|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Sbb1413|contribs]]) 05:32, 16 August 2022 (UTC) idq5kcibcm6vny3fs4jzogb88ap42iw 0 141958 4501862 4501526 2022-08-16T04:20:34Z OhanaUnited 76122 /* By bus */Update to GO fare payment wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Toronto Pearson banner.jpg|caption=Union Pearson Express station at airport}}{{Listing|name=Toronto Pearson International Airport|alt={{IATA|YYZ}}|url=https://www.torontopearson.com/|phone=+1 416-247-7678|tollfree=+1 866-207-1690|lastedit=2022-05-29|content=The airport is in [[Mississauga]] near [[Toronto]]. As [[Canada|Canada's]] busiest airport, it handled 50.5 million passengers in 2019. Toronto is also served by the small [[Toronto#Billy Bishop Airport|Billy Bishop Airport]], near the city centre, which handles only short-haul flights in central Canada and the northeastern U.S. }} ==Understand== '''Malton Airport''', built on what were farmers' fields in the 1930s, hosted its first scheduled passenger flight (a Trans-Canada Airlines DC-3 landing) on August 29, 1939. From 1940-1942, Malton hosted a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan flight school. Malton Airport became Toronto International Airport in 1960. Various terminal buildings have been constructed and demolished over the years as the airport expanded; Aeroquay One (1964) was demolished in 2004 and replaced with a new Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 (1972) was demolished in 2007. As Toronto surpassed Montreal to become Canada's largest city in the 1970s, traffic through Pearson has been steadily increasing. While flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''''s corporate headquarters remain in Montreal, Toronto Pearson is now the airline's largest hub. While Montreal traffic was split for many years with the construction of an awkward outlying airport at Mirabel, a second major Toronto-area airport proposed for [[Pickering (Ontario)|Pickering]] met with strong local opposition since the mid-1970s and was never constructed. While some short-range flights to destinations like Montreal, New York and Chicago operate from Toronto Islands airport, the bulk of Toronto's passenger volume by necessity goes through Pearson, the second-busiest airport for international traffic (behind [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in [[New York City]]) in [[North America]]. ==Flights== [[Image:Inuksuit (Toronto Pearson Airport).jpg|thumb|''Inuksuit'' (traditional Inuit statues) outside Terminal 1]] There are two terminals at the airport: 1 and 3 (2 was demolished due to new development). Flights are arranged in this way: {{Regionlist |region1name=Terminal 1 |region1color=#ad92ac |region1items=Star Alliance, Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region1description= Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, Air North, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Canadian North, Copa Airlines, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lynx Air, Swiss, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, United |region2name=Terminal 3 |region2color=#8f9271 |region2items=Skyteam, Oneworld and all non-alliance airlines except Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region2description=Aer Lingus, Aeroméxico, Air France, Air Transat, American Airlines, Azores Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Condor, Delta, El Al, Etihad, Flair, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, KLM, Korean Air, Pakistan International, Philippines Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Sunwing Airlines, Swoop, Ukraine International Airlines (temporary suspended), WestJet }} === Departures === For flights to the USA, you go through US border preclearance for customs and immigration after check-in. This is generally a quick process and saves any queuing in the States. It also allows airlines to fly into US destinations which do not have the capacity to handle customs and immigration since passengers who went through border preclearance are treated as domestic passengers on arrival to the US. At peak times the lines at security can be very long so allow plenty of time to get through the system. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ad92ac|title=Terminal 1|wikidata=Q56240215}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#8f9271|title=Terminal 3|wikidata=Q56240216}} === Arrivals === For both Terminals 1 and 3, the international arrivals are located on the eastern side of the terminals and the domestic arrivals are located on the western side. ===Connecting flights=== Just like the United States, Canada does not allow for sterile transit, so passengers connecting from one international flight to another need to pass through customs and immigration before re-checking their bags to their final destination. Ensure that you meet all the entry requirements for Canada, including having a visa if necessary, before you book your flights. The sole exception is when arriving on a non-U.S. international flight and transferring to a U.S.-bound flight in the same terminal. In that case, you don't have to clear Canadian customs and immigration, and you can proceed straight to the U.S. border preclearance facility. However, you will still need to have a visa for Canada if required for your nationality. === Destinations === Direct flights to Toronto are available from every major Canadian airport, from North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. ==== Direct flights from within [[Ontario]] ==== * From [[London (Ontario)|London]] ([[Southwestern Ontario]]) - 45-50 minutes * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Eastern Ontario]]) - 1 hour * From [[Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario)|Sault Sainte Marie]] ([[Northern Ontario]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Thunder Bay]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Timmins]] (Northern Ontario) - 1.5 hours * From [[Windsor (Ontario)|Windsor]] (Southwestern Ontario) - 55 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 2.5 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 3.75 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 2-2.5 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 2.25-2.5 hours * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Moncton]] (New Brunswick) - 2.25-2.75 hours * From [[Quebec City]] (Quebec) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3 hours * From [[Saskatoon]] (Saskatchewan) - 3 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.25-4.5 hours * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] (British Columbia) - 4.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.25 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 2 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 3 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3-3.25 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 4.5-7.75 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 4.5 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 4.75-5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.5-1.75 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 3.75-4 hours * From [[Montego Bay]] ([[Jamaica]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Panama City]] ([[Panama]]) - 5.5 hours * From [[Punta Cana]] ([[Dominican Republic]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Varadero]] ([[Cuba]]) - 3.25-3.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[South America]] ==== * [[Bogotá]] ([[Colombia]]) - 6.5 hours * [[São Paulo]] ([[Brazil]]) - 10.25 hours * [[Santiago de Chile]] ([[Chile]]) - 10.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Tel Aviv]] ([[Israel]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 13 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ==== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 8-8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 7.5-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 10.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.5 to 8 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 8 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 6 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 9.5-9.75 hours === Airlines === Canadian airlines operating to Toronto: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], Toronto, and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Swoop|url=https://help.flyswoop.com/|phone=+1-587-441-1001|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==Ground transportation== {{mapframe|43.6820|-79.6178|zoom=15}} === {{Mapshape|title=Union Pearson Express|wikidata=Q497520|type=geoline|stroke=#948a4c|stroke-width=4|stroke-opacity=1}}By public transit === ==== By train ==== The ''Union Pearson Express'' train goes to downtown [[Toronto]]: * {{go | name=Union Pearson Express | alt=UP Express | url=http://www.upexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 3 at airport | phone=+1 416-869-3600 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-869-1662 | hours=5:30AM - 1:30AM | price=Adult: $12.35 cash, or $9.25 with a Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app; senior: $6.20 cash or $5.80 with Presto card; free for children 12 and under | wikipedia=Union Pearson Express | wikidata=Q16901889 | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=UP Express trains operate between the airport and Union Station providing connections to the Toronto subway at Bloor Station (near Dundas West Station on Line 2) and Union Station (Line 1). (UP Express also has an intermediate stop at Weston station on Lawrence Avenue West.) A trip takes 25 minutes and trains depart every 30 minutes. The station provides airline check-in kiosks, luggage racks, onboard Wi-Fi and up-to-the-minute flight information. UP Express station is at Terminal 1; the airport's Link train connects Terminal 3 to the UP Express station. Tickets and Presto cards can be purchased at the UP Express station. }} '''[[Presto card]]s''' can be purchased at the UP Express station for $16 each ($6 for the card plus a $10 minimum balance); higher balances can be purchased. Besides the UP Express, Presto is supported by many transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]. Seniors (65+) should have their cards set for reduced senior fares. When paying by Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app, UP Express passengers must tap on using a Presto reader on the platform before boarding the train, and tap off after arrival. If you use the intermediate stops at Bloor or Weston station, use only the UP Express Presto readers to tap on/off; do '''not''' use the GO train Presto readers. ==== By bus ==== Toronto Pearson provides a [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/public-transit-buses webpage] indicating where to board the various bus services at Terminal 1 and 3 often indicating the column (pillar) where buses stop. Various local buses serve Pearson airport. All accept the [[Presto card]] (see also [[#By train|previous section]]) for fare payment. {{infobox|Airport Express routes|Both Brampton Transit and TTC name their express route to/from the airport as "Airport Express" even though they go to different cities (in opposite directions!) Brampton Transit buses are blue and white while TTC buses are red and white. Be sure to check the route number (route 115 for Brampton Transit; route 900 for TTC) before you board the bus.}} * {{Listing|name=Brampton Transit|url=https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/transit/Pages/Home.aspx|email=transit@brampton.ca|phone=+1-905-874-2999|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates the Airport Express (route 115) bus from the airport to Bramalea City Centre in [[Brampton]], a suburb directly north of Mississauga. Brampton Transit stops only at Terminal 1. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. * {{Listing|name=GO Transit|url=https://www.gotransit.com/|directions=|phone=+1-416-869-3200|tollfree=+1-888-438-6646|lastedit=2022-05-23|content=Operates bus and rail commuter/regional transit within and near the [[Greater Toronto Area]].}} It offers two [https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/going-to-the-airport/airport airport service routes] operating from Terminal 1 on the ground floor. Both GO routes run 24/7 with a frequency of every 30 minutes in rush hours, every 60 minutes at other times. Most GO buses have under-floor compartments for luggage. Fares can be purchased with cash, debit or credit card at the machine near Door R. The fare can also be paid by Presto card, but remember to tap both on and off at the beginning and end of trip respectively. **Route 34 – Pearson Airport/North York Express GO Bus runs by four Toronto subway stations (Yorkdale, Sheppard-Yonge, North York Centre and Finch) in [[Toronto/North York|North York]]. **Route 40 – Travels between [[Richmond Hill (Ontario)|Richmond Hill Centre Terminal]] and or Hamilton GO Centre in [[Hamilton (Ontario)|Hamilton]] including stops in [[Vaughan]], Terminal 1 of the airport, Square One Terminal in [[Mississauga]], [[Oakville (Ontario)|Oakville]], and [[Burlington (Ontario)|Burlington]]. * {{Listing|name=MiWay|url=https://www.mississauga.ca/miway-transit/|email=miwayhelps@mississauga.ca|phone=+1-905-615-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates two bus routes connecting the airport with Square One (City Centre Transit Terminal) within the city of [[Mississauga]]. MiWay buses stop at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. **Route 7 Airport runs via the airport from Square One mall (Cooksville) and Westwood Mall (Malton). **Route 100 Airport Express runs weekdays only between the airport and Winston Churchill station stopping at Square 1. {{infobox|Presto cards & Presto tickets|Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 each have a fare vending machine inside the terminal building on the ground level opposite the TTC bus stop. These machines sell '''[[Presto card]]s''' (used by most transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]) and '''[[Toronto#Paying by Presto|Presto tickets]]''' used exclusively for TTC services. The machines accept payment by cash or credit card and issue your choice of either a Presto card or Presto ticket. When boarding a bus supporting Presto, tap your Presto card or ticket on the Presto reader at the front door of the bus. Remember: Presto tickets are valid only on TTC vehicles. ([https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes/How-to-buy-fares-and-passes Source])<!--Source is included for easy reference to check for further changes (2022/01/13).-->}} * {{Listing|name=Toronto Transit Commission|alt=TTC|url=https://www.ttc.ca/|phone=+1-416-393-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25|content=Toronto's main transit system and one of the most heavily used in North America. TTC consists of buses, streetcars and subway lines.}} [http://www.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Airport_service.jsp Bus service] from the subway to the airport is same as to any other destination in Toronto. TTC stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fare is by Presto card, Presto ticket (see sidebar) or by exact change. If paying by cash, get a transfer from the driver to make connections to other TTC vehicles. ** Route 900 Airport Express runs every 10 minutes or better to/from Kipling Station on Line 2, making the journey in 20–25 minutes. ** Route 52/52A Lawrence West is a local bus connecting to Lawrence and Lawrence West stations, both on subway Line 1. Running every 10 minutes or better, this is a slow route making frequent stops. The route number is 52 from the airport and 52A to the airport. Do '''not''' take routes 52B or 52D as these bypass the airport despite their tempting sign saying "extra fare required west of airport". ** Route 952 Lawrence West Express is a rush-hour service following the 52A route but with fewer stops. : The following are night bus routes running when the subway is shut down between 1:30AM and 5:30AM (8AM on Sundays): :* Route 300A Bloor-Danforth night bus provides service along Line 2 of the subway and goes directly to the airport. :* Route 332 Eglinton West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 352 Lawrence West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 320 Yonge does '''not''' go to the airport, but it does provide a night connection downtown for riders coming from routes 300A, 332 and 352. ====Intercity buses==== A few intercity buses serve the airport directly. * [https://ca.megabus.com/ '''Megabus'''] (''Coach Canada'') runs to [[Port Hope]], [[Trenton (Ontario)|Trenton]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Napanee]] and [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] (including a stop at Queen's University), serving various points along [[Ontario Highway 401]]. The journey from the airport to Kingston takes 3:45. [https://ca.megabus.com/route-guides/toronto-airport-to-kingston-bus Pickups] are at Terminal 1 Post P5 and Terminal 3 Post C8. *{{go|name=TOK Coachlines|alt=|url=https://tokcoachlines.com/|email=info@tokcoachlines.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=Toronto Union Station Bus Terminal|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-387-7097|hours=|price=|lastedit=2021-03-19|content=Operates bus routes in [[Ontario]].}} Operates a bus between Southampton and downtown [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Brockton (Ontario)|Port Elgin]], [[Kincardine (Ontario)|Kincardine]], [[Walkerton]], [[Hanover (Ontario)|Hanover]], [[Orangeville (Ontario)|Orangeville]], and Toronto Pearson International Airport. * [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/long-distance-travel-options Shuttle and van services] are available to other destinations in southern Ontario (e.g. Waterloo, London, Niagara Falls) ===By taxi=== Airport taxi fares range from $19-78 (east) and $19-65 (west). Limousine fares are $21-86 (east) and $21-72 (west). Fares out of town are typically $1.55/km (taxi) and $1.45/km (limousine). * '''Taxis''' to [[Toronto/Downtown|downtown Toronto]] run a flat rate of $53 (other areas of the city vary but are also flat rate,) while airport limousines go slightly higher ($58 to downtown Toronto). Limousines are generally slightly larger (though not stretched), most are dark-blue Lincoln Town Cars and a bit more comfortable than taxis. As the airport is not in Toronto, regular Toronto city cabs do not pick up fares at the Pearson air terminals. Government approved rates can be found [http://torontopearson.com/en/toandfrom/taxilimo online]. *'''Fake taxis''' (also called "Gypsy Cabs" by the locals) are frequently found congregating around Pearson Airport. If a driver approaches you inside the arrivals hall and asks if you need a ride, and you didn't arrange a car in advance, they are definitely unlicensed (legitimate cab drivers are prohibited by law from entering the terminal building to look for passengers.) While the risk of being a victim of crime as an unlicensed taxi passenger is very low, drivers and their vehicles are not held to the same safety and maintenance standards as their licensed counterparts. If you decide to patronize a Gypsy Cab, proceed at your own risk and be sure to agree on a fare in advance! === By ride hailing === Ride hailing passengers are picked up from the airport at the following locations with signage that states "Ride App Pickup": * Terminal 1: Ground Level at Door Q or P * Terminal 3: Arrivals Level at Door D. ==== Ride hailing services: ==== * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/city-of-toronto-on|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/cities/toronto|lastedit=2022-07-31|content=}} '''UberX''', '''Uber Black''' and '''Uber SUV''' services are available. The latter two sometimes using the same vehicles as the existing limo service but at a premium price (UberBlack for $88 to $115, UberSUV $100 to $128, of which $15 per ride goes to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority). UberX costs about $35 to $40 to downtown Toronto, and Greater Toronto Airports Authority charges a $4.50 pickup fee and $4 drop-off fee. === By rental car === The following car rental companies operate at Terminal 1: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3291|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-905-676-1100|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-905-676-1500|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3659|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-416-674-2020|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3290|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-905-676-9127|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ==Get around== [[Image:Pearson T3 LINK Station.jpg|thumb|Terminal Link at Terminal 3]] * [http://torontopearson.com/en/link/ Terminal Link] train runs every 4-8 minutes between Terminal 1, Terminal 3 (including Sheraton Gateway Hotel) and Viscount Road (Value Park Garage, Value Park Lot and Alt Hotel). Free. ==Wait== There are various temporary or permanent art exhibitions scattered through Terminal 1, and eight permanent sculpture installations. The Royal Ontario Museum operates a small display of dinosaurs; other partners for temporary exhibitions include Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the CONTACT Photography Festival, Design Exchange, Ontario Crafts Council and Open Studio. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=American Admirals Club | alt= | url=https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/airportAmenities/yyz-club.jsp | email= | address=Terminal 3, US Transborder Departures | lat= | long= | directions=Near duty free stores | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=5:00 am - 7:00 pm | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#!lounge@toronto | email= | address=Domestic Express: Terminal 1, Commuter Terminal; Domestic: Terminal 1 on level 4; US Transborder: Terminal 1 on level 4, node F; International: Terminal 1 on level 3, node F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{Listing|name=KLM Crown Lounge|url=https://www.klm.ca/information/bulletin-board/crowne-lounge|address=Terminal 3 international departures|directions=Just above Gate C33, elevator access opposite gate C32|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/americas-europe/canada/toronto/toronto-pearson-international-airport?stype=All | email= | address=Domestic: Terminal 1 departures (pre-security), Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; US Transborder: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; International: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:Interior of Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 wider view.jpg|thumb|right|Terminal 1]] This is a partial listing, see also [https://torontopearson.com/foodanddrink/ the full directory]. After security, there are a number of bars and cafes embedded in the departure gate area. The tables are equipped with tablets and tables. While they are mainly for the customers for the restaurant establishments, you can sit there and wait for your next flight, catch up on work or charge up your electronics as a non-paying customer. * {{eat | name=A &amp; W | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 647-479-7879 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Inexpensive fast food, hamburgers, root beer. }} * {{eat | name=Apropos | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Brew pub. }} * {{eat | name=Caplansky's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Snack bar and deli. }} * {{eat | name=Corso | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Trattoria featuring traditional Italian cuisine, rustic Italian flavours, fresh-made pastas, pizzas, salads and antipasti. }} * {{eat | name=Fetta Panini Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Heirloom Bakery Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods. }} * {{eat | name=Nobel Burger Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chef-inspired gourmet burgers. Open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant, build your own burger or choose from a menu. }} * {{eat | name=Starbucks | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee shop, multiple locations. }} * {{eat | name=Subway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-6980 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Submarine sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3 landside, 6301 Silver Dart Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-9758 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chicken. Moderately-priced sit-down restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Tim Horton's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee, doughnuts and sandwiches. Several locations in both terminals. }} * {{eat | name=Vinifera | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine bar, menu features small plates, salads and paninis with fresh ingredients. }} The airport has partnered with Uber Eats to deliver foods from restaurants at the airport to the waiting area at the gates. This is offered in the international and domestic sections of Terminal 3. ==Buy== [[Image:International airport toronto pearson.jpg|thumb|Terminal 3]] * {{buy | name=7-Eleven | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-671-2875 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Convenience store, two locations. }} * {{buy | name=Best Buy Express | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside and airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Consumer electronics. }} * {{buy | name=Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-5305 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Major domestic chartered bank with currency exchange and banking service. Located in Terminals 1 and 3 at departures level spread out in pre and post security. }} * {{buy | name=Maclean's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-8479 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, multiple locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-9513 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Samsonite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel luggage. }} * {{buy | name=Toronto Marketplace | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-8596 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Souvenir shop on Terminal 3 departure level. }} * {{buy | name=Travel Store | alt= | url=http://www.torontopearson.com/PearsonContent.aspx?id=3317 | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-6677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel accessories, luggage, travel backpacks and bags, leather goods, jewellery, watches, umbrellas and belts. Luggage storage service. }} * {{buy | name=International Currency Exchange (ICE)| alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-09-04 | content=Foreign currency exchange, multiple locations in both terminals. Rates are poor compared to exchange offices in the city: in Sep 2018, the buy rate for USD was $1.15, and the sell rate was $1.50. }} ==Connect== Free Wi-Fi is available in both terminals. Select “Toronto Pearson Wi-Fi” from the network list, launch a web browser and click "connect" on the Boingo landing page. Note that the landing page asks you to enter your email but you are not obligated to enter anything. Just click on the checkbox and agree to the terms and conditions to be granted with internet access. After security, the airport has renovated many of the waiting areas near the gates to accommodate more food vendors, many of them have table service. These areas are outfitted with iPads, power outlets and restaurant-quality tables and chairs. You do not need to make a purchase from the food vendors to sit in these areas. ==Cope== Trolleys are available for free on landside in both terminals. * Luggage storage is available at any of the '''Samsonite''' stores. * {{listing | name=Aviation Interfaith Ministry | alt= | url=http://torontopearson.com/en/shopdinerelax/interfaith-ministry/ | email= | address=Interfaith centres in Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One set of daily religious services in each terminal. Interdenominational Christian worship service weekdays, Toronto Airport Catholic Chaplaincy Holy Mass seven days a week. Pastoral care to guests, airport and airline employees and their families. }} * {{listing | name=Goodlife Fitness | alt= | url=http://www.goodlifefitness.com/locations/ontario/mississauga/toronto-pearson | email=torontopearson@goodlifefitness.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1 arrivals level, Gate F | phone=+1 905-671-3721 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4AM-11:30PM | price=$15 including towel service. $10 extra to rent work-out clothes and shoes. Free luggage storage. | content=Work out and get a show while you wait in the airport. }} ==Sleep== There is one hotel in the airport, and another nearby: * {{sleep | name=Sheraton Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sheratongatewaytorontoairport.com | email= | address=Terminal 3 · Malton Airport (YYZ) | lat=43.6866652 | long=-79.6201944 | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Only hotel in the airport terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Alt Hotel | alt= | url=http://toronto.althotels.ca/en | email= | address= 6080 Viscount Road, Mississauga | lat=43.6896923 | long=-79.6169806 | directions= | phone=+1 905-362-4337 | tollfree=+1-855-855-6080 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=On airport grounds, near Link Train station and value car park lots. }} The main hotel strip serving Pearson airport is Airport Road (Mississauga), which continues into Toronto as Dixon Road (Etobicoke). The municipal boundary is Highway 427, a busy freeway. See [[Mississauga#Sleep]] and [[Toronto/Etobicoke#Sleep]] for additional options. ===Nearby=== Malton (Mississauga): * {{sleep | name=Four Points by Sheraton | alt= | url=http://www.fourpointstorontoairport.com | email= | address=6257 Airport Road | lat=43.6902885 | long=-79.6238741 | directions= | phone=+1 905-678-1400 | tollfree=+1-866-716-8133 | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=500 m from airport, shuttle bus to terminals, 24-hour business centre, fitness, on-site restaurant. }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ontario/hilton-toronto-airport-hotel-and-suites-YYZHIHH/index.html | email= | address=5875 Airport Road, L4V 1N1 | lat=43.6869466 | long=-79.6060643 | directions= | phone = +1 905-677-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=from $129 | checkin= 3PM | checkout= noon | content=Complimentary airport shuttle,overnight parking, meeting and banquet facilities, outdoor heated pool, squash, sauna, suites available. }} Etobicoke (Toronto): * {{sleep | name=Courtyard by Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzap-courtyard-toronto-airport/ | email= | address=231 Carlingview Drive | lat=43.684982 | long=-79.596241 | directions= | phone=+1 416-675-0411 | tollfree=+1-866-675-0411 | fax=+1 416-675-0433 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=International Plaza | alt= | url=http://www.internationalplazahotel.com | email= | address=655 Dixon Road | lat=43.6890793 | long=-79.5801772 | directions= | phone=+1 416-244-1711 | tollfree=+1-800-668-3656 | fax=+1 416-244-7281 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Airport Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzot-toronto-airport-marriott-hotel/ | email= | address=901 Dixon Rd | lat=43.685845 | long=-79.5957629 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-9400 | tollfree=+1-800-905-2811 | fax=+1-416-674-8292 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Quality Suites Toronto Airport | alt= | url=http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/quality-suites-toronto-airport-toronto-hotel-cn309 | email= | address=262 Carlingview Dr. | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1 416-674-8442 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-674-3088 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Two-room suites, separate bedroom with king bed and television and living room with sofa sleeper, coffee maker, dining room table with chairs. Some suites include refrigerators and microwaves. Meeting and banquet rooms accommodate up to 120. Graffiti's Italian Eatery & Saloon on-site with room service. News stand and souvenir shop, Stay & Fly packages. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Suite Hotel Toronto Airport | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-toronto-airport | email= | address=640 Dixon Road | lat=43.6921799 | long=-79.5787453 | directions= | phone=+1 416-242-7400 | tollfree=+1-800-333-3333 | fax=+1 416-242-9888 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Includes airport shuttle and Wi-Fi. Fitness centre, on-site dining. }} * {{sleep | name=Travelodge | alt= | url=http://www.travelodge.ca/property/travelodge-hotel-toronto-airport | email= | address=925 Dixon Road | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-2222 | tollfree= | fax=+1-416-674-5757 | price= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/toronto/yyzia/hoteldetail | email= | address=970 Dixon Road | lat=43.6874376 | long=-79.6022324 | directions= | phone=+1-416-675-7611 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} There are also a few restaurants on the Airport Road/Dixon Road hotel strip, either as part of various hotels or operated stand-alone. ==Nearby== The immediate area around Toronto Pearson International Airport are industrial or warehouses. You can take the UP Express to downtown Toronto in 25 mins or public transit (GO Bus, Mississauga Transit) to Square One Mall in Mississauga in 30 to 40 mins. {{IsPartOf|Greater Toronto Area}} {{usableairport}} {{geo|43.678|-79.634|zoom=13}} 3kaxwccvi4g972j69fnf72jb3c1m3fn 4501863 4501862 2022-08-16T04:24:16Z OhanaUnited 76122 /* By bus */GO bus is deploying more double decker buses to airport route wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Toronto Pearson banner.jpg|caption=Union Pearson Express station at airport}}{{Listing|name=Toronto Pearson International Airport|alt={{IATA|YYZ}}|url=https://www.torontopearson.com/|phone=+1 416-247-7678|tollfree=+1 866-207-1690|lastedit=2022-05-29|content=The airport is in [[Mississauga]] near [[Toronto]]. As [[Canada|Canada's]] busiest airport, it handled 50.5 million passengers in 2019. Toronto is also served by the small [[Toronto#Billy Bishop Airport|Billy Bishop Airport]], near the city centre, which handles only short-haul flights in central Canada and the northeastern U.S. }} ==Understand== '''Malton Airport''', built on what were farmers' fields in the 1930s, hosted its first scheduled passenger flight (a Trans-Canada Airlines DC-3 landing) on August 29, 1939. From 1940-1942, Malton hosted a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan flight school. Malton Airport became Toronto International Airport in 1960. Various terminal buildings have been constructed and demolished over the years as the airport expanded; Aeroquay One (1964) was demolished in 2004 and replaced with a new Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 (1972) was demolished in 2007. As Toronto surpassed Montreal to become Canada's largest city in the 1970s, traffic through Pearson has been steadily increasing. While flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''''s corporate headquarters remain in Montreal, Toronto Pearson is now the airline's largest hub. While Montreal traffic was split for many years with the construction of an awkward outlying airport at Mirabel, a second major Toronto-area airport proposed for [[Pickering (Ontario)|Pickering]] met with strong local opposition since the mid-1970s and was never constructed. While some short-range flights to destinations like Montreal, New York and Chicago operate from Toronto Islands airport, the bulk of Toronto's passenger volume by necessity goes through Pearson, the second-busiest airport for international traffic (behind [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in [[New York City]]) in [[North America]]. ==Flights== [[Image:Inuksuit (Toronto Pearson Airport).jpg|thumb|''Inuksuit'' (traditional Inuit statues) outside Terminal 1]] There are two terminals at the airport: 1 and 3 (2 was demolished due to new development). Flights are arranged in this way: {{Regionlist |region1name=Terminal 1 |region1color=#ad92ac |region1items=Star Alliance, Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region1description= Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, Air North, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Canadian North, Copa Airlines, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lynx Air, Swiss, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, United |region2name=Terminal 3 |region2color=#8f9271 |region2items=Skyteam, Oneworld and all non-alliance airlines except Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region2description=Aer Lingus, Aeroméxico, Air France, Air Transat, American Airlines, Azores Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Condor, Delta, El Al, Etihad, Flair, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, KLM, Korean Air, Pakistan International, Philippines Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Sunwing Airlines, Swoop, Ukraine International Airlines (temporary suspended), WestJet }} === Departures === For flights to the USA, you go through US border preclearance for customs and immigration after check-in. This is generally a quick process and saves any queuing in the States. It also allows airlines to fly into US destinations which do not have the capacity to handle customs and immigration since passengers who went through border preclearance are treated as domestic passengers on arrival to the US. At peak times the lines at security can be very long so allow plenty of time to get through the system. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ad92ac|title=Terminal 1|wikidata=Q56240215}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#8f9271|title=Terminal 3|wikidata=Q56240216}} === Arrivals === For both Terminals 1 and 3, the international arrivals are located on the eastern side of the terminals and the domestic arrivals are located on the western side. ===Connecting flights=== Just like the United States, Canada does not allow for sterile transit, so passengers connecting from one international flight to another need to pass through customs and immigration before re-checking their bags to their final destination. Ensure that you meet all the entry requirements for Canada, including having a visa if necessary, before you book your flights. The sole exception is when arriving on a non-U.S. international flight and transferring to a U.S.-bound flight in the same terminal. In that case, you don't have to clear Canadian customs and immigration, and you can proceed straight to the U.S. border preclearance facility. However, you will still need to have a visa for Canada if required for your nationality. === Destinations === Direct flights to Toronto are available from every major Canadian airport, from North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. ==== Direct flights from within [[Ontario]] ==== * From [[London (Ontario)|London]] ([[Southwestern Ontario]]) - 45-50 minutes * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Eastern Ontario]]) - 1 hour * From [[Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario)|Sault Sainte Marie]] ([[Northern Ontario]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Thunder Bay]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Timmins]] (Northern Ontario) - 1.5 hours * From [[Windsor (Ontario)|Windsor]] (Southwestern Ontario) - 55 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 2.5 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 3.75 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 2-2.5 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 2.25-2.5 hours * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Moncton]] (New Brunswick) - 2.25-2.75 hours * From [[Quebec City]] (Quebec) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3 hours * From [[Saskatoon]] (Saskatchewan) - 3 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.25-4.5 hours * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] (British Columbia) - 4.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.25 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 2 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 3 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3-3.25 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 4.5-7.75 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 4.5 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 4.75-5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.5-1.75 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 3.75-4 hours * From [[Montego Bay]] ([[Jamaica]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Panama City]] ([[Panama]]) - 5.5 hours * From [[Punta Cana]] ([[Dominican Republic]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Varadero]] ([[Cuba]]) - 3.25-3.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[South America]] ==== * [[Bogotá]] ([[Colombia]]) - 6.5 hours * [[São Paulo]] ([[Brazil]]) - 10.25 hours * [[Santiago de Chile]] ([[Chile]]) - 10.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Tel Aviv]] ([[Israel]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 13 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ==== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 8-8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 7.5-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 10.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.5 to 8 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 8 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 6 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 9.5-9.75 hours === Airlines === Canadian airlines operating to Toronto: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], Toronto, and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Swoop|url=https://help.flyswoop.com/|phone=+1-587-441-1001|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==Ground transportation== {{mapframe|43.6820|-79.6178|zoom=15}} === {{Mapshape|title=Union Pearson Express|wikidata=Q497520|type=geoline|stroke=#948a4c|stroke-width=4|stroke-opacity=1}}By public transit === ==== By train ==== The ''Union Pearson Express'' train goes to downtown [[Toronto]]: * {{go | name=Union Pearson Express | alt=UP Express | url=http://www.upexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 3 at airport | phone=+1 416-869-3600 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-869-1662 | hours=5:30AM - 1:30AM | price=Adult: $12.35 cash, or $9.25 with a Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app; senior: $6.20 cash or $5.80 with Presto card; free for children 12 and under | wikipedia=Union Pearson Express | wikidata=Q16901889 | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=UP Express trains operate between the airport and Union Station providing connections to the Toronto subway at Bloor Station (near Dundas West Station on Line 2) and Union Station (Line 1). (UP Express also has an intermediate stop at Weston station on Lawrence Avenue West.) A trip takes 25 minutes and trains depart every 30 minutes. The station provides airline check-in kiosks, luggage racks, onboard Wi-Fi and up-to-the-minute flight information. UP Express station is at Terminal 1; the airport's Link train connects Terminal 3 to the UP Express station. Tickets and Presto cards can be purchased at the UP Express station. }} '''[[Presto card]]s''' can be purchased at the UP Express station for $16 each ($6 for the card plus a $10 minimum balance); higher balances can be purchased. Besides the UP Express, Presto is supported by many transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]. Seniors (65+) should have their cards set for reduced senior fares. When paying by Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app, UP Express passengers must tap on using a Presto reader on the platform before boarding the train, and tap off after arrival. If you use the intermediate stops at Bloor or Weston station, use only the UP Express Presto readers to tap on/off; do '''not''' use the GO train Presto readers. ==== By bus ==== Toronto Pearson provides a [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/public-transit-buses webpage] indicating where to board the various bus services at Terminal 1 and 3 often indicating the column (pillar) where buses stop. Various local buses serve Pearson airport. All accept the [[Presto card]] (see also [[#By train|previous section]]) for fare payment. {{infobox|Airport Express routes|Both Brampton Transit and TTC name their express route to/from the airport as "Airport Express" even though they go to different cities (in opposite directions!) Brampton Transit buses are blue and white while TTC buses are red and white. Be sure to check the route number (route 115 for Brampton Transit; route 900 for TTC) before you board the bus.}} * {{Listing|name=Brampton Transit|url=https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/transit/Pages/Home.aspx|email=transit@brampton.ca|phone=+1-905-874-2999|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates the Airport Express (route 115) bus from the airport to Bramalea City Centre in [[Brampton]], a suburb directly north of Mississauga. Brampton Transit stops only at Terminal 1. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. * {{Listing|name=GO Transit|url=https://www.gotransit.com/|directions=|phone=+1-416-869-3200|tollfree=+1-888-438-6646|lastedit=2022-05-23|content=Operates bus and rail commuter/regional transit within and near the [[Greater Toronto Area]].}} It offers two [https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/going-to-the-airport/airport airport service routes] operating from Terminal 1 on the ground floor. Both GO routes run 24/7 with a frequency of every 30 minutes in rush hours, every 60 minutes at other times. Some GO buses have under-floor compartments for luggage. Fares can be purchased with cash, debit or credit card at the machine near Door R. The fare can also be paid by Presto card, but remember to tap both on and off at the beginning and end of trip respectively. **Route 34 – Pearson Airport/North York Express GO Bus runs by four Toronto subway stations (Yorkdale, Sheppard-Yonge, North York Centre and Finch) in [[Toronto/North York|North York]]. **Route 40 – Travels between [[Richmond Hill (Ontario)|Richmond Hill Centre Terminal]] and or Hamilton GO Centre in [[Hamilton (Ontario)|Hamilton]] including stops in [[Vaughan]], Terminal 1 of the airport, Square One Terminal in [[Mississauga]], [[Oakville (Ontario)|Oakville]], and [[Burlington (Ontario)|Burlington]]. * {{Listing|name=MiWay|url=https://www.mississauga.ca/miway-transit/|email=miwayhelps@mississauga.ca|phone=+1-905-615-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates two bus routes connecting the airport with Square One (City Centre Transit Terminal) within the city of [[Mississauga]]. MiWay buses stop at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. **Route 7 Airport runs via the airport from Square One mall (Cooksville) and Westwood Mall (Malton). **Route 100 Airport Express runs weekdays only between the airport and Winston Churchill station stopping at Square 1. {{infobox|Presto cards & Presto tickets|Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 each have a fare vending machine inside the terminal building on the ground level opposite the TTC bus stop. These machines sell '''[[Presto card]]s''' (used by most transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]) and '''[[Toronto#Paying by Presto|Presto tickets]]''' used exclusively for TTC services. The machines accept payment by cash or credit card and issue your choice of either a Presto card or Presto ticket. When boarding a bus supporting Presto, tap your Presto card or ticket on the Presto reader at the front door of the bus. Remember: Presto tickets are valid only on TTC vehicles. ([https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes/How-to-buy-fares-and-passes Source])<!--Source is included for easy reference to check for further changes (2022/01/13).-->}} * {{Listing|name=Toronto Transit Commission|alt=TTC|url=https://www.ttc.ca/|phone=+1-416-393-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25|content=Toronto's main transit system and one of the most heavily used in North America. TTC consists of buses, streetcars and subway lines.}} [http://www.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Airport_service.jsp Bus service] from the subway to the airport is same as to any other destination in Toronto. TTC stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fare is by Presto card, Presto ticket (see sidebar) or by exact change. If paying by cash, get a transfer from the driver to make connections to other TTC vehicles. ** Route 900 Airport Express runs every 10 minutes or better to/from Kipling Station on Line 2, making the journey in 20–25 minutes. ** Route 52/52A Lawrence West is a local bus connecting to Lawrence and Lawrence West stations, both on subway Line 1. Running every 10 minutes or better, this is a slow route making frequent stops. The route number is 52 from the airport and 52A to the airport. Do '''not''' take routes 52B or 52D as these bypass the airport despite their tempting sign saying "extra fare required west of airport". ** Route 952 Lawrence West Express is a rush-hour service following the 52A route but with fewer stops. : The following are night bus routes running when the subway is shut down between 1:30AM and 5:30AM (8AM on Sundays): :* Route 300A Bloor-Danforth night bus provides service along Line 2 of the subway and goes directly to the airport. :* Route 332 Eglinton West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 352 Lawrence West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 320 Yonge does '''not''' go to the airport, but it does provide a night connection downtown for riders coming from routes 300A, 332 and 352. ====Intercity buses==== A few intercity buses serve the airport directly. * [https://ca.megabus.com/ '''Megabus'''] (''Coach Canada'') runs to [[Port Hope]], [[Trenton (Ontario)|Trenton]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Napanee]] and [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] (including a stop at Queen's University), serving various points along [[Ontario Highway 401]]. The journey from the airport to Kingston takes 3:45. [https://ca.megabus.com/route-guides/toronto-airport-to-kingston-bus Pickups] are at Terminal 1 Post P5 and Terminal 3 Post C8. *{{go|name=TOK Coachlines|alt=|url=https://tokcoachlines.com/|email=info@tokcoachlines.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=Toronto Union Station Bus Terminal|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-387-7097|hours=|price=|lastedit=2021-03-19|content=Operates bus routes in [[Ontario]].}} Operates a bus between Southampton and downtown [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Brockton (Ontario)|Port Elgin]], [[Kincardine (Ontario)|Kincardine]], [[Walkerton]], [[Hanover (Ontario)|Hanover]], [[Orangeville (Ontario)|Orangeville]], and Toronto Pearson International Airport. * [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/long-distance-travel-options Shuttle and van services] are available to other destinations in southern Ontario (e.g. Waterloo, London, Niagara Falls) ===By taxi=== Airport taxi fares range from $19-78 (east) and $19-65 (west). Limousine fares are $21-86 (east) and $21-72 (west). Fares out of town are typically $1.55/km (taxi) and $1.45/km (limousine). * '''Taxis''' to [[Toronto/Downtown|downtown Toronto]] run a flat rate of $53 (other areas of the city vary but are also flat rate,) while airport limousines go slightly higher ($58 to downtown Toronto). Limousines are generally slightly larger (though not stretched), most are dark-blue Lincoln Town Cars and a bit more comfortable than taxis. As the airport is not in Toronto, regular Toronto city cabs do not pick up fares at the Pearson air terminals. Government approved rates can be found [http://torontopearson.com/en/toandfrom/taxilimo online]. *'''Fake taxis''' (also called "Gypsy Cabs" by the locals) are frequently found congregating around Pearson Airport. If a driver approaches you inside the arrivals hall and asks if you need a ride, and you didn't arrange a car in advance, they are definitely unlicensed (legitimate cab drivers are prohibited by law from entering the terminal building to look for passengers.) While the risk of being a victim of crime as an unlicensed taxi passenger is very low, drivers and their vehicles are not held to the same safety and maintenance standards as their licensed counterparts. If you decide to patronize a Gypsy Cab, proceed at your own risk and be sure to agree on a fare in advance! === By ride hailing === Ride hailing passengers are picked up from the airport at the following locations with signage that states "Ride App Pickup": * Terminal 1: Ground Level at Door Q or P * Terminal 3: Arrivals Level at Door D. ==== Ride hailing services: ==== * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/city-of-toronto-on|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/cities/toronto|lastedit=2022-07-31|content=}} '''UberX''', '''Uber Black''' and '''Uber SUV''' services are available. The latter two sometimes using the same vehicles as the existing limo service but at a premium price (UberBlack for $88 to $115, UberSUV $100 to $128, of which $15 per ride goes to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority). UberX costs about $35 to $40 to downtown Toronto, and Greater Toronto Airports Authority charges a $4.50 pickup fee and $4 drop-off fee. === By rental car === The following car rental companies operate at Terminal 1: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3291|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-905-676-1100|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-905-676-1500|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3659|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-416-674-2020|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3290|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-905-676-9127|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ==Get around== [[Image:Pearson T3 LINK Station.jpg|thumb|Terminal Link at Terminal 3]] * [http://torontopearson.com/en/link/ Terminal Link] train runs every 4-8 minutes between Terminal 1, Terminal 3 (including Sheraton Gateway Hotel) and Viscount Road (Value Park Garage, Value Park Lot and Alt Hotel). Free. ==Wait== There are various temporary or permanent art exhibitions scattered through Terminal 1, and eight permanent sculpture installations. The Royal Ontario Museum operates a small display of dinosaurs; other partners for temporary exhibitions include Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the CONTACT Photography Festival, Design Exchange, Ontario Crafts Council and Open Studio. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=American Admirals Club | alt= | url=https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/airportAmenities/yyz-club.jsp | email= | address=Terminal 3, US Transborder Departures | lat= | long= | directions=Near duty free stores | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=5:00 am - 7:00 pm | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#!lounge@toronto | email= | address=Domestic Express: Terminal 1, Commuter Terminal; Domestic: Terminal 1 on level 4; US Transborder: Terminal 1 on level 4, node F; International: Terminal 1 on level 3, node F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{Listing|name=KLM Crown Lounge|url=https://www.klm.ca/information/bulletin-board/crowne-lounge|address=Terminal 3 international departures|directions=Just above Gate C33, elevator access opposite gate C32|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/americas-europe/canada/toronto/toronto-pearson-international-airport?stype=All | email= | address=Domestic: Terminal 1 departures (pre-security), Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; US Transborder: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; International: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:Interior of Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 wider view.jpg|thumb|right|Terminal 1]] This is a partial listing, see also [https://torontopearson.com/foodanddrink/ the full directory]. After security, there are a number of bars and cafes embedded in the departure gate area. The tables are equipped with tablets and tables. While they are mainly for the customers for the restaurant establishments, you can sit there and wait for your next flight, catch up on work or charge up your electronics as a non-paying customer. * {{eat | name=A &amp; W | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 647-479-7879 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Inexpensive fast food, hamburgers, root beer. }} * {{eat | name=Apropos | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Brew pub. }} * {{eat | name=Caplansky's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Snack bar and deli. }} * {{eat | name=Corso | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Trattoria featuring traditional Italian cuisine, rustic Italian flavours, fresh-made pastas, pizzas, salads and antipasti. }} * {{eat | name=Fetta Panini Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Heirloom Bakery Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods. }} * {{eat | name=Nobel Burger Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chef-inspired gourmet burgers. Open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant, build your own burger or choose from a menu. }} * {{eat | name=Starbucks | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee shop, multiple locations. }} * {{eat | name=Subway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-6980 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Submarine sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3 landside, 6301 Silver Dart Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-9758 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chicken. Moderately-priced sit-down restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Tim Horton's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee, doughnuts and sandwiches. Several locations in both terminals. }} * {{eat | name=Vinifera | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine bar, menu features small plates, salads and paninis with fresh ingredients. }} The airport has partnered with Uber Eats to deliver foods from restaurants at the airport to the waiting area at the gates. This is offered in the international and domestic sections of Terminal 3. ==Buy== [[Image:International airport toronto pearson.jpg|thumb|Terminal 3]] * {{buy | name=7-Eleven | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-671-2875 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Convenience store, two locations. }} * {{buy | name=Best Buy Express | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside and airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Consumer electronics. }} * {{buy | name=Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-5305 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Major domestic chartered bank with currency exchange and banking service. Located in Terminals 1 and 3 at departures level spread out in pre and post security. }} * {{buy | name=Maclean's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-8479 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, multiple locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-9513 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Samsonite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel luggage. }} * {{buy | name=Toronto Marketplace | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-8596 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Souvenir shop on Terminal 3 departure level. }} * {{buy | name=Travel Store | alt= | url=http://www.torontopearson.com/PearsonContent.aspx?id=3317 | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-6677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel accessories, luggage, travel backpacks and bags, leather goods, jewellery, watches, umbrellas and belts. Luggage storage service. }} * {{buy | name=International Currency Exchange (ICE)| alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-09-04 | content=Foreign currency exchange, multiple locations in both terminals. Rates are poor compared to exchange offices in the city: in Sep 2018, the buy rate for USD was $1.15, and the sell rate was $1.50. }} ==Connect== Free Wi-Fi is available in both terminals. Select “Toronto Pearson Wi-Fi” from the network list, launch a web browser and click "connect" on the Boingo landing page. Note that the landing page asks you to enter your email but you are not obligated to enter anything. Just click on the checkbox and agree to the terms and conditions to be granted with internet access. After security, the airport has renovated many of the waiting areas near the gates to accommodate more food vendors, many of them have table service. These areas are outfitted with iPads, power outlets and restaurant-quality tables and chairs. You do not need to make a purchase from the food vendors to sit in these areas. ==Cope== Trolleys are available for free on landside in both terminals. * Luggage storage is available at any of the '''Samsonite''' stores. * {{listing | name=Aviation Interfaith Ministry | alt= | url=http://torontopearson.com/en/shopdinerelax/interfaith-ministry/ | email= | address=Interfaith centres in Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One set of daily religious services in each terminal. Interdenominational Christian worship service weekdays, Toronto Airport Catholic Chaplaincy Holy Mass seven days a week. Pastoral care to guests, airport and airline employees and their families. }} * {{listing | name=Goodlife Fitness | alt= | url=http://www.goodlifefitness.com/locations/ontario/mississauga/toronto-pearson | email=torontopearson@goodlifefitness.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1 arrivals level, Gate F | phone=+1 905-671-3721 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4AM-11:30PM | price=$15 including towel service. $10 extra to rent work-out clothes and shoes. Free luggage storage. | content=Work out and get a show while you wait in the airport. }} ==Sleep== There is one hotel in the airport, and another nearby: * {{sleep | name=Sheraton Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sheratongatewaytorontoairport.com | email= | address=Terminal 3 · Malton Airport (YYZ) | lat=43.6866652 | long=-79.6201944 | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Only hotel in the airport terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Alt Hotel | alt= | url=http://toronto.althotels.ca/en | email= | address= 6080 Viscount Road, Mississauga | lat=43.6896923 | long=-79.6169806 | directions= | phone=+1 905-362-4337 | tollfree=+1-855-855-6080 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=On airport grounds, near Link Train station and value car park lots. }} The main hotel strip serving Pearson airport is Airport Road (Mississauga), which continues into Toronto as Dixon Road (Etobicoke). The municipal boundary is Highway 427, a busy freeway. See [[Mississauga#Sleep]] and [[Toronto/Etobicoke#Sleep]] for additional options. ===Nearby=== Malton (Mississauga): * {{sleep | name=Four Points by Sheraton | alt= | url=http://www.fourpointstorontoairport.com | email= | address=6257 Airport Road | lat=43.6902885 | long=-79.6238741 | directions= | phone=+1 905-678-1400 | tollfree=+1-866-716-8133 | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=500 m from airport, shuttle bus to terminals, 24-hour business centre, fitness, on-site restaurant. }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ontario/hilton-toronto-airport-hotel-and-suites-YYZHIHH/index.html | email= | address=5875 Airport Road, L4V 1N1 | lat=43.6869466 | long=-79.6060643 | directions= | phone = +1 905-677-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=from $129 | checkin= 3PM | checkout= noon | content=Complimentary airport shuttle,overnight parking, meeting and banquet facilities, outdoor heated pool, squash, sauna, suites available. }} Etobicoke (Toronto): * {{sleep | name=Courtyard by Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzap-courtyard-toronto-airport/ | email= | address=231 Carlingview Drive | lat=43.684982 | long=-79.596241 | directions= | phone=+1 416-675-0411 | tollfree=+1-866-675-0411 | fax=+1 416-675-0433 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=International Plaza | alt= | url=http://www.internationalplazahotel.com | email= | address=655 Dixon Road | lat=43.6890793 | long=-79.5801772 | directions= | phone=+1 416-244-1711 | tollfree=+1-800-668-3656 | fax=+1 416-244-7281 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Airport Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzot-toronto-airport-marriott-hotel/ | email= | address=901 Dixon Rd | lat=43.685845 | long=-79.5957629 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-9400 | tollfree=+1-800-905-2811 | fax=+1-416-674-8292 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Quality Suites Toronto Airport | alt= | url=http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/quality-suites-toronto-airport-toronto-hotel-cn309 | email= | address=262 Carlingview Dr. | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1 416-674-8442 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-674-3088 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Two-room suites, separate bedroom with king bed and television and living room with sofa sleeper, coffee maker, dining room table with chairs. Some suites include refrigerators and microwaves. Meeting and banquet rooms accommodate up to 120. Graffiti's Italian Eatery & Saloon on-site with room service. News stand and souvenir shop, Stay & Fly packages. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Suite Hotel Toronto Airport | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-toronto-airport | email= | address=640 Dixon Road | lat=43.6921799 | long=-79.5787453 | directions= | phone=+1 416-242-7400 | tollfree=+1-800-333-3333 | fax=+1 416-242-9888 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Includes airport shuttle and Wi-Fi. Fitness centre, on-site dining. }} * {{sleep | name=Travelodge | alt= | url=http://www.travelodge.ca/property/travelodge-hotel-toronto-airport | email= | address=925 Dixon Road | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-2222 | tollfree= | fax=+1-416-674-5757 | price= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/toronto/yyzia/hoteldetail | email= | address=970 Dixon Road | lat=43.6874376 | long=-79.6022324 | directions= | phone=+1-416-675-7611 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} There are also a few restaurants on the Airport Road/Dixon Road hotel strip, either as part of various hotels or operated stand-alone. ==Nearby== The immediate area around Toronto Pearson International Airport are industrial or warehouses. You can take the UP Express to downtown Toronto in 25 mins or public transit (GO Bus, Mississauga Transit) to Square One Mall in Mississauga in 30 to 40 mins. {{IsPartOf|Greater Toronto Area}} {{usableairport}} {{geo|43.678|-79.634|zoom=13}} gwd9ljsv8echvk0igcbs6giiggxt9o2 4501931 4501863 2022-08-16T07:03:45Z Rosspotter 2274401 amend title wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Toronto Pearson banner.jpg|caption=Union Pearson Express station at airport}}{{Listing|name=Toronto Pearson International Airport|alt={{IATA|YYZ}}|url=https://www.torontopearson.com/|phone=+1 416-247-7678|tollfree=+1 866-207-1690|lastedit=2022-05-29|content=The airport is in [[Mississauga]] near [[Toronto]]. As [[Canada|Canada's]] busiest airport, it handled 50.5 million passengers in 2019. Toronto is also served by the small [[Toronto#Billy Bishop Airport|Billy Bishop Airport]], near the city centre, which handles only short-haul flights in central Canada and the northeastern U.S. }} ==Understand== '''Malton Airport''', built on what were farmers' fields in the 1930s, hosted its first scheduled passenger flight (a Trans-Canada Airlines DC-3 landing) on August 29, 1939. From 1940-1942, Malton hosted a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan flight school. Malton Airport became Toronto International Airport in 1960. Various terminal buildings have been constructed and demolished over the years as the airport expanded; Aeroquay One (1964) was demolished in 2004 and replaced with a new Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 (1972) was demolished in 2007. As Toronto surpassed Montreal to become Canada's largest city in the 1970s, traffic through Pearson has been steadily increasing. While flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''''s corporate headquarters remain in Montreal, Toronto Pearson is now the airline's largest hub. While Montreal traffic was split for many years with the construction of an awkward outlying airport at Mirabel, a second major Toronto-area airport proposed for [[Pickering (Ontario)|Pickering]] met with strong local opposition since the mid-1970s and was never constructed. While some short-range flights to destinations like Montreal, New York and Chicago operate from Toronto Islands airport, the bulk of Toronto's passenger volume by necessity goes through Pearson, the second-busiest airport for international traffic (behind [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in [[New York City]]) in [[North America]]. ==Flights== [[Image:Inuksuit (Toronto Pearson Airport).jpg|thumb|''Inuksuit'' (traditional Inuit statues) outside Terminal 1]] There are two terminals at the airport: 1 and 3 (2 was demolished due to new development). Flights are arranged in this way: {{Regionlist |region1name=Terminal 1 |region1color=#ad92ac |region1items=Star Alliance, Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region1description= Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, Air North, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Canadian North, Copa Airlines, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lynx Air, Swiss, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, United |region2name=Terminal 3 |region2color=#8f9271 |region2items=Skyteam, Oneworld and all non-alliance airlines except Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region2description=Aer Lingus, Aeroméxico, Air France, Air Transat, American Airlines, Azores Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Condor, Delta, El Al, Etihad, Flair, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, KLM, Korean Air, Pakistan International, Philippines Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Sunwing Airlines, Swoop, Ukraine International Airlines (temporary suspended), WestJet }} === Departures === For flights to the USA, you go through US border preclearance for customs and immigration after check-in. This is generally a quick process and saves any queuing in the States. It also allows airlines to fly into US destinations which do not have the capacity to handle customs and immigration since passengers who went through border preclearance are treated as domestic passengers on arrival to the US. At peak times the lines at security can be very long so allow plenty of time to get through the system. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ad92ac|title=Terminal 1|wikidata=Q56240215}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#8f9271|title=Terminal 3|wikidata=Q56240216}} === Arrivals === For both Terminals 1 and 3, the international arrivals are located on the eastern side of the terminals and the domestic arrivals are located on the western side. ===Connecting flights=== Just like the United States, Canada does not allow for sterile transit, so passengers connecting from one international flight to another need to pass through customs and immigration before re-checking their bags to their final destination. Ensure that you meet all the entry requirements for Canada, including having a visa if necessary, before you book your flights. The sole exception is when arriving on a non-U.S. international flight and transferring to a U.S.-bound flight in the same terminal. In that case, you don't have to clear Canadian customs and immigration, and you can proceed straight to the U.S. border preclearance facility. However, you will still need to have a visa for Canada if required for your nationality. === Destinations === Direct flights to Toronto are available from every major Canadian airport, from North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. ==== Direct flights from within [[Ontario]] ==== * From [[London (Ontario)|London]] ([[Southwestern Ontario]]) - 45-50 minutes * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Eastern Ontario]]) - 1 hour * From [[Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario)|Sault Sainte Marie]] ([[Northern Ontario]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Thunder Bay]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Timmins]] (Northern Ontario) - 1.5 hours * From [[Windsor (Ontario)|Windsor]] (Southwestern Ontario) - 55 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 2.5 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 3.75 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 2-2.5 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 2.25-2.5 hours * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Moncton]] (New Brunswick) - 2.25-2.75 hours * From [[Quebec City]] (Quebec) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3 hours * From [[Saskatoon]] (Saskatchewan) - 3 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.25-4.5 hours * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] (British Columbia) - 4.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.25 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 2 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 3 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3-3.25 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 4.5-7.75 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 4.5 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 4.75-5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.5-1.75 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 3.75-4 hours * From [[Montego Bay]] ([[Jamaica]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Panama City]] ([[Panama]]) - 5.5 hours * From [[Punta Cana]] ([[Dominican Republic]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Varadero]] ([[Cuba]]) - 3.25-3.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[South America]] ==== * [[Bogotá]] ([[Colombia]]) - 6.5 hours * [[São Paulo]] ([[Brazil]]) - 10.25 hours * [[Santiago de Chile]] ([[Chile]]) - 10.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Tel Aviv]] ([[Israel]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 13 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ==== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 8-8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 7.5-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 10.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.5 to 8 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 8 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 6 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 9.5-9.75 hours === Airlines === Canadian airlines operating to Toronto: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], Toronto, and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Swoop|url=https://help.flyswoop.com/|phone=+1-587-441-1001|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==Ground transportation== {{mapframe|43.6820|-79.6178|zoom=15}} === {{Mapshape|title=Union Pearson Express|wikidata=Q497520|type=geoline|stroke=#948a4c|stroke-width=4|stroke-opacity=1}}By public transit === ==== By train ==== The ''Union Pearson Express'' train goes to downtown [[Toronto]]: * {{go | name=Union Pearson Express | alt=UP Express | url=http://www.upexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 3 at airport | phone=+1 416-869-3600 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-869-1662 | hours=5:30AM - 1:30AM | price=Adult: $12.35 cash, or $9.25 with a Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app; senior: $6.20 cash or $5.80 with Presto card; free for children 12 and under | wikipedia=Union Pearson Express | wikidata=Q16901889 | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=UP Express trains operate between the airport and Union Station providing connections to the Toronto subway at Bloor Station (near Dundas West Station on Line 2) and Union Station (Line 1). (UP Express also has an intermediate stop at Weston station on Lawrence Avenue West.) A trip takes 25 minutes and trains depart every 30 minutes. The station provides airline check-in kiosks, luggage racks, onboard Wi-Fi and up-to-the-minute flight information. UP Express station is at Terminal 1; the airport's Link train connects Terminal 3 to the UP Express station. Tickets and Presto cards can be purchased at the UP Express station. }} '''[[Presto card]]s''' can be purchased at the UP Express station for $16 each ($6 for the card plus a $10 minimum balance); higher balances can be purchased. Besides the UP Express, Presto is supported by many transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]. Seniors (65+) should have their cards set for reduced senior fares. When paying by Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app, UP Express passengers must tap on using a Presto reader on the platform before boarding the train, and tap off after arrival. If you use the intermediate stops at Bloor or Weston station, use only the UP Express Presto readers to tap on/off; do '''not''' use the GO train Presto readers. ==== By bus ==== Toronto Pearson provides a [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/public-transit-buses webpage] indicating where to board the various bus services at Terminal 1 and 3 often indicating the column (pillar) where buses stop. Various local buses serve Pearson airport. All accept the [[Presto card]] (see also [[#By train|previous section]]) for fare payment. {{infobox|Airport Express routes|Both Brampton Transit and TTC name their express route to/from the airport as "Airport Express" even though they go to different cities (in opposite directions!) Brampton Transit buses are blue and white while TTC buses are red and white. Be sure to check the route number (route 115 for Brampton Transit; route 900 for TTC) before you board the bus.}} * {{Listing|name=Brampton Transit|url=https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/transit/Pages/Home.aspx|email=transit@brampton.ca|phone=+1-905-874-2999|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates the Airport Express (route 115) bus from the airport to Bramalea City Centre in [[Brampton]], a suburb directly north of Mississauga. Brampton Transit stops only at Terminal 1. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. * {{Listing|name=GO Transit|url=https://www.gotransit.com/|directions=|phone=+1-416-869-3200|tollfree=+1-888-438-6646|lastedit=2022-05-23|content=Operates bus and rail commuter/regional transit within and near the [[Greater Toronto Area]].}} It offers two [https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/going-to-the-airport/airport airport service routes] operating from Terminal 1 on the ground floor. Both GO routes run 24/7 with a frequency of every 30 minutes in rush hours, every 60 minutes at other times. Some GO buses have under-floor compartments for luggage. Fares can be purchased with cash, debit or credit card at the machine near Door R. The fare can also be paid by Presto card, but remember to tap both on and off at the beginning and end of trip respectively. **Route 34 – Pearson Airport/North York Express GO Bus runs by four Toronto subway stations (Yorkdale, Sheppard-Yonge, North York Centre and Finch) in [[Toronto/North York|North York]]. **Route 40 – Travels between [[Richmond Hill (Ontario)|Richmond Hill Centre Terminal]] and or Hamilton GO Centre in [[Hamilton (Ontario)|Hamilton]] including stops in [[Vaughan]], Terminal 1 of the airport, Square One Terminal in [[Mississauga]], [[Oakville (Ontario)|Oakville]], and [[Burlington (Ontario)|Burlington]]. * {{Listing|name=MiWay|url=https://www.mississauga.ca/miway-transit/|email=miwayhelps@mississauga.ca|phone=+1-905-615-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates two bus routes connecting the airport with Square One (City Centre Transit Terminal) within the city of [[Mississauga]]. MiWay buses stop at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. **Route 7 Airport runs via the airport from Square One mall (Cooksville) and Westwood Mall (Malton). **Route 100 Airport Express runs weekdays only between the airport and Winston Churchill station stopping at Square 1. {{infobox|Presto cards & Presto tickets|Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 each have a fare vending machine inside the terminal building on the ground level opposite the TTC bus stop. These machines sell '''[[Presto card]]s''' (used by most transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]) and '''[[Toronto#Paying by Presto|Presto tickets]]''' used exclusively for TTC services. The machines accept payment by cash or credit card and issue your choice of either a Presto card or Presto ticket. When boarding a bus supporting Presto, tap your Presto card or ticket on the Presto reader at the front door of the bus. Remember: Presto tickets are valid only on TTC vehicles. ([https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes/How-to-buy-fares-and-passes Source])<!--Source is included for easy reference to check for further changes (2022/01/13).-->}} * {{Listing|name=Toronto Transit Commission|alt=TTC|url=https://www.ttc.ca/|phone=+1-416-393-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25|content=Toronto's main transit system and one of the most heavily used in North America. TTC consists of buses, streetcars and subway lines.}} [http://www.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Airport_service.jsp Bus service] from the subway to the airport is same as to any other destination in Toronto. TTC stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fare is by Presto card, Presto ticket (see sidebar) or by exact change. If paying by cash, get a transfer from the driver to make connections to other TTC vehicles. ** Route 900 Airport Express runs every 10 minutes or better to/from Kipling Station on Line 2, making the journey in 20–25 minutes. ** Route 52/52A Lawrence West is a local bus connecting to Lawrence and Lawrence West stations, both on subway Line 1. Running every 10 minutes or better, this is a slow route making frequent stops. The route number is 52 from the airport and 52A to the airport. Do '''not''' take routes 52B or 52D as these bypass the airport despite their tempting sign saying "extra fare required west of airport". ** Route 952 Lawrence West Express is a rush-hour service following the 52A route but with fewer stops. : The following are night bus routes running when the subway is shut down between 1:30AM and 5:30AM (8AM on Sundays): :* Route 300A Bloor-Danforth night bus provides service along Line 2 of the subway and goes directly to the airport. :* Route 332 Eglinton West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 352 Lawrence West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 320 Yonge does '''not''' go to the airport, but it does provide a night connection downtown for riders coming from routes 300A, 332 and 352. ====Intercity buses==== A few intercity buses serve the airport directly. * [https://ca.megabus.com/ '''Megabus'''] (''Coach Canada'') runs to [[Port Hope]], [[Trenton (Ontario)|Trenton]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Napanee]] and [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] (including a stop at Queen's University), serving various points along [[Ontario Highway 401]]. The journey from the airport to Kingston takes 3:45. [https://ca.megabus.com/route-guides/toronto-airport-to-kingston-bus Pickups] are at Terminal 1 Post P5 and Terminal 3 Post C8. *{{go|name=TOK Coachlines|alt=|url=https://tokcoachlines.com/|email=info@tokcoachlines.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=Toronto Union Station Bus Terminal|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-387-7097|hours=|price=|lastedit=2021-03-19|content=Operates bus routes in [[Ontario]].}} Operates a bus between Southampton and downtown [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Brockton (Ontario)|Port Elgin]], [[Kincardine (Ontario)|Kincardine]], [[Walkerton]], [[Hanover (Ontario)|Hanover]], [[Orangeville (Ontario)|Orangeville]], and Toronto Pearson International Airport. * [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/long-distance-travel-options Shuttle and van services] are available to other destinations in southern Ontario (e.g. Waterloo, London, Niagara Falls) ===By taxi=== Airport taxi fares range from $19-78 (east) and $19-65 (west). Limousine fares are $21-86 (east) and $21-72 (west). Fares out of town are typically $1.55/km (taxi) and $1.45/km (limousine). * '''Taxis''' to [[Toronto/Downtown|downtown Toronto]] run a flat rate of $53 (other areas of the city vary but are also flat rate,) while airport limousines go slightly higher ($58 to downtown Toronto). Limousines are generally slightly larger (though not stretched), most are dark-blue Lincoln Town Cars and a bit more comfortable than taxis. As the airport is not in Toronto, regular Toronto city cabs do not pick up fares at the Pearson air terminals. Government approved rates can be found [http://torontopearson.com/en/toandfrom/taxilimo online]. *'''Fake taxis''' (also called "Gypsy Cabs" by the locals) are frequently found congregating around Pearson Airport. If a driver approaches you inside the arrivals hall and asks if you need a ride, and you didn't arrange a car in advance, they are definitely unlicensed (legitimate cab drivers are prohibited by law from entering the terminal building to look for passengers.) While the risk of being a victim of crime as an unlicensed taxi passenger is very low, drivers and their vehicles are not held to the same safety and maintenance standards as their licensed counterparts. If you decide to patronize a Gypsy Cab, proceed at your own risk and be sure to agree on a fare in advance! === By ride hailing === Ride hailing passengers are picked up from the airport at the following locations with signage that states "Ride App Pickup": * Terminal 1: Ground Level at Door Q or P * Terminal 3: Arrivals Level at Door D. ==== Ride hailing services: ==== * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/city-of-toronto-on|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/cities/toronto|lastedit=2022-07-31|content=}} '''UberX''', '''Uber Black''' and '''Uber SUV''' services are available. The latter two sometimes using the same vehicles as the existing limo service but at a premium price (UberBlack for $88 to $115, UberSUV $100 to $128, of which $15 per ride goes to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority). UberX costs about $35 to $40 to downtown Toronto, and Greater Toronto Airports Authority charges a $4.50 pickup fee and $4 drop-off fee. === By rental car === The following car rental companies operate at Terminal 1: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3291|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-905-676-1100|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-905-676-1500|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3659|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-416-674-2020|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3290|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-905-676-9127|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ==Get around== [[Image:Pearson T3 LINK Station.jpg|thumb|Terminal Link at Terminal 3]] * [http://torontopearson.com/en/link/ Terminal Link] train runs every 4-8 minutes between Terminal 1, Terminal 3 (including Sheraton Gateway Hotel) and Viscount Road (Value Park Garage, Value Park Lot and Alt Hotel). Free. ==Wait== There are various temporary or permanent art exhibitions scattered through Terminal 1, and eight permanent sculpture installations. The Royal Ontario Museum operates a small display of dinosaurs; other partners for temporary exhibitions include Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the CONTACT Photography Festival, Design Exchange, Ontario Crafts Council and Open Studio. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=American Admirals Club | alt= | url=https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/airportAmenities/yyz-club.jsp | email= | address=Terminal 3, US Transborder Departures | lat= | long= | directions=Near duty free stores | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=5:00 am - 7:00 pm | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#!lounge@toronto | email= | address=Domestic Express: Terminal 1, Commuter Terminal; Domestic: Terminal 1 on level 4; US Transborder: Terminal 1 on level 4, node F; International: Terminal 1 on level 3, node F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{Listing|name=Air France / KLM Crown Lounge|url=https://www.klm.ca/information/bulletin-board/crowne-lounge|address=Terminal 3 international departures|directions=Just above Gate C33, elevator access opposite gate C32|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/americas-europe/canada/toronto/toronto-pearson-international-airport?stype=All | email= | address=Domestic: Terminal 1 departures (pre-security), Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; US Transborder: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; International: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:Interior of Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 wider view.jpg|thumb|right|Terminal 1]] This is a partial listing, see also [https://torontopearson.com/foodanddrink/ the full directory]. After security, there are a number of bars and cafes embedded in the departure gate area. The tables are equipped with tablets and tables. While they are mainly for the customers for the restaurant establishments, you can sit there and wait for your next flight, catch up on work or charge up your electronics as a non-paying customer. * {{eat | name=A &amp; W | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 647-479-7879 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Inexpensive fast food, hamburgers, root beer. }} * {{eat | name=Apropos | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Brew pub. }} * {{eat | name=Caplansky's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Snack bar and deli. }} * {{eat | name=Corso | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Trattoria featuring traditional Italian cuisine, rustic Italian flavours, fresh-made pastas, pizzas, salads and antipasti. }} * {{eat | name=Fetta Panini Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Heirloom Bakery Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods. }} * {{eat | name=Nobel Burger Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chef-inspired gourmet burgers. Open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant, build your own burger or choose from a menu. }} * {{eat | name=Starbucks | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee shop, multiple locations. }} * {{eat | name=Subway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-6980 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Submarine sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3 landside, 6301 Silver Dart Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-9758 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chicken. Moderately-priced sit-down restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Tim Horton's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee, doughnuts and sandwiches. Several locations in both terminals. }} * {{eat | name=Vinifera | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine bar, menu features small plates, salads and paninis with fresh ingredients. }} The airport has partnered with Uber Eats to deliver foods from restaurants at the airport to the waiting area at the gates. This is offered in the international and domestic sections of Terminal 3. ==Buy== [[Image:International airport toronto pearson.jpg|thumb|Terminal 3]] * {{buy | name=7-Eleven | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-671-2875 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Convenience store, two locations. }} * {{buy | name=Best Buy Express | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside and airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Consumer electronics. }} * {{buy | name=Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-5305 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Major domestic chartered bank with currency exchange and banking service. Located in Terminals 1 and 3 at departures level spread out in pre and post security. }} * {{buy | name=Maclean's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-8479 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, multiple locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-9513 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Samsonite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel luggage. }} * {{buy | name=Toronto Marketplace | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-8596 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Souvenir shop on Terminal 3 departure level. }} * {{buy | name=Travel Store | alt= | url=http://www.torontopearson.com/PearsonContent.aspx?id=3317 | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-6677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel accessories, luggage, travel backpacks and bags, leather goods, jewellery, watches, umbrellas and belts. Luggage storage service. }} * {{buy | name=International Currency Exchange (ICE)| alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-09-04 | content=Foreign currency exchange, multiple locations in both terminals. Rates are poor compared to exchange offices in the city: in Sep 2018, the buy rate for USD was $1.15, and the sell rate was $1.50. }} ==Connect== Free Wi-Fi is available in both terminals. Select “Toronto Pearson Wi-Fi” from the network list, launch a web browser and click "connect" on the Boingo landing page. Note that the landing page asks you to enter your email but you are not obligated to enter anything. Just click on the checkbox and agree to the terms and conditions to be granted with internet access. After security, the airport has renovated many of the waiting areas near the gates to accommodate more food vendors, many of them have table service. These areas are outfitted with iPads, power outlets and restaurant-quality tables and chairs. You do not need to make a purchase from the food vendors to sit in these areas. ==Cope== Trolleys are available for free on landside in both terminals. * Luggage storage is available at any of the '''Samsonite''' stores. * {{listing | name=Aviation Interfaith Ministry | alt= | url=http://torontopearson.com/en/shopdinerelax/interfaith-ministry/ | email= | address=Interfaith centres in Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One set of daily religious services in each terminal. Interdenominational Christian worship service weekdays, Toronto Airport Catholic Chaplaincy Holy Mass seven days a week. Pastoral care to guests, airport and airline employees and their families. }} * {{listing | name=Goodlife Fitness | alt= | url=http://www.goodlifefitness.com/locations/ontario/mississauga/toronto-pearson | email=torontopearson@goodlifefitness.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1 arrivals level, Gate F | phone=+1 905-671-3721 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4AM-11:30PM | price=$15 including towel service. $10 extra to rent work-out clothes and shoes. Free luggage storage. | content=Work out and get a show while you wait in the airport. }} ==Sleep== There is one hotel in the airport, and another nearby: * {{sleep | name=Sheraton Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sheratongatewaytorontoairport.com | email= | address=Terminal 3 · Malton Airport (YYZ) | lat=43.6866652 | long=-79.6201944 | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Only hotel in the airport terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Alt Hotel | alt= | url=http://toronto.althotels.ca/en | email= | address= 6080 Viscount Road, Mississauga | lat=43.6896923 | long=-79.6169806 | directions= | phone=+1 905-362-4337 | tollfree=+1-855-855-6080 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=On airport grounds, near Link Train station and value car park lots. }} The main hotel strip serving Pearson airport is Airport Road (Mississauga), which continues into Toronto as Dixon Road (Etobicoke). The municipal boundary is Highway 427, a busy freeway. See [[Mississauga#Sleep]] and [[Toronto/Etobicoke#Sleep]] for additional options. ===Nearby=== Malton (Mississauga): * {{sleep | name=Four Points by Sheraton | alt= | url=http://www.fourpointstorontoairport.com | email= | address=6257 Airport Road | lat=43.6902885 | long=-79.6238741 | directions= | phone=+1 905-678-1400 | tollfree=+1-866-716-8133 | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=500 m from airport, shuttle bus to terminals, 24-hour business centre, fitness, on-site restaurant. }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ontario/hilton-toronto-airport-hotel-and-suites-YYZHIHH/index.html | email= | address=5875 Airport Road, L4V 1N1 | lat=43.6869466 | long=-79.6060643 | directions= | phone = +1 905-677-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=from $129 | checkin= 3PM | checkout= noon | content=Complimentary airport shuttle,overnight parking, meeting and banquet facilities, outdoor heated pool, squash, sauna, suites available. }} Etobicoke (Toronto): * {{sleep | name=Courtyard by Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzap-courtyard-toronto-airport/ | email= | address=231 Carlingview Drive | lat=43.684982 | long=-79.596241 | directions= | phone=+1 416-675-0411 | tollfree=+1-866-675-0411 | fax=+1 416-675-0433 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=International Plaza | alt= | url=http://www.internationalplazahotel.com | email= | address=655 Dixon Road | lat=43.6890793 | long=-79.5801772 | directions= | phone=+1 416-244-1711 | tollfree=+1-800-668-3656 | fax=+1 416-244-7281 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Airport Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzot-toronto-airport-marriott-hotel/ | email= | address=901 Dixon Rd | lat=43.685845 | long=-79.5957629 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-9400 | tollfree=+1-800-905-2811 | fax=+1-416-674-8292 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Quality Suites Toronto Airport | alt= | url=http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/quality-suites-toronto-airport-toronto-hotel-cn309 | email= | address=262 Carlingview Dr. | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1 416-674-8442 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-674-3088 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Two-room suites, separate bedroom with king bed and television and living room with sofa sleeper, coffee maker, dining room table with chairs. Some suites include refrigerators and microwaves. Meeting and banquet rooms accommodate up to 120. Graffiti's Italian Eatery & Saloon on-site with room service. News stand and souvenir shop, Stay & Fly packages. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Suite Hotel Toronto Airport | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-toronto-airport | email= | address=640 Dixon Road | lat=43.6921799 | long=-79.5787453 | directions= | phone=+1 416-242-7400 | tollfree=+1-800-333-3333 | fax=+1 416-242-9888 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Includes airport shuttle and Wi-Fi. Fitness centre, on-site dining. }} * {{sleep | name=Travelodge | alt= | url=http://www.travelodge.ca/property/travelodge-hotel-toronto-airport | email= | address=925 Dixon Road | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-2222 | tollfree= | fax=+1-416-674-5757 | price= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/toronto/yyzia/hoteldetail | email= | address=970 Dixon Road | lat=43.6874376 | long=-79.6022324 | directions= | phone=+1-416-675-7611 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} There are also a few restaurants on the Airport Road/Dixon Road hotel strip, either as part of various hotels or operated stand-alone. ==Nearby== The immediate area around Toronto Pearson International Airport are industrial or warehouses. You can take the UP Express to downtown Toronto in 25 mins or public transit (GO Bus, Mississauga Transit) to Square One Mall in Mississauga in 30 to 40 mins. {{IsPartOf|Greater Toronto Area}} {{usableairport}} {{geo|43.678|-79.634|zoom=13}} lrn8ulhfhgxvp120wzxo85a085qnsw8 4501934 4501931 2022-08-16T07:11:12Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for American Admirals Club wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Toronto Pearson banner.jpg|caption=Union Pearson Express station at airport}}{{Listing|name=Toronto Pearson International Airport|alt={{IATA|YYZ}}|url=https://www.torontopearson.com/|phone=+1 416-247-7678|tollfree=+1 866-207-1690|lastedit=2022-05-29|content=The airport is in [[Mississauga]] near [[Toronto]]. As [[Canada|Canada's]] busiest airport, it handled 50.5 million passengers in 2019. Toronto is also served by the small [[Toronto#Billy Bishop Airport|Billy Bishop Airport]], near the city centre, which handles only short-haul flights in central Canada and the northeastern U.S. }} ==Understand== '''Malton Airport''', built on what were farmers' fields in the 1930s, hosted its first scheduled passenger flight (a Trans-Canada Airlines DC-3 landing) on August 29, 1939. From 1940-1942, Malton hosted a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan flight school. Malton Airport became Toronto International Airport in 1960. Various terminal buildings have been constructed and demolished over the years as the airport expanded; Aeroquay One (1964) was demolished in 2004 and replaced with a new Terminal 1, while Terminal 2 (1972) was demolished in 2007. As Toronto surpassed Montreal to become Canada's largest city in the 1970s, traffic through Pearson has been steadily increasing. While flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''''s corporate headquarters remain in Montreal, Toronto Pearson is now the airline's largest hub. While Montreal traffic was split for many years with the construction of an awkward outlying airport at Mirabel, a second major Toronto-area airport proposed for [[Pickering (Ontario)|Pickering]] met with strong local opposition since the mid-1970s and was never constructed. While some short-range flights to destinations like Montreal, New York and Chicago operate from Toronto Islands airport, the bulk of Toronto's passenger volume by necessity goes through Pearson, the second-busiest airport for international traffic (behind [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in [[New York City]]) in [[North America]]. ==Flights== [[Image:Inuksuit (Toronto Pearson Airport).jpg|thumb|''Inuksuit'' (traditional Inuit statues) outside Terminal 1]] There are two terminals at the airport: 1 and 3 (2 was demolished due to new development). Flights are arranged in this way: {{Regionlist |region1name=Terminal 1 |region1color=#ad92ac |region1items=Star Alliance, Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region1description= Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, Air North, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Canadian North, Copa Airlines, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lynx Air, Swiss, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, United |region2name=Terminal 3 |region2color=#8f9271 |region2items=Skyteam, Oneworld and all non-alliance airlines except Air North, Canadian North, Emirates and Lynx Air |region2description=Aer Lingus, Aeroméxico, Air France, Air Transat, American Airlines, Azores Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Condor, Delta, El Al, Etihad, Flair, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, KLM, Korean Air, Pakistan International, Philippines Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Sunwing Airlines, Swoop, Ukraine International Airlines (temporary suspended), WestJet }} === Departures === For flights to the USA, you go through US border preclearance for customs and immigration after check-in. This is generally a quick process and saves any queuing in the States. It also allows airlines to fly into US destinations which do not have the capacity to handle customs and immigration since passengers who went through border preclearance are treated as domestic passengers on arrival to the US. At peak times the lines at security can be very long so allow plenty of time to get through the system. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ad92ac|title=Terminal 1|wikidata=Q56240215}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#8f9271|title=Terminal 3|wikidata=Q56240216}} === Arrivals === For both Terminals 1 and 3, the international arrivals are located on the eastern side of the terminals and the domestic arrivals are located on the western side. ===Connecting flights=== Just like the United States, Canada does not allow for sterile transit, so passengers connecting from one international flight to another need to pass through customs and immigration before re-checking their bags to their final destination. Ensure that you meet all the entry requirements for Canada, including having a visa if necessary, before you book your flights. The sole exception is when arriving on a non-U.S. international flight and transferring to a U.S.-bound flight in the same terminal. In that case, you don't have to clear Canadian customs and immigration, and you can proceed straight to the U.S. border preclearance facility. However, you will still need to have a visa for Canada if required for your nationality. === Destinations === Direct flights to Toronto are available from every major Canadian airport, from North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. ==== Direct flights from within [[Ontario]] ==== * From [[London (Ontario)|London]] ([[Southwestern Ontario]]) - 45-50 minutes * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Eastern Ontario]]) - 1 hour * From [[Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario)|Sault Sainte Marie]] ([[Northern Ontario]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Thunder Bay]] (Northern Ontario) - 1 hour * From [[Timmins]] (Northern Ontario) - 1.5 hours * From [[Windsor (Ontario)|Windsor]] (Southwestern Ontario) - 55 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 3.75 hours * From [[Charlottetown]] ([[Prince Edward Island]]) - 2.5 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 3.75 hours * From [[Fredericton]] ([[New Brunswick]]) - 2-2.5 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 2.25-2.5 hours * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Moncton]] (New Brunswick) - 2.25-2.75 hours * From [[Quebec City]] (Quebec) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 3 hours * From [[Saskatoon]] (Saskatchewan) - 3 hours * From [[St. John's]] ([[Newfoundland and Labrador]]) - 3.5 hours * From [[Vancouver]] ([[British Columbia]]) - 4.25-4.5 hours * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] (British Columbia) - 4.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 2.25 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Atlanta]] ([[Georgia (state)|Georgia]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Boston]] ([[Massachusetts]]) - 2 hours * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 3 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3-3.25 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 4.5-7.75 hours * From [[Miami]] ([[Florida]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 1.5-1.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 4 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 4.5 hours * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 4.75-5 hours * From [[Washington, D.C.]] - 1.5-1.75 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 3.75-4 hours * From [[Montego Bay]] ([[Jamaica]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Panama City]] ([[Panama]]) - 5.5 hours * From [[Punta Cana]] ([[Dominican Republic]]) - 4.5-4.75 hours * From [[Varadero]] ([[Cuba]]) - 3.25-3.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[South America]] ==== * [[Bogotá]] ([[Colombia]]) - 6.5 hours * [[São Paulo]] ([[Brazil]]) - 10.25 hours * [[Santiago de Chile]] ([[Chile]]) - 10.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Tel Aviv]] ([[Israel]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 15.25 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 13 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 12 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Africa]] ==== * From [[Cairo]] ([[Egypt]]) - 11.5 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 8-8.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 7.5-7.75 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 8.5 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 10.5 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 7.5 to 8 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 8 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 6 hours * From [[Rome]] ([[Italy]]) - 9.5-9.75 hours === Airlines === Canadian airlines operating to Toronto: * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in [[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]], Toronto, and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Swoop|url=https://help.flyswoop.com/|phone=+1-587-441-1001|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=WestJet's low-cost airline with flights to less-busy airports. Swoop charges a fee for new reservations or changes to reservations made over the phone.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==Ground transportation== {{mapframe|43.6820|-79.6178|zoom=15}} === {{Mapshape|title=Union Pearson Express|wikidata=Q497520|type=geoline|stroke=#948a4c|stroke-width=4|stroke-opacity=1}}By public transit === ==== By train ==== The ''Union Pearson Express'' train goes to downtown [[Toronto]]: * {{go | name=Union Pearson Express | alt=UP Express | url=http://www.upexpress.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 3 at airport | phone=+1 416-869-3600 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-869-1662 | hours=5:30AM - 1:30AM | price=Adult: $12.35 cash, or $9.25 with a Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app; senior: $6.20 cash or $5.80 with Presto card; free for children 12 and under | wikipedia=Union Pearson Express | wikidata=Q16901889 | lastedit=2021-03-11 | content=UP Express trains operate between the airport and Union Station providing connections to the Toronto subway at Bloor Station (near Dundas West Station on Line 2) and Union Station (Line 1). (UP Express also has an intermediate stop at Weston station on Lawrence Avenue West.) A trip takes 25 minutes and trains depart every 30 minutes. The station provides airline check-in kiosks, luggage racks, onboard Wi-Fi and up-to-the-minute flight information. UP Express station is at Terminal 1; the airport's Link train connects Terminal 3 to the UP Express station. Tickets and Presto cards can be purchased at the UP Express station. }} '''[[Presto card]]s''' can be purchased at the UP Express station for $16 each ($6 for the card plus a $10 minimum balance); higher balances can be purchased. Besides the UP Express, Presto is supported by many transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]. Seniors (65+) should have their cards set for reduced senior fares. When paying by Presto card, credit card, or mobile wallet app, UP Express passengers must tap on using a Presto reader on the platform before boarding the train, and tap off after arrival. If you use the intermediate stops at Bloor or Weston station, use only the UP Express Presto readers to tap on/off; do '''not''' use the GO train Presto readers. ==== By bus ==== Toronto Pearson provides a [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/public-transit-buses webpage] indicating where to board the various bus services at Terminal 1 and 3 often indicating the column (pillar) where buses stop. Various local buses serve Pearson airport. All accept the [[Presto card]] (see also [[#By train|previous section]]) for fare payment. {{infobox|Airport Express routes|Both Brampton Transit and TTC name their express route to/from the airport as "Airport Express" even though they go to different cities (in opposite directions!) Brampton Transit buses are blue and white while TTC buses are red and white. Be sure to check the route number (route 115 for Brampton Transit; route 900 for TTC) before you board the bus.}} * {{Listing|name=Brampton Transit|url=https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/transit/Pages/Home.aspx|email=transit@brampton.ca|phone=+1-905-874-2999|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates the Airport Express (route 115) bus from the airport to Bramalea City Centre in [[Brampton]], a suburb directly north of Mississauga. Brampton Transit stops only at Terminal 1. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. * {{Listing|name=GO Transit|url=https://www.gotransit.com/|directions=|phone=+1-416-869-3200|tollfree=+1-888-438-6646|lastedit=2022-05-23|content=Operates bus and rail commuter/regional transit within and near the [[Greater Toronto Area]].}} It offers two [https://www.gotransit.com/en/trip-planning/going-to-the-airport/airport airport service routes] operating from Terminal 1 on the ground floor. Both GO routes run 24/7 with a frequency of every 30 minutes in rush hours, every 60 minutes at other times. Some GO buses have under-floor compartments for luggage. Fares can be purchased with cash, debit or credit card at the machine near Door R. The fare can also be paid by Presto card, but remember to tap both on and off at the beginning and end of trip respectively. **Route 34 – Pearson Airport/North York Express GO Bus runs by four Toronto subway stations (Yorkdale, Sheppard-Yonge, North York Centre and Finch) in [[Toronto/North York|North York]]. **Route 40 – Travels between [[Richmond Hill (Ontario)|Richmond Hill Centre Terminal]] and or Hamilton GO Centre in [[Hamilton (Ontario)|Hamilton]] including stops in [[Vaughan]], Terminal 1 of the airport, Square One Terminal in [[Mississauga]], [[Oakville (Ontario)|Oakville]], and [[Burlington (Ontario)|Burlington]]. * {{Listing|name=MiWay|url=https://www.mississauga.ca/miway-transit/|email=miwayhelps@mississauga.ca|phone=+1-905-615-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25}} Operates two bus routes connecting the airport with Square One (City Centre Transit Terminal) within the city of [[Mississauga]]. MiWay buses stop at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fares are payable in exact cash or by Presto card. **Route 7 Airport runs via the airport from Square One mall (Cooksville) and Westwood Mall (Malton). **Route 100 Airport Express runs weekdays only between the airport and Winston Churchill station stopping at Square 1. {{infobox|Presto cards & Presto tickets|Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 each have a fare vending machine inside the terminal building on the ground level opposite the TTC bus stop. These machines sell '''[[Presto card]]s''' (used by most transit operators in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]) and '''[[Toronto#Paying by Presto|Presto tickets]]''' used exclusively for TTC services. The machines accept payment by cash or credit card and issue your choice of either a Presto card or Presto ticket. When boarding a bus supporting Presto, tap your Presto card or ticket on the Presto reader at the front door of the bus. Remember: Presto tickets are valid only on TTC vehicles. ([https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes/How-to-buy-fares-and-passes Source])<!--Source is included for easy reference to check for further changes (2022/01/13).-->}} * {{Listing|name=Toronto Transit Commission|alt=TTC|url=https://www.ttc.ca/|phone=+1-416-393-4636|lastedit=2022-05-25|content=Toronto's main transit system and one of the most heavily used in North America. TTC consists of buses, streetcars and subway lines.}} [http://www.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Airport_service.jsp Bus service] from the subway to the airport is same as to any other destination in Toronto. TTC stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Fare is by Presto card, Presto ticket (see sidebar) or by exact change. If paying by cash, get a transfer from the driver to make connections to other TTC vehicles. ** Route 900 Airport Express runs every 10 minutes or better to/from Kipling Station on Line 2, making the journey in 20–25 minutes. ** Route 52/52A Lawrence West is a local bus connecting to Lawrence and Lawrence West stations, both on subway Line 1. Running every 10 minutes or better, this is a slow route making frequent stops. The route number is 52 from the airport and 52A to the airport. Do '''not''' take routes 52B or 52D as these bypass the airport despite their tempting sign saying "extra fare required west of airport". ** Route 952 Lawrence West Express is a rush-hour service following the 52A route but with fewer stops. : The following are night bus routes running when the subway is shut down between 1:30AM and 5:30AM (8AM on Sundays): :* Route 300A Bloor-Danforth night bus provides service along Line 2 of the subway and goes directly to the airport. :* Route 332 Eglinton West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 352 Lawrence West night bus runs from the airport to Yonge Street. :* Route 320 Yonge does '''not''' go to the airport, but it does provide a night connection downtown for riders coming from routes 300A, 332 and 352. ====Intercity buses==== A few intercity buses serve the airport directly. * [https://ca.megabus.com/ '''Megabus'''] (''Coach Canada'') runs to [[Port Hope]], [[Trenton (Ontario)|Trenton]], [[Belleville (Ontario)|Belleville]], [[Napanee]] and [[Kingston (Ontario)|Kingston]] (including a stop at Queen's University), serving various points along [[Ontario Highway 401]]. The journey from the airport to Kingston takes 3:45. [https://ca.megabus.com/route-guides/toronto-airport-to-kingston-bus Pickups] are at Terminal 1 Post P5 and Terminal 3 Post C8. *{{go|name=TOK Coachlines|alt=|url=https://tokcoachlines.com/|email=info@tokcoachlines.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=Toronto Union Station Bus Terminal|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-387-7097|hours=|price=|lastedit=2021-03-19|content=Operates bus routes in [[Ontario]].}} Operates a bus between Southampton and downtown [[Toronto]] including stops in [[Brockton (Ontario)|Port Elgin]], [[Kincardine (Ontario)|Kincardine]], [[Walkerton]], [[Hanover (Ontario)|Hanover]], [[Orangeville (Ontario)|Orangeville]], and Toronto Pearson International Airport. * [https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/long-distance-travel-options Shuttle and van services] are available to other destinations in southern Ontario (e.g. Waterloo, London, Niagara Falls) ===By taxi=== Airport taxi fares range from $19-78 (east) and $19-65 (west). Limousine fares are $21-86 (east) and $21-72 (west). Fares out of town are typically $1.55/km (taxi) and $1.45/km (limousine). * '''Taxis''' to [[Toronto/Downtown|downtown Toronto]] run a flat rate of $53 (other areas of the city vary but are also flat rate,) while airport limousines go slightly higher ($58 to downtown Toronto). Limousines are generally slightly larger (though not stretched), most are dark-blue Lincoln Town Cars and a bit more comfortable than taxis. As the airport is not in Toronto, regular Toronto city cabs do not pick up fares at the Pearson air terminals. Government approved rates can be found [http://torontopearson.com/en/toandfrom/taxilimo online]. *'''Fake taxis''' (also called "Gypsy Cabs" by the locals) are frequently found congregating around Pearson Airport. If a driver approaches you inside the arrivals hall and asks if you need a ride, and you didn't arrange a car in advance, they are definitely unlicensed (legitimate cab drivers are prohibited by law from entering the terminal building to look for passengers.) While the risk of being a victim of crime as an unlicensed taxi passenger is very low, drivers and their vehicles are not held to the same safety and maintenance standards as their licensed counterparts. If you decide to patronize a Gypsy Cab, proceed at your own risk and be sure to agree on a fare in advance! === By ride hailing === Ride hailing passengers are picked up from the airport at the following locations with signage that states "Ride App Pickup": * Terminal 1: Ground Level at Door Q or P * Terminal 3: Arrivals Level at Door D. ==== Ride hailing services: ==== * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/city-of-toronto-on|lastedit=2022-07-31}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/cities/toronto|lastedit=2022-07-31|content=}} '''UberX''', '''Uber Black''' and '''Uber SUV''' services are available. The latter two sometimes using the same vehicles as the existing limo service but at a premium price (UberBlack for $88 to $115, UberSUV $100 to $128, of which $15 per ride goes to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority). UberX costs about $35 to $40 to downtown Toronto, and Greater Toronto Airports Authority charges a $4.50 pickup fee and $4 drop-off fee. === By rental car === The following car rental companies operate at Terminal 1: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3291|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-905-676-1100|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-905-676-1500|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3659|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-416-674-2020|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-792-3290|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-905-676-9127|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ==Get around== [[Image:Pearson T3 LINK Station.jpg|thumb|Terminal Link at Terminal 3]] * [http://torontopearson.com/en/link/ Terminal Link] train runs every 4-8 minutes between Terminal 1, Terminal 3 (including Sheraton Gateway Hotel) and Viscount Road (Value Park Garage, Value Park Lot and Alt Hotel). Free. ==Wait== There are various temporary or permanent art exhibitions scattered through Terminal 1, and eight permanent sculpture installations. The Royal Ontario Museum operates a small display of dinosaurs; other partners for temporary exhibitions include Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the CONTACT Photography Festival, Design Exchange, Ontario Crafts Council and Open Studio. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=American Admirals Club | alt= | url=https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/airportAmenities/yyz-club.jsp | email= | address=Terminal 3, US Transborder departures | lat= | long= | directions=Near duty free stores | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=5:00 am - 7:00 pm | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#!lounge@toronto | email= | address=Domestic Express: Terminal 1, Commuter Terminal; Domestic: Terminal 1 on level 4; US Transborder: Terminal 1 on level 4, node F; International: Terminal 1 on level 3, node F | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} * {{Listing|name=Air France / KLM Crown Lounge|url=https://www.klm.ca/information/bulletin-board/crowne-lounge|address=Terminal 3 international departures|directions=Just above Gate C33, elevator access opposite gate C32|lastedit=2022-08-15}} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/americas-europe/canada/toronto/toronto-pearson-international-airport?stype=All | email= | address=Domestic: Terminal 1 departures (pre-security), Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; US Transborder: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures; International: Terminal 1 departures, Terminal 3 departures | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-04-05 | content= }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:Interior of Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 wider view.jpg|thumb|right|Terminal 1]] This is a partial listing, see also [https://torontopearson.com/foodanddrink/ the full directory]. After security, there are a number of bars and cafes embedded in the departure gate area. The tables are equipped with tablets and tables. While they are mainly for the customers for the restaurant establishments, you can sit there and wait for your next flight, catch up on work or charge up your electronics as a non-paying customer. * {{eat | name=A &amp; W | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 647-479-7879 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Inexpensive fast food, hamburgers, root beer. }} * {{eat | name=Apropos | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Brew pub. }} * {{eat | name=Caplansky's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Snack bar and deli. }} * {{eat | name=Corso | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, domestic airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Trattoria featuring traditional Italian cuisine, rustic Italian flavours, fresh-made pastas, pizzas, salads and antipasti. }} * {{eat | name=Fetta Panini Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Heirloom Bakery Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods. }} * {{eat | name=Nobel Burger Bar | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, US airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chef-inspired gourmet burgers. Open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant, build your own burger or choose from a menu. }} * {{eat | name=Starbucks | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-3100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee shop, multiple locations. }} * {{eat | name=Subway | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-6980 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Submarine sandwiches. }} * {{eat | name=Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, Level 3 landside, 6301 Silver Dart Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-9758 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Chicken. Moderately-priced sit-down restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Tim Horton's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Coffee, doughnuts and sandwiches. Several locations in both terminals. }} * {{eat | name=Vinifera | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, international airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1-866-508-3558 | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Wine bar, menu features small plates, salads and paninis with fresh ingredients. }} The airport has partnered with Uber Eats to deliver foods from restaurants at the airport to the waiting area at the gates. This is offered in the international and domestic sections of Terminal 3. ==Buy== [[Image:International airport toronto pearson.jpg|thumb|Terminal 3]] * {{buy | name=7-Eleven | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-671-2875 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Convenience store, two locations. }} * {{buy | name=Best Buy Express | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside and airside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Consumer electronics. }} * {{buy | name=Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-5305 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Major domestic chartered bank with currency exchange and banking service. Located in Terminals 1 and 3 at departures level spread out in pre and post security. }} * {{buy | name=Maclean's | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-8479 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, multiple locations | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-694-9513 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=News stand. }} * {{buy | name=Samsonite | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminals 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1313 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel luggage. }} * {{buy | name=Toronto Marketplace | alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-8596 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Souvenir shop on Terminal 3 departure level. }} * {{buy | name=Travel Store | alt= | url=http://www.torontopearson.com/PearsonContent.aspx?id=3317 | email= | address=Terminal 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 905-612-6677 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Travel accessories, luggage, travel backpacks and bags, leather goods, jewellery, watches, umbrellas and belts. Luggage storage service. }} * {{buy | name=International Currency Exchange (ICE)| alt= | url= | email= | address=Terminal 1 and 3, landside | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 416-776-1311 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-09-04 | content=Foreign currency exchange, multiple locations in both terminals. Rates are poor compared to exchange offices in the city: in Sep 2018, the buy rate for USD was $1.15, and the sell rate was $1.50. }} ==Connect== Free Wi-Fi is available in both terminals. Select “Toronto Pearson Wi-Fi” from the network list, launch a web browser and click "connect" on the Boingo landing page. Note that the landing page asks you to enter your email but you are not obligated to enter anything. Just click on the checkbox and agree to the terms and conditions to be granted with internet access. After security, the airport has renovated many of the waiting areas near the gates to accommodate more food vendors, many of them have table service. These areas are outfitted with iPads, power outlets and restaurant-quality tables and chairs. You do not need to make a purchase from the food vendors to sit in these areas. ==Cope== Trolleys are available for free on landside in both terminals. * Luggage storage is available at any of the '''Samsonite''' stores. * {{listing | name=Aviation Interfaith Ministry | alt= | url=http://torontopearson.com/en/shopdinerelax/interfaith-ministry/ | email= | address=Interfaith centres in Terminals 1 and 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=One set of daily religious services in each terminal. Interdenominational Christian worship service weekdays, Toronto Airport Catholic Chaplaincy Holy Mass seven days a week. Pastoral care to guests, airport and airline employees and their families. }} * {{listing | name=Goodlife Fitness | alt= | url=http://www.goodlifefitness.com/locations/ontario/mississauga/toronto-pearson | email=torontopearson@goodlifefitness.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Terminal 1 arrivals level, Gate F | phone=+1 905-671-3721 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=4AM-11:30PM | price=$15 including towel service. $10 extra to rent work-out clothes and shoes. Free luggage storage. | content=Work out and get a show while you wait in the airport. }} ==Sleep== There is one hotel in the airport, and another nearby: * {{sleep | name=Sheraton Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.sheratongatewaytorontoairport.com | email= | address=Terminal 3 · Malton Airport (YYZ) | lat=43.6866652 | long=-79.6201944 | directions= | phone=+1 905-672-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Only hotel in the airport terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Alt Hotel | alt= | url=http://toronto.althotels.ca/en | email= | address= 6080 Viscount Road, Mississauga | lat=43.6896923 | long=-79.6169806 | directions= | phone=+1 905-362-4337 | tollfree=+1-855-855-6080 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=On airport grounds, near Link Train station and value car park lots. }} The main hotel strip serving Pearson airport is Airport Road (Mississauga), which continues into Toronto as Dixon Road (Etobicoke). The municipal boundary is Highway 427, a busy freeway. See [[Mississauga#Sleep]] and [[Toronto/Etobicoke#Sleep]] for additional options. ===Nearby=== Malton (Mississauga): * {{sleep | name=Four Points by Sheraton | alt= | url=http://www.fourpointstorontoairport.com | email= | address=6257 Airport Road | lat=43.6902885 | long=-79.6238741 | directions= | phone=+1 905-678-1400 | tollfree=+1-866-716-8133 | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=500 m from airport, shuttle bus to terminals, 24-hour business centre, fitness, on-site restaurant. }} *{{sleep | name=Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ontario/hilton-toronto-airport-hotel-and-suites-YYZHIHH/index.html | email= | address=5875 Airport Road, L4V 1N1 | lat=43.6869466 | long=-79.6060643 | directions= | phone = +1 905-677-9900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=from $129 | checkin= 3PM | checkout= noon | content=Complimentary airport shuttle,overnight parking, meeting and banquet facilities, outdoor heated pool, squash, sauna, suites available. }} Etobicoke (Toronto): * {{sleep | name=Courtyard by Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzap-courtyard-toronto-airport/ | email= | address=231 Carlingview Drive | lat=43.684982 | long=-79.596241 | directions= | phone=+1 416-675-0411 | tollfree=+1-866-675-0411 | fax=+1 416-675-0433 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=International Plaza | alt= | url=http://www.internationalplazahotel.com | email= | address=655 Dixon Road | lat=43.6890793 | long=-79.5801772 | directions= | phone=+1 416-244-1711 | tollfree=+1-800-668-3656 | fax=+1 416-244-7281 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Airport Marriott | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yyzot-toronto-airport-marriott-hotel/ | email= | address=901 Dixon Rd | lat=43.685845 | long=-79.5957629 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-9400 | tollfree=+1-800-905-2811 | fax=+1-416-674-8292 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name= Quality Suites Toronto Airport | alt= | url=http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/quality-suites-toronto-airport-toronto-hotel-cn309 | email= | address=262 Carlingview Dr. | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1 416-674-8442 | tollfree= | fax=+1 416-674-3088 | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Two-room suites, separate bedroom with king bed and television and living room with sofa sleeper, coffee maker, dining room table with chairs. Some suites include refrigerators and microwaves. Meeting and banquet rooms accommodate up to 120. Graffiti's Italian Eatery & Saloon on-site with room service. News stand and souvenir shop, Stay & Fly packages. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Suite Hotel Toronto Airport | alt= | url=https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-toronto-airport | email= | address=640 Dixon Road | lat=43.6921799 | long=-79.5787453 | directions= | phone=+1 416-242-7400 | tollfree=+1-800-333-3333 | fax=+1 416-242-9888 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Includes airport shuttle and Wi-Fi. Fitness centre, on-site dining. }} * {{sleep | name=Travelodge | alt= | url=http://www.travelodge.ca/property/travelodge-hotel-toronto-airport | email= | address=925 Dixon Road | lat=43.6864872 | long=-79.5965846 | directions= | phone=+1-416-674-2222 | tollfree= | fax=+1-416-674-5757 | price= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/toronto/yyzia/hoteldetail | email= | address=970 Dixon Road | lat=43.6874376 | long=-79.6022324 | directions= | phone=+1-416-675-7611 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} There are also a few restaurants on the Airport Road/Dixon Road hotel strip, either as part of various hotels or operated stand-alone. ==Nearby== The immediate area around Toronto Pearson International Airport are industrial or warehouses. You can take the UP Express to downtown Toronto in 25 mins or public transit (GO Bus, Mississauga Transit) to Square One Mall in Mississauga in 30 to 40 mins. {{IsPartOf|Greater Toronto Area}} {{usableairport}} {{geo|43.678|-79.634|zoom=13}} 66g6udhm0ma2x0ipequwnmpsyjre1e3 1 141975 4501873 4478991 2022-08-16T05:00:08Z SHB2000 2248002 /* "Cuisine" articles */ sweep from [[pub]] wikitext text/x-wiki ==Stupid Question== Why is there an article on Bavarian cuisine (which is fine, but not all ''that'' special) but none on - say - [[Fast food in North America]] or [[Mexican food]] which are probably the two best known and most eaten cuisines globally, unless "Asian" takeout is in any way authentic or uniform across the globe (which I highly doubt). And yes both are a reason for travel all by themselves. There have been movies about people looking for one specific (generic brand name) restaurant, for crying out loud. And whenever I get half a chance to get something close to decent Mexican food (just not found in either East Germany or small town Nicaragua) I get a year's worth of it ;-) Best wishes [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 14:19, 23 March 2015 (UTC) :Answer: because no one has plunged forward in that direction yet. Please give it a shot! I'd think more complete guides on Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisine would be immensely helpful for travelers in those respective countries too. [[User:Texugo|Texugo]] ([[User talk:Texugo|talk]]) 14:34, 23 March 2015 (UTC) ::I created an article on fast food, but I am not happy with it as of now and my knowledge of the subject is far from encyclopedic... maybe someone from the states would care to help? [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 15:11, 23 March 2015 (UTC) == Alternative banner for this article? == [[File:WV banner Food Maxwell Singapore.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Banner currently used in this article]] [[File:Food_WV_banner.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Suggested new alternative banner]] I created a new alternative banner for this article (I initially created it first and foremost so that it would be used at the top of the parallel article in the Hebrew edition of Wikivoyage, yet I later decided to also suggest that the English Wikivoyage community would consider using it here as well). So, which banner do you prefer having at the top of this article? [[User:ויקיג&#39;אנקי|ויקיג&#39;אנקי]] ([[User talk:ויקיג&#39;אנקי|talk]]) 04:37, 23 September 2015 (UTC) :The alternative banner is clearly better than the currently-used one. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:49, 23 September 2015 (UTC) ::I concur [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 11:09, 23 September 2015 (UTC) ::: Go for it. --[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 12:54, 23 September 2015 (UTC) ::::Agree. #2. – [[User:Hshook|Hshook]] ([[User_talk:Hshook|talk]]) 13:58, 23 September 2015 (UTC) ::::: I agree, #2 is an improvement. [[User:Danapit|Danapit]] ([[User talk:Danapit|talk]]) 18:38, 23 September 2015 (UTC) ::::::Yep, this really is an improvement. I prefer the new one too. [[User:JuliasTravels|JuliasTravels]] ([[User talk:JuliasTravels|talk]]) 20:52, 23 September 2015 (UTC) :::::::<nowiki>#2</nowiki> [[User:Syced|Syced]] ([[User talk:Syced|talk]]) 10:33, 25 September 2015 (UTC) :::::::: Agree. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:57, 25 September 2015 (UTC) :::::::::<nowiki>#2</nowiki> is better. [[User:Kaldari|Kaldari]] ([[User talk:Kaldari|talk]]) 00:43, 30 September 2015 (UTC) ===Revisit banner=== Maybe it is my high definition screen, but the new (as of 2015) banner is really blurry. Can we change? [[User:Andrewssi2|Andrewssi2]] ([[User talk:Andrewssi2|talk]]) 23:43, 16 January 2018 (UTC) :We could switch out this banner with the [[Japanese cuisine]] banner. <small>--Comment by </small> '''[[User:SelfieCity|<font color="#808000">Selfie City</font>]]''' ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="#ac6600">talk</font>]] about my [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="#ac6600">contributions</font>]]) 23:19, 5 September 2018 (UTC) == "Cuisine" articles == {{swept}} We have a [[Food#Cuisines|whole slew]] of articles on different types of ethnic cuisine: [[French cuisine]], [[Italian cuisine]], [[Mexican food]], [[Japanese cuisine]], etc. None of them are better than Usable status (and most of them are Outlines), so perhaps I should wait a bit before raising this concern, but most of them seem to be developing in an awfully encyclopedic direction. I'm not sure if these articles are the work of one individual gourmand editor or several, but I'd like to see them reworked a little bit to function more as bona fide travel topics rather than information that's essentially redundant to their respective analogues on Wikipedia. In other words, on Wikivoyage it's not sufficient to simply describe these foods - the approach should be, if I'm a traveler who's (let's say) going to Italy, and one of my goals is to experience the best Italian cuisine, what cities or regions should I visit, what kind of places should I seek out, what kind of pitfalls should I avoid, etc.? -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 06:36, 2 August 2016 (UTC) :I share your concerns and think it's always good to raise some awareness about them. It's a common issue with our travel topics. Often enough, the "travel guide" aspect is injected as a somewhat uncomfortable and basic list of obvious destinations. Some of the articles about religions, however interesting, have a focus on the encyclopedic side, as do some of the sports-articles (e.g. [[Horse riding]]), in my opinion. One of the challenges is to make sure the travel information is not confined to general or obvious remarks. In the example of horse riding, ''Each nation has its own culture of horsemanship, with local customs and taboos that need to be respected'' (without any more specific information) is hardly helpful. [[User:JuliasTravels|JuliasTravels]] ([[User talk:JuliasTravels|talk]]) 09:35, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::I agree with both of you. In case anyone asks, I don't think this is a reason - at least in most cases - to delete the articles, but it would help a lot if there were more edits with a clear travel focus and practical information [[ttcf|a traveler can use]]. And one issue with an article like [[Italian cuisine]] is that when you are in Italy, there very arguably is no such thing as "Italian cuisine", only Tuscan cuisine, Campanian cuisine, Roman cuisine, Milanese cuisine, etc. In a real sense, it's only when you are outside of Italy that "Italian cuisine" exists. Ditto and maybe even more so for "Chinese cuisine" and "Indian cuisine", although South Indian cuisine is a much more coherent concept. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 12:31, 2 August 2016 (UTC) :::Well, focus is the key word here. To be very honest, when I look at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine Wikipedia article on French cuisine], full of regional differences and information on the different kinds of venues, I'm not even sure ''how'' to shape an article here that will have any real added value and not seem like a pale shadow of its WP counterpart. [[User:JuliasTravels|JuliasTravels]] ([[User talk:JuliasTravels|talk]]) 13:17, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::::There are a lot of sections that wouldn't be relevant here. But I think we could possibly improve on the regional sections. The region I know best is probably Provence, as I spent parts of 2 summers as a graduate student in Nice, and I find the "Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur" section fairly cursory, although I see it has a link to a region-specific article. ::::I don't know, my skepticism really has to do with two things: (1) Do we have enough editors with specific knowledge about regional specialties to really add value to these "cuisine of" articles? (2) Is it really useful to talk about "Italian cuisine" or "French cuisine" as if it's one thing? I tend to think broader topic articles like the one on [[Alcoholic beverages]] may have more potential, even if they're hardly perfect. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 13:36, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::::: I created many of these articles, though other users have provided most of the information. One reason is that many country articles are bloated, not least the ''Eat'' sections, which are in many cases dominated by lists of dishes without context or grammatical flow. Sections such as [[France#Eat]] can be shortened down to more essential information for eating in France, while the bulk of the text can be exported to [[French cuisine]]. For countries of similar culinary tradition such as [[Saudi Arabia]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Oman]] etc, a link to [[Middle Eastern cuisine]] would be more appropriate than repetition of similar lists. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:07, 2 August 2016 (UTC) Not intended as an argument for either side, but the advertising hellhole has in their infinite wisdom to bloat their main page decided to "feature" a cuisine every month. All they actually do is link to often neither well written nor up to date "eat" sections... Edited to add: They seem to have gotten rid of it, but they still have a "language of the month" and similar features that are mostly explained by their extremely low standards. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 14:27, 2 August 2016 (UTC) : We should study the mistakes of The Other Site, to avoid making them ourselves. We learn that links to short or deficient articles should not be promoted on the main page. And certainly not short or deficient sub-sections. Most cuisine articles, most of them are very young, compared to artifacts such as [[Bavarian cuisine]], and need time to grow. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 14:41, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::By "artifacts", do you simply mean "older articles"? Because that's not normally how I'd interpret the word. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:30, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::: The ''Bavarian cuisine'' article was created on The Other Site in 2004, and has since then remained a simple bullet list. Since 2015, the corresponding Wikivoyage article has improved greatly, especially thanks to [[User:Hobbitschuster]] and [[User:Andrewssi2]]. We should be patient with Wikivoyage articles which are short today. The Wikivoyage community will be able to improve such articles to a level unattainable by The Other Site. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 16:05, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::::It's not the length of the articles that is the issue; like all WV articles, it is fine that they take time to develop. The challenge is to make them more ''travel'' oriented, and provide an angle that is different from the encyclopedic articles over at Wikipedia. While I agree the [[Bavarian cuisine]] article has been nicely fleshed out, by exception perhaps even more so than the WP one, I don't see how it is any different in focus. [[User:JuliasTravels|JuliasTravels]] ([[User talk:JuliasTravels|talk]]) 21:05, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::::: Many ''Eat'' sections are not travel-oriented, either. In general, both the ''Eat'' sections and the cuisine articles should focus on information such as typical meal times, availability of restaurants, table manners, and information about how to find vegetarian food, or other food to fulfill specific needs. Cuisine articles could also benefit from more historical context of the cuisine. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:49, 2 August 2016 (UTC) :::::: We could flesh out [[Wikivoyage:Article templates/Sections#Eat]] for guidelines how to write an ''Eat'' section for country articles. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:51, 2 August 2016 (UTC) ::::::: I think "Eat" sections might also focus on regional dishes that are not widely known or available outside their home region. See [[Buffalo#Local specialties]] for an example of what I mean by this. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 22:19, 3 August 2016 (UTC) :I've just looked these over for the first time, and I'm not very happy with them. It's handy to know what the foods are (descriptions and translations will be very handy when looking at a menu in a restaurant), but I think what I'd want is something more like "You've got to try this" or "Here's what to get for street food, here's how to get a snack, here's what to get in a fancy restaurant", or "This is for adventurous people, this is for timid diners". For example, it's been years since I've been in France, and I can't claim to be very familiar with it, but it seems like the article ought to mention things like this: :* Lunchtime is important and long (by US standards) – but don't be late, because it's hard to find a place that will seat you after 1:30 p.m. Dinner is typically late, maybe starting at 8:00 p.m. in cities. A three-course meal is an everyday affair. :* If you're hungry and you need something quick to eat, then buy a crepe. There are crepe stands all over the place. :* Restaurants can be pricey. If your budget is tight, then get bread, cheese, fruit, and vegetables from the outdoor market, and make a picnic. Also, wine is cheap (at the store, not at the restaurant). Water (plain and fizzy) is free at restaurants. :* If someone invites you to their home for a meal, it will probably last for hours. :* Frog legs, snails in garlic butter, and lobster are all very traditional, but not very popular. Picky eaters might be happier with the excellent bread and butter that's available all over the place. Vegetarians might be successful with cheese soufflé, a savory tart, or vegetables gratin. Vegans and people who dislike cheese should visit some other country. :It might also be interesting to provide some information about "home country" cuisine in appropriate articles: There are American-style steakhouses in France, and McDonald's is everywhere. But Italian visitors to Chicago will be unpleasantly surprised by Chicago-style pizza, and Chinese visitors to America should be warned away from most "Chinese" restaurants, and to attempt only those that name a specific region's cuisine, and even then with an expectation of disappointment. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 13:33, 4 August 2016 (UTC) ::So I had a look at [[Germany#Eat]], and it has perhaps changed my views a bit. The #Eat and #Drink sections are about 20% of a very long (~200K) article. I think it's a little weak on some regions, but it mentions a broad range of travel-related needs (e.g., vegetarian, kosher, and celiac). It's generally good content, even if there is room for improvement. ::But I'm now thinking that it's probably just too much in one place. My Mac says that it would take 63 pages to print this article out. But I'm not sure whether it makes more sense to talk about splitting some information to a subpage on "German cuisine" (presumably with a focus more on "what to eat while you're there") or "Eating in Germany" (mostly the same content on "where and how to get food"). What do you think? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 16:59, 6 August 2016 (UTC) :::I'm not sure. But I'll repost here what I just posted at [[Talk:Japanese cuisine]]: :::"I'd like everyone reading this post to have a look at [[w:Japanese cuisine]] and some of the linked articles. I would submit that we do not need a reference article for Japanese cuisine on this site, as Wikipedia provides ample information we could simply link to. Only if there's a specific travel-related angle are articles like this one useful. Right now, I don't see the point at all. Should we do a [[vfd]] for the "cuisine of" articles, or is there someone who would like to provide a good rationale for them and make them relevant and truly useful?" :::I'll add that I think there's a really good argument for linking Wikipedia articles on cuisine at the beginning of "Eat" sections, and maybe we could discuss this at [[Wikivoyage talk:External links]]. I'll bring it up there. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:03, 4 November 2016 (UTC) I think that any information about the local food can go into regional articles, because it is only relevant to this particular region and not elsewhere. This will save country articles from unnecessarily long Eat sections and will simultaneously help to expand regional articles. I also think that the "Cuisine of" articles will only make sense for countries like Italy and France that offer some "culinary tourism" (including, of course, its broad wine-tasting aspects). Such articles should ideally focus on practical aspects of "food&drink" travel. This information is clearly beyond the scope of Wikipedia and should be stored here on Wikivoyage (if at all). --[[User:Atsirlin|Alexander]] ([[User_talk:Atsirlin|talk]]) 14:25, 4 November 2016 (UTC) :As someone brought up moving German cuisine to its regions; I do not think that's workable, as most aspects of German cuisine that ''do'' vary by region are spread across state lines and our current regional subdivision of Germany is based on states. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 18:09, 4 November 2016 (UTC) :: I don't see any problem if certain food aspects are repeated in two regional articles. --[[User:Atsirlin|Alexander]] ([[User_talk:Atsirlin|talk]]) 20:02, 4 November 2016 (UTC) ===Renewed discussion for 2022=== The impetus for restarting this discussion is a post by [[User:Turaids|Turaids]] in an exchange on the [[Talk:Cambodian cuisine]] page, which stated in part that: "all Wikivoyage cuisine articles I've seen so far are less useful than their Wikipedia counterparts, so unless Wikivoyage stops simply recycling Wikipedia and starts taking different angles on things that's sadly how it's going to be." So, first of all, is it actually true that no Wikivoyage cuisine article is more useful to travelers than the corresponding Wikipedia article? Secondly, are there cuisines for which it's impossible to imagine how a Wikivoyage article could possibly be as useful as its counterpart at en.wp, and if so, what's the justification for having a Wikivoyage article about that cuisine at all, instead of referring readers to the Wikipedia article? Thirdly, what do we need to do differently to make sure all Wikivoyage cuisine articles have a focus on information of practical interest to travellers? I think we have answers in the thread above; should we itemize them all clearly in one place and create a "how-to" document for editors motivated to create new cuisine articles or edit existing ones on this site? I also think it's important to take stock of each Wikivoyage cuisine article, both per se and by comparison with its Wikipedia counterpart. I will start doing so below. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:56, 6 February 2022 (UTC) :I've always imagined Wikivoyage as sort of a crowdsourced Lonely Planet, which has a different purpose than an encyclopedia, so everything I could imagine in a Lonely Planet guide I can more or less imagine here. And as there are Lonely Planet guides on a wide array of different cuisines I don't see the specific cuisines being the problem, but rather the content curation. [[User:Turaids|Turaids]] ([[User talk:Turaids|talk]]) 20:35, 6 February 2022 (UTC) ::And that's what this thread is about - the content and the extent to which it's of practical use to travelers. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 6 February 2022 (UTC) :::I think Wikivoyage's usage of cuisine articles is somewhat different. As an example, in [[Bush tucker]], you can see "If you are in the Adelaide area during summer, farmers' markets often have a stall run by [https://www.bushtuckericecream.com.au/ Bush Tucker Ice Cream] that is worth checking out". That sort of text won't be present in Wikipedia since it's not encyclopedic. It depends on which text you copy from Wikipedia to here. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:44, 7 February 2022 (UTC) ::::That's the kind of information that needs to be in Wikivoyage cuisine articles, but how often is it? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 15:53, 7 February 2022 (UTC) :::::I think it's true that many of our cuisine articles focus too much on lists of dishes and encyclopedic descriptions and too little on practical travel advice. (Our historical travel topics often have a similar problem.) That said, many of them also have some good practical information. I guess it's a question of improving and adding to the practical information while cutting down the information that duplicates Wikipedia's role. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 19:35, 7 February 2022 (UTC) ::::::The following post is a bit of a nonsequitur, but I would definitely welcome evaluations of particular cuisine articles by others and discussions below each evaluation. My opinion is (a) not definitive for the site and (b) of no value if no-one pays attention to what I have to say. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:38, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ====Discussion from pub==== {{swept}} ===== Cuisine articles ===== Hi, everyone. I think this is a good time for us to take stock of the state of Wikivoyage cuisine articles. See '''[[Talk:Food and drink#Renewed discussion for 2022]]''' and '''[[Talk:Food and drink#Evaluations of individual cuisine articles]]''': How good are Wikivoyage cuisine articles for the practical traveler? And are all of them still less useful than their English Wikipedia counterparts? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:18, 6 February 2022 (UTC) ===Evaluations of individual cuisine articles=== *[[American cuisine]]: [[w:American cuisine]] contains loads of encyclopedic history beyond the scope of a travel article and is also more comprehensive in its coverage of regional dishes and ingredients in a way that I think would overwhelm most travelers. However, in looking at [[American cuisine]] again, I'm surprised by the length of the various lists, especially the list of ingredients, and I wonder whether they may be a bit long to be user-friendly to most travelers. That said, the Understand and Meals sections provide solid, practical information for the traveler, as do sections such as Diners, Tipping and Snacks. It's not an accident that this guide has been featured. *[[Argentine cuisine]]: Also a guide-rated article, it contains good bite-sized sections that seem to me as someone who has yet to visit Argentina to be of practical use to the traveller. It's particularly good that the lede section mentions the concerns of vegetarians; "Understand" is very practical, giving a nice overview of the cuisine from a bird's-eye level and telling people the when and what of meals. As I see it, the main advantage of [[w:Argentine cuisine]] is its more detailed coverage of regional cuisines. As their regional sections are not overly long, the greater specificity might be good to emulate, particularly if we can mention specific localities that are particularly good places for someone to visit to try great examples of x, y or z. *[[Australian cuisine]] is a usable article. At a cursory look, it and [[w:Australian cuisine]] have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Wikivoyage article covers more desserts and has pictures of more of them. However, the "Take-away and convenience foods" section of the Wikipedia article is of obvious practical use to travelers and has no counterpart as of yet in the Wikivoyage article. There is also a bit of coverage of regional foods in the Wikipedia article that the Wikivoyage article appears to lack. Forgetting about comparisons for a moment, the "Meals" section of the Wikivoyage article is inadequate, as it simply mentions two foodstuffs. Instead, what's needed there is information about when meals are eaten, whether restaurants are closed in between standard mealtimes, and any other practical information that's best covered in such a section. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:32, 6 February 2022 (UTC) *<s>[[Balkan cuisines]] is barely an outline. [[w:Balkan cuisine]] is probably only a bit better, but the best thing about it is that it's an umbrella for a slew of articles listed in "See also", whereas the Wikivoyage article is meant to stand on its own. I'd particularly point to [[w:Balkan cuisine#Characteristics]] as having some useful information that's absent from its Wikivoyage counterpart. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:53, 6 February 2022 (UTC)</s> ::Merged and redirected as of 22 February, 2022. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:16, 1 July 2022 (UTC) *[[Bavarian cuisine]] is a good usable article. [[w:Bavarian cuisine]] lists more dishes, but the Wikivoyage article is more useful because the dishes are described in the article and don't require another click; furthermore, quite a few of the listed dishes on the Wikipedia article are red-linked. I think the best ways to make it more useful for travelers would be to describe the dining and drinking experiences in different kinds of establishments more, referring readers to the [[German cuisine]] article wherever facts not specific to Bavaria are relevant, and to give examples of particular establishments that provide especially good examples of x, y and z traditional food or drink, as I suggested in [[Talk:Bavarian cuisine#Making this article less encyclopedic and more travel-related]] in 2014. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:35, 12 February 2022 (UTC) *<s>[[Benelux cuisines]] is even less of an outline. [[Netherlands#Eat]], [[Belgium#Eat]] and even little [[Luxembourg#Eat]] are far superior. I'm considering nominating it for deletion. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:58, 6 February 2022 (UTC)</s> ::Merged and redirected to [[Benelux#Eat]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:51, 18 February 2022 (UTC) *[[Brazilian cuisine]] is quite extensive for a usable-rated article. What it lacks so far is information about meal times and dining etiquette. [[w:Brazilian cuisine]] has somewhat more detail, but not to the degree you might expect, and the Wikivoyage article has more information about restaurants and drinks. I think that once meal times and any other important information about meals that might not be obvious is added, we will be able to call this article a guide and nominate it for a feature. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:57, 7 February 2022 (UTC) *[[Cuisine of Britain and Ireland]] is usable-rated but feels like a good guide-level article to me. It includes practical information about types and times of meals and includes a fair number of regional specialities, though a good argument could be made to subdivide the sections into the various nations and possibly add a few more dishes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:57, 12 February 2022 (UTC) *[[Cambodian cuisine]] was started recently and is coming along nicely. It will never have the depth of coverage of the cuisine that's at [[w:Cambodian cuisine]], though, and the Wikipedia article also has a "Meals and eating etiquette" section, which would be of practical importance to visitors. The only things I can think of that should be added to the Wikivoyage article on that topic that are not covered on Wikipedia are whether restaurants and/or stalls close between meal times and what to bring if you are invited to a meal at someone's home. (Should you buy a half a kilo of fresh fruits or more at a market and bring that, as you might in rural Malaysia?) Overall, though, because of the comprehensiveness of the Wikipedia article, I think some thought should be given to what the purpose of even a good Wikivoyage article should be and how to achieve it. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:08, 12 February 2022 (UTC) *<s>[[Central European cuisines]]: Certainly better than [[w:Central European cuisine]], except for the Wikivoyage article's total lack of images past the pagebanner, but doesn't seem at all too long and detailed to be merged and redirected to [[Central Europe#Eat]].</s> That said, Hungary and Austria have great cuisines that deserve their own articles if they can somehow be more useful to travellers than [[w:Austrian cuisine]] and [[w:Hungarian cuisine]]. There is a [[German cuisine]] article, plus Wikivoyage articles on [[Bavarian cuisine|Bavarian]] and [[Franconian cuisine|Franconian cuisines]]. I'm not familiar enough with other Central European cuisines to express an opinion about whether good articles about individual national or regional cuisines I haven't mentioned would be likely to be particularly useful to travelers. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:21, 12 February 2022 (UTC) ::Just started a thread at [[Talk:Central European cuisines]] proposing to merge and redirect the article to [[Central Europe#Eat]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:15, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :::Merged and redirected to [[Central Europe#Eat]] (and in smaller part, the "Drink" section of that article) on 7/7/2022. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:38, 7 July 2022 (UTC) *[[Chinese cuisine]] is a great article and was very justly a Featured Travel Topic. The article is certainly more useful to travelers and probably better than [[w:Chinese cuisine]], though the Wikipedia article also has links to subtopics, whereas the Wikivoyage article covers all regions of China without sub-articles on each region's cuisine. Anyone starting a new cuisine article or working hard on editing an existing one should look at this article for inspiration and a good model. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:09, 13 February 2022 (UTC) *[[Nigerian cuisine]] I'm not Ikan here to make a final evaluation, but I have to say, this is a reasonable article, and especially given it was only recently created. However, I'm not liking the layout and syntax of the article, along with capitalisation and some of it is written in a first person perspective. However, much of it looks similar to [[w:Nigerian cuisine]] just without citations (when I mean that, I mean that it looks awfully encyclopedic, not copied off). What it lacks is which places are known for food, local special(i)ties, but I hope the user who started it will improve it. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:13, 18 February 2022 (UTC) ::Thank you for your remarks. All of this is up for discussion and nothing is a final evaluation. And I don't consider myself more authoritative than anyone else. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:12, 18 February 2022 (UTC) :::No probs. I might do some others evaluations too. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 19:37, 18 February 2022 (UTC) ::::That would be great. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:47, 18 February 2022 (UTC) :::::There is some information in [[Nigerian cuisine]] which is beneficial and tailored to travellers. The paragraphs about sachet water and soft drinks are interesting, useful to know from a travel perspective and not found in the WP article. As is the information on the relative importance given to each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) in Nigerian culture. There are definitely positive signs though like nearly every article has scope for improvement. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 04:34, 19 February 2022 (UTC) *[[Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei]] – this is an overall good usable article, approaching guide status. It covers the important dishes for most regions, and IMO much better than [[w:Malaysian cuisine]] and [[w:Singaporean cuisine]]. That being said, coverage on Brunei seems to be low, but [[w:Bruneian cuisine]] doesn't have much either. I've also noticed that the Wikipedia article has much more on desserts, but the article is nearing guide thanks to the work of {{u|The dog2}} and {{u|Ikan Kekek}}. As a side note, it'd be nice to see a bit of [[w:Singaporean cuisine#Singaporean dishes uncommon in Singapore]] for those that would like to have a bit of Singaporean cuisine without travelling to Singapore. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 10:39, 21 February 2022 (UTC) :* I don't think those should be included. Those aren't actually Singaporean food, given that you can't find them in Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 15:48, 21 February 2022 (UTC) :*:Oh, I guess the Wikipedia's subheading is quite misleading... <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:45, 22 February 2022 (UTC) *[[Filipino cuisine]] is an overall good usable article. That being said, it seems a bit user-unfriendly and it could have a bit more on regional specialties. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:51, 22 February 2022 (UTC) === Separate cuisine articles considered harmful === {{swept}} Do we ''really'' need to separate out a single country's food/drink into separate articles, like [[Vietnam#Eat]] vs [[Vietnamese cuisine]]? Most readers will not click through on the little ''Main'' links, so in practice this seems to lead to an awful lot of duplication, since anything dropped from the main article just gets added back in because it's "missing". The size savings are marginal, eg. Vietnamese cuisine is 20k bytes vs over 150k for Vietnam even with the sad, truncated food section. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 04:17, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :{{re|Jpatokal}} I'm not so sure on this one. Some cuisine articles such as [[American cuisine]] have an awful lot of encyclopedic content, while others like [[Thai cuisine]] or [[Central European cuisines]] don't duplicate their parent articles, they simply aren't long enough to warrant a separate article. We do have a lot of other good cuisine articles like [[Georgian cuisine]] or [[Chinese cuisine]] that ideally all cuisine articles should follow suit. But what about [[Overseas Chinese cuisine]]? It obviously doesn't go in [[China#Eat]], and is way too long to go in the 76,733-byte [[Chinese cuisine]] article. We did have a discussion about these cuisine articles earlier this year (see [[Talk:Food and drink#Renewed discussion for 2022]]), so maybe it's time to revive that discussion again. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 08:21, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::I had only gotten started looking through cuisine articles here and comparing them to their Wikipedia counterparts and any Wikipedia subtopic article, with some help from you and several other people, but it would be good to complete the survey, even if only to start again, because of course some articles have been significantly improved since I started. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:28, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::Instead of getting bogged down in individual articles, I would suggest we go up a level and get agreement on a) when separate cuisine articles are needed/beneficial, and b) how do we draw the line between what goes into the main article and what should go into the cuisine article. [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 09:12, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::First, if you haven't looked at the discussion thread linked above, do, because we've already gotten into that discussion in regard to several articles, but at the simplest level, the reason to start a "cuisine" article is if and when there's too much information for it to really fit in a country (or sometimes region) article, just as is the case with "Driving in" articles and so forth. And whenever that happens, a summary should be left in the relevant section of the country article, with a link to the spinoff article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 09:45, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::Perhaps we can reorganise these articles by region instead of by ingredients and types of dishes. Then we can describe what to expect of the cuisines of each region, and what dishes to try. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:16, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::::::I don't know what you mean, in particular by "region," which can mean a group of several countries or an area within a country. If you mean a group of countries, I don't know how logical it would be to conflate Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian and Burmese cuisines, just because they're all in Southeast Asia, or for that matter, Spanish, French and German cuisines because they're all in Europe. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:42, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::::::We could discuss your suggestion more at the linked thread, though. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:42, 29 June 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} In the case of Vietnamese cuisine, we could discuss the differences between Northern, Central and Southern Vietnamese cuisines, and if someone knows enough, perhaps some of the ethnic minority cuisines as well. And likewise, Thai cuisine can be broadly divided into Lanna, Isaan, Central Thai and Southern Thai cuisines. And in the case of Malaysia, there are also many local specialities, so laksa in Penang is not the same as laksa in Sarawak for instance. Unfortunately, I have never been to Kajang, but I have been told that their satay is a little different from our satay in Singapore. 19:49, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :Of course. As this is a travel guide, we need all articles to focus on travel, and letting people know what dishes you can expect in x, y and z region and whether there's a particular place or set of places to get the best a and b should be part of the heart of Wikivoyage cuisine articles. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:08, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::Precisely, so I am suggesting this as a way to make the cuisine articles more directly relevant to travel. So people can then know what to expect as they travel around the country. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 20:27, 29 June 2022 (UTC) {{outdent}} {{re|Ikan Kekek}} ''"if and when there's too much information for it to really fit in a country"'' So where do we draw the line at what's "too much information"? AFAIK there's no real technical limit (Mediawiki caps out at 2 MB per page), so is the concern that people won't scroll if it gets too long, that the articles will devolve into encyclopedic lists of dishes, or what? Also, "Driving in X" articles are only relevant to people who want to drive in X. Everybody has to eat, and we don't spin out "Sleeping in X" articles (even when that section gets really long, eg [[Japan#Sleep]]), so I don't think we should do that for any other top-level heading either. I have no objection to regional cuisine articles spanning several countries though, as long as they form a cohesive whole (Singaporean and Malaysian, sure; "Asian", nope). [[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]] ([[User talk:Jpatokal|talk]]) 06:50, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :You make good points. Of course, "too much information" is always a judgment call. I'd again invite you to have a look at [[Talk:Food and drink#Renewed discussion for 2022]]. I do have some preliminary thoughts, though: Yes, everyone has to eat, but not everyone cares greatly what they eat, as long as it's in their price range, doesn't make them sick and gives them energy. I know people like that. And then there's a continuum, the other end of which would be a trip specifically or mainly to dine. Similarly, we have a [[Grand old hotels]] article for people who prioritize a particular type of accommodations and have or save up money to indulge. Leaving a useful summary is not the same as merging an article like [[Georgian cuisine]] into the [[Georgia (country)]] article. If you'd favor doing that, we really have something to talk about, and I suppose since this discussion is continuing here, it'll eventually be swept to [[Talk:Food and drink]]. I would note that some cuisine articles have been judged to be too short and light on information to stand on their own and have been merged and redirected to the "Eat" sections of country or even multi-country region articles. See [[Talk:Balkan cuisines]], [[Talk:Benelux cuisines]]. I feel like we can and should judge each "Eat" section and each cuisine article on its own, but if you'd like to propose to merge and redirect every one to "Name of Country#Eat", I would suggest to you that that is not optimal, but that if you want to make that suggestion, you have to argue that in regard to the very best cuisine articles on the site, the ones that are guide-rated. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:07, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::[[User:Jpatokal|Jpatokal]], I just looked at [[Vietnamese cuisine]]. It's not very good, and for an "Eat" section, [[Vietnam#Eat]] is quite a detailed summary that I think is more tightly organized than the cuisine article. I agree with The dog2 that reorganizing the article by region, with remarks about the character of regional cuisines and then subsections by type of dish, may be more helpful that the current organization. Right now, I definitely see why you could prefer to just merge the additional information and redirect, and I don't oppose that outcome, as the watchword, as always, is [[The traveller comes first]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:24, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :::I wouldn't be opposed to spinning off Sleep sections into "Accommodation in X" if the section gets too long. There are detailed blogs and online articles on the hotels/motels, campsites, Airbnb sitautionm etc. of a particular destination so it is certainly feasible. I suspect they haven't been created because the topic in general is more boring than cuisine, shopping or other sections. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 03:39, 4 July 2022 (UTC) ::::"Everyone has to eat", but not everyone wants to explore the cuisine of a country. There are people who travel to other countries to see the sights, but prefer to seek out familiar cuisine or eat only in their hotels. ::::When a subject is branched off from a country article, usually it ends up being expanded because writers no longer feel the constraint of overwhelming the main article, so more information is available to readers. There should always be a concise summary in the country article, but details should be branched off. [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] ([[User talk:Ground Zero|talk]]) 14:00, 4 July 2022 (UTC) == Food vs cuisine == {{swept}} Most of our articles about national or regional cuisines use the word "cuisine" in their title like [[Japanese cuisine]] and [[French cuisine]] but some use the word "food" like [[Mexican food]]. Firstly, should we be consistent and adopt one word and if so, which word should we use? From the small amount of research I did, my gut feel is to use the "food". I used WordTracker to look at four search terms and their usage globally in the last month across all major search engines. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Search term !! Volume !! IAAT !! Comp !! KEI |- | Food || 140227 || 422349 || 46.06 || 64.29 |- | Cuisine || 36122 || 101932 || 33.83 || 64.55 |- | Chinese Food || 4466 || 499 || 10.66 || 76.83 |- | Chinese cuisine || 762 || 764 || 11.69 || 68.71 |} Volume is the number of times this phrased was searched exactly. IAAT is the count of webpages on which the search term appears. Comp is how much competition there is for the keyword (how many websites are trying to get a slice of the SEO pie) and KEI is Key Effectiveness Index, a combination of how popular a word is and the level of competition (more popular increase the number while more competition reduces it). Essentially we should using words that are high KEI. In this case, there are many people typing Chinese food in Google but there aren't as many websites using that phrase compared to Chinese cuisine. I think this is people usually type common easy words, not technical terms. Wikipedia uses cuisine which makes sense because encyclopedias use formal words but we should have the traveller in mind. Also I was looking at the site rankings of some of our competitors like Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness Travel, Rough Guides with Alexa and similar sites, and I noticed that Rough Guides gets a significant percentage of their traffic from the phrase "Vietnamese food". I suspected that not many people would write cuisine. [[User:DaGizza|<span style=color:teal>Gizza</span>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<span style=color:teal>roam</span>]]</i>)} 09:12, 26 February 2017 (UTC) :Huh. I think I actually use these words to mean different things. Chinese and Mexican "food" are what you (don't) get in major Western countries (i.e., the stuff described in [[Mexican food#International versions]], and Chinese and Mexican "cuisine" are what you get when you're in China and Mexico, respectively. I wonder if anyone else uses these phrases the same way that I do. :Also, I wonder whether you'd get the same results if you compare "French food" vs "French cuisine". [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:41, 26 February 2017 (UTC) :: I would settle for ''food''. It is shorter, more straightforward, and better understood by learners of English (with the exception of French). /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 21:49, 26 February 2017 (UTC) :::I'm not sure those articles were attempted with the same intention or outset. And I agree that XYZ "food" and XYZ "cuisine" are not necessarily always the same thing. [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 21:58, 26 February 2017 (UTC) ::{{Ping|WhatamIdoing}} I would definitely not draw that distinction. If I get Chinese/Mexican ''food'' that just means that I got an individual dish or meal. But Chinese/Mexican ''cuisine'' is the tradition of food from those places. Contextually "x ''food'' can also mean the latter. —[[User:Koavf|Justin (<span style="color:grey">ko'''a'''vf</span>)]]<span style="color:red">❤[[User talk:Koavf|T]]☮[[Special:Contributions/Koavf|C]]☺[[Special:Emailuser/Koavf|M]]☯</span> 01:52, 27 February 2017 (UTC) :::Not sure why, but to me "food" conjures an image of something basic and gourmand (like "fast food") and cuisine something more pretentious and elaborate (like « haute cuisine »)? [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 03:29, 27 February 2017 (UTC) ::::Because of the inherent 'prestige' of the French word 'cuisine', versus the English words 'cooking' or 'food'. I don't think there's a difference, except the perceptions people have of the food from certain countries, hence Japanese and French "cuisine", but Mexican "food". --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 04:53, 27 February 2017 (UTC) :::::I appreciate there is some desire to tighten things up around here (see the epic struggle around airline redirects) but seriously how is this going to improve the WV travel guide? I'm going to mark myself down as doubtful that changing some words will impact our SEO in any significant way. [[User:Andrewssi2|Andrewssi2]] ([[User talk:Andrewssi2|talk]]) 02:15, 27 February 2017 (UTC) ::::::American food could be McDonald's. American cuisine is either good home cooking or the stuff you get at good diners, barbecues, "new American" or "classic American" restaurants, etc. I would suggest using "cuisine" exclusively, except for articles about fast food and "casual dining" chain restaurants. "French food" sounds very lowest-common-denominator. "French cuisine" sounds excellent. Let's go for excellence, please. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:46, 27 February 2017 (UTC) :::::::All but one of those articles has "cuisine" in the title. Some talk a great deal about cuisine in the body of the article. For those that are about cuisine, why not keep that in the title and make a redirect from the term containing "food". Then they will be found by either search term. In fact, the [[Mexican food]] article refers to "cuisine" more than "food", so if consistency was desired, that would be the article title to change. [[User:Nurg|Nurg]] ([[User talk:Nurg|talk]]) 09:05, 27 February 2017 (UTC) ::::::::I second everything you say 100%. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 10:25, 27 February 2017 (UTC) ::::::::::::I think as wiki''voyage'' we should on occasion embrace our inner frenchiness, even though or maybe because of the times we live in are ones where "coastal elites" are openly mocked. In a bit more seriousness though, Mexican food (which I originally intended as a counterpart to [[fast food in North America]] when the latter was still called that, should probably be moved to [[Mexican cuisine]] [[User:Hobbitschuster|Hobbitschuster]] ([[User talk:Hobbitschuster|talk]]) 12:25, 27 February 2017 (UTC) :::::::::::::I have moved the article accordingly: It is now indeed the [[Mexican cuisine]] article. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:16, 12 May 2017 (UTC) ===Template for food articles=== Having tried in 15 minutes to digest all these "Talk" entries, wonder if articles focused just on food/cuisine/dining/whatever could benefit from a well-considered template? Looked at currently approved templates for articles and didn't see one. Example: Since food is a topic dear to me, and with wife not inclined to be adventurous, would appreciate coverage of safety. Surely the above contributors and others have more suggestions. Regards, [[User:Hennejohn|Hennejohn]] ([[User talk:Hennejohn|talk]]) 21:03, 12 May 2017 (UTC) :Might be a good idea. Would you like to create a mockup of a template in your sandbox and link it here for discussion? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 22:14, 12 May 2017 (UTC) == "Dinner" == {{swept}} Which use of "dinner" is preferred in articles? * don't use it at all: breakfast, lunch, and supper ''(the least confusing option, in my opinion)'' * use it in place of "supper", as in the UK: breakfast, lunch, and dinner * use it in place of "lunch", as in the US: breakfast, dinner, and supper --[[User:Robkelk|Robkelk]] ([[User talk:Robkelk|talk]]) 16:01, 5 July 2018 (UTC) :I'm sorry? No one in the U.S. calls lunch "dinner", and "supper" is a somewhat archaic regional synonym for the evening meal. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:08, 5 July 2018 (UTC) ::So, not lunch, then. --[[User:Robkelk|Robkelk]] ([[User talk:Robkelk|talk]]) 19:12, 5 July 2018 (UTC) :::"Dinner" in the US is theoretically the main/largest meal of the day, which, assuming that you were on a farm and that you were living before World War I, was the middle of the day. The largest meal is now generally the evening meal, except for holidays (dinner on Thanksgiving Day might start as early as noon) and on Sundays for those (mostly elderly people) who want a fancy meal after church services are over, so a dinner invitation from anyone under the age of 75 is understood to be in the evening unless otherwise specified. :::"Supper" is theoretically smaller than dinner (i.e., your last list is technically correct, but not a pattern Americans use much any longer), with possibly the most delightful version being breakfast in bed at 8:00 a.m., dinner at 1:00 p.m., afternoon tea at 4:00 p.m., the opera at 8:00 p.m., and supper at 11:00 p.m. (This schedule assumes that you don't have reservations at the Grand Tier Restaurant at the Met, and thus won't be eating your main course before the curtain rises and your dessert during intermission.) :::As to how they are used: "dinner" and "supper" are generally considered synonyms. "Dinner" feels fancier, and it is the term that most upscale restaurants seem to prefer. "Supper" is unambiguous about the time of day. If you're writing paragraphs, then occasionally substituting the phrase ''evening meal'' would bypass the problem. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:06, 5 July 2018 (UTC) ::: I believe supper and dinner are used interchangeably depending on the region in the US. Perhaps it's my region, but when I was growing up dinner had fancier connotations and was eaten later in the evening (6-8pm) compared to a supper (5-6 pm). Today I rarely hear or use supper. I also don't notice the usage of either relating to the time one eats beyond it being eaten after 5pm. [[User:DethDestroyerOfWords|DethDestroyerOfWords]] ([[User talk:DethDestroyerOfWords|talk]]) 20:13, 5 July 2018 (UTC) :::: British & Irish usage has evolved in a similar way. Scottish hospitable greeting: "Eh, but ye'll have had your tea??" [[User:Grahamsands|Grahamsands]] ([[User talk:Grahamsands|talk]]) 20:43, 6 July 2018 (UTC) :::::In Singapore, we say "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner", while "supper" refers to a very late night meal that is eaten after dinner (~9pm or later), and is often not eaten at all. And at least in the parts of Australia and the U.S. that I have lived in, it's also "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner". But that said, when read Enid Blyton books as a kid, they used "breakfast", "dinner" and "supper", and Enid Blyton was most certainly a British author, so I'm not sure if that usage is a British regionalism, or is it standard British English? [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 05:11, 7 July 2018 (UTC) ::::::Having "dinner" refer to the largest meal of the day is too confusing since for nutritional/health reasons, breakfast should be the largest meal of the day! Just use "dinner" for the evening meal, that will be understood by most people. [[User:ArticCynda|ArticCynda]] ([[User talk:ArticCynda|talk]]) 07:30, 7 July 2018 (UTC) (indent) "Dinner" to me is the third meal of the day regardless of how much or little you eat. The way I tend to hear "supper" used in the US is strictly for use when dinner is prepared at home. I've never heard of anyone "going out for supper". [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] ([[User talk:ChubbyWimbus|talk]]) 08:46, 7 July 2018 (UTC) : I do not forget second breakfast and afternoon tea!--[[User:Traveler100|Traveler100]] ([[User talk:Traveler100|talk]]) 14:00, 7 July 2018 (UTC) ::...and brunch. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 18:20, 7 July 2018 (UTC) :::And elevenses! :::Artic, I believe that having the main meal in the middle of the day was established for the convenience of the cook, in centuries when under-nutrition was the main food-related health concern. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 19:27, 7 July 2018 (UTC) ::::Seems reasonable yes, I can imagine it wasn't very pleasant to prepare a main meal under candle light in winter when days are short, so convenience for the cook probably played a role there. [[User:ArticCynda|ArticCynda]] ([[User talk:ArticCynda|talk]]) 08:41, 9 July 2018 (UTC) == Eat or Drink? == {{swept}} Which section - 'Eat' or 'Drink' - is most appropriate for places which specialise in afternoon tea? There are of course many hotels which serve afternoon tea, and [[Sleep|their place]] in an article is clear, but there are also tearooms which aren't attached to a restaurant or hotel. For those who don't know, tea is a meal inasmuch as a lot of food (i.e. more than a snack amount, and potentially enough to stuff yourself depending on how greedy and/or rich you're feeling) is typically consumed, but the main focus is a pot of tea (the drink), and there will always be a lot of blends to choose from. The food, while significant in quantity and served on a platter or one of those tiered stacks, is made up of things which by themselves are just light bites: cakes, scones, small sandwiches, toasted buns, fruit etc. Some upmarket places - like [https://www.bettys.co.uk/cafe-tea-rooms/traditional-afternoon-tea this example] - offer a glass of champagne with the tea. Places like the example typically don't serve full cooked meals at other times of the day; tea is all they do, all day every day. So I'm wondering which section of an article they belong in? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 16:18, 21 September 2018 (UTC) :It's a judgment call, based on your determination of whether the tea or the food is more important. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:36, 21 September 2018 (UTC) ::I guess so. It's just...thinking for myself...so hard :P --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 18:03, 21 September 2018 (UTC) :::It was my understanding that the drink section was geared more towards nightlife (bars, clubs, etc.) HOWEVER: In the manual of style [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Wikivoyage:Where_you_can_stick_it#Drink] it also lists things like bar & grills and tea/coffee houses with a note beside saying those could go into an eat listing as well. So no matter what you do, it won't be "wrong" and you can plunge boldly. [[User:DethDestroyerOfWords|DethDestroyerOfWords]] ([[User talk:DethDestroyerOfWords|talk]]) 21:16, 21 September 2018 (UTC) ::::I would put a complete afternoon tea in "eat", as I would regard it as a replacement for lunch. If I couldn't find any pubs to go in drink, then a tearoom where a pot of tea with one scone was usual would go in "drink". [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:51, 21 September 2018 (UTC) :::::Thank you for your perspectives. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:42, 22 September 2018 (UTC) ::::::I'd say the same thing as Ikan; if you usually go there to have a cup of tea and occasionally some snacks or a sandwich, then it's certainly a Drink listing. If people in general go there to have a meal, then it's an Eat. If really unsure, I put the listing in Eat. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 12:30, 22 September 2018 (UTC) :::::::I'd be inclined to [[Wikivoyage:Where you can stick it|stick]] "afternoon tea" in the [[British Empire|British]] sense (an afternoon meal break where tea is served with food) in "eat" as the "eat" and "drink" categories were originally intended to be analogous to the "restaurants" and "nightlife" sections of other travel guides. My guess is that the meaning of words shift because you are speaking [[English language varieties|English]] instead of whatever Americanised rubbish we're speaking here in [[Canada|the colonies]]; here "tea" means literally the beverage, but English usage has it as a meal break, pushing it into "eat" with the food listings. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 16:59, 23 September 2018 (UTC) :::::::::Thanks for all the opinions; putting it under 'Eat' is what I've [[York#Afternoon tea|done]]. --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:17, 23 September 2018 (UTC) === Dinner theatre? === [[Wikivoyage:Where you can stick it|Where can I stick it]]? There are two [[Buena Park#See]] listings for "dinner theatre" which look to be in the wrong section; dinner should be "eat" and theatre should be "do" as an activity, but "dinner theatre" isn't listed on [[Wikivoyage:Where you can stick it|WYCSI]] at all. Would it be reasonable for me to cite the placement of "comedy club" in "drink" (as nightlife) as a basis to add "dinner theatre" to WYCSI as "eat" with the rest of the restaurant listings? [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 16:51, 23 September 2018 (UTC) :Putting it under 'Eat' makes sense, but I guess it kind of depends how big a deal the theatre/dinner aspects of it are. If the plays are eligible for industry awards, or widely recognised for the brilliant performances, a dinner theatre could arguably go in 'Do', whereas if people go for the food primarily then it's certainly an 'Eat'. Although I have no experience of this as there's only [http://www.millatsonning.com/ one] such venue in the whole of the UK, it presumably depends on which between eating and theatre is the biggest draw. :For tea, I ended up creating a new section under the 'Eat' heading. For places where there are several dinner theatres around, that might be something which could be done.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 17:19, 23 September 2018 (UTC) ::Personally, I'd stick this under "Eat" (maybe in a separate subsection), but there's a solid argument in favor of "Do". -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 17:23, 23 September 2018 (UTC) :::Thanks. I've updated [[Buena Park#Eat]] and [[Wikivoyage:Where you can stick it]] accordingly. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 19:42, 23 September 2018 (UTC) ::::Incidentally, I disagree with comedy clubs belonging in "Drink". Stand-up comedy is a form of nightlife only secondarily at best; at its heart, it's a performance along similar lines as live music. If concert halls belong in "Do", so do comedy clubs. -- [[User:AndreCarrotflower|AndreCarrotflower]] ([[User talk:AndreCarrotflower|talk]]) 20:09, 23 September 2018 (UTC) :::::I recall [[Wikivoyage talk:Where you can stick it#Theatrical and concert venues|raising the same issue]] in 2013. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 22:25, 23 September 2018 (UTC) [[:Wikipedia:Dinner theater]] says "Sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to the meal, in the style of a night club, or the play may be the main feature of the evening, with dinner less important or, in some cases, optional." Medieval Times Tournament and Dinner Show (one at Buena Park) has a cast of about 75 actors and 20 horses that perform in a large arena. Pirates Dinner Adventure (the other at Buena Park) also looks to have a large cast and large set (a galleon). It looks like the main feature would be the shows, rather than the dinner. I say "Do". [[User:Nurg|Nurg]] ([[User talk:Nurg|talk]]) 08:27, 24 September 2018 (UTC) :I would usually put dinner theatre in "Do", as I did a few months ago in the [[Greensboro]] article. I think of dinner theatre as much more than just a meal, and I would expect to see it listed with other performances and activities rather than with ordinary restaurants. But in cases where the show is less important and the meal is the main draw, I can see putting them in "Eat". Glancing at the websites for the Buena Park listings, I agree with Nurg's impression that these two seem like they fit better in "Do". —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 09:46, 24 September 2018 (UTC) ::Fair enough. I've moved them to [[Buena Park#Do]] as there wasn't much there except for the one large [[amusement park]]. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 16:33, 26 September 2018 (UTC) ==Alternative banner== I have created an alternative banner for this article. See: [[File:Food_WV_banner.jpg|center|thumb|750px|Current banner]] [[File:Food Wikivoyage Banner.jpg|center|thumb|750px|Alternative banner]] Go to the edit history of this article and you can see how the alternative looked (I added it for a while on Feb. 14). But for now, we can vote here. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 22:42, 14 February 2019 (UTC) :The alternative would be better placed at [[Fruits and vegetables]], though I like that article's current banner better for the topic. For this article, I'd support keeping the current banner for now, because it shows both food and drink (the teapot), though in the future, it would be nice to use a sharper photo (as the alternate banner is). [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:42, 15 February 2019 (UTC) :: Agree. /[[User:Yvwv|Yvwv]] ([[User talk:Yvwv|talk]]) 15:23, 15 February 2019 (UTC) :::See [[Talk:Fruits and vegetables]]. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 03:18, 16 February 2019 (UTC) ==Alternative banner #2== [[File:Food_WV_banner.jpg|center|thumb|750px|Current banner]] [[File:Food and Drink Banner.jpg|center|thumb|750px|Alternative banner]] No drinks, I know, but shows a variety of kinds of food. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 04:19, 1 March 2019 (UTC) :Original. The proposed replacement is overexposed and not as interesting, either. Other than that, I think it's the greatest! :-) [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:30, 1 March 2019 (UTC) ::True. I'll keep looking in future for a banner that would work. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 23:51, 1 March 2019 (UTC) :::Excellent. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 06:32, 2 March 2019 (UTC) [[File:Food Banner.jpg|center|thumb|750px|Alternative banner]] Here's another thought, though I wasn't thrilled with the result. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 16:03, 2 March 2019 (UTC) :I think it's quite good, though the fact that it doesn't include any drinks gives me pause. But it's a very good photo, IMO, and much sharper than the current banner. I'd like to see some other input on it, but I would not oppose a substitution, although I'm not impelled to support it, either. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:56, 6 March 2019 (UTC) ::Although the image quality of this one is better, I think the action shot showing a meal is better than some cold cuts on a tray. Others may disagree. I support the effort to come up with a better banner for this article, I just don't think this one is there yet. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 09:11, 6 March 2019 (UTC) :::Agree, something from a restaurant would be nice if we can find one. But if not, this is certainly an improvement. --[[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] ([[User talk:Bigpeteb|talk]]) 17:24, 6 March 2019 (UTC) == One should eat to live, not live to eat. == Doesn't that express the opposite sentiment to that which guides most travellers' eating ventures? At home, we should maintain a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet etc ("eating to live"), but when travelling, if you're not tucking into the local cuisine with gusto and trying new things ("living to eat"), then I'd suggest there's something wrong with you. Can we find a better quotation about the joy of discovering food when travelling? --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 13:06, 26 April 2020 (UTC) : Oh well, I can't resist aiming a boulder on current Brazilian president, who proudly tweets photos of himself cooking instant noodles on his room every time he goes abroad. As for myself, if I could afford it, would every month spend two weekends in [[Belém]] and the other two in [[Lisbon]] just to indulge in eating pleasures. "Every person inside his/hers own square", as says the chorus of a 2005 Brazilian radio hit. [[User:Ibaman|Ibaman]] ([[User talk:Ibaman|talk]]) 13:28, 26 April 2020 (UTC) :: That halfwit does know instant noodles are foreign, right? ;-) --[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 14:22, 26 April 2020 (UTC) : I agree, that does convey exactly the opposite of what we want on this article. Finding a better replacement is tough, though. Here are a couple I found, but I'm not in love with any of them: ::* The gentle art of gastronomy is a friendly one. It hurdles the language barrier, makes friends among civilized people, and warms the heart. --Samuel Chamberlain ::* One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. --Virginia Woolf ::* If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. --J.R.R. Tolkien ::* There is no love sincerer than the love of food. --George Bernard Shaw ::* Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. --Hippocrates ::* Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride. --Anthony Bourdain : I quite like this one, but it probably belongs better on [[Alcohol]] than here: ::* Drink heavily with locals whenever possible. --Anthony Bourdain : --[[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] ([[User talk:Bigpeteb|talk]]) 19:04, 26 April 2020 (UTC) ::I like these quotes. I think the best ones are the quotes by Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw, and Hippocrates (with the quote by Virginia Woolf being the best suited here). <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:11, 26 April 2020 (UTC) :::(edit conflict)Thanks for doing that :) I like a few of those, including the alcohol one - I'll go ahead and add it right away, if there's a place for it. Among the foodie ones, Chamberlain, Woolf, and Shaw stand out. Chamberlain is the most apt for travel, though the other two benefit from being less wordy.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 19:12, 26 April 2020 (UTC) ::::Maybe the "eat to live, not live to eat" quote more has to do with the fact that you shouldn't eat more than your body can use or else you'll end up obese. That said, any of the above would be a better quote to have on top of the article (if there has to be a quote there). --[[User:Ypsilon|Ypsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 19:18, 26 April 2020 (UTC) :::::That's exactly what it means, but if you can't treat yourself when on holiday, when can you?--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 19:21, 26 April 2020 (UTC) I think it's good to include a quote at the beginning of the article because it sets a good [[Wikivoyage:Tone|tone]]. Quotes are somewhat casual but not too casual, which matches well with the tone of this website in general. It also helps to engage the reader in the topic of the upcoming article. Therefore, I would support changing the quote rather than removing the existing one. <small>--Comment by </small> [[User:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">Selfie City</font>]] ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="blue">talk</font>]] | [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="blue">contributions</font>]]) 19:25, 26 April 2020 (UTC) :I totally agree that the current page quote is the opposite of what we want on this page and should be replaced. Thank you, [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] for bringing it up [[User:Bigpeteb|Bigpeteb]] for finding other quotes. I love the Hippocrates quote, but I think the most travel-appropriate quotes above are the Chamberlain and the Tolkien, though the Tolkien is a bit preachy (however, I certainly agree with the message). The Woolf is a great quote, too, but overall, the Chamberlain is my favorite for this page. I commented on the "drink heavily" quote at [[Talk:Alcoholic beverages]]. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:13, 26 April 2020 (UTC) ::I also think the most travel-relevant one is Chamberlain, though I like the Tolkein and Woolf ones as well. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 03:30, 27 April 2020 (UTC) There was consensus to change, so I've changed. I picked Woolf, because the most people (4) said they liked it. The runner up with 3 was Chamberlain.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 13:15, 3 June 2020 (UTC) == "The American custom to cut all food on the plate, and eat with the fork in the right hand, is commonly accepted" == So says the [[Food and drink#Manners]] section. I changed the clause by adding "outside Europe", because every country I've been to in Europe eats in the European way. But out of curiosity, I'd like to repeat the question I wrote in my edit summary; where in the world do people eat in the American way? It is a genuine question, as I haven't travelled much outside Europe. [[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 07:56, 28 June 2020 (UTC) :@[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]], I'm curious about this "cut all food on the plate" bit. Where, exactly, does the rest of the world cut their food? In the kitchen? [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 21:03, 29 June 2022 (UTC) ::I think the key point is "eat with the fork in the right hand". This suggests cutting up all the food on the plate, before eating any of it and moving the fork from the left hand to the right hand between the cutting and eating stages. This is distinct from the approach of cutting one piece off and then eating it before cutting any more. (In some countries it is common to do all the cutting in the kitchen, and then eat using chopsticks.) [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 22:18, 29 June 2022 (UTC) :::In proper American table manners, one does not cut all the food before eating. That is only done for people who can feed themselves but cannot be trusted with knives (e.g., toddlers). :::The proper handling for knives and forks in the US is the very old European style: With the fork in the left hand and knife in the right hand, cut one bit of food. Put the knife down on the plate and switch the fork to the right hand to scoop up the food (on the curved inward side, as if with a spoon, not on the back of the fork; also, not stabbing the food). Then you switch the fork back to your left hand and pick the up knife with your right hand to repeat the process. :::I suspect the person who invented this was ''extremely'' right handed. As a person who is somewhere between left-handed and ambidextrous and also has arthritis, it is not the model I personally use. But it is the correct version. [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 18:00, 30 June 2022 (UTC) ::::I agree with you. (By the way, I'm right-handed, but as a flutist, I use my left hand a lot, too, and I found the European method of keeping the knife in the left hand and the fork in the right hand more efficient, so I use it the great majority of the time.) [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 18:09, 30 June 2022 (UTC) :::::I always thought standard European table manners dictates that it should be fork in left and knife in right, and American table manners are pretty much the same in formal settings. To my knowledge, Americans just tend to be more casual, so while in Europe, you need to peel off a small piece of bread, then spread the butter on the small piece before putting the entire piece in your mouth, Americans are generally OK if you spread the butter on the entire slice of bread, then start biting each piece off. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 02:31, 1 July 2022 (UTC) ::::::Maybe some Americans, particularly some of those who've traveled to Europe, have adopted European conventions like I have, but WhatamIdoing is correct. -- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 03:21, 1 July 2022 (UTC) :::::::The correct way to eat a piece of bread (e.g., a bread roll) in US manners is to use your fingers to break off a piece equal to two bites, butter that, and eat it in two bites. By contrast, in France, you break off a piece that is a suitable size for one bite, and there is no butter. :::::::This rule assumes, however, that we're talking about an ordinary yeast-based dinner roll or a slice of something like a baguette. The rules are different for things like baking powder biscuits (butter while hot) and cornbread (butter while hot, and eat with a fork). [[User:WhatamIdoing|WhatamIdoing]] ([[User talk:WhatamIdoing|talk]]) 20:31, 1 July 2022 (UTC) == New banner proposal == [[File:Food_WV_banner.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Banner currently used in this article]] [[File:Proposed new Wikivoyage banner for Food and drink.png|right|thumb|500px|Suggested new alternative banner]] The current banner for this article is ''very'' blurry at full view, and this talk page shows other people bringing up the issue too. I've mocked up a new one -- thoughts? [[User:Vaticidalprophet|Vaticidalprophet]] ([[User talk:Vaticidalprophet|talk]]) 17:12, 17 April 2021 (UTC) :Thanks, but the proposed replacement isn't much less blurry and is less interesting and doesn't show anyone eating. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:26, 17 April 2021 (UTC) 1nqb0pgmtgxr18mbkri64ve17b5b3u0 0 142139 4501791 4478706 2022-08-16T00:03:46Z Critical367 2269535 /* Do */ Updated listing for Experience Labrador Tours wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Cartwright Labrador 09 (cropped).jpg}} '''[http://www.labradorcoastaldrive.com/home/93 Cartwright]''' is a tiny coastal fishing village on the southeastern coast of [[Labrador]] with a population of just over 500 people. ==Understand== [[Image:Captain george cartwright.jpg|thumb|Captain George Cartwright in 1792]] Captain George Cartwright, an English merchant, established a fish and fur trading business on the eastern side of Sandwich Bay in 1775, one of several established along the Labrador coast from 1770 to 1786. Two cannons on Flagstaff Hill guard the harbour from pirates and privateers. His book "Journal of Transactions and Events During a Residence of Nearly Sixteen Years on the Coast of Labrador" provides a detailed historical picture of the era. He sold the trading businesses to Hunt and Henley in 1815; they were purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1873. Cartwright was incorporated as a town in 1956, but was accessible only by a coastal ferry (based in [[Lewisporte]]) until the [[Trans-Labrador Highway]] linked the town to Red Bay/[[Forteau]] in 2002 and to [[Happy Valley-Goose Bay]] in December 2009. Many points beyond Cartwright still rely on the coastal ferry. The Cartwright Hotel was destroyed by fire in 2013 and has not been rebuilt. A wooden structure with twenty rooms, a restaurant and bar, the hotel had employed at least a dozen locals.<!-- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cartwright-hotel-flattened-by-roaring-fire-1.1325685 --> There is a tiny, six-room motel and tent/trailer camping; as space is very limited (and the next village nearly 200km away), don't go without reserving lodging in advance. A [http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/parks/wer/r_gie/ Gannet Islands Ecological Reserve] 40&nbsp;km (25 miles) northeast of Cartwright is the largest and most diverse sea bird breeding colony in Labrador, but is closed to all visitors except accredited scientific researchers. There are [[ghost towns|abandoned native or Métis villages]] and [[archaeological sites]] in the area, in some very awkward locations unlikely to be reachable except by boat. There is one local industry in the village, a Labrador Fisherman's Union Shrimp Company factory with 100-150 people packaging crab. The commercial cod fishery is largely gone due to a 1990s moratorium (like most Newfoundland communities) but there is recreational salmon fishing on the nearby Eagle River. There is a fuel station and an Anglican church in the village, but no bank and no repair garage. The highway in this region is gravel until it joins the Trans-Labrador mainline at Cartwright Junction (no fuel, no services, no populated place). Expect no fuel and no services on the entire lonely 393km (250 mi) of road northwest to [[Goose Bay]] (a sprawling 7700-person metropolis), or on the 187 km (120 mi) southward to tiny [[Port Hope Simpson]] (population 500). Cartwright's location is isolated, but represents a last chance for fuel, food and basic essentials before a very long journey to the next village. Labrador is sub-Arctic and winters are brutal. To the north, coastal native communities (mostly Innu) are accessible only by sea or by air. ==Get in== [[File:Cartwright Labrador 01.jpg|thumb]] ===By car=== Cartwright is on Route 516; exit the main [[Trans-Labrador Highway]] 510 at Cartwright Junction (no services) and drive about 90km (55 miles) north. ===By ship=== A seasonal coastal ferry service, based in [[Lewisporte]], calls at [[Goose Bay]] to take on supplies for communities further north with no road access. One still can reach Rigolet-Cartwright-Black Tickle from elsewhere within Labrador on this ferry, although service has diminished in communities where a road is now open. * {{listing | name=Nunatsiavut Marine | alt=MV Northern Ranger | url=http://labradorferry.ca | email= | address=123 Main St, Lewisporte | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 535-3526 | tollfree= | fax=+1 709 535-3385 | hours= | price= | content=Cargo is no longer accepted at Lewisporte for Goose Bay and Cartwright, but Black Tickle, Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Natuashish and Nain remain accessible only by outport ferry. }} ===By plane=== * {{listing | type=go | name=Cartwright Airport | alt={{IATA|YRF}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=53.6825 | long=-57.041944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Cartwright Airport | wikidata=Q1961519 | content=[http://www.airlabrador.com Air Labrador] (+1 709 938-7476) stops three times weekly (Mon, Wed, Fri) at Cartwright's small airstrip en route to/from Goose Bay. This flight follows the coast through a long list of Labrador villages (Black Tickle, Charlottetown, Port Hope Simpson, Williams Harbour, Fox Harbour and Mary's Harbour) southward to St. Anthony on Newfoundland's [[Great Northern Peninsula]]. Another coastal flight runs from Goose Bay northward to Nain, stopping in various native communities unreachable by road. }} ==Get around== There are no taxis, buses, SkyTrain, subway or métro stations in Cartwright. There's also no commuter rail. One may travel on foot or by car within the village, which is a tiny and compact settlement. The coastal ferry docks are centrally located in the village, but the airstrip is a couple of kilometres (about a mile and a half) from the middle of town. A few small outports in-region with no direct road access use ferry links to Cartwright as their access to "the beaten path" - although evidently the term in this context is relative. ==See== * '''Flagstaff Hill Monument''', on a hill overlooking the town and the bay, still has the cannons which defended the harbour two hundred years ago. ==Do== * {{do | name=Experience Labrador Tours | alt= | url=http://experiencelabrador.ca | email= | address=20 Lethbridge Lane | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 938-7444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Tour office, boat facilities, souvenir and craft shop (Mealy Mountain Gallery), tent and trailer camping. Various tours and outdoor expeditions range from half-day to nine days. Seasonal. The website has a single splash page that they have suspended operations and to check back in 2020. As of August 2022, it has not been updated. }} ==Buy== The Northern Store (Northwest Company) is the general store and main grocer in the village; there's also one convenience store and a fuel station. The [http://www.mealymountaingallery.com Mealy Mountain Gallery] operates seasonally as part of Experience Labrador Tours, carrying native and local crafts, T-shirts, quilts and patches, carvings, pottery, jewellery, painting, photos, postcards, traditional cotton duck cossacks and outerwear. ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Learning's Take-Out | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 938-7500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Local and pub fare. }} * {{eat | name=M&amp;K Cartwright | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/MKCartwrightLtd/ | email= | address=189-191 Main Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709-938-7365 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Self-service fuel station, bakery and convenience store. }} * {{eat | name=Northern Store | alt= | url=http://www.northmart.ca/our-stores/locator#newfoundland | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 938-7232 | tollfree= | fax=+1 709 938-7409 | hours= | price= | content=Grocery and retail store, food and cold drinks "to go". General store with hardware, housewares, toys. Snowmobile sale and rental. }}<!-- http://www.trusler.net/PGSystem/Notes/2004Honeymoon/travelog9.htm shows a restaurant next to the motel and http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/theses/Pace_JessicaE.pdf indicates there was a c-store (2008) --> ==Drink== [http://www.nlliquor.com/stores/liquor-express#C Liquor] {{dead link|December 2020}} is available at the Northern Store. ==Sleep== Options are limited; the village's [http://www.destinationlabrador.com/guide/hills_hospitality_home.htm lone bed-and-breakfast house] removed its online listings (two rooms) in 2015 and the Cartwright Hotel was destroyed in 2013. Experience Labrador offers seasonal accommodations (a trailer, tenting experiences and tent rental sites) and reports the Northside Motel to still be operational. * {{sleep | name=Northside Motel | alt= | url=http://northsideenterprise.tripod.com {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address=8 Low Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 938-7122 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$95-105 | content=Tiny six-room motel with Wi-Fi, TV. As of 2004, Northside Enterprises was also operating a Northside Pub downstairs and Mug Up restaurant next door (Mon-Sat 11AM-1PM, 4-7PM; Fri 'til 9PM; Sun 4-7PM). While the property's own website has not been updated in over a dozen years, annual provincial inspections indicate food service of some form remains available at this establishment. }} <!-- * {{sleep | name=Hills Hospitality Home | alt= | url=http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlanYourTrip/Detail/30993794 | email= | address=10B Point Road | lat=53.7054 | long=-57.0242 | directions= | phone=+1 709 938-7015 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$80 dbl | content=Year-round B&B with two double bedrooms, full breakfast, view of Cartwright Harbour, close to post office, Northern Store and fuel station. }} --> ==Connect== There is no [[mobile telephone]] service in or around Cartwright. There is a small [[postal service|post office]]. ==Nearby== ===Eagle River=== Well known for salmon and fly fishing, Eagle River is accessible by sea or by float plane. The river ends on the opposite side of Sandwich Bay, approximately 18 miles west from Cartwright. There are multiple fishing camps operated by various outfitters, who typically bundle food, lodging, boat and motor rental and the services of a guide into one big, expensive package. Other activities include kayaking and sightseeing by boat or aircraft. Operations are highly seasonal; operators begin to scale back activity by late August. Speckled trout, northern pike and Atlantic salmon are caught mid-June to mid-August; salmon fishing continues through August and September. Trout season officially ends September 15. Eagle River is off the grid and has no roads, but is reachable by float plane (from Goose Bay) or boat (typically from Cartwright). Baggage capacity on these small aircraft is limited, so anything beyond fifty pounds (such as food/drinks and supplies) will be brought by sea. The lodges and cabins typically offer most of the comforts of home, but the power comes from a generator and network access from a satellite. Telephone calls to the camps are carried by satellite or [[Internet telephony]] (often listing an out-of-province telephone area code), cookstoves use propane and any pumps or filters to deliver running water are installed locally. * {{do | name=Cloud 9 Salmon Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.cloud9salmonlodge.com | email= | address=Lethbridge Island | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 938-7124, +1 613-855-6108 (Globalstar satellite) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Can accommodate eight guests in four double occupancy rooms. }} * {{do | name=Eagle River Trout Lodge | alt= | url=http://flyfishinglabrador.com | email= | address=Port Blandford | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709 543-2274 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Eagle River Outfitters | alt= Spirit Wind Salmon Lodge | url=http://www.eagleriveroutfitters.ca {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 613-855-8453 (Globalstar satellite) | tollfree=+1-877-896-8142 | fax= | hours= | price=$380-932/person per day, plus sea transport from Cartwright $200-400/person (return) | content=Atlantic salmon fly fishing. }} * {{do | name=Park Lake Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.parklakelodge.com {{dead link|May 2020|December 2020}} | email= | address=Park Lake | lat= | long= | directions=100km SE of Goose Bay | phone=+1 709 899-1992 | tollfree= | fax=+1 709 896-9551 | hours= | price= | content=At the headwaters of the Eagle River, near Mealy Mountains park, reachable by aircraft from Goose Bay. Accessible by snowmobile in winter to welcome visitors for skiing and ice fishing. }} * {{do | name=Pratt Falls Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.prattfallslodge.com | email= | address=Eagle River | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 709-938-7549, +1 514-316-4519 (Lodge Internet telephone) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Ninety minutes by boat ($300/two persons, each way) across Sandwich Bay. Lodge with running water, satellite Internet and generator; the four two-room cabins together can hold a total of 12-16 people. Packages with fishing guide, boat and motor, meals and lodging are $1,700/day or $12,900/week (double occupancy). Weekly package rate includes transport and fishing licence, but not fishing equipment. }} * {{do | name=Rifflin Hitch Lodge | alt= | url=http://rifflinhitchlodge.com | email= | address=Eagle River | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=7,000 square foot lodge, en-suite baths, dining room with resident chef, recreation room, outdoor sauna, hot tub, pool table and fireplaces. Fishing equipment, satellite telephone, Internet, television. Canoeing/kayaking. }} ==Go next== Cartwright is the end of the road. If heading south, there is a half-hour time difference between Cartwright (Atlantic time, AST/ADT) and Port Hope Simpson (Newfoundland time, which continues to Forteau). The only way out by road is to rejoin the [[Trans-Labrador Highway]] mainline 90km south at Cartwright Junction (there's nothing at this crossroads, no services, no fuel). One may then continue northwest to [[Goose Bay]] or south to [[Port Hope Simpson]], Red Bay and Blanc Sablon-[[Forteau]]. A full tank of fuel (or even a spare can) is advised as the 400km of empty wilderness between Cartwright and Goose Bay provides no refuelling stops. [[Mealy Mountains National Park]] Reserve (+1 709 458-2417) is accessible from Cartwright by sea, usually with the aid of an outfitter. It is a 10,700 km² national park established 2015 to protect boreal forest, caribou, Atlantic salmon and trout, wolves, black bear, marten and fox, mountains, tundra, fjords and expansive native landscapes. A 50 km stretch of sandy beaches at the edge of the park, known since Viking times as the Wunderstrand, is suitable for hiking. Other options are to depart by sea for [[Nunatsiavut]] in the north or [[Lewisporte]] in the south, or to fly out to [[Goose Bay]] or [[Great Northern Peninsula|St. Anthony]]. {{IsPartOf|Labrador}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|53.70|-57.01}} kj6ldwy3brsy4hry56iov2zextlscsj 0 142583 4501913 4498108 2022-08-16T06:23:50Z 149.135.54.144 /* Netherlands */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | content=This coastal town has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Otterlo | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=52.1 | long=5.783333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Otterlo | wikidata=Q1507955 | content=Canadian troops liberated the village in mid-April 1945 as a result of encirclement of German forces resulting in a victory with the loss of 200 soldiers. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} 1c166f8djyaxfimluo1qrvyk5ozpbgq 4501914 4501913 2022-08-16T06:37:08Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/149.135.54.144|149.135.54.144]] ([[User talk:149.135.54.144|talk]]) to last version by [[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | content=This coastal town has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} gs2rmddpjnwgx5gc575umgidpskkibm 4501921 4501914 2022-08-16T06:43:57Z Pashley 1822 /* Canada */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | content=This coastal town has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} f8wh0t611xcggrty7wq87vbjh91mwje 4501933 4501921 2022-08-16T07:08:53Z Pashley 1822 /* Canada */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} Two Canadian towns originated as refuelling stops for transatlantic flights in the days when planes did not have the range for non-stop flights, and both were important during the war for delivering aircraft from American and Canadian factories to Europe. [[Gander]], Newfoundland was built in 1935, [[Goose Bay]], Labrador in 1941. ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | content=This coastal town has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} inufjfosas0tgk0ihekn4ppyrq7dpa0 4501958 4501933 2022-08-16T07:40:00Z Pashley 1822 /* Canada */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} Two Canadian towns &mdash; [[Gander]], Newfoundland and [[Goose Bay]], Labrador &mdash; originated as refuelling stops for transatlantic flights in the days when planes did not have the range for non-stop flights, and both were important during the war for delivering aircraft from American and Canadian factories to Europe. Today they are just small towns with remarkably large airports; both are still RCAF air bases. Gander was a base for anti-submarine patrols as well as a fuel stop and has memorials both for WW II casualties and for several hundred American servicemen killed when their plane crashed on takeoff in 1985. ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | content=This coastal town has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} 46tosi6v4zr41qm3n4wfm02a6yo5he1 4502112 4501958 2022-08-16T10:31:22Z Pashley 1822 /* France */ Updated listing for [[Saint-Nazaire]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} Two Canadian towns &mdash; [[Gander]], Newfoundland and [[Goose Bay]], Labrador &mdash; originated as refuelling stops for transatlantic flights in the days when planes did not have the range for non-stop flights, and both were important during the war for delivering aircraft from American and Canadian factories to Europe. Today they are just small towns with remarkably large airports; both are still RCAF air bases. Gander was a base for anti-submarine patrols as well as a fuel stop and has memorials both for WW II casualties and for several hundred American servicemen killed when their plane crashed on takeoff in 1985. ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | directions=Pays de la Loire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This coastal town at the mouth of the Lorie has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} 975ionzhlye9n7aqyn9ezyfe0mhgws0 4502113 4502112 2022-08-16T10:32:13Z Pashley 1822 /* France */ Updated listing for [[Saint-Nazaire]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} Two Canadian towns &mdash; [[Gander]], Newfoundland and [[Goose Bay]], Labrador &mdash; originated as refuelling stops for transatlantic flights in the days when planes did not have the range for non-stop flights, and both were important during the war for delivering aircraft from American and Canadian factories to Europe. Today they are just small towns with remarkably large airports; both are still RCAF air bases. Gander was a base for anti-submarine patrols as well as a fuel stop and has memorials both for WW II casualties and for several hundred American servicemen killed when their plane crashed on takeoff in 1985. ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | directions=[[Pays de la Loire]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This coastal town at the mouth of the Lorie has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} sos5c3iqfxst50k6qbq8d5fov8h3ems 4502114 4502113 2022-08-16T10:32:45Z Pashley 1822 /* France */ Updated listing for [[Saint-Nazaire]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} Two Canadian towns &mdash; [[Gander]], Newfoundland and [[Goose Bay]], Labrador &mdash; originated as refuelling stops for transatlantic flights in the days when planes did not have the range for non-stop flights, and both were important during the war for delivering aircraft from American and Canadian factories to Europe. Today they are just small towns with remarkably large airports; both are still RCAF air bases. Gander was a base for anti-submarine patrols as well as a fuel stop and has memorials both for WW II casualties and for several hundred American servicemen killed when their plane crashed on takeoff in 1985. ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} *{{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | directions=[[Pays de la Loire]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This coastal town at the mouth of the Loire has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} bav6nvrv0u3b20qrzp8cpqnxhcoo0t3 4502116 4502114 2022-08-16T10:34:16Z Pashley 1822 /* France */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|WW2 Visla beachhead banner.jpg|caption=Soviet Army breakthrough at the Vistula beachhead, 1944}} {{seealso|European history}} '''World War II''' or the '''Second World War''' took place over many continents: while the [[Pacific War]] took place in [[Asia]] and [[Oceania]], the [[Europe]]an theatre saw combat from September 1939 to May 1945. The war was by far the most destructive conflict in European history in terms of loss of human lives as well as historic architecture. The European theatre included [[North Africa]]; see [[World War II in Africa]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''Europe • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} ==Understand== {{quote|This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years. |author=French marshal Ferdinand Foch at the Versailles peace conference, 28 June 1919}} ===Background=== [[File:William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.jpg|thumb|''The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors'' by Irish painter William Orpen]] After [[World War I]], the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to give up its colonial empire, to cede parts of its territory to neighboring countries, to recognise the independence of [[Austria]] and to pay reparations which were seen by most Germans as crippling its economy. The treaty added insult to injury by forcing Germany to accept sole responsibility for the war; the "guilt clause", as it became known, caused great resentment and anger among Germans, especially veterans. Although Germany was able to temporarily recover somewhat with the help of loans from the [[United States of America]] during the Roaring Twenties, the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the withdrawal of American investment, resulting in a severe financial crisis, and many years of hardship for the German people much worsened by the deflationary austerity politics of the Brüning government (1930-1932). The claimed injustices of the treaty and the economic problems, as well as the "Stab in the Back Myth" that denied the absolute nature of Germany's military defeat in 1918, were factors in Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The Nazi Party won a plurality in the ''Reichstag'' in the 1933 elections, leading to Hitler being appointed Chancellor. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler combined the positions of Chancellor and President into a new position known as ''Führer'', thus completing his rise to absolute power. Hitler then relied on and manipulated popular sentiment against minorities he deemed undesirable, including [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Roma people]] (Gypsies), disabled people, suspected communists and homosexuals and began the process of summarily executing some of them and rounding others up into concentration camps. The best known pogrom in Nazi Germany was ''Kristallnacht'' in 1938, when Nazi paramilitaries and local civilians murdered many Jews, and also destroyed synagogues, as well as Jewish property and businesses, throughout Germany (including modern-day [[Austria]] and parts of the [[Czech Republic]]) and the city of [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] (today part of [[Poland]]). After coming to power, Hitler blatantly flouted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, first by re-militarising the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler and Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini also ignored the international agreement not to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, with Germany even sending the Condor Legion, an air force unit, to destroy [[Guernica]]. The war brought Francisco Franco to power and brought the two fascist regimes closer politically. Hitler then sent troops into Austria to initiate a merger of the two countries under German rule, in a widely popular move known as the ''Anschluss'', in March 1938. Following that, he annexed the German-speaking Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in October 1938. As Britain and France were both weary of war following the toll taken on them by World War I, they initially adopted a policy of appeasement in an effort to avert a repeat of the war. In particular, they threw Czechoslovakia under the bus, accepting Hitler's assurance that the Sudetenland would be his "last territorial demand in Europe"; British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proudly proclaimed that he had negotiated "peace in our time". However, Hitler's subsequent invasion of Poland would be the last straw. ===The war=== [[File:Danzig Police at Polish Border (1939-09-01).jpg|thumb|Germans tearing down the border barrier between Gdansk and Poland on the first day of the war]] The war in Europe began on 1 September 1939, as [[Germany]] invaded [[Poland]], and the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]] declared war on Germany two days later, as they had declared in advance that they would consider an attack on Poland to be a ''casus belli''. The countries of the [[British Empire]] also declared war on Germany. Only a few days prior to the start of the war, the Soviet Union and Germany had signed a secret pact of non-aggression, which called for the re-division of the central and eastern European nations. From 17 September, the [[Soviet Union]] invaded Poland, but no nation declared war on the USSR. These harmonised invasions caused the re-established Polish Republic to cease to exist, and Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in the fourth partition of the country. Both occupying powers were hostile to the existence of Poland's sovereignty, people, and culture and aimed to destroy them. Germany and the Soviet Union coordinated their Poland-related policies, most visibly in the four Gestapo–NKVD conferences, where the occupiers discussed their plans to deal with the Polish resistance movement. Many of World War II's most infamous war crimes were committed by the Nazis and Soviets on Polish territory, with the former committing the majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. In November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]] but failed to conquer the country in the '''Winter War''', which should have been an easy Soviet victory but instead became a humiliating struggle, with Soviet military ineptitude put on full display. Meanwhile, the Western Front was brought to a deadlock called the '''phoney war''', during which time neither France nor Germany engaged in major offensive action against each other. Then, in spring 1940, Germany (with Soviet support and approval) swiftly conquered [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], the [[Benelux]] and [[France]] using tactics called ''Blitzkrieg'' (lightning war), mainly fast-moving tanks with strong air support. A mainly British force in France was almost trapped there but managed to escape via [[Dunkirk]]. France surrendered; part of it was occupied and the rest put under a pro-German puppet government whose capital was [[Vichy]]. In summer 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed several other countries in Eastern Europe- [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Bessarabia]] ([[Moldova]]). By this time, the Soviet Union had reclaimed most of the territory that had been lost by the Russian Empire after the 1917 revolution, which was Stalin's main motivation for signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Meanwhile, despite remaining nominally neutral, [[Portugal]] would cooperate with the British by allowing them to set up military bases there under the auspices of the 1386 Treaty of Windsor. Neutral Ireland was the only foreign country on earth to offer official condolences on the occasion of Hitler's death, but tens of thousands of Irish people volunteered to join the British forces or fought in the U.S. Army after having emigrated there. Spain managed to evade Hitler's demands for troops and aid by pointing to the recent civil war, but did send "volunteers" to the Eastern Front. However, Spain also sold tungsten to the Allies. Sweden initially seemed to lean more towards the Axis Powers but helped save the Danish Jews by offering them refuge, and later leaned more towards the Allies as the Axis was losing the war. The Soviet Union was also initially friendly towards the Axis. The Soviets even tried to join the Axis in the fall of 1940, but the Nazis didn't allow this to happen, for reasons that would become clear the next year. After the breakdown of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union to regain the territory it had lost in the Winter War, though the Finns never turned their own Jewish community over to the Nazis, and towards the end of the war, they would successfully fight the [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]] War to expel the Germans from Finnish territory. Switzerland, meanwhile, remained an important financial conduit for both sides, accepted a limited number of refugees and built a "national redoubt" that made invasion seem too costly for the Nazis to try it. {{quote|Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.|author=Churchill on the Battle of Britain}} [[File:Coventry cathedral - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Coventry]] Cathedral, destroyed in a 1940 bombing raid]] For the next year, there was no fighting on the ground in Europe, but the '''Battle of Britain''' continued in the air. Unlike the French, the British were successful at repelling the Germans, and apart from the [[Channel Islands]], were able to defend against invasion and occupation for the duration of the war. The '''Battle of the Atlantic''' continued until 1945. As part of that, British and Canadian forces occupied neutral [[Iceland]] in May 1940; they were later joined by American troops who would remain long after the war concluded and only withdrew in 2006. In mid-1940, Mussolini-led [[Italy]] joined the war on the German side, and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of [[Libya]] and Commonwealth forces based in [[Egypt]]. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, and fighting in [[North Africa]] continued until 1943. See [[World War II in Africa]]. The most destructive campaign in Europe was the '''Eastern Front''', which began in June 1941, when the Axis attacked the Soviet Union in a surprise invasion and carried out [[Holocaust remembrance|the Holocaust]], a campaign to exterminate Jews, Slavs and other perceived inferior races and enemies of the Nazi regime. The people of the Soviet Union were decimated, and Soviet losses of more than 25 million exceeded the deaths of all other European and American nations combined. The Axis also grabbed most of the [[Balkans]] plus [[Greece]] at around the same time. The Red Army held back the invasion at Leningrad (today's [[St. Petersburg]]), [[Moscow]] and Stalingrad (today's [[Volgograd]]). Both sides lost millions of soldiers in a stalemate which lasted until spring 1943; Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with nearly two million casualties. After they finally won at Stalingrad, which turned the tide of the war, the Soviets counter-attacked and began to roll west. The largest tank battle in history was fought around [[Kursk]], west of Moscow, in July 1943; it ended with a costly Soviet victory. From then on, the Soviets had the upper hand, though the battles continued to be protracted and bloody. The Soviet Union ended up occupying the entire eastern half of Europe, including [[Berlin]] and much of Germany. The isolationist Americans initially stayed out of the war, though they did assist Britain in several ways, until they were attacked by Japan at [[Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941. Once they were in, though, they made large contributions both in the European theatre and in the [[Pacific War]]. Late in 1942, the Allies mounted seaborne invasions of both [[Morocco]] and [[Tunisia]], and by early 1943 both the Italians and Germans were driven out of North Africa. Then, in mid-1943, the Allies invaded first [[Sicily]] and then the mainland of Italy. This invasion led to the toppling of Mussolini and his imprisonment, but he was freed by a Nazi German commando raid and put in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy, fighting on the Axis side until 1945. [[File:Omaha Beach 2008 PD 25.JPG|thumb|Omaha Beach, one of the [[D-Day beaches|places where the Allied forces landed]]]] Despite urgent Soviet pleas to open up a "second front now", there was no ground fighting, except a few commando raids, in northwestern Europe from mid-1940 to mid-1944. From 1939, the British RAF bombed Germany extensively, and after the US joined the war in 1942, the labour was divided, with the USAF attacking by day and the RAF and other Commonwealth air forces at night. In some places, notably [[Hamburg]] and [[Dresden]], the two groups bombed continually for several days and created a firestorm (flames rising almost 500m and at ground level hot enough to melt glass) that almost completely destroyed the cities. After the war, there was some rather harsh criticism of Bomber Command's Sir Arthur Harris, and of Churchill, for these raids, but others argued they were necessary and justified. Then, in June 1944, the Western Allies made the largest seaborne invasion in history, departing from the United Kingdom and landing in the French region of [[Normandy]]; see [[D-Day beaches]]. The Germans were already losing to the Soviets on the Eastern Front and being heavily bombed. From D-Day onward, they also [[D-Day_beaches#After_Normandy|lost ground in the north-west]]. [[File:Raising a flag over the Reichstag 2.jpg|thumb|Soviet soldier holding a flag during the capitulation of Nazi Germany during WW2.]] Soviet forces reached Berlin on 16 April 1945, beginning the Battle of Berlin which lasted until the entire city fell under Soviet control on 2 May. Hitler would commit suicide in Berlin on 30 April 1945. The war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on 7 May 1945. ===Aftermath=== Subsequently, some German political and military leaders were indicted for war crimes in the [[Nuremberg]] trials; many got prison sentences and some were executed. However, some high ranking Nazis had escaped during the last days of the war or successfully hid from the Allies while others committed suicide, including Hitler himself, Himmler and Göring. Other Nazis were acquitted, sentenced to prison terms or never put on trial in the first place, and some war criminals got only nominal sentences. Some former Nazis later had successful careers in the German military, government, civil service or courts. While this happened in both German states, the East German ''Stasi'' which had partial access to Soviet and German wartime archives deliberately leaked compromising information about the Nazi-era crimes of high ranking German politicians for propaganda purposes. The German-speaking minorities in neighboring countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were viewed with suspicion by locals following the Nazi occupation, in part due to the high level of support for the Nazi regime among them. Subsequently, many were expelled to Germany in the years immediately after the war. The expelled refugees were integrated into German society but many formed a revanchist and politically right wing faction often led by old Nazis. Refugees turning away from the Social Democrats over Willy Brandt's policy of rapprochement and acknowledgement of the Oder Neiße Boundary led to a vote of no confidence and snap elections in 1972. [[File:Treblinka Memorial 05.jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of the Treblinka extermination camp]] During the war, Nazi Germany and other Axis nations conducted a campaign of internment, forced labour, inhuman types of experimentation on captive human subjects that usually ended in their murder, and outright mass murders, today known as the Holocaust. Concentration camps and other remnants from these crimes against humanity are described in the article about [[Holocaust remembrance]]. As the Western Allies were fearful of the data ending up in the hands of the Soviet Union, many of the Nazi scientists who conducted the human experimentation were granted immunity from prosecution and resettled in the United States, where many would end up having successful careers in industry and academia. The demographics of Europe would be permanently changed after the war, as most of Europe's Jews were killed by the Nazis, while most of the survivors would flee Europe for Israel or the United States in the years following the war. Today, the only Jewish communities that remain in significant numbers from the pre-War years are the ones in Russia and the United Kingdom that managed to avoid Nazi occupation. However, the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict and resulting anti-Jewish purges would lead to a large exodus of Jews from Muslim countries, with many of those from France's former North African colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco settling in France and re-establishing the Jewish community there. Germany meanwhile once again has a Jewish community, in part growing through immigration from the former Soviet Union or even Israel since the 1990s. [[File:German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.jpg|thumb|The present day German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, Berlin. The unconditional German surrender was signed in this building.]] Germany itself would be split into four occupation zones, which were occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union respectively, with the city of Berlin, located entirely within the Soviet zone, also being split among similar lines. The American, British and French zones were gradually merged to form capitalist West Germany from 1946 to 1949, while the Soviet zone became communist East Germany. West Berlin became a ''de facto'' exclave of West Germany despite being located entirely within the Soviet zone, and the Berlin Wall was built to keep East Germans from defecting to the West via West Berlin. This would last until 1990, when the communist regime in East Germany fell, and Germany would once again be reunited as a single nation. Austria was likewise partitioned into four zones of occupation with Vienna also being split, but Nazi-era annexations of surrounding suburbs being undone. However, by 1955 Austria had convinced the Soviets and the Western Allies to withdraw their occupation forces in exchange for a promise of perpetual neutrality and not to form any kind of union with Germany. Vienna subsequently became the headquarters of many international organisations and a city of spies, but many high-ranking Austrian Nazis escaped prosecution. Most casualties of the war and its aftermath were young men. This caused a deficit of males, which has persisted until the early 21st century in the former Soviet Union. While birth rates were suppressed during the war, the numerous generation born in the late 1940s became known as the ''Baby boomers'', who came to be a dominant generation in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. The 1960s decline in birth rates often ascribed to the effect of modern contraception and changing attitudes towards sexuality was also exacerbated by the potential parents never being born during the war. In the following decades, Europe was divided between two power blocs in a latent conflict known as the [[Cold War Europe|Cold War]], which ended through the Eastern European revolutions in the late 1980s and early 90s. ===Legacy=== Wars have usually pioneered the usage of mass media; the printing press in the [[Thirty Years War]], telegraphy and photography in the [[American Civil War]], and radio in [[World War I]]. World War II was the war of motion pictures, and while film had existed since the turn of the century, it came to be used on a scale never seen before, for newsreels, propaganda, entertainment and education, using new technologies such as sound, colour, incidental music, animation, and even television. The motion picture archives from the war are enormous, and some war movies including documentaries are fantastic epics, though the selection is uneven and biased. A lot of the German movie production during the Nazi era served propaganda purposes of some kind but most of it was (at least on the surface) escapist entertainment, still with very few exceptions, movies from that era are rarely screened in Germany and if they are, there is often an introduction that explains the historical context. Meanwhile Allied movies of the era - even those that were war propaganda - are still appreciated for their artistic merit, including in the former Axis countries. The war has also been the background of too many books, documentaries and historical dramas to make a representative selection. As a result of the war, the swastika has become inextricably linked with Nazism and anti-Jewish hatred in Europe and the Americas, to the point that its historic use in much of the world as an ancient symbol of divinity, well-being and prosperity is now largely forgotten, except in Asia, where it continues to have positive connotations among Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. ==Sites== {{quote|We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.|author=UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940}} There are minor monuments, and exhibits in local museums, all over [[Europe]] and [[North Africa]]; those may be well worth looking for. This section makes no claim to being comprehensive; we just try to list some of the more important ones. {{Mapframe|50|15|zoom=3|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} === Belarus === * {{listing | name=Khatyn Massacre site | alt= | url=https://www.khatyn.by/en/ | email= | address=[[Minsk Oblast]], [[Belarus]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q430700 | content=The site of the former village of Khatyn, which was completely razed to the ground by the invading Germans, who also massacred nearly all the villagers, leaving only six survivors. Today, the site is home to a memorial to the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=Naliboki Forest | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nalibaki, [[Belarus]] | lat=53.8812 | long=26.4425 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naliboki forest | wikidata=Q645983 | content=The old-growth forest complex, situated on the right bank of the Neman river, was a camp site called "Jerusalem in the Woods", where Tuvia Bielski and his Jewish brothers, built a community as a hideout for partisan fighters in saving 1,200 Jews who survived the Holocaust. }} === Belgium === * {{see | name=Fort Eben-Emael | alt= | url=https://www.fort-eben-emael.be/en/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=close to [[Maastricht]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q947912 | lastedit= | content=A Belgian "impregnable" World War II fort. The fort was assaulted by German airborne troops on 10 May 1940, forcing the defenders to surrender and thus allowing the Germans to bypass Belgian defensive positions. It is no longer in use, but open to the public on certain weekends. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ardennes-american-cemetery | email= | address=[[Neupré]] | lat=50.547431 | long=5.465431 | directions=Highway N-63 from Liège to Marche passes the entrance to the Memorial about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south-west of Liège | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM. | price=Free | wikipedia=Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q638977 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=This memorial commemorates the American soldiers who died in northern Europe during World War II. The chapel contains maps and relief sculptures depicting the campaigns in the region. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/henri-chapelle-american-cemetery | email= | address=Rue du Mémorial Améreicain, [[Henri-Chapelle]] | lat=50.69694 | long=5.89972 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily except for Dec 25 and Jan 1: 9AM to 5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial | wikidata=Q1605663 | lastedit=2015-03-28 | content=The cemetery is the final resting place for 7,992 American military dead lost during the drive into [[Germany]], many in the [[:WikiPedia:Battle of the Bulge|Battle of the Bulge]]. A monument is inscribed with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. A museum and a chapel are located on the grounds. }} ===Canada=== Although no fighting took place on Canadian soil, Canada took an active part in the war. The Canadian navy and merchant marine were important in the Battle of the Atlantic, while their air and ground forces fought primarily in the European theatre. In the [[D-Day beaches|D-Day landings]], one of the five beaches was Canadian. World War II was the most recent conflict in which Canada had active conscription. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian Aviation and Space Museum | alt= | url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation | address=[[Ottawa]] | content=This museum includes planes from both world wars. During WW II, many of Britain's planes were built in Canada. }} Two Canadian towns &mdash; [[Gander]], Newfoundland and [[Goose Bay]], Labrador &mdash; originated as refuelling stops for transatlantic flights in the days when planes did not have the range for non-stop flights, and both were important during the war for delivering aircraft from American and Canadian factories to Europe. Today they are just small towns with remarkably large airports; both are still RCAF air bases. Gander was a base for anti-submarine patrols as well as a fuel stop and has memorials both for WW II casualties and for several hundred American servicemen killed when their plane crashed on takeoff in 1985. ===Czech Republic=== With the emerging danger of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia built a system of '''border fortification''' between 1935 and 1938. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty, the army gave up the resistance efforts and abandoned the defense line. The fortification system is mostly well preserved and can be toured in several locations. [[File:Peter Stehlik 2009.05.12 Lidice 004a.jpg|thumb|The Lidice memorial site]] * {{listing | name=Hanička artillery fortress | alt=Tvrz Hanička| url=http://www.hanicka.cz/| email=tvrzhanicka@seznam.cz | address= | lat=50.196835 | long=16.515246 | directions=It is not possible to arrive to the museum by car, parking is at 50.187135 N, 16.509408 E. From the parking lot take the marked tourist route (red) in the direction ''Anenský vrch'', an approximate walking distance between the parking and the fortress is 20-30 min. | phone=+420 491 616 998 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= 80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content= In the 1970s, Hanička was intended to be rebuilt into a nuclear bunker and the construction works lasted until 1993, but they were never completed. You can take a guided tour through some of the objects. The Educational Trail "Fortification of Rokytnice and surroundings" runs through the museum area and provides information about the fortifications and their history in Czech, Polish and English. }} Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945, with '''Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia''' covering approximately the area of today's Czech republic. The centre for Czechoslovak resistance was the government-in-exile in London. They decided to attack Reinhard Heydrich, the ''acting Reichsprotektor'' of the Protectorate. British-trained Czech soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík led the operation. Heydrich was wounded during the assassination attempt on 27 May 1942 and died on 4 June in hospital. The act was followed by a brutal retaliation, during which two entire villages '''Lidice''' north-west of Prague and '''Ležáky''' in [[East Bohemia]] were completely destroyed by German forces. Inhabitants were massacred; men were shot, women taken to concentration camps or killed and children gassed or given over to German families for Germanisation. The memorials of the civilian victims tell the story of these war crimes. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lidice memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ | email=muzeum@lidice-memorial.cz | address=Tokajická 152, 273 54 Lidice | lat=50.144317 | long=14.199473 | directions= | phone=+420 312 253 088 | tollfree= | hours=Nov-Feb: daily 09:00-16:00, Mar: daily 09:00-17:00, Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-18:00 | price=80 Kč (reduced 40 Kč) | wikipedia=Lidice Memorial | wikidata=Q16932691 | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=Commemoration on the annihilation of village Lidice by Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. }} * {{listing | name=Ležáky memorial | alt= | url=http://www.lezaky-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx | email=lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz | address= | lat=49.832500 | long=15.900278 | directions= | phone=+420 469 344 179 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00, Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, otherwise upon agreement | price= 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč) | lastedit=2015-06-15 | content=A memorial to a massacre of a small Czech village by German troops on 24 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. }} ===France=== These are listed in chronological order: [[File:Paris1944.jpg|thumb|Allied parade after the liberation of Paris]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dunkirk]] | alt= | url=http://www.ville-dunkerque.fr | email= | address= | lat=51.037778 | long=2.376389 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dunkirk | wikidata=Q45797 | content=A coastal French town in the [[Pas de Calais]] region. As the Germans overran France in 1940 a large Allied force, mostly British but including Canadian, Belgian and French troops, were surrounded in the Dunkirk region. Over 300,000 men were evacuated to Britain, many by volunteers using everything from fishing boats to pleasure craft, despite strenuous German efforts to prevent evacuation. Part of the local town cemetery is reserved for the graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle, and there is a monument in that section of the cemetery of the town that commemorates 4,000 Commonwealth troops who fell in the battle but have no known grave. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Dieppe]] | alt= | url=http://www.dieppe.fr | email= | address= | lat=49.921667 | long=1.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dieppe | wikidata=Q183557 | content=A coastal town that was the target of a large &mdash; over 6,000 men, mostly Canadian &mdash; commando raid in 1942.}} * {{listing | name=[[Saint-Nazaire]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.273 | long=-2.202 | directions=[[Pays de la Loire]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This coastal town at the mouth of the Loire has the only dry dock on the French Atlantic coast large enough for battleships. The British destroyed it in 1942 by ramming it with an old destroyer packed full of explosives. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[D-Day beaches]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.333333 | long=-0.566944 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Normandy landings | wikidata=Q16470 | content=D-Day was June 6, 1944, the date of a massive Allied amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy, also called Operation Overlord. It can be seen as the decisive point of no return for the war, though by that point the war was already lost for the Axis on the Eastern Front, and in the West they had already lost North Africa and Italy. The massive German defenses were overcome by the smart planning, manpower and technology of the Allies, and less than a year later Germany surrendered. American general Dwight D. Eisenhower made his name as the main planner behind the D-Day invasions, which would eventually propel him to the [[Presidents of the United States|presidency]] in the 1952 election. The article covers not only the invasion itself but also the whole [[D-Day_beaches#Normandy_campaign|campaign in Normandy]] which lasted into August. }} * {{listing | name=[[Falaise]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.897222 | long=-0.1975 | directions=[[Normandy]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Falaise, Calvados | wikidata=Q193306 | content=Center of a major battle shortly after D-Day where the Allied forces cut off the last escape route of an almost surrounded German force. Nowadays it is a restored town. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Oradour-sur-Glane]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.928 | long=1.041 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Oradour-sur-Glane massacre | wikidata=Q836897 | content=A French village razed and burned by the Germans in 1944, a few days after D-Day, with its civilian population murdered to avenge the resistance. Now a [[ghost town]]. }} ===Germany=== [[File:Berlin 2011 location of Führerbunker.jpg|thumb|Present-day view of where Hitler's bunker (the ''Führerbunker'') was in Berlin]] As Hitler fought the war to the bitter end (fighting on, long after any chance at military victory was gone) and military innovations (notably bomber aircraft) made this war far more destructive than [[World War I|the one before it]], especially for Germany, hardly any place important during the Nazi era was left untouched by the war. * Several [[old towns]] were severely bombed and in some places there are still monuments reminding of that as well as "mountains" made up of debris. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Berlin]] | alt= | url=https://www.berlin.de/ | email= | address= | lat=52.516667 | long=13.383333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Berlin | wikidata=Q64 | content=The capital of Germany, captured by the Red Army in April, 1945. There is the ''Topographie des Terrors'' that explains which Nazi office sat where and played which role in the war and criminal machinery. To prevent it from becoming a shrine to Nazism, the post-war German government sealed off the entrances to the ''Führerbunker'' and demolished all its above-ground structures; all that remains is an empty field and a sign describing the history of the site. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Heligoland]] | alt= | url=http://www.helgoland.de | email= | address= | lat=54.1825 | long=7.885278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Heligoland | wikidata=Q3038 | content=This island still sees the scars of one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions to date. This happened shortly after the war: the British tried to blow up the island, which was used as a military installation during the war. Several other [[East Frisian islands]] and [[North Frisian islands]] were also used militarily by the Nazis. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Nuremberg]] | alt= | url=https://www.nuernberg.de/ | email= | address= | lat=49.452778 | long=11.077778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nuremberg | wikidata=Q2090 | content=Known for the Nazi party rallies. After the war, the Allies held the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders here. The rallying grounds (now thankfully ''sans'' Swastikas) have partially been turned into a museum but the complex is so huge that it is also used for numerous other purposes, including - perhaps ironically - [[American Football]] matches and rock concerts. A [[Fast food in North America|Burger King]] branch also sits in a building built for some purpose during the rally ground era. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Peenemünde]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=54.143 | long=13.794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peenemünde Army Research Center | wikidata=Q897509 | content=The site where Wernher von Braun (later an important figure at NASA) and his scientists developed and constructed the first V-2 (Agregat 4) rockets (one of them is on display at the ''Deutsches Museum'' in [[Munich]]) to be shot at London and later Antwerp. }} * In the waning years of the war many "war important" industries were relocated underground. One of the most infamous is the forced labour camp Dora Mittelbau near [[Nordhausen]] where the V-2 rockets were built. The site has been turned into a museum that show the horrific conditions (more people died in constructing the rockets than in their actual use). ===Italy=== * {{see | name=[[Anzio]] Beachhead Museum | alt=Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio| url=http://www.sbarcodianzio.it/index.php?lang=en | email= | address=Via di Villa Adele, 2 Anzio | lat=41.4555 | long=12.62315 | directions= in the 17th-century Villa Adele, on Via di Villa Adele, just downhill from the railway station. | phone=+39 06 984 8059 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu Th Sa 10:30-12:30 and 16:00-18:00 (17:00-19:00 in summer) | price=Free | content= In the same building is the '''Archaeological Museum'''. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=[[Monte Cassino]] War Graves | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.493842 | long=13.805867 | directions=follow signs when approaching Cassino from the [[Rome]] - [[Napoli]] Autostrada | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Monte Cassino Polish war cemetery | wikidata=Q764169 | lastedit=2017-07-14 | content=The Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is a beautifully maintained area with magnificent views of the Monte Cassino monastery. The French and Italian cemeteries are on Highway 6 in the Liri Valley. There is a very striking Polish cemetery close to the battlefield and easily visible from the monastery. The German cemetery is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Cassino in the Rapido Valley. American casualties are not buried here but at [[Anzio|Nettuno-Anzio]]. }} ===Netherlands=== * [[Rotterdam]] was bombed by Germany even after the surrender of the Dutch government. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Anne Frank House | alt=Anne Frankhuis | url=http://www.annefrank.org/ | email= | address=Prinsengracht 267 | lat=52.375147 | long=4.884040 | directions=[[Amsterdam/Canal District]], Tram Westermarkt | phone=+31 20 556 71 00 | tollfree= | hours= | price=€9 | wikipedia=Anne Frank House | wikidata=Q165366 | content=The house where the Jewish girl Anne Frank wrote her diary while hiding with her family from the Nazis. Unfortunately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944 and arrested, and she eventually died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only one who survived the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Walcheren Causeway | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5031 | long=3.705 | directions=[[Walcheren]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A narrow causeway that was the only land connected between Walcheren and South Beveland and consisted a dike surrounded by tidal mudflats. However, in late 1944, it became the scene of a three-day battle when Canadian forces assaulted the causeway in order to establish a foothold on German coastal defences. }} ===Poland=== [[File:Gierloz Wilczy Szaniec 27.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Wolf's Lair]] Poland saw a disproportionally high number of civilian deaths mainly because it was invaded by both the Soviets and the Germans in the early stage of the war with both trying to "remodel" their part of the country according to their wishes, which in practice meant killing members of all groups that could potentially resist the occupation such as intellectuals, politicians, Catholic priests and high-ranking military. As Poland had a big and thriving Jewish community it was also hit particularly hard by the Shoah, with Poles both aiding the Nazi crimes and helping Jews escape. Poland was the only country where aiding Jews was explicitly punished by death and the Polish underground responded by making the betrayal of Jews also punishable by death. See [[Holocaust remembrance#Poland]]. * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Auschwitz-Birkenau]] | alt= | url=http://www.auschwitz.org/ | email= | address= | lat=50.035833 | long=19.178333 | directions=at [[Oświęcim]], 60 km west of Kraków. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Auschwitz concentration camp | wikidata=Q7341 | content=The largest and most infamous Nazi concentration camp, and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Contained both a labour camp section and an extermination camp. More than a million prisoners died here before it was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945. }} *{{listing | type=listing | name=Gdansk | alt= | url=http://www.gdansk.pl | email= | address= | lat=54.366667 | long=18.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gdańsk | wikidata=Q1792 | lastedit=2019-08-07 | content=The war began with a dispute over [[Gdansk]] (German name: Danzig), that was deliberately escalated by Hitler. Gdánsk was at the time a "free city", independent of both Poland and Germany, and had many German-speaking residents, but the proposed construction of an autobahn from Germany to Gdansk/Danzig would have clearly encroached upon sovereign Polish territory. Poland was an ally of the United Kingdom, seat of a mighty empire, and this alliance would bring the British Commonwealth nations to war. Gdansk is now part of Poland and was the birthplace of the Solidarność trade union movement during the [[Cold War]]. The city has a modern and impressive Museum of the Second World War. }} * {{marker|type=listing|name= The Wolf's Lair|lat=54.07923 | long=21.49312|image=}} (German: Wolfsschanze) near [[Kętrzyn]] (German: Rastenburg) was the German military headquarters where Hitler resided during most of World War II. It was here that the failed attempt to kill Hitler took place on July 20, 1944. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Warsaw]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw | wikidata=Q1572695 | content=Burial site of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans. }} ===Russia=== The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 and were guardedly friendly for some years; the Soviet Union even took a chunk of Poland, with German permission, in September 1939. However Germany broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). The Russian name for World War II translates as the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and had more dead (both civilian and military) in this war than any other country; only China was even close. The Nazis considered Slavs an inferior race and fought a war of extermination on the Eastern Front in order to have them make way for ''Lebensraum'' (living space) for the "Aryan race" (i.e. ethnic Germans). When forced to retreat, as they often were at first, the Soviets used a "scorched earth" policy, burning crops in the fields and destroying everything else that might be useful to the enemy. Although the Germans made quick territorial gains in the initial stages of the war, the German soldiers were not prepared for the brutality of the Russian winters, and the Soviets were able to use this to their advantage and counterattack. POWs of both sides were mistreated horribly on the Eastern Front and sometimes the surviving Soviet POWs were regarded as "traitors", as having survived the inhumane conditions without "treason" was deemed impossible. A large number of Soviet prisoners, especially those from [[Ukraine]], the [[Baltic States]] and [[Belarus|Byelorussia]], did collaborate with the Nazis, for several reasons, including as a way of avoiding the high probability of death as Soviet POWs, hostility to the Soviet Union, and virulent antisemitism. Some of the SS "volunteers" among the Soviet POWs were used to shoot Jews and serve as guards in extermination camps. Every year, on 9 May, major Russian cities hold an '''Immortal Regiment''' march as part of their Victory Day celebrations, in which locals march down the street holding up pictures of people who fought in the war. * {{listing | name=Museum of the Great Patriotic War | alt= | url=https://victorymuseum.ru/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Moscow]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow | wikidata=Q190694 | content=Russia's main museum dedicated to the Soviet war effort, also with exhibits commemorating the civilian victims of the war. }} * {{listing | name=Stalingrad | alt=[[Volgograd]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=48.7 | long=44.483333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Stalingrad | wikidata=Q914 | content=This city, now called [[Volgograd]], was the scene of one of the longest (almost six months) and bloodiest (around two million total casualties) battles in history. The Russians had 478,000 killed or missing in this one battle, more than the UK or US lost in the entire war. The city was then, as it is now, an important transport hub and regional centre. The almost utter annihilation of the German forces in the area was the definitive turning point on the Eastern Front. In Russia and in Germany the battle is shrouded in myth and for the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2013, local authorities renamed the city to Stalingrad for one day. Today, you can see the ruins of an old mill that was destroyed in the battle, which has been preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the ferocity of the battle. There is also a famous colossal statue known as The Motherland Calls, which was built in honor of the victims and casualties of the battle, with the graves of numerous soldiers who fell in the battle located just behind the monument. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kursk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Kursk | wikidata=Q130861 | content=The largest tank battle in history &mdash; 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and about two million troops &mdash; was fought near this city in July 1943 as the Red Army began to roll west after Stalingrad and the Germans tried unsuccessfully to stop them. Casualties were heavy on both sides. The town has a [[Kursk#Museums|museum]] for that battle and there is a memorial on the battlefield itself. '''Arguably the war was over for Germany when this battle was lost'''; the Soviet forces kept the initiative all the way to Berlin and the Germans never again came so close to stopping them. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Prokhorovka]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Prokhorovka | content=En route to Kursk, the Red Army won a battle near this town. There is a memorial in the city's cathedral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Leningrad]] | alt=Saint Petersburg | url=http://gov.spb.ru | email= | address= | lat=59.95 | long=30.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Saint Petersburg | wikidata=Q656 | content=One of the most beautiful cities in Russia, the seat of power of the Tsars in imperial times, called [[Saint Petersburg]] in Tsarist times and again since 1991. During the war, the city was known as Leningrad, and was site of the Siege of Leningrad (8 September 1941–27 January 1944), which was one of the longest sieges in history, resulting in countless deaths, both civilian and military, primarily through starvation. Though the Soviets eventually succeeded in driving the Germans back, many historical artifacts were looted or destroyed by the Germans as they retreated. Today, there is the {{marker|lat=59.9969|long=30.4214|type=listing|name=Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery}}, in which almost 500,000 victims of the Siege of Leningrad, most of them civilians, were buried. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Road of Life | alt=Доро́га жи́зни ''Doroga zhizni'' | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.933333 | long=30.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Road of Life | wikidata=Q677447 | content=This route, crossing Lake Ladoga on an ice road, was the only lifeline of the residents of Leningrad/St Petersburg trapped in their city during the Siege of Leningrad. Continuing east from the city past [[Vsevolozhsk]], it arrived in the village of Kokkorevo on the [[Central Leningrad Oblast|western side of Lake Ladoga]]. Here, the ice road began on the southern arm of the lake. The ice was thick enough as to allow even mass transit of supplies, but the high winds that blew out of the open vastness of the lake (the largest in Europe) were a problem. A driver testified "we would drive with the door open, ready to jump...we lost some trucks". The ice road made its landfall in the village of Kobona on the [[East Leningrad Oblast|eastern bank of the lake]] and continued on to the Voibokalo train station before connecting with the national rail network there. Along the entire length of the Road of Life on solid ground, as well as other nearby areas, numerous monuments commemorate the route, including the {{marker|lat=60.0774|long=31.0657|type=listing|name=Broken Circle}} (Разорванное кольцо ''Razorvannoe kol'tso'') on the 40th kilometre of the road, right on the bank of the lake near Kokkorevo. }} Georgy Zhukov, the Soviet general who commanded at both Stalingrad and Kursk, also has a museum near the site of his first major victory, trouncing the Japanese in the 1939 [[Battle of Khalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. ===Crimea=== [[File:Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin.jpg|thumb|Yalta Conference featuring the "Big Three". (Front row, from left to right) British prime minister Winston Churchill, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Livadia Palace | alt= | url=http://ливадийский-дворец.рф/ | email= | address= | lat=44.467778 | long=34.143611 | directions=[[Crimea]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Livadia Palace | wikidata=Q1055311 | content=The summer retreat of the Tsars, in [[Yalta]], this is where the famous '''Yalta Conference''' took place from February 4 to 11, 1945 in which Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss how they wanted to rebuild and reform Europe after the war. Roosevelt stayed in the palace during the conference period. }} ===Nordic countries=== Sweden was non-belligerent (no proclamation of neutrality was made) throughout the war, while Norway and Denmark were both occupied by Germany despite the attempts of their governments to remain neutral. Even so, all three countries prepared for war and thus a number of bunkers still exist in all three countries. Most of them were built after the Nazis took over Norway and many never saw a shot fired in anger, but their presence even in remote areas is somewhat eerie. Routes used by refugees from Norway, and by the Norwegian resistance, can be experienced on a hike. Finland, on the other hand, was directly involved in the Second World War, fighting three separate campaigns. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War. Finland succeeded in taking advantage of the exceptionally severe winter, destroying troops caught on the few and narrow roads in sparsely populated regions with "motti" tactics. In the peace treaty Finland still lost territory, including [[Vyborg]], then one of the most important cities of Finland. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, Finland saw its chance to regain the lost land – and to conquer [[Karelia]], a controversial dream of many nationalists, excused as a way to get an easier-to-defend border – in the Continuation War. When the tide turned, Finland was overwhelmed, but succeeded to fight to enough of a standstill that peace could be negotiated. Finally, as stipulated in the peace agreement with the Soviet Union, the Lapland War was fought to expel the German troops from Lapland. In places like [[Hanko#Q10517221|Hanko]], [[Kymenlaakso#See|Kymenlaakso]], [[North Karelia#See|North Karelia]] and [[Finnish Lapland|Lapland]], you can still see fortifications and bunkers. Also on the coast there are stories to be told, and e.g. on [[Örö]] the coast artillery of the time is left to be visited. More can be seen on the [[Leningrad Oblast|Karelian Isthmus]] and in other regions that were part of Finland before WW2. [[Iceland]] was invaded by the UK without mounting any resistance in 1940. The British transferred control of the island to the United States in July 1941, which violated American neutrality. Allied soldiers came to outnumber adult Icelandic men, establishing a strong Anglo-Saxon influence, with [[American fast food]] and arguably the highest proficiency in English in any non-Anglophone country. While Iceland had been a Danish dominion for centuries, the country voted to become independent in 1944. Today, steel hut barracks and other wartime installations remain spread around the island. Iceland's main international airport, [[Keflavík International Airport]], was initially built as an American military airbase during the war. * {{listing | type=see | name=Occupation Museum | alt=Besættelsesmuseet | url=http://www.besaettelsesmuseet.dk/ | email= | address= | lat=56.15738 | long=10.21146 | directions=[[Aarhus]], Denmark | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Occupation Museum, Aarhus | wikidata=Q12303337 | content=A small museum telling the story of local life under German occupation, located in the old town hall which was used by the Gestapo during the occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Rjukan]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=59.871667 | long=8.494444 | directions=[[Telemark]], [[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Vemork | wikidata=Q2296772 | content=A hydroelectric power plant where the Germans tried to extract heavy water for their nuclear programme. A British-Norwegian commando team managed to destroy the facility. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hegra festning | alt=Hegra fortress | url= | email= | address= | lat=63.450833 | long=11.1625 | directions=[[Trøndelag]], Norway | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hegra Fortress | wikidata=Q1769775 | content=The only Norwegian fortress to be manned during the German invasion. As it was built to defend against an attack from Sweden, it had limited strategic importance, but resisted a few German attacks. The garrison surrendered on 5 May, 1940. }} *{{see | name=War Memorial Museum | alt=Nordland Røde Kors Krigsminnemuseum | url= | email= | address=Torgsvingen 15 | lat=68.437988 | long=17.4283192 | directions=[[Narvik]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Exhibitions about the Narvik Campaign in the Second World War. The [[Iron Ore Line]] from Sweden was important for the German war effort. }} * {{see | name=Beredskapsmuseet | alt=The Military Readiness Museum in Sweden | url=http://www.beredskapsmuseet.com/ | email= | address=Djuramossavägen 160 | lat=56.128833 | long=12.64005 | directions=[[Helsingborg]], Sweden | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q10428296 | content=A museum of Sweden's preparation for the war that never came. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Finnish Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mpkk.fi/en/museum/ | email= | address=Maurinkatu 1 | lat=60.174418 | long=24.960165 | directions=[[Helsinki]], Finland, Trams 7A and 7B | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Th 11AM–5PM, F–Su 11AM–4PM. Closed Mondays. | price=€4 | wikipedia=Military Museum of Finland | image=Military Museum of Finland - soldier with anti-tank gun.JPG | wikidata=Q283140 | content=Founded in 1929, the central museum of the Finnish Defence Forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Jyväskylä#Q681327|Finnish air force museum]] | alt= | url=<!-- https://ilmavoimamuseo.fi ---- go via the Jyväskylä listing instead --> | email= | address= | lat=62.3984 | long=25.6666 | directions=Tikkakoski, near [[Jyväskylä]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Aircraft, engines and aircrew equipment used by the Finnish Air Force. Large collection of scale models, photos etc. Messerschmitt Bf 109 simulator (book in advance). }} * {{see | name=[[Karesuvanto#Q477636|Järämä Sturmbock-Stellung]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=on [[E8 through Finland and Norway|E8]] between [[Karesuvanto]] and [[Kilpisjärvi]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q477636 |wikipedia=Operation Birke | lastedit= | content=Partly restored massive German fortification, part of Operation Birke during the Lapland War, to secure access to the Petsamo nickel, protect the harbours of the Arctic Ocean and protect an evacuation route. Museum and café. }} * {{see | name=Grimeton Radio Station | alt= | url=https://www.grimeton.org/ | email= | address=Radiostationen 72 | lat=57.105556 | long=12.390278 | directions=10 km east of [[Varberg]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q920206 | content=The only remaining radio station of the 1920s long wave network is on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. During summer months it is possible to visit the site at Grimeton, with the machine transmitter used for VLF transmissions on 17.2 kHz. It is the only workable machine transmitter in the world. During World War II, it was Sweden's only telecommunications link with the outer world. }} ===Turkey=== * {{listing | name=Çakmak Line | alt=Çakmak Hattı | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.194 | long=28.542 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q6098756 | lastedit= | content=Named after Fevzi Çakmak, the Turkish Chief of General Staff at the time, this is a series of pillboxes and other fortifications littered across the [[Istanbul/Western Suburbs|Çatalca Peninsula]] between the coasts of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, built as the last defence line of Istanbul from the west. Other collections of similar structures from the period exist in the isthmus connecting the Gallipoli Peninsula to the mainland (particularly around [[Gelibolu#Bolayır|Bolayır]]), and other locations deemed strategically important elsewhere in [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]], the European part of the country. }} * {{listing | name=Yenice Railway Station | alt=Yenice Garı | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9744 | long=35.0554 | directions=east of [[Tarsus]] on the Mersin–Adana commuter line | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yenice railway station | wikidata=Q16968223 | lastedit=2018-01-04 | content=While Turkey was neutral throughout most of the war, none of its neighbours were, and there was pressure from both camps to join in the fight with them. In 1943, Winston Churchill and Turkish president İsmet İnönü secretly met in a railcar in the unlikely location of the train station of Yenice, a small town in [[Cilician Plains|southern Turkey]] (selected as a compromise between the suggested conference sites of Cyprus, then ruled by Britain, and Ankara, the Turkish capital) to discuss the Turkish entry to the war on the Allied side (Turkey formally joined the Allies only in the final days of the war, in 1945). The event is commemorated by a large sign on the façade of the station building, and the railcar in which the meeting took place, colloquially known as the ''Beyaz Vagon ''("white car") has been renovated and parked in the siding of a major rail junction just to the west of the station. }} ===United Kingdom === [[File:RebuiltBombeFrontView.jpg|thumb|A replica of a "bombe" computer at Bletchley Park, these were used to decipher German Enigma messages]] During the first years of the war, cities like [[London]] and [[Coventry]] were heavily bombed, though the British were successful in repelling the Germans and avoided occupation except for the [[Channel Islands]]. In the waning years of the war, the Germans shot V-1 (a crude version of a cruise missile) and V-2 (the first ballistic missile ever to be used in war) on south-east England in a last-ditch effort to turn the tide, but missed more often than actually hitting anything. Britain's superiority in military intelligence played a role in this - when V2s hit, British news reports would often indicate they had either over- or undershot their intended target (e.g. instead of hitting central London, they'd supposedly hit a field 20 miles due north or something similar) and the Nazis would "correct" the course into hitting empty fields for real. Furthermore, sabotage was a common problem in V2 production as they were made by forced laborers who were literally worked to death and thus had every motivation of harming the Nazi war effort. * {{listing | type=see | name=Imperial War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 2074 165000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imperial War Museum | wikidata=Q749808 | content=Britain's main military history museum, primarily dedicated to both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=The Tank Museum | alt= | url=http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk | email= | address=[[Bovington]] | lat=50.69396 | long=-2.23761 | directions= | phone=+44 1929 405096 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Tank Museum | wikidata=Q895368 | content=One of the world's largest museums covering tanks and armoured vehicles. The museum also conducts a Tanks in Action display with explosions and a mock battle. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Bletchley Park | alt= | url=https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ | email= | address=[[Milton Keynes]] | lat=51.996944 | long=-0.741944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bletchley Park | wikidata=Q155921 | content=Central site of the British project codenamed "Ultra" which broke many German and Italian codes throughout the war and, along with the American "Magic" penetration of Japanese codes, provided much critical intelligence to Allied commanders. British counterintelligence was particularly effective with ''every'' German agent who tried to spy on Britain eventually either captured, killed or "turned" - in many cases without the Nazis ever being any the wiser. }} * {{see | name=Churchill War Rooms | alt= | url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms | email= | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5021 | long=-0.129028 | directions= | phone=+44 20 7930 6961 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-6PM | price= | wikipedia=Churchill War Rooms | image=Cabinet war rooms.jpg | wikidata=Q1024854 | lastedit=2017-02-05 | content=Location of a secret government bunker used during the war, only about 150m from Number 10 Downing Street, which provided a meeting place for military and government officials. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=St Martin's Church | alt= | url=http://woodstockandbladon.com/churches/bladon | email=stmmwoodstock@gmail.com | address=Church Street; Bladon, OX20 1RS | lat=51.830278 | long=-1.349722 | directions= | phone=+44 19 9381 2915 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St Martin's Church, Bladon | wikidata=Q3967638 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Church where wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was buried. Churchill was the last non-monarch to have been granted a British state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=HMS Belfast | alt= | url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast | email= | address=[[London]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=HMS Belfast | wikidata=Q757178 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=British light cruiser that participated in the D-Day invasions. It has now been converted to a museum ship and is now permanently docked on the River Thames. }} * {{see | name=Battle of Britain Bunker | alt= | url=https://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk/ | email=bunker@hillingdon.gov.uk | address=[[London]] | lat=51.5412 | long=-0.465278 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4870554 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=Bunker used at the former RAF Uxbridge during WWII to co-ordinate the No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. }} ===United States=== While no fighting occurred in the contiguous United States, several American ships, including civilian ones, were sunk by German submarines off the East Coast even before the United States formally entered the war. The United States would only formally enter the war on 8 December 1941, after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the day before. * {{listing | type=see | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} * {{listing | type=see | name=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | alt= | url=https://www.ushmm.org/ | email= | address=[[Washington, D.C.]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 202 488 0400 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | wikidata=Q238990 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, built in consultation with Holocaust survivors who had emigrated to the United States after the war.}} * {{listing|type=see | name=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home | alt= | url=http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ | email=eisenhower.library@nara.gov | address=[[Abilene (Kansas)|Abilene]], [[Kansas]] | lat=38.911484 | long=-97.210823 | directions= | phone=+1 785 263-6700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home | image=Eisenhower library.jpg | wikidata=Q3270206 | content=Library and museum dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made his name as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the European theatre, eventually propelling him to the presidency in 1953. A section of the museum is dedicated to Eisenhower's World War II exploits. }} * {{see | name=Wright Museum of World War II | alt= | url=https://www.wrightmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Wolfeboro]], New Hampshire | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=The focus is on WW II, but there are also exhibits on [[World War I]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. }} ===Western Balkans=== World War II began in Yugoslavia in April 1941 when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The resistance movement, known as the Partisans and led by Josip Broz Tito, fought a guerrilla liberation war against the occupying forces and their puppet regimes. With help from Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the Partisans emerged victorious in Yugoslavia, and a federal socialist republic with Tito as leader was formed after the war. There were also other groups, including Yugoslav monarchists who tried to re-establish the interwar Yugoslav monarchy and even some who fought to annex parts of Yugoslavia to Italy. On the whole the anti-Nazi partisan movement in Yugoslavia was the largest in Europe. Numerous memorials to fallen Partisan fighters and victims of atrocities committed by Axis forces can be found throughout the region. * {{listing | type=see | name=Šumarice Memorial Park | alt= | url=http://www.spomenpark.rs/en/ | email= | address=[[Kragujevac]], [[Serbia]] | lat=44.0159 | long=20.8796 | directions= | phone=+381 34 335 607 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-4PM | price=150 RSD | wikipedia=Šumarice Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2371121 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=Memorial in central Serbia near the place where 2,800 local people, including children, were massacred by Nazi German occupying forces as retaliation for a Partisan attack. }} * {{listing | type=see | name=Sutjeska National Park | alt= | url=http://npsutjeska.info/en/home/ | email= | address=Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] | lat=43.3240 | long=18.7149 | directions= | phone=+387 58 233 102 | tollfree= | hours= | price=5 BAM | wikipedia=Sutjeska National Park | wikidata=Q1262800 | lastedit=2019-03-01 | content=A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favor. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. }} * {{see | name=Jasenovac | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q155032 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=see [[Holocaust remembrance#Croatia]] }} ==See also== * [[Soviet Union]] * [[Pacific War]] * [[Chinese Revolutions]] * [[World War I]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|European history}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{usabletopic}} bc44cxgrw23mtyvjt30kdg513xc32m9 0 142588 4501776 4499683 2022-08-15T22:15:51Z The dog2 35982 /* Sites */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Bombardment of Kamaishi.jpg|caption=The bombardment of Kamaishi, July 1945|ftt=yes}} The '''Pacific War''' was a theatre of World War II including [[East Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]] and [[Oceania]], separate from [[World War II in Europe]]. Western accounts generally consider the war to have started with the [[Pearl Harbor]] attack of December 1941. Chinese accounts date it from Japan's invasion of central China in July 1937 (see [[World War II in China]]) or even their expansion into [[Manchuria]] in 1931. The war ended with Japanese surrender in August 1945; an important factor was that the first, and so far the only, atomic bombs used in warfare were detonated over [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]]. {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''[[World War II in Europe|Europe]] • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • Pacific''' |} To a great extent the 1937-1945 Second Sino-Japanese War was part of the Pacific Theatre, the overall war of many nations against Imperial Japan. In some ways, though, it was unique; it started before the more general war, was a land and air war rather than largely naval and island-hopping, and was fought almost entirely by the Chinese themselves without much involvement of their allies. Also, all its battlegrounds and memorials are in China. Wikivoyage therefore has a separate [[World War II in China]] article. ==Understand== {{seealso|Japanese colonial empire}} [[Japan]] underwent major changes starting with the American Commodore Matthew Perry's "gunboat diplomacy" visit in 1853 which forced the government to sign a number of humiliating and disadvantageous treaties with Western powers. Japan reacted to this shock by quickly "modernizing" along Western lines, copying legal and institutional approaches and sending young Japanese to universities in Europe and the United States to bring home "Western knowledge". After that, Japan quickly became established as the first non-Western industrialized country and a major power in East Asia. [[File:Mutsuhito-Emperor-Meiji-1873.png|thumb|Emperor Meiji ruled Japan from 1868 to 1912]] The Meiji Restoration of 1868 broke the power of the shoguns who had been the real rulers for centuries (albeit always acting in the Emperor's name) and restored the Emperor to a central role. However, while the Emperor did regain political power and prestige, a "Meiji oligarchy" around him ran most of the daily affairs of state. Japan began to expand in the late 19th century, annexing [[Okinawa]] in 1879, then defeating China in the 1894-95 First Sino-Japanese War, annexing [[Taiwan]] and the [[Liaoning|Liaodong Peninsula]], and forcing China to give up its influence over its vassal state [[Korea]]. In the same period, the US became more active in the Pacific, taking over the [[Philippines]] in 1898 after a war with Spain, and annexing [[Hawaii]] and [[Guam]]. Various European powers also expanded their holdings or influence in the region. The British, aiming to counter Russian influence, helped both China and Japan to build modern navies in the late 19th century. The French sank most of the Chinese fleet at the [[Mawei#See|battle of Fuzhou]] in 1884, but the Japanese fleet did considerably better. Japan won a war against the [[Russian Empire]] in 1905, the first time in centuries that an Asian nation had won a war against a country mostly considered "Western". Indeed Russian Tsar Nicholas II had emphasized his "defender of European Christendom" image in racist war propaganda. Once the Russians were out of their way, Japan annexed Korea outright in 1910. Japan, with the largest navy in the Pacific, was part of the victorious Allies during [[World War I]], and was able to conquer the German colonies in the area. It would thus gain more territory from the defeated Central Powers following the end of that war in 1918, including the former German concessions in [[Shandong]], China. Such actions by Japan would later result in the May Fourth Movement, which is further described in [[Chinese revolutions#Understand|our article on early 20th century Chinese history]]. There was a faction fight among the Japanese high command in the late 30s; they all agreed that expanding the empire was a fine idea, but how? Should they: * "Strike North", expand into [[Mongolia]] and [[Siberia]] and fight only the Soviets * "Strike South" fighting the US, the [[British Empire]], and other colonial powers &mdash; the French, Dutch and Portuguese? The Imperial Way Faction (皇道派), which supported an invasion of Soviet Union, even tried a coup (the February 26 Incident) in 1936, but that failed. Striking north was tried, but in 1939 the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] gave Japanese forces a thorough thrashing at the [[Choibalsan#The_battle_of_Khalkhin_Gol|Battle of Kalkhin Gol]] in Mongolia. After that, Japan concentrated on striking south; arguably, this was a catastrophic blunder. Among other effects, it allowed the Soviet Union to re-deploy their battle-hardened Siberian troops to the European front, eventually turning the tide of that war against the Germans and leading to the Allied victory in Europe. ===China=== {{seealso|World War II in China}} Japan acquired [[Taiwan]] and some territory in [[Manchuria]] after winning the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. They expanded their influence there when they defeated the Russians in 1905; in particular they took over administration of the profitable Russian-built railway. After [[World War I]] they got the former [[Chinese_provinces_and_regions#Treaty_ports_and_concessions|German concessions]] in [[Shanghai]] and [[Shandong]]. Then in 1931 they staged the [[Shenyang|Mukden]] Incident; Japanese troops bombed part of the railway, the attack was blamed on Chinese forces, and that gave Japan a pretext to occupy Manchuria, setting up a puppet state called Manchukuo. Japan invaded central [[China]] in 1937 and soon managed to occupy much of eastern China, including the then-capital [[Nanjing]]. This led to eight years of continuous fighting, until the Japanese surrender in 1945; see [[World War II in China]]. Roughly half of the total Japanese ground forces were tied down in China throughout the war, including troops they had planned to use elsewhere. All the Allied land victories in the Pacific War were partly due to Chinese tenacity. American, British and Dutch sanctions were imposed on Japan after the invasion of China; those, in particular restrictions on oil imports, were the main reason Japan gave for going to war with those nations. The Western powers also sent supplies to China via the [[Burma Road]]. The Soviet Union and America also sent volunteer air force units to support China, with the American one based in [[Yunnan]] known as the "Flying Tigers". The Chinese resistance against Japanese rule was also financially supported by many overseas Chinese. === Japan joins the world war === [[File:USS West Virginia2.jpg|thumb|USS West Virginia on fire in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack]] Meanwhile, [[World War II in Europe]] began with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, and became more complex when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. {{quote|Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.|author=US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 8, 1941}} The conflict became global in December 1941, when [[Japan]] attacked [[Pearl Harbor]], other US bases in the Pacific, the [[Philippines]], and British possessions such as [[Hong Kong]], [[Myanmar|Burma]] and [[Malaya]]. The [[United States]] and the entire British Empire immediately declared war on Japan, and Germany declared war on the US. The Soviet Union did not declare war on Japan until after the end of the war in Europe, in May 1945. After the Japanese surrender, it reclaimed the territories that the Russian Empire had lost to Japan in the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. === Japanese conquests === Early in the war, Japan invaded and occupied much of [[Southeast Asia]] and parts of [[Oceania]]; they even managed to bomb the city of [[Darwin]] in [[Australia]]. By the middle of 1943, virtually all of Southeast Asia had been conquered by Japan, with the colonial powers of the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Portugal]] and the United States all having suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the Japanese. The Japanese took effective control of some areas without fighting. The Vichy government in France, essentially a German puppet regime, ordered French administrators in French Indochina (now [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]] and [[Cambodia]]) to co-operate with Japan, and most did. [[Thailand]], the only country in Southeast Asia not colonized by Western powers, remained nominally independent but was forced to dance to the Japanese tune. Japan was able to establish military bases in these countries and to freely move troops and supplies through them. Japanese propaganda claimed they were driving out Western imperialists, leading an "Asia for Asians" movement, and this got them some support; countries such as [[India]] had both pro-Japanese and pro-Allied movements. Subhas Chandra Bose, the leader of the pro-Japanese Indian National Army (INA), is still widely regarded as a national hero in India. In many areas, this was also divided along ethnic lines; in Malaya, at least initially, the Japanese were welcomed by many ethnic Malays and Indians, but opposed by most ethnic Chinese. In China both the Kuomintang and the Communists opposed Japan, but they were sometimes more interested in fighting each other. Everywhere, the local political movements were jockeying for control and trying to use the war to gain independence and/or domestic political influence for the time after the war. [[File:Nanjing massacre low relief1.jpg|thumb|Relief at the Nanjing massacre memorial hall]] Japanese rule in the occupied territories was brutal, and by the end of the war, the Japanese had lost the support of much of the local population who initially supported them (e.g. Burmese independence hero Aung San). In the occupied areas, Japanese troops engaged in mass rapes, massacres and pillaging, with the [[Nanjing#Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall|Nanjing Massacre]] of 1937-38 being the most notorious. Many women from China, Korea and other occupied areas were forced to serve as "comfort women", sex slaves in Japanese military brothels. The Japanese also performed inhumane experiments on captive locals from the occupied territories, the most famous being Unit 731 in Manchuria (listed below), though other similar units existed throughout the occupied territories. They also treated prisoners of war very badly; perhaps the most famous incidents were the "[[Bataan]] death march" and the [[Kanchanaburi|Bridge on the River Kwai]], but there were many others. As retribution for their role in resisting Japanese rule in China, the ethnic Chinese &mdash; both in China and in Southeast Asia &mdash; were singled out for the harshest treatment; in all the occupied territories, they were rounded up for "screening" by the Japanese, and the unfortunate ones who were identified (often arbitrarily) as anti-Japanese were brought to remote locations and shot. === The tide turns === [[File:Wounded Australian soldier led by a Papuan orderly at Buna.jpg|thumb|A Papuan leading a wounded Australian soldier during the Kokoda campaign]] The Japanese suffered two important naval defeats at the hands of the Americans in mid-1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea (northeast of Australia) in May and the Battle of [[Midway Islands|Midway]] (northwest of Hawaii) in June. These were the first naval battles in history fought mainly by aircraft carriers which never came within sight of each other. The Americans were intercepting Japanese communication, and had broken many Japanese codes, which was an advantage in both battles. At Midway they surprised the Japanese by destroying their aircraft carriers when the planes were away on a bombing raid. The battle not only destroyed most regular aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, but also killed a number of elite Japanese naval aviators, a catastrophe for Japanese forces. Two land campaigns, both starting in mid-1942 and lasting until early 1943, also went badly for Japan. In what is now [[Papua New Guinea]], a mainly Australian force gave them their first defeat on land at [[Milne Bay]] then, in a hard-fought campaign, drove them back along the [[Kokoda Track]]. Meanwhile the Americans took the island of [[Guadalcanal]] after a prolonged and intense fight, allowing them to defend their supply and communication lines to Australia and New Zealand, and to create a forward base for island-hopping toward Japan. These Allied victories marked the turning point in the Pacific War. After that the ANZACs (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) continued the New Guinea campaign and invaded the [[Solomon Islands]], while the British re-took Burma with the help of the Chinese, and reopened the [[Burma Road]] to supply Chinese forces. The Japanese had spread their forces too thinly in China, and the Chinese were able to counterattack and reclaim some of the occupied territories. The Americans re-took the Philippines and captured a series of islands across the Pacific, including some like [[Guam]] and [[Wake Island]] that Japan had taken from them in the first months of the war. At sea, Japan was defeated repeatedly by the Americans, with some Commonwealth help. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle of the war; it took place during the invasion of the Philippines, and was a major Allied victory. When they took the [[Mariana Islands]], the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" saw over 550 Japanese aircraft destroyed, while America only lost about 120 aircraft. === End of the war === In early 1945 the US won fierce battles in [[Okinawa]] and [[Ogasawara Islands|Iwo Jima]] and occupied those islands, putting them in position to bomb or invade the Japanese home islands. Having by then won the naval part of the war, they also bombarded Japanese cities with their ships. Japan tried desperation tactics such as sending ''kamikaze'' (named after a series of two typhoons that sank the invading [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] fleet in the 13th century) pilots on suicide missions to crash planes full of explosives into American ships, but even that did not make a large difference. The invasion never took place. The Americans dropped the first (and to date only) atomic bombs to be used in actual combat on [[Hiroshima]] on 6 August 1945, followed by [[Nagasaki]] on 9 August 1945; on the same day the Soviet Union invaded Manchuria. Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on 15 August 1945, bringing World War II to an end. ===Aftermath=== [[File:Surrender of Japan - USS Missouri.jpg|thumb|Japanese officials on board the USS Missouri during the surrender ceremonies on 2 September 1945]] Following the surrender, Japan was occupied by the Americans and forced to give up all its colonies. While the Emperor remained on his throne, many political and military leaders were indicted in the ''International Military Tribunal for the Far East'', and many were sentenced to death. The Americans also imposed a new pacifist constitution on Japan, forbidding it from establishing a military, and turning it into a democratic constitutional monarchy. However, when the [[Cold War]] began, the American occupiers established the National Police Reserve, a paramilitary organization that would later develop into the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the de-facto military of the country. Taiwan and Manchuria were returned to China, though the Chinese Civil War would resume following the Japanese surrender, eventually resulting in victory for the Communists in the mainland, and the Nationalists being forced to retreat to Taiwan, which continues to be governed separately to this day. Korea regained its independence, but would be split into communist [[North Korea]] and capitalist [[South Korea]], leading up to the [[Korean War]]. The Americans would eventually leave mainland Japan in 1952, though the American military continues to maintain several bases in different parts of the country. Okinawa was only returned to Japan in 1972, though the United States continues to maintain a strong military presence there. The Western colonial powers also got their colonies back, but the war had galvanised many nationalist movements, which were to come of age in the years to come and eventually lead to the independence of the colonies. The first was the [[Philippines]], where American rule ended in 1946; the largest was the end of the [[British Raj]] in 1947, which became the modern countries of [[India]], [[Pakistan]] and later [[Bangladesh]]. The [[Indochina Wars]] were a brutal example of lingering national and ideological conflict in Asia. [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] would eventually be given back to China in the 1990s but part of the agreement between China and the former colonial powers stipulates a "one country two systems" arrangement that makes both act like independent countries in some regards. A few Japanese soldiers, isolated in various jungles, did not know the war had ended and fought on. The last two surrendered in 1974, one on the Philippine island of [[Lubang]] and the other on Indonesia's [[Morotai Island]]. Two Japanese soldiers would join communist guerrillas in Malaya and Thailand after the end of the war, and only surrendered in 1989 after the end of the communist insurgency. ==Sites== Many places that were sites of battles, atrocities or other wartime activities can be visited. There are also many museums with exhibits wholly or partly related to this war. {{Mapframe|25|-10|zoom=1|layer=W|height=300|width=500}} ===Australia=== {{seealso|Military museums and sites in Australia}} Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany in 1939 shortly after the UK did, and fought for the Allies in Europe and [[World War II in Africa|North Africa]]. As the Japanese attacked American and British territory in the Pacific, most of these troops were relocated to the Pacific theatre. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Adelaide River War Cemetery | alt= | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2023510/ADELAIDE%20RIVER%20WAR%20CEMETERY | email= | address=| lat=-13.23116 | long=131.11444 | directions=[[Adelaide River]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q38160721 | lastedit=2017-08-09 | content=The main cemetery for military personnel and civilians killed in northern Australia during the Second World War, including as a result of the dozens of Japanese air raids on Darwin and nearby airfields as well as the little known bombings in Coomalie Creek, Adelaide River and Litchfield National Park. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Australian War Memorial | alt= | url=https://www.awm.gov.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-35.280500 | long=149.149100 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Australian War Memorial | wikidata=Q782783 | content=Located in [[Canberra]], the memorial also includes a military museum dedicated to the memory of Australian soldiers who fought in various wars including both world wars. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Darwin Military Museum | alt= | url=http://www.darwinmilitarymuseum.com.au | email= | address= | lat=-12.407517 | long=130.819769 | directions=[[Darwin]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Darwin Military Museum | wikidata=Q5226003 | content=Darwin was an important staging point for Australian and American forces during the war, and would be the only Australian city that was subject to Japanese bombing raids. The bombings of Darwin are the only post-colonial acts of war against Australia. The museum houses exhibits about the bombing of Darwin. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=MacArthur Museum | alt= | url=http://www.mmb.org.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-27.46855 | long=153.02742 | directions=[[Brisbane]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=This museum covers the career of American General Douglas MacArthur, who commanded the Allied forces in the South West Pacific from Brisbane between 1942 and 1944 from what are now the Museum's premises, as well as Brisbane's experiences in World War II.}} * {{listing | name=[[Broome]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q606294 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=Broome was attacked by the Japanese on 3 March 1942 by fighter planes. Although Broome was no more than an insignificant tiny pearling port, it was a major stopover point for refuelling when going from modern day Indonesia to the other cities of Australia. Learn more about the attack at the Broome Historical Museum. }} ===Canada=== Canadian troops were mostly active in the European theatre, though they also fought in the Battle of Hong Kong as part of the British forces. * {{listing | type=see | name=Canadian War Museum | alt= | url=https://www.warmuseum.ca/ | email= | address=[[Ottawa]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Canadian War Museum | wikidata=Q1032442 | lastedit=2021-08-23 | content=Canada's main military history museum, with displays commemorating the efforts of Canadian troops in various wars and peacekeeping missions, including both world wars. }} ===China=== [[File:AntijapaneseWarMemorialMuseum.jpg|thumb|Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression]] For sites in Mainland China, see '''[[World War II in China]].''' <br> For historical reasons, sites in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are listed separately on this page. ''This does not represent an endorsement of any political position.'' ===Hong Kong=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Sai Wan War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2000320/SAI%20WAN%20WAR%20CEMETERY/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Hong Kong/Eastern District|Chai Wan]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Labuan War Cemetery | wikidata=Q2148037 | content=Home to the graves of numerous British, Canadian, Indian and local Chinese soldiers who died in the Battle of Hong Kong. }} ===India=== India was for the most part spared the horrors of World War II, though Indian troops were used by the British military for their war efforts elsewhere. The Japanese had attempted to invade India through [[Imphal]] and [[Kohima]] in 1944 from then Japanese-occupied Burma, with help from the Indian National Army (INA), a pro-Japanese Indian independence movement. However, the combined British and Indian forces were successful in repelling the Japanese attacks, forcing the Japanese into a retreat by July 1944. World War II would also be a major cause of the [[Bengal]] Famine in 1943, as the British diverted nearly all the food to support their war effort in Europe and left next to nothing for the Bengalis. * {{listing | type=listing | name=Imphal War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2064600/IMPHAL%20WAR%20CEMETERY/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Imphal]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Imphal War Cemetery | wikidata=Q19840225 | content=Commonwealth war cemetery with the graves of British and Indian soldiers who died in the Battle of Imphal. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Kohima War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2058100/kohima-war-cemetery/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Kohima]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kohima War Cemetery | wikidata=Q19841008 | content=Commonwealth war cemetery with the graves of British and Indian soldiers who died in the Battle of Kohima. }} ===Japan=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Okinawa Peace Park and Himeyuri Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=26.09661 | long=127.725645 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-30 | content=The site of one of the most brutal and bloody battles of the war, [[Okinawa]] island has many war remnants and memorials. Outside of Japan, Okinawa is often viewed as the first battle on Japanese soil. However, like the other Pacific Islands, Okinawa was also colonized territory so the local population was not fully trusted by the Japanese and often treated as expendable. With the Americans being obvious enemies and the Japanese not being complete allies, the question on many Okinawans' minds was not "How am I going to survive?" but "How do I want to die?". The museums here show the war from a uniquely Okinawan perspective, including life for citizens, students and military. It also depicts well how they were mistreated by both the Japanese and the Americans during and after the war. The Peace Park and the Himeyuri Monument in [[Itoman]] are the best places to learn about the battle, but remnants and reminders of the war can be found throughout the island. }} [[File:Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, larger - edit1.jpg|thumb|American soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima]] *{{listing | type=listing | name=[[Ogasawara Islands|Iwo Jima]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=24.783333 | long=141.316667 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Iwo Jima | wikidata=Q201633 | content=Another group of islands close to Japan, scene of some extremely fierce fighting. An image of victorious US Marines raising the Stars and Stripes there is quite famous. [http://www.miltours.com/ US Military Tours] has exclusive rights to the island and only US citizens who are members of the Iwo Jima Association of America, WWII veterans, or WWII prisoners of war are eligible to join the tours. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots | alt= | url=http://www.chiran-tokkou.jp/english/ | email= | address= | lat=31.363333 | long=130.434444 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots | wikidata=Q4458048 | lastedit=2016-01-10 | content=As the war approached the home islands, the desperate Japanese began sending out young men to fly aircraft packed with explosives into American ships. The museum is located in [[Chiran]] over the former spot where the ''tokko'' pilots (known abroad as kamikaze pilots) were trained and flew from. The museum contains information about the pilots, artifacts and letters from them, and recovered kamikaze planes. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hiroshima Peace Park and Memorial Museum | alt= | url=http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/VirtualMuseum_e/tour_e/tour_fra_e.html | email= | address= | lat=34.392728 | long=132.452374 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park | wikidata=Q1207208 | lastedit=2015-08-30 | content=[[Hiroshima]] was the first place in the world to be attacked with an atomic bomb. The museum shows how devastating the bomb was to the city and the effects it had on the people from the immediate aftermath to the present day. }} * {{listing | name=Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Memorial Hall | alt= | url=http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/na-bomb/museum/museume01.html {{dead link|December 2020}} | email= | address= | lat=32.772778 | long=129.865 | directions=[[Nagasaki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum | wikidata=Q1099077 | lastedit=2015-08-30 | content=Museums that are on the site where the atomic bomb was dropped on August 9, 1945. The Nagasaki bombing led to Japanese surrender and is also noted as the last place to have an atomic bomb dropped on it. }} * {{listing | name=Oka Masaharu Memorial Nagasaki Peace Museum | alt=岡まさはる記念長崎平和資料館 | url=https://www.okakinen.jp/ | email= | address= | lat=32.75523 | long=129.87216 | directions=[[Nagasaki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=One of the very few places in Japan where the war crimes of the Japanese army during the Second World War are documented. Another focus of the exhibition lies on the foreign victims of the atomic bomb and their struggle for recognition and compensation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Peace Osaka | alt=大阪国際平和センター | url=http://peace-osaka.or.jp/ | email= | address= | lat=34.681667 | long=135.53 | directions=[[Osaka/Osaka_castle|Osaka Castle area, Osaka]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Osaka International Peace Center | image=Peace-osaka.jpg | wikidata=Q7105564 | content=A museum dedicated to the promotion of peace through displays of war. Because it is an Osaka museum, it largely focuses on the effects of American aerial bombings on Osaka between December 1944 and August 1945. In the past, the museum also had exhibitions depicting the atrocities committed by Japan against China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Sadly, however, those exhibitions were permanently removed in 2015 in response to pressure from conservative political groups. }} * {{listing | name=Yasukuni Shrine | alt=靖國神社 Yasukuni-jinja | url=http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/ | email= | address= | lat=35.694167 | long=139.743056 | directions=[[Tokyo/Chiyoda|Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yasukuni Shrine | image=Yasukuni Jinja 7 032.jpg | wikidata=Q242803 | content=A controversial shrine to Japan's war dead, housing the souls of some 2.5 million people killed in Japan's wars &mdash; including numerous Taiwanese and Koreans, and controversially, convicted war criminals executed by the Allies. Often visited by Japanese and Taiwanese politicians, drawing sharp criticisms from neighbours China and South Korea in the process. If you choose to visit, consider keeping it a secret from your Chinese or Korean friends. Also on the grounds of the shrine is the '''Yūshūkan War Memorial Museum''', which displays a numerous World War II paraphernalia and presents a rather one-sided (and allegedly revisionist) account of World War II. }} ===Mongolia=== * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Khalkhin Gol]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=47.730278 | long=118.59 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battles of Khalkhin Gol | wikidata=Q188925 | content=Site of a battle in 1939 in which the Soviets demolished a large Japanese force. This turned Japanese thinking away from expansion into [[Mongolia]] and [[Siberia]]; instead they adopted a "strike south" strategy which led directly to Pearl Harbor and their attacks in [[Southeast Asia]]. }} ===Southeast Asia=== ====Brunei==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Brunei-Australia Memorial | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Bandar Seri Begawan]] | lat=5.037835056706218 | long=115.07569591085982 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=Memorial on Muara Beach commemorating the landing site of the Australian soldiers who fought in the Battle of North Borneo to liberate Brunei from Japanese occupation. }} ====Philippines==== [[File:US_Navy_041020-N-0493B-003_Backed_by_a_monument_marking_the_location_of_Gen._Douglas_MacArthur's_return_to_the_Philippines_60_years_ago,_a_Philippine_Marine_Corps_honor_guard_stands_at_attention_during_the_playing_of_Taps.jpg|thumb|MacArthur's landing site]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Corregidor Island]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Corregidor | wikidata=Q928075 | content=Established as an American fort to defend Manila from naval attacks, it fell to the Japanese in 1942, and was liberated in 1945. This is where General MacArthur left and uttered his most famous line "I shall return", a promise he fulfilled in 1944. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Capas]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Capas | wikidata=Q56427 | content=A largely rural municipality housing Camp O'Donnell, an American military camp turned into a POW camp where the infamous Bataan Death March in 1942 ended. Two memorial shrines dedicated to the American and Filipino prisoners of war who suffered and died under the hands of the Japanese are erected here, and two abandoned railroad stations where the prisoners were unloaded have been turned into museums and memorials. The exact number of prisoners on the march is unknown; estimates range from 6,000 to 18,000. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Coron]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=12 | long=120.2 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Coron, Palawan | wikidata=Q111414 | content=This town in [[Palawan]] Province has excellent wreck diving; the US Navy sank about a dozen Japanese ships in shallow water nearby in 1944. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=11.172222 | long=125.012222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park | wikidata=Q18157528 | content=This is where General McArthur landed on his return to the country in 1944; it is in [[Palo]] municipality on [[Leyte Island]], near [[Tacloban]]. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Camp Pangatian | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Raid at Cabanatuan | wikidata=Q705083 | content=A former American military camp turned into a POW camp by the Japanese, it is the site of the raid at Cabanatuan, a major engagement of the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. The camp, now a shrine, is northeast of [[Cabanatuan]] city (then a rural area) in [[Nueva Ecija]] province. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Manila American Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.abmc.gov/Manila | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Manila]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Manila American Cemetery | wikidata=Q12061468 | content=Cemetery where numerous American and Filipino soldiers who were killed during World War II were buried }} ==== Malaysia ==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Labuan War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/17000/LABUAN%20WAR%20CEMETERY/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Labuan]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Labuan War Cemetery | wikidata=Q6467670 | content=Home to the graves of numerous British, Australian and Indian soldiers who died in the Borneo campaign. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Sandakan Memorial Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=5.88854 | long=118.047183 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sandakan Memorial Park | wikidata=Q2799368 | content=This memorial in the Malaysian city of [[Sandakan]] was built at the site of a former Japanese POW prison camp with funding from the Australian government to commemorate the Allied POWs who lost their lives during the Sandakan Death Marches. Only 6 people out of several thousand survived the march, and only because those 6 managed to escape. Incidentally, all 6 survivors were Australian. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Taiping War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/94500/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Taiping]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Taiping War Cemetery | wikidata=Q7676344 | content=Home to the graves of numerous British, Australian, Indian and Malayan soldiers who died in the Malaya Campaign. }} * {{listing | name=Bank Kerapu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=6.13191 | long=102.23549 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q12474498 | lastedit=2019-04-04 | content=There is a small war memorial and museum in the former Bank Kerapu building in [[Kota Bharu]], [[Malaysia]], which served as a secret police station during the Japanese occupation; it might not merit a special trip but is worth visiting if you are in Kota Bharu. }} ====Myanmar==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Burma Road]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=23.5 | long=98.9 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Burma Road | wikidata=Q478684 | content=This road ran from Western China into Burma (now [[Myanmar]]) and connected to [[Assam]] in Eastern India as well. It was built by the Chinese in the late 1930s, upgraded by the Americans later, and used throughout the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Taukkyan War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/94500/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Taukkyan]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Taukkyan War Cemetery | wikidata=Q7688705 | content=Home to the graves of numerous British, Indian and African soldiers who died in the Burma Campaign. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2007400/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Thanbyuzayat]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery | wikidata=Q19840907 | content=Home to the graves of numerous British, Australian, Indian, New Zealander, Canadian and Dutch POWs who died while building the Death Railway in Burma. }} ==== Singapore ==== As the headquarters of the British forces in Malaya, there are numerous World War II sites scattered throughout Singapore, including several abandoned pillboxes and coastal gun batteries, as well as numerous beaches where the ethnic Chinese were brought to be shot by the Japanese in the Sook Ching Massacre. We cover a selection of some of the more important sites here. * {{listing | name=Alexandra Hospital | alt= | url=https://www.ah.com.sg/ | email= | address=378 Alexandra Road | lat=1.286444 | long=103.801222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A former British military hospital, and the site of the Alexandra Hospital Massacre on 14-15 February 1942, in which Japanese soldiers massacred the staff and patients despite them having already surrendered. Today, it remains in use as a public hospital, and the original colonial-era hospital building has been preserved and remains in active use. There is also a plaque on the hospital grounds commemorating the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | name=The Battlebox | alt= | url=http://www.battlebox.com.sg/ | email= | address=2 Cox Terrace | lat=1.29611 | long=103.846216 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A former British military bunker and command centre which served as the headquarters for the British forces in Malaya during the Malayan Campaign. It was here that Lieutenant-General Arthur E. Percival met with his senior officers and made the decision to surrender to the Japanese. It has been converted to a museum dedicated to the Malayan Campaign, with a re-enactment of how it functioned during the war. }} [[File:Changi Museum, Singapore - www.joyofmuseums.com - external.jpg|thumb|The gates at the Changi Museum]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Changi Museum | alt= | url=http://www.changimuseum.sg/ | email= | address= | lat=1.3622 | long=103.974 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Changi Museum | wikidata=Q5072000 | lastedit=2015-12-02 | content=A former POW camp-turned-museum has information about the Japanese occupation of [[Singapore]] and what life was like in the POW camp. It focuses on the general history and conditions as well as containing personal accounts and artifacts donated by former prisoners. It has a replica of the '''Changi Chapel''' that was built by Australian POWs in captivity; the original was dismantled and moved to [[Canberra]] after the war, where it now stands in the Royal Military College, Duntroon. You can also see replicas of the '''Changi murals''', Christian murals that were painted by British POW Stanley Warren while in capitvity; the original murals are located in a military airbase and off limits to the general public. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Civilian War Memorial | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q5124736 | lastedit=2020-09-23 | content=Monument commemorating the local civilians who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation. The remains of many unidentified victims are buried under the memorial. }} * {{listing | name=Ford Motor Factory | alt= | url=http://www.nas.gov.sg/formerfordfactory | email= | address=351 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588192 | lat=1.352558 | long=103.769292 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=A former factory of American automobile manufacturer Ford, and the first motor vehicle factory to be opened in Southeast Asia. This is also the site where the British lieutenant-general Arthur E. Percival surrendered unconditionally to Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita on 15 February 1942, thus ending the Malayan Campaign. It was also used by the Japanese to produce military vehicles during the occupation. It has now been converted to a museum dedicated to life in Singapore during the Japanese occupation. The boardroom in which the surrender took place has also been reconstructed for viewing. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Fort Siloso | alt= | url=https://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/things-to-do/attractions/fort-siloso/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q4419293 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=One of four British forts on what was then the island of Pulau Blakang Mati, today known as Sentosa. It is the only one of the four to have been restored as a tourist attraction, and contains the remnants of some British artillery guns, as well as interactive displays and a re-enactment of the unconditional surrender of the British forces to the Japanese. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Kranji War Cemetery | alt= | url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2004200/KRANJI%20WAR%20CEMETERY/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kranji War Cemetery | wikidata=Q6436095 | content=Home to the graves of numerous British, Australian, Indian and Malayan soldiers who died in the Malayan Campaign. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Labrador Nature Reserve | alt= | url=https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/labrador-nature-reserve | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=free | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q14874451 | lastedit=2020-09-22 | content=The site of numerous British artillery gun emplacements during World War II. Today, you can see the remains of those gun emplacements, numerous pillboxes, and a network of underground tunnels that were used to store ammunition and move them to the gun emplacements. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Lim Bo Seng Memorial | alt= | url=https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/history/memorials/lim-bo-seng-memorial/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=free | wikipedia= | wikidata=Q54321624 | lastedit=2021-07-23 | content=Memorial dedicated to local war hero Lim Bo Seng, who participated in covert operations against the Japanese as part of Force 136, a branch of the British World War II intelligence agency. After being captured by the Japanese, he refused to divulge any information about his comrades despite being tortured, and eventually died of dysentery in prison in June 1944 at the age of 35. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Reflections at Bukit Chandu | alt= | url=https://www.nhb.gov.sg/what-we-do/our-work/preserve-our-stories-treasures-and-places/museums-and-institutions/reflections-at-bukit-chandu | email=RBC@nhb.gov.sg | address=31K Pepys Road, Singapore 118458 | lat=1.27945 | long=103.79407 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Reflections at Bukit Chandu | wikidata=Q7307287 | content=An interpretive centre of the Battle of Pasir Panjang, one of the fiercest battles in the Malayan Campaign that pitted the Malay Regiment (today the Royal Malay Regiment, the most decorated regiment in the Malaysian Army) against the Japanese. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Sook Ching Inspection Centre | alt= | url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/places/places-landing/Places/historic-sites/sook-ching-inspection-centre | email= | address= | lat=1.283834 | long=103.846073 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sook Ching | content=The site where the occupying Japanese conducted their "screening" of the ethnic Chinese in Malaya after rounding them up. The unlucky ones who were identified as anti-Japanese were brought to the beaches and shot. Today, a plaque stands on the site to commemorate the victims of the massacre. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Syonan Jinja | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.344769 | long=103.822533 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Syonan Jinja | content=A Shinto shrine built by the occupying Japanese in Singapore (which they re-named Syonan-to) in 1942, located at MacRitchie Reservoir, and destroyed after the Japanese surrender on 15th August 1945. The ruins of the shrine still exist, but are now in the middle of the jungle with no footpaths leading there, making it very hard to find. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Syonan Chureito | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.350892 | long=103.766769 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Bukit Batok Memorial | content=A memorial built by Australian POWs to honour the Japanese war dead during World War II, with a smaller memorial behind that to commemorate the Allied war dead. Both memorials were torn down following the Japanese surrender, and today, only the road and stairs leading up to the memorial, as well as two pedestals at the bottom of the stairs, survive. A television transmission tower now occupies the former memorial site. }} ===Pacific Ocean=== [[Image:Aerial photograph of Wake Island on 25 May 1941.jpg|thumb|The Wake Island atoll from the northeast, in 1941]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Wake Island]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=19.3 | long=166.633333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Wake Island | wikidata=Q43296 | content=This US-controlled island was taken by Japan shortly after Pearl Harbor and held by them throughout the war. There are ruins of Japanese fortifications, a monument for the American defenders who put up a stiff fight despite being badly outnumbered and outgunned, and a monument for a group of 98 POWs executed by the Japanese. Today the island is a US military base, off limits for most visitors except through the occasional guided tour. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Midway Islands]] | alt= | url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/midway_atoll/ | email= | address= | lat=28.20935 | long=-177.37813 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Midway Atoll | wikidata=Q47863 | content=The site of the Battle of Midway, one of the major turning points in the Pacific War. The atoll is today home to memorials commemorating the battle. It is only populated by U.S. government personnel, and access is highly restricted; visits by the general public are generally only possible through a guided tour. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Henderson Airfield | alt={{IATA|HIR}} | url= | email= | address= | lat=-9.428 | long=160.054789 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Honiara International Airport | wikidata=Q859876 | lastedit=2015-12-14 | content=The Japanese began constructing an airfield in May 1942 in [[Honiara]] on Guadalcanal. Knowing that if they completed it, they'd be able to both isolate Australia from its allies and launch potentially devastating attacks, America quickly moved to take control of the airfield. It took six months to secure the airfield, after which the Americans finished construction on it and used it to launch attacks on other islands.</br>Henderson Airfield was later expanded to become the international airport of the [[Solomon Islands]], so of course it can be visited. Other sites around the airport include Bloody Ridge (where America defended against the Japanese), the Gifu (named after the [[Gifu|city by the same name]], it was a Japanese post attacked by the US), Mount Austin (used by the Japanese to get a full view of the airfield in their plan to retake it), as well as memorials for both the Americans and Japanese that fought here. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Betio Island | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.356266 | long=172.931607 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Betio | wikidata=Q831455 | lastedit=2015-12-14 | content=Within a few days of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese took the [[Gilbert Islands]], then a British colony, now part of the independent nation [[Kiribati]]. America's first attack on Japanese forces occurred in [[Butaritari]], in the Gilberts, shortly after that.</br>In late 1943, the Allies came to oust Japan from the islands, which by then had been heavily fortified. Betio Island in [[Tarawa]] was the site of the '''Battle of Tarawa''', considered to be one of the bloodiest battles of the war. While war relics can be found on multiple islands throughout Kiribati, Betio Island is where the main battle took place and also where the most remains. Visitors can see tanks, bunkers, shipwrecks, guns, and memorials built by the Japanese, Americans, and Australians and New Zealanders. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Kokoda Track]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.898155 | long=147.739798 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kokoda Track | wikidata=Q1424748 | lastedit=2016-01-25 | content=An important battle line in [[Papua New Guinea]], between [[Australia]] and [[Japan]], it is now a trekking destination, especially for Australians. }} [[File:Nauru-WWIIrelic.jpg|thumb|Remains of a Japanese gun on Nauru's Command Ridge]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=Command Ridge | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-0.530547 | long=166.916702 | directions=[[Nauru]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Command Ridge | wikidata=Q2667931 | lastedit=2017-03-25 | content=During World War II, Nauru was occupied by the Japanese from August 1942 until their surrender at the tail end of the war in the wake of three years of near-continuous Allied air raids. Today, rusting relics from this era are scattered throughout the island — disused Japanese pillboxes line the shore every couple of kilometres, and old cannons can be seen along roadsides barely hidden by forest or even in plain sight between homes.</br>However, for those who want a firsthand look at Nauru's WWII history, Command Ridge (Nauruan: ''Janor'') is the place to go. As the island's highest point, rising to an elevation of 63 m above sea level, it was a natural lookout point for the occupiers. Today you'll find a bevy of old artillery emplacements (including a pair of six-barrel antiaircraft guns still pointed skyward), the ruins of a prison complex used to hold interned Nauruan natives (who were treated brutally by the Japanese) as well as five members of the Australian military captured during the invasion, and — most impressive of all — the former communications center, now open for any visitors to enter. The interior is not well lit, but bring in a lantern or torch and you'll still be able to make out faded Japanese writing on the walls. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Guam#Other_destinations|War in the Pacific National Historical Park]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=13.422508 | long=144.675661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=War in the Pacific National Historical Park | wikidata=Q7968628 | content=On [[Guam]], but part of the US national park system since Guam is an American territory. The park honors all those who fought in the Pacific, not just on Guam and not just Americans. Guam was taken by the Japanese early in the war and retaken by the US in 1944. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=[[Gizo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-8.1058 | long=156.8350 | directions=[[Solomon Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Gizo, Solomon Islands | wikidata=Q1236908 | content=Located on Ghizo Island, Gizo evokes the memories of vivid fighting in WWII. It is nowadays a tourist centre and some wrecks can be found underwater, including the Toa Maru. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Peleliu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=7.00 | long=134.25 | directions=[[Palau]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Peleliu | wikidata=Q497981 | content=Once a heavily fortified Japanese stronghold, Peleliu was the scene of a particularly brutal battle when U.S. Marines made an amphibious assault on the beaches to liberate the island from Imperial Japanese forces, who evolved tactics in a network of rocky caves in the surface of Umurbrogol Mountain (Bloody Nose Ridge). Today, the island is filled with relics, with intact military installations and an airstrip. It also has memorials honoring sacrifice to those who died in the fighting. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Angaur | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=6.9092 | long=134.1388 | directions=[[Palau]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Angaur | wikidata=Q530813 | content=This coraline island was once a Imperial Japanese command post until it became the site of the battle in 1944 as part of Operation Forager, when the 81st Infantry Division gained complete control of the island. Many of its American and Japanese battle relics remain scattered across the island. Often known as Monkey Island, Angaur is the only place in Micronesia inhabited by feral monkeys, descended by macaques that escaped during German occupation. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Enewetak Atoll | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=11.4654 | long=162.1890 | directions=[[Marshall Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Enewetak Atoll | wikidata=Q649190 | content=Formerly known as Eniwetok, the island was the site of Operation Catchpole, when the marines fought a five-day amphibious assault on the island to gain control of a Japanese-owned airfield. Since 1980, Enewetak has been a habitable island. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Kuop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=7.058889 | long=151.919167 | directions=[[Federated States of Micronesia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kuop | wikidata=Q1131149 | content=An atoll just southeast of the Chuuk Lagoon and known as Neoch. On February 4th, 1944, the Japanese destroyer ''Tachikaze'' ran aground on a reef and was later sunk in Operation Hailstone. Nowadays it is officially the largest marine protected area in Micronesia. }} ===South Korea=== Korea was a Japanese colony at the outbreak of World War II, and many Korean men were drafted into the Japanese military. The Japanese had subjected Korea to a brutal occupation, in which the Korean language and culture were vigorously suppressed, and numerous Koreans were subject to live human experimentations without anaesthetic. Perhaps most notoriously, many Korean women forced to become "comfort women"; sex slaves in Japanese military brothels. * {{listing | name=War & Women's Human Rights Museum | url=https://womenandwarmuseum.net | lat=37.5601 | long=126.9148 | content=South Korea's main museum dedicated to the memory of the "comfort women". }} ===Taiwan=== Taiwan was a Japanese colony during the war, and many Taiwanese were enlisted into the Japanese military. Unlike in other Asian countries, the Taiwanese generally have positive views of Japanese colonial rule, and regard its legacy as an integral part of their national and cultural identity, though there are exceptions. Nevertheless, massacres of both ethnic Chinese and Aboriginal people had occurred throughout the occupation. Although not as well-known as their Korean counterparts, numerous Taiwanese women were also forced to serve as "comfort women". The last Japanese holdout to be found alive was in fact Attun Palalin, better known by his Japanese name Teruo Nakamura, an indigenous Taiwanese of Amis ethnicity who was enlisted as a private into one of the Japanese military's colonial units. He was repatriated to Taiwan following his discovery in 1974 on the island of [[Morotai]], [[Indonesia]], and died of lung cancer in 1979. * {{listing | name=Ama Museum | alt=阿嬤家-和平與女性人權館 | url=https://www.amamuseum.org.tw/en | email= | address= | lat=25.0645 | long=121.5181 | directions=[[Taipei/Old Taipei|Old Taipei]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Ama Museum | wikidata=Q24837610 | content=Museum dedicated to the memory of the Taiwanese women who were forced to serve as "comfort women" in Japanese military brothels. }} * {{listing | name=Jinguashi | alt=金瓜石 | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Ruifang|Ruifang, New Taipei]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Jinguashi | wikidata=Q5365867 | lastedit=2019-07-18 | content=A small village which is near the Gold Ecological Park and the Jinguashi Mine, which is one of the largest gold mines in the world. From 1942 to 1945, the area was the location of the Kinkaseki POW Camp, where over 1,100 Allied prisoners of war were held captive and forced to work in the mines. There is a small memorial at the site of the POW camp. In the area is also the ruins of a Shinto shrine that was built by the Japanese. }} * {{listing | name=National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine | alt=國民革命忠烈祠 | url= | email= | address= | lat=25.078406 | long=121.533043 | directions=[[Taipei/Zhongshan|Zhongshan District, Taipei]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine | wikidata=Q5956488 | content=Temple memorializing those who gave their lives for the Republic of China (ROC) during its tenure on mainland China including during the Second Sino-Japanese War. There is a changing of the guard ceremony every hour, on the hour from 09:00 to 17:00, which involves an impressive and highly synchronized rifle-twirling display by soldiers from the Taiwanese military. }} ===United States=== * {{listing | name=Pearl Harbor | lat=21.365 | long=-157.95 | content=Site of the bombing in [[Honolulu/Western|Western Honolulu]] that caused the [[United States]] to enter the war. }} * {{listing | name=The National WWII Museum | alt= | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org | email= | address=[[New Orleans]] | lat=29.943139 | long=-90.07035 | directions= | phone=+1 504 528 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The National WWII Museum | wikidata= | content=Museum commemorating the American war effort in both theatres of World War II, with interactive displays that aim to re-create the battlefield experience for visitors.}} [[File:MacArthur Memorial.jpg|thumb|The MacArthur Memorial]] * {{listing | type=listing | name=MacArthur Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.macarthurmemorial.org | email= | address=198 Bank St; Norfolk, Virginia | lat=36.847701 | long=-76.28862 | directions= | phone=+1-757-441-2965 | tollfree= | fax=+1-757-441-5389 | hours=Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM; Su 11AM-5PM | price=Free | wikipedia=MacArthur Memorial | wikidata=Q22073406 | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Museum dedicated to the life of Douglas MacArthur, the general who led U.S. forces to victory over the Japanese in the Philippines, and was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. His grave is located within the museum. The last non-president to have been granted a U.S. state funeral. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/poch/ | email= | address= | lat=38.0575 | long=-122.029722 | directions= | phone=+1 925 228-8860 ext 6520 (reservations) | tollfree= | hours=Tours available Th-Sa at 12:45PM (allow 1½ hours). Not all dates and times may be available. No public access Su-We | price= | wikipedia=Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial | image=Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial POCH 0011.jpg | wikidata=Q7230541 | lastedit=2019-04-06 | content=This memorial honors 320 individuals (including 200 young African American men) who were killed in a munitions accident during World War II while loading munitions and bombs onto ships bound for the Pacific Rim. Following the explosion many of the enlisted men refused to work, resulting in the Navy's largest mutiny trial and eventually helping to push the US Armed Forces to desegregate. The memorial is located on an active military base and as a result '''reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance''' and '''all visitors must be US citizens or permanent residents'''. Reservations can be made by calling or via an [http://www.nps.gov/poch/planyourvisit/permits-and-reservations.htm online reservation form]. All visitors are shuttled to the memorial from John Muir National Historic Site in nearby [[Martinez (California)|Martinez]]. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Aleutian World War II National Historic Area | alt= | url=http://nps.gov/aleu/ | email= | address= | lat=53.89494 | long=-166.53967 | directions=Visitor Center located on the apron of the Dutch Harbor airport | phone=+1 907 581-1276 | tollfree= | hours=Year round, but May-October offer the best access | price=Free | lastedit=2019-04-06 | content=This site is the remains of one of four WWII era forts constructed to defend Dutch Harbor against a potential Japanese attack. The visitor center is free, however, a Land Use Permit must be obtained to visit the historic site on Mount Ballyhoo. }} [[File:Iwo_Jima_Memorial_5.JPG|thumb|Marine Corps War Memorial]] * The {{marker|type=listing|name=US Marine Corps Memorial|lat=38.890432|long=-77.069714}} at [[Arlington (Virginia)|Arlington]], Virginia, depicts the famous scene of the raising of the (American) flag on [[Ogasawara Islands|Iwo Jima]], whose history is told by the movie ''Flags of our Fathers'' directed by Clint Eastwood. One of the soldiers involved, Ira Hayes, is commemorated in a fine song by Johnny Cash. * {{listing | type=listing | name=US National Museum of the Pacific War | alt= | url=http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org | email= | address= | lat=30.2719 | long=-98.8653 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=National Museum of the Pacific War | wikidata=Q6974516 | lastedit=2015-12-02 | content=In [[Fredericksburg (Texas)]], home town of Admiral Chester Nimitz who commanded US forces in part of the Pacific, this is a large museum complex with many exhibits. }} * {{listing | name=Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum | alt= | url=http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]], [[New York City]] | lat=40.764722 | long=-74.000833 | directions= | phone=+1 212 245-0072 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Apr-Sep: M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM; Oct-Mar: Tu-Su 10AM-5PM | price=$16.50 adult | wikipedia=Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum | image=Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Manhattan.jpg | wikidata=Q952270 | content=The aircraft carrier ''USS Intrepid'' (CV-11), which had participated in World War II, is docked here and has been converted to a museum ship. The carrier was hit by numerous kamikaze attacks in the latter stages of the war, and there are now several interactive displays commemorating the casualties of the kamikaze attacks. }} A number of sites in the US commemorate the internment of Japanese-Americans during the war. * {{listing | name=Manzanar Internment Camp | alt= | url=http://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm | email= | address=[[Independence (California)|Independence]], [[California]] | lat=36.728333 | long=-118.154444 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Manzanar | image=Manzanar Tower (6713406239).jpg | wikidata=Q985484 | lastedit=2015-12-02 | content=The largest internment camp in the United States where approximately 110,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals living in the United States during the war were forced to live after being ordered to leave their homes. This museum contains information about the camp, the experiences of those who were forced to live here, and life after the war. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=WWII Japanese American Internment Museum | alt= | url=http://rohwer.astate.edu/plan-your-visit/museum/ | email= | address=McGehee, Arkansas (near [[Lake Village (Arkansas)|Lake Village]]) | lat=33.6283 | long=-91.3951 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Japanese American Internment Museum | wikidata=Q16849571 | lastedit=2015-12-02 | content=A former internment camp turned into a museum to educate people about the lives of Japanese-Americans at the Rohwer Relocation Center. }} * {{listing | type=listing | name=Topaz Museum | alt= | url=http://www.topazmuseum.org/ | email= | address= | lat=39.414397 | long=-112.772732 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Topaz War Relocation Center | wikidata=Q7824771 | lastedit=2015-12-02 | content=The Topaz Relocation Center (internment camp) housed over 11,000 Japanese-Americans. Because people were moved here before it was finished, internees were actually hired to build the wire fences to pen themselves in. }} * {{listing | name=Tule Lake Segregation Center | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/tule/ | email= | address= | lat=41.889444 | long=-121.374722 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Tule Lake Unit, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument | image=Tule Lake camp main.jpg | wikidata=Q5944942 | lastedit=2017-10-08 | content=Tule Lake was another internment camp, and the one to house Japanese-Americans that the American government regarded as particularly "dangerous" to segregate them from American society and eventually deport some of them. }} * {{listing | name=Minidoka National Historic Site | alt= | url=https://www.nps.gov/miin/index.htm | email= | address=near [[Twin Falls]], Idaho | lat=42.679 | long=-114.244 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q927150 | lastedit=2021-10-19 | content=Most of the camp's buildings were removed after the war and can be found throughout the Magic Valley region. However, the site has remains of the guard entry station, waiting room, and rock gardens as well as a reconstructed guard tower. }} * {{listing | name=Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial | alt= | url=http://bijaema.org/ | email= | address=[[Bainbridge Island]], Washington | lat=47.6153 | long=-122.51 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4848541 | lastedit=2021-10-19 | content= }} ==Respect== While few living people remember the war, the countries involved have not always found reconciliation. In particular, the relationships between Japan and its neighbors China and South Korea are still tense today. A Chinese law enacted in 2019 criminalizes the denial of or insult to officially-endorsed heroes and martyrs, in addition to defamation lawsuits. Specifically for war memorials, any act that is considered to be disrespectful can be criminalized. ==See also== * [[World War II in China]] * [[World War II in Europe]] * [[World War II in Africa]] * [[Japanese colonial empire]] * [[World War I]] * [[Holocaust remembrance]] * [[Industrialization of the United States]] for non-military US history of the 1930s and 40s * [[Long March]] * [[Nuclear tourism]] {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} {{guidetopic}} 1eysso471mnsrmq1elrrcr831ti3sfm 0 144659 4501932 4450486 2022-08-16T07:06:46Z El Grafo 37725 /* Fungi */ This may seem redundant, but is indeed important to note this for semi-experienced mushroom hunters. For example, "all mild-tasting Russula are safe to eat" works well in central Europe, but may kill you elsewhere. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Blueberries banner.jpg}} '''Foraging''' is the harvesting of wild organic material, such as plants and fungi, for [[food]], souvenirs, or other purposes. Still today, some communities in the world live as hunter-gatherers, and even in high-income countries, foraged berries and mushrooms remain as a part of the local cuisine. Foraging is regulated in most countries. Assume it is prohibited until you know to what extent it is allowed. {{quote|Good ideas are like mushrooms, where you find one you often find more.|author=Attributed to Hans Carossa}} ==Fruit and berries== Most biomes have some kind of [[fruits and vegetables]]. Many fruits and berries are edible, some are poisonous. There is no general rule to know which are edible, so learn to know the ones you are going to pick. Regulation for berry-picking varies. Some suburban communities have abandoned fruit trees which can be harvested with the owner's consent; don't take risks, though. Others who do pick may have consent even if you have not, and social norms (e.g. on how much to pick) can be convoluted. In the [[Nordic countries]], picking most wild berries is allowed according to the [[Right to access in the Nordic countries|right to access]]. Berries that have been taken care of and those in gardens and yards, or otherwise near private houses, are off limits though. Out of politeness and respect, don't pick near people or where locals would obviously pick them. Picking is also restricted in some protected areas, and picking for later consumption or for sale is not necessarily allowed. ===Edible berries in temperate climate=== [[File:Wild Alaska lowbush blueberries.jpg|thumb|Wild Blueberries in Alaska]] * ''Bilberries'' and ''blueberries'' grow in temperate forest regions of [[North America]], [[Europe]] and [[Asia]]. * ''Lingonberries'' * ''Cloudberries'' * ''Raspberries'' * ''Blackberries'' * ''Strawberries'' * ''Cranberries'' * ''Elderberries'' ==Wood== Trees hold high economic and ecological value, so cutting down trees, whether it be for a [[campfire]], shelter or decoration, is usually prohibited, or at least very restricted. Even in a no man's land or with the landowner's permission, woodcutting requires informed judgment on how to minimize damage to the forest as a whole. Taking branches from the tree can cause fungal infections (risk varying by species and circumstances), likewise destroying the economic value. Gathering of dead twigs on the ground is usually allowed, except in protected areas, but where they are a scarce resource locals depend on, you should probably leave them alone. ==Flowers== Wild flowers are usually picked for decoration, though they can have ceremonial purposes, and some are edible, too. In temperate climate, the most diverse flowerbeds are usually found in livestock grazing grounds. However, in many areas, wildflowers are highly protected, and collection requires a permit. ==Fungi== [[File:Steinpilz (14).JPG|thumb|''Boletus edulis'' mushrooms]] Fungi can be great food – many species are very tasty, and in many parts of the world you can get them for free if you collect them yourself. On the other hand, their reputation for being poisonous is justified, too – quite a few are, and some of them can be deadly. There are no general means to distinguish these from edible ones, and rules you may have learned in one place of the world may not apply elsewhere. Never eat any mushroom you do not know well enough – and this includes knowing whether there are poisonous fungi that look similar, and how to distinguish the edible ones from the poisonous ones. When travelling, make sure you also know any local doppelgangers (e.g., the death cap and destroying angels of Europe and North America are unknown in Southeast Asia). There are also caveats for edible mushrooms. Most mushrooms are easily spoiled, so they have to be handled promptly and carefully. The first time you eat a specific mushroom species, eat only little, as not every edible species suits everybody. Most mushrooms aren't edible (or at least not tasty) until they are cooked. Some mushrooms are poisonous until treated in some specific way, often by cooking in abundant water then thrown away, repeatedly for some species. The best way to learn to pick mushrooms is to have a local expert show you. There are also guidebooks. Learn to recognize only a couple of mushroom species at a time; forget about the other ones until you are confident in these, and then – perhaps next year – study a couple more. Some edible mushrooms are quite safe, as they, with some care, are easily distinguished from dangerous ones; others should not be picked until you are an expert, some perhaps not even then. If you get ill after eating mushrooms it may be important to be able to tell your doctor about your mushroom dish. Some of the poisonous mushrooms do not give any early warning signs, so this applies also a few days afterwards. ==Sea vegetables== Edible sea vegetation - seaweed, sea lettuce, nori or kelp - tends to be rich in minerals and vitamins and is considered delicacy in Asian countries. However this trend is spreading globally and edible seaweed can be found literally anywhere along the coast. Foraging takes place in the intertidal zone, typically at rocky shores. It is advisable to join a local guide to get familiar with edible seaweed species. Care must be taken around slippery rocks to prevent an injury. Sea vegetables can be consumed raw, cooked or dried. ==Animals== Foraging includes the collection of butterflies and other small animals as decorative souvenirs, and animals such as clams, insects and larvae for eating. Do not harm endangered species. Also, common ones may be protected in places like [[national parks]]. Harvesting of reptile and bird eggs is typically illegal. Pursuing larger or more mobile animals is described as [[hunting]]. See [[animal ethics]] for some other concerns. ==Equipment== * A basket is the classic vessel for berry and mushroom picking. A plastic bucket can also be practical. * [[Knife]] * Berry-picking rake * Mushroom knife (has a brush on the other end) ==Stay safe== See [[poisonous plants]] and [[pests]]. Foraged food can be infested with pathogens. For some pathogens washing it is enough; others require cooking. Also, water used for washing can be contaminated (see [[Water]]). ==Respect== In most countries, foraging is restricted, if not prohibited. In nature reserves, the [[leave-no-trace]] principle might be enforced. The Nordic [[right to access]] is permissive, but not all foraging is allowed even there. ==See also== * [[Botanical tourism]] * [[Camping food]] * [[Fishing]] * [[Hunting]] * [[Fruit and vegetables]] * [[Outdoor cooking]] {{PartOfTopic|Outdoor life}} {{outlinetopic}} 20w411efuankx86ofozk1m72kens2eg 4501937 4501932 2022-08-16T07:15:26Z El Grafo 37725 /* Fungi */ can you throw water? wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Blueberries banner.jpg}} '''Foraging''' is the harvesting of wild organic material, such as plants and fungi, for [[food]], souvenirs, or other purposes. Still today, some communities in the world live as hunter-gatherers, and even in high-income countries, foraged berries and mushrooms remain as a part of the local cuisine. Foraging is regulated in most countries. Assume it is prohibited until you know to what extent it is allowed. {{quote|Good ideas are like mushrooms, where you find one you often find more.|author=Attributed to Hans Carossa}} ==Fruit and berries== Most biomes have some kind of [[fruits and vegetables]]. Many fruits and berries are edible, some are poisonous. There is no general rule to know which are edible, so learn to know the ones you are going to pick. Regulation for berry-picking varies. Some suburban communities have abandoned fruit trees which can be harvested with the owner's consent; don't take risks, though. Others who do pick may have consent even if you have not, and social norms (e.g. on how much to pick) can be convoluted. In the [[Nordic countries]], picking most wild berries is allowed according to the [[Right to access in the Nordic countries|right to access]]. Berries that have been taken care of and those in gardens and yards, or otherwise near private houses, are off limits though. Out of politeness and respect, don't pick near people or where locals would obviously pick them. Picking is also restricted in some protected areas, and picking for later consumption or for sale is not necessarily allowed. ===Edible berries in temperate climate=== [[File:Wild Alaska lowbush blueberries.jpg|thumb|Wild Blueberries in Alaska]] * ''Bilberries'' and ''blueberries'' grow in temperate forest regions of [[North America]], [[Europe]] and [[Asia]]. * ''Lingonberries'' * ''Cloudberries'' * ''Raspberries'' * ''Blackberries'' * ''Strawberries'' * ''Cranberries'' * ''Elderberries'' ==Wood== Trees hold high economic and ecological value, so cutting down trees, whether it be for a [[campfire]], shelter or decoration, is usually prohibited, or at least very restricted. Even in a no man's land or with the landowner's permission, woodcutting requires informed judgment on how to minimize damage to the forest as a whole. Taking branches from the tree can cause fungal infections (risk varying by species and circumstances), likewise destroying the economic value. Gathering of dead twigs on the ground is usually allowed, except in protected areas, but where they are a scarce resource locals depend on, you should probably leave them alone. ==Flowers== Wild flowers are usually picked for decoration, though they can have ceremonial purposes, and some are edible, too. In temperate climate, the most diverse flowerbeds are usually found in livestock grazing grounds. However, in many areas, wildflowers are highly protected, and collection requires a permit. ==Fungi== [[File:Steinpilz (14).JPG|thumb|''Boletus edulis'' mushrooms]] Fungi can be great food – many species are very tasty, and in many parts of the world you can get them for free if you collect them yourself. On the other hand, their reputation for being poisonous is justified, too – quite a few are, and some of them can be deadly. There are no general means to distinguish these from edible ones, and rules you may have learned in one place of the world may not apply elsewhere. Never eat any mushroom you do not know well enough – and this includes knowing whether there are poisonous fungi that look similar, and how to distinguish the edible ones from the poisonous ones. When travelling, make sure you also know any local doppelgangers (e.g., the death cap and destroying angels of Europe and North America are unknown in Southeast Asia). There are also caveats for edible mushrooms. Most mushrooms are easily spoiled, so they have to be handled promptly and carefully. The first time you eat a specific mushroom species, eat only little, as not every edible species suits everybody. Most mushrooms aren't edible (or at least not tasty) until they are cooked. Some mushrooms are poisonous until treated in some specific way, often by cooking in abundant water which is then discarded, repeatedly for some species. The best way to learn to pick mushrooms is to have a local expert show you. There are also guidebooks. Learn to recognize only a couple of mushroom species at a time; forget about the other ones until you are confident in these, and then – perhaps next year – study a couple more. Some edible mushrooms are quite safe, as they, with some care, are easily distinguished from dangerous ones; others should not be picked until you are an expert, some perhaps not even then. If you get ill after eating mushrooms it may be important to be able to tell your doctor about your mushroom dish. Some of the poisonous mushrooms do not give any early warning signs, so this applies also a few days afterwards. ==Sea vegetables== Edible sea vegetation - seaweed, sea lettuce, nori or kelp - tends to be rich in minerals and vitamins and is considered delicacy in Asian countries. However this trend is spreading globally and edible seaweed can be found literally anywhere along the coast. Foraging takes place in the intertidal zone, typically at rocky shores. It is advisable to join a local guide to get familiar with edible seaweed species. Care must be taken around slippery rocks to prevent an injury. Sea vegetables can be consumed raw, cooked or dried. ==Animals== Foraging includes the collection of butterflies and other small animals as decorative souvenirs, and animals such as clams, insects and larvae for eating. Do not harm endangered species. Also, common ones may be protected in places like [[national parks]]. Harvesting of reptile and bird eggs is typically illegal. Pursuing larger or more mobile animals is described as [[hunting]]. See [[animal ethics]] for some other concerns. ==Equipment== * A basket is the classic vessel for berry and mushroom picking. A plastic bucket can also be practical. * [[Knife]] * Berry-picking rake * Mushroom knife (has a brush on the other end) ==Stay safe== See [[poisonous plants]] and [[pests]]. Foraged food can be infested with pathogens. For some pathogens washing it is enough; others require cooking. Also, water used for washing can be contaminated (see [[Water]]). ==Respect== In most countries, foraging is restricted, if not prohibited. In nature reserves, the [[leave-no-trace]] principle might be enforced. The Nordic [[right to access]] is permissive, but not all foraging is allowed even there. ==See also== * [[Botanical tourism]] * [[Camping food]] * [[Fishing]] * [[Hunting]] * [[Fruit and vegetables]] * [[Outdoor cooking]] {{PartOfTopic|Outdoor life}} {{outlinetopic}} nsaqotkup4our0q3tzndjyy8ifrtvle 0 148057 4501827 4280626 2022-08-16T02:42:55Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} {{quickbar}} [[Image:Molossia - Border with United States.jpg|thumb|Border sign]] [[Image:Molossia_-_President_Kevin_Baugh_1.jpg|thumb|President Kevin Baugh]] '''[http://www.molossia.org/countryeng.html Republic of Molossia]''' (Esperanto: ''Respubliko de Molossia''), also known as '''Molossia''', is a micronation located in Dayton, [[Western Nevada]], with land (referred to as ''Farfalla colony'') near [[Alturas]], [[California]]. The nearest sizable city is [[Reno]], {{mile|27}} away. ==Understand== This is a one-person self-proclaimed micro-nation not recognized by the United Nations or the USA. The languages spoken are US English and Esperanto. ==Get in== ===Entry requirements=== You are required to '''make a reservation in advance'''. The president sets [http://www.molossia.org/visiting.html specific dates] for entry into the micronation; slots are available approximately once per month during tourist season (April–October). If you'd like to come on one of the upcoming dates, send an email to mininfo@molossia.org with the number of people in your party. Those wishing to visit can only stay a maximum of three hours, and one hour is plenty of time to see the sites. At the front gate, there is a mini embassy called the {{marker|type=go|name=Custom House|url=|lat=39.32300|long=-119.54001}} in the micronation's Red Square. Passports can be stamped, but this is not mandatory for entry. Taking these items into Molossia is prohibited, as per their entry page on their [http://www.molossia.org/customs.html website]: *Firearms, ammunition, and explosives *Drugs and tobacco *Incandescent lightbulbs *Plastic shopping bags *Catfish *"Fresh" Spinach *Missionaries and salesmen *Onions *Walruses Bringing in prohibited items may result in a brief detention in the whimsical "Molossia Jail & Political Prison". ===By car=== From Reno: Take I-580 south, then NV-341 to [[Virginia City (Nevada)|Virginia City]], then NV-79 (Six Mile Canyon Road) to Dayton. ===By plane=== {{marker|type=go|name=Reno-Tahoe International Airport|url=http://www.renoairport.com|lat=39.499167|long=-119.768056}} ({{IATA|RNO}}) is the nearest major airport, around {{mi|30}} away. ==Get around== {{mapframe|39.32277|-119.53907|zoom=18}} Molossia is the size of a rural American residence and can be walked around easily on foot. ==See== * {{see | name=Government House | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.32279 | long=-119.53970 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Molossia - Government House.jpg | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content=Residence of the president and his family. }} * {{see | name=Republic Square | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.32282 | long=-119.53993 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content= }} * {{see | name=Red Square | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/redsquare.html | email= | address= | lat=39.32294 | long=-119.53966 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content=Main center of business and commerce for the nation. }} ** {{see | name=Office of the President | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} ** {{see | name=The Water Tower | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content= }} ** {{see | name=Time Capsule Marker | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content= }} ** {{see | name=Peace Pole | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/peacepole.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content=Pole with "May Peace Prevail On Earth" written vertically in eight languages (English, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Russian, Cherokee, and of course Esperanto). }} * {{see | name=The Tower of the Winds | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/tower.html | email= | address= | lat=39.32274 | long=-119.53922 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content=Metal monument built to the winds. }} * {{see | name=Molossia Cemetery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.32276 | long=-119.53833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content=Final resting place of the micronation's former dog residents. }} * {{do | name=Friendship Gateway | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/gateway.html | email= | address= | lat= | long=- | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Molossia - | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Molossia's Friendship Gateway is dedicated to openess, inclusiveness and amity between peoples. }} * {{do | name=Bank of Molossia | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/bank.html | email= | address= | lat= | long=- | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Molossia - | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=The Bank of Molossia sells Valora banknotes and coins, and serves as a repository of cookie dough, which serves to back Molossia's currency. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Back Forty National Park | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/backforty.html | email= | address= | lat=39.32261 | long=-119.53842 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} ==Buy== [[Image:١ فالورا ((عملة معدنية)) 2014-04-07 02-11.jpeg|thumb|1 Valora (VL) coin]] {{exchange rates | currency=Molossian Valora | currencyCode=VL | date=September 2018 | USD=1.25 (fixed rate) | EUR=1.52 | GBP=1.68 | source=http://www.molossia.org/bank.html }} The currency is called Valora (abbreviated to VL), which is Esperanto for ''worthy''. The Valora is pegged to the US dollar (though the actual rate can fluctuate) by making a 30 oz (850 g) tube of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough always worth 5 Valora. The currency's subunits are referred to as Futtrus, of which a 100 of these make a single Valora. As with [[Sealand]] (another micronation), Molossia sells merchandise including signed photographs, postcards, t-shirts, and Valora currency. * {{buy | name=Molossia Trading Company | alt= | url= | email= | address=Red Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} ==Eat and drink== * {{eat | name=Tiki Hut Bar & Grill | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/tikihut.html | email= | address=Red Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open: "When We're Here", closed: "When We're Not" | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content=A small burger joint with a Polynesian theme. Serves burgers at 3 to 5 VL (~$2.40 to $4.00) with chips/fries (subject to availability), the micronation's signature cocktail ''The Molossolini'' for 2 VL (~$1.60), and lava cake for 2 VL (~$1.60). }} ==Sleep== There is no public accommodation on the land of Molossia. Dayton only has a RV park, but the nearby Virginia City has several hotels. * {{sleep | name=Dayton RV Park | alt= | url=https://www.daytonrvpark.com/ | email= | address=75 Pike Street East | lat=39.24303 | long=-119.590596 | directions= | phone=+1 775 246 9300 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $40 a day and $252 a week (plus tax) | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} Alternatively Reno is the closest major city and has plenty of places to stay. ==Connect== == Stay safe == This area is regarded under US law as private land; do not enter without the owner's permission, or you might get shot. The owner also claims to still be at war with East Germany, despite the fact that it no longer exists. ==Go next== * [[Reno]] * [[Virginia City (Nevada)|Virginia City]] {{IsPartOf|Western Nevada}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|39.32275|-119.539111}} ejs39ulua8da59lq3etdv56awfrwtwb 4501829 4501827 2022-08-16T02:46:23Z NewHikaru07 2063662 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} {{quickbar}} [[Image:Molossia - Border with United States.jpg|thumb|Border sign]] [[Image:Molossia_-_President_Kevin_Baugh_1.jpg|thumb|President Kevin Baugh]] '''[http://www.molossia.org/countryeng.html Republic of Molossia]''' (Esperanto: ''Respubliko de Molossia''), also known as '''Molossia''', is a micronation located in Dayton, [[Western Nevada]], with land (referred to as ''Farfalla colony'') near [[Alturas]], [[California]]. The nearest sizable city is [[Reno]], {{mile|27}} away. ==Understand== This is a one-person self-proclaimed micro-nation not recognized by the United Nations or the USA. The languages spoken are US English and Esperanto. ==Get in== ===Entry requirements=== You are required to '''make a reservation in advance'''. The president sets [http://www.molossia.org/visiting.html specific dates] for entry into the micronation; slots are available approximately once per month during tourist season (April–October). If you'd like to come on one of the upcoming dates, send an email to mininfo@molossia.org with the number of people in your party. Those wishing to visit can only stay a maximum of three hours, and one hour is plenty of time to see the sites. At the front gate, there is a mini embassy called the {{marker|type=go|name=Custom House|url=|lat=39.32300|long=-119.54001}} in the micronation's Red Square. Passports can be stamped, but this is not mandatory for entry. Taking these items into Molossia is prohibited, as per their entry page on their [http://www.molossia.org/customs.html website]: *Firearms, ammunition, and explosives *Drugs and tobacco *Incandescent lightbulbs *Plastic shopping bags *Catfish *"Fresh" Spinach *Missionaries and salesmen *Onions *Walruses Bringing in prohibited items may result in a brief detention in the whimsical "Molossia Jail & Political Prison". ===By car=== From Reno: Take I-580 south, then NV-341 to [[Virginia City (Nevada)|Virginia City]], then NV-79 (Six Mile Canyon Road) to Dayton. ===By plane=== {{marker|type=go|name=Reno-Tahoe International Airport|url=http://www.renoairport.com|lat=39.499167|long=-119.768056}} ({{IATA|RNO}}) is the nearest major airport, around {{mi|30}} away. ==Get around== {{mapframe|39.32277|-119.53907|zoom=18}} Molossia is the size of a rural American residence and can be walked around easily on foot. ==See== * {{see | name=Government House | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.32279 | long=-119.53970 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Molossia - Government House.jpg | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content=Residence of the president and his family. }} * {{see | name=Republic Square | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.32282 | long=-119.53993 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content= }} * {{see | name=Red Square | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/redsquare.html | email= | address= | lat=39.32294 | long=-119.53966 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content=Main center of business and commerce for the nation. }} ** {{see | name=Office of the President | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} ** {{see | name=The Water Tower | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content= }} ** {{see | name=Time Capsule Marker | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content= }} ** {{see | name=Peace Pole | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/peacepole.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-29 | content=Pole with "May Peace Prevail On Earth" written vertically in eight languages (English, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Russian, Cherokee, and of course Esperanto). }} ** {{see | name=Bank of Molossia | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/bank.html | email= | address= | lat= | long=- | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Molossia - | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=The Bank of Molossia sells Valora banknotes and coins, and serves as a repository of cookie dough, which serves to back Molossia's currency. }} * {{see | name=The Tower of the Winds | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/tower.html | email= | address= | lat=39.32274 | long=-119.53922 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content=Metal monument built to the winds. }} * {{see | name=Molossia Cemetery | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.32276 | long=-119.53833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content=Final resting place of the micronation's former dog residents. }} * {{see | name=Friendship Gateway | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/gateway.html | email= | address= | lat= | long=- | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | image=Molossia - | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Molossia's Friendship Gateway is dedicated to openess, inclusiveness and amity between peoples. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Back Forty National Park | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/backforty.html | email= | address= | lat=39.32261 | long=-119.53842 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} ==Buy== [[Image:١ فالورا ((عملة معدنية)) 2014-04-07 02-11.jpeg|thumb|1 Valora (VL) coin]] {{exchange rates | currency=Molossian Valora | currencyCode=VL | date=September 2018 | USD=1.25 (fixed rate) | EUR=1.52 | GBP=1.68 | source=http://www.molossia.org/bank.html }} The currency is called Valora (abbreviated to VL), which is Esperanto for ''worthy''. The Valora is pegged to the US dollar (though the actual rate can fluctuate) by making a 30 oz (850 g) tube of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough always worth 5 Valora. The currency's subunits are referred to as Futtrus, of which a 100 of these make a single Valora. As with [[Sealand]] (another micronation), Molossia sells merchandise including signed photographs, postcards, t-shirts, postage stamps and Valora currency. * {{buy | name=Molossia Trading Company | alt= | url= | email= | address=Red Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} ==Eat and drink== * {{eat | name=Tiki Hut Bar & Grill | alt= | url=http://www.molossia.org/tikihut.html | email= | address=Red Square | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Open: "When We're Here", closed: "When We're Not" | price= | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content=A small burger joint with a Polynesian theme. Serves burgers at 3 to 5 VL (~$2.40 to $4.00) with chips/fries (subject to availability), the micronation's signature cocktail ''The Molossolini'' for 2 VL (~$1.60), and lava cake for 2 VL (~$1.60). }} ==Sleep== There is no public accommodation on the land of Molossia. Dayton only has a RV park, but the nearby Virginia City has several hotels. * {{sleep | name=Dayton RV Park | alt= | url=https://www.daytonrvpark.com/ | email= | address=75 Pike Street East | lat=39.24303 | long=-119.590596 | directions= | phone=+1 775 246 9300 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $40 a day and $252 a week (plus tax) | lastedit=2017-10-19 | content= }} Alternatively Reno is the closest major city and has plenty of places to stay. ==Connect== == Stay safe == This area is regarded under US law as private land; do not enter without the owner's permission, or you might get shot. The owner also claims to still be at war with East Germany, despite the fact that it no longer exists. ==Go next== * [[Reno]] * [[Virginia City (Nevada)|Virginia City]] {{IsPartOf|Western Nevada}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|39.32275|-119.539111}} b1f5knf5v873cb94a1b5heiosk5o191 2 150907 4501623 4495837 2022-08-15T14:35:15Z Wauteurz 1292031 Status update wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Gelders Arcadië Wikivoyage Banner.jpg|box=white|caption=Shown: Rozendaal (Gelders Arcadië)|notoc=false}} <div style="float: right; border:solid white 1px; margin: 4px; padding: 4px; width: 30%; align=right; border-radius:12px; font-size:90%; {{linear-gradient|left|#ffffff, {{User:Wauteurz/Palette|T3}}}}"> <div style="float: center; color: white; margin: 4px; padding: 4px; width: 97%; align=center; border-radius:5px; font-size:120%; {{linear-gradient|left|#0f4d92, #44aa99}}"> <center><big>'''USER STATUS'''</big></center> <center>Wauteurz is ''<abbr title="Currently travelling across Denmark (12-20/8) and Sweden (20-27/8).">on vacation</abbr>''.</center> <center><small><abbr title="This status was last updated on April 25th, 2022.">Last update: 25-04-2022, 01:30</abbr></small></center> </div> <center>'''{{tick}} Been there, done that. {{tick}}'''</center> {|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" width=100% |+style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Belgium}} ''Belgium:'' [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]], [[East Flanders]], [[West Flanders]]<br/> {{flag|Denmark}} ''Denmark:'' [[Billund]], [[Silkeborg]]<br/> {{flag|England}} ''England:'' [[Cambridge]], [[Oxford]]<br/> {{flag|France}} ''France:'' [[Dordogne]], [[Haute-Savoie]], [[Jura (France)|Jura]], [[Nancy]], [[Metz]]<br/> {{flag|Germany}} ''Germany:'' [[Cologne]], [[Western_Plains_(Lower_Saxony)|Meppen]], [[Nordfriesland]]<br/> {{flag|Luxembourg}} ''Luxembourg:'' [[Echternach]], [[Land of the Red Rocks]], [[Troisvierges]]<br/> {{flag|Netherlands}} ''The Netherlands:'' |- | :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|DR}}'': [[Assen]], [[Coevorden]], [[Emmen]], [[Meppel]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|FL}}'': The only province I haven't visited a city in. I've travelled through the province, but never visited anything :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|FR}}'': [[Ameland]], [[Fryske Marren]], [[Terschelling]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|GE}}'': Lived all my life in [[Doetinchem]], currently working in [[Apeldoorn]], and I've studied a year in [[Gelders Arcadië|Velp]]. I've seen most of what the region has to offer. :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|GR}}'': [[Bourtange]], [[Groningen (city)]], [[Hoogezand]], [[Stadskanaal]], [[Westerwolde]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|LB}}'': [[Heerlen]], [[Venlo]], [[Venray]], [[Maastricht]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|NB}}'': [[Eindhoven]], [['s-Hertogenbosch]], [[Geldrop]], [[Grave]], [[Tilburg]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|NH}}'': [[Amsterdam]], [[Alkmaar]], [[Hilversum]], [[Hoorn]], [[North Holland Peninsula|Kop van Noord Holland]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|OV}}'': [[Enschede]], [[Kampen]], [[Zwolle]]. Currently studying in [[Deventer]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|UT}}'': [[Utrecht (city)]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|ZH}}'': [[Den Haag]], [[Delft]], [[Rotterdam]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|ZL}}'': [[Sluis]], [[Terneuzen]], [[Vlissingen]], [[Westkapelle]] |} ---- [[File:Nederlands verkeersbord J6.svg|22px|link=]] ''Highest point:'' ~{{convert|650|m|mi}}: {{flag|France}} [[Annecy]]<br/> [[File:Nederlands verkeersbord J7.svg|22px|link=]] ''Lowest point:'' {{convert|-100|m|yd}}: {{flag|Luxembourg}} [[Land of the Red Rocks|Rumelange]]<br/> [[File:BSicon BAHN.svg|22px|link=]] ''<abbr title="Longest journey by train, including transfers.">Longest train journey</abbr>:'' {{flag|Germany}} [[Husum]] <abbr title="Husum → Hamburg Altona → Osnabrück → Deventer → Arnhem → Doetinchem (9h23m)">→</abbr> {{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/FlagDutchProv|Doetinchem}}<br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4i.svg|22px|link=]] ''Northernmost:'' {{flag|Denmark}} [[Silkeborg]]<br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4h.svg|22px|link=]] ''Easternmost:'' {{flag|Germany}} Freihafenelbbrücke, [[Hamburg]] <br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4f.svg|22px|link=]] ''Southernmost:'' {{flag|France}} [[Bordeaux]]<br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4g.svg|22px|link=]] ''Westernmost:'' {{flag|England}} [[Oxford]] <center>'''Recent vacations and trips:''' :''I'm excluding one-day trips that I made over time unless in someway notable.''</center> *{{flag|Luxembourg}} [[File:Coat_of_arms_troisvierges_luxbrg.png|15px|link=Troisvierges]] [[Troisvierges]]; ''Summer 2013'' *{{flag|France}} {{flag|Jura (department)}} [[Champagnole]]; ''August 2014'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Schagen}} ''July 2015'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Terschelling}}; ''New Year's 2015/2016'' *{{flag|Luxembourg}} [[File:Argent_an_eagle_sable.svg|15px|link=Mullerthal]] [[Mullerthal]]; ''August 2016'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Vlagtwedde}}; ''July 2017'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Terschelling}}; ''Christmas 2017'' *{{flag|Germany}} {{flag|Schleswig-Holstein}} [[Nordfriesland]]; ''August 6-18, 2018'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Fryske Marren}}; ''July 26 - Augugust 1, 2019'' *{{flag|Belgium}} [[Antwerp]], [[Ghent]], [[Mechelen]], [[Roeselare]]; ''October 23-25, 2019'' <center>'''Future vacations and trips:'''</center> :{{flag|Denmark}} [[Lolland-Falster]], [[Zealand|Sjælland]], [[Funen]] & [[South Jutland|Sønderjylland]]; ''August 12-20, 2022'' :{{flag|Sweden}} [[Göteborg]]; ''August 20-23, 2022'' :{{flag|Sweden}} [[Stockholm]]; ''August 23-26, 2022'' :{{flag|Austria}} [[Vienna]]; ''No ETA.'' :{{flag|Norway}} [[Oslo]], [[Stavanger]]; ''No ETA.'' :{{flag|Belgium}} [[Brugge]], [[Belgian coast by tram|West Flemish coast]]; ''Possibly autumn 2022?'' ---- <center>'''I can answer your questions about:'''</center> <div style="float:right;margin:1px"> {| cellspacing="0" style="width: 97%; background:silver; border-radius: 5px 0px 0px 5px;" | style="color:white; width:50px; height:50px; background:#44aa99; border-radius: 5px 0px 0px 5px;" | [[File:Classroom_icon.svg|alt=A welcome mat|50px]] | style="color:white; padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em; background:#44aa99" | This user is a [[Wikivoyage:Docent|docent]] for the {{User:Wauteurz/FlagDutchProv|Achterhoek}}, {{User:Wauteurz/FlagDutchProv|Doetinchem}} and [[Rail travel in the Netherlands]]. |} </div> *Any of the places listed above <small>(I can't guarantee that I have the answer)</small> *Anything related to the Netherlands <small>(or Luxembourg)</small> in general. *If you're working on cycling or heritage railway articles for places listed above, I'd be happy to help out. *I find myself coming back to map and transport-related efforts. Feel free to include me on these if you seek some help. <center>'''Find me elsewhere.'''</center> <center>[[File:Wikivoyage_logo_idea_-_Geographical_zones.svg|50px|Dutch Wikivoyage|link=nl:Gebruiker:Wauteurz]] [[File:Commons-logo-en.svg|50px|Wikimedia Commons|link=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wauteurz]] [[File:Wikipedia-logo-nl.png|50px|Dutch Wikipedia|link=https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gebruiker:Wauteurz]] [[File:Wikipedia svg logo-en.svg|50px|English Wikipedia|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Wauteurz]]</center> </div> <!-- ABOUT --> ''Hoi'', I am Wauteurz ([[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/waʊ̯tøːrs/''), a Dutch student of [[archaeology]]. Uni is my main priority, hence why my activity here is best summarised as ''"varyingly active"''. You will mostly find me here, as well as NLWikipedia and Commons from time to time. I don't often go far from home, and am not much of a globetrotter myself. I mostly limit myself to edits around the Netherlands and Luxembourg for that reason, but may contribute to other (Western) European articles from time to time. The free time I have available for Wikivoyage is time I either spend covering Wikivoyage in pagebanners or maintaining and updating {{tl|Rint}}, which as it stands, has been largely developed by me. At this moment, roughly {{#expr:{{User:Wauteurz/Banners/Count}}/{{PAGESINCAT:Has custom banner|R}} *100 round 2}}% of all pagebanners on ENWikivoyage have been made by me _{<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted">[[:Commons:Category:Wikivoyage banners by Wauteurz|(~{{User:Wauteurz/Banners/Count}})]]</span>}. === Contributions === <small>''I should probably mention here that what follows is a to-do list, and that I do not like to follow them precisely, especially not for something I do on a recreational basis, such as Wikivoyage.''</small> *{{flag|Earth}} '''[[Earth]]''' **'''ONGOING:''' Updating and improving [[Template:Rint|'new RINT']], as well as other template work. *{{flag|Netherlands}} '''[[Netherlands]]''' **'''ONGOING:''' Region and Destination-management ***'''ONGOING:''' Districtifying [[Rotterdam]]. ***'''PLANNED:''' Reinstating [[Rijnmond]] and [[Haaglanden]]. ***'''PLANNED:''' Creating more guide articles <small>(Likely candidates: [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]], [[Alkmaar]], [[Maastricht]], <u>[[Nijmegen]]</u>, <u>[[Deventer]]</u>, [[Leeuwarden]])</small> ***'''PLANNED:''' Organising the [[Gooi en Vechtstreek]] and [[Vechtstreek]] articles (N-Holland/Utrecht). **'''PLANNED:''' Travel topics relating to Dutch art ([[User:Wauteurz/Dutch Masters|The Dutch Masters]] <small>(Rembrandt van Rijn etc.)</small>, [[Medieval Dutch art]] <small>(Jheronimus Bosch etc.)</small>) and architecture ([[De Stijl]], [[Amsterdamse school]], [[Delfse school]]). **'''PLANNED:''' More travel topics about more obscure but more travelable topics such as [[Eighty Years' War]]/[[Dutch Revolt]]; [[Elfstedentocht]] ([[w:Elfstedentocht|wiki]]). Possibly someday I'll work my money waste into this and write something about [[Vinyl record shopping in the Netherlands]] or record shops in general. *{{flag|Belgium}} '''[[Belgium]]''' ** '''IN PROGRESS:''' [[User:Wauteurz/GTI|Grands travaux inutiles]] (white elephants), [[Belgian coast by tram]]. ** '''CONCEPT:''' [[Rail travel in Belgium]], [[Industrial heritage of Wallonia]]. *{{flag|EU}} '''[[Europe]]''' ** '''CONCEPT:''' [[Germania Inferior]] (89-297 AD), [[Germania Secunda]] (est. 297 AD); a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] province located along much of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The [[w:Lower Germanic Limes|Lower Germanic Limes]] in particular is UNESCO-listed since 2021. Could work as a regular itinerary/travel topic as well as a thematic [[Wikivoyage:Joke articles|joke article]] (or both?). === Notable timestamps === * First edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Doetinchem]] <small>June 29th, 2016 (21:59): ''Starting off page by translating content from nlwikivoyage.''</small> * Hundredth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Talk:West Frisian phrasebook]] <small>July 23rd, 2016 (16:06): ''[[Talk:West Frisian phrasebook#Intelligible_with_English.3F|→]]‎Intelligible with English?''</small> * Thousandth edit: {{flag|Luxembourg}} [[Remich]] <small>July 3rd, 2017 (17:35): ''Adding content to [[Remich#Get in|Get in]].''</small> * One and a half thousandth edit: {{flag|Liechtenstein}} [[Balzers]] <small>September 16th, 2017 (12:48): ''+Custom banner''</small> * Two thousandth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Terschelling]] <small>November 18th, 2017 (21:16): ''Added listing for [redacted]''</small> * Two and a half thousandth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Dieren]] <small>January 16th, 2018 (20:57): ''Redirected page to [[Gelders Arcadië]]''</small> * Three thousandth edit: {{flag|Earth}} [[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub]] <small>March 9th, 2018 (11:02): ''[[Template talk:Routebox entry#RINT,_Routeboxes_and_more|→]]RINT, Routeboxes and more: new section''</small> * Four thousandth edit: {{flag|Germany}} [[Rastatt]] <small>October 26th, 2018 (21:15): ''+Custom banner''</small> * Four and a half thousandth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Bourtange]] <small>June 8th, 2020 (21:54): ''Adding mapframe and mapmask.''</small> * Five thousandth edit: {{flag|Earth}} [[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub]] <small>September 1st, 2021 (00:13): ''→ How to color a map: A loooong answer and some more thoughts.''</small> <div style="float: right; align: center; width: 100%;"><center> === Links and such === </center> {| align=center |+'''Guide articles I helped create''' |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #FFAE00)|1=[[File:Nederlandse Spoorwegen logo.svg|35px]]|2='''[[Rail travel in the Netherlands]]'''<br/>''Featured Travel Topic of June 2020.''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #F1E274)|1=[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Doetinchem.svg|27px]]|2='''[[Doetinchem]]'''<br/>''City in the Achterhoek, [[Gelderland]].''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #cd0707)|1=[[File:Arms of Luxembourg.svg|32px]]|2='''[[Land of the Red Rocks]]'''<br/>''Industrial region in southern Luxembourg.''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #F1E274)|1=[[File:Vledder wapen.svg|30px]]|2='''[[Drenthse Veenkoloniën]]'''<br/>''Rural region of Drenthe, World Heritage since 2021.''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #010198)|1=[[File:De Lijn.svg|40px]]|2='''[[Belgian coast by tram]]'''<br/>''Up and coming FTT.''}} |} ---- {| align=center |+'''Userboxes''' |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #F1E274)|1=[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Doetinchem.svg|27px]]|2=This user lives in [[Doetinchem]], [[The Netherlands]]}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #EF4E4E)|1=[[File:X-office-spreadsheet.svg|35px]]|2=This user is, statistically speaking, rather obsessed with statistics.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #E70280)|1=[[File:OV-chipkaart logo.svg|35px]]|2=This user's main mode of transport is public transit, specifically ''[[Rail travel in the Netherlands|per spoor]]''.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #999999)|1=[[File:Edit icon (the Noun Project 30184).svg|35px]]|2=This user works out longer new articles on [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3APrefixIndex&prefix=Wauteurz&namespace=2&hideredirects=1 his userpages].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #4388E6)|1=[[File:Create Article in Draftspace Icon.svg|35px]]|2=This user [[User:Wauteurz/Contributions|has created 51 pages]] that are currently featured in mainspace.}} |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #FFC83D)|1=[[File:Fxemoji u1F389.svg|35px]]|2=This user's birthday is the 23rd of December.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #A7A7B0)|1=[[File:User with camera.svg|35px]]|2=This user is an amateur photographer equipped with a [[w:Nikon D3300|Nikon D3300]].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #B43535)|1=[[File:Travel boat rgb logo.svg|35px]]|2=This user joined Wikivoyage on January 14th, 2015, and has been an involved editor since June 2016.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #738adb)|1=[[File:Discord color D.svg|30px]]|2=This user may be contacted on Discord at Wauteurz#7082.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #ba7635)|1=[[File:47-rg12.jpg|45px]]|2=This user has [[w:Color_blindness#Deuteranomaly|deuteranomaly]], a form of colour blindness.}} |} ---- {| align=center |+'''Babel''' |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #6ef7a7)|1=[[File:EuroPaíses Bajos.svg|35px|nl-N]]|2=Deze gebruiker heeft het [[Dutch Phrasebook|Nederlands]] als '''moedertaal'''.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #77e0e8)|1=[[File:EuroReino Unido.svg|35px|en-4]]|2=This user has '''near native speaker''' knowledge of English.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #bcb9ef)|1=[[File:EuroSuecia.svg|35px|sv-2]]|2=Den här användaren har '''medelgoda''' kunskaper i [[Swedish Phrasebook|svenska]].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #bcb9ef)|1=[[File:EuroFrancia.svg|35px|fr-2]]|2=Cet utilisateur dispose de connaissances '''intermédiaires''' en [[French Phrasebook|français]].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #e0c0e0)|1=[[File:EuroAlemania.svg|35px|de-1]]|2=Dieser Benutzer beherrscht [[German Phrasebook|Deutsch]] auf '''grundlegendem''' Niveau.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #ee3333)|1=[[File:EuroNoruega.svg|35px|no-1]]|2=Denne brukeren har '''basiskunnskaper''' i [[Norwegian Phrasebook|norsk (bokmål)]].}} |} </div> [[nl:Gebruiker:Wauteurz]] f960hpq1oj3pq3p2wuwed1vpvrnog28 4501646 4501623 2022-08-15T16:44:57Z Wauteurz 1292031 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Gelders Arcadië Wikivoyage Banner.jpg|box=white|caption=Shown: Rozendaal (Gelders Arcadië)|notoc=false}} <div style="float: right; border:solid white 1px; margin: 4px; padding: 4px; width: 30%; align=right; border-radius:12px; font-size:90%; {{linear-gradient|left|#ffffff, {{User:Wauteurz/Palette|T3}}}}"> <div style="float: center; color: white; margin: 4px; padding: 4px; width: 97%; align=center; border-radius:5px; font-size:120%; {{linear-gradient|left|#0f4d92, #44aa99}}"> <center><big>'''USER STATUS'''</big></center> <center>Wauteurz is ''<abbr title="Currently travelling across Denmark (12-20/8) and Sweden (20-27/8).">on vacation</abbr>''.</center> <center><small><abbr title="This status was last updated on August 15th, 2022.">Last update: 15-08-2022, 18:45</abbr></small></center> </div> <center>'''{{tick}} Been there, done that. {{tick}}'''</center> {|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" width=100% |+style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Belgium}} ''Belgium:'' [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]], [[East Flanders]], [[West Flanders]]<br/> {{flag|Denmark}} ''Denmark:'' [[Billund]], [[Silkeborg]]<br/> {{flag|England}} ''England:'' [[Cambridge]], [[Oxford]]<br/> {{flag|France}} ''France:'' [[Dordogne]], [[Haute-Savoie]], [[Jura (France)|Jura]], [[Nancy]], [[Metz]]<br/> {{flag|Germany}} ''Germany:'' [[Cologne]], [[Western_Plains_(Lower_Saxony)|Meppen]], [[Nordfriesland]]<br/> {{flag|Luxembourg}} ''Luxembourg:'' [[Echternach]], [[Land of the Red Rocks]], [[Troisvierges]]<br/> {{flag|Netherlands}} ''The Netherlands:'' |- | :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|DR}}'': [[Assen]], [[Coevorden]], [[Emmen]], [[Meppel]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|FL}}'': The only province I haven't visited a city in. I've travelled through the province, but never visited anything :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|FR}}'': [[Ameland]], [[Fryske Marren]], [[Terschelling]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|GE}}'': Lived all my life in [[Doetinchem]], currently working in [[Apeldoorn]], and I've studied a year in [[Gelders Arcadië|Velp]]. I've seen most of what the region has to offer. :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|GR}}'': [[Bourtange]], [[Groningen (city)]], [[Hoogezand]], [[Stadskanaal]], [[Westerwolde]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|LB}}'': [[Heerlen]], [[Venlo]], [[Venray]], [[Maastricht]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|NB}}'': [[Eindhoven]], [['s-Hertogenbosch]], [[Geldrop]], [[Grave]], [[Tilburg]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|NH}}'': [[Amsterdam]], [[Alkmaar]], [[Hilversum]], [[Hoorn]], [[North Holland Peninsula|Kop van Noord Holland]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|OV}}'': [[Enschede]], [[Kampen]], [[Zwolle]]. Currently studying in [[Deventer]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|UT}}'': [[Utrecht (city)]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|ZH}}'': [[Den Haag]], [[Delft]], [[Rotterdam]] :''{{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|ZL}}'': [[Sluis]], [[Terneuzen]], [[Vlissingen]], [[Westkapelle]] |} ---- [[File:Nederlands verkeersbord J6.svg|22px|link=]] ''Highest point:'' ~{{convert|650|m|mi}}: {{flag|France}} [[Annecy]]<br/> [[File:Nederlands verkeersbord J7.svg|22px|link=]] ''Lowest point:'' {{convert|-100|m|yd}}: {{flag|Luxembourg}} [[Land of the Red Rocks|Rumelange]]<br/> [[File:BSicon BAHN.svg|22px|link=]] ''<abbr title="Longest journey by train, including transfers.">Longest train journey</abbr>:'' {{flag|Germany}} [[Husum]] <abbr title="Husum → Hamburg Altona → Osnabrück → Deventer → Arnhem → Doetinchem (9h23m)">→</abbr> {{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/FlagDutchProv|Doetinchem}}<br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4i.svg|22px|link=]] ''Northernmost:'' {{flag|Denmark}} [[Silkeborg]]<br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4h.svg|22px|link=]] ''Easternmost:'' {{flag|Germany}} Freihafenelbbrücke, [[Hamburg]] <br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4f.svg|22px|link=]] ''Southernmost:'' {{flag|France}} [[Bordeaux]]<br/> [[File:HSR 1996 II 3.4g.svg|22px|link=]] ''Westernmost:'' {{flag|England}} [[Oxford]] <center>'''Recent vacations and trips:''' :''I'm excluding one-day trips that I made over time unless in someway notable.''</center> *{{flag|Luxembourg}} [[File:Coat_of_arms_troisvierges_luxbrg.png|15px|link=Troisvierges]] [[Troisvierges]]; ''Summer 2013'' *{{flag|France}} {{flag|Jura (department)}} [[Champagnole]]; ''August 2014'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Schagen}} ''July 2015'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Terschelling}}; ''New Year's 2015/2016'' *{{flag|Luxembourg}} [[File:Argent_an_eagle_sable.svg|15px|link=Mullerthal]] [[Mullerthal]]; ''August 2016'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Vlagtwedde}}; ''July 2017'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Terschelling}}; ''Christmas 2017'' *{{flag|Germany}} {{flag|Schleswig-Holstein}} [[Nordfriesland]]; ''August 6-18, 2018'' *{{flag|Netherlands}} {{User:Wauteurz/Template:FlagDutchProv|Fryske Marren}}; ''July 26 - Augugust 1, 2019'' *{{flag|Belgium}} [[Antwerp]], [[Ghent]], [[Mechelen]], [[Roeselare]]; ''October 23-25, 2019'' <center>'''Future vacations and trips:'''</center> :{{flag|Denmark}} [[Lolland-Falster]], [[Zealand|Sjælland]], [[Funen]] & [[South Jutland|Sønderjylland]]; ''August 12-20, 2022'' :{{flag|Sweden}} [[Göteborg]]; ''August 20-23, 2022'' :{{flag|Sweden}} [[Stockholm]]; ''August 23-26, 2022'' :{{flag|Austria}} [[Vienna]]; ''No ETA.'' :{{flag|Norway}} [[Oslo]], [[Stavanger]]; ''No ETA.'' :{{flag|Belgium}} [[Brugge]], [[Belgian coast by tram|West Flemish coast]]; ''Possibly autumn 2022?'' ---- <center>'''I can answer your questions about:'''</center> <div style="float:right;margin:1px"> {| cellspacing="0" style="width: 97%; background:silver; border-radius: 5px 0px 0px 5px;" | style="color:white; width:50px; height:50px; background:#44aa99; border-radius: 5px 0px 0px 5px;" | [[File:Classroom_icon.svg|alt=A welcome mat|50px]] | style="color:white; padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em; background:#44aa99" | This user is a [[Wikivoyage:Docent|docent]] for the {{User:Wauteurz/FlagDutchProv|Achterhoek}}, {{User:Wauteurz/FlagDutchProv|Doetinchem}} and [[Rail travel in the Netherlands]]. |} </div> *Any of the places listed above <small>(I can't guarantee that I have the answer)</small> *Anything related to the Netherlands <small>(or Luxembourg)</small> in general. *If you're working on cycling or heritage railway articles for places listed above, I'd be happy to help out. *I find myself coming back to map and transport-related efforts. Feel free to include me on these if you seek some help. <center>'''Find me elsewhere.'''</center> <center>[[File:Wikivoyage_logo_idea_-_Geographical_zones.svg|50px|Dutch Wikivoyage|link=nl:Gebruiker:Wauteurz]] [[File:Commons-logo-en.svg|50px|Wikimedia Commons|link=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wauteurz]] [[File:Wikipedia-logo-nl.png|50px|Dutch Wikipedia|link=https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gebruiker:Wauteurz]] [[File:Wikipedia svg logo-en.svg|50px|English Wikipedia|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Wauteurz]]</center> </div> <!-- ABOUT --> ''Hoi'', I am Wauteurz ([[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ''/waʊ̯tøːrs/''), a Dutch student of [[archaeology]]. Uni is my main priority, hence why my activity here is best summarised as ''"varyingly active"''. You will mostly find me here, as well as NLWikipedia and Commons from time to time. I don't often go far from home, and am not much of a globetrotter myself. I mostly limit myself to edits around the Netherlands and Luxembourg for that reason, but may contribute to other (Western) European articles from time to time. The free time I have available for Wikivoyage is time I either spend covering Wikivoyage in pagebanners or maintaining and updating {{tl|Rint}}, which as it stands, has been largely developed by me. At this moment, roughly {{#expr:{{User:Wauteurz/Banners/Count}}/{{PAGESINCAT:Has custom banner|R}} *100 round 2}}% of all pagebanners on ENWikivoyage have been made by me _{<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted">[[:Commons:Category:Wikivoyage banners by Wauteurz|(~{{User:Wauteurz/Banners/Count}})]]</span>}. === Contributions === <small>''I should probably mention here that what follows is a to-do list, and that I do not like to follow them precisely, especially not for something I do on a recreational basis, such as Wikivoyage.''</small> *{{flag|Earth}} '''[[Earth]]''' **'''ONGOING:''' Updating and improving [[Template:Rint|'new RINT']], as well as other template work. *{{flag|Netherlands}} '''[[Netherlands]]''' **'''ONGOING:''' Region and Destination-management ***'''ONGOING:''' Districtifying [[Rotterdam]]. ***'''PLANNED:''' Reinstating [[Rijnmond]] and [[Haaglanden]]. ***'''PLANNED:''' Creating more guide articles <small>(Likely candidates: [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]], [[Alkmaar]], [[Maastricht]], <u>[[Nijmegen]]</u>, <u>[[Deventer]]</u>, [[Leeuwarden]])</small> ***'''PLANNED:''' Organising the [[Gooi en Vechtstreek]] and [[Vechtstreek]] articles (N-Holland/Utrecht). **'''PLANNED:''' Travel topics relating to Dutch art ([[User:Wauteurz/Dutch Masters|The Dutch Masters]] <small>(Rembrandt van Rijn etc.)</small>, [[Medieval Dutch art]] <small>(Jheronimus Bosch etc.)</small>) and architecture ([[De Stijl]], [[Amsterdamse school]], [[Delfse school]]). **'''PLANNED:''' More travel topics about more obscure but more travelable topics such as [[Eighty Years' War]]/[[Dutch Revolt]]; [[Elfstedentocht]] ([[w:Elfstedentocht|wiki]]). Possibly someday I'll work my money waste into this and write something about [[Vinyl record shopping in the Netherlands]] or record shops in general. *{{flag|Belgium}} '''[[Belgium]]''' ** '''IN PROGRESS:''' [[User:Wauteurz/GTI|Grands travaux inutiles]] (white elephants), [[Belgian coast by tram]]. ** '''CONCEPT:''' [[Rail travel in Belgium]], [[Industrial heritage of Wallonia]]. *{{flag|EU}} '''[[Europe]]''' ** '''CONCEPT:''' [[Germania Inferior]] (89-297 AD), [[Germania Secunda]] (est. 297 AD); a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] province located along much of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The [[w:Lower Germanic Limes|Lower Germanic Limes]] in particular is UNESCO-listed since 2021. Could work as a regular itinerary/travel topic as well as a thematic [[Wikivoyage:Joke articles|joke article]] (or both?). === Notable timestamps === * First edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Doetinchem]] <small>June 29th, 2016 (21:59): ''Starting off page by translating content from nlwikivoyage.''</small> * Hundredth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Talk:West Frisian phrasebook]] <small>July 23rd, 2016 (16:06): ''[[Talk:West Frisian phrasebook#Intelligible_with_English.3F|→]]‎Intelligible with English?''</small> * Thousandth edit: {{flag|Luxembourg}} [[Remich]] <small>July 3rd, 2017 (17:35): ''Adding content to [[Remich#Get in|Get in]].''</small> * One and a half thousandth edit: {{flag|Liechtenstein}} [[Balzers]] <small>September 16th, 2017 (12:48): ''+Custom banner''</small> * Two thousandth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Terschelling]] <small>November 18th, 2017 (21:16): ''Added listing for [redacted]''</small> * Two and a half thousandth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Dieren]] <small>January 16th, 2018 (20:57): ''Redirected page to [[Gelders Arcadië]]''</small> * Three thousandth edit: {{flag|Earth}} [[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub]] <small>March 9th, 2018 (11:02): ''[[Template talk:Routebox entry#RINT,_Routeboxes_and_more|→]]RINT, Routeboxes and more: new section''</small> * Four thousandth edit: {{flag|Germany}} [[Rastatt]] <small>October 26th, 2018 (21:15): ''+Custom banner''</small> * Four and a half thousandth edit: {{flag|Netherlands}} [[Bourtange]] <small>June 8th, 2020 (21:54): ''Adding mapframe and mapmask.''</small> * Five thousandth edit: {{flag|Earth}} [[Wikivoyage:Travellers' pub]] <small>September 1st, 2021 (00:13): ''→ How to color a map: A loooong answer and some more thoughts.''</small> <div style="float: right; align: center; width: 100%;"><center> === Links and such === </center> {| align=center |+'''Guide articles I helped create''' |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #FFAE00)|1=[[File:Nederlandse Spoorwegen logo.svg|35px]]|2='''[[Rail travel in the Netherlands]]'''<br/>''Featured Travel Topic of June 2020.''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #F1E274)|1=[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Doetinchem.svg|27px]]|2='''[[Doetinchem]]'''<br/>''City in the Achterhoek, [[Gelderland]].''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #cd0707)|1=[[File:Arms of Luxembourg.svg|32px]]|2='''[[Land of the Red Rocks]]'''<br/>''Industrial region in southern Luxembourg.''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #F1E274)|1=[[File:Vledder wapen.svg|30px]]|2='''[[Drenthse Veenkoloniën]]'''<br/>''Rural region of Drenthe, World Heritage since 2021.''}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #010198)|1=[[File:De Lijn.svg|40px]]|2='''[[Belgian coast by tram]]'''<br/>''Up and coming FTT.''}} |} ---- {| align=center |+'''Userboxes''' |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #F1E274)|1=[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Doetinchem.svg|27px]]|2=This user lives in [[Doetinchem]], [[The Netherlands]]}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #EF4E4E)|1=[[File:X-office-spreadsheet.svg|35px]]|2=This user is, statistically speaking, rather obsessed with statistics.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #E70280)|1=[[File:OV-chipkaart logo.svg|35px]]|2=This user's main mode of transport is public transit, specifically ''[[Rail travel in the Netherlands|per spoor]]''.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #999999)|1=[[File:Edit icon (the Noun Project 30184).svg|35px]]|2=This user works out longer new articles on [https://en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3APrefixIndex&prefix=Wauteurz&namespace=2&hideredirects=1 his userpages].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #4388E6)|1=[[File:Create Article in Draftspace Icon.svg|35px]]|2=This user [[User:Wauteurz/Contributions|has created 51 pages]] that are currently featured in mainspace.}} |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #FFC83D)|1=[[File:Fxemoji u1F389.svg|35px]]|2=This user's birthday is the 23rd of December.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #A7A7B0)|1=[[File:User with camera.svg|35px]]|2=This user is an amateur photographer equipped with a [[w:Nikon D3300|Nikon D3300]].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #B43535)|1=[[File:Travel boat rgb logo.svg|35px]]|2=This user joined Wikivoyage on January 14th, 2015, and has been an involved editor since June 2016.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #738adb)|1=[[File:Discord color D.svg|30px]]|2=This user may be contacted on Discord at Wauteurz#7082.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #ba7635)|1=[[File:47-rg12.jpg|45px]]|2=This user has [[w:Color_blindness#Deuteranomaly|deuteranomaly]], a form of colour blindness.}} |} ---- {| align=center |+'''Babel''' |- |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #6ef7a7)|1=[[File:EuroPaíses Bajos.svg|35px|nl-N]]|2=Deze gebruiker heeft het [[Dutch Phrasebook|Nederlands]] als '''moedertaal'''.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #77e0e8)|1=[[File:EuroReino Unido.svg|35px|en-4]]|2=This user has '''near native speaker''' knowledge of English.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #bcb9ef)|1=[[File:EuroSuecia.svg|35px|sv-2]]|2=Den här användaren har '''medelgoda''' kunskaper i [[Swedish Phrasebook|svenska]].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #bcb9ef)|1=[[File:EuroFrancia.svg|35px|fr-2]]|2=Cet utilisateur dispose de connaissances '''intermédiaires''' en [[French Phrasebook|français]].}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #e0c0e0)|1=[[File:EuroAlemania.svg|35px|de-1]]|2=Dieser Benutzer beherrscht [[German Phrasebook|Deutsch]] auf '''grundlegendem''' Niveau.}} |{{User:Wauteurz/Userinfobox|bordercolor=pink|bgimg=#ffffff|bgtext=-moz-linear-gradient(left, #ffffff, #ee3333)|1=[[File:EuroNoruega.svg|35px|no-1]]|2=Denne brukeren har '''basiskunnskaper''' i [[Norwegian Phrasebook|norsk (bokmål)]].}} |} </div> [[nl:Gebruiker:Wauteurz]] sqckgppbublg3c2y1lrtkvdvzf7sf9a 0 153029 4501736 4438003 2022-08-15T20:55:20Z Vidimian 1815 /* Turkey */ mention the empire of nicaea, + vize, kıyıköy, tirilye, kemalpaşa wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} The Byzantine Empire was at its time known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]]. It is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} sgetpie0o39g74afb9l8lfpaw2quuob 4501748 4501736 2022-08-15T21:15:56Z Vidimian 1815 /* Greece */ co-reigning city wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} The Byzantine Empire was at its time known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]]. It is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} 5n6t82tpbr9k4o5eniqyu518o5rjbvs 4501749 4501748 2022-08-15T21:19:52Z Vidimian 1815 /* Bulgaria */ byzantine till the very end wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} The Byzantine Empire was at its time known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]]. It is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. During the final two decades of the empire, Nesebar and nearby [[Burgas]] (''Pyrgos'') were the only significant communities alongside the imperial capital that stayed in Byzantine hands till the very end, the Fall of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} ek1mu66sxy7l9q8jtpvejzwskaxqgkl 4501760 4501749 2022-08-15T21:44:59Z Vidimian 1815 /* Greece */ + mystras wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} The Byzantine Empire was at its time known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]]. It is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} *{{listing | name=[[Mystras]] | alt=Myzithras | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Laconia (Greece)|Laconia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19053 | content=From the 14th century, this was the capital of the '''Despotate of the Morea''', an appanage and training ground to the princes next in succession line. Presiding over the [[Peloponnese]], the despotate was geographically disjointed from the empire, which by then was restricted to Thessaloniki (until the 1430 Ottoman takeover) and the environs of Constantinople, and was only nominally an empire anyway. After the Fall of Constantinople, the despotate ruled by the last emperor Constantine XI's two brothers heavily contesting with each other became a vassal to the Ottomans, before completely being subjugated by them in 1460. The Despot's Palace and Pantanassa Monastery are two fine buildings from that period. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. During the final two decades of the empire, Nesebar and nearby [[Burgas]] (''Pyrgos'') were the only significant communities alongside the imperial capital that stayed in Byzantine hands till the very end, the Fall of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} 4ftciu40cqyhoilkr4wvsj6egcjcrvg 4501764 4501760 2022-08-15T21:48:25Z Vidimian 1815 /* Greece */ remove the duplication of the corfu listing - i don't know how i managed this wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} The Byzantine Empire was at its time known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]]. It is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} *{{listing | name=[[Mystras]] | alt=Myzithras | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Laconia (Greece)|Laconia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19053 | content=From the 14th century, this was the capital of the '''Despotate of the Morea''', an appanage and training ground to the princes next in succession line. Presiding over the [[Peloponnese]], the despotate was geographically disjointed from the empire, which by then was restricted to Thessaloniki (until the 1430 Ottoman takeover) and the environs of Constantinople, and was only nominally an empire anyway. After the Fall of Constantinople, the despotate ruled by the last emperor Constantine XI's two brothers heavily contesting with each other became a vassal to the Ottomans, before completely being subjugated by them in 1460. The Despot's Palace and Pantanassa Monastery are two fine buildings from that period. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. During the final two decades of the empire, Nesebar and nearby [[Burgas]] (''Pyrgos'') were the only significant communities alongside the imperial capital that stayed in Byzantine hands till the very end, the Fall of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} jr2e60gg6azslxcbhnhwm5uau39kt1t 4501765 4501764 2022-08-15T21:49:51Z Vidimian 1815 /* Greece */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} The Byzantine Empire was at its time known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]]. It is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} *{{listing | name=[[Mystras]] | alt=Myzithras | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Laconia (Greece)|Laconia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19053 | content=From the 14th century, this was the capital of the '''Despotate of the Morea''', an appanage and training ground to the princes next in succession line. Presiding over the [[Peloponnese]], the despotate was geographically disjointed from the rest of the empire, which by then was restricted to Thessaloniki (until the 1430 Ottoman takeover) and the environs of Constantinople, and was only nominally an empire anyway. After the Fall of Constantinople, the despotate ruled by the last emperor Constantine XI's two brothers heavily contesting with each other became a vassal to the Ottomans, before completely being subjugated by them in 1460. The Despot's Palace and Pantanassa Monastery are two fine buildings from that period. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. During the final two decades of the empire, Nesebar and nearby [[Burgas]] (''Pyrgos'') were the only significant communities alongside the imperial capital that stayed in Byzantine hands till the very end, the Fall of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} m2cmaj24yio28hr3gp3y8bd4833k36e 4501771 4501765 2022-08-15T22:08:53Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ moved in from [[User:Vidimian/Turkish history]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern part of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons: the Western Roman Empire based in Rome and the Eastern Roman Empire with its seat in Constantinople. At its time, the Byzantine Empire was known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]], and the inhabitants never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper — the term "Byzantine" (derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul) was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Eastern Orthodox empire from its less urban, Latin-speaking, and Roman Catholic counterpart in the west. The Byzantine Empire is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} *{{listing | name=[[Mystras]] | alt=Myzithras | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Laconia (Greece)|Laconia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19053 | content=From the 14th century, this was the capital of the '''Despotate of the Morea''', an appanage and training ground to the princes next in succession line. Presiding over the [[Peloponnese]], the despotate was geographically disjointed from the rest of the empire, which by then was restricted to Thessaloniki (until the 1430 Ottoman takeover) and the environs of Constantinople, and was only nominally an empire anyway. After the Fall of Constantinople, the despotate ruled by the last emperor Constantine XI's two brothers heavily contesting with each other became a vassal to the Ottomans, before completely being subjugated by them in 1460. The Despot's Palace and Pantanassa Monastery are two fine buildings from that period. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. During the final two decades of the empire, Nesebar and nearby [[Burgas]] (''Pyrgos'') were the only significant communities alongside the imperial capital that stayed in Byzantine hands till the very end, the Fall of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} fpzatbch1dosqt3ym619b24e0a7b5ay 4501772 4501771 2022-08-15T22:12:38Z Vidimian 1815 it survived well after rome itself fell, so "continuation" is perhaps a better word? wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Wikivoyage banner Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic.jpg|caption=Imperial Gate of Hagia Sophia}} The '''Byzantine Empire''' or the '''Eastern Roman Empire''' is posterity's name for the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]], ruled from '''Constantinople''' (today's [[Istanbul]]) until the city fell to the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453. ==Understand== [[File:Labarum of Constantine the Great.svg|thumb|right|170px|The Labarum of Constantine I]] {{quote|Theology is far more important than grammar. Misspeaking will get you laughed at, but misbelieving endangers your immortal soul.|author=attributed to emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus ("the slit-nosed") who reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711}} In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons: the Western Roman Empire based in Rome and the Eastern Roman Empire with its seat in Constantinople. At its time, the Byzantine Empire was known as the '''East Roman Empire''' or '''Romania''', a name surviving in today's [[Romania]], and the inhabitants never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper — the term "Byzantine" (derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul) was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Eastern Orthodox empire from its less urban, Latin-speaking, and Roman Catholic counterpart in the west. The Byzantine Empire is one of few political entities in Europe to have survived for more than a thousand years, throughout the period known as the [[European Middle Ages]], and its legacy is still visible in today's [[Balkans]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]]. Prejudices about the Byzantine Empire (cf. the adjective "byzantine" negatively describing a bureaucracy, or the "Byzantine generals problems" in information science, alluding to the frequent treason in the armed forces) would have one believe that it was a hopelessly corrupt, terminally declining polity, but the fact that it held on to as much territory as it did for a millennium, adeptly navigating a world of numerous would-be destroyers of the empire, without the possibility of relying on overwhelmingly crushing military supremacy as the old Western [[Roman Empire]] could, shows a fascinatingly advanced and complex society. Being the foremost [[Christianity|Christian empire]] of its day, religion played a large part in Byzantine history; often domestic conflicts were clad in different interpretations of Christianity, and to this day some schisms dating to Byzantine era conflicts remain. Later on, the Byzantine Empire would see itself as the "last bastion" of Christendom against the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic expansion in the east]], but adept Byzantine diplomacy made alliances with Christian, Muslim and even pagan rulers, for example Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus &mdash; the earliest iteration of the [[Russian Empire]] &mdash; who converted to Christianity, married Anna Porphyrogenita, sister of emperor Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar-Slayer), came back to [[Kyiv|his capital]] and officially baptized his subjects in the Orthodox Christian faith by the Dnieper River in 988. After the end of the empire, prince Ivan III "the Great" of the Rurikid dynasty and princess Sophia Palaiologina of the last Byzantine dynasty were married on 12 November 1472. Their grandson Ivan IV "the Terrible" was the first prince of Muscovy to style himself "Tsar", aka "Caesar", and would lay [[Moscow]]'s claim of "the third Rome that shall not fall". [[File:Byzantine Constantinople-en.png|thumb|300px|right|Map of Constantinople during the empire]] The Eastern Empire conquered large parts of the [[Roman Empire|former West]] - most prominently the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa - under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius. However, his dynasty was the last whose primary language was Latin; Maurice, Phocas, the Heracliads and all subsequent dynasties were Greek speakers, calling themselves not "Augustus" but Βασιλεύς "Basileus" — following the establishment of the rival Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800, the use of the title Αὐτοκράτωρ "Autokrator" became prevalent. The Pope justified his crowning of Charlemagne as "emperor" (of which there was supposed to be only one) by the fact that at the time the Eastern Roman Empire was governed by a woman and according to the sexist mores of the time, a woman could not possibly be emperor (the official biography of Charlemagne, written by his courtier Einhard claims that the crowning came as a surprise to Charlemagne and he did not want it, but had to accept it). At this time, the empire was already engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even against other Europeans, particularly the Roman Catholics, as the Byzantine Empire became Eastern Orthodox following the schism between the East and West in 1054. From the conclusion of the reign of Justinian in the 6th century until the beginning of the 13th century, the empire went through alternating periods of military or economic success and decline, varying from dynasty to dynasty. Following the August 636 Battle of Yarmouk, a decisive Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in the Levant, it spent the next few hundred years holding onto its possessions in present-day Greece and Asia Minor until the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, which opened Asia Minor to Turkish invasion and a new Crusader influence from the West, and furthered the decline in the empire's sphere of influence. The biggest calamity to befall the empire before its ultimate fall was not at the hand of any "heathen", but the [[Crusades|Christian crusaders]] of the 1204 Fourth Crusade, led by the greedy [[Venice|Venetian]] merchants who owned the boats. As a result, the Byzantine Empire temporarily lost control of Constantinople to the Latin Empire, a puppet of Venice (Doge Enrico Dandolo was buried inside Hagia Sophia; his tombstone can still be seen), which would've spelled the end of any lesser polity. However, the empire recovered and reconquered its capital in 1261. It soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman. ==Destinations== {{mapframe}} ===[[Turkey]]=== [[File:Crk bm 3.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Hagia Sophia]] * {{listing | name=[[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Constantinople]] | alt=Byzantium | url= | email= | address=[[Istanbul]] | lat=41.0086 | long=28.9802 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=A part of the Roman Empire from 73 AD, it was besieged and reconstructed by Septimius Severus (no one would dream of surrendering this supremely strategic site). In the 3rd century, was reconstructed by Constantine the Great as his Nova Roma, a status the city mantained for more than a millenium. The Hagia Sophia former cathedral, now a mosque, the adjacent Hippodrome square, Hagia Eirene and the Archaeology Museum inside Topkapi Palace, the Valens Aqueduct and the Theodosian Walls are must-see here. These streets are not short of surviving Byzantine antiquities. }} * {{listing | name=[[Vize]] | alt=Bizye | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Eastern Thrace]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q364021 | lastedit= | content=This is the site of the Little Hagia Sophia of Bizye, a perfectly preserved Byzantine church from the 6th century. Nearby [[Kıyıköy]] (''Medea''), enclosed in Byzantine city walls, is home to the contemporary Monastery of St Nicholas, carved into a rock cliff. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmit]] | alt=Nicomedia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7667 | long=29.9167 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Founded by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC. It has ever since been one of the most important cities in northwestern Asia Minor. Diocletian made it the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire in 286 when he introduced the Tetrarchy system. Nicomedia remained as the eastern (and most senior) capital of the Roman Empire until Licinius was defeated by Constantine the Great in 324. Constantine mainly resided in Nicomedia as his interim capital city for the next six years, as he rebuilt nearby Byzantium as Nova Roma; he moved there in 330. Historical monuments in Izmit include the remains of the ancient walls of Nicomedia and a Byzantine fortress. }} [[File:Nicaea's Byzantine fortifications, Iznik, Turkey (26739763189).jpg|thumb|250px|right|City wall in Iznik]] * {{listing | name=[[Iznik]] | alt=Nicaea, Nikaia | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.429 | long= 29.7195 | directions=[[Eastern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church. Nicaea's Roman and Byzantine city walls, {{m|4,426}} in circumference, remain almost entirely intact around the city. The 4th-century St. Sophia Cathedral, site of the Second Council of Nicaea, still extant as well, has been converted into a mosque. The town was the capital (along with Kemalpaşa, see below) of the Empire of Nicaea, the rump Byzantine polity existed during the 1204–61 Latin occupation of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=Tirilye | alt=Trigleia | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Mudanya]], [[Southern Marmara]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q3567363 | lastedit= | content=The town was under patronage of the Byzantine emperors — fish caught off its shores made it to the imperial palace tables in Constantinople. It is the home of several Byzantine churches and monasteries; the best preserved is the Church of St Stephen, now the Fatih Mosque. Panagia Pantobasilissa is known to be the first church decorated with frescoes. It is partly ruined but the title deed passed in 2011 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is expected to rebuild it. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ephesus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.939139 | long=27.34075 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=The capital of Asia Proconsularis province, now a large world heritage-listed archeological site and one of Turkey's major tourist attractions. Mary the mother of Jesus and St. John the Apostle are said to have lived and died here; the ruins of St John's basilica, built upon his tomb on orders of emperor Justinian, and razed by Tamerlane's troops in the 14th century, are particularly moving. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alaşehir]] | alt=Philadelphia | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.35 | long=28.516667 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A prosperous Byzantine city, called the "little Athens" in the 6th century AD because of its festivals and temples. In about the year 600 the domed Basilica of St. John was built, remains of which are the main archaeological attraction in the modern city. Philadelphia was the last Byzantine city in the interior of Asia Minor to be captured by the Ottomans, in 1390. }} * {{listing | name=[[Izmir]] | alt=Smyrna | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.419 | long=27.139 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=Always famous as the birthplace of Homer, thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. Its central market place from Roman times is now an open-air museum. }} * {{listing | name=Kemalpaşa | alt=Nymphaion | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Izmir]], [[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1014125 | lastedit= | content=The co-capital of the Empire of Nicaea. The prominent Byzantine/Nicene ruins include the Laskaris Palace, named after the dynastic family. }} * {{listing | name=[[Pamukkale]] | alt=Hierapolis | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9205 | long=29.121 | directions=[[ Southern Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-03 | content=Home to the Martyrium of St. Phillip, a pilgrimage site that is supposedly the site where the apostle Philip was martyred and buried. The church at the site is in ruins, but its foundations reveal an unusual octagonal plan. Together with the unbelievable hot springs on calcium-coated cliffs and pools of Pamukkale, used as a spa since the 2nd century BC and literally a few steps away, a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt=Ancyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9465 | long=32.853 | directions=[[Central Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-28 | content=Former capital city of the Galatia Roman province. Emperor Julian "the Apostate" visited in 362, and a commemorative column is still standing at Julian Sütunu (Julian's Square). The Ankara Citadel's present walls are Byzantine, commonly held to date from the 620s and the reign of Heraclius. There are also the Temple of Augustus and Rome, a bathing complex thoroughly excavated, and a theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sinop]] | alt=Sinope | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.0333 | long=35.15 | directions=[[Western Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=The birthplace of king Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus and seminal philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. Its historic fortress, started in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus, was extended and repaired several times in its history by the Persians, the kingdom of Pontus, the Romans, the Byzantines and the Genoese. The Archaeology Museum's open-air section features the tomb of a Seljuk princess and ruins of a Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the combined Hellenistic-Ancient Egyptian deity Serapis, unearthed onsite, during excavations in 1951. }} [[Image:Trabzon City walls and Aquaduct.JPG|thumb|270px|Aqueduct and city walls of Trabzon]] * {{listing | name=[[Trabzon]] | alt=Trapezus, Trebizond | url= | email= | address= | lat=41 | long=39.733333 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=An important Imperial trade hub in the Black Sea. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by a local force in the 1080s, the city broke relations with the empire and became an independent state, the '''Empire of Trebizond''' ruled by the Komnenos family, which also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne. The longest surviving rump Byzantine state, the empire of Trebizond was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461, almost a decade after the fall of Constantinople. Most of the city's defense walls and a few towers remain standing, showing sections of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman stonework. }} * {{listing | name=[[Giresun]] | alt=Kerasos | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.916 | long=38.392 | directions=[[Eastern Karadeniz]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-01-02 | content=As this colony of Miletus was the first harbour to export cherries to Europe, during Roman times, the city and the fruit are homonymous in Latin (''cerasus''), originating the fruit's name in most later languages. It was ruled by the Miletians, Persians, Pontics, Romans, Byzantines and Empire of Trebizond. The older parts of the city lie on a peninsula crowned by a ruined Byzantine fortress, sheltering the small natural harbour. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.488333 | long=28.040278 | directions=[[Central Aegean]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-11-04 | content=Founded by native, pre-Roman Lydians, and famously associated with King Croesus, Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Achaemenid [[Persian Empire]], the seat of a Seleucid Satrap, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. It features the ruins of a Roman-era synagogue, one of the oldest in the Jewish diaspora. When the Turkish government allowed for excavations in 1910, several Byzantine-style churches were discovered, including the so-called "Original Basilica" which may have been built in the middle of the 4th century AD, nearly a century before the first Christian building of its kind was erected in Constantinople. }} [[File:Side Theatre panorama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Side Theatre]] * {{listing | name=[[Side]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.766667 | long=31.388889 | directions=[[Pamphylia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-24 | content=Possessing a good harbour for small-craft boats, it was one of the most important places in Pamphylia and one of the most important trade centres in the region. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby [[Antalya|Attalia]]. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor and include the largest theatre in Pamphylia, a temple to Apollo, and a gate, in fairly good condition. }} * {{listing | name=[[Silifke]] | alt=Seleukeia, Cilician Seleucia, Seleucia ad Calycadnum | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.376111 | long=33.932222 | directions=[[Cilician Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-13 | content=Its center is home to an intact Roman bridge, and the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. There are also the prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, the city walls, a large water tank (Tekir ambarı) cut into the rock, an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions and an archeological museum. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thekla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul. She died at Seleucia, and her tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world, restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called Meriamlik. }} * {{listing | name=[[Urfa]] | alt=Edessa | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.1667 | long=38.8000 | directions=[[Southeastern Anatolia]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-02 | content=Supposed to originally be '''Ur''', the birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. Its location on the eastern frontier of the empire meant it was frequently conquered during periods when the Byzantine central government was weak, and for centuries, it was alternately conquered by Arab, Byzantine, Armenian and Turkish rulers. There is an ancient ruined castle with some Roman columns that remain. }} [[File:Antioch Saint Pierre Church Front.JPG|thumb|300px|One of the oldest churches of Christianity, the Church of St Peter at Antakya was where the Christians openly called themselves ''Christians'' for the first time]] * {{listing | name=[[Antakya]] | alt=Antiocheia, Syrian Antioch, Antioch ad Orontes | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.2 | long=36.15 | directions=[[Hatay]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-08 | content=After the [[Alexander the Great#After Alexander|Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC]], Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria. He proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus. The former capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, and of Syria Palaestina province in the Roman and Byzantine empires, is famous as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches and the seat of a patriarchate on equal terms with the Jerusalem, Alexandria and Constantinople ones, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church to this day. The city swapped hands between the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids in the 3rd century, and was the battleground for the siege of Antioch where Shapur I defeated the Roman army, and a later Battle of Antioch (613) where the Persians were successful at capturing the city for the last time. Heraclius retook it later. }} ===[[Greece]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Athens]] | alt=Athenae | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9667 | long=23.7167 | directions=[[Attica]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1524 | content=The 4th Byzantine emperor, Julian "the Apostate", spent his youth as a student of philosophy here. He schemed with returning to the old pagan religion, but died in campaign. Later on, Justinian ordered the closure of the Athenian philosophy schools. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kavala]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q187352 | content=One of the most beautiful Greek cities with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman sights. Nearby the World Heritage Site [[Philippi]]. }} [[File:Area at the time of Justinian I's death in the Byzantine Empire.png|thumb|right|300px|The Byzantine Empire at its largest extent]] * {{listing | name=[[Mount Athos]] | alt=Agion Oros, "Holy Mountain" | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.157222 | long=24.326389 | directions=[[Chalkidiki]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q130321 | lastedit=2021-01-01 | content=A [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]], this peninsula of 390&nbsp;km² houses some 1,400 monks in 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Inhabited since ancient times, it's known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to the Byzantine era. On a chrysobull of emperor Basil I, dated 885, the Holy Mountain is proclaimed a place of monks, and no laymen or farmers or cattle-breeders are allowed to be settled there. An autonomous state under Greek sovereignty, entry into the area is strictly controlled and '''only male residents are allowed to live there''' and '''only male visitors are allowed'''. }} * {{listing | name=[[Thessaloniki]] | alt=Thessalonica | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.6333 | long=22.9529 | directions=[[Central Macedonia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q17151 | lastedit=2015-09-21 | content=A city with a continuous 3,000-year history, preserving relics of its Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman past. Thessaloniki was the ''Symvasilévousa'', "co-reigning city" of the Byzantines, the second capital after Constantinople. }} *{{listing | name=[[Corfu Town]] | alt=Kerkira, Kerkyra, Korkyra, Corcyra | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.624 | long=19.9217 | directions=[[Ionian Islands]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q205832 | content=The largest and most important town on the famous island. Its old town, listed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]], features a Byzantine fort rebuilt under Venetian rule, the Byzantine Museum housed in a small former church dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Our Lady of Antivouniotissa, and an amazing archaeology museum. From 1386 to 1797, Corfu was ruled by Venetian nobility; much of the city reflects this. }} *{{listing | name=[[Mystras]] | alt=Myzithras | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Laconia (Greece)|Laconia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19053 | content=From the 14th century, this was the capital of the '''Despotate of the Morea''', an appanage and training ground to the princes next in succession line. Presiding over the [[Peloponnese]], the despotate was geographically disjointed from the rest of the empire, which by then was restricted to Thessaloniki (until the 1430 Ottoman takeover) and the environs of Constantinople, and was only nominally an empire anyway. After the Fall of Constantinople, the despotate ruled by the last emperor Constantine XI's two brothers heavily contesting with each other became a vassal to the Ottomans, before completely being subjugated by them in 1460. The Despot's Palace and Pantanassa Monastery are two fine buildings from that period. }} ===[[North Macedonia]]=== *{{listing | name=[[Ohrid]] | alt=Lychnidus | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.112794 | long=20.796325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1223508 | content=The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by Saints Clement and Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of the kingdom ruled by Tsar Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today. }} ===[[Bulgaria]]=== [[File:NessebarVieilleMetropole.jpg|thumbnail|The ruins of St. Sophia church in Nesebar]] * {{listing | name=[[Nesebar]] | alt=Mesembria | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.6500| long=27.7333 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=Originally a Greek colony on a former island, which has sunk under water. However, some remains from the Hellenistic period are extant. These include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, a market place, and a fortification wall, which can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula. During the final two decades of the empire, Nesebar and nearby [[Burgas]] (''Pyrgos'') were the only significant communities alongside the imperial capital that stayed in Byzantine hands till the very end, the Fall of Constantinople. }} * {{listing | name=[[Sozopol]] | alt=Apollonia Pontica - that is, "Apollonia on the Black Sea", the ancient Pontus Euxinus - and Apollonia Magna, "Great Apollonia" | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.4167| long=27.7000 | directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-05 | content=A part of the ancient seaside fortifications, including a gate, have been preserved, along with an amphitheater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Plovdiv]] | alt=Philippopolis, Trimontium | url= | email= | address= | lat=42.1500 | long=24.7500 | directions=[[Upper Thracian Plain]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=Historic capital of Thracia. Several ruins can be seen in or near the downtown area, including an aqueduct and a very well preserved theater. }} * {{listing | name=[[Varna]] | alt=Odessus | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.2167 | long=27.9167| directions=[[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content= Home to the remains of a large bathing complex, and an archeological museum. }} ===Romania=== * {{listing | name=[[Constanța]] | alt=Tomis | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.172997 | long=28.658287 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=Originally a Greek colony. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mangalia]] | alt=Callatis | url= | email= | address= | lat=43.817222 | long= 28.582778 | directions=[[Northern Dobruja]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-10-15 | content=Started to exist as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC. Today, it's a rich archeological site, with ruins of the original Callatis citadel and an archeological museum. }} ===Crimea=== [[File:Sevastopol Chersonesus Basilica of 1935 IMG 0673 1725.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins of Chersonesus near Sevastopol]] * {{listing | name=Cherson | alt=Chersonesus Taurica; "Taurica" stands for the Crimean Peninsula | url= | email= | address= | lat=44.61054 | long=33.48899 | directions=[[Sevastopol]], about 3 km from the city centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Founded by settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia in the 6th century BC. Justinian II, after being deposed and having his nose cut off, was sent to exile here (he would return in triumph to the throne, with a golden prosthetic nose). It's also the site where Vladimir the Great, aka St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first leader of the Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, was baptised. Here are various Byzantine basilicas, including a famous one with marble columns. It's listed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kerch]] | alt=Panticapaeum, Pantikapaion | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.362 | long=36.472 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q157065 | content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum subdued nearby cities and by 480 BC became a capital of the Kingdom of Bosporus. Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of the much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus. Its archeological site features ruins from the 5th century BC up to the 3rd century AD. }} * {{listing|name=[[Feodosiya]] |alt=Theodosia |lat=45.042 | long=35.374 |wikidata=Q158491 |content=Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 4th century AD. In the late 13th century, the city was purchased from the ruling Golden Horde by the Republic of Genoa; the present city's main historic attractions date from this period. }} ===[[Italy]]=== [[File:Ravenna BW 4.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna]] * {{listing | name=[[Ravenna]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= ||lat=44.4250|long=12.2092| directions=[[Emilia-Romagna]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-09 | content= Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476, and later retaken by emperor Justinian I with his right-hand man, general Belisarius. Famous for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. }} * {{listing | name=Column of Phocas | alt= | url= | email= | address=inside the Forum Romanum, beside the arch of Septimius Severus | lat= | long= | directions=[[ Rome/Colosseo]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q369075 | lastedit=2020-12-31 | content=Erected in front of the Rostra and dedicated or rededicated in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas on August 1, 608. It was the very last addition made to the Forum Romanum. }} * {{listing | name=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | alt= | url=http://www.santacroceroma.it/ | email= | address=Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12 | lat=41.887778 | long=12.516389 | directions=[[Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme | image=Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade.jpg | wikidata=Q685940 | content=Originally commissioned by emperor Constantine's mother Helena (St. Helen) and consecrated circa 325 to house the supposed relics of the Passion of Jesus she "discovered" in Jerusalem. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. }} [[File:Venice – The Tetrarchs 03.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs on the façade of St Mark's Basilica, [[Venice]]. The lower right corner's missing foot is displayed at the [[Istanbul]] Archaeology Museum]] *{{listing | name=[[Venice]] | alt=Venetia, Venezia | url= | email= | address= | lat=45.4375 | long=12.335833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q641 | content=The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula, that of the Lombards in 568, left the Eastern Roman Empire only a small strip of coastline in the current Veneto, including Venice and Ravenna. Charlemagne besieged the city but withdrew after losses by swamp fever; in the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory, and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast. In 828 its prestige increased with the acquisition, from Alexandria, of relics claimed to be of St Mark the Evangelist; these were placed in a brand new basilica of totally Byzantine architecture. Venice would eventually sack the mother city in 1204, bringing back countless spoils, of which the most famous, the porphyry Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs and the four bronze horses from the Hippodrome, have long been highlights of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. }} ===[[Africa]]=== * {{listing | name=[[Carthage]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.858056 | long=10.330833 | directions=15 km north of [[Tunis]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-04 | content=The capital of the Exarchate of Africa, one of two exarchates established following the western reconquests under emperor Justinian. A [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] site. }} * {{listing | name=[[Alexandria]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.182494 | long=29.896453 | directions=[[Lower Egypt]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-09-18 | content=Capital of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt for almost 1,000 years, the second most powerful city of the ancient world. }} ===[[Levant]]=== [[File:Shrine of John the Baptist, Great Umayyid Mosque, Damascus.jpg|thumb|right|Shrine of St. John the Baptist inside the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus]] * {{listing | name=[[Damascus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=33.5167 | long=36.3 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus belonged to the empire until 634. The Great Umayyad Mosque started out as a local deity's shrine rebuilt as a Roman temple of Jupiter, which became a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist housing his relics (to this day, they're still there, inside a gilded marble shrine of obviously Byzantine craftsmanship). Its overhaul into the monumental Umayyad mosque, from 706 to 715, is reported to have employed 200 skilled Byzantine decoration craftsmen, architects, stonemasons and mosaicists, sent by emperor Justinian II at the personal request of Umayyad caliph al-Walid. }} * {{listing | name=[[Jerusalem/Old City]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=31.778444 | long=35.22975 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-08-31 | content=The holy city was an imperial possession until 614, when it fell to Sassanid Persia. It was retaken by emperor Heraclius in 629. He famously entered barefoot through the present walled-up eastern gate of the Temple Mount, aka the '''Golden Gate''', built for this occasion, to restore the True Cross to the Holy Sepulchre church in a majestic ceremony, on 21 March 630. Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab in 638. }} ==See also== * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Christianity]] * [[Crusades]] * [[Islamic Golden Age]] * [[Medieval Europe]] * [[Vikings and the Old Norse]] {{usabletopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel}} 8b3b896uln51ptfchif5q64xppt90w9 2 153700 4501595 4062806 2022-08-15T13:25:16Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ + rum history wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article.'' ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, mainly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The Sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, often incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. =Turkish petty kingdoms= The '''Turkish petty kingdoms''' (also known as the '''Anatolian principalities''' and '''Anatolian beyliks''') were several states that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim, and after taking a brake for a while in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], they proceeded towards their final destination in Anatolia, which was by then ruled by the Seljuk [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by also their Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of the kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]] over the lands they newly settled. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s (roughly "lord") proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and the petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the petty kingdoms in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and tumultuous period in which they existed, most petty kingdoms championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} li4pbtvumhiv7kvs7077jrcr71ea6m6 4501600 4501595 2022-08-15T13:44:44Z Vidimian 1815 /* Sultanate of Rum */ impact on the present day wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article.'' ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, often incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. =Turkish petty kingdoms= The '''Turkish petty kingdoms''' (also known as the '''Anatolian principalities''' and '''Anatolian beyliks''') were several states that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim, and after taking a brake for a while in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], they proceeded towards their final destination in Anatolia, which was by then ruled by the Seljuk [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by also their Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of the kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]] over the lands they newly settled. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s (roughly "lord") proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and the petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the petty kingdoms in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and tumultuous period in which they existed, most petty kingdoms championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} rx4ijbcn0jookvtz6oejnobr9873dqd 4501607 4501600 2022-08-15T13:54:30Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ more on architecture wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article.'' ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. =Turkish petty kingdoms= The '''Turkish petty kingdoms''' (also known as the '''Anatolian principalities''' and '''Anatolian beyliks''') were several states that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim, and after taking a brake for a while in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], they proceeded towards their final destination in Anatolia, which was by then ruled by the Seljuk [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by also their Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of the kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]] over the lands they newly settled. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s (roughly "lord") proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and the petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the petty kingdoms in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and tumultuous period in which they existed, most petty kingdoms championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} h6ivtldofwaw41i5c2x8jw0qscv8ut4 4501616 4501607 2022-08-15T14:20:46Z Vidimian 1815 /* Turkish petty kingdoms */ define "beylik" wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article.'' ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''emirates''', or '''petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} 4lm3jn31q2yhisj8nz1bijx71zqjp45 4501631 4501616 2022-08-15T15:51:26Z Vidimian 1815 /* Sultanate of Rum */ + destinations, talk, see also wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article.'' ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. Some of these, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''emirates''', or '''petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} o2uybwywnqk50u5mri63ahm5hje5jkq 4501637 4501631 2022-08-15T16:08:40Z Vidimian 1815 /* Hittites */ restore some bits as a summary wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. Some of these, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''emirates''', or '''petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} gtvy713jo2qrrbvduq4j6nghy3y7q45 4501638 4501637 2022-08-15T16:12:57Z Vidimian 1815 /* Caravanserais */ links wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. Some of these, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''emirates''', or '''petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} 5bvyw33men4xew3zovq8pg8e0txwto4 4501645 4501638 2022-08-15T16:41:22Z Vidimian 1815 /* Caravanserais */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''emirates''', or '''petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} iove5rn8yw6d9lkk6897kg2vxit2ffv 4501647 4501645 2022-08-15T16:47:16Z Vidimian 1815 /* Anatolian beyliks */ marchlands of medieval europe wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''emirates''', or '''petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} imuch3i5us4akw0kejtuc484xxdsyx6 4501648 4501647 2022-08-15T16:51:39Z Vidimian 1815 /* Anatolian beyliks */ not sure if there is this usage in english but anyway wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the following chaos, several tribes, mostly belonging to the Oghuz Turks, headed west. Most crossed the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols soon showed up at the doorstep, and after the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as one of the ''beylik''s in northwestern Anatolia and came to grew and dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} fs46c6sfsqzzsre5zcjsqt9udv0piik 4501650 4501648 2022-08-15T17:04:42Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} 8s7j5qn0fv3q11om77pcm2018ozudxl 4501721 4501650 2022-08-15T20:03:39Z Vidimian 1815 /* See also */ + persian empire wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} a51wlggdotxpqk9zxdabtjubdgiry5e 4501722 4501721 2022-08-15T20:04:33Z Vidimian 1815 /* Anatolian beyliks */ - superfluous word wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= The '''Byzantine Empire''', also known as the '''Eastern Roman Empire''', existed between 395 CE and 1453 CE, was the eastern continuation of the [[Roman Empire]] based around the Eastern Mediterranean. In many ways, it was culturally different from its precedessor. ==Understand== In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I moved his seat east to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople, "Constantin's city". In 395, Theodosius I officially divided the empire into two between his sons, and the Western Roman Empire, based in [[Rome]] and the Eastern Roman Empire, with its seat in [[Constantinople]] came into being. ... The term "Byzantine" — derived from Byzantium, the oldest name of Constantinople/Istanbul — was coined after the fall of the empire, in 1557, by German scholar Hieronymus Wolf, to distinguish the mainly urban, Greek-speaking, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine culture from that of its less urban precedessor, which was Latin-speaking, and pagan in its earlier and Roman Catholic in its latter history. However, the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire never saw themselves anything other than Romans proper, and called their country ''Rhomania'' ("Roman land"; not to be confused with modern [[Romania]], which incidentally derives its name from the same connotation). =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} cgeb9oq52gvtmfnq3bmoobdiqqc5xer 4501774 4501722 2022-08-15T22:13:45Z Vidimian 1815 /* Byzantine Empire */ moved to the [[Byzantine Empire|mainspace article]] wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a defined governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in [[Bogazkale|Hattusa]], their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} mkb809zmu2edkit80e78ux47p9zsj9i 4502002 4501774 2022-08-16T08:27:47Z Vidimian 1815 /* Hittites */ marker wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed in this period. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} sjejjs44jjsglb4pg58c51zv91uoofk 4502046 4502002 2022-08-16T09:14:34Z Vidimian 1815 /* Talk */ probable origins of karamanlides, clarify wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} 1gheyk1ydyun6o3s1qoeytuohfn6498 4502050 4502046 2022-08-16T09:18:00Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), which is rather small physically for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} hbb4pbh3qpay20cptcd38t3cj38c4n2 4502056 4502050 2022-08-16T09:22:01Z Vidimian 1815 /* Western Anatolia */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} b823l653fwwvr267z3jmaa3clb0gfsm 4502070 4502056 2022-08-16T09:38:32Z Vidimian 1815 + turkish of the beylik era wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia, on his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. dubelsj7s0cvgwb5c6vmc839v0i2f2d 4502079 4502070 2022-08-16T09:45:12Z Vidimian 1815 /* Talk */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. As the time progressed, the artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 1vmgm41wejpfnmsrt0h66gxaxzz106t 4502088 4502079 2022-08-16T10:03:39Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ clearer wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by strangers. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including Alexander the Great and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry. ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. mhx96aslpihau04rruwldi686fwjcau 4502095 4502088 2022-08-16T10:09:59Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lycians */ initial sites list wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Olympos? * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. kyks4wa5ipgafsftonv4y82xh7guqci 4502097 4502095 2022-08-16T10:11:45Z Vidimian 1815 /* Phrygians */ sites wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Olympos? * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 2eb0eq4bjkm27aujpi2f6756u9tagqa 4502100 4502097 2022-08-16T10:12:41Z Vidimian 1815 /* Urartu */ sites wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Olympos? * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. o4c0shqib742xyvfy0gi6wf21luufhl 4502103 4502100 2022-08-16T10:19:25Z Vidimian 1815 + see also for ancient anatolia wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Olympos? * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. hw2rm5mluq2nknenbbdeboroxc5rzss 4502104 4502103 2022-08-16T10:20:11Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lycians */ + myra wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 34fk8rvkzshdg6vmgq93b5cn09srqx7 4502110 4502104 2022-08-16T10:27:10Z Vidimian 1815 /* Phrygians */ pessinus? wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road, which led from the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-30 | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to a large Lydian treasure, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain about this perception. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. mbqi2wyk8szs1nffx74jahdgj45j5wj 4502115 4502110 2022-08-16T10:33:35Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lydians */ + wikidata wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. bd2f4kojl3jomyv3p3f242tuoqxkw1n 4502117 4502115 2022-08-16T10:35:55Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lydians */ why not? wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url= | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url= | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=http://globalheritagefund.org/what_we_do/overview/current_projects/gobekli_tepe_turkey | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url=http://www.catalhoyuk.com | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 7l9n25nhl84zci1okf4s1k002k7nmpk 4502119 4502117 2022-08-16T10:44:15Z Vidimian 1815 /* Prehistory */ official websites wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. nk6xqapmwcvl044ut4tywzlk4aynx6s 4502123 4502119 2022-08-16T10:50:56Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}}, their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. kmptcsetaw5eiebz300dwx3xtqaz7h7 4502125 4502123 2022-08-16T10:52:24Z Vidimian 1815 /* Hittites */ hittite name wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 5fett829oi7phlbvv1lt9zmtpedkhpu 4502126 4502125 2022-08-16T10:55:34Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lycians */ empty listing wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. e8ismc73o7j2yuis03q7m0hsw3b0rm2 4502127 4502126 2022-08-16T10:58:00Z Vidimian 1815 + subsection header for the carians - this will be longer than i initially thought wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 7et3ln85kux5bq674xkm37w821zdoge 4502129 4502127 2022-08-16T11:04:24Z Vidimian 1815 + pisidia wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. qq53km23spdfyakab3wo3h6p1d0iprq 4502130 4502129 2022-08-16T11:07:26Z Vidimian 1815 /* Others */ commagene wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Commagene. A Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty. }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in the late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 1peirdccc2oq1dopmatq2t7shhx90gz 4502133 4502130 2022-08-16T11:10:01Z Vidimian 1815 /* Phrygians */ later galatia wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. Later Galatia - the [[Celts]]. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Commagene. A Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty. }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in the late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. t17l5ldehzhs2t2koz1jwcw1izwjlwk 4502140 4502133 2022-08-16T11:30:16Z Vidimian 1815 /* Carians */ possible sites wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== chro order * Rhodian Peraia - Bozburun * Carian Way * Aphrodisias - Caria - Geyre * Alabanda - uncertain * Mylasa - too Roman? * Amos - too Hellenistic? * Loryma * Bodrum - Halicarnassus - Ada * Alinda - Ada * Madnasa - Gölköy * Caryanda * Myndos - Gümüşlük - wine * Iasos * Euromus ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. Later Galatia - the [[Celts]]. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Commagene. A Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty. }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in the late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 5um934zp419yzkcy9no4u9fz3w22ehp 4502142 4502140 2022-08-16T11:32:09Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lydians */ + kibyra wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== chro order * Rhodian Peraia - Bozburun * Carian Way * Aphrodisias - Caria - Geyre * Alabanda - uncertain * Mylasa - too Roman? * Amos - too Hellenistic? * Loryma * Bodrum - Halicarnassus - Ada * Alinda - Ada * Madnasa - Gölköy * Caryanda * Myndos - Gümüşlük - wine * Iasos * Euromus ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. Later Galatia - the [[Celts]]. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} * Kibyra, near Burdur - independent state. Also to the [[Lakes District]]? ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Commagene. A Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty. }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in the late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. dzzmmjx789mctij8yh7wyitzv6isgh5 4502143 4502142 2022-08-16T11:32:40Z Vidimian 1815 /* Lycians */ wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== chro order * Rhodian Peraia - Bozburun * Carian Way * Aphrodisias - Caria - Geyre * Alabanda - uncertain * Mylasa - too Roman? * Amos - too Hellenistic? * Loryma * Bodrum - Halicarnassus - Ada * Alinda - Ada * Madnasa - Gölköy * Caryanda * Myndos - Gümüşlük - wine * Iasos * Euromus ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye - Telmessos * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. Later Galatia - the [[Celts]]. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} * Kibyra, near Burdur - independent state. Also to the [[Lakes District]]? ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Commagene. A Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty. }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in the late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 1jketoydv4rwuhkhzt7wx8hfeks61r0 4502145 4502143 2022-08-16T11:33:16Z Vidimian 1815 /* Pisidians */ + selge wikitext text/x-wiki =Ancient Anatolia= '''Anatolia''', also known as '''Asia Minor''', a peninsula in the westernmost extension of [[Asia]] that constitutes much of the territory of modern [[Turkey]], has a long history. ==Understand== Thanks to its location connecting [[Europe]] and Asia, hence on the migration routes taken by early humans emerging out of [[Africa]], Anatolia is home to some of the earliest settlements known to the date. The peninsula also had an important role during the agricultural revolution, with wild varieties of some of the common foodstuffs, such as that of wheat, first being domesticated and cultivated in the rolling Anatolian plateau, which later gave rise to the earliest sedentary communities. According to a hypothesis, the peninsula was the original homeland of the Indo-European speakers. The prehistory of Asia Minor is marked by solitary sites of human habitation (or relics thereof). In the following Bronze and Iron Ages, the earliest organized societies emerged, often in the form of kingdoms. The artefacts retrieved from the archaeological sites expectedly get more sophisticated as the time frame they were produced progressed, both in terms of external appearance and purpose, as beautifully put by the exhibition of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. * {{listing | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url=http://www.anadolumedeniyetlerimuzesi.gov.tr/ | email= | address=[[Ankara]] | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | image=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations001.jpg | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital. It can be a great entree to the regional history at the start of your trip, as well as an equally great conclusion for it, but a visit is especially valuable if you don't have the resources to get to the often remote sites scattered far and wide over the land, as the museum, founded in an era when the current norm of displaying the archaeological findings as close to where they were dug out as possible wasn't in practice, displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. }} ==Prehistory== Few prehistoric sites in Turkey are relatively easy to access and have some sort of visitor office. The Yarımburgaz Cave in the suburbs of Istanbul, for example, is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, and its opening is competely barred up, despite being an extremely important site in terms of prehistoric archaeology. * {{listing | name=Karain Cave | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=KRM01&distId=MRK | email= | address=north of [[Antalya]] | lat=37.077778 | long=30.570833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Karain Cave | image=Karain - Cave Chamber.jpg | wikidata=Q1062421 | lastedit= | content=The cave had been the site of continuous human habitation since the early Paleolithic, 150–200,000 years ago. }} * {{listing | name=Kula Geopark | alt= | url=https://kulasalihligeopark.com/en/ | email= | address=near [[Kula]], off the [[Izmir]]–[[Uşak]] highway | lat=38.5768 | long=28.5325 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=This is the first and as of 2022 the only [[UNESCO Global Geoparks Network|UNESCO Global Geopark]] in the country. Known by the locals as ''Yanık Yöre'' and by the ancients as ''Katakekaumene'' (both roughly meaning "the burnt land"), the volcanic soils of the area are marked by footprints, found in 1954 during a road construction and thought to belong to three fellow travellers (along with their dog) 10–12,000 years old, who stepped on the lava before it fully solidified. Few footprints remain on the site, though, as most were removed to the {{marker|lat=39.9026|long=32.8001|type=listing|name=Natural History Museum}} in Ankara, where they are exhibited. Incidentally, the Gediz River, on the banks of which a quartz stone tool, the oldest human-made object found in Anatolia securely dated (to 1.2 ''million'' years ago), is nearby. }} * {{listing | name=Göbeklitepe | alt= | url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=SGT01&DistId=SGT | email= | address=northeast of [[Urfa]] | lat=37.223056 | long=38.9225 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Göbekli Tepe | image=Göbekli Tepe, Urfa.jpg | wikidata=Q214944 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Started as a hilltop temple by fully nomadic hunter-gatherers at least 11,600 years ago — before any human society adopted a sedentary lifestyle — the ongoing excavations in Göbeklitepe continue to change the conventions modern history-writing is based on. Göbeklitepe is composed of sets of T-shaped pillars positioned in circles, with animal reliefs carved on the pillars — some archaeologists think these images are archetypes of any religion or belief system existed on earth. }} * {{listing | name=[[Çatalhöyük]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=southeast of [[Konya]] | lat=37.6675 | long=32.828333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Çatalhöyük | image=CatalHoyukSouthArea.JPG | wikidata=Q192522 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=One of the earliest sedentary settlements that existed between 7500 BC and 5700 BC, during the Neolithic. The inhabitants were the earliest farmers of the Anatolian steppe. }} ==Hittites== ''Mostly exported to the [[Hittites]] article; below is a summary to be viewed in this general article when it goes live in the main namespace.'' {{main|Hittites}} The '''Hittites''' appeared out of unclear origins in the northern Anatolian plateau during the Bronze Age. They formed a definable governance — the earliest kingdom in Anatolia — in about 1600 BC, contemporary with [[Ancient Egypt]], with whom they conducted an uneasy relationship. Their best preserved ruins are in {{marker|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=[[Bogazkale|Hattusa]]}} (Hittite: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 ''Ḫattuša''), their capital. A number of associated sites are scattered across Anatolia as well as in neighbouring countries. For an in-depth description and detailed listings, see [[Hittites|the dedicated article]]. ==Carians== chro order * Rhodian Peraia - Bozburun * Carian Way * Aphrodisias - Caria - Geyre * Alabanda - uncertain * Mylasa - too Roman? * Amos - too Hellenistic? * Loryma * Bodrum - Halicarnassus - Ada * Alinda - Ada * Madnasa - Gölköy * Caryanda * Myndos - Gümüşlük - wine * Iasos * Euromus ==Lycians== The Lycians were a bunch of people living in [[Lycia]], a large peninsula extending into the Mediterranean in southwest Anatolia, speaking one of the indigenous Anatolian languages and writing it in their own alphabet. In their early history, they were probably allied with the Hittites; later on, the independent city states of Lycia formed the Lycian League, which is considered an early federal democracy. Greeting any would-be invaders to their mountainous land fiercely, the Lycians were so proudly independent that they repeatedly burnt down their cities to the ground, along with the inhabitants themselves, rather than let them be occupied by foreigners. It was out of the respect for this pride that the succesful invaders, rather few in number, including [[Alexander the Great]] and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], granted autonomy for Lycia. Nowadays the Lycians are mostly remembered for the impressive mausoleums they carved into the mountain sides and the sarcophagi scattered across their once remote and impassable territory, which in an irony of fate is now one of the backbones of Turkish tourism industry, and one of the best travelled areas in the country. * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} * Dalyan - Kaunos: on the border with Caria * Fethiye - Telmessos * Xanthos * Patara? * Simena - Kaleköy - Sunken City * Myra * Olympos * ... * Lycian Way * {{listing | name=[[]] | alt=Lycian: | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content= }} ==Pisidians== In correct chronological order? Merge into the Lycians? * Termessos * Sagalassos * Selge ==Phrygians== Almost everyone knows about the Gordian Knot, Midas "the Golden Touch", Phrygian cap, and Phrygian mode, but the Phrygians themselves remain a mystery. Speaking a language similar to Greek and writing it in a script superficially resembling the Greek one, the Phrygians were probably immigrants from the [[Balkans]], displacing the Hittites and settling in Western Anatolia in the 12th century BC. Later Galatia - the [[Celts]]. * Gordion? * Pessinus? * Phrygian Valley ** Yazılıkaya * Cılandras ==Lydians== Best known as the earliest civilization that minted coins in the form as we know today and for their legendary ruler Croesus, whose name is an ancient synonym for extreme wealth — who else but the inventors of "money" could have such a king, after all — the Lydians had an empire in Western Anatolia, inland from the Aegean Sea, between the 15th and 6th centuries BC, that sparkled after the Phrygians waned. Their empire later fell to the [[Persian Empire|Persians]]. * {{listing | name=[[Sardis]] | alt=Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard'' | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q232615 | lastedit= | content=At the western terminus of the ancient Royal Road which led from the Persian capital at [[Persepolis]], Sardis was the Lycian capital, although most of the often lonely ruins seen today date back to the post-Lydian Roman and Byzantine eras. }} * {{listing | name=Uşak Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Uşak]] | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7905542 | lastedit= | content=Further inland from Sardis, this museum, one of the few reasons to visit Uşak, is home to numerous valuable Lydian artifacts from the 7th century BCE, known by the locals as the Croesus Treasure (''Karun Hazinesi''), although the historians are uncertain whether they belonged to that king. }} * Kibyra, near Burdur - independent state. Also to the [[Lakes District]]? ==Urartu== Inhabitants of the [[Eastern Anatolia|eastern highlands]], the Urartians founded a distinctive Iron Age civilization between the 9th and 6th centuries BC based around the Lake Van and spoke a language that was unrelated to any other, except Hurrian which was spoken in neighbouring [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]. * Tuşba * Çavuştepe ==Others== * {{listing | name=Mt. Nemrut | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit= | content=Commagene. A Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty. }} * {{listing | name=Wilusa | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2016-12-22 | content=Wilusa was a major member of Assuwa, a confederation in Western Anatolia united against the Hittites in the late Bronze age, and the name of which is probably the origin of "''[[Asia]]''". Wilusa was the earliest incarnation of [[Troy]], before the war of the literally epic proportions and the Achaean take-over. }} ==See also== * [[Thrace]], the southeast corner of the [[Balkans]], is an ancient region encompassing the [[Eastern Thrace|non-Anatolian, European part of the country]]. Its prehistoric inhabitants, the Thracians, left not much other than burial mounds for their nobles and some place name elements. The long history of Anatolia of course doesn't end here. Continue on the following: * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Sultanate of Rum]] * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] For the history of the nearby areas which had connections with ancient Anatolia: * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Ancient Egypt]] =Byzantine Empire= :''moved to the [[Byzantine Empire]] article.'' =Sultanate of Rum= Started out its life in the 11th century as an extension of the Seljuk Empire based in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], the '''Sultanate of Rum''' (''Anadolu Selçukluları'', "the Seljuks of Anatolia", in Turkish) was the earliest Turkish state founded in Anatolia, present-day [[Turkey]]. ==Understand== While there was a minor previous Turkic presence in Asia Minor (mainly Turcopoles, Christianized Turkic mercenaries recruited by the Byzantine and Crusader States armies), the massive Turkish settlement began after the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, fought in [[Eastern Anatolia]] and culminated in a victory of the Seljuk emperor Alparslan over the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman/Byzantine]] emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. The Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Seljuk Empire six years after Manzikert. ''Rum'' in its name referred to Rome, which was taken to mean the Roman/Byzantine Empire in general or Asia Minor in particular in the Islamic world at that time. The sultans based themselves first in [[İznik]], previously a major Byzantine city in the west, then in [[Konya]] in the central plateau, and continued the highly Persianate cultural tradition of the Seljuks they sprang from. They eventually subjugated the other contemporary Turkish dynasties formed in Anatolia, chiefly in the east, such as the Mengüceks and Artukids. The sultanate promoted art, science, and philosophy — Sufi mystic Rumi, deriving his sobriquet after the sultanate, took up residence in the capital — and faciliated trade across the routes criss-crossing Anatolia. They left behind a legacy of mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais, characteristically incorporating majestic portals with elaborately carved details similar to those found in [[Iran]], but with Byzantine and particularly local Armenian influence. Later, this architectural style was adapted by the Sultanate of Delhi, the predecessors of the [[Mughal Empire]]. In 1243, the [[Mongolian Empire|Mongolians]] marched on. After losing the Battle of Kösedağ, held near [[Sivas]] that year, the sultanate formally became a vassal to the Mongolians, but collapsed in all but name. Following half a century of chaos, several statelets known collectively as the [[Anatolian beyliks]] emerged in the power vacuum left behind. While paying homage to the earlier Turkic states founded elsewhere (mainly in [[Central Asia]] and Iran) and the earlier civilizations that called Asia Minor home, modern Turks often see the sultanate as the earliest incarnation of their country — the land has been called "Turkey" or its variations (''Tourkia'', ''Turchia'') by the outsiders since the sultanate's appearance, and the last time that name ceased to exist in the maps in its entirety was during the Mongol invasion following the Battle of Kösedağ. In general usage in Turkey, ''Selçuklu'' or "Seljuk" without any qualifiers refers to this polity, not the identically-named greater empire which had its heartland in Iran. ==Destinations== ===Major centres=== * İznik. The initial seat of the sultanate was held for less than two decades before the Byzantines reseized it. Therefore little remained from the period, and the sites that did, such as İsmail Bey Hamam, were rebuilt by the latter Ottomans. The town is nevertheless interesting and boasts a much larger heritage from the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. * Konya. The main seat is home to a much larger legacy from the sultanate — many buildings constructed by them are major attractions. If you have to pick any spot to experience the Rum heritage, make it this one. * Kayseri. * Sivas. * Battalgazi. The historic core of [[Malatya]] is home to the 12xx Great Mosque, with a central courtyard — the only one of its kind in Turkey — as well as a caravanserai (Seljuk?). * Erzurum. ===Caravanserais=== The sultanate went to great lengths to ensure trade is safe and trouble-free across their dominion, so built a sizeable number of caravanserais along the main routes. These medival motels were often way out of any significantly populated community, and service towns around them developed only later. Some of the caravanserais, ordered in a line extending from [[Denizli]] in the southwest to [[Doğubayazıt]] in the east are collectively in the [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1403/ tentative list] of the [[UNESCO World Heritage List|UNESCO World Heritage]]. The following are the best preserved: * Sultanhan * ... ===Contesting dynasties=== These were independent for a time following the Battle of Manzikert and autonomous to a degree afterwards, so their heritage exhibits a greater influence from the local cultures. * Divriği * Mardin. ==Talk== [[Persian]] was not only the language of governance, literature, and education, but also the daily language among many in the elite, despite being of Turkic stock. [[Turkish]], the vernacular, could become an official language only in the successive [[Anatolian beyliks|''beylik'' period]]. Written exclusively in the Greek alphabet, Karamanlides, a form of Turkish spoken by a Greek Orthodox population (who might or might not be the descendants of the Turcopoles) around [[Karaman]] until the 1920s population exchange with [[Greece]], was probably developed during the years of the sultanate. ==See also== Ever wondering what happened next? Read up on the Turkish history series: * [[Anatolian beyliks]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] * [[Turkey]] Or maybe you want to travel back in time: * [[Byzantine Empire]] * [[Roman Empire]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Hittites]] * [[Ancient Anatolia]] =Anatolian beyliks= The '''Anatolian beyliks''' (also known as the '''Anatolian / Turkish principalities''', '''- emirates''', or '''- petty kingdoms''') were several statelets existed between the 13th and 16th centuries all over Anatolia, in [[Turkey]]. ''Beylik'' in Turkish denotes a territory under the rule of a ''bey'', similar to (and somewhere inbetween) the lords, dukes, and counts of the contemporary European societies, although mostly without feudal connotations. ==Understand== With the expansion of the [[Mongol Empire]] into their homeland in [[Central Asia]] and the subsequent chaos, several tribes of the Oghuz Turks headed west, crossing the Caspian Sea along its southern rim. Some decided to settle in [[Khorasan]] and elsewhere in [[Persian Empire|Persia]], but most proceeded into Anatolia, then ruled by the [[Sultanate of Rum]], founded by their Seljuk-Oghuz kindred in the previous centuries. The Seljuk policy towards the tribes fleeing the Mongol hordes was to settle them along the borderlands of their kingdom, both to keep these unruly nomads away from the Seljuk policy centres, and also to keep the borders secure from unwanted incursions by using them as a first line of defence — an analogue in [[medieval Europe]] is the marchlands. The new folk was also provided with autonomy in their tribal affairs, as long as they accepted the supreme sovereignty of the sultan in [[Konya]]. However, the Mongols further expanded westwards, and were soon at the doorstep of Anatolia, hitherto assumed to be safe from them. After the Battle of Kösedağ, which took place east of [[Sivas]] in 1243, the Sultanate of Rum collapsed. During the following disorder, the ''bey''s proclaimed their sovereignty one after another and these petty kingdoms emerged. The patchwork on the Anatolian maps persisted into the 16th century, when the last sovereign principality was annexed by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], who also started as a ''beylik'' at the Byzantine frontier and came to dominate all others in Anatolia (and beyond). Some families descended from the ''bey''s kept their influence in Turkey until the 1950s, well after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Despite their limited resources and the short and turbulent period in which they existed, most principalities championed development and art in the areas they ruled over, which is still evident especially in the communities away from the major centres of the consequent Ottoman era and present day. ==Destinations== Since the ''beylik''s were founded along the borders and coastlines of the Sultanate of Rum, which had its heartland in [[Central Anatolia]], it's easy to group the major destinations of the period history geographically. ===Northern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Ankara]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.9382 | long=32.8666 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=During the era, the modern capital of Turkey was not part of a petty kingdom ''per se'', but rather was the only major town to be ruled by the Ahis, a commercial fraternity widespread in medieval Anatolia, in a similar fashion with the mercantile republics of Europe of the same epoch. Their rule left behind a couple of "forest mosques" — typified by a "forest" of wooden pillars lining the main hall — clinging down the hill from the citadel. }} * {{listing | name=[[Kastamonu]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=41.3838 | long=33.7776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Kütahya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.4171 | long=29.9758 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Söğüt]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0250 | long=30.1799 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Western Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Balıkesir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.6498 | long=27.8792 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Balıkesir was founded on the ruins of the Byzantine ''Paleo Kastron'' (Greek for "old castle", also the origin of the Turkish name) by Karesi, the bey of the Karesi Kingdom, who has his tomb in the city. }} * {{listing | name=Beçin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2729 | long=27.7903 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=5 km south from the modern town of [[Milas]], the hilltop citadel of Beçin was the capital of the Menteşe kingdom. While some buildings of the medieval capital have recently been renovated, it remains as a total [[Ghost towns|ghost town]], as it has for long been. }} * {{listing | name=[[Birgi]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.2565 | long=28.0670 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=One of the prettiest old towns in the country, Birgi, the earlier capital of the Aydınids, is home of the ''Ulu Cami'' ("Grand Mosque"), rather small for this name, but it was regardless the central mosque of the local kingdom and embellished by fine woodwork inside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Manisa]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.6081 | long=27.4302 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The capital of the Saruhan Kingdom kept its prominency in the following Ottoman period. }} * {{listing | name=[[Southern Aegean#Other destinations|Miletus]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.5292 | long=27.2807 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=Originally a major [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] harbour, Miletus, now in ruins, was still a living town when the Menteşe built the İlyas Bey Mosque in 1403. }} * {{listing | name=[[Selçuk]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.9522 | long=27.3661 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=The latter capital of the Aydınids features the İsa Bey Mosque, which, with its transitional architectural style, perfectly symbolizes the transitional post-Seljuk, pre-Ottoman ''Beylik'' era. }} ===Southern Anatolia=== * {{listing | name=[[Adana]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Antalya]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Beyşehir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Eğirdir]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Karaman]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} ===Eastern Anatolia=== [[Eastern Anatolia]] was the home of a number of petty kingdoms that, unlike the others elsewhere in Anatolia, flourished before the Mongol invasion, mainly in the 12th century. * {{listing | name=[[Divriği]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content= }} * {{listing | name=[[Hasankeyf]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=You have little time left to enjoy this medieval gem on the River Tigris, as it will be drowned under a lake after the ongoing construction of the Ilısu Dam is completed. }} * {{listing | name=[[Mardin]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2017-01-28 | content=A smaller [[Jerusalem]] of yellow stone buildings, on a hillside dropping down to the [[Mesopotamia (Middle East)|Mesopotamian]] plains, thanks to the courtesy of the '''Artukids''' (''Artukoğulları''). }} ==Talk== {{quote|From now on nobody in the palace, in the high government, in the council, and in a wander shall speak no language other than Turkish.|author=Mehmet Bey of Karaman, declaring Turkish to be the official language first time in Anatolia with his decree dated May 13, 1277}} '''Old Anatolian Turkish''', the medieval form of [[Turkish]] was the vernacular of the era. Yunus Emre (1238–1328), considered the national poet of Turkey, wrote in this language. Unlike Ottoman Turkish of the palace in the intervening Ottoman period, Old Anatolian Turkish is easy to understand by the modern speakers. 766ug85vni7r1aob6md4xeeueyj8mz8 0 158160 4501988 4403603 2022-08-16T08:17:49Z 1.43.141.161 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Desert rocket Tatooine Tunisia banner.jpg|thumb|caption=Set for planet Tatooine, in Matmata, Tunisia}} ''The Lucasfilm company, George Lucas creators of Star Wars such as Star Wars Trilogy, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars Series and The Tragedy of Darth Vader, were essential in introducing one well known title character to life: Darth Vader'' — George Lucas. '''''Star Wars''''' is a space opera franchise launched in 1977 with the ''Star Wars'' film, later known as ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''. While set ''"a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"'', many of the locations are real-world places, some of them open to visitors, and perhaps best known for original productions the adventures of Darth Vader. In October 30, 2012 - Disney buys Lucasfilm, including Star Wars for $4.06 billion, the end of Star Wars trilogy at the 20th Century Fox studios. '''Spoiler alert!''' This article reveals plot details. ==Understand== {{quote|The Force will be with you. Always.|author=Obi-Wan Kenobi|source=Episode IV}} The core of the ''Star Wars'' franchise is the nine films of the ''Skywalker Saga''; The original trilogy (episodes IV-VI, released 1977-1983), the prequel trilogy (I-III, released 1999-2005), and the sequel trilogy (VII-IX, released 2015-19), created by George Lucas, and the one title character including Darth Vader, and other many Star Wars characters. The prequels depict Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker's forbidden love story with Queen Padmé Amidala, and his transformation to the Sith Lord Darth Vader, parallel to the Galactic Republic's corruption and transformation to the evil Galactic Empire. An intermediate film, ''Rogue One'', tells the story of how the rebels stole the plans for the Empire's deadly new weapon, the evil Death Star. The original trilogy depicts young Luke Skywalker's journey to become a Jedi knight, leading the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the evil Galactic Empire. The sequel trilogy is showing the continuing struggle between the Rebels and the successor of the defeated Empire, the First Order. Within the fan community, the films are usually referred to by their Roman number; e.g. ''"I"'' for ''Episode I: The Phantom Menace''. Spin-off works have their own notation, such as ''R1'' for ''Star Wars: Rogue One''. The franchise also includes several anthology films, television series, novels, video games, action figures and other material. The fourth of May is known as Star Wars Day as many fans say the phrase "May the 4th be with you", biggest simply celebrating ''Star Wars Day'', ''Darth Vader Day'', ''Luke Skywalker Day'', ''Princess Leia Day'', ''Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Day'', ''Yoda Day'', ''Chewbacca Day'',''C-3PO and R2-D2 Day'', ''Dark Side Day'', ''Sith Day'', ''I Am Your Father Day'' and ''Jedi Day''. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|45|8|zoom=2|layer=M|height=320|width=900}} ===Star Tours=== The original "Star Tours" shut down in 2010, however attractions known as "Star Tours – The Adventures Continue" opened in four locations the year after: * {{do | name =Hollywood Studios, Florida | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =28.3617 | long =-81.5549 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Park, California | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =33.8121 | long =-117.9190 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name=Tokyo Disneyland, Japan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.6329 | long=139.8804 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax = | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content= }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Paris, France | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =48.8674 | long =2.7836 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} ===Filming locations=== ====Episode I - The Phantom Menace==== * {{listing | name=[[Caserta]] | directions=[[Italy]] | lat=41.066667 | long=14.33 | content=A stand-in for the Naboo Palace in ''I'' and ''II''. }} ====Episode II - Attack of the Clones==== * {{listing | name=[[Seville]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.3771 | long=-5.9869 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q956018 | lastedit=2021-02-25 | content=Plaza de España stands in for city Theed on the planet Naboo. }} * {{listing | name=Villa del Balbianello | alt= | url= | | address=Via Comoedia 5, Lenno | directions=[[Tremezzo]], [[Italy]] | lat=45.9651232 | long=9.2025384 | content=The wedding scene in '' Episode II'' takes place here. }} ====Episode III - Revenge of the Sith==== * {{listing | name=[[Grindelwald]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.6202 | long=8.0406 | directions=[[Switzerland]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Grindelwald | wikidata=Q64004 | content=The mountainous setting of the planet Alderaan. }} ====Episode IV - A New Hope==== * {{listing | name=[[Matmata]] | directions=[[Tunisia]] | lat=33.5426| long=9.966 | content=Scenes of the desert planet '''Tatooine''' in a number of ''Star Wars'' films were filmed here. Also see the nearby town of [[Tataouine]], where a little filming was also done. }} * {{listing | name=[[Death Valley National Park]] | directions=[[California]], [[United States]] | lat=36.45 | long=-117.09 | content=Some Tatooine scenes in ''IV''. }} ====Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hardangerjøkulen | alt=Hardanger Glacier | url= | email= | address=Finse/[[Hardangervidda]] | lat=60.535 | long=7.424 | directions=[[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 h | price=Free | content=On the large glaciers in Norway. Hiking the glacier is only for experts; do not attempt a hike on your own. The Battle of Hoth (''V'') was filmed here. }} ====Episode VI - Return of the Jedi==== * {{listing | name=[[Redwood National Park]] |alt=|url=| direction=[[California]], [[United States]] |email=|address=| lat=41.43 | long=-124.00 |directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikidata=|lastedit=2019-12-10| content=The Battle of Endor (''VI'') was filmed north of here on private logging company land (shortly thereafter clearcut) near Smith River; the speeder chase scene was filmed at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park to the south: Map of the Movies, Humboldt - Del Norte Film Commission, http://filmhumboldtdelnorte.org/sites/default/files/map-of-the-movies_0.pdf. }} ====Episode VII - The Force Awakens==== * {{listing | name=[[Skellig Michael]] | directions=[[Ireland]] | lat=51.771 | long=-10.540 | content=Luke Skywalker's exile home in ''VII'' and ''VIII''. }} ====Episode VIII: The Last Jedi==== ====Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker==== ====Rogue One: A Star Wars Story==== * {{listing | name=[[London/East End|Canary Wharf]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5035 | long=-0.0190 | directions=London, England | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q124377| wikipedia=Canary Wharf | content=The tube station was used in ''Rogue One'' as the Imperial security complex on Scarif. }} * {{listing | name=Laamu Atoll | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.933 | long=73.416 | directions=[[Maldives]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The tropical setting of the planet Scarif in ''Rogue One''. }} ====Solo: A Star Wars Story==== ====Rogue Squadron (releasing in 2023)==== {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} sw4v43c5ibhi1h5fpc4cfigu7raak9t 4501990 4501988 2022-08-16T08:18:36Z 1.43.141.161 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Desert rocket Tatooine Tunisia banner.jpg|thumb|caption=Set for planet Tatooine, in Matmata, Tunisia}} ''The Lucasfilm company, George Lucas creators of Star Wars such as Star Wars Trilogy, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars Series and The Tragedy of Darth Vader, were essential in introducing one well known title character to life: Darth Vader'' — George Lucas. '''''Star Wars''''' is a space opera franchise launched in 1977 with the ''Star Wars'' film, later known as ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''. While set ''"a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"'', many of the locations are real-world places, some of them open to visitors, and perhaps best known for original productions the adventures of Darth Vader. In October 30, 2012 - Disney buys Lucasfilm, including Star Wars for $4.06 billion, the end of Star Wars trilogy at the 20th Century Fox studios. '''Spoiler alert!''' This article reveals plot details. ==Understand== {{quote|The Force will be with you. Always.|author=Obi-Wan Kenobi|source=Episode IV}} The core of the ''Star Wars'' franchise is the nine films of the ''Skywalker Saga''; The original trilogy (episodes IV-VI, released 1977-1983), the prequel trilogy (I-III, released 1999-2005), and the sequel trilogy (VII-IX, released 2015-19), created by George Lucas, and the one title character including Darth Vader, and other many Star Wars characters. The prequels depict Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker's forbidden love story with Queen Padmé Amidala, and his transformation to the Sith Lord Darth Vader, parallel to the Galactic Republic's corruption and transformation to the clutches of the evil Galactic Empire. An intermediate film, ''Rogue One'', tells the story of how the rebels stole the plans for the Empire's deadly new weapon, the evil Death Star. The original trilogy depicts young Luke Skywalker's journey to become a Jedi knight, leading the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the evil Galactic Empire. The sequel trilogy is showing the continuing struggle between the Rebels and the successor of the defeated Empire, the First Order. Within the fan community, the films are usually referred to by their Roman number; e.g. ''"I"'' for ''Episode I: The Phantom Menace''. Spin-off works have their own notation, such as ''R1'' for ''Star Wars: Rogue One''. The franchise also includes several anthology films, television series, novels, video games, action figures and other material. The fourth of May is known as Star Wars Day as many fans say the phrase "May the 4th be with you", biggest simply celebrating ''Star Wars Day'', ''Darth Vader Day'', ''Luke Skywalker Day'', ''Princess Leia Day'', ''Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Day'', ''Yoda Day'', ''Chewbacca Day'',''C-3PO and R2-D2 Day'', ''Dark Side Day'', ''Sith Day'', ''I Am Your Father Day'' and ''Jedi Day''. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|45|8|zoom=2|layer=M|height=320|width=900}} ===Star Tours=== The original "Star Tours" shut down in 2010, however attractions known as "Star Tours – The Adventures Continue" opened in four locations the year after: * {{do | name =Hollywood Studios, Florida | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =28.3617 | long =-81.5549 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Park, California | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =33.8121 | long =-117.9190 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name=Tokyo Disneyland, Japan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.6329 | long=139.8804 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax = | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content= }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Paris, France | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =48.8674 | long =2.7836 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} ===Filming locations=== ====Episode I - The Phantom Menace==== * {{listing | name=[[Caserta]] | directions=[[Italy]] | lat=41.066667 | long=14.33 | content=A stand-in for the Naboo Palace in ''I'' and ''II''. }} ====Episode II - Attack of the Clones==== * {{listing | name=[[Seville]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.3771 | long=-5.9869 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q956018 | lastedit=2021-02-25 | content=Plaza de España stands in for city Theed on the planet Naboo. }} * {{listing | name=Villa del Balbianello | alt= | url= | | address=Via Comoedia 5, Lenno | directions=[[Tremezzo]], [[Italy]] | lat=45.9651232 | long=9.2025384 | content=The wedding scene in '' Episode II'' takes place here. }} ====Episode III - Revenge of the Sith==== * {{listing | name=[[Grindelwald]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.6202 | long=8.0406 | directions=[[Switzerland]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Grindelwald | wikidata=Q64004 | content=The mountainous setting of the planet Alderaan. }} ====Episode IV - A New Hope==== * {{listing | name=[[Matmata]] | directions=[[Tunisia]] | lat=33.5426| long=9.966 | content=Scenes of the desert planet '''Tatooine''' in a number of ''Star Wars'' films were filmed here. Also see the nearby town of [[Tataouine]], where a little filming was also done. }} * {{listing | name=[[Death Valley National Park]] | directions=[[California]], [[United States]] | lat=36.45 | long=-117.09 | content=Some Tatooine scenes in ''IV''. }} ====Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hardangerjøkulen | alt=Hardanger Glacier | url= | email= | address=Finse/[[Hardangervidda]] | lat=60.535 | long=7.424 | directions=[[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 h | price=Free | content=On the large glaciers in Norway. Hiking the glacier is only for experts; do not attempt a hike on your own. The Battle of Hoth (''V'') was filmed here. }} ====Episode VI - Return of the Jedi==== * {{listing | name=[[Redwood National Park]] |alt=|url=| direction=[[California]], [[United States]] |email=|address=| lat=41.43 | long=-124.00 |directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikidata=|lastedit=2019-12-10| content=The Battle of Endor (''VI'') was filmed north of here on private logging company land (shortly thereafter clearcut) near Smith River; the speeder chase scene was filmed at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park to the south: Map of the Movies, Humboldt - Del Norte Film Commission, http://filmhumboldtdelnorte.org/sites/default/files/map-of-the-movies_0.pdf. }} ====Episode VII - The Force Awakens==== * {{listing | name=[[Skellig Michael]] | directions=[[Ireland]] | lat=51.771 | long=-10.540 | content=Luke Skywalker's exile home in ''VII'' and ''VIII''. }} ====Episode VIII: The Last Jedi==== ====Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker==== ====Rogue One: A Star Wars Story==== * {{listing | name=[[London/East End|Canary Wharf]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5035 | long=-0.0190 | directions=London, England | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q124377| wikipedia=Canary Wharf | content=The tube station was used in ''Rogue One'' as the Imperial security complex on Scarif. }} * {{listing | name=Laamu Atoll | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.933 | long=73.416 | directions=[[Maldives]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The tropical setting of the planet Scarif in ''Rogue One''. }} ====Solo: A Star Wars Story==== ====Rogue Squadron (releasing in 2023)==== {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} 8zcoa5sbkgtxo11ep0kchul7zw38sl6 4501991 4501990 2022-08-16T08:19:22Z 1.43.141.161 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Desert rocket Tatooine Tunisia banner.jpg|thumb|caption=Set for planet Tatooine, in Matmata, Tunisia}} ''The Lucasfilm company, George Lucas creators of Star Wars such as Star Wars Trilogy, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars Series and The Tragedy of Darth Vader, were essential in introducing one well known title character to life: Darth Vader'' — George Lucas. '''''Star Wars''''' is a space opera franchise launched in 1977 with the ''Star Wars'' film, later known as ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''. While set ''"a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"'', many of the locations are real-world places, some of them open to visitors, and perhaps best known for original productions the adventures of Darth Vader. In October 30, 2012 - Disney buys Lucasfilm, including Star Wars for $4.06 billion, the end of Star Wars trilogy at the 20th Century Fox studios. '''Spoiler alert!''' This article reveals plot details. ==Understand== {{quote|The Force will be with you. Always.|author=Obi-Wan Kenobi|source=Episode IV}} The core of the ''Star Wars'' franchise is the nine films of the ''Skywalker Saga''; The original trilogy (episodes IV-VI, released 1977-1983), the prequel trilogy (I-III, released 1999-2005), and the sequel trilogy (VII-IX, released 2015-19), created by George Lucas, and the one title character including Darth Vader, and other many Star Wars characters. The prequels depict Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker's forbidden love story with Queen Padmé Amidala, and his transformation to the Sith Lord Darth Vader, parallel to the Galactic Republic's corruption and transformation to from the clutches of the evil Galactic Empire. An intermediate film, ''Rogue One'', tells the story of how the rebels stole the plans for the Empire's deadly new weapon, the evil Death Star. The original trilogy depicts young Luke Skywalker's journey to become a Jedi knight, leading the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the evil Galactic Empire. The sequel trilogy is showing the continuing struggle between the Rebels and the successor of the defeated Empire, the First Order. Within the fan community, the films are usually referred to by their Roman number; e.g. ''"I"'' for ''Episode I: The Phantom Menace''. Spin-off works have their own notation, such as ''R1'' for ''Star Wars: Rogue One''. The franchise also includes several anthology films, television series, novels, video games, action figures and other material. The fourth of May is known as Star Wars Day as many fans say the phrase "May the 4th be with you", biggest simply celebrating ''Star Wars Day'', ''Darth Vader Day'', ''Luke Skywalker Day'', ''Princess Leia Day'', ''Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Day'', ''Yoda Day'', ''Chewbacca Day'',''C-3PO and R2-D2 Day'', ''Dark Side Day'', ''Sith Day'', ''I Am Your Father Day'' and ''Jedi Day''. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|45|8|zoom=2|layer=M|height=320|width=900}} ===Star Tours=== The original "Star Tours" shut down in 2010, however attractions known as "Star Tours – The Adventures Continue" opened in four locations the year after: * {{do | name =Hollywood Studios, Florida | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =28.3617 | long =-81.5549 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Park, California | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =33.8121 | long =-117.9190 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name=Tokyo Disneyland, Japan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.6329 | long=139.8804 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax = | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content= }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Paris, France | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =48.8674 | long =2.7836 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} ===Filming locations=== ====Episode I - The Phantom Menace==== * {{listing | name=[[Caserta]] | directions=[[Italy]] | lat=41.066667 | long=14.33 | content=A stand-in for the Naboo Palace in ''I'' and ''II''. }} ====Episode II - Attack of the Clones==== * {{listing | name=[[Seville]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.3771 | long=-5.9869 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q956018 | lastedit=2021-02-25 | content=Plaza de España stands in for city Theed on the planet Naboo. }} * {{listing | name=Villa del Balbianello | alt= | url= | | address=Via Comoedia 5, Lenno | directions=[[Tremezzo]], [[Italy]] | lat=45.9651232 | long=9.2025384 | content=The wedding scene in '' Episode II'' takes place here. }} ====Episode III - Revenge of the Sith==== * {{listing | name=[[Grindelwald]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.6202 | long=8.0406 | directions=[[Switzerland]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Grindelwald | wikidata=Q64004 | content=The mountainous setting of the planet Alderaan. }} ====Episode IV - A New Hope==== * {{listing | name=[[Matmata]] | directions=[[Tunisia]] | lat=33.5426| long=9.966 | content=Scenes of the desert planet '''Tatooine''' in a number of ''Star Wars'' films were filmed here. Also see the nearby town of [[Tataouine]], where a little filming was also done. }} * {{listing | name=[[Death Valley National Park]] | directions=[[California]], [[United States]] | lat=36.45 | long=-117.09 | content=Some Tatooine scenes in ''IV''. }} ====Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hardangerjøkulen | alt=Hardanger Glacier | url= | email= | address=Finse/[[Hardangervidda]] | lat=60.535 | long=7.424 | directions=[[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 h | price=Free | content=On the large glaciers in Norway. Hiking the glacier is only for experts; do not attempt a hike on your own. The Battle of Hoth (''V'') was filmed here. }} ====Episode VI - Return of the Jedi==== * {{listing | name=[[Redwood National Park]] |alt=|url=| direction=[[California]], [[United States]] |email=|address=| lat=41.43 | long=-124.00 |directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikidata=|lastedit=2019-12-10| content=The Battle of Endor (''VI'') was filmed north of here on private logging company land (shortly thereafter clearcut) near Smith River; the speeder chase scene was filmed at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park to the south: Map of the Movies, Humboldt - Del Norte Film Commission, http://filmhumboldtdelnorte.org/sites/default/files/map-of-the-movies_0.pdf. }} ====Episode VII - The Force Awakens==== * {{listing | name=[[Skellig Michael]] | directions=[[Ireland]] | lat=51.771 | long=-10.540 | content=Luke Skywalker's exile home in ''VII'' and ''VIII''. }} ====Episode VIII: The Last Jedi==== ====Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker==== ====Rogue One: A Star Wars Story==== * {{listing | name=[[London/East End|Canary Wharf]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5035 | long=-0.0190 | directions=London, England | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q124377| wikipedia=Canary Wharf | content=The tube station was used in ''Rogue One'' as the Imperial security complex on Scarif. }} * {{listing | name=Laamu Atoll | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.933 | long=73.416 | directions=[[Maldives]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The tropical setting of the planet Scarif in ''Rogue One''. }} ====Solo: A Star Wars Story==== ====Rogue Squadron (releasing in 2023)==== {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} cldmaacuia7lg9jmv5qu522129jqe1c 4501992 4501991 2022-08-16T08:19:38Z 1.43.141.161 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Desert rocket Tatooine Tunisia banner.jpg|thumb|caption=Set for planet Tatooine, in Matmata, Tunisia}} ''The Lucasfilm company, George Lucas creators of Star Wars such as Star Wars Trilogy, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars Series and The Tragedy of Darth Vader, were essential in introducing one well known title character to life: Darth Vader'' — George Lucas. '''''Star Wars''''' is a space opera franchise launched in 1977 with the ''Star Wars'' film, later known as ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''. While set ''"a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"'', many of the locations are real-world places, some of them open to visitors, and perhaps best known for original productions the adventures of Darth Vader. In October 30, 2012 - Disney buys Lucasfilm, including Star Wars for $4.06 billion, the end of Star Wars trilogy at the 20th Century Fox studios. '''Spoiler alert!''' This article reveals plot details. ==Understand== {{quote|The Force will be with you. Always.|author=Obi-Wan Kenobi|source=Episode IV}} The core of the ''Star Wars'' franchise is the nine films of the ''Skywalker Saga''; The original trilogy (episodes IV-VI, released 1977-1983), the prequel trilogy (I-III, released 1999-2005), and the sequel trilogy (VII-IX, released 2015-19), created by George Lucas, and the one title character including Darth Vader, and other many Star Wars characters. The prequels depict Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker's forbidden love story with Queen Padmé Amidala, and his transformation to the Sith Lord Darth Vader, parallel to the Galactic Republic's corruption and transformation to from the clutches of pursed by the evil Galactic Empire. An intermediate film, ''Rogue One'', tells the story of how the rebels stole the plans for the Empire's deadly new weapon, the evil Death Star. The original trilogy depicts young Luke Skywalker's journey to become a Jedi knight, leading the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the evil Galactic Empire. The sequel trilogy is showing the continuing struggle between the Rebels and the successor of the defeated Empire, the First Order. Within the fan community, the films are usually referred to by their Roman number; e.g. ''"I"'' for ''Episode I: The Phantom Menace''. Spin-off works have their own notation, such as ''R1'' for ''Star Wars: Rogue One''. The franchise also includes several anthology films, television series, novels, video games, action figures and other material. The fourth of May is known as Star Wars Day as many fans say the phrase "May the 4th be with you", biggest simply celebrating ''Star Wars Day'', ''Darth Vader Day'', ''Luke Skywalker Day'', ''Princess Leia Day'', ''Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Day'', ''Yoda Day'', ''Chewbacca Day'',''C-3PO and R2-D2 Day'', ''Dark Side Day'', ''Sith Day'', ''I Am Your Father Day'' and ''Jedi Day''. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|45|8|zoom=2|layer=M|height=320|width=900}} ===Star Tours=== The original "Star Tours" shut down in 2010, however attractions known as "Star Tours – The Adventures Continue" opened in four locations the year after: * {{do | name =Hollywood Studios, Florida | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =28.3617 | long =-81.5549 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Park, California | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =33.8121 | long =-117.9190 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name=Tokyo Disneyland, Japan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.6329 | long=139.8804 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax = | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content= }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Paris, France | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =48.8674 | long =2.7836 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} ===Filming locations=== ====Episode I - The Phantom Menace==== * {{listing | name=[[Caserta]] | directions=[[Italy]] | lat=41.066667 | long=14.33 | content=A stand-in for the Naboo Palace in ''I'' and ''II''. }} ====Episode II - Attack of the Clones==== * {{listing | name=[[Seville]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.3771 | long=-5.9869 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q956018 | lastedit=2021-02-25 | content=Plaza de España stands in for city Theed on the planet Naboo. }} * {{listing | name=Villa del Balbianello | alt= | url= | | address=Via Comoedia 5, Lenno | directions=[[Tremezzo]], [[Italy]] | lat=45.9651232 | long=9.2025384 | content=The wedding scene in '' Episode II'' takes place here. }} ====Episode III - Revenge of the Sith==== * {{listing | name=[[Grindelwald]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.6202 | long=8.0406 | directions=[[Switzerland]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Grindelwald | wikidata=Q64004 | content=The mountainous setting of the planet Alderaan. }} ====Episode IV - A New Hope==== * {{listing | name=[[Matmata]] | directions=[[Tunisia]] | lat=33.5426| long=9.966 | content=Scenes of the desert planet '''Tatooine''' in a number of ''Star Wars'' films were filmed here. Also see the nearby town of [[Tataouine]], where a little filming was also done. }} * {{listing | name=[[Death Valley National Park]] | directions=[[California]], [[United States]] | lat=36.45 | long=-117.09 | content=Some Tatooine scenes in ''IV''. }} ====Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hardangerjøkulen | alt=Hardanger Glacier | url= | email= | address=Finse/[[Hardangervidda]] | lat=60.535 | long=7.424 | directions=[[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 h | price=Free | content=On the large glaciers in Norway. Hiking the glacier is only for experts; do not attempt a hike on your own. The Battle of Hoth (''V'') was filmed here. }} ====Episode VI - Return of the Jedi==== * {{listing | name=[[Redwood National Park]] |alt=|url=| direction=[[California]], [[United States]] |email=|address=| lat=41.43 | long=-124.00 |directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikidata=|lastedit=2019-12-10| content=The Battle of Endor (''VI'') was filmed north of here on private logging company land (shortly thereafter clearcut) near Smith River; the speeder chase scene was filmed at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park to the south: Map of the Movies, Humboldt - Del Norte Film Commission, http://filmhumboldtdelnorte.org/sites/default/files/map-of-the-movies_0.pdf. }} ====Episode VII - The Force Awakens==== * {{listing | name=[[Skellig Michael]] | directions=[[Ireland]] | lat=51.771 | long=-10.540 | content=Luke Skywalker's exile home in ''VII'' and ''VIII''. }} ====Episode VIII: The Last Jedi==== ====Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker==== ====Rogue One: A Star Wars Story==== * {{listing | name=[[London/East End|Canary Wharf]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5035 | long=-0.0190 | directions=London, England | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q124377| wikipedia=Canary Wharf | content=The tube station was used in ''Rogue One'' as the Imperial security complex on Scarif. }} * {{listing | name=Laamu Atoll | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.933 | long=73.416 | directions=[[Maldives]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The tropical setting of the planet Scarif in ''Rogue One''. }} ====Solo: A Star Wars Story==== ====Rogue Squadron (releasing in 2023)==== {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} skwdmpyyk7076hf1i37b9rifqvx6flo 4501993 4501992 2022-08-16T08:20:03Z 1.43.141.161 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Desert rocket Tatooine Tunisia banner.jpg|thumb|caption=Set for planet Tatooine, in Matmata, Tunisia}} ''The Lucasfilm company, George Lucas creators of Star Wars such as Star Wars Trilogy, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars Series and The Tragedy of Darth Vader, were essential in introducing one well known title character to life: Darth Vader'' — George Lucas. '''''Star Wars''''' is a space opera franchise launched in 1977 with the ''Star Wars'' film, later known as ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope''. While set ''"a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"'', many of the locations are real-world places, some of them open to visitors, and perhaps best known for original productions the adventures of Darth Vader. In October 30, 2012 - Disney buys Lucasfilm, including Star Wars for $4.06 billion, the end of Star Wars trilogy at the 20th Century Fox studios. '''Spoiler alert!''' This article reveals plot details. ==Understand== {{quote|The Force will be with you. Always.|author=Obi-Wan Kenobi|source=Episode IV}} The core of the ''Star Wars'' franchise is the nine films of the ''Skywalker Saga''; The original trilogy (episodes IV-VI, released 1977-1983), the prequel trilogy (I-III, released 1999-2005), and the sequel trilogy (VII-IX, released 2015-19), created by George Lucas, and the one title character including Darth Vader, and other many Star Wars characters. The prequels depict Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker's forbidden love story with Queen Padmé Amidala, and his transformation to the Sith Lord Darth Vader, parallel to the Galactic Republic's corruption and transformation to from the clutches of the evil Galactic Empire. An intermediate film, ''Rogue One'', tells the story of how the rebels stole the plans for the Empire's deadly new weapon, the evil Death Star. The original trilogy depicts young Luke Skywalker's journey to become a Jedi knight, leading the Rebel Alliance's struggle against pursed by the evil Galactic Empire. The sequel trilogy is showing the continuing struggle between the Rebels and the successor of the defeated Empire, the First Order. Within the fan community, the films are usually referred to by their Roman number; e.g. ''"I"'' for ''Episode I: The Phantom Menace''. Spin-off works have their own notation, such as ''R1'' for ''Star Wars: Rogue One''. The franchise also includes several anthology films, television series, novels, video games, action figures and other material. The fourth of May is known as Star Wars Day as many fans say the phrase "May the 4th be with you", biggest simply celebrating ''Star Wars Day'', ''Darth Vader Day'', ''Luke Skywalker Day'', ''Princess Leia Day'', ''Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Day'', ''Yoda Day'', ''Chewbacca Day'',''C-3PO and R2-D2 Day'', ''Dark Side Day'', ''Sith Day'', ''I Am Your Father Day'' and ''Jedi Day''. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|45|8|zoom=2|layer=M|height=320|width=900}} ===Star Tours=== The original "Star Tours" shut down in 2010, however attractions known as "Star Tours – The Adventures Continue" opened in four locations the year after: * {{do | name =Hollywood Studios, Florida | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =28.3617 | long =-81.5549 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Park, California | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =33.8121 | long =-117.9190 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} * {{do | name=Tokyo Disneyland, Japan | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=35.6329 | long=139.8804 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax = | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content= }} * {{do | name =Disneyland Paris, France | alt = | url = | email = | address = | lat =48.8674 | long =2.7836 | directions = | phone = | tollfree = | fax = | hours = | price = | lastedit=2021-04-25 | content = }} ===Filming locations=== ====Episode I - The Phantom Menace==== * {{listing | name=[[Caserta]] | directions=[[Italy]] | lat=41.066667 | long=14.33 | content=A stand-in for the Naboo Palace in ''I'' and ''II''. }} ====Episode II - Attack of the Clones==== * {{listing | name=[[Seville]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.3771 | long=-5.9869 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q956018 | lastedit=2021-02-25 | content=Plaza de España stands in for city Theed on the planet Naboo. }} * {{listing | name=Villa del Balbianello | alt= | url= | | address=Via Comoedia 5, Lenno | directions=[[Tremezzo]], [[Italy]] | lat=45.9651232 | long=9.2025384 | content=The wedding scene in '' Episode II'' takes place here. }} ====Episode III - Revenge of the Sith==== * {{listing | name=[[Grindelwald]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=46.6202 | long=8.0406 | directions=[[Switzerland]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Grindelwald | wikidata=Q64004 | content=The mountainous setting of the planet Alderaan. }} ====Episode IV - A New Hope==== * {{listing | name=[[Matmata]] | directions=[[Tunisia]] | lat=33.5426| long=9.966 | content=Scenes of the desert planet '''Tatooine''' in a number of ''Star Wars'' films were filmed here. Also see the nearby town of [[Tataouine]], where a little filming was also done. }} * {{listing | name=[[Death Valley National Park]] | directions=[[California]], [[United States]] | lat=36.45 | long=-117.09 | content=Some Tatooine scenes in ''IV''. }} ====Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back==== * {{listing | type=listing | name=Hardangerjøkulen | alt=Hardanger Glacier | url= | email= | address=Finse/[[Hardangervidda]] | lat=60.535 | long=7.424 | directions=[[Norway]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 h | price=Free | content=On the large glaciers in Norway. Hiking the glacier is only for experts; do not attempt a hike on your own. The Battle of Hoth (''V'') was filmed here. }} ====Episode VI - Return of the Jedi==== * {{listing | name=[[Redwood National Park]] |alt=|url=| direction=[[California]], [[United States]] |email=|address=| lat=41.43 | long=-124.00 |directions=|phone=|tollfree=|fax=|hours=|price=|wikidata=|lastedit=2019-12-10| content=The Battle of Endor (''VI'') was filmed north of here on private logging company land (shortly thereafter clearcut) near Smith River; the speeder chase scene was filmed at the Chetham Grove section of Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park to the south: Map of the Movies, Humboldt - Del Norte Film Commission, http://filmhumboldtdelnorte.org/sites/default/files/map-of-the-movies_0.pdf. }} ====Episode VII - The Force Awakens==== * {{listing | name=[[Skellig Michael]] | directions=[[Ireland]] | lat=51.771 | long=-10.540 | content=Luke Skywalker's exile home in ''VII'' and ''VIII''. }} ====Episode VIII: The Last Jedi==== ====Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker==== ====Rogue One: A Star Wars Story==== * {{listing | name=[[London/East End|Canary Wharf]] | url= | email= | address= | lat=51.5035 | long=-0.0190 | directions=London, England | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q124377| wikipedia=Canary Wharf | content=The tube station was used in ''Rogue One'' as the Imperial security complex on Scarif. }} * {{listing | name=Laamu Atoll | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=1.933 | long=73.416 | directions=[[Maldives]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=The tropical setting of the planet Scarif in ''Rogue One''. }} ====Solo: A Star Wars Story==== ====Rogue Squadron (releasing in 2023)==== {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} 2q29y3gdqqd3h49t4sjwcmgmgvkjfnf 2 163767 4502021 4086322 2022-08-16T08:39:20Z Brycehughes 43226 wikitext text/x-wiki I do a bit better with the dry, technical writing style of Wikipedia, but I'd love to get better at the lively writing style used here... I just need practice. Anyway, countries I've been to: * Argentina * Australia * Austria * Belgium * Bosnia and Herzegovina * Brazil * Bulgaria * Canada * Chile * Colombia * Croatia * Czech Republic * Fiji * France * Georgia * Germany * Greece * Hong Kong * Hungary * India * Indonesia * Ireland * Italy * Kenya * Mexico * Morocco * Netherlands * New Zealand * North Macedonia * Paraguay * Poland * Portugal * Romania * Serbia * Slovakia * Spain * South Africa * Tanzania * Thailand * Turkey * Uganda * United Kingdom * United States * Uruguay * Vatican City * Zambia * Zimbabwe And that, folks, is the most effort I've ever put into a Wikimedia user page. 6ja3f721ztli5qj40rvvc0gfw5gjeb8 4 166831 4501916 4482574 2022-08-16T06:39:14Z Xeti1232 2274869 /* Why are Female Athletes Prone to ACL Injuries? */ new section wikitext text/x-wiki __NEWSECTIONLINK__ {| style="background: whitesmoke; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: center; padding-left: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" | style="text-align:left" | <div style="text-align:center; font-size:300%; line-height: 1; padding: 10px;">'''<span style="color:#454442;">Welcome to the Arrivals Lounge</span>'''</div> {{shortcut|[[WV:Arrivals]]|[[WV:AL]]}} <span style="color:#454442;">The Arrivals Lounge is a place where learners on Wikivoyage can ask questions about the website; in particular, questions about formatting, templates, or any problems or concerns. Experienced users can answer their questions and help them learn more about how to use the website.</span> <span style="color:#454442;">To start a new topic, click the button below entitled "Click here to ask a new question", so that the new topic gets added at the bottom of the page, and '''sign your post by appending four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>)'''. To see the archives, please visit the archive for the month you are looking for. For example, [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge/Archives/2018/September]] gets you the archives for September 2018. Archiving is done automatically after one month for a discussion. There is also a page with links to archives; see [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge/Archives]].</span> [{{fullurl:Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge|action=edit&section=new}} <big>'''Click here to ask a new question'''</big>] <div style="color:#454442;"> <div class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 0px solid #abc;"> '''You can also try some other pages for getting information. Press the "expand" button to see more.''' <div class="mw-collapsible-content"> * Our [[wikivoyage:Help|Help]], [[wikivoyage:FAQ|FAQ]], and [[wikivoyage:Policies|Policies]] pages. * For '''general questions''', the [[pub]] is a popular destination. * If you have a '''question or suggestion about a particular article''', you may use the article's [[wikivoyage:Using_talk_pages|talk page]] to keep the discussion associated with that article. * If you'd like to '''draw attention to a comment''' to '''get feedback''' from other Wikivoyagers, you can try [[wikivoyage:Requests_for_comment|Requests for comment]]. * If you are '''wanting travel advice on a specific matter''', you can ask the question at the [[wikivoyage:Tourist_office|Tourist Office]]. * If you there is '''vandalism you need to report''', you can go to [[wikivoyage:Vandalism_in_progress|Vandalism in progress]]. * If you are having a '''problem that you think has to do with the [[mw:|MediaWiki software]]''', please post that on [[phab:|Phabricator]] rather than here. * If you want to '''celebrate a significant contribution''' to Wikivoyage by yourself or others, you can hold a party at [[wikivoyage:Celebrate_a_contribution|Celebrate a contribution]]. * Discuss '''issues related to more than one language version''' of Wikivoyage in the [[metawiki:Wikivoyage/Lounge|Wikivoyage Lounge]] on Meta. {{Auto archiving |archive = Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge/Archives/%(year)d/%(monthname)s |algo = old(50d) |counter = 1 |minthreadstoarchive = 1 |minthreadsleft = 2 |archiveheader = {{talk archive}} }} </div> </div> </div> |} == Passport == How can I obtain an emergency passport? <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:120.21.219.247|120.21.219.247]] ([[User_talk:120.21.219.247|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/120.21.219.247|contribs]]) </small> :You don't say what your nationality is, where you are, why you need the passport now and by when you need it. But the general answer to this kind of question is: contact your country's nearest consulate as soon as you can. If you're in your own country, you might be able to go to an official passport office of some kind or inquire at a post office; do some research on the website of your country's department of foreign affairs, etc. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:36, 19 May 2022 (UTC) : See also [[Passport#Temporary_or_emergency_passports]] [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 03:00, 27 June 2022 (UTC) == A glitch on IPads vertically (and likely phones) == For some reason, if devices are tilted vertically, you can not use the tourist office. == Costs in SE Asia == Philippines tourist visas are limited to three years; then you have to leave for at least a day but after that you can start another three years. I've stayed much longer than planned due to COVID, & my three years runs out in October. So I'm planning a short holiday, maybe five days. There are cheap flights to Singapore, even less for KL, and Bali, which would be my first choice, is not hugely more. But budget is tight & I need to avoid places where hotels & food are expensive. All those places were cheap when I was last there in the 1980s, but I suspect not now. Can anyone comment on current costs? [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 02:54, 27 June 2022 (UTC) == Why are Female Athletes Prone to ACL Injuries? == Why are Female Athletes Prone to ACL Injuries? Compared to male athletes, female athletes are more prone to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Studies show that women are 3-8 times more likely to sustain an ACL injury compared to men. The question is why? Considerations include a smaller diameter ACL, a more narrow bony notch in the femur in which the ACL sits, the fact that women tend to be more knock kneed in their alignment, altered landing mechanisms, and possibly hormonal effects on ligament laxity and strength. Biomechanical studies analyzing female versus male performance with similar tasks has shown that female athletes tend to subject their ACL to higher stresses. These same biomechanical differences are also likely increasing their injury rate. [https://shoulderandkneeclinic.com/acl-treatment-india/ acl reconstruction surgery cost in india] The biomechanical differences affecting a female athlete’s knee are: A more knock kneed (valgus) alignment A tendency to land from a jump with the knee in a valgus position Decelerating with the center of gravity posterior and the knee more extended or more straight. Differences in quadriceps, hamstring, and gluteal strength such that the quad dominates. The gluteal musculature is weaker contributing to the valgus position of the knee. Weakness and tightness of the hamstrings places higher stresses on the ACL. It is the combination of anatomy, biomechanics, and movement related to athletics that contributes to the higher rate of ACL injuries in female athletes. Do Female Athletes Need ACL Surgery? Older female athletes who have sustained an ACL tear can often be treated without surgery. Nonsurgical treatment consists of physical therapy to address muscle imbalances, knee bracing, and resuming low impact activities initially. In addition, a sports medicine professional can work with the patient to recommend technique modification, movement improvement, and collateral strength development to address the biomechanics. Younger female athletes who wish to resume high level cutting and pivoting sports often require surgery. Following an ACL tear, there is initially significant pain, swelling, and instability but with time, the knee pain and swelling usually resolves and the knee can feel nearly normal. However, if one were to then resume cutting and pivoting sports following an ACL tear, the knee will most likely give way, causing pain, swelling, and possibly further damage to the cartilage in the knee. For the female athlete contemplating ACL surgery, there are several considerations: Athlete’s age Current sports Desire to return to same activity level Type of job and demand on the knee joint Type of hobbies such as hiking, dancing, etc. Post-surgery functional expectations These considerations along with a comprehensive orthopedic physical examination and imaging, to include xrays and an MRI, will help the female athlete decide if there is a need for ACL surgery. What is the Best ACL Graft for Female Athletes? The first choice when deciding on an ACL graft is choosing between an allograft (tendon from a donor) or autograft (tendon from the patient). Dr. Cunningham and other sports medicine surgeons that do a high volume of ACL surgery recommend autograft and not allograft. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated a higher retear rate with allografts, particularly in younger patients. Autograft options for ACL reconstruction are utilizing the: Central one third of the patellar tendon 2 of the medial hamstring tendons Central one third of the quadriceps tendon Patellar tendon and hamstring tendon autografts have been utilized for several decades with very good results. Use of a quadriceps tendon autograft has been widely used for nearly 10 years and the results have been excellent. Some concerns with the use of a patellar tendon autograft for ACL reconstruction: Higher incidence of permanent pain with kneeling following surgery Higher incidence of pain in the front of the knee Higher incidence of developing knee arthritis earlier in life in some studies Although rare, a higher risk of a subsequent patella fracture Some concerns with the use of a hamstring tendon autograft for ACL reconstruction: The tendon graft being smaller than the native ACL, especially in females of smaller stature The graft gradually stretching out over time causing recurrent knee instability Decreased hamstring strength Given this, a quad tendon autograft is a great option for female athletes requiring ACL reconstruction surgery. ACL doctor Richard Cunningham, MD utilizes the quad tendon for most of his female ACL reconstruction patients. What are the Benefits of a Quad Tendon for Female Athletes? Excellent outcomes have been demonstrated with the use of the quadriceps tendon for female athletes requiring ACL reconstruction. The quad tendon is also frequently used for ACL reconstruction revision surgery in female athletes who have torn their ACL graft and need their surgery redone. The benefits of a quad tendon graft for female athletes include: Unlike a patellar tendon autograft, no need to harvest sections of the bone from the patella and tibia along with the patellar tendon 88% thicker tendon graft compared to a patellar tendon graft. The quad tendon is long and can accommodate various graft lengths Minimally invasive incisions to the harvest site Easier harvesting process Reduced incidence of anterior knee pain compared to a patellar tendon graft What is Recovery Like After ACL Surgery in Female Athletes? Patients go home the same day as surgery. They are in a knee brace and on crutches for several weeks. Patients can bear weight on the knee immediately after surgery, but it may take 2-3 weeks to be able to walk without crutches and to discontinue the knee brace. Physical therapy is started the day after surgery with patients then going 2-3 times per week for several months. The first goal is to decrease swelling and restore knee range of motion. Patients can spin on a stationary bike as soon as they can get around on the pedals. Walking is limited to in home walking for the first 2 weeks to minimize swelling and maximize knee range of motion. By 8 weeks from surgery, patients can be riding a bike outdoors on flat roads. By 12 weeks, patients can do light hiking. By 16 weeks, patients can start to jog. It can take 8 months to be able to return to cutting and pivoting sports such as soccer or skiing. During your rehabilitation, your physical therapist will work on normalizing any muscle imbalances and working on restoring normal biomechanics, which will help prevent reinjury to the knee or injury to your other knee. The female athlete will be able to return to full activity with good strength, improved biomechanics and the confidence that the recovery program has been accomplished to the best possible outcome. [[User:Xeti1232|Xeti1232]] ([[User talk:Xeti1232|talk]]) 06:39, 16 August 2022 (UTC) t1s7sy13i1nk09zm2uwe9rkvtaeeytn 4501919 4501916 2022-08-16T06:41:15Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Xeti1232|Xeti1232]] ([[User talk:Xeti1232|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] wikitext text/x-wiki __NEWSECTIONLINK__ {| style="background: whitesmoke; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: center; padding-left: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" | style="text-align:left" | <div style="text-align:center; font-size:300%; line-height: 1; padding: 10px;">'''<span style="color:#454442;">Welcome to the Arrivals Lounge</span>'''</div> {{shortcut|[[WV:Arrivals]]|[[WV:AL]]}} <span style="color:#454442;">The Arrivals Lounge is a place where learners on Wikivoyage can ask questions about the website; in particular, questions about formatting, templates, or any problems or concerns. Experienced users can answer their questions and help them learn more about how to use the website.</span> <span style="color:#454442;">To start a new topic, click the button below entitled "Click here to ask a new question", so that the new topic gets added at the bottom of the page, and '''sign your post by appending four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>)'''. To see the archives, please visit the archive for the month you are looking for. For example, [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge/Archives/2018/September]] gets you the archives for September 2018. Archiving is done automatically after one month for a discussion. There is also a page with links to archives; see [[Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge/Archives]].</span> [{{fullurl:Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge|action=edit&section=new}} <big>'''Click here to ask a new question'''</big>] <div style="color:#454442;"> <div class="toccolors mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background: #f4f7fa; border: 0px solid #abc;"> '''You can also try some other pages for getting information. Press the "expand" button to see more.''' <div class="mw-collapsible-content"> * Our [[wikivoyage:Help|Help]], [[wikivoyage:FAQ|FAQ]], and [[wikivoyage:Policies|Policies]] pages. * For '''general questions''', the [[pub]] is a popular destination. * If you have a '''question or suggestion about a particular article''', you may use the article's [[wikivoyage:Using_talk_pages|talk page]] to keep the discussion associated with that article. * If you'd like to '''draw attention to a comment''' to '''get feedback''' from other Wikivoyagers, you can try [[wikivoyage:Requests_for_comment|Requests for comment]]. * If you are '''wanting travel advice on a specific matter''', you can ask the question at the [[wikivoyage:Tourist_office|Tourist Office]]. * If you there is '''vandalism you need to report''', you can go to [[wikivoyage:Vandalism_in_progress|Vandalism in progress]]. * If you are having a '''problem that you think has to do with the [[mw:|MediaWiki software]]''', please post that on [[phab:|Phabricator]] rather than here. * If you want to '''celebrate a significant contribution''' to Wikivoyage by yourself or others, you can hold a party at [[wikivoyage:Celebrate_a_contribution|Celebrate a contribution]]. * Discuss '''issues related to more than one language version''' of Wikivoyage in the [[metawiki:Wikivoyage/Lounge|Wikivoyage Lounge]] on Meta. {{Auto archiving |archive = Wikivoyage:Arrivals lounge/Archives/%(year)d/%(monthname)s |algo = old(50d) |counter = 1 |minthreadstoarchive = 1 |minthreadsleft = 2 |archiveheader = {{talk archive}} }} </div> </div> </div> |} == Passport == How can I obtain an emergency passport? <small>—The [[Project:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:120.21.219.247|120.21.219.247]] ([[User_talk:120.21.219.247|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/120.21.219.247|contribs]]) </small> :You don't say what your nationality is, where you are, why you need the passport now and by when you need it. But the general answer to this kind of question is: contact your country's nearest consulate as soon as you can. If you're in your own country, you might be able to go to an official passport office of some kind or inquire at a post office; do some research on the website of your country's department of foreign affairs, etc. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:36, 19 May 2022 (UTC) : See also [[Passport#Temporary_or_emergency_passports]] [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 03:00, 27 June 2022 (UTC) == A glitch on IPads vertically (and likely phones) == For some reason, if devices are tilted vertically, you can not use the tourist office. == Costs in SE Asia == Philippines tourist visas are limited to three years; then you have to leave for at least a day but after that you can start another three years. I've stayed much longer than planned due to COVID, & my three years runs out in October. So I'm planning a short holiday, maybe five days. There are cheap flights to Singapore, even less for KL, and Bali, which would be my first choice, is not hugely more. But budget is tight & I need to avoid places where hotels & food are expensive. All those places were cheap when I was last there in the 1980s, but I suspect not now. Can anyone comment on current costs? [[User:Pashley|Pashley]] ([[User talk:Pashley|talk]]) 02:54, 27 June 2022 (UTC) nrnoo53nlia6gt0fnjw7b5ubmbx40r8 1 166949 4501685 4500115 2022-08-15T18:27:29Z The dog2 35982 /* What needs to be attributed to Indonesia */ wikitext text/x-wiki == A couple of details == This looks very good. A couple of details: Is it really true that most Malaysians are adept at using chopsticks, nowadays? It's slightly surprising to me if a large number of Malays know how to use them. Spelling: Belachan (ejaan lama) or belacan (ejaan baru)? I think we should use ejaan baru ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rumi_Spelling "new spelling", which dates from 1972]). [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 20:06, 5 September 2018 (UTC) :When I created the article by copying in from various other articles, I had to adjust the order of some things, but yes, I think it looks good. I've adjusted the paragraph about chopsticks a little so it now says "some" instead of "many". That way, travelers won't go to [[Malaysia]] expecting to see the locals using chopsticks. With the spelling, would it make sense to include both names (with the old one in parenthesis), so there is no confusion? You're the expert here so I'll leave it to you to make that decision. <small>--Comment by </small> '''[[User:SelfieCity|<font color="#b32425">Selfie City</font>]]''' ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="#ac6600">talk</font>]] about my [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="#ac6600">contributions</font>]]) 20:16, 5 September 2018 (UTC) ::Hold on. You can indeed expect the locals to use chopsticks in Chinese eateries in Malaysia; it's just that many Malays don't know how to use them. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 21:54, 5 September 2018 (UTC) == Rename == I think we should re-name it Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine, since both countries have a very similar culinary tradition with very similar flavours. In fact, if you travel around, you could almost consider Singaporean cuisine to be a regional variant of Malaysian cuisine, in the same way that Kuala Lumpur and Penang cuisine are slightly different from each other. Given that Singapore was part of Malaya under British rule, and was part of Malaysia briefly after the British left, this is actually not that surprising. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 19:32, 10 September 2018 (UTC) :Sure. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:33, 10 September 2018 (UTC) ::Should this article include Bruneian cuisine too? Brunei is quite small so it may not need to be included in the title but it could still be discussed and grouped with East Malaysian. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 23:27, 10 September 2018 (UTC) :::Unless it's strangely different from food across the border, sure. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 23:49, 10 September 2018 (UTC) ::::I've never been to Brunei so I can't comment on Bruneian cuisine, but if it is very similar to East Malaysian cuisine, then I don't mind including Brunei in the title if people don't find such a long title too unwieldy. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 22:07, 11 September 2018 (UTC) :::::I'm not sure Brunei needs to be included in the name. I'd actually be tempted to keep the name and say that the article also covers Singapore and Brunei, except that Singaporeans wouldn't stand for being conflated with Malaysia in any way, for understandable historical reasons and also due to a more or less healthy or unhealthy rivalry. :-) I could see Bruneians objecting, too, but I think our argument would be that Brunei is a lesser-known country and doesn't get nearly as many visits by foreigners as Malaysia or Singapore. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 00:06, 12 September 2018 (UTC) ::::::Yes, I think the name "Malaysian cuisine" is fine, and I can understand making it "Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine" or "Malaysian and Brunei cuisine" but not "Malaysian, Singaporean, and Brunei cuisine". It's too long, especially compared to just "Malaysian cuisine". ::::::A compromise could be to redirect "Singaporean cuisine" or "Brunei cuisine" to this article and keep the current name. Another option is to mention that this article covers multiple cuisines right at the beginning. I think straightforward article titles should be used when possible, but of course if we need to name the article something different we should. <small>--Comment by </small> '''[[User:SelfieCity|<font color="#808000">Selfie City</font>]]''' ([[User_talk:SelfieCity|<font color="#ac6600">talk</font>]] about my [[Special:Contributions/SelfieCity|<font color="#ac6600">contributions</font>]]) 02:09, 12 September 2018 (UTC) {{outdent}}I'm personally not big into identity politics, so whatever. But it would most certainly be offensive to most Singaporeans if you call them Malaysians, and given that Brunei decided not to join Malaysia even when Singapore did in 1963, I won't be surprised if the same applies to Bruneians too. And while I won't get into to much detail here, geopolitically, Singapore and Brunei have a very close relationship (in fact, the Singapore and Brunei currencies are pegged 1:1), despite the fact that Brunei is demographically more similar to Malaysia. So while I'm not particular, those are certainly some things to consider. Speaking of which, there used to be a "Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine" article back in the days of Wikitravel before a consensus back then was not to have cuisine articles. It's interesting that after so long, the consensus has shifted to wanting these cuisine articles back. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 04:09, 12 September 2018 (UTC) :Well, if we have to mention all 3 countries, let's call it "The cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei". [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:15, 12 September 2018 (UTC) ::That sounds reasonable. All of the variants (e.g. Singaporean and Bruneian cuisine) can become redirects. [[User:DaGizza|<font color="teal">Gizza</font>]]^{(<i>[[User_talk:DaGizza|<font color="teal">roam</font>]]</i>)} 05:01, 12 September 2018 (UTC) :::I would leave out the word "the". —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 05:06, 12 September 2018 (UTC) ::::I'm happy with [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]]'s suggested title. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 05:09, 12 September 2018 (UTC) [unindent] By the way, about the tangent on the popularity of cuisine articles, I still think very few of them are anywhere close to sufficiently travel-focused. Wikipedia has some excellent articles about the "what" of cuisine; we need to cover the "where". We should be telling people where to go for the best examples of a, b, c, x, y and z dishes. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 07:41, 12 September 2018 (UTC) :Interesting point. I'll think about that as I keep working on the [[Chinese cuisine]] article. —[[User:Mx. Granger|Granger]]&nbsp;([[User talk:Mx. Granger|talk]] '''·''' [[Special:Contributions/Mx. Granger|contribs]]) 08:01, 12 September 2018 (UTC) ::<s>Would [[:w:Malay cuisine]] be a good name? [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 08:09, 12 September 2018 (UTC)</s> Apparently not, because the article is also about other cuisines in Malaysia and surrounding countries. [[User:Ypsilon|ϒpsilon]] ([[User talk:Ypsilon|talk]]) 08:12, 12 September 2018 (UTC) :::No, it would be a very inappropriate name, because Malaysian cuisine is the cuisine of the Malays, the Chinese and Indian Malaysians and the Orang Asli, plus the Peranakan/Nyonya, the Malaccan Portuguese, etc. Malaysia is a very diverse country. It's conceivable that someday, this article will become so long and detailed that we might have to split it up, but absolutely not at this point. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:23, 12 September 2018 (UTC) ::::I think the Chinese cuisine article is promising, as is the [[Japanese cuisine]] one. In addition to focusing on where to get what, we should also cover what kind of experiences to expect in different kinds of eateries and etiquette surrounding eating and drinking. In Malaysia, usually things are pretty informal, but that's way less true in Japan or France. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 08:26, 12 September 2018 (UTC) :::::Of course there are fancier places in Malaysia too, though I will admit that Kuala Lumpur's fine dining scene is not as vibrant as Bangkok's. And in Japan, there's also very casual places if you know where to look; ramen and curry rice places, so instance, are very casual. :::::But anyway, yes, I think one of the things we need to do is to cover the regional specialities. For instance, if you want bak kut teh, it comes in different styles in different areas. Klang is the most famous, but we have our own variant in Singapore, and over in Sabah, Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan have their own versions of bak kut teh which are also different. With regards to Peranakan cuisine, you may be surprised to know that ayam buah keluak is actually very local to Malacca and Singapore, and most Malaysians not from Malacca don't even know what it is. And I also realised we haven't even covered Eurasian cuisine in the article. Of course, devil's curry / curry debal is their most famous dish, but there are others as well like sugee cake and shephard's pie. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 18:54, 12 September 2018 (UTC) ::::::I spent most of my time in Malaysia in Terengganu, with occasional forays into Kelantan, and secondarily in KL and have taken only one brief trip apiece to Malacca and Singapore, so I'm not sure I've actually ever tried ayam buah keluak, and I'm also unfamiliar with specifically Eurasian cuisine. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 19:02, 12 September 2018 (UTC) :::::::Look's like nobody has objected for a while, so I will go ahead and re-name if there are no objections in the next 24 hours. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 14:54, 17 September 2018 (UTC) == Images == [[User:Mbrickn|Mbrickn]] just added some nice images. Whoever has the chance: Let's distribute them more or less evenly throughout the article, per [[Image policy#Minimal use of images]]: *''Images should be distributed throughout an article, not bunched up in any section.'' *''Try to avoid having more than 2 or at most 3 successive images without space between them.'' [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 02:29, 4 January 2019 (UTC) == Nasi lemak wars == I thought you might enjoy reading this BBC story: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20191111-where-is-malaysias-national-dish ---- [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 16:29, 12 November 2019 (UTC) == Sago and tapioca == Are they in practice the same nowadays in Malaysia? The word for tapioca in Malay is ubi kayu ([[w:Cassava]]), or at least that's what it's obtained from (see [[w:Tapioca]]). [[w:Sago]] is not about the same plant. [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 01:13, 22 May 2022 (UTC) == What needs to be attributed to Indonesia == Rendang, yes, absolutely, it comes from the Minangkabau. But nasi kuning/nasi kunyit is just glutinous rice with fresh turmeric, boiled in coconut milk, and yellow is the color of royalty throughout Nusantara, so I don't think you'll get many Malaysians to associate it with Indonesia. And in Malaysia, satay Kajang is legendary, so while I would certainly state that the best satay/sate I ever had was in a hole-in-the-wall on the outskirts of Jakarta, I don't think Malaysians would recognize satay as having an Indonesian origin. My feeling is that we could state that these dishes are shared with Indonesia, but that's as far as we should go in this article. Your thoughts? [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] ([[User talk:Ikan Kekek|talk]]) 04:52, 13 August 2022 (UTC) :I'm not Malaysian and I've always associated satay as Malaysian. Agree with you. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 04:59, 13 August 2022 (UTC) ::Sure, we can say that these are shared with Indonesia. In Singapore, we regard rendang as a traditional Malay dish, and it is not specifically associated with Indonesia. But of course, many Singaporeans have been to Indonesia, so we also know that you can order rendang at a nasi padang restaurant. Satay is also considered to be a local Malay dish in Singapore, not a specifically Indonesian dish, but people do know of Kajang satay. I haven't been to Kajang myself, but my parents told me that the Kajang style is slightly different from the style we are used to in Singapore. [[User:The dog2|The dog2]] ([[User talk:The dog2|talk]]) 18:27, 15 August 2022 (UTC) q23z7ditutzpd2kxwvnxzxltci5gcsr 0 168309 4501799 4489270 2022-08-16T01:23:16Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Southeast Asia */ I can't believe I forgot to add this a while ago wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tropical rainforest banner.jpg|caption=A river flowing through the Cape Tribulation section of Daintree National Park, Queensland}} {{confused|the [[tropics]], a geographical region of the earth near the equator}} '''Tropical rainforests''' have climates that receive high temperatures and high humidity throughout the year. While they are closely tied to the geographical boundaries of the tropics, not all the land in the tropics is covered by tropical rainforests. ==Understand== [[File:World map indicating tropics and subtropics.png|thumb|The red zone on the map corresponds to the tropics; those who know about geography will notice that some of the land around the edges of the shaded area is not jungle at all, but instead desert.|450x450px|alt=]] Tropical rainforests are one of the many biomes in the world, along with desert climates, the tundra, forests, grasslands, Mediterranean climates, and the extreme polar climates found at each end of the earth. Right at the Equator, and a few degrees off it, rainfall tends to be almost exactly the same around the year. Further away, there are often a couple of dryer months, but during the rest of the year it rains so much that the yearly amount of rainfall is often higher than at the equator. Still further away, the dry season is longer, it rains less during the year, and extremely high temperatures become more common. It's the wetter parts of the tropics that are home to tropical rainforests — see the map to the right of this text. The regions of the tropics with the heaviest rainfall are ideal for forests and thick "jungle". Therefore, large regions of rainforests exist throughout equatorial regions, and they have historically provided huge barriers for [[In the footsteps of explorers|explorers]] and civilizations. Although rainforests are shrinking overall around the world, they are still found over large portions of the earth, especially in [[Brazil]], [[Central Africa]], [[Southeast Asia]], [[Papua New Guinea]] and [[Far North Queensland]] in [[Australia]]. {{clear}} == Destinations == {{mapframe|width=600|align=center}} === Australia === While Australia is largely covered by desert, there are portions of the continent that are tropical rainforest, particularly in the northeast. A quick look at a map will show you that this region is sparsely populated. The most visited and well-known one is the {{marker| name=[[Daintree Rainforest]]| lat=-16.2 | long=145.4 | directions=| image=Daintree Rainforest 2.jpg | wikidata=Q5209517| lastedit=2018-11-11| content=}}, 140 kilometres north of [[Cairns]] in [[Far North Queensland]] bordering the [[Great Barrier Reef]] to the east. There are other patches of rainforests too, as part of the world heritage listed '''Wet Tropics of Queensland''', but they are not as well known as the Daintree. === Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana === Brazil is so well-known for its tropical rainforests because huge portions of the country are covered by them. However, Brazil has a reputation for destroying its rainforests. One way to view the rainforest is by going down the [[Amazon River]], one of the longest rivers in the world, and in the process seeing the rainforest without having to venture through the rainforest itself. A large part of Suriname is covered by the {{marker|name=[[Surinamese Rainforest]]|wikidata=Q189934}} while about half of the French overseas department of [[French Guiana]] is covered with rainforest, within the {{marker|name=[[Guiana Amazonian Park]]|wikidata=Q665459}}, which also happens to be the largest national park in the EU (as French Guiana is an overseas department of France). === Costa Rica === [[Costa Rica]] is a popular ecotourism destination, and its numerous forest reserves are the country's main tourist draws. === Central Africa === There are several countries in Central Africa with tropical rainforests. Most of the rainforests are located within the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], but its neighbouring countries too have several chunks of large rainforests. Unfortunately, illegal logging, poaching and deforestation have posed a significant threats to the rainforests. === Southeast Asia === Parts of Southeast Asia, especially [[Indonesia]], are known for their tropical rainforests and the orangutans that live there, especially the {{marker|name=Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra|wikidata=Q4521}}. However, Indonesia's not quite so well-known for their [[Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park|volcanoes]], which add some variation to the tropical landscape. Unfortunately, severe deforestation, illegal logging and poaching have severely destroyed much of the rainforest, and continue to pose a threat to the rainforest that's now a fraction of its original size. [[Malaysia]], also being very close to the equator, has plenty of rainforests, particularly in [[Borneo]]. In Peninsular Malaysia, a particularly important patch of tropical rainforest that remains is {{marker|name=Taman Negara|wikidata=Q728141}} (which literally translates to ''national park''), in the states of [[Kelantan]], [[Terengganu]] and [[Pahang]]. ====Singapore==== Along with Australia's, [[Singapore]]'s tropical rainforests are among the world's most visited because like Australia's, you won't be heavily affected by nasty tropical diseases. By far the largest patches of tropical rainforest in this tiny city-state are {{marker|name=Central Catchment Nature Reserve|wikidata=Q5060520}}, covering most of Central Singapore, and the smaller {{marker|name=Bukit Timah Nature Reserve|wikidata=Q385725}} west of BKE. There are several other smaller nature reserves and parks next to Bukit Timah like Windsor Nature Reserve that also contain smaller patches of rainforest. ==Stay healthy== With the exceptions of Australia and Singapore, tropical rainforests are known for having high rates of disease, particularly for diseases like malaria, and even in modern times, tropical diseases are a serious problem in tropical rainforests. European explorers suffered particularly from this problem, since they came from regions with either colder climates (in the case of Northern Europe) or drier climates (in the case of Southern Europe) and were not able to resist all these diseases they had never encountered before. ==See also== * [[Biomes and ecosystems]] * [[Subtropical rainforests]] * [[Tropics]] {{PartOfTopic|Biomes and ecosystems}} {{outlinetopic}} d3v62m6fk63j3fercp2yrnninjb3gqd 0 168961 4501903 4501186 2022-08-16T05:43:25Z 103.113.190.36 g.r. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Seinfeld Banner WV.jpg|ftt=yes}} Like Cosmo Kramer's hapless customers in "The Muffin Tops", you, too, can see with your own eyes the real-life locations in [[New York City]], [[Southern California]], and elsewhere that were featured on the television series '''''Seinfeld'''''. ==Understand== {{quote|GEORGE: I'm serious, I think that's a good idea! JERRY: Just talking? What's the show about? GEORGE: It's about nothing! |author=''The Pitch''}} Co-created by, named after, and starring [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up comedian]] Jerry Seinfeld, ''Seinfeld'' ran for nine seasons and 180 episodes on the American television network NBC, premiering in 1990 and ending in 1998. Though its first seasons earned only modest ratings, the show was critically acclaimed throughout its run and, after being moved in 1992 to a coveted Thursday night timeslot directly after the long-running megahit ''Cheers'', commercial success soon followed on a massive level. (Which is not to say that ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success was solely due to ''Cheers''; as Jerry put it later, "...we started beating them [in the ratings] coming on ''after'' them, which is just not done... [usually with] the second show you just try and not fall off too much.") By its fourth season in 1993-94, ''Seinfeld'' was one of the top three highest-rated shows on American television, which it would continue to be for the remainder of its run. ===Conception, premise and cast=== Ask any American to describe the premise of ''Seinfeld'' and they'll always come back to the same four words: "a show about nothing". That phrase or variations on it popped up in reviews of the show almost from the beginning, but at the outset, that was not what ''Seinfeld'' was meant to be. Instead, it was intended as a show that demonstrated how a stand-up comedian comes up with the material that they use in their act: in Jerry's case, picking apart the little trivialities and petty annoyances of daily life and mining the comedy out of them. It was an art form that Jerry and ''Seinfeld'' co-creator Larry David were both experts in, after years spent honing their craft on the New York comedy-club circuit in the '70s and '80s, and in Larry's case, also during a brief stint as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live''. At that time, [[Manhattan]] was still an affordable place for the less-than-rich to live, and the stand-up scene was tight-knit and insular, centered around just a scant handful of comedy clubs: '''[[#Improv|The Improv]]''', '''The Comic Strip''', '''[[#CARS|Catch a Rising Star]]''', and so forth. Onstage lineups on a given night drew from pretty much the same small clique of performers, and in that environment comics got to know one another, became friends, watched each other onstage, bounced ideas off each other offstage. In short, it was fertile ground for the observational humorist. Over time, Jerry's affable nature and accessible act brought him increasing success, with bookings on the ''Tonight Show'' and ''Late Night with David Letterman'' becoming more and more frequent as the '80s wore on, and even a small recurring role on the TV series ''Benson''. Meanwhile, Larry was considered a "comic's comic": his fellow comedians howled with laughter whenever he was onstage, but his act was by and large too ''outré'' for mass audiences, and thus he was never really able to break out of the small-time club circuit the way Jerry did. His twisted and cynical sensibilities, though, were instrumental in the creation of ''Seinfeld'': fans who are familiar with both comedians' work agree that the tone of the show bears far more resemblance to Larry's worldview than Jerry's. It was in late 1988 when Jerry was contacted by NBC for a meeting with several of their executives, who'd been [[#TownHall2|in attendance at a recent performance of his]], liked what they saw, and were interested in working with him on a project for television. He enlisted his old friend Larry to help, and together they [[#Westway|hatched the idea]] of a 90-minute special to be broadcast in ''Saturday Night Live''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s timeslot during one of its off weeks, wherein the camera would follow Jerry around as he went about a typical day in his life, with a finale featuring Jerry at a club performing a stand-up set inspired by the events of that day. Though of course that plan was later scrapped in favor of a half-hour weekly sitcom, ''Seinfeld'' still retained many elements of its original conception: the plotlines center around the daily life of a comedian, and each episode is bookended by [[#Improv|scenes of Jerry onstage at a comedy club]]. Once it was decided that a sitcom was the way to go, a premise had to be devised and characters designed. Jerry played an exaggerated version of himself, a cereal-eating, Superman-obsessed neat freak who served as a sort of "straight man" anchoring the wackiness around him. Meanwhile, the character of George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) — Jerry's childhood friend; a duplicitous, stingy, frequently unemployed neurotic with a chip on his shoulder rivaled in size only by his inferiority complex — took his name from an old classmate of Jerry's at [[Queens]] College, but the persona is acknowledged to have been a fictionalized version of Larry. Finally, Michael Richards rounded out the original cast as Cosmo Kramer, Jerry's wild-haired, mooching, "hipster doofus" neighbor across the hall {{anchor|KK1}}(modeled after [[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer]], a [[#Plaza|former across-the-hall neighbor of Larry's]]) whose eccentric nature and penchant for harebrained schemes brought a touch of the absurd to the proceedings. Later, after the duo submitted their pilot to NBC executives for consideration, it was suggested that a female character be added to the cast, whence Elaine Benes, Jerry's ambitious, intelligent yet superficial ex-girlfriend whose portrayal by Julia Louis-Dreyfus was heralded as a high water mark for feminism on television: she was "one of the boys", yet also a strong female voice asserting herself unabashedly in relationships with men and speaking her mind openly about hot-button issues like abortion and contraception. Of course, as the series progressed, additional characters were added to the mix: George's parents (Frank and Estelle Costanza, played by Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris respectively) and Jerry's (Morty and Helen Seinfeld, played by Barney Martin and Liz Sheridan); Jerry's cantankerous Uncle Leo (Len Lesser); Kramer's sniveling, diabolical postman friend Newman (Wayne Knight); George's ill-fated fiancée Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg), Elaine's on-again-off-again boyfriend David Puddy (Patrick Warburton),{{anchor|Bania}} obnoxious hack comic Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner), and many others. {{infobox|''Seinfeld'' and [[Judaism|Jewish]] culture|In its earliest seasons, internal communications among network executives criticized ''Seinfeld'' for being "too New York, too Jewish" and expressed concern about how the show would play in the more white-bread regions of Middle America. Clearly the suits were dead wrong, and of course the same is true to some degree of all comedy in the U.S. — it wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say the Borscht Belt is to today's overall American comic sensibility what the blues is to rock 'n' roll; inescapably the ultimate progenitor, no matter how far afield and in how many different directions its successors have taken things. But the degree to which ''Seinfeld'' lives and breathes ''Yiddishkeit'' is indeed striking. For one thing, a huge number of the people responsible for the show are Jews themselves: Jerry Seinfeld (the real person and his TV alter ego) and Larry David both are, as is Jason Alexander (who described his character, despite the Italian surname, as "obviously Jewish"), as are many of the bigwigs on the show's writing staff, such as Larry Charles, Peter Mehlman, and Carol Leifer. And, together, they've created a world for their characters replete with things like marble ryes and chocolate babkas, indiscreet rabbis and incompetent mohels, and ever-present echoes of their comedy forebears. The witty repartee among the foursome are essentially modern-day vaudeville routines. Kramer's slapstick pratfalls crib from Jerry Lewis. In fact, in an essay he published for the book ''Coming Out Jewish: Constructing Ambivalent Identities'', Jon Stratton makes a convincing case that the relationship between Jerry and George is nothing more than a modern reading of the ''schlemiel'' and ''schlimazel'' stock characters that have been archetypes of Jewish comedy since the Middle Ages. This intrinsic Jewishness is palpable not only when you watch the show, but also as you take this tour, and it's worth keeping on the lookout for.}} ===Legacy=== ''Seinfeld'' was by leaps and bounds the most successful sitcom of the '90s, but that barely scratches the surface of the impact it had, and continues to have, on American pop culture. The show left its mark in numerous and diverse ways, from fashion (Kramer's vintage threads presaged the "thrift store chic" look that took the hipster world by storm a few years later), to event calendars (over two decades after the Season 9 episode "The Strike" was first broadcast, [[#Festivus|Festivus]] is on the cusp of becoming a ''bona fide'' holiday), to the very language spoken by Americans ("regifting", "shrinkage", and "yada yada yada" are but a few of the ''Seinfeld''-derived words and phrases that retain their place in the popular lexicon). And that's not to mention its effect on consumer trends: ''Seinfeld'' is considered a pioneer in the practice of product placement on American television, with effects on such companies as Pez, which saw such a huge surge in sales after the episode "The Pez Dispenser" that it had to expand its candy factory in [[Connecticut]] to keep up with demand, and Fisher Pens, which still to this day sees an uptick in sales of its "AG7 Space Pen" — the model that Jack Klompus gifted to Jerry in Season 3 — every time the episode is rerun in syndication. But leaving aside its impacts on the culture at large, ''Seinfeld'' was equally revolutionary within the realm of television. Up to the 1980s, most mainstream sitcoms were set in the suburban home of a nuclear family, building on tropes of marriage, childhood, and domestic life and with plotlines that all followed more or less the same pattern of setup, conflict and resolution. ''Seinfeld'' took a sledgehammer to these genre conventions, with main characters who lacked spouses, children, and in many cases steady employment, an unconventional structure of multiple plotlines intersecting with each other in unpredictable ways, an almost pathological aversion to anything resembling sentimentality or character growth, and a tone that parodied the nihilistic self-absorption of post-yuppie city life. In this, too, it proved influential: quite a few of the most popular sitcoms that came up in its wake revolved around casts of thirtysomething single people (''[[Friends Tour|Friends]]'', ''Will & Grace'', ''Sex and the City'') or childless couples (''Mad About You'') living in New York City. === When to go === Now that we've covered the show itself, let's talk about logistics for this tour. New York City and Southern California together contain the bulk of the points of interest — and though their climates are quite different, the ideal times of year to visit are roughly the same in each case (luckily for any diehard ''Seinfeld'' fans hoping to hit up both cities on the same tour!) Midsummer is often uncomfortably hot and muggy in New York and is also prime time for [[Los Angeles]]' infamous "dirty smog", while winter brings, respectively, frigid temperatures and frequent rain. Spring and autumn are generally much better options. See [[New York City#Climate]] and [[Los Angeles#Climate]] for more in-depth information. == Get in == As mentioned above, the majority of the points of interest this tour covers are in the New York City area and Southern California, so the content of this and the following section will pertain to those places. For information about travelling to any of the [[#Elsewhere|outlying destinations]] listed, please see the "Get in" section of each respective city article. [[New York City#Get in|New York]] and [[Los Angeles#Get in|Los Angeles]], it hardly needs to be said, are both world-class destinations, well-connected to the American [[Driving in the United States|Interstate highway]] and [[Rail travel in the United States|passenger rail]] networks, and with airports hosting direct flights from all corners of the world. For those hoping to find a flight into either one of those cities, there's very little to be said that wouldn't constitute advice from Captain Obvious. And for those ''Seinfeld'' superfans planning to visit both cities on this tour, it also hardly needs to be mentioned that there are dozens of nonstop flights a day ''between'' New York and Los Angeles, with airfare generally ranging between $300 and $500 round-trip. [[File:LGA AIRPORT AND MANHATTAN FROM CRJ-900 FLIGHT LGA-BUF N296PQ (16557428857).jpg|300px|thumb|right|'''LaGuardia Airport''': home of the [[#Q319654|Diplomats' Club]].]] Getting to Manhattan from New York's three airports is a bit more complicated. If you're flying into '''[[JFK]]''', the '''AirTrain''' is easy, quick, and cheap enough: $8 buys you a combination ticket that will take you from your terminal to '''Jamaica Station''' on the airport's own 24-hour people mover system, and then onward to Manhattan via the E, J, or Z subway service, a process that takes about an hour and a half total. If time is of the essence, a few additional dollars will buy you a ticket on the '''Long Island Rail Road''' from Jamaica direct to '''Penn Station''', shaving about half an hour off your travel time. '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Liberty]]''' also has an AirTrain, which dumps you off at '''Newark Liberty Rail Station''' with onward service to Manhattan via '''New Jersey Transit''' (50 minutes; $13 adult, $9 child/senior/disabled). If you're unlucky enough to be flying into '''LaGuardia Airport''', there's no easy way to get to Manhattan on public transit; your easiest option is probably to take a taxi ($21-30 plus taxes and tips). Car rental is available from all three airports as well, not to say that New York is anywhere you want to be driving. The practical realities of getting around L.A. (see below) mean you're probably going to need a car at your disposal. Rental facilities abound in and around the airport. If you absolutely insist otherwise, the Green Line of the Los Angeles '''Metro Rail''' can be accessed from '''[[LAX]]''' via a free shuttle bus from the terminal to '''Aviation/LAX Station'''. If you're headed to [[Downtown Los Angeles]], a better idea is to skip the Metro Rail entirely and hop on the '''LAX FlyAway''' bus ($19.50 round trip for the 35-minute ride to '''Union Station'''; prices and travel times vary to other destinations). ==Get around== One way in which New York and Los Angeles are extremely different are the preferred methods of getting around town. New York is one of the [[United States without a car|very few North American cities where having a car is more of an ''in''convenience than a convenience]], but luckily the public transit system is extraordinarily extensive and well-developed. Even if you were to take this tour wholly using the '''New York City Subway''' system, the vast majority of the points of interest in the city would be easily accessible. You pay your fare using a '''MetroCard''', sold at kiosks located in most stations; as of April 2019, a single ride costs $2.75, while weekly and monthly passes will set you back $33 and $127 respectively. If human-powered transport is more your thing, NYC's network of protected on-street bike lanes grows more extensive each year, and there's no better way to take advantage of them than with the '''Citi Bike''' bike-sharing network. Kiosks are ubiquitous in Manhattan south of 130th Street, and are also present in Brooklyn (mostly points north of '''[[Brooklyn/Prospect Park|Prospect Park]]'''), in [[Queens/Long Island City and Astoria|Long Island City and Astoria in Queens]], and even across the river in [[Jersey City]]. A single 30-minute ride costs $3, but if you plan on doing the whole ''Seinfeld'' tour this way, by far a better option would be to spring for a $12 day pass. Public transit is even doable for some of the further-flung points of interest outside New York, such as '''[[#Amagansett|Amagansett Farmers Market]]''' or the '''[[#Q375365|Giants Stadium]]''' site, which are each an easy walking distance from, respectively, the Long Island Rail Road's '''Amagansett Station''' and New Jersey Transit's '''Meadowlands Rail Station'''. ([[Atlantic City]] is on New Jersey Transit's network too, but direct connections from Manhattan are by bus only, and the ride can take anywhere from two to four hours depending on traffic. Unless you're planning to make a day trip out of it — which, don't get us wrong, is a perfectly feasible and worthwhile thing to do if you're visiting New York — you'll probably need a rental car to see the place where [[#Q3541146|Miss Rhode Island's trained doves met their untimely end]].) Meanwhile, on the other coast, Los Angeles' Metro Rail has come a long way in the past ten years or so, but it's still not (and probably never will be) anywhere near as easy to get by without a car there as in New York. Plus, most of the stops on the L.A. portion of the itinerary are a hassle to get to using transit. If you book ahead of time, renting a car from one of the onsite counters at LAX generally runs $80-100/day or $400-500/week plus taxes and fees, but if you can manage to get yourself to an offsite location (this is where the Metro Rail can come in handy), you can usually get a steep discount off those prices. == Filming locations and places featured on the show == ===New York City=== {{quote| JERRY: Oh, come on, there's a lot of people walking around the city that look like me. KRAMER: Not as many as there used to be. }} ====Manhattan==== {{Mapframe|40.760|-73.974|height=800|width=450|zoom=13|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Manhattan<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|red}}Closed {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional {{Colorbox|gold}}Other, see listing}} <!-- Sort listings by descending latitude --> [[File:Tom's Restaurant-02.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Monk's Cafe... er, '''Tom's Restaurant''']] *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tom's Restaurant | alt= | url=https://tomsrestaurant.net | email= | address=2880 Broadway, [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Morningside Heights]] | lat=40.80546 | long=-73.965397 | directions= | phone=+1 212 864-6137 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Th 7AM-1PM, F-M 24 hours | price= | wikipedia=Tom's Restaurant | wikidata=Q2441394 | content=Repurposed by the show as '''Monk's Cafe''', the gang's favorite hangout. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, it's best known as the setting for Suzanne Vega's 1987 hit song, "Tom's Diner". }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=211 W. 106th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Manhattan Valley]] | lat=40.800997 | long=-73.966545 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the eccentric J. Peterman, retail magnate and world traveller who was Elaine's boss in the last three seasons of the show. In the Season 8 episode "The Van Buren Boys", Elaine, tasked with ghostwriting Peterman's autobiography, interviews him here only to be frustrated by his boring stories ("We've covered all of [the intrigue and exotic romances] in the catalogue ad nauseam. No, I would like this book to be about my day-to-day life"). }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Larchmont | alt= | url= | email= | address=448 Central Park West, Manhattan Valley | lat=40.797327 | long=-73.960823 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Elaine lived here? ''Get out!'' }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Metro Twin Cinema | alt= | url= | email= | address=2626 Broadway, Manhattan Valley | lat=40.796735 | long=-73.969987 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of the double-date in Season 5 where Elaine and Jerry take their beaux to see ''The Age of Innocence'', and Jerry's girlfriend "can't spare a square" of toilet paper for Elaine in the bathroom stall. Also where George impresses his new girlfriend in "The Opposite" by angrily shushing the loud movie-goers seated behind them, going so far as to threaten: "...we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like!" Closed in 2002 and now vacant. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=640 West End Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.792137 | long=-73.97525 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of Mr. Pitt, the eccentric, persnickety multimillionaire for whom Elaine works as a personal assistant for most of Season 6. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=321 W. 90th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]] | lat=40.791933 | long=-73.976826 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The building where George lived from the beginning of the series through Season 5, when he [[#FrankAndEstelle|moved in with his parents]]. (After being hired by the Yankees and moving back out, the picture becomes muddied: according to the show, his new place was on 86th Street, but the exterior shots used in filming switched inconsistently between the original 90th St. location and another building on 16th St. in [[Manhattan/Chelsea|Chelsea]], a full 70 blocks south of its supposed location!) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Mount Sinai Hospital | alt= | url=https://www.mountsinai.org/ | email= | address=1425 Madison Ave., [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|East Harlem]] | lat=40.788648 | long=-73.952423 | directions= | phone=+1 212 241-6500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan) | image=SinaiMed_crop.jpg | wikidata=Q1476505 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Kramer and Mickey take turns hamming it up as actors portraying patients afflicted with various diseases, for the benefit of a class of medical students. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Loews Paragon Theater | alt=now AMC 84th Street 6 | url=https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/new-york-city/amc-84th-street-6 | email= | address=2310 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.78668 | long=-73.977524 | directions= | phone=+1 212 721-6023 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Another of the gang's movie-house haunts, Loews is where Jerry catches his dry cleaner wearing his coat, where Kramer meets Uma Thurman, where Jerry and Kramer leave George behind to see ''Firestorm'' together, and where Elaine and her boyfriend see ''The English Patient'', leading to the demise of their relationship. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Hospital Center | alt= | url=https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan/ | email= | address=1901 First Ave., East Harlem | lat=40.7849 | long=-73.9447 | directions= | phone=+1 212 423-6262 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Metropolitan Hospital Center | image=Metro Hosp Cen fuel sta jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q14706949 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where witnessing the sponge bath of the beautiful patient in the room next door to his mother almost causes George to lose "The Contest"; where Elaine breaks her pre-ulcer test fast with delicious Drake's coffee cake in "The Suicide"; where George's supposed doppelgänger Neil is sent after burning his face on a crêpe in "The English Patient". }}{{anchor|H&H}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=H&H Bagels | alt= | url=http://www.hhbagels.net | email= | address=2239 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.784586 | long=-73.97981 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=H&H Bagels | content=The bakery where Kramer worked until 1985, and briefly again in 1997 after calling off his twelve-year strike (a raise in the minimum wage had made his salary demands moot), was right on the southwest corner of 80th St. and Broadway. Though that location closed in 2012, H&H Midtown Bagels East continues to do business under different ownership at 1551 Second Ave. between 80th and 81st Sts. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Columbus Deli | alt= | url= | email= | address=476 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.784534 | long=-73.973841 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Bodega with an illegal cockfighting ring in the back room, where Little Jerry Seinfeld, a rooster Kramer named in Jerry's honor, notched win after win against his hapless opponents. Still open as of December 2018 — stop in and see for yourself if Marcellino has taken Jerry's bounced check down from the wall of shame! }} * {{listing | type=red | name=The Magic Pan | alt= | url= | email= | address=432 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.783192 | long=-73.974822 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Izzy Mandelbaum was the franchisee of this location of the once-popular chain of crêperies, where Kramer put to work the "Cuban" cigar rollers (actually Dominicans) he'd hired for one of his get-rich-quick schemes. The chain folded shortly after the airing of that Season 8 episode, and the location is now an '''UNO Chicago Grill'''. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=1125 Park Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Carnegie Hill]] | lat=40.782932 | long=-73.954754 | directions= | phone=+1 212 289-3699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=The swanky high-rise condo tower that's home of Russell Dalrymple, the (fictional) president of NBC who worked with Jerry and George on their TV pilot throughout most of Season 4. It's here where, in "The Shoes", George stares a little too long at Dalrymple's young daughter's cleavage, infuriating her father and almost leading to the cancellation of the pilot. (As Jerry said: "Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at it; it's too risky. You get a sense of it and then you look away.") }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Champagne Video | alt= | url= | email= | address=2183 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.782781 | long=-73.980953 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The video store where George bumps into Susan only to discover he's driven her to lesbianism, and where he later tries to rent ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' in lieu of reading the novel for his book club. Also the workplace of the mysterious Vincent, whose taste in recommended videos makes Elaine fall in love sight unseen. Part of a now-defunct local chain, as of December 2018 this location is a vacant storefront for lease. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Central Park]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7825 | long=-73.966111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Central Park | image=Southwest corner of Central Park, looking east, NYC.jpg | wikidata=Q160409 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The setting of many different happenings in the ''Seinfeld'' universe: Central Park is where Mr. and Mrs. Ross were taken by Kramer on a disastrous [[#Hansom|hansom cab ride]] with a flatulent horse, where George uses a line about manure to awkwardly flirt with a waitress from Monk's Cafe (and later with actress Marisa Tomei), where George injures Bette Midler during a charity softball game, and where Elaine's Trinidadian houseguest Jean-Paul Jean-Paul loses the [[#Marathon|New York City Marathon]] after burning himself on a cup of Kramer's hot coffee. }} ** {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tavern on the Green | alt= | url=https://www.tavernonthegreen.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.7723 | long=-73.9778 | directions= | phone=+1 212 877-8684 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 11AM-9PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa 9AM-11PM, Su 9AM-9PM | price= | wikipedia=Tavern on the Green | image=Tavern on the Green cloudy jeh.JPG | wikidata=Q4022491 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=George learns his girlfriend Allison is planning to break up with him, so he dodges her calls in order to force her to be his date to the party George Steinbrenner is throwing here for New York Yankees staff ("If she can't find me, she can't break up with me!") Foiled eventually, he takes Kramer as his "date" instead, who is thrown into the dining room after a scuffle in the lobby with the back torn out of his tuxedo, spoiling the "grand entrance" George had hoped to make with Allison. }} ** {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Central Park Zoo | alt= | url=https://centralparkzoo.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.767778 | long=-73.971667 | directions= | phone=+1 212 439-6500 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-4:30PM | price=$9.95, children 3-12 $6.95, seniors 65 and over $7.95, children 2 and under free | wikipedia=Central Park Zoo | image=Central Park Zoo area.jpg | wikidata=Q954207 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, during a behind-the-scenes tour, Kramer gets revenge on a mischievous banana peel-throwing chimp by throwing the peel ''back'' at him — only to be forced to apologize to the animal later. }} [[File:Metropolitan Museum 1 (4675714481).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Masterworks by "Monet, Manet, Tippy Tippy Day Day", and all the other greats await you at the '''Metropolitan Museum of Art'''.]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Museum of Art | alt= | url=https://www.metmuseum.org/ | email= | address=1000 Fifth Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Upper East Side]] | lat=40.77891 | long=-73.96367 | directions= | phone=+1 212 535-7710 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-5:30PM, F-Sa 10AM-9PM | price=$25, seniors 65+ $17, students with valid ID $12, children 12 and under free | wikipedia=Metropolitan Museum of Art | wikidata=Q160236 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=In "The Raincoats", Elaine's "close talker" boyfriend arranged a behind-the-scenes tour for Jerry's parents who are in from out of town, where Helen took to Renoir's paintings of children and Morty came to the conclusion that Claude Monet must have been nearsighted. Later, the Met hosted a historical clothing exhibit (including "what Mary Todd wore to Lincoln's funeral") that Elaine attended with Susan, causing George's "worlds" to "collide". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Royale Pastry | alt= | url= | email= | address=237 W. 72nd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.77933 | long=-73.982893 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Stood in for two different businesses during ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s run: '''Royal Bakery''', which ran out of chocolate babkas at the worst possible time for Jerry and Elaine, and '''Schnitzer's''', where Jerry physically fought an old woman for the last marble rye. Now closed and, ironically enough, home to a '''Jenny Craig''' weight-loss center. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Beau Brummel Sport | alt= | url= | email= | address=287 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.778492 | long=-73.97776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry spends over $1,000 on a snazzy suede jacket to impress Elaine's intimidating father, only to be humiliated when it starts raining, forcing him to wear it inside-out with the pink candy-stripe lining showing. Now closed and home to a '''Super P''' supermarket. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Mendy's | alt= | url=http://www.mendysdeli.com/ | email= | address=208 W. 70th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.777457 | long=-73.98322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kenny Bania's favorite restaurant (where Jerry was tricked into buying him dinner repeatedly) really exists, but it's not an upscale steak-and-seafood place as portrayed on the show: it's actually a chain of kosher delis. The Mendy's on W. 70th St. where Jerry and Kenny went is now closed, but if you want a meal like they had, head there anyway; it's now the renowned '''[https://www.lincolnsquaresteak.com/ Lincoln Square Steak]'''. Otherwise, head to one of five other locations throughout the city — the matzo ball soup is phenomenal, whether you consider it a full meal or not. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Melody Stationers | alt= | url= | email= | address=1070 Madison Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.777454 | long=-73.961539 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where George bought the cheap envelopes that poisoned Susan, and to which he later returns to purchase (premium, super-glossy) invitations to a dinner party thrown by Jerry and his girlfriend. Closed, now a '''Johnny Was''' clothing store. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Fitzpatrick's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1641 Second Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Yorkville]] | lat=40.777384 | long=-73.952361 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Keith Hernandez wines and dines Elaine in hopes of "reaching home plate", and — speaking of baseball — where George takes some visiting Houston Astros brass out to dinner on the advice of Mr. Wilhelm, and picks up a bad habit of cursing. Fitzpatrick's has been closed for some time, but if you're in search of a ''Seinfeld''-inspired dinner of your own, the spot is now the upscale cocktail bar and restaurant known as '''[http://www.thedaisynyc.com/ The Daisy]'''. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Ruby Nail Salon | alt= | url= | email= | address=1183 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.775866 | long=-73.958077 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Korean-owned nail salon where Elaine enlists Frank to find out if the employees are taking advantage of the language barrier to gossip about her, only to rediscover Kim, his lost paramour whom he met during the Korean War. Closed, now a men's barbershop. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Nilo Cleaners | alt= | url= | email= | address=1173 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.775661 | long=-73.958186 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry took his houndstooth jacket and his mother's fur coat in "The Secretary", only to run into the owner and his wife at the movies wearing them. Closed, now a clothing boutique. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Peter's | alt= | url= | email= | address=182 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.775223 | long=-73.980629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A fateful place in the life of George Costanza: it's here where his brief but illustrious hand modeling career began, where he lost out on a job opportunity due to "swishy" pants, and where Susan broke the news to him that her cousin had stolen his idea for an unusual baby name, "Seven". Closed in 2010, now home to a location of '''Rag & Bone''' clothing boutique. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Cineplex Odeon Regency | alt= | url= | email= | address=1987 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.775183 | long=-73.982508 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A favorite movie theater of the gang. This is where Newman catches Jerry making out with his girlfriend during a showing of ''Schindler's List'', where Elaine stops at the concession stand for Jujyfruits on her way to the hospital to visit her injured boyfriend Jake Jarmel, where Jerry and Kramer get together to catch ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'', and where George, to appease Susan, passes up the chance to see the aforementioned ''Firestorm'' in favor of ''The Muted Heart''. Closed and demolished; now the site of an '''Apple Store'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tiramisu | alt= | url=http://tiramisunyc.com/ | email= | address=1410 Third Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.77515 | long=-73.956916 | directions= | phone=+1 212 988-9780 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th noon-11PM, F-Sa 11AM-11:30PM, Su 11AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Upscale Italian restaurant and brick-oven pizzeria where Jerry went on his first date with Gillian, a friend of Elaine's with "man hands". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=La Boite en Bois | alt= | url=http://www.laboitenyc.com/ | email= | address=75 W. 68th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.774845 | long=-73.980314 | directions= | phone=+1 212 874-2705 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11:30AM-10:30PM, F-Sa 11:30M-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fancy French restaurant that appears frequently in the show: it's where Jerry strains to avoid letting his parents find out he threw away the watch they gifted him (the same one Uncle Leo picked out of the garbage), where George strains to find out if his girlfriend "feel[ing] full after the risotto" is a metaphor for their sex life, where George's Latvian Orthodox girlfriend breaks up with him, and where Jerry discovers his girlfriend Gwen is a "two-face". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Opera House | alt= | url=https://www.metopera.org/ | email= | address=30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side | lat=40.7728 | long=-73.9842 | directions= | phone=+1 212 362-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) | image=Metropolitan Opera auditorium.jpg | wikidata=Q188031 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Elaine attends a performance of ''Swan Lake'' with Robert, a gay man for whom she agrees to pose as a girlfriend to appease his homophobic boss, only to fall in love with him and try to get him to "switch teams". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=O'Neal's | alt= | url= | email= | address=49 W. 64th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.772061 | long=-73.981531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, during dinner with Elaine, Kramer, and Kramer's "low talking" fashion designer girlfriend Leslie, Jerry inadvertently agrees to wear a "puffy shirt" designed by the latter to an appearance on the ''Today'' show. O'Neal's closed in 2010, but you can still get a good meal here: it's now the site of the '''[https://www.atlanticgrill.com/ Atlantic Grill]''', serving some of Manhattan's best seafood. }}{{anchor|CARS}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Catch a Rising Star | alt= | url=https://www.catcharisingstar.com/ | email= | address=1487 First Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Lenox Hill]] | lat=40.771467 | long=-73.953584 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Catch a Rising Star (comedy clubs) | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Jerry is scheduled to perform in "The Movie", but misses his slot after a nightmarish taxi ride with fellow comedian Pat Buckles. The New York location of this chain of comedy clubs is now closed, and the building is a vacant storefront as of October 2017, but head to one of Catch a Rising Star's other locations in [[Princeton]], New Jersey; [[Reno]], Nevada; [[Providence]], Rhode Island; or Monticello, New York and you might catch the next Jerry Seinfeld on the cusp of his or her fame. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=McBurney School | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 W. 63rd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.771 | long=-73.9809 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=McBurney School | wikidata=Q6800060 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry's tomfoolery with a Pez dispenser causes Elaine to laugh all the way through George's girlfriend's piano recital. (This was actually a continuity error on the writers' part; the school closed down in 1988, four years before the episode aired.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=West Side YMCA | alt= | url=https://ymcanyc.org/locations/west-side-ymca | email= | address=5 W. 63rd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.770938 | long=-73.980684 | directions= | phone=+1 212 912-2600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 5AM-11PM, Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 8AM-8PM | price= | content=In the men's locker room, Jerry meets his idol, former New York Mets player Keith Hernandez — who goes on to woo Elaine and get confronted by Kramer and Newman, who accuse him of spitting on them after a crucial game in the 1987 World Series. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Westbury Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 E 69th St., Upper East Side | lat=40.770042 | long=-73.967078 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Scene of Jerry and George's awkward conversation with Elaine's intimidating novelist father, Alton Benes, in "The Jacket"; also the venue of the bachelor auction hosted by Elaine in "The Barber", which Jerry bowed out of in favor of Kramer (for whom the bidding started at $5). Closed in 1997, now condos. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center | alt=now Mount Sinai West | url=https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/west | email= | address=1000 Tenth Ave | lat=40.769933 | long=-73.987411 | directions= | phone=+1 212 523-4000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St. Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital Center | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Estelle convalesces after falling down in shock upon hearing a rumor that George is gay (not that there's anything wrong with that); where Kramer runs scared from the "pig-man" in room 1937 to the detriment of George's car; where Elaine's ex-boyfriend's touch-and-go surgery is a smashing success thanks to an errant Junior Mint. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Beach Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.thebeachcafe.com/ | email= | address=1326 Second Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.767331 | long=-73.959212 | directions= | phone=+1 212 988-7299 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 11:30AM-midnight, F 11:30AM-1AM, Sa 11AM-1AM, Su 11AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kramer's obnoxious mother Babs works as a restroom matron at this restaurant where George takes his possibly-bulimic model girlfriend Nina out to dinner in "The Switch". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sotheby's | alt= | url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/about/locations/new-york | email= | address=1334 York Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76638 | long=-73.953719 | directions= | phone=+1 212 606-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sotheby's | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Peterman sends Elaine here twice to bid on items for his collection of obscure memorabilia: first in "The Bottle Deposit" for a set of golf clubs that belonged to John F. Kennedy; later in "The Frogger" for a slice of cake from Edward VIII's wedding to Wallis Simpson. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Mickey Mantle's | alt= | url= | email= | address=42 Central Park South, [[Manhattan/Theater District|Garment District]] | lat=40.765259 | long=-73.975737 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kramer pays the former New York Yankee himself a visit here in Season 4 to apologize for punching him in the mouth during a brawl at baseball fantasy camp, only to get (literally) thrown out of the restaurant by security. Mickey Mantle's closed in 2012, 17 years after the death of its namesake, and is now the site of a spray tanning salon. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=JoJo | alt= | url=http://www.jojorestaurantnyc.com/ | email= | address=160 E. 64th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.765116 | long=-73.965683 | directions= | phone=+1 212 223-5656 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Lunch: M-F noon-2:30PM, Sa-Su 11AM-3PM; dinner M-Th 5:30PM-10:30PM, F-Sa 5:30PM-11PM, Su 5:30PM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fancy restaurant where Elaine and Peterman hit it off over their mutual love of fine couture in "The Understudy". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Barneys | alt= | url=https://www.barneys.com/ | email= | address=660 Madison Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.764597 | long=-73.970902 | directions= | phone=+1 212 826-8900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Tu 10AM-8PM, W-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8PM | price= | wikipedia=Barneys New York | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the "skinny mirrors" that fool Elaine into buying a dress that doesn't quite look the same when she gets home; also where Kramer gets stuck in a fitting room in his underwear after selling the clothes off his back to Kenny Bania and where George charges a sable fur hat to the Peterman expense account. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Plaza Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.theplazany.com/ | email= | address=768 Fifth Ave., Garment District | lat=40.764528 | long=-73.974444 | directions= | phone=+1 212 759-3000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia=Plaza Hotel | image=New York - Manhattan - Plaza Hotel.jpg | wikidata=Q1066676 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Elaine reluctantly gives up her free suite here (given to her after lying that she was in from out of town on a job interview) to Jerry's parents, who really ''are'' in from out of town — and after they trash the room and ring up hundreds of dollars worth of extra charges, she's stuck with the bill! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Hospital — Cornell Medical Center | alt=now NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center | url=https://www.nyp.org/locations/newyork-presbyterian-weill-cornell-medical-center | email= | address=525 E. 68th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76434 | long=-73.95424 | directions= | phone=+1 212 746-5454 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Weill Cornell Medicine | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Kramer visits the ailing Poppie bearing gifts of chili and wine in "The Couch" and scores a primo parking space thanks to his "ASSMAN" vanity license plate in "The Fusilli Jerry"; where Bette Midler convalesces after her injury on the softball diamond in "The Understudy"; where George's reaction to Susan's death is one of "repressed jubilation" (in "The Invitations") and later recovers from his own injuries that put "The Summer of George" on ice. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Pasteur Pharmacy | alt= | url= | email= | address=806 Lexington Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76432 | long=-73.966859 | directions= | phone=+1 212 838-2500 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-7:30PM, Sa 10AM-5:30PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Elaine bargains hard for the last case of recently-recalled Today contraceptive sponges in the city. Still open as of December 2018, and "The Sponge" is back on the market, so buy as many as you want. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=Manhattan East Medical Offices | alt= | url= | email= | address=225 E. 64th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.764198 | long=-73.96259 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of Dr. Tim Whatley's dental office, as well as the office of the proctologist whom Frank consults to remove "The Fusilli Jerry" from his nether regions. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Symphony Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=238 W. 56th St., Midtown | lat=40.76571 | long=-73.982859 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Over dinner here, Elaine sympathizes with her friend Cynthia over her inability to find the right man — later hitting on the idea of hooking her up with George. Closed; now the home of '''[https://www.fujisushinyc.com/ Fuji Sushi]'''. }} [[File:924 Soup man 55th.JPG|alt=Restaurant exterior|200px|thumb|right|''No soup for you!'']] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Soup Kitchen International | alt=now The Original Soupman | url=https://originalsoupman.com/ | email= | address=259A W. 55th St., [[Manhattan/Theater District|Hell's Kitchen]] | lat=40.765382 | long=-73.983431 | directions= | phone=+1 212 956-0900 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-8PM, Su 11AM-7PM | price= | wikipedia=The Original Soupman | content="The Soup Nazi" was a real-life person, Ali Yeganeh — and by all accounts, the experience at his restaurant was more or less exactly how it was depicted in the Season 7 episode of the same name. Yeganeh has always resented the fame (or notoriety) that his portrayal on ''Seinfeld'' brought him, but after the original restaurant closed in 2004, he somewhat reluctantly parlayed it to relaunch his business as a chain that now counts four locations across the Northeast (including the original). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Trattoria dell'Arte | alt= | url=https://www.trattoriadellarte.com/ | email= | address=900 Seventh Ave., Midtown | lat=40.765314 | long=-73.980442 | directions= | phone=+1 212 245-9800 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11:45AM-midnight, Su 11AM-10:30PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Over dinner here, Jerry sympathizes with George over his inability to find the right woman — later hitting on the idea of hooking her up with Cynthia, a friend of Elaine's. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Virginia Theatre | alt=now the August Wilson Theatre | url=http://www.jujamcyn.com/ | email= | address=245 W. 52nd St., [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]] | lat=40.7633 | long=-73.9842 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=August Wilson Theatre | image=August Wilson Theatre NYC crop.jpg | wikidata=Q12053066 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Shortly after a whirlwind visit to the Met, Elaine's "close talker" boyfriend takes her and Jerry's parents here to see a production of ''My Fair Lady'' — much to Elaine's annoyance. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=1325 Avenue of the Americas | alt= | url=http://www.paramount-group.com/property/1325-avenue-americas/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Theater District|Midtown]] | lat=40.762919 | long=-73.980768 | directions= | phone=+1 212 237-3156 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fictional headquarters of the '''J. Peterman Catalog''', where Elaine worked for the three final seasons of the show. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=600 Madison Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Midtown East]] | lat=40.762848 | long=-73.972244 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the fictional '''Pendant Publishing''', where Elaine worked as a copy editor from the second through the fifth season (and George too, for one disastrous third-season episode). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Mini Storage | alt= | url=https://www.manhattanministorage.com/locations/hells-kitchen-storage | email= | address=543 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.761372 | long=-73.997197 | directions= | phone=+1 646 786-7210 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 7AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, much to his chagrin, Jerry discovers that Kramer is letting Newman illegally store undelivered mail in Jerry's storage unit. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Friars Club | alt= | url=http://www.friarsclub.com | email= | address=57 E. 55th St., Midtown East | lat=40.760886 | long=-73.972551 | directions= | phone=+1 212 751-7272 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=New York Friars Club | image=Friars-club.jpg | wikidata=Q7013557 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=If you're lucky enough to be invited to dinner here, don't forget your jacket — or at least don't lose the one they give you at the door. Jerry did just that in Season 7, and it cost him membership in the club! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Bruno | alt= | url=http://www.clubasteakhouse.com/locations/ | email= | address=240 E. 58th St., Midtown East | lat=40.760174 | long=-73.965511 | directions= | phone=+1 212 688-4190 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Tu 5PM-10PM, W-Sa 5PM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of Kramer and Mickey's double date in "The Yada Yada", where they couldn't decide which girl was right for which guy. Still in business, but under a new name: '''Club A Steakhouse'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Radio City Music Hall | alt= | url=https://www.msg.com/radio-city-music-hall/ | email= | address=1260 Avenue of the Americas, Theater District | lat=40.759722 | long=-73.979167 | directions= | phone=+1 212 465-6741 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Radio City Music Hall | image=Radio city exterior.jpg | wikidata=Q753437 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Site of the 1997 Tony Awards, where Jerry takes his girlfriend Lanette on a date, and Kramer works as a seat filler (and somehow manages to win an award for his "performance" in the fictional musical ''Scarsdale Surprise''). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=St. Luke's Lutheran Church | alt= | url=http://stlukesnyc.org/ | email= | address=308 W. 46th St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759722 | long=-73.98875 | directions= | phone=+1 212 246-3540 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St. Luke's Lutheran Church | image=St Luke's Lutheran Church (Manhattan).JPG | wikidata=Q2918119 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Stand-in for the unnamed Catholic church where Jerry, frustrated with the Jewish jokes told by recent convert Tim Whatley, sidles into a confessional to tattle on him to a priest for also telling a joke about the Pope and Raquel Welch. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Hotel Edison | alt= | url=https://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/ | email= | address=228 W. 47th St., Theater District | lat=40.7597 | long=-73.986 | directions= | phone=+1 212 840-5000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hotel Edison | wikidata=Q14706412 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where George is stripped to his underwear, handcuffed to the bed, and robbed blind by a beautiful woman who seduced him on "The Subway" — and he misses his job interview, too! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club | alt= | url=https://advantagetennisclubs.com/tennis-clubs/mprc/ | email= | address=450 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759683 | long=-73.994199 | directions= | phone=+1 212 594-0554 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 6AM-midnight, Su 7AM-midnight | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The setting of a pair of mishaps involving Elaine: in Season 3, she eliminates herself from "The Contest" after John F. Kennedy Jr. joins her aerobics class; in Season 6, she loans Mr. Pitt's tennis racket to a representative of Doubleday Publishing in hopes of landing a new job. }}{{anchor|Improv}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=The Improv | alt= | url=https://improv.com/ | email= | address=358 W. 44th St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759462 | long=-73.991364 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Improv | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The comedy club where Jerry delivered all the stand-up bits that opened and closed each episode of the first seven seasons — even after 1992, when the real-life one closed. If you want to catch a comedy show, The Improv is now a chain with locations in twenty cities nationwide (prominently ''ex''cluding New York); if you'd rather delve deeper into Seinfeldiana, the old location is now home to the '''Producers Club Theater''', starting point for the famous '''[[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer's Reality Tour]]''' (which, in turn, was parodied in ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Season 8 episode "The Muffin Tops" — is your head spinning yet?) }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Guild 50th Street Theatre | alt= | url= | email= | address=33 W. 50th St., Theater District | lat=40.759316 | long=-73.978757 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Movie theater where Jerry was forced at gunpoint by a friend of Kramer's to film an illegal bootleg of ''Death Blow'' with a concealed camcorder, where Elaine loudly declared her hatred for ''The English Patient'' in front of Mr. Peterman, and where Kramer unsuccessfully tried to go to the bathroom during a bout of constipation. Now home to an '''Anthropologie''' clothing store (but the old marquee is still in front of the entrance!) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sutton East Tennis Club | alt= | url=https://suttoneasttennis.com/ | email= | address=488 E. 60th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.759284 | long=-73.960093 | directions= | phone=+1 212 751-3452 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 7AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where horrible tennis player Miloš offers Jerry a date with his wife as compensation for deceptively selling him an expensive racquet, and where Kramer is put into a coma after repeatedly getting hit with tennis balls. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Beckett Theatre | alt= | url=https://bfany.org/ | email= | address=410 W. 42nd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.758555 | long=-73.993342 | directions= | phone=+1 212 714-2442 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Theatre Row Building | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The tiny Off-Broadway playhouse, part of Theatre Row, that ran ''Jerry Seinfeld Is the Devil'', a one-woman show written and performed by Susan's old roommate Sally Weaver, who claims Jerry has ruined her life. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Marriott Marquis | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycmq-new-york-marriott-marquis/ | email= | address=1535 Broadway, Theater District | lat=40.758434 | long=-73.98568 | directions= | phone=+1 212 398-1900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=New York Marriott Marquis | image=Ny-marriott-marquis.jpg | wikidata=Q7013741 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The venue for the Able Mentally Challenged Adults benefit — where Kramer, whose slurred speech after a novocaine injection at the dentist led him to be mistaken for developmentally disabled, was the guest of honor — is also the place where Jerry's attempts to woo Miss Rhode Island (who was staying in Room 417) were constantly frustrated by her chaperone, Kramer, and where Mr. Lippman's press conference for Jake Jarmel's new book went awry. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Majestic Theatre | alt= | url=http://shubert.nyc/theatres/majestic/ | email= | address=245 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.75839 | long=-73.98802 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Majestic Theatre (Broadway) | image=Majestic Theatre NYC 2007.jpg | wikidata=Q1393081 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=In Season 7, Kramer got a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the Majestic's production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' courtesy of Ethan, a friend of Susan's who was "The Wig Master" for the troupe. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sardi's | alt= | url=http://www.sardis.com/ | email= | address=234 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.757849 | long=-73.987583 | directions= | phone=+1 212 221-8440 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Sa 11:30AM-11PM, Su noon-7PM | price= | wikipedia=Sardi's | wikidata=Q7423790 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Kramer, at the Tony Awards afterparty fresh off his "win" for the fictional ''Scarsdale Surprise'', is given an ultimatum by the musical's director: he can keep the statuette, but he has to be the one to fire the notoriously hotheaded Raquel Welch from the performance. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Brentano's | alt= | url=https://landmarkbranding.com/597-fifth-avenue-the-charles-scribner-sons-building/ | email= | address=597 Fifth Ave., Midtown East | lat=40.7575 | long=-73.9778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Charles Scribner's Sons Building | wikidata=Q3897252 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content="The Bookstore" where Uncle Leo is caught shoplifting, and where George is forced to buy a book he doesn't want (and can't get rid of, as it's been "flagged") after taking it to read in the men's room. (This was another continuity error on the writers' part: this location of Brentano's had already been closed for two years by the time the episode aired in 1998. The space is now a '''Lululemon''' clothing store.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url=http://thetownhall.org/ | email= | address=123 W. 43rd St., Theater District | lat=40.755833 | long=-73.984722 | directions= | phone=+1 212 997-6661 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Town Hall (New York City) | image=Town Hall 123 W43 near sun jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q1634948 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Theater where the titular performance of ''Pagliacci'' in "The Opera" was staged, to which all four have tickets for opening night. Jerry helps Elaine dodge her boyfriend/stalker, "Crazy" Joe Davola, while George and Kramer try to scalp their tickets. }} [[File:The Hippodrome Building 1120 Sixth Avenue.jpg|200px|thumb|right|"Outrageous, egregious, ''preposterous!''" --Jackie Chiles, attorney at law and '''Hippodrome''' tenant]] * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Hippodrome | alt= | url=http://hippodrome.com/ | email= | address=1120 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown East | lat=40.755582 | long=-73.982815 | directions= | phone=+1 212 626-6996 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jackie Chiles, superlawyer extraordinaire who bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team", kept his office. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Zohra Fabrics | alt= | url= | email= | address=256 W. 39th St., Garment District | lat=40.754755 | long=-73.990107 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Workplace of Ricky, the creepy guy who was infatuated with Elaine after meeting her on the subway: he's a mannequin designer, and his new bestselling model is a dead ringer for Elaine. Closed, now the site of a different fabric wholesaler. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Public Library Main Branch | alt= | url=https://www.nypl.org/ | email= | address=476 Fifth Ave., Midtown South | lat=40.753333 | long=-73.982222 | directions= | phone=+1 917 275-6975 | tollfree= | hours=M & Th-Sa 10AM-6PM, Tu-W 10AM-8PM | price= | wikipedia=New York Public Library Main Branch | image=New York Public Library May 2011.JPG | wikidata=Q7013887 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Where Jerry meets Lieutenant Joe Bookman, an ironically named "library cop" who dresses him down for checking out Henry Miller's ''Tropic of Cancer'' in 1971 and never returning it — and where Kramer meets Marion, a librarian with whom he kindles a forbidden love affair. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Off-Track Betting | alt= | url= | email= | address=714 Third Ave., [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Turtle Bay]] | lat=40.752583 | long=-73.973391 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=After overhearing a horse racing tip on "The Subway", Kramer hurries into this betting parlor and wins $18,000 on a long-shot wager. The location is now a '''Wendy's'''. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=Commerce Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=708 Third Ave., Turtle Bay | lat=40.752538 | long=-73.973794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Fictional rest-stop supply company '''Sanalac''', headquartered here, would love to offer George a job. But, of course... }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=101 Park Avenue | alt= | url=https://www.101park.com/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Murray Hill]] | lat=40.751337 | long=-73.977827 | directions= | phone=+1 212 808-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content='''Kruger Industrial Smoothing''' — George's incompetent employer for most of the final season, who "botched the Statue of Liberty job" ("they couldn't get the green stuff off") — was headquartered here. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Madison Square Garden | alt= | url=https://www.msg.com/madison-square-garden/ | email= | address=4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Chelsea | lat=40.750556 | long=-73.993611 | directions= | phone=+1 212 465-6741 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Madison Square Garden | image=Madison Square Garden IV.jpg | wikidata=Q186125 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Aside from all the events the gang attended there — Jerry and his girlfriend Winona in floor seats for a Knicks game in "The Cigar Store Indian"; Jerry, Kramer, Elaine, and Puddy at a hockey game in "The Face Painter"; Jerry, his girlfriend Katya, and Kramer at the circus in "The Gymnast", not to mention the time Kramer got kicked out a Knicks game for throwing a hot dog at Reggie Miller — Madison Square Garden was also the setting for much of "The Limo", where Jerry and George accept a ride from a car service that was meant for someone else, namely a neo-Nazi leader headed to a rally. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Collectors Universe | alt= | url= | email= | address=124 E. 40th St., Murray Hill | lat=40.750192 | long=-73.977356 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Collectibles shop to whom Kramer sells, for $200, a birthday card signed by the whole New York Yankees roster, with "The Wink" signifying George's permission — or so he thought. Closed, now a hair salon. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Catch a Rising Star (second location) | alt= | url=https://www.catcharisingstar.com/ | email= | address=253 W. 28th St., Chelsea | lat=40.748315 | long=-73.995548 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Catch a Rising Star (comedy clubs) | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, at an NBC showcase, Jerry intentionally bombs on stage to keep Kenny Bania, who's on next, from riding his coattails ("He only does well when he has me for a lead-in. He's a time-slot hit.") Catch a Rising Star moved here from the [[#CARS|above location]] in the late 1990s, but as mentioned, it's now closed. This location is now home to an electronics store. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Hunan Fifth Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=323 Fifth Ave., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Midtown South]] | lat=40.747461 | long=-73.985038 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="The Chinese Restaurant" where the gang waited... and waited... and waited for a table. The experience must not have put them off the place too much, though, as they would return to it several times over the course of the series: it's where George discovers Jerry's new deaf girlfriend can read lips in "The Lip Reader", the venue for Jerry and George's double date in "The Masseuse", and where George shares an awkward dinner with Mr. Peterman in "The Secret Code". Closed in 2007, now a bank. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Downtown Veterinary Clinic | alt= | url=http://www.downtownveterinaryclinic.com/ | email= | address=148 Ninth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.744068 | long=-74.002861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="I'll take a vet over an M.D. any day. They've got to be able to cure a lizard, a chicken, a pig, a frog — all on the same day." In "The Andrea Doria", true to his words, Kramer finds a dog with the same cough he has and gets a vet from this office to prescribe medication. Later the site of the emergency surgery that saves the life of the squirrel George hit with his car in "The Merv Griffin Show". The clinic moved up the street to 244 Ninth Ave.; this former location is vacant and for lease. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Masonic Hall NYC | alt= | url=http://www.masonichallnyc.org/ | email= | address=71 W. 23rd St., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Flatiron District]] | lat=40.74283 | long=-73.992149 | directions= | phone=+1 212 741-4520 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Grand Lodge of New York | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stood in for the '''Knights of Columbus''' hall that hosted Kramer's Jewish Singles Night, where Frank put his cooking skills to use for the first time since sickening his entire squadron with spoiled meat during the Korean War. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Police Department — 10th Precinct | alt= | url= | email= | address=230 W. 20th St., Chelsea | lat=40.742779 | long=-73.998601 | directions= | phone=+1 212 741-8211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Kramer finds a way to earn quick money by standing in police lineups only to get falsely recognized as a jewelry store thief; where Frank comes to bail out George after his arrest for bootlegging ''Cry, Cry Again'' and ends up challenging Elaine to a fight ("You sayin' you want a piece of me?") }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Peter McManus Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.petermcmanuscafe.com/ | email= | address=152 Seventh Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741863 | long=-73.997573 | directions= | phone=+1 212 929-6196 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-4AM, Su noon-4AM | price= | wikipedia=Peter McManus Cafe | image=Peter McManus Cafe entrance.jpg | wikidata=Q7175816 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=After Elaine's plot to seduce Russell Dalrymple (to get George and Jerry back in his good graces) is a little ''too'' successful, this is the place where she lets him down easy. Or tries, anyway — he ends up quitting his job at NBC and joining Greenpeace to prove his worth as a man. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Camouflage Clothing | alt= | url= | email= | address=139 Eighth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741666 | long=-74.001383 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Ross's''', a discount clothing store owned by a relative of Susan's where George takes pity on a security guard with no chair to sit in. Closed in 2014, now a '''Caffé Bene''' coffeeshop. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Old Homestead Steakhouse | alt= | url=https://www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com/ | email= | address=56 Ninth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741317 | long=-74.004881 | directions= | phone=+1 212 242-9040 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:45PM, F noon-11:45PM, Sa 1PM-11:45PM, Su 1PM-9:45PM | price= | wikipedia=Old Homestead Steakhouse | wikidata=Q59811347 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=One of the oldest continually operating restaurants in New York, where, on a date with Elaine's cousin Holly, Jerry's manhood is called into question when he orders "just a salad". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=23 E. 22nd St., Flatiron District | lat=40.740251 | long=-73.988222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Chef Bobby Flay's Spanish tapas house was the scene of three vexing dinners for the ''Seinfeld'' gang: one where Kramer chaperoned Miss Rhode Island's date with Jerry, to the latter's annoyance, and secured a job as her personal coach; one where George takes his cousin Rhisa on a date to get back at his parents for "cutting him loose", and Jerry's second date with Christie, who always seems to wear the same outfit ("What in God's name is going on here? Is she wearing the same thing over and over again, or does she have a closet full of these, like Superman?"). Closed in 2008 and demolished, with luxury condos occupying the site now. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Thomasville Furniture | alt= | url= | email= | address=91 Seventh Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.739386 | long=-73.998824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry buys "The Couch" that Poppie ends up peeing on. Closed, but if you were hoping to take this opportunity to make like Jerry and upgrade your living room, you're in luck: the building is now the Chelsea branch showroom of '''[https://www.jensen-lewis.com/ Jensen-Lewis Furniture]'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Pete's Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.petestavern.com/ | email= | address=129 E. 18th St., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Gramercy]] | lat=40.7365 | long=-73.9867 | directions= | phone=+1 212 473-7676 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 11AM-2:30AM, Th 11AM-3AM, F-Sa 11AM-4AM | price= | wikipedia=Pete's Tavern | image=Petes-tavern-2007 crop.jpg | wikidata=Q7171811 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="The Tavern O. Henry Made Famous" is also the tavern where Kramer stakes out "The Sniffing Accountant" — Jerry's, whose constant habit makes Kramer suspect he's a cocaine addict. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Surgical Appliances | alt= | url= | email= | address=44 [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Union Square]] East | lat=40.736259 | long=-73.98896 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Medical supply shop where George and Kramer go to pick up a new wheelchair for Lola, a handicapped woman that the latter has fallen in love with. As is George's wont, they picked the cheapest model possible, with predictably disastrous results. Closed, now a plumbing and heating contractor. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, New School for Social Research | alt= | url=https://www.newschool.edu/ | email= | address=66 W. 12th St., [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] | lat=40.735631 | long=-73.997216 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The New School | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Site of the art class in "The Doodle" attended by Elaine and Paula, George's girlfriend, whose unflattering caricature of him leaves George vexed. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Health and Racquet Club | alt= | url=https://nyhrc.com/ | email= | address=24 E. 13th St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.734725 | long=-73.992995 | directions= | phone=+1 212 924-4600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6AM-11PM, Sa-Su 8AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Jerry and George's favorite health club, where the latter is caught peeing in the shower in "The Wife", and the former, curious to know if his girlfriend has breast implants, enlists Elaine to get in the sauna with her and "do a little investigative journalism". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases | alt=now NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital | url=https://nyulangone.org/locations/nyu-langone-orthopedic-hospital | email= | address=301 E. 17th St., Gramercy | lat=40.734391 | long=-73.982999 | directions= | phone=+1 212 598-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The scene of the alleged theft of Morty's wallet, who was in from out of town to see a specialist for his bad back. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bradley's | alt= | url= | email= | address=70 University Place, Greenwich Village | lat=40.733175 | long=-73.993647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Old jazz club where Elaine's saxophonist boyfriend bombs onstage with a rendition of "Hot and Heavy", a song he wrote for her. Closed in 1996, only a few months after the episode aired. Now a bar with an entirely different clientele: '''[http://www.reservoirbar.com/ Reservoir]''', catering to football fans from nearby NYU. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=24 Fifth Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Greenwich Village | lat=40.733126 | long=-73.996003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The elegant apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Ross, Susan's parents, and location of the many interminable Susan Ross Foundation meetings George is forced to sit through in Seasons 8 and 9. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bowen Fertility Clinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=320 E. 15th St., Gramercy | lat=40.732563 | long=-73.983678 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where the results of Kramer's fertility test inspire him to switch from briefs to boxers, and finally to no underwear at all. Closed; now a student residence hall for '''The New School'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sunshine Cleaners | alt= | url= | email= | address=51 University Place #3, Greenwich Village | lat=40.732527 | long=-73.993811 | directions= | phone=+1 212 777-0896 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Jerry's girlfriend Meryl poses as "The Wife" to save money on dry cleaning. Still open as of December 2018, but no word on whether the 25% family discount policy is still in effect! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Cooper Station Post Office | alt= | url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=all&address=10003&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1359178&locationName=COOPER&address2=&address1=93+4TH+AVE&city=NEW+YORK&state=NY&zip5=10003&zip4=9998&tollFree=800-ASK-USPS%26reg%3B%26nbsp%3B%28800-275-8777%29&fax=&tAddress=&tAddress1Ams=&tAddress2Ams=&tCityAms=&tStateAms=&tZipAms=&tCarrierRouteAms=&latitude=40.7321427&longitude=-73.990136&sWithin=20&&&&&&&&& | email= | address=93 Fourth Ave., [[Manhattan/East Village|East Village]] | lat=40.732064 | long=-73.989902 | directions= | phone=+1 212 254-1390 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-5:45PM, Sa 9AM-3:45PM | price= | wikipedia=United States Post Office (Cooper Station) | image=Cooper Station Post Office.jpg | wikidata=Q9051836 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The ''Seinfeld'' writers' favorite place to have characters get interrogated under hot lights: first Kramer in "The Junk Mail", who has the audacity to want to stop receiving mail altogether, then Jerry, for attemped mail fraud in "The Package", and finally George, who's accused of participating in "some ill-conceived mail-order pornography ring." }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Pó | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Cornelia St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.731375 | long=-74.002545 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, in a desperate attempt to prove to his girlfriend Janet that he likes her for more than just her looks, George strains to find any conceivable reason for them to be together — and the best he can come up with is their shared love of chewing gum. The restaurant once co-owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali closed in 2017, but if you're hungry for Indian food, check out its successor, the West Village branch location of '''[http://www.drunkenmunkey.com The Drunken Munkey]'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Joe's Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.joespizzanyc.com/ | email= | address=7 Carmine St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.730597 | long=-74.002098 | directions= | phone=+1 212 366-1182 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-4AM, F-Sa 10AM-5AM | price= | wikipedia=Joe's Pizza | wikidata=Q20979290 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Paisano's Pizza''', which the show's scripts indicate to be in the [[Bronx]], but whose exterior shots are of this longstanding Greenwich Village institution. In Season 7, Paisano's/Joe's is the baker of George Steinbrenner's favorite calzones — and of Kramer's clothes, too, after he gets addicted to that "hot from the dryer" feeling. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bleecker Bob's | alt= | url= | email= | address=118 W. 3rd St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.730454 | long=-74.000391 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Robert Plotnik | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=This legendary record shop was the ''Seinfeld'' stand-in for '''Ron's Records''', where Kramer and Newman flatly refused the owner's offer of five dollars for a box of records Jerry took from the apartment of Sid, "The Old Man" for whom he'd signed up to do volunteer work. ("'Take it or leave it'? We got Al Jolson here. ''Al Jolson!''") Closed in 2013, now a sushi restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Flash Foto | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Carmine St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.73027 | long=-74.003165 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=After George discovers himself in the background of a photo his new boss, Mr. Kruger, took with his family at the beach, he absconds out of his office with it and takes it here to have his image airbrushed out — with disastrous results. Closed, now a restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Iggy's Pizzeria | alt= | url=https://www.iggyspizzeriamenu.com/ | email= | address=173 First Ave., East Village | lat=40.729264 | long=-73.984357 | directions= | phone=+1 212 353-3331 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Mario's Pizza''', Jerry and George's old high-school hangout where the latter's high score on "The Frogger" machine still stood all those years later. Jerry and George's visit to Mario's was on the cusp of its closure, but its counterpart Iggy's is still in business as of December 2018 — for anyone who wants to recreate George's daring traverse of First Avenue, you'll be disappointed to know their arcade machines are probably not for sale. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Ricky Pharmacy | alt= | url= | email= | address=720 Broadway, East Village | lat=40.729082 | long=-73.993494 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Fed up with his constipation in "The Pilot", Kramer finally stops in here to pick up "the dreaded apparatus". Now closed and vacant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Da Silvano | alt= | url= | email= | address=260 Sixth Ave., Greenwich Village | lat=40.728971 | long=-74.00228 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Venue of Ellen's birthday dinner with Jerry in "The Van Buren Boys", which aggravates Jerry's suspicion that she may be "a loser": why is she not out celebrating with her friends on her birthday? Closed in 2016, now vacant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Rudy's Antique Boutique | alt= | url= | email= | address=714 Broadway, East Village | lat=40.728905 | long=-73.993634 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The vintage shop to whom Kramer sells a bunch of old clothes: a parcel of "Executives", a beltless trenchcoat invented by Morty Seinfeld in the 1960s, and a trunk of Frank Constanza's moth-infested "cabana wear". Later on a tag from Rudy's, torn out of Kramer's shirt, served as the crucial evidence leading to his arrest for dognapping in "The Engagement". Closed sometime between 2005 and 2011, now a vacant storefront. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paradise Twin Theater | alt=now IATI Theater | url=http://iatitheater.org/ | email= | address=64 E. 4th St., East Village | lat=40.726538 | long=-73.990582 | directions= | phone=+1 212 505-6757 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=In "The Movie", the gang head to this downtown movie house to catch ''CheckMate'', but — stuck at the end of a long, slow line — they give up and end up seeing ''Rochelle, Rochelle'' ("a young woman's strange, erotic journey from [[Milan]] to [[Minsk]]"). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Gladiator's Gym | alt= | url= | email= | address=503 E. 6th St., East Village | lat=40.725342 | long=-73.983332 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Izzy Mandelbaum, an acquaintance of Morty and Helen's, takes Jerry "aboard the pain train" as his trash-talking personal trainer. Long closed, the site now handles "doughboys" of a different type as '''Carma East''', a ''dim sum'' restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Country Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=69 Thompson St., [[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]] | lat=40.724429 | long=-74.003151 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="You call yourself a lifesaver; I call you Pimple Popper, M.D.!" Site of Jerry's "revenge date" with Sara, a dermatologist who, on an earlier date, had made Jerry feel "like if [he doesn't] save lives, [he's] worthless". Country Cafe closed in 2010, but the current occupant of the space — classy French bistro '''[http://vinetfleurs.com/ Vin et Fleurs]''' — is still a great choice for all your revenge-dating needs. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York State Department of Labor | alt= | url= | email= | address=75 Varick St., SoHo | lat=40.723306 | long=-74.006391 | directions= | phone=+1 212 775-3584 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where George offers to take his unemployment officer's unattractive daughter on a date to avoid getting his benefits cut off, only to get dumped at the end. ("You've got no job, you've got no prospects. You're like Biff Loman.") }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=FDNY Hook & Ladder Company 8 | alt= | url= | email= | address=14 N. Moore St., [[Manhattan/TriBeCa|TriBeCa]] | lat=40.7196 | long=-74.0066 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 | image=Ghostbusters Firehouse crop.jpg | wikidata=Q21712009 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=In "The Secret Code", Kramer stops by to share his favorite shortcuts through Greenwich Village and the West Side, only to demonstrate his knowledge of the street grid firsthand behind the wheel of a fire truck en route to a burning building. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, Hook & Ladder No. 8 is best known as the ''Ghostbusters''<nowiki>'</nowiki> firehouse headquarters. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Criminal Court | alt= | url=http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/criminal/ | email= | address=100 Centre St., [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Civic Center]] | lat=40.715995 | long=-74.000834 | directions= | phone=+1 646 386-4500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=New York City Criminal Court | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Newman's attempt to talk his way out of a traffic ticket is derailed by Kramer, who's still reeling from the concussion "Crazy" Joe Davola gave him in "The Pitch", and where Jackie Chiles cribs from Johnnie Cochran's "if the glove doesn't fit" defense in "The Caddy", with disastrous results for Kramer's lawsuit against the "braless wonder", Sue Ellen Mischke. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=80 Centre St., Civic Center | lat=40.7152 | long=-74.0013 | directions= | phone=+1 212 669-8090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-3:45PM | price= | wikipedia=Louis J. Lefkowitz Building | wikidata=Q59829207 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Elaine heads here in "The Pilot" to file an "equal employment opportunity" complaint against Monk's Cafe for only hiring large-breasted waitresses (still another continuity error; the EEOC is a federal agency and thus the complaint would not have been heard at the state level); also where Kramer picked up his "ASSMAN" vanity license plates in "The Fusilli Jerry". The Lefkowitz Building is now home to the New York City Marriage Licensing Bureau, and under threat of demolition. }} ====Outer boroughs==== {{anchor|FrankAndEstelle}}{{Mapframe|40.680|-73.875|height=450|width=400|zoom=11|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Brooklyn and Queens<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=22–37 37th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Astoria, Queens | lat=40.773021 | long=-73.908266 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the neurotic, bickering Frank and Estelle Costanza — and their son George too, for most of season 5. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=329 Union St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Brooklyn/Gowanus and Red Hook|Carroll Gardens]], [[Brooklyn]] | lat=40.682111 | long=-73.994750 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The apartment of Mr. Peterman's ailing mother, to whom George entrusts the secret of his ATM code. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Arthur Ashe Stadium | alt= | url=https://www.usopen.org/index.html | email= | address=[[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing Meadows-Corona Park]], Queens | lat=40.749886 | long=-73.847033 | directions= | phone=+1 718 760-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Arthur Ashe Stadium | image=Arthur ashe stadium interior.jpg | wikidata=Q609551 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of the US Open tennis tournament, where Jerry becomes infatuated with a deaf lineswoman, George is shown on TV at the concession stand with ice cream all over his face, and Kramer injures Monica Seles in her big comeback match while working as a "ball boy". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=D'Amico Fresh Roasted Coffee | alt= | url=http://www.damico1948.com/ | email= | address=309 Court St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn | lat=40.683506 | long=-73.995189 | directions= | phone=+1 718 875-5403 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM, Su 9AM-3PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Elaine buys George a bag of expensive coffee, which he misinterprets as "stickin' it to [him] that she makes more money than [him]". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Edward R. Murrow High School | alt= | url=https://www.ermurrowhs.org/ | email= | address=1600 Avenue L, [[Brooklyn/Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush|Midwood]], Brooklyn | lat=40.6207 | long=-73.9592 | directions= | phone=+1 718 258-9283 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Edward R. Murrow High School | wikidata=Q5344955 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The real Jerry Seinfeld attended Massapequa High School on Long Island, but apparently TV Jerry was a graduate of this school where he returns in Season 9 to do a presentation on Career Day, only to get "bumped" by a fire drill. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.639722 | long=-73.778889 | directions= | phone=+1 718 244-4444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=John F. Kennedy International Airport | image=JFKNewYorkTerm4 1.jpg | wikidata=Q8685 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Where, while waiting to pick up Jerry from a flight coming in from [[St. Louis]], George taunts a convict under police escort and Kramer confronts an old acquaintance who borrowed money from him 20 years ago and never repaid it — both with disastrous results. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=LaGuardia Airport | alt= | url=https://www.laguardiaairport.com/ | email= | address=LaGuardia Rd. and 94th St., [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|East Elmhurst]], Queens | lat=40.77725 | long=-73.872611 | directions= | phone=+1 718 533-3400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=LaGuardia Airport | image=LaGuardiaairport.jpg | wikidata=Q319654 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Site of the Diplomat's Club, where Kramer won and then lost thousands of dollars betting on the arrival times of incoming flights (at one point putting up David Berkowitz's mail bag, a keepsake of Newman's, as collateral). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Queensboro Plaza Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=27th St. and Queens Plaza, Long Island City, Queens | lat=40.750653 | long=-73.940344 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Queensboro Plaza (New York City Subway) | image=Queensboro Plaza.jpg | wikidata=Q2177925 | content=Supposedly the home of the best gyros in the New York City subway system — the tzatziki sauce from which stained one of the issues of Frank Costanza's beloved ''TV Guide'' magazine collection. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Queens/The Rockaways|Rockaway Beach]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=Queens | lat=40.583138 | long=-73.815336 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=An ersatz driving range for Kramer, and the site of "marine biologist" George's daring rescue of a beached whale. "The sea was angry that day, my friends..." }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord | alt= | url=http://www.roct.org/ | email= | address=228 N. 12th St., [[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg]], Brooklyn | lat=40.719444 | long=-73.953611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord | image=RO Transfig Cathedral Greenpoint jeh.JPG | wikidata=Q2109124 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Stand-in for the Latvian Orthodox church where George attempts to convert to win back a woman who left him, and Kramer discovers his ''kavorka'', almost tempting a clergywoman into giving up her faith. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Visiting Nurses Association of Brooklyn | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 Metrotech Center, [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]] | lat=40.694035 | long=-73.984233 | directions= | phone=+1 718 923-7100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for the County Blood Bank, where a hike in service fees leads Kramer to angrily take his business (of stockpiling his own blood, "just in case”) elsewhere. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Yankee Stadium | alt= | url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/ | email= | address=161st St. and River Ave., The Bronx | lat=40.826944 | long=-73.928056 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yankee Stadium (1923) | image=Yankee Stadium aerial from Blackhawk.jpg | wikidata=Q675214 | content=Home of the New York Yankees, George's employer during the sixth, seventh, and most of the eighth season. The Yankee Stadium where George worked was torn down in 2009-10 and is now a park; the baseball team now plays in a new, identically named building on the other side of 161st Street. }} ===California=== {{quote|Jerry. It's L.A. Nobody leaves. She's a seductress, she's a siren, she's a virgin, she's a whore.|author=Cosmo Kramer}} {{Mapframe|34.01|-118.225|height=550|width=600|zoom=10|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Southern California<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|red}}Closed {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional}} ====Filming locations==== Hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of ''Seinfeld'' was ''not'' filmed in New York — aside from establishing shots of building exteriors, what's on your TV screen at any given time is usually a Hollywood soundstage. {{anchor|CBS}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=CBS Studio Center | alt= | url=http://www.cbssc.com/ | email= | address=4024 Radford Ave., [[Studio City]] | lat=34.144692 | long=-118.391008 | directions= | phone=+1 818 655-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=CBS Studio Center | image=CBS Studio Center, Soundstage 2.JPG | wikidata=Q5009278 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=This is where most of the show was filmed: on Stage 19 for the first three seasons, and on the much larger Stage 9 thereafter, as the number of different sets (and the popularity of the show) had grown substantially. In addition, many exterior scenes were filmed on the "New York Street" set between Stages 14 and 15. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paramount Studios | alt= | url=http://www.paramountstudios.com/ | email= | address=5555 Melrose Ave., [[Hollywood]] | lat=34.085432 | long=-118.318992 | directions= | phone=+1 323 956-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Paramount Pictures | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=After the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged much of the CBS studio lot, there was talk of moving production of ''Seinfeld'' here. That didn't end up happening, but you'll still see Paramount's "New York street" from time to time on later seasons of the show (most notably, the chase scene in "The Rye"). Unlike CBS, they offer a [http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/ two-hour tour] where you can see the sets for yourself. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Red Studios Hollywood | alt= | url=https://www.redstudioshollywood.com/ | email= | address=846 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood | lat=34.086111 | long=-118.328056 | directions= | phone=+1 323 463-0808 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Red Studios Hollywood | image= | wikidata=Q7312287 | lastedit=2019-04-23 | content=The pilot episode of ''Seinfeld'' was shot at this small "rental studio" that's most famous as the place where ''I Love Lucy'' was filmed, back when the place was still called '''Desilu Studios'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Warner Bros. Studios | alt= | url=https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ | email= | address=3400 Riverside Drive, [[Burbank]] | lat=34.148697 | long=-118.337561 | directions= | phone=+1 818 977-8687 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 8:30AM-3:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank | wikidata=Q16683162 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=All the exterior scenes set in the fictional Latham, [[Massachusetts]] — where the gang was booked for violating the local "good samaritan" law in "The Finale" — were filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot. Stage 4 is also where Kramer's [[#"The Keys" and "The Trip"|bit part in ''Murphy Brown'']] was filmed (in fiction as in real life). Like Paramount, Warner also offers a [https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ studio tour]; while you're there, check out the '''Warner Bros. Museum''' next to Stage 17, where rumor has it the original sets for Monk's Cafe and Jerry's apartment are kept in cold storage. }} Some scenes were shot on location in the Los Angeles area, too. * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Anaheim Stadium | alt=now Angel Stadium | url=https://www.mlb.com/angels/ballpark | email= | address=2000 E. Gene Autry Way, [[Anaheim]] | lat=33.800278 | long=-117.882778 | directions= | phone=+1 714 940-2000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Angel Stadium | wikidata=Q531897 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Three scenes that were set in the Yankees' locker room — the ones from "The Chaperone" where George talks to Buck Showalter about cotton uniforms and advises Danny Tartabull on his swing, and the one with Kramer and Paul O'Neill in "The Wink" — were instead filmed in the visiting team locker room at the Anaheim Angels' home stadium. (The former two were actually filmed ''during'' a Yankees-Angels game in July 1994.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport | alt=now Hollywood Burbank Airport | url=https://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ | email= | address=2627 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank | lat=34.200556 | long=-118.358611 | directions= | phone=+1 818 840-8840 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hollywood Burbank Airport | wikidata=Q598817 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The scenes from "[[#Q8685|The Airport]]" set at JFK's baggage claim and on the runway were actually filmed here. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Cheviot Hills Sports Center | alt= | url=http://cheviothillssportscenter.com/ | email= | address=2601 Motor Ave., [[Culver City]] | lat=34.046366 | long=-118.409769 | directions= | phone=+1 310 837-5186 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-10PM, Sa-Su 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where the scenes from "The Understudy" with Bette Midler and the charity softball game, set in Manhattan's Central Park, were in reality filmed. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Corner of S. Grand Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Los Angeles | lat=34.047972 | long=-118.255994 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where the "runaway rickshaw" scene from the Season 9 episode "The Bookstore" was shot. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Griffith Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Los Angeles | lat=34.1333 | long=-118.3 | directions= | phone=+1 323 913-4688 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Griffith Park | image=| wikidata=Q1340614 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=That's one ''long'' race: the finish line scene of the [[#Marathon|New York City Marathon]] in "The Hot Tub", where Jean-Paul Jean-Paul is burned by Kramer's hot coffee, was actually shot here. (The real-life end of the marathon is Central Park, of course.) Griffith Park is also where you'll find the famous HOLLYWOOD sign, which makes a couple of appearances in [[#"The Keys" and "The Trip"|"The Trip"]]. }} [[File:757 New Hampshire Ave 1.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Jerry's ''real'' apartment is in Koreatown in Los Angeles. If you want to look like a local, call it "K-Town".]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Orpheum Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.laorpheum.com | email= | address=824 S. Broadway, Los Angeles | lat=34.042681 | long=-118.255342 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877 677-4386 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles) | image=OrpheumTheatreLosAngeles.jpg | wikidata=Q2491086 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The Flying Sandos Brothers' performance from "The Friars Club", where Jerry [[#Q7013557|lent out and never got back]] his crested jacket, was filmed at this historic movie palace and vaudeville theater. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Santa Monica]] Pier | alt= | url=http://www.santamonicapier.org/ | email= | address= | lat=34.007956 | long=-118.499213 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Monica Pier | wikidata=Q595439 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Lots of brooding and reflecting here: it's where George sits and takes stock of his life and decides to always do "The Opposite" of his instincts, where he reflects on all his lost loves of the past just before "The Engagement" to Susan, and where Jerry struggles to envision a life without doing "The Voice" that drives his girlfriend crazy. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Shelley | alt= | url= | email= | address=757 S. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles | lat=34.058216 | long=-118.293059 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=This old brownstone apartment building in L.A.'s [[Los Angeles/Wilshire|Koreatown]] wouldn't look out of place on the other coast — and indeed, it was the stand-in for exterior shots of Jerry's Upper West Side apartment. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Van Nuys Airport | alt= | url=https://www.iflyvny.com/ | email= | address=16461 Sherman Way, [[Van Nuys]] | lat=34.209722 | long=-118.49 | directions= | phone=+1 818 442-6526 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Van Nuys Airport | wikidata=Q528578 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=In "The Finale", the scene at the airport where the gang boards the NBC corporate jet to [[Paris]] was filmed here. [https://www.iflyvny.com/en/community-information/airport-tours Tours] are offered by reservation of this facility that's no stranger to the big or small screen — aside from ''Seinfeld'', VNY has been featured in everything from ''Casablanca'' to ''Glee'' to ''Lethal Weapon'' to ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''. }}{{anchor|WillRogers}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Will Rogers State Beach | alt= | url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=625 | email= | address=17000 [[Pacific Coast Highway|Pacific Coast Hwy.]], [[Pacific Palisades]] | lat=34.0397 | long=-118.56 | directions= | phone=+1 424 526-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Will Rogers State Beach | image=Will Rogers State Beach 1.JPG | wikidata=Q8003058 | lastedit=2018-12-19 | content=When Kramer took up the hobby of hitting golf balls into the ocean in "The Marine Biologist", the ocean in question wasn't the Atlantic! Those scenes were filmed here, as was George's rescue of the beached whale. }} ===="The Keys" and "The Trip"==== A trio of episodes that were both set ''and'' filmed mostly in L.A. In a story arc spanning the Season 3 finale and the two-part Season 4 premiere, Kramer catches the acting bug and moves to Hollywood to try his luck, only to become a suspect in the ongoing (fictional) "Smog Strangler" serial-killer scare. Meanwhile, Jerry is booked to perform on the ''Tonight Show'', with George tagging along. * {{listing | type=red | name=12033 Ventura Pl. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Studio City | lat=34.144404 | long=-118.394021 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Like most pay phones in the United States, the one from which Jerry and George called the police to try to clear Kramer's name in the murder case is long gone. But the adjacent parking lot is the one where they unknowingly help the real killer escape from police custody. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City | alt= | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-los-angeles-universal-city-BURUCHF/index.html | email= | address=555 Universal Hollywood Drive, [[Universal City]] | lat=34.136403 | long=-118.358079 | directions= | phone=+1 818 506-2500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The hotel where Jerry and George stayed while in Los Angeles for the ''Tonight Show'' — right next door to Universal Studios, where George hoped to take the studio tour (he didn't get to). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=idbox Productions | alt= | url= | email= | address=4063 Radford Ave., Studio City | lat=34.145544 | long=-118.392588 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where Kramer auditions for the music video, the horror movie, the exercise tape, ''and'' the infomercial. Closed; now '''Horsepower Entertainment''', a presumably similar video production house. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Insomnia Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Insomnia-Cafe-120861721259849/ | email= | address=7286 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles | lat=34.075999 | long=-118.348454 | directions= | phone=+1 323 931-4943 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 7AM-7PM, F-Sa 7AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where Kramer talks to his new friend Chelsea about the part he has in mind for her — the title role in a miniseries about Eva Braun — and nervously chats up a creeped-out Fred Savage. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Las Palmas Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=1738 N. Las Palmas Ave., Los Angeles | lat=34.102733 | long=-118.335972 | directions= | phone=+1 323 464-9236 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The seedy flophouse where Kramer rents a room while awaiting his big break. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, Las Palmas is best known as the residence of Vivian, Julia Roberts' character in ''Pretty Woman''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=NBC Studios | alt=now The Burbank Studios | url=http://theburbankstudios.com | email= | address=3000 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank | lat=34.154881 | long=-118.334491 | directions= | phone=+1 818 840-3000 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-5:30PM | price= | wikipedia=The Burbank Studios | image=The burbank studios alameda.jpg | wikidata=Q7720617 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Home of ''The Tonight Show'', where Jerry bombs after the maid at his hotel threw away his notes, and where a starstruck George makes an ass of himself backstage to Corbin Bernsen and George Wendt. }} [[File:Los Angeles Police Administration Building - 1976.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"You killed all the pretty flowers, didn't you, Kramer? You killed the pretty little flowers, didn't you? You dirty, filthy, stinky weed! Didn't you?"]] * {{listing | type=red | name=Parker Center | alt= | url= | email= | address=150 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles | lat=34.0519 | long=-118.241 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Parker Center | image=Parker Center front 2004.jpg | wikidata=Q7138288 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The then-LAPD headquarters, where Kramer is grilled — and reduced to tears — by detectives who think he's the Smog Strangler. Jerry probably recognized the place from its appearances on the old ''Adventures of Superman'' TV series with Legendary George Reeves aka People's Friend, where it stood in for the offices of the ''Daily Planet''. The Los Angeles Police moved to a new building at the corner of E 1st Street and S Main Street in October 2009; this building was demolished in 2019. }} ===Elsewhere=== {{anchor|Amagansett}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Amagansett Farmers Market | alt=now Amber Waves Farm | url=http://www.amberwavesfarm.org/ | email= | address=367 Main St., [[East Hampton|Amagansett]], [[New York (state)|New York]] | lat=40.977880 | long=-72.137020 | directions= | phone=+1 631 267-5664 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 7AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where George stops on the way back from the gang's trip to "The Hamptons" to buy some Hampton tomatoes ("You can eat 'em like apples!"), only to get one in the face from Jerry's girlfriend Rachel in a passing car. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Bridgestone Firestone | alt=now Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology | url=https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/contact-us/locations/research-innovation | email= | address=1655 S. Main St., [[Akron]], [[Ohio]] | lat=41.041703 | long=-81.525610 | directions= | phone=+1 330 379-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Firestone Tire and Rubber Company | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, after a typically elaborate scheme involving a "Snow Tire Day" at Yankee Stadium, George travels hundreds of miles to finally confront his old office nemesis Reilly at his new job, and delivers "The Comeback" to the insult he'd given him just before his resignation. Bridgestone moved their corporate headquarters to [[Nashville]] in 2017, but they still have offices in Ohio. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Giants Stadium | alt= | url= | email= | address=50 Route 120, [[East Rutherford]], [[New Jersey]] | lat=40.812222 | long=-74.076944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Giants Stadium | image=Giants Stadium aerial.jpg | wikidata=Q375365 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=While taking in a New York Giants football game here, Kramer's attempt to pick up a ticket at the will-call window without ID leads to Elaine's unfortunately-named boyfriend Joel Rifkin being called on the P.A. system. The building was demolished in 2010 and is now a parking lot for '''MetLife Stadium''', where the Giants (and Metro New York's other NFL team, the Jets) play today. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Joe Robbie Stadium | alt=now Hard Rock Stadium | url=https://hardrockstadium.com/ | email= | address=347 Don Shula Drive, [[Miami Gardens]], [[Florida]] | lat=25.958056 | long=-80.238889 | directions= | phone=+1 305 943-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hard Rock Stadium | image=Hard Rock Stadium.jpg | wikidata=Q864339 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Jerry and Newman awkwardly attend the Super Bowl together in "The Label Maker". }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=New Munson Diner | alt= | url= | email= | address=12 Lake St., Liberty, New York | lat=41.797187 | long=-74.744618 | directions= | phone=+1 845 747-9912 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 6AM-9PM, F-Sa 6AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Known on the show as '''Reggie's''', this "Bizarro Diner" was located in Hell's Kitchen until 2005, when the building was moved to its new home in the [[Catskills]] via flatbed truck. In "The Soup", Reggie's is the workplace of Kramer's latest love interest, where, to the gang's consternation, egg white omelettes, "big salads", and decaf coffee are not on the menu. George, uncomfortable with his "worlds colliding", returns by himself a season later to avoid hanging out with Susan and his friends simultaneously. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort | alt=now Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City | url=https://www.hardrockhotels.com/atlantic-city | email= | address=1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey | lat=39.3587 | long=-74.4198 | directions= | phone=+1 609 449-1000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City | image=Trump Taj Mahal from Fairfield Resorts 20060627.JPG | wikidata=Q3541146 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Venue for the 1994 Miss America pageant, where Jerry accidentally kills Miss Rhode Island's trained doves. }} == Other places related to ''Seinfeld'' == ===New York City=== * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=129 W. 81st St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.783782 | long=-73.975413 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The exterior shots were filmed in Los Angeles (see above), but this is the address used in the show for Jerry and Kramer's building — and it's the actual address of the apartment where Larry David and the real-life Jerry lived as young stand-up comedians in the '80s. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=609 W. 43rd St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.761942 | long=-73.998520 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Long-ago site of '''Bak's Market''', a produce stand where Larry was once banned for squeezing the fruit too hard. This was the inspiration for the fictional '''Joe's Fruit Shop''' from the Season 5 episode "The Mango", whose owner banned Kramer for trying to return a rotten peach — and later Jerry too, after catching him trying to buy fruit for Kramer. Now a parking ramp. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Broadhurst Theatre | alt= | url=http://shubert.nyc/theatres/broadhurst/ | email= | address=235 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.7581 | long=-73.9876 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Broadhurst Theatre | wikidata=Q4972203 | lastedit=2019-01-08 | content=Where the real-life Jerry filmed ''I'm Telling You for the Last Time'', a 75-minute "greatest hits"-style stand-up performance aired live on HBO in August 1998 in which he kicked off the post-''Seinfeld'' phase of his career ("The Finale" had aired only three months prior) by ceremonially retiring all his old material. The original broadcast is available for streaming on Netflix, and the CD release won a Grammy Award the following year; if you're a ''Seinfeld'' fan, listen closely and you'll hear some bits that had been used in the show (both in the [[#Improv|opening segments]] and the plots themselves). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Kam Wei Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=617 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759534 | long=-73.992083 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=According to [[#KK1|Kenny Kramer]], the character of Ping, the delivery boy for the gang's favorite Chinese takeout who makes a handful of appearances in seasons 3 and 4, was based on an employee of this long-closed restaurant whom Larry knew. Now a dry cleaner. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Lee's Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=1494 First Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.771488 | long=-73.953077 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Larry David, speaking about the day in November 1988 when Jerry approached him to serve as co-writer for the TV sitcom that NBC executives had just offered him: "We left '''[[#CARS|Catch a Rising Star]]''' and we walked into a Korean grocery store, and we started, as we invariably did, talking about some of the products in the store... it occurred to me that this is the kind of discussion that you never really hear on television. And that that, in fact, would be funny." (This was the inspiration for the scene in Monk's Cafe in the third-season episode "The Pitch", where a conversation between George and the fictional Jerry about salsa led to the idea for their show-within-a-show.) Lee's Market is now a pizzeria. }}{{anchor|Plaza}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Plaza | alt= | url=https://lihc.com/nyc-property-investment-group/manhattan-plaza/ | email= | address=400-484 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759401 | long=-73.993811 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Manhattan Plaza | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=Before he was roommates with Jerry in the aforementioned apartment on West 81st Street, Larry lived for six years in this federally-subsidized apartment complex for performing artists — right across the hall from [[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer]], who still lives in the building to this day. }} [[File:Smithsonian National Museum of American History - Seinfeld The Puffy Shirt (120435360).jpg|thumb|300px|right|Put on your puffiest shirt and go to the '''National Museum of American History''' in [[Washington, D.C.]]]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Park bench at W. 81st St. and Central Park West | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.781746 | long=-73.971825 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-01 | content=The second bench past the corner of 81st Street on the east side of Central Park West was the scene of what the real-life Jerry describes as the two most important decisions of his professional life: in the summer of 1976, it was where he told his father that he intended to pursue stand-up comedy as a career, and later in December 1997, while on a walk through Central Park with his managers George Shapiro and Howard West, it was where he made the final decision to reject NBC's still-unprecedented offer of $5 million per episode for a tenth season of ''Seinfeld'' and instead end production of the show at the close of the current season. }}{{anchor|TownHall2}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url=http://thetownhall.org/ | email= | address=123 W. 43rd St., Theater District | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone=+1 212 997-6661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Town Hall (New York City) | image=Town Hall 123 W43 near sun jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q1634948 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=In addition to its [[#Q1634948|importance]] within ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fictional universe, the real-life Jerry did a stand-up performance here on September 10, 1988. Unbeknownst to him, in the audience were several executives from NBC invited by the aforementioned George Shapiro, who'd written them a letter several weeks earlier: "Call me a crazy guy, but I feel that Jerry Seinfeld will soon be doing a series on NBC". (This was later reflected in the season 3 episode "The Pitch", where Jerry's TV alter ego was approached by an NBC talent scout after a comedy set.) }}{{anchor|Westway}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Westway Diner | alt= | url=https://www.westwaydiner.com | email= | address=614 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759446 | long=-73.991657 | directions= | phone=+1 212 582-7661 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-1AM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The place where, some time after the initial flash of inspiration at '''Lee's Market''' (see above), Jerry and Larry met over lunch to formally sketch out the premise for what would become ''Seinfeld''. The Westway was one of their favorite haunts back in the day, and in fact, it's often thought that it, rather than '''[[#Q2441394|Tom's]]''', was the true inspiration for Monk's Cafe. }} ===California=== {{anchor|JerrysFamous}} *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Jerry's Famous Deli | alt= | url=https://www.jerrysdeli.com/ | email= | address=12655 Ventura Blvd., Studio City | lat=34.144730 | long=-118.409118 | directions= | phone=+1 818 980-4245 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 8AM-1AM, F-Sa 8AM-3AM | price= | wikipedia=Jerry's Famous Deli | content=After a full week of writing, rehearsing and filming, the cast of ''Seinfeld'' were famous for unwinding on Friday evenings at the Studio City location of this famous chain of New York-style Jewish delis, eating, talking, and joking together late into the night. Ask the staff and (if it's not too busy) you can see their favorite booth, now marked with a plaque. }} *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paisano's Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.paisanospizzahb.com/ | email= | address=1132 Hermosa Ave., [[Hermosa Beach]] | lat=33.861871 | long=-118.399717 | directions= | phone=+1 310 376-9883 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-midnight | price= | content=A favorite pizzeria of the ''Seinfeld'' writing staff, Paisano's lent its name to the [[#Q20979290|Bronx (really Greenwich Village) eatery]] featured in "The Calzones". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Roxy Theatre | alt= | url=https://www.theroxy.com/ | email= | address=9009 Sunset Blvd., [[West Hollywood]] | lat=34.090789 | long=-118.388017 | directions= | phone=+1 310 278-9457 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood) | wikidata=Q1565972 | lastedit=2019-12-11 | content=Where, in September 1987, the real-life Jerry filmed ''Stand-Up Confidential'', an hour-long HBO special that is considered by fans as almost a prototype version of the ''Seinfeld'' sitcom: like its counterpart, the special consisted of a stand-up performance interspersed with comedic skits and vignettes as viewed through Jerry's "Comedy X-Ray Specs", in which he — you guessed it — demonstrates how his own day-to-day life serves as fodder for his routine. As well, many of the people who worked on the special with him went on to serve as ''Seinfeld'' writers or cast members, notably Carol Leifer and Larry Miller. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=National Museum of American History | alt= | url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/ | email= | address=1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. | lat=38.8913 | long=-77.03 | directions= | phone=+1 202 633-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM-5:30PM | price=Free | wikipedia=National Museum of American History | image=National Museum of American History 1.jpg | wikidata=Q148584 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A museum with displays of American cultural history, among them the original puffy shirt which character-Jerry wore on ''The Today Show'', designed by Kramer's low-talking fashion designer girlfriend. }} ==Activities for the ''Seinfeld'' fan== {{anchor|Festivus}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Festivus | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2115975 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=A secular alternative to Christmas invented by Frank Costanza (fictionally; in real life, ''Seinfeld'' writer Dan O'Keefe based it on one of his own father's quirky traditions), popularized by the Season 9 episode "The Strike", and celebrated annually on December 23. Festivus celebrations involve families gathering around an unadorned aluminum pole in the living room, wherepon there's an "Airing of Grievances" (in which attendees takes turns griping at each other and the world in general), which in turn ultimately culminates with "Feats of Strength" (general fisticuffs, ending only when the family patriarch is successfully pinned). A meatloaf dinner is also customary. Though Festivus has taken on a life of its own among ''Seinfeld'' fans and non-fans alike, public observance isn't really a huge phenomenon: your best bet is to look around for bars holding Festivus theme nights or else hope to be invited to someone's private party. }} [[File:Manhattan and Central Park (5896238520).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Despite the spurious claims of hansom cab driver Kramer, '''Central Park''' was designed by pioneering landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — not former New York Yankees first baseman Joe Pepitone.]] {{anchor|Hansom}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Hansom cab rides in Central Park | alt= | url=https://www.centralpark.com/things-to-do/activities/horse-drawn-carriages/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 310-6600 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F-Sa 11AM-1AM | price=$35 for the first 20 minutes, $10 for each additional 15-minute period; [[tipping]] is expected | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=Though the one Susan's parents took with Kramer in "The Rye" was anything but, in the ideal scenario a hansom cab (horse and buggy) ride is a pleasant, relaxing, and romantic way to experience New York's [[#Q160409|Central Park]]. Rides generally start and end at {{marker|type=do|name=Grand Army Plaza|lat=40.764672|long=-73.973319|wikidata=Q1139579}}, on the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue at the southeast corner of the park, and are offered year-round. With a bit of luck, you'll be matched with a jockey who doubles as a tour guide, relating the history and significance of what you see around you. Just make sure he didn't feed the horse Beef-a-Reeno beforehand! }}{{anchor|Reality Tour}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Kramer's Reality Tour | alt= | url=http://www.kennykramer.com/home.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 268-5525 | tollfree=+1 800 572-6377 | hours=Departures Sa noon, Su on selected weekends (consult website for schedule) | price=$49.50 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content="The Muffin Tops" episode is a classic case of art imitating life: at the helm of this three-hour bus tour is not Cosmo but Kenny Kramer, [[#Plaza|former neighbor of Larry David's]] and real-life inspiration behind the ''Seinfeld'' character. Kramer's Reality Tour takes you through the streets of Manhattan to some of the spots famously depicted on the sitcom — much the same as this article does, with the important difference being your host himself, who provides not only a depth of behind-the-scenes familiarity with the source material that you can only get from "the real Kramer", but also all the charming personality quirks of his TV counterpart. Tours begin at the '''Producers' Club Theatre''' on West 44th Street: the current site of one of Jerry's favorite old haunts, '''[[#Improv|The Improv]]'''. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | alt= | url=https://www.macys.com/social/parade/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q79407 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=The Woody Woodpecker balloon was retired in 1996, much to the probable disappointment of Mr. Pitt. But that doesn't mean ''you'' won't enjoy this nearly century-old annual tradition that draws north of a million onlookers to the streets of Manhattan. This roving spectacle sees a selection of high school and college marching bands from across the country, performers from whatever Broadway shows are playing at the time, and even store employees winding their way alongside Central Park and through midtown Manhattan ending at '''Macy's''' flagship store at Herald Square. But the two things for which the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is best known are, one, a collection of giant helium balloons in the shape of popular cartoon characters, and two, Santa Claus, whose appearance at the parade marks the unofficial start of the holiday season in New York. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=National Puerto Rican Day Parade | alt= | url=https://www.nprdpinc.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 917 685-1607 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7258598 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=Season 9's controversial episode "The Puerto Rican Day" is a pretty effective primer on how ''not'' to celebrate this long-running annual ethnic pride festival: don't get caught in parade traffic, don't forget to attend to your bathroom needs before heading out (New York's already pointed lack of public restrooms becomes even more dire during special events), and above all, don't get caught setting fire to the Puerto Rican flag, even inadvertently! But ''do'' check out the website to see a burgeoning schedule of events in the weeks leading up to parade day (the {{marker|type=do|name=152nd Street Cultural Festival|lat=40.816040|long=-73.908088}}, held on the last Saturday of May in the South Bronx, is the biggest of these), and of course, do attend the parade itself, held on Fifth Avenue between 44th and 86th Streets on the second Sunday in June. }}{{anchor|Marathon}} * {{listing | type=do | name=TCS New York City Marathon | alt= | url=https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q752138 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=If the climactic scene in the Season 7 episode "The Hot Tub" got your blood pumping, stake out a spot along a route that encompasses all five boroughs to bear witness to one of the most preeminent long-distance footraces in the United States. The New York City Marathon is held annually on the first Sunday in November, beginning on [[Staten Island]] at the foot of the '''Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge''' and from there winding through Brooklyn, Queens, [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Roosevelt Island]], the East Side, the South Bronx, and [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Harlem]] before reaching the finish line at '''Runner's Grove''' in '''Central Park''', just across from '''[[#Q4022491|Tavern on the Green]]'''. Or, if merely being a spectator isn't enough, why not compete in the race yourself? Applications for the entry drawing are accepted between mid-January and mid-February of the year of the race; entry fees in 2019 were $295 for U.S. residents and $358 for non-residents. }} ==Go next== *Of course, after you wrap up your tour in either [[New York City]] or [[Los Angeles]], you'd be remiss not to explore the myriad other attractions on offer in those world-class cities. *While you're in the Big Apple, you could also check out the sites from that ''other'' group of '90s-era "Must See TV" twentysomethings on the [[Friends Tour|''Friends'' Tour]]. *Or perhaps head to [[Albuquerque]] to follow along on the further adventures of Bryan Cranston a/k/a Dr. Tim Whatley, who, as Walter White in ABC's hit crime drama [[Breaking Bad Tour|''Breaking Bad'']], trades in his career as a mild-mannered science teacher for the high-stakes life of a drug kingpin. {{guidetopic}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Seinfeld'' Tour}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} fd3ycpc9y5lhuq5qmwl04vpabu4vd8z 4502146 4501903 2022-08-16T11:33:59Z Ibaman 195012 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/103.113.190.36|103.113.190.36]] ([[User talk:103.113.190.36|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Antandrus|Antandrus]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Seinfeld Banner WV.jpg|ftt=yes}} Like Cosmo Kramer's hapless customers in "The Muffin Tops", you, too, can see with your own eyes the real-life locations in [[New York City]], [[Southern California]], and elsewhere that were featured on the television series '''''Seinfeld'''''. ==Understand== {{quote|GEORGE: I'm serious, I think that's a good idea! JERRY: Just talking? What's the show about? GEORGE: It's about nothing! |author=''The Pitch''}} Co-created by, named after, and starring [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up comedian]] Jerry Seinfeld, ''Seinfeld'' ran for nine seasons and 180 episodes on the American television network NBC, premiering in 1990 and ending in 1998. Though its first seasons earned only modest ratings, the show was critically acclaimed throughout its run and, after being moved in 1992 to a coveted Thursday night timeslot directly after the long-running megahit ''Cheers'', commercial success soon followed on a massive level. (Which is not to say that ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success was solely due to ''Cheers''; as Jerry put it later, "...we started beating them [in the ratings] coming on ''after'' them, which is just not done... [usually with] the second show you just try and not fall off too much.") By its fourth season in 1993-94, ''Seinfeld'' was one of the top three highest-rated shows on American television, which it would continue to be for the remainder of its run. ===Conception, premise and cast=== Ask any American to describe the premise of ''Seinfeld'' and they'll always come back to the same four words: "a show about nothing". That phrase or variations on it popped up in reviews of the show almost from the beginning, but at the outset, that was not what ''Seinfeld'' was meant to be. Instead, it was intended as a show that demonstrated how a stand-up comedian comes up with the material that they use in their act: in Jerry's case, picking apart the little trivialities and petty annoyances of daily life and mining the comedy out of them. It was an art form that Jerry and ''Seinfeld'' co-creator Larry David were both experts in, after years spent honing their craft on the New York comedy-club circuit in the '70s and '80s, and in Larry's case, also during a brief stint as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live''. At that time, [[Manhattan]] was still an affordable place for the less-than-rich to live, and the stand-up scene was tight-knit and insular, centered around just a scant handful of comedy clubs: '''[[#Improv|The Improv]]''', '''The Comic Strip''', '''[[#CARS|Catch a Rising Star]]''', and so forth. Onstage lineups on a given night drew from pretty much the same small clique of performers, and in that environment comics got to know one another, became friends, watched each other onstage, bounced ideas off each other offstage. In short, it was fertile ground for the observational humorist. Over time, Jerry's affable nature and accessible act brought him increasing success, with bookings on the ''Tonight Show'' and ''Late Night with David Letterman'' becoming more and more frequent as the '80s wore on, and even a small recurring role on the TV series ''Benson''. Meanwhile, Larry was considered a "comic's comic": his fellow comedians howled with laughter whenever he was onstage, but his act was by and large too ''outré'' for mass audiences, and thus he was never really able to break out of the small-time club circuit the way Jerry did. His twisted and cynical sensibilities, though, were instrumental in the creation of ''Seinfeld'': fans who are familiar with both comedians' work agree that the tone of the show bears far more resemblance to Larry's worldview than Jerry's. It was in late 1988 when Jerry was contacted by NBC for a meeting with several of their executives, who'd been [[#TownHall2|in attendance at a recent performance of his]], liked what they saw, and were interested in working with him on a project for television. He enlisted his old friend Larry to help, and together they [[#Westway|hatched the idea]] of a 90-minute special to be broadcast in ''Saturday Night Live''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s timeslot during one of its off weeks, wherein the camera would follow Jerry around as he went about a typical day in his life, with a finale featuring Jerry at a club performing a stand-up set inspired by the events of that day. Though of course that plan was later scrapped in favor of a half-hour weekly sitcom, ''Seinfeld'' still retained many elements of its original conception: the plotlines center around the daily life of a comedian, and each episode is bookended by [[#Improv|scenes of Jerry onstage at a comedy club]]. Once it was decided that a sitcom was the way to go, a premise had to be devised and characters designed. Jerry played an exaggerated version of himself, a cereal-eating, Superman-obsessed neat freak who served as a sort of "straight man" anchoring the wackiness around him. Meanwhile, the character of George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) — Jerry's childhood friend; a duplicitous, stingy, frequently unemployed neurotic with a chip on his shoulder rivaled in size only by his inferiority complex — took his name from an old classmate of Jerry's at [[Queens]] College, but the persona is acknowledged to have been a fictionalized version of Larry. Finally, Michael Richards rounded out the original cast as Cosmo Kramer, Jerry's wild-haired, mooching, "hipster doofus" neighbor across the hall {{anchor|KK1}}(modeled after [[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer]], a [[#Plaza|former across-the-hall neighbor of Larry's]]) whose eccentric nature and penchant for harebrained schemes brought a touch of the absurd to the proceedings. Later, after the duo submitted their pilot to NBC executives for consideration, it was suggested that a female character be added to the cast, whence Elaine Benes, Jerry's ambitious, intelligent yet superficial ex-girlfriend whose portrayal by Julia Louis-Dreyfus was heralded as a high water mark for feminism on television: she was "one of the boys", yet also a strong female voice asserting herself unabashedly in relationships with men and speaking her mind openly about hot-button issues like abortion and contraception. Of course, as the series progressed, additional characters were added to the mix: George's parents (Frank and Estelle Costanza, played by Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris respectively) and Jerry's (Morty and Helen Seinfeld, played by Barney Martin and Liz Sheridan); Jerry's cantankerous Uncle Leo (Len Lesser); Kramer's sniveling, diabolical postman friend Newman (Wayne Knight); George's ill-fated fiancée Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg), Elaine's on-again-off-again boyfriend David Puddy (Patrick Warburton),{{anchor|Bania}} obnoxious hack comic Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner), and many others. {{infobox|''Seinfeld'' and [[Judaism|Jewish]] culture|In its earliest seasons, internal communications among network executives criticized ''Seinfeld'' for being "too New York, too Jewish" and expressed concern about how the show would play in the more white-bread regions of Middle America. Clearly the suits were dead wrong, and of course the same is true to some degree of all comedy in the U.S. — it wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say the Borscht Belt is to today's overall American comic sensibility what the blues is to rock 'n' roll; inescapably the ultimate progenitor, no matter how far afield and in how many different directions its successors have taken things. But the degree to which ''Seinfeld'' lives and breathes ''Yiddishkeit'' is indeed striking. For one thing, a huge number of the people responsible for the show are Jews themselves: Jerry Seinfeld (the real person and his TV alter ego) and Larry David both are, as is Jason Alexander (who described his character, despite the Italian surname, as "obviously Jewish"), as are many of the bigwigs on the show's writing staff, such as Larry Charles, Peter Mehlman, and Carol Leifer. And, together, they've created a world for their characters replete with things like marble ryes and chocolate babkas, indiscreet rabbis and incompetent mohels, and ever-present echoes of their comedy forebears. The witty repartee among the foursome are essentially modern-day vaudeville routines. Kramer's slapstick pratfalls crib from Jerry Lewis. In fact, in an essay he published for the book ''Coming Out Jewish: Constructing Ambivalent Identities'', Jon Stratton makes a convincing case that the relationship between Jerry and George is nothing more than a modern reading of the ''schlemiel'' and ''schlimazel'' stock characters that have been archetypes of Jewish comedy since the Middle Ages. This intrinsic Jewishness is palpable not only when you watch the show, but also as you take this tour, and it's worth keeping on the lookout for.}} ===Legacy=== ''Seinfeld'' was by leaps and bounds the most successful sitcom of the '90s, but that barely scratches the surface of the impact it had, and continues to have, on American pop culture. The show left its mark in numerous and diverse ways, from fashion (Kramer's vintage threads presaged the "thrift store chic" look that took the hipster world by storm a few years later), to event calendars (over two decades after the Season 9 episode "The Strike" was first broadcast, [[#Festivus|Festivus]] is on the cusp of becoming a ''bona fide'' holiday), to the very language spoken by Americans ("regifting", "shrinkage", and "yada yada yada" are but a few of the ''Seinfeld''-derived words and phrases that retain their place in the popular lexicon). And that's not to mention its effect on consumer trends: ''Seinfeld'' is considered a pioneer in the practice of product placement on American television, with effects on such companies as Pez, which saw such a huge surge in sales after the episode "The Pez Dispenser" that it had to expand its candy factory in [[Connecticut]] to keep up with demand, and Fisher Pens, which still to this day sees an uptick in sales of its "AG7 Space Pen" — the model that Jack Klompus gifted to Jerry in Season 3 — every time the episode is rerun in syndication. But leaving aside its impacts on the culture at large, ''Seinfeld'' was equally revolutionary within the realm of television. Up to the 1980s, most mainstream sitcoms were set in the suburban home of a nuclear family, building on tropes of marriage, childhood, and domestic life and with plotlines that all followed more or less the same pattern of setup, conflict and resolution. ''Seinfeld'' took a sledgehammer to these genre conventions, with main characters who lacked spouses, children, and in many cases steady employment, an unconventional structure of multiple plotlines intersecting with each other in unpredictable ways, an almost pathological aversion to anything resembling sentimentality or character growth, and a tone that parodied the nihilistic self-absorption of post-yuppie city life. In this, too, it proved influential: quite a few of the most popular sitcoms that came up in its wake revolved around casts of thirtysomething single people (''[[Friends Tour|Friends]]'', ''Will & Grace'', ''Sex and the City'') or childless couples (''Mad About You'') living in New York City. === When to go === Now that we've covered the show itself, let's talk about logistics for this tour. New York City and Southern California together contain the bulk of the points of interest — and though their climates are quite different, the ideal times of year to visit are roughly the same in each case (luckily for any diehard ''Seinfeld'' fans hoping to hit up both cities on the same tour!) Midsummer is often uncomfortably hot and muggy in New York and is also prime time for [[Los Angeles]]' infamous "dirty smog", while winter brings, respectively, frigid temperatures and frequent rain. Spring and autumn are generally much better options. See [[New York City#Climate]] and [[Los Angeles#Climate]] for more in-depth information. == Get in == As mentioned above, the majority of the points of interest this tour covers are in the New York City area and Southern California, so the content of this and the following section will pertain to those places. For information about travelling to any of the [[#Elsewhere|outlying destinations]] listed, please see the "Get in" section of each respective city article. [[New York City#Get in|New York]] and [[Los Angeles#Get in|Los Angeles]], it hardly needs to be said, are both world-class destinations, well-connected to the American [[Driving in the United States|Interstate highway]] and [[Rail travel in the United States|passenger rail]] networks, and with airports hosting direct flights from all corners of the world. For those hoping to find a flight into either one of those cities, there's very little to be said that wouldn't constitute advice from Captain Obvious. And for those ''Seinfeld'' superfans planning to visit both cities on this tour, it also hardly needs to be mentioned that there are dozens of nonstop flights a day ''between'' New York and Los Angeles, with airfare generally ranging between $300 and $500 round-trip. [[File:LGA AIRPORT AND MANHATTAN FROM CRJ-900 FLIGHT LGA-BUF N296PQ (16557428857).jpg|300px|thumb|right|'''LaGuardia Airport''': home of the [[#Q319654|Diplomats' Club]].]] Getting to Manhattan from New York's three airports is a bit more complicated. If you're flying into '''[[JFK]]''', the '''AirTrain''' is easy, quick, and cheap enough: $8 buys you a combination ticket that will take you from your terminal to '''Jamaica Station''' on the airport's own 24-hour people mover system, and then onward to Manhattan via the E, J, or Z subway service, a process that takes about an hour and a half total. If time is of the essence, a few additional dollars will buy you a ticket on the '''Long Island Rail Road''' from Jamaica direct to '''Penn Station''', shaving about half an hour off your travel time. '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Liberty]]''' also has an AirTrain, which dumps you off at '''Newark Liberty Rail Station''' with onward service to Manhattan via '''New Jersey Transit''' (50 minutes; $13 adult, $9 child/senior/disabled). If you're unlucky enough to be flying into '''LaGuardia Airport''', there's no easy way to get to Manhattan on public transit; your easiest option is probably to take a taxi ($21-30 plus taxes and tips). Car rental is available from all three airports as well, not to say that New York is anywhere you want to be driving. The practical realities of getting around L.A. (see below) mean you're probably going to need a car at your disposal. Rental facilities abound in and around the airport. If you absolutely insist otherwise, the Green Line of the Los Angeles '''Metro Rail''' can be accessed from '''[[LAX]]''' via a free shuttle bus from the terminal to '''Aviation/LAX Station'''. If you're headed to [[Downtown Los Angeles]], a better idea is to skip the Metro Rail entirely and hop on the '''LAX FlyAway''' bus ($19.50 round trip for the 35-minute ride to '''Union Station'''; prices and travel times vary to other destinations). ==Get around== One way in which New York and Los Angeles are extremely different are the preferred methods of getting around town. New York is one of the [[United States without a car|very few North American cities where having a car is more of an ''in''convenience than a convenience]], but luckily the public transit system is extraordinarily extensive and well-developed. Even if you were to take this tour wholly using the '''New York City Subway''' system, the vast majority of the points of interest in the city would be easily accessible. You pay your fare using a '''MetroCard''', sold at kiosks located in most stations; as of April 2019, a single ride costs $2.75, while weekly and monthly passes will set you back $33 and $127 respectively. If human-powered transport is more your thing, NYC's network of protected on-street bike lanes grows more extensive each year, and there's no better way to take advantage of them than with the '''Citi Bike''' bike-sharing network. Kiosks are ubiquitous in Manhattan south of 130th Street, and are also present in Brooklyn (mostly points north of '''[[Brooklyn/Prospect Park|Prospect Park]]'''), in [[Queens/Long Island City and Astoria|Long Island City and Astoria in Queens]], and even across the river in [[Jersey City]]. A single 30-minute ride costs $3, but if you plan on doing the whole ''Seinfeld'' tour this way, by far a better option would be to spring for a $12 day pass. Public transit is even doable for some of the further-flung points of interest outside New York, such as '''[[#Amagansett|Amagansett Farmers Market]]''' or the '''[[#Q375365|Giants Stadium]]''' site, which are each an easy walking distance from, respectively, the Long Island Rail Road's '''Amagansett Station''' and New Jersey Transit's '''Meadowlands Rail Station'''. ([[Atlantic City]] is on New Jersey Transit's network too, but direct connections from Manhattan are by bus only, and the ride can take anywhere from two to four hours depending on traffic. Unless you're planning to make a day trip out of it — which, don't get us wrong, is a perfectly feasible and worthwhile thing to do if you're visiting New York — you'll probably need a rental car to see the place where [[#Q3541146|Miss Rhode Island's trained doves met their untimely end]].) Meanwhile, on the other coast, Los Angeles' Metro Rail has come a long way in the past ten years or so, but it's still not (and probably never will be) anywhere near as easy to get by without a car there as in New York. Plus, most of the stops on the L.A. portion of the itinerary are a hassle to get to using transit. If you book ahead of time, renting a car from one of the onsite counters at LAX generally runs $80-100/day or $400-500/week plus taxes and fees, but if you can manage to get yourself to an offsite location (this is where the Metro Rail can come in handy), you can usually get a steep discount off those prices. == Filming locations and places featured on the show == ===New York City=== {{quote| JERRY: Oh, come on, there's a lot of people walking around the city that look like me. KRAMER: Not as many as there used to be. }} ====Manhattan==== {{Mapframe|40.760|-73.974|height=800|width=450|zoom=13|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Manhattan<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|red}}Closed {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional {{Colorbox|gold}}Other, see listing}} <!-- Sort listings by descending latitude --> [[File:Tom's Restaurant-02.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Monk's Cafe... er, '''Tom's Restaurant''']] *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tom's Restaurant | alt= | url=https://tomsrestaurant.net | email= | address=2880 Broadway, [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Morningside Heights]] | lat=40.80546 | long=-73.965397 | directions= | phone=+1 212 864-6137 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Th 7AM-1PM, F-M 24 hours | price= | wikipedia=Tom's Restaurant | wikidata=Q2441394 | content=Repurposed by the show as '''Monk's Cafe''', the gang's favorite hangout. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, it's best known as the setting for Suzanne Vega's 1987 hit song, "Tom's Diner". }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=211 W. 106th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Manhattan Valley]] | lat=40.800997 | long=-73.966545 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the eccentric J. Peterman, retail magnate and world traveller who was Elaine's boss in the last three seasons of the show. In the Season 8 episode "The Van Buren Boys", Elaine, tasked with ghostwriting Peterman's autobiography, interviews him here only to be frustrated by his boring stories ("We've covered all of [the intrigue and exotic romances] in the catalogue ad nauseam. No, I would like this book to be about my day-to-day life"). }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Larchmont | alt= | url= | email= | address=448 Central Park West, Manhattan Valley | lat=40.797327 | long=-73.960823 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Elaine lived here? ''Get out!'' }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Metro Twin Cinema | alt= | url= | email= | address=2626 Broadway, Manhattan Valley | lat=40.796735 | long=-73.969987 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of the double-date in Season 5 where Elaine and Jerry take their beaux to see ''The Age of Innocence'', and Jerry's girlfriend "can't spare a square" of toilet paper for Elaine in the bathroom stall. Also where George impresses his new girlfriend in "The Opposite" by angrily shushing the loud movie-goers seated behind them, going so far as to threaten: "...we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like!" Closed in 2002 and now vacant. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=640 West End Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.792137 | long=-73.97525 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of Mr. Pitt, the eccentric, persnickety multimillionaire for whom Elaine works as a personal assistant for most of Season 6. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=321 W. 90th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]] | lat=40.791933 | long=-73.976826 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The building where George lived from the beginning of the series through Season 5, when he [[#FrankAndEstelle|moved in with his parents]]. (After being hired by the Yankees and moving back out, the picture becomes muddied: according to the show, his new place was on 86th Street, but the exterior shots used in filming switched inconsistently between the original 90th St. location and another building on 16th St. in [[Manhattan/Chelsea|Chelsea]], a full 70 blocks south of its supposed location!) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Mount Sinai Hospital | alt= | url=https://www.mountsinai.org/ | email= | address=1425 Madison Ave., [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|East Harlem]] | lat=40.788648 | long=-73.952423 | directions= | phone=+1 212 241-6500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan) | image=SinaiMed_crop.jpg | wikidata=Q1476505 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Kramer and Mickey take turns hamming it up as actors portraying patients afflicted with various diseases, for the benefit of a class of medical students. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Loews Paragon Theater | alt=now AMC 84th Street 6 | url=https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/new-york-city/amc-84th-street-6 | email= | address=2310 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.78668 | long=-73.977524 | directions= | phone=+1 212 721-6023 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Another of the gang's movie-house haunts, Loews is where Jerry catches his dry cleaner wearing his coat, where Kramer meets Uma Thurman, where Jerry and Kramer leave George behind to see ''Firestorm'' together, and where Elaine and her boyfriend see ''The English Patient'', leading to the demise of their relationship. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Hospital Center | alt= | url=https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan/ | email= | address=1901 First Ave., East Harlem | lat=40.7849 | long=-73.9447 | directions= | phone=+1 212 423-6262 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Metropolitan Hospital Center | image=Metro Hosp Cen fuel sta jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q14706949 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where witnessing the sponge bath of the beautiful patient in the room next door to his mother almost causes George to lose "The Contest"; where Elaine breaks her pre-ulcer test fast with delicious Drake's coffee cake in "The Suicide"; where George's supposed doppelgänger Neil is sent after burning his face on a crêpe in "The English Patient". }}{{anchor|H&H}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=H&H Bagels | alt= | url=http://www.hhbagels.net | email= | address=2239 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.784586 | long=-73.97981 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=H&H Bagels | content=The bakery where Kramer worked until 1985, and briefly again in 1997 after calling off his twelve-year strike (a raise in the minimum wage had made his salary demands moot), was right on the southwest corner of 80th St. and Broadway. Though that location closed in 2012, H&H Midtown Bagels East continues to do business under different ownership at 1551 Second Ave. between 80th and 81st Sts. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Columbus Deli | alt= | url= | email= | address=476 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.784534 | long=-73.973841 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Bodega with an illegal cockfighting ring in the back room, where Little Jerry Seinfeld, a rooster Kramer named in Jerry's honor, notched win after win against his hapless opponents. Still open as of December 2018 — stop in and see for yourself if Marcellino has taken Jerry's bounced check down from the wall of shame! }} * {{listing | type=red | name=The Magic Pan | alt= | url= | email= | address=432 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.783192 | long=-73.974822 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Izzy Mandelbaum was the franchisee of this location of the once-popular chain of crêperies, where Kramer put to work the "Cuban" cigar rollers (actually Dominicans) he'd hired for one of his get-rich-quick schemes. The chain folded shortly after the airing of that Season 8 episode, and the location is now an '''UNO Chicago Grill'''. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=1125 Park Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Carnegie Hill]] | lat=40.782932 | long=-73.954754 | directions= | phone=+1 212 289-3699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=The swanky high-rise condo tower that's home of Russell Dalrymple, the (fictional) president of NBC who worked with Jerry and George on their TV pilot throughout most of Season 4. It's here where, in "The Shoes", George stares a little too long at Dalrymple's young daughter's cleavage, infuriating her father and almost leading to the cancellation of the pilot. (As Jerry said: "Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at it; it's too risky. You get a sense of it and then you look away.") }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Champagne Video | alt= | url= | email= | address=2183 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.782781 | long=-73.980953 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The video store where George bumps into Susan only to discover he's driven her to lesbianism, and where he later tries to rent ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' in lieu of reading the novel for his book club. Also the workplace of the mysterious Vincent, whose taste in recommended videos makes Elaine fall in love sight unseen. Part of a now-defunct local chain, as of December 2018 this location is a vacant storefront for lease. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Central Park]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7825 | long=-73.966111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Central Park | image=Southwest corner of Central Park, looking east, NYC.jpg | wikidata=Q160409 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The setting of many different happenings in the ''Seinfeld'' universe: Central Park is where Mr. and Mrs. Ross were taken by Kramer on a disastrous [[#Hansom|hansom cab ride]] with a flatulent horse, where George uses a line about manure to awkwardly flirt with a waitress from Monk's Cafe (and later with actress Marisa Tomei), where George injures Bette Midler during a charity softball game, and where Elaine's Trinidadian houseguest Jean-Paul Jean-Paul loses the [[#Marathon|New York City Marathon]] after burning himself on a cup of Kramer's hot coffee. }} ** {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tavern on the Green | alt= | url=https://www.tavernonthegreen.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.7723 | long=-73.9778 | directions= | phone=+1 212 877-8684 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 11AM-9PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa 9AM-11PM, Su 9AM-9PM | price= | wikipedia=Tavern on the Green | image=Tavern on the Green cloudy jeh.JPG | wikidata=Q4022491 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=George learns his girlfriend Allison is planning to break up with him, so he dodges her calls in order to force her to be his date to the party George Steinbrenner is throwing here for New York Yankees staff ("If she can't find me, she can't break up with me!") Foiled eventually, he takes Kramer as his "date" instead, who is thrown into the dining room after a scuffle in the lobby with the back torn out of his tuxedo, spoiling the "grand entrance" George had hoped to make with Allison. }} ** {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Central Park Zoo | alt= | url=https://centralparkzoo.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.767778 | long=-73.971667 | directions= | phone=+1 212 439-6500 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-4:30PM | price=$9.95, children 3-12 $6.95, seniors 65 and over $7.95, children 2 and under free | wikipedia=Central Park Zoo | image=Central Park Zoo area.jpg | wikidata=Q954207 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, during a behind-the-scenes tour, Kramer gets revenge on a mischievous banana peel-throwing chimp by throwing the peel ''back'' at him — only to be forced to apologize to the animal later. }} [[File:Metropolitan Museum 1 (4675714481).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Masterworks by "Monet, Manet, Tippy Tippy Day Day", and all the other greats await you at the '''Metropolitan Museum of Art'''.]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Museum of Art | alt= | url=https://www.metmuseum.org/ | email= | address=1000 Fifth Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Upper East Side]] | lat=40.77891 | long=-73.96367 | directions= | phone=+1 212 535-7710 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-5:30PM, F-Sa 10AM-9PM | price=$25, seniors 65+ $17, students with valid ID $12, children 12 and under free | wikipedia=Metropolitan Museum of Art | wikidata=Q160236 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=In "The Raincoats", Elaine's "close talker" boyfriend arranged a behind-the-scenes tour for Jerry's parents who are in from out of town, where Helen took to Renoir's paintings of children and Morty came to the conclusion that Claude Monet must have been nearsighted. Later, the Met hosted a historical clothing exhibit (including "what Mary Todd wore to Lincoln's funeral") that Elaine attended with Susan, causing George's "worlds" to "collide". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Royale Pastry | alt= | url= | email= | address=237 W. 72nd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.77933 | long=-73.982893 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Stood in for two different businesses during ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s run: '''Royal Bakery''', which ran out of chocolate babkas at the worst possible time for Jerry and Elaine, and '''Schnitzer's''', where Jerry physically fought an old woman for the last marble rye. Now closed and, ironically enough, home to a '''Jenny Craig''' weight-loss center. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Beau Brummel Sport | alt= | url= | email= | address=287 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.778492 | long=-73.97776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry spends over $1,000 on a snazzy suede jacket to impress Elaine's intimidating father, only to be humiliated when it starts raining, forcing him to wear it inside-out with the pink candy-stripe lining showing. Now closed and home to a '''Super P''' supermarket. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Mendy's | alt= | url=http://www.mendysdeli.com/ | email= | address=208 W. 70th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.777457 | long=-73.98322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kenny Bania's favorite restaurant (where Jerry was tricked into buying him dinner repeatedly) really exists, but it's not an upscale steak-and-seafood place as portrayed on the show: it's actually a chain of kosher delis. The Mendy's on W. 70th St. where Jerry and Kenny went is now closed, but if you want a meal like they had, head there anyway; it's now the renowned '''[https://www.lincolnsquaresteak.com/ Lincoln Square Steak]'''. Otherwise, head to one of five other locations throughout the city — the matzo ball soup is phenomenal, whether you consider it a full meal or not. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Melody Stationers | alt= | url= | email= | address=1070 Madison Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.777454 | long=-73.961539 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where George bought the cheap envelopes that poisoned Susan, and to which he later returns to purchase (premium, super-glossy) invitations to a dinner party thrown by Jerry and his girlfriend. Closed, now a '''Johnny Was''' clothing store. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Fitzpatrick's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1641 Second Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Yorkville]] | lat=40.777384 | long=-73.952361 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Keith Hernandez wines and dines Elaine in hopes of "reaching home plate", and — speaking of baseball — where George takes some visiting Houston Astros brass out to dinner on the advice of Mr. Wilhelm, and picks up a bad habit of cursing. Fitzpatrick's has been closed for some time, but if you're in search of a ''Seinfeld''-inspired dinner of your own, the spot is now the upscale cocktail bar and restaurant known as '''[http://www.thedaisynyc.com/ The Daisy]'''. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Ruby Nail Salon | alt= | url= | email= | address=1183 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.775866 | long=-73.958077 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Korean-owned nail salon where Elaine enlists Frank to find out if the employees are taking advantage of the language barrier to gossip about her, only to rediscover Kim, his lost paramour whom he met during the Korean War. Closed, now a men's barbershop. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Nilo Cleaners | alt= | url= | email= | address=1173 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.775661 | long=-73.958186 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry took his houndstooth jacket and his mother's fur coat in "The Secretary", only to run into the owner and his wife at the movies wearing them. Closed, now a clothing boutique. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Peter's | alt= | url= | email= | address=182 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.775223 | long=-73.980629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A fateful place in the life of George Costanza: it's here where his brief but illustrious hand modeling career began, where he lost out on a job opportunity due to "swishy" pants, and where Susan broke the news to him that her cousin had stolen his idea for an unusual baby name, "Seven". Closed in 2010, now home to a location of '''Rag & Bone''' clothing boutique. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Cineplex Odeon Regency | alt= | url= | email= | address=1987 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.775183 | long=-73.982508 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A favorite movie theater of the gang. This is where Newman catches Jerry making out with his girlfriend during a showing of ''Schindler's List'', where Elaine stops at the concession stand for Jujyfruits on her way to the hospital to visit her injured boyfriend Jake Jarmel, where Jerry and Kramer get together to catch ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'', and where George, to appease Susan, passes up the chance to see the aforementioned ''Firestorm'' in favor of ''The Muted Heart''. Closed and demolished; now the site of an '''Apple Store'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tiramisu | alt= | url=http://tiramisunyc.com/ | email= | address=1410 Third Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.77515 | long=-73.956916 | directions= | phone=+1 212 988-9780 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th noon-11PM, F-Sa 11AM-11:30PM, Su 11AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Upscale Italian restaurant and brick-oven pizzeria where Jerry went on his first date with Gillian, a friend of Elaine's with "man hands". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=La Boite en Bois | alt= | url=http://www.laboitenyc.com/ | email= | address=75 W. 68th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.774845 | long=-73.980314 | directions= | phone=+1 212 874-2705 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11:30AM-10:30PM, F-Sa 11:30M-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fancy French restaurant that appears frequently in the show: it's where Jerry strains to avoid letting his parents find out he threw away the watch they gifted him (the same one Uncle Leo picked out of the garbage), where George strains to find out if his girlfriend "feel[ing] full after the risotto" is a metaphor for their sex life, where George's Latvian Orthodox girlfriend breaks up with him, and where Jerry discovers his girlfriend Gwen is a "two-face". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Opera House | alt= | url=https://www.metopera.org/ | email= | address=30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side | lat=40.7728 | long=-73.9842 | directions= | phone=+1 212 362-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) | image=Metropolitan Opera auditorium.jpg | wikidata=Q188031 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Elaine attends a performance of ''Swan Lake'' with Robert, a gay man for whom she agrees to pose as a girlfriend to appease his homophobic boss, only to fall in love with him and try to get him to "switch teams". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=O'Neal's | alt= | url= | email= | address=49 W. 64th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.772061 | long=-73.981531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, during dinner with Elaine, Kramer, and Kramer's "low talking" fashion designer girlfriend Leslie, Jerry inadvertently agrees to wear a "puffy shirt" designed by the latter to an appearance on the ''Today'' show. O'Neal's closed in 2010, but you can still get a good meal here: it's now the site of the '''[https://www.atlanticgrill.com/ Atlantic Grill]''', serving some of Manhattan's best seafood. }}{{anchor|CARS}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Catch a Rising Star | alt= | url=https://www.catcharisingstar.com/ | email= | address=1487 First Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Lenox Hill]] | lat=40.771467 | long=-73.953584 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Catch a Rising Star (comedy clubs) | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Jerry is scheduled to perform in "The Movie", but misses his slot after a nightmarish taxi ride with fellow comedian Pat Buckles. The New York location of this chain of comedy clubs is now closed, and the building is a vacant storefront as of October 2017, but head to one of Catch a Rising Star's other locations in [[Princeton]], New Jersey; [[Reno]], Nevada; [[Providence]], Rhode Island; or Monticello, New York and you might catch the next Jerry Seinfeld on the cusp of his or her fame. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=McBurney School | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 W. 63rd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.771 | long=-73.9809 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=McBurney School | wikidata=Q6800060 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry's tomfoolery with a Pez dispenser causes Elaine to laugh all the way through George's girlfriend's piano recital. (This was actually a continuity error on the writers' part; the school closed down in 1988, four years before the episode aired.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=West Side YMCA | alt= | url=https://ymcanyc.org/locations/west-side-ymca | email= | address=5 W. 63rd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.770938 | long=-73.980684 | directions= | phone=+1 212 912-2600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 5AM-11PM, Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 8AM-8PM | price= | content=In the men's locker room, Jerry meets his idol, former New York Mets player Keith Hernandez — who goes on to woo Elaine and get confronted by Kramer and Newman, who accuse him of spitting on them after a crucial game in the 1987 World Series. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Westbury Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 E 69th St., Upper East Side | lat=40.770042 | long=-73.967078 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Scene of Jerry and George's awkward conversation with Elaine's intimidating novelist father, Alton Benes, in "The Jacket"; also the venue of the bachelor auction hosted by Elaine in "The Barber", which Jerry bowed out of in favor of Kramer (for whom the bidding started at $5). Closed in 1997, now condos. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center | alt=now Mount Sinai West | url=https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/west | email= | address=1000 Tenth Ave | lat=40.769933 | long=-73.987411 | directions= | phone=+1 212 523-4000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St. Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital Center | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Estelle convalesces after falling down in shock upon hearing a rumor that George is gay (not that there's anything wrong with that); where Kramer runs scared from the "pig-man" in room 1937 to the detriment of George's car; where Elaine's ex-boyfriend's touch-and-go surgery is a smashing success thanks to an errant Junior Mint. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Beach Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.thebeachcafe.com/ | email= | address=1326 Second Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.767331 | long=-73.959212 | directions= | phone=+1 212 988-7299 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 11:30AM-midnight, F 11:30AM-1AM, Sa 11AM-1AM, Su 11AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kramer's obnoxious mother Babs works as a restroom matron at this restaurant where George takes his possibly-bulimic model girlfriend Nina out to dinner in "The Switch". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sotheby's | alt= | url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/about/locations/new-york | email= | address=1334 York Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76638 | long=-73.953719 | directions= | phone=+1 212 606-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sotheby's | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Peterman sends Elaine here twice to bid on items for his collection of obscure memorabilia: first in "The Bottle Deposit" for a set of golf clubs that belonged to John F. Kennedy; later in "The Frogger" for a slice of cake from Edward VIII's wedding to Wallis Simpson. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Mickey Mantle's | alt= | url= | email= | address=42 Central Park South, [[Manhattan/Theater District|Garment District]] | lat=40.765259 | long=-73.975737 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kramer pays the former New York Yankee himself a visit here in Season 4 to apologize for punching him in the mouth during a brawl at baseball fantasy camp, only to get (literally) thrown out of the restaurant by security. Mickey Mantle's closed in 2012, 17 years after the death of its namesake, and is now the site of a spray tanning salon. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=JoJo | alt= | url=http://www.jojorestaurantnyc.com/ | email= | address=160 E. 64th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.765116 | long=-73.965683 | directions= | phone=+1 212 223-5656 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Lunch: M-F noon-2:30PM, Sa-Su 11AM-3PM; dinner M-Th 5:30PM-10:30PM, F-Sa 5:30PM-11PM, Su 5:30PM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fancy restaurant where Elaine and Peterman hit it off over their mutual love of fine couture in "The Understudy". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Barneys | alt= | url=https://www.barneys.com/ | email= | address=660 Madison Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.764597 | long=-73.970902 | directions= | phone=+1 212 826-8900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Tu 10AM-8PM, W-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8PM | price= | wikipedia=Barneys New York | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the "skinny mirrors" that fool Elaine into buying a dress that doesn't quite look the same when she gets home; also where Kramer gets stuck in a fitting room in his underwear after selling the clothes off his back to Kenny Bania and where George charges a sable fur hat to the Peterman expense account. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Plaza Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.theplazany.com/ | email= | address=768 Fifth Ave., Garment District | lat=40.764528 | long=-73.974444 | directions= | phone=+1 212 759-3000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia=Plaza Hotel | image=New York - Manhattan - Plaza Hotel.jpg | wikidata=Q1066676 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Elaine reluctantly gives up her free suite here (given to her after lying that she was in from out of town on a job interview) to Jerry's parents, who really ''are'' in from out of town — and after they trash the room and ring up hundreds of dollars worth of extra charges, she's stuck with the bill! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Hospital — Cornell Medical Center | alt=now NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center | url=https://www.nyp.org/locations/newyork-presbyterian-weill-cornell-medical-center | email= | address=525 E. 68th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76434 | long=-73.95424 | directions= | phone=+1 212 746-5454 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Weill Cornell Medicine | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Kramer visits the ailing Poppie bearing gifts of chili and wine in "The Couch" and scores a primo parking space thanks to his "ASSMAN" vanity license plate in "The Fusilli Jerry"; where Bette Midler convalesces after her injury on the softball diamond in "The Understudy"; where George's reaction to Susan's death is one of "repressed jubilation" (in "The Invitations") and later recovers from his own injuries that put "The Summer of George" on ice. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Pasteur Pharmacy | alt= | url= | email= | address=806 Lexington Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76432 | long=-73.966859 | directions= | phone=+1 212 838-2500 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-7:30PM, Sa 10AM-5:30PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Elaine bargains hard for the last case of recently-recalled Today contraceptive sponges in the city. Still open as of December 2018, and "The Sponge" is back on the market, so buy as many as you want. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=Manhattan East Medical Offices | alt= | url= | email= | address=225 E. 64th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.764198 | long=-73.96259 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of Dr. Tim Whatley's dental office, as well as the office of the proctologist whom Frank consults to remove "The Fusilli Jerry" from his nether regions. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Symphony Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=238 W. 56th St., Midtown | lat=40.76571 | long=-73.982859 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Over dinner here, Elaine sympathizes with her friend Cynthia over her inability to find the right man — later hitting on the idea of hooking her up with George. Closed; now the home of '''[https://www.fujisushinyc.com/ Fuji Sushi]'''. }} [[File:924 Soup man 55th.JPG|alt=Restaurant exterior|200px|thumb|right|''No soup for you!'']] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Soup Kitchen International | alt=now The Original Soupman | url=https://originalsoupman.com/ | email= | address=259A W. 55th St., [[Manhattan/Theater District|Hell's Kitchen]] | lat=40.765382 | long=-73.983431 | directions= | phone=+1 212 956-0900 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-8PM, Su 11AM-7PM | price= | wikipedia=The Original Soupman | content="The Soup Nazi" was a real-life person, Ali Yeganeh — and by all accounts, the experience at his restaurant was more or less exactly how it was depicted in the Season 7 episode of the same name. Yeganeh has always resented the fame (or notoriety) that his portrayal on ''Seinfeld'' brought him, but after the original restaurant closed in 2004, he somewhat reluctantly parlayed it to relaunch his business as a chain that now counts four locations across the Northeast (including the original). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Trattoria dell'Arte | alt= | url=https://www.trattoriadellarte.com/ | email= | address=900 Seventh Ave., Midtown | lat=40.765314 | long=-73.980442 | directions= | phone=+1 212 245-9800 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11:45AM-midnight, Su 11AM-10:30PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Over dinner here, Jerry sympathizes with George over his inability to find the right woman — later hitting on the idea of hooking her up with Cynthia, a friend of Elaine's. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Virginia Theatre | alt=now the August Wilson Theatre | url=http://www.jujamcyn.com/ | email= | address=245 W. 52nd St., [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]] | lat=40.7633 | long=-73.9842 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=August Wilson Theatre | image=August Wilson Theatre NYC crop.jpg | wikidata=Q12053066 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Shortly after a whirlwind visit to the Met, Elaine's "close talker" boyfriend takes her and Jerry's parents here to see a production of ''My Fair Lady'' — much to Elaine's annoyance. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=1325 Avenue of the Americas | alt= | url=http://www.paramount-group.com/property/1325-avenue-americas/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Theater District|Midtown]] | lat=40.762919 | long=-73.980768 | directions= | phone=+1 212 237-3156 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fictional headquarters of the '''J. Peterman Catalog''', where Elaine worked for the three final seasons of the show. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=600 Madison Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Midtown East]] | lat=40.762848 | long=-73.972244 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the fictional '''Pendant Publishing''', where Elaine worked as a copy editor from the second through the fifth season (and George too, for one disastrous third-season episode). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Mini Storage | alt= | url=https://www.manhattanministorage.com/locations/hells-kitchen-storage | email= | address=543 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.761372 | long=-73.997197 | directions= | phone=+1 646 786-7210 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 7AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, much to his chagrin, Jerry discovers that Kramer is letting Newman illegally store undelivered mail in Jerry's storage unit. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Friars Club | alt= | url=http://www.friarsclub.com | email= | address=57 E. 55th St., Midtown East | lat=40.760886 | long=-73.972551 | directions= | phone=+1 212 751-7272 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=New York Friars Club | image=Friars-club.jpg | wikidata=Q7013557 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=If you're lucky enough to be invited to dinner here, don't forget your jacket — or at least don't lose the one they give you at the door. Jerry did just that in Season 7, and it cost him membership in the club! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Bruno | alt= | url=http://www.clubasteakhouse.com/locations/ | email= | address=240 E. 58th St., Midtown East | lat=40.760174 | long=-73.965511 | directions= | phone=+1 212 688-4190 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Tu 5PM-10PM, W-Sa 5PM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of Kramer and Mickey's double date in "The Yada Yada", where they couldn't decide which girl was right for which guy. Still in business, but under a new name: '''Club A Steakhouse'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Radio City Music Hall | alt= | url=https://www.msg.com/radio-city-music-hall/ | email= | address=1260 Avenue of the Americas, Theater District | lat=40.759722 | long=-73.979167 | directions= | phone=+1 212 465-6741 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Radio City Music Hall | image=Radio city exterior.jpg | wikidata=Q753437 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Site of the 1997 Tony Awards, where Jerry takes his girlfriend Lanette on a date, and Kramer works as a seat filler (and somehow manages to win an award for his "performance" in the fictional musical ''Scarsdale Surprise''). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=St. Luke's Lutheran Church | alt= | url=http://stlukesnyc.org/ | email= | address=308 W. 46th St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759722 | long=-73.98875 | directions= | phone=+1 212 246-3540 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St. Luke's Lutheran Church | image=St Luke's Lutheran Church (Manhattan).JPG | wikidata=Q2918119 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Stand-in for the unnamed Catholic church where Jerry, frustrated with the Jewish jokes told by recent convert Tim Whatley, sidles into a confessional to tattle on him to a priest for also telling a joke about the Pope and Raquel Welch. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Hotel Edison | alt= | url=https://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/ | email= | address=228 W. 47th St., Theater District | lat=40.7597 | long=-73.986 | directions= | phone=+1 212 840-5000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hotel Edison | wikidata=Q14706412 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where George is stripped to his underwear, handcuffed to the bed, and robbed blind by a beautiful woman who seduced him on "The Subway" — and he misses his job interview, too! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club | alt= | url=https://advantagetennisclubs.com/tennis-clubs/mprc/ | email= | address=450 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759683 | long=-73.994199 | directions= | phone=+1 212 594-0554 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 6AM-midnight, Su 7AM-midnight | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The setting of a pair of mishaps involving Elaine: in Season 3, she eliminates herself from "The Contest" after John F. Kennedy Jr. joins her aerobics class; in Season 6, she loans Mr. Pitt's tennis racket to a representative of Doubleday Publishing in hopes of landing a new job. }}{{anchor|Improv}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=The Improv | alt= | url=https://improv.com/ | email= | address=358 W. 44th St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759462 | long=-73.991364 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Improv | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The comedy club where Jerry delivered all the stand-up bits that opened and closed each episode of the first seven seasons — even after 1992, when the real-life one closed. If you want to catch a comedy show, The Improv is now a chain with locations in twenty cities nationwide (prominently ''ex''cluding New York); if you'd rather delve deeper into Seinfeldiana, the old location is now home to the '''Producers Club Theater''', starting point for the famous '''[[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer's Reality Tour]]''' (which, in turn, was parodied in ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Season 8 episode "The Muffin Tops" — is your head spinning yet?) }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Guild 50th Street Theatre | alt= | url= | email= | address=33 W. 50th St., Theater District | lat=40.759316 | long=-73.978757 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Movie theater where Jerry was forced at gunpoint by a friend of Kramer's to film an illegal bootleg of ''Death Blow'' with a concealed camcorder, where Elaine loudly declared her hatred for ''The English Patient'' in front of Mr. Peterman, and where Kramer unsuccessfully tried to go to the bathroom during a bout of constipation. Now home to an '''Anthropologie''' clothing store (but the old marquee is still in front of the entrance!) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sutton East Tennis Club | alt= | url=https://suttoneasttennis.com/ | email= | address=488 E. 60th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.759284 | long=-73.960093 | directions= | phone=+1 212 751-3452 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 7AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where horrible tennis player Miloš offers Jerry a date with his wife as compensation for deceptively selling him an expensive racquet, and where Kramer is put into a coma after repeatedly getting hit with tennis balls. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Beckett Theatre | alt= | url=https://bfany.org/ | email= | address=410 W. 42nd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.758555 | long=-73.993342 | directions= | phone=+1 212 714-2442 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Theatre Row Building | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The tiny Off-Broadway playhouse, part of Theatre Row, that ran ''Jerry Seinfeld Is the Devil'', a one-woman show written and performed by Susan's old roommate Sally Weaver, who claims Jerry has ruined her life. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Marriott Marquis | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycmq-new-york-marriott-marquis/ | email= | address=1535 Broadway, Theater District | lat=40.758434 | long=-73.98568 | directions= | phone=+1 212 398-1900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=New York Marriott Marquis | image=Ny-marriott-marquis.jpg | wikidata=Q7013741 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The venue for the Able Mentally Challenged Adults benefit — where Kramer, whose slurred speech after a novocaine injection at the dentist led him to be mistaken for developmentally disabled, was the guest of honor — is also the place where Jerry's attempts to woo Miss Rhode Island (who was staying in Room 417) were constantly frustrated by her chaperone, Kramer, and where Mr. Lippman's press conference for Jake Jarmel's new book went awry. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Majestic Theatre | alt= | url=http://shubert.nyc/theatres/majestic/ | email= | address=245 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.75839 | long=-73.98802 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Majestic Theatre (Broadway) | image=Majestic Theatre NYC 2007.jpg | wikidata=Q1393081 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=In Season 7, Kramer got a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the Majestic's production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' courtesy of Ethan, a friend of Susan's who was "The Wig Master" for the troupe. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sardi's | alt= | url=http://www.sardis.com/ | email= | address=234 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.757849 | long=-73.987583 | directions= | phone=+1 212 221-8440 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Sa 11:30AM-11PM, Su noon-7PM | price= | wikipedia=Sardi's | wikidata=Q7423790 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Kramer, at the Tony Awards afterparty fresh off his "win" for the fictional ''Scarsdale Surprise'', is given an ultimatum by the musical's director: he can keep the statuette, but he has to be the one to fire the notoriously hotheaded Raquel Welch from the performance. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Brentano's | alt= | url=https://landmarkbranding.com/597-fifth-avenue-the-charles-scribner-sons-building/ | email= | address=597 Fifth Ave., Midtown East | lat=40.7575 | long=-73.9778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Charles Scribner's Sons Building | wikidata=Q3897252 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content="The Bookstore" where Uncle Leo is caught shoplifting, and where George is forced to buy a book he doesn't want (and can't get rid of, as it's been "flagged") after taking it to read in the men's room. (This was another continuity error on the writers' part: this location of Brentano's had already been closed for two years by the time the episode aired in 1998. The space is now a '''Lululemon''' clothing store.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url=http://thetownhall.org/ | email= | address=123 W. 43rd St., Theater District | lat=40.755833 | long=-73.984722 | directions= | phone=+1 212 997-6661 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Town Hall (New York City) | image=Town Hall 123 W43 near sun jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q1634948 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Theater where the titular performance of ''Pagliacci'' in "The Opera" was staged, to which all four have tickets for opening night. Jerry helps Elaine dodge her boyfriend/stalker, "Crazy" Joe Davola, while George and Kramer try to scalp their tickets. }} [[File:The Hippodrome Building 1120 Sixth Avenue.jpg|200px|thumb|right|"Outrageous, egregious, ''preposterous!''" --Jackie Chiles, attorney at law and '''Hippodrome''' tenant]] * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Hippodrome | alt= | url=http://hippodrome.com/ | email= | address=1120 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown East | lat=40.755582 | long=-73.982815 | directions= | phone=+1 212 626-6996 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jackie Chiles, superlawyer extraordinaire who bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team", kept his office. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Zohra Fabrics | alt= | url= | email= | address=256 W. 39th St., Garment District | lat=40.754755 | long=-73.990107 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Workplace of Ricky, the creepy guy who was infatuated with Elaine after meeting her on the subway: he's a mannequin designer, and his new bestselling model is a dead ringer for Elaine. Closed, now the site of a different fabric wholesaler. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Public Library Main Branch | alt= | url=https://www.nypl.org/ | email= | address=476 Fifth Ave., Midtown South | lat=40.753333 | long=-73.982222 | directions= | phone=+1 917 275-6975 | tollfree= | hours=M & Th-Sa 10AM-6PM, Tu-W 10AM-8PM | price= | wikipedia=New York Public Library Main Branch | image=New York Public Library May 2011.JPG | wikidata=Q7013887 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Where Jerry meets Lieutenant Joe Bookman, an ironically named "library cop" who dresses him down for checking out Henry Miller's ''Tropic of Cancer'' in 1971 and never returning it — and where Kramer meets Marion, a librarian with whom he kindles a forbidden love affair. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Off-Track Betting | alt= | url= | email= | address=714 Third Ave., [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Turtle Bay]] | lat=40.752583 | long=-73.973391 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=After overhearing a horse racing tip on "The Subway", Kramer hurries into this betting parlor and wins $18,000 on a long-shot wager. The location is now a '''Wendy's'''. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=Commerce Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=708 Third Ave., Turtle Bay | lat=40.752538 | long=-73.973794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Fictional rest-stop supply company '''Sanalac''', headquartered here, would love to offer George a job. But, of course... }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=101 Park Avenue | alt= | url=https://www.101park.com/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Murray Hill]] | lat=40.751337 | long=-73.977827 | directions= | phone=+1 212 808-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content='''Kruger Industrial Smoothing''' — George's incompetent employer for most of the final season, who "botched the Statue of Liberty job" ("they couldn't get the green stuff off") — was headquartered here. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Madison Square Garden | alt= | url=https://www.msg.com/madison-square-garden/ | email= | address=4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Chelsea | lat=40.750556 | long=-73.993611 | directions= | phone=+1 212 465-6741 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Madison Square Garden | image=Madison Square Garden IV.jpg | wikidata=Q186125 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Aside from all the events the gang attended there — Jerry and his girlfriend Winona in floor seats for a Knicks game in "The Cigar Store Indian"; Jerry, Kramer, Elaine, and Puddy at a hockey game in "The Face Painter"; Jerry, his girlfriend Katya, and Kramer at the circus in "The Gymnast", not to mention the time Kramer got kicked out a Knicks game for throwing a hot dog at Reggie Miller — Madison Square Garden was also the setting for much of "The Limo", where Jerry and George accept a ride from a car service that was meant for someone else, namely a neo-Nazi leader headed to a rally. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Collectors Universe | alt= | url= | email= | address=124 E. 40th St., Murray Hill | lat=40.750192 | long=-73.977356 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Collectibles shop to whom Kramer sells, for $200, a birthday card signed by the whole New York Yankees roster, with "The Wink" signifying George's permission — or so he thought. Closed, now a hair salon. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Catch a Rising Star (second location) | alt= | url=https://www.catcharisingstar.com/ | email= | address=253 W. 28th St., Chelsea | lat=40.748315 | long=-73.995548 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Catch a Rising Star (comedy clubs) | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, at an NBC showcase, Jerry intentionally bombs on stage to keep Kenny Bania, who's on next, from riding his coattails ("He only does well when he has me for a lead-in. He's a time-slot hit.") Catch a Rising Star moved here from the [[#CARS|above location]] in the late 1990s, but as mentioned, it's now closed. This location is now home to an electronics store. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Hunan Fifth Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=323 Fifth Ave., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Midtown South]] | lat=40.747461 | long=-73.985038 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="The Chinese Restaurant" where the gang waited... and waited... and waited for a table. The experience must not have put them off the place too much, though, as they would return to it several times over the course of the series: it's where George discovers Jerry's new deaf girlfriend can read lips in "The Lip Reader", the venue for Jerry and George's double date in "The Masseuse", and where George shares an awkward dinner with Mr. Peterman in "The Secret Code". Closed in 2007, now a bank. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Downtown Veterinary Clinic | alt= | url=http://www.downtownveterinaryclinic.com/ | email= | address=148 Ninth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.744068 | long=-74.002861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="I'll take a vet over an M.D. any day. They've got to be able to cure a lizard, a chicken, a pig, a frog — all on the same day." In "The Andrea Doria", true to his words, Kramer finds a dog with the same cough he has and gets a vet from this office to prescribe medication. Later the site of the emergency surgery that saves the life of the squirrel George hit with his car in "The Merv Griffin Show". The clinic moved up the street to 244 Ninth Ave.; this former location is vacant and for lease. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Masonic Hall NYC | alt= | url=http://www.masonichallnyc.org/ | email= | address=71 W. 23rd St., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Flatiron District]] | lat=40.74283 | long=-73.992149 | directions= | phone=+1 212 741-4520 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Grand Lodge of New York | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stood in for the '''Knights of Columbus''' hall that hosted Kramer's Jewish Singles Night, where Frank put his cooking skills to use for the first time since sickening his entire squadron with spoiled meat during the Korean War. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Police Department — 10th Precinct | alt= | url= | email= | address=230 W. 20th St., Chelsea | lat=40.742779 | long=-73.998601 | directions= | phone=+1 212 741-8211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Kramer finds a way to earn quick money by standing in police lineups only to get falsely recognized as a jewelry store thief; where Frank comes to bail out George after his arrest for bootlegging ''Cry, Cry Again'' and ends up challenging Elaine to a fight ("You sayin' you want a piece of me?") }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Peter McManus Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.petermcmanuscafe.com/ | email= | address=152 Seventh Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741863 | long=-73.997573 | directions= | phone=+1 212 929-6196 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-4AM, Su noon-4AM | price= | wikipedia=Peter McManus Cafe | image=Peter McManus Cafe entrance.jpg | wikidata=Q7175816 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=After Elaine's plot to seduce Russell Dalrymple (to get George and Jerry back in his good graces) is a little ''too'' successful, this is the place where she lets him down easy. Or tries, anyway — he ends up quitting his job at NBC and joining Greenpeace to prove his worth as a man. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Camouflage Clothing | alt= | url= | email= | address=139 Eighth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741666 | long=-74.001383 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Ross's''', a discount clothing store owned by a relative of Susan's where George takes pity on a security guard with no chair to sit in. Closed in 2014, now a '''Caffé Bene''' coffeeshop. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Old Homestead Steakhouse | alt= | url=https://www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com/ | email= | address=56 Ninth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741317 | long=-74.004881 | directions= | phone=+1 212 242-9040 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:45PM, F noon-11:45PM, Sa 1PM-11:45PM, Su 1PM-9:45PM | price= | wikipedia=Old Homestead Steakhouse | wikidata=Q59811347 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=One of the oldest continually operating restaurants in New York, where, on a date with Elaine's cousin Holly, Jerry's manhood is called into question when he orders "just a salad". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=23 E. 22nd St., Flatiron District | lat=40.740251 | long=-73.988222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Chef Bobby Flay's Spanish tapas house was the scene of three vexing dinners for the ''Seinfeld'' gang: one where Kramer chaperoned Miss Rhode Island's date with Jerry, to the latter's annoyance, and secured a job as her personal coach; one where George takes his cousin Rhisa on a date to get back at his parents for "cutting him loose", and Jerry's second date with Christie, who always seems to wear the same outfit ("What in God's name is going on here? Is she wearing the same thing over and over again, or does she have a closet full of these, like Superman?"). Closed in 2008 and demolished, with luxury condos occupying the site now. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Thomasville Furniture | alt= | url= | email= | address=91 Seventh Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.739386 | long=-73.998824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry buys "The Couch" that Poppie ends up peeing on. Closed, but if you were hoping to take this opportunity to make like Jerry and upgrade your living room, you're in luck: the building is now the Chelsea branch showroom of '''[https://www.jensen-lewis.com/ Jensen-Lewis Furniture]'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Pete's Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.petestavern.com/ | email= | address=129 E. 18th St., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Gramercy]] | lat=40.7365 | long=-73.9867 | directions= | phone=+1 212 473-7676 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 11AM-2:30AM, Th 11AM-3AM, F-Sa 11AM-4AM | price= | wikipedia=Pete's Tavern | image=Petes-tavern-2007 crop.jpg | wikidata=Q7171811 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="The Tavern O. Henry Made Famous" is also the tavern where Kramer stakes out "The Sniffing Accountant" — Jerry's, whose constant habit makes Kramer suspect he's a cocaine addict. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Surgical Appliances | alt= | url= | email= | address=44 [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Union Square]] East | lat=40.736259 | long=-73.98896 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Medical supply shop where George and Kramer go to pick up a new wheelchair for Lola, a handicapped woman that the latter has fallen in love with. As is George's wont, they picked the cheapest model possible, with predictably disastrous results. Closed, now a plumbing and heating contractor. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, New School for Social Research | alt= | url=https://www.newschool.edu/ | email= | address=66 W. 12th St., [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] | lat=40.735631 | long=-73.997216 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The New School | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Site of the art class in "The Doodle" attended by Elaine and Paula, George's girlfriend, whose unflattering caricature of him leaves George vexed. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Health and Racquet Club | alt= | url=https://nyhrc.com/ | email= | address=24 E. 13th St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.734725 | long=-73.992995 | directions= | phone=+1 212 924-4600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6AM-11PM, Sa-Su 8AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Jerry and George's favorite health club, where the latter is caught peeing in the shower in "The Wife", and the former, curious to know if his girlfriend has breast implants, enlists Elaine to get in the sauna with her and "do a little investigative journalism". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases | alt=now NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital | url=https://nyulangone.org/locations/nyu-langone-orthopedic-hospital | email= | address=301 E. 17th St., Gramercy | lat=40.734391 | long=-73.982999 | directions= | phone=+1 212 598-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The scene of the alleged theft of Morty's wallet, who was in from out of town to see a specialist for his bad back. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bradley's | alt= | url= | email= | address=70 University Place, Greenwich Village | lat=40.733175 | long=-73.993647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Old jazz club where Elaine's saxophonist boyfriend bombs onstage with a rendition of "Hot and Heavy", a song he wrote for her. Closed in 1996, only a few months after the episode aired. Now a bar with an entirely different clientele: '''[http://www.reservoirbar.com/ Reservoir]''', catering to football fans from nearby NYU. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=24 Fifth Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Greenwich Village | lat=40.733126 | long=-73.996003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The elegant apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Ross, Susan's parents, and location of the many interminable Susan Ross Foundation meetings George is forced to sit through in Seasons 8 and 9. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bowen Fertility Clinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=320 E. 15th St., Gramercy | lat=40.732563 | long=-73.983678 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where the results of Kramer's fertility test inspire him to switch from briefs to boxers, and finally to no underwear at all. Closed; now a student residence hall for '''The New School'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sunshine Cleaners | alt= | url= | email= | address=51 University Place #3, Greenwich Village | lat=40.732527 | long=-73.993811 | directions= | phone=+1 212 777-0896 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Jerry's girlfriend Meryl poses as "The Wife" to save money on dry cleaning. Still open as of December 2018, but no word on whether the 25% family discount policy is still in effect! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Cooper Station Post Office | alt= | url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=all&address=10003&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1359178&locationName=COOPER&address2=&address1=93+4TH+AVE&city=NEW+YORK&state=NY&zip5=10003&zip4=9998&tollFree=800-ASK-USPS%26reg%3B%26nbsp%3B%28800-275-8777%29&fax=&tAddress=&tAddress1Ams=&tAddress2Ams=&tCityAms=&tStateAms=&tZipAms=&tCarrierRouteAms=&latitude=40.7321427&longitude=-73.990136&sWithin=20&&&&&&&&& | email= | address=93 Fourth Ave., [[Manhattan/East Village|East Village]] | lat=40.732064 | long=-73.989902 | directions= | phone=+1 212 254-1390 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-5:45PM, Sa 9AM-3:45PM | price= | wikipedia=United States Post Office (Cooper Station) | image=Cooper Station Post Office.jpg | wikidata=Q9051836 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The ''Seinfeld'' writers' favorite place to have characters get interrogated under hot lights: first Kramer in "The Junk Mail", who has the audacity to want to stop receiving mail altogether, then Jerry, for attemped mail fraud in "The Package", and finally George, who's accused of participating in "some ill-conceived mail-order pornography ring." }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Pó | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Cornelia St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.731375 | long=-74.002545 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, in a desperate attempt to prove to his girlfriend Janet that he likes her for more than just her looks, George strains to find any conceivable reason for them to be together — and the best he can come up with is their shared love of chewing gum. The restaurant once co-owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali closed in 2017, but if you're hungry for Indian food, check out its successor, the West Village branch location of '''[http://www.drunkenmunkey.com The Drunken Munkey]'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Joe's Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.joespizzanyc.com/ | email= | address=7 Carmine St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.730597 | long=-74.002098 | directions= | phone=+1 212 366-1182 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-4AM, F-Sa 10AM-5AM | price= | wikipedia=Joe's Pizza | wikidata=Q20979290 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Paisano's Pizza''', which the show's scripts indicate to be in the [[Bronx]], but whose exterior shots are of this longstanding Greenwich Village institution. In Season 7, Paisano's/Joe's is the baker of George Steinbrenner's favorite calzones — and of Kramer's clothes, too, after he gets addicted to that "hot from the dryer" feeling. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bleecker Bob's | alt= | url= | email= | address=118 W. 3rd St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.730454 | long=-74.000391 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Robert Plotnik | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=This legendary record shop was the ''Seinfeld'' stand-in for '''Ron's Records''', where Kramer and Newman flatly refused the owner's offer of five dollars for a box of records Jerry took from the apartment of Sid, "The Old Man" for whom he'd signed up to do volunteer work. ("'Take it or leave it'? We got Al Jolson here. ''Al Jolson!''") Closed in 2013, now a sushi restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Flash Foto | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Carmine St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.73027 | long=-74.003165 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=After George discovers himself in the background of a photo his new boss, Mr. Kruger, took with his family at the beach, he absconds out of his office with it and takes it here to have his image airbrushed out — with disastrous results. Closed, now a restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Iggy's Pizzeria | alt= | url=https://www.iggyspizzeriamenu.com/ | email= | address=173 First Ave., East Village | lat=40.729264 | long=-73.984357 | directions= | phone=+1 212 353-3331 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Mario's Pizza''', Jerry and George's old high-school hangout where the latter's high score on "The Frogger" machine still stood all those years later. Jerry and George's visit to Mario's was on the cusp of its closure, but its counterpart Iggy's is still in business as of December 2018 — for anyone who wants to recreate George's daring traverse of First Avenue, you'll be disappointed to know their arcade machines are probably not for sale. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Ricky Pharmacy | alt= | url= | email= | address=720 Broadway, East Village | lat=40.729082 | long=-73.993494 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Fed up with his constipation in "The Pilot", Kramer finally stops in here to pick up "the dreaded apparatus". Now closed and vacant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Da Silvano | alt= | url= | email= | address=260 Sixth Ave., Greenwich Village | lat=40.728971 | long=-74.00228 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Venue of Ellen's birthday dinner with Jerry in "The Van Buren Boys", which aggravates Jerry's suspicion that she may be "a loser": why is she not out celebrating with her friends on her birthday? Closed in 2016, now vacant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Rudy's Antique Boutique | alt= | url= | email= | address=714 Broadway, East Village | lat=40.728905 | long=-73.993634 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The vintage shop to whom Kramer sells a bunch of old clothes: a parcel of "Executives", a beltless trenchcoat invented by Morty Seinfeld in the 1960s, and a trunk of Frank Constanza's moth-infested "cabana wear". Later on a tag from Rudy's, torn out of Kramer's shirt, served as the crucial evidence leading to his arrest for dognapping in "The Engagement". Closed sometime between 2005 and 2011, now a vacant storefront. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paradise Twin Theater | alt=now IATI Theater | url=http://iatitheater.org/ | email= | address=64 E. 4th St., East Village | lat=40.726538 | long=-73.990582 | directions= | phone=+1 212 505-6757 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=In "The Movie", the gang head to this downtown movie house to catch ''CheckMate'', but — stuck at the end of a long, slow line — they give up and end up seeing ''Rochelle, Rochelle'' ("a young woman's strange, erotic journey from [[Milan]] to [[Minsk]]"). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Gladiator's Gym | alt= | url= | email= | address=503 E. 6th St., East Village | lat=40.725342 | long=-73.983332 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Izzy Mandelbaum, an acquaintance of Morty and Helen's, takes Jerry "aboard the pain train" as his trash-talking personal trainer. Long closed, the site now handles "doughboys" of a different type as '''Carma East''', a ''dim sum'' restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Country Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=69 Thompson St., [[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]] | lat=40.724429 | long=-74.003151 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="You call yourself a lifesaver; I call you Pimple Popper, M.D.!" Site of Jerry's "revenge date" with Sara, a dermatologist who, on an earlier date, had made Jerry feel "like if [he doesn't] save lives, [he's] worthless". Country Cafe closed in 2010, but the current occupant of the space — classy French bistro '''[http://vinetfleurs.com/ Vin et Fleurs]''' — is still a great choice for all your revenge-dating needs. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York State Department of Labor | alt= | url= | email= | address=75 Varick St., SoHo | lat=40.723306 | long=-74.006391 | directions= | phone=+1 212 775-3584 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where George offers to take his unemployment officer's unattractive daughter on a date to avoid getting his benefits cut off, only to get dumped at the end. ("You've got no job, you've got no prospects. You're like Biff Loman.") }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=FDNY Hook & Ladder Company 8 | alt= | url= | email= | address=14 N. Moore St., [[Manhattan/TriBeCa|TriBeCa]] | lat=40.7196 | long=-74.0066 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 | image=Ghostbusters Firehouse crop.jpg | wikidata=Q21712009 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=In "The Secret Code", Kramer stops by to share his favorite shortcuts through Greenwich Village and the West Side, only to demonstrate his knowledge of the street grid firsthand behind the wheel of a fire truck en route to a burning building. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, Hook & Ladder No. 8 is best known as the ''Ghostbusters''<nowiki>'</nowiki> firehouse headquarters. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Criminal Court | alt= | url=http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/criminal/ | email= | address=100 Centre St., [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Civic Center]] | lat=40.715995 | long=-74.000834 | directions= | phone=+1 646 386-4500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=New York City Criminal Court | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Newman's attempt to talk his way out of a traffic ticket is derailed by Kramer, who's still reeling from the concussion "Crazy" Joe Davola gave him in "The Pitch", and where Jackie Chiles cribs from Johnnie Cochran's "if the glove doesn't fit" defense in "The Caddy", with disastrous results for Kramer's lawsuit against the "braless wonder", Sue Ellen Mischke. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=80 Centre St., Civic Center | lat=40.7152 | long=-74.0013 | directions= | phone=+1 212 669-8090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-3:45PM | price= | wikipedia=Louis J. Lefkowitz Building | wikidata=Q59829207 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Elaine heads here in "The Pilot" to file an "equal employment opportunity" complaint against Monk's Cafe for only hiring large-breasted waitresses (still another continuity error; the EEOC is a federal agency and thus the complaint would not have been heard at the state level); also where Kramer picked up his "ASSMAN" vanity license plates in "The Fusilli Jerry". The Lefkowitz Building is now home to the New York City Marriage Licensing Bureau, and under threat of demolition. }} ====Outer boroughs==== {{anchor|FrankAndEstelle}}{{Mapframe|40.680|-73.875|height=450|width=400|zoom=11|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Brooklyn and Queens<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=22–37 37th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Astoria, Queens | lat=40.773021 | long=-73.908266 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the neurotic, bickering Frank and Estelle Costanza — and their son George too, for most of season 5. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=329 Union St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Brooklyn/Gowanus and Red Hook|Carroll Gardens]], [[Brooklyn]] | lat=40.682111 | long=-73.994750 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The apartment of Mr. Peterman's ailing mother, to whom George entrusts the secret of his ATM code. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Arthur Ashe Stadium | alt= | url=https://www.usopen.org/index.html | email= | address=[[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing Meadows-Corona Park]], Queens | lat=40.749886 | long=-73.847033 | directions= | phone=+1 718 760-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Arthur Ashe Stadium | image=Arthur ashe stadium interior.jpg | wikidata=Q609551 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of the US Open tennis tournament, where Jerry becomes infatuated with a deaf lineswoman, George is shown on TV at the concession stand with ice cream all over his face, and Kramer injures Monica Seles in her big comeback match while working as a "ball boy". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=D'Amico Fresh Roasted Coffee | alt= | url=http://www.damico1948.com/ | email= | address=309 Court St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn | lat=40.683506 | long=-73.995189 | directions= | phone=+1 718 875-5403 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM, Su 9AM-3PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Elaine buys George a bag of expensive coffee, which he misinterprets as "stickin' it to [him] that she makes more money than [him]". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Edward R. Murrow High School | alt= | url=https://www.ermurrowhs.org/ | email= | address=1600 Avenue L, [[Brooklyn/Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush|Midwood]], Brooklyn | lat=40.6207 | long=-73.9592 | directions= | phone=+1 718 258-9283 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Edward R. Murrow High School | wikidata=Q5344955 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The real Jerry Seinfeld attended Massapequa High School on Long Island, but apparently TV Jerry was a graduate of this school where he returns in Season 9 to do a presentation on Career Day, only to get "bumped" by a fire drill. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.639722 | long=-73.778889 | directions= | phone=+1 718 244-4444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=John F. Kennedy International Airport | image=JFKNewYorkTerm4 1.jpg | wikidata=Q8685 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Where, while waiting to pick up Jerry from a flight coming in from [[St. Louis]], George taunts a convict under police escort and Kramer confronts an old acquaintance who borrowed money from him 20 years ago and never repaid it — both with disastrous results. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=LaGuardia Airport | alt= | url=https://www.laguardiaairport.com/ | email= | address=LaGuardia Rd. and 94th St., [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|East Elmhurst]], Queens | lat=40.77725 | long=-73.872611 | directions= | phone=+1 718 533-3400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=LaGuardia Airport | image=LaGuardiaairport.jpg | wikidata=Q319654 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Site of the Diplomat's Club, where Kramer won and then lost thousands of dollars betting on the arrival times of incoming flights (at one point putting up David Berkowitz's mail bag, a keepsake of Newman's, as collateral). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Queensboro Plaza Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=27th St. and Queens Plaza, Long Island City, Queens | lat=40.750653 | long=-73.940344 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Queensboro Plaza (New York City Subway) | image=Queensboro Plaza.jpg | wikidata=Q2177925 | content=Supposedly the home of the best gyros in the New York City subway system — the tzatziki sauce from which stained one of the issues of Frank Costanza's beloved ''TV Guide'' magazine collection. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Queens/The Rockaways|Rockaway Beach]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=Queens | lat=40.583138 | long=-73.815336 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=An ersatz driving range for Kramer, and the site of "marine biologist" George's daring rescue of a beached whale. "The sea was angry that day, my friends..." }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord | alt= | url=http://www.roct.org/ | email= | address=228 N. 12th St., [[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg]], Brooklyn | lat=40.719444 | long=-73.953611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord | image=RO Transfig Cathedral Greenpoint jeh.JPG | wikidata=Q2109124 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Stand-in for the Latvian Orthodox church where George attempts to convert to win back a woman who left him, and Kramer discovers his ''kavorka'', almost tempting a clergywoman into giving up her faith. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Visiting Nurses Association of Brooklyn | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 Metrotech Center, [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]] | lat=40.694035 | long=-73.984233 | directions= | phone=+1 718 923-7100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for the County Blood Bank, where a hike in service fees leads Kramer to angrily take his business (of stockpiling his own blood, "just in case”) elsewhere. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Yankee Stadium | alt= | url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/ | email= | address=161st St. and River Ave., The Bronx | lat=40.826944 | long=-73.928056 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yankee Stadium (1923) | image=Yankee Stadium aerial from Blackhawk.jpg | wikidata=Q675214 | content=Home of the New York Yankees, George's employer during the sixth, seventh, and most of the eighth season. The Yankee Stadium where George worked was torn down in 2009-10 and is now a park; the baseball team now plays in a new, identically named building on the other side of 161st Street. }} ===California=== {{quote|Jerry. It's L.A. Nobody leaves. She's a seductress, she's a siren, she's a virgin, she's a whore.|author=Cosmo Kramer}} {{Mapframe|34.01|-118.225|height=550|width=600|zoom=10|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Southern California<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|red}}Closed {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional}} ====Filming locations==== Hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of ''Seinfeld'' was ''not'' filmed in New York — aside from establishing shots of building exteriors, what's on your TV screen at any given time is usually a Hollywood soundstage. {{anchor|CBS}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=CBS Studio Center | alt= | url=http://www.cbssc.com/ | email= | address=4024 Radford Ave., [[Studio City]] | lat=34.144692 | long=-118.391008 | directions= | phone=+1 818 655-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=CBS Studio Center | image=CBS Studio Center, Soundstage 2.JPG | wikidata=Q5009278 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=This is where most of the show was filmed: on Stage 19 for the first three seasons, and on the much larger Stage 9 thereafter, as the number of different sets (and the popularity of the show) had grown substantially. In addition, many exterior scenes were filmed on the "New York Street" set between Stages 14 and 15. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paramount Studios | alt= | url=http://www.paramountstudios.com/ | email= | address=5555 Melrose Ave., [[Hollywood]] | lat=34.085432 | long=-118.318992 | directions= | phone=+1 323 956-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Paramount Pictures | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=After the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged much of the CBS studio lot, there was talk of moving production of ''Seinfeld'' here. That didn't end up happening, but you'll still see Paramount's "New York street" from time to time on later seasons of the show (most notably, the chase scene in "The Rye"). Unlike CBS, they offer a [http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/ two-hour tour] where you can see the sets for yourself. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Red Studios Hollywood | alt= | url=https://www.redstudioshollywood.com/ | email= | address=846 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood | lat=34.086111 | long=-118.328056 | directions= | phone=+1 323 463-0808 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Red Studios Hollywood | image= | wikidata=Q7312287 | lastedit=2019-04-23 | content=The pilot episode of ''Seinfeld'' was shot at this small "rental studio" that's most famous as the place where ''I Love Lucy'' was filmed, back when the place was still called '''Desilu Studios'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Warner Bros. Studios | alt= | url=https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ | email= | address=3400 Riverside Drive, [[Burbank]] | lat=34.148697 | long=-118.337561 | directions= | phone=+1 818 977-8687 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 8:30AM-3:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank | wikidata=Q16683162 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=All the exterior scenes set in the fictional Latham, [[Massachusetts]] — where the gang was booked for violating the local "good samaritan" law in "The Finale" — were filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot. Stage 4 is also where Kramer's [[#"The Keys" and "The Trip"|bit part in ''Murphy Brown'']] was filmed (in fiction as in real life). Like Paramount, Warner also offers a [https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ studio tour]; while you're there, check out the '''Warner Bros. Museum''' next to Stage 17, where rumor has it the original sets for Monk's Cafe and Jerry's apartment are kept in cold storage. }} Some scenes were shot on location in the Los Angeles area, too. * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Anaheim Stadium | alt=now Angel Stadium | url=https://www.mlb.com/angels/ballpark | email= | address=2000 E. Gene Autry Way, [[Anaheim]] | lat=33.800278 | long=-117.882778 | directions= | phone=+1 714 940-2000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Angel Stadium | wikidata=Q531897 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Three scenes that were set in the Yankees' locker room — the ones from "The Chaperone" where George talks to Buck Showalter about cotton uniforms and advises Danny Tartabull on his swing, and the one with Kramer and Paul O'Neill in "The Wink" — were instead filmed in the visiting team locker room at the Anaheim Angels' home stadium. (The former two were actually filmed ''during'' a Yankees-Angels game in July 1994.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport | alt=now Hollywood Burbank Airport | url=https://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ | email= | address=2627 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank | lat=34.200556 | long=-118.358611 | directions= | phone=+1 818 840-8840 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hollywood Burbank Airport | wikidata=Q598817 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The scenes from "[[#Q8685|The Airport]]" set at JFK's baggage claim and on the runway were actually filmed here. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Cheviot Hills Sports Center | alt= | url=http://cheviothillssportscenter.com/ | email= | address=2601 Motor Ave., [[Culver City]] | lat=34.046366 | long=-118.409769 | directions= | phone=+1 310 837-5186 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-10PM, Sa-Su 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where the scenes from "The Understudy" with Bette Midler and the charity softball game, set in Manhattan's Central Park, were in reality filmed. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Corner of S. Grand Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Los Angeles | lat=34.047972 | long=-118.255994 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where the "runaway rickshaw" scene from the Season 9 episode "The Bookstore" was shot. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Griffith Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Los Angeles | lat=34.1333 | long=-118.3 | directions= | phone=+1 323 913-4688 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Griffith Park | image=| wikidata=Q1340614 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=That's one ''long'' race: the finish line scene of the [[#Marathon|New York City Marathon]] in "The Hot Tub", where Jean-Paul Jean-Paul is burned by Kramer's hot coffee, was actually shot here. (The real-life end of the marathon is Central Park, of course.) Griffith Park is also where you'll find the famous HOLLYWOOD sign, which makes a couple of appearances in [[#"The Keys" and "The Trip"|"The Trip"]]. }} [[File:757 New Hampshire Ave 1.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Jerry's ''real'' apartment is in Koreatown in Los Angeles. If you want to look like a local, call it "K-Town".]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Orpheum Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.laorpheum.com | email= | address=824 S. Broadway, Los Angeles | lat=34.042681 | long=-118.255342 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877 677-4386 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles) | image=OrpheumTheatreLosAngeles.jpg | wikidata=Q2491086 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The Flying Sandos Brothers' performance from "The Friars Club", where Jerry [[#Q7013557|lent out and never got back]] his crested jacket, was filmed at this historic movie palace and vaudeville theater. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Santa Monica]] Pier | alt= | url=http://www.santamonicapier.org/ | email= | address= | lat=34.007956 | long=-118.499213 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Monica Pier | wikidata=Q595439 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Lots of brooding and reflecting here: it's where George sits and takes stock of his life and decides to always do "The Opposite" of his instincts, where he reflects on all his lost loves of the past just before "The Engagement" to Susan, and where Jerry struggles to envision a life without doing "The Voice" that drives his girlfriend crazy. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Shelley | alt= | url= | email= | address=757 S. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles | lat=34.058216 | long=-118.293059 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=This old brownstone apartment building in L.A.'s [[Los Angeles/Wilshire|Koreatown]] wouldn't look out of place on the other coast — and indeed, it was the stand-in for exterior shots of Jerry's Upper West Side apartment. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Van Nuys Airport | alt= | url=https://www.iflyvny.com/ | email= | address=16461 Sherman Way, [[Van Nuys]] | lat=34.209722 | long=-118.49 | directions= | phone=+1 818 442-6526 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Van Nuys Airport | wikidata=Q528578 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=In "The Finale", the scene at the airport where the gang boards the NBC corporate jet to [[Paris]] was filmed here. [https://www.iflyvny.com/en/community-information/airport-tours Tours] are offered by reservation of this facility that's no stranger to the big or small screen — aside from ''Seinfeld'', VNY has been featured in everything from ''Casablanca'' to ''Glee'' to ''Lethal Weapon'' to ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''. }}{{anchor|WillRogers}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Will Rogers State Beach | alt= | url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=625 | email= | address=17000 [[Pacific Coast Highway|Pacific Coast Hwy.]], [[Pacific Palisades]] | lat=34.0397 | long=-118.56 | directions= | phone=+1 424 526-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Will Rogers State Beach | image=Will Rogers State Beach 1.JPG | wikidata=Q8003058 | lastedit=2018-12-19 | content=When Kramer took up the hobby of hitting golf balls into the ocean in "The Marine Biologist", the ocean in question wasn't the Atlantic! Those scenes were filmed here, as was George's rescue of the beached whale. }} ===="The Keys" and "The Trip"==== A trio of episodes that were both set ''and'' filmed mostly in L.A. In a story arc spanning the Season 3 finale and the two-part Season 4 premiere, Kramer catches the acting bug and moves to Hollywood to try his luck, only to become a suspect in the ongoing (fictional) "Smog Strangler" serial-killer scare. Meanwhile, Jerry is booked to perform on the ''Tonight Show'', with George tagging along. * {{listing | type=red | name=12033 Ventura Pl. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Studio City | lat=34.144404 | long=-118.394021 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Like most pay phones in the United States, the one from which Jerry and George called the police to try to clear Kramer's name in the murder case is long gone. But the adjacent parking lot is the one where they unknowingly help the real killer escape from police custody. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City | alt= | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-los-angeles-universal-city-BURUCHF/index.html | email= | address=555 Universal Hollywood Drive, [[Universal City]] | lat=34.136403 | long=-118.358079 | directions= | phone=+1 818 506-2500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The hotel where Jerry and George stayed while in Los Angeles for the ''Tonight Show'' — right next door to Universal Studios, where George hoped to take the studio tour (he didn't get to). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=idbox Productions | alt= | url= | email= | address=4063 Radford Ave., Studio City | lat=34.145544 | long=-118.392588 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where Kramer auditions for the music video, the horror movie, the exercise tape, ''and'' the infomercial. Closed; now '''Horsepower Entertainment''', a presumably similar video production house. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Insomnia Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Insomnia-Cafe-120861721259849/ | email= | address=7286 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles | lat=34.075999 | long=-118.348454 | directions= | phone=+1 323 931-4943 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 7AM-7PM, F-Sa 7AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where Kramer talks to his new friend Chelsea about the part he has in mind for her — the title role in a miniseries about Eva Braun — and nervously chats up a creeped-out Fred Savage. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Las Palmas Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=1738 N. Las Palmas Ave., Los Angeles | lat=34.102733 | long=-118.335972 | directions= | phone=+1 323 464-9236 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The seedy flophouse where Kramer rents a room while awaiting his big break. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, Las Palmas is best known as the residence of Vivian, Julia Roberts' character in ''Pretty Woman''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=NBC Studios | alt=now The Burbank Studios | url=http://theburbankstudios.com | email= | address=3000 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank | lat=34.154881 | long=-118.334491 | directions= | phone=+1 818 840-3000 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-5:30PM | price= | wikipedia=The Burbank Studios | image=The burbank studios alameda.jpg | wikidata=Q7720617 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Home of ''The Tonight Show'', where Jerry bombs after the maid at his hotel threw away his notes, and where a starstruck George makes an ass of himself backstage to Corbin Bernsen and George Wendt. }} [[File:Los Angeles Police Administration Building - 1976.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"You killed all the pretty flowers, didn't you, Kramer? You killed the pretty little flowers, didn't you? You dirty, filthy, stinky weed! Didn't you?"]] * {{listing | type=red | name=Parker Center | alt= | url= | email= | address=150 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles | lat=34.0519 | long=-118.241 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Parker Center | image=Parker Center front 2004.jpg | wikidata=Q7138288 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The then-LAPD headquarters, where Kramer is grilled — and reduced to tears — by detectives who think he's the Smog Strangler. Jerry probably recognized the place from its appearances on the old ''Adventures of Superman'' TV series with George Reeves, where it stood in for the offices of the ''Daily Planet''. The Los Angeles Police moved to a new building at the corner of E 1st Street and S Main Street in October 2009; this building was demolished in 2019. }} ===Elsewhere=== {{anchor|Amagansett}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Amagansett Farmers Market | alt=now Amber Waves Farm | url=http://www.amberwavesfarm.org/ | email= | address=367 Main St., [[East Hampton|Amagansett]], [[New York (state)|New York]] | lat=40.977880 | long=-72.137020 | directions= | phone=+1 631 267-5664 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 7AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where George stops on the way back from the gang's trip to "The Hamptons" to buy some Hampton tomatoes ("You can eat 'em like apples!"), only to get one in the face from Jerry's girlfriend Rachel in a passing car. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Bridgestone Firestone | alt=now Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology | url=https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/contact-us/locations/research-innovation | email= | address=1655 S. Main St., [[Akron]], [[Ohio]] | lat=41.041703 | long=-81.525610 | directions= | phone=+1 330 379-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Firestone Tire and Rubber Company | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, after a typically elaborate scheme involving a "Snow Tire Day" at Yankee Stadium, George travels hundreds of miles to finally confront his old office nemesis Reilly at his new job, and delivers "The Comeback" to the insult he'd given him just before his resignation. Bridgestone moved their corporate headquarters to [[Nashville]] in 2017, but they still have offices in Ohio. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Giants Stadium | alt= | url= | email= | address=50 Route 120, [[East Rutherford]], [[New Jersey]] | lat=40.812222 | long=-74.076944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Giants Stadium | image=Giants Stadium aerial.jpg | wikidata=Q375365 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=While taking in a New York Giants football game here, Kramer's attempt to pick up a ticket at the will-call window without ID leads to Elaine's unfortunately-named boyfriend Joel Rifkin being called on the P.A. system. The building was demolished in 2010 and is now a parking lot for '''MetLife Stadium''', where the Giants (and Metro New York's other NFL team, the Jets) play today. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Joe Robbie Stadium | alt=now Hard Rock Stadium | url=https://hardrockstadium.com/ | email= | address=347 Don Shula Drive, [[Miami Gardens]], [[Florida]] | lat=25.958056 | long=-80.238889 | directions= | phone=+1 305 943-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hard Rock Stadium | image=Hard Rock Stadium.jpg | wikidata=Q864339 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Jerry and Newman awkwardly attend the Super Bowl together in "The Label Maker". }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=New Munson Diner | alt= | url= | email= | address=12 Lake St., Liberty, New York | lat=41.797187 | long=-74.744618 | directions= | phone=+1 845 747-9912 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 6AM-9PM, F-Sa 6AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Known on the show as '''Reggie's''', this "Bizarro Diner" was located in Hell's Kitchen until 2005, when the building was moved to its new home in the [[Catskills]] via flatbed truck. In "The Soup", Reggie's is the workplace of Kramer's latest love interest, where, to the gang's consternation, egg white omelettes, "big salads", and decaf coffee are not on the menu. George, uncomfortable with his "worlds colliding", returns by himself a season later to avoid hanging out with Susan and his friends simultaneously. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort | alt=now Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City | url=https://www.hardrockhotels.com/atlantic-city | email= | address=1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey | lat=39.3587 | long=-74.4198 | directions= | phone=+1 609 449-1000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City | image=Trump Taj Mahal from Fairfield Resorts 20060627.JPG | wikidata=Q3541146 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Venue for the 1994 Miss America pageant, where Jerry accidentally kills Miss Rhode Island's trained doves. }} == Other places related to ''Seinfeld'' == ===New York City=== * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=129 W. 81st St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.783782 | long=-73.975413 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The exterior shots were filmed in Los Angeles (see above), but this is the address used in the show for Jerry and Kramer's building — and it's the actual address of the apartment where Larry David and the real-life Jerry lived as young stand-up comedians in the '80s. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=609 W. 43rd St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.761942 | long=-73.998520 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Long-ago site of '''Bak's Market''', a produce stand where Larry was once banned for squeezing the fruit too hard. This was the inspiration for the fictional '''Joe's Fruit Shop''' from the Season 5 episode "The Mango", whose owner banned Kramer for trying to return a rotten peach — and later Jerry too, after catching him trying to buy fruit for Kramer. Now a parking ramp. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Broadhurst Theatre | alt= | url=http://shubert.nyc/theatres/broadhurst/ | email= | address=235 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.7581 | long=-73.9876 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Broadhurst Theatre | wikidata=Q4972203 | lastedit=2019-01-08 | content=Where the real-life Jerry filmed ''I'm Telling You for the Last Time'', a 75-minute "greatest hits"-style stand-up performance aired live on HBO in August 1998 in which he kicked off the post-''Seinfeld'' phase of his career ("The Finale" had aired only three months prior) by ceremonially retiring all his old material. The original broadcast is available for streaming on Netflix, and the CD release won a Grammy Award the following year; if you're a ''Seinfeld'' fan, listen closely and you'll hear some bits that had been used in the show (both in the [[#Improv|opening segments]] and the plots themselves). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Kam Wei Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=617 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759534 | long=-73.992083 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=According to [[#KK1|Kenny Kramer]], the character of Ping, the delivery boy for the gang's favorite Chinese takeout who makes a handful of appearances in seasons 3 and 4, was based on an employee of this long-closed restaurant whom Larry knew. Now a dry cleaner. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Lee's Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=1494 First Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.771488 | long=-73.953077 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Larry David, speaking about the day in November 1988 when Jerry approached him to serve as co-writer for the TV sitcom that NBC executives had just offered him: "We left '''[[#CARS|Catch a Rising Star]]''' and we walked into a Korean grocery store, and we started, as we invariably did, talking about some of the products in the store... it occurred to me that this is the kind of discussion that you never really hear on television. And that that, in fact, would be funny." (This was the inspiration for the scene in Monk's Cafe in the third-season episode "The Pitch", where a conversation between George and the fictional Jerry about salsa led to the idea for their show-within-a-show.) Lee's Market is now a pizzeria. }}{{anchor|Plaza}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Plaza | alt= | url=https://lihc.com/nyc-property-investment-group/manhattan-plaza/ | email= | address=400-484 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759401 | long=-73.993811 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Manhattan Plaza | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=Before he was roommates with Jerry in the aforementioned apartment on West 81st Street, Larry lived for six years in this federally-subsidized apartment complex for performing artists — right across the hall from [[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer]], who still lives in the building to this day. }} [[File:Smithsonian National Museum of American History - Seinfeld The Puffy Shirt (120435360).jpg|thumb|300px|right|Put on your puffiest shirt and go to the '''National Museum of American History''' in [[Washington, D.C.]]]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Park bench at W. 81st St. and Central Park West | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.781746 | long=-73.971825 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-01 | content=The second bench past the corner of 81st Street on the east side of Central Park West was the scene of what the real-life Jerry describes as the two most important decisions of his professional life: in the summer of 1976, it was where he told his father that he intended to pursue stand-up comedy as a career, and later in December 1997, while on a walk through Central Park with his managers George Shapiro and Howard West, it was where he made the final decision to reject NBC's still-unprecedented offer of $5 million per episode for a tenth season of ''Seinfeld'' and instead end production of the show at the close of the current season. }}{{anchor|TownHall2}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url=http://thetownhall.org/ | email= | address=123 W. 43rd St., Theater District | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone=+1 212 997-6661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Town Hall (New York City) | image=Town Hall 123 W43 near sun jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q1634948 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=In addition to its [[#Q1634948|importance]] within ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fictional universe, the real-life Jerry did a stand-up performance here on September 10, 1988. Unbeknownst to him, in the audience were several executives from NBC invited by the aforementioned George Shapiro, who'd written them a letter several weeks earlier: "Call me a crazy guy, but I feel that Jerry Seinfeld will soon be doing a series on NBC". (This was later reflected in the season 3 episode "The Pitch", where Jerry's TV alter ego was approached by an NBC talent scout after a comedy set.) }}{{anchor|Westway}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Westway Diner | alt= | url=https://www.westwaydiner.com | email= | address=614 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759446 | long=-73.991657 | directions= | phone=+1 212 582-7661 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-1AM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The place where, some time after the initial flash of inspiration at '''Lee's Market''' (see above), Jerry and Larry met over lunch to formally sketch out the premise for what would become ''Seinfeld''. The Westway was one of their favorite haunts back in the day, and in fact, it's often thought that it, rather than '''[[#Q2441394|Tom's]]''', was the true inspiration for Monk's Cafe. }} ===California=== {{anchor|JerrysFamous}} *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Jerry's Famous Deli | alt= | url=https://www.jerrysdeli.com/ | email= | address=12655 Ventura Blvd., Studio City | lat=34.144730 | long=-118.409118 | directions= | phone=+1 818 980-4245 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 8AM-1AM, F-Sa 8AM-3AM | price= | wikipedia=Jerry's Famous Deli | content=After a full week of writing, rehearsing and filming, the cast of ''Seinfeld'' were famous for unwinding on Friday evenings at the Studio City location of this famous chain of New York-style Jewish delis, eating, talking, and joking together late into the night. Ask the staff and (if it's not too busy) you can see their favorite booth, now marked with a plaque. }} *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paisano's Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.paisanospizzahb.com/ | email= | address=1132 Hermosa Ave., [[Hermosa Beach]] | lat=33.861871 | long=-118.399717 | directions= | phone=+1 310 376-9883 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-midnight | price= | content=A favorite pizzeria of the ''Seinfeld'' writing staff, Paisano's lent its name to the [[#Q20979290|Bronx (really Greenwich Village) eatery]] featured in "The Calzones". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Roxy Theatre | alt= | url=https://www.theroxy.com/ | email= | address=9009 Sunset Blvd., [[West Hollywood]] | lat=34.090789 | long=-118.388017 | directions= | phone=+1 310 278-9457 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood) | wikidata=Q1565972 | lastedit=2019-12-11 | content=Where, in September 1987, the real-life Jerry filmed ''Stand-Up Confidential'', an hour-long HBO special that is considered by fans as almost a prototype version of the ''Seinfeld'' sitcom: like its counterpart, the special consisted of a stand-up performance interspersed with comedic skits and vignettes as viewed through Jerry's "Comedy X-Ray Specs", in which he — you guessed it — demonstrates how his own day-to-day life serves as fodder for his routine. As well, many of the people who worked on the special with him went on to serve as ''Seinfeld'' writers or cast members, notably Carol Leifer and Larry Miller. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=National Museum of American History | alt= | url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/ | email= | address=1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. | lat=38.8913 | long=-77.03 | directions= | phone=+1 202 633-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM-5:30PM | price=Free | wikipedia=National Museum of American History | image=National Museum of American History 1.jpg | wikidata=Q148584 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A museum with displays of American cultural history, among them the original puffy shirt which character-Jerry wore on ''The Today Show'', designed by Kramer's low-talking fashion designer girlfriend. }} ==Activities for the ''Seinfeld'' fan== {{anchor|Festivus}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Festivus | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2115975 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=A secular alternative to Christmas invented by Frank Costanza (fictionally; in real life, ''Seinfeld'' writer Dan O'Keefe based it on one of his own father's quirky traditions), popularized by the Season 9 episode "The Strike", and celebrated annually on December 23. Festivus celebrations involve families gathering around an unadorned aluminum pole in the living room, wherepon there's an "Airing of Grievances" (in which attendees takes turns griping at each other and the world in general), which in turn ultimately culminates with "Feats of Strength" (general fisticuffs, ending only when the family patriarch is successfully pinned). A meatloaf dinner is also customary. Though Festivus has taken on a life of its own among ''Seinfeld'' fans and non-fans alike, public observance isn't really a huge phenomenon: your best bet is to look around for bars holding Festivus theme nights or else hope to be invited to someone's private party. }} [[File:Manhattan and Central Park (5896238520).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Despite the spurious claims of hansom cab driver Kramer, '''Central Park''' was designed by pioneering landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — not former New York Yankees first baseman Joe Pepitone.]] {{anchor|Hansom}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Hansom cab rides in Central Park | alt= | url=https://www.centralpark.com/things-to-do/activities/horse-drawn-carriages/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 310-6600 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F-Sa 11AM-1AM | price=$35 for the first 20 minutes, $10 for each additional 15-minute period; [[tipping]] is expected | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=Though the one Susan's parents took with Kramer in "The Rye" was anything but, in the ideal scenario a hansom cab (horse and buggy) ride is a pleasant, relaxing, and romantic way to experience New York's [[#Q160409|Central Park]]. Rides generally start and end at {{marker|type=do|name=Grand Army Plaza|lat=40.764672|long=-73.973319|wikidata=Q1139579}}, on the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue at the southeast corner of the park, and are offered year-round. With a bit of luck, you'll be matched with a jockey who doubles as a tour guide, relating the history and significance of what you see around you. Just make sure he didn't feed the horse Beef-a-Reeno beforehand! }}{{anchor|Reality Tour}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Kramer's Reality Tour | alt= | url=http://www.kennykramer.com/home.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 268-5525 | tollfree=+1 800 572-6377 | hours=Departures Sa noon, Su on selected weekends (consult website for schedule) | price=$49.50 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content="The Muffin Tops" episode is a classic case of art imitating life: at the helm of this three-hour bus tour is not Cosmo but Kenny Kramer, [[#Plaza|former neighbor of Larry David's]] and real-life inspiration behind the ''Seinfeld'' character. Kramer's Reality Tour takes you through the streets of Manhattan to some of the spots famously depicted on the sitcom — much the same as this article does, with the important difference being your host himself, who provides not only a depth of behind-the-scenes familiarity with the source material that you can only get from "the real Kramer", but also all the charming personality quirks of his TV counterpart. Tours begin at the '''Producers' Club Theatre''' on West 44th Street: the current site of one of Jerry's favorite old haunts, '''[[#Improv|The Improv]]'''. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | alt= | url=https://www.macys.com/social/parade/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q79407 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=The Woody Woodpecker balloon was retired in 1996, much to the probable disappointment of Mr. Pitt. But that doesn't mean ''you'' won't enjoy this nearly century-old annual tradition that draws north of a million onlookers to the streets of Manhattan. This roving spectacle sees a selection of high school and college marching bands from across the country, performers from whatever Broadway shows are playing at the time, and even store employees winding their way alongside Central Park and through midtown Manhattan ending at '''Macy's''' flagship store at Herald Square. But the two things for which the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is best known are, one, a collection of giant helium balloons in the shape of popular cartoon characters, and two, Santa Claus, whose appearance at the parade marks the unofficial start of the holiday season in New York. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=National Puerto Rican Day Parade | alt= | url=https://www.nprdpinc.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 917 685-1607 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7258598 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=Season 9's controversial episode "The Puerto Rican Day" is a pretty effective primer on how ''not'' to celebrate this long-running annual ethnic pride festival: don't get caught in parade traffic, don't forget to attend to your bathroom needs before heading out (New York's already pointed lack of public restrooms becomes even more dire during special events), and above all, don't get caught setting fire to the Puerto Rican flag, even inadvertently! But ''do'' check out the website to see a burgeoning schedule of events in the weeks leading up to parade day (the {{marker|type=do|name=152nd Street Cultural Festival|lat=40.816040|long=-73.908088}}, held on the last Saturday of May in the South Bronx, is the biggest of these), and of course, do attend the parade itself, held on Fifth Avenue between 44th and 86th Streets on the second Sunday in June. }}{{anchor|Marathon}} * {{listing | type=do | name=TCS New York City Marathon | alt= | url=https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q752138 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=If the climactic scene in the Season 7 episode "The Hot Tub" got your blood pumping, stake out a spot along a route that encompasses all five boroughs to bear witness to one of the most preeminent long-distance footraces in the United States. The New York City Marathon is held annually on the first Sunday in November, beginning on [[Staten Island]] at the foot of the '''Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge''' and from there winding through Brooklyn, Queens, [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Roosevelt Island]], the East Side, the South Bronx, and [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Harlem]] before reaching the finish line at '''Runner's Grove''' in '''Central Park''', just across from '''[[#Q4022491|Tavern on the Green]]'''. Or, if merely being a spectator isn't enough, why not compete in the race yourself? Applications for the entry drawing are accepted between mid-January and mid-February of the year of the race; entry fees in 2019 were $295 for U.S. residents and $358 for non-residents. }} ==Go next== *Of course, after you wrap up your tour in either [[New York City]] or [[Los Angeles]], you'd be remiss not to explore the myriad other attractions on offer in those world-class cities. *While you're in the Big Apple, you could also check out the sites from that ''other'' group of '90s-era "Must See TV" twentysomethings on the [[Friends Tour|''Friends'' Tour]]. *Or perhaps head to [[Albuquerque]] to follow along on the further adventures of Bryan Cranston a/k/a Dr. Tim Whatley, who, as Walter White in ABC's hit crime drama [[Breaking Bad Tour|''Breaking Bad'']], trades in his career as a mild-mannered science teacher for the high-stakes life of a drug kingpin. {{guidetopic}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Seinfeld'' Tour}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} bgck5bxpr6ykl395ajel6s7ffwwsejx 4502147 4502146 2022-08-16T11:34:25Z Ibaman 195012 Changed protection settings for "[[Seinfeld Tour]]": Target page for a block evading user ([Edit=Allow only autoconfirmed users] (expires 11:34, 16 November 2022 (UTC)) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)) wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Seinfeld Banner WV.jpg|ftt=yes}} Like Cosmo Kramer's hapless customers in "The Muffin Tops", you, too, can see with your own eyes the real-life locations in [[New York City]], [[Southern California]], and elsewhere that were featured on the television series '''''Seinfeld'''''. ==Understand== {{quote|GEORGE: I'm serious, I think that's a good idea! JERRY: Just talking? What's the show about? GEORGE: It's about nothing! |author=''The Pitch''}} Co-created by, named after, and starring [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up comedian]] Jerry Seinfeld, ''Seinfeld'' ran for nine seasons and 180 episodes on the American television network NBC, premiering in 1990 and ending in 1998. Though its first seasons earned only modest ratings, the show was critically acclaimed throughout its run and, after being moved in 1992 to a coveted Thursday night timeslot directly after the long-running megahit ''Cheers'', commercial success soon followed on a massive level. (Which is not to say that ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s success was solely due to ''Cheers''; as Jerry put it later, "...we started beating them [in the ratings] coming on ''after'' them, which is just not done... [usually with] the second show you just try and not fall off too much.") By its fourth season in 1993-94, ''Seinfeld'' was one of the top three highest-rated shows on American television, which it would continue to be for the remainder of its run. ===Conception, premise and cast=== Ask any American to describe the premise of ''Seinfeld'' and they'll always come back to the same four words: "a show about nothing". That phrase or variations on it popped up in reviews of the show almost from the beginning, but at the outset, that was not what ''Seinfeld'' was meant to be. Instead, it was intended as a show that demonstrated how a stand-up comedian comes up with the material that they use in their act: in Jerry's case, picking apart the little trivialities and petty annoyances of daily life and mining the comedy out of them. It was an art form that Jerry and ''Seinfeld'' co-creator Larry David were both experts in, after years spent honing their craft on the New York comedy-club circuit in the '70s and '80s, and in Larry's case, also during a brief stint as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live''. At that time, [[Manhattan]] was still an affordable place for the less-than-rich to live, and the stand-up scene was tight-knit and insular, centered around just a scant handful of comedy clubs: '''[[#Improv|The Improv]]''', '''The Comic Strip''', '''[[#CARS|Catch a Rising Star]]''', and so forth. Onstage lineups on a given night drew from pretty much the same small clique of performers, and in that environment comics got to know one another, became friends, watched each other onstage, bounced ideas off each other offstage. In short, it was fertile ground for the observational humorist. Over time, Jerry's affable nature and accessible act brought him increasing success, with bookings on the ''Tonight Show'' and ''Late Night with David Letterman'' becoming more and more frequent as the '80s wore on, and even a small recurring role on the TV series ''Benson''. Meanwhile, Larry was considered a "comic's comic": his fellow comedians howled with laughter whenever he was onstage, but his act was by and large too ''outré'' for mass audiences, and thus he was never really able to break out of the small-time club circuit the way Jerry did. His twisted and cynical sensibilities, though, were instrumental in the creation of ''Seinfeld'': fans who are familiar with both comedians' work agree that the tone of the show bears far more resemblance to Larry's worldview than Jerry's. It was in late 1988 when Jerry was contacted by NBC for a meeting with several of their executives, who'd been [[#TownHall2|in attendance at a recent performance of his]], liked what they saw, and were interested in working with him on a project for television. He enlisted his old friend Larry to help, and together they [[#Westway|hatched the idea]] of a 90-minute special to be broadcast in ''Saturday Night Live''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s timeslot during one of its off weeks, wherein the camera would follow Jerry around as he went about a typical day in his life, with a finale featuring Jerry at a club performing a stand-up set inspired by the events of that day. Though of course that plan was later scrapped in favor of a half-hour weekly sitcom, ''Seinfeld'' still retained many elements of its original conception: the plotlines center around the daily life of a comedian, and each episode is bookended by [[#Improv|scenes of Jerry onstage at a comedy club]]. Once it was decided that a sitcom was the way to go, a premise had to be devised and characters designed. Jerry played an exaggerated version of himself, a cereal-eating, Superman-obsessed neat freak who served as a sort of "straight man" anchoring the wackiness around him. Meanwhile, the character of George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) — Jerry's childhood friend; a duplicitous, stingy, frequently unemployed neurotic with a chip on his shoulder rivaled in size only by his inferiority complex — took his name from an old classmate of Jerry's at [[Queens]] College, but the persona is acknowledged to have been a fictionalized version of Larry. Finally, Michael Richards rounded out the original cast as Cosmo Kramer, Jerry's wild-haired, mooching, "hipster doofus" neighbor across the hall {{anchor|KK1}}(modeled after [[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer]], a [[#Plaza|former across-the-hall neighbor of Larry's]]) whose eccentric nature and penchant for harebrained schemes brought a touch of the absurd to the proceedings. Later, after the duo submitted their pilot to NBC executives for consideration, it was suggested that a female character be added to the cast, whence Elaine Benes, Jerry's ambitious, intelligent yet superficial ex-girlfriend whose portrayal by Julia Louis-Dreyfus was heralded as a high water mark for feminism on television: she was "one of the boys", yet also a strong female voice asserting herself unabashedly in relationships with men and speaking her mind openly about hot-button issues like abortion and contraception. Of course, as the series progressed, additional characters were added to the mix: George's parents (Frank and Estelle Costanza, played by Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris respectively) and Jerry's (Morty and Helen Seinfeld, played by Barney Martin and Liz Sheridan); Jerry's cantankerous Uncle Leo (Len Lesser); Kramer's sniveling, diabolical postman friend Newman (Wayne Knight); George's ill-fated fiancée Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg), Elaine's on-again-off-again boyfriend David Puddy (Patrick Warburton),{{anchor|Bania}} obnoxious hack comic Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner), and many others. {{infobox|''Seinfeld'' and [[Judaism|Jewish]] culture|In its earliest seasons, internal communications among network executives criticized ''Seinfeld'' for being "too New York, too Jewish" and expressed concern about how the show would play in the more white-bread regions of Middle America. Clearly the suits were dead wrong, and of course the same is true to some degree of all comedy in the U.S. — it wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say the Borscht Belt is to today's overall American comic sensibility what the blues is to rock 'n' roll; inescapably the ultimate progenitor, no matter how far afield and in how many different directions its successors have taken things. But the degree to which ''Seinfeld'' lives and breathes ''Yiddishkeit'' is indeed striking. For one thing, a huge number of the people responsible for the show are Jews themselves: Jerry Seinfeld (the real person and his TV alter ego) and Larry David both are, as is Jason Alexander (who described his character, despite the Italian surname, as "obviously Jewish"), as are many of the bigwigs on the show's writing staff, such as Larry Charles, Peter Mehlman, and Carol Leifer. And, together, they've created a world for their characters replete with things like marble ryes and chocolate babkas, indiscreet rabbis and incompetent mohels, and ever-present echoes of their comedy forebears. The witty repartee among the foursome are essentially modern-day vaudeville routines. Kramer's slapstick pratfalls crib from Jerry Lewis. In fact, in an essay he published for the book ''Coming Out Jewish: Constructing Ambivalent Identities'', Jon Stratton makes a convincing case that the relationship between Jerry and George is nothing more than a modern reading of the ''schlemiel'' and ''schlimazel'' stock characters that have been archetypes of Jewish comedy since the Middle Ages. This intrinsic Jewishness is palpable not only when you watch the show, but also as you take this tour, and it's worth keeping on the lookout for.}} ===Legacy=== ''Seinfeld'' was by leaps and bounds the most successful sitcom of the '90s, but that barely scratches the surface of the impact it had, and continues to have, on American pop culture. The show left its mark in numerous and diverse ways, from fashion (Kramer's vintage threads presaged the "thrift store chic" look that took the hipster world by storm a few years later), to event calendars (over two decades after the Season 9 episode "The Strike" was first broadcast, [[#Festivus|Festivus]] is on the cusp of becoming a ''bona fide'' holiday), to the very language spoken by Americans ("regifting", "shrinkage", and "yada yada yada" are but a few of the ''Seinfeld''-derived words and phrases that retain their place in the popular lexicon). And that's not to mention its effect on consumer trends: ''Seinfeld'' is considered a pioneer in the practice of product placement on American television, with effects on such companies as Pez, which saw such a huge surge in sales after the episode "The Pez Dispenser" that it had to expand its candy factory in [[Connecticut]] to keep up with demand, and Fisher Pens, which still to this day sees an uptick in sales of its "AG7 Space Pen" — the model that Jack Klompus gifted to Jerry in Season 3 — every time the episode is rerun in syndication. But leaving aside its impacts on the culture at large, ''Seinfeld'' was equally revolutionary within the realm of television. Up to the 1980s, most mainstream sitcoms were set in the suburban home of a nuclear family, building on tropes of marriage, childhood, and domestic life and with plotlines that all followed more or less the same pattern of setup, conflict and resolution. ''Seinfeld'' took a sledgehammer to these genre conventions, with main characters who lacked spouses, children, and in many cases steady employment, an unconventional structure of multiple plotlines intersecting with each other in unpredictable ways, an almost pathological aversion to anything resembling sentimentality or character growth, and a tone that parodied the nihilistic self-absorption of post-yuppie city life. In this, too, it proved influential: quite a few of the most popular sitcoms that came up in its wake revolved around casts of thirtysomething single people (''[[Friends Tour|Friends]]'', ''Will & Grace'', ''Sex and the City'') or childless couples (''Mad About You'') living in New York City. === When to go === Now that we've covered the show itself, let's talk about logistics for this tour. New York City and Southern California together contain the bulk of the points of interest — and though their climates are quite different, the ideal times of year to visit are roughly the same in each case (luckily for any diehard ''Seinfeld'' fans hoping to hit up both cities on the same tour!) Midsummer is often uncomfortably hot and muggy in New York and is also prime time for [[Los Angeles]]' infamous "dirty smog", while winter brings, respectively, frigid temperatures and frequent rain. Spring and autumn are generally much better options. See [[New York City#Climate]] and [[Los Angeles#Climate]] for more in-depth information. == Get in == As mentioned above, the majority of the points of interest this tour covers are in the New York City area and Southern California, so the content of this and the following section will pertain to those places. For information about travelling to any of the [[#Elsewhere|outlying destinations]] listed, please see the "Get in" section of each respective city article. [[New York City#Get in|New York]] and [[Los Angeles#Get in|Los Angeles]], it hardly needs to be said, are both world-class destinations, well-connected to the American [[Driving in the United States|Interstate highway]] and [[Rail travel in the United States|passenger rail]] networks, and with airports hosting direct flights from all corners of the world. For those hoping to find a flight into either one of those cities, there's very little to be said that wouldn't constitute advice from Captain Obvious. And for those ''Seinfeld'' superfans planning to visit both cities on this tour, it also hardly needs to be mentioned that there are dozens of nonstop flights a day ''between'' New York and Los Angeles, with airfare generally ranging between $300 and $500 round-trip. [[File:LGA AIRPORT AND MANHATTAN FROM CRJ-900 FLIGHT LGA-BUF N296PQ (16557428857).jpg|300px|thumb|right|'''LaGuardia Airport''': home of the [[#Q319654|Diplomats' Club]].]] Getting to Manhattan from New York's three airports is a bit more complicated. If you're flying into '''[[JFK]]''', the '''AirTrain''' is easy, quick, and cheap enough: $8 buys you a combination ticket that will take you from your terminal to '''Jamaica Station''' on the airport's own 24-hour people mover system, and then onward to Manhattan via the E, J, or Z subway service, a process that takes about an hour and a half total. If time is of the essence, a few additional dollars will buy you a ticket on the '''Long Island Rail Road''' from Jamaica direct to '''Penn Station''', shaving about half an hour off your travel time. '''[[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Liberty]]''' also has an AirTrain, which dumps you off at '''Newark Liberty Rail Station''' with onward service to Manhattan via '''New Jersey Transit''' (50 minutes; $13 adult, $9 child/senior/disabled). If you're unlucky enough to be flying into '''LaGuardia Airport''', there's no easy way to get to Manhattan on public transit; your easiest option is probably to take a taxi ($21-30 plus taxes and tips). Car rental is available from all three airports as well, not to say that New York is anywhere you want to be driving. The practical realities of getting around L.A. (see below) mean you're probably going to need a car at your disposal. Rental facilities abound in and around the airport. If you absolutely insist otherwise, the Green Line of the Los Angeles '''Metro Rail''' can be accessed from '''[[LAX]]''' via a free shuttle bus from the terminal to '''Aviation/LAX Station'''. If you're headed to [[Downtown Los Angeles]], a better idea is to skip the Metro Rail entirely and hop on the '''LAX FlyAway''' bus ($19.50 round trip for the 35-minute ride to '''Union Station'''; prices and travel times vary to other destinations). ==Get around== One way in which New York and Los Angeles are extremely different are the preferred methods of getting around town. New York is one of the [[United States without a car|very few North American cities where having a car is more of an ''in''convenience than a convenience]], but luckily the public transit system is extraordinarily extensive and well-developed. Even if you were to take this tour wholly using the '''New York City Subway''' system, the vast majority of the points of interest in the city would be easily accessible. You pay your fare using a '''MetroCard''', sold at kiosks located in most stations; as of April 2019, a single ride costs $2.75, while weekly and monthly passes will set you back $33 and $127 respectively. If human-powered transport is more your thing, NYC's network of protected on-street bike lanes grows more extensive each year, and there's no better way to take advantage of them than with the '''Citi Bike''' bike-sharing network. Kiosks are ubiquitous in Manhattan south of 130th Street, and are also present in Brooklyn (mostly points north of '''[[Brooklyn/Prospect Park|Prospect Park]]'''), in [[Queens/Long Island City and Astoria|Long Island City and Astoria in Queens]], and even across the river in [[Jersey City]]. A single 30-minute ride costs $3, but if you plan on doing the whole ''Seinfeld'' tour this way, by far a better option would be to spring for a $12 day pass. Public transit is even doable for some of the further-flung points of interest outside New York, such as '''[[#Amagansett|Amagansett Farmers Market]]''' or the '''[[#Q375365|Giants Stadium]]''' site, which are each an easy walking distance from, respectively, the Long Island Rail Road's '''Amagansett Station''' and New Jersey Transit's '''Meadowlands Rail Station'''. ([[Atlantic City]] is on New Jersey Transit's network too, but direct connections from Manhattan are by bus only, and the ride can take anywhere from two to four hours depending on traffic. Unless you're planning to make a day trip out of it — which, don't get us wrong, is a perfectly feasible and worthwhile thing to do if you're visiting New York — you'll probably need a rental car to see the place where [[#Q3541146|Miss Rhode Island's trained doves met their untimely end]].) Meanwhile, on the other coast, Los Angeles' Metro Rail has come a long way in the past ten years or so, but it's still not (and probably never will be) anywhere near as easy to get by without a car there as in New York. Plus, most of the stops on the L.A. portion of the itinerary are a hassle to get to using transit. If you book ahead of time, renting a car from one of the onsite counters at LAX generally runs $80-100/day or $400-500/week plus taxes and fees, but if you can manage to get yourself to an offsite location (this is where the Metro Rail can come in handy), you can usually get a steep discount off those prices. == Filming locations and places featured on the show == ===New York City=== {{quote| JERRY: Oh, come on, there's a lot of people walking around the city that look like me. KRAMER: Not as many as there used to be. }} ====Manhattan==== {{Mapframe|40.760|-73.974|height=800|width=450|zoom=13|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Manhattan<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|red}}Closed {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional {{Colorbox|gold}}Other, see listing}} <!-- Sort listings by descending latitude --> [[File:Tom's Restaurant-02.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Monk's Cafe... er, '''Tom's Restaurant''']] *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tom's Restaurant | alt= | url=https://tomsrestaurant.net | email= | address=2880 Broadway, [[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Morningside Heights]] | lat=40.80546 | long=-73.965397 | directions= | phone=+1 212 864-6137 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Tu-Th 7AM-1PM, F-M 24 hours | price= | wikipedia=Tom's Restaurant | wikidata=Q2441394 | content=Repurposed by the show as '''Monk's Cafe''', the gang's favorite hangout. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, it's best known as the setting for Suzanne Vega's 1987 hit song, "Tom's Diner". }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=211 W. 106th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Manhattan Valley]] | lat=40.800997 | long=-73.966545 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the eccentric J. Peterman, retail magnate and world traveller who was Elaine's boss in the last three seasons of the show. In the Season 8 episode "The Van Buren Boys", Elaine, tasked with ghostwriting Peterman's autobiography, interviews him here only to be frustrated by his boring stories ("We've covered all of [the intrigue and exotic romances] in the catalogue ad nauseam. No, I would like this book to be about my day-to-day life"). }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Larchmont | alt= | url= | email= | address=448 Central Park West, Manhattan Valley | lat=40.797327 | long=-73.960823 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Elaine lived here? ''Get out!'' }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Metro Twin Cinema | alt= | url= | email= | address=2626 Broadway, Manhattan Valley | lat=40.796735 | long=-73.969987 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of the double-date in Season 5 where Elaine and Jerry take their beaux to see ''The Age of Innocence'', and Jerry's girlfriend "can't spare a square" of toilet paper for Elaine in the bathroom stall. Also where George impresses his new girlfriend in "The Opposite" by angrily shushing the loud movie-goers seated behind them, going so far as to threaten: "...we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like!" Closed in 2002 and now vacant. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=640 West End Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.792137 | long=-73.97525 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of Mr. Pitt, the eccentric, persnickety multimillionaire for whom Elaine works as a personal assistant for most of Season 6. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=321 W. 90th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper West Side|Upper West Side]] | lat=40.791933 | long=-73.976826 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The building where George lived from the beginning of the series through Season 5, when he [[#FrankAndEstelle|moved in with his parents]]. (After being hired by the Yankees and moving back out, the picture becomes muddied: according to the show, his new place was on 86th Street, but the exterior shots used in filming switched inconsistently between the original 90th St. location and another building on 16th St. in [[Manhattan/Chelsea|Chelsea]], a full 70 blocks south of its supposed location!) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Mount Sinai Hospital | alt= | url=https://www.mountsinai.org/ | email= | address=1425 Madison Ave., [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|East Harlem]] | lat=40.788648 | long=-73.952423 | directions= | phone=+1 212 241-6500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan) | image=SinaiMed_crop.jpg | wikidata=Q1476505 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Kramer and Mickey take turns hamming it up as actors portraying patients afflicted with various diseases, for the benefit of a class of medical students. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Loews Paragon Theater | alt=now AMC 84th Street 6 | url=https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/new-york-city/amc-84th-street-6 | email= | address=2310 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.78668 | long=-73.977524 | directions= | phone=+1 212 721-6023 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Another of the gang's movie-house haunts, Loews is where Jerry catches his dry cleaner wearing his coat, where Kramer meets Uma Thurman, where Jerry and Kramer leave George behind to see ''Firestorm'' together, and where Elaine and her boyfriend see ''The English Patient'', leading to the demise of their relationship. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Hospital Center | alt= | url=https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan/ | email= | address=1901 First Ave., East Harlem | lat=40.7849 | long=-73.9447 | directions= | phone=+1 212 423-6262 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Metropolitan Hospital Center | image=Metro Hosp Cen fuel sta jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q14706949 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where witnessing the sponge bath of the beautiful patient in the room next door to his mother almost causes George to lose "The Contest"; where Elaine breaks her pre-ulcer test fast with delicious Drake's coffee cake in "The Suicide"; where George's supposed doppelgänger Neil is sent after burning his face on a crêpe in "The English Patient". }}{{anchor|H&H}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=H&H Bagels | alt= | url=http://www.hhbagels.net | email= | address=2239 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.784586 | long=-73.97981 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=H&H Bagels | content=The bakery where Kramer worked until 1985, and briefly again in 1997 after calling off his twelve-year strike (a raise in the minimum wage had made his salary demands moot), was right on the southwest corner of 80th St. and Broadway. Though that location closed in 2012, H&H Midtown Bagels East continues to do business under different ownership at 1551 Second Ave. between 80th and 81st Sts. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Columbus Deli | alt= | url= | email= | address=476 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.784534 | long=-73.973841 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Bodega with an illegal cockfighting ring in the back room, where Little Jerry Seinfeld, a rooster Kramer named in Jerry's honor, notched win after win against his hapless opponents. Still open as of December 2018 — stop in and see for yourself if Marcellino has taken Jerry's bounced check down from the wall of shame! }} * {{listing | type=red | name=The Magic Pan | alt= | url= | email= | address=432 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.783192 | long=-73.974822 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Izzy Mandelbaum was the franchisee of this location of the once-popular chain of crêperies, where Kramer put to work the "Cuban" cigar rollers (actually Dominicans) he'd hired for one of his get-rich-quick schemes. The chain folded shortly after the airing of that Season 8 episode, and the location is now an '''UNO Chicago Grill'''. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=1125 Park Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Carnegie Hill]] | lat=40.782932 | long=-73.954754 | directions= | phone=+1 212 289-3699 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=The swanky high-rise condo tower that's home of Russell Dalrymple, the (fictional) president of NBC who worked with Jerry and George on their TV pilot throughout most of Season 4. It's here where, in "The Shoes", George stares a little too long at Dalrymple's young daughter's cleavage, infuriating her father and almost leading to the cancellation of the pilot. (As Jerry said: "Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at it; it's too risky. You get a sense of it and then you look away.") }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Champagne Video | alt= | url= | email= | address=2183 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.782781 | long=-73.980953 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The video store where George bumps into Susan only to discover he's driven her to lesbianism, and where he later tries to rent ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' in lieu of reading the novel for his book club. Also the workplace of the mysterious Vincent, whose taste in recommended videos makes Elaine fall in love sight unseen. Part of a now-defunct local chain, as of December 2018 this location is a vacant storefront for lease. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Central Park]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.7825 | long=-73.966111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Central Park | image=Southwest corner of Central Park, looking east, NYC.jpg | wikidata=Q160409 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The setting of many different happenings in the ''Seinfeld'' universe: Central Park is where Mr. and Mrs. Ross were taken by Kramer on a disastrous [[#Hansom|hansom cab ride]] with a flatulent horse, where George uses a line about manure to awkwardly flirt with a waitress from Monk's Cafe (and later with actress Marisa Tomei), where George injures Bette Midler during a charity softball game, and where Elaine's Trinidadian houseguest Jean-Paul Jean-Paul loses the [[#Marathon|New York City Marathon]] after burning himself on a cup of Kramer's hot coffee. }} ** {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tavern on the Green | alt= | url=https://www.tavernonthegreen.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.7723 | long=-73.9778 | directions= | phone=+1 212 877-8684 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 11AM-9PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa 9AM-11PM, Su 9AM-9PM | price= | wikipedia=Tavern on the Green | image=Tavern on the Green cloudy jeh.JPG | wikidata=Q4022491 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=George learns his girlfriend Allison is planning to break up with him, so he dodges her calls in order to force her to be his date to the party George Steinbrenner is throwing here for New York Yankees staff ("If she can't find me, she can't break up with me!") Foiled eventually, he takes Kramer as his "date" instead, who is thrown into the dining room after a scuffle in the lobby with the back torn out of his tuxedo, spoiling the "grand entrance" George had hoped to make with Allison. }} ** {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Central Park Zoo | alt= | url=https://centralparkzoo.com/ | email= | address= | lat=40.767778 | long=-73.971667 | directions= | phone=+1 212 439-6500 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-4:30PM | price=$9.95, children 3-12 $6.95, seniors 65 and over $7.95, children 2 and under free | wikipedia=Central Park Zoo | image=Central Park Zoo area.jpg | wikidata=Q954207 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, during a behind-the-scenes tour, Kramer gets revenge on a mischievous banana peel-throwing chimp by throwing the peel ''back'' at him — only to be forced to apologize to the animal later. }} [[File:Metropolitan Museum 1 (4675714481).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Masterworks by "Monet, Manet, Tippy Tippy Day Day", and all the other greats await you at the '''Metropolitan Museum of Art'''.]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Museum of Art | alt= | url=https://www.metmuseum.org/ | email= | address=1000 Fifth Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Upper East Side]] | lat=40.77891 | long=-73.96367 | directions= | phone=+1 212 535-7710 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-5:30PM, F-Sa 10AM-9PM | price=$25, seniors 65+ $17, students with valid ID $12, children 12 and under free | wikipedia=Metropolitan Museum of Art | wikidata=Q160236 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=In "The Raincoats", Elaine's "close talker" boyfriend arranged a behind-the-scenes tour for Jerry's parents who are in from out of town, where Helen took to Renoir's paintings of children and Morty came to the conclusion that Claude Monet must have been nearsighted. Later, the Met hosted a historical clothing exhibit (including "what Mary Todd wore to Lincoln's funeral") that Elaine attended with Susan, causing George's "worlds" to "collide". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Royale Pastry | alt= | url= | email= | address=237 W. 72nd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.77933 | long=-73.982893 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Stood in for two different businesses during ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s run: '''Royal Bakery''', which ran out of chocolate babkas at the worst possible time for Jerry and Elaine, and '''Schnitzer's''', where Jerry physically fought an old woman for the last marble rye. Now closed and, ironically enough, home to a '''Jenny Craig''' weight-loss center. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Beau Brummel Sport | alt= | url= | email= | address=287 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.778492 | long=-73.97776 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry spends over $1,000 on a snazzy suede jacket to impress Elaine's intimidating father, only to be humiliated when it starts raining, forcing him to wear it inside-out with the pink candy-stripe lining showing. Now closed and home to a '''Super P''' supermarket. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Mendy's | alt= | url=http://www.mendysdeli.com/ | email= | address=208 W. 70th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.777457 | long=-73.98322 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kenny Bania's favorite restaurant (where Jerry was tricked into buying him dinner repeatedly) really exists, but it's not an upscale steak-and-seafood place as portrayed on the show: it's actually a chain of kosher delis. The Mendy's on W. 70th St. where Jerry and Kenny went is now closed, but if you want a meal like they had, head there anyway; it's now the renowned '''[https://www.lincolnsquaresteak.com/ Lincoln Square Steak]'''. Otherwise, head to one of five other locations throughout the city — the matzo ball soup is phenomenal, whether you consider it a full meal or not. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Melody Stationers | alt= | url= | email= | address=1070 Madison Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.777454 | long=-73.961539 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where George bought the cheap envelopes that poisoned Susan, and to which he later returns to purchase (premium, super-glossy) invitations to a dinner party thrown by Jerry and his girlfriend. Closed, now a '''Johnny Was''' clothing store. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Fitzpatrick's | alt= | url= | email= | address=1641 Second Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Yorkville]] | lat=40.777384 | long=-73.952361 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Keith Hernandez wines and dines Elaine in hopes of "reaching home plate", and — speaking of baseball — where George takes some visiting Houston Astros brass out to dinner on the advice of Mr. Wilhelm, and picks up a bad habit of cursing. Fitzpatrick's has been closed for some time, but if you're in search of a ''Seinfeld''-inspired dinner of your own, the spot is now the upscale cocktail bar and restaurant known as '''[http://www.thedaisynyc.com/ The Daisy]'''. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Ruby Nail Salon | alt= | url= | email= | address=1183 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.775866 | long=-73.958077 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Korean-owned nail salon where Elaine enlists Frank to find out if the employees are taking advantage of the language barrier to gossip about her, only to rediscover Kim, his lost paramour whom he met during the Korean War. Closed, now a men's barbershop. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Nilo Cleaners | alt= | url= | email= | address=1173 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.775661 | long=-73.958186 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry took his houndstooth jacket and his mother's fur coat in "The Secretary", only to run into the owner and his wife at the movies wearing them. Closed, now a clothing boutique. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Peter's | alt= | url= | email= | address=182 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side | lat=40.775223 | long=-73.980629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A fateful place in the life of George Costanza: it's here where his brief but illustrious hand modeling career began, where he lost out on a job opportunity due to "swishy" pants, and where Susan broke the news to him that her cousin had stolen his idea for an unusual baby name, "Seven". Closed in 2010, now home to a location of '''Rag & Bone''' clothing boutique. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Cineplex Odeon Regency | alt= | url= | email= | address=1987 Broadway, Upper West Side | lat=40.775183 | long=-73.982508 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A favorite movie theater of the gang. This is where Newman catches Jerry making out with his girlfriend during a showing of ''Schindler's List'', where Elaine stops at the concession stand for Jujyfruits on her way to the hospital to visit her injured boyfriend Jake Jarmel, where Jerry and Kramer get together to catch ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'', and where George, to appease Susan, passes up the chance to see the aforementioned ''Firestorm'' in favor of ''The Muted Heart''. Closed and demolished; now the site of an '''Apple Store'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Tiramisu | alt= | url=http://tiramisunyc.com/ | email= | address=1410 Third Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.77515 | long=-73.956916 | directions= | phone=+1 212 988-9780 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Th noon-11PM, F-Sa 11AM-11:30PM, Su 11AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Upscale Italian restaurant and brick-oven pizzeria where Jerry went on his first date with Gillian, a friend of Elaine's with "man hands". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=La Boite en Bois | alt= | url=http://www.laboitenyc.com/ | email= | address=75 W. 68th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.774845 | long=-73.980314 | directions= | phone=+1 212 874-2705 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 11:30AM-10:30PM, F-Sa 11:30M-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fancy French restaurant that appears frequently in the show: it's where Jerry strains to avoid letting his parents find out he threw away the watch they gifted him (the same one Uncle Leo picked out of the garbage), where George strains to find out if his girlfriend "feel[ing] full after the risotto" is a metaphor for their sex life, where George's Latvian Orthodox girlfriend breaks up with him, and where Jerry discovers his girlfriend Gwen is a "two-face". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Metropolitan Opera House | alt= | url=https://www.metopera.org/ | email= | address=30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side | lat=40.7728 | long=-73.9842 | directions= | phone=+1 212 362-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) | image=Metropolitan Opera auditorium.jpg | wikidata=Q188031 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Elaine attends a performance of ''Swan Lake'' with Robert, a gay man for whom she agrees to pose as a girlfriend to appease his homophobic boss, only to fall in love with him and try to get him to "switch teams". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=O'Neal's | alt= | url= | email= | address=49 W. 64th St., Upper West Side | lat=40.772061 | long=-73.981531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, during dinner with Elaine, Kramer, and Kramer's "low talking" fashion designer girlfriend Leslie, Jerry inadvertently agrees to wear a "puffy shirt" designed by the latter to an appearance on the ''Today'' show. O'Neal's closed in 2010, but you can still get a good meal here: it's now the site of the '''[https://www.atlanticgrill.com/ Atlantic Grill]''', serving some of Manhattan's best seafood. }}{{anchor|CARS}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Catch a Rising Star | alt= | url=https://www.catcharisingstar.com/ | email= | address=1487 First Ave., [[Manhattan/Upper East Side|Lenox Hill]] | lat=40.771467 | long=-73.953584 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Catch a Rising Star (comedy clubs) | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Jerry is scheduled to perform in "The Movie", but misses his slot after a nightmarish taxi ride with fellow comedian Pat Buckles. The New York location of this chain of comedy clubs is now closed, and the building is a vacant storefront as of October 2017, but head to one of Catch a Rising Star's other locations in [[Princeton]], New Jersey; [[Reno]], Nevada; [[Providence]], Rhode Island; or Monticello, New York and you might catch the next Jerry Seinfeld on the cusp of his or her fame. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=McBurney School | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 W. 63rd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.771 | long=-73.9809 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=McBurney School | wikidata=Q6800060 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry's tomfoolery with a Pez dispenser causes Elaine to laugh all the way through George's girlfriend's piano recital. (This was actually a continuity error on the writers' part; the school closed down in 1988, four years before the episode aired.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=West Side YMCA | alt= | url=https://ymcanyc.org/locations/west-side-ymca | email= | address=5 W. 63rd St., Upper West Side | lat=40.770938 | long=-73.980684 | directions= | phone=+1 212 912-2600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 5AM-11PM, Sa 7AM-8PM, Su 8AM-8PM | price= | content=In the men's locker room, Jerry meets his idol, former New York Mets player Keith Hernandez — who goes on to woo Elaine and get confronted by Kramer and Newman, who accuse him of spitting on them after a crucial game in the 1987 World Series. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Westbury Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 E 69th St., Upper East Side | lat=40.770042 | long=-73.967078 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Scene of Jerry and George's awkward conversation with Elaine's intimidating novelist father, Alton Benes, in "The Jacket"; also the venue of the bachelor auction hosted by Elaine in "The Barber", which Jerry bowed out of in favor of Kramer (for whom the bidding started at $5). Closed in 1997, now condos. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center | alt=now Mount Sinai West | url=https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/west | email= | address=1000 Tenth Ave | lat=40.769933 | long=-73.987411 | directions= | phone=+1 212 523-4000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St. Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital Center | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Estelle convalesces after falling down in shock upon hearing a rumor that George is gay (not that there's anything wrong with that); where Kramer runs scared from the "pig-man" in room 1937 to the detriment of George's car; where Elaine's ex-boyfriend's touch-and-go surgery is a smashing success thanks to an errant Junior Mint. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Beach Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.thebeachcafe.com/ | email= | address=1326 Second Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.767331 | long=-73.959212 | directions= | phone=+1 212 988-7299 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th 11:30AM-midnight, F 11:30AM-1AM, Sa 11AM-1AM, Su 11AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kramer's obnoxious mother Babs works as a restroom matron at this restaurant where George takes his possibly-bulimic model girlfriend Nina out to dinner in "The Switch". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sotheby's | alt= | url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/about/locations/new-york | email= | address=1334 York Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76638 | long=-73.953719 | directions= | phone=+1 212 606-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sotheby's | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Peterman sends Elaine here twice to bid on items for his collection of obscure memorabilia: first in "The Bottle Deposit" for a set of golf clubs that belonged to John F. Kennedy; later in "The Frogger" for a slice of cake from Edward VIII's wedding to Wallis Simpson. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Mickey Mantle's | alt= | url= | email= | address=42 Central Park South, [[Manhattan/Theater District|Garment District]] | lat=40.765259 | long=-73.975737 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Kramer pays the former New York Yankee himself a visit here in Season 4 to apologize for punching him in the mouth during a brawl at baseball fantasy camp, only to get (literally) thrown out of the restaurant by security. Mickey Mantle's closed in 2012, 17 years after the death of its namesake, and is now the site of a spray tanning salon. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=JoJo | alt= | url=http://www.jojorestaurantnyc.com/ | email= | address=160 E. 64th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.765116 | long=-73.965683 | directions= | phone=+1 212 223-5656 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Lunch: M-F noon-2:30PM, Sa-Su 11AM-3PM; dinner M-Th 5:30PM-10:30PM, F-Sa 5:30PM-11PM, Su 5:30PM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fancy restaurant where Elaine and Peterman hit it off over their mutual love of fine couture in "The Understudy". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Barneys | alt= | url=https://www.barneys.com/ | email= | address=660 Madison Ave., Upper East Side | lat=40.764597 | long=-73.970902 | directions= | phone=+1 212 826-8900 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-Tu 10AM-8PM, W-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8PM | price= | wikipedia=Barneys New York | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the "skinny mirrors" that fool Elaine into buying a dress that doesn't quite look the same when she gets home; also where Kramer gets stuck in a fitting room in his underwear after selling the clothes off his back to Kenny Bania and where George charges a sable fur hat to the Peterman expense account. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Plaza Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.theplazany.com/ | email= | address=768 Fifth Ave., Garment District | lat=40.764528 | long=-73.974444 | directions= | phone=+1 212 759-3000 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikipedia=Plaza Hotel | image=New York - Manhattan - Plaza Hotel.jpg | wikidata=Q1066676 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Elaine reluctantly gives up her free suite here (given to her after lying that she was in from out of town on a job interview) to Jerry's parents, who really ''are'' in from out of town — and after they trash the room and ring up hundreds of dollars worth of extra charges, she's stuck with the bill! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Hospital — Cornell Medical Center | alt=now NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center | url=https://www.nyp.org/locations/newyork-presbyterian-weill-cornell-medical-center | email= | address=525 E. 68th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76434 | long=-73.95424 | directions= | phone=+1 212 746-5454 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Weill Cornell Medicine | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Kramer visits the ailing Poppie bearing gifts of chili and wine in "The Couch" and scores a primo parking space thanks to his "ASSMAN" vanity license plate in "The Fusilli Jerry"; where Bette Midler convalesces after her injury on the softball diamond in "The Understudy"; where George's reaction to Susan's death is one of "repressed jubilation" (in "The Invitations") and later recovers from his own injuries that put "The Summer of George" on ice. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Pasteur Pharmacy | alt= | url= | email= | address=806 Lexington Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.76432 | long=-73.966859 | directions= | phone=+1 212 838-2500 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-7:30PM, Sa 10AM-5:30PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Elaine bargains hard for the last case of recently-recalled Today contraceptive sponges in the city. Still open as of December 2018, and "The Sponge" is back on the market, so buy as many as you want. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=Manhattan East Medical Offices | alt= | url= | email= | address=225 E. 64th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.764198 | long=-73.96259 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of Dr. Tim Whatley's dental office, as well as the office of the proctologist whom Frank consults to remove "The Fusilli Jerry" from his nether regions. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Symphony Café | alt= | url= | email= | address=238 W. 56th St., Midtown | lat=40.76571 | long=-73.982859 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Over dinner here, Elaine sympathizes with her friend Cynthia over her inability to find the right man — later hitting on the idea of hooking her up with George. Closed; now the home of '''[https://www.fujisushinyc.com/ Fuji Sushi]'''. }} [[File:924 Soup man 55th.JPG|alt=Restaurant exterior|200px|thumb|right|''No soup for you!'']] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Soup Kitchen International | alt=now The Original Soupman | url=https://originalsoupman.com/ | email= | address=259A W. 55th St., [[Manhattan/Theater District|Hell's Kitchen]] | lat=40.765382 | long=-73.983431 | directions= | phone=+1 212 956-0900 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-8PM, Su 11AM-7PM | price= | wikipedia=The Original Soupman | content="The Soup Nazi" was a real-life person, Ali Yeganeh — and by all accounts, the experience at his restaurant was more or less exactly how it was depicted in the Season 7 episode of the same name. Yeganeh has always resented the fame (or notoriety) that his portrayal on ''Seinfeld'' brought him, but after the original restaurant closed in 2004, he somewhat reluctantly parlayed it to relaunch his business as a chain that now counts four locations across the Northeast (including the original). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Trattoria dell'Arte | alt= | url=https://www.trattoriadellarte.com/ | email= | address=900 Seventh Ave., Midtown | lat=40.765314 | long=-73.980442 | directions= | phone=+1 212 245-9800 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11:45AM-midnight, Su 11AM-10:30PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Over dinner here, Jerry sympathizes with George over his inability to find the right woman — later hitting on the idea of hooking her up with Cynthia, a friend of Elaine's. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Virginia Theatre | alt=now the August Wilson Theatre | url=http://www.jujamcyn.com/ | email= | address=245 W. 52nd St., [[Manhattan/Theater District|Theater District]] | lat=40.7633 | long=-73.9842 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=August Wilson Theatre | image=August Wilson Theatre NYC crop.jpg | wikidata=Q12053066 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Shortly after a whirlwind visit to the Met, Elaine's "close talker" boyfriend takes her and Jerry's parents here to see a production of ''My Fair Lady'' — much to Elaine's annoyance. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=1325 Avenue of the Americas | alt= | url=http://www.paramount-group.com/property/1325-avenue-americas/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Theater District|Midtown]] | lat=40.762919 | long=-73.980768 | directions= | phone=+1 212 237-3156 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Fictional headquarters of the '''J. Peterman Catalog''', where Elaine worked for the three final seasons of the show. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=600 Madison Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Midtown East]] | lat=40.762848 | long=-73.972244 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the fictional '''Pendant Publishing''', where Elaine worked as a copy editor from the second through the fifth season (and George too, for one disastrous third-season episode). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Mini Storage | alt= | url=https://www.manhattanministorage.com/locations/hells-kitchen-storage | email= | address=543 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.761372 | long=-73.997197 | directions= | phone=+1 646 786-7210 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 7AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where, much to his chagrin, Jerry discovers that Kramer is letting Newman illegally store undelivered mail in Jerry's storage unit. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Friars Club | alt= | url=http://www.friarsclub.com | email= | address=57 E. 55th St., Midtown East | lat=40.760886 | long=-73.972551 | directions= | phone=+1 212 751-7272 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=New York Friars Club | image=Friars-club.jpg | wikidata=Q7013557 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=If you're lucky enough to be invited to dinner here, don't forget your jacket — or at least don't lose the one they give you at the door. Jerry did just that in Season 7, and it cost him membership in the club! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Bruno | alt= | url=http://www.clubasteakhouse.com/locations/ | email= | address=240 E. 58th St., Midtown East | lat=40.760174 | long=-73.965511 | directions= | phone=+1 212 688-4190 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Tu 5PM-10PM, W-Sa 5PM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of Kramer and Mickey's double date in "The Yada Yada", where they couldn't decide which girl was right for which guy. Still in business, but under a new name: '''Club A Steakhouse'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Radio City Music Hall | alt= | url=https://www.msg.com/radio-city-music-hall/ | email= | address=1260 Avenue of the Americas, Theater District | lat=40.759722 | long=-73.979167 | directions= | phone=+1 212 465-6741 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Radio City Music Hall | image=Radio city exterior.jpg | wikidata=Q753437 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Site of the 1997 Tony Awards, where Jerry takes his girlfriend Lanette on a date, and Kramer works as a seat filler (and somehow manages to win an award for his "performance" in the fictional musical ''Scarsdale Surprise''). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=St. Luke's Lutheran Church | alt= | url=http://stlukesnyc.org/ | email= | address=308 W. 46th St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759722 | long=-73.98875 | directions= | phone=+1 212 246-3540 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=St. Luke's Lutheran Church | image=St Luke's Lutheran Church (Manhattan).JPG | wikidata=Q2918119 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Stand-in for the unnamed Catholic church where Jerry, frustrated with the Jewish jokes told by recent convert Tim Whatley, sidles into a confessional to tattle on him to a priest for also telling a joke about the Pope and Raquel Welch. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Hotel Edison | alt= | url=https://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/ | email= | address=228 W. 47th St., Theater District | lat=40.7597 | long=-73.986 | directions= | phone=+1 212 840-5000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hotel Edison | wikidata=Q14706412 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where George is stripped to his underwear, handcuffed to the bed, and robbed blind by a beautiful woman who seduced him on "The Subway" — and he misses his job interview, too! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club | alt= | url=https://advantagetennisclubs.com/tennis-clubs/mprc/ | email= | address=450 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759683 | long=-73.994199 | directions= | phone=+1 212 594-0554 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 6AM-midnight, Su 7AM-midnight | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The setting of a pair of mishaps involving Elaine: in Season 3, she eliminates herself from "The Contest" after John F. Kennedy Jr. joins her aerobics class; in Season 6, she loans Mr. Pitt's tennis racket to a representative of Doubleday Publishing in hopes of landing a new job. }}{{anchor|Improv}} * {{listing | type=gold | name=The Improv | alt= | url=https://improv.com/ | email= | address=358 W. 44th St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759462 | long=-73.991364 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Improv | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The comedy club where Jerry delivered all the stand-up bits that opened and closed each episode of the first seven seasons — even after 1992, when the real-life one closed. If you want to catch a comedy show, The Improv is now a chain with locations in twenty cities nationwide (prominently ''ex''cluding New York); if you'd rather delve deeper into Seinfeldiana, the old location is now home to the '''Producers Club Theater''', starting point for the famous '''[[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer's Reality Tour]]''' (which, in turn, was parodied in ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Season 8 episode "The Muffin Tops" — is your head spinning yet?) }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Guild 50th Street Theatre | alt= | url= | email= | address=33 W. 50th St., Theater District | lat=40.759316 | long=-73.978757 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Movie theater where Jerry was forced at gunpoint by a friend of Kramer's to film an illegal bootleg of ''Death Blow'' with a concealed camcorder, where Elaine loudly declared her hatred for ''The English Patient'' in front of Mr. Peterman, and where Kramer unsuccessfully tried to go to the bathroom during a bout of constipation. Now home to an '''Anthropologie''' clothing store (but the old marquee is still in front of the entrance!) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sutton East Tennis Club | alt= | url=https://suttoneasttennis.com/ | email= | address=488 E. 60th St., Lenox Hill | lat=40.759284 | long=-73.960093 | directions= | phone=+1 212 751-3452 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 7AM-11PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where horrible tennis player Miloš offers Jerry a date with his wife as compensation for deceptively selling him an expensive racquet, and where Kramer is put into a coma after repeatedly getting hit with tennis balls. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Beckett Theatre | alt= | url=https://bfany.org/ | email= | address=410 W. 42nd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.758555 | long=-73.993342 | directions= | phone=+1 212 714-2442 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Theatre Row Building | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The tiny Off-Broadway playhouse, part of Theatre Row, that ran ''Jerry Seinfeld Is the Devil'', a one-woman show written and performed by Susan's old roommate Sally Weaver, who claims Jerry has ruined her life. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Marriott Marquis | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycmq-new-york-marriott-marquis/ | email= | address=1535 Broadway, Theater District | lat=40.758434 | long=-73.98568 | directions= | phone=+1 212 398-1900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=New York Marriott Marquis | image=Ny-marriott-marquis.jpg | wikidata=Q7013741 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The venue for the Able Mentally Challenged Adults benefit — where Kramer, whose slurred speech after a novocaine injection at the dentist led him to be mistaken for developmentally disabled, was the guest of honor — is also the place where Jerry's attempts to woo Miss Rhode Island (who was staying in Room 417) were constantly frustrated by her chaperone, Kramer, and where Mr. Lippman's press conference for Jake Jarmel's new book went awry. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Majestic Theatre | alt= | url=http://shubert.nyc/theatres/majestic/ | email= | address=245 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.75839 | long=-73.98802 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Majestic Theatre (Broadway) | image=Majestic Theatre NYC 2007.jpg | wikidata=Q1393081 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=In Season 7, Kramer got a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the Majestic's production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' courtesy of Ethan, a friend of Susan's who was "The Wig Master" for the troupe. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sardi's | alt= | url=http://www.sardis.com/ | email= | address=234 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.757849 | long=-73.987583 | directions= | phone=+1 212 221-8440 | tollfree= | hours=Tu-Sa 11:30AM-11PM, Su noon-7PM | price= | wikipedia=Sardi's | wikidata=Q7423790 | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Where Kramer, at the Tony Awards afterparty fresh off his "win" for the fictional ''Scarsdale Surprise'', is given an ultimatum by the musical's director: he can keep the statuette, but he has to be the one to fire the notoriously hotheaded Raquel Welch from the performance. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Brentano's | alt= | url=https://landmarkbranding.com/597-fifth-avenue-the-charles-scribner-sons-building/ | email= | address=597 Fifth Ave., Midtown East | lat=40.7575 | long=-73.9778 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Charles Scribner's Sons Building | wikidata=Q3897252 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content="The Bookstore" where Uncle Leo is caught shoplifting, and where George is forced to buy a book he doesn't want (and can't get rid of, as it's been "flagged") after taking it to read in the men's room. (This was another continuity error on the writers' part: this location of Brentano's had already been closed for two years by the time the episode aired in 1998. The space is now a '''Lululemon''' clothing store.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url=http://thetownhall.org/ | email= | address=123 W. 43rd St., Theater District | lat=40.755833 | long=-73.984722 | directions= | phone=+1 212 997-6661 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Town Hall (New York City) | image=Town Hall 123 W43 near sun jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q1634948 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Theater where the titular performance of ''Pagliacci'' in "The Opera" was staged, to which all four have tickets for opening night. Jerry helps Elaine dodge her boyfriend/stalker, "Crazy" Joe Davola, while George and Kramer try to scalp their tickets. }} [[File:The Hippodrome Building 1120 Sixth Avenue.jpg|200px|thumb|right|"Outrageous, egregious, ''preposterous!''" --Jackie Chiles, attorney at law and '''Hippodrome''' tenant]] * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Hippodrome | alt= | url=http://hippodrome.com/ | email= | address=1120 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown East | lat=40.755582 | long=-73.982815 | directions= | phone=+1 212 626-6996 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jackie Chiles, superlawyer extraordinaire who bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team", kept his office. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Zohra Fabrics | alt= | url= | email= | address=256 W. 39th St., Garment District | lat=40.754755 | long=-73.990107 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Workplace of Ricky, the creepy guy who was infatuated with Elaine after meeting her on the subway: he's a mannequin designer, and his new bestselling model is a dead ringer for Elaine. Closed, now the site of a different fabric wholesaler. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Public Library Main Branch | alt= | url=https://www.nypl.org/ | email= | address=476 Fifth Ave., Midtown South | lat=40.753333 | long=-73.982222 | directions= | phone=+1 917 275-6975 | tollfree= | hours=M & Th-Sa 10AM-6PM, Tu-W 10AM-8PM | price= | wikipedia=New York Public Library Main Branch | image=New York Public Library May 2011.JPG | wikidata=Q7013887 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Where Jerry meets Lieutenant Joe Bookman, an ironically named "library cop" who dresses him down for checking out Henry Miller's ''Tropic of Cancer'' in 1971 and never returning it — and where Kramer meets Marion, a librarian with whom he kindles a forbidden love affair. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Off-Track Betting | alt= | url= | email= | address=714 Third Ave., [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Turtle Bay]] | lat=40.752583 | long=-73.973391 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=After overhearing a horse racing tip on "The Subway", Kramer hurries into this betting parlor and wins $18,000 on a long-shot wager. The location is now a '''Wendy's'''. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=Commerce Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=708 Third Ave., Turtle Bay | lat=40.752538 | long=-73.973794 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Fictional rest-stop supply company '''Sanalac''', headquartered here, would love to offer George a job. But, of course... }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=101 Park Avenue | alt= | url=https://www.101park.com/ | email= | address=[[Manhattan/Midtown East|Murray Hill]] | lat=40.751337 | long=-73.977827 | directions= | phone=+1 212 808-7000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content='''Kruger Industrial Smoothing''' — George's incompetent employer for most of the final season, who "botched the Statue of Liberty job" ("they couldn't get the green stuff off") — was headquartered here. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Madison Square Garden | alt= | url=https://www.msg.com/madison-square-garden/ | email= | address=4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Chelsea | lat=40.750556 | long=-73.993611 | directions= | phone=+1 212 465-6741 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Madison Square Garden | image=Madison Square Garden IV.jpg | wikidata=Q186125 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Aside from all the events the gang attended there — Jerry and his girlfriend Winona in floor seats for a Knicks game in "The Cigar Store Indian"; Jerry, Kramer, Elaine, and Puddy at a hockey game in "The Face Painter"; Jerry, his girlfriend Katya, and Kramer at the circus in "The Gymnast", not to mention the time Kramer got kicked out a Knicks game for throwing a hot dog at Reggie Miller — Madison Square Garden was also the setting for much of "The Limo", where Jerry and George accept a ride from a car service that was meant for someone else, namely a neo-Nazi leader headed to a rally. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Collectors Universe | alt= | url= | email= | address=124 E. 40th St., Murray Hill | lat=40.750192 | long=-73.977356 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Collectibles shop to whom Kramer sells, for $200, a birthday card signed by the whole New York Yankees roster, with "The Wink" signifying George's permission — or so he thought. Closed, now a hair salon. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Catch a Rising Star (second location) | alt= | url=https://www.catcharisingstar.com/ | email= | address=253 W. 28th St., Chelsea | lat=40.748315 | long=-73.995548 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Catch a Rising Star (comedy clubs) | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, at an NBC showcase, Jerry intentionally bombs on stage to keep Kenny Bania, who's on next, from riding his coattails ("He only does well when he has me for a lead-in. He's a time-slot hit.") Catch a Rising Star moved here from the [[#CARS|above location]] in the late 1990s, but as mentioned, it's now closed. This location is now home to an electronics store. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Hunan Fifth Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=323 Fifth Ave., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Midtown South]] | lat=40.747461 | long=-73.985038 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | image= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="The Chinese Restaurant" where the gang waited... and waited... and waited for a table. The experience must not have put them off the place too much, though, as they would return to it several times over the course of the series: it's where George discovers Jerry's new deaf girlfriend can read lips in "The Lip Reader", the venue for Jerry and George's double date in "The Masseuse", and where George shares an awkward dinner with Mr. Peterman in "The Secret Code". Closed in 2007, now a bank. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Downtown Veterinary Clinic | alt= | url=http://www.downtownveterinaryclinic.com/ | email= | address=148 Ninth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.744068 | long=-74.002861 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="I'll take a vet over an M.D. any day. They've got to be able to cure a lizard, a chicken, a pig, a frog — all on the same day." In "The Andrea Doria", true to his words, Kramer finds a dog with the same cough he has and gets a vet from this office to prescribe medication. Later the site of the emergency surgery that saves the life of the squirrel George hit with his car in "The Merv Griffin Show". The clinic moved up the street to 244 Ninth Ave.; this former location is vacant and for lease. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Masonic Hall NYC | alt= | url=http://www.masonichallnyc.org/ | email= | address=71 W. 23rd St., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Flatiron District]] | lat=40.74283 | long=-73.992149 | directions= | phone=+1 212 741-4520 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=Grand Lodge of New York | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stood in for the '''Knights of Columbus''' hall that hosted Kramer's Jewish Singles Night, where Frank put his cooking skills to use for the first time since sickening his entire squadron with spoiled meat during the Korean War. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Police Department — 10th Precinct | alt= | url= | email= | address=230 W. 20th St., Chelsea | lat=40.742779 | long=-73.998601 | directions= | phone=+1 212 741-8211 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Kramer finds a way to earn quick money by standing in police lineups only to get falsely recognized as a jewelry store thief; where Frank comes to bail out George after his arrest for bootlegging ''Cry, Cry Again'' and ends up challenging Elaine to a fight ("You sayin' you want a piece of me?") }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Peter McManus Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.petermcmanuscafe.com/ | email= | address=152 Seventh Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741863 | long=-73.997573 | directions= | phone=+1 212 929-6196 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 11AM-4AM, Su noon-4AM | price= | wikipedia=Peter McManus Cafe | image=Peter McManus Cafe entrance.jpg | wikidata=Q7175816 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=After Elaine's plot to seduce Russell Dalrymple (to get George and Jerry back in his good graces) is a little ''too'' successful, this is the place where she lets him down easy. Or tries, anyway — he ends up quitting his job at NBC and joining Greenpeace to prove his worth as a man. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Camouflage Clothing | alt= | url= | email= | address=139 Eighth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741666 | long=-74.001383 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Ross's''', a discount clothing store owned by a relative of Susan's where George takes pity on a security guard with no chair to sit in. Closed in 2014, now a '''Caffé Bene''' coffeeshop. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Old Homestead Steakhouse | alt= | url=https://www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com/ | email= | address=56 Ninth Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.741317 | long=-74.004881 | directions= | phone=+1 212 242-9040 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:45PM, F noon-11:45PM, Sa 1PM-11:45PM, Su 1PM-9:45PM | price= | wikipedia=Old Homestead Steakhouse | wikidata=Q59811347 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=One of the oldest continually operating restaurants in New York, where, on a date with Elaine's cousin Holly, Jerry's manhood is called into question when he orders "just a salad". }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bolo | alt= | url= | email= | address=23 E. 22nd St., Flatiron District | lat=40.740251 | long=-73.988222 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Chef Bobby Flay's Spanish tapas house was the scene of three vexing dinners for the ''Seinfeld'' gang: one where Kramer chaperoned Miss Rhode Island's date with Jerry, to the latter's annoyance, and secured a job as her personal coach; one where George takes his cousin Rhisa on a date to get back at his parents for "cutting him loose", and Jerry's second date with Christie, who always seems to wear the same outfit ("What in God's name is going on here? Is she wearing the same thing over and over again, or does she have a closet full of these, like Superman?"). Closed in 2008 and demolished, with luxury condos occupying the site now. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Thomasville Furniture | alt= | url= | email= | address=91 Seventh Ave., Chelsea | lat=40.739386 | long=-73.998824 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where Jerry buys "The Couch" that Poppie ends up peeing on. Closed, but if you were hoping to take this opportunity to make like Jerry and upgrade your living room, you're in luck: the building is now the Chelsea branch showroom of '''[https://www.jensen-lewis.com/ Jensen-Lewis Furniture]'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Pete's Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.petestavern.com/ | email= | address=129 E. 18th St., [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Gramercy]] | lat=40.7365 | long=-73.9867 | directions= | phone=+1 212 473-7676 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-W 11AM-2:30AM, Th 11AM-3AM, F-Sa 11AM-4AM | price= | wikipedia=Pete's Tavern | image=Petes-tavern-2007 crop.jpg | wikidata=Q7171811 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="The Tavern O. Henry Made Famous" is also the tavern where Kramer stakes out "The Sniffing Accountant" — Jerry's, whose constant habit makes Kramer suspect he's a cocaine addict. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Surgical Appliances | alt= | url= | email= | address=44 [[Manhattan/Gramercy Flatiron|Union Square]] East | lat=40.736259 | long=-73.98896 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Medical supply shop where George and Kramer go to pick up a new wheelchair for Lola, a handicapped woman that the latter has fallen in love with. As is George's wont, they picked the cheapest model possible, with predictably disastrous results. Closed, now a plumbing and heating contractor. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, New School for Social Research | alt= | url=https://www.newschool.edu/ | email= | address=66 W. 12th St., [[Manhattan/Greenwich Village|Greenwich Village]] | lat=40.735631 | long=-73.997216 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The New School | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Site of the art class in "The Doodle" attended by Elaine and Paula, George's girlfriend, whose unflattering caricature of him leaves George vexed. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York Health and Racquet Club | alt= | url=https://nyhrc.com/ | email= | address=24 E. 13th St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.734725 | long=-73.992995 | directions= | phone=+1 212 924-4600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 6AM-11PM, Sa-Su 8AM-9PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Jerry and George's favorite health club, where the latter is caught peeing in the shower in "The Wife", and the former, curious to know if his girlfriend has breast implants, enlists Elaine to get in the sauna with her and "do a little investigative journalism". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases | alt=now NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital | url=https://nyulangone.org/locations/nyu-langone-orthopedic-hospital | email= | address=301 E. 17th St., Gramercy | lat=40.734391 | long=-73.982999 | directions= | phone=+1 212 598-6000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The scene of the alleged theft of Morty's wallet, who was in from out of town to see a specialist for his bad back. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bradley's | alt= | url= | email= | address=70 University Place, Greenwich Village | lat=40.733175 | long=-73.993647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Old jazz club where Elaine's saxophonist boyfriend bombs onstage with a rendition of "Hot and Heavy", a song he wrote for her. Closed in 1996, only a few months after the episode aired. Now a bar with an entirely different clientele: '''[http://www.reservoirbar.com/ Reservoir]''', catering to football fans from nearby NYU. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=24 Fifth Avenue | alt= | url= | email= | address=Greenwich Village | lat=40.733126 | long=-73.996003 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The elegant apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Ross, Susan's parents, and location of the many interminable Susan Ross Foundation meetings George is forced to sit through in Seasons 8 and 9. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bowen Fertility Clinic | alt= | url= | email= | address=320 E. 15th St., Gramercy | lat=40.732563 | long=-73.983678 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Where the results of Kramer's fertility test inspire him to switch from briefs to boxers, and finally to no underwear at all. Closed; now a student residence hall for '''The New School'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Sunshine Cleaners | alt= | url= | email= | address=51 University Place #3, Greenwich Village | lat=40.732527 | long=-73.993811 | directions= | phone=+1 212 777-0896 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Jerry's girlfriend Meryl poses as "The Wife" to save money on dry cleaning. Still open as of December 2018, but no word on whether the 25% family discount policy is still in effect! }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Cooper Station Post Office | alt= | url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=all&address=10003&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1359178&locationName=COOPER&address2=&address1=93+4TH+AVE&city=NEW+YORK&state=NY&zip5=10003&zip4=9998&tollFree=800-ASK-USPS%26reg%3B%26nbsp%3B%28800-275-8777%29&fax=&tAddress=&tAddress1Ams=&tAddress2Ams=&tCityAms=&tStateAms=&tZipAms=&tCarrierRouteAms=&latitude=40.7321427&longitude=-73.990136&sWithin=20&&&&&&&&& | email= | address=93 Fourth Ave., [[Manhattan/East Village|East Village]] | lat=40.732064 | long=-73.989902 | directions= | phone=+1 212 254-1390 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 9AM-5:45PM, Sa 9AM-3:45PM | price= | wikipedia=United States Post Office (Cooper Station) | image=Cooper Station Post Office.jpg | wikidata=Q9051836 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The ''Seinfeld'' writers' favorite place to have characters get interrogated under hot lights: first Kramer in "The Junk Mail", who has the audacity to want to stop receiving mail altogether, then Jerry, for attemped mail fraud in "The Package", and finally George, who's accused of participating in "some ill-conceived mail-order pornography ring." }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Pó | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Cornelia St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.731375 | long=-74.002545 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, in a desperate attempt to prove to his girlfriend Janet that he likes her for more than just her looks, George strains to find any conceivable reason for them to be together — and the best he can come up with is their shared love of chewing gum. The restaurant once co-owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali closed in 2017, but if you're hungry for Indian food, check out its successor, the West Village branch location of '''[http://www.drunkenmunkey.com The Drunken Munkey]'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Joe's Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.joespizzanyc.com/ | email= | address=7 Carmine St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.730597 | long=-74.002098 | directions= | phone=+1 212 366-1182 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 10AM-4AM, F-Sa 10AM-5AM | price= | wikipedia=Joe's Pizza | wikidata=Q20979290 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Paisano's Pizza''', which the show's scripts indicate to be in the [[Bronx]], but whose exterior shots are of this longstanding Greenwich Village institution. In Season 7, Paisano's/Joe's is the baker of George Steinbrenner's favorite calzones — and of Kramer's clothes, too, after he gets addicted to that "hot from the dryer" feeling. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Bleecker Bob's | alt= | url= | email= | address=118 W. 3rd St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.730454 | long=-74.000391 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Robert Plotnik | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=This legendary record shop was the ''Seinfeld'' stand-in for '''Ron's Records''', where Kramer and Newman flatly refused the owner's offer of five dollars for a box of records Jerry took from the apartment of Sid, "The Old Man" for whom he'd signed up to do volunteer work. ("'Take it or leave it'? We got Al Jolson here. ''Al Jolson!''") Closed in 2013, now a sushi restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Flash Foto | alt= | url= | email= | address=31 Carmine St., Greenwich Village | lat=40.73027 | long=-74.003165 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=After George discovers himself in the background of a photo his new boss, Mr. Kruger, took with his family at the beach, he absconds out of his office with it and takes it here to have his image airbrushed out — with disastrous results. Closed, now a restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Iggy's Pizzeria | alt= | url=https://www.iggyspizzeriamenu.com/ | email= | address=173 First Ave., East Village | lat=40.729264 | long=-73.984357 | directions= | phone=+1 212 353-3331 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-11PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for '''Mario's Pizza''', Jerry and George's old high-school hangout where the latter's high score on "The Frogger" machine still stood all those years later. Jerry and George's visit to Mario's was on the cusp of its closure, but its counterpart Iggy's is still in business as of December 2018 — for anyone who wants to recreate George's daring traverse of First Avenue, you'll be disappointed to know their arcade machines are probably not for sale. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Ricky Pharmacy | alt= | url= | email= | address=720 Broadway, East Village | lat=40.729082 | long=-73.993494 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-16 | content=Fed up with his constipation in "The Pilot", Kramer finally stops in here to pick up "the dreaded apparatus". Now closed and vacant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Da Silvano | alt= | url= | email= | address=260 Sixth Ave., Greenwich Village | lat=40.728971 | long=-74.00228 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Venue of Ellen's birthday dinner with Jerry in "The Van Buren Boys", which aggravates Jerry's suspicion that she may be "a loser": why is she not out celebrating with her friends on her birthday? Closed in 2016, now vacant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Rudy's Antique Boutique | alt= | url= | email= | address=714 Broadway, East Village | lat=40.728905 | long=-73.993634 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The vintage shop to whom Kramer sells a bunch of old clothes: a parcel of "Executives", a beltless trenchcoat invented by Morty Seinfeld in the 1960s, and a trunk of Frank Constanza's moth-infested "cabana wear". Later on a tag from Rudy's, torn out of Kramer's shirt, served as the crucial evidence leading to his arrest for dognapping in "The Engagement". Closed sometime between 2005 and 2011, now a vacant storefront. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paradise Twin Theater | alt=now IATI Theater | url=http://iatitheater.org/ | email= | address=64 E. 4th St., East Village | lat=40.726538 | long=-73.990582 | directions= | phone=+1 212 505-6757 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=In "The Movie", the gang head to this downtown movie house to catch ''CheckMate'', but — stuck at the end of a long, slow line — they give up and end up seeing ''Rochelle, Rochelle'' ("a young woman's strange, erotic journey from [[Milan]] to [[Minsk]]"). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Gladiator's Gym | alt= | url= | email= | address=503 E. 6th St., East Village | lat=40.725342 | long=-73.983332 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Izzy Mandelbaum, an acquaintance of Morty and Helen's, takes Jerry "aboard the pain train" as his trash-talking personal trainer. Long closed, the site now handles "doughboys" of a different type as '''Carma East''', a ''dim sum'' restaurant. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Country Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address=69 Thompson St., [[Manhattan/SoHo|SoHo]] | lat=40.724429 | long=-74.003151 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content="You call yourself a lifesaver; I call you Pimple Popper, M.D.!" Site of Jerry's "revenge date" with Sara, a dermatologist who, on an earlier date, had made Jerry feel "like if [he doesn't] save lives, [he's] worthless". Country Cafe closed in 2010, but the current occupant of the space — classy French bistro '''[http://vinetfleurs.com/ Vin et Fleurs]''' — is still a great choice for all your revenge-dating needs. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=New York State Department of Labor | alt= | url= | email= | address=75 Varick St., SoHo | lat=40.723306 | long=-74.006391 | directions= | phone=+1 212 775-3584 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where George offers to take his unemployment officer's unattractive daughter on a date to avoid getting his benefits cut off, only to get dumped at the end. ("You've got no job, you've got no prospects. You're like Biff Loman.") }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=FDNY Hook & Ladder Company 8 | alt= | url= | email= | address=14 N. Moore St., [[Manhattan/TriBeCa|TriBeCa]] | lat=40.7196 | long=-74.0066 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 | image=Ghostbusters Firehouse crop.jpg | wikidata=Q21712009 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=In "The Secret Code", Kramer stops by to share his favorite shortcuts through Greenwich Village and the West Side, only to demonstrate his knowledge of the street grid firsthand behind the wheel of a fire truck en route to a burning building. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, Hook & Ladder No. 8 is best known as the ''Ghostbusters''<nowiki>'</nowiki> firehouse headquarters. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Criminal Court | alt= | url=http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/criminal/ | email= | address=100 Centre St., [[Manhattan/Chinatown|Civic Center]] | lat=40.715995 | long=-74.000834 | directions= | phone=+1 646 386-4500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia=New York City Criminal Court | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Newman's attempt to talk his way out of a traffic ticket is derailed by Kramer, who's still reeling from the concussion "Crazy" Joe Davola gave him in "The Pitch", and where Jackie Chiles cribs from Johnnie Cochran's "if the glove doesn't fit" defense in "The Caddy", with disastrous results for Kramer's lawsuit against the "braless wonder", Sue Ellen Mischke. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=80 Centre St., Civic Center | lat=40.7152 | long=-74.0013 | directions= | phone=+1 212 669-8090 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 8:30AM-3:45PM | price= | wikipedia=Louis J. Lefkowitz Building | wikidata=Q59829207 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Elaine heads here in "The Pilot" to file an "equal employment opportunity" complaint against Monk's Cafe for only hiring large-breasted waitresses (still another continuity error; the EEOC is a federal agency and thus the complaint would not have been heard at the state level); also where Kramer picked up his "ASSMAN" vanity license plates in "The Fusilli Jerry". The Lefkowitz Building is now home to the New York City Marriage Licensing Bureau, and under threat of demolition. }} ====Outer boroughs==== {{anchor|FrankAndEstelle}}{{Mapframe|40.680|-73.875|height=450|width=400|zoom=11|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Brooklyn and Queens<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=22–37 37th St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Astoria, Queens | lat=40.773021 | long=-73.908266 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Home of the neurotic, bickering Frank and Estelle Costanza — and their son George too, for most of season 5. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=329 Union St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=[[Brooklyn/Gowanus and Red Hook|Carroll Gardens]], [[Brooklyn]] | lat=40.682111 | long=-73.994750 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The apartment of Mr. Peterman's ailing mother, to whom George entrusts the secret of his ATM code. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Arthur Ashe Stadium | alt= | url=https://www.usopen.org/index.html | email= | address=[[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|Flushing Meadows-Corona Park]], Queens | lat=40.749886 | long=-73.847033 | directions= | phone=+1 718 760-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Arthur Ashe Stadium | image=Arthur ashe stadium interior.jpg | wikidata=Q609551 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Site of the US Open tennis tournament, where Jerry becomes infatuated with a deaf lineswoman, George is shown on TV at the concession stand with ice cream all over his face, and Kramer injures Monica Seles in her big comeback match while working as a "ball boy". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=D'Amico Fresh Roasted Coffee | alt= | url=http://www.damico1948.com/ | email= | address=309 Court St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn | lat=40.683506 | long=-73.995189 | directions= | phone=+1 718 875-5403 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-6PM, Su 9AM-3PM | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Elaine buys George a bag of expensive coffee, which he misinterprets as "stickin' it to [him] that she makes more money than [him]". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Edward R. Murrow High School | alt= | url=https://www.ermurrowhs.org/ | email= | address=1600 Avenue L, [[Brooklyn/Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush|Midwood]], Brooklyn | lat=40.6207 | long=-73.9592 | directions= | phone=+1 718 258-9283 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Edward R. Murrow High School | wikidata=Q5344955 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=The real Jerry Seinfeld attended Massapequa High School on Long Island, but apparently TV Jerry was a graduate of this school where he returns in Season 9 to do a presentation on Career Day, only to get "bumped" by a fire drill. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.639722 | long=-73.778889 | directions= | phone=+1 718 244-4444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=John F. Kennedy International Airport | image=JFKNewYorkTerm4 1.jpg | wikidata=Q8685 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Where, while waiting to pick up Jerry from a flight coming in from [[St. Louis]], George taunts a convict under police escort and Kramer confronts an old acquaintance who borrowed money from him 20 years ago and never repaid it — both with disastrous results. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=LaGuardia Airport | alt= | url=https://www.laguardiaairport.com/ | email= | address=LaGuardia Rd. and 94th St., [[Queens/Flushing-Northeast|East Elmhurst]], Queens | lat=40.77725 | long=-73.872611 | directions= | phone=+1 718 533-3400 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=LaGuardia Airport | image=LaGuardiaairport.jpg | wikidata=Q319654 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Site of the Diplomat's Club, where Kramer won and then lost thousands of dollars betting on the arrival times of incoming flights (at one point putting up David Berkowitz's mail bag, a keepsake of Newman's, as collateral). }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Queensboro Plaza Station | alt= | url= | email= | address=27th St. and Queens Plaza, Long Island City, Queens | lat=40.750653 | long=-73.940344 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Queensboro Plaza (New York City Subway) | image=Queensboro Plaza.jpg | wikidata=Q2177925 | content=Supposedly the home of the best gyros in the New York City subway system — the tzatziki sauce from which stained one of the issues of Frank Costanza's beloved ''TV Guide'' magazine collection. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Queens/The Rockaways|Rockaway Beach]] | alt= | url= | email= | address=Queens | lat=40.583138 | long=-73.815336 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=An ersatz driving range for Kramer, and the site of "marine biologist" George's daring rescue of a beached whale. "The sea was angry that day, my friends..." }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord | alt= | url=http://www.roct.org/ | email= | address=228 N. 12th St., [[Brooklyn/Williamsburg|Williamsburg]], Brooklyn | lat=40.719444 | long=-73.953611 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Lord | image=RO Transfig Cathedral Greenpoint jeh.JPG | wikidata=Q2109124 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=Stand-in for the Latvian Orthodox church where George attempts to convert to win back a woman who left him, and Kramer discovers his ''kavorka'', almost tempting a clergywoman into giving up her faith. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Visiting Nurses Association of Brooklyn | alt= | url= | email= | address=15 Metrotech Center, [[Brooklyn/Downtown|Downtown Brooklyn]] | lat=40.694035 | long=-73.984233 | directions= | phone=+1 718 923-7100 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Stand-in for the County Blood Bank, where a hike in service fees leads Kramer to angrily take his business (of stockpiling his own blood, "just in case”) elsewhere. }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=Yankee Stadium | alt= | url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/ | email= | address=161st St. and River Ave., The Bronx | lat=40.826944 | long=-73.928056 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Yankee Stadium (1923) | image=Yankee Stadium aerial from Blackhawk.jpg | wikidata=Q675214 | content=Home of the New York Yankees, George's employer during the sixth, seventh, and most of the eighth season. The Yankee Stadium where George worked was torn down in 2009-10 and is now a park; the baseball team now plays in a new, identically named building on the other side of 161st Street. }} ===California=== {{quote|Jerry. It's L.A. Nobody leaves. She's a seductress, she's a siren, she's a virgin, she's a whore.|author=Cosmo Kramer}} {{Mapframe|34.01|-118.225|height=550|width=600|zoom=10|name=''Seinfeld'' sites in Southern California<br>''Legend'': {{Colorbox|forestgreen}}Still open {{Colorbox|red}}Closed {{Colorbox|maroon}}Fictional}} ====Filming locations==== Hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of ''Seinfeld'' was ''not'' filmed in New York — aside from establishing shots of building exteriors, what's on your TV screen at any given time is usually a Hollywood soundstage. {{anchor|CBS}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=CBS Studio Center | alt= | url=http://www.cbssc.com/ | email= | address=4024 Radford Ave., [[Studio City]] | lat=34.144692 | long=-118.391008 | directions= | phone=+1 818 655-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=CBS Studio Center | image=CBS Studio Center, Soundstage 2.JPG | wikidata=Q5009278 | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=This is where most of the show was filmed: on Stage 19 for the first three seasons, and on the much larger Stage 9 thereafter, as the number of different sets (and the popularity of the show) had grown substantially. In addition, many exterior scenes were filmed on the "New York Street" set between Stages 14 and 15. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paramount Studios | alt= | url=http://www.paramountstudios.com/ | email= | address=5555 Melrose Ave., [[Hollywood]] | lat=34.085432 | long=-118.318992 | directions= | phone=+1 323 956-5000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Paramount Pictures | lastedit=2018-12-14 | content=After the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged much of the CBS studio lot, there was talk of moving production of ''Seinfeld'' here. That didn't end up happening, but you'll still see Paramount's "New York street" from time to time on later seasons of the show (most notably, the chase scene in "The Rye"). Unlike CBS, they offer a [http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/ two-hour tour] where you can see the sets for yourself. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Red Studios Hollywood | alt= | url=https://www.redstudioshollywood.com/ | email= | address=846 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood | lat=34.086111 | long=-118.328056 | directions= | phone=+1 323 463-0808 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Red Studios Hollywood | image= | wikidata=Q7312287 | lastedit=2019-04-23 | content=The pilot episode of ''Seinfeld'' was shot at this small "rental studio" that's most famous as the place where ''I Love Lucy'' was filmed, back when the place was still called '''Desilu Studios'''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Warner Bros. Studios | alt= | url=https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ | email= | address=3400 Riverside Drive, [[Burbank]] | lat=34.148697 | long=-118.337561 | directions= | phone=+1 818 977-8687 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 8:30AM-3:30PM | price= | wikipedia=Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank | wikidata=Q16683162 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=All the exterior scenes set in the fictional Latham, [[Massachusetts]] — where the gang was booked for violating the local "good samaritan" law in "The Finale" — were filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot. Stage 4 is also where Kramer's [[#"The Keys" and "The Trip"|bit part in ''Murphy Brown'']] was filmed (in fiction as in real life). Like Paramount, Warner also offers a [https://www.wbstudiotour.com/ studio tour]; while you're there, check out the '''Warner Bros. Museum''' next to Stage 17, where rumor has it the original sets for Monk's Cafe and Jerry's apartment are kept in cold storage. }} Some scenes were shot on location in the Los Angeles area, too. * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Anaheim Stadium | alt=now Angel Stadium | url=https://www.mlb.com/angels/ballpark | email= | address=2000 E. Gene Autry Way, [[Anaheim]] | lat=33.800278 | long=-117.882778 | directions= | phone=+1 714 940-2000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Angel Stadium | wikidata=Q531897 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Three scenes that were set in the Yankees' locker room — the ones from "The Chaperone" where George talks to Buck Showalter about cotton uniforms and advises Danny Tartabull on his swing, and the one with Kramer and Paul O'Neill in "The Wink" — were instead filmed in the visiting team locker room at the Anaheim Angels' home stadium. (The former two were actually filmed ''during'' a Yankees-Angels game in July 1994.) }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport | alt=now Hollywood Burbank Airport | url=https://hollywoodburbankairport.com/ | email= | address=2627 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank | lat=34.200556 | long=-118.358611 | directions= | phone=+1 818 840-8840 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hollywood Burbank Airport | wikidata=Q598817 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The scenes from "[[#Q8685|The Airport]]" set at JFK's baggage claim and on the runway were actually filmed here. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Cheviot Hills Sports Center | alt= | url=http://cheviothillssportscenter.com/ | email= | address=2601 Motor Ave., [[Culver City]] | lat=34.046366 | long=-118.409769 | directions= | phone=+1 310 837-5186 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=M-F 9AM-10PM, Sa-Su 9AM-5PM | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where the scenes from "The Understudy" with Bette Midler and the charity softball game, set in Manhattan's Central Park, were in reality filmed. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Corner of S. Grand Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Los Angeles | lat=34.047972 | long=-118.255994 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where the "runaway rickshaw" scene from the Season 9 episode "The Bookstore" was shot. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Griffith Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=Los Angeles | lat=34.1333 | long=-118.3 | directions= | phone=+1 323 913-4688 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Griffith Park | image=| wikidata=Q1340614 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=That's one ''long'' race: the finish line scene of the [[#Marathon|New York City Marathon]] in "The Hot Tub", where Jean-Paul Jean-Paul is burned by Kramer's hot coffee, was actually shot here. (The real-life end of the marathon is Central Park, of course.) Griffith Park is also where you'll find the famous HOLLYWOOD sign, which makes a couple of appearances in [[#"The Keys" and "The Trip"|"The Trip"]]. }} [[File:757 New Hampshire Ave 1.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Jerry's ''real'' apartment is in Koreatown in Los Angeles. If you want to look like a local, call it "K-Town".]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Orpheum Theatre | alt= | url=http://www.laorpheum.com | email= | address=824 S. Broadway, Los Angeles | lat=34.042681 | long=-118.255342 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=+1 877 677-4386 | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles) | image=OrpheumTheatreLosAngeles.jpg | wikidata=Q2491086 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The Flying Sandos Brothers' performance from "The Friars Club", where Jerry [[#Q7013557|lent out and never got back]] his crested jacket, was filmed at this historic movie palace and vaudeville theater. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=[[Santa Monica]] Pier | alt= | url=http://www.santamonicapier.org/ | email= | address= | lat=34.007956 | long=-118.499213 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Santa Monica Pier | wikidata=Q595439 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Lots of brooding and reflecting here: it's where George sits and takes stock of his life and decides to always do "The Opposite" of his instincts, where he reflects on all his lost loves of the past just before "The Engagement" to Susan, and where Jerry struggles to envision a life without doing "The Voice" that drives his girlfriend crazy. }} * {{listing | type=maroon | name=The Shelley | alt= | url= | email= | address=757 S. New Hampshire Ave., Los Angeles | lat=34.058216 | long=-118.293059 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=This old brownstone apartment building in L.A.'s [[Los Angeles/Wilshire|Koreatown]] wouldn't look out of place on the other coast — and indeed, it was the stand-in for exterior shots of Jerry's Upper West Side apartment. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Van Nuys Airport | alt= | url=https://www.iflyvny.com/ | email= | address=16461 Sherman Way, [[Van Nuys]] | lat=34.209722 | long=-118.49 | directions= | phone=+1 818 442-6526 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Van Nuys Airport | wikidata=Q528578 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=In "The Finale", the scene at the airport where the gang boards the NBC corporate jet to [[Paris]] was filmed here. [https://www.iflyvny.com/en/community-information/airport-tours Tours] are offered by reservation of this facility that's no stranger to the big or small screen — aside from ''Seinfeld'', VNY has been featured in everything from ''Casablanca'' to ''Glee'' to ''Lethal Weapon'' to ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''. }}{{anchor|WillRogers}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Will Rogers State Beach | alt= | url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=625 | email= | address=17000 [[Pacific Coast Highway|Pacific Coast Hwy.]], [[Pacific Palisades]] | lat=34.0397 | long=-118.56 | directions= | phone=+1 424 526-7777 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Will Rogers State Beach | image=Will Rogers State Beach 1.JPG | wikidata=Q8003058 | lastedit=2018-12-19 | content=When Kramer took up the hobby of hitting golf balls into the ocean in "The Marine Biologist", the ocean in question wasn't the Atlantic! Those scenes were filmed here, as was George's rescue of the beached whale. }} ===="The Keys" and "The Trip"==== A trio of episodes that were both set ''and'' filmed mostly in L.A. In a story arc spanning the Season 3 finale and the two-part Season 4 premiere, Kramer catches the acting bug and moves to Hollywood to try his luck, only to become a suspect in the ongoing (fictional) "Smog Strangler" serial-killer scare. Meanwhile, Jerry is booked to perform on the ''Tonight Show'', with George tagging along. * {{listing | type=red | name=12033 Ventura Pl. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Studio City | lat=34.144404 | long=-118.394021 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Like most pay phones in the United States, the one from which Jerry and George called the police to try to clear Kramer's name in the murder case is long gone. But the adjacent parking lot is the one where they unknowingly help the real killer escape from police custody. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City | alt= | url=https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-los-angeles-universal-city-BURUCHF/index.html | email= | address=555 Universal Hollywood Drive, [[Universal City]] | lat=34.136403 | long=-118.358079 | directions= | phone=+1 818 506-2500 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The hotel where Jerry and George stayed while in Los Angeles for the ''Tonight Show'' — right next door to Universal Studios, where George hoped to take the studio tour (he didn't get to). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=idbox Productions | alt= | url= | email= | address=4063 Radford Ave., Studio City | lat=34.145544 | long=-118.392588 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where Kramer auditions for the music video, the horror movie, the exercise tape, ''and'' the infomercial. Closed; now '''Horsepower Entertainment''', a presumably similar video production house. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Insomnia Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Insomnia-Cafe-120861721259849/ | email= | address=7286 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles | lat=34.075999 | long=-118.348454 | directions= | phone=+1 323 931-4943 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 7AM-7PM, F-Sa 7AM-10PM | price= | wikipedia= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Where Kramer talks to his new friend Chelsea about the part he has in mind for her — the title role in a miniseries about Eva Braun — and nervously chats up a creeped-out Fred Savage. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Las Palmas Hotel | alt= | url= | email= | address=1738 N. Las Palmas Ave., Los Angeles | lat=34.102733 | long=-118.335972 | directions= | phone=+1 323 464-9236 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The seedy flophouse where Kramer rents a room while awaiting his big break. Outside the ''Seinfeld'' universe, Las Palmas is best known as the residence of Vivian, Julia Roberts' character in ''Pretty Woman''. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=NBC Studios | alt=now The Burbank Studios | url=http://theburbankstudios.com | email= | address=3000 W. Alameda Ave., Burbank | lat=34.154881 | long=-118.334491 | directions= | phone=+1 818 840-3000 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 8AM-5:30PM | price= | wikipedia=The Burbank Studios | image=The burbank studios alameda.jpg | wikidata=Q7720617 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=Home of ''The Tonight Show'', where Jerry bombs after the maid at his hotel threw away his notes, and where a starstruck George makes an ass of himself backstage to Corbin Bernsen and George Wendt. }} [[File:Los Angeles Police Administration Building - 1976.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"You killed all the pretty flowers, didn't you, Kramer? You killed the pretty little flowers, didn't you? You dirty, filthy, stinky weed! Didn't you?"]] * {{listing | type=red | name=Parker Center | alt= | url= | email= | address=150 N. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles | lat=34.0519 | long=-118.241 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Parker Center | image=Parker Center front 2004.jpg | wikidata=Q7138288 | lastedit=2018-12-18 | content=The then-LAPD headquarters, where Kramer is grilled — and reduced to tears — by detectives who think he's the Smog Strangler. Jerry probably recognized the place from its appearances on the old ''Adventures of Superman'' TV series with George Reeves, where it stood in for the offices of the ''Daily Planet''. The Los Angeles Police moved to a new building at the corner of E 1st Street and S Main Street in October 2009; this building was demolished in 2019. }} ===Elsewhere=== {{anchor|Amagansett}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Amagansett Farmers Market | alt=now Amber Waves Farm | url=http://www.amberwavesfarm.org/ | email= | address=367 Main St., [[East Hampton|Amagansett]], [[New York (state)|New York]] | lat=40.977880 | long=-72.137020 | directions= | phone=+1 631 267-5664 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 7AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where George stops on the way back from the gang's trip to "The Hamptons" to buy some Hampton tomatoes ("You can eat 'em like apples!"), only to get one in the face from Jerry's girlfriend Rachel in a passing car. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Bridgestone Firestone | alt=now Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology | url=https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/contact-us/locations/research-innovation | email= | address=1655 S. Main St., [[Akron]], [[Ohio]] | lat=41.041703 | long=-81.525610 | directions= | phone=+1 330 379-7000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Firestone Tire and Rubber Company | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where, after a typically elaborate scheme involving a "Snow Tire Day" at Yankee Stadium, George travels hundreds of miles to finally confront his old office nemesis Reilly at his new job, and delivers "The Comeback" to the insult he'd given him just before his resignation. Bridgestone moved their corporate headquarters to [[Nashville]] in 2017, but they still have offices in Ohio. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Giants Stadium | alt= | url= | email= | address=50 Route 120, [[East Rutherford]], [[New Jersey]] | lat=40.812222 | long=-74.076944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Giants Stadium | image=Giants Stadium aerial.jpg | wikidata=Q375365 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=While taking in a New York Giants football game here, Kramer's attempt to pick up a ticket at the will-call window without ID leads to Elaine's unfortunately-named boyfriend Joel Rifkin being called on the P.A. system. The building was demolished in 2010 and is now a parking lot for '''MetLife Stadium''', where the Giants (and Metro New York's other NFL team, the Jets) play today. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Joe Robbie Stadium | alt=now Hard Rock Stadium | url=https://hardrockstadium.com/ | email= | address=347 Don Shula Drive, [[Miami Gardens]], [[Florida]] | lat=25.958056 | long=-80.238889 | directions= | phone=+1 305 943-8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hard Rock Stadium | image=Hard Rock Stadium.jpg | wikidata=Q864339 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Where Jerry and Newman awkwardly attend the Super Bowl together in "The Label Maker". }} * {{listing | type=gold | name=New Munson Diner | alt= | url= | email= | address=12 Lake St., Liberty, New York | lat=41.797187 | long=-74.744618 | directions= | phone=+1 845 747-9912 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 6AM-9PM, F-Sa 6AM-10PM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Known on the show as '''Reggie's''', this "Bizarro Diner" was located in Hell's Kitchen until 2005, when the building was moved to its new home in the [[Catskills]] via flatbed truck. In "The Soup", Reggie's is the workplace of Kramer's latest love interest, where, to the gang's consternation, egg white omelettes, "big salads", and decaf coffee are not on the menu. George, uncomfortable with his "worlds colliding", returns by himself a season later to avoid hanging out with Susan and his friends simultaneously. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort | alt=now Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City | url=https://www.hardrockhotels.com/atlantic-city | email= | address=1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey | lat=39.3587 | long=-74.4198 | directions= | phone=+1 609 449-1000 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City | image=Trump Taj Mahal from Fairfield Resorts 20060627.JPG | wikidata=Q3541146 | lastedit=2018-12-17 | content=Venue for the 1994 Miss America pageant, where Jerry accidentally kills Miss Rhode Island's trained doves. }} == Other places related to ''Seinfeld'' == ===New York City=== * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=129 W. 81st St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.783782 | long=-73.975413 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The exterior shots were filmed in Los Angeles (see above), but this is the address used in the show for Jerry and Kramer's building — and it's the actual address of the apartment where Larry David and the real-life Jerry lived as young stand-up comedians in the '80s. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=609 W. 43rd St. | alt= | url= | email= | address=Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.761942 | long=-73.998520 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=Long-ago site of '''Bak's Market''', a produce stand where Larry was once banned for squeezing the fruit too hard. This was the inspiration for the fictional '''Joe's Fruit Shop''' from the Season 5 episode "The Mango", whose owner banned Kramer for trying to return a rotten peach — and later Jerry too, after catching him trying to buy fruit for Kramer. Now a parking ramp. }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Broadhurst Theatre | alt= | url=http://shubert.nyc/theatres/broadhurst/ | email= | address=235 W. 44th St., Theater District | lat=40.7581 | long=-73.9876 | directions= | phone=+1 212 239-6200 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Broadhurst Theatre | wikidata=Q4972203 | lastedit=2019-01-08 | content=Where the real-life Jerry filmed ''I'm Telling You for the Last Time'', a 75-minute "greatest hits"-style stand-up performance aired live on HBO in August 1998 in which he kicked off the post-''Seinfeld'' phase of his career ("The Finale" had aired only three months prior) by ceremonially retiring all his old material. The original broadcast is available for streaming on Netflix, and the CD release won a Grammy Award the following year; if you're a ''Seinfeld'' fan, listen closely and you'll hear some bits that had been used in the show (both in the [[#Improv|opening segments]] and the plots themselves). }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Kam Wei Kitchen | alt= | url= | email= | address=617 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759534 | long=-73.992083 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=According to [[#KK1|Kenny Kramer]], the character of Ping, the delivery boy for the gang's favorite Chinese takeout who makes a handful of appearances in seasons 3 and 4, was based on an employee of this long-closed restaurant whom Larry knew. Now a dry cleaner. }} * {{listing | type=red | name=Lee's Market | alt= | url= | email= | address=1494 First Ave., Lenox Hill | lat=40.771488 | long=-73.953077 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-02 | content=Larry David, speaking about the day in November 1988 when Jerry approached him to serve as co-writer for the TV sitcom that NBC executives had just offered him: "We left '''[[#CARS|Catch a Rising Star]]''' and we walked into a Korean grocery store, and we started, as we invariably did, talking about some of the products in the store... it occurred to me that this is the kind of discussion that you never really hear on television. And that that, in fact, would be funny." (This was the inspiration for the scene in Monk's Cafe in the third-season episode "The Pitch", where a conversation between George and the fictional Jerry about salsa led to the idea for their show-within-a-show.) Lee's Market is now a pizzeria. }}{{anchor|Plaza}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Manhattan Plaza | alt= | url=https://lihc.com/nyc-property-investment-group/manhattan-plaza/ | email= | address=400-484 W. 43rd St., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759401 | long=-73.993811 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Manhattan Plaza | lastedit=2019-04-13 | content=Before he was roommates with Jerry in the aforementioned apartment on West 81st Street, Larry lived for six years in this federally-subsidized apartment complex for performing artists — right across the hall from [[#Reality Tour|Kenny Kramer]], who still lives in the building to this day. }} [[File:Smithsonian National Museum of American History - Seinfeld The Puffy Shirt (120435360).jpg|thumb|300px|right|Put on your puffiest shirt and go to the '''National Museum of American History''' in [[Washington, D.C.]]]] * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Park bench at W. 81st St. and Central Park West | alt= | url= | email= | address=Upper West Side | lat=40.781746 | long=-73.971825 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2019-04-01 | content=The second bench past the corner of 81st Street on the east side of Central Park West was the scene of what the real-life Jerry describes as the two most important decisions of his professional life: in the summer of 1976, it was where he told his father that he intended to pursue stand-up comedy as a career, and later in December 1997, while on a walk through Central Park with his managers George Shapiro and Howard West, it was where he made the final decision to reject NBC's still-unprecedented offer of $5 million per episode for a tenth season of ''Seinfeld'' and instead end production of the show at the close of the current season. }}{{anchor|TownHall2}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=The Town Hall | alt= | url=http://thetownhall.org/ | email= | address=123 W. 43rd St., Theater District | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone=+1 212 997-6661 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=The Town Hall (New York City) | image=Town Hall 123 W43 near sun jeh.jpg | wikidata=Q1634948 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=In addition to its [[#Q1634948|importance]] within ''Seinfeld''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fictional universe, the real-life Jerry did a stand-up performance here on September 10, 1988. Unbeknownst to him, in the audience were several executives from NBC invited by the aforementioned George Shapiro, who'd written them a letter several weeks earlier: "Call me a crazy guy, but I feel that Jerry Seinfeld will soon be doing a series on NBC". (This was later reflected in the season 3 episode "The Pitch", where Jerry's TV alter ego was approached by an NBC talent scout after a comedy set.) }}{{anchor|Westway}} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Westway Diner | alt= | url=https://www.westwaydiner.com | email= | address=614 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen | lat=40.759446 | long=-73.991657 | directions= | phone=+1 212 582-7661 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-1AM | price= | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=The place where, some time after the initial flash of inspiration at '''Lee's Market''' (see above), Jerry and Larry met over lunch to formally sketch out the premise for what would become ''Seinfeld''. The Westway was one of their favorite haunts back in the day, and in fact, it's often thought that it, rather than '''[[#Q2441394|Tom's]]''', was the true inspiration for Monk's Cafe. }} ===California=== {{anchor|JerrysFamous}} *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Jerry's Famous Deli | alt= | url=https://www.jerrysdeli.com/ | email= | address=12655 Ventura Blvd., Studio City | lat=34.144730 | long=-118.409118 | directions= | phone=+1 818 980-4245 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Su-Th 8AM-1AM, F-Sa 8AM-3AM | price= | wikipedia=Jerry's Famous Deli | content=After a full week of writing, rehearsing and filming, the cast of ''Seinfeld'' were famous for unwinding on Friday evenings at the Studio City location of this famous chain of New York-style Jewish delis, eating, talking, and joking together late into the night. Ask the staff and (if it's not too busy) you can see their favorite booth, now marked with a plaque. }} *{{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Paisano's Pizza | alt= | url=http://www.paisanospizzahb.com/ | email= | address=1132 Hermosa Ave., [[Hermosa Beach]] | lat=33.861871 | long=-118.399717 | directions= | phone=+1 310 376-9883 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 11AM-midnight | price= | content=A favorite pizzeria of the ''Seinfeld'' writing staff, Paisano's lent its name to the [[#Q20979290|Bronx (really Greenwich Village) eatery]] featured in "The Calzones". }} * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=Roxy Theatre | alt= | url=https://www.theroxy.com/ | email= | address=9009 Sunset Blvd., [[West Hollywood]] | lat=34.090789 | long=-118.388017 | directions= | phone=+1 310 278-9457 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood) | wikidata=Q1565972 | lastedit=2019-12-11 | content=Where, in September 1987, the real-life Jerry filmed ''Stand-Up Confidential'', an hour-long HBO special that is considered by fans as almost a prototype version of the ''Seinfeld'' sitcom: like its counterpart, the special consisted of a stand-up performance interspersed with comedic skits and vignettes as viewed through Jerry's "Comedy X-Ray Specs", in which he — you guessed it — demonstrates how his own day-to-day life serves as fodder for his routine. As well, many of the people who worked on the special with him went on to serve as ''Seinfeld'' writers or cast members, notably Carol Leifer and Larry Miller. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing | type=forestgreen | name=National Museum of American History | alt= | url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/ | email= | address=1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. | lat=38.8913 | long=-77.03 | directions= | phone=+1 202 633-1000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=Daily 10AM-5:30PM | price=Free | wikipedia=National Museum of American History | image=National Museum of American History 1.jpg | wikidata=Q148584 | lastedit=2018-12-15 | content=A museum with displays of American cultural history, among them the original puffy shirt which character-Jerry wore on ''The Today Show'', designed by Kramer's low-talking fashion designer girlfriend. }} ==Activities for the ''Seinfeld'' fan== {{anchor|Festivus}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Festivus | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=NA | long=NA | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2115975 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=A secular alternative to Christmas invented by Frank Costanza (fictionally; in real life, ''Seinfeld'' writer Dan O'Keefe based it on one of his own father's quirky traditions), popularized by the Season 9 episode "The Strike", and celebrated annually on December 23. Festivus celebrations involve families gathering around an unadorned aluminum pole in the living room, wherepon there's an "Airing of Grievances" (in which attendees takes turns griping at each other and the world in general), which in turn ultimately culminates with "Feats of Strength" (general fisticuffs, ending only when the family patriarch is successfully pinned). A meatloaf dinner is also customary. Though Festivus has taken on a life of its own among ''Seinfeld'' fans and non-fans alike, public observance isn't really a huge phenomenon: your best bet is to look around for bars holding Festivus theme nights or else hope to be invited to someone's private party. }} [[File:Manhattan and Central Park (5896238520).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Despite the spurious claims of hansom cab driver Kramer, '''Central Park''' was designed by pioneering landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — not former New York Yankees first baseman Joe Pepitone.]] {{anchor|Hansom}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Hansom cab rides in Central Park | alt= | url=https://www.centralpark.com/things-to-do/activities/horse-drawn-carriages/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 310-6600 | tollfree= | hours=Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F-Sa 11AM-1AM | price=$35 for the first 20 minutes, $10 for each additional 15-minute period; [[tipping]] is expected | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=Though the one Susan's parents took with Kramer in "The Rye" was anything but, in the ideal scenario a hansom cab (horse and buggy) ride is a pleasant, relaxing, and romantic way to experience New York's [[#Q160409|Central Park]]. Rides generally start and end at {{marker|type=do|name=Grand Army Plaza|lat=40.764672|long=-73.973319|wikidata=Q1139579}}, on the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue at the southeast corner of the park, and are offered year-round. With a bit of luck, you'll be matched with a jockey who doubles as a tour guide, relating the history and significance of what you see around you. Just make sure he didn't feed the horse Beef-a-Reeno beforehand! }}{{anchor|Reality Tour}} * {{listing | type=do | name=Kramer's Reality Tour | alt= | url=http://www.kennykramer.com/home.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 212 268-5525 | tollfree=+1 800 572-6377 | hours=Departures Sa noon, Su on selected weekends (consult website for schedule) | price=$49.50 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content="The Muffin Tops" episode is a classic case of art imitating life: at the helm of this three-hour bus tour is not Cosmo but Kenny Kramer, [[#Plaza|former neighbor of Larry David's]] and real-life inspiration behind the ''Seinfeld'' character. Kramer's Reality Tour takes you through the streets of Manhattan to some of the spots famously depicted on the sitcom — much the same as this article does, with the important difference being your host himself, who provides not only a depth of behind-the-scenes familiarity with the source material that you can only get from "the real Kramer", but also all the charming personality quirks of his TV counterpart. Tours begin at the '''Producers' Club Theatre''' on West 44th Street: the current site of one of Jerry's favorite old haunts, '''[[#Improv|The Improv]]'''. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | alt= | url=https://www.macys.com/social/parade/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q79407 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=The Woody Woodpecker balloon was retired in 1996, much to the probable disappointment of Mr. Pitt. But that doesn't mean ''you'' won't enjoy this nearly century-old annual tradition that draws north of a million onlookers to the streets of Manhattan. This roving spectacle sees a selection of high school and college marching bands from across the country, performers from whatever Broadway shows are playing at the time, and even store employees winding their way alongside Central Park and through midtown Manhattan ending at '''Macy's''' flagship store at Herald Square. But the two things for which the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is best known are, one, a collection of giant helium balloons in the shape of popular cartoon characters, and two, Santa Claus, whose appearance at the parade marks the unofficial start of the holiday season in New York. }} * {{listing | type=do | name=National Puerto Rican Day Parade | alt= | url=https://www.nprdpinc.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 917 685-1607 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7258598 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=Season 9's controversial episode "The Puerto Rican Day" is a pretty effective primer on how ''not'' to celebrate this long-running annual ethnic pride festival: don't get caught in parade traffic, don't forget to attend to your bathroom needs before heading out (New York's already pointed lack of public restrooms becomes even more dire during special events), and above all, don't get caught setting fire to the Puerto Rican flag, even inadvertently! But ''do'' check out the website to see a burgeoning schedule of events in the weeks leading up to parade day (the {{marker|type=do|name=152nd Street Cultural Festival|lat=40.816040|long=-73.908088}}, held on the last Saturday of May in the South Bronx, is the biggest of these), and of course, do attend the parade itself, held on Fifth Avenue between 44th and 86th Streets on the second Sunday in June. }}{{anchor|Marathon}} * {{listing | type=do | name=TCS New York City Marathon | alt= | url=https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q752138 | lastedit=2019-04-10 | content=If the climactic scene in the Season 7 episode "The Hot Tub" got your blood pumping, stake out a spot along a route that encompasses all five boroughs to bear witness to one of the most preeminent long-distance footraces in the United States. The New York City Marathon is held annually on the first Sunday in November, beginning on [[Staten Island]] at the foot of the '''Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge''' and from there winding through Brooklyn, Queens, [[Manhattan/Midtown East|Roosevelt Island]], the East Side, the South Bronx, and [[Manhattan/Harlem and Upper Manhattan|Harlem]] before reaching the finish line at '''Runner's Grove''' in '''Central Park''', just across from '''[[#Q4022491|Tavern on the Green]]'''. Or, if merely being a spectator isn't enough, why not compete in the race yourself? Applications for the entry drawing are accepted between mid-January and mid-February of the year of the race; entry fees in 2019 were $295 for U.S. residents and $358 for non-residents. }} ==Go next== *Of course, after you wrap up your tour in either [[New York City]] or [[Los Angeles]], you'd be remiss not to explore the myriad other attractions on offer in those world-class cities. *While you're in the Big Apple, you could also check out the sites from that ''other'' group of '90s-era "Must See TV" twentysomethings on the [[Friends Tour|''Friends'' Tour]]. *Or perhaps head to [[Albuquerque]] to follow along on the further adventures of Bryan Cranston a/k/a Dr. Tim Whatley, who, as Walter White in ABC's hit crime drama [[Breaking Bad Tour|''Breaking Bad'']], trades in his career as a mild-mannered science teacher for the high-stakes life of a drug kingpin. {{guidetopic}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Seinfeld'' Tour}} {{PartOfTopic|Fiction tourism}} bgck5bxpr6ykl395ajel6s7ffwwsejx 0 170468 4501882 4499985 2022-08-16T05:12:07Z Sbb1413 2217354 merged to [[Dima Hasao]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Dima Hasao]] qsqiu9g025ql6w9zvlnk1lnhljgta6g 0 174760 4501845 4462416 2022-08-16T03:11:17Z 110.143.41.148 /* Destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|El Alamein 1942 - British infantry Wikivoyage banner.jpg|caption=British soldiers at El Alamein}} The European theatre of '''World War II''' (see [[World War II in Europe]]) included [[North Africa|North]] and [[East Africa]]. Combat between the Axis and the Allies began in 1940, and the Axis were expelled from the continent in 1943. ==Understand== {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''[[World War II in Europe|Europe]] • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} By the 1930s, most of [[Africa]] was divided between the European powers, as colonies and protectorates. See [[British Empire]], [[French Colonial Empire]] and [[Portuguese Empire]] for the largest players. Italy, Belgium and [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] were also involved, and earlier on Germany, the [[Dutch Empire|Netherlands]], Denmark, [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] and the United States had been. The Italians came late to the "scramble for Africa" in which the European powers divided up the continent, but they did manage to grab [[Libya]] in 1911. [[Ethiopia]], which had famously resisted colonial forces, became part of the Italian Empire in 1936. Fascist Italy had an ambition to restore the [[Roman Empire]] encircling the Mediterranean Sea. ===French colonies=== With the fall of France in June 1940, the French colonies in Africa formally became part of Vichy France, a puppet state of Germany whose capital was [[Vichy]]. They never officially joined the Axis, but they did co-operate extensively with Germany. One consequence of this was a British attack on the French naval base at Mers-el-Kebir near [[Oran]], sinking French ships to prevent them falling into German hands. The film ''Casablanca'' takes place in Vichy Africa in this period, specifically in [[Casablanca]], Morocco. Much of the plot revolves around refugees from various parts of Nazi-controlled Europe, en route to neutral Portugal and the United States, *{{listing | name=The Free French | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Free France | content=When France surrendered and the Vichy government was set up, General De Gaulle set up a government in exile, based in London. In Europe, they did propaganda broadcasts and helped run the French Resistance. In Africa they actively opposed various pro-Vichy colonial regimes; by the end of 1942, none of those regimes still held power anywhere on the continent. }} *{{listing | name=Gabon Campaign | wikipedia=Battle of Gabon | content=By the end of August 1940, the Free French held [[Cameroon]] and most of French Equatorial Africa, today's [[Chad]], [[Central African Republic]], and [[Republic of the Congo]]. Then they took [[Gabon]], the last part of French Equatorial Africa under Vichy control; the capital [[Libreville]] fell in early November and the last Vichy forces surrendered a few days later. }} * '''French West Africa''' (today's [[Mauritania]], [[Senegal]], [[Mali]], [[Guinea]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Benin]] and [[Niger]]) remained loyal to Vichy until that regime fell in 1942. *{{listing | name=Battle of Dakar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Dakar | content=This was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies to capture the strategic port of [[Dakar]] in what is now [[Senegal]], then part of French West Africa. It was mainly a naval battle, Royal Navy versus Vichy ships and shore batteries. }} *{{listing | name=Madagascar Campaign | wikipedia=Battle of Madagascar | content=In 1942, British forces took [[Madagascar]] from the Vichy French and put the Free French in charge instead. Much of the fighting was done by the King's African Rifles, a regiment of native troops (askaris) from various British colonies in eastern Africa. }} The French colonies in North Africa &mdash; [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]] and [[Tunisia]] &mdash; remained under Axis control until they were liberated in late 1942 and early 1943. ===North Africa=== In mid-1940, Mussolini's Fascist Italy joined the war on the German side and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of Libya and Commonwealth forces based in Egypt. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, creating the ''Afrika Corps'' under General Erwin Rommel. Rommel was one of the best German generals of this war, in particular a fine tank tactician. He was sometimes called "the desert fox". The Strait of [[Gibraltar]] and the [[Suez Canal]] were important for Allied shipping, sometimes called "the lifeline of the empire". One of the main Axis objectives in North Africa was to gain control of the Suez Canal, mainly to prevent the Allies from using it, but also to use it themselves for transportation between Europe and the [[Pacific War|Pacific theatre]]. This never happened and the ''Yanagi'' missions, where submarines made shipments between Germany and Japan, had to use the much longer [[Cape Route]]. The Germans also desired to capture the oil fields of the [[Middle East]]. In North Africa the British fought alongside Commonwealth allies. The largest contingent were ANZACs ([[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] Army Corps), some of whom were withdrawn when they were needed nearer home for the [[Pacific War]]. There were also many [[Canada|Canadians]] and some from other countries. In November 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch, invading Morocco and Algeria with mainly American troops; the main targets were [[Casablanca]], [[Oran]] and [[Algiers]]. This was far the largest amphibious assault in history up to that time, and some lessons learned here were applied in the [[D-Day beaches|invasion of Normandy]] later. From then on, Rommel's Afrika Corps was in deep trouble; Commonwealth forces were already advancing on the east, but now there were also Americans attacking on the west. On 13th May 1943 the last Axis troops in North Africa surrendered, ending the war on the continent. The Allies then used North Africa as a base for invasions of [[Sicily]] and then mainland [[Italy]]. ===East Africa=== [[South Africa]] was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire (albeit under white minority rule) since 1931, and supported Britain during the war, though the country also had a strong pro-German movement. This was largely divided along ethnic lines, with most Anglo-South Africans supporting Britain, and most Afrikaners wanting to stay out of the war. See [[20th-century South Africa]]. South African troops and askaris (native troops with mainly British officers) from Britain's East African colonies did most of the fighting in East Africa. They first prevented Italian expansion south from Ethiopia into the British colony of [[Kenya]] and then, working with local patriots, ended Italian rule in Ethiopia. ===Aftermath=== While the African independence movements already had some support in the 1930s, they were accelerated by the war and its outcome. Many African soldiers fought for Free France and Britain. The Allies' policy from the 1941 Atlantic charter to the foundation of the [[United Nations]], was that colonies should be liberated over time. By 1965, 20 years after the war, most of Africa was independent. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|35|15|zoom=4|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} * {{see | name=[[Casablanca]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Morocco]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7903 | content=Controlled by Vichy France until liberated by the Americans after the Operation Torch landings in late 1942. }} * {{see | name=[[Oran]] | directions=[[Algeria]] | wikidata=Q131818 | content=Algeria's second city, and a stronghold of Vichy France. The Allies landed here in November 1942. }} * {{see | name=[[Malta]] | lat=35.95 | long=14.4 | content=This archipelago was a British colony before the war and a British base during it. The Axis bombed it heavily. }} * {{see | name=[[Tripoli]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=32.683333 | long=13.166667 | directions=[[Libya]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This is Libya's largest city, was the capital under the Italians and remains so today. Rommel's headquarters was there for much of the war, and the port was vital for supplying Axis forces. }} * {{see | name=Kufra | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=24.183333 | long=23.283333 | directions=[[Libya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Kufra | wikidata=Q172114 | content=Group of oases in a desert environment. In the early quarter of 1941, it became the scene of a prolonged defensive battle which forced colonial Italian troops to surrender to the Free French. }} * {{see | name=[[Tobruk]] | directions=[[Libya]] | wikidata=Q182092 | content=A natural harbour, which became a stronghold held in turn by the Italians, the British and the Germans, until finally recaptured by the British. }} * {{see | name=[[El Alamein]] | directions=[[Egypt]] | wikidata=Q204439 | content=Two large battles were fought around this town, only 100&nbsp;km (60-odd miles) from [[Alexandria]], in 1942. The Allies stopped the German advance into Egypt here in June. Then in October they attacked the German forces near the town and, after almost three weeks of fierce fighting, drove them back. This battle is regarded as one of the turning points of the war, the beginning of the British advance westward. }} * {{see | name=El Guettar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Tunisia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of El Guettar | wikidata=Q2705113 | content=The Americans fought a series of engagements against German and Italian forces here in late March and early April 1943. Once they broke through, they were able to join up with the British who were advancing from the east. The battle was the main subject of the classic film ''Patton'' with George C. Scott in the title role. }} Once the Allies were able to join up after El Guettar, it was all over for the Axis in Africa. Within a few weeks many of their troops were evacuated and the rest surrendered. {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} i8eusly7h61ckmi09jv4zli7oaz7h4k 4501848 4501845 2022-08-16T03:16:04Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/110.143.41.148|110.143.41.148]] ([[User talk:110.143.41.148|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Ikan Kekek|Ikan Kekek]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|El Alamein 1942 - British infantry Wikivoyage banner.jpg|caption=British soldiers at El Alamein}} The European theatre of '''World War II''' (see [[World War II in Europe]]) included [[North Africa|North]] and [[East Africa]]. Combat between the Axis and the Allies began in 1940, and the Axis were expelled from the continent in 1943. ==Understand== {| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" | Theatres of World War II:<br>'''[[World War II in Europe|Europe]] • [[World War II in Africa|Africa]] • [[World War II in China|China]] • [[Pacific War|Pacific]]''' |} By the 1930s, most of [[Africa]] was divided between the European powers, as colonies and protectorates. See [[British Empire]], [[French Colonial Empire]] and [[Portuguese Empire]] for the largest players. Italy, Belgium and [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] were also involved, and earlier on Germany, the [[Dutch Empire|Netherlands]], Denmark, [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] and the United States had been. The Italians came late to the "scramble for Africa" in which the European powers divided up the continent, but they did manage to grab [[Libya]] in 1911. [[Ethiopia]], which had famously resisted colonial forces, became part of the Italian Empire in 1936. Fascist Italy had an ambition to restore the [[Roman Empire]] encircling the Mediterranean Sea. ===French colonies=== With the fall of France in June 1940, the French colonies in Africa formally became part of Vichy France, a puppet state of Germany whose capital was [[Vichy]]. They never officially joined the Axis, but they did co-operate extensively with Germany. One consequence of this was a British attack on the French naval base at Mers-el-Kebir near [[Oran]], sinking French ships to prevent them falling into German hands. The film ''Casablanca'' takes place in Vichy Africa in this period, specifically in [[Casablanca]], Morocco. Much of the plot revolves around refugees from various parts of Nazi-controlled Europe, en route to neutral Portugal and the United States, *{{listing | name=The Free French | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Free France | content=When France surrendered and the Vichy government was set up, General De Gaulle set up a government in exile, based in London. In Europe, they did propaganda broadcasts and helped run the French Resistance. In Africa they actively opposed various pro-Vichy colonial regimes; by the end of 1942, none of those regimes still held power anywhere on the continent. }} *{{listing | name=Gabon Campaign | wikipedia=Battle of Gabon | content=By the end of August 1940, the Free French held [[Cameroon]] and most of French Equatorial Africa, today's [[Chad]], [[Central African Republic]], and [[Republic of the Congo]]. Then they took [[Gabon]], the last part of French Equatorial Africa under Vichy control; the capital [[Libreville]] fell in early November and the last Vichy forces surrendered a few days later. }} * '''French West Africa''' (today's [[Mauritania]], [[Senegal]], [[Mali]], [[Guinea]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Benin]] and [[Niger]]) remained loyal to Vichy until that regime fell in 1942. *{{listing | name=Battle of Dakar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of Dakar | content=This was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies to capture the strategic port of [[Dakar]] in what is now [[Senegal]], then part of French West Africa. It was mainly a naval battle, Royal Navy versus Vichy ships and shore batteries. }} *{{listing | name=Madagascar Campaign | wikipedia=Battle of Madagascar | content=In 1942, British forces took [[Madagascar]] from the Vichy French and put the Free French in charge instead. Much of the fighting was done by the King's African Rifles, a regiment of native troops (askaris) from various British colonies in eastern Africa. }} The French colonies in North Africa &mdash; [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]] and [[Tunisia]] &mdash; remained under Axis control until they were liberated in late 1942 and early 1943. ===North Africa=== In mid-1940, Mussolini's Fascist Italy joined the war on the German side and there were soon a series of engagements between Italian forces based in their colony of Libya and Commonwealth forces based in Egypt. Toward the end of 1940 the Germans joined in, creating the ''Afrika Corps'' under General Erwin Rommel. Rommel was one of the best German generals of this war, in particular a fine tank tactician. He was sometimes called "the desert fox". The Strait of [[Gibraltar]] and the [[Suez Canal]] were important for Allied shipping, sometimes called "the lifeline of the empire". One of the main Axis objectives in North Africa was to gain control of the Suez Canal, mainly to prevent the Allies from using it, but also to use it themselves for transportation between Europe and the [[Pacific War|Pacific theatre]]. This never happened and the ''Yanagi'' missions, where submarines made shipments between Germany and Japan, had to use the much longer [[Cape Route]]. The Germans also desired to capture the oil fields of the [[Middle East]]. In North Africa the British fought alongside Commonwealth allies. The largest contingent were ANZACs ([[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] Army Corps), some of whom were withdrawn when they were needed nearer home for the [[Pacific War]]. There were also many [[Canada|Canadians]] and some from other countries. In November 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch, invading Morocco and Algeria with mainly American troops; the main targets were [[Casablanca]], [[Oran]] and [[Algiers]]. This was far the largest amphibious assault in history up to that time, and some lessons learned here were applied in the [[D-Day beaches|invasion of Normandy]] later. From then on, Rommel's Afrika Corps was in deep trouble; Commonwealth forces were already advancing on the east, but now there were also Americans attacking on the west. On 13th May 1943 the last Axis troops in North Africa surrendered, ending the war on the continent. The Allies then used North Africa as a base for invasions of [[Sicily]] and then mainland [[Italy]]. ===East Africa=== [[South Africa]] was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire (albeit under white minority rule) since 1931, and supported Britain during the war, though the country also had a strong pro-German movement. This was largely divided along ethnic lines, with most Anglo-South Africans supporting Britain, and most Afrikaners wanting to stay out of the war. See [[20th-century South Africa]]. South African troops and askaris (native troops with mainly British officers) from Britain's East African colonies did most of the fighting in East Africa. They first prevented Italian expansion south from Ethiopia into the British colony of [[Kenya]] and then, working with local patriots, ended Italian rule in Ethiopia. ===Aftermath=== While the African independence movements already had some support in the 1930s, they were accelerated by the war and its outcome. Many African soldiers fought for Free France and Britain. The Allies' policy from the 1941 Atlantic charter to the foundation of the [[United Nations]], was that colonies should be liberated over time. By 1965, 20 years after the war, most of Africa was independent. ==Destinations== {{Mapframe|35|15|zoom=4|layer=W|height=400|width=600}} * {{see | name=[[Casablanca]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Morocco]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7903 | content=Controlled by Vichy France until liberated by the Americans after the Operation Torch landings in late 1942. }} * {{see | name=[[Oran]] | directions=[[Algeria]] | wikidata=Q131818 | content=Algeria's second city, and a stronghold of Vichy France. The Allies landed here in November 1942. }} * {{see | name=[[Malta]] | lat=35.95 | long=14.4 | content=This archipelago was a British colony before the war and a British base during it. The Axis bombed it heavily. }} * {{see | name=[[Tripoli]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=32.683333 | long=13.166667 | directions=[[Libya]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=This is Libya's largest city, was the capital under the Italians and remains so today. Rommel's headquarters was there for much of the war, and the port was vital for supplying Axis forces. }} * {{see | name=[[Tobruk]] | directions=[[Libya]] | wikidata=Q182092 | content=A natural harbour, which became a stronghold held in turn by the Italians, the British and the Germans, until finally recaptured by the British. }} * {{see | name=[[El Alamein]] | directions=[[Egypt]] | wikidata=Q204439 | content=Two large battles were fought around this town, only 100&nbsp;km (60-odd miles) from [[Alexandria]], in 1942. The Allies stopped the German advance into Egypt here in June. Then in October they attacked the German forces near the town and, after almost three weeks of fierce fighting, drove them back. This battle is regarded as one of the turning points of the war, the beginning of the British advance westward. }} * {{see | name=El Guettar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Tunisia]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Battle of El Guettar | wikidata=Q2705113 | content=The Americans fought a series of engagements against German and Italian forces here in late March and early April 1943. Once they broke through, they were able to join up with the British who were advancing from the east. The battle was the main subject of the classic film ''Patton'' with George C. Scott in the title role. }} Once the Allies were able to join up after El Guettar, it was all over for the Axis in Africa. Within a few weeks many of their troops were evacuated and the rest surrendered. {{outlinetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|World War II}} jq6ajfpsdoa2mndcepxi9gfp3dlpugq 5 178522 4501901 3969654 2022-08-16T05:39:46Z Ximplesolutions 2274867 wikitext text/x-wiki '''All You Need To Know About Cloud ERP System''' '''[https://www.ximplesolution.com/cloud-erp-system/ Cloud ERP]''' is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that causes sudden spikes in demand for a merchant's cloud stage rather than an on-premises network, permitting organizations to access the internet. ERP software coordinates and automates fundamental monetary and operational business functions and gives a solitary wellspring of data, including stock, request, and supply chain management, and helps with procurement, production, distribution, and satisfaction. Organizations access the software over the internet, so all that is required is a connection and a browser. What Is Cloud ERP Software? Since it's facilitated by the ERP merchant and offered as assistance to businesses, cloud ERP software upholds something similar, or better, functionality to on-premises systems without the greater part of disadvantages, such as upfront permitting charges. In its report, IDC expressed that "interest for cloud-based ERP systems continues to develop due to their capacity to get to and examine enormous measures of data in close to continuous." That implies continuous stock bits of knowledge to outreach groups and liberating finance groups to watch out for cash runway and immediately respond to reviews or other calls for performance data. How Does Cloud ERP Work? Cloud ERP systems work with a combination of innovations connected by fast internet networks. The cloud ERP is generally online and security refreshes are dealt with by the ERP supplier. All your group needs to stress over is signing in and utilizing the ERP and its hidden data. This might prompt a lower cost of proprietorship than more seasoned ERP systems facilitated on organization-claimed servers. Generally speaking, cloud ERPs are available to clients on mobile devices or desktop computers. They incorporate an extensive variety of business applications to keep your business running proficiently with an emphasis on a positive client experience and profitable business results. Cloud-based ERPs offer close to boundless capacity to scale and engage your group to get to any information they need in any place their work takes them, from client deals gatherings to remote worksites to your workspace. The capacity to safely login from any place can't be put into words in the post-COVID business environment, where more workers than at any time in recent memory are telecommuting and other remote locations. Key elements incorporate the capacity to get to client information, deals accounts, monetary data, HR management devices, live operating metrics, and supply chain status, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. A cloud ERP can integrate virtually any computer system your organization requires. Contingent upon your business needs, you can pick between changing sending models with modules and settings optimized for your sort of organization. That can keep your group zeroed in on the right metrics and work process to meet your organization's objectives. Components of Cloud ERP Software All cloud-based ERP software gives center monetary and bookkeeping functionality. From that point, the sorts of modules or applications an organization decide to carry out rely upon its industry and explicit business needs. Accessible cloud ERP modules include: 1. Financials and bookkeeping 2. Human resources management (HCM) or potentially Human resource management software (HRMS) 3. Client relationship management (CRM) 4. Stock management 5. Request management 6. Procurement 7. Supply chain management 8. Project management 9. Material prerequisites planning (MRP) 10. Cloud ERP Concepts It's essential to see a few fundamental concepts related to cloud ERP as we jump further into the subject: Deployment strategy: ERP software can be conveyed on-premises/on confidential hosted servers or purchased in an "as a help" model. Cloud ERP functionality can typically be conveyed all the more rapidly, however, in the two cases, organizations need to carve out opportunities for planning, data migration, customization and configuration, and staff preparation. Cloud-based ERP: Enterprise resource planning software that is hosted offsite, on the ERP merchant's servers, and offered as support through an internet browser. On-premises ERP: Enterprise resource planning software that is introduced locally, on an organization's computers and servers, and overseen by interior or contracted IT staff. The software and its supporting infrastructure are made due, put away, and kept up with in-house. Hosted ERP: An organization or a facilitating supplier deals with the deployment of Cloud ERP software as well as the related framework. Hosted deployment models are often used when businesses look to re-appropriate IT operations. While this arrangement gives some cloud benefits, it's anything but a valid "as a help" model. ==Touting on Userpages== I have seen some very fishy user pages recently ([[User:(WT-en) Haiya1984|(WT-en) like this one]]). They are either soliciting, personal ads, or just offering business services. I figure these should be deleted, at least when the user is clearly not here to contribute content, but I am a little wary about just deleting userpages&mdash;should I just delete them? --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 18:26, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :I don't have a problem with a business owner putting info about their hotel/restaurant/etc on their user page, even going so far as doing a little touting, as long as they've actually contributed to the guide, and it doesn't turn into a free "web presence" for their business. But I don't think the above-linked user page is appropriate. At best it's a "job wanted" advert, and I can't help wondering if the services being offered include "happy endings" (which would be even less appropriate). For something like this (especially since I doubt she's coming back), I think we should blank the page, with a note on her User_talk page explaining why. - [[User:(WT-en) TVerBeek|(WT-en) Todd VerBeek]] 18:40, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :Anytime you feel wary about just deleting something, please hold off. In particular, if a user page has some content you think is unacceptable, it's much better to talk to that user than to just delete their user page. :I think that touting user pages are relatively harmless, and I think that it's more important that contributors feel that their user page is their own to do with as they wish. Clearly user pages don't fall under the same MoS requirements as pages in the main namespace. Unless there's clear and imminent harm from having a particular user page on the site, let's practice benign negligence. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 22:42, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :: I'm very much with Evan on this one - unless a user page is '''obviously''' in violation of the [[Project:Illegal activities policy]] or if they are '''obviously''' in violation of the "not a homepage service" [[Project:Goals and non-goals|goal]] then I think we should only modify them after leaving a warning on the talk page and reaching a consensus to do so on the VFD (or some other) page. The [[Project:User page help|user page policy]] tells a user that the page is "their '''own''' user page", and just as you wouldn't enter your neighbor's house except in an extreme situation I don't think we should be patrolling user pages without good reason. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 23:11, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :::Just so I better understand how to deal with these&mdash;in this particular case, it appeared the user was using her user page to advertise her "escort services" and had not contributed any content to wikivoyage other than the user page. I went with Todd's suggestion: blanked her page and left a note on her talk page. Did I overstep with this one? --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 00:07, 5 June 2007 (EDT) ::::I think it's a rare case that we need to do this, but I agree this is one that should have been blanked, yes. I can't think of any reason beyond the 2 Ryan mentioned why we'd need to do this... either a user has turned their userpage into a large and unruly personal website, or if they're in violation of the illegal activities policy. Otherwise, don't worry about it &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 02:01, 5 June 2007 (EDT) ::::: Sorry, I thought this discussion had concluded, so I just reverted Peter's blanking. I rolled back. I am on the fence on this one. &mdash; [[User:(WT-en) Ravikiran r|(WT-en) Ravikiran]] 02:08, 5 June 2007 (EDT) :::::: I agree with Evan on this -- it's not our job to start censoring people's user pages. [[User:(WT-en) Jpatokal|(WT-en) Jpatokal]] 02:15, 5 June 2007 (EDT) :::::::One of our [[Project:Goals and non-goals|non-goals]] is to "provide personal hompage service", which, I believe extends to businesses. As policy says, "[user pages] should be used to support the development of the travel guide", which the user pages in question don't do. I'd say delete overt advertisements, but leave the user pages of users, who contribute alone, even if they advertise their businesses on a user page. -- [[User:(WT-en) Sapphire|(WT-en) Sapphire]] 22:10, 19 June 2007 (EDT) ::The suggestion to "talk to the user" is a good one, and when I have reason to believe the user will be back for a conversation, I do exactly that. I don't ''like'' "censoring" ''anyone'', and personally I don't care if someone sells sex, drugs, ''and'' rock-and-roll. But when they create a Wikivoyage account and place an advert on their not-really-a-user page as their first and only edit, and it clearly isn't consistent with what this site is for, what are we supposed to do? Just leave it until they (don't) come back? The User: space (which isn't where she first created the homepage, BTW; I moved it there) is not the main Wikivoyage space, but it's still part of this site, and unless we want this to turn into MyWikivoyageSpace, some "policing" ''is'' necessary. "Benign negligence" is still negligence. - [[User:(WT-en) TVerBeek|(WT-en) Todd VerBeek]] 22:40, 19 June 2007 (EDT) I would be curious to hear some more opinions on this topic. [[User:(WT-en) Bestlyriccollection]] seems to me like a speedy delete candidate, since its only purpose is to spam in a place where we are loathe to interfere, but to speedy delete it would certainly go against the tide of this discussion so far. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 22:56, 15 July 2007 (EDT) :First, I'd ask if you'd leave a welcome message for the user and explain your concerns. If you think it needs to be dealt with immediately VFD it. I agree with you it doesn't much help the project and is fishy, but at least he/she isn't advertising "midgetswithbigcocks.net". -- [[User:(WT-en) Sapphire|(WT-en) Sapphire]] • <small>([[User talk:(WV-en) Sapphire|Talk]])</small> • 23:06, 15 July 2007 (EDT) ::I left him a message and went ahead and blanked the page... we've pretty clearly got a policy against using userpages as personal home pages... see [[Project:User page help]]. What we've been discussing above is users who are touting about their ''one specific business'' on their userpages... and we seem to be leaning towards letting that go. But this user had a list of at least 100 bookmarks, almost all of which had absolutely nothing to do with making a travel guide. One section of the links were to his various other userpages on other wikis, almost all of which had the same list of bookmarks. The notable exception was his Wikipedia userpage, probably because they've also got a similar (and sometimes well-enforced) policy &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 02:10, 16 July 2007 (EDT) I just rolled back a blanking of some of [[User:(WT-en) JossDude|(WT-en) JossDude's]] user pages. They're obviously in violation of the "not a homepage service", but at the same time they were all travel related and I'm really, really uncomfortable with getting into the business of policing user pages. Wikivoyage policy states that a user's page is their page to do with what they like, so if we're going to start modifying them I think it should be totally obvious even to someone unfamiliar with Wikivoyage why the modification is being made (ie the page is filled with spam links or hate speech), or else we should have some sort of discussion ala VFD prior to making changes. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:01, 18 July 2007 (EDT) :Actually, I think our policy at [[Project:Goals and non-goals]] makes it pretty clear that a user's page is not their page to ''do with what they like'' as it sets clear limits on what the user pages can/should be. The only part that isn't clear is what happens if a User is in violation. The simplest thing to do is to just leave a message, but in [[User talk:(WT-en) JossDude|this particular case]], the User had not responded to multiple messages for months. I would also venture that my message on his talk page made it perfectly clear why I had modified his travelogues&mdash;as I said, I was trying to get his attention so that he would respond to talk messages letting him know that his User page use was in clear violation of Wikivoyage policy. Lastly, I would just like to point out that this is no longer a matter of whether touting on user pages is a policy violation, it is now a discussion of how to police policy violations on user pages. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 02:19, 19 July 2007 (EDT) ::And Ryan, I would like to point out that a good part of my rationale for the edits you reverted came from your earlier comment in this thread: "unless a user page is obviously in violation of the Wikivoyage:Illegal activities policy or if they are obviously in violation of the "not a homepage service" goal..." --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 02:34, 19 July 2007 (EDT) ::: Just to be clear, I don't think you necessarily did anything wrong, and I apologize if I've seemed overly critical. The issue I see is that I don't think there has yet been any agreement on how (or if) this issue should be handled - Evan advocated benign negligence, Ravi is on the fence, and Jani agreed with Evan. In my comments above I agreed with Evan, but I should have used the phrase "'''blatantly''' in violation" instead of "obviously in violation" to indicate when I would favor modifying a user page. ::: The policy currently in place allows us to easily deal with someone who (for example) shows up and creates a user page to hawk the latest male enhancement gimmick - to me that's a blatant/obvious violation, and I think it would be 100% clear to anyone that the content is inappropriate. In the case of [[User:(WT-en) JossDude|(WT-en) JossDude]], while his travel journals violate the written policies, I don't think that it's unreasonable for a new user (who probably hasn't read all of the policies) to assume that they could use their user space to write about their travels. Both examples technically violate the "not a home page" guideline, but I see the second example kind of like jay-walking - you only do something about it when it becomes a serious issue, and the rest of the time you just look the other way. Also, I really think that if people want to begin dealing with pages like [[User:(WT-en) JossDude|(WT-en) JossDude's]] where it's not 100% clear that someone is abusing Wikivoyage then we need a discussion process - "we should only modify them after leaving a warning on the talk page ''and reaching a consensus to do so on the VFD (or some other) page''". That's my less than two cents worth, I'll shut up now. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 03:05, 19 July 2007 (EDT) Let's try to set ''reasonable'' limits. The guides are the focus of Wikivoyage and our patrolling efforts should go there. The talk pages, the User pages and the project pages are supposed to be working towards that goal, but I think that in those cases we can and should allow a bit of leeway there. How much of leeway, is an open question, but let's accept that if we start applying our non-goal rules to User pages, every one of us is in violation. I mention something about me and where I work on my User page - i.e. I am using it as a homepage. If I put a couple of essays about my travels there, I am creating a travel journal. If I put a couple of photos from my last vacation, I am using it as a vacation photo gallery service. I asked Cacahuate for advice when I was planning my honeymoon, so I used Wikivoyage as a travel chat board. If I run a restaurant, put a link to it on my user page and brag about how good the restaurant is, I've made it an advertising brochure. I think the key questions to ask are: Is it travel related? Is it excessive? Does it harm Wikivoyage's primary purpose? Obviously, if someone puts a lot of spammy links or pornography on any page, it affects our reputation, may turn off users and may lower our google rank, so we should police that. If someone puts too many non-travel related photographs, it takes up space on our servers which is obviously a bad thing - but Evan should really tell us how much is too much. So I think that we did the right thing with Bestlyricscollection. I am not sure if we did the right thing with Haiya1984 - the touting was not excessive, but because it is sex-related, it probably harms our image. But when it comes to JossDude, I am concerned that we are going overboard by blanking out his page, ''especially'' now that we have Extra. After all, what he is doing ''is'' travel related. He is not adding too many photographs, and I have a hard time thinking of any amount of travel related text as "excessive". It will not harm Wikivoyage's reputation or image. On the contrary, if his friends visit his page, there is a chance that they will check out other parts of the site and stay on as contributors. We should try to nudge him to contribute to Extra, but I doubt if "I got kicked out of Wikivoyage" is a good enough reason for people to move to Extra. Let it be, I say. &mdash; [[User:(WT-en) Ravikiran r|(WT-en) Ravikiran]] 03:17, 19 July 2007 (EDT) :Ravikiran's guidelines sound very reasonable to me. I will say, however, that the thing that attracted my attention to JossDude's travelogues was the fact that he has uploaded >70 large personal images (our [[Project:Goals and non-goals]] advises that >5 is "pushing it"). I suppose the space that he alone uses for image hosting is pretty negligible, but my guess is that it would start to take up too much server space if this sort of activity became popular. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 02:59, 20 July 2007 (EDT) ===Suspected fraud=== Here's another borderline case: [[User:(WT-en) Saradarani]] Anyone familiar with the (still!) ongoing [[Mandarmani]] saga will recognize this as a very suspect touting userpage. There has been someone (or some people) who have been very persistently changing the phone numbers for the accommodations listings for Mandarmani and for several nearby locations. He/she/they have also claimed to "be" the owners of these accommodations listings. Since the phone number on this user page does not match up to the ones that the Sana Beach lists on its website, I suspect that this particular userpage tout is actually an attempt to trick people into calling someone else&mdash;in short, it is fraud. My feeling is that we should blank this page. Does that seem reasonable to others? --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 03:17, 2 September 2007 (EDT) : While Wikivoyage's user page policy says users can do what they want with their user pages, that doesn't include misleading travelers with false information. If this user page is pushing false information with the intent of duping travelers then remove the offending info, but there definitely needs to be a note left on the user page explaining why the content was removed and what needs to be done to restore it, especially if there is any chance at all that the content in question could actually be valid. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 03:41, 2 September 2007 (EDT) == More than a babel? == ''Swept from the [[Pub]]'': Sorry if it shouldn't be discussed here, I couldn't find another place. Anyways if you check out some of the user pages in Wikipedia, like: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Kevlar67], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ceejayoz], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:LtPowers], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Baccyak4H] and look at the spots with babel's, you'd see there is a lot more other stuff. I was wondering if it is possible to have the same in WikiTravel, or to implement it? I think it'd be neat. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 19:16, 10 November 2008 (EST). :I like the 'language' the second user has in his Babel: "du-0 This person does not understand dumbass (or understands it with considerable difficulties, or does not want to speak dumbass)." When that 'language' is added to Wikivoyage, I will certainly add it to my profile! :) :) [[User:(WT-en) AHeneen|(WT-en) AHeneen]] 00:53, 11 November 2008 (EST) : While I like the babel, Ithink we can get more and personailize! Good idea? Happy first day of snow in Edmonton, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 11:33, 11 November 2008 (EST). : I agree. And lucky you...my hometown has seen snow only once in recorded history...about a half inch (a little more than 1cm) in 1977...no "first day of snow" for me!! [[User:(WT-en) AHeneen|(WT-en) AHeneen]] 13:08, 11 November 2008 (EST) : Hehe, here' it'll probably melt tomorrow. It'll probably be off and on until Dec 20 and then it'll stay until about March. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 13:12, 11 November 2008 (EST). :: It's easy enough to add languages into the Babel in Wikivoyage. I did it a while ago with Welsh (cy). I just copied the format for all the templates from one of the existing languages, and nicked the definitions for each level from Babel Wikipedia. Obviously if you're trying to set it up for a language you're not that fluent in yourself it makes it much easier if it's already there on Wikipedia. [[User:(WT-en) Tarr3n|(WT-en) Tarr3n]] 03:03, 12 November 2008 (EST) :::I don't think EE's looking for more languages. I think he/she'd like to have userboxes for other topics like those that are rampant on Wikipedia. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:51, 12 November 2008 (EST) :Eaxactly! I know about the languages. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 10:30, 12 November 2008 (EST). So, would people be interested in having this-or is it already on this site? Keep smiling ,[[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="green">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="gray">talk</font>]]</small>} 00:51, 14 November 2008 (EST). :I'd really prefer we didn't. The consensus here has always been against userboxes. Just one reason why I'd prefer we don't is that it would mess up the special:allpages template list. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 01:00, 14 November 2008 (EST) ::So then why can Wikipedia have it? TO me it's stupid, its a wonderful oportunity! Why do we need plain jane's when we can have better (not directed necessarily at WT). I don't get it. Seems like your missing out. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="green">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="gray">talk</font>]]</small>} 10:30, 14 November 2008 (EST). :::Missing out on what? This is a place for people to write a travel guide, sure we can have a little fun doing it, but this isn't really meant to be a travel version of mySpace. That said, I did create one for my user page, and I wouldn't be against travel-oriented ones like "this user is a couch surfer" or whatever, but I would hate to see it become like Wikipedia too, with endless irrelevant crap &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 04:03, 15 November 2008 (EST) I found out ya can do more than a babel on Wikivoyage, you just gotta know what you want and be aware you can't have the same options as Wikipedia. Check my page. ZOMG meteor on the prairies yesterday!![[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="#339989">'''edmontonenthusiast [ee]'''</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="#8848d7">'''.T.A.L.K.'''</font>]]</small>} 01:34, 22 November 2008 (EST). == ub == Okay, in light of the growing popularity of userboxes with more boxes than a babel, maybe we should do an article page like, [[Project:Babel]]? I mean it is only suiting and people seem to like it aswell and it can explain the codes. keep smiling,[[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="#339989">'''edmontonenthusiast [ee]'''</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="#8848d7">'''.T.A.L.K.'''</font>]]</small>} 10:20, 5 December 2008 (EST). :I am strongly opposed to this idea. As I explained in the pub, the consensus on this site has always been against userboxes, and the tone that they set. The most relevant pieces of information on this topic are on this page (''Remember that Wikivoyage is not a personal home page service or a vacation photo service. Overloaded User pages are considered a form of abuse.'') and enshrined in the most important [[Project:Goals_and_non-goals#Non-goals|policy article]] on Wikivoyage. :The professional, controlled atmosphere on Wikivoyage is deliberate. We are working on creating travel guides, not on social networking. User pages really should be devoted to furthering the aims of Wikivoyage and userboxes clearly do not do this. Productive uses of personal space can include friendly, but relevant information, like indications of what languages you speak, what places you know well, places of interest to you. Most userpages do include some personal information, but I think totally non-relevant narcissistic userboxes, or even worse, userboxes that are made to vent personal frustrations, are out of step with the Wikivoyage culture that has been cultivated for the past 5 years. There are plenty of other sites on the web for this type of socializing. And on a purely subjective level, seeing pages loaded with irrelevant userboxes makes me take the user less seriously, because it makes the user seem less interested in the project than in himself. :That said, we ''do not police'' personal userspace except in the extreme cases that they become external link spam or are advertising illegal services. So no one will remove the userboxes on your page. But while I'm always open to hearing new arguments pro, I have trouble imagining that I will drop my opposition to creating userboxes in our Template: space, and especially to recommending them in this policy article. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 16:50, 6 December 2008 (EST) ::Just because you cannot open your mind a smidge to new ideas, doesn't mean things can't change. So what if it has been the same way for five years, nothing stays the same, and you should be open with that. I am not doing this for me, I am doing it for the rising popularity in it. If I was the only one with this, then I would not have brought it up, but there is growing popularity and it would be nice to have a page on it cause it does seem important - not to mention difficult. I really do not get why you are anti userbox as they seem really cool on wikipedia. What is the big deal with getting some off topic when it isnt even an article? I see no reason why we should not have this. Who cares if it is off topic, it's not like it's filling up travel article with ubs, what is the big whupdy? I will see where the anti user box people are coming from if you gimme a good reason that I cannot argue. I cannot get why every little thing has to be about travel, even if it is stuff that doesn't need it. Peter, I don't get it, you don't really see the big picture. [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="#339989">'''edmontonenthusiast [ee]'''</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="#8848d7">'''.T.A.L.K.'''</font>]]</small>} 22:12, 6 December 2008 (EST). ::: Peter spelled out his reasoning without resorting to personal attacks in his posting. His #1 reason is not that he opposes userboxes, but he opposes encouraging them by creating templates. Additionally, he sees userboxes as being against the core [[Project:Goals and non-goals|goals]] of the site. For the record, over the past year Peter has been instrumental in implementing many new ideas, so accusing him of being close-minded or missing the big-picture is an unfair attack. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:25, 6 December 2008 (EST) ==Policing user space== Leaving users to do whatever they want with their userspace has been the norm on Wikivoyage for longer, certainly, than I have been contributing. That norm has been challenged a few times, [[#Touting_on_Userpages|above]], and [[Wikivoyage_talk:Deletion_policy#Blanking_talk_pages|misplaced here]], but while there is significant support for change, there is yet to emerge a consensus for changing this practice. Because of Wikivoyage's increasing weight in search engine results, we are seeing a lot of spam set up in userspace for the ostensible purpose of increasing other sites'/businesses' page rank. I do think that the general rule of inviolable userspace is worth preserving (for the record, I ''don't'' think that should extend to modifying others' comments on user ''talk'' pages), but I think we can draw a useful '''line between contributing users and non-contributing''' spammers. We get increasing amounts of new users who set up clear advertisements in their userspace, then never contribute again. I say, if a user does not make ''any'' non-spam edits, we should not extend the same privileges to said user that we would to a Wikivoyage ''contributor''. Reasons for policing user pages to root out spam: 1) having large quantities of irrelevant spam throughout our sites may lower Wikivoyage's search engine ranking (indeed, I think it ''should''); 2) having large quantities of irrelevant advertising throughout hundreds or thousands of userpages makes Wikivoyage look like an unprofessional, unmoderated, and unreliable website to casual users who come across these pages in search results. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 06:47, 1 April 2009 (EDT) :Given what seemed previously to be rather intense interest in this issue, I'm surprised no one is commenting. In any rate, I would like to use this policy to delete, for example, [[User talk:(WT-en) Salahsaeed|this page]]. Since at least [[Project:Votes_for_deletion#User_talk:Scs|one person]] (last comment in section) has voiced support for this change, I'm going to [[rfc]] this, and make it policy in two weeks if no one else comments. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 14:38, 26 April 2009 (EDT) ::Frankly, I don't think I even knew this page existed. I support your proposal. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 20:32, 26 April 2009 (EDT) ::: Support as well &mdash; sorry I hadn't noticed the proposal earlier. [[User:(WT-en) Gorilla Jones|(WT-en) Gorilla Jones]] 20:50, 26 April 2009 (EDT) ::: I '''Support''', but I really see this as already being a subset of existing policy. We are not a user home page service, and I have seen no consensus ever evolve that there is ''inviolable userspace'', despire the links you have pointed to in the past. We have a specific [[Project:Goals_and_non-goals#Non-goals|non-goal]] stating this, and this should be sufficient without having to present this as a policy change here. User Pages exist to further the goal of building a travel guide. If they are contrary to this, they should be blanked or deleted by the normal process. --[[User:(WT-en) Inas|(WT-en) Inas]] 21:25, 26 April 2009 (EDT) It's been a month and a half, with an [[rfc]], and no objections (there was also support when I brought this up in a vfd). I'm adding this to the [[Project:Deletion policy]]. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 06:32, 14 May 2009 (EDT) :Your modification to the policy only covers User talk pages. Did you mean to leave User pages out of this? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 17:08, 14 May 2009 (EDT) ::Nope, that was just sloppy editing&mdash;fixed. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 20:27, 14 May 2009 (EDT) == No user page == {{swept}} Today is my first visit to Wikivoyage. Rather than create a new Wikivoyage user account, I signed in using my existing Wikipedia account. This worked fine, but didn't create a user page for me, Irelandkm, on Wikivoyage. From what I can tell from the help files, the user page is normally created automatically when an account is created - but I seem to have bypassed that step. Should I just create a new page User:Irelandkm as if I were creating a new topic page? Thanks! [[User:Irelandkm|Irelandkm]] ([[User talk:Irelandkm|talk]]) 14:26, 16 January 2013 (UTC) :Yes, go ahead and create it manually at [[special:mypage]]; each language of each project is separate and there is no automatically-created user page. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 14:33, 16 January 2013 (UTC) * Thanks for the fast help; my personal issue has been fixed. If other people are not having a similar problem, this can be deleted. If they are, perhaps the help file for new users can be updated with instructions on how to address the issue. [[User:Irelandkm|Irelandkm]] ([[User talk:Irelandkm|talk]]) 17:02, 16 January 2013 (UTC) **There is no "issue". It's just when you come to a new wiki, you get to create a new user page. Heh. —[[User:Tom Morris|Tom Morris]] ([[User talk:Tom Morris|talk]]) 18:42, 16 January 2013 (UTC) ***Unless you have a bot do it for you: [[m:User:Pathoschild/Scripts/Synchbot]] --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 19:37, 16 January 2013 (UTC) f8aex4yqzr5nyu1j3edhiqiux4m692m 4501912 4501901 2022-08-16T06:19:38Z Pashley 1822 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Ximplesolutions|Ximplesolutions]] ([[User talk:Ximplesolutions|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Ground Zero|Ground Zero]] wikitext text/x-wiki ==Pages by contributor== [Moved from [[Project:Travellers' pub|Travellers' pub]] by [[User:(WT-en) Hypatia|(WT-en) Hypatia]] 21:31, 16 Dec 2004 (EST)] Is there any way of displaying the list of pages that a user has contributed? I often find that someone who makes a mistake in one page replicates this in many and it would be extremely useful if I could simply access them all. --[[User:(WT-en) Nzpcmad|(WT-en) Nzpcmad]] 03:26, 9 Oct 2004 (EDT) :Yes, this is how I kill spam from a single source. If you go to the User:foo page, somewhere there is a link (in the default skin, it's on the left side in a bar labeled ''toolbox'') you can click labeled ''User Contributions''. This takes you to a page with all contribs. For example, Jpatokal's contribs are [http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=Jpatokal]. -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 03:31, 9 Oct 2004 (EDT) ::OK - excellent. Many thanks --[[User:(WT-en) Nzpcmad|(WT-en) Nzpcmad]] 03:54, 9 Oct 2004 (EDT) Should we put an info box on this page that lets people know editing this page won't create their own user page? Looks like it happens pretty often. Maybe something like: {{disclaimerbox|'''NOTE''': '''Editing this template will not create your user page;''' for information on how to create your own user page see [[Project:How to create a user account]].}} -- [[User:(WT-en) Fastestdogever|(WT-en) Fastestdogever]] 13:42, 23 April 2007 (EDT) ==Touting on Userpages== I have seen some very fishy user pages recently ([[User:(WT-en) Haiya1984|(WT-en) like this one]]). They are either soliciting, personal ads, or just offering business services. I figure these should be deleted, at least when the user is clearly not here to contribute content, but I am a little wary about just deleting userpages&mdash;should I just delete them? --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 18:26, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :I don't have a problem with a business owner putting info about their hotel/restaurant/etc on their user page, even going so far as doing a little touting, as long as they've actually contributed to the guide, and it doesn't turn into a free "web presence" for their business. But I don't think the above-linked user page is appropriate. At best it's a "job wanted" advert, and I can't help wondering if the services being offered include "happy endings" (which would be even less appropriate). For something like this (especially since I doubt she's coming back), I think we should blank the page, with a note on her User_talk page explaining why. - [[User:(WT-en) TVerBeek|(WT-en) Todd VerBeek]] 18:40, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :Anytime you feel wary about just deleting something, please hold off. In particular, if a user page has some content you think is unacceptable, it's much better to talk to that user than to just delete their user page. :I think that touting user pages are relatively harmless, and I think that it's more important that contributors feel that their user page is their own to do with as they wish. Clearly user pages don't fall under the same MoS requirements as pages in the main namespace. Unless there's clear and imminent harm from having a particular user page on the site, let's practice benign negligence. --[[User:(WT-en) Evan|(WT-en) Evan]] 22:42, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :: I'm very much with Evan on this one - unless a user page is '''obviously''' in violation of the [[Project:Illegal activities policy]] or if they are '''obviously''' in violation of the "not a homepage service" [[Project:Goals and non-goals|goal]] then I think we should only modify them after leaving a warning on the talk page and reaching a consensus to do so on the VFD (or some other) page. The [[Project:User page help|user page policy]] tells a user that the page is "their '''own''' user page", and just as you wouldn't enter your neighbor's house except in an extreme situation I don't think we should be patrolling user pages without good reason. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 23:11, 4 June 2007 (EDT) :::Just so I better understand how to deal with these&mdash;in this particular case, it appeared the user was using her user page to advertise her "escort services" and had not contributed any content to wikivoyage other than the user page. I went with Todd's suggestion: blanked her page and left a note on her talk page. Did I overstep with this one? --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 00:07, 5 June 2007 (EDT) ::::I think it's a rare case that we need to do this, but I agree this is one that should have been blanked, yes. I can't think of any reason beyond the 2 Ryan mentioned why we'd need to do this... either a user has turned their userpage into a large and unruly personal website, or if they're in violation of the illegal activities policy. Otherwise, don't worry about it &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 02:01, 5 June 2007 (EDT) ::::: Sorry, I thought this discussion had concluded, so I just reverted Peter's blanking. I rolled back. I am on the fence on this one. &mdash; [[User:(WT-en) Ravikiran r|(WT-en) Ravikiran]] 02:08, 5 June 2007 (EDT) :::::: I agree with Evan on this -- it's not our job to start censoring people's user pages. [[User:(WT-en) Jpatokal|(WT-en) Jpatokal]] 02:15, 5 June 2007 (EDT) :::::::One of our [[Project:Goals and non-goals|non-goals]] is to "provide personal hompage service", which, I believe extends to businesses. As policy says, "[user pages] should be used to support the development of the travel guide", which the user pages in question don't do. I'd say delete overt advertisements, but leave the user pages of users, who contribute alone, even if they advertise their businesses on a user page. -- [[User:(WT-en) Sapphire|(WT-en) Sapphire]] 22:10, 19 June 2007 (EDT) ::The suggestion to "talk to the user" is a good one, and when I have reason to believe the user will be back for a conversation, I do exactly that. I don't ''like'' "censoring" ''anyone'', and personally I don't care if someone sells sex, drugs, ''and'' rock-and-roll. But when they create a Wikivoyage account and place an advert on their not-really-a-user page as their first and only edit, and it clearly isn't consistent with what this site is for, what are we supposed to do? Just leave it until they (don't) come back? The User: space (which isn't where she first created the homepage, BTW; I moved it there) is not the main Wikivoyage space, but it's still part of this site, and unless we want this to turn into MyWikivoyageSpace, some "policing" ''is'' necessary. "Benign negligence" is still negligence. - [[User:(WT-en) TVerBeek|(WT-en) Todd VerBeek]] 22:40, 19 June 2007 (EDT) I would be curious to hear some more opinions on this topic. [[User:(WT-en) Bestlyriccollection]] seems to me like a speedy delete candidate, since its only purpose is to spam in a place where we are loathe to interfere, but to speedy delete it would certainly go against the tide of this discussion so far. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 22:56, 15 July 2007 (EDT) :First, I'd ask if you'd leave a welcome message for the user and explain your concerns. If you think it needs to be dealt with immediately VFD it. I agree with you it doesn't much help the project and is fishy, but at least he/she isn't advertising "midgetswithbigcocks.net". -- [[User:(WT-en) Sapphire|(WT-en) Sapphire]] • <small>([[User talk:(WV-en) Sapphire|Talk]])</small> • 23:06, 15 July 2007 (EDT) ::I left him a message and went ahead and blanked the page... we've pretty clearly got a policy against using userpages as personal home pages... see [[Project:User page help]]. What we've been discussing above is users who are touting about their ''one specific business'' on their userpages... and we seem to be leaning towards letting that go. But this user had a list of at least 100 bookmarks, almost all of which had absolutely nothing to do with making a travel guide. One section of the links were to his various other userpages on other wikis, almost all of which had the same list of bookmarks. The notable exception was his Wikipedia userpage, probably because they've also got a similar (and sometimes well-enforced) policy &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 02:10, 16 July 2007 (EDT) I just rolled back a blanking of some of [[User:(WT-en) JossDude|(WT-en) JossDude's]] user pages. They're obviously in violation of the "not a homepage service", but at the same time they were all travel related and I'm really, really uncomfortable with getting into the business of policing user pages. Wikivoyage policy states that a user's page is their page to do with what they like, so if we're going to start modifying them I think it should be totally obvious even to someone unfamiliar with Wikivoyage why the modification is being made (ie the page is filled with spam links or hate speech), or else we should have some sort of discussion ala VFD prior to making changes. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:01, 18 July 2007 (EDT) :Actually, I think our policy at [[Project:Goals and non-goals]] makes it pretty clear that a user's page is not their page to ''do with what they like'' as it sets clear limits on what the user pages can/should be. The only part that isn't clear is what happens if a User is in violation. The simplest thing to do is to just leave a message, but in [[User talk:(WT-en) JossDude|this particular case]], the User had not responded to multiple messages for months. I would also venture that my message on his talk page made it perfectly clear why I had modified his travelogues&mdash;as I said, I was trying to get his attention so that he would respond to talk messages letting him know that his User page use was in clear violation of Wikivoyage policy. Lastly, I would just like to point out that this is no longer a matter of whether touting on user pages is a policy violation, it is now a discussion of how to police policy violations on user pages. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 02:19, 19 July 2007 (EDT) ::And Ryan, I would like to point out that a good part of my rationale for the edits you reverted came from your earlier comment in this thread: "unless a user page is obviously in violation of the Wikivoyage:Illegal activities policy or if they are obviously in violation of the "not a homepage service" goal..." --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 02:34, 19 July 2007 (EDT) ::: Just to be clear, I don't think you necessarily did anything wrong, and I apologize if I've seemed overly critical. The issue I see is that I don't think there has yet been any agreement on how (or if) this issue should be handled - Evan advocated benign negligence, Ravi is on the fence, and Jani agreed with Evan. In my comments above I agreed with Evan, but I should have used the phrase "'''blatantly''' in violation" instead of "obviously in violation" to indicate when I would favor modifying a user page. ::: The policy currently in place allows us to easily deal with someone who (for example) shows up and creates a user page to hawk the latest male enhancement gimmick - to me that's a blatant/obvious violation, and I think it would be 100% clear to anyone that the content is inappropriate. In the case of [[User:(WT-en) JossDude|(WT-en) JossDude]], while his travel journals violate the written policies, I don't think that it's unreasonable for a new user (who probably hasn't read all of the policies) to assume that they could use their user space to write about their travels. Both examples technically violate the "not a home page" guideline, but I see the second example kind of like jay-walking - you only do something about it when it becomes a serious issue, and the rest of the time you just look the other way. Also, I really think that if people want to begin dealing with pages like [[User:(WT-en) JossDude|(WT-en) JossDude's]] where it's not 100% clear that someone is abusing Wikivoyage then we need a discussion process - "we should only modify them after leaving a warning on the talk page ''and reaching a consensus to do so on the VFD (or some other) page''". That's my less than two cents worth, I'll shut up now. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 03:05, 19 July 2007 (EDT) Let's try to set ''reasonable'' limits. The guides are the focus of Wikivoyage and our patrolling efforts should go there. The talk pages, the User pages and the project pages are supposed to be working towards that goal, but I think that in those cases we can and should allow a bit of leeway there. How much of leeway, is an open question, but let's accept that if we start applying our non-goal rules to User pages, every one of us is in violation. I mention something about me and where I work on my User page - i.e. I am using it as a homepage. If I put a couple of essays about my travels there, I am creating a travel journal. If I put a couple of photos from my last vacation, I am using it as a vacation photo gallery service. I asked Cacahuate for advice when I was planning my honeymoon, so I used Wikivoyage as a travel chat board. If I run a restaurant, put a link to it on my user page and brag about how good the restaurant is, I've made it an advertising brochure. I think the key questions to ask are: Is it travel related? Is it excessive? Does it harm Wikivoyage's primary purpose? Obviously, if someone puts a lot of spammy links or pornography on any page, it affects our reputation, may turn off users and may lower our google rank, so we should police that. If someone puts too many non-travel related photographs, it takes up space on our servers which is obviously a bad thing - but Evan should really tell us how much is too much. So I think that we did the right thing with Bestlyricscollection. I am not sure if we did the right thing with Haiya1984 - the touting was not excessive, but because it is sex-related, it probably harms our image. But when it comes to JossDude, I am concerned that we are going overboard by blanking out his page, ''especially'' now that we have Extra. After all, what he is doing ''is'' travel related. He is not adding too many photographs, and I have a hard time thinking of any amount of travel related text as "excessive". It will not harm Wikivoyage's reputation or image. On the contrary, if his friends visit his page, there is a chance that they will check out other parts of the site and stay on as contributors. We should try to nudge him to contribute to Extra, but I doubt if "I got kicked out of Wikivoyage" is a good enough reason for people to move to Extra. Let it be, I say. &mdash; [[User:(WT-en) Ravikiran r|(WT-en) Ravikiran]] 03:17, 19 July 2007 (EDT) :Ravikiran's guidelines sound very reasonable to me. I will say, however, that the thing that attracted my attention to JossDude's travelogues was the fact that he has uploaded >70 large personal images (our [[Project:Goals and non-goals]] advises that >5 is "pushing it"). I suppose the space that he alone uses for image hosting is pretty negligible, but my guess is that it would start to take up too much server space if this sort of activity became popular. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 02:59, 20 July 2007 (EDT) ===Suspected fraud=== Here's another borderline case: [[User:(WT-en) Saradarani]] Anyone familiar with the (still!) ongoing [[Mandarmani]] saga will recognize this as a very suspect touting userpage. There has been someone (or some people) who have been very persistently changing the phone numbers for the accommodations listings for Mandarmani and for several nearby locations. He/she/they have also claimed to "be" the owners of these accommodations listings. Since the phone number on this user page does not match up to the ones that the Sana Beach lists on its website, I suspect that this particular userpage tout is actually an attempt to trick people into calling someone else&mdash;in short, it is fraud. My feeling is that we should blank this page. Does that seem reasonable to others? --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 03:17, 2 September 2007 (EDT) : While Wikivoyage's user page policy says users can do what they want with their user pages, that doesn't include misleading travelers with false information. If this user page is pushing false information with the intent of duping travelers then remove the offending info, but there definitely needs to be a note left on the user page explaining why the content was removed and what needs to be done to restore it, especially if there is any chance at all that the content in question could actually be valid. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 03:41, 2 September 2007 (EDT) == More than a babel? == ''Swept from the [[Pub]]'': Sorry if it shouldn't be discussed here, I couldn't find another place. Anyways if you check out some of the user pages in Wikipedia, like: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Kevlar67], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ceejayoz], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:LtPowers], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Baccyak4H] and look at the spots with babel's, you'd see there is a lot more other stuff. I was wondering if it is possible to have the same in WikiTravel, or to implement it? I think it'd be neat. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 19:16, 10 November 2008 (EST). :I like the 'language' the second user has in his Babel: "du-0 This person does not understand dumbass (or understands it with considerable difficulties, or does not want to speak dumbass)." When that 'language' is added to Wikivoyage, I will certainly add it to my profile! :) :) [[User:(WT-en) AHeneen|(WT-en) AHeneen]] 00:53, 11 November 2008 (EST) : While I like the babel, Ithink we can get more and personailize! Good idea? Happy first day of snow in Edmonton, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 11:33, 11 November 2008 (EST). : I agree. And lucky you...my hometown has seen snow only once in recorded history...about a half inch (a little more than 1cm) in 1977...no "first day of snow" for me!! [[User:(WT-en) AHeneen|(WT-en) AHeneen]] 13:08, 11 November 2008 (EST) : Hehe, here' it'll probably melt tomorrow. It'll probably be off and on until Dec 20 and then it'll stay until about March. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 13:12, 11 November 2008 (EST). :: It's easy enough to add languages into the Babel in Wikivoyage. I did it a while ago with Welsh (cy). I just copied the format for all the templates from one of the existing languages, and nicked the definitions for each level from Babel Wikipedia. Obviously if you're trying to set it up for a language you're not that fluent in yourself it makes it much easier if it's already there on Wikipedia. [[User:(WT-en) Tarr3n|(WT-en) Tarr3n]] 03:03, 12 November 2008 (EST) :::I don't think EE's looking for more languages. I think he/she'd like to have userboxes for other topics like those that are rampant on Wikipedia. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 09:51, 12 November 2008 (EST) :Eaxactly! I know about the languages. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="purple">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="green">talk</font>]]</small>} 10:30, 12 November 2008 (EST). So, would people be interested in having this-or is it already on this site? Keep smiling ,[[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="green">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="gray">talk</font>]]</small>} 00:51, 14 November 2008 (EST). :I'd really prefer we didn't. The consensus here has always been against userboxes. Just one reason why I'd prefer we don't is that it would mess up the special:allpages template list. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 01:00, 14 November 2008 (EST) ::So then why can Wikipedia have it? TO me it's stupid, its a wonderful oportunity! Why do we need plain jane's when we can have better (not directed necessarily at WT). I don't get it. Seems like your missing out. Keep smiling, [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="green">ee</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="gray">talk</font>]]</small>} 10:30, 14 November 2008 (EST). :::Missing out on what? This is a place for people to write a travel guide, sure we can have a little fun doing it, but this isn't really meant to be a travel version of mySpace. That said, I did create one for my user page, and I wouldn't be against travel-oriented ones like "this user is a couch surfer" or whatever, but I would hate to see it become like Wikipedia too, with endless irrelevant crap &ndash; [[User:(WT-en) Cacahuate|(WT-en) <font color="green">cacahuate</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Cacahuate|<font color="blue">talk</font>]]</small>} 04:03, 15 November 2008 (EST) I found out ya can do more than a babel on Wikivoyage, you just gotta know what you want and be aware you can't have the same options as Wikipedia. Check my page. ZOMG meteor on the prairies yesterday!![[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="#339989">'''edmontonenthusiast [ee]'''</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="#8848d7">'''.T.A.L.K.'''</font>]]</small>} 01:34, 22 November 2008 (EST). == ub == Okay, in light of the growing popularity of userboxes with more boxes than a babel, maybe we should do an article page like, [[Project:Babel]]? I mean it is only suiting and people seem to like it aswell and it can explain the codes. keep smiling,[[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="#339989">'''edmontonenthusiast [ee]'''</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="#8848d7">'''.T.A.L.K.'''</font>]]</small>} 10:20, 5 December 2008 (EST). :I am strongly opposed to this idea. As I explained in the pub, the consensus on this site has always been against userboxes, and the tone that they set. The most relevant pieces of information on this topic are on this page (''Remember that Wikivoyage is not a personal home page service or a vacation photo service. Overloaded User pages are considered a form of abuse.'') and enshrined in the most important [[Project:Goals_and_non-goals#Non-goals|policy article]] on Wikivoyage. :The professional, controlled atmosphere on Wikivoyage is deliberate. We are working on creating travel guides, not on social networking. User pages really should be devoted to furthering the aims of Wikivoyage and userboxes clearly do not do this. Productive uses of personal space can include friendly, but relevant information, like indications of what languages you speak, what places you know well, places of interest to you. Most userpages do include some personal information, but I think totally non-relevant narcissistic userboxes, or even worse, userboxes that are made to vent personal frustrations, are out of step with the Wikivoyage culture that has been cultivated for the past 5 years. There are plenty of other sites on the web for this type of socializing. And on a purely subjective level, seeing pages loaded with irrelevant userboxes makes me take the user less seriously, because it makes the user seem less interested in the project than in himself. :That said, we ''do not police'' personal userspace except in the extreme cases that they become external link spam or are advertising illegal services. So no one will remove the userboxes on your page. But while I'm always open to hearing new arguments pro, I have trouble imagining that I will drop my opposition to creating userboxes in our Template: space, and especially to recommending them in this policy article. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 16:50, 6 December 2008 (EST) ::Just because you cannot open your mind a smidge to new ideas, doesn't mean things can't change. So what if it has been the same way for five years, nothing stays the same, and you should be open with that. I am not doing this for me, I am doing it for the rising popularity in it. If I was the only one with this, then I would not have brought it up, but there is growing popularity and it would be nice to have a page on it cause it does seem important - not to mention difficult. I really do not get why you are anti userbox as they seem really cool on wikipedia. What is the big deal with getting some off topic when it isnt even an article? I see no reason why we should not have this. Who cares if it is off topic, it's not like it's filling up travel article with ubs, what is the big whupdy? I will see where the anti user box people are coming from if you gimme a good reason that I cannot argue. I cannot get why every little thing has to be about travel, even if it is stuff that doesn't need it. Peter, I don't get it, you don't really see the big picture. [[User:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|(WT-en) <font color="#339989">'''edmontonenthusiast [ee]'''</font>]] ^{<small>[[User talk:(WT-en) Edmontonenthusiast|<font color="#8848d7">'''.T.A.L.K.'''</font>]]</small>} 22:12, 6 December 2008 (EST). ::: Peter spelled out his reasoning without resorting to personal attacks in his posting. His #1 reason is not that he opposes userboxes, but he opposes encouraging them by creating templates. Additionally, he sees userboxes as being against the core [[Project:Goals and non-goals|goals]] of the site. For the record, over the past year Peter has been instrumental in implementing many new ideas, so accusing him of being close-minded or missing the big-picture is an unfair attack. -- [[User:(WT-en) Wrh2|(WT-en) Ryan]] &bull; ([[User talk:(WT-en) Wrh2|talk]]) &bull; 22:25, 6 December 2008 (EST) ==Policing user space== Leaving users to do whatever they want with their userspace has been the norm on Wikivoyage for longer, certainly, than I have been contributing. That norm has been challenged a few times, [[#Touting_on_Userpages|above]], and [[Wikivoyage_talk:Deletion_policy#Blanking_talk_pages|misplaced here]], but while there is significant support for change, there is yet to emerge a consensus for changing this practice. Because of Wikivoyage's increasing weight in search engine results, we are seeing a lot of spam set up in userspace for the ostensible purpose of increasing other sites'/businesses' page rank. I do think that the general rule of inviolable userspace is worth preserving (for the record, I ''don't'' think that should extend to modifying others' comments on user ''talk'' pages), but I think we can draw a useful '''line between contributing users and non-contributing''' spammers. We get increasing amounts of new users who set up clear advertisements in their userspace, then never contribute again. I say, if a user does not make ''any'' non-spam edits, we should not extend the same privileges to said user that we would to a Wikivoyage ''contributor''. Reasons for policing user pages to root out spam: 1) having large quantities of irrelevant spam throughout our sites may lower Wikivoyage's search engine ranking (indeed, I think it ''should''); 2) having large quantities of irrelevant advertising throughout hundreds or thousands of userpages makes Wikivoyage look like an unprofessional, unmoderated, and unreliable website to casual users who come across these pages in search results. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 06:47, 1 April 2009 (EDT) :Given what seemed previously to be rather intense interest in this issue, I'm surprised no one is commenting. In any rate, I would like to use this policy to delete, for example, [[User talk:(WT-en) Salahsaeed|this page]]. Since at least [[Project:Votes_for_deletion#User_talk:Scs|one person]] (last comment in section) has voiced support for this change, I'm going to [[rfc]] this, and make it policy in two weeks if no one else comments. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 14:38, 26 April 2009 (EDT) ::Frankly, I don't think I even knew this page existed. I support your proposal. [[User:(WT-en) LtPowers|(WT-en) LtPowers]] 20:32, 26 April 2009 (EDT) ::: Support as well &mdash; sorry I hadn't noticed the proposal earlier. [[User:(WT-en) Gorilla Jones|(WT-en) Gorilla Jones]] 20:50, 26 April 2009 (EDT) ::: I '''Support''', but I really see this as already being a subset of existing policy. We are not a user home page service, and I have seen no consensus ever evolve that there is ''inviolable userspace'', despire the links you have pointed to in the past. We have a specific [[Project:Goals_and_non-goals#Non-goals|non-goal]] stating this, and this should be sufficient without having to present this as a policy change here. User Pages exist to further the goal of building a travel guide. If they are contrary to this, they should be blanked or deleted by the normal process. --[[User:(WT-en) Inas|(WT-en) Inas]] 21:25, 26 April 2009 (EDT) It's been a month and a half, with an [[rfc]], and no objections (there was also support when I brought this up in a vfd). I'm adding this to the [[Project:Deletion policy]]. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 06:32, 14 May 2009 (EDT) :Your modification to the policy only covers User talk pages. Did you mean to leave User pages out of this? -- [[User:(WT-en) Cjensen|(WT-en) Colin]] 17:08, 14 May 2009 (EDT) ::Nope, that was just sloppy editing&mdash;fixed. --[[User:(WT-en) Peterfitzgerald|(WT-en) Peter]] <small>^{[[User talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]}</small> 20:27, 14 May 2009 (EDT) == No user page == {{swept}} Today is my first visit to Wikivoyage. Rather than create a new Wikivoyage user account, I signed in using my existing Wikipedia account. This worked fine, but didn't create a user page for me, Irelandkm, on Wikivoyage. From what I can tell from the help files, the user page is normally created automatically when an account is created - but I seem to have bypassed that step. Should I just create a new page User:Irelandkm as if I were creating a new topic page? Thanks! [[User:Irelandkm|Irelandkm]] ([[User talk:Irelandkm|talk]]) 14:26, 16 January 2013 (UTC) :Yes, go ahead and create it manually at [[special:mypage]]; each language of each project is separate and there is no automatically-created user page. [[User:K7L|K7L]] ([[User talk:K7L|talk]]) 14:33, 16 January 2013 (UTC) * Thanks for the fast help; my personal issue has been fixed. If other people are not having a similar problem, this can be deleted. If they are, perhaps the help file for new users can be updated with instructions on how to address the issue. [[User:Irelandkm|Irelandkm]] ([[User talk:Irelandkm|talk]]) 17:02, 16 January 2013 (UTC) **There is no "issue". It's just when you come to a new wiki, you get to create a new user page. Heh. —[[User:Tom Morris|Tom Morris]] ([[User talk:Tom Morris|talk]]) 18:42, 16 January 2013 (UTC) ***Unless you have a bot do it for you: [[m:User:Pathoschild/Scripts/Synchbot]] --'''[[User:Rschen7754|Rs]][[User talk:Rschen7754|chen]][[Special:Contributions/Rschen7754|7754]]''' 19:37, 16 January 2013 (UTC) nn8brfn1tyg2k5hi4p9cl1caewcylyk 0 180428 4501710 4435330 2022-08-15T19:18:50Z MuzikMachine 2162786 /* Go next */ Corrected Routebox. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''[https://christinalake.ca/ Christina Lake]''' is a small village in the [[West Kootenays]], of [[British Columbia]]. Christina Lake boasts the warmest water of any tree-lined lake in Western Canada and is a summer time destination for power boating and water sports. ==Understand== The Great Trail (formerly known as the Trans-Canada Trail), the historic Dewdney Trail, and Kettle Valley Railway Trail meet at Christina Lake, attracting hikers and tourists from around the world. ==Get in== ===By car=== Christina Lake is near the Canada/United States border, {{km|20}} east of Grand Forks and {{km|73}} southwest of Castlegar along the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3), and {{km|190}} north of Spokane at the northern terminus of US Highway 395. ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Mountain Man Mike's Bus Service | alt= | url=https://mountainmanmikes.ca/ | email=info@mountainmanmikes.ca | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1-778-382-7729 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-19 | content=Twice per week service between [[Kaslo]] and [[Vancouver]] with stops in [[Ainsworth_Hot_Springs-Balfour|Balfour]], [[Nelson_(British_Columbia)|Nelson]], [[Castlegar]], Christina Lake, [[Grand_Forks_(British_Columbia)|Grand Forks]], [[Greenwood (British Columbia)|Greenwood]], Rock Creek, [[Osoyoos]], [[Keremeos]], [[Princeton_(British_Columbia)|Princeton]], [[Manning Provincial Park]], [[Hope_(British_Columbia)|Hope]], [[Chilliwack]], [[Abbotsford]], [[Langley_(British_Columbia)|Langley]], and [[New Westminster]]. This service provider also offers a weekly route between Kalso and [[Calgary]] via Nelson. }} * {{listing|name=Silver City Stagelines Limited|alt=|url=http://www.fritztravels.com|email=support@fritztravels.com|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=|hours=|price=|wikipedia=|wikidata=|lastedit=2022-03-25|content=Multiple days per week bus service between [[Trail]] and [[Kelowna]] with stops in [[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]], [[Castlegar]], Christina Lake, [[Grand_Forks_(British_Columbia)|Grand Forks]], [[Greenwood (British Columbia)|Greenwood]], Midway, and Rock Creek.|type=go}} == Get around == {{Mapframe|49.0730|-118.2253|zoom=12}} To get around you either need a car or a boat. ==See== * {{see | name=Christina Lake Welcome Centre | alt= | url=https://christinalake.ca/visit-us/tourism/ | email=tourism@christinalake.ca | address=1675 Highway 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-6161 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-3PM, Sa Su 9AM-2PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-04 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Arts On 3 Gallery | alt=Christina Lake Arts & Artisans Society | url=https://christinalakearts.com/ | email=artson3gallery@gmail.com | address=1675 Highway 3 | lat= | long= | directions=inside Christina Lake Welcome Centre | phone=+1 250-447-6161 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-04 | content=Features local artists and international glass artists; also sponsors performances and run classes in all sorts of art mediums. }} ==Do== * There are numerous '''beaches''' along Christina Lake. ** {{do | name=Christina Lake Provincial Park | alt= | url=http://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/christina_lk/ | email= | address=140 Park Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5110818 | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=Day-use area with {{m|350}} of sandy beach and parking for over 200 vehicles. }} * '''Canoe''' or '''kayak''' the northern end of the Christina Lake. * '''Fishing'''; there are 19 species of freshwater fish in all four seasons. * '''Golf''' ** {{do | name=Cascade Par 3 Golf Course | alt= | url=https://cascadepar3.ca/ | email=cascadepar3@gmail.com | address=282 2nd Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-9705 | tollfree= | hours= | price=$18 (9 holes); $28 (18 holes) | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=9-hole golf course }} ** {{do | name=Christina Lake Golf Club | alt=CLGC | url=http://christinalakegolfclub.com/ | email= | address=230 2nd Avenue | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-9313 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=18-hole golf course. }} * {{do | name=Gilpin Grasslands Provincial Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28966852 | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=This park was designated to protect a distinctive grassland ecosystem and offers trails for cycling, hiking and horseback riding, as well as opportunities to swim or canoe along the Kettle River. }} *'''Hiking''': **The historic [[w:Dewdney Trail]] is a 720-km trail established in the mid-19th century that was a critical factor in the development and strengthening of the British Colony of British Columbia, tying together mining camps and small towns. **[https://bcrailtrails.com Kettle Valley Railway Trail]: the KVR Trail and the Columbia & Western Rail Trail is the longest rail trail network in British Columbia extending from Hope to Castlegar. The decommissioned tracks form an extensive recreational trail providing almost 650 km (400 mi) of connected pathways throughout the region. It is part of the Great Trail (formerly known as the [[Trans-Canada Trail]]), which spans Canada from coast to coast to coast. ==Buy== * {{buy | name=Huckleberry Mountain Market | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/huckleberrymountainmarket | email= | address=1720 Sandner Frontage Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-6171 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=Groceries and liquor. }} ==Eat & drink== * {{eat | name=Babalooz Tapas | alt= | url=https://babalooztapas.wixsite.com/mysite | email=babalooztapas@gmail.com | address=1720 Sandner Frontage Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-6525 | tollfree= | hours=Su W-Th 9AM-3PM; F Sa 9AM-3PM, 5-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Dueling Oaks Resturant | alt= | url=http://cascadepar3.ca/dine/ | email= | address=282 2nd Avenue | lat= | long= | directions=Cascade Par 3 Golf Course | phone=+1 250-447-9705 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=9-hole golf course. }} * {{eat | name=Lisa's Lakehouse | alt= | url=https://www.lisaslakehouse.com/ | email= | address=1695 Christina Frontage Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-2554 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=Licensed family resturant. }} * {{eat | name=Marti's Portly Penguin Pizza | alt= | url= | email= | address=1670C Santa Rosa Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-9090 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Smoochies Brewing Co | alt= | url= | email=lyndaturner1970@gmail.com | address=1885 Bakery Frontage Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-6555 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=Bakery that also serves organic coffee, frappuccinos, and smoothies. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Blue Mountain Lodge | alt= | url=https://www.bluemountainlodgebc.com/ | email=bluemountainlodge@hotmail.com | address=81 Kingsley Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-448-6238 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=Features six self-contained 1 & 2 bedroom suites, cottages, and campground. }} * {{sleep | name=Christina Lake Motel & RV Park | alt= | url=https://christinalakemotelandrvpark.com/ | email= | address=19 West Lake Drive | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 236-350-0013 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Gladstone Provincial Park | alt=Texas Creek campground | url=http://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/gladstone/ | email= | address=3535 East Lake Drive | lat= | long= | directions=12 km N (east) of Christina Lake on Hwy 3 | phone=+1 250-584-9025 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata=Q5566352 | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Lakeview Motel | alt= | url=https://www.christinalakeviewmotel.ca/ | email=info@christinalakeviewmotel.ca | address=1658 Highway 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-9358 | tollfree=+1-877-447-9358 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Park Lane Resort | alt= | url=https://parklane-resort.ca/ | email= | address=31 Kingsley Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-9385 | tollfree=+1-888-834-8886 | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=Features motel, cottages, and campground. }} * {{sleep | name=Totem Motel & Resort | alt= | url=https://www.totemmotel.bc.ca/ | email=totemmo@shaw.ca | address=61 Kingsley Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 250-447-9322 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-05 | content=Motel & RV park. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== {{routebox-1 | placename=Christina Lake | image1=BC-3 (old).svg | imagesize1=22 | caption1=Crowsnest Highway | directionl1=W | majorl1=[[Osoyoos]] | minorl1=[[Grand Forks (British Columbia)|Grand Forks]] | directionr1=E | majorr1=[[Cranbrook]] / [[Nelson (British Columbia)|Nelson]] via [[File:BC-3A.svg|16px|link=]] | minorr1=Jct [[File:BC-3B.svg|16px|link=]] [[Rossland|E]] → [[Castlegar]] | image2=BC-395.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=N | majorl2=END | minorl2= | directionr2=S | majorr2=[[Spokane]] | minorr2=[[File:Aiga immigration.svg|18px]] → becomes [[File:US 395.svg|20px|link=]] → [[Kettle Falls]] }} {{IsPartOf|West Kootenays}} {{Usablecity}} {{geo|49.043|-118.208}} tobdakw8hevxsuh0xgggx3ewll1g6zm 0 180458 4501655 4446479 2022-08-15T17:36:44Z Vidimian 1815 /* Talk */ + quote, calques wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of the Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several calques with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat", and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its calque shifted to "water" in some other related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} h5w5zxbap9g542ru0srpylmze08sal9 4501675 4501655 2022-08-15T18:17:37Z Vidimian 1815 + do: the hittite trail wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of the Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in the Hittite heartland, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several calques with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat", and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its calque shifted to "water" in some other related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} c7nuzzfkx0ov8rtwwss64mplfi4goxv 4501679 4501675 2022-08-15T18:21:24Z Vidimian 1815 /* Understand */ + img wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== [[File:Hattuşa 3.jpg|thumb|300px|The reconstructed ramparts of Hattusa]] The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of the Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in the Hittite heartland, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several calques with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat", and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its calque shifted to "water" in some other related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} o9dys6nxa3jv0c4gsf0zz18r9fsp50c 4501684 4501679 2022-08-15T18:27:03Z Vidimian 1815 /* Eastern Anatolia */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== [[File:Hattuşa 3.jpg|thumb|300px|The reconstructed ramparts of Hattusa]] The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of the Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== [[File:Arslantepe Ruins, Malatya 2018-09-28 02.jpg|thumb|250px|"Lionmen", Arslantepe]] * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in the Hittite heartland, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several calques with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat", and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its calque shifted to "water" in some other related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} bg12bidcgai4a0dn5yn7dtdts5075kr 4501693 4501684 2022-08-15T18:37:42Z Vidimian 1815 /* Northern Anatolia */ + pic of the hittite monument wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== [[File:Hattuşa 3.jpg|thumb|300px|The reconstructed ramparts of Hattusa]] The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} [[File:Hittite Sun Course Monument.jpg|thumb|250px|The Hittite Sun Course Monument pays tribute to the Hittite roots of Ankara. It is a 1978 replica of a monument excavated at Alacahöyük.]] * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== [[File:Arslantepe Ruins, Malatya 2018-09-28 02.jpg|thumb|250px|"Lionmen", Arslantepe]] * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in the Hittite heartland, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several calques with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat", and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its calque shifted to "water" in some other related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} p4whf7j8e8qvz6yyclv8vx7umjpp2x0 4501697 4501693 2022-08-15T18:44:14Z Vidimian 1815 /* Do */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== [[File:Hattuşa 3.jpg|thumb|300px|The reconstructed ramparts of Hattusa]] The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} [[File:Hittite Sun Course Monument.jpg|thumb|250px|The Hittite Sun Course Monument pays tribute to the Hittite roots of Ankara. It is a 1978 replica of a monument excavated at Alacahöyük.]] * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== [[File:Arslantepe Ruins, Malatya 2018-09-28 02.jpg|thumb|250px|"Lionmen", Arslantepe]] * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in the Hittite heartland, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible while connecting the associated sites to each other. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several calques with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat", and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its calque shifted to "water" in some other related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} b1jfpp8yx37rskaas9wsj631k5sm5zu 4501785 4501697 2022-08-15T23:06:32Z Vidimian 1815 /* Talk */ expand on cognate (that was the word!), decipherment history wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|caption=The Sphinx Gate in Alacahöyük}} The '''Hittites''' were a Bronze Age [[Anatolia]]n people who established an empire with [[Hattusa]] as its capital from 1600 BCE to around 1180 BCE, reaching its apex during the mid-14th century BCE. While it collapsed in the "Late Bronze Age Collapse" for reasons historians still debate about, "neo-Hittite states" who based their political legitimacy on supposed descent of the Hittite Empire existed in the Levant for centuries afterwards. It was those "Hittites" that are described in the Bible as they came into contact with the Israelites and the name "Hittite" (rather than e.g. "Hatti") used in modern parlance when referring to them stems from those post-Hittite polities. ==Understand== [[File:Hattuşa 3.jpg|thumb|300px|The reconstructed ramparts of Hattusa]] The earliest Anatolians known to form an organized state, the Hittites seemingly appeared out of thin air in the high plateau of northern [[Central Anatolia]], although they identified much with their predecessors, the Hattis, who were of equally mysterious origins. At its height, the Hittites were a great power, with their area of control stretching well into modern-day [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. The Hittites were comparable in might to their [[Ancient Egypt]]ian and [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Assyrian]] neighbors, with whom they were often in an uneasy relationship. An attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC was stopped by the Hittites at the city of [[Kadesh]], on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. In the aftermath, the opposing sides celebrated the Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty, the first of its kind in recorded history, the only ancient Near Eastern treaty for which both sides' versions have survived—the original tablets are in [[Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old City|Istanbul's Archaeological Museum]], while a replica is displayed in the [[Manhattan/Midtown East|United Nation headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]]. It was ratified in the 21st year of pharaoh Ramses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed, 80 years later. ==Destinations== {{mapframe|38.5|35|zoom=6}} Historic sites are in green while museums housing Hittite artifacts are in blue. ===In Turkey=== The most important Hittite sites of Anatolia can be geographically grouped into four areas: the ancient Hittite heartland in what is now [[Central Karadeniz|Çorum Province]] in Northern Anatolia, the southern reaches of [[Central Anatolia]] on the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, Southern Turkey east of [[Adana]], and the eastern outposts of the empire around [[Malatya]]. ====Northern Anatolia==== A couple hundred kilometres northeast of Ankara, this is where the Hittites first established their kingdom and the countryside is littered with a large number of sites. * {{listing | type=royalblue | name=Çorum Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=| lat=40.5419 | long=34.9510 | directions=[[Çorum]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q637119 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=The museum of the region's modern capital hosts some artefacts excavated from the surrounding countryside. }} * {{listing | name=[[Boğazkale]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=40.0216 | long=34.6088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q848800 | lastedit=2020-09-12 | content=South of Çorum, Boğazkale is a modern village just next to the ruins of the Hittite capital of {{marker|lat=40.0210|long=34.6150|type=listing|wikidata=Q181007|name=Hattuşa}}, making it one of the few Hittite sites easy to access by public transport. While the ruins themselves are little more than foundation stones, it is easy to visualize how large a city this should have been in its heyday, and partially reconstructed city walls certainly help with this. Farther from the village, although still within walking distance if you are in a reasonable shape, is the sanctuary of {{marker|lat=40.0255|long=34.6326|type=listing|wikidata=Q529923|name=Yazılıkaya}}, an impressive set of rock reliefs depicting the numerous Hittite gods. Both sites constitute a [[UNESCO World Heritage site]] together. }} * {{listing | name=Alacahöyük | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=off the highway between Boğazkale and Çorum; not to be confused with the nearby modern town of Alaca | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q558861 | lastedit=2020-09-28 | content=The site that much of the rich Hittite collection of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations excavated from, the Hittite name of Alacahöyük is yet to be identified, although the extensive ruins indicate that it was already a substantial community before the Hittite take-over. In the outskirts, the Gölpınar Dam dates back to 1240 BC, built after a drought hit the Anatolian highlands, so that the Hittites would never put themselves to shame again by having to import wheat from their rivals, the Egyptians, to avoid famine. }} [[File:Hittite Sun Course Monument.jpg|thumb|250px|The Hittite Sun Course Monument pays tribute to the Hittite roots of Ankara. It is a 1978 replica of a monument excavated at Alacahöyük.]] * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Museum of Anatolian Civilizations | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=39.938333 | long=32.861944 | directions=[[Ankara]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q754322 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content=For travellers with even the slightest interest in the Anatolian history, no trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in the capital city, as the museum displays much of the crème de la crème of ancient Anatolian (as well as ancient [[Middle East|Near Eastern]]) art. The Hittites are not only a non-exception, but their artifacts are aiways given the most honourable, prominent positions in the museum—an exact replica of a huge Hittite statue excavated from Fasıllar near [[Konya]] welcomes the visitors in the front yard. Indeed, during the nation-building process of the early years of the modern republic, Ankara much identified itself with its Hittite origins, celebrated by the modern {{marker|type=royalblue|wikidata=Q6031122|name=Hittite Sun Course Monument}} placed in the middle of Sıhhiye Square's roundabout. }} ====Along the Taurus Mountains==== The southern extension of Central Anatolia is home to a number of striking and solitary sites literally lost in the hilly landscape. * {{listing | name=Eflatunpınar | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.8256 | long=31.6739 | directions=near [[Beyşehir]], [[Lakes District]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q844601 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A monument with numerous reliefs surrounding it, on the side of a pool formed by a local spring held sacred by the Hittites. Probably intended as a base of a large statue that was never to be placed, the medieval [[Sultanate of Rum|Seljuk Turks]] presumed it was a memorial to [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] philosopher Plato, and hence the name "Plato's spring". }} * {{listing | name=İvriz | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.4092 | long=34.1727 | directions=south of Ereğli | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1404389 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=A large (4.2 m high and 2.4 m wide) rock relief at the end of a canyon, dating back to the 8th century BC and depicting Warpalawas, the king of the time and Tarhunzas, the storm god together, the god bestowing cereal ears and bunches of grapes to the king. }} * {{listing | name=Kültepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=near [[Kayseri]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q538605 | lastedit=2020-09-07 | content= }} ====Southern Turkey==== After the old kingdom centred around Hattuşa fell in the 12th century BC as part of the Late Bronze Age collapse that took place around the larger Eastern Mediterranean (due to numerous reasons, including loss of traditional trade partners, invasions from unfriendly neighbours, spread of ironworking technology and its advantages in weapon production over bronze and some even theorize environmental changes due to the eruption of some far away volcano), a number of successor states, collectively known as "Neo-Hittite" or "Syro-Hittite", emerged in what is now southern Turkey and northern Syria. Some major Neo-Hittite sites dot the countryside east of Adana. * {{listing | name=Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=37.2959 | long=36.2531 | directions=north of [[Osmaniye]], [[Cilician Plains|Çukurova]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q24914998 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=An open air museum inside the dense pine forest almost fully encircled by a dam lake (hence the local name ''Hitit Yarımadası'', "the Hittite Peninsula") was the site of an ancient Neo-Hittite settlement, the walls of which still remain and surround the site. The museum exhibits a series of stone reliefs in a style with an unmissable Near Eastern influence, as well as a number of large-ish free standing statues, including that of the [[Lebanon|Phoenician]] thunder god Baal, absorbed into the Hittite pantheon as Tarhunzas. }} * {{listing | name=Yesemek | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=36.9051 | long=36.7436 | directions=near İslahiye, southwest of [[Gaziantep]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26959195 | lastedit=2017-01-27 | content=Yesemek was a Hittite quary and statue workshop, with an entire hillside dotted by an almost uncountable number of half-finished statues that would be distributed all over the empire had they been completed before the quarry was abandoned after the collapse of the empire. }} ====Eastern Anatolia==== [[File:Arslantepe Ruins, Malatya 2018-09-28 02.jpg|thumb|250px|"Lionmen", Arslantepe]] * {{listing | name=[[Darende]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=38.547222 | long=37.511111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1003964 | lastedit= | content=Some distance out of the town, two solitary lion statues facing eastwards are thought to be the remnants of a Hittite temple. }} * {{listing | name=Arslantepe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=in Orduzu, near [[Malatya]] | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q705132 | lastedit= | content=A far more interesting and extensive set of ruins than neighbouring Darende's 'Lion Rocks', a number of detailed sculptures with typically Hittite designs were excavated in the site and have been exhibited there. }} ===Rest of the Near East=== * {{listing | name=[[Aleppo]] | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q41183 | lastedit=2020-09-09 | content=After being conquered in the 15th century BCE, Aleppo took on a spiritual role, known for the temple of the storm god, the remains of which are partially standing. }} ===Elsewhere=== * {{listing |type=royalblue | name=Oriental Institute Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1276053 | lastedit= | content= }} ==Do== * The '''Hittite Trail''' (the [http://www.hitityolu.net/ official website] is in Turkish only; the [https://cultureroutesinturkey.com/hittite-trail/ English webpage] from the Culture Routes Society Turkey) <!-- this is the official website of the association of many hiking trails in Turkey, so please do not remove the link --> is a collection of signposted [[hiking]] and [[cycling]] routes in the Hittite heartland, taking advantage of the ancient trails wherever possible while connecting the associated sites to each other. The cumulative length of the routes totals up to {{km|400}}. ==Talk== {{quote| 𒉡 𒃻𒀭 𒂊𒄑𒍝𒀜𒋼𒉌 𒉿𒀀𒋻𒈠 𒂊𒆪𒌓𒋼𒉌 <br> ''nu ninda-an eezzaatteni waatar-ma ekuutteni'' <br> "Now bread you shall eat, and water you shall drink." |author=The earliest deciphered sentence in Hittite, from the Hittite legal code }} The Hittite language was an ancient Indo-European language and therefore related to English. Indeed, even in a single sentence like the above, it is possible to find several cognates with English and other modern Indo-European languages: ''nu'' is "now", ''ezza'' is "eat" (cf German ''essen''), and ''waatar'' is, guess what, "water". ''Ekuu'' is "drink"; the meaning of its cognates shifted to "water" in some of the related languages like Latin, ''aqua''. These four words (and of course earlier knowledge of cuneiform the Hittites adapted from [[Ancient Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]]) greatly helped Czech linguist Bedřich Hrozný in correctly identifying the language as Indo-European, and faciliated the eventual decipherment of the ancient language. Hittite is the oldest attested language in the family but unlike Latin, Greek or Sanskrit, it has no modern-day descendants. Indeed the Anatolian branch of Indo-European has been extinct for 1,500 years. ==See also== * [[Ancient Egypt]] * [[Ancient Mesopotamia]] * [[Persian Empire]] * [[Ancient Greece]] * [[Pre-Islamic Arabia]] * [[Ottoman Empire]] {{PartOfTopic|Historical travel|Middle East}} {{outlinetopic}} nyxm0axqdsl6u7dayend1t8wzve6iz4 0 183897 4501940 4501520 2022-08-16T07:17:17Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. A border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require a walk through the passport control and customs. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between gates B29 & B30, International departures: near gate D52; US transborder departures: between gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic: Gates B15 & C45, International: right after security, US: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content= As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} 0cfwbpym3uzhuyllrqtye3kebqk13qv 4501941 4501940 2022-08-16T07:17:39Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. A border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require a walk through the passport control and customs. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic: Gates B15 & C45, International: right after security, US: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content= As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} gew3uagapwf4172dgfomd9jkq36i026 4501944 4501941 2022-08-16T07:19:14Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for Skyteam Lounge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. A border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require a walk through the passport control and customs. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic: Gates B15 & C45, International: right after security, US: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content= As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International departures: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} mpejd6pfc3awg4ul6rymupjwu2j3ljs 4501945 4501944 2022-08-16T07:19:25Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for Cathay Pacific Lounge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. A border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require a walk through the passport control and customs. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic: Gates B15 & C45, International: right after security, US: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content= As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International departures: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International departures: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} 7kyztvfv02qbqrq3jch67xbd4odw6ie 4501946 4501945 2022-08-16T07:19:36Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for British Airways Galleries Lounge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. A border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require a walk through the passport control and customs. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic: Gates B15 & C45, International: right after security, US: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content= As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International departures: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International departures: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International departures: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} fh9l972d424zt1lav24jn4lcjui9rr6 4501947 4501946 2022-08-16T07:20:01Z Rosspotter 2274401 /* Lounges */ Updated listing for Plaza Premium Lounge wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. A border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require a walk through the passport control and customs. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic departures: Gates B15 & C45, International departures: right after security, US transborder departures: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International departures: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International departures: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International departures: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} 11sxzl09lmadcacyttb295dn1ixdux6 4501968 4501947 2022-08-16T07:56:11Z Rosspotter 2274401 add info wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. Self check-in stations are available throughout the Main Terminal and the process of drop bags is relatively quick process with short lines. There is a border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. Like other airports in Canada and the United States of America, expect lengthy line ups to pass through security, that can range from 10 to 25 minutes on a normal day. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require clearing passport control and customs at the airport. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. It is not uncommon for it to take 30 minutes between when disembarking from a domestic flight begins and when baggage arrives at the baggage claim. If arriving from abroad, baggage may already be in the baggage claim by the time you clear customs. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic departures: Gates B15 & C45, International departures: right after security, US transborder departures: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International departures: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International departures: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International departures: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} n8eghs4vljd1mqn7eb2mxpg0zvmn5fz 4501971 4501968 2022-08-16T07:59:57Z Rosspotter 2274401 amend wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner}} '''[https://www.yvr.ca/ Vancouver International Airport]''' ({{IATA|YVR}}) is the main airport serving its namesake city of [[Vancouver]], located on Sea Island in the [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]] neighbourhood in the Vancouver southern suburbs area. As Canada's second busiest airport, it handled more than 26 million passengers in 2019, flying to many of Canada's west coast towns big and small, while also well connected to major cities on the country's east coast. Internationally, the airport also sees multiple daily flights from [[Asia]] to serve the namesake city's largest minority population, from [[Oceania]], thanks to its westerly location, and from [[Europe]]. ==Understand== [[File:YVR International arrivals Hall 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Welcome to Vancouver!]] Vancouver International Airport (often also affectionally called as YVR, its three-letter IATA code), is {{km|12}} south of downtown Vancouver on Sea Island and is part of the suburban city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. The island hosts the airport, a small neighbourhood, an outlet mall of opulent brands, and a nature conservation area with clean sandy beaches. Even though its interior looks spartan with glasses and concrete ribs hanging above layers of metallic sheets, low ceilings at one pier and wooden pillars on the other, it also incorporates traditional First Nation artwork and miniatures of the British Columbia scenery, making it one of the most beautiful airports in the world. Added with the hospitality and wide availability of volunteers and amenities, it has earned the title '''Best North American Airport''' by Skytrax every year from 2010-2020. It is a hub for Canadian flag carrier '''[https://www.aircanada.com/ Air Canada]''', as well as low-cost carrier '''[https://www.westjet.com/ WestJet]'''. ==Flights== === Terminals === The airport has three terminals: * {{go | name=Domestic terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19386 | long=-123.18133 | directions=South-west of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The southern part of the main terminal building. }} * {{go | name=International Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=3211 Grant McConachie Way | lat=49.19532 | long=-123.17787 | directions=North of YVR-Airport station | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=The northern part of the main terminal building. The international terminal segregates travellers to the United States from travellers to all other destinations. }} * {{go | name=South Terminal | alt= | url= | email= | address=4440 Cowley Crescent | lat=49.18055 | long=-123.17033 | directions=Southern side of airport, about 10 minutes drive from other terminals | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-13 | content=Handles small aircraft for short distance, minor destinations. About 300 m to the south of this terminal are two piers on the Fraser River for seaplane flights for short distance destinations. See "Inter-terminal shuttle" below for the complimentary shuttle that connects the South Terminal to the other terminals. }} === Departures === [[File:Vancouver-yvr-terminal.id.jpg|thumb|300px|Air Canada domestic check-in area]] Check-in at the Main Terminal is shared in a single row with the following order by direction of travel incoming to the airport: US Check-in, International check-in, and Canada check-in. Self check-in stations are available throughout the Main Terminal and the process of drop bags is relatively quick process with short lines. There is a border pre-clearance facility for flights to the [[United States of America]], where passengers get to complete the immigration and customs process in Canada before their flight, is open for flights up from 7AM to 6:30PM, after which all other flights depart from the same pier and use the same security check as other international flights, then go through immigration & customs upon landing in US soil. As there is no passport control at departure level, both domestic and international passengers can traverse each other's terminals; those who use the pre-clearance facility however do not enjoy the same privileges, as they have access only to this dedicated area. Domestic flights are handled at Piers A, B, and C, while international flights are handled at Pier D, and US-bound flights with pre-clearance are served at pier E. Some gates also function as swing gates, meaning they can handle international and domestic departures, or international and US departures. Like other airports in Canada and the United States of America, expect lengthy line ups to pass through security. At Vancouver International Airport, expect the line to range from 10 to 25 minutes on a normal day. === Arrivals === Arrivals are handled at Level 2 and can be accessed using the escalators or lifts at the transit area (Level 3). International arrivals to Canada, including those from the US, require clearing passport control and customs at the airport. Passengers scan their passports, have photos taken, and make customs declarations at multi-language self-serve computer kiosks before interacting with a border security agent. If you are on a connecting flight, whether you need to claim your baggage or not depends on which country you are coming from and/or heading to. It is not uncommon for it to take 30 minutes between when disembarking from a domestic flight begins and when baggage arrives at the baggage claim. If arriving from abroad, baggage may already be in the baggage claim by the time you clear customs. === Connections === [[File:Walkway to connections at YVR Airport, June 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Where would you connect today?]] Vancouver is a frequent connecting hub for domestic and international flights, and has a U.S. border pre-clearance facility. ====To domestic flights==== Connecting domestic flights within Canada do not require an exit to the arrival level; you can stay at the transit area. If you are coming from an international flight, from the US or outside the US, you must go through passport control at arrivals. On select flights, your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. And if you arrive before 6:30PM with Air Canada, you can head to the Canada Connections counter to recheck in your baggage and undergo security check, where you will later end up in Pier C. For all other flights, you must claim your baggage, head to the check-in level, and check in as usual. ====To US-bound flights==== Passengers arriving in Canada from an international flight by some airlines can go through the US border pre-clearance facility at the transit level adjacent to Pier D without the need to head down to arrivals and claim luggage. For all other international flights, you must go through Canadian immigration and customs, claim your luggage, recheck in at the counter, and then undergo the pre-border clearance. If you fall within the latter case and are not eligible for visa-free entry to Canada, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' from your nearest Canadian diplomatic mission. Passengers connecting from domestic flights can make use of the pre-clearance facility at the transit area adjacent to Pier D should there be no need to claim luggage and your flight departs between 7AM and 6:30PM. Outside these times, you must claim your luggage, recheck in, and go through the international security check; immigration and custom checks will be done upon landing. Passengers from the US connecting to other US flights must undergo immigration and customs before connecting. ====To international non US-bound flights==== As there is no border control at departure, passengers coming from Canada or another international non-US flight departing between 7AM and 2AM can stay at the transit area as your luggage will be checked through to your final destination. If you are arriving between 2AM and 7AM however, you must clear passport control, claim luggage, and check in, which means entering Canadian territory. As such, '''you must obtain a transit visa''' if you are not eligible for visa-free entry. Connecting from a US flight requires a detour to clear customs at Level 4, although you do not need to claim luggage. === Destinations === Due to the large East Asian population in the metropolitan area, the airport is especially well connected to the Far Eastern countries of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Philippines, with Hong Kong-bound departures being the most frequent thanks to its huge diaspora. Flights from Europe and India are also increasingly common. Vancouver is also the only city in Canada connected to Oceania due to being closer than its bigger sister, Toronto. For Canadians seeking the sun, Vancouver offers multiple daily flights to [[Hawaii]]. U.S. legacy carriers also offer daily departures from their respective hubs to this city. Domestic flights to [[Toronto]] depart at least hourly from dawn to dusk, in addition to frequent connections bound for other large Canadian cities like [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], and [[Calgary]]. Because of British Columbia's vast area and difficulty of accessibility by road for many settlements, the airport also sees schedules operated by small aircraft and seaplanes bringing mail, vital supplies, and workforce to other parts of the province, especially the northern coast and interior, the [[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson & Okanagan valley]], and [[Vancouver Island]]. The only blank spots in the airport's connections to the rest of Canada would be the [[Atlantic Canada|Atlantic coast]] and Northern Canada, for which a connection at Toronto or Montreal is required except when there are seasonal non-stop flights. ==== Direct flights from within [[British Columbia]] ==== * From [[Castlegar]] ([[West Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Cranbrook]] ([[East Kootenays]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Fort St. John]] ([[Peace Country and Northern Rockies]]) - 1.75 hours * From [[Kamloops]] ([[Thompson-Okanagan|Thompson]]) - 50 minutes * From [[Kelowna]] ([[Okanagan]]) - 1 hour * From [[Nanaimo]] ([[Central Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes * From [[Prince George]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|Nechako]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Prince Rupert]] ([[North Coast-Nechako|North Coast]])- 1.75 hours * From [[Sandspit]] ([[Haida Gwaii]]) - 1.5 hours * From [[Tofino]] (Central Vancouver Island) - 45 minutes * From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] ([[South Vancouver Island]]) - 30 minutes ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[Canada]] ==== * From [[Calgary]] ([[Alberta]]) - 1.25 hours * From [[Edmonton]] (Alberta) - 1.25 hours * From [[Halifax]] ([[Nova Scotia]]) - 6.5 hours (direct flights are uncommon, expect to connect through Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal). * From [[Montreal]] ([[Quebec]]) - 5.5 to 5.75 hours * From [[Ottawa]] ([[Ontario]]) - 5.25 hours * From [[Regina]] ([[Saskatchewan]]) - 2.25 hours * From [[Toronto]] (Ontario) - 5 hours * From [[Whitehorse]] ([[Yukon]]) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours * From [[Winnipeg]] ([[Manitoba]]) - 3 hours ==== Direct flights from the [[United States of America]] ==== * From [[Chicago]] ([[Illinois]]) - 4 to 4.25 hours * From [[Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth]] ([[Texas]]) - 4.25 hours * From [[Denver]] ([[Colorado]]) - 3 hours * From [[Honolulu]] ([[Hawaii]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Las Vegas]] ([[Nevada]]) - 2.75 hours * From [[Los Angeles]] ([[California]]) - 3 hours * From [[New York City]] ([[New York (state)|New York]]) - 5.75 hours * From [[Phoenix]] ([[Arizona]]) - 3.25 hours * From [[Seattle]] ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) - 1 hour * From [[San Francisco]] (California) - 2.25 to 2.5 hours ==== Direct flights from elsewhere in [[North America]] ==== * From [[Cancún]] ([[Mexico]]) - 6.5 hours * From [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) - 5.75 to 6 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Asia]] ==== * From [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]) - 11.75 hours * From [[Manila]] ([[Philippines]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[Delhi/New Delhi|New Delhi]] ([[India]]) - 14.5 hours * From [[Seoul]] ([[South Korea]]) - 9.75 hours * From [[Singapore]] (Singapore) - 14.75 hours * From [[Taipei]] ([[Taiwan]]) - 10.75 hours * From [[Tokyo]] ([[Japan]]) - 8.5 to 9 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Europe]] ==== * From [[Amsterdam]] ([[Netherlands]]) - 9.5 hours * From [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]]) - 9 hours * From [[Frankfurt]] ([[Germany]]) - 10 hours * From [[Istanbul]] ([[Turkey]]) - 12.25 hours * From [[London]] ([[United Kingdom]]) - 9.5 to 10 hours * From [[Paris]] ([[France]]) - 10.25 hours * From [[Reykjavík]] ([[Iceland]]) - 7.75 hours ==== Direct flights from [[Oceania]] ==== * From [[Auckland]] ([[New Zealand]]) - 13.5 hours * From [[Sydney]] ([[Australia]]) - 14.5 hours === Airlines === ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the main terminal building: ==== * {{Listing|name=Air Canada|url=https://www.aircanada.com/|phone=+1-514-393-3333|tollfree=+1-888-247-2262|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, [[Calgary]], [[Toronto]], and [[Montreal]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} * {{Listing|name=Air North|url=https://www.flyairnorth.com/|phone=|tollfree=+1-800-661-0407|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A regional airline operating flights within the [[Yukon]] and flights in Canada traveling to the Yukon.}} * {{Listing|name=Air Transat|url=https://www.airtransat.com/|phone=+1-514-636-3630|tollfree=+1-877-872-6728|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's third largest airline with some year round destinations and specializing in seasonal flights to vacation destinations (Europe in the summer and warmer, southern international destinations in the winter).}} * {{Listing|name=Flair Airlines|url=https://flyflair.com/|tollfree=+1-833-711-2333|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A new low-cost airline with flights across much of Canada.}} * {{Listing|name=Lynx Air|url=https://www.flylynx.com/|tollfree=+1-877-897-5969|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=A small low-cost airline with flights to parts of Canada.|email=CustomerSupport@LynxAir.com}} * {{Listing|name=Sunwing Airlines|url=https://www.sunwing.ca/|phone=|tollfree=+1-877-786-9464|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Low cost Canadian airline that operates some flights within Canada throughout the year and specializes in seasonal flights to warmer, southern international vacation destinations in the winter.}} * {{Listing|name=Westjet|url=https://www.westjet.com/|tollfree=+1-877-952-0100|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in [[Calgary]] and [[Toronto]]. It operates across Canada and services international destinations.}} ==== Canadian airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Central Mountain Air|url=https://www.flycma.com/|email=reservations@flycma.com|tollfree=+1-888-359-2620|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights mostly in [[British Columbia]] and to a lesser extent in [[Alberta]]. [[Edmonton]], [[Prince George]], and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline}} * {{Listing|name=Pacific Coastal Airlines|url=https://www.pacificcoastal.com/|email=reserve@pacificcoastal.com|phone=+1-604-273-8666|tollfree=+1-800-663-2872|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates flights primarily in the south coast area of [[British Columbia]] with its hub in Vancouver.}} ==== Canadian seaplane airlines operating to Vancouver, and arrive and depart from piers located on the Fraser River about 300 metres south of the South Terminal: ==== * {{Listing|name=Harbour Air|url=https://www.harbourair.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-665-0212|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-274-1277}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from Maple Bay (near [[Duncan (British Columbia)|Duncan]]) (50 minutes), [[Nanaimo]] harbour (20 minutes), [[Salt Spring Island]] (25 minutes), [[Sechelt]] (20 minutes), [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] harbour (30 minutes). Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. * {{Listing|name=Pacific Seaplanes|url=https://www.pacificseaplanes.net/|email=sales@pacificseaplanes.ca|tollfree=+1-855-933-5922|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to a few smaller coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=}} * {{Listing|name=Seair Seaplanes|url=https://www.seairseaplanes.com/|email=|tollfree=+1-800-447-3247|lastedit=2022-04-25|content=Operates seaplane flights to coastal communities in southwestern [[British Columbia]].|phone=+1-604-273-8900}} Flights to Vancouver International Airport from [[Nanaimo]], [[Salt Spring Island]], and several of the other [[Southern Gulf Islands]]. Some the airline's flights from coastal communities land in downtown Vancouver at Vancouver harbour. See [[Vancouver]] for flights to Vancouver harbour. ==== Canadian airlines operating from near the South Terminal ==== * {{listing | name=Helijet | alt= | url=https://helijet.com/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions=Flights land near South Terminal | phone= | tollfree=+1-800-665-4354 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Operates helicopter flights primarily between downtown [[Vancouver]] and near downtown [[Nanaimo]], and between downtown Vancouver and near downtown [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]]. Vancouver International Airport is where the helicopters stop for the night. Therefore, there are flights departing Vancouver International Airport in the early morning and flights arriving at this airport in the early evening. }} ==Ground transportation== ===Inter-terminal shuttle=== A complimentary shuttle, called the [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/airport-south South Terminal Courtesy Shuttle], connects the South Terminal with the Main Terminal every 30 minutes. The trip takes around 15 minutes each way. Trips depart the Main Terminal from 5:25AM to 7:55PM, with Main Terminal stops outside of the domestic terminal's departures area and outside of the international terminal's US departures area. From outside the airport, bus number 412 travels to Bay 6 at the Bridgeport Canada Line station. However, the route is only serviced in the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. ===By public transit=== [[File:Vancouver Airport Skytrain Station 2008-04-22.JPG|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport SkyTrain Station]] {{listing|name=TransLink|alt=|url=https://www.translink.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-604-953-3333|tollfree=|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-03-27|content=The main public transit network in the [[Vancouver]] area, including: [[Bowen Island]], [[Burnaby]], [[Coquitlam]], [[Delta (British Columbia)|Delta]], [[Langley (British Columbia)|Langley]], [[Lions_Bay-Britannia_Beach|Lions Bay]], [[Maple Ridge]], [[New Westminster]], [[North Vancouver]], [[Port Coquitlam]], [[Pitt Meadows]], [[Port Moody]], [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], [[Surrey (British Columbia)|Surrey]], Vancouver, [[West Vancouver]], and [[White Rock]]. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). {{pbri}} Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. {{pbri}} Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. {{pbri}} Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.}} ==== Canada Line ==== SkyTrain's '''Canada Line''' operates a route between the airport, and [[Vancouver|Vancouver's]] neighbourhoods of [[Vancouver/City Centre|downtown]], [[Vancouver/Yaletown-False Creek|Yaletown-False Creek]], [[Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main|Mount Pleasant]], [[Vancouver/South|South Vancouver]], as well as in the city of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. Travel time from the airport is about 15 minutes to Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown) and 25 minutes to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. Trains from Vancouver alternate between traveling to YVR Airport station and Richmond Brighouse station, but share the same route between Waterfront station and Bridgeport station. {{go | name=YVR–Airport | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=49.194167 | long=-123.178333 | directions=Access to the station from the Main Terminal is from Level 3 using the escalators or lifts near the totem pole between the domestic and international departures areas. | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2582331 | content= }} As the airport is in Zone 2 of the transportation agency's fare zone alongside Richmond, a ride to or from Vancouver will cost $4.25 and $3 to or from Richmond if paid by cash; with a Compass Card it costs only $3.45 and $2.40, respectively (as of 2021). A concession price is also available for seniors and children from ages 5 to 18, in addition to a day pass for unlimited travel within all zones by bus and trains that costs $10.50. A surcharge of $5 will be levied when you start the ride from the three stations on Sea Island: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, and Templeton. A ride within the island however is free, but you still need to produce a ticket from the vending machines or tap your Compass card. During overnight hours, the Canada Line does not operate and is replaced by bus route N10, which travels to downtown Vancouver and Richmond Centre (Richmond's downtown). ===By bus=== * {{listing | name=Perimeter Transportation | alt= | url=https://www.perimeterbus.com | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604-717-6600 | tollfree=+1-877-717-6606 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-04 | content=Travel between [[Whistler]] and Vancouver International Airport with stops in [[Squamish]] and in downtown [[Vancouver]]. Travel time to the airport from Whistler is 3 hours, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour. }} * {{Listing|name=YVR Skylynx|url=https://yvrskylynx.com/|email=info@yvrskylynx.com|phone=+1-604-326-1616|lastedit=2022-04-05|content=Operates two bus routes operating multiple times daily, which connect to Vancouver International Airport.}} ** From [[Whistler]] via [[Squamish]] and [[Vancouver]] (Pacific Central Station and downtown). Travel time to the airport from Pacific Central Station is 40 minutes, from downtown Vancouver is 1 hour, from Squamish is 2 hours, and from Whistler is 3 hours. Tickets can be purchased at its counter at the Domestic Arrival or [https://yvrskylynx.com/ online] up to two hours before departure. ** From [[Victoria (British Columbia)|Victoria]] using the ferry between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay operated by BC Ferries Connector costing $60.50 (as of 2021). Due to COVID-19, the service from the airport is temporarily suspended, however a once-daily service is offered from the Pacific Central Station in downtown Vancouver. The tickets can be purchased [https://bcfconnector.com/ online] or at the kiosk in the station. ===By taxi=== [[File:Air Canada B777-333ER (C-FITW) at Vancouver International Airport.jpg|thumb|300px|Airliners big and small serving Vancouver]] Taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available at taxi stands located on Level 2 of the Domestic and International Arrivals Area. Passengers line up outside under a covered area and take the first available waiting taxi. Passengers do not choose which taxi company they will ride with, as the various taxis from different companies form into a single line. As the taxi drivers may not normally pick up passengers within the city that you are going to, they rely on GPS to navigate to your destination. Rates '''from the airport''' are [https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis zone-based] depending on the address, ranging from $20 to North Richmond up to $41 for northeast Vancouver. Rides to areas further than Richmond and Vancouver and '''to the airport''' are metered $3.25 flag fall and $1.84 per additional kilometer (as of 2021). ===By ride hailing=== Head to level 2 of the International and Domestic Arrivals for pick up. Drop-off can also be done like other cars at Departures Level 3. The only authorized providers to pick up and drop off passengers at the airport: * {{Listing|name=Kabu|url=https://www.kabu.ca/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Lyft|url=https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/vancouver-bc|lastedit=2022-07-29}} * {{Listing|name=Uber|url=https://www.uber.com/global/en/cities/vancouver/|lastedit=2022-07-29}} ===By car=== A ride by car to downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster should take 20 minutes in non-rush hour. Meanwhile it only takes 5 minutes to Richmond, 10 minutes to Delta, and 15 minutes to Surrey. However, as Vancouver's traffic can be horrendous during the rush hour, expect the travel times to double during the normal morning and evening commute times. Access to the airport is from Granville St from the north, Bridgeport Rd from the east, or No. 2 Road from the South. For travel from the airport, continue straight for SW Marine Dr or Granville St for access to Vancouver or to the east, or take the exit on the right to Sea Island Way for Richmond and Highway 99 for New Westminster, Delta and Surrey. For access to the Richmond suburbs in the south and at Sea Island, turn right to Templeton St. at the traffic light, and then left to Miller St., and finally right to Russ Baker Highway where it leads to No. 2 Road. ====Parking==== While there is plenty of parking within the airport grounds, they are all separated quite a distance from each other. The Parkade near the Main Terminal Building costs $5 per half hour, $10 per hour, $36.75 daily, and $204.75 per week (as of 2021), but only allows car under 6 foot 6 inches high. * {{listing | name=JetSet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.jetsetparking.com/yvr/ | email=jetset@yvr.ca | address=5911 N Service Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=Drive-up $24.75/day or $154/week, online pre-booking $23.25 per day for bookings at least 5 days long or $113.00/week | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=At this parking lot, you can leave your car at the drop-off lane and give its keys at the check in and a shuttle will take you to the terminal building every 10 to 15 minutes. The car will be ready for pick up upon your return to Vancouver. }} * {{listing | name=Value Long Term Lot | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/parking-yvr | email= | address=Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions=Access from Grand McConachie Way or Templeton Station Rd | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24 hours. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19 | price=$27.50 daily, $152.50 per week. $130 if booked online | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=If you park here, you can transfer to the Main Terminal from the adjacent Templeton Skytrain station for free, or use the shuttle if the train is not operating. The payment machine is at the entrance to the station. }} * {{listing | name=Park n'Fly Airport Valet Parking | alt= | url=https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/ | email= | address=6380 Miller Rd, Richmond | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A third-party airport parking service that offers valet service and shuttle to the airport terminal. }} There is also a parking area for passengers using the South Terminal across the terminal building for $3.50 per hour or $10.50 daily, payable at the doorway to the building. Floatplane passengers can use a dedicated parking lot on the north side of Inglis Drive (across from the floatplane terminal), on the west side of Bell Irving Road for $4.25 hourly or $12.50 daily or an overflow lot adjacent to the South terminal building for $3.75 hourly or $10.25 daily (as of 2021). All the parking spots have spots for disabled parking and chargers for electric cars. If you want to pick someone up and need to wait, there is a free cellphone lot near the jetSet parking lot. You must not park or even leave your car at the pick up and drop off line at the terminal building, as these are heavily enforced by the police. ====Rental car==== Reservations for rental cars can be taken care of at the respective company's counters at the Parkade building. These are also accessible using the walkway outside the US and Canada check-in areas. Car rental at the airport is available from: * {{Listing|name=Alamo|url=https://www.alamo.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3650|tollfree=+1-844-307-8011|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Avis|url=https://www.avis.com/|email=custserv@avis.com|phone=+1-604-606-2847|tollfree=+1-800-879-2847|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Budget|url=https://www.budget.com/|email=|phone=+1-604-668-7000|tollfree=+1-800-268-8900|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Enterprise Rent-a-car|url=https://www.enterprise.ca/|email=|phone=+1-833-619-3651|tollfree=+1-844-307-8008|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Hertz|url=https://www.hertz.com/|phone=+1-604-606-3700|tollfree=+1-800-654-3131|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=National|url=https://www.nationalcar.ca/|phone=+1-833-619-3652|tollfree=+1-844-307-8014|lastedit=2022-04-26}} * {{Listing|name=Dollar Thifty|url=https://www.thriftycanada.ca/|phone=+1-604-606-1656|tollfree=+1-800-334-1705|lastedit=2022-04-26}} ===By bicycle=== In what is perhaps a rare twist for airports, the grounds are also accessible by bike as part of the Sea Island trail, and even has dedicated lanes and parking racks at the terminal buildings. Even the airport employees do come here by bike and enjoy a dedicated parking space. The bridge crossings also have bicycle lanes or shoulders designated for bicyclists, however they require a good amount of skill to navigate through, especially in the latter case due to the large amount of traffic. Within the Main Terminal, the parking racks can be found at Level 2 of the International Terminal Arrivals, the South Terminal Building, or Templeton and Sea Island Skytrain stations. Your bike can also be carried into the trains. ==Get around== {{mapshapes|Q876780}}{{mapframe|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} As there are no passport controls for departures, passengers flying on domestic and international flights (without U.S. border preclearance) can walk between piers to access concessions at both areas. However do take note of the walking times. A walk from the end of Pier D to Pier A for example can take at least 20 minutes, even after using the travelator! For passengers with flights requiring the United States' border preclearance, you are limited to the establishments offered at the areas after the clearance, with no option to access other parts of the terminal, as you are already considered to be within the territory of the U.S. Transfer to or from the South Terminal can only be done landside after one has claimed luggage at either terminal, using the courtesy shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes. Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for the travel times. ==Wait== [[File:YVR International Terminal 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|The greenery area at the International Terminal.]] While waiting for your flight, there are plenty of places to explore within Sea Island, including an outlet mall and nature reserves, should you cannot get enough of the wonderful nature around Vancouver. ===Landside=== * {{buy | name=Designer Outlet Vancouver | alt= | url=https://www.mcarthurglen.com/outlets/en/ca/designer-outlet-vancouver/ | email= | address=1000-7899 Templeton Station Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19756 | long=-123.13975 | directions=a 5-minute walk opposite Templeton Skytrain station | phone=+1 604 231 5525 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10AM-8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=For posh items from various luxury brands for only a fraction of the original price, mostly from their old models, head here before you leave Canada. }} * {{see | name=Iona Beach Park | alt= | url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks/parks-greenways-reserves/iona-beach-regional-park | email= | address=900 Ferguson Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21912 | long=-123.21347 | directions= | phone=+1 604 224 5739 | tollfree= | hours=Dawn to dusk | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Located where the Fraser River meets the sea, this regional park is known for its long beaches, a 4-km trail to Iona Jetty and a 7-km trail to North Arm Jetty that overlooks the University of British Columbia complex. It is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, and sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway – making it a mecca for thousands of migrating birds. }} * {{see | name=Larry Berg Flight Path Park | alt= | url=https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/community/larry-berg-flight-path-park | email= | address=Russ Baker Way, Richmond, | lat=49.18401 | long=-123.14894 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 5AM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Observers can view aircraft activity at the southern runway while learning the airport's history. The park also has a miniature of the three runways making up YVR, with a globe in the center highlighting the distance between Vancouver and select cities, surrounded by plaques explaining the airfield's history. }} * {{see | name=McDonald Beach Park | alt= | url=https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/Park.aspx?ID=78 | email= | address=3500 McDonald Rd, Richmond | lat=49.21249 | long=-123.16822 | directions=turn right at Canada Post Processing Centre | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-7PM | price= | wikidata=Q106033642 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A park alongside Fraser River with a splendid view. A lot of picnic tables and boat ramps. }} ===Artwork=== Being one of the best designed airports in North America, a lot of art pieces from the First Nations, the first inhabitants of Canada, are incorporated throughout the terminal. Here are a few examples: * Do not miss the totem pole at the escalators between the domestic and international check-in areas, in which motives from the Haida tribes, symbolized by the Creator Raven at its top and a man at the bottom are combined in harmony with Celtic and Asian elements. * A lot of wood carvings are ready to greet you from your international flight. Opposite the escalators to the immigration are the two Musquam figures from the Salish tribe to welcome travelers. At both sides of the escalator are large woven fabric from sheep's wool with motives inspired by the Coast Salish tribe. Behind the escalator stands a spindle whorl carved with traditional images to gesture flight. * On your way to the international gates, you will pass through a greenery area with a river and rocks at its bed and passages acting as bridges, and various depictions of salmon, herring, and the chief of the sea named Orca, symbolizing the close relationship of the First Nation with the sea. ===Lounges=== * {{see | name=Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@vancouver | email= | address=Domestic departures: between Gates B29 & B30, International departures: near Gate D52; US transborder departures: between Gates E84 and E86 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines' premium passengers. A modern lounge with made-to-order hot food options. }} * {{see | name=Plaza Premium Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic departures: Gates B15 & C45, International departures: right after security, US transborder departures: Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Paid lounge access from $50 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=As well as serving passengers from mainly non-alliance airlines and Priority Pass holders, you can also pay your way to the lounge. Opulent interior with power chargers at almost all areas and assorted dining choices. }} * {{see | name=British Airways Galleries Lounge | alt= | url= | email= | address=International departures: Gate D64 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A small lounge yet fit enough for a once daily flight. Good selection of food and drinks for self-serve. }} * {{see | name=Cathay Pacific Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/destinations/lounges/vancouver-yvr/cathay-pacific-lounge.html | email= | address=International departures: Gate D71 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=One of the few lounges operated by an airline, thanks to its multiple daily flights to Hong Kong. Also open to other Oneworld alliance airline passengers and elite status. Meticulously designed sitting area and wide food assortments, but most people crave for its dim sum selections and noodle soup. Also features shower rooms with premium toiletries. }} * {{see | name=Skyteam Lounge | alt= | url=https://www.skyteam.com/en/lounges/Vancouver | email= | address=International departures: Gate D53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Open for premium passengers of Skyteam member airlines and Elite Plus holders. Floor to ceiling glass gives you splendid views of the tarmac. Also feature a made-to-order hot food station featuring noodle soup & dim sum and a self-serve wine bar. }} ==Eat and drink== [[File:YVR Vancouver Intl (9974688325).jpg|thumb|300px|Vancouver Airport speaks your language!]] ===Landside=== * {{eat | name=Pajo's Fish & Chips | alt= | url= | email= | address=Main Food Court, International Terminal before Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Fish & chips $8-20, burgers & tacos $12-14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Serves fried cod, salmon, and halibut with chips and tartar sauce or in a taco. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Rice Tales | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alpine Court adjacent to Gate C46, Domestic Terminal Level 3 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=From $10 with meat, $8 vegan | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Asian takeaway menus with sides like rice, vermicelli and noodles. }} * {{eat | name=Monk's Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Adjacent to gate C45 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, others from $14 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Perhaps one of the best places in the airport to have a heavy meal. Featuring proper breakfast, mains from the grills, sandwiches and burgers, soups and salads, and sweet desserts. }} * {{eat | name=Stanley Park Tap House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate A12, Domestic Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $20, other food items from $14, 19oz beer $8-10 or flight board $10, cocktails $10, other alcohol from $8 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Pamper yourself to a glass of craft beer, or ask for the flight board to try four of the choices on offer. Other delectable items include burgers, salads, shareables, and breakfast menus, some of which also include the suggested beer pairings. }} ===International Terminal=== There are not a lot of good food options at the International Terminal. Take advantage of the ability to shift to the Domestic Terminal for better items. * {{eat | name=Lift | alt= | url= | email= | address=Across Food Court, near gate D67 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Mains from $15 | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=A branch of the namesake restaurant at downtown Vancouver, featuring seafood menus, signature salads, coffee and brunch. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Canucks Bar and Grill | alt= | url= | email= | address=Gate E82 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Starters and mains from $14, alcohol from $10, soft drinks from $5 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A sports bar representing the local National Hockey League team, featuring hearty grubs and a plentiful selection of alcohol. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Galiano Cafe | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Sandwiches and coffee. The only restaurant in this terminal. }} ==Buy== [[File:YVR Graham Clarke Atrium 2018.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the artworks peppered throughout the airport. Here, a totem pole with Celtic and Asian elements.]] ===Pre-security=== * {{buy | name=Crafthouse/Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Handmade gifts and souvenirs from British Columbia artists. }} * {{buy | name=Vancouver Aquarium | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal - Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Toys, clothing, and books of marine life and souvenirs from the namesake place of interest in downtown Vancouver. }} * {{buy | name=West Coast Liquor Store | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Pre-Security | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+1 604 207 1127 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11AM-7PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The only place to buy alcohol within the airport, due to the home province's law allowing sales of alcoholic beverages only in liquor stores. Highlights include extensive wine selections from British Columbia, including from the Okanagan Valley. }} ===Domestic Terminal=== * {{eat | name=Relay | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspaper, gifts, and travel accessories. }} * {{buy | name=Rogers' Chocolates | alt= | url= | email= | address=Domestic Terminal Gate C31 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=The pioneer chocolate company in Canada dating back to 1885. }} ===International Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Thinking Canada | alt= | url= | email= | address=After Security, Level 3 International Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=Last-minute gift choices from the land of the maple leaf, including maple syrup, ice wine, Mounties or polar bear dolls, and smoked salmon. }} * {{buy | name=Collection | alt= | url= | email= | address=International Terminal near Gate C53 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=A row of shops featuring male and female accessories from luxury brands. }} ===US Terminal=== * {{buy | name=CNN Newsstand | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E83 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6AM-6PM | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Newspapers, books, and travel accessories. Also where you can buy packaged snacks or candies for inflight consumption. }} * {{buy | name=Discover BC | alt= | url= | email= | address=US Terminal Gate E87 | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Souvenirs from Canada, including maple syrup, mountie dolls, and smoked salmon. }} ===South Terminal=== * {{buy | name=Galiano Gifts | alt= | url= | email= | address=South Terminal | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-04-17 | content=Apparel & travel accessories, all the basic necessities at the South Terminal. }} ==Connect== There is free Wi-Fi throughout the establishment using the hotspot name @yvrairport. ==Cope== Anytime you require assistance within the airport, approach one of the staff at the information counter or volunteers wearing a green jacket throughout the airport. Once at the transit area however, there is only one information counter within the domestic area, two at international, and none at the US area. There is a '''luggage storage''' operated by [http://www.cdsbaggage.ca/ CDS Baggage] each at the arrival level of the domestic (across Carousel 6) and international terminal with a checked baggage storage for $10 per 24 hours. This is also where you can pick up your luggage if yours is unfortunately not transported on your flight. There is no '''smoking area''' within the terminal building, with the only remaining smoking areas located outside the check in area or the exits. While smoking '''cannabis''' is allowed, as is the case in all of Canada, do take care not to transport it internationally or even consume it before your flight, especially if you are obligated to go through the US border pre-clearance facility or flying to any country where severe penalties apply even for trace amounts. Should you feel unwell, there is a '''health clinic''' and '''pharmacy''' at Level 1 of the domestic area. Also in a rare twist for airports, it also houses a permanent dental clinic. There is a [http://www.yvrchaplaincy.org/ chaplaincy] at the arrivals level of the international terminal, where scheduled Catholic, non-denominational Christian, and Muslim (Friday prayers) are regularly offered. From 9AM to 7PM, volunteers stand for psychological assistance and counsel, regardless of religion. For passengers travelling with children, there are playground areas and television at all the piers. ==Sleep== [[File:TheFairmontHotel-YVRairport (35948276095).jpg|thumb|300px|Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel overlooking the US area.]] While there is no designated rest zone at the terminal building, most of the benches do not have armrests, allowing one to snooze comfortably. If the benches are full, carpeted flooring especially at the transit area also works as a sleeping surface. Prepare earplugs and eye masks as the terminal is cleaned overnight and the lighting stays on 24 hours. Security personnel may come to you in the middle of your snooze and ask for your flight itinerary; this is to keep the homeless away. The domestic area terminal closes at midnight and the U.S. flights area at 6:30PM, so the only place to sleep overnight are at the International Terminal area if you are already airside. The best sleeping area pre-security are at the mezzanine area of International check-in, near the baggage claim, and near the American Airlines and WestJet check-in desks. Ask the information counter or help desk of your airline for throwaway kits or sleeping mats for rent. There are two hotels within Sea Island, with one attached directly to the Main Terminal. * {{sleep | name=Fairmont Vancouver Airport| alt= | url=https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/ | email= | address=Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond | lat=49.19533 | long=-123.17487 | directions=Departures Side at near US check-in counters | phone=+1 604 207 5200 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $300 per night | lastedit=2021-04-03 | content=In the Main Terminal Building. Large and soundproof rooms. Also includes a fancy restaurant with afternoon tea, a spa with a large range of products, and a swimming pool. Day use also available. }} * {{sleep | name=Pacific Gateway Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.pacificgatewayhotel.com/ | email= | address=3500 Cessna Dr, Richmond, BC V7B 1C7 | lat=49.19083 | long=-123.14056 | directions= | phone=+1 604 278 1241 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A large hotel with rooms overlooking the marina. Complimentary shuttle to the airport provided. Two restaurants and one harbor deck for food options. }} There are a lot of hotels that also cater to airline passengers at Richmond, many of which also offer shuttles to the airport. The nearest hotels are listed below, also see the Sleep section of [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]]. ===Richmond=== * {{sleep | name=Accent Inn | alt= | url=https://www.accentinns.com/locations/vancouver-airport-hotel/#booking-toggle | email= | address=10551 St Edwards Dr, Richmond | lat=49.18519 | long=-123.10742 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 3311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Large and colourful rooms, some equipped with kitchenette. No free shuttle during COVID-19 but will cover taxi fare to/from the airport. Few restaurants in the surrounding but there is an Eggspectation restaurant next door. }} * {{sleep | name=Hampton Inn Vancouver-Airport/Richmond| alt= | url=https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/yvrrhhx-hampton-vancouver-airport-richmond/?SEO_id=GMB-HX-YVRRHHX&y_source=1_MjA4NTE5OC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=8811 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1921 | long=-123.1275 | directions= | phone=+1 604 232 5505 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A decent and cheap accommodation option. The Bridgeport Skytrain station is four blocks away, five minutes on foot. Free breakfast and WiFi. }} * {{sleep | name=Holiday Inn Express Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/richmond/yvria/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-CA-_-YVRIA | email= | address=9351 Bridgeport Rd, Richmond | lat=49.19224 | long=-123.1197 | directions= | phone=+1 604 273 8080 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=From $130 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A budget but modern hotel with free hot breakfast and WiFi. Also available: complimentary gym, business center, laundry, complimentary coffee and snacks for purchase in lobby. Can be noisy as the property is sandwiched between the highway and entrance to the adjacent Costco. }} * {{sleep | name=Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport | alt=| url=https://www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-vancouver-airport?cid=a:se+b:gmb+c:amer+i:local+e:rad+d:ca+h:BCVANAIR | email= | address=8181 Cambie Rd., Richmond | lat=49.18511 | long=-123.13604 | directions=Shared with President Plaza, entrance from Cambie Rd opposite Aberdeen Centre parking lot | phone=+1 604 276 8181 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $190 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=Modern hotel with 200 rooms. Within the strip of shopping centers and restaurants. Adjacent to Aberdeen Skytrain station. }} * {{sleep | name=River Rock Casino Resort | alt= | url=https://riverrock.com/ | email= | address=8811 River Rd, Richmond | lat=49.1961 | long=-123.12768 | directions= | phone=+1 604 247 8900 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price=From $180 per night | wikidata=Q7337769 | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A gigantic hotel with restaurant options including Chinese, buffet, seafood, Italian, and a food court. Across the street from Bridgeport Skytrain station. Temporarily closed due to COVID-19. }} * {{sleep | name=The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport | alt= | url=https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yvrwc-the-westin-wall-centre-vancouver-airport/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_MTcxNTAxNC03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24uZ29vZ2xlX3dlYnNpdGVfb3ZlcnJpZGU%3D | email= | address=3099 Corvette Way, Richmond | lat=49.19041 | long=-123.1341 | directions=Entrance from Corvette Way, the first right turn on Sea Island Way from the airport after the bridge | phone=+1 604 303 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=noon | price=From $250 per night | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-04 | content=A ritzy hotel with high floors overlooking the mountains north of Vancouver. Has its own restaurant, and walking distance to shops and other restaurants. }} ===Vancouver=== * {{sleep | name=Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.coasthotels.com/coast-vancouver-airport-hotel | email= | address=1041 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver | lat=49.20383 | long=-123.1356 | directions= | phone=+1 604 263 1555 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-04-05 | content=The only hotel near the airport within Vancouver City. }} ==Nearby== *The airport is next to [[Richmond (British Columbia)|Richmond]], which is also an island, and which features large shopping areas with omnipresent East Asian establishments and eateries. * [[Vancouver]] proper is a short away from the airport. While waiting, why not explore the rich Asian culinary scenes, stop by at Granville Market and admire the view of the [[North Vancouver]] mountains? {{IsPartOf|Lower Mainland}} {{guideairport}} {{geo|49.1926|-123.1782|zoom=13}} fqsle5cyg5yc74z3nqmgt0owbzooxb1 0 184478 4501639 4494849 2022-08-15T16:20:24Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* See */ Added listing for Poulner Baptist Chapel - Barebones listing; will fill later. wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Ringwood}} '''Ringwood''' is a town on the edge of the [[New Forest]] in [[Hampshire]], right on the border with [[Dorset]]. ==Understand== ==Get in== ===By car=== The A31 trunk road runs from the end of the M27 motorway through the New Forest, past Ringwood, and on towards Dorchester. About a mile west of Ringwood, the A31 has a major junction with the A338 expressway, which brings traffic from the Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole conurbation. The A338 also continues north of Ringwood as a single-carriageway road to Salisbury via Fordingbridge. Approximate driving distances: * From [[Bournemouth]], via A338 – {{mi|12}} * From [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], via A338 – {{mi|17}} * From [[Southampton]], via M27 and A31 – {{mi|22}} * From [[Dorchester]], via A35 and A31 – {{mi|35}} * From [[London]], via M3, M27 and A31 – {{mi|100}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Meeting House Lane | lat=50.847 | long=-1.791 | content=The main bus stops in town, where all buses from other cities stop, including the National Express. }} Three National Express bus routes run through Ringwood: from [[London]] or [[Heathrow Airport]] (approx. 2½ hours) and from [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] (approx. 5 hours). For more local travel, the most frequent bus routes are the X3 running between [[Bournemouth]] and [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]] and the X6 which runs from [[Poole]]. ===On foot=== * Avon Valley Path between Salisbury and Christchurch, following the Avon River. 35 miles. * [https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway.aspx Castleman Trailway] between Ringwood and Poole, following disused train tracks. 15 miles. Also suitable for cycling and horse-riding. ==Get around== {{mapframe|lat=50.85|long=-1.78|zoom=12}} ===On foot=== It is easy to walk around the town, as it is only about a mile wide and mostly flat. There are some signposts near the town centre that show popular walking/cycling routes such as the Avon Valley Path. Google Maps works well for navigating in the town, and also shows the Ringwood sections of the Avon Valley Path and the Castleman Trailway. ===By bus=== There is a circular bus route around the town, the Ringo. It goes to Poulner (the section of Ringwood north of the A31) and to the Lidl/Premier Inn, with the main stop being Meeting House Lane. ===By car=== Ringwood only has a couple of main roads and no confusing one-way systems, so it is easy to drive around. There is a large paid car park (both short-stay and long-stay) at Meeting House Lane, with street parking available almost everywhere else. However, in the evenings and on warm holidays the roads can be very busy as people queue to join the A31, so it may be faster to walk. A car will be very useful to have when visiting the various countryside attractions outside the town. ==See== * {{see | name=St Peter and St Paul Church | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbenefice.org.uk/about-us/our-churches/st-peter-st-paul-ringwood/ | email= | address= | lat=50.8483 | long=-1.7952 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 489898 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free, donations welcome | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=There has been a church on-site for at least 1000 years, though the current building only dates from the 1850s. Look out for the 15th century monumental brass, a matchstick model of the church made by air raid wardens while on fire watch in the 1940s, and a contemporary triptych depicting the two patron saints and a cross. }} * {{see | name=Meeting House & History Centre | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodmeetinghouse.org/ | email= | address=22 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7921 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480656 | tollfree= | hours=Open for visits M Tu, Th-Sa 10AM-noon, W 10AM-2:30PM. Times vary for events and exhibitions | price=Entry by spare change | lastedit=2021-06-16 | content=Grade II*-listed Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1727, now houses the municipal archives. A selection of artefacts is on permanent display, and the house hosts numerous events throughout the year, including concerts and art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | alt= | url=https://libertysfalconry.com/ | email= | address=Crow Lane, BH24 3DZ | lat=50.8362 | long=-1.771 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476487 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su and Feb half-term 10AM-4PM | price=Adult £11.95, senior £10.95, child (3-15 yr) £5.95 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=Large collection of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures, some of which take part in flying displays every day. There is also a small reptile house on site, which puts on occasional shows in the summer. Site can be difficult for wheelchairs. No dogs. }} * {{see | name=Poulner Baptist Chapel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=50.858468 | long=-1.759093 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26387291 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=An unusual thatched chapel with whitewashed walls and a gracefully crumbling churchyard. }} ==Do== [[File:Avon Heath, footpath - geograph.org.uk - 1740831.jpg|thumb|300px|Sandy footpath through Avon Heath]] * {{do | name=Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve | alt=Hampshire Wildlife Trust | url=https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/blashford-lakes-nature-reserve | email=Robert.Chapman@hiwwt.org.uk | address=Ellingham Drove, BH24 3PJ | lat=50.874 | long=-1.787 | directions={{marker|name=Car and bike park|lat=50.8723|long=-1.7859}} outside education centre. Bus: X3 to Ellingham Crossroads, 500-m walk from centre | phone=+44 1425 472760 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; centre and car park open 9AM-4:30PM, closed 25 Dec | price=Entry by donation (suggested £4 pp) | wikidata=Q95736187 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=A group of disused gravel pits that have filled with water over time and now form a cluster of lakes over 160 ha. The reserve is a magnet for great flocks of migratory birds in winter (terns, lapwings, oystercatchers...), while in spring and summer dragonflies and wildflowers put on a display. Other resident birds include redpoll, brambling, kingfisher and bittern. 8 km of level paths are suitable for wheelchairs; the hides are also accessible. No dogs except guide dogs. }} * {{do | name=New Forest Northern Commons | alt=National Trust | url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forest-northern-commons | email=info.newforest@nationaltrust.org.uk | address=Rockford Car Park, Ellingham Drove, BH24 3NF | lat=50.873 | long=-1.7683 | directions=Bus: X3 to Ellingham Cross, just over {{mi|1}} on foot | phone=+44 1425 650035 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; car park open dawn-dusk | price=Free entry and parking | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Walking and bike trails among a landscape of woodland pasture and open heathland. You'll almost certainly see some New Forest ponies, and if you're lucky you might glimpse fallow or red deer, or perhaps hear the tune of a Dartford warbler. Just by the car park is a large sand dune for kids to roll down. }} * {{do | name=Avon Heath Country Park | alt=Dorset County Council | url=https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/country-parks-and-visitor-centres/avon-heath-country-park/avon-heath-country-park.aspx | email=avonheath@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk | address=Brocks Pine, St Leonards, BH24 2DH | lat=50.831944 | long=-1.819444 | directions=Off A31, {{mi|2}} W of Ringwood. Bus: 38 to St Leonard's Hotel, 10 min walk from park | phone=+44 1425 478082 | tollfree= | hours=Park daily 8:30AM-6:30PM / dusk (whichever is sooner). Visitor centre daily 10AM-4PM | price=Free. Parking 2 hr £3, 4 hr £6, all day £8. Barbecue day hire £40 | wikidata=Q60744834 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Explore several miles of walking and cycling trail through open heathland. The park is part of a breeding programme for sand lizards, nationally-scarce reptiles which favour the heaths of southern England. Facilities include a visitors' centre, dog wash, café, picnic area and an imaginative nature-themed play area. }} [[File:In the tree tops, Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1175326.jpg|thumb|300px|Fun in the tree tops at Moors Valley]] * {{do | name=Moors Valley Country Park and Forest | alt=Dorset County Council / Forestry England | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/ | email=rangers@moors-valley.co.uk | address=Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET | lat=50.8508 | long=-1.85028 | directions=3½ mi (5.5 km) W of Ringwood. Leave A31 at Ashley Heath turnoff, then follow brown signs. Bus: 38 to Castleman Trailway (stop ''dordmdam''), ½ mi (600 m) from main entrance. Walk or cycle from Ringwood via Castleman Trailway. | phone=+44 1425 470721 | tollfree= | hours=Daily Sep-Mar 8AM-5PM, Apr-Aug 8AM-6PM/7PM during school holidays. Closed 25 Dec | price=Free entry. Parking charges [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/visitor-information/car-charges/ apply], up to £15 for whole day | wikidata=Q6908472 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Extremely popular forest park with miles of walking, running, cycling and callisthenic trails. Free [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/audiotrail/ audio] and [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/mindfulness/ mindfulness] trails to download. Kids will love the treetop walk and Gruffalo sculpture trail. There are numerous on-site activities and attractions, listed below. On-site ranger station, café-restaurant, dog wash and picnic spots. No barbecues or camping. }} ** {{do | name=Cycle Hire | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/cycle-hire/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM to mid-afternoon | price=£10 deposit (for up to four bikes) plus adult/child bike 1 hr £7/£6, 2 hr £13/£10, 3 hr £18/£13, all day £22/£17. Helmets free; trailers, tagalongs and child seat extra | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Proof of ID required. }} ** {{do | name=Fishing in Moors Lake | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/fishing/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=15 Jun-15 Mar, same hours as park | price=Adult £4.80, child/concession £4.10. You must also have a [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence rod fishing licence] from the Environment Agency (£8/£12/£30 per day/week/year) | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Dace, perch, roach, rudd, and tench are all regularly caught at decent sizes. No barbed hooks, floating baits, live baiting or spinning. }} ** {{do | name=Golf | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/golf-course/ | email=golf@moors-valley.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1425 479776 | tollfree= | hours=Advance booking and payment mandatory | price=Oct-Mar: 11/18 holes M-Sa £13/£20, Sa, Su, holidays £15/£25; Apr-Oct 11/18 holes M-Sa £16/£24, Sa, Su, holidays £19/£29. Good discounts for under-25s | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=18-hole, 6337-yard course along the Moors River valley, with four par 5s, ten par 4s and four par 3s. }} ** {{do | name=Go Ape | alt= | url=https://goape.co.uk/locations/moors-valley | email=questions@goape.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1603 895500 (national number) | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-7PM, booking essential | price=High rope courses from £20-£33, depending on difficulty, nets from £20, segway from £35 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=High ropes, swings, zip wires, and bouncy nets in the trees. There are four courses suitable for different ages, all 1-2 hr in length. If you can't stomach heights, you might prefer a Segway ride through the forest (1 hr). }} ** {{do | name=Hawks in the Forest | alt= | url=https://www.hawksintheforest.co.uk/ | email=hawksintheforest@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 7954 522843 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=By appointment only | price=One adult £50, two adults £70, four adults £120; children £15, family (two adults, two children) £80 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Walk with a Harris's hawk! Your guide, a professional falconer, will instruct you on how to handle the bird, which will then fly freely as you walk through the woods and take turns in calling it to your outstretched gloved hand. Walks are aimed at couples and small groups. }} ** {{do | name=Moors Valley Railway | alt= | url=https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/ | email= | address= | lat=50.853 | long=-1.85283 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471415 | tollfree= | hours=Winter weekends and school holidays 10AM-4PM, summer daily 10AM-5PM | price=Return trip: adult £4.35, child £2.90. Footplate courses £180-£225 incl lunch and refreshments | wikidata=Q6908474 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Email via [https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/find-us/ online contact form]. }} ==Buy== Ringwood's '''[https://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/?market=17 farmers market]''' takes place at Gateway Square on the last Saturday of the month, 10AM-2PM. There is also a smaller market on the High Street every Wednesday, 8AM-3PM, which sells food, clothes and crafts among other things. * {{buy | name=Roebridge Natural Food Market | alt= | url=https://roebridgefoods.co.uk/ | email= | address=Unit 3, Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8467 | long=-1.7922 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 473133 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 9AM-5:30PM, Th F 9AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-13 | content=Small regional chain of greengrocers stocking local produce including New Forest mushrooms and Dorset chillies. Also sells nuts and free-range eggs. }} ===Supermarkets=== * {{buy | name=Sainsbury's | alt= | url=https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/2128/ringwood?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext&y_source=1_MTU1NjY3MTQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=24 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7917 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Waitrose | alt= | url=https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/203.html?utm_source=GMBlistings&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local&utm_content=203&y_source=1_MTA4NTgwNzQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=The Furlong, BH25 1AT | lat=50.8479 | long=-1.7936 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lidl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839808 | long=-1.783631 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Blashford Lakes - geograph.org.uk - 1287681.jpg|thumb|300px|Blashford Lakes]] ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Café Velo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafevelo.co.uk/ | email=cafeveloringwood@outlook.com | address=2 Star Lane, BH24 1AL | lat=50.8471 | long=-1.7940 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480410 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-2PM, closed Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Cyclists' café for locally-sourced brunch and lunch. Veggie and vegan options. Bike storage and water bottle filling available }} * {{eat | name=Indian Tree | alt= | url=http://indiantreefood.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 Market Place, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846883 | long=-1.794390 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476563 | tollfree= | hours=5PM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Indian curries, as the name suggests. Prices are typically £8.95 (chicken) to £13.95 (king prawn). Also offers takeaways. }} * {{eat | name=Price's Fish And Chips | alt= | url=http://www.pricesfishandchips.co.uk/ | email= | address=38 Christchurch Road, BH24 1DN | lat=50.845 | long=-1.789 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480290 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch W-Sa noon-1:45PM, dinner Tu-Sa 5PM-9PM | price=Medium cod, chips and side £8.50 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Popular traditional chippy. For something a bit different, try their homemade sweet chilli fishcakes. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Fromage to Yours | alt= | url= | email=info@fromagetoyours.co.uk | address=2 Fridays Court, BH24 1AB | lat=50.8461 | long=-1.7914 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470263 | tollfree= | hours=M 10AM-2PM, Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM | price=Paninis £6-£7.50, salads £5-£10, platters £23-£33 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Café-deli specialising in local cheese and charcuterie, served in salads, paninis and on sharing platters. }} * {{eat | name=The Old Cottage | alt= | url=https://www.oldcottagerestaurant.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 West Street, BH24 1DZ | lat=50.846639 | long=-1.796543 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 474283 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch Tu-Su noon-2:30PM, Dinner Tu-Th 6PM-9PM, F-Sa 6PM-9:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Classic dishes made with locally-sourced meat and fish, housed in a 16th century cottage. Mains cost £15-£20. Also offer a separate Sunday Lunch menu with different roast options. }} ==Drink== [[File:Ringwood Brewery Razorback (Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co.).jpg|thumb|Razor Back best bitter is Ringwood's original brew.]] * {{drink | name=Ringwood Brewery | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk/ | email=store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk | address=138 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AP | lat=50.841 | long=-1.787 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470303 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, tap room from 11AM | price= | wikidata=Q7335015 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Tap room and beer shop for Ringwood beers; buy 'em by the pint, jug, flaggon, piggon, or even firkin (that's 72 pints!) The brewery no longer offers tours. }} * {{drink | name=Inn On The Furlong | alt= | url=https://theinnonthefurlong.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@theinnonthefurlong.co.uk | address=12 Meeting House Lane, Ringwood, BH24 1EY | lat=50.846878 | long=-1.792411 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 475139 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26451043 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=18th-century free house with good range of beers and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=The Original White Hart | alt= | url=https://www.originalwhitehartpub.co.uk/ | email=originalwhitehart.ringwood@marstons.co.uk | address=4 Market Place, Ringwood, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846828 | long=-1.793936 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472702 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26387292 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=17th-century coaching inn. Although it's a Marstons pub, it also serves Ringwood ales. Sports on the telly and pool table. Wheelchair accessible. Dogs welcome. }} * {{drink | name=The Elm Tree | alt= | url=https://theelmtreeringwood.co.uk/ | email=info@elmtreeringwood.co.uk | address=Hightown Road, BH24 3DY | lat=50.84319 | long=-1.76583 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472516 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:30PM, F Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Thatched cottage with cosy interior and large beer garden. Live sports on TVs. Basic cheap pub food available, which gets mixed reviews. }} * {{drink | name=The White Hart Inn | alt= | url=https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/ | email= | address=171 Southampton Road, BH24 1HU | lat=50.85174 | long=-1.77382 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 483123 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W noon-11PM, Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Email via [https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/contact-us/ online contact form]. In the residential neighbourhood of Poulner is this characterful low-ceilinged pub with pool table, darts and dominoes. Lounge chairs and picnic blankets in the garden in summer. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Dunnroaming | alt= | url=https://www.176dunnroaming.co.uk/ | email=176dunnroaming@gmail.com | address=176 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8392 | long=-1.7840 | directions= | phone=+44 7508 810336 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10AM | price=From £71, booked in advance. Copious breakfast included | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Two en-suite twin rooms with blackout curtains. Free Wi-Fi and luggage store. Off-street parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Premier Inn | alt= | url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/ringwood/ringwood.html?cid=GLBC_RINFOR | email= | address=Forest Gate Business Park, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839919 | long=-1.782032 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 206667 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=From £42 for a double room, booked in advance | lastedit=2021-07-09 | content=Around a 15 min walk from the high street. Several accessible rooms. Free parking and Wi-Fi. On-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. }} * {{sleep | name=Moortown Lodge | alt= | url=https://moortownlodge.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@moortownlodge.co.uk | address=244 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8378 | long=-1.7832 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471 404 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10:30AM | price=B&B doubles from £140 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=A Georgian hunting lodge converted into a boutique B&B with ensuite rooms for couples - each room has one double or super king-size bed. Good breakfasts, including vegetarian and vegan. }} Many of the pubs and inns in town also offer accommodation, all from about £70 per night when booked in advance. ===Camping=== Always popular in the New Forest. * {{sleep | name=Fernwood Glamping | alt= | url=https://www.fernwood-ringwood.co.uk/ | email= | address=Fernwood, Hangersley Hill, BH24 3JN | lat=50.8571 | long=-1.7598 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476892, +44 7730 586601 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=5-10PM | checkout=10AM | price=Two adults: one night £100, two nights or more £80 per night. Children: £20 per night. Add £10 per night during summer peak | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Stay in a red Romany caravan or corrugated shepherd's hut in a quiet setting on the edge of town. The caravan and hut each sleep two adults and two kids, and come equipped with bedding and basic toiletries, a minifridge and kettle. Bring your own camp cooker or barbecue, or make use of the firepit. No dogs. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * '''The [[New Forest]]''' - Ringwood is on the outskirts of the National Park which has many hiking routes. * '''[[Fordingbridge]]''' - A smaller town to the north has both river and forest activities, plus access to a stately home and Roman villa. * '''[[Bournemouth]]''' - Its beach is very popular in the summer, and the town is the main shopping/nightlife area for people in Ringwood. * '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' - Home to Salisbury Cathedral and a gateway to Stonehenge * '''[[Southampton]]''' - The port for many cruises, with good connections to other cities in the UK. {{IsPartOf|Hampshire}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|50.85|-1.78}} rytwz2flxw7oj4890d304s3nfsl0s9j 4501640 4501639 2022-08-15T16:21:09Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Ringwood}} '''Ringwood''' is a town on the edge of the [[New Forest]] in [[Hampshire]], right on the border with [[Dorset]]. ==Understand== ==Get in== ===By car=== The A31 trunk road runs from the end of the M27 motorway through the New Forest, past Ringwood, and on towards Dorchester. About a mile west of Ringwood, the A31 has a major junction with the A338 expressway, which brings traffic from the Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole conurbation. The A338 also continues north of Ringwood as a single-carriageway road to Salisbury via Fordingbridge. Approximate driving distances: * From [[Bournemouth]], via A338 – {{mi|12}} * From [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], via A338 – {{mi|17}} * From [[Southampton]], via M27 and A31 – {{mi|22}} * From [[Dorchester]], via A35 and A31 – {{mi|35}} * From [[London]], via M3, M27 and A31 – {{mi|100}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Meeting House Lane | lat=50.847 | long=-1.791 | content=The main bus stops in town, where all buses from other cities stop, including the National Express. }} Three National Express bus routes run through Ringwood: from [[London]] or [[Heathrow Airport]] (approx. 2½ hours) and from [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] (approx. 5 hours). For more local travel, the most frequent bus routes are the X3 running between [[Bournemouth]] and [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]] and the X6 which runs from [[Poole]]. ===On foot=== * Avon Valley Path between Salisbury and Christchurch, following the Avon River. 35 miles. * [https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway.aspx Castleman Trailway] between Ringwood and Poole, following disused train tracks. 15 miles. Also suitable for cycling and horse-riding. ==Get around== {{mapframe|lat=50.85|long=-1.78|zoom=12}} ===On foot=== It is easy to walk around the town, as it is only about a mile wide and mostly flat. There are some signposts near the town centre that show popular walking/cycling routes such as the Avon Valley Path. Google Maps works well for navigating in the town, and also shows the Ringwood sections of the Avon Valley Path and the Castleman Trailway. ===By bus=== There is a circular bus route around the town, the Ringo. It goes to Poulner (the section of Ringwood north of the A31) and to the Lidl/Premier Inn, with the main stop being Meeting House Lane. ===By car=== Ringwood only has a couple of main roads and no confusing one-way systems, so it is easy to drive around. There is a large paid car park (both short-stay and long-stay) at Meeting House Lane, with street parking available almost everywhere else. However, in the evenings and on warm holidays the roads can be very busy as people queue to join the A31, so it may be faster to walk. A car will be very useful to have when visiting the various countryside attractions outside the town. ==See== * {{see | name=St Peter and St Paul Church | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbenefice.org.uk/about-us/our-churches/st-peter-st-paul-ringwood/ | email= | address= | lat=50.8483 | long=-1.7952 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 489898 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free, donations welcome | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=There has been a church on-site for at least 1000 years, though the current building only dates from the 1850s. Look out for the 15th century monumental brass, a matchstick model of the church made by air raid wardens while on fire watch in the 1940s, and a contemporary triptych depicting the two patron saints and a cross. }} * {{see | name=Meeting House & History Centre | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodmeetinghouse.org/ | email= | address=22 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7921 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480656 | tollfree= | hours=Open for visits M Tu, Th-Sa 10AM-noon, W 10AM-2:30PM. Times vary for events and exhibitions | price=Entry by spare change | lastedit=2021-06-16 | content=Grade II*-listed Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1727, now houses the municipal archives. A selection of artefacts is on permanent display, and the house hosts numerous events throughout the year, including concerts and art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | alt= | url=https://libertysfalconry.com/ | email= | address=Crow Lane, BH24 3DZ | lat=50.8362 | long=-1.771 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476487 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su and Feb half-term 10AM-4PM | price=Adult £11.95, senior £10.95, child (3-15 yr) £5.95 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=Large collection of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures, some of which take part in flying displays every day. There is also a small reptile house on site, which puts on occasional shows in the summer. Site can be difficult for wheelchairs. No dogs. }} * {{see | name=Poulner Baptist Chapel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=50.858468 | long=-1.759093 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26387291 | image=Poulner Chapel 1840 - geograph.org.uk - 19885.jpg | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=An unusual thatched chapel with whitewashed walls and a gracefully crumbling churchyard. }} ==Do== [[File:Avon Heath, footpath - geograph.org.uk - 1740831.jpg|thumb|300px|Sandy footpath through Avon Heath]] * {{do | name=Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve | alt=Hampshire Wildlife Trust | url=https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/blashford-lakes-nature-reserve | email=Robert.Chapman@hiwwt.org.uk | address=Ellingham Drove, BH24 3PJ | lat=50.874 | long=-1.787 | directions={{marker|name=Car and bike park|lat=50.8723|long=-1.7859}} outside education centre. Bus: X3 to Ellingham Crossroads, 500-m walk from centre | phone=+44 1425 472760 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; centre and car park open 9AM-4:30PM, closed 25 Dec | price=Entry by donation (suggested £4 pp) | wikidata=Q95736187 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=A group of disused gravel pits that have filled with water over time and now form a cluster of lakes over 160 ha. The reserve is a magnet for great flocks of migratory birds in winter (terns, lapwings, oystercatchers...), while in spring and summer dragonflies and wildflowers put on a display. Other resident birds include redpoll, brambling, kingfisher and bittern. 8 km of level paths are suitable for wheelchairs; the hides are also accessible. No dogs except guide dogs. }} * {{do | name=New Forest Northern Commons | alt=National Trust | url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forest-northern-commons | email=info.newforest@nationaltrust.org.uk | address=Rockford Car Park, Ellingham Drove, BH24 3NF | lat=50.873 | long=-1.7683 | directions=Bus: X3 to Ellingham Cross, just over {{mi|1}} on foot | phone=+44 1425 650035 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; car park open dawn-dusk | price=Free entry and parking | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Walking and bike trails among a landscape of woodland pasture and open heathland. You'll almost certainly see some New Forest ponies, and if you're lucky you might glimpse fallow or red deer, or perhaps hear the tune of a Dartford warbler. Just by the car park is a large sand dune for kids to roll down. }} * {{do | name=Avon Heath Country Park | alt=Dorset County Council | url=https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/country-parks-and-visitor-centres/avon-heath-country-park/avon-heath-country-park.aspx | email=avonheath@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk | address=Brocks Pine, St Leonards, BH24 2DH | lat=50.831944 | long=-1.819444 | directions=Off A31, {{mi|2}} W of Ringwood. Bus: 38 to St Leonard's Hotel, 10 min walk from park | phone=+44 1425 478082 | tollfree= | hours=Park daily 8:30AM-6:30PM / dusk (whichever is sooner). Visitor centre daily 10AM-4PM | price=Free. Parking 2 hr £3, 4 hr £6, all day £8. Barbecue day hire £40 | wikidata=Q60744834 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Explore several miles of walking and cycling trail through open heathland. The park is part of a breeding programme for sand lizards, nationally-scarce reptiles which favour the heaths of southern England. Facilities include a visitors' centre, dog wash, café, picnic area and an imaginative nature-themed play area. }} [[File:In the tree tops, Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1175326.jpg|thumb|300px|Fun in the tree tops at Moors Valley]] * {{do | name=Moors Valley Country Park and Forest | alt=Dorset County Council / Forestry England | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/ | email=rangers@moors-valley.co.uk | address=Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET | lat=50.8508 | long=-1.85028 | directions=3½ mi (5.5 km) W of Ringwood. Leave A31 at Ashley Heath turnoff, then follow brown signs. Bus: 38 to Castleman Trailway (stop ''dordmdam''), ½ mi (600 m) from main entrance. Walk or cycle from Ringwood via Castleman Trailway. | phone=+44 1425 470721 | tollfree= | hours=Daily Sep-Mar 8AM-5PM, Apr-Aug 8AM-6PM/7PM during school holidays. Closed 25 Dec | price=Free entry. Parking charges [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/visitor-information/car-charges/ apply], up to £15 for whole day | wikidata=Q6908472 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Extremely popular forest park with miles of walking, running, cycling and callisthenic trails. Free [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/audiotrail/ audio] and [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/mindfulness/ mindfulness] trails to download. Kids will love the treetop walk and Gruffalo sculpture trail. There are numerous on-site activities and attractions, listed below. On-site ranger station, café-restaurant, dog wash and picnic spots. No barbecues or camping. }} ** {{do | name=Cycle Hire | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/cycle-hire/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM to mid-afternoon | price=£10 deposit (for up to four bikes) plus adult/child bike 1 hr £7/£6, 2 hr £13/£10, 3 hr £18/£13, all day £22/£17. Helmets free; trailers, tagalongs and child seat extra | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Proof of ID required. }} ** {{do | name=Fishing in Moors Lake | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/fishing/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=15 Jun-15 Mar, same hours as park | price=Adult £4.80, child/concession £4.10. You must also have a [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence rod fishing licence] from the Environment Agency (£8/£12/£30 per day/week/year) | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Dace, perch, roach, rudd, and tench are all regularly caught at decent sizes. No barbed hooks, floating baits, live baiting or spinning. }} ** {{do | name=Golf | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/golf-course/ | email=golf@moors-valley.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1425 479776 | tollfree= | hours=Advance booking and payment mandatory | price=Oct-Mar: 11/18 holes M-Sa £13/£20, Sa, Su, holidays £15/£25; Apr-Oct 11/18 holes M-Sa £16/£24, Sa, Su, holidays £19/£29. Good discounts for under-25s | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=18-hole, 6337-yard course along the Moors River valley, with four par 5s, ten par 4s and four par 3s. }} ** {{do | name=Go Ape | alt= | url=https://goape.co.uk/locations/moors-valley | email=questions@goape.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1603 895500 (national number) | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-7PM, booking essential | price=High rope courses from £20-£33, depending on difficulty, nets from £20, segway from £35 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=High ropes, swings, zip wires, and bouncy nets in the trees. There are four courses suitable for different ages, all 1-2 hr in length. If you can't stomach heights, you might prefer a Segway ride through the forest (1 hr). }} ** {{do | name=Hawks in the Forest | alt= | url=https://www.hawksintheforest.co.uk/ | email=hawksintheforest@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 7954 522843 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=By appointment only | price=One adult £50, two adults £70, four adults £120; children £15, family (two adults, two children) £80 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Walk with a Harris's hawk! Your guide, a professional falconer, will instruct you on how to handle the bird, which will then fly freely as you walk through the woods and take turns in calling it to your outstretched gloved hand. Walks are aimed at couples and small groups. }} ** {{do | name=Moors Valley Railway | alt= | url=https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/ | email= | address= | lat=50.853 | long=-1.85283 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471415 | tollfree= | hours=Winter weekends and school holidays 10AM-4PM, summer daily 10AM-5PM | price=Return trip: adult £4.35, child £2.90. Footplate courses £180-£225 incl lunch and refreshments | wikidata=Q6908474 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Email via [https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/find-us/ online contact form]. }} ==Buy== Ringwood's '''[https://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/?market=17 farmers market]''' takes place at Gateway Square on the last Saturday of the month, 10AM-2PM. There is also a smaller market on the High Street every Wednesday, 8AM-3PM, which sells food, clothes and crafts among other things. * {{buy | name=Roebridge Natural Food Market | alt= | url=https://roebridgefoods.co.uk/ | email= | address=Unit 3, Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8467 | long=-1.7922 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 473133 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 9AM-5:30PM, Th F 9AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-13 | content=Small regional chain of greengrocers stocking local produce including New Forest mushrooms and Dorset chillies. Also sells nuts and free-range eggs. }} ===Supermarkets=== * {{buy | name=Sainsbury's | alt= | url=https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/2128/ringwood?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext&y_source=1_MTU1NjY3MTQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=24 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7917 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Waitrose | alt= | url=https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/203.html?utm_source=GMBlistings&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local&utm_content=203&y_source=1_MTA4NTgwNzQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=The Furlong, BH25 1AT | lat=50.8479 | long=-1.7936 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lidl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839808 | long=-1.783631 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Blashford Lakes - geograph.org.uk - 1287681.jpg|thumb|300px|Blashford Lakes]] ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Café Velo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafevelo.co.uk/ | email=cafeveloringwood@outlook.com | address=2 Star Lane, BH24 1AL | lat=50.8471 | long=-1.7940 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480410 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-2PM, closed Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Cyclists' café for locally-sourced brunch and lunch. Veggie and vegan options. Bike storage and water bottle filling available }} * {{eat | name=Indian Tree | alt= | url=http://indiantreefood.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 Market Place, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846883 | long=-1.794390 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476563 | tollfree= | hours=5PM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Indian curries, as the name suggests. Prices are typically £8.95 (chicken) to £13.95 (king prawn). Also offers takeaways. }} * {{eat | name=Price's Fish And Chips | alt= | url=http://www.pricesfishandchips.co.uk/ | email= | address=38 Christchurch Road, BH24 1DN | lat=50.845 | long=-1.789 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480290 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch W-Sa noon-1:45PM, dinner Tu-Sa 5PM-9PM | price=Medium cod, chips and side £8.50 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Popular traditional chippy. For something a bit different, try their homemade sweet chilli fishcakes. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Fromage to Yours | alt= | url= | email=info@fromagetoyours.co.uk | address=2 Fridays Court, BH24 1AB | lat=50.8461 | long=-1.7914 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470263 | tollfree= | hours=M 10AM-2PM, Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM | price=Paninis £6-£7.50, salads £5-£10, platters £23-£33 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Café-deli specialising in local cheese and charcuterie, served in salads, paninis and on sharing platters. }} * {{eat | name=The Old Cottage | alt= | url=https://www.oldcottagerestaurant.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 West Street, BH24 1DZ | lat=50.846639 | long=-1.796543 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 474283 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch Tu-Su noon-2:30PM, Dinner Tu-Th 6PM-9PM, F-Sa 6PM-9:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Classic dishes made with locally-sourced meat and fish, housed in a 16th century cottage. Mains cost £15-£20. Also offer a separate Sunday Lunch menu with different roast options. }} ==Drink== [[File:Ringwood Brewery Razorback (Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co.).jpg|thumb|Razor Back best bitter is Ringwood's original brew.]] * {{drink | name=Ringwood Brewery | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk/ | email=store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk | address=138 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AP | lat=50.841 | long=-1.787 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470303 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, tap room from 11AM | price= | wikidata=Q7335015 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Tap room and beer shop for Ringwood beers; buy 'em by the pint, jug, flaggon, piggon, or even firkin (that's 72 pints!) The brewery no longer offers tours. }} * {{drink | name=Inn On The Furlong | alt= | url=https://theinnonthefurlong.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@theinnonthefurlong.co.uk | address=12 Meeting House Lane, Ringwood, BH24 1EY | lat=50.846878 | long=-1.792411 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 475139 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26451043 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=18th-century free house with good range of beers and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=The Original White Hart | alt= | url=https://www.originalwhitehartpub.co.uk/ | email=originalwhitehart.ringwood@marstons.co.uk | address=4 Market Place, Ringwood, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846828 | long=-1.793936 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472702 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26387292 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=17th-century coaching inn. Although it's a Marstons pub, it also serves Ringwood ales. Sports on the telly and pool table. Wheelchair accessible. Dogs welcome. }} * {{drink | name=The Elm Tree | alt= | url=https://theelmtreeringwood.co.uk/ | email=info@elmtreeringwood.co.uk | address=Hightown Road, BH24 3DY | lat=50.84319 | long=-1.76583 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472516 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:30PM, F Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Thatched cottage with cosy interior and large beer garden. Live sports on TVs. Basic cheap pub food available, which gets mixed reviews. }} * {{drink | name=The White Hart Inn | alt= | url=https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/ | email= | address=171 Southampton Road, BH24 1HU | lat=50.85174 | long=-1.77382 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 483123 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W noon-11PM, Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Email via [https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/contact-us/ online contact form]. In the residential neighbourhood of Poulner is this characterful low-ceilinged pub with pool table, darts and dominoes. Lounge chairs and picnic blankets in the garden in summer. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Dunnroaming | alt= | url=https://www.176dunnroaming.co.uk/ | email=176dunnroaming@gmail.com | address=176 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8392 | long=-1.7840 | directions= | phone=+44 7508 810336 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10AM | price=From £71, booked in advance. Copious breakfast included | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Two en-suite twin rooms with blackout curtains. Free Wi-Fi and luggage store. Off-street parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Premier Inn | alt= | url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/ringwood/ringwood.html?cid=GLBC_RINFOR | email= | address=Forest Gate Business Park, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839919 | long=-1.782032 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 206667 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=From £42 for a double room, booked in advance | lastedit=2021-07-09 | content=Around a 15 min walk from the high street. Several accessible rooms. Free parking and Wi-Fi. On-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. }} * {{sleep | name=Moortown Lodge | alt= | url=https://moortownlodge.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@moortownlodge.co.uk | address=244 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8378 | long=-1.7832 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471 404 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10:30AM | price=B&B doubles from £140 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=A Georgian hunting lodge converted into a boutique B&B with ensuite rooms for couples - each room has one double or super king-size bed. Good breakfasts, including vegetarian and vegan. }} Many of the pubs and inns in town also offer accommodation, all from about £70 per night when booked in advance. ===Camping=== Always popular in the New Forest. * {{sleep | name=Fernwood Glamping | alt= | url=https://www.fernwood-ringwood.co.uk/ | email= | address=Fernwood, Hangersley Hill, BH24 3JN | lat=50.8571 | long=-1.7598 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476892, +44 7730 586601 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=5-10PM | checkout=10AM | price=Two adults: one night £100, two nights or more £80 per night. Children: £20 per night. Add £10 per night during summer peak | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Stay in a red Romany caravan or corrugated shepherd's hut in a quiet setting on the edge of town. The caravan and hut each sleep two adults and two kids, and come equipped with bedding and basic toiletries, a minifridge and kettle. Bring your own camp cooker or barbecue, or make use of the firepit. No dogs. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * '''The [[New Forest]]''' - Ringwood is on the outskirts of the National Park which has many hiking routes. * '''[[Fordingbridge]]''' - A smaller town to the north has both river and forest activities, plus access to a stately home and Roman villa. * '''[[Bournemouth]]''' - Its beach is very popular in the summer, and the town is the main shopping/nightlife area for people in Ringwood. * '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' - Home to Salisbury Cathedral and a gateway to Stonehenge * '''[[Southampton]]''' - The port for many cruises, with good connections to other cities in the UK. {{IsPartOf|Hampshire}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|50.85|-1.78}} cf2e2x36z4azbelpjq8csj4ryqeapmn 4501642 4501640 2022-08-15T16:24:15Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* See */ Updated listing for Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre - img wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Ringwood}} '''Ringwood''' is a town on the edge of the [[New Forest]] in [[Hampshire]], right on the border with [[Dorset]]. ==Understand== ==Get in== ===By car=== The A31 trunk road runs from the end of the M27 motorway through the New Forest, past Ringwood, and on towards Dorchester. About a mile west of Ringwood, the A31 has a major junction with the A338 expressway, which brings traffic from the Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole conurbation. The A338 also continues north of Ringwood as a single-carriageway road to Salisbury via Fordingbridge. Approximate driving distances: * From [[Bournemouth]], via A338 – {{mi|12}} * From [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], via A338 – {{mi|17}} * From [[Southampton]], via M27 and A31 – {{mi|22}} * From [[Dorchester]], via A35 and A31 – {{mi|35}} * From [[London]], via M3, M27 and A31 – {{mi|100}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Meeting House Lane | lat=50.847 | long=-1.791 | content=The main bus stops in town, where all buses from other cities stop, including the National Express. }} Three National Express bus routes run through Ringwood: from [[London]] or [[Heathrow Airport]] (approx. 2½ hours) and from [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] (approx. 5 hours). For more local travel, the most frequent bus routes are the X3 running between [[Bournemouth]] and [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]] and the X6 which runs from [[Poole]]. ===On foot=== * Avon Valley Path between Salisbury and Christchurch, following the Avon River. 35 miles. * [https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway.aspx Castleman Trailway] between Ringwood and Poole, following disused train tracks. 15 miles. Also suitable for cycling and horse-riding. ==Get around== {{mapframe|lat=50.85|long=-1.78|zoom=12}} ===On foot=== It is easy to walk around the town, as it is only about a mile wide and mostly flat. There are some signposts near the town centre that show popular walking/cycling routes such as the Avon Valley Path. Google Maps works well for navigating in the town, and also shows the Ringwood sections of the Avon Valley Path and the Castleman Trailway. ===By bus=== There is a circular bus route around the town, the Ringo. It goes to Poulner (the section of Ringwood north of the A31) and to the Lidl/Premier Inn, with the main stop being Meeting House Lane. ===By car=== Ringwood only has a couple of main roads and no confusing one-way systems, so it is easy to drive around. There is a large paid car park (both short-stay and long-stay) at Meeting House Lane, with street parking available almost everywhere else. However, in the evenings and on warm holidays the roads can be very busy as people queue to join the A31, so it may be faster to walk. A car will be very useful to have when visiting the various countryside attractions outside the town. ==See== * {{see | name=St Peter and St Paul Church | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbenefice.org.uk/about-us/our-churches/st-peter-st-paul-ringwood/ | email= | address= | lat=50.8483 | long=-1.7952 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 489898 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free, donations welcome | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=There has been a church on-site for at least 1000 years, though the current building only dates from the 1850s. Look out for the 15th century monumental brass, a matchstick model of the church made by air raid wardens while on fire watch in the 1940s, and a contemporary triptych depicting the two patron saints and a cross. }} * {{see | name=Meeting House & History Centre | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodmeetinghouse.org/ | email= | address=22 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7921 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480656 | tollfree= | hours=Open for visits M Tu, Th-Sa 10AM-noon, W 10AM-2:30PM. Times vary for events and exhibitions | price=Entry by spare change | lastedit=2021-06-16 | content=Grade II*-listed Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1727, now houses the municipal archives. A selection of artefacts is on permanent display, and the house hosts numerous events throughout the year, including concerts and art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | alt= | url=https://libertysfalconry.com/ | email= | address=Crow Lane, BH24 3DZ | lat=50.8362 | long=-1.771 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476487 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su and Feb half-term 10AM-4PM | price=Adult £11.95, senior £10.95, child (3-15 yr) £5.95 | image=Aquila rapax -Libertys Owl Raptor and Reptile Centre, Hampshire, England -head-8a.jpg | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=Large collection of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures, some of which take part in flying displays every day. There is also a small reptile house on site, which puts on occasional shows in the summer. Site can be difficult for wheelchairs. No dogs. }} * {{see | name=Poulner Baptist Chapel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=50.858468 | long=-1.759093 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26387291 | image=Poulner Chapel 1840 - geograph.org.uk - 19885.jpg | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=An unusual thatched chapel with whitewashed walls and a gracefully crumbling churchyard. }} ==Do== [[File:Avon Heath, footpath - geograph.org.uk - 1740831.jpg|thumb|300px|Sandy footpath through Avon Heath]] * {{do | name=Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve | alt=Hampshire Wildlife Trust | url=https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/blashford-lakes-nature-reserve | email=Robert.Chapman@hiwwt.org.uk | address=Ellingham Drove, BH24 3PJ | lat=50.874 | long=-1.787 | directions={{marker|name=Car and bike park|lat=50.8723|long=-1.7859}} outside education centre. Bus: X3 to Ellingham Crossroads, 500-m walk from centre | phone=+44 1425 472760 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; centre and car park open 9AM-4:30PM, closed 25 Dec | price=Entry by donation (suggested £4 pp) | wikidata=Q95736187 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=A group of disused gravel pits that have filled with water over time and now form a cluster of lakes over 160 ha. The reserve is a magnet for great flocks of migratory birds in winter (terns, lapwings, oystercatchers...), while in spring and summer dragonflies and wildflowers put on a display. Other resident birds include redpoll, brambling, kingfisher and bittern. 8 km of level paths are suitable for wheelchairs; the hides are also accessible. No dogs except guide dogs. }} * {{do | name=New Forest Northern Commons | alt=National Trust | url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forest-northern-commons | email=info.newforest@nationaltrust.org.uk | address=Rockford Car Park, Ellingham Drove, BH24 3NF | lat=50.873 | long=-1.7683 | directions=Bus: X3 to Ellingham Cross, just over {{mi|1}} on foot | phone=+44 1425 650035 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; car park open dawn-dusk | price=Free entry and parking | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Walking and bike trails among a landscape of woodland pasture and open heathland. You'll almost certainly see some New Forest ponies, and if you're lucky you might glimpse fallow or red deer, or perhaps hear the tune of a Dartford warbler. Just by the car park is a large sand dune for kids to roll down. }} * {{do | name=Avon Heath Country Park | alt=Dorset County Council | url=https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/country-parks-and-visitor-centres/avon-heath-country-park/avon-heath-country-park.aspx | email=avonheath@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk | address=Brocks Pine, St Leonards, BH24 2DH | lat=50.831944 | long=-1.819444 | directions=Off A31, {{mi|2}} W of Ringwood. Bus: 38 to St Leonard's Hotel, 10 min walk from park | phone=+44 1425 478082 | tollfree= | hours=Park daily 8:30AM-6:30PM / dusk (whichever is sooner). Visitor centre daily 10AM-4PM | price=Free. Parking 2 hr £3, 4 hr £6, all day £8. Barbecue day hire £40 | wikidata=Q60744834 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Explore several miles of walking and cycling trail through open heathland. The park is part of a breeding programme for sand lizards, nationally-scarce reptiles which favour the heaths of southern England. Facilities include a visitors' centre, dog wash, café, picnic area and an imaginative nature-themed play area. }} [[File:In the tree tops, Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1175326.jpg|thumb|300px|Fun in the tree tops at Moors Valley]] * {{do | name=Moors Valley Country Park and Forest | alt=Dorset County Council / Forestry England | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/ | email=rangers@moors-valley.co.uk | address=Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET | lat=50.8508 | long=-1.85028 | directions=3½ mi (5.5 km) W of Ringwood. Leave A31 at Ashley Heath turnoff, then follow brown signs. Bus: 38 to Castleman Trailway (stop ''dordmdam''), ½ mi (600 m) from main entrance. Walk or cycle from Ringwood via Castleman Trailway. | phone=+44 1425 470721 | tollfree= | hours=Daily Sep-Mar 8AM-5PM, Apr-Aug 8AM-6PM/7PM during school holidays. Closed 25 Dec | price=Free entry. Parking charges [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/visitor-information/car-charges/ apply], up to £15 for whole day | wikidata=Q6908472 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Extremely popular forest park with miles of walking, running, cycling and callisthenic trails. Free [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/audiotrail/ audio] and [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/mindfulness/ mindfulness] trails to download. Kids will love the treetop walk and Gruffalo sculpture trail. There are numerous on-site activities and attractions, listed below. On-site ranger station, café-restaurant, dog wash and picnic spots. No barbecues or camping. }} ** {{do | name=Cycle Hire | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/cycle-hire/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM to mid-afternoon | price=£10 deposit (for up to four bikes) plus adult/child bike 1 hr £7/£6, 2 hr £13/£10, 3 hr £18/£13, all day £22/£17. Helmets free; trailers, tagalongs and child seat extra | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Proof of ID required. }} ** {{do | name=Fishing in Moors Lake | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/fishing/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=15 Jun-15 Mar, same hours as park | price=Adult £4.80, child/concession £4.10. You must also have a [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence rod fishing licence] from the Environment Agency (£8/£12/£30 per day/week/year) | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Dace, perch, roach, rudd, and tench are all regularly caught at decent sizes. No barbed hooks, floating baits, live baiting or spinning. }} ** {{do | name=Golf | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/golf-course/ | email=golf@moors-valley.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1425 479776 | tollfree= | hours=Advance booking and payment mandatory | price=Oct-Mar: 11/18 holes M-Sa £13/£20, Sa, Su, holidays £15/£25; Apr-Oct 11/18 holes M-Sa £16/£24, Sa, Su, holidays £19/£29. Good discounts for under-25s | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=18-hole, 6337-yard course along the Moors River valley, with four par 5s, ten par 4s and four par 3s. }} ** {{do | name=Go Ape | alt= | url=https://goape.co.uk/locations/moors-valley | email=questions@goape.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1603 895500 (national number) | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-7PM, booking essential | price=High rope courses from £20-£33, depending on difficulty, nets from £20, segway from £35 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=High ropes, swings, zip wires, and bouncy nets in the trees. There are four courses suitable for different ages, all 1-2 hr in length. If you can't stomach heights, you might prefer a Segway ride through the forest (1 hr). }} ** {{do | name=Hawks in the Forest | alt= | url=https://www.hawksintheforest.co.uk/ | email=hawksintheforest@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 7954 522843 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=By appointment only | price=One adult £50, two adults £70, four adults £120; children £15, family (two adults, two children) £80 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Walk with a Harris's hawk! Your guide, a professional falconer, will instruct you on how to handle the bird, which will then fly freely as you walk through the woods and take turns in calling it to your outstretched gloved hand. Walks are aimed at couples and small groups. }} ** {{do | name=Moors Valley Railway | alt= | url=https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/ | email= | address= | lat=50.853 | long=-1.85283 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471415 | tollfree= | hours=Winter weekends and school holidays 10AM-4PM, summer daily 10AM-5PM | price=Return trip: adult £4.35, child £2.90. Footplate courses £180-£225 incl lunch and refreshments | wikidata=Q6908474 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Email via [https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/find-us/ online contact form]. }} ==Buy== Ringwood's '''[https://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/?market=17 farmers market]''' takes place at Gateway Square on the last Saturday of the month, 10AM-2PM. There is also a smaller market on the High Street every Wednesday, 8AM-3PM, which sells food, clothes and crafts among other things. * {{buy | name=Roebridge Natural Food Market | alt= | url=https://roebridgefoods.co.uk/ | email= | address=Unit 3, Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8467 | long=-1.7922 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 473133 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 9AM-5:30PM, Th F 9AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-13 | content=Small regional chain of greengrocers stocking local produce including New Forest mushrooms and Dorset chillies. Also sells nuts and free-range eggs. }} ===Supermarkets=== * {{buy | name=Sainsbury's | alt= | url=https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/2128/ringwood?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext&y_source=1_MTU1NjY3MTQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=24 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7917 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Waitrose | alt= | url=https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/203.html?utm_source=GMBlistings&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local&utm_content=203&y_source=1_MTA4NTgwNzQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=The Furlong, BH25 1AT | lat=50.8479 | long=-1.7936 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lidl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839808 | long=-1.783631 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Blashford Lakes - geograph.org.uk - 1287681.jpg|thumb|300px|Blashford Lakes]] ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Café Velo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafevelo.co.uk/ | email=cafeveloringwood@outlook.com | address=2 Star Lane, BH24 1AL | lat=50.8471 | long=-1.7940 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480410 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-2PM, closed Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Cyclists' café for locally-sourced brunch and lunch. Veggie and vegan options. Bike storage and water bottle filling available }} * {{eat | name=Indian Tree | alt= | url=http://indiantreefood.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 Market Place, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846883 | long=-1.794390 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476563 | tollfree= | hours=5PM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Indian curries, as the name suggests. Prices are typically £8.95 (chicken) to £13.95 (king prawn). Also offers takeaways. }} * {{eat | name=Price's Fish And Chips | alt= | url=http://www.pricesfishandchips.co.uk/ | email= | address=38 Christchurch Road, BH24 1DN | lat=50.845 | long=-1.789 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480290 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch W-Sa noon-1:45PM, dinner Tu-Sa 5PM-9PM | price=Medium cod, chips and side £8.50 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Popular traditional chippy. For something a bit different, try their homemade sweet chilli fishcakes. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Fromage to Yours | alt= | url= | email=info@fromagetoyours.co.uk | address=2 Fridays Court, BH24 1AB | lat=50.8461 | long=-1.7914 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470263 | tollfree= | hours=M 10AM-2PM, Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM | price=Paninis £6-£7.50, salads £5-£10, platters £23-£33 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Café-deli specialising in local cheese and charcuterie, served in salads, paninis and on sharing platters. }} * {{eat | name=The Old Cottage | alt= | url=https://www.oldcottagerestaurant.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 West Street, BH24 1DZ | lat=50.846639 | long=-1.796543 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 474283 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch Tu-Su noon-2:30PM, Dinner Tu-Th 6PM-9PM, F-Sa 6PM-9:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Classic dishes made with locally-sourced meat and fish, housed in a 16th century cottage. Mains cost £15-£20. Also offer a separate Sunday Lunch menu with different roast options. }} ==Drink== [[File:Ringwood Brewery Razorback (Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co.).jpg|thumb|Razor Back best bitter is Ringwood's original brew.]] * {{drink | name=Ringwood Brewery | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk/ | email=store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk | address=138 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AP | lat=50.841 | long=-1.787 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470303 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, tap room from 11AM | price= | wikidata=Q7335015 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Tap room and beer shop for Ringwood beers; buy 'em by the pint, jug, flaggon, piggon, or even firkin (that's 72 pints!) The brewery no longer offers tours. }} * {{drink | name=Inn On The Furlong | alt= | url=https://theinnonthefurlong.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@theinnonthefurlong.co.uk | address=12 Meeting House Lane, Ringwood, BH24 1EY | lat=50.846878 | long=-1.792411 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 475139 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26451043 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=18th-century free house with good range of beers and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=The Original White Hart | alt= | url=https://www.originalwhitehartpub.co.uk/ | email=originalwhitehart.ringwood@marstons.co.uk | address=4 Market Place, Ringwood, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846828 | long=-1.793936 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472702 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26387292 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=17th-century coaching inn. Although it's a Marstons pub, it also serves Ringwood ales. Sports on the telly and pool table. Wheelchair accessible. Dogs welcome. }} * {{drink | name=The Elm Tree | alt= | url=https://theelmtreeringwood.co.uk/ | email=info@elmtreeringwood.co.uk | address=Hightown Road, BH24 3DY | lat=50.84319 | long=-1.76583 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472516 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:30PM, F Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Thatched cottage with cosy interior and large beer garden. Live sports on TVs. Basic cheap pub food available, which gets mixed reviews. }} * {{drink | name=The White Hart Inn | alt= | url=https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/ | email= | address=171 Southampton Road, BH24 1HU | lat=50.85174 | long=-1.77382 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 483123 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W noon-11PM, Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Email via [https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/contact-us/ online contact form]. In the residential neighbourhood of Poulner is this characterful low-ceilinged pub with pool table, darts and dominoes. Lounge chairs and picnic blankets in the garden in summer. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Dunnroaming | alt= | url=https://www.176dunnroaming.co.uk/ | email=176dunnroaming@gmail.com | address=176 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8392 | long=-1.7840 | directions= | phone=+44 7508 810336 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10AM | price=From £71, booked in advance. Copious breakfast included | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Two en-suite twin rooms with blackout curtains. Free Wi-Fi and luggage store. Off-street parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Premier Inn | alt= | url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/ringwood/ringwood.html?cid=GLBC_RINFOR | email= | address=Forest Gate Business Park, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839919 | long=-1.782032 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 206667 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=From £42 for a double room, booked in advance | lastedit=2021-07-09 | content=Around a 15 min walk from the high street. Several accessible rooms. Free parking and Wi-Fi. On-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. }} * {{sleep | name=Moortown Lodge | alt= | url=https://moortownlodge.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@moortownlodge.co.uk | address=244 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8378 | long=-1.7832 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471 404 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10:30AM | price=B&B doubles from £140 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=A Georgian hunting lodge converted into a boutique B&B with ensuite rooms for couples - each room has one double or super king-size bed. Good breakfasts, including vegetarian and vegan. }} Many of the pubs and inns in town also offer accommodation, all from about £70 per night when booked in advance. ===Camping=== Always popular in the New Forest. * {{sleep | name=Fernwood Glamping | alt= | url=https://www.fernwood-ringwood.co.uk/ | email= | address=Fernwood, Hangersley Hill, BH24 3JN | lat=50.8571 | long=-1.7598 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476892, +44 7730 586601 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=5-10PM | checkout=10AM | price=Two adults: one night £100, two nights or more £80 per night. Children: £20 per night. Add £10 per night during summer peak | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Stay in a red Romany caravan or corrugated shepherd's hut in a quiet setting on the edge of town. The caravan and hut each sleep two adults and two kids, and come equipped with bedding and basic toiletries, a minifridge and kettle. Bring your own camp cooker or barbecue, or make use of the firepit. No dogs. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * '''The [[New Forest]]''' - Ringwood is on the outskirts of the National Park which has many hiking routes. * '''[[Fordingbridge]]''' - A smaller town to the north has both river and forest activities, plus access to a stately home and Roman villa. * '''[[Bournemouth]]''' - Its beach is very popular in the summer, and the town is the main shopping/nightlife area for people in Ringwood. * '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' - Home to Salisbury Cathedral and a gateway to Stonehenge * '''[[Southampton]]''' - The port for many cruises, with good connections to other cities in the UK. {{IsPartOf|Hampshire}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|50.85|-1.78}} 5aokhj62imsr6lj6aqcq9d6n8jn8df6 4501643 4501642 2022-08-15T16:33:34Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Ringwood}} '''Ringwood''' is a town on the edge of the [[New Forest]] in [[Hampshire]], right on the border with [[Dorset]]. ==Understand== ==Get in== ===By car=== The A31 trunk road runs from the end of the M27 motorway through the New Forest, past Ringwood, and on towards Dorchester. About a mile west of Ringwood, the A31 has a major junction with the A338 expressway, which brings traffic from the Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole conurbation. The A338 also continues north of Ringwood as a single-carriageway road to Salisbury via Fordingbridge. Approximate driving distances: * From [[Bournemouth]], via A338 – {{mi|12}} * From [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], via A338 – {{mi|17}} * From [[Southampton]], via M27 and A31 – {{mi|22}} * From [[Dorchester]], via A35 and A31 – {{mi|35}} * From [[London]], via M3, M27 and A31 – {{mi|100}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Meeting House Lane | lat=50.847 | long=-1.791 | content=The main bus stops in town, where all buses from other cities stop, including the National Express. }} Three National Express bus routes run through Ringwood: from [[London]] or [[Heathrow Airport]] (approx. 2½ hours) and from [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] (approx. 5 hours). For more local travel, the most frequent bus routes are the X3 running between [[Bournemouth]] and [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]] and the X6 which runs from [[Poole]]. ===On foot=== * Avon Valley Path between Salisbury and Christchurch, following the Avon River. 35 miles. * [https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway.aspx Castleman Trailway] between Ringwood and Poole, following disused train tracks. 15 miles. Also suitable for cycling and horse-riding. ==Get around== {{mapframe|lat=50.85|long=-1.78|zoom=12}} ===On foot=== It is easy to walk around the town, as it is only about a mile wide and mostly flat. There are some signposts near the town centre that show popular walking/cycling routes such as the Avon Valley Path. Google Maps works well for navigating in the town, and also shows the Ringwood sections of the Avon Valley Path and the Castleman Trailway. ===By bus=== There is a circular bus route around the town, the Ringo. It goes to Poulner (the section of Ringwood north of the A31) and to the Lidl/Premier Inn, with the main stop being Meeting House Lane. ===By car=== Ringwood only has a couple of main roads and no confusing one-way systems, so it is easy to drive around. There is a large paid car park (both short-stay and long-stay) at Meeting House Lane, with street parking available almost everywhere else. However, in the evenings and on warm holidays the roads can be very busy as people queue to join the A31, so it may be faster to walk. A car will be very useful to have when visiting the various countryside attractions outside the town. ==See== * {{see | name=St Peter and St Paul Church | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbenefice.org.uk/about-us/our-churches/st-peter-st-paul-ringwood/ | email= | address= | lat=50.8483 | long=-1.7952 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 489898 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free, donations welcome | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=There has been a church on-site for at least 1000 years, though the current building only dates from the 1850s. Look out for the 15th century monumental brass, a matchstick model of the church made by air raid wardens while on fire watch in the 1940s, and a contemporary triptych depicting the two patron saints and a cross. }} * {{see | name=Meeting House & History Centre | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodmeetinghouse.org/ | email= | address=22 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7921 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480656 | tollfree= | hours=Open for visits M Tu, Th-Sa 10AM-noon, W 10AM-2:30PM. Times vary for events and exhibitions | price=Entry by spare change | lastedit=2021-06-16 | content=Grade II*-listed Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1727, now houses the municipal archives. A selection of artefacts is on permanent display, and the house hosts numerous events throughout the year, including concerts and art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | alt= | url=https://libertysfalconry.com/ | email= | address=Crow Lane, BH24 3DZ | lat=50.8362 | long=-1.771 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476487 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su and Feb half-term 10AM-4PM | price=Adult £11.95, senior £10.95, child (3-15 yr) £5.95 | image=Aquila rapax -Libertys Owl Raptor and Reptile Centre, Hampshire, England -head-8a.jpg | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=Large collection of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures, some of which take part in flying displays every day. There is also a small reptile house on site, which puts on occasional shows in the summer. Site can be difficult for wheelchairs. No dogs. }} * {{see | name=Poulner Baptist Chapel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=50.858468 | long=-1.759093 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26387291 | image=Poulner Chapel 1840 - geograph.org.uk - 19885.jpg | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=An unusual thatched chapel with whitewashed walls and a gracefully crumbling churchyard. }} <!--Bisterne church and village?--> ==Do== [[File:Avon Heath, footpath - geograph.org.uk - 1740831.jpg|thumb|300px|Sandy footpath through Avon Heath]] * {{do | name=Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve | alt=Hampshire Wildlife Trust | url=https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/blashford-lakes-nature-reserve | email=Robert.Chapman@hiwwt.org.uk | address=Ellingham Drove, BH24 3PJ | lat=50.874 | long=-1.787 | directions={{marker|name=Car and bike park|lat=50.8723|long=-1.7859}} outside education centre. Bus: X3 to Ellingham Crossroads, 500-m walk from centre | phone=+44 1425 472760 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; centre and car park open 9AM-4:30PM, closed 25 Dec | price=Entry by donation (suggested £4 pp) | wikidata=Q95736187 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=A group of disused gravel pits that have filled with water over time and now form a cluster of lakes over 160 ha. The reserve is a magnet for great flocks of migratory birds in winter (terns, lapwings, oystercatchers...), while in spring and summer dragonflies and wildflowers put on a display. Other resident birds include redpoll, brambling, kingfisher and bittern. 8 km of level paths are suitable for wheelchairs; the hides are also accessible. No dogs except guide dogs. }} * {{do | name=New Forest Northern Commons | alt=National Trust | url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forest-northern-commons | email=info.newforest@nationaltrust.org.uk | address=Rockford Car Park, Ellingham Drove, BH24 3NF | lat=50.873 | long=-1.7683 | directions=Bus: X3 to Ellingham Cross, just over {{mi|1}} on foot | phone=+44 1425 650035 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; car park open dawn-dusk | price=Free entry and parking | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Walking and bike trails among a landscape of woodland pasture and open heathland. You'll almost certainly see some New Forest ponies, and if you're lucky you might glimpse fallow or red deer, or perhaps hear the tune of a Dartford warbler. Just by the car park is a large sand dune for kids to roll down. }} * {{do | name=Avon Heath Country Park | alt=Dorset County Council | url=https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/country-parks-and-visitor-centres/avon-heath-country-park/avon-heath-country-park.aspx | email=avonheath@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk | address=Brocks Pine, St Leonards, BH24 2DH | lat=50.831944 | long=-1.819444 | directions=Off A31, {{mi|2}} W of Ringwood. Bus: 38 to St Leonard's Hotel, 10 min walk from park | phone=+44 1425 478082 | tollfree= | hours=Park daily 8:30AM-6:30PM / dusk (whichever is sooner). Visitor centre daily 10AM-4PM | price=Free. Parking 2 hr £3, 4 hr £6, all day £8. Barbecue day hire £40 | wikidata=Q60744834 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Explore several miles of walking and cycling trail through open heathland. The park is part of a breeding programme for sand lizards, nationally-scarce reptiles which favour the heaths of southern England. Facilities include a visitors' centre, dog wash, café, picnic area and an imaginative nature-themed play area. }} [[File:In the tree tops, Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1175326.jpg|thumb|300px|Fun in the tree tops at Moors Valley]] * {{do | name=Moors Valley Country Park and Forest | alt=Dorset County Council / Forestry England | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/ | email=rangers@moors-valley.co.uk | address=Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET | lat=50.8508 | long=-1.85028 | directions=3½ mi (5.5 km) W of Ringwood. Leave A31 at Ashley Heath turnoff, then follow brown signs. Bus: 38 to Castleman Trailway (stop ''dordmdam''), ½ mi (600 m) from main entrance. Walk or cycle from Ringwood via Castleman Trailway. | phone=+44 1425 470721 | tollfree= | hours=Daily Sep-Mar 8AM-5PM, Apr-Aug 8AM-6PM/7PM during school holidays. Closed 25 Dec | price=Free entry. Parking charges [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/visitor-information/car-charges/ apply], up to £15 for whole day | wikidata=Q6908472 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Extremely popular forest park with miles of walking, running, cycling and callisthenic trails. Free [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/audiotrail/ audio] and [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/mindfulness/ mindfulness] trails to download. Kids will love the treetop walk and Gruffalo sculpture trail. There are numerous on-site activities and attractions, listed below. On-site ranger station, café-restaurant, dog wash and picnic spots. No barbecues or camping. }} ** {{do | name=Cycle Hire | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/cycle-hire/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM to mid-afternoon | price=£10 deposit (for up to four bikes) plus adult/child bike 1 hr £7/£6, 2 hr £13/£10, 3 hr £18/£13, all day £22/£17. Helmets free; trailers, tagalongs and child seat extra | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Proof of ID required. }} ** {{do | name=Fishing in Moors Lake | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/fishing/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=15 Jun-15 Mar, same hours as park | price=Adult £4.80, child/concession £4.10. You must also have a [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence rod fishing licence] from the Environment Agency (£8/£12/£30 per day/week/year) | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Dace, perch, roach, rudd, and tench are all regularly caught at decent sizes. No barbed hooks, floating baits, live baiting or spinning. }} ** {{do | name=Golf | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/golf-course/ | email=golf@moors-valley.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1425 479776 | tollfree= | hours=Advance booking and payment mandatory | price=Oct-Mar: 11/18 holes M-Sa £13/£20, Sa, Su, holidays £15/£25; Apr-Oct 11/18 holes M-Sa £16/£24, Sa, Su, holidays £19/£29. Good discounts for under-25s | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=18-hole, 6337-yard course along the Moors River valley, with four par 5s, ten par 4s and four par 3s. }} ** {{do | name=Go Ape | alt= | url=https://goape.co.uk/locations/moors-valley | email=questions@goape.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1603 895500 (national number) | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-7PM, booking essential | price=High rope courses from £20-£33, depending on difficulty, nets from £20, segway from £35 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=High ropes, swings, zip wires, and bouncy nets in the trees. There are four courses suitable for different ages, all 1-2 hr in length. If you can't stomach heights, you might prefer a Segway ride through the forest (1 hr). }} ** {{do | name=Hawks in the Forest | alt= | url=https://www.hawksintheforest.co.uk/ | email=hawksintheforest@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 7954 522843 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=By appointment only | price=One adult £50, two adults £70, four adults £120; children £15, family (two adults, two children) £80 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Walk with a Harris's hawk! Your guide, a professional falconer, will instruct you on how to handle the bird, which will then fly freely as you walk through the woods and take turns in calling it to your outstretched gloved hand. Walks are aimed at couples and small groups. }} ** {{do | name=Moors Valley Railway | alt= | url=https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/ | email= | address= | lat=50.853 | long=-1.85283 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471415 | tollfree= | hours=Winter weekends and school holidays 10AM-4PM, summer daily 10AM-5PM | price=Return trip: adult £4.35, child £2.90. Footplate courses £180-£225 incl lunch and refreshments | wikidata=Q6908474 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Email via [https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/find-us/ online contact form]. }} ==Buy== Ringwood's '''[https://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/?market=17 farmers market]''' takes place at Gateway Square on the last Saturday of the month, 10AM-2PM. There is also a smaller market on the High Street every Wednesday, 8AM-3PM, which sells food, clothes and crafts among other things. * {{buy | name=Roebridge Natural Food Market | alt= | url=https://roebridgefoods.co.uk/ | email= | address=Unit 3, Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8467 | long=-1.7922 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 473133 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 9AM-5:30PM, Th F 9AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-13 | content=Small regional chain of greengrocers stocking local produce including New Forest mushrooms and Dorset chillies. Also sells nuts and free-range eggs. }} ===Supermarkets=== * {{buy | name=Sainsbury's | alt= | url=https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/2128/ringwood?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext&y_source=1_MTU1NjY3MTQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=24 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7917 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Waitrose | alt= | url=https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/203.html?utm_source=GMBlistings&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local&utm_content=203&y_source=1_MTA4NTgwNzQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=The Furlong, BH25 1AT | lat=50.8479 | long=-1.7936 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lidl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839808 | long=-1.783631 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Blashford Lakes - geograph.org.uk - 1287681.jpg|thumb|300px|Blashford Lakes]] ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Café Velo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafevelo.co.uk/ | email=cafeveloringwood@outlook.com | address=2 Star Lane, BH24 1AL | lat=50.8471 | long=-1.7940 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480410 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-2PM, closed Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Cyclists' café for locally-sourced brunch and lunch. Veggie and vegan options. Bike storage and water bottle filling available }} * {{eat | name=Indian Tree | alt= | url=http://indiantreefood.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 Market Place, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846883 | long=-1.794390 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476563 | tollfree= | hours=5PM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Indian curries, as the name suggests. Prices are typically £8.95 (chicken) to £13.95 (king prawn). Also offers takeaways. }} * {{eat | name=Price's Fish And Chips | alt= | url=http://www.pricesfishandchips.co.uk/ | email= | address=38 Christchurch Road, BH24 1DN | lat=50.845 | long=-1.789 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480290 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch W-Sa noon-1:45PM, dinner Tu-Sa 5PM-9PM | price=Medium cod, chips and side £8.50 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Popular traditional chippy. For something a bit different, try their homemade sweet chilli fishcakes. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Fromage to Yours | alt= | url= | email=info@fromagetoyours.co.uk | address=2 Fridays Court, BH24 1AB | lat=50.8461 | long=-1.7914 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470263 | tollfree= | hours=M 10AM-2PM, Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM | price=Paninis £6-£7.50, salads £5-£10, platters £23-£33 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Café-deli specialising in local cheese and charcuterie, served in salads, paninis and on sharing platters. }} * {{eat | name=The Old Cottage | alt= | url=https://www.oldcottagerestaurant.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 West Street, BH24 1DZ | lat=50.846639 | long=-1.796543 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 474283 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch Tu-Su noon-2:30PM, Dinner Tu-Th 6PM-9PM, F-Sa 6PM-9:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Classic dishes made with locally-sourced meat and fish, housed in a 16th century cottage. Mains cost £15-£20. Also offer a separate Sunday Lunch menu with different roast options. }} ==Drink== [[File:Ringwood Brewery Razorback (Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co.).jpg|thumb|Razor Back best bitter is Ringwood's original brew.]] * {{drink | name=Ringwood Brewery | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk/ | email=store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk | address=138 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AP | lat=50.841 | long=-1.787 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470303 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, tap room from 11AM | price= | wikidata=Q7335015 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Tap room and beer shop for Ringwood beers; buy 'em by the pint, jug, flaggon, piggon, or even firkin (that's 72 pints!) The brewery no longer offers tours. }} * {{drink | name=Inn On The Furlong | alt= | url=https://theinnonthefurlong.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@theinnonthefurlong.co.uk | address=12 Meeting House Lane, Ringwood, BH24 1EY | lat=50.846878 | long=-1.792411 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 475139 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26451043 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=18th-century free house with good range of beers and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=The Original White Hart | alt= | url=https://www.originalwhitehartpub.co.uk/ | email=originalwhitehart.ringwood@marstons.co.uk | address=4 Market Place, Ringwood, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846828 | long=-1.793936 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472702 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26387292 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=17th-century coaching inn. Although it's a Marstons pub, it also serves Ringwood ales. Sports on the telly and pool table. Wheelchair accessible. Dogs welcome. }} * {{drink | name=The Elm Tree | alt= | url=https://theelmtreeringwood.co.uk/ | email=info@elmtreeringwood.co.uk | address=Hightown Road, BH24 3DY | lat=50.84319 | long=-1.76583 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472516 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:30PM, F Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Thatched cottage with cosy interior and large beer garden. Live sports on TVs. Basic cheap pub food available, which gets mixed reviews. }} * {{drink | name=The White Hart Inn | alt= | url=https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/ | email= | address=171 Southampton Road, BH24 1HU | lat=50.85174 | long=-1.77382 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 483123 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W noon-11PM, Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Email via [https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/contact-us/ online contact form]. In the residential neighbourhood of Poulner is this characterful low-ceilinged pub with pool table, darts and dominoes. Lounge chairs and picnic blankets in the garden in summer. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Dunnroaming | alt= | url=https://www.176dunnroaming.co.uk/ | email=176dunnroaming@gmail.com | address=176 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8392 | long=-1.7840 | directions= | phone=+44 7508 810336 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10AM | price=From £71, booked in advance. Copious breakfast included | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Two en-suite twin rooms with blackout curtains. Free Wi-Fi and luggage store. Off-street parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Premier Inn | alt= | url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/ringwood/ringwood.html?cid=GLBC_RINFOR | email= | address=Forest Gate Business Park, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839919 | long=-1.782032 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 206667 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=From £42 for a double room, booked in advance | lastedit=2021-07-09 | content=Around a 15 min walk from the high street. Several accessible rooms. Free parking and Wi-Fi. On-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. }} * {{sleep | name=Moortown Lodge | alt= | url=https://moortownlodge.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@moortownlodge.co.uk | address=244 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8378 | long=-1.7832 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471 404 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10:30AM | price=B&B doubles from £140 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=A Georgian hunting lodge converted into a boutique B&B with ensuite rooms for couples - each room has one double or super king-size bed. Good breakfasts, including vegetarian and vegan. }} Many of the pubs and inns in town also offer accommodation, all from about £70 per night when booked in advance. ===Camping=== Always popular in the New Forest. * {{sleep | name=Fernwood Glamping | alt= | url=https://www.fernwood-ringwood.co.uk/ | email= | address=Fernwood, Hangersley Hill, BH24 3JN | lat=50.8571 | long=-1.7598 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476892, +44 7730 586601 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=5-10PM | checkout=10AM | price=Two adults: one night £100, two nights or more £80 per night. Children: £20 per night. Add £10 per night during summer peak | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Stay in a red Romany caravan or corrugated shepherd's hut in a quiet setting on the edge of town. The caravan and hut each sleep two adults and two kids, and come equipped with bedding and basic toiletries, a minifridge and kettle. Bring your own camp cooker or barbecue, or make use of the firepit. No dogs. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * '''The [[New Forest]]''' - Ringwood is on the outskirts of the National Park which has many hiking routes. * '''[[Fordingbridge]]''' - A smaller town to the north has both river and forest activities, plus access to a stately home and Roman villa. * '''[[Bournemouth]]''' - Its beach is very popular in the summer, and the town is the main shopping/nightlife area for people in Ringwood. * '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' - Home to Salisbury Cathedral and a gateway to Stonehenge * '''[[Southampton]]''' - The port for many cruises, with good connections to other cities in the UK. {{IsPartOf|Hampshire}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|50.85|-1.78}} hdefpn5mzebqvkbagvpu1lkg35tktic 4501644 4501643 2022-08-15T16:39:36Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Mid-range */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Ringwood}} '''Ringwood''' is a town on the edge of the [[New Forest]] in [[Hampshire]], right on the border with [[Dorset]]. ==Understand== ==Get in== ===By car=== The A31 trunk road runs from the end of the M27 motorway through the New Forest, past Ringwood, and on towards Dorchester. About a mile west of Ringwood, the A31 has a major junction with the A338 expressway, which brings traffic from the Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole conurbation. The A338 also continues north of Ringwood as a single-carriageway road to Salisbury via Fordingbridge. Approximate driving distances: * From [[Bournemouth]], via A338 – {{mi|12}} * From [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], via A338 – {{mi|17}} * From [[Southampton]], via M27 and A31 – {{mi|22}} * From [[Dorchester]], via A35 and A31 – {{mi|35}} * From [[London]], via M3, M27 and A31 – {{mi|100}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Meeting House Lane | lat=50.847 | long=-1.791 | content=The main bus stops in town, where all buses from other cities stop, including the National Express. }} Three National Express bus routes run through Ringwood: from [[London]] or [[Heathrow Airport]] (approx. 2½ hours) and from [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] (approx. 5 hours). For more local travel, the most frequent bus routes are the X3 running between [[Bournemouth]] and [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]] and the X6 which runs from [[Poole]]. ===On foot=== * Avon Valley Path between Salisbury and Christchurch, following the Avon River. 35 miles. * [https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway.aspx Castleman Trailway] between Ringwood and Poole, following disused train tracks. 15 miles. Also suitable for cycling and horse-riding. ==Get around== {{mapframe|lat=50.85|long=-1.78|zoom=12}} ===On foot=== It is easy to walk around the town, as it is only about a mile wide and mostly flat. There are some signposts near the town centre that show popular walking/cycling routes such as the Avon Valley Path. Google Maps works well for navigating in the town, and also shows the Ringwood sections of the Avon Valley Path and the Castleman Trailway. ===By bus=== There is a circular bus route around the town, the Ringo. It goes to Poulner (the section of Ringwood north of the A31) and to the Lidl/Premier Inn, with the main stop being Meeting House Lane. ===By car=== Ringwood only has a couple of main roads and no confusing one-way systems, so it is easy to drive around. There is a large paid car park (both short-stay and long-stay) at Meeting House Lane, with street parking available almost everywhere else. However, in the evenings and on warm holidays the roads can be very busy as people queue to join the A31, so it may be faster to walk. A car will be very useful to have when visiting the various countryside attractions outside the town. ==See== * {{see | name=St Peter and St Paul Church | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbenefice.org.uk/about-us/our-churches/st-peter-st-paul-ringwood/ | email= | address= | lat=50.8483 | long=-1.7952 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 489898 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free, donations welcome | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=There has been a church on-site for at least 1000 years, though the current building only dates from the 1850s. Look out for the 15th century monumental brass, a matchstick model of the church made by air raid wardens while on fire watch in the 1940s, and a contemporary triptych depicting the two patron saints and a cross. }} * {{see | name=Meeting House & History Centre | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodmeetinghouse.org/ | email= | address=22 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7921 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480656 | tollfree= | hours=Open for visits M Tu, Th-Sa 10AM-noon, W 10AM-2:30PM. Times vary for events and exhibitions | price=Entry by spare change | lastedit=2021-06-16 | content=Grade II*-listed Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1727, now houses the municipal archives. A selection of artefacts is on permanent display, and the house hosts numerous events throughout the year, including concerts and art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | alt= | url=https://libertysfalconry.com/ | email= | address=Crow Lane, BH24 3DZ | lat=50.8362 | long=-1.771 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476487 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su and Feb half-term 10AM-4PM | price=Adult £11.95, senior £10.95, child (3-15 yr) £5.95 | image=Aquila rapax -Libertys Owl Raptor and Reptile Centre, Hampshire, England -head-8a.jpg | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=Large collection of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures, some of which take part in flying displays every day. There is also a small reptile house on site, which puts on occasional shows in the summer. Site can be difficult for wheelchairs. No dogs. }} * {{see | name=Poulner Baptist Chapel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=50.858468 | long=-1.759093 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26387291 | image=Poulner Chapel 1840 - geograph.org.uk - 19885.jpg | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=An unusual thatched chapel with whitewashed walls and a gracefully crumbling churchyard. }} <!--Bisterne church and village?--> ==Do== [[File:Avon Heath, footpath - geograph.org.uk - 1740831.jpg|thumb|300px|Sandy footpath through Avon Heath]] * {{do | name=Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve | alt=Hampshire Wildlife Trust | url=https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/blashford-lakes-nature-reserve | email=Robert.Chapman@hiwwt.org.uk | address=Ellingham Drove, BH24 3PJ | lat=50.874 | long=-1.787 | directions={{marker|name=Car and bike park|lat=50.8723|long=-1.7859}} outside education centre. Bus: X3 to Ellingham Crossroads, 500-m walk from centre | phone=+44 1425 472760 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; centre and car park open 9AM-4:30PM, closed 25 Dec | price=Entry by donation (suggested £4 pp) | wikidata=Q95736187 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=A group of disused gravel pits that have filled with water over time and now form a cluster of lakes over 160 ha. The reserve is a magnet for great flocks of migratory birds in winter (terns, lapwings, oystercatchers...), while in spring and summer dragonflies and wildflowers put on a display. Other resident birds include redpoll, brambling, kingfisher and bittern. 8 km of level paths are suitable for wheelchairs; the hides are also accessible. No dogs except guide dogs. }} * {{do | name=New Forest Northern Commons | alt=National Trust | url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forest-northern-commons | email=info.newforest@nationaltrust.org.uk | address=Rockford Car Park, Ellingham Drove, BH24 3NF | lat=50.873 | long=-1.7683 | directions=Bus: X3 to Ellingham Cross, just over {{mi|1}} on foot | phone=+44 1425 650035 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; car park open dawn-dusk | price=Free entry and parking | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Walking and bike trails among a landscape of woodland pasture and open heathland. You'll almost certainly see some New Forest ponies, and if you're lucky you might glimpse fallow or red deer, or perhaps hear the tune of a Dartford warbler. Just by the car park is a large sand dune for kids to roll down. }} * {{do | name=Avon Heath Country Park | alt=Dorset County Council | url=https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/country-parks-and-visitor-centres/avon-heath-country-park/avon-heath-country-park.aspx | email=avonheath@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk | address=Brocks Pine, St Leonards, BH24 2DH | lat=50.831944 | long=-1.819444 | directions=Off A31, {{mi|2}} W of Ringwood. Bus: 38 to St Leonard's Hotel, 10 min walk from park | phone=+44 1425 478082 | tollfree= | hours=Park daily 8:30AM-6:30PM / dusk (whichever is sooner). Visitor centre daily 10AM-4PM | price=Free. Parking 2 hr £3, 4 hr £6, all day £8. Barbecue day hire £40 | wikidata=Q60744834 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Explore several miles of walking and cycling trail through open heathland. The park is part of a breeding programme for sand lizards, nationally-scarce reptiles which favour the heaths of southern England. Facilities include a visitors' centre, dog wash, café, picnic area and an imaginative nature-themed play area. }} [[File:In the tree tops, Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1175326.jpg|thumb|300px|Fun in the tree tops at Moors Valley]] * {{do | name=Moors Valley Country Park and Forest | alt=Dorset County Council / Forestry England | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/ | email=rangers@moors-valley.co.uk | address=Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET | lat=50.8508 | long=-1.85028 | directions=3½ mi (5.5 km) W of Ringwood. Leave A31 at Ashley Heath turnoff, then follow brown signs. Bus: 38 to Castleman Trailway (stop ''dordmdam''), ½ mi (600 m) from main entrance. Walk or cycle from Ringwood via Castleman Trailway. | phone=+44 1425 470721 | tollfree= | hours=Daily Sep-Mar 8AM-5PM, Apr-Aug 8AM-6PM/7PM during school holidays. Closed 25 Dec | price=Free entry. Parking charges [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/visitor-information/car-charges/ apply], up to £15 for whole day | wikidata=Q6908472 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Extremely popular forest park with miles of walking, running, cycling and callisthenic trails. Free [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/audiotrail/ audio] and [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/mindfulness/ mindfulness] trails to download. Kids will love the treetop walk and Gruffalo sculpture trail. There are numerous on-site activities and attractions, listed below. On-site ranger station, café-restaurant, dog wash and picnic spots. No barbecues or camping. }} ** {{do | name=Cycle Hire | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/cycle-hire/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM to mid-afternoon | price=£10 deposit (for up to four bikes) plus adult/child bike 1 hr £7/£6, 2 hr £13/£10, 3 hr £18/£13, all day £22/£17. Helmets free; trailers, tagalongs and child seat extra | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Proof of ID required. }} ** {{do | name=Fishing in Moors Lake | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/fishing/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=15 Jun-15 Mar, same hours as park | price=Adult £4.80, child/concession £4.10. You must also have a [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence rod fishing licence] from the Environment Agency (£8/£12/£30 per day/week/year) | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Dace, perch, roach, rudd, and tench are all regularly caught at decent sizes. No barbed hooks, floating baits, live baiting or spinning. }} ** {{do | name=Golf | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/golf-course/ | email=golf@moors-valley.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1425 479776 | tollfree= | hours=Advance booking and payment mandatory | price=Oct-Mar: 11/18 holes M-Sa £13/£20, Sa, Su, holidays £15/£25; Apr-Oct 11/18 holes M-Sa £16/£24, Sa, Su, holidays £19/£29. Good discounts for under-25s | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=18-hole, 6337-yard course along the Moors River valley, with four par 5s, ten par 4s and four par 3s. }} ** {{do | name=Go Ape | alt= | url=https://goape.co.uk/locations/moors-valley | email=questions@goape.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1603 895500 (national number) | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-7PM, booking essential | price=High rope courses from £20-£33, depending on difficulty, nets from £20, segway from £35 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=High ropes, swings, zip wires, and bouncy nets in the trees. There are four courses suitable for different ages, all 1-2 hr in length. If you can't stomach heights, you might prefer a Segway ride through the forest (1 hr). }} ** {{do | name=Hawks in the Forest | alt= | url=https://www.hawksintheforest.co.uk/ | email=hawksintheforest@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 7954 522843 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=By appointment only | price=One adult £50, two adults £70, four adults £120; children £15, family (two adults, two children) £80 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Walk with a Harris's hawk! Your guide, a professional falconer, will instruct you on how to handle the bird, which will then fly freely as you walk through the woods and take turns in calling it to your outstretched gloved hand. Walks are aimed at couples and small groups. }} ** {{do | name=Moors Valley Railway | alt= | url=https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/ | email= | address= | lat=50.853 | long=-1.85283 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471415 | tollfree= | hours=Winter weekends and school holidays 10AM-4PM, summer daily 10AM-5PM | price=Return trip: adult £4.35, child £2.90. Footplate courses £180-£225 incl lunch and refreshments | wikidata=Q6908474 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Email via [https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/find-us/ online contact form]. }} ==Buy== Ringwood's '''[https://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/?market=17 farmers market]''' takes place at Gateway Square on the last Saturday of the month, 10AM-2PM. There is also a smaller market on the High Street every Wednesday, 8AM-3PM, which sells food, clothes and crafts among other things. * {{buy | name=Roebridge Natural Food Market | alt= | url=https://roebridgefoods.co.uk/ | email= | address=Unit 3, Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8467 | long=-1.7922 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 473133 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 9AM-5:30PM, Th F 9AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-13 | content=Small regional chain of greengrocers stocking local produce including New Forest mushrooms and Dorset chillies. Also sells nuts and free-range eggs. }} ===Supermarkets=== * {{buy | name=Sainsbury's | alt= | url=https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/2128/ringwood?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext&y_source=1_MTU1NjY3MTQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=24 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7917 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Waitrose | alt= | url=https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/203.html?utm_source=GMBlistings&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local&utm_content=203&y_source=1_MTA4NTgwNzQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=The Furlong, BH25 1AT | lat=50.8479 | long=-1.7936 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lidl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839808 | long=-1.783631 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Blashford Lakes - geograph.org.uk - 1287681.jpg|thumb|300px|Blashford Lakes]] ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Café Velo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafevelo.co.uk/ | email=cafeveloringwood@outlook.com | address=2 Star Lane, BH24 1AL | lat=50.8471 | long=-1.7940 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480410 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-2PM, closed Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Cyclists' café for locally-sourced brunch and lunch. Veggie and vegan options. Bike storage and water bottle filling available }} * {{eat | name=Indian Tree | alt= | url=http://indiantreefood.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 Market Place, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846883 | long=-1.794390 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476563 | tollfree= | hours=5PM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Indian curries, as the name suggests. Prices are typically £8.95 (chicken) to £13.95 (king prawn). Also offers takeaways. }} * {{eat | name=Price's Fish And Chips | alt= | url=http://www.pricesfishandchips.co.uk/ | email= | address=38 Christchurch Road, BH24 1DN | lat=50.845 | long=-1.789 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480290 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch W-Sa noon-1:45PM, dinner Tu-Sa 5PM-9PM | price=Medium cod, chips and side £8.50 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Popular traditional chippy. For something a bit different, try their homemade sweet chilli fishcakes. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Fromage to Yours | alt= | url= | email=info@fromagetoyours.co.uk | address=2 Fridays Court, BH24 1AB | lat=50.8461 | long=-1.7914 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470263 | tollfree= | hours=M 10AM-2PM, Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM | price=Paninis £6-£7.50, salads £5-£10, platters £23-£33 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Café-deli specialising in local cheese and charcuterie, served in salads, paninis and on sharing platters. }} * {{eat | name=The Old Cottage | alt= | url=https://www.oldcottagerestaurant.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 West Street, BH24 1DZ | lat=50.846639 | long=-1.796543 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 474283 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch Tu-Su noon-2:30PM, Dinner Tu-Th 6PM-9PM, F-Sa 6PM-9:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Classic dishes made with locally-sourced meat and fish, housed in a 16th century cottage. Mains cost £15-£20. Also offer a separate Sunday Lunch menu with different roast options. }} <!--Framptons - https://www.framptonsbar.co.uk/new_forest/--> ==Drink== [[File:Ringwood Brewery Razorback (Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co.).jpg|thumb|Razor Back best bitter is Ringwood's original brew.]] * {{drink | name=Ringwood Brewery | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk/ | email=store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk | address=138 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AP | lat=50.841 | long=-1.787 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470303 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, tap room from 11AM | price= | wikidata=Q7335015 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Tap room and beer shop for Ringwood beers; buy 'em by the pint, jug, flaggon, piggon, or even firkin (that's 72 pints!) The brewery no longer offers tours. }} * {{drink | name=Inn On The Furlong | alt= | url=https://theinnonthefurlong.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@theinnonthefurlong.co.uk | address=12 Meeting House Lane, Ringwood, BH24 1EY | lat=50.846878 | long=-1.792411 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 475139 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26451043 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=18th-century free house with good range of beers and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=The Original White Hart | alt= | url=https://www.originalwhitehartpub.co.uk/ | email=originalwhitehart.ringwood@marstons.co.uk | address=4 Market Place, Ringwood, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846828 | long=-1.793936 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472702 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26387292 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=17th-century coaching inn. Although it's a Marstons pub, it also serves Ringwood ales. Sports on the telly and pool table. Wheelchair accessible. Dogs welcome. }} * {{drink | name=The Elm Tree | alt= | url=https://theelmtreeringwood.co.uk/ | email=info@elmtreeringwood.co.uk | address=Hightown Road, BH24 3DY | lat=50.84319 | long=-1.76583 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472516 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:30PM, F Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Thatched cottage with cosy interior and large beer garden. Live sports on TVs. Basic cheap pub food available, which gets mixed reviews. }} * {{drink | name=The White Hart Inn | alt= | url=https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/ | email= | address=171 Southampton Road, BH24 1HU | lat=50.85174 | long=-1.77382 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 483123 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W noon-11PM, Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Email via [https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/contact-us/ online contact form]. In the residential neighbourhood of Poulner is this characterful low-ceilinged pub with pool table, darts and dominoes. Lounge chairs and picnic blankets in the garden in summer. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Dunnroaming | alt= | url=https://www.176dunnroaming.co.uk/ | email=176dunnroaming@gmail.com | address=176 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8392 | long=-1.7840 | directions= | phone=+44 7508 810336 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10AM | price=From £71, booked in advance. Copious breakfast included | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Two en-suite twin rooms with blackout curtains. Free Wi-Fi and luggage store. Off-street parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Premier Inn | alt= | url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/ringwood/ringwood.html?cid=GLBC_RINFOR | email= | address=Forest Gate Business Park, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839919 | long=-1.782032 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 206667 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=From £42 for a double room, booked in advance | lastedit=2021-07-09 | content=Around a 15 min walk from the high street. Several accessible rooms. Free parking and Wi-Fi. On-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. }} * {{sleep | name=Moortown Lodge | alt= | url=https://moortownlodge.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@moortownlodge.co.uk | address=244 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8378 | long=-1.7832 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471 404 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10:30AM | price=B&B doubles from £140 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=A Georgian hunting lodge converted into a boutique B&B with ensuite rooms for couples - each room has one double or super king-size bed. Good breakfasts, including vegetarian and vegan. }} Many of the pubs and inns in town also offer accommodation, all from about £70 per night when booked in advance. ===Camping=== Always popular in the New Forest. * {{sleep | name=Fernwood Glamping | alt= | url=https://www.fernwood-ringwood.co.uk/ | email= | address=Fernwood, Hangersley Hill, BH24 3JN | lat=50.8571 | long=-1.7598 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476892, +44 7730 586601 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=5-10PM | checkout=10AM | price=Two adults: one night £100, two nights or more £80 per night. Children: £20 per night. Add £10 per night during summer peak | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Stay in a red Romany caravan or corrugated shepherd's hut in a quiet setting on the edge of town. The caravan and hut each sleep two adults and two kids, and come equipped with bedding and basic toiletries, a minifridge and kettle. Bring your own camp cooker or barbecue, or make use of the firepit. No dogs. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * '''The [[New Forest]]''' - Ringwood is on the outskirts of the National Park which has many hiking routes. * '''[[Fordingbridge]]''' - A smaller town to the north has both river and forest activities, plus access to a stately home and Roman villa. * '''[[Bournemouth]]''' - Its beach is very popular in the summer, and the town is the main shopping/nightlife area for people in Ringwood. * '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' - Home to Salisbury Cathedral and a gateway to Stonehenge * '''[[Southampton]]''' - The port for many cruises, with good connections to other cities in the UK. {{IsPartOf|Hampshire}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|50.85|-1.78}} 8pjc8p1d7tix33fx2h71p9hei4ilpgu 4501658 4501644 2022-08-15T17:41:45Z ThunderingTyphoons! 106394 /* Go next */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg|pgname=Ringwood}} '''Ringwood''' is a town on the edge of the [[New Forest]] in [[Hampshire]], right on the border with [[Dorset]]. ==Understand== ==Get in== ===By car=== The A31 trunk road runs from the end of the M27 motorway through the New Forest, past Ringwood, and on towards Dorchester. About a mile west of Ringwood, the A31 has a major junction with the A338 expressway, which brings traffic from the Bournemouth/Christchurch/Poole conurbation. The A338 also continues north of Ringwood as a single-carriageway road to Salisbury via Fordingbridge. Approximate driving distances: * From [[Bournemouth]], via A338 – {{mi|12}} * From [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], via A338 – {{mi|17}} * From [[Southampton]], via M27 and A31 – {{mi|22}} * From [[Dorchester]], via A35 and A31 – {{mi|35}} * From [[London]], via M3, M27 and A31 – {{mi|100}} ===By bus=== * {{go | name=Meeting House Lane | lat=50.847 | long=-1.791 | content=The main bus stops in town, where all buses from other cities stop, including the National Express. }} Three National Express bus routes run through Ringwood: from [[London]] or [[Heathrow Airport]] (approx. 2½ hours) and from [[Birmingham (England)|Birmingham]] (approx. 5 hours). For more local travel, the most frequent bus routes are the X3 running between [[Bournemouth]] and [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]] and the X6 which runs from [[Poole]]. ===On foot=== * Avon Valley Path between Salisbury and Christchurch, following the Avon River. 35 miles. * [https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway.aspx Castleman Trailway] between Ringwood and Poole, following disused train tracks. 15 miles. Also suitable for cycling and horse-riding. ==Get around== {{mapframe|lat=50.85|long=-1.78|zoom=12}} ===On foot=== It is easy to walk around the town, as it is only about a mile wide and mostly flat. There are some signposts near the town centre that show popular walking/cycling routes such as the Avon Valley Path. Google Maps works well for navigating in the town, and also shows the Ringwood sections of the Avon Valley Path and the Castleman Trailway. ===By bus=== There is a circular bus route around the town, the Ringo. It goes to Poulner (the section of Ringwood north of the A31) and to the Lidl/Premier Inn, with the main stop being Meeting House Lane. ===By car=== Ringwood only has a couple of main roads and no confusing one-way systems, so it is easy to drive around. There is a large paid car park (both short-stay and long-stay) at Meeting House Lane, with street parking available almost everywhere else. However, in the evenings and on warm holidays the roads can be very busy as people queue to join the A31, so it may be faster to walk. A car will be very useful to have when visiting the various countryside attractions outside the town. ==See== * {{see | name=St Peter and St Paul Church | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbenefice.org.uk/about-us/our-churches/st-peter-st-paul-ringwood/ | email= | address= | lat=50.8483 | long=-1.7952 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 489898 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free, donations welcome | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=There has been a church on-site for at least 1000 years, though the current building only dates from the 1850s. Look out for the 15th century monumental brass, a matchstick model of the church made by air raid wardens while on fire watch in the 1940s, and a contemporary triptych depicting the two patron saints and a cross. }} * {{see | name=Meeting House & History Centre | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodmeetinghouse.org/ | email= | address=22 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7921 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480656 | tollfree= | hours=Open for visits M Tu, Th-Sa 10AM-noon, W 10AM-2:30PM. Times vary for events and exhibitions | price=Entry by spare change | lastedit=2021-06-16 | content=Grade II*-listed Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1727, now houses the municipal archives. A selection of artefacts is on permanent display, and the house hosts numerous events throughout the year, including concerts and art exhibitions. }} * {{see | name=Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | alt= | url=https://libertysfalconry.com/ | email= | address=Crow Lane, BH24 3DZ | lat=50.8362 | long=-1.771 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476487 | tollfree= | hours=Apr-Sep daily 10AM-5PM, Oct-Mar Sa Su and Feb half-term 10AM-4PM | price=Adult £11.95, senior £10.95, child (3-15 yr) £5.95 | image=Aquila rapax -Libertys Owl Raptor and Reptile Centre, Hampshire, England -head-8a.jpg | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=Large collection of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and vultures, some of which take part in flying displays every day. There is also a small reptile house on site, which puts on occasional shows in the summer. Site can be difficult for wheelchairs. No dogs. }} * {{see | name=Poulner Baptist Chapel | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=50.858468 | long=-1.759093 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q26387291 | image=Poulner Chapel 1840 - geograph.org.uk - 19885.jpg | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=An unusual thatched chapel with whitewashed walls and a gracefully crumbling churchyard. }} <!--Bisterne church and village?--> ==Do== [[File:Avon Heath, footpath - geograph.org.uk - 1740831.jpg|thumb|300px|Sandy footpath through Avon Heath]] * {{do | name=Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve | alt=Hampshire Wildlife Trust | url=https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/blashford-lakes-nature-reserve | email=Robert.Chapman@hiwwt.org.uk | address=Ellingham Drove, BH24 3PJ | lat=50.874 | long=-1.787 | directions={{marker|name=Car and bike park|lat=50.8723|long=-1.7859}} outside education centre. Bus: X3 to Ellingham Crossroads, 500-m walk from centre | phone=+44 1425 472760 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; centre and car park open 9AM-4:30PM, closed 25 Dec | price=Entry by donation (suggested £4 pp) | wikidata=Q95736187 | lastedit=2021-05-04 | content=A group of disused gravel pits that have filled with water over time and now form a cluster of lakes over 160 ha. The reserve is a magnet for great flocks of migratory birds in winter (terns, lapwings, oystercatchers...), while in spring and summer dragonflies and wildflowers put on a display. Other resident birds include redpoll, brambling, kingfisher and bittern. 8 km of level paths are suitable for wheelchairs; the hides are also accessible. No dogs except guide dogs. }} * {{do | name=New Forest Northern Commons | alt=National Trust | url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forest-northern-commons | email=info.newforest@nationaltrust.org.uk | address=Rockford Car Park, Ellingham Drove, BH24 3NF | lat=50.873 | long=-1.7683 | directions=Bus: X3 to Ellingham Cross, just over {{mi|1}} on foot | phone=+44 1425 650035 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours daily; car park open dawn-dusk | price=Free entry and parking | lastedit=2021-05-20 | content=Walking and bike trails among a landscape of woodland pasture and open heathland. You'll almost certainly see some New Forest ponies, and if you're lucky you might glimpse fallow or red deer, or perhaps hear the tune of a Dartford warbler. Just by the car park is a large sand dune for kids to roll down. }} * {{do | name=Avon Heath Country Park | alt=Dorset County Council | url=https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/country-parks-and-visitor-centres/avon-heath-country-park/avon-heath-country-park.aspx | email=avonheath@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk | address=Brocks Pine, St Leonards, BH24 2DH | lat=50.831944 | long=-1.819444 | directions=Off A31, {{mi|2}} W of Ringwood. Bus: 38 to St Leonard's Hotel, 10 min walk from park | phone=+44 1425 478082 | tollfree= | hours=Park daily 8:30AM-6:30PM / dusk (whichever is sooner). Visitor centre daily 10AM-4PM | price=Free. Parking 2 hr £3, 4 hr £6, all day £8. Barbecue day hire £40 | wikidata=Q60744834 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Explore several miles of walking and cycling trail through open heathland. The park is part of a breeding programme for sand lizards, nationally-scarce reptiles which favour the heaths of southern England. Facilities include a visitors' centre, dog wash, café, picnic area and an imaginative nature-themed play area. }} [[File:In the tree tops, Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1175326.jpg|thumb|300px|Fun in the tree tops at Moors Valley]] * {{do | name=Moors Valley Country Park and Forest | alt=Dorset County Council / Forestry England | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/ | email=rangers@moors-valley.co.uk | address=Horton Road, Ashley Heath, BH24 2ET | lat=50.8508 | long=-1.85028 | directions=3½ mi (5.5 km) W of Ringwood. Leave A31 at Ashley Heath turnoff, then follow brown signs. Bus: 38 to Castleman Trailway (stop ''dordmdam''), ½ mi (600 m) from main entrance. Walk or cycle from Ringwood via Castleman Trailway. | phone=+44 1425 470721 | tollfree= | hours=Daily Sep-Mar 8AM-5PM, Apr-Aug 8AM-6PM/7PM during school holidays. Closed 25 Dec | price=Free entry. Parking charges [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/visitor-information/car-charges/ apply], up to £15 for whole day | wikidata=Q6908472 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Extremely popular forest park with miles of walking, running, cycling and callisthenic trails. Free [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/audiotrail/ audio] and [https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/mindfulness/ mindfulness] trails to download. Kids will love the treetop walk and Gruffalo sculpture trail. There are numerous on-site activities and attractions, listed below. On-site ranger station, café-restaurant, dog wash and picnic spots. No barbecues or camping. }} ** {{do | name=Cycle Hire | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/cycle-hire/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM to mid-afternoon | price=£10 deposit (for up to four bikes) plus adult/child bike 1 hr £7/£6, 2 hr £13/£10, 3 hr £18/£13, all day £22/£17. Helmets free; trailers, tagalongs and child seat extra | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Proof of ID required. }} ** {{do | name=Fishing in Moors Lake | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/fishing/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=15 Jun-15 Mar, same hours as park | price=Adult £4.80, child/concession £4.10. You must also have a [https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence rod fishing licence] from the Environment Agency (£8/£12/£30 per day/week/year) | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Dace, perch, roach, rudd, and tench are all regularly caught at decent sizes. No barbed hooks, floating baits, live baiting or spinning. }} ** {{do | name=Golf | alt= | url=https://www.moors-valley.co.uk/things-to-do/golf-course/ | email=golf@moors-valley.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1425 479776 | tollfree= | hours=Advance booking and payment mandatory | price=Oct-Mar: 11/18 holes M-Sa £13/£20, Sa, Su, holidays £15/£25; Apr-Oct 11/18 holes M-Sa £16/£24, Sa, Su, holidays £19/£29. Good discounts for under-25s | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=18-hole, 6337-yard course along the Moors River valley, with four par 5s, ten par 4s and four par 3s. }} ** {{do | name=Go Ape | alt= | url=https://goape.co.uk/locations/moors-valley | email=questions@goape.co.uk | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 1603 895500 (national number) | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM-7PM, booking essential | price=High rope courses from £20-£33, depending on difficulty, nets from £20, segway from £35 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=High ropes, swings, zip wires, and bouncy nets in the trees. There are four courses suitable for different ages, all 1-2 hr in length. If you can't stomach heights, you might prefer a Segway ride through the forest (1 hr). }} ** {{do | name=Hawks in the Forest | alt= | url=https://www.hawksintheforest.co.uk/ | email=hawksintheforest@gmail.com | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+44 7954 522843 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=By appointment only | price=One adult £50, two adults £70, four adults £120; children £15, family (two adults, two children) £80 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Walk with a Harris's hawk! Your guide, a professional falconer, will instruct you on how to handle the bird, which will then fly freely as you walk through the woods and take turns in calling it to your outstretched gloved hand. Walks are aimed at couples and small groups. }} ** {{do | name=Moors Valley Railway | alt= | url=https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/ | email= | address= | lat=50.853 | long=-1.85283 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471415 | tollfree= | hours=Winter weekends and school holidays 10AM-4PM, summer daily 10AM-5PM | price=Return trip: adult £4.35, child £2.90. Footplate courses £180-£225 incl lunch and refreshments | wikidata=Q6908474 | lastedit=2021-05-11 | content=Email via [https://www.moorsvalleyrailway.co.uk/find-us/ online contact form]. }} ==Buy== Ringwood's '''[https://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/market-locations/?market=17 farmers market]''' takes place at Gateway Square on the last Saturday of the month, 10AM-2PM. There is also a smaller market on the High Street every Wednesday, 8AM-3PM, which sells food, clothes and crafts among other things. * {{buy | name=Roebridge Natural Food Market | alt= | url=https://roebridgefoods.co.uk/ | email= | address=Unit 3, Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8467 | long=-1.7922 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 473133 | tollfree= | hours=M-W 9AM-5:30PM, Th F 9AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-13 | content=Small regional chain of greengrocers stocking local produce including New Forest mushrooms and Dorset chillies. Also sells nuts and free-range eggs. }} ===Supermarkets=== * {{buy | name=Sainsbury's | alt= | url=https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/2128/ringwood?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext&y_source=1_MTU1NjY3MTQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=24 Meeting House Lane, BH24 1EY | lat=50.8468 | long=-1.7917 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Waitrose | alt= | url=https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/203.html?utm_source=GMBlistings&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local&utm_content=203&y_source=1_MTA4NTgwNzQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLmdvb2dsZV93ZWJzaXRlX292ZXJyaWRl | email= | address=The Furlong, BH25 1AT | lat=50.8479 | long=-1.7936 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7:30AM-8PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-05-05 | content= }} * {{buy | name=Lidl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839808 | long=-1.783631 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content= }} ==Eat== [[File:Blashford Lakes - geograph.org.uk - 1287681.jpg|thumb|300px|Blashford Lakes]] ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Café Velo | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/cafevelo.co.uk/ | email=cafeveloringwood@outlook.com | address=2 Star Lane, BH24 1AL | lat=50.8471 | long=-1.7940 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480410 | tollfree= | hours=9AM-2PM, closed Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Cyclists' café for locally-sourced brunch and lunch. Veggie and vegan options. Bike storage and water bottle filling available }} * {{eat | name=Indian Tree | alt= | url=http://indiantreefood.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 Market Place, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846883 | long=-1.794390 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476563 | tollfree= | hours=5PM-11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Indian curries, as the name suggests. Prices are typically £8.95 (chicken) to £13.95 (king prawn). Also offers takeaways. }} * {{eat | name=Price's Fish And Chips | alt= | url=http://www.pricesfishandchips.co.uk/ | email= | address=38 Christchurch Road, BH24 1DN | lat=50.845 | long=-1.789 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 480290 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch W-Sa noon-1:45PM, dinner Tu-Sa 5PM-9PM | price=Medium cod, chips and side £8.50 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Popular traditional chippy. For something a bit different, try their homemade sweet chilli fishcakes. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Fromage to Yours | alt= | url= | email=info@fromagetoyours.co.uk | address=2 Fridays Court, BH24 1AB | lat=50.8461 | long=-1.7914 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470263 | tollfree= | hours=M 10AM-2PM, Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM | price=Paninis £6-£7.50, salads £5-£10, platters £23-£33 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Café-deli specialising in local cheese and charcuterie, served in salads, paninis and on sharing platters. }} * {{eat | name=The Old Cottage | alt= | url=https://www.oldcottagerestaurant.co.uk/ | email= | address=14 West Street, BH24 1DZ | lat=50.846639 | long=-1.796543 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 474283 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch Tu-Su noon-2:30PM, Dinner Tu-Th 6PM-9PM, F-Sa 6PM-9:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-07 | content=Classic dishes made with locally-sourced meat and fish, housed in a 16th century cottage. Mains cost £15-£20. Also offer a separate Sunday Lunch menu with different roast options. }} <!--Framptons - https://www.framptonsbar.co.uk/new_forest/--> ==Drink== [[File:Ringwood Brewery Razorback (Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co.).jpg|thumb|Razor Back best bitter is Ringwood's original brew.]] * {{drink | name=Ringwood Brewery | alt= | url=https://www.ringwoodbrewery.co.uk/ | email=store@ringwoodbrewery.co.uk | address=138 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AP | lat=50.841 | long=-1.787 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 470303 | tollfree= | hours=M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, tap room from 11AM | price= | wikidata=Q7335015 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Tap room and beer shop for Ringwood beers; buy 'em by the pint, jug, flaggon, piggon, or even firkin (that's 72 pints!) The brewery no longer offers tours. }} * {{drink | name=Inn On The Furlong | alt= | url=https://theinnonthefurlong.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@theinnonthefurlong.co.uk | address=12 Meeting House Lane, Ringwood, BH24 1EY | lat=50.846878 | long=-1.792411 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 475139 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9:30AM-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26451043 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=18th-century free house with good range of beers and cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=The Original White Hart | alt= | url=https://www.originalwhitehartpub.co.uk/ | email=originalwhitehart.ringwood@marstons.co.uk | address=4 Market Place, Ringwood, BH24 1AW | lat=50.846828 | long=-1.793936 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472702 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon-11PM | price= | wikidata=Q26387292 | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=17th-century coaching inn. Although it's a Marstons pub, it also serves Ringwood ales. Sports on the telly and pool table. Wheelchair accessible. Dogs welcome. }} * {{drink | name=The Elm Tree | alt= | url=https://theelmtreeringwood.co.uk/ | email=info@elmtreeringwood.co.uk | address=Hightown Road, BH24 3DY | lat=50.84319 | long=-1.76583 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 472516 | tollfree= | hours=M-Th noon-10:30PM, F Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-9PM | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Thatched cottage with cosy interior and large beer garden. Live sports on TVs. Basic cheap pub food available, which gets mixed reviews. }} * {{drink | name=The White Hart Inn | alt= | url=https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/ | email= | address=171 Southampton Road, BH24 1HU | lat=50.85174 | long=-1.77382 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 483123 | tollfree= | hours=Su-W noon-11PM, Th noon-11:30PM, F Sa noon-midnight | price= | lastedit=2021-07-15 | content=Email via [https://www.whitehartinnpoulner.co.uk/contact-us/ online contact form]. In the residential neighbourhood of Poulner is this characterful low-ceilinged pub with pool table, darts and dominoes. Lounge chairs and picnic blankets in the garden in summer. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Dunnroaming | alt= | url=https://www.176dunnroaming.co.uk/ | email=176dunnroaming@gmail.com | address=176 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8392 | long=-1.7840 | directions= | phone=+44 7508 810336 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10AM | price=From £71, booked in advance. Copious breakfast included | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-09-30 | content=Two en-suite twin rooms with blackout curtains. Free Wi-Fi and luggage store. Off-street parking. }} * {{sleep | name=Premier Inn | alt= | url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/ringwood/ringwood.html?cid=GLBC_RINFOR | email= | address=Forest Gate Business Park, BH24 3AS | lat=50.839919 | long=-1.782032 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 206667 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=noon | price=From £42 for a double room, booked in advance | lastedit=2021-07-09 | content=Around a 15 min walk from the high street. Several accessible rooms. Free parking and Wi-Fi. On-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. }} * {{sleep | name=Moortown Lodge | alt= | url=https://moortownlodge.co.uk/ | email=enquiries@moortownlodge.co.uk | address=244 Christchurch Road, BH24 3AS | lat=50.8378 | long=-1.7832 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 471 404 | tollfree= | checkin=4PM | checkout=10:30AM | price=B&B doubles from £140 | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=A Georgian hunting lodge converted into a boutique B&B with ensuite rooms for couples - each room has one double or super king-size bed. Good breakfasts, including vegetarian and vegan. }} Many of the pubs and inns in town also offer accommodation, all from about £70 per night when booked in advance. ===Camping=== Always popular in the New Forest. * {{sleep | name=Fernwood Glamping | alt= | url=https://www.fernwood-ringwood.co.uk/ | email= | address=Fernwood, Hangersley Hill, BH24 3JN | lat=50.8571 | long=-1.7598 | directions= | phone=+44 1425 476892, +44 7730 586601 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=5-10PM | checkout=10AM | price=Two adults: one night £100, two nights or more £80 per night. Children: £20 per night. Add £10 per night during summer peak | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-01 | content=Stay in a red Romany caravan or corrugated shepherd's hut in a quiet setting on the edge of town. The caravan and hut each sleep two adults and two kids, and come equipped with bedding and basic toiletries, a minifridge and kettle. Bring your own camp cooker or barbecue, or make use of the firepit. No dogs. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * '''The [[New Forest]]''' - Ringwood is on the outskirts of the National Park which has many footpaths and bridleways. * '''[[Fordingbridge]]''' - A smaller town to the north has both river and forest activities, plus access to a stately home and Roman villa. * '''[[Bournemouth]]''' - Its beach is very popular in the summer, and the town is the main shopping/nightlife area for people in Ringwood. * '''[[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]]''' - Home to Salisbury Cathedral and a gateway to Stonehenge * '''[[Southampton]]''' - The port for many cruises, with good connections to other cities in the UK. {{IsPartOf|Hampshire}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|50.85|-1.78}} e60ynaiyi7kmtc8gjk05783qfu6sotq 0 186173 4501858 4255023 2022-08-16T04:13:43Z Ypsilon 1806 has get in, see, eat, sleep wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Santa Rosa''' is the capital of [[La Pampa]] Province. ==Understand== A city of about 100,000 that serves as an important agricultural center for Argentina, Santa Rosa is a rather unassuming mecca that may not be the most exciting place but still has a few attractions. It lies in a transitional geographical area on the western edge of the Pampas, allowing for some breaks and undulating slopes to the west. ==Get in== Santa Rosa Airport affords direct flights to/from [[Buenos Aires]]. Otherwise, it can be a rather daunting 7 hour drive along Highway 5 between Santa Rosa and the nation's capital. ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Plaza San Martin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-36.62039 | long=-64.29058 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Another town square commemorating the national hero, bordered by Universidad Nacional de La Pampa and Catedral de la Santa Rosa with some funny-looking sculpture outside. }} * {{see | name=Natural History Museum of La Pampa | alt=Museo de Historia Natural de La Pampa | url=http://www.facebook.com/MHNLPam | email= | address=Pellegrini 180 | lat=-36.61868 | long=-64.29272 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=See all your favorite Pampas animals on display here (stuffed). }} * {{see | name=Museo Provincial de Artes | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/www.museodearteslapampa.com.ar/ | email= | address=9 de Julio 305 | lat=-36.62010 | long=-64.29527 | directions= | phone= +54 2954 42-7332 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Here you can see some art works by locally known artists. }} * {{see | name=Mate Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address=Av Pedro Luro | lat=36.63418 | long=-64.28221 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=A kitschy monument to the nationally popular drink that should probably be in every tourist's selfie or Argentinian photo album. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Don Tomás Park | alt=Recreativo Laguna Don Tomás Santa Rosa Park | url= | email= | address=Av. Uruguay | lat=-36.6165 | long=-64.3111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=daily 08:00-18:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=This is one of the defining geographical features of Santa Rosa, as the city hugs the eastern shore. While not a swimming locale really due to turbidity (umm, duck pond?), it is a nice place to relax and fish for pejerrey (Neotropical silversides), or observe a bird island sanctuary. There is also a miniature train called El Puelchito (originating from San Martin Square), a system of bike and hiking paths, and the availability of canoe and water bike rentals and even rides aboard a motorized vessel called the Salitrero. Surrounding the lake are some monuments like a cross and lighthouse. }} * {{do | name=Natural reserve La Malvina | alt=Reserva Natural Urbana La Malvina | url=https://reserva-natural-urbana-la-malvina.negocio.site/ | email= | address=Buira | lat=-36.6192 | long=-64.3277 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-F 07:00-13:00; Sa-Su 10:00-14:00, 16:00-20:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=This is a historic farmstead that was owned by the original founder of the city. Its acreage is continuous with the western edge of Don Tomas Lagoon and includes farm building exhibits and some observation points such as Mirador de Santa Rosa and Loma del Calden. }} * {{do | name=Reserva Provincial Parque Luro | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-36.911 | long=-64.2604 | directions=35km south of Santa Rosa on Hwy 35 of all things | phone=+54 2954 45 2600 | tollfree= | hours=daily 11:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=The remains of a former private exotic game park built by a French landowner, this reserve features a variety of attractions, from a lagoon frequented by flamingoes, to ornithological study in general with various bird species, to encounters with pumas and red deer that bray for mates in season (Mar-April). Also of note are three museums on siteː the Museo El Castillo (situated in the historic hunting lodge), Museo San Huberto (dealing with carriages and other such farm implements), and Museo El Caserio (created by a French painter who lived on the premises). }} * {{do | name=Casino Club - Santa Rosa - La Pampa | alt= | url=http://www.casino-club.com.ar/ | email= | address=Acceso A, Av. Pres. Arturo Illia, | lat=-36.62044 | long=-64.26814 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 45 8419 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Come here when the Argentinian pesos start to feel heavy in your pocket. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Parrilla Los Caldenes | alt= | url=http://www.parrillaloscaldenes.com/ | email= | address=Av. Circunvación Ing Marzo 385 Este | lat=-36.6245 | long=-64.27151 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 42 9449 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Although they serve salads and desserts and things, carnivores definitely do not need to be shy. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Departamento Ciudad De Santa Rosa | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Juan 356 | lat=-36.61236 | long=-64.28662 | directions= | phone=+54 9 2954 54-9135 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$35 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Furnished homestay in an apartment-like setting, with free wifi. }} * {{sleep | name=La Campiña Club | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/lacampinaclubhotelspa/ | email= | address=Ruta 5 Km 604 | lat=-36.61621 | long=-64.24492 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 45-6800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$75 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=A hotel with a country feel featuring two pools, a spa, restaurant, and free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Mercure Santa Rosa La Pampa | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/A029/index.en.shtml | email= | address=Av Santiago Marzo N 25 Interseccion Ruta 5 Y 35 | lat=-36.62077 | long=-64.26969 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 70-0200 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=A sleek and upscale property for this provincial capital, with a outdoor rooftop pool, gym, restaurant/bar, and expansive breakfast buffet (surcharge). }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * {{listing | name=Lihué Calel National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-38.0040 | long=-65.5882 | directions=2.5 hours south/southwest of Santa Rosa | phone=+54 2952 43 6595 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Where the pampas leave off and the desert begins: find trails exploring hills with petroglyphs and guanaco and cougar sightings, among other things. }} {{IsPartOf|La Pampa}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-36.620278|-64.290556|zoom=13}} icc4nki9tayxaazowqy8vk95p229h6s 4501859 4501858 2022-08-16T04:15:34Z Ypsilon 1806 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Santa Rosa''' is the capital of [[La Pampa]] Province. [[File:Plaza San Martín (8391485785).jpg|thumb|300px|Plaza San Martín]] ==Understand== A city of about 100,000 that serves as an important agricultural center for Argentina, Santa Rosa is a rather unassuming mecca that may not be the most exciting place but still has a few attractions. It lies in a transitional geographical area on the western edge of the Pampas, allowing for some breaks and undulating slopes to the west. ==Get in== Santa Rosa Airport affords direct flights to/from [[Buenos Aires]]. Otherwise, it can be a rather daunting 7 hour drive along Highway 5 between Santa Rosa and the nation's capital. ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Plaza San Martin | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-36.62039 | long=-64.29058 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Another town square commemorating the national hero, bordered by Universidad Nacional de La Pampa and Catedral de la Santa Rosa with some funny-looking sculpture outside. }} * {{see | name=Natural History Museum of La Pampa | alt=Museo de Historia Natural de La Pampa | url=http://www.facebook.com/MHNLPam | email= | address=Pellegrini 180 | lat=-36.61868 | long=-64.29272 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=See all your favorite Pampas animals on display here (stuffed). }} * {{see | name=Museo Provincial de Artes | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/www.museodearteslapampa.com.ar/ | email= | address=9 de Julio 305 | lat=-36.62010 | long=-64.29527 | directions= | phone= +54 2954 42-7332 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Here you can see some art works by locally known artists. }} * {{see | name=Mate Monument | alt= | url= | email= | address=Av Pedro Luro | lat=36.63418 | long=-64.28221 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=A kitschy monument to the nationally popular drink that should probably be in every tourist's selfie or Argentinian photo album. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Don Tomás Park | alt=Recreativo Laguna Don Tomás Santa Rosa Park | url= | email= | address=Av. Uruguay | lat=-36.6165 | long=-64.3111 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=daily 08:00-18:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=This is one of the defining geographical features of Santa Rosa, as the city hugs the eastern shore. While not a swimming locale really due to turbidity (umm, duck pond?), it is a nice place to relax and fish for pejerrey (Neotropical silversides), or observe a bird island sanctuary. There is also a miniature train called El Puelchito (originating from San Martin Square), a system of bike and hiking paths, and the availability of canoe and water bike rentals and even rides aboard a motorized vessel called the Salitrero. Surrounding the lake are some monuments like a cross and lighthouse. }} * {{do | name=Natural reserve La Malvina | alt=Reserva Natural Urbana La Malvina | url=https://reserva-natural-urbana-la-malvina.negocio.site/ | email= | address=Buira | lat=-36.6192 | long=-64.3277 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M-F 07:00-13:00; Sa-Su 10:00-14:00, 16:00-20:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=This is a historic farmstead that was owned by the original founder of the city. Its acreage is continuous with the western edge of Don Tomas Lagoon and includes farm building exhibits and some observation points such as Mirador de Santa Rosa and Loma del Calden. }} * {{do | name=Reserva Provincial Parque Luro | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-36.911 | long=-64.2604 | directions=35km south of Santa Rosa on Hwy 35 of all things | phone=+54 2954 45 2600 | tollfree= | hours=daily 11:00-17:00 | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=The remains of a former private exotic game park built by a French landowner, this reserve features a variety of attractions, from a lagoon frequented by flamingoes, to ornithological study in general with various bird species, to encounters with pumas and red deer that bray for mates in season (Mar-April). Also of note are three museums on siteː the Museo El Castillo (situated in the historic hunting lodge), Museo San Huberto (dealing with carriages and other such farm implements), and Museo El Caserio (created by a French painter who lived on the premises). }} * {{do | name=Casino Club - Santa Rosa - La Pampa | alt= | url=http://www.casino-club.com.ar/ | email= | address=Acceso A, Av. Pres. Arturo Illia, | lat=-36.62044 | long=-64.26814 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 45 8419 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Come here when the Argentinian pesos start to feel heavy in your pocket. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Parrilla Los Caldenes | alt= | url=http://www.parrillaloscaldenes.com/ | email= | address=Av. Circunvación Ing Marzo 385 Este | lat=-36.6245 | long=-64.27151 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 42 9449 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Although they serve salads and desserts and things, carnivores definitely do not need to be shy. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Departamento Ciudad De Santa Rosa | alt= | url= | email= | address=San Juan 356 | lat=-36.61236 | long=-64.28662 | directions= | phone=+54 9 2954 54-9135 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$35 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Furnished homestay in an apartment-like setting, with free wifi. }} * {{sleep | name=La Campiña Club | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/lacampinaclubhotelspa/ | email= | address=Ruta 5 Km 604 | lat=-36.61621 | long=-64.24492 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 45-6800 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=$75 | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=A hotel with a country feel featuring two pools, a spa, restaurant, and free breakfast. }} * {{sleep | name=Mercure Santa Rosa La Pampa | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/A029/index.en.shtml | email= | address=Av Santiago Marzo N 25 Interseccion Ruta 5 Y 35 | lat=-36.62077 | long=-64.26969 | directions= | phone=+54 2954 70-0200 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=A sleek and upscale property for this provincial capital, with a outdoor rooftop pool, gym, restaurant/bar, and expansive breakfast buffet (surcharge). }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * {{listing | name=Lihué Calel National Park | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-38.0040 | long=-65.5882 | directions=2.5 hours south/southwest of Santa Rosa | phone=+54 2952 43 6595 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2021-07-17 | content=Where the pampas leave off and the desert begins: find trails exploring hills with petroglyphs and guanaco and cougar sightings, among other things. }} {{IsPartOf|La Pampa}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-36.620278|-64.290556|zoom=13}} egrb42xaw8sc8bb28bxsym5ilnh6qxz 0 186353 4501803 4494189 2022-08-16T01:38:02Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Outback NSW */ new national park declared: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/koonaburra-national-park wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|NSW National Parks Banner 8.jpg|caption=A boardwalk in Kamay-Botany Bay National Park in Sydney's southeast}} {{NRS}} There are more than '''225 national parks''' in [[New South Wales]] (NSW), every park containing a hidden gem and each with its own unique beauty. This is about 4 times as many national parks and reserves as in the [[United States national parks|United Stares]]. NSW has the second most national parks in Australia as well, just after Queensland. One third of all national parks in Australia are in NSW. [[File:NPWS NSW logo.svg|thumb|right|200px|The NSW Parks and Wildlife Services (NSW PWS) logo, seen from about every national park in New South Wales.]] ==Understand== National parks in New South Wales include some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the state, and they're often good places to go for different purposes, with hiking being the most common. Many parks are home to something unique, with a hidden beauty. There is a lot of geographic variety between the places: some parks might be considered a plain beauty by some, and "boring" by others. Historic sites are also run by the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife services, and all have something to showcase. Some of these might not have much, but they are historically significant to the state. There are also four "Karst Reserves" as well, designed to protect the karst landscape. These are not national parks, but are managed by the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service. On top of all this, there are some "state conservation reserves" as well, and they may be more known or even more visited than some of their national cousins. [[Cape Byron State Conservation Area]], for example, is a highlight for anyone coming to [[Byron Bay]], and is much more visited than most other national parks. A brown colour on the map means it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while a darker maroon colour means it's a historic site. Other colours on the map indicate the region. It's worth noting that not all parks in the state are accessible or have facilities. Some like Barakee, Belford or Cataract National Parks are only there for conservation, not recreation. However, these parks will not be promoted on the ground. ==Fees and permits== [[File:Sign at entrance to Kosciuszko National Park.jpg|thumb|200px|A typical sign before a park's fee collecting point]] Of the many parks in New South Wales, only 45 parks collect fees. A full list of which parks do so can be found on the [https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/passes-and-fees/fee-collecting-parks NSW Parks website]. There are also NSW Parks passes, which provide unlimited access to many parks for a year, or two if you choose to get a 24-month pass. The passes also provides faster entry and is valid for 12 months (or 24 if you purchase a two-year pass) from date of purchase. The [https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/passes-and-fees/annual-passes fees per vehicle] (as at 2021) as follows: * All Parks Pass – includes all parks in New South Wales, including Kosciuszko National Park ($195 for one year, $335 for two years) * Multi Park Pass – includes all parks in New South Wales, excluding Kosciuszko National Park ($65 for one year, $115 for two years) * Country Parks Pass – includes all parks in Country New South Wales, excluding Kosciuszko National Park ($45 for one year, $75 for two years) There is also a fourth pass; the Single Park Pass, worth $22 for one year and $40 for two, main for for if you're wanting to visit the same park again and again. It is not valid in Kosciuszko National Park. ==National parks== <!-- Key:brown = UNESCO world heritage. other colors by region--> {{mapframe|-32|147|zoom=5}} <!-- * {{marker|type=[color name]|lat=|long=|name=|image=|wikidata=}} AN EMPTY TEMPLATE TO QUICKLY COPY AND PASTE THE CONTENT IN--> <!-- {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=|title=|wikidata=}} Quick copy paste geoshape--> ===Sydney and surrounds=== * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Berowra Valley National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q39080126}} – a national park next to very-crowded-full-of-traffic Hornsby. It takes a while to realise whether you're in Sydney or not. The answer to that is, yes, you are still in Sydney. * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Blue Mountains National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q885558}} – {{unesco}} home to the Three Sisters, the most visited indigenous site in Australia, which also holds a deeper story behind it. * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Bouddi National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q894991}} – a small but yet scenic national park showcasing some of the best beaches the Central Coast has to offer, and a lot of greenery as well, right next to crowded Woy Woy * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Brisbane Water National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q917653}} – it has pleasant and interesting walks that can vary from mild to rugged with varying environments * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Cattai National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1051319}} – while not particularly a large nor famous national park, it has stunning views of the Hawkesbury River with lookouts and walking trails * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Dharawal National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1207569}} – a national park on the border of Sydney, the Illawarra and the Southern Highlands, with stunning waterfalls and rockpools * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Dharug National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1207619}} – a park with nice and creative rock formations which also are home to a lot of Mangroves. Unusually though, parts of the park were disputed between the Dharug and Darkinjung countries before the British had arrived. * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Gardens of Stone National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1494110}} – {{unesco}} with some stunning picturesque lookouts and hiking trails. * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Garigal National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q944803}} – popular with bushwalkers and mountain bike riders, there are over 35 trails in the park covering 120&nbsp;km. 100% of the park is in Metropolitan Sydney and there have been over 100 Aboriginal sites recorded, including shelters, cave art, rock engravings, middens, grinding grooves and a possible stone arrangement * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Georges River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165056}} – a national park which has recreational activities such as hiking, picnicking, barbecues, boating, fishing, and water/jet skiing, segmented into 15 sectors along the riverbanks of the Georges River * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Heathcote National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q948585}} – deeply dissected Hawkesbury sandstone plateau which formed about 200 million years ago, Heathcote National Park is home to a lot of Aboriginal rock engravings, a lot more than some other neighbouring parks in Sydney * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Kamay Botany Bay National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q894672}} – home of Captain Cook's landing spot as well as Bare Island Fort, the location of where ''Mission Impossible 2'' was filmed in part. Moreover, Kamay Botany Bay National Park is home to the French town of La Perouse, where French explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse came. Many of his items have been recovered and are at the La Perouse museum at this park. [[File:Pittwater from Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]] * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Kanangra-Boyd National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1571138}} – {{unesco}} adjacent to Jenolan Caves, with expansive mountain gorges, magnificent lookouts and a series of wild and scenic rivers give a special edge to Kanagra-Boyd's wilderness.<!-- -->[[File:Australia sydney shark island.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Shark Island, Sydney Harbour National Park]] * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1322496}} – a big large national park right inside Sydney rich in Aboriginal culture, with one side alongside tributaries of the Hawkesbury river, and the other being beside the Hawkesbury, along with some WWII fortifications. * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Lane Cove National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q835267}} – a big national park right in the middle of the Macquarie Park/Ryde region surrounded by buildings on all four corners, but with a big blob of greenery and a river in the park, with walking trails and picnic spots * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Malabar Headland National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q21971995}} – the smallest national park in New South Wales at only 1.77km², but yet with very scenic with nice cliffs and a popular whale watching spot during the months of May to November * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Marramarra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164875}} – offers bushwalkers a wide range of environments, from the mangrove communities along Marramarra Creek to the drier, sclerophyll scrub along the ridges * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Nattai National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1571056}} – {{unesco}} which mostly offers bushwalking, but also the views from this UNESCO world heritage park is quite unimaginable, particularly from Wollondilly lookout * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Popran National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164793}} – takes its name from Popran Creek, mainly to protect the Popran Creek area but is home to a ton of mangroves * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Royal National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q113523}} – the oldest national park in the southern hemisphere and the second oldest in the entire world just after Yellowstone * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Scheyville National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1742613}} – in the northwestern suburbs of Sydney, it is mostly famous for the Longneck Lagoon, which before European settlers, this was used by the people of Dharug Country for food supplies * {{marker|type=red|lat=-33.848333|long=151.234444|name=[[Sydney Harbour National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q746452}} – a national park rich in Aboriginal, military, WWII and colonial history, where history meets the harbour. It is also the only national park where the harbour bridge can be seen, as well as the opera house, but there's parts of this park where you could be lost in nature<!-- -->[[File:Mount Yengo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mt. Yengo seen from Yengo National Park]] * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Thirlmere Lakes National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1134729}} – {{unesco}} mostly known for its lakes which are just plain natural beauty * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Werakata National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165053}} – in the 1800s when European settlers came, most of this park was destroyed. Forestry commenced and sawmills were established in and near area the area of the park (most of the timber going to local mines for pit props). The park now remains as a measure to protect what is left * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Wollemi National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1811861}} – {{unesco}} sadly home to the largest continuous bushfire affected area in the 2019-20 bushfire season, it is home to some of the world's oldest trees, which have still been up there since the Jurassic period * {{marker|type=red|lat=|long=|name=[[Wyrrabalong National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164806}} – a national park mostly surrounded by water except for a small section on the north where it's connected to the mainland from Lake Tuggerah and the Tasman Sea, it is home to some woodland and water birds that are hard to find in other areas * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Yengo National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2535657}} – {{unesco}} rich in Aboriginal culture, flora and fauna, natural beauty and wildlife, with some sacred sites visitors can visit {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=ba3cb0|title=[[Berowra Valley National Park]]|wikidata=Q39080126}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=bf9c4e|title=[[Blue Mountains National Park]]|wikidata=Q885558}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#1d7f85|title=[[Bouddi National Park]]|wikidata=Q894991}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#306652|title=[[Brisbane Water National Park]]|wikidata=Q917653}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#866ef0|title=[[Cattai National Park]]|wikidata=Q1051319}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=ffcd9c|title=[[Dharawal National Park]]|wikidata=Q1207569}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9831b5|title=[[Dharug National Park]]|wikidata=Q1207619}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#f7d128|title=[[Gardens of Stone National Park]]|wikidata=Q1494110}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9c228d|title=[[Garigal National Park]]|wikidata=Q944803}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#e3847d|title=[[Georges River National Park]]|wikidata=Q1165056}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#242c42|title=[[Heathcote National Park]]|wikidata=Q948585}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#26adad|title=[[Kamay Botany Bay National Park]]|wikidata=Q894672}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#4d2c29|title=[[Kanangra-Boyd National Park]]|wikidata=Q1571138}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#8debbc|title=[[Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]]|wikidata=Q1322496}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#316391|title=[[Lane Cove National Park]]|wikidata=Q835267}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#707353|title=[[Malabar Headland National Park]]|wikidata=Q21971995}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#de64a9|title=[[Marramarra National Park]]|wikidata=Q1164875}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#6bf2d9|title=[[Popran National Park]]|wikidata=Q1164793}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9be665|title=[[Royal National Park]]|wikidata=Q113523}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#46db9b|title=[[Sydney Harbour National Park]]|wikidata=Q746452}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#824b14|title=[[Thirlmere Lakes National Park]]|wikidata=Q1134729}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#b08b4f|title=[[Werakata National Park]]|wikidata=Q1165053}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#bfedb9|title=[[Wollemi National Park]]|wikidata=Q1811861}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#5c4fb0|title=[[Wyrrabalong National Park]]|wikidata=Q1164806}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#9db04f|title=[[Yengo National Park]]|wikidata=Q2535657}} ===Central NSW=== [[File:Looking along the length of the Park - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A view from Coolah Tops National Park]] * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Abercrombie River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q319327}} – protects an important area of remnant bushland within the southwestern Central Tablelands, and contains a diversity of vegetation communities characteristic of montane and tableland species as well as of the western slopes of the state. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#e0a39d|title=[[Abercrombie River National Park]]|wikidata=Q319327}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=Belford National Park|image=|wikidata=Q815431}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#f21600|title=Belford National Park|wikidata=Q815431}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=Cataract National Park|image=|wikidata=Q1050363}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Cocoparra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1105456}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Conimbla National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1126072}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Coolah Tops National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1129687}} – known for its wildlife, waterfalls and, not to forget, the stunning mountain ranges and lookouts seen here. <!-- -->[[File:Sawn Rocks.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Sean Rocks in Mount Kaputar National Park]] {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#1cd9ad|title=[[Coolah Tops National Park]]|wikidata=Q1129687}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Garrawilla National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1494430}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Goobang National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1537463}} – the few places where you can see both coastal and inland vegetation * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Goulburn River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1540144}} – a sanctuary for kangaroos, wombats, emus, goannas, platypus, and a wide variety of birds. It lies within the Mudgee-Wollar Important Bird Area, so identified by BirdLife International because of its importance for the endangered regent honeyeater. * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Kalyarr National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q21930913}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Kaputar National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1950327}} – mostly known for its iconic Sawn Rocks. * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Murray Valley National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q539925}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Nangar National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1885989}}<!-- -->[[File:Weddin Mountains From Eualdrie Rd.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Weddin Mountains National Park]] * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Oolambeyan National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164823}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Timbarra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1257080}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Turon National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165080}} * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Warrumbungle National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q847071}} – known for its breadknife shaped rock * {{marker|type=blue|lat=|long=|name=[[Weddin Mountains National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q953920}} – despite the mountains being the main thing, it certainly is something that many find intriguing, and looking much nicer than the territory's [[Yulara|Mount Conner]]. ===Hunter and Mid-North Coast=== * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Bago Bluff National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q799956}} – has shell fossils and a rich diversity of birdlife which include magpies, whistlers, kookaburras, among others. * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=Barakee National Park|image=|wikidata=Q807235|wikipedia=}} – another one of those parks with the usuals. * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Barrington Tops National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q808934}} – most of Barrington Tops National Park is declared wilderness; large, natural areas of land that, together with their native plants and animal communities, remain essentially unchanged by modern human activity. Don't forget the rich diversity of flora and fauna here, with hiking trails. Also the southernmost of all [[Gondwana Rainforests of Australia]] * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Bellinger River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q815977}} – park by the Bellinger River with unspoiled forests and ecosystems, and one of the oldest in the world. * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Ben Halls Gap National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q280143}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Bindarri National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q863555}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Biriwal Bulga National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q865438}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Bongil Bongil National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q892405}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Booti Booti National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q893143}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Cascade National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1046851}}<!-- -->[[File:Dorigo National Park Water Fall - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Crystal Shower Falls, Dorrigo National Park]] * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Coorabakh National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1117259}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Crowdy Bay National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1141720}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Dooragan National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165064}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Dorrigo National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q524956}} – UNESCO world heritage site and is the most visited Gondwana Rainforest of Australia, and has a lot to offer if one is interested in rainforests. Not to forget, it is right within 2 km proximity of the waterfall capital of Australia; [[Dorrigo]] * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Dunggir National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q385269}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q980397}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Hat Head National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q541149}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Hunter Wetlands National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1638093}} – hidden gem in the northern suburbs of [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]], Hunter Wetlands National Park is a wildlife sanctuary, and one of the few parks suited for all kinds of ages. * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Junuy Juluum National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165190}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Kumbatine National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165416}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Limeburners Creek National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q85776674}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Maria National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1627074}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Middle Brother National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1931841}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Royal National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1583435}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Myall Lakes National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1581582}} – mostly notable for fishing, camping, and kayaking, but that is not the only thing that Myall Lakes National Park is known for, but also for the sand dunes right nearby. * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Nymboi-Binderay National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1583713}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Saltwater National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1443963}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Sea Acres National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q7439837}}<!-- -->[[File:Milky way panorama at fishermans bay.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Milky Way seen from Tomaree National Park]] * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Tapin Tops National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1976764}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Tomaree National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165291}} – while not like Stockton Beach, the sand dunes here are still huge, and has some sandy bush walks, and just one minute from Nelson Bay * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Towarri National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2446868}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Ulidarra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1727012}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Wallarah National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2426755}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Wallingat National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1678943}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Watagans National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q932535}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Willi Willi National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2095735}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Woko National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1718891}} * {{marker|type=gold|lat=|long=|name=[[Yarriabini National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q608315}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#d7f0b4|title=[[Barrington Tops National Park]]|wikidata=Q808934}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#a7a8c9|title=[[Dorrigo National Park]]|wikidata=Q524956}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#fae20c|title=[[Myall Lakes National Park]]|wikidata=Q1581582}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#eb4d4d|title=[[Tomaree National Park]]|wikidata=Q1165291}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#0d590d|title=[[Willi Willi National Park]]|wikidata=Q2095735}} ===Northern Rivers=== * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Arakwal National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q625511}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Border Ranges National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q893407}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Broadwater National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q922823}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Bundjalung National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1009360}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Bungawalbin National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1009440}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Fortis Creek National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165146}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Goonengerry National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165185}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Koreelah National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165387}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Mallanganee National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165123}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Maryland National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1608651}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Mebbin National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q368670}} – part of the Shield Volcano Group of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, and is home to numerous endangered species of birds. The park also forms the western edge of the Mount Warning volcano * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Mooball National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165452}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Clunie National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165139}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Jerusalem National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165321}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Nothofagus National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165327}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Pikapene National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1888246}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Nightcap National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1573530}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Ramornie National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165460}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Richmond Range National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1655345}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Tooloom National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1886230}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Toonumbar National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q974898}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Warning National Park|Wollumbin National Park]] (Mount Warning National Park)|image=|wikidata=Q2347510}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Yabbra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2576611}} * {{marker|type=royalblue|lat=|long=|name=[[Yuraygir National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1122053}} ===Northern Tablelands=== * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Bald Rock National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q804731}} – right next to the boerder with Queensland, this park has a very bald rock as the name says * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Barool National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q808720}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Basket Swamp National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q810277}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Boonoo Boonoo National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q893073}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Butterleaf National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1018112}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Capoompeta National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1034802}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Carrai National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1044858}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Cataract National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1050363}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Cathedral Rock National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1050857}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Chaelundi National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q541934}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Cottan-Bimbang National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1136689}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Cunnawarra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q155266}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Gibraltar Range National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1522939}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Guy Fawkes River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q643478}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Indwarra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165039}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Kings Plains National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165427}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Kwiambal National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165318}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Mummel Gulf National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q581883}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[New England National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1982368|wikipedia=}} – much known for its lush green Gondwana Rainforests and the breathtaking lookouts. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#42a8c9|title=[[New England National Park]]|wikidata=Q1982368}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Nowendoc National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165129}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Nymboida National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1584430}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Oxley Wild Rivers National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2042871}} – popular spot for camping that not to forget the huge, Wollomombi Falls. * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Single National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2289215}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Timbarra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1257080}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Warra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1724651}} * {{marker|type=silver|lat=|long=|name=[[Warrabah National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1583699}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Washpool National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2096005}} * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Werrikimbe National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1584958}} ===Outback NSW=== [[File:Aboriginal rock art.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Aboriginal rock art in Gundabooka National Park]] * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Culgoa National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q924315}} – impressive river red gums and expansive floodplains, is the landscape that is thought to be representative of the Australian outback. Additionally, the park's name comes from the river that flows through this park. Also home to two iconic mammals of the outback, the common brushtail possum and Little pied bat * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Gundabooka National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165288}} – has some petroglyph rock art and ancestral ceremonial grounds are located inside the park which also has many exotic plants, right next to the Darling River * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Kinchega National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1511987}} – a quiet lesser known national park along the Darling River that allows visitors to understand the historical significance and the importance of both Outback life in the 19th century, and birdlife in the Outback. Also has some impressive river red gums and floodplains, but for a comparison on whether Culgoa or Kinchega differs on opinion, but both are unique in their own right. * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=Koonaburra National Park|url=https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/koonaburra-national-park|lat=-32.1954|long=144.7343}} – protects an extensive area of sandplain * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=Mallee Cliffs National Park|image=|wikidata=Q1886016}} – Mallee Cliffs National Park preserves the original clay red plains of south west New South Wales, protecting extensive areas of flat to undulating sandy red plains and linear sand dunes formed during arid periods from 350,000-500,000 years ago. Unusually though, this is one of the few places where the Malleefowl can be found, which is only found in arid areas only where the mallee grows. However, do note that this park is restricted in access, and can only be used for educational purposes. [[File:Wall of China .jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Walls of China in Lake Mungo, Mungo National Park, just a natural beauty. Oh, and if you're wondering where's the lake, most of it dries up during dry season similar to how Lake Eyre works.]] * {{marker|type=brown|lat=|long=|name=[[Mungo National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1670728}} – UNESCO world heritage park with some of the world's oldest human bodies outside Africa dating back to about 42,000 years ago, with part of the reason why it's still well preserved today is because of the sheer isolation, getting here without a 4WD is almost impossible. Mungo N.P. is also popular for the Walls of China as well, mostly for how its shaped. * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Mutawintji National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164871}} – filled with some gorges, canyons and a historic site in the centre * {{marker|type=around|name=[[Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park]]|image=|lat=-29.227249|long=142.537612}} – this large reasonably new outback national park is often forgotten a lot. The park protects one of the most incredible wildlife havens in the Outback * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Paroo-Darling National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1765473}} * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Sturt National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q972962}} – the northwestern most park in New South Wales, it is also home to Cameron Corner, a marker encompassing three states. But apart from that, this park also gives a real feel for how life was like, living in the Outback in the 19th and early 20th century. It's also one of the few places in New South Wales where the dingo fence can be seen * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Toorale National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q18353304}} * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Willandra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1572483}} – Aboriginal occupation in the park dates back to more than 15,000 years ago, it is mostly known for its habitat for native species like the emu, the threatened Plains-wanderer, red and grey kangaroos, echidnas and a variety of reptiles, such as Gould's Sand Goanna and the Mulga Brown Snake. * {{marker|type=around|lat=|long=|name=[[Yanga National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2576838}} – A rather new national park, having been formed in 2007. It is significant to the indigenous people, and is a significant site to local birdlife {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#8c8801|title=[[Kinchega National Park]]|wikidata=Q1511987}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#e6ebb7|title=[[Mungo National Park]]|wikidata=Q1670728}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#c3ff00|title=[[Sturt National Park]]|wikidata=Q972962}} ===South Coast, The Highlands and Snowy Mountains=== [[File:Coloured Pinnacles, Ben Boyd National Park (6754383743).jpg|thumb|200px|The Pinnacles in Ben Boyd National Park]] * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Bangadilly National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q806454}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Ben Boyd National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q816395}} – southern most national park in New South Wales, Ben Boyd National Park is home to all sorts of things, but most notably its coastline and inlets.{{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#e8a72e|title=[[Ben Boyd National Park]]|wikidata=Q816395}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Benambra National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q816671}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Biamanga National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q855311}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Bimberamala National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q863415}} <!--* {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Booderee National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q892951}} moved below to special cases--> * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Bournda National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q895243}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Brindabella National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q527914}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Budawang National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1000715}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Budderoo National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q956929}} – known for its rainforest, waterfalls, and is one of the most visited national parks on the south coast {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#ff1100|title=[[Budderoo National Park]]|wikidata=Q956929}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Bugong National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1002547}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Bungonia National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1009486}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Clyde River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1103590}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Conjola National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1126101}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Deua National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164803}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Eurobodalla National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1374779}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Gourock National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1540216}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Gulaga National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1489775}}<!-- -->[[File:Morning views from the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, Kosciuszko National Park 21.jpg|thumb|200px|Kosciuszko National Park in winter from the summit of Mount Kosciuszko]] * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Jerrawangala National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1687776}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Jervis Bay National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1582404}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Kooraban National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1783816}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Kosciuszko National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1755161}} – New South Wales's largest national park and home to the roof of mainland Australia. It's the only national park in NSW that gets a consistent level of snow, also home to one several ski resorts and villages. * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Livingstone National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1657650}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Mares Forest National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1476533}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Macquarie Pass National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1030926}} – 90 km southwest from Sydney, although the name "Macquarie Pass" is often related to the pass on the Illawarra Highway (A48) for its windy bends, the road goes through this national park. Macquarie Pass National Park is home to a range of eucalyptus trees, and wildlife including unique birdlife and wallabies. There are hiking trails as well that allows visitors to experience this. {{mapshape|type=geoshape|fill=#29495c|title=[[Macquarie Pass National Park]]|wikidata=Q1030926}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Meroo National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165175}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Mimosa Rocks National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1583757}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Minjary National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1937231}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Monga National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q944542}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Morton National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1582579}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Mount Imlay National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165060}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Murramarang National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q906973}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Seven Mile Beach National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1165069}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[South East Forest National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1164884}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Tallaganda National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1875999}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Tarlo River National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2394398}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Wadbilliga National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q572064}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Woomargama National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q123161}} * {{marker|type=mediumaquamarine|lat=|long=|name=[[Yanununbeyan National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q2217910}} ===Other parks=== [[File:Caves Beach, Jervis Bay.jpg|thumb|200px|Cave Beach, Booderee National Park]] * {{marker|type=forestgreen|lat=|long=|name=[[Booderee National Park]]|alt=Jervis Bay National Park|image=|wikidata=Q892951}} – While treated like in NSW, this park is not in NSW, but in the federal territory of Jervis Bay Territory. (It was once part of the ACT.) NSW Parks passes aren't valid in Jervis Bay Territory. The area was planned as a grand "Pacific City" and the port of the nation's capital, but this vision was never realised,. Instead, it is just a national park with a population of only 393 (2020). 100% of the territory is protected. There is also an indigenous village that interests travellers called "Wreck Bay Village", which is some fishermans' secret fishing spot. * {{marker|type=forestgreen|lat=|long=|name=[[Namadgi National Park]]|image=|wikidata=Q1635824}} – The only national park in the ACT, apart from Booderee (although JBT isn't part of the ACT anymore), home to many unique bird species. ==Historical sites== [[File:Hartley Shamrock Inn 001.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Shamrock Inn at Hartley Historic Site]] * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Cadmans Cottage Historic Site|wikidata=Q1025284}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Clybucca Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-30.918184|long=152.988372}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Davidson Whaling Station Historic Site]]|wikidata=Q55609168}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Hartley Historic Site]]|wikidata=Q58204374|url=https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/hartley-historic-site}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Hill End Historic Site]]|wikidata=Q55613743|url=https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/hill-end-historic-site}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Innes Ruins Historic Site|wikidata=Q17009372}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Koonadan Historic Site|wikidata=Q55887053}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Maroota Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-33.418241|long=150.991511}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Maynggu Ganai Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-32.574896|long=148.951411}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Mount Grenfell Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-31.303780|long=145.312795}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Mutawintji Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-31.242803|long=142.298542}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Roto House Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-31.442484|long=152.919629}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=South Solitary Island Historic Site|wikidata=Q21903172}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Tweed Heads Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-28.197156|long=153.549507}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Wisemans Ferry Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-33.390677|long=150.983874}} * {{marker|type=vicinity|name=Yuranigh's Aboriginal Grave Historic Site|wikidata=|lat=-33.122015|long=148.882641}} ==Karst conservation reserves== * {{marker|type=steelblue|name=[[Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q96195482}} * {{marker|type=steelblue|name=[[Borenore Karst Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q96195307}} * {{marker|type=steelblue|name=[[Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q23936105}} * {{marker|type=steelblue|name=[[Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve]]|wikidata=Q96195618}} ==See also== * [[National parks]] * [[National parks in Australia]] ** [[South Australian national parks]] ** [[Tasmanian national parks]] {{PartOfTopic|National parks in Australia|Australia}} {{usabletopic}} 2bd7hgqmjzymp63y35vg90su01jy1w9 0 186966 4501577 4501545 2022-08-15T12:23:18Z El Grafo 37725 /* See */ Added listing for St. Cyriakus church wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === ==== Hiking ==== Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. ==== Winter sports ==== Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of winter sports. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} 8cvrw8fhbd8b59om0jgx7nil1ytpme2 4501578 4501577 2022-08-15T12:54:50Z El Grafo 37725 /* See */ Added listing for St. Peter & Paul church wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=daily | price=free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === ==== Hiking ==== Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. ==== Winter sports ==== Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of winter sports. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} 8ov47m0i4s9ofk7b5ten0aw3qlzwpgi 4501584 4501578 2022-08-15T13:15:04Z El Grafo 37725 /* See */ Updated listing for St. Peter & Paul church wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === ==== Hiking ==== Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. ==== Winter sports ==== Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of winter sports. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} 2s9el2op1btilnsk011fug8a1fiftdo 4501585 4501584 2022-08-15T13:15:25Z El Grafo 37725 /* See */ Updated listing for St. Cyriakus church wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === ==== Hiking ==== Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. ==== Winter sports ==== Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of winter sports. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} omj3mxdhh008d861rqcl4i7jecv18w6 4501598 4501585 2022-08-15T13:32:39Z El Grafo 37725 /* Outdoor activities */ maybe we don't need subheadings for single paragraphs ... wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === '''Hiking''' is very popular among visitors and locals alike. Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of '''winter sports'''. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} qy6g4hw0g0zeiiroq4jztmkgy154vde 4501609 4501598 2022-08-15T13:55:50Z El Grafo 37725 /* Outdoor activities */ Added listing for Greenhill Bikepark wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === '''Hiking''' is very popular among visitors and locals alike. Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of '''winter sports'''. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. * {{do | name=Greenhill Bikepark | alt= | url=https://greenhill-bikepark.de/ | email=info@greenhill-bikepark.de | address= | lat=51.23527 | long=8.35688 | directions=At the ski lift south of Gellinghausen | phone=+49 2977 709 513 7 | tollfree= | hours=F–Su 10:00–18:00, Th 15:00–19:00 | price=€32.50 (full day, grownup). Parking is free, €5 per night if you stay in your camper (limited, no reservations) | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Downhill bike park with a wide variety of different trails and a lift go get you back to the top. It is suggested to make a reservation online in advance, as the number of tickets per day is limited. Helmet mandatory. Rental bikes and protection equipment available (first come first serve). }} === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} 3ypc8m79yvsg8zjxd49isxcqb61mgng 4501618 4501609 2022-08-15T14:29:29Z El Grafo 37725 /* On a rainy day */ Added listing for Local heritage museum wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === '''Hiking''' is very popular among visitors and locals alike. Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of '''winter sports'''. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. * {{do | name=Greenhill Bikepark | alt= | url=https://greenhill-bikepark.de/ | email=info@greenhill-bikepark.de | address= | lat=51.23527 | long=8.35688 | directions=At the ski lift south of Gellinghausen | phone=+49 2977 709 513 7 | tollfree= | hours=F–Su 10:00–18:00, Th 15:00–19:00 | price=€32.50 (full day, grownup). Parking is free, €5 per night if you stay in your camper (limited, no reservations) | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Downhill bike park with a wide variety of different trails and a lift go get you back to the top. It is suggested to make a reservation online in advance, as the number of tickets per day is limited. Helmet mandatory. Rental bikes and protection equipment available (first come first serve). }} === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} * {{do | name=Local heritage museum | alt=Westfälisches Schieferbergbau- und Heimatmuseum Holthausen | url=https://www.museum-holthausen.de/ | email=info@museum-holthausen.de | address=Kirchstraße 7, 57392 Schmallenberg-Holthausen | lat= | long= | directions=Note: Make sure to actually go to Holthausen, as there are 2 more "Kirchstraße" in other villages nearby. | phone=+49 2974 6932 | tollfree= | hours=W, F, Sa 14:00–17:00; Su 10:00–13:00 | price=Grownups €5, kids €2.50 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=On about 2.500 m² you will find information about slate mining and other aspects of local history. Includes a large gallery of South Westphalian artists. }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} 3rhou4ydjtxotmvmhb1q2dqylmn4psk 4501620 4501618 2022-08-15T14:30:23Z El Grafo 37725 /* On a rainy day */ Updated listing for Local heritage museum - + coords wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === '''Hiking''' is very popular among visitors and locals alike. Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of '''winter sports'''. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. * {{do | name=Greenhill Bikepark | alt= | url=https://greenhill-bikepark.de/ | email=info@greenhill-bikepark.de | address= | lat=51.23527 | long=8.35688 | directions=At the ski lift south of Gellinghausen | phone=+49 2977 709 513 7 | tollfree= | hours=F–Su 10:00–18:00, Th 15:00–19:00 | price=€32.50 (full day, grownup). Parking is free, €5 per night if you stay in your camper (limited, no reservations) | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Downhill bike park with a wide variety of different trails and a lift go get you back to the top. It is suggested to make a reservation online in advance, as the number of tickets per day is limited. Helmet mandatory. Rental bikes and protection equipment available (first come first serve). }} === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} * {{do | name=Local heritage museum | alt=Westfälisches Schieferbergbau- und Heimatmuseum Holthausen | url=https://www.museum-holthausen.de/ | email=info@museum-holthausen.de | address=Kirchstraße 7, 57392 Schmallenberg-Holthausen | lat=51.18298 | long=8.33829 | directions=Note: Make sure to actually go to Holthausen, as there are 2 more "Kirchstraße" in other villages nearby. | phone=+49 2974 6932 | tollfree= | hours=W, F, Sa 14:00–17:00; Su 10:00–13:00 | price=Grownups €5, kids €2.50 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=On about 2.500 m² you will find information about slate mining and other aspects of local history. Includes a large gallery of South Westphalian artists. }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} 8ce0v8gohzxlvzblridln2xc3pyktid 4501622 4501620 2022-08-15T14:33:01Z El Grafo 37725 /* Go next */ I guess that's a bit more than an outline now wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Schmallenberg''' is a rural area in the ''Sauerland'' region of [[South Westphalia]]. Marketed as ''Schmallenberger Sauerland'', it is a recognized health resort and popular vacation destination for hiking, winter sports, and other outdoor activities. ==Understand== Schmallenberg is the third-largest municipality in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] after [[Cologne]] and [[Münster]]. Of course that's only if you go by area – it's also remarkably sparse in population compared to most other parts of NRW. The municipality covers more than 300&nbsp;km² and consists of the town {{marker|type=city|name=Schmallenberg|lat=51.153611|long=8.285278}} and about 80 formerly independent villages and hamlets that were incorporated into Schmallenberg in 1975. Note that the whole area shares a single postal code (57392) and street addresses will not tell you whether a place is located in the core town Schmallenberg or far away in one of the surrounding villages. === History === [[File:Schmallenberg Sauerland-Ost 012.jpg|thumb|upright|Aerial view of the historic town centre with its characteristic parallel main roads]] Archaeological records suggests that the area has been inhabited since the iron age (around 200 BC). Remains of a hillfort from that time can still be seen on top of the ''Wilzenberg'' mountain to the east of the town. Written records start with the foundation of the Grafschaft Abbey at the foot of the same mountain in 1072. For its protection, a small castle (''Smale Burg'' in contemporary language) was constructed on a ridge above the Lenne river around 1200. Over time, the castle disappeared, but a fortified settlement remained and gained city rights in 1244. The current appearance of the historic core city was shaped in the 19th century, after in 1822 a fire destroyed the city almost completely sparing no more than 16 houses and the church. As a consequence, the city was rebuild with not one but two unusually wide main roads, so that future fires would not spread so easily. The architecture from that time takes a local spin on the contemporary Prussian classicism by including traditional elements such as black timber framing and slate-covered roofs and walls. More traditional architecture can still be found in many of the older villages. From the 19th century on, and especially after WWII, Schmallenberg became the center of the local textile industry. Most competitors from that era did not survive the age of globalization, though. Only Falke is still going strong, focusing on high-end socks, stockings, and other knitwear. Still producing locally, the company is one of the most important employers – and the reason the city proudly wears its nickname ''Strumpfstadt'' (stocking city). === Landscape === [[File:LSG Schmallenberg Süd-Ost, 1, Lenne, Schmallenberg, Hochsauerlandkreis.jpg|thumb|a typical view of the landscape]] Schmallenberg's landscape is typical for a German [[:w:Mittelgebirge|Mittelgebirge]]. Its rolling hills and medium high mountains range from about 330 to 830 metres above sea level. In the valleys along the clear creeks, you will find many small villages with their typical black and white houses. The lower elevations are characterized by agricultural use. In the spring, canola fields and meadows full of dandelions form oceans of yellow flowers. Later in the year, wheat and corn dominate the scene. On the poorer, shallower soils higher up, plantations of Christmas trees (an important export commodity) are a common sight. The ridges and mountain tops are covered by a mix of old spruce and beech forests as well new forest developing on former clear cuts. The landscape's modern day appearance is the result of a long history. Formerly covered in ancient beech forests, the region was largely deforested over the centuries, leading to soil degradation and acidification. In the late 18th century, high demand for wood led to rapid re-forestation with monocultures of fast-growing spruce trees. These would characterize the higher elevations for the following 200 years until the early 21st century. [[File:Schmallenberg-Wormbach Kreuzbergkapelle Sauerland-Ost 2 mk.jpg|thumb|This beautiful little chapel on a hill was hidden in the forest until the storm exposed it.]] This changed rapidly when, during a single night in 2007, winter storm ''Kyrill'' wiped out entire forests of the flat-rooted spruce. Residents and long-term regular visitors were equally shocked, but soon learned to appreciate the new views and increased diversity in the recovering landscape. From the the late 2010s on, rising temperatures and prolonged drought facilitated a devastating spread of the bark beetle, destroying large parts of the remaining spruce forests. As forest owners ponder their options facing climate change, many see this as a chance to reconsider and move towards a more natural and robust forest structure. === SauerlandCard === Guests who stay over night will be issued a [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ ''Schmallenberger SauerlandCard''] by their hosts. It gives you considerable discounts on public transport and most tourist attractions in Schmallenberg. The card also includes everything the regular [https://www.sauerland.com/Planen-Buchen/Sauerland-Card ''SauerlandCard''] offers, encouraging you to also visit the neighboring regions of the Sauerland. ==Get in== ===By car=== There is no [[Driving in Germany|Autobahn]] nearby, so expect between 45&nbsp;min to 2&nbsp;hr of cross-country driving, depending on where you're coming from. Below are a couple of suggestions for commonly used routes from different directions. These are using high-level ''Bundesstraße'' type roads as much as possible for easy driving and navigation. From north-westerly directions, e.g. coming from the [[Ruhr Area]], [[Münsterland]], or the [[Netherlands]], Schmallenberg can be reached quite conveniently. Exit the A&nbsp;46 in Enste or Meschede and follow the B&nbsp;55 and B&nbsp;511 south. Coming from [[Cologne]], a common route is to take the A&nbsp;4 and A&nbsp;45 to Olpe, from where you'll follow the B&nbsp;55, L&nbsp;715, and B&nbsp;236 via [[Bilstein]] and Lennestadt-Altenhundem. This route also works well when you're coming from southerly places like [[Frankfurt]] or even [[Nuremberg]]. There are other options from this direction that are shorter, but as they all cross the Rothaar mountains on curvy roads rather than going around them via Autobahn, they do not offer much in terms of travel time or fuel efficiency. Coming from the south on the A&nbsp;7 or from the East on the A&nbsp;4 (e.g. from [[Erfurt]]), a common route is to merge onto the A&nbsp;5 and then almost immediately exit in Alsfeld-Ost. From there, follow the B&nbsp;62 and B&nbsp;252 to Münchhausen, from where the B&nbsp;236 will take you to Schmallenberg via [[Hallenberg]] and Winterberg. The first part of this is not much fun to drive due to the high number of trucks and speed cameras along the B&nbsp;62, so if you have time to spare maybe consider a slower alternative through the countryside. Coming from easterly places like [[Leipzig]], there's no really convenient route available either. You can take the A&nbsp;44 west from [[Kassel]] and after a short while take exit Zierenberg to get on the B&nbsp;251 towards [[Korbach]]. From there it's various local roads until Winterberg and then the B&nbsp;236 to Schmallenberg. From the northeast, you can aim for [[Bestwig]] and then take the L&nbsp;776 (locally named ''Heringhauser Straße'') south towards Bad Fredeburg. ===By bus=== Schmallenberg is part of the [http://www.rlg-online.de/ Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe] (RLG) Network. The town is connected to the surrounding cities through a number hourly bus connections available: *[[Winterberg]] via line S40, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Eslohe]] via line R96, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes *[[Meschede]] via line S90, travel time 1&nbsp;hour *[[Lennestadt]]-Altenhundem via line SB9, travel time 30&nbsp;minutes [https://global.flixbus.com Flixbus] has a stop in Schmallenberg-Bödefeld, that is served by a single route from [[Amsterdam]] via [[Arnhem]] and the [[Ruhr area]]. ===By train=== The city is not directly accessibly by train. The closest train stations are in Lennestadt-Altenhundem, Meschede, Winterberg, and Aue-Wingeshausen. ===On foot=== There are several long-distance hiking trails passing through Schmallenberg. The [[E1 Long Distance Path]] passes though some of the most beautiful villages in the area. The 157-km [https://www.rothaarsteig.de/ Rothaarsteig] that connects [[Brilon]] and [[Dillenburg]] runs along the ridge of the Rothaar mountains in the South. The 251-km [https://www.sauerland-hoehenflug.de/ Sauerland-Höhenflug] cuts through the municipality from east to west. ===By bike=== Schmallenberg is connected to Lennestadt and Eslohe through the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-sauerland-cycle-circuit Sauerland Cycle Circuit] (SauerlandRadring), a looped scenic bike road running largely on former railway lines. There's also a northern extension that connects to the [https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-ruhrtalradweg Ruhr Valley Cycle Path] (Ruhrtalradweg). The [http://www.lenneroute.de/ Lenneroute], a 142-km bike route from Winterberg to [[Hagen]] along the Lenne river also passes through Schmallenberg. ===By plane=== There are no airports with scheduled traffic close-by. For business jets and the like, Siegerland airport ({{IATA|SGE}}) is the closest option. The local airfield will do fine for most sports planes, but if your MOTM exceeds 3&nbsp;t Meschede ('''ICAO: EDKM''') can be an alternative. * {{go | name=Schmallenberg-Rennefeld Airfield | alt='''ICAO: EDKR''' | url=http://www.rennefeld.de | email= | address= | lat=51.161667 | long=8.262222 | directions=north-west of the core town, between the villages of Werpe and Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1433839 | lastedit=2021-08-20 | content=The local airfield is used for all kinds of air sports and can be quite busy on a summer weekend. The 875-&nbsp;×&nbsp;30-m grass runway is straight, well-maintained and easy to approach. Pilots from elsewhere are welcome, but you better make sure they know you are coming so someone can hop on the tower (PPR; VFR only; max. 3,000&nbsp;kg MTOM). }} ==Get around== {{Mapframe|51.18|8.3|width=500|zoom=11|layer=M}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q5628}} ===By car=== Usually, taking the car will be the most convenient way to get around. Depending on your vehicle and driving experience, the curvy mountain roads (although usually well maintained) can be a bit challenging – especially in winter. Roadside parking in the core of Schmallenberg is free, but limited to two hours at daytime. If you plan to stay longer, consider the {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.15178|long=8.28056}} behind the ''Stadthalle'', which is both free and unlimited. In Bad Fredeburg, the large {{marker|name=parking lot|lat=51.19026|long=8.31317}} behind the ''Kurhaus'' usually is a good choice. Residential areas and villages are generally safe to park in too – the largest danger would be giant tractors squeezing through, so make sure to leave some space. Outside the settlements, there are plenty of parking lots for hikers (''Wanderparkplatz'') placed strategically close to the trail heads. As of 2022, charging stations for electrical cars are still relatively sparse, but hotels are starting to realise the demand. ===On foot=== Most villages are small enough to be conquered on foot, and the same is true for the historical centre of Schmallenberg. Outside the buildup areas, there are hiking routes galore (see ''Do'' section). Although the terrain can be steep sometimes, heavy mountain boots are by no means required here. The smaller paths are well-maintained and many routes follow the forestry roads, so that a pair of light trail shoes will suffice on most occasions. ===By bike=== Historically, bikes were never really viable option for anything but sports and child's play. That's partially because of the sweat-inducing terrain, but also because cars and bikes do not work well together on the curvy roads. But the rise of pedelecs and e-bikes negates the former, and the authorities have started to work on the latter by building a network of dedicated bike paths between the villages. Today, renting a bike is a great way to explore the area as long as you stay away from the major roads. Get an electrified mountain bike, and there's hardly any place you cannot reach on two wheels. ===By public transport=== Bus time tables for the RLG routes are available from [https://www.rlg-online.de/fahrgast/fahrt-planen/verbindungsauskunft their website]. The ''Schmallenberg Sauerland Tourism GmbH'' operates several routes of hiking buses and on-demand hiking taxis that bring you to the start of your hike or pick you up at the end of the trail. See [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/inform/schmallenberg-sauerland-card/ their info page for the Schmallenberg Sauerland Card] for details. In addition to that, there is the [http://buergerbus-schmallenberg.de/ Bürgerbus project]: small buses driven by (properly trained) volunteer citizens on certain days visit some of those villages that otherwise would be without public transport at all. ===By cab=== Pretty much the only reason the average able-bodied local would ever consider taking a taxi here is for getting home from the pub or <span dir="ltr" lang="de">Schützenfest</span> at the neighbor village late at night. If you intend to take a cab home at this time, plan ahead and call well in advance. There are only two regular taxi companies in the city: [https://www.taxi-spieler.de/ Taxi Spieler] ({{phone| +49 2972 92 10 92}}) and [https://www.taxi-habbel.de/ Taxi Habbel] ({{phone| +49 2972 55 55}}). ===By plane=== Schmallenberg-Rennefeld airfield (see ''Get in'') is a great home base for cross-country flights in light aircraft and gliders. There is much to see, few airspace restrictions around and plenty of other little airfields to discover. For the motor-less, the terrain makes for good thermals; and if the wind blows just right across the ridge of the ''Rothaar Mountains'', you may find yourself in the lucky position to enjoy the quiet lift of a lee wave. ==See== The catholic church has played a major role throughout the history of the region. Almost every village has an old church or at least a little white chapel to discover, and most of them are unlocked throughout the day. Most notable are probably the 13th century Romanesque churches in Berghausen and Wormbach. * {{see | name=St. Cyriakus church | alt= | url=https://www.romanische-kirche-berghausen.de/ | email= | address= | lat=51.1859 | long=8.24446 | directions=in the village center of Berghausen | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1282015 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Built at the very beginning of the 13th century, this is not only one of the oldest churches in the area, it is also very well-preserved. The original contemporary frescoes were hidden under layers of paint for centuries and only recently rediscovered. }} * {{see | name=St. Peter & Paul church | alt= | url= | email= | address=Alt Wormbach 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1672 | long=8.25704 | directions=in the village center of Wormbach | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Open daily | price=Free | wikidata=Q1491687 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Wormbach has been a place of worship since long before Christianity replaced pagan beliefs. Later, became an important center for early Christianization. The romanesque church from the mid-13th century also has recently re-discovered frescoes, including a mysterious set of zodiac signs that's still puzzling historians. The much younger altarpiece and other baroque style parts of the interior give the place a very different feel from the more plain appearance of the neightbouring Berghausen. }} ==Do== === Outdoor activities === '''Hiking''' is very popular among visitors and locals alike. Whether you'd like to take a quick walk around the village or lust for a multi-day trail, there's something available for almost anyone. General information is available from [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/en/experience/active-offers/hiking/ the tourist information's webpages]. An interactive online map with detailed information on individual routes plus gpx and kml downloads are available from [https://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-schmallenberg/en/ the region's official portal at outdooractive.com]. For mobile phones, it is suggested to use the dedicated smartphone apps for the South Westphalia region (free for [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/sauerland-siegerland-wittgenstein/id419603712 iphone] and [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.alpstein.alpregio.Sauerland&hl=de android]). Paper maps with 1:25.000 scale and hillshading are available at the tourist information in Schmallenberg and [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/besonderes/shop/#!/Wanderkarte-Schmallenberger-Sauerland/p/452275786/category=0 the online shop]. Routes are usually well-maintained and clearly marked. If you don't know where to start, maybe consider one of the ''Golddorf'' trails that circle around some of the most beautiful villages in the region. Schmallenberg has a lot to offer in terms of '''winter sports'''. If the conditions are right, there are dozens of lifts and about 400 km of prepared cross-country trails [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/experience/active-offers/winter-sports/ available] ([https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/fileadmin/Kundenbereich/Downloads/Winter/Wintersportkarte_Schmallenberger_Sauerland_klein.pdf PDF map]). And if it's just not quite cold enough, nearby [[Winterberg]] up the mountain range can usually still squeeze a few flakes out of their snow machines. * {{do | name=Greenhill Bikepark | alt= | url=https://greenhill-bikepark.de/ | email=info@greenhill-bikepark.de | address= | lat=51.23527 | long=8.35688 | directions=At the ski lift south of Gellinghausen | phone=+49 2977 709 513 7 | tollfree= | hours=F–Su 10:00–18:00, Th 15:00–19:00 | price=€32.50 (full day, grownup). Parking is free, €5 per night if you stay in your camper (limited, no reservations) | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=Downhill bike park with a wide variety of different trails and a lift go get you back to the top. It is suggested to make a reservation online in advance, as the number of tickets per day is limited. Helmet mandatory. Rental bikes and protection equipment available (first come first serve). }} === Health resorts === The region boast a total of 5 state-recognized ''Kurorte'' (health resorts). The core town as well as the villages of {{marker|type=city|name=Ohlenbach|wikidata=Q2016479|lat=51.16695|long=8.44292}} and {{marker|type=city|name=Nordenau|wikidata=Q1300061|lat=|long=}} are recognised for their clear air and thus classified as a ''Luftkurort. {{marker|type=city|name=Grafschaft|wikidata=Q1541601|lat=|long=}}'' has a long history of treating miners from the [[Ruhr|Ruhrgebiet]] for their occupational lung diseases. Today it is known for its healthy climate and a highly specialised lung clinic. Finally, {{Marker|type=city|name=Bad Fredeburg|wikidata=Q798686}}is a recognised spa town that offers traditional ''Kneipp'' hydrotherapy. === On a rainy day === * {{do | name=Freizeitwelt Sauerland | alt= | url=https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/ | email=info@freizeitwelt-sauerland.de | address=Auf dem Loh 12, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.1633 | long=8.28855 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 978 555 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 14:00–22:00, Th F 14:00–00:00, Sa 10:00–00:00, Su 10:00–20:00; opens at 10:00 on public holidays and during school holidays; Thiko's Kinderland always closes at 19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=What started as an indoor playground for children has rapidly grown into a centre for all kinds of recreational activities. Due to limited capacity in times of COVID-19, it is recommended to book a time slot in advance online. As usual with these kinds of venues, bringing your own food and drinks is not allowed. |image=File:Luftaufnahme Freizeitwelt Sauerland.jpg }} **{{do |name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/thikos-kinderland/ Thiko's Kinderland] | content = 1600 m² of indoor playground plus another 1400 m² outdoors from May to September. Bring socks for indoors and be prepared for more than just a little splash of water outdoors. | price = The 4-hour ticket costs €9 for children older than 2 and €5.50 for grown-ups and younger children }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/kletterhalle-sauerland/ Kletterhalle Sauerland] | content= Indoor climbing centre with climbing walls, high ropes course, slack line and a micro bowling alley. | price = Prices vary depending on what you do there }} **{{do | name = [https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/jump/ Jump] | content =500 m² of trampolines on steroids. Minimum age is 10 years (7 years from 10:00–13:00 on weekends), grown-ups welcome. Make sure there are no zippers, rivets, or other sharp parts on your clothes, as they could damage you or the equipment. | price = €9 per person per hour. For reasons of security and hygiene, you'll also have to buy a pair of special socks for €3 the first time you go there }} **{{do|name=[https://www.freizeitwelt-sauerland.de/hologate/ Hologate] | content=Changing selection of [https://www.hologate.com/games/ hologate virtual reality games]. A maximum of 4 people can play at the same time, but you can come with a larger group and take turns. |price=€75 per group for half an hour }} * {{do | name=Local heritage museum | alt=Westfälisches Schieferbergbau- und Heimatmuseum Holthausen | url=https://www.museum-holthausen.de/ | email=info@museum-holthausen.de | address=Kirchstraße 7, 57392 Schmallenberg-Holthausen | lat=51.18298 | long=8.33829 | directions=Note: Make sure to actually go to Holthausen, as there are 2 more "Kirchstraße" in other villages nearby. | phone=+49 2974 6932 | tollfree= | hours=W, F, Sa 14:00–17:00; Su 10:00–13:00 | price=Grownups €5, kids €2.50 | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=On about 2.500 m² you will find information about slate mining and other aspects of local history. Includes a large gallery of South Westphalian artists. }} ==Buy== For a town of its size, Schmallenberg still maintains a remarkable selection of independent, family-owned shops and stores along its parallel main streets, the ''Weststraße'' and the ''Oststraße''. * {{buy | name=Kompass | alt= | url=https://www.wanderladen.de/ | email=kompass@wanderladen.de | address=Am Radring 2, 57392 Schmallenberg (Bad Fredeburg) | lat=51.18447 | long=/8.31247 | directions= | phone=+49 2974 837 27 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sa 9:30–13:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=Outdoor and hiking supplies – without doubt the best address if you need a last minute backpack or a new pair of hiking boots. }} * {{buy | name=Falke factory outlet | alt= | url=https://www.falke.com/de_de/store/de/schmallenberg/ | email= | address=Ohlgasse 5, 57692 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14597 | long=8.28086 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 799 773 49 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 10:00–18:00, Sa 9:00–16:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-12 | content=When visiting the self-proclaimed city of stockings, you've got to check out some knitted goods for your feet. Stockings, tights, sportswear and of course high-tech socks for every occasion: running, hiking, skiing, or even arctic expeditions. You might even get a good deal on second grade quality items with minor blemishes. }} ==Eat== * {{eat | name=Stoffels | alt= | url=https://www.hotel-stoffels.de/index.html | email=info@hotel-stoffels.de | address=Weststraße 29, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.14881 | long=8.2841 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 2537 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-08-11 | content=Hotel, restaurant, cafe, pub - the Stoffels does it all, does it well, and does it with an atmosphere. }} ==Drink== This is the country side. Which means that there are no clubs, period. There are a couple of decent pubs in Schmallenberg and Bad Fredeburg, but other than that, most of the drinking tends to happen in someone's backyard or at some kind of cultural or not-so-cultural event. ===Pubs & locations === * {{drink | name=Schaukelstuhl | alt= | url= | email= | address=Altstadt 2, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19102 | long=8.31025 | directions=in the town centre of Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 6761 | tollfree= | hours=W 19:00–00:00, Th–Sa 19:00–02:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=Pubs come and go, but it seems like the Schaukelstuhl (''rocking chair'') has always been there. Rustic atmosphere and a decent selection of cocktails. }} * {{drink | name=Gasthof Mönig | alt=Beim Schacka | url=http://www.gasthof-moenig.de/ | email= | address=Oststraße 15, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15103 | long=8.28475 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 961264 | tollfree= | hours=Th–Su 17:00–05:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-01-25 | content=The ambience of this place falls into the awkward zone of being too old to be hip and too new to be rustic, and that's exactly what makes it authentic. That, and the Innkeeper, who is well-known for his love for the blues and rock'n'roll. }} * {{drink | name=Habbel's | alt= | url=https://www.habbels-schmallenberg.de/ | email= | address=Bahnhofstraße 5, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.153362 | long=8.284421 | directions= | phone=+49 2972 974382 | tollfree= | hours=Sa | price= | lastedit=2022-08-10 | content=The Habbel's is one of Schmallenberg's major cultural hot spots. It was built in 1929 as a dance and theatre hall and converted into a cinema in the 1950s. In the 2000s it was modernised and turned back into a general-purpose event location. Typically open on Saturday evenings, with a mixed program from hard rock tribute bands and 1980s dance parties to jazz and cabaret. }} ===Events=== In the summer months, there's always a Schützenfest going on somewhere. *{{event| name=Waldfest | | frequency = Yearly on Whitsunday/Pentecost | lat = 51.11299 | long = 8.34076 | content = At its core, the Waldfest in Latrop is just another German folk festival with bratwurst, beer and blasmusik. It's the location that makes it special: At the very end of the village, they put up tents and little food stands deep in the forest right under the big old beech trees. If the weather is nice, many people from the surrounding place take this as an opportunity for a (often beer-fuled) hike.}} ==Sleep== In terms of accommodation, Schmallenberg has [https://www.schmallenberger-sauerland.de/nc/en/accommodation/ something to offer] for almost everyone. There are fancy four-star hotels, cozy inns, holiday homes, and camping grounds; almost all of them family-owned. The ''Ferienhof'' (vacation farm) concept has proven particularly popular with families: Around the turn of the century, some farmers began to abandon agriculture as their main source of income. Keeping only a small stock of animals, they converted their barns and stables into guest rooms and offered them to stressed-out city-dwellers looking for peace and quiet. Nowadays, there are several of these family-run businesses embedded in the villages, offering a gently romanticized version of farm life in a child-friendly environment. * {{sleep | name=Hotel Deimann | alt= | url=https://www.deimann.de/ | email=info@deimann.de | address=Alte Handelsstraße 5, 57362 Schmallenberg | lat=51.15977 | long=8.34043 | directions=east of the core town in the village of Winkhausen | phone=+49 2975 810 | tollfree= | checkin=15:00 | checkout=11:00 | price=double rooms from €222 | lastedit=2022-01-20 | content=Well known as the #1 luxury hotel in the area, and there's some tough competition around. Plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wellness, the golf course lies just a few hundred metres up the hill, and you won't even have to bring your own Porsche, as they have one available for renting during the summer months. }} ==Connect== Mobile phone connectivity has been improved during the past years, but is still worse than you might expect in Germany. In the core city, 4G mobile network is reliably available. In some of the more remote villages and mountainous areas, however, the signal can be weak or even non-existent. A couple of local businesses have joined the [[:w:en:Freifunk|Freifunk]] initiative of the neighboring City of Winterberg, offering free WiFi hotspots for anyone ([https://map.freifunk-winterberg.net/#!/en/map map available here]). ==Stay safe== In case of a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call {{phone|112}} – depending on where you are, it may take quite a while for an ambulance to reach you. The nearest hospitals with an emergency ward are [https://www.hospitalgesellschaft.com/krankenhaeuser/st-josefs-hospital-lennestadt/patienteninformationen/zahlen-und-fakten.html St. Josefs in Lennestadt-Altenhundem] and [https://www.gesundheitszentrum-winterberg.de/kontakt/ St. Franziskus in Winterberg]. For everyday problems, the [https://www.mvz-bad-fredeburg.de/ ''MVZ'' in Bad Fredeburg] should be able to help you (call ahead!). Outside their opening hours, you can try the ''Notfallpraxis'' next door. The local police station is located in Bad Fredeburg, not in Schmallenberg as one might expect. * {{listing | name=Police station | alt=Polizeiwache Schmallenberg | address=Mothmecke 7, 57392 Schmallenberg | lat=51.19187 | long=8.30912 | directions=across the road and down the hill from the church in Bad Fredeburg | phone=+49 2974 96940 3811 | hours= | lastedit=2022-02-01 }} ==Go next== * [[Winterberg]] for more hiking an skiing * [[Bestwig]] for the ''Fort Fun'' theme park and a tour through the Ramsbeck mine {{routebox | image1=Logo Wanderweg Rothaarsteig 2014.jpg | imagesize1=22 | directionl1=E | majorr1=[[Brilon]] | minorr1=[[Winterberg]] | directionr1=W | majorl1=[[Dillenburg]] | minorl1=[[Hilchenbach]] | link1=Rothaarsteig | image2=Bundesstraße 236 number.svg | imagesize2=22 | directionl2=W | majorl2=[[Iserlohn]] | minorl2=[[Lennestadt]] | directionr2=E | minorr2=[[Winterberg]] | majorr2=[[Allendorf (Eder)]] | image3=Bundesstraße 511 number.svg | imagesize3=22 | directionl3=N | majorl3=Ends at [[File:Bundesstraße 55 number.svg|20px]] | minorl3=[[Eslohe]]-Bremke | directionr3=S | majorr3=END | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South Westphalia}} {{usableruralarea}} {{geo|51.153611|8.285278}} j676w2pyydgedy3x5uo6nr123p0mxj8 0 187942 4502047 4461716 2022-08-16T09:16:44Z Lcmortensen 105582 /* Chains */ correct city wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Australian cuisine banner.jpg|pgname=Australian cuisine}} {{Asian cuisines}} {{featurenomination|ftt}} '''Australian cuisine''' is hard to pin down: in this nation of immigrants, restaurants claiming to offer it are few and far between, and the word tends to either evoke salty British stodge or tourist-trap restaurants hawking kangaroo burgers and crododile kebabs. Yet with amazing local produce, influences from cuisines from all over the world, and an exciting '''Modern Australian''' food scene not afraid to experiment, there are plenty of incredible eats and drinks to be found. ==Understand== [[File:Chicken parmiagana.jpg|thumb|300px|Parmy at the pub – Very Australian, not very Italian]] Australian cuisine has come a long away from the [[cuisine of Britain and Ireland]]. The first half of the 20th century brought in waves of immigrants from continental Europe, introducing the continent to the joys of coffee, pasta and gelato, while the second half brought in Asian migrants, adding curries, noodles and sushi to the mix. All this makes Australian cuisine a truly multicultural cuisine, and Australia has slowly but surely started to develop its very own style that happily mixes all these influences together. Far predating all this is '''bush tucker''', Indigenous Australian food based on unique native flora and fauna of the Australian bush, with 60,000 years of history. While the numbers are not certain, it's believed that around 5,000 species of Australian flora and fauna were eaten by Indigenous Australians, including kangaroos, wallabies and emus along with various plants. While hardly mainstream, it has also been undergoing a slow renaissance and is worth sampling if you get the chance. ===Terminology=== {{see also|English language varieties}} Just like the rest of Australian English, in the culinary world, Australian English also follows a mix of British and American usage as well as having its own unique words. A list of important differences listed: * ''Asian food'' would refer to either East or Southeast Asian food, like in the United States. This is in contrast to the United Kingdom where it refers to [[South Asian cuisine]] or New Zealand and Canada where it can refer to the entire continent of Asia. * ''capsicum'' is what would be called a ''bell pepper'' in the United States, or ''red/green pepper'' in the UK * ''crayfish'' refers to what would be called a ''rock lobster'' in the US and UK * ''chips/fries'' – the British "crisps" is never used in Australia, and that would be called "chips", like the United States. Australians distinguish the American "fries" and the British "chips", by referring to shoe-string fries as fries, and thicker hot chips as "hot chips", often shortened to "chips". * ''eggplant'' is used, rather than the French/British word ''aubergine'' * ''entrée'' would be what would be called a "starter" in the United Kingdom, or an "appetizer" in the United States. Unlike other Commonwealth countries, "appetiser" has the same meaning as "entrée" * ''goon'' refers to cheap wine sold in cardboard boxes * ''lollies'' would be what is called "candy" in the United States or "sweets" in the United Kingdom. Lollies cover a broad range of confectionery and not just lollipops. * ''pea'' is shared with American usage, as opposed to the British ''mangetout'' * A ''prawn'' is used regardless of size, unlike every other English speaking country. The term ''shrimp'' is only used when referring to shrimp paste. The term ''shrimp on the barbie'' is a huge misconception, and it has only ever been used when the Australian Tourism Commission used the term to attract tourism from the United States * What Australians (and New Zealanders) call ''rockmelon'' is what Americans and Canadians call ''cantaloupe'' or what South Africans call ''spanspek''. Cantaloupe is sometimes used but rare. * In Australia, the British ''takeaway'' is the universal term as opposed to the American ''takeout''. With that being said, most Australians will understand ''takeout'' * ''zucchini'' is shared with American usage, and the British ''courgette'' extremely uncommon except in French restaurants. However, unlike ''takeout'', most Australians will probably not know what a courgette is Similarly, spelling also differs. Unlike the rest of the world, the Australian spelling of the British ''pasty'' is not pasty, but rather ''pastie'' and you're more likely to see and hear the American ''specialty'' as opposed to the British ''speciality'', even in French cafes. ===Tipping=== Tipping is uncommon in Australia, especially in restaurants, since even fast food workers earn a living wage. Most restaurants will usually have a "tips" jar, but more than 95 percent of customers will ignore it. However, it is not uncommon to see people round up their change and give an extra dollar, and tips up to 10% are seen in fine dining restaurants where attentive service is a part of the experience. ===Opening hours=== In Australia, there is a mix of opening hours encountered at restaurants. Some restaurants opt to open between {{time|11:30AM|12:30PM}} and closing at {{time|2:30PM}} and reopening at {{time|5:30PM}} and then closing sometime between {{time|8:30PM}} and {{time|9:30PM}} while others usually open sometime at 11:30AM and then close at 8:30 or 9:30PM without closing for the afternoon. In general, the busiest time you'll generally find in most restaurants is between {{time|6:30PM}} and {{time|7:30PM}}, but you are unlikely to run out of a seat if the restaurant you are planning to go does not require bookings. Early birds are in luck, since cafes tend to open very early ({{time|7AM}} is typical) and close down by {{time|4PM}} or so. Late-night eats can be harder to find, with your options after midnight mostly limited to takeaway fare like pies and kebabs, but larger cities have a couple of 24-hour diners. ===Measurements=== {{see also|Metric and Imperial equivalents}} As Australia has been officially metric since the 1970s, all measurements are given in the metric system. Contrary to the rest of the anglosphere (except in NZ), bottle and can sizes are in millilitres or litres only, and the same goes with weights – the imperial system is rarely used, and only in American chains such as Subway's footlong but never in local usage. Nutritional information is usually given using kilojoules only, if you are used to calories divide by 4.2 to get kilocalories. A tablespoon in Australia is 20 mL, ''not'' 15 which equates to about four teaspoons, not three. See [[#Alcoholic_beverages|&sect; Alcoholic beverages]] for measurements relating to alcoholic beverages. ==Ingredients== ===Indigenous food (bush tucker)=== {{seealso|Indigenous Australian culture}} Bush tucker just means any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by indigenous Australians, which include emu, kangaroo, witchetty grubs and crocodile, and plant foods include fruits such as ''quandong'', ''kutjera'', and spices such as lemon myrtle and vegetables such as warrigal greens and various native yams. The traditional use of bushfoods was severely affected by European colonisation in Australia and subsequent settlement by non-indigenous people. The introduction of non-native foods, together with the loss of traditional lands, resulting in reduced access to native foods by Aboriginal people, and destruction of native habitat for agriculture, all contributed to bush tucker being consumed less. The sole exception is the '''macadamia nut''', which was brought to [[Hawaii]], cultivated there, and exported round the globe, to the point that it is now popularly associated with Hawaii in global culinary culture, and its Australian origins remain largely unknown outside Australia. However, ever since the 1970s, there has been recognition of the nutritional and gourmet value of native foods by non-Indigenous Australians, and the bushfood industry has grown enormously ever since. Kangaroo meat has been mostly available in supermarkets since the 80s, and a number of other foods is sold in restaurants or packaged as gourmet foods, which all led to expansion of commercial cultivation of native food crops. Some cafes and restaurants that exclusively sell indigenous bush tucker have also popped up, and some others with a fusion of international food with an indigenous ingredient or two. Perhaps what you may have not thought of, was that Indigenous Australians also had their own bread, called ''bush bread'' which was made by crushing a variety of native seeds, nuts and roots, mixing into a dough, and then baking the dough in the coals of a fire. While the traditional process of making this bread has almost fizzled out, (but there were women that were recorded to be making these in Central Australia in the 1970s), the tradition of cooking bread in hot coals continues today: known as '''damper bread''', it's occasionally available on heritage tours and the like. If you are in the Adelaide area during summer, farmers' markets often have a stall run by [https://www.bushtuckericecream.com.au/ Bush Tucker Ice Cream] that is worth checking out and if you're in the northwestern areas of Sydney, [https://www.bushtuckershop.com/ Kurrajong Australian Native Foods] has a reasonable variety of bush tucker available, including wildflowers in syrup. Sydney's [[Sydney/City Centre‎|Royal Botanic Garden]] offers "bush tucker tours" three times a week, allowing you to sample native fruit and herbs from the garden. However, one rule of thumb is that endangered species are unavailable to most residents, including most Indigenous people, let alone visitors, and are normally only available to those in remote rural communities, under special permits. <div align="center"> '''Types of bush tucker''' <gallery mode="packed-hover"> File:Australian bush tucker, Alice Springs.jpg|Bush tucker fruits grown in Alice Springs. File:Witchetty grub.jpg|Witchetty grubs File:Kangaroo steak at a restaurant in Sydney, Australia.jpg|Kangaroo steak File:Krokodilmenu fg1.jpg|A crocodile dish with rice File:Bush-Tomato.jpg|Bush tomatoes File:Kangaroo fillet.JPG|More kangaroo meat File:Damper (food).jpg|A bush bread being cooked on hot coals. </gallery> </div> ===Meat=== Chicken and beef are the most common types of meat eaten in Australia. Lamb holds a special place in Australian culture and is traditionally eaten on the Australia Day public holiday (January 26). Pork is also well eaten, particularly in areas which have had a high East and Southeast Asian influence. One iconic meat food in Australian cuisine, is the meat pie, often containing diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms, or cheese. Meat pies are not usually found in restaurants, but they can easily be found in cafes, service stations, and roadhouses. A dish unique to [[Adelaide]] is the '''pie floater''', which comprises of a meat pie inverted into some thick pea soup, often added with ketchup. On top of that, emu meat, kangaroo meat and crocodile meat are also eaten. See [[#Indigenous food (bush tucker)|&sect; bush tucker]] for information regarding those meat. If you're in [[Casino]] in the [[Northern Rivers]] during May and are a fan of beef, the [https://casinobeefweek.com.au/ Casino Beef Week] is an event that is worth checking out in the beef capital of Australia. <div align="center"> <gallery> File:Aussie meat pie (cropped).jpg|thumb|300px|The inside of a meat pie File:Pie floater in Adelaide SA.jpg|thumb|300px|Adelaide's ''pie floater'' </gallery> </div> {{clear}} ===Seafood=== [[File:Noosa - Barramundi and chips.jpg|thumb|A barramundi with hot chips in [[Noosa]]]] Historically, Australians were not big eaters of seafood, which is somewhat odd given that virtually the entire population is packed around the coasts. Fortunately Italian and Greek migration introduced the nation to the joys of seafood other than fish and chips, and you can now find excellent seafood markets and restaurants in all major cities. Some local specials to look out for: * '''Fish and chips''' remains extremely popular and virtually every neighbourhood and small town in coastal areas will have one or two fish and chips shops. The cheapest fish on the menu is often '''flake''', a euphemism for shark, whose flesh is both bland and tasteless. It's usually worth paying a few dollars extra for a better fish, and getting the house-made tartar sauce if they have instead of the industrial squeezy packs. * '''Barramundi''' is a large fish native to [[Northern Australia]]. It has been an important part of Aboriginal bush food and appeared frequently in their mythology (the dreamtime) and was associated with reproduction, reincarnation and transformation. Today, this fish is extremely popular as a dish in most of Australia, and is available both wild-caught and commercially farmed. Its flesh is white, tender, but still firm and usually extremely tasty. However, since the barramundi tolerates both saline and fresh water, every now and then you'll run into a muddy-tasting one. * '''Bugs''', known outside Australia under the more appetizing name of '''slipper lobsters''', can be found around the Australian coast as well as New Zealand but is mainly fished in [[New South Wales]]. The most common species are '''Balmain bugs''' (''Ibacus peronii'') and '''Moreton Bay bugs''' (''Thenus orientalis''), both of which have a medium-to-strong flavour and are delicious when cooked with herb and garlic butter. * '''Oysters''' are a popular appetizer, and are in season virtually all year around thanks to the extensive coastline. South Australia's [[Coffin Bay]] is particularly famous , while the '''Sydney rock oyster''', small and strong-tasting, can be more of an acquired taste. * ''Yabbies'' are small freshwater crustacean that resemble miniature lobsters, which would be called a ''crawfish'' in Louisiana, or a ''crayfish'' elsewhere in the United States. ===Dairy products=== The first dairy cows came with the First Fleet in 1788 and since then dairy has been a part of the Australian diet. The most common type of animal milk by far is cow's milk with goat and sheep's milk only having a niche presence. All commercial milk is pasteurised and homogenised. A variety of milks are available to address different dietary and health preferences, including full cream (which under Australian law is required to have at least 3.2% fat), reduced fat/light (approximately 2% fat), skim (no fat), lactose free, and long-life. Australians typically consume milk in their coffee, tea, chocolate-based drinks such as Milo (especially children) and in cereal. Many plant-based milks are available. The most popular plant-based milks are soy, almond and oat. Cheese is the second most consumed dairy product after drinking milk. Reflecting the country's British colonial heritage, the most produced and eaten cheese in Australia is cheddar, which is so common that cheddar is not even labeled as such: instead, you'll see the labels "tasty" (mild) and "sharp" (matured). Other cheeses are widely available though, with [[King Island]] between Tasmania and Victoria particularly famous for its soft cheeses. ===Fruit and vegetables=== [[File:Granny_smith_and_cross_section.jpg|thumb|The Granny Smith apple.]] Thanks to its vast variety of climates, Australia enjoys excellent fruit all year around, ranging from bananas from tropical Queensland to Tasmanian apples. There is still some seasonality to be aware of: peak season is November to March for mangoes and other stonefruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, etc). * The '''Granny Smith''' is an Australian apple cultivar originating suburban Sydney from the mid-1800s. It is a light green apple with a hard and firm texture and juicy flesh. It has a tart flavour and is popular in baking as it stays firm when cooked. It is the most popular green apple in the country. * '''Pink Lady''' is another delicious Australian red apple cultivar that's sweet, tart and crisp. * '''Kensington Pride''' or '''Bowen Mango''' is a type of Mango originating in [[Central Queensland]], and the most popular type of mango in Australia. The mango has a sweet and spicy flavour, and are yellow and ovate in shape and have a rounded apex, generally lacking a beak. * The '''Kakadu plum''' originating from [[Kakadu National Park]] has been used as a traditional bush food and bush medicine for centuries, particularly in the NT. It is somewhat bland, but with a definite sour and astringent finish, and can sometimes be salty. ===Vegemite=== In a category of its own is perhaps the most iconic of all Australian foods, '''Vegemite'''. This is a ''very'' salty yeast extract spread, similar to Marmite in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The key is to use it very sparingly, using a knife to spread the thinnest of layers. Butter and Vegemite on toast is a classic combo, and it's even better with a slice of cheese. It can be found in nearly every grocery store and supermarket, but rarely if ever in restaurants. ==Australian dishes== Although Australians consume a variety of meals originating from every corner of the globe, there are very few meals that are truly Australian. Even if they do fall under that criterion, most of it derives from a food from another cuisine. The meals mentioned here are only those that either originate in Australia, or where its modern recipe originates in Australia. Derivatives of meals from other cuisines are mentioned in [[#Ethnic cuisines|&sect; Ethnic cuisines]]. In general, Australians have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Morning and afternoon snacks are not an overly huge thing in Australia, but they are informally consumed by many, at no particular set time. Meal etiquette is similar to that of France, though many Australians are laid back on it. ===Sausage sizzles=== [[File:Democracy sausages being barbecued at Kenmore State School in the electoral district of Moggill at the 2017 Queensland state election.jpg|thumb|Some democracy sausages being barbecued at the 2017 Queensland state election]] Perhaps more known as ''Bunnings snags'' which are sausage sizzles sold at a community fundraiser held in the carpark of a Bunnings hardware store, sausage sizzles are mostly eaten with bread, often with either barbecue sauce or ketchup on it. Fried onions may be added onto it. There is also something called a "democracy sausage", which is a sausage sizzle at a polling station during election time. ===Smashed avo=== [[File:Avocado Toast Melbourne (cropped).jpg|thumb|A smashed avo in a cafe in Melbourne]] A ''smashed avo'' (short for ''smashed avocado'') is basically a toast with smashed avocado on it, which may be dressed up with poached eggs, etc. The smashed avo is said to originate from [[Brisbane]] and is now eaten around the world, but it acquired nationwide notoriety when an Australian finance minister suggested the reason young people couldn't afford houses was that they were spending all their money on $20 smashed avo brunches. ===Dim sim=== ''Dim sum'' is the [[Guangdong|Cantonese]] tradition of eating an array of dumplings and other delectables washed down with tea. A ''dim sim'', however, is a distinctly Australian distant relative of the ''shumai'' dumpling, far larger in size, stuffed with minced meat and cabbage, and most commonly served deep fried with soy sauce. Originating from Melbourne, you're most likely to find dim sims in either service stations, corner shops, fish and chip shops, some takeaway outlets in Australian and Chinese restaurants. ===Carpetbag steak=== While its origins trace back to [[Swansea]] in the UK, it was popularised in Australia during the 1950s. It consists of an end cut of steak, such as scotch fillet. Pockets in the meat are made by small cuts, into which oysters are stuffed and sutured with toothpicks or thread. As the dish is grilled, the flavour of the fresh oysters permeates the steak and blends with the juice of the tender meat. ===Regional foods, variations and specialties=== {{anchor|Regional foods, variations and specialities}} Unlike pretty much any cuisine one can think of, Australia does not have many regional foods, variations or specialties, but there are some: * In South Australia, there are many foods that have German origins, which have been significantly modified in other states to suit the Australian taste, but its original can still be found in South Australia, with some variations. Adelaide also has the unique ''pie floater'', which is a meat pie served in a bowl of pea soup. * Tasmania's leatherwood honey and abalone * The Weis Fruit Bar is a unique product to Queensland. Lamingtons also originated in Queensland, but they are now everywhere * The [[#Dim sim|dim sim]] is mostly unique to Victoria, they can now be found in most places * Apple strudel has become a local specilty of [[Perth]] * The Moreton Bay Bug isn't really unique to Moreton Bay, but it's become a local specialty of the city ===Snacks=== ===Iced VoVo=== Iced VoVo is a biscuit with soft pink icing and coconut similar to Ireland's Jacob's. Although Iced VoVo has existed since 1906, it was particularly popularised when PM Kevin Rudd mentioned them in this victory speech, leading to them now being easily found in any grocery store, supermarket and most cafes in large towns and cities have them too. ===Eucalyptus drops=== A eucalyptus and menthol hard candy sweet. They can generally be found in any grocery store or supermarket. ===Chiko roll=== [[File:Chiko roll in bag handheld.jpg|thumb|A chiko roll in its bag]] The Chiko roll is a hot pastry and savoury snack sold as a chicken roll, but contains no chicken. The snack is served deep fried in a paper bag for easy one-handed consumption on the go without plates or cutlery. The filling of a chiko roll is cabbage and barley, carrots, green beans, boneless mutton, beef tallow, wheat, celery and onion. A tube of dough made of egg and flour surrounds the product's chopped filling, which is deep-fried in vegetable oil. The Chiko Rolls are machine produced in long strands of filling surrounded by dough and then cut into pieces. The next step closes the ends of the pieces in the fold that is typical for the product. ===Tim Tams=== [[File:Tim Tams.jpg|thumb|A plate of Tim Tams]] Tim Tams is a brand of chocolate biscuit made by Arnott's. It is made of two chocolate biscuits separated by a chocolate filling, all coated in a thin layer of chocolate. It is similar to Penguins in the UK. Tim Tams are easy to find, not just in Australia, but throughout the world. According to Arnott's, approximately 35 million packets are sold each year in Australia, equivalent to 400 million biscuits and an average of 1.7 packets per Australian. However, this average rises to more than 3 per every New Caledonian. Tims Tams are popular beyond Australia and New Caledonia, as they have even made it into Canadian grocery stores/supermarkets, particularly in [[British Columbia]], and their popularity is slowly gaining in eastern provinces such as [[Ontario]] or [[Quebec]]. They are also really popular in the U.S., to the point that there's been some similar local branded products such as "Trader Joe's Aussie-style Chocolate Creme Sandwich Cookies". In addition to Canada and the U.S., they can also be found in several Southeast Asian countries and are increasingly popular in France. ===Fairy bread=== Fairy bread is simply white bread with butter with sprinkles sugar confectionary. They are cut into triangles and are often spread with butter or margarine. ===Minties=== Minties are a chewy mint sweet which contains glucose syrup, cane sugar, gelatine, mint flavour, vegetable oil. They were first produced in 1922, and its popularity has grown since. Unlike Tim Tam's, Minties aren't very popular outside Australia and the only country that has Minties outside Australia is New Zealand. ===Anzac biscuits=== [[File:ANZAC biscuits.JPG|thumb|Some Anzac biscuits without desiccated coconut]] Anzac biscuits are a sweet biscuit made with oats, golden syrup and coconut, named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The origins of which country invented is disputed, but they were baked by women in both countries during [[World War One]] in order to sell them for money to support the war with 6.5 million Australian pounds are said to have been taken from the sale of the biscuits at the time. The first recipe for the ANZAC Biscuit were published in a recipe book was from the 8th edition of St Andrew's Cookery Book, published in 1919 in Dunedin New Zealand. Two years later it was published in an Australian recipe book. They can generally be found in most places, especially in grocery stores or supermarkets like <abbr title="Woolworths">Woolies</abbr> or Coles almost anywhere in the country. ===Cheese and bacon roll=== Cheese and bacon rolls are are a bread snack consisting of a bread roll topped with cheese and bacon and then baked. They are sold at bakeries across the country and can be eaten with soup. ===Easter bilby=== While Australia also eat chocolate Easter bunnies and Easter eggs during the Easter, a product unique to the country is the Easter bilby. The Easter bilby tradition began in the 1960s to raise awareness of the conversation efforts in respect of the native but endangered Australian mammal. It did somewhat succeed, but unfortunately, the easter bilby cannot be found in grocery stores or supermarkets. ===Desserts=== * Caramel shortbread (caramel slice) – this is a shortbread biscuit base topped with caramel and milk chocolate, which often comes in either square or rectangle pieces. The shortbread can sometimes be replaced with ANZAC biscuits. * Jelly slice – a crushed biscuit base, topped with a middle layer of condensed milk jelly and a top layer of fruit jelly. * Lamingtons – a sponge cake covered in chocolate sauce and coconut. Can be found in most cafes * Pavlova – a meringue base topped with fruit and cream. This is usually prepared as a large cake from which slices are cut. Pavlova is also the subject of a dispute with New Zealand as to which country invented the dish. * Vanilla slice – a vanilla custard sandwiched between puff pastry with icing on top. * Jaffles – toasted sandwiches * Triple honey chocolate trifle * Weis bar – a fruit ice cream bar * Wagon Wheel – a biscuit sandwich filled with marshmallow and covered in chocolate * Damper bread – a type of bread brought by settlers. It was used by stockman as they only basic rations of flour, sugar and tea for long periods at that time, but the bread can also be found in the UK and New Zealand <gallery align="center" mode="packed-hover"> File:Millionaire's shortbread.jpg|Caramel slice File:Lamingtons on a plate.jpg|Lamingtons on a plate File:Pavlova postre.jpg|Pavlova, a celebratory dish of Australia File:Vanille_Slice_Australia.jpg|Vanilla slice served at a bakery File:Jelly slice au (cropped).jpg|Jelly slice File:Rosemary beer damper.jpg|Damper bread </gallery> ===Drinks=== ====Non-alcoholic beverages==== * Cordial – a fruit flavoured drink made from juice, water and sugar * Milo – a branded chocolate malted drink powder which is mixed with hot water or milk. * Billy tea {{clear}} ====Coffee==== Australia may have historically been a nation of tea drinkers, but an infusion of Italians has given it an '''innovative coffee culture''', with [[Melbourne]] in particular a veritable barista hotspot. Australian coffee can today be found all over the world, and even McDonalds' McCafe originally hails from Melbourne. Some 90% of Australia's cafes are independent and chains like Starbucks are rarely seen outside airports and CBDs. Australian coffee is always espresso-based and ordered with a unique lingo: * A '''short black''' is an Italian-style single espresso. * A '''long black''' is a double espresso with added water, essentially the same as an Italian ''americano'' and the closest you'll find to US-style filter drip coffee. * A '''flat white''' is a single espresso topped with foamed milk, similar to a latte but smaller in size and with less milk. Perhaps the most iconic Australian coffee, and inevitably disputed with New Zealand, who also claim to have invented it. * A '''magic''' is a double ''ristretto'' (low-volume, intense espresso) topped with foamed milk. Similar to a flat white, but stronger and creamier, and also hailing from Melbourne. Any of these can be served with your choice of regular or soy milk, and your regular cappuccinos, lattes, cold brews etc are also available. Just don't expect gallon-size mugs or pumpkin spice. <div align="center"> <gallery> File:Australian milo.jpg|A cup of Milo File:Flat White Coffee.png|A flat white File:Coffee angel art .jpg|Some creative latte art on this flat white </gallery> </div> ===Alcoholic beverages=== [[File:PenfoldsGrange.jpg|thumb|100px|Penfolds Grange from the Barossa is Australia's most revered and awarded wine, the benchmark to which all other red wines are compared.]] Australia is stereotyped to be a [[beer]]-drinking nation, and it's true that Australians love their beer. Contrary to stereotypes about Foster's being the typical Australian beer, the brand is actually not popular in Australia, and Australian beer loyalties generally vary by state. The respective state beers are '''Tooheys''' and '''Hahn''' in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, '''Carlton Draught''' and '''Victoria Bitter (VB)''' in Victoria, '''XXXX''' in Queensland, '''Swan''' and '''Emu''' in Western Australia, '''Coopers''' in South Australia, and '''Boags''' and '''Cascade''' in Tasmania. However, wine has taken over to become the most popular alcoholic drink consumed in the country. The most prominent wine regions are the [[Barossa Valley]] in South Australia, famous for its Shiraz and Rieslings, and the [[Hunter]] region in New South Wales, which produces Shiraz and Chardonnay in plentiful amounts. Other wine regions include the [[Mornington Peninsula]] in Victoria, which due to its colder climate produces excellent Pinot Noir, and the Margaret River and Swan District in Western Australia, known for its Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. While Australian [[whisky|whiskies]] were traditionally overpriced and poor quality knockoffs of Scotch whiskies, this has changed in the 21st century; [[Tasmania]] has been leading a whisky revolution with numerous high-quality craft distilleries that have won prestigious international awards. Due to the similarity of Tasmania's climate with that of Scotland, Tasmanian whiskies are generally based on Scotch whiskies. When it comes to beer sizes and names, most of the sizes are pretty standardised. A 1140 mL is always a jug, but things get a little confusing with pints. In every state and territory, a pint is always 570 mL, except in South Australia, where it would be called an imperial pint. What would be a South Australian pint is 435 mL, which would be called a schooner everywhere else. [[File:Map of wine production in Australia-fr.svg|left|500px|thumb|Map of wine production regions in Australia]] {{clear}} ==Cuisines== ===Modern Australian=== [[File:Tetsuyas-Ocean-Trout.jpg|thumb|300px|The iconic ''Confit of Tasmanian Ocean Trout'' at Tetsuya's, a Mod Oz restaurant in Sydney]] Modern Australian (Mod Oz) or contemporary Australian is a catchall term for fancy fusion cooking that takes classic Western techniques and applies them to Australian ingredients, often with touches drawn from Asian cuisines. Tetsuya's in Sydney is often credited with launching the trend and introducing the world to trendy flavours like Japanese citrus fruit ''yuzu'', but every Australian city now has multiple restaurants pushing the culinary envelope, with varying degrees of success. These tend to be high-end restaurants with prices to match, with degustation tasting menus often running hundreds of dollars before drinks, but many offer more affordable lunch options. ===Australian-Chinese food=== {{see also|Overseas Chinese cuisine#Australia}} Chinese food is generally of the Westernised takeaway variety, very similar to [[American cuisine#American Chinese food|American-Chinese food]], and hardly recognisable from the food actually eaten in China. It is generally based on Cantonese cuisine, but has been heavily modified to suit Australia's predominant Anglo-Celtic palate. '''[https://wokinabox.com.au/ Wok in a Box]''' and '''[https://noodlebox.com.au/ Noodle Box]''' are two particular chains specialising in Australian Chinese cuisine, being the Australian equivalent of Panda Express in the United States, while nearly every suburb in the major cities will have a "Chinese takeaway" shop. That said, authentic Chinese cuisine is available in the Chinatowns of major cities, or in suburbs with large numbers of ethnic Chinese residents. ===Italian food=== {{infobox|Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme|It'd be strange to think that a hydroelectric project would kickstart the large migration to Australia, bringing in different ethnic cuisines, but in 1949, when the program was created to divert water from the Snowy River through 160 km worth of tunnels which to dams and hydroelectric power stations, it kickstarted multiculturalism in Australia. The scheme brought over 100,000 migrants from all over the world, between the years of 1949 to 1974. While there were migrants from all over the world, the effects of the [[World War II in Europe|Second World War]] had on jobs throughout Europe wasn't too pleasing, and wages in the US and the Philippines were only starting to increase after [[Pacific War|WWII]], hence why there were more migrants from Europe and North America compared to the rest of the world. Given the higher stable wages in Australia, this attracted a lot of migrants, bringing along ethnic cuisines with them.}} Along with the United States, Canada and Argentina, Australia was one of the most popular destination for immigrants fleeing poverty in southern Italy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Italian restaurants are a thus staple in major Australian cities. Like its North American counterpart, Italian food in Australia is primarily based on southern Italian cuisines, but has been heavily modified to suit the dominant Anglo-Celtic palate, thus making it more similar to Italian-American food than to the authentic versions served in Italy. Italian dishes such as pizza, spaghetti and risotto have thus become staples in Australia, and are widely available and many pubs and cafes. Authentic Italian food can also be found in Australia, but it tends of be served in more expensive restaurants. The '''chicken parmigiana''' (''chicken parmy'' in Australian slang) is a staple of Australian pub food, having its origins in the Italian eggplant parmigiana, but making its way to Australia via the United States. The main difference from its American counterpart is that it is usually a standalone pub dish in Australia, while it is usually served with pasta in the United States. ===German and Austrian food=== Australia was a popular destination for German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, resulting in strong German influences in Australian cuisine, particularly in the state of [[South Australia]]. In particular, the [[wine]] industry in South Australia's world-renowned [[Barossa Valley]] was originally founded by Germans. The town of [[Hahndorf]] in South Australia, is one of the best-known places to explore Australia's German heritage, and is home to numerous restaurants serving Australianised versions of German food. The '''schnitzel''' (or known as "schnitty" in Australian slang) has been widely adopted and has become a staple of Australian pub food. That said, while the original German/Austrian schnitzel is most commonly made of pork, Australian schnitzels are usually made of chicken or beef. Schnitzels in Australia are also often served with barbecue sauce or ketchup and [[cheese]] as condiments, and depending on which pub you go to, you may also get mushroom sauce with your schnitzel. The '''apple strudel''' is an Austrian pastry that has been significantly Australianised and become a local specialty of [[Perth]]. German-style sausages are also popular in Australia, and available at many butchers throughout the country. ===British food=== '''Fish and chips''' is a very popular dish in Australia due to its British settler colonial history, and is widely available in Australian pubs, in specialist fish and chips shops in the suburbs of major cities, along with various small coastal towns. That said, fish and chips in Australia has diverged somewhat from the British original. For instance, while Brits traditionally eat their fish and chips with salt, vinegar and mushy peas as condiments, Australians generally prefer their fish and chips with ketchup and tartar sauce. ===Thai food=== Similar to Australian Chinese food, Thai food is often very westernised and hardly the same type of food seen in Thailand. While it's easy to find authentic Thai food, particularly in [[Thai Town|Thai town]] in Sydney CBD as well as in any other big city, Thai restaurants can usually be found anywhere in a city with more than 50k residents. Thai food is the third most popular cuisine in Australia, only behind Chinese and Italian cuisines. Additionally, Australia has the most Thai restaurants per capita outside of Thailand (not even its neighbouring countries gets that spot). But in general, Thai foods like Pad Thai, Tom Yum, Thai Green Curry, Spring Rolls, or Thai Fried Rice (Khao Pud) can be found in nearly every single Australian Thai restaurant, although some of it may be altered from the original Thai version, particularly when it comes to spice levels. On top of Thai cuisines at restaurants, some of the key Thai ingredients such as lemongrass, coriander, ginger, coconut milk or chilli can easily be found at most grocery stores. ===South Asian food=== Due to the large South Asian population, finding a South Asian restaurant is never too hard to find in Australia, even in rural towns and you will easily find the most important dishes from each region of most countries of the region. However, with that being said, most restaurants' spice level is extremely low to suit the taste buds of Australians, but if you're looking for something spicy, there will always be at least two items on the menu with some really spicy food. An example of a fusion Indian-Australian dish which has taken hold is the butter chicken pie, which is available in many pie shops while its frozen version is found in supermarkets. ===Mediterranean food=== When referring to Mediterranean food, most Australians would usually refer to Greek, Turkish or Lebanese cuisine, and ''not'' Italian cuisine. There aren't any specific chain restaurants when it comes to Mediterranean food, but there is usually a restaurant with Greek, Turkish or Lebanese in most towns closer to the coast. Unlike Thai though, they're not found in every town. As Melbourne is the city with the third largest Greek population anywhere in the world after Athens and Thessaloniki, Greek food has now become a part of Melbournian culture, and finding a Greek restaurant is pretty easy. Meanwhile, in Sydney, the same can be said when it comes to Lebanese and Turkish cuisines, although the Lebanese and Turkish population in Sydney is much lower than the Greek population in Melbourne. When you've arrived at a Mediterranean restaurant, in general foods like baklava, souvlaki or lahmacun can be found in nearly every restaurant, while others would vary by location. Some may have it while others may not. ===Japanese food=== [[File:Today Special California Roll, Spicy Tuna Sushi - Diane Sushi AUD1.60, AUD1.80 - Nexus One (4329498233).jpg|thumb|Sushi rolls Australian style]] '''Sushi rolls''' have become an icon of Australian fast food. Much larger than their Japanese forebears, often stuffed with unorthodox ingredients like teriyaki chicken or cream cheese, and always premade and ready to go, you can find these portable bundles of joy at any shopping mall food court for as little as $3. More authentic or at least more upmarket Japanese restaurants can be found pretty much any reasonably sized town, although many "Japanese" restaurants are run by Chinese or Koreans. Sushi and ramen are particularly popular. ===Vietnamese food=== Australia was one of the top destinations for South Vietnamese refugees following the [[Indochina Wars|Fall of Saigon]], and there are Vietnamese restaurants in all the major cities serving mostly southern Vietnamese food. Cabramatta in [[Sydney/South West|Sydney's southwest]] and Footscray in [[Melbourne/Western suburbs|western Melbourne]] are particularly known for their Vietnamese food. ===Mexican-American food=== Until very recently, Mexican food was unavailable in Australia. That rapidly changed in the 2010s though, when large American fast food chains specialising in Mexican food started popping up. Regardless of which city you're in, it is easy to find a Guzman y Gomez (often abbreviated as GYG or GyG), and Mad Mex is also common. Other chains such as Taco Bell are still very limited, along with many locally operated restaurants, especially in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but in smaller cities like Adelaide, you may only find a GyG. However, with the exception of a few high-end restaurants, nearly all of the Mexican food found in Australia is the Americanized version of Mexican cuisine, not the type you'd find in Mexico. ==Takeaway and convenience food== Takeaway foods can generally be found at fish and chip shops, bakeries, roadhouses, service stations (gas/petrol stations), convenience stores and fast food chains. Meat pies, sausage rolls, pasties, [[#Chiko roll|Chiko rolls]], and [[#Dim sim|dim sims]] are a standard at nearly every bakery and service station, while meat pies, sausage rolls, and pasties have become a staple of footy matches (referring to AFL, not rugby). Sausage sizzles are popular too – see [[#Sausage sizzles|&sect; sausage sizzles]]. ==Fast food== ===Chains=== [[File:REROWG0011 Shot1 1080x1080 v1.png|thumb|300px|Some fried chicken from Red Rooster]] There are many fast food chains in Australia, with nearly all of them being either [[Fast food in the United States and Canada|American]] or local Australian chains. The important ones as follows: * '''McDonalds''' or ''Maccas'' in [[Australian slang]]. They are pretty much found everywhere except in remote towns and in much of the Outback. The range found in Australia is very different to that of its country of origin; the United States – meals like fries/hot chips, hash browns, muffins or most meals which can only be ordered at certain times of the day in the United States is available all day. Maccas also has a larger coffee range, with McDonald's McCafe originating in [[Melbourne]] on top of several specialties only found in Australia * '''KFC''' (Kentucky Fried Chicken) does not have much unique to Australia, but is easily found on highway service centres and most suburban areas. However, something that is unique to Australian KFCs are frozen drinks, in particular the Pepsi Freeze, Mountain Dew Freeze and the Raspberry Freeze and is very popular during the summer season – the price is another factor, costing only $1. * '''Hungry Jacks''' is the Australian equivalent of '''Burger King'''. It was called Hungry Jacks as there was once already a small takeaway shop in Adelaide that used the name "Burger King" so when the American chain entered Australia, they had to pick a different name. And while they did eventually win the rights to use the "Burger King" name, the name "Hungry Jacks" stuck. Today, though the chain may not be as popular as the former two mentioned, Hungry Jacks is known for its whoppers made out of Australian beef. * '''Oporto''' unlike the other former three is a local Australian-Portuguese chain, mostly serving Portuguese though it is hardly recognisable to the cuisine sold in Portugal. Nevertheless, the fast food chain still has a wide range of foods and now can be found throughout Australia and New Zealand. The chain gets its name from the Portuguese city of [[Porto]]. * '''Red rooster''' is another Australian chain specialising in chicken, specifically chicken burgers, along with roast chicken and fried chicken. It is not very common, but if you do some digging, they can be found in every mainland state and territory (so unfortunately none in Tasmania) ===Pizzerias=== [[File:Nyah Pizza Mart.JPG|thumb|300px|A pizza shop in Nyah, Vic]] There are three major chain pizzerias in Australia. Additionally, in most areas, many local towns will also have their own local pizzerias, many of them more popular than the chains. * '''Domino's''' is a large American pizza chain. Most of the range found in the US can be found in Australia too, along with many local specialties. They can be found in nearly all cities and most towns, particularly the ones that are popular tourist spots. * '''Pizza Hut''' is an American pizza chain which acquired the former Australian pizza chain of ''Eagle Boys''. It is the largest competitor of Domino's and many of the former Eagle Boys stores have been rebranded as Pizza Hut. * '''Pizza Capers''' is a regional Australian fast food chain, mostly found in regional areas, particularly in Queensland – an alternate if you don't want to go to the two American chains. ===Burgers=== [[File:Aussie Burger 7of7 (8736284104).jpg|thumb|300px|A very Australian burger]] Burgers in Australia are pretty close to their American forebears, with one interesting twist: if you order an "Aussie burger" or a burger with "the lot", it will be served with a '''slice of beetroot''' and '''fried egg'''. Don't knock it until you've tried it! {{clear}} ===Donuts=== [[File:Donut King.jpg|thumb|300px|A Donut King in Doncaster, Vic.]] {{anchor|Doughnuts}} <!-- do not change to "doughnut" – both are equally accepted spellings in Aus--> Donuts or doughnuts are a popular snack to have in Australia. The typical kind of donuts are usually the kinds found in the United States and Canada with the Krispy Kreme original glaze having a special place in Australian culture though many non-chain restaurants often some sort of twist with it. Some chains that are found throughout Australia include: * '''Donut King''' – the most Australian donut chain now having spread internationally to many countries, and as far as the UK. Its signature donut is the hot cinnamon donut. * '''Krispy Kreme''' is an American chain that is quickly gaining popularity, particularly its signature donut – the Original Glaze. However, you are more likely to find Krispy Kreme donuts in 7-eleven shops, which can be found in most major developed areas (so not the Outback or the Wet Tropics). ===Other chains=== [[File:Pie Face store at Sydney Airport January 2017.jpg|thumb|300px|A pie face shop at Sydney Airport]] Apart from those mentioned above, these are the other chains that exist in Australia. Some of them may be American chains, but they have been very localised to suit the Australian taste and market. *'''Bing Boy''' – an Australian-Asian chain specialising in Jianbing (Chinese: 煎饼). It is mostly found in either South Australia or Victoria, but uncommon everywhere else. *'''Boost Juice''' specialises in smoothies and fruit juice perfect to have after a hot day at the beach. While its origins trace back to South Australia, today it can be found even in South America. *'''El Jannah''' is a Sydney-based fast food chain specialising in Lebanese food, particularly known for its chicken. Unfortunately, the chain only operates within the Greater Sydney region as of Mar 2022. *'''Fasta Pasta''' is an Adelaide-based budget chain known for its pizza and pasta. It can mostly be found in South Australia, Victoria and some of New South Wales *'''Grill'd''' is a burger chain, specialising in burgers. A good place to get plant-based meat burgets and today the chain extends as far as [[Seminyak]] *'''Guzman y Gomez''' can be credited with introducing Australia to the California-style burrito, stuffed with rice, beans and meat. Ask for guacamole (which, unaccountably, costs extra) and wash it down with a margarita slushy. Very popular and now found throughout most southeastern Australian cities. *'''Pie Face''' – one of the best places to get a classic Australian pie. They can be found on major national highways, freeways and in most cities. *'''Royal Copenhagen''' is a Danish ice-cream chain found in popular beachside or waterfront destinations, and a good place to have some Danish icecream. However, do be aware that the sizes are really large compared to other ice-cream shops found in Aus. *'''Zambrero''' serves Australian-style Tex-Mex cuisine. ==Dietary requirements== Most of the time, Australian cuisine is kosher certified and the same applies for halal most of the time. In urban areas halal, vegan and vegetarian food can also be found most of the time. However, most of the time, none of these are easy to find outside the seven cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Newcastle and Canberra. For travellers looking for halal food, if you ever get tired of Middle Eastern food, there are many Indian and Malaysian restaurants that exclusively serve halal certified food. ===Halal snack packs (HSPs)=== Halal snack packs (often abbreviated as "HSP") are a type of fast food from the "Big 3" eastern cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with exclusively halal food as the name suggests. The meal consists of halal-certified doner kebab meat (lamb, chicken, or beef) and fries and comes with chilli, garlic or barbecue sauces. Cheese, yogurt, and jalapeño peppers are also commonly found in these HSPs. Adelaide has a variant known as the AB, though unlike the HSP of the eastern states, it is typically not halal. The meal is mainly a fusion of Middle Eastern and Western cuisines, and such similar meals exist in other countries as well, such as the ''kebab ranskalaisilla'' in [[Finland]], the ''kapsalon'' in the [[Netherlands]] and [[Belgium]], the ''döner telle'' in Germany or the ''gyro fries'' in the United States. <div align="center"> '''Typical examples of halal snack packs''' <gallery> File:Hspchips (cropped).jpg|A typical HSP File:Halal Snack Pack served on ceramic plate, topped with Tablouleh.jpg|This one with fries, or hot chips </gallery> </div> ==See also== * [[Shopping in Australia]] * [[Food and drink]] ** [[American cuisine]] ** [[Cuisine of Britain and Ireland]] ** [[Cambodian cuisine]] ** [[Chinese cuisine]] ** [[French cuisine]] ** [[German cuisine]] ** [[Greek cuisine]] ** [[Indonesian cuisine]] ** [[Italian cuisine]] ** [[Japanese cuisine]] ** [[Korean cuisine]] ** [[Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei]] ** [[Middle Eastern cuisine]] ** [[South Asian cuisine]] ** [[Thai cuisine]] ** [[Vietnamese cuisine]] {{guidetopic}} {{PartOfTopic|Food and drink|Australia}} gpf4hh7zl1p26za6yg9e06al7r7ho7s 2 188637 4501580 4501559 2022-08-15T13:01:22Z SHB2000 2248002 /* National parks */ + https://www.abc.net.au/news/abcmyphoto/ wikitext text/x-wiki <div align="center"> {| style="background: #C2DBA8; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: center; padding-left: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" | style="text-align:center" | <div align="left"> {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | ===Articles I'm currently working on=== Not exactly a complete list, but it's a list of those likely to enter mainspace soon – sometime in the near future. Anyone is free to make edits and improve them. * [[User:SHB2000/Brisbane Water National Park|/Brisbane Water National Park]] * [[User:SHB2000/Christmas Island National Park|/Christmas Island National Park]] * [[User:SHB2000/Boonoo Boonoo National Park|/Boonoo Boonoo National Park]] * [[User:SHB2000/Border Ranges National Park|/Border Ranges National Park]] * [[User:SHB2000/Norfolk Island National Park|/Norfolk Island National Park]] * [[User:SHB2000/Southern Lights|/Southern Lights]] * [[User:SHB2000/Tamborine|/Tamborine]] ===Current projects=== * [[Canberra]] districts * Get [[New South Wales]] to star status. [[User:SHB2000/to create|Articles to create]] ===Follow-up list=== * [[Nilpena Ediacara National Park]] – July 2022 when the national park opens to the public * [[:w:Category:State parks of Utah]] and [[w:Category:Canyons and gorges of Australia]] <!--* [[w:Phu Phra Bat Historical Park]] and [[:de:Europäischer Fernwanderweg E9]]--> * [[:de:Kategorie:Vollständige Artikel]] and [[:de:Kategorie:Empfehlenswerte Reiseführer]] * [[w:List of museums in the Australian Capital Territory]] and [[w:Category:Fast-food chains of Australia]] * [[User:SHB2000/Guide topics that have not been featured yet|Guide topics that have not been featured yet]] * [[UNESCO World Heritage List (India)]] – August update * [[w:Category:Buildings and structures in the Danish West Indies]] | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | ===Country projects=== Basically get all articles from these destinations to usable or near usable – so not plain blank outlines. * [[Australia]] - {{done}} * [[Réunion]] - in progress Started: * [[Papua New Guinea]] * [[New Zealand]] * [[New Caledonia]] ===National parks=== Completed: * [[France]] * [[Tasmania]] (except Strzelecki and Savage River NPs) Doing: * [[Denmark]] ** [[User:SHB2000/Danish national parks]] * [[Seychelles]] – [[w:List of national parks of Seychelles]] and https://www.snpa.gov.sc/index.php Future: * [[South Australia]] * [[South Africa]] * [[Algeria]] Useful: * https://www.abc.net.au/news/abcmyphoto/ – if one of the Insta-worthy photos doesn't have an article, find where it's located, and create it. If it's a barebone-usable, then expand it. |} |} </div> ts18smrmjiskm0cqdksjpj16kabgims 3 188837 4501740 4500675 2022-08-15T21:09:02Z MediaWiki message delivery 421098 /* Tech News: 2022-33 */ new section wikitext text/x-wiki {{DISPLAYTITLE:<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">User talk:SHB2000</span>}} {{/header}} <!--{{Archive basics |archive = User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2022 |counter = 1 }}--> {{Auto archiving |archive = User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2022 |algo = old(14d) |counter = 1 |minthreadsleft = 1 |minthreadstoarchive = 1 |archiveheader = {{talk archive}} }} == ''The Signpost'': 1 August 2022 == <div lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr"><div style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[[File:WikipediaSignpostIcon.svg|40px|right]] ''News, reports and features from the English Wikipedia's weekly journal about Wikipedia and Wikimedia''</div> <div style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> * From the editors: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/From the editors|Rise of the machines, or something]] * News and notes: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/News and notes|Information considered harmful]] * In the media: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/In the media|Censorship, medieval hoaxes, "pathetic supervillains", FB-WMF AI TL bid, dirty duchess deeds done dirt cheap]] * Op-Ed: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Op-Ed|The "recession" affair]] * Eyewitness Wikimedian – Vinnytsia, Ukraine: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Eyewitness Wikimedian – Vinnytsia, Ukraine|War diary (part 3)]] * Election guide: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Election guide|The chosen six: 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees elections]] * Community view: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Community view|Youth culture and notability]] * Opinion: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Opinion|Criminals among us]] * Arbitration report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Arbitration report|Winds of change blow for cyclone editors, deletion dustup draws toward denouement]] * Deletion report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Deletion report|This is Gonzo Country]] * Discussion report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Discussion report|Notability for train stations, notices for mobile editors, noticeboards for the rest of us]] * Traffic report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Traffic report|US TV, JP ex-PM, outer space, and politics of IN, US, UK top charts for July]] * Featured content: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Featured content|A little list with surprisingly few lists]] * Tips and tricks: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Tips and tricks|Cleaning up awful citations with Citation bot]] * In focus: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/In focus|Wikidata insights from a handy little tool]] * On the bright side: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/On the bright side|Ukrainian Wikimedians during the war — three (more) stories]] * Essay: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Essay|How to research an image]] * Recent research: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Recent research|A century of rulemaking on Wikipedia analyzed]] * Serendipity: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Serendipity|Don't cite Wikipedia]] * Gallery: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Gallery|A backstage pass]] * From the archives: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/From the archives|2012 Russian Wikipedia shutdown as it happened]] * Humour: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-08-01/Humour|Why did the chicken cross the road?]] </div> <div style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">'''[[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost|Read this Signpost in full]]''' · [[w:en:Wikipedia:Signpost/Single|Single-page]] · [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/Signpost|Unsubscribe]] · [[m:Global message delivery|Global message delivery]] 00:42, 1 August 2022 (UTC) <!-- Sent via script ([[w:en:User:Evad37/SPS]]) --></div></div> <!-- Message sent by User:JPxG@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_message_delivery/Targets/Signpost&oldid=23554609 --> == Tech News: 2022-31 == <section begin="technews-2022-W31"/><div class="plainlinks"> Latest '''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News|tech news]]''' from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2022/31|Translations]] are available. '''Recent changes''' * Improved [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Help:Displaying_a_formula#Phantom|LaTeX capabilities for math rendering]] are now available in the wikis thanks to supporting <bdi lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><code>Phantom</code></bdi> tags. This completes part of [[m:Community_Wishlist_Survey_2022/Editing/Missing_LaTeX_capabilities_for_math_rendering|the #59 wish]] of the 2022 Community Wishlist Survey. '''Changes later this week''' * [[File:Octicons-sync.svg|12px|link=|alt=|Recurrent item]] The [[mw:MediaWiki 1.39/wmf.23|new version]] of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from {{#time:j xg|2022-08-02|en}}. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from {{#time:j xg|2022-08-03|en}}. It will be on all wikis from {{#time:j xg|2022-08-04|en}} ([[mw:MediaWiki 1.39/Roadmap|calendar]]). * The [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Help:Extension:WikiEditor/Realtime_Preview|Realtime Preview]] will be available as a Beta Feature on wikis in [https://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=dblists%2Fgroup0.dblist Group 0]. This feature was built in order to fulfill [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Community_Wishlist_Survey_2021/Real_Time_Preview_for_Wikitext|one of the Community Wishlist Survey proposals]]. '''Future changes''' * The Beta Feature for [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Help:DiscussionTools|DiscussionTools]] will be updated throughout August. Discussions will look different. You can see [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Talk pages project/Usability/Prototype|some of the proposed changes]]. '''Future meetings''' * This week, three meetings about [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements|Vector (2022)]] with live interpretation will take place. On Tuesday, interpretation in Russian will be provided. On Thursday, meetings for Arabic and Spanish speakers will take place. [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Reading/Web/Desktop Improvements/Updates/Talk to Web|See how to join]]. '''''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News|Tech news]]''' prepared by [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/Writers|Tech News writers]] and posted by [[m:Special:MyLanguage/User:MediaWiki message delivery|bot]]&nbsp;• [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News#contribute|Contribute]]&nbsp;• [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2022/31|Translate]]&nbsp;• [[m:Tech|Get help]]&nbsp;• [[m:Talk:Tech/News|Give feedback]]&nbsp;• [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/Tech ambassadors|Subscribe or unsubscribe]].'' </div><section end="technews-2022-W31"/> 21:22, 1 August 2022 (UTC) <!-- Message sent by User:Quiddity (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_message_delivery/Targets/Tech_ambassadors&oldid=23615613 --> == This Month in Education: July 2022 == <div class="plainlinks mw-content-ltr" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-weight:bold; color:#00A7E2; font-size:2.9em; font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">This Month in Education</span> <span style="font-weight:bold; color:#00A7E2; font-size:1.4em; font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> Volume 11 • Issue 7 • July 2022</span> <div style="border-top:1px solid #a2a9b1; border-bottom:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:0.5em; font-size:larger; margin-bottom:0.2em">[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/Newsletter/July 2022|Contents]] • [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/Newsletter/July 2022/Headlines|Headlines]] • [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Global message delivery/Targets/This Month in Education|Subscribe]]</div> <div style="color:white; font-size:1.8em; font-family:Montserrat; background:#92BFB1;">In This Issue</div></div> <div style="text-align: left; column-count: 2; column-width: 35em;"> * [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/News/July 2022/Wikimedia Chile launched a teacher guidebook with Wiki tools for Heritage Education|Wikimedia Chile launched a teacher guidebook with Wiki tools for Heritage Education]] * [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/News/July 2022/Wikimedia Serbia received a new accreditation for the professional development program|Wikimedia Serbia received a new accreditation for the professional development program]] * [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/News/July 2022/Wikimedia for Illiterate Persons|Wikimedia for Illiterate Persons]] * [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/News/July 2022/EtnoWiki edit-a-thon in Poland|Polish Wikipedia is enriched with new EtnoWiki content]] * [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Education/News/July 2022/Career Education through Wikipedia|Career Education through Wikipedia]] </div> <div style="margin-top:10px; text-align: center; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[[m:Education/Newsletter/About|About ''This Month in Education'']] · [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/This Month in Education|Subscribe/Unsubscribe]] · [[m:MassMessage|Global message delivery]] · For the team: [[:m:User:ZI Jony|ZI Jony]] 17:39, 3 August 2022 (UTC)</div> </div> <!-- Message sent by User:ZI Jony@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_message_delivery/Targets/This_Month_in_Education&oldid=23607963 --> == Tech News: 2022-32 == <section begin="technews-2022-W32"/><div class="plainlinks"> Latest '''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News|tech news]]''' from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2022/32|Translations]] are available. '''Recent changes''' * [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Meta:GUS2Wiki/Script|GUS2Wiki]] copies the information from [[{{#special:GadgetUsage}}]] to an on-wiki page so you can review its history. If your project isn't already listed on the [[d:Q113143828|Wikidata entry for Project:GUS2Wiki]] you can either run GUS2Wiki yourself or [[:m:Special:MyLanguage/Meta:GUS2Wiki/Script#Opting|make a request to receive updates]]. [https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T121049] '''Changes later this week''' * There is no new MediaWiki version this week. * [[File:Octicons-sync.svg|12px|link=|alt=|Recurrent item]] Some wikis will be in read-only for a few minutes because of a switch of their main database. It will be performed on {{#time:j xg|2022-08-09|en}} at 07:00 UTC ([https://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=dblists/s5.dblist targeted wikis]) and on {{#time:j xg|2022-08-11|en}} at 7:00 UTC ([https://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=dblists/s2.dblist targeted wikis]). '''Future meetings''' * The [[wmania:Special:MyLanguage/Hackathon|Wikimania Hackathon]] will take place online from August 12–14. Don't miss [[wmania:Special:MyLanguage/Hackathon/Schedule|the pre-hacking showcase]] to learn about projects and find collaborators. Anyone can [[phab:/project/board/6030/|propose a project]] or [[wmania:Special:MyLanguage/Hackathon/Schedule|host a session]]. [[wmania:Special:MyLanguage/Hackathon/Newcomers|Newcomers are welcome]]! '''''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News|Tech news]]''' prepared by [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/Writers|Tech News writers]] and posted by [[m:Special:MyLanguage/User:MediaWiki message delivery|bot]]&nbsp;• [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News#contribute|Contribute]]&nbsp;• [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2022/32|Translate]]&nbsp;• [[m:Tech|Get help]]&nbsp;• [[m:Talk:Tech/News|Give feedback]]&nbsp;• [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/Tech ambassadors|Subscribe or unsubscribe]].'' </div><section end="technews-2022-W32"/> 19:50, 8 August 2022 (UTC) <!-- Message sent by User:Quiddity (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_message_delivery/Targets/Tech_ambassadors&oldid=23627807 --> == ''This Month in GLAM'': July 2022 == {| style="width:100%;" | valign="top" align="center" style="border:1px gray solid; padding:1em;" | {| align="center" |- | style="text-align: center;" | [[File:This Month in GLAM logo 2018.png|350px|center|link=outreach:GLAM/Newsletter]]<br /> <hr /> <div style="font-size:12pt; font-family:Times New Roman; text-align:center;">[[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022|<span style="color:darkslategray;">This Month in GLAM – Volume XII, Issue VII, July 2022</span>]]</div> <hr /><br /> |- style="text-align: center;" | <span style="font-size:12pt; font-family:Times New Roman;"> '''<u>Headlines</u>'''</span> |- style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Times New Roman; text-align:center;" | <div style="text-align:left; column-count:2; column-width:28em; -moz-column-count:2; -moz-column-width:28em; -webkit-column-count:2; -webkit-column-width:28em; vertical-align:top;"> * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Argentina report|Argentina report]]: Provinces: our main characters * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Brazil report|Brazil report]]: Brazil holds its National Wiki Conference, and many GLAM partners join * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Colombia report|Colombia report]]: A very busy July for Colombian libraries / Un Julio bastante movido para las bibliotecas colombianas * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/France report|France report]]: Wikimedian in residence in Clermont-Ferrand * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/New Zealand report|New Zealand report]]: News from Auckland Museum, the West Coast, and New Zealand's thesis repositories * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Poland report|Poland report]]: Edit-a-thon in the National Museum in Cracow, GLAM editing contest on the collection of artworks * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Portugal report|Portugal report]]: Portugal’s first GLAM-Wiki open access museum project is launched!! * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Serbia report|Serbia report]]: Presentation of GLAM activities at Edu Wiki Camp * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/UK report|UK report]]: Khalili Collections * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/USA report|USA report]]: GLAM for the Masses * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/AvoinGLAM report|AvoinGLAM report]]: Wikimania * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Content Partnerships Hub report|Content Partnerships Hub report]]: Wikimania activities * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/WMF GLAM report|WMF GLAM report]]: What next for 1Lib1Ref? * [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Contents/Events|Calendar]]: August's GLAM events </div> |- | style="font-family:Times New Roman; text-align:center; font-size:85%;" | [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter|Read this edition in full]] &bull; [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/July 2022/Single|Single-page]] |- | valign="top" colspan="2" style="padding:0.5em; font-family:Times New Roman;text-align:center; font-size:85%;" | To assist with preparing the newsletter, please visit the [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/Newsroom|newsroom]]. Past editions may be viewed [[outreach:GLAM/Newsletter/Archives|here]]. |- |} |} <div style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[[m:GLAM/Newsletter/About|About ''This Month in GLAM'']] · [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/GLAM|Subscribe/Unsubscribe]] · [[m:MassMessage|Global message delivery]] · [[:m:User:Romaine|Romaine]] 01:24, 9 August 2022 (UTC)</div> <!-- Message sent by User:Romaine@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_message_delivery/Targets/GLAM&oldid=23554599 --> == Busses == Just a note: bus is ''buss'' in Swedish (buses: ''bussar''), so it is easy to get the double s there when one is a bit absent-minded. Should still be corrected, of course, thanks for that. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:21, 9 August 2022 (UTC) :Just to confuse matters, the form ''busses'' is a conjugation of the verb ''to bus'' (also ''bussing, bussed'', presumably because by eye ''busing/bused'' ought to be pronounced "byoozing/byoozed").--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:48, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::It's really why we should've all adopted Webster's reforms ;-) <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 11:52, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::: Fuck no! ;-) Diversity is beautiful.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 11:57, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::::They are more logical though... I mean, look how ugly manoeuvre, south west, or musick is spelled compared to maneuver, southwest or music ;-) – or maybe I'm just salty that I screwed up pieces of code because I accidentally spelled "center" as "centre" a few times (wasn't too hard of a fix though). Thankfully the world got together and dropped the k in the last one. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 12:17, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::::: I am really thankful to automatic indentation of code, or syntax highlighters (which serve the same purpose not only as side effect). They prevent misspelling keywords. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 13:24, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::Me too. I've probably saved hours due to automatic indentation. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 13:26, 10 August 2022 (UTC) :::::::I won't deny Webster spellings are (marginally) more phonetic, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. British spelling usually retains the etymology of a word better, making the rich and global origins of our vocabulary more obvious. ::::::: And regarding language diversity, I love how the French word ''[auto]bus'' (plural: ''[auto]bus'') has been borrowed by most European languages, but each language has used its own grammar and spelling rules to impart a unique twist: English ''bus'' (pl. ''buses''), Swedish ''buss'' (pl. ''bussar''), German ''Bus'' (pl. ''Busse''), Welsh ''bws'' (pl. ''bysiau''), Spanish ''autobús'' (pl. ''autobuses''), Romanian ''autobuz'' (pl. ''autobuze''), Turkish ''otobüs'' (''otobüsler'')... Same for so many words relating to modern technology.--[[User:ThunderingTyphoons!|ThunderingTyphoons!]] ([[User talk:ThunderingTyphoons!|talk]]) 14:23, 10 August 2022 (UTC) ::::::::But the British also did make some changes during the 19th century, like changing all -ize words to -ise or program to programme just to make English slightly closer to French. Mais j'aime le français pour la même raison ;-). <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont">[[User:SHB2000|SHB2000]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta.wikimedia]])</small></span> 23:36, 10 August 2022 (UTC) == Mogollon Rim edit conflict == Hi there... we had a minor edit collision on article [[Mogollon Rim]]. I was doing a sizeable content addition while you were adding a banner. Being someone what, not sure of the procedure here or if it would otherwise alert you, so thought I'd reach out. Didn't mean to stomp on your edit; I put your picture in as a comment in case you/someone wants to revert to it. Regarding my banner selection, not sure if it meets the size specs (tho it did seem to crop it nicely), however the scene with the trees imho reflects the area better (typing as an Arizona resident). thanks , and appreciate the guidance you've given [[User:BrianM0000|BrianM0000]] ([[User talk:BrianM0000|talk]]) 08:43, 13 August 2022 (UTC) :Hi {{u|BrianM0000}}, feel free to replace the banner if you want – just make sure the banner is in a 7:1 ratio (I'll crop it to a 7:1 ratio if needed). While I have visited Petrified Forest NP before, I don't know whole lot about Eastern Arizona and you obviously know better than I do. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 08:46, 13 August 2022 (UTC) == Chinese on Christmas Island == You said that "[[Special:Diff/4482029/4500174|given that Chinese is more widely spoken in Christmas Island, and the fact that C comes before M, I think it makes sense to put the Chinese translation before the Malay]]". However, in Talk Chinese isn't mentioned: : "As a territory of Australia, English is the most common language spoken on Christmas Island, but is not universal. Many older residents speak Malay as a first language. However, unlike Cocos Island, all signs are in English." If Chinese is important, something should be said about who speak it. –[[User:LPfi|LPfi]] ([[User talk:LPfi|talk]]) 15:12, 13 August 2022 (UTC) :I'm not too sure; my info is from the encyclopedia, but I'll check the <abbr title="Australian Bureau of Statistics">ABS</abbr> to see whether the encyclopedia was right. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 00:13, 14 August 2022 (UTC) == Tech News: 2022-33 == <section begin="technews-2022-W33"/><div class="plainlinks"> Latest '''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News|tech news]]''' from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2022/33|Translations]] are available. '''Recent changes''' * The Persian (Farsi) Wikipedia community decided to block IP editing from October 2021 to April 2022. The Wikimedia Foundation's Product Analytics team tracked the impact of this change. [[m:Special:MyLanguage/IP Editing: Privacy Enhancement and Abuse Mitigation/IP Editing Restriction Study/Farsi Wikipedia|An impact report]] is now available. '''Changes later this week''' * [[File:Octicons-sync.svg|12px|link=|alt=|Recurrent item]] The [[mw:MediaWiki 1.39/wmf.25|new version]] of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from {{#time:j xg|2022-08-16|en}}. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from {{#time:j xg|2022-08-17|en}}. It will be on all wikis from {{#time:j xg|2022-08-18|en}} ([[mw:MediaWiki 1.39/Roadmap|calendar]]). * [[File:Octicons-sync.svg|12px|link=|alt=|Recurrent item]] Some wikis will be in read-only for a few minutes because of a switch of their main database. It will be performed on {{#time:j xg|2022-08-16|en}} at 07:00 UTC ([https://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=dblists/s1.dblist targeted wikis]) and on {{#time:j xg|2022-08-18|en}} at 7:00 UTC ([https://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=dblists/s8.dblist targeted wikis]). * The [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Help:Extension:WikiEditor/Realtime_Preview|Realtime Preview]] will be available as a Beta Feature on wikis in [https://noc.wikimedia.org/conf/highlight.php?file=dblists%2Fgroup1.dblist Group 1]. This feature was built in order to fulfill [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Community_Wishlist_Survey_2021/Real_Time_Preview_for_Wikitext|one of the Community Wishlist Survey proposals]]. '''Future changes''' * The Beta Feature for [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Help:DiscussionTools|DiscussionTools]] will be updated throughout August. Discussions will look different. You can see [[mw:Special:MyLanguage/Talk pages project/Usability/Prototype|some of the proposed changes]]. [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk_pages_project/Usability#4_August_2022][https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk_pages_project/Usability#Phase_1:_Topic_containers][https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T312672] '''''[[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News|Tech news]]''' prepared by [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/Writers|Tech News writers]] and posted by [[m:Special:MyLanguage/User:MediaWiki message delivery|bot]]&nbsp;• [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News#contribute|Contribute]]&nbsp;• [[m:Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2022/33|Translate]]&nbsp;• [[m:Tech|Get help]]&nbsp;• [[m:Talk:Tech/News|Give feedback]]&nbsp;• [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/Tech ambassadors|Subscribe or unsubscribe]].'' </div><section end="technews-2022-W33"/> 21:09, 15 August 2022 (UTC) <!-- Message sent by User:Quiddity (WMF)@metawiki using the list at https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_message_delivery/Targets/Tech_ambassadors&oldid=23658001 --> q5itmk8mkgfy96v1dl1g061azdmrf3u 0 188947 4501983 4500140 2022-08-16T08:14:42Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Bordua''', also known as Bordowa, is in Nagaon district, [[Assam]], and is known as the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev, born in 1494 AD. A lot of foreigners come to visit here to learn Sattriya dance and also do some research on Vaishnavism, the worship of the God Vishnu of the Hindu trinity. Bordua is known for *'''Bordua Than or Satra''' established in 1465AD *'''Aliphukhuri''' a pious pond 600 years old * '''Laikhuta''' a pillar planted by Changkhan, a Muslim tailor who first saw Sankardev's greatness and sainthood. *'''Namghariya Sanskriti''' a monolithic culture of believing in one God and no idol worship established by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev * '''Bel Gosh''' a tree nearly 600 years old near Alipukhuri and Bordua Than, the leaves of which are used for anjali, the offerings to God and also for prasad distribution. == Understand == Spoken languages in the area are Assamese and Hindi, with English spoken by a few people in the area. ===Climate=== Pleasant and calm temperature around 9-14° winter. Rainy season, June to September. Summer season in April to May temperature 19-28°. Calm and pleasant April to May, temperature around 19-21°. October to March is winter. Best time to visit is during Holi or Dol Jatra during the first week of March. ===Dol Jatra Mela=== Dol Jatra or Poornima of Fagun held during first week of March every year is festival of colours and love and devotion. == Get in == ===By plane=== Fly to [[Guwahati]] and then travel by road. ===By train=== Nearest railway station is Raiding 3 km away. *'''Nagaon railway station''' is 18 km away, Tempo service available. *'''Haiborgaon junction''' is 17 km away from Bordua Tempo service available. == Get around == {{Mapframe|26.4107|92.5516|zoom=14}} Bus and taxi services are available. Tempo service available. TomTom e-rickshaw service available. == See == Srimanta Than in and around Raas and during Holi the festival of colours locally known as Dol Yatra. == Do == Famous for research work on Sattriya and Vaishnavism. == Buy == Buy Virdavani vastra, Muga and Pat silk clothes. Assamese Japi, Gamosa, Sarai, etc. == Eat == Eat fish and rice products. Bordua is known for kumal rice. == Drink == == Sleep == In Bordua one can stay in an AirBNB; otherwise, look at [[Nagaon#Sleep]] only 18 km away. == Connect == == Go next == [[Kaziranga National Park|Kazirnaga National Park]] is around 80 km away. [[Tezpur]], [[Sibsagar]], [[Guwahati]], [[Tawang]] {{outlinecity}} {{geo|26.4107|92.5516}} {{IsPartOf|Central Assam and Barak Valley}} 3onixiy4t3r32bbugciox0kj8wuyzsl 2 189256 4501794 4357366 2022-08-16T01:03:31Z DaGizza 162256 /* Postclassical */ +2 wikitext text/x-wiki Rather than overload [[Wikivoyage:Requested articles]] and/or [[Talk:Historical travel]] with suggestions and red links, I will keep a collection of ideas for history-based travel topics here. For completeness, I will include some blue links which will help give an idea of how exhaustive Wikivoyage's current coverage is for a particular period of history and for a particular region. ==Africa== *[[Sahelian Kingdoms]] *[[Solomonic Dynasty]] *[[Nok culture]] ==Americas== *[[Inca Empire]] *[[Maya civilization]] *[[Aztec Empire]] *[[Muisca Confederation]] *[[Zapotec civilization]] *[[Mississippian culture]] *[[Norte Chico civilization]] ==Asia== ===Central Asia/Steppe=== *[[Scythians]] *[[Tocharians]] *[[Göktürks]] ===South Asia/Indian Subcontinent=== ====Classical and preclassical==== *[[Indus Valley Civilisation]] *[[Maurya Empire]] *[[Gupta Empire]] *[[Kushan Empire]] *[[Satavahana Empire]] ====Postclassical==== *[[Delhi Sultanate]] *[[Vijayanagara Empire]] *[[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty]] *[[Pala Empire]] *[[Hoysala Empire]] *[[Eastern Ganga dynasty]] ===Early modern and colonial=== *[[Gorkha Kingdom]] *[[Mughal Empire]] *[[British Raj]] and other Colonial India *[[Sikh Empire]] (overlaps and partially redundant to [[Sikhism]]) *[[Maratha Empire]] ====Multiperiod==== *[[Ahom Kingdom]] *[[Chola dynasty]] *[[Anuradha Kingdom]] ===Southeast Asia=== *[[Srivijaya]] *[[Khmer Empire]] *[[Majapahit]] *[[Pagan Kingdom]] *[[Malacca Sultanate]] *[[Ayutthaya Kingdom]] *[[Lê dynasty]] ==Europe== ===Classical=== *[[Ancient Greece]] *[[Roman Empire]] *[[Thracians]] *[[Dacians]] *[[Etruscans]] ===Migration Period=== *[[Huns]] *[[Goths]] *[[Vandals]] ==Oceania== *[[Lapita culture]] 8wexqqwoaatxhm0zeepb8rqf7yfo7ow 2 189734 4502118 4494205 2022-08-16T10:43:13Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Upcoming trips */ wikitext text/x-wiki <div align="center"> {| style="background: #ADD8E6; border: 1px solid #abc; text-align: center; padding-left: .3em; margin-bottom: 1.5em" | style="text-align:center" | <div align="left"> {| |- | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | ===My records=== This could go on, but I will hopefully add more to this: * Northernmost – {{Flag|Norway}} [[Tromsø]]. (≈69.695°) * Southernmost – {{Flag|Australia}} {{Flag|Victoria (Australia)}} Southern tip of [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] ([[Wilsons Promontory]]) (≈-39.136) * Easternmost – {{Flag|New Zealand}} [[Auckland]], [[North Island]] (let's hope my future trip to [[Fiji]] sometime in the near future will change this) * Westernmost – {{Flag|United States}} {{flag|California}} [[Point Reyes National Seashore]], [[California]] * Longest flight – {{IATA|SYD}} - {{IATA|OSL}} (21.5 hours) * Closest to equator – {{Flag|Singapore}} [[Singapore/Sentosa and Harbourfront|Sentosa]], Singapore (≈1°) * Highest point in elevation – {{flag|USA}} {{flag|California}} Tioga Pass, [[Yosemite National Park]] (> 3,100 metres) * Lowest point in elevation – {{flag|United States}} {{flag|California}} Badwater Basin, [[Death Valley National Park|Death Valley]] (-87 metres) * Longest train ride – [[Sydney]] - [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] (2 hours) * Longest bus ride – [[Cairns]] - [[Townsville]] (6 hours) * Longest journey by bike – [[Sydney/City|Sydney CBD]] - [[Sydney/Parramatta|Parramatta]] (60+ kilometres) * Longest trail by foot (timewise) – multiple trails, some of which are private (45 km, 4 days) * Longest distance on unsealed roads – 253 km ([[Mungo National Park]]) | style="vertical-align:top;width:50%;" | ===Upcoming trips=== I don't plan much ahead, so this list is a lot shorter than it would be. Trips within 500 kilometres from Sydney CBD are not included here. 2022/12 * {{flag|Tasmania}} several cities, convict sites and national parks to see the amazing [[Tasmanian Wilderness]]. 2023/06 * {{flag|Hawaii}} to [[Hawaii Volcanoes National Park]] and [[Haleakalā National Park|Haleakalā National Park]] or {{flag|Cambodia}} [[Siem Reap]] / [[Angkor Archeological Park]] and {{flag|Thailand}} [[Ayutthaya]] 2023/12 * {{flag|New Zealand}} [[South Island]], [[New Zealand]] – [[Fiordland National Park]], [[Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park]]: ::Possibly [[Mount Aspiring National Park]], [[Westland Tai Poutini National Park]], [[Tongariro National Park]] or [[Egmont National Park]] |} |} </div> </div> ge0c2k085j8175o7mj7czmzg931d3qs 3 190867 4501626 4496141 2022-08-15T14:58:51Z 212.24.193.126 wikitext text/x-wiki 4501629 4501626 2022-08-15T15:19:53Z Antandrus 219504 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/212.24.193.126|212.24.193.126]] ([[User talk:212.24.193.126|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Antandrus|Antandrus]] wikitext text/x-wiki {| style="width: 100%; border: 1px solid #060; background: #dfd; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;" |- | style="width: 20%; text-align:left; font-size: 90%" | ← [[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2022|2022]] | style="text-align: center" | '''Archives for 2023''' | style="width: 20%; text-align:right; font-size: 90%" | ([[User talk:SHB2000/Archive {{CURRENTYEAR}}|current]]) [[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2024|2024]] → |} {{talkarchive}} ---- 5k453ofdum0ew2uogiubj953s8bs6h9 4502003 4501629 2022-08-16T08:28:12Z 200.87.91.78 wikitext text/x-wiki 4502004 4502003 2022-08-16T08:28:29Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/200.87.91.78|200.87.91.78]] ([[User talk:200.87.91.78|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Antandrus|Antandrus]] wikitext text/x-wiki {| style="width: 100%; border: 1px solid #060; background: #dfd; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;" |- | style="width: 20%; text-align:left; font-size: 90%" | ← [[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2022|2022]] | style="text-align: center" | '''Archives for 2023''' | style="width: 20%; text-align:right; font-size: 90%" | ([[User talk:SHB2000/Archive {{CURRENTYEAR}}|current]]) [[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2024|2024]] → |} {{talkarchive}} ---- 5k453ofdum0ew2uogiubj953s8bs6h9 4502005 4502004 2022-08-16T08:29:07Z SHB2000 2248002 Protected "[[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2023]]": Excessive vandalism ([Edit=Allow only template editors and administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only template editors and administrators] (indefinite)) wikitext text/x-wiki {| style="width: 100%; border: 1px solid #060; background: #dfd; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px;" |- | style="width: 20%; text-align:left; font-size: 90%" | ← [[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2022|2022]] | style="text-align: center" | '''Archives for 2023''' | style="width: 20%; text-align:right; font-size: 90%" | ([[User talk:SHB2000/Archive {{CURRENTYEAR}}|current]]) [[User talk:SHB2000/Archive 2024|2024]] → |} {{talkarchive}} ---- 5k453ofdum0ew2uogiubj953s8bs6h9 0 191132 4501599 4501549 2022-08-15T13:41:27Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Budget */ Updated listing for CBD Dumpling House wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Civic banner 1.jpg|pgname=Civic}} [[File:NewActon Precinct.jpg|thumb|300px|The NewActon Precinct]] Officially known as Canberra's '''city''', '''Civic''' is what is now Walter Burley Griffin's design for a Civic Centre. Established in 1927, it's one of the oldest centres of Canberra and is the capital's central business district, surrounded by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] and [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]]. Though not particularly large and has very few tall sky-rise buildings, it's the only CBD of its size located in inland Australia (the next closest you could find is [[Toowoomba]] CBD). There isn't one agreed way to call this district, but Wikivoyage has chosen to go with "Civic" for simplicity. Other names for Civic include the city, Canberra CBD, or Canberra City Centre. What you see on signage may also be confusing, as whoever designed them couldn't pick a name for consistency. ==Understand== ===History=== {{infobox|Why are there few high-rise buildings in Civic?|If you're unaware of the exact specifications that the National Capital Plan requires, then you might wonder why there are few high-rise buildings in the downtown area of a city of 467,000. Especially when other Australian cities of a similar size like [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] and [[Sunshine Coast]] have many, why can't Canberra have many, especially when it's Australia's capital? The answer lies within the [https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/DownloadFile/ni/2008-27/copy/82874/PDF/2008-27.PDF RL 617 requirements] (a document which simply sums up building restrictions in Civic), which states that no building can exceed 617 meters in elevation. However, Civic itself is 567 m, capping the maximum at around 50 m (about 14 storeys). The primary reason was so Parliament House will still dominate the surrounding area.}} Civic was established in 1927, 14 years after Canberra was. It now makes up Burley Griffin's original plan for a Civic Centre with nearby Russell planned to be Canberra's "Market Centre". Instead, Russell is now the headquarters of the <abbr title="Australian Defence Force">ADF</abbr> which has resulted in many markets and malls in Civic, way more than what was in Burley Griffin's original plan. However, due to Civic's height restrictions along with the lack of space, many larger stores and markets can now be found in [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]], Canberra's second largest town centre (excluding Civic and Queanbeyan). Before Civic was established, there wasn't a clear town or city centre – the closest that resembled anything like one was [[Queanbeyan]] town centre, but Queanbeyan is in NSW, not in the ACT. Even though Civic is nearing celebrating its centenary, it's still a relatively new central business district and whilst you'll find a ton of historic buildings and sites in the CBDs of [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]] or even tiny little [[Hobart]], there are very few in Civic, and most would fail the criteria for being "historic" in [[Tasmania]], possibly Sydney and certainly not the Old World (most of it, at least). This has left the few that are considered historic in a Canberran context, to be the major things to "see" in Civic. Canberra's important buildings are mostly not in Civic (they're in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]), whilst museums are scattered throughout Canberra but with only one in Civic. Canberrans also don't tend to really pride in these buildings, so some like the Sydney building may look good on the outside, but are in a state of despair on the inside. Even that said, there are only two important historic buildings or sites in Civic, the '''[[#Sydney and Melbourne buildings|Sydney and Melbourne buildings]]'''. Contrary to all the negativity with Canberra's historic sites, there is one thing that Canberra has that most other Australian cities don't have – a town square. Out of the six state capitals (plus [[Darwin]] for inclusion's sake), only [[Adelaide]] has one: [[Adelaide/City and North Adelaide|Victoria Square]]. However, [[#Civic Square|Civic Square]] was not designed by Burley Griffin (it was completed in 1961, well after Burley Griffin's time) but instead by Yuncken Freeman (an Australian architecture firm) architects, though it was in Griffin's original plan, with the location purposefully chosen to be the centrepiece of Canberra, linking City Hill and [[Canberra/North Canberra#Parks and lookouts|Mount Ainslie]], which has lead to [[#Canberra Theatre|Canberra Theatre]] and several other government buildings popping up. ===Orientation=== The "City" as it's officially called, is divided into five districts. However, in practice, with the exception of NewActon, nobody but the ACT government ever uses these districts and the only time you will ever see these names are on road signs, and these names are not very consistent. Likewise, though this part of Canberra is called "Civic", you will almost never see it on signage; instead, you'll primarily see "City" or if you're somewhere closer to Civic, signs might point out to a specific part of Civic such as City West or City Centre. Strangely, "City Centre"<!--do not decapitalize--> can either mean the entirety of Civic, or it can just refer to the northeast of the district, but in typical ACT fashion, signage is sloppy when picking one area for consistency. <!--these aren't additional districts, this is supposed to resemble something like [[Sydney/City East]]--> <!--City Hill comes first given it's the most prominent – do not alphabetize--> <!--if regionlist fails to display the dynamic map {{mapframe|show=mask1|name=Map of Civic's districts}}--> {{Regionlist |regionmap=Civic regions map.png |regionInteractiveMap=map1 |show=mask1 |height=500 |regionmapsize=500px |regionmaptext=Color-coded map of Civic's districts |regionmapZoom=15 |region1name=City Hill |region1color=#a977df |region1description=The most prominent point of Civic for passer-by visitors containing many trees on a hill and Civic Square, an important location within Civic containing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly Building and a few other buildings. |region2name=City Centre / Civic Centre |region2color=#d09440 |region2description=It's a bit unclear on what this section of Civic is exactly called, but this part of Civic contains Canberra's main shopping precinct, Canberra Centre. Treat yourself to hundreds of stores and restaurants, whether it's for a quick lunch break, Saturday afternoon shopping or whether you'd like to take something home with you from Canberra. |region3name=City East |region3color=#18d04d |region3description=Not the most attractive part of Civic as it's rather just filled with corporate offices but it does get filled with gamblers since it contains Canberra's only purpose-built casino: Casino Canberra. |region4name=City West |region4color=#14a9d2 |region4description=Straddles along the edge of the Australian National University containining many cafes and restaurants. In many retrospects, City West acts as an "in-between" location between the centre and the Australian National University. |region5name=NewActon Cultural and Cinema Precinct (NewActon Precinct)<!--sic - do NOT change to New Acton.--> |region5color=#a8a43e |region5description=Dubbed by ''This is Canberra'' as "[https://thisiscanberra.com/newacton-canberras-little-piece-of-new-york/ Canberra’s little piece of New York]", this vibrant and lively has a whole cafes, bars, cinemas and anything you'd find that characterises cities known for culture like New York City or Melbourne crammed in a single block. Some would classify this new precinct as part of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]], but it's covered in this guide for practical purposes. }} ===Read=== There are few publically available books about Civic, and often those that can be found are only found within Canberra. But in spite of that, it doesn't mean there are few books about Civic – in fact, the '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#National Library of Australia |National Library of Australia]]''' (NLA) in Parliamentary Triangle, South Canberra has a sizable amount about Civic. Many are online-only, and can be found on the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ library's catalogue]. * '''''Civic: the living city''''' by Tony Powell ({{ISBN|9780646449487}}<!--or 0646449486-->). Not a very popular book but it does go into great depths about Civic's city planning and why Civic is planned the way it is. The book is a bit hard to find though; few bookstores in Civic have the book but it can be found at the airport, or alternatively, you may want to borrow it online from the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3546314/Holdings? National Library of Australia] (NLA). ==Get in== As with any city's downtown area, Civic is well-connected by both road and light rail. ===By bus=== [[File:City Bus Interchange.jpg|thumb|250px|ACTION buses at the City Interchange]] All buses to Civic stop at one interchange, {{marker|type=go|name=City Interchange|lat=-35.278476|long=149.130054}}; one of few in Canberra to have both bus and light rail services. Being in the centre of Canberra, there are many lines that connect to the rest of Canberra. The ideal way to get into Civic by bus is using these R-routes (i.e. the main important routes), which as follows: * '''R2''' from [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] to the northwest and the [[Canberra/South Canberra#Buy|Canberra Outlet Centre]] in Fyshwick to the southeast * '''R3''' from Canberra Airport to the east, and Spence/Belconnen to the northwest * '''R4''' from Belconnen to the northwest, and [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] passing [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] to the south. * '''R5''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong in the south, terminating in Civic. * '''R6''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] in the southwest via Barton. If you're arriving from '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#By train|Canberra Railway Station]]''' in Kingston, South Canberra, then use this rapid route. * '''R7''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] also from the southwest * '''R10''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] in the southwest There are also other ordinary bus lines. Unlike the R-routes, services are not very frequent, and these routes come from rather obscure or specific places, such as the Australian Defence Force Academy or the National Museum of Australia. With the exception of bus line '''53''' to/from the National Museum of Australia in [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and the Dickson Shops in [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]], all ordinary bus lines terminate at Civic. Otherwise, the ordinary bus routes as follows: * '''31''' from the Dickson Shops in North Canberra passing Braddon * '''32''' from several interchanges in Belconnen, including Cohen Street Interchange, Westfield Belconnen and Belconnen Interchange and a lot of other minor stops along the way. However, if you're coming to Civic from these interchanges, you're better off taking the R2, 3 or 4 lines that don't go the long and convoluted way. * '''50''' from Watson Terminus in North Canberra, passing the Dickson Shops * '''51''' from the Dickson Shops but passing Lyneham instead * '''54''' from Majura Business Park near the airport * '''55''' from the Australian Defence Force Academy passing the Royal Military College * '''56''' from Fyshwick * '''59''' from Woden Interchange passing the [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] section of Barton * '''182''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong via the Majura Parkway (M23) ===By car=== {{infobox|Finding parking|Though the standard expression anyone will say when heading to a mid-sized or large city's central business district is "Do not drive", driving in Canberra's is actually quite tolerable – except, finding parking can be hard at best, and a nightmare at worst. Luckily for you, parking isn't all that expensive and at the very max, you'll have to pay $16 for a day. Within Civic, there are three main paid carparks, all operated by Secure Parking. There's a fourth one but it's a monthly-only carpark, centred for workers, not travellers. * The first and largest is the parking at '''[[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]]'''. It's a multi-storey carpark, and if you're going to by in the city all day or doing a few hours worth of shopping, you can pay $14 rooftop parking (which actually takes up the top three floors); * {{marker|type=go|name=City West Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/city-west-car-park|lat=-35.2786|long=149.1253}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50 and early-bird parking from $14. * {{marker|type=go|name=Marcus Clarke Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/121-marcus-clarke-car-park|lat=-35.27753|long=149.12546}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50, rooftop parking from $16, and early-bird parking from $14. There's another carpark, {{marker|type=go|name=London Circuit East Parking|lat=-35.2837|long=149.1302}}, but that's not operated by Secure Parking. It does tend to get filled up pretty quickly though. Alternatively, there is street parking available, but very limited in Civic. Need not worry – Braddon just to the north has a reasonably amount of metered street parking along Lonsdale St, and it's cheaper than parking in the Civic too – a win-win if you don't mind the 100-metre walk.}} Being at the centre of Canberra, Civic is well connected by several ways. Many are good quality roads, some of which are freeways, though the prime route which many travellers use is Northbourne Avenue from the north. '''Northbourne Avenue''' (A23) is the main artery connecting Civic to NSW. It runs right through the centre of Civic. If you're entering the ACT via the '''Federal Highway''' (M23), then all you need to do is to simply stay on the same road until you reach Civic. If you're coming from the northern districts – namely, anywhere from [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]], [[Canberra/Hall|Hall]] or from [[New South Wales]] via the '''Barton Highway''' (A25), stay on Barton Highway and once you're at the Federal Hwy/Barton Hwy/Northbourne Ave intersection, turn right onto Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at Civic. '''Parkes Way''' (unnumbered) doesn't exactly pass through Civic, but marks Civic' southern border, bypassing the city, and the easiest and fastest way if you're coming from the [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley]], and [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]]. There are three exits along the freeway, and one massive roundabout at the very end. '''Commonwealth Avenue''' (A23) connects Capital and State Circles to Civic. From Woden use Adelaide Avenue northeast into [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], which should later spit you out onto Commonwealth Avenue. From the [[Canberra/Airport and East|airport]], head west onto Pialligo Drive west and then onto Morshead Drive. Continue until Coranderrk Street from where you'll need to turn right at the massive roundabout and then you've basically arrived at Civic. And if you're coming back from the snow (i.e. the [[Snowy Mountains]]), keep following the Monaro Highway (A23) which later becomes the freeway-grade Majura Parkway (M23) and exit onto Morshead Drive. Once you've exited, turn left until you've arrived at Civic. ===By light rail=== Civic has connections to and [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] passing by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] via Northbourne Avenue (A23). From Gungahlin, the '''R1''' route starts at the town centre and heads east for a few metres until it changes direction and heads south, passing Dickson Interchange before terminating at the {{marker|type=go|name=Alinga Street station|lat=-35.27796|long=149.129325}}, just north of the Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection. The route is fairly short, and services are frequent, so you won't need any special planning ahead to use the light rail. There are plans to extend the line down southwest towards [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] along either Capital or State Circle and Adelaide Avenue through the middle of the freeway. Construction is expected to start soon in 2023 and is projected to open in 2025. {{mapframe|-35.2812|149.1292|zoom=15|name=Map of Civic|align=center|width=100%|height=500}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q4421073}}--> {{Mapshapes|Q16927042}} <!--R1: Canberra Light Rail--> ==See== [[File:Canberra Museum and Gallery viewed from Civic Square.jpg|thumb|250px|The Canberra Museum and Gallery from Civic Square]] [[File:City Hill and Northbourne Avenue viewed from London Circuit.jpg|thumb|250px|Centenary Column from London Cct]] When it comes to things to see, Civic has very little to offer. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, most of Canberra's museums aren't located in Civic but in the areas surrounding Civic such as [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] or [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. Nevertheless, the Civic has some buildings with some unique architecture, making Canberra quite a different CBD compared to other Australian CBDs. Most of Civic's sights are located in {{marker|type=see|name=Civic Square|lat=-35.281269|long=149.131018}}, a small block in 180 London Cct, including the Legislative Assembly building, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Library and Canberra Theatre. Its location was deliberately chosen to be directly in line with [[Canberra/North Canberra#In nature reserves|Mount Ainslie]]; if you want to see it for real, stand at the very centre of the lookout, and whilst Anzac Parade will certainly take the spotlight, look a bit to the right and you'll see the square perfectly in line with City Hill and Ainslie Avenue. * {{see | name=Artworld ADG | alt= | url=http://www.aboriginaldream.com/ | email=dream@aboriginaldream.com | address=cnr London Cct and Gordon St | lat=-35.2823 | long=149.1252 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 2922 | tollfree= | hours=F {{time|11AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the [[Canberra/Gungahlin, Belconnen and Hall#Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery|Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery]] in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Museum and Gallery | alt=CMAG | url=http://www.cmag.com.au/ | email=cmag@act.gov.au | address=176 London Cct | lat=-35.2807 | long=149.131 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 3968 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q495518 | content=A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. Also features the ''Sydney Nolan Collection'' - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist. }} * {{see | name=Glebe Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr Bunda St, Akuna St and Cooyong St | lat=-35.28227 | long=149.13629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5567441 | lastedit=2022-06-30 | content=Where's Canberra's Hype Park you ask? This small 40-ha park is a remnant of land that was allocated in the 1840s to the Anglican church, but today is a nice spot to go for a stroll. If you're into photography and want to see some autumn colours, the leaves have a strong autumn foliage, making it a great spot for photography. }} * {{see | name=Sydney and Melbourne buildings | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr London Cct and Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.279 | long=149.13 | directions=the Sydney Building is on the east side of Northbourne Avenue, and the Melbourne Building is on the west side | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=These two large buildings in the centre of Civic were the first commercially-funded buildings in Canberra, and have been important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both buildings are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in [[Florence]], Italy. They are occupied by a mix of restaurants (most of which are quite good), nightclubs, pubs and small businesses, but much of the Sydney Building is in a fairly poor state of repair. Plans to revitalise the buildings are regularly proposed, but never go far. }} There are a few memorials and monuments in Civic, though only a fraction when you compare it to just ANZAC Avenue alone in Campbell, [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]]. They're not popular destinations, and if you're time limited, you can see them while driving and still not miss anything important or notable about these memorials and monuments. * {{see | name=ACT Memorial | alt=Australian Capital Territory Memorial | url=http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/ | email= | address=London Cct / Vernon Circle | lat=-35.2808 | long=149.132 | directions=opposite Civic Square | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4650886 | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Centenary Column | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2814 | long=149.129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q18386365 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate the Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded, but was never completed. }} [[File:ACT Legislative Assembly building November 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|The Legislative Assembly Building in November 2021]] Civic has its fair share of government offices, both a mix of federal (that's no surprise as it's the ACT) and territory government offices. Most of the territory buildings are of little interest, and if you're to be honest, would you really want to go and visit some random old building that you cannot enter? The same goes with federal, except there aren't any of interest as all of the important ones are in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{see | name=Legislative Assembly Building | alt= | url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/ | email=laeducation@parliament.act.gov.au | address=Civic Square, London Circuit | lat=-35.2816 | long=149.1312 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6205 3016 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6518198 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly Building, also known as the South Building, which although may first seem like any other "government building", the building does indeed have some educational programs, and you can make a booking if you want to visit the assembly – see the [https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn website] for more details. }} * {{see | name=Reserve Bank of Australia Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=20-22 London Cct | lat=-35.2804 | long=149.127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q60746498 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=A heritage-listed bank building designed by Howlett and Bailey in 1962 and built from 1963 to 1965 by Civil & Civic which was the old RBA building (the current RBA head office is now in Sydney). It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. }} ==Do== [[File:Casino Canberra Sign .jpg|thumb|250px|Outside Casino Canberra]] Civic isn't really a place to "do" things. Perhaps humorously, the most strenuous thing is maneuvering around the city, scrambling for parking or if it's not a very good day, then maybe both. While there have been several entertainment venues that have opened and closed in Civic, many have closed and in some cases like the former Center<!--sic--> Cinema, have been taken over by dining establishments. * {{do | name=Casino Canberra | alt= | url=http://casinocanberra.com.au | email= | address=21 Binara St | lat=-35.2833 | long=149.134 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6243 3700 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|12PM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1047578 | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=Perhaps Canberra's equivalent of Melbourne's Crown Casino, with multiple gambling areas, a sports bar, and an eatery but the casino is quite compact. }} * {{do | name=Canberra Theatre Centre | alt=Canberra Theatre | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2818 | long=149.1305 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2878077 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Canberra’s central performing arts venue, Australia’s first performing arts centre, and the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed having opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet. }} * {{do | name=Palace Electric Cinemas | alt= | url=http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/electric/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, 2 Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.12301 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6222 4900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=There's not a whole lot that's very unique to this cinema, except, this is primarily how NewActon's full name came to be. It has a bit of a modern and traditional look, but the choice is limited. }} ==Buy== [[File:Temporary picnic area in Garema Place October 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|City Walk]] There are three major shopping precincts in Civic: * {{buy | name=Canberra Centre | alt= | url=http://canberracentre.com.au | email= | address=Bunda St | lat=-35.2794 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247-5611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5031247 | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Canberra's second largest shopping mall covering a large section of Canberra's shopping district. It has department stores, food hall and eateries, specialty shops for adults and kids fashion both upmarket and basic. There are also electronics, books, CDs, souvenirs and Australian made products. }} * '''City Walk''' (coloured teal on the map) is an outdoor pedestrian mall in Civic that is home to a large range of shopping outlets, alfresco dining and a few bars. The mall is also home to the Canberra Merry-Go-Round and the Canberra Times fountain. **'''Garema Place''' is not part of City Walk, but it's just a spur from City Walk that also has lots of restaurants and stores. There's also a small hidden path to access it from Bunda Street just next to Gus' Place, but it's very easy to miss. * '''Petrie Plaza''' is a shorter pedestrian mall that was created in 1965 by pedestrianising Petrie Street. It doesn't have as many stores or dining precincts as City Walk does, but it's got a lot in the centre (whether it be the gardens, sculptures, a carousel etc.). All three are within the northeast of Civic (within what you see in red under Civic Centre as seen [[#Orientation|on the map]]). They're all essentially interconnected and some would argue that City Walk and Petrie Plaza are simply a part of the greater Canberra Centre. If you're just doing some shopping in Canberra, chances are, you might not even realise that you've left Canberra Centre and its "sub-malls" as they're very interconnected. Do be aware that finding a place to park your car can get very tricky, even on weekends, and it gets chaotic on weekends. There are a few carparks, but these aren't large when you compare it to the average Westfield in the Big 5. In typical ACT fashion, signage is poor and sloppy and you might need to scramble, make a few wrong left turns, have accidentally ended up on the highly pedestrianised Bunda Street (which can take you a few minutes to get from one end to the other) before finally reaching the centre's carparks. ===Book and gift stores=== If you're a person into books, souvenirs or want to take some gifts for those back home, Civic has several book and gift stores. Like all other stores in Civic, most are in either Canberra Centre or the pedestrian malls. * {{buy | name=Australian Choice | alt= | url=https://australianchoice.com.au/ | email=contact@australianchoice.com.au | address=Shop 12, Ground Floor, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=see [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 2 6257 5315 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=A family owned gift store that has an extensive range of souvenirs for you to take home. However, a lot of the souvenirs here are more "Australia specific" rather than Canberra specific, but there's a common Indigenous theme that distinguishes this shop from your average souvenir store. }} * {{buy | name=Dymocks Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.dymocks.com.au/stores/act/dymocks-canberra | email= | address=Shop CL17 Canberra Centre, Bunda Street, Civic | lat=-35.28042 | long=149.1328 | directions=behind the escalators in the Canberra Centre's food court | phone=+61 2 6257 5057 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=While part of a fairly unexciting national chain, this branch of Dymocks has an unusually well-chosen stock. Other, and less interesting, Dymocks branches are located in Belconnen Mall and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. }} * {{buy | name=Robinsons Bookshop Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.robinsonsbooks.com.au/robinsonsbooks-v02.php | email=canberracentre@robinsonsbooks.com.au | address=Shop DF24, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=next to the Apple Store in [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 3 9783 6488 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9AM–5:30PM; F 9AM–9PM; Sa 9AM–5PM; Su 10AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-28 | content=There's a lot of unexpected finds in this bookshop, but the range is rather limited and is slightly pricey compared to other Canberran bookshops. }} ===Clothing stores=== If you're heading out to the [[Snowy Mountains|Snowies]] and forgot to bring your puffy jacket or skipants, then need not worry, there are plenty of clothing stores in Civic that'll have them. Clothing as a whole can be a bit more expensive and cheaper than the price you'll find in Sydney at the same time, but range and variety isn't compromised (so no American chains that've left Australia for ripping Australians with cheap, old-fashioned clothes or even Australian stores that might have a tendency for slack in regional areas). ==Eat== Civic is one of only only places in Canberra where you can find a whole amplitude of [[Australian cuisine#Ethnic cuisines|ethnic cuisines]] to eat, with the other being the [[Canberra/North Canberra|Dickson Shops]] just a few kilometres to the north; unlike Dickson, Civic is not limited to Chinese or East/Southeast Asian cuisine, and you can find plenty of flavours from Italy, India, Turkey – you name it. There are two main precincts in Civic whose specialty ''is'' food, plus the Canberra Centre/City Walk. * '''Canberra Centre''' and '''City Walk''' may be known for shopping, but there are a sizable number of restaurants of all kind. * '''Sydney Building''' and a few surrounding buildings house a number of high-end splurge restaurants (and most of Civic's), as well as a number of Asian and Indian restaurants. * '''City West''' may look like a continuation of the Civic Centre's, but it's ''very'' different – lots of Italian, Japanese (yes, it's Asian, but the Japanese restaurants are somewhat evenly split up), and the further west you go from the Melbourne Building, the more cafes you'll see, reflecting Australia's coffee culture. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Civic Asian Noodle House | alt= | url=https://civicasiannoodlehouseonline.com.au/ | email= | address=Sydney Building, 34 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.278828 | long=149.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5145 (landline), +61 405 558 353 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good laksa and pad thai at reasonable prices (ranging around $15) in a relaxed atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=CBD Dumpling House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop FG13C Canberra Centre (148 Bunda St) | lat=-35.27766 | long=149.1334 | directions=enter from Scotts Crossing | phone=+61 2 6262 8855 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11:30AM|3PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2017-07-29 | content=Large and very popular Asian restaurant. Specialises in dumplings, but has a good mix of other Asian dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Fekerte’s Ethiopian | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2848 | long=149.123 | directions=near Ovolo Nishi | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A budget Ethiopian restaurant with some very flavourful spicy dishes and a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian options. It's one of only three Ethiopian restaurants in Canberra (with one being Ethiopia Down Under in Woden and the other in Civic). Both dine-in and takeaway are available. }} * {{eat | name=Flavours Of Ethiopia | alt= | url=http://flavoursofethiopia.weebly.com/ | email= | address=33 Allara St, City Walk | lat=-35.2832 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 413 655 472 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|11:15AM|8:30PM}} (closed Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Civic's second Ethiopian restaurant (and one of three in Canberra) best known for its curry sauces and samosas, owned by an Ethiopian couple (so it's indeed really authentic). There's plenty of traditionals to choose from with prices no higher than $20 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Happy’s Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.happys.com.au/ | email= | address=1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1316 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6249 7015 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: W–M 11:30AM–2PM (closed Tuesdays); dinner: Su–Th 5–9PM, F Sa 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A simple Cantonese restaurant that's been in this area for quite a long time. The menu is not very extensive, but nearly all of them are value-for-price. The size of the restaurant is a bit small though. }} * {{eat | name=Indo Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.indocafe.com.au/ | email=yetty@indocafe.com.au | address=Ground Floor, Nesuto Apartments, London Cct | lat=-35.2822 | long=149.1326 | directions= | phone=+61 411 038 803 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|3PM}} (closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Though it's called a cafe, it's not really a cafe but just a good place to have some cheap traditional Indonesian eats with takeaway lunch specials priced at $8. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba | alt= | url=https://kebaba.com.au/take-away/ | email= | address=Shop 4, 86-96 Bunda St | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 0346 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 9AM–midnight; Th 9AM–2AM; F Sa 10AM–5AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Has some traditional Turkish adana kebabs, pide and falafel. However, the portions are known to be rather small compared to a typical HSP (halal snack pack). }} * {{eat | name=LanZhou Beef Noodle | alt=Lanzhou Beef Noodle | url=https://www.lanzhoubeefnoodle-canberra.com.au/ | email= | address=28 University Ave | lat=-35.2798 | long=149.1257 | directions= | phone=+61 493 395 023 | tollfree= | hours=Su–F {{time|11AM|8:15PM}} (closed Saturdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A small noodle shop that brings the flavours from [[Lanzhou]] (a city in northwest China) and best known for its Lanzhou beef noodles. There are some rather exotic meals on the menu, but otherwise nearly everything found is either chicken or beef. }} * {{eat | name=Ming’s Pantry | alt=Ming’s Pantry Malaysian Street Food | url=https://www.facebook.com/139362503406102/posts/mings-pantry-malaysian-street-food/442671839741832/ | email= | address=Mayfair Building, G22/45 West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1273 | directions= | phone=+61 451 304 030 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|9PM}}; Sa {{time|11AM|2:30PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–21:00">5–9PM</abbr> (closed Su). | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=There isn't a whole lot to say about this place – except that you can get some really good yet cheap Malaysian food. The signature chicken and many of their other dishes tend to be a bit large, but who doesn't want to share a meal? (unless you're [[travelling alone]]). }} * {{eat | name=Ms Ba Cô | alt=Ms. Ba Cô | url=https://www.msbaco.com/ | email=msbacostreetfood@gmail.com | address=4-6/108 Bunda St | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 5396 | tollfree= | hours=Daly {{time|8AM|8PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Though it's only a budget restaurant, it's a Vietnamese favourite in Canberra. It's a family-owned restaurant, so there's some family recipes too and its name, ''Ba Cô '', translates to "three girls" in English, symbolising the family's three daughters. }} * {{eat | name=Wild Panda | alt= | url=https://wildpanda.com.au/ | email=info@wildpanda.com.au | address=40 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2786 | long=149.1268 | directions=next to Subway | phone=+61 408 579 666 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="11:00–21:00">11AM–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=A Western Chinese restaurant that veers towards the higher end of a budget restaurant, with portions surprisingly, not as large as many other Chinese restaurants. Through quality ain't their strong point, their hot noodles and dumplings are. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bicicletta Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bicicletta.com.au/ | email=gallery.rest@peppers.com.au | address=1/15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2846 | long=149.1239 | directions=near Peppers Gallery Hotel | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 5–10PM (closed Su M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Find some excellent homemade pizza, pasta and other Italian favourites in this authentic Italian restaurant, but with local ingredients. The wine list is a pretty selective one, and so are the daily specials. }} * {{eat | name=Blu Ginger | alt= | url=https://www.bluginger.com.au/ | email= | address=2/5-21 Genge St | lat=-35.2770 | long=149.13205 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 2228 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–3PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Lots of authentic classic curries in a very traditional, cozy setting that resembles a traditional Indian structure. It's best known for its butter chicken and korma, but their other options are also well worth a try. The tables can fill up quickly, so try and make a [https://www.bluginger.com.au/book-a-table/ booking] if you can. }} * {{eat | name=Briscola Italian | alt= | url=http://briscolapizzeria.com.au/ | email= | address=60 Alinga St | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1283 | directions=in ground floor of Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6248 5444 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: T–Su noon–2PM (closed Mondays), Dinner: Su–Th 5:30–8:30PM; F Sa 5:30–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Discover some "old fashioned" as dubbed by the restaurant themselves with some good classic Southern Italian cuisine. It won the Canberra’s Best Italian Restaurant award in 2015, and it's always been family owned by traditional Italians. }} * {{eat | name=Chez Kimchi | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/chezkimchi/ | email= | address=68/70 Bunda St | lat=-35.2779 | long=149.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5525 | tollfree= | hours=M Tu closed, W Th Su 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Korean restaurant with a good variety of chicken available. You can't go past the Gangjung, a very flavourful and tasty chicken and Chez Kimchi's local specialty. }} * {{eat | name=The City Labor Club | alt=Canberra Labor Club | url=https://www.laborclub.com.au/venues/city/ | email=admin@laborclub.com.au | address=16 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.2799 | long=149.1317 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 0404 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 9AM–midnight, Th F 9AM–1AM, Sa 10AM–1AM, Su 10AM–midnight | price= | lastedit=2022-06-09 | content=It's Civic's branch of the Canberra chain Canberra Labor Club with a nice relaxed atmosphere with rather spacious lounges with modern Australian cuisine. The modern Australian restaurant has great cocktails, lunch, gaming machines and Wi-Fi. }} * {{eat | name=Edo Tori | alt= | url=https://www.edotori.com.au/ | email=info@edotori.com.au | address=43 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2789 | long=149.1287 | directions=in Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 5119 2494 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:30AM–late | price=Feed me menu: {{AUD|59}}; lunch express: {{AUD|39}}; Zeitaku feed me {{AUD|89}}pp | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=A modern Australianised Japanese restaurant with the strange slogan "Save Water, Drink Beer" with a strong emphasis on drinks. It's borderline between mid-range and splurge, but the quality is worth the bucks. Oh, and not to forget, if you're a sushi craver, they have sushi; it's somewhat discreet. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba Turkish Grill Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kebaba-Turkish-Grill-Bar-1739731602996311/ | email= | address=11 East Row | lat=-35.27934 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 4757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Turkish grill bar that offers both dining in and takeaway. Depending on what you order, there is a chance that you can see your own meal being made. }} * {{eat | name=Kinn Thai | alt= | url=http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/canberra/ | email=canberra@kinnrestaurant.com.au | address=Shop FG03, Canberra Centre | lat= -35.2775776| long=149.1324284 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1277 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A Thai restaurant with street food (or specifically street lunch) with great Thai chicken, seafood and has a great variety of vegetarian options. Chilli basin chicken, anyone? }} * {{eat | name=Koko Black | alt= | url=https://www.kokoblack.com/ | email= | address=Bunda St, Canberra Centre North Quarter | lat=-35.27971 | long=149.1328 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Warm and tasty chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as an innovative and interesting hot chocolate and drink menu. Nice, welcoming decor. }} * {{eat | name=Madam Lu Malaysian Restaurant | alt= | url=https://madamlu.net/ | email= | address=20/42 West Row | lat=-35.278993 | long=149.1279 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5201 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Malaysian restaurant but with many Chinese inspired dishes. However, do be aware that the food here come in large portions, and so be careful in what you order – it could be larger than what you might be expecting. }} * {{eat | name=Močan & Green Grout | alt=Močan and Green Grout | url=https://mocanandgreengrout.net/ | email= | address=1/19 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.1250 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 2909 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7AM|4PM}} (kitchen closes {{time|2PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A classic ordinary typical modern-Australian restaurant, but it has an open-air kitchen. Unfortunately, the menu is very limited and there's a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays. }} * {{eat | name=The Golden Drum | alt= | url= | email= | address=1/14 Childers St | lat=-35.2791 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 1882 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM Sa Su 5–9PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=Classic traditional Chinese restaurant with lots of beef and pork options. Do be aware that there are some items on this menu that may seem "exotic", but there are plenty of meals that aren't. }} * {{eat | name=Zoo Bar | alt= | url=https://www.zoobar.com.au/ | email=info@zoobar.com.au | address=Level 3, 17 London Cct | lat=-35.28025 | long=149.1263 | directions= | phone=1300 966 227 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Tu W 11AM–10PM; Th 11AM–1AM; F 11AM–3AM; Sa 3PM–3AM (closed Su M) | price= | lastedit=2022-06-18 | content=Best known for its wide range of cocktails and beers available. There's some great modern Australian cuisine available in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. If you're here on a Saturday night, Zoo Bar is known to go full on and claims itself as the "new home of music in the capital"<!--src: https://www.zoobar.com.au/home/milehigh-->. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Akiba | alt= | url=http://www.akiba.com.au/ | email= | address=40 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 0602 | tollfree= | hours=M–W <abbr title="17:00–23:00">5–11PM</abbr>; Th–Su <abbr title="11:30–00:00">11:30AM–midnight</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Asian BBQ store with some great flavours and cocktails, particularly specialising in Japanese cuisine and barbecue. Do be aware though, that the portions are very large, so don't go ordering too much. }} * {{eat | name=Courgette Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.courgette.com.au/ | email= | address=54 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.276251 | long=149.1269 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa <abbr title="12:00–15:00">noon–3PM</abbr>, <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr> (closed Sundays) | price= | content=Sister restaurant to [[Canberra/South Canberra#Aubergine Restaurant|Aubergine Restaurant]], fine dining. And as the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant specialises in zucchini based meals. }} * {{eat | name=Iori Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.iori.com.au/ | email= | address=41 East Row | lat=-35.278923 | long=149.1304 | directions=in Sydney Building | phone=+61 2 6257 2334 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr>; Fr Sa <abbr title="18:00–21:30">6–9:30PM</abbr>; closed Sundays | price=Minimum $40 per person | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Japanese restaurant with some cosy settings with a mix of Japanese and Western food. The lighting tends to be quite nice, also being a mix of Western and Japanese styles. A particularly popular special of theirs is the Seared Salmon Roll. }} * {{eat | name=SoLita Pizzeria, Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://solita.com.au/ | email= | address=143 London Cct | lat=-35.279526 | long=149.1307 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1010 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th noon–2PM, 5–9PM, Fr noon–2PM, 5–9:30PM, Sa 5–9:30PM, closed Su M | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A mix of Naples (an Italian city in Campania, Southern Italy) cuisine and Australian cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from "'''So'''uth of '''Li'''ttle I'''ta'''ly", and the range of pasta coming from Canberra may surprise you – because there's quite a lot. }} * {{eat | name=The Meat & Wine Co. | alt= | url=https://themeatandwineco.com/canberra-restaurants/canberra-cbd/ | email=canberra@themeatandwineco.com | address=Ground Floor, 220 London Cct | lat=-35.283035 | long=149.131247 | directions=cnr Constitution Ave and London Cct | phone=+61 2 5134 5988 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|noon|10PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=It's one of Canberra's finest steak restaurants and has an excellent selection of wine (they've very nitpicky with the selection; only the finest make it). It's got a bit of a traditional yet modern feel and look. There are two things that this restaurant is known for: its diverse a la carte menu and [https://themeatandwineco.com/aged/ "aged"] steak. }} * {{eat | name=Wilma | alt= | url=https://wilmabbq.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Genge St. | lat=-35.277491 | long=149.1318 | directions=cnr Bunda and Genge Streets | phone=+61 2 6171 2092 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-08 | content=Sister to several Canberran restaurants, this splurge restaurant perhaps has some of the finest seafood and barbecue meat one could find in Canberra. Base banquets are from $75 per person while baller banquets are $95 per person. }} ===Cafes=== [[File:Gus' Place September 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Gus's cafe – what was the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra is now an all common sight in Civic]] * {{eat | name=Brew and Brew Cafe | alt= | url=https://thebrewandbrew.com.au/ | email=hello@thebrewandbrew.com.au | address=2 Constitution Ave | lat=-35.2838 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 6927 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F {{time|6AM|3PM}}; espresso bar: M–F {{time|6AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content=A cafe and a bar with lots of savory treats and a wide range of meat and bread. A la carte breakfast and lunch are available and have an excellent, fine-picked wine selection, with a strong local emphasis. Wine is picked and only wines from the Canberra region (i.e. the ACT and the wineries in NSW near the ACT) are served. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Olive Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.blueolivecafe.com.au/ | email= | address=56 Alinga St | lat=-35.278427 | long=149.128239 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 4600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Famous for their delicious New York style sandwiches. Great coffee and breakfast menu, wonderful service. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Alibi | alt= | url=http://www.cafealibi.com.au/ | email=enquiries@cafealibi.com.au | address=5 Farrell Pl | lat=-35.2812 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0606 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:15AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Just another ordinary, Australian cafe but with a wide selection of toasties. }} * {{eat | name=East Row Specialty Coffee | alt= | url=https://www.eastrowspecialtycoffee.com.au/ | email=info@eastrowspecialitycoffee.com.au | address=Cnr London Cct and East Row, Sydney Building | lat=-35.2795 | long=149.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 493 050 331 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|7AM|3PM}}; Su {{time|8AM|2PM}} | price=Breakfast: $16–22; lunch: $19–25; sides: $3–8.50 | lastedit=2022-08-05 | content=It's best known for its specialty coffee (well, it's in its name) with an all-day breakfast and has a decent variety for lunch – halloumi burgers, gnocchi, or barramundi, you call it! If you're just popping in for a quick drink on a hot summer day, there are some good smoothies and shakes, but the smoothies and shakes might not be as good as their coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Gus' | alt= | url=https://gusplace.com.au/ | email= | address=8/68 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q5620602 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=This cafe opened in 1969 and later became the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra. It is one of the oldest and best known cafes in Canberra and one of the first European-style cafes in Australia. It has both outdoor and indoor dining areas. }} * {{eat | name=The Moment Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/moment.the.509 | email= | address=Shop EG01B, 148 Bunda St | lat=-35.2788 | long=149.1333 | directions= | phone=+61 410 925 122 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11AM|8PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa {{time|10:30AM|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A bubble tea store (boba tea for speakers of American English) all ranging between $6 and $7 (which is actually quite cheap by Australian standards). }} * {{eat | name=The Whale Tea | alt= | url=https://the-whale-tea-desserts.business.site/ | email= | address=191/260 City Walk | lat=-35.28195 | long=149.1332 | directions= | phone=+61 449 650 027 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11:30AM|8:30PM}}; F Sa {{time|11:30AM|10:30PM}} | price=Medium: $6.80; large: $7.50 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Another bubble tea store with lots of great fruit and milk tea. They've also got some cakes available. }} ==Drink== [[File:Sydney Building.jpg|thumb|250px|The Sydney Building in Civic houses several bars and clubs]] You may encounter that nearly every bar, club and pub is closed during Sundays, but there is always some available at Bunda Street if you're desperate for a drink or two on a Sunday. * {{drink | name=Bleachers Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://bleachers.bar/ | email= | address=33 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2792 | long=149.1287 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 9058 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|11PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A mid-range bar with a large great emphasis on sport (well, that's why it's in its name), and Asaki beer, a type of Japanese beer. The range of food is reasonable, but not very large by Canberra standards. }} * {{drink | name=Cube | alt= | url=http://www.cubenightclub.com.au/ | email= | address=33 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.279652 | long=149.1312 | directions=downstairs from Antigo's cafe | phone=+61 2 6257 1110 | tollfree= | hours=Opens Th 8PM, F 9PM, Sa 10PM, Su 9PM; closes 5AM | price= | content=Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest. }} * {{drink | name=Hippo Co | alt=Hippo Lounge | url=http://www.hippoco.com.au/ | email= | address=Upstairs, 1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.278111 | long=149.1315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights. }} * {{drink | name=King O'Malleys | alt= | url=http://www.kingomalleys.com.au/ | email= | address=131 City Walk | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1311 | directions= | phone=+61 2 625 70111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types. }} * {{drink | name=Mooseheads | alt=East Row - London Cct - City | url=http://www.mooseheads.com.au/ | email= | address=105 London Cct | lat=-35.279366 | long=149.1297 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A bar with local history. It burnt down and was restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout. }} * {{drink | name=Parlour Wine Room | alt= | url=http://www.parlour.net.au/ | email= | address=16 Kendall Ln | lat=-35.284925 | long=149.1239 | directions=Behind Rydges Lakeside | phone=+61 2 6257 7325 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Very intimate comfortable lounge bar, great selection of wines. }} * {{drink | name=PJs in the City | alt= | url=https://pjsinthecity.com/ | email= | address=West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1281 | directions=inside the Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6230 1261 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's with a very casual feel. It's also got a branch in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] in the south. }} * {{drink | name=sideway | alt= | url=http://sidewaybc.com/ | email= | address=Level 1/21 E Row | lat=-35.279249 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 410 476 791 | tollfree= | hours=W–Sa, sometimes on Su 7PM–late | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Located inside the Sydney building, this bar does have a bit of a rough and tumble reputation. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good <abbr title="alcohol">alcos</abbr> available. }} * {{drink | name=The Highball Express | alt= | url=http://www.highballexpress.com.au/ | email=upgrade@highballexpress.com.au | address=1/82 Alinga St, Canberra | lat=-35.278626 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6179 8973 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-09 | content=A high-end pub that specialises in American and Central American drinks – not the ordinary kind of pub in Canberra. }} * {{drink | name=White Rabbit Cocktail Room | alt= | url=http://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/ | email= | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277795 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6257 7779 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail and tapas venue with polished floors and patterned wallpaper, hosting DJ nights. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Novotel Canberra January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|The outside of Novotel in January 2014]] Civic's accommodation is, for the most part, very similar to any other city centre. Generally clean, have decent facilities (by NSW or Queensland standards), but a bit devoid on budget accommodation and bed and breakfasts. The former is because, well, all the cheap accommodation can be found in Gungahlin, and the latter is because all the B&Bs are located right to the north of Civic in Braddon along Northbourne Avenue. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Canberra City YHA | alt= | url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/canberra/canberra-city-backpackers-hostel/ | email=canberracity@yhansw.org.au | address=7 Akuna St | lat=-35.281662 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 9155 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6249 1731 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Beds in a shared dormitory from $26 per night. Double or twin rooms from $76 per night. Family rooms $96 per night. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=BreakFree Capital Tower | alt= | url=https://www.mantrahotels.com/breakfree-capital-tower/ | email=capitaltower.res@breakfree.com.au | address=2 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1261 | directions= | phone=1300 987 603 (domestic) | tollfree=1800 676 241 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained accommodation with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the apartments come with a balcony, laundry and kitchen while outdoor facilities include tennis courts, a spa, a pool and a gym. }} * {{sleep | name=Nesuto Canberra Apartment Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.nesuto.com/canberra | email=reception.canberra@nesuto.com | address=2 Akuna St | lat=-35.2819 | long=149.1327 | directions= | phone=+61 2 622 91234 | tollfree=1800 188 388 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained apartments with all the essentials you can expect to find in a normal apartment. Facilities include an indoor heated pool, a tennis court, a gym, a spa and sauna. There is parking available at the hotel, but a surcharge applies. }} * {{sleep | name=Nishi Boutique Hotel | alt=Ovolo Nishi | url=https://ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi/ | email= | address=25 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 6287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A very unusual shaped boutique hotel with traditional spacious rooms. The precinct includes a bar, a restaurant and an indoor gym, and is known to be LGBT friendly. However, the events hall downstairs can get very noisy during night, disturbing your sleep. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Canberra Hotel | alt= | url=http://novotelcanberra.com.au/ | email=H2796-RE@accor.com | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277615 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6245-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6245 5100 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rate range $150–250 | content=Novotel Canberra accommodates business and convention visitors, and families travelling with children. Directly above the Canberra Coach Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppers Gallery Hotel Canberra | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3T5/index.en.shtml | email= | address=15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2845 | long=149.1238 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A lively art-themed hotel that includes free parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms are fairly spacious, and the staff are known to be very friendly, but housekeeping services are not great. }} * {{sleep | name=QT Canberra | alt=Rydges Lakeside Canberra | url=https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/ | email= reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com | address=1 London Cct | lat=-35.283611 | long=149.125556 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 6244 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata=Q106915568 | content=Rydges Lakeside Canberra is on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, walking distance to Civic. Has large rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a grill and some excellent views over Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sebel Canberra Civic | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4D4/index.en.shtml | email=info@thesebelcanberra.com.au | address=197 London Cct | lat=-35.2815 | long=149.1321 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6267 5675 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A small hotel but with reasonably sized rooms and staff are known to be friendly. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast and laundry service. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/canberra/cbrbs/hoteldetail | email=reservations.cbrbs@ihg.com | address=1 Binara St | lat=-35.2828 | long=149.1348 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6274 5500 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|3PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $300 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A very accessible hotel and the closest to the [[Canberra/Civic#Casino Canberra|the city's only casino]]. It's no different from the global chain's other hotels and includes free parking, a pool, a gym/fitness centre, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. The beds are generally lush, but it comes at a high cost. }} ==Connect== There are plenty of places you can go to in Civic that has [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi], mostly inside restaurants and at the museum. As it's the central business district of a capital city, there is good 5G coverage by all the three major providers. ==Go next== You probably won't be spending much time in Civic, unless you're here for a business trip or decided to book accommodation here, but as Civic is the centrepiece of Canberra, there are a number of other places in Canberra easily accessible from Civic, both by car and by public transport. This list only includes destinations easily accessible via foot. *'''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Commonwealth and Kings Parks|Commonwealth Park]]''' is just southeast of Civic and can be reached on foot simply by crossing the bridge over Parkes Way. Next to Commonwealth Park is Blundell's Cottage in Kings Park, an important historic site of Canberra. *If you haven't already, go explore '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#In Parliamentary Triangle|Parliamentary Triangle]]''', where most of Canberra's important landmarks are. *For university tourers, Australia's top university, the '''[[Canberra/Acton|Australian National University]]''' (ANU) borders Civic right to the west. *This one requires you to go on a little bit of a longer walk, but it's still close by; '''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Anzac Parade|ANZAC Parade]]''' contains most of Canberra's war memorials, including the Australian War Memorial. {{routebox2 |name=Civic |temp1={{AUR|A23}} |directionr1=NE |minorr1=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] → merges with {{AUR|M23}} |majorr1=[[Goulburn]] |directionl1=SE |minorl1= [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] |majorl1= [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp2=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">PARKES WAY</small> |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr2=[[Canberra/Airport and East|Canberra Airport]] |directionl2=W |minorl2=[[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] |majorl2=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo Valley]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r1}} |directionl3=N |minorl3=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] |majorl3=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |directionr3=S |majorr3=END |temp4={{rint|canberra|r2}} |directionl4=NW |minorl4=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorl4=Fraser<!--part of Belconnen--> |directionr4=SE |minorr4=Barton |majorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Fyshwick]] |temp5={{rint|canberra|r3}} |directionl5=NW |majorl5=Spence<!--part of Belconnen--> |minorl5=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |directionr5=E |minorr5=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr5=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Canberra Airport]] |temp6={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl6=N |majorl6=END |directionr6=SW |minorr6=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr6=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp7={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl7=N |majorl7=END |directionr7=S |minorr7=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr7=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |temp8={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl8=N |majorl8=END |directionr8=SW |minorr8=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr8=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |temp9={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl9=N |majorl9=END |directionr9=SW |majorr9=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] |temp10={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl10=N |majorl10=END |directionr10=WSW |minorr10= |majorr10=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.2812|149.1304}} {{Mapmask|-35.2755,149.1268|-35.2768,149.1265|-35.2767,149.1260|-35.2769,149.1258|-35.2790,149.1239|-35.2798,149.1252|-35.2815,149.1238|-35.2817,149.1237|-35.2820,149.1237|-35.2823,149.1239|-35.2828,149.1241|-35.2833,149.1244|-35.2836,149.1246|-35.2843,149.1229|-35.2844,149.1228|-35.2846,149.1225|-35.2852,149.1222|-35.2857,149.1220|-35.2857,149.1228|-35.2857,149.1242|-35.2857,149.1258|-35.2859,149.1281|-35.2860,149.1286|-35.2864,149.1306|-35.2873,149.1336|-35.2866,149.1342|-35.2860,149.1348|-35.2851,149.1355|-35.2838,149.1368|-35.2832,149.1373|-35.2829,149.1374|-35.2826,149.1374|-35.2824,149.1374|-35.2817,149.1370|-35.2777,149.1347|-35.2766,149.1340|-35.2764,149.1338|-35.2762,149.1333|-35.2759,149.1308|-35.2755,149.1268}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13096707314253, -35.27992909174965 ], [ 149.1316332668066, -35.27967400359858 ], [ 149.13169965147972, -35.279509235932245 ], [ 149.1319578140974, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.13196988403797, -35.27941234581911 ], [ 149.1320476680994, -35.279509783333694 ], [ 149.13284964859486, -35.279200500930635 ], [ 149.1329026222229, -35.27907952466047 ], [ 149.13294352591038, -35.279063649932866 ], [ 149.1330836713314, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1331534087658, -35.279067481763946 ], [ 149.13319230079648, -35.2790472277976 ], [ 149.13321979343888, -35.27903135306366 ], [ 149.1332472860813, -35.27901712054095 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#00807b", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13308300077915, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1330749541521, -35.279202143141205 ], [ 149.13299918174744, -35.27923225032907 ], [ 149.1328489780426, -35.279200500930635 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#008080", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13205035030842, -35.2795086885308 ], [ 149.1321026533842, -35.27964334917441 ], [ 149.1319551318884, -35.279696994409086 ], [ 149.1318029165268, -35.27975392400701 ], [ 149.13163393735886, -35.27967400359858 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 2.5, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "City Walk" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13111560046673, -35.27863284148203 ], [ 149.131348952651, -35.27868812960708 ], [ 149.13147702813146, -35.27874232288114 ], [ 149.1315722465515, -35.27879761093145 ], [ 149.13163125514984, -35.27885563597335 ], [ 149.13168154656887, -35.27892132464987 ], [ 149.13173384964466, -35.27900945687383 ], [ 149.13183644413948, -35.27918407882312 ], [ 149.13195379078388, -35.279382786100484 ], [ 149.13211472332478, -35.279657034186634 ], [ 149.13223676383495, -35.27986395128961 ], [ 149.1323460638523, -35.28004951935291 ], [ 149.13243122398853, -35.280198411414815 ], [ 149.13252040743828, -35.28034785059875 ], [ 149.1331735253334, -35.28146343549996 ], [ 149.13363486528394, -35.2822604288437 ], [ 149.13373678922653, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 149.13385212421417, -35.28256258361013 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a977df", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City Hill" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ], [ 149.13015067577362, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.13041353225708, -35.28427258317914 ], [ 149.13188874721527, -35.282608563584446 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282161899871745 ], [ 149.1319102048874, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13084268569946, -35.28001174889661 ], [ 149.13051009178162, -35.27975337660723 ], [ 149.13027942180634, -35.2797008262102 ], [ 149.1282570362091, -35.279477486642406 ], [ 149.12772059440613, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.12744164466858, -35.27946872821543 ], [ 149.12717878818512, -35.27956945006844 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1258054971695, -35.28104960893913 ], [ 149.12538170814514, -35.281540069816195 ], [ 149.12531197071075, -35.28171085460287 ], [ 149.12527441978455, -35.28192105076893 ], [ 149.12539780139923, -35.28214876266643 ], [ 149.12594497203827, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.1263473033905, -35.28379089681325 ], [ 149.12654578685758, -35.28407115104745 ], [ 149.12677645683289, -35.284263825270784 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28437329905706 ], [ 149.12842333316803, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.1291904449463, -35.28458786724879 ], [ 149.12974298000336, -35.28464041447439 ], [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#18d04d", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City East" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ], [ 149.12803709506989, -35.285905916523284 ], [ 149.1287076473236, -35.286002251509196 ], [ 149.1293567419052, -35.28612485950733 ], [ 149.13081049919128, -35.28640510566298 ], [ 149.131840467453, -35.28669848731784 ], [ 149.1333371400833, -35.28719329277496 ], [ 149.13357317447662, -35.28727648985572 ], [ 149.13484454154965, -35.28588840105897 ], [ 149.1362339258194, -35.284377678005434 ], [ 149.13709223270416, -35.28343181965805 ], [ 149.13759648799896, -35.282871305793904 ], [ 149.13615882396698, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13487672805786, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13486063480377, -35.2820217695718 ], [ 149.1344690322876, -35.282183795209214 ], [ 149.13405060768127, -35.28240274825821 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28411931964627 ], [ 149.13121283054352, -35.28337927164811 ], [ 149.13038671016693, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.1301453113556, -35.28453531998911 ], [ 149.12975370883942, -35.28465793020867 ], [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#d09440", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Civic Centre" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28409304586865 ], [ 149.13403451442719, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.282205690540756 ], [ 149.1348499059677, -35.282013011420005 ], [ 149.13487136363983, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13438856601715, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13614809513092, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.1357457637787, -35.279643896574946 ], [ 149.13382530212402, -35.27622804522241 ], [ 149.13320302963257, -35.27617111314595 ], [ 149.1317492723465, -35.27599593727502 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.2757682080764 ], [ 149.12905633449554, -35.27957820848452 ], [ 149.13051545619965, -35.27973585981201 ], [ 149.1308319568634, -35.28000736971214 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.2818159527541 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.2821268673195 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282376473923584 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.282591047406825 ], [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#14a9d2", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City West" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ], [ 149.126797914505, -35.27545726909816 ], [ 149.12655115127563, -35.276766708273065 ], [ 149.12598252296448, -35.27662218926966 ], [ 149.12424981594086, -35.27854908811179 ], [ 149.12385284900665, -35.2789870132731 ], [ 149.1252154111862, -35.279788410186306 ], [ 149.12381529808044, -35.28143059219938 ], [ 149.12368655204773, -35.28173275006229 ], [ 149.12369191646576, -35.2819692206468 ], [ 149.1238421201706, -35.28234582052242 ], [ 149.12401378154755, -35.2826435959283 ], [ 149.12460386753082, -35.28360260045483 ], [ 149.12595570087433, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.12525832653046, -35.28191667168769 ], [ 149.12536025047302, -35.28155758622114 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1273075342178, -35.27951252034082 ], [ 149.12772595882416, -35.27940303998294 ], [ 149.12906169891357, -35.27957382927661 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a8a43e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "NewActon Precinct" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28436454115961 ], [ 149.1267603635788, -35.284268204225086 ], [ 149.12648141384125, -35.28400984551661 ], [ 149.1259503364563, -35.28309901501917 ], [ 149.12462532520294, -35.283589463483246 ], [ 149.1228711605072, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.12263512611386, -35.28443022536742 ], [ 149.12236154079437, -35.28472799310789 ], [ 149.1221845149994, -35.28503013866638 ], [ 149.1220611333847, -35.28546802877896 ], [ 149.12198066711426, -35.2857088673314 ], [ 149.12254929542542, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12359535694122, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12500083446503, -35.285726382834554 ], [ 149.12667453289032, -35.285800823680624 ], [ 149.1280210018158, -35.28591029538875 ], [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> re11efdo8jjqesnf2jb1u6fsozu3qh7 4501613 4501599 2022-08-15T14:02:28Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Drink */ ce wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Civic banner 1.jpg|pgname=Civic}} [[File:NewActon Precinct.jpg|thumb|300px|The NewActon Precinct]] Officially known as Canberra's '''city''', '''Civic''' is what is now Walter Burley Griffin's design for a Civic Centre. Established in 1927, it's one of the oldest centres of Canberra and is the capital's central business district, surrounded by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] and [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]]. Though not particularly large and has very few tall sky-rise buildings, it's the only CBD of its size located in inland Australia (the next closest you could find is [[Toowoomba]] CBD). There isn't one agreed way to call this district, but Wikivoyage has chosen to go with "Civic" for simplicity. Other names for Civic include the city, Canberra CBD, or Canberra City Centre. What you see on signage may also be confusing, as whoever designed them couldn't pick a name for consistency. ==Understand== ===History=== {{infobox|Why are there few high-rise buildings in Civic?|If you're unaware of the exact specifications that the National Capital Plan requires, then you might wonder why there are few high-rise buildings in the downtown area of a city of 467,000. Especially when other Australian cities of a similar size like [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] and [[Sunshine Coast]] have many, why can't Canberra have many, especially when it's Australia's capital? The answer lies within the [https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/DownloadFile/ni/2008-27/copy/82874/PDF/2008-27.PDF RL 617 requirements] (a document which simply sums up building restrictions in Civic), which states that no building can exceed 617 meters in elevation. However, Civic itself is 567 m, capping the maximum at around 50 m (about 14 storeys). The primary reason was so Parliament House will still dominate the surrounding area.}} Civic was established in 1927, 14 years after Canberra was. It now makes up Burley Griffin's original plan for a Civic Centre with nearby Russell planned to be Canberra's "Market Centre". Instead, Russell is now the headquarters of the <abbr title="Australian Defence Force">ADF</abbr> which has resulted in many markets and malls in Civic, way more than what was in Burley Griffin's original plan. However, due to Civic's height restrictions along with the lack of space, many larger stores and markets can now be found in [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]], Canberra's second largest town centre (excluding Civic and Queanbeyan). Before Civic was established, there wasn't a clear town or city centre – the closest that resembled anything like one was [[Queanbeyan]] town centre, but Queanbeyan is in NSW, not in the ACT. Even though Civic is nearing celebrating its centenary, it's still a relatively new central business district and whilst you'll find a ton of historic buildings and sites in the CBDs of [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]] or even tiny little [[Hobart]], there are very few in Civic, and most would fail the criteria for being "historic" in [[Tasmania]], possibly Sydney and certainly not the Old World (most of it, at least). This has left the few that are considered historic in a Canberran context, to be the major things to "see" in Civic. Canberra's important buildings are mostly not in Civic (they're in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]), whilst museums are scattered throughout Canberra but with only one in Civic. Canberrans also don't tend to really pride in these buildings, so some like the Sydney building may look good on the outside, but are in a state of despair on the inside. Even that said, there are only two important historic buildings or sites in Civic, the '''[[#Sydney and Melbourne buildings|Sydney and Melbourne buildings]]'''. Contrary to all the negativity with Canberra's historic sites, there is one thing that Canberra has that most other Australian cities don't have – a town square. Out of the six state capitals (plus [[Darwin]] for inclusion's sake), only [[Adelaide]] has one: [[Adelaide/City and North Adelaide|Victoria Square]]. However, [[#Civic Square|Civic Square]] was not designed by Burley Griffin (it was completed in 1961, well after Burley Griffin's time) but instead by Yuncken Freeman (an Australian architecture firm) architects, though it was in Griffin's original plan, with the location purposefully chosen to be the centrepiece of Canberra, linking City Hill and [[Canberra/North Canberra#Parks and lookouts|Mount Ainslie]], which has lead to [[#Canberra Theatre|Canberra Theatre]] and several other government buildings popping up. ===Orientation=== The "City" as it's officially called, is divided into five districts. However, in practice, with the exception of NewActon, nobody but the ACT government ever uses these districts and the only time you will ever see these names are on road signs, and these names are not very consistent. Likewise, though this part of Canberra is called "Civic", you will almost never see it on signage; instead, you'll primarily see "City" or if you're somewhere closer to Civic, signs might point out to a specific part of Civic such as City West or City Centre. Strangely, "City Centre"<!--do not decapitalize--> can either mean the entirety of Civic, or it can just refer to the northeast of the district, but in typical ACT fashion, signage is sloppy when picking one area for consistency. <!--these aren't additional districts, this is supposed to resemble something like [[Sydney/City East]]--> <!--City Hill comes first given it's the most prominent – do not alphabetize--> <!--if regionlist fails to display the dynamic map {{mapframe|show=mask1|name=Map of Civic's districts}}--> {{Regionlist |regionmap=Civic regions map.png |regionInteractiveMap=map1 |show=mask1 |height=500 |regionmapsize=500px |regionmaptext=Color-coded map of Civic's districts |regionmapZoom=15 |region1name=City Hill |region1color=#a977df |region1description=The most prominent point of Civic for passer-by visitors containing many trees on a hill and Civic Square, an important location within Civic containing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly Building and a few other buildings. |region2name=City Centre / Civic Centre |region2color=#d09440 |region2description=It's a bit unclear on what this section of Civic is exactly called, but this part of Civic contains Canberra's main shopping precinct, Canberra Centre. Treat yourself to hundreds of stores and restaurants, whether it's for a quick lunch break, Saturday afternoon shopping or whether you'd like to take something home with you from Canberra. |region3name=City East |region3color=#18d04d |region3description=Not the most attractive part of Civic as it's rather just filled with corporate offices but it does get filled with gamblers since it contains Canberra's only purpose-built casino: Casino Canberra. |region4name=City West |region4color=#14a9d2 |region4description=Straddles along the edge of the Australian National University containining many cafes and restaurants. In many retrospects, City West acts as an "in-between" location between the centre and the Australian National University. |region5name=NewActon Cultural and Cinema Precinct (NewActon Precinct)<!--sic - do NOT change to New Acton.--> |region5color=#a8a43e |region5description=Dubbed by ''This is Canberra'' as "[https://thisiscanberra.com/newacton-canberras-little-piece-of-new-york/ Canberra’s little piece of New York]", this vibrant and lively has a whole cafes, bars, cinemas and anything you'd find that characterises cities known for culture like New York City or Melbourne crammed in a single block. Some would classify this new precinct as part of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]], but it's covered in this guide for practical purposes. }} ===Read=== There are few publically available books about Civic, and often those that can be found are only found within Canberra. But in spite of that, it doesn't mean there are few books about Civic – in fact, the '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#National Library of Australia |National Library of Australia]]''' (NLA) in Parliamentary Triangle, South Canberra has a sizable amount about Civic. Many are online-only, and can be found on the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ library's catalogue]. * '''''Civic: the living city''''' by Tony Powell ({{ISBN|9780646449487}}<!--or 0646449486-->). Not a very popular book but it does go into great depths about Civic's city planning and why Civic is planned the way it is. The book is a bit hard to find though; few bookstores in Civic have the book but it can be found at the airport, or alternatively, you may want to borrow it online from the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3546314/Holdings? National Library of Australia] (NLA). ==Get in== As with any city's downtown area, Civic is well-connected by both road and light rail. ===By bus=== [[File:City Bus Interchange.jpg|thumb|250px|ACTION buses at the City Interchange]] All buses to Civic stop at one interchange, {{marker|type=go|name=City Interchange|lat=-35.278476|long=149.130054}}; one of few in Canberra to have both bus and light rail services. Being in the centre of Canberra, there are many lines that connect to the rest of Canberra. The ideal way to get into Civic by bus is using these R-routes (i.e. the main important routes), which as follows: * '''R2''' from [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] to the northwest and the [[Canberra/South Canberra#Buy|Canberra Outlet Centre]] in Fyshwick to the southeast * '''R3''' from Canberra Airport to the east, and Spence/Belconnen to the northwest * '''R4''' from Belconnen to the northwest, and [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] passing [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] to the south. * '''R5''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong in the south, terminating in Civic. * '''R6''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] in the southwest via Barton. If you're arriving from '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#By train|Canberra Railway Station]]''' in Kingston, South Canberra, then use this rapid route. * '''R7''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] also from the southwest * '''R10''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] in the southwest There are also other ordinary bus lines. Unlike the R-routes, services are not very frequent, and these routes come from rather obscure or specific places, such as the Australian Defence Force Academy or the National Museum of Australia. With the exception of bus line '''53''' to/from the National Museum of Australia in [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and the Dickson Shops in [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]], all ordinary bus lines terminate at Civic. Otherwise, the ordinary bus routes as follows: * '''31''' from the Dickson Shops in North Canberra passing Braddon * '''32''' from several interchanges in Belconnen, including Cohen Street Interchange, Westfield Belconnen and Belconnen Interchange and a lot of other minor stops along the way. However, if you're coming to Civic from these interchanges, you're better off taking the R2, 3 or 4 lines that don't go the long and convoluted way. * '''50''' from Watson Terminus in North Canberra, passing the Dickson Shops * '''51''' from the Dickson Shops but passing Lyneham instead * '''54''' from Majura Business Park near the airport * '''55''' from the Australian Defence Force Academy passing the Royal Military College * '''56''' from Fyshwick * '''59''' from Woden Interchange passing the [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] section of Barton * '''182''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong via the Majura Parkway (M23) ===By car=== {{infobox|Finding parking|Though the standard expression anyone will say when heading to a mid-sized or large city's central business district is "Do not drive", driving in Canberra's is actually quite tolerable – except, finding parking can be hard at best, and a nightmare at worst. Luckily for you, parking isn't all that expensive and at the very max, you'll have to pay $16 for a day. Within Civic, there are three main paid carparks, all operated by Secure Parking. There's a fourth one but it's a monthly-only carpark, centred for workers, not travellers. * The first and largest is the parking at '''[[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]]'''. It's a multi-storey carpark, and if you're going to by in the city all day or doing a few hours worth of shopping, you can pay $14 rooftop parking (which actually takes up the top three floors); * {{marker|type=go|name=City West Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/city-west-car-park|lat=-35.2786|long=149.1253}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50 and early-bird parking from $14. * {{marker|type=go|name=Marcus Clarke Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/121-marcus-clarke-car-park|lat=-35.27753|long=149.12546}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50, rooftop parking from $16, and early-bird parking from $14. There's another carpark, {{marker|type=go|name=London Circuit East Parking|lat=-35.2837|long=149.1302}}, but that's not operated by Secure Parking. It does tend to get filled up pretty quickly though. Alternatively, there is street parking available, but very limited in Civic. Need not worry – Braddon just to the north has a reasonably amount of metered street parking along Lonsdale St, and it's cheaper than parking in the Civic too – a win-win if you don't mind the 100-metre walk.}} Being at the centre of Canberra, Civic is well connected by several ways. Many are good quality roads, some of which are freeways, though the prime route which many travellers use is Northbourne Avenue from the north. '''Northbourne Avenue''' (A23) is the main artery connecting Civic to NSW. It runs right through the centre of Civic. If you're entering the ACT via the '''Federal Highway''' (M23), then all you need to do is to simply stay on the same road until you reach Civic. If you're coming from the northern districts – namely, anywhere from [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]], [[Canberra/Hall|Hall]] or from [[New South Wales]] via the '''Barton Highway''' (A25), stay on Barton Highway and once you're at the Federal Hwy/Barton Hwy/Northbourne Ave intersection, turn right onto Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at Civic. '''Parkes Way''' (unnumbered) doesn't exactly pass through Civic, but marks Civic' southern border, bypassing the city, and the easiest and fastest way if you're coming from the [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley]], and [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]]. There are three exits along the freeway, and one massive roundabout at the very end. '''Commonwealth Avenue''' (A23) connects Capital and State Circles to Civic. From Woden use Adelaide Avenue northeast into [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], which should later spit you out onto Commonwealth Avenue. From the [[Canberra/Airport and East|airport]], head west onto Pialligo Drive west and then onto Morshead Drive. Continue until Coranderrk Street from where you'll need to turn right at the massive roundabout and then you've basically arrived at Civic. And if you're coming back from the snow (i.e. the [[Snowy Mountains]]), keep following the Monaro Highway (A23) which later becomes the freeway-grade Majura Parkway (M23) and exit onto Morshead Drive. Once you've exited, turn left until you've arrived at Civic. ===By light rail=== Civic has connections to and [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] passing by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] via Northbourne Avenue (A23). From Gungahlin, the '''R1''' route starts at the town centre and heads east for a few metres until it changes direction and heads south, passing Dickson Interchange before terminating at the {{marker|type=go|name=Alinga Street station|lat=-35.27796|long=149.129325}}, just north of the Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection. The route is fairly short, and services are frequent, so you won't need any special planning ahead to use the light rail. There are plans to extend the line down southwest towards [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] along either Capital or State Circle and Adelaide Avenue through the middle of the freeway. Construction is expected to start soon in 2023 and is projected to open in 2025. {{mapframe|-35.2812|149.1292|zoom=15|name=Map of Civic|align=center|width=100%|height=500}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q4421073}}--> {{Mapshapes|Q16927042}} <!--R1: Canberra Light Rail--> ==See== [[File:Canberra Museum and Gallery viewed from Civic Square.jpg|thumb|250px|The Canberra Museum and Gallery from Civic Square]] [[File:City Hill and Northbourne Avenue viewed from London Circuit.jpg|thumb|250px|Centenary Column from London Cct]] When it comes to things to see, Civic has very little to offer. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, most of Canberra's museums aren't located in Civic but in the areas surrounding Civic such as [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] or [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. Nevertheless, the Civic has some buildings with some unique architecture, making Canberra quite a different CBD compared to other Australian CBDs. Most of Civic's sights are located in {{marker|type=see|name=Civic Square|lat=-35.281269|long=149.131018}}, a small block in 180 London Cct, including the Legislative Assembly building, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Library and Canberra Theatre. Its location was deliberately chosen to be directly in line with [[Canberra/North Canberra#In nature reserves|Mount Ainslie]]; if you want to see it for real, stand at the very centre of the lookout, and whilst Anzac Parade will certainly take the spotlight, look a bit to the right and you'll see the square perfectly in line with City Hill and Ainslie Avenue. * {{see | name=Artworld ADG | alt= | url=http://www.aboriginaldream.com/ | email=dream@aboriginaldream.com | address=cnr London Cct and Gordon St | lat=-35.2823 | long=149.1252 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 2922 | tollfree= | hours=F {{time|11AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the [[Canberra/Gungahlin, Belconnen and Hall#Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery|Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery]] in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Museum and Gallery | alt=CMAG | url=http://www.cmag.com.au/ | email=cmag@act.gov.au | address=176 London Cct | lat=-35.2807 | long=149.131 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 3968 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q495518 | content=A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. Also features the ''Sydney Nolan Collection'' - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist. }} * {{see | name=Glebe Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr Bunda St, Akuna St and Cooyong St | lat=-35.28227 | long=149.13629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5567441 | lastedit=2022-06-30 | content=Where's Canberra's Hype Park you ask? This small 40-ha park is a remnant of land that was allocated in the 1840s to the Anglican church, but today is a nice spot to go for a stroll. If you're into photography and want to see some autumn colours, the leaves have a strong autumn foliage, making it a great spot for photography. }} * {{see | name=Sydney and Melbourne buildings | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr London Cct and Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.279 | long=149.13 | directions=the Sydney Building is on the east side of Northbourne Avenue, and the Melbourne Building is on the west side | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=These two large buildings in the centre of Civic were the first commercially-funded buildings in Canberra, and have been important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both buildings are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in [[Florence]], Italy. They are occupied by a mix of restaurants (most of which are quite good), nightclubs, pubs and small businesses, but much of the Sydney Building is in a fairly poor state of repair. Plans to revitalise the buildings are regularly proposed, but never go far. }} There are a few memorials and monuments in Civic, though only a fraction when you compare it to just ANZAC Avenue alone in Campbell, [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]]. They're not popular destinations, and if you're time limited, you can see them while driving and still not miss anything important or notable about these memorials and monuments. * {{see | name=ACT Memorial | alt=Australian Capital Territory Memorial | url=http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/ | email= | address=London Cct / Vernon Circle | lat=-35.2808 | long=149.132 | directions=opposite Civic Square | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4650886 | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Centenary Column | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2814 | long=149.129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q18386365 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate the Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded, but was never completed. }} [[File:ACT Legislative Assembly building November 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|The Legislative Assembly Building in November 2021]] Civic has its fair share of government offices, both a mix of federal (that's no surprise as it's the ACT) and territory government offices. Most of the territory buildings are of little interest, and if you're to be honest, would you really want to go and visit some random old building that you cannot enter? The same goes with federal, except there aren't any of interest as all of the important ones are in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{see | name=Legislative Assembly Building | alt= | url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/ | email=laeducation@parliament.act.gov.au | address=Civic Square, London Circuit | lat=-35.2816 | long=149.1312 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6205 3016 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6518198 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly Building, also known as the South Building, which although may first seem like any other "government building", the building does indeed have some educational programs, and you can make a booking if you want to visit the assembly – see the [https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn website] for more details. }} * {{see | name=Reserve Bank of Australia Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=20-22 London Cct | lat=-35.2804 | long=149.127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q60746498 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=A heritage-listed bank building designed by Howlett and Bailey in 1962 and built from 1963 to 1965 by Civil & Civic which was the old RBA building (the current RBA head office is now in Sydney). It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. }} ==Do== [[File:Casino Canberra Sign .jpg|thumb|250px|Outside Casino Canberra]] Civic isn't really a place to "do" things. Perhaps humorously, the most strenuous thing is maneuvering around the city, scrambling for parking or if it's not a very good day, then maybe both. While there have been several entertainment venues that have opened and closed in Civic, many have closed and in some cases like the former Center<!--sic--> Cinema, have been taken over by dining establishments. * {{do | name=Casino Canberra | alt= | url=http://casinocanberra.com.au | email= | address=21 Binara St | lat=-35.2833 | long=149.134 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6243 3700 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|12PM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1047578 | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=Perhaps Canberra's equivalent of Melbourne's Crown Casino, with multiple gambling areas, a sports bar, and an eatery but the casino is quite compact. }} * {{do | name=Canberra Theatre Centre | alt=Canberra Theatre | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2818 | long=149.1305 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2878077 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Canberra’s central performing arts venue, Australia’s first performing arts centre, and the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed having opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet. }} * {{do | name=Palace Electric Cinemas | alt= | url=http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/electric/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, 2 Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.12301 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6222 4900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=There's not a whole lot that's very unique to this cinema, except, this is primarily how NewActon's full name came to be. It has a bit of a modern and traditional look, but the choice is limited. }} ==Buy== [[File:Temporary picnic area in Garema Place October 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|City Walk]] There are three major shopping precincts in Civic: * {{buy | name=Canberra Centre | alt= | url=http://canberracentre.com.au | email= | address=Bunda St | lat=-35.2794 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247-5611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5031247 | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Canberra's second largest shopping mall covering a large section of Canberra's shopping district. It has department stores, food hall and eateries, specialty shops for adults and kids fashion both upmarket and basic. There are also electronics, books, CDs, souvenirs and Australian made products. }} * '''City Walk''' (coloured teal on the map) is an outdoor pedestrian mall in Civic that is home to a large range of shopping outlets, alfresco dining and a few bars. The mall is also home to the Canberra Merry-Go-Round and the Canberra Times fountain. **'''Garema Place''' is not part of City Walk, but it's just a spur from City Walk that also has lots of restaurants and stores. There's also a small hidden path to access it from Bunda Street just next to Gus' Place, but it's very easy to miss. * '''Petrie Plaza''' is a shorter pedestrian mall that was created in 1965 by pedestrianising Petrie Street. It doesn't have as many stores or dining precincts as City Walk does, but it's got a lot in the centre (whether it be the gardens, sculptures, a carousel etc.). All three are within the northeast of Civic (within what you see in red under Civic Centre as seen [[#Orientation|on the map]]). They're all essentially interconnected and some would argue that City Walk and Petrie Plaza are simply a part of the greater Canberra Centre. If you're just doing some shopping in Canberra, chances are, you might not even realise that you've left Canberra Centre and its "sub-malls" as they're very interconnected. Do be aware that finding a place to park your car can get very tricky, even on weekends, and it gets chaotic on weekends. There are a few carparks, but these aren't large when you compare it to the average Westfield in the Big 5. In typical ACT fashion, signage is poor and sloppy and you might need to scramble, make a few wrong left turns, have accidentally ended up on the highly pedestrianised Bunda Street (which can take you a few minutes to get from one end to the other) before finally reaching the centre's carparks. ===Book and gift stores=== If you're a person into books, souvenirs or want to take some gifts for those back home, Civic has several book and gift stores. Like all other stores in Civic, most are in either Canberra Centre or the pedestrian malls. * {{buy | name=Australian Choice | alt= | url=https://australianchoice.com.au/ | email=contact@australianchoice.com.au | address=Shop 12, Ground Floor, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=see [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 2 6257 5315 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=A family owned gift store that has an extensive range of souvenirs for you to take home. However, a lot of the souvenirs here are more "Australia specific" rather than Canberra specific, but there's a common Indigenous theme that distinguishes this shop from your average souvenir store. }} * {{buy | name=Dymocks Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.dymocks.com.au/stores/act/dymocks-canberra | email= | address=Shop CL17 Canberra Centre, Bunda Street, Civic | lat=-35.28042 | long=149.1328 | directions=behind the escalators in the Canberra Centre's food court | phone=+61 2 6257 5057 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=While part of a fairly unexciting national chain, this branch of Dymocks has an unusually well-chosen stock. Other, and less interesting, Dymocks branches are located in Belconnen Mall and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. }} * {{buy | name=Robinsons Bookshop Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.robinsonsbooks.com.au/robinsonsbooks-v02.php | email=canberracentre@robinsonsbooks.com.au | address=Shop DF24, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=next to the Apple Store in [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 3 9783 6488 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9AM–5:30PM; F 9AM–9PM; Sa 9AM–5PM; Su 10AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-28 | content=There's a lot of unexpected finds in this bookshop, but the range is rather limited and is slightly pricey compared to other Canberran bookshops. }} ===Clothing stores=== If you're heading out to the [[Snowy Mountains|Snowies]] and forgot to bring your puffy jacket or skipants, then need not worry, there are plenty of clothing stores in Civic that'll have them. Clothing as a whole can be a bit more expensive and cheaper than the price you'll find in Sydney at the same time, but range and variety isn't compromised (so no American chains that've left Australia for ripping Australians with cheap, old-fashioned clothes or even Australian stores that might have a tendency for slack in regional areas). ==Eat== Civic is one of only only places in Canberra where you can find a whole amplitude of [[Australian cuisine#Ethnic cuisines|ethnic cuisines]] to eat, with the other being the [[Canberra/North Canberra|Dickson Shops]] just a few kilometres to the north; unlike Dickson, Civic is not limited to Chinese or East/Southeast Asian cuisine, and you can find plenty of flavours from Italy, India, Turkey – you name it. There are two main precincts in Civic whose specialty ''is'' food, plus the Canberra Centre/City Walk. * '''Canberra Centre''' and '''City Walk''' may be known for shopping, but there are a sizable number of restaurants of all kind. * '''Sydney Building''' and a few surrounding buildings house a number of high-end splurge restaurants (and most of Civic's), as well as a number of Asian and Indian restaurants. * '''City West''' may look like a continuation of the Civic Centre's, but it's ''very'' different – lots of Italian, Japanese (yes, it's Asian, but the Japanese restaurants are somewhat evenly split up), and the further west you go from the Melbourne Building, the more cafes you'll see, reflecting Australia's coffee culture. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Civic Asian Noodle House | alt= | url=https://civicasiannoodlehouseonline.com.au/ | email= | address=Sydney Building, 34 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.278828 | long=149.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5145 (landline), +61 405 558 353 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good laksa and pad thai at reasonable prices (ranging around $15) in a relaxed atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=CBD Dumpling House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop FG13C Canberra Centre (148 Bunda St) | lat=-35.27766 | long=149.1334 | directions=enter from Scotts Crossing | phone=+61 2 6262 8855 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11:30AM|3PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2017-07-29 | content=Large and very popular Asian restaurant. Specialises in dumplings, but has a good mix of other Asian dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Fekerte’s Ethiopian | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2848 | long=149.123 | directions=near Ovolo Nishi | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A budget Ethiopian restaurant with some very flavourful spicy dishes and a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian options. It's one of only three Ethiopian restaurants in Canberra (with one being Ethiopia Down Under in Woden and the other in Civic). Both dine-in and takeaway are available. }} * {{eat | name=Flavours Of Ethiopia | alt= | url=http://flavoursofethiopia.weebly.com/ | email= | address=33 Allara St, City Walk | lat=-35.2832 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 413 655 472 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|11:15AM|8:30PM}} (closed Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Civic's second Ethiopian restaurant (and one of three in Canberra) best known for its curry sauces and samosas, owned by an Ethiopian couple (so it's indeed really authentic). There's plenty of traditionals to choose from with prices no higher than $20 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Happy’s Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.happys.com.au/ | email= | address=1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1316 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6249 7015 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: W–M 11:30AM–2PM (closed Tuesdays); dinner: Su–Th 5–9PM, F Sa 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A simple Cantonese restaurant that's been in this area for quite a long time. The menu is not very extensive, but nearly all of them are value-for-price. The size of the restaurant is a bit small though. }} * {{eat | name=Indo Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.indocafe.com.au/ | email=yetty@indocafe.com.au | address=Ground Floor, Nesuto Apartments, London Cct | lat=-35.2822 | long=149.1326 | directions= | phone=+61 411 038 803 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|3PM}} (closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Though it's called a cafe, it's not really a cafe but just a good place to have some cheap traditional Indonesian eats with takeaway lunch specials priced at $8. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba | alt= | url=https://kebaba.com.au/take-away/ | email= | address=Shop 4, 86-96 Bunda St | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 0346 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 9AM–midnight; Th 9AM–2AM; F Sa 10AM–5AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Has some traditional Turkish adana kebabs, pide and falafel. However, the portions are known to be rather small compared to a typical HSP (halal snack pack). }} * {{eat | name=LanZhou Beef Noodle | alt=Lanzhou Beef Noodle | url=https://www.lanzhoubeefnoodle-canberra.com.au/ | email= | address=28 University Ave | lat=-35.2798 | long=149.1257 | directions= | phone=+61 493 395 023 | tollfree= | hours=Su–F {{time|11AM|8:15PM}} (closed Saturdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A small noodle shop that brings the flavours from [[Lanzhou]] (a city in northwest China) and best known for its Lanzhou beef noodles. There are some rather exotic meals on the menu, but otherwise nearly everything found is either chicken or beef. }} * {{eat | name=Ming’s Pantry | alt=Ming’s Pantry Malaysian Street Food | url=https://www.facebook.com/139362503406102/posts/mings-pantry-malaysian-street-food/442671839741832/ | email= | address=Mayfair Building, G22/45 West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1273 | directions= | phone=+61 451 304 030 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|9PM}}; Sa {{time|11AM|2:30PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–21:00">5–9PM</abbr> (closed Su). | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=There isn't a whole lot to say about this place – except that you can get some really good yet cheap Malaysian food. The signature chicken and many of their other dishes tend to be a bit large, but who doesn't want to share a meal? (unless you're [[travelling alone]]). }} * {{eat | name=Ms Ba Cô | alt=Ms. Ba Cô | url=https://www.msbaco.com/ | email=msbacostreetfood@gmail.com | address=4-6/108 Bunda St | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 5396 | tollfree= | hours=Daly {{time|8AM|8PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Though it's only a budget restaurant, it's a Vietnamese favourite in Canberra. It's a family-owned restaurant, so there's some family recipes too and its name, ''Ba Cô '', translates to "three girls" in English, symbolising the family's three daughters. }} * {{eat | name=Wild Panda | alt= | url=https://wildpanda.com.au/ | email=info@wildpanda.com.au | address=40 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2786 | long=149.1268 | directions=next to Subway | phone=+61 408 579 666 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="11:00–21:00">11AM–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=A Western Chinese restaurant that veers towards the higher end of a budget restaurant, with portions surprisingly, not as large as many other Chinese restaurants. Through quality ain't their strong point, their hot noodles and dumplings are. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bicicletta Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bicicletta.com.au/ | email=gallery.rest@peppers.com.au | address=1/15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2846 | long=149.1239 | directions=near Peppers Gallery Hotel | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 5–10PM (closed Su M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Find some excellent homemade pizza, pasta and other Italian favourites in this authentic Italian restaurant, but with local ingredients. The wine list is a pretty selective one, and so are the daily specials. }} * {{eat | name=Blu Ginger | alt= | url=https://www.bluginger.com.au/ | email= | address=2/5-21 Genge St | lat=-35.2770 | long=149.13205 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 2228 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–3PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Lots of authentic classic curries in a very traditional, cozy setting that resembles a traditional Indian structure. It's best known for its butter chicken and korma, but their other options are also well worth a try. The tables can fill up quickly, so try and make a [https://www.bluginger.com.au/book-a-table/ booking] if you can. }} * {{eat | name=Briscola Italian | alt= | url=http://briscolapizzeria.com.au/ | email= | address=60 Alinga St | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1283 | directions=in ground floor of Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6248 5444 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: T–Su noon–2PM (closed Mondays), Dinner: Su–Th 5:30–8:30PM; F Sa 5:30–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Discover some "old fashioned" as dubbed by the restaurant themselves with some good classic Southern Italian cuisine. It won the Canberra’s Best Italian Restaurant award in 2015, and it's always been family owned by traditional Italians. }} * {{eat | name=Chez Kimchi | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/chezkimchi/ | email= | address=68/70 Bunda St | lat=-35.2779 | long=149.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5525 | tollfree= | hours=M Tu closed, W Th Su 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Korean restaurant with a good variety of chicken available. You can't go past the Gangjung, a very flavourful and tasty chicken and Chez Kimchi's local specialty. }} * {{eat | name=The City Labor Club | alt=Canberra Labor Club | url=https://www.laborclub.com.au/venues/city/ | email=admin@laborclub.com.au | address=16 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.2799 | long=149.1317 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 0404 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 9AM–midnight, Th F 9AM–1AM, Sa 10AM–1AM, Su 10AM–midnight | price= | lastedit=2022-06-09 | content=It's Civic's branch of the Canberra chain Canberra Labor Club with a nice relaxed atmosphere with rather spacious lounges with modern Australian cuisine. The modern Australian restaurant has great cocktails, lunch, gaming machines and Wi-Fi. }} * {{eat | name=Edo Tori | alt= | url=https://www.edotori.com.au/ | email=info@edotori.com.au | address=43 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2789 | long=149.1287 | directions=in Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 5119 2494 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:30AM–late | price=Feed me menu: {{AUD|59}}; lunch express: {{AUD|39}}; Zeitaku feed me {{AUD|89}}pp | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=A modern Australianised Japanese restaurant with the strange slogan "Save Water, Drink Beer" with a strong emphasis on drinks. It's borderline between mid-range and splurge, but the quality is worth the bucks. Oh, and not to forget, if you're a sushi craver, they have sushi; it's somewhat discreet. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba Turkish Grill Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kebaba-Turkish-Grill-Bar-1739731602996311/ | email= | address=11 East Row | lat=-35.27934 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 4757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Turkish grill bar that offers both dining in and takeaway. Depending on what you order, there is a chance that you can see your own meal being made. }} * {{eat | name=Kinn Thai | alt= | url=http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/canberra/ | email=canberra@kinnrestaurant.com.au | address=Shop FG03, Canberra Centre | lat= -35.2775776| long=149.1324284 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1277 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A Thai restaurant with street food (or specifically street lunch) with great Thai chicken, seafood and has a great variety of vegetarian options. Chilli basin chicken, anyone? }} * {{eat | name=Koko Black | alt= | url=https://www.kokoblack.com/ | email= | address=Bunda St, Canberra Centre North Quarter | lat=-35.27971 | long=149.1328 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Warm and tasty chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as an innovative and interesting hot chocolate and drink menu. Nice, welcoming decor. }} * {{eat | name=Madam Lu Malaysian Restaurant | alt= | url=https://madamlu.net/ | email= | address=20/42 West Row | lat=-35.278993 | long=149.1279 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5201 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Malaysian restaurant but with many Chinese inspired dishes. However, do be aware that the food here come in large portions, and so be careful in what you order – it could be larger than what you might be expecting. }} * {{eat | name=Močan & Green Grout | alt=Močan and Green Grout | url=https://mocanandgreengrout.net/ | email= | address=1/19 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.1250 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 2909 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7AM|4PM}} (kitchen closes {{time|2PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A classic ordinary typical modern-Australian restaurant, but it has an open-air kitchen. Unfortunately, the menu is very limited and there's a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays. }} * {{eat | name=The Golden Drum | alt= | url= | email= | address=1/14 Childers St | lat=-35.2791 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 1882 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM Sa Su 5–9PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=Classic traditional Chinese restaurant with lots of beef and pork options. Do be aware that there are some items on this menu that may seem "exotic", but there are plenty of meals that aren't. }} * {{eat | name=Zoo Bar | alt= | url=https://www.zoobar.com.au/ | email=info@zoobar.com.au | address=Level 3, 17 London Cct | lat=-35.28025 | long=149.1263 | directions= | phone=1300 966 227 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Tu W 11AM–10PM; Th 11AM–1AM; F 11AM–3AM; Sa 3PM–3AM (closed Su M) | price= | lastedit=2022-06-18 | content=Best known for its wide range of cocktails and beers available. There's some great modern Australian cuisine available in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. If you're here on a Saturday night, Zoo Bar is known to go full on and claims itself as the "new home of music in the capital"<!--src: https://www.zoobar.com.au/home/milehigh-->. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Akiba | alt= | url=http://www.akiba.com.au/ | email= | address=40 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 0602 | tollfree= | hours=M–W <abbr title="17:00–23:00">5–11PM</abbr>; Th–Su <abbr title="11:30–00:00">11:30AM–midnight</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Asian BBQ store with some great flavours and cocktails, particularly specialising in Japanese cuisine and barbecue. Do be aware though, that the portions are very large, so don't go ordering too much. }} * {{eat | name=Courgette Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.courgette.com.au/ | email= | address=54 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.276251 | long=149.1269 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa <abbr title="12:00–15:00">noon–3PM</abbr>, <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr> (closed Sundays) | price= | content=Sister restaurant to [[Canberra/South Canberra#Aubergine Restaurant|Aubergine Restaurant]], fine dining. And as the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant specialises in zucchini based meals. }} * {{eat | name=Iori Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.iori.com.au/ | email= | address=41 East Row | lat=-35.278923 | long=149.1304 | directions=in Sydney Building | phone=+61 2 6257 2334 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr>; Fr Sa <abbr title="18:00–21:30">6–9:30PM</abbr>; closed Sundays | price=Minimum $40 per person | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Japanese restaurant with some cosy settings with a mix of Japanese and Western food. The lighting tends to be quite nice, also being a mix of Western and Japanese styles. A particularly popular special of theirs is the Seared Salmon Roll. }} * {{eat | name=SoLita Pizzeria, Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://solita.com.au/ | email= | address=143 London Cct | lat=-35.279526 | long=149.1307 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1010 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th noon–2PM, 5–9PM, Fr noon–2PM, 5–9:30PM, Sa 5–9:30PM, closed Su M | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A mix of Naples (an Italian city in Campania, Southern Italy) cuisine and Australian cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from "'''So'''uth of '''Li'''ttle I'''ta'''ly", and the range of pasta coming from Canberra may surprise you – because there's quite a lot. }} * {{eat | name=The Meat & Wine Co. | alt= | url=https://themeatandwineco.com/canberra-restaurants/canberra-cbd/ | email=canberra@themeatandwineco.com | address=Ground Floor, 220 London Cct | lat=-35.283035 | long=149.131247 | directions=cnr Constitution Ave and London Cct | phone=+61 2 5134 5988 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|noon|10PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=It's one of Canberra's finest steak restaurants and has an excellent selection of wine (they've very nitpicky with the selection; only the finest make it). It's got a bit of a traditional yet modern feel and look. There are two things that this restaurant is known for: its diverse a la carte menu and [https://themeatandwineco.com/aged/ "aged"] steak. }} * {{eat | name=Wilma | alt= | url=https://wilmabbq.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Genge St. | lat=-35.277491 | long=149.1318 | directions=cnr Bunda and Genge Streets | phone=+61 2 6171 2092 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-08 | content=Sister to several Canberran restaurants, this splurge restaurant perhaps has some of the finest seafood and barbecue meat one could find in Canberra. Base banquets are from $75 per person while baller banquets are $95 per person. }} ===Cafes=== [[File:Gus' Place September 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Gus's cafe – what was the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra is now an all common sight in Civic]] * {{eat | name=Brew and Brew Cafe | alt= | url=https://thebrewandbrew.com.au/ | email=hello@thebrewandbrew.com.au | address=2 Constitution Ave | lat=-35.2838 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 6927 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F {{time|6AM|3PM}}; espresso bar: M–F {{time|6AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content=A cafe and a bar with lots of savory treats and a wide range of meat and bread. A la carte breakfast and lunch are available and have an excellent, fine-picked wine selection, with a strong local emphasis. Wine is picked and only wines from the Canberra region (i.e. the ACT and the wineries in NSW near the ACT) are served. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Olive Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.blueolivecafe.com.au/ | email= | address=56 Alinga St | lat=-35.278427 | long=149.128239 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 4600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Famous for their delicious New York style sandwiches. Great coffee and breakfast menu, wonderful service. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Alibi | alt= | url=http://www.cafealibi.com.au/ | email=enquiries@cafealibi.com.au | address=5 Farrell Pl | lat=-35.2812 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0606 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:15AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Just another ordinary, Australian cafe but with a wide selection of toasties. }} * {{eat | name=East Row Specialty Coffee | alt= | url=https://www.eastrowspecialtycoffee.com.au/ | email=info@eastrowspecialitycoffee.com.au | address=Cnr London Cct and East Row, Sydney Building | lat=-35.2795 | long=149.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 493 050 331 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|7AM|3PM}}; Su {{time|8AM|2PM}} | price=Breakfast: $16–22; lunch: $19–25; sides: $3–8.50 | lastedit=2022-08-05 | content=It's best known for its specialty coffee (well, it's in its name) with an all-day breakfast and has a decent variety for lunch – halloumi burgers, gnocchi, or barramundi, you call it! If you're just popping in for a quick drink on a hot summer day, there are some good smoothies and shakes, but the smoothies and shakes might not be as good as their coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Gus' | alt= | url=https://gusplace.com.au/ | email= | address=8/68 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q5620602 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=This cafe opened in 1969 and later became the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra. It is one of the oldest and best known cafes in Canberra and one of the first European-style cafes in Australia. It has both outdoor and indoor dining areas. }} * {{eat | name=The Moment Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/moment.the.509 | email= | address=Shop EG01B, 148 Bunda St | lat=-35.2788 | long=149.1333 | directions= | phone=+61 410 925 122 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11AM|8PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa {{time|10:30AM|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A bubble tea store (boba tea for speakers of American English) all ranging between $6 and $7 (which is actually quite cheap by Australian standards). }} * {{eat | name=The Whale Tea | alt= | url=https://the-whale-tea-desserts.business.site/ | email= | address=191/260 City Walk | lat=-35.28195 | long=149.1332 | directions= | phone=+61 449 650 027 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11:30AM|8:30PM}}; F Sa {{time|11:30AM|10:30PM}} | price=Medium: $6.80; large: $7.50 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Another bubble tea store with lots of great fruit and milk tea. They've also got some cakes available. }} ==Drink== [[File:Sydney Building.jpg|thumb|250px|The fairly unattractive Sydney Building houses several bars and clubs]] You may encounter that nearly every bar, club and pub is closed during Sundays, but there is always some available at Bunda Street if you're desperate for a drink or two on a Sunday. * {{drink | name=Bleachers Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://bleachers.bar/ | email= | address=33 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2792 | long=149.1287 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 9058 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|11PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A mid-range bar with a large great emphasis on sport (well, that's why it's in its name), and Asaki beer, a type of Japanese beer. The range of food is reasonable, but not very large by Canberra standards. }} * {{drink | name=Cube | alt= | url=http://www.cubenightclub.com.au/ | email= | address=33 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.279652 | long=149.1312 | directions=downstairs from Antigo's cafe | phone=+61 2 6257 1110 | tollfree= | hours=Opens Th 8PM, F 9PM, Sa 10PM, Su 9PM; closes 5AM | price= | content=Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest. }} * {{drink | name=Hippo Co | alt=Hippo Lounge | url=http://www.hippoco.com.au/ | email= | address=Upstairs, 1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.278111 | long=149.1315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights. }} * {{drink | name=King O'Malleys | alt= | url=http://www.kingomalleys.com.au/ | email= | address=131 City Walk | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1311 | directions= | phone=+61 2 625 70111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types. }} * {{drink | name=Mooseheads | alt=East Row - London Cct - City | url=http://www.mooseheads.com.au/ | email= | address=105 London Cct | lat=-35.279366 | long=149.1297 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A bar with local history. It burnt down and was restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout. }} * {{drink | name=Parlour Wine Room | alt= | url=http://www.parlour.net.au/ | email= | address=16 Kendall Ln | lat=-35.284925 | long=149.1239 | directions=Behind Rydges Lakeside | phone=+61 2 6257 7325 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Very intimate comfortable lounge bar, great selection of wines. }} * {{drink | name=PJs in the City | alt= | url=https://pjsinthecity.com/ | email= | address=West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1281 | directions=inside the Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6230 1261 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's with a very casual feel. It's also got a branch in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] in the south. }} * {{drink | name=sideway | alt= | url=http://sidewaybc.com/ | email= | address=Level 1/21 E Row | lat=-35.279249 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 410 476 791 | tollfree= | hours=W–Sa, sometimes on Su 7PM–late | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Located inside the Sydney building, this bar does have a bit of a rough and tumble reputation. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good <abbr title="alcohol">alcos</abbr> available. }} * {{drink | name=The Highball Express | alt= | url=http://www.highballexpress.com.au/ | email=upgrade@highballexpress.com.au | address=1/82 Alinga St, Canberra | lat=-35.278626 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6179 8973 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-09 | content=A high-end pub that specialises in American and Central American drinks – not the ordinary kind of pub in Canberra. }} * {{drink | name=White Rabbit Cocktail Room | alt= | url=http://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/ | email= | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277795 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6257 7779 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail and tapas venue with polished floors and patterned wallpaper, hosting DJ nights. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Novotel Canberra January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|The outside of Novotel in January 2014]] Civic's accommodation is, for the most part, very similar to any other city centre. Generally clean, have decent facilities (by NSW or Queensland standards), but a bit devoid on budget accommodation and bed and breakfasts. The former is because, well, all the cheap accommodation can be found in Gungahlin, and the latter is because all the B&Bs are located right to the north of Civic in Braddon along Northbourne Avenue. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Canberra City YHA | alt= | url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/canberra/canberra-city-backpackers-hostel/ | email=canberracity@yhansw.org.au | address=7 Akuna St | lat=-35.281662 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 9155 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6249 1731 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Beds in a shared dormitory from $26 per night. Double or twin rooms from $76 per night. Family rooms $96 per night. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=BreakFree Capital Tower | alt= | url=https://www.mantrahotels.com/breakfree-capital-tower/ | email=capitaltower.res@breakfree.com.au | address=2 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1261 | directions= | phone=1300 987 603 (domestic) | tollfree=1800 676 241 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained accommodation with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the apartments come with a balcony, laundry and kitchen while outdoor facilities include tennis courts, a spa, a pool and a gym. }} * {{sleep | name=Nesuto Canberra Apartment Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.nesuto.com/canberra | email=reception.canberra@nesuto.com | address=2 Akuna St | lat=-35.2819 | long=149.1327 | directions= | phone=+61 2 622 91234 | tollfree=1800 188 388 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained apartments with all the essentials you can expect to find in a normal apartment. Facilities include an indoor heated pool, a tennis court, a gym, a spa and sauna. There is parking available at the hotel, but a surcharge applies. }} * {{sleep | name=Nishi Boutique Hotel | alt=Ovolo Nishi | url=https://ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi/ | email= | address=25 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 6287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A very unusual shaped boutique hotel with traditional spacious rooms. The precinct includes a bar, a restaurant and an indoor gym, and is known to be LGBT friendly. However, the events hall downstairs can get very noisy during night, disturbing your sleep. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Canberra Hotel | alt= | url=http://novotelcanberra.com.au/ | email=H2796-RE@accor.com | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277615 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6245-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6245 5100 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rate range $150–250 | content=Novotel Canberra accommodates business and convention visitors, and families travelling with children. Directly above the Canberra Coach Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppers Gallery Hotel Canberra | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3T5/index.en.shtml | email= | address=15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2845 | long=149.1238 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A lively art-themed hotel that includes free parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms are fairly spacious, and the staff are known to be very friendly, but housekeeping services are not great. }} * {{sleep | name=QT Canberra | alt=Rydges Lakeside Canberra | url=https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/ | email= reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com | address=1 London Cct | lat=-35.283611 | long=149.125556 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 6244 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata=Q106915568 | content=Rydges Lakeside Canberra is on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, walking distance to Civic. Has large rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a grill and some excellent views over Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sebel Canberra Civic | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4D4/index.en.shtml | email=info@thesebelcanberra.com.au | address=197 London Cct | lat=-35.2815 | long=149.1321 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6267 5675 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A small hotel but with reasonably sized rooms and staff are known to be friendly. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast and laundry service. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/canberra/cbrbs/hoteldetail | email=reservations.cbrbs@ihg.com | address=1 Binara St | lat=-35.2828 | long=149.1348 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6274 5500 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|3PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $300 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A very accessible hotel and the closest to the [[Canberra/Civic#Casino Canberra|the city's only casino]]. It's no different from the global chain's other hotels and includes free parking, a pool, a gym/fitness centre, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. The beds are generally lush, but it comes at a high cost. }} ==Connect== There are plenty of places you can go to in Civic that has [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi], mostly inside restaurants and at the museum. As it's the central business district of a capital city, there is good 5G coverage by all the three major providers. ==Go next== You probably won't be spending much time in Civic, unless you're here for a business trip or decided to book accommodation here, but as Civic is the centrepiece of Canberra, there are a number of other places in Canberra easily accessible from Civic, both by car and by public transport. This list only includes destinations easily accessible via foot. *'''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Commonwealth and Kings Parks|Commonwealth Park]]''' is just southeast of Civic and can be reached on foot simply by crossing the bridge over Parkes Way. Next to Commonwealth Park is Blundell's Cottage in Kings Park, an important historic site of Canberra. *If you haven't already, go explore '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#In Parliamentary Triangle|Parliamentary Triangle]]''', where most of Canberra's important landmarks are. *For university tourers, Australia's top university, the '''[[Canberra/Acton|Australian National University]]''' (ANU) borders Civic right to the west. *This one requires you to go on a little bit of a longer walk, but it's still close by; '''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Anzac Parade|ANZAC Parade]]''' contains most of Canberra's war memorials, including the Australian War Memorial. {{routebox2 |name=Civic |temp1={{AUR|A23}} |directionr1=NE |minorr1=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] → merges with {{AUR|M23}} |majorr1=[[Goulburn]] |directionl1=SE |minorl1= [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] |majorl1= [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp2=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">PARKES WAY</small> |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr2=[[Canberra/Airport and East|Canberra Airport]] |directionl2=W |minorl2=[[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] |majorl2=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo Valley]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r1}} |directionl3=N |minorl3=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] |majorl3=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |directionr3=S |majorr3=END |temp4={{rint|canberra|r2}} |directionl4=NW |minorl4=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorl4=Fraser<!--part of Belconnen--> |directionr4=SE |minorr4=Barton |majorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Fyshwick]] |temp5={{rint|canberra|r3}} |directionl5=NW |majorl5=Spence<!--part of Belconnen--> |minorl5=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |directionr5=E |minorr5=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr5=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Canberra Airport]] |temp6={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl6=N |majorl6=END |directionr6=SW |minorr6=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr6=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp7={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl7=N |majorl7=END |directionr7=S |minorr7=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr7=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |temp8={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl8=N |majorl8=END |directionr8=SW |minorr8=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr8=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |temp9={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl9=N |majorl9=END |directionr9=SW |majorr9=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] |temp10={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl10=N |majorl10=END |directionr10=WSW |minorr10= |majorr10=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.2812|149.1304}} {{Mapmask|-35.2755,149.1268|-35.2768,149.1265|-35.2767,149.1260|-35.2769,149.1258|-35.2790,149.1239|-35.2798,149.1252|-35.2815,149.1238|-35.2817,149.1237|-35.2820,149.1237|-35.2823,149.1239|-35.2828,149.1241|-35.2833,149.1244|-35.2836,149.1246|-35.2843,149.1229|-35.2844,149.1228|-35.2846,149.1225|-35.2852,149.1222|-35.2857,149.1220|-35.2857,149.1228|-35.2857,149.1242|-35.2857,149.1258|-35.2859,149.1281|-35.2860,149.1286|-35.2864,149.1306|-35.2873,149.1336|-35.2866,149.1342|-35.2860,149.1348|-35.2851,149.1355|-35.2838,149.1368|-35.2832,149.1373|-35.2829,149.1374|-35.2826,149.1374|-35.2824,149.1374|-35.2817,149.1370|-35.2777,149.1347|-35.2766,149.1340|-35.2764,149.1338|-35.2762,149.1333|-35.2759,149.1308|-35.2755,149.1268}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13096707314253, -35.27992909174965 ], [ 149.1316332668066, -35.27967400359858 ], [ 149.13169965147972, -35.279509235932245 ], [ 149.1319578140974, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.13196988403797, -35.27941234581911 ], [ 149.1320476680994, -35.279509783333694 ], [ 149.13284964859486, -35.279200500930635 ], [ 149.1329026222229, -35.27907952466047 ], [ 149.13294352591038, -35.279063649932866 ], [ 149.1330836713314, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1331534087658, -35.279067481763946 ], [ 149.13319230079648, -35.2790472277976 ], [ 149.13321979343888, -35.27903135306366 ], [ 149.1332472860813, -35.27901712054095 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#00807b", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13308300077915, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1330749541521, -35.279202143141205 ], [ 149.13299918174744, -35.27923225032907 ], [ 149.1328489780426, -35.279200500930635 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#008080", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13205035030842, -35.2795086885308 ], [ 149.1321026533842, -35.27964334917441 ], [ 149.1319551318884, -35.279696994409086 ], [ 149.1318029165268, -35.27975392400701 ], [ 149.13163393735886, -35.27967400359858 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 2.5, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "City Walk" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13111560046673, -35.27863284148203 ], [ 149.131348952651, -35.27868812960708 ], [ 149.13147702813146, -35.27874232288114 ], [ 149.1315722465515, -35.27879761093145 ], [ 149.13163125514984, -35.27885563597335 ], [ 149.13168154656887, -35.27892132464987 ], [ 149.13173384964466, -35.27900945687383 ], [ 149.13183644413948, -35.27918407882312 ], [ 149.13195379078388, -35.279382786100484 ], [ 149.13211472332478, -35.279657034186634 ], [ 149.13223676383495, -35.27986395128961 ], [ 149.1323460638523, -35.28004951935291 ], [ 149.13243122398853, -35.280198411414815 ], [ 149.13252040743828, -35.28034785059875 ], [ 149.1331735253334, -35.28146343549996 ], [ 149.13363486528394, -35.2822604288437 ], [ 149.13373678922653, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 149.13385212421417, -35.28256258361013 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a977df", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City Hill" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ], [ 149.13015067577362, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.13041353225708, -35.28427258317914 ], [ 149.13188874721527, -35.282608563584446 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282161899871745 ], [ 149.1319102048874, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13084268569946, -35.28001174889661 ], [ 149.13051009178162, -35.27975337660723 ], [ 149.13027942180634, -35.2797008262102 ], [ 149.1282570362091, -35.279477486642406 ], [ 149.12772059440613, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.12744164466858, -35.27946872821543 ], [ 149.12717878818512, -35.27956945006844 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1258054971695, -35.28104960893913 ], [ 149.12538170814514, -35.281540069816195 ], [ 149.12531197071075, -35.28171085460287 ], [ 149.12527441978455, -35.28192105076893 ], [ 149.12539780139923, -35.28214876266643 ], [ 149.12594497203827, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.1263473033905, -35.28379089681325 ], [ 149.12654578685758, -35.28407115104745 ], [ 149.12677645683289, -35.284263825270784 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28437329905706 ], [ 149.12842333316803, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.1291904449463, -35.28458786724879 ], [ 149.12974298000336, -35.28464041447439 ], [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#18d04d", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City East" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ], [ 149.12803709506989, -35.285905916523284 ], [ 149.1287076473236, -35.286002251509196 ], [ 149.1293567419052, -35.28612485950733 ], [ 149.13081049919128, -35.28640510566298 ], [ 149.131840467453, -35.28669848731784 ], [ 149.1333371400833, -35.28719329277496 ], [ 149.13357317447662, -35.28727648985572 ], [ 149.13484454154965, -35.28588840105897 ], [ 149.1362339258194, -35.284377678005434 ], [ 149.13709223270416, -35.28343181965805 ], [ 149.13759648799896, -35.282871305793904 ], [ 149.13615882396698, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13487672805786, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13486063480377, -35.2820217695718 ], [ 149.1344690322876, -35.282183795209214 ], [ 149.13405060768127, -35.28240274825821 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28411931964627 ], [ 149.13121283054352, -35.28337927164811 ], [ 149.13038671016693, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.1301453113556, -35.28453531998911 ], [ 149.12975370883942, -35.28465793020867 ], [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#d09440", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Civic Centre" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28409304586865 ], [ 149.13403451442719, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.282205690540756 ], [ 149.1348499059677, -35.282013011420005 ], [ 149.13487136363983, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13438856601715, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13614809513092, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.1357457637787, -35.279643896574946 ], [ 149.13382530212402, -35.27622804522241 ], [ 149.13320302963257, -35.27617111314595 ], [ 149.1317492723465, -35.27599593727502 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.2757682080764 ], [ 149.12905633449554, -35.27957820848452 ], [ 149.13051545619965, -35.27973585981201 ], [ 149.1308319568634, -35.28000736971214 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.2818159527541 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.2821268673195 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282376473923584 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.282591047406825 ], [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#14a9d2", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City West" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ], [ 149.126797914505, -35.27545726909816 ], [ 149.12655115127563, -35.276766708273065 ], [ 149.12598252296448, -35.27662218926966 ], [ 149.12424981594086, -35.27854908811179 ], [ 149.12385284900665, -35.2789870132731 ], [ 149.1252154111862, -35.279788410186306 ], [ 149.12381529808044, -35.28143059219938 ], [ 149.12368655204773, -35.28173275006229 ], [ 149.12369191646576, -35.2819692206468 ], [ 149.1238421201706, -35.28234582052242 ], [ 149.12401378154755, -35.2826435959283 ], [ 149.12460386753082, -35.28360260045483 ], [ 149.12595570087433, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.12525832653046, -35.28191667168769 ], [ 149.12536025047302, -35.28155758622114 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1273075342178, -35.27951252034082 ], [ 149.12772595882416, -35.27940303998294 ], [ 149.12906169891357, -35.27957382927661 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a8a43e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "NewActon Precinct" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28436454115961 ], [ 149.1267603635788, -35.284268204225086 ], [ 149.12648141384125, -35.28400984551661 ], [ 149.1259503364563, -35.28309901501917 ], [ 149.12462532520294, -35.283589463483246 ], [ 149.1228711605072, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.12263512611386, -35.28443022536742 ], [ 149.12236154079437, -35.28472799310789 ], [ 149.1221845149994, -35.28503013866638 ], [ 149.1220611333847, -35.28546802877896 ], [ 149.12198066711426, -35.2857088673314 ], [ 149.12254929542542, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12359535694122, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12500083446503, -35.285726382834554 ], [ 149.12667453289032, -35.285800823680624 ], [ 149.1280210018158, -35.28591029538875 ], [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> raey597njj8lwljdrok8fffoc4t4ym0 4501864 4501613 2022-08-16T04:26:16Z SHB2000 2248002 /* By car */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Civic banner 1.jpg|pgname=Civic}} [[File:NewActon Precinct.jpg|thumb|300px|The NewActon Precinct]] Officially known as Canberra's '''city''', '''Civic''' is what is now Walter Burley Griffin's design for a Civic Centre. Established in 1927, it's one of the oldest centres of Canberra and is the capital's central business district, surrounded by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] and [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]]. Though not particularly large and has very few tall sky-rise buildings, it's the only CBD of its size located in inland Australia (the next closest you could find is [[Toowoomba]] CBD). There isn't one agreed way to call this district, but Wikivoyage has chosen to go with "Civic" for simplicity. Other names for Civic include the city, Canberra CBD, or Canberra City Centre. What you see on signage may also be confusing, as whoever designed them couldn't pick a name for consistency. ==Understand== ===History=== {{infobox|Why are there few high-rise buildings in Civic?|If you're unaware of the exact specifications that the National Capital Plan requires, then you might wonder why there are few high-rise buildings in the downtown area of a city of 467,000. Especially when other Australian cities of a similar size like [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] and [[Sunshine Coast]] have many, why can't Canberra have many, especially when it's Australia's capital? The answer lies within the [https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/DownloadFile/ni/2008-27/copy/82874/PDF/2008-27.PDF RL 617 requirements] (a document which simply sums up building restrictions in Civic), which states that no building can exceed 617 meters in elevation. However, Civic itself is 567 m, capping the maximum at around 50 m (about 14 storeys). The primary reason was so Parliament House will still dominate the surrounding area.}} Civic was established in 1927, 14 years after Canberra was. It now makes up Burley Griffin's original plan for a Civic Centre with nearby Russell planned to be Canberra's "Market Centre". Instead, Russell is now the headquarters of the <abbr title="Australian Defence Force">ADF</abbr> which has resulted in many markets and malls in Civic, way more than what was in Burley Griffin's original plan. However, due to Civic's height restrictions along with the lack of space, many larger stores and markets can now be found in [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]], Canberra's second largest town centre (excluding Civic and Queanbeyan). Before Civic was established, there wasn't a clear town or city centre – the closest that resembled anything like one was [[Queanbeyan]] town centre, but Queanbeyan is in NSW, not in the ACT. Even though Civic is nearing celebrating its centenary, it's still a relatively new central business district and whilst you'll find a ton of historic buildings and sites in the CBDs of [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]] or even tiny little [[Hobart]], there are very few in Civic, and most would fail the criteria for being "historic" in [[Tasmania]], possibly Sydney and certainly not the Old World (most of it, at least). This has left the few that are considered historic in a Canberran context, to be the major things to "see" in Civic. Canberra's important buildings are mostly not in Civic (they're in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]), whilst museums are scattered throughout Canberra but with only one in Civic. Canberrans also don't tend to really pride in these buildings, so some like the Sydney building may look good on the outside, but are in a state of despair on the inside. Even that said, there are only two important historic buildings or sites in Civic, the '''[[#Sydney and Melbourne buildings|Sydney and Melbourne buildings]]'''. Contrary to all the negativity with Canberra's historic sites, there is one thing that Canberra has that most other Australian cities don't have – a town square. Out of the six state capitals (plus [[Darwin]] for inclusion's sake), only [[Adelaide]] has one: [[Adelaide/City and North Adelaide|Victoria Square]]. However, [[#Civic Square|Civic Square]] was not designed by Burley Griffin (it was completed in 1961, well after Burley Griffin's time) but instead by Yuncken Freeman (an Australian architecture firm) architects, though it was in Griffin's original plan, with the location purposefully chosen to be the centrepiece of Canberra, linking City Hill and [[Canberra/North Canberra#Parks and lookouts|Mount Ainslie]], which has lead to [[#Canberra Theatre|Canberra Theatre]] and several other government buildings popping up. ===Orientation=== The "City" as it's officially called, is divided into five districts. However, in practice, with the exception of NewActon, nobody but the ACT government ever uses these districts and the only time you will ever see these names are on road signs, and these names are not very consistent. Likewise, though this part of Canberra is called "Civic", you will almost never see it on signage; instead, you'll primarily see "City" or if you're somewhere closer to Civic, signs might point out to a specific part of Civic such as City West or City Centre. Strangely, "City Centre"<!--do not decapitalize--> can either mean the entirety of Civic, or it can just refer to the northeast of the district, but in typical ACT fashion, signage is sloppy when picking one area for consistency. <!--these aren't additional districts, this is supposed to resemble something like [[Sydney/City East]]--> <!--City Hill comes first given it's the most prominent – do not alphabetize--> <!--if regionlist fails to display the dynamic map {{mapframe|show=mask1|name=Map of Civic's districts}}--> {{Regionlist |regionmap=Civic regions map.png |regionInteractiveMap=map1 |show=mask1 |height=500 |regionmapsize=500px |regionmaptext=Color-coded map of Civic's districts |regionmapZoom=15 |region1name=City Hill |region1color=#a977df |region1description=The most prominent point of Civic for passer-by visitors containing many trees on a hill and Civic Square, an important location within Civic containing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly Building and a few other buildings. |region2name=City Centre / Civic Centre |region2color=#d09440 |region2description=It's a bit unclear on what this section of Civic is exactly called, but this part of Civic contains Canberra's main shopping precinct, Canberra Centre. Treat yourself to hundreds of stores and restaurants, whether it's for a quick lunch break, Saturday afternoon shopping or whether you'd like to take something home with you from Canberra. |region3name=City East |region3color=#18d04d |region3description=Not the most attractive part of Civic as it's rather just filled with corporate offices but it does get filled with gamblers since it contains Canberra's only purpose-built casino: Casino Canberra. |region4name=City West |region4color=#14a9d2 |region4description=Straddles along the edge of the Australian National University containining many cafes and restaurants. In many retrospects, City West acts as an "in-between" location between the centre and the Australian National University. |region5name=NewActon Cultural and Cinema Precinct (NewActon Precinct)<!--sic - do NOT change to New Acton.--> |region5color=#a8a43e |region5description=Dubbed by ''This is Canberra'' as "[https://thisiscanberra.com/newacton-canberras-little-piece-of-new-york/ Canberra’s little piece of New York]", this vibrant and lively has a whole cafes, bars, cinemas and anything you'd find that characterises cities known for culture like New York City or Melbourne crammed in a single block. Some would classify this new precinct as part of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]], but it's covered in this guide for practical purposes. }} ===Read=== There are few publically available books about Civic, and often those that can be found are only found within Canberra. But in spite of that, it doesn't mean there are few books about Civic – in fact, the '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#National Library of Australia |National Library of Australia]]''' (NLA) in Parliamentary Triangle, South Canberra has a sizable amount about Civic. Many are online-only, and can be found on the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ library's catalogue]. * '''''Civic: the living city''''' by Tony Powell ({{ISBN|9780646449487}}<!--or 0646449486-->). Not a very popular book but it does go into great depths about Civic's city planning and why Civic is planned the way it is. The book is a bit hard to find though; few bookstores in Civic have the book but it can be found at the airport, or alternatively, you may want to borrow it online from the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3546314/Holdings? National Library of Australia] (NLA). ==Get in== As with any city's downtown area, Civic is well-connected by both road and light rail. ===By bus=== [[File:City Bus Interchange.jpg|thumb|250px|ACTION buses at the City Interchange]] All buses to Civic stop at one interchange, {{marker|type=go|name=City Interchange|lat=-35.278476|long=149.130054}}; one of few in Canberra to have both bus and light rail services. Being in the centre of Canberra, there are many lines that connect to the rest of Canberra. The ideal way to get into Civic by bus is using these R-routes (i.e. the main important routes), which as follows: * '''R2''' from [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] to the northwest and the [[Canberra/South Canberra#Buy|Canberra Outlet Centre]] in Fyshwick to the southeast * '''R3''' from Canberra Airport to the east, and Spence/Belconnen to the northwest * '''R4''' from Belconnen to the northwest, and [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] passing [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] to the south. * '''R5''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong in the south, terminating in Civic. * '''R6''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] in the southwest via Barton. If you're arriving from '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#By train|Canberra Railway Station]]''' in Kingston, South Canberra, then use this rapid route. * '''R7''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] also from the southwest * '''R10''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] in the southwest There are also other ordinary bus lines. Unlike the R-routes, services are not very frequent, and these routes come from rather obscure or specific places, such as the Australian Defence Force Academy or the National Museum of Australia. With the exception of bus line '''53''' to/from the National Museum of Australia in [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and the Dickson Shops in [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]], all ordinary bus lines terminate at Civic. Otherwise, the ordinary bus routes as follows: * '''31''' from the Dickson Shops in North Canberra passing Braddon * '''32''' from several interchanges in Belconnen, including Cohen Street Interchange, Westfield Belconnen and Belconnen Interchange and a lot of other minor stops along the way. However, if you're coming to Civic from these interchanges, you're better off taking the R2, 3 or 4 lines that don't go the long and convoluted way. * '''50''' from Watson Terminus in North Canberra, passing the Dickson Shops * '''51''' from the Dickson Shops but passing Lyneham instead * '''54''' from Majura Business Park near the airport * '''55''' from the Australian Defence Force Academy passing the Royal Military College * '''56''' from Fyshwick * '''59''' from Woden Interchange passing the [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] section of Barton * '''182''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong via the Majura Parkway (M23) ===By car=== {{infobox|Finding parking|Though the standard expression anyone will say when heading to a mid-sized or large city's central business district is "Do not drive", driving in Canberra's is actually quite tolerable – except, finding parking can be hard at best, and a nightmare at worst. Luckily for you, parking isn't all that expensive and at the very max, you'll have to pay $16 for a day. Within Civic, there are three main paid carparks, all operated by Secure Parking. There's a fourth one but it's a monthly-only carpark, centred for workers, not travellers. * The first and largest is the parking at '''[[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]]'''. It's a multi-storey carpark, and if you're going to by in the city all day or doing a few hours worth of shopping, you can pay $14 rooftop parking (which actually takes up the top three floors); * {{marker|type=go|name=City West Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/city-west-car-park|lat=-35.2786|long=149.1253}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50 and early-bird parking from $14. * {{marker|type=go|name=Marcus Clarke Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/121-marcus-clarke-car-park|lat=-35.27753|long=149.12546}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50, rooftop parking from $16, and early-bird parking from $14. There are three other carpark, within London Cct in City Hull, but those aren't operated by Secure Parking. They do tend to get filled up pretty quickly though. Alternatively, there is street parking available, but very limited in Civic. Need not worry – Braddon just to the north has a reasonably amount of metered street parking along Lonsdale St, and it's cheaper than parking in the Civic too – a win-win if you don't mind the 100-metre walk.}} Being at the centre of Canberra, Civic is well connected by several ways. Many are good quality roads, some of which are freeways, though the prime route which many travellers use is Northbourne Avenue from the north. '''Northbourne Avenue''' (A23) is the main artery connecting Civic to NSW. It runs right through the centre of Civic. If you're entering the ACT via the '''Federal Highway''' (M23), then all you need to do is to simply stay on the same road until you reach Civic. If you're coming from the northern districts – namely, anywhere from [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]], [[Canberra/Hall|Hall]] or from [[New South Wales]] via the '''Barton Highway''' (A25), stay on Barton Highway and once you're at the Federal Hwy/Barton Hwy/Northbourne Ave intersection, turn right onto Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at Civic. '''Parkes Way''' (unnumbered) doesn't exactly pass through Civic, but marks Civic' southern border, bypassing the city, and the easiest and fastest way if you're coming from the [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley]], and [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]]. There are three exits along the freeway, and one massive roundabout at the very end. '''Commonwealth Avenue''' (A23) connects Capital and State Circles to Civic. From Woden use Adelaide Avenue northeast into [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], which should later spit you out onto Commonwealth Avenue. From the [[Canberra/Airport and East|airport]], head west onto Pialligo Drive west and then onto Morshead Drive. Continue until Coranderrk Street from where you'll need to turn right at the massive roundabout and then you've basically arrived at Civic. And if you're coming back from the snow (i.e. the [[Snowy Mountains]]), keep following the Monaro Highway (A23) which later becomes the freeway-grade Majura Parkway (M23) and exit onto Morshead Drive. Once you've exited, turn left until you've arrived at Civic. ===By light rail=== Civic has connections to and [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] passing by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] via Northbourne Avenue (A23). From Gungahlin, the '''R1''' route starts at the town centre and heads east for a few metres until it changes direction and heads south, passing Dickson Interchange before terminating at the {{marker|type=go|name=Alinga Street station|lat=-35.27796|long=149.129325}}, just north of the Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection. The route is fairly short, and services are frequent, so you won't need any special planning ahead to use the light rail. There are plans to extend the line down southwest towards [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] along either Capital or State Circle and Adelaide Avenue through the middle of the freeway. Construction is expected to start soon in 2023 and is projected to open in 2025. {{mapframe|-35.2812|149.1292|zoom=15|name=Map of Civic|align=center|width=100%|height=500}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q4421073}}--> {{Mapshapes|Q16927042}} <!--R1: Canberra Light Rail--> ==See== [[File:Canberra Museum and Gallery viewed from Civic Square.jpg|thumb|250px|The Canberra Museum and Gallery from Civic Square]] [[File:City Hill and Northbourne Avenue viewed from London Circuit.jpg|thumb|250px|Centenary Column from London Cct]] When it comes to things to see, Civic has very little to offer. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, most of Canberra's museums aren't located in Civic but in the areas surrounding Civic such as [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] or [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. Nevertheless, the Civic has some buildings with some unique architecture, making Canberra quite a different CBD compared to other Australian CBDs. Most of Civic's sights are located in {{marker|type=see|name=Civic Square|lat=-35.281269|long=149.131018}}, a small block in 180 London Cct, including the Legislative Assembly building, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Library and Canberra Theatre. Its location was deliberately chosen to be directly in line with [[Canberra/North Canberra#In nature reserves|Mount Ainslie]]; if you want to see it for real, stand at the very centre of the lookout, and whilst Anzac Parade will certainly take the spotlight, look a bit to the right and you'll see the square perfectly in line with City Hill and Ainslie Avenue. * {{see | name=Artworld ADG | alt= | url=http://www.aboriginaldream.com/ | email=dream@aboriginaldream.com | address=cnr London Cct and Gordon St | lat=-35.2823 | long=149.1252 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 2922 | tollfree= | hours=F {{time|11AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the [[Canberra/Gungahlin, Belconnen and Hall#Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery|Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery]] in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Museum and Gallery | alt=CMAG | url=http://www.cmag.com.au/ | email=cmag@act.gov.au | address=176 London Cct | lat=-35.2807 | long=149.131 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 3968 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q495518 | content=A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. Also features the ''Sydney Nolan Collection'' - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist. }} * {{see | name=Glebe Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr Bunda St, Akuna St and Cooyong St | lat=-35.28227 | long=149.13629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5567441 | lastedit=2022-06-30 | content=Where's Canberra's Hype Park you ask? This small 40-ha park is a remnant of land that was allocated in the 1840s to the Anglican church, but today is a nice spot to go for a stroll. If you're into photography and want to see some autumn colours, the leaves have a strong autumn foliage, making it a great spot for photography. }} * {{see | name=Sydney and Melbourne buildings | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr London Cct and Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.279 | long=149.13 | directions=the Sydney Building is on the east side of Northbourne Avenue, and the Melbourne Building is on the west side | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=These two large buildings in the centre of Civic were the first commercially-funded buildings in Canberra, and have been important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both buildings are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in [[Florence]], Italy. They are occupied by a mix of restaurants (most of which are quite good), nightclubs, pubs and small businesses, but much of the Sydney Building is in a fairly poor state of repair. Plans to revitalise the buildings are regularly proposed, but never go far. }} There are a few memorials and monuments in Civic, though only a fraction when you compare it to just ANZAC Avenue alone in Campbell, [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]]. They're not popular destinations, and if you're time limited, you can see them while driving and still not miss anything important or notable about these memorials and monuments. * {{see | name=ACT Memorial | alt=Australian Capital Territory Memorial | url=http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/ | email= | address=London Cct / Vernon Circle | lat=-35.2808 | long=149.132 | directions=opposite Civic Square | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4650886 | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Centenary Column | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2814 | long=149.129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q18386365 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate the Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded, but was never completed. }} [[File:ACT Legislative Assembly building November 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|The Legislative Assembly Building in November 2021]] Civic has its fair share of government offices, both a mix of federal (that's no surprise as it's the ACT) and territory government offices. Most of the territory buildings are of little interest, and if you're to be honest, would you really want to go and visit some random old building that you cannot enter? The same goes with federal, except there aren't any of interest as all of the important ones are in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{see | name=Legislative Assembly Building | alt= | url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/ | email=laeducation@parliament.act.gov.au | address=Civic Square, London Circuit | lat=-35.2816 | long=149.1312 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6205 3016 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6518198 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly Building, also known as the South Building, which although may first seem like any other "government building", the building does indeed have some educational programs, and you can make a booking if you want to visit the assembly – see the [https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn website] for more details. }} * {{see | name=Reserve Bank of Australia Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=20-22 London Cct | lat=-35.2804 | long=149.127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q60746498 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=A heritage-listed bank building designed by Howlett and Bailey in 1962 and built from 1963 to 1965 by Civil & Civic which was the old RBA building (the current RBA head office is now in Sydney). It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. }} ==Do== [[File:Casino Canberra Sign .jpg|thumb|250px|Outside Casino Canberra]] Civic isn't really a place to "do" things. Perhaps humorously, the most strenuous thing is maneuvering around the city, scrambling for parking or if it's not a very good day, then maybe both. While there have been several entertainment venues that have opened and closed in Civic, many have closed and in some cases like the former Center<!--sic--> Cinema, have been taken over by dining establishments. * {{do | name=Casino Canberra | alt= | url=http://casinocanberra.com.au | email= | address=21 Binara St | lat=-35.2833 | long=149.134 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6243 3700 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|12PM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1047578 | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=Perhaps Canberra's equivalent of Melbourne's Crown Casino, with multiple gambling areas, a sports bar, and an eatery but the casino is quite compact. }} * {{do | name=Canberra Theatre Centre | alt=Canberra Theatre | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2818 | long=149.1305 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2878077 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Canberra’s central performing arts venue, Australia’s first performing arts centre, and the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed having opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet. }} * {{do | name=Palace Electric Cinemas | alt= | url=http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/electric/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, 2 Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.12301 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6222 4900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=There's not a whole lot that's very unique to this cinema, except, this is primarily how NewActon's full name came to be. It has a bit of a modern and traditional look, but the choice is limited. }} ==Buy== [[File:Temporary picnic area in Garema Place October 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|City Walk]] There are three major shopping precincts in Civic: * {{buy | name=Canberra Centre | alt= | url=http://canberracentre.com.au | email= | address=Bunda St | lat=-35.2794 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247-5611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5031247 | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Canberra's second largest shopping mall covering a large section of Canberra's shopping district. It has department stores, food hall and eateries, specialty shops for adults and kids fashion both upmarket and basic. There are also electronics, books, CDs, souvenirs and Australian made products. }} * '''City Walk''' (coloured teal on the map) is an outdoor pedestrian mall in Civic that is home to a large range of shopping outlets, alfresco dining and a few bars. The mall is also home to the Canberra Merry-Go-Round and the Canberra Times fountain. **'''Garema Place''' is not part of City Walk, but it's just a spur from City Walk that also has lots of restaurants and stores. There's also a small hidden path to access it from Bunda Street just next to Gus' Place, but it's very easy to miss. * '''Petrie Plaza''' is a shorter pedestrian mall that was created in 1965 by pedestrianising Petrie Street. It doesn't have as many stores or dining precincts as City Walk does, but it's got a lot in the centre (whether it be the gardens, sculptures, a carousel etc.). All three are within the northeast of Civic (within what you see in red under Civic Centre as seen [[#Orientation|on the map]]). They're all essentially interconnected and some would argue that City Walk and Petrie Plaza are simply a part of the greater Canberra Centre. If you're just doing some shopping in Canberra, chances are, you might not even realise that you've left Canberra Centre and its "sub-malls" as they're very interconnected. Do be aware that finding a place to park your car can get very tricky, even on weekends, and it gets chaotic on weekends. There are a few carparks, but these aren't large when you compare it to the average Westfield in the Big 5. In typical ACT fashion, signage is poor and sloppy and you might need to scramble, make a few wrong left turns, have accidentally ended up on the highly pedestrianised Bunda Street (which can take you a few minutes to get from one end to the other) before finally reaching the centre's carparks. ===Book and gift stores=== If you're a person into books, souvenirs or want to take some gifts for those back home, Civic has several book and gift stores. Like all other stores in Civic, most are in either Canberra Centre or the pedestrian malls. * {{buy | name=Australian Choice | alt= | url=https://australianchoice.com.au/ | email=contact@australianchoice.com.au | address=Shop 12, Ground Floor, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=see [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 2 6257 5315 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=A family owned gift store that has an extensive range of souvenirs for you to take home. However, a lot of the souvenirs here are more "Australia specific" rather than Canberra specific, but there's a common Indigenous theme that distinguishes this shop from your average souvenir store. }} * {{buy | name=Dymocks Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.dymocks.com.au/stores/act/dymocks-canberra | email= | address=Shop CL17 Canberra Centre, Bunda Street, Civic | lat=-35.28042 | long=149.1328 | directions=behind the escalators in the Canberra Centre's food court | phone=+61 2 6257 5057 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=While part of a fairly unexciting national chain, this branch of Dymocks has an unusually well-chosen stock. Other, and less interesting, Dymocks branches are located in Belconnen Mall and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. }} * {{buy | name=Robinsons Bookshop Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.robinsonsbooks.com.au/robinsonsbooks-v02.php | email=canberracentre@robinsonsbooks.com.au | address=Shop DF24, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=next to the Apple Store in [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 3 9783 6488 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9AM–5:30PM; F 9AM–9PM; Sa 9AM–5PM; Su 10AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-28 | content=There's a lot of unexpected finds in this bookshop, but the range is rather limited and is slightly pricey compared to other Canberran bookshops. }} ===Clothing stores=== If you're heading out to the [[Snowy Mountains|Snowies]] and forgot to bring your puffy jacket or skipants, then need not worry, there are plenty of clothing stores in Civic that'll have them. Clothing as a whole can be a bit more expensive and cheaper than the price you'll find in Sydney at the same time, but range and variety isn't compromised (so no American chains that've left Australia for ripping Australians with cheap, old-fashioned clothes or even Australian stores that might have a tendency for slack in regional areas). ==Eat== Civic is one of only only places in Canberra where you can find a whole amplitude of [[Australian cuisine#Ethnic cuisines|ethnic cuisines]] to eat, with the other being the [[Canberra/North Canberra|Dickson Shops]] just a few kilometres to the north; unlike Dickson, Civic is not limited to Chinese or East/Southeast Asian cuisine, and you can find plenty of flavours from Italy, India, Turkey – you name it. There are two main precincts in Civic whose specialty ''is'' food, plus the Canberra Centre/City Walk. * '''Canberra Centre''' and '''City Walk''' may be known for shopping, but there are a sizable number of restaurants of all kind. * '''Sydney Building''' and a few surrounding buildings house a number of high-end splurge restaurants (and most of Civic's), as well as a number of Asian and Indian restaurants. * '''City West''' may look like a continuation of the Civic Centre's, but it's ''very'' different – lots of Italian, Japanese (yes, it's Asian, but the Japanese restaurants are somewhat evenly split up), and the further west you go from the Melbourne Building, the more cafes you'll see, reflecting Australia's coffee culture. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Civic Asian Noodle House | alt= | url=https://civicasiannoodlehouseonline.com.au/ | email= | address=Sydney Building, 34 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.278828 | long=149.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5145 (landline), +61 405 558 353 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good laksa and pad thai at reasonable prices (ranging around $15) in a relaxed atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=CBD Dumpling House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop FG13C Canberra Centre (148 Bunda St) | lat=-35.27766 | long=149.1334 | directions=enter from Scotts Crossing | phone=+61 2 6262 8855 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11:30AM|3PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2017-07-29 | content=Large and very popular Asian restaurant. Specialises in dumplings, but has a good mix of other Asian dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Fekerte’s Ethiopian | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2848 | long=149.123 | directions=near Ovolo Nishi | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A budget Ethiopian restaurant with some very flavourful spicy dishes and a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian options. It's one of only three Ethiopian restaurants in Canberra (with one being Ethiopia Down Under in Woden and the other in Civic). Both dine-in and takeaway are available. }} * {{eat | name=Flavours Of Ethiopia | alt= | url=http://flavoursofethiopia.weebly.com/ | email= | address=33 Allara St, City Walk | lat=-35.2832 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 413 655 472 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|11:15AM|8:30PM}} (closed Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Civic's second Ethiopian restaurant (and one of three in Canberra) best known for its curry sauces and samosas, owned by an Ethiopian couple (so it's indeed really authentic). There's plenty of traditionals to choose from with prices no higher than $20 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Happy’s Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.happys.com.au/ | email= | address=1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1316 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6249 7015 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: W–M 11:30AM–2PM (closed Tuesdays); dinner: Su–Th 5–9PM, F Sa 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A simple Cantonese restaurant that's been in this area for quite a long time. The menu is not very extensive, but nearly all of them are value-for-price. The size of the restaurant is a bit small though. }} * {{eat | name=Indo Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.indocafe.com.au/ | email=yetty@indocafe.com.au | address=Ground Floor, Nesuto Apartments, London Cct | lat=-35.2822 | long=149.1326 | directions= | phone=+61 411 038 803 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|3PM}} (closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Though it's called a cafe, it's not really a cafe but just a good place to have some cheap traditional Indonesian eats with takeaway lunch specials priced at $8. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba | alt= | url=https://kebaba.com.au/take-away/ | email= | address=Shop 4, 86-96 Bunda St | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 0346 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 9AM–midnight; Th 9AM–2AM; F Sa 10AM–5AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Has some traditional Turkish adana kebabs, pide and falafel. However, the portions are known to be rather small compared to a typical HSP (halal snack pack). }} * {{eat | name=LanZhou Beef Noodle | alt=Lanzhou Beef Noodle | url=https://www.lanzhoubeefnoodle-canberra.com.au/ | email= | address=28 University Ave | lat=-35.2798 | long=149.1257 | directions= | phone=+61 493 395 023 | tollfree= | hours=Su–F {{time|11AM|8:15PM}} (closed Saturdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A small noodle shop that brings the flavours from [[Lanzhou]] (a city in northwest China) and best known for its Lanzhou beef noodles. There are some rather exotic meals on the menu, but otherwise nearly everything found is either chicken or beef. }} * {{eat | name=Ming’s Pantry | alt=Ming’s Pantry Malaysian Street Food | url=https://www.facebook.com/139362503406102/posts/mings-pantry-malaysian-street-food/442671839741832/ | email= | address=Mayfair Building, G22/45 West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1273 | directions= | phone=+61 451 304 030 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|9PM}}; Sa {{time|11AM|2:30PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–21:00">5–9PM</abbr> (closed Su). | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=There isn't a whole lot to say about this place – except that you can get some really good yet cheap Malaysian food. The signature chicken and many of their other dishes tend to be a bit large, but who doesn't want to share a meal? (unless you're [[travelling alone]]). }} * {{eat | name=Ms Ba Cô | alt=Ms. Ba Cô | url=https://www.msbaco.com/ | email=msbacostreetfood@gmail.com | address=4-6/108 Bunda St | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 5396 | tollfree= | hours=Daly {{time|8AM|8PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Though it's only a budget restaurant, it's a Vietnamese favourite in Canberra. It's a family-owned restaurant, so there's some family recipes too and its name, ''Ba Cô '', translates to "three girls" in English, symbolising the family's three daughters. }} * {{eat | name=Wild Panda | alt= | url=https://wildpanda.com.au/ | email=info@wildpanda.com.au | address=40 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2786 | long=149.1268 | directions=next to Subway | phone=+61 408 579 666 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="11:00–21:00">11AM–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=A Western Chinese restaurant that veers towards the higher end of a budget restaurant, with portions surprisingly, not as large as many other Chinese restaurants. Through quality ain't their strong point, their hot noodles and dumplings are. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bicicletta Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bicicletta.com.au/ | email=gallery.rest@peppers.com.au | address=1/15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2846 | long=149.1239 | directions=near Peppers Gallery Hotel | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 5–10PM (closed Su M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Find some excellent homemade pizza, pasta and other Italian favourites in this authentic Italian restaurant, but with local ingredients. The wine list is a pretty selective one, and so are the daily specials. }} * {{eat | name=Blu Ginger | alt= | url=https://www.bluginger.com.au/ | email= | address=2/5-21 Genge St | lat=-35.2770 | long=149.13205 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 2228 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–3PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Lots of authentic classic curries in a very traditional, cozy setting that resembles a traditional Indian structure. It's best known for its butter chicken and korma, but their other options are also well worth a try. The tables can fill up quickly, so try and make a [https://www.bluginger.com.au/book-a-table/ booking] if you can. }} * {{eat | name=Briscola Italian | alt= | url=http://briscolapizzeria.com.au/ | email= | address=60 Alinga St | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1283 | directions=in ground floor of Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6248 5444 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: T–Su noon–2PM (closed Mondays), Dinner: Su–Th 5:30–8:30PM; F Sa 5:30–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Discover some "old fashioned" as dubbed by the restaurant themselves with some good classic Southern Italian cuisine. It won the Canberra’s Best Italian Restaurant award in 2015, and it's always been family owned by traditional Italians. }} * {{eat | name=Chez Kimchi | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/chezkimchi/ | email= | address=68/70 Bunda St | lat=-35.2779 | long=149.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5525 | tollfree= | hours=M Tu closed, W Th Su 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Korean restaurant with a good variety of chicken available. You can't go past the Gangjung, a very flavourful and tasty chicken and Chez Kimchi's local specialty. }} * {{eat | name=The City Labor Club | alt=Canberra Labor Club | url=https://www.laborclub.com.au/venues/city/ | email=admin@laborclub.com.au | address=16 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.2799 | long=149.1317 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 0404 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 9AM–midnight, Th F 9AM–1AM, Sa 10AM–1AM, Su 10AM–midnight | price= | lastedit=2022-06-09 | content=It's Civic's branch of the Canberra chain Canberra Labor Club with a nice relaxed atmosphere with rather spacious lounges with modern Australian cuisine. The modern Australian restaurant has great cocktails, lunch, gaming machines and Wi-Fi. }} * {{eat | name=Edo Tori | alt= | url=https://www.edotori.com.au/ | email=info@edotori.com.au | address=43 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2789 | long=149.1287 | directions=in Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 5119 2494 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:30AM–late | price=Feed me menu: {{AUD|59}}; lunch express: {{AUD|39}}; Zeitaku feed me {{AUD|89}}pp | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=A modern Australianised Japanese restaurant with the strange slogan "Save Water, Drink Beer" with a strong emphasis on drinks. It's borderline between mid-range and splurge, but the quality is worth the bucks. Oh, and not to forget, if you're a sushi craver, they have sushi; it's somewhat discreet. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba Turkish Grill Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kebaba-Turkish-Grill-Bar-1739731602996311/ | email= | address=11 East Row | lat=-35.27934 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 4757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Turkish grill bar that offers both dining in and takeaway. Depending on what you order, there is a chance that you can see your own meal being made. }} * {{eat | name=Kinn Thai | alt= | url=http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/canberra/ | email=canberra@kinnrestaurant.com.au | address=Shop FG03, Canberra Centre | lat= -35.2775776| long=149.1324284 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1277 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A Thai restaurant with street food (or specifically street lunch) with great Thai chicken, seafood and has a great variety of vegetarian options. Chilli basin chicken, anyone? }} * {{eat | name=Koko Black | alt= | url=https://www.kokoblack.com/ | email= | address=Bunda St, Canberra Centre North Quarter | lat=-35.27971 | long=149.1328 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Warm and tasty chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as an innovative and interesting hot chocolate and drink menu. Nice, welcoming decor. }} * {{eat | name=Madam Lu Malaysian Restaurant | alt= | url=https://madamlu.net/ | email= | address=20/42 West Row | lat=-35.278993 | long=149.1279 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5201 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Malaysian restaurant but with many Chinese inspired dishes. However, do be aware that the food here come in large portions, and so be careful in what you order – it could be larger than what you might be expecting. }} * {{eat | name=Močan & Green Grout | alt=Močan and Green Grout | url=https://mocanandgreengrout.net/ | email= | address=1/19 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.1250 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 2909 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7AM|4PM}} (kitchen closes {{time|2PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A classic ordinary typical modern-Australian restaurant, but it has an open-air kitchen. Unfortunately, the menu is very limited and there's a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays. }} * {{eat | name=The Golden Drum | alt= | url= | email= | address=1/14 Childers St | lat=-35.2791 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 1882 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM Sa Su 5–9PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=Classic traditional Chinese restaurant with lots of beef and pork options. Do be aware that there are some items on this menu that may seem "exotic", but there are plenty of meals that aren't. }} * {{eat | name=Zoo Bar | alt= | url=https://www.zoobar.com.au/ | email=info@zoobar.com.au | address=Level 3, 17 London Cct | lat=-35.28025 | long=149.1263 | directions= | phone=1300 966 227 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Tu W 11AM–10PM; Th 11AM–1AM; F 11AM–3AM; Sa 3PM–3AM (closed Su M) | price= | lastedit=2022-06-18 | content=Best known for its wide range of cocktails and beers available. There's some great modern Australian cuisine available in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. If you're here on a Saturday night, Zoo Bar is known to go full on and claims itself as the "new home of music in the capital"<!--src: https://www.zoobar.com.au/home/milehigh-->. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Akiba | alt= | url=http://www.akiba.com.au/ | email= | address=40 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 0602 | tollfree= | hours=M–W <abbr title="17:00–23:00">5–11PM</abbr>; Th–Su <abbr title="11:30–00:00">11:30AM–midnight</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Asian BBQ store with some great flavours and cocktails, particularly specialising in Japanese cuisine and barbecue. Do be aware though, that the portions are very large, so don't go ordering too much. }} * {{eat | name=Courgette Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.courgette.com.au/ | email= | address=54 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.276251 | long=149.1269 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa <abbr title="12:00–15:00">noon–3PM</abbr>, <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr> (closed Sundays) | price= | content=Sister restaurant to [[Canberra/South Canberra#Aubergine Restaurant|Aubergine Restaurant]], fine dining. And as the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant specialises in zucchini based meals. }} * {{eat | name=Iori Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.iori.com.au/ | email= | address=41 East Row | lat=-35.278923 | long=149.1304 | directions=in Sydney Building | phone=+61 2 6257 2334 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr>; Fr Sa <abbr title="18:00–21:30">6–9:30PM</abbr>; closed Sundays | price=Minimum $40 per person | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Japanese restaurant with some cosy settings with a mix of Japanese and Western food. The lighting tends to be quite nice, also being a mix of Western and Japanese styles. A particularly popular special of theirs is the Seared Salmon Roll. }} * {{eat | name=SoLita Pizzeria, Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://solita.com.au/ | email= | address=143 London Cct | lat=-35.279526 | long=149.1307 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1010 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th noon–2PM, 5–9PM, Fr noon–2PM, 5–9:30PM, Sa 5–9:30PM, closed Su M | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A mix of Naples (an Italian city in Campania, Southern Italy) cuisine and Australian cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from "'''So'''uth of '''Li'''ttle I'''ta'''ly", and the range of pasta coming from Canberra may surprise you – because there's quite a lot. }} * {{eat | name=The Meat & Wine Co. | alt= | url=https://themeatandwineco.com/canberra-restaurants/canberra-cbd/ | email=canberra@themeatandwineco.com | address=Ground Floor, 220 London Cct | lat=-35.283035 | long=149.131247 | directions=cnr Constitution Ave and London Cct | phone=+61 2 5134 5988 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|noon|10PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=It's one of Canberra's finest steak restaurants and has an excellent selection of wine (they've very nitpicky with the selection; only the finest make it). It's got a bit of a traditional yet modern feel and look. There are two things that this restaurant is known for: its diverse a la carte menu and [https://themeatandwineco.com/aged/ "aged"] steak. }} * {{eat | name=Wilma | alt= | url=https://wilmabbq.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Genge St. | lat=-35.277491 | long=149.1318 | directions=cnr Bunda and Genge Streets | phone=+61 2 6171 2092 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-08 | content=Sister to several Canberran restaurants, this splurge restaurant perhaps has some of the finest seafood and barbecue meat one could find in Canberra. Base banquets are from $75 per person while baller banquets are $95 per person. }} ===Cafes=== [[File:Gus' Place September 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Gus's cafe – what was the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra is now an all common sight in Civic]] * {{eat | name=Brew and Brew Cafe | alt= | url=https://thebrewandbrew.com.au/ | email=hello@thebrewandbrew.com.au | address=2 Constitution Ave | lat=-35.2838 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 6927 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F {{time|6AM|3PM}}; espresso bar: M–F {{time|6AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content=A cafe and a bar with lots of savory treats and a wide range of meat and bread. A la carte breakfast and lunch are available and have an excellent, fine-picked wine selection, with a strong local emphasis. Wine is picked and only wines from the Canberra region (i.e. the ACT and the wineries in NSW near the ACT) are served. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Olive Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.blueolivecafe.com.au/ | email= | address=56 Alinga St | lat=-35.278427 | long=149.128239 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 4600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Famous for their delicious New York style sandwiches. Great coffee and breakfast menu, wonderful service. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Alibi | alt= | url=http://www.cafealibi.com.au/ | email=enquiries@cafealibi.com.au | address=5 Farrell Pl | lat=-35.2812 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0606 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:15AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Just another ordinary, Australian cafe but with a wide selection of toasties. }} * {{eat | name=East Row Specialty Coffee | alt= | url=https://www.eastrowspecialtycoffee.com.au/ | email=info@eastrowspecialitycoffee.com.au | address=Cnr London Cct and East Row, Sydney Building | lat=-35.2795 | long=149.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 493 050 331 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|7AM|3PM}}; Su {{time|8AM|2PM}} | price=Breakfast: $16–22; lunch: $19–25; sides: $3–8.50 | lastedit=2022-08-05 | content=It's best known for its specialty coffee (well, it's in its name) with an all-day breakfast and has a decent variety for lunch – halloumi burgers, gnocchi, or barramundi, you call it! If you're just popping in for a quick drink on a hot summer day, there are some good smoothies and shakes, but the smoothies and shakes might not be as good as their coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Gus' | alt= | url=https://gusplace.com.au/ | email= | address=8/68 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q5620602 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=This cafe opened in 1969 and later became the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra. It is one of the oldest and best known cafes in Canberra and one of the first European-style cafes in Australia. It has both outdoor and indoor dining areas. }} * {{eat | name=The Moment Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/moment.the.509 | email= | address=Shop EG01B, 148 Bunda St | lat=-35.2788 | long=149.1333 | directions= | phone=+61 410 925 122 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11AM|8PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa {{time|10:30AM|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A bubble tea store (boba tea for speakers of American English) all ranging between $6 and $7 (which is actually quite cheap by Australian standards). }} * {{eat | name=The Whale Tea | alt= | url=https://the-whale-tea-desserts.business.site/ | email= | address=191/260 City Walk | lat=-35.28195 | long=149.1332 | directions= | phone=+61 449 650 027 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11:30AM|8:30PM}}; F Sa {{time|11:30AM|10:30PM}} | price=Medium: $6.80; large: $7.50 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Another bubble tea store with lots of great fruit and milk tea. They've also got some cakes available. }} ==Drink== [[File:Sydney Building.jpg|thumb|250px|The fairly unattractive Sydney Building houses several bars and clubs]] You may encounter that nearly every bar, club and pub is closed during Sundays, but there is always some available at Bunda Street if you're desperate for a drink or two on a Sunday. * {{drink | name=Bleachers Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://bleachers.bar/ | email= | address=33 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2792 | long=149.1287 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 9058 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|11PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A mid-range bar with a large great emphasis on sport (well, that's why it's in its name), and Asaki beer, a type of Japanese beer. The range of food is reasonable, but not very large by Canberra standards. }} * {{drink | name=Cube | alt= | url=http://www.cubenightclub.com.au/ | email= | address=33 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.279652 | long=149.1312 | directions=downstairs from Antigo's cafe | phone=+61 2 6257 1110 | tollfree= | hours=Opens Th 8PM, F 9PM, Sa 10PM, Su 9PM; closes 5AM | price= | content=Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest. }} * {{drink | name=Hippo Co | alt=Hippo Lounge | url=http://www.hippoco.com.au/ | email= | address=Upstairs, 1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.278111 | long=149.1315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights. }} * {{drink | name=King O'Malleys | alt= | url=http://www.kingomalleys.com.au/ | email= | address=131 City Walk | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1311 | directions= | phone=+61 2 625 70111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types. }} * {{drink | name=Mooseheads | alt=East Row - London Cct - City | url=http://www.mooseheads.com.au/ | email= | address=105 London Cct | lat=-35.279366 | long=149.1297 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A bar with local history. It burnt down and was restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout. }} * {{drink | name=Parlour Wine Room | alt= | url=http://www.parlour.net.au/ | email= | address=16 Kendall Ln | lat=-35.284925 | long=149.1239 | directions=Behind Rydges Lakeside | phone=+61 2 6257 7325 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Very intimate comfortable lounge bar, great selection of wines. }} * {{drink | name=PJs in the City | alt= | url=https://pjsinthecity.com/ | email= | address=West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1281 | directions=inside the Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6230 1261 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's with a very casual feel. It's also got a branch in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] in the south. }} * {{drink | name=sideway | alt= | url=http://sidewaybc.com/ | email= | address=Level 1/21 E Row | lat=-35.279249 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 410 476 791 | tollfree= | hours=W–Sa, sometimes on Su 7PM–late | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Located inside the Sydney building, this bar does have a bit of a rough and tumble reputation. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good <abbr title="alcohol">alcos</abbr> available. }} * {{drink | name=The Highball Express | alt= | url=http://www.highballexpress.com.au/ | email=upgrade@highballexpress.com.au | address=1/82 Alinga St, Canberra | lat=-35.278626 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6179 8973 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-09 | content=A high-end pub that specialises in American and Central American drinks – not the ordinary kind of pub in Canberra. }} * {{drink | name=White Rabbit Cocktail Room | alt= | url=http://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/ | email= | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277795 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6257 7779 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail and tapas venue with polished floors and patterned wallpaper, hosting DJ nights. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Novotel Canberra January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|The outside of Novotel in January 2014]] Civic's accommodation is, for the most part, very similar to any other city centre. Generally clean, have decent facilities (by NSW or Queensland standards), but a bit devoid on budget accommodation and bed and breakfasts. The former is because, well, all the cheap accommodation can be found in Gungahlin, and the latter is because all the B&Bs are located right to the north of Civic in Braddon along Northbourne Avenue. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Canberra City YHA | alt= | url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/canberra/canberra-city-backpackers-hostel/ | email=canberracity@yhansw.org.au | address=7 Akuna St | lat=-35.281662 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 9155 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6249 1731 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Beds in a shared dormitory from $26 per night. Double or twin rooms from $76 per night. Family rooms $96 per night. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=BreakFree Capital Tower | alt= | url=https://www.mantrahotels.com/breakfree-capital-tower/ | email=capitaltower.res@breakfree.com.au | address=2 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1261 | directions= | phone=1300 987 603 (domestic) | tollfree=1800 676 241 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained accommodation with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the apartments come with a balcony, laundry and kitchen while outdoor facilities include tennis courts, a spa, a pool and a gym. }} * {{sleep | name=Nesuto Canberra Apartment Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.nesuto.com/canberra | email=reception.canberra@nesuto.com | address=2 Akuna St | lat=-35.2819 | long=149.1327 | directions= | phone=+61 2 622 91234 | tollfree=1800 188 388 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained apartments with all the essentials you can expect to find in a normal apartment. Facilities include an indoor heated pool, a tennis court, a gym, a spa and sauna. There is parking available at the hotel, but a surcharge applies. }} * {{sleep | name=Nishi Boutique Hotel | alt=Ovolo Nishi | url=https://ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi/ | email= | address=25 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 6287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A very unusual shaped boutique hotel with traditional spacious rooms. The precinct includes a bar, a restaurant and an indoor gym, and is known to be LGBT friendly. However, the events hall downstairs can get very noisy during night, disturbing your sleep. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Canberra Hotel | alt= | url=http://novotelcanberra.com.au/ | email=H2796-RE@accor.com | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277615 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6245-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6245 5100 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rate range $150–250 | content=Novotel Canberra accommodates business and convention visitors, and families travelling with children. Directly above the Canberra Coach Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppers Gallery Hotel Canberra | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3T5/index.en.shtml | email= | address=15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2845 | long=149.1238 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A lively art-themed hotel that includes free parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms are fairly spacious, and the staff are known to be very friendly, but housekeeping services are not great. }} * {{sleep | name=QT Canberra | alt=Rydges Lakeside Canberra | url=https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/ | email= reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com | address=1 London Cct | lat=-35.283611 | long=149.125556 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 6244 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata=Q106915568 | content=Rydges Lakeside Canberra is on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, walking distance to Civic. Has large rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a grill and some excellent views over Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sebel Canberra Civic | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4D4/index.en.shtml | email=info@thesebelcanberra.com.au | address=197 London Cct | lat=-35.2815 | long=149.1321 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6267 5675 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A small hotel but with reasonably sized rooms and staff are known to be friendly. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast and laundry service. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/canberra/cbrbs/hoteldetail | email=reservations.cbrbs@ihg.com | address=1 Binara St | lat=-35.2828 | long=149.1348 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6274 5500 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|3PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $300 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A very accessible hotel and the closest to the [[Canberra/Civic#Casino Canberra|the city's only casino]]. It's no different from the global chain's other hotels and includes free parking, a pool, a gym/fitness centre, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. The beds are generally lush, but it comes at a high cost. }} ==Connect== There are plenty of places you can go to in Civic that has [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi], mostly inside restaurants and at the museum. As it's the central business district of a capital city, there is good 5G coverage by all the three major providers. ==Go next== You probably won't be spending much time in Civic, unless you're here for a business trip or decided to book accommodation here, but as Civic is the centrepiece of Canberra, there are a number of other places in Canberra easily accessible from Civic, both by car and by public transport. This list only includes destinations easily accessible via foot. *'''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Commonwealth and Kings Parks|Commonwealth Park]]''' is just southeast of Civic and can be reached on foot simply by crossing the bridge over Parkes Way. Next to Commonwealth Park is Blundell's Cottage in Kings Park, an important historic site of Canberra. *If you haven't already, go explore '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#In Parliamentary Triangle|Parliamentary Triangle]]''', where most of Canberra's important landmarks are. *For university tourers, Australia's top university, the '''[[Canberra/Acton|Australian National University]]''' (ANU) borders Civic right to the west. *This one requires you to go on a little bit of a longer walk, but it's still close by; '''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Anzac Parade|ANZAC Parade]]''' contains most of Canberra's war memorials, including the Australian War Memorial. {{routebox2 |name=Civic |temp1={{AUR|A23}} |directionr1=NE |minorr1=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] → merges with {{AUR|M23}} |majorr1=[[Goulburn]] |directionl1=SE |minorl1= [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] |majorl1= [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp2=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">PARKES WAY</small> |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr2=[[Canberra/Airport and East|Canberra Airport]] |directionl2=W |minorl2=[[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] |majorl2=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo Valley]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r1}} |directionl3=N |minorl3=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] |majorl3=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |directionr3=S |majorr3=END |temp4={{rint|canberra|r2}} |directionl4=NW |minorl4=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorl4=Fraser<!--part of Belconnen--> |directionr4=SE |minorr4=Barton |majorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Fyshwick]] |temp5={{rint|canberra|r3}} |directionl5=NW |majorl5=Spence<!--part of Belconnen--> |minorl5=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |directionr5=E |minorr5=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr5=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Canberra Airport]] |temp6={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl6=N |majorl6=END |directionr6=SW |minorr6=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr6=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp7={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl7=N |majorl7=END |directionr7=S |minorr7=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr7=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |temp8={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl8=N |majorl8=END |directionr8=SW |minorr8=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr8=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |temp9={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl9=N |majorl9=END |directionr9=SW |majorr9=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] |temp10={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl10=N |majorl10=END |directionr10=WSW |minorr10= |majorr10=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.2812|149.1304}} {{Mapmask|-35.2755,149.1268|-35.2768,149.1265|-35.2767,149.1260|-35.2769,149.1258|-35.2790,149.1239|-35.2798,149.1252|-35.2815,149.1238|-35.2817,149.1237|-35.2820,149.1237|-35.2823,149.1239|-35.2828,149.1241|-35.2833,149.1244|-35.2836,149.1246|-35.2843,149.1229|-35.2844,149.1228|-35.2846,149.1225|-35.2852,149.1222|-35.2857,149.1220|-35.2857,149.1228|-35.2857,149.1242|-35.2857,149.1258|-35.2859,149.1281|-35.2860,149.1286|-35.2864,149.1306|-35.2873,149.1336|-35.2866,149.1342|-35.2860,149.1348|-35.2851,149.1355|-35.2838,149.1368|-35.2832,149.1373|-35.2829,149.1374|-35.2826,149.1374|-35.2824,149.1374|-35.2817,149.1370|-35.2777,149.1347|-35.2766,149.1340|-35.2764,149.1338|-35.2762,149.1333|-35.2759,149.1308|-35.2755,149.1268}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13096707314253, -35.27992909174965 ], [ 149.1316332668066, -35.27967400359858 ], [ 149.13169965147972, -35.279509235932245 ], [ 149.1319578140974, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.13196988403797, -35.27941234581911 ], [ 149.1320476680994, -35.279509783333694 ], [ 149.13284964859486, -35.279200500930635 ], [ 149.1329026222229, -35.27907952466047 ], [ 149.13294352591038, -35.279063649932866 ], [ 149.1330836713314, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1331534087658, -35.279067481763946 ], [ 149.13319230079648, -35.2790472277976 ], [ 149.13321979343888, -35.27903135306366 ], [ 149.1332472860813, -35.27901712054095 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#00807b", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13308300077915, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1330749541521, -35.279202143141205 ], [ 149.13299918174744, -35.27923225032907 ], [ 149.1328489780426, -35.279200500930635 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#008080", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13205035030842, -35.2795086885308 ], [ 149.1321026533842, -35.27964334917441 ], [ 149.1319551318884, -35.279696994409086 ], [ 149.1318029165268, -35.27975392400701 ], [ 149.13163393735886, -35.27967400359858 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 2.5, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "City Walk" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13111560046673, -35.27863284148203 ], [ 149.131348952651, -35.27868812960708 ], [ 149.13147702813146, -35.27874232288114 ], [ 149.1315722465515, -35.27879761093145 ], [ 149.13163125514984, -35.27885563597335 ], [ 149.13168154656887, -35.27892132464987 ], [ 149.13173384964466, -35.27900945687383 ], [ 149.13183644413948, -35.27918407882312 ], [ 149.13195379078388, -35.279382786100484 ], [ 149.13211472332478, -35.279657034186634 ], [ 149.13223676383495, -35.27986395128961 ], [ 149.1323460638523, -35.28004951935291 ], [ 149.13243122398853, -35.280198411414815 ], [ 149.13252040743828, -35.28034785059875 ], [ 149.1331735253334, -35.28146343549996 ], [ 149.13363486528394, -35.2822604288437 ], [ 149.13373678922653, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 149.13385212421417, -35.28256258361013 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a977df", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City Hill" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ], [ 149.13015067577362, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.13041353225708, -35.28427258317914 ], [ 149.13188874721527, -35.282608563584446 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282161899871745 ], [ 149.1319102048874, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13084268569946, -35.28001174889661 ], [ 149.13051009178162, -35.27975337660723 ], [ 149.13027942180634, -35.2797008262102 ], [ 149.1282570362091, -35.279477486642406 ], [ 149.12772059440613, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.12744164466858, -35.27946872821543 ], [ 149.12717878818512, -35.27956945006844 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1258054971695, -35.28104960893913 ], [ 149.12538170814514, -35.281540069816195 ], [ 149.12531197071075, -35.28171085460287 ], [ 149.12527441978455, -35.28192105076893 ], [ 149.12539780139923, -35.28214876266643 ], [ 149.12594497203827, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.1263473033905, -35.28379089681325 ], [ 149.12654578685758, -35.28407115104745 ], [ 149.12677645683289, -35.284263825270784 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28437329905706 ], [ 149.12842333316803, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.1291904449463, -35.28458786724879 ], [ 149.12974298000336, -35.28464041447439 ], [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#18d04d", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City East" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ], [ 149.12803709506989, -35.285905916523284 ], [ 149.1287076473236, -35.286002251509196 ], [ 149.1293567419052, -35.28612485950733 ], [ 149.13081049919128, -35.28640510566298 ], [ 149.131840467453, -35.28669848731784 ], [ 149.1333371400833, -35.28719329277496 ], [ 149.13357317447662, -35.28727648985572 ], [ 149.13484454154965, -35.28588840105897 ], [ 149.1362339258194, -35.284377678005434 ], [ 149.13709223270416, -35.28343181965805 ], [ 149.13759648799896, -35.282871305793904 ], [ 149.13615882396698, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13487672805786, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13486063480377, -35.2820217695718 ], [ 149.1344690322876, -35.282183795209214 ], [ 149.13405060768127, -35.28240274825821 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28411931964627 ], [ 149.13121283054352, -35.28337927164811 ], [ 149.13038671016693, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.1301453113556, -35.28453531998911 ], [ 149.12975370883942, -35.28465793020867 ], [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#d09440", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Civic Centre" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28409304586865 ], [ 149.13403451442719, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.282205690540756 ], [ 149.1348499059677, -35.282013011420005 ], [ 149.13487136363983, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13438856601715, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13614809513092, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.1357457637787, -35.279643896574946 ], [ 149.13382530212402, -35.27622804522241 ], [ 149.13320302963257, -35.27617111314595 ], [ 149.1317492723465, -35.27599593727502 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.2757682080764 ], [ 149.12905633449554, -35.27957820848452 ], [ 149.13051545619965, -35.27973585981201 ], [ 149.1308319568634, -35.28000736971214 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.2818159527541 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.2821268673195 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282376473923584 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.282591047406825 ], [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#14a9d2", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City West" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ], [ 149.126797914505, -35.27545726909816 ], [ 149.12655115127563, -35.276766708273065 ], [ 149.12598252296448, -35.27662218926966 ], [ 149.12424981594086, -35.27854908811179 ], [ 149.12385284900665, -35.2789870132731 ], [ 149.1252154111862, -35.279788410186306 ], [ 149.12381529808044, -35.28143059219938 ], [ 149.12368655204773, -35.28173275006229 ], [ 149.12369191646576, -35.2819692206468 ], [ 149.1238421201706, -35.28234582052242 ], [ 149.12401378154755, -35.2826435959283 ], [ 149.12460386753082, -35.28360260045483 ], [ 149.12595570087433, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.12525832653046, -35.28191667168769 ], [ 149.12536025047302, -35.28155758622114 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1273075342178, -35.27951252034082 ], [ 149.12772595882416, -35.27940303998294 ], [ 149.12906169891357, -35.27957382927661 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a8a43e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "NewActon Precinct" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28436454115961 ], [ 149.1267603635788, -35.284268204225086 ], [ 149.12648141384125, -35.28400984551661 ], [ 149.1259503364563, -35.28309901501917 ], [ 149.12462532520294, -35.283589463483246 ], [ 149.1228711605072, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.12263512611386, -35.28443022536742 ], [ 149.12236154079437, -35.28472799310789 ], [ 149.1221845149994, -35.28503013866638 ], [ 149.1220611333847, -35.28546802877896 ], [ 149.12198066711426, -35.2857088673314 ], [ 149.12254929542542, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12359535694122, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12500083446503, -35.285726382834554 ], [ 149.12667453289032, -35.285800823680624 ], [ 149.1280210018158, -35.28591029538875 ], [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> a5j72f5bodxvinl44eqiaqw7v2vyth2 4501865 4501864 2022-08-16T04:29:18Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Cafes */ Added listing for The Cupping Room wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Civic banner 1.jpg|pgname=Civic}} [[File:NewActon Precinct.jpg|thumb|300px|The NewActon Precinct]] Officially known as Canberra's '''city''', '''Civic''' is what is now Walter Burley Griffin's design for a Civic Centre. Established in 1927, it's one of the oldest centres of Canberra and is the capital's central business district, surrounded by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] and [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]]. Though not particularly large and has very few tall sky-rise buildings, it's the only CBD of its size located in inland Australia (the next closest you could find is [[Toowoomba]] CBD). There isn't one agreed way to call this district, but Wikivoyage has chosen to go with "Civic" for simplicity. Other names for Civic include the city, Canberra CBD, or Canberra City Centre. What you see on signage may also be confusing, as whoever designed them couldn't pick a name for consistency. ==Understand== ===History=== {{infobox|Why are there few high-rise buildings in Civic?|If you're unaware of the exact specifications that the National Capital Plan requires, then you might wonder why there are few high-rise buildings in the downtown area of a city of 467,000. Especially when other Australian cities of a similar size like [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] and [[Sunshine Coast]] have many, why can't Canberra have many, especially when it's Australia's capital? The answer lies within the [https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/DownloadFile/ni/2008-27/copy/82874/PDF/2008-27.PDF RL 617 requirements] (a document which simply sums up building restrictions in Civic), which states that no building can exceed 617 meters in elevation. However, Civic itself is 567 m, capping the maximum at around 50 m (about 14 storeys). The primary reason was so Parliament House will still dominate the surrounding area.}} Civic was established in 1927, 14 years after Canberra was. It now makes up Burley Griffin's original plan for a Civic Centre with nearby Russell planned to be Canberra's "Market Centre". Instead, Russell is now the headquarters of the <abbr title="Australian Defence Force">ADF</abbr> which has resulted in many markets and malls in Civic, way more than what was in Burley Griffin's original plan. However, due to Civic's height restrictions along with the lack of space, many larger stores and markets can now be found in [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]], Canberra's second largest town centre (excluding Civic and Queanbeyan). Before Civic was established, there wasn't a clear town or city centre – the closest that resembled anything like one was [[Queanbeyan]] town centre, but Queanbeyan is in NSW, not in the ACT. Even though Civic is nearing celebrating its centenary, it's still a relatively new central business district and whilst you'll find a ton of historic buildings and sites in the CBDs of [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]] or even tiny little [[Hobart]], there are very few in Civic, and most would fail the criteria for being "historic" in [[Tasmania]], possibly Sydney and certainly not the Old World (most of it, at least). This has left the few that are considered historic in a Canberran context, to be the major things to "see" in Civic. Canberra's important buildings are mostly not in Civic (they're in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]), whilst museums are scattered throughout Canberra but with only one in Civic. Canberrans also don't tend to really pride in these buildings, so some like the Sydney building may look good on the outside, but are in a state of despair on the inside. Even that said, there are only two important historic buildings or sites in Civic, the '''[[#Sydney and Melbourne buildings|Sydney and Melbourne buildings]]'''. Contrary to all the negativity with Canberra's historic sites, there is one thing that Canberra has that most other Australian cities don't have – a town square. Out of the six state capitals (plus [[Darwin]] for inclusion's sake), only [[Adelaide]] has one: [[Adelaide/City and North Adelaide|Victoria Square]]. However, [[#Civic Square|Civic Square]] was not designed by Burley Griffin (it was completed in 1961, well after Burley Griffin's time) but instead by Yuncken Freeman (an Australian architecture firm) architects, though it was in Griffin's original plan, with the location purposefully chosen to be the centrepiece of Canberra, linking City Hill and [[Canberra/North Canberra#Parks and lookouts|Mount Ainslie]], which has lead to [[#Canberra Theatre|Canberra Theatre]] and several other government buildings popping up. ===Orientation=== The "City" as it's officially called, is divided into five districts. However, in practice, with the exception of NewActon, nobody but the ACT government ever uses these districts and the only time you will ever see these names are on road signs, and these names are not very consistent. Likewise, though this part of Canberra is called "Civic", you will almost never see it on signage; instead, you'll primarily see "City" or if you're somewhere closer to Civic, signs might point out to a specific part of Civic such as City West or City Centre. Strangely, "City Centre"<!--do not decapitalize--> can either mean the entirety of Civic, or it can just refer to the northeast of the district, but in typical ACT fashion, signage is sloppy when picking one area for consistency. <!--these aren't additional districts, this is supposed to resemble something like [[Sydney/City East]]--> <!--City Hill comes first given it's the most prominent – do not alphabetize--> <!--if regionlist fails to display the dynamic map {{mapframe|show=mask1|name=Map of Civic's districts}}--> {{Regionlist |regionmap=Civic regions map.png |regionInteractiveMap=map1 |show=mask1 |height=500 |regionmapsize=500px |regionmaptext=Color-coded map of Civic's districts |regionmapZoom=15 |region1name=City Hill |region1color=#a977df |region1description=The most prominent point of Civic for passer-by visitors containing many trees on a hill and Civic Square, an important location within Civic containing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly Building and a few other buildings. |region2name=City Centre / Civic Centre |region2color=#d09440 |region2description=It's a bit unclear on what this section of Civic is exactly called, but this part of Civic contains Canberra's main shopping precinct, Canberra Centre. Treat yourself to hundreds of stores and restaurants, whether it's for a quick lunch break, Saturday afternoon shopping or whether you'd like to take something home with you from Canberra. |region3name=City East |region3color=#18d04d |region3description=Not the most attractive part of Civic as it's rather just filled with corporate offices but it does get filled with gamblers since it contains Canberra's only purpose-built casino: Casino Canberra. |region4name=City West |region4color=#14a9d2 |region4description=Straddles along the edge of the Australian National University containining many cafes and restaurants. In many retrospects, City West acts as an "in-between" location between the centre and the Australian National University. |region5name=NewActon Cultural and Cinema Precinct (NewActon Precinct)<!--sic - do NOT change to New Acton.--> |region5color=#a8a43e |region5description=Dubbed by ''This is Canberra'' as "[https://thisiscanberra.com/newacton-canberras-little-piece-of-new-york/ Canberra’s little piece of New York]", this vibrant and lively has a whole cafes, bars, cinemas and anything you'd find that characterises cities known for culture like New York City or Melbourne crammed in a single block. Some would classify this new precinct as part of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]], but it's covered in this guide for practical purposes. }} ===Read=== There are few publically available books about Civic, and often those that can be found are only found within Canberra. But in spite of that, it doesn't mean there are few books about Civic – in fact, the '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#National Library of Australia |National Library of Australia]]''' (NLA) in Parliamentary Triangle, South Canberra has a sizable amount about Civic. Many are online-only, and can be found on the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ library's catalogue]. * '''''Civic: the living city''''' by Tony Powell ({{ISBN|9780646449487}}<!--or 0646449486-->). Not a very popular book but it does go into great depths about Civic's city planning and why Civic is planned the way it is. The book is a bit hard to find though; few bookstores in Civic have the book but it can be found at the airport, or alternatively, you may want to borrow it online from the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3546314/Holdings? National Library of Australia] (NLA). ==Get in== As with any city's downtown area, Civic is well-connected by both road and light rail. ===By bus=== [[File:City Bus Interchange.jpg|thumb|250px|ACTION buses at the City Interchange]] All buses to Civic stop at one interchange, {{marker|type=go|name=City Interchange|lat=-35.278476|long=149.130054}}; one of few in Canberra to have both bus and light rail services. Being in the centre of Canberra, there are many lines that connect to the rest of Canberra. The ideal way to get into Civic by bus is using these R-routes (i.e. the main important routes), which as follows: * '''R2''' from [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] to the northwest and the [[Canberra/South Canberra#Buy|Canberra Outlet Centre]] in Fyshwick to the southeast * '''R3''' from Canberra Airport to the east, and Spence/Belconnen to the northwest * '''R4''' from Belconnen to the northwest, and [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] passing [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] to the south. * '''R5''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong in the south, terminating in Civic. * '''R6''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] in the southwest via Barton. If you're arriving from '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#By train|Canberra Railway Station]]''' in Kingston, South Canberra, then use this rapid route. * '''R7''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] also from the southwest * '''R10''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] in the southwest There are also other ordinary bus lines. Unlike the R-routes, services are not very frequent, and these routes come from rather obscure or specific places, such as the Australian Defence Force Academy or the National Museum of Australia. With the exception of bus line '''53''' to/from the National Museum of Australia in [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and the Dickson Shops in [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]], all ordinary bus lines terminate at Civic. Otherwise, the ordinary bus routes as follows: * '''31''' from the Dickson Shops in North Canberra passing Braddon * '''32''' from several interchanges in Belconnen, including Cohen Street Interchange, Westfield Belconnen and Belconnen Interchange and a lot of other minor stops along the way. However, if you're coming to Civic from these interchanges, you're better off taking the R2, 3 or 4 lines that don't go the long and convoluted way. * '''50''' from Watson Terminus in North Canberra, passing the Dickson Shops * '''51''' from the Dickson Shops but passing Lyneham instead * '''54''' from Majura Business Park near the airport * '''55''' from the Australian Defence Force Academy passing the Royal Military College * '''56''' from Fyshwick * '''59''' from Woden Interchange passing the [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] section of Barton * '''182''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong via the Majura Parkway (M23) ===By car=== {{infobox|Finding parking|Though the standard expression anyone will say when heading to a mid-sized or large city's central business district is "Do not drive", driving in Canberra's is actually quite tolerable – except, finding parking can be hard at best, and a nightmare at worst. Luckily for you, parking isn't all that expensive and at the very max, you'll have to pay $16 for a day. Within Civic, there are three main paid carparks, all operated by Secure Parking. There's a fourth one but it's a monthly-only carpark, centred for workers, not travellers. * The first and largest is the parking at '''[[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]]'''. It's a multi-storey carpark, and if you're going to by in the city all day or doing a few hours worth of shopping, you can pay $14 rooftop parking (which actually takes up the top three floors); * {{marker|type=go|name=City West Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/city-west-car-park|lat=-35.2786|long=149.1253}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50 and early-bird parking from $14. * {{marker|type=go|name=Marcus Clarke Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/121-marcus-clarke-car-park|lat=-35.27753|long=149.12546}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50, rooftop parking from $16, and early-bird parking from $14. There are three other carpark, within London Cct in City Hull, but those aren't operated by Secure Parking. They do tend to get filled up pretty quickly though. Alternatively, there is street parking available, but very limited in Civic. Need not worry – Braddon just to the north has a reasonably amount of metered street parking along Lonsdale St, and it's cheaper than parking in the Civic too – a win-win if you don't mind the 100-metre walk.}} Being at the centre of Canberra, Civic is well connected by several ways. Many are good quality roads, some of which are freeways, though the prime route which many travellers use is Northbourne Avenue from the north. '''Northbourne Avenue''' (A23) is the main artery connecting Civic to NSW. It runs right through the centre of Civic. If you're entering the ACT via the '''Federal Highway''' (M23), then all you need to do is to simply stay on the same road until you reach Civic. If you're coming from the northern districts – namely, anywhere from [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]], [[Canberra/Hall|Hall]] or from [[New South Wales]] via the '''Barton Highway''' (A25), stay on Barton Highway and once you're at the Federal Hwy/Barton Hwy/Northbourne Ave intersection, turn right onto Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at Civic. '''Parkes Way''' (unnumbered) doesn't exactly pass through Civic, but marks Civic' southern border, bypassing the city, and the easiest and fastest way if you're coming from the [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley]], and [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]]. There are three exits along the freeway, and one massive roundabout at the very end. '''Commonwealth Avenue''' (A23) connects Capital and State Circles to Civic. From Woden use Adelaide Avenue northeast into [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], which should later spit you out onto Commonwealth Avenue. From the [[Canberra/Airport and East|airport]], head west onto Pialligo Drive west and then onto Morshead Drive. Continue until Coranderrk Street from where you'll need to turn right at the massive roundabout and then you've basically arrived at Civic. And if you're coming back from the snow (i.e. the [[Snowy Mountains]]), keep following the Monaro Highway (A23) which later becomes the freeway-grade Majura Parkway (M23) and exit onto Morshead Drive. Once you've exited, turn left until you've arrived at Civic. ===By light rail=== Civic has connections to and [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] passing by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] via Northbourne Avenue (A23). From Gungahlin, the '''R1''' route starts at the town centre and heads east for a few metres until it changes direction and heads south, passing Dickson Interchange before terminating at the {{marker|type=go|name=Alinga Street station|lat=-35.27796|long=149.129325}}, just north of the Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection. The route is fairly short, and services are frequent, so you won't need any special planning ahead to use the light rail. There are plans to extend the line down southwest towards [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] along either Capital or State Circle and Adelaide Avenue through the middle of the freeway. Construction is expected to start soon in 2023 and is projected to open in 2025. {{mapframe|-35.2812|149.1292|zoom=15|name=Map of Civic|align=center|width=100%|height=500}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q4421073}}--> {{Mapshapes|Q16927042}} <!--R1: Canberra Light Rail--> ==See== [[File:Canberra Museum and Gallery viewed from Civic Square.jpg|thumb|250px|The Canberra Museum and Gallery from Civic Square]] [[File:City Hill and Northbourne Avenue viewed from London Circuit.jpg|thumb|250px|Centenary Column from London Cct]] When it comes to things to see, Civic has very little to offer. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, most of Canberra's museums aren't located in Civic but in the areas surrounding Civic such as [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] or [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. Nevertheless, the Civic has some buildings with some unique architecture, making Canberra quite a different CBD compared to other Australian CBDs. Most of Civic's sights are located in {{marker|type=see|name=Civic Square|lat=-35.281269|long=149.131018}}, a small block in 180 London Cct, including the Legislative Assembly building, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Library and Canberra Theatre. Its location was deliberately chosen to be directly in line with [[Canberra/North Canberra#In nature reserves|Mount Ainslie]]; if you want to see it for real, stand at the very centre of the lookout, and whilst Anzac Parade will certainly take the spotlight, look a bit to the right and you'll see the square perfectly in line with City Hill and Ainslie Avenue. * {{see | name=Artworld ADG | alt= | url=http://www.aboriginaldream.com/ | email=dream@aboriginaldream.com | address=cnr London Cct and Gordon St | lat=-35.2823 | long=149.1252 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 2922 | tollfree= | hours=F {{time|11AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the [[Canberra/Gungahlin, Belconnen and Hall#Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery|Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery]] in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Museum and Gallery | alt=CMAG | url=http://www.cmag.com.au/ | email=cmag@act.gov.au | address=176 London Cct | lat=-35.2807 | long=149.131 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 3968 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q495518 | content=A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. Also features the ''Sydney Nolan Collection'' - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist. }} * {{see | name=Glebe Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr Bunda St, Akuna St and Cooyong St | lat=-35.28227 | long=149.13629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5567441 | lastedit=2022-06-30 | content=Where's Canberra's Hype Park you ask? This small 40-ha park is a remnant of land that was allocated in the 1840s to the Anglican church, but today is a nice spot to go for a stroll. If you're into photography and want to see some autumn colours, the leaves have a strong autumn foliage, making it a great spot for photography. }} * {{see | name=Sydney and Melbourne buildings | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr London Cct and Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.279 | long=149.13 | directions=the Sydney Building is on the east side of Northbourne Avenue, and the Melbourne Building is on the west side | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=These two large buildings in the centre of Civic were the first commercially-funded buildings in Canberra, and have been important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both buildings are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in [[Florence]], Italy. They are occupied by a mix of restaurants (most of which are quite good), nightclubs, pubs and small businesses, but much of the Sydney Building is in a fairly poor state of repair. Plans to revitalise the buildings are regularly proposed, but never go far. }} There are a few memorials and monuments in Civic, though only a fraction when you compare it to just ANZAC Avenue alone in Campbell, [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]]. They're not popular destinations, and if you're time limited, you can see them while driving and still not miss anything important or notable about these memorials and monuments. * {{see | name=ACT Memorial | alt=Australian Capital Territory Memorial | url=http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/ | email= | address=London Cct / Vernon Circle | lat=-35.2808 | long=149.132 | directions=opposite Civic Square | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4650886 | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Centenary Column | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2814 | long=149.129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q18386365 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate the Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded, but was never completed. }} [[File:ACT Legislative Assembly building November 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|The Legislative Assembly Building in November 2021]] Civic has its fair share of government offices, both a mix of federal (that's no surprise as it's the ACT) and territory government offices. Most of the territory buildings are of little interest, and if you're to be honest, would you really want to go and visit some random old building that you cannot enter? The same goes with federal, except there aren't any of interest as all of the important ones are in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{see | name=Legislative Assembly Building | alt= | url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/ | email=laeducation@parliament.act.gov.au | address=Civic Square, London Circuit | lat=-35.2816 | long=149.1312 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6205 3016 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6518198 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly Building, also known as the South Building, which although may first seem like any other "government building", the building does indeed have some educational programs, and you can make a booking if you want to visit the assembly – see the [https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn website] for more details. }} * {{see | name=Reserve Bank of Australia Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=20-22 London Cct | lat=-35.2804 | long=149.127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q60746498 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=A heritage-listed bank building designed by Howlett and Bailey in 1962 and built from 1963 to 1965 by Civil & Civic which was the old RBA building (the current RBA head office is now in Sydney). It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. }} ==Do== [[File:Casino Canberra Sign .jpg|thumb|250px|Outside Casino Canberra]] Civic isn't really a place to "do" things. Perhaps humorously, the most strenuous thing is maneuvering around the city, scrambling for parking or if it's not a very good day, then maybe both. While there have been several entertainment venues that have opened and closed in Civic, many have closed and in some cases like the former Center<!--sic--> Cinema, have been taken over by dining establishments. * {{do | name=Casino Canberra | alt= | url=http://casinocanberra.com.au | email= | address=21 Binara St | lat=-35.2833 | long=149.134 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6243 3700 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|12PM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1047578 | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=Perhaps Canberra's equivalent of Melbourne's Crown Casino, with multiple gambling areas, a sports bar, and an eatery but the casino is quite compact. }} * {{do | name=Canberra Theatre Centre | alt=Canberra Theatre | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2818 | long=149.1305 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2878077 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Canberra’s central performing arts venue, Australia’s first performing arts centre, and the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed having opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet. }} * {{do | name=Palace Electric Cinemas | alt= | url=http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/electric/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, 2 Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.12301 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6222 4900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=There's not a whole lot that's very unique to this cinema, except, this is primarily how NewActon's full name came to be. It has a bit of a modern and traditional look, but the choice is limited. }} ==Buy== [[File:Temporary picnic area in Garema Place October 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|City Walk]] There are three major shopping precincts in Civic: * {{buy | name=Canberra Centre | alt= | url=http://canberracentre.com.au | email= | address=Bunda St | lat=-35.2794 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247-5611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5031247 | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Canberra's second largest shopping mall covering a large section of Canberra's shopping district. It has department stores, food hall and eateries, specialty shops for adults and kids fashion both upmarket and basic. There are also electronics, books, CDs, souvenirs and Australian made products. }} * '''City Walk''' (coloured teal on the map) is an outdoor pedestrian mall in Civic that is home to a large range of shopping outlets, alfresco dining and a few bars. The mall is also home to the Canberra Merry-Go-Round and the Canberra Times fountain. **'''Garema Place''' is not part of City Walk, but it's just a spur from City Walk that also has lots of restaurants and stores. There's also a small hidden path to access it from Bunda Street just next to Gus' Place, but it's very easy to miss. * '''Petrie Plaza''' is a shorter pedestrian mall that was created in 1965 by pedestrianising Petrie Street. It doesn't have as many stores or dining precincts as City Walk does, but it's got a lot in the centre (whether it be the gardens, sculptures, a carousel etc.). All three are within the northeast of Civic (within what you see in red under Civic Centre as seen [[#Orientation|on the map]]). They're all essentially interconnected and some would argue that City Walk and Petrie Plaza are simply a part of the greater Canberra Centre. If you're just doing some shopping in Canberra, chances are, you might not even realise that you've left Canberra Centre and its "sub-malls" as they're very interconnected. Do be aware that finding a place to park your car can get very tricky, even on weekends, and it gets chaotic on weekends. There are a few carparks, but these aren't large when you compare it to the average Westfield in the Big 5. In typical ACT fashion, signage is poor and sloppy and you might need to scramble, make a few wrong left turns, have accidentally ended up on the highly pedestrianised Bunda Street (which can take you a few minutes to get from one end to the other) before finally reaching the centre's carparks. ===Book and gift stores=== If you're a person into books, souvenirs or want to take some gifts for those back home, Civic has several book and gift stores. Like all other stores in Civic, most are in either Canberra Centre or the pedestrian malls. * {{buy | name=Australian Choice | alt= | url=https://australianchoice.com.au/ | email=contact@australianchoice.com.au | address=Shop 12, Ground Floor, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=see [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 2 6257 5315 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=A family owned gift store that has an extensive range of souvenirs for you to take home. However, a lot of the souvenirs here are more "Australia specific" rather than Canberra specific, but there's a common Indigenous theme that distinguishes this shop from your average souvenir store. }} * {{buy | name=Dymocks Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.dymocks.com.au/stores/act/dymocks-canberra | email= | address=Shop CL17 Canberra Centre, Bunda Street, Civic | lat=-35.28042 | long=149.1328 | directions=behind the escalators in the Canberra Centre's food court | phone=+61 2 6257 5057 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=While part of a fairly unexciting national chain, this branch of Dymocks has an unusually well-chosen stock. Other, and less interesting, Dymocks branches are located in Belconnen Mall and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. }} * {{buy | name=Robinsons Bookshop Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.robinsonsbooks.com.au/robinsonsbooks-v02.php | email=canberracentre@robinsonsbooks.com.au | address=Shop DF24, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=next to the Apple Store in [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 3 9783 6488 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9AM–5:30PM; F 9AM–9PM; Sa 9AM–5PM; Su 10AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-28 | content=There's a lot of unexpected finds in this bookshop, but the range is rather limited and is slightly pricey compared to other Canberran bookshops. }} ===Clothing stores=== If you're heading out to the [[Snowy Mountains|Snowies]] and forgot to bring your puffy jacket or skipants, then need not worry, there are plenty of clothing stores in Civic that'll have them. Clothing as a whole can be a bit more expensive and cheaper than the price you'll find in Sydney at the same time, but range and variety isn't compromised (so no American chains that've left Australia for ripping Australians with cheap, old-fashioned clothes or even Australian stores that might have a tendency for slack in regional areas). ==Eat== Civic is one of only only places in Canberra where you can find a whole amplitude of [[Australian cuisine#Ethnic cuisines|ethnic cuisines]] to eat, with the other being the [[Canberra/North Canberra|Dickson Shops]] just a few kilometres to the north; unlike Dickson, Civic is not limited to Chinese or East/Southeast Asian cuisine, and you can find plenty of flavours from Italy, India, Turkey – you name it. There are two main precincts in Civic whose specialty ''is'' food, plus the Canberra Centre/City Walk. * '''Canberra Centre''' and '''City Walk''' may be known for shopping, but there are a sizable number of restaurants of all kind. * '''Sydney Building''' and a few surrounding buildings house a number of high-end splurge restaurants (and most of Civic's), as well as a number of Asian and Indian restaurants. * '''City West''' may look like a continuation of the Civic Centre's, but it's ''very'' different – lots of Italian, Japanese (yes, it's Asian, but the Japanese restaurants are somewhat evenly split up), and the further west you go from the Melbourne Building, the more cafes you'll see, reflecting Australia's coffee culture. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Civic Asian Noodle House | alt= | url=https://civicasiannoodlehouseonline.com.au/ | email= | address=Sydney Building, 34 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.278828 | long=149.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5145 (landline), +61 405 558 353 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good laksa and pad thai at reasonable prices (ranging around $15) in a relaxed atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=CBD Dumpling House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop FG13C Canberra Centre (148 Bunda St) | lat=-35.27766 | long=149.1334 | directions=enter from Scotts Crossing | phone=+61 2 6262 8855 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11:30AM|3PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2017-07-29 | content=Large and very popular Asian restaurant. Specialises in dumplings, but has a good mix of other Asian dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Fekerte’s Ethiopian | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2848 | long=149.123 | directions=near Ovolo Nishi | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A budget Ethiopian restaurant with some very flavourful spicy dishes and a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian options. It's one of only three Ethiopian restaurants in Canberra (with one being Ethiopia Down Under in Woden and the other in Civic). Both dine-in and takeaway are available. }} * {{eat | name=Flavours Of Ethiopia | alt= | url=http://flavoursofethiopia.weebly.com/ | email= | address=33 Allara St, City Walk | lat=-35.2832 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 413 655 472 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|11:15AM|8:30PM}} (closed Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Civic's second Ethiopian restaurant (and one of three in Canberra) best known for its curry sauces and samosas, owned by an Ethiopian couple (so it's indeed really authentic). There's plenty of traditionals to choose from with prices no higher than $20 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Happy’s Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.happys.com.au/ | email= | address=1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1316 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6249 7015 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: W–M 11:30AM–2PM (closed Tuesdays); dinner: Su–Th 5–9PM, F Sa 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A simple Cantonese restaurant that's been in this area for quite a long time. The menu is not very extensive, but nearly all of them are value-for-price. The size of the restaurant is a bit small though. }} * {{eat | name=Indo Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.indocafe.com.au/ | email=yetty@indocafe.com.au | address=Ground Floor, Nesuto Apartments, London Cct | lat=-35.2822 | long=149.1326 | directions= | phone=+61 411 038 803 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|3PM}} (closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Though it's called a cafe, it's not really a cafe but just a good place to have some cheap traditional Indonesian eats with takeaway lunch specials priced at $8. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba | alt= | url=https://kebaba.com.au/take-away/ | email= | address=Shop 4, 86-96 Bunda St | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 0346 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 9AM–midnight; Th 9AM–2AM; F Sa 10AM–5AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Has some traditional Turkish adana kebabs, pide and falafel. However, the portions are known to be rather small compared to a typical HSP (halal snack pack). }} * {{eat | name=LanZhou Beef Noodle | alt=Lanzhou Beef Noodle | url=https://www.lanzhoubeefnoodle-canberra.com.au/ | email= | address=28 University Ave | lat=-35.2798 | long=149.1257 | directions= | phone=+61 493 395 023 | tollfree= | hours=Su–F {{time|11AM|8:15PM}} (closed Saturdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A small noodle shop that brings the flavours from [[Lanzhou]] (a city in northwest China) and best known for its Lanzhou beef noodles. There are some rather exotic meals on the menu, but otherwise nearly everything found is either chicken or beef. }} * {{eat | name=Ming’s Pantry | alt=Ming’s Pantry Malaysian Street Food | url=https://www.facebook.com/139362503406102/posts/mings-pantry-malaysian-street-food/442671839741832/ | email= | address=Mayfair Building, G22/45 West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1273 | directions= | phone=+61 451 304 030 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|9PM}}; Sa {{time|11AM|2:30PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–21:00">5–9PM</abbr> (closed Su). | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=There isn't a whole lot to say about this place – except that you can get some really good yet cheap Malaysian food. The signature chicken and many of their other dishes tend to be a bit large, but who doesn't want to share a meal? (unless you're [[travelling alone]]). }} * {{eat | name=Ms Ba Cô | alt=Ms. Ba Cô | url=https://www.msbaco.com/ | email=msbacostreetfood@gmail.com | address=4-6/108 Bunda St | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 5396 | tollfree= | hours=Daly {{time|8AM|8PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Though it's only a budget restaurant, it's a Vietnamese favourite in Canberra. It's a family-owned restaurant, so there's some family recipes too and its name, ''Ba Cô '', translates to "three girls" in English, symbolising the family's three daughters. }} * {{eat | name=Wild Panda | alt= | url=https://wildpanda.com.au/ | email=info@wildpanda.com.au | address=40 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2786 | long=149.1268 | directions=next to Subway | phone=+61 408 579 666 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="11:00–21:00">11AM–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=A Western Chinese restaurant that veers towards the higher end of a budget restaurant, with portions surprisingly, not as large as many other Chinese restaurants. Through quality ain't their strong point, their hot noodles and dumplings are. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bicicletta Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bicicletta.com.au/ | email=gallery.rest@peppers.com.au | address=1/15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2846 | long=149.1239 | directions=near Peppers Gallery Hotel | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 5–10PM (closed Su M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Find some excellent homemade pizza, pasta and other Italian favourites in this authentic Italian restaurant, but with local ingredients. The wine list is a pretty selective one, and so are the daily specials. }} * {{eat | name=Blu Ginger | alt= | url=https://www.bluginger.com.au/ | email= | address=2/5-21 Genge St | lat=-35.2770 | long=149.13205 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 2228 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–3PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Lots of authentic classic curries in a very traditional, cozy setting that resembles a traditional Indian structure. It's best known for its butter chicken and korma, but their other options are also well worth a try. The tables can fill up quickly, so try and make a [https://www.bluginger.com.au/book-a-table/ booking] if you can. }} * {{eat | name=Briscola Italian | alt= | url=http://briscolapizzeria.com.au/ | email= | address=60 Alinga St | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1283 | directions=in ground floor of Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6248 5444 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: T–Su noon–2PM (closed Mondays), Dinner: Su–Th 5:30–8:30PM; F Sa 5:30–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Discover some "old fashioned" as dubbed by the restaurant themselves with some good classic Southern Italian cuisine. It won the Canberra’s Best Italian Restaurant award in 2015, and it's always been family owned by traditional Italians. }} * {{eat | name=Chez Kimchi | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/chezkimchi/ | email= | address=68/70 Bunda St | lat=-35.2779 | long=149.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5525 | tollfree= | hours=M Tu closed, W Th Su 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Korean restaurant with a good variety of chicken available. You can't go past the Gangjung, a very flavourful and tasty chicken and Chez Kimchi's local specialty. }} * {{eat | name=The City Labor Club | alt=Canberra Labor Club | url=https://www.laborclub.com.au/venues/city/ | email=admin@laborclub.com.au | address=16 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.2799 | long=149.1317 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 0404 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 9AM–midnight, Th F 9AM–1AM, Sa 10AM–1AM, Su 10AM–midnight | price= | lastedit=2022-06-09 | content=It's Civic's branch of the Canberra chain Canberra Labor Club with a nice relaxed atmosphere with rather spacious lounges with modern Australian cuisine. The modern Australian restaurant has great cocktails, lunch, gaming machines and Wi-Fi. }} * {{eat | name=Edo Tori | alt= | url=https://www.edotori.com.au/ | email=info@edotori.com.au | address=43 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2789 | long=149.1287 | directions=in Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 5119 2494 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:30AM–late | price=Feed me menu: {{AUD|59}}; lunch express: {{AUD|39}}; Zeitaku feed me {{AUD|89}}pp | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=A modern Australianised Japanese restaurant with the strange slogan "Save Water, Drink Beer" with a strong emphasis on drinks. It's borderline between mid-range and splurge, but the quality is worth the bucks. Oh, and not to forget, if you're a sushi craver, they have sushi; it's somewhat discreet. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba Turkish Grill Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kebaba-Turkish-Grill-Bar-1739731602996311/ | email= | address=11 East Row | lat=-35.27934 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 4757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Turkish grill bar that offers both dining in and takeaway. Depending on what you order, there is a chance that you can see your own meal being made. }} * {{eat | name=Kinn Thai | alt= | url=http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/canberra/ | email=canberra@kinnrestaurant.com.au | address=Shop FG03, Canberra Centre | lat= -35.2775776| long=149.1324284 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1277 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A Thai restaurant with street food (or specifically street lunch) with great Thai chicken, seafood and has a great variety of vegetarian options. Chilli basin chicken, anyone? }} * {{eat | name=Koko Black | alt= | url=https://www.kokoblack.com/ | email= | address=Bunda St, Canberra Centre North Quarter | lat=-35.27971 | long=149.1328 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Warm and tasty chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as an innovative and interesting hot chocolate and drink menu. Nice, welcoming decor. }} * {{eat | name=Madam Lu Malaysian Restaurant | alt= | url=https://madamlu.net/ | email= | address=20/42 West Row | lat=-35.278993 | long=149.1279 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5201 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Malaysian restaurant but with many Chinese inspired dishes. However, do be aware that the food here come in large portions, and so be careful in what you order – it could be larger than what you might be expecting. }} * {{eat | name=Močan & Green Grout | alt=Močan and Green Grout | url=https://mocanandgreengrout.net/ | email= | address=1/19 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.1250 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 2909 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7AM|4PM}} (kitchen closes {{time|2PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A classic ordinary typical modern-Australian restaurant, but it has an open-air kitchen. Unfortunately, the menu is very limited and there's a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays. }} * {{eat | name=The Golden Drum | alt= | url= | email= | address=1/14 Childers St | lat=-35.2791 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 1882 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM Sa Su 5–9PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=Classic traditional Chinese restaurant with lots of beef and pork options. Do be aware that there are some items on this menu that may seem "exotic", but there are plenty of meals that aren't. }} * {{eat | name=Zoo Bar | alt= | url=https://www.zoobar.com.au/ | email=info@zoobar.com.au | address=Level 3, 17 London Cct | lat=-35.28025 | long=149.1263 | directions= | phone=1300 966 227 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Tu W 11AM–10PM; Th 11AM–1AM; F 11AM–3AM; Sa 3PM–3AM (closed Su M) | price= | lastedit=2022-06-18 | content=Best known for its wide range of cocktails and beers available. There's some great modern Australian cuisine available in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. If you're here on a Saturday night, Zoo Bar is known to go full on and claims itself as the "new home of music in the capital"<!--src: https://www.zoobar.com.au/home/milehigh-->. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Akiba | alt= | url=http://www.akiba.com.au/ | email= | address=40 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 0602 | tollfree= | hours=M–W <abbr title="17:00–23:00">5–11PM</abbr>; Th–Su <abbr title="11:30–00:00">11:30AM–midnight</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Asian BBQ store with some great flavours and cocktails, particularly specialising in Japanese cuisine and barbecue. Do be aware though, that the portions are very large, so don't go ordering too much. }} * {{eat | name=Courgette Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.courgette.com.au/ | email= | address=54 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.276251 | long=149.1269 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa <abbr title="12:00–15:00">noon–3PM</abbr>, <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr> (closed Sundays) | price= | content=Sister restaurant to [[Canberra/South Canberra#Aubergine Restaurant|Aubergine Restaurant]], fine dining. And as the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant specialises in zucchini based meals. }} * {{eat | name=Iori Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.iori.com.au/ | email= | address=41 East Row | lat=-35.278923 | long=149.1304 | directions=in Sydney Building | phone=+61 2 6257 2334 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr>; Fr Sa <abbr title="18:00–21:30">6–9:30PM</abbr>; closed Sundays | price=Minimum $40 per person | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Japanese restaurant with some cosy settings with a mix of Japanese and Western food. The lighting tends to be quite nice, also being a mix of Western and Japanese styles. A particularly popular special of theirs is the Seared Salmon Roll. }} * {{eat | name=SoLita Pizzeria, Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://solita.com.au/ | email= | address=143 London Cct | lat=-35.279526 | long=149.1307 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1010 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th noon–2PM, 5–9PM, Fr noon–2PM, 5–9:30PM, Sa 5–9:30PM, closed Su M | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A mix of Naples (an Italian city in Campania, Southern Italy) cuisine and Australian cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from "'''So'''uth of '''Li'''ttle I'''ta'''ly", and the range of pasta coming from Canberra may surprise you – because there's quite a lot. }} * {{eat | name=The Meat & Wine Co. | alt= | url=https://themeatandwineco.com/canberra-restaurants/canberra-cbd/ | email=canberra@themeatandwineco.com | address=Ground Floor, 220 London Cct | lat=-35.283035 | long=149.131247 | directions=cnr Constitution Ave and London Cct | phone=+61 2 5134 5988 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|noon|10PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=It's one of Canberra's finest steak restaurants and has an excellent selection of wine (they've very nitpicky with the selection; only the finest make it). It's got a bit of a traditional yet modern feel and look. There are two things that this restaurant is known for: its diverse a la carte menu and [https://themeatandwineco.com/aged/ "aged"] steak. }} * {{eat | name=Wilma | alt= | url=https://wilmabbq.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Genge St. | lat=-35.277491 | long=149.1318 | directions=cnr Bunda and Genge Streets | phone=+61 2 6171 2092 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-08 | content=Sister to several Canberran restaurants, this splurge restaurant perhaps has some of the finest seafood and barbecue meat one could find in Canberra. Base banquets are from $75 per person while baller banquets are $95 per person. }} ===Cafes=== [[File:Gus' Place September 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Gus's cafe – what was the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra is now an all common sight in Civic]] * {{eat | name=Brew and Brew Cafe | alt= | url=https://thebrewandbrew.com.au/ | email=hello@thebrewandbrew.com.au | address=2 Constitution Ave | lat=-35.2838 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 6927 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F {{time|6AM|3PM}}; espresso bar: M–F {{time|6AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content=A cafe and a bar with lots of savory treats and a wide range of meat and bread. A la carte breakfast and lunch are available and have an excellent, fine-picked wine selection, with a strong local emphasis. Wine is picked and only wines from the Canberra region (i.e. the ACT and the wineries in NSW near the ACT) are served. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Olive Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.blueolivecafe.com.au/ | email= | address=56 Alinga St | lat=-35.278427 | long=149.128239 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 4600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Famous for their delicious New York style sandwiches. Great coffee and breakfast menu, wonderful service. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Alibi | alt= | url=http://www.cafealibi.com.au/ | email=enquiries@cafealibi.com.au | address=5 Farrell Pl | lat=-35.2812 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0606 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:15AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Just another ordinary, Australian cafe but with a wide selection of toasties. }} * {{eat | name=East Row Specialty Coffee | alt= | url=https://www.eastrowspecialtycoffee.com.au/ | email=info@eastrowspecialitycoffee.com.au | address=Cnr London Cct and East Row, Sydney Building | lat=-35.2795 | long=149.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 493 050 331 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|7AM|3PM}}; Su {{time|8AM|2PM}} | price=Breakfast: $16–22; lunch: $19–25; sides: $3–8.50 | lastedit=2022-08-05 | content=It's best known for its specialty coffee (well, it's in its name) with an all-day breakfast and has a decent variety for lunch – halloumi burgers, gnocchi, or barramundi, you call it! If you're just popping in for a quick drink on a hot summer day, there are some good smoothies and shakes, but the smoothies and shakes might not be as good as their coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Gus' | alt= | url=https://gusplace.com.au/ | email= | address=8/68 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q5620602 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=This cafe opened in 1969 and later became the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra. It is one of the oldest and best known cafes in Canberra and one of the first European-style cafes in Australia. It has both outdoor and indoor dining areas. }} * {{eat | name=The Moment Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/moment.the.509 | email= | address=Shop EG01B, 148 Bunda St | lat=-35.2788 | long=149.1333 | directions= | phone=+61 410 925 122 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11AM|8PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa {{time|10:30AM|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A bubble tea store (boba tea for speakers of American English) all ranging between $6 and $7 (which is actually quite cheap by Australian standards). }} * {{eat | name=The Whale Tea | alt= | url=https://the-whale-tea-desserts.business.site/ | email= | address=191/260 City Walk | lat=-35.28195 | long=149.1332 | directions= | phone=+61 449 650 027 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11:30AM|8:30PM}}; F Sa {{time|11:30AM|10:30PM}} | price=Medium: $6.80; large: $7.50 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Another bubble tea store with lots of great fruit and milk tea. They've also got some cakes available. }} * {{eat | name=The Cupping Room | alt= | url=http://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/ | email= | address=1/1-13 University Ave | lat=-35.2805 | long=149.126 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|3PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|3PM} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A traditional cafe with a very long takeaway menu. }} ==Drink== [[File:Sydney Building.jpg|thumb|250px|The fairly unattractive Sydney Building houses several bars and clubs]] You may encounter that nearly every bar, club and pub is closed during Sundays, but there is always some available at Bunda Street if you're desperate for a drink or two on a Sunday. * {{drink | name=Bleachers Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://bleachers.bar/ | email= | address=33 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2792 | long=149.1287 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 9058 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|11PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A mid-range bar with a large great emphasis on sport (well, that's why it's in its name), and Asaki beer, a type of Japanese beer. The range of food is reasonable, but not very large by Canberra standards. }} * {{drink | name=Cube | alt= | url=http://www.cubenightclub.com.au/ | email= | address=33 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.279652 | long=149.1312 | directions=downstairs from Antigo's cafe | phone=+61 2 6257 1110 | tollfree= | hours=Opens Th 8PM, F 9PM, Sa 10PM, Su 9PM; closes 5AM | price= | content=Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest. }} * {{drink | name=Hippo Co | alt=Hippo Lounge | url=http://www.hippoco.com.au/ | email= | address=Upstairs, 1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.278111 | long=149.1315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights. }} * {{drink | name=King O'Malleys | alt= | url=http://www.kingomalleys.com.au/ | email= | address=131 City Walk | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1311 | directions= | phone=+61 2 625 70111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types. }} * {{drink | name=Mooseheads | alt=East Row - London Cct - City | url=http://www.mooseheads.com.au/ | email= | address=105 London Cct | lat=-35.279366 | long=149.1297 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A bar with local history. It burnt down and was restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout. }} * {{drink | name=Parlour Wine Room | alt= | url=http://www.parlour.net.au/ | email= | address=16 Kendall Ln | lat=-35.284925 | long=149.1239 | directions=Behind Rydges Lakeside | phone=+61 2 6257 7325 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Very intimate comfortable lounge bar, great selection of wines. }} * {{drink | name=PJs in the City | alt= | url=https://pjsinthecity.com/ | email= | address=West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1281 | directions=inside the Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6230 1261 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's with a very casual feel. It's also got a branch in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] in the south. }} * {{drink | name=sideway | alt= | url=http://sidewaybc.com/ | email= | address=Level 1/21 E Row | lat=-35.279249 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 410 476 791 | tollfree= | hours=W–Sa, sometimes on Su 7PM–late | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Located inside the Sydney building, this bar does have a bit of a rough and tumble reputation. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good <abbr title="alcohol">alcos</abbr> available. }} * {{drink | name=The Highball Express | alt= | url=http://www.highballexpress.com.au/ | email=upgrade@highballexpress.com.au | address=1/82 Alinga St, Canberra | lat=-35.278626 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6179 8973 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-09 | content=A high-end pub that specialises in American and Central American drinks – not the ordinary kind of pub in Canberra. }} * {{drink | name=White Rabbit Cocktail Room | alt= | url=http://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/ | email= | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277795 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6257 7779 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail and tapas venue with polished floors and patterned wallpaper, hosting DJ nights. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Novotel Canberra January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|The outside of Novotel in January 2014]] Civic's accommodation is, for the most part, very similar to any other city centre. Generally clean, have decent facilities (by NSW or Queensland standards), but a bit devoid on budget accommodation and bed and breakfasts. The former is because, well, all the cheap accommodation can be found in Gungahlin, and the latter is because all the B&Bs are located right to the north of Civic in Braddon along Northbourne Avenue. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Canberra City YHA | alt= | url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/canberra/canberra-city-backpackers-hostel/ | email=canberracity@yhansw.org.au | address=7 Akuna St | lat=-35.281662 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 9155 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6249 1731 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Beds in a shared dormitory from $26 per night. Double or twin rooms from $76 per night. Family rooms $96 per night. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=BreakFree Capital Tower | alt= | url=https://www.mantrahotels.com/breakfree-capital-tower/ | email=capitaltower.res@breakfree.com.au | address=2 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1261 | directions= | phone=1300 987 603 (domestic) | tollfree=1800 676 241 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained accommodation with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the apartments come with a balcony, laundry and kitchen while outdoor facilities include tennis courts, a spa, a pool and a gym. }} * {{sleep | name=Nesuto Canberra Apartment Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.nesuto.com/canberra | email=reception.canberra@nesuto.com | address=2 Akuna St | lat=-35.2819 | long=149.1327 | directions= | phone=+61 2 622 91234 | tollfree=1800 188 388 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained apartments with all the essentials you can expect to find in a normal apartment. Facilities include an indoor heated pool, a tennis court, a gym, a spa and sauna. There is parking available at the hotel, but a surcharge applies. }} * {{sleep | name=Nishi Boutique Hotel | alt=Ovolo Nishi | url=https://ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi/ | email= | address=25 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 6287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A very unusual shaped boutique hotel with traditional spacious rooms. The precinct includes a bar, a restaurant and an indoor gym, and is known to be LGBT friendly. However, the events hall downstairs can get very noisy during night, disturbing your sleep. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Canberra Hotel | alt= | url=http://novotelcanberra.com.au/ | email=H2796-RE@accor.com | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277615 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6245-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6245 5100 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rate range $150–250 | content=Novotel Canberra accommodates business and convention visitors, and families travelling with children. Directly above the Canberra Coach Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppers Gallery Hotel Canberra | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3T5/index.en.shtml | email= | address=15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2845 | long=149.1238 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A lively art-themed hotel that includes free parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms are fairly spacious, and the staff are known to be very friendly, but housekeeping services are not great. }} * {{sleep | name=QT Canberra | alt=Rydges Lakeside Canberra | url=https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/ | email= reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com | address=1 London Cct | lat=-35.283611 | long=149.125556 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 6244 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata=Q106915568 | content=Rydges Lakeside Canberra is on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, walking distance to Civic. Has large rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a grill and some excellent views over Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sebel Canberra Civic | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4D4/index.en.shtml | email=info@thesebelcanberra.com.au | address=197 London Cct | lat=-35.2815 | long=149.1321 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6267 5675 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A small hotel but with reasonably sized rooms and staff are known to be friendly. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast and laundry service. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/canberra/cbrbs/hoteldetail | email=reservations.cbrbs@ihg.com | address=1 Binara St | lat=-35.2828 | long=149.1348 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6274 5500 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|3PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $300 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A very accessible hotel and the closest to the [[Canberra/Civic#Casino Canberra|the city's only casino]]. It's no different from the global chain's other hotels and includes free parking, a pool, a gym/fitness centre, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. The beds are generally lush, but it comes at a high cost. }} ==Connect== There are plenty of places you can go to in Civic that has [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi], mostly inside restaurants and at the museum. As it's the central business district of a capital city, there is good 5G coverage by all the three major providers. ==Go next== You probably won't be spending much time in Civic, unless you're here for a business trip or decided to book accommodation here, but as Civic is the centrepiece of Canberra, there are a number of other places in Canberra easily accessible from Civic, both by car and by public transport. This list only includes destinations easily accessible via foot. *'''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Commonwealth and Kings Parks|Commonwealth Park]]''' is just southeast of Civic and can be reached on foot simply by crossing the bridge over Parkes Way. Next to Commonwealth Park is Blundell's Cottage in Kings Park, an important historic site of Canberra. *If you haven't already, go explore '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#In Parliamentary Triangle|Parliamentary Triangle]]''', where most of Canberra's important landmarks are. *For university tourers, Australia's top university, the '''[[Canberra/Acton|Australian National University]]''' (ANU) borders Civic right to the west. *This one requires you to go on a little bit of a longer walk, but it's still close by; '''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Anzac Parade|ANZAC Parade]]''' contains most of Canberra's war memorials, including the Australian War Memorial. {{routebox2 |name=Civic |temp1={{AUR|A23}} |directionr1=NE |minorr1=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] → merges with {{AUR|M23}} |majorr1=[[Goulburn]] |directionl1=SE |minorl1= [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] |majorl1= [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp2=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">PARKES WAY</small> |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr2=[[Canberra/Airport and East|Canberra Airport]] |directionl2=W |minorl2=[[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] |majorl2=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo Valley]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r1}} |directionl3=N |minorl3=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] |majorl3=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |directionr3=S |majorr3=END |temp4={{rint|canberra|r2}} |directionl4=NW |minorl4=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorl4=Fraser<!--part of Belconnen--> |directionr4=SE |minorr4=Barton |majorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Fyshwick]] |temp5={{rint|canberra|r3}} |directionl5=NW |majorl5=Spence<!--part of Belconnen--> |minorl5=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |directionr5=E |minorr5=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr5=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Canberra Airport]] |temp6={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl6=N |majorl6=END |directionr6=SW |minorr6=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr6=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp7={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl7=N |majorl7=END |directionr7=S |minorr7=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr7=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |temp8={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl8=N |majorl8=END |directionr8=SW |minorr8=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr8=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |temp9={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl9=N |majorl9=END |directionr9=SW |majorr9=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] |temp10={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl10=N |majorl10=END |directionr10=WSW |minorr10= |majorr10=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.2812|149.1304}} {{Mapmask|-35.2755,149.1268|-35.2768,149.1265|-35.2767,149.1260|-35.2769,149.1258|-35.2790,149.1239|-35.2798,149.1252|-35.2815,149.1238|-35.2817,149.1237|-35.2820,149.1237|-35.2823,149.1239|-35.2828,149.1241|-35.2833,149.1244|-35.2836,149.1246|-35.2843,149.1229|-35.2844,149.1228|-35.2846,149.1225|-35.2852,149.1222|-35.2857,149.1220|-35.2857,149.1228|-35.2857,149.1242|-35.2857,149.1258|-35.2859,149.1281|-35.2860,149.1286|-35.2864,149.1306|-35.2873,149.1336|-35.2866,149.1342|-35.2860,149.1348|-35.2851,149.1355|-35.2838,149.1368|-35.2832,149.1373|-35.2829,149.1374|-35.2826,149.1374|-35.2824,149.1374|-35.2817,149.1370|-35.2777,149.1347|-35.2766,149.1340|-35.2764,149.1338|-35.2762,149.1333|-35.2759,149.1308|-35.2755,149.1268}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13096707314253, -35.27992909174965 ], [ 149.1316332668066, -35.27967400359858 ], [ 149.13169965147972, -35.279509235932245 ], [ 149.1319578140974, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.13196988403797, -35.27941234581911 ], [ 149.1320476680994, -35.279509783333694 ], [ 149.13284964859486, -35.279200500930635 ], [ 149.1329026222229, -35.27907952466047 ], [ 149.13294352591038, -35.279063649932866 ], [ 149.1330836713314, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1331534087658, -35.279067481763946 ], [ 149.13319230079648, -35.2790472277976 ], [ 149.13321979343888, -35.27903135306366 ], [ 149.1332472860813, -35.27901712054095 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#00807b", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13308300077915, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1330749541521, -35.279202143141205 ], [ 149.13299918174744, -35.27923225032907 ], [ 149.1328489780426, -35.279200500930635 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#008080", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13205035030842, -35.2795086885308 ], [ 149.1321026533842, -35.27964334917441 ], [ 149.1319551318884, -35.279696994409086 ], [ 149.1318029165268, -35.27975392400701 ], [ 149.13163393735886, -35.27967400359858 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 2.5, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "City Walk" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13111560046673, -35.27863284148203 ], [ 149.131348952651, -35.27868812960708 ], [ 149.13147702813146, -35.27874232288114 ], [ 149.1315722465515, -35.27879761093145 ], [ 149.13163125514984, -35.27885563597335 ], [ 149.13168154656887, -35.27892132464987 ], [ 149.13173384964466, -35.27900945687383 ], [ 149.13183644413948, -35.27918407882312 ], [ 149.13195379078388, -35.279382786100484 ], [ 149.13211472332478, -35.279657034186634 ], [ 149.13223676383495, -35.27986395128961 ], [ 149.1323460638523, -35.28004951935291 ], [ 149.13243122398853, -35.280198411414815 ], [ 149.13252040743828, -35.28034785059875 ], [ 149.1331735253334, -35.28146343549996 ], [ 149.13363486528394, -35.2822604288437 ], [ 149.13373678922653, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 149.13385212421417, -35.28256258361013 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a977df", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City Hill" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ], [ 149.13015067577362, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.13041353225708, -35.28427258317914 ], [ 149.13188874721527, -35.282608563584446 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282161899871745 ], [ 149.1319102048874, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13084268569946, -35.28001174889661 ], [ 149.13051009178162, -35.27975337660723 ], [ 149.13027942180634, -35.2797008262102 ], [ 149.1282570362091, -35.279477486642406 ], [ 149.12772059440613, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.12744164466858, -35.27946872821543 ], [ 149.12717878818512, -35.27956945006844 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1258054971695, -35.28104960893913 ], [ 149.12538170814514, -35.281540069816195 ], [ 149.12531197071075, -35.28171085460287 ], [ 149.12527441978455, -35.28192105076893 ], [ 149.12539780139923, -35.28214876266643 ], [ 149.12594497203827, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.1263473033905, -35.28379089681325 ], [ 149.12654578685758, -35.28407115104745 ], [ 149.12677645683289, -35.284263825270784 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28437329905706 ], [ 149.12842333316803, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.1291904449463, -35.28458786724879 ], [ 149.12974298000336, -35.28464041447439 ], [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#18d04d", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City East" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ], [ 149.12803709506989, -35.285905916523284 ], [ 149.1287076473236, -35.286002251509196 ], [ 149.1293567419052, -35.28612485950733 ], [ 149.13081049919128, -35.28640510566298 ], [ 149.131840467453, -35.28669848731784 ], [ 149.1333371400833, -35.28719329277496 ], [ 149.13357317447662, -35.28727648985572 ], [ 149.13484454154965, -35.28588840105897 ], [ 149.1362339258194, -35.284377678005434 ], [ 149.13709223270416, -35.28343181965805 ], [ 149.13759648799896, -35.282871305793904 ], [ 149.13615882396698, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13487672805786, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13486063480377, -35.2820217695718 ], [ 149.1344690322876, -35.282183795209214 ], [ 149.13405060768127, -35.28240274825821 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28411931964627 ], [ 149.13121283054352, -35.28337927164811 ], [ 149.13038671016693, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.1301453113556, -35.28453531998911 ], [ 149.12975370883942, -35.28465793020867 ], [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#d09440", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Civic Centre" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28409304586865 ], [ 149.13403451442719, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.282205690540756 ], [ 149.1348499059677, -35.282013011420005 ], [ 149.13487136363983, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13438856601715, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13614809513092, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.1357457637787, -35.279643896574946 ], [ 149.13382530212402, -35.27622804522241 ], [ 149.13320302963257, -35.27617111314595 ], [ 149.1317492723465, -35.27599593727502 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.2757682080764 ], [ 149.12905633449554, -35.27957820848452 ], [ 149.13051545619965, -35.27973585981201 ], [ 149.1308319568634, -35.28000736971214 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.2818159527541 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.2821268673195 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282376473923584 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.282591047406825 ], [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#14a9d2", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City West" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ], [ 149.126797914505, -35.27545726909816 ], [ 149.12655115127563, -35.276766708273065 ], [ 149.12598252296448, -35.27662218926966 ], [ 149.12424981594086, -35.27854908811179 ], [ 149.12385284900665, -35.2789870132731 ], [ 149.1252154111862, -35.279788410186306 ], [ 149.12381529808044, -35.28143059219938 ], [ 149.12368655204773, -35.28173275006229 ], [ 149.12369191646576, -35.2819692206468 ], [ 149.1238421201706, -35.28234582052242 ], [ 149.12401378154755, -35.2826435959283 ], [ 149.12460386753082, -35.28360260045483 ], [ 149.12595570087433, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.12525832653046, -35.28191667168769 ], [ 149.12536025047302, -35.28155758622114 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1273075342178, -35.27951252034082 ], [ 149.12772595882416, -35.27940303998294 ], [ 149.12906169891357, -35.27957382927661 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a8a43e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "NewActon Precinct" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28436454115961 ], [ 149.1267603635788, -35.284268204225086 ], [ 149.12648141384125, -35.28400984551661 ], [ 149.1259503364563, -35.28309901501917 ], [ 149.12462532520294, -35.283589463483246 ], [ 149.1228711605072, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.12263512611386, -35.28443022536742 ], [ 149.12236154079437, -35.28472799310789 ], [ 149.1221845149994, -35.28503013866638 ], [ 149.1220611333847, -35.28546802877896 ], [ 149.12198066711426, -35.2857088673314 ], [ 149.12254929542542, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12359535694122, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12500083446503, -35.285726382834554 ], [ 149.12667453289032, -35.285800823680624 ], [ 149.1280210018158, -35.28591029538875 ], [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> i0t95hhfa66nckwf2tve8hh1d8yew0l 4501867 4501865 2022-08-16T04:29:44Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Cafes */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Civic banner 1.jpg|pgname=Civic}} [[File:NewActon Precinct.jpg|thumb|300px|The NewActon Precinct]] Officially known as Canberra's '''city''', '''Civic''' is what is now Walter Burley Griffin's design for a Civic Centre. Established in 1927, it's one of the oldest centres of Canberra and is the capital's central business district, surrounded by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] and [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]]. Though not particularly large and has very few tall sky-rise buildings, it's the only CBD of its size located in inland Australia (the next closest you could find is [[Toowoomba]] CBD). There isn't one agreed way to call this district, but Wikivoyage has chosen to go with "Civic" for simplicity. Other names for Civic include the city, Canberra CBD, or Canberra City Centre. What you see on signage may also be confusing, as whoever designed them couldn't pick a name for consistency. ==Understand== ===History=== {{infobox|Why are there few high-rise buildings in Civic?|If you're unaware of the exact specifications that the National Capital Plan requires, then you might wonder why there are few high-rise buildings in the downtown area of a city of 467,000. Especially when other Australian cities of a similar size like [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] and [[Sunshine Coast]] have many, why can't Canberra have many, especially when it's Australia's capital? The answer lies within the [https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/DownloadFile/ni/2008-27/copy/82874/PDF/2008-27.PDF RL 617 requirements] (a document which simply sums up building restrictions in Civic), which states that no building can exceed 617 meters in elevation. However, Civic itself is 567 m, capping the maximum at around 50 m (about 14 storeys). The primary reason was so Parliament House will still dominate the surrounding area.}} Civic was established in 1927, 14 years after Canberra was. It now makes up Burley Griffin's original plan for a Civic Centre with nearby Russell planned to be Canberra's "Market Centre". Instead, Russell is now the headquarters of the <abbr title="Australian Defence Force">ADF</abbr> which has resulted in many markets and malls in Civic, way more than what was in Burley Griffin's original plan. However, due to Civic's height restrictions along with the lack of space, many larger stores and markets can now be found in [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]], Canberra's second largest town centre (excluding Civic and Queanbeyan). Before Civic was established, there wasn't a clear town or city centre – the closest that resembled anything like one was [[Queanbeyan]] town centre, but Queanbeyan is in NSW, not in the ACT. Even though Civic is nearing celebrating its centenary, it's still a relatively new central business district and whilst you'll find a ton of historic buildings and sites in the CBDs of [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]] or even tiny little [[Hobart]], there are very few in Civic, and most would fail the criteria for being "historic" in [[Tasmania]], possibly Sydney and certainly not the Old World (most of it, at least). This has left the few that are considered historic in a Canberran context, to be the major things to "see" in Civic. Canberra's important buildings are mostly not in Civic (they're in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]), whilst museums are scattered throughout Canberra but with only one in Civic. Canberrans also don't tend to really pride in these buildings, so some like the Sydney building may look good on the outside, but are in a state of despair on the inside. Even that said, there are only two important historic buildings or sites in Civic, the '''[[#Sydney and Melbourne buildings|Sydney and Melbourne buildings]]'''. Contrary to all the negativity with Canberra's historic sites, there is one thing that Canberra has that most other Australian cities don't have – a town square. Out of the six state capitals (plus [[Darwin]] for inclusion's sake), only [[Adelaide]] has one: [[Adelaide/City and North Adelaide|Victoria Square]]. However, [[#Civic Square|Civic Square]] was not designed by Burley Griffin (it was completed in 1961, well after Burley Griffin's time) but instead by Yuncken Freeman (an Australian architecture firm) architects, though it was in Griffin's original plan, with the location purposefully chosen to be the centrepiece of Canberra, linking City Hill and [[Canberra/North Canberra#Parks and lookouts|Mount Ainslie]], which has lead to [[#Canberra Theatre|Canberra Theatre]] and several other government buildings popping up. ===Orientation=== The "City" as it's officially called, is divided into five districts. However, in practice, with the exception of NewActon, nobody but the ACT government ever uses these districts and the only time you will ever see these names are on road signs, and these names are not very consistent. Likewise, though this part of Canberra is called "Civic", you will almost never see it on signage; instead, you'll primarily see "City" or if you're somewhere closer to Civic, signs might point out to a specific part of Civic such as City West or City Centre. Strangely, "City Centre"<!--do not decapitalize--> can either mean the entirety of Civic, or it can just refer to the northeast of the district, but in typical ACT fashion, signage is sloppy when picking one area for consistency. <!--these aren't additional districts, this is supposed to resemble something like [[Sydney/City East]]--> <!--City Hill comes first given it's the most prominent – do not alphabetize--> <!--if regionlist fails to display the dynamic map {{mapframe|show=mask1|name=Map of Civic's districts}}--> {{Regionlist |regionmap=Civic regions map.png |regionInteractiveMap=map1 |show=mask1 |height=500 |regionmapsize=500px |regionmaptext=Color-coded map of Civic's districts |regionmapZoom=15 |region1name=City Hill |region1color=#a977df |region1description=The most prominent point of Civic for passer-by visitors containing many trees on a hill and Civic Square, an important location within Civic containing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly Building and a few other buildings. |region2name=City Centre / Civic Centre |region2color=#d09440 |region2description=It's a bit unclear on what this section of Civic is exactly called, but this part of Civic contains Canberra's main shopping precinct, Canberra Centre. Treat yourself to hundreds of stores and restaurants, whether it's for a quick lunch break, Saturday afternoon shopping or whether you'd like to take something home with you from Canberra. |region3name=City East |region3color=#18d04d |region3description=Not the most attractive part of Civic as it's rather just filled with corporate offices but it does get filled with gamblers since it contains Canberra's only purpose-built casino: Casino Canberra. |region4name=City West |region4color=#14a9d2 |region4description=Straddles along the edge of the Australian National University containining many cafes and restaurants. In many retrospects, City West acts as an "in-between" location between the centre and the Australian National University. |region5name=NewActon Cultural and Cinema Precinct (NewActon Precinct)<!--sic - do NOT change to New Acton.--> |region5color=#a8a43e |region5description=Dubbed by ''This is Canberra'' as "[https://thisiscanberra.com/newacton-canberras-little-piece-of-new-york/ Canberra’s little piece of New York]", this vibrant and lively has a whole cafes, bars, cinemas and anything you'd find that characterises cities known for culture like New York City or Melbourne crammed in a single block. Some would classify this new precinct as part of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]], but it's covered in this guide for practical purposes. }} ===Read=== There are few publically available books about Civic, and often those that can be found are only found within Canberra. But in spite of that, it doesn't mean there are few books about Civic – in fact, the '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#National Library of Australia |National Library of Australia]]''' (NLA) in Parliamentary Triangle, South Canberra has a sizable amount about Civic. Many are online-only, and can be found on the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ library's catalogue]. * '''''Civic: the living city''''' by Tony Powell ({{ISBN|9780646449487}}<!--or 0646449486-->). Not a very popular book but it does go into great depths about Civic's city planning and why Civic is planned the way it is. The book is a bit hard to find though; few bookstores in Civic have the book but it can be found at the airport, or alternatively, you may want to borrow it online from the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3546314/Holdings? National Library of Australia] (NLA). ==Get in== As with any city's downtown area, Civic is well-connected by both road and light rail. ===By bus=== [[File:City Bus Interchange.jpg|thumb|250px|ACTION buses at the City Interchange]] All buses to Civic stop at one interchange, {{marker|type=go|name=City Interchange|lat=-35.278476|long=149.130054}}; one of few in Canberra to have both bus and light rail services. Being in the centre of Canberra, there are many lines that connect to the rest of Canberra. The ideal way to get into Civic by bus is using these R-routes (i.e. the main important routes), which as follows: * '''R2''' from [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] to the northwest and the [[Canberra/South Canberra#Buy|Canberra Outlet Centre]] in Fyshwick to the southeast * '''R3''' from Canberra Airport to the east, and Spence/Belconnen to the northwest * '''R4''' from Belconnen to the northwest, and [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] passing [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] to the south. * '''R5''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong in the south, terminating in Civic. * '''R6''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] in the southwest via Barton. If you're arriving from '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#By train|Canberra Railway Station]]''' in Kingston, South Canberra, then use this rapid route. * '''R7''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] also from the southwest * '''R10''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] in the southwest There are also other ordinary bus lines. Unlike the R-routes, services are not very frequent, and these routes come from rather obscure or specific places, such as the Australian Defence Force Academy or the National Museum of Australia. With the exception of bus line '''53''' to/from the National Museum of Australia in [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and the Dickson Shops in [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]], all ordinary bus lines terminate at Civic. Otherwise, the ordinary bus routes as follows: * '''31''' from the Dickson Shops in North Canberra passing Braddon * '''32''' from several interchanges in Belconnen, including Cohen Street Interchange, Westfield Belconnen and Belconnen Interchange and a lot of other minor stops along the way. However, if you're coming to Civic from these interchanges, you're better off taking the R2, 3 or 4 lines that don't go the long and convoluted way. * '''50''' from Watson Terminus in North Canberra, passing the Dickson Shops * '''51''' from the Dickson Shops but passing Lyneham instead * '''54''' from Majura Business Park near the airport * '''55''' from the Australian Defence Force Academy passing the Royal Military College * '''56''' from Fyshwick * '''59''' from Woden Interchange passing the [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] section of Barton * '''182''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong via the Majura Parkway (M23) ===By car=== {{infobox|Finding parking|Though the standard expression anyone will say when heading to a mid-sized or large city's central business district is "Do not drive", driving in Canberra's is actually quite tolerable – except, finding parking can be hard at best, and a nightmare at worst. Luckily for you, parking isn't all that expensive and at the very max, you'll have to pay $16 for a day. Within Civic, there are three main paid carparks, all operated by Secure Parking. There's a fourth one but it's a monthly-only carpark, centred for workers, not travellers. * The first and largest is the parking at '''[[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]]'''. It's a multi-storey carpark, and if you're going to by in the city all day or doing a few hours worth of shopping, you can pay $14 rooftop parking (which actually takes up the top three floors); * {{marker|type=go|name=City West Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/city-west-car-park|lat=-35.2786|long=149.1253}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50 and early-bird parking from $14. * {{marker|type=go|name=Marcus Clarke Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/121-marcus-clarke-car-park|lat=-35.27753|long=149.12546}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50, rooftop parking from $16, and early-bird parking from $14. There are three other carpark, within London Cct in City Hull, but those aren't operated by Secure Parking. They do tend to get filled up pretty quickly though. Alternatively, there is street parking available, but very limited in Civic. Need not worry – Braddon just to the north has a reasonably amount of metered street parking along Lonsdale St, and it's cheaper than parking in the Civic too – a win-win if you don't mind the 100-metre walk.}} Being at the centre of Canberra, Civic is well connected by several ways. Many are good quality roads, some of which are freeways, though the prime route which many travellers use is Northbourne Avenue from the north. '''Northbourne Avenue''' (A23) is the main artery connecting Civic to NSW. It runs right through the centre of Civic. If you're entering the ACT via the '''Federal Highway''' (M23), then all you need to do is to simply stay on the same road until you reach Civic. If you're coming from the northern districts – namely, anywhere from [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]], [[Canberra/Hall|Hall]] or from [[New South Wales]] via the '''Barton Highway''' (A25), stay on Barton Highway and once you're at the Federal Hwy/Barton Hwy/Northbourne Ave intersection, turn right onto Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at Civic. '''Parkes Way''' (unnumbered) doesn't exactly pass through Civic, but marks Civic' southern border, bypassing the city, and the easiest and fastest way if you're coming from the [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley]], and [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]]. There are three exits along the freeway, and one massive roundabout at the very end. '''Commonwealth Avenue''' (A23) connects Capital and State Circles to Civic. From Woden use Adelaide Avenue northeast into [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], which should later spit you out onto Commonwealth Avenue. From the [[Canberra/Airport and East|airport]], head west onto Pialligo Drive west and then onto Morshead Drive. Continue until Coranderrk Street from where you'll need to turn right at the massive roundabout and then you've basically arrived at Civic. And if you're coming back from the snow (i.e. the [[Snowy Mountains]]), keep following the Monaro Highway (A23) which later becomes the freeway-grade Majura Parkway (M23) and exit onto Morshead Drive. Once you've exited, turn left until you've arrived at Civic. ===By light rail=== Civic has connections to and [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] passing by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] via Northbourne Avenue (A23). From Gungahlin, the '''R1''' route starts at the town centre and heads east for a few metres until it changes direction and heads south, passing Dickson Interchange before terminating at the {{marker|type=go|name=Alinga Street station|lat=-35.27796|long=149.129325}}, just north of the Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection. The route is fairly short, and services are frequent, so you won't need any special planning ahead to use the light rail. There are plans to extend the line down southwest towards [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] along either Capital or State Circle and Adelaide Avenue through the middle of the freeway. Construction is expected to start soon in 2023 and is projected to open in 2025. {{mapframe|-35.2812|149.1292|zoom=15|name=Map of Civic|align=center|width=100%|height=500}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q4421073}}--> {{Mapshapes|Q16927042}} <!--R1: Canberra Light Rail--> ==See== [[File:Canberra Museum and Gallery viewed from Civic Square.jpg|thumb|250px|The Canberra Museum and Gallery from Civic Square]] [[File:City Hill and Northbourne Avenue viewed from London Circuit.jpg|thumb|250px|Centenary Column from London Cct]] When it comes to things to see, Civic has very little to offer. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, most of Canberra's museums aren't located in Civic but in the areas surrounding Civic such as [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] or [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. Nevertheless, the Civic has some buildings with some unique architecture, making Canberra quite a different CBD compared to other Australian CBDs. Most of Civic's sights are located in {{marker|type=see|name=Civic Square|lat=-35.281269|long=149.131018}}, a small block in 180 London Cct, including the Legislative Assembly building, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Library and Canberra Theatre. Its location was deliberately chosen to be directly in line with [[Canberra/North Canberra#In nature reserves|Mount Ainslie]]; if you want to see it for real, stand at the very centre of the lookout, and whilst Anzac Parade will certainly take the spotlight, look a bit to the right and you'll see the square perfectly in line with City Hill and Ainslie Avenue. * {{see | name=Artworld ADG | alt= | url=http://www.aboriginaldream.com/ | email=dream@aboriginaldream.com | address=cnr London Cct and Gordon St | lat=-35.2823 | long=149.1252 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 2922 | tollfree= | hours=F {{time|11AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the [[Canberra/Gungahlin, Belconnen and Hall#Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery|Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery]] in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Museum and Gallery | alt=CMAG | url=http://www.cmag.com.au/ | email=cmag@act.gov.au | address=176 London Cct | lat=-35.2807 | long=149.131 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 3968 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q495518 | content=A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. Also features the ''Sydney Nolan Collection'' - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist. }} * {{see | name=Glebe Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr Bunda St, Akuna St and Cooyong St | lat=-35.28227 | long=149.13629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5567441 | lastedit=2022-06-30 | content=Where's Canberra's Hype Park you ask? This small 40-ha park is a remnant of land that was allocated in the 1840s to the Anglican church, but today is a nice spot to go for a stroll. If you're into photography and want to see some autumn colours, the leaves have a strong autumn foliage, making it a great spot for photography. }} * {{see | name=Sydney and Melbourne buildings | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr London Cct and Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.279 | long=149.13 | directions=the Sydney Building is on the east side of Northbourne Avenue, and the Melbourne Building is on the west side | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=These two large buildings in the centre of Civic were the first commercially-funded buildings in Canberra, and have been important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both buildings are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in [[Florence]], Italy. They are occupied by a mix of restaurants (most of which are quite good), nightclubs, pubs and small businesses, but much of the Sydney Building is in a fairly poor state of repair. Plans to revitalise the buildings are regularly proposed, but never go far. }} There are a few memorials and monuments in Civic, though only a fraction when you compare it to just ANZAC Avenue alone in Campbell, [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]]. They're not popular destinations, and if you're time limited, you can see them while driving and still not miss anything important or notable about these memorials and monuments. * {{see | name=ACT Memorial | alt=Australian Capital Territory Memorial | url=http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/ | email= | address=London Cct / Vernon Circle | lat=-35.2808 | long=149.132 | directions=opposite Civic Square | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4650886 | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Centenary Column | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2814 | long=149.129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q18386365 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate the Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded, but was never completed. }} [[File:ACT Legislative Assembly building November 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|The Legislative Assembly Building in November 2021]] Civic has its fair share of government offices, both a mix of federal (that's no surprise as it's the ACT) and territory government offices. Most of the territory buildings are of little interest, and if you're to be honest, would you really want to go and visit some random old building that you cannot enter? The same goes with federal, except there aren't any of interest as all of the important ones are in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{see | name=Legislative Assembly Building | alt= | url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/ | email=laeducation@parliament.act.gov.au | address=Civic Square, London Circuit | lat=-35.2816 | long=149.1312 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6205 3016 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6518198 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly Building, also known as the South Building, which although may first seem like any other "government building", the building does indeed have some educational programs, and you can make a booking if you want to visit the assembly – see the [https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn website] for more details. }} * {{see | name=Reserve Bank of Australia Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=20-22 London Cct | lat=-35.2804 | long=149.127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q60746498 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=A heritage-listed bank building designed by Howlett and Bailey in 1962 and built from 1963 to 1965 by Civil & Civic which was the old RBA building (the current RBA head office is now in Sydney). It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. }} ==Do== [[File:Casino Canberra Sign .jpg|thumb|250px|Outside Casino Canberra]] Civic isn't really a place to "do" things. Perhaps humorously, the most strenuous thing is maneuvering around the city, scrambling for parking or if it's not a very good day, then maybe both. While there have been several entertainment venues that have opened and closed in Civic, many have closed and in some cases like the former Center<!--sic--> Cinema, have been taken over by dining establishments. * {{do | name=Casino Canberra | alt= | url=http://casinocanberra.com.au | email= | address=21 Binara St | lat=-35.2833 | long=149.134 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6243 3700 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|12PM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1047578 | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=Perhaps Canberra's equivalent of Melbourne's Crown Casino, with multiple gambling areas, a sports bar, and an eatery but the casino is quite compact. }} * {{do | name=Canberra Theatre Centre | alt=Canberra Theatre | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2818 | long=149.1305 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2878077 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Canberra’s central performing arts venue, Australia’s first performing arts centre, and the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed having opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet. }} * {{do | name=Palace Electric Cinemas | alt= | url=http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/electric/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, 2 Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.12301 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6222 4900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=There's not a whole lot that's very unique to this cinema, except, this is primarily how NewActon's full name came to be. It has a bit of a modern and traditional look, but the choice is limited. }} ==Buy== [[File:Temporary picnic area in Garema Place October 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|City Walk]] There are three major shopping precincts in Civic: * {{buy | name=Canberra Centre | alt= | url=http://canberracentre.com.au | email= | address=Bunda St | lat=-35.2794 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247-5611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5031247 | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Canberra's second largest shopping mall covering a large section of Canberra's shopping district. It has department stores, food hall and eateries, specialty shops for adults and kids fashion both upmarket and basic. There are also electronics, books, CDs, souvenirs and Australian made products. }} * '''City Walk''' (coloured teal on the map) is an outdoor pedestrian mall in Civic that is home to a large range of shopping outlets, alfresco dining and a few bars. The mall is also home to the Canberra Merry-Go-Round and the Canberra Times fountain. **'''Garema Place''' is not part of City Walk, but it's just a spur from City Walk that also has lots of restaurants and stores. There's also a small hidden path to access it from Bunda Street just next to Gus' Place, but it's very easy to miss. * '''Petrie Plaza''' is a shorter pedestrian mall that was created in 1965 by pedestrianising Petrie Street. It doesn't have as many stores or dining precincts as City Walk does, but it's got a lot in the centre (whether it be the gardens, sculptures, a carousel etc.). All three are within the northeast of Civic (within what you see in red under Civic Centre as seen [[#Orientation|on the map]]). They're all essentially interconnected and some would argue that City Walk and Petrie Plaza are simply a part of the greater Canberra Centre. If you're just doing some shopping in Canberra, chances are, you might not even realise that you've left Canberra Centre and its "sub-malls" as they're very interconnected. Do be aware that finding a place to park your car can get very tricky, even on weekends, and it gets chaotic on weekends. There are a few carparks, but these aren't large when you compare it to the average Westfield in the Big 5. In typical ACT fashion, signage is poor and sloppy and you might need to scramble, make a few wrong left turns, have accidentally ended up on the highly pedestrianised Bunda Street (which can take you a few minutes to get from one end to the other) before finally reaching the centre's carparks. ===Book and gift stores=== If you're a person into books, souvenirs or want to take some gifts for those back home, Civic has several book and gift stores. Like all other stores in Civic, most are in either Canberra Centre or the pedestrian malls. * {{buy | name=Australian Choice | alt= | url=https://australianchoice.com.au/ | email=contact@australianchoice.com.au | address=Shop 12, Ground Floor, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=see [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 2 6257 5315 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=A family owned gift store that has an extensive range of souvenirs for you to take home. However, a lot of the souvenirs here are more "Australia specific" rather than Canberra specific, but there's a common Indigenous theme that distinguishes this shop from your average souvenir store. }} * {{buy | name=Dymocks Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.dymocks.com.au/stores/act/dymocks-canberra | email= | address=Shop CL17 Canberra Centre, Bunda Street, Civic | lat=-35.28042 | long=149.1328 | directions=behind the escalators in the Canberra Centre's food court | phone=+61 2 6257 5057 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=While part of a fairly unexciting national chain, this branch of Dymocks has an unusually well-chosen stock. Other, and less interesting, Dymocks branches are located in Belconnen Mall and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. }} * {{buy | name=Robinsons Bookshop Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.robinsonsbooks.com.au/robinsonsbooks-v02.php | email=canberracentre@robinsonsbooks.com.au | address=Shop DF24, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=next to the Apple Store in [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 3 9783 6488 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9AM–5:30PM; F 9AM–9PM; Sa 9AM–5PM; Su 10AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-28 | content=There's a lot of unexpected finds in this bookshop, but the range is rather limited and is slightly pricey compared to other Canberran bookshops. }} ===Clothing stores=== If you're heading out to the [[Snowy Mountains|Snowies]] and forgot to bring your puffy jacket or skipants, then need not worry, there are plenty of clothing stores in Civic that'll have them. Clothing as a whole can be a bit more expensive and cheaper than the price you'll find in Sydney at the same time, but range and variety isn't compromised (so no American chains that've left Australia for ripping Australians with cheap, old-fashioned clothes or even Australian stores that might have a tendency for slack in regional areas). ==Eat== Civic is one of only only places in Canberra where you can find a whole amplitude of [[Australian cuisine#Ethnic cuisines|ethnic cuisines]] to eat, with the other being the [[Canberra/North Canberra|Dickson Shops]] just a few kilometres to the north; unlike Dickson, Civic is not limited to Chinese or East/Southeast Asian cuisine, and you can find plenty of flavours from Italy, India, Turkey – you name it. There are two main precincts in Civic whose specialty ''is'' food, plus the Canberra Centre/City Walk. * '''Canberra Centre''' and '''City Walk''' may be known for shopping, but there are a sizable number of restaurants of all kind. * '''Sydney Building''' and a few surrounding buildings house a number of high-end splurge restaurants (and most of Civic's), as well as a number of Asian and Indian restaurants. * '''City West''' may look like a continuation of the Civic Centre's, but it's ''very'' different – lots of Italian, Japanese (yes, it's Asian, but the Japanese restaurants are somewhat evenly split up), and the further west you go from the Melbourne Building, the more cafes you'll see, reflecting Australia's coffee culture. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Civic Asian Noodle House | alt= | url=https://civicasiannoodlehouseonline.com.au/ | email= | address=Sydney Building, 34 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.278828 | long=149.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5145 (landline), +61 405 558 353 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good laksa and pad thai at reasonable prices (ranging around $15) in a relaxed atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=CBD Dumpling House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop FG13C Canberra Centre (148 Bunda St) | lat=-35.27766 | long=149.1334 | directions=enter from Scotts Crossing | phone=+61 2 6262 8855 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11:30AM|3PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2017-07-29 | content=Large and very popular Asian restaurant. Specialises in dumplings, but has a good mix of other Asian dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Fekerte’s Ethiopian | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2848 | long=149.123 | directions=near Ovolo Nishi | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A budget Ethiopian restaurant with some very flavourful spicy dishes and a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian options. It's one of only three Ethiopian restaurants in Canberra (with one being Ethiopia Down Under in Woden and the other in Civic). Both dine-in and takeaway are available. }} * {{eat | name=Flavours Of Ethiopia | alt= | url=http://flavoursofethiopia.weebly.com/ | email= | address=33 Allara St, City Walk | lat=-35.2832 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 413 655 472 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|11:15AM|8:30PM}} (closed Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Civic's second Ethiopian restaurant (and one of three in Canberra) best known for its curry sauces and samosas, owned by an Ethiopian couple (so it's indeed really authentic). There's plenty of traditionals to choose from with prices no higher than $20 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Happy’s Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.happys.com.au/ | email= | address=1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1316 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6249 7015 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: W–M 11:30AM–2PM (closed Tuesdays); dinner: Su–Th 5–9PM, F Sa 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A simple Cantonese restaurant that's been in this area for quite a long time. The menu is not very extensive, but nearly all of them are value-for-price. The size of the restaurant is a bit small though. }} * {{eat | name=Indo Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.indocafe.com.au/ | email=yetty@indocafe.com.au | address=Ground Floor, Nesuto Apartments, London Cct | lat=-35.2822 | long=149.1326 | directions= | phone=+61 411 038 803 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|3PM}} (closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Though it's called a cafe, it's not really a cafe but just a good place to have some cheap traditional Indonesian eats with takeaway lunch specials priced at $8. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba | alt= | url=https://kebaba.com.au/take-away/ | email= | address=Shop 4, 86-96 Bunda St | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 0346 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 9AM–midnight; Th 9AM–2AM; F Sa 10AM–5AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Has some traditional Turkish adana kebabs, pide and falafel. However, the portions are known to be rather small compared to a typical HSP (halal snack pack). }} * {{eat | name=LanZhou Beef Noodle | alt=Lanzhou Beef Noodle | url=https://www.lanzhoubeefnoodle-canberra.com.au/ | email= | address=28 University Ave | lat=-35.2798 | long=149.1257 | directions= | phone=+61 493 395 023 | tollfree= | hours=Su–F {{time|11AM|8:15PM}} (closed Saturdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A small noodle shop that brings the flavours from [[Lanzhou]] (a city in northwest China) and best known for its Lanzhou beef noodles. There are some rather exotic meals on the menu, but otherwise nearly everything found is either chicken or beef. }} * {{eat | name=Ming’s Pantry | alt=Ming’s Pantry Malaysian Street Food | url=https://www.facebook.com/139362503406102/posts/mings-pantry-malaysian-street-food/442671839741832/ | email= | address=Mayfair Building, G22/45 West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1273 | directions= | phone=+61 451 304 030 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|9PM}}; Sa {{time|11AM|2:30PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–21:00">5–9PM</abbr> (closed Su). | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=There isn't a whole lot to say about this place – except that you can get some really good yet cheap Malaysian food. The signature chicken and many of their other dishes tend to be a bit large, but who doesn't want to share a meal? (unless you're [[travelling alone]]). }} * {{eat | name=Ms Ba Cô | alt=Ms. Ba Cô | url=https://www.msbaco.com/ | email=msbacostreetfood@gmail.com | address=4-6/108 Bunda St | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 5396 | tollfree= | hours=Daly {{time|8AM|8PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Though it's only a budget restaurant, it's a Vietnamese favourite in Canberra. It's a family-owned restaurant, so there's some family recipes too and its name, ''Ba Cô '', translates to "three girls" in English, symbolising the family's three daughters. }} * {{eat | name=Wild Panda | alt= | url=https://wildpanda.com.au/ | email=info@wildpanda.com.au | address=40 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2786 | long=149.1268 | directions=next to Subway | phone=+61 408 579 666 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="11:00–21:00">11AM–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=A Western Chinese restaurant that veers towards the higher end of a budget restaurant, with portions surprisingly, not as large as many other Chinese restaurants. Through quality ain't their strong point, their hot noodles and dumplings are. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bicicletta Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bicicletta.com.au/ | email=gallery.rest@peppers.com.au | address=1/15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2846 | long=149.1239 | directions=near Peppers Gallery Hotel | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 5–10PM (closed Su M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Find some excellent homemade pizza, pasta and other Italian favourites in this authentic Italian restaurant, but with local ingredients. The wine list is a pretty selective one, and so are the daily specials. }} * {{eat | name=Blu Ginger | alt= | url=https://www.bluginger.com.au/ | email= | address=2/5-21 Genge St | lat=-35.2770 | long=149.13205 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 2228 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–3PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Lots of authentic classic curries in a very traditional, cozy setting that resembles a traditional Indian structure. It's best known for its butter chicken and korma, but their other options are also well worth a try. The tables can fill up quickly, so try and make a [https://www.bluginger.com.au/book-a-table/ booking] if you can. }} * {{eat | name=Briscola Italian | alt= | url=http://briscolapizzeria.com.au/ | email= | address=60 Alinga St | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1283 | directions=in ground floor of Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6248 5444 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: T–Su noon–2PM (closed Mondays), Dinner: Su–Th 5:30–8:30PM; F Sa 5:30–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Discover some "old fashioned" as dubbed by the restaurant themselves with some good classic Southern Italian cuisine. It won the Canberra’s Best Italian Restaurant award in 2015, and it's always been family owned by traditional Italians. }} * {{eat | name=Chez Kimchi | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/chezkimchi/ | email= | address=68/70 Bunda St | lat=-35.2779 | long=149.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5525 | tollfree= | hours=M Tu closed, W Th Su 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Korean restaurant with a good variety of chicken available. You can't go past the Gangjung, a very flavourful and tasty chicken and Chez Kimchi's local specialty. }} * {{eat | name=The City Labor Club | alt=Canberra Labor Club | url=https://www.laborclub.com.au/venues/city/ | email=admin@laborclub.com.au | address=16 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.2799 | long=149.1317 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 0404 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 9AM–midnight, Th F 9AM–1AM, Sa 10AM–1AM, Su 10AM–midnight | price= | lastedit=2022-06-09 | content=It's Civic's branch of the Canberra chain Canberra Labor Club with a nice relaxed atmosphere with rather spacious lounges with modern Australian cuisine. The modern Australian restaurant has great cocktails, lunch, gaming machines and Wi-Fi. }} * {{eat | name=Edo Tori | alt= | url=https://www.edotori.com.au/ | email=info@edotori.com.au | address=43 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2789 | long=149.1287 | directions=in Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 5119 2494 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:30AM–late | price=Feed me menu: {{AUD|59}}; lunch express: {{AUD|39}}; Zeitaku feed me {{AUD|89}}pp | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=A modern Australianised Japanese restaurant with the strange slogan "Save Water, Drink Beer" with a strong emphasis on drinks. It's borderline between mid-range and splurge, but the quality is worth the bucks. Oh, and not to forget, if you're a sushi craver, they have sushi; it's somewhat discreet. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba Turkish Grill Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kebaba-Turkish-Grill-Bar-1739731602996311/ | email= | address=11 East Row | lat=-35.27934 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 4757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Turkish grill bar that offers both dining in and takeaway. Depending on what you order, there is a chance that you can see your own meal being made. }} * {{eat | name=Kinn Thai | alt= | url=http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/canberra/ | email=canberra@kinnrestaurant.com.au | address=Shop FG03, Canberra Centre | lat= -35.2775776| long=149.1324284 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1277 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A Thai restaurant with street food (or specifically street lunch) with great Thai chicken, seafood and has a great variety of vegetarian options. Chilli basin chicken, anyone? }} * {{eat | name=Koko Black | alt= | url=https://www.kokoblack.com/ | email= | address=Bunda St, Canberra Centre North Quarter | lat=-35.27971 | long=149.1328 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Warm and tasty chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as an innovative and interesting hot chocolate and drink menu. Nice, welcoming decor. }} * {{eat | name=Madam Lu Malaysian Restaurant | alt= | url=https://madamlu.net/ | email= | address=20/42 West Row | lat=-35.278993 | long=149.1279 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5201 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Malaysian restaurant but with many Chinese inspired dishes. However, do be aware that the food here come in large portions, and so be careful in what you order – it could be larger than what you might be expecting. }} * {{eat | name=Močan & Green Grout | alt=Močan and Green Grout | url=https://mocanandgreengrout.net/ | email= | address=1/19 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.1250 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 2909 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7AM|4PM}} (kitchen closes {{time|2PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A classic ordinary typical modern-Australian restaurant, but it has an open-air kitchen. Unfortunately, the menu is very limited and there's a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays. }} * {{eat | name=The Golden Drum | alt= | url= | email= | address=1/14 Childers St | lat=-35.2791 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 1882 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM Sa Su 5–9PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=Classic traditional Chinese restaurant with lots of beef and pork options. Do be aware that there are some items on this menu that may seem "exotic", but there are plenty of meals that aren't. }} * {{eat | name=Zoo Bar | alt= | url=https://www.zoobar.com.au/ | email=info@zoobar.com.au | address=Level 3, 17 London Cct | lat=-35.28025 | long=149.1263 | directions= | phone=1300 966 227 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Tu W 11AM–10PM; Th 11AM–1AM; F 11AM–3AM; Sa 3PM–3AM (closed Su M) | price= | lastedit=2022-06-18 | content=Best known for its wide range of cocktails and beers available. There's some great modern Australian cuisine available in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. If you're here on a Saturday night, Zoo Bar is known to go full on and claims itself as the "new home of music in the capital"<!--src: https://www.zoobar.com.au/home/milehigh-->. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Akiba | alt= | url=http://www.akiba.com.au/ | email= | address=40 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 0602 | tollfree= | hours=M–W <abbr title="17:00–23:00">5–11PM</abbr>; Th–Su <abbr title="11:30–00:00">11:30AM–midnight</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Asian BBQ store with some great flavours and cocktails, particularly specialising in Japanese cuisine and barbecue. Do be aware though, that the portions are very large, so don't go ordering too much. }} * {{eat | name=Courgette Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.courgette.com.au/ | email= | address=54 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.276251 | long=149.1269 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa <abbr title="12:00–15:00">noon–3PM</abbr>, <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr> (closed Sundays) | price= | content=Sister restaurant to [[Canberra/South Canberra#Aubergine Restaurant|Aubergine Restaurant]], fine dining. And as the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant specialises in zucchini based meals. }} * {{eat | name=Iori Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.iori.com.au/ | email= | address=41 East Row | lat=-35.278923 | long=149.1304 | directions=in Sydney Building | phone=+61 2 6257 2334 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr>; Fr Sa <abbr title="18:00–21:30">6–9:30PM</abbr>; closed Sundays | price=Minimum $40 per person | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Japanese restaurant with some cosy settings with a mix of Japanese and Western food. The lighting tends to be quite nice, also being a mix of Western and Japanese styles. A particularly popular special of theirs is the Seared Salmon Roll. }} * {{eat | name=SoLita Pizzeria, Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://solita.com.au/ | email= | address=143 London Cct | lat=-35.279526 | long=149.1307 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1010 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th noon–2PM, 5–9PM, Fr noon–2PM, 5–9:30PM, Sa 5–9:30PM, closed Su M | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A mix of Naples (an Italian city in Campania, Southern Italy) cuisine and Australian cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from "'''So'''uth of '''Li'''ttle I'''ta'''ly", and the range of pasta coming from Canberra may surprise you – because there's quite a lot. }} * {{eat | name=The Meat & Wine Co. | alt= | url=https://themeatandwineco.com/canberra-restaurants/canberra-cbd/ | email=canberra@themeatandwineco.com | address=Ground Floor, 220 London Cct | lat=-35.283035 | long=149.131247 | directions=cnr Constitution Ave and London Cct | phone=+61 2 5134 5988 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|noon|10PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=It's one of Canberra's finest steak restaurants and has an excellent selection of wine (they've very nitpicky with the selection; only the finest make it). It's got a bit of a traditional yet modern feel and look. There are two things that this restaurant is known for: its diverse a la carte menu and [https://themeatandwineco.com/aged/ "aged"] steak. }} * {{eat | name=Wilma | alt= | url=https://wilmabbq.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Genge St. | lat=-35.277491 | long=149.1318 | directions=cnr Bunda and Genge Streets | phone=+61 2 6171 2092 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-08 | content=Sister to several Canberran restaurants, this splurge restaurant perhaps has some of the finest seafood and barbecue meat one could find in Canberra. Base banquets are from $75 per person while baller banquets are $95 per person. }} ===Cafes=== [[File:Gus' Place September 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Gus's cafe – what was the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra is now an all common sight in Civic]] * {{eat | name=Brew and Brew Cafe | alt= | url=https://thebrewandbrew.com.au/ | email=hello@thebrewandbrew.com.au | address=2 Constitution Ave | lat=-35.2838 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 6927 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F {{time|6AM|3PM}}; espresso bar: M–F {{time|6AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content=A cafe and a bar with lots of savory treats and a wide range of meat and bread. A la carte breakfast and lunch are available and have an excellent, fine-picked wine selection, with a strong local emphasis. Wine is picked and only wines from the Canberra region (i.e. the ACT and the wineries in NSW near the ACT) are served. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Olive Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.blueolivecafe.com.au/ | email= | address=56 Alinga St | lat=-35.278427 | long=149.128239 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 4600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Famous for their delicious New York style sandwiches. Great coffee and breakfast menu, wonderful service. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Alibi | alt= | url=http://www.cafealibi.com.au/ | email=enquiries@cafealibi.com.au | address=5 Farrell Pl | lat=-35.2812 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0606 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:15AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Just another ordinary, Australian cafe but with a wide selection of toasties. }} * {{eat | name=The Cupping Room | alt= | url=http://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/ | email= | address=1/1-13 University Ave | lat=-35.2805 | long=149.126 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|3PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A traditional cafe with a very long takeaway menu. }} * {{eat | name=East Row Specialty Coffee | alt= | url=https://www.eastrowspecialtycoffee.com.au/ | email=info@eastrowspecialitycoffee.com.au | address=Cnr London Cct and East Row, Sydney Building | lat=-35.2795 | long=149.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 493 050 331 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|7AM|3PM}}; Su {{time|8AM|2PM}} | price=Breakfast: $16–22; lunch: $19–25; sides: $3–8.50 | lastedit=2022-08-05 | content=It's best known for its specialty coffee (well, it's in its name) with an all-day breakfast and has a decent variety for lunch – halloumi burgers, gnocchi, or barramundi, you call it! If you're just popping in for a quick drink on a hot summer day, there are some good smoothies and shakes, but the smoothies and shakes might not be as good as their coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Gus' | alt= | url=https://gusplace.com.au/ | email= | address=8/68 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q5620602 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=This cafe opened in 1969 and later became the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra. It is one of the oldest and best known cafes in Canberra and one of the first European-style cafes in Australia. It has both outdoor and indoor dining areas. }} * {{eat | name=The Moment Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/moment.the.509 | email= | address=Shop EG01B, 148 Bunda St | lat=-35.2788 | long=149.1333 | directions= | phone=+61 410 925 122 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11AM|8PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa {{time|10:30AM|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A bubble tea store (boba tea for speakers of American English) all ranging between $6 and $7 (which is actually quite cheap by Australian standards). }} * {{eat | name=The Whale Tea | alt= | url=https://the-whale-tea-desserts.business.site/ | email= | address=191/260 City Walk | lat=-35.28195 | long=149.1332 | directions= | phone=+61 449 650 027 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11:30AM|8:30PM}}; F Sa {{time|11:30AM|10:30PM}} | price=Medium: $6.80; large: $7.50 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Another bubble tea store with lots of great fruit and milk tea. They've also got some cakes available. }} ==Drink== [[File:Sydney Building.jpg|thumb|250px|The fairly unattractive Sydney Building houses several bars and clubs]] You may encounter that nearly every bar, club and pub is closed during Sundays, but there is always some available at Bunda Street if you're desperate for a drink or two on a Sunday. * {{drink | name=Bleachers Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://bleachers.bar/ | email= | address=33 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2792 | long=149.1287 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 9058 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|11PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A mid-range bar with a large great emphasis on sport (well, that's why it's in its name), and Asaki beer, a type of Japanese beer. The range of food is reasonable, but not very large by Canberra standards. }} * {{drink | name=Cube | alt= | url=http://www.cubenightclub.com.au/ | email= | address=33 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.279652 | long=149.1312 | directions=downstairs from Antigo's cafe | phone=+61 2 6257 1110 | tollfree= | hours=Opens Th 8PM, F 9PM, Sa 10PM, Su 9PM; closes 5AM | price= | content=Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest. }} * {{drink | name=Hippo Co | alt=Hippo Lounge | url=http://www.hippoco.com.au/ | email= | address=Upstairs, 1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.278111 | long=149.1315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights. }} * {{drink | name=King O'Malleys | alt= | url=http://www.kingomalleys.com.au/ | email= | address=131 City Walk | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1311 | directions= | phone=+61 2 625 70111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types. }} * {{drink | name=Mooseheads | alt=East Row - London Cct - City | url=http://www.mooseheads.com.au/ | email= | address=105 London Cct | lat=-35.279366 | long=149.1297 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A bar with local history. It burnt down and was restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout. }} * {{drink | name=Parlour Wine Room | alt= | url=http://www.parlour.net.au/ | email= | address=16 Kendall Ln | lat=-35.284925 | long=149.1239 | directions=Behind Rydges Lakeside | phone=+61 2 6257 7325 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Very intimate comfortable lounge bar, great selection of wines. }} * {{drink | name=PJs in the City | alt= | url=https://pjsinthecity.com/ | email= | address=West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1281 | directions=inside the Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6230 1261 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's with a very casual feel. It's also got a branch in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] in the south. }} * {{drink | name=sideway | alt= | url=http://sidewaybc.com/ | email= | address=Level 1/21 E Row | lat=-35.279249 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 410 476 791 | tollfree= | hours=W–Sa, sometimes on Su 7PM–late | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Located inside the Sydney building, this bar does have a bit of a rough and tumble reputation. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good <abbr title="alcohol">alcos</abbr> available. }} * {{drink | name=The Highball Express | alt= | url=http://www.highballexpress.com.au/ | email=upgrade@highballexpress.com.au | address=1/82 Alinga St, Canberra | lat=-35.278626 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6179 8973 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-09 | content=A high-end pub that specialises in American and Central American drinks – not the ordinary kind of pub in Canberra. }} * {{drink | name=White Rabbit Cocktail Room | alt= | url=http://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/ | email= | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277795 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6257 7779 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail and tapas venue with polished floors and patterned wallpaper, hosting DJ nights. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Novotel Canberra January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|The outside of Novotel in January 2014]] Civic's accommodation is, for the most part, very similar to any other city centre. Generally clean, have decent facilities (by NSW or Queensland standards), but a bit devoid on budget accommodation and bed and breakfasts. The former is because, well, all the cheap accommodation can be found in Gungahlin, and the latter is because all the B&Bs are located right to the north of Civic in Braddon along Northbourne Avenue. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Canberra City YHA | alt= | url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/canberra/canberra-city-backpackers-hostel/ | email=canberracity@yhansw.org.au | address=7 Akuna St | lat=-35.281662 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 9155 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6249 1731 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Beds in a shared dormitory from $26 per night. Double or twin rooms from $76 per night. Family rooms $96 per night. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=BreakFree Capital Tower | alt= | url=https://www.mantrahotels.com/breakfree-capital-tower/ | email=capitaltower.res@breakfree.com.au | address=2 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1261 | directions= | phone=1300 987 603 (domestic) | tollfree=1800 676 241 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained accommodation with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the apartments come with a balcony, laundry and kitchen while outdoor facilities include tennis courts, a spa, a pool and a gym. }} * {{sleep | name=Nesuto Canberra Apartment Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.nesuto.com/canberra | email=reception.canberra@nesuto.com | address=2 Akuna St | lat=-35.2819 | long=149.1327 | directions= | phone=+61 2 622 91234 | tollfree=1800 188 388 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained apartments with all the essentials you can expect to find in a normal apartment. Facilities include an indoor heated pool, a tennis court, a gym, a spa and sauna. There is parking available at the hotel, but a surcharge applies. }} * {{sleep | name=Nishi Boutique Hotel | alt=Ovolo Nishi | url=https://ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi/ | email= | address=25 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 6287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A very unusual shaped boutique hotel with traditional spacious rooms. The precinct includes a bar, a restaurant and an indoor gym, and is known to be LGBT friendly. However, the events hall downstairs can get very noisy during night, disturbing your sleep. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Canberra Hotel | alt= | url=http://novotelcanberra.com.au/ | email=H2796-RE@accor.com | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277615 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6245-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6245 5100 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rate range $150–250 | content=Novotel Canberra accommodates business and convention visitors, and families travelling with children. Directly above the Canberra Coach Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppers Gallery Hotel Canberra | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3T5/index.en.shtml | email= | address=15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2845 | long=149.1238 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A lively art-themed hotel that includes free parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms are fairly spacious, and the staff are known to be very friendly, but housekeeping services are not great. }} * {{sleep | name=QT Canberra | alt=Rydges Lakeside Canberra | url=https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/ | email= reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com | address=1 London Cct | lat=-35.283611 | long=149.125556 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 6244 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata=Q106915568 | content=Rydges Lakeside Canberra is on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, walking distance to Civic. Has large rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a grill and some excellent views over Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sebel Canberra Civic | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4D4/index.en.shtml | email=info@thesebelcanberra.com.au | address=197 London Cct | lat=-35.2815 | long=149.1321 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6267 5675 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A small hotel but with reasonably sized rooms and staff are known to be friendly. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast and laundry service. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/canberra/cbrbs/hoteldetail | email=reservations.cbrbs@ihg.com | address=1 Binara St | lat=-35.2828 | long=149.1348 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6274 5500 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|3PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $300 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A very accessible hotel and the closest to the [[Canberra/Civic#Casino Canberra|the city's only casino]]. It's no different from the global chain's other hotels and includes free parking, a pool, a gym/fitness centre, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. The beds are generally lush, but it comes at a high cost. }} ==Connect== There are plenty of places you can go to in Civic that has [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi], mostly inside restaurants and at the museum. As it's the central business district of a capital city, there is good 5G coverage by all the three major providers. ==Go next== You probably won't be spending much time in Civic, unless you're here for a business trip or decided to book accommodation here, but as Civic is the centrepiece of Canberra, there are a number of other places in Canberra easily accessible from Civic, both by car and by public transport. This list only includes destinations easily accessible via foot. *'''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Commonwealth and Kings Parks|Commonwealth Park]]''' is just southeast of Civic and can be reached on foot simply by crossing the bridge over Parkes Way. Next to Commonwealth Park is Blundell's Cottage in Kings Park, an important historic site of Canberra. *If you haven't already, go explore '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#In Parliamentary Triangle|Parliamentary Triangle]]''', where most of Canberra's important landmarks are. *For university tourers, Australia's top university, the '''[[Canberra/Acton|Australian National University]]''' (ANU) borders Civic right to the west. *This one requires you to go on a little bit of a longer walk, but it's still close by; '''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Anzac Parade|ANZAC Parade]]''' contains most of Canberra's war memorials, including the Australian War Memorial. {{routebox2 |name=Civic |temp1={{AUR|A23}} |directionr1=NE |minorr1=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] → merges with {{AUR|M23}} |majorr1=[[Goulburn]] |directionl1=SE |minorl1= [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] |majorl1= [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp2=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">PARKES WAY</small> |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr2=[[Canberra/Airport and East|Canberra Airport]] |directionl2=W |minorl2=[[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] |majorl2=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo Valley]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r1}} |directionl3=N |minorl3=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] |majorl3=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |directionr3=S |majorr3=END |temp4={{rint|canberra|r2}} |directionl4=NW |minorl4=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorl4=Fraser<!--part of Belconnen--> |directionr4=SE |minorr4=Barton |majorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Fyshwick]] |temp5={{rint|canberra|r3}} |directionl5=NW |majorl5=Spence<!--part of Belconnen--> |minorl5=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |directionr5=E |minorr5=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr5=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Canberra Airport]] |temp6={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl6=N |majorl6=END |directionr6=SW |minorr6=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr6=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp7={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl7=N |majorl7=END |directionr7=S |minorr7=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr7=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |temp8={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl8=N |majorl8=END |directionr8=SW |minorr8=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr8=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |temp9={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl9=N |majorl9=END |directionr9=SW |majorr9=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] |temp10={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl10=N |majorl10=END |directionr10=WSW |minorr10= |majorr10=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.2812|149.1304}} {{Mapmask|-35.2755,149.1268|-35.2768,149.1265|-35.2767,149.1260|-35.2769,149.1258|-35.2790,149.1239|-35.2798,149.1252|-35.2815,149.1238|-35.2817,149.1237|-35.2820,149.1237|-35.2823,149.1239|-35.2828,149.1241|-35.2833,149.1244|-35.2836,149.1246|-35.2843,149.1229|-35.2844,149.1228|-35.2846,149.1225|-35.2852,149.1222|-35.2857,149.1220|-35.2857,149.1228|-35.2857,149.1242|-35.2857,149.1258|-35.2859,149.1281|-35.2860,149.1286|-35.2864,149.1306|-35.2873,149.1336|-35.2866,149.1342|-35.2860,149.1348|-35.2851,149.1355|-35.2838,149.1368|-35.2832,149.1373|-35.2829,149.1374|-35.2826,149.1374|-35.2824,149.1374|-35.2817,149.1370|-35.2777,149.1347|-35.2766,149.1340|-35.2764,149.1338|-35.2762,149.1333|-35.2759,149.1308|-35.2755,149.1268}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13096707314253, -35.27992909174965 ], [ 149.1316332668066, -35.27967400359858 ], [ 149.13169965147972, -35.279509235932245 ], [ 149.1319578140974, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.13196988403797, -35.27941234581911 ], [ 149.1320476680994, -35.279509783333694 ], [ 149.13284964859486, -35.279200500930635 ], [ 149.1329026222229, -35.27907952466047 ], [ 149.13294352591038, -35.279063649932866 ], [ 149.1330836713314, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1331534087658, -35.279067481763946 ], [ 149.13319230079648, -35.2790472277976 ], [ 149.13321979343888, -35.27903135306366 ], [ 149.1332472860813, -35.27901712054095 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#00807b", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13308300077915, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1330749541521, -35.279202143141205 ], [ 149.13299918174744, -35.27923225032907 ], [ 149.1328489780426, -35.279200500930635 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#008080", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13205035030842, -35.2795086885308 ], [ 149.1321026533842, -35.27964334917441 ], [ 149.1319551318884, -35.279696994409086 ], [ 149.1318029165268, -35.27975392400701 ], [ 149.13163393735886, -35.27967400359858 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 2.5, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "City Walk" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13111560046673, -35.27863284148203 ], [ 149.131348952651, -35.27868812960708 ], [ 149.13147702813146, -35.27874232288114 ], [ 149.1315722465515, -35.27879761093145 ], [ 149.13163125514984, -35.27885563597335 ], [ 149.13168154656887, -35.27892132464987 ], [ 149.13173384964466, -35.27900945687383 ], [ 149.13183644413948, -35.27918407882312 ], [ 149.13195379078388, -35.279382786100484 ], [ 149.13211472332478, -35.279657034186634 ], [ 149.13223676383495, -35.27986395128961 ], [ 149.1323460638523, -35.28004951935291 ], [ 149.13243122398853, -35.280198411414815 ], [ 149.13252040743828, -35.28034785059875 ], [ 149.1331735253334, -35.28146343549996 ], [ 149.13363486528394, -35.2822604288437 ], [ 149.13373678922653, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 149.13385212421417, -35.28256258361013 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a977df", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City Hill" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ], [ 149.13015067577362, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.13041353225708, -35.28427258317914 ], [ 149.13188874721527, -35.282608563584446 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282161899871745 ], [ 149.1319102048874, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13084268569946, -35.28001174889661 ], [ 149.13051009178162, -35.27975337660723 ], [ 149.13027942180634, -35.2797008262102 ], [ 149.1282570362091, -35.279477486642406 ], [ 149.12772059440613, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.12744164466858, -35.27946872821543 ], [ 149.12717878818512, -35.27956945006844 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1258054971695, -35.28104960893913 ], [ 149.12538170814514, -35.281540069816195 ], [ 149.12531197071075, -35.28171085460287 ], [ 149.12527441978455, -35.28192105076893 ], [ 149.12539780139923, -35.28214876266643 ], [ 149.12594497203827, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.1263473033905, -35.28379089681325 ], [ 149.12654578685758, -35.28407115104745 ], [ 149.12677645683289, -35.284263825270784 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28437329905706 ], [ 149.12842333316803, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.1291904449463, -35.28458786724879 ], [ 149.12974298000336, -35.28464041447439 ], [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#18d04d", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City East" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ], [ 149.12803709506989, -35.285905916523284 ], [ 149.1287076473236, -35.286002251509196 ], [ 149.1293567419052, -35.28612485950733 ], [ 149.13081049919128, -35.28640510566298 ], [ 149.131840467453, -35.28669848731784 ], [ 149.1333371400833, -35.28719329277496 ], [ 149.13357317447662, -35.28727648985572 ], [ 149.13484454154965, -35.28588840105897 ], [ 149.1362339258194, -35.284377678005434 ], [ 149.13709223270416, -35.28343181965805 ], [ 149.13759648799896, -35.282871305793904 ], [ 149.13615882396698, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13487672805786, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13486063480377, -35.2820217695718 ], [ 149.1344690322876, -35.282183795209214 ], [ 149.13405060768127, -35.28240274825821 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28411931964627 ], [ 149.13121283054352, -35.28337927164811 ], [ 149.13038671016693, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.1301453113556, -35.28453531998911 ], [ 149.12975370883942, -35.28465793020867 ], [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#d09440", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Civic Centre" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28409304586865 ], [ 149.13403451442719, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.282205690540756 ], [ 149.1348499059677, -35.282013011420005 ], [ 149.13487136363983, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13438856601715, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13614809513092, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.1357457637787, -35.279643896574946 ], [ 149.13382530212402, -35.27622804522241 ], [ 149.13320302963257, -35.27617111314595 ], [ 149.1317492723465, -35.27599593727502 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.2757682080764 ], [ 149.12905633449554, -35.27957820848452 ], [ 149.13051545619965, -35.27973585981201 ], [ 149.1308319568634, -35.28000736971214 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.2818159527541 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.2821268673195 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282376473923584 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.282591047406825 ], [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#14a9d2", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City West" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ], [ 149.126797914505, -35.27545726909816 ], [ 149.12655115127563, -35.276766708273065 ], [ 149.12598252296448, -35.27662218926966 ], [ 149.12424981594086, -35.27854908811179 ], [ 149.12385284900665, -35.2789870132731 ], [ 149.1252154111862, -35.279788410186306 ], [ 149.12381529808044, -35.28143059219938 ], [ 149.12368655204773, -35.28173275006229 ], [ 149.12369191646576, -35.2819692206468 ], [ 149.1238421201706, -35.28234582052242 ], [ 149.12401378154755, -35.2826435959283 ], [ 149.12460386753082, -35.28360260045483 ], [ 149.12595570087433, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.12525832653046, -35.28191667168769 ], [ 149.12536025047302, -35.28155758622114 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1273075342178, -35.27951252034082 ], [ 149.12772595882416, -35.27940303998294 ], [ 149.12906169891357, -35.27957382927661 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a8a43e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "NewActon Precinct" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28436454115961 ], [ 149.1267603635788, -35.284268204225086 ], [ 149.12648141384125, -35.28400984551661 ], [ 149.1259503364563, -35.28309901501917 ], [ 149.12462532520294, -35.283589463483246 ], [ 149.1228711605072, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.12263512611386, -35.28443022536742 ], [ 149.12236154079437, -35.28472799310789 ], [ 149.1221845149994, -35.28503013866638 ], [ 149.1220611333847, -35.28546802877896 ], [ 149.12198066711426, -35.2857088673314 ], [ 149.12254929542542, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12359535694122, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12500083446503, -35.285726382834554 ], [ 149.12667453289032, -35.285800823680624 ], [ 149.1280210018158, -35.28591029538875 ], [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> 1gut17wpnyip3rzlmvg6d1w4w7knbt6 4501869 4501867 2022-08-16T04:41:21Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Mid-range */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Civic banner 1.jpg|pgname=Civic}} [[File:NewActon Precinct.jpg|thumb|300px|The NewActon Precinct]] Officially known as Canberra's '''city''', '''Civic''' is what is now Walter Burley Griffin's design for a Civic Centre. Established in 1927, it's one of the oldest centres of Canberra and is the capital's central business district, surrounded by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] and [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]]. Though not particularly large and has very few tall sky-rise buildings, it's the only CBD of its size located in inland Australia (the next closest you could find is [[Toowoomba]] CBD). There isn't one agreed way to call this district, but Wikivoyage has chosen to go with "Civic" for simplicity. Other names for Civic include the city, Canberra CBD, or Canberra City Centre. What you see on signage may also be confusing, as whoever designed them couldn't pick a name for consistency. ==Understand== ===History=== {{infobox|Why are there few high-rise buildings in Civic?|If you're unaware of the exact specifications that the National Capital Plan requires, then you might wonder why there are few high-rise buildings in the downtown area of a city of 467,000. Especially when other Australian cities of a similar size like [[Newcastle (New South Wales)|Newcastle]] and [[Sunshine Coast]] have many, why can't Canberra have many, especially when it's Australia's capital? The answer lies within the [https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/DownloadFile/ni/2008-27/copy/82874/PDF/2008-27.PDF RL 617 requirements] (a document which simply sums up building restrictions in Civic), which states that no building can exceed 617 meters in elevation. However, Civic itself is 567 m, capping the maximum at around 50 m (about 14 storeys). The primary reason was so Parliament House will still dominate the surrounding area.}} Civic was established in 1927, 14 years after Canberra was. It now makes up Burley Griffin's original plan for a Civic Centre with nearby Russell planned to be Canberra's "Market Centre". Instead, Russell is now the headquarters of the <abbr title="Australian Defence Force">ADF</abbr> which has resulted in many markets and malls in Civic, way more than what was in Burley Griffin's original plan. However, due to Civic's height restrictions along with the lack of space, many larger stores and markets can now be found in [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]], Canberra's second largest town centre (excluding Civic and Queanbeyan). Before Civic was established, there wasn't a clear town or city centre – the closest that resembled anything like one was [[Queanbeyan]] town centre, but Queanbeyan is in NSW, not in the ACT. Even though Civic is nearing celebrating its centenary, it's still a relatively new central business district and whilst you'll find a ton of historic buildings and sites in the CBDs of [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Brisbane]] or even tiny little [[Hobart]], there are very few in Civic, and most would fail the criteria for being "historic" in [[Tasmania]], possibly Sydney and certainly not the Old World (most of it, at least). This has left the few that are considered historic in a Canberran context, to be the major things to "see" in Civic. Canberra's important buildings are mostly not in Civic (they're in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]), whilst museums are scattered throughout Canberra but with only one in Civic. Canberrans also don't tend to really pride in these buildings, so some like the Sydney building may look good on the outside, but are in a state of despair on the inside. Even that said, there are only two important historic buildings or sites in Civic, the '''[[#Sydney and Melbourne buildings|Sydney and Melbourne buildings]]'''. Contrary to all the negativity with Canberra's historic sites, there is one thing that Canberra has that most other Australian cities don't have – a town square. Out of the six state capitals (plus [[Darwin]] for inclusion's sake), only [[Adelaide]] has one: [[Adelaide/City and North Adelaide|Victoria Square]]. However, [[#Civic Square|Civic Square]] was not designed by Burley Griffin (it was completed in 1961, well after Burley Griffin's time) but instead by Yuncken Freeman (an Australian architecture firm) architects, though it was in Griffin's original plan, with the location purposefully chosen to be the centrepiece of Canberra, linking City Hill and [[Canberra/North Canberra#Parks and lookouts|Mount Ainslie]], which has lead to [[#Canberra Theatre|Canberra Theatre]] and several other government buildings popping up. ===Orientation=== The "City" as it's officially called, is divided into five districts. However, in practice, with the exception of NewActon, nobody but the ACT government ever uses these districts and the only time you will ever see these names are on road signs, and these names are not very consistent. Likewise, though this part of Canberra is called "Civic", you will almost never see it on signage; instead, you'll primarily see "City" or if you're somewhere closer to Civic, signs might point out to a specific part of Civic such as City West or City Centre. Strangely, "City Centre"<!--do not decapitalize--> can either mean the entirety of Civic, or it can just refer to the northeast of the district, but in typical ACT fashion, signage is sloppy when picking one area for consistency. <!--these aren't additional districts, this is supposed to resemble something like [[Sydney/City East]]--> <!--City Hill comes first given it's the most prominent – do not alphabetize--> <!--if regionlist fails to display the dynamic map {{mapframe|show=mask1|name=Map of Civic's districts}}--> {{Regionlist |regionmap=Civic regions map.png |regionInteractiveMap=map1 |show=mask1 |height=500 |regionmapsize=500px |regionmaptext=Color-coded map of Civic's districts |regionmapZoom=15 |region1name=City Hill |region1color=#a977df |region1description=The most prominent point of Civic for passer-by visitors containing many trees on a hill and Civic Square, an important location within Civic containing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly Building and a few other buildings. |region2name=City Centre / Civic Centre |region2color=#d09440 |region2description=It's a bit unclear on what this section of Civic is exactly called, but this part of Civic contains Canberra's main shopping precinct, Canberra Centre. Treat yourself to hundreds of stores and restaurants, whether it's for a quick lunch break, Saturday afternoon shopping or whether you'd like to take something home with you from Canberra. |region3name=City East |region3color=#18d04d |region3description=Not the most attractive part of Civic as it's rather just filled with corporate offices but it does get filled with gamblers since it contains Canberra's only purpose-built casino: Casino Canberra. |region4name=City West |region4color=#14a9d2 |region4description=Straddles along the edge of the Australian National University containining many cafes and restaurants. In many retrospects, City West acts as an "in-between" location between the centre and the Australian National University. |region5name=NewActon Cultural and Cinema Precinct (NewActon Precinct)<!--sic - do NOT change to New Acton.--> |region5color=#a8a43e |region5description=Dubbed by ''This is Canberra'' as "[https://thisiscanberra.com/newacton-canberras-little-piece-of-new-york/ Canberra’s little piece of New York]", this vibrant and lively has a whole cafes, bars, cinemas and anything you'd find that characterises cities known for culture like New York City or Melbourne crammed in a single block. Some would classify this new precinct as part of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]], but it's covered in this guide for practical purposes. }} ===Read=== There are few publically available books about Civic, and often those that can be found are only found within Canberra. But in spite of that, it doesn't mean there are few books about Civic – in fact, the '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#National Library of Australia |National Library of Australia]]''' (NLA) in Parliamentary Triangle, South Canberra has a sizable amount about Civic. Many are online-only, and can be found on the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ library's catalogue]. * '''''Civic: the living city''''' by Tony Powell ({{ISBN|9780646449487}}<!--or 0646449486-->). Not a very popular book but it does go into great depths about Civic's city planning and why Civic is planned the way it is. The book is a bit hard to find though; few bookstores in Civic have the book but it can be found at the airport, or alternatively, you may want to borrow it online from the [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3546314/Holdings? National Library of Australia] (NLA). ==Get in== As with any city's downtown area, Civic is well-connected by both road and light rail. ===By bus=== [[File:City Bus Interchange.jpg|thumb|250px|ACTION buses at the City Interchange]] All buses to Civic stop at one interchange, {{marker|type=go|name=City Interchange|lat=-35.278476|long=149.130054}}; one of few in Canberra to have both bus and light rail services. Being in the centre of Canberra, there are many lines that connect to the rest of Canberra. The ideal way to get into Civic by bus is using these R-routes (i.e. the main important routes), which as follows: * '''R2''' from [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] to the northwest and the [[Canberra/South Canberra#Buy|Canberra Outlet Centre]] in Fyshwick to the southeast * '''R3''' from Canberra Airport to the east, and Spence/Belconnen to the northwest * '''R4''' from Belconnen to the northwest, and [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] passing [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] to the south. * '''R5''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong in the south, terminating in Civic. * '''R6''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] in the southwest via Barton. If you're arriving from '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#By train|Canberra Railway Station]]''' in Kingston, South Canberra, then use this rapid route. * '''R7''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] also from the southwest * '''R10''' from [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] in the southwest There are also other ordinary bus lines. Unlike the R-routes, services are not very frequent, and these routes come from rather obscure or specific places, such as the Australian Defence Force Academy or the National Museum of Australia. With the exception of bus line '''53''' to/from the National Museum of Australia in [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and the Dickson Shops in [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]], all ordinary bus lines terminate at Civic. Otherwise, the ordinary bus routes as follows: * '''31''' from the Dickson Shops in North Canberra passing Braddon * '''32''' from several interchanges in Belconnen, including Cohen Street Interchange, Westfield Belconnen and Belconnen Interchange and a lot of other minor stops along the way. However, if you're coming to Civic from these interchanges, you're better off taking the R2, 3 or 4 lines that don't go the long and convoluted way. * '''50''' from Watson Terminus in North Canberra, passing the Dickson Shops * '''51''' from the Dickson Shops but passing Lyneham instead * '''54''' from Majura Business Park near the airport * '''55''' from the Australian Defence Force Academy passing the Royal Military College * '''56''' from Fyshwick * '''59''' from Woden Interchange passing the [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] section of Barton * '''182''' from Lanyon Marketplace in Tuggeranong via the Majura Parkway (M23) ===By car=== {{infobox|Finding parking|Though the standard expression anyone will say when heading to a mid-sized or large city's central business district is "Do not drive", driving in Canberra's is actually quite tolerable – except, finding parking can be hard at best, and a nightmare at worst. Luckily for you, parking isn't all that expensive and at the very max, you'll have to pay $16 for a day. Within Civic, there are three main paid carparks, all operated by Secure Parking. There's a fourth one but it's a monthly-only carpark, centred for workers, not travellers. * The first and largest is the parking at '''[[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]]'''. It's a multi-storey carpark, and if you're going to by in the city all day or doing a few hours worth of shopping, you can pay $14 rooftop parking (which actually takes up the top three floors); * {{marker|type=go|name=City West Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/city-west-car-park|lat=-35.2786|long=149.1253}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50 and early-bird parking from $14. * {{marker|type=go|name=Marcus Clarke Car Park|url=https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/australian-capital-territory/canberra/canberra-cbd/121-marcus-clarke-car-park|lat=-35.27753|long=149.12546}} in City West, with hourly parking from $6.50, rooftop parking from $16, and early-bird parking from $14. There are three other carpark, within London Cct in City Hull, but those aren't operated by Secure Parking. They do tend to get filled up pretty quickly though. Alternatively, there is street parking available, but very limited in Civic. Need not worry – Braddon just to the north has a reasonably amount of metered street parking along Lonsdale St, and it's cheaper than parking in the Civic too – a win-win if you don't mind the 100-metre walk.}} Being at the centre of Canberra, Civic is well connected by several ways. Many are good quality roads, some of which are freeways, though the prime route which many travellers use is Northbourne Avenue from the north. '''Northbourne Avenue''' (A23) is the main artery connecting Civic to NSW. It runs right through the centre of Civic. If you're entering the ACT via the '''Federal Highway''' (M23), then all you need to do is to simply stay on the same road until you reach Civic. If you're coming from the northern districts – namely, anywhere from [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]], [[Canberra/Hall|Hall]] or from [[New South Wales]] via the '''Barton Highway''' (A25), stay on Barton Highway and once you're at the Federal Hwy/Barton Hwy/Northbourne Ave intersection, turn right onto Northbourne Avenue until you arrive at Civic. '''Parkes Way''' (unnumbered) doesn't exactly pass through Civic, but marks Civic' southern border, bypassing the city, and the easiest and fastest way if you're coming from the [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley]], and [[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]]. There are three exits along the freeway, and one massive roundabout at the very end. '''Commonwealth Avenue''' (A23) connects Capital and State Circles to Civic. From Woden use Adelaide Avenue northeast into [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], which should later spit you out onto Commonwealth Avenue. From the [[Canberra/Airport and East|airport]], head west onto Pialligo Drive west and then onto Morshead Drive. Continue until Coranderrk Street from where you'll need to turn right at the massive roundabout and then you've basically arrived at Civic. And if you're coming back from the snow (i.e. the [[Snowy Mountains]]), keep following the Monaro Highway (A23) which later becomes the freeway-grade Majura Parkway (M23) and exit onto Morshead Drive. Once you've exited, turn left until you've arrived at Civic. ===By light rail=== Civic has connections to and [[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] passing by [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] via Northbourne Avenue (A23). From Gungahlin, the '''R1''' route starts at the town centre and heads east for a few metres until it changes direction and heads south, passing Dickson Interchange before terminating at the {{marker|type=go|name=Alinga Street station|lat=-35.27796|long=149.129325}}, just north of the Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection. The route is fairly short, and services are frequent, so you won't need any special planning ahead to use the light rail. There are plans to extend the line down southwest towards [[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] along either Capital or State Circle and Adelaide Avenue through the middle of the freeway. Construction is expected to start soon in 2023 and is projected to open in 2025. {{mapframe|-35.2812|149.1292|zoom=15|name=Map of Civic|align=center|width=100%|height=500}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q4421073}}--> {{Mapshapes|Q16927042}} <!--R1: Canberra Light Rail--> ==See== [[File:Canberra Museum and Gallery viewed from Civic Square.jpg|thumb|250px|The Canberra Museum and Gallery from Civic Square]] [[File:City Hill and Northbourne Avenue viewed from London Circuit.jpg|thumb|250px|Centenary Column from London Cct]] When it comes to things to see, Civic has very little to offer. Unlike Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, most of Canberra's museums aren't located in Civic but in the areas surrounding Civic such as [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] or [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. Nevertheless, the Civic has some buildings with some unique architecture, making Canberra quite a different CBD compared to other Australian CBDs. Most of Civic's sights are located in {{marker|type=see|name=Civic Square|lat=-35.281269|long=149.131018}}, a small block in 180 London Cct, including the Legislative Assembly building, Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Library and Canberra Theatre. Its location was deliberately chosen to be directly in line with [[Canberra/North Canberra#In nature reserves|Mount Ainslie]]; if you want to see it for real, stand at the very centre of the lookout, and whilst Anzac Parade will certainly take the spotlight, look a bit to the right and you'll see the square perfectly in line with City Hill and Ainslie Avenue. * {{see | name=Artworld ADG | alt= | url=http://www.aboriginaldream.com/ | email=dream@aboriginaldream.com | address=cnr London Cct and Gordon St | lat=-35.2823 | long=149.1252 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 2922 | tollfree= | hours=F {{time|11AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the [[Canberra/Gungahlin, Belconnen and Hall#Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery|Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery]] in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Museum and Gallery | alt=CMAG | url=http://www.cmag.com.au/ | email=cmag@act.gov.au | address=176 London Cct | lat=-35.2807 | long=149.131 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 3968 | tollfree= | hours=M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM | price=Free | wikidata=Q495518 | content=A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. Also features the ''Sydney Nolan Collection'' - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist. }} * {{see | name=Glebe Park | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr Bunda St, Akuna St and Cooyong St | lat=-35.28227 | long=149.13629 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5567441 | lastedit=2022-06-30 | content=Where's Canberra's Hype Park you ask? This small 40-ha park is a remnant of land that was allocated in the 1840s to the Anglican church, but today is a nice spot to go for a stroll. If you're into photography and want to see some autumn colours, the leaves have a strong autumn foliage, making it a great spot for photography. }} * {{see | name=Sydney and Melbourne buildings | alt= | url= | email= | address=cnr London Cct and Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.279 | long=149.13 | directions=the Sydney Building is on the east side of Northbourne Avenue, and the Melbourne Building is on the west side | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=These two large buildings in the centre of Civic were the first commercially-funded buildings in Canberra, and have been important local landmarks since the 1920s. Both buildings are surrounded by loggias modelled on those of buildings in [[Florence]], Italy. They are occupied by a mix of restaurants (most of which are quite good), nightclubs, pubs and small businesses, but much of the Sydney Building is in a fairly poor state of repair. Plans to revitalise the buildings are regularly proposed, but never go far. }} There are a few memorials and monuments in Civic, though only a fraction when you compare it to just ANZAC Avenue alone in Campbell, [[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]]. They're not popular destinations, and if you're time limited, you can see them while driving and still not miss anything important or notable about these memorials and monuments. * {{see | name=ACT Memorial | alt=Australian Capital Territory Memorial | url=http://www.memorial.act.gov.au/ | email= | address=London Cct / Vernon Circle | lat=-35.2808 | long=149.132 | directions=opposite Civic Square | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4650886 | lastedit=2022-04-25 | content=A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars. }} * {{see | name=Canberra Centenary Column | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2814 | long=149.129 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q18386365 | lastedit=2022-03-28 | content=A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate the Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded, but was never completed. }} [[File:ACT Legislative Assembly building November 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|The Legislative Assembly Building in November 2021]] Civic has its fair share of government offices, both a mix of federal (that's no surprise as it's the ACT) and territory government offices. Most of the territory buildings are of little interest, and if you're to be honest, would you really want to go and visit some random old building that you cannot enter? The same goes with federal, except there aren't any of interest as all of the important ones are in [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{see | name=Legislative Assembly Building | alt= | url=https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/ | email=laeducation@parliament.act.gov.au | address=Civic Square, London Circuit | lat=-35.2816 | long=149.1312 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6205 3016 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6518198 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly Building, also known as the South Building, which although may first seem like any other "government building", the building does indeed have some educational programs, and you can make a booking if you want to visit the assembly – see the [https://www.parliament.act.gov.au/visit-and-learn website] for more details. }} * {{see | name=Reserve Bank of Australia Building | alt= | url= | email= | address=20-22 London Cct | lat=-35.2804 | long=149.127 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q60746498 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=A heritage-listed bank building designed by Howlett and Bailey in 1962 and built from 1963 to 1965 by Civil & Civic which was the old RBA building (the current RBA head office is now in Sydney). It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004. }} ==Do== [[File:Casino Canberra Sign .jpg|thumb|250px|Outside Casino Canberra]] Civic isn't really a place to "do" things. Perhaps humorously, the most strenuous thing is maneuvering around the city, scrambling for parking or if it's not a very good day, then maybe both. While there have been several entertainment venues that have opened and closed in Civic, many have closed and in some cases like the former Center<!--sic--> Cinema, have been taken over by dining establishments. * {{do | name=Casino Canberra | alt= | url=http://casinocanberra.com.au | email= | address=21 Binara St | lat=-35.2833 | long=149.134 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6243 3700 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|12PM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1047578 | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=Perhaps Canberra's equivalent of Melbourne's Crown Casino, with multiple gambling areas, a sports bar, and an eatery but the casino is quite compact. }} * {{do | name=Canberra Theatre Centre | alt=Canberra Theatre | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.2818 | long=149.1305 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2878077 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=Canberra’s central performing arts venue, Australia’s first performing arts centre, and the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed having opened on 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the Australian Ballet. }} * {{do | name=Palace Electric Cinemas | alt= | url=http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/electric/ | email= | address=Ground Floor, 2 Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.12301 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6222 4900 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=There's not a whole lot that's very unique to this cinema, except, this is primarily how NewActon's full name came to be. It has a bit of a modern and traditional look, but the choice is limited. }} ==Buy== [[File:Temporary picnic area in Garema Place October 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|City Walk]] There are three major shopping precincts in Civic: * {{buy | name=Canberra Centre | alt= | url=http://canberracentre.com.au | email= | address=Bunda St | lat=-35.2794 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247-5611 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5031247 | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Canberra's second largest shopping mall covering a large section of Canberra's shopping district. It has department stores, food hall and eateries, specialty shops for adults and kids fashion both upmarket and basic. There are also electronics, books, CDs, souvenirs and Australian made products. }} * '''City Walk''' (coloured teal on the map) is an outdoor pedestrian mall in Civic that is home to a large range of shopping outlets, alfresco dining and a few bars. The mall is also home to the Canberra Merry-Go-Round and the Canberra Times fountain. **'''Garema Place''' is not part of City Walk, but it's just a spur from City Walk that also has lots of restaurants and stores. There's also a small hidden path to access it from Bunda Street just next to Gus' Place, but it's very easy to miss. * '''Petrie Plaza''' is a shorter pedestrian mall that was created in 1965 by pedestrianising Petrie Street. It doesn't have as many stores or dining precincts as City Walk does, but it's got a lot in the centre (whether it be the gardens, sculptures, a carousel etc.). All three are within the northeast of Civic (within what you see in red under Civic Centre as seen [[#Orientation|on the map]]). They're all essentially interconnected and some would argue that City Walk and Petrie Plaza are simply a part of the greater Canberra Centre. If you're just doing some shopping in Canberra, chances are, you might not even realise that you've left Canberra Centre and its "sub-malls" as they're very interconnected. Do be aware that finding a place to park your car can get very tricky, even on weekends, and it gets chaotic on weekends. There are a few carparks, but these aren't large when you compare it to the average Westfield in the Big 5. In typical ACT fashion, signage is poor and sloppy and you might need to scramble, make a few wrong left turns, have accidentally ended up on the highly pedestrianised Bunda Street (which can take you a few minutes to get from one end to the other) before finally reaching the centre's carparks. ===Book and gift stores=== If you're a person into books, souvenirs or want to take some gifts for those back home, Civic has several book and gift stores. Like all other stores in Civic, most are in either Canberra Centre or the pedestrian malls. * {{buy | name=Australian Choice | alt= | url=https://australianchoice.com.au/ | email=contact@australianchoice.com.au | address=Shop 12, Ground Floor, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=see [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 2 6257 5315 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=A family owned gift store that has an extensive range of souvenirs for you to take home. However, a lot of the souvenirs here are more "Australia specific" rather than Canberra specific, but there's a common Indigenous theme that distinguishes this shop from your average souvenir store. }} * {{buy | name=Dymocks Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.dymocks.com.au/stores/act/dymocks-canberra | email= | address=Shop CL17 Canberra Centre, Bunda Street, Civic | lat=-35.28042 | long=149.1328 | directions=behind the escalators in the Canberra Centre's food court | phone=+61 2 6257 5057 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=While part of a fairly unexciting national chain, this branch of Dymocks has an unusually well-chosen stock. Other, and less interesting, Dymocks branches are located in Belconnen Mall and the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. }} * {{buy | name=Robinsons Bookshop Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.robinsonsbooks.com.au/robinsonsbooks-v02.php | email=canberracentre@robinsonsbooks.com.au | address=Shop DF24, Canberra Centre | lat= | long= | directions=next to the Apple Store in [[#Canberra Centre|Canberra Centre]] | phone=+61 3 9783 6488 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9AM–5:30PM; F 9AM–9PM; Sa 9AM–5PM; Su 10AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-28 | content=There's a lot of unexpected finds in this bookshop, but the range is rather limited and is slightly pricey compared to other Canberran bookshops. }} ===Clothing stores=== If you're heading out to the [[Snowy Mountains|Snowies]] and forgot to bring your puffy jacket or skipants, then need not worry, there are plenty of clothing stores in Civic that'll have them. Clothing as a whole can be a bit more expensive and cheaper than the price you'll find in Sydney at the same time, but range and variety isn't compromised (so no American chains that've left Australia for ripping Australians with cheap, old-fashioned clothes or even Australian stores that might have a tendency for slack in regional areas). ==Eat== Civic is one of only only places in Canberra where you can find a whole amplitude of [[Australian cuisine#Ethnic cuisines|ethnic cuisines]] to eat, with the other being the [[Canberra/North Canberra|Dickson Shops]] just a few kilometres to the north; unlike Dickson, Civic is not limited to Chinese or East/Southeast Asian cuisine, and you can find plenty of flavours from Italy, India, Turkey – you name it. There are two main precincts in Civic whose specialty ''is'' food, plus the Canberra Centre/City Walk. * '''Canberra Centre''' and '''City Walk''' may be known for shopping, but there are a sizable number of restaurants of all kind. * '''Sydney Building''' and a few surrounding buildings house a number of high-end splurge restaurants (and most of Civic's), as well as a number of Asian and Indian restaurants. * '''City West''' may look like a continuation of the Civic Centre's, but it's ''very'' different – lots of Italian, Japanese (yes, it's Asian, but the Japanese restaurants are somewhat evenly split up), and the further west you go from the Melbourne Building, the more cafes you'll see, reflecting Australia's coffee culture. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Civic Asian Noodle House | alt= | url=https://civicasiannoodlehouseonline.com.au/ | email= | address=Sydney Building, 34 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.278828 | long=149.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5145 (landline), +61 405 558 353 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Good laksa and pad thai at reasonable prices (ranging around $15) in a relaxed atmosphere. }} * {{eat | name=CBD Dumpling House | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop FG13C Canberra Centre (148 Bunda St) | lat=-35.27766 | long=149.1334 | directions=enter from Scotts Crossing | phone=+61 2 6262 8855 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11:30AM|3PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2017-07-29 | content=Large and very popular Asian restaurant. Specialises in dumplings, but has a good mix of other Asian dishes. }} * {{eat | name=Fekerte’s Ethiopian | alt= | url= | email= | address=Phillip Law St | lat=-35.2848 | long=149.123 | directions=near Ovolo Nishi | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A budget Ethiopian restaurant with some very flavourful spicy dishes and a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian options. It's one of only three Ethiopian restaurants in Canberra (with one being Ethiopia Down Under in Woden and the other in Civic). Both dine-in and takeaway are available. }} * {{eat | name=Flavours Of Ethiopia | alt= | url=http://flavoursofethiopia.weebly.com/ | email= | address=33 Allara St, City Walk | lat=-35.2832 | long=149.1336 | directions= | phone=+61 413 655 472 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|11:15AM|8:30PM}} (closed Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Civic's second Ethiopian restaurant (and one of three in Canberra) best known for its curry sauces and samosas, owned by an Ethiopian couple (so it's indeed really authentic). There's plenty of traditionals to choose from with prices no higher than $20 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Happy’s Chinese Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.happys.com.au/ | email= | address=1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1316 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6249 7015 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: W–M 11:30AM–2PM (closed Tuesdays); dinner: Su–Th 5–9PM, F Sa 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A simple Cantonese restaurant that's been in this area for quite a long time. The menu is not very extensive, but nearly all of them are value-for-price. The size of the restaurant is a bit small though. }} * {{eat | name=Indo Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.indocafe.com.au/ | email=yetty@indocafe.com.au | address=Ground Floor, Nesuto Apartments, London Cct | lat=-35.2822 | long=149.1326 | directions= | phone=+61 411 038 803 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|3PM}} (closed Sa Su) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=Though it's called a cafe, it's not really a cafe but just a good place to have some cheap traditional Indonesian eats with takeaway lunch specials priced at $8. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba | alt= | url=https://kebaba.com.au/take-away/ | email= | address=Shop 4, 86-96 Bunda St | lat=-35.2782 | long=149.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 0346 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 9AM–midnight; Th 9AM–2AM; F Sa 10AM–5AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Has some traditional Turkish adana kebabs, pide and falafel. However, the portions are known to be rather small compared to a typical HSP (halal snack pack). }} * {{eat | name=LanZhou Beef Noodle | alt=Lanzhou Beef Noodle | url=https://www.lanzhoubeefnoodle-canberra.com.au/ | email= | address=28 University Ave | lat=-35.2798 | long=149.1257 | directions= | phone=+61 493 395 023 | tollfree= | hours=Su–F {{time|11AM|8:15PM}} (closed Saturdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A small noodle shop that brings the flavours from [[Lanzhou]] (a city in northwest China) and best known for its Lanzhou beef noodles. There are some rather exotic meals on the menu, but otherwise nearly everything found is either chicken or beef. }} * {{eat | name=Ming’s Pantry | alt=Ming’s Pantry Malaysian Street Food | url=https://www.facebook.com/139362503406102/posts/mings-pantry-malaysian-street-food/442671839741832/ | email= | address=Mayfair Building, G22/45 West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1273 | directions= | phone=+61 451 304 030 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|11AM|9PM}}; Sa {{time|11AM|2:30PM}}, <abbr title="17:00–21:00">5–9PM</abbr> (closed Su). | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=There isn't a whole lot to say about this place – except that you can get some really good yet cheap Malaysian food. The signature chicken and many of their other dishes tend to be a bit large, but who doesn't want to share a meal? (unless you're [[travelling alone]]). }} * {{eat | name=Ms Ba Cô | alt=Ms. Ba Cô | url=https://www.msbaco.com/ | email=msbacostreetfood@gmail.com | address=4-6/108 Bunda St | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 5396 | tollfree= | hours=Daly {{time|8AM|8PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Though it's only a budget restaurant, it's a Vietnamese favourite in Canberra. It's a family-owned restaurant, so there's some family recipes too and its name, ''Ba Cô '', translates to "three girls" in English, symbolising the family's three daughters. }} * {{eat | name=Wild Panda | alt= | url=https://wildpanda.com.au/ | email=info@wildpanda.com.au | address=40 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2786 | long=149.1268 | directions=next to Subway | phone=+61 408 579 666 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="11:00–21:00">11AM–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-08-14 | content=A Western Chinese restaurant that veers towards the higher end of a budget restaurant, with portions surprisingly, not as large as many other Chinese restaurants. Through quality ain't their strong point, their hot noodles and dumplings are. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bicicletta Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.bicicletta.com.au/ | email=gallery.rest@peppers.com.au | address=1/15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2846 | long=149.1239 | directions=near Peppers Gallery Hotel | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 5–10PM (closed Su M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=Find some excellent homemade pizza, pasta and other Italian favourites in this authentic Italian restaurant, but with local ingredients. The wine list is a pretty selective one, and so are the daily specials. }} * {{eat | name=Blu Ginger | alt= | url=https://www.bluginger.com.au/ | email= | address=2/5-21 Genge St | lat=-35.2770 | long=149.13205 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 2228 | tollfree= | hours=Su–W 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–3PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Lots of authentic classic curries in a very traditional, cozy setting that resembles a traditional Indian structure. It's best known for its butter chicken and korma, but their other options are also well worth a try. The tables can fill up quickly, so try and make a [https://www.bluginger.com.au/book-a-table/ booking] if you can. }} * {{eat | name=Briscola Italian | alt= | url=http://briscolapizzeria.com.au/ | email= | address=60 Alinga St | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1283 | directions=in ground floor of Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6248 5444 | tollfree= | hours=Lunch: T–Su noon–2PM (closed Mondays), Dinner: Su–Th 5:30–8:30PM; F Sa 5:30–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Discover some "old fashioned" as dubbed by the restaurant themselves with some good classic Southern Italian cuisine. It won the Canberra’s Best Italian Restaurant award in 2015, and it's always been family owned by traditional Italians. }} * {{eat | name=Chez Kimchi | alt= | url=https://m.facebook.com/chezkimchi/ | email= | address=68/70 Bunda St | lat=-35.2779 | long=149.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5525 | tollfree= | hours=M Tu closed, W Th Su 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–10:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Korean restaurant with a good variety of chicken available. You can't go past the Gangjung, a very flavourful and tasty chicken and Chez Kimchi's local specialty. }} * {{eat | name=The City Labor Club | alt=Canberra Labor Club | url=https://www.laborclub.com.au/venues/city/ | email=admin@laborclub.com.au | address=16 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.2799 | long=149.1317 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 0404 | tollfree= | hours=M–W 9AM–midnight, Th F 9AM–1AM, Sa 10AM–1AM, Su 10AM–midnight | price= | lastedit=2022-06-09 | content=It's Civic's branch of the Canberra chain Canberra Labor Club with a nice relaxed atmosphere with rather spacious lounges with modern Australian cuisine. The modern Australian restaurant has great cocktails, lunch, gaming machines and Wi-Fi. }} * {{eat | name=Edo Tori | alt= | url=https://www.edotori.com.au/ | email=info@edotori.com.au | address=43 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2789 | long=149.1287 | directions=in Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 5119 2494 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 11:30AM–late | price=Feed me menu: {{AUD|59}}; lunch express: {{AUD|39}}; Zeitaku feed me {{AUD|89}}pp | lastedit=2022-08-15 | content=A modern Australianised Japanese restaurant with the strange slogan "Save Water, Drink Beer" with a strong emphasis on drinks. It's borderline between mid-range and splurge, but the quality is worth the bucks. Oh, and not to forget, if you're a sushi craver, they have sushi; it's somewhat discreet. }} * {{eat | name=Kebaba Turkish Grill Bar | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kebaba-Turkish-Grill-Bar-1739731602996311/ | email= | address=11 East Row | lat=-35.27934 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 4757 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Turkish grill bar that offers both dining in and takeaway. Depending on what you order, there is a chance that you can see your own meal being made. }} * {{eat | name=Kinn Thai | alt= | url=http://kinnrestaurant.com.au/canberra/ | email=canberra@kinnrestaurant.com.au | address=Shop FG03, Canberra Centre | lat= -35.2775776| long=149.1324284 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1277 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A Thai restaurant with street food (or specifically street lunch) with great Thai chicken, seafood and has a great variety of vegetarian options. Chilli basin chicken, anyone? }} * {{eat | name=Koko Black | alt= | url=https://www.kokoblack.com/ | email= | address=Bunda St, Canberra Centre North Quarter | lat=-35.27971 | long=149.1328 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Warm and tasty chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as an innovative and interesting hot chocolate and drink menu. Nice, welcoming decor. }} * {{eat | name=Madam Lu Malaysian Restaurant | alt= | url=https://madamlu.net/ | email= | address=20/42 West Row | lat=-35.278993 | long=149.1279 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 5201 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Malaysian restaurant but with many Chinese inspired dishes. However, do be aware that the food here come in large portions, and so be careful in what you order – it could be larger than what you might be expecting. }} * {{eat | name=Močan & Green Grout | alt=Močan and Green Grout | url=https://mocanandgreengrout.net/ | email= | address=1/19 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2849 | long=149.1250 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 2909 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7AM|4PM}} (kitchen closes {{time|2PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A classic ordinary typical modern-Australian restaurant, but it has an open-air kitchen. Unfortunately, the menu is very limited and there's a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and public holidays. }} * {{eat | name=The Golden Drum | alt= | url= | email= | address=1/14 Childers St | lat=-35.2791 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 1882 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM Sa Su 5–9PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=Classic traditional Chinese restaurant with lots of beef and pork options. Do be aware that there are some items on this menu that may seem "exotic", but there are plenty of meals that aren't. }} * {{eat | name=The Tasty Hill | alt= | url=http://thetastyhill.com/ | email=thetastyhill@gmail.com | address=Shop 1/3 16 Moore St | lat=-35.2760 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0363 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Su <abbr title="17:00–22:00">5–10PM</abbr> (closed M) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=No, you're not going to be licking hills (or hill?) at this restaurant, instead this is a Korean charcoaal barbecue restaurant where you'll be licking some tasty barbecue chicken or wagyu beef (yep, a misleading name). But if you're after traditional Korean food, noodles, or soup, they do have some available – it's just not their main specialty. }} * {{eat | name=Zoo Bar | alt= | url=https://www.zoobar.com.au/ | email=info@zoobar.com.au | address=Level 3, 17 London Cct | lat=-35.28025 | long=149.1263 | directions= | phone=1300 966 227 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Tu W 11AM–10PM; Th 11AM–1AM; F 11AM–3AM; Sa 3PM–3AM (closed Su M) | price= | lastedit=2022-06-18 | content=Best known for its wide range of cocktails and beers available. There's some great modern Australian cuisine available in a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. If you're here on a Saturday night, Zoo Bar is known to go full on and claims itself as the "new home of music in the capital"<!--src: https://www.zoobar.com.au/home/milehigh-->. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Akiba | alt= | url=http://www.akiba.com.au/ | email= | address=40 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6162 0602 | tollfree= | hours=M–W <abbr title="17:00–23:00">5–11PM</abbr>; Th–Su <abbr title="11:30–00:00">11:30AM–midnight</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A modern Asian BBQ store with some great flavours and cocktails, particularly specialising in Japanese cuisine and barbecue. Do be aware though, that the portions are very large, so don't go ordering too much. }} * {{eat | name=Courgette Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.courgette.com.au/ | email= | address=54 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.276251 | long=149.1269 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 4042 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa <abbr title="12:00–15:00">noon–3PM</abbr>, <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr> (closed Sundays) | price= | content=Sister restaurant to [[Canberra/South Canberra#Aubergine Restaurant|Aubergine Restaurant]], fine dining. And as the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant specialises in zucchini based meals. }} * {{eat | name=Iori Japanese Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.iori.com.au/ | email= | address=41 East Row | lat=-35.278923 | long=149.1304 | directions=in Sydney Building | phone=+61 2 6257 2334 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th <abbr title="18:00–21:00">6–9PM</abbr>; Fr Sa <abbr title="18:00–21:30">6–9:30PM</abbr>; closed Sundays | price=Minimum $40 per person | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A Japanese restaurant with some cosy settings with a mix of Japanese and Western food. The lighting tends to be quite nice, also being a mix of Western and Japanese styles. A particularly popular special of theirs is the Seared Salmon Roll. }} * {{eat | name=SoLita Pizzeria, Restaurant & Bar | alt= | url=http://solita.com.au/ | email= | address=143 London Cct | lat=-35.279526 | long=149.1307 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 1010 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Th noon–2PM, 5–9PM, Fr noon–2PM, 5–9:30PM, Sa 5–9:30PM, closed Su M | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-30 | content=A mix of Naples (an Italian city in Campania, Southern Italy) cuisine and Australian cuisine. The name of the restaurant comes from "'''So'''uth of '''Li'''ttle I'''ta'''ly", and the range of pasta coming from Canberra may surprise you – because there's quite a lot. }} * {{eat | name=The Meat & Wine Co. | alt= | url=https://themeatandwineco.com/canberra-restaurants/canberra-cbd/ | email=canberra@themeatandwineco.com | address=Ground Floor, 220 London Cct | lat=-35.283035 | long=149.131247 | directions=cnr Constitution Ave and London Cct | phone=+61 2 5134 5988 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|noon|10PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-30 | content=It's one of Canberra's finest steak restaurants and has an excellent selection of wine (they've very nitpicky with the selection; only the finest make it). It's got a bit of a traditional yet modern feel and look. There are two things that this restaurant is known for: its diverse a la carte menu and [https://themeatandwineco.com/aged/ "aged"] steak. }} * {{eat | name=Wilma | alt= | url=https://wilmabbq.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Genge St. | lat=-35.277491 | long=149.1318 | directions=cnr Bunda and Genge Streets | phone=+61 2 6171 2092 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-08 | content=Sister to several Canberran restaurants, this splurge restaurant perhaps has some of the finest seafood and barbecue meat one could find in Canberra. Base banquets are from $75 per person while baller banquets are $95 per person. }} ===Cafes=== [[File:Gus' Place September 2017.jpg|thumb|250px|Gus's cafe – what was the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra is now an all common sight in Civic]] * {{eat | name=Brew and Brew Cafe | alt= | url=https://thebrewandbrew.com.au/ | email=hello@thebrewandbrew.com.au | address=2 Constitution Ave | lat=-35.2838 | long=149.1314 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 6927 | tollfree= | hours=Cafe: M–F {{time|6AM|3PM}}; espresso bar: M–F {{time|6AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-03 | content=A cafe and a bar with lots of savory treats and a wide range of meat and bread. A la carte breakfast and lunch are available and have an excellent, fine-picked wine selection, with a strong local emphasis. Wine is picked and only wines from the Canberra region (i.e. the ACT and the wineries in NSW near the ACT) are served. }} * {{eat | name=Blue Olive Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.blueolivecafe.com.au/ | email= | address=56 Alinga St | lat=-35.278427 | long=149.128239 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6230 4600 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=Famous for their delicious New York style sandwiches. Great coffee and breakfast menu, wonderful service. }} * {{eat | name=Cafe Alibi | alt= | url=http://www.cafealibi.com.au/ | email=enquiries@cafealibi.com.au | address=5 Farrell Pl | lat=-35.2812 | long=149.1247 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6152 0606 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:15AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Just another ordinary, Australian cafe but with a wide selection of toasties. }} * {{eat | name=The Cupping Room | alt= | url=http://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/ | email= | address=1/1-13 University Ave | lat=-35.2805 | long=149.126 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|3PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|3PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A traditional cafe with a very long takeaway menu. }} * {{eat | name=East Row Specialty Coffee | alt= | url=https://www.eastrowspecialtycoffee.com.au/ | email=info@eastrowspecialitycoffee.com.au | address=Cnr London Cct and East Row, Sydney Building | lat=-35.2795 | long=149.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 493 050 331 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|7AM|3PM}}; Su {{time|8AM|2PM}} | price=Breakfast: $16–22; lunch: $19–25; sides: $3–8.50 | lastedit=2022-08-05 | content=It's best known for its specialty coffee (well, it's in its name) with an all-day breakfast and has a decent variety for lunch – halloumi burgers, gnocchi, or barramundi, you call it! If you're just popping in for a quick drink on a hot summer day, there are some good smoothies and shakes, but the smoothies and shakes might not be as good as their coffee. }} * {{eat | name=Gus' | alt= | url=https://gusplace.com.au/ | email= | address=8/68 Bunda St | lat=-35.2778 | long=149.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}}; Sa Su {{time|8AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q5620602 | lastedit=2022-05-21 | content=This cafe opened in 1969 and later became the first outdoor pavement cafe in Canberra. It is one of the oldest and best known cafes in Canberra and one of the first European-style cafes in Australia. It has both outdoor and indoor dining areas. }} * {{eat | name=The Moment Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/moment.the.509 | email= | address=Shop EG01B, 148 Bunda St | lat=-35.2788 | long=149.1333 | directions= | phone=+61 410 925 122 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11AM|8PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa {{time|10:30AM|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-13 | content=A bubble tea store (boba tea for speakers of American English) all ranging between $6 and $7 (which is actually quite cheap by Australian standards). }} * {{eat | name=The Whale Tea | alt= | url=https://the-whale-tea-desserts.business.site/ | email= | address=191/260 City Walk | lat=-35.28195 | long=149.1332 | directions= | phone=+61 449 650 027 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th {{time|11:30AM|8:30PM}}; F Sa {{time|11:30AM|10:30PM}} | price=Medium: $6.80; large: $7.50 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=Another bubble tea store with lots of great fruit and milk tea. They've also got some cakes available. }} ==Drink== [[File:Sydney Building.jpg|thumb|250px|The fairly unattractive Sydney Building houses several bars and clubs]] You may encounter that nearly every bar, club and pub is closed during Sundays, but there is always some available at Bunda Street if you're desperate for a drink or two on a Sunday. * {{drink | name=Bleachers Sports Bar | alt= | url=https://bleachers.bar/ | email= | address=33 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.2792 | long=149.1287 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6113 9058 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|11PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A mid-range bar with a large great emphasis on sport (well, that's why it's in its name), and Asaki beer, a type of Japanese beer. The range of food is reasonable, but not very large by Canberra standards. }} * {{drink | name=Cube | alt= | url=http://www.cubenightclub.com.au/ | email= | address=33 Petrie Plaza | lat=-35.279652 | long=149.1312 | directions=downstairs from Antigo's cafe | phone=+61 2 6257 1110 | tollfree= | hours=Opens Th 8PM, F 9PM, Sa 10PM, Su 9PM; closes 5AM | price= | content=Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest. }} * {{drink | name=Hippo Co | alt=Hippo Lounge | url=http://www.hippoco.com.au/ | email= | address=Upstairs, 1/17 Garema Pl | lat=-35.278111 | long=149.1315 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights. }} * {{drink | name=King O'Malleys | alt= | url=http://www.kingomalleys.com.au/ | email= | address=131 City Walk | lat=-35.2784 | long=149.1311 | directions= | phone=+61 2 625 70111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types. }} * {{drink | name=Mooseheads | alt=East Row - London Cct - City | url=http://www.mooseheads.com.au/ | email= | address=105 London Cct | lat=-35.279366 | long=149.1297 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=A bar with local history. It burnt down and was restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout. }} * {{drink | name=Parlour Wine Room | alt= | url=http://www.parlour.net.au/ | email= | address=16 Kendall Ln | lat=-35.284925 | long=149.1239 | directions=Behind Rydges Lakeside | phone=+61 2 6257 7325 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Very intimate comfortable lounge bar, great selection of wines. }} * {{drink | name=PJs in the City | alt= | url=https://pjsinthecity.com/ | email= | address=West Row | lat=-35.2785 | long=149.1281 | directions=inside the Melbourne Building | phone=+61 2 6230 1261 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-27 | content=Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's with a very casual feel. It's also got a branch in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] in the south. }} * {{drink | name=sideway | alt= | url=http://sidewaybc.com/ | email= | address=Level 1/21 E Row | lat=-35.279249 | long=149.1302 | directions= | phone=+61 410 476 791 | tollfree= | hours=W–Sa, sometimes on Su 7PM–late | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Located inside the Sydney building, this bar does have a bit of a rough and tumble reputation. Nevertheless, there's plenty of good <abbr title="alcohol">alcos</abbr> available. }} * {{drink | name=The Highball Express | alt= | url=http://www.highballexpress.com.au/ | email=upgrade@highballexpress.com.au | address=1/82 Alinga St, Canberra | lat=-35.278626 | long=149.1285 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6179 8973 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-09 | content=A high-end pub that specialises in American and Central American drinks – not the ordinary kind of pub in Canberra. }} * {{drink | name=White Rabbit Cocktail Room | alt= | url=http://www.whiterabbitroom.com.au/ | email= | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277795 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6257 7779 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-02-11 | content=Cocktail and tapas venue with polished floors and patterned wallpaper, hosting DJ nights. }} ==Sleep== [[File:Novotel Canberra January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|The outside of Novotel in January 2014]] Civic's accommodation is, for the most part, very similar to any other city centre. Generally clean, have decent facilities (by NSW or Queensland standards), but a bit devoid on budget accommodation and bed and breakfasts. The former is because, well, all the cheap accommodation can be found in Gungahlin, and the latter is because all the B&Bs are located right to the north of Civic in Braddon along Northbourne Avenue. ===Budget=== * {{sleep | name=Canberra City YHA | alt= | url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/canberra/canberra-city-backpackers-hostel/ | email=canberracity@yhansw.org.au | address=7 Akuna St | lat=-35.281662 | long=149.1324 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6248 9155 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6249 1731 | checkin=1PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Beds in a shared dormitory from $26 per night. Double or twin rooms from $76 per night. Family rooms $96 per night. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=BreakFree Capital Tower | alt= | url=https://www.mantrahotels.com/breakfree-capital-tower/ | email=capitaltower.res@breakfree.com.au | address=2 Marcus Clarke St | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1261 | directions= | phone=1300 987 603 (domestic) | tollfree=1800 676 241 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained accommodation with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the apartments come with a balcony, laundry and kitchen while outdoor facilities include tennis courts, a spa, a pool and a gym. }} * {{sleep | name=Nesuto Canberra Apartment Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.nesuto.com/canberra | email=reception.canberra@nesuto.com | address=2 Akuna St | lat=-35.2819 | long=149.1327 | directions= | phone=+61 2 622 91234 | tollfree=1800 188 388 | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-14 | content=Self-contained apartments with all the essentials you can expect to find in a normal apartment. Facilities include an indoor heated pool, a tennis court, a gym, a spa and sauna. There is parking available at the hotel, but a surcharge applies. }} * {{sleep | name=Nishi Boutique Hotel | alt=Ovolo Nishi | url=https://ovolohotels.com/ovolo/nishi/ | email= | address=25 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2847 | long=149.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 6287 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A very unusual shaped boutique hotel with traditional spacious rooms. The precinct includes a bar, a restaurant and an indoor gym, and is known to be LGBT friendly. However, the events hall downstairs can get very noisy during night, disturbing your sleep. }} * {{sleep | name=Novotel Canberra Hotel | alt= | url=http://novotelcanberra.com.au/ | email=H2796-RE@accor.com | address=65 Northbourne Ave | lat=-35.277615 | long=149.1289 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6245-5000 | tollfree= | fax=+61 2 6245 5100 | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=Rate range $150–250 | content=Novotel Canberra accommodates business and convention visitors, and families travelling with children. Directly above the Canberra Coach Terminal. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppers Gallery Hotel Canberra | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3T5/index.en.shtml | email= | address=15 Edinburgh Ave | lat=-35.2845 | long=149.1238 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6175 2222 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A lively art-themed hotel that includes free parking, Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms are fairly spacious, and the staff are known to be very friendly, but housekeeping services are not great. }} * {{sleep | name=QT Canberra | alt=Rydges Lakeside Canberra | url=https://www.qthotels.com/canberra/ | email= reservations_qtcanberra@evt.com | address=1 London Cct | lat=-35.283611 | long=149.125556 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6247 6244 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | wikidata=Q106915568 | content=Rydges Lakeside Canberra is on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, walking distance to Civic. Has large rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a grill and some excellent views over Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{sleep | name=The Sebel Canberra Civic | alt= | url=https://all.accor.com/hotel/B4D4/index.en.shtml | email=info@thesebelcanberra.com.au | address=197 London Cct | lat=-35.2815 | long=149.1321 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6267 5675 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A small hotel but with reasonably sized rooms and staff are known to be friendly. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast and laundry service. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Crowne Plaza Canberra | alt= | url=https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/canberra/cbrbs/hoteldetail | email=reservations.cbrbs@ihg.com | address=1 Binara St | lat=-35.2828 | long=149.1348 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6274 5500 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|3PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $300 | lastedit=2022-08-07 | content=A very accessible hotel and the closest to the [[Canberra/Civic#Casino Canberra|the city's only casino]]. It's no different from the global chain's other hotels and includes free parking, a pool, a gym/fitness centre, a restaurant, and free Wi-Fi. The beds are generally lush, but it comes at a high cost. }} ==Connect== There are plenty of places you can go to in Civic that has [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi], mostly inside restaurants and at the museum. As it's the central business district of a capital city, there is good 5G coverage by all the three major providers. ==Go next== You probably won't be spending much time in Civic, unless you're here for a business trip or decided to book accommodation here, but as Civic is the centrepiece of Canberra, there are a number of other places in Canberra easily accessible from Civic, both by car and by public transport. This list only includes destinations easily accessible via foot. *'''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Commonwealth and Kings Parks|Commonwealth Park]]''' is just southeast of Civic and can be reached on foot simply by crossing the bridge over Parkes Way. Next to Commonwealth Park is Blundell's Cottage in Kings Park, an important historic site of Canberra. *If you haven't already, go explore '''[[Canberra/South Canberra#In Parliamentary Triangle|Parliamentary Triangle]]''', where most of Canberra's important landmarks are. *For university tourers, Australia's top university, the '''[[Canberra/Acton|Australian National University]]''' (ANU) borders Civic right to the west. *This one requires you to go on a little bit of a longer walk, but it's still close by; '''[[Canberra/North Canberra#Anzac Parade|ANZAC Parade]]''' contains most of Canberra's war memorials, including the Australian War Memorial. {{routebox2 |name=Civic |temp1={{AUR|A23}} |directionr1=NE |minorr1=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] → merges with {{AUR|M23}} |majorr1=[[Goulburn]] |directionl1=SE |minorl1= [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]] |majorl1= [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp2=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">PARKES WAY</small> |directionr2=E |minorr2=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr2=[[Canberra/Airport and East|Canberra Airport]] |directionl2=W |minorl2=[[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] |majorl2=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo Valley]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r1}} |directionl3=N |minorl3=[[Canberra/North Canberra|North Canberra]] |majorl3=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |directionr3=S |majorr3=END |temp4={{rint|canberra|r2}} |directionl4=NW |minorl4=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorl4=Fraser<!--part of Belconnen--> |directionr4=SE |minorr4=Barton |majorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Fyshwick]] |temp5={{rint|canberra|r3}} |directionl5=NW |majorl5=Spence<!--part of Belconnen--> |minorl5=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |directionr5=E |minorr5=[[Canberra/North Canberra|Russell]] |majorr5=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Canberra Airport]] |temp6={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl6=N |majorl6=END |directionr6=SW |minorr6=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr6=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |temp7={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl7=N |majorl7=END |directionr7=S |minorr7=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |majorr7=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |temp8={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl8=N |majorl8=END |directionr8=SW |minorr8=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr8=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Woden]] |temp9={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl9=N |majorl9=END |directionr9=SW |majorr9=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Weston Creek]] |temp10={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl10=N |majorl10=END |directionr10=WSW |minorr10= |majorr10=[[Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden|Molonglo]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.2812|149.1304}} {{Mapmask|-35.2755,149.1268|-35.2768,149.1265|-35.2767,149.1260|-35.2769,149.1258|-35.2790,149.1239|-35.2798,149.1252|-35.2815,149.1238|-35.2817,149.1237|-35.2820,149.1237|-35.2823,149.1239|-35.2828,149.1241|-35.2833,149.1244|-35.2836,149.1246|-35.2843,149.1229|-35.2844,149.1228|-35.2846,149.1225|-35.2852,149.1222|-35.2857,149.1220|-35.2857,149.1228|-35.2857,149.1242|-35.2857,149.1258|-35.2859,149.1281|-35.2860,149.1286|-35.2864,149.1306|-35.2873,149.1336|-35.2866,149.1342|-35.2860,149.1348|-35.2851,149.1355|-35.2838,149.1368|-35.2832,149.1373|-35.2829,149.1374|-35.2826,149.1374|-35.2824,149.1374|-35.2817,149.1370|-35.2777,149.1347|-35.2766,149.1340|-35.2764,149.1338|-35.2762,149.1333|-35.2759,149.1308|-35.2755,149.1268}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13096707314253, -35.27992909174965 ], [ 149.1316332668066, -35.27967400359858 ], [ 149.13169965147972, -35.279509235932245 ], [ 149.1319578140974, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.13196988403797, -35.27941234581911 ], [ 149.1320476680994, -35.279509783333694 ], [ 149.13284964859486, -35.279200500930635 ], [ 149.1329026222229, -35.27907952466047 ], [ 149.13294352591038, -35.279063649932866 ], [ 149.1330836713314, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1331534087658, -35.279067481763946 ], [ 149.13319230079648, -35.2790472277976 ], [ 149.13321979343888, -35.27903135306366 ], [ 149.1332472860813, -35.27901712054095 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#00807b", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13308300077915, -35.279088830533816 ], [ 149.1330749541521, -35.279202143141205 ], [ 149.13299918174744, -35.27923225032907 ], [ 149.1328489780426, -35.279200500930635 ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#008080", "stroke-width": 3, "stroke-opacity": 1, "title": "Petrie Plaza" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13205035030842, -35.2795086885308 ], [ 149.1321026533842, -35.27964334917441 ], [ 149.1319551318884, -35.279696994409086 ], [ 149.1318029165268, -35.27975392400701 ], [ 149.13163393735886, -35.27967400359858 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="route1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke-width": 2.5, "stroke-opacity": 1, "stroke": "#008080", "title": "City Walk" }, "geometry": { "type": "LineString", "coordinates": [ [ 149.13111560046673, -35.27863284148203 ], [ 149.131348952651, -35.27868812960708 ], [ 149.13147702813146, -35.27874232288114 ], [ 149.1315722465515, -35.27879761093145 ], [ 149.13163125514984, -35.27885563597335 ], [ 149.13168154656887, -35.27892132464987 ], [ 149.13173384964466, -35.27900945687383 ], [ 149.13183644413948, -35.27918407882312 ], [ 149.13195379078388, -35.279382786100484 ], [ 149.13211472332478, -35.279657034186634 ], [ 149.13223676383495, -35.27986395128961 ], [ 149.1323460638523, -35.28004951935291 ], [ 149.13243122398853, -35.280198411414815 ], [ 149.13252040743828, -35.28034785059875 ], [ 149.1331735253334, -35.28146343549996 ], [ 149.13363486528394, -35.2822604288437 ], [ 149.13373678922653, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 149.13385212421417, -35.28256258361013 ] ] } } ] } </maplink> <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="mapmask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a977df", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City Hill" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ], [ 149.13015067577362, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.13041353225708, -35.28427258317914 ], [ 149.13188874721527, -35.282608563584446 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282161899871745 ], [ 149.1319102048874, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13084268569946, -35.28001174889661 ], [ 149.13051009178162, -35.27975337660723 ], [ 149.13027942180634, -35.2797008262102 ], [ 149.1282570362091, -35.279477486642406 ], [ 149.12772059440613, -35.27941617763369 ], [ 149.12744164466858, -35.27946872821543 ], [ 149.12717878818512, -35.27956945006844 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1258054971695, -35.28104960893913 ], [ 149.12538170814514, -35.281540069816195 ], [ 149.12531197071075, -35.28171085460287 ], [ 149.12527441978455, -35.28192105076893 ], [ 149.12539780139923, -35.28214876266643 ], [ 149.12594497203827, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.1263473033905, -35.28379089681325 ], [ 149.12654578685758, -35.28407115104745 ], [ 149.12677645683289, -35.284263825270784 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28437329905706 ], [ 149.12842333316803, -35.2845178042283 ], [ 149.1291904449463, -35.28458786724879 ], [ 149.12974298000336, -35.28464041447439 ], [ 149.12992537021637, -35.28460100405839 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#18d04d", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City East" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ], [ 149.12803709506989, -35.285905916523284 ], [ 149.1287076473236, -35.286002251509196 ], [ 149.1293567419052, -35.28612485950733 ], [ 149.13081049919128, -35.28640510566298 ], [ 149.131840467453, -35.28669848731784 ], [ 149.1333371400833, -35.28719329277496 ], [ 149.13357317447662, -35.28727648985572 ], [ 149.13484454154965, -35.28588840105897 ], [ 149.1362339258194, -35.284377678005434 ], [ 149.13709223270416, -35.28343181965805 ], [ 149.13759648799896, -35.282871305793904 ], [ 149.13615882396698, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13487672805786, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13486063480377, -35.2820217695718 ], [ 149.1344690322876, -35.282183795209214 ], [ 149.13405060768127, -35.28240274825821 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28411931964627 ], [ 149.13121283054352, -35.28337927164811 ], [ 149.13038671016693, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.1301453113556, -35.28453531998911 ], [ 149.12975370883942, -35.28465793020867 ], [ 149.1282731294632, -35.284495909521965 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#d09440", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Civic Centre" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ], [ 149.13240909576416, -35.28409304586865 ], [ 149.13403451442719, -35.28239399014761 ], [ 149.13439393043518, -35.282205690540756 ], [ 149.1348499059677, -35.282013011420005 ], [ 149.13487136363983, -35.28185536452564 ], [ 149.13438856601715, -35.28101457590567 ], [ 149.13614809513092, -35.28035332455629 ], [ 149.1357457637787, -35.279643896574946 ], [ 149.13382530212402, -35.27622804522241 ], [ 149.13320302963257, -35.27617111314595 ], [ 149.1317492723465, -35.27599593727502 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.2757682080764 ], [ 149.12905633449554, -35.27957820848452 ], [ 149.13051545619965, -35.27973585981201 ], [ 149.1308319568634, -35.28000736971214 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.2818159527541 ], [ 149.13201212882996, -35.2821268673195 ], [ 149.132017493248, -35.282376473923584 ], [ 149.1318941116333, -35.282591047406825 ], [ 149.1312074661255, -35.283370513643135 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#14a9d2", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "City West" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ], [ 149.126797914505, -35.27545726909816 ], [ 149.12655115127563, -35.276766708273065 ], [ 149.12598252296448, -35.27662218926966 ], [ 149.12424981594086, -35.27854908811179 ], [ 149.12385284900665, -35.2789870132731 ], [ 149.1252154111862, -35.279788410186306 ], [ 149.12381529808044, -35.28143059219938 ], [ 149.12368655204773, -35.28173275006229 ], [ 149.12369191646576, -35.2819692206468 ], [ 149.1238421201706, -35.28234582052242 ], [ 149.12401378154755, -35.2826435959283 ], [ 149.12460386753082, -35.28360260045483 ], [ 149.12595570087433, -35.28309463600165 ], [ 149.12525832653046, -35.28191667168769 ], [ 149.12536025047302, -35.28155758622114 ], [ 149.12702858448026, -35.279652654982975 ], [ 149.1273075342178, -35.27951252034082 ], [ 149.12772595882416, -35.27940303998294 ], [ 149.12906169891357, -35.27957382927661 ], [ 149.12967324256897, -35.27576382866246 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#a8a43e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "NewActon Precinct" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ], [ 149.1271412372589, -35.28436454115961 ], [ 149.1267603635788, -35.284268204225086 ], [ 149.12648141384125, -35.28400984551661 ], [ 149.1259503364563, -35.28309901501917 ], [ 149.12462532520294, -35.283589463483246 ], [ 149.1228711605072, -35.284303235850906 ], [ 149.12263512611386, -35.28443022536742 ], [ 149.12236154079437, -35.28472799310789 ], [ 149.1221845149994, -35.28503013866638 ], [ 149.1220611333847, -35.28546802877896 ], [ 149.12198066711426, -35.2857088673314 ], [ 149.12254929542542, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12359535694122, -35.28566507855697 ], [ 149.12500083446503, -35.285726382834554 ], [ 149.12667453289032, -35.285800823680624 ], [ 149.1280210018158, -35.28591029538875 ], [ 149.12826776504517, -35.284500288463704 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> qi2j509zand0wqzr2jocrvukom9ohcz 0 191203 4501953 4416751 2022-08-16T07:33:09Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Go next */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} jltlq14v3vntne80e0bbmdwwbfj06k2 4501967 4501953 2022-08-16T07:54:07Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* See */ add a museum wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} srk3fim6zcfshwtlaozus2sd4uyax8y 4501974 4501967 2022-08-16T08:01:24Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== '''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} awpwcchv27gme7lbxa5312m10c4miei 4501976 4501974 2022-08-16T08:08:38Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', Ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} pjzv7jh95dc0434bvm1mru30xinrgt3 4501977 4501976 2022-08-16T08:08:56Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} rnd6dyl39f7lcta3xbz2x2eaky4h85n 4501978 4501977 2022-08-16T08:09:26Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Sleep */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} ep5si0w4figsoe3sc4qlx1z4dm79ans 4501996 4501978 2022-08-16T08:22:21Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Eat */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''wajik'', ''sagon'', ''jadah tempe'', ''lenjongan'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', and so on. ===Budget=== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} dtp0b5ja6grq7a7hqp5t2gqlbkln38h 4501998 4501996 2022-08-16T08:24:09Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Eat */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'' , ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} dg33rdwyxkzpm1qtr1igbvxg8ld9d2j 4501999 4501998 2022-08-16T08:24:30Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Eat */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} 8lia48pj6tamrzze4jppyg22ol3swj8 4502008 4501999 2022-08-16T08:30:27Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 Added listing for Ayam Tim Barokah wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} 48o0divvyasir1f0f2rnqii1vemmqa5 4502010 4502008 2022-08-16T08:32:52Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ Added listing for Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}} *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} g6i18pvbz1vy7cuxtpcupn0iqyj25wb 4502014 4502010 2022-08-16T08:33:46Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also you may buy fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} sghyqz3zcfto8bgx8zyi4gjsxnztrsb 4502031 4502014 2022-08-16T08:49:00Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ Added listing for Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also you may buy fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon''. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} 4s8uuc4pa9k0va4y3218jmbaelwu9mr 4502032 4502031 2022-08-16T08:49:28Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also you may buy fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} fz4fh2t3x0kl8kf1ir2pklrsndkvvdo 4502033 4502032 2022-08-16T08:49:53Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also you may buy fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} bqtoofyho3wd6cq3nultc2vzhjwol54 4502121 4502033 2022-08-16T10:46:13Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ Added listing for Sate Kelinci Pak Temon wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also you may buy fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} 96rsi4nambmr3qdjf3347reu249osvw 4502124 4502121 2022-08-16T10:50:58Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also you may buy fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} kkv43i8y7clmbmebecgbgbbvm4tcvfp 4502128 4502124 2022-08-16T10:58:54Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Buy */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} qldypp063dr21rd8bm2urg7xqx56ioi 4502131 4502128 2022-08-16T11:07:38Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 Added listing for Sakaw Coffee & Bites wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} ofwyoii116cw4hsvta41ynfhxgll0pr 4502132 4502131 2022-08-16T11:09:00Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Connect */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Understand== ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} rxhdcosi2wq17qaaaz2bpn7ezsjozby 4502134 4502132 2022-08-16T11:13:42Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}}}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} my5mgzohgexnl6suq81yntwufz7zcnl 4502135 4502134 2022-08-16T11:14:30Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} sbtb20g9ozkto41iyawtkpg54t2gf0v 4502136 4502135 2022-08-16T11:15:14Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Drink */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{outlinecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} oebd7np5up48h7vs1yiht0buf7dg41i 4502137 4502136 2022-08-16T11:15:57Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Go next */ according to criteria, it may be usable city wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is a coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of the Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} 5inoj5elkm7q2emyyh9w2ddn8ayzy89 4502138 4502137 2022-08-16T11:24:41Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Budget */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Indonesian==== * {{eat | name=Sup Iga Bu Ugi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Raya Tawangmangu, Kramat, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663562| long=111.140312 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697430 | tollfree= | hours=05:00-19:00 | price=From Rp30,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Beef rib in a clear vegetable soup. }} ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price=From Rp15,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of the Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} ln9y8p1c96oew3rhk2q2bn9r4gkwpo4 4502139 4502138 2022-08-16T11:29:43Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Kemuning Tea Plantation | alt=Kebun Teh Kemuning | url= | email= | address=Sumbersari, Kemuning | lat=-7.600563| long=111.119062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Indonesian==== * {{eat | name=Sup Iga Bu Ugi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Raya Tawangmangu, Kramat, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663562| long=111.140312 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697430 | tollfree= | hours=05:00-19:00 | price=From Rp30,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Beef rib in a clear vegetable soup. }} ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price=From Rp15,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of the Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} b7ny1fo38hwf2afzbpjy2yjj441msm3 4502150 4502139 2022-08-16T11:37:49Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Do */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Kemuning Tea Plantation | alt=Kebun Teh Kemuning | url= | email= | address=Sumbersari, Kemuning | lat=-7.600563| long=111.119062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== ===Paragliding=== * {{do | name=Paralayang Kemuning | alt= | url= | email= | address=Segorogunung, Ngargoyoso | lat=-7.603938| long=111.143812 | directions= | phone=+62 813 808 23113 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price=Rp420.000-570.000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=Doing an extreme sport, Paragliding with amazing natural landscapes. }} ===Mountaineering=== * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} ===Recreation=== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Indonesian==== * {{eat | name=Sup Iga Bu Ugi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Raya Tawangmangu, Kramat, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663562| long=111.140312 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697430 | tollfree= | hours=05:00-19:00 | price=From Rp30,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Beef rib in a clear vegetable soup. }} ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price=From Rp15,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of the Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} fb5cnfn6lryvcsllu0o1cgpxgvti2w4 4502151 4502150 2022-08-16T11:38:10Z M.akbar.raf 2272255 /* Do */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Tawangmangu 2009 Bennylin 015.jpg|caption=The view of Tawangmangu}} '''Tawangmangu''' is a district in Karanganyar Regency, [[Central Java]]. It is a [[hill station]] located on the slopes of [[Mount Lawu]], a dormant volcano which straddles the border between [[Central Java]] and [[East Java]]. Nearby are the ruins of the Sukuh Temple, a Hindu temple built at the end of the period of Hinduism in Java. Tawangmangu is also famous for its natural scenery, with waterfalls and breathtaking views. For those who are not faint-hearted, it is also possible to climb to the top of Mount Lawu (3,265 m) from Tawangmangu, which is a 7 hours hike to the peak. ==Get in== {{Mapframe}} ===By plane=== The nearest airport is Adisoemarmo International Airport ({{IATA|SOC}}) in [[Solo]]. ===By car=== A day-trip can be made from Solo, with a car as the drive takes about one hour. The distance to [[Madiun]] in East Java is about the same to Solo, so a day trip from there is also possible. ===By bus=== You can also ride a bus from Solo to the {{marker|type=go|name=Tawangmangu bus terminal|lat=-7.6692|long=111.1196}}. For those who are going to Astana Giribangun, there are buses to the {{marker|type=go|name=Matesih bus terminal|lat=-7.6456|long=111.0479}}. ==Get around== The [https://www.gojek.com/en-id/ Gojek] ride-sharing app, which provides taxi and ''ojek'' (motorcycle taxi) services, is available in Tawangmangu. ==See== [[File:Candi Ceto Lower Terrace, Surakarta 1252.jpg|thumb|right|Candi Cetho lower terrace]] [[File:GrojoganSewu.jpg|thumb|Grojogan Sewu Waterfall]] * {{see | name=Astana Giribangun | alt= | url= | email= | address=Girilayu Village, Matesih District, Karanganyar Regency | lat=-7.6523 | long=111.0712 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4810536 | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=The tomb of Suharto, Indonesia's second president. It is not quite located in Tawangmangu but in nearby Matesih District. }} * {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Sukuh |lat=-7.628 |long=111.131}} and {{marker |type=see |name=Candi Cetho|lat=-7.596 |long=111.158}} are atmospheric Javanese-Hindu temples built in the 15th century, high on Mount Lawu. Candi Sukuh is 900m above sea level, Cetho higher still at 1,500m. Candi Sukuh is famous for its unique shape that resembles [[Mayan]] pyramids. * {{see | name=Grojogan Sewu Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6598 | long=111.1296 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content= }} * {{see | name=Jumog Waterfall | alt=Air Terjun Jumog | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.63101 | long=111.12531 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Kemuning Tea Plantation | alt=Kebun Teh Kemuning | url= | email= | address=Sumbersari, Kemuning | lat=-7.600563| long=111.119062 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{see | name=Museum Jamu Hortus Medicus B2P2TOOT | alt= | url=http://www.b2p2toot.litbang.kemkes.go.id/?page=postcont&postid=10&content=Museum+Jamu+Hortus+Medicus | email= | address=Jalan Raya Lawu KM. 11 | lat=-7.663687 | long=111.135063| directions= | phone=+62 271 697410 | tollfree= | hours=07:00-11:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=a ''Jamu'' (Javanese herbal drink) museum. }} ==Do== ===Mountaineering=== * {{do | name=Mount Lawu | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6274 | long=111.1944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=A hike to the peak (3,265 m) takes 7 hours. }} ===Paragliding=== * {{do | name=Paralayang Kemuning | alt= | url= | email= | address=Segorogunung, Ngargoyoso | lat=-7.603938| long=111.143812 | directions= | phone=+62 813 808 23113 | tollfree= | hours=24 hours | price=Rp420.000-570.000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=Doing an extreme sport, Paragliding with amazing natural landscapes. }} ===Recreation=== * {{do | name=Agrowisata Amanah | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-7.6319 | long=111.1067 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-12 | content=It is an agriculture-themed attraction on the slopes of Mount Lawu. It has ATV, flying fox, ''jembatan ogal agil'', and wall climbing. You can also see an organic fruit and vegetable farm. You can also interact with farm animals such as goats, horses, cows, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. It also has a swimming pool and a restaurant. }} * {{do | name=Taman Wisata Balekambang Tawangmangu | alt= | url=https://tamanwisatabalekambang.business.site/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.6624 | long=111.1324 | directions= | phone=+62 813 28263500 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:00 | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=A theme park. }} ==Buy== *'''Tanaman hias''', ornamental plants or garden plants in Tawangmangu fresh market {{marker|type=buy|name=''Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu''|url=|lat=-7.667938|long=111.119313|image=}}. Also, you may buy snacks, fruits and vegetables there. *'''Teh Kemuning''' or Kemuning tea. A specialty tea from Tawangmangu, Karanganyar. *'''Timus lumer''', ''timus'' is a traditional Javanese made from sweet potato specialty from Karanganyar. In Tawangmangu, the ''timus lumer'' use the purple sweet potato and filled with various flavour those are chocolate, cappucino, tiramisu, mozarella, and mix. ==Eat== There are various Javanese snacks sold in Pasar Wisata Tawangmangu such as ''jadah tempe'', ''kripik pare'', ''kripik bayam'', ''lenjongan'', ''molen mini'', ''sagon'', ''wajik'', and so on. ===Budget=== ====Indonesian==== * {{eat | name=Sup Iga Bu Ugi | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Raya Tawangmangu, Kramat, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663562| long=111.140312 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697430 | tollfree= | hours=05:00-19:00 | price=From Rp30,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Beef rib in a clear vegetable soup. }} ====Javanese==== * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Barokah | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, Krangean, Nglebak | lat=-7.663438 | long=111.115813 | directions= | phone=+62 821 346 29173 | tollfree= | hours=09:00-17:30 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Ayam Tim Mbok Iyem | alt= | url= | email= | address=Karangpandan, Karang Kulon | lat=-7.634937 | long=111.105063 | directions= | phone=+62 852 299 99955 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-18:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=Traditional ''Ayam tim'' dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sate Kelinci Pak Temon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu No.16, Nano | lat=-7.667938 | long=111.122938 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=08:30-21:00 | price=From Rp15,000 | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=A rabbit satay dish. }} * {{eat | name=Sego Gablok Pasar Tawangmangu | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jalan Raya, Nano | lat=-7.668563 | long=111.119438 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=14:00-19:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=''Sego gablok Tawangmangu'' is a specialty rice dish in Tawangmangu. It is coconut milk spiced rice wrapped in banana leaf. Eaten with another banana leaf-wrapped side dish like ''Bothok so/mlanding'' and ''Gadon ayam''. }} ==Drink== ===Coffee shops=== * {{drink | name=Sakaw Coffee & Bites | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Lestari, Kalisoro | lat=-7.663187 | long=111.133688 | directions= | phone= +62 271 696148 | tollfree= | hours=08:00-23:00 | price= | lastedit=2022-08-16 | content=The coffee shop with various menus. It also serve traditional Javanese snack, ''Singkong goreng'' and ''Pisang owol''. It also sells many variations of freshly roasted coffee beans. }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Facade Boutique Hotel Tawangmangu by Azana | alt= | url=https://facadeboutiquehoteltawangmangu.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Balaikambang, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66287 | long=111.13410 | directions= | phone=+62 812 66888821 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp240,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel Komajaya Komaratih | alt= | url= | email= | address=Jl. Lawu Kav. 150-151, Tawangmangu, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66339 | long=111.13303 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697125 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=13:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp190,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Hotel dan Garden Resto Pondok Asri | alt= | url=http://pondokasritawangmangu.blogspot.com/ | email= | address=Jl. Lawu, RT.01/RW.03, Kalisoro, Kec. Tawangmangu | lat=-7.66319 | long=111.13940 | directions= | phone=+62 271 697067 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=14:00 | checkout=12:00 | price=Rp400,000 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-02-20 | content=There is a park and a children's playground. A restaurant is available. }} ==Connect== The telephone area code of Ambarawa is '''0271'''. ==Go next== * [[Sarangan]], an irrigation lake located in Magetan, [[East Java]], to the east of Tawangmangu. Had it its own natural scenery and breathtaking views with Mount Lawu as a background. You can find yourself relaxing in the nearest resort. If you go further east you will reach [[Madiun]], the center of the Indonesian railway industry. * [[Karanganyar]], the capital of Karanganyar Regency, to the west. If you go further west you will reach [[Solo]]. {{IsPartOf|Central Java}} {{usablecity}} {{geo|-7.6623|111.14584|zoom=12}} fa34bftukb2u6m7hd8gj61xqx8zrohx 0 191218 4501805 4501035 2022-08-16T02:08:58Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Budget */ Updated listing for Burger Villains wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Canberra National Arboretum with Telstra Tower 2, Canberra ACT (cropped).jpg|pgname=Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden}} [[File:WodenValleyfrmRedHillMay2005.jpg|thumb|250px|Woden Valley from Red Hill in South Canberra]] '''Weston Creek''', '''Molonglo Valley''' and '''Woden''' (sometimes called Woden Valley) are three districts of [[Canberra]] just west and southwest of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. They are just on the edge of Country ACT home to the National Arboretum, some of the most impressive greenery one could find in Canberra (without going to [[Country ACT]] that is...). Although Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden are three reasonably sized districts. In many ways, they are often treated as one. They have a single bus network, and [https://visitcanberra.com.au/our-neighbourhoods/south-canberra/woden-weston-creek-and-molonglo Canberra's official tourism website] categorises the three districts as one. Whilst the name of this article might be very lengthy, this article also covers the District of '''Stromlo''', essentially a rural district that starts at the western end of Weston Creek and borders the Murrumbidgee River to its west. It's very rural at this point, but a great place for mountain biking. ==Understand== ===Orientation=== {{mapframe|-35.3121|149.0343|show=mask1|name=Map of districts|zoom=12|width=600|height=580}} The following districts that are covered in this article listed from northwest to southeast. Unlike some other parts of Canberra, these names are commonly used in daily speech, both in government and colloquial conversation. When it comes to signage Woden and Weston Creek are two major focal points, but Molonglo Valley rarely appears; often because you would normally have to enter through Weston Creek. Stromlo, being entirely rural sadly has no mention on the poor, unaesthetic signs; just head west of Weston Creek and you'll eventually arrive at Stromlo. <!--do not alphabetize. leave urban districts first, then rural as with other canberran articles that have this format--> {{Regionlist |region1name=Molonglo Valley |region1color=#831b1b |region1description=One of the newest developments in the Australian Capital Territory, and home to the prime attraction of this district: the National Arboretum. Most of Molonglo still has an "under construction" feel as you'll see quite a lot of construction trucks around. It's near many important points of interest in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Country ACT]] (in particular, Mount Stromlo), and one of the few places that feel so far away from a central business district, but yet only 10 km from [[Canberra/Civic|Civic]]. |region2name=Weston Creek |region2color=#15770e |region2description=Mostly a residential area that looks and resembles any other part of a typical suburban district of suburb in Australia. It used to be a rather smelly area in the mid-20th century when a sewerage was in operation, but it's been closed since 1978 and has since grown as a residential area. |region3name=Woden (Woden Valley) |region3color=#2f9fa7 |region3description=Makes up one of the five major town centres of Canberra (with the other four being Civic, Belconnen, Gungahlin and Tuggeranong), that is mostly taken up by one mall: Westfield Woden, which contains many cafes, restaurants (and the most diverse range in this area) and stores. |region4name=Stromlo |region4color=#b0b319 |region4description=Just to the west slowly engulfed by the growing, residential Weston Creek, it's a semi-rural district of Canberra. Most of the district is taken up by the Stromlo Park a great place for mountain biking and Mount Stromlo Observatory, an [[Canberra/Acton|Australian National Univeristy]] site that's a great place to see the stars and planets – and if you do happen to come here during the day, be prepared to see hundreds of roos wandering around. }} ==Get in== ===By car=== All three districts are well connected by road: there is a freeway that runs through the centre of the three districts, also making it convenient to get around. If you are coming from [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], use the unnumbered Drakeford Drive up northwest, and the continue on Tuggeranong Parkway once the freeway grade road begins. From here, depending on which district you are intending to visit, you'll have to take different exits. If you are intending to go to either the districts of Weston Creek or Woden, exit onto Hindmarsh Drive, while if you are intending to visit Molonglo Valley, exit onto either Lady Denman Drive or Hindmarsh Drive. The Lady Denman Drive exit has all the important points of interests clearly marked on a brown tourist sign, so make sure to look out for the names of tourist spots, not the ones of the suburbs or Molonglo Valley. ===By bus=== To get to Woden, the ACTION buses R4, R5 and R6 stop at {{marker|type=go|name=Woden Interchange|lat=-35.344437|long=149.086908}}, all come from [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], while R4 and R5 lines also come from [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]]. To get into Molonglo, use the R10 ACTION bus from [[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] – it too passes South Canberra but passes by the Australian Defence College to the north of the district. Meanwhile if you're looking to get into Weston Creek, use the R7 ACTION bus which runs parallel to R10 until Streeton Dr. After passing Cooleman Court Interchange, the line terminates at {{marker|type=go|name=Weston Creek Terminus|lat=-35.343944|long=149.028096}}. There are no bus services to Stromlo – if you don't have a car, your best bet to reach Stromlo is to catch a taxi or an Uber. Walking is not advisable due to the long distances involved on non-existent paths. Just to give one example, the distance between the Mount Stromlo Observatory and Weston Creek Town Centre is 9.4 km, on a steep and requires you to walk on the road and you'll be a nuisance to drivers were you to walk on the road. Cycling is a better alternative to get around, but you'll often have to rent one closer to Civic. {{mapframe|align=center|width=100%|height=550|zoom=12|name=Map of Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q1075130,Q260941,Q1178790,Q8049536}}--> {{mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q112311137|title=STEP Circuit|fill={{StdColor|T1}}}} ==See== ===National Arboretum=== {{infobox|How many arboretums does the ACT have?|Okay, it might not be a question you might be thinking, but the answer to this rather trivial fact may in fact surprise you. Obviously, your first instinct would say "one"; after all, Washington, D.C. has one, Ottawa has one, Wellington has one, so it'd be natural for the ACT to have one. But no, instead, there are three. Yep, not one, not two, but three. The obvious first one is the National Arboretum, the second is the [[#Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum|Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum]] actually only a few metres away down in Yarramundi Reach and used to be the national arboretum until this new gigantic arboretum open. The third, [[Canberra/Namadgi_National_Park#Bendora Arboretum|Bendora Arboretum]] isn't quite in Canberra, but a 1-hour drive from the National Arboretum, but still within the ACT within Namadgi National Park. It's so far out that it's hard to even tell that Bendora Arboretum is an arboretum given it's in the midst of the bush (and often covered in snow during winter), but it was used to test which plants and trees would successfully grow in [[Canberra]].}} [[File:National Arboretum Canberra 13.jpg|thumb|300px|The Big Acorn, one of [[Australia's big things]] in the National Arboretum]] The '''[http://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/ National Arboretum]''' opened in February 2013 as part of the celebrations of Canberra's centenary. While the plants still need a bit more time to grow, the site has good views over Lake Burley Griffin. If you need to contact the arboretum, try emailing {{email|arboretum@act.gov.au}} or calling {{phone|+61 13 22 81}}. It's open {{time|6AM|8:30PM}} during daylight savings and {{time|7AM|5:30PM}} during non-daylight savings, though individual sections of the garden may have different opening hours. You can enter the National Arboretum free of charge, but you will need to pay for a parking ticket if you want to park at the village centre. Parking is very inexpensive – the max you'll have to pay is around $8 and funds usually go towards maintaining the arboretum. * {{see | name=Dairy Farmers Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address=95 Forest Dr | lat=-35.2924 | long=149.0647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-16 | content=If you're here for the good views, this hill is a must-see. Situated within the southwest of the arboretum, this viewpoint offers spectacular scenery looking east along the length of Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{see | name=Village Centre and National Bonsai and Penjing Collection | alt= | url=https://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/venue-hire/bonsai-collection | email= | address=Forest Dr | lat=-35.2881| long=149.0693 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6251 3371 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM–4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-16 | content=It has an extensive collection of miniature trees and forests along with 70 artworks (ranging from modern, to artworks that are over a century old). The village centre also contains a restaurant, a cafe, an information centre, toilets and a small souvenir store called {{marker|type=buy|name=The Curatoreum|url=http://www.thecuratoreum.com/|lat=-35.2881|long=149.0691}}. }} ** If you've got small children, the National Arboretum perhaps has one of the most creative-looking playgrounds. The {{marker|type=see|name=Big Acorn|lat=-35.2872|long=149.0687}} or '''Pod Playground''' is one of [[Australia's big things]] right next to the village centre between the carpark, village centre and the start of the Central Valley Path. It's kind of hard to not notice it while leaving towards the Central Valley Path and often does dazzle your mind a bit as to who designed it. * The {{marker|type=see|name=STEP Botanic Garden | lat=-35.28524 | long=149.06644 }}, with "STEP" short for Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park, is perhaps the closest that you could find in the region to [[bush tucker]] – there's a good albeit rather small bush tucker botanic garden along with the typical grasses, shrubs and trees or anything you would find in the [[Southern Highlands (New South Wales)|Southern Tablelands]] of [[New South Wales]]. There's a short 1.5-km walk that you can take starting from the village centre where parking your car shouldn't pose issues. * Another must-see in the arboretum, especially during winter is the {{marker|type=see|name=Himalayan Cedars|lat=-35.28681|long=149.075791}}. Apart from the impressive sculpture that reads "wide brown land", symbolising what inland Australia is like (but not Canberra though), these cedars are about 100 years old (as of 2022, that's more than 10 times older than the arboretum it's located in) and is the most well-grown out of the relatively new arboretum. There's a 2.1-km loop trail starting from the village centre, but alternatively you can take your car up to the lookout and do a shorter walk if you're not feeling like walking the entire trail. * The {{marker|type=see|name=Cork Oak Forest|lat=-35.2817|long=149.0809}} is the furtherest planting from the village centre; it also has the fewest number of plantings. You won't miss much if you leave the arboretum without visiting it, but if you've got the time, it's still worth a visit. ===Yarramundi Reach=== * {{see | name=Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum | alt= | url=https://www.nca.gov.au/attractions/lindsay-pryor-national-arboretum | email= | address=Barrenjoey Dr. | lat=-35.29371 | long=149.080376 | directions=opposite the National Arboretum | phone=+61 2 6271 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6552784 | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=It's a smaller version of the [[#National Arboretum|National Arboretum]] and in fact it's just opposite the freeway, but beside Lake Burley Griffin instead named after Lindsay Pryor, an Australian botanist. It's a great place to see some autumn colours and have a nice stroll by the lake, but maintenance has been a bit poor. }} * {{see | name=National Rock Garden | alt= | url=https://www.nationalrockgarden.com.au/ | email= | address=Forest Dr., Molonglo Valley | lat=-35.29164 | long=149.08077 | directions=cnr Barrenjoey and Lady Denman Dr | phone=+61 2 9290 2194 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A new precinct with an abundant amount of rocks displaying the rick geological heritage from all over Australia. There are two main rock collections on display; the [https://www.nationalrockgarden.com.au/rock-collection-2/federation-rocks/ Federation Rocks] and the [https://www.nationalrockgarden.com.au/rock-collection-2/featured-rocks/ Featured Rocks]. }} ===Other attractions=== [[File:National Zoo & Aquarium.jpg|thumb|300px|Outside the National Zoo and Aquarium]] * {{see | name=National Zoo and Aquarium | alt= | url=http://nationalzoo.com.au/ | email=frontdesk@nationalzoo.com.au | address=999 Lady Denman Drive | lat=-35.2992 | long=149.0697 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 8400 | tollfree= | hours={{time|10AM|5PM}} | price=Adult $45, senior/student $37, child $25 | wikidata=Q495039 | content=This privately owned zoo and aquarium offers the standard service plus special tours that allow interaction with the animals. The range of tours offers opportunities to interact with animals (feed or touch) including tigers, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, bears, dingos, elands and snakes. The tours are quite special and certainly worth it if you love animals. Make sure that you turn up at the 'Check in time' for a tour instead of the start time as the two are different. }} * {{see | name=Scrivener Dam | alt= | url=http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=254:fact-sheets&catid=60:links-education&Itemid=248#20 | email= | address=Lady Denman Drive | lat=-35.29961 | long=149.07221 | directions=next to the National Zoo and Aquarium | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Scrivener Dam | wikidata=Q2884986 | content=This small dam across the Molonglo River was completed in 1963 in order to create Lake Burley Griffin. A viewing platform is located off Lady Denman Drive near the eastern edge of the dam. }} * {{see | name=Stromlo Cottage | alt= | url= | email=mingle@act.gov.au | address=Noffs Cres, Coombs | lat=-35.32374 | long=149.0508 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=1800 777 952 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-17 | content=A cottage built in 1926 that once served as accommodation for an officer. Today, it tells the story of how Canberra became the way it is. }} * '''Government House Lookout''' is on the border of South Canberra and Weston Creek, but as Government House (the [[official residences|official residence]] of the Govenor-General) is in South Canberra, see [[Canberra/South Canberra#Government House|South Canberra &sect; Government House]] for details on Government House. ==Do== [[File:Mount Stromlo satellite laser ranging facility 01.jpg|thumb|300px|Mount Stromlo Observatory's laser ranging facility]] * {{do | name=Mount Stromlo Observatory | alt= | url=http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/ | email= | address=Cotter Road, Weston Creek | lat=-35.320278 | long=149.006944 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6125 0230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1310548 | lastedit=2022-05-15 | content=See the stars and planets in Australia's premier astronomical observatory. Badly damaged in 2003 bushfires, the partially rebuilt observatory reopened in October 2004. They run a Saturday night star gazing event for the public, call {{phone|+61 2 6125 0232}}. The site's damaged buildings and equipment remain and may be fascinating for tourists. While you will certainly get better views out in the midst of the [[Outback]], there are few observatories where you can get great views and yet still be so close to civilization at the same time! }} * {{do | name=Escape Rooms Canberra | alt= | url=http://www.escaperoomscanberra.com/ | email=info@escaperoomscanberra.com | address=2/24 Dundas Ct, Phillip | lat=-35.354 | long=149.0877 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6281 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9:30AM–9:30PM, F Sa 9AM–10:30PM, Su 9AM–10PM | price=$40 per person | lastedit=2022-05-29 | content=A fun way to challenge yourself with many different escapes. There's also a cocktail bar near the end. }} * {{do | name=Oakey Hill Nature Reserve | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.3383 | long=149.068388 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 2087 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A small nature reserve nestled between the suburbs of Weston and Lyons separating the districts of Woden and Weston Creek, this park contains several short walking trails, many of which pass through what was once land used by farmers before Canberra was built, and it is now a good place to see kangaroos without going too far away from the city. }} * {{do | name=Stromlo Forest Park | alt= | url=http://www.stromloforestpark.act.gov.au/ | email=stromloforestpark@act.gov.au | address=Dave McInnes Rd, Stromlo | lat=-35.319979 | long=149.025748 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 8484 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|6AM|9PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-29 | content=Though the park has nothing appealing in its name, this park contains a whole network of trails – it's your choice on whether you would like to explore these trails via foot, mountain bike or even by horse riding! There is one nearby bike rental shop; [https://www.cyclecityhire.com.au/ Cycle City Hire My Bike], with mountain bikes available for rent. }} ==Buy== ===Malls and shopping centres=== [[File:Westfield Woden November 2018.jpg|thumb|250px|Inside Westfield Woden]] * {{buy | name=Cooleman Court | alt= | url=http://coolemancourt.com.au/ | email= | address=Brierly St, Weston | lat=-35.340588 | long=149.052622 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6288 8800 | tollfree= | hours=M–W {{time|9AM|5:30PM}}, Th {{time|9AM|7PM}}, F {{time|9AM|8PM}}, Sa {{time|9AM|5PM}}, Su {{time|10AM|4PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q96375455 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A shopping centre with about 80 specialty stores, though as it is not a mall, don't expect the range to be as great as what you'd find in a mall. There are a couple of cafes in the shopping centre, though the range is not the best. If you are looking for a better range, some of the nearby malls will have a better range. }} * {{buy | name=Westfield Woden | alt= | url=http://www.westfield.com.au/woden/ | email= | address=Keltie St, Phillip | lat=-35.3464 | long=149.0868 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7988781 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A reasonably sized Westfield featuring a David Jones department store, a Big W, two supermarkets, approximately 200 specialty stores, and a food court. }} ===Market=== * {{buy | name=Southside Farmers Market | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/southsidefarmersmarketcanberra/ | email=enquiries@canberrafarmersmarkets.com.au | address=Launceston St., Phillip | lat=-35.340018 | long=149.0888 | directions=Woden CIT (formerly Woden High School) (Ainsworth Street near Hindmarsh Drive, Phillip) | phone=+61 427 807 801 | tollfree= | hours=Su 9AM-noon | price= | content=While most markets are in the north or Canberra Central, this one is more conveniently in somewhere-not-the central or north. In this market, the sellers are the producers and all stalls are all food related. }} ===Bookstores=== * {{buy | name=Alexander Fax Booksellers | alt= | url=http://www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au/ | email= | address=Shop 10, Mawson House, Southlands Shopping Centre, Mawson | lat=-35.364744 | long=149.0945 | directions=near the post office | phone=+61 2 6290 0140 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 10AM–3PM | price= | content=Second-hand bookshop which specialises in military history. }} * {{buy | name=Harry Hartog | alt= | url=http://www.harryhartog.com.au/ | email= | address=Ground floor, Westfield Woden | lat=-35.34594 | long=149.0858 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6232 5832 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-03-21 | content=An independent bookshop with a good range, though focused mainly on fiction. }} ==Eat== Though these three districts often are categorised under one in many contexts, in the culinary world, what you find in each district radically differs. In Woden, you will find many modern Australian restaurants, along with various restaurants serving ethnic cuisines just like Canberra's four other town centres. Weston Creek only has the typical scene that you would find in a rural town in New South Wales; in Weston Creek’s case, most restaurants are in Cooleman Court Shopping Centre. Meanwhile, Molonglo barely has any eateries because it is a newer housing development with only fast-food chains. Stromlo? You'd be foolish to think so if you've read [[#Orientation|&sect; Orientation]] — as of 2022, no restaurants have opened their doors, only a cafe at [[#Mount Stromlo Observatory|the observatory]]. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Burger Villains | alt= | url=https://www.burgervillains.com/ | email= | address=24/2 Antis St, Phillip | lat=-35.3471 | long=149.0955 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5119 2528 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="12:00–21:00">noon–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=A small burger restaurant with not many options, but are cheap and for the most part, tasty and value for money. However, the <abbr title="fries">chips</abbr> have known to be soggy at times. }} * {{eat | name=Chapman Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.chapmancafe.com.au/ | email= | address=Perry Dr., Chapman | lat=-35.3558 | long=149.0405 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6288 4999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-28 | content=A fish and chip takeaway cafe with some great hot dogs, burgers (be aware that it comes with beetroot), pizza, seafood or any classic [[Australian cuisine|Australian]] hot food. }} * {{eat | name=Hansel & Gretel | alt= | url=https://www.hanselandgretel.online/ | email= | address=40 Townshend St., Phillip | lat=-35.353185 | long=149.0881 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6282 5009 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 7AM–4PM, Sa 8AM–4PM | price= | content=Great European-style shop and cafe. Has a couple of easter bunnies during the easter season. }} * {{eat | name=Pitch Black Cafe | alt= | url=https://pitch-black-cafe.business.site/ | email=billpesi52@gmail.com | address=14 Rivett Pl., Rivett | lat=-35.3474 | long=149.0367 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5136 5258 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Serving great Seven Mile Roasters coffee, it is known for its variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets available. However, a must-try of this cafe is the tradies breakfast special, which is not just for tradies, but for everyone. }} * {{eat | name=Turkish Pide House | alt=Pide House | url=http://www.turkishpidehousebelconnen.com.au/ | email= | address=Woden Plaza, 97-99 Corinna Street, Woden | lat=-35.346158 | long=149.0845 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6260 3016 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10:30AM–9PM | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=A nice, inexpensive Turkish food in a proper restaurant that is open all day – one of the very few places to eat in Canberra that are open all day. }} *'''Fast food''' is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a <abbr title="McDonalds">Maccas</abbr> in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find. ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bruno's Truffels | alt= | url=http://www.brunostruffels.com.au/ | email= | address=Unit 2, 106 Mawson Place, Mawson | lat=-35.365625 | long=149.0937 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6286 6377 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|9AM|4PM}}, Sa Su {{time|7:30AM|2PM}} | price= | content=Nice cafe and shop for locally made chocolates and pastries. The building might look a bit dated though. }} * {{eat | name=Canberra Southern Cross Club | alt= | url=https://www.cscc.com.au/woden | email=reception.woden@cscc.com.au | address=92-96 Corinna St, Phillip | lat=-35.3485 | long=149.0878 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6105 9970 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=Casual dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with several dining establishments within it. Breakfast is usually served until 11AM though there are no limitations after that. It does get a little bit crowded afterwards, so it might be wise to make an online booking, but a credit card booking guarantee applies; $5 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Daana | alt= | url=http://www.daana.com.au/ | email=chef@daana.com.au | address=83 Theodore St, Curtin | lat=-35.3332 | long=149.0802 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 1048 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 5:30–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A vibrant South Indian restaurant but the chefs here have taken it further and blended Indigenous Australian ingredients ([[Australian cuisine#Indigenous food (bush tucker)|bush tucker]]) into their traditional recipes – creative! }} * {{eat | name=Dumpling Social | alt= | url=https://dumplingsocial.com.au/ | email=eat@dumplingsocial.com.au | address=Shop R02/9 Bradley St, Phillip | lat=-35.34665 | long=149.0875| directions= | phone=+61 409 246 888 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-16 | content=A modern Chinese-Australian restaurant with a very cozy and relaxed atmosphere with some yummy and flavourful dumplings! However, the price is rather expensive for what you actually get, but you'll get the true taste of dumplings compared to a $8 dumpling in Civic. }} * {{eat | name=Lemongrass | alt= | url=http://lemongrassthai.com.au/ | email= | address=88 Corrina St, Phillip | lat=-35.34828 | long=149.0866 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6282 1144 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2PM, 5–10PM; Sa Su 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content=A borderline budget–mid-range restaurant with simple Thai food that doesn't really differ from any other Australianised Thai restaurant, let alone its few branches elsehwere. Unfortunately, takeaways tend to get overly prioritised so you might have to wait a while before you get your meal. }} * {{eat | name=Maestral Seafood Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.maestral.com.au/ | email= | address=13 Trenerry Street, Weston Creek | lat=-35.3416 | long=149.051743 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 3930 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Serving Mediterranean and Croatian cuisines with lots of fresh seafood and steak. Offers dine-in, takeaway and BYO options. }} * {{eat | name=Namaste India Restaurant | alt= | url=https://namasteindiarestaurant-ea.com.au/order-now#lunch-and-dinner-deals | email= | address=28 Corinna St | lat=-35.345698 | long=149.0837 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6282 0099 | tollfree= | hours={{time|5PM|9PM}} (closed Tuesdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=Perhaps one of the most finest authentic Indian restaurants one could find outside Canberra Central. The most popular meal in this restaurant is their butter chicken, but their garlic naan is also popular. }} * {{eat | name=Rama's | alt= | url=http://www.ramas.com.au/ | email= | address=Shop 6, Pearce Shopping Centre, Hodgson Crescent, Pearce | lat=-35.3627 | long=149.0816 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6286 1964, +61 2 6286 9437 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|5PM|8PM}} | price= | content=Serving Fijian and Indian cuisine (and sometimes a mix of both), and has been long established with some of the finest curries in town. However, it can be very noisy at times. }} * {{eat | name=Space Kitchen | alt= | url=https://space-kitchen.com.au/ | email= | address=12 Furzer St., Phillip | lat=-35.3418 | long=149.0836 | directions=cnr Furzer St and Worgan St | phone=+61 2 6281 6668 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 7:30AM–5PM, Sa 8AM–3PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=If colourful meals are your delight, then this cafe has got plenty of it – cakes, deserts and even salads. Apart from the very jolly looking meals, this cafe also has plenty of breakfast items and burgers. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Kickin'Inn | alt= | url=https://www.kickininn.com.au/ | email=woden@kickininn.com.au | address=cnr Hindmarsh Dr and Ball St, Phillip | lat=-35.348612 | long=149.08655 | directions= | phone=+61 2 8103 1828 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th 11AM–9PM; F Sa 11AM–11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content=Why visit a seafood restaurant in an inland city you ask? It's a kajun seafood restaurant so food is quite spicy (a good place if you want to spice up your tastebuds) but prices soar up to $170 at times but in return, the portions are quite large. Sometimes the starters might be enough as a meal for one person. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=The Alby | alt= | url=https://thealby.com.au/ | email= | address=45 Furzer St, Phillip | lat=-35.344136 | long=149.0847 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5127 6000 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11AM|11PM}} (closed Mondays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=While it has a restaurant too, the Alby is most known for its bar. The bar contains several other activities on some nights too. }} * {{drink | name=Sharetea Woden | alt= | url=https://sharetea.com.au/ | email= | address=Keltie St, Phillip | lat=-35.346633 | long=149.0871 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Th {{time|10:30AM|5PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa Su {{time|10:30AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A bubble tea store, perhaps quite an unusual sight for Canberra. Most of the favourites consumed here is any drink that has the name "Tiger" in it (such as the ''Tiger Milk Tea''). }} ==Sleep== [[File:Abode hotel Woden January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Abode Hotel in Woden]] Unusually, accommodation within all three districts are very limited and nearly all accommodation can only be found in Woden – the closest point to South Canberra. If you're looking for a better range, you might be better off trying in nearby [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{sleep | name=Abode Woden | alt= | url=https://abodehotels.com.au/hotels/woden/ | email= | address=10 Bowes St, Phillip | lat=-35.34341 | long=149.0859 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6108 4950 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin={{time|2PM}} | checkout={{time|10AM}} | price=From $150 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=Contains several types of rooms including a studio room, a king studio and an executive studio. The former two are designed for two visitors, while the latter is for three. }} * {{sleep | name=A Home Away From Home | alt= | url= | email= | address=16 Wynter Pl, Hughes | lat=-35.332015 | long=149.096496 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin={{time|2PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $133 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=Accommodation in a rather unusual residential area which includes free Wi-Fi, a garden view and parking. The hotel does not have any sort of contact info, and unfortunately the only way to make bookings is through booking agents – not directly. }} * {{sleep | name=Jamala Wildlife Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.jamalawildlifelodge.com.au/ | email=info@jamalawildlifelodge.com.au | address= | lat=-35.2993 | long=149.0702 | directions=within the [[#National Zoo and Aquarium|National Zoo and Aquarium]] | phone=+61 2 6287 8444 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|1PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=Rest your head next to wildest animals, often next to [[African wildlife|African]] or Asian wildlife. The three precincts; uShaka Lodge, Giraffe Treehouses and the Jungle Bungalows each give a unique experience in the fact that you can get really close up with some wild animals such as giraffes, feel like you're in the midst of a jungle, but still feel very safe at the same time. The owners do tend to get a bit defensive though, it's costly and seeing wildlife isn't always guaranteed. }} * {{sleep | name=The Statesman Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.statesmanhotel.com.au/ | email= | address=14 Theodore St, Curtin | lat=-35.326477 | long=149.0825 | directions=cnt Theodore St. and Strangways St. | phone=+61 2 6281 1777 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|2PM}} | checkout={{time|10AM}} | price=From $106 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A reasonably sized hotel though its building may look a bit old and dated. It is also right next to a bottle shop, so take it for what it's worth. }} ==Connect== Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all have good connection in all three districts. Wi-Fi isn't as freely available in other districts, and you might have to head over to South Canberra for that, but there are still many [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi] locations within Westfield Woden. {{routebox2 |name=Woden |temp1=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">YARRA GLEN</small> |directionl1=SW |majorl1=END |directionr1=NE |minorr1=becomes <small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">ADELAIDE AVENUE</small> |majorr1=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Capital Hill]] |temp2={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl2=S |majorl2=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |directionr2=NE |majorr2=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl3=S |minorl3=Erindale |majorl3=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |directionr3=NE |majorr3=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] |temp4={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl4=WSW |majorl4=END |directionr4=ENE |minorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr4=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] }} {{routebox2 |name=Weston Creek and Molonglo Valley |temp1=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">TUGGERANONG PARKWAY</small> |directionl1=S |majorl1=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |directionr1=N |minorr1=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorr1=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |temp2={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl2=W |majorl2=END |directionr2=E |majorr2=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl3=W |majorl3=END |directionr3=E |majorr3=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.3227|149.0613|zoom=13}} {{relatedWikipedia|Weston Creek}} {{relatedWikipedia|Molonglo Valley}} {{relatedWikipedia|Woden}} {{Mapmask|-35.2417,148.9679|-35.2414,148.9668|-35.2411,148.9662|-35.2408,148.9653|-35.2406,148.9648|-35.2405,148.9646|-35.2400,148.9638|-35.2400,148.9636|-35.2399,148.9631|-35.2398,148.9627|-35.2397,148.9623|-35.2396,148.9612|-35.2393,148.9607|-35.2390,148.9598|-35.2389,148.9592|-35.2387,148.9586|-35.2386,148.9580|-35.2386,148.9574|-35.2386,148.9570|-35.2387,148.9565|-35.2387,148.9563|-35.2386,148.9558|-35.2389,148.9545|-35.2392,148.9536|-35.2396,148.9531|-35.2398,148.9526|-35.2409,148.9517|-35.2422,148.9518|-35.2432,148.9522|-35.2438,148.9520|-35.2445,148.9522|-35.2456,148.9526|-35.2471,148.9520|-35.2477,148.9520|-35.2482,148.9517|-35.2488,148.9513|-35.2495,148.9507|-35.2507,148.9486|-35.2509,148.9483|-35.2513,148.9478|-35.2517,148.9474|-35.2522,148.9464|-35.2524,148.9461|-35.2536,148.9452|-35.2552,148.9448|-35.2562,148.9446|-35.2571,148.9445|-35.2583,148.9444|-35.2605,148.9445|-35.2621,148.9441|-35.2635,148.9438|-35.2641,148.9438|-35.2647,148.9440|-35.2650,148.9441|-35.2656,148.9443|-35.2662,148.9444|-35.2675,148.9451|-35.2686,148.9456|-35.2696,148.9464|-35.2704,148.9469|-35.2712,148.9475|-35.2722,148.9485|-35.2729,148.9491|-35.2739,148.9499|-35.2748,148.9506|-35.2760,148.9515|-35.2774,148.9525|-35.2792,148.9539|-35.2798,148.9543|-35.2802,148.9544|-35.2803,148.9546|-35.2804,148.9547|-35.2805,148.9549|-35.2806,148.9550|-35.2808,148.9551|-35.2815,148.9551|-35.2824,148.9543|-35.2833,148.9541|-35.2840,148.9542|-35.2849,148.9544|-35.2863,148.9550|-35.2879,148.9558|-35.2904,148.9559|-35.2906,148.9559|-35.2913,148.9561|-35.2917,148.9565|-35.2923,148.9575|-35.2925,148.9579|-35.2930,148.9588|-35.2935,148.9597|-35.2937,148.9602|-35.2942,148.9617|-35.2953,148.9637|-35.2971,148.9671|-35.2977,148.9681|-35.2982,148.9686|-35.2987,148.9688|-35.2996,148.9688|-35.3006,148.9688|-35.3017,148.9689|-35.3030,148.9690|-35.3035,148.9689|-35.3040,148.9688|-35.3055,148.9679|-35.3069,148.9664|-35.3075,148.9657|-35.3080,148.9648|-35.3087,148.9630|-35.3089,148.9622|-35.3092,148.9616|-35.3097,148.9611|-35.3105,148.9605|-35.3108,148.9603|-35.3118,148.9597|-35.3130,148.9595|-35.3142,148.9596|-35.3145,148.9599|-35.3148,148.9602|-35.3154,148.9608|-35.3162,148.9612|-35.3170,148.9614|-35.3179,148.9611|-35.3185,148.9603|-35.3187,148.9597|-35.3190,148.9583|-35.3190,148.9568|-35.3190,148.9550|-35.3190,148.9540|-35.3190,148.9531|-35.3190,148.9525|-35.3191,148.9520|-35.3193,148.9515|-35.3203,148.9509|-35.3210,148.9506|-35.3225,148.9503|-35.3238,148.9503|-35.3241,148.9503|-35.3280,148.9519|-35.3297,148.9530|-35.3357,148.9571|-35.3374,148.9588|-35.3397,148.9592|-35.3418,148.9596|-35.3437,148.9604|-35.3450,148.9621|-35.3460,148.9676|-35.3466,148.9697|-35.3484,148.9728|-35.3488,148.9744|-35.3488,148.9760|-35.3491,148.9767|-35.3500,148.9770|-35.3520,148.9772|-35.3533,148.9767|-35.3555,148.9762|-35.3569,148.9763|-35.3583,148.9769|-35.3606,148.9777|-35.3610,148.9779|-35.3641,148.9789|-35.3647,148.9792|-35.3656,148.9797|-35.3679,148.9811|-35.3693,148.9819|-35.3711,148.9824|-35.3729,148.9827|-35.3743,148.9827|-35.3753,148.9834|-35.3758,148.9843|-35.3762,148.9854|-35.3756,148.9871|-35.3743,148.9890|-35.3737,148.9899|-35.3727,148.9919|-35.3720,148.9949|-35.3717,148.9965|-35.3718,148.9981|-35.3718,149.0002|-35.3718,149.0007|-35.3720,149.0014|-35.3722,149.0021|-35.3724,149.0030|-35.3726,149.0043|-35.3733,149.0060|-35.3736,149.0069|-35.3737,149.0071|-35.3742,149.0078|-35.3748,149.0085|-35.3753,149.0089|-35.3759,149.0090|-35.3762,149.0090|-35.3766,149.0089|-35.3771,149.0085|-35.3779,149.0088|-35.3786,149.0091|-35.3794,149.0101|-35.3798,149.0105|-35.3800,149.0107|-35.3805,149.0111|-35.3814,149.0116|-35.3819,149.0123|-35.3825,149.0128|-35.3836,149.0133|-35.3845,149.0133|-35.3857,149.0137|-35.3876,149.0141|-35.3881,149.0142|-35.3753,149.0344|-35.3608,149.0330|-35.3606,149.0343|-35.3607,149.0359|-35.3614,149.0371|-35.3621,149.0410|-35.3623,149.0415|-35.3628,149.0419|-35.3635,149.0414|-35.3651,149.0422|-35.3652,149.0427|-35.3651,149.0430|-35.3650,149.0432|-35.3646,149.0441|-35.3638,149.0449|-35.3637,149.0454|-35.3643,149.0467|-35.3645,149.0485|-35.3637,149.0498|-35.3648,149.0508|-35.3655,149.0512|-35.3660,149.0514|-35.3661,149.0516|-35.3656,149.0541|-35.3653,149.0549|-35.3650,149.0554|-35.3654,149.0557|-35.3655,149.0562|-35.3663,149.0570|-35.3669,149.0587|-35.3667,149.0610|-35.3667,149.0612|-35.3665,149.0618|-35.3664,149.0619|-35.3664,149.0776|-35.3677,149.0787|-35.3683,149.0789|-35.3705,149.0808|-35.3720,149.0817|-35.3748,149.0820|-35.3765,149.0812|-35.3769,149.0819|-35.3774,149.0820|-35.3777,149.0822|-35.3778,149.0825|-35.3778,149.0828|-35.3782,149.0829|-35.3782,149.0833|-35.3776,149.0845|-35.3775,149.0860|-35.3780,149.0902|-35.3775,149.0924|-35.3775,149.0936|-35.3775,149.0941|-35.3776,149.0968|-35.3788,149.0997|-35.3797,149.1006|-35.3802,149.1011|-35.3808,149.1018|-35.3812,149.1033|-35.3816,149.1040|-35.3832,149.1048|-35.3840,149.1052|-35.3843,149.1055|-35.3840,149.1077|-35.3839,149.1083|-35.3838,149.1094|-35.3838,149.1099|-35.3838,149.1102|-35.3839,149.1105|-35.3839,149.1118|-35.3833,149.1140|-35.3806,149.1252|-35.3595,149.1189|-35.3518,149.1273|-35.3479,149.1244|-35.3369,149.1161|-35.3308,149.1166|-35.3287,149.1167|-35.3284,149.1163|-35.3281,149.1162|-35.3274,149.1161|-35.3259,149.1150|-35.3253,149.1147|-35.3252,149.1146|-35.3248,149.1145|-35.3246,149.1144|-35.3244,149.1142|-35.3243,149.1140|-35.3242,149.1136|-35.3243,149.1134|-35.3244,149.1131|-35.3245,149.1127|-35.3245,149.1120|-35.3245,149.1117|-35.3244,149.1107|-35.3243,149.1102|-35.3243,149.1099|-35.3242,149.1098|-35.3240,149.1097|-35.3239,149.1096|-35.3236,149.1096|-35.3234,149.1095|-35.3236,149.1094|-35.3249,149.1093|-35.3251,149.1093|-35.3253,149.1091|-35.3255,149.1085|-35.3255,149.1079|-35.3256,149.1071|-35.3262,149.1058|-35.3279,149.1027|-35.3281,149.1022|-35.3283,149.1015|-35.3282,149.1011|-35.3281,149.1007|-35.3278,149.1005|-35.3277,149.1004|-35.3266,149.0882|-35.3264,149.0872|-35.3129,149.0920|-35.3123,149.0897|-35.3125,149.0857|-35.3125,149.0854|-35.3126,149.0844|-35.3128,149.0835|-35.3130,149.0827|-35.3096,149.0779|-35.3094,149.0776|-35.3086,149.0768|-35.3082,149.0765|-35.3076,149.0759|-35.3062,149.0745|-35.3050,149.0734|-35.3047,149.0731|-35.3044,149.0730|-35.3040,149.0728|-35.3035,149.0728|-35.3030,149.0729|-35.3026,149.0730|-35.3021,149.0735|-35.3018,149.0737|-35.3013,149.0740|-35.3011,149.0740|-35.3008,149.0740|-35.3006,149.0738|-35.3004,149.0737|-35.2992,149.0712|-35.2987,149.0716|-35.2984,149.0712|-35.2982,149.0712|-35.2981,149.0724|-35.2980,149.0726|-35.2977,149.0725|-35.2973,149.0723|-35.2970,149.0722|-35.2969,149.0726|-35.2969,149.0728|-35.2970,149.0731|-35.2971,149.0735|-35.2971,149.0738|-35.2967,149.0744|-35.2965,149.0747|-35.2960,149.0755|-35.2957,149.0759|-35.2952,149.0761|-35.2947,149.0765|-35.2945,149.0771|-35.2942,149.0774|-35.2939,149.0776|-35.2938,149.0780|-35.2937,149.0781|-35.2935,149.0784|-35.2935,149.0789|-35.2937,149.0793|-35.2942,149.0791|-35.2946,149.0790|-35.2946,149.0788|-35.2949,149.0788|-35.2950,149.0787|-35.2950,149.0785|-35.2951,149.0784|-35.2951,149.0782|-35.2954,149.0782|-35.2954,149.0783|-35.2951,149.0783|-35.2951,149.0784|-35.2952,149.0784|-35.2953,149.0787|-35.2958,149.0787|-35.2961,149.0786|-35.2964,149.0788|-35.2966,149.0792|-35.2968,149.0794|-35.2970,149.0794|-35.2971,149.0793|-35.2973,149.0793|-35.2975,149.0797|-35.2976,149.0799|-35.2977,149.0810|-35.2976,149.0818|-35.2972,149.0828|-35.2962,149.0835|-35.2961,149.0835|-35.2957,149.0839|-35.2949,149.0845|-35.2943,149.0846|-35.2934,149.0843|-35.2927,149.0842|-35.2924,149.0846|-35.2920,149.0847|-35.2916,149.0849|-35.2912,149.0853|-35.2911,149.0858|-35.2909,149.0860|-35.2906,149.0858|-35.2905,149.0859|-35.2906,149.0862|-35.2903,149.0861|-35.2901,149.0857|-35.2900,149.0853|-35.2899,149.0851|-35.2898,149.0849|-35.2896,149.0851|-35.2896,149.0854|-35.2892,149.0856|-35.2889,149.0857|-35.2887,149.0856|-35.2886,149.0857|-35.2885,149.0858|-35.2883,149.0858|-35.2883,149.0859|-35.2880,149.0865|-35.2876,149.0867|-35.2874,149.0869|-35.2874,149.0872|-35.2875,149.0876|-35.2876,149.0880|-35.2878,149.0883|-35.2878,149.0889|-35.2875,149.0891|-35.2871,149.0889|-35.2869,149.0886|-35.2866,149.0884|-35.2859,149.0878|-35.2825,149.0879|-35.2814,149.0871|-35.2809,149.0867|-35.2796,149.0863|-35.2791,149.0828|-35.2775,149.0793|-35.2773,149.0786|-35.2769,149.0775|-35.2767,149.0767|-35.2761,149.0707|-35.2761,149.0700|-35.2758,149.0688|-35.2749,149.0659|-35.2746,149.0650|-35.2736,149.0618|-35.2734,149.0614|-35.2709,149.0554|-35.2704,149.0543|-35.2701,149.0535|-35.2699,149.0530|-35.2693,149.0512|-35.2690,149.0489|-35.2691,149.0472|-35.2691,149.0466|-35.2693,149.0455|-35.2695,149.0445|-35.2697,149.0436|-35.2698,149.0427|-35.2698,149.0422|-35.2699,149.0410|-35.2699,149.0403|-35.2698,149.0395|-35.2696,149.0388|-35.2693,149.0379|-35.2689,149.0368|-35.2681,149.0356|-35.2674,149.0349|-35.2667,149.0344|-35.2660,149.0340|-35.2768,149.0239|-35.2780,149.0241|-35.2792,149.0214|-35.2801,149.0217|-35.2803,149.0212|-35.2804,149.0205|-35.2802,149.0193|-35.2797,149.0181|-35.2791,149.0178|-35.2782,149.0175|-35.2765,149.0181|-35.2760,149.0182|-35.2745,149.0184|-35.2734,149.0183|-35.2724,149.0179|-35.2718,149.0160|-35.2718,149.0153|-35.2719,149.0142|-35.2718,149.0110|-35.2721,149.0098|-35.2723,149.0083|-35.2723,149.0073|-35.2714,149.0062|-35.2702,149.0046|-35.2693,149.0041|-35.2687,149.0035|-35.2677,149.0038|-35.2658,149.0034|-35.2639,149.0026|-35.2626,149.0024|-35.2614,149.0019|-35.2610,149.0016|-35.2603,149.0012|-35.2593,148.9998|-35.2590,148.9995|-35.2587,148.9986|-35.2585,148.9980|-35.2581,148.9970|-35.2583,148.9965|-35.2590,148.9962|-35.2597,148.9961|-35.2612,148.9961|-35.2619,148.9960|-35.2623,148.9959|-35.2628,148.9955|-35.2629,148.9950|-35.2627,148.9943|-35.2626,148.9940|-35.2624,148.9932|-35.2624,148.9928|-35.2623,148.9922|-35.2620,148.9921|-35.2618,148.9918|-35.2615,148.9914|-35.2613,148.9903|-35.2613,148.9896|-35.2614,148.9891|-35.2622,148.9887|-35.2624,148.9881|-35.2624,148.9876|-35.2620,148.9867|-35.2616,148.9862|-35.2611,148.9850|-35.2609,148.9841|-35.2605,148.9825|-35.2602,148.9820|-35.2598,148.9821|-35.2594,148.9820|-35.2591,148.9817|-35.2590,148.9811|-35.2593,148.9794|-35.2593,148.9791|-35.2591,148.9789|-35.2584,148.9778|-35.2580,148.9776|-35.2570,148.9781|-35.2563,148.9783|-35.2553,148.9776|-35.2551,148.9771|-35.2551,148.9765|-35.2557,148.9751|-35.2558,148.9747|-35.2561,148.9744|-35.2561,148.9737|-35.2560,148.9731|-35.2558,148.9728|-35.2554,148.9726|-35.2547,148.9724|-35.2545,148.9725|-35.2543,148.9729|-35.2539,148.9729|-35.2537,148.9727|-35.2535,148.9725|-35.2530,148.9723|-35.2525,148.9719|-35.2522,148.9715|-35.2515,148.9711|-35.2509,148.9710|-35.2503,148.9708|-35.2499,148.9705|-35.2494,148.9701|-35.2491,148.9696|-35.2485,148.9682|-35.2480,148.9672|-35.2475,148.9659|-35.2474,148.9651|-35.2471,148.9646|-35.2470,148.9636|-35.2466,148.9627|-35.2464,148.9620|-35.2461,148.9617|-35.2457,148.9615|-35.2452,148.9613|-35.2449,148.9614|-35.2447,148.9617|-35.2440,148.9621|-35.2436,148.9633|-35.2435,148.9642|-35.2432,148.9655|-35.2429,148.9664|-35.2417,148.9679}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="geomask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#831b1b", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Molonglo Valley" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.08786296844482, -35.28506516996254 ], [ 149.08786833286283, -35.282437780691104 ], [ 149.08711194992065, -35.28149627878722 ], [ 149.08656477928162, -35.280475941108335 ], [ 149.0863448381424, -35.27963075896112 ], [ 149.08518075942993, -35.279455590573185 ], [ 149.08348560333252, -35.27920597496574 ], [ 149.08280432224274, -35.27907897725612 ], [ 149.08218204975128, -35.278838118983955 ], [ 149.08074975013733, -35.278189987712466 ], [ 149.0800255537033, -35.277826506418464 ], [ 149.07962322235107, -35.277660092751496 ], [ 149.0783143043518, -35.277138953003366 ], [ 149.07768666744232, -35.27693312377572 ], [ 149.07719314098355, -35.276819260574 ], [ 149.07630801200864, -35.27663970673836 ], [ 149.0731430053711, -35.27641635872872 ], [ 149.07187163829803, -35.2763024948005 ], [ 149.06937718391416, -35.27593462563069 ], [ 149.06780540943143, -35.27559741075724 ], [ 149.06713485717773, -35.275369680438104 ], [ 149.06632483005524, -35.2750718782854 ], [ 149.06537532806396, -35.274721521409795 ], [ 149.06345486640927, -35.27420036275359 ], [ 149.0625911951065, -35.27391131533056 ], [ 149.06142711639404, -35.27345584457074 ], [ 149.05831038951874, -35.27207627808533 ], [ 149.0539813041687, -35.2702674775412 ], [ 149.05278503894806, -35.26979008761052 ], [ 149.05130445957184, -35.26935211272268 ], [ 149.05063927173615, -35.269203200721435 ], [ 149.04963612556455, -35.26906742777586 ], [ 149.04817163944244, -35.26903676933731 ], [ 149.0475708246231, -35.26904552889237 ], [ 149.04648184776306, -35.26917692210457 ], [ 149.0454626083374, -35.26934335320077 ], [ 149.04377281665802, -35.26964117641431 ], [ 149.04248535633087, -35.26984702417201 ], [ 149.04148757457733, -35.26993023907455 ], [ 149.04053807258606, -35.269895201231265 ], [ 149.03983533382416, -35.26982074576398 ], [ 149.03845131397247, -35.26956234096434 ], [ 149.03733551502228, -35.26920758049008 ], [ 149.03626799583435, -35.26862944898119 ], [ 149.0353399515152, -35.26791115863219 ], [ 149.034765958786, -35.26727607954366 ], [ 149.03432071208954, -35.26661471602904 ], [ 149.03400421142575, -35.26597524683512 ], [ 149.02389764785767, -35.27683239864391 ], [ 149.02414441108704, -35.277935988907615 ], [ 149.0213656425476, -35.279179699593875 ], [ 149.0217411518097, -35.28008181581606 ], [ 149.02141392230988, -35.280239466163145 ], [ 149.02123153209686, -35.28027012036166 ], [ 149.02146756649017, -35.28126856505489 ], [ 149.01928961277008, -35.29487333659498 ], [ 149.0193003416061, -35.29501782302427 ], [ 149.01939690113068, -35.29520609283298 ], [ 149.01919305324554, -35.29526301152614 ], [ 149.01893019676208, -35.29530241675181 ], [ 149.0170419216156, -35.295442524065464 ], [ 149.01582956314087, -35.29561327952606 ], [ 149.01496052742004, -35.29576214296699 ], [ 149.01375353336334, -35.29596792433155 ], [ 149.01312589645386, -35.29615619193016 ], [ 149.01294887065887, -35.296256893024065 ], [ 149.01276648044586, -35.29639262038716 ], [ 149.01262164115906, -35.296467051425125 ], [ 149.01240170001984, -35.29669472241045 ], [ 149.0121066570282, -35.29713692768646 ], [ 149.01177406311035, -35.29757913054627 ], [ 149.0116399526596, -35.2976666951824 ], [ 149.01139855384827, -35.297806798403144 ], [ 149.01120543479917, -35.29796441423656 ], [ 149.0111142396927, -35.29815705539387 ], [ 149.01098549365997, -35.298358452477096 ], [ 149.0105992555618, -35.29850731086865 ], [ 149.0104329586029, -35.29862552174925 ], [ 149.01034712791443, -35.29876562331006 ], [ 149.01022911071777, -35.29902831308282 ], [ 149.00983214378354, -35.29923846428708 ], [ 149.00941908359528, -35.2994923962641 ], [ 149.00895237922668, -35.29993896435982 ], [ 149.00880753993988, -35.300096576040524 ], [ 149.0094298124313, -35.30041179848097 ], [ 149.01026129722595, -35.3008627395596 ], [ 149.01056706905365, -35.30108602013437 ], [ 149.01094794273376, -35.301366214493754 ], [ 149.0119296312332, -35.30231624127166 ], [ 149.01334583759308, -35.30459713560012 ], [ 149.01362478733063, -35.304942985364086 ], [ 149.01488542556763, -35.30634388067779 ], [ 149.01508927345276, -35.306501479882606 ], [ 149.01544868946075, -35.30672036715779 ], [ 149.01565790176392, -35.3068254328395 ], [ 149.01638746261597, -35.30705745240329 ], [ 149.01715993881226, -35.30728509359273 ], [ 149.01790022850037, -35.30763093186632 ], [ 149.01927888393402, -35.30859839563946 ], [ 149.0195792913437, -35.30876474571072 ], [ 149.02113497257233, -35.30951769438655 ], [ 149.02136027812958, -35.30969717530394 ], [ 149.02153193950653, -35.310047380825445 ], [ 149.0216392278671, -35.31018746260953 ], [ 149.02177333831787, -35.310371319583 ], [ 149.02208983898163, -35.31067774694347 ], [ 149.0225350856781, -35.31100168317662 ], [ 149.02397274971005, -35.312034768443546 ], [ 149.02475595474243, -35.312590702935786 ], [ 149.02513682842255, -35.31281832855446 ], [ 149.02567327022552, -35.31309410488813 ], [ 149.02657449245453, -35.31348369207453 ], [ 149.02693927288055, -35.31354935265149 ], [ 149.02708411216736, -35.31367191891921 ], [ 149.02757227420807, -35.31388203208888 ], [ 149.02944445610046, -35.31445984049102 ], [ 149.02993261814117, -35.314648065063984 ], [ 149.03025448322296, -35.31481877999551 ], [ 149.03084456920624, -35.31530903625712 ], [ 149.03137028217316, -35.315720499040026 ], [ 149.03180480003357, -35.316127582499206 ], [ 149.03198182582855, -35.31631142597042 ], [ 149.0325504541397, -35.31697238356942 ], [ 149.03223395347592, -35.3173925922142 ], [ 149.03212130069733, -35.31774714155987 ], [ 149.0313971042633, -35.32064475819211 ], [ 149.03139173984528, -35.321165617845764 ], [ 149.0312361717224, -35.32144574265861 ], [ 149.03041005134583, -35.326172702506234 ], [ 149.03062462806702, -35.32621209267716 ], [ 149.0316706895828, -35.326417796591365 ], [ 149.03261482715607, -35.3264922000059 ], [ 149.03317272663116, -35.3264922000059 ], [ 149.03583884239197, -35.32675042308982 ], [ 149.0362572669983, -35.326846709452376 ], [ 149.03646647930145, -35.32683795615143 ], [ 149.0367078781128, -35.326824826198234 ], [ 149.03772711753845, -35.32692111247215 ], [ 149.03999626636505, -35.32712681458226 ], [ 149.0406346321106, -35.327100554767554 ], [ 149.04109060764313, -35.32698676213863 ], [ 149.04190599918365, -35.326689149890306 ], [ 149.04238879680634, -35.32644405662784 ], [ 149.04402494430542, -35.3251135373803 ], [ 149.0445774793625, -35.32552057355382 ], [ 149.0452480316162, -35.32603264840968 ], [ 149.04568791389462, -35.326321509717964 ], [ 149.04633700847626, -35.326658513273145 ], [ 149.04690563678741, -35.32690798253247 ], [ 149.04788196086884, -35.327174957553716 ], [ 149.0483486652374, -35.327275620037746 ], [ 149.04911041259766, -35.32736315253068 ], [ 149.05024766921997, -35.32735002266278 ], [ 149.05110597610474, -35.32724060701404 ], [ 149.05108451843262, -35.32685108610249 ], [ 149.05039250850677, -35.325166058292034 ], [ 149.05214130878448, -35.32408499598218 ], [ 149.05186772346497, -35.321935958745875 ], [ 149.05297815799713, -35.317773404412534 ], [ 149.0532946586609, -35.31772087869868 ], [ 149.05354142189026, -35.31757205565751 ], [ 149.05377209186554, -35.317510775502136 ], [ 149.05452847480774, -35.317309426093225 ], [ 149.0548825263977, -35.317217505544214 ], [ 149.05556917190552, -35.31707743593532 ], [ 149.05621826648712, -35.31702928695122 ], [ 149.0568995475769, -35.31669224325987 ], [ 149.0573716163635, -35.31632893485064 ], [ 149.05755400657654, -35.31579928954689 ], [ 149.057999253273, -35.31543159985817 ], [ 149.05892193317413, -35.31505077663258 ], [ 149.06034886837006, -35.314556141490044 ], [ 149.061963558197, -35.31394331499389 ], [ 149.06262874603271, -35.3137507114218 ], [ 149.06354069709778, -35.3132954647918 ], [ 149.06382501125336, -35.31313787882287 ], [ 149.06425416469574, -35.312840215599415 ], [ 149.06582593917847, -35.31192533206976 ], [ 149.06759083271027, -35.31084409273874 ], [ 149.0680307149887, -35.3103932072901 ], [ 149.06904458999634, -35.30971468561603 ], [ 149.0692913532257, -35.30938198903829 ], [ 149.07010138034818, -35.308607150914895 ], [ 149.0709275007248, -35.306978653380774 ], [ 149.070965051651, -35.30646645786362 ], [ 149.07124936580658, -35.30462340272268 ], [ 149.0708255767822, -35.30337570498338 ], [ 149.07117426395416, -35.301269897792146 ], [ 149.07204866409302, -35.299746327444296 ], [ 149.0721720457077, -35.29961498382989 ], [ 149.0712332725525, -35.29915527950065 ], [ 149.07129228115082, -35.29909398539278 ], [ 149.07164633274078, -35.29876562331006 ], [ 149.07119572162628, -35.29839785619563 ], [ 149.0712010860443, -35.2982271066101 ], [ 149.07239198684692, -35.29816143359665 ], [ 149.07255291938782, -35.29795127959551 ], [ 149.07255828380582, -35.297719233918606 ], [ 149.0722417831421, -35.297281410074724 ], [ 149.072225689888, -35.29700557983693 ], [ 149.07253682613373, -35.29688736659009 ], [ 149.07280504703522, -35.29689612313281 ], [ 149.07310545444489, -35.29704060595098 ], [ 149.07349169254303, -35.2971237929111 ], [ 149.0737223625183, -35.29709752335399 ], [ 149.0739905834198, -35.296926771024886 ], [ 149.07441437244412, -35.29675601833552 ], [ 149.07463431358337, -35.2965239692315 ], [ 149.0748971700668, -35.29639262038716 ], [ 149.07542824745178, -35.29604235576008 ], [ 149.0759003162384, -35.29566581959529 ], [ 149.07615780830383, -35.29517544428931 ], [ 149.07653331756592, -35.294772633779615 ], [ 149.07710194587708, -35.29450555179291 ], [ 149.07740235328674, -35.29427349623648 ], [ 149.0775954723358, -35.293967006746065 ], [ 149.07791197299957, -35.293826896878194 ], [ 149.07805681228638, -35.293651759202284 ], [ 149.07841622829437, -35.29351602724281 ], [ 149.07892048358917, -35.293524784150286 ], [ 149.0793389081955, -35.29366927298693 ], [ 149.0790170431137, -35.29421657684743 ], [ 149.07892584800717, -35.294601876545464 ], [ 149.07884001731873, -35.294601876545464 ], [ 149.07886147499084, -35.29492149876674 ], [ 149.07873272895813, -35.2950134446514 ], [ 149.07821238040924, -35.29507912021936 ], [ 149.07822847366333, -35.29538560549854 ], [ 149.07826602458954, -35.29538560549854 ], [ 149.07824993133545, -35.29510101206351 ], [ 149.07840013504025, -35.29508787695773 ], [ 149.07837867736816, -35.29514917409979 ], [ 149.07868444919583, -35.29534182195829 ], [ 149.07864689826965, -35.295731494633884 ], [ 149.07855570316315, -35.29611240880677 ], [ 149.07877027988434, -35.29640137698341 ], [ 149.07918870449066, -35.296589643573725 ], [ 149.0793764591217, -35.29674726177765 ], [ 149.0793764591217, -35.296856718683095 ], [ 149.07926380634308, -35.29712817116979 ], [ 149.0793281793594, -35.29729892307396 ], [ 149.0794998407364, -35.29743902693139 ], [ 149.07978415489197, -35.29757475231198 ], [ 149.08013284206388, -35.297675451640806 ], [ 149.08072292804718, -35.297719233918606 ], [ 149.08096432685852, -35.29773236859732 ], [ 149.08165097236633, -35.2976141564121 ], [ 149.08220887184143, -35.29743902693139 ], [ 149.0829116106033, -35.29705811900232 ], [ 149.08348560333252, -35.29624813641218 ], [ 149.08365726470947, -35.296029220807085 ], [ 149.08408641815186, -35.29545128076451 ], [ 149.08449947834015, -35.29496528253437 ], [ 149.08457458019257, -35.29445301097047 ], [ 149.08455312252045, -35.294181549511215 ], [ 149.08439755439758, -35.29366051609509 ], [ 149.08423125743866, -35.292706009204004 ], [ 149.08458530902863, -35.29244329891005 ], [ 149.08469259738922, -35.292040474803294 ], [ 149.08487498760223, -35.29162013446765 ], [ 149.08530414104462, -35.29121292768598 ], [ 149.08578157424927, -35.29108157022267 ], [ 149.0859478712082, -35.29094145536018 ], [ 149.08582985401154, -35.29066560351592 ], [ 149.08595860004425, -35.290446672811704 ], [ 149.08615708351135, -35.29057365269227 ], [ 149.0860766172409, -35.2902627705626 ], [ 149.08554553985596, -35.2901182756452 ], [ 149.0850305557251, -35.28990810075949 ], [ 149.0849232673645, -35.28975484789465 ], [ 149.08511638641357, -35.28964538138499 ], [ 149.0853899717331, -35.28957094407387 ], [ 149.0855348110199, -35.28935638908827 ], [ 149.08568501472473, -35.288966685721235 ], [ 149.0856260061264, -35.2887389929981 ], [ 149.08569037914276, -35.28864266126859 ], [ 149.0857869386673, -35.28857260175696 ], [ 149.08586204051971, -35.28833615045759 ], [ 149.08648431301117, -35.288020880984135 ], [ 149.08667743206024, -35.28769685274594 ], [ 149.08692955970764, -35.28740785349338 ], [ 149.08723533153534, -35.287372823210845 ], [ 149.08799171447754, -35.2876092773238 ], [ 149.08836722373962, -35.28781507941555 ], [ 149.0889036655426, -35.28784135198535 ], [ 149.0891021490097, -35.28752170180694 ], [ 149.0889412164688, -35.28714512600492 ], [ 149.0885978937149, -35.28686488241082 ], [ 149.08805072307587, -35.28624308847254 ], [ 149.08785223960876, -35.28585774898733 ], [ 149.08786296844482, -35.28506516996254 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#15770e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Weston Creek" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.0721881389618, -35.29961060570574 ], [ 149.0720647573471, -35.29971568062001 ], [ 149.07116889953613, -35.30125238565226 ], [ 149.0708255767822, -35.30337570498338 ], [ 149.07124400138855, -35.30460589130859 ], [ 149.07097041606903, -35.30644456909405 ], [ 149.07093822956085, -35.306952387022875 ], [ 149.07011210918427, -35.30858526272452 ], [ 149.06928598880768, -35.30936885625057 ], [ 149.0690392255783, -35.30972344077064 ], [ 149.06804680824277, -35.310366942040865 ], [ 149.06761229038239, -35.31082658267114 ], [ 149.0668022632599, -35.311316863131296 ], [ 149.06543970108032, -35.31213544977666 ], [ 149.0640288591385, -35.31298466994761 ], [ 149.06270921230316, -35.31372006990213 ], [ 149.06200110912323, -35.313912673547186 ], [ 149.06070828437805, -35.3144116899485 ], [ 149.05800461769104, -35.315414090783676 ], [ 149.05754327774048, -35.31579491229853 ], [ 149.05737698078156, -35.316320180411005 ], [ 149.05685126781464, -35.31670537485857 ], [ 149.05622899532318, -35.31702053258739 ], [ 149.0555852651596, -35.3170686815767 ], [ 149.0535306930542, -35.31755892419956 ], [ 149.05330538749695, -35.31771212440973 ], [ 149.0529727935791, -35.317764650129256 ], [ 149.05186235904694, -35.321935958745875 ], [ 149.05213594436643, -35.32407624238221 ], [ 149.05037105083466, -35.32517481177401 ], [ 149.05108988285065, -35.32683795615143 ], [ 149.0511167049408, -35.3272231004965 ], [ 149.05027449131012, -35.32735439928565 ], [ 149.04934644699097, -35.32736315253068 ], [ 149.0485578775406, -35.32730187979558 ], [ 149.04739379882812, -35.32705678839077 ], [ 149.04624044895172, -35.326614746657036 ], [ 149.04553771018982, -35.32622522272988 ], [ 149.0440195798874, -35.32511791412424 ], [ 149.04241561889648, -35.32642654993781 ], [ 149.04210448265073, -35.326597240003956 ], [ 149.0415197610855, -35.32682920284953 ], [ 149.0406721830368, -35.32710493140393 ], [ 149.0400230884552, -35.32711806131164 ], [ 149.03904676437378, -35.32703052855332 ], [ 149.03740525245667, -35.3268860992949 ], [ 149.0366381406784, -35.32682920284953 ], [ 149.03625190258026, -35.326846709452376 ], [ 149.0358817577362, -35.32674166977846 ], [ 149.03404712677, -35.32658411001167 ], [ 149.03318881988525, -35.326483446666565 ], [ 149.03261482715607, -35.32649657667521 ], [ 149.03165996074677, -35.326413419917785 ], [ 149.03043150901794, -35.32617707919283 ], [ 149.03005063533783, -35.32610705217867 ], [ 149.02767956256864, -35.32561686138116 ], [ 149.0261346101761, -35.32532799755511 ], [ 149.02241706848145, -35.33720120067679 ], [ 149.02580738067627, -35.3478956558485 ], [ 149.02414977550507, -35.3494008173952 ], [ 149.02392446994781, -35.34954520641809 ], [ 149.02366161346436, -35.34964146562329 ], [ 149.0233612060547, -35.34966771811389 ], [ 149.02377426624295, -35.350713435383646 ], [ 149.0248739719391, -35.350700309309346 ], [ 149.0255230665207, -35.350529670149406 ], [ 149.02649402618408, -35.34996962114253 ], [ 149.02657985687256, -35.350074630627105 ], [ 149.0265315771103, -35.35047279034932 ], [ 149.0265315771103, -35.35059092527395 ], [ 149.0271645784378, -35.35132160782019 ], [ 149.02703046798706, -35.351400363628144 ], [ 149.02648866176605, -35.351951652133614 ], [ 149.02621507644653, -35.352349802602916 ], [ 149.0261936187744, -35.352638569847144 ], [ 149.02620434761047, -35.35283108076972 ], [ 149.0262794494629, -35.35298858936505 ], [ 149.02644038200378, -35.35319860034765 ], [ 149.02661740779877, -35.353338607366005 ], [ 149.02679443359372, -35.353421736418305 ], [ 149.0270572900772, -35.35350049017842 ], [ 149.0288919210434, -35.353671123061844 ], [ 149.02897238731384, -35.35365362226988 ], [ 149.0312898159027, -35.35447178023865 ], [ 149.03184235095978, -35.35496179601588 ], [ 149.03139173984528, -35.35626557351451 ], [ 149.0328884124756, -35.358168700865676 ], [ 149.0322607755661, -35.35879869176246 ], [ 149.03304398059845, -35.36079363050845 ], [ 149.0343153476715, -35.36058801410024 ], [ 149.03583884239197, -35.360732383122446 ], [ 149.03711020946503, -35.36135797923578 ], [ 149.04099941253662, -35.36209731384746 ], [ 149.04151439666748, -35.362294176951785 ], [ 149.04192745685577, -35.362762271738845 ], [ 149.0413534641266, -35.36347972016342 ], [ 149.04222249984738, -35.365037086265346 ], [ 149.04273748397827, -35.365220818487074 ], [ 149.0430325269699, -35.36510707954197 ], [ 149.04319882392883, -35.364958343756605 ], [ 149.04406249523163, -35.364551506237824 ], [ 149.04487252235413, -35.36377282225854 ], [ 149.04543042182922, -35.36369407851662 ], [ 149.04671788215637, -35.36431965168092 ], [ 149.04847741127014, -35.36451650936623 ], [ 149.04983997344968, -35.36368095455219 ], [ 149.05032813549042, -35.36421903534526 ], [ 149.0508860349655, -35.36491459788522 ], [ 149.05119717121124, -35.365448295896506 ], [ 149.05142784118652, -35.365955743192266 ], [ 149.05155658721924, -35.36606510641579 ], [ 149.0541958808899, -35.365544536146 ], [ 149.0548825263977, -35.36533018270623 ], [ 149.05538141727448, -35.36499771502058 ], [ 149.05566036701202, -35.36536955378885 ], [ 149.05616998672485, -35.365500790592264 ], [ 149.0570497512817, -35.366248836297736 ], [ 149.05872344970703, -35.36688313862863 ], [ 149.05980169773102, -35.36683501931618 ], [ 149.06124472618103, -35.3666862867145 ], [ 149.06178653240204, -35.36648943432032 ], [ 149.0618884563446, -35.36639319519735 ], [ 149.0633100271225, -35.36639319519735 ], [ 149.06342267990112, -35.36630570498597 ], [ 149.06438291072843, -35.365373928352405 ], [ 149.06555771827698, -35.36416216518703 ], [ 149.06686663627625, -35.3624910395761 ], [ 149.06774640083313, -35.361182987804284 ], [ 149.06832039356232, -35.360176779712944 ], [ 149.06888365745544, -35.35903931198834 ], [ 149.06992971897125, -35.35612557157044 ], [ 149.06999945640564, -35.35576244039677 ], [ 149.07002091407773, -35.35535555653942 ], [ 149.07023549079895, -35.35262106883143 ], [ 149.07021403312683, -35.35124722726438 ], [ 149.07007455825806, -35.34996524574438 ], [ 149.0696185827255, -35.3478256476521 ], [ 149.068985581398, -35.3460929254576 ], [ 149.06784832477567, -35.343782571385034 ], [ 149.06762838363647, -35.343397505949355 ], [ 149.06679689884186, -35.341997252530554 ], [ 149.06611025333405, -35.34086390465003 ], [ 149.0653485059738, -35.339170416996524 ], [ 149.06474232673642, -35.337656312712184 ], [ 149.0643721818924, -35.336715453272845 ], [ 149.06391620635986, -35.334859958834244 ], [ 149.06358897686005, -35.333529578108944 ], [ 149.06329929828644, -35.33145081438417 ], [ 149.06321346759793, -35.3305930352441 ], [ 149.06313836574554, -35.33027355395209 ], [ 149.06306862831116, -35.32874177679227 ], [ 149.06306862831116, -35.327722034760754 ], [ 149.06335830688477, -35.32025520550182 ], [ 149.06403958797455, -35.32005386292623 ], [ 149.06446874141693, -35.31986565093482 ], [ 149.06501591205597, -35.31960302881937 ], [ 149.06566500663757, -35.31927474997562 ], [ 149.0658152103424, -35.319248487610544 ], [ 149.06631410121915, -35.31890269900828 ], [ 149.06703293323517, -35.31847812110717 ], [ 149.06761765480042, -35.318141083454194 ], [ 149.06818091869354, -35.317843438644594 ], [ 149.06887292861938, -35.31756330135245 ], [ 149.06958103179932, -35.317326934757375 ], [ 149.0701174736023, -35.3171737338175 ], [ 149.0707129240036, -35.31704241849518 ], [ 149.0714532136917, -35.31691548014758 ], [ 149.0728211402893, -35.31667035725732 ], [ 149.07468795776367, -35.31633331207011 ], [ 149.0756106376648, -35.31609694188005 ], [ 149.07666742801663, -35.31577740330268 ], [ 149.07738089561462, -35.315501636118235 ], [ 149.07785832881927, -35.31532654535436 ], [ 149.0784430503845, -35.31505077663258 ], [ 149.07882392406464, -35.314888816786265 ], [ 149.07997727394104, -35.31423221949205 ], [ 149.08273458480835, -35.31304595353254 ], [ 149.08264875411987, -35.31286648004555 ], [ 149.08218204975128, -35.31246375760096 ], [ 149.08001482486722, -35.31100168317662 ], [ 149.07775640487668, -35.3094870512633 ], [ 149.07731652259827, -35.30909744482703 ], [ 149.0755569934845, -35.30724569420194 ], [ 149.07444655895233, -35.3060943479756 ], [ 149.073668718338, -35.305301967099744 ], [ 149.07304108142853, -35.30456211275678 ], [ 149.0728425979614, -35.30410681441372 ], [ 149.072767496109, -35.303730315771645 ], [ 149.07278895378113, -35.3033231699196 ], [ 149.07286942005157, -35.30299920293926 ], [ 149.07315373420715, -35.30249136019752 ], [ 149.0738886594772, -35.30147566515187 ], [ 149.07402276992798, -35.30112542252478 ], [ 149.0740120410919, -35.300818958982504 ], [ 149.0738832950592, -35.30057816538504 ], [ 149.0735560655594, -35.30031548064333 ], [ 149.07262802124023, -35.29984702407098 ], [ 149.0721881389618, -35.29961060570574 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#2f9fa7", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Woden" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.08273458480835, -35.31303282133968 ], [ 149.08261120319366, -35.313102859676974 ], [ 149.08152222633362, -35.31355373002139 ], [ 149.0799182653427, -35.31424535149016 ], [ 149.07884001731873, -35.31488006219073 ], [ 149.07809436321259, -35.315203981594095 ], [ 149.07680690288544, -35.31571174453453 ], [ 149.07603442668915, -35.31597000204842 ], [ 149.07462358474731, -35.31632893485064 ], [ 149.0714854001999, -35.316893594205446 ], [ 149.07022476196286, -35.31713433924318 ], [ 149.0695434808731, -35.31731818042577 ], [ 149.06847059726715, -35.31769461582897 ], [ 149.06760156154633, -35.31815421481763 ], [ 149.06659841537473, -35.31872323851793 ], [ 149.06583130359647, -35.31923973348696 ], [ 149.06567573547363, -35.31926599585488 ], [ 149.06548261642456, -35.31934478290745 ], [ 149.0641576051712, -35.32000133869363 ], [ 149.0633475780487, -35.320242074479566 ], [ 149.06317055225372, -35.3250435094449 ], [ 149.06306326389313, -35.32802401979316 ], [ 149.0631330013275, -35.33027355395209 ], [ 149.0632027387619, -35.33048362398489 ], [ 149.06355142593384, -35.333341397488454 ], [ 149.0643721818924, -35.33672420550415 ], [ 149.06480133533478, -35.33777009032054 ], [ 149.06608879566193, -35.340811393938175 ], [ 149.06622290611267, -35.34106081951554 ], [ 149.06785368919373, -35.343769444184474 ], [ 149.0696185827255, -35.34779939456281 ], [ 149.0697580575943, -35.348477596632556 ], [ 149.0700799226761, -35.34997399654045 ], [ 149.07018721103668, -35.351102841284046 ], [ 149.07022476196286, -35.35257731627555 ], [ 149.0700262784958, -35.35560931230395 ], [ 149.06997799873352, -35.355989944455665 ], [ 149.06948447227478, -35.35735495534936 ], [ 149.06888902187347, -35.35900431272731 ], [ 149.0684276819229, -35.35998866115671 ], [ 149.06756937503815, -35.361423600924795 ], [ 149.06560599803925, -35.36411841888421 ], [ 149.06545042991638, -35.364284654708825 ], [ 149.0640288591385, -35.36571514357902 ], [ 149.06333684921265, -35.36638007167168 ], [ 149.07757937908173, -35.36636694814388 ], [ 149.07870590686798, -35.36768366480049 ], [ 149.07892584800717, -35.36830045823919 ], [ 149.080696105957, -35.37044388814968 ], [ 149.0816617012024, -35.37203173931877 ], [ 149.08195674419403, -35.3747524474845 ], [ 149.08122718334198, -35.3764364411466 ], [ 149.08192455768585, -35.37692632361329 ], [ 149.08196210861206, -35.37724124648567 ], [ 149.08208012580872, -35.37749055955464 ], [ 149.08222496509552, -35.377669889531425 ], [ 149.08251464366913, -35.37778361077361 ], [ 149.08278822898865, -35.37780985411444 ], [ 149.0829062461853, -35.37819475546586 ], [ 149.08328711986542, -35.37819038159718 ], [ 149.08453166484833, -35.37763927224653 ], [ 149.08604979515076, -35.37751680299077 ], [ 149.09019649028778, -35.3779454445727 ], [ 149.09239590168, -35.37751680299077 ], [ 149.0934956073761, -35.377486185647776 ], [ 149.0940535068512, -35.37747743783336 ], [ 149.09678399562836, -35.37763052444871 ], [ 149.0997076034546, -35.37876335637538 ], [ 149.10052299499512, -35.3796949784353 ], [ 149.10103797912598, -35.38016734607412 ], [ 149.1018533706665, -35.380749054273885 ], [ 149.1032910346985, -35.381168931270494 ], [ 149.103924036026, -35.38159317976641 ], [ 149.10519540309906, -35.38401616450181 ], [ 149.10553872585297, -35.3842785772536 ], [ 149.10767376422882, -35.38402053805466 ], [ 149.10836577415466, -35.383876210685145 ], [ 149.10935819149017, -35.38375375089641 ], [ 149.10985708236694, -35.38375375089641 ], [ 149.1105169057846, -35.383858716441 ], [ 149.11178827285767, -35.38386309000239 ], [ 149.11352634429932, -35.383438853443174 ], [ 149.12517786026, -35.38056535740075 ], [ 149.11894977092743, -35.35949867588296 ], [ 149.1273719072342, -35.35185102038559 ], [ 149.11613881587982, -35.33689049771888 ], [ 149.1167664527893, -35.328667375448184 ], [ 149.1165840625763, -35.32858422092375 ], [ 149.11632657051086, -35.32840478192172 ], [ 149.11626756191254, -35.32825160197068 ], [ 149.1161334514618, -35.32743755507515 ], [ 149.11603689193726, -35.32724498364283 ], [ 149.11569356918335, -35.326767929709725 ], [ 149.11522686481476, -35.32614644238159 ], [ 149.11473333835602, -35.325468052872395 ], [ 149.11463677883148, -35.32531049062339 ], [ 149.11457777023313, -35.32500411870459 ], [ 149.11453485488892, -35.324697745624796 ], [ 149.11434710025787, -35.324457023104756 ], [ 149.1140627861023, -35.32426444457267 ], [ 149.1137570142746, -35.324225053452786 ], [ 149.11351025104523, -35.32426444457267 ], [ 149.11314010620117, -35.324422008860324 ], [ 149.11291480064392, -35.324457023104756 ], [ 149.1122442483902, -35.32452267477221 ], [ 149.11182582378387, -35.324513921219626 ], [ 149.11127865314484, -35.32444389276486 ], [ 149.1100823879242, -35.32429945888535 ], [ 149.10984635353088, -35.32418128551927 ], [ 149.10969078540802, -35.32404122797286 ], [ 149.1095834970474, -35.32386615569864 ], [ 149.1095781326294, -35.32368232940271 ], [ 149.10955131053925, -35.32342847335455 ], [ 149.10947620868683, -35.32345473436201 ], [ 149.1094708442688, -35.32351163318224 ], [ 149.1094172000885, -35.32376986578623 ], [ 149.10939037799835, -35.32430383567337 ], [ 149.10926699638367, -35.32504788619264 ], [ 149.109148979187, -35.32524046285859 ], [ 149.10891830921173, -35.32535425794557 ], [ 149.1085535287857, -35.3254636761474 ], [ 149.10814583301544, -35.325459299422164 ], [ 149.10777032375333, -35.325503066663806 ], [ 149.1072446107864, -35.32561248466422 ], [ 149.1063755750656, -35.32593636107755 ], [ 149.10456240177155, -35.326925489118246 ], [ 149.10215377807617, -35.32811155147572 ], [ 149.10151541233063, -35.32823409567208 ], [ 149.10112380981442, -35.32820345964041 ], [ 149.1007697582245, -35.32809842172938 ], [ 149.10052835941315, -35.327888345497875 ], [ 149.10042107105255, -35.3276870219304 ], [ 149.09256219863892, -35.327026151912925 ], [ 149.08990681171417, -35.32681169624289 ], [ 149.0880936384201, -35.32662787664435 ], [ 149.0872085094452, -35.3263608998164 ], [ 149.08781468868256, -35.32467586178896 ], [ 149.08970832824707, -35.31937979935062 ], [ 149.0907382965088, -35.31645149690606 ], [ 149.09200966358185, -35.31287085745241 ], [ 149.0897512435913, -35.31232367975891 ], [ 149.08787369728088, -35.31238496384467 ], [ 149.0862214565277, -35.312446247883976 ], [ 149.085550904274, -35.31245938017207 ], [ 149.0841829776764, -35.312647609400514 ], [ 149.08358752727509, -35.31275704479706 ], [ 149.08315300941467, -35.312892744483165 ], [ 149.08273458480835, -35.31303282133968 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#b0b319", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Stromlo" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.0330386161804, -35.360767381634425 ], [ 149.03225004673004, -35.35880306668206 ], [ 149.0328884124756, -35.35815557600307 ], [ 149.0313971042633, -35.35626557351451 ], [ 149.03185307979584, -35.35496617114335 ], [ 149.0313595533371, -35.3544936560064 ], [ 149.02898848056793, -35.35363612147412 ], [ 149.0288758277893, -35.35367987345641 ], [ 149.02796924114227, -35.35359236946813 ], [ 149.02695536613462, -35.353496114971534 ], [ 149.02661204338074, -35.35336485865492 ], [ 149.02640283107758, -35.35315922333001 ], [ 149.0261936187744, -35.35281795503956 ], [ 149.0262097120285, -35.35234542733369 ], [ 149.0268909931183, -35.351518497196096 ], [ 149.0271645784378, -35.35131723249527 ], [ 149.02652621269226, -35.350538420884334 ], [ 149.02657985687256, -35.350087756803084 ], [ 149.0264993906021, -35.3499521195485 ], [ 149.02554988861084, -35.3505252947816 ], [ 149.02487933635712, -35.350700309309346 ], [ 149.0237581729889, -35.350713435383646 ], [ 149.02335047721863, -35.34967209352817 ], [ 149.02366697788239, -35.3496327147912 ], [ 149.02414441108704, -35.349431445391325 ], [ 149.02580738067627, -35.34791315788811 ], [ 149.02240633964539, -35.33720120067679 ], [ 149.02612388134003, -35.32532362082253 ], [ 149.03039932250977, -35.326172702506234 ], [ 149.03122007846832, -35.3214501196011 ], [ 149.03140246868134, -35.321196256544454 ], [ 149.0313971042633, -35.320675397088145 ], [ 149.03164386749268, -35.31963804515071 ], [ 149.03205692768097, -35.318022901087396 ], [ 149.03221249580383, -35.317396969376084 ], [ 149.03253972530365, -35.316981137938456 ], [ 149.03207302093503, -35.31639021590156 ], [ 149.03029203414917, -35.31483628919889 ], [ 149.02980387210846, -35.31459991463352 ], [ 149.02710556983948, -35.31368505100829 ], [ 149.0269660949707, -35.31354935265149 ], [ 149.02659058570862, -35.31350120156693 ], [ 149.02558743953702, -35.313063463119704 ], [ 149.02477741241455, -35.3126082126215 ], [ 149.02355432510376, -35.31173710116049 ], [ 149.02210593223572, -35.310704012091776 ], [ 149.02152121067047, -35.31003862570588 ], [ 149.0213656425476, -35.309701552882316 ], [ 149.02115643024445, -35.30954395991153 ], [ 149.01935935020447, -35.308650927277874 ], [ 149.01793241500852, -35.30764406493617 ], [ 149.01719212532043, -35.30729384901031 ], [ 149.01563644409177, -35.306812299636746 ], [ 149.01514291763306, -35.306527746386884 ], [ 149.01476740837097, -35.30621254777257 ], [ 149.0134745836258, -35.3047459825152 ], [ 149.01288449764252, -35.30384851902237 ], [ 149.0119457244873, -35.302329375204245 ], [ 149.01099622249603, -35.30139686069295 ], [ 149.0103256702423, -35.30090214205874 ], [ 149.0096551179886, -35.300534384653965 ], [ 149.00880217552185, -35.30010971033338 ], [ 149.009370803833, -35.29950115252496 ], [ 149.01021301746368, -35.29904144754908 ], [ 149.01030957698822, -35.29880064866236 ], [ 149.01041686534882, -35.298616765393646 ], [ 149.01058852672577, -35.29850731086865 ], [ 149.01096403598785, -35.29837596524326 ], [ 149.01106595993042, -35.2982271066101 ], [ 149.0111893415451, -35.29796003602311 ], [ 149.01141464710236, -35.297793663736506 ], [ 149.0117633342743, -35.297583508780335 ], [ 149.01239097118378, -35.29670785725545 ], [ 149.0126270055771, -35.29646267313067 ], [ 149.01276111602783, -35.29639699868541 ], [ 149.0131151676178, -35.29615619193016 ], [ 149.01373207569122, -35.29597668097375 ], [ 149.0151858329773, -35.29571835963042 ], [ 149.01692926883698, -35.29545128076451 ], [ 149.01890337467194, -35.29530679510903 ], [ 149.0194022655487, -35.29519733610741 ], [ 149.0193003416061, -35.295035336513315 ], [ 149.01928961277008, -35.29486020145226 ], [ 149.02146756649017, -35.281281702403 ], [ 149.0212368965149, -35.28027012036166 ], [ 149.02052342891693, -35.2803839787117 ], [ 149.0192574262619, -35.28016064102797 ], [ 149.0181416273117, -35.27969644700892 ], [ 149.0177822113037, -35.279096494193425 ], [ 149.01755154132843, -35.278172470579094 ], [ 149.01816844940186, -35.275974040264515 ], [ 149.01843667030334, -35.27456386032136 ], [ 149.01831328868866, -35.27333321739013 ], [ 149.01788413524628, -35.27247044233579 ], [ 149.01743352413177, -35.272233944015674 ], [ 149.01647329330444, -35.271909852603706 ], [ 149.01617288589478, -35.27176532493438 ], [ 149.01533603668213, -35.27178284345348 ], [ 149.01426315307617, -35.271936130334055 ], [ 149.0110445022583, -35.27184415824052 ], [ 149.0097999572754, -35.27212445381882 ], [ 149.00816917419434, -35.27233029526647 ], [ 149.00732696056366, -35.27229087885954 ], [ 149.00592684745786, -35.271279184517894 ], [ 149.00469303131104, -35.27022368041706 ], [ 149.00383472442627, -35.268931654602746 ], [ 149.0035343170166, -35.26866010757389 ], [ 149.00375425815582, -35.267757864135575 ], [ 149.0036416053772, -35.26716658264594 ], [ 149.00338947772977, -35.26581318877207 ], [ 149.00266528129578, -35.26396920798488 ], [ 149.00253117084503, -35.26336475859461 ], [ 149.00243997573853, -35.26268146255011 ], [ 149.00168359279633, -35.26106518166569 ], [ 149.00116324424744, -35.260276740267884 ], [ 149.00041222572327, -35.2597073055989 ], [ 148.9994841814041, -35.25905026062448 ], [ 148.9990121126175, -35.25885752642153 ], [ 148.99705946445465, -35.25813476907836 ], [ 148.9965122938156, -35.25827932106264 ], [ 148.99623334407806, -35.259023978714694 ], [ 148.9960777759552, -35.25977739008177 ], [ 148.99605631828305, -35.2618229542244 ], [ 148.9959168434143, -35.26231791166531 ], [ 148.99554669857025, -35.262777825161784 ], [ 148.9950907230377, -35.26293988929571 ], [ 148.99462401866913, -35.26285228710141 ], [ 148.99386763572693, -35.262541298546765 ], [ 148.99329900741577, -35.262444935653825 ], [ 148.99287521839142, -35.26243617538514 ], [ 148.99223685264587, -35.26234419250686 ], [ 148.9921134710312, -35.26200254090197 ], [ 148.99181306362152, -35.26173535082262 ], [ 148.9913249015808, -35.261485680608004 ], [ 148.99059534072876, -35.26133237395469 ], [ 148.98996770381927, -35.26127543140959 ], [ 148.98953318595886, -35.26131485317583 ], [ 148.98912012577057, -35.26141559760247 ], [ 148.98872315883634, -35.26210328447368 ], [ 148.9881598949432, -35.26246683632137 ], [ 148.987575173378, -35.2624405555196 ], [ 148.98728013038635, -35.26224344923466 ], [ 148.98674905300138, -35.2620288218458 ], [ 148.98611068725586, -35.26157766446077 ], [ 148.9849358797073, -35.26106518166569 ], [ 148.98425459861755, -35.26103013998867 ], [ 148.98378789424896, -35.260907493999795 ], [ 148.98244678974152, -35.26054831539317 ], [ 148.9820820093155, -35.26019789570622 ], [ 148.98210883140564, -35.25979929147025 ], [ 148.98198008537292, -35.25939630497497 ], [ 148.98162603378296, -35.25913348661588 ], [ 148.98114860057828, -35.259023978714694 ], [ 148.98079991340637, -35.25912472598922 ], [ 148.9793461561203, -35.25935688227544 ], [ 148.979110121727, -35.25932183985976 ], [ 148.97893309593198, -35.25907216220944 ], [ 148.97778511047363, -35.25845891559304 ], [ 148.9775437116623, -35.25798145608605 ], [ 148.97798359394073, -35.25722802802356 ], [ 148.97834837436676, -35.25633879868296 ], [ 148.97814989089966, -35.255979599828315 ], [ 148.97756516933438, -35.255326905152415 ], [ 148.9770931005478, -35.25510349838484 ], [ 148.97655665874478, -35.25512978156593 ], [ 148.97618651390076, -35.255252436298306 ], [ 148.97473275661469, -35.255817521775164 ], [ 148.974426984787, -35.256054068014336 ], [ 148.97398173809052, -35.2561197751805 ], [ 148.97371888160706, -35.25611539470441 ], [ 148.97313416004178, -35.256032165613796 ], [ 148.97285521030426, -35.25581314128274 ], [ 148.97259771823883, -35.25538385187704 ], [ 148.9723938703537, -35.254774957902185 ], [ 148.97251725196838, -35.25454278849141 ], [ 148.9728498458862, -35.25429309611882 ], [ 148.97287130355835, -35.25396893294378 ], [ 148.97250652313232, -35.253425737690264 ], [ 148.97224366664886, -35.252948248533855 ], [ 148.97183060646057, -35.25247951791071 ], [ 148.97144973278046, -35.252177250931254 ], [ 148.9710956811905, -35.25146319547475 ], [ 148.97106885910034, -35.25095064872349 ], [ 148.97085964679718, -35.250341721448194 ], [ 148.97033393383026, -35.24970650466818 ], [ 148.97004425525665, -35.24939108483161 ], [ 148.9694756269455, -35.24904937862382 ], [ 148.96838665008545, -35.24862443427935 ], [ 148.96771609783173, -35.24827396304093 ], [ 148.96656274795532, -35.247818348166085 ], [ 148.96622478961945, -35.247660634728256 ], [ 148.96596729755402, -35.24753796850897 ], [ 148.96513044834137, -35.247389016421764 ], [ 148.9646476507187, -35.24716558777787 ], [ 148.9641433954239, -35.24708673046244 ], [ 148.96371960639954, -35.24701663500655 ], [ 148.96341919898987, -35.246876443913 ], [ 148.9631187915802, -35.246766919452504 ], [ 148.96273255348206, -35.246600441989195 ], [ 148.96256625652313, -35.24658291802581 ], [ 148.96238386631012, -35.246543489094336 ], [ 148.96219074726105, -35.24651282213437 ], [ 148.96201372146604, -35.24643834518332 ], [ 148.96180987358093, -35.2462762480534 ], [ 148.96165430545807, -35.246114150599425 ], [ 148.96152555942535, -35.245868813295914 ], [ 148.96140754222867, -35.24552709224327 ], [ 148.96135926246643, -35.2451853697505 ], [ 148.9614236354828, -35.24490498098851 ], [ 148.96158456802368, -35.24476040515426 ], [ 148.9621263742447, -35.243998091947184 ], [ 148.96323680877686, -35.24361693265621 ], [ 148.96420240402222, -35.243498641477494 ], [ 148.96513044834137, -35.24327958328346 ], [ 148.96638572216034, -35.24285022750659 ], [ 148.967946767807, -35.241676059283535 ], [ 148.9667397737503, -35.24134308311123 ], [ 148.9660370349884, -35.24104077461283 ], [ 148.96471202373502, -35.240541305929106 ], [ 148.96374642848966, -35.24000240205724 ], [ 148.96291494369507, -35.239870961545286 ], [ 148.96235704421997, -35.23970446992432 ], [ 148.96121442317963, -35.23959493577678 ], [ 148.9607048034668, -35.2392619510598 ], [ 148.95929396152496, -35.23888953232258 ], [ 148.95883798599243, -35.23878875989972 ], [ 148.95811915397644, -35.238639791740916 ], [ 148.95731449127197, -35.2386135032139 ], [ 148.95705699920651, -35.23862226605719 ], [ 148.95642399787903, -35.23870551302117 ], [ 148.95580172538757, -35.23856968898327 ], [ 148.95444452762604, -35.23892458357075 ], [ 148.95367741584778, -35.23920499301077 ], [ 148.95346820354462, -35.23937586703788 ], [ 148.9530336856842, -35.23962998672009 ], [ 148.95264208316803, -35.23977457170112 ], [ 148.95164966583252, -35.240830472384076 ], [ 148.95177841186523, -35.24213608990395 ], [ 148.9521700143814, -35.24320948453639 ], [ 148.95205736160278, -35.24373084251708 ], [ 148.9521700143814, -35.244418679430424 ], [ 148.9525991678238, -35.24563223733594 ], [ 148.95218074321747, -35.24655663207361 ], [ 148.95200908184052, -35.24706920660415 ], [ 148.95203053951263, -35.24772196776831 ], [ 148.95172476768494, -35.24825643943924 ], [ 148.9508181810379, -35.24944365488959 ], [ 148.94829154014587, -35.250889318125914 ], [ 148.94752979278564, -35.25152014491375 ], [ 148.9460653066635, -35.252387523731926 ], [ 148.94518554210663, -35.25357905929989 ], [ 148.94459009170532, -35.256185482293375 ], [ 148.94441306591034, -35.2582136156472 ], [ 148.94450426101685, -35.26051327349266 ], [ 148.94376933574677, -35.26341293950849 ], [ 148.94379079341888, -35.264065569065174 ], [ 148.9440643787384, -35.26472695338746 ], [ 148.94440770149228, -35.26614606444259 ], [ 148.9455932378769, -35.268502434687846 ], [ 148.94744396209717, -35.27110399806713 ], [ 148.94910156726837, -35.27285146595475 ], [ 148.95317316055298, -35.2782556769289 ], [ 148.9541655778885, -35.279635138165965 ], [ 148.95446062088013, -35.28020443277921 ], [ 148.95454108715057, -35.280283257871766 ], [ 148.95468592643738, -35.280370841217945 ], [ 148.9548361301422, -35.28041463285552 ], [ 148.9549595117569, -35.28053724931473 ], [ 148.95511507987976, -35.280918234985506 ], [ 148.95513117313385, -35.28144810862802 ], [ 148.95433723926544, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 148.95410656929016, -35.283287312548666 ], [ 148.9541494846344, -35.283992329642125 ], [ 148.9542192220688, -35.28428134108654 ], [ 148.95435333251953, -35.28481557164669 ], [ 148.9549970626831, -35.28626936155247 ], [ 148.95583391189575, -35.287915790886814 ], [ 148.9558982849121, -35.28966727469877 ], [ 148.9559143781662, -35.290591167142914 ], [ 148.95609140396115, -35.291256713459724 ], [ 148.95647764205933, -35.291716462654016 ], [ 148.9575397968292, -35.29235572862258 ], [ 148.95899891853333, -35.29307818066088 ], [ 148.96006643772125, -35.29363862386131 ], [ 148.9616596698761, -35.29416403583741 ], [ 148.9630490541458, -35.29496528253437 ], [ 148.9646476507187, -35.29579716961918 ], [ 148.9663428068161, -35.29662466986779 ], [ 148.96799504756927, -35.29762729110786 ], [ 148.96853148937225, -35.298135164376355 ], [ 148.96883726119995, -35.29865616898641 ], [ 148.96871387958527, -35.29962811820092 ], [ 148.96896064281464, -35.30302109264095 ], [ 148.96875143051147, -35.30404990194069 ], [ 148.9679253101349, -35.30545519052629 ], [ 148.96660566329953, -35.30674225585272 ], [ 148.96567225456238, -35.30749960105045 ], [ 148.96491050720215, -35.30794174728113 ], [ 148.9636069536209, -35.30847144403914 ], [ 148.96224975585938, -35.30889607447271 ], [ 148.96163821220398, -35.309233150652624 ], [ 148.96110713481903, -35.30967090982871 ], [ 148.96028101444242, -35.31076091988386 ], [ 148.95970165729523, -35.31178087582964 ], [ 148.9594602584839, -35.31303282133968 ], [ 148.9594978094101, -35.31363690000452 ], [ 148.95956754684448, -35.31416655946945 ], [ 148.95983576774597, -35.31449485904939 ], [ 148.96015763282776, -35.31472247930921 ], [ 148.96082282066345, -35.315440354394 ], [ 148.96125197410583, -35.31618886370272 ], [ 148.96140217781067, -35.316928611710026 ], [ 148.9612627029419, -35.317431986662704 ], [ 148.96108567714688, -35.31783906150687 ], [ 148.9608657360077, -35.318022901087396 ], [ 148.96031320095062, -35.31843435006277 ], [ 148.95977139472961, -35.31868384469846 ], [ 148.95909547805786, -35.318837042777524 ], [ 148.9582908153534, -35.31899024056635 ], [ 148.95715355873108, -35.319012125941065 ], [ 148.955163359642, -35.3190165030153 ], [ 148.95263671875, -35.319025257163055 ], [ 148.95200908184052, -35.31907340495875 ], [ 148.95151019096375, -35.31932289762277 ], [ 148.95090401172638, -35.32027709053417 ], [ 148.95063042640686, -35.32095990056832 ], [ 148.95034611225128, -35.32238677984555 ], [ 148.95028173923492, -35.32324464606348 ], [ 148.95028710365295, -35.323835518011684 ], [ 148.95077526569364, -35.32580068327854 ], [ 148.95106494426727, -35.32622084604588 ], [ 148.9514458179474, -35.326623499982155 ], [ 148.95185351371765, -35.32794961778846 ], [ 148.9529049396515, -35.32958644607322 ], [ 148.95431578159332, -35.33183156037109 ], [ 148.95543158054352, -35.33361272754586 ], [ 148.9567083120346, -35.335280074513484 ], [ 148.95804405212402, -35.33667169210209 ], [ 148.95883262157437, -35.33739812446824 ], [ 148.95963191986084, -35.34170407139852 ], [ 148.96037220954895, -35.34368192945968 ], [ 148.9620566368103, -35.344933381009525 ], [ 148.96531820297238, -35.34562473404232 ], [ 148.96759271621704, -35.34601416447477 ], [ 148.96964728832245, -35.3466354990305 ], [ 148.97136926651, -35.34768125555545 ], [ 148.97276937961576, -35.34839008700804 ], [ 148.97431433200836, -35.3487838795718 ], [ 148.97499024868011, -35.34883638510192 ], [ 148.97604167461395, -35.34877075318394 ], [ 148.97672832012177, -35.349129540351164 ], [ 148.97692680358887, -35.3498908639395 ], [ 148.97725403308868, -35.35194290155181 ], [ 148.97666931152344, -35.35322922690366 ], [ 148.97617042064667, -35.35536868185714 ], [ 148.97631525993344, -35.35688682921304 ], [ 148.97780656814572, -35.36071050904478 ], [ 148.97800505161285, -35.36183045420632 ], [ 148.9791369438171, -35.36457775388155 ], [ 148.9800488948822, -35.36614822236656 ], [ 148.98191034793854, -35.369289067678324 ], [ 148.98251116275787, -35.37134061234631 ], [ 148.982720375061, -35.37284096274567 ], [ 148.9826613664627, -35.37429317038669 ], [ 148.98337483406067, -35.37525983628692 ], [ 148.98427605628967, -35.375806587890835 ], [ 148.98545622825623, -35.37619149879799 ], [ 148.9870172739029, -35.37564912380872 ], [ 148.98797750473022, -35.374979898031825 ], [ 148.9898818731308, -35.373702667420204 ], [ 148.9919149875641, -35.37271411204205 ], [ 148.99490296840668, -35.37193988101158 ], [ 148.99653375148773, -35.371725544554835 ], [ 149.0001493692398, -35.371769286735095 ], [ 149.000723361969, -35.37182615153399 ], [ 149.00143146514893, -35.372036113521276 ], [ 149.0028476715088, -35.372394797319245 ], [ 149.00428533554077, -35.37263537702227 ], [ 149.0069192647934, -35.373588940426735 ], [ 149.00779366493225, -35.37413570335145 ], [ 149.0085232257843, -35.374761195594324 ], [ 149.00885045528412, -35.37529920252617 ], [ 149.00897920131683, -35.375697237866405 ], [ 149.00902748107907, -35.3762089947047 ], [ 149.00890946388245, -35.37657640786914 ], [ 149.00847494602203, -35.37713627233144 ], [ 149.0087217092514, -35.37781422800374 ], [ 149.00914013385773, -35.37859277652325 ], [ 149.0098214149475, -35.37917449607533 ], [ 149.01055097579956, -35.37979120169713 ], [ 149.01109278202057, -35.380442892586295 ], [ 149.01163458824158, -35.3813482530719 ], [ 149.01219248771667, -35.38178124797359 ], [ 149.0128147602081, -35.38251602188293 ], [ 149.01328682899475, -35.38357443444178 ], [ 149.013329744339, -35.384554109724284 ], [ 149.01370525360107, -35.38560374861022 ], [ 149.0140163898468, -35.387466823995766 ], [ 149.01415586471558, -35.38804410622761 ], [ 149.03443336486816, -35.37535169081528 ], [ 149.0330386161804, -35.360767381634425 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> gspfok36j5bh43l3aqvi1or1mk9yxme 4501808 4501805 2022-08-16T02:18:42Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Do */ Updated listing for Oakey Hill Nature Reserve wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Canberra National Arboretum with Telstra Tower 2, Canberra ACT (cropped).jpg|pgname=Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden}} [[File:WodenValleyfrmRedHillMay2005.jpg|thumb|250px|Woden Valley from Red Hill in South Canberra]] '''Weston Creek''', '''Molonglo Valley''' and '''Woden''' (sometimes called Woden Valley) are three districts of [[Canberra]] just west and southwest of [[Canberra/Acton|Acton]] and [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. They are just on the edge of Country ACT home to the National Arboretum, some of the most impressive greenery one could find in Canberra (without going to [[Country ACT]] that is...). Although Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden are three reasonably sized districts. In many ways, they are often treated as one. They have a single bus network, and [https://visitcanberra.com.au/our-neighbourhoods/south-canberra/woden-weston-creek-and-molonglo Canberra's official tourism website] categorises the three districts as one. Whilst the name of this article might be very lengthy, this article also covers the District of '''Stromlo''', essentially a rural district that starts at the western end of Weston Creek and borders the Murrumbidgee River to its west. It's very rural at this point, but a great place for mountain biking. ==Understand== ===Orientation=== {{mapframe|-35.3121|149.0343|show=mask1|name=Map of districts|zoom=12|width=600|height=580}} The following districts that are covered in this article listed from northwest to southeast. Unlike some other parts of Canberra, these names are commonly used in daily speech, both in government and colloquial conversation. When it comes to signage Woden and Weston Creek are two major focal points, but Molonglo Valley rarely appears; often because you would normally have to enter through Weston Creek. Stromlo, being entirely rural sadly has no mention on the poor, unaesthetic signs; just head west of Weston Creek and you'll eventually arrive at Stromlo. <!--do not alphabetize. leave urban districts first, then rural as with other canberran articles that have this format--> {{Regionlist |region1name=Molonglo Valley |region1color=#831b1b |region1description=One of the newest developments in the Australian Capital Territory, and home to the prime attraction of this district: the National Arboretum. Most of Molonglo still has an "under construction" feel as you'll see quite a lot of construction trucks around. It's near many important points of interest in [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Country ACT]] (in particular, Mount Stromlo), and one of the few places that feel so far away from a central business district, but yet only 10 km from [[Canberra/Civic|Civic]]. |region2name=Weston Creek |region2color=#15770e |region2description=Mostly a residential area that looks and resembles any other part of a typical suburban district of suburb in Australia. It used to be a rather smelly area in the mid-20th century when a sewerage was in operation, but it's been closed since 1978 and has since grown as a residential area. |region3name=Woden (Woden Valley) |region3color=#2f9fa7 |region3description=Makes up one of the five major town centres of Canberra (with the other four being Civic, Belconnen, Gungahlin and Tuggeranong), that is mostly taken up by one mall: Westfield Woden, which contains many cafes, restaurants (and the most diverse range in this area) and stores. |region4name=Stromlo |region4color=#b0b319 |region4description=Just to the west slowly engulfed by the growing, residential Weston Creek, it's a semi-rural district of Canberra. Most of the district is taken up by the Stromlo Park a great place for mountain biking and Mount Stromlo Observatory, an [[Canberra/Acton|Australian National Univeristy]] site that's a great place to see the stars and planets – and if you do happen to come here during the day, be prepared to see hundreds of roos wandering around. }} ==Get in== ===By car=== All three districts are well connected by road: there is a freeway that runs through the centre of the three districts, also making it convenient to get around. If you are coming from [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]], use the unnumbered Drakeford Drive up northwest, and the continue on Tuggeranong Parkway once the freeway grade road begins. From here, depending on which district you are intending to visit, you'll have to take different exits. If you are intending to go to either the districts of Weston Creek or Woden, exit onto Hindmarsh Drive, while if you are intending to visit Molonglo Valley, exit onto either Lady Denman Drive or Hindmarsh Drive. The Lady Denman Drive exit has all the important points of interests clearly marked on a brown tourist sign, so make sure to look out for the names of tourist spots, not the ones of the suburbs or Molonglo Valley. ===By bus=== To get to Woden, the ACTION buses R4, R5 and R6 stop at {{marker|type=go|name=Woden Interchange|lat=-35.344437|long=149.086908}}, all come from [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]], while R4 and R5 lines also come from [[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]]. To get into Molonglo, use the R10 ACTION bus from [[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] – it too passes South Canberra but passes by the Australian Defence College to the north of the district. Meanwhile if you're looking to get into Weston Creek, use the R7 ACTION bus which runs parallel to R10 until Streeton Dr. After passing Cooleman Court Interchange, the line terminates at {{marker|type=go|name=Weston Creek Terminus|lat=-35.343944|long=149.028096}}. There are no bus services to Stromlo – if you don't have a car, your best bet to reach Stromlo is to catch a taxi or an Uber. Walking is not advisable due to the long distances involved on non-existent paths. Just to give one example, the distance between the Mount Stromlo Observatory and Weston Creek Town Centre is 9.4 km, on a steep and requires you to walk on the road and you'll be a nuisance to drivers were you to walk on the road. Cycling is a better alternative to get around, but you'll often have to rent one closer to Civic. {{mapframe|align=center|width=100%|height=550|zoom=12|name=Map of Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden}}<!--{{mapshape|wikidata=Q1075130,Q260941,Q1178790,Q8049536}}--> {{mapshape|type=geoline|wikidata=Q112311137|title=STEP Circuit|fill={{StdColor|T1}}}} ==See== ===National Arboretum=== {{infobox|How many arboretums does the ACT have?|Okay, it might not be a question you might be thinking, but the answer to this rather trivial fact may in fact surprise you. Obviously, your first instinct would say "one"; after all, Washington, D.C. has one, Ottawa has one, Wellington has one, so it'd be natural for the ACT to have one. But no, instead, there are three. Yep, not one, not two, but three. The obvious first one is the National Arboretum, the second is the [[#Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum|Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum]] actually only a few metres away down in Yarramundi Reach and used to be the national arboretum until this new gigantic arboretum open. The third, [[Canberra/Namadgi_National_Park#Bendora Arboretum|Bendora Arboretum]] isn't quite in Canberra, but a 1-hour drive from the National Arboretum, but still within the ACT within Namadgi National Park. It's so far out that it's hard to even tell that Bendora Arboretum is an arboretum given it's in the midst of the bush (and often covered in snow during winter), but it was used to test which plants and trees would successfully grow in [[Canberra]].}} [[File:National Arboretum Canberra 13.jpg|thumb|300px|The Big Acorn, one of [[Australia's big things]] in the National Arboretum]] The '''[http://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/ National Arboretum]''' opened in February 2013 as part of the celebrations of Canberra's centenary. While the plants still need a bit more time to grow, the site has good views over Lake Burley Griffin. If you need to contact the arboretum, try emailing {{email|arboretum@act.gov.au}} or calling {{phone|+61 13 22 81}}. It's open {{time|6AM|8:30PM}} during daylight savings and {{time|7AM|5:30PM}} during non-daylight savings, though individual sections of the garden may have different opening hours. You can enter the National Arboretum free of charge, but you will need to pay for a parking ticket if you want to park at the village centre. Parking is very inexpensive – the max you'll have to pay is around $8 and funds usually go towards maintaining the arboretum. * {{see | name=Dairy Farmers Hill | alt= | url= | email= | address=95 Forest Dr | lat=-35.2924 | long=149.0647 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-16 | content=If you're here for the good views, this hill is a must-see. Situated within the southwest of the arboretum, this viewpoint offers spectacular scenery looking east along the length of Lake Burley Griffin. }} * {{see | name=Village Centre and National Bonsai and Penjing Collection | alt= | url=https://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/venue-hire/bonsai-collection | email= | address=Forest Dr | lat=-35.2881| long=149.0693 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6251 3371 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 9AM–4PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-16 | content=It has an extensive collection of miniature trees and forests along with 70 artworks (ranging from modern, to artworks that are over a century old). The village centre also contains a restaurant, a cafe, an information centre, toilets and a small souvenir store called {{marker|type=buy|name=The Curatoreum|url=http://www.thecuratoreum.com/|lat=-35.2881|long=149.0691}}. }} ** If you've got small children, the National Arboretum perhaps has one of the most creative-looking playgrounds. The {{marker|type=see|name=Big Acorn|lat=-35.2872|long=149.0687}} or '''Pod Playground''' is one of [[Australia's big things]] right next to the village centre between the carpark, village centre and the start of the Central Valley Path. It's kind of hard to not notice it while leaving towards the Central Valley Path and often does dazzle your mind a bit as to who designed it. * The {{marker|type=see|name=STEP Botanic Garden | lat=-35.28524 | long=149.06644 }}, with "STEP" short for Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park, is perhaps the closest that you could find in the region to [[bush tucker]] – there's a good albeit rather small bush tucker botanic garden along with the typical grasses, shrubs and trees or anything you would find in the [[Southern Highlands (New South Wales)|Southern Tablelands]] of [[New South Wales]]. There's a short 1.5-km walk that you can take starting from the village centre where parking your car shouldn't pose issues. * Another must-see in the arboretum, especially during winter is the {{marker|type=see|name=Himalayan Cedars|lat=-35.28681|long=149.075791}}. Apart from the impressive sculpture that reads "wide brown land", symbolising what inland Australia is like (but not Canberra though), these cedars are about 100 years old (as of 2022, that's more than 10 times older than the arboretum it's located in) and is the most well-grown out of the relatively new arboretum. There's a 2.1-km loop trail starting from the village centre, but alternatively you can take your car up to the lookout and do a shorter walk if you're not feeling like walking the entire trail. * The {{marker|type=see|name=Cork Oak Forest|lat=-35.2817|long=149.0809}} is the furtherest planting from the village centre; it also has the fewest number of plantings. You won't miss much if you leave the arboretum without visiting it, but if you've got the time, it's still worth a visit. ===Yarramundi Reach=== * {{see | name=Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum | alt= | url=https://www.nca.gov.au/attractions/lindsay-pryor-national-arboretum | email= | address=Barrenjoey Dr. | lat=-35.29371 | long=149.080376 | directions=opposite the National Arboretum | phone=+61 2 6271 2888 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6552784 | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=It's a smaller version of the [[#National Arboretum|National Arboretum]] and in fact it's just opposite the freeway, but beside Lake Burley Griffin instead named after Lindsay Pryor, an Australian botanist. It's a great place to see some autumn colours and have a nice stroll by the lake, but maintenance has been a bit poor. }} * {{see | name=National Rock Garden | alt= | url=https://www.nationalrockgarden.com.au/ | email= | address=Forest Dr., Molonglo Valley | lat=-35.29164 | long=149.08077 | directions=cnr Barrenjoey and Lady Denman Dr | phone=+61 2 9290 2194 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-31 | content=A new precinct with an abundant amount of rocks displaying the rick geological heritage from all over Australia. There are two main rock collections on display; the [https://www.nationalrockgarden.com.au/rock-collection-2/federation-rocks/ Federation Rocks] and the [https://www.nationalrockgarden.com.au/rock-collection-2/featured-rocks/ Featured Rocks]. }} ===Other attractions=== [[File:National Zoo & Aquarium.jpg|thumb|300px|Outside the National Zoo and Aquarium]] * {{see | name=National Zoo and Aquarium | alt= | url=http://nationalzoo.com.au/ | email=frontdesk@nationalzoo.com.au | address=999 Lady Denman Drive | lat=-35.2992 | long=149.0697 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 8400 | tollfree= | hours={{time|10AM|5PM}} | price=Adult $45, senior/student $37, child $25 | wikidata=Q495039 | content=This privately owned zoo and aquarium offers the standard service plus special tours that allow interaction with the animals. The range of tours offers opportunities to interact with animals (feed or touch) including tigers, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, bears, dingos, elands and snakes. The tours are quite special and certainly worth it if you love animals. Make sure that you turn up at the 'Check in time' for a tour instead of the start time as the two are different. }} * {{see | name=Scrivener Dam | alt= | url=http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=254:fact-sheets&catid=60:links-education&Itemid=248#20 | email= | address=Lady Denman Drive | lat=-35.29961 | long=149.07221 | directions=next to the National Zoo and Aquarium | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Scrivener Dam | wikidata=Q2884986 | content=This small dam across the Molonglo River was completed in 1963 in order to create Lake Burley Griffin. A viewing platform is located off Lady Denman Drive near the eastern edge of the dam. }} * {{see | name=Stromlo Cottage | alt= | url= | email=mingle@act.gov.au | address=Noffs Cres, Coombs | lat=-35.32374 | long=149.0508 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=1800 777 952 | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-17 | content=A cottage built in 1926 that once served as accommodation for an officer. Today, it tells the story of how Canberra became the way it is. }} * '''Government House Lookout''' is on the border of South Canberra and Weston Creek, but as Government House (the [[official residences|official residence]] of the Govenor-General) is in South Canberra, see [[Canberra/South Canberra#Government House|South Canberra &sect; Government House]] for details on Government House. ==Do== [[File:Mount Stromlo satellite laser ranging facility 01.jpg|thumb|300px|Mount Stromlo Observatory's laser ranging facility]] * {{do | name=Mount Stromlo Observatory | alt= | url=http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/ | email= | address=Cotter Road, Weston Creek | lat=-35.320278 | long=149.006944 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6125 0230 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1310548 | lastedit=2022-05-15 | content=See the stars and planets in Australia's premier astronomical observatory. Badly damaged in 2003 bushfires, the partially rebuilt observatory reopened in October 2004. They run a Saturday night star gazing event for the public, call {{phone|+61 2 6125 0232}}. The site's damaged buildings and equipment remain and may be fascinating for tourists. While you will certainly get better views out in the midst of the [[Outback]], there are few observatories where you can get great views and yet still be so close to civilization at the same time! }} * {{do | name=Escape Rooms Canberra | alt= | url=http://www.escaperoomscanberra.com/ | email=info@escaperoomscanberra.com | address=2/24 Dundas Ct, Phillip | lat=-35.354 | long=149.0877 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6281 5729 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 9:30AM–9:30PM, F Sa 9AM–10:30PM, Su 9AM–10PM | price=$40 per person | lastedit=2022-05-29 | content=A fun way to challenge yourself with many different escapes. There's also a cocktail bar near the end. }} * {{do | name=Oakey Hill Nature Reserve | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-35.3383 | long=149.068388 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 2087 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A small nature reserve nestled between the suburbs of Weston and Lyons that separates the districts of Woden and Weston Creek. This park contains several short walking trails, many of which pass through what was once land used by farmers before Canberra was built, and it is now a good place to see kangaroos without going too far away from the city. }} * {{do | name=Stromlo Forest Park | alt= | url=http://www.stromloforestpark.act.gov.au/ | email=stromloforestpark@act.gov.au | address=Dave McInnes Rd, Stromlo | lat=-35.319979 | long=149.025748 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6207 8484 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|6AM|9PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-29 | content=Though the park has nothing appealing in its name, this park contains a whole network of trails – it's your choice on whether you would like to explore these trails via foot, mountain bike or even by horse riding! There is one nearby bike rental shop; [https://www.cyclecityhire.com.au/ Cycle City Hire My Bike], with mountain bikes available for rent. }} ==Buy== ===Malls and shopping centres=== [[File:Westfield Woden November 2018.jpg|thumb|250px|Inside Westfield Woden]] * {{buy | name=Cooleman Court | alt= | url=http://coolemancourt.com.au/ | email= | address=Brierly St, Weston | lat=-35.340588 | long=149.052622 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6288 8800 | tollfree= | hours=M–W {{time|9AM|5:30PM}}, Th {{time|9AM|7PM}}, F {{time|9AM|8PM}}, Sa {{time|9AM|5PM}}, Su {{time|10AM|4PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q96375455 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A shopping centre with about 80 specialty stores, though as it is not a mall, don't expect the range to be as great as what you'd find in a mall. There are a couple of cafes in the shopping centre, though the range is not the best. If you are looking for a better range, some of the nearby malls will have a better range. }} * {{buy | name=Westfield Woden | alt= | url=http://www.westfield.com.au/woden/ | email= | address=Keltie St, Phillip | lat=-35.3464 | long=149.0868 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7988781 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A reasonably sized Westfield featuring a David Jones department store, a Big W, two supermarkets, approximately 200 specialty stores, and a food court. }} ===Market=== * {{buy | name=Southside Farmers Market | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/southsidefarmersmarketcanberra/ | email=enquiries@canberrafarmersmarkets.com.au | address=Launceston St., Phillip | lat=-35.340018 | long=149.0888 | directions=Woden CIT (formerly Woden High School) (Ainsworth Street near Hindmarsh Drive, Phillip) | phone=+61 427 807 801 | tollfree= | hours=Su 9AM-noon | price= | content=While most markets are in the north or Canberra Central, this one is more conveniently in somewhere-not-the central or north. In this market, the sellers are the producers and all stalls are all food related. }} ===Bookstores=== * {{buy | name=Alexander Fax Booksellers | alt= | url=http://www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au/ | email= | address=Shop 10, Mawson House, Southlands Shopping Centre, Mawson | lat=-35.364744 | long=149.0945 | directions=near the post office | phone=+61 2 6290 0140 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 10AM–3PM | price= | content=Second-hand bookshop which specialises in military history. }} * {{buy | name=Harry Hartog | alt= | url=http://www.harryhartog.com.au/ | email= | address=Ground floor, Westfield Woden | lat=-35.34594 | long=149.0858 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6232 5832 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2015-03-21 | content=An independent bookshop with a good range, though focused mainly on fiction. }} ==Eat== Though these three districts often are categorised under one in many contexts, in the culinary world, what you find in each district radically differs. In Woden, you will find many modern Australian restaurants, along with various restaurants serving ethnic cuisines just like Canberra's four other town centres. Weston Creek only has the typical scene that you would find in a rural town in New South Wales; in Weston Creek’s case, most restaurants are in Cooleman Court Shopping Centre. Meanwhile, Molonglo barely has any eateries because it is a newer housing development with only fast-food chains. Stromlo? You'd be foolish to think so if you've read [[#Orientation|&sect; Orientation]] — as of 2022, no restaurants have opened their doors, only a cafe at [[#Mount Stromlo Observatory|the observatory]]. ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Burger Villains | alt= | url=https://www.burgervillains.com/ | email= | address=24/2 Antis St, Phillip | lat=-35.3471 | long=149.0955 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5119 2528 | tollfree= | hours=Daily <abbr title="12:00–21:00">noon–9PM</abbr> | price= | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=A small burger restaurant with not many options, but are cheap and for the most part, tasty and value for money. However, the <abbr title="fries">chips</abbr> have known to be soggy at times. }} * {{eat | name=Chapman Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.chapmancafe.com.au/ | email= | address=Perry Dr., Chapman | lat=-35.3558 | long=149.0405 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6288 4999 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-28 | content=A fish and chip takeaway cafe with some great hot dogs, burgers (be aware that it comes with beetroot), pizza, seafood or any classic [[Australian cuisine|Australian]] hot food. }} * {{eat | name=Hansel & Gretel | alt= | url=https://www.hanselandgretel.online/ | email= | address=40 Townshend St., Phillip | lat=-35.353185 | long=149.0881 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6282 5009 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 7AM–4PM, Sa 8AM–4PM | price= | content=Great European-style shop and cafe. Has a couple of easter bunnies during the easter season. }} * {{eat | name=Pitch Black Cafe | alt= | url=https://pitch-black-cafe.business.site/ | email=billpesi52@gmail.com | address=14 Rivett Pl., Rivett | lat=-35.3474 | long=149.0367 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5136 5258 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|7:30AM|2:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=Serving great Seven Mile Roasters coffee, it is known for its variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets available. However, a must-try of this cafe is the tradies breakfast special, which is not just for tradies, but for everyone. }} * {{eat | name=Turkish Pide House | alt=Pide House | url=http://www.turkishpidehousebelconnen.com.au/ | email= | address=Woden Plaza, 97-99 Corinna Street, Woden | lat=-35.346158 | long=149.0845 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6260 3016 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 10:30AM–9PM | price= | lastedit=2015-02-27 | content=A nice, inexpensive Turkish food in a proper restaurant that is open all day – one of the very few places to eat in Canberra that are open all day. }} *'''Fast food''' is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a <abbr title="McDonalds">Maccas</abbr> in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find. ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Bruno's Truffels | alt= | url=http://www.brunostruffels.com.au/ | email= | address=Unit 2, 106 Mawson Place, Mawson | lat=-35.365625 | long=149.0937 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6286 6377 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|9AM|4PM}}, Sa Su {{time|7:30AM|2PM}} | price= | content=Nice cafe and shop for locally made chocolates and pastries. The building might look a bit dated though. }} * {{eat | name=Canberra Southern Cross Club | alt= | url=https://www.cscc.com.au/woden | email=reception.woden@cscc.com.au | address=92-96 Corinna St, Phillip | lat=-35.3485 | long=149.0878 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6105 9970 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|4AM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=Casual dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with several dining establishments within it. Breakfast is usually served until 11AM though there are no limitations after that. It does get a little bit crowded afterwards, so it might be wise to make an online booking, but a credit card booking guarantee applies; $5 per person. }} * {{eat | name=Daana | alt= | url=http://www.daana.com.au/ | email=chef@daana.com.au | address=83 Theodore St, Curtin | lat=-35.3332 | long=149.0802 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5105 1048 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 5:30–9PM (closed Sundays) | price= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=A vibrant South Indian restaurant but the chefs here have taken it further and blended Indigenous Australian ingredients ([[Australian cuisine#Indigenous food (bush tucker)|bush tucker]]) into their traditional recipes – creative! }} * {{eat | name=Dumpling Social | alt= | url=https://dumplingsocial.com.au/ | email=eat@dumplingsocial.com.au | address=Shop R02/9 Bradley St, Phillip | lat=-35.34665 | long=149.0875| directions= | phone=+61 409 246 888 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|11AM|9PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-06-16 | content=A modern Chinese-Australian restaurant with a very cozy and relaxed atmosphere with some yummy and flavourful dumplings! However, the price is rather expensive for what you actually get, but you'll get the true taste of dumplings compared to a $8 dumpling in Civic. }} * {{eat | name=Lemongrass | alt= | url=http://lemongrassthai.com.au/ | email= | address=88 Corrina St, Phillip | lat=-35.34828 | long=149.0866 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6282 1144 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 11AM–2PM, 5–10PM; Sa Su 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content=A borderline budget–mid-range restaurant with simple Thai food that doesn't really differ from any other Australianised Thai restaurant, let alone its few branches elsehwere. Unfortunately, takeaways tend to get overly prioritised so you might have to wait a while before you get your meal. }} * {{eat | name=Maestral Seafood Restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.maestral.com.au/ | email= | address=13 Trenerry Street, Weston Creek | lat=-35.3416 | long=149.051743 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6287 3930 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Serving Mediterranean and Croatian cuisines with lots of fresh seafood and steak. Offers dine-in, takeaway and BYO options. }} * {{eat | name=Namaste India Restaurant | alt= | url=https://namasteindiarestaurant-ea.com.au/order-now#lunch-and-dinner-deals | email= | address=28 Corinna St | lat=-35.345698 | long=149.0837 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6282 0099 | tollfree= | hours={{time|5PM|9PM}} (closed Tuesdays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=Perhaps one of the most finest authentic Indian restaurants one could find outside Canberra Central. The most popular meal in this restaurant is their butter chicken, but their garlic naan is also popular. }} * {{eat | name=Rama's | alt= | url=http://www.ramas.com.au/ | email= | address=Shop 6, Pearce Shopping Centre, Hodgson Crescent, Pearce | lat=-35.3627 | long=149.0816 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6286 1964, +61 2 6286 9437 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa {{time|5PM|8PM}} | price= | content=Serving Fijian and Indian cuisine (and sometimes a mix of both), and has been long established with some of the finest curries in town. However, it can be very noisy at times. }} * {{eat | name=Space Kitchen | alt= | url=https://space-kitchen.com.au/ | email= | address=12 Furzer St., Phillip | lat=-35.3418 | long=149.0836 | directions=cnr Furzer St and Worgan St | phone=+61 2 6281 6668 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 7:30AM–5PM, Sa 8AM–3PM (closed Sundays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-30 | content=If colourful meals are your delight, then this cafe has got plenty of it – cakes, deserts and even salads. Apart from the very jolly looking meals, this cafe also has plenty of breakfast items and burgers. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Kickin'Inn | alt= | url=https://www.kickininn.com.au/ | email=woden@kickininn.com.au | address=cnr Hindmarsh Dr and Ball St, Phillip | lat=-35.348612 | long=149.08655 | directions= | phone=+61 2 8103 1828 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th 11AM–9PM; F Sa 11AM–11PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-07-28 | content=Why visit a seafood restaurant in an inland city you ask? It's a kajun seafood restaurant so food is quite spicy (a good place if you want to spice up your tastebuds) but prices soar up to $170 at times but in return, the portions are quite large. Sometimes the starters might be enough as a meal for one person. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=The Alby | alt= | url=https://thealby.com.au/ | email= | address=45 Furzer St, Phillip | lat=-35.344136 | long=149.0847 | directions= | phone=+61 2 5127 6000 | tollfree= | hours={{time|11AM|11PM}} (closed Mondays) | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=While it has a restaurant too, the Alby is most known for its bar. The bar contains several other activities on some nights too. }} * {{drink | name=Sharetea Woden | alt= | url=https://sharetea.com.au/ | email= | address=Keltie St, Phillip | lat=-35.346633 | long=149.0871 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Th {{time|10:30AM|5PM}}; F {{time|10:30AM|8PM}}; Sa Su {{time|10:30AM|6PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A bubble tea store, perhaps quite an unusual sight for Canberra. Most of the favourites consumed here is any drink that has the name "Tiger" in it (such as the ''Tiger Milk Tea''). }} ==Sleep== [[File:Abode hotel Woden January 2014.jpg|thumb|300px|Abode Hotel in Woden]] Unusually, accommodation within all three districts are very limited and nearly all accommodation can only be found in Woden – the closest point to South Canberra. If you're looking for a better range, you might be better off trying in nearby [[Canberra/South Canberra|South Canberra]]. * {{sleep | name=Abode Woden | alt= | url=https://abodehotels.com.au/hotels/woden/ | email= | address=10 Bowes St, Phillip | lat=-35.34341 | long=149.0859 | directions= | phone=+61 2 6108 4950 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin={{time|2PM}} | checkout={{time|10AM}} | price=From $150 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=Contains several types of rooms including a studio room, a king studio and an executive studio. The former two are designed for two visitors, while the latter is for three. }} * {{sleep | name=A Home Away From Home | alt= | url= | email= | address=16 Wynter Pl, Hughes | lat=-35.332015 | long=149.096496 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin={{time|2PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price=From $133 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=Accommodation in a rather unusual residential area which includes free Wi-Fi, a garden view and parking. The hotel does not have any sort of contact info, and unfortunately the only way to make bookings is through booking agents – not directly. }} * {{sleep | name=Jamala Wildlife Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.jamalawildlifelodge.com.au/ | email=info@jamalawildlifelodge.com.au | address= | lat=-35.2993 | long=149.0702 | directions=within the [[#National Zoo and Aquarium|National Zoo and Aquarium]] | phone=+61 2 6287 8444 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|1PM}} | checkout={{time|11AM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-07-29 | content=Rest your head next to wildest animals, often next to [[African wildlife|African]] or Asian wildlife. The three precincts; uShaka Lodge, Giraffe Treehouses and the Jungle Bungalows each give a unique experience in the fact that you can get really close up with some wild animals such as giraffes, feel like you're in the midst of a jungle, but still feel very safe at the same time. The owners do tend to get a bit defensive though, it's costly and seeing wildlife isn't always guaranteed. }} * {{sleep | name=The Statesman Hotel | alt= | url=http://www.statesmanhotel.com.au/ | email= | address=14 Theodore St, Curtin | lat=-35.326477 | long=149.0825 | directions=cnt Theodore St. and Strangways St. | phone=+61 2 6281 1777 | tollfree= | checkin={{time|2PM}} | checkout={{time|10AM}} | price=From $106 | lastedit=2022-03-26 | content=A reasonably sized hotel though its building may look a bit old and dated. It is also right next to a bottle shop, so take it for what it's worth. }} ==Connect== Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all have good connection in all three districts. Wi-Fi isn't as freely available in other districts, and you might have to head over to South Canberra for that, but there are still many [http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/digital/cbrfree-public-wifi CBRfree public Wi-Fi] locations within Westfield Woden. {{routebox2 |name=Woden |temp1=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">YARRA GLEN</small> |directionl1=SW |majorl1=END |directionr1=NE |minorr1=becomes <small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">ADELAIDE AVENUE</small> |majorr1=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Capital Hill]] |temp2={{rint|canberra|r4}} |directionl2=S |majorl2=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |directionr2=NE |majorr2=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r5}} |directionl3=S |minorl3=Erindale |majorl3=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Lanyon]] |directionr3=NE |majorr3=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] |temp4={{rint|canberra|r6}} |directionl4=WSW |majorl4=END |directionr4=ENE |minorr4=[[Canberra/South Canberra|Barton]] |majorr4=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] }} {{routebox2 |name=Weston Creek and Molonglo Valley |temp1=<small style=" white-space:nowrap; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; letter-spacing:1px; color:#000000; background:#FFFFFF; border-radius: 10%; padding:0px 2px 0px 4px; -moz-border-radius:2pt; border:#000000 solid 1px; margin: 0 1px 0 0;">TUGGERANONG PARKWAY</small> |directionl1=S |majorl1=[[Canberra/Tuggeranong and Country ACT|Tuggeranong]] |directionr1=N |minorr1=[[Canberra/Belconnen|Belconnen]] |majorr1=[[Canberra/Gungahlin|Gungahlin]] |temp2={{rint|canberra|r7}} |directionl2=W |majorl2=END |directionr2=E |majorr2=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] |temp3={{rint|canberra|r10}} |directionl3=W |majorl3=END |directionr3=E |majorr3=[[Canberra/Civic|Civic]] }} {{IsPartOf|Canberra}} {{guidedistrict}} {{geo|-35.3227|149.0613|zoom=13}} {{relatedWikipedia|Weston Creek}} {{relatedWikipedia|Molonglo Valley}} {{relatedWikipedia|Woden}} {{Mapmask|-35.2417,148.9679|-35.2414,148.9668|-35.2411,148.9662|-35.2408,148.9653|-35.2406,148.9648|-35.2405,148.9646|-35.2400,148.9638|-35.2400,148.9636|-35.2399,148.9631|-35.2398,148.9627|-35.2397,148.9623|-35.2396,148.9612|-35.2393,148.9607|-35.2390,148.9598|-35.2389,148.9592|-35.2387,148.9586|-35.2386,148.9580|-35.2386,148.9574|-35.2386,148.9570|-35.2387,148.9565|-35.2387,148.9563|-35.2386,148.9558|-35.2389,148.9545|-35.2392,148.9536|-35.2396,148.9531|-35.2398,148.9526|-35.2409,148.9517|-35.2422,148.9518|-35.2432,148.9522|-35.2438,148.9520|-35.2445,148.9522|-35.2456,148.9526|-35.2471,148.9520|-35.2477,148.9520|-35.2482,148.9517|-35.2488,148.9513|-35.2495,148.9507|-35.2507,148.9486|-35.2509,148.9483|-35.2513,148.9478|-35.2517,148.9474|-35.2522,148.9464|-35.2524,148.9461|-35.2536,148.9452|-35.2552,148.9448|-35.2562,148.9446|-35.2571,148.9445|-35.2583,148.9444|-35.2605,148.9445|-35.2621,148.9441|-35.2635,148.9438|-35.2641,148.9438|-35.2647,148.9440|-35.2650,148.9441|-35.2656,148.9443|-35.2662,148.9444|-35.2675,148.9451|-35.2686,148.9456|-35.2696,148.9464|-35.2704,148.9469|-35.2712,148.9475|-35.2722,148.9485|-35.2729,148.9491|-35.2739,148.9499|-35.2748,148.9506|-35.2760,148.9515|-35.2774,148.9525|-35.2792,148.9539|-35.2798,148.9543|-35.2802,148.9544|-35.2803,148.9546|-35.2804,148.9547|-35.2805,148.9549|-35.2806,148.9550|-35.2808,148.9551|-35.2815,148.9551|-35.2824,148.9543|-35.2833,148.9541|-35.2840,148.9542|-35.2849,148.9544|-35.2863,148.9550|-35.2879,148.9558|-35.2904,148.9559|-35.2906,148.9559|-35.2913,148.9561|-35.2917,148.9565|-35.2923,148.9575|-35.2925,148.9579|-35.2930,148.9588|-35.2935,148.9597|-35.2937,148.9602|-35.2942,148.9617|-35.2953,148.9637|-35.2971,148.9671|-35.2977,148.9681|-35.2982,148.9686|-35.2987,148.9688|-35.2996,148.9688|-35.3006,148.9688|-35.3017,148.9689|-35.3030,148.9690|-35.3035,148.9689|-35.3040,148.9688|-35.3055,148.9679|-35.3069,148.9664|-35.3075,148.9657|-35.3080,148.9648|-35.3087,148.9630|-35.3089,148.9622|-35.3092,148.9616|-35.3097,148.9611|-35.3105,148.9605|-35.3108,148.9603|-35.3118,148.9597|-35.3130,148.9595|-35.3142,148.9596|-35.3145,148.9599|-35.3148,148.9602|-35.3154,148.9608|-35.3162,148.9612|-35.3170,148.9614|-35.3179,148.9611|-35.3185,148.9603|-35.3187,148.9597|-35.3190,148.9583|-35.3190,148.9568|-35.3190,148.9550|-35.3190,148.9540|-35.3190,148.9531|-35.3190,148.9525|-35.3191,148.9520|-35.3193,148.9515|-35.3203,148.9509|-35.3210,148.9506|-35.3225,148.9503|-35.3238,148.9503|-35.3241,148.9503|-35.3280,148.9519|-35.3297,148.9530|-35.3357,148.9571|-35.3374,148.9588|-35.3397,148.9592|-35.3418,148.9596|-35.3437,148.9604|-35.3450,148.9621|-35.3460,148.9676|-35.3466,148.9697|-35.3484,148.9728|-35.3488,148.9744|-35.3488,148.9760|-35.3491,148.9767|-35.3500,148.9770|-35.3520,148.9772|-35.3533,148.9767|-35.3555,148.9762|-35.3569,148.9763|-35.3583,148.9769|-35.3606,148.9777|-35.3610,148.9779|-35.3641,148.9789|-35.3647,148.9792|-35.3656,148.9797|-35.3679,148.9811|-35.3693,148.9819|-35.3711,148.9824|-35.3729,148.9827|-35.3743,148.9827|-35.3753,148.9834|-35.3758,148.9843|-35.3762,148.9854|-35.3756,148.9871|-35.3743,148.9890|-35.3737,148.9899|-35.3727,148.9919|-35.3720,148.9949|-35.3717,148.9965|-35.3718,148.9981|-35.3718,149.0002|-35.3718,149.0007|-35.3720,149.0014|-35.3722,149.0021|-35.3724,149.0030|-35.3726,149.0043|-35.3733,149.0060|-35.3736,149.0069|-35.3737,149.0071|-35.3742,149.0078|-35.3748,149.0085|-35.3753,149.0089|-35.3759,149.0090|-35.3762,149.0090|-35.3766,149.0089|-35.3771,149.0085|-35.3779,149.0088|-35.3786,149.0091|-35.3794,149.0101|-35.3798,149.0105|-35.3800,149.0107|-35.3805,149.0111|-35.3814,149.0116|-35.3819,149.0123|-35.3825,149.0128|-35.3836,149.0133|-35.3845,149.0133|-35.3857,149.0137|-35.3876,149.0141|-35.3881,149.0142|-35.3753,149.0344|-35.3608,149.0330|-35.3606,149.0343|-35.3607,149.0359|-35.3614,149.0371|-35.3621,149.0410|-35.3623,149.0415|-35.3628,149.0419|-35.3635,149.0414|-35.3651,149.0422|-35.3652,149.0427|-35.3651,149.0430|-35.3650,149.0432|-35.3646,149.0441|-35.3638,149.0449|-35.3637,149.0454|-35.3643,149.0467|-35.3645,149.0485|-35.3637,149.0498|-35.3648,149.0508|-35.3655,149.0512|-35.3660,149.0514|-35.3661,149.0516|-35.3656,149.0541|-35.3653,149.0549|-35.3650,149.0554|-35.3654,149.0557|-35.3655,149.0562|-35.3663,149.0570|-35.3669,149.0587|-35.3667,149.0610|-35.3667,149.0612|-35.3665,149.0618|-35.3664,149.0619|-35.3664,149.0776|-35.3677,149.0787|-35.3683,149.0789|-35.3705,149.0808|-35.3720,149.0817|-35.3748,149.0820|-35.3765,149.0812|-35.3769,149.0819|-35.3774,149.0820|-35.3777,149.0822|-35.3778,149.0825|-35.3778,149.0828|-35.3782,149.0829|-35.3782,149.0833|-35.3776,149.0845|-35.3775,149.0860|-35.3780,149.0902|-35.3775,149.0924|-35.3775,149.0936|-35.3775,149.0941|-35.3776,149.0968|-35.3788,149.0997|-35.3797,149.1006|-35.3802,149.1011|-35.3808,149.1018|-35.3812,149.1033|-35.3816,149.1040|-35.3832,149.1048|-35.3840,149.1052|-35.3843,149.1055|-35.3840,149.1077|-35.3839,149.1083|-35.3838,149.1094|-35.3838,149.1099|-35.3838,149.1102|-35.3839,149.1105|-35.3839,149.1118|-35.3833,149.1140|-35.3806,149.1252|-35.3595,149.1189|-35.3518,149.1273|-35.3479,149.1244|-35.3369,149.1161|-35.3308,149.1166|-35.3287,149.1167|-35.3284,149.1163|-35.3281,149.1162|-35.3274,149.1161|-35.3259,149.1150|-35.3253,149.1147|-35.3252,149.1146|-35.3248,149.1145|-35.3246,149.1144|-35.3244,149.1142|-35.3243,149.1140|-35.3242,149.1136|-35.3243,149.1134|-35.3244,149.1131|-35.3245,149.1127|-35.3245,149.1120|-35.3245,149.1117|-35.3244,149.1107|-35.3243,149.1102|-35.3243,149.1099|-35.3242,149.1098|-35.3240,149.1097|-35.3239,149.1096|-35.3236,149.1096|-35.3234,149.1095|-35.3236,149.1094|-35.3249,149.1093|-35.3251,149.1093|-35.3253,149.1091|-35.3255,149.1085|-35.3255,149.1079|-35.3256,149.1071|-35.3262,149.1058|-35.3279,149.1027|-35.3281,149.1022|-35.3283,149.1015|-35.3282,149.1011|-35.3281,149.1007|-35.3278,149.1005|-35.3277,149.1004|-35.3266,149.0882|-35.3264,149.0872|-35.3129,149.0920|-35.3123,149.0897|-35.3125,149.0857|-35.3125,149.0854|-35.3126,149.0844|-35.3128,149.0835|-35.3130,149.0827|-35.3096,149.0779|-35.3094,149.0776|-35.3086,149.0768|-35.3082,149.0765|-35.3076,149.0759|-35.3062,149.0745|-35.3050,149.0734|-35.3047,149.0731|-35.3044,149.0730|-35.3040,149.0728|-35.3035,149.0728|-35.3030,149.0729|-35.3026,149.0730|-35.3021,149.0735|-35.3018,149.0737|-35.3013,149.0740|-35.3011,149.0740|-35.3008,149.0740|-35.3006,149.0738|-35.3004,149.0737|-35.2992,149.0712|-35.2987,149.0716|-35.2984,149.0712|-35.2982,149.0712|-35.2981,149.0724|-35.2980,149.0726|-35.2977,149.0725|-35.2973,149.0723|-35.2970,149.0722|-35.2969,149.0726|-35.2969,149.0728|-35.2970,149.0731|-35.2971,149.0735|-35.2971,149.0738|-35.2967,149.0744|-35.2965,149.0747|-35.2960,149.0755|-35.2957,149.0759|-35.2952,149.0761|-35.2947,149.0765|-35.2945,149.0771|-35.2942,149.0774|-35.2939,149.0776|-35.2938,149.0780|-35.2937,149.0781|-35.2935,149.0784|-35.2935,149.0789|-35.2937,149.0793|-35.2942,149.0791|-35.2946,149.0790|-35.2946,149.0788|-35.2949,149.0788|-35.2950,149.0787|-35.2950,149.0785|-35.2951,149.0784|-35.2951,149.0782|-35.2954,149.0782|-35.2954,149.0783|-35.2951,149.0783|-35.2951,149.0784|-35.2952,149.0784|-35.2953,149.0787|-35.2958,149.0787|-35.2961,149.0786|-35.2964,149.0788|-35.2966,149.0792|-35.2968,149.0794|-35.2970,149.0794|-35.2971,149.0793|-35.2973,149.0793|-35.2975,149.0797|-35.2976,149.0799|-35.2977,149.0810|-35.2976,149.0818|-35.2972,149.0828|-35.2962,149.0835|-35.2961,149.0835|-35.2957,149.0839|-35.2949,149.0845|-35.2943,149.0846|-35.2934,149.0843|-35.2927,149.0842|-35.2924,149.0846|-35.2920,149.0847|-35.2916,149.0849|-35.2912,149.0853|-35.2911,149.0858|-35.2909,149.0860|-35.2906,149.0858|-35.2905,149.0859|-35.2906,149.0862|-35.2903,149.0861|-35.2901,149.0857|-35.2900,149.0853|-35.2899,149.0851|-35.2898,149.0849|-35.2896,149.0851|-35.2896,149.0854|-35.2892,149.0856|-35.2889,149.0857|-35.2887,149.0856|-35.2886,149.0857|-35.2885,149.0858|-35.2883,149.0858|-35.2883,149.0859|-35.2880,149.0865|-35.2876,149.0867|-35.2874,149.0869|-35.2874,149.0872|-35.2875,149.0876|-35.2876,149.0880|-35.2878,149.0883|-35.2878,149.0889|-35.2875,149.0891|-35.2871,149.0889|-35.2869,149.0886|-35.2866,149.0884|-35.2859,149.0878|-35.2825,149.0879|-35.2814,149.0871|-35.2809,149.0867|-35.2796,149.0863|-35.2791,149.0828|-35.2775,149.0793|-35.2773,149.0786|-35.2769,149.0775|-35.2767,149.0767|-35.2761,149.0707|-35.2761,149.0700|-35.2758,149.0688|-35.2749,149.0659|-35.2746,149.0650|-35.2736,149.0618|-35.2734,149.0614|-35.2709,149.0554|-35.2704,149.0543|-35.2701,149.0535|-35.2699,149.0530|-35.2693,149.0512|-35.2690,149.0489|-35.2691,149.0472|-35.2691,149.0466|-35.2693,149.0455|-35.2695,149.0445|-35.2697,149.0436|-35.2698,149.0427|-35.2698,149.0422|-35.2699,149.0410|-35.2699,149.0403|-35.2698,149.0395|-35.2696,149.0388|-35.2693,149.0379|-35.2689,149.0368|-35.2681,149.0356|-35.2674,149.0349|-35.2667,149.0344|-35.2660,149.0340|-35.2768,149.0239|-35.2780,149.0241|-35.2792,149.0214|-35.2801,149.0217|-35.2803,149.0212|-35.2804,149.0205|-35.2802,149.0193|-35.2797,149.0181|-35.2791,149.0178|-35.2782,149.0175|-35.2765,149.0181|-35.2760,149.0182|-35.2745,149.0184|-35.2734,149.0183|-35.2724,149.0179|-35.2718,149.0160|-35.2718,149.0153|-35.2719,149.0142|-35.2718,149.0110|-35.2721,149.0098|-35.2723,149.0083|-35.2723,149.0073|-35.2714,149.0062|-35.2702,149.0046|-35.2693,149.0041|-35.2687,149.0035|-35.2677,149.0038|-35.2658,149.0034|-35.2639,149.0026|-35.2626,149.0024|-35.2614,149.0019|-35.2610,149.0016|-35.2603,149.0012|-35.2593,148.9998|-35.2590,148.9995|-35.2587,148.9986|-35.2585,148.9980|-35.2581,148.9970|-35.2583,148.9965|-35.2590,148.9962|-35.2597,148.9961|-35.2612,148.9961|-35.2619,148.9960|-35.2623,148.9959|-35.2628,148.9955|-35.2629,148.9950|-35.2627,148.9943|-35.2626,148.9940|-35.2624,148.9932|-35.2624,148.9928|-35.2623,148.9922|-35.2620,148.9921|-35.2618,148.9918|-35.2615,148.9914|-35.2613,148.9903|-35.2613,148.9896|-35.2614,148.9891|-35.2622,148.9887|-35.2624,148.9881|-35.2624,148.9876|-35.2620,148.9867|-35.2616,148.9862|-35.2611,148.9850|-35.2609,148.9841|-35.2605,148.9825|-35.2602,148.9820|-35.2598,148.9821|-35.2594,148.9820|-35.2591,148.9817|-35.2590,148.9811|-35.2593,148.9794|-35.2593,148.9791|-35.2591,148.9789|-35.2584,148.9778|-35.2580,148.9776|-35.2570,148.9781|-35.2563,148.9783|-35.2553,148.9776|-35.2551,148.9771|-35.2551,148.9765|-35.2557,148.9751|-35.2558,148.9747|-35.2561,148.9744|-35.2561,148.9737|-35.2560,148.9731|-35.2558,148.9728|-35.2554,148.9726|-35.2547,148.9724|-35.2545,148.9725|-35.2543,148.9729|-35.2539,148.9729|-35.2537,148.9727|-35.2535,148.9725|-35.2530,148.9723|-35.2525,148.9719|-35.2522,148.9715|-35.2515,148.9711|-35.2509,148.9710|-35.2503,148.9708|-35.2499,148.9705|-35.2494,148.9701|-35.2491,148.9696|-35.2485,148.9682|-35.2480,148.9672|-35.2475,148.9659|-35.2474,148.9651|-35.2471,148.9646|-35.2470,148.9636|-35.2466,148.9627|-35.2464,148.9620|-35.2461,148.9617|-35.2457,148.9615|-35.2452,148.9613|-35.2449,148.9614|-35.2447,148.9617|-35.2440,148.9621|-35.2436,148.9633|-35.2435,148.9642|-35.2432,148.9655|-35.2429,148.9664|-35.2417,148.9679}} <maplink text="" class="no-icon" group="mask1" type="geomask"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#831b1b", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Molonglo Valley" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.08786296844482, -35.28506516996254 ], [ 149.08786833286283, -35.282437780691104 ], [ 149.08711194992065, -35.28149627878722 ], [ 149.08656477928162, -35.280475941108335 ], [ 149.0863448381424, -35.27963075896112 ], [ 149.08518075942993, -35.279455590573185 ], [ 149.08348560333252, -35.27920597496574 ], [ 149.08280432224274, -35.27907897725612 ], [ 149.08218204975128, -35.278838118983955 ], [ 149.08074975013733, -35.278189987712466 ], [ 149.0800255537033, -35.277826506418464 ], [ 149.07962322235107, -35.277660092751496 ], [ 149.0783143043518, -35.277138953003366 ], [ 149.07768666744232, -35.27693312377572 ], [ 149.07719314098355, -35.276819260574 ], [ 149.07630801200864, -35.27663970673836 ], [ 149.0731430053711, -35.27641635872872 ], [ 149.07187163829803, -35.2763024948005 ], [ 149.06937718391416, -35.27593462563069 ], [ 149.06780540943143, -35.27559741075724 ], [ 149.06713485717773, -35.275369680438104 ], [ 149.06632483005524, -35.2750718782854 ], [ 149.06537532806396, -35.274721521409795 ], [ 149.06345486640927, -35.27420036275359 ], [ 149.0625911951065, -35.27391131533056 ], [ 149.06142711639404, -35.27345584457074 ], [ 149.05831038951874, -35.27207627808533 ], [ 149.0539813041687, -35.2702674775412 ], [ 149.05278503894806, -35.26979008761052 ], [ 149.05130445957184, -35.26935211272268 ], [ 149.05063927173615, -35.269203200721435 ], [ 149.04963612556455, -35.26906742777586 ], [ 149.04817163944244, -35.26903676933731 ], [ 149.0475708246231, -35.26904552889237 ], [ 149.04648184776306, -35.26917692210457 ], [ 149.0454626083374, -35.26934335320077 ], [ 149.04377281665802, -35.26964117641431 ], [ 149.04248535633087, -35.26984702417201 ], [ 149.04148757457733, -35.26993023907455 ], [ 149.04053807258606, -35.269895201231265 ], [ 149.03983533382416, -35.26982074576398 ], [ 149.03845131397247, -35.26956234096434 ], [ 149.03733551502228, -35.26920758049008 ], [ 149.03626799583435, -35.26862944898119 ], [ 149.0353399515152, -35.26791115863219 ], [ 149.034765958786, -35.26727607954366 ], [ 149.03432071208954, -35.26661471602904 ], [ 149.03400421142575, -35.26597524683512 ], [ 149.02389764785767, -35.27683239864391 ], [ 149.02414441108704, -35.277935988907615 ], [ 149.0213656425476, -35.279179699593875 ], [ 149.0217411518097, -35.28008181581606 ], [ 149.02141392230988, -35.280239466163145 ], [ 149.02123153209686, -35.28027012036166 ], [ 149.02146756649017, -35.28126856505489 ], [ 149.01928961277008, -35.29487333659498 ], [ 149.0193003416061, -35.29501782302427 ], [ 149.01939690113068, -35.29520609283298 ], [ 149.01919305324554, -35.29526301152614 ], [ 149.01893019676208, -35.29530241675181 ], [ 149.0170419216156, -35.295442524065464 ], [ 149.01582956314087, -35.29561327952606 ], [ 149.01496052742004, -35.29576214296699 ], [ 149.01375353336334, -35.29596792433155 ], [ 149.01312589645386, -35.29615619193016 ], [ 149.01294887065887, -35.296256893024065 ], [ 149.01276648044586, -35.29639262038716 ], [ 149.01262164115906, -35.296467051425125 ], [ 149.01240170001984, -35.29669472241045 ], [ 149.0121066570282, -35.29713692768646 ], [ 149.01177406311035, -35.29757913054627 ], [ 149.0116399526596, -35.2976666951824 ], [ 149.01139855384827, -35.297806798403144 ], [ 149.01120543479917, -35.29796441423656 ], [ 149.0111142396927, -35.29815705539387 ], [ 149.01098549365997, -35.298358452477096 ], [ 149.0105992555618, -35.29850731086865 ], [ 149.0104329586029, -35.29862552174925 ], [ 149.01034712791443, -35.29876562331006 ], [ 149.01022911071777, -35.29902831308282 ], [ 149.00983214378354, -35.29923846428708 ], [ 149.00941908359528, -35.2994923962641 ], [ 149.00895237922668, -35.29993896435982 ], [ 149.00880753993988, -35.300096576040524 ], [ 149.0094298124313, -35.30041179848097 ], [ 149.01026129722595, -35.3008627395596 ], [ 149.01056706905365, -35.30108602013437 ], [ 149.01094794273376, -35.301366214493754 ], [ 149.0119296312332, -35.30231624127166 ], [ 149.01334583759308, -35.30459713560012 ], [ 149.01362478733063, -35.304942985364086 ], [ 149.01488542556763, -35.30634388067779 ], [ 149.01508927345276, -35.306501479882606 ], [ 149.01544868946075, -35.30672036715779 ], [ 149.01565790176392, -35.3068254328395 ], [ 149.01638746261597, -35.30705745240329 ], [ 149.01715993881226, -35.30728509359273 ], [ 149.01790022850037, -35.30763093186632 ], [ 149.01927888393402, -35.30859839563946 ], [ 149.0195792913437, -35.30876474571072 ], [ 149.02113497257233, -35.30951769438655 ], [ 149.02136027812958, -35.30969717530394 ], [ 149.02153193950653, -35.310047380825445 ], [ 149.0216392278671, -35.31018746260953 ], [ 149.02177333831787, -35.310371319583 ], [ 149.02208983898163, -35.31067774694347 ], [ 149.0225350856781, -35.31100168317662 ], [ 149.02397274971005, -35.312034768443546 ], [ 149.02475595474243, -35.312590702935786 ], [ 149.02513682842255, -35.31281832855446 ], [ 149.02567327022552, -35.31309410488813 ], [ 149.02657449245453, -35.31348369207453 ], [ 149.02693927288055, -35.31354935265149 ], [ 149.02708411216736, -35.31367191891921 ], [ 149.02757227420807, -35.31388203208888 ], [ 149.02944445610046, -35.31445984049102 ], [ 149.02993261814117, -35.314648065063984 ], [ 149.03025448322296, -35.31481877999551 ], [ 149.03084456920624, -35.31530903625712 ], [ 149.03137028217316, -35.315720499040026 ], [ 149.03180480003357, -35.316127582499206 ], [ 149.03198182582855, -35.31631142597042 ], [ 149.0325504541397, -35.31697238356942 ], [ 149.03223395347592, -35.3173925922142 ], [ 149.03212130069733, -35.31774714155987 ], [ 149.0313971042633, -35.32064475819211 ], [ 149.03139173984528, -35.321165617845764 ], [ 149.0312361717224, -35.32144574265861 ], [ 149.03041005134583, -35.326172702506234 ], [ 149.03062462806702, -35.32621209267716 ], [ 149.0316706895828, -35.326417796591365 ], [ 149.03261482715607, -35.3264922000059 ], [ 149.03317272663116, -35.3264922000059 ], [ 149.03583884239197, -35.32675042308982 ], [ 149.0362572669983, -35.326846709452376 ], [ 149.03646647930145, -35.32683795615143 ], [ 149.0367078781128, -35.326824826198234 ], [ 149.03772711753845, -35.32692111247215 ], [ 149.03999626636505, -35.32712681458226 ], [ 149.0406346321106, -35.327100554767554 ], [ 149.04109060764313, -35.32698676213863 ], [ 149.04190599918365, -35.326689149890306 ], [ 149.04238879680634, -35.32644405662784 ], [ 149.04402494430542, -35.3251135373803 ], [ 149.0445774793625, -35.32552057355382 ], [ 149.0452480316162, -35.32603264840968 ], [ 149.04568791389462, -35.326321509717964 ], [ 149.04633700847626, -35.326658513273145 ], [ 149.04690563678741, -35.32690798253247 ], [ 149.04788196086884, -35.327174957553716 ], [ 149.0483486652374, -35.327275620037746 ], [ 149.04911041259766, -35.32736315253068 ], [ 149.05024766921997, -35.32735002266278 ], [ 149.05110597610474, -35.32724060701404 ], [ 149.05108451843262, -35.32685108610249 ], [ 149.05039250850677, -35.325166058292034 ], [ 149.05214130878448, -35.32408499598218 ], [ 149.05186772346497, -35.321935958745875 ], [ 149.05297815799713, -35.317773404412534 ], [ 149.0532946586609, -35.31772087869868 ], [ 149.05354142189026, -35.31757205565751 ], [ 149.05377209186554, -35.317510775502136 ], [ 149.05452847480774, -35.317309426093225 ], [ 149.0548825263977, -35.317217505544214 ], [ 149.05556917190552, -35.31707743593532 ], [ 149.05621826648712, -35.31702928695122 ], [ 149.0568995475769, -35.31669224325987 ], [ 149.0573716163635, -35.31632893485064 ], [ 149.05755400657654, -35.31579928954689 ], [ 149.057999253273, -35.31543159985817 ], [ 149.05892193317413, -35.31505077663258 ], [ 149.06034886837006, -35.314556141490044 ], [ 149.061963558197, -35.31394331499389 ], [ 149.06262874603271, -35.3137507114218 ], [ 149.06354069709778, -35.3132954647918 ], [ 149.06382501125336, -35.31313787882287 ], [ 149.06425416469574, -35.312840215599415 ], [ 149.06582593917847, -35.31192533206976 ], [ 149.06759083271027, -35.31084409273874 ], [ 149.0680307149887, -35.3103932072901 ], [ 149.06904458999634, -35.30971468561603 ], [ 149.0692913532257, -35.30938198903829 ], [ 149.07010138034818, -35.308607150914895 ], [ 149.0709275007248, -35.306978653380774 ], [ 149.070965051651, -35.30646645786362 ], [ 149.07124936580658, -35.30462340272268 ], [ 149.0708255767822, -35.30337570498338 ], [ 149.07117426395416, -35.301269897792146 ], [ 149.07204866409302, -35.299746327444296 ], [ 149.0721720457077, -35.29961498382989 ], [ 149.0712332725525, -35.29915527950065 ], [ 149.07129228115082, -35.29909398539278 ], [ 149.07164633274078, -35.29876562331006 ], [ 149.07119572162628, -35.29839785619563 ], [ 149.0712010860443, -35.2982271066101 ], [ 149.07239198684692, -35.29816143359665 ], [ 149.07255291938782, -35.29795127959551 ], [ 149.07255828380582, -35.297719233918606 ], [ 149.0722417831421, -35.297281410074724 ], [ 149.072225689888, -35.29700557983693 ], [ 149.07253682613373, -35.29688736659009 ], [ 149.07280504703522, -35.29689612313281 ], [ 149.07310545444489, -35.29704060595098 ], [ 149.07349169254303, -35.2971237929111 ], [ 149.0737223625183, -35.29709752335399 ], [ 149.0739905834198, -35.296926771024886 ], [ 149.07441437244412, -35.29675601833552 ], [ 149.07463431358337, -35.2965239692315 ], [ 149.0748971700668, -35.29639262038716 ], [ 149.07542824745178, -35.29604235576008 ], [ 149.0759003162384, -35.29566581959529 ], [ 149.07615780830383, -35.29517544428931 ], [ 149.07653331756592, -35.294772633779615 ], [ 149.07710194587708, -35.29450555179291 ], [ 149.07740235328674, -35.29427349623648 ], [ 149.0775954723358, -35.293967006746065 ], [ 149.07791197299957, -35.293826896878194 ], [ 149.07805681228638, -35.293651759202284 ], [ 149.07841622829437, -35.29351602724281 ], [ 149.07892048358917, -35.293524784150286 ], [ 149.0793389081955, -35.29366927298693 ], [ 149.0790170431137, -35.29421657684743 ], [ 149.07892584800717, -35.294601876545464 ], [ 149.07884001731873, -35.294601876545464 ], [ 149.07886147499084, -35.29492149876674 ], [ 149.07873272895813, -35.2950134446514 ], [ 149.07821238040924, -35.29507912021936 ], [ 149.07822847366333, -35.29538560549854 ], [ 149.07826602458954, -35.29538560549854 ], [ 149.07824993133545, -35.29510101206351 ], [ 149.07840013504025, -35.29508787695773 ], [ 149.07837867736816, -35.29514917409979 ], [ 149.07868444919583, -35.29534182195829 ], [ 149.07864689826965, -35.295731494633884 ], [ 149.07855570316315, -35.29611240880677 ], [ 149.07877027988434, -35.29640137698341 ], [ 149.07918870449066, -35.296589643573725 ], [ 149.0793764591217, -35.29674726177765 ], [ 149.0793764591217, -35.296856718683095 ], [ 149.07926380634308, -35.29712817116979 ], [ 149.0793281793594, -35.29729892307396 ], [ 149.0794998407364, -35.29743902693139 ], [ 149.07978415489197, -35.29757475231198 ], [ 149.08013284206388, -35.297675451640806 ], [ 149.08072292804718, -35.297719233918606 ], [ 149.08096432685852, -35.29773236859732 ], [ 149.08165097236633, -35.2976141564121 ], [ 149.08220887184143, -35.29743902693139 ], [ 149.0829116106033, -35.29705811900232 ], [ 149.08348560333252, -35.29624813641218 ], [ 149.08365726470947, -35.296029220807085 ], [ 149.08408641815186, -35.29545128076451 ], [ 149.08449947834015, -35.29496528253437 ], [ 149.08457458019257, -35.29445301097047 ], [ 149.08455312252045, -35.294181549511215 ], [ 149.08439755439758, -35.29366051609509 ], [ 149.08423125743866, -35.292706009204004 ], [ 149.08458530902863, -35.29244329891005 ], [ 149.08469259738922, -35.292040474803294 ], [ 149.08487498760223, -35.29162013446765 ], [ 149.08530414104462, -35.29121292768598 ], [ 149.08578157424927, -35.29108157022267 ], [ 149.0859478712082, -35.29094145536018 ], [ 149.08582985401154, -35.29066560351592 ], [ 149.08595860004425, -35.290446672811704 ], [ 149.08615708351135, -35.29057365269227 ], [ 149.0860766172409, -35.2902627705626 ], [ 149.08554553985596, -35.2901182756452 ], [ 149.0850305557251, -35.28990810075949 ], [ 149.0849232673645, -35.28975484789465 ], [ 149.08511638641357, -35.28964538138499 ], [ 149.0853899717331, -35.28957094407387 ], [ 149.0855348110199, -35.28935638908827 ], [ 149.08568501472473, -35.288966685721235 ], [ 149.0856260061264, -35.2887389929981 ], [ 149.08569037914276, -35.28864266126859 ], [ 149.0857869386673, -35.28857260175696 ], [ 149.08586204051971, -35.28833615045759 ], [ 149.08648431301117, -35.288020880984135 ], [ 149.08667743206024, -35.28769685274594 ], [ 149.08692955970764, -35.28740785349338 ], [ 149.08723533153534, -35.287372823210845 ], [ 149.08799171447754, -35.2876092773238 ], [ 149.08836722373962, -35.28781507941555 ], [ 149.0889036655426, -35.28784135198535 ], [ 149.0891021490097, -35.28752170180694 ], [ 149.0889412164688, -35.28714512600492 ], [ 149.0885978937149, -35.28686488241082 ], [ 149.08805072307587, -35.28624308847254 ], [ 149.08785223960876, -35.28585774898733 ], [ 149.08786296844482, -35.28506516996254 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#15770e", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Weston Creek" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.0721881389618, -35.29961060570574 ], [ 149.0720647573471, -35.29971568062001 ], [ 149.07116889953613, -35.30125238565226 ], [ 149.0708255767822, -35.30337570498338 ], [ 149.07124400138855, -35.30460589130859 ], [ 149.07097041606903, -35.30644456909405 ], [ 149.07093822956085, -35.306952387022875 ], [ 149.07011210918427, -35.30858526272452 ], [ 149.06928598880768, -35.30936885625057 ], [ 149.0690392255783, -35.30972344077064 ], [ 149.06804680824277, -35.310366942040865 ], [ 149.06761229038239, -35.31082658267114 ], [ 149.0668022632599, -35.311316863131296 ], [ 149.06543970108032, -35.31213544977666 ], [ 149.0640288591385, -35.31298466994761 ], [ 149.06270921230316, -35.31372006990213 ], [ 149.06200110912323, -35.313912673547186 ], [ 149.06070828437805, -35.3144116899485 ], [ 149.05800461769104, -35.315414090783676 ], [ 149.05754327774048, -35.31579491229853 ], [ 149.05737698078156, -35.316320180411005 ], [ 149.05685126781464, -35.31670537485857 ], [ 149.05622899532318, -35.31702053258739 ], [ 149.0555852651596, -35.3170686815767 ], [ 149.0535306930542, -35.31755892419956 ], [ 149.05330538749695, -35.31771212440973 ], [ 149.0529727935791, -35.317764650129256 ], [ 149.05186235904694, -35.321935958745875 ], [ 149.05213594436643, -35.32407624238221 ], [ 149.05037105083466, -35.32517481177401 ], [ 149.05108988285065, -35.32683795615143 ], [ 149.0511167049408, -35.3272231004965 ], [ 149.05027449131012, -35.32735439928565 ], [ 149.04934644699097, -35.32736315253068 ], [ 149.0485578775406, -35.32730187979558 ], [ 149.04739379882812, -35.32705678839077 ], [ 149.04624044895172, -35.326614746657036 ], [ 149.04553771018982, -35.32622522272988 ], [ 149.0440195798874, -35.32511791412424 ], [ 149.04241561889648, -35.32642654993781 ], [ 149.04210448265073, -35.326597240003956 ], [ 149.0415197610855, -35.32682920284953 ], [ 149.0406721830368, -35.32710493140393 ], [ 149.0400230884552, -35.32711806131164 ], [ 149.03904676437378, -35.32703052855332 ], [ 149.03740525245667, -35.3268860992949 ], [ 149.0366381406784, -35.32682920284953 ], [ 149.03625190258026, -35.326846709452376 ], [ 149.0358817577362, -35.32674166977846 ], [ 149.03404712677, -35.32658411001167 ], [ 149.03318881988525, -35.326483446666565 ], [ 149.03261482715607, -35.32649657667521 ], [ 149.03165996074677, -35.326413419917785 ], [ 149.03043150901794, -35.32617707919283 ], [ 149.03005063533783, -35.32610705217867 ], [ 149.02767956256864, -35.32561686138116 ], [ 149.0261346101761, -35.32532799755511 ], [ 149.02241706848145, -35.33720120067679 ], [ 149.02580738067627, -35.3478956558485 ], [ 149.02414977550507, -35.3494008173952 ], [ 149.02392446994781, -35.34954520641809 ], [ 149.02366161346436, -35.34964146562329 ], [ 149.0233612060547, -35.34966771811389 ], [ 149.02377426624295, -35.350713435383646 ], [ 149.0248739719391, -35.350700309309346 ], [ 149.0255230665207, -35.350529670149406 ], [ 149.02649402618408, -35.34996962114253 ], [ 149.02657985687256, -35.350074630627105 ], [ 149.0265315771103, -35.35047279034932 ], [ 149.0265315771103, -35.35059092527395 ], [ 149.0271645784378, -35.35132160782019 ], [ 149.02703046798706, -35.351400363628144 ], [ 149.02648866176605, -35.351951652133614 ], [ 149.02621507644653, -35.352349802602916 ], [ 149.0261936187744, -35.352638569847144 ], [ 149.02620434761047, -35.35283108076972 ], [ 149.0262794494629, -35.35298858936505 ], [ 149.02644038200378, -35.35319860034765 ], [ 149.02661740779877, -35.353338607366005 ], [ 149.02679443359372, -35.353421736418305 ], [ 149.0270572900772, -35.35350049017842 ], [ 149.0288919210434, -35.353671123061844 ], [ 149.02897238731384, -35.35365362226988 ], [ 149.0312898159027, -35.35447178023865 ], [ 149.03184235095978, -35.35496179601588 ], [ 149.03139173984528, -35.35626557351451 ], [ 149.0328884124756, -35.358168700865676 ], [ 149.0322607755661, -35.35879869176246 ], [ 149.03304398059845, -35.36079363050845 ], [ 149.0343153476715, -35.36058801410024 ], [ 149.03583884239197, -35.360732383122446 ], [ 149.03711020946503, -35.36135797923578 ], [ 149.04099941253662, -35.36209731384746 ], [ 149.04151439666748, -35.362294176951785 ], [ 149.04192745685577, -35.362762271738845 ], [ 149.0413534641266, -35.36347972016342 ], [ 149.04222249984738, -35.365037086265346 ], [ 149.04273748397827, -35.365220818487074 ], [ 149.0430325269699, -35.36510707954197 ], [ 149.04319882392883, -35.364958343756605 ], [ 149.04406249523163, -35.364551506237824 ], [ 149.04487252235413, -35.36377282225854 ], [ 149.04543042182922, -35.36369407851662 ], [ 149.04671788215637, -35.36431965168092 ], [ 149.04847741127014, -35.36451650936623 ], [ 149.04983997344968, -35.36368095455219 ], [ 149.05032813549042, -35.36421903534526 ], [ 149.0508860349655, -35.36491459788522 ], [ 149.05119717121124, -35.365448295896506 ], [ 149.05142784118652, -35.365955743192266 ], [ 149.05155658721924, -35.36606510641579 ], [ 149.0541958808899, -35.365544536146 ], [ 149.0548825263977, -35.36533018270623 ], [ 149.05538141727448, -35.36499771502058 ], [ 149.05566036701202, -35.36536955378885 ], [ 149.05616998672485, -35.365500790592264 ], [ 149.0570497512817, -35.366248836297736 ], [ 149.05872344970703, -35.36688313862863 ], [ 149.05980169773102, -35.36683501931618 ], [ 149.06124472618103, -35.3666862867145 ], [ 149.06178653240204, -35.36648943432032 ], [ 149.0618884563446, -35.36639319519735 ], [ 149.0633100271225, -35.36639319519735 ], [ 149.06342267990112, -35.36630570498597 ], [ 149.06438291072843, -35.365373928352405 ], [ 149.06555771827698, -35.36416216518703 ], [ 149.06686663627625, -35.3624910395761 ], [ 149.06774640083313, -35.361182987804284 ], [ 149.06832039356232, -35.360176779712944 ], [ 149.06888365745544, -35.35903931198834 ], [ 149.06992971897125, -35.35612557157044 ], [ 149.06999945640564, -35.35576244039677 ], [ 149.07002091407773, -35.35535555653942 ], [ 149.07023549079895, -35.35262106883143 ], [ 149.07021403312683, -35.35124722726438 ], [ 149.07007455825806, -35.34996524574438 ], [ 149.0696185827255, -35.3478256476521 ], [ 149.068985581398, -35.3460929254576 ], [ 149.06784832477567, -35.343782571385034 ], [ 149.06762838363647, -35.343397505949355 ], [ 149.06679689884186, -35.341997252530554 ], [ 149.06611025333405, -35.34086390465003 ], [ 149.0653485059738, -35.339170416996524 ], [ 149.06474232673642, -35.337656312712184 ], [ 149.0643721818924, -35.336715453272845 ], [ 149.06391620635986, -35.334859958834244 ], [ 149.06358897686005, -35.333529578108944 ], [ 149.06329929828644, -35.33145081438417 ], [ 149.06321346759793, -35.3305930352441 ], [ 149.06313836574554, -35.33027355395209 ], [ 149.06306862831116, -35.32874177679227 ], [ 149.06306862831116, -35.327722034760754 ], [ 149.06335830688477, -35.32025520550182 ], [ 149.06403958797455, -35.32005386292623 ], [ 149.06446874141693, -35.31986565093482 ], [ 149.06501591205597, -35.31960302881937 ], [ 149.06566500663757, -35.31927474997562 ], [ 149.0658152103424, -35.319248487610544 ], [ 149.06631410121915, -35.31890269900828 ], [ 149.06703293323517, -35.31847812110717 ], [ 149.06761765480042, -35.318141083454194 ], [ 149.06818091869354, -35.317843438644594 ], [ 149.06887292861938, -35.31756330135245 ], [ 149.06958103179932, -35.317326934757375 ], [ 149.0701174736023, -35.3171737338175 ], [ 149.0707129240036, -35.31704241849518 ], [ 149.0714532136917, -35.31691548014758 ], [ 149.0728211402893, -35.31667035725732 ], [ 149.07468795776367, -35.31633331207011 ], [ 149.0756106376648, -35.31609694188005 ], [ 149.07666742801663, -35.31577740330268 ], [ 149.07738089561462, -35.315501636118235 ], [ 149.07785832881927, -35.31532654535436 ], [ 149.0784430503845, -35.31505077663258 ], [ 149.07882392406464, -35.314888816786265 ], [ 149.07997727394104, -35.31423221949205 ], [ 149.08273458480835, -35.31304595353254 ], [ 149.08264875411987, -35.31286648004555 ], [ 149.08218204975128, -35.31246375760096 ], [ 149.08001482486722, -35.31100168317662 ], [ 149.07775640487668, -35.3094870512633 ], [ 149.07731652259827, -35.30909744482703 ], [ 149.0755569934845, -35.30724569420194 ], [ 149.07444655895233, -35.3060943479756 ], [ 149.073668718338, -35.305301967099744 ], [ 149.07304108142853, -35.30456211275678 ], [ 149.0728425979614, -35.30410681441372 ], [ 149.072767496109, -35.303730315771645 ], [ 149.07278895378113, -35.3033231699196 ], [ 149.07286942005157, -35.30299920293926 ], [ 149.07315373420715, -35.30249136019752 ], [ 149.0738886594772, -35.30147566515187 ], [ 149.07402276992798, -35.30112542252478 ], [ 149.0740120410919, -35.300818958982504 ], [ 149.0738832950592, -35.30057816538504 ], [ 149.0735560655594, -35.30031548064333 ], [ 149.07262802124023, -35.29984702407098 ], [ 149.0721881389618, -35.29961060570574 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#2f9fa7", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Woden" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.08273458480835, -35.31303282133968 ], [ 149.08261120319366, -35.313102859676974 ], [ 149.08152222633362, -35.31355373002139 ], [ 149.0799182653427, -35.31424535149016 ], [ 149.07884001731873, -35.31488006219073 ], [ 149.07809436321259, -35.315203981594095 ], [ 149.07680690288544, -35.31571174453453 ], [ 149.07603442668915, -35.31597000204842 ], [ 149.07462358474731, -35.31632893485064 ], [ 149.0714854001999, -35.316893594205446 ], [ 149.07022476196286, -35.31713433924318 ], [ 149.0695434808731, -35.31731818042577 ], [ 149.06847059726715, -35.31769461582897 ], [ 149.06760156154633, -35.31815421481763 ], [ 149.06659841537473, -35.31872323851793 ], [ 149.06583130359647, -35.31923973348696 ], [ 149.06567573547363, -35.31926599585488 ], [ 149.06548261642456, -35.31934478290745 ], [ 149.0641576051712, -35.32000133869363 ], [ 149.0633475780487, -35.320242074479566 ], [ 149.06317055225372, -35.3250435094449 ], [ 149.06306326389313, -35.32802401979316 ], [ 149.0631330013275, -35.33027355395209 ], [ 149.0632027387619, -35.33048362398489 ], [ 149.06355142593384, -35.333341397488454 ], [ 149.0643721818924, -35.33672420550415 ], [ 149.06480133533478, -35.33777009032054 ], [ 149.06608879566193, -35.340811393938175 ], [ 149.06622290611267, -35.34106081951554 ], [ 149.06785368919373, -35.343769444184474 ], [ 149.0696185827255, -35.34779939456281 ], [ 149.0697580575943, -35.348477596632556 ], [ 149.0700799226761, -35.34997399654045 ], [ 149.07018721103668, -35.351102841284046 ], [ 149.07022476196286, -35.35257731627555 ], [ 149.0700262784958, -35.35560931230395 ], [ 149.06997799873352, -35.355989944455665 ], [ 149.06948447227478, -35.35735495534936 ], [ 149.06888902187347, -35.35900431272731 ], [ 149.0684276819229, -35.35998866115671 ], [ 149.06756937503815, -35.361423600924795 ], [ 149.06560599803925, -35.36411841888421 ], [ 149.06545042991638, -35.364284654708825 ], [ 149.0640288591385, -35.36571514357902 ], [ 149.06333684921265, -35.36638007167168 ], [ 149.07757937908173, -35.36636694814388 ], [ 149.07870590686798, -35.36768366480049 ], [ 149.07892584800717, -35.36830045823919 ], [ 149.080696105957, -35.37044388814968 ], [ 149.0816617012024, -35.37203173931877 ], [ 149.08195674419403, -35.3747524474845 ], [ 149.08122718334198, -35.3764364411466 ], [ 149.08192455768585, -35.37692632361329 ], [ 149.08196210861206, -35.37724124648567 ], [ 149.08208012580872, -35.37749055955464 ], [ 149.08222496509552, -35.377669889531425 ], [ 149.08251464366913, -35.37778361077361 ], [ 149.08278822898865, -35.37780985411444 ], [ 149.0829062461853, -35.37819475546586 ], [ 149.08328711986542, -35.37819038159718 ], [ 149.08453166484833, -35.37763927224653 ], [ 149.08604979515076, -35.37751680299077 ], [ 149.09019649028778, -35.3779454445727 ], [ 149.09239590168, -35.37751680299077 ], [ 149.0934956073761, -35.377486185647776 ], [ 149.0940535068512, -35.37747743783336 ], [ 149.09678399562836, -35.37763052444871 ], [ 149.0997076034546, -35.37876335637538 ], [ 149.10052299499512, -35.3796949784353 ], [ 149.10103797912598, -35.38016734607412 ], [ 149.1018533706665, -35.380749054273885 ], [ 149.1032910346985, -35.381168931270494 ], [ 149.103924036026, -35.38159317976641 ], [ 149.10519540309906, -35.38401616450181 ], [ 149.10553872585297, -35.3842785772536 ], [ 149.10767376422882, -35.38402053805466 ], [ 149.10836577415466, -35.383876210685145 ], [ 149.10935819149017, -35.38375375089641 ], [ 149.10985708236694, -35.38375375089641 ], [ 149.1105169057846, -35.383858716441 ], [ 149.11178827285767, -35.38386309000239 ], [ 149.11352634429932, -35.383438853443174 ], [ 149.12517786026, -35.38056535740075 ], [ 149.11894977092743, -35.35949867588296 ], [ 149.1273719072342, -35.35185102038559 ], [ 149.11613881587982, -35.33689049771888 ], [ 149.1167664527893, -35.328667375448184 ], [ 149.1165840625763, -35.32858422092375 ], [ 149.11632657051086, -35.32840478192172 ], [ 149.11626756191254, -35.32825160197068 ], [ 149.1161334514618, -35.32743755507515 ], [ 149.11603689193726, -35.32724498364283 ], [ 149.11569356918335, -35.326767929709725 ], [ 149.11522686481476, -35.32614644238159 ], [ 149.11473333835602, -35.325468052872395 ], [ 149.11463677883148, -35.32531049062339 ], [ 149.11457777023313, -35.32500411870459 ], [ 149.11453485488892, -35.324697745624796 ], [ 149.11434710025787, -35.324457023104756 ], [ 149.1140627861023, -35.32426444457267 ], [ 149.1137570142746, -35.324225053452786 ], [ 149.11351025104523, -35.32426444457267 ], [ 149.11314010620117, -35.324422008860324 ], [ 149.11291480064392, -35.324457023104756 ], [ 149.1122442483902, -35.32452267477221 ], [ 149.11182582378387, -35.324513921219626 ], [ 149.11127865314484, -35.32444389276486 ], [ 149.1100823879242, -35.32429945888535 ], [ 149.10984635353088, -35.32418128551927 ], [ 149.10969078540802, -35.32404122797286 ], [ 149.1095834970474, -35.32386615569864 ], [ 149.1095781326294, -35.32368232940271 ], [ 149.10955131053925, -35.32342847335455 ], [ 149.10947620868683, -35.32345473436201 ], [ 149.1094708442688, -35.32351163318224 ], [ 149.1094172000885, -35.32376986578623 ], [ 149.10939037799835, -35.32430383567337 ], [ 149.10926699638367, -35.32504788619264 ], [ 149.109148979187, -35.32524046285859 ], [ 149.10891830921173, -35.32535425794557 ], [ 149.1085535287857, -35.3254636761474 ], [ 149.10814583301544, -35.325459299422164 ], [ 149.10777032375333, -35.325503066663806 ], [ 149.1072446107864, -35.32561248466422 ], [ 149.1063755750656, -35.32593636107755 ], [ 149.10456240177155, -35.326925489118246 ], [ 149.10215377807617, -35.32811155147572 ], [ 149.10151541233063, -35.32823409567208 ], [ 149.10112380981442, -35.32820345964041 ], [ 149.1007697582245, -35.32809842172938 ], [ 149.10052835941315, -35.327888345497875 ], [ 149.10042107105255, -35.3276870219304 ], [ 149.09256219863892, -35.327026151912925 ], [ 149.08990681171417, -35.32681169624289 ], [ 149.0880936384201, -35.32662787664435 ], [ 149.0872085094452, -35.3263608998164 ], [ 149.08781468868256, -35.32467586178896 ], [ 149.08970832824707, -35.31937979935062 ], [ 149.0907382965088, -35.31645149690606 ], [ 149.09200966358185, -35.31287085745241 ], [ 149.0897512435913, -35.31232367975891 ], [ 149.08787369728088, -35.31238496384467 ], [ 149.0862214565277, -35.312446247883976 ], [ 149.085550904274, -35.31245938017207 ], [ 149.0841829776764, -35.312647609400514 ], [ 149.08358752727509, -35.31275704479706 ], [ 149.08315300941467, -35.312892744483165 ], [ 149.08273458480835, -35.31303282133968 ] ] ] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "stroke": "#555555", "stroke-width": 2, "stroke-opacity": 1, "fill": "#b0b319", "fill-opacity": 0.5, "title": "Stromlo" }, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ 149.0330386161804, -35.360767381634425 ], [ 149.03225004673004, -35.35880306668206 ], [ 149.0328884124756, -35.35815557600307 ], [ 149.0313971042633, -35.35626557351451 ], [ 149.03185307979584, -35.35496617114335 ], [ 149.0313595533371, -35.3544936560064 ], [ 149.02898848056793, -35.35363612147412 ], [ 149.0288758277893, -35.35367987345641 ], [ 149.02796924114227, -35.35359236946813 ], [ 149.02695536613462, -35.353496114971534 ], [ 149.02661204338074, -35.35336485865492 ], [ 149.02640283107758, -35.35315922333001 ], [ 149.0261936187744, -35.35281795503956 ], [ 149.0262097120285, -35.35234542733369 ], [ 149.0268909931183, -35.351518497196096 ], [ 149.0271645784378, -35.35131723249527 ], [ 149.02652621269226, -35.350538420884334 ], [ 149.02657985687256, -35.350087756803084 ], [ 149.0264993906021, -35.3499521195485 ], [ 149.02554988861084, -35.3505252947816 ], [ 149.02487933635712, -35.350700309309346 ], [ 149.0237581729889, -35.350713435383646 ], [ 149.02335047721863, -35.34967209352817 ], [ 149.02366697788239, -35.3496327147912 ], [ 149.02414441108704, -35.349431445391325 ], [ 149.02580738067627, -35.34791315788811 ], [ 149.02240633964539, -35.33720120067679 ], [ 149.02612388134003, -35.32532362082253 ], [ 149.03039932250977, -35.326172702506234 ], [ 149.03122007846832, -35.3214501196011 ], [ 149.03140246868134, -35.321196256544454 ], [ 149.0313971042633, -35.320675397088145 ], [ 149.03164386749268, -35.31963804515071 ], [ 149.03205692768097, -35.318022901087396 ], [ 149.03221249580383, -35.317396969376084 ], [ 149.03253972530365, -35.316981137938456 ], [ 149.03207302093503, -35.31639021590156 ], [ 149.03029203414917, -35.31483628919889 ], [ 149.02980387210846, -35.31459991463352 ], [ 149.02710556983948, -35.31368505100829 ], [ 149.0269660949707, -35.31354935265149 ], [ 149.02659058570862, -35.31350120156693 ], [ 149.02558743953702, -35.313063463119704 ], [ 149.02477741241455, -35.3126082126215 ], [ 149.02355432510376, -35.31173710116049 ], [ 149.02210593223572, -35.310704012091776 ], [ 149.02152121067047, -35.31003862570588 ], [ 149.0213656425476, -35.309701552882316 ], [ 149.02115643024445, -35.30954395991153 ], [ 149.01935935020447, -35.308650927277874 ], [ 149.01793241500852, -35.30764406493617 ], [ 149.01719212532043, -35.30729384901031 ], [ 149.01563644409177, -35.306812299636746 ], [ 149.01514291763306, -35.306527746386884 ], [ 149.01476740837097, -35.30621254777257 ], [ 149.0134745836258, -35.3047459825152 ], [ 149.01288449764252, -35.30384851902237 ], [ 149.0119457244873, -35.302329375204245 ], [ 149.01099622249603, -35.30139686069295 ], [ 149.0103256702423, -35.30090214205874 ], [ 149.0096551179886, -35.300534384653965 ], [ 149.00880217552185, -35.30010971033338 ], [ 149.009370803833, -35.29950115252496 ], [ 149.01021301746368, -35.29904144754908 ], [ 149.01030957698822, -35.29880064866236 ], [ 149.01041686534882, -35.298616765393646 ], [ 149.01058852672577, -35.29850731086865 ], [ 149.01096403598785, -35.29837596524326 ], [ 149.01106595993042, -35.2982271066101 ], [ 149.0111893415451, -35.29796003602311 ], [ 149.01141464710236, -35.297793663736506 ], [ 149.0117633342743, -35.297583508780335 ], [ 149.01239097118378, -35.29670785725545 ], [ 149.0126270055771, -35.29646267313067 ], [ 149.01276111602783, -35.29639699868541 ], [ 149.0131151676178, -35.29615619193016 ], [ 149.01373207569122, -35.29597668097375 ], [ 149.0151858329773, -35.29571835963042 ], [ 149.01692926883698, -35.29545128076451 ], [ 149.01890337467194, -35.29530679510903 ], [ 149.0194022655487, -35.29519733610741 ], [ 149.0193003416061, -35.295035336513315 ], [ 149.01928961277008, -35.29486020145226 ], [ 149.02146756649017, -35.281281702403 ], [ 149.0212368965149, -35.28027012036166 ], [ 149.02052342891693, -35.2803839787117 ], [ 149.0192574262619, -35.28016064102797 ], [ 149.0181416273117, -35.27969644700892 ], [ 149.0177822113037, -35.279096494193425 ], [ 149.01755154132843, -35.278172470579094 ], [ 149.01816844940186, -35.275974040264515 ], [ 149.01843667030334, -35.27456386032136 ], [ 149.01831328868866, -35.27333321739013 ], [ 149.01788413524628, -35.27247044233579 ], [ 149.01743352413177, -35.272233944015674 ], [ 149.01647329330444, -35.271909852603706 ], [ 149.01617288589478, -35.27176532493438 ], [ 149.01533603668213, -35.27178284345348 ], [ 149.01426315307617, -35.271936130334055 ], [ 149.0110445022583, -35.27184415824052 ], [ 149.0097999572754, -35.27212445381882 ], [ 149.00816917419434, -35.27233029526647 ], [ 149.00732696056366, -35.27229087885954 ], [ 149.00592684745786, -35.271279184517894 ], [ 149.00469303131104, -35.27022368041706 ], [ 149.00383472442627, -35.268931654602746 ], [ 149.0035343170166, -35.26866010757389 ], [ 149.00375425815582, -35.267757864135575 ], [ 149.0036416053772, -35.26716658264594 ], [ 149.00338947772977, -35.26581318877207 ], [ 149.00266528129578, -35.26396920798488 ], [ 149.00253117084503, -35.26336475859461 ], [ 149.00243997573853, -35.26268146255011 ], [ 149.00168359279633, -35.26106518166569 ], [ 149.00116324424744, -35.260276740267884 ], [ 149.00041222572327, -35.2597073055989 ], [ 148.9994841814041, -35.25905026062448 ], [ 148.9990121126175, -35.25885752642153 ], [ 148.99705946445465, -35.25813476907836 ], [ 148.9965122938156, -35.25827932106264 ], [ 148.99623334407806, -35.259023978714694 ], [ 148.9960777759552, -35.25977739008177 ], [ 148.99605631828305, -35.2618229542244 ], [ 148.9959168434143, -35.26231791166531 ], [ 148.99554669857025, -35.262777825161784 ], [ 148.9950907230377, -35.26293988929571 ], [ 148.99462401866913, -35.26285228710141 ], [ 148.99386763572693, -35.262541298546765 ], [ 148.99329900741577, -35.262444935653825 ], [ 148.99287521839142, -35.26243617538514 ], [ 148.99223685264587, -35.26234419250686 ], [ 148.9921134710312, -35.26200254090197 ], [ 148.99181306362152, -35.26173535082262 ], [ 148.9913249015808, -35.261485680608004 ], [ 148.99059534072876, -35.26133237395469 ], [ 148.98996770381927, -35.26127543140959 ], [ 148.98953318595886, -35.26131485317583 ], [ 148.98912012577057, -35.26141559760247 ], [ 148.98872315883634, -35.26210328447368 ], [ 148.9881598949432, -35.26246683632137 ], [ 148.987575173378, -35.2624405555196 ], [ 148.98728013038635, -35.26224344923466 ], [ 148.98674905300138, -35.2620288218458 ], [ 148.98611068725586, -35.26157766446077 ], [ 148.9849358797073, -35.26106518166569 ], [ 148.98425459861755, -35.26103013998867 ], [ 148.98378789424896, -35.260907493999795 ], [ 148.98244678974152, -35.26054831539317 ], [ 148.9820820093155, -35.26019789570622 ], [ 148.98210883140564, -35.25979929147025 ], [ 148.98198008537292, -35.25939630497497 ], [ 148.98162603378296, -35.25913348661588 ], [ 148.98114860057828, -35.259023978714694 ], [ 148.98079991340637, -35.25912472598922 ], [ 148.9793461561203, -35.25935688227544 ], [ 148.979110121727, -35.25932183985976 ], [ 148.97893309593198, -35.25907216220944 ], [ 148.97778511047363, -35.25845891559304 ], [ 148.9775437116623, -35.25798145608605 ], [ 148.97798359394073, -35.25722802802356 ], [ 148.97834837436676, -35.25633879868296 ], [ 148.97814989089966, -35.255979599828315 ], [ 148.97756516933438, -35.255326905152415 ], [ 148.9770931005478, -35.25510349838484 ], [ 148.97655665874478, -35.25512978156593 ], [ 148.97618651390076, -35.255252436298306 ], [ 148.97473275661469, -35.255817521775164 ], [ 148.974426984787, -35.256054068014336 ], [ 148.97398173809052, -35.2561197751805 ], [ 148.97371888160706, -35.25611539470441 ], [ 148.97313416004178, -35.256032165613796 ], [ 148.97285521030426, -35.25581314128274 ], [ 148.97259771823883, -35.25538385187704 ], [ 148.9723938703537, -35.254774957902185 ], [ 148.97251725196838, -35.25454278849141 ], [ 148.9728498458862, -35.25429309611882 ], [ 148.97287130355835, -35.25396893294378 ], [ 148.97250652313232, -35.253425737690264 ], [ 148.97224366664886, -35.252948248533855 ], [ 148.97183060646057, -35.25247951791071 ], [ 148.97144973278046, -35.252177250931254 ], [ 148.9710956811905, -35.25146319547475 ], [ 148.97106885910034, -35.25095064872349 ], [ 148.97085964679718, -35.250341721448194 ], [ 148.97033393383026, -35.24970650466818 ], [ 148.97004425525665, -35.24939108483161 ], [ 148.9694756269455, -35.24904937862382 ], [ 148.96838665008545, -35.24862443427935 ], [ 148.96771609783173, -35.24827396304093 ], [ 148.96656274795532, -35.247818348166085 ], [ 148.96622478961945, -35.247660634728256 ], [ 148.96596729755402, -35.24753796850897 ], [ 148.96513044834137, -35.247389016421764 ], [ 148.9646476507187, -35.24716558777787 ], [ 148.9641433954239, -35.24708673046244 ], [ 148.96371960639954, -35.24701663500655 ], [ 148.96341919898987, -35.246876443913 ], [ 148.9631187915802, -35.246766919452504 ], [ 148.96273255348206, -35.246600441989195 ], [ 148.96256625652313, -35.24658291802581 ], [ 148.96238386631012, -35.246543489094336 ], [ 148.96219074726105, -35.24651282213437 ], [ 148.96201372146604, -35.24643834518332 ], [ 148.96180987358093, -35.2462762480534 ], [ 148.96165430545807, -35.246114150599425 ], [ 148.96152555942535, -35.245868813295914 ], [ 148.96140754222867, -35.24552709224327 ], [ 148.96135926246643, -35.2451853697505 ], [ 148.9614236354828, -35.24490498098851 ], [ 148.96158456802368, -35.24476040515426 ], [ 148.9621263742447, -35.243998091947184 ], [ 148.96323680877686, -35.24361693265621 ], [ 148.96420240402222, -35.243498641477494 ], [ 148.96513044834137, -35.24327958328346 ], [ 148.96638572216034, -35.24285022750659 ], [ 148.967946767807, -35.241676059283535 ], [ 148.9667397737503, -35.24134308311123 ], [ 148.9660370349884, -35.24104077461283 ], [ 148.96471202373502, -35.240541305929106 ], [ 148.96374642848966, -35.24000240205724 ], [ 148.96291494369507, -35.239870961545286 ], [ 148.96235704421997, -35.23970446992432 ], [ 148.96121442317963, -35.23959493577678 ], [ 148.9607048034668, -35.2392619510598 ], [ 148.95929396152496, -35.23888953232258 ], [ 148.95883798599243, -35.23878875989972 ], [ 148.95811915397644, -35.238639791740916 ], [ 148.95731449127197, -35.2386135032139 ], [ 148.95705699920651, -35.23862226605719 ], [ 148.95642399787903, -35.23870551302117 ], [ 148.95580172538757, -35.23856968898327 ], [ 148.95444452762604, -35.23892458357075 ], [ 148.95367741584778, -35.23920499301077 ], [ 148.95346820354462, -35.23937586703788 ], [ 148.9530336856842, -35.23962998672009 ], [ 148.95264208316803, -35.23977457170112 ], [ 148.95164966583252, -35.240830472384076 ], [ 148.95177841186523, -35.24213608990395 ], [ 148.9521700143814, -35.24320948453639 ], [ 148.95205736160278, -35.24373084251708 ], [ 148.9521700143814, -35.244418679430424 ], [ 148.9525991678238, -35.24563223733594 ], [ 148.95218074321747, -35.24655663207361 ], [ 148.95200908184052, -35.24706920660415 ], [ 148.95203053951263, -35.24772196776831 ], [ 148.95172476768494, -35.24825643943924 ], [ 148.9508181810379, -35.24944365488959 ], [ 148.94829154014587, -35.250889318125914 ], [ 148.94752979278564, -35.25152014491375 ], [ 148.9460653066635, -35.252387523731926 ], [ 148.94518554210663, -35.25357905929989 ], [ 148.94459009170532, -35.256185482293375 ], [ 148.94441306591034, -35.2582136156472 ], [ 148.94450426101685, -35.26051327349266 ], [ 148.94376933574677, -35.26341293950849 ], [ 148.94379079341888, -35.264065569065174 ], [ 148.9440643787384, -35.26472695338746 ], [ 148.94440770149228, -35.26614606444259 ], [ 148.9455932378769, -35.268502434687846 ], [ 148.94744396209717, -35.27110399806713 ], [ 148.94910156726837, -35.27285146595475 ], [ 148.95317316055298, -35.2782556769289 ], [ 148.9541655778885, -35.279635138165965 ], [ 148.95446062088013, -35.28020443277921 ], [ 148.95454108715057, -35.280283257871766 ], [ 148.95468592643738, -35.280370841217945 ], [ 148.9548361301422, -35.28041463285552 ], [ 148.9549595117569, -35.28053724931473 ], [ 148.95511507987976, -35.280918234985506 ], [ 148.95513117313385, -35.28144810862802 ], [ 148.95433723926544, -35.28242464353054 ], [ 148.95410656929016, -35.283287312548666 ], [ 148.9541494846344, -35.283992329642125 ], [ 148.9542192220688, -35.28428134108654 ], [ 148.95435333251953, -35.28481557164669 ], [ 148.9549970626831, -35.28626936155247 ], [ 148.95583391189575, -35.287915790886814 ], [ 148.9558982849121, -35.28966727469877 ], [ 148.9559143781662, -35.290591167142914 ], [ 148.95609140396115, -35.291256713459724 ], [ 148.95647764205933, -35.291716462654016 ], [ 148.9575397968292, -35.29235572862258 ], [ 148.95899891853333, -35.29307818066088 ], [ 148.96006643772125, -35.29363862386131 ], [ 148.9616596698761, -35.29416403583741 ], [ 148.9630490541458, -35.29496528253437 ], [ 148.9646476507187, -35.29579716961918 ], [ 148.9663428068161, -35.29662466986779 ], [ 148.96799504756927, -35.29762729110786 ], [ 148.96853148937225, -35.298135164376355 ], [ 148.96883726119995, -35.29865616898641 ], [ 148.96871387958527, -35.29962811820092 ], [ 148.96896064281464, -35.30302109264095 ], [ 148.96875143051147, -35.30404990194069 ], [ 148.9679253101349, -35.30545519052629 ], [ 148.96660566329953, -35.30674225585272 ], [ 148.96567225456238, -35.30749960105045 ], [ 148.96491050720215, -35.30794174728113 ], [ 148.9636069536209, -35.30847144403914 ], [ 148.96224975585938, -35.30889607447271 ], [ 148.96163821220398, -35.309233150652624 ], [ 148.96110713481903, -35.30967090982871 ], [ 148.96028101444242, -35.31076091988386 ], [ 148.95970165729523, -35.31178087582964 ], [ 148.9594602584839, -35.31303282133968 ], [ 148.9594978094101, -35.31363690000452 ], [ 148.95956754684448, -35.31416655946945 ], [ 148.95983576774597, -35.31449485904939 ], [ 148.96015763282776, -35.31472247930921 ], [ 148.96082282066345, -35.315440354394 ], [ 148.96125197410583, -35.31618886370272 ], [ 148.96140217781067, -35.316928611710026 ], [ 148.9612627029419, -35.317431986662704 ], [ 148.96108567714688, -35.31783906150687 ], [ 148.9608657360077, -35.318022901087396 ], [ 148.96031320095062, -35.31843435006277 ], [ 148.95977139472961, -35.31868384469846 ], [ 148.95909547805786, -35.318837042777524 ], [ 148.9582908153534, -35.31899024056635 ], [ 148.95715355873108, -35.319012125941065 ], [ 148.955163359642, -35.3190165030153 ], [ 148.95263671875, -35.319025257163055 ], [ 148.95200908184052, -35.31907340495875 ], [ 148.95151019096375, -35.31932289762277 ], [ 148.95090401172638, -35.32027709053417 ], [ 148.95063042640686, -35.32095990056832 ], [ 148.95034611225128, -35.32238677984555 ], [ 148.95028173923492, -35.32324464606348 ], [ 148.95028710365295, -35.323835518011684 ], [ 148.95077526569364, -35.32580068327854 ], [ 148.95106494426727, -35.32622084604588 ], [ 148.9514458179474, -35.326623499982155 ], [ 148.95185351371765, -35.32794961778846 ], [ 148.9529049396515, -35.32958644607322 ], [ 148.95431578159332, -35.33183156037109 ], [ 148.95543158054352, -35.33361272754586 ], [ 148.9567083120346, -35.335280074513484 ], [ 148.95804405212402, -35.33667169210209 ], [ 148.95883262157437, -35.33739812446824 ], [ 148.95963191986084, -35.34170407139852 ], [ 148.96037220954895, -35.34368192945968 ], [ 148.9620566368103, -35.344933381009525 ], [ 148.96531820297238, -35.34562473404232 ], [ 148.96759271621704, -35.34601416447477 ], [ 148.96964728832245, -35.3466354990305 ], [ 148.97136926651, -35.34768125555545 ], [ 148.97276937961576, -35.34839008700804 ], [ 148.97431433200836, -35.3487838795718 ], [ 148.97499024868011, -35.34883638510192 ], [ 148.97604167461395, -35.34877075318394 ], [ 148.97672832012177, -35.349129540351164 ], [ 148.97692680358887, -35.3498908639395 ], [ 148.97725403308868, -35.35194290155181 ], [ 148.97666931152344, -35.35322922690366 ], [ 148.97617042064667, -35.35536868185714 ], [ 148.97631525993344, -35.35688682921304 ], [ 148.97780656814572, -35.36071050904478 ], [ 148.97800505161285, -35.36183045420632 ], [ 148.9791369438171, -35.36457775388155 ], [ 148.9800488948822, -35.36614822236656 ], [ 148.98191034793854, -35.369289067678324 ], [ 148.98251116275787, -35.37134061234631 ], [ 148.982720375061, -35.37284096274567 ], [ 148.9826613664627, -35.37429317038669 ], [ 148.98337483406067, -35.37525983628692 ], [ 148.98427605628967, -35.375806587890835 ], [ 148.98545622825623, -35.37619149879799 ], [ 148.9870172739029, -35.37564912380872 ], [ 148.98797750473022, -35.374979898031825 ], [ 148.9898818731308, -35.373702667420204 ], [ 148.9919149875641, -35.37271411204205 ], [ 148.99490296840668, -35.37193988101158 ], [ 148.99653375148773, -35.371725544554835 ], [ 149.0001493692398, -35.371769286735095 ], [ 149.000723361969, -35.37182615153399 ], [ 149.00143146514893, -35.372036113521276 ], [ 149.0028476715088, -35.372394797319245 ], [ 149.00428533554077, -35.37263537702227 ], [ 149.0069192647934, -35.373588940426735 ], [ 149.00779366493225, -35.37413570335145 ], [ 149.0085232257843, -35.374761195594324 ], [ 149.00885045528412, -35.37529920252617 ], [ 149.00897920131683, -35.375697237866405 ], [ 149.00902748107907, -35.3762089947047 ], [ 149.00890946388245, -35.37657640786914 ], [ 149.00847494602203, -35.37713627233144 ], [ 149.0087217092514, -35.37781422800374 ], [ 149.00914013385773, -35.37859277652325 ], [ 149.0098214149475, -35.37917449607533 ], [ 149.01055097579956, -35.37979120169713 ], [ 149.01109278202057, -35.380442892586295 ], [ 149.01163458824158, -35.3813482530719 ], [ 149.01219248771667, -35.38178124797359 ], [ 149.0128147602081, -35.38251602188293 ], [ 149.01328682899475, -35.38357443444178 ], [ 149.013329744339, -35.384554109724284 ], [ 149.01370525360107, -35.38560374861022 ], [ 149.0140163898468, -35.387466823995766 ], [ 149.01415586471558, -35.38804410622761 ], [ 149.03443336486816, -35.37535169081528 ], [ 149.0330386161804, -35.360767381634425 ] ] ] } } ] } </maplink> jzpnlx0q6bsl0nw5aeuol7k5qftbqt7 0 192310 4501880 4494158 2022-08-16T05:07:57Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Beaches */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Sunshine Coast banner.jpg|pgname=Sunshine Coast|disambig=yes}} The '''Sunshine Coast''', or the '''Sunny Coast''' as it's colloquially known, is a peri-urban area and a holiday city comprising of several settlements in [[South East Queensland]]. It had a population of around about {{populationof}}, making it Queensland's third largest settlement behind [[Brisbane]] and the [[Gold Coast]], and the ninth in Australia. If the Sunshine Coast had to be described in six words, it'd be "budget alternative to the Gold Coast". Though it used to be a relatively quieter beachside destination, since the 2000s, the [[Gold Coast]] has been getting more expensive and almost unaffordable for budget travellers, popularising the Sunshine Coast into a popular holiday destination as it is now. ==Understand== [[File:King's Beach since Friday 14th April, 2006 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px|King Beach, Caloundra]] Renowned for its relaxed approach to Queensland life, the Sunshine Coast is famous for its uncrowded white sand beaches and green scenery. Stretching for nearly 70 km (43 miles), the Sunshine Coast falls within the Sunshine Coast Council's jurisdiction and provides for a great (and popular) escape from Brisbane, or the Gold Coast. The city is also a holiday spot even for Queenslanders and the Sunshine Coast is a great place to relax, unwind and taste the amazing local produce. One notable difference from other cities is that the Sunshine Coast is not one city, but rather a series of towns and cities that make up the settlement. Some parts of the Sunshine Coast like Caloundra, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba or Mudjimba can be described more as suburbs, while other parts like Maleny, Montville or Beerwah resemble more like towns, not suburbs, while some like Coolum Beach or Marcoola are somewhat in-between. ===History=== The first bit of the Sunshine Coast that was explored by Europeans were the Glass House Mountains which were sighted by Captain James Cook from the deck of the ''HM Endeavour'' in 1770 when he was sailing along the East Coast. Many of the Sunshine Coast's towns began as simple ports and jetties for timber industry during the 1860s and 1870s, as the area once had magnificent stands of forest. Likewise, the region's road biggen snigging tracks for hauling timber. Timbergetters used the region's creeks, rivers and lakes as seaways to float out their logs of cedar - the resultant wood being shipped far afield as Europe. Today, the Sunshine Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. As the region became increasingly residential, most of the district's small farms, especially tropical farms have now disappeared. Instead business concerned with retail, catering and tourism are now of greater interest in this region. ===Geography and orientation=== The Sunshine Coast is mostly flat near the coastal areas, where most of the population lives (within 10 km from the coast). It's roughly between the -26th and -27th degree line from the equator, meaning that it's subtropical, but the Sunshine Coast does cop a lot of bad whether events which often happen in the tropics, such as cyclones. A bit west of the coastal areas, is the [[Glass House Mountains]], which can be said to be Queensland's most iconic mountains. The mountains are part of a now extinct volcanic range, and are today a sacred site for the Indigenous peoples. A little further west is the [[Great Dividing Range]], the world's third longest mountain range, but unlike a bit further south in [[New South Wales]], the elevation change when travelling is relatively lower, and the range is not the most obvious range at sight. This article covers the areas of the Sunshine Coast, except the [[Glass House Mountains]]. which is on the border between [[Moreton Bay]] and the Sunshine Coast. Similarly, other destinations often thought to be part of the Sunshine Coast but are not part of the local government area such as [[Noosa]] are also covered in separate articles. <!--===Orientation=== {{mapframe|show=map1}} These are the following suburbs that make up where most of the population lives. It's relatively small, but useful to know when getting around. {{Regionlist |region1name=Caloundra |region1color={{StdColor|T1}} |region1items= |region1description= |region2name=Maroochydore |region2color={{StdColor|T2}} |region2items= |region2description= |region3name=Mooloolaba |region3color={{StdColor|T3}} |region3items= |region3description= |region4name=Coolum Beach |region4color={{StdColor|T4}} |region4items= |region4description= }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|title=Caloundra|fill={{StdColor|T1}}|wikidata=Q5023889,Q5023895,Q6333575,Q5579192,Q6412871,Q7493886,Q6890340,Q14935473,Q48791417,Q5273835,Q4869855,Q4795571,Q5195169,Q6819234,Q85754082,Q4884146|stroke-opacity=0.05|group=map1}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|title=Maroochydore|fill={{StdColor|T2}}|wikidata=Q3294613|stroke-opacity=0.05|group=map1}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|title=Mooloolaba|fill={{StdColor|T3}}|wikidata=Q1530307|stroke-opacity=0.05|group=map1}} --> ===Visitor information=== The Sunshine Coast has several visitor centres, but there are only three in the major built-up coastal areas; one near the airport, the other in Buderim and a third in Caloundra, which is temporarily closed. The others are all in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. For online information, see the [https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/visitor-information-centres Sunshine Coast tourism] website. In the coastal areas: * {{listing | name=Sunshine Coast Airport Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/info/56b260d32880253d74c49493/sunshine-coast-airport-visitor-information-centre | email= | address=Friendship Ave, Mudjimba | lat=-26.6054 | long=153.0886 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5448 9088 | tollfree= | hours=24/7, staffed between 9:30AM–3:30PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A small airport visitor centre between all the rental car companies in the arrivals hall with plenty of maps and brochures about things to see and do with some itineraries in the Sunshine Coast. }} * {{listing | name=Buderim Information Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address=4 Burnett St, Buderim | lat=-26.6859 | long=153.0502 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5477 0944 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|9:30AM|3:30PM}} Sa {{time|10AM|12:30PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A small regional visitor information centre in a 1937 post office. It's the closest visitor centre that is outside the airport and in the population centre. }} * {{listing | name=Caloundra Tourist Information Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Caloundra Rd, Caloundra | lat=-26.798528 | long=153.114306 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5458 8846 | tollfree= | hours=9AM–3PM but temporarily closed | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} In the hinterland: * {{listing | name=Glass House Mountains Visitor and Interpretive Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.898932 | long=152.958418 | directions=see [[Glass House Mountains#Understand|Glass House Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Kenilworth Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=http://www.kenilworthinfocentre.org.au/ | email= | address=, 9 Elizabeth St, Kenilworth | lat= | long= | directions=near Gum Nut Park | phone=+61 7 5446 0122 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|3PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Maleny Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=https://malenyinfocentre.edublogs.org/ | email= | address=2/23 Maple St, Maleny | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9033 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 9:30AM-4PM, Su 10AM–3:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Montville Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/info/56b260d12cbcbe7073adaf0c/montville-visitor-information-centre | email= | address=198 Main St., Montville | lat=-26.691827 | long=152.894437 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5458 8845, 1300 847 481 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A small visitor centre with specialised information about the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Free Wi-Fi. }} Other sites: * [https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/ Sunshine Coast tourism website] * [https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/ Council website] * [https://www.queensland.com/au/en/places-to-see/destinations/sunshine-coast Queensland tourism website] * [https://www.australia.com/en/places/brisbane-and-surrounds/guide-to-the-sunshine-coast.html Australia tourism website] ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Jetstar about the Land at Sunshine coast.jpg|thumb|300px|A Jetstar airways landing at Sunshine Coast Airport]] * {{go | name=Sunshine Coast Airport | alt={{IATA|MCY}} | url=http://www.sunshinecoastairport.com.au | email= | address= | lat=-26.603333 | long=153.091667 | directions=10 km north of Maroochydore | phone=+61 7 5453 1500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sunshine Coast Airport | wikidata=Q903231 | content=Has daily flights to [[Sydney]] and [[Melbourne]]. The airport has good facilities for an airport of its size, with multiple ATMs, rental cars, transfer services, and food and shopping outlets. }} There is a small cafe in the arrivals area, selling coffee and snacks, open from the first flight to the last. Most of the facilities are located after clearing security in the departures area, there is a cafe, a salad store, jewellery store, bookstore and a bar. There is an outside area next to the tarmac which can be an area to enjoy a drink while waiting for your flight. The Translink (Sunbus) 622 bus services the airport terminal hourly between Maroochydore and Noosa Junction, but somewhat inconveniently stops before the last flights arrive from Sydney and Melbourne. The 620 bus runs later and with greater frequency, but only stops on David Low Way outside the airport precinct. It is just over 1 km to walk from this stop to the airport terminal, walk along the Friendship Drive out of the airport, turn right onto David Low way and walk the short distance to the stop. Change at Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore for points south. Change at Noosa Junction for Noosa Heads and Noosaville. The rental car chains are located in arrivals. Door to door transfers are available to the entire sunshine coast area, but should be pre-booked. Henry's operates north (to Noosa and Coolum), and Sun-air operates south to Maroochydore, and Caloundra. Discounts are available for groups - expect to pay around $20 per person. If you haven't pre-booked, Henry's has a desk inside the arrivals area, where you can see if there is availability on the next shuttle. Sun-air has no presence at the airport, and you'll have to call them to see if you can arrange a pickup. Sunshine Coast Taxis are available and operated by Suncoast cabs ({{phone|131 008 (domestic)}}). It can cost up to $100 to get to Noosa by taxi from the airport. ===By car=== {{infobox|Where is the Sunshine Coast?|When driving, and if it's your first time visiting the Sunshine Coast, it may be a strange question to think about, but you might be thinking of that when driving. When you're outside the Sunshine Coast LGA, without a GPS, your first instinct may be just follow the signs to "Sunshine Coast". However, just around 25 km from the population centres of the Sunshine Coast, "Sunshine Coast" no longer appears as a focal point, unlike other cities in Australia where the name of the city refers to the CBD of the city, that is not the case for the Sunshine Coast as it has no primary CBD or population center. Instead, once you enter the Sunshine Coast and to get to the population centres, follow the signs to either Caloundra, Mooloolaba or Maroochydore. }} [[File:Bruce Highway, Beerwah, Queensland, 2021.jpg|thumb|The Bruce Highway in Beerwah]] From [[Brisbane]], a trip to the Sunshine Coast usually takes an hour mostly done on motorways, though this could be longer depending on where you are going. From the <abbr title="Central Business District (city centre or downtown)">CBD</abbr>, use the '''M3 Riverside Expressway''' north for a few metres until the motorway ends. Once it ends, turn right onto '''M3 Hale Street''' which becomes the '''M3 River City Bypass'''. Just before the M3 becomes the A3, exit onto the '''M7 AirportLink Tunnel''' until the '''A3 Gympie Road'''. Once at the exit, take the exit and continue A3 until the next motorway. After about 10 kilometres, the road becomes the '''M3 Gympie Arterial Road''' which later merges with the '''M1 Gateway Motorway'''. If you are coming from [[Logan City (Queensland)|Logan]] or the [[Gold Coast]], use the '''M1 Pacific Motorway''' north and just as the road becomes the '''M3 Pacific Mwy''', exit onto the '''M1 Gateway Motorway''' until the end of the motorway which eventually merges with the '''M3 Gympie Arterial Road'''. Do note that the Gateway Motorway is tolled. Once the two motorways have merged, you will be on the '''M1 Bruce Highway''', and continue on that road for {{km|50}}. After that, you'd have entered the Sunshine Coast region, though the exits to the major population centres only come after another 10 km and the two major exits include '''Exit 188''' onto Caloundra Road (<abbr title="State Route 6">SR 6</abbr>) which is the exit to use if you're heading to Caloundra, Beerwah, Beerburrum, the Australia Zoo or the Glass House Mountains and '''Exit 194''' onto the '''Sunshine Motorway''' (<abbr title="State Route 70">SR 70</abbr>), 6 km after Caloundra Rd, used to get to Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Coolum, Mudjimba or anywhere that falls along the "motorway". ===By bus=== It is also possible to take a coach from Brisbane and/or the Gold Coast. There is a cheap, regular local bus connecting the population centres of the Sunshine Coast, with possible plans to build a tram line in the future. ===By train=== Queensland Rail runs the [http://www.citytrain.com.au/ Citytrain service], which runs on the North Coast rail line from [[Brisbane]] to {{marker | type=go | name=Landsborough railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.8081 | long=152.9657 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Landsborough railway station | image=Landsborough Railway Station, Queensland, Sep 2012.JPG | wikidata=Q6485047 }} and Nambour, with connecting buses to the population centres of Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and [[Noosa]]. See [http://www.qr.com.au/ Queensland Rail (QR)]. ==Get around== {{mapframe|align=center|width=900|height=550}}{{mapshape|wikidata=Q828357}} ===By car=== Car is by far the easiest way to see most attractions in a short amount of time, or at your own pace. Larger car hire companies may offer relocations to [[Brisbane Airport]] or the Gold Coast. Try the major national renters with services at Maroochy Airport or other local independents that rent new cars. *'''[http://www.cutpricecarrentals.com Cut Price Car Rentals]''' *'''[http://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au East Coast Car Rentals]''' *'''[http://www.suncoastcarrentals.com Suncoast Car Rentals]''' * '''[http://www.selectrentacar.com.au Select Rent A Car]''' * '''[http://www.thrifty.com.au/ Thrifty Car Rental]''' In practice, there are three major roads that traverse the Sunshine Coast used to get around. One of them is a motorway, another only partially a motorway and the other just a normal urban arterial road. The other roads in the region are all otherwise local roads. The first one is the '''Bruce Highway''' (M1) which starts from Brisbane and has several exits in the region, though the main exits are ones used to go to Yandina, Eumundi, while the southern gateway from the area surrounding Maroochydore and Caloundra. This road is a motorway for the entirety of its length in the Sunshine Coast. The second is the '''Sunshine Motorway''' / '''Emu Mountain Road''' (<abbr title="State Route 70">SR 70</abbr>) which is only partially a motorway. It starts at Sippy Downs, then makes its way up to Mooloolaba. At Mooloolaba, you'd hit the Nickelin Way Interchange, and make sure to exit (to stay on the motorway) as otherwise you may end up on busy urban streets where the motorway's direction suddenly changes. After the exit, it heads north parallel to Bruce Hwy but passing the population centres of Maroochydore, Pacific Paradise and Mudjimba before becoming a one-lane motorway. Continue on the motorway up to towns like Coolum which eventually goes up to [[Noosa]]. The last is not one road, but a series of roads, '''State Route 6''' starts from Beerwah, and runs parallel to the former route but rather goes within the population centres. It is convenient if you're just intending to go from one population centre to another without going on motorways. ===By train=== [[File:Sunshine-Coast-railway-line-map.png|thumb|700px|center|A map of the train route in the Sunshine Coast]] The '''[https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/Train/T/sunshine-coast-line Sunshine Coast]''' line passes through several stops in the Sunshine Coast though the railway largely runs inland and does not reach the major population centres. The line starts at the Roma Street busway station in Brisbane, winds its way up north passing Caboolture, Beerburrum, the Glass House Mountains, Beerwah and several other stops before heading north to [[Gympie]]. If you are staying somewhere along the coast, you will need to take the bus. === By public transport === The Sunshine Coast is part of the Queensland [https://translink.com.au/ '''translink'''] area network. Bus network runs in most directions but is easy access from Maroochydore all the way to Noosa’s Hastings street. Easiest way to travel with Translink bus services is via the [https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/go-card '''Go-Card'''] which is available in most newsagencies. The Go-Cards will work on all public transport trains, buses and ferry services in Queensland. Sunshine Plaza is a hub for the bus services in the Maroochy area. ==See== ===Museums and historic sites=== [[File:Queensland Air Museum hangar 2.jpg|thumb|A Hangar 2 display in the Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra West]] [[File:Sunshine Castle, Bli Bli, Queensland 04.jpg|thumb|Sunshine Castle in Bli Bli]] * {{see | name=Caloundra Lighthouses | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Canberra Terrace, Kings Beach | lat=-26.8014 | long=153.1376 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28035392 | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=Two lighthouses both quite historic (at least, in Queensland terms), that were designed to light up the passage to the North-West channel. There's a volunteer organisation that manages the lighthouse, and on occasion, you can pay $2 to go to the top. }} * {{see | name=Eumundi Museum | alt= | url=https://www.eumundimuseum.org/ | email= | address=73 Memorial Dr, Eumundi | lat=-26.4772 | long=152.9521 | directions=corner of Gridley Street and Memorial Dr | phone=+61 7 5442 8762 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 10AM–3PM | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=A local history museum with many old photographs of historical Eumundi, Indigenous artifacts from the region, old documents etc. There is also a small art gallery, but behind the museum. }} * {{see | name=Landsborough Museum | alt=Landsborough Historical Museum | url=http://www.landsboroughmuseum.org.au/ | email= | address=4 Maleny St., Landsborough | lat=-26.8094 | long=152.9648 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 1755 | tollfree= | hours=W–F Su 9AM–3PM | price=$5 per adult, seniors and pensioners. Children under 15 can enter free | wikidata=Q28183735 | content=A local history museum established in 1976 which preserves some collections on what life used to be like on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, including plenty of old machinery from the farmlands. }} * {{see | name=Maleny Light Horse Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Maleny RSL Club at Bunya St., Maleny | lat=-26.759189 | long=152.853561 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Commemorates the traditions and skills of the Queensland Mounted Infantry (which were part of the Queensland Police Force) and the Australian Light Horse, a military force noted for its contribution to the Boer War and World War I. Open Sundays, ANZAC Day, Australia Day, Remembrance Day and by appointment. }} * {{see | name=Maroochydore RSL Museum | alt= | url=https://maroochyrsl.com.au/league/military-museum/ | email=mrslmuseum@maroochyrsl.com.au | address=105 Memorial Ave, Maroochydore | lat=-26.655541 | long=153.093412 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443 1719 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=A military museum inside of Maroochy RSL, with a large collection of memorabilia and remains as a legacy for the Australian Defence Force. Items on display include frigates, gunships, aviation instruments and bomb casings. }} * {{see | name=Point Cartwright Lighthouse | alt= | url= | email= | address=Pacific Blvd, Buddina | lat=-26.679706 | long=153.138458 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7207976 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A 32-metre lighthouse constructed in 1978 marking the entrance to the North-West Channel. Unlike most other lighthouses, Port Cartwright has always been automatically operated owing its recent completion date. As with most other lighthouses, the outside is free to enter, but the inside of the tower is closed to the public. }} * {{see | name=Queensland Air Museum | alt= | url=http://www.qam.com.au | email= | address=7 Pathfinder Dr, Caloundra West | lat=-26.798 | long=153.1096 | directions=in Caloundra Aerodrome | phone=+61 7 5492 5930 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-4PM | price=$15 | wikidata=Q14935546 | content=Great collection of aircraft and a place to learn more about [[aviation history]], especially considering the nondescript location and good price. }} * {{see | name=Seaview House | alt=St Isidore's Farm College | url=https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=601467 | email= | address=40 Post Office Road | lat=-26.620192 | long=152.865643 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Most historic house in the region, built in the early 1900s by Mapleton orchardist William James Smithnow, and later bought by Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane for tertiary training. Now privately owned. }} * {{see | name=Sunshine Castle | alt= | url=http://sunshinecastle.com/ | email= | address=292-296 David Low Way, Bli Bli | lat=-26.62353 | long=153.0397 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5448 4477 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 9:30AM–4:30PM, Su 10AM–3PM | price= | image=Sunshine Castle, Bli Bli, Queensland 06.jpg | lastedit=2022-05-15 | content=It is not the most historic castle that you could find, but the inside resembles very much a typical European medieval castle. }} ===Lookouts=== * {{see | name=Howells Knob Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=Reeseville Road | lat=-26.760355 | long=152.810118 | directions=off Maleny-Kenilworth Road | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-24 | content=One of the highest points in the Maleny area, with good views of the Glass House Mountains and islands off the coast. }} *{{see | name=Witta Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=460 Maleny-Kenilworth Road, Witta | lat=-26.718948 | long=152.817189 | directions=7 km from Maleny, opposite Gumland Drive. | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24/7 | price= | content=Overlooking the Conondale Valley with Mary Valley and Conondale Ranges in the western distance. Great place at sunrise to catch the spectacular dawn colours across the ranges and the spectacular sunset views. }} ===Zoos and aquariums=== [[File:Mossman the Croc - Australia Zoo - Beerwah Queensland Australia - Flickr - Cindy Andrie.jpg|thumb|The crocodile show at the Australia Zoo]] * {{see | name=Australia Zoo | alt= | url=http://www.australiazoo.com.au/ | email= | address=1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah | lat=-26.8366 | long=152.9595 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5436 2000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q781321 | content=Owned and run by the family of the late Steve Irwin, is a popular tourist drawcard. The site tends to be frequented more by overseas visitors. }} * {{see | name=Wildlife HQ Zoo | alt= | url=https://whqzoo.com/ | email= | address=76 Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye | lat=-26.672672 | long=152.990781 | directions= | phone=+61 428 660 671 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|4PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q24090077 | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=Although this zoo is not as famous as its other Sunshine Coast Counterpart, this is a zoo with a ZAA Accreditation Program, which means they have animal welfare in mind. There is also a greater focus on Australian wildlife rather than what you'd find in any other zoo. }} * {{see | name=Sea Life Sunshine Coast | alt=SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium | url=https://www.visitsealife.com/sunshine-coast/ | email= | address=Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba | lat=-26.6828 | long=153.121 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=1800 195 650 | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|3PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q7883058 | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content=A fantastic aquarium located adjacent to the Wharf. Popular with tourists and local alike, you can catch the seal shows, swim with sharks, and learn more about the sea life that so amazes many city visitors. }} ===Art galleries and displays=== * {{see | name=Caloundra Regional Gallery | alt= | url=https://gallery.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/ | email= | address=22 Omrah Ave, Caloundra | lat=-26.8039 | long=153.1308 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5420 8299 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–F 10AM–4PM, Sa Su 10AM–2PM, closed Mondays | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=The Sunshine Coast's local art gallery with several exhibitions, collections and programs. It can be a bit hard to spot though, as it's not very prominent on the street despite its good-looking building. There's 2-hour street parking just in front of the gallery, so parking should not pose an issue. }} * {{see | name=Coolum Art Picture Framing and Gallery | alt=Coolum-Art Picture Framing and Gallery | url=https://coolartgallery.com.au/ | email= | address=5/43 Access Cres, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.521609 | long=153.055729 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5471 7366 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–F 9AM–5PM, M Sa 9AM–2PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-18 | content=While this may be a framing shop, this place also has an interesting contemporary art gallery featuring contemporary and post-modern artworks. }} *{{see | name=Landsborough Galleries | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kingfisherartandframinggallery/ | email= | address=18 Maleny St., Landsborough | lat=-26.808386 | long=152.963165 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5439 9943, +61 428 955 588 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 9:30AM–4:30PM | price= | content=A small regional household art gallery with a range of artworks from different time periods. }} *{{see | name=David Hart Galleries | url=http://www.davidhartgalleries.com.au/ | email= | address=Malibu Resort, 81 The Esplanade | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 7 5452 5600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Noosa branch: Shop 10, Noosa on The Beach, 49 Hastings St. Noosa. {{Phone|+61 7-5449-2100}} }} * {{see | name=University of the Sunshine Coast Art Gallery | alt= | url=https://www.usc.edu.au/art-gallery | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content= }} ===Other=== [[File:GiantPineappleNambour.jpg|thumb|The Big Pineapple in 2005]] <!-- not sure whether this exists: https://www.sunshinecoast-australia.com/the-book-farm.html * {{see | name=Book Farm, The | alt= | url=http://www.greaterglider.com.au/bookfarm/indexbf.html | email= | address=330 Reesville Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Educational ecotourism centre, catering for school groups. Workshops, seminars, rainforest setting. }}--> * {{see | name=Baroon Pocket Dam and Lake Baroon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Baroon Pocket Road | lat=-26.7032 | long=152.868 | directions=off North Maleny Road | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4863041 | content=A popular scenic location for picnicking, swimming, fishing, sailing and canoeing. Viewing platform near the spillway, with barbecues and toilets. There are [[Hiking and bushwalking in Australia|bushwalks]] through rainforests and Obi Obi Gorge. }} * {{see | name=Big Pineapple | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nambour Connection Road, Woombye | lat=-26.6727 | long=152.991 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2443409 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A 16-metre (52-ft) tall pineapple that is one of [[Australia's big things]]. The pineapple contains many retail and restaurant spaces, train ride and nutmobile, crops, rainforest, the Macadamia Nut Factory, the Big Macadamia, a "Tomorrow's Harvest greenhouse", farm show, wildlife gardens, and an animal nursery. }} * {{see | name=Buderim Ginger Factory | alt=The Ginger Factory | url=http://www.buderimginger.com/gingerfactory/index.html | email= | address=50 Pioneer Road, Yandina | lat=-26.55455 | long=152.9597 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5446 7096 | tollfree=1800 067 686 | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q109837790 | content=Yandina. Mini-theme park based on ginger. Cane Train through rainforest and a couple of rides and features to entertain children, including a boat ride with animate characters - like a Ginger "It's a small world". Claims to be biggest selection of ginger products anywhere in the world. Cafe for meals and snacks. }} * {{see | name=Buderim House | alt= | url= | email= | address=10 Orme Road, Buderim | lat=-26.6751 | long=153.0577 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23640996 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Buderim House is a heritage-listed homestead designed by George Trotter and built arounnd 1915 by Christian Schriver. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 March 1993. }} * {{see | name=Crystal Waters Ecovillage | alt= | url=http://crystalwaters.org.au | email= | address=65 Kilcoy Lane, Conondale | lat=-26.785 | long=152.714 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4620 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2491908 | content=More than 20 km outside the main centre of Maleny, in Conondale. Famous intentional community started in 1987. A ''permaculture village'' working toward a balanced natural ecology. 200 permanent residents. Regular markets (1st Saturday of each month), festivals, workshops and permaculture training courses. Campground, bunkhouses and cabins for visitors. Tours available. }} * {{see | name=Eudlo | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.7333 | long=152.967 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5406542 | content=Serene historic timber town in a rural valley below the Blackall Ranges. Eudlo features a general store, a café, a hall and has a single railway station that fits four carriages on a platform. Nearby is Chenrezig, a Buddhist meditation retreat that oozes with nature and is known to be the largest Buddhist centre in the Western World. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk | alt= | url=https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-sunshine-coast/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=58 km walk through the Blackall Ranges, starting from Lake Baroon near Montville. Subtropical rainforest, tall open eucalypt forest and picturesque waterfalls. Entire walk takes 4-6 days. Call {{phone|+61 13 13 04}} to book campsites, which have water, toilets and platforms. }} * {{do | name=Sunshine Coast Skydivers | alt= | url=http://www.skydivingaustralia.com.au | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Go Karting | alt= | url=http://www.bigkart.com.au | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Maleny Community Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maple Street right in the centre of town. Movies, plays, weekly Sunday markets, annual May Maleny Arts and Crafts Fair and many other activities. Information centre open daily }} * {{do | name=Maleny Dairy Tours | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2392 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=70 McCarthy's Road. Tours Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Appointment necessary. }} * {{do | name=Mystic Mountain Tours | alt= | url=http://www.mysticmountaintours.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5435 2881 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5 Glasshouse Parade. Various tours of the Blackall Ranges, Saturdays, Sundays or by appointment. Known for Winery and Gourmet Foods Tours. Free pick-up in Brisbane for groups of 12 or more. }} * {{do | name=Mary Valley Rattler | alt= | url=https://www.maryvalleyrattler.com.au/ | email=info@maryvalleyrattler.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5482 2750 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tozer Street, Gympie. '''Steam Locomotive Scenic Tours''' operated from Gympie, slightly more than 1 hr drive north of Maleny. The '''Mary Valley Heritage Railway''' runs steam, railmotor and diesel passenger tours on the Mary Valley Line of Queensland Rail as a non profit venture, owned and operated by the local community. }} * {{do | name=Woodford Folk Festival | alt= | url=http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/main/index.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In nearby Woodford, is a very famous annual musical event, held in late December. (It began in Maleny but moved to Woodford some years ago.) }} * {{do | name=Cycle | alt= | url=https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Experience-Sunshine-Coast/Pathways-tracks-and-trails/Cycling/Routes | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=The Sunshine Coast boasts over 80 km of coastal cycling paths and these run right through the heart of Maroochydore and surrounding suburbs. }} * {{do | name=Tree tops challenge | alt= | url=https://www.treetopchallenge.com.au/sunshine-coast-adventure | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=Treetop walking experience. See some wonderful Queensland fauna in the process. }} * Walk across the Maroochy River bridge to '''Chambers Island'''. ===Sport=== * {{do | name=Sunshine Coast Stadium | alt= | url=https://sunshinecoaststadium.com.au/ | email= | address=31 Sportsmans Pde, Bokarina | lat=-26.733889 | long=153.126111 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5437 7666 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7618109 | lastedit=2022-05-29 | content=The Sunshine Coast's primary sporting stadium with a capacity of 12,000 where many of the city's soccer and rugby games occur. It will also be one of the primary home grounds for the new Redcliffe Dolphins NRL team once they enter the NRL in 2023. }} ===Theme parks=== * {{do | name=Aussie World | alt= | url=http://www.aussieworld.com.au/ | email= | address=73 Frizzo Road, Bruce Highway, Palmview | lat=-26.7502 | long=153.047 | directions=around 3 km from the nearest public bus stop; can be accessed by taxi or door-to-door services like [http://www.sunair.com.au/ Sunair] | phone=+61 7 5494 5444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4822827 | content=A family fun-park, dodgem cars and the like, located next to the Ettamogah Pub. }} ===Beaches=== A visit to the Sunshine Coast is never complete without visiting its beaches, and after all, it is what makes the Sunshine Coast a popular tourist destination. Most of these beaches have lifeguards, though the number of lifeguards available may vary. As always, remember to swim between the red and yellow flags, while surf between the black and white flags. If you get into trouble, put a single hand up with a fist, and don't venture too far out into the open. ====Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba==== * '''Alexandra Headland Beach''' is comparable to most Gold Coast beaches, with tall buildings beside the beach. However, it's not as popular as some of the Caloundra beaches and the waves are not that large. * '''Cotton Tree Beach''' is a northward facing river at the banks of the Maroochy River. As it is on the river bank, it means there is a lot of sand and not a lot of waves. * '''Maroochydore Beach''' is the closest beach to Maroochydore town centre, and is patrolled almost all the time. The beach is quite long, and the waves make it good for surfing. ====Caloundra==== The major attraction of Caloundra is the beaches, some of the state's best. These include: * '''Kings Beach''', the main patrolled surf beach, even has a webcam. Also features a salt-water swimming pool (fed by the ocean). A number of cafes/restaurants and the Caloundra Surf Life Savers Club are nearby. * '''Bulcock Beach''', popular with families and is also patrolled by the Caloundra City Life Saving Club, but beware of the strong current along Pumistone passage. Bulcock beach also features a lovely boardwalk with bars and restaurants and also some very popular fishing spots. Accessible via a pleasant and popular boardwalk over the rocks from King's Beach. * '''Moffatt Beach'''. Not patrolled, but good for walking. * '''Golden Beach''', popular with windsurfers and kite surfers. You will find a number of hire places offering kayaks, surf-ski's sail-boards, Hobie-cats, fishing dinghy's and pontoons. * '''Dicky Beach''', popular with families and adjoins a caravan park with lovely cafes * '''Shelly Beach''', popular for picnics and exploring the rock pools. Great venue for weddings ====Coolum==== The only reason why many visit Coolum is its beaches. However, unlike Caloundra, Coolum only has one beach, but stretches from centre to north. '''Coolum Beach''' is patrolled in several locations, and has several locations for swimming, but beware, the waves can get very rough and water can go up to the end of the sand, where it becomes grass. ====Elsewhere==== Though the most visited beaches in the Sunshine Coast are a part of a town/suburb, additionally, there are also the two beachside towns of {{marker|type=see|name=Marcoola|wikidata=Q1531059}} and {{marker|type=see|name=Mudjimba|wikidata=Q6931835}}, which are both patrolled, and are a quieter alternative to the other beaches. The main downside to these though, is that facilities are somewhat limited (but still plentiful if you're going to compare it with a beach in the middle of coastal rural Queensland), and the distance between the beach and the carpark is – not a lot. ===Parks and nature=== ====National parks==== [[File:Glass House Sunset view.jpg|thumb|The Glass House Mountains at sunset]] [[File:Obi-Obi Valley - Mapleton Falls National Park.tif|thumb|Obi Obi Valley from Mapleton Falls National Park]] {{see also|Queensland national parks}} The Sunshine Coast is home to many national parks, but the most important ones as follows: * {{see | name=[[Glass House Mountains]] | alt=Glasshouse Mountains | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.9 | long=152.92 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1529753 | content=Queensland's most iconic mountains, about 30 minutes southwest of Maroochydore and Mooloolaba mostly protected as part of the '''[http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=112 Glass House Mountains National Park]'''. They're a series of dome-like mountains, that apparently looked like "glass houses" when Captain James Cook was sailing along the East Coast of Australia during 1770. }} * {{do | name=Kondalilla National Park | alt= | url=http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/kondalila | email= | address= | lat=-26.668056 | long=152.858333 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1781175 | content=On Western Avenue about 4 km north of the centre of Montville. 327 hectares of lush subtropical rainforest and tall open forest plus Kondalilla Falls dropping 90 metres from Skene Creek into water pools below. Parking area, picnic facilities, barbecues, shelter sheds, toilets, a lookout and three walking trails. No fresh water available. Can become quite crowded during peak holiday periods. }} * {{do | name=Mapleton National Park | alt=Mapleton Forest Reserve | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mapleton | email= | address= | lat=-26.617756 | long=152.846408 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1892088 | content=Just to the northwest of Mapleton. 11,000 hectares with several picnic areas and walks. Camping allowed in three areas (with permits). }} * {{do | name=Mapleton Falls National Park | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mapleton-falls/ | email= | address=Obi Obi Rd | lat=-26.630556 | long=152.838889 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1772511 | content=The falls tumble 120 metres down the escarpment from Pencil Creek. 26 hectares with rainforest and nice views and typical Blackall Ranges wet eucalypt environs. Picnic area, toilets, shelters, barbecue facilities and walks. Can be crowded during holidays. No camping. }} [[File:Mount Coolum 003.jpg|thumb|Mount Coolum from the southeast]] Other smaller national parks of less importance include: * {{do | name=Eudlo Creek National Park | alt= | url=https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/national-park-eudlo-creek/ | email= | address= | lat=-26.706944 | long=152.961944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q682401 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=A very small tiny {{km2| 0.43}} park, protecting the last remaining habitats of the vulnerable tusked frog. }} * {{do | name=Ferntree Creek National Park | alt= | url=https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/national-park-ferntree-creek/ | email= | address= | lat=-26.605278 | long=152.963889 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q938754 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=This park has no tourist facilities, so visiting inside is very hard, but this area is home to many different species of birds in such a small area surrounding the Maroochy River catchment. }} * {{do | name=Mooloolah River National Park | alt= | url=http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/mooloolah-river | email= | address= | lat=-26.721667 | long=153.080833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1946658 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=The Sunshine Coast's equivalent of [[Noosa]]'s Noosa National Park, preserving one of the last remains of bushland in the Sunshine Coast. }} * {{do | name=Mount Coolum National Park | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mount-coolum | email= | address= | lat=-26.563333 | long=153.083889 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1950299 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=Very few people visit this park, but if you find that the Glass House Mountains are way too far away to see, here's just a mountain that resembles one of them. The impressive dome-shaped mountain can also be climbed via a 1.6-km trail from the park's east, but it is very steep and rocky, hence its Grade 4 rating under the [[Hiking and bushwalking in Australia|AWGTS]]. }} ====Other parks==== * {{do | name=Buderim Forest Park and Falls | alt= | url=http://www.buderim.com/buderim-forest | email= | address=Quorn Cl, Buderim | lat=-26.67913 | long=153.048137 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=A short walk through rainforest to enjoy a small waterfall. Swimming or getting into the water is not advised though, as stormwater is known to pass the creek. }} * {{do | name=Delicia Road Conservation Park | alt= | url=http://www.queensland.com/en-sc/attraction/delicia-road-conservation-park | email= | address= | lat=-26.62035 | long=152.85023 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q21928661 | content=Adjacent to Mapleton Forest Reserve, just to the northwest of Mapleton, protects remnants of rainforest. The park includes several bushwalking tracks, but there is no camping available. }} * {{do | name=Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.779646 | long=152.880936 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9907 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q69290437 | content=Corner of Landsborough-Maleny Road and Mountain View Road. Open daily. Well worth a visit to the 52 hectares of natural sub tropical rainforest and walking trails include many varieties of native fauna and flora, such as the pygmy mouse, possums, pademelons, wallabies, gliders, bandicoots, echidnae, bearded dragons, and a great many types of birds. Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, children's playground, toilets, a kiosk, a ranger in attendance. At the entrance is the '''Thynne Natural History Education Centre'''. Nice views over the Glasshouse mountains. Tours available. }} * {{do | name=Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary | alt= | url=https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Experience-Sunshine-Coast/Beaches-and-Parks/Maroochy-Wetlands-Sanctuary | email= | address=Sports Rd, Bli Bli | lat=-26.608258 | long=153.054758 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5448 6723 | tollfree= | hours=24/7 | price= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=Has an easy access boardwalk through pristine wetland areas where fish, crabs, frogs, birds and other flora and fauna breed and feed. }} ==Learn== There is only one university in the Sunshine Coast, though it is not the most attractive uni, even within Queensland. Under the Center for World University Rankings, it came 35th in Australia, and only 1467th worldwide. Many Sunshine Coast locals even choose to go down south to [[Brisbane]] to study in one of the state's top universities. * {{listing | type=learn | name=University of the Sunshine Coast | alt=USC, Sunshine Coast University | url=http://www.usc.edu.au/ | email= | address=90 Sippy Downs Dr, Sippy Downs | lat=-26.716944 | long=153.062222 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5430 1234 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1423677 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=The Sunshine Coast's "local university" with degree programs available for business, IT and tourism; creative industries, design and communication; education; engineering and science; health, nursing and sport sciences; humanities, psychology and social sciences; and law and criminology. }} ==Work== ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Clock Shop | alt= | url=http://www.clockshop.com.au | email= | address=194 Main St., Montville | lat=-26.691688 | long=152.8942 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5442 9409 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 9:30AM–5PM, Su 12:30–5PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content=It displays and sells various wall and grandfather clocks. The shop also has one of the largest ranges of cuckoo clocks in Australia, mostly from German-made cuckoo clocks. }} * {{buy | name=Flaxton Gardens | alt=Flaxton Gardens Sunshine Coast | url=http://www.flaxtongardens.com.au/ | email= | address=313-327 Flaxton Dr, Flaxton | lat=-26.651268 | long=152.8773 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 7450 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 10AM–3PM | price= | content=Wine cellar offering tastings and sales, plus a pottery, cafe, and gift shop. Excellent views. }} <!-- *{{buy | name=Art on Cairncross | url=http://www.artoncairncross.com.au/ | email= | address=3 Panorama Place, Cairncross Corner, Maleny | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 7 5429 6404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fine arts, ceramics, glass and sculpture }} * {{buy | name=Maleny Bookshop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3666 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maple Street. Used, out of print and unusual books. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Holden Gallery | alt= | url= | email= | address=Coral Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Framing artwork, needlework, photographs, certificates, medals and memorabilia }} * {{buy | name=Rosetta Books | alt= | url=http://www.leadingedgebooks.com.au/default.asp?storeurl=rosetta | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5435 2134 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At Maple Street. New books and coffee. }} * {{buy | name=Tree Frog Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.treefroggallery.com/ | email= | address=56 Montville Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5435 2303 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Australian indigenous art, contemporary paintings, sculpture, landscapes, ceramics, jewelry, furniture and craft. }} *{{buy | name=Maleny Village Bazaar | url= | email= | address=Maple street Maleny | lat= | long= | directions=Main street through Nursery | phone = +61 408260836 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Revamped retro fashion, beaded & embroidered jeans, unique homewares, stylish sunnies, recycled art, music paraphernalia, gadgets, gizmos, hemp and bamboo t-shirts, massage, antiques & collectables, healing, readings, handmade craft, exotic jewellery, art gallery, mens clothes, gifts, crystals, semi precious stones and e~bling. Friendly atmosphere. }} --> ===Markets=== * {{buy | name=Caloundra Street Fair | alt=Caloundra Street Fair Markets | url=https://www.caloundrastreetfair.com.au/community/caloundramarkets/product-group/EJNZnA2mHjSCzwtYJ | email= | address=Bulcock St, Caloundra | lat=-26.804892 | long=153.133548 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5492 5977 | tollfree= | hours=Su 8AM–1PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Perhaps the most organised of all the street markets in the Sunshine Coast, there's plenty of arts and crafts, clothing, food trucks (mobile canteen) and live entertainment. }} * {{buy | name=Eumundi Markets | alt= | url=http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/ | email= | address=80 Memorial Dr, Eumundi | lat=-26.47622 | long=152.9519 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5442 7106 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Australia's largest outdoor market and one of Queensland's leading tourist attractions since 1979, held every Saturday and Wednesday. Arts, crafts, music, street entertainers, food, atmosphere. }} * {{buy | name=Fishermans Road Sunday Markets | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/fishermansroadmarkets/ | email= | address=Fishermans Rd, Maroochydore | lat=-26.643438 | long=153.056088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su 6AM–noon | price= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=From locally made items to fresh produce, this is one of the Sunshine Coast's largest markets out there. As Maroochydore is a major population centre, the markets get very crowded, but since few start their day in Queensland before 7:30, the early hours before 9 is a good time to visit and beat the crowd. }} *{{buy | name=Marcoola Twilight Market | alt= | url=http://www.marcoolamarket.com.au | email= | address=10 Lorraine Avenue, Marcoola | lat=-26.584382 | long=153.096439 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=F 4–8PM | price= | content=Farmer's market with street food and music. The markets do get surprisingly crowded for a town of its size though, but that can be largely attributed to Marcoola being very close to the population centres of the Sunshine Coast. }} * {{buy | name=Yandina Markets | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/YandinaMarkets/ | email= | address=North St, Yandina | lat=-26.557808 | long=152.954124 | directions= | phone=+61 448 990 061 | tollfree= | hours=Sa 6AM–noon | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A great place to get fresh local produce, local crafts and second hand goods. They take place every Saturday 7AM to noon, at the Yandina sports grounds, off the Bruce Highway. }} ===Buy food=== * {{buy | name=Maleny Supermarket IGA Universal Providers | alt= | url=https://www.malenyiga.com.au/ | email= | address=26 Maple St, Maleny| lat=-26.75829 | long=152.8519 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maple Street. (''In the middle of town''). Organic and other produce, plus gourmet cheeses. Open 7 days. }} * {{buy | name=Maple Street Co-op | alt= | url=http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au/ | email= | address=37 Maple Street, Maleny | lat=-26.7587 | long=152.8508 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2088 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A famous local co-operative started in 1979 that aims to supply high quality organic foods and products (vegetables and fruit) for a reasonable price to Co-op members and the community. Open 7 days. }} * {{buy | name=Flannerys Maroochydoore | alt= | url=https://flannerys.com.au/store/maroochydore/ | email= | address=Plaza Markets, 45 Plaza Parade, Maroochydore | lat=-26.657744 | long=153.0859 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5479 3522 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-18 | content=A fresh food store with local organic produce mostly with unpackaged wholefoods. You can also find organic coffee here too, something that is not very common to find in Australia in urban areas. }} ===Malls and shopping centres=== *{{buy | name=Sunshine Plaza | alt= | url=http://www.sunshineplaza.com/ | email= | address=Horton Parade | lat=-26.6544 | long=153.088 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443 4133 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7641549 | content=A shopping mall with large outdoor areas around a waterway. Normal chain stores are represented, but there are also paddle boats and quite a few eateries alfresco style. }} * {{buy | name=C-Square | alt=Centenary Square Shopping Centre | url= | email= | address=52-64 Currie St, Nambour | lat=-26.625847 | long=152.958723 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5441 5766 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Located on Currie Street, which is the town of Nambour's main street. The mall is just the standard kind of Queensland shopping complex in the centre of the settlement. }} * {{buy | name=Nambour Plaza | alt=Nambour Central Mall | url= | email= | address=18 Ann St., Nambour | lat=-26.625887 | long=152.9612 | directions=cnr Lowe, Short and Ann St, Nambour | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|8AM|9PM}} Su {{time|9AM|6PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q65063638 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A classic Queensland style plaza with a few specialty shops, though not a particularly large shopping centre. It's predominantly taken up by <abbr title="Woolies">Woolworths</abbr> and Big W, and aimed more at locals, but useful if for some reason you need to go to Woolies. }} * {{buy | name=Kawana Shoppingworld | alt= | url=http://www.kawanashoppingworld.com.au/ | email= | address=119 Point Cartwright Dr, Buddina | lat=-26.7031 | long=153.131 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5444 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6379624 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Buddina's local shopping centre with over 70 specialty stores, a 10-screen cinema/movie theatre and a large food court. }} ==Eat== {{eatpricerange|<$20|$20-60|>$60}} [[File:Vegan burger at The UpFront Cafe, Sunshine Coast.jpg|thumb|300px|A vegan burger found at a Sunshine Coast cafe]] As befits a seaside city, seafood is very popular and there are many fish and chip shops around in every reasonably population centre situated along the coast. Though the Sunshine Coast is a budget destination, everything in the Sunshine Coast is still very pricey if you're on a budget, and while you could certainly get away with a meal under $20 per person, if you add starters, dessert or soft drinks to your meal, it will certainly cost more than $40. It's also a similar situation with mid-range restaurants, and likewise, it's very easy for your meal to just cost over $50, and if it's an upper mid-range restaurant, it can indeed go up to even $60! <!--For the sweet tooth, the Gelateria Milano is highly regarded in the southeast of Queensland and is actually run by Italians, unlike many other gelato shops. * '''Steak''' - Pay your steak $2 with the purchase of any drink on Sundays at the SurfAir Resort in Marcoola, close to the airport. Food is good and you have an option to choose fish instead of beef.--> ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Coolum Thai Spice | alt=Coolum Thai Spice Licenced <!--(sic) -->Restaurant | url=https://coolum-thai-spice.business.site/ | email= | address=1812 David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5285 | long=153.0905 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5446 2488 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A budget Thai restaurant, fully licensed but with few options and unfortunately the restaurant doesn't have much of a range, but that is what you get in a budget restaurant that cannot spell licensed properly. }} * {{eat | name=Hanami | alt= | url=https://business.google.com/website/hanamicoolum | email= | address=9/1778 David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5314 | long=153.0917 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5471 7091 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–3PM, 5–8PM (closed Tuesdays) | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Has some surprisingly good Asian (in particular, Japanese) food albeit being budget. There are some Korean options too. }} * {{eat | name=Maroochy Waters Seafood | alt= | url= | email= | address=10 Denna St., Maroochydore | lat=-26.6437 | long=153.0685 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5479 4949 | tollfree= | hours=M 3:30–7:30PM, Tu–Th 10AM–7:30PM, F 9:30AM–7:30PM, Sa Su 10:30AM–7:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A classic Australian fish and chip shop, except while most fish and chip shops in coastal cities tend to be by the beach, this one is by the river! Otherwise, there's some excellent burgers and wings if you're not a fan of fish (but for some reason wanted to come to a fish and chip shop). }} * {{eat | name=Pum's Kitchen | alt= | url=http://pumskitchen.com.au/ | email= | address=Shop 8, 2 Beach Rd, Maroochydore | lat=-26.6524 | long=153.0898 | directions= | phone=+61 435 508 101 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A budget Thai restaurant with lots of prawn meals. Otherwise, there are plenty of chicken, pork and vegetarian options, plus as with every Thai restaurant, fried rice is not to be missed. }} * {{eat | name=Thai Lotus | alt= | url=http://www.thailotuswurtulla.com.au/ | email= | address=1/56 Moondara Dr, Wurtulla | lat=-26.7527 | long=153.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5437 7066 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-19 | content=Has the typical Thai food found pretty much in any Australian Thai restaurant, but with an emphasis on local seafood. There are also some specials in this restaurant, such as chilli noodles. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Colin James Fine Foods | alt= | url=http://colinjamesfinefood.com.au/ | email= | address=29 Maple St, Maleny | lat=-26.758714 | long=152.8511 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2860 | tollfree= | hours=9AM–3PM (closed Mondays) | price= | content=Located on Maple St, Maleny's main street, this place is known for gelati, an extensive range of cheese, with a cafe which caters to a gluten free diet. }} * {{eat | name=Da Marino Italian restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Da-Marino-Landsbrough-107542621728709/ | email= | address=Shop 9/1 Maleny St, Maleny | lat=-26.808546 | long=152.965 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 8333 | tollfree= | hours=2–9PM (closed Mondays) | price= | lastedit=2021-09-20 | content=An Italian restaurant but with very Australianised replacements. The most notable of all is probably the fact that a lot of meals contain barbecue sauce, something that's not the most Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Dicky Beach Surf Club | alt= | url=https://www.dickybeachsurfclub.com/restaurant/ | email= | address=1A Coochin St, Dicky Beach | lat=-26.78165 | long=153.1381 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 6078 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon–2PM, 5–8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-19 | content=A beachside restaurant managed by the local surf club with some classical and modern Australian cuisines. Has some excellent burgers, seafood and pizzas with a particular emphasis on local ingredients. }} * {{eat | name=Flaming Sushi House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/flamingsushihouse | email= | address=2/132 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba | lat=-26.6899 | long=153.1148 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5444 6366 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM, F–Su 11AM–3PM, 5–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A sushi shop that sells not only sushi, but nearly all the important meals of [[Japanese cuisine]] found in Australia, in a cosy setting. The interior of the restaurant is very Japanese-themed, and it's reflected in its walls, paintings and statues inside. }} * {{eat | name=Giddy Geisha | alt= | url=https://giddygeisha.com.au/ | email=info@giddygeisha.com.au | address=8 Market Lane, Maroochydore | lat=-26.657728 | long=153.091114 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5452 4301 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Has a mix of Asian-fusion dishes, including Asian cocktails too. The range of Asian food ranges from Japan, down to Indonesia, but as the Australian definition of ''Asian food'' only refers to East and Southeast Asian food, that's what you'll find in this restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=India Today | alt= | url=http://www.indiatoday-caloundra.com.au/ | email= | address=2/79 Bulcock St, Caloundra | lat=-26.80435 | long=153.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5438 9599 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-07 | content=Excellent quality Indian cuisine in a unique setting. Great service. The tandoori chicken is a very tasty and filling choice. }} * {{eat | name=King Ludwig's Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.kingludwigs.com.au/ | email= | address=401 Mountain View Rd, Maleny | lat=-26.7798 | long=152.857174 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9377 | tollfree= | hours=W Th Su 11AM–4PM, F Sa 11AM–11PM | price= | content=German cuisine with spectacular views of the Glasshouse Mountains, but unlike most views where you see the mountains from the east facing west, it's the opposite here. Fully licensed and has a good range of Bavarian beers. }} *{{eat | name=My Place Restaurant | alt=My Place Restaurant & Bar | url=https://website-9137590927045630910105-restaurant.business.site/ | email= | address=1768 David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5325 | long=153.0924 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5446 4433 | tollfree= | hours={{time|7AM|9PM}} | price= | content=A restaurant with great food, service, atmosphere and the best views of the coastline from Noosa to Mooloolaba. }} *{{eat | name=Sang's East Asian Cuisine | alt= | url=http://www.sangs.com.au | email= | address=Alexandra Parade, Alexandra Headland | lat=-26.664696 | long=153.1048 | directions=cnr Okinja Rd and Alexandra Pde | phone=+61 7 5475 4412 | tollfree= | hours=Dinner Tu-Sa, Closed Sunday & Monday | price= | content=A budget BYO specialising in East and Southeast Asian cuisines though modified to suit the Australian tastebud though there's a great deal of seafood owing to the fact that the Sunshine Coast is located along the coast. }} * {{eat | name=Tasty Thai | alt= | url=https://www.tastythaicaloundra.com.au/ | email= | address=9/50 Bulcock St, Caloundra | lat=-26.8049 | long=153.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 8666 | tollfree= | hours=5–8:30PM (closed Tuesdays) | price= | lastedit=2022-05-07 | content=A very tasty Thai restaurant with takeaway, dine-in and BYO (bring your own) with all the typicals of a Thai restaurant, though the restaurant is a bit compact. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Cappriccios Italian Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://cappricciospizzas.com.au/ | email= | address=Riverside Centre, 7/4 Maple St, Maleny | lat=-26.758438 | long=152.8535 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9444 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A classic Italian pizza restaurant specialising in pizza (obviously) along with many other Italian dishes and specialties. The variety available resembles more like the one you would find in southern Italy, like most other Italian restaurants. The restaurant is also fully-licensed, and has both dine-in and takeaway. }} * {{eat | name=Fish on Parkyn | alt= | url=http://fishonparkyn.com.au/ | email= | address=25 Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba | lat=-26.68441 | long=153.1315 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5444 4711 | tollfree= | hours=Sa–Th noon–2:30PM, 5:30–10PM, F noon–2:30PM, 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A fine-dining seafood restaurant with a waterview with nearly all of its menu based on seafood. While this is a seafood restaurant, if you're a vegetarian, this restaurant has a surprisingly good amount of options that are vegetarian – not something you would expect from a seafood restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Harry's On Buderim | alt= | url=http://harrysonbuderim.com.au/ | email=info@harrysonbuderim.com.au | address=11 Harrys La., Buderim | lat=-26.6713 | long=153.0481 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 6661 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su noon–2PM, Th–Sa 6–8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A modern Australian restaurant though presented in a very rural rainforest area (and that's why it's located on the edge of Buderim Forest Park), with many rainforest ingredients, local seafood and has a surprisingly good vegan menu. It's inside a heritage listed building over 140 years old, and is fully licensed too. Strangely, the restaurant has led to some maps incorrectly labelling the nearby park as "Harrys Restaurant Park". }} * {{eat | name=Spice Bar Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.spicebar.com.au/ | email= | address=123 Mooloolaba Espl., Mooloolaba | lat=-26.67812 | long=153.1168 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5408 4361 | tollfree= | hours=F–Su noon–3PM, W–Su 6PM–late, closed M Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=Lots of good Asian fusion meals. Be aware though, that the dishes are very large, so don't underestimate the sizes of their "Large Plates" section on their menu. Otherwise has some good wine and seafood too. }} *{{eat | name=The Key Restaurant Maleny | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cairncross Corner, Cnr. of Maleny Landsborough Rd and Mountain view Rd | lat=-26.77579 | long=152.8922 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5429 6537 | tollfree= | hours=W-Su, lunch and dinner. 11AM-till late | price=From $16.50 | content=Relaxed atmosphere, sunny terrace. Blend of African, Creole and Mediterranean culinary influences. Friday night buffet, local produce, chicken and meat are hormone free. Caters for vegetarian diets and for people with gluten intolerance. }} * {{eat | name=The Terrace Seafood Restaurant of Maleny | alt=Terrace of Maleny | url=http://www.terraceofmaleny.com.au/ | email= | address=cnr Landsborough-Maleny Rd and Mountain View Rd, Maleny | lat=-26.7758 | long=152.8921 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W–Su noon–3PM, 5–9PM | price= | content=When you first think of going to a seafood restaurant, that's also fine-dining too, ideally you'd often think of the coastal areas, as with practically every seafood restaurant in Australia. But strangely, this restaurant is rather nestled on the mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, making it an unusual combination. }} * {{eat | name=Tides Waterfront Dining | alt= | url=http://www.tideswaterfront.com.au/ | email= | address=26 Esplanade Bulcock Beach, Caloundra | lat=-26.80669 | long=153.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5438 2304 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|noon|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-19 | content=A waterfront seafood restaurant with some great views of the ocean! There is a bit of emphasis on local southeast Queensland seafood, particularly from the Sunshine Coast region, and there is a good range of wines available. Lunch Specials from $32, while "Locals Dinner" from $49pp. }} ===Cafes=== {{anchor|Cafés}} * {{eat | name=Cheese Stop Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.malenycheese.com.au/ | email=enquiry@malenycheese.com.au | address=1 Clifford St, Balmoral RIdge | lat=-26.763764 | long=152.8857 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2207 | tollfree= | hours={{time|10AM|3PM}} | price= | content=Fully licensed cafe with espresso coffee, tea and cold drinks, special cheese dishes, cakes, scones & desserts. (Watch cheese & yoghurt being made on the premises.). Cheese is generally the European style, and you can watch cheese and yogurt being made. }} * {{eat | name=Monica's | alt= | url=http://monicascafe.com.au/ | email= | address=43 Maple St, Maleny | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2670, +61 460 002 227 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cafe and BYO dining. }} * {{eat | name=Scandic Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/scandiccafe/ | email=chiakhoa8982@hotmail.com | address=12 First Ave, Maroochydore | lat=-26.6552 | long=153.0928 | directions= | phone=+61 428 858 533 | tollfree= | hours=M W–F {{time|6:30AM|3PM}} Tu {{time|6:30AM|3:30PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-04-18 | content=A Scandinavian cafe (i.e. Norwegian, Swedish and Danish) with food and drinks surprisingly similar to what you would get in Scandinavia. Interestingly, the names of two of their smoothies are ''Viking'' and ''Midnight Sun''. }} * {{eat | name=The Coffee Club | alt= | url=https://www.coffeeclub.com.au/stores/coolum/ | email=coolum@coffeeclub.com.au | address=cnr Elizabeth St and David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5288 | long=153.0905 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5455 7101 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6:30AM–6PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=A cafe with an all-day menu ranging from bacon to sausages to great beverages. Apart from the coffee, which well is good in any cafe, there are many other cold beverages such as milkshakes, smoothies and frappés. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Caloundra RSL | alt= | url=http://www.caloundrarsl.com.au/ | email= | address=19 West Terrace | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 1544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Winner Queensland Club of the Year for the 4th time (Clubs Queensland Awards). Winner Best Food Venue in Queensland for the 5th time (Clubs Queensland Awards). }} *{{drink | name=The Barn on Flaxton | alt=Country Cafe | url=https://www.thebarnonflaxton.com.au/ | email= | address=445 Flaxton Drive | lat= | long= | directions=4 km north of Montville | phone=+61 7 5445 7321 | tollfree= | hours=8AM-5PM | price= | content=Home baking is their specialty - Home baked apple pie, scones, quiche or chunky beef pie with garden salad. }} * {{drink | name=Maleny Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.malenyhotel.com.au/bar | email= | address=6 Bunya St., Maleny | lat=-26.759 | long=152.8542 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2013 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th 10AM–9PM, F Sa 10AM–10PM | price= | content=A small bar with a beer garden. Cocktails start from $15, while there is a good range of all kinds of wines. }} * {{drink | name=Flame Hill Vineyard and Winery | alt= | url=http://www.flamehill.com.au/ | email= | address=249 Western Avenue, Maleny | lat=-26.681284 | long=152.876344 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5478 5558 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Award-winning wines. Open daily. }} ===Craft Beer=== Craft beer is a popular draw card on the Sunshine Coast and there are plenty of options in Maroochydore: * [https://sunshinecoastbrewery.com/ '''Sunshine Coast Brewery'''] in Kunda Park Maroochydore - They are boutique and serve all the favourites as well as their own ginger beer. * '''[https://www.sunshinebrewery.com.au/ Sunshine Brewery in Maroochydore]''' - IPA’s, summer ale, * [https://yourmatesbrewing.com/ '''Your Mates Brewing Company'''] - Whether you go for the Larry, Macca, Sally or Eddie. * {{drink | name=Pig 'N' Whistle Sunshine Plaza | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Brews their own IPA, available on tap. A rare find in Australia. }} ==Sleep== {{Sleeppricerange | Under $150 | $150 - $250 | Over $250 }} * {{sleep | name=Avocado Grove Bed & Breakfast | alt= | url=http://www.avocadogrove.com.au/ | email= | address=10 Carramar Court | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5445-7585 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Off Ensbey Road. Tranquility on 1.4 hectares. Great views. 'On call' natural therapies professional. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppertree Cottage | alt= | url=http://www.peppertreecottage.com/ | email= | address=10 Glen Eden Court | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5445-7652 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Air conditioned bed and breakfast on two acres. }} * {{sleep | name=Tanderra House | alt= | url= | email= | address=11 Flaxton Mill Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5445-7179 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Bed and breakfast. Also on offer is therapeutic massage and yoga classes, followed by a guided meditation in the garden. }} * {{sleep | name=Taman Sari | alt= | url=http://www.tamansari.com.au | email= | address=226 Obi Obi Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5478-6868 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Private, self-contained pavilions with tropical gardens and broadband internet. }} ===Budget=== *{{sleep | name=Banyandah Towers | alt= | url=http://www.banyandah.com.au/ | email=holidays@banyandah.com.au | address=150 Duporth Ave, Maroochydore | lat=-26.6475 | long=153.0882 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443 6911 | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 5443 5841 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 15-storey waterfront apartment along the Maroochy River, with some good amenities, but none of the rooms have air conditioning though. }} * {{sleep | name=Caloundra City Backpackers | alt=Caloundra Backpackers | url=http://www.caloundrabackpackers.com.au/ | email=info@caloundrabackpackers.com.au | address=84 Omrah Avenue, Caloundra | lat=-26.803782 | long=153.1264 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 7655 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price=dorm $18.00, twin (2 persons, 2 single beds) $42.00/room, double (double bed + ensuite) $52.00/room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Crystal Waters EcoPark | alt= | url=http://crystalwaters.org.au/things-to-do/eco-caravan-park/ | email= | address=Lot 48/65 Kilcoy Ln, Conondale | lat=-26.785802 | long=152.717056 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4726 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Bushland setting near the main Crystal Waters facilities and cafe. Powered and unpowered sites, plus bunkhouses available. }} * {{sleep | name=Lilyponds Holiday Park | alt= | url=http://www.lilyponds.com.au/ | email= | address=26 Warruga St., Mapleton | lat=-26.621437 | long=152.8629 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 7238 | tollfree= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Cabins, caravans, camping, swimming pool, camp kitchen, under-cover gas barbecues, TV lounge plus playground for children. With avocado orchard and Wi-Fi internet access. }} * {{sleep | name=Mapleton Cabins and Caravan Park | alt= | url=http://www.mapletoncabinscaravans.com.au/ | email=mccp.office@gmail.com | address=Obi Obi Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7 5445 7135 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ocean View Caravan Park | alt= | url=http://www.oceanviewtouristpark.com.au/ | email= | address=2 Old Maleny Rd, Landsborough | lat=-26.793412 | long=152.936471 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 1171 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Self contained air-conditioned cabins with powered sites for caravans. There is an amenities block, and there's some great views over the coast from the Hinterland. }} *{{sleep | name=QCCC Mapleton | alt= | url=http://www.qccc.com.au | email= | address=70 Obi Obi Rd | lat=-26.628634 | long=152.860457 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5456 3600 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Highly sought after conference and camping facility also boasting an outdoor education program. Accommodation for 240 guests, four swimming pools, meeting hall for 600 people, climbing wall, canoeing lake, abseil tower, archery. }} *{{sleep | name=Suncoast Backpackers Lodge | url= | email= | address=50 Parker Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443-7544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sunshine Coast Motor Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.sunshinecoastmotorlodge.com.au | email= | address=279 Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye | lat=-26.6662 | long=152.9719 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5442 1666 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=A motel that's a bit inland and quite a distance from the beach, but contains a pool if you don't feel like driving to the beach. Includes free Wi-Fi and free parking. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Bamboo Retreat | alt= | url=http://www.bambooretreat.com.au/ | email= | address=949 Kidaman Creek Rd, Maleny | lat=-26.68053 | long=152.795582 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4172 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=4.5 star king studio with private garden and outdoor hot tub spa, located on a secluded forest ridge overlooking Obi Obi Valley, adjacent to Maleny National Park. Breakfast in suite or private gazebo. Minimum stay 2 nights. No pets. }} * {{sleep | name=Maleny Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.malenylodge.com.au/ | email=relax@malenylodge.com.au | address=58 Maple St., Maleny | lat=-26.757673 | long=152.849859 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2370 | tollfree= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Located in a historic 1894 building near the centre of Maleny, bed and breakfast accommodation with an open fire in the winter. }} * {{sleep | name=Maleny Hills Motel | alt= | url=http://www.malenyhills.com.au/ | email=info@malenyhills.com.au | address=932 Montville Road, Balmoral Ridge | lat=-26.761821 | long=152.886475 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2551 | tollfree= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price=From $130 | content=A motel around 5 km from the centre of Maleny with some excellent rainforests just beside the motel's doorstep. However, the rooms are a bit small though. }} * {{sleep | name=Mapleton Springs B&B | alt= | url=http://www.mapletonsprings.com.au | email=mapletonsprings@bigpond.com | address=87 Spring Pastures Dr., Mapleton | lat=-26.628365 | long=152.879421 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 7751 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price=from $170 | lastedit=2019-06-08 | content=New accommodation as of 2019, away from main roads. Solar heated infinity edge pool, spa with a view and sauna on premises. During the cooler months there is an open fire in the lounge room. Movies can be viewed in their cinema room. A selection of drinks and snacks are available for purchase. }} * {{sleep | name=Roseville House | alt= | url=http://www.rosevillehouse.com.au/ | email= | address=640 Maleny-Montville Road at Balmoral Lookout | lat=-26.739979 | long=152.895742 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3411 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Bed and breakfast in a federation era (early 1900s) house. The house has some pretty impressive ocean and mountain views, but that should be no surprise given it's located on a lookout. }} * {{sleep | name=Oaks Seaforth Resort | alt= | url=https://www.oakshotels.com/en/oaks-seaforth-resort | email=seaforth@theoaksgroup.com.au | address=98-110 Alexandra Pde, Alexandra Headland | lat=-26.6642 | long=153.1049 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5475 1100, 1300 766 950 (domestic), +61 7 2102 5719 (reservations using int'l number) | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A mid-sized coastal hotel with facilities such as a pool, a gym and some barbecue areas and includes complimentary parking plus free Wi-Fi. }} * {{sleep | name=Wittacork Dairy Cottages | alt= | url=http://www.wittacork.com.au/ | email= | address=286 Tesch Road, Witta | lat=-26.718716 | long=152.852582 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4369 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Self contained western red cedar cottages, adjacent to a working dairy farm, set on a ridge overlooking Lake Baroon and the Obi Obi Gorge National Park, surrounded by rainforest. Watch cows being milked, feed the calves and collect eggs. 2 km (1.25 mi) of walking tracks in privately owned rainforest & waterfall viewing areas. }} *{{sleep | name=Watermark Resort Caloundra | alt=Watermark Resort Caloundra Queensland | url=http://www.watermarkresort.com.au/ | email= | address=38 Maloja Avenue, Caloundra | lat=-26.805378 | long=153.1264 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 3300 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Watermark Resort at Caloundra on Queenslands Sunshine coast occupies a prime location right on the waterfront. The Resort is a perfect holiday destination for the whole family. With its own private fishing jetty at your back door, the Watermark resort is the envy of many other local Caloundra hotels and resorts. }} *{{sleep | name=Ocean Views Resort Caloundra | alt=Ocean Views Resort - Caloundra Queensland | url=https://www.oceanviewsresort.com.au/ | email=res@oceanviewsresort.com.au | address=cnr Bulcock & Centaur Streets, Caloundra | lat=-26.804227 | long=153.128 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 1788 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Ocean Views Resort can boast one of the best holiday resort locations the Sunshine Coast has to offer. Situated right on Bulcock Street Caloundra, Ocean Views Resort is only metres from the waterfront boardwalk and just a stones throw from beautiful Bulcock Beach. }} * {{sleep | name=Rydges Oasis Resort Caloundra | alt= | url=http://rydges.com/hotel/0/RQOASI/Rydges-Oasis-Resort-Caloundra.htm | email= | address=Landsborough Parade, Golden Beach | lat=-26.8057 | long=153.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 0333, 1300 857 922 (local rate) | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Provides guests with a variety of accommodation ranging from Hotel Spa Rooms to Self Contained Apartments and Villas. Rydges Oasis Resort is located on the southern tip of Queensland Sunshine Coast at Caloundra. Rydges Hotels and Resorts is an Australian owned and operated company. }} * {{sleep | name=ULTIQA Shearwater Resort | alt= | url=https://www.ultiqashearwater.com.au/ | email= | address=79 Edmund St, Caloundra | lat=-26.8022 | long=153.1419 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 5355 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Another one of Caloundra's hotels that are close to the beach. Facilities include free Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, free breakfast, and free parking. }} *{{listing | type=sleep | name=Maroochy River Resort & Bungalows | alt=Maroochy River Bungalows | url=https://maroochyriverbungalows.com.au/ | email=relax@maroochyriverbungalows.com.au | address=38-46 David Low Way, Maroochydore | lat=-26.64358 | long=153.052597 | directions=behind the Waterfront Hotel & BWS | phone=+61 7 5448 4911 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price=$350-1400 per week | content=Self contained family holiday cabins. Private boat ramp, kayaks, tennis, bbqs, pools, sunlounges. Close to the action but away from the rat race. }} *{{sleep | name=The Sebel Maroochydore | url=http://www.mirvachotels.com/sebel-maroochydore | email= | address=20 Aerodrome Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5479 8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Apartment-style accommodation on Maroochydore beach, views of the beach, river and hinterland. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Lillypilly's Country Cottages | alt= | url=http://www.lillypillys.com.au/ | email= | address=584 Maleny-Montville Road | lat=-26.735973 | long=152.89947 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3002 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=from $320 | content=Luxury cottages with A/C overlooking Lake Baroon. Beautiful views. Therapeutic massage, special shiatsu treatments and reflexology available. }} * {{sleep | name=Maleny Views Cottage Resort | alt= | url=https://www.malenyterracecottages.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Panorama Place | lat=-26.775759 | long=152.891103 | directions=Off Mountain View Road. | phone=+61 7 5494 3943 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=A set of six cottages and a villa with great views overlooking the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. You might be able to spot some of the mountains in the Glass House Mountains Range though it depends on which direction your cottage is facing. }} * {{sleep | name=Middleton House Maleny | alt=Middleton Manor | url=http://middletonhousemaleny.com/ | email= | address=3 Middleton Rd, Witta | lat=-26.713042 | long=152.828512 | directions= | phone=+61 490 252 222 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=4.5 star bed and breakfast just outside Maleny in the locality of Witta. }} * {{sleep | name=Whispering Valley Retreat | alt= | url=http://www.whisperingvalley.com.au/ | email= | address=Schultz Road, off Curramore Road| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 07 5494 4367 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Secluded cottages on 50 acres. }} * {{sleep | name=Rumba Beach Resort | alt= | url=http://www.rumbaresort.com.au/ | email= | address=10 Leeding Terrace, Caloundra | lat=-26.8061 | long=153.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5492 0555 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A resort style hotel located near the beach in Caloundra, and includes a reasonably sized pool and a restaurant, but at a cost. It's also a bit more southerly, but a convenient walk to Bulcock Beach. }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Media === *'''[http://www.thedaily.com.au/ The Sunshine Coast Daily]''' Regional daily newspaper for the whole Sunshine Coast. *'''[http://www.hinterlandgrapevine.com Hinterlandgrapevine Online]''' – news for the Sunshine Coast Hinterland *'''[http://viewnews.com.au/ View News]''' Local news, events and information === Consulates === Despite being a reasonably-sized city, there are no consulates in the Sunshine Coast and that can be attributed to how close the Sunshine Coast is to [[Brisbane]]. === Worship === There are several places of worship in the Sunshine Coast, but all are churches, though of different denominations. === Radio stations === There are several radio stations serving the region. Most are based in Nambour, but given the Sunshine Coast's proximity to Brisbane, ''most'' of [[Brisbane]]'s radio stations should also work in the Sunshine Coast, though it can get a bit patchy when you go further north towards [[Noosa]] or west into the Hinterland. The '''ABC Sunshine Coast''' is the region's share of the national Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which can be listened by tuning your radio to 90.3 MHz. Commercial local radio stations include '''92.7 Mix FM''' (tune to 92.7 MHz), '''Hot 91''' (tune to 91.1 MHz), and '''Sea FM''' (tune to 91.9 MHz), while smaller community radio stations include '''Salt 106.5''' (tune to 106.5 MHz), and '''Sunshine FM''' (tune to 104.9 MHz). [[Noosa]]'s '''101.3 FM''' occasionally has coverage of the Greater Sunshine Coast as a whole. ==Stay safe== ==Go next== If you're looking for a rather more upmarket town, and that has more of a "holiday" feel, just up the Sunshine Motorway a few minutes up north is [[Noosa]]. In some contexts, the Sunshine Coast also includes Noosa too, which has a more upmarket feel, including Queensland's equivalent of [[Bondi Beach]], plenty of splurge restaurants and a [[Queensland national parks|national park]]. {{routebox2 | temp1=[[Highway 1 (Australia)|{{AUR|M1}}]] | directionl1=S | majorl1=[[Brisbane]] | minorl1=[[Moreton Bay]] | directionr1=N | majorr1=[[Cairns]] | minorr1=[[Gympie]] | temp2=[[File:AUSR70.png|23px]] | directionl2=SW | majorl2=[[Brisbane]] | minorl2=merges with {{AUR|M1}} | directionr2=N | majorr2=[[Noosa]] | minorr2= | temp3=[[File:AUSR6.png|23px]] | directionl3=SW | majorl3=[[Moreton Bay|Woodford]] | minorl3= | directionr3=N | majorr3=[[Noosa]] | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South East Queensland}} {{usableruralarea}} {{geo|-26.6500|153.0667|zoom=11}} mje9siz011fexq1qao5sbf8g43hxlmz 4501889 4501880 2022-08-16T05:22:05Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Lookouts */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Sunshine Coast banner.jpg|pgname=Sunshine Coast|disambig=yes}} The '''Sunshine Coast''', or the '''Sunny Coast''' as it's colloquially known, is a peri-urban area and a holiday city comprising of several settlements in [[South East Queensland]]. It had a population of around about {{populationof}}, making it Queensland's third largest settlement behind [[Brisbane]] and the [[Gold Coast]], and the ninth in Australia. If the Sunshine Coast had to be described in six words, it'd be "budget alternative to the Gold Coast". Though it used to be a relatively quieter beachside destination, since the 2000s, the [[Gold Coast]] has been getting more expensive and almost unaffordable for budget travellers, popularising the Sunshine Coast into a popular holiday destination as it is now. ==Understand== [[File:King's Beach since Friday 14th April, 2006 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|300px|King Beach, Caloundra]] Renowned for its relaxed approach to Queensland life, the Sunshine Coast is famous for its uncrowded white sand beaches and green scenery. Stretching for nearly 70 km (43 miles), the Sunshine Coast falls within the Sunshine Coast Council's jurisdiction and provides for a great (and popular) escape from Brisbane, or the Gold Coast. The city is also a holiday spot even for Queenslanders and the Sunshine Coast is a great place to relax, unwind and taste the amazing local produce. One notable difference from other cities is that the Sunshine Coast is not one city, but rather a series of towns and cities that make up the settlement. Some parts of the Sunshine Coast like Caloundra, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba or Mudjimba can be described more as suburbs, while other parts like Maleny, Montville or Beerwah resemble more like towns, not suburbs, while some like Coolum Beach or Marcoola are somewhat in-between. ===History=== The first bit of the Sunshine Coast that was explored by Europeans were the Glass House Mountains which were sighted by Captain James Cook from the deck of the ''HM Endeavour'' in 1770 when he was sailing along the East Coast. Many of the Sunshine Coast's towns began as simple ports and jetties for timber industry during the 1860s and 1870s, as the area once had magnificent stands of forest. Likewise, the region's road biggen snigging tracks for hauling timber. Timbergetters used the region's creeks, rivers and lakes as seaways to float out their logs of cedar - the resultant wood being shipped far afield as Europe. Today, the Sunshine Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. As the region became increasingly residential, most of the district's small farms, especially tropical farms have now disappeared. Instead business concerned with retail, catering and tourism are now of greater interest in this region. ===Geography and orientation=== The Sunshine Coast is mostly flat near the coastal areas, where most of the population lives (within 10 km from the coast). It's roughly between the -26th and -27th degree line from the equator, meaning that it's subtropical, but the Sunshine Coast does cop a lot of bad whether events which often happen in the tropics, such as cyclones. A bit west of the coastal areas, is the [[Glass House Mountains]], which can be said to be Queensland's most iconic mountains. The mountains are part of a now extinct volcanic range, and are today a sacred site for the Indigenous peoples. A little further west is the [[Great Dividing Range]], the world's third longest mountain range, but unlike a bit further south in [[New South Wales]], the elevation change when travelling is relatively lower, and the range is not the most obvious range at sight. This article covers the areas of the Sunshine Coast, except the [[Glass House Mountains]]. which is on the border between [[Moreton Bay]] and the Sunshine Coast. Similarly, other destinations often thought to be part of the Sunshine Coast but are not part of the local government area such as [[Noosa]] are also covered in separate articles. <!--===Orientation=== {{mapframe|show=map1}} These are the following suburbs that make up where most of the population lives. It's relatively small, but useful to know when getting around. {{Regionlist |region1name=Caloundra |region1color={{StdColor|T1}} |region1items= |region1description= |region2name=Maroochydore |region2color={{StdColor|T2}} |region2items= |region2description= |region3name=Mooloolaba |region3color={{StdColor|T3}} |region3items= |region3description= |region4name=Coolum Beach |region4color={{StdColor|T4}} |region4items= |region4description= }} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|title=Caloundra|fill={{StdColor|T1}}|wikidata=Q5023889,Q5023895,Q6333575,Q5579192,Q6412871,Q7493886,Q6890340,Q14935473,Q48791417,Q5273835,Q4869855,Q4795571,Q5195169,Q6819234,Q85754082,Q4884146|stroke-opacity=0.05|group=map1}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|title=Maroochydore|fill={{StdColor|T2}}|wikidata=Q3294613|stroke-opacity=0.05|group=map1}} {{mapshape|type=geoshape|title=Mooloolaba|fill={{StdColor|T3}}|wikidata=Q1530307|stroke-opacity=0.05|group=map1}} --> ===Visitor information=== The Sunshine Coast has several visitor centres, but there are only three in the major built-up coastal areas; one near the airport, the other in Buderim and a third in Caloundra, which is temporarily closed. The others are all in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. For online information, see the [https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/visitor-information-centres Sunshine Coast tourism] website. In the coastal areas: * {{listing | name=Sunshine Coast Airport Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/info/56b260d32880253d74c49493/sunshine-coast-airport-visitor-information-centre | email= | address=Friendship Ave, Mudjimba | lat=-26.6054 | long=153.0886 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5448 9088 | tollfree= | hours=24/7, staffed between 9:30AM–3:30PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A small airport visitor centre between all the rental car companies in the arrivals hall with plenty of maps and brochures about things to see and do with some itineraries in the Sunshine Coast. }} * {{listing | name=Buderim Information Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address=4 Burnett St, Buderim | lat=-26.6859 | long=153.0502 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5477 0944 | tollfree= | hours=M–F {{time|9:30AM|3:30PM}} Sa {{time|10AM|12:30PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A small regional visitor information centre in a 1937 post office. It's the closest visitor centre that is outside the airport and in the population centre. }} * {{listing | name=Caloundra Tourist Information Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address=7 Caloundra Rd, Caloundra | lat=-26.798528 | long=153.114306 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5458 8846 | tollfree= | hours=9AM–3PM but temporarily closed | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} In the hinterland: * {{listing | name=Glass House Mountains Visitor and Interpretive Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.898932 | long=152.958418 | directions=see [[Glass House Mountains#Understand|Glass House Mountains]] | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Kenilworth Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=http://www.kenilworthinfocentre.org.au/ | email= | address=, 9 Elizabeth St, Kenilworth | lat= | long= | directions=near Gum Nut Park | phone=+61 7 5446 0122 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|3PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Maleny Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=https://malenyinfocentre.edublogs.org/ | email= | address=2/23 Maple St, Maleny | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9033 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 9:30AM-4PM, Su 10AM–3:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content= }} * {{listing | name=Montville Visitor Information Centre | alt= | url=https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/info/56b260d12cbcbe7073adaf0c/montville-visitor-information-centre | email= | address=198 Main St., Montville | lat=-26.691827 | long=152.894437 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5458 8845, 1300 847 481 (domestic) | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A small visitor centre with specialised information about the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Free Wi-Fi. }} Other sites: * [https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/ Sunshine Coast tourism website] * [https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/ Council website] * [https://www.queensland.com/au/en/places-to-see/destinations/sunshine-coast Queensland tourism website] * [https://www.australia.com/en/places/brisbane-and-surrounds/guide-to-the-sunshine-coast.html Australia tourism website] ==Get in== ===By plane=== [[File:Jetstar about the Land at Sunshine coast.jpg|thumb|300px|A Jetstar airways landing at Sunshine Coast Airport]] * {{go | name=Sunshine Coast Airport | alt={{IATA|MCY}} | url=http://www.sunshinecoastairport.com.au | email= | address= | lat=-26.603333 | long=153.091667 | directions=10 km north of Maroochydore | phone=+61 7 5453 1500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Sunshine Coast Airport | wikidata=Q903231 | content=Has daily flights to [[Sydney]] and [[Melbourne]]. The airport has good facilities for an airport of its size, with multiple ATMs, rental cars, transfer services, and food and shopping outlets. }} There is a small cafe in the arrivals area, selling coffee and snacks, open from the first flight to the last. Most of the facilities are located after clearing security in the departures area, there is a cafe, a salad store, jewellery store, bookstore and a bar. There is an outside area next to the tarmac which can be an area to enjoy a drink while waiting for your flight. The Translink (Sunbus) 622 bus services the airport terminal hourly between Maroochydore and Noosa Junction, but somewhat inconveniently stops before the last flights arrive from Sydney and Melbourne. The 620 bus runs later and with greater frequency, but only stops on David Low Way outside the airport precinct. It is just over 1 km to walk from this stop to the airport terminal, walk along the Friendship Drive out of the airport, turn right onto David Low way and walk the short distance to the stop. Change at Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore for points south. Change at Noosa Junction for Noosa Heads and Noosaville. The rental car chains are located in arrivals. Door to door transfers are available to the entire sunshine coast area, but should be pre-booked. Henry's operates north (to Noosa and Coolum), and Sun-air operates south to Maroochydore, and Caloundra. Discounts are available for groups - expect to pay around $20 per person. If you haven't pre-booked, Henry's has a desk inside the arrivals area, where you can see if there is availability on the next shuttle. Sun-air has no presence at the airport, and you'll have to call them to see if you can arrange a pickup. Sunshine Coast Taxis are available and operated by Suncoast cabs ({{phone|131 008 (domestic)}}). It can cost up to $100 to get to Noosa by taxi from the airport. ===By car=== {{infobox|Where is the Sunshine Coast?|When driving, and if it's your first time visiting the Sunshine Coast, it may be a strange question to think about, but you might be thinking of that when driving. When you're outside the Sunshine Coast LGA, without a GPS, your first instinct may be just follow the signs to "Sunshine Coast". However, just around 25 km from the population centres of the Sunshine Coast, "Sunshine Coast" no longer appears as a focal point, unlike other cities in Australia where the name of the city refers to the CBD of the city, that is not the case for the Sunshine Coast as it has no primary CBD or population center. Instead, once you enter the Sunshine Coast and to get to the population centres, follow the signs to either Caloundra, Mooloolaba or Maroochydore. }} [[File:Bruce Highway, Beerwah, Queensland, 2021.jpg|thumb|The Bruce Highway in Beerwah]] From [[Brisbane]], a trip to the Sunshine Coast usually takes an hour mostly done on motorways, though this could be longer depending on where you are going. From the <abbr title="Central Business District (city centre or downtown)">CBD</abbr>, use the '''M3 Riverside Expressway''' north for a few metres until the motorway ends. Once it ends, turn right onto '''M3 Hale Street''' which becomes the '''M3 River City Bypass'''. Just before the M3 becomes the A3, exit onto the '''M7 AirportLink Tunnel''' until the '''A3 Gympie Road'''. Once at the exit, take the exit and continue A3 until the next motorway. After about 10 kilometres, the road becomes the '''M3 Gympie Arterial Road''' which later merges with the '''M1 Gateway Motorway'''. If you are coming from [[Logan City (Queensland)|Logan]] or the [[Gold Coast]], use the '''M1 Pacific Motorway''' north and just as the road becomes the '''M3 Pacific Mwy''', exit onto the '''M1 Gateway Motorway''' until the end of the motorway which eventually merges with the '''M3 Gympie Arterial Road'''. Do note that the Gateway Motorway is tolled. Once the two motorways have merged, you will be on the '''M1 Bruce Highway''', and continue on that road for {{km|50}}. After that, you'd have entered the Sunshine Coast region, though the exits to the major population centres only come after another 10 km and the two major exits include '''Exit 188''' onto Caloundra Road (<abbr title="State Route 6">SR 6</abbr>) which is the exit to use if you're heading to Caloundra, Beerwah, Beerburrum, the Australia Zoo or the Glass House Mountains and '''Exit 194''' onto the '''Sunshine Motorway''' (<abbr title="State Route 70">SR 70</abbr>), 6 km after Caloundra Rd, used to get to Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Coolum, Mudjimba or anywhere that falls along the "motorway". ===By bus=== It is also possible to take a coach from Brisbane and/or the Gold Coast. There is a cheap, regular local bus connecting the population centres of the Sunshine Coast, with possible plans to build a tram line in the future. ===By train=== Queensland Rail runs the [http://www.citytrain.com.au/ Citytrain service], which runs on the North Coast rail line from [[Brisbane]] to {{marker | type=go | name=Landsborough railway station | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.8081 | long=152.9657 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Landsborough railway station | image=Landsborough Railway Station, Queensland, Sep 2012.JPG | wikidata=Q6485047 }} and Nambour, with connecting buses to the population centres of Caloundra, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and [[Noosa]]. See [http://www.qr.com.au/ Queensland Rail (QR)]. ==Get around== {{mapframe|align=center|width=900|height=550}}{{mapshape|wikidata=Q828357}} ===By car=== Car is by far the easiest way to see most attractions in a short amount of time, or at your own pace. Larger car hire companies may offer relocations to [[Brisbane Airport]] or the Gold Coast. Try the major national renters with services at Maroochy Airport or other local independents that rent new cars. *'''[http://www.cutpricecarrentals.com Cut Price Car Rentals]''' *'''[http://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au East Coast Car Rentals]''' *'''[http://www.suncoastcarrentals.com Suncoast Car Rentals]''' * '''[http://www.selectrentacar.com.au Select Rent A Car]''' * '''[http://www.thrifty.com.au/ Thrifty Car Rental]''' In practice, there are three major roads that traverse the Sunshine Coast used to get around. One of them is a motorway, another only partially a motorway and the other just a normal urban arterial road. The other roads in the region are all otherwise local roads. The first one is the '''Bruce Highway''' (M1) which starts from Brisbane and has several exits in the region, though the main exits are ones used to go to Yandina, Eumundi, while the southern gateway from the area surrounding Maroochydore and Caloundra. This road is a motorway for the entirety of its length in the Sunshine Coast. The second is the '''Sunshine Motorway''' / '''Emu Mountain Road''' (<abbr title="State Route 70">SR 70</abbr>) which is only partially a motorway. It starts at Sippy Downs, then makes its way up to Mooloolaba. At Mooloolaba, you'd hit the Nickelin Way Interchange, and make sure to exit (to stay on the motorway) as otherwise you may end up on busy urban streets where the motorway's direction suddenly changes. After the exit, it heads north parallel to Bruce Hwy but passing the population centres of Maroochydore, Pacific Paradise and Mudjimba before becoming a one-lane motorway. Continue on the motorway up to towns like Coolum which eventually goes up to [[Noosa]]. The last is not one road, but a series of roads, '''State Route 6''' starts from Beerwah, and runs parallel to the former route but rather goes within the population centres. It is convenient if you're just intending to go from one population centre to another without going on motorways. ===By train=== [[File:Sunshine-Coast-railway-line-map.png|thumb|700px|center|A map of the train route in the Sunshine Coast]] The '''[https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/Train/T/sunshine-coast-line Sunshine Coast]''' line passes through several stops in the Sunshine Coast though the railway largely runs inland and does not reach the major population centres. The line starts at the Roma Street busway station in Brisbane, winds its way up north passing Caboolture, Beerburrum, the Glass House Mountains, Beerwah and several other stops before heading north to [[Gympie]]. If you are staying somewhere along the coast, you will need to take the bus. === By public transport === The Sunshine Coast is part of the Queensland [https://translink.com.au/ '''translink'''] area network. Bus network runs in most directions but is easy access from Maroochydore all the way to Noosa’s Hastings street. Easiest way to travel with Translink bus services is via the [https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/go-card '''Go-Card'''] which is available in most newsagencies. The Go-Cards will work on all public transport trains, buses and ferry services in Queensland. Sunshine Plaza is a hub for the bus services in the Maroochy area. ==See== ===Museums and historic sites=== [[File:Queensland Air Museum hangar 2.jpg|thumb|A Hangar 2 display in the Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra West]] [[File:Sunshine Castle, Bli Bli, Queensland 04.jpg|thumb|Sunshine Castle in Bli Bli]] * {{see | name=Caloundra Lighthouses | alt= | url= | email= | address=3 Canberra Terrace, Kings Beach | lat=-26.8014 | long=153.1376 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q28035392 | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=Two lighthouses both quite historic (at least, in Queensland terms), that were designed to light up the passage to the North-West channel. There's a volunteer organisation that manages the lighthouse, and on occasion, you can pay $2 to go to the top. }} * {{see | name=Eumundi Museum | alt= | url=https://www.eumundimuseum.org/ | email= | address=73 Memorial Dr, Eumundi | lat=-26.4772 | long=152.9521 | directions=corner of Gridley Street and Memorial Dr | phone=+61 7 5442 8762 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–Sa 10AM–3PM | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=A local history museum with many old photographs of historical Eumundi, Indigenous artifacts from the region, old documents etc. There is also a small art gallery, but behind the museum. }} * {{see | name=Landsborough Museum | alt=Landsborough Historical Museum | url=http://www.landsboroughmuseum.org.au/ | email= | address=4 Maleny St., Landsborough | lat=-26.8094 | long=152.9648 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 1755 | tollfree= | hours=W–F Su 9AM–3PM | price=$5 per adult, seniors and pensioners. Children under 15 can enter free | wikidata=Q28183735 | content=A local history museum established in 1976 which preserves some collections on what life used to be like on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, including plenty of old machinery from the farmlands. }} * {{see | name=Maleny Light Horse Museum | alt= | url= | email= | address=Maleny RSL Club at Bunya St., Maleny | lat=-26.759189 | long=152.853561 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Commemorates the traditions and skills of the Queensland Mounted Infantry (which were part of the Queensland Police Force) and the Australian Light Horse, a military force noted for its contribution to the Boer War and World War I. Open Sundays, ANZAC Day, Australia Day, Remembrance Day and by appointment. }} * {{see | name=Maroochydore RSL Museum | alt= | url=https://maroochyrsl.com.au/league/military-museum/ | email=mrslmuseum@maroochyrsl.com.au | address=105 Memorial Ave, Maroochydore | lat=-26.655541 | long=153.093412 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443 1719 | tollfree= | hours=M–F 9AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=A military museum inside of Maroochy RSL, with a large collection of memorabilia and remains as a legacy for the Australian Defence Force. Items on display include frigates, gunships, aviation instruments and bomb casings. }} * {{see | name=Point Cartwright Lighthouse | alt= | url= | email= | address=Pacific Blvd, Buddina | lat=-26.679706 | long=153.138458 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7207976 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A 32-metre lighthouse constructed in 1978 marking the entrance to the North-West Channel. Unlike most other lighthouses, Port Cartwright has always been automatically operated owing its recent completion date. As with most other lighthouses, the outside is free to enter, but the inside of the tower is closed to the public. }} * {{see | name=Queensland Air Museum | alt= | url=http://www.qam.com.au | email= | address=7 Pathfinder Dr, Caloundra West | lat=-26.798 | long=153.1096 | directions=in Caloundra Aerodrome | phone=+61 7 5492 5930 | tollfree= | hours=10AM-4PM | price=$15 | wikidata=Q14935546 | content=Great collection of aircraft and a place to learn more about [[aviation history]], especially considering the nondescript location and good price. }} * {{see | name=Seaview House | alt=St Isidore's Farm College | url=https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=601467 | email= | address=40 Post Office Road | lat=-26.620192 | long=152.865643 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Most historic house in the region, built in the early 1900s by Mapleton orchardist William James Smithnow, and later bought by Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane for tertiary training. Now privately owned. }} * {{see | name=Sunshine Castle | alt= | url=http://sunshinecastle.com/ | email= | address=292-296 David Low Way, Bli Bli | lat=-26.62353 | long=153.0397 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5448 4477 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 9:30AM–4:30PM, Su 10AM–3PM | price= | image=Sunshine Castle, Bli Bli, Queensland 06.jpg | lastedit=2022-05-15 | content=It is not the most historic castle that you could find, but the inside resembles very much a typical European medieval castle. }} ===Lookouts=== * {{see | name=Howells Knob Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=Reeseville Road | lat=-26.760355 | long=152.810118 | directions=off Maleny-Kenilworth Road | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-24 | content=One of the highest points in the Maleny area, with good views of the Glass House Mountains and islands off the coast. }} *{{see | name=Witta Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=460 Maleny-Kenilworth Road, Witta | lat=-26.718948 | long=152.817189 | directions=7 km from Maleny, opposite Gumland Drive. | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24/7 | price= | content=Overlooking the Conondale Valley with Mary Valley and Conondale Ranges in the western distance. Great place at sunrise to catch the spectacular dawn colours across the ranges and the spectacular sunset views. }} * See the [[Glass House Mountains]] page for lookouts in the Glass House Mountains. ===Zoos and aquariums=== [[File:Mossman the Croc - Australia Zoo - Beerwah Queensland Australia - Flickr - Cindy Andrie.jpg|thumb|The crocodile show at the Australia Zoo]] * {{see | name=Australia Zoo | alt= | url=http://www.australiazoo.com.au/ | email= | address=1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah | lat=-26.8366 | long=152.9595 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5436 2000 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q781321 | content=Owned and run by the family of the late Steve Irwin, is a popular tourist drawcard. The site tends to be frequented more by overseas visitors. }} * {{see | name=Wildlife HQ Zoo | alt= | url=https://whqzoo.com/ | email= | address=76 Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye | lat=-26.672672 | long=152.990781 | directions= | phone=+61 428 660 671 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|4PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q24090077 | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=Although this zoo is not as famous as its other Sunshine Coast Counterpart, this is a zoo with a ZAA Accreditation Program, which means they have animal welfare in mind. There is also a greater focus on Australian wildlife rather than what you'd find in any other zoo. }} * {{see | name=Sea Life Sunshine Coast | alt=SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium | url=https://www.visitsealife.com/sunshine-coast/ | email= | address=Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba | lat=-26.6828 | long=153.121 | directions= | phone= | tollfree=1800 195 650 | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|3PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q7883058 | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content=A fantastic aquarium located adjacent to the Wharf. Popular with tourists and local alike, you can catch the seal shows, swim with sharks, and learn more about the sea life that so amazes many city visitors. }} ===Art galleries and displays=== * {{see | name=Caloundra Regional Gallery | alt= | url=https://gallery.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/ | email= | address=22 Omrah Ave, Caloundra | lat=-26.8039 | long=153.1308 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5420 8299 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–F 10AM–4PM, Sa Su 10AM–2PM, closed Mondays | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=The Sunshine Coast's local art gallery with several exhibitions, collections and programs. It can be a bit hard to spot though, as it's not very prominent on the street despite its good-looking building. There's 2-hour street parking just in front of the gallery, so parking should not pose an issue. }} * {{see | name=Coolum Art Picture Framing and Gallery | alt=Coolum-Art Picture Framing and Gallery | url=https://coolartgallery.com.au/ | email= | address=5/43 Access Cres, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.521609 | long=153.055729 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5471 7366 | tollfree= | hours=Tu–F 9AM–5PM, M Sa 9AM–2PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-18 | content=While this may be a framing shop, this place also has an interesting contemporary art gallery featuring contemporary and post-modern artworks. }} *{{see | name=Landsborough Galleries | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Kingfisherartandframinggallery/ | email= | address=18 Maleny St., Landsborough | lat=-26.808386 | long=152.963165 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5439 9943, +61 428 955 588 (mobile) | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 9:30AM–4:30PM | price= | content=A small regional household art gallery with a range of artworks from different time periods. }} *{{see | name=David Hart Galleries | url=http://www.davidhartgalleries.com.au/ | email= | address=Malibu Resort, 81 The Esplanade | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 7 5452 5600 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Noosa branch: Shop 10, Noosa on The Beach, 49 Hastings St. Noosa. {{Phone|+61 7-5449-2100}} }} * {{see | name=University of the Sunshine Coast Art Gallery | alt= | url=https://www.usc.edu.au/art-gallery | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content= }} ===Other=== [[File:GiantPineappleNambour.jpg|thumb|The Big Pineapple in 2005]] <!-- not sure whether this exists: https://www.sunshinecoast-australia.com/the-book-farm.html * {{see | name=Book Farm, The | alt= | url=http://www.greaterglider.com.au/bookfarm/indexbf.html | email= | address=330 Reesville Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Educational ecotourism centre, catering for school groups. Workshops, seminars, rainforest setting. }}--> * {{see | name=Baroon Pocket Dam and Lake Baroon | alt= | url= | email= | address=Baroon Pocket Road | lat=-26.7032 | long=152.868 | directions=off North Maleny Road | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4863041 | content=A popular scenic location for picnicking, swimming, fishing, sailing and canoeing. Viewing platform near the spillway, with barbecues and toilets. There are [[Hiking and bushwalking in Australia|bushwalks]] through rainforests and Obi Obi Gorge. }} * {{see | name=Big Pineapple | alt= | url= | email= | address=Nambour Connection Road, Woombye | lat=-26.6727 | long=152.991 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2443409 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A 16-metre (52-ft) tall pineapple that is one of [[Australia's big things]]. The pineapple contains many retail and restaurant spaces, train ride and nutmobile, crops, rainforest, the Macadamia Nut Factory, the Big Macadamia, a "Tomorrow's Harvest greenhouse", farm show, wildlife gardens, and an animal nursery. }} * {{see | name=Buderim Ginger Factory | alt=The Ginger Factory | url=http://www.buderimginger.com/gingerfactory/index.html | email= | address=50 Pioneer Road, Yandina | lat=-26.55455 | long=152.9597 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5446 7096 | tollfree=1800 067 686 | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q109837790 | content=Yandina. Mini-theme park based on ginger. Cane Train through rainforest and a couple of rides and features to entertain children, including a boat ride with animate characters - like a Ginger "It's a small world". Claims to be biggest selection of ginger products anywhere in the world. Cafe for meals and snacks. }} * {{see | name=Buderim House | alt= | url= | email= | address=10 Orme Road, Buderim | lat=-26.6751 | long=153.0577 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q23640996 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=Buderim House is a heritage-listed homestead designed by George Trotter and built arounnd 1915 by Christian Schriver. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 March 1993. }} * {{see | name=Crystal Waters Ecovillage | alt= | url=http://crystalwaters.org.au | email= | address=65 Kilcoy Lane, Conondale | lat=-26.785 | long=152.714 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4620 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2491908 | content=More than 20 km outside the main centre of Maleny, in Conondale. Famous intentional community started in 1987. A ''permaculture village'' working toward a balanced natural ecology. 200 permanent residents. Regular markets (1st Saturday of each month), festivals, workshops and permaculture training courses. Campground, bunkhouses and cabins for visitors. Tours available. }} * {{see | name=Eudlo | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.7333 | long=152.967 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q5406542 | content=Serene historic timber town in a rural valley below the Blackall Ranges. Eudlo features a general store, a café, a hall and has a single railway station that fits four carriages on a platform. Nearby is Chenrezig, a Buddhist meditation retreat that oozes with nature and is known to be the largest Buddhist centre in the Western World. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk | alt= | url=https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-sunshine-coast/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=58 km walk through the Blackall Ranges, starting from Lake Baroon near Montville. Subtropical rainforest, tall open eucalypt forest and picturesque waterfalls. Entire walk takes 4-6 days. Call {{phone|+61 13 13 04}} to book campsites, which have water, toilets and platforms. }} * {{do | name=Sunshine Coast Skydivers | alt= | url=http://www.skydivingaustralia.com.au | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Go Karting | alt= | url=http://www.bigkart.com.au | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{do | name=Maleny Community Centre | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9033 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maple Street right in the centre of town. Movies, plays, weekly Sunday markets, annual May Maleny Arts and Crafts Fair and many other activities. Information centre open daily }} * {{do | name=Maleny Dairy Tours | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2392 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=70 McCarthy's Road. Tours Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Appointment necessary. }} * {{do | name=Mystic Mountain Tours | alt= | url=http://www.mysticmountaintours.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5435 2881 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=5 Glasshouse Parade. Various tours of the Blackall Ranges, Saturdays, Sundays or by appointment. Known for Winery and Gourmet Foods Tours. Free pick-up in Brisbane for groups of 12 or more. }} * {{do | name=Mary Valley Rattler | alt= | url=https://www.maryvalleyrattler.com.au/ | email=info@maryvalleyrattler.com.au | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5482 2750 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Tozer Street, Gympie. '''Steam Locomotive Scenic Tours''' operated from Gympie, slightly more than 1 hr drive north of Maleny. The '''Mary Valley Heritage Railway''' runs steam, railmotor and diesel passenger tours on the Mary Valley Line of Queensland Rail as a non profit venture, owned and operated by the local community. }} * {{do | name=Woodford Folk Festival | alt= | url=http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/main/index.html | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=In nearby Woodford, is a very famous annual musical event, held in late December. (It began in Maleny but moved to Woodford some years ago.) }} * {{do | name=Cycle | alt= | url=https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Experience-Sunshine-Coast/Pathways-tracks-and-trails/Cycling/Routes | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=The Sunshine Coast boasts over 80 km of coastal cycling paths and these run right through the heart of Maroochydore and surrounding suburbs. }} * {{do | name=Tree tops challenge | alt= | url=https://www.treetopchallenge.com.au/sunshine-coast-adventure | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=Treetop walking experience. See some wonderful Queensland fauna in the process. }} * Walk across the Maroochy River bridge to '''Chambers Island'''. ===Sport=== * {{do | name=Sunshine Coast Stadium | alt= | url=https://sunshinecoaststadium.com.au/ | email= | address=31 Sportsmans Pde, Bokarina | lat=-26.733889 | long=153.126111 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5437 7666 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7618109 | lastedit=2022-05-29 | content=The Sunshine Coast's primary sporting stadium with a capacity of 12,000 where many of the city's soccer and rugby games occur. It will also be one of the primary home grounds for the new Redcliffe Dolphins NRL team once they enter the NRL in 2023. }} ===Theme parks=== * {{do | name=Aussie World | alt= | url=http://www.aussieworld.com.au/ | email= | address=73 Frizzo Road, Bruce Highway, Palmview | lat=-26.7502 | long=153.047 | directions=around 3 km from the nearest public bus stop; can be accessed by taxi or door-to-door services like [http://www.sunair.com.au/ Sunair] | phone=+61 7 5494 5444 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q4822827 | content=A family fun-park, dodgem cars and the like, located next to the Ettamogah Pub. }} ===Beaches=== A visit to the Sunshine Coast is never complete without visiting its beaches, and after all, it is what makes the Sunshine Coast a popular tourist destination. Most of these beaches have lifeguards, though the number of lifeguards available may vary. As always, remember to swim between the red and yellow flags, while surf between the black and white flags. If you get into trouble, put a single hand up with a fist, and don't venture too far out into the open. ====Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba==== * '''Alexandra Headland Beach''' is comparable to most Gold Coast beaches, with tall buildings beside the beach. However, it's not as popular as some of the Caloundra beaches and the waves are not that large. * '''Cotton Tree Beach''' is a northward facing river at the banks of the Maroochy River. As it is on the river bank, it means there is a lot of sand and not a lot of waves. * '''Maroochydore Beach''' is the closest beach to Maroochydore town centre, and is patrolled almost all the time. The beach is quite long, and the waves make it good for surfing. ====Caloundra==== The major attraction of Caloundra is the beaches, some of the state's best. These include: * '''Kings Beach''', the main patrolled surf beach, even has a webcam. Also features a salt-water swimming pool (fed by the ocean). A number of cafes/restaurants and the Caloundra Surf Life Savers Club are nearby. * '''Bulcock Beach''', popular with families and is also patrolled by the Caloundra City Life Saving Club, but beware of the strong current along Pumistone passage. Bulcock beach also features a lovely boardwalk with bars and restaurants and also some very popular fishing spots. Accessible via a pleasant and popular boardwalk over the rocks from King's Beach. * '''Moffatt Beach'''. Not patrolled, but good for walking. * '''Golden Beach''', popular with windsurfers and kite surfers. You will find a number of hire places offering kayaks, surf-ski's sail-boards, Hobie-cats, fishing dinghy's and pontoons. * '''Dicky Beach''', popular with families and adjoins a caravan park with lovely cafes * '''Shelly Beach''', popular for picnics and exploring the rock pools. Great venue for weddings ====Coolum==== The only reason why many visit Coolum is its beaches. However, unlike Caloundra, Coolum only has one beach, but stretches from centre to north. '''Coolum Beach''' is patrolled in several locations, and has several locations for swimming, but beware, the waves can get very rough and water can go up to the end of the sand, where it becomes grass. ====Elsewhere==== Though the most visited beaches in the Sunshine Coast are a part of a town/suburb, additionally, there are also the two beachside towns of {{marker|type=see|name=Marcoola|wikidata=Q1531059}} and {{marker|type=see|name=Mudjimba|wikidata=Q6931835}}, which are both patrolled, and are a quieter alternative to the other beaches. The main downside to these though, is that facilities are somewhat limited (but still plentiful if you're going to compare it with a beach in the middle of coastal rural Queensland), and the distance between the beach and the carpark is – not a lot. ===Parks and nature=== ====National parks==== [[File:Glass House Sunset view.jpg|thumb|The Glass House Mountains at sunset]] [[File:Obi-Obi Valley - Mapleton Falls National Park.tif|thumb|Obi Obi Valley from Mapleton Falls National Park]] {{see also|Queensland national parks}} The Sunshine Coast is home to many national parks, but the most important ones as follows: * {{see | name=[[Glass House Mountains]] | alt=Glasshouse Mountains | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.9 | long=152.92 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price=Free | wikidata=Q1529753 | content=Queensland's most iconic mountains, about 30 minutes southwest of Maroochydore and Mooloolaba mostly protected as part of the '''[http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=112 Glass House Mountains National Park]'''. They're a series of dome-like mountains, that apparently looked like "glass houses" when Captain James Cook was sailing along the East Coast of Australia during 1770. }} * {{do | name=Kondalilla National Park | alt= | url=http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/kondalila | email= | address= | lat=-26.668056 | long=152.858333 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1781175 | content=On Western Avenue about 4 km north of the centre of Montville. 327 hectares of lush subtropical rainforest and tall open forest plus Kondalilla Falls dropping 90 metres from Skene Creek into water pools below. Parking area, picnic facilities, barbecues, shelter sheds, toilets, a lookout and three walking trails. No fresh water available. Can become quite crowded during peak holiday periods. }} * {{do | name=Mapleton National Park | alt=Mapleton Forest Reserve | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mapleton | email= | address= | lat=-26.617756 | long=152.846408 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1892088 | content=Just to the northwest of Mapleton. 11,000 hectares with several picnic areas and walks. Camping allowed in three areas (with permits). }} * {{do | name=Mapleton Falls National Park | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mapleton-falls/ | email= | address=Obi Obi Rd | lat=-26.630556 | long=152.838889 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1772511 | content=The falls tumble 120 metres down the escarpment from Pencil Creek. 26 hectares with rainforest and nice views and typical Blackall Ranges wet eucalypt environs. Picnic area, toilets, shelters, barbecue facilities and walks. Can be crowded during holidays. No camping. }} [[File:Mount Coolum 003.jpg|thumb|Mount Coolum from the southeast]] Other smaller national parks of less importance include: * {{do | name=Eudlo Creek National Park | alt= | url=https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/national-park-eudlo-creek/ | email= | address= | lat=-26.706944 | long=152.961944 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q682401 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=A very small tiny {{km2| 0.43}} park, protecting the last remaining habitats of the vulnerable tusked frog. }} * {{do | name=Ferntree Creek National Park | alt= | url=https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/national-park-ferntree-creek/ | email= | address= | lat=-26.605278 | long=152.963889 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q938754 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=This park has no tourist facilities, so visiting inside is very hard, but this area is home to many different species of birds in such a small area surrounding the Maroochy River catchment. }} * {{do | name=Mooloolah River National Park | alt= | url=http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/mooloolah-river | email= | address= | lat=-26.721667 | long=153.080833 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1946658 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=The Sunshine Coast's equivalent of [[Noosa]]'s Noosa National Park, preserving one of the last remains of bushland in the Sunshine Coast. }} * {{do | name=Mount Coolum National Park | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mount-coolum | email= | address= | lat=-26.563333 | long=153.083889 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1950299 | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=Very few people visit this park, but if you find that the Glass House Mountains are way too far away to see, here's just a mountain that resembles one of them. The impressive dome-shaped mountain can also be climbed via a 1.6-km trail from the park's east, but it is very steep and rocky, hence its Grade 4 rating under the [[Hiking and bushwalking in Australia|AWGTS]]. }} ====Other parks==== * {{do | name=Buderim Forest Park and Falls | alt= | url=http://www.buderim.com/buderim-forest | email= | address=Quorn Cl, Buderim | lat=-26.67913 | long=153.048137 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=A short walk through rainforest to enjoy a small waterfall. Swimming or getting into the water is not advised though, as stormwater is known to pass the creek. }} * {{do | name=Delicia Road Conservation Park | alt= | url=http://www.queensland.com/en-sc/attraction/delicia-road-conservation-park | email= | address= | lat=-26.62035 | long=152.85023 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3983 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q21928661 | content=Adjacent to Mapleton Forest Reserve, just to the northwest of Mapleton, protects remnants of rainforest. The park includes several bushwalking tracks, but there is no camping available. }} * {{do | name=Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-26.779646 | long=152.880936 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9907 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q69290437 | content=Corner of Landsborough-Maleny Road and Mountain View Road. Open daily. Well worth a visit to the 52 hectares of natural sub tropical rainforest and walking trails include many varieties of native fauna and flora, such as the pygmy mouse, possums, pademelons, wallabies, gliders, bandicoots, echidnae, bearded dragons, and a great many types of birds. Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, children's playground, toilets, a kiosk, a ranger in attendance. At the entrance is the '''Thynne Natural History Education Centre'''. Nice views over the Glasshouse mountains. Tours available. }} * {{do | name=Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary | alt= | url=https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Experience-Sunshine-Coast/Beaches-and-Parks/Maroochy-Wetlands-Sanctuary | email= | address=Sports Rd, Bli Bli | lat=-26.608258 | long=153.054758 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5448 6723 | tollfree= | hours=24/7 | price= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=Has an easy access boardwalk through pristine wetland areas where fish, crabs, frogs, birds and other flora and fauna breed and feed. }} ==Learn== There is only one university in the Sunshine Coast, though it is not the most attractive uni, even within Queensland. Under the Center for World University Rankings, it came 35th in Australia, and only 1467th worldwide. Many Sunshine Coast locals even choose to go down south to [[Brisbane]] to study in one of the state's top universities. * {{listing | type=learn | name=University of the Sunshine Coast | alt=USC, Sunshine Coast University | url=http://www.usc.edu.au/ | email= | address=90 Sippy Downs Dr, Sippy Downs | lat=-26.716944 | long=153.062222 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5430 1234 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q1423677 | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=The Sunshine Coast's "local university" with degree programs available for business, IT and tourism; creative industries, design and communication; education; engineering and science; health, nursing and sport sciences; humanities, psychology and social sciences; and law and criminology. }} ==Work== ==Buy== *{{buy | name=Clock Shop | alt= | url=http://www.clockshop.com.au | email= | address=194 Main St., Montville | lat=-26.691688 | long=152.8942 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5442 9409 | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa 9:30AM–5PM, Su 12:30–5PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content=It displays and sells various wall and grandfather clocks. The shop also has one of the largest ranges of cuckoo clocks in Australia, mostly from German-made cuckoo clocks. }} * {{buy | name=Flaxton Gardens | alt=Flaxton Gardens Sunshine Coast | url=http://www.flaxtongardens.com.au/ | email= | address=313-327 Flaxton Dr, Flaxton | lat=-26.651268 | long=152.8773 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 7450 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su 10AM–3PM | price= | content=Wine cellar offering tastings and sales, plus a pottery, cafe, and gift shop. Excellent views. }} <!-- *{{buy | name=Art on Cairncross | url=http://www.artoncairncross.com.au/ | email= | address=3 Panorama Place, Cairncross Corner, Maleny | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 7 5429 6404 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Fine arts, ceramics, glass and sculpture }} * {{buy | name=Maleny Bookshop | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3666 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maple Street. Used, out of print and unusual books. }} * {{listing | type=buy | name=Holden Gallery | alt= | url= | email= | address=Coral Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2100 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia= | wikidata= | lastedit= | content=Framing artwork, needlework, photographs, certificates, medals and memorabilia }} * {{buy | name=Rosetta Books | alt= | url=http://www.leadingedgebooks.com.au/default.asp?storeurl=rosetta | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5435 2134 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=At Maple Street. New books and coffee. }} * {{buy | name=Tree Frog Gallery | alt= | url=http://www.treefroggallery.com/ | email= | address=56 Montville Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5435 2303 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Australian indigenous art, contemporary paintings, sculpture, landscapes, ceramics, jewelry, furniture and craft. }} *{{buy | name=Maleny Village Bazaar | url= | email= | address=Maple street Maleny | lat= | long= | directions=Main street through Nursery | phone = +61 408260836 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Revamped retro fashion, beaded & embroidered jeans, unique homewares, stylish sunnies, recycled art, music paraphernalia, gadgets, gizmos, hemp and bamboo t-shirts, massage, antiques & collectables, healing, readings, handmade craft, exotic jewellery, art gallery, mens clothes, gifts, crystals, semi precious stones and e~bling. Friendly atmosphere. }} --> ===Markets=== * {{buy | name=Caloundra Street Fair | alt=Caloundra Street Fair Markets | url=https://www.caloundrastreetfair.com.au/community/caloundramarkets/product-group/EJNZnA2mHjSCzwtYJ | email= | address=Bulcock St, Caloundra | lat=-26.804892 | long=153.133548 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5492 5977 | tollfree= | hours=Su 8AM–1PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Perhaps the most organised of all the street markets in the Sunshine Coast, there's plenty of arts and crafts, clothing, food trucks (mobile canteen) and live entertainment. }} * {{buy | name=Eumundi Markets | alt= | url=http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/ | email= | address=80 Memorial Dr, Eumundi | lat=-26.47622 | long=152.9519 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5442 7106 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Australia's largest outdoor market and one of Queensland's leading tourist attractions since 1979, held every Saturday and Wednesday. Arts, crafts, music, street entertainers, food, atmosphere. }} * {{buy | name=Fishermans Road Sunday Markets | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/fishermansroadmarkets/ | email= | address=Fishermans Rd, Maroochydore | lat=-26.643438 | long=153.056088 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Su 6AM–noon | price= | lastedit=2020-09-24 | content=From locally made items to fresh produce, this is one of the Sunshine Coast's largest markets out there. As Maroochydore is a major population centre, the markets get very crowded, but since few start their day in Queensland before 7:30, the early hours before 9 is a good time to visit and beat the crowd. }} *{{buy | name=Marcoola Twilight Market | alt= | url=http://www.marcoolamarket.com.au | email= | address=10 Lorraine Avenue, Marcoola | lat=-26.584382 | long=153.096439 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=F 4–8PM | price= | content=Farmer's market with street food and music. The markets do get surprisingly crowded for a town of its size though, but that can be largely attributed to Marcoola being very close to the population centres of the Sunshine Coast. }} * {{buy | name=Yandina Markets | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/YandinaMarkets/ | email= | address=North St, Yandina | lat=-26.557808 | long=152.954124 | directions= | phone=+61 448 990 061 | tollfree= | hours=Sa 6AM–noon | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A great place to get fresh local produce, local crafts and second hand goods. They take place every Saturday 7AM to noon, at the Yandina sports grounds, off the Bruce Highway. }} ===Buy food=== * {{buy | name=Maleny Supermarket IGA Universal Providers | alt= | url=https://www.malenyiga.com.au/ | email= | address=26 Maple St, Maleny| lat=-26.75829 | long=152.8519 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2257 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Maple Street. (''In the middle of town''). Organic and other produce, plus gourmet cheeses. Open 7 days. }} * {{buy | name=Maple Street Co-op | alt= | url=http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au/ | email= | address=37 Maple Street, Maleny | lat=-26.7587 | long=152.8508 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2088 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A famous local co-operative started in 1979 that aims to supply high quality organic foods and products (vegetables and fruit) for a reasonable price to Co-op members and the community. Open 7 days. }} * {{buy | name=Flannerys Maroochydoore | alt= | url=https://flannerys.com.au/store/maroochydore/ | email= | address=Plaza Markets, 45 Plaza Parade, Maroochydore | lat=-26.657744 | long=153.0859 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5479 3522 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-18 | content=A fresh food store with local organic produce mostly with unpackaged wholefoods. You can also find organic coffee here too, something that is not very common to find in Australia in urban areas. }} ===Malls and shopping centres=== *{{buy | name=Sunshine Plaza | alt= | url=http://www.sunshineplaza.com/ | email= | address=Horton Parade | lat=-26.6544 | long=153.088 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443 4133 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7641549 | content=A shopping mall with large outdoor areas around a waterway. Normal chain stores are represented, but there are also paddle boats and quite a few eateries alfresco style. }} * {{buy | name=C-Square | alt=Centenary Square Shopping Centre | url= | email= | address=52-64 Currie St, Nambour | lat=-26.625847 | long=152.958723 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5441 5766 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Located on Currie Street, which is the town of Nambour's main street. The mall is just the standard kind of Queensland shopping complex in the centre of the settlement. }} * {{buy | name=Nambour Plaza | alt=Nambour Central Mall | url= | email= | address=18 Ann St., Nambour | lat=-26.625887 | long=152.9612 | directions=cnr Lowe, Short and Ann St, Nambour | phone= | tollfree= | hours=M–Sa {{time|8AM|9PM}} Su {{time|9AM|6PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q65063638 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A classic Queensland style plaza with a few specialty shops, though not a particularly large shopping centre. It's predominantly taken up by <abbr title="Woolies">Woolworths</abbr> and Big W, and aimed more at locals, but useful if for some reason you need to go to Woolies. }} * {{buy | name=Kawana Shoppingworld | alt= | url=http://www.kawanashoppingworld.com.au/ | email= | address=119 Point Cartwright Dr, Buddina | lat=-26.7031 | long=153.131 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5444 1944 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q6379624 | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Buddina's local shopping centre with over 70 specialty stores, a 10-screen cinema/movie theatre and a large food court. }} ==Eat== {{eatpricerange|<$20|$20-60|>$60}} [[File:Vegan burger at The UpFront Cafe, Sunshine Coast.jpg|thumb|300px|A vegan burger found at a Sunshine Coast cafe]] As befits a seaside city, seafood is very popular and there are many fish and chip shops around in every reasonably population centre situated along the coast. Though the Sunshine Coast is a budget destination, everything in the Sunshine Coast is still very pricey if you're on a budget, and while you could certainly get away with a meal under $20 per person, if you add starters, dessert or soft drinks to your meal, it will certainly cost more than $40. It's also a similar situation with mid-range restaurants, and likewise, it's very easy for your meal to just cost over $50, and if it's an upper mid-range restaurant, it can indeed go up to even $60! <!--For the sweet tooth, the Gelateria Milano is highly regarded in the southeast of Queensland and is actually run by Italians, unlike many other gelato shops. * '''Steak''' - Pay your steak $2 with the purchase of any drink on Sundays at the SurfAir Resort in Marcoola, close to the airport. Food is good and you have an option to choose fish instead of beef.--> ===Budget=== * {{eat | name=Coolum Thai Spice | alt=Coolum Thai Spice Licenced <!--(sic) -->Restaurant | url=https://coolum-thai-spice.business.site/ | email= | address=1812 David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5285 | long=153.0905 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5446 2488 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A budget Thai restaurant, fully licensed but with few options and unfortunately the restaurant doesn't have much of a range, but that is what you get in a budget restaurant that cannot spell licensed properly. }} * {{eat | name=Hanami | alt= | url=https://business.google.com/website/hanamicoolum | email= | address=9/1778 David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5314 | long=153.0917 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5471 7091 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–3PM, 5–8PM (closed Tuesdays) | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Has some surprisingly good Asian (in particular, Japanese) food albeit being budget. There are some Korean options too. }} * {{eat | name=Maroochy Waters Seafood | alt= | url= | email= | address=10 Denna St., Maroochydore | lat=-26.6437 | long=153.0685 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5479 4949 | tollfree= | hours=M 3:30–7:30PM, Tu–Th 10AM–7:30PM, F 9:30AM–7:30PM, Sa Su 10:30AM–7:30PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A classic Australian fish and chip shop, except while most fish and chip shops in coastal cities tend to be by the beach, this one is by the river! Otherwise, there's some excellent burgers and wings if you're not a fan of fish (but for some reason wanted to come to a fish and chip shop). }} * {{eat | name=Pum's Kitchen | alt= | url=http://pumskitchen.com.au/ | email= | address=Shop 8, 2 Beach Rd, Maroochydore | lat=-26.6524 | long=153.0898 | directions= | phone=+61 435 508 101 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A budget Thai restaurant with lots of prawn meals. Otherwise, there are plenty of chicken, pork and vegetarian options, plus as with every Thai restaurant, fried rice is not to be missed. }} * {{eat | name=Thai Lotus | alt= | url=http://www.thailotuswurtulla.com.au/ | email= | address=1/56 Moondara Dr, Wurtulla | lat=-26.7527 | long=153.1288 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5437 7066 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-19 | content=Has the typical Thai food found pretty much in any Australian Thai restaurant, but with an emphasis on local seafood. There are also some specials in this restaurant, such as chilli noodles. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{eat | name=Colin James Fine Foods | alt= | url=http://colinjamesfinefood.com.au/ | email= | address=29 Maple St, Maleny | lat=-26.758714 | long=152.8511 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2860 | tollfree= | hours=9AM–3PM (closed Mondays) | price= | content=Located on Maple St, Maleny's main street, this place is known for gelati, an extensive range of cheese, with a cafe which caters to a gluten free diet. }} * {{eat | name=Da Marino Italian restaurant | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/Da-Marino-Landsbrough-107542621728709/ | email= | address=Shop 9/1 Maleny St, Maleny | lat=-26.808546 | long=152.965 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 8333 | tollfree= | hours=2–9PM (closed Mondays) | price= | lastedit=2021-09-20 | content=An Italian restaurant but with very Australianised replacements. The most notable of all is probably the fact that a lot of meals contain barbecue sauce, something that's not the most Italian. }} * {{eat | name=Dicky Beach Surf Club | alt= | url=https://www.dickybeachsurfclub.com/restaurant/ | email= | address=1A Coochin St, Dicky Beach | lat=-26.78165 | long=153.1381 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 6078 | tollfree= | hours=Daily noon–2PM, 5–8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-19 | content=A beachside restaurant managed by the local surf club with some classical and modern Australian cuisines. Has some excellent burgers, seafood and pizzas with a particular emphasis on local ingredients. }} * {{eat | name=Flaming Sushi House | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/flamingsushihouse | email= | address=2/132 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba | lat=-26.6899 | long=153.1148 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5444 6366 | tollfree= | hours=M–Th 11AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM, F–Su 11AM–3PM, 5–9PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A sushi shop that sells not only sushi, but nearly all the important meals of [[Japanese cuisine]] found in Australia, in a cosy setting. The interior of the restaurant is very Japanese-themed, and it's reflected in its walls, paintings and statues inside. }} * {{eat | name=Giddy Geisha | alt= | url=https://giddygeisha.com.au/ | email=info@giddygeisha.com.au | address=8 Market Lane, Maroochydore | lat=-26.657728 | long=153.091114 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5452 4301 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=Has a mix of Asian-fusion dishes, including Asian cocktails too. The range of Asian food ranges from Japan, down to Indonesia, but as the Australian definition of ''Asian food'' only refers to East and Southeast Asian food, that's what you'll find in this restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=India Today | alt= | url=http://www.indiatoday-caloundra.com.au/ | email= | address=2/79 Bulcock St, Caloundra | lat=-26.80435 | long=153.1303 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5438 9599 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-07 | content=Excellent quality Indian cuisine in a unique setting. Great service. The tandoori chicken is a very tasty and filling choice. }} * {{eat | name=King Ludwig's Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.kingludwigs.com.au/ | email= | address=401 Mountain View Rd, Maleny | lat=-26.7798 | long=152.857174 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9377 | tollfree= | hours=W Th Su 11AM–4PM, F Sa 11AM–11PM | price= | content=German cuisine with spectacular views of the Glasshouse Mountains, but unlike most views where you see the mountains from the east facing west, it's the opposite here. Fully licensed and has a good range of Bavarian beers. }} *{{eat | name=My Place Restaurant | alt=My Place Restaurant & Bar | url=https://website-9137590927045630910105-restaurant.business.site/ | email= | address=1768 David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5325 | long=153.0924 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5446 4433 | tollfree= | hours={{time|7AM|9PM}} | price= | content=A restaurant with great food, service, atmosphere and the best views of the coastline from Noosa to Mooloolaba. }} *{{eat | name=Sang's East Asian Cuisine | alt= | url=http://www.sangs.com.au | email= | address=Alexandra Parade, Alexandra Headland | lat=-26.664696 | long=153.1048 | directions=cnr Okinja Rd and Alexandra Pde | phone=+61 7 5475 4412 | tollfree= | hours=Dinner Tu-Sa, Closed Sunday & Monday | price= | content=A budget BYO specialising in East and Southeast Asian cuisines though modified to suit the Australian tastebud though there's a great deal of seafood owing to the fact that the Sunshine Coast is located along the coast. }} * {{eat | name=Tasty Thai | alt= | url=https://www.tastythaicaloundra.com.au/ | email= | address=9/50 Bulcock St, Caloundra | lat=-26.8049 | long=153.1322 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 8666 | tollfree= | hours=5–8:30PM (closed Tuesdays) | price= | lastedit=2022-05-07 | content=A very tasty Thai restaurant with takeaway, dine-in and BYO (bring your own) with all the typicals of a Thai restaurant, though the restaurant is a bit compact. }} ===Splurge=== * {{eat | name=Cappriccios Italian Pizza Restaurant | alt= | url=https://cappricciospizzas.com.au/ | email= | address=Riverside Centre, 7/4 Maple St, Maleny | lat=-26.758438 | long=152.8535 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 9444 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=A classic Italian pizza restaurant specialising in pizza (obviously) along with many other Italian dishes and specialties. The variety available resembles more like the one you would find in southern Italy, like most other Italian restaurants. The restaurant is also fully-licensed, and has both dine-in and takeaway. }} * {{eat | name=Fish on Parkyn | alt= | url=http://fishonparkyn.com.au/ | email= | address=25 Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba | lat=-26.68441 | long=153.1315 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5444 4711 | tollfree= | hours=Sa–Th noon–2:30PM, 5:30–10PM, F noon–2:30PM, 5–10PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-30 | content=A fine-dining seafood restaurant with a waterview with nearly all of its menu based on seafood. While this is a seafood restaurant, if you're a vegetarian, this restaurant has a surprisingly good amount of options that are vegetarian – not something you would expect from a seafood restaurant. }} * {{eat | name=Harry's On Buderim | alt= | url=http://harrysonbuderim.com.au/ | email=info@harrysonbuderim.com.au | address=11 Harrys La., Buderim | lat=-26.6713 | long=153.0481 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 6661 | tollfree= | hours=W–Su noon–2PM, Th–Sa 6–8PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A modern Australian restaurant though presented in a very rural rainforest area (and that's why it's located on the edge of Buderim Forest Park), with many rainforest ingredients, local seafood and has a surprisingly good vegan menu. It's inside a heritage listed building over 140 years old, and is fully licensed too. Strangely, the restaurant has led to some maps incorrectly labelling the nearby park as "Harrys Restaurant Park". }} * {{eat | name=Spice Bar Restaurant | alt= | url=http://www.spicebar.com.au/ | email= | address=123 Mooloolaba Espl., Mooloolaba | lat=-26.67812 | long=153.1168 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5408 4361 | tollfree= | hours=F–Su noon–3PM, W–Su 6PM–late, closed M Tu | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=Lots of good Asian fusion meals. Be aware though, that the dishes are very large, so don't underestimate the sizes of their "Large Plates" section on their menu. Otherwise has some good wine and seafood too. }} *{{eat | name=The Key Restaurant Maleny | alt= | url= | email= | address=Cairncross Corner, Cnr. of Maleny Landsborough Rd and Mountain view Rd | lat=-26.77579 | long=152.8922 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5429 6537 | tollfree= | hours=W-Su, lunch and dinner. 11AM-till late | price=From $16.50 | content=Relaxed atmosphere, sunny terrace. Blend of African, Creole and Mediterranean culinary influences. Friday night buffet, local produce, chicken and meat are hormone free. Caters for vegetarian diets and for people with gluten intolerance. }} * {{eat | name=The Terrace Seafood Restaurant of Maleny | alt=Terrace of Maleny | url=http://www.terraceofmaleny.com.au/ | email= | address=cnr Landsborough-Maleny Rd and Mountain View Rd, Maleny | lat=-26.7758 | long=152.8921 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3700 | tollfree= | fax= | hours=W–Su noon–3PM, 5–9PM | price= | content=When you first think of going to a seafood restaurant, that's also fine-dining too, ideally you'd often think of the coastal areas, as with practically every seafood restaurant in Australia. But strangely, this restaurant is rather nestled on the mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, making it an unusual combination. }} * {{eat | name=Tides Waterfront Dining | alt= | url=http://www.tideswaterfront.com.au/ | email= | address=26 Esplanade Bulcock Beach, Caloundra | lat=-26.80669 | long=153.1323 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5438 2304 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|noon|8:30PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-19 | content=A waterfront seafood restaurant with some great views of the ocean! There is a bit of emphasis on local southeast Queensland seafood, particularly from the Sunshine Coast region, and there is a good range of wines available. Lunch Specials from $32, while "Locals Dinner" from $49pp. }} ===Cafes=== {{anchor|Cafés}} * {{eat | name=Cheese Stop Cafe | alt= | url=http://www.malenycheese.com.au/ | email=enquiry@malenycheese.com.au | address=1 Clifford St, Balmoral RIdge | lat=-26.763764 | long=152.8857 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2207 | tollfree= | hours={{time|10AM|3PM}} | price= | content=Fully licensed cafe with espresso coffee, tea and cold drinks, special cheese dishes, cakes, scones & desserts. (Watch cheese & yoghurt being made on the premises.). Cheese is generally the European style, and you can watch cheese and yogurt being made. }} * {{eat | name=Monica's | alt= | url=http://monicascafe.com.au/ | email= | address=43 Maple St, Maleny | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2670, +61 460 002 227 (mobile) | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Cafe and BYO dining. }} * {{eat | name=Scandic Cafe | alt= | url=https://www.facebook.com/scandiccafe/ | email=chiakhoa8982@hotmail.com | address=12 First Ave, Maroochydore | lat=-26.6552 | long=153.0928 | directions= | phone=+61 428 858 533 | tollfree= | hours=M W–F {{time|6:30AM|3PM}} Tu {{time|6:30AM|3:30PM}} | price= | lastedit=2022-04-18 | content=A Scandinavian cafe (i.e. Norwegian, Swedish and Danish) with food and drinks surprisingly similar to what you would get in Scandinavia. Interestingly, the names of two of their smoothies are ''Viking'' and ''Midnight Sun''. }} * {{eat | name=The Coffee Club | alt= | url=https://www.coffeeclub.com.au/stores/coolum/ | email=coolum@coffeeclub.com.au | address=cnr Elizabeth St and David Low Way, Coolum Beach | lat=-26.5288 | long=153.0905 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5455 7101 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6:30AM–6PM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-05-27 | content=A cafe with an all-day menu ranging from bacon to sausages to great beverages. Apart from the coffee, which well is good in any cafe, there are many other cold beverages such as milkshakes, smoothies and frappés. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Caloundra RSL | alt= | url=http://www.caloundrarsl.com.au/ | email= | address=19 West Terrace | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 1544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Winner Queensland Club of the Year for the 4th time (Clubs Queensland Awards). Winner Best Food Venue in Queensland for the 5th time (Clubs Queensland Awards). }} *{{drink | name=The Barn on Flaxton | alt=Country Cafe | url=https://www.thebarnonflaxton.com.au/ | email= | address=445 Flaxton Drive | lat= | long= | directions=4 km north of Montville | phone=+61 7 5445 7321 | tollfree= | hours=8AM-5PM | price= | content=Home baking is their specialty - Home baked apple pie, scones, quiche or chunky beef pie with garden salad. }} * {{drink | name=Maleny Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.malenyhotel.com.au/bar | email= | address=6 Bunya St., Maleny | lat=-26.759 | long=152.8542 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2013 | tollfree= | hours=Su–Th 10AM–9PM, F Sa 10AM–10PM | price= | content=A small bar with a beer garden. Cocktails start from $15, while there is a good range of all kinds of wines. }} * {{drink | name=Flame Hill Vineyard and Winery | alt= | url=http://www.flamehill.com.au/ | email= | address=249 Western Avenue, Maleny | lat=-26.681284 | long=152.876344 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5478 5558 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | content=Award-winning wines. Open daily. }} ===Craft Beer=== Craft beer is a popular draw card on the Sunshine Coast and there are plenty of options in Maroochydore: * [https://sunshinecoastbrewery.com/ '''Sunshine Coast Brewery'''] in Kunda Park Maroochydore - They are boutique and serve all the favourites as well as their own ginger beer. * '''[https://www.sunshinebrewery.com.au/ Sunshine Brewery in Maroochydore]''' - IPA’s, summer ale, * [https://yourmatesbrewing.com/ '''Your Mates Brewing Company'''] - Whether you go for the Larry, Macca, Sally or Eddie. * {{drink | name=Pig 'N' Whistle Sunshine Plaza | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Brews their own IPA, available on tap. A rare find in Australia. }} ==Sleep== {{Sleeppricerange | Under $150 | $150 - $250 | Over $250 }} * {{sleep | name=Avocado Grove Bed & Breakfast | alt= | url=http://www.avocadogrove.com.au/ | email= | address=10 Carramar Court | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5445-7585 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Off Ensbey Road. Tranquility on 1.4 hectares. Great views. 'On call' natural therapies professional. }} * {{sleep | name=Peppertree Cottage | alt= | url=http://www.peppertreecottage.com/ | email= | address=10 Glen Eden Court | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5445-7652 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Air conditioned bed and breakfast on two acres. }} * {{sleep | name=Tanderra House | alt= | url= | email= | address=11 Flaxton Mill Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5445-7179 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Bed and breakfast. Also on offer is therapeutic massage and yoga classes, followed by a guided meditation in the garden. }} * {{sleep | name=Taman Sari | alt= | url=http://www.tamansari.com.au | email= | address=226 Obi Obi Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7-5478-6868 | tollfree= | fax= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Private, self-contained pavilions with tropical gardens and broadband internet. }} ===Budget=== *{{sleep | name=Banyandah Towers | alt= | url=http://www.banyandah.com.au/ | email=holidays@banyandah.com.au | address=150 Duporth Ave, Maroochydore | lat=-26.6475 | long=153.0882 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443 6911 | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 5443 5841 | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=A 15-storey waterfront apartment along the Maroochy River, with some good amenities, but none of the rooms have air conditioning though. }} * {{sleep | name=Caloundra City Backpackers | alt=Caloundra Backpackers | url=http://www.caloundrabackpackers.com.au/ | email=info@caloundrabackpackers.com.au | address=84 Omrah Avenue, Caloundra | lat=-26.803782 | long=153.1264 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5499 7655 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price=dorm $18.00, twin (2 persons, 2 single beds) $42.00/room, double (double bed + ensuite) $52.00/room | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Crystal Waters EcoPark | alt= | url=http://crystalwaters.org.au/things-to-do/eco-caravan-park/ | email= | address=Lot 48/65 Kilcoy Ln, Conondale | lat=-26.785802 | long=152.717056 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4726 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Bushland setting near the main Crystal Waters facilities and cafe. Powered and unpowered sites, plus bunkhouses available. }} * {{sleep | name=Lilyponds Holiday Park | alt= | url=http://www.lilyponds.com.au/ | email= | address=26 Warruga St., Mapleton | lat=-26.621437 | long=152.8629 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 7238 | tollfree= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Cabins, caravans, camping, swimming pool, camp kitchen, under-cover gas barbecues, TV lounge plus playground for children. With avocado orchard and Wi-Fi internet access. }} * {{sleep | name=Mapleton Cabins and Caravan Park | alt= | url=http://www.mapletoncabinscaravans.com.au/ | email=mccp.office@gmail.com | address=Obi Obi Rd | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61-7 5445 7135 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Ocean View Caravan Park | alt= | url=http://www.oceanviewtouristpark.com.au/ | email= | address=2 Old Maleny Rd, Landsborough | lat=-26.793412 | long=152.936471 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 1171 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Self contained air-conditioned cabins with powered sites for caravans. There is an amenities block, and there's some great views over the coast from the Hinterland. }} *{{sleep | name=QCCC Mapleton | alt= | url=http://www.qccc.com.au | email= | address=70 Obi Obi Rd | lat=-26.628634 | long=152.860457 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5456 3600 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Highly sought after conference and camping facility also boasting an outdoor education program. Accommodation for 240 guests, four swimming pools, meeting hall for 600 people, climbing wall, canoeing lake, abseil tower, archery. }} *{{sleep | name=Suncoast Backpackers Lodge | url= | email= | address=50 Parker Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5443-7544 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Sunshine Coast Motor Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.sunshinecoastmotorlodge.com.au | email= | address=279 Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye | lat=-26.6662 | long=152.9719 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5442 1666 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=A motel that's a bit inland and quite a distance from the beach, but contains a pool if you don't feel like driving to the beach. Includes free Wi-Fi and free parking. }} ===Mid-range=== * {{sleep | name=Bamboo Retreat | alt= | url=http://www.bambooretreat.com.au/ | email= | address=949 Kidaman Creek Rd, Maleny | lat=-26.68053 | long=152.795582 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4172 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=4.5 star king studio with private garden and outdoor hot tub spa, located on a secluded forest ridge overlooking Obi Obi Valley, adjacent to Maleny National Park. Breakfast in suite or private gazebo. Minimum stay 2 nights. No pets. }} * {{sleep | name=Maleny Lodge | alt= | url=http://www.malenylodge.com.au/ | email=relax@malenylodge.com.au | address=58 Maple St., Maleny | lat=-26.757673 | long=152.849859 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2370 | tollfree= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Located in a historic 1894 building near the centre of Maleny, bed and breakfast accommodation with an open fire in the winter. }} * {{sleep | name=Maleny Hills Motel | alt= | url=http://www.malenyhills.com.au/ | email=info@malenyhills.com.au | address=932 Montville Road, Balmoral Ridge | lat=-26.761821 | long=152.886475 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 2551 | tollfree= | checkin=1PM | checkout=10AM | price=From $130 | content=A motel around 5 km from the centre of Maleny with some excellent rainforests just beside the motel's doorstep. However, the rooms are a bit small though. }} * {{sleep | name=Mapleton Springs B&B | alt= | url=http://www.mapletonsprings.com.au | email=mapletonsprings@bigpond.com | address=87 Spring Pastures Dr., Mapleton | lat=-26.628365 | long=152.879421 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5445 7751 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price=from $170 | lastedit=2019-06-08 | content=New accommodation as of 2019, away from main roads. Solar heated infinity edge pool, spa with a view and sauna on premises. During the cooler months there is an open fire in the lounge room. Movies can be viewed in their cinema room. A selection of drinks and snacks are available for purchase. }} * {{sleep | name=Roseville House | alt= | url=http://www.rosevillehouse.com.au/ | email= | address=640 Maleny-Montville Road at Balmoral Lookout | lat=-26.739979 | long=152.895742 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3411 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Bed and breakfast in a federation era (early 1900s) house. The house has some pretty impressive ocean and mountain views, but that should be no surprise given it's located on a lookout. }} * {{sleep | name=Oaks Seaforth Resort | alt= | url=https://www.oakshotels.com/en/oaks-seaforth-resort | email=seaforth@theoaksgroup.com.au | address=98-110 Alexandra Pde, Alexandra Headland | lat=-26.6642 | long=153.1049 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5475 1100, 1300 766 950 (domestic), +61 7 2102 5719 (reservations using int'l number) | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | lastedit=2022-05-22 | content=A mid-sized coastal hotel with facilities such as a pool, a gym and some barbecue areas and includes complimentary parking plus free Wi-Fi. }} * {{sleep | name=Wittacork Dairy Cottages | alt= | url=http://www.wittacork.com.au/ | email= | address=286 Tesch Road, Witta | lat=-26.718716 | long=152.852582 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 4369 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price= | content=Self contained western red cedar cottages, adjacent to a working dairy farm, set on a ridge overlooking Lake Baroon and the Obi Obi Gorge National Park, surrounded by rainforest. Watch cows being milked, feed the calves and collect eggs. 2 km (1.25 mi) of walking tracks in privately owned rainforest & waterfall viewing areas. }} *{{sleep | name=Watermark Resort Caloundra | alt=Watermark Resort Caloundra Queensland | url=http://www.watermarkresort.com.au/ | email= | address=38 Maloja Avenue, Caloundra | lat=-26.805378 | long=153.1264 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 3300 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Watermark Resort at Caloundra on Queenslands Sunshine coast occupies a prime location right on the waterfront. The Resort is a perfect holiday destination for the whole family. With its own private fishing jetty at your back door, the Watermark resort is the envy of many other local Caloundra hotels and resorts. }} *{{sleep | name=Ocean Views Resort Caloundra | alt=Ocean Views Resort - Caloundra Queensland | url=https://www.oceanviewsresort.com.au/ | email=res@oceanviewsresort.com.au | address=cnr Bulcock & Centaur Streets, Caloundra | lat=-26.804227 | long=153.128 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 1788 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Ocean Views Resort can boast one of the best holiday resort locations the Sunshine Coast has to offer. Situated right on Bulcock Street Caloundra, Ocean Views Resort is only metres from the waterfront boardwalk and just a stones throw from beautiful Bulcock Beach. }} * {{sleep | name=Rydges Oasis Resort Caloundra | alt= | url=http://rydges.com/hotel/0/RQOASI/Rydges-Oasis-Resort-Caloundra.htm | email= | address=Landsborough Parade, Golden Beach | lat=-26.8057 | long=153.1228 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 0333, 1300 857 922 (local rate) | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=Provides guests with a variety of accommodation ranging from Hotel Spa Rooms to Self Contained Apartments and Villas. Rydges Oasis Resort is located on the southern tip of Queensland Sunshine Coast at Caloundra. Rydges Hotels and Resorts is an Australian owned and operated company. }} * {{sleep | name=ULTIQA Shearwater Resort | alt= | url=https://www.ultiqashearwater.com.au/ | email= | address=79 Edmund St, Caloundra | lat=-26.8022 | long=153.1419 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5491 5355 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=Another one of Caloundra's hotels that are close to the beach. Facilities include free Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, free breakfast, and free parking. }} *{{listing | type=sleep | name=Maroochy River Resort & Bungalows | alt=Maroochy River Bungalows | url=https://maroochyriverbungalows.com.au/ | email=relax@maroochyriverbungalows.com.au | address=38-46 David Low Way, Maroochydore | lat=-26.64358 | long=153.052597 | directions=behind the Waterfront Hotel & BWS | phone=+61 7 5448 4911 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price=$350-1400 per week | content=Self contained family holiday cabins. Private boat ramp, kayaks, tennis, bbqs, pools, sunlounges. Close to the action but away from the rat race. }} *{{sleep | name=The Sebel Maroochydore | url=http://www.mirvachotels.com/sebel-maroochydore | email= | address=20 Aerodrome Road | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5479 8000 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | checkin= | checkout= | content=Apartment-style accommodation on Maroochydore beach, views of the beach, river and hinterland. }} ===Splurge=== * {{sleep | name=Lillypilly's Country Cottages | alt= | url=http://www.lillypillys.com.au/ | email= | address=584 Maleny-Montville Road | lat=-26.735973 | long=152.89947 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5494 3002 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=11AM | price=from $320 | content=Luxury cottages with A/C overlooking Lake Baroon. Beautiful views. Therapeutic massage, special shiatsu treatments and reflexology available. }} * {{sleep | name=Maleny Views Cottage Resort | alt= | url=https://www.malenyterracecottages.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Panorama Place | lat=-26.775759 | long=152.891103 | directions=Off Mountain View Road. | phone=+61 7 5494 3943 | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=A set of six cottages and a villa with great views overlooking the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. You might be able to spot some of the mountains in the Glass House Mountains Range though it depends on which direction your cottage is facing. }} * {{sleep | name=Middleton House Maleny | alt=Middleton Manor | url=http://middletonhousemaleny.com/ | email= | address=3 Middleton Rd, Witta | lat=-26.713042 | long=152.828512 | directions= | phone=+61 490 252 222 | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | content=4.5 star bed and breakfast just outside Maleny in the locality of Witta. }} * {{sleep | name=Whispering Valley Retreat | alt= | url=http://www.whisperingvalley.com.au/ | email= | address=Schultz Road, off Curramore Road| lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 07 5494 4367 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Secluded cottages on 50 acres. }} * {{sleep | name=Rumba Beach Resort | alt= | url=http://www.rumbaresort.com.au/ | email= | address=10 Leeding Terrace, Caloundra | lat=-26.8061 | long=153.1319 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5492 0555 | tollfree= | checkin=3PM | checkout=11AM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A resort style hotel located near the beach in Caloundra, and includes a reasonably sized pool and a restaurant, but at a cost. It's also a bit more southerly, but a convenient walk to Bulcock Beach. }} ==Connect== ==Cope== === Media === *'''[http://www.thedaily.com.au/ The Sunshine Coast Daily]''' Regional daily newspaper for the whole Sunshine Coast. *'''[http://www.hinterlandgrapevine.com Hinterlandgrapevine Online]''' – news for the Sunshine Coast Hinterland *'''[http://viewnews.com.au/ View News]''' Local news, events and information === Consulates === Despite being a reasonably-sized city, there are no consulates in the Sunshine Coast and that can be attributed to how close the Sunshine Coast is to [[Brisbane]]. === Worship === There are several places of worship in the Sunshine Coast, but all are churches, though of different denominations. === Radio stations === There are several radio stations serving the region. Most are based in Nambour, but given the Sunshine Coast's proximity to Brisbane, ''most'' of [[Brisbane]]'s radio stations should also work in the Sunshine Coast, though it can get a bit patchy when you go further north towards [[Noosa]] or west into the Hinterland. The '''ABC Sunshine Coast''' is the region's share of the national Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which can be listened by tuning your radio to 90.3 MHz. Commercial local radio stations include '''92.7 Mix FM''' (tune to 92.7 MHz), '''Hot 91''' (tune to 91.1 MHz), and '''Sea FM''' (tune to 91.9 MHz), while smaller community radio stations include '''Salt 106.5''' (tune to 106.5 MHz), and '''Sunshine FM''' (tune to 104.9 MHz). [[Noosa]]'s '''101.3 FM''' occasionally has coverage of the Greater Sunshine Coast as a whole. ==Stay safe== ==Go next== If you're looking for a rather more upmarket town, and that has more of a "holiday" feel, just up the Sunshine Motorway a few minutes up north is [[Noosa]]. In some contexts, the Sunshine Coast also includes Noosa too, which has a more upmarket feel, including Queensland's equivalent of [[Bondi Beach]], plenty of splurge restaurants and a [[Queensland national parks|national park]]. {{routebox2 | temp1=[[Highway 1 (Australia)|{{AUR|M1}}]] | directionl1=S | majorl1=[[Brisbane]] | minorl1=[[Moreton Bay]] | directionr1=N | majorr1=[[Cairns]] | minorr1=[[Gympie]] | temp2=[[File:AUSR70.png|23px]] | directionl2=SW | majorl2=[[Brisbane]] | minorl2=merges with {{AUR|M1}} | directionr2=N | majorr2=[[Noosa]] | minorr2= | temp3=[[File:AUSR6.png|23px]] | directionl3=SW | majorl3=[[Moreton Bay|Woodford]] | minorl3= | directionr3=N | majorr3=[[Noosa]] | minorr3= }} {{IsPartOf|South East Queensland}} {{usableruralarea}} {{geo|-26.6500|153.0667|zoom=11}} k7a6jc71479zgg021ibxqsqeqtc8nae 0 192338 4501793 4449191 2022-08-16T00:36:43Z 124.171.213.92 /* See */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Northern suburbs banner.jpg|pgname=Northern suburbs of the Gold Coast}} The '''northern suburbs''' of the [[Gold Coast]] may be perhaps the most residential, but they are the most wild ones, containing many of the Gold Coast's theme parks. ==Get in== ===By car=== {{infobox|Going to the theme parks? Don't take Exit 62|If you decided to rather follow your unreliable GPS and you are heading northbound on the M1 to get to Wet'n'Wild or Movie World and your GPS tells you to take Exit 62, ignore it and use Exit 60 instead. Exit 62 can get you to the theme parks, but the interchange is poorly signed, and to get to the parks, signage only appears a few metres before Entertainment Road, which is easy to miss if you're on the wrong lane. Otherwise, you'll end up back on the motorway.}} The primary means of entry via car is via the '''M1 Pacific Motorway''' which extends down from Coffs Harbour in NSW to the state capital of Brisbane and the primary exits are exits between (and including) '''54''' to '''62'''. From the suburbs of Surfers Paradise, Southport or Broadbeach, use the '''Godl Coast Highway''' (<abbr title="State Route 2">SR 2</abbr>) to reach the western parts of the north, and use '''Oxley Drive''' (<abbr title="State Route 4">SR 4</abbr>) to reach the east. ===By light rail=== From Surfers Paradise, the G:link heads north passing [[Main Beach]], [[Gold Coast/Southport|Southport]], and stops at three places in the region; '''Parkwood East''', '''Parkwood''', and '''Helensvale''' where the line terminates. {{mapframe|align=center}}{{mapshape|wikidata=Q7898581,Q7115185,Q14935436,Q7122622,Q4805686,Q7138830,Q5167630,Q5528036,Q6896078,Q6467584,Q17006889,Q4802223,Q7379645,Q7134339,Q5167560,Q3894578,Q4906907|stroke-opacity=0.05}} ==See== * {{see | name=Gold Coast Motor Museum | alt= | url=https://gcmm.com.au/ | email=info@gcmm.com.au | address=107 Kriedeman Rd, Upper Coomera | lat=-27.910565 | long=153.258388 | directions= | phone=+61 452 076 292 | tollfree= | hours=W Th {{time|9AM|4PM}}, F–Su {{time|8AM|5PM}} | price=$20 per adult, $15 per senior citizen, children under 15 free | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A large shed that houses 75 motor vehicles and bikes from the late 20th century. Some vehicles, such as some of the electric vehicles, span all the way to 1900. The precinct also includes a restaurant and a shop (that has some car cleaning products). }} * {{see | name=Helensvale | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=-27.933333 | long=153.333333 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Helensvale, Queensland | wikidata=Q14935436 | content=Hilltop hinterland suburb on the north end of the Gold Coast, renowned for its designer residential gardens. Despite its leafiness, Helensvale makes it close enough to access nearby leisurely beaches. }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Warner Bros. Movie World | alt=Movie World | url=https://movieworld.com.au/ | email= | address=Helensvale Rd., Oxenford | lat=-27.9075 | long=153.3125 | directions= | phone=+61 13 33 86 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9:30AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1417567 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=Australia's only movie-based theme park which contains several film studios, shows, and perhaps most importantly, rides. As the park's name is called "Movie World" (and that can also be backed up as the park advertises itself as the ''Hollywood of the Gold Coast''), you may be able to spot several Marvel, Warner Brothers and DC characters walking around the park. }} * {{do | name=Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast | alt=Wet'n'Wild Water World | url=http://wetnwild.com.au/ | email= | address=Entertainment Rd., Oxenford | lat=-27.9151 | long=153.318 | directions= | phone=+61 13 33 86 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{Time|10AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q7989948 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=The prime water park located in South-East Queensland or even Australia and one of the many Wet'n'Wilds found worldwide. Most of the park is comprised of water-based rides, but there are some land-based rides too. }} * {{do | name=Dreamworld | alt= | url=http://www.dreamworld.com.au/ | email= | address=Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera | lat=-27.864 | long=153.316 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5588 1111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1256280 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=Australia's largest theme park which contains about 40 rides, and even a zoo. The theme park contains a mix of land and water rides, but beware, the park has a poor safety reputation, and in 2016, four people were killed on a ride. Since then, several rides have closed and have been demolished. }} * {{do | name=Australian Outback Spectacular | alt= | url=https://outbackspectacular.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-27.91233 | long=153.315521 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19870965 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{do | name=WhiteWater World | alt= | url=http://www.whitewaterworld.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera | lat=-27.8644 | long=153.315 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5588 1111 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7994409 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=Considered the sister park of [[#Dreamworld|Dreamworld]], this water park contains many water slides, and is perhaps convenient for visitors visiting Dreamworld without having to come all the way south to Wet'n'Wild. There are fewer rides than Wet'n'Wild though, but nevertheless an experience in its own right. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=The Neighbours Hope Island | alt= | url= | email= | address=126 North Quay Cct, Hope Island | lat=-27.869591 | long=153.354971 | directions= | phone=+61 423 732 722 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A small cafe located on Hope Island next to the sales centre. Food here tends to be a bit more expensive than other cafes in the area though. }} * {{eat | name=Hope Island Deli | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop 15, Hope Island Shopping Village, 10 Santa Barbara Rd, Hope Island | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 488 789 078 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6:30AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Plant Based Eatz | alt= | url=http://www.plantbasedeatz.com.au/ | email= | address=1/2 Grice Ave, Paradise Point | lat=-27.88652 | long=153.3941 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5529 5247 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–7PM (closed Mondays) | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Jonez on Ephraim | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A seafood restaurant }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Hope Island Tavern | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{drink | name=The Boathouse Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.theboathousetavern.com.au/ | email= | address=101 Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera | lat=-27.871368 | long=153.3143 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5502 9800 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|4PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Coomera Motor Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=11 Whitewater Way, Coomera | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5573 2311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Coomera Village | alt= | url=http://www.coomeraholidayvillage.com.au/ | email= | address=2 Reserve Rd, Upper Coomera | lat=-27.869033 | long=153.311891 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5573 1665 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} ==Connect== {{IsPartOf|Gold Coast}} {{usabledistrict}} {{geo|-27.892939|153.330034}} lcd0m1bsds591dpxblqy0ot48vexilu 4501795 4501793 2022-08-16T01:04:17Z SHB2000 2248002 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/124.171.213.92|124.171.213.92]] ([[User talk:124.171.213.92|talk]]) to last version by [[User:Rubbish computer|Rubbish computer]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Northern suburbs banner.jpg|pgname=Northern suburbs of the Gold Coast}} The '''northern suburbs''' of the [[Gold Coast]] may be perhaps the most residential, but they are the most wild ones, containing many of the Gold Coast's theme parks. ==Get in== ===By car=== {{infobox|Going to the theme parks? Don't take Exit 62|If you decided to rather follow your unreliable GPS and you are heading northbound on the M1 to get to Wet'n'Wild or Movie World and your GPS tells you to take Exit 62, ignore it and use Exit 60 instead. Exit 62 can get you to the theme parks, but the interchange is poorly signed, and to get to the parks, signage only appears a few metres before Entertainment Road, which is easy to miss if you're on the wrong lane. Otherwise, you'll end up back on the motorway.}} The primary means of entry via car is via the '''M1 Pacific Motorway''' which extends down from Coffs Harbour in NSW to the state capital of Brisbane and the primary exits are exits between (and including) '''54''' to '''62'''. From the suburbs of Surfers Paradise, Southport or Broadbeach, use the '''Godl Coast Highway''' (<abbr title="State Route 2">SR 2</abbr>) to reach the western parts of the north, and use '''Oxley Drive''' (<abbr title="State Route 4">SR 4</abbr>) to reach the east. ===By light rail=== From Surfers Paradise, the G:link heads north passing [[Main Beach]], [[Gold Coast/Southport|Southport]], and stops at three places in the region; '''Parkwood East''', '''Parkwood''', and '''Helensvale''' where the line terminates. {{mapframe|align=center}}{{mapshape|wikidata=Q7898581,Q7115185,Q14935436,Q7122622,Q4805686,Q7138830,Q5167630,Q5528036,Q6896078,Q6467584,Q17006889,Q4802223,Q7379645,Q7134339,Q5167560,Q3894578,Q4906907|stroke-opacity=0.05}} ==See== * {{see | name=Gold Coast Motor Museum | alt= | url=https://gcmm.com.au/ | email=info@gcmm.com.au | address=107 Kriedeman Rd, Upper Coomera | lat=-27.910565 | long=153.258388 | directions= | phone=+61 452 076 292 | tollfree= | hours=W Th {{time|9AM|4PM}}, F–Su {{time|8AM|5PM}} | price=$20 per adult, $15 per senior citizen, children under 15 free | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A large shed that houses 75 motor vehicles and bikes from the late 20th century. Some vehicles, such as some of the electric vehicles, span all the way to 1900. The precinct also includes a restaurant and a shop (that has some car cleaning products). }} ==Do== * {{do | name=Warner Bros. Movie World | alt=Movie World | url=https://movieworld.com.au/ | email= | address=Helensvale Rd., Oxenford | lat=-27.9075 | long=153.3125 | directions= | phone=+61 13 33 86 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9:30AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1417567 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=Australia's only movie-based theme park which contains several film studios, shows, and perhaps most importantly, rides. As the park's name is called "Movie World" (and that can also be backed up as the park advertises itself as the ''Hollywood of the Gold Coast''), you may be able to spot several Marvel, Warner Brothers and DC characters walking around the park. }} * {{do | name=Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast | alt=Wet'n'Wild Water World | url=http://wetnwild.com.au/ | email= | address=Entertainment Rd., Oxenford | lat=-27.9151 | long=153.318 | directions= | phone=+61 13 33 86 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{Time|10AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q7989948 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=The prime water park located in South-East Queensland or even Australia and one of the many Wet'n'Wilds found worldwide. Most of the park is comprised of water-based rides, but there are some land-based rides too. }} * {{do | name=Dreamworld | alt= | url=http://www.dreamworld.com.au/ | email= | address=Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera | lat=-27.864 | long=153.316 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5588 1111 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|5PM}} | price= | wikidata=Q1256280 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=Australia's largest theme park which contains about 40 rides, and even a zoo. The theme park contains a mix of land and water rides, but beware, the park has a poor safety reputation, and in 2016, four people were killed on a ride. Since then, several rides have closed and have been demolished. }} * {{do | name=Australian Outback Spectacular | alt= | url=https://outbackspectacular.com.au/ | email= | address= | lat=-27.91233 | long=153.315521 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q19870965 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{do | name=WhiteWater World | alt= | url=http://www.whitewaterworld.com.au/ | email= | address=1 Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera | lat=-27.8644 | long=153.315 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5588 1111 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7994409 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=Considered the sister park of [[#Dreamworld|Dreamworld]], this water park contains many water slides, and is perhaps convenient for visitors visiting Dreamworld without having to come all the way south to Wet'n'Wild. There are fewer rides than Wet'n'Wild though, but nevertheless an experience in its own right. }} ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=The Neighbours Hope Island | alt= | url= | email= | address=126 North Quay Cct, Hope Island | lat=-27.869591 | long=153.354971 | directions= | phone=+61 423 732 722 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A small cafe located on Hope Island next to the sales centre. Food here tends to be a bit more expensive than other cafes in the area though. }} * {{eat | name=Hope Island Deli | alt= | url= | email= | address=Shop 15, Hope Island Shopping Village, 10 Santa Barbara Rd, Hope Island | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 488 789 078 | tollfree= | hours=Daily 6:30AM–4PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Plant Based Eatz | alt= | url=http://www.plantbasedeatz.com.au/ | email= | address=1/2 Grice Ave, Paradise Point | lat=-27.88652 | long=153.3941 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5529 5247 | tollfree= | hours=11AM–7PM (closed Mondays) | price= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Jonez on Ephraim | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A seafood restaurant }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Hope Island Tavern | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{drink | name=The Boathouse Tavern | alt= | url=http://www.theboathousetavern.com.au/ | email= | address=101 Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera | lat=-27.871368 | long=153.3143 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5502 9800 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|10AM|4PM}} | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} ==Sleep== * {{sleep | name=Coomera Motor Inn | alt= | url= | email= | address=11 Whitewater Way, Coomera | lat= | long= | directions= | phone=+61 7 5573 2311 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Coomera Village | alt= | url=http://www.coomeraholidayvillage.com.au/ | email= | address=2 Reserve Rd, Upper Coomera | lat=-27.869033 | long=153.311891 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5573 1665 | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price= | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content= }} ==Connect== {{IsPartOf|Gold Coast}} {{usabledistrict}} {{geo|-27.892939|153.330034}} 8ntvphpz3liaynehy3rj739w6i1ie50 0 192351 4502071 4449195 2022-08-16T09:39:24Z Crouch, Swale 1301797 The isn't part of the name wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Isle of Sheppey banner.jpg}} The '''Isle of Sheppey''' is part of [[Kent]], England. ==Understand== [[File:High tide roost at Elmley - geograph.org.uk - 419167.jpg | thumb | 300px | Birds roosting at Elmley ]] The island is separated from the British mainland by a channel called The Swale. Sheerness is an industrial port town and the remainder of the island to the east is more rural. ==Get in== The A249 is the main road from the mainland via the Sheppey Crossing. There are trains and buses from [[Sittingbourne]]. [[Walking in the United Kingdom|Walkers]] and cyclists can use the older Kingsferry Crossing which is a lifting bridge. ===By train=== * {{go | name=Sheerness-on-Sea station | alt= | url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/SSS/details.html | email= | address= | lat=51.441 | long=0.7585 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q7492505 | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content= }} * {{go | name=Queenborough station | alt= | url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/QBR/details.html | email= | address= | lat=51.415642 | long=0.749744 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q2323119 | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content= }} ==Get around== {{mapframe|51.398|0.828|zoom=11}} ==See== [[File:Beach at Leysdown-On-sea, Isle Of Sheppey, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 927606.jpg | thumb | 300px | Beach at Leysdown ]] * {{see | name=Elmley Nature Reserve | alt= | url=https://www.elmleynaturereserve.co.uk/ | email= | address=1 Kings Hill Cottages, Elmley, Minster on Sea, ME12 3RW | lat= 51.38128| long= 0.783 | directions= | phone=+44 1795 664896 | tollfree= | hours= | price=Glamping £90 | lastedit=2022-04-19 | content=A national nature reserve which is great for bird-watching. They have a range of glamping accommodation. }} * {{see | name=Eastchurch Aviation Museum | alt= | url=https://eastchurchaviationmuseum.org.uk/ | email= | address=Wright's Way, HMP Standford Hill, Eastchurch, ME12 4AA | lat=51.39503 | long=0.85141 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=Tu, Th-Sa 10AM - 3PM | price= | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content=Volunteer run [[aviation history]] museum. }} ==Do== There are Blue Flag beaches at Minster and Leysdown. ==Buy== *Sheerness has Tesco and Aldi supermarkets, near the station. ==Eat== *Sheerness has a few restaurants and cafes. *There are cafes along the seafront in Minster and Leysdown. ==Drink== ==Sleep== There are several caravan parks on the Isle of Sheppey, but these mainly have long term pitches for caravans owned by weekenders, with only a few pitches for visitors. * {{sleep | name=The Shurland Hotel | alt= | url=https://www.shurlandhotel.com/ | email= | address=79-81 High St, Eastchurch, ME12 4EH | lat=51.40692 | long=0.85816 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | checkin= | checkout= | price=from £60 | wikidata= | lastedit=2022-04-20 | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Warden Springs Caravan Park | alt= | url=http://www.wardenspringscaravanpark.com/touring/ | email= | address= | lat=51.41335 | long=0.90155 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | checkin= | checkout= | price=from £15 | lastedit=2022-04-27 | content=Touring pitches for caravans and tents, next the sea. Tavern and outdoor swimming pool. }} == Connect == As of May 2022, Sheerness and the west side of the island have 4G from all UK carriers. Coverage on the east side is patchy, O2 has the best signal. 5G has not reached this area. ==Go next== *[[Sittingbourne]] {{IsPartOf|Kent}} {{outlineruralarea}} {{geo|51.391|0.831|zoom=13}} qrvo1b03s0pfvgtarw4w0m5kalo9f1g 0 192555 4501890 4450655 2022-08-16T05:22:59Z SHB2000 2248002 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Glasshouse Mountains WV banner.jpg}} The '''Glass House Mountains''' is a popular tourist site in the [[Sunshine Coast]] of [[Queensland]]. The mountains were named by Captain Cook, who in 1770 thought they looked like glass houses as he sailed along the eastern coast of Australia. The region consists of a flat plain punctuated by volcanic plugs, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed between 25 million and 27 million years ago. Most of the Glass House Mountains is now protected and managed by the Queensland government, as part of the '''[https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains Glass House Mountains National Park]'''. ==Understand== The Glass House Mountains are: * Mount Beerburrum * Mount Beerwah, 555 m – the largest mountain in the range. However, access to the Mount Beerwah summit route has been closed since 2008 due to the erosion and destabilization of some walking tracks, leading to a high risk of rockfall. * Mount Coochin, 235 m * Mount Coonowrin, colloquially known as Crookneck, 377 m * Mount Elimbah, 129 m * Mount Miketeebumulgrai, 199 m * Mount Ngungun, 253 m * Round Mountain * Mount Tibberoowuccum, 220 m * Mount Tibrogargan, appearing to be a giant ape, 364 m * Mount Tunbubudla or the Twins, 312 and 293 m * Wild Horse Mountain, 123 m There are three that are on the base of the Glass House Mountains. The first is Beerwah, which is situated north of Glass House Mountains, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Brisbane, and just south of Landsborough. The second is Glass House Mountains, while the third further south is Beerburrum. ===History=== The Glasshouse Mountains are located in the traditional lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people. The first Europeans to discover the mountains were led by James Cook in 1770 when he was sailing up the East Coast of Australia. ===Landscape=== ===Flora and fauna=== The peaks support a diverse range of habitats, including montane heath and shrubland, open forest and woodlands and small rainforest patches on some peaks. The montane heath is particularly rich in threatened and endemic species, many of which can be found nowhere else. ===Climate=== ===Visitor information centre=== * {{listing | name=Glass House Mountains Visitor and Interpretive Centre | alt= | url=https://www.visitsunshinecoast.com/info/56b26120aeeeaaf773cf433e/glass-house-mountains-visitor-and-interpretive-centre | email=visit@visitsunshinecoast.com | address=Bruce Parade, cnr Reed Street Settler's Rotary Park, Glass House Mountains | lat=-26.898954 | long=152.958387 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5458 8848 | tollfree= | hours=Daily {{time|9AM|4PM}} | price= | lastedit=2021-10-02 | content=This place has maps and brochures, including some detailed maps that are unusually not available online. }} ==Get in== {{mapframe|zoom=10}} From Brisbane, follow the Bruce Highway (M1) north, take Exit 163 ''Steve Irwin Way'' (Tourist Drive 24) and follow the signs to the Glass House Mountains. From the Sunshine Coast, follow the Bruce Highway (M1) south, take Exit 179 and follow ''Roys Rd'' to Beerwah, then head south along ''Steve Irwin Way''. === By train === There is a train station in the heart of Beerwah and the Glass House Mountains township which offers frequent (usually hourly) services. Timetables can be found at the [http://www.translink.com.au TransLink website]. ==Fees and permits== ==Get around== ==See== * {{see | name=Glass House Mountains Lookout | alt= | url= | email= | address=Glass House Woodford Rd, Beerburrum | lat=-26.931469 | long=152.894837 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours=24/7 | price= | lastedit=2022-04-29 | content=It's a bit of a drive to get here, as this lookout is quite a considerable distance from the park and the three population centers in the region. The views from this lookout perched at a higher altitude makes it an ideal spot to see all of the Glass House Mountains, including the twins. }} * {{see | name=Beerburrum and Beerwah State Forests | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/beerburrum-beerwah | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2022-05-18 | content=Several patches of rainforests and eucalypt forests surrounding the region. Getting in the forests is not easy though, but if you still want to see the forest, the forest scenery can be viewed along the Bruce Highway. }} ==Do== *The bushwalks/scrambles to the tops of the mountain vary from an easy 30 min walk along a sealed path to a more intense four-hour return journey. * {{do | name=Mount Beerburrum summit walk | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains/journeys#mount_beerburrum | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-02 | content=3.5km return walk. Should take about 1.5 hours to do. It's a little difficult, but the views are worth it. }} * {{do | name=Yul-yan-man track | alt= | url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains/journeys#yul_yan_man | email= | address= | lat= | long= | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | lastedit=2021-10-02 | content= }} ===Other=== * '''Roped sports—abseiling and rockclimbing''' – A full list of where roped sported can be done can be found [https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains/things-to-do#roped_sports here]. ==Buy== ==Eat== * {{eat | name=G'House Pizzeria - Pizza, Pasta & Risotto | alt= | url=https://ghousepizza.com.au/ | email= | address=Glass House Centre, 5/7 Reed St, Glass House Mountains | lat=-26.89823 | long=152.9572 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5438 7799 | tollfree= | hours=4–7:45PM (closed Mondays) | price= | lastedit=2021-10-02 | content= }} * {{eat | name=Beerwah Seafood | alt= | url= | email= | address=48 Simpson Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 7 5494 6565 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} * {{eat | name=Bombay Bliss | alt= | url=http://www.bombaybliss.com.au/ | email= | address=50 Simpson Street | lat= | long= | directions= | phone = +61 7 5494 6919 | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content=Indian cuisine. }} ==Drink== * {{drink | name=Coofee Devine | alt= | url= | email= | address=Mackay-Eungella Road | lat= | long= | directions= Pinnacle | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | content= }} ==Sleep== There are no camping areas within Glass House Mountains National Park. The nearest camping spots are in the nearby Beerwah State Forest and the nearest motels/hotels are in either Beerwah or the Glass House Mountains township. ===Lodging and motels=== * {{sleep | name=Blackwattle Farm Bed And Breakfast | alt= | url=http://www.blackwattlefarm.com.au/ | email=enquiries@blackwattlefarm.com.au | address=123 Old Peachester Road | lat=-26.851662 | long=152.907073 | directions= | phone=+61 7 549 49205, +61 438 112 083 (mobile) | tollfree= | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content= }} * {{sleep | name=Beerwah Glasshouse Mountains Motel | alt= | url=http://www.beerwahmotel.com.au/ | email=enquiries@beerwahmotel.com.au | address=1116 Steve Irwin Way | lat=-26.884482 | long=152.96257 | directions= | phone=+61 7 5496 9900 (Allan) | tollfree= | fax=+61 7 5496 9196 | checkin=2PM | checkout=10AM | price= | content=In the Heart of the Glasshouse Mountains. }} ===Camping=== ===Backcountry=== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Sunshine Coast}} {{usablepark}} {{geo|-26.9|152.92|zoom=13}} 1q8i8z2fr8dbmxdjjm67q4e1odf7bw7 2 193731 4502022 4479696 2022-08-16T08:40:35Z Stewbeef47 2272969 Added list of places traveled in California wikitext text/x-wiki == Travels == === North America === ==== United States of America ==== ===== California ===== [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]] [[Junction City (California)]] (lived here) [[Weaverville (California)]] [[Anderson (California)]] (went to high school here) [[Burney]] [[Cottonwood (California)]] [[French Gulch]] [[Lakehead]] [[Palo Cedro]] [[Redding]] (grew up here) [[Shasta]] (was born here) [[Shasta Lake]] [[Shingletown]] [[Whiskeytown National Recreation Area]] [[Corning (California)]] [[Red Bluff]] [[Chico (California)]] [[Oroville (California)]] [[Crescent City]] [[Redwood National Park]] [[Arcata]] (went to university and lived here) [[Eureka]] (lived here) [[Fortuna (California)]] [[McKinleyville]] [[Trinidad (California)]] [[Fort Bragg]] (lived here) [[Gualala]] [[Ukiah]] [[Clearlake]] [[Santa Rosa (California)]] [[Petaluma]] (lived here) [[Bodega Bay]] [[Jenner]] [[Sonoma]] [[Willows]] [[Williams (California)]] [[Davis (California)]] [[West Sacramento]] [[Winters]] [[Roseville (California)]] [[Folsom]] [[Rancho Cordova]] [[Sacramento]] [[Coloma (California)]] [[Chowchilla]] [[Madera]] [[Truckee]] [[Auburn (California)]] [[Lake Tahoe]] [[Mount Whitney]] [[White Mountains (California)]] [[Lodi (California)]] [[Stockton (California)]] [[Modesto]] [[Atwater (California)]] [[Los Banos]] [[Merced]] [[Santa Nella]] [[Fresno]] [[Kettleman City]] [[Visalia]] [[Bakersfield]] [[Mojave]] [[San Francisco]] [[Mill Valley]] [[Sausalito]] [[Point Reyes National Seashore]] [[Stinson Beach]] [[Concord (California)]] [[El Cerrito]] [[Martinez (California)]] [[Pinole]] (lived here) [[Richmond (California)]] (currently live here) [[Alameda]] [[Albany (California)]] [[Berkeley]] [[Dublin (California)]] [[Emeryville]] (lived here) [[Fremont]] [[Hayward]] [[Livermore]] [[Oakland]] [[Union City (California)]] [[Daly City]] [[Half Moon Bay]] [[Menlo Park]] [[Moss Beach]] [[Pacifica]] [[Gilroy (California)]] [[Palo Alto]] [[San Jose (California)]] [[Monterey (California)]] [[Capitola]] [[Santa Cruz (California)]] [[Watsonville]] [[San Luis Obispo]] (lived here) [[Avila Beach]] [[Santa Maria (California)]] [[Morro Bay]] [[Los Angeles]] [[Long Beach]] [[Torrance]] [[Avalon]] [[Santa Monica]] [[Huntington Beach]] [[Newport Beach]] (lived here) [[Seal Beach]] [[Anaheim]] [[Disneyland]] [[Costa Mesa]] [[Irvine]] [[San Juan Capistrano]] [[Tustin]] [[San Diego]] [[Solana Beach]] [[Barstow]] [[Needles]] [[Twentynine Palms]] [[Yucca Valley]] [[Mojave National Preserve]] [[Indio]] [[Death Valley Junction]] [[Stovepipe Wells]] [[Death Valley National Park]] 85uduokoa2zl674t7rcm2sxsq2h9eah 4502035 4502022 2022-08-16T08:53:01Z Stewbeef47 2272969 Added list of places traveled in Oregon wikitext text/x-wiki == Travels == === North America === ==== United States of America ==== ===== California ===== [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]] [[Junction City (California)]] (lived here) [[Weaverville (California)]] [[Anderson (California)]] (went to high school here) [[Burney]] [[Cottonwood (California)]] [[French Gulch]] [[Lakehead]] [[Palo Cedro]] [[Redding]] (grew up here) [[Shasta]] (was born here) [[Shasta Lake]] [[Shingletown]] [[Whiskeytown National Recreation Area]] [[Corning (California)]] [[Red Bluff]] [[Chico (California)]] [[Oroville (California)]] [[Crescent City]] [[Redwood National Park]] [[Arcata]] (went to university and lived here) [[Eureka]] (lived here) [[Fortuna (California)]] [[McKinleyville]] [[Trinidad (California)]] [[Fort Bragg]] (lived here) [[Gualala]] [[Ukiah]] [[Clearlake]] [[Santa Rosa (California)]] [[Petaluma]] (lived here) [[Bodega Bay]] [[Jenner]] [[Sonoma]] [[Willows]] [[Williams (California)]] [[Davis (California)]] [[West Sacramento]] [[Winters]] [[Roseville (California)]] [[Folsom]] [[Rancho Cordova]] [[Sacramento]] [[Coloma (California)]] [[Chowchilla]] [[Madera]] [[Truckee]] [[Auburn (California)]] [[Lake Tahoe]] [[Mount Whitney]] [[White Mountains (California)]] [[Lodi (California)]] [[Stockton (California)]] [[Modesto]] [[Atwater (California)]] [[Los Banos]] [[Merced]] [[Santa Nella]] [[Fresno]] [[Kettleman City]] [[Visalia]] [[Bakersfield]] [[Mojave]] [[San Francisco]] [[Mill Valley]] [[Sausalito]] [[Point Reyes National Seashore]] [[Stinson Beach]] [[Concord (California)]] [[El Cerrito]] [[Martinez (California)]] [[Pinole]] (lived here) [[Richmond (California)]] (currently live here) [[Alameda]] [[Albany (California)]] [[Berkeley]] [[Dublin (California)]] [[Emeryville]] (lived here) [[Fremont]] [[Hayward]] [[Livermore]] [[Oakland]] [[Union City (California)]] [[Daly City]] [[Half Moon Bay]] [[Menlo Park]] [[Moss Beach]] [[Pacifica]] [[Gilroy (California)]] [[Palo Alto]] [[San Jose (California)]] [[Monterey (California)]] [[Capitola]] [[Santa Cruz (California)]] [[Watsonville]] [[San Luis Obispo]] (lived here) [[Avila Beach]] [[Santa Maria (California)]] [[Morro Bay]] [[Los Angeles]] [[Long Beach]] [[Torrance]] [[Avalon]] [[Santa Monica]] [[Huntington Beach]] [[Newport Beach]] (lived here) [[Seal Beach]] [[Anaheim]] [[Disneyland]] [[Costa Mesa]] [[Irvine]] [[San Juan Capistrano]] [[Tustin]] [[San Diego]] [[Solana Beach]] [[Barstow]] [[Needles]] [[Twentynine Palms]] [[Yucca Valley]] [[Mojave National Preserve]] [[Indio]] [[Death Valley Junction]] [[Stovepipe Wells]] [[Death Valley National Park]] ===== Oregon ===== [[Portland (Oregon)]] (lived here) [[Gresham]] (lived here) [[Milwaukie]] [[Oregon City]] [[Troutdale]] [[Aloha]] [[Beaverton]] (lived here) [[Hillsboro (Oregon)]] [[Tigard]] [[Eugene]] [[The Dalles]] [[Tillamook]] [[Florence (Oregon)]] [[Reedsport]] [[Yachats]] [[Bandon]] [[Port Orford]] [[Brookings-Harbor]] [[Coos Bay]] [[Ashland (Oregon)]] [[Medford (Oregon)]] jzycvy0mfij3djhxomo2b01xn1rtkkp 4502043 4502035 2022-08-16T09:01:57Z Stewbeef47 2272969 Added list of places traveled in Washington State wikitext text/x-wiki == Travels == === North America === ==== United States of America ==== ===== California ===== [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]] [[Junction City (California)]] (lived here) [[Weaverville (California)]] [[Anderson (California)]] (went to high school here) [[Burney]] [[Cottonwood (California)]] [[French Gulch]] [[Lakehead]] [[Palo Cedro]] [[Redding]] (grew up here) [[Shasta]] (was born here) [[Shasta Lake]] [[Shingletown]] [[Whiskeytown National Recreation Area]] [[Corning (California)]] [[Red Bluff]] [[Chico (California)]] [[Oroville (California)]] [[Crescent City]] [[Redwood National Park]] [[Arcata]] (went to university and lived here) [[Eureka]] (lived here) [[Fortuna (California)]] [[McKinleyville]] [[Trinidad (California)]] [[Fort Bragg]] (lived here) [[Gualala]] [[Ukiah]] [[Clearlake]] [[Santa Rosa (California)]] [[Petaluma]] (lived here) [[Bodega Bay]] [[Jenner]] [[Sonoma]] [[Willows]] [[Williams (California)]] [[Davis (California)]] [[West Sacramento]] [[Winters]] [[Roseville (California)]] [[Folsom]] [[Rancho Cordova]] [[Sacramento]] [[Coloma (California)]] [[Chowchilla]] [[Madera]] [[Truckee]] [[Auburn (California)]] [[Lake Tahoe]] [[Mount Whitney]] [[White Mountains (California)]] [[Lodi (California)]] [[Stockton (California)]] [[Modesto]] [[Atwater (California)]] [[Los Banos]] [[Merced]] [[Santa Nella]] [[Fresno]] [[Kettleman City]] [[Visalia]] [[Bakersfield]] [[Mojave]] [[San Francisco]] [[Mill Valley]] [[Sausalito]] [[Point Reyes National Seashore]] [[Stinson Beach]] [[Concord (California)]] [[El Cerrito]] [[Martinez (California)]] [[Pinole]] (lived here) [[Richmond (California)]] (currently live here) [[Alameda]] [[Albany (California)]] [[Berkeley]] [[Dublin (California)]] [[Emeryville]] (lived here) [[Fremont]] [[Hayward]] [[Livermore]] [[Oakland]] [[Union City (California)]] [[Daly City]] [[Half Moon Bay]] [[Menlo Park]] [[Moss Beach]] [[Pacifica]] [[Gilroy (California)]] [[Palo Alto]] [[San Jose (California)]] [[Monterey (California)]] [[Capitola]] [[Santa Cruz (California)]] [[Watsonville]] [[San Luis Obispo]] (lived here) [[Avila Beach]] [[Santa Maria (California)]] [[Morro Bay]] [[Los Angeles]] [[Long Beach]] [[Torrance]] [[Avalon]] [[Santa Monica]] [[Huntington Beach]] [[Newport Beach]] (lived here) [[Seal Beach]] [[Anaheim]] [[Disneyland]] [[Costa Mesa]] [[Irvine]] [[San Juan Capistrano]] [[Tustin]] [[San Diego]] [[Solana Beach]] [[Barstow]] [[Needles]] [[Twentynine Palms]] [[Yucca Valley]] [[Mojave National Preserve]] [[Indio]] [[Death Valley Junction]] [[Stovepipe Wells]] [[Death Valley National Park]] ===== Oregon ===== [[Portland (Oregon)]] (lived here) [[Gresham]] (lived here) [[Milwaukie]] [[Oregon City]] [[Troutdale]] [[Aloha]] [[Beaverton]] (lived here) [[Hillsboro (Oregon)]] [[Tigard]] [[Eugene]] [[The Dalles]] [[Tillamook]] [[Florence (Oregon)]] [[Reedsport]] [[Yachats]] [[Bandon]] [[Port Orford]] [[Brookings-Harbor]] [[Coos Bay]] [[Ashland (Oregon)]] [[Medford (Oregon)]] ===== Washington State ===== [[Vancouver (Washington)]] [[Camas (Washington)]] [[Washougal]] [[Bellevue]] [[Redmond (Washington)]] (lived here) [[Seattle]] [[Tacoma]] (lived here) [[Bellingham (Washington)]] [[Ellensburg]] [[Ritzville]] [[Moses Lake]] [[Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park]] tt4665agjnzh3iwmzwcbthosg7mgaqm 0 193971 4501826 4488948 2022-08-16T02:42:41Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Sleep */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Pagebanner default.jpg}} '''Indre Wijdefjorden National Park''' is a national park protecting the inner part of Wijdefjorden, [[Svalbard]]'s longest fjord. ==Understand== ===History=== ===Landscape=== ===Flora and fauna=== ===Climate=== ==Get in== ==Fees and permits== {{mapframe}}<!--if mapmask fails {{mapshape|wikidata=Q1661839}}--> Apart from the 150-kr<!--hyphenated compound adjective. do not change--> fee you'll need to pay when entering Svalbard, you will need to report to the governor, including signing a special insurance policy to cover any search and rescue costs were you to get lost. ==Get around== Motorised vehicles are banned within Indre Wijdefjorden National Park as with any other Norwegian national park, but cycling is also banned. However, snowmobiles are permitted, but temporary bans can be imposed. Otherwise, hiking is a good way to get around the park, especially to the nearby Perriertoppen and Åsgårdsfonna. Like in the rest of Svalbard, outside settlements, you will need to carry a rifle with you for self-defence, but remember that polar bears are protected here and should '''only''' be used as a last resort. ==See== * {{see | name=Einsteinvatnet | alt= | url= | email= | address= | lat=79.0487 | long=16.3212 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikidata=Q16890899 | lastedit=2022-07-20 | content=Named after Albert Einstein, it is perhaps the only main point of interest within the park apart from the fjord itself containing Arctic char, a cold-water fish. }} ==Do== There's not much to do in Indre Wijdefjorden National Park – after all, the park was established mainly for conservation in a place so desolate without tourism in mind. Hunting is only permitted with permission from the governor whilst fishing is prohibited. There are no well established hiking trails within the park. The only good suitable place for hiking is on a few beaches by the fjord, but that's about it. Otherwise, it's all backcountry hiking. ==Buy, eat and drink== There are no restaurants, shops, bars or anything alike in this desolate, remote park. As hunting is only permitted with permission from the governor, you'll likely need to bring all your supplies with you. ==Sleep== There are no lodging facilities nor are there any campgrounds in Indre Wijdefjorden National Park. ==Stay safe== ==Go next== Svalbard's highest peak, {{marker|type=see|name=Newtontoppen|wikidata=Q1419222}} can be hiked from the eastern end of the park. {{IsPartOf|Svalbard}} {{outlinepark}} {{geo|79.083333|16.1|zoom=8}} {{Mapmask|79.3706,15.2038|79.0548,15.3980|78.9991,15.8072|78.9110,16.1831|78.8580,16.2663|78.8743,16.6800|79.3346,16.3247|79.3828,16.0224|79.3706,15.2038}} mu1uxrwdj422ho64a0mhaytr289rziw 0 194362 4501973 4500161 2022-08-16T08:00:42Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Lower Assam''' is a region west of [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe|width=500|height=370}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; city of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | wikidata=Q506511}} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} 4np485dkr653as2ufr6sfwpgxr0lm33 4502018 4501973 2022-08-16T08:37:42Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Lower Assam''' is a region west of [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; Commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; Capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Goalpara]] |wikidata=Q579832}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; City of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | wikidata=Q506511}} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} dwg05vf0cw858bu0qcq31mht8x3dkir 4502023 4502018 2022-08-16T08:40:58Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Lower Assam''' is a region west of [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q2360266,Q41249,Q42197,Q2574898,Q42485,Q42522,Q42779,Q2464674,Q42618,Q24907599,Q2247441,Q101088203,Q321998,Q42461}} *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bongaigaon]] | lat=26.48 |long=90.56 | image=Skyline_of_Bongaigaon_City.jpg |wikidata=Q3429538}} &mdash; Commercial and industrial hub, home to many monuments of Assamese culture * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dispur]] | lat=26.14083 |long=91.79083 | image= |wikidata=Q271911}} &mdash; Capital of Assam. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=Goalpara |wikidata=Q579832}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Guwahati]] | lat=26.1833 |long=91.7333 | image=Kamakhya_Guwahati.JPG |wikidata=Q199605}} &mdash; City of temples, history, archaeological sites and largest city in Assam *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Rangia]] | lat=26.47 |long=91.63 | image= |wikidata=Q2475022}} &mdash; Major railway town and a part of Kamrupi cultural region. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=vicinity|zoom=13 | name=[[Manas National Park]] | wikidata=Q506511}} &mdash; the wildlife park is in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, where the river Manah flows with picturesque turns and clean water and sandy beaches. Although Manas is primarily a tiger reserve, it possesses numerous other valuable flora and fauna; the park is situated roughly 150&nbsp;km west of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} h66r1hnlh7ucs7i4efqooz1wsopjmzh 14 194365 4501979 4499974 2022-08-16T08:14:08Z Sbb1413 2217354 Sbb1413 moved page [[Category:Central Hills and Barak Valley]] to [[Category:Central Assam and Barak Valley]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{RegionCat}} {{IsPartOf|Assam}} hpt2fym8zexfbi7rn91y7vnhkgrsbxt 0 194369 4501876 4500151 2022-08-16T05:01:47Z Sbb1413 2217354 Sbb1413 moved page [[Central Hills and Barak Valley]] to [[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Central Hills and Barak Valley''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Haflong]] |wikidata=Q1026900}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dima Hasao]] |wikidata=Q42774}} &mdash; ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} lo5bj665hytdx2mkkglr7pocdw4wg79 4501884 4501876 2022-08-16T05:12:19Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Central Hills and Barak Valley''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dima Hasao]] |wikidata=Q42774}} &mdash; ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} ba1e6dgq8rbpc1yhk6ekvmnjmvuxps0 4501887 4501884 2022-08-16T05:14:15Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Central Assam and Barak Valley''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q29025081,Q24949218,Q42737,Q42686}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; The birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; A village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dima Hasao]] |wikidata=Q42774}} &mdash; ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} rk663niwf4lo9kyi0gvp07ina7i5yrd 4501956 4501887 2022-08-16T07:36:47Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Central Assam and Barak Valley''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; The birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; A village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dima Hasao]] |wikidata=Q42774}} &mdash; ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} h6ux19hh25hd4hc3wcxv0px26xu24xt 4501987 4501956 2022-08-16T08:17:26Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Central Assam and Barak Valley''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; The birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; A village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dima Hasao]] |wikidata=Q42774}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wildlife park is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} oygztswjcjs8nsn6t7aquz7llxf5n79 4502026 4501987 2022-08-16T08:43:40Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Central Assam and Barak Valley''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q42542,Q42505,Q42209,Q42774,Q24699407,Q42558,Q42737,Q42686}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Bordua]] | lat=26.4107|long=92.5516}} &mdash; The birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sarkardev draws visitors who come to learn Sattriya dance and do research on Vaishnavism *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Hailakandi]] |wikidata=Q914156}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Karimganj]] |wikidata=Q1729385}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Mayong]] | lat=26.2589 |long=92.0408 | image= | wikidata=Q6797601}} &mdash; A village on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Land of Black Magic. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Nagaon]] | lat=26.34637 |long=92.68404 | image= |wikidata=Q11938328}} &mdash; *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Silchar]] | lat=24.81666 |long=92.8 | image= |wikidata=Q944769}} &mdash; Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the Old Cachari Kingdom (Khaspur). ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dima Hasao]] |wikidata=Q42774}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Karbi Anglong]] |wikidata=Q42558}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wildlife park is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} t1gy5phogmtq3ni69m3ltforlk6wipn 0 194371 4501954 4500160 2022-08-16T07:33:40Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Cities */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | lat=26.57753 |long=93.17112 | image= }} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | lat=26.93249 |long=92.87766 | image= }} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | lat=26.62766 | long=92.49504 | image=Indian_Rhinoceros.jpg }} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} 6zn13cd0trv2g44ahuxge8qwvwjc3wx 4501966 4501954 2022-08-16T07:53:12Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} 80hqoden6fllpeznhx43izb3760gfbx 4501970 4501966 2022-08-16T07:58:00Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wild life park is the largest habitat for one horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national park of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature loving and bird watching traveler. The bird-life is particularly superb. Also, chances of spotting a Tiger is very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (known as mini Kaziranga National Park), Assam &mdash; marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} qi0it4pcydiunuhbkj3sivag8v4xxij 4501972 4501970 2022-08-16T08:00:09Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wildlife park is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland in Upper Assam on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly 200&nbsp;km. east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national parks of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature-loving and bird-watching traveller. The bird life is particularly superb. Also, the chances of spotting a Tiger are very high. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} f44wq0vqb29vkxe8bqycxkgi7moavph 4501986 4501972 2022-08-16T08:17:16Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wildlife park is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national parks of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature-loving and bird-watching traveller. The bird life is particularly superb. Also, the chances of spotting a Tiger are very high. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} 7o4y18vbsv58umwi83o46iqpdt6uh9a 4501989 4501986 2022-08-16T08:18:11Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; a World Heritage Site of UNESCO is roughly a 400-km² wildlife park is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national parks of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature-loving and bird-watching traveller. The bird life is particularly superb. Also, the chances of spotting a Tiger are very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} 362jz2xgg2oc6ykng807vnrfvvn9328 4502012 4501989 2022-08-16T08:33:08Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; A wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; A World Heritage Site of UNESCO, it is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national parks of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature-loving and bird-watching traveller. The bird life is particularly superb. Also, the chances of spotting a Tiger are very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} ihwp8ylapcaggcjyxbnw3o8w9uhngg5 4502027 4502012 2022-08-16T08:44:29Z Sbb1413 2217354 wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibru-Saikhowa National Park]] | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; A wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; A World Heritage Site of UNESCO, it is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national parks of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature-loving and bird-watching traveller. The bird life is particularly superb. Also, the chances of spotting a Tiger are very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Orang National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} c0uw2p0kkb1bam2rzveuooaw1gxdo61 4502029 4502027 2022-08-16T08:46:21Z Sbb1413 2217354 /* Other destinations */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{pagebanner|Asia}} '''Upper Assam''' is a region in [[Assam]], India. ==Cities== {{Mapframe}} {{Mapshape|wikidata=Q24039029,Q42473,Q42479,Q42517,Q42611,Q42743,Q28110729,Q42768,Q42756,Q28110722,Q42765}} * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Borgang]] | lat=26.803056 |long=93.554444 | image= |wikidata=Q4945011}} &mdash; experience the rich folklore and culture of rural Assam in a picturesque landscape. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Dibrugarh]] | lat=27.48 |long=95.0 | image=Radha Krishna Temple, Dibrugarh.jpg |wikidata=Q1266637}} &mdash; Home to several parks, gardens and temples. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Digboi]] |wikidata=Q1267577}} &mdash; Home to the first Asian petroleum refinery with an oil museum and heritage wells. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Golaghat]] | lat=26.5143225 |long=93.9308518 | image=Circuit_House_Compound,_Golaghat.png |wikidata=Q1708160}} &mdash; An old urban centre for Assam, but nevertheless home to wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO-listed national park, beautiful views amid ancient ruins, and sacred Hindu and Christian sites from the 17th and 19th centuries. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Jorhat]] | lat=26.75 |long=94.217 |wikidata=Q1937201}} &mdash; Considered by some to be the cultural centre of Assam and the last capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Lakhimpur]] |wikidata=Q42743}} — *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Majuli]] | image=Majuli Island.jpg |wikidata=Q277552}} &mdash; Claimed to be the largest river island in the world. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Sibsagar]] |wikidata=Q1284453}} (Sivasagar) &mdash; The nerve centre and the capital of the Kingdom of Assam under the Ahom Dynasty–earlier known as Rongpur; the region has several palaces, temples, large tanks, ramparts, etc. * {{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tezpur]] | lat=26.6245 |long=92.7910 | image=Agnigarh Hill, Tezpur.JPG |wikidata=Q1021162}} &mdash; Ancient town and also said to be the cultural capital of Assam, with many historical ruins with the Himalayas as a backdrop. *{{marker|type=city|zoom=13 | name=[[Tinsukia]] | lat=27.5000 |long=95.3667 | image=Tinkunia_pukhri.jpg |wikidata=Q2249428}} &mdash; famous for its endless stretches of tea gardens. ==Other destinations== * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | wikidata=Q1209353}} &mdash; A wonderful habitat of numerous birds; there are feral horses on the islands of the Brahmaputra close to the park. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Kaziranga National Park]] | wikidata=Q192764}} &mdash; A World Heritage Site of UNESCO, it is the largest habitat for one-horned rhinoceros and several other unique flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a grassland on the bank of the Brahmaputra; roughly {{km|200}} east of Guwahati. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=[[Nameri National Park]] | wikidata=Q2989157}} &mdash; One of the most scenic national parks of Assam, Nameri comes as a delight for the nature-loving and bird-watching traveller. The bird life is particularly superb. Also, the chances of spotting a Tiger are very high. * {{marker|type=go|zoom=13 | name=Orang National Park | wikidata=Q2989176}} (Mini Kaziranga National Park) &mdash; Marshes, streams and grasslands provide a habitat for the Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, wild buffalo and tiger. It provides a home for many migratory species of birds and reptiles. ==Understand== ==Get in== ==Get around== ==See== ==Do== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Stay safe== ==Go next== {{IsPartOf|Assam}} {{outlineregion}} {{geo||}} ihwp8ylapcaggcjyxbnw3o8w9uhngg5 1 194381 4501807 4501219 2022-08-16T02:12:55Z SHB2000 2248002 /* Banner */ Reply wikitext text/x-wiki == Banner == Not really in love with the current banner – to me, it looks like any other 19th-century Australian city. What about this one in Sovereign Hill? It's Ballarat's prime tourist attraction, and has better character IMO. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 06:05, 13 August 2022 (UTC) :I think in this case I slightly prefer the existing banner (0). The new banner is a good picture, but it looks too like a street - readers could assume that it was a typical view of a Ballarat street, rather than something inside a paying attraction. The new banner appears to be cropped from the same photo as that on [[Goldfields]]. [[User:AlasdairW|AlasdairW]] ([[User talk:AlasdairW|talk]]) 21:14, 14 August 2022 (UTC) ::Oh didn't realise that. If that's the case, then I suppose I also favour the existing banner. <span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 02:12, 16 August 2022 (UTC) [[File:Ballarat banner.JPG|thumb|700px|Banner 0]] [[File:Main Street, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat (cropped).jpg|thumb|700px|Banner 1]] g8tywgl3ouy9y40xbavu68ze4iibbi1 3 194417 4501594 2022-08-15T13:24:47Z SHB2000 2248002 Created page with "{{subst:welcomeanon}} --~~~~" wikitext text/x-wiki Hello, 2001:8003:DC49:4200:3165:F598:4F91:7040! [[Wikivoyage:Welcome, newcomers|Welcome]] to [[Wikivoyage:About|Wikivoyage]]. To help get you started contributing, we've created a [[Wikivoyage:Tips for new contributors|tips for new contributors]] page, full of helpful links about [[Wikivoyage:policies and guidelines|policies and guidelines]] and [[Wikivoyage:Manual of style|style]], as well as some important information on [[Wikivoyage:Copyleft|copyleft]] and basic stuff like [[Wikivoyage:How to edit a page|how to edit a page]]. If you need help, check out [[Wikivoyage:Help]], or post a message in the [[Wikivoyage:travellers' pub|travellers' pub]]. By the way, have you considered creating an account here? While you can absolutely keep contributing as an anonymous user, it promises [[Wikivoyage:Why register|a bunch of benefits]], and no obligations. --<span style="font-family:BlinkMacSystemFont; font-size: 14px">[[User:SHB2000|<span style="color:#0b6487">SHB2000</span>]] <small>([[User talk:SHB2000|talk]] &#124; [[Special:Contributions/SHB2000|contribs]] &#124; [[m:User:SHB2000|meta]])</small></span> 13:24, 15 August 2022 (UTC) 5ua0lhs3tnmtynnt63yy5zn6cbz15ju 0 194418 4501601 2022-08-15T13:45:31Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Dunedin]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Dunedin]] p25uw3dvn52fiqms14b6w1hj2shw22a 0 194420 4501815 2022-08-16T02:29:58Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Gundabooka National Park]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Gundabooka National Park]] e2awf6eg43jdo84vhje87ebyz0ss2t9 0 194421 4501816 2022-08-16T02:32:21Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Arizona]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Arizona]] 562rlb0iaijlfyt5yda1tdud7qzc73j 0 194422 4501817 2022-08-16T02:32:43Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Utah]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Utah]] g8ua68cr6wnbye17w1aoe4a4jlu327c 0 194423 4501818 2022-08-16T02:33:01Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Nevada]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Nevada]] fl61ie3g0ifm0uw1jaicqe4r36ywly6 0 194424 4501819 2022-08-16T02:33:19Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[New Mexico]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[New Mexico]] b8kasdptlj0p3l3en62gam01z5i5p7u 0 194425 4501821 2022-08-16T02:33:36Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Ontario]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Ontario]] mknlws9t72j4cx0ojip5728ozb998yp 0 194426 4501822 2022-08-16T02:34:58Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Yukon]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Yukon]] lf7prcjqicke7t6shndrm9jgntgf2lv 0 194427 4501823 2022-08-16T02:36:34Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Herschel Island]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Herschel Island]] 40n6tfe3rsxuiouexq1zmpzzhmg6xkl 2 194428 4501824 2022-08-16T02:38:58Z GOwvin 2274858 a short account profile. wikitext text/x-wiki I like getting lost. I roll, I stroll, I go. nkcctcwiopry0gycmffguxmw757cvkp 0 194429 4501855 2022-08-16T03:44:19Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Massachusetts]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Massachusetts]] s5bvyx5lktvoo2sobpym66d7qjzdt0u 0 194430 4501856 2022-08-16T03:44:43Z SHB2000 2248002 Redirected page to [[Pennsylvania]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Pennsylvania]] g6x8h7cth97f0jajs8mj1e4veydlog4 0 194431 4501877 2022-08-16T05:01:47Z Sbb1413 2217354 Sbb1413 moved page [[Central Hills and Barak Valley]] to [[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Central Assam and Barak Valley]] 7zxb05sdxa6wa757p6ub98ort9iom37 4 194432 4501975 2022-08-16T08:03:29Z Sbb1413 2217354 Redirected page to [[Wikivoyage:Breadcrumb navigation]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Wikivoyage:Breadcrumb navigation]] sw09brizqsij65uaro0j8yo6pxquxi8 14 194433 4501980 2022-08-16T08:14:08Z Sbb1413 2217354 Sbb1413 moved page [[Category:Central Hills and Barak Valley]] to [[Category:Central Assam and Barak Valley]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[:Category:Central Assam and Barak Valley]] c2sjmqi71ft7x90i78zglus7fymshea 0 194434 4502057 2022-08-16T09:22:11Z LPfi 79572 Redirected page to [[Vaala#Rokua National Park]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Vaala#Rokua National Park]] 0t0mez5hg5t200x09f5qvh9ohozlm9l 0 194436 4502068 2022-08-16T09:37:05Z LPfi 79572 Redirected page to [[Tornio#Bothnian Bay National Park]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Tornio#Bothnian Bay National Park]] ltbpqymoys2m6etwp61vl83tk8cx5iy 0 194437 4502072 2022-08-16T09:39:50Z Crouch, Swale 1301797 redirect from short name wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Isle of Sheppey]] tqmmscog3uv9oosnwaxso727q36kl2i